"Answer my question!" Yasuo barked behind you. You yelped as he twisted your arm back even further.
You didn't answer. Instead, you wrenched violently to the side, trying to throw Yasuo off. How had he managed to sneak up on you?! You should've been aware because of your abili-
You hissed through your teeth as Yasuo simply pulled your arm back further. He was gonna break it!
"Now, now missy, don't struggle. It'll only make it easier for me to snap either your arm or your spine in two...whichever gives first. And I don't like to make it a policy to hurt ladies."
You grit your teeth. Why hadn't you figured out he was in the room?! And if you started blabbing now, he'd figure everything out...Suddenly the pressure on your back eased up.
"Not talking?" Yasuo inquired coldly. "Get up!"
You panted angrily as you awkwardly got to your feet. The fact that Yasuo still had your arm bent at an incredibly painful angle made you dizzy. Pain of this kind didn't suit too well with you. You were more for open cuts and scratches than bone breaking, they didn't take nearly as long to heal.
Your eyes flitted around in the dark desperately. There has to be something I can do!
"To the door, miss. Move!" Yasuo commanded. You only stumbled as an idea struck you like a baseball. You smirked before letting your legs go totally limp. You collapsed against Yasuo's chest, allowing your head to hang to the side, letting your hair drift into your eyes and face.
"H-hey! Quit stalling! I said move!" A smile curled at the edges of your mouth at hearing him waver. The tone in his voice had gone down a notch or two at least.
He was a playboy, sure, but there was another aspect to that arrogance you hadn't noticed before.
"Hey! Hey!" You felt him shake your shoulder lightly.
He was also raised to be somewhat of a gentleman, treating women suavely. Kasumi's work you assumed. Afterall, a future businessman had to be charismatic.
"Miss?"
Like how he had treated you as a porcelain doll that might break...
"Damn it..." It was more of a frustrated sigh than anything you heard from him so far. You'd caught him off guard with the fainting act.
He'd even admitted saying he didn't care for fighting 'ladies'. His misfortune now... As soon as you felt him release your arm and shift you around, your eyes snapped open and you rammed the base of your palm upward. When you felt his head snap back followed by a dull crunching noise, you dropped to the floor, kicking his legs out from under him. You hooked your foot around the back of his knees, knowing it was a natural weakspot for anyone.
You could feel vibrations run through the floor as he slammed into the ground.
A muffled bellow echoed through the restricted section. You could see a shadowy figure hunched over painfully, but you didn't stick around to see much more than that.
"Damned bitch!"
You didn't care what you had to do in order to get away, you just knew you had to get out!
Quickly, you darted into the nearest aisle of books, wary of any further traps. And then you could feel that strange pulsing across your skin. Oh great, now my bloodline limit starts working for me again! A little late, ya think?!
But now at least, you could tell where you had to go in order to avoid Yasuo. Racing to the end of the aisle, you paused, whipping a look around at the high walls. A weak morning light was filtering down through a paper and wood screen to your left.
Meanwhile, you could not only pick up Yasuo's presence but at least two others as well. They were behind you and slightly to the right. But they were approaching fast. You swore under your breath as you made your way to the window. You pushed off against a bookshelf and back to the wall.
And then a stone in the wall shifted inwards. You tensed going back to the bookshelf and pushing off as quick as you could. The hell?! They have every other patch of wall booby trapped or something?!
When you could hear the grinding of gears below you made the mistake of looking down...and then glancing up. You doubled your speed. Rising out of the floor were long, black spikes, dimly illuminated by the faint light. And sinking from the ceiling were fairly identical spikes.
You needed to reach the top of the bookcase before they came down, otherwise you had the options of being speared and squished or taking another run through the library looking for a different window in the opposite direction.
And option two wasn't much considering Yasuo was probably running around mad as hell. For all you knew you might've broken his nose. Not that you minded...
One last push off the far wall and you easily made the top of the shelf, but not before ducking. You felt a slight tug as the edge of your shirt caught and ripped.
"There! There!" someone yelled.
You scrambled away from the edge as a set of shuriken zoomed upward. You straightened and turned to the window. Summoning a windmill shuriken, you launched it toward the paper and wood screen. It burst through, sending a shower of wood pieces to the ground.
"Damn it hurry up!"
You peered quickly back down at where Yasuo and his cronies were. They were jumping up the sides of the bookshelf, intent on coming after you. You offered a cheeky grin and saluted before leaping through the broken window. You lucked out that a tree ended up just on the outside.
And just like a panicked monkey, you swung through the branches hurriedly. You didn't stop to glance back at the window. You knew they'd already reached it. While you dropped and rolled to the ground, you managed to complete your Henge no Jutsu. This time with Aiko's face.
And then you started running like hell.
"What the bloody-?" you heard the female guard yell as she saw you burst out from the bushes. You skidded across the cobblestones and grabbed the knob of a stone lantern to keep yourself from sliding down the stairs.
You could hear feet pounding after you. And even better, the pulsing on your skin could tell you that you had a decent group of about four after you. Weren't you just the attention getter?
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" you hissed, skipping down a set of stairs. You didn't know what to do now! "Distraction! I need a distraction!"
