GAH! I'm so sorry for taking so long! OMG, a month! I can't believe it's been so long! I'm in my senior year right now so work and college are taking over my life at the moment. I was hoping to get this up a few days ago but I didn't want to end it right in the middle plus I wanted to give ya'll lost of Kiba/Meng Ka time to make up for the long wait! I really hope ya'll enjoy it! And as always, don't be shy and leave a review, let me know what you think of it so far!
Darkness, it was everywhere but it wasn't the kind of darkness that night brought. It was the darkness that consumes you and makes you lose all sense of time and place. Where was she? Was she on solid ground or floating in the air, was that a breeze or her imagination? There was no scent in the air, nothing underneath her feet. It was almost as if she was floating in a black hole, with no one to call out to for help or any sense of if she were standing or upside down. Nothing seemed to move in this darkness, she didn't even know if she were moving herself. She heard it first, a faint sound in the distance. Then as the voices grew louder, she began to feel hotter, the air thickening around her as she could feel the smoke burning her eyes and throat. As she coughed from the smoke, it seemed to set everything into motion.
The screams were unbearable as people were killed and burst into fire and ash all around her. Everything was on fire as they ran and screamed out for help. Now she was running with them, running away from an unknown evil that was killing everyone around her. The air was still thick with smoke and her body was covered in it as sweat poured down her face from the heat. The fire was everywhere, there was no escaping it. She suddenly stopped as she came to the edge of a cliff that seemed to only fall back into the darkness that she was in only moments ago. The screams were getting louder and the flamers hotter. Turning around, she looked for a way out but the flames were all around her as they closed in.
Then there was a sickening thud sound as she looked to her right, only to see Orochimaru standing behind a woman with dark auburn hair that covered her face. Orochimaru had his sword stuck into her back and coming out of her chest, a crazed look in his eye as a smile crossed his face. The world seemed to stop as the woman's head lifted slowly to look at her, blood was falling from her mouth as she softly smiled at her and reached a pale hand out to her. "My daughter, don't forget who you are. You'll be safe." She coughed up more blood as Orochimaru started to laugh and twisted the sword, making the woman scream. With a sudden intake of air, she burst into flames and turned into ash.
Tears streamed down her face as she watched the flames coming closer to her, the smile on Orochimaru's face never leaving as his laughter became louder and mixed in with the screams of the villagers. She covered her face as she began to scream, "No! Go away!"
"Oh yes, you're next Meng Ka." She heard Orochimaru say as she opened her eyes to find herself consumed in the flames. "I will kill everyone you love and just like Sauska, you will come to me."
"No!" Meng Ka screamed out as her eyes began to glow gold and her blood began to boil as the flames became so hot that her flesh was starting to melt off of her. Suddenly, Meng Ka let out a high pitched scream, sounding almost like a bird's cry, in her sleep; the white phoenix flame pouring from her chakra points as it consumed her and the room. Kakashi woke with a start as he heard her screaming. He raced out of bed and ran to her room but as he opened the door he fell back slightly from the heat of the fire, burning his arm in the process.
"Meng Ka!" He yelled out worriedly as he tried to get closer to her but the hot flames kept him at bay as he called out to her once again. He moved to get closer, wanting to pull her from the flames but right before he was about to run through them, Tinktink flew in his way and pushed him back. She flapped her wings franticly as she chirped but it was drowned out by the scream that came from Meng Ka once again as it echoed throughout the village, waking many villagers and alerting the ninjas on duty. Asume was the first to burst through the door as he quickly ran to Meng Ka's room and stopped in shock as he saw the flames.
"What's going on?" He asked Kakashi as the two stood there as Tinktink flew back into the flames and more ninjas gathered around in the small house, terrified of what they saw.
"I don't know. I think she's having another nightmare." Kakashi said as the two looked knowingly at one another. Meng Ka almost always had nightmares about her village's downfall but it had never gotten this bad before. She always had a good control over her chakra and only lost control when she was very emotional.
Suddenly, they saw something gold shining in the middle of the flames and it seemed to consume them as they retreated backwards and away from everyone. As the flames disappeared, everyone could see Tinktink as she glowed in the middle of the room and seemed to be absorbing the flames. As she returned back to her normal color, Meng Ka's screams stopped as she lay on a pile of ashes that were once her bed. Kakashi and Asume quickly ran to her side as they checked to make sure she was alright but then quickly ran her to the hospital.
With a start, Meng Ka gasped for air and sat straight up as a pulse of chakra ran out from her and destroyed the entire level of the hospital. Wincing, Meng Ka held her head as it pounded and the light seemed to hurt her eyes. She heard a soft chirp beside her as she felt the warm head of Tinktink press against her cheek. Smiling, she opened her eyes and rested her hand on Tinktink's head.
The burst opened as Sakura burst through the door franticly looking around before resting her eyes on Meng Ka. "You're awake!" She said happily as she walked into the room, "I guess that random pulse of chakra jerked you awake." She said more to herself. "The whole floor is a mess as everyone is running around trying to fix up the place and make sure everyone is alright."
Meng Ka couldn't help the guilty look that came over her face as she smiled innocently up at Sakura. "Oops." She said with a nervous laugh as she watched Sakura's face darken.
"Well look who finally decided to wake up." Kakashi said as he walked into the room and ruffled her hair, "Someone told me you were awake."
