A/N - Funny. I started writing this story exactly a year ago. :)

10. That Other Favour

'Stupid, ungrateful ninja.'

Koemi stared at the rumpled futon, tossed on the floor. Empty as the shed was. Sasuke – if that was even his real name – was gone. Without so much as a thank-you note.

'Why did I expect anything else from a rogue?'

The girl turned toward the obstinate door and somehow managed to open them without spilling miso broth all over herself. Sasuke's lunch. He showed no sign of leaving that morning when she fed him breakfast and fixed his wound. 'Maybe it was an emergency.' And maybe he just got everything he needed.

She entered her house in a lousy mood. Good thing that oba-chan was gone to the market already.

Sasuke's sudden leave left her with mixed feelings. Annoyance on one side, gratitude on the other. He left before she got to trick him.

Koemi scowled, returning the miso into the cooking pot. Her hands began to wash the bowl without much assistance from her mind.

It wasn't exactly an evil plot, but it could have turned out badly. She would have helped him anyway, despite her wariness, because it was the right thing to do. But she wouldn't have let him stay in the shed for the night in ordinary circumstances. Koemi did so because he was a ninja, and because his face wasn't among the familiar lot.

And it might have been stupid, and it was definitely selfish, but Koemi wanted the ninja boy to stick around long enough for their 'usual customers' to come and get a beating. Sasuke would be compelled to step in for her and her aunt out of common courtesy, wouldn't he? Free ninja service – he would be paying off a debt.

Maybe it was better that he left before Koemi's scenario played out for real.

There were moments when she truly believed that the ninja boy would be strong enough to chase away four grown-up rogues. She saw no headband and knew that he was a rogue too, but there was something in his bearing that made her hope he was on a different level. He was tidy, stealthy, and his weapon looked professional enough. He had a certain kind of arrogant confidence which must haverelied on more than empty air. He must have been strong. The others looked like no more than a slap-happy bunch of ninja drop-outs. Good enough only for picking on the helpless.

But these were relatively rare in comparison with all those moments of doubt. You had to be a monster to take on four people twice your size. Even if he was a monster by any chance, he was a wounded one.

If Sasuke died or got maimed, it would be on her. Because she lured him to stay.

So maybe it was better he was gone on time.

The raids were a regular occurrence, hardly even scary any more. They even had a protocol of sorts. Come, make snide comments, flash rotten teeth in a grin, grab money and food, leave. Simple as that. So far the rogues showed no sign of wanting to touch any of them, but the unspoken dread was that that might change as Koemi grew older. But she shouldn't be thinking about it. Not when they were about to come.

Tomorrow evening, probably. End of the month.

No. It wasn't even scary anymore. The only times someone got hurt were the first and the last time. In both cases it was because Satoyo-oba-chan tried to stand up to them. Koemi remembered the last time with a shudder. Oba-chan brought it on herself. Her tongue was sharp. It wouldn't have been as sharp if the raid didn't coincide with the anniversary of Koemi's parents' death.

It hurt double, then, being raided by rogue ninja. They should be alright, tomorrow.

Koemi leaned against the kitchen table. There were no more chores to occupy her. She didn't like it when she had too much time to think.

Her eyes fell on a marred floor-board. Kaa-chan's jewellery was still hidden below. They hardly ever bothered to take it out of its hideout. Valuable as it was, they hardly had any use of it.

Koemi had mixed feelings about those few pieces of silver, as well.

Her fingers hesitated for a moment, before she stooped down and lifted the loose board. Dust covered a pretty wooden box. Koemi wiped it with her sleeve and took off the lid.

Silver glistened on dark blue velvet. A necklace, a pair of earrings, and a beautiful kanzashi with a white ivory flower. Satoyo said her mother wore the pieces on her wedding day.

It was beautiful, and most likely cursed. Koemi would almost swear on it. The jewellery was the only remaining symbol of her mother's family and their alleged former wealth. Ayane had claimed it was first worn by Koemi's great-great-grandmother.

Ayane died trying to claw it back from rogues' greedy hands. And she succeeded. As bad as the rogue who kicked her away was, he was probably superstitious enough not to take the jewellery of the dead woman he had killed. The silver was found next to her body.

So Satoyo-oba-chan said, and she rarely ever sugar-coated ugly stories.

When Koemi grew old enough to know the truth, she wanted to throw the jewellery away. But it was the only thing she had left of her mother, besides the looks. When she thought about wearing it with pride on her own wedding day, she would almost gag. Four pieces of silver. Was that something to die for?

And what was her father thinking, running after the rogues? He wasn't even a ninja. Satoyo-oba-chan fumed whenever she thought of her deceased brother.

Koemi didn't want to think. Not anymore.

She sloppily returned the silver to the box, and threw it in the hole in the floor. She frowned at the loose floor-board. It wouldn't stick nicely. Maybe oba-chan would know how to fix it.

Koemi gave up on the board, and decided to go sew something. Sewing was always useful.

