--- 6 ---

Rikio's POV

They're counting on you Rikio.

You have to bring Kasumi home.

I sat in silence, slumped up against the cave wall. The rain from outside echoed around the dark, rocky prison. I looked into the darkness, my eyes heavy and tired.

I'd been here 3 years and I still hadn't found her. I hadn't seen her in just over 3 years. Back home, Kasumi was like a little sister to me. We used to spend almost all of our time together. She looked up to me, loved me like a brother, treated me as part of her family, even though I'd had none. We were the best of friends, despite the age gap of 4 years or so between us. Life was peaceful.

Up until then, I had been training for ANBU. And when I got accepted, I knew that I was at the top of my game. I started getting new missions, and they were hard ones too. I was fast on track to becoming an elite. But I was also quickly losing sight of what really mattered to me.

We started spending less time together, since I didn't seem to have much time anymore; we were slowly drifting apart...

-Flashback no Justu-

I had an important mission coming up. A top secret S-Ranked mission that would take many months to complete. I guess at the time, I hadn't realised how long it would be. In total, just over a year away from the home I once knew, away from all my friends and family, and away from Kasumi.

I felt that I needed to talk to her before I left, so I decided to stop round.

Kushina was surprised to see me at the door. Pleasantly surprised though. Her eyes lit up as she opened the door, a smile stretched across her face. She looked so much like Kasumi. She invited me in, welcoming me was the smell of her cooking. She sat me down at the table, almost whispering.

"Rikio! Congratulations on ANBU, dear. Minato and I are so proud of you," she beamed taking my hands in hers. "It's been such a long time since you last stopped by, what brings you?"

"Thanks. Actually, that's kinda why I came," I trailed off. Kushina tilted her head, noticing the change of tone in my voice.

"You're leaving, aren't you Rikio?" She said softly. I nodded slowly, looking down at the table.

"I wanted to say goodbye," I said. "And to tell her that I'm sorry," I mumbled. Kushina's eyes saddened and she squeezed my hand.

"She loves you so much Rikio," she reassured me. "You're like a brother to her...and I want to thank you for that, from the bottom of my heart," she said closing her eyes and smiling. "I know this must be hard for you, and I'm sure Kasumi will understand,"

"I hope so," I mumbled. Kushina got up and came round the table to hug me. She hugged me tightly, protective, strong and loving. We heard the door click and open. Kushina stood up, and squeezed my arm.

"That'll be them now. I'll give you two some time to say goodbye," she whispered. She called for Minato and Kasumi. Minato walked in, greeted me with a smile and pat on the back. Kasumi followed him shortly after. When she saw me, she stopped and blinked.

"Rikio?" She asked, stunned. "What are you doing here?"

Her words hit me like a truck. Once she would never question my presence, but now that had changed.

"Actually, Rikio has come to talk to you, sweetie," Kushina smiled softly. I nodded.

"Yeah, I figured we needed some catch-up time," I smiled weakly. "What d'you say?"

She nodded, an unsure expression displayed on her face.

We'd gone outside, taking a walk through the garden. Kasumi walked across the grass in her bare feet, stopping and wriggling her toes, feeling the grass and the earth beneath her feet. I walked beside her, watching her discreetly. Suddenly she stopped, as did I.

"What happened to us, Rikio?" She asked, looking down at her feet. I looked up at the sky, guilty at the fact I was unsure how to answer her.

"I think we changed," I said. "But I wish we hadn't,"

"I changed?" She asked, looking at her hands. I shook my head.

"No, I said that wrong. If either one of us has changed Kasumi, it's me, not you," I told her, looking at my own hands. We both remained silent for a moment before Kasumi started walking again.

"What's ANBU like?" She asked, changing the subject. She risked a glance at me, before turning away to look at the ground and where she was stepping.

"It's boring actually," I told her. To some extent, I was being honest. It was boring, after missions, you had to sit through long hours of paper work that had to be submitted to the Hokage.

"Oh,"

"Why do you ask?" I asked her.

"No reason," she dismissed my question. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"It's a long story," I sighed.

"We've got time to kill," she said, gesturing me to continue.

"Well," I began to tell her about my departure from the Leaf. She listened silently, as the wind blew, cold and harsh. Struggling with the words, I waited for Kasumi's reply.

"I knew it," she whispered.

"What? But who told you?" I asked her.

"No one. I've known you my whole life Rikio, I can read you like a book," she said, looking away. At that moment, a cold breeze blew again, allowing small droplets of water to fall back from Kasumi's cheeks. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly as she cried silently into my chest.

"When are you leaving?" She asked quietly after a while.

"Tomorrow,"

"...For how long?"

"......Three years," I managed.

"I won't see you for that long?" She asked, her voice muffled. I hugged her tightly again, nodding.

"It looks like it,"

We sat together hugging until it got dark. I dropped her off home and said my goodbyes before I left. As I walked away, I glanced over my shoulder, my vision blurred slightly. I saw her watching me, her face half hidden by the shutters on the window. I smiled weakly before tearing my eyes away and carrying on...

-End of Flashback no Jutsu-

I cracked my knuckles and looked up at the cave ceiling. My eyes were heavy with sleep and my head was spinning. I had to get moving again. They were counting on me. I pushed back my thick, black mop of hair from my face and glanced outside of the cave. I thought I'd seen something out of the corner of my eye for a second, but I assumed that my mind was playing tricks on me. I squinted hard. Suddenly, my eyes widened as a black silhouetted figure emerged from the rain and the mist. I jumped up, kunais drawn, a list of quick get away and substitution justus in my head in case I needed a quick escape.

"Who goes there?" I barked through gritted teeth.

"Relax, I'm not here to start a fight," a voice sneered back. I narrowed my eyes and readied myself into a fighting stance. I wasn't taking any chances.

"Not buying it," I snapped.

"Whatever," the voice growled. The silhouette entered the cave and adopted the features of a young man. I found his most striking features was the black spiked hair, but particularly, those black eyes. I was wary of the sword he carried, strapped to his back, even though he made no attempts or showed any signs that he would reach for it.

"What are you doing here? What do you want?" I growled, refusing to let my guard down. There was something about this guy that made the hairs of my neck stand on edge and my spine tingle.

"Shelter from the rain," he shrugged, his back turned to me. I caught a glimpse of the crest on the back of his shirt. I raised any eyebrow, knowing that I'd recognised it from somewhere.

"What are you doing here? I can tell you're not from around here," he asked, cold.

"That's none of your business," I snapped back. The stranger shook his head and turned his head slightly. I caught a glimpse of his eyes again, they sent shivers down my spine. They were so cold, so black. There was just nothing to them. It was like staring death in the face.

"Let's just move on. Forget we ever had this meeting. I doubt either of us want to run into each other again," he said, staring me down before turning to leave the cave. I narrowed my eyes at him, watching him leave. I watched him until I couldn't see nor hear him, all that I could hear was the rain hammering down harder. A flash lit up the cave's insides and thunder rumbled over ahead. Finally, I let down my guard, slumping back against the cave wall. I would have to move out soon.

I didn't like that guy. And I didn't trust him. I decided to set off once the rain had lightened a little. I wouldn't be stopping after that, I had to find Kasumi within the next three days. I felt an unsettling ache in my gut. It told me that something was coming, and it whatever it was, it didn't feel good...