-Emi age 4 Ryuu age 7-
Knock Knock
Ryuu heard the knock and left his school work on the table to open the door. His eyes fell upon a young female with light blue hair and lavender eyes. He lifted his eyes more and an older woman and man stood behind the young girl. Ryuu could tell that they were the young girls parents since they looked similar. The mother had light blue hair as well with grey eyes, and the man had lavender eyes with black hair and lavender lips.
"Hey there, are your parents home?" The male asked Ryuu with a smile.
Ryuu's mouth parted and he nodded slowly. "Mom! Dad!" Ryuu called over his shoulder.
Not too long after Ryuu's call, his parents met him at the door. His mother smiled and reached out her hand to shake the young girls parents hands. She smiled at the young girl and sighed.
"She's really beautiful." Tsuki said and placed her hand lightly on Ryuu's shoulder. Ryuu turned his face to look at his mother and slowly turned back to look at the girl.
The girls mother bent down to the girls eye level and smiled. "Emi, this is Ryuu."
Emi blushed and ran to hide behind her mother. Emi's father chuckled before looking at Ryuu. "Sure is a handsome kid. He'll be good for our little Emi." Ren said to Ryuu's parents.
Ryuu eyed the man carefully. Ryuu's father, Katashi chuckled and patted Ryuu's other shoulder. "Gets it from his father."
Emi's mother stood back up, her daughter still clung to her side. "Well, I'm more than willing to pass my daughter to him one day." Yumiki said with a soft smile.
Tsuki smiled and motioned into her home. "Come in, stay a while."
The three moved into the house, taking off their shoes and following Ryuu's parents to the living room where they all sat down. Emi's eyes glanced at Ryuu as she continued to hide.
Tsuki made tea while the others talked and brought it out after it was ready. Ren smiled and patted the top of Emi's head as he looked at Katashi. "I'm so glad we can finally put this plan into action. It will surely make our clans strong."
Katashi nodded in agreement. "If it all works out as planned." He laughed.
"I have no doubt it will." Yumiki smiled, glacing down at her daughter. "Emi, why don't you go and hang out with Ryuu for a bit while your father and I talk with Ryuu's parents?"
Emi's eyes widened and she tried to hide behind her mothers back, shaking her head.
"Ryuu," Katashi called his son over. Ryuu stepped forward to stand infront of his father. "Take Emi to play."
"I was doing my school work, father." Ryuu murmured, lowering his head.
"And that's good, but right now, I would like it if you entertained our special guest for the time being." Katashi said and patted his sons shoulder again. Ryuu nodded slowly and turned around to face Emi. He smiled slightly and shrugged.
"Want to play?"
Emi's eyes widened more as she tried to burry her face further. Yumiki laughed and pulled Emi from behind her back and set her on the floor. "Stop being so shy. Now go and play, okay sweetie?"
Emi frowned but nodded as she nervously played with the ends of her hair, looking up at Ryuu. Ryuu took in a deep breath and sighed. "This way." He said and headed off to the next room where his toys were.
Emi followed him silently. When they reached the room she looked around but quickly found a chair and sat down with her head lowered.
"Your name is Emi, right?" Ryuu asked as he sat down in the middle of the floor.
She nodded slowly. "E-Emi Sakura..." She whispered, looking up at him. "Y-You're R-Ryuu Inabikari?"
Ryuu nodded. "And you even know my last name." Ryuu laughed.
"I-I know everyones name in the village..." She whispered.
Ryuu raised his eyebrow. "That's weird."
Emi frowned and lowered her head. "S-Sorry..." She whispered.
"No!" Ryuu gasped. "I didn't mean it that way. I mean it's cool, because then you could know everyone, and it would...be...awesome..." Ryuu trailed off and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
Emi nodded slowly. "D-Daddy says I'm really i-intelligent for my age..."
After a few moments of silence Ryuu nodded. "...Cool."
Emi giggled softly before catching herself. "I-I... m-mommy told me that we were going to become close friends..." she whispered.
Ryuu laughed lightly. "Dad told me I'm to marry you."
Emi blushed faintly. "I-I don't get why..."
Ryuu shrugged. "Something to do with my abilities and your abilities mixing to make our clans stronger...or something like that. I don't fully understand; he tried to explain it to me. But it was...weird.." Ryuu laughed nervously.
Emi giggled again and looked away from Ryuu. "Y-You're funny... Ryuu..." She whispered.
Ryuu laughed and picked up the toy nearest to himself. "So, wanna play?" He shrugged slightly and held the toy out with a smile.
-Emi age 4 Ryuu age 7-
Emi sat on her bedroom floor, putting together a difficult puzzle as she hummed a soft tune to herself. She was only about four. She had met Ryuu a few days before and he seemed to be in her mind constantly. She let out a sigh and moved to lay on her back.
