Dawn.
Peaking out from under the fringes of your eyelashes, you felt your lungs swell with a certain sense of pride. Just knowing that your near invisible network of chakra strings hung quiet and ready... You could barely contain your anticipation, as you rested your chin on your drawn up knees, silently going over your plan in your head. The little bit of doubt that preyed on your mind seemed to shrink with the growing sound of drunken feet dragging their way to the door at the end of the hall.
You knew he'd be partially drunk, he usually was. The younger guards made a habit of it. And if he didn't happen to be intoxicated, then he'd be experiencing one hell of a hang over. You knew by now that they always sent the same guard to haul you out of your cell; he was the only one on duty in the morning. Every morning, his sneering, arrogant face would look at you with loathing and then delight as he hauled you out of your cell to be interrogated.
You clenched your fists a little tighter, almost to the point where your hands were shaking. You turned your head slightly in the direction of the oncoming footsteps, letting your eyes run swiftly along the chakra strings that trailed from your fingers and through the bars. I can do this...If I don't...then I'll just be relying on people who are stronger than me for the rest of my life. And I don't want to rely on Sasori; that'll just drive me more into debt. And I'll be weak as a result of it...Plus I won't hold out for more than at least another day. I have to escape!
Your heart was thumping. Closing your eyes, you could practically visualize the array of threads that draped the corridor at neck level. They'd be sure to catch the guard. Making a noose out of loose strings was not new to you since you had practice using metal wires, but still...You kept wondering if you hadn't some how gotten one miniscule detail incorrect...
You licked your lips in anticipation as the threads around your fingers became taut.
The feet came to a halt. You swallowed nervously, frozen. He can't possibly see them. He can't. I know he can't. But what if...? No...Can he? Oh gods...
Only when the rough chiming of keys greeted your ears did you let your body ease a little. The keys seemed to clang loudly and slowly with every fumbled manipulation by his fingers. And then, they stopped.
Now...
Yanking down and away, you rolled to the farthest corner of your cell, rapidly winding the threads even tighter around your wrists, taking up as much slack as you could in the shortest amount of time. You watched with a detached fascination as the guard instinctively dropped the ring of keys and clawed at his throat, emitting a strangled cry. He dropped all of his weight to his knees as he pulled against the chakra threads, forcing you to lurch roughly on your knees. His wild and panicked stare change to anger as soon as he registered what you were doing. You met his gaze with a cold fury all your own.
Huffing, you wound your hand around the threads again and slowly got to your feet. Leaning all your weight backward onto your heels, the only thing that kept you from crashing into the walls were the strings. Words flowed under your breath in a swirling torrent of prayers and curses. As you continued to fix him with your stare, you realized that you had never noticed how young he was. He could have been your age or even a little older.
There was no flinching, no hesitation, not even mercy as you grit your teeth and pulled harder on the strings. Vaguely a small part of you wondered, Does he deserve to die? You held his gaze, the bulging eyes in a purple face... Reflecting terror...all because of you... But I don't have any other choice! You closed you eyes tearfully and waited for that sickening moment when the threads went slack.
The shaking in your arms and hands didn't quit as you deliberately let the chakra threads glide through your fingers. You sank to your knees and then fell onto your hands, as you glanced up gasping for breath, at the limp figure just outside your cell. The minutes ticked by as you stared at the body.
A clamoring of whispers seemed to sweep up and down the corridor snapped you out of your daze. Some were curious, other fearful, and yet even more excited by the prospect of escape.
"You hear that?"
"What's going on?"
"Sounds like the Reapers been through today..."
"Probably just some guy couldn't take it anymore...Suicide..."
You'd forgotten about them. You'd never bothered to talk to any of them because you were gone from the block most of the time...
Casting around wildly, you realized that you had only a few minutes before people would start to comprehend what really had happened. They never usually paid attention to the usual sounds of keys, footsteps, or any such sort. Those were normal noises. The sound of someone being strangled was quite abnormal indeed.
Crawling over to the edge of the cell, you became aware of the rattling of chains as you clamped a hand around the ring of keys, rattling them ominously. With shaking hands you were lucky enough to quickly find the key that opened the shackled around your ankle and then the right one for the cell door. Placing the keys off to the side, you grabbed onto the guards uniform and used all of your strength, with the aid of focused chakra, to drag him to the far wall of your cell, in the darkest corner.
