ERGH. o3o;
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! I also do not own any of the OCs within this fic, except the following:
Tsukuyomi Clan
Nero
Roku
Ikiteiru Kage
Uzumaki Kaede
Mushishokan Gatsuki
A/N: Ruriko's POV…
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Chapter Thirty-One: Letting Him Go. Keeping My Word!
Sasuke got us out of there as fast as we could go. I was still curious. Same chakra…? My brothers, yea, but what would they be doing all the way out here? They couldn't possibly be looking for me already! Even though I knew it was bad that they caught up with me, the fact that they cared to run after me made me smile to myself. Roku tugged on my hood a little, tilting his head.
"Na?" He asked. I smiled.
"It's nothing, Roku…" I didn't need to tell him. At the pace Sasuke was dragging us at, we were bound to leave them in the dust. I honestly wanted to come up with some kind of excuse for us to slow down, just so I could see them again, but there was no way Sasuke would go for it. He'd be suspicious of me all over again… Roku dug his nails into my shoulders, drawing my attention back.
"Na," He whispered, "Na, Ruriko…"
"I don't get what you want, Roku." I sighed. Roku pouted and poked me in the ear.
"Na!" He insisted. I frowned, glancing at him. I made a mental note that I really needed to start teaching him how to speak again because I was at loss for what he was trying to tell me. I looked at Karin, but she wasn't saying anything about sensing someone nearby.
"Ruriko!" Roku protested and touched his nose. I blinked.
"What about your nose?" I asked. Roku touched his nose and made a sniffing sound.
"Ruriko samalar…." He tried. I could only guess that he was talking about the group that was chasing after us. 'Samalar' sounded a lot like 'similar'.
"What? You smell them? Is that how you know?" I asked. Roku beamed and clapped his hands.
"Ruriko!" He exclaimed. I smiled.
"Well… We have to leave them behind, Roku… Or else Sasuke will get mad." I pointed out. Roku looked sad now.
"Na…? Na buthors?" He asked. That sounded something along the lines of 'no brothers'? But I could be wrong. I shook my head, looking up ahead before it hit me. An idea slammed right into my face.
"Sasuke," I called up to him, seeing as he was putting me at the end, "We have to stop!"
"Not now!" Sasuke snapped.
"No! If I can meet up with whoever's chasing us, then I can give them Roku to take care of! We won't have to worry about him!" I protested. This time everyone stopped, looking at me. I frowned. Sasuke glared at me, his arms folded.
"And how do I know you won't run off with them, hm?" He demanded. I glared.
"I'm keeping my word, Sasuke. I'm not going to ditch you." I snapped.
"… There should be a town up ahead… We'll wait for you there… If you don't come back, I'm going to kill you. And this time, I won't let you talk your way out of it." Sasuke threatened. I nodded.
"Yes, sir. No sarcasm." I added. Sasuke rolled his eyes and nodded to the rest of the group that shot off. I let Roku hop down off my back, jumping up and down now.
"Na! Ruriko!" He cried eagerly. I smiled down at him.
"Yea, I know. I'm excited too… But you have to behave," I got on my knees in front of him, fixing up his cute little clothes and making sure all the skewers he kept tied to his white scarf were in check, "You be nice to them, okay? You have to learn how to talk, so that next time I see you, you can tell me everything that happened to you, okay?" Roku blinked, tilting his head.
"Na?"
"I have to leave you with my friends, Roku… If I take you with me, you could get almost killed. When you were kidnapped by Kotaro back in the Land of Snow, I almost broke down… I don't want to lose you, Roku. Just sending you away from me is making me sad." I admitted. Roku looked like he was gonna cry now and hugged me around the neck tightly, burying his face.
"Na wan lef Ruriko…" He tried, probably trying to say he didn't want to leave. I laughed a little, hugging him tightly.
"You practice real hard to improve your speech, okay? You train hard and you eat as much as you can so you can grow big and strong. Stronger than Sasuke. I know you want to kick his ass for being a jerk…" I told him, pulling back to wipe the tears off his face.
"Na wan lef Ruriko." He sobbed. I sighed, biting into my lip hard for a second before looking back up and forcing a smile.
