Troublesome Love (ShikaTema)

~Chapter Four~

-Temari's POV-

"HEY," Kimiko yelled over the noise of the storm, walking ahead, making a protective barrier at the front with her wind jutsu. "YOU TWO HOLDING UP OKAY BACK THERE?"

"SPLENDID," Ryo replied.

"COULDN'T BE BETTER," I shouted from the back. We were walking in a line, Kimiko in the front, and Ryo and me at the back and pushing the gale from the side. Kimiko and I were holding our huge fans, blowing the sand away from us using our jutsu, creating an empty space for enough time for us to cross.

"WE SHOULD REACH THE SAFE HOUSE IN ANOTHER HOUR" I told them.

"ARRGGHHH I CAN'T HOLD THAT LONG I'M STARVED" Ryo complained. He was using his clan's power to divert the direction of the sand, sometimes just making the particles stay still, or sometimes changing the direction and sending them away from us.

"DEAL WITH IT" Kimiko and I both yelled at him. Ryo groaned but stood his ground. Slowly but safely, we made our way through the sand storm and towards the safe house, where we were going to rest for a while and then continue our journey.

After what seemed like an eternity of just doing the same thing over and over again, we finally saw a red light flashing through the sand. In a storm as intense as this, you wouldn't have thought you could see anything apart from your nose, but I recognised the light.

"GUYS THE SAFE HOUSE, IT'S THAT WAY," I yelled, quickly pointing to the light. The three of us changed the direction of where we were walking and started making our way towards the safe house.

On the surface, all you could see was a trapdoor and a long sensor beam flashing above it. Ryo and I kept the protection barrier while Kimiko opened the entrance, and slid inside the hole.

"You get in next," Ryo told me. I nodded and dropped down the hole, feeling for the ladder rungs and climbing down.

Once I reached the floor, I looked around. The safe house was big enough to fit five grown people. There were sleeping bags and emergency rations in shelves and cupboards, as well as a restock of ninja tools that only shinobi could access. I checked my holster, seeing that it was full, I didn't bother to take any of the restock.

I rested my fan on the wall and slid down the wall beside it. Kimiko was looking at the weapons assortment, checking which ones she had already packed and which she thought would be needed.

Ryo took out a summoning scroll and placed it on the ground. Three cups appeared on top of the seal.

"Hey, Kimiko," he held one out to her, which she took. He then gave one to me. I sniffed it cautiously.

"My sister made it for us, it's okay," he said. I stared at the liquid, still unsure. I drank a little, expecting a bland mixture. I was not expecting the drink to taste the way it did. It was like mint, which we had a very limited reserve in Suna, and it was mostly exported to the feudal lords. I hadn't had mint tea since I last went to Konoha.

"It's good, isn't it," Ryo said, his dark brown eyes fixed on me. "My sister found some mint in a store on her last mission, and she wanted you to taste her tea recipe, so she asked me to pack them."

I scoffed, unimpressed, but slightly pleased that she wanted to give the rare ingredient for us.

"It's delicious," I admitted. Ryo smiled, and so did Kimiko as she sat next to him. She had braided her long hair, and looked like she had washed her face a bit.

"So," I sipped my tea and looked at Ryo. "Are you new to the sandstorm defense squad? I hadn't seen you before."

"Yeah I'm new. I wasn't born in Suna," Ryo said. "I'm from the Hidden Rain village. After the war was over, our village was pretty beat up, and only three of my clan had survived the whole war. Me, Kuragari- my cousin, and my younger sister- Nami."