The Way of The Ninja

[Cyl]

~Disclaimer: I did not make Naruto, nor do all the characters belong to me. Most are from people on AS~
~It's an original story based off of Naruto~

The Way of The Ninja
By: Michael Jones


Prologue
A ninja begins at the Academy, after a year they test to see if they are ready. The test has two phases, the written test, which was completely easy depending on what you did with your free time, and the skill test, where the teachers grade you on the basic chakra control and if you can use it in various ways. If an academy student can pass both tests, they become a genin, and are assigned into a team of three. With a Jounin leader, the team progresses faster, but to be able to go on missions the team must pass a test created by their Jounin leader.
This is how you become a ninja. But how you become a higher ranked ninja is entirely different. To become a Chuunin you have to go through three tests, a written, an elimination round, and then you have to fight the remainder of ninjas. If you are in the top ten, you become a chuunin, but any place lower stays a genin till the next chuunin exam. They usually come twice a year, giving genin a good chance at passing. But during these exams it is possible for you to lose your life, and many people have.
Becoming a Jounin is much harder. It depends on your mission status, and in the shape you come back in after each mission. If you perform three A mission, and are hardly even touched, the Hokage of your village can choose whether you become a Jounin or not. Once a Jounin, you leave your team behind, and to live a life of defending your village.
The life of a ninja is hard to handle, for most people who try it out. But there are many people who can handle it. Ninjas devote their life to their village. They put their life on the line to recover things that have been stolen from the village. They go on missions to take down an overpopulated village planning on attacking that village, or a neighboring one. They gather information, and plan strategies. But if they gather false information it can lead to the destruction of a village, and the loss of friends. But gathering information that can help the village is used wisely. Then the Hokage chooses ninjas suitable for the mission, and send them off. That is the way of a ninja, devotion, reliability, and the will to carry on when all seems lost.

[Cyl]

Chapter 1
Assigning The Teams

Teal hair swayed in the air to the left, as a girl stood on a cliff, overlooking The Village Hidden In the Leaves. She wore a black sleeveless shirt, along with black capris’. And of course there were the traditional ninja shoes, but not a headband. So she was clearly going to the academy.
A single streak of gray hair swayed along with the teal hair. She looked magnificent just standing there. But no one in the village seemed to have noticed her. She wasn’t bothered by it, she was noticed enough at school. She was one of the best in the school. She could control her chakra perfectly and her grades were perfect.
Another figure started to emerge from the forest behind the girl. She had known he was coming, and knew exactly what to say, not expecting an answer. When the figure was fully visible it was clear that it was a boy. A bit older than the girl, with navy blue hair, in a kind of spiky fashion. His eyes were green, rimmed with blue. The first words exchanged were from the girl,” So, what brings you up to my little spot, Kiore?” The boy named ‘Kiore’ by the girl, showed no emotion, but astonishingly replied,” I came, to this area for peace. It is always so noisy in the village. That is my purpose for being here, Aya.” The girl ‘Aya’ named by Kiore, gave a slight smile.
Kiore was one of the top students at the Academy, like Aya. He himself could control his chakra amazingly. His grades weren’t as good as hers, but darn close. The difference was in his ninja history grade. The difference was in the tenths, so it was very close.
Aya averted her eyes downward, to a person passing by. It was another boy, looked to be her age, and went to the academy as well. He wore black baggy pants, with a white short sleeve shirt. He had black hair, with two bangs along the side of his face. The boy stopped and tilted his head up towards Aya. Aya smiled, and he returned it with one of his own. Then he turned his head back forward and began walking again, a faint smile on his face. “Was it Suko again?” Kiore asked, in his usual tone. Aya turned back around and replied,” I only give real smiles to you and Suko, so who else could it be?”
Kiore turned around and said,” I will be returning to my dorm. I will see you in class tomorrow.” Aya gave him a slight dismissing wave, and he walked off. Aya tilted her head towards the sky and sighed,” Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will become a genin.” And with that, she jumped of the cliff, landed, and began walking towards her dorm.

That next day Aya did her routine for getting ready. She took her daily shower, ate breakfast, made sure she was dressed the way she liked to. Brushed her teeth, and looked at herself in the mirror. She then added one last detail. She tied her hair back, with a red ribbon, and decided she was ready. She left her dorm, locked it behind her, and began walking towards her class.
Kiore did his routine. He took his shower, ate, and brushed his teeth. He dressed in black baggy pants and a short sleeve black shirt. Not his usual clothes, but he decided to wear these because of today’s test. He was out of his dorm quickly, and locked it. Heading for class he replied,’ This time for sure.’
When Aya was outside her class, she saw Suko leaning up against the wall next to the door. She walked up to him at a regular pace and greeted him,” Hi Suko.” He looked up a gave a faint smile. Then replied,” Hey,” before turning his attention to a figure arriving. Aya paid no attention to the figure, she was too shocked. Finally she asked,” Did you just give me a reply?” Suko didn’t change his gaze to her, but nodded his head. When the figure got closer he spoke softly,” I’ll explain it later.” The figure coming was Kiore, and he walked up to Aya. “Come on. Lets head inside.” And of course she did after give Suko a slight smile.
Inside Kiore asked,” Why are you so nice to Suko? You and him are not friends, and all you really do is smile at him.” Once seated Aya replied,” He is lonely. He needs someone nice to him since no one pays any attention to him. He just does his work, and avoids any contact with anyone.” They stopped the conversation after that. It was true. Suko was like them, he could control his chakra, and had an enormous amount. His grades were perfect. He always did what he was supposed to do. He never did anything wrong.
When the class was filled with the students, one desk was left empty. Then the door swung open. And Suko stepped in, walking towards the empty seat. He was always the last one to sit down, and enter the classroom. Only one rumor was heard about him. It was that since he was always last, people said he looked after the class. Protected it. And no one knew for sure if that was true.
The teacher entered the room, and it fell silent. “Today class. Is the test, to see if you become a ninja.” she announced. No one said anything for a bit, the teacher organizing papers looked up, and saw everyone there. Finally a kid spoke up,” Kiasuse-sensei. When will the ceremony be for those who pass?” The teacher didn’t reply, just ignored it. “ When I call your name, come up and perform the techniques I instruct you to. The written test will be taken later.”
Hours later, three people were left to take the exam. “Aya Hiroshi, you are next.” She walked up and the teacher whispered in her ear. She formed a few hand symbols with her hands quickly and she changed into Kiasuse-sensei. But there was a clone of her in that form as well. “Ok. Well done. Kiore Yoshiro you are next.” He walked up, and she instructed him to create as many clones as he can in any image of someone. He did as instructed and made hand movements. There were six Mahasunes’. “Very good imitation of our Hokage.” the teacher said then paused and turned toward the class.
“Suko Kamahazu. You are last.” He walked down slowly, and waited for instructions. The teacher whispered to him and he nodded. He formed a tiger symbol out of his hands and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes he walked towards the wall and placed a foot on it. He placed his second foot next to it and was sideways. Then he began walking up the wall, soon on the roof, and up there he did a few more hand symbols. Soon there were four of him, and he began walking again.
When he touched back down to the ground the teacher said,” Very well done. Excellent. Well, this is the first class that I’ve ever had that had all the students pass. There will be no ceremony this year. I will hand you your headbands.” She called the students up one at a time, and they all received them. Suko put his in a regular position. Around his forehead. Aya put it on her waist, slightly slanted to the right, while the left side was slightly higher. And Kiore put it on his left upper arm.
The teacher yelled out something that quieted the students quickly. She then said slowly,” Now for the squads you will be placed in.” She went on for a couple of minutes then said,” Team 6 will consist of Aya Hiroshi, Kiore Yoshiro, and Suko Kamahazu.” Aya gave a slight smile, as did Kiore, and Suko. Then The teacher announced,” You will meet your Jounin leaders tomorrow in this class. They will ask for your squad number and you present yourself. They will take care of you from there.” And with that she dismissed the class.
Aya walked up to Kiore and said,” I can’t believe it! The same squad, what luck!” He looked at her and replied,” Yeah, but we also have Suko don’t forget that.” She nodded. And the two walked off to Aya’s spot on the cliff.
Suko had left to go on his walk, like he always did after class. ‘I know’ he thought,’ I’ll be happy on team six.” He decided to stop at a forest and entered it. After awhile of walking, he sensed two people to his right. He turned to find Aya and Kiore looking out at the village. Aya turned and gave him a smile. Kiore turned, but showed no emotion. Suko gave a slight smile and walked over to them. “Well, here we are. Team 6, the top ninjas out of the new genins.” Aya smiled and replied,” Yep, the three of us can handle anything.” “Yes, we can.” Kiore said. Silence surrounded them, and for most of the night, they staid there, looking up at the sky. Kiore’s blue hair swaying to the left. Aya’s teal hair swaying in the same direction. But hardly cause it was still tied up with the ribbon.
But the strangest thing was happening, the wind was blowing to their left, and Kiore’s and Aya’s hair followed it. But Suko’s hair swayed to the right, as if the wind were blowing that way. His silver eyes staring out into the open, ‘something is entirely strange about him.’ Kiore thought. And in an instant Suko’s silver eyes glared at him, as if he had read, his mind.

[Cyl]

Chapter 2
Competitive

Kiore turned towards Suko instantly and returned his glare. The two glared at each other, then Aya turned around and asked,” What’s wrong?” No one replied. Then Kiore spoke,” Why do you stare at me?” Suko’s hair, still swaying to the right, stopped flowing, and it dropped down to it’s original position. “I do not take kindly to people who think of me to be strange.” Suko said, not breaking his eye contact with Kiore.
“Wait. I didn’t hear Kiore say you were strange. So what are you talking about?” Aya said. It seems she was the innocent one in this. And she never really liked being the innocent one in anything. “Aya you could not hear it, but he did call me strange. He thought it.” Suko explained. Kiore‘s shocked self, stood still, only breathing and blinking from a long period of time to another. Finally he asked,” How did you know what I was thinking?” Suko’s expression didn’t change, but answered,” I am from the Kamahazu clan. But know one knows about it because it is really small. Their bloodline trait is the Syuuka. Or the ability to read minds close by.” Suko walked passed everyone. And leapt off the cliff after saying,” I have better things to do than to stay here all night.”
Aya and Kiore watched him jump off the cliff. When he was out of site Aya ran up to the edge of the cliff and called out,” Will you be attending tomorrow?” Suko turned back to the cliff and replied,” Don’t worry, I will. But only cause we all must attend, and I’m not the only one on the team.” And with that he disappeared.
Aya turned back to Kiore and said,” Well, tomorrow is another day. Just don’t go pissing him off tomorrow by thinking something like that again.” She walked past him and he followed. “Don’t worry, now I know what not to do.” They headed back to their dorms, knowing not of what to expect tomorrow.

That next day was simple. Aya awoke at seven a.m. and did everything she did in the morning and once more tied her hair up. She wore her usual black sleeveless shirt, and her black capris’ as well. But it was slightly different this time. Under her sleeveless shirt was a mesh one. With the short sleeves sticking out from her shirt. She headed off for class once more, and for the last time.
Kiore did his usual things getting ready. But this time he had his headband and wore different clothes. He wore black shorts and a white short sleeve shirt. At last he put his headband on. Tying it up on his left arm’s upper part, he left for class for the last time. He was thinking,’ Finally. I passed, finally.’

~Six Ours Earlier~

Suko woke up at his usual time. One a.m., and he was used to it. He took his shower, and brushed his teeth. He dressed in black baggy pants and a black muscle shirt. He had exceptionable muscles. They were bigger than all of the other genins’ and bigger than most of the ninjas in their later years. So he was strong. He also slipped on some gloves. The finger sleeves were half way gone, but not cut. They were sold that way. And of course, they were black.“Ok, today is going to be a rough one.” he said, then strapped his shuriken and kunai knife strap to his left leg and his headband around his head, covering his forehead. Then he left his dorm, and headed for class.