"Emi?" Yumiki knocked on Emi's door and opened it. Her eyes widened as she glanced down at the 1500 piece puzzle and shook her head with a light laugh. Ren, her father, had bought it for her only that morning and it was already more than half done. Yumiki always felt insupiror to her husband and daughter - being part of the Sakura clan, came along with an extremely high IQ.
Emi glanced down to look at her mother in the doorway. "Hi Mommy." Emi said with a small smile.
"What are you doing, sweetheart?" Yumiki asked as she moved into the room.
"I got bored. That puzzle is too easy..." Emi murmured, moving her gaze back up to the ceiling.
"Well, I have some good news for you." Yumiki smiled.
Emi's eyes widened slightly as she moved to sit up, her light blue hair a bit messy. "Is Ryuu coming over?" She gasped.
Yumiki smiled and bent down to help fix Emi's hair as she nodded. "Yes, and I want you to look half decent, not like you just got out of bed." Yumiki smiled and kissed Emi's forehead.
Emi blushed faintly and giggled. "Okay Mommy!"
Yumiki moved back to stand up and looked around. "What do you plan on doing with-"
"I'll just put it away!" Emi said and broke apart the puzzle to return it to the box.
"Ah..." Yumiki just shook her head - if that had been her she would be upset, but she knew Emi could re-assemble it in minutes. "Well, they will be here any minute..."
A knock came to the front door and Ren moved to open it. He smiled gently at the couple and then at the boy of seven years old. "Afternoon, we've been waiting for you." Ren said as he chuckled and stepped aside to allow them in.
Katashi nodded towards Ren and guided his family into the house. He took a quick look around the house of he could see and smiled. "You have a very nice house." He nodded in agreement as she looked around. Ryuu was set on one thing as he peeked through the open door of the livingroom trying to spot Emi; he couldn't find her.
"It was very nice of you to invite us over for dinner. I've been looking forward to it for the past few days." Tsuki laughed softly. "Gives me a break for once."
Ren waved her off and smiled. "It's out pleasure. Emi has been wanting to see Ryuu again anyway." He chuckled.
Yumiki then stepped out into the livingroom and bowed respectively to the Inabikari's before lifting her head and smiling. "Emi's just cleaning up."
Emi peeked around the corner at Ryuu before quickly moving back and pinning her back against the wall - why was she so suddenly nervous to go out there and see him? She still wanted to see him, but when she tried, her heart raced her her breathing quickened. She bit her lip and twirled her hair between her fingers as she slowly forced herself out into the open, moving to her mothers side as she looked at Ryuu. She was wearing a simple grey dress and had one side of her hair pinned up - she couldn't seem to get rid of the blush that had completely consumed her face.
Ryuu had spotted her immediately and couldn't contain his grin. He found her so cute hiding behind her mothers leg. As she retreated behind her mothers leg, Ryuu made his way forward to peek the other way around Yumiki on the opposite side that Emi went to peek back out around; her face twisted in confusion when she had realized Ryuu had disappeared. Ren chuckled slightly as he watched the two children.
"Hi again." Ryuu said softly and reached out to touch her arm.
Emi gasped and flinched when he touched her. Her face only deepened in colour as she looked at him with widened eyes.
He giggled lightly and smiled happily. "You're funny."
She shook her head and moved back to hide behind Yumiki when she stepped aside. "Emi, your father and I are going to talk with Ryuu's parents. Why don't you and Ryuu go and play?"
Emi shook her head.
Ren chuckled. "Go and show him your room."
Emi blushed and looked back at Ryuu. "Y-You want... t-to see my room?" She asked nervously, her voice was no louder than a whisper.
Ryuu looked to his parents who shrugged back. Katashi nodded towards Ryuu and his mother smiled, so Ryuu turned back to Emi and nodded. "Sure." He whispered.
Emi nodded and turned around to move down the hall towards her room. When they stepped inside, it wasn't an expected room for a four year old girl. The walls were lavender and the floors were white carpet. There was one window and then a sliding glass door that lead to a balcony. The bed was simple and only a single teddy bear sat on it. It was filled with puzzles and games, hair ties and headbands, and a few kunai to the side of a table. There were lots of books and papers and a thick book that was opened on her bed reading, "Clan Histories". Emi was blushing brightly as she looked around her room. "I-I know you p-probably think this is w-weird..." She murmured.
"I've never really been in a girls room...I never knew it would look like this." He murmured and laughed lightly. "Sweet."
Emi shook her head. "Th-This isn't normal for girls of my age..." She murmured.
Ryuu shrugged and moved in further. "I have no idea what a girls room looks like, but I like it." He smiled and moved to flop down on the bed, looking at the book.
She blushed faintly and moved to sit beside him. "Um... wh-why a-are you reading my book?" She asked, looking over at him, still blushing - she wasn't used to people coming into her space and making themselves at home, even her parents didn't do that.
