Bleh, this took a while since dialogue isn't my strong suite, but enjoy lol.
Far to the north and west of the pair of lethal Akatsuki members, Raiden and Reina, too, arrived at a port city that day. Though, of course, much later in the day and with a much friendlier approach. They both remembered this place, it was where Reina had come years ago after fleeing the village, and even, before then, Raiden. It was smaller than the port city to the south, in the Fire Country though very close to the Tea Country. The air was calm, the sea breeze giving the area a nice temperature, a practically unnoticeable one. The place was more of a village, a bunch of wooden houses?though of fair size?scattered around behind the wooden wall, and further back towards the ocean were, of course, the docks. There were only three platforms for ships to leave out of, though.
Upon arriving to the gates, their headbands, identifying them as Konohagakure ninja, had allowed them easy entrance, not that they would turn anybody away anyway. The guards simply smiling at them and then looking away to watch as others entered the port.
?So where do we go?? Reina asked as they walked.
Raiden gave a slight shrug, ?I figured that we?d go to the docks and ask one of the guys there,? he pointed ahead, towards a man with a button-down shirt?closer to a jacket?and a small hat on his head. He was clean-cut, without a beard or mustache, seeming like a new, young captain, ?Let?s ask him.?
They walked up to the man, who was looking off to the side, staring at a boat at the side of one of the platforms of the boat. The city was quiet, though at the same time seeming to bustle with life, the pair having to maneuver their way through the several people to get onto the docks. As they approached, the young man apparently heard their footsteps on the rickety docks that shook and squeaked whenever they stepped, and turned his head towards them, first just staring and then turning fully and smiling.
?Hi there,? he said, ?Lookin? for someone??
?Something is more like it. We need to get to the Water Country, any ships available?? Raiden questioned, looking purposefully to the ship right next to them, as if to suggest that this would be a fine ship to use.
The man gave a shrug, ?How much ya got??
Raiden felt in his pockets, and pulled out a small amount of ryo, and felt like an idiot for not bringing anymore. He looked toward Reina, who simply shrugged.
?Not enough by my guess,? Raiden replied.
The captain turned his head and looked at the ocean for a moment, and then looked back towards Raiden, ?You two?re ninja right??
When they both nodded, he continued, ?Either of you heard of them ship raids that?ve been happening?? They both shook their heads, ?They said that it just started earlier today, much earlier, when it was still dark. A ship?s been goin? around and radin? other ships for whatever they have. Weird part is, it?s Old Eraqus?s ship. Him and his crew are usually the ones hunting raiders like this, so the ship was probably captured, and a beauty of a ship it is!? he went silent for a moment after the last statement, looking into the sky as if picturing the ship in his mind, and then he continued, ?No one knows who exactly the raiders are, or why they?re doin? it. A few ships escaped and came earlier today reporting them, said they saw an ally ship, and then another one passed by, blocking off their visionary of the other one. When the ship passed all the way, the first one they saw was sinking down, her mast aflame...?
Raiden picked up when the man?s voice trailed off, ?Where are you going with this, exactly?? he asked skeptically.
?Well, we were going to the Water Country anyway, if you?re willing to protect our ship while we?re going from them raiders, and whatever other nasties we see out there, when we get there, and on our way back here, then you?ll have yourself a free ride.?
Raiden shrugged, and then looked towards Reina, who did the same and replied, ?Sure.?
Raiden nodded and then looked back towards the captain, ?Well, I?m Raiden by the way, and this is my sister Reina. And what may we call you??
The man seemed to beam, his broad smile taking from ear to ear, when they agreed, more than glad to have extra ninja aboard the ship, and with an outstretched hand he said, ?Jacob. Captain Jacob at your service.?
~
The next day would be spent packing up on the ship, the pair helping the crew load several items, mostly crates containing food, drinks?Raiden believed them to be ale and other alcoholic drinks, and spent most of the time that he and Reina were near each other pleading her (not that it was needed) to stay away from the beverage?and weapons. Reina, the loading having been done about an hour ago and now the crew was resting before their voyage, walked to the top of the ship, having been in the bottom of it where there were beds for all of the team.