~Back To Present Time
7:45 A.M.~

“Hey Suko! You ready for today?” Aya hollered, walking towards him waving her hand high up in the air. She was about ten meters away from where he always was in the morning, against the wall next to the door. He looked at her and replied with am,” Yeah, I take it you are as well?” She nodded, only a couple feet away now. Kiore started walking towards them now, his usual, boring face in place. “Lets go inside Aya.” Kiore said, reaching for the door handle. Aya nodded with a,’ mmhm’ and turned towards Suko. “Come on, lets make our entrance as a team.” Suko looked at her for a moment then replied,” No thank you.”
Aya frowned and grabbed his arm, pulling it from its position , crossed over his chest. He turned towards her again and she said,” Come on. The whole class is now ninjas. They don’t need you protecting them.” ‘I knew she would bring that up. Even without reading her mind.’ Suko thought.
He didn’t know what to do. She was giving him her famous puppy dog eyes. He had know clue what he could do. So,… he gave in. “Fine, whatever.” he said, then turned towards the door. The three entered the doors, to find only one person in it. No, not their teacher, but one of the jounin leaders.
She had black hair, with a red streak on the right side. It was tied up in a ponytail. She looked to be in her late twenties, and wore red capris’ and a red short sleeve shirt. “Hello, and what team might you be?” she asked, staring directly at the three. “Team 6” Suko said, no emotions in his voice. “Ah, good, well lets go.” she replied. The team followed her, assuming she was their jounin leader.
When they stopped, it was in the middle of the forest, in an opening. She stood quietly, turned towards team six and said,” Here is the spot. Now, before I tell you about me, and you tell me about you, I am going to hypothesize a few things about you.” Aya nodded happily, and Suko thought,’ God, I know what she is going to say first. And boy I hope it doesn’t piss Aya off. She might tear my…’ his thoughts were interrupted by the jounin saying,” I take it you two love each other?” Pointing to Suko and Aya. She looked confused, but then stood up, furious. And without knowing, she yanked Suko’s arm out of it’s socket.
Suko flinched in pain. But nothing other than that. Aya was yelling,” What makes you think I love him!?!!? No way in hell would I!!” The jounin looked at her confused and said,” But you were holding onto his arm the whole time. What else was I to expect?” Aya stopped, ‘ I was holding onto his arm? Wow, talk about spacing out, I didn’t even know I was.’ Aya thought then she looked down at Suko.
She gasped and knelt beside him. “What happened? Are you ok?” she asked, she had no knowledge of what she had done. He opened one eye and replied,” You pulled my arm out of its socket. Is a thank you necessary?” He smirked at the end of it, but it disappeared when he felt more pain in his arm. He squeezed his arm tighter. “ Oh my god. I’m so sorry, I didn’t even know I was holding on to your arm. Is there anything I can do?” He opened his eye again and replied once more,” Yeah, You can stop squeezing my disconnected arm.” She looked down at her hands, and amazingly she was squeezing his arm.
She let go slowly and turned her head towards the jounin,” We may have to wait for the introductions. We have a disconnected arm. Hehehe.” The jounin smiled and replied,” No, I think he’ll live. We can do this quickly, I’ll start.” She paused, and then continued,” My name is Riza, and I’m your jounin squad leader.” She then pointed to Kiore,” My name is Kiore Yoshiro, and I plan on becoming stronger.” “Next is you,” Riza said, pointing to Aya. “OK, I’m Aya Hiroshi, and I want to be able to beat my older brother in a match. He was always better, but we get along whenever we see each other.”
“Next,” the jounin said, pointing to Suko. “My name is Suko Kamahazu, and as you can see, I have a disconnected arm.” he said, with sarcasm in it. “Wait,” Riza said,” so you are from the Kamahazu clan? Ooh, one quick test, what am I thinking?” ‘ I’m gonna get a kick out of having a Kamahazu on my team’ she thought. “Yeah, a Kamahazu. And right now, I don’t think I want to read your mind. I am in pain you know.” Suko replied.
“Oh, yeah, well lets go get that fixed. But once done, we have to start the skill training, to see if you are ready to go on missions.” Everyone nodded in approval, and they started walking towards the hospital. Once there they got his arm bandaged, and headed of for the forest again. When the black haired girl stopped, she turned and said,” Your test will be a skill test. You must solve my riddle. But in doing so, you will encounter things you will have to fight, or avoid. I will watch, and make sure you don’t cheat.” “Ok and the riddle is?” Aya asked, tapping her foot. Riza laughed a little then said,” The riddle is very clear, and I won’t repeat it. So listen the first time, or you won’t be able to pass.” She took a pause, and took a big breath then said,” After you solve one riddle though, there will be another waiting. Two total. The first is I have four wings, but cannot fly, I never laugh and never cry; On the same spot I'm always found, toiling away with little sound. What am I? Solve this riddle, and you will
Figure out where to go after that. Remember, there will be obstacles, that you might have to fight. So be ready.” And with that, she disappeared. “I’ll figure it out on my own.” Suko said, then disappeared himself. “It looks like Suko is the competitive type,” Kiore said. Aya nodded and said,” Too bad. Well, lets get started.”

[Cyl]

Chapter 3
The First Riddle: Solved


A kunai knife was thrown and cut through a rope, shuriken and kunai knives were flying towards Suko. “To easy,” Suko said, while one of the shuriken hit him. He disappeared. “Damn. Where’d he get to!?” the bulk guy asked, looking everywhere. The next second he was face down on the ground. With Kiore on top of him, standing. Aya emerged from the trees and said,” Good job. But the next one is mine.” Kiore looked at her and replied,” Whatever.” It was then that Suko came out of his spot in the trees and said,” Was it really necessary to take down my opponent?” Aya turned towards him, as did Kiore after stepping off the guy.
“Hey Suko. Any luck on the riddle?” Aya asked, ignoring his question. Then Kiore said,” If I had known you were fighting him, I would not have butted in like I did.” Suko gave him a look that said,’ do it again, I’ll come after you.’ He then turned to Aya and said,” Yes, I have had luck with the riddle. In fact, I have solved it. Follow me if you want.” Suko then turned to the left and started walking. Aya turned towards Kiore and asked,” Are we going to follow him?” Kiore thought it over for a moment and said,” Riza-sensei wants us to work together, so it is the right thing to do. Lets go.” And they both started walking towards Suko.
When they caught up Aya asked,” So what was the answer to the riddle?” Suko kept walking and answered,” The answer is a windmill. Think over the riddle, the only possible answer is a windmill.” Aya looked up into the air. “He’s right. It has four wings, and cannot fly. It cannot laugh or cry. And it’s always in the same spot, twirling its wings around, with little sound.” Aya said, then stopped walking. She turned around and Kiore asked,” What’s wrong?” Suko stooped, and turned quickly. He started performing hand symbols, then stopped on a tiger seal.” Shadow Spike Justsu,” he said. Black needles formed in his hand and he said,” stay here.” He then ran off. “What do you think it is?” Aya asked. Kiore looked at her and replied,” Lets go find out. Suko isn’t the boss of us.” Aya thought for a minute the said,” Ok, lets go.” And they ran off in the same direction.
Suko had stopped in a grassy clearing. He stood there, shadow spikes in between his fingers ready to be thrown, watching a girl. She was fighting one hell of a tall guy, he looked to be past six foot.
The girl had jumped backwards, and now was standing in place. Her reddish-brown hair swayed in the air. It went down to her mid-waist section, and curled inward at that point. She wore navy blue shorts and a green short sleeve shirt with a darker green paw print on the back. She had a blue scarf around her neck. She seemed totally normal, except for the fact that she wore fake cat ears and a fake cat tail. “Her movements are elegant, and she has surprising speed. But her speed is caused by her size.” Suko said, but was taken back when the girl rushed over to him. “Who are you calling short!?!?! Huh? What? Can’t say it to my face!?” she asked. Suko smirked and took a step to the side. He threw all six of his shadow spikes at the guy she had been fighting, and turned back to her.
The spikes nailed the person perfectly. One in each arm and leg. One in his chest. And the last one nailed him in the neck. Then they all disappeared. “He’ll be unconscious for awhile. And yes I can call you short to your face. You. Are. Short.” Suko said, then turned around. He started waking when she said,” You think your all that huh? Well lets test that.” She leapt at him and pulled out a kunai knife. She slashed at him, only to hit a clone.
Within another minute a kunai knife was pressed up against her neck from behind. Suko said,” Don’t test me. I am superior to you.” Suko pulled his kunai knife away from her neck, spun it on his finger once, and then placed it back in the strap on his leg. The girl turned to face him, their faces about a foot apart. She grinned and thought,’ Good, Riku and Meiko will take care of him.’ Suko looked at the girl in front of her, he grinned himself. Without hesitation he pulled out a kunai knife and turned around. He flicked his wrist and shuriken began falling to the ground. He kept flicking his wrist, causing more and more shuriken to fall.
Finally when he stopped, two figures appeared behind him and each put a kunai knife to his neck. “Your finished,” a male voice said. A girl voice came next,” No way to escape.” Suko smiled, and began to turn around, the kunai knives cutting his neck’s flesh.
The three were astonished, and then a fog of smoke appeared where Suko was. He was gone. “What the hell?” the girl with cat ears asked. “Don’t worry Kyoko, he is around here somewhere,” the boy said.” Do we really have to kill him? He’s cute.” the other girl said. ’Kyoko huh? Well, judging by Kyoko’s mind, that boy must be Riku, and the other girl must be Meiko.’ Suko thought, then said,” Judging by your headbands, I take it you three are from the Village Hidden in the Wind.” The three looked out at the field and saw Suko.
Two figures appeared behind him. Aya was on Suko’s right, while Kiore was on his left. Both were just a step behind him. “Who are they?” Aya asked. Suko pointed to each one as he spoke,” That is Kyoko, that is Riku, and that is Meiko. They are all genin from the Village Hidden in the Wind.” Aya looked at their headbands, they had on line, that curled down at the start, and up at the end. “Interesting. But what are they doing here?” Kiore asked. Suko replied,” I don’t know but we better get back to our test. So lets get going.” They started walking and Meiko asked,” Do you have to go so soon?” Suko smiled, and jumped up into the air, disappearing. Aya and Kiore followed his action, only they didn’t smile.
When they landed in another grassy area Aya had to ask,” What was with that smile back there Suko? The only time people have witnessed you smiling was while talking to me.” Suko stopped,” It was a comment she said earlier. She said I was cute. I thought it was funny how she reacted to me leaving.” He began walking again and said,” We have arrived.”
It turns out that they had indeed arrived. It was a field of windmills, all spinning around with little sound. The three traveled to the center of them all, and sure enough, their sensei was there. “Very good. And good job on figuring out the riddle Suko.” she said. She then turned her attention to Aya and Kiore. “I am not disappointed but I am not impressed. Try and figure the next riddle out as a team, you understand that right Suko? Don’t go running off this time.” Suko nodded in reply. “Good, well here is your next riddle: You must keep this thing, its loss will affect your brothers. For once yours is lost, it will soon be lost by others. Once you figure out the riddle, meet me in your old classroom. Till then, I bid you edue.” And with that she disappeared. “Well you heard her, lets start working as a team,” Aya said. Kiore turned to her with his usual expression, as did Suko. “Yes, to pass we have to work as a team.” Kiore said, Suko just nodded.
The three of them began walking into the forest. Pondering on what the answer to the riddle was. ‘This one is going to be harder than the other one.’ Kiore thought. “Yes it will be,” Suko said with a grin, looking forward for any signs of traps or obstacle. The wind blew roughly and it swirled around in a circle. There was someone in it, kneeling down. “ We have company” Suko said. “Obviously” Kiore said, they all awaited to see who it was.

