Not much to say here.
Well, remember the crime boss Madara killed back in Sparrow? That's important.
Saezuri carefully kept her face guarded as she follow a step behind Madara, weaving through the huge juts of rock towering over them as various sized falcons came and went, some perched and scrutinizing them with a dangerous air. She froze in alarm when they crossed a small threshold, Madara's shoulders seizing up as he halted. Glancing back with sharingan eyes, his gaze was murderous as he searched out the arch of rock they had passed under.
"Who are you?" A carefully controlled voice came from far above, Saezuri's neck snapping back as she dodged a volley of over-sized kunai. The knifes embedded themselves deep in the sand as she stuck her flip, sandals digging deep as she drew her katana with a slick snict.
"Likewise could be asked of yourself." Madara's voice was humorous as he stared down the shadow of a human figure above their head, Sae on guard as she straightened from her crouch. She tensed when a small man dropped between her and Madara, a Suna protector tied around his forehead. He was oddly familiar, something ringing in Saezuri's memory that she couldn't catch grasp of.
"Rouge shinobi, aa?" He cautiously assessed them with deep brown eyes, while Sae jolted. She supposed..... that that did describe her. A rouge shinobi. She had never thought of it that way, never seen herself as dangerous to the shinobi nations.
"Mo-chan? What is it?!" Another sand shinobi flew down to his side, a mask covering their features. Just from voice alone Saezuri could tell it was a woman, an unskilled one at that. Her clumsy movements and loud arrival told as much.
"Yusuke Momojiro." Sae stated as she let her guard go lax, the tip of her katana pooling in the sand by her feet. Smiling slightly, she sheathed her sword while watching the confusion play out on the man's face.
"What do you want?" He was guarded as Sae spread her hands, showing she meant no harm.
"One, I have news of your brother," She saw his eyes light with interest as she held up a long finger, "two, I want on this summoning contract." She circled her finger, Momojiro frowning heavily.
"Not possible." He cut her off, pressing the masked woman at his side behind him, bringing his hands together for a seal. Saezuri clicked her tongue in disdain as she matched his pace forming hand signs, disappearing with Toorima a fraction of a second before he released a large gust of wind.
"Can we talk now?" Saezuri asked as she got behind him and ripped the woman away, holding her katana against the struggling girl's throat. Momojiro whipped around to see his companion kicking at thin air, her head wrenched back and her hands clutching something long and invisible pressed against her neck.
"Tsune!" He moved to help her, skipping to a stop when Sae hauled up harder, dragging the girl back a fraction in warning. "What's the news about my brother?" Momojiro asked cautiously, frowning when Saezuri laughed.
"We'll talk about that second. I need this summoning contract, first." She called, twitching when Tsune managed to kick her shin. Readjusting her grip, Sae fought not to clutch at her bruised bone, keeping her attention on Momojiro. Behind him, she could see Madara leaning against a rock pillar, watching with a lazy sort of interest.
"B-bitch." Tsune coughed out as she tried to elbow Sae in the head, failing miserably; her short frame was at a disadvantage against Saezuri's tall, lean one.
"Look, I'll cut you a deal." She spoke to both of the sand shinobi, relaxing her hostile grip on Tsune, "The girl can go free, and I'll tell you everything about your brother. Just let me see this 'Great One'."
"Fine." Momojiro said unhappily, Tsune coughing harshly as Sae removed herself. She let Toorima go, chuckling when Tsune jumped and scrambled away at her close proximity. Saezuri was prepared when the small woman leapt at her with a kunai, easily catching her wrist and discarding the knife. With a blink, Saezuri was suddenly irked by Tsune's covered face, flicking the bone mask off with a finger.
"Oh, how pretty." Sae traced the girl's fine jaw, her features petite and pointed, the picture of feminine delicacy. Tsune growled and threw her free hand in a punch, one that Sae caught easily.
"Let her go. You agreed." Momojiro called, poised to intervene. Glancing up, Sae met the man's brown eyes, grinning in amusement.
"She started it." She said lightly as she let the small woman go abruptly, letting Tsune stumble forward in surprise and fall into the sand. Flicking her cloak black into place, Sae glanced at Madara, aware of his quiet chuckling. He flicked his hand for her to go on, Saezuri's dark eyes laughing as she looked back to Momojiro.
"I'm not making any guarantees with the Great One. He's ill disposed to any non-Suna shinobi." The man grumbled, Tsune shadowing his side as she brushed sand from her brown clothing, glaring at Sae all the while.
"About your brother, then." Sae settled to business, watching the way Momojiro's face darkened.
"I know he settled in Grass. Other than that, I haven't heard from him in years." Sae nodded at the information he volunteered.
"Well, he resorted to crime there." She carefully gauged his expression, wondering how best to go on, "The woman that I stayed with for some time rose to his position after he was murdered." She flicked her gaze to Madara, his smirk enough to make her cheeks heat, knowing that it was their direct fault that Momojiro's brother was dead. She could still remember the small, suave boss, his brown eyes, even. Momojiro was a mirror, albeit with minor differences-- Sae wondered if they had been twins.