He shrugged and sat back up. "Just looking." He said and looked around the room to avoid her gaze. Clan Histories sound boring...
Emi lowered her head slightly, her long blue hair covering her face from his view. "O-Oh... um.. a-alright..."
"Do you have any toys?" He asked and stood, moving to look around the room. "What do you do?" He tried again. "My room is filled with toys, and games and stuff..." He murmured.
Emi shook her head. "I-I have puzzles..."
"Puzzles?" He asked and turned to look at her and shook his head. "Puzzles annoy me." He said and pursed his lips.
She frowned. "I love puzzles." She murmured and looked up at him. "If they bug you, don't touch mine." She stated, her voice slightly stronger, almost angry.
"O-oh..." Ryuu said awkwardly. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that...I just meant that I can never understand them." He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "It's not that I hate them...I...s-sorry." He murmured and looked away. His eyes fell to the shelf that held dozens upon dozens of boxes of puzzles. Aparentally she really liked puzzles.
She sighed and shrugged, seeming less shy as she laid back on her bed. "I... I do have a few toys in my closet..." She murmured... b-but, I'm not big about toys..."
Ryuu pursed his lips and snuck over to the shelf, pulling one of the boxes off quietly and moving to sit behind Emi on the bed. "Than let's do a puzzle." He smiled softly.
She sat back up and giggled slightly. "Ryuu, h-have you looked at how many pieces there are? My mother can't even do those..." She giggled more and pointed to the number on the box - 2000 pieces.
Ryuu shrugged and grabbed her wrist, pulling her down to the floor. He took the lid off and dumped it down onto the carpet before moving to his stomach. Emi smiled softly and laughed as she watched Ryuu grab a few edge pieces and placed them into a pile. She shook her head. "Why are you doing this if they annoy you?"
Ryuu shrugged. "I'm gunna watch." He said, collecting more of the edges. "I did a puzzle with my cousins once, and they collected all the edge pieces together before making the puzzle, so I'll collect the edges for you." He explained.
Emi giggled and shook her head. "I've finished this puzzle three times before. I don't go by edge pieces."
Ryuu looked down at the pieces then pushed them back into the messy pile with the other pieces. "Alright." He murmured.
She giggled. "You sure you want to watch me put together a puzzle? Won't that be boring?"
Ryuu shrugged before quickly moving to Emi's bed, grabbing her pillow and returning back to his spot on the floor. He placed his arms on the pillow and propped his head up on his hands, smiling at Emi. "I'm fine. I have to listen to dad and mom talk buisness stuff all day, so I don't think this could be any worse." He laughed slightly. "Not to say watching you won't be boring." He said and furrowed his brows, shaking his head. "By watching you...I-I mean making the puzzle..." He said, his eyes slightly widened. "Girls are weird...is what I'm trying to say." He blurted.
Emi giggled and blushed faintly. "Well, I'm never boring with puzzles." She laughed. She reached for the box and quickly flipped ever piece over so she could see the bits of imaging on each. Her face went blank as she grabbed piece by piece, starting from one corner and moving in. When she had finally taken a break, half of the puzzle was done, and it only took her ten minutes.
"You're quick." He murmured and moved to sit on his behind. "I could never do that!"
Emi giggled and smiled. "I just love puzzles." She murmured.
Ryuu nodded. "That's cool, I guess." He smiled softly. I don't understand why though... He laughed innerwardly, slightly confused at her interests.
Emi finally stood up and brushed off her dress. "Want to play outside?" She asked with a small smile.
Ryuu nodded and quickly stood, throwing the pillow onto her bed and grabbing her wrist. "Alright." He said and pulled her towards her bedroom door.
That was the day Ryuu found out more about Emi he hadn't known. After the day ended and him and his parents left, Ryuu was more than ever confused about Emi. She wasn't like the other girls he hung out with at the academy - definitely not. In a way she was, but being how old she was, plus being a girl...why was she reading clan histories, or making puzzles? Why did she have kunai's on her desk when she wasn't even in the academy herself yet? She just confused him. Even as they continued to grow up together, the older they got, the more confusing she became. Girls...
-Emi age 5 Ryuu age 8-
Emi giggled as she swung high on the swing, her father the one pushing her. Ren glanced up to see Ryuu and Katashi and waved them over. Emi instantly blushed and shied away from Ryuu.
Ryuu grinned and waved at Emi and her father. "Hello!" He called from the path.
Ren chuckled. "What are you guys doing?" He asked as he pushed Emi higher.
"Dad took me to the training feild to teach me a new technique!" Ryuu replied.
Katashi placed his hand on Ryuu's shoulder. "Getting Ryuu ready for his future." He winked at Ren.
Emi frowned. "I want to learn!"
"You don't have enough chakra, Emi..." Ren stated quietly.
Emi frowned. "I want to though!"
