Chapter 13 - The Bounty Hunter

Mild Violence
Moderate Swearing
Mild Sex

Please note: I’ve done a lot of RyoukoXSakura fics. This time, it’s Ryouko X Azami, and it’s a continuation of a scrapped story I did a year ago. It was an interesting one to write. Not sure I’m satisfied with it, but I never am when it comes to my work. So, please comment and enjoy!

-NG

Ps: Coming soon- Bleach. Anyone like the idea?

-~- Desperation -~-

“…I now pronounce you man and wife; you may kiss the bride.”

At this, Ekyt looked away. Sakura and Sasuke kissing…even though they were both friends, it sickened him in a way. They were both 18, making Ekyt 22 years old. The man who had just married the two looked up. Naruto Uzumaki, the sixth Hokage.
Also at the ceremony were a jonin Lee (He had become a spending ninja, with only taijutsu), a Hinata engaged to Naruto (She had admitted it!), and Shikamaru and Ino tolerating each other.

It seemed everyone had lived their dreams. With that, a sardonic half-smirk rose under Ekyt’s mask. Except me…I never told Sakura how I felt…not that it would have mattered…it was all about her and Sasuke…and Naruto- the sixth Hokage? Amazing. And he’s engaged? Wow. But it begs the question- just how pathetic AM I? Ekyt walked out of the hall, skipping the reception. He wouldn’t be missed, he knew. The focus was the newly weds. It was NOT on Ekyt. And why should it have been? He was a genin, and he was single, having lived 22 years without a hint of romance in his life. He had never led a mission, and he had never been part of a team- at least not permanently.

Ekyt pulled off the annoying piece-of-shoot formal uniform and pulled on his comfortable clothes- his combat clothes. His normal gear. While Sakura and Sasuke would have time for a honeymoon, business continued as usual for Ekyt. Work meant life. Even if it was the same D-ranked crap. The next, he noted, would be his 2008th mission. BFD. He felt his anger build up, and his emotional chakra started to leak from his body. He couldn’t have that happening, not now, not until he was in combat. Instead, Ekyt tied on his headband. Then, not knowing why, he strung seven senbon together, dipped them in a small pool of blood (From his last mission- damn cat scratched him to bits), and then sank them into his shoulder. It was a tattoo, now reading “Ryouko”, or “Dragon Boy”. With the remaining blood, Ekyt whipped out a scroll and let it fly, running his thumb down it.

“Kuchiyose no Jutsu!” he called flatly. With a poof, his Chinese Water Dragon, Umisu, landed on his shoulder. Ekyt stroked him with one gloved hand.

“Umisu, please deliver the usual message to the Hokage. Here, for your trouble.” Ekyt tossed his dragon a specially-blended treat that always contented the dragon. It winked at it’s owner, then zipped off to find the Sixth Hokage. Or, rather, his office. Ekyt didn’t need to tell Umisu not to bother him at the wedding reception. Part of Ekyt wondered if it was wrong to ignore the reception. These two WERE his friends. Well, Sakura was, anyway. Sasuke, who could tell? He treated everyone the same. Ekyt decided that he had braved the wedding, and their first kiss as man and wife, he could do without the formal reception. He wasn’t a partier. Instead, he wandered the empty Konoha streets, cursing when an empty beer can hit him in the face. He reared back and threw it at a garbage can- direct hit. That gave Ekyt the idea to work with his throwing weapons. Senbon were his weapon of choice, but he kept kunai with him.


The wedding had been perfect. The reception had lasted nearly a full day and night. Sasuke had returned, had married Sakura, and Naruto had been named Hokage. Dreams come true. Of course, the next day, everyone was dragging. Naruto especially. He stumbled into his office, barely awake, and saw the scroll on his desk. He opened it, and it’s contents perked him up quickly. He quickly used a Summoning Jutsu himself and asked Gamakichi to deliver a message to Ekyt. No, Ryouko. Ekyt refused to be known as ‘Ekyt’. That was his failed identity, or so the message read. He now lived his legacy- “Ryouko”.


Ekyt/Ryouko threw the last eight senbon. Direct his, 7/8. DAMNIT! It wasn’t perfect. He had no right to expect perfection from himself, but that’s what he demanded. That moment was when Gamakichi appeared.

“Hey, letter from the boss, Ekyt.”

Ekyt nodded his thanks. “It’s “Ryouko” now, Gamakichi.” It would take getting used to, but that was his name. Ryouko.

