A few minutes after, Emi heard the door open. She remained at the kitchen table, looking confused as Ryuu stepped in.

"You know, sometimes I miss those facial expressions when I walk in and you look as if your breath was taken away." Ryuu said and leaned against the door frame. "This one...it's a rare one. What's on your mind?"

Emi slowly lifted her head to look up at Ryuu, the puzzled expression on her face. "N-Naomi just asked me the weirdest question and then ran out the door..."

Ryuu waited expectantly.

"Sh... She asked what I do when I'm in trouble with enemies... I told her I fought them the best I could until backup arrived... wh-when I asked if she was in trouble, she panicked and ran out of the house, saying she'd be back later..."

Ryuu frowned. "I knew something was up. She was too urgent in the letter, as if something was going on. I questioned her when she first arrive, but she...well, panicked in a way."

Emi ran her hand through her hair. "Should... we be worrying about her in our home?"

Ryuu sighed and crossed the room, placing his hands on Emi's hips. "If anything happens, I will protect you, but yes. When she returns, we'll have to talk to her."

"Wh... What if she refuses to tell us, Ryuu?" She asked, searching his eyes.

Ryuu shrugged. "I know she's an Inabikari, but if she's a danger to my family, I don't want her around." Ryuu said. "If there is anyway we can help her, I would want to, but that would be only if she opens up." He sighed and slipped his arms around her waist, resting his head against hers.

Emi closed her eyes as she nuzzled her head against Ryuu's. "I'm starting to wonder if she came here just to have protection... she kept mentioning the strength of Tonoko..."

Ryuu nodded. "Maybe she did." He murmured.

Emi opened her eyes as she got an idea. She pulled from Ryuu's arms and moved to the door where Naomi's backpack still sat. She picked it up and moved to the couch, starting to rumage through it. It had her clothes, toiletries and some extra ninja weapons. She sighed and dug deeper when she gasped and pulled her hand back - she was cut by something. She used her other hand to pull out a small dagger, however it was different from any she had ever seen. Eyeing it closely, her eyes widened and she dropped the blade to the ground, her heart racing as she looked up to Ryuu who had followed her to the livingroom. She held her cut tightly to stop the blood flow as she let out a shaky breath. "I... I know what that blade is..." She whispered nervously.

Ryuu looked down at the dagger before moving his eyes to Emi's hand. He took her hand to examine it before leaving the room and returning with a first aid. "What about the dagger?" He asked and began to fix her wound up.

She winced slightly as she looked down at the weapon laying on the ground. "There no mistaking it in my mind... that's the Raikage's dagger. It was stolen a few years back - they say it has unbelieve powers and is worth more than any ninja's corpse..." She shook her head. "I-I think Naomi lied... I don't think she's even been in her village... she's a rogue..." She stated, looking up at Ryuu again.

Ryuu gritted his teeth and shook his head as he finished dressing the wound. "Either she talks, or she leaves." He lowered his head and shook it.

Emi let out a shaky breath as she looked back down at the dagger. "She... she seems so nice though.." She murmured with a sigh.

Ryuu nodded. "The Inabikari clan has a reputation of being protectors, not fighters." Ryuu sighed. "Aside from...you know..." He shrugged slightly.

Emi used her good hand to caress his cheek. "That was not your choice." She murmured, searching his eyes. "And you still managed to protect the one you loved... me. You saved me from the Fernu clan, remember?" She smiled softly before sighing. "M-Maybe Naomi is innocent too..."

Ryuu sighed. "I really hope so."

Emi sighed when the door opened. Emi looked to Ryuu nervously. Ryuu stood and stepped in front of Emi, looking at Naomi intently. "We need to speak with you." He stated.

Naomi eyed the pair closely. She noticed her backpack and then the dagger on the floor. Her eyes widened as she backed up to the door. "I-It's not what you think! I-I swear Ryuu!"

Ryuu shook his head. "I'm sorry, but either you explain, or we're going to have to ask you to leave. We know it's the Raikage's. You're in trouble, because they're after you, right?"

