Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, in fact I haven't watched the anime since...um...well, the shipuuden started haha!
Summary: She was a traveling healer and warrior. He was a demon after her soul, who will win?
Rated: T (for now)
No pairing yet either, if anyone has any suggestions I'll take them into consideration, the only one I won't acknowledge is Udon and Sakura, I have a plan for them. This might also be a crossover with Inuyasha, technically this is still a brainchild I suppose, I have a rough idea but I'm still kinda iffy on characters.
She inhaled her mucus and spat out a loogie with a vulgar squelching sound, "Sensei, that was very unlady-like." Mumbled her apprentice, he snorted, swallowing the mucus that had leaked out of his nose. "And that was better how?" she laughed, her apprentice sighed quietly, watching the way she swayed on her bull, she rode it as if it were a horse, he had asked her once why and she said they had similar personalities, which didn't really answer his question. He sighed again, "What's wrong Udon?" She asked, turning slightly so he could see a gray-green eye peer at him curiously. "Nothing Sensei, just admiring your beauty and hoping one day I can find a woman as magnificent as you." he answered with a small smile. "Oh my dear Udon!" she exclaimed playfully, "If I wasn't thirty years your senior, I'd take you up on that offer." The mood lightened significantly after that. She had lost a little girl in the last village, a large blow to her pride had been endured; she was the best healer this land had seen, short of demonic magic.
When he first met her he thought she had been a demon, she stepped between the flames of his burning village carrying two grown men like nothing, her silvery pink hair floating in the heat, ash and sweat decorating her pale skin. He was six years old then; he fell in love. His parents had been murdered and eaten by the demon that caused the fire, she killed it with her Guan Dao, a long pole arm with a thick blade at the top and thin blade at the bottom, three rings jingled playfully as she spun the seven foot weapon and sliced the head off of the fire demon, the bangles on her left ankle ringing loudly as everyone watched in silence. At that moment, he stumbled forward on chubby six year old legs and pledged his young life to being her apprentice. She had laughed and mussed his hair, asking what his parents thought. The sullen look on his face answered her, she had picked him up, placed him on her shoulders and let out a shrill whistle, her bull came charging through the trees and skidded to a stop in front of her, spooking the villagers that were left. She climbed up onto it's back and asked if anyone needed any healing, when no one responded, she clicked her tongue and the bull walked out of the village, following the dirt road, Udon still on her shoulders. That was ten years ago.
He sniffed again, leaning against his staff as they came to a stop in front of a large village, he eyed his sensei, a place this big was bound to have a gambling ring, she raised her nose to the air and breathed in, her eyes lit up and she spurred her bull on with her heels, he took off, leaving poor Udon in a large cloud of dirt. He sneezed and trudged along silently, ignoring the stares of villagers; he had to find her before she did too much damage.
His monk's robe billowed out with the breeze as he asked a few people if they had seen a woman with pink hair and an obscene amount of displayed cleavage on a large black bull ride by. They shook their heads and went on about their way. He sighed and pushed his glasses up and sniffed his snot back into his nose. After asking a few more people he heard a loud crash, he followed the sounds of a fight, he straightened his monk's robe and turned the corner, his normally disinterested half-closed eyes flew open. His sensei had two men in a headlock and another man was getting his face rammed into the dirt with her foot. "Oi! Udon!" She grinned, blood running down her chin, "Help me teach these men some manners!" Udon sighed and looked around, a large crowd of women were standing around the doorway of the building his sensei had found, he quickly realized it was a brothel, but the women were cheering her on. "What happened?" he asked a short woman with dyed red hair, he could see the roots, it irritated him. "These guys tried to cheat us at a card game, and when we called them out on it they tried to beat a few of us. Luckily this lady showed up!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "She's hardly a lady." muttered Udon as he watched her pummel the three men into submission.
