Scream For Me† :~ o2 [Itachi x OC]

Chapter 2: Ambush

"So you're lost?"

"Yeah."

"We'll take you back with us. It'd be a crime to leave you to starve out here."

"ALRIGHT!!"

"Naruto! Shut your mouth!"

"Um... okay. I guess it wouldn't hurt..."

Leiko shook her head, recalling every detail in what seemed like High Definition Cable of how they ended up where they were. Keiko had spoken with Kakashi briefly, and accepted the offer to join them, wherever they were going- she assumed, home.

Kohana had long ago been awoken, and her and Keiko were making brief conversation with the other pink haired girl in the back. Yasashiku strode close behind Leiko, where Sasuke was situated, and Naruto was between them and the females, seeming content on eavesdropping on the conversation. A conversation, which was heard plainly to Leiko, and which she did not at all appreciate being blabbed so openly to the new strangers.

She walked up ahead, beside Kakashi, taking her strides barely half a second before his, which placed her half a step in front of him. She noted he did glance at her from time to time when she did this, but made no movement to change her pace. In any case, he made no protest about it. So there would have been no point in taking her steps back and falling behind him.

Her steps only faltered once. That was when she had first laid eyes on what appeared to be home for these strangers they had so openly offered to take company with. She halted, staring up at the high, high wall made of wood that never seemed to end on either side of her. It looked more like a fortress than anything.

If it was thought that Leiko didn't notice the strange looks that were passed between Kakashi and the two men standing just inside the gate as they passed, that thought was horribly wrong. She lifted her head lightly, taking in a deep breath through her nose that sounded more like a sniffle. Her eyes were set into a cautious glare, which probably did not at all help the suspicious looks she felt boring into her from all sides. She just couldn't shake the feeling that something was awry, and they were barely inside the large gate by now.

She could almost feel her pupils dilate and a snarl curl her lip back before a grunt escaped her lips, and she plummeted towards the ground. Landing none-too-gently she writhed the moment the grass met her front, and a strong pressure pressed down on her back. Her hands were already bound by another pair- the owner of which was unknown. Through her sudden, unabashed anger, there was a small spark of revelation, and definitely wonder.

She hadn't- in the passed few months- come across anything that could sneak up on her, let alone wrangle her to the ground.

By the sounds around her, she could hear that she was not the only one who had been tackled to the ground and held there. Keiko, Kohana, and Yasashiku- to Leiko's surprise- had also fallen. But by the sounds of shock and protest from the youths- Sasuke's voice missing from the riot, of course- it wasn't a planned ambush. Or at least not one that had been known to all party members.

"Easy," Yasashiku's voice cut through the commotion like a blade. He seemed to struggle for a moment, by the sound of his breaths, before he continued, directing his words towards the figure perched atop Leiko. "There's no need to be so rough with the females," he declared defensively.

Leiko's head shot to the side so she could glare at the male, but nonetheless, she had to agree. There was no reason to be aggressive.

"Jeez Kakashi-san, you bring them back and have us do all the dirty work. How kind," a voice rang from above her- her captor. Darting her eyes around, she searched for the silver-haired male who was being addressed. He wasn't far, lazily reading a book she had seen him pull out numerous times since the forest.

He pulled the book slowly away from his face, seeming undisturbed by the scene before him. His eyebrow was raised as he turned his gaze over to the male perched atop her, and something completely different seemed to be on his mind. "This is better than the books," he declared with the snap of the binding in his hand.

Finally the male above her shifted, and she could focus her attention on him- despite the implications of Kakashi's statement, which made her wrinkle her nose in distaste. She turned her black gaze up to see her ambusher's face, trying her best not to strain her eyes and cause a headache. She could see spiky black hair that stood out in an array of directions, a smirk which crossed his face- though his amusement did not change his grip- and finally, a bandage that crossed the bridge of his nose, obviously not there for medical purposes, but personal style.

"Get your mind out of the gutter and just come help, Kakashi-san," he called, albeit with an amused tone also in his voice. As soon as Kakashi moved to put the book into a back pouch on his pants, Leiko's eyes darted in his direction, wide and dilated. The first step he took was the only other movement she needed before her chest tightened and senses opened.

Her leg swung up and around, striking the male on her back as she rolled with him to force his weight off of her and switched positions. Not stopping there, however, she rolled once more to distance herself and with a firm push, found herself on her feet once more. The loud thumps of her own footsteps, rapid and heavy, sounded loud in her ears as she began to dash towards the gate.

The forest. The forest had to be safer.

She had barely made distance between herself and the male she had rolled before she heard a yell from the blonde boy, followed by useless ramblings of the pink haired female. Through the renewed commotion, one noise stood out above them all. It was neither loud, nor easily detectable. It was the almost silent footfalls of a pursuer.