"Well of course!" Sakura yelled, "She announced it to the whole floor!" She motioned her arms out to the hall and began to lecture Meng Ka about controlling her chakra and how she could have hurt many people.
"Sakura." Kakashi said calmly as he rest his hand on her shoulder, "That's enough. I'm sure Meng Ka is starving, could you get her some food please."
Sakura paused but then nodded her head as a determined look came on her face, "Of course. I'll be back shortly."
Kakashi sighed as he sat down on the bed beside her and Meng Ka snuggled onto his lap with a smile. Kakashi chuckled as he petted her hair and Tinktink rested on his bent knee. "You know, I always forget just how little you still are." He said softly as the two remained in silence, enjoying each other's company.
"Uncle Shi?" Meng Ka finally spoke up, "How long have I been asleep?"
Kakashi didn't answer for a while and Meng Ka was beginning to think that she had been in a coma for years or something. "Only two weeks." He finally answered her before she could fully panic but the answer to help to calm her much either.
"Two weeks!" Meng Ka yelled as she sat up on Kakashi's lap and looked at him with a horrified look on her face. "My berries and jams! Oh, everyone must be wondering where they are. I didn't hurt anyone did I?" Meng Ka quickly asked as she thought about the last thing she remembered and all she could remember was fire.
Tears started to roll down her face as the nightmare came back to her and Kakashi pulled her back to his chest as he comforted her. Rubbing her back and telling her everything was going to be ok and that everyone was alright. It took a little while but soon Meng Ka was just hiccupping as Kakashi made fun of her and Tinktink joined in on the playful jabs.
The door opened again but this time Tsunade walked through the door, "Ah good you're awake and well. You had many of us worried for a while there." She smiled at Meng Ka but only got a frown in return.
"Do you need anything Lady Tsunade?" Kakashi said as he stood up and put Meng Ka back on the bed.
"I just came to see if Meng Ka was fit for another mission." Tsunade said as she looked over at Kakashi, "I've sent Kiba, Naruto and Hinata on a relatively easy mission but I feel that they may need to a medic with them. Seeing as how they couldn't even catch a bug properly when together."
Meng Ka perched up a bit when Kiba was mentioned but Kakashi shook his head, "They already left and Meng Ka just woke up. She's staying here." He said as he moved the broken chair closer to the bed and sat down in what was left of it.
"Well, I think that's up to Meng Ka to decide." Tsunade said as she looked back at Meng Ka, "I would greatly like for you to go on this mission but if you don't feel up to it then you don't have to go."
Meng Ka narrowed her eyes at Tsunade, wondering what she was up to but the thought of being able to spend time with Kiba after only seeing him still in the hospital when she last checked up on him. It was tempting and Meng Ka knew that Tsunade was using that to her advantage. With a shrug, Meng Ka nodded, "I think I should probably get out and stretch my legs after all."
With a bright smile, Tsunade nodded her head. "Alright, the mission is to capture the man who stole the Misogi tea jar owned by a feudal lord of the Land of Tea. This man," Tsunade pulled out a photo and handed it to her, "Gosunkugi. According to sources, he's now hiding in the Land of Stone."
Raising an eyebrow she looked up at Tsunade, "And Naruto actually agreed to go on this mission?"
Tsunade chuckled, "Not at all but I was able to convince him to go. I figured it best to get them on a couple of easy missions after all the commotion that's been going on lately. But still, those three have yet to accomplish any mission together so I figured it'd be best to send you to keep them from getting killed."
Meng Ka nodded and really didn't care about her true reason for having her go on this mission, she just wanted to get out of the village and get some clear air to think. Kakashi was a bit harder to agree to it but seeing as how Meng Ka made up her mind, he knew it wouldn't be changed. Helping her pack up a few things, he walked her to the gate, then she was on her own.
It didn't take long catching up with them as she spotted them in a clearing, eating. Kiba was just about to throw a rice ball to Akamaru and as it sored through the air, Tinktink quickly swooped down and took the rice ball before Akamaru could catch it. Barking, Akamaru ran after Tinktink as she flapped around and waved treat in front of him. Everyone watched in confusion as Meng Ka walked out to them with a chuckle.
"You're awake!" Kiba said excitedly as he ran over and hugged her. Meng Ka smiled and hugged him back and then smiled at the other two as Naruto looked at her confused.
"What are you doing here?" He asked as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Tsunade sent me to take your place." Meng Ka fibbed a little, "She said that you can go back since you're too good for this kind of mission."
Naruto stared at her and then became angry, "Oh yeah! I'll show her! Too good for this mission, ha! I'll finish it so quickly she'll want to put me on all of the missions!" Naruto said now fired up.
Tinktink finally let Akamaru have the rice roll and ran over to Meng Ka as he swallowed the last of it and jumped in her arms, barking and wagging his tail. Meng Ka kissed his nose as Tinktink sat on Kiba's shoulder, who rubbed her head with a smile, "These kind of missions are alright every now and then." Kiba said as he looked over at Naruto. "Let's take it easy."
"It's a cinch mission so all the more reason I want to finish it up quickly." Naruto argued back, "What'll happen if the Pervy Sage comes back while I'm gone?"
Hinata blushed as she stood next to Naruto, "I'm sorry, Naruto." She said softly, "I, um, I was so happy to be on a mission with you." Her voice became softer as she spoke, so much to the point no one would hear her.
