::Barano Complex; Infirmary::
Ryuu stared in helpless worry at her teammates and teacher. They lay in their hospital beds, each of them with an oxygen mask covering their air passages. At least the three were together in their illness, leaving the elder of the two kunoichi with only the scent of Pine Sol and four walls to keep her company. A heavy sigh escaped her lungs as she slumped down into a chair.
"Feeling alright?" Ryuu raised her chin, her blue eyes meeting the faceted ones of the doctor, He was wearing the first warm smile she'd seen in about three days. She nodded.
"You're...speaking Japanese? But the client only--"
"Yune, I know. That boy's been through a great deal of shock lately and, in panic, reverted back to his mother tongue." He replied cooly. "Don't worry; your friends are going to be just fine, give or take a few hours' rest..."
Ryuu felt as though a tremendous weight was lifted off of her shoulders, all tension having been alleviated by a few kind words. Still...why wasn't SHE be resting beside her friends? All of them had suffered from rage and hallucinations, leaving her alone and confused. The old Dragon ran his hand over the wall to find a light switch; his wrinkled fingers found the protuberance, pressing it down. The room soon dimmed. Ryuu cleared her throat.
"Um..."
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry..." She muttered, hanging her head. The doctor looked at her with confusion.
"For what?"
"For not being able to help them. I don't know what makes me so different...I mean, why wasn't I sent into some kind of...rage?"
He couched down to her level, the crevices in his eyes eerie, illuminated by the glow of the irises. "Is this your first visit to Hate?"
"Yeah...up until now, I've never left Konoha." He knitted his brows in thought.
"I see...Is there...anything special about your emotions or your teeth?"
Upon hearing such a suggestion, Ryuu ran her tongue over the bottoms of her teeth, discovering that they were, indeed, unnaturally sharp, as though they had been filed. And of course, there were her techniques...
"Yeah. I can form weapons out of my blood using chakra, but I don't know why I'm able to do it..." The doctor smiled kindly and patted her on the head.
"That's wonderful, child. What's your name?" Someone had actually complimented her!
"Ryuu. Amegawa Ryuu!" The old dragon arose, his bones making an uncomfortable crackling noise as his body maneuvered upward.
"Come with me." He suggested. "I know someone who would like to meet you." Ryuu took a quick glance at her makeshift family and decided that they would survive without her...at least for five minutes.
The doctor led Ryuu out of the hospital and into the bitter-smelling citadell. A cool, balmy air filled the night while a tiny freckling of stars colored its sky. It would have had a calming affect had it not been so dark and lifeless. The young Kunoichi inhaled deeply and blindly followed the crunching sound that the doctor's feet made against the dry earth.
::Thirty Minutes Later...::
At last, the pair arrived at their destination: a large house that didn't look so much as a mansion as it did a keep; painted black by the "sighted beings" as the Barano Dragons called them, it was a portrait of malevolence and a warning to all who were not members of the infamous clan to stay away. The Barano had only been the incumbent government for six-hundred years. Considering that most of the main branch had been instituted for millennia, the Barano were the Third World.
The old Dragon tapped Ryuu on the shoulder, catching her off guard and eliciting a shriek.
"Inside, you will find a man by the name of Empe. If you ask him to help you, he will." He explained in but a whisper. "But you must NOT...look him...in the EYES. Do you understand?"
"I-I think so...Won't you be coming in with me?"
"I'm afraid I can't, Miss Ryuu. I have to return to your friends at the hospital, remember?" Ryuu heard his voice fading away into the darkness. "IF you are who you say you are, you shouldn't be met with any trouble..."
"If I am who I say I am? Who am I?! What do you mean?" She cried into the night.
But there would be no answer. Taking in a deep breath and summoning every ounce of courage, Ryuu ran her trembling hands over the door, just as the doctor had done at the hospital. To these dragons, there were no such things as light or dark, shapes and images. No. They had to *feel* their way around things. Soon, the cold metal of the doorknob bit her flesh. She twisted it and caused the door to gape open before her with an annoying creak. The inside was no more illuminated than the night itself. There was only void--something well-accepted by this race of beings.