“Whatever. But you’d better hurry up, the boss wants to see you.”

Apparently, Ryouko didn’t care.

“Tell him to kiss my @$$. I’ll show up when I’m good and ready. Thanks for delivering the message.” Ryouko spat out the first part, then spoke warmly for the second. It wasn’t Gamakichi’s fault that Ryouko was pissed off.

-

Naruto waited impatiently. A puff of smoke told him that Ekyt had arrived.

“What took you so long, Ekyt?!” Naruto demanded.

“It’s Ryouko now, Lord Hokage,” Ryouko informed him dryly.

“Look, I got your scroll. What’s this about you leaving?” Naruto nearly snarled.

“I thought I was clear. I am leaving the village and renouncing my citizenship here,” Ryouko replied as though discussing the weather.

“You didn’t even say why!” Naruto shouted, throwing the scroll at Ryouko. Ryouko caught it, ripped it in half, tossed it in the air, and threw two senbon, pinning the pieces to the wall.

“Do you see a chunin vest on me? Or ANBU armor? Or a squad? Naruto, you, of all people, know that I have been trapped as a Genin for 6 years. I have no self confidence, and even I am saying that it’s bullshoot.”

Naruto couldn’t believe this was Ekyt, er, Ryouko talking.

“I can’t stop you. But I’m not giving you chunin status for no reason.”
“NO REASON? 2000 MISSIONS? YOU SEE FIT TO PISS ON THEM?! OR THE TRAINING? OR THE FACT THAT I GOT SCREWED AT EVERY TURN WITH THE CHUNIN EXAMS? HAS THAT FACT HIT YOU YET?” Ryouko calmed himself quickly. “Three Hokage’s during my time, and none of them has seen fit to give me a promotion in rank, one I am 5 years overdue for. You and everyone else, you’ve all realized your dreams. But me? Nothing! I’m a loner, and I’ve kept things to myself that would have made lesser men than me crack! I see only one way to rectify that, and that is to make my own destiny, rather than wait for a board of directors to make it for me.”
Naruto leaned forward, trying to stare Ryouko down. His eyes had turned red. The demon fox chakra had awakened.

“Are you insulting the Leaf Village? Because we haven’t catered to you? I have no place for pissy attitudes in my Village, so shape up, get the hell out!”

Ekyt glared back at Naruto, his blue chakra welling up. At that point, several jonin rushed into the room. Lee, Shikamaru, Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi were among them. Apparently, Naruto had passed the message on. Ekyt didn’t care. He bit his thumb open again (the cut from the previous night not healed yet) and made a line of blood through his headband.

“If Konohagakure has no place for me…then I will FIND a place that does. And- don’t touch me!” Ryouko snarled. He didn’t care whose hands had just been on him.
“We can’t let you leave…not like this. If we have to fight you, we will,” Sasuke informed him.

“So be it,” Ryouko shot back. But he couldn’t move. Shadow Possession Jutsu? “Damn it!” Ryouko swore.

“Sorry, but if you honestly thought we’d let you go peacefully…” Shikamaru had him trapped.

Sakura and Sasuke stood to one side, Kakashi to the other, Naruto behind him, and Shikamaru in front of him. Ryouko closed his eyes, defeated.

“Treason…You committed treason…WHAT on earth made you want to leave?!” Naruto asked. By now, Tsunade and Sarutobi had joined them. Shikamaru kept Ryouko pinned with his Shadow Possession.

“We all…all have had dreams…you’ve all recognized yours…But me…” Ryouko laughed hollowly. “Well, I’m a genin, I’m single, and apparently, I’m not fit to clean the Hokage’s sandals.”

“No one said that!” Lee protested.

“And yet, D-rank after D-rank, order after order…Just let me go. I have no dreams, they’ve all been destroyed. But maybe…maybe I can make new ones…because you’ve stepped on my dreams, and crushed the pieces to dust. Now, I’ve explained myself. Let go.”

Shikamaru didn’t. Ekyt let his emotions surge through him. Shikamaru put a hand to his chest- it hurt so much. But he didn’t let go of the Shadow Possession Jutsu.

“You have felt only a fraction of what I feel every day. It’s a blast, isn’t it? Your dream was to have carefree life among the clouds, to have a wife, to retire, to play Go and Shougi, then die, wasn’t it Shikamaru? My dreams…my dreams no longer exist, and therefore mean nothing. I’ve failed to validate my existence. I wish to do so, and now I see my allies standing in my way…”

Everyone could feel Ekyt’s cold look.