"Huh? What did you say, Hinata?" Naruto asked as he leaned in closer to Hinata, making her blush even more. "I can't hear you." She quickly turned away from him as he leaned away from her. "Why are you blushing? You're a weird one."
Meng Ka and Kiba were barely able to hide their laughter as they watched the two of them. "Well hold your horses, look." Kiba said as he pointed to a few mountains. "We'll be in the Land of Stone once we cross the mountain pass. Be sure to fortify yourself with food by then."
Naruto looked down at the riceball that was made to look like him. "Well it's kind of hard when it's like eating myself." He said softly as he took a bit then smiled, "Hey, this is good." Then he looked over at Hinata, "Hinata, you'd make a great wife."
"What?" Hinata said with a shocked expression as her face began to turn red from blushing so much.
"Alright then, let's go." Meng Ka said and the four of them started to head for the mountains, soon crossing over into the Land of Stone. After that, it didn't take long to come across the first village, "This is their first post." Meng Ka said as they looked down at it.
"Doesn't it look a bit rough?" Kiba said beside her, Meng Ka looked up at him and nodded in agreement. They walked into the village with caution as they looked around seeing nothing but sand and closed doors. The place seemed deserted as they walked in, crows flying around and sitting on buildings as the wind kicked up sand.
People stood outside, watching them suspiciously as they walked by but no one made a move to come towards them or to even speak with them. "What are these guys doing, just staring at us?" Naruto asked under his breath.
Kiba suddenly placed his arm over Meng Ka's shoulders as he pulled her and Akamaru closer to him, his eyes on the villagers. "This doesn't feel like we'll be able to do this lickety-split." He said calmly as Akamaru growled and jumped from Meng Ka's arms "What is it, Akamaru?"
Akamaru continued to growl as he looked ahead of them, "Could it be that the Gosnkugi guy is among them?" Meng Ka asked as she looked around a bit more closely.
Suddenly Naruto threw one of his daggers, "I've got you!" He yelled just as his dagger hit a poster.
"A photo." Hinata said as the four of them looked over at it.
"What, this is Gosunkugi, isn't it?" Naruto said as he read the poster, "3 million ryo? What's the meaning of this?"
"Look" Hinata said, "They're posting them over there and here too." Looking around the four of them could see that the posters hung everywhere.
"Alright, I'll try asking someone." Naruto said as the other three looked over at him. Meng Ka bit her lip slightly as she looked around, Kiba still holding her close to him. For some reason, Meng Ka figured asking wasn't going to do much for them around here. They walked up to an Asian Saloon and walked in, "Hello." Naruto said loudly as they were inside and walked over to the bartender.
"Can I help you?" He asked friendly enough but the atmosphere was thick with tension.
"I have something I'd like to ask you." Naruto said, returning the friendly tone.
"What, if you're not a customer, beat it." The bartender said, his tone suddenly changing.
"Then I'll order something." Naruto said with a smile and Meng Ka sighed, knowing that they were going to get anywhere with this. "I'll have ramen."
"I'll have hamburger steak with cheese," Kiba pitched in, "And he'll have milk."
Meng Ka groaned, they didn't seem to understand the situation at all and a man starting to laugh confirmed that for her as well. "This is funny. Milk? Hamburger steak with cheese?"
Another one of his friends pitched in a well, "And ramen to top it off." The group laughed, making the bartender even more angry.
"Are you trying to make a fool of me? Get out you brats!" He said as he slammed his hand on the bar.
But Naruto still didn't seem to get it, "If it's money, then we have it."
"That's not the issue." The bartender said through clenched teeth.
Suddenly a rather large man grabbed Naruto's wrist as he held out his money bag, "Oh, it's dangerous for kids to carry such a large amount of money. I'll take charge of it for you. After all, there are lots of bad men in this town."
"Hey, what are you doing?" One of his friends called out from the poker game that they were playing, "Are you still in?"
"Oh, one minute. I've got the money, I'll be right over." He called back to them and he pulled on the bag, "Huh? What's with you? Hey, let go!" He yelled at Naruto.
"You're the one who'll let go." Naruto said angrily as he kicked the man back onto one of the tables. "How about that?"
The large guy got up and glared at him, "You brat, you wunna fight?"
"Oh that's the plan." Naruto said back, "Bring it!"
The big guy pulled out a large clubbing knife and growled at them. "Hold it, Naruto." Meng Ka said concerned. "Look around."
Looking around, Naruto noticed that every man in the room had gotten up and pulled out their own weapons, "Well, this isn't good."
Then a man in the corner stood up, his hat covering his face, "Master, milk." He called out to the bartender.
The large guy glared over at him, "Who the hell are you?"
The man in the corner walked over to the bartender and leaned against the bar, "Oh! Yes, coming right up!" The bartender said quickly as he poured a class of milk. "Here you are."
The man thanked him and grabbed a small plate, setting it in front of Akamaru and pouring the milk in it for him, "Now no need to hesitate, drink up. It's a treat form old billboard balled head over there."
"Oh, are you referring to me you asshole?" The large guy asked as he took a step towards the guy. "Who would treat some puppy with milk?" He suddenly ran at the man, "You want to get killed!" He yelled as he raised his clubbing knife but the guy cut straight through it with his samurai sword and then knocked him out.
