The White Flash

The Sand Siblings

"According to the map, we're supposed to meet them here," Kabuto said as he looked at the map. Fixing his glasses further up his nose with a nudge. The sun was reaching its highest point, warm wind brushed against her exposed shoulders and swung white strands into her vision. A mountain barred their way forward, forest flanked their sides, and a stream fenced them in from behind. Pale fingers pushed the stray strands back to her ear while green eyes watched the forest to their right. Rumor had it, Sunagakure shinobi were testy. The likeliness of them being late just to be late was low. There was only one shinobi, beside herself, that would do so.

 

            "Oh, so serious," a voice pulled her attention left. Wakana's brown eyes and smirk mere inches from her face. Ayumi jerked back. "Don't worry about anyone sneaking up on us. I'll protect you."

 

            "I'm not worried."

            "You heard her!" A shoulder forced its way between the Chunin and herself, bandana-covered brown hair a physical barrier. "She's fine, we're fine! Personal space!"

 

            "HA!" Ayumi shoved him to the side, "that's rich coming from you!"

 

            Tanned hand rested on shallow hips. "Does my little brother bother you?" One hand raised, an index wagging, "now Kohei, you know bothering sweet things like Ayumi-chan is a big no-no."

 

            His feet splayed, one hand shoving a finger at his sister. "You don't fool me! The moment I let my guard down-"

 

            Her lips curled into a smirk and she jumped. "SUFFER!" Kohei's arm got caught in her bicep, knuckles burying into the top of his head. One brow quirked, arms crossing, and a sudden relief washing over her.

 

            "Times like this, I'm glad that I'm the only one." Hisaya stood beside Ayumi, a hand on her shoulder. She nodded her agreement, moving her attention back to the forest.

 

            "Is the Hokage mocking us?" The voice came from further left. She turned. A trio of kids entered the clearing. They couldn't have been much older than her. The tallest was a boy wearing the black costume of a puppeteer with a red and yellow circle in the front, he wore a black hood with cat-like ears, the Sunagakure headplate on his forehead, and his face was painted with a purple triangular pattern. The second tallest was a kunoichi with sandy blond hair parted in four pigtails and teal eyes, she wore a light purple, off-the-shoulder garment that reached her thighs, and a scarlet sash tied around her waist. The shortest was a boy of fair skin, eyes a cloudy shade of seafoam outlined in deep black rings, his hair short and a fiery red, and carved into the left side of his forehead was the kanji "love"; he wore a black body suit with an open neck and t-shirt like sleeves, wearing a white cloth looping from his right shoulder to his left hip and a wide leather band running the opposite direction. They sported a mummified object, a fan, and a gourd on their backs. The tallest boy eyed the gathered, eye twitching. "Most of you are little brats!"

 

            "You can't be much older than I am," Ayumi pointed out, spinning on her heel to face them.

 

            "I'm stronger than you are, Pipsqueak."