"Come on, now, Roku… Don't cry. Shinobi don't cry." I said, wiping the rest of his tears away. Roku sniffled.
"Naaa!" He wailed and sniffed some more. I hugged him again, kissing the top of his head. He was making this a lot harder than I wanted it to be. I even found myself having problems just thinking about giving him up, even to trustworthy friends. I gripped him tightly.
"Roku," I started, "Don't cry… You have to man up. You've been through a lot more than other kids have. You know what's good and what's bad… You know people like Kotaro are bad… Very bad. You know people like my friends are good. You're more mature, even if you can't express your opinions properly. Just work on that." Roku sniffled a little and looked up at me.
"Puppy." He stated. I blinked, then laughed a little.
"Right. If you be good, I'll get you one of the best puppies in the world, okay? I give you my word." I told him. Roku beamed, his tears gone now.
"Puppy!" He proclaimed. I was thankful that he had calmed down. Now all we had to do was wait for Akira and them to catch up. We sat on the side of the path, Roku messing with the skewers on his scarf while I lectured him. It felt weird to lecture, than be lectured. I was so used to Kazuya or Hioshi telling me that I was careless… I laughed a little at the thought.
"Roku, never be careless," I advised, making him laugh at me, "You have to make sure you have things planned. Think your plans through and look at all the options… Don't run into battle right away either or you'll end up like me. Oh, and if someone is making fun of you, bite them."
"Na?" Roku asked, raising an eyebrow as if to say 'you just contradicted yourself!' I grinned.
"Yea, but people who make fun of smart people are stupid and deserve some punishment… But don't ever bite your friends or family. That's not right. Don't eat them either… And yes, Osamu counts as a friend. Don't bite him." I pointed out. Roku pursed his lips.
"Jah-ck ah-ss." He stated. I laughed.
"You remembered! Yes. He's a friend. I just gave him a nifty nickname is all…" I mused thoughtfully. Roku smiled, then sniffed the air and pointed down the path.
"Na, Ruriko!" He cried. I frowned, looking up. I didn't see anything, but apparently Roku had a sensitive nose if he could smell them nearing. He was on his feet now, sniffing some more before I got to my feet. I sighed.
"Well, this is bound to be an interesting reunion." I muttered and put a hand on my hip, watching the path. Roku was looking at me curiously, then back at the path. That's when Roku jumped a little and grabbed my arm.
"Na." He pointed to the path that Sasuke took toward the little town. I frowned.
"What's wrong?" I asked. Roku sniffed and covered his nose, making a face.
"Blegh." He responded. I grimaced.
"More trouble already? Looks like we're going to have to run into Akira's group." I told him and caught his hand, jerking him after me, sprinting in that direction. Roku could just about keep up with me at my heels. I kept my eyes on the path ahead until I saw a flash of sunlight reflected off a headband. Unfortunately, I jumped up and leapt onto a tree branch, just as someone else did. I smacked right into them, but I was the one that fell backwards, grabbing onto whoever it was as I fell on my back on the ground.
"The hell?" I yelled in their face. It was just who I expected it to be.
"Ruriko?" Akira cried, his eyes wide as his inky hair fell over his shoulders. I glared at him.
"Some greeting! You almost knocked my spinal cord out!" I barked. Akira beamed.
"You're alive!"
"No way!" I exclaimed sarcastically and looked up in time for Roku as well as Akira's group landed around us. Akira got up, helping me stand before he tore me into a huge hug, making me wince.
"Air!" I managed.
"Let him hug you to death." Kin retorted, the end of his senbon sticking from his mouth.
"Yea, we came all the way here find you!" Osamu yelled, folding his arms over his chest.
"Illegally." Ryuuko added under his breath, averting his eyes.
"But we still came!" Daisuke announced with a grin.
"Yea, Akira and Nero gathered us all up to come find you! It's a good thing we caught up with you so fast!" Kasumi pointed out, putting her hands on her hips. I blinked in surprise as Akira pulled away, laughing a little as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Hehe, we were way too worried about you." He replied sheepishly. I smiled.
"I'm glad you did… I missed you guys so much…" I finally felt the shock of actually seeing them all again settle in.
Kasumi had gotten taller, her dark purple hair down to her shoulders. She wore a white cloak, her headband on her forehead and a red stone pendant around her neck.
