Hello! This is my first Fanfiction, so I am ready for constructive criticism! Though, technically, this is my fifth Fanfic, just the first posting. I don't have the guts for posting anything in Naruto. Anyways, I hope you guys like this, and check out my profile for a link to my DeviantArt page, where I put in pictures about that chapter. Done by me, or someone else's great work. I've babbled for long enough. Enjoy!

Rio bent over the muddy garden as she continued to pull weeds. The rain the night before had loosened the soil, so Rio took advantage of her neighbors' unkempt yards. Her dark glasses slid down her nose as she jerked the crabgrass out of the mud. She stood erect and, turning to the hut behind her, called to its resident.

"I'm finished, Ms. Fuseya! I'll leave the weed bucket out here!" Rio brushed the mud off of her sandal.

"Thanks sweetie! Come collect your pay tomorrow!" Ms. Fuseya replied from within her home. Rio waved goodbye and strode silently out of the old lady's garden. She wouldn't encounter any other houses until she reached the other side of the hill, and her own home was beyond that.

Rio was fifteen years old, had hip-length, snowy, white hair, a slender figure, and dark glasses that covered her red-orange eyes.

She stopped abruptly as a suspicious green speck approached. Looking down at herself for a brief moment, she sighed at her muddy kimono and shoes. The only part of her that was dirt free was her face. Glancing up, the green light had stopped two feet in front of her. Rio examined it closely before coming to a conclusion.

"A Poncle, huh? All the way out here?" Rio had read about Poncles in a world book that she had borrowed, learning that they were one-inch humans with beetle helmets. Not a smart choice, as Poncles were often mistaken for insects.

"Whoa, baby! Nice twins!" The Poncle admired, and continued. Rio blushed and crossed her arms, "Anyway, babe, I'm Issun, the Wandering Artist. You've probably heard of me. How's about taken off those glasses and tell me your name?" Issun requested. Rio frowned irritably.

"You really came all the way from Yamaguchi Village just to harass me?" She asked, unbelievingly, "Well, you can tell those villagers where they can shove their little belief!" She was about to tell the tiny man off until he corrected her.

"N-no, wait! I've never even been to Yamaguchi!" He said nervously. Rio relaxed and sighed.

"Good. It's an unforgiving place. I'm Rio." Feeling comfortable with the Poncle, she removed her glasses. Her red eyes shone brightly, her pupils adjusting to the light. Issun looked undoubtedly elated.

"It is you! Finally!" He celebrated, thrusting his fist into the air.

"Um... Do I know you?" Rio wondered. Hardly anyone in this field knew her.

"No, but I know you! You've grown up, kiddo!" He reminisced. Seeing the confused look on Rio's face, he elaborated, "I knew you as a baby!" Rio stood aghast. She bent down and offered her hand to Issun, who gratefully accepted. She held him a foot from her face.

"That means you... Knew my parents...?" She asked slowly.

"Knew? I know! Well, at least your mom. That's why I'm here, babe!" Issun explained. Rio fell back into a sitting position.

"So, lemme see if I've got this right. You came to Shinshu Field, for me, because my mother decided she finally wanted, after fifteen years, to see her daughter." The Poncle nodded, smiling, and then realized what he had just confirmed. Rio pinched his leaf-cape between her fingers, set him on the ground, and began to walk away.

"No, babe, wait! It's not like that! Your mom's been really busy! If you knew who she was you'd un-" Issun tried. Rio whipped around to face him.

"Then tell me, Issun, who is she? Who is so busy that they can't even write a stupid, little letter!" The Poncle stood speechless. As Rio turned to leave, Issun found his voice.

"Amaterasu!" He shouted desperately. Rio turned back to him and scoffed.

"The sun goddess! Ha! Now I know your crazy!"

"It's true!" Issun insisted.

"Alright, hypothetically, let's say your telling the truth. There's just one little flaw in your theory. I don't believe in the gods." The green aura around Issun turned bright red.