Ryuu felt her mouth go dry. "Please? I-I'm looking for Empe." She stuttered. "Can someone help me? Please!"
Scuffling sounds. Something like the shuffling of papers. Someone was writing. Was this an office?
"What do you want?" A masculine voice wheezed. Ryuu stood stock still upon hearing it, holding her breath.
"I'll ask you again. What do you want?"
"Ah! Um...I'm looking for a man named Empe." She replied nervously. "Do you...know where he is?" Something like the sound of a book slamming closed.
"Child...if you take a few steps to your left, you'll find a light switch. You've made it blatantly obvious that you can't see anything."
"But you can see me?"
"Yes. I am a Barano; our infrared vision is perfect. Now if you would....?"
"Oh, right. I'm sorry, sir..." *Click* "Ah, thank Hell..." However, once light flooded the room, Ryuu found that the voice that kept her company was given a body.
Though the man was not a terrifying sight, he was indeed primitive, if not gargoyle-esque in appearance. Thick, curling horns protruded from his scalp, along with a pointed tail from his rear; dagger-like talons grew from his feet in the stead of toes. His eyes were faceted and lamp-like, taking up almost a sixth of his face; the man's muscled torso was shirtless in addition to being scaled. Upon seeing this man, Ryuu remembered the warning given to her by the doctor.
"You must NOT...look him...in the EYES." Was this the very Empe whom she was seeking?
The Kunoichi averted her eyes to the Dragon's feet. His talons twitched.
"A-are you...Empe?"
"I am, child." He wheezed. "What do you want?" Ryuu gulped painfully, her voice almost dying inside of her throat.
"Sir...I need your help. Y-you see, I can destroy things with my emotions, a-and...the doctor said that you might be able to help me."
"I see..." His voice was raspy. "Why do you think this is so? Can your parents do the same?"
"No, sir. My dad can't, but my mother...I don't know anything about her."
"Nothing at all?" She heard his tone soften. "No history? No visits from relatives?" Such questions caused the hollow pit in her stomach to grow.
"No, sir...There's just me and my dad."
"What is your name, child?" Empe lifted Ryuu's chin to his eyes, which had an ominous glow to them.
"...Ryuu. Amegawa Ryuu." A bead of sweat slithered down the side of her cheek. The older Dragon did not blink once while the pair spoke, his eyes lidless and malevolent. He nodded afirmatively.
"So, you're Tenshi's child. That makes sense; I heard that she died giving birth to a human's child twelve years ago."
She blinked. "A-and I'm that child?" Empe's face split into a broad smile.
"Yes...This is wonderful." He sighed. "I never thought I'd see you in this lifetime." His clawed hand released Ryuu's chin as he embraced her. She swallowed nervously.
"So, what am I?"
"You're an Eien Dragon." He wheezed joyfully. "THE Eien Dragon. The Fourth Red Dragon."
"That would make you my...?"
"First cousin. I am your first cousin, Ryuu-sama." Ryuu was almost in tears with ecstacy. She'd never known of her mother's history, let alone her own. And this new discovery would change her life forever.
"Then you'll teach me everything?"
Empe nodded. "Yes." He paused for a moment. "I'll teach you EVERYTHING..."
::Tairyuu's Office::
Two hours after Kuro and her two students were released from the intensive care unit, they were brought before the eldest of the Barano clan, Empe. This Empe was a human-like vibrant-looking older woman with long, olive hair and a powerful speaking voice. The crispness of her accent made the lady all the more pleasant to listen to. Kuro found herself falling for that voice herself...
"Kuro-san...Please allow me to welcome you into the Village Hidden in Hate." She addressed the trio proudly. "It is indeed a shame that the fourth member of your group is not here as well...But may I ask her name?"
"Ryuu. Amegawa Ryuu, Empe-sama." Kuro replied. The Dragon's eyes suddenly became as large as lollipops.
"Y-you're not serious. THE Amegawa Ryuu is here in the Village of Hate? In MY Village?!"
"Hey! Ryuu-kun may be a bit creepy, but she's never hurt anyone!" Yumi defended.
"No, no. You misunderstood." Empe looked at the group gravely, her breath quickening. "She is in DANGER. We have to find her IMMEDIATELY!"
///