Pulling out a poster that he had in his pocket with a photo of the guy on it, "Bounty, Michizo Manaka." He sat it on the bartender's bar, "You can take the credit, master. Take the money for the milk from the bounty and the money to repair the table too. I don't need change." He said then began to walk out.
"He's strong." Said Kiba as they watched him leave.
"And cute." Meng Ka said with a dreamy look on her face but then shocked replace her face as she looked over at Kiba, "Did I just say that?"
"What?!" Kiba asked shocked looking down at her as a small blush formed on his cheeks. "Yes…no…yes! I mean, I don't care. Why would I care?" He stammered and crossed his arms he looked away.
"Huh?" Meng Ka asked as she tilted her head to the side, "Why are you asking like Hinata, Kiba?"
"I'm not acting like Hinata!" he yelled in frustration.
"Yeah, you're too loud to be acting like Hinata." Meng Ka teased him with a smile but before he could say anything as Naruto ran after the guy and rest of them followed.
"Wait! Who the heck are you old man?" Naruto asked.
The guy turned to look at them, puzzled at first but then smiles, "I'm Sazanami, a bounty hunter." Then he turned and started to walk away.
"How cool!" Naruto said amazed, "Hey, old man!" Naruto called again as he caught up to Sazanami, the others following them quietly. "Say say, that thing earlier was cool."
"Hmm," Sazanami said as he continued to walk, "The iai-nuki?"
"It was so fast, I couldn't see when you drew your sword." Naruto continued.
"It was really surprising." Hinata pitched in from behind the two of them.
"I bet that's what they mean when they say 'in a blink of an eye." Kiba add with his hands shoved in his pockets while Meng Ka continued to hold Akamaru and remained quiet, still a bit weirded out by what she had said earlier.
"Life and death is on the line for us bounty hunters." Sazanami answered calmly, "No matter how many lives we can have, it wouldn't be enough if we couldn't draw our sword faster than others.
"Say, say! Say, say!" Naruto said exactly, "What is a bounty hunter?"
Meng Ka raised an eyebrow, curious as to how Naruto wanted so badly to become the greatest ninja but didn't even know what a simple bounty hunter was. "Let's see…" Sazanami said as he trailed off trying to figure out how to explain it to them.
Finally speaking up, Meng Ka pitched in, "There are people who offer a bounty in order to capture criminals. So as the name implies, bounty hunters catch those criminals and receive the bounty."
Sazanami looked over his shoulder at her and nodded his head, "Exactly."
"Hmm." Naruto said softly as the wheels in his head started to turn a little. "Then this guy has a bounty on him, right?" He said as held up the photo that Tsunade had given them.
Sazanami looked at it and then stopped walking; turning to look directly at them, shock plainly on his face. "Boy, that's…"
"Why's there so much money on his head?" Meng Ka asked curiously as she noticed that he must know who the guy is and walked up to stand by Naruto. "According to the Hokage, he is simply just a common thief."
"A simple thief, you say?" Sazanami asked, looking over at her and away from the picture. "Girl, this guy's a super A-rank bounty who has killed dozens of people for the sake of stealing."
"What?" Naruto asked shocked.
"No way!" Hinata said worriedly as she pulled her hands closer to her chest and face.
"Say what?" Kiba said in a shocked tone as he moved a bit closer to Meng Ka and Akamaru.
Meng Ka on the other hand didn't even blink as he told her this news, "Figures, Tsunade never did seem to tell the whole truth when sending people on their missions. That's what she must have been up to earlier." She said that last part more to herself as she looked down at Akamaru who whimpered slightly.
"What's the meaning of this?" Kiba went on, "I haven't heard about that."
"The feudal lord who commissioned this mission might not have known about that." Hinata said, trying to make things sound better than what they were.
"Hokage?" Sazanami asked, "Mission?"
"Yes," Naruto answered, "We're Hidden Leaf Ninjas." He said proudly, pointing to the group. "And we came to capture Gosunkugi."
"Well, ya'll are." Meng Ka smiled humorously, "I'm just here to make sure ya'll are able to walk back home."
"Huh?" Naruto said shocked but then laughed, "Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting about that Meng Ka."
"Eh," Kiba shrugged and looked the other way, "I still say you can't lower someone's ninja level." He mumbled softly, still a bit sore about when Meng Ka was no longer a ninja anymore.
"Leaf?" Sazanami asked, seeming far off and didn't really here them. "So you're ninjas, huh?" He laughed slightly and smiled at them. "This is interesting. So even kids like this are qualified to be ninjas?"
"What?" Naruto said angrily, "Don't make fun of us."
"Well, don't get mad." Sazanami said, "Sorry about that. I'll treat you guys to something. Milk?"
"We're not Akamaru." Naruto pouted, "I want ramen."
"And I'll have a cheese burger steak." Kiba added with a smirk.
"I guess I'll have ramen, too." Hinata said quietly.
Sazanami nodded his head and then looked over at Meng Ka, leaning down to her level. "And you?" He asked with a smirk.
Meng Ka tilted her head to the side and found her eyes following the three scares on his face. In a strange way he reminded her of Uncle Shi when he wasn't covering his face. But still, she didn't know if she should trust this guy, after all he was still a stranger. With a shrug, Meng Ka smiled innocently and played the part of a small child, in other words, her age. "Surprise me." Best to catch him off guard if he thought she wasn't a threat.
