"They shouldn't be far away from here." One of the ninja in black outfit spoke as he scanned the forest behind them, then to the faraway lake stretched at the front. Giving a brief gesture to his team as for 'Keep looking', the group then disappeared from the area.
From somewhere beneath the water in the lake, Raidou peered upward to the ground from his hiding, mouth swelled with suppressed oxygen, small bubbles of exhaled breath popped up at the surface, and when he see the area was clear, he turned to the woman behind him whom was holding her breath just as equal, except for her eyes were squinted shut.
Grabbing her wrist, he swam to the surface, and relief surged through him for the rush of oxygen back into his almost emptied lung. He never good in holding breath for long, just as much as his tough luck in genjutsu. He was decent enough in ninjutsu, but his agile, wide hands had covered of what he lacked of and had made him one of the best close range fighter and not to mention they were also perfect for performing seals, twisting enemies' fingers off socket for intel, and destructively cracking skulls for final blow.
"They're gone." He spoke quietly as he floated above the water and when he received no sounds or responses, and surprisingly saw her form squirming beneath the water, he doved back again.
Under the water, her white wedding dress was entangled between the roots branching near the shore, keeping her swimming about the same place. It was not long before he came back for her, looking out for the trouble and saw the tangling fabric between the dark roots. Her eyes went wide when she saw him tearing the lower part of her dress from the branching root, her protest was gone in a series of bubbles floating upward where he paid no heed to it and brought them back to the surface.
"They're gone?" She surveyed the place, dragging the heavy fabric at her feet off the water, drops of water trickled down from her sleeves and the wet hair plastered against her cheeks and forehead.
"It seems so." Raidou answered briefly, turning his wide back to her so as to scrutinize the surrounding. The place apparently was clear from unwanted presence and spying shadows, he noted quietly.
For some reason, the tanned light brown skin of his face somehow seemed less wet on the right side. The water that dripped from his red-brownish hair naturally soaked his forehead then make its way to the bridge of his nose but only halfway, before they followed the trail of the damaged, burnt tissues all the way to his left cheek and settled on his square jaw before they dropped to the ground.
No sooner that the sounds of sloshing and water running down the ground caught his ears.
"Not that I'm complaining that you've saved me but," The still unnamed woman in that delicately winter dress murmured as she contemplated on the tore fabric, "I'm starting to like wearing this wedding dress though. It's kind of shame it won't be used in the real ceremony in another few hours, but oh well." She shrugged then, straightening her dress and looked up to his back while brushing the black strand behind her ear, smiling wide like a kid just get a permission to gone out playing.
His pupils shot upward. The now familiar anxious feeling came crawling under his skin again.
What? Wedding?
In another few hour?
"Now, which direction should we take?" She nonchalantly paced to his side while all the while trying to pull out the gold hairpin across her wet hair before the wet midnight tresses tumbled down her back and shoulders.
She peeked on his hazy face then; they were too ironic than when they met in the abandoned cell, "Hey?" A small amused going dancing briefly in her eyes at the sight of his calculating face, "Still doing the math, are yo-"
"Explain yourself, kid." He began, trying to fit together the event when he was arrested few days ago and when he had dragged her from the ninja who were searching for her and done pretty crazy stuff of diving into the lake instead of surrendering himself to the ninja. If looking at the bigger picture, they must have misunderstood somewhere, did they?
Although he, himself, not quite sure what he understand either.
He took a step forward, looking down at her, hands on his waist.
"I don't know how you know about me, or what other prank you have pulled before, but just so you know I'd rather being chased all day long or being imprisoned for weeks without food but saying my life as a ninja is over just because of a certain crazy girl is another thing entirely. Do you even know what you were doing?" He had missed the small giggle curling at the corner of her lips as he began his lecture.
The flash of images of him being pulled down for a kiss while an undoubtedly high-regarded man just entered the room, or the image of her panic face in the abandoned cell came bothering him all over again.
Just who the hell is she anyway?
And who does she think she is to drag someone into her affair whatever she wanted?
She chewed her lower lips, remembering the incident, "But I can't think of other way to escape this place other than making him see me with you like that."
He instantly scowled, "Right, the kiss. Are you always do this to a man you just met? Isn't a girl should act more decently? Have you no shame at all?" Her head casted down at the scold, but the small pebble at her feet drew her attention instead and she kicked them.
"Now they have misunderstood me, what should should I do?" He continued, pondering, then staring into her innocent face as she kicked another pebble. And he had made up his mind.
"You're the one who stir this up, so you take the responsibility."
She instantly looked up, bewildered, "What?"
"Go explain yourself to them." He decided, and without further notice he dragged her by the wrist to the direction of the House.
"I don't want to go back there." She protested, but continued to dragged her feet beside him however.
He gave her an 'of course' look, "Then why did you make such a prank?"
At this point, he thought it would be much easier to just fled from the scene rather than involving himself in another affair he don't belong to but when he think about it, he'd never before being framed and later arrested with an unknown reason and to know that the culprit behind it all was only a girl, he knew he can't just slide this off so easily.
Danger excites him.
But somehow he have this feeling that she lives surround by it everyday. And the thought alone excites him even more.
