Kabuto smiles, he hands her a scalpel and steps back.
She takes it between her fingers
Kesenai.
No one forgets. Every moment is burned, lives on inside, tears down and builds up... it's an indiscriminate blaze that languishes, scarring in ways thought impossible – memories not even experienced, a burn from before they were all born. Some call it the original sin, but in truth, it is simpler than that.
She was loathsome – she was born that way. It came from her father, and his father, and the father before that. And maybe her mother too, but she didn't know her well enough to say, but probably.
She should be happy that this was happening. She liked him, but... she was sure now, she couldn't go through with this. Fuck commitments, she had to stop this before it started all over again. She'd sworn. It wouldn't have worked. She was right to.
She watched him as he ate, devoured the last of their energy bars – stupid idiot had a ravenous appetite.
Kurosawa came back with a detailed report of the area. Apparently, they were much further along than they thought. Their slow travel pace had failed to attract the attention of Konoha, but they must have been moving very quickly – perhaps time had given them some respite? In any case, there was a village only a dozen kilometers away. It wasn't a rural village either, Kurosawa indicated that there were many shiny things there, seemingly some kind of festival.
"Then it's settled," he looked at his partner, "We'll go there, pick up some supplies... a map, and then move onto Honnouji. Shouldn't take us more than another day and a half, maybe two, if we stay the night."
Two days? It made her stomach tighten. That wasn't very long.
"Of course it isn't," Naruto seemed excited, "I haven't been to Honnouji since I travelled with Ero-sennin."
Kurosawa quirked his head at her and stared.
"What?"
Caw. Caw. C-Caw.
"I have no idea what you're saying."
It ruffled its feathers and vanished in a plume of smoke, startling her. He'd never done that on his own before.
"Did you say something to him?"
"Me? No. How could I? I've been standing right next to you."
She huffed and crossed her arms.
The dense trees, warped, grey and covered in tiny buds, thinned out – a well worn dirt road materialized under their dirty feet. Such nice shoes, ruined. Well, she could mooch some money out of Naruto's pocket to buy some at the festival, perhaps. She'd need some good shoes for running, anyway.
"Hey, I was thinking..."
She glanced away from the horizon at him.
"There's going to be a festival at this village. And judging by how big the town is..." he said pointing to the silhouette of tall buildings in the near distance, "It looks like it might be pretty big."
She nodded, "Are you concerned that someone from Konoha might be there?"
"Huh? No, not at all actually. Even if there was someone, they wouldn't suspect anything," he laughed, "Actually, I was... well, I... what I mean is – if you want to... we could... do stuff, together. We have time."
"So you're willing to trust me again?"
He cleared his throat nervously.
"I never trusted you Karin-chan. I told you... I knew you were a ninja."
"Oh."
"But, I want to trust you. I know you're not a bad person. We could use some fun... so how about it?"
She nodded mutely, knowing she could use the festival as a means to sneak away.
Okay, so she was acting a little impulsively. She didn't want to get him in trouble. She liked him– but it wasn't more than that. And he probably would get in less trouble if she'd not let him let her go willingly – he'd probably just get scolded if he'd said she had escaped. She could assuage herself of that burden now, and perhaps now only.
Her lips smiled at him dryly, "Okay. Sure."
He gave her a pleasing grin. She coiled her hands into fists. She knew she was a fool, but she wasn't strong enough. Couldn't endure this. She could have killed herself the moment she'd gotten close to him – should have done that before Orochimaru had recruited her.
- - -
The sky was bright, with the sun just starting toward descent. The village, more like a small city, had no formal gate or entrance. The walls that surrounded the perimeter just stopped, with the dirt road bleeding into old red brick. Some police officers heralded their approach, but they only needed to mention the festival to be granted access with hearty smiles.
Yamatai – originally the capital of a nation that existed only for a few years after Konoha's founding – was still as beautiful as it had been centuries ago. Massive cart-stalls with merchants behind them, huge storefronts with luxurious civilian goods, and a unique fashion that was quite eccentric, if pleasing to look at. The town was bright, electric, with numerous bars, gambling arenas, dance halls and brothels all within a few blocks of the thoroughfare.
With the festival having consumed the streets – dancers, plays and games active all around – the town was even in greater upheaval. There was a constant beat of a gong somewhere, with music clashing in the air. Children ran in between the legs of the massive crowd that had swallowed them up. As they moved forward, Naruto was forced to clutch her hand, just to keep them together.
Trying to straddle the edge of the crowd along the sidewalk, Naruto turned quite red at a group of female performers who were approaching them. They were dressed in loose, translucent fabrics which gave him a full presentation of their bodies.
His sweat was now mingling between her fingers.
She rolled her eyes. Was he so easily disturbed? They weren't even looking at him.
And herself! She was sweaty, wearing white shorts that barely covered her legs, and were tight enough she knew he got a full view of her tight rear every time she walked. Her shirt was a little odd on her, but it wasn't a smock – he could see most of her if he really wanted to. And although it had happened in near blackness, he'd seen her naked – it wasn't like he had to imagine. He should be used to these things by now. He was a man.
She pulled him close to her side and placed her lips on his ear, "Let's get what came here for. Then we can waste our time."
He looked at her, his face hardening up. He nodded intently.
They squeezed past the chaos and entered a side street which contained an enclosed market. They stepped inside.
The air was strong, with pungent foreign smells. She breathed deeply, calmed by the moldy scent. The market was quiet, with most of the vendors closed up. A few were open, however.