"Ok, come with me." He smiled and held out his hand for her to take. Meng Ka took it and swinged their arms back and forth like she used to with Asume and Uncle Shi. A low growl coming from Kiba as he trailed behind them.
After a while, they were out of town and away from all of the people, "What is this? We're rapidly moving away from town." Naruto noted a he looked around. "I don't see a ramen shop anywhere."
Sazanami stopped suddenly and let go of Meng Ka's hand. Meng Ka skipped backwards and stood next to Kiba. "Now then." He said softly before turning around. "I don't see any ramen shops. So what I said earlier about treating you guys is canceled. Sorry, but you guys are going to die here."
"Old man…" Naruto started to say as shocked fell on everyone's faces. "What's the idea?"
"To think you guys know that Gosunkugi is in this town." Sazanami said.
"What if we do know?" Meng Ka asked calmly.
"Gosunkugi is my prey. I can't hand him over to you." Sazanami answered.
"That's enough." Kiba said angerly. "You should just go get him yourself."
"No, even if you guys are kids." Sazanami shook his head, "it's a different story when it comes to leaf ninjas. It's better to have fewer, wait…no competitors." He said lowly as he drew his sword and readied himself to attack.
"Old man." Naruto said, "Old man." He repeated worriedly.
"Here I go." Sazanami said almost as if to taunt them. He raced towards them as Naruto throw his dangers at him but he blocked them with his sword. He then came up behind Hinata and placed his sword at her neck, while holding her arm behind her back.
"Hinata!" Naruto and Kiba called out as Meng Ka and Tinktink watched off to the side and out of the way, noticing how his movements lacked the intention to kill.
"Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry, All-Four justu!" Kiba said as he folded his hands and then lowered to the ground on all fours, his chakra flowing off of him.
"Interesting." The man said as he knocked Hinata out just as Kiba came after him. Sazanami dodge him and as Kiba looked around, appeared behind him and hit him in the neck, right on a pressure point that knocked him out cold. Akamaru ran after him but Sazanami easily knocked him out as well. Looking over at Naruto, he seemed to have forgotten all about Meng Ka. "Boy, you're the last one."
"Shadow Clone Justu!" Naruto called out as his clones surrounded Sazanami and attacked all together but Sazanami easily killed them all and just as Naruto seemed to have taken him from surprise by jumping out of the ground behind him, Sazanami quickly hit him with the back of his sword and knocked him out as well. "Almost. Forgive me, boy. I'll be the one to beat him, no matter what."
"Forgetting someone?" Meng Ka called out to him calmly. As Sazanami looked over at her, he had to squint his eyes against the setting sun that seemed to light her auburn high a blaze as her turquoise eyes sparkled against the light.
"Ah, of course not girl. I was hoping I wouldn't have to hit you as well." Sazanami smiled and rested his hand against the halt of his sword.
"I don't care for fighting nor do I care about the past that you have with this Gosunkugi. But the Hokage expects these three to come home alive and the only way to get them back home is with Gosunkugi." Meng Ka tilted her head to the side as Sazanami chuckled.
"Rather bold words for a child." He said with a smile but his eyes were hard and his body tense.
"Don't judge a book by its cover." Meng Ka shrugged, "Something bounty hunters should well know. I'll give you 20 minutes of a head start, and then I'm waking these three. I'd best hurry if I were you."
Sazanami's smile lowered and he seemed unsure of what to make of Meng Ka for the first time. At first glance she seemed like any other harmless child but standing there in the sunlight, she seemed to radiate power as she calmly watched his every move. Nodding his head in a silent agreement, he took off back to the village.
True to her word, twenty minutes later she was leaning over Kiba as she shook him awake. Akamaru barked at him, biting on his jacket and pulling slightly. "Akamaru…" He said a bit dazed before looking up at Meng Ka and sitting up to see the other two awake. "Are you alright Meng Ka?"
Meng Ka nodded, "Yes, he didn't really like the idea of beating up a girl as young as me." She smiled but Kiba didn't smile back.
He moved to get up with a grunt, "Damn. He got us good."
"Hinata, are you ok?" Naruto asked as he looked over at her.
"Yeah." She said softly
"Where's Sazanami?" Kiba asked as he looked around them.
"Could it be he went after Gosunkugi?" Naruto asked.
"Of course he did." Meng Ka said, "We went back to the village after he knocked you out, Naruto."
"I can't just sit here like this!" Kiba said standing up, "He'll beat us to the draw, no thanks to you, Meng Ka."
"What?!" Meng Ka said, standing up herself, anger clear in her eyes. "What did I do?"
"You could have stopped him!" Kiba said, "From the looks of it, the two of you didn't even bother fighting. You're supposed to help protect your teammates!"
"And I was, ya'll are alive after all. He didn't even attack with the intention to kill and if you can't even see that during your fight then you still have a long way to go buddy." Meng Ka said while the two of them came nose to nose.
"You were just standing there watching." Kiba threw his hands in the air, "Was he really just that too hot, that you couldn't even kick his ass?!"
"Oh, please. Are you still mad about me calling him hot earlier?" Meng Ka asked, "I didn't even know why I said that in the first place. And you can't just run into a fight recklessly without thinking. You need a plan!"
"Oh so now that you find out that he's the enemy you suddenly don't know why you called him hot. You still could have killed the guy and then we wouldn't be in this situation!" Kiba growled darkly at her.