"Don't believe in the gods! Did ya hear what happened sixteen years ago!" Issun yelled, as loud as a man his size could. Of course Rio had heard the tale. The goddess Amaterasu vanquished the lord of darkness.

"Yea, I've heard it, but if Amaterasu got rid of evil, why'd I hear that somebody saw a Demon Scroll?" Demon Scrolls were evil beings that trapped innocent bystanders into fighting.

"That's why I'm here, babe. Ammy needs you to-" He began, but Rio interrupted.

"Ammy?"

"Ammy, Amaterasu, furball, mom, whatever ya wanna call her. Anyway, we figured out that Yami, lord of darkness, is still alive. Ammy needs ya to stay safe. We've got a camp a while from here and-"

"We?"

"Jeez, kid, lemme finish! Oh, I'll tell ya on the way to Agata Forest. We're meetin' someone there." Issun explained. Rio was uncertain, but Agata Forest was close to her house, anyway. Issun, much to Rio's annoyance, took a great leap and landed on the top of Rio's snowy hair. He grabbed a few hairs from Rio's side-bangs and ordered her to march. Rio sighed, and decided to have some fun with the rude Poncle, breaking into a full sprint, "Whoa, kid! Slow down!"

After some unneeded directions from Issun, they arrived at the ferry-port entrance. Still believing Issun was insane, Rio had hatched her plan. She would leave Issun at the port, which was the meeting point for him and his "friend", and then quickly exit the scene, running home. She set Issun into the moist grass so that he wasn't facing her. Issun put his hands on his hips and complained.

"Where is he? He said he'd be here!" Rio began to jog up the way they came. She had nearly made it past a few wild boar when she heard Issun's cry of protest.

"Hey, kid! Stop!" She turned her head back and smiled, still running. Suddenly, as she turned her head forward, she slammed into a hard surface. Rio fell backwards and rolled a few feet down the slope. After a moment of recovery, she sat up and rubbed her mouth.

"Oow, my lip! Am I bleeding?" She asked herself. She turned to see what she had collided with and nearly fell back in surprise. Three feet from her stood a boy, who looked about sixteen, with snowy white hair and nose-length bangs, light yellow eyes, and an electric yellow bow on his back, with arrows to match. He had a dark brown satchel at his side, and a slight smile on his face.

"Going somewhere?" He asked, amused. The most protruding characteristic Rio saw was how cute he was.

"Jeez, kid! What took you so long?" Issun asked impatiently, jumping behind Rio, "And you," Issun began, addressing Rio, "Ya tryin' to ditch me?"

"Of course I am! Did you think I'd stick around with someone who just told me I'm a goddess?" She questioned, "Give me some proof!" Issun let out a huff of impatience.

"Look at the kid in front of ya." Issun ordered. Rio obliged. The boy waved, "He's Gekigami's kid. God of lightning. Name's Sora. And he's got the same hair as you!" Rio didn't react, so Issun continued, "Sora, this is Rio. Amaterasu's kid." Rio let out a breath of annoyance as he said this.

"No, I'm not. Wouldn't I have magical powers or something totally unbelievable if I was?" Rio reasoned. Sora ignored this comment and began to rifle through his leather bag. A moment later he pulled out a large object. It was a triangle, about ten inches on each side and one inch thick, made of crystal. Translucent colors swirled on the inside, like a soap bubble. On each end was an extended point, razor sharp. A small fire like symbol rested in the center. Sora explained.

"This was a gift from the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu. If you're her daughter, you should be able to use it. Here." He offered Rio the divine instrument. Rio took it, and, surprisingly, it was extremely light.

"What do I...?" Rio wondered aloud. Issun piped up.

"Put it on your back!" Rio fumbled with it for a moment, then decided she would have to let go. She loosened her fingers slowly and finally released it. Expecting to hear a shatter, she was surprised to hear a small whirring noise. She turned her head back to the object and nearly collapsed in astonishment. The instrument had begun to rotate. It hovered slightly above her back, vertically. Rio began to breath nervously, and then sank to her knees.

