Interrupt for Translation
Some of you who do not speak Japanese may be wondering about the suffixes that I add to the end of most names. Here is your explanation.
-san: The most common ending, often termed as Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms. Is generally accepted in any situation.
-kun: Refers to a peer or someone under you. This term is most commonly used to refer to boys, but can be used for either gender. (I will only use it in reference to boys.) Also can be a term of affection for a boy if a girl uses it, however, this is not a set rule. For example, Kai uses -kun in reference to all males of near age to her, with the exception of Gaara, because she considers him like a child.
-chan: A term of endearment, often used in reference to females or young children. This is why Kai calls Gaara "Gaara-chan" in the flashbacks (because he is a baby) Sometimes the use can be mocking, being similar to calling someone a child.
-sama: A term of respect used in either great politeness, or in reference to a lord or ruler. Also can be used for someone in great power.
-Sensei: Teacher, or literally "one who was born before." Generally used when a child is referring to an adult over them.
Not adding a suffix: only acceptable if you are really close to the person you are referring to, or if the person is your subordinate. Even then, this can be considered rude. Jason and Ukobi never add a suffix simply because they don't understand the rules behind it. They are not being rude; they are simply ignorant.
There will be times that I simply do not put endings on a name. This is not to indicate a lack of respect, but rather, in the interest of character accuracy. Most of Kishimoto Masashi's characters do not add suffixes when referring to each other, so for characters who never add suffixes to a name, they will not in my story. Kai will always add a suffix to names though, simply because she is polite.
Other endings you'll see:
-ku: Raila's personal term of endearment for her friends. She uses it in reference most often to Gai, but sometimes adds it to Anko's name, and also adds it to Kai's name. At one point, she calls herself Rai-ku, but it is merely for the sake of rhyming. This will not occur until later in the story.