"I don't like to kill, Kiba!" Meng Ka screamed, "Nor do I like to fight or hurt other people and you know that Kiba!" She stomped her foot on the ground, kicking up dust.
"Um…guys?" Naruto asked.
"What?!" The two of them yelled as they looked over at Naruto.
"How about we save this for later." He laughed nervously as he backed away from them. "We still have a criminal to catch."
Kiba and Meng Ka glared up at each other before turning away from one another. "Lead the way Naruto." Meng Ka said through clinched teeth. They then quickly ran back to the village and as they entered it, no one was in sight. "Damn, where is that old man?" Naruto asked looking around.
Akamaru suddenly sniffed the air and barked, motioning towards a few mountains in the distance. "Did he leave town?" Kiba asked as he looked up over at them. Akamaru then took off in front of them and they followed the puppy without hesitation. After a while of running through the rocks, they caught up to Sazanami and were able to chase off four strangers.
Just as Naruto was going to run after them, he called out to him, "Wait!" He looked back at Sazanami to see him bloody and beaten. "Boy… you must not go." He said before he fell down.
"Old man!" Naruto called out as they came over to him, "Old Man Sazanami."
"Stay away from him." He whispered to them, "He is too much for you guys."
His eyes then closed and he became still, Meng Ka walked over to him and checked for a pulse, happy to find one. "Come on, I think I saw a building not too far from here." They helped in carrying him back to the building and once inside, Meng Ka quickly went to work healing him and then wrapping him in bandages.
"How could such a strong guy be beaten?" Naruto asked in amazement.
"Gosunkugi isn't a mere thief." Kiba said as he looked over at Meng Ka in the corner of his eyes. "He's a shinobi, same as us."
They fell silent but then Hinata motioned for them to be quiet and they nodded in acknowledgement. Jumping up to the roof, Hinata blew out the candle and just as she made it up beside Meng ka a man came crashing into the building. Naruto jumped down and kicked the guy in the face just as Kiba ran at him and punched him in the gut before kicking him in the chin with his knee. "Is this one of Gosunkugi's comrades?" Naruto asked
Meng Ka was then able to get a good look at the guy, "You! You were in the bar from earlier." She called out as she jumped down, followed by Hinata.
"Damn!" The man called out and then turned to run away from them.
"Who was that guy?" Kiba asked with a sigh. "Huh? What's this?" He asked as he bent down and picked up a flyer, "A wanted flyer."
"Did he mistake us for Gosunkugi?" Naruto asked looking over at Kiba.
"No, that's not it." Kiba said then read from the flyer, "This man who calls himself Tokichi is a major criminal who has killed a family of three. He has a bird shaped birthmark on his chest."
"Bird shaped birthmark?" Hinata said worriedly, "It couldn't be.." Looking over at Meng Ka who pressed her lips together.
"What is it Hinata?" Naruto asked.
"I couldn't tell because of all the scares on his face but he has a bird shaped birthmark on his chest." She said as she looked over at the guy. Kiba and Naruto looked as well in shock as Meng Ka took hold of the flyer and read it over again.
"He has a bounty on his head too?" Kiba asked as he looked over Meng Ka's shoulder at the picture.
"What the heck is going on with everything?" Naruto asked as he shook his head.
Meng Ka smacked Naruto on the back of the head and then put her hands on her hips, "There is no need to freak out and be so dramatic Naruto. Now more than ever, you should remain calm. We'll just bunk down here for the night and wait til morning when he should hopefully wake up." Looking down at the flyer, she read over it one more time before looking back at Sazanami. "Hopefully he won't be so stubborn this time." She said more to herself than anyone else then looking over at the three of them she smiled, "Well then, we should all get a good sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
Come later that night, the four kids were fast asleep. Naruto sleeping at the head of Sazanami as he sat up right with his back leaning against the wall for support, a soft snore coming from him. Hinata had settled on falling asleep on her side right on the floor while Kiba was asleep much like Naruto only on Sazanami's right. Meng Ka had fallen asleep in Kiba's jacket with Akamaru sat snuggly in her lap. The only light in the room was coming from Tinktink as she sat in the window with her head tucked under one of her wings.
Meng Ka shifted slightly in her sleep, as her eyebrows farrowed together and sweat started to form at her brow. Her breathing became faster and more unsteady as she shifted some more in her sleep. Then with a start, Meng Ka shot right up, knocking Akamaru awake with a small bark as he shot out of your lap looking around for danger. Meng Ka took in a deep breath as she closed her eyes and calmed her heart, the screams dying down as her heart calmed. With another shaky breath, she slowly moved out of Kiba's arm, leaving his jacket behind as she walked out of the cabin, Akamaru hot on her heels while Tinktink followed as well. The moon was nowhere to be seen as the stars sparkled across the sky but Meng Ka had no problem making her way away from the cabin as she followed Tinktink who lighted the way.
After a few moments, she sat down and let the tears fall as she felt like her heart was being ripped into pieces. A hundred times she has had that dream, almost every night of her life. But they have never been so real before, so hot, so vivid. It was almost as if she were there, in the past, watching her village and family be killed. Meng Ka wrapped her arms around herself as she rested her head on her knees, letting the tears roll down her cheeks and onto the ground. It was hard to breath as her chest seemed to be collapsing in on itself and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the feeling to go away. What was happening to her? Why was everything being so weird lately? Even colors seemed strange to her at times.
