Cataclysmic
Chapter Two
I awoke with the sun warming my face and a painful throbbing in the back of my head, but I resisted the urge to touch it and let my mind groggily recall what had happened.
My body stiffened as I remembered. I had mistaken Sasuke Uchiha for his brother. A stupid, novice blunder. He had gotten angry and must have used his Sharingan to put me to sleep.
Opening my eyes, I squinted at my surroundings, drinking in every detail.
I was in in a room, average sized, with plain white walls, peeling paint and scuffed floorboards. I was lying on the only bed in the room, my cheek pressed against the scratchy pillow. For some reason, I wasn't wearing my sandals.
The was a window above the bed and sunlight streamed in, lighting up the otherwise dark room. It must have been late morning or early afternoon.
And I wasn't alone. There was a women sitting at the table and chair in the corner, her back to me, and she seemed to be reading a scroll. I could tell she was angry by the way her shoulders were tense and and how her pale hands were trembling. She had strange red hair; one side was flat and the other spiky.
My gaze flickered to the other side of the room. I could see a male's side-profile, and they had white hair with a bluish tint, and he was sat cross-legged on the ground, polishing a frighteningly large sword with a cloth. He was humming.
I kept still, not wanting to let them know I had woken.
These must have been some of the people Sasuke had been travelling with, but he himself was not there, and neither was the other person I had seen.
My rucksack was in the corner beside the red-headed girl, and I let my fingers silently creep down my body, stopping at the pouch at my hip to pull out a two kunai; one for each hand.
I studied the pair. The women looked weaker.
Taking a deep breath, I launched myself off the bed, kicking the mattress with my foot to propel me forward, and within a few seconds I was behind the redhead, a kunai at her throat, the other jabbing into her waist.
"W-what?" She gasped, wriggling my grasp, and I dug the two weapons into her skin lightly, causing a faint stream of blood to dribble over my fingertips. She froze, and I exhaled shakily against her neck and she shuddered in my arms.
"Ehhh?" The guy with the sword got to his feet, peering at me, "I thought you were sleeping."
"Well, I'm obviously not, asshole." I snapped back at him, and he grinned, revealing pointed teeth.
"Fiery." He commented, toothy grin widening, "I like it."
"Do something, Suigetsu!" The women shouted, and he chuckled, scratching his cheek.
"Yeah, yeah, Karin." He pointed his sword at me, voice jokey, "Drop her or I'll cut you in half."
"Go for it." I hissed, lips pulling back into a snarl, "I'll kill her before you can lay a single hit on me."
He paused for a moment, looking a little irritated.
"Man, I'd totally slice you both up, but Sasuke would kill me." He sighed a little, slumping his shoulders, but then he cupped his hands over his mouth and started hollering Sasuke's name.
I stiffened and hurled the women – Karin – at him and he fell quiet and tottered, catching her in his arms.
She scowled up at him and he responded by smirking down at her and dropping her to the floor.
I ignored their antics, gaze focused on the door. It slammed open and I flicked my wrist, sending a kunai flying at the pair standing in the doorway. It was Sasuke, and there was an incredibly tall man with orange hair standing behind him. They both dodged and it thudded into the wall.
I pointed my other kunai at them, backing into a corner and my eyes flickered around the room.
Oh man, I was screwed.
And I was terrified. My hands were shaky and damp with sweat, and I could only pray that my weapon wouldn't slip out of my hands.
"What do you want with me?" I barked at him, and he responded by giving me a cold glare that made shivers run up my spine.
"You know Itachi." He stated.
I nodded slowly, red eyes narrowed.
"You will take me to him."
"I don't know where he is." I said honestly, and he frowned. Only slightly though; I guess Uchihas weren't fans of the whole emotion thing.
He stood there and stared at me, and I gazed back. He pulled out his katana and suddenly he was in front of me, the sharp metal tip pressed lightly against the soft flesh of my throat.
"Are you lying?" His voice was empty, and I swallowed nervously. but met his onyx eyes with a glare
"No." I sighed, letting my kunai drop to the floor, and I held up my hands, "I'm telling the truth."
Sasuke titled his head blinked impassively, and suddenly his sword was sheathed and he had tossed my rucksack into my arms.
"You will travel with us." He told me.
I gaped at him.
"Why?" I blurted out, "I'm no use to you."
"Since you are friends with him, he will seek you out willingly." He stated, and I hid a frown.
That didn't make any sense.
"And if I say no?" I said carefully, and immediately my back was slammed into the wall and the kunai I dropped was in Sasuke's hand, and he was leaning over me threateningly. The weapon grazed against my cheek, leaving a light scratch, and I already knew what he was going to say.
"Then I will kill you."
He released me, letting the kunai fall from his fingers, and I released a shaky gasp.
Oh man, this was so not my day.
I tilted my head, considering my actions, and I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I thought.
Sasuke thought I was friends with Itachi. If I had told him that we had only just met last night, a few hours before I had bumped into him, he wouldn't be impressed.
