Chapter 7

First off, I started out by exclaiming at Ryota, "Hey! Your that guy I sat next to!"

Ryota looked surprised, but nodded.

"Yeah, your right," he said.

"Well, now that we're over that reunion, why is that guy talking to dirt?" cut in Tsukiko.

I looked over at Katsu, who, indeed, had a handful of dirt in his hand, and was gently talking to it. Well, not really talking. He was murmuring in an ununderstandable (inunderstandable? Unable understandable? Help me out here!) language.

Hikara swung her head around to Tsukiko, and retorted, "Hey, you're the one who talks to winds, you shouldn't be the one remarking about it."

"Excuse me?" said Aika, "Winds?"

Tsukiko sighed, and raised her hand, palm facing the sky, and dropped a gust of wind over Aika.

"O-okay, got it," she said, "I didn't think it was possible for a twelve-year-old to be able to control wind and lightning. I know jonin who can't do it."

Tsukiko ignored the question, but Hikara answered.

"She was struck by lightning at age six."

"Oh. That would do it," Aika said quietly.

And she promptly changed the subject.

"So, you're from The Grass Village, huh?" she asked.

"What?" said Hikara, surprised. "N-no, we're-" Then she looked at her headband. "Oh. I guess we are."

"You don't seem very sure about it," said Aika.

Hikara looked around, then whispered, "Can you keep a secret?" They nodded. "Well, we're really from Kumogakure."

Aika gasped, "But, but we're not-"

"Yeah, we know," sighed Hikara, "We're not allies. Why do you think we're disguised?"

Aika was about to answer, but then Tsukiko cut in, "Are those two always that quiet?"

Aika looked at her teammates. "No. Well, he is," she gestured at Katsu, "but Amaya's usually pretty talkative."

Hikara looked at Tsukiko, "what are you thinking?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

She grinned, and raised her hand; it was glowing softly with chakra.

"No! No, Tsukiko, don't think about it."

"What are you tal-" But Aika never got to finish her question. Tsukiko slammed her hand down, and a ripple moved quickly through the ground right toward me.

BAM!

I flew threw the air like a bullet, and landed ten feet away from them.

In a muffled kind of way, I could hear Katsu's surprised remark," What the?"

"Wow, you got him to talk. He normally gets in five words a day."

But anything else they said I didn't hear.

Because I realized what I was laying on.

He had used it on me once. We were racing, and I was winning. He cheated, making it gently grip my ankle to make me trip. He won the race, but I never forgot how that sand had felt.

Warm to the touch, and almost like clay. That's what I was feeling on my back.

I rolled over, and crouched down on my heels. I stroked the ground, picking up the small bits that had stayed where it was.

He was here, I thought.

Then I realized that the rest were probably still waiting for me to come back.

So I quickly stood up and walked back. I sat down, and tried to direct the attention away from.

"So your kage is the Raikage, right?"

Hikara blushed, and ducked her head.

"What's up with her?" asked Aika, voicing my thoughts.

"Umm, I really don't know," Tsukiko said uncertainly.

Then a small voice emitted from behind Hikara's braid. "He's, the Raikage, he's my dad."

Tsukiko stood up. "I knew it!" And then she looked at Hikara. "Why didn't you tell me?"

They looked at each other for a moment, and then,

"You told me, didn't you?" Tsukiko asked. She nodded. "Crap," She said, sitting down again, "I'm not good at listening."

I looked at Tsukiko. "Okay. Now then," But she cut me off.

"I hate questions. Including the two you just asked, you get three more questions. And they'd better be important.

I stared at Hikara.

"Is she serious?" I asked.

"She's serious about most things, so, yeah, I'm pretty sure she is." Hikara answered.

"Hmmph. Okay then, Hikara, why don't you tell people that the Raikage's your father?"

Hikara looked serenely at me. "I don't want him to get hurt," she answered.

"But-"

"Hey!" Tsukiko cut in, "are you sure you want to waste a question?"

Aika looked at her, her eyes angry.

"No, it's alright," Hikara said, she looked at us, " No, he didn't tell me to. I did it on my own free will, because I didn't want to tell someone, then they'd use me to get to him. It's all really confusing, I have to tell it to myself every once in awhile so I'd not slip up."

"Oh," I said.

"Two more questions," Tsukiko said, and Aika frowned at her.

"Alrightie," said I, looking at Aika, who nodded, "What is-" But I never got to finish.