Hours passed, and the time of Satoyo's usual return approached. Oba-chan would be late that evening. She wanted to pass by the village council's hall to remind them again they were failing to protect their villagers. Not that it would do any good. Oba-chan just liked to make people uncomfortable, when they deserved it.

Koemi still wanted to start making dinner as usual, and she thought how she had made a good decision when she heard footsteps in the yard. Someone knocked, and Koemi's grip on the chopping knife tensed. Oba-chan never knocked.

'Maybe it's some neighbour. Sure, why not? It's not the end of the month yet.' She slowly approached the door, clutching to the knife. 'But do rogue people have calendars?'

The door squeaked as she cautiously opened. Koemi was greeted by a wide grin. Rotten teeth and all.

"Good evening, lovely. May we come in?"

'Just a protocol. They're going by the protocol.'

Koemi stood in the corner of her kitchen, hiding the small blade behind her back, knowing well enough she wouldn't use it. This was the first time her aunt wasn't there during a raid, but the rogues' only reaction was asking after the 'old hag's' health. They meant the bruise, Koemi knew. The one that was bad enough to last for nearly a month. She pressed her lips in futile anger.

'Just a protocol. It's not even that bad.'

Their eyes checked her over, and one of them commented that she was growing up nicely, to which another one smirked that she was growing out nicely. Four pairs of eyes skimmed over her chest, and Koemi blushed, thinking about using that knife after all.

But they were all words and no action. Koemi believed she might have even been lucky to a degree. This certain band of rogue nin had a leery sense of humour but otherwise behaved well. One went straight to the henhouse, to kill the men's dinner, one went to the garden to plunder their vegetable, another to the second floor to get the money, and the last one remained in the kitchen, helping himself to their eggs and milk.

Koemi watched his back, fuming in silence, when her eye grazed over a bump on the floor. She could have sworn her heart stopped for a minute.

'That is so stupid,' she thought. 'So, so stupid! ... Maybe he won't notice.'

And he didn't notice the raised edge of one of the floor-boards. That's why his foot caught it and the man fell to the ground, breaking half a dozen eggs. He swore profusely, clutching his head. "What the hell, puppet?! You should clean this place better."

He looked back to see what he tripped over, and paused. Koemi took a step forward. "Gomen," her voice trembled, "we haven't fixed it yet. Are you hurt? Do you need a bandage or...?" She tried to draw his attention. The man rose an arm for her to stay quiet.

She saw him finger the edge of the board, and squeaked when he lifted it.

"No problem, love. I'll fix it for you," he grinned, and took out the pretty wooden box.

Koemi felt a rush of strength surge over her. Stupid, self-destructive strength.

"Don't touch it."

"I'll just take a look. No need to get your skirt all twisted up."

"I said don't –"

"Aaah," the man appreciated. "Now that's pretty."

Their eyes met.

The man gave her an innocent smile.

"Don't worry, baby. You're pretty enough on your own, you won't be needing this."

He was about to put the box into his pocket, when Koemi jumped on him and stabbed his arm. The man roared in painful surprise and Koemi snatched the box. She was out in the yard in a heartbeat. But so was he.

"You!"

'I can't outrun him. I can't outrun him. Not in the forest. Not when it's almost dark.'

"Little slut!"

The forest was dark and uninviting. So was the old tool-shed whose door sadly hung on the hinges, left slightly ajar. But the shed was closer, and Koemi wasn't thinking straight.

'If I get in there, maybe I can barricade the door. And then...? ... Then nothing!'

She reached the door, the evil door, the door that resisted her grip daily, and desperately pulled. It didn't even budge. 'Oh, come on!' she screamed in her mind and pulled harder.

The door suddenly gave in, but not due to her own strength. Koemi stumbled back. A hand gripped her wrist. A hand coming from the wrong direction.

Her eyes widened as the hand kept her from falling back, and then pulled her into the darkness of the shed. It steadied her behind someone's back. Familiar back, and a familiar face.

The ninja boy looked her over, to check for injuries, then nodded and went out. He shut the heavy door behind him.

Koemi shook for a moment, before throwing herself on the futon laid in front of the dirty window. She scrambled to her knees and peeked through the hole into the darkening yard.

Sasuke Whoever was approaching the house with deliberate, measured steps.

'Seems I got my protector, after all,' her heart was slowing down. 'But will I have to watch him die now?' she pressed her lips.

The four man grouped together. They eyed the boy approaching them with smirks, but not without caution. Koemi could only see his back, and it was enough to calm her down a little. There was no tension in his shoulders. He drew out his katana in a swift, easy motion, and waited for the bunch to make the first move. They soon did.

After first frightful couple of seconds, Koemi had to admit it was sort of beautiful to watch how the ninja boy's blade sliced the twilight air, blocking punches, making playful cuts. 'Whole other level...' His body jumped and ducked, dodging daggers and those star thingies as if he were completely untouchable. The only moment when he seemed slightly human was when he made an awkward landing on his bad foot and winced, Koemi wincing with him. Even then, he didn't pause.