"I see." His voice was flat as he glanced to the sand, thinking. "Well, it can't be helped." Momojiro sighed heavily, Sae noticing how Tsune laid a hand on his shoulder.
"And the Great One?" Madara strode forward, unabashed even though he had been the one to plunge the decorational katana into Momojiro's brother's stomach.
"The top of the crags. There's a large nest, you'll notice." The small man offered, surprised when Sae abruptly leapt up with a small spurt of chakra, disappearing from sight. Madara followed after her without the barest farewell to the Suna shinobi, leaving them staring up, slightly disturbed.
"This bird better be agreeable." Sae grumbled as Madara caught up to her side, her hand rubbing her shin where Tsude had kicked her.
"Well, if not, it's no problem." He chuckled, sharingan still present in his eyes.
"I'd rather not resort to that, though." She sighed, landing with a quiet tak on top of the rock. The sky was open, orange-tinted sand stretching as far as her eye could see in all directions.
"Humans?" A deep, trilling voice questioned, Saezuri whipping around to see the largest living being she had ever laid eyes on; a tremendous falcon was perched in a nest the size of a house, various other smaller falcons coming and going, adding twigs and molding its shape.
"Are you the Great One?" Saezuri rose her thin voice over the wind, a chill crawling up her spine as the falcon blinked slowly, staring at her as if she was mentally handicapped.
"Why do you ask?" The bird breezed, shifting slightly.
"I want to ask for your services." Sae dipped into a bow, Madara remaining upright beside her. The falcon hummed deep in his throat as he fixed glossy eyes on her, seemingly thinking.
"And what do we get in return?" The bird rumbled, sharp eyes fixated on Sae's back, "You humans use us in your wars. And many of us die. What makes that justifiable?"
"I will always make sure my summons are safe." Sae protested, straightening her spine as she brought her eyes up, staring the huge falcon down, "I'd never throw them into wild combat." She held her ground as the bird studied her for long minutes, unwilling to look away first.
"I can see you're an honest one." The falcon chuckled as he lifted a giant talon, touching the top of Sae's head with the razor sharp point, "I'll let you sign with us." A few strand of blond fluttered to Saezuri's feet as the bird retracted its foot, shifting as a large scroll appeared in front of Saezuri with a pouf of dust. With barely contained energy, she slit her thumb and scrawled the kanji of her name next to the most recent summoner, Yusuke Momojiro.
"Thank you!" Sae bowed once more to the bird as the scroll de-summoned itself.
"Who will I give to you...." The falcon murmured to itself as he stretched a mammoth wing, obscuring half the sky with dappled brown flight feathers, "I'll entrust you with my own son." The Great One cocked his head at Saezuri, "He's 32nd in line should I die, but I treasure him all the same. I'll have your head if he gets killed." Sae swallowed as she nodded.
"The name's Sen." A falcon swooped up to hover in front of her on the jut of rock, his dark eyes bright with charisma, "You humans are always so easily startled. Not to mention flabby, I do wonder how you don't freeze to death without any feathers." The bird chattered as he landed on the edge, massive talons clutching at the rock. His head topped Saezuri's, his girth many times larger than her own waist.
"Ah- hi. Nice to meet you." Sae said, blinking when Sen stooped, laying his head near her feet.
"Well go on, get up here. Let's go for a fly." Sae glanced at Madara at the notion, his raised brow mirror her own thoughts. She hesitantly climbed onto the falcon's back, unsure of where to hold and nervous under the Great One's heavy stare. "You too, you too." Sen bobbed his head as he looked at Madara, the Uchiha raising a halting hand.
"I'd rather not." Saezuri frowned at him, shrieking when Sen fell off the side of the crag in a free fall. Her hands fisted in the downy feathers of his neck as his wings opened minutely, darting between two close cuts of rock before he was soaring out over open sand.
"Holy-" Sae squeezed her eyes shut as Sen flared his wings, buoying them up several hundred feet as a gust of warm wind fronted them, increasing their speed twofold. The crags were just a small darkened spot when Saezuri glanced back, her stomach churning.
"Enjoying yourself?" The falcon shreed over the wind, looping in a spiral as his talons flared out. A single, sharp eye appeared as he craned his head back, meeting Saezuri's wide, anxious gaze. "Maa, you'll get used to it. I'll take you back." He hunched his shoulders, gliding down gently in lazy circles. Madara stuck out at the bottom of the rocks, his black cloak bold against the sand. Sen landed in a flurry, wings kicking up sand before he dipped down, Saezuri losing grip in his feathers and rolling off, sprawling ungracefully. Madara strode forward and offered a gloved hand to her, his fingers strong as they wrapped around her wrist. He pulled Sae to her feet with a small tug, laughing when she shook her windblown hair out, the strands voluminous and at odd angles.
"Later, Sen." Saezuri called as the bird leapt back into the sky, scooting away with a quick flap of his wings. She glanced at Madara as she fixed the way her cloak lay on her shoulders, smiling when he pulled her close. His arms were warm around her back as she buried her nose in the crook of his neck, for once not bothered by the way the world warped around them.
Oooo, where did they go? What's with Ituko?
I'm so terrible. Next chapter should be following soon, possibly tonight. No promises, though.
Thoughts?