Rin: I thought that I should give you readers another chapter before I go away for a week. To make up for all that time I couldn't figure out how to upload the file. I had to take out a whole little thing from the original copy…
-sweatdrop-
I'm spending/had spent/was going to spend all night to type this up for you readers.
Disclaimer: Naruto and company belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own the OC's.
It was nighttime; Aiki and Isuzu were wandering the streets. It was unusual for them, but for some reason, neither Isuzu nor Aiki were able to sleep. Aiki was chatting away blissfully unaware of the presence that Isuzu felt. Isuzu shoved her hand into the pocket that had the photograph of Gaara in it. She took it in her hand and crushed the picture. Aiki stopped talking, beginning to feel the hairs on the nape of her neck standing up. To her, she felt like she was in some sort of horror movie.
"Izu," Aiki whispered.
"What?" she responded, anger residing in her voice because her concentration was broken. They maintained their pace down the almost deserted street.
"Is it just me or do you think someone is following us?" Aiki muttered.
"I know that something is following us," Isuzu said, "but -"
"I don't think a thing could be following us," Aiki interjected.
"As I was saying," Isuzu sighed, still feeling irate, "great, now I forget." They stopped and looked around.
Isuzu could feel Aiki's uneasiness as if it were her own. She couldn't understand why her twin was anxious, and Isuzu wondered if it had something to do with Gaara. She had felt her uneasiness when Sasuke mentioned the red hair and the fact at the boy carried a gourd. Isuzu stared intently at Aiki, judging her actions.
Aiki's stomach was a storm of mixed emotions. She wanted to see Gaara, wanted to talk to him. It tore at her heart, and she didn't even know why all of this was happening to her. Aiki closed her eyes and focused on the gentle thrumming of her heart.
Calm down, she thought quietly. Aiki's gentle command on her body was not working. Instead, her heart sped up.
"It's getting closer," Isuzu said, breaking Aiki's concentration.
"I noticed," Aiki muttered. "We can't fight in the streets if it comes to that, so let's lure him to a forest." Isuzu nodded at the command. They then sprinted off and they felt the presence following them as well. Their adrenaline began pumping, the rush giving them the extra boost they needed. The twins reached a desolate training ground and stopped.
"You can come out now," Aiki yelled, "we already know that you're there."
"Smart," a low voice muttered. Out of the shadows appeared the young Suna genin. His appearance immediately made Aiki's heart thump louder.
"I assume that you're Sabaku no Gaara?" Isuzu asked condescendingly. "You're even uglier in -"
"Shut up," Aiki snapped, clasping a hand over Isuzu's mouth. "You're being rude. He's the Kazekage's son." Suddenly, Gaara clutched the left side of his face. He groaned for a second.
"It doesn't matter Mother," Gaara growled to himself, "You know that rude people's blood tastes gross."
"What did you just say?" Isuzu yelled, freeing herself from Aiki's grasp. Gaara didn't acknowledge the outburst.
"To err is human, to forgive, divine," Aiki recited. She reached into her pouch and pulled out the tiny black book.
"A Shinobi's death,
guarding all of their comrades,
such a fitting way," Aiki read. She sighed. That haiku was too morbid. She flipped through its pages and found a better haiku.
"To hide emotions,
the way of the shinobi,
never love again?" Aiki recited. She liked that poem better. Aiki looked up from her book to see Isuzu attacking Gaara. She continued to throw kunai at Gaara, but the sand blocked her attacks. Isuzu then did some hand signs and threw a kunai.
'Kamisori Kaze Kunai: Razor Wind Knives.' The kunai hit the wall of sand, but then the wind behind it and the sand fly everywhere.
"You're open now," Isuzu smirked running in at Gaara, performing hand signs at unrecognizable speed. Aiki began to get angry. She pulled out some shuriken and attached them to fishing line. Aiki threw the shuriken so that the sailed around Isuzu and back around a tree. The fishing line pinned Isuzu to the defenseless tree.
"Aiki, I have to fight him," Isuzu shouted, struggling to be released from her bonds.
"Stop being so pig headed Izu, we'll have to work as a team," Aiki yelled back. "Besides, it'd be easier to finish him off with that jutsu." Isuzu smirked and Aiki went over to her and cut Isuzu from her bonds. The twins then proceeded with performing the hand signs in sync and ending on the special hand sign. Their auras began to glow and then intertwined with the other. Their eyes went white and then the jutsu was activated. Their minds became one and moved in unison.
'Kumiawase no Jutsu: The Art of Uniting!' The twins began to charge at the still stoic Gaara. He put his hands in a hand seal and began to form a shell of sand around his body. The twins hit the shell, but nothing happened. They tried and tired again, but nothing could penetrate the shell. They began the sequence of hand signs that they could only use when they had this jutsu activated.
