Chapter 25 - Arc III- Seperation: Chapter 3

Ryouko traveled briefly, finding respite it a border town similar to Tanzaku. This town didn’t have the lively festivals that Tanzaku did; most just passed through here as a safety checkpoint, then continued on their way.

Ryouko had since changed into his old ¾ sleeve length top. He had to distance himself from any appearance of a shinobi. He couldn’t deal with it just yet. Instead, he did all he could to look like a traveler. The hat and coat, and now the top all added to that illusion.

Sitting down at a small booth-style tea stand, Ryouko ordered ‘tea, rice cakes, and chilled sake’. He wiped his brow under his hat, not wanting to take it off yet. The burn he had inflicted on himself hadn’t healed yet, and it was sensitive to changes in the weather.

Someone sat down near him. Immediately, something clicked within Ryouko. This presence was familiar to him. But how?

“Amazake, please. Oh, and soba.”

Ryouko’s eyes narrowed further- he knew that voice. He was sure…
Then it hit him. All at once, he pushed himself back, reaching for the dagger inside his top.

The girl seemed to realize it at the same time. She turned to strike as well. Both stopped short, not wanting to make a scene.

“Apologies. Didn’t realize it was you…Azami.”

Azami smiled a little, sliding closer. “It’s fine, Ryouko. Of course. May I ask what you’re doing?”

“You talk first if you want answers.”

Azami raised an eyebrow, slightly bemused by Ryouko’s tone. “Oh, I see. After last time, you don’t want to trust me. Fair enough. But you should know that I won’t attack you like that again.. In fact, that’s the reason I’m traveling.”

She blushed, a faint tinge of pink on her cheeks.
“After you beat me, I realized that I needed to improve. I’d grown cocky, and that was my downfall. So I…well, took some time off and decided to wander.”

Ryouko kept his voice low, even managing to smile amiably as the server brought his food. Through a bite, he murmured “And I should believe you why? You nearly killed me last time. Now we’re all goody-goody with each other?”

Azami rolled her eyes a little. “We almost got REAL ‘goody-goody’, before you chickened out.”

Ryouko’s plate and cups hit the dirt with a loud crash. He stood up, fists clenched at his side.
“You don’t realize just how truthful what you just said was…”
He wiped himself off and began to stalk away.

Azami looked at her own food, but opted to follow Ryouko. Why one little comment had cracked his stoic mask was another riddle she couldn’t leave unsolved.

I care for him on some level. Maybe seeing him like this…hurt, confused…damaged goods…maybe that called up some kind of nurturing instincts from inside me. As much as I want to fight him again, I want to take care of him, too.
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Ryouko stood by the river’s edge on a wooden bridge. The bridge had been worn by erosion and creaked with each wave that hit it. But that was comforting somehow. His hat jammed on his head, Ryouko closed his eyes for a moment. The burns were worse than he had let on to Sakura.
Feeling across the right side of his back, on the back of his neck, and now across his right eye.

Why couldn’t I tell her? I’d be in less pain now if I had. But I guess I just can’t. She’s not a part of my life anymore. Only these scars. If I’d let her heal me, I’d be left with an act of her kindness to remember that fight by. But it’s the scars and burns I need to remember.

Ryouko briefly remembered his body being incinerated from the inside, screaming in agony and defeat. He closed his eyes, forcing the memory out of his head. He had begun to sweat from reliving the pain. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth so hard his gums bled.

A hand on his shoulder calmed him. A white cloth dabbed at the blood coming down his cheek. A voice spoke to him:
“Come on, settle down. You weren’t like this before. Something’s happened.”

Azami sat down, tugging Ryouko down next to her.
“…And I want to know what. I want to hear your story…as a friend, this time. Not a rival; not an enemy.”
--
--

“You did WHAT?!”

Jiraiya backed from Tsunade- he had really managed to piss her off this time.

“Now, hold on. I had no idea he would actually listen!”

Tsunade’s smashed her desk with one powerful strike. She stepped over it’s wreckage, grabbing Jiraiya by his vest.
“You know what the prophecy said! And after all I made him sacrifice to protect those two…you go and tell him it’s not enough?!”

“Tsunade, listen, I-”

“YOU listen! YOU could have trained him! Or you could have been a little more tactful! Now your idiocy has cost those two what could be their last line of defense! If they die, you know what will happen! And in the process, you‘ve destroyed someone else! Do you think that Ryouko will EVER forgive you? Or ever adjust after the hell you put him through?!”

Jiraiya was rendered silent. He had no answers and no defense. He had pushed things too far by mistake. His semi-paternal love for Naruto had made him err in an important matter, and he deserved this scolding.
He deserved a worse fat from Ryouko. Vaguely, he wondered if the boy would try to kill him someday. But that thought was instantly dismissed. Ryouko wouldn’t do that; not to another protector of those two.