[Cyl]

Chapter 4
A New Team Member


The whirlwind began to descend into nothing. Kiore and Aya prepared themselves, not knowing what was going to happen. Suko only stood in his spot, confused. ‘Something is wrong here. Whoever it is, is in pain and obviously needs our help.’ Suko thought. It was then that he heard the person’s thoughts,’ Help me. I know you can read my mind, you are a Kamahazu.’ Suko, without thinking, ran into the whirlwind, or what was remaining. He quickly kneeled down next to the figure. “What happened Kyoko?” Suko asked. She lifted her head just a bit so she could see Suko better,” I don’t have enough energy to explain.” And after she said that, she passed out, leaning against Suko’s shoulder. He called out to Aya and Kiore,” Disarm yourself. She is an ally.”
The wind had fully stopped now and Suko had picked Kyoko up and was carrying her bridal style. Finally Aya spoke,” Suko, isn’t that the girl we saw earlier?” Suko nodded. “Why are we helping her? She’s from a rivaling village.” Kiore asked, not really caring for the answer. He knew Suko wouldn’t change his mind on what to do. They all started walking towards the hospital, Aya said,” Wait, we still need to find the answer to riddle.” Suko didn’t stop to think, he just repeated the riddle aloud.,” You must keep this thing, its loss will affect your brothers. For once yours is lost, it will soon be lost by others.” The wind blew gently, and a voice said,” Te….mper.” Everyone stopped. Suko looked down to the girl in his hands, followed by Aya and Kiore performing the same action.
Kyoko’s eyes were slightly open. And she spoke softly,” The answer to the riddle is your tem…per.” She passed out once more. Suko stared at Kyoko for another moment, then said,” Go report to Riza-sensei on the riddle. I will take her to the hospital.” Aya nodded and grabbed Kiore’s wrist. She began to run forward, with Kiore following behind.
Suko tightened his grip on Kyoko a bit, then leapt into the air, and disappeared. He appeared up in the tree above him and began jumping from tree to tree.
After a few minutes he landed in front of the hospital, and walked in. A nurse immediately came to his help. She gestured him to follow her and he did. The nurse led him to a room and opened it for him. He carried Kyoko over to the bed and laid her down. He pulled up a chair and sat down in it, leaning backwards. He made sure not to fall off. Suko kept his eyes on the girl before him.
Something caught his eye, and he stood up. He walked over to Kyoko and looked at her headband. It was scratched up every which way. It was around her waist, slightly tilted to the left. “What happened to you?” Suko asked Kyoko’s sleeping body.
Suddenly, the girls eye shot open and she sat up instantly. “I’m going to kill….” she started yelling, then stopped. She looked at Suko and asked,” Where am I? And what happened?” Suko, recovering from the shock of her waking up like that, replied,” You are in the hospital of The Village Hidden In the Leaves. As far as what happened, I could ask you the same question.” Kyoko thought for awhile, but nothing came to mind. She shrugged.
Suko deciding to change the subject asked,” What happened in your dream? You woke up yelling you were going to kill someone.” Kyoko was confused for a moment then said,” Oh! That was right,” her face showed fear, and anger,” it was him! He killed our whole team because of Meiko.” “Who?” Suko asked, positioning himself back in his chair. “Riku. He was pissed at Meiko for saying you were cute. He killed her, and almost killed me when I tried to protect her.” Her fists were clutched into a fist, her teeth were wrenching. “Tell me more of what happened,” Suko said. Kyoko didn’t have time explain, the doctor came in and began to perform the tests. The doctor turned towards Suko and said,” She’s fine. A few broken bones, but nothing serious. Do you want me to take a look at your arm?” Suko looked down to his arm which was limp. Suko looked back up and shook his head slightly. “No, just get me some medical tape and I’ll be fine.” Suko said, then asked,” What will you have to do Kyoko?” The doctor sighed and said,” Just bandage her arms and legs. She’ll be fine other than that. But it will be hard for her to walk.” Suko nodded and the doctor left to go get the supplies.
Suko turned back to Kyoko and asked,” When he is done bandaging you up we’ll go out and get you some better clothes. The girl nodded and laid back down, she sighed and said,” What am I to do? If I go back to the Village Hidden in the Wind, Riku will kill me.” “Then don’t. Stay here and you can be assigned as a ninja from the Village Hidden in the Leaves.” a voice said from the doorway.
Suko turned around to find his squad leader along with Aya and Kiore. “What do you mean sensei?” Aya asked. “She can become a genin from our village. She can be on our team.” Riza replied. “I can get you a dorm room by tomorrow. But I will need your full name.” she continued. Kyoko sighed and replied,” My name is Kyoko Sakura Kosunagi.” Riza turned around and said,” I’ll get on that.” And she walked off. The doctor returned with two rolls of gauze and handed one to Suko. “I’ll leave for a bit. I’ll be back in a minute Kyoko.” She nodded and watched him leave, followed by Aya and Kiore.
The doctor walked over to her and said,” You know, you are short for your age. I can give you a pill that will make you….” he was cut off when Kyoko sat up and readied herself to punch him. “Don’t…ever….call me…..SHORT!” Kyoko said, she threw her punch and sent him flying back.
She fell back in pain, her arm began bleeding again. “Damn…” was all she muttered, tears began to fall off her cheeks. “Damn you Riku, I swear I will get revenge.” She shed tears but did not cry.
The doctor got back up, rubbed his head and said,” Ouch….” He walked over to Kyoko and muttered a ‘sorry’ and began bandaging her bleeding arm.

~Outside the Hospital~

Suko had walked outside and stared up at the night sky. He still hadn’t bandaged his arm, and wasn’t really planning on doing it. Aya came out and said,” You want some help with your arm?” Suko looked back down to the ground and said,” No thank you. I don’t plan on doing it anyway.” Aya sighed and walked closer. She grabbed the wrist to his other hand and said,” Don’t be so stubborn. I know your trying to avoid contact with anyone, but everyone needs help once in a while. This is your time.” She pulled him to a bench, grabbed the gauze out of his hand, and began bandaging his arm.
Suko didn’t refuse, just sat there watching her bandage his arm. “Thank You Aya” Suko said, then looked back up at the sky. “Something is on your mind Suko. What is it? Kiore asked, walking out of the hospital. Suko didn’t look at him, just answered,” Nothing to concern yourself over. It is of no importance.” Aya finished wrapping Suko’s arm and cut it with one of her kunai knives. Suko stood up and said,” I better get back inside. I’ll see you two tomorrow.” And with that he went back inside.
He was reaching for the doorknob when it twisted and the door opened. The doctor walked out, with a black eye, holding his stomach. Suko walked inside, sat down on the chair and asked the cat-like girl,” He called you short?” She smiled and replied,” But I’m innocent.” Suko smiled at this and said,” Come on lets go get you some better suited clothes.” He helped her stand up and the two exited the hospital. “Fresh air, finally. How about after clothes, we go for food. I’m hungry.” she asked. Suko nodded and replied,” Ok, sounds good.” The two walked down the road slowly, mostly because of Kyoko’s current condition. “It’s peaceful out tonight,” Kyoko stated, Suko replied,” It always is. Nothing new.”
Suddenly the cat-like girl stopped and asked,” Where am I going to be sleeping. Your sensei said she won’t have a room ready till tomorrow.” Suko looked back at her and said,” My dorm room is big enough. You’ll bunk there with me. And don’t worry, I’m not a pervert.” Kyoko laughed and began walking again.

[Cyl]

Chapter 5
The True Suko


Suko and Kyoko had walked into a clothes shop and were looking around. Well Kyoko was looking, Suko was only following her, waiting for her to pick what she wanted. She was moving quickly from one spot to another, gawking at all the different and beautiful clothing.

Many other people in the store had watched her, whispered to each other, but Kyoko didn’t pay any attention to them. Suko figure that they had whispered something about Kyoko’s clothing. It was, in fact, covered in blood, and cut on the sleeves and on the paw print on her back. “Are you in need of any assistance?” someone her worked at the store asked, approaching them at a fast pace.

Suko turned towards him and said,” Yah, my friend over there was injured in a fight and needs a custom made shirt.” Suko was looking over at Kyoko so the clerk knew who he was talking about. The clerk followed his gaze, and saw the back of the girl’s shirt.

Upon hearing Suko’s words Kyoko turned to look at Suko. ‘Friend?’ she thought,’ does he really think of me as his friend?’ Suko nodded, showing that he did indeed think of her as a friend.. ‘Oh yah. I forgot he could read minds.’ Kyoko thought, she turned back to a pair of navy blue shorts she had found and pulled a pair off the rack.

Suko, after talking to the clerk, walked over to Kyoko as she turned around. “You are going to need more then one pair, you will be staying in The Village Hidden in the Leaves right?” Suko asked, he had stopped about two feet away from her and had a slight smile on his face.

Kyoko looked down at the pair of shorts she had grabbed, then looked back up at Suko with a smile. “Of course I’m staying here. So I guess I should get a few more pairs.” she said, then reached up to the top of her hair. When she felt the top of her hair her eyes grew in shock. “Where did my cat ears go? Oh no, I must have dropped them at some time.” she said as she dropped to her knees.

Suko looked at her. “Oh, you mean those fake cat ears that were on top of your head earlier?” Suko said, “ I had the clerk go clean them up for you. Well, after I snuck them off your head.” Suko had a smile on his face. Kyoko looked up at him and instantly jumped at him.

She gave him a hug, dropping the shorts she had picked out, and said,” You’ re to kind, you know that?” Suko placed his hands on her shoulders and broke the hug.
“It’s not the only thing I did,” Suko said, grinning,” I custom ordered ten green shirts. With your clan symbol on the back of it.” Kyoko looked at him in disbelief, then turned around and picked up the shorts she had dropped.

When she turned back to him, she asked,” You sure you can pay for all this? If not I’m fine with…..” she started, but was interrupted by the clerk.

“You clan shirts have arrived. And the ears are cleaned.“ he said, handing a stack of clothes with fake cat ears on top of them. Suko took them with a smile and nodded the clerk off. He then turned to Kyoko,” Don’t worry. When I am not going on missions I work for various people in the town. It’s how I get around living.” He held out his hand and Kyoko placed the shorts in it hesitantly.

Suko walked over to the counter and put the clothes on the counter. The clerk ringed up the total, and Suko paid him. He then turned around and there was Kyoko waiting for him. He reached into the bag he was carrying and pulled something out. He then placed it on top of Kyoko’s head and smiled at her. “There, now as I promised, we’ll get some food.” And after he said that a stomach growled and both burst out laughing.

“Talk about perfect timing,” Kyoko said between her chuckles. “Yah, I know.” Suko agreed. The two were walking towards a restaurant, one of Suko’s favorite to be exact.

The two ate, nothing special about dinner. It was just some noodles and rice, but it filled them up. “Now that we are no longer hungry. Let’s head to my dorm now.” Suko said, grabbing her hand and running east. He looked back at her and said,” Get ready o jump ok?”
“Ok…” Kyoko replied, not asking why they had to jump.
As said, Suko jumped, still holding onto Kyoko’s hand so she wouldn’t drop down in the wrong spot. When they landed, they were sliding down a roof on their feet, then landed on the ground. “Here we are. The genin dorms.” Suko said, letting go of Kyoko’s hand.

He walked up to the door and unlocked it with one of his keys, then gestured for Kyoko to come in. She did so, and as she entered she gawked at the sight of the place. Everything was colorful. Despite the way Suko dressed. He had two couches, and two hallways. One leading to the kitchen, the other to a room. “What you like my place?” Suko asked. Kyoko turned toward him with a smile and replied,” It’s beautiful!”

Suko smiled, then turned towards his room,” Follow me. I’ll take you to the shower so you can cleanse yourself and get into clean clothes.” Kyoko looked at him and asked,” You told me the truth right?” Suko turned towards her confused.

“The truth?” he asked, not knowing what she meant. “You aren’t a pervert right?” Kyoko asked, a slight smile on her face. Suko grinned and replied,” What if I am?” Kyoko walked up and gave him a playful punch. Suko smiled then directed her to his room. As she entered the room she immediately ran over to his bed and jumped on it.

“What are you doing?” Suko asked, apparently he had know clue what girls do when entering a room. “Seeing how soft your bed is.” came the reply from the cat eared girl. Suko put a hand to his face and began to laugh, not much, but a little. “Come on. I don’t want blood on my sheets.” Suko said, then opened a door in the room. As he entered it, he turned the shower on then said,” Ok, your shower is running, when you are done, come see me in the living room.”

Kyoko watched as Suko exited the room. She then grabbed a pair of shorts and a shirt and ran into the bathroom. ‘He better not be lying about being a pervert.’ Kyoko thought as she undressed and slipped into the shower.