Ryuuko was taller too, dressed in a white yakata with blue rain drops on it, which showed off his pretty toned body. A black belt tied the yakata together, his lower half adorned with a pair of deep blue pants
Daisuke's black hair was longer, braided into cornrows. He wore a sleeveless maroon vest and simple black pants. He, just like the others, was taller too.
"I can't believe you guys actually came…" I finally said.
"Hell yea," Osamu boosted, "We were following all the trails you left behind you!" I blinked, tilting my head a little.
"Trails?" I asked.
"Looks like you ran into trouble back in Yūgure town in the Land of Snow," Ryuuko explained, "The entire town was destroyed by the time we got there." I stared.
"You're kidding." I managed.
"Hell no," Kin muttered, "Place looked like it was hit with several tornados… There's hardly a soul left of that place."
"Holy shit." I grimaced. I guessed that Kotaro had attacked the town after Sasuke and the rest of us left. It made me hate the heartless bastard even more. Akira sighed, averting his eyes.
"Yea… We have a few questions for you about that, but we'll wait until we settle down, huh?" He tried. I opened my mouth to say something, but Nero approached me, having not said a single word. I blinked, looking up at him, then made a face.
"Are you going to do the 'I-Told-You-So' dance? Go ahead, cuz I deserve it for being so cocky." I sighed. Nero's aqua green eyes studied my face for a moment before he surprised me by hugging me, holding my head to his chest.
"I hate you so much right now," Nero muttered, "And I hate the Kazekage…" I sighed, averting my eyes and trying to force the upcoming blush in my face down, but it was kind of hard. The heavy scent of cigarettes and alcohol wavered off him like an air freshener. The smell was actually kind of good, for him at least.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being cocky about it too…"
"Well, I know how you can make it up to me." Nero stated and pulled back. I frowned.
"Make it up to-" He cut me off by grabbed my face and kissing me smack on the lips, my eyes widening.
"Nero!" Akira whined from behind him and smacked his forehead.
"He didn't waste any time." Kin deadpanned. I felt heat rising in my face. He still wasn't pulling away and even went for using his tongue, licking my lips open. I gasped and jerked away, covering my mouth.
"NERO!" I cried. Nero shrugged innocently.
"I had to do it. I might never get another chance." He replied, then smiled. I felt my face grow hotter and hotter.
"HA! You should see your face right now, Ruriko! It's freaking red!" Osamu laughed out loud. I twitched.
"Shut the hell up, jackass! If you say one more word about it…!" I couldn't even finish my threat. Kasumi and Daisuke were even snickering now, making me even more embarrassed. Akira smiled weakly, flicking his eyes to the side, then noticed Roku watching us.
"Who's the kid?" He asked. Roku jumped a little, probably surprised that he was noticed. I blinked, then smiled a little.
"Ah, guys, this is Roku… I kind of took him in. Get that look off your face, Osamu, before I slap it off," I added angrily, noticing his stifled laughter, "Roku's parents are dead… Uhm… I'm going to have to tell you the whole story."
"We have time on the way back to the village." Akira told me. I paused, looking the other way, receiving a few suspicious and confused looks.
"What? What's wrong?" Osamu asked, frowning. I sighed.
"Look… It's a really long story… But I can't go back to the village. Not now at least." I added.
"What? Are you kidding me?" Daisuke exclaimed in disbelief. I grimaced.
"I sort of… Look, I gave someone my word that I'd help them. If I don't… I'll feel terrible, like a liar. I need to keep my word, even if it means becoming a missing-nin." I muttered.
"Let me guess… Uchiha Sasuke?" Ryuuko asked. I blinked.
"How did you…?"
"Back in Yūgure, we were told that you were traveling with him by one of the Raikage's advisors. Of course, nobody knows specifically that it's you… Yet." He added with a frown. I flinched.
"Shit… Look, to make a long story short, I was kidnapped by Orochimaru for some weird reason that I seriously don't remember. I made a deal with Sasuke that if he let me out, I'd help him find Akatsuki. Unfortunately, the reason why my trail is going all over the place is because I really have no idea where Akatsuki is, but I'm trying to find out." I explained quickly.