But he WILL try to prove himself against me again. But how far can he get? There’s no master out there for him…
--
--

The explosions faded from Sunagakure as fast as they had come. But there were still visible columns of smoke rising from many of the Sand’s buildings. Fires were a problem in a desert land, though not common.

Gaara thoughtfully used his sand to put the fires out; shifting massive amounts of it onto the burning buildings. Most of the shops and homes were built out of sand to begin with, so the fires didn’t spread easily. But the few wooden stores and homes went up like kindling.

Temari soon joined Gaara, evacuating people who had been caught near the fire, and assisting those with burns. Her Wind Style Jutsu wouldn’t be of much help. So she put her mind to work.
Who would do this? And why? Gaara? Some old grudge? That’s the only reason I can think of…Unless our alliance with the Leaf?

Kankuro landed next to Temari after a few moments. But his face was marred with a little bit of anger.

“Temari, the border guards saw no one enter and no one leave.”

That meant that this was an internal job. Someone within the Sand was angry at the Sand. But weeding out who would be next to impossible.

Gaara let the last bit of sand drop, putting out the last of the fires. He had heard what Kankuro said, and spent a minute mulling it over. Finally, he reached a decision:
“Add more guards around the village, and add more foot patrols. The next time they strike, we’ll catch . And they‘ll be punished.”

“Gaara, we can’t spare anyone else! Everyone is away on missions! Since the Leaf’s attack, we’ve taken on some of their work…” Temari said, recoiling automatically. Gaara was still scary when angry, even though he didn’t attack anymore.

“…Then it’s time we called in favors from the Leaf. Temari, make the arrangements. It would be…nice…to see Naruto again.”

Temari still couldn’t believe that her brother could feel any kind of…anything. Especially for someone as infamous as Naruto. But it was good he had a friend. Everyone could use a friend.
--
--
--

It was nearly dark by the time Ryouko finished his story. He had jammed his hat down over his eyes, still not looking at Azami completely.
“…So I took his advice and left. I couldn’t do anything else. It’s cowardly to run, but he had all but shoved me out the door. And I can’t just tell a Sannin to ‘bite me’.”

Azami sighed, really feeling for Ryouko.
It must be killing him. Maybe literally. Those burns aren’t normal. A new one even welled up from under his skin while we were talking. He must be really damaged now…
“Well…it probably won’t be much help, but…I think I can at least make you feel a little better. If it’s true that misery loves company, anyway. But…please don’t tell this to anyone. I really don’t like people knowing about my past…”

So she trusts me enough to tell me something about her. It could be a lie…but I don’t think so. She’s been very genuine tonight…Maybe this will be the real thing.

Azami took a breath, then started, looking up at the moon.
“It was five years ago now. I was in the Sand’s version of ANBU. Back then, the Third Kazekage was still alive, and very much a cruel warmonger, no matter what anyone else said. He was clever at hiding his political agenda from untrained eyes, though.”
Azami paused again, organizing her thoughts. Now that she had started, she really felt good about being able to tell someone about this, after all this time. The only person who knew was her father.

“So, I was training hard. I kept being recommended for seduction missions because of my body. I never older than my age, but everyone always called me ‘sexy’. And I always declined those missions. When confronted, I told people to ‘Respect me as a warrior, not a sex object’.” Azami chuckled, rolling her eyes. “You probably won’t be surprised to hear that they didn’t want to hear that. So I jammed it down their throats by becoming so strong that no other agent could touch me. This continued until I was given a mission- this time, an assassination.”

Ryouko had been sitting completely still, drinking in every word the girl was saying. It seemed they had become adept at listening to one another and reading one another. And, try as he might to keep this thought out, it kept creeping in:
This boy I’m supposed to ‘adopt’…the one with the Issekigan…If he’s that young, my solo lifestyle won’t be a good influence on him. If it’s to be a ‘family’ atmosphere, there should be a female involved as well. And Azami has been incredibly nurturing…not to mention how I suspect she feels about me…and possibly I about her…maybe I should ask her…to come along. Or…or to marry me.

Azami continued talking then, not seeing Ryouko’s shy glance up from under his hat. He was blushing so heavily that the burn over his eye tingled.
I can’t believe I had a thought like that! I’m not ready for marriage, or children! He’s an apprentice. I’m not his father, or even his brother. I’ve got to stop thinking foolishly, or I’ll just be hurt in the end.

“So, my target was a young man of a neighboring town. A prince, actually. I was supposed to kill him, so that the old, sickly king wouldn’t have an heir, and we could annex the land. I showed up at the mansion…”

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