"I can teach you!" Ryuu said and grinned.
Katashi and Ren shared a frown and Katashi knelt down to whisper in his sons ear. "She can only use taijutsu, son. Her body hasn't enough chakra to use genjutsu or ninjutsu."
Ryuu frowned as he looked at Emi. "That's alright!" He said and grinned. "We could still make an epic team!"
Emi blushed. "But you're more skilled..."
Ryuu waved her off. "That doesn't mean anything. As dad says about mom," Ryuu turned to glance up at his father then turned back to look at Emi. "You're weaknesses are my strengths, and my weaknesses are your strengths."
Katashi let out a low rumbling laugh and ruffled Ryuu's hair.
Emi blushed. "A-Are you not good at Taijutsu?" She asked innocently.
Ryuu shrugged. "Well, I'm not bad..." Ryuu laughed and scratched the back of his neck.
Ren chuckled and smiled. "Emi isn't great yet herself..."
"But I will be!" Emi gasped and pointed a finger in Ren's face. "I have to!" She giggled and then jumped off the swing, landing gracefully on the ground and running over to Katashi and Ryuu. "And Ryuu can take care of my ninjutsu and genjutsu, right!" She grinned as she looked up at him.
Ren chuckled as he moved towards the three, standing behind Emi.
Ryuu smiled and nodded slightly. He couldn't help but laugh. "You're short."
Emi suddenly gasped. "Meanie!" She scolded and hit his chest repeadedly as she pouted.
"E-Emi..." Ren murmured and sighed, reaching to stop her.
Ryuu frowned, standing and taking her blows. "I didn't mean it as a bad thing." He murmured. "It's cute." He muttered under his breath, hoping she was the only one who heard.
Emi still frowned and hit his chest. "I'm not cute! You're a meanie!"
Ren chuckled and scopped Emi up into his arms. She gasped and tried to get away. "Put me down, Daddy!"
Ren shook his head. "Stop trying to harm, Ryuu."
Emi pouted and crossed her arms. "I'm not short..."
Ryuu frowned and turned to look up at Katashi. Katashi only chuckled lightly and ruffled his hair further.
"You'll learn." Katashi whispered.
Emi finally escaped her fathers arms and walked up to Ryuu again. She stared at him for a moment and tilted her head. "Ryuu..."
He couldn't tell whether or not she was just saying his name, or if she was asking a question. "Inabikari..." He finished.
Emi raised an eyebrow. "I know that." She turned to look at Ren. "Is he just dumb?"
Ren's eyes widened and he shook his head. "E-Emi! That's not nice!"
Emi frowned and lowered her head. "S-Sorry..."
Ryuu frowned and turned his face away slightly. "I'm not dumb." He murmured and turned to walk away. "I'm going home." He muttered. He kicked the stone on the ground away from him and kept walking.
Emi frowned more and shook her head. She quickly chased after him and leaped onto his back, her arms around his neck. "Don't go! Don't go! I'm sorry! Don't be mad at me! Please!" She hugged him tightly, her lip quivering as if she was on the verge of tears.
Ryuu froze, his eyes widened. "Uh..." Was all he could get out. He hadn't been hugged by a girl before, so it felt odd. "B-but..."
"Don't go!" She begged. "I'm sorry! You're not dumb, Ryuu!"
Ren chuckled slightly as he watched the kids. "Interesting..." He murmured to Katashi.
Katashi nodded in agreement and crossed his arms as the two fathers watched.
Ryuu frowned and tried to shrug Emi off his back in vain. "E-Emi..." He murmured. "Y-you'e choking me."
Emi frowned and quickly released her arms from around his neck. She fell off of him and landed on her butt in the sand. She lowered her head and sobbed slightly before jumping up and running to Ren, clinging to his leg. "Ryuu hates me!" She cried.
Ren sighed and bent down to pull Emi into his arms. "He doesn't hate you, sweetheart..."
"Wha-?" Ryuu turned around and furrowed his brows. "Stop it, Emi!" He said and frowned and turned to Katashi. "Girls are hard to understand." He said. "Maybe it won't work." He murmured and turned back around, heading off for home.
It took a second for Ryuu's words to sink in and his small smile disappeared. Ren and Katashi shared and concerned look before Katashi moved to catch up to Ryuu. He grabbed his shoulder to stop him and knelt down.
"Son, girls may be hard to understand, but she's also five years old. She's still very young to understand what exactly is going on." He whispered.
Ryuu sighed and shook his head. "She thinks I hate her." He mumbled.
Katashi shook his head. "She's just a little upset. Please, give it a little time. You'll get to know her more, and she'll grow to understand what you understand." Katashi said.
Ryuu peered over Katashi's shoulder at Emi whose face was buried in her fathers chest. His eyes drifted back to Katashi and he nodded slightly.