“Too bad. For your crimes, you are to be imprisoned.” Naruto’s information sent a stir through the small crowd. This time, the surge of emotions Ekyt let loose forced Shikamaru to let go. He fell back in pain. Ekyt bit his thumbs.

“Twin Summoning Jutsu!” He called. Poof Poof! His dog, Holly, and his Dragon, Umisu, appeared at his side. Umisu and Holly had come ready to fight, but stopped.

“Kid?”

“Attack them,” Ekyt said flatly.

Holly stared at him. She looked at the others, then back at him.

“No,” she said firmly. “You’re making a mistake. My collar has Konoha’s symbol on it. Not yours.”

Ekyt looked in desperation. “Holly…and Umisu…have abandoned me…I should have known. People and animals…the world is full of them, but neither are worthy of trust. Well, you can always trust two things: yourself…(Ekyt flipped a kunai to a reverse grip in his hand) and death…”

Ekyt put the kunai to his throat. “It’s a shame we won’t get to fight. But now, I’ve got to realize my own visions. Don’t worry, they have nothing to do with the village. You won’t hear from me again until I’ve completely succeeded, or completely failed.”

Ekyt backed out of the room, no one daring to attack.

“He’s gotten desperate…Kakashi, you know what you have to do…”

Kakashi lifted his headband. “Yes, I do. It’s a shame…but it seems the Raikiri is his future…”

“Wait, there’s one other option!” Sakura protested. “What about bringing him back alive? I mean, we did it for Sasuke, didn’t we? Doesn’t Ryouko deserve the same? It’s not as if he committed treason- he told us to our faces he was going to leave. If that’s the case, then he must have a reason for wanting to leave. Beyond what he said, I mean. There’s another side to that story that Ryouko isn’t telling. We need to hear it before we prosecute him as a criminal.”

“Yeah, but how are we going to do that? He’ll fight, and he’ll probably win.”

“Nope! I know just what to do! Ryouko’s weakness is an easy one- he won’t hit a girl. So we just need to find the one to do the job!”

“What about you, Sakura?” Naruto/Lord Hokage asked.

“No, I won’t work. We need someone…well, single. Once a girl is taken, Ryouko doesn’t see her as a ‘threat’ anymore. Not only won’t he fight me, but he knows my fighting style too well and can dodge my attacks. We need someone he’s never seen before. And to do that, we need to go ‘black market’…”

--

“No way, I won’t agree to this!” Sakura stubbornly crossed her arms.

“But it was YOUR idea! Or are you afraid that she’ll…ya know…with Ryouko…hehehe! Y’know, that might be just what he needs. A little female attention! OW! Sakura, you’re not supposed to hit the Hokage!”

Naruto was massaging his head, while the others were looking at the girl hired to bring Ryouko down.

Waist-long black hair, a figure that would make anyone drool, and eyes cold as ice. The first things you noticed about her.

Azami was a bounty hunter. Male or female, she showed the same amount of mercy- none. Only nineteen, the girl had already bagged several major targets with ease.

“Show me a picture of your target, and he’ll be back in your care before long. I have a one hundred percent success rate.”

The girl was clearly foreign, at least somewhat. She had some Japanese features, but she was tall with darker skin. Truthfully, that skin came from her Egyptian background, with the other half of her heritage being Japanese. She was as alluring as she was deadly.

Naruto handed over a picture. It was slightly outdated, but Ryouko hadn’t changed much over the years anyway.

“Cute kid. How old is he? Fifteen? Sixteen?” Azami asked.

“Twenty-two!” Sakura half-shouted. She didn’t like hearing Ryouko slighted.

“Huh. Well, no matter, he’ll be yours again all the same. I’m off.”

--

Ryouko walked along the dirt path in the forest, feeling slightly better. He had escaped the village with nothing more than a bluff. But he couldn’t stop moving. He had to keep going, or his past would catch up with him. And the past was the last thing Ryouko wanted to face now.

Ryouko looked different. Wearing his old samurai wear, and even carrying his sword, the only thing that remained unchanged was his face. Said face stayed expressionless, even as he heard a twig crack.

A girl came running to him, panic in her eyes.

“Sir, please help me! These men are after me! I beg you! I can’t beat them alone!”

Ryouko pushed the girl behind him gently, drawing his sword. On cue, four men came charging out of the bushes. Without waiting for them to get closer, Ryouko made handsigns with his free hand.

“Fire Style: Dragon’s Ember Wall!”

