A/N: Alrighty! I've got some new chapters for you! Oh, and I seem to have forgotten to put the disclaimer on them lately. So here it is:

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but Sarafu.

Enter Hatake Ryushin

I spent the next day, just lazing around. Everytime I gathered the energy to walk, I didn't get very far. I could stand to look at this empty desert, so I summoned Moregayo, to fly me away to Mt. Hokkaido in Rock Country. It took us two days, but we made it there nonetheless. I was too depressed to eat anything in that span of time, so I was near death by the time we arrived. Byt that time, I was too hungry to care about my recent heartbreak. I walked into Hokkaido city, which was next to the mountain, hence the name, and was nearly crawling on my hands and knees by the time I finally spotted a restraunt. I stumbled in and the host staring at me warily at the front of the building asked me, "Umm, will you be the only one dining tonight, miss?"

"No. Table for two, please."

I looked around to see who it was that made the statement and found a young boy with small stature. He was just a bit shorter than me and his hair was a flashing white. His eyes were black with white pupils, which made him quite bold-looking, despite his flustered face and stuttering. He kept averting his eyes, not sure exactly where to put them. He was wearing a black trench coat with a white dragon on the back.

"I see," the host said in my stunned silence, "I'll show you to your table then." He led us away, and before I could protest, we were sitting across from each other in a booth. A waiter came by and took our drinks. All this time, I was still to shocked to speak.

"Wha...Wait! Hey!" I suddenly regained conciousness. "Who said I wanted to eat with you!"

The strange boy looked hurt. "I-I. . .I'm sorry. You just looked so tired, I thought you would like for me to pay for your meal. . .I'm sorry. It was rude of me."

He said the magic words. "Oh, no. It's perfectly alright. I'm glad to dine with such a fine upstanding gentleman, as yourself."

Red spread across his face. "A-a! I-I ummm. . .I d-d-don't kno-o-w, about d-dat. heh."

The waiter came back with our drinks. I didn't realize that I was so thirsty as to guzzle down the whole glass of coke in one gulp. I ordered a refill, and once the waiter returned he asked for our orders.

Hmmm...I strangely feel like meat. Lots and lots of meat. So I ordered the carnivore's special, which was composed entirely out of meat. The white-haired stranger, however, just had a light salad. As the waiter left, the stranger introduced himself. "A-ah, I'm Hatake Ryushin."

Hatake? I wonder if he's related to Kakashi-sensei at all. But then what is he doing in the Cloud Village?

I glanced up at him from my drink. "Oh, I'm Kichino Sarafu. I's nice to meet you."

"Oh, I already know your name. We meet at the Chuunin Exams, remember?"

I dropped my straw. "Really? I don't remember you!"

Ryushin seemed a tad down-trodden. "You don't remember? I was the guy who explained the Second Round."

"The cloud jounin? You don't look like him."

"Well, that's because I was in my work uniform, and well, I tend to act differently when I get into things."

"Hm. Well, now that you mention it, you do look kinda similar. So, what are you doing all the way over here?"

"Oh, just a simple recon mission. Now that the Chuunin Exams are over, its quite calm in the Cloud Village. How fares Konoha?"

"Oh, its umm. . .good, I guess. Its not really any of my concern anymore."

"Why not?"

I can't exactly tell him that I'm going to become the Sorakage for the Sky Village, can I? "Oh, nothing. So, how old are you Ryushin? You look quite young for a jounin."

"Oh, I'm only 16."

"16! Wow, that's quite young! You're only a year older than me." Heh, and I'm going to become the kage.

"Before you said that Konoha was no longer any of your concern, why do you say that?" Ryushin inquired.

"Oh, nothing. I was just talking nonsense."

Ryushin eyed me, suspicous. Before he could inquire any further, our food arrived. A huge oval plate was placed in front of me with steaming steaks on it. I couldn't help but drool at the site of food. I shoved the meat into my mouth before the waiter could even leave. When did I become so hungry? Ryushin and the waiter stared at me.