There was only a second.

The footsteps barely faltered.

A pause.

Leiko spun quickly, the figure of her chaser entering her vision as he lunged through the air. A loud grunt escaped her lips when he collided with her, sending them both to the ground. As soon as her back hit, her lips curled up in a snarl, and her hands shot to the smaller shoulders of the youth who seemed to think himself more powerful. Sasuke.

With enough of a shove, she forced distance between their bodies, and glared at him- which was fiercely returned. She raised her leg quickly, before the boy would have a chance to pull any tricks from his sleeve, and felt her boot collide with his stomach. There was a cry as he fell away from her, and she scrambled to stand straight again. She didn't even get half way off the ground, before she found herself pinned again, by a weight that was almost familiar by now, and much heavier than Sasuke's.

"That was pretty impressive," her original captor declared as he pulled her hands back into a firm grip once again. "I've never seen a girl so intent on being on top before." He chuckled briefly afterwards as Leiko writhed angrily, and she felt her hands being bound. Her escape attempt then, did more harm than good.

She felt the male shift backwards, and gasped when she was pulled suddenly, not expecting the sudden switch as she stumbled on her feet. Her nose wrinkled in distaste once more as she was led like a dog into a pound towards where the rest of those she was with were. As they neared the rest of them, they were also pushed forward, and all led into the town, which she only now cared to observe. In all of the chaos, it had been hard to really notice clearly.

Being led through the town, Leiko found herself annoyed by a number of things. One was the numerous stares that followed them, another was that she was being led in the first place, and a major one, was that she found herself being led behind the two females and Yasashiku. She knew well that she showed what she was feeling clearly on her face, and imagined she looked quite snotty. What, with a frown, she imagined many people would look as such. Like Sasuke, for example, who seemed to enjoy returning any glares she sent in his direction.

His stomach must still hurt, she mused.

Leiko stumbled slightly when she was jerked to a stop, the glaring contest between her and Sasuke having distracted her from what was going on in her surroundings. She scoffed lightly at the male holding her wrists- still bound by ropes- and gave in to searching the area for the reason why they stopped. Her eyes locked on a beige building, and slowly trailed up its massive structure. It stood directly before them, tall and intimidating. She imagined this was what they had stopped for.

Her frown dropped from her face, and her lips parted. She didn't want to go in there.

But what choice was there, when she was forced through the green doors and up a flight of stairs? She found herself gritting her teeth, trying to keep from growling aloud at the male who forced her up each step- albeit trying to be gentle about it, but there was only so much patience one man could distribute, she assumed. And she was being more than resilient on each and every stair.

"It's not going to kill you to walk- normally!" he paused to give her a shove up another stair, the last of the bunch, and seemed relieved. He sighed loudly, giving Leiko a look she knew she had well deserved. "You're a pain."

Her eyebrow raised as he commenced to push her towards another set of doors, and she continued to drag her feet. It was good to know that she was being such a bother. It meant that she was successful in her intent. Which was the only thing she felt confident in, as she was pressed through that last set of doors, and stood within a large room, occupied by a long desk, which in turn sat five or so people. Immediately she didn't like the atmosphere. It was something attuned to being judged, and it didn't feel nice.

"What is this, Kakashi-san?" the old man in the middle spoke. He was adorned in a white robe, with a white hat to match. The only thing of colour on him was the deep red symbol on the front of the hat, which Leiko didn't bother to read.

Kakashi spoke up then, drawing attention away from the old man. "They stumbled across us in the forest, asking for food. It was a little suspicious, so I brought them back here for interrogation," he paused, turning his black gaze on Leiko, which she craned her neck to meet. He then took the initiative to point at her, accusingly. "That one's dangerous."

She snorted in response, clearly offended. This all seemed to be more for the silver haired man's amusement than for anything truly serious. Really, they weren't that suspicious when they had stumbled across the camp in search of food.

Keiko made a point of this. "That's not it at all!" She struggled in the grip of her captor- a woman- and tried frantically to explain. "We were lost! Leiko was just trying to find us some food! She's not dangerous!"

Lie.

The old man held up his hands in defense. "Enough, enough," he called over the commotion. "Let us calm down, shall we?" He paused to give the room a moment to quiet, and then cleared his throat. "Young lady, you said you are lost?" he prodded Keiko for answers.

But she was spoken over top of. "Yes, sir," Yasashiku's voice cut through the air, firm and serious. Though his face was merely assertive, it was clear by the tone of his voice: He was the one to be addressed for questions. "We're not sure how we got here."

The old man seemed to deliberate for a moment, staring Yasashiku in the eyes. What he was looking for, Leiko couldn't be sure of. What lie- if there ever was one- could be found in the deep blue eyes of the male?