"I... its more complicated than that..." She whispered, lowering her head.

Ryuu motioned to the couch. "Then sit and explain."

"I... I can't..." She whispered.

Ryuu shook his head. "I already told you, I need to protect my family. Either it's you tell us what's going on, or you leave." Ryuu shrugged and frowned. "You of all people should know I'm safe to trust."

Naomi bit her lip. "I... I can't explain everything..." She whispered.

"Explain what you can. We will decide what to do with the information you give." Emi stated.

"I... I'm being framed. The village believes I stole that dagger... b-but it was a friend... however, I cannot prove that it wasn't I... s-so I've been running for the last three years... I-I honestly wanted to meet all of you... but I was also hoping I'd be safe here... I-I'm so sorry..." She whispered, lowering her head further.

Ryuu shook his head and motioned towards the couch again. "Sit." He said.

Naomi nervously moved to the couch and sat down awkwardly. Ryuu and Emi sat down on the couch beside Naomi. Ryuu lowered his head and sighed. "What do you mean by framed?" He asked.

"M... My friend came to my home one night, saying that he made us some money... then he showed me the dagger. I-I told him to take it back, but he refused. Because he went straight to my home, and they believed it was me, I was forced to flee my village with him. Along the way we got ambushed by other rogue shinobi, and he got killed. Because I was still being followed, I had no choice but to continue to run..." She shook her head. "I've almost gotten killed many times... a-and... I can't just drop the dager because of how much it's worth..."

Ryuu sighed. "You can't just take the dagger back, can you?"

She shook her head. "They'll kill me on sight..."

Ryuu sighed. "So you flee to the otherside of the world. Do they know you're here?"

She shrugged. "Probably... they're no harm towards you guys... they wont attack me unless I'm alone." She sighed deeply. "I wouldn't be surprised if they have a plan for the next time I leave this house..."

Ryuu nodded. "We're going to have to give that dagger back somehow." Ryuu lifted his eyes to glance at Naomi through his bangs, watching her closely.

Naomi sighed. "How though?"

Ryuu sighed. "We'll have to figure something out, won't we?" He paused. "I'll take it back."

Naomi shook her head and stood up, bowing slightly. "This is my own problem... I'm sorry for bothering you guys. I think I will leave now..."

Ryuu stood up and shook his head. "You're under our protection and provision in this home." He stated. "You will be going no where. The Inabikari clan is endangered as it stands of right now, we don't need to lose another."

Naomi shook her head and moved towards her bag, picking up the dagger to return to her bag. "I... I'm a rogue, Ryuu... forget the fact that we're family..."

Emi quickly moved towards the door. "Naomi, let us help you..."

Naomi shook her head. "Emi, move."

Ryuu moved to stand beside Emi. "We have rules of respect in our house, Naomi." He said then shook his head. "Let us help you. You're safe here, Emi and I will protect you."

Naomi eyed them for a moment before shaking her head. "Don't make me hurt you... move."

Emi's eyes widened slightly. "Wh-Why would you threaten to harm us?"

Naomi narrowed her eyes. "Move."

Ryuu's eyes narrowed and he stepped forward. "Don't." He said. "You come to our house seeking protection and refuge, and when we find out while, you flat out refuse us." He shook his head. "Think about what the pendant around your neck means, Naomi. It's a binding agreement to all the Inabikari clan. This pendant..." He reached for his and held it out. "This is what makes you an Inabikari." He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes further. "Either wear it with pride and dignation, or throw it away."

Naomi bit her lip as she eyed Ryuu closely. "Would you harm me if I removed it?"

Ryuu's eyes widened slightly and he eyed her carefully. He shook his head and stepped back a small step. "Naomi...I hope you know what you're doing."

Naomi looked down at the clan crest that hung around her neck. She let out a sigh before looking back up at Ryuu and narrowing her eyes again. "Please, just move."

Ryuu's jaw clenched and he stepped aside, grabbing Emi's hand and pulling her to his side. He stood slightly in front of her and he waved his hand towards the door. "Then go. If you don't want our protection, what else do you have?"