"U-umm. . .You know, its not really healthy to have just meat," Ryushin dismissed the waiter.

"Who cares?" I retorted. "Extra protein."

"Did you know that dragons are carnivorous? They eat about two pounds of meat for every meal. Well, for the averaged sized ones, of course."

I shook my head. "Not the smaller ones. Gonko's an omnivore. He eats bugs an plants."

"Gonko? Is that a dragon?"

"Yeah. He's one of my summon dragons. Here, as a thanks, I'll show him to you."

"Really! I'm sort of a dragon researcher, and I've never seen a summon dragon! Just my elemental dragons."

"You like dragons, huh?" I mumbled. "Then you'll love me." (A/N: Heehhheeehhehehh. How little you know, Sarafu.)

"What'd you say?"

"Oh, nothing."

When we finished eating, Ryushin payed the bill and we left the resteraunt. Outside of the city, I summoned Gonko. Ryushin was absolutely delighted. He circled Gonko constantly, making observations, and comments. Gonko felt embarassed.

"Could you stop that please?" Gonko sighed away, sheepishly.

"Oh my!" Ryushin squealed like a giddy schoolgirl. "You're voice is even tiny too!"

"You might want to stop that Ryushin," I said. "He's quite sensitive about his size."

Ryushin looked at me with sparkling eyes. "But I've never seen a dragon this small!"

That was it. Gonko launched himself at Ryushin and bit him on the arm. Ryushin screamed. He danced around, trying to fling the vicous dragon off of his arm. After blood was drawn, I unsommuned Gonko. "I told you," I said. Ryushin chuckled warily and wiped his wounded arm with a hankerchief. I looked up at the sky. It was getting late in the day, and I still needed to travel up Mt. Hokkaido. I stretched my arms and then dismissed myself.

"Wait!" Ryushin called out to me. "Where are you going?"

"To the mountain, I no longer need your services."

"B-But, why don't we travel together?"

"No. I need to go alone. This involves only me, and we don't need any other villages interrupting."

"Oh, so this is part of your mission?"

I walked on towards the mountain. "Something like that."

"Wait!" Ryushin followed after me. "Why can't I come with you? Please!"

"No, now go away!" He was beginning to get irritating.

"PLEASE?"

"NO, NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!" I smacked him away and pressed on. I glanced over my shoulder, and he was still behind. Argh! Do all Hatake's stalk people or something? I quickened my pace, and so did he. I picked it up to a run, and was disheartened to find him still following me, so I ran around a corner and quickly jumped on top of the building. Ryushin followed me around the corner, but I was not there. I unfolded my wings and flew up to the top of the mountain under my invisibility jutsu.

I arrived at the top of the mountain in a few minutes and stopped in the old post village. This is my third time to return, since then How long has it been?.. I walked through the barren city and to a small cave, blocked off by a stone. Forming hand seals, the rock slowly moved to the right, revealing the entrance. I walked into the cave, and just as I turned around to move the boulder back, a shadow slid past me. I took no notice, but closed the cave, leaving me in total darkness. Luckily, my dragon half allowed me to see well in the dark, so I quickly made my way down the tunnel, which was actually a flight of stairs. I continued to go down for sometime (about 30 minutes) when the cave finally stopped. I put my hand up against the wall which blocked my passage. I did the same thing as before, and moved the rock over to the side, allowing me out and into the open.

I put my hand in front of my face to block out the sudden burst of light. As my eyes adjusted to the light I looked around my old home town. The sky village. It looked just like a modern day city, with tall buildings and narrow streets, except, there were no cars, since there was no way for them to obtain fossil fuels. I went over to the fence on my left and looked down. I was a million feet in the air, and all I could see were clouds. Its funny. To get to the country in the Sky, you have to go down. I never really understood how that worked, but I didn't want to try and figure it out, anyway. The cave was in a quiet park, and it looked a little out of place, but people knew what it was.

A gasp startled me as I flicked around and my heart skipped a beat. There, in the entryway of the cave, stood Ryushin.

...to be continued.