~In Another Dorm~

Aya was laying down on her bed, trying to get to sleep, but she couldn’t fall asleep. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and sat up. “It’s past midnight and I can’t fall asleep. I might as well go for a walk.” she said, and stood up.

She changed into her usual clothing. A black sleeveless shirt and black capris’, along with her headband on her waist. She walked out of her dorm, locked it behind her, and began walking towards the forest.

She arrived in her favorite spot, on a cliff, and saw that Kiore was standing at the edge of the cliff. ‘I have an idea’ Aya thought as she crept up to Kiore. ‘I’d give anything to see a frightened look on his face’ she thought once more. She was now right behind him, and held her breath without making a sound.

She readied herself, and then yelled,” WHAT”S UP!?” Kiore jumped forward, and grabbed onto the ledge. “What did you do that for Aya?” he asked, his face showed little shock, but enough for Aya to see. “I wanted….haha…to see the look on your face.” Aya responded, laughing through the whole thing.

Kiore pulled himself back up and looked at her. “So what brings you here so early?” he asked, turning back towards the village. Aya sighed and walked up next to him. “I was bored and couldn’t get to sleep. So I decided to……..” Aya said, stopping in mid sentence.

Kiore looked at Aya, who apparently was grinning evilly. “What is with that evil grin?” he asked, not really caring why it was on her face. Aya turned back towards the forest and replied,” Come on we should go see what Suko and Kyoko are doing.” Kiore looked at her with a smile on his face,” Sometimes your ideas impress me.” And the two began walking towards Suko’s dorm room.

~Back In Suko’s Dorm~

Kyoko stepped out of the bathroom after drying herself, and putting on her clothes. “You feel any better?” Suko asked from his bed. Apparently he had laid down on it after grabbing a book.

Kyoko looked over at Suko and said,” Fell better? What do you mean? I was feeling fine before I took the shower.” She leaned up against the wall after saying that, waiting for Suko’s response.

Suko but his bookmark back in the book and set it down. “I figured you might have felt sick with all that blood on you.” he replied, standing up. Kyoko shook his head slightly, implying that she hadn’t had a problem with the blood.

Suko walked out of the room and into the living room. Kyoko followed him, and watched as he laid down on the couch and closed his eyes. “What are you doing?” Kyoko asked. Suko opened his eyes and looked at her.
“You will be sleeping on my bed. And since I don’t have another one, I’m going to be sleeping on the couch.”
Kyoko looked at him for another minute, then noticed something she hadn’t before. Suko had changed into some blue shorts and a blue short-sleeve shirt. “Since when do you wear….something colorful?” Suko chuckled.

Suko went on explaining how he wore black and white during the day because they don’t distract him from how he looks. And that he wore blue at his house because it was more comfortable to move in. Surprisingly, Kyoko understood everything he said.

Outside the window, Aya and Kiore had been watching and listening to everything that Suko was saying and doing. “This will be quite interesting to talk about,” Kiore said, Aya smile and nodded in return. They kept listening to the two’s conversation till it got boring.

They then decided to head back to their separate dorms, and wait for the next day to arrive.
Meanwhile Suko and Kyoko had gotten tired themselves. It was four a.m. when Suko had checked and they decided to get some rest.

Suko positioned himself on the couch so he was comfortable. Kyoko had laid down on Suko’s bed and thought,’ Could he get a bed any softer than this one?’ And with that she fell asleep. But Suko had a bit of trouble sleeping. He kept having nightmares or the past. He wasn’t exactly afraid of the dreams, they just brought back memories he didn’t like to think about, ever.

After a minute or so, Suko decided to fall back asleep. Not worrying about the dreams he might have this time. He let all his worry drift away, not needing it. For he knew that the dreams were not real.

[Cyl]

Chapter 6
The First Mission


‘A kid stood in the same spot, in the middle of the road, watching as everyone he knew, save his friends, fought against the intruder. It was raining badly, with thunder and lightening everywhere. He watched in horror, one by one his clan fell. Finally the intruder saw him, and slowly began to walk towards him with an evil grin on his face.

He was now right in front of the kid, a kunai knife in hand. He grinned and said,” You should consider it an honor to die by my hand.” He quickly slashed across the boy’s chest and kicked him away. The kid hit the ground, coughing up blood.’

Suko’s eye’s shot open. He sat up instantly and pulled off his shirt, looking at his upper body. He placed his hand on it, and began tracing over the huge scar that went diagonally across his chest. From the left down to the right corner. “So many memories. Why do they return to me tonight?” Suko asked himself.

He laid back down on the couch and turned so he was facing the back of it. “Back to sleep.” he said, then slowly fell back to sleep.

“No Riku! Don’t do it!” a girl said, standing in front of another girl. A few maters away from them was a boy. He had an unsheathed sword in hand, readying himself to attack someone.

“She fell in love with someone from our rivaling village. Why should I not kill her?” the boy ‘Riku’ replied, walking towards them both. Suko watched with interest. ’So this is what happened. But one question remains. Should I interfere with the dream?’ he thought, then made up his mind.

He formed hand symbols, keeping his eye on Riku. Riku took a step forward, then another, and a few following that. He finished with a boar seal and said,” Hidden Leaf style: Shadow Wrist Blade jutsu.”

Blades formed on his wrist, and he charged at the now sword swinging Riku. He made it just in time to block the blade of the sword. Suko smirked and flicked his wrists, causing the sword to go flying.

He was about to kill Riku when he heard hand symbols form behind him. He then heard Kyoko say,” Hidden Wind Style: Wind Vortex.” Suko looked back in time to see her rip open something and flip it so it was facing him and Riku.

Suko and Riku stood still, not moving. The wind vortex was spinning, pulling in anything in sight. “Riku, you will die. And as for you Suko,” Kyoko said,” it was your fault that Riku attacked us. You will go down with him!”

She leapt back, carrying Meiko with her. ‘She doesn’t realize this is a dream. Or… I guess……it is possible……that she still hates me’ Suko thought. He stood there, watching, waiting for something to happen. And finally, the vortex began to pull him in, but he made no move to avoid the rough wind current.

Finally he heard Riku’s foot move and he jumped backwards, landing behind Riku. He pulled Riku into a full nelson hold and held him there. Kyoko took on a confused look.’ What is he doing? He isn’t concerned for his life, and will risk it to take down the opponent.’ Kyoko thought. Meiko watched, her arms limp as well as her legs. But her mind was racing.

‘No, don’t do it. Don’t you don’t have to.’,” No” Meiko said softly. Kyoko looked down at the injured girl and turned her attention back to the two boys.

She saw Suko jumped back, then back forward, ramming Riku in his back. They both were flying towards the vortex at a fast pace. Finally, when Suko and Riku were a foot away from the vortex, Suko placed his hand on the ground and spun himself around. He kicked Riku fully into the vortex and jumped off of the ground, using his hand.

He landed a couple feet back and took a stance, to make sure he didn’t go flying easily. Meiko watched, happily, but with tears falling down her cheeks. She looked up at Kyoko and said,” Stop your vortex. It is not his fault I’m like this.” Kyoko looked down at Meiko and sighed, then clenched her hand in a fist.

The vortex closed up and Suko stood up straight, looking at Kyoko and Meiko, wondering what had happened. Suko turned around, and took a step. He then heard,” I still hate you for this. It was Meiko who saved you, remember that!” He knew it was Kyoko who had said that and smirked. He turned around and replied,” Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?”

And with that, both woke up, Suko, with his eyes to the back of the couch, and Kyoko’s facing the door. Suko slipped his shirt back on and walked into the kitchen. Kyoko however, staid in bed, wondering,’ What was that dream about?’
Finally, Kyoko decided to get up and see what Suko was doing. She walked into the living room and smelled something good coming from the kitchen, so she decided to find out what it was.

When she took a step in, she saw Suko at the stove. She walked behind him, hands behind her back, knowing he knew she was there, and looked over his shoulder. She saw eggs and noodles, smiling she said,” That smells great! How long till it’s ready?” Suko smiled and replied after a minute,” It is done.”

He lifted the two pans onto the counter and turned the stove off. He then grabbed two plates and scooped some of each onto each plate. Turning around he had one yanked from his hands by Kyoko and watched as she scarfed it down.

When she finished she stood up and put it in the sink. Then ran to Suko’s room to do who knows what. As Suko sat down he heard the shower start and laughed slightly. “One day and she’s already used to this place.” he said, then began eating.

~Elsewhere~

“So sensei, what exactly will be our first mission?” Aya asked Team 6’s sensei. The Jounin sighed, then replied,” I will tell you when we get the WHOLE team together. And seeing as how there is only you and Kiore right now, you’ll have to wait.” Aya then began mumbling things about how annoying it is when Suko is actually late for once, and how she doesn’t want to think about what might have happened last night between the two.

Riza was grossed out by Aya’s mumbles, and Kiore didn’t really seem to care, he only watched the path they were walking on. Soon they were outside the dorm set, in which Suko’s was located. Another step closer and Suko’s door flung open, with a laughing Kyoko running out at a fast pace.

Another second and Suko was seen walking out, wearing something unexpected. Everyone was shocked, Kyoko was carrying who knows how many black and white shirts and pants. Finally when they focused on Suko they saw him wearing blue baggy pants, a blue short sleeve shirt, and a pair of gloves. The fingers on the gloves were still cut-off half-way, but they weren’t black. They were blue.

Kyoko spoke in a laughing tone,” I’ve got every piece of clothing that isn’t blue. And if you try and take these back to wear I’ll burn them.” Suko looked bored and replied,” Fine, you win. But I think you might want these back.”

He was holding up a pair of fake cat ears, and immediately Kyoko felt the top of her head. “What?! Why did you take those from me? I swear if you do anything to them I’ll……” she had begun to say, but was stopped by the felling of someone petting the top of her head.

She turned around to find Suko there smiling. When he stopped he held out his hand, which had the cat ears in them, and said,” Do what you want to my clothes, these are more important than them, so here.” Kyoko looked at him, then at his hand and stated,” I fear I might never understand you.”

He chuckled and she took the ears from his hand. While placing them back atop her head, Suko turned toward everyone else and asked,” Now what was it that you three needed?”

Kiore and Aya fell over in shocked, while Riza explained,” Our first mission has finally been given to us. It is a C rank and we must seek out a missing ANBU member.” Kyoko, at this point, turned towards Riza and asked in a kind of childish/girl voice,” Isn’t that a task matched for Jounin though?” Riza nodded and assured her that she had no idea why genin were given this task.

Kyoko had dropped the black and white clothing, and everyone was walking into the forest, ready for team 6’s first mission.

At the entrance to the forest, Suko said with a smile,” Hold up.” He turned around and performed a few hand symbols, ending on a tiger seal. “Shadow Spike justsu.” Three shadow spikes formed in between the fingers on his right hand and he threw them at the clothing on the ground.

On the way to the clothing, the spikes lit up in black flames, then finally they struck the clothing. Suko turned back towards the rest of the group and started walking. Kyoko followed next to him, while Kiore and Aya were behind them, side by side as well. And of course Riza was in front, leading all of team 6 into dangers that are unknown to them, for now.

[Cyl]

Chapter 7
The First Mission pt.2


“So why are you wearing blue again?” Aya asked once more. Suko sighed, he had never been so annoyed in his life. “I told you six times already. And Kyoko even explained it once herself. How many more times must you be told?” Aya sighed herself,” Uh, fine. Don’t tell me again. But answer this. Why did you burn all your black and white clothing?”

Suko stopped and turned towards her. “Because I have no need for black, but I will wear white occasionally. As for why I burned the clothing it was for Kyoko,” Suko now whispered,” I did it because she is still hurt.” Kyoko now stopped. She looked back at Suko and Aya and said,” Come on. We have to keep going.” And sure enough Suko and Aya caught up quickly.

The team got back into their stances. Riza leading, Suko and Kyoko next, side by side. And then Aya and Kiore side by side bringing up the rear. Kyoko was humming some happy tune, Kiore was looking left and right, Aya was staring at the back of Kyoko’s head with annoyance, Riza was looking straight forward, and Suko was staring up at the sky, lost in his thoughts.