"This isn't happening, this isn't happ-" Rio told herself.

"Calm down, kid! Cool it!" Issun tried, noticing that her instrument was being affected by her mood. Rio's breathing slowed, and she buried her face in her hands. Rio took a deep breath.

"Alright, you win. So it's possible I'm Amaterasu's daughter. What do you need me for?" Rio asked. Issun ignored her question and turned to Sora.

"Would this be a bad time to give her the...?" Sora shrugged and began to search through his satchel. A few seconds later he removed a paintbrush. Its top was a vibrant violet, with swirls of blue mixed in. Its tip was pointed and stiff, like it had never been used. Sora handed it to Rio silently. Rio accepted, but was confused.

"What's this?" Rio wondered, sniffing. She twirled it between her fingers a few times, and then looked from Issun to Sora.

"Count yourself lucky, kid! That there's a celestial brush, made for a goddess like yourself. You've just been granted immense power!" Issun clarified, "Now you can use Celestial Brush Techniques! I'll teach ya how. First, close your eyes and focus." Rio obeyed begrudgingly and began to clear her mind.

Focus on breathing.Focus on breathing.Rio thought to herself.Deep breath.In... Out... Wait, what's that noise? It's like a whistling... Oh, well. Is it weird that I can't whistle? I've heard that some people can't snap.That's weird.I can snap with all of my fingers.Oh, shoot! Focus! Rio had meditated before, but was embarrassed to say she f well ell asleep. She didn't have the attention span for this kind of thing.

Ten minutes later, nothing had improved. With Issun asking, "Well? Didja do it?" every three seconds, and a million other distractions that came along, Rio was losing patience with herself.

"I don't think I can do it. Whatever it is." Rio admitted, "Look, you guys seem to have high hopes for me, but I seriously doubt I'm up to your standards. I'm a farm girl. And even if this thing," She gestured to the instrument on her back, "Did 'take to me', that doesn't mean anything." She stated. What would it take for these men to believe her? The colorful aura around Issun began to fade, and Sora's blank face changed into a frown. Rio felt sad for them. How far had they come, just to get rejected? Rio sighed heavily at their disappointment, "Alright. So... If I go with you... Do you swear that- if you're wrong... You'll bring me home?" She requested slowly. Issun's aura brightened as she asked this and he began to bounce in place.

"Yea, yea, sure! Whatever ya say, babe! Now we can finally get out of this place, and into Agata! Hopefully Kokari's still kickin'..." Sora kneeled down and held out his hand to Issun, who leapt into the open palm.

"Let's go." Sora sighed, relieved, "I just hope you're ready." He joked.

They had crossed through the old port after a few watery encounters, but left the cave unharmed. Rio squinted as the trio exited the cave and stepped into a brightly lit area. Once her vermillion eyes adjusted, she studied her surroundings. It was a vast forest, with trees that reached the stars. An enormous lake, with a few islands scattered about, rested in the center. Attached to it was a flowing waterfall that ran into another water source, which seemed to have no bottom. The smell of fresh rain reached Rio's nose, as she took in a gust of air. She sighed peacefully. Something rustled among the leaves. A moment later, an old, wrinkly, overweight, red dog lumbered slowly towards the group. He had the appearance of a dried-out apple, and sticky slobber rolled off of his lazy tongue. Covered in saliva was a small bandana, tied around his fat neck. He collapsed heavily onto the earthy floor, and looked expectantly at the Poncle.

"Ume? Had too many dog biscuits, eh? Eesh." Issun noticed. Following the dog was a tall man with a large rabbit hat, brown eyes and hair, and a large nose. When he spoke, his voice was deep.

"Issun? You haven't grown at all!" Issun's aura turned bright red.

"Watch you're mouth, Kokari! I'll have you know I've grown over a millimeter!" Kokari threw back his head and laughed, making Issun even more irritated. The tall man put his hands on his hips and surveyed the group, "We were gonna ask for a place tah stay, but now..." Issun said passive aggressively. Kokari smiled and took it as a request.

