Aaack, my hands are killing me… :D

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! I also do not own any of the OCs introduced, except the following:

Tsukuyomi Clan

Nero

Daiki

Botan

Miyuki

Hajin

Zoki

Ayano

A/N: Ruriko's POV again! Yea, I keep switching… Sorry! :'D

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Chapter Seven: Ignoring the Nightmares

After watching Nero disappear into the trees, I whipped back around in time for Osamu to come crashing through some tree branches. I was ready for him, though, and slammed my fist into his face as soon as he landed in front of me. He winced, jumping back, holding his jaw as the corner of his mouth trickling a droplet of blood. I smirked.

Course, I was still peeved at Nero for kissing me, but for some reason, I felt a whole lot better and ran at Osamu again, reeling my fist back. He ducked it and went to grab my leg, but I jumped up and kicked him back, causing him to skid along the branch.

"Give me that scroll already!" Osamu ordered, making a grab at me, but I dodged to the side, laughing.

"Make me, asshole!" I responded and I swung my foot up, kicking him square in the wrist and making him yelp. He grabbed my neck quickly, making me wince. He clenched his fingers and jerked me up off my feet.

"Fun times over. Hand over the scroll!" He ordered. I smirked, despite the pain in my neck as I dug my nails into his hand.

"Fuck you! I don't have it!" I yelped. Osamu's black eyes flashed, narrowing.

"What do you mean you don't have it?" He demanded. I laughed as best I could.

"Think about it, cutie." I retorted. Osamu's eyes sharpened and he dropped me, jumping back and cursing.

"Shit… Che! Just you wait… I'll come back for you!" He snapped and shot up through the trees. I watched him go, glaring before spitting blood onto the tree branch and rubbing my throat. Within moments, Akira came down from a branch above. His headband was cut as well as his face and his sweatshirt was torn open to reveal a bloody gash across his chest.

"That wasn't fun…" He mumbled, rubbing at his eye were a cut had run through. I smiled weakly and patted his shoulder.

"Liar…" I replied. Akira gave me a weird look, sort of an upset kind of mixed with a smile.

"Look at you… You're a mess… You haven't looked that bad since the day you beat up that bully at the academy." He said and pulled me into a tight hug. I rolled my eyes, getting the heavy scent of blood and sweat off him, but hugged him for a split second anyway before wiggling away.

"We need to go find Nero. He ran off with the scroll toward the center of the forest. Hopefully he-" I was cut off by a faint, but very real sound. It sounded like someone screaming. Akira and I shared looks, then shot off in that direction.

"You don't think that's Nero, do you?" Akira asked worriedly. I frowned, pushing off tree branches and getting ahead a little.

"I hope to gods' not. I've never heard Nero scream like before, except for the time he was locked in that closet back at the academy. Whoever scared him is about to find themselves six feet under!" I announced angrily and shot up ahead until the scream was clear as daylight. Akira and I skidded to a stop in a clearing of tree branches all connected together by vines and leaves. Nero was knelt in the center of it all, shaking like crazy and covering his ears. He was screaming at something to shut up, but I couldn't hear a thing…

"The scroll!" Akira gasped. I stared, seeing the scroll thrown open across the branches.

"What the hell? He opened the scroll!" Akira cried, starting forward, but I grabbed him and jerked him back roughly.

"No, he didn't," I muttered, "Someone else did. Don't be stupid, Akira. What purpose would Nero have with a scroll with written information when he can't even read?" Akira blinked, then went stone still beside me. The only sounds were Nero's screams and birds fluttering away in fright.

"Someone opened the scroll in front of him and plunged him into the Genjutsu… And whatever Genjutsu it is, it's super strong. Akira, you're better at Genjutsu than I am. You have to release him from the Genjutsu and fast! If people hear him screaming, they'll come after us and we're in no shape to be fighting right now." I ordered. Akira nodded and inched toward Nero while I kept watch. It was hard to tell if anyone was coming near with Nero screaming at the top of his lungs.

I watched Akira get beside Nero, making a hand sign and touching his palm to Nero's forehead. Nero seemed to stiffen, his whole body going still as his eyes widened, seeming pretty cloudy from the Genjutsu before he blinked rapidly, dropping his hands. I ran up to them.

"Nero! Nero, what the hell happened?" I demanded, dropping on my knees in front of him. Nero grimaced a little, holding the side of his head.

"I don't know… I was sitting here, taking a break… I took out the scroll for a split second and then I heard…" He stopped talking and just shuddered. Akira frowned.

"Nero, was there anyone near you when you took out the scroll?" He asked. Nero scanned the ground thoughtfully, then shook his head.

"I don't remember…"

"Great," I muttered, "And whoever opened the scroll in front of you, must still be around… They wouldn't have given up so quickly."

"So… Who did it?" Akira asked and glanced around the clearing. I frowned.