When she walked up, though, she saw a man?a young man, actually, certainly no more than a year older than Reina, who was now sixteen, if that?sitting on the edge of the ship, his legs hanging over the other end. She didn?t remember seeing him before. He wore a black, unzipped vest, silvery white line lining the bottom of it, the sleeves, and several other places, with a hood on the back of it. There seemed to be some sort of armor on both of his shoulders, though it may have just been a decorative part of the vest. On his hands, which were placed firmly by his sides on the part of the ship that was risen up from the rest, he wore black gloves, with a yellow strip going down it. His shirt under the vest, parts of which Reina could see under the rather small garment over it, was black as well, though it there was dark red at the front of the shirt, near his stomach, that Reina could not see. His hair was wild, a caramel color, and spiked out in all directions, though slightly smoothed down at the top. Something about him made one feel... energetic? Joyful?
The teenage boy turned slightly, seeming to sense Reina?s presence as she cautiously walked towards him. Something about him seemed so... familiar, as if she had seen him before, but very long ago. She couldn?t put her finger on it, but when he turned around, she could feel small fragments of a complete memory slowly forming in her mind.
?Hi there,? he said when she was within arms-reach of him, ?Need something??
Reina shook her head, ?We?re all done, I believe,? she said, and then walked up further, putting her arms on the ship?s broadside and leaning forward slightly so that her head went just past her arms, closer to just above her arms actually. The boy gave her a sidelong glance, and as he did, Reina could have sworn that he felt that same pang of recognition that she did from the look on his face.
He seemed to dismiss the notion quickly, however, shaking his head a few times and then looking forward again, though speaking to her, ?So, do you guys have a mission in the Water Country??
Reina nodded slowly, looking forward as well, ?More of a diplomatic mission than anything; just delivering a message.?
He nodded, ?By the way, the name?s Sora, what?s your??
His sentence got no further before Reina hastily interrupted, first only murmuring the name, ?Sora...?? and then realization struck her hard, compelling her to say it again, more loudly, ?Sora!?
Sora chuckled, looking back to the ocean, not understanding Reina?s sudden outburst, ?Yeah... Sora,? and then his head snapped back to where Reina stood, her arms now off of the broadside so that she could turn fully to face him, ?Reina...??
~
Reina didn?t know how she could forget Sora, well, how she could forget his appearance anyway; it was much too unique to be forgotten easily. Sora had lived in the same village that Reina, Raiden, Riku, and many others had before the incident. Sora had escaped with him, but she remembered that he had decided to remain here?the docks that they had stopped at when they first arrived in the Fire Country by ship?for no better reason than because he wanted to. Sora had always been like that, she remembered the day that he had chosen to stay, and every single refugee of the village, there were approximately twenty survivors in total, pleaded with him to come with them to Konoha, but his decision was firm, and when the captain of the ship that they had come on offered to keep him safe, his mind was even more made up. The two had laughed upon recalling that time, remembering that Sora had only been around seven or eight at the time. It was amazing to see him again, though. He seemed so much more mature, and Sora had returned that compliment to Reina, visibly blushing as he did so, and sounded that way as well. Sora had been Riku?s ?rival? back in the village, though they were both rather young for it to be called a rivalry. Reina could remember watching the two of them fight, often with sticks or planks of wood from houses or whatever they could find.
Reina told him of all that had happened after they split up, as did Sora, though on his part there wasn?t much to tell. He went on regular voyages, fighting and defeating ship raiders as well as carrying out missions on the land for the village. They had caught up fully with each other in about an hour, and they were now on the current situation, Reina telling him about Riku?s leaving and all.
?So little Riku?s now a big bad villain?? Sora asked, standing on both of his hands for no apparent reason that Reina could discern, again, other than that he simply wanted to, and using those hands as feet to pace back and forth on the ship?s deck in front of Reina, who was sitting on the deck, using her hands as support.
?Wasn?t Riku older than you?? Reina pointed out.
?Yeah, I guess, but I?m still better looking,? Sora said, grinning wildly, ?And stronger too, and??
?I get the point,? Reina interrupted, ?But yeah, you?re basically right.?