Emi shook her head. "Naomi, let us help you... you don't have to run from us..."

Naomi glanced at Emi and gritted her teeth. "You're not even a blood line to the Inabikari clan, so you can shut it."

Ryuu stepped forward angrily and grabbed Naomi's collar. "She may not be part of the bloodline, but she's more of an acceptable family member than you are. If you're going to leave, then leave." He hissed before reaching for her necklace and ripping it off. "Just don't look back."

Naomi's eyes widened as she looked at Ryuu with disbelief. "Y... You..."

Ryuu waved his hand towards the door. "You of all people should know better."

Naomi narrowed her eyes. She stepped out of the house before taking a quick look at Emi. She smirked and waved bye as she walked off down the street. Emi suddenly gasped in pain as lightning zapped through her body, causing her to drop to her knees. Ryuu's eyes widened and as he tried to grab her before she fell completely to the ground. His breathing stopped for a moment as his eyes drifted to her stomach. "Oh no..." He breathed and placed his hand lightly on her stomach.

The electricty stopped flowing through Emi's body and she panted slightly. "I-It's fine..." She murmured.

Ryuu shook his head. "No, no, no..." He murmured and picked her up in his arms. Closing the door behind him, he made his way to the couch and laid her down upon it. "I..." He knelt down on his knee's and lowered his head.

Emi shook her head and reached out to touch his cheek. "The baby will be fine.." She whispered. "And as for me, you cannot save me from every little attack, Ryuu." She whispered.

Ryuu gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. "It's happened before to another family member. They...were pregnant, and it didn't survive." He whispered.

"What?" Tonoko's voice came from the stairs.

Ryuu and Emi both turned to look at Tonoko. "Tonoko..." Ryuu began.

Tonoko shook his head. "The baby won't survive?" He asked as he slowly rose from sitting on the third stair.

Ryuu frowned. "There's no way in saying exactly..."

"You just said it has happened before. The baby didn't survive right? If mom isn't that far along, wouldn't the shock kill it easily?" He asked, his brows furrowed.

"Tonoko, just ca-"

Tonoko shook his head. "I...No, I can't." He murmured and turned to run up the stairs.

Ryuu gasped and went to run for Tonoko, but he turned back to Emi with a loss of words. Emi frowned. "G-Go after him. I'm fine." She whispered.

He frowned slightly at her and glanced back to the stairs. He nodded and made his way quickly to the stairs, taking them three at a time and headed for his bedroom door. He knocked quietly and turned the knob. He pushed the door open slowly and stepped in. "Tonoko?"

No answer.

He peeked around the corner and moved to open the closet door. No Tonoko. His eyes drifted to the open window and his eyes widened. He looked out and saw Tonoko running off in the distance. Ryuu's mouth parted slightly and his eyes widened. Making his way back down to the livingroom, he explained what had happened to Emi.

Emi sighed deeply and stood up, wincing slightly. "We can't let him reach Naomi..."

Ryuu nodded. "Stay here." He said and began to make his way towards the front door.

"S-Stay here? Why do I have to stay?" She asked, pursing her lips.

Ryuu turned back and looked her over. "I don't think you're in the condition to-"

"I don't care, Ryuu. I don't want Tonoko getting hurt..."

Ruu frowned. "I don't want either of you getting hurt."

Emi eyed Ryuu for a moment before sitting back down. "Hurry up and go then."

Ryuu watched her for a few seconds and frowned. "I'm sorry, Emi. I just can't have you getting hurt again." He murmured and turned to open the front door. After closing the door behind him, he ran off in the direction the he saw Tonoko leave, which was also the way Naomi went. He shook his head and gritted his teeth. "Tonoko..."

"Hey!" Tonoko shouted as he spotted Naomi up ahead.

Naomi glanced over her shoulder and groaned. "Go home, Tonoko..." She murmured.