"Sure, you guys can stay. I'll need to fish a little more before chow time, but after that I'll set you guys up with some tents." He leaned down and patted Ume on the stomach. Beckoning them with a wave of his hand, he led the group around the edge of the lake, towards a bit of land that was nearly detached from the rest, but had a sliver of dirt that created a pathway. On the tied island was a large hut, with a few puffs of smoke lazily seeping out of the top. Other than that, there were no other signs of humans. Sora offered his help with the fishing, while Issun led Rio into Kokari's home. A fire crackled in the center of the house, with some skewers set beside it. Kokari's bed lay in the left hand corner closest to the flap, and a dog bed parallel. Issun became comfortable by the fire, and Rio rested near him. They were silent for a few minutes, until Rio spoke.

"Where, exactly, are we headed?" Issun waited a moment, then replied.

"Y'know, you never asked to go get your stuff in Shinshu, or anything. I'm sure we could make it back to your house before... dark." As Issun said this, the last sliver of sun disappeared into the hills.

"I just don't have a lot of stuff." She heard a tiny sigh. Ignoring this, she repeated her earlier question. Rio stared at him impatiently, until he gave in.

"An island offa North Ryoshima. Tōi Island. We'll get there in about a week." The only noise was the snapping fire. Its flames licked at the wood greedily. Rio recalled the one thing she left behind. She thrust her palm at her forehead and groaned.

"Ms. Fuseya's money. I totally forgot." She saw Issun's tiny head shake in disappointment.

"Sorry, kid. We can't go back now."

"Why not?"

"Because, after it gets dark, the demons are more- er- lively." He shifted uncomfortably, "They'll attack you if ya get too close." He warned. Rio rolled her eyes. Wouldn't any demon attack if you got too close, day or night? As she thought this, Sora came sauntering through the flap, dripping with mud and water. Black trousers clung to his legs. His face blushed red. He grumbled something about "that lousy scale-face," and stomped over to the heat of the fire. Kokari and his pudgy dog bounded in afterward, and the man was obviously trying to conceal his smirk. Rio broke her charade and burst into a fit of giggles. Sora glared at her with frustration. Rio blushed in embarrassment and turned back to the comforting flames.

The group sat around the fire and consumed their meals. Sora had given Rio the cold shoulder for the majority of their meal, and Kokari and Issun had a discussion about who knows what. Rio had picked at her fish, uninterested. She wasn't the extrovert type. Rio politely excused herself and was greeted by the crisp forest air. She had been constantly worrying about her well-earned money going to waste. Money was alwaysa problem with Rio. She could notlet this go down the drain. Glancing behind her shoulder nervously, she did something rather impulsive. She broke into a quick walk, and gradually sped up, weaving her way through trees and rocks. Eventually, she scaled her way through the edge of the abandoned waterway, and timidly exited the old frame. She was being unnecessarily careful, as people in Shinshu went to sleep around seven o'clock, and it was now nine o'clock. Rio yawned at the thought of it. She lost her footing in the wet grass and slowed, so as not to fall. She suddenly felt very cold. A subtle swooping noise echoed around the teenager. Darkness surrounded her, and she felt her stomach twist and turn and flip, until bits of red and blue light rolled out and lit a space in front of her. The beating of drums filled Rio's ears. Her pupils dilated in fear when something emerged from the corner. It was black and hideous, and a horrible screeching that rumbled from its throat. It resembled a bird, with an unusually long neck, but had on human clothes and a threatening sword at its side. It whipped the blade forward and made eye contact with Rio. She took a step back as the bird descended upon her. It twirled the sword with perfection and let out one last call. It slashed violently. Blood spurted from Rio's stomach. A hollow cry escaped her mouth, and she collapsed. Grasping the wound, she lost consciousness.

Huh, I just noticed it won't let me indent, that's weird. On another note, review! Anything is appreciated. Except flames. Nobody likes them.

~ChattyCat

P.S. Hey NeonGreenSheep, I figured out the line break! Thanks :)