You ducked as kunai whizzed past your head. Only too late did you notice the explosive tag attached to it.
You could hear the sizzle of paper as you leapt over it. And just as you cleared the kunai, you heard it explode!
You tripped, bringing up your arms to guard your face and head before rolling down the last few steps. As you slowed to a decent speed, you sprang into a crouch, one eye squinted against the dust.
"What's all this commotion?!"
"An explosion!"
"Look at that girl! She just barely made it out!"
"Idiots! Setting off bombs near the shrines!"
You didn't catch the rest as you pushed past a couple of middle aged looking snobs and a wide-eyed boy.
"They're traitors trying to destroy the shrine! Quick! Run! Or you'll risk getting killed!" you yelled over your shoulder as a crowd began to gather. You grinned wickedly as the Grass shinobi stumbled out of their cloud of dust into a panicked throng of people, coughing and blinking the dust out of their eyes.
You even turned around and started jogging backward to watch. You felt awfully cheery for having just escaped the Record Halls! You loped around a corner, satisfied with the effect your little shriek had caused. You finally faced the front, picking up speed. But now your muscles were aching and you were pulling in ragged gasps of breath.
You were almost at your limit with chakra if you didn't plan on losing that clone. You had to undo jutsu.
Rounding a corner, you released the seal. And just as quickly, you skidded straight into a an elaborately dressed stranger! They whipped around, a whirl of colorful fabric.
You didn't bother to look up as you gasped and scrabbled away. You pushed away from them, tripping backward.
A strong hand gripped your wrist and spun you around, shoving you into a nearby alley. You crashed into a nice patch of weeds and dirt, scraping up your arms and putting even more holes in the knees of your pants.
"Is something wrong, Mr. Okubo?" a rich old voice asked. You could hear the puzzled tone in his voice as you pushed yourself out of the grit once more. You paused as you heard the other voice. Smooth as silk...as always...
"Why, no, nothing's wrong Lord Suzuki. Forgive me for distracting you from your careful scrutiny of these spices... Please continue with your story; you said you were at the battle of...?"
You quietly wiped away the dirt from your cheeks as you peered over your shoulder at Sasori. You could see him give you a warning glare out of the corner of his eye. It looked like he'd kill you if you said anything. He was quite handsomely dressed, leaning lazily in the entrance of the alley. He was blocking you from view of the street...
You spat grime out of your mouth, giving him an equally loathing stare.
"Ah yes. Back in the Third Secret War, that's when I went against some of the best shinobi that-"
"Lord Suzuki!"
"Ah! Kasumi's son!" the lord's voice exclaimed jovially. But then joviality turned to morbid curiosity. "What happened, my dear boy?! Your face is covered in blood!"
You tensed up again while your eyes widened with panic. You held your breath nervously, clenching your fists in the dirt. If he finds me now, it's over... a deathly quiet voice whispered in your head. If he finds me...If he finds me...I can't do any more jutsus, I don't have the stamina!
You felt your teeth chatter and your heart pound as you saw a blurred figured pass in front of Sasori. You caught Sasori's eye as he flicked his gaze back to you. You twitched, knowing you'd have to ask him to not reveal where you were. You shook your head, mouthing the words "Don't! Don't!"
When he snickered and shifted slightly, your mouthing went from "Don't! Don't!" to "I'm gonna fucking kill you!!" You'd also switched from shaking your head vigorously to glaring at him murderously.
"Ah. So you say there was an intruder in the Record Halls off limits areas? How strange, how strange..." You could just picture Suzuki stroking his beard, if he had one.
In a stuffy and extremely restrained voice, Yasuo answered. "Yeah, we're still looking for her. Dark hair, guessing around shoulder length and I'd guess she'd be around this high. Seen her?"
You could barely hear the soft rustle of silk as the lord seemed to shake his head negatively. "I don't believe I've seen any peculiar looking young women around, but then, I was not yet paying attention to anything save these spices. How about you Mr. Okubo? Did you see anything of note?"
You stared wide-eyed waiting for a response, on your hands and knees like a puppy. You could see his mouth open and then turn up in a sly smile. Not quite a smirk...yet. You saw Sasori shake his head smoothly.
Your shoulders slumped visibly in relief... And then you fell flat in the dirt, your hands pulled out from under you. You squinted at your traitorous limbs briefly and then scowled. Chakra strings!
"I don't believe I was paying attention either."
You twitched. He'd planned that! That dirty bastard had planned that trick! Covering up the noise with his voice!
"Unless you're looking for some street urchins. I saw a few of them run off with a ball they were probably planning on kicking around. Yasuo, was it?" Sasori extended a hand.
"And Mr. Okubo?"
"Yes, actually...Kinta Okubo."
"He's an associate of mine. Visiting to advise me on certain financial issues." Suzuki broke in, coughing roughly.
"I see." Yasuo said rather impatiently. Seemed like he wanted to get moving.
"So you are a part of the famed tea merchant clan, I assume? Master Suzuki has told me quite a bit about you and your family." The way Sasori spoke made it seem like he was playing with the words, toying with them...It made you nervous.