Katashi's small smile returned and her wrapped his arms around Ryuu's shoulders. "Thank you, son."
Ryuu nodded before moving from Katashi's arms and walking over to Ren. He reached up to tug on Emi's sleeve. Emi turned her face to look at Ryuu. Tears streaked down her cheeks and her nose was slightly runny. She wiped her face on her sleeve. "What?" She murmured, frowning.
Ryuu frowned too. "I don't hate you." He said. "Don't think that."
Emi searched his face and glanced at Ren. "I told you." Ren chuckled and ruffled her hair.
Emi turned back to look at Ryuu and nodded slightly, sniffling.
"Wanna play on the swings?" He asked.
Her face brightened as she nodded. "O-Okay!"
Once Ren let Emi to her feet, the two ran over to the swingset. When Emi sat, Ryuu moved behind her and began to push her. "I'll make you go sky-high!" He laughed.
Emi blushed and smiled. "Okay, Ryuu!"
-Emi age 5 Ryuu age 8-
"Hey, Emi..." Ryuu sang out from the railing of her balcony. The door was closed, but her window was open. The academy day just ended, and Ryuu was on his way home when he decided to drop by Emi's house. He had heard she had been sick, but her parents didn't want Ryuu coming over to get sick. The more the days went on, the more he missed seeing her at the academy and decided on a whim to make a secret visit. "Emi..." He tried again.
Emi let out a groan as she looked up from her bed to the window, her eyes widened slightly. "R-Ryuu?" She gasped and quickly hid under the blankets. "Go away!" She called - she was too embarssed.
Ryuu frowned and moved to the door, tapping lightly. "Hey, Emi. I came to see how you are doing." He whispered.
Emi shook her head. "Go away! You'll get sick too!"
Ryuu laughed quietly and shook his head. "Nah, I never get sick." He whispered back. He tried looking through the window, but he couldn't see anything, so he tried the door. Typically it was locked, but aparentally she must have forgotten to lock it. He pushed the door in and peeked in. A lump of blankets moved slightly on her bed and he smirked before tip-toing across the room and pulling the blankets down far enough to see her face. "Boo." He whispered, smiling. Then he saw her face, and his brows furrowed.
She frowned. "I'm ugly! Go away!" She said and flipped over onto her stomach, burrying her face into her pillow.
"What happened to you?" He asked and pulled back.
"Nothing happened to me." She sighed. "I have Chickenpox... it's common with little kids..." She murmured.
Ryuu shivered slightly. "I won't get sick." He said, tyring to act brave and he reached to rub her back. "Are you feeling okay?" He asked. Whenever he was sick, his mother would always rub his back which made him feel better, so he thought it might help Emi.
Emi gasped. "Don't touch me! I-If you've never had these you'll get them now..." She squirmed and sighed. "Now I'm itchy..." She murmured.
Ryuu frowned. "Sorry...Mom does it to me, and usually it makes me feel better." He shrugged. He noticed the same red bumps all over her shoulder where her shirt had moved down over her arm. "It looks painful." He murmured.
She shook her head. "J-Just itchy... a-and I have a fever..." She murmured.
Ryuu frowned and moved down to partially hug her, leaning his head on her back. "I hope you feel better soon." He whispered. "Then you can come out and play again."
Her eyes widened as she froze in his semi-hug. Partly because of the hug itself, but also because she knew he was going to catch the Chickenpox now.
"You have to get better soon, okay?" He asked.
She nodded. "I-I will... b-but why d-do I have to?" She asked nervously.
"Because I want you to." He murmured and buried his face into her back, slightly embarrassed. He remembered her having cold and such being sick, but seeing her with all these red dot-like sores made him worry. He had never actually really heard of the chickenpox, and even though it sounded ridiculous, he saw that it wasn't ridiculous.
Emi nodded slowly. "I-I will, okay?" She murmured.
"Emi!" Yumiki called from downstairs.
Emi's eyes widened. "G-Go! Before my mom finds you here..." Emi said as she stood up and pushed Ryuu back towards the balcony.
Ryuu finally got a good look at Emi's condition. There were three dots on her face, and with her short sleeved night-gown, he could see dots covering her arms and feet. Her bangs clinged to her face with sweat and her face was slightly flushed. Ryuu frowned and nodded slightly. "O-okay..." He murmured, stumbling slightly as he backed up to the balcony window. "B-but get better quickly...I don't like seeing you like this." He whispered.
Emi nodded. "Just go, a-and try not to get sick..." She murmured before moving to her bed and pulling the blanket around her like she had been before Ryuu took them off.
Just as the door started opening to Emi's door, Ryuu ducked out the balcony door and closed it quiet before disappearing over the railing and running off towards home. Unfortunately, four days later, Tsuki had noticed a red dot-like sore surfacing on Ryuu's face. It was then that the secret had been revealed of Ryuu's secret visitation to Emi. If it hadn't been for the fact that Ryuu had managed to get sicker than Emi and lasted twice as long, both parents had decided that the time Ryuu spent in his bed away from Emi was punishment enough for disobeying.
