Living Out A Prophecy

Chapter 15

     Touru looked over the young princess as she slept. The smile he had shown her that day was wiped from his mouth, a frown replacing it. He sighed and his eyes opened narrowly to stare into the fire.

     "I can't believe it's come to this..." he muttered crossly and stood. "...you were supposed to be mine, not his."

     Touru looked up at the clear sky then rummaged in his bag. He pulled out a blanket and covered Nao as she shook in her sleep. The desert gets quite cold during the night, and she was starting to shiver. He sat beside her and put his hand on her back to comfort her as his mind took him to a place, he could only dream of going to again.

     "Toniko! Toniko-kun!"

     The blonde boy laughed as the black- and red-haired girl jumped into his awaiting arms. "Nao-chan..."

     He carried her over to the fountain and sat her on the edge. He knelt down to her height and tied a rose into her hair using ninja wire. The girl blushed and giggled.

     "Ne, where have you been Toniko-kun? You are so tall now!" She exclaimed.

     Toniko ruffled her hair with a laugh. "I'm two years older so of course I'd be taller than you. You're only six after all Nao-chan."

     Nao just laughed as her emerald eyes twinkled. "Let's play a game! Let's do a fake wedding!"

     Toniko's smile went away then he smiled again as he kissed her forehead. "How about we go and swing instead?" He knew she didn't really mean what she said. If she did she wouldn't have said it, especially if she knew how he felt about her.

     'I should say how I still feel, hmm?' he asked himself. Touru frowned and looked down at Nao's sleeping form. He let out a sigh as he smiled and kissed her forehead.

     "Maybe one day you'll know...Nao-chan..." he whispered into the air.

~

     Futoshi sighed as he sat beside Daichi in the hospital. Daichi ran a hand through his hair. "You know it's useless when even Kakashi's dogs can't find her," he muttered as he laid down. "When am I getting out again?"

     Futoshi let out a chuckle and was about to answer when something tapped the glass of the window. Both of their eyes widened finding a black hawk there with a piece of red paper tied onto its leg with a white ribbon. Futoshi quickly got up and opened the window. He untied the note then quick as it came, the hawk flew off.

     "What does it say?" Daichi asked.

     Futoshi didn't say anything for a long while. He could only stare at the note in his hands with horror mixed with astonishment. Finally, he answered, "Father's coming to see the chuunin exams and he wants to see Nao before anyone else."

     It didn't take long until Futoshi was in the Hokage's office and telling him the news. Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe and let it out with a sigh.

     "We can't let anyone else out of the village to look for her. The chuunin exams take up so many and we don't have any more to spare..." he muttered almost to himself. He sighed again then someone suddenly came into the room and whispered something into Hiruzen's ear making him smile.

     "What are you smiling for?! Nao is missing!" Futoshi yelled.

     Hiruzen disregarded Futoshi's outburst and asked, "Do you know anyone by the name of Touru Toniko?"

     Futoshi's eyes widened, and he froze. He put his head down and a hand covered his eyes. Suddenly he looked up and smiled. "So that's why. She's in good hands then."

     Hiruzen just nodded with that same smile as Futoshi left out the door knowing everything would be fine.

~

     "What are you doing Nao-himi?" Touru asked.

     Nao hummed and stopped whittling away at the curved stick and smiled back at him as she threw something to him. Touru quickly caught the objects and noticed the points on the end of the sticks as well as the feathers.

     "Arrows?" Touru questioned then looked at the curved stick Nao was putting ninja wire on. "Is that a bow then?"

     Nao smiled and nodded. "Yes, they are. Close combat isn't really my thing, though I do excel in it. I like long distance better and since I have no chakra thanks to this seal, long range is best for me."

     Touru gave the arrows back to Nao and she put them in a bag she made from her old clothes. He smiled and shook his head. "You are very resourceful Nao-himi."

     "I have no choice but to be..." she mumbled.

     He was about to ask her what that meant, but when he turned, she wasn't there anymore. Instead, there were several rogues around him.

     "Give us your money!" The one closest yelled at him with a sickening grin.

     Touru glared at them. "What did you do to Nao-himi?"

     The man looked at him in confusion. "I don't know who you're talking about, but I think we'll look for her after we're done here, right boys?"

      The men gave hoots and hollers as the leader laughed and Touru glared. Suddenly an arrow shot out and struck the man in the heart killing him. Touru looked at him in shock and tried to find where the arrow came from. The rogues panicked with their leader dead but before they could move, they were following him to the land of the dead.

     Touru heard laughing and followed the sound to find Nao up in a tree hanging upside down, her bag hanging beside her on the branch. "That's so cute! You were worried about me!" Nao laughed as Touru shook his head.

     Nao climbed down the tree with her things, and they continued walking. Touru knew it definitely wouldn't be a boring trip with her. He glanced over to find her looking up at him. She smiled and he rose an eyebrow.

     "Smile, you look better with one on your handsome face," she said and looked forwards.

     Touru's eyes opened in surprise, and he remembered the last time she said that to him. He sighed but smiled anyway. She hadn't changed a bit since back then. Her looks may have changed, but her pleasant personality and kind ways were just like they used to be last time he saw her, and for that he was grateful.

♪Koneko♥