"No!" Tonoko gritted his teeth and slowed down to a walk behind Naomi. "You could have just posibly killed the baby. I'm not just about to "go home"." Tonoko hissed.

Naomi stopped and turned to face Tonoko with a smirk. "You're a kid. You don't know as much as you think. Besides, the rumors aren't true. I think you're as pathetic as your mother."

Tonoko's face heated with rage. "I may be only fourteen, but I knew a lot more than you think. I'm not stupid like you. I may not have all the answers or all the experience as many older than I, but what I do know is that I'm not just about to let you walk free after what you just did!"

Naomi chuckled. "Big talk from a young boy." She shook her head. "Go home Tonoko. Go home and continue to be the star that your birth made you. You didn't have to work for anything in your life, have you? It was all handed to you on a silver platter." She hissed.

Tonoko let out an angry growl before thrusting his hands forward. A ball of lightning emitted from his fists and flew at Naomi with great speeds. Naomi's eyes widened. She was unable to dodge in time as the ball of electricity hit her. She gasped in pain, letting out a wail of pain as she fell to her knees.

"You know nothing about my family." Tonoko hissed. "We're not some petty family like so many view us." He slowly made his way towards her. "Yeah, so what if people view me as a star? It isn't because I'm part of the Inabikari and Sakura clans, it's because I've lived up to my worth. I study, I train, and I do everything I can do in my power so that when people like you come along, I can stand my ground." He let out an angry sigh. "And silver platter? I'd hardly call it that! It's not as fine and dandy as you think. Truth is, most of the time I fight against mom and dad. I could've graduated from the academy like dad when I was eight, and could be well on my way to becoming a jounin, but they wanted me to take it slower and fully grasp everything I've been learning. They both push me to become greater, and to be honest, sometimes the pushing can get extremely annoying, but never, have they ever once abandoned me or tossed me to the side or treated me as if I were just some tool between the two clans." He continued to advance towards Naomi who was now on her feet. "I may just be a "young boy"," He made quotations with his fingers. "But this "young boy" is extremely angry at a certain someone, and you will not be happy on my bad side." He narrowed his eyes. "Dad's right, you really didn't deserve to wear the Inabikari clan crest around your neck, you scum."

Naomi smirked as she eyed Tonoko. "And I thought you'd be a good little boy and run home." She shook her head and sighed. "But, if I must, I will harm you..." She chuckled, narrowing her eyes as a bolt of lightning struck down on Tonoko. Tonoko gasped in pain and gritted his teeth, bearing the pain. His knee's shook but he stepped forward and punched his fists forward, the lightning moving through his body straight towards Naomi.

Naomi quickly dodged his lightning before reaching around and gripping his neck. She lifted him off the ground with a smirk. "Aw, looks like someone needs his fathers protection still." She chuckled, squeezing his throat tightly.

Tonoko's eyes squeezed shut and he grabbed Naomi's wrist, sending shots of electricity through her arm. When she let go he threw his foot out to kick her in the gut, moving froward each time she was pushed back and hitting a new location on her body, his strength increasing with each and every blow. "Don't. Mock. Me." He hissed.

She gritted her teeth as she tried her best to fend off his attacks. When she saw an opening, she quickly pulled a kunai dipped in poison and slashed it across his cheek. She smirked and panted as she watched Tonoko stop instantly. His breathing instantly became heavy, and he began to feel as if he was walking through molasses. "I..." His vision started to blur.

Just then a heavy shot of electricity passed through Naomi as Ryuu stepped out from behind the building. "It's one thing to turn away from your own clan, but it's another to attack your own family. "He said and gritted his teeth.

Naomi winced as she snickered at Ryuu. "I-I wouldn't dare face you, R-Ryuu." She laughed. "So this all worked out anyway. Th-That poison is deadly if you don't remove it in a short time period..."

