The Beat fights Harder

[Maeve Avari]

“Please, understand, I’m at loss more than a friend.” Haku explained, “You must know what it’s like.”

Naruto was very confused. Ayona began to understand, although part of her said it made no sense.

“You looked so familiar when you were angry before. You looked like the girl who helped me…” Haku trailed off.

Ayona immediately remembered the boy she had found. He had fallen in the snow, and had not the will to get back up. She had held out her hand, he had taken it. They talked a little and then went their separate ways. She remembered him being so dedicated to find something worth being dedicated to.

“So, this is it. You became dedicated to that thing? Why him?” Ayona asked, referring to Zabuza.

“He wanted my help.” Haku said weakly.

Naruto was very confused. Very, very, very, very confused. “You know him?”

“He’s an old friend,” Ayona said then turned back to Haku, “Your dream was to find a cause. I guess Zabuza is a cause. A very unworthy, untrustworthy, demonic cause.”

“I suppose so, but he needs me,” Haku said, “somebody finally needs me.”

Ayona nodded, “I’m afraid you won’t be needed by him much longer. He will die.”

Haku smiled, a rather creepy smile, and nodded, while shun-shining over to Kakashi and Zabuza’s fight.

Ayona ran for Haku, but she was not fast enough. Kakashi had, unknown to him, killed Haku instead of Zabuza.

“No…” Ayona said as she ran over to grab the boy’s body. He fell into her arms and she laid him on the ground gently.

“I-I’m so-sorry I-it h-has t-to end like this…” Haku gasped.

“Don’t speak,” Ayona ordered, she tried to use one of the two healing jutsus she knew. Neither would work, it was over.

Naruto had mostly been lost, but he had understood the basic idea.

Zabuza tried to fight Kakashi again, but was stabbed in the lag, before he could make a move on him.

“You insolent back-stabbing b*****d!” Ayona yelled. “That kid just got killed at your fault!”

“How can you not be fazed by the fact that this child you basically raised, is now dead!” Naruto began yelling, as well. “Are you even listening? Do you even care? Did you ever?”

Ayona was standing right in his face, looking up to meet his eyes. “You don’t care, do you?”

“Ayona, relax,” Kakashi tried to comfort her.

Tears that refused to fall filled her eyes, “I will NOT relax! I knew this boy! HE had nothing to live for, NOTHING! You came along and gave him a reason to be alive, a reason to exist! Now, He’s dead, with nothing to show for it! He died for you! Like a TRUE friend !”

“Your words cut deep.” Zabuza said, his voice filled with hurt. The mist settled back into the river. Naruto could see Sasuke trying to move, ever so slightly, Naruto ran over to help him.

Ayona was a little surprised to hear the words just spoken, “I knew the boy also. He wanted to die for me, why, I will never know. You are right, I’m not really worth his life.”

“Gotten a little soft, have we?” said a voice behind them, followed by the laughs of many men.

Ayona spun on her heels, “Oh, shut up! I’m really sick of people with no respect!”

“A bit touchy?” the voice, now identified as Gatou, said, “Kill her.”

Sasuke was barely to his feet, but desperately wanted to punch all those guys into the river and watch them drown.

The men advanced on the team. Zabuza grabbed the kunai from out of his leg and charged at them.

Ayona was nearly amazed at Zabuza’s actions, but knew it was the only way. She threw a few pointy things, to fast to be identified, at the oncoming, army-like group.

Naruto called for Tazuna to help Sasuke stand, so he could join the fun.

Once Sasuke was propped on Tazuna, Naruto ran up to Ayona, “What’s up?”

“Just throw your shuriken,” Ayona said, fake annoyance in her voice.

“What ever you say.” Naruto did as told.

When most of the men were dead, or being killed, they stopped throwing things to see how Zabuza was doing. He didn’t look too good.
 

[Lady Okori]

That's a big understatement. Of course he doesn't look good. Would you look good with a numerous amount of sharp pointy things sticking out of your body? xd .

I suppose Naruto should be confused, as Haku didn't really tell his entire story, but he's a pretty sharp boy when it comes to relationships with other people. He really isn't as stupid as some people make him out to be.

And most of all, he understands what it's like to be all alone and have no "cause", as you called it. He of all people should be able to understand the situation.

