V6 ch 3

The wind behind the sail

Onari clutched onto Daiya as she hid behind him. She was staring at the water in front of them with a very hesitant reaction. Sasuke and Izumi hadn't mentioned going swimming on the camping tip. She glanced at Takeru. He was happily splashing around his father.

"Aw, what's wrong with Onari," Saori asked. "She's staring at the water awfully hard." She was wearing her hair down for the occasion. It was easier to let it dry that way than to be up in a ponytail.

"Saori, she's scared of water. A lot actually. Don't tease her about it," Daiya said. He blinked. "Are you planning on wearing that mask all day," he asked Ryu.

"No, but there's a reason I'm still wearing it. Onari had to see me take it off," Ryu said. The girl was watching him curiously. He raised his finger for her to wait. Ryu took his shirt off. The mask came off with it. "See?" She was tilting her head. "This is what I look like. It's a secret."

"Onari see Ryu face," Onari said. "Ryu face… secret. Onari understand boy Ryu."

Ryu smiled and nodded at her approval of understanding. "Have you guys ever seen a yellow and pink fish before?" He raised his eyebrows, grinned, and turned around quickly to grab Saori. He picked her up and started to run towards the water.

"Ryu," Saori screamed as he dove off of the embankment into the water.

Daiya twitched his eyebrow. "I don't think that's going to help Onari." He felt her grab onto him more. Daiya glanced over his shoulder at her. She was peering over his shoulder with her eyes wide and alert. "He's not going to throw you in. Ryu's not cruel."

"Onari no like water," she said rather afraid.

Daiya turned around to look at her. "Come on, we'll find something else to do." He took her hand. "It's okay. No water, I promise."

"Oh, you are so going to get it," Ryu said. He narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. Sasuke had sent a wave of water at him. He coughed.

"And I guess you're going to be the one to do it, huh," Sasuke said as he challenged Ryu.

"Uh, oh," Takeru said as he watched his father slowly start to ease towards Ryu. He moved towards Saori. "Move back," he whispered. "Dad's going to get Ryu."

"Yeah, I kind of figured he was going to," Saori said. She and Takeru started to move away quickly. Ryu had a bad habit of challenging the worst people.

Sure enough, Ryu leapt at Sasuke trying to take his chance. Saori and Takeru watched as Sasuke ducked under the water as soon as Ryu was air born. Ryu landed right where Sasuke had previously been.

"Miscalculation," Ryu said as he smiled rather goofily at them. He felt something grab onto his legs from underneath him. He sighed. "Well, it was fun," he said as he saluted. Ryu went under the water as he got pulled.

"How is he able to act so calmly about it," Saori asked. Takeru laughed as his father popped up gain. Sasuke shook his wet hair. Saori looked around. "Um, sensei, what'd you do with Ryu?"

"Hmm? Oh." Sasuke raised his arms. Ryu came up coughing and spewing water. "Sorry," he said apologizing.

Ryu eyed him as he coughed his head off. He pointed at his trainer. "He had me in a leg lock!" Ryu moved away like a deer leaping through water when Sasuke turned to look at him fully.

Saori busted out laughing. "Ryu went from being a turkey to a giant chicken." Her daughter died the second Sasuke started to stare at her. She froze.

"We're not on teams right now," Sasuke said. "We're family on this tip. So in saying so, Saori Nara, you have ten seconds to get as far away as you can."

Saori turned around as fast as she could trying to run through the water. Sasuke wasn't known for not being serious in what he meant. She could hear him moving towards her and she started to scream at high-pitch.

"Ah-hah! Whose a chicken now woman," Ryu yelled at Saori. He watched as Sasuke came at Saori's side. He jumped at her and she went down into the water. "I think I like your dad, Uchiha. I would have paid to see that," he said laughing.

"Hey, where did Daiya and Onari go," Takeru asked as he looked around the embankment.

Daiya and Onari leapt from branch to branch going up and up into the trees. The top of the trees started to come into view after some time. Daiya stopped at the top branch. Onari was right on his tail. She leapt a few more times in order to catch up to him. "I see you're getting faster."

Onari wondered why they were all of the way up here. She looked into the sky. "Onari see clouds."