“Suko, are you always thinking about something? Cause in the time that I’ve known you, it seems like you’ve always been thinking about something.” Riza asked, not looking back at the boy the question was directed to.

Suko looked at his sensei and thought for a moment. Then replied,” Well, yes actually. I have a lot on my mind, always.” The black haired girl turned her head to the side so she could see him a bit. She then asked,” So what’s on your mind now?”

Suko was about to reply, but didn’t. He stopped and looked to his left, obviously there was something there. Finally, he slid his left leg just a bit, and rammed into Kiore, causing him to fall down.

When Kiore recovered from surprise he looked up at Suko who was spinning a kunai knife on his finger. “What did you do that for?” Kiore asked, now standing up. And at that point Aya joined in,” That kunai knife was thrown at you.” Kiore didn’t see the big deal.

“One kunai knife is nothing.” he said with determination. But Suko knew otherwise,” It was poisoned at the tip you numbskull.” Riza and Kyoko had joined the little group standing there and Kyoko noticed the kunai knife.

It wasn’t a normal one, it had a symbols on the blade of it. One being the symbol of the village hidden in the wind. Immediately she grabbed it out of Suko’s hands and threw it at a tree, many meters away. Suko looked at the spot where the tree, then to Kyoko and asked,” What did you…” but he stopped when he heard an explosion..

Aya was staring at the now blown up area of trees, finally she said,” Ok, and explanation is wanted.” And everyone else agreed, save Suko cause he didn’t really care.

Ok, well the Village Hidden in the Wind had many outcasts, and betrayers. And many of them teamed up with each other. They created weapons that were meant to kill and nothing more. These kunai knives are and example,” Kyoko began,” They put poison on the tip of the kunai knife so if the ninja doesn’t block it, they are poisoned. But if the ninja were to block it, just like Suko did, then the outcasts would have a problem. So they came up with a way to blow the kunai knife up. They would copy the symbols from a exploding scroll onto the blade of the knife.” Kyoko finished saying. She took a breath and heard Aya say,” So that would blow up the ninja and their mission would be accomplished.” Kyoko nodded, approving this. “But it gets worse, much worse. The kunai knives are the weakest weapons they have created.”

“She is right, we outcasts have created thousands of weapons. All for the purpose of taking down our enemies.” a guy said. He was many yards away from team 6, but he was plain and visible.

Kyoko looked and her eyes grew in shock. The person talking was Riku, the one who had killed Meiko and her sensei.

“No,” she said in disbelief. Suko looked over and saw Riku, and three other people behind him. One of them stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to look similar to Suko. Much older, and of course another outcast, but he had the same hair and eyes as Suko. His hair was tied back in a ponytail, and he wore black baggy pants, and a black cloak that laced over the very top of his chest. He wore no shirt under it just that. Suko remained calm though.

Kiore looked over and another figure stepped forward. Kiore grew a look of hatred. It was another kid, about the age of Kiore, and just a bit smaller. He had orange hair and wore green shorts as well as a green long sleeve shirt, with the sleeves loose.

Aya was already looking at the other figure that came out. A girl, blonde hair, pink tangtop on, along with a pair of pink shorts on. She had a smirk on her face as she looked at Aya’s blank face. “ What’s wrong Aya? Not happy to see your old friend?” the girl asked, and Aya’s hand formed a fist, and her eyes flashed crimson from their normal brown. But Suko put an extended arm in front of her, telling her not to make the first move.

When Suko was about to say something he heard an ‘oof’ behind him and turned his head to the side. There lying down on the ground was Riza-sensei unconscious. He turned his attention back to the outcasts and asked,” Are you outcasts the cause of the missing ANBU member?”

Riku chuckled and all four of them vanished. Everyone looked everywhere, save Suko, who said,” Formation x5.” And everyone began to move into the position named’x5’.

Once done they were in a square, all backs towards the middle, one person looking each direction. “Good job team. Now prepare for any kind of attack, these are people we all know and hate so they can use that against us.” Every nodded and readied themselves, but nothing came.

They staid in that formation for a couple of minutes till finally Suko heard something. He quickly grabbed a kunai knife out and twisted his body a bit. He now had a kunai knife pressed up against Riku’s neck, who had appeared in between them all. Suko pulled on the kunai knife and it went through Riku’s neck and he disappeared with a ‘poof’.” A clone. Huh, I thought he would be more fun.” “Don’t let your guard down Suko!!” Kiore yelled, but he was a bit late.

There were four nin, one in front of each member of team 6. Hand symbols were heard being made, and they were coming from each and every member of team 6. “ Hidden Leaf style: Shadow Wrist Blade jutsu.” Suko said. “ Earth element sword jutsu.” said Kiore followed by Aya saying,” Fire Burst jutsu.” And last Kyoko said,” Hidden Wind Style: Wind Scythe jutsu.”

Shadow blades formed on Suko’s wrists, while a stone made of stone was in Kiore’s hand. Aya had a fireball in each hand and Kyoko was holding onto some sort of blade with a chain attached. “Move out!” Suko yelled, and everyone did so, taking on the person in front of him.

Suko was slashing at the figure that looked like him in an older age. He got in a couple shots, but most were blocked. Finally he slashed with his left hand, then right, and with his left he pulled out a kunai knife. Swinging his left arm the figure dodged it but Suko then threw the kunai knife at him and hit the mark, the guy’s forehead.

Suko walked up to the guy and pulled out the Kunai knife. “Still using your shadow clones to do your work dad?” he said, then the figure disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Aya was throwing fireballs at the young nin girl, missing every shot. Finally when she saw an opening she threw another fireball, her last one. The young girl barely dodged it by jumping backwards, but to her surprise there was a shuriken in it which hit Aya’s mark. A exploding scroll was jammed into the tree trunk. “Damn you. You always were able to outsmart me.” the girl said, then the scroll blew up, flinging her body into a tree.

She wasn’t dead, but on the way. She was badly injured, and the loss of anymore blood will kill her. And Aya only left her there.” Goodbye forever Ikonizu” Aya said.

Kiore was holding up pretty well. He had managed to slash threw the kid’s green shirt easily, but had trouble hitting the blade. When he wasn’t looking the kid pulled out a kunai knife, one ‘special’ one and was about to hit Kiore with it. Kiore vanished before his eyes, right before he could strike. The next moment a kunai knife was pressed up against the kid’s neck and Kiore said,” You lose Loki.”

The kid dropped to the ground, dead, and Kiore didn’t regret killing him one little bit. He just spit one the body and walked off.

Kyoko was having the trouble out of most. Her and Riku were going at it like you never thought. She would throw her wind scythe, keeping hold of the end of the chain, and Riku would block it and throw a kunai or a shuriken at her. She would then yanked on the chain and the scythe would come back to her hand and she’d block it. It was an even match, or so it seemed. Finally Riku made his move. Throwing two shuriken at her he waited then disappeared. Kyoko blocked the shuriken but now Riku was behind her and threw another two.

She spun around in time to block those two, and once more Riku disappeared, only to reappear to her right. Then to her left, throwing shuriken at her each time. Kyoko couldn’t keep up with him for much longer, she couldn’t match his speed. Finally she kneeled down and formed a one-handed tiger seal.

Shuriken hit her on her back and sides, but she paid them no attention, just focused. Finally she said ,” Secret bloodline: Iron Claws jutsu!!” She was now standing up, all shuriken forced out of her, not a trace of blood or tears in her clothing. She now had claws on her hands, starting at her knuckles. Riku kept his plan going, appearing in a different spot, throwing something sharp at her, then disappearing. But now Kyoko was ready.

Four shuriken were coming at her from all directions, and when they were mere inches away from her, she vanished. Riku stopped in one spot and looked at the spot where she had been,” Where the hell did she get to?!?!” A voice said,” I’m behind you.” And he turned around, only to get his chest slashed. “Damn,” was all he said before he disappeared, only this time, Kyoko followed his pursuit.

Riku was running straight, and when he blinked, Kyoko was right next to him, a smirk on her face. He kept going forward, he sped up many times. But no matter what he did, Kyoko was right next to him. Finally when he didn’t expect it, she slashed at his arm, right where the muscle is. Blood splattered, and Riku came to a halt. He screamed in pain, he was kneeling down in a pool of blood, with something in it.

Kyoko had stopped herself from doing any more harm to him, she just couldn’t. She had just now slashed off his right arm and was shocked at it. She backed up a couple of steps, and before her eyes, Riku vanished to who knows where. Finally she bumped into something a tilted her head back to find Suko looking at the pool of blood along with the arm in it. Kyoko turned around fully and had tears streaming down her face,” How could I?” she asked, but gave him no time to answer.

She dropped down to her knees and put her hands to her face. He claws were now gone, all traces of chakra vanished. Nothing was seen but the surrounding forest, the genin and the one unconscious jounin, and blood. Bodies were gone, crying was heard, and everything else was unnoticeable.

Suko kneeled down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder to try and calm Kyoko down. But it didn’t work. “So was that your clan’s bloodline?” Kyoko nodded, not wanting to say anything. Suko wasn’t done just yet thought. “Don’t worry, I’ve heard of your bloodline. It gives you the instincts of a wild cat, along with metallic claws for a time, until you feel you don’t them for the moment. You,” he started, then put his arm around her shoulders,” weren’t the cause of it. Those instincts were, and don’t say it was you because you used it, because you used it for your own safety.”

“I wasn’t expecting what would happen. I had never used it,” Kyoko now said. She had stopped crying, or she just couldn’t anymore. She raised her head to look at Suko and asked,” Do you actually think of me as your friend? I heard what you said to Aya about burning your clothes. Cause I was hurt” Suko nodded,” Yes, I consider you my friend. And don’t worry, if everyone doesn’t stay with you, I will.”

A small smile crept on Kyoko’s face and someone said,” Who said we won’t stick by her side? She’s our friend as well, so why wouldn’t we?” Kiore said, and both looked at him.

Him and Aya were helping Riza stand as she awoke from her unconsciousness. “Mmm, yes. We’ll stay by the rice ball,” Riza said, causing Kiore and Aya to fall over laughing. It made Kyoko smile more and feel better while Suko smiled at the comment. Finally she regained her consciousness fully and asked,” What happened here?” Everyone claimed it was nothing they couldn’t handle.

“Well then. Lets continue our mission.” the black haired jounin said, but Suko had to disagree. “ The ones who attacked us killed the missing ANBU member. So our mission ended with the ANBU member being KIA( Killed In Action).” Everyone else nodded, approving Suko’s knowledge. Riza sighed.

“Ok, back to the village I guess.” she said. And everyone began to walk back to the village. Not a word said between them, not even when they arrived at the village.

Riza turned to go to the Hokage’s office, but then remembered something. “Oh, Kyoko, your dorm room number is 15x” she said, then waved herself off. “!5x huh? Hey Suko where is that?” Suko turned towards her after waving bye to Kiore and Aya and said,” Come with me. It’s the one right next to my.”

Kyoko followed with a smile on her face. “ This should be fun. I can annoy you every morning, as well as make sure you wear blue.” Kyoko said with a grin. Suko just sighed and grabbed onto her hand. He jumped up and took her down with him in the right spot. Sliding down the rooftop then landing on solid ground, in font of dorm rooms 15x and 16x.

Suko let go and said,” Remember how to do that by yourself.” He then began to walk towards his dorm. Kyoko nodded and walked towards hers. “Night” she said with a smile, then closed the door behind her. “Night” Suko whispered, and went in his own ready for bed.

[Cyl]

Chapter 8
The Unexpected Dance


“Oh great. It’s time” Suko said, reading over the letter he had received once more. “Time for what?” Kyoko asked, leaning against his doorway. Suko looked up from the letter to her and asked,” Don’t you ever knock?” She just smiled.

~Flashback~

Kyoko and Suko had been becoming closer and closer friends as the days passed. They went through pathetic missions since their first one. But each one they helped each other out, whether it was pulling weeds, planting flowers, or mending his broken limb. Whatever it was they would help each other out.