I made the same mistake, making it seem like Naruto was dependent on other people. All of us have to give him a bit more credit...he isn't completely stupid...he just isn't experienced with a lot of things due to his childhood situation. Who would have been able to teach him all the basic things kids should know by instinct? No one. Not even the Hokage, who would have never had the time.

Err...I'll stop my ranting now. sweatdrop . I think that was a bit too much...oops.  

[Maeve Avari]

nope, I totally understand, People need to give naruto some credit for even trying.

Give the Devil his due  

[R0KI]

i try not to make Naruto out as stupid...but unfortunately in my story i have very little of Naruto and most of it is Sasuke.....i think i make Sasuke a little too happy in the month he's training with Solari.....anyway....i just make Naruto really hyper and Sakura kinda annoying.....of course neither of you have to deal with Sakura cause u cut her out.....i wasn't that smart, so to make up for my mistakes i try to put her in more and more....also my story is told from a very biased point of view, i write about people the way Solari thinks about them….Senshi is kind, Sasuke is distant but close at the same time, Naruto is way too hyper, and Sakura is a nuisance……

kk sorry I got off track…..i liked how Ayona stuck up for Haku like that, very cool  

[Purple dragon lady]

Poor Haku.
So he did know Ayona a while back. I see...
And no, Zabuza certainly doesn't look good, does he?  

[Maeve Avari]

haha, no, sadly, Zabuza doesn't look too good...  

[Maeve Avari]

“Zabuza…” Ayona said softy as the realization of what just happened came to her. She acted like it was the things that were killing Zabuza was what surprised her morally, but in fact it was that she saw that one of the dead men was killed by a kunai, Naruto’s had done some minor damage to the army, but hers were meant to kill, and they did. She had not killed in a long time, so when it happened, it was so surprising to her, that she almost fainted, almost.

Ayona ran up to Zabuza, “No!” she cried.

“A-Ayona-Chan…” Zabuza began as he lay on the ground. “I-I want you to have Haku’s senbon. H-he had some s-special ones, please take them as a gift.”

Ayona nodded and walked over to where Haku lay. She opened his small senbon pouch. Inside were all different sorts of senbon. There were normal ones and different colored ones. She took out the strange-looking ones. Taking them, she walked back to Zabuza.

“These?” she asked, showing the different ones to him. He nodded, and then looked over to where his fallen comrade lay. Ayona looked over to Kakashi, and he understood. Kakashi walked over and picked up Zabuza and lied him back down next to Haku. Zabuza smiled, this was were he wanted to be.

Naruto had gone over to where Ayona was. “What are they?”

“I think they have special properties to them. See, how this one is purple and has a vial-like picture on it? I think that is filled with a deadly poison, so when it is thrown at the enemy, if it hits anywhere, it’s a good shot,” Ayona explained

“Cool. What do you think the others do?” Naruto asked.

“Don’t know. I’ll ask the Hokage when we go home.” Ayona decided. Naruto nodded in agreement.


They both heard a rather loud rumble behind the two genin, they turned around. There were the villagers, weapons in hand, yelling congratulations.

Gatou!!!! Ayona spun back around to see the gang lord lying on the ground dead. good…

_________________
“We need to carry on, Tazuna.” Ayona said after getting back to the house, “can you carry on without us?”

“Probably, the bridge is almost done, It would probably save you time to stay a few days and go over it.” Tazuna explained

“Kakashi?” Ayona looked over to her sensei.

He nodded, “We will wait those days and pass over your bridge.”

Everyone agreed. And so it was decided, in three days they were to pass over the bridge first thing in the morning and head off home to find out the newest challenge.
________________

Sasuke knocked on Ayona’s door frame as she sat on her windowsill, listening to music, guitar on hand.

“hm?” Ayona looked over her shoulder.

“You weren’t part of a traveling circus, were you?” Sasuke asked as he took a few steps into the room.

“Well, not entirely.”

“So then, what did you do?” he was so darn persistent with these things.

“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me, so it doesn’t matter.” she said, a sort of far away look on her face as she looked out onto the ocean.

“You do know I know what you did today right?” Sasuke was now right behind her, and slightly to the right, also looking out onto the ocean.

“W-what are you talking about?” Ayona was actually pretty surprised.

“You killed a man,” Sasuke said.

“s-so?” Ayona asked, still afraid this would become something big, “People die all the time.”