'Is it just me or did I get incredibly lucky?'

The fear was gone since Sasuke wasn't afraid.

Still, her eyebrows rose in shock when she saw him stabbing the katana into the ground.

'That's not how you're supposed to –'

Her thought was cut off when a lightning suddenly struck her yard. Koemi shut her eyes and ducked, waiting for the ground-shaking thunder. It never arrived.

'Maybe I got deaf. That's why I couldn't hear it,' she shook. When she dared to peek through the hole in the glass again, she was ready for the sight of charred bodies, and ready to admit she was either trapped in a nightmare or gone crazy.

There were bodies lying in the grass, alright, but only four of them. Sasuke stood besides the stuck katana, his back still turned to her. He pulled the blade from the ground and returned it to its sheath. The bodies began to twitch. Koemi felt slightly disappointed that they were still alive.

'The lightning was his doing, it had to be. Only, what kind of people make lightnings?'

Sasuke walked over to the man closest to him. It was the one who called Koemi 'lovely', 'puppet' and 'slut'.

Koemi strained to hear the words Sasuke said to him, although they made no sense.

"This entire area is under protection of Orochimaru-sama. You have no business here. Is that clear?"

Koemi mouthed the unknown name to herself. It rang no bells. But the rogue nin nodded.

Sasuke waited for the gang to get feeling back to their numb limbs and run away. He turned around to face the shed only after all of them were gone. He met her eye, framed with edges of broken glass, and goose-bumps exploded in her stomach.

'Red! ... A monster, after all!'

Yet, after she blinked, the boy's eyes were black again, and he was just a boy. He approached the shed and opened the heavy door with one firm pull. Koemi stared at him wide-eyed, collapsed on the futon.

"You alright?" he said.

She nodded.

His eyes became less cold. "Here, let's go."

He caught her forearm and helped her up, then made her lean on him when they both realized her legs weren't exactly stable. Almost like they reversed the roles from the day before. Sasuke brought her to the kitchen and both had a glass of water in awkward silence.

"Th-thank you," she finally managed but he cut her off.

"Don't thank me."

His eye searched for something in the other corner of the room. He frowned, seemingly lost in thought.

"I just paid off a debt, that's all."

"Still..."

"I should get going. Those guys won't be returning for quite some time – or ever, I believe." His smirk was somewhat cruel.

"W-will you eat something? Or check on your wound?" Koemi felt pretty stupid with the usual hostess phrases on her mouth, but she didn't know what else to say to someone who just saved you. She didn't notice before, but his shirt and pants were dirtier than before. As if he spent the whole day rolling in mud.

"No. I'm late as it is."

"At least –"

"Thanks for your hospitality, Koemi. But I really should be going."

His smile was small, and not entirely sincere. Koemi didn't push further.

She saw him to the door and paused in the middle of the yard. He moved on.

"Thank you!" she yelled again, just before he entered the realm of the trees. He didn't turn, but rose his arm in farewell. The shadows soon swallowed him.

Sasuke stepped over a narrow stream of gurgling water, still black in these early hours of the morning. He had pulled another all-nighter, trying to create as much distance from Kuroguma as he possibly could. Chestnuts bore down on him with their bare, cold branches, and he looked forward to stepping out of their reach even if it meant returning underground. Disgusting.

The whole business was disgusting, and sticky, like a bout of cold sweat.

He hoped he would forget everything about Sabiiro and Koemi as soon as possible. Everything, except the answer to the test-within-a-test Orochimaru had given him. That one was earned the hard way.

'Yes,' he thought while nearing the entrance to Orochimaru's hideout, 'it shouldn't be that difficult to forget.' Just a couple of new names on the list, besides Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi.

There soon won't be anything to remind him. There was no body to be brought back. The body lay buried under a chestnut tree.

The End

Afterword: If you have read Grains of Sand or my older oneshots, you might have noticed my stories often have bummer endings, but I still insist they are overall positive. So let me do that now.

I wanted to write a story about a little man, one of those generic henchmen who always get beat up by the main crew. Because, when you stop to think about it, these guys have stories, too, and there is usually nothing generic about them. I wanted to write a story that wouldn't revolve around a monster, nor a shining hero. Souta is weak, and insecure, and self-torturing, and funny, and capable, and observant. He has bits and pieces of my father, uncles, grandfather, and various men I see around town, playing with their kids, complaining about their wives. He's an ordinary guy put into an extraordinary situation. And, weak as he is in comparison with the men he's supposed to fight, he decides to go against all odds for someone who is precious to him. It might seem that he didn't manage to do much for Koemi in the end, but it's not true. He beat his own cowardice, and gave his life so she would be safe, without a blink of an eye. Weak people can do that, too. And when weak people do it, it calls for a double 'wow'.

So don't write off this story as a tragedy. In my book, it's about love.

Thanks for sticking around!