As she rummaged through the mens' robes she called out "Hey ladies! That cutie with the glasses and runny nose is with me, he's looking for his true love, treat him right!" before he knew it, hands were all over him and pulling him into the building. "Um, l-l-ladies, I'm a monk, I can't d-d-do this!" he cried, trying to hold onto the door frame, his sensei laughed loudly, her smile made him temporarily forget the predicament he was in. "Enjoy yourself Udon, these women aren't used for just sex." she smiled at him serenely, "I'll find us some dinner, see you later!" she whistled, the black bull lumbered up to her, seemingly appearing out of thin air. She leapt onto the back of it and they walked off, leaving Udon to the mercy of the women.
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As the bull shuffled along heavily she thought of what she should get for dinner, Hm...maybe udon noodles? I bet he'd love that...You do that every time we come to a city. Her bull retorted, she scoffed, And? He laughs every time! Only because he doesn't want to hurt your feelings. And I'm guessing you don't care? Nope. The bull snorted, Sakura, we've been followed, he's still far behind, but he's coming. Who? I'm not sure, I can barely sense his aura, but it doesn't feel friendly. "I see..." she muttered to herself. She found a dango stall, bought a few sticks and headed back to the brothel, the bull nudged her back, Have I done something wrong? No Gyuu-kun, I'm just wondering who it is. Well, you've made quite a few enemies in your lifetime. I know...
She peeked into the sitting room of the brothel and was surprised to see Udon acting out how they met. She leaned against the door frame and let him finish, "Oh Udon-kun!" she exclaimed, running towards him and hugging him, unfortunately for him, Sakura was a mean and cruel woman, his nose bled as she smothered his face between her breasts. "You're so sweet! I don't deserve you!" she sniffed, faking a tear. All the women "Aww'ed" and Udon fainted from blood loss.
"Sakura-sensei?" Udon asked, it was later in the evening and they were soaking in a hotspring. He kept his eyes on the wall furthest from her, even though she had kept her towel on. "Yes Udon?" She answered, lifting the cloth from her eyes to look at him. He sniffed, drawing his snot back in, "Where are we gonna go next?" Sakura let the cloth drop back onto her face, "I don't know, we need to stock up on supplies though, we're being followed. Just in case it's a demon we need to avoid populated areas." She relaxed her shoulders a bit and popped her back, arching her chest out of the water. She stood up, getting out of the pool, "I'm going to bed itoshii hito*. Oyasume,ii yume mitene*." She sighed, in that moment, she appeared to be old, much older than her forty-six years. "Good night Sakura-chan." whispered Udon as he remained sitting in the pool.
By the time the young monk had woken Sakura had already loaded her bull's back with goods, she handed Udon a pack, "We're gonna carry our own weight today." She exclaimed, seemingly unaffected by the mood the night before. Udon struggled with his, he watched his sensei lift hers easily with one hand, even though it looked as heavy as his. "Come one Udon-kun! It's strength training, you wanna be a fighting monk one day, you gotta do your training!" She laughed at his attempts to sling it on his back as she had done, "Be glad you don't have the sensei I did. Kami, always going on about the 'power of youth' and having to run hundreds of laps around our temple, for fun...I hated it, but look at how strong it's made me!" She pulled her sleeve up and flexed her barely there biceps, "Uh...ok..." Mumbled Udon, deciding life was worth living he didn't comment on how his arms were more defined than hers.
They said their goodbyes to the ladies at the brothel and went on their way. It was a quiet walk, well, if you ignore the clanking of the pots that hit each other with every step that the bull took, his sensei's ridiculous ankle bracelets and the rings that adorned her Guan Dao even though it was strapped to the bull, and the cries of birds and insects, Udon gazed into the distance thoughtfully,his eyelids heavy. He pushed his glasses up, watching his sensei when she stopped and set her pack down. She took the gear off of Gyuuniku*, and took her fighting stance, facing Udon, one hand behind her back, the other flat with her palm up, all fingers pointing at Udon. He gulped, "Sakura-sensei?" She flipped her hair and came at him, he dodged but fell heavily, he had forgotten to remove his pack. He scrambled in the dirt, picking up his staff and trying to block her lightning fast hits with it. "An enemy will attack without warning Udon, you must be prepared to defend yourself at a moments notice!" She roared as her hit connected with his delicate nose, shattering his glasses and glaring at him when the sickening crunch of bones met her ears. "Do not be afraid to hurt me, I am your enemy, they come in all shapes and sizes!" She barked, backing away and resuming her stance. Udon sniffed, he stood and dropped the pack, he spread his legs, putting himself in the stance for his staff.