One day while bandaging Suko’s arm Kyoko had started up a conversation between them. “Suko, how exactly did you break your arm?” she had asked. Suko scratched his head and replied,” It’s a funny story really.”

“I’d like to hear it,” Kyoko said, her voice still in a serious tone. Suko sighed,” When sensei had first seen us Aya was pulling me by my arm. Without knowing she was holding it she got mad by sensei’s comment and pulled it out of it’s socket. It being broken was caused by me using it continuously.”

Kyoko’s voice loosened up a bit,” What was the comment she made?” Suko laughed at this question, but answered it non-the less. “You see Aya was still holding onto my arm so sensei said we were in love” Suko’s face stayed stoic through saying that.

Kyoko finished bandaging Suko’s arm and stood up,” Come on we have a mission today remember?” She was smiling and holding out her arm to Suko. He accepted her help to stand up and the two walked out of his dorm.

~End Flashback~

“So what is it time for?!?” Kyoko asked for the last time. Suko had been ignoring the question the whole time. He had began walking her to the mailboxes of the two dorms. Suko held out his hand and Kyoko placed her key in it. He opened her mailbox and pulled out the only thing in it.

An pink envelope with a heart on it. He handed it to her and Kyoko read it to herself.

Dear Mrs. Kyoko Kosunagi,


You have been invited to the Village Hidden in the Leave’s Academy’s 50th annual dance. Your attendance is mandatory and every student will be given a week to find a date. If you do not find a date by that deadline you will be assigned one, whether it be a student, friend, loved one, or a teacher. One way or another you will have a date.
You may dress however you please, but you may not bring any weapons with you. The dance will be heavily guarded seeing as how it is when we are at our up most vulnerable. So there will be no need for weapons. As for your headband, it must be worn for you to be recognized and not attacked.
This concludes all the information you will need to know on the dance. If you wish to go to it with someone you want to we advise you to hurry and ask them. That is all, one week. Again attendance is MANDATORY.

5th Hokage,
Sayamusi Konanmori.

Kyoko read over the last sentence over and over again before she looked up at Suko and asked,” Mandatory?” Suko nodded and Kyoko fell down to her knees. Suko looked at her with a confused look on his face.

“How am I going to find a date? Everyone in the whole village knows about what happened in the forest. Who would want to go to the dance with someone who tore some guy’s arm off?” Kyoko said, now looking up at Suko with a sorrowful look.

Suko knelt down in front of her and said,” We’ll find someone ok?” She nodded and Suko stood up, offering his hand to her. She took it and stood up. Suko locked her mailbox and handed the key back to her then gestured her towards his house.

She followed him into it and looked around at nothing in particular. Finally Suko spoke,” Stay here, I’ve got something for you.” And with that he left towards his room, disappearing in the shadows.

Waiting for Suko to return she just stood there. Finally something tapped her shoulders and she froze. Who could it be? Kyoko thought, then finally turned around to find a smiling Suko. He held out a box. It was long in length but short in width.

Eager to find out what was in it Kyoko took it from his hands and opened it quickly, gawking at its content.

~In The Village Square~

“WHAT THE HELL!?!? The dance is a week from now.” Aya had started saying,” we didn’t have to go last year, why is it like that his year?” she finished saying. Kiore was reading over the letter again, then replied,” I don’t know but we’d better find a date by then.” Aya giggled and Kiore looked at her confused.

“You called it a date” she said, Kiore just slapped his hand to his forehead. “ You are such a child sometimes” he said with a smile. “So….who do you have any idea who…you are going to the dance with.” Kiore said, his smile fading.

Aya shrugged,” I dunno, haven’t really thought about it.” Kiore started thinking, not paying any attention to where he was going.

Finally when Aya saw the look on Kiore’s face she asked,” You aren’t thinking about asking me are you?” She now had a grin on her face and Kiore was brought back to Earth by that comment. “So were you thinking about asking me to go to the dance with you?” she asked once more, the grin still in place.

~With The Other Two~

Inside the box was a new headband, but this one had the symbol of the Hidden Leaf Village. Her Hidden Wind headband was scratched in every which way. She handed the box to Suko and quickly took her headband off, then grabbed the new one and quickly tied it around her waist.

She looked down at it then up at Suko and hugged him. Departing from him she asked,” Why do you do so many things for me?” Suko took on a serious look and said turning around,” I have felt the same way you have. Witnessing death and being shunned from everyone around you.”

Kyoko walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “What happened? Back then that is.” she said. Suko walked forward and sat down on the couch and sighed,” Ok, I’ll tell you. But it’s long.” Kyoko walked over and sat next to him,” I’ve got the time.”





Chapter 9
Memories


~Replay~

Kyoko walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “What happened? Back then that is.” she said. Suko walked forward and sat down on the couch and sighed,” Ok, I’ll tell you. But it’s long.” Kyoko walked over and sat next to him,” I’ve got the time.”


“Instead of me telling you, I’ll show you.” Suko said. Kyoko looked confused, and before she could ask how he was going to do that images began to form in her head.

“Mother?……” a younger Suko said, exiting his house. There was screaming combined with laughter coming from outside his clan’s village. Immediately Suko saw bodies on the ground, and looking at the top of his favorite hill was the person responsible for them.

The boy walked forward a few steps before stopping in his tracks. The man was now looking at him with an evil grin. Suko looked around him, then back to the man, who was now walking towards him.

The next minute the guy stopped as Suko’s mother charged at him. She was taken down right in front of Suko’s eyes and then Suko heard a girl scream.

He ran towards the scream as fast as he could. Finally rounding a corner he found the girl who had screamed. A girl about Suko’s age with brown hair, wearing white shorts and a white tang-top.

“Siyo!“ Suko said, pulling the girl into a hug. The girl was crying into Suko’s chest. “It’s ok Siyo, you’ll be fine.” Suko said, trying to calm her down. She just kept crying. “How will I be fine? He’s going to kill everyone.” she finally asked. Suko thought for a minute, then replied,” I’ll protect you, even if I lose my life, I will protect you.” Siyo stopped crying, too shocked at what he had said. She looked up at him and asked,” Why?”

Suko hesitated but said,” Because……” but he was cut off by Siyo,” you love me.” Suko smiled,” You now know how to use the Kinuia eye.” But the smile faded as a shuriken stabbed him in his back.

Suko reached behind him and pulled out the shuriken, flinching in pain. He turned around and saw the man looking at him and Siyo. He spread his arms out so Siyo couldn’t be touched. The man moved his foot a bit and Suko quickly crossed a tiger seal.” Shadow Clone jutsu” he said, and there were Sukos’ everywhere. On roofs, around Siyo, behind the man, everywhere.

Every single one of them formed hand symbols, one hidden one forming different ones. Finally blades formed on all their hands except for one, which doubled, then one disappeared.

Most of the Suko’s charged at the man, a couple staying back to protect Siyo. The man kept getting slashed in his back and chest, but he was holding up. Once there was only the Sukos’ protecting Siyo were left he made his move.

Speeding up he took down all but one Suko. The remaining Suko disappeared and one appeared behind the man, a sword in hand. He slashed the mans back and he turned around,” How?” Suko smirked,” My own jutsu.” He slashed at the guys chest, and the man jumped backwards, pulling out a kunai knife.

Suko charged at him, but stopped in his tracks as the man slashed at Siyo. Her body began to fall to the ground and Suko dropped his sword. The next minute the man turned towards him and dashed forward. When he was right in front of Suko he slashed his chest and kicked Suko yards away. Suko fell unconscious after seeing the man disappear.

Kyoko’s eyes shot open and immediately looked over to Suko, who was staring down at the floor. “The one you loved was…………killed. Is that why you wore black?” Suko nodded. “I’m sorry, you even had to witness it.” Suko stood up and spoke,” Yes, when I woke up I was in the hospital, bandaged up and everything. But….they never found Siyo’s body. I know the intruder did something with her body, and I’m going to find out.” Suko then walked over to the door and said,” Let’s go find Aya and Kiore.” Kyoko got up and both of them left.

~With The Other Two~

“What’s with the blush Kiore?? Huh?” Aya teased, Kiore was staring down at the ground, his face barely, but noticeably red. “I’m not blushing. You were childish enough to buy red paint and put it on my face.” he replied, obviously not caring about the paint. Aya wasn’t ready to give up though,” Why you looking at the ground then?” Kiore sighed,” I’m thinking, so can you keep quiet for a minute or so?”

“You are no fun sometimes, you know that right?” Aya asked, not caring if he wanted silence or not. Kiore sighed again,” Life is not meant to be fun. If you do not take it seriously you will die.” Aya sent him a ‘humph’ and crossed her arms over her chest.

Awhile later Suko and Kyoko were walking towards the two, knowing they were there. The four met up and decided on lunch, at a ramen shop.

While eating someone tapped Suko on the shoulder. Wondering who it was Suko turned around to meet face to face with a girl about his age. “Hey Suko, long time no see.” the girl said, smiling. Suko looked over the girl. She was wearing an orange tang-top, and an orange short skirt. She had light brown hair and it went down just a little past her shoulders. “ Hey Tamafune, likewise.” Suko replied. Tamafune sighed,” How many times must I tell you, call me Tama or Tam.” Suko rolled his eyes.

“Hey Suko, who’s this?” Aya asked, looking over at Suko and the now seated Tam. Suko finished the piece of ramen on his chopsticks and replied,” Awhile back I traveled to a clan’s village. I met Tamafu….Tam there and we became friends.” Kiore ignored it, Aya looked at Suko confused, and Kyoko just kept slurping up her ramen.

Suko looked down at his food, and slide glanced at Tam. He then called for a waiter and ordered something. When it arrived he put it in front of Tam and said,” Here you look hungry.” Tam looked at him and gave him a hug, then began eating after saying ‘thanks’.

[Cyl]

Chapter 10
The Day Before the Dance


“How is it that you don’t have a date yet Suko?” Tam asked him. The five of them had left the restaurant hours ago, and were just walking around the town square. Suko shrugged,” It never came to my mind as an importance. And it still isn’t.” Tam sighed and looked over at everyone else,” Have any of you got a date yet?” They all shook their heads. “Well hurry and get one!! The dance is tomorrow, and if you don’t choose you are assigned, remember??” They nodded and it got quiet.

Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Suko asked,” Ok, Tam, who are you going with then?” She blushed in reaction, but no one looked at her.” Well, umm…..you know Yuuki, from my clan, right Suko.” Suko nodded in reply as Tam continued,” Well, he kind of asked me out, and well, I’m going to it with him.”

Suko looked over at Tam,” I hope you have fun with him.” Tam smiled, the blush still not fading. “Thanks” she said silently and the five kept walking forward. But little did they know, that they, were being tracked down.

~Outside Kanoho~

“Are we all ready?” a man asked. He wore a dark cloak, with a hood. The hood was up, but his hazel eyes were quite visible. There were four people behind him, all in black cloaks. Three of them were kids though, looking to be around the age of twelve or thirteen. One, however, was missing an arm, while the other three had bandages all around them.

The remaining guy was an adult, but nothing more could be seen. “Yes,” he said,” we are all ready to move out,” he finished. The leader smirked,” Then lets move out, but remember, our mission is to apprehend the group of genin. Nothing more then that.” And with that, all five of them jumped and disappeared.

~Inside Kanoho~

“So, what are we going to do now?” Aya asked no one in particular, she only wanted an answer. “ How about you go looking for dates! I mean jeez! Tomorrow is the dance, none of you have dates, and if you don’t get one you might end up with an adult for a date!” Tam busted out, breathing heavily after.

“She’s full of energy,” Kyoko whispered to Suko. “Yah, but hey, now you know why I have so much patience.” Suko whispered back with a smile. Kyoko laughed at this but not for long cause Tam started swarming around the two, trying to figure out what was so funny.

“I wonder if she is always this hyper” Kiore whispered to Aya. Aya smiled in return and asked,” Hey, maybe if we get a date she’ll calm down.” Kiore shrugged,” Possibly, but the odds of us finding a date this close to the dance are pretty small.” Aya slowly shook her head, a smile playing on her face.