"I'm actually quite fond of tea myself...such elegance in the ceremony..." Sasori commented airily.
You could hear the smug slickness in Sasori's voice. What's he plotting? you thought anxiously.
"I hear that you trade in some of the finest tea in the world."
"Ah. Then I see my mother is due on her social calls... Allow me to invite both Lord Suzuki and his associate for a tea ceremony some time soon. How long do you expect to be in town, Mr. Okubo?" This time there was definitely a very thinly painted layer of diplomacy in Yasuo's voice. He really wanted to get moving.
And then it clicked in your head. Sasori was manipulating Yasuo like a puppet. He knew that Yasuo, as a future businessman would have to deal with setting up future clients if he wanted to keep and continue living the tea merchant lifestyle. And Sasori was acting as an interested customer...But why??? you whined in your head. Is he doing this just to annoy me or what?!
"Ah, then would the day after be convenient?" Suzuki put in.
"Of course, my lord. You're one of our greatest patrons, a convenience to you is a convenience to us..." Yasuo murmured.
"Ah! Good boy! Now, go get yourself cleaned up! And deeply sorry for detaining you like that. I know you've got work to settle as a shinobi..."
"No need for apologies sir. Good day." Yasuo finished with a chopped off note in his voice. You sighed, hearing a pair of foot steps begin jogging down the road.
"Ah. Seems we shall be having tea in two days time, Mr. Okubo! You are quite clever for such a young man. Highly intelligent. No wonder my friend sent you to me! I shall have to thank him profusely."
"Just being of service, sir." Sasori smiled thinly. By now you could tell when he was acting and when he wasn't. And now, Sasori was putting on an excellent performance.
"Ah. I believe I must go see a friend nearby rather quickly. Do you mind my leaving you here?"
Sasori clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head softly. "Not at all."
"Good! See you later this evening. Much to talk about concerning the tea merchant and her boy..."
"I shall, Lord Suzuki." Sasori replied vaguely. He tilted his head. glancing down the street, before sliding smoothly into the alley. He looked you up and down calmly as you stood up, dusting off.
"I see you're here, of all places. What did you do now?" he commented icily.
You ground your teeth, giving him daggers for eyes. "What did I do? Ha! Why the hell did you shove me in the dirt like that?! Twice?!"
Sasori rolled his eyes. "What did it look like? You were running from something and so I hid you..."
You snorted. "Yeah right!"
You drew yourself up on your toes, trying to match him height for height. (You didn't quite succeed but you came pretty damn close...)
"If you're gonna tell a lie, you might as well make it convincing, you bastard! You're just still pissed about the other day!" You shoved him backward, but to no avail. He just took a wobbly step back before advancing on you. He stared down at you angrily.
"Why should I lie when the truth serves me just as well in this scenario, you idiot?! And I didn't have much choice or time did I? You just came screaming out of nowhere and slammed into me! You could've blown my cover!" With every sentence he took, you could see the restrained rage boiling underneath those dark eyes.
"Would you rather have screwed things up for both of us by not taking a tumble in the dirt? You could have and would have failed in your assignment, by getting caught by that bloody-nosed pretty boy!"
You jumped as you found yourself backed up against a wall. You gulped before letting your eyes flicker around nervously for an escape. You ended up cut off from your search as Sasori slapped a hand on the wall space next to your head. He lowered his head, shaking it as he put a hand to his brow. And then he looked at you, giving you a deadpan stare.
"How could you be so damned careless?!" he hissed inches from your face. His eyes smoldered with anger, so very unlike the usually aloof and cool gaze he wore with others.
You opened your mouth and then closed it, not daring to break his gaze. You tried again, but then found you couldn't respond. You had been careless. You'd depended on your bloodline limit to warn you before you had solidly understood your abilities. You blinked and turned your head to the side sullenly.
You glanced at him from the corner of your eye. He was still uncomfortably close, staring at you fixedly.
"What?" you snapped. You started as he leaned in close to your ear. You felt your pulse start to race as he gripped your shoulder firmly with a hand. You fidgeted, a wary look crossing your features.
"You..." he trailed off before he pulled back slightly. He turned to stare at the ground, blinking. You were very aware of how he absent-mindedly stroked the exposed portion of your shoulder. You blushed despite yourself.
And then, Sasori pulled away abruptly, spinning on his heel.
Calmly, he stalked off toward the street. Without turning, he said coolly, "Think with your head next time." He paused at the end of the alley, glancing first right and then left. "It'll save us both troubles." And then he disappeared out onto the streets.
Slowly, oh so slowly, you sank down to your knees, puzzled. You placed a hand over your heart, feeling it slow from its wild beating. And then your hand crawled from your heart to clamp onto the spot his hand had rested a moment before.
"What was that all about?" you wondered breathlessly. Confused thoughts twirled through your mind. Five minutes later, you were still staring at the alley entrance, brows drawn together in ponderous thought.
"He's not...? He doesn't...?" And then you glanced up toward the street, shaking your head. "I'm imagining things...He'd be the last person to admit anything like that..."
Hmmm...
Well, that was number fifteen! Hope you enjoyed! Please rate and message :)
