Fox Hunting
Disclaimer:I do not own or claim to own any of the characters mentioned below or the series from which they originated. All are property of their respective owners.
Notes: Set in the Nine Talents universe. It's been a while since I posted anything, but I hope I'm not too rusty.
Fixed an error helpfully pointed out by steel149.
At the stand in front of him, goldfish flashed gold and orange as the light from the lanterns above caught the water. Adults and children gathered around the trough that had been set up and tried their luck to catch the animals on fragile paper fans. Triumphant, a young man presented the captured animal to his female companion.
Naruto hadn't meant to linger but the smile on the girl's face made him pause and consider the stand. In the back of his mind, he'd been considering getting something nice for Sakura as he made his way around the grounds, wasting time until they had to meet up for their mission. Now, he wondered if a goldfish might be worth trying for.
"Are you hoping to catch something for a friend? A girl perhaps?"
The woman who stepped up beside him was slim and pretty, clothed in a yellow kimono set with a red obi. She gave a small, secret smile that caught Naruto off-caught and, when he fumbled for an answer, gave a small laugh and glanced at her partner. For the first time, Naruto noticed the man standing next to her, tall and fair-haired with a sword hanging from his waist. His kimono and hakama were a little more somber than hers but no less attractive because of it.
"It's no good," he said, recovering. "She wouldn't want a goldfish." It might have been different if they were home, but the animal wouldn't survive the trip back.
"What a shame," the woman said. "I'm sure if you look around enough you'll find something to fit her."
The crowd began to shift, an excited undercurrent building as people turned their attention away from the food and games and looked to the sky instead.
"The fireworks are starting," the man said.
In the distance, on the huge platform that had been erected in the middle of the field, Naruto could just make out the shadowy figures of men adjusting the firework canisters.
"Would you like to join us and watch?" the woman asked. "It'd be no fun to see them alone."
Naruto looked around but neither Sakura nor Kakashi were in sight, and the idea of pushing through the crowd to search for them wasn't appealing. "Alright," he said. "Where should we go?"
The couple didn't fight the crowd or rush to a prearranged spot. Instead, they walked a bit until the light of the lanterns no longer reached them. Nearby, a group of teenagers jostled their way through the crowd to get to abandoned spots and some of the more adventurous ones climbed on top of stands, paying no attention to the complaining owners.
It wasn't the best spot. Tree branches hung low over their heads and an occasional gust of wind pushed them into their line of view so that they obscured the fireworks. It was a little crowded too, with children gasping loudly at each display and an older couple behind them laughing at some unheard conversation.
Still, it was nice. The woman quickly made a game with him as to what color the next explosion would be and somehow managed to get most of her answers right, although he couldn't make out any pattern. The man joined in after a while, taking Naruto's side, but somehow the woman got even better. Naruto wondered if she missed on purpose just to even out the score a bit.
The rate of fireworks appearing began to increase, and a low, excited murmur built up around them as people realized the finale was coming. Their game stopped; the three watched the sky as intently as anyone else.
With a thud that traveled through his bones, the largest firework shot into the sky with a high-pitched scream. No one talked anymore; in the hush that followed Naruto was very aware of how loud his heart beat in his chest. A cold wave swept over him.
Something was wrong.
To his right, the woman leaned away from him ever so slightly, and Naruto sensed the man to his left making a movement half-hidden in the darkness.
The sky lit up in an explosion of blue and green, and at the same moment a hundred voices went up in amazement, Naruto jerked back and spun to face the man.
But he hadn't moved. The man looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Something wrong?" His left hand rested on his sword - the wrong one to draw with - and he looked too relaxed to give off the killing intent Naruto was sure he had felt, but Naruto's skin still crawled.
"What's going on here?" The woman stepped into his line of sight, a tiny frown marring her features.
The man gave a low laugh. "I think the fireworks frightened our friend."
Naruto took the opening and forced himself to relax, disoriented at the abrupt change in mood. "Yeah, sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced around. Still no sign of Kakashi or Sakura, but he pointed in a random direction anyway, wanting to get away from the pair. "I can see my friend over there. I should get going, but thanks for keeping me company."
The two nodded in understanding. The woman looked a little disappointed but smiled. "It was just a misunderstanding, there's nothing to apologize for. Go on," she added with little wave, "a boy shouldn't be rude enough to keep a girl waiting."
It was only after Naruto disappeared into the crowd that Michiru looked at Haruka, all traces of her smile gone.
"I know, I know." Haruka released her sword and ran a hand through her hair. "I'll never get a chance like that again."
"It's unlike you to let it pass." Until she had met Haruka, she had never seen anyone handle a sword so skillfully; by the time the boy had realized something was happening, his head would have already been separated from his shoulders.
One stroke could have rid the world of the Kyuubi. She lowered her eyes and took a deep breath.
"For some reason I thought of Usagi and by the time my hand wanted to move again it was too late. What would she think if saw me cutting him down like that..."
Ahh. She should have suspected. The boy's eyes and hair, combined with his easy smile, had brought Usagi to her mind almost immediately. She wasn't surprised that the same thought had crossed Haruka's mind and even the memory of Usagi, so far away, held the power to make her to hesitate.
"Missing her already?" She made her voice light, hoping to ease the tension she saw in Haruka's form but when the thin set of her mouth didn't alter, she said, "Perhaps waiting a while longer can't hurt. It'd have been a shame to ruin this night for so many people." No one around them had taken notice of the incident. Their eyes were fixated on the sky, watching the last few fireworks fizzle and die out. They concentrated only on the pleasure of the moment and for a fleeting instant she almost envied their ignorance.
"Just this once." Haruka closed her eyes and when she opened them again the tightness had left her features. She pressed the back of her hand to Michiru's cheek, and Michiru leaned into the touch. "And if for some reason I do falter, you'll be right there to make up for my mistake, won't you?"
She turned her head and kissed Haruka's fingertips. "Of course."
She couldn't see the boy in the crowd any longer but it wouldn't be that hard to find him. She could slip away and try to finish the task herself. Haruka wouldn't protest.
The moment had passed, however, but she didn't mind.
There'd be other chances.
Any and all comments are appreciated.