--- on her own (tag; addy!)

[❊ SUMMER ❊]

     It had been days – weeks even, and Riko just couldn’t keep track anymore. Where she was, how long she had been running. . it was exhausting. She already had to use her sensory techniques frequently, making sure she was far from any trackers, as well as making her own chakra disappear. She also didn’t nearly stop as often as she should have, just cruising through villages and only stopping for a moments rest. In the start, she stopped at the first place to get new clothes and supplies, ditching everything from her old life and starting her new one. Poetic, right?

     If nearly starving yourself and suffering from intense fatigue and chakra loss is poetic, than sure. Riko was meeting her end’s way, she was tired, hungry – weak. She knew she was far from home, far enough to be safe, but the journey to become safe might just kill her. Huffing and puffing, Riko found herself in yet another forest – this one much, much denser than all the ones she had encountered before. From what she gathered from her most recent stop, this was most likely Taki no Kuni – the Waterfall country that recently went under war. True, it was far enough away from Konoha to avoid being captured, but was being in a war zone any better?

     Sighing, she wandered aimlessly, as she had her entire trip. Keeping her sensory techniques constant for as long as she could, making sure she was always alone. By the time she had made it to a clearing, the grass covered in dew and the sun shining down upon the vast, flowery field, she felt like she was about to pass out. She hadn’t felt even an animal’s presence in a while, so she figured it would be fine to just sit down and rest, right? She slowly made her way to a lonesome tree in the middle of the field, not even having time to take in its true beauty before plopping down and leaning up against a tree. “Only for a little bit,” She whispered, letting go of the tension in her body and sighing. She slowly closed her eyes. “Just for a little bit.”

[addy-hime ♥]

[style=width: 310px; font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify]There were some things that a ruler had to do alone for one reason or another. I had left Asato behind to tend to our newly acquired territory whilst I disposed of the bodies Kouketsu had littered about the forest with his gravity-defying technique. Normally I would have propositioned one of the few shinobi in our village to do this for me, but I realized such a commandment would be lacking in tact and, frankly, hurtful. The bodies had once been living people, citizens of Takigakure no Sato none-the-less! I could not run the risk of my shinobi having to clean up the corpse of a friend or loved one, because a coup d'etat was not on my agenda.

I soared through the trees like a graceful bird. No, that was a lie; I felt more like a monkey using this method, since I had left my Kyodai Sensu at home. Leaping through the treetops was not a difficult thing when one knew how to focus chakra into their extremities, giving more control over what could be walked upon or grabbed safely. I felt more than heard my feet press into a particularly large branch and I pushed off from it, propelling myself the short distance between it and another. I realized even as I pushed through the leaves that this was the last before a clearing; to stop myself from falling into nothingness, I bent my body over as I hit the next branch and grasped it on either side of my legs, moving into a crouched position.

It was lucky I had, too. Not only would the fall have taken me into a relatively open area—the likes of which I would avoid under almost any circumstance—but there was a person down there! I rose my eyebrows in shock as I studied the little girl, a pre-teenager at best and looking exhausted. Her clothes were foreign to this place, although I could not put my finger on where they came from. The only thing I could be certain of is that she did not have a village headband on her open person, for I could not see one. That did not mean she was not a shinobi, as my run-in with Akatome days ago proved to me. I had to be cautious.

I released my grip from the tree and straightened up, if only slightly. This position would give me enough power to jump and land on the ground without hurting my ankles, which I did. It was successful. My feet thudded lightly against the grass, barely audible over the other sounds of the forest—birds, mostly, singing their songs. I quietly walked toward the girl, who was leaning up against the trunk of a tree, apparently asleep. As I did so, I withdrew a kunai from within my cloak and gripped it in a defensive position, ready.