Sora?s smile took from ear to ear, ?About the better looking thing, right??
Reina?s eyes narrowed, ?No, about the ?big bad villain? thing.?
?Oh, oh,? he said, apparently having forgotten the actual topic, ?But why?d he do it? I just don?t get it, you said Akatsuki?s been after him for years now, almost killing a few times, injuring him badly other times, and basically just making his life difficult. So why the sudden change of heart??
Reina looked down for a long moment, it was a question that she didn?t really have a complete answer to, but she voiced that partial answer anyway, ?Shinru did... something,? she said, speaking slowly, ?Something big. Something that Riku found out about during his training. He didn?t tell us, and I only found out indirectly during their fight. But something happened, and Reaver and Tenzu played a part in instigating his decision as well, of course.?
Sora pushed himself off of his hands, and then landed on his back on the deck next to Reina, and then propping himself up, he asked, ?So what?s your plan now??
?Plan??
?Yeah, are you guys going back for Shinru again to try and get some answers? Searching for Riku? Or what??
?We haven?t really come up with a plan yet, kind of a bad time, if you haven?t noticed.?
Sora?s eyebrow arched up, ?Bad time? You?re in a war, you?re apparently losing, one of the most important pieces in this war is gone, two if you think that Shinru would be important as well, and you have no idea when Akatsuki?s going to attack or what their planning. Sounds like you can?t risk not having a plan to me.?
?It?s been a bit confusing,? Reina explained, ?Everyone?s too worried to think right now.?
Sora sighed, shook his head, and laughed helplessly, ?See, that?s the problem with you guys. You, Riku, Raiden, and apparently most of Konoha too. You worry way too much. You guys are just way too anxious.?
Reina looked at him, ?And you?re not worried??
?Well, of course I get worried about things a little every now and then I guess, it?s only human nature, but unlike you guys, I don?t let it affect my actions. I used to do that, a few years ago, probably longer ago than that, actually. I would stay awake at nights worrying about you... and Riku... and everyone else from the village...? his voice started to trail off.
Reina was still eying him skeptically, ?And you just magically stopped worrying because...??
Sora seemed as if he hadn?t even heard her question, but was rather finishing his earlier thought, ?But at some point, I decided one thing, that I wanted every single action I make in my life to help someone. Whether it?s myself, someone miles away, or someone that hasn?t even been born yet, maybe even someone that died long ago, but I want each of my actions to do something good for someone, someone deserving of it, meaning anyone besides people like Akatsuki, at some point. And when I decided that, I thought: what good does worrying do anyone? It only slows me down and makes me make rash decisions?though I often do that anyway for other reasons?so it?s certainly not helping me. It only gives the bad guys that are always around more time to do... well... bad things, so it?s not helping other people, nor people from the past or the future. So why bother??
Reina?s look slowly went from skepticism to astonishment, and after digesting the words, asked another question, ?So you mean that you forgot about us? So I should just forget about Riku??
Sora shook his head, still not looking towards her, though, ?No... not at all. I never forgot about any of you guys, but I didn?t worry. When someone dies, for example, you don?t try to remember the bad times, like if they died from some sickness, you don?t remember when they were sick. You remember all of the fun times that were around, and it stops you from worrying, it replaces feelings of sorrow with... happiness. In your case, you shouldn?t worry about Riku, think about why you?re worried?because he?s one of your best friends, right? Because you love him as a sister would a brother?or maybe even something more?right?? he asked, adding that last part with a sly wink, ?So right now, change all of that worrying and anxiety to resolve?resolve to get him back.?
Reina looked away from him, looking forward, a smile slowly touching her lips. From her sitting position, she turned her body towards Sora and embraced him in a gentle, though meaningful to her, hug, whispering quietly, ?Thanks, Sora.?
He returned the smile, and the hug, and replied, ?Anytime. And to make sure you guys don?t start mopping again, you?d best be sure that I?m coming back with you after this. From here on out, I?m with you all the way.?
Reina?s eyes widened when he said that, pushing him back to arms length to stare at him wide-eyed for many moments, and then pulling him back in again, embracing him all the tighter.
