~\\Tugging on My Heart Strings (Sasori of the Sand)\\~ PT 22

"So how's the re-shelving going?" you mumbled through a pen, scanning what might have very possibly been the thousandth scroll in the past four hours.
An offhand squeak was your only reply from Nana, the aural equivalent of a shrug. For the past couple of days, the petite tanuki had chosen to accompany you as a sort of assistant. She was more geared toward talking but she having her around did prove quite beneficial at points. While she had volunteered herself to help, you had a distinct hunch that she was simply trying to avoid doing more work than necessary in terms of working on the fallen bookshelf somewhere in the back. You didn't mind. Her company was welcome compared to hunting through the huge library alone via lamplight.
Luckily, she'd managed to bring your pack the other day, saying that it had been found relatively quickly among all the debris. When you'd looked inside, it wasn't terribly worse for wear, probably caught in a space between shelves in the fallen bookcase. The only real difference was that all your scrolls had acquired a very squashed quality about them. You were very grateful that the only real thing that had happened was for a bunch of scrolls and papers to be unceremoniously flattened while a lone pen had broken and leaked at the very bottom. Of course, some of your notes were a little blotchy, but at least they were legible.
Meanwhile, Sasori had firmly and politely refused any assistance from the other tanuki, particularly Keiichi. From what Nana told you, the other tanuki was looking to gain favor with at least one person...preferably of a position to influence his father.
Nana's eyes had considerably widened in confusion when you'd simply busted out laughing. Of course, you were the only one to know that Sasori would be the last person to help anything that had made a fair bid for his murder.
"Is it really that bad?" you asked, casting an eye toward the curled up ball of fur and cloth near by.
Nana raised a sleepy head and nodded, looking very solemn. "Fujino is in charge of the organization. He's very strict on what goes where and if you mess up, you end up getting yelled at for a more than a few minutes. He makes me nervous which just leads to more mistakes." She yawned, baring a neat array of teeth before snuggling down again.
"Aaah, I know what you mean. Anal assholes can be like that." you commented, thinking about some of your superiors back home from past missions. There were just some people you couldn't stand working with. Like Sasori...
In the past two days, the pair of you had gone back to your bickering ways with the puppeteer taunting you every chance he got. You'd gotten one or two decent come backs, but your forte lay best in expressing your opinion through inanimate objects. Preferably the door you'd slammed in his face the other day. That went over well...
Then again, the pair of you were both coming to your wits end. While you were getting nowhere on your research which was making you increasingly brain-dead by the end of each day, Sasori's own mission had taken a turn for the perilous. Apparently, people in the higher social circles of Kusagakure were talking and the alias 'Okubo' was becoming increasingly suspicious. Sasori still wouldn't elaborate on what exactly his work entailed, aside from the general concept of 'assassination', but you didn't particularly care. You already had your plate full. Besides, you were pretty sure he'd share with you if he wanted to. If only to brag in that subtle yet derisive manner about how clever he was. It was an odd assumption, but something you sensed was about right.
You sighed and rolled up yet another scroll. Nothing. Again. You shook your head as you replaced the scroll and reached for its neighbor. Gods only knew how long you would be doing this. Besides, if you couldn't figure out what that jutsu was before Sasori had to complete his mission, then you would be in considerable trouble. Sasori would be forced to leave the village once he'd fulfilled the assassination and you would still be without the information you needed. The key thing about your missions was that you depended on Sasori to get into the Halls. You also had a distinct feeling that if you came back empty handed, someone, namely Aunt Tsukiko, would find an excellent excuse to not feed you when you came back.
You needed something at the very least. But what you'd collected in as far as jutsus consisted of a miscellaneous array of techniques you thought might be useful or at the very least, sellable. Hey, Sasori didn't have to corner the information trading market by himself, did he? Plus you could get some well-earned cash out of it...
You continued to scan the scroll, irritated by how long someone could go on about the mechanics of chakra, the body, seals, and their effects. It was terribly repetitive and far too meticulous of an examination for your taste. You didn't care about all the theoretical stuff that came with a jutsu, you just wanted to know three simple things: what all the damn fuss was about, how to perform the jutsu, and what were the possible risks involved?
That's all you ever really asked for. You heaved a sigh and glanced over at the slumbering tanuki, comfortably situated near the lamp. She reminded you of a curled up puppy for some reason. You promptly resisted the urge to ruffle her ears. Truth be told, you were terribly sick of coming in day after day, going through document after useless document. If it wasn't pertinent to your quest, you uselessly discarded the thing with a distinct feeling that things were growing more than hopeless.
Even though you figured you were making 'progress' of some manner, you discovered that bright light was now beginning to hurt whenever you woke up in the mornings. One of your deeper fears was the possibility of ruining your eyes after reading for hours on end in a poorly lit room, by lantern light. You were even going as far as searching out snacks that you knew were meant to keep your eyes strong, even if you hated them. Namely, carrots.
You leaned back against the shelves, restless while the parchment dangled between your fingers. You pressed your lips together, drawing them to the side as you debated on going off to bug Sasori. You'd feel bad for waking Nana up at this point. She seemed very content as she was. Tapping the scroll against the shelves, you shook your head.
What was the point? To go and get verbally shafted? Yeah, right. That's real clever... But then, what else was there to do so that you could avoid research?
Your eyes traveled up the length of the long bookcase and back down. You groaned, knowing what you had to do. You needed to complete this mission. Even if it killed you. You plucked out another scroll from among the thousands already present, filing away the previous one as you did so.
Times like these, you really wished you had something to munch on rather than just counting on breakfast and dinner. It'd at least partially take your mind off the immeasurably boring task...but then, some of the contents in the scrolls might also make you vomit as well. More than a few times you had reacted rather violently to some drawings or suggestions in the scrolls.
As you scanned, searching for key words and phrases, you felt your mind wander back to Sasori. While he managed to effectively antagonize you in person...you really couldn't get him out of your head. You hated how this played out. It was embarrassing and stupid. To fall for the one guy who made every effort to piss you off. He wasn't kind, open, or friendly. No, he was a cynical asshole, secretive and condescending in every sense. By all means, you should loathe his guts to your dying day...But why couldn't you?