Daiya sat down. "You're not afraid to be up high like this, are you?" She only looked at him, in return. "Amazing when a fall from this height would surely kill you – yet, you seem to be more at home here than anywhere."

"Daiya, why Daiya like tree?"

"You can see everything from up here. Clouds, birds, people below that don't realize you can see them. You're safe for the most part," Daiya said. "Do you know how to hang upside-down?"

Onari only tilted her head. she placed her hands on the branch of the tree, shifted her weight, and stood on her head. she looked at Daiya as she balanced. "Upside-down."

Daiya copied her. He looked back at her with a small smile on his face. "You know how to balance well, I'll give you that, but I meant another way. Watch." Daiya flipped over. He placed his feet on the edge of the branch then started to walk. His chakra became glued to the branch. Daiya stood upside-down on the other side of the branch. "Onari, look over."

Onari cautiously peeked over the branch. She blinked. Daiya was upside-down hanging below her. He waved at her, smirking. "How Daiya upside-down?"

"You have to glue your chakra to the tree branch in order to pull it off," Daiya said explaining it to her. "It takes practice. If you practice it for a while, you'll get the hang of it. Keep working at it and you'll learn to do the same." He watched as Onari started to come over the side. "Onari, don't try it!" She stopped. "If you fall from this height, there'd be no way for me to catch you! We'll see if Saori will help teach you, okay?"

"Saori teach Onari upside-down?"

Daiya walked himself to where he was upright again. "Yeah, she can hold onto you with her chakra strings for a little at a time. It'd be safer that way. We should go back now. They don't know where we are."

"I was wondering where you two went off to," Izumi said. She flapped out a sheet and laid it on the ground. Daiya moved back. He knew what was coming. "Daiya, come on. You know you have to. Fighting us doesn't do any good."

"I don't want to lay down," Daiya said defiantly. He moved back even more. Sasuke and Izumi had started to make sure he rest every day since his last attack. It was the only way to lessen the chances of his heart acting up on him.

"Daiya, do as you're told," Sasuke said. He threw down some wood for a fire. "We had a talk about this before we left. You know why you have to. I'm not going to argue with you over it."

Daiya looked at Ryu and Saori. He averted his eyes quickly. Now they know. He was embarrassed about others finding out. "I'm not a little kid," he said angrily.

Daiya's in trouble. Takeru moved back as if he was the one caught. His father stood up fully. Sasuke turned around and started to walk towards Daiya.

"What's going on," Saori asked.

"Daiya has to rest. Mom and Dad make him so he doesn't overexert himself," Takeru tried to explain. "It's not an issue with Onari and I. We're used to it. Sometimes, we lay down with him to calm him down. Daiya fights Dad every day about it."

Onari watched as Sasuke grabbed Daiya. Her brother was kick his legs and struggling to break free from the man's hold on him. "Daiya trouble," Onari said rather fast.

Ryu was watching everything play out. He kind of felt sorry for Daiya. He added his sticks to the pile of wood before he walked over. Sasuke had Daiya on the sheet and was forcing him to be still.

"Stop it, Daiya," Sasuke said rather annoyed. He sat on the boy's back and placed his forearm over the back of Daiya's neck. His legs were kicking, but he wasn't able to get up. "I know you're acting like this because there are others here. Knock it off," Sasuke warned.

Ryu's eyes softened. He's embarrassed. No one likes their weaknesses to be made public. He walked over to the sheet and crawled onto it. Ryu laid on his stomach next to Daiya. He looked over at him. Daiya was watching him. "Running from Sasuke sensei makes me tired. If I don't rest, he may catch me later. Boy, would I regret it," Ryu said as he laid his head on his arms.

Onari also crawled beside Ryu. She laid on her back. "Onari tired from tree jump," she said as she yawned. "Daiya make Onari go to the top," she told everyone around her.

Saori soon followed suite. She laid on her stomach on the other side of Daiya. "You know, if we lay down and rest for a while, we can stay up as late as we want without being tired." She smiled at Daiya as he looked at her.

Daiya caught on to what they were doing. "I'm not stupid! I know what you guys are up to!" He hit both of his hand on the ground. "Go away," Daiya said fed up with the situation. He kicked his legs hard, but Sasuke wasn't moving.