Somehow, neither had come to realize that their hands were still interwoven. When one saleswoman greeted them as a "lovely couple" both looked between them and blushed, disengaging with an awkward laugh. They purchased some fresh vegetables and boxed rice from her.
Naruto complained about the lack of instant ramen – but Karin reminded him that they would need to find a convenience store for that. He understood, so they shopped around for a while, ultimately purchasing some tea and preserved fish.
He wasn't that hard to get along wish, she surmised. She could imagine herself doing mundane things with him... like this. It was... comfortable.
For a journey of only two days, they wouldn't need much. What they had was enough. Besides, Naruto apparently had "forgotten" to fill his wallet when they had left Konoha. It seemed she wouldn't be getting her shoes. They'd be lucky to find a place to stay.
That was, if she were staying with him. She considered losing him in the market and leaving, but it would be better to leave under the cover of darkness. Besides, she needed time to think about where she was going to run. Sound had some operations in Konoha, but not only were most of them probably defunct by now, but she was unlikely to get a warm welcome there.
Taking their supplies from her and into his hands, Naruto asked, "Where should we go first?"
She didn't really like all the noise and confusion of the central square, and on an accidental whim (that's all it was), she actually told him this.
He grew a little weary, "I know what you mean... I've never really had a good experience with crowds, or festivals..." he chuckled, "But we can still have fun. How about we get something to drink?"
She told him she wasn't partial to alcohol (stuff stained her breath and left her unguarded – weak), so that restricted their choices, but they found a stand which sold brightly-colored fruit beverages. They tasted foul and tangy, or at least, hers did. She didn't say anything to him though. She took slight sips to give him the illusion she enjoyed it.
Next he suggested food – but her stomach was disturbed by the drink, and she was pretty sure nothing would taste good for a while anyway. Probably never. They decided to watch a play – it seemed popular, with over a hundred people waiting for it to begin. With no seats left, they stood on the fringe off to the side. Naruto was a little uncomfortable, given the groceries in his hands, and he was definitely exhausted, but he seemed happy, oddly enough. Was probably all a farce, but he did have convincing smiles. It was actually a little hard for her to tell.
- - -
During a terrible war where benevolence and charity were long forgotten to the despair brought by the deaths of thousands. Towards the end, two familes, the Ounin and the Housaka, bitterly fought for control of the territory.
The Housaka were numerous, spiritual warriors. They prayed to the berries that made their ink, the trees that made their homes, sang songs to the sun god and worshipped the earth and her majesty. They carried two swords at all times and when they did not train, they were fasting. Some mastered the bow or the spear, but most lived by the sword.
The Ounin, however, were small. They were a family one hundred strong, with few traditions. They worked in the shadows and used deception to trick the Housaka family and divide it amongst itself. When Ounin did fight, they did so with short blades and poisoned throwing knives. They were rumored to be as the disciples of En, the god of death, for death always followed in their wake.
Because of their size, the Ounin trained all of their family in the arts. Their middle daughter, Yin, was especially skilled with deception and combat, some say even better than her brothers. Seeing their defeat, the Ounin devised a desperate plan to defeat the Housaka. They would poison the head and assassinate the heir.
Chenji, a great battlemaster, was a known womanizer. He had many consorts and concubines and lived in lavish luxury. Yin was beautiful, with long silken hair and a soft delicate body that was deceptive of her own martial skill. Always masked, the Housaka would never be able to identify an Ounin from another.
Yin was given her task on the day of the sun. She received an ancient blade from her father, who said it was the blade of the ancestor – the only weapon fit to kill a seasoned warrior like Chenji.
"I will do as you say, father," Yin had said quietly, "Your wisdom and strength are what we need leading us. He and I will congeal together in the abyss of death, I will not fail, father."
"Death beside you, my daughter."
The curtains closed as the scene changed.
Karin looked up at Naruto who was staring stoically ahead.
"I... think we should go," she said quietly.
Somehow her words reached him through the clapping, cheering... the cacophony.
He didn't look at her. He hesitated. He opened his mouth. Did he want to stay?
"Unless you want to stay."
He chuckled, "No, I think I've already heard this story before..." he paused, "We can go."
They left the makeshift theater and found themselves sitting on the curb. Apparently, clumsy Naruto had bumped into someone – causing him to fall into her and spill her noxious drink all over her clothes.
Wet, tired and empty, she just stared at her feet. She had no change of clothes, no money, no food, no purpose – how could she run away? Could she survive hunting rabbits and mice, living under trees and dressed in furs? Death sounded better than that. She should ask him to kill her.
"Hey," he said, leaning his face in to get his words to reach, "I'm... sorry. Maybe this was a mistake. I... guess I've been trying a little too hard. I just – I mean, you probably never had a chance to do anything fun so... I mean..."
"No," she said tiredly, "It's fine," she closed her eyes.
Mo ii. It's enough.
"H-Hey, I'm sorry okay? Why are you crying? What's wrong? Did I say something stupid? I didn't mean to– oi–"
"I'm not crying."
He flattened his lips, "Don't lie to me. I know what I'm seeing. Karin, just tell me what's wrong, I just want to understand..."
Her hands hurt. She pushes him away and gets up in a single motion. She walks away into the crowd, leaving him stunned.
- - -
Very rough, again in an hour between classes... shame on me, I should be doing work. Perhaps another chapter tomorrow. This chapter suspect to change... feel free to suggest any changes.
This an will selfdestruct when I'm satisfied with the chapter.