Pausing you listened to the interested murmurs of the other inmates, before swiftly examining the guards countenance and performing the Henge no Jutsu. You yelled out in the guards angry voice, trying to keep the nervous flare out of the authoritative tone.
"Pipe down there, you wretches! I don't need to deal with any more trouble from you lot than Ive gotten from the bitch in this cell here! Hung herself!"
You held your breath hoping that they would believe your lie. A chorus of disinterested comments met your ears as you could hear the inmates go back to their usual brooding. It had only been sheer luck that there was no one in the cell opposite of yours.
You sighed before getting to you feet. Your legs felt weak and limp as you leaned in against the wall for support, sucking in air. Looking over your shoulder, you took the meager, moldering blanket that you had never touched since youd been there and carefully placed it over the body.
As you let the blanket fall into place, you looked at the hands that weren't your hands. Taking a claming breath, you shuddered. You looked at the open cell door.
"Time to go." You muttered under your breath.
Picking up the key ring, you slammed the door of your hated little world shut for what you hoped was the last time. Turning, you began to saunter down the hall bad temperedly, scowling at any prisoner who so much as glanced your way. You expected them to guess your fraudulence at any moment. As you closed the door on their treacherous stares, and finding that there no body was present in the room outside the cell block, you slumped weakly against the wall.
Sweat trickled down the your temples, crawling into the cuts and scratches that were still etched in your skin despite the illusion. They stung. Now that your heart had calmed and the adrenaline of the moment had subsided, you began to feel aware of all the aches and pains on your body. But then, you were becoming so used to them by now, they didn't hurt nearly as much as they could have.
Clutching the key ring, you took stock of the room, looking for an exit. Peering through another doorway, you could see a small kitchen and table. A few stray cards littered its surface along with an unlit lamp. Through here, there were two more doors. One of them was ajar while the other remained closed. From what your ears could detect, the door ajar probably led to a sort of guards barracks. But the other?
You crept quietly over to the unopened door and gently slide it open a crack. Cool morning air greeted you for the first time in over a week. Sighing, you took a step back and scanned the kitchen for a knife. You weren't leaving without something to defend yourself with. You wouldn't go back without a fight. That's for sure, you thought grimly.
Seconds later and a sufficient sized slicing knife wedged in next to your ankle and you slid the door open again. Slithering out, you checked the street. Thankfully, it was still early and few people were out on the street. Not that it was a major street. It was one of the side alleys, it seemed. Glancing warily up and down the road, you saw that nobody really cared if a guard stepped out for a bit of fresh air.
Striding out confidently in the daylight, you did your best to hide your slow pace and the limp that appeared as you walked. You winced. If you'd had the opportunity to get another shot of adrenaline, you would have taken it without a second thought.
I guess they did more damage than I thought. I probably made it worse too. You clenched your teeth painfully as you rounded a corner into an empty alley. You became increasingly aware of how ragged your breath was coming in now. I barely have any chakra left...But I need to keep up my disguise...
And then you shuddered as the guard's dying face floated into your mind. You thought of the fear and pleading that had been in his eyes as he had held yours. The memory sobered you for a moment. When you'd killed the first time on a mission, you'd thought nothing of it. It's what a shinobi does... But then, you'd never watched as the life had been wrung out of them like water out of a wet cloth.
You hadn't intended for it to be slow in any regard. You preferred dispatching people quickly. But still...it jarred you to the core.
"Was that really my only choice?" you whispered sadly, feeling slightly sick. You swallowed. "I really didn't. He would have killed me just the same...And I never wanted to kill him out of anything more than necessity..."
Taking a deep breath, you whispered a prayer and then switched the illusion from that of the guard to a country girl's countenance. After completing the switch, you placed a hand to your head dizzily. You needed somewhere safe.
Almost immediately the answer came to your lips.
"The Iris Inn"
And you took off, with a lopsided, inhibited stride. You desperately hoped the Inn wasn't far away. You needed some place to hide. And if Sasori had been so willing to break you out, he'd be willing to give you a place to stay.
Pretending to be confident to a lot of effort, you came to realize. Sitting bolt upright in a less than comfortable wooden chair, you had your hands clasped firmly in your lap. The innkeeper eyed you suspiciously as he considered your request.