She felt the warm fur of Akamaru as he pressed up against her and stuck his head in the small gap between her face and her legs, licking at the tears. She couldn't help but chuckle slightly as she looked down at the dogs big wet eyes and his small tongue hanging out and flapping everywhere. She lifted her head and hugged Akamaru, kissing him on the nose, "What would I do without you, Akamaru?" She said softly as he barked back, his tail wagging. Tinktink puffed out her chest and chirped irritably as Meng Ka smiled over at her and pulled her into a hug as well.
"Got room for another?" A familiar voice asked as he dropped his jacket back onto her shoulders and sat next to her. "You know you really should get something warmer for the winter, it is almost fall you know." He said as he smiled down at Akamaru and ruffled the fur on his head before looking up at Meng Ka.
"I don't really notice the cold because of Tinktink." She said as she wiped the tears from her cheeks and shrugged but pulled Kiba's jacket closer to herself with her free hand. "I'm sorry-"
"Don't be." Kiba said as he looked away and tossed a rock. "I guess you just really gave us all a scare that night. The whole village pitched in to fix your room, even the Hokage put in some of her own money to help." Chewing on his bottom lip with his fang he sighed and shook his head. "We thought someone had killed you, tried to burn you alive when we heard the screams and saw the flames." Looking up at her, he wrapped an arm around her and hugged her, "You're practically family, Meng Ka. I guess that's just why I've been acting strange lately. The thought of losing you is like…well…" Kiba trailed off as he thought about it, not really knowing how to put it into words.
"Like losing your sister?" Meng Ka suggested as she looked up at him with a small smile on her face.
Kiba chuckled and nodded his head, "Yeah, something like that." He smiled back and pushed her slightly with his shoulder, gaining a chuckle from Meng Ka as well. "Come on, let's go back and get some rest before the sun pokes its head out." He stood up and helped Meng Ka up, Tinktink and Akamaru following the two back to the cabin and by morning they were fast asleep once again as if nothing had even happened.
This time, Sazanami was the first to wake and as he grabbed his sword and sat up, he winced from the pain of his wounds. "What are you doing, old man?" Naruto asked as he opened his eyes and looked over at him, the others wake up as well as they all looked him over.
He suddenly drew his sword but Naruto jumped up and pushed it back. "Just rest quietly."
They struggled a bit as Naruto tried to get him to lie back down, "Stay away from me. Gosunkugi is mine!" He said through clinched teeth.
"What can you do in that condition, wanted man?" Naruto asked as he glared up at him. Sazanami looked up shocked as Kiba held up the flyer. "A man from the bar attacked last night." That seemed to calm him down a little as he stopped putting up a fight and his shoulders sagged. "Why is a bounty hunting a bounty?"
Sazanami glared at Naruto, "It's none of your concern." He then tried to get back up but fell back down as he ripped the wound in his arm back open.
"Your wound again." Hinata said as she walked over to him to fix it but Sazanami pushed her away.
"Hey!" Meng Ka got up quickly and moved in front of Hinata. "The way I see it, you'd best corporate with us. Your wounds are pretty bad and if we wanted to collect your bounty then we would have handed you over by now. So sit still." She said lowly to him at the end with a glare as he glared back but then looked away with a sigh and moved his hand from his wound. Meng Ka then helped Hinata re-patch the wound.
"I didn't do it," He said suddenly.
"Then how do you explain the flyer?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms.
"That Gosunkugi did it." Said angrily then sighed, "I'd best explain the story then. I was on my way to deliver a sword a customer had ordered. I wanted to participate in the festival so I was in a hurry. At that very moment, I heard a scream and coming up to the house the door was half open for some reason. And as I walked in, there he was, attacking me but then he ran away. I let him run as I walked up to the house, checking on the family but I was too late, they were dead. I told everyone what had happened but no one would believe me. It's because I was the only one who hadn't shown up to the festival. Also the particular way the sword had stabbed through the family, a sword smith should be able to make any kind of weapon, that was their reason. So I ran and ever since I wandered aimlessly from town to town looking for Gosunkugi so I could clear me name and return to my village." His voice trailed off just as Hinata had finished.
"So that's why we were in the way, huh?" Kiba asked as he looked up at him.
"The only to prove my innocence is to capture him myself," Sazanami said with a glazed look still on his eyes. "I want to go home." He said quietly as he looked up at them. "Will you let me?"
It was silent among the five of them as they stared at each other but Naruto was the first to speak, "We are ninja. We carry out missions that we receive no matter what. Even if the worst was to happen, we can't let him get away." He then got up and walked to the door, "Let's go."
The rest of them got up and followed him out as well, walking down the rocky path. "Was that smart, Naruto?" Kiba asked from beside him.
"That Gosunkugi jerk." Naruto said through clinched teeth. "We have to capture him no matter what. And if that old man pushes himself too far in his condition, not only would he fail in capturing Gosunkugi but he could get killed as well."
They continued to walk and soon came to the next post. "It seems like everything is in this station. "Hinata said as they looked around at the thriving town.
Naruto sighed, "It really is nothing but temples around here." Looking up ahead he pointed a large temple and the bell that was being dragged up to it, "Hey, Hinata, what is that bell?"
"That was created as the sightseeing crown jewel," She replied, "to recruit people to live in their temple. The golden bell."
Kiba snorted, "It's just like its saying, please steal me."