-Emi age 5 Ryuu age 8-
"Well done, Ryuu. You've graduated the academy." Shikotsu-sensai said, handing Ryuu his brand new Sunagakure headband. He was the only eight year old standing amonst a bunch of thirteen and fourteen year olds, along with one eleven year old. For the year, Ryuu had been the youngest to graduate, as expected since Katashi had graduated the same age, along with his father, and his fathers father, etc. Ryuu grinned and turned his eyes to Emi, his grin turning softer. As much as he was excited about graduating, he was going to miss hanging out with Emi during recess, greatly.
Emi gave Ryuu a gentle smile in return before she was nudged by her friend, Tempest. "Go hug him." Tempest snickered.
Emi gasped and shook her head. "N-No... it's better if I don't..." She murmured, looking around at all the other kids.
Tempest shrugged and pushed Emi out of line. She gasped and quickly moved back, grabbing a lock of Tempest's hair and tugging on it. "Don't. Do. That." She hissed.
Tempest winced and laughed slightly.
After Ryuu took the headband and moved over to stand with the rest of the graduating peers, he spotted Emi again, this time beating Tempest up for some reason which he was unaware of. He smiled gently and, oblivious of the rest of the peers and how he was suppose to stay in the group until all headbands were handed out, he moved over to the line where all the other students of the academy stood, supporting their graduates. Emi was in one of the younger grades, and he felt slightly awkward walking down the lines beside the higher grades, moving to the lower grades. He finally reached Emi and smiled.
"I'm gunna miss you." He blurted and furrowed his eyebrows. "Uh...I mean...I-I...uh...So, I graduated!" He said and grinned.
Emi chuckled and nodded. "I know, I just watched you." She stated.
Tempest laughed and leaned closer to Ryuu. "Gonna sweep Emi off her feet yet?"
Emi sighed and closed her eyes, bringing her fist into the side of Tempest's head. The female gasped and landed on the ground on her back, the world seeming to be spinning out of control.
"Idiot..." Emi murmured with another sigh.
"Uh...Ryuu?" Shikotsu's voice came from behind Ryuu.
Ryuu glanced over his shoulder at Shikotsu who was frozen mid-way between handing the headband over to the next graduate in the line. He just stared at the sensai.
"Could you come back over to the graduating group, please?" He asked.
All eyes had turned towards him now, and his eyes drifted over the crowd. There was the graduates, then the students of the academy, and all the parents and grandparents of the graduating students, with additional parents who were friends of the graduating students parents. Ryuu turned his gaze back to Emi and smiled gently.
"I guess I got to go back..." He laughed lightly and scratched the back of his neck.
Emi blushed faintly and nodded, she gently pushed him backwards towards his line. "J-Just go now..." She murmured.
As he was stepping backwards at Emi's command, he took one last look around at the academy students, all currently watching in silence. Some snickered quietly at Ryuu's mistake and some were whispering amongst themselves. It was at that moment, that Ryuu decided to make a very clear statement to everyone in the academy. He resisted against Emi's push and moved to wrap his arms around Emi's neck, bringing her into a tight embrace and burying her face in his chest.
Her face turned even redder as she gasped. "R-Ryuu?" She murmured, trying to push him away. "Wh-What are you doing?"
Ryuu didn't care to listen to anyones reactions, or to even look at anyone. Instead, he nuzzled his head against the top of hers and sighed softly. "Don't forget about me." He whispered.
Her eyes widened more. "F-Forget you... I-I can't... I-I don't f-forget anything..." She murmured, confused.
Ryuu shook his head. "Our parents want us to grow up together...no one else is allowed to hang out with you. Only me..." He whispered.
"Ah..." Emi stuttered.
Finally, after everyone was hushed, Ryuu returned to his place among the graduates. He turned to watch the rest of the graduation ceremony, satisfied with what he had just done.
"It looks like it's coming along nicely." Katashi chuckled lightly, leaning over to whisper to Ren.
Ren chuckled as well and nodded. "I'm not sure if Emi understands everything quite yet though." He murmured, looking at Emi whose mouth was still gaping open in confusion as Tempest tried to get her attention.
Katashi laughed quietly. "I wonder if Ryuu understands that Emi may still be too young to understand why he had just done what he had just done."
"Like father like son..." Tsuki laughed lightly and brushed her hand against his arm.
Katashi glanced over at his wife and smiled softly.
Yumiki giggled and shook her head. "Emi is book smart. She hasn't experienced enough of the world to understand stuff like feelings..." She lightly hit Ren. "I keep telling you we need to get her out of her room more often."
Ren chuckled and shurgged. "She will catch on eventually..."