"Stop this right now," a perky voice yelled. Both of the twins flinched; they knew that voice. They deactivated the jutsu, only to have Kikyo and Baki land in between them and Gaara. Baki went over to Gaara's shell and tapped on the outside.
"Gaara, come out now," Baki commanded. There was no response from inside the shell.
"You two," Kikyo frowned, looming over the twins, "are coming with me. We're going back to the complex." The twins groaned, sad that their midnight fight came to its early demise. So, Kikyo took the twins back to their rooms and locked their windows and the front door shut.
-x-
Meanwhile, Kaien had snuck out and was wandering the streets. He knew that it was just aimless, but he still felt like something was pulling him somewhere. Kaien had somehow found himself at the ramen stand that he and his team couldn't manage to find. For some reason he didn't want to find it earlier that day. Kaien went up to the stand and held the curtains back. He instantly recognized the orange jumpsuit.
"Naruto?" stuttered Kaien. The blond boy turned around on his seat. Kaien stifled a laugh when he saw that the ramen broth was all over Naruto's face. Naruto slurped up the rest of the noodles and smiled at Kaien.
"Kaien, right?" asked Naruto, earning a nod from Kaien. "Come sit here."
"Oh Naruto, you've never brought him here before," the owner of Ichiraku Ramen said. He was a somewhat bulky man, with a kind smile and his chef's clothing was white.
"Mister Teuchi, he's from Kumogakure," Naruto smiled.
"Would you like to try some of our ramen?" Teuchi inquired. Kaien nodded, took the stool next to Naruto, and reached for his wallet, but Teuchi held his hand up.
"This one's on the house," he grinned.
"Does that mean I get a free one too?" Naruto asked eagerly, almost leaping off of his seat.
"I'm sorry Naruto, but you still have to pay," The owner chuckled. Subsequently, Naruto's face fell. Kaien sighed and leaned over to Naruto.
"Whatever I don't finish, you can have, okay?" Kaien muttered. Naruto then nodded and sat still for one hundredth of a second. He fidgeted in his seat, waiting for Kaien's ramen to be cooked.
"Naruto, do you think that you'll become a Chuunin in this test?" Kaien asked, trying to make small talk. He really hated that kind of thing, but with someone so fidgety like Naruto, it would be a relief.
"I don't think I am, I know I am," Naruto grinned. "Besides, you're looking at the future Hokage, Dattebayo!" Kaien couldn't hold back his laughter this time.
"I'm serious," Naruto interrupted.
"I know, but the way you said it was funny," Kaien coughed. He calmed himself down in time for his ramen to be placed in front of him.
"Here you go, er, I didn't catch your name," Teuchi said.
"Miyagi Kaien," he smiled, gaping at the bowl in front of him. It was a large bowl, larger than he would probably eat, but then again, it looked delicious. Kaien said his grace and split his chopsticks. He began to slurp at the noodles, everything tasting delicious.
(A/N: Cut through the eating scene…)
Kaien had half finished the bowl when he felt so bloated. Kaien set his chopsticks down and slid the bowl over to Naruto.
"It's about time," Naruto exclaimed.
"So full," Kaien muttered.
"Awesome, you left the kamaboko! That's my favourite part, Dattebayo," Naruto cheered. Kaien nodded incoherently as he watched Naruto gobble up the rest of the ramen.
"Well, Kaien, how did you like it?" Teuchi asked.
"It was delicious," Kaien smiled.
"That's good," Teuchi smiled. Kaien nodded and got up off of his stool.
"Where're you going?" Naruto inquired.
"I don't know. I'm going to wander my way back to the complex," Kaien sighed. "I'll see you later though, Naruto."
"Definitely will," Naruto shouted. Kaien half smiled before turning his back on the blond ninja. He was about halfway back to the complex when his adoptive mother appeared in front of him.
"Kaien, where were you?" she asked, voice sounding a little annoyed.
"I ended up at Ichiraku Ramen, seeing Naruto, and sharing a bowl of ramen with him," Kaien said soberly. He then reached up and twisted the bangs that fell into his eyes. Kikyo put her hand on her hips.
"Well, too bad young man, I am bringing you back to the complex," she said.
"Why? I didn't do anything wrong," Kaien protested.
"Nuh-uh," Kikyo sighed, "You snuck out. That is something wrong." Kaien rolled his eyes and forced his hands into his pockets. Kikyo then picked up Kaien and slung him over her shoulder.
"I'm still bringing you back to the complex," she chuckled.
"I never knew my mother could be so sadistic," Kaien murmured.
"I could be spanking you," Kikyo laughed.
"I never said anything," Kaien muttered. Kikyo then too him back as well to the complex and locked his window. He too, was forced to sleep.
Rin: I'm sorry that this one was so short… I just wanted you readers to have something of mine to read before I went away. Every paragraph is short so it makes it choppy... -sweatdrop- READ AND REVIEW! Or I shall findeth thou knaves and kill you!
Just kidding –smile- Bye!!