"I don't care. Right now, Nero needs serious medical help. He's got a broken rib and he's losing a lot of blood… I'm surprised you haven't passed out from blood loss yet. Akira, you're better at healing than I am. Try your best to heal him. I'll keep watch." I explained.

"Sounds like a plan." Nero muttered.

"And hopefully it works better than the one with Kazuya and training." Akira added under his breath. I smirked, but was still tempted to smack Akira, but gave in when he managed to lift Nero up in his arms, carrying him toward a tree that had been eaten through, creating a pretty good resting place. Akira set Nero against the bark, making a few hand signs after taking out some bandages. I sat outside in front of the opening, hugging my knees to my chest as I stuck band-aids on my cuts, sighing a little sleepily. I was exhausted and just really wanted to sleep. I felt my eyes drifting closed, but that's when I saw it.

My eyes widened from their sleepy state, going on full alert as I saw a black creature scuttling across the clearing. Before I knew it, I was screaming, leaping to my feet.

"Good gods! SPIDER! A FUCKING HUGE SPIDER! AKIRA! NEROOO!" I shrieked, jumping back through the opening. Without any exaggeration whatsoever, the spider was almost as big as a full grown man! It had eight, red beady eyes plastered on its huge black hairy body as it came across the clearing. I screamed again and this time, both Nero and Akira were at my side.

"Ew! Disgusting!" Akira cried. Nero winced.

"Shit, that thing is huge…" He muttered. Instinctively, I grabbed onto Nero's arm, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Gross, gross! One of you go kill it!" I wailed. Normally, I wouldn't spazz out like this, but I swear, I had a serious case of arachnophobia. Nero looked at Akira, who yelped, pointing at himself.

"Me? Why me?" He yelled.

"Because she's clinging to me!" Nero yelled back angrily. Akira whipped around just as the spider reared back, throwing the front of its huge body up and let out a screeching roar sort of sound. I screamed.

"Akira!" Nero barked. Akira groaned.

"Why me?" He complained and quickly made a few hand signs, gathering up his chakra and blasting it forward as a tornado of flames. The spider shrieked and screamed, throwing itself around in the whirlwind of hot flames. A heavy, horrid stench filled the area, making me gasp and bury my face in Nero's bloody cloak.

"Ugh, what the hell is that smell?" Akira whined and covered his nose. Nero put his other arm over his nose, grimacing.

"I don't know, but that thing's long gone… And pissed off about it." He muttered. I peeked up, watching the spider's body slowly burn into a pile of ash. Not seconds later, did the source of the spider arise. Hajin made his dramatic appearance by pulling himself up out of the ash, his black hair brushed over his ash stained face and he looked pretty upset that his pet was dead.

"That was pretty rude… He just wanted to play." Hajin grinned evilly, standing up straight. From up above, Ayano and Zoki both jumped down beside their leader with battle-ready expressions. Rage boiled my blood and I jerked away from Nero, thrusting a finger at him.

"You asshole! You fucking little asshole! I'll slaughter you for that!" I yelled and whipped my hands into a frenzy of hand signs. Hajin smirked, but it immediately fled. My jutsu spun in a straight forward whirlwind of electricity, however, Ayano bolted forward and deflected it as if it were nothing, her pose swift . She stood in a straight position, her mismatched eyes glaring daggers at me for attacking her leader, who didn't seem to happy to be protected.

"Ayano," Hajin barked, "Your loyalty is appreciated, but fight your own battles!" Ayano bowed her head, her short red hair brushing by her cheeks.

"Yes, sir." She replied quietly and easily stepped back.

"Ignore her," Hajin told me with a sly smirk, "She has the tendency to be out of line…"

"Hey," Akira spoke up quickly, making Hajin roll his eyes, "We have a question! If you're Rain shinobi, that means you're under the control of a man called Pein, right?" Hajin's pale red eyes flickered darkly, his expression becoming dangerous.

"How do you know that?" He demanded. I smirked.

"I told him. My other older brother, Hioshi, is an information Jounin back at our village and gathered a lot of information on the leader of the infamous criminal organization called Akatsuki, which Pein is also the rumored co-leader. If you're under orders by Pein, that must mean you're not here to pass the exams. You're here because you're also an information gatherer." I informed confidently. Hajin smirked dangerously now, making me a bit uneasy on the inside.

"… I love smart girls. They're so hard to find nowadays. You'll definitely make the perfect person… Now all I have to do is get rid of your teammates." He replied and thrust both his hands out. Zoki and Ayano both went for Nero and Akira, who stiffened before jumping into defense mode. I flinched when Hajin ran at me, a kunai in his fist.

I dodged to the side, only to have him grab my vest and tear me to the branch underneath him as he held the kunai to my throat.

"Of course, I won't put you under yet. I'll let you listen to the sound of your teammates being tortured to death." Hajin sneered. I glared at him.