Riku's Counterpart
Far to the north and west of the pair of lethal Akatsuki members, Raiden and Reina, too, arrived at a port city that day. Though, of course, much later in the day and with a much friendlier approach. They both remembered this place, it was where Reina had come years ago after fleeing the village, and even, before then, Raiden. It was smaller than the port city to the south, in the Fire Country though very close to the Tea Country. The air was calm, the sea breeze giving the area a nice temperature, a practically unnoticeable one. The place was more of a village, a bunch of wooden houses?though of fair size?scattered around behind the wooden wall, and further back towards the ocean were, of course, the docks. There were only three platforms for ships to leave out of, though.
Upon arriving to the gates, their headbands, identifying them as Konohagakure ninja, had allowed them easy entrance, not that they would turn anybody away anyway. The guards simply smiling at them and then looking away to watch as others entered the port.
?So where do we go?? Reina asked as they walked.
Raiden gave a slight shrug, ?I figured that we?d go to the docks and ask one of the guys there,? he pointed ahead, towards a man with a button-down shirt?closer to a jacket?and a small hat on his head. He was clean-cut, without a beard or mustache, seeming like a new, young captain, ?Let?s ask him.?
They walked up to the man, who was looking off to the side, staring at a boat at the side of one of the platforms of the boat. The city was quiet, though at the same time seeming to bustle with life, the pair having to maneuver their way through the several people to get onto the docks. As they approached, the young man apparently heard their footsteps on the rickety docks that shook and squeaked whenever they stepped, and turned his head towards them, first just staring and then turning fully and smiling.
?Hi there,? he said, ?Lookin? for someone??
?Something is more like it. We need to get to the Water Country, any ships available?? Raiden questioned, looking purposefully to the ship right next to them, as if to suggest that this would be a fine ship to use.
The man gave a shrug, ?How much ya got??
Raiden felt in his pockets, and pulled out a small amount of ryo, and felt like an idiot for not bringing anymore. He looked toward Reina, who simply shrugged.
?Not enough by my guess,? Raiden replied.
The captain turned his head and looked at the ocean for a moment, and then looked back towards Raiden, ?You two?re ninja right??
When they both nodded, he continued, ?Either of you heard of them ship raids that?ve been happening?? They both shook their heads, ?They said that it just started earlier today, much earlier, when it was still dark. A ship?s been goin? around and radin? other ships for whatever they have. Weird part is, it?s Old Eraqus?s ship. Him and his crew are usually the ones hunting raiders like this, so the ship was probably captured, and a beauty of a ship it is!? he went silent for a moment after the last statement, looking into the sky as if picturing the ship in his mind, and then he continued, ?No one knows who exactly the raiders are, or why they?re doin? it. A few ships escaped and came earlier today reporting them, said they saw an ally ship, and then another one passed by, blocking off their visionary of the other one. When the ship passed all the way, the first one they saw was sinking down, her mast aflame...?
Raiden picked up when the man?s voice trailed off, ?Where are you going with this, exactly?? he asked skeptically.
?Well, we were going to the Water Country anyway, if you?re willing to protect our ship while we?re going from them raiders, and whatever other nasties we see out there, when we get there, and on our way back here, then you?ll have yourself a free ride.?
Raiden shrugged, and then looked towards Reina, who did the same and replied, ?Sure.?
Raiden nodded and then looked back towards the captain, ?Well, I?m Raiden by the way, and this is my sister Reina. And what may we call you??
The man seemed to beam, his broad smile taking from ear to ear, when they agreed, more than glad to have extra ninja aboard the ship, and with an outstretched hand he said, ?Jacob. Captain Jacob at your service.?
~
The next day would be spent packing up on the ship, the pair helping the crew load several items, mostly crates containing food, drinks?Raiden believed them to be ale and other alcoholic drinks, and spent most of the time that he and Reina were near each other pleading her (not that it was needed) to stay away from the beverage?and weapons. Reina, the loading having been done about an hour ago and now the crew was resting before their voyage, walked to the top of the ship, having been in the bottom of it where there were beds for all of the team.
