Disclaimer:Read chapter one!
Note to readers: There is a bit of grapic blood in this chapter - closer towards the end. You have been warned.
Rating: T
The Path of the Cursed and the Forsaken
Ten
A lone howl breaks through the night, drifting in the wind. Itachi looks up, over at Yuki, before turning his gaze to his partner. Kisame, all-in-all, looks a bit uneasy with the large wolf stalking their camp as if she owns the place – and he cannot blame him. She's a monster of a creature, impossibly tall and broad. Those jaws could snap them in half. He is sure if it suited her, she could use them as a chew toy.
And then he sees it once again.
The way the boy looks up at the wolf, meets her eyes, before frowning and sighing. Then he casts a quick glance at Kisame and himself. Then he looks at the wolf, confusion clouding the young eyes. It suits Itachi too silently, and unnoticeably, to watch the two interact. The way they go about it, it reminds him of the summoning creatures, their mental links, and unspoken conversations.
Obsidian eyes narrow.
The wolf named Sakura turns, her jade eyes meeting his. Ears flatten back just a bit, a flash of a fang in a long, white muzzle. A near inaudible growl.
Kisame jerks in surprise.
Yes, Kisame is uncomfortable with the canine so close. But they told the boy that they would escort them to the nearest town they cross. Kisame knows that they will be traveling with the large wolf for the next few days, week even with that injured paw of hers.
Kisame casts one wary glance before going back to packing.
He himself is uneasy. It is something that Itachi will never admit out loud. There is something off about this wolf, about the power in her walk, the strength in her attacks. When they protected the boy, when she ripped through the sound ninja, the explosion of chakra was suffocating. At first he was not sure who it was from – but now he knows it is this wolf.
This large, magnificent creature standing among them is impossible to understand. With a splash of pink on her forehead, white encasing a muscled frame, he knows that she will do whatever it takes to protect the boy.
"Kisame," Itachi stands from his crouching position next to the river that waits outside the cave they took shelter in.
The shark-ninja grunts, standing, and performs a sealing jutsu. With a 'pop' their belongings are nestled within a scroll, quickly stored in Kisame and his cloaks for later use. Kisame, standing next to Yuki as of now, grins, "Time to go?"
Itachi turns, cloak billowing around him as he slips his hat on. Kisame follows suit, lifting his sword so that it rests over his shoulder. Yuki dances ahead, the she-wolf keeping pace at the rear. Itachi can sense her, moving and as alert as he himself, and frowns in concentration.
For the first part of the morning, they walk along the trails in relative quiet. A few times they cross paths with natives, men and woman who stay out of their way but watch them pass with open curiosity. At one point, an old woman gives the child a cake-of-sorts and the boy hugged her for it.
He split it into thirds – one for Itachi, one for his partner, and to eat as he walked next to Sakura.
Itachi nibbled on the edges, enjoying the warm textures of the chocolate melting on his tongue. Behind him he can hear Kisame conversing with the boy, asking random questions that the Uchiha stores for future reference.
"Hold on, she saved you?"
"The Sound Village has been after me and, when they caught me again, she managed to get me out. Without Sakura-chan, I wouldn't be here!" Itachi slows, so that he is walking next to Kisame and the boy is in front of them.
He watches as Yuki twirls, eyes bright. Sakura ambles up, tail nearly brushing the ground. Yuki wraps his arms around her neck, giggling as he holds onto her.
"Itachi-san, what's your mission?" he is now walking backwards, a large smile on his face.
The boy goes on when he does not answer, "Last night, you said that you will go on to complete your mission after Sakura and I are dropped off in this village. What is your mission? Is it dangerous? Don't you miss your home?"
Again, the irritation starts to boil. This boy asks too many questions. In fact, the questions seem to be spawned from the one that came from before, all connected but separate. And Kisame, kami forbid, is finding this amusing.
"The mission is classified, Yuki-san. All missions a ninja take are dangerous." Itachi watches the frown mar the boy's face as he says, "And what about home? Don't you miss your family?"
"Can't miss something you don't have, kid." Kisame folds his arms over his chest, a look of thoughtfulness etching itself onto his face.
"What about your family, Yuki-san. Where are they?" now the child looks sad and Sakura nudges him in the side.
"I don't know where my family is…I…haven't seen them in…a long…time…" a hint of tears glitter in his eyes and Itachi casts a look up at the sky.