"You're a dirty little snot, you know that?" I spat in his face. Hajin smirked despite this. As I was just thinking how screwed we were, a familiar sound burst into the clearing. Hajin and I both jerked our heads up in alarm, staring at the being who made himself famously known.

"Naughty, naughty Genin!" Botan laughed maniacally, hopping from a branch above and landing in the clearing. Hajin's eyes flashed as if he recognized the guy as much as my team did.

"Shit." He cursed and grabbed onto my vest, jerking me backwards roughly. I yelped.

"Hey! Fucking-"

"Zoki, Ayano," Hajin ordered loudly, "Defend!" The twins flicked their eyes up, abandoning they're previous battle to stand in front of Hajin, Akira, Nero, and I. I glared at the spider brat.

"What the-"

"I'm not friend of Akatsuki's," Hajin told me bitterly, "My father was a previous lord of the Wind Country before he was assassinated by Orochimaru during the last Chuunin Exams. Yea, I deal with information and that's how I know the members of the infamous criminal trio, Gin'iro Ni Kagayaku Tsuki." My eyes flashed.

That's how they were familiar! The legendary trio of criminals that were known to have links with several other criminal organizations, many of which including Akatsuki AND Orochimaru!

Botan stood up straight, clapping his sleeve-covered hands as he laughed wildly.

"Ne, ne! Such a smart little information broker! Botan is impressed!" He giggled, practically putting on an innocent 'squee' face.

"Don't act all innocent," Hajin spat at him, then frowned at my team, "Maruyama Botan. Age twenty-eight, the youngest of the Silver Moon group. Known for his laughter that signals the changing of his double-personality… As well his cannibalistic nature and-"

"Stop it, stop it," Botan cried, waving his sleeve at us childishly, "You're ruining Botan's dramatic and mysteriousness-ness!" Hajin glared at him then swung his hand out.

"Zoki! Ayano, attack!" He ordered.

"Why do they obey your every command?" I demanded, watching the twins move at Botan, who just smirked playfully. Hajin frowned.

"They're puppets," He replied, "Of my last teammates." I grimaced. We looked up just as Daiki and Miyuki both hopped from above. Miyuki came down gracefully and easily slammed her foot down into Ayano's head, causing splinters to go flying as Ayano sank to the ground. Daiki came down more roughly, swinging his arm back into Zoki's face and knocking him back into the branch.

"Damn." Hajin and I cursed at the same time. He smirked and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"What the hell do you guys want? I thought you said you were watching the exams, not getting into it!" I spat at them. Daiki came forward first after patting Botan on the head, earning a slight blush and a small whine from him.

"Silly girl… We have a mission, don't we, Botan? I think I promised you a new pet." He added, gesturing toward Nero, who flinched back beside me. Botan laughed out loud, clapping his hands again.

"Yes, yes! Pretty pet, pretty pet!" He yelled happily.

"Leave Nero alone! You guys fuck off or we'll kill you!" I threatened. Daiki laughed, then gave an oddly warm smile.

"But, dear… You wouldn't really kill one of the few relatives you have now would you?" He asked. I stiffened and Akira twitched.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He barked. Daiki smirked at him a bit dangerously, like he was waiting for Akira to speak up.

"Ahh, that's good… My little murderer can talk now, can't he?" He asked. I gasped and looked at Akira, who's face drained of color.

"M-M…" He couldn't speak now, his body trembling. Hajin frowned.

"What's he talking about?" He demanded. I grimaced, shooting a harsh glare at Daiki.

"Akira… Killed our parents while we were still in the academy… And you have no right to call him a murderer for it! They were already planning to kill us in the first place!" I yelled. Daiki's dark gray eyes flashed angrily.

"Kishiko would have never killed her own children! I would know! She was my little sister!" He barked. I stared at him.

"Wh-What…?" I managed. Daiki smiled a little, sadly now with all traces of anger vanishing almost completely.

"Kishiko was the perfect girl. She was all smiles. She was the only reason I ever came home… She tried to talk me out of killing sensei, but I was sick and tired of being bossed around by someone who was lower than me… So I killed him, but the village elders found out and sent assassins after me… They also sent them after Kishiko… She ran away to Sunagakure, last I knew. I wanted to visit her, but I was too afraid she'd blame me for having to flee… I knew she had kids because I sent Miyuki to investigate. Kishiko seemed so happy with her new family… Of course, you were just a baby then, Ruriko… I was happy when I found out Kishiko was happy. I could live my life peacefully…"

"But," Daiki began, coldly now, "I heard those assassins had discovered Kishiko's whereabouts… I heard she grew fearful and wanted to flee again, however, she was killed before she could. By her own son." Daiki's accusing glare locked on Akira, who was trembling beside me.