"Wake up."[/style]

[❊ SUMMER ❊]

     She was back home, with her parents, eating dinner – a nice feast, usually made for special occasions. Was it a special occasion? Oh yes, now she remember, this was her 14th birthday. It was just the three of them, sitting around their old oak table and chattering aimlessly – but Riko could not understand them. She saw herself, sitting in the middle of her parents, whereas the present Riko herself stood away from the table, watching. They looked so happy, were so careless, so naïve. Did her parents know at that time that they were going to kill their own little girl? Just the thought of them acting this whole time made her sick to her stomach, and she let out a low cough. As if they heard her, everyone stopped eating for a moment, and Riko suddenly tensed. She knew this was just a dream, but it felt extremely real, so when her mother turned her head and gave the same cold look Riko recognized from the incident, she automatically was overwhelmed with fear – then her eyes shot open, but not from the voice.

     “Wake up.” A cautious voice, belonging to a pretty pink haired woman that stood in front of Riko. She was holding a Kunai in her hand and seemed rather tense – Shit! Riko suddenly tensed up, she had been found! She jumped up and tried to jump back, only to realize she was standing up against a tree. Her instincts had already kicked in and she had flicked her hand into her satchel and pulled out a Kunai, matching the woman’s stance. “S-stay back.” She said, sleep still lingering through her body. She felt a little woozy from jumping up so soon after sleeping – and now that she realized this she glanced at the sky, it seemed a tad bit darker. . ? How long had she been out? Fear and determination fueled her body, but it wouldn’t last long. She soon would feel the fatigue seep back, and would feel her legs weaken and her breathing to quicken. She couldn’t go back yet, she didn’t want to get thrown in jail or killed, she wanted to live – yet somehow, it seemed very unlikely that she wouldn’t. Even with her sensory abilities and her determination, she was still weak, still young. And now she had been found – however, was this person even a hunter? Was she here to take her back? Riko couldn’t help but to wonder, was she in the same position as her? Most likely not, but Riko knew from experience that it was better to be cautious then to be dead.

[addy-hime ♥]

[style=width: 310px; font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify]I was not startled when the girl suddenly jumped up; in fact, it was exactly what I had been expecting, so I did not even flinch. Instead, I narrowed my eyes at the girl and took this time to study her ... and the kunai she pulled from her own armaments. Her harsh breathing and trembling fingers told me she was still reeling from the effects of sleep—or perhaps she was scared—but the weapon as a whole confirmed my suspicions that she was a shinobi of some caliber. It was reckless of her to react this way and I had to ponder the level of her skill, but I could certainly not curse my luck at this confrontation working so smoothly.

"Stay back?" I questioned, gripping my kunai and tilting my wrist so that it was edging on a stance that could be called more offensive than defensive. At such close range it would not matter; with her back against the tree, I had most of the advantage in this situation. "I think not." I immediately pounced toward her, aiming my kunai toward her face so that she would be forced to block it with her own kunai, so as not to have an eye gouged out by the sharp end of the blade. It was intended to be a distraction. My left hand curled into a fist and simultaneously struck out toward her stomach.

If she fell for the bait and blocked the kunai, my punch would certainly hit its target: just below her ribcage, the diaphragm. Between the force of my attack and her being pressed up against a hard surface, this would likely knock the breath from her lung and, when I withdrew my hand, would send her collapsing back to the ground. I had no intention on harming her yet, but I wanted her incapacitated in a way that would allow for questioning. No matter how frightened and weak she appeared, I could not afford to let my guard down for a second.

Now, assuming my tactic had worked I would step back, allowing the hand that held my kunai to fall harmlessly to my side. "Who are you? Explain yourself, child."[/style]

[❊ SUMMER ❊]

     Riko was out of her league – she knew from the moment she opened her eyes, she just hadn’t admitted it to herself yet, and she most likely never would until she was defeated. Which, to her dismay, would likely be sooner than later. Nevertheless, she was not one to give in, nor would she give up so easily, so when the woman – now noticeable offensive – took a step forward and spoke back, Riko had no intention of being friendly. When the woman spoke, she nearly questioned Riko’s statement. It was true, now that she pondered what she had said, it was rather stupid. “Stay back”? What was that supposed to mean, she was in no place to order a higher ninja around. If her situation wasn’t so serious, she would have given herself a good mental slap, but that, obviously, was not the case. But before Riko could even respond the woman flicked out her wrist, launching the Kunai at her face. Obviously not friendly.