You lowered the scroll, face burning bright red. Your eyes were downcast as the flickered back and forth across the ground, the words slowly dribbling out from you lips.
"What is it about him that..."
You couldn't help it... But you would never admit it to yourself, let alone him. You shook your head, laughing a little mirthlessly. You knew it was hopeless.
Besides, it's not like he'd return... anything. I'm just kidding myself.
The thought made your chest ache.
Ignoring the feeling, trying to push away those dangerous thoughts, you returned the scroll and pulled out another. Unfurling the paper a bit hurriedly, you ended up reading the first lines at least three or four times over before pausing and taking a deep breath. Only then did you begin to process the information on the paper.
As your eyes traveled down the length of the page, you only caught snatches of words and sentences. You froze.
"...a type of genjutsu or ninjutsu that assimilates not only the caster's identity but that of the intended target's identity while the jutsu is in use. Originally a Shintensen type jutsu, this technique has only been modified and created within the space of two generations, notably by the shinobi of Konoha. Unfortunately or fortunately, the jutsu information has been leaked to a small number of villages. Rarely is this technique used without extreme hesitation. While the jutsu is physically confusing, meant to throw off the identity of the caster and sometimes the victim, it is also known for provoking mental instability in the forms of schizophrenia and delerium if the caster is already genetically predisposed to such illnesses. The Atama Konran no Jutsu is one of the more intriguing products of experimentation."
After a few seconds, you just continued to stare at the page, your heart hammering against your ribs as a wildly stupid grin creased over your mouth. Your hands were shaking as you read further down the parchment, taking in how the technique was performed and how it could be detected. All the information crammed into that thin piece of paper could help figure out who exactly the spy in Sunagakure is!
"Forget copying this down, I'm taking the whole thing with me!" you muttered, barely containing the glee in your voice as you slipped the scroll into your pack along with the multitude of other notes you'd collected.
Your hands were still shaking as adrenaline and elation coursed through your veins. You could finally get a night's sleep without thinking about the damned library all the time! And you would never have to see this horrible hellhole ever again! Never!
Tying the straps of your bag shut, you restrained the urge to suddenly break into a little victory dance. You chewed on your lip momentarily indecisive. You slid an eye down to Nana, then to the aisle behind her, and then turned around to peak behind you. Nothing. From what you could tell, there was no faint glow of a light between the books either...

"Oh hell yes!"
Abandoning all pretense, you performed what could be dubbed one of the most original victory dances in an underground library.
When you had finished, you gently nudged Nana with a finger while scooping the lantern up in your other hand.
"Hey Nana. Nana. I'm really sorry to wake you up, bu-"
"Mmm, no it's fine." she interjected, blinking owlishly as she got to her feet. She arched her back like a cat, yawning. "I really shouldn't be sleeping anyways... And why are you bouncing on your feet? You weren't before..." she asked, tilting her head to the side.
"I'm finished! Finally finished with this damn mission!" you chirped. "Uh, not that I don't mind hanging out with you." you tacked hurriedly.
The tanuki just offered a sweet smile and stretched again. "I understand what you mean. Even I get bored with routine things. Now," her ears perked up as her thoughtful expression gave way to her usual sunny grin. "Let's find your guy."
As the lithe creature headed off, you followed behind, cheeks burning. You mumbled something unintellible before biting your bottom lip hard in an attempt to bring the color down from your face.
Trailing after Nana, you felt the cloud of dread that had been hanging over your head finally begin to dissipate. The mixture of relief and excitement at the discovery seemed to make the situation and prospect of going back to Suna much less ominous. You missed a step, stumbling a little. Nana cast a quiet glance backward, pausing before she contined onward when she didn't see you sprawled across the ground.
That's right, part of you realized. Going back to Suna...
Back to Aunt Tsukiko who'd be more than a little relieved to see you. After all, the first few weeks of any mission consisted of contact with the village. If it seemed that a mission would go on for more than the assumed time limit, only occasional correspondences were made, often to announce any major finds or if one would be returning home. She hadn't heard anything in weeks most likely.
Hopefully, she'd be in a much better state of mind than when you had left Suna. You had no doubt that being surrounded by piles of investigation papers was one of the least pleasant things anyone in the ANBU could experience. Not to mention that there might be leads onto what had happened to your parents...
As for your superiors, you'd take whatever was likely to come. You'd risked a lot on this mission with your mistakes, so you fully expected repercussions. You'd become very paranoid on the subject, thinking they'd find out about all of your early mishaps.
Then there was Saya, Ishori, and Jin... Would they be done with their assignments? How many would they have completed in the time it took you to do just this one mission that had gone so wrong on many an occasion? But you would get to see them at last! After such a long time too! You smiled at the thought but in the back of your mind, you felt some sort of loss.
But then, You glanced up at the sound of Nana's short chirp. Your eyes widened a little at the glow of a lantern some aisles down. You even caught sight of Sasori's foot, barely visible from around the shelf. Will things just go back to the way they were?
As you rounded the corner, holding the lamp out, you heard the familiar mocking tone.
"Break your brain already? That was quicker than usual..." he commented, not bothering to lift his gaze from the book he read.
Oh hell no, you thought, your brows instantly drawn down into a 'V' as you set the lamp down. You opened your mouth before freezing, then you smirked, the expression going from chagrined to smug.
You leaned non-chalantly against the shelf, peering down at the text in his hand while the red-head flicked his eyes over to you.
"Yes?" he drawled, clearly hiding his suspicion.
You tilted your head to the side, reaching out to turn a page as you read. "Oh nothing. Just curious about what you're looking up is all."
Sasori frowned. For a moment, he glanced at the small tanuki who sat harmlessly a few feet away. Nana simply shrugged, watching the situation with great interest.
"You're awfully pleased. You aren't flying off the handle like you usually do..."
"What?" you sniffed, turning another page. "Can't I have my calm moments too?"
You wanted to grin. You knew this was bugging him more than being the target of an insult. He'd grown far too used to your flammable temper. Sasori pressed his lips into a thin line, giving you a sidelong stare. Without warning he snapped the book on your fingers.
"Ow! Damn it, what was that for, you prick?!" you yelped, wrenching your hand out from between the pages.