While the wall blocked him from view, Ryouko ran toward it. He protected himself with his chakra as he barreled through the flames. Using genjutsu, Ryouko took care of all the talentless thugs in a heartbeat. It was no testament to his skill- these men were just weak. Then he felt it- a blade at the base of his neck.

“Alright, you’re caught, Ryouko/Ekyt. Time to go home…”

Ryouko’s eyes narrowed further. “You know…my name? Don’t tell me those bastards…! Gah! Er, forgive me. I make it a habit to not swear in front of ladies…wait, no, I’m not apologizing! Screw that, I’m outta here!”

In an instant, Ryouko was away from Azami’s knife, spinning around and grabbing her wrist. But Azami proved why she was rated the top bounty hunter in the underground. Her leg flashed out, stuffing Ryouko in the guy. He skidded down the dirt road, his eyes peering out from under his straw hat. His hat was off his head quickly, as he had to knock down an incoming kunai.

“They were right, it seems!” Azami twirled a kunai, smirking. “You won’t hit a girl. Am I correct?”

“…”

“I thought so. All the more reason this struggle is pointless. Now listen, I’m only gonna say this once, so pay attention: I don’t care why you left that village. I don’t care why they want you back. All I care about is collecting my bounty. My success rate is one hundred percent, and I’m not gonna let you ruin that. So if you just surrender, this can be painless.”

Ryouko was caught. But the worst feeling was that he didn’t WANT to get away. He was tired of running.

“Alright, I give up. Do whatever you want with me. This is no way to live. I had just planned to wander around anyway. I’m tired of this cat and mouse game.”

Azami aimed her crossbow at his neck. “I don’t blame you, you know. And this is nothing personal on my part. I just do what I’m hired to do. I’m sure you can…understand…”

Azami felt herself blush. She had never bothered to explain herself to a target before. She was also one to tell the truth, even to herself.

I like him. He’s cute. Look at him, sitting on the ground like that. He’s completely defeated mentally, even though he could fight physically. I wonder what it is that wounded his heart? It’s all over him- regret. And he’s a smart guy, so that regret must be a pretty big one…

“What is it that plagues your heart, wanderer?” Azami lowered her crossbow, squatting down to Ryouko’s level. With his arms behind his back, Ryouko propped himself up against the base of a large tree.

“Do you ask every client this?”

Azami giggled a little at that. “No, can’t say I do. But I’ve never chased one quite like you, either.”

Ryouko sighed. “I suppose it doesn’t matter, since I’m dead anyway.”

“Oh, they won’t kill you. You have quite a few worried about you at home.” Azami thought of Sakura’s face upon seeing her. An old lover, perhaps?

“They can all bite me. If you take me to that village, my life is over. If they don’t kill me, I’ll kill myself. I can’t live there anymore. So I’ll be dead regardless. So I might as well tell you…I was in love with a girl there. I never told her, so she didn’t know. She got married the day I left the village. I was refused promotion that same day, so I guess it all came to a head. All the anger and frustration. No matter what I did, I was never given what I deserved in return. So I had to leave. I’ve never had an ounce of female affection…(sigh) Well, whatever. Either kill me, or bring me back so I can kill myself. Truth be told, you’re a gorgeous creature, and you’ve earned your bounty.”

Azami was taken aback by this. He just told me all that? He IS planning to die, that much is certain. Why do I feel as though I can’t let that happen? And more importantly…why can’t I look away from him? He’s ‘just a target’, but I can’t keep my eyes off him. Look at him, just sitting there, staring at nothing. How easy would it be for him to break those ropes and escape? And yet, he’s not…

Azami swept away some sticks and sat down. She grabbed Ryouko by the gi and yanked him toward her, so they were sitting back to back.

“Maybe we can work this out. I hate to see such a promising young man throw it all away. Are you certain you can’t love someone else?”

“I’m starting to wonder…” Ryouko muttered, turning red himself. “I meant what I said about you being gorgeous, you know. And I know this’ll sound corny and crazy, but I can’t stop looking at you. I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t say that, but I should be honest…”

Azami stood up quickly, (Ryouko’s head went ‘crack’ on the ground when Azami moved) apparently uncaring that Ryouko’s line of vision would be directed under her dress when he regained consciousness.

So he’s really just a good guy who got screwed at every turn…I can’t turn him in. I just can’t. He all but said he loved me. Me, the girl who was hunting him. What a strange guy he is, but how…adorable. He’s completely clueless about love. If he could have said to that girl what he just said to me, he would have had her, no doubt. But it took death to force it out of him? Well, surprise Ryouko!