"You believe that a man," he swung his pipe to the other corner of his mouth. "Okubo...is housed in this inn is your cousin?"
Getting to the inn had taken longer than you'd expected. And becoming lost in the village was always easier than actually finding a specific location. It took every fiber of your being to concentrate and keep from collapsing out of sheer exhaustion. The pinched look around your eyes and the permanent frown that seemed to be drawn across your lips gave you a nervous, strained appearance. Your jaw was clenched shut to keep your teeth from chattering uncontrollably. Despite the warm, humid weather, you were freezing.
You nodded silently to the innkeeper. Please just let me go find him before I loose my grip on this disguise... you thought desperately.
The innkeeper continued to frown as he adjusted his pipe. Leaning across a small table, he gave you a hard, questioning stare.
"And what business do you have with your cousin to come all this way yourself?"
You bit back an angry retort. Who the hell does he thinks he is?! Despite your inner fury, you sighed, returning his question with an icy answer. Your eyes narrowed to slits.
"That, I think, is between my cousin and I."
The innkeeper shifted moodily. Opening his mouth to respond, he was interrupted by a figure rushing toward the door.
"I'll be out for a few hours. Leave any messages under my door." Sasori threw out over his shoulder as he whipped past, his black cloak billowing behind him. You stared dumbfounded. Despite the authority in his voice, a panicked edge lay underneath. You'd never seen him so...well, frazzled. You sprang up from your chair and gave a surprised cry.
"Ah! Wait, sir! I have a problem concerning you!" the innkeeper called out, pulling his pipe out as he took a few steps toward the door.
Sasori paused, one foot already halfway out of the entrance and onto the path. The cloak settled around his still form in an eerie way. He looked impassively over his shoulder. His hand hanging onto the doorframe twitched. There's something funny about his wrist again...it's like there's a thin black line running around it... His eyes were calmly blank as was his voice.
"Yes?"
Now he's under control...Wonder what caused that drastic change? you wondered faintly.
The innkeeper gestured to you with his pipe and a nod. "Girlie here says you know her. A cousin. Do you?"
Sasori's eyes flicked over to you briefly. As he squinted and opened his mouth as if to say no, he didn't; you mouthed his name. He stared and blinked in startled fashion. Sweeping around he exclaimed in a convincing tone of false, but believable delight.
"Cousin! How long has it been?! Come, tell me why you are here."
As you felt him embrace you lightly and draw back, you felt oddly at a loss that it didn't last a little longer. You gave a weak smile before replying.
"Important news from back home. They wanted me to tell you." You said, playing along.
The innkeeper furrowed his brows before crossing his arms. He harrumphed and went back to his work. Before turning completely, he commented,
"Apologies miss. Didn't think you were telling the truth."
Just as you were about to open your mouth and hand out a biting retort, Sasori cut you off. He pulled you in the direction of the stairs.
"Really now? What events could have possibly brought you here?"
As the two of you, swept up the stairs, your breath came short. It seemed like all the effort you put into making your lungs work wasn't doing you any good. You were starting to gasp and choke as you tripped up the last stair. A strong tug on the back of your ragged clothes prevented you from smacking the floorboards.
You glanced up at Sasori, tiredly. His poker face only barely seemed to hold. His eyes were wide with concern, flickering over your face anxiously.
"Careful." He whispered coolly. "Release the jutsu. You'll kill yourself if you try to keep it up..."
You nodded and performed the motions in a dazed manner. It took far too much concentration to get the hand seals right without screwing up. Once the jutsu was undone, you sank to one knee while your hand flew to the collar of your shirt, yanking it from your throat. I shouldn't be this exhausted, should I? you thought desperately as you began to cough. Sasori placed a hand lightly against your forehead, his brows drawing down into a V-shape.
"A Fev-" Sasori started.
The sound of a door creaking down the hall immediately set you both on edge as Sasori's head whipped in the direction of the sound while you attempted to smother yourself and your hacking with a tattered sleeve.
"Come on." Sasori said, quickly wrapping you up in his cloak and lifting you in his arms.
"Hey!" you protested weakly before bringing a sleeve up to your mouth again. Your face burned not only from the amount of effort that it required for you to make your lungs work but also form an intense blush. Your free hand latched onto his shoulder as he swept fluidly down the hall.
