Chapter One: Find Them

"Hey Mandy-chan? When do you think we'll get there?" I asked. My brunette haired friend looked at me as we walked. She sighed in frustration.
"Maia, We will get there when we get there. Seriously, this is, like, the 500th time you've asked me," Mandy retorted while taking out a notepad and putting another tally point so the total would add up to 500.
"My feet hurt," I said, secretly hoping that she'll give me a piggy back ride. I was as lazy as Shikamaru was in the Hidden Leaf Village. In fact, it was the place we were leaving. Mandy-chan and I had grown so bored of Konoha, that we just suddenly packed our stuff, and left in search for the Akatsuki. Sure, they were S-rank criminals who stole, killed, and manipulated people, but we were desperate for something entertaining to do since sparring with Kakashi had become too easy to bear any longer.
"Deal with it," she simply said while putting the notepad back in her pocket and pulling out a map instead. She stopped walking and put her left hand on the ground. I followed suit and smashed my right hand to the ground. We were cousins, but didn't know it until we were put on the same squad and had to find our way through the Forest of Death. We both knew about our powers and had used them simultaneously.

*Flashback*
"M-Mandy-chan? I think we're lost," I said, slightly ooked by the quiet forest.
"It's fine Maia. Let me just see where we are," Mandy-chan whispered to me, while putting her left hand on the ground.
"Mandy-chan? What are you doing?" I interrogated.
"Didn't you know? my kekkei genkai is to figure out where we are. Except, I can only see latitude lines."
"R-Really? That's the same as me except I can only see longitude lines. But, before my father died, he said that only people in the Hoshaima Clan could see the earth like that."
"Do you think we're related?! "
"We may be..... Let's go.. We're close to the building..."
"hmm..... Maybe you're my cousin... What's your mom's name?" Mandy-chan asked.
"....Akiko...."
"Hey, my aunt's name is Akiko!! We ARE cousins!!!!"
*End Flashback*

"We're close," I whispered.
"Why are you whispering?" Mandy-chan asked.
"They're close by...."
A rustling thicket of  thorns caught our attention and I quickly sent kunai flying in its direction... who..... was it?.................