He didn't land a single offensive blow, he ended up bruised and broken, and as punishment the only thing she fixed were his glasses. "Next time I might not be so kind." she whispered coldly, her back to him as she lit the fire for the night; she flashed one gray-green eye at him, anger evident, but also guilt, before walking off into the forest with her weapon's rings and the bangles on her ankle jingling. Udon had floundered all day, she had suddenly turned malicious, he knew he had to be prepared but to this extent? He sniffed sadly, trying not to cry, he was sixteen years old for Kami's sake. She had never been this mean, she usually gave him some kind of warning, he jumped when he felt heavy and hot breath on his neck, he turned to see Gyuuniku, "Oh, hello, you scared me." he chuckled nervously as he patted the monstrous pack animal. It grunted and folded it's legs to lay behind Udon. He smiled at the bull, he took it as a peace sign and laid his head against Gyuuniku's side, slowly drifting off to sleep, lulled by the beating of the animal's heart and the rhythmic rumble of it's breath.
Sakura walked through the trees towards the familiar aura, "That was awfully mean Sakura-chan." A voice whined in her ear, she turned, a blonde boy who looked no older than twenty, built like a mountain, and disarmingly gentle sky blue eyes, whisker marks adorned his cheeks. "Hello Naruto-san. I brought you a peace offering." She bowed deeply to the demon prince of the forest and tossed a small sack to him. He caught it effortlessly and his face lit up, "Ramen!" he exclaimed. Sakura chuckled to herself, as he conjured boiling hot water from the ground and added it to cup, he sat down on the grass and motioned for her to sit. "So, what was that about, with the kid? I've never seen you so ruthless with a human." Sakura placed her face in her palms, "We're being followed by a demon, Gyuuniku can't tell what it is, just that it's not friendly. I've been neglecting his self defense." She sighed, "Still, that's no reason to take out your frustration on him." Naruto scolded, his eyes closed as he waited for his ramen to finish. "I know, but I'm scared. I don't want him to meet his end sooner than need be because I failed to push him to his limits physically, as my sensei did for me." Her eyes glistened with tears, Naruto leaned forward and kissed her temple, "It's okay, just try not to train him when angry." He chuckled, pulling the lid off of the cup and inhaling the aroma, "Mmmm, chicken flavor!" Naruto exlaimed.
"Udon-Kun, wake up." Sakura murmured into the drooling boy's ear, He opened his eyes a fraction, until he realized it was Sakura and jumped to attention. He grimaced and hunched his back a little, but gritted his teeth and straightened "Sensei!" He exclaimed, Sakura sighed and gently pushed him to sit back down, her hands glowed green as she healed him. "Udon...I'm sorry for my behavior yesterday, I shouldn't have-" "But sensei! You were right, I do need to be prepared, all I've been working on is healing. If I'm to be a fighting monk, I must learn to fight." He interrupted, dismissing her apology.
She sighed again looked into his eyes, "Udon, just accept my apology, you aren't experienced enough to handle the level I used. It was wrong of me to take advantage of your weakness to make myself feel better." He stared at her, his eyes hard, she noticed his eyes were a weird mix of gray and brown, he hadn't put his glasses on yet. "I...accept...your apology, Sakura-sensei." He muttered, he made a face as if he tasted something bad, but shook himself and fumbled for his glasses as she stood up, the healing finished. "Start packing, you're going to carry both your bag and mine." She ordered, he looked up at her, words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed when he analyzed the look she was giving him, he needed to get stronger.