Takeru crouched in front of his brother. "Daiya, before you do something regrettable with Dad, you better look around." He pointed to Ryu and Onari. Daiya turned his head to look in that direction. Ryu and Onari were both asleep. "Onari hates to go to sleep more than you do. They're only asking you to lay down for a little while. It's for your own good."

"Either you do as we ask or you strain yourself," Izumi said. "You know what happens if you do. We can't keep after you, Daiya. You're not a child."

Daiya looked up at Izumi. She wasn't happy with his attitude, either. He closed his eyes. "I hate laying down. I'm not weak," he said very unhappy.

"Is that what it is? Daiya, we're all weak to some extent," Saori said. "I'm not as strong as I would like to be. I'm weak in that area." He was watching her calmly. His legs had finally stopped kicking.

"Ryu can't handle being responsible for someone other than himself," Sasuke said feeling the need to tell on him. he caught Saori's surprised look. "Yeah, that's why he doesn't like to get involved. You guys didn't hear that from me."

"Onari misinterprets more than just language," Takeru said. "She also can't control her aggression when she gets frustrated. It's one of her weak points."

"And… Takeru has anxiety over unfamiliar situations, training, and people," Izumi said also telling on her son. "I have a weakness when it comes to worrying about my family. Sasuke is also overprotective of the ones he's close to. They are weaknesses that everyone has."

"Yeah, Daiya," Saori said with a yawn. "It's not something you can avoid. The only way to turn a weakness into a strength is to let others help you with it." She closed her eyes.

"You're hardheaded," Takeru said. "Lay down already." He laid in between Daiya and Saori. Daiya was getting tired. His eyes were closing and opening slowly. Takeru was watching him with a soft smile. He was glad his brother had stopped fighting everyone around him. "You're tired," Takeru said softly.

"No, I'm not," Daiya said lowly. Takeru was watching him as he rubbed the top of his head. Daiya felt Sasuke ease up. He was calmer now than before. "I'm…not…tired," he said again, even softer.

"Yes, you are," Takeru said back to him even softer as Daiya's eyes closed. He watched his brother's breathing get deeper and deeper. Takeru kept rubbing Daiya's head to keep him from waking up suddenly. He was asleep. "Man, he's stubborn."

"Yeah, he is," Sasuke said. "It's bad enough we have to go through this every day with him." He slowly got up. He had to watch his footing. Ryu was sleeping awfully close to Daiya.

"It's sad," Izumi said as she kept her eyes on her new son. "He only willingly lays down for Idai. I really hope he will come back to Konoha. Daiya loves him so much. I know you guys miss him, too."

"I wonder where he is. I wonder what he's doing," Takeru said with his mind on Idai now. "Do you think Idai will forget us if he doesn't come back?"

"No," Sasuke said answering his son. "You guys are his family, Takeru. He won't forget any of you – no matter what happens. You guys have influenced him to overcome his obstacles. Whether you realize it or not, you have the tendency to make everyone around you stronger."

"I…do…?"

Sasuke nodded. "You've made Ryu stronger. I know that for a fact. He normally doesn't care about another soul, but he is started to get protective of his team. Speaking of which, Saori also tries harder in what she does. Lee told me that much. She has more effort and determination being on a team with you. Daiya has gotten to the point of opening up gradually now instead of slamming a door in our faces. He's not hiding who he is. Why do you suppose that is?" He looked at his son.

Takeru thought back to one particular night. "He became upset a while back and let his anger out with me and Idai in the room. Daiya had tears coming out of his eyes. It made me feel bad. I wanted him to understand how I viewed him – so… I told him. ever since then, he's been nicer to me and he looks out for me."

"What did you say to him," Izumi asked. She was watching her son. He was pondering whether he should tell them or not.

"The truth: I love him. He had to hear it. I don't think Daiya's ever heard anyone mean it before. I just… don't know how to make Ryu understand that he's important, too," Takeru said as he sat up crossing his legs.

"Ryu's a turkey," Sasuke said as he snatched Saori's word for the boy. "He may realize it, but I'm not sure. He has the tendency to hide everything well. All I can say regarding him is for you to watch him and listen to his words. He slips up every now and again."

"Hey, look what I found," Ryu said excitedly. As they got closer, a round shaped tree started to show itself. With its leaves bristling in the wind, the apple tree stood like a diamond in the rough of the forest with the sun shinning upon it.