Throwing a glance over his shoulder he slowed a bit, adjusting his grip. As he stopped before a door, he set you down lightly and adjusted the cloak so that it concealed your form and kept you close by. Rapidly pulling out a key, Sasori opened the door and ushered you in with a firm hand placed on your back.
While you stumbled into the room, you heard the door swing shut with a soft thump and a click of the lock. Craning a look over your shoulder, you saw Sasori stare intently at the door before taking a few steps backward. Once he was sure a threat wouldnt arise, he lit a lamp and set it carefully on a table close by. Satisfied with the level of light in the room, he turned to you.
Taking a few steps and then crouching down, he put a hand lightly on your shoulder. With every blink his eyes seemed to examine a different portion of your face and neck.
"How long have you had a fever?"
You shook your head, wheezing. "I don-" Your shoulders shook as a coughing fit passed. "-know."
At that point, Sasori seemed to sigh deeply as he helped you up. Guiding you over to the bed, he spoke in an exasperated voice. "You should know better than to do something like this..."
Behind all that exhaustion and fatigue, a spark of rage lit up inside your head. You turn to look at him angrily. "What? Do something like escape from prison when you promised to come back for me?!"
Sasori blanched lightly before looking away, glowering. "I meant getting sick, idiot..." He swept away toward the window, visibly perturbed. His mouth compressed into a thin line, bordering onto a frown that wasn't likely to go away any time soon.
You hugged your sides, feeling chills run up and down your arms and sat down on the bed. A pounding in your head, signaled an oncoming headache. You put your face in your hands and hunched over, eyes scrunched painfully closed.
Footsteps from the window stopped in front of you. As you heard Sasori crouch down, you opened an eye and gave him a mean look.
"What?" you asked miserably.
"Lay down. You need rest. You're falling apart."
"And who's fault is that?" you asked pointedly.
Sasori smirked coldly, cynicism glittering from his narrowed eyes. "Who's the one who allowed themselves to be caught in the first place? Hmmmm?"
As you started to get up and yell at with the last of your energy even if it killed you, he pushed you roughly backward onto the bed. The pounding in your head increase for a few seconds as your skull made contact with the mattress through the blankets and sheets. You winced in pain, your eyes screwed shut.
"That hurt damn it!" you hissed.
"It was the only way to get you to lie down, wasn't it?" Sasori asked coolly from above you. Startled, your eyes snapped open to see Sasori leaning over you, looking oddly amused. "You're so stubborn..." he commented in an offhand voice.
Your cheeks flushed with embarrassment as you noticed how his bangs swept into his eyes in a haphazard way. His eyes were more reflective than blank as he watched your face. What rattled you the most was the shadow of a smile playing about at the corners of his lips, much like a contented cat.
You turned your head stubbornly. "Like you aren't?" you replied sarcastically.
At this, Sasori chuckled and leaned up, still seated on the edge of the bed. He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Just get some rest ok? I'm off to go finish up some business."
Standing up Sasori picked something off a table in the room and tucked it under his clothes. The sound of keys jingling together traveled across the room to the door as you didn't bother to move. The door squeaked a little as it opened. And just as his footsteps seemed all the way out into the hall, he paused. You tilted your head backwards curiously. You could see his still form outlined by the strong light in the hall.
"I was going to get you out today, you know...I knew you weren't going to hold out for much longer..." he said solemnly. He sighed. "Things have just...gotten more difficult lately...But I have to admit," he looked back at you with cool expression. "I'm impressed."
And with that, he closed the door, locking it, and leaving you to gawk a little. After a few seconds you came back t yourself. Shaking your head lightly, then realizing that wasn't such a good idea, you crawled under the sheets muttering to yourself, "Damn straight you should be impressed..."
Settled comfortably under the covers you closed your eyes. You couldn't help but picture his face as he had leaned over you moments before. Blushing, you turned over uncomfortably and added in a half-hearted tone for good measure, "Jerk..."
Stubborn, eh?
Hope you enjoyed number 18! Finals are over! Yay!!!
And if you would like to message me then please e-mail me at: icy.rhapsody@hotmail.com
Since Quizilla apparently doesn't want to be nice...I haven't had any new messages (means that all my messages are automatically deleted by quizilla and I will not be avle to be reached that way...) in the past few days so I apologize if you messaged on the Quizilla system and I have not gotten back to you.