"I was trying to leave, you know," she tugged the hand holding her to drew his attention, "My stepmother had forbid me from going anywhere after you were arrested so I can't go anywhere."
Two dots had connected.
"Figures," he spoke matter-of-factly, "You were locked up because you're a troublemaker. I should've figure it out sooner." And they continued walking, despite her murmuring retorts.
"I have a similar stepmother," Instead of just taking her back quietly to the House, he strangely had opened his own story to fill the leisure. Just how much hurt would cost him anyway to tell it to this girl? "Whenever she knew I'm off duty, she always come to my house and kept me at home to make sure I get enough rest for the next mission. It was suffocating I admit, but still, pulling a prank like that and run away is simply wrong."
His sense of responsibility is taking over him again, irritating her at some point.
"But it was so frustrating." She murmured in dissatisfaction, stomping her already soaking heel into one of the puddle, splatting his face with the mud water, making him flinched.
Patient, Raidou... Be patient.
Brushing off the mud, he decided to change the topic, "So what did you run away from this time?"
"My wedding ceremony."
His pace came to a complete halt.
He thought he just heard that few minutes ago.
"…Your wedding?"
"Yeah." She replied casually, as though she just answered how many nostril a person own, and continued, still oblivious of his shocked face, "My father made me married this man from the neighbouring clan to be the next daimyō but I discovered he is up to no good so I figured I have to do something to stop the wedding!"
At her reply, the cogwheels that had not meshed with each other clicked inside his head, starting to move, but he had this strange urge to laugh on her counter and the laughter already bubbling at the edge of his lips.
"You're saying...the next daimyō?"
She nodded, still looking troubled at the subject.
"Then...who are you?"
She looked up at his tall feature, knowing it's the moment of the truth so she returned to her ice-y princess mode, making her appear like one of the so-called aristocratic, "I'm the Fire Daimyo's only daughter."
He was rendered speechless. The disjointed dots finally linked to one another, forming a clearer picture on what mess he had actually gotten himself into.
"So that's why you summoned me and made me look like I'm having an affair with you?"
And she nodded almost enthusiastically. "I escaped the wedding thanks to you." To make things balance between them, she added, "But actually I had helped you out too."
He couldn't stop from rolling his eyes, Helped me my ass.
She continued, "I had warned the ninja watching over you to not do you any harm or they will face my wrath. That's why you're still alive until now." She smiled proudly, dimples popping out.
He honestly not sure which to blame; either her naivity or his stupidity to even listen to this girl. Even if they were told to just pinch his skin, of course they won't do so because he was one of their respectful senior when they were in ANBU! And who would dare to lay a finger to the formidable Hunter who was once second-in-command under Daizo's wing?
"But if you don't want to take me with you, it's fine though." She broke the silence between them, and something like a wicked smile carved on her beautifully carved lips, "I will go back to my Father and tell me how you had snatched me away from the wedding and-"
He snorted in mix of disbelief and utter shock, "Hey, I'm the victim in this case-"
"And to spice thing up," she looked down to her torn dress, "you even ripped off my wedding dress in the process, now that I think about it, it would make a pretty trustable story."
His animal instinct took over him, and she automatically took a step backward as he paced forward, dark aura hanging over his magnificent frame, and he murmured quietly "Are you blackmailing me?"
He was caught complete off guard, never before his opponent -a girl- taunted him so much to the extent that made him powerless even for a small counterback. She is the daughter of the daimyō, and there was all to it. A ninja obeyed to his mission; his master, and the most superior to his master doesn't make him his enemy.
"There they are!" The cry of a court lady far few meters ahead them had them startled, and triggered by the shout, a few black shadows dashed to their direction in high speed, waking up the train of their thoughts to reality.
Raidou just took three steps ahead before he turned around and took her by surprise when he roughly pulled her by her wrist, "What are you waiting for?! Let's go!"
She didn't remember the last time she felt the calming rush of wind, the freedom, and the surge of adrenaline went through her as they ran from the chasing ninja towards the forest. Amidst the gliding wind and the pursuing ninja, she shouted, just enough for him to hear.
"I'm Tsuru!"
He gave him a sideway look, almost scowling, before later a smirk crossed on his face, "You'd better match up to me or I'll leave you behind."
"Don't worry!" She pulled up her lower dress, revealing a black legging hugging her slender legs, her secret wear everytime she planned to fled, "I do this often! I'll manage it!"
He glanced behind him, taking in the sight of the chasing ninja and then to the sight of this woman clad in expensive wedding dress then to himself. The scene made him recalled one of the story from the foreign land where the general of the country ran away with the King's concubine. He didn't remember the detail of the story but what he knew is that the story does not ends well for the forbidden couple.
A ripple of water from his soaked hair fell on his face then following the earlier trail of the hideous scar across his left cheek and come resting on his square jaw. And the presence of the marring skin had made him naturally self-conscious again.
He hates that girl for not saying anything about it.
He hates her for pretending to not see it.
He hates himself for forgetting the 'curse'.
He hates himself for having them in the first place.
Damn her.
Damn him.
Damn it all.
End of step 3