“Not always to the hands of a twelve year old, your kunai were sent with full on killing intent.”

Ayona just sat there, she was so shocked by his statement, it really made her think about what she was capable of. “I have a strong arm, that’s all.”

Sasuke nodded, not satisfied with the new lie, but knew he wouldn’t get any more answers.

They both sat or stood there, looking out onto the ocean, it truly was an amazing site because of the full moon reflecting off the clear water.

“Two months is too little.
They let him go.
They had no sudden healing.
To think that providence would
Take a child from his mother while she prays
Is appalling.

Who told us we’d be rescued?
What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?
We’re asking why this happens
To us who have died to live?
It’s unfair.


This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held.

This hand is bitterness.
We want to taste it, let the hatred NUMB our sorrow.
The wise hands opens slowly to lilies of the valley and tomorrow.

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held.

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held.

If hope is born of suffering.
If this is only the beginning.
Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held.

This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held.” the radio sang. It reminded both of the blonde kid two rooms down the hall. It must be so hard for him

-_________________________

Song “Held” by Natalie Grant
 

[R0KI]

cool senbon.....i wonder what she'll end up using them for?  

[Purple dragon lady]

Sad song... And it remidnds them of Naruto? Do they know of the fox?
Ah, Sasuke is getting closer to the truth. I won't cheer for him, I'll just watch him get closer to finding out her past.  

[Maeve Avari]

spring form yet?

And yes, it may take him a while.  

[Maeve Avari]

The next day the genin just trained a little jutsu and shuriken practice. Several days after Haku had been killed, they left the village, already there was a little commerce from the bridge, the village was going to grow back.
________________________

Team seven come back to Konoha two days after that. Ayona had asked for an appointment with the Hokage, to ask about the senbon. It was today, at three.

Ayona dashed down the stairs of the small house, she would NOT be late. “Crap.” she said as she slammed the door and ran to the Hokage tower. She got there just in time.

“I have an appointment,” she said to the women at the front desk.

“Name?”

“Ayona Tcalm.”

The women scanned through the list, mumbling her name quietly. “Oh, yes, here you are. Just sign in on the list right there,” She motioned to a clipboard with names and times on it.

Ayona signed and put the time and date, and then ran up to the office.

She swung open the door, “Gomen.”

“It’s alright, now, what was it you needed?” the elderly man asked.

Ayona closed the door behind her and sat in the chair across from the Hokage. “Well, on our mission, I found out some stuff, and got some weird senbon.”

“One at a time. What ‘weird stuff’ did you find out?” the man asked.

“Well,” Ayona unwrapped her hand, to reveal an even darker purple swirl on her palm, “I got this, and I can make a ball of sound, but it hurts like heck.”

The Hokage appeared to be thinking. He took up the hand in his, to get a closer inspection. “You’re on Naruto’s team, right?”

“Hai.”

“Well, the day he was born, a demon, The Nine tailed fox, was sealed inside of him. The seal meant that The fourth Hokage would stay in endless combat with the fox until the end of time. In many ways you resemble him. Now, are you creating, or thinking of creating, a jutsu or seal?”

“Hai, Hinata and I are working on a jutsu to find out an opponents mental weakness.”

“Interesting…” Sarutobi was so transfixed by his situation, it was hard for him to explain.

“Well, anyhow, What’s your birthday?”

“I don’t know,’ Ayona said, lowering her head.

“I have a sneaking suspicion it is the same as Naruto’s.”

“Why?”

“I think you are a guardian of sound, was it?”

“Yes, deafening.”

“Well, the fourth had a special attachment to pure energy, as you do to sound. He was capable of doing, quite literally, the impossible. Have you experienced something like this?” The Hokage was beginning to tense a little.

“I believe I have the power, at times, to see at the speed of sound.” Ayona answered.

“Exactly, that’s impossible, and yet I believe, full heartedly. I believe the reason it hurts you to use your ability is because, technically, the past guardian is not dead, he is just fighting in another dimension, and yet, he is dead to us.”

“I’m a little confused.”

“So am I. That’s all I know. Onto the senbon.”

“When we defeated Gatou, Zabuza told me to have the senbon from Haku, most of them were normal, but there were a few colored ones, these,” Ayona handed the colored senbon to the Hokage. There was one purple, two black, one dark blue, and three red.