By noon, they have found a place to rest. In a small clearing next to a waterfall, they sit. Yuki is playing in the water and Sakura is resting next to the bank. Itachi, pulling his hat off, casts a look at their surroundings before addressing his partner, "I need to inform Leader-sama of our whereabouts."
Kisame grunts in acknowledgment.
With a small burst of chakra, Itachi opens the link between him and his leader. He waits, seeing if there is time…
"Itachi-san, you are early."
In images, the Uchiha replays the events from the last few days ending to where they currently are as of now. He can feel the Leader's chakra rumbling before, "Very well, I expect a report in three days. As for your two guests, what do you plan on doing?"
More images boil up, the conversation he had with Yuki the strongest. He waits, "In the meantime, see if you can learn more about this boy."
The connection parts, breaking up between them with ease. Itachi leans back against the bolder, content on resting till they set off once again.
OoOoO
The day has passed slowly for her. Sakura has felt the Uchiha's attention on her, the wariness that he expertly hides honed in on every little thing that she does. Having to act more animal-like but not drop the tendencies that she has already shown has proven to be a task.
As of now, Yuki is once again eating. Kisame had hunted fish, getting enough for all of them. She had finished hers, tearing into the raw flesh of the animal with vigor. Had she been human, the thought of eating anything raw would have made her lose her stomach.
But as a wolf, eating it raw is the best way. She prefers cooked food, warm milk, but that is something that she does not want to express. And Itachi, his stillness and humming chakra…it is unnerving, at best.
Sakura, what will we do? Yuki's voice is uneasy, but it does not match the beaming mask he wears as he animatedly talks to the ex-Mist ninja.
Itachi mentioned that we will be dropped off near the desert, we will travel that way. In Suna, we can find Gaara. I am sure he can help once he is informed of our situation. Yuki keeps on talking, smiling and happy, but his own message comes through with the hint of fear, But what will we do if they figure us out? They're already on alert.
So he has noticed it to. For a child, he has the makings of a well-trained ninja. It can be unsettling but it makes it easier for him to act natural, to act the way he should.
With no warning, a pulse of chakra expands in the ground. Sakura is on her feet, ears flattened back and snarling. Kisame is also up, sword drawn. His free hand pulls Yuki close, keeps him without grabbing range.
The ground erupts, a storm of soil and dirt clouding the air. Sakura skids to the side, snapping a mouthful of fangs at the arm of an invader. Blood flashes through the sky.
She leaps back, a blade hisses through the air before her.
She leaps up, fangs clamping around a neck. She snaps the flesh like it is butter, blood gushes into her mouth. A strangled cry from her prey before he drops lifeless.
Stay close to one of us, Yuki! She can feel him, her pup, a few feet.
Kisame stands over him, smashing through ninja as they sprout like weeds out of the ground. As she closes it, she can see her pup clinging to his leg. The fear coming off of him is enough to turn her sight red with rage.
She slams into the one coming in from behind. She can hear the intake of breath from Kisame as her fur brushes the back of his cloak, she can feel him turn as she crushes the ninja's neck between her powerful jaws. She lifts her head up, blood leaking from her muzzle, and sees the grin on the Akatsuki's face.
Ninja after ninja, the three of them tear down their opponents. Itachi blasts them apart with fire based attacks, Kisame shreds them, and Sakura tears into them. She and Itachi weave in and out of them, covering the ex-mist ninja who refuses to budge in order to ensure that the boy cowering at his feet is not harmed.
And then they are fleeing through the woods. Kisame is carrying the boy in his arm, his sword over his shoulder. The area behind them is in a blaze.
"Damn, they came out of nowhere!" Kisame roars as he leaps off another branch.
"Indeed."
"And the wolf knew before we did!" a quick glance at her, he adds, "No offense."
A low rumble from her chest gives him a large grin. Then he down, landing roughly on the ground next to her, and they race across the forest floor side-by-side.
Itachi lands on her other side.
"It is good she is on our side, is it not?" Kisame is grinning and Itachi, after a moment, answers, "I believe you are correct. Thank you, Sakura-san, you covering our backs."
Another low rumble of a growl is her answer.
Itachi is talking to the wolf. It makes me wonder - how much does he suspect?
And Kisame is uneasy with Sakura!
It's a wolf-eats-fish world, I guess.
Review,
I know you want to...
~CideanForever~