"Hopefully..." Katashi chuckled.
-Emi age 5 Ryuu age 8-
Tomi let out a sigh as he waited for Ryuu to come out of the academy. When he did, he quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a small alley-way beside the school and clasped his hand over his mouth. "Ryuu... I-I need your help..." He murmured. There was a faint blush on his face.
Ryuu raised his brow. "Hm?" The noise was muffled by Tomi's hand.
"I... I need girl help..." He murmured and pulled his hand away from Ryuu's mouth. "I-It's one of Emi's friends..." He muttered, blushing more as he looked away.
Ryuu stared at him blankly. "And you're asking me for help?"
Tomi shrugged. "Y-You're basically Emi's boyfriend already..." He murmured. "Besides, you're the one who can talk to Emi for me to talk to her friend..."
Ryuu sighed. "First: we're not basically girlfriend and boyfriend. Does no one understand what betrothal is?" He shook his head. "I'l talk to Niimiki." He stated and headed out of the small alley-way.
Tomi's eyes widened. "W-Wait! What?" He grabbed Ryuu's wrist and pulled him back. "Wh-Why d-do you think it's h-her?" He murmured.
Ryuu stared at him blankly. "Dude, it's so obvious. Besides," His voice lowered. "You act like me when I'm around Emi, and you look at her with a certain look, just like how I look at Emi..." He murmured.
Tomi pointed a finger in Ryuu's face, trying to think of something to say to disagree with him, but nothing came out. Tomi himself was a year younger than Ryuu, and Niimiki was a year older then Emi, that put Tomi and Niimiki a year apart. His face deepened in colour and he lowered his hand and head. "Wh-What do you intend on saying to her?" He murmured.
Ryuu shrugged and moved from the alley-way. He knew where Emi and her friends usually hung out, so he headed in that direction. When he arrived, Tempest and Emi sat back against the fence with Niimiki laying on her stomach facing the two. She was one year older than the two, but she looked a little bit younger. Ryuu had to admit, he never would have thought that Tomi would like someone like Niimiki; if it hadn't been for the things that he'd experienced himself, he would have never guessed.
He moved over and flopped down on his stomach beside Niimiki, smiling. "Hey." He said.
Niimiki glanced at Ryuu. "Hi?"
Emi giggled and smiled. "What you doing here, Ryuu?"
"Ryuu! Have you come to take Emi on a date?" Tempest giggled.
Emi sighed and puched Tempest in the side of the head.
Ryuu sighed and looked up to Tempest, his expression blank. "I'm not for the mushy-gushy stuff." He said and turned back to Niimiki. "Would you go out with Tomi? He's kind of really in love with you." He said bluntly.
Niimiki's eyes widened slightly. "Wh...What? Really?"
Tempest and Emi gasped. "How cute!" They both giggled.
Niimiki blushed at her friends comment and ran her hands through her hair. "I... I don't know about that... h-he is a year older than me..."
"So, you like him back than?" Ryuu moreso stated.
"W-Well... um... y-yeah..." She murmured.
Emi giggled and smiled. "Then say yes!"
"Allow me to be able to bother you like I both these two!" Tempest grinned as she gestured to Emi and Ryuu - Emi puched her again, this time harder.
"I... ah..." Niimiki bit her lip and nodded slowly to Ryuu.
"Hey, Tomi!" Ryuu glanced over at his shoulder towards the tree Tomi was standing behind. "She likes you back! She says yes!"
Niimiki gasped and blushed more. "H-He was there all a-along?"
Tomi remained hidden as he did a fist-pump in the air. "Yes!" He chuckled to himself.
Ryuu shrugged. "Duh." He said and stood up. He went to walk away, but turned back to wink at Emi. "I'll be seeing you later." He said and winked again before returning to his now very happy friend.
-Emi age 6 Ryuu age 9-
"Come on! We need to do something!" Tempest said as she tugged on Emi's long blue hair.
"Would you stop!" Emi sighed and pulled her hair back. She glanced down at her lap and sighed again. For some odd reason, while Tempest was over at Emi's house for a sleepover, she felt the need to sneak out and go to bother Ryuu and Tomi who were hanging out at Ryuu's place. Honestly, Emi wanted to, but she was worried as to what Tempest was plotting.
"Come on! I wanna scare them!" She giggled and jumped up on the bed.
"O-Okay, okay!" Emi said and jumped up, running to the window. "But you have to be quiet, okay?" She giggled and opened the door that lead to the balcony as the two jumped out and into the night streets.
After an hour of training, Ryuu and Tomi had returned to Ryuu's house. They had supper and then retreated to Ryuu's bedroom where they could do anything without parental supervision. Tomi instantly went to the beanie bag chair that he often obsessed with when at Ryuu's house and flopped down on top of it, rolling slightly before making himself comfortable.
"You need to work on your taijutsu more." Tomi stated.
