I glance around for my team and see Karin on the other side of the pub, flirting shamelessly with a man who has dust colored hair and a mole on his forehead. Even as I watch, she removes her glasses and leans forward, fluttering her eyelashes in a suggestive manner. The man also leans forward and licks his lips before whispering something to her.
In a particularly smogy corner, Juugo is easy to spot, being the size of a mountain. He holds the playing cards close to his face, then lays two down while shooting out what looks like a question to the man sitting next to him.
Suigetsu is no where to be found, but I had never expected him to actually try and gather information. He really isn't any good at it anyways, so he is probably somewhere trying to get himself smashed. I look down at the tea between my hands, while training my ears to the conversation going on two seats down from mine. The man had been waving excitably earlier. "Yeah- yeah! Two of em! Really scary looking, too. Gave of an aura of.. well you know what I mean. They both wore these big black cloaks!". Jackpot.
The other man snorts disbeleavingly and is about to say something sarcastic back when I slide into the conversation. "Black cloaks? Did they have red clouds on them?"
The first guy - a scrawny young man who didn't look like he had lifted a weight in his life - nods vigourusly, but the other man - a much more muscular and scarred being - eyes me suspiciously.
"Where was this?" I ask innocently. The first guy starts to say something, but the second one take the last gulp of his drink and cuts him off. "Who are you?"
My eyes flickered over to his as I feel annoyance flare in my chest. "No one, really," I glance down to the empty drink in his hand "Next round's on me,"
His face lit up.
---------------------------------
We left the bar some time early morning. I don't know where Suigetsu is, but I'm sure the water-nin will figure out how to get back to the inn by himself. Karin is pouting beside me, having worked that man for an hour only to find out he knew nothing. Juugo had just heard the usual rumors - the stuff we already knew and the stuff that had been exagerated and retold so many times you'd think Akatsuki were a legion of evil spirits hell-bent on world destruction. I, however, was muling over keywords from the conversation I'd had. Words like 'rain country' and 'south' and 'demons'.
Words that could point me in the direction of my brother.
The inn is on the far side of town, and to get there we have to pass through one of the darker neighborhoods. Shady figures sew themselves into the shadows as we walk by, and occasionaly one can hear the loud shouts of a fight. We are turning a corner when whimpering cut through the dark like a knife. I turn my head to peer into the thickest shadows of one of the alley-ways. I hear a hissed "Shut up! Shuddup!" and can see the wink of metal catching light.
It's not my problem, though.
I am about to move on when Juugo grabs my shoulder. "Sasuke..."
He is still staring into the dark of the alleyway with that look on his face. His shoulders are tense and I can see he is going to go save whoever was pathetic enough to get themselves into trouble with or without me anyways. I run through the most likely sequence of events in my head, the ones where Juugo somehow ends up transformed, and several buildings are smashed. There will be a whole new set of rumors. About us.
And besides, even Karin is still staring into the pressing black with eyes wide.
I shoot him a look and "hn.' before sliding into the dark dead-end alley-way myself. Closer, I can see a man towering over a thin woman - who's shirt is already torn. I can not see what is so special about her that she would be singled out as prey. Her hair hangs dark and straight, and she has no curves to speak of. I can barely make out her fearful eyes in the dark as I dissolve into the scene. It reminds me that anyone who thinks that rape is about sex is an idiot.
Clearly, if this would-be rapist did not even notice my approach, he is incompetant. Even as he leers over the woman and gribs his knife tighter, I slide into place behind him and press my own kunai to his throat. He freezes up and turns his head slowly towards me. He draws a breath which I'm sure would have been used to beg for his life had I been in any mood to hear it. Instead, I flip the weapon and drive the blunt end of the handle to his pressure point so he goes unconsious. He collapses like a sack of potatoes.
The woman is stunned silent until I hear Juugo ask from behind me "Are you okay?"
Then she stumbles to her feet, using the wall for support, still staring at the man on the floor. "Th-thank you," She stutters, as if unsure of herself. Then she looks up and meets my eyes "Thank you," She's on the ground again now - on her knees. "Thank you!"
I feel the heavy weight of responsibilty fall onto me like a lead scarf and I look away. I have nothing to say to her.
"Karin," The redhead, who was using her foot to flip the mans face over looks up at me. "Help her clean up,"
Immediantly, she is indignant. "What!? Why me!??"
But a new voice cuts in. "Stop bitching! Obviously, it's because you're the only other girl here,"
Karin impresses me slightly with her ability to cover her surprise at Suigetsu's sudden entrance. "Shut up, moron! You don't even know what happened here!"
But, all the same, she is bending over and helping the woman straighten her hair and tie together the part of her dress that has been cut.
Still, the pressing weight of the woman's eyes never leave me. They are marked with awe and wonder, as if I'm the embodyment of everything thats right with the world. Like I'm some saint that was sent to save her.
It makes my spin tingle and reminds me forcefully of why I don't really like to play the hero.