Cereza glanced around her. She must be far enough by now. Surely they wouldn't find her here. A flash of light caught her eye. Walking over to a small shrub she saw a kunai stuck in the ground. Taking a closer look at her surroundings she noticed this kunai wasn't alone. There were slashes on the trees and shuriken stuck in some branches. One particular flurry of shuriken had caught a piece of cloth. The black fabric hung, tattered, off the tree branch. She picked up the blade embedded in the ground. Just in case, she told herself. She strode out into the field beyond the tree line. Bodies lay scattered and the ground ruptured. The dust of the battle had long settled, and scavengers were slinking through the debris. A soft thud pierced the silence. Her grip on the knife tightened as she slowly approached the source.
A lean boy, not yet in his twentieth year, lay gasping on his back, a trail of blood at the corner of his mouth. Cereza rushed over to the boy. A deep gash, in his right side, was the only open wound. The bruises on his cheek indicated he had taken quite the beating, which probably accounted for the blood in his mouth.
"Can you hear me?" She asked the boy. He moved quickly as if to attack, but the wound slowing his movements gave enough time to dodge. "Listen," She tried again, "My name is Cereza. If you let me, I can help you." Dark brown eyes wearily opened at her, full of mistrust. "You have a hole in your side." she half growled. "Where are your friends." His eyes narrowed, but still no answer. "Look, you don't have time for this! I just want to help!" She yelled at him. "I can help get you home." She said a little softer.
"I'd rather you just put me out of my misery." Cereza scowled at him. At least she got an answer that time, though not the one she wanted.
She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose to prevent from hitting the injured boy. "How old are you?" She knew he wouldn't answer so she continued, "You should want to live if the opportunity exists." She gestured to the rubble around them, "I already know you are a ninja, and I know the customs despite not being one myself. But listen," she leaned in closer, "I know no one on this field, so I am not your enemy. Why would I be trying so hard to save you just to kill you?"
"You could be a spy." It sounded more like a question, and he looked very unsure of that accusation.
She stood and stared down at him. "Well, I'm leaving." She declared. "You can either come with me or stay here." With that she bent and extended her hand. His eyes widened and after a long moment, he hesitantly took it. She carefully helped him to his feet. "I'm Cereza." She said again.
"Kouji," he replied. His eyes widened again at the radiant smile that she gave him.
"Nice to meet you, Kouji." She beamed. "Let's get you somewhere safe." Wrapping his left arm around her shoulders she supported him away from the carnage.
He hadn't spoken since they started moving, and Cereza was getting uneasy. She couldn't figure out how to ease the tension quickly growing in the air. She didn't want to push her luck. Certain he wasn't leading her to his clan, she didn't want him to try to get rid of her; he needed help. His wound was still bleeding. She had "wrapped" it with the bottom of her shirt. She had found some herbs to numb the pain, but he still needed a medic.
He stared at her the whole time she was running around the glade they were currently resting in.
"Is something wrong?" she finally asked.
"Your belly is tan too," he replied softly.
She glanced down at her belly. With her shirt ripped as it was, the whole of her midriff was showing. She blinked a few times then looked at him. His face was pale.
"I've seen some sun," She responded slowly.
"That's rare," he replied softly, turning away.
Truth be told, she hadn't really thought about it. Much of her time was spent alone, and she loved the light. "I used to spend the afternoon laying in the sun," she admitted, "and it was too hot to wear modest clothing." She glanced at him for a moment, then said, "Have you never seen a girls stomach before?"
His sudden flinch and the way his ears pinked was all the yes she needed. She couldn't catch the small giggle that escaped, to which his ears darkened. His dark shoulder-length hair contrasted with his pale skin, and as such his blush just seemed more obvious.
"Anyway," she started, "where am I taking you?"
He turned to her sharply. She just stared at him silently. She could see him mulling over his options in his head. Finally, he looked her in the eye.
He slowly pointed in the direction they had just come. "That way," he mumbled, "the clan house is that way."