rain ϟ gaara

Road to Ran

"No ramen, no life."

-Naruto Uzumaki

Ameko POV

"I have to escort the Kazekage back to his village?" I repeat Lady Tsunade's words as she faces the window of her office. She whirls around on her chair.

"Not just you. You'll have a 3-man squad accompanied by a Jonin, and will be heading back with the Sand Siblings. Not just the Kazekage." She taps her chin. "I haven't really thought about the arrangements, but I'll make it work."

I looked at her, puzzled. "Why do we need to escort him back to his village if he already has his siblings there with him to keep him safe?"

"You know about the Akatsuki, right? I don't think just two shinobi will be good enough if we're going to face an Akatsuki member," Tsunade replies, sorting her paperwork.

"How do you know if we run into an Akatsuki member?" I say.

"Because Gaara is a Jinchuriki."

I gape. "No one told me that!"

Tsunade sighs. "I guess you don't know a lot of things in the outside world, do you?" She responds.

"One more question," I say, and she looks up at me.

"Who's in my squad?"

Ran POV

"Tsunade called you over to her office," Sakura notified me after she found me at Ichiraku Ramen with Naruto.

"Really?" I say with a mouthful of ramen, "for what?"

Sakura shrugs, and rolls her eyes when Naruto asked for another bowl of ramen.

"Let me finish eating and then I'll go," I say, quickening my pace. Sakura leaves and I pushed the finished bowl out of the way. I glance at Naruto, who was finishing his, what- third bowl of ramen?

"See ya, Naruto," I murmur, and start running on my way to the Hokage Mansion. I hear him stumble and shout, "REALLY?! Why do you always make me pay it?!"

I chuckle to myself as I enter the mansion. The hallways were bright and fluorescent yellow, which I disliked. I squinted my eyes when I opened the door to Tsunade's office.

"You needed me?" I asked her, closing the door from behind me. I turned around and saw the girl that I met yesterday. Wasn't Meiko her name? Ameki?

I nodded awkwardly at her, and she smiled back.

"It's good to see you, Ran," Tsunade greets. I bowed my head. "Of course, m'lady."

Tsunade smiles. "You were always more polite than that Naruto." She crosses her arms. "Anyways, I've called you here because I have an important task for you."

I raise an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

She looks at me, then the girl. "You can tell her, Ameko." Ameko! That's what her name was. I was so close!

Ameko clears her throat and nods towards me. "She assigned you to my 3-man squad."

There was a small silence.

"Oh," I reply blankly. I honestly didn't know what to say. Tsunade stands up and looks out of her big window.

"I called another excellent shinobi here, too. This will probably be an all female squad by the looks of it."

➳➳➳➳➳

"Oh hey, Sakura. What are you doing here?" I ask when the pink-haired kunoichi walked in. Ameko gives me an amused look.

"What?" I questioned her, "I was kidding."

Sakura smiles at Ameko and I. "Great to see you guys!" She exclaims, "I can't believe I'm on Ameko's first mission!"

Ameko grins, tucking a hanging strand of hair behind her ear.

I fiddle with the crossed swords strapped on my back. The blades were a gift to me from Maki-sensei when I was living in Suna for a couple of years. She told me that she had a teacher with the same kekkei genkai as me, Scorch Release, who she called Pakura-sensei. She taught me how to use it and how my blades would triple the power. I close my eyes and think about the good times in Suna. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. I haven't seen them in a long time.

"So what's the objective of this mission?" I ask, looking at Tsunade in the eye. Ameko and Sakura stare at me with their mouths hanging open. "What?"

Tsunade groans. "We were just talking about that, Ran."

"Oh. Sorry."

You're probably wondering while reading this story why the title is called "rain" and the story has nothing to do with rain?? It's coming soon guys, bear with me here :3
tlk