Sasori merely gave you an blank look as he shook his head. "Nothing. I'm finished with this book so it's only natural that I shut it and put it awa-"
"On my fingers?!" you barked, incredulous as you quit massaging your knuckles.
Sasori just stared at you impassively. "That's one way to get the job done, yes. And now I know for sure that you are indeed who you look like."
You threw him a seething glare, the silence stretched taut. You curled a lip.
"You ass!"
Sasori just shrugged, turning around to replace the book while you scowled at his back. Whipping around to your left, you yanked a volume off the shelf and prepared to hurl it at the puppeteer. When you wound up, however, you discovered that you were quite unable launch the book in his direction. Frustrated, you ground your teeth as you glared back at yet another copy of Sasori.
You snarled at the original smirking red-head in front of you, utterly convinced he'd planned this somehow.
"The hell you need a bunshin for?!"
Sasori crossed his arms, leaning back against the shelves, his eyebrows lightly raised in amusement. He gave a careless, one-shouldered shrug, smoothly sliding his gaze down the aisle on his left.
"I assumed it best that we prepared ourselves in case there was a repeat of the collapsing bookshelf incident. Not that I believe Katsuro's clan would repeat such a thing in the future," he added, nodding to Nana. The tanuki did not give any indication of being offended.
"Besides," he walked over to where you stood, struggling in vain to smash your book down on his smug face. "It's much more amusing to foil your plans without even setting up for such a thing."
You glowered darkly at him, refusing to give him further satisfaction. Meanwhile, Nana watched the whole thing a small, knowing smile playing on her face as she swept her tail back and forth with interest. Calmly, you let the tension in your arm go and allowed yourself hang slackly against the chakra threads. The volume dangled over your head as you let you wrist hang limp. Sasori tilted his head to the side, looking mildly pleased.
"At least you've calmed down again..."
You narrowed your eyes ready to offer a retort before hesitating. Your eyes widened briefly when he quickly released a seal.
"Hey! Wai-"
You headed straight for the floor as Sasori smoothly sidestepped, plucking the book out of your hand with ease. You readjusted your position, hitting the ground while effortlessly rolling to the side as you did so. You pushed yourself up onto your elbows as you curled your lip up at the unruffled young man beside you.
"You could have been a little nicer and given me a warning, couldn't you?" you bristled.
Sasori sighed, looking up into the dark toward the ceiling.
"A kunoichi like you shouldn't need a warning. And it's not like you have a bloody lip or anything. So why are you complaining?" he asked coolly.
"Because I can," you muttered, picking yourself up off the floor. Patting away at your clothes, you began voicing your thoughts loudly and with great displeasure. "You know, I was only coming over to tell you something interesting, but you're obviously not of any mind to hear me out. You're too busy trying to make snide remarks and rattle my nerves than doing any actual wor-"
"You found it, didn't you?"
His voice was so set and precise, you virtually jumped, giving him a wary look. His eyes were pinned on you, waiting for an answer. You gave him a dirty look touched off with a cold smile while you pulled your backpack around to dig out the scroll. Once you had found it, you held it up in front of him, waving it back and forth.
"This answer you question?" you asked sourly.
Sasori just stared at the scroll in question for a moment before leaning against the shelf. He blinked at you, his face becoming oddly unreadable.
"Then I can finally get on with my mission," he said simply. He turned around picking his lamp off the floor. "Let's go."
You frowned, shoving the scroll back into your pack as you scooped up your own lantern and tagged after Sasori. Nana followed suit, coming up from behind.
Is he that eager to be done with everything? you wondered, coming abreast of the puppeteer.
"So you've been postponing this mission for my sake or something?"
Sasori snorted. "Would you have completed yours alive otherwise?"
"Yes! I woul-"
"Make believe what you wish, but I've simply been using the situation to my advantage as well. Drawing out my purpose and stay has been a fair challenge, but entertaining nonetheless. And don't forget, I need you alive until we can figure out that bloodline of yours and I can free myself from my earlier mistakes."
You slowed down a fraction, taken aback by his response. Rather than responding, you just remained silent, glancing away as you continued to toward the exit with Sasori. You'd forgotten about your bloodline. You hadn't really thought of it since you'd last been aware of its presence. And the way he'd phrased it...
Of course that's why he stayed, you thought tartly. He's just keeping himself alive. I've been letting my stupid imagination do all the work. Damn...Why am I so... Especially at times like these... You mentally kicked yourself for subconsciously convincing yourself of such idiotic possibilities. Him thinking of you in any other way other than luke-warm acquaintance? Yeah, right...
Sasori cast you a sideways look.
"Something wrong?"
You shook your head, being sure to keep the sudden bitterness out of your voice.
"Just thinking."
"That's rare."
"Shut it!"

Somewhere in the distance, a bird trilled, announcing to the last vestiges of day that night had arrived to takes its place. The air was still as muggy as it had been when you'd originally begun your mission, coming to the steps of the tea house next door. But now, you reflected,It seems a smidge more intense than at the beginning. The middle of the season was quickly passing, you knew. It irked you to some extent.
Tearing your eyes away from the window with a sigh, you went back to folding the shirt you currently held. You were going to have to repay Sasori somehow for helping you to restore some of your lost wardrobe that Kasumi had so kindly sold off when you'd left her teashop hell.
Ever since you'd returned from the Records Halls, you'd been fighting off the growing wave of confusion, anger, and bitterness. You wanted to laugh at your own stupidity and delusions, but at the same time, you wanted to curl up in a corner to just deal with the ache in your chest in private. You felt humiliated most of all, something you hated with a passion.
While the pair of you had begun packing your respective things, you found yourself locked in your room, looking for any excuse to avoid going out. About a half an hour ago, Sasori had knocked on your door to politely ask if you were almost finished. When you responded with a carefully measured 'Almost', Sasori had taken the opportunity to inform you that he would be going out to 'Take care of some business' while slipping a note under your door to clarify what he had meant. He'd gone off to finish Suzuki.
Which left you back at the inn, listlessly sealing away your belongings into empty scrolls so as to make travel as light and fast as possible. Sasori wanted to get away as quickly as the pair of you could that night, cutting on a slight detour into the Land of Fire and avoiding the Land of Rain entirely, where Amegakure resided.