"You need to work on your taijutsu mo-" He mimicked Tomi is slurred, glurgly voice. "Yeah, whatever."
"You can't always rely on ninjutsu, and you can't really use genjutsu."
"Dude, you're younger than I am - shut up." Ryuu stated.
Tomi shrugged. "You also can't rely on Emi's taijutsu. She cannot use anything else besides her freaky IQ." He continued.
"It's not freaky." Ryuu said. "She's smart." He turned and flopped down on his bed. "I wonder what she's doing right now..."
Tomi rolled his eyes and chuckled. "You're always wondering what she's doing!"
"Yeah, and you're always wondering what Niimiki is doing, so we're in the same boat."
"Yes, but unlike you, I don't vocalize all my thoughts, so we really aren't in the same boat." He smirked.
Ryuu rolled his eyes and threw his pillow at Tomi before lunging at him and tackling him playfully. Tomi laughed and tried to fight against Ryuu, attempting to pin him.
On Ryuu's roof was Emi and Tempest. They smirked at each other before moving out of view. "Now what?" Emi whispered.
Tempest smirked. "Wait n' see." She chuckled and formed hand seals.
Slowly, a shadow-like thing creeped from her to the window and slipping in. The lights in Ryuu's room started to flicker, catching the boys attention. "What the...?" Tomi murmured, looking at Ryuu with confusion.
"Not a storm..." Ryuu's brows furrowed and he moved to his feet, looking around the room.
Tomi bit his lip and narrowed his eyes at Ryuu. "Oh I get it... Mr. Inabikari... stop." He ordered. "You and your stupid electricity..."
Ryuu raised a brow. "Dude, it isn't me."
"Liar..." Tomi murmured and stood up. "What else would it be?"
"Something else." He said and moved to the door to open it. The hallway lights remained constant, it was only Ryuu's room. He looked back at Tomi before calling out to his parents.
Emi chuckled from outside. "Stop the jutsu when his parents show up." She whispered.
Tempest nodded and waited.
When Katashi and Tsuki finaly arrived to the bedroom, the odd light behavior stopped.
"I-it was being weird!" Ryuu stated and scratched his head.
Tomi sighed. "You so planned that, Ryuu!"
The girls outside had to hold their hands over their mouths to keep from laughing loudly.
Katashi stepped into the room and looked up at the light, reaching up to pull off the glass casing. He examined it and shook his head. "It's perfectly fi..." His voice faded as he heard something on the roof. He narrowed his eyes and moved to the window, holding his hand out to the others, commanding them to stay put. He pushed open the window silently and stepped out onto the landing before turning around to look up on the roof where he saw two familiar girls.
Emi gasped and stopped laughing. Tempest also went silent as she stared at Katashi.
"I-It was her idea!" Emi gasped and pointed towards Tempest.
"Y-You showed me where he lived!" Tempest murmured.
Katashi just continued to look at them blankly. "What are you two doing here this late?"
Tomi moved out onto the landing beside Katashi and gasped. He pointed a finger at the girls. "Tempest! You're stupid kekkei genkai! I thought it was Ryuu!"
Tempest smiled sheepishly. "It was a good prank, right?"
Ryuu moved out to the landing and placed his hands on his hips. "That's not nice, Emi." He said and frowned.
Emi blushed faintly and smiled. "It was Tempest's idea!"
Tomi smirked and nudged Ryuu. "You did say you wondered what she was doing... here's your answer." He snickered.
Ryuu's eyes widened and he hit Tomi. "Shut up." He hissed. He turned back to Emi and scratched the back of his neck. "I wasn't thinking about you at all." He laughed.
Emi nodded and crossed her arms over her chest. "Uh huh..."
Tempest smiled sheepishly at Katashi. "Y-You're not going to get us in trouble, are you?"
Emi gasped and her eyes widened. "Please don't, Katashi! Mom and Dad wouldn't even have to know!"
Katashi sighed. "Hurry home, then." He stated. "And just this once."
Tempest bowed to Katashi before jumping off the roof to the ground. "Come on, Emi!" She called from the ground.
Emi smirked to Ryuu. She winked at him and blew a quick kiss before jumping up and doing a flip in the air and landing on the ground. As soon as she landed, the two girls sprinted off back towards Emi's house.
Tomi chuckled and nudged Ryuu again. "If I didn't know better, I'd say she was trying to show off for you." He smirked.
Ryuu shrugged and looked smugly. "Yupp, she's mine." He said.
Katashi pushed the two towards the bedroom window and guided them through it. "She's not yet, son." He chuckled.
Ryuu shrugged. "Of course she is!" He said and grinned.
Katashi sighed and moved to stand beside Tsuki, wrapping his arm around her. "You still have a while to go before she's yours." He said and guided Tsuki out of the room. "Behave now." He said and closed the door.