Taka had decided to make camp early today to prepare for the coming storm that had been dogging them for the past week. They'd made a quick shelter of rock and trees against an indenture of a rock formation. It was small, but it would keep the rain out.
The sun was beginning to set in the distance and Karin sighed, enjoying her first real rays of sunlight that day. It had been cloudy and overcast for the past week and she'd been getting testy. She missed the sun.
She turned back to their makeshift shelter and the long cold fire. The others had turned in already. If it was dry enough Sasuke wanted to get an early start, but Karin was waiting for the storm.
Thunder rolled in the distance and the wind tugged at her hair. As the sun set the storm rolled in, the wind throwing leaves up into the air around her, tugging at her clothes, urging her higher.
Karin couldn't resist. She cast one last glance to the shelter, but nothing stirred. She pulled off her shoes and hauled herself up into the tallest nearby three, her blood pulsing in her throat. She climbed deftly to the top of the tree, using her chakra for balance and stood in the wind. She could feel the tree swaying beneath her, the wind tearing at the leaves as she tilted her head back to the sky and extended her arms upwards.
Black thunderclouds rolled overhead.
"Hey! What are you doing up there?" Suigetsu shouted. "Don't you know there's a storm coming?" He talked to her like she was a moron. As if to emphasize his point thunder rolled, punctuating his statement and lightning flashed. Rain started to patter down around them, slowly at first, but then with growing intensity.
"Hey! Are you listening to me?" He put his hands on his hips and glared at his teammate who was currently up a tree.
"You're going to get yourself killed!" Lightning split the sky and rain continued to pour down, drenching everything in sight. Karin smiled into the sweet water.
"Get down here!" Suigetsu shouted gain.
"Make me," she whispered to herself. She slid out of her shirt, the fabric slicking off her skin, and draped it haphazardly over a branch as the storm roared in her ears.
"Don't make me come up there," Suigetsu threatened one last time. She couldn't hear him over the storm. Suigetsu glared.
"Man, if she winds up hurt Sasuke's gonna kill me," he muttered to himself as he began the lengthy climb to the top of the tree and his psycho teammate.
As he climbed the tree Karin stood above him, basking in rain and adrenaline. She shivered, the cold giving her goose bumps. Suigetsu clambered up beside her, but she barely felt him. He looked at her like she was nuts as the wind nearly tore him from his perch. He was soaked to the skin and not at all happy.
"Would you get back down on the ground before you kill yourself?" Lightning lit up the night overhead and the thunder boomed.
"And me along with you!" Karin's eyes were closed, but she lifted her hand and rested the back of her fingers against his lips.
"Shh…" Suigetsu froze under her touch and stared. What was going on? Why was she being so…nice?
Karin dropped her hand and arched her back, stretching her arms out to the sides and back, smiling as the ran struck her with enough force that it stung. She felt like she could fly. Suigetsu watched the water run in rivulets down her body, captivated by the movement. Karin pulled her glasses off and stared up into the churning sky she couldn't see. Her eyes sparkled.
"Have you ever felt so free?" Suigetsu turned away from her and stared into the distance. No. He'd never felt free in his life.