Meng Ka suddenly stopped and then smiled, "You're a genus Kiba." She said as she kissed him on the cheek, making him blush. "Gosunkugi is after the bell." She said excitedly.
"Gah! You didn't have to kiss me." Kiba mumbled as he rubbed his cheek and looked away from Meng Ka.
"I see!" Naruto said as he looked around, "It's perfect for the taking too." They nodded to each other and continued to walk, looking around for any signs that may lead them to their bounty.
Akamaru suddenly sniffed at the air and growled a little as Kiba sniffed at what he was sniffing, "Naruto." He called as he turned and looked at the whole in a wall, beyond it were houses that were completely destroyed. They quickly went to go inspect the place but were stopped by four men. "You guys are Gosunkugi's men!" Naruto said as he glared at them.
Looking with her eyes Hinata saw something coming quickly at them, "Quickly, jump" She called out as all of them jumped in the air but then Sazanami came out and deflected the daggers. "Old man!" Naruto called out to him.
"Leave me to this." He said as one of the guys attacked him. The five of them made quick work of the men since they outnumbered them now. But as they stabbed them they suddenly disappeared and that's when they realized that they were nothing more than shadow clones. Then looking up at the bell, Meng Ka pointed, "Look, there they are!"
"We'll get them for sure this time!" Naruto called out as the five of them ran after them. But as they make it up there, the bell was gone and the men were killed, "That Gosunkugi jerk."
As they ran after the bell, the same four mean appeared before them once again. "Hey, where is Gosunkugi?" Naruto asked angrily as they all looked at the men.
"Naruto!" Kiba called out, "He'll get away if we are too slow."
"We don't have time for this." Naruto said frustrated, "We'll have to take care of them in one shot." Once again they made quick work of the four men and this time they stayed were they landed on the ground. "Where is Gosunkugi?"
Suddenly Akamaru barked out to them and then started to run in a certain direction. They came to a river were the bell was being dropped onto a boat with Gosunkugi on it. "He's ours!" Naruto called and jumped on the rope that carried the bell, Kiba quickly behind him with Hinata not too far behind. Meng Ka looked up at Tinktink, "You think they need help?" She asked not really wanting to fight but Tinktink fluffed up her feathers and chirped sharply. Sighing Meng Ka jumped down to the river.
Gosunkugi suddenly spat nails at them and Naruto blocked it with a few of his shadow clones but then he threw more nails at them and as he was blocking the nails, the rope was cut through and they fell into the water. Only Gosunkugi landed in the boat with the bell and as he started to get away, Sazanami threw a rope onto the bell and as Gosunkugi was laughing he jumped up onto the boat and cut through his weapon. But before he could kill him, Gosunkugi held out his hands, "Wait! Don't be hasty." He suddenly flinched away as Sazanami's sword came down next to his head.
"If I kill you, the one who can prove my innocence will be gone." Sazanami said with a smile just as Meng Ka jumped onto the boat.
"You know Tinktink," She said as she sat on the bell, "I'm too lazy to be a ninja." She smiled as Tinktink tilted her head to the side and then shook her head rapidly.
Suddenly chained wrapped around Sazanami and the bell, trapping him against it, looking up Meng Ka groaned and rolled her eyes as she saw the man who had attacked them last night. "Bounty Sazanami, otherwise known as Tokichi. I, Gatsu, have captured you. And you as well, Gosunkugi. You're spree of evil is over." As he continued to make his speech Meng Ka looked up at him with a very judging look as she wondered how this man was so stupid. But there was nothing they could do since he had the police with him.
They followed him as they took Sazanami back to his village, wondering what would happen to him now. As they were angrily shouting at him, the guy from before banged his metal clobber on the ground, silencing them. "How could you charge this man without a proper investigation?!" He said as he crumbled up the flyer.
The head of the police held up a flyer with Gosunkugi's picture on it, "This is the man who killed the family in this village. This man has already been captured and confessed to the murders. Therefore this man, Tokichi, shall be acquitted."
As they untied Sazanami, they apologized and continued to do so as he stood up. Meng Ka smiled and looked over at the other's. "Let's go?" She asked and they nodded their heads.
"I've gotten a bit homesick and miss the leaf village." Naruto laughed as they walked through the stone village.
"But you know a failed mission means failure." Kiba said, "The fifth Hokage is going to scold up good, Naruto."
"No me." Meng Ka said with a bright smile, "After all, my mission was to get ya'll back alive." She laughed as Kiba pushed her slightly and rolled his eyes.
Naruto suddenly stopped and frowned, "I…don't wunna go back" he said quietly as the three of them laughed and pulled him along the path.
As they made it back to the village Genma who was watching the gate called out to her. "Meng Ka, you back." He smiled and gave her a light hug. "I just wanted to let you know that Kakashi had to go out on a mission. He shouldn't be too long though."
Meng Ka frown and sighed, "You know, I'm gunna have to see about maybe getting him fired. That way he won't be leaving all the time." She smiled up at Genma as he laughed and Kiba put his hand on Meng Ka's head.
"You can stay with us until he comes back." He said as Akamaru barked happily. "Mother won't mind and I'm sure if you're nice enough she'll make you your favorite." He winked down at Meng Ka as she nodded her head.
"Sounds great." She said and then gave Genma another hug before telling him goodbye and following Kiba home, only to be greeted by yelling and scolding for coming in the house so dirty and tracking in mud.