When she walked up, though, she saw a man?a young man, actually, certainly no more than a year older than Reina, who was now sixteen, if that?sitting on the edge of the ship, his legs hanging over the other end. She didn?t remember seeing him before. He wore a black, unzipped vest, silvery white line lining the bottom of it, the sleeves, and several other places, with a hood on the back of it. There seemed to be some sort of armor on both of his shoulders, though it may have just been a decorative part of the vest. On his hands, which were placed firmly by his sides on the part of the ship that was risen up from the rest, he wore black gloves, with a yellow strip going down it. His shirt under the vest, parts of which Reina could see under the rather small garment over it, was black as well, though it there was dark red at the front of the shirt, near his stomach, that Reina could not see. His hair was wild, a caramel color, and spiked out in all directions, though slightly smoothed down at the top. Something about him made one feel... energetic? Joyful?
The teenage boy turned slightly, seeming to sense Reina?s presence as she cautiously walked towards him. Something about him seemed so... familiar, as if she had seen him before, but very long ago. She couldn?t put her finger on it, but when he turned around, she could feel small fragments of a complete memory slowly forming in her mind.
?Hi there,? he said when she was within arms-reach of him, ?Need something??
Reina shook her head, ?We?re all done, I believe,? she said, and then walked up further, putting her arms on the ship?s broadside and leaning forward slightly so that her head went just past her arms, closer to just above her arms actually. The boy gave her a sidelong glance, and as he did, Reina could have sworn that he felt that same pang of recognition that she did from the look on his face.
He seemed to dismiss the notion quickly, however, shaking his head a few times and then looking forward again, though speaking to her, ?So, do you guys have a mission in the Water Country??
Reina nodded slowly, looking forward as well, ?More of a diplomatic mission than anything; just delivering a message.?
He nodded, ?By the way, the name?s Sora, what?s your??
His sentence got no further before Reina hastily interrupted, first only murmuring the name, ?Sora...?? and then realization struck her hard, compelling her to say it again, more loudly, ?Sora!?
Sora chuckled, looking back to the ocean, not understanding Reina?s sudden outburst, ?Yeah... Sora,? and then his head snapped back to where Reina stood, her arms now off of the broadside so that she could turn fully to face him, ?Reina...??
~
Reina didn?t know how she could forget Sora, well, how she could forget his appearance anyway; it was much too unique to be forgotten easily. Sora had lived in the same village that Reina, Raiden, Riku, and many others had before the incident. Sora had escaped with him, but she remembered that he had decided to remain here?the docks that they had stopped at when they first arrived in the Fire Country by ship?for no better reason than because he wanted to. Sora had always been like that, she remembered the day that he had chosen to stay, and every single refugee of the village, there were approximately twenty survivors in total, pleaded with him to come with them to Konoha, but his decision was firm, and when the captain of the ship that they had come on offered to keep him safe, his mind was even more made up. The two had laughed upon recalling that time, remembering that Sora had only been around seven or eight at the time. It was amazing to see him again, though. He seemed so much more mature, and Sora had returned that compliment to Reina, visibly blushing as he did so, and sounded that way as well. Sora had been Riku?s ?rival? back in the village, though they were both rather young for it to be called a rivalry. Reina could remember watching the two of them fight, often with sticks or planks of wood from houses or whatever they could find.
Reina told him of all that had happened after they split up, as did Sora, though on his part there wasn?t much to tell. He went on regular voyages, fighting and defeating ship raiders as well as carrying out missions on the land for the village. They had caught up fully with each other in about an hour, and they were now on the current situation, Reina telling him about Riku?s leaving and all.
?So little Riku?s now a big bad villain?? Sora asked, standing on both of his hands for no apparent reason that Reina could discern, again, other than that he simply wanted to, and using those hands as feet to pace back and forth on the ship?s deck in front of Reina, who was sitting on the deck, using her hands as support.
?Wasn?t Riku older than you?? Reina pointed out.
?Yeah, I guess, but I?m still better looking,? Sora said, grinning wildly, ?And stronger too, and??
?I get the point,? Reina interrupted, ?But yeah, you?re basically right.?