"An apple tree," Daiya said as he stated the obvious.

"Say Daiya, how many apple do you think you can fit into your vest," Ryu asked.

Daiya cocked his head. "You want me to stuff my clothes with apples? Why?"

Ryu reached up to ruffle the boy's messy hair. "We're going to carry as many as we can back to camp. Onari's favorite food next to dumplings is apples. Takeru told me that much. She won't eat the fish out of the river. It's only fair to accommodate her."

Daiya looked up at the tree. "So whose going to climb and whose going to catch?" Ryu lifted him up to sit on the branch. Daiya looked down at him. "Ryu, how come you're being nice to me?"

"Hmm?" Ryu tilted his head. He was caught off guard. "Daiya, just get the apples." He looked away.

Daiya continued to look down at him. "Is it that hard for you to admit anything? Even if something is important?" He kept his hard gaze on Ryu. "If something ever happened to someone you cared for, wouldn't that bother you? Isn't it better to tell someone how you are, than to let it go unnoticed, or unsaid?"

"You're spending too much time talking to Takeru," Ryu said softly. "When you admit anything, you're leaving less of yourself for others to find out about. There is a reason I do what I do and say what I say when I say it."

"Ryu, I already lost Idai and… I almost lost the chance to tell him how I viewed him. It… wasn't for my benefit that I told him. It was for his. He needed to be stronger. I wanted him to know what he meant to me. I've never told anyone how I felt about them – probably because I didn't think it was possible for someone to actually care… But that's not the point. I've always been afraid to admit that I was human. You're human, too, aren't you?"

"I don't know if I'm willing to take a lecture right now, Daiya," Ryu said cutting him off.

"Ryu, you jerk! I was trying to tell you how I view you! I doubt you care." Daiya stood up on the branch. He started to climb higher into the tree in order to get away from the Genin. Ryu was watching him intently. "I can't say anything to you. Your ears are closed," Daiya mumbled.

Ryu scratched his head as Daiya started to throw down apples. He sighed. "I'm probably going to regret this," he said to himself. Ryu grabbed onto the branch and hoisted himself up. "Daiya." Daiya was ignoring him. "Daiya, don't be mad at me." He glanced at Ryu. "Daiya…"

"I'm not mad at you," Daiya said. "I don't understand you. There's a difference." He threw down a few more apples. They hit the ground and rolled.

"At this rate, we're going to have applesauce," Ryu said smiling. Daiya blinked. That made him look. His hand was frozen in midair towards an apple. That made him stop. Ryu reached over to grab onto Daiya's vest. He yanked him towards him.

Daiya lost his balance as Ryu yanked him. He staggered. "Ryu, why did you tug me? I could have fell you-" He felt Ryu put his arms around him. Daiya stood silently wondering what had caused Ryu to do that. How was he able to tell Saori how he felt, but not Takeru or him? Takeru had known Ryu longer than Daiya though. Takeru was always with him.

Ryu closed his eyes and sighed heavily. It was hard for him to feel things. His lungs felt heavy in his chest. "If I spill everything right now, would it make me less of a man in your eyes, Daiya? Would it?"

"No," Daiya said rather bluntly. "It would make you more of one. You'd be allowing others to see the real you. It's not a bad thing, Ryu."

"I hope you're right," Ryu said. He looked down at Daiya. His red eyes were serious and unwavering. "The reason I put a wall up is because I'm safe behind it. It keeps me from slipping into the darkness where demons lurk. They get a hold of me when I let my guard down." Daiya opened his mouth to say something. "Hold on, lightening bug. My thoughts are always moving around – never stopping. I have dark thoughts, Daiya. I don't know why, but I do. I don't want you guys to see the bad side of me."

"Ryu, we accept you for who you are. Whatever you're dealing with – whatever it is- we'll help you with it," Daiya said. He felt Ryu grab onto him harder as the older boy looked away. "Don't look away from me. I'm not fighting for myself any longer. I fight for those around me. Why is it hard for you to believe that?"

"No one means what they say," Ryu said with a point. "People say things in order to appease the beast inside of you. Nothing more." He let Daiya go.