"Akira-" I started, but Akira cut me off by screaming, making me gasp in surprise.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! They were going to kill us! I heard her and daddy talking all about it! Mommy said she was going to kill us! She said she had to if we were gonna get rid of the bad guys!" He screamed, clasping his hands over his ears and collapsing to his knees. I gulped.

"A-Akira… Akira, don't cry…" I tried, but it was useless. Tears were streaming down Akira's face as he squeezed his eyes shut, sobbing.

"Let him," Daiki ordered, glaring, "He should suffer for killing his parents. Even I have never done such a thing… And I'm the one who was pulling some strings during the attack on Konohagakure at the last Chuunin Exams."

"Asshole," I barked at him, feeling my eyes sting slightly with tears, "I don't care what Akira's done! He's my big brother and nobody hurts him, except me! Go fuck yourself and leave my brothers alone!" Daiki smirked dangerously.

"No can do, little niece. I'm going to make your brother suffer for killing Kishiko… Not to mention, I keep my promises to my teammates… Botan, feel free to claim your prize. Miyuki, you know what to do." Miyuki and Botan nodded. I winced and quickly went to make hand signs. Hajin swung his hands outwards, his fingers splayed out.

"Zoki! Ayano, up! Defend!" He ordered. The puppets didn't even clatter, sounding like normal humans as they struggled to get up. They even bled like normal humans, which amazed me. I quickly released a lightening jutsu, but it was easily blocked by Daiki, who smirked. Zoki went at Botan with a kunai, but Botan grinned to show off a pair of sharpened canines and swung his arm up and out to reveal long, sharp nails that he slashed at him with. Zoki's head seemed to slid right off onto the ground with a wet plop, his body following suit. Hajin cursed.

Ayano was easily cast aside, her body slamming limply into a tree branch.

"Can't you do something else?" I demanded. Hajin glared at me.

"Can't YOU?" He demanded. I opened my mouth to comment, but a hand grabbed the front of my jumpsuit, jerking me off my feet. Hajin winced as he was shoved to the ground. I gasped, realizing Daiki was lifting me off the ground almost to his height! I cried out in surprise, wincing.

"Watch your friends vanish and your brother die." He murmured. I gasped and glanced at Akira, who was still shaking, barely trying to stand. Botan had Nero pinned down, having thrown him to the ground. Hajin could only sit back and watch with an expression of pure hatred. I gritted my teeth. The sickening sensation of helplessness was making me sick to my stomach and I wanted to cry, but I bit into my lip to fight the feeling.

I squeezed my eyes shut and waited to die, but then I heard a familiar shout from above. I jerked my head up, my eyes going wide.

"Is that anyway to treat a young lady?" Daisuke yelled with a smirk on his face. For once, a smile spread across my face.

"Daisuke!" I yelled happily. Daisuke grinned.

"Another boyfriend?" Daiki muttered. I blushed angrily.

"Fuck off!" I barked and swung my foot up into Daiki's chest. Daiki gasped and dropped me. I winced, expecting to hit the ground, but Hajin caught me, which surprised me. Daiki leapt back, as Daisuke came landing onto the tree branch. Miyuki stopped, jerking her head in Daisuke's direction. Botan looked up from hassling Nero, pouting.

"Looks like I showed up just in time. Next time call for my help." Daisuke told me with a wink. I rolled my eyes, but smirked anyway.

"I so owe you." I told him. Daisuke smirked, then looked at Daiki, who glared at him.

"Well, isn't he a scary character?" He asked under his breath. I frowned, poking Daisuke's shoulder.

"His name is Tsukuyomi Daiki…. He's my uncle and he's not very nice." I pointed out. Daisuke sweat dropped.

"Oh great… A family dispute?" He asked.

"Just do something before he kills my teammates and Hajin!" I yelled. Daisuke blinked, looking at me in confusion.

"Hajin? I thought-"

"Go!" I interrupted quickly, pushing on Daisuke's back. Daisuke stumbled a bit as I whipped around to glare at Hajin, who was glaring back at me suspiciously.

"Help me save my teammates. I don't care what you want, I'll give it to you, but help me save them." I told him firmly. Hajin slowly smirked.

"Is that so? Then I accept… Besides, your uncle is giving me a migraine." He added and brought his hands together in a hand sign. I grimaced a little, holding my side where a cut had begun to seep blood as I looked up to see Daiki wearing an angry expression.

This is what I get for not listening to Nero about his nightmare…

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A/N: Ack, the end was rushed and I apologize, but the next chapter will be totally epic… ;D Yes, attack of the random OCs… Anyway, I forgot to mention. Kishiko, Ruriko and Akira's mother, used her last name stupidly for their family, which is how she was figured out… C: So that explains why their mother's brother has the same name as them… So, thanks for reading, hope all the OCs are in character, and your reviews are always the best thing in the world to me!