It was the quickest way to get back to the Land of Wind without dealing with unnecessary stops. The Land of Rain was a pain to get through on any account and would only slow you down. The only interesting thing about Amegakure, you'd heard, was that it happened to be much more urban and industrial compared to Suna. For one, the design of the village was more vertical than spread out, given the number of lakes in the area. Maneuvering those alone would be annoying enough, but the prospect of rain fascinated and repelled you.
Truth be told, you actually liked the rain. It wasn't very common in Suna, compared to many other places on the map. And it had that oddly cleansing feel, exhilarating you when you could stand out on a roof in the middle of a downpour. You hadn't done that in years... Haven't been any good downpours, you thought absently, sealing away a pair of shorts. But then, dealing with rain continuously for days just left you with the distinct feeling that you would end up like a soggy piece of cardboard.
Folding one of the more expensive outfits, you allowed a soft, lopsided grin to curve around your mouth. You rubbed a thumb along the darkly colored silk. In all honesty, this one was your favorite, the one with the black and white obi. It always made you feel more elegant somehow. It was a rather vain thought but you wondered, did he ever pause to think you looked...?
You wish... a voice sounded in your head. It vaguely reminded you of a certain arrogant guy currently out on a mission. Without a second thought, you sealed the miniature kimono away, pursing your lips.
Well, so what if he's only been around to keep me from hurting myself. It's not like he'll be able to keep an eye on me when I go on missions back home. Who knows, I might not even get good assignments anymore, seeing how long this one took me. And it's not like he ever indicated anything...
You mulled the thoughts around in your head, looking around for more things to seal away. You left some of your equipment out simply so that you could keep some on yourself. Sheer force of habit really. You felt naked without at least some manner of blade up your sleeve.
And look on the bright side, you thought, oddly logical. This is a good thing. I don't need him around. I'm better off without him. It's been...interesting, but the time for messing around is over. We've both got lives to get back to and if I'm making his more difficult and he's making mine more difficult, then obviously we have to figure out a way fix the situation. Then we can be on our separate ways for good. Peachy.
"Then I'll never have to hear another snide word out of his mouth ever again." you stated aloud to yourself, as if voicing the thought would solidify it.
And you added. It's not like I can't enjoy what I see for the time being. That's all it is. Nothing more. A silly crush that will go away soon enough. No need to sit around and mope.
You nodded to yourself, feeling a little more assured and relieved. Thinking about the issue calmy, it made a lot of sense that the pair of you just didn't get along and only made things harder on one another. Nothing could ever really work. Plus, all this happened to be was a crush. Simple as that. It'd go away once the pair of you had distanced yourselves from one another. That's how it would work.
You sighed and nodded, putting away your last scroll in a travel pack before cinching the ties. Dropping the bag to the floor, you stretched and walked over to the array of kunai, shuriken, and a pair of sai on the table by the window, all of it borrowed, bought, or stolen. Dragging a chair over, you plopped down in the seat and began stashing weapons, glancing up every so often to stare at the darkening sky. You didn't bother to light any sort of lamp, not wishing to spoil the quiet atmosphere. You felt rather relaxed actually. Having found the scroll left only one goal now, and that was to get back to Suna alive with it.
As you leaned against the table, counting out your equipment once, then twice, you started filing away blades and shuriken away. You paused to tighten a handy arm strap that had caught your eye the other morning when you and Sasori had proceeded toward the Records Halls. While the vendor had given you a strange look, knowing that the brace was meant for a shinobi and indicating that he clearly believed you were not of any such occupation, you had explained by saying you traveled a lot and had need for keeping small knives for safety. Robbers and muggers always came out at the oddest times.
A chill wind breezed in through the window, tendrils of hair tickling your cheek. You shivered, rubbing at your sleeveless arms. Since getting back from the Halls, you'd changed into a more snug fitting white tank and black travel pants. Pushing off from the table, you went over to the edge of the bed to collect a large onyx haori before returning to the table.
You really didn't have that much to do now. Just sit and wait until Sasori returned.
Twirling a shuriken on one of its points, you rested your chin in hand, thinking about Sunagakure. It's probably really burning up over there. Just the time of year when you can't even stand to sleep with the covers on. You closed your eyes, picturing the glittering sand and the dry heat waves. Dusk and dawn would be phenomenal in Suna these days.
Saya mentioned something about a new cake shop opening up before she left on her mission...Maybe we could go check that place out when I get back. If she's not still on her mission that is...I hope not. Jin will probably still be hopelessly lovelorn. And Ishori... Well, you smirked a little. We'll just have to arrange our re-match pretty soon. Then we'll see who's gotten better.
Then you straightened, finally realizing,
"I'm finally going to be able to get some good okonomiyaki for once!"
There was a quaint back alley cafe of sorts in the renovated section of Suna that you adored! You closed your eyes, a wistful smile on your lips as you recalled the savory taste of one of the best dishes in the shop. It'd been such a long time since you'd treated yourself to something that yummy.
"Definitely one of the first things on my list," you commented to no one in particular.
You continued to spin the shuriken restlessly. The whisper of wind across your face felt rather pleasant, given how muggy the days were in Kusa. Only with night came some respite. Glancing out the window, you could see the merry glow of lights in the teashop next door. You pursed your lips before rolling the shuriken back and forth along the wood.
Eventually, you slid the small weapon away with a sigh. Laying your head against your arms, you proceeded to count as many stars out the window as you could see. Of course, you probably ended up counting several of them two or three times before you drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~

PUMPUMPUMPUM!
You jerked out of your sleep, wrenching your neck in the direction of the dull thumping at the door. You squinted in the dark room, blinking rapidly. The pounding paused briefly, followed by murmurs outside the door. Only one thing registered in your confused brain: There's more than one person out there for some reason...
Inching out of your chair, you began to tip-toe toward the bag lying atop your neatly made bed. You didn't know why but something in your gut told you that it'd be better to keep quiet than respond. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up on end. If it had been Sasori at the door, he would've simply knocked or called through the wood. Not try and break it down. Plus he most definitely wouldn't have brought anyone else with him. You jumped when the banging picked up again, this time the inn keeper's voice hollering through the barrier.