A few nights later Udon could do nothing but lay in the cool grass under the canopy of trees at their campsite. Sakura warmed up some broth for him and spoon fed him. "You're doing great Udon-kun, I'm proud of your progress." She smiled warmly at him, he grumbled something unintelligible and closed his eyes. She removed his glasses and set them by his head. Is this really wise, to push him to exhaustion every day? Asked Gyuuniku, "No, but we'll rest for the next three days, and I'll heal his muscles with my aura." She whispered, careful not to wake her pupil. The aura of the demon is staying just out of my range, enough to feel him but not enough for much else. "Should I go confront him?" Sakura asked, chewing her thumb nail, No, we will let him come to us. "But what about Udon, if the demon only wants me you and him would be safe." The bull could see Sakura's mind working, No Sakura-chan, I won't allow you to face an enemy alone. The bull snorted angrily, she sighed tiredly, "Okay Gyuu-kun. Get some rest, I promise I'll stay here." She whispered, stroking the bull's snout lovingly. He snorted again and fold his legs, seeming to fall asleep instantly.
Sakura stayed up all night, tending to their campfire, watching over her pupil, thinking. She hardly blinked when he began to wake, "Sakura-sensei?" he called out, still unable to move much. "I'm here Udon." She stood and brushed off her legs, popped her back, then knuckles, and moved over to where he was laying. He began to protest when he saw that she was going to pick him up. "I can get up by myself, really Sakura-san!" She ignored him and lifted him easily. They walked through the trees in silence until they reached a pool of water, Udon noticed the steam, "A hot spring?" he asked, she nodded as she set him down, she began untying his monks robe. He sputtered excuses, saying he was able to undress himself, she ignored him, he couldn't even raise his hand to knock her's away. She then tossed him into the water, he screeched on his way back up. He almost lost his cool until he noticed he could move, not very good, but more than he could before. "Thank you Sensei." He mumbled, inhaling his snot he slouched deeper into the water. "We'll rest here for the next three days, the Nara demons have given us permission." She announced, then, with a snap of her cloak she was gone, and Udon was left to his thoughts.
3 Days Later
"I feel great Sakura-sensei!" exclaimed Udon as he stretched, popping his back. She smiled at him, "That's good, you can start carrying Gyuuniku's pack as well!" she giggled and clapped excitedly. He deadpanned, "Are you sure you're in your forties?" He asked, sniffing snot back into his nose. She brushed off his lack of enthusiasm and tossed the huge pack to him, he fell to the ground when he caught it, "Sakura-sensei, I don't think I'll be able to carry all of this." He whined, she turned a glaring green eye at him, "What was that Udon-kun?" her voice was laced with venom and warnings of severe pain if he repeated himself. "Nothing Sakura-sensei." He sniffed. They walked in companionable silence for a few hours, only Gyuuniku's grunts and snorts breaking it occasionally. Udon?" Sakura asked quietly, he hmm'd, not wanting to use precious oxygen to speak. "Would you like to know about my past?" she asked, a far away look in her stormy green eyes.
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He could smell her, the medicinal bite of herbs and the clean light fragrance of rain. "Soon." He whispered to himself.
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itoshii hito- supposedly my beloved/dear
oyasume ii yume mitene- goodnight, sweet dreams
Gyuuniku- supposed to mean beef...not sure though, the internet lies...a lot...
I know, I know, it's been forever since I last posted something, well, I had a baby and am now getting ready to move to the other side of the world! I'll update this one as often as I can but there is no set schedule as of right now, once I get settled into my new house updates should be quicker. If there's anything wrong let me know, if I should continue please review or put it on alert/fav, as long as I know people are reading and liking it. Thanks a million! And to those of you who have favorited me for my steamy sex scene from Love Like Woe, I'll try to make any lemons I add to this as good if not better (insert evil laughter).