“You don’t get it do you Kiore?” Aya said,” I was just asking you to it.” she finished. Kiore side glanced at her and said,” Sure why not, it’s better than being assigned.” And at that moment Tam jumped at the two.
“I knew you two would go together the minute I saw you two!” she said excitedly. Aya and Kiore stepped aside and Tam landed on her feet, turning around towards Kyoko and Suko with a grin. “That leaves but two genins left in the WHOLE village.” she said with an evil grin.

Suko and Kyoko looked at Tam and Suko said,” And your point is? I already knew it would come to me and Kyoko going together. And so we are.” Tam’s grin faded and it turned into a sort of frown,” But you can’t just go! You have to actually ask her, or else it’s no fun.”
“I don’t see why he HAS to ask me. I mean we are going, no need to ask.” Kyoko said. Tam turned towards her now. “He has to ask you, it is just what people do. So come on Suko, ask her, please,” Tam said, her face giving off a puppy dog face.
Suko sighed,” Fine, I’ll ask her, but only if you promise not to pull that face on me again.” Tam immediately jumped and nodded, waiting for the question to come.

Suko turned towards Kyoko and sighed. “Kyoko, will you go…” he paused and side glanced to see a giggling Tam standing there.” Will you go to the dance with me.” Suko finished saying, and Tam burst out into a scream of joy.
Suko was still looking at Kyoko though, waiting for her to finish it by excepting. Kyoko averted her eyes from the giggling girl to look at Suko. She smiled and replied,” Yes, I will.” And with that they both turned back towards the other three. Aya was smiling, Tam still giggling, and Kiore still had his bored expression in place.

The next thing Tam did shocked everyone. Time seemed to have froze and she quickly appeared in front of Suko and Kyoko, and grabbed each one of their hands. She than placed Kyoko’s hand in Suko’s and closed it gently and walked back to her spot.
Time seemed to go back to normal, everyone could move and no one knew that time had frozen over. Suko and Kyoko both looked down to the spot in between them and saw their hands together, fingers laced.

Aya and Kiore were staring at the same spot,’ When did he……?’ Kiore thought, still staring at the combined hands. ’Slick move Suko. Very, very nice move.’ Aya thought, staring at the same thing, only to side glance at Kiore. ’Good, soon I’ll have Suko and Kyoko in love. And my life goal will be complete’ Tam thought, looking at two particular faces, Suko’s and Kyoko’s.

Minutes passed and the two hands were still together. Suko smirked and whispered something he knew Kyoko would be able to hear, but not everyone else. It was Tam, I’ll explain the whole thing later, but for now keep our hands the way they are, ok? he had whispered, Kyoko nodded, and the two looked up towards everyone else. “ How about we get back to our dorms. Sound good?” Suko asked everyone.
Aya, Kiore, and Kyoko nodded. Tam sighed and turned around,” Ok, I’ll head back to my house.” Suko looked at her back, which was now facing her, and said with a grin,” You can bunk with me tonight, I’ll tell your parents later.” Tam immediately turned around with a loud, ’OK’ and all five divided up. Suko, Kyoko, and Tam going one way, Kiore and Aya the other.

‘His fingers are still intertwined with hers, I think he actually is in love with her’ Tam thought, staring at the intertwined hands.

After and couple of minutes Suko held out his hand to Tam and she grabbed onto it, already knowing what to do. They leapt up, and came down in the exact spot. Sliding down the side Tam kept thinking about how good she is on convincing Suko to do something, ’Maybe I can get him to let me paint his fingernails tonight’ she thought, and finally they landed on the ground.
The three walked up to Suko’s dorm and Suko used his free hand to unlock the door and open it. “Lets all get in a comfortable position so we can talk about the dance,” Tam said, Suko only sighed in reply. He took a step forward only to be stopped by Kyoko.

He looked back, their fingers still intertwined, and she asked,” May I come in?” Suko smiled and nodded,” Of course you can, and thank you for asking this time.” Kyoko smiled and walked in. She walked over to the couch, Suko still behind her. She sat down, Suko did the same, and Tam came over and laid down on the other one, to the right.

“Hey, Suko, can I have you do something,” Tam asked, taking a bite out of an apple. Obviously she went into the kitchen, and grabbed an apple. “Sure, you almost never ask for something, so go ahead,” was Suko’s reply.
“Well, instead of calling me Tam,” she began, then took another bite,” how about Tama, Tam sounds boring.” Suko replied with an ‘ok’ and finally began a conversation with Kyoko, Tama listening closely.

“No, I didn’t do it. Tama did, her clan’s power allows them to freeze time, but not for long. Even a master at it won’t have long. At max, I’d say five minutes.” Suko explained, Kyoko gave an ‘oh’ still staring down at their hands, which Suko hadn’t separated yet. ‘Damn, when is he going to take his hand away from mine! I’m starting to get used to his hand there and if this keeps up, my clan’s curse will cause me to…………fall in love with him.’

[Cyl]

Chapter 11
The Dance


“Uh,…not to be rude Suko but…..can you take your hand away from mine?” Kyoko asked, sort of desperately. Suko looked away from Tama and down at their hands. They were still intertwined, so he slowly took his away.

“Sorry,” Suko replied, and turned his attention back to Tama

“It’s ok. But if you were to keep it there my clan’s curse would have kicked in.” Kyoko said, staring at the ground. Suko looked at her questioningly. “I’ll explain….” she said, and began telling about how her clan is cursed.

~With the Other Two~

Kiore and Aya didn’t go to their dorms however. They went to the cliff, hidden in the forest, and decided to talk about nothing in particular. “So, what are we going to do about the dance?” Kiore asked, expecting Aya to stutter with her words.

“What do you mean? We go, have fun, and leave.” Aya said simply.

Kiore sighed,” No, remember, every year there is and elected king and queen. Those two must share a dance and a kiss. But that’s not the only problem.”

“And the other one is?” Aya asked impatiently. She didn’t know what the big deal was. There was going to be hundreds of people there, and any of them could be elected.

“I mean people will think we’re going out.” Kiore finished. He then looked over to Aya who was in her normal spot, on top of a rock. She turned her head to look at him and smiled.

She got up and walked towards the forest,” Don’t worry,” Was all she said as she walked off towards her dorm.

“Well, it’s a matter we’ll tend to tomorrow. And until then I will wait.” Kiore said, then began walking towards the forest. He disappeared into the never ending shadows after saying,” Tomorrow is tomorrow. Fear not for the future, weep not for the past.”

~With Aya~

Aya exited the forest and headed west, her hair flowing behind her. She wanted to get tomorrow over with as quick as possible. But something in her mind kept bothering her, but she tried to pay no attention to it. ‘How did it happen so quickly. How did Suko’s and Kyoko’s hands intertwine with no one noticing? How, who, and why did they do it?’

Those thoughts kept coming back, no matter how many times she pushed them back.’ What if it was Tama? What if she did it somehow. But why.’ Aya kept thinking it over.

‘It seemed like Suko and her were pretty close, why would she try and hook him up with someone else? And if she doesn’t love him, that still leaves two questions. Why and How.’ Aya was now in front of her dorm, she unlocked it and went in, locking it behind her.

She slowly walked to her bedroom, and once inside it she hopped on the bed. ”I’ll figure all this out tomorrow. But for now, I’m going to worry about getting some sleep.” Aya said, yawning after. She then slowly drifted to sleep.

~With Kiore~

Kiore exited the forest and looked around for a moment. He then headed east at a walking pace and began wondering about tomorrow.’ I don’t know what I’ll do if I’m elected king.’ He thought, then took a turn.

‘And if I’m not elected I can get out of there quickly. Yah, and then there will be no problems or anything.’ He was now at his dorm and walked in.

He headed towards his bed, removed his shoes, and laid down on it slowly. “Tomorrow is another day. And another day leads to another death.” he said, and slowly drifted off to sleep, wondering about the events of tomorrow.

~With the Last Three~

“My clan was attacked by a ninja, but you could only see his silver eyes. His whole body was bandaged up, but he wasn’t hurt. And you see….he formed a few hand symbols and pulled a ball out of the ground. He thrusted it into our clan’s founder and the clan has been cursed since then.” Kyoko said, out of breath.

“Ok, and the curse does?” Tama asked curiously. Suko smiled at the question, waiting for the answer to come.

Kyoko sighed and continued on,” If I stay connected to someone physically or mentally too long I slowly develop feelings for them. Whether it’s the opposite or same gender. That is why I asked you to separate our hands.” She finished out of breath.

“Interesting, I remember reading into something like that. It’s a forbidden jutsu, and the only man who knows it is immortal by age. But if you kill him by hand, he will die.” Suko said, looking at Kyoko and Tama.

“You read into everything Suko, what’s the difference?” Tama asked, looking over at Suko. He only smiled slightly and looked over to Kyoko,” We should get some sleep. The dance is tomorrow after all.”

Kyoko nodded and stood up. While walking towards the door she heard Tama asked,” Suko, can she sleep over too? I don’t want to be stuck here with just a boy, I need a girl who understands what I say.” She then heard Suko sigh.

“So, you want to Kyoko?” Suko asked, as Kyoko turned around.

“Sure why not. There’s no harm in it right?” She responded, looking at Suko. She smiled and Suko got up and began walking towards his room. Minutes later he came back, and gestured for the two girls to follow him. They did and he led them to his room, where the bed was still in place, along with two mats on the floor.
“One person gets the bed, who will it be?” Suko asked, exchanging glances with the other two. The two girls just shrugged. Suko sighed,” Ok, how are we going to figure it out?” Suko asked. Both girls looked at each other with a smile.

“Rock, paper, scissors!” they both said at the same time. Suko only smiled slightly.

“Ok, ready, set, go!” Suko said, and all three played rock, paper, scissors. Suko used rock, Tama used scissors, and Kyoko had paper. “ Tama, you’re knocked out.” Suko said, she just gave him a playful ‘humph.’ “Second round,” Suko said, and him and Kyoko went at it.

“Rock, paper, scissors!” they both said, they both had scissors.
“Rock, paper, scissors!” they both said, they both had paper.
“Rock, paper, scissors!” they both said, Kyoko had paper while Suko had rock.

Tama held up Kyoko’s arm and claimed her as the winner. “The winner, and or champ at rock, paper, scissors is Kyoko!” she announced. Suko just smiled at this and laid down on his mat, not bothering with the blankets.

“Night,” they all said to one another, and they slowly went to sleep. Kyoko fell asleep first, Tama next, and Suko last.

~With Aya~

The sun rose, and Aya pulled the covers over her head. She mumbled something non-understandable and fell back to sleep for a couple more hours.

Finally waking up fully she got ready. She took her shower, got dressed, ate breakfast, and stretched. She made sure she had her headband for the dance today and almost strapped her shuriken and kunai knife strap, but didn’t.

She walked out of her dorm, locked it behind her, and began walking towards Kiore’s dorm, ready for today’s events.

~With Kiore~

Kiore had already been ready. He had gotten up early, eaten breakfast, stretched, taken a shower, and of coursed was dressed. He didn’t put anything extra on, just his normal stuff.

He exited his dorm, locked it, and went to meet up with Aya. On the way he saw a whole bunch of kids running around, adults sweeping their porches, and he even passed by the shuriken and kunai knife range.

Finally coming into view of the place where he was supposed to meet Aya he saw her waiting. He walked over and said,” He, ready for today?” She nodded and the two began walking, and talking about nothing special.

~With the Other Three~

Suko had woke at his usual, early, time. He had taken a shower quietly, was dressed in his new attire. The one Kyoko designed for him. Blue muscle shirt, blue baggy pants, and blue gloves with the fingers cut-off half-way.

He walked over to Tama and shook her, waking her up instantly. He then proceeded on doing the same thing with Kyoko, only to find her awake, and just lying there. “I take it the nightmare again?” Suko asked, only to get a nod in reply.

He held out a hand to her and she stared at it. Tama had gone into the bathroom and was taking her shower now. “Hey Suko,” Kyoko said, getting his attention,” a couple weeks back I dreamed about you being in that dream, during the fight. I’m sure it was cause your clan power you were in it right?” Suko nodded.