"So you have a problem with words. You think words are meaningless. What about actions, Ryu? Expressions? You're not hollow," Daiya said. "Don't you feel anything when Takeru laughs at you? Or when Dad messes up your hair to get your attention? Anything?"

"I'd rather not feel anything at all," Ryu said. "It hurts to let others get to you." He didn't look at Daiya.

Daiya's expression turned to sadness. "I want to know you, but it's hard climbing the walls you put up. You said you would stop looking at the horizon, Ryu. What good is it to remain so guarded?"

Ryu clenched his hands. "If I let you guys know what you mean to me, something will happen to you," he shouted angrily all of a sudden. He turned away fully. "I don't want anything to happen to you guys. That's why I distance myself. I'm afraid you and Takeru will slip through my fingers."

"I'm a ninja because someone, somewhere means something to me," Daiya said trying to make Ryu understand. "If you didn't mean anything to me, I would have let myself quit the team before. If I didn't hold your friendship as a great asset, I would have never let you buy me ramen, Ryu." He paused. "Takeru thinks you're the strongest person he knows besides his father because you laugh at adversity. He looks up to you more than you think. He tries to help you. I… look up to you, too, but you don't see it. I don't know what you see," he said softly.

Ryu closed his eyes as he crossed his arms. He was mad with himself. "I see two little brothers who need a better older brother. I don't know why you guys view me the way you do. I'm not that great."

"You're blinded by your own faults," Daiya said. "We don't see those. I only see a giant turkey standing in front of me."

Ryu smiled a little. He turned around. "Daiya," he started. "How fast do you think lightening bugs fly?" Daiya quirked a brow. Ryu pushed him off of the branch. Daiya landed on his back. Ryu hopped down besides him.

"Why… did you… push me off of a tree," Daiya said as his hair began to spike out on all ends.

Ryu crouched. He crawled over Daiya to look down at him. "Older brothers taunt their siblings. At least, that's what I hear anyway," he said placing his hand on the back of his head.

Daiya cocked his head. "So… wait. You just called me your… brother?"

Ryu got closer. "For someone that speaks and thinks like an adult, you sure do have the ears of the elderly," he said laughing. "Would you like me to get you a horn?"

Daiya reached up to wrap his arms around Ryu. Ryu got to be very quiet. Daiya petted the back of his head. "Listen closely, because I'll only tell you this once. You'll never hear me say this again. I care about you, as if you were my real brother. I would never wish you harm. If anything happened to you, it would tear me apart, Ryu." Daiya held onto him for a moment.

"Please tell me you're not having an attack. You're too quiet." Daiya shook his head lightly. Ryu sat up with Daiya still holding onto him. "I guess I owe you." He leaned against Daiya slightly. "The most important thing in my life is happiness, Daiya. I would not want anyone to take away yours, or Takeru's. if someone was to do that, the beast inside of me would be unleashed. I only want to keep you guys smiling and laughing. That's why I'm a turkey." Daiya held onto him tightly. "You mean a lot to me, too," Ryu said. He petted Daiya softly as they sat under the apple tree.

"Look what we found," Ryu said as he and Daiya came walking back to camp. Everyone was getting ready for dinner. Sasuke and Izumi were putting fish on sticks to roast by the fire. Takeru was starting the fire while Saori and Onari were doing a chakra exercise. The two girls were hanging upside-down form a branch. Ryu opened his vest letting the apples fall onto the sheet on the ground. Daiya empties his as well.

"Oh, you guys found some apples. Onari will thank you for that," Izumi said as she began to sick the fish into the ground one by one. "These won't take long." Izumi looked around. She pointed next to Sasuke. "Sasuke, can you hand me that jar?" She took it from him. Izumi stood up to get water out of the river.

Saori hopped down with Onari. "You pick up things pretty fast. Do you know how to do a substitution jutsu?" Saori blinked as Onari shook her head. "A transformation jutsu? Clone jutsu? Nothing? Are you serious? What is Mr. Hyuga teaching you?"

"Onari kick. Onari hit. Onari avoid. Onari learn chakra push. Onari know chakra control. Onari fast runner," she said.

"We need to teach you how to do the basic jutsus. you have to know how to do them in order to pass the Academy finals. Wait, Sasuke sensei, how is Onari going to get on a team if she's not studying with Kurenai sensei?"

