The sun went down again on the dry, cool desert around Suna. In the minute oasis belonging solely to the Haiyaku clan, it began to rain, as it did every night. A symbol of my perpetual hatred for the place I grew up. We stood beyond the trees, Kasumi and I, a grape-haired, nothing of a girl and her taller pig-tailed companion. We stood, as we did most nights, back to back between the memories of our abhorrence of man, wondering where time would lead us if we took that precious step toward freedom.

The days grew ever darker in this vast expanse of arid land. The time of trust between other towns and countries was drawing to a dark close. Just a year before, Suna and Konoha united forces and defeated Orochimaru, but with no one left to fear, we began to fear each other. I hadn’t been alive long enough to know how bad things had gotten, but my parents used words like: inconceivable, catastrophe, and unrecognizable. It had been said, the time of peace wouldn’t last long, for Orochimaru had a successor, a missing-nin from the leaf village who had left years ago.

Peering into the vast darkness that lay inside the oasis, a chill crept up my spine, a blend of apprehension and turmoil. The next day I would turn my back on the clan one last time and start classes at the ninja academy. Strictly forbidden, they called it. But, even in those days I laughed at the word.

Kasumi sighed, her breath leaving her mouth in a warm puff as her eyes fell down to stare at her shoes. We were just kids then, looking for a dream of a better life in each other's company. Neither she nor I knew what the words team or family meant or that we would unconsciously teach each other the definitions. At that point, I didn't even know her name just that she seemed to yearn for something more and that she found this same spot particularly comfortable for the past 2 years, as I did.

I don't know what it was that made that night so different from any other, but it was that night she decided to cross the gap between dune-mates to acquaintances.

“My uncle, Kankuro, is really scared of you guys.” She said, not even turning to face me, “actually, most of Suna is scared of you guys.”

“Yeah.” I shrugged.

“I’m not.” She said, sticking her nose in the air and crossing her arms in front of her.

She turned to face me so I did the same. Seeing her nose still in the air, I couldn’t help but smile at her.

“That’s good. You shouldn’t be.” I replied.

I seemed to surprise her with my ease. “What?” She said.

“I said, you shouldn’t be scared of me. I’m not going to do anything to anybody.”

She uncrossed her arms and her body language loosened. “Well, then,” she said, “why’s everyone so afraid of you guys?”

I shrugged again, “I don’t know. I suppose it has something to do with these.” With that, I shrugged off the coat I’d been wearing, showing the girl the hardened spikes that grew on my shoulders. They weren’t yet mature enough to cause any real damage, but they could make someone very sick.

Her eyes widened and I thought she was going to take off. Instead, she shrugged and said, “What do those do? Can I touch them?”

“Right now, make someone sick. Later on, cause death.”

“Neat! Is that your bloodline limit?”

“I don’t know. What’s that. Some silly old witch about a million years ago cursed us with scorpion blood.”

“It’s too bad your clan doesn’t let you join the academy. That‘d be a great defense system.” She seemed to be calculating strategies before my eyes.

“Yeah, and it’s too bad for them I joined anyway.”

“Really? Well, don’t worry, if anybody messes with you they have me to deal with.” She smiled.

I smiled back and mumbled a thank you.

“Well,” She said, “I’d better get back home. If my father wakes up and finds me missing he’ll be furious and make mother punish me.”

“Why doesn’t he do it?”

“He finds it too troublesome, he‘s a pretty lazy guy. Well, Later!”

We turned from each other and trudged our opposite ways back to our past, with just a glimmer of chance in our eyes. Hoping the next day would bring the promise of a friend.

I've been very busy and haven't had the time to write another chapter. It's getting done very slowly and I also have real life stuff to deal with, so I will have a new chapter up as soon as I can. And for some reason it won't let me reply to reviews today so... OC means Original Characters. And yes Temari and Shikamaru have a daughter. ^_^ They're my favorite ship. ^_^ And since this has to be 100 words long I'm just typing random nonsense now. Um, woot for random nonsense... I don't know what else to type typey type typerson typeyness typing type yay type