"And what's your connection to that Kotaro guy?" Kin asked, frowning now too. I twitched.
"That asshole. He had a file on Akatsuki, so I went to steal it and I found out…" My voice trailed. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to say it. I couldn't tell them that Hioshi was feeding Kotaro information. They'd have Hioshi arrested and he'd never survive in prison. No way, no how. He'd go insane if he left the house.
"And I found out," I managed to add on, "That Kotaro took Roku in order to draw me in to get his file back… Unfortunately, I dropped the file in my fight with him, so now I'm trying to remember the way to Akatsuki's next base."
"So in other words, you're helping a criminal?" Nero asked, raising an eyebrow. I groaned.
"Don't put it like that… I gave him my word. I had to get out of that hellhole. And I had to save Roku. He was born in the cells that Orochimaru had his experiments locked up in. He's only five-years-old."
"Young." Nero corrected me under his breath. I rolled my eyes.
"You're traveling with a five-year-old and a group of criminals?" Kasumi asked, as if she couldn't wrap her mind around the idea. I sweat dropped.
"Well, jeez. When you put it like that… But look, the reason I was allowed to meet up with you guys is because I need you to take Roku back to the village with you." I stated.
"But we can't let you go on with that asshole!" Osamu protested.
"Yea," Kin agreed, "You'll be listed as a criminal if they found out that you were working for Sasuke."
"They don't have to," I pointed out, "Just take Roku back. If anyone asks, just say you found him on your trip or something. Get creative. As far as they know, I'm still kidnapped. If they don't catch me running around, then I can safely come back…"
"And if they do catch you?" Daisuke asked, raising an eyebrow. I frowned.
"If they catch me, then I'm sorry. I'll try visiting without getting caught… But until then, I have enough shit on my plate to take care of. If I don't find Akatsuki soon, Sasuke said he was going to kill Roku… And he'll probably have fun torturing me for it too." I added.
"You just signed your death warrant." Nero muttered.
"Unfortunately." I sighed.
"So what? We're just supposed to give up? After we came all this way?" Kin asked.
"Hell no," Osamu protested, "We're not leaving without you, whether you like it or not!" I frowned.
"Osamu, don't push me now. Trust me, I really do want to come back. If I could I would, but I don't break my word, even if I end up dying because of it. It's just the way I work." I informed.
"Na." Roku mumbled, probably agreeing with Osamu.
"Don't go agreeing with him," I scolded, "Go with them and remember what I told you."
"You're coming with us." Akira stated. I glared at him, folding my arms over my chest.
"Are you going to try and make me?" I demanded. Akira winced. Nero frowned, then swung his hand out, his other in a hand sign.
"If that's what it takes." He said.
"Nero!" Kasumi cried.
"Nero, we can't attack her!" Akira protested. Nero ignored them, his eyes locked with mine.
"If you won't come back, we'll force you to." He said. I frowned.
"Nero, you wouldn't." I dared. I saw his eyes glow a little, like he was angry that I wouldn't believe him.
"Try me. Make one move in the other direction and I'll attack you." He stated.
"Nero's right," Ryuuko spoke up, "We can't let you go, Ruriko. If you go with Sasuke, it's just plain suicide. It's nothing a real shinobi would do."
"But we can't just jump her like that," Kin argued, "She's our friend. That's why even came on this mission."
"And a true friend would fight to bring her back." Nero countered.
"I agree with Nero!" Osamu blurted. I glared at him, smirking a little.
"Of course you do. I gave you my word too, didn't I? That I'd challenge you to a rematch. That's the only reason you're agreeing."
"Shut up, Ruriko! When we get back to the village, then I'll fight you! I'm agreeing with Nero because I'm your friend!" Osamu shouted. I glanced at them all, noticing that none of them looked like they were leaving, then looked at Nero, who hadn't lowered his hand sign or his hand in my face. I looked at Roku, who looked a little uneasy.
"Roku," I started, "I still meant what I said. These people are my friends and you be good with them. You do everything they say and be sure to eat right. Don't ever bite friends or family. Just those who make fun of you… Hopefully Kazuya will be able to take care of you too. Oh, and, Roku? Just because of what's about to happen, it doesn't mean I'm a bad person. I just have to keep my word, like the fact that I still owe you a puppy." I added with a smile at him.