Sora?s smile took from ear to ear, ?About the better looking thing, right??
Reina?s eyes narrowed, ?No, about the ?big bad villain? thing.?
?Oh, oh,? he said, apparently having forgotten the actual topic, ?But why?d he do it? I just don?t get it, you said Akatsuki?s been after him for years now, almost killing a few times, injuring him badly other times, and basically just making his life difficult. So why the sudden change of heart??
Reina looked down for a long moment, it was a question that she didn?t really have a complete answer to, but she voiced that partial answer anyway, ?Shinru did... something,? she said, speaking slowly, ?Something big. Something that Riku found out about during his training. He didn?t tell us, and I only found out indirectly during their fight. But something happened, and Reaver and Tenzu played a part in instigating his decision as well, of course.?
Sora pushed himself off of his hands, and then landed on his back on the deck next to Reina, and then propping himself up, he asked, ?So what?s your plan now??
?Plan??
?Yeah, are you guys going back for Shinru again to try and get some answers? Searching for Riku? Or what??
?We haven?t really come up with a plan yet, kind of a bad time, if you haven?t noticed.?
Sora?s eyebrow arched up, ?Bad time? You?re in a war, you?re apparently losing, one of the most important pieces in this war is gone, two if you think that Shinru would be important as well, and you have no idea when Akatsuki?s going to attack or what their planning. Sounds like you can?t risk not having a plan to me.?
?It?s been a bit confusing,? Reina explained, ?Everyone?s too worried to think right now.?
Sora sighed, shook his head, and laughed helplessly, ?See, that?s the problem with you guys. You, Riku, Raiden, and apparently most of Konoha too. You worry way too much. You guys are just way too anxious.?
Reina looked at him, ?And you?re not worried??
?Well, of course I get worried about things a little every now and then I guess, it?s only human nature, but unlike you guys, I don?t let it affect my actions. I used to do that, a few years ago, probably longer ago than that, actually. I would stay awake at nights worrying about you... and Riku... and everyone else from the village...? his voice started to trail off.
Reina was still eying him skeptically, ?And you just magically stopped worrying because...??
Sora seemed as if he hadn?t even heard her question, but was rather finishing his earlier thought, ?But at some point, I decided one thing, that I wanted every single action I make in my life to help someone. Whether it?s myself, someone miles away, or someone that hasn?t even been born yet, maybe even someone that died long ago, but I want each of my actions to do something good for someone, someone deserving of it, meaning anyone besides people like Akatsuki, at some point. And when I decided that, I thought: what good does worrying do anyone? It only slows me down and makes me make rash decisions?though I often do that anyway for other reasons?so it?s certainly not helping me. It only gives the bad guys that are always around more time to do... well... bad things, so it?s not helping other people, nor people from the past or the future. So why bother??
Reina?s look slowly went from skepticism to astonishment, and after digesting the words, asked another question, ?So you mean that you forgot about us? So I should just forget about Riku??
Sora shook his head, still not looking towards her, though, ?No... not at all. I never forgot about any of you guys, but I didn?t worry. When someone dies, for example, you don?t try to remember the bad times, like if they died from some sickness, you don?t remember when they were sick. You remember all of the fun times that were around, and it stops you from worrying, it replaces feelings of sorrow with... happiness. In your case, you shouldn?t worry about Riku, think about why you?re worried?because he?s one of your best friends, right? Because you love him as a sister would a brother?or maybe even something more?right?? he asked, adding that last part with a sly wink, ?So right now, change all of that worrying and anxiety to resolve?resolve to get him back.?
Reina looked away from him, looking forward, a smile slowly touching her lips. From her sitting position, she turned her body towards Sora and embraced him in a gentle, though meaningful to her, hug, whispering quietly, ?Thanks, Sora.?
He returned the smile, and the hug, and replied, ?Anytime. And to make sure you guys don?t start mopping again, you?d best be sure that I?m coming back with you after this. From here on out, I?m with you all the way.?
Reina?s eyes widened when he said that, pushing him back to arms length to stare at him wide-eyed for many moments, and then pulling him back in again, embracing him all the tighter.