Sasuke was boiling the water Izumi had retrieved from the river. "I still have to talk to Nar- the Hokage about that. She is sharp, but Onari can't take the written exam. It would have to be verbal for her. I don't know if they would make an exception for her, or not."

Ryu and Daiya were twisting the apple stems off of the apples. Takeru was wiping the apples off and putting them into a pile. Ryu was watching Onari. "Why can't she take the written exam? It's not that hard. It's only a trickery of the mind," Ryu asked again due to his short attention span.

"Onari can't read," Takeru said quietly. "Mom's been trying to teach her caricatures, but Onari doesn't understand that each symbol is a sound. She can't read anything. Not even numbers."

Ryu furrowed his brows. "She needs to understand, at least, the basic caricatures. If she can't read, she won't be able to do missions. you have to write reports to show that information you have. All of Sasuke's efforts will be for nothing unless Onari learns to read and write. The Hokage will pull her off of a team."

Takeru turned around to watch Onari poking a fish. Saori was checking to see which ones were done. "I… don't want Ri to not be included. She's worked hard with Mr. Hyuga. It would be disappointing if she can't advance because her mind is not understanding what she has to know."

Ryu placed his hand on Takeru's head. Takeru looked up at him. "We won't let her walk way that easily. If I have to step in and get a study group going, I will. She has to learn. It's not an option."

Takeru looked up at Ryu. His dad had said that Ryu slipped up occasionally regarding his emotions and true character. Was this a slip up? "Ryu?" Ryu tilted his head. Takeru jumped on top of him. Ryu instantly went backwards. He laughed at the Genin's reaction. "You think your guard would be up," he said rather surprised.

"Yeah, well, I kind of got lectured while we were gone and um, I think it's wiser if I try to be a better uh, older brother than I have been," Ryu said as he looked away embarrassed. Takeru cocked his head. Ryu glanced at him.

"You… don't dispise me," Takeru asked thinking the older boy kind of harbored some feelings he was unsure of.

"No, why would I think of you that way," Ryu said. "You keep me out of trouble." Ryu checked to see if anyone was watching them. He reached up to pull Takeru down. Takeru laid on his chest as he wrapped his arms around him.

"I told you it was important to tell others," Daiya said as he took the seeds out of the apples. "Takeru's been worried about what you think." Daiya threw the seeds away.

Takeru grabbed onto his best friend's sides. He hid his face on Ryu's vest. "Ryu, if I say something, will you promise to not hit me?"

Daiya watched Ryu. Ryu was getting nervous about what Takeru was probably going to say. Takeru was stronger emotionally than either of them. He didn't let anything bother him. "Ryu, stop flipping out. You need to hear it."

Ryu placed his chin on the top of Takeru's head. he stared off at the water. "You're not going to tell me you're actually a girl, are you? You're a cute kid and all, but I'm attracted to Saori," he said laughing mildly. Daiya stared at him. Ryu sighed. "Go ahead," he said defeated.

Takeru was having second thoughts. Telling Daiya what he felt was important at the time. Daiya was hurting from his own past. Ryu wasn't really hurting at the moment. Ryu was just… Ryu. "I'm not going to say it," he said backing off.

"Takeru, tell him," Daiya said. "He's not going to think any lesser of you. Turkeys have small brains."

Ryu twitched.

"I can't look at him, though," Takeru said.

"Am I scary?" Ryu watched Takeru nod. "I am? Scary

as in the sense of being unfamiliar, or that I'm going to punish you?"

"Scary in the sense that you're going to punish me," Takeru said muffled.

Ryu closed his eyes. He rubbed the back of Takeru's head. "It's not easy to let someone in, Takeru. It's really hard, actually… but I know you guys have to know. As Daiya explained to me earlier, we already lost Idai – hopefully not for good. Idai only knew how Daiya felt. I don't know what the road is like ahead of us, so I know I have to say it if you won't." Ryu held onto Takeru firmly. He opened his eyes. "I do… care about you, Uchiha. You and Daiya don't give up on me and I appreciate it."

Takeru held onto Ryu even tighter as he pressed his face into his best friend's arm. "Ryu, I don't want anything to happen to you. Please don't give up on yourself. I know you don't think you have the strength to face some things, but you're not alone anymore."