"Miss! Miss! From what I understand there's an important message from your cousin! The young man staying in the room next to yours, I believe! If ye're in there, please do me a favor and open the door!"
Silence ensued as the man waited for an answer. Carefully, you looped a finger through the straps of your bag and grasped it in your hand. You strained your ears to listen for any hint as to what the man, or more appropriately men, would do next.
Finally, another hushed voice issued its command.
"Open it."
The jingle of keys sent you springing soundlessly toward the window, wide-eyed with adrenaline pumping through your veins. You were very much awake at this point. Leaping up onto the windowsill, you launched yourself at the overhang of the roof, catching the edge. Swinging up onto the slant, you wobbled and froze as you heard voices conversing below you. A stream of light filtered out the window as you tried to breathe lightly, terrified of being detected.
You could barely hear the voices above the rush of blood in your ears, let alone understand them. The only thoughts that swirled in a torrent through your mind were, how did they find out? What did they know? And most of all, where was Sasori?
You chewed on your lip, fixing your gaze on your shadow lying on the roof tiles as you waited, afraid to move. The moon was out tonight. The landscape all around you had a soft blue hue, slowly calming you down as the voices continued to chatter and growls of discontent below. You felt a bead of sweat trickle down your temple as you kept your eyes trained on the ledge of the roof, expecting to see a set of fingers wrap around at any second. Dropping a sai into your hand out from under your sleeve, you took slow breaths. You weren't going to lose your head this time.
Something flickered to your right.
Another shadow?!
You spun barely ducking under a set of shuriken. Even so, you felt a pair of wires begin to wrap around you as to kunai zoomed past at knee length. Swinging your sai up and out under the wires, you watched as they encircled the sai blade and yourself, slowing in the face of a widened circumference. Meanwhile, you kept your gaze focused on the figure silhouetted against the night sky at the pinnacle of the roof. You squinted against the moonlight, mind racing for what the next move should be.
Within the blink of an eye, the figure disappeared as you rapidly dropped your arms, letting the wire sink to the tiles as you sprung to the side, rolling just out of reach of an obscenely large blade. You fell squarely on your backside as the huge sword sent debris and tiles flying. Narrowing your eyes against the flying ceramic and wood, you stuck your sai between your teeth, rapidly performing a Kawarimi no Jutsu, a body replacement technique, with an explosive tag held between two fingers. If it was a choice between fight or flight, flight was your priority.
In a puff of smoke you found yourself in the teahouse garden, skidding against the dirt as a loud explosion went off above and to your left. As a collection of flaming wood and broken tiles rained into the garden, you beat a retreat into the rear of the enclosed space at the sound of stomping feet, hiding amongst the tall bamboo. You kept your eyes riveted on the paper door as it slammed open, revealing a bewildered Yasuo and furtive-eyed Kasumi.
Disappearing rapidly toward the back of the compound, you could hear yells from next door as well as Yasuo's low mumbling. You swallowed, padding backward silently, praying that Yasuo wouldn't decide to investigate in the little bamboo forest. As your back hit solid wall, you whipped a glance backward, noting how ominously tall the wall climbed. Deciding that it was best to move as far as possible from where the blast had occurred, you inched toward the far corner as quietly as possible, praying that the noise from a small koi pool would provide enough cover for your movements. You'd only just barely avoided falling into the thing moments prior...
While the sound of shouts and barked orders continued, your mind raced for what would be the best course of action next. Reaching the corner, you huddled down, your sai blade resting across your knees.
Going out now would only make me a target. See someone running from the inn and they'll peg me instantly... But if I stay here, they could find me with some weird chakra detection juts-Wait! You hesitated, trying to recall the seals for the jutsu you'd used to sneak up on Sasori that day in the Records Halls. It'd been so long ago...
After a few false starts, you visualized the information you'd seen on the scroll until you finally had it. You'd never really known that you possessed a photographic memory until now. With your safeguard jutsu in place, you relaxed a little, able to fully think out what your next move would be.
At least now, you'd be able to hang around until some of the fuss died down. If they believed you'd moved on in an attempt to get the hell out of town, they'd probably be looking to cut off the exits. Which means I need to run now or lay low until they loosen up the borders... Which they probably won't. So I need to leave tonight, before they seal off the entire village for gods only know how long. But then... what about...?
"He'll be fine," you whispered to yourself, lips barely moving as the air rushed past.
If anything, he'll be fine. He knows how to handle himself. Hell, he'd probably beat me back to Suna and ask what took me so long. I need to worry about myself. Figure out what I'm going to do. And it's not like we actually made plans to leave together hand in hand like everything's peachy... Still...
You drew your knees up, keeping the sai at ready as you rested your chin on your knees, eyes scanning back and forth for any sign of possible movement. You'd wait for about an hour before scaling the wall and slipping out of the village. Then it might not be so obvious. Plus, a Henge Jutsu sounded very appropriate for the time being. All that remained was the wait. You gnawed anxiously on a lip, edgy about sitting tight.
In reality, you were very torn about whether or not this was the right decision. That they hadn't figured out where you were currently was nothing short of a miracle in your mind. Of course, the explosive tag had been set to go off the instant the switch was complete. Would they find bamboo debris or would it have burnt to cinders? That particular uncertainty nagged at you. You may have gotten away for the time, but it wouldn't do you any good if you got caught again. Peering through the gloom, you sighed, fighting off other, far more distracting worries.
From what you could see through the long shoots of bamboo, moonlight streamed down, giving the place a ghostly look. You shivered. Judging from the angle, you guessed that it would be close to eleven or midnight, but that was a pretty rocky guess. Huddling a little more with the circle of your arms, you kept watch, terrified that the jutsu might give out. You also had to be careful about chakra as well. Feeding energy into the jutsu would inhibit you later. You frowned.
Ten minutes more. Only. you thought sharply. The thought of feeding precious chakra into an illusion for an hour wasn't enticing. You could just hear Sasori's voice reprimanding you for being so simple minded. Sasori...
You swallowed, wondering whether the assassination had gone as planned or if something had happened... Why didn't he return? And what was with those men at the door? Not to mention the attack on the roof... They knew something. But for how long? Was Sasori in trouble?
It's not like he'd ask for help anyways, you thought a little drearily. He doesn't do that kind of stuff. He wouldn't be stupid enough to let himself get caught.