“When I said I still hated you, and you said who was I trying to convince with that, me or you. What did you mean?” Kyoko finally said, getting to the point. Suko sighed and sat down.

“What I was trying to do is see if you meant what you said. To find out if you truly still do hate me.” Suko replied. And after that Tama came out, dressed and everything. Kyoko stood up and walked over to the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and locked it. She then slid down it till she was sitting on the floor. ’Do I still hate him? Or do I think of him as my friend, like he does me?’ she thought, then stood up and decided to get ready.

~With Kiore and Aya~

“Well, lets see. We’ve got three hours till the dance begins. What do you want to do till then?” Aya asked Kiore. They were in the town square looking around, at nothing in particular.

“I don’t know. We’ll find something though. Especially if we run into Mashino.” Kiore replied, and just at that moment a poof of smoke appeared and when it cleared a blonde boy was left standing there, Smiling dumbly.

The kid was wearing green pants, one sleeve rolled up half-way, the other all the way down. His shirt was a long sleeve navy shirt. “I heard my name,” he said. Obviously this kid was Mashino.

“Yes you heard your name Mashino. But, doesn’t the village dope have better things to do than to chat?” Aya asked. The kid stared at Aya and then disappeared.

“That was kind of stupid,” Kiore pointed out. Aya only smiled as they continued walking in the village square.

~Hours Later~

“Come on Kyoko, the dance begins in twenty minutes.” Suko said from his dorm’s doorway. Tama had left earlier to meet up with Yuuki, and Suko and Kyoko had done nothing for the whole day.

“I’m coming,” she finally said, coming to the door now. Suko let her pass by and locked the door behind them.

They were both wearing their headbands and their regular attire. As they walked to the dance it got awfully quiet, and no one was willing to start a conversation. They arrived at it a couple minutes after it started, and as they entered they flashed their headbands at the guards to confirm access.

Inside there was music, food, and not many people at the moment. But it was soon to fill up. But for the time being Suko and Kyoko hung around with Aya and Kiore.

An hour passed and the place was filled. Suko was watching the door, waiting for Tama to show up. And finally she did. She walked in, holding onto Yuuki’s arm.

Yuuki had green eyes, white spiky hair, a well muscled body, and was wearing what you would usually find him in. He wore blue shorts that went to his knees, a blue short sleeve shirt, and his headband was around his forehead. He also wore black gloves, the fingers cut off half-way, but he had a metal plate with the Kanoho symbol engraved on each one.

Suko walked over, Kyoko following close behind. He met up with Tama and Yuuki and they began to talk. “ Hey Yuuki, long time no see.” Suko said,” this is my date Kyoko.” He was now gesturing towards Kyoko.

“Pleasure to meet you Yuuki,” she said, Yuuki smiled.

“Likewise to both of you.” he said, and as he said that his favorite song came on. “Come on Tama, lets go join the fun!” he said as he pulled her into the crowd.

“Well, he’s hyper sometimes,” Kyoko stated. Suko smiled and began walking towards where Yuuki and Tama disappeared.

“Come on Kyoko,” he said, and Kyoko followed him to the dance floor. There was an open circle, and that was where Yuuki and Tama were dancing. The song switched, and so did their movements. Pretty soon Suko and Kyoko joined them in the circle, dancing.

Turn on channel seven at a quarter to eight
You see the same damn thing it's just a different day and
No one really knows why this is happening
But it's happening

Suko and Yuuki were on the same side, while Kyoko and Tama were on the opposite side of the circle. They were facing their dates, but kept their rhythms the same as the song’s.

And everywhere you go it's just a different place
You get the same dark feeling
See the same sad faces
No one really cares that this is happening

“Hey Tama,” Kyoko whispered to her friend. “Lets see how fast these boys can dance ok?” Tama nodded and the two picked up the pace.

We come into this world
And we all are the same
In that moment there's no one to blame

Suko and Yuuki both smirked.” If it’s a challenge they want, it’s a challenge they receive” Yuuki said, and they copied the moves at the same rate the girls were.

But the world is black
And hearts are cold
And there's no hope
That's what we're told
And we can't go back
It won't be the same
Forever changed
By the things we seen, seen

“They’re good,” Tama whispered to Kyoko,” but we are just getting warmed up, right?”

“Yeah! Lets kick it up a notch!” Kyoko said excitingly. The two kicked their dancing moves up a notch.

Living in this place it's always been this way
There's no one doing nothing so there's nothing changed
And I can't live when this world just keeps dying
It's dying
People always tell me this is part of the plan
That God's got everybody in his hands
But I can only pray that God is listening
Is he listening?

Suko and Yuuki followed there steps, but now it was their turn. “Our turn to lead!” Suko shouted, and him and Yuuki slowed down the pace to match the song, but kept their moves fresh. And now everyone else had stopped dancing, and was watching the four genin.

We're living in this world
Growing colder everyday
Nothing can stay perfect now I see

But the world is black
And hearts are cold
And there's no hope
That's what we're told
And we can't go back
It won't be the same
Forever changed
By the things we seen, seen, seen

‘Ah crud, I won’t be able to keep up much longer’ both of the girls thought at once. Suko ‘read’ this and smirked. He whispered it to Yuuki, who smirked at it as well.

We come into this world
And we all are the same
And in that moment there's no one to blame
But we're living in this world
Growing colder everyday
Nothing can stay perfect now I see

The girls were having more trouble now, cause it was getting slower. “Can you keep up?” Kyoko asked Tama, who only looked at her questioningly. “Last part, we’ll beat them there. Just last that long, then follow my moves.” Tama nodded. The song slowed down dramatically.

The world is black
And hearts are cold
There's no hope
That's what we're told
And we can't go back
(We can't go back)
It won't be the same
(It won't be the same)
Forever changed
(What will ever change)
By the things we seen, seen, seen

Kyoko and Tama looked like they were about to faint, the song had dramatically slowed down there. Suko looked over at Yuuki, and they knew they won this round.

“Follow my lead, remember that,” Kyoko said, Tama nodded and watched as Kyoko’s stepping pace increased rapidly.

Turn on channel seven at a quarter to eight
You see the same damn thing it's just a different day
And no one really knows why this is happening

Suko was keeping up with Kyoko, but just barely. He was reading her mind, which said the steps she was taking. Tama and Yuuki however couldn’t keep track of the many steps and failed. Tama fell over from exhaustion, put Yuuki was there to catch her. That left but just two on the dance floor, Suko and Kyoko, battling it off to find out who won, Suko and Yuuki, or Kyoko and Tama.

[Cyl]

Chapter 12
The Dance pt.2


“Are you ok Tama?” Yuuki asked her, a bit worried. She nodded and took a deep breath. She was extremely exhausted. “ Ok, thank kami you are ok. Lets sit out next time ok?” He got another nod from her.

Aya and Kiore came over,” Is everything ok over here? We saw you guys dancing and Tama looks like she’s going to faint.” Aya said, taking a breath after saying all that. Yuuki looked up at her.

“We’re fine, just exhausted.” he replied, turning back to Tama. ”Want anything to drink?” he asked. She nodded again and Yuuki left to get the drink.
“Hey Tama, where’s Suko and Kyoko? Weren’t they with you?” Kiore asked her. She nodded and pointed up to the big crowd. “They’re still going at it. I wonder how long they can keep this up.” he said aloud, not expecting an answer.

The song had changed and this one seemed to be a whole lot faster. Making it harder on the two genin dancers.

There you go
You're always so right,
It's all a big show,
It's all about you,
You think you know,
What everyone needs
You always take time to criticize me...

“You can’t win Kyoko. This is MY song. I rule all on it.” Suko said with a grin. He was pulling out moves and combined them all together, pacing himself to make sure he doesn’t crash while performing major moves.

It seems like everyday
I make mistakes,
I just can't get it right..
It's like I'm the one
You love to hate
But not today...

“Oh yeah, well I can keep up with anything you dish out Suko.” she shot back at him. She wasn’t performing his moves perfectly, but close.

So shut up, shut up, shut up
Don't want to hear it
Get out, get out, get out
Get out of my way
Step up, step up, step up
You'll never stop me
Nothing you say today
Is gonna bring me down(nnnnn)

“Here I’ll show you why it’s MY song,” Suko said as he began performing fast moves, one handed hand-stands, flips, everything.

There you go
You never ask why
It's all a big lie
Whatever you do
You think your special..
But I know, and I know, and I know, and we know
That you're not
You're always there to point... out my mistakes
And shove them in my face
It's like I'm the one you love to hate
But not today...

“Face Kyoko you’re worn out, just back down, ok? Short, hey wait……” Suko began,” isn’t there a height limit you have to be to enter a dancing competition? Number one rule: No short people.” Suko teased her like that, building up her temper.

So shut up, shut up, shut up
Don't want to hear it
Get out, get out, get out
Get out of my way
Step up, step up, step up
You'll never stop me
Nothing you say today
Is gonna bring me down

Suko kept saying how short Kyoko was, and other things like that, just testing her patience. Building her temper up.

(Shut up, shut up, shut up)
Is gonna bring me down(nnnnn)
(Shut up, shut up, shut up)
You'll never bring me down(nnnnn)

Don't tell me who I should be(eeeee)
(Don't tell me who I should be)
And don't try to tell me what's right for me
Don't tell me what I should do(oooo)
I don't want to waste my time
I'll watch you fade away(yyyy)...

“Short stuff” Suko said, and that triggered it, Kyoko couldn’t contain her anger anymore. She stopped and walked over to Suko, a mad expression on her face. Suko just smiled and kept dancing,

So shut up, shut up, shut up
Don't wanna hear it
Get out, get out, get out
Get out of my way
Step up, step up, step up
You'll never stop me
Nothing you say today
Is gonna bring me down(nnnn)

Shut up, shut up, shut up
Don't wanna hear it
Get up, get up, get up
Get out of my way
Step up, step up, step up
You'll never stop me
Nothing you say
Is gonna bring.. me.. Down

Kyoko was now mere feet away from Suko, and Suko made the first comment,” You lose the competition.” Kyoko didn’t mind though, she just kept walking towards him. It was then that the music stopped completely and Suko looked to his left.

Suko heard something from there and he sensed danger. He jumped and took Kyoko down, protecting her. “What are yo………..” she was cut off by the wall being blown up. “Suko…….” was all Kyoko said before Suko stood up and looked for the threat.

Yuuki quickly ran over to where everyone else was. That included Aya, Kiore, and Tama. They were all staring at the demolished wall. There were five shadows. Three smaller than the other two.

A shuriken came out of the smoke and Suko was seen catching it. “Outcasts,” he whispered to Kyoko,” and Riku is here.” The next minute the five shadows disappeared and everyone was confused.

The next minute there was a person in front of Suko. Two near Kiore and Aya, and one behind Suko and Kyoko. Suko held onto the shuriken, then jabbed it into the figure in front of him’s chest, he disappeared. He then turned around and threw it at Riku, he vanished before it hit.

Suko ran over to Kyoko who was curled up into a ball,” Kyoko snap out of it. You have to defend yourself.” She looked up then went back into the position. Suko sighed and looked everywhere. No one in the dance room but him, Kyoko, Kiore, Aya, Tama, Yuuki, and the five outcasts. Suko jumped up and grabbed a string holding up decorations, and pulled it down. He then looked around and found a strap with shuriken and kunai knives in it. He took them out and stringed them together quickly. Then tied it and readied himself.

“Suko!!! The outcasts are back!!” Aya yelled. Yuuki formed hand symbols then he finished, pulling a sword out of the ground. “Summoning jutsu: Heaven Blade!” he said, and slashed at the two figures near him. They disappeared. At that moment, nothing was visible, and the outcasts were out of sight.

Suko was slammed into the wall before he knew it, and Yuuki was flung outside. Kiore was taken somewhere, while Aya was taken to the same spot. That left Kyoko and Tama all alone. The next second Riku appeared behind Kyoko and said,” Long time no see.” Kyoko froze, to scared to move.

Riku unsheathed the sword from his back and slashed at the curled up form of Kyoko. Blood splattered, it seemed like it was raining blood, but it was just coming down from the air in the building.