Ryuu glanced at Tonoko on his knee's. He was slouched forward with his hands on the ground, trying to hold himself up. Ryuu turned back to Naomi and growled. In a split second, Ryuu appeared in front of Naomi and struck her hard in the gut, sending a giant wave of electricity through her system. He moved forward as she fell back and struck her in the chest, sending another wave of electricity through her, and another in her side. When she didn't move from the shock of the electricity he moved over to grab her throat, lifting her from the ground and holding her in the air. "I will not forgive you." He hissed." You've managed to hurt each one of my family, and I will not let you anymore."

Naomi winced and yelped slightly in pain before panting. "Y-You'll have to get i-in line... th-there's a large list of p-people who want me dead." She growled. "A-And besides... T-Tonoko brought his pain on h-himself... H-He could have a-avoided this..." She murmured, glancing down at Tonoko who was getting weaker by the second.

Ryuu's jaw clenched before he slammed her into the rock ground beneath him, making sure it was her head that hit the ground first. He moved over to Tonoko and helped him up.

"D-Dad...I..." Tonoko swayed slightly.

"I know, Tonoko." Ryuu murmured and pulled him up on his back. "Hold on, alright?"

Tonoko made a noise and wrapped his arms around Ryuu's neck, holding on the best her could. After making sure Tonoko was strong enough to hold on, he moved to pick Naomi up in his arms before making his way to the hospital. When they arrived, doctors took Tonoko immediately to extract the poison while other doctors took Noami. Ryuu made it clear that Naomi needed to stay under watch in case she tried to escape; he wanted to speak with her the next day. After the poison was taken from Tonoko's body, Ryuu carried him back to the house. When he opened the front door and stepped in Emi was instantly by his side.

Emi let out a shaky breath. "I-Is he alright?" She asked Ryuu.

Ryuu nodded slowly. "He was poisoned, but I took him to the hospital. He's just exhausted." He murmured and headed for his bedroom.

Emi followed Ryuu upstairs as he carefully laid Tonoko on his bed. Emi pulled his blanket around him before sighing. She made her way to the bathroom and wetted a cloth before returning to Tonoko and sat on the edge of his bed, dabbing his forehead with the cloth.

"Emi, I want you to visit the hospital as well." Ryuu whispered from across the bed.

Emi sighed again. "I'll go later.." She murmured, looking down at Tonoko's peaceful face with a single bandage to cover the cut on his cheek.

Ryuu frowned. "If there it happens that the child's in danger and needs help, it's best to-"

"I'll go later, Ryuu." Emi said again, closing her eyes.

Ryuu watched her for a few seconds before lowering his head. Eventually, after Ryuu shut the window, the two of them retreated back to their bedroom. The night was late, and Ryuu and Emi had grown tired.

"Tomorrow morning..." Ryuu said as he walked out of the washroom. "Hospital, alright?" He said.

Emi nodded as she laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. She closed her eyes with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Ryuu... About Naomi I mean."

Ryuu shook his head. "It happens, although fairly rare." He pulled the blankets back and climbed in beside Emi, moving closer to wrap his arms around her back. "It's just a shame what she's done. Those like her give the Inabikari a bad name." He murmured.

"I think you ripping the necklace from her neck is what made her snap..." She whispered, looking up at Ryuu. "I-I'm just glad Tonoko didn't get hurt that badly..."

Ryuu nodded. "Me too." He whispered. After a moment he chuckled lightly. "He was protecting you both." He whispered and moved his hand to her stomach.

Emi smiled gently. "He really does take after you, Ryuu." She whispered. "He's a true Inabikari."

A small smile played at the edges of his lips and he leaned his forehead against hers. "We've taught him well." He murmured.

Emi nodded as she let her eyes fall shut. "I'm very proud of him..."

Ryuu nodded slowly. "Me too." He whispered and moved to tighten his arms around her back slightly.

"I'll go to the hospital before he wakes up tomorrow." She whispered.

Ryuu nodded. "Good." He whispered and all traces of a smile left his features. His mind drifted to what could've happened. If Emi had indeed been pregnant, then chances were they would probably lose the child. He nuzzled his face into her shoulder and breathed in deeply. "I love you." He murmured.

"I love you too, Ryuu." She whispered tiredly.