“Okay you, stop staring at my panties. We’re going to make a deal, and saying no is not an option.”

Ryouko felt the ropes binding him being released. He stood up with some help from Azami.

“This is how things are going to work: I’m going to let you live, but you’re going to come back to your village with me. Then, you’re going to leave your village with me. I’ll wander with you, until you’re ready to return. But you owe them a check-in, nothing less. And this time, we’ll both escape.”

Ryouko could have ran. He could have fought. Instead, he stayed still. He looked Azami in the eyes, seeing the stone-cold hunter’s eyes melt away. They were replaced by a look of longing from a lonely girl. Much like the look of longing that Ryouko had kept private all this time.

“It’s…it’s a deal,” he stammered.

Azami nodded. “Good. You won’t fight me, right?”

“Right.”

“Good. Hold still. We’ve gotta make this look good…”

Azami tore Ryouko’s gi top, yanking off one sleeve while cutting up the chest section. Ryouko’s skin was exposed now. Carefully, Azami placed her sword on his chest.

“This’ll hurt for a second, but we need to do it. Just trust me.”

Ryouko found he did. He felt the blade dig into his flesh, but only superficially.

“I get it. An illusion of a struggle…that’s smart,” Ryouko commented. Azami got to work on his hakama, making the edges torn and tattered.

“Yeah. Now, hold still again…” Azami reached around Ryouko, leaning her head on his shoulder. She sunk her teeth gently into his neck, just enough to create a bite mark.
“Evidence of close combat,” she explained, blushing. “You’re a guy, you’re naturally more powerful than me, so I’d have to kick and bite. And- hey, stop blushing like that! You pervert!”

“You stop first! You just bit me on the neck like some vampire! I won’t pretend it’s not a turn-on, but geez! You…coulda warned me.”

“Warning,” Azami said flatly, biting his shoulder, this time drawing blood. “That’s what you get for whining.” Azami licked the blood up, realizing just how fun it would be wander with such a shy kid.
I wonder what would happen if I…

“Now me…let’s see…”
Azami took a knife to her dress, making a rip from the hem all the way to her waist. She made a couple small cuts, and one on the shoulder of her dress, cutting it so it fell off her shoulder.
Should I…I’m going to!

“It WAS Ryouko, wasn’t it?” Azami asked, apparently unconcerned.

“That’s right.”

“Oh, good. Hold still, Ryouko.” Azami seized a handful of Ryouko’s hair, then pulled toward her- hard.

“Ow! What’s that f-”

Azami’s mouth was locked with Ryouko’s, cutting him off in mid-sentence. She held the pose for quite a while. Ryouko’s mind didn’t register what was going on until about thirty seconds had passed. When it DID, Ryouko found one arm snaking around Azami’s waist, while his other arm moved across her shoulders. He finally closed his eyes.

Azami let go, smiling while she stared at him warmly. “Sorry to pull your hair, tough guy, but that’s the only way you’d open you mouth…Don’t bother lying and acting like you didn’t want that. Besides, it’s okay- I kissed YOU, so you can still say you’re shy. Oh, and next time we do this, don’t grip my shoulder so hard. Or, at least, don’t use your nails. You’ll draw blood. I don’t mind you holding tight, though.”

“Azami, can I ask you something?” Ryouko said earnestly. “You planned this, right? you had a feeling, the same as me. You couldn’t stop looking, and neither could I. What are you REALLY going to do with me?”

“Are you seriously THAT clueless, Ryouko? Think about it while we walk. Oh, right, hold on, I’ve got to replace the ropes. While we’re making this look good and realistic.”

As Azami wound the ropes around Ryouko’s arms again, it dawned on him. Boy+Girl+Love= …!

“Oh…THAT!”

Azami batted him in the head. “Not ‘THAT’, you pervert! Not right away!”

“You’re blushing again. Who’s perverted, again?” Ryouko pointed out.

“You wanna die, you little punk?!”

“You wanna try to kill me?”

“Don’t tempt fate…”

“Well, I DO like feisty girls…”

“So that means I must like stupid men…”

“Oh, bite me…”

“I’ve already done that, genius!”

“Good point. And you enjoyed it, too. What, you have a blood fetish or something?!”

“If I do, you’re in for a world of hurt!”

The two locked eyes. They shared a single thought:

This is fun. Where has he/she been all this time? This must be love…
…
Love’s fun.

--

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