The Hokage took them and put the three red ones on the table next to him. Then He took the purple one in one hand. “The red are simply painted, as a diversion, to make you think they are important. The Purple is hardly special, if it was to hit an enemy it would do normal damage, except it will infect a numbing poison.”

He put the purple down and picked up the blue. “This one is a little better, it will infect a poison into the veins of the target, the poison shouldn’t be very strong, but with a bunch you COULD kill.” He put that one next to the others.

“These,” he held up the black, showing the small curls of white on either end, “are possibly the most powerful senbon I’ve ever seen. These are Ice Element Senbon, when they hit a target, they use a sealed jutsu and release ice, solid, ice into the veins of the enemy, stopping the blood flow, and in turn, killing them. They work best when they hit a major organ, or near one. If they hit an arm, there might not have enough power to reach much further than the shoulder, or a little past.”

Ayona nodded as Sarutobi handed back the senbon.

“Ayona, If Kakashi recommends your team for the Chunnin Exams, you should go, your team is good.”

Ayona nodded again and left.  

[R0KI]

so basically she has 2 useful senbon....
what will she use them for???  

[Purple dragon lady]

Sound guardian... and energy guardian? Interesting...
Heh, those black senbon sound pretty awesome!

Why yes, I am in my spring form now, Maeve-chan.  

[Maeve Avari]

I knew it! I so good....

We sing!

Sing Without a reason!  

[Maeve Avari]

The next day was a day off for team seven, because of the now possibly over ranked mission.

Naruto was currently at Ichuruka’s ramen stand for breakfast, Ayona was bored because she was waiting for Hinata to get out of her mission, then they would train, so she followed him.

“Hello, how may I help you?” asked the man at the counter when they sat down.

“I’ll have Pork Ramen, extra Pork.” Naruto said quickly.

“And you?” the man asked politely as he turned to Ayona.

“Do you have fish Ramen?” she asked, remembering her favorite from her childhood.

“I can check, hold on.” the man walked away into the small kitchen and asked the cook something, obviously what she had just asked. Ayona could sort of read lips, and what the man was saying had nothing to do with fish ramen.

The man walked back, “Yes, we do, would you like that.”

“Please. Wasabi, as well.” Ayona added, trying to figure out what they had been talking about.

“It’ll be right out.”

Ayona nodded in reply. She looked over to where Naruto was, he had already gotten his ramen, he was slurping it down, as if he had never had it before. She just shook her head, he was so stupid sometimes.

Her food came out of the kitchen, along with the Wasabi she had asked for. She took a slurp of the ramen, it was pretty good. She picked up her Wasabi and smelled it. Yup, just as she had thought, it was definitely not Wasabi. She put it back on the counter.

Once both Genin had finished they headed back to the house.

“Why didn’t you use your Wasabi?” Naruto asked when they where almost half way home.

“It wasn’t Wasabi, I’m not sure what it is,” Ayona said, “Do you know what time it is?”

“Nah, I don’t have a watch, where almost back anyway.”

Ayona decided not to say anything further, she figured she’d have about an hour or so to kill before Hinata finished training.

They got back home a few minutes after. Ayona took a quick shower and decided to train alone. She had grabbed all her things and was out the door. As she was walking, she remembered the way her and Hinata had met. She decided to just sit and listen to music, she didn’t want another accident like that.


She sat down on the ground when she reached the small secluded clearing they always trained in. Ayona clicked on Her MP3 player, letting it turn to “shuffle” mode.

“I am a little bit of loneliness a little bit of disregard
Handful of complaints but I can’t help the fact that everyone can see
these scars
I am what I want you to want what I want you to feel
But it's like no matter what I do, I can't convince you, to just believe
this is real
So I let go, watching you, turn your back like you always do
Face away and pretend that I'm not
But I'll be here 'cause you're all that I got” Ayona listened to this song, it almost reminded her of best friend, because of her other side. Her invisible side.

Just then Hinata walked into the open field.

“Your early.” Ayona said, secretly asking for an explanation.

“Yeah, missions just get stupider and shorter,” Hinata said as Ayona stood, plugging her MP3 player into speakers.

“Apparently,” Ayona said.

____________
Song: "Faint' Linkin Park
_____________

Sorry for shaortness and lateness, I've been forgetting and my Church had this thing I was all busy with, along with lots of Homework.