At that point, I moved. I swung my foot up, kicking Nero's hand back. Nero winced, then tore his foot around to kick me, but I ducked just in time, skidding in the dirt before I back flipped.
"Was nice seeing you all again," I said, giving them a little salute, "You better take good care of Roku so that when I come back, I can hear him speak the right way. See ya!" I whipped around and shot off. I heard Akira bark out some order, sending Nero and Osamu tailing after me.
I sighed. Nice choice, Akira. Nice choice. I pushed off the ground and shot into the trees, kicking off branches. This really wasn't my style, running like this, but I had a feeling that if I stopped to fight, Akira might send back up.
Of course, I had no choice at one point. A kunai flew past my cheek, slicing it before it hit a tree trunk. I rolled my eyes and spun around, making hand signs as fast as I could, thrusting my hand out to release a powerful bolt of lightening. Nero ducked and Osamu jumped.
I winced and spun back around and jumped down to the ground before running again, the sound of Nero and Osamu gaining on me making me want to pick up speed. I was leading them in a bad direction, right to Sasuke.
So I jerked off to the side abruptly, shooting over tree tops before landing back on the ground near a jutted mountain that most likely held a river that led to a nice, big waterfall. Just the kind of getaway that I needed.
I pushed off the rocks, jumping up along the side. That's when I felt a bolt of lightening hit the rock that I had landed on, causing me to lose my footing. I managed to grab the sides of the rocks that were jutting out, tearing myself upwards. I gritted my teeth, then glanced down at Nero and Osamu, who were catching up.
"Shit… Sorry, guys." I muttered and clenched my fists.
This is all Sasuke's fault. Yea, I know it was stupid of me to make that deal with him, but I was desperate to get out of that place and take Roku with me. He was safer with Akira and the rest of them than with a gang of criminals… Fucking shit, it's Sasuke's fault that I'm in this situation!
I slammed my fist into the side of the rocky cliff side, gathering up as much chakra with the blow as I could. The entire structure shook and rocks started colliding downwards. I ignored the agony in my knuckles as I whipped out a few quick hand signs.
"Water Style! Dark Abyss!" I brought my hands downwards before I pushed off my perch, shooting upwards and leaving thick black fog in my wake. I could only hope they dodged the rocks in time through the dense fog.
I landed on the top, just in time to get splashed with rapids that were flowing through the crevices in the rock. I grimaced a little and went to move, but this weird smell filled the air… It was like sulfur almost with the heavy stench of smoke. I frowned and immediately leapt over the little rapids, hopping on rocks to get to the other side. I scrambled to a nice hiding place and sat there for a second, catching my breath before I stood up and peered down.
I saw fire. Definitely from a fire jutsu that was sprung from either Nero or Osamu, I couldn't tell, but it was mixing with the rocks and water from the mountain and flowing down, down, down in thick gooey globs. It made me grimace. I whipped around and shot off over the edge, skidding down the side on my shoes before I flipped and hit the ground in a crouch.
I frowned, standing up and looking back up at the mountain. I had ditched them. However, it left an odd feeling weighting down my heart. I really wanted to go back with them. Had I not opened my big mouth and promised Sasuke, I'd of been begging them to take me with them. I sighed and looked away before bolting in the right direction, leaving the mountain to practically become a pile of molten behind me.
I felt terrible right now. I think I needed sleep… Really badly…
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A/N: Again, I should be sued for terrible titles for chapters. Haha. Anyway, yea… I need ideas for what to write next. -3-; Sorry if this was short or something… I'm trying to get some inspiration from the things going on around me or maybe from other Naruto episodes… But it's hard to get a hold of the Shippuden ones since I'm dirt poor and can't afford the boxsets. And I hate the Disney XD version! NO BLOOD, NOT SWEARING. WTF? :D Anyway, hopefully I can get some more ideas soon! I don't want to abandon this fic! I have received more than a hundred reviews for this and it made me so happy I almost cried. :'D Thank you so very, very much for your reviews! They're absolutely wonderful and I greatly appreciate them, even one's that have a simple sentence. C: They all make me so happy! Well, thanks for reading and I hope your OCs are in character! More reviews, the better!