     Riko reacted quickly, raising her Kunai to deflect the incoming projectile. Then, as if she hadn’t known something like this was coming already, the woman’s hand flashed in front of her and Riko already knew what was coming. She squirmed, attempting to somehow squeeze away, but she was way to slow, the woman was of a much higher skill – Riko didn’t stand a chance. The impact was painful – very painful, the woman’s tight clenched fist slamming right under her ribs. Of course, the diaphragm. But before Riko could ponder on this strategy she was opening her mouth to let a small, angst filled groan to slip out, obviously from the pain. Then, she doubled over, as much as she could, her instincts to curl up into a ball and lie on the ground. She then gasped for air, finding it intentionally hard to get any. After only a few moments, the woman spoke again, this time her voice much closer and intimidating. “Who are you?” She asked, having Riko just where she wanted. “Explain yourself, child.”

     The good news? This woman claimed to have no idea who she was, which, to Riko meant she wasn’t after her nor was she trying to kill her for leaving her village. The bad news? She might want to kill her for some other reason. It was then that Riko had to decide what to say. She was defeated, and she acknowledged that, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t lie. Should she lie? “I-I’m,” She took a staggered breath, coughing once more. Her body was weak from fatigue and hunger, and the punch had done much more damage than it usually would. Giving Riko’s competitor the advantage. “I’m Yoshida Riko, a Kunoichi from Konhagakure.” Her voice was shaky, and she barely managed to lift her head and meet the woman’s eyes. “Well, former Konoha Kunoichi.” She knew that nuke-nin were looked down upon everywhere, and it probably was the same from where this woman came from. She would probably knock her out and return her, or even kill her maybe. But by then it didn’t make a difference, there was no point in lying – Riko was an awful liar. Just like there was no chance of her escaping, all she could do was use the little energy she had left to tell the truth, and hope that the world would finally give something back.

     “I,” She paused, her breathing still hard. “Was exiled, my parents committing a crime and getting me involved.” She wasn't exactly lying when she said exiled, she knew she could never go back. She didn’t even have the time to feel the pain that rose up when she said that, so she continued talking, her words overlapping each other and her breaths uneven. “I’ve been running for weeks, and this is where I’ve ended up.” There was not much more to say. She could have added that she was innocent, that even though she probably was wanted for murder than she was tricked into helping. That she was so naïve to think that her parents actually wanted her help. She could’ve also added that she was weak and helpless, and that at that moment she was probably better off dead. But there was still a sliver of herself that wanted to live, that no matter how much pain and betrayal she’d faced she still wanted to live, she deserved to live. But that wasn’t up to her anymore, it was up to this stranger, whom she hoped shared the small amount of faith that Riko had too.

OOC: Hahaha omg Youka's to change her and make her awesome :'D I can just see it, she's given this weakling child and will be all awesome and hardcore, changing her completely.

[addy-hime ♥]

[style=width: 310px; font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify]The girl's pain was a bittersweet notion. On one hand the corroded part of my mind enjoyed the fact that I could best her so easily; on the other, she was very young and obviously weak. As she rolled in pain on the ground I narrowed my eyes, contemplating my various options. I could kill her now or I could actually hear her out ... which was the best path for me to take? Surely Asato would have had me eviscerate her, or else he would have done it himself. But my husband was not with me, could not influence my choices.

As the girl began to speak I straightened up, sliding the kunai back into the pouch beneath my cloak. She informed me that she was a Nuke-nin from Konohagakure, one of my most hated rival villages. When I was the Kazekage of Sunagakure the village as a whole had caused me much grief, including the loss of my older brother. In a way, her defection from the place warmed her up to me a bit, even if it apparently had not been entirely her design. I took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, moving to crouch next to the girl and to lay my hand on her shoulder. My touch could not siphon away her pain, but it would be enough to show that my intentions were pure.