Ryu reached over and put his arm around Daiya. Daiya blushed. "You two are getting to be too sentimental. Where's Idai when you need him?" For a moment, he sat calmly bonding with Takeru and Daiya. Even though they're younger than me, they seem to have a positive direction despite everything. It's a shame I've hidden from them like this. I guess it's time to stop hiding myself.

"Oh, Onari, guess what Ryu has for you," Takeru said. She turned to look at him. "Ryu found you some apples."

Onari looked up at Ryu. She looked at him with a serious gaze. "Onari apple?"

Ryu bent towards her. "Yes, you are getting apples. What do I get for finding you dinner?" He smiled at her as he closed his eyes. Onari stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek. Ryu opened his eyes in surprise. "Well, that's surprising."

Saori crossed her arms. "I saw that," she said annoyed. Ryu only tilted his head at her. Her temper was starting to flare.

"Saori, Onari doesn't understand dating, I promise," Daiya said. "She has no distinction when it comes to age, or gender." Daiya held up his finger for her to wait a moment. "Onari, what am I?"

"Daiya," she answered thinking that was what he wanted to know.

"No, what am I? Am I a boy, girl, man, woman, pet, tree, window, uh, shirt, shoe, or fish," Daiya asked. He watched his sister sort through the words she knew. "Do you know?"

"Daiya not shoe. Shoe on foot. Daiya not fish. Fish in… water. Onari climb tree. Shirt is… this," she said as she tugged her clothes. "Window is… on wall. Onari no understand."

"She really doesn't, does she," Saori said as her temper began to die.

"I am a boy," Daiya said. "Saori and Onari are girls. Izumi is a woman. Sasuke is a man. Does Onari understand?"

Ryu watched Onari curiously. Onari's language skills were wishy-washy. He knew she was very intelligent, though. She was very advanced in her training. He needed to know if it was possible to each her proper Japanese, or if her brain was going to continue to throw out words that didn't work well for her.

Onari tilted her head. "Takeru boy. Daiya boy. Ryu boy. Sasuke boy. Izumi girl. Saori girl. Onari girl," she said trying to correct Daiya, in turn.

"That's not correct, Onari," Ryu said. She looked at him. "Sasuke is a man. Izumi is a woman. Understand?"

Onari was getting angry. She shook her head and pointed at Izumi. "Izumi girl!" She pointed at Sasuke. "Sasuke boy!"

"What are you guys doing," Sasuke asked as he walked over. He heard the anger in Onari's voice instantly. She was standing up shaking her head constantly.

"We're trying to correct her," Daiya explained.

"Sensei, why does she insist on using incorrect words," Saori asked. "We're trying to tell her what is correct, but she doesn't believe us." Sasuke acknowledged Saori at that point.

"Sasuke boy! Izumi girl," Onari yelled angrily.

"You guys need to be careful with what words you stick to an object around Onari. Once she hears a word, it's stuck in her head. It's hard to remove the word if she's already familiarized herself with it," Sasuke said. "Onari doesn't understand age, or maturity. The reason she doesn't comprehend the words 'man' and 'woman' is partially my fault. When Onari first came home, I tried to explain to her that Izumi was a girl – just an older girl – in order to let Izumi get closer to her. She doesn't differentiate an adult with a child. They are equal in her eyes."

Takeru found what he was looking for as his father spoke. "Found one of the seeds. Watch," he told Daiya. "Onari, what's this?"

"Apple baby," Onari said.

"No, it's an apple seed," Takeru tried to correct her.

"Apple baby, Takeru!" Onari was tired of everyone making fun of her. She knew what that was!

Ryu, Saori, Takeru, and Daiya laughed at her not really able to help it.

Sasuke put his hands in his pockets. He smirked. "You can blame Izumi for that one."

"Blame me for what? Oh, the apple seed. I thought it was cute when she picked it up," Izumi said apologetically.

"It is cute, but how do you explain real babies to her," Ryu asked out of nowhere.

"Ryu, go get the fish," Sasuke said.

They all sat around the fire eating fish and apples. Onari was watching Daiya bake a few apples using the electrical currents that ran through his body. She tilted her head as the apples smoked from the top.

"Here, Onari. It's hot," Daiya said warning her. He handed it to her cautiously. She was examining it closely. "Blow on it so you don't burn yourself."