You still weren't completely convinced even as you released your jutsu.
Time ticked by slowly as every minute seemed to stretch while you focused all your attention on listening or attempting to see in the dark. Moments like these, you hated your imagination. It didn't take much for you to flinch from something you thought you'd caught out of the corner of your eye. Even your own breathing seemed to be someone else's. In the mean time, the noise had begun to die to normal levels of night activity. Or at least, that's what it seemed to you when you weren't being neurotic. You itched to use the jutsu again. It was like a safety blanket, but you knew it would be a waste of energy if you couldn't move out from under the safety blanket. Besides, you had to rely on your own ability to suppress your chakra activity and remain undetectable rather than some cheat-cheat technique.
When you glance at the sky for what seemed like the hundredth time, you slowly uncurled a leg, wincing as it tingled with pins and needles. That's what I get for being too wound up, you thought, mildly irritated. Stiff legs and aching joints. I should not feel this old!
Straightening up, you took a few deep breaths, grimacing as the life came back into your cramped up limbs. That was real slick on my part; conserve chakra but screw up my muscles. I'm amazing... a sarcastic little voice commented in your head. Waiting a few more minutes until you deemed your legs to be usable without giving out, you turned to the wall and looked at the tall stone barrier. If you really wanted to you could probably jump it... Then you wouldn't have to worry about the noise of your feet shuffling upwards... You nodded. That's what you needed to do.
Concentrating chakra to your feet and legs, you took a deep breath, concentrating on the ledge and praying that nothing sharp or barbed sat up there. You slid the sai back up your sleeve.
And up!
You were surprised by the relatively soundless tup-tup of your feet on the ledge as you peered into an empty side street. You almost smacked yourself for forgetting about the Henge. Completing the seals as you dropped down, you glanced nervously to the left and then to the right. No one. But that didn't mean people couldn't be watching from the shadows. If you'd blown it already, you would simply go around the corner and change disguises again. You set off at a barely even pace down the road.
Your greatest wish at the moment was simply to run, dashing off in a blur. Even so, you knew that was about as intelligent as Jin making fun of Aiko back at the hospital. You brightened a little, ducking into an arch down another deserted pathway. Speaking of which...
You changed the Henge, adjusting it to be a copy of your friend. While you weren't completely sure of how well you'd managed to change the features, at the very least they should confuse people. Turning down another street, you knew you had no idea of where you were going, but at least being a moving target would making things difficult in as far as tracking you down if there were any pursuers. You swallowed, resisting the urge to look over your shoulder.
I'm just pretending to be a normal kid out for a normal evening stroll or whatever. Since I'm Jin, I'm probably out just enjoying the evening... Actually, I'd probably be out stalking my crush if I were Jin...
You sighed, thinking about the perpetually grinning boy.
Continuing on, you decided the best way to get out of the village would simply be taking to the roof tops. At the same time, there was no doubt about whether you would be followed or not. Opening a small compartment in your left sleeve, you pulled out several smokescreen notes. Blowing up random stuff that didn't need to be blown up was a waste of equipment and all you really needed was a distraction. Bringing forth a clone, you directed it into the opposite direction, seeking out village gate to plant the notes. Shinobi would be bound to flock to the place.
In the mean time, you planned on heading toward the opposite end of the village to where the security would be weakest if they caught sight of the massive smoke screen. And while your bunshin was giving them the runaround you would at least be able to use a body flicker technique to disable the remaining guard. What made you nervous was just how many would be left.
"Now go," you whispered, watching your bunshin's back as it sauntered easily along before turning to fast-walk southward. If there was one thing that every village had in common, it had gates located in sync with the compass points. You picked up the pace, worried that your bunshin would reach the gate before you.
After another round of dodging into doorways and skirting the main roads as well as anything that looked like a person, you took the opportunity every once and again to hop up toward the roof tops to poke a look around for the smokescreen cloud. There was still nothing after twenty minutes had passed. But at least it wasn't terribly far too the gates now...
You licked your lips nervously, ducking behind a collection of Buddhist statues at the approach of oncoming voices from above. In the shadows of the statues, you turned your head skyward, watching as a squad of shinobi leapt the gap between roofs overhead.
"-the hell did it come from?!"
"Probably that spy!"
"Save your breath for when we reach the gate, idiot!"
At his last comment, you gasped. Shit! I took too long getting to the gate! The notes went off!
Bouncing out from behind the statues, you sprinted off down an alley, making your way to the roof tops. It was going to be the fastest way to get to the gate without getting lost in the process. And if anyone asked you why you were headed in the opposite direction, well, a simple lie could fix that easily. Somebody had to back up the other gates in case a 'spy' came through unexpectedly.
Making it up to the roof tops, you could see the ashy black clouds blotting out the sky to the north. You broke into a mad dash, using the Shunshin no Jutsu to hide your presence in plain sight. To your left and right in the distance, among the tall trees growing around the village, you saw figures heading toward the source of what looked like trouble, oblivious to the lone shadow using the body flicker technique.
Upon reaching the last building, you took refuge on the branch of a particularly verdant tree near the gates, a guard of at least ten shinobi ready and waiting not far away. You groaned inwardly. There was no way you could take on that many and make it out alive! Even now you were feeling the effects of using so much chakra already tonight. And until your bunshin was released, your supply of chakra had been halved. There was a reason you only had one clone running around that wasn't an illusion.
The hell am I supposed to do to get past all of them? you wondered anxiously. You needed to get out, but you couldn't just walk up and distract them all by pointing off in some direction, shouting about some giant pink elephant or something. Times like these you actually wished you'd learned something about summoning before you'd left Suna. Maybe then you could distract them with a pink elephant. Definitely going on my list of things to do when I get back. If I get back...Summoning...
Staring down at the guards and then back at the thinning smokescreen at the other end of the village, you resisted the urge to start tapping your foot. You were running out of time. And who knew what your bunshin was up to, whether or not it had gotten caught yet... You tapped a finger impatiently on the strap of your bag. Then a light bulb seemed to go off in your head.