"You must be exhausted," I stated simply, a rhetorical question being that I had come upon her in her sleep. She seemed hungry and fatigued, perhaps on the verge of death from these things. Konohagakure was in the country over from this one, but for a girl as young as she the trek was not an easy one. I wondered how much chakra she had expending in keeping herself safe, but decided not to press the issue. "I can take you somewhere to get you food and medical attention, but I'll need to knock you out to do so. You cannot know the location of this place." I would wait for her response before acting, of course.[/style]

[❊ SUMMER ❊]

     She had been right to have faith. Despite everything that had happened, despite her awful situation and horrible conditions, of which had all been forced upon her so suddenly, she finally was given a possibility of something good. The world was finally giving back. The woman had laid her hand upon her shoulder; her demeanor changing almost immediately after Riko spoke her words of explanation. She spoke again, but this time her voice was different – softer, calmed, soothing. “You must be exhausted, Yes, it was true, the woman could probably tell by how Riko looked – her dirtied clothes, messy hair, her woozy look. It was at that moment she became rather embarrassed, unconsciously looking down at her mangled body and asking herself how she had allowed herself to get here. How she had just dropped everything in her life and left. Could she have had explained herself? Could the Hokage have understood? She didn’t want to take any chances then, and she had no intentions of taking any now – yet there was still the desire to return home. Still this question lingering in the back of her head constantly asking her, how had she let this happened? It was simple, she didn’t. It wasn’t her fault, no matter how many times she told herself it was. Children her age were naturally naïve, she hadn’t made herself that way. This was all her. . her parents’ fault. They had dragged her into this mess, and forced her to run. Forced her to go hungry, to constantly tire herself and use up nearly all of her chakra. She had been running on adrenaline for fuel the past weeks but now, now she had run out, and there was nothing else she could do.

     So, when the woman politely – and to Riko’s surprise – told her that she could get her medical attention and food, she didn’t even think about it. Whether it was a trap or the woman was sincerely trying to help, it didn’t matter. Riko didn’t care anymore, because at the sound of the word “food” she has already said yes. Nodding quickly, she looked up at the woman, who – for the first time, seemed like someone Riko could trust. Could she? Well for the time being, she had to.

[addy-hime ♥]

[style=width: 310px; font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify]Hopefully the girl would not find that her trust had been misplaced. I stared down into her eyes as she nodded, smiling an encouraging smile even as I balled my hand into a fist for the second time. My first attack had been to incapacitate her, but this one would have enough force behind it to literally knock her out. I could have smashed her head against the ground or punched her in the face; both of these options were feasible, as I intended to seek medical attention immediately upon returning to Takigakure no Sato. Still, I decided that I should not be quite so heartless.

I nodded my head in return and thrust my arm out, smashing my fist into her diaphragm for the second time. She would feel pain and breathlessness, so much so that she would lose consciousness. At least I hoped this singular punch would do the trick; given her weak state, I did not want to overload her with too much pain. Just enough. If indeed the Nuke-nin was knocked out by this blow I would pick up her smaller frame and cradle her to me carefully. Despite the clunkiness of holding the child's frame I performed a set of handseals, producing an exact image of myself. It ran off in one direction and I turned to run in the direction of my newly acquired village.

^{exit, with riko's body!}[/style]

[❊ SUMMER ❊]

     The hit was fast and unexpected, receiving a kind smile from the woman – whom she still didn’t know the name of – merely seconds before she gave Riko a fast, forceful hit the same place as earlier. It was just as bad, maybe even worse since she was still sore from earlier, and the breathlessness made her gasp out in agony, but soon her vision blacked out and she was engulfed by darkness.

EXIT W/ YOUKA

[King]

Summer - 27.

Addy - 34.