"I have an idea," Ryu said excitedly. Takeru jumped. He choked on his fish. "Sorry," Ryu said as he patted him on the back.

"Do I even want to know," Sasuke said as he munched on his dinner.

"Daiya," Ryu turned to look at his teammate and friend. "If you ever get injured to the point where you can't go on any more missions, I'll quit the team and we can open up an applesauce stand!"

Saori smacked her forehead. "Ryu, I wouldn't have said that…" She watched Daiya narrow his eyes.

Daiya put the fish down slowly. He rook a deep breath. "Fried turkey coming up!" He got up quickly as Ryu started to run from him. "Get back here, you jerk! I'll show you a food stand!" Daiya kept chasing Ryu around the camp fire. He charged his body and air punched an electrical current next to Ryu. Ryu skidded, turned his body, and ran in another direction to avoid him.

"I'm glad Daiya's never gotten that mad at me," Takeru said as he watched his brother continue to chase Ryu.

"Ryu has an unusual way of getting Daiya's mind off of Idai," Izumi commented.

"Yeah, but it seems to be working," Saori said. She watched Daiya try to punch Ryu in the face. Ryu flipped over onto his hand, doing a cartwheel to avoid the move. "I'm dating a turkey."

"Come on, lightening bug! You're faster than that!" Ryu shook his butt at Daiya. He took off running again as the boy came at him.

"Ryu, you two calm down," Sasuke said. Daiya was breathing hard. He didn't want the boy to get overexerted. "Ryu," he said in a more warning tone. Ryu stopped. Sasuke watched as Daiya tried to hit Ryu again. Ryu twisted his body to avoid it and grabbed onto Daiya's arm. He held him in place.

"Let go, you jerk," Daiya said angrily as he panted. He struggled to free himself. Ryu was tall and lanky, but he had a firm hold on him. "Let go!"

"Daiya, he's not hurting you. he was only teasing. Calm down," Sasuke said lowly. "Daiya, stop trying to fight him right now."

Ryu decided to put a protective hold on Daiya to force him to behave. He grabbed his arm, brought it towards his back and wrapped his right arm around Daiya's chest to pin him. Daiya was trying to get out of it, but couldn't. Ryu made his right leg hook around Daiya's legs. He fell back onto his rear into a sitting position. Now diaya couldn't move. He looked down at him.

Takeru tilted his head. "What kind of a technique is that?" Ryu was calmly sitting with Daiya in his lap. Daiya seemed to be annoyed with the outcome.

"It's a protective hold," Sasuke said. "It's one of the first move I taught him. he may not look it, but Ryu is pretty strong. His grip is intense."

"When is he going to let Daiya go," Saori asked. Ryu was watching Daiya making sure he couldn't get away. Saori saw for a split second the concern that went across her boyfriend's face.

"Ryu will let him go when he calms down. He's trying to let Daiya's anger subside," Sasuke said. He was, also, keeping an eye on them.

"I'm not hurting you," Ryu said calmly. Daiya looked up at him. "I want you to cool off. There's no reason to be that angry." He let the boy's arm go. He placed his hand on top of his head. "Don't be mad at me. Brothers tease."

"Ryu," Daiya said softly. Ryu kept his red eyes on him. "I miss Idai," Daiya finally admitted for the first time in weeks.

Ryu laid his cheek on top of Daiya's head. he released his legs and chest. "I know you do. We all do. We're just trying to ignore our hearts right now. You can't stop living – not for yourself, or him. Okay?" Daiya nodded slowly.

"What's going on over there," Saori asked. She wished she could hear what they were saying. Daiya was staring at the ground while Ryu spoke softly to him. Is he… comforting Daiya? Her eyes softened. Ryu's changed a little. I don't know what he's saying, but Daiya seems to be more relaxed. The whole purpose of this trip was to get his mind off of Idai.

"He's something, isn't he? I wonder what it would be like if Ryu ever had kids," Izumi said lightly laughing. Saori blushed unexpectedly.

"Please don't wish that," Takeru said. "I'd be chasing after them all day." He could see Ryu teaching some crazy techniques to a small group of youngsters. Takeru slightly feared for the future of Konoha if Ryu Yuhi had offspring.