Sliding the pack off, you began to rummage around for the scrolls that you'd taken notes on before slowing. You wilted. Even if you were able to find the scrolls it wasn't very likely that you'd be able to perform such difficult jutsus on the spot. You started tapping your foot as you glanced back to the north gate. The smoke was thinning far too much now! Pulling your hand back out, you had to bite you're the inside of your cheek to keep from shrieking out at what sat on your hand.
Shaking uncontrollably, you twitched at the sight of the scorpion enjoying a full body massage in time to the vibrating of the back of your hand. A string of curse words ran up and down the length of your brain as you stared at the offensive thing, heart pounding. It took several semi-hyperventilated breathes before you managed to mechanically lower your palm to the bark of the tree.
With uncanny, stoic movements, the insect scrambled off your hand and headed toward the trunk of the tree as you mindlessly scurried away from it in the opposite direction. Only too late did you realize your mistake when you dropped into thin air as the flimsiest branches refused to take your weight. Screeching was unnecessary as you announced your presence with an accidental squawk.
Twisting in mid-air, you felt a shuriken graze your ear and yet another bite into your arm. Well shit! The thought screamed across your brain as you landed, jerking to the side as spear whooshed just past your shoulder. Crouching low, you quickly took a deep breath, forming a small 'C' with your fingers as you blew a stream of flame in a half circle before you. Your katon was cut off when you felt an elbow dig in between your shoulder blades, knocking the air from your lungs as you hurtled toward the flames.
Skidding to stop, you coughed and winced, pivoting around to face a white-haired beauty, smiling slyly at you with scarlet lips. She curled a lip, her fox-like features narrowing to slits.
"Looks like you screwed up, girly." she hissed in a musical voice. "Your Henge is gone now. And soon enough, your life!"
You narrowed your eyes, anger staining your cheeks dark. A distant echo rang through your mind, reminding you of a time months past. What are you? Chuunin? I'm willing to bet that you're just some upstart genin.
"Not yet I haven't!" you snarled. "Not this time!" This isn't going to be like my last fights! I'm not going to screw up! I'm not useless! I am not useless!
While she sneered, running through a set of seals at a mind numbing pace, you tensed, waiting for the next move. When she slammed her hands to the ground, you gasped as a thin crack raced around you, forcing sheets of rock from the ground to form a wall behind you. Then the flat expanse before you began to collapse in on itself. Springing to one of the jutting slates of stone as it keeled crazily into the air, you cried out in astonishment when a pair of kunai bit into your leg. Landing awkwardly on the tilt, you released your bunshin clone as you tried to balance yourself on the slant with chakra. You didn't have time to screw around now. You needed all of the available chakra you had. Your eyes locked onto the white-haired woman already sprinting in a blur around the giant crater using the walls of the make shift compound.
You were barely able to pull the two blades out of your calf before the woman reached you, sweeping down with her massive scythe. Frog-leaping into the air, you wrenched your good foot around, gritting your teeth as you slammed a heel into her delicate cheek. A crunching sensation rebounded through your leg as you felt the bones break. A sharp snap rent the air. You barely got out of the way as the scythe jerked to the side with her weight.
Landing back on the ground, you whipped out a sai, flicking your head to the side as you saw three more figures appear at the edges of the crater. Hopping up to the top of the outcrop, you flicked your eyes toward the woman who rolled stiffly into the hole. An odd pang went through your stomach as you realized what the snap probably meant. When something whistled past you from behind, you swore, realizing how much of a target you'd just made yourself. You jumped down into a crouch on the other side of the crater, facing about six other shinobi. You groaned.
Of course I had to choose the greater number of people to go up against, didn't I? Whipping out your other sai, you winced as sparks spat out from the clash of metal while you deflected a large windmill shuriken. An instant later you choked out as someone slammed a fist into your stomach. You doubled over, rolling roughly to the side as you deftly launched your sai into what you hoped was your opponent's neck with a flick of your wrist. A gargling noise was cancelled out by the animalistic snarl of yet another man.
Flexing your stomach to keep from vomiting, you stuck the braced one hand against the ground before screaming out in pain as someone stomped on it, punching you in the face. You were momentarily dazed as they backhanded you, blood flying. In the confusion, you just tightened your grip on the sai and brought it straight at the offender's ankle. When the pressure on your hand suddenly lifted, you dropped your sai to the dirt, performing another jutsu similar to the one the white haired woman had just used. A thin crack traveled all around you, sealing you off from the sight of the shinobi as a rock wall burst out of the ground encasing you in a small hollow dome.
You gasped and coughed, shaking as you stood up, scrubbing saliva and blood from the corner of your mouth. What now? At best, you'd only dispatched two... At best... You coughed again, mind racing. You had minutes before they figured out how flimsy the barrier was. You groped for your remaining sai, sliding it up a sleeve. Panting away in the darkness, you shook, trying to figure a way out. What could you do? You were rapidly running out of chakra and-
You flinched, raising up your hands as pebbles and stone flew at you, the barrier punctured by a mallet of sorts. You swore, before racing through another set of seals to dive into the ground just as the rest of the dome crumbled above you. You only had time to grab a single breath. The vibrations through the earth continued for several more seconds before ceasing. Above you could hear the buzz of puzzled voices before one very knowing voice seemed to interrupt. There was something in the lilt that made you sweat. How long could you hide before they would realize that you were-
You shrieked in surprise as a hand grabbed you by the collar of your neck and brought you up into the open-air. Immediately twisting out of their grasp, you pivoted and swiftly formed a 'C' with your fingers, blowing a hot stream of fire straight at the person. Flying out of the flames came several shuriken, forcing you to jump back and smack into a human wall, forcing the remaining breath out of your lungs. The scrolls in your pack jarred painfully against your spine. You gasped, trying to shove yourself away from the massive Grass nin. You cried out as he clamped a large hand around your arm, stilling any attempt at escape. You struggled in vain as a number of the other guard snickered in amusement. It wasn't until the man soundly shook you until it felt like your arm would pop out of your socket that you coughed, tears of pain working their way into the corners of your eye.
You gulped in air as the man took your other arm, holding you out as if you were ready to be crucified. You ground your teeth, spitting blood and wheezing.
"So," a pug-faced woman drawled. "This is what's been causing us trouble?"