My gaze flickered over his companions and I saw no way out.
"Fine," I sighed, slumping my shoulders, "I'll travel with you."
"Good," Sasuke didn't even blink, "As you know, I am Sasuke Uchiha."
He stared at me, waiting for me to introduce myself.
"I'm Ichigo Hayashi." I replied, pursing my lips.
Sasuke nodded slowly, and he looked at the group of people behind him pointedly.
"I'm Suigetsu Hōzuki." The one with with the white hair announced, pointing at himself with his thumb and grinning widely.
"Karin." The redhead snapped, and she crossed her arms and looked away from me, making an annoyed noise in the bag of her throat.
"They call me Juugo." The tall one murmured, and I nodded slowly.
"Get some rest, we'll be leaving soon." Sasuke said coolly, and he swept out of the room, Suigetsu and Karin following.
Juugo eyed me curiously, and settled on the floor, crossing his legs and letting his large hands rest on his knees.
"...Yo." I raised my hand in greeting. It was trembling.
"It's alright, Ichigo-san," He rumbled in his deep voice, "We will not harm you."
I smiled at him, but it wobbled and fell apart. I really hated being made to do things.
"Thanks." I mumbled, and sat opposite him, leaning against the wall. I pulled out my make-up bag from my rucksack and snapped open my compact mirror, peering at my reflection.
I felt like crying. I looked like shit. My golden hair was a wild bird's nest of tangles, there were shadows under my eyes and scratches on my cheek. My skin looked shiny with sweat, and I started applying different lotions and powders to give me a fresh complexion, covering any injuries.
Once I swept eye-liner over my lids and applied lashings of lashings of mascara, I decided I looked somewhat decent. I brushed my hair, wincing at every tug, until it fell smooth and wavy around my shoulders.
I applied scarlet lipstick, and spritzed myself with perfume, deciding that this would have to do.
When I looked up, my eyes caught Juugo's, and he gazed at me unabashedly.
"Why did you do that?" He asked.
A frown appeared between my neatly plucked eyebrows.
"What?"
"Put on all that...stuff." He looked confused.
"Because I look bad without it." I replied with a shrug and he blinked.
A bird flew in from the open window and settled on his shoulder. I gaped at him, about to ask him how he had done that, but the bird was squawking in his ear with every noise it made his expression darkened.
"Thank you," He said to the animal and it flitted out of the room.
"What was that about?" I asked him, and he didn't even glance at me.
"I can talk to animals." He said, absent-mindedly. He looked upset.
"Are you alright?" I got to my feet and blinked down at him.
"One of the rabbits is sick." He said, "It needs medical attention immediately."
"I'll help." I blurted out, and his gaze snapped to my face, lips parting in surprise.
"Why?"
"I like animals?" I offered, and he nodded, giving me a tiny smile.
"As do I." He frowned, "I don't know how to bring the rabbit here."
"Where is it?" I asked.
"In the outskirts of the village, under the blackberry bushes."
I nodded and pricked my thumb with my kunai, letting blood bead on my skin, and made five rapid handsigns.
"Boar, dog, bird, monkey, ram." I mumbled the signs as I did them, and then slammed my bleeding hand on the floor, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
A seal flickered over the ground for a moment, but a cloud of smoke puffed around me and I swatted it out of my eyes, waiting for it to clear.
Where the seal had been, a ferret, the size of a small cat, stood on its hind legs, glaring up at me.
"The fuck you want, bitch?" It snapped.
"Hello to you too, Kūru." I rolled my eyes, "Listen up and do me a favour, shithead."
Juugo gazed at the creature at his feet.
"Is this your summon?"
"Yeah, he's a prick." I said, and Kūru nipped at my ankles and I shrieked, aiming a kick at his furry white head but he jumped out of the way, "Don't rip my tights, you shit!"
"Fucking whore." The ferret mumbled, picking at his fangs with a sharp claw, and I crouched down and patted him on the head, earning a scowl and a scratch on the back of my hand.
"Look," I scooped him up in my arms and dumped him on the windowsill, "There's an ill rabbit on the outskirts of town under the, um, blackberry bushes. Bring him back here, okay?"
I didn't miss the way his beady black eyes looked hungry, and I flicked his ear lightly, and he replied with a squeal of annoyance.
"And if you so much as nibble him, I'll tear your fucking ears off." I warned him with my sweetest smile, and Kūru mumbled a curse and slinked off.
"Do you hate him?" Juugo asked me, and I laughed.
"No, we're friends really, even if he denies it."
Juugo didn't look like he believed me but we settled on the floor again, waiting for my asshole of a summon to drag back the injured animal.
x.x.x.x
I am a fool to not cut the ties
That bind the eyes that loved you
Blindfold me
- Blindfold Me by Marina & The Diamonds
Hooray for a super fast update~
I love making rude characters like Kūru. They amuse me so, haha.
Review please, makes me feel all nice and mushy inside.
