It's been a loooooong time since I last posted a chapter. To be honest, I kind of lost intrest in continuing this story until someone - thank you, you know who you are - told me that they hoped I could put up more chapters. So, here you go, chapter 4! Reviews save fanfics, guys.
Chapter 4: Six Months
Suna and Akali walked down the wooden hallway of the order, the rising sun visible from the window facing the east. "It's been six months...that insane schedule Shen gave us is finally over!" Akali nodded, smiling. Suna turned to face Akali. "Have we really grown stronger though?" Akali grinned.
"Do you want to see?"
"Where's that book?! Where's that book?!" Rai laughed with glee as he swung the sword at Shen, who was deflecting each of the blows with a flick of his daggers. True, Rai still couldn't touch Shen, but Shen couldn't read his book while sparring with Rai anymore. Pity, because Shen left off at a cliffhanger.
"You still have a ways to go, Rai, but you have improved. Your strength and stamina increased; you can swing that sword like a barbarian now." Rai chortled as he spun the blade in a circle, forcing Shen to cross his daggers in an X to block it. Steel rang against steel, sending vibrations up Shen's arms. "Okay, that's all for today." Shen turned as the dojo doors opened. "Why, good morning, Akali, Suna." Suna looked at Rai, who flashed a grin. Shen walked past Akali. "We're done here, you can use it if you wish." Akali nodded, and Rai followed Shen out the door with a last glance at Suna. Akali walked to the center of the room, and beckoned Suna inside.
"Your turn, Suna. Show me what you have learned." Akali drew her training kamas, the wooden weapons blunt but dangerous. "Don't hold back." Suna gulped and crouched into a fighting stance - left arm across the chest, right hand on her short sword's handle - and waited for Akali to make the first move. When Akali saw that Suna was ready, she leapt at her, swinging her kama in a large arc toward Suna's head. Suna intercepted it with lightning-fast reflexes, deflecting the kama and countering with a swift stab at Akali's exposed abdomen. As the blade neared Akali's flesh, Akali used her other kama to knock the sword aside. Akali skidded to a halt a few feet from Suna, acknowledging her skill with a quick nod. The dojo echoed with the clacks of the wooden weapons as they charged each other again.
"Ahh~ a hot bath after a long day is the best, don't you think?" Akali asked Suna. The two were in the outdoor hot springs, steam covering the pool in a thick blanket of steam.
"Of course; the hot water relaxes the muscles and gets rid of any soreness. It's really comfortable." Suna bobbed in the water, her eyes closed as the water washed away her fatigue. Akali sighed and crossed her legs, leaning against the wooden fence.
"Wow, Shen, the hot springs are spacious. Where did they come from?" Rai swam around in the water, marveling at how the heat loosened up every muscle in his body.
"I was not around when this hot spring was made, but I was told that it comes from a natural underground geyser." Shen sat in the water, arms propped lazily on the sides of the spring. Rai looked askance at Shen.
"Do you never take off that mask?"
"That was a good bath!" Suna said, toweling her hair dry.
"Indeed. It was quite peaceful; I thought that your friend might have tried to climb over the wooden fence." Suna froze. Her eyes drifted over to the fence.
"Is that the guy's side?" Akali's eyes gleamed mischievously.
"I've always wanted to see Shen's face without a mask..."
Suna and Akali moved through the trees surrounding the men's hot springs, hidden in the shadows. "Okay, Suna, remember: the art of peeping is essential for ninjas to learn. It teaches stealth, and the rewards...are totally worth." Suna nodded, her face stretched in a predatory grin. Akali signaled off to the side, and they dashed in opposite directions.
As Rai drifted through the water, his eyes flicked around his surroundings. Something felt out of place. Suddenly, Rai heard a slight splash behind him. He spun around, but whatever had caused the noise was already gone. A hand clamped onto his shoulder. Rai swallowed a scream and whirled around. Shen's voice whispered, "Careful...we're surrounded." Rai swallowed and nodded. Senses on high alert, they scanned the trees, back to back.
A scream erupted from the trees. Shen and Rai turned toward the source, when a body hurtled from the trees and slammed into the ground with a nasty crack. Rai winced. As Shen wrapped himself in his towel and jumped into the trees, Rai examined the body. The would-be assailant wore a steel mask with two shurikens equipped on his back. Since the man was clearly dead - judging from the unnatural angle his head was twisted - Rai wrapped himself in his towel and followed Shen, praying that it wouldn't fall off.
Rai arrived in time to spot a shuriken flying towards a panicking Suna. Rai roared and dashed in front of Suna, intercepting the deadly weapon with his right forearm. He gasped as the cold steel slid into the muscle, freezing his nerves and numbing the pain. He stumbled back, the assassin quickly closing in on him with a chilling laugh. As the assassin swung his arm blade at Rai's exposed chest, a purple aura enveloped him, stopping the killer dead in his tracks. Shen materialized next to Rai, fully clothed. Wait. What? When did he put on his clothes? Shen grabbed the assailant by the head, lifting him clear off the ground before slamming him into the trunk of the tree. "Who ordered you to come here?" Shen asked, his voice deathly calm. The assassin glared defiantly at Shen and refused to speak. As Shen and the assassin engaged in a glaring contest, the leaves behind them rustled. Akali emerged from the foliage as Shen turned around, the body of a third assassin dangling from her hands. Shen turned back to the captive. "You have little choice but to reveal your-" Shen stopped as the eyes of the assassin glazed over. Rivulets of blood leaked out of his mask and ran down his neck. Akali walked over and checked his heartbeat.
"He's dead. He must have bitten his tongue off the moment he realized his colleagues were all dead." Shen sighed and made his way over to Rai. He knelt down and held Rai's arm steady. Rai's eyes widened, but before he could say anything, Shen spoke.
"Hold still." In one swift movement, Shen yanked the shuriken from Rai's arm. Suna winced as Rai gritted his teeth, trying not to scream. Shen stood, inspecting the shuriken. As the eyes of the three people watched him, Shen tucked it in his belt, apparently satisfied.
Shen's demeanor changed as he surveyed Akali and Suna. They cowered back as he spoke, his eyes glaring angrily. "Why were you two in the men's hot springs?"
Again, please review. They're what us fanfic writers run on. That and creativity. And food. And...yeah.