"Not any more, Captain." purred a oily-voiced man with ginger hair. "Not with Sato in charge of keeping her. Of course, I'd wish he'd break her arms for singeing my eyebrows off like that..." he trailed off touching a hand to his head.
"Shut up, Gudou." the captain spat. In response the young man just shrugged moodily, slinking off to the side. The woman whipped out a kunai and held it against your throat as she stared you down. Her chill black eyes scan the length of your face, bruised and dirty as it was.
"You've cost us two good fighters and almost a third, you know that?" she snapped. You just gave her a malevolent grin in return. As if you were really going to apologize.
"Looks like she isn't that responsive, Captain..." Gudou commented airily from the side.
"Didn't I tell you to 'shut up'?!" she barked, eyes never leaving your face. She reached out a hand, sliding a finger along your face. You snapped at it.
"Hmph!" was the only response when she pulled her hand out of range. Rummaging in a pocket, she brought out a kunai, resting it firmly against your neck. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she watched your face. You clenched your jaw tightly, glaring at her. You weren't going to give any ground as far as you were concerned...
"Tell me," she said, her voice thin and whip-like as she drug the kunai blade up from your neck, pressing hard enough to draw blood. "What is it that you've come here for, hmmm? If you be a good little girl I'll let you spend your life in a Kusa prison rather than six feet under. How's that for a deal?"
You fought against the urge to squeeze your eyes shut against the pain, mouth twitching. She watched attentively as the blood welled up on your left cheek, sliding to the bottom of the kunai and dripping over her fingers. The hell is she doing?! you wondered before letting out a grunt. Does she enjoy this sort of sick thing?!
"Doesn't sound too favorable too me, you know. Go back to the negotiation table bitch!" you sneered.
At this the woman narrowed her eyes. A small, tight smile formed on her thin lips.
"Bitch?" she spit out, eyes flashing.
You clenched your teeth as she pressed harder into your cheek, watching with cold fascination as you scrabbled backward against the mini-giant currently holding your arms. You snarled when she suddenly flicked the blade down back toward your earlobe. You panted heavily as you glared murderously at her.
"We'll see if any man ever fancies you again with that cut across a good quarter of your face..." she mocked tightly.
At that instant, you knew you just hated her for being alive. You only grew more incensed when she pulled the kunai back, holding your gaze with an almost manic look as she dragged the blood across her tongue almost as if she was licking at a lollipop. A muscle under your eye ticked as you opened your mouth to shout her out when,
"She does have a talent for making a person's blood pressure rocket, doesn't she?"
Your heart skipped a beat as you felt a spray of warmth hit the back of your head and the grip around your arms slacken. A heavy thud to your left registered as a large severed head. Sasori's cold words hung in the air as you heard the deadly whirr of one of his puppets followed by another inhuman screech.
The captain's eyes widened as she leapt backward from the new danger, traveling out the gate. Performing a body flicker, you went after the woman only to be blocked by the ginger-haired man, Gudou. He bared his teeth at you, wagging a finger even as he shook his head. With a growl, you performed a bunshin, charging him while your bunshin hung back. Whipping out the sai blade, you slashed at his waist, thwarted when you only snagged a bit of cloth. You spun sending a windmill kick at his face. When he blocked it with a pair of nunchaku, you used the remaining momentum to push off just as two kunai whizzed past you. You propelled yourself backward with the help of your bunshin as the to exploding tags attached to the projectiles went off, much to Gudou's horror.
Whirling around for acceleration, you flung another set of shuriken at what must have been the head of the flaming and smoking figure crawling on all fours. As soon as the blades smashed into the figure with a wet smack, the burning man collapsed, continuing to convulse. You paid no mind as you switched your attention back to the person you really wanted to go after.
At this point you were positively gasping. A swift glance over your shoulder revealed Sasori controlling at least four different puppets as he went after the remainder of the fleeing gate guard. You didn't stop to hesitate as you sped off after the captain. Ignoring the pulsing in your injured leg and keenly aware of the throbbing in your cheek, you were determined to find her. You didn't care, you were going to slit her throat yourself even if it killed you in the process.
Seething with hatred, you traveled only a short way amongst the grass and trees only to find a black lump lying face down in the dirt. From the haircut, you felt a burst of outrage. Kicking the corpse over, you stared incredulously white face of the captain. Her eyes had rolled up back into her head while black blood coated her tongue and spilled over her chin. You couldn't believe this. You'd been cheated out of your revenge! Cheated out of killing the woman who'd by all means had taken pleasure in slicing your face just for the sheer thrill of it!
"The fuck is this?!" you screamed, giving the body a vicious kick. "The fuck is this?!" You shrilled again and again, outraged by the fact that the woman was already dead. No matter how many times you stomped on her, breaking ribs and bruising deceased flesh, you couldn't stop thinking about the clearly sadistic fascination and pleasure she'd taken in scarring your face. It was almost like she'd been satisfied in trying to disfigure you in some way, any way possible.
It wasn't until you were panting heavily, still shaking with unspent rage, that you finally gasped in deep gulps of oxygen. You had no bearing on time. All you could feel was bitter rage. You grit your teeth staring angrily at now sufficiently more broken body as you tentatively held a hand to your cheek. You narrowed your eyes, mouth twisted into a sour frown. The sticky combination of partially dried blood against your fingers made you wince. You were terrified to put any more pressure on the wound, for fear of your fingers digging deeper to touch the cleanly sliced edges of flesh, confirming reality.
"Come on, we need to get out of here..." his voice was like cold water, oddly soothing.
You started as a gentle hand lightly touched your shoulder. You looked left and then to the right as Sasori slid past you. You caught him glancing at you from the corner of his eye, blood spattered across his face, before he faced forward once more. You stood staring at his back as he continued to walk slowly along, taking his time. You glanced from him to the body of the captain and back. For some reason, the only words ringing in your ears were the captain's.
You narrowed your eyes at the body, an odd frown tugging down on your lips. You opened your mouth and then closed it, thinking better of your words. Pivoting, you took off after Sasori. As you caught up with him, the pair of you took off like lightning into the night.
What good were your words to a dead body when even you didn't truly believe them?
...

Yay! Part 22 is out! Thank you all for being so patient with me! And special thank you to Animelovergirl0013 for the banner! Still have plenty more banners to come ^^;