In This Together

Chapter 10- Travel and Revelations

Emily

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He laughed again, then stood, stretching like a cat.

"Well? Do you want to travel with the Awesome Kensai? Or by your lonesome?"

Well, if curiousity will kill the cat, my statisifaction will bring it back. In theory.

"Yeah, yeah, Kenny. I'll get my stuff."

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I sighed, glaring at Kenny's back. Why, oh why did I agree to this?

I sighed again.

"Is there something wrong with the air down there that you must regularly exhale loudly?" Kenny asked, twisting his head around to see me.

"Is there less air up there that ruins your brains? Cause I believe I threatened to castrate you if you made a jab about my height again." I growled. He stopped and turned around.

"Oh yeah? Bring it, short stack!" He challenged, sneering slightly. I walked up to him slowly...

...and kicked him square in the balls.

"Ow." He groaned as he collapsed, clutching his... procreative area. I kept walking, hands in my pockets, whistling. I felt better now.

He had caught up to me awhile back on the track and, wisely, kept any short jokes to himself.

This left him rather quiet.

We had travelled a fair distance, cutting through several farming acreages, and through a dense rainforest. How did I know it was a rainforest? Simple, it poured the entire time we were in there, although it still was.

"Kenny! Are we there yet?" I asked, for the 479th time. Yes, I was counting.

"We're nearly there." The 364th time he'd said that. "But, at the rate you travel... we will need to set up camp soon. Plus there is something I should probably tell you."

"Why can't you tell me now?" I asked. He declined to answer and ran a hand through his black bangs. He wandered off the track a little, to find a clearing or somewhere decent to sleep, hopefully out of the ceaseless rain.

We reached a damp clearing in the mass of foliage just after the rain stopped it's incessant downpour.

"Kana..." He drew the 'name' out as if it hurt him to say.

I know what you are thinking and what? Yeah, the name Emily isn't going to stand out in a place that speaks Japanese, not. So, camouflage.

"Hello! Kana! Are you alive in there?" Kenny yelled in my face, waving his hand in my face like it's going to sprout magic awakening stuff.

"No. I'm dead and have gone to Hell, obviously, as I still have to listen to your annoying voice." I replied in monotone. He acted as if momentarily hurt, then sobered up.

"Kana, I should probably tell you that I am not a jack-of-all-trades. I'm a shinobi. A Konoha shinobi to be precise." He explained. I laughed.

"You can't be serious! You a ninja? You were there right? When I kicked you in the balls? What ninja can't dodge that?" I continued to laugh until I realised that he wasn't saying anything.

"You're serious?" I asked.

"Very." He replied. But then his face lifted. "Mah, mah! I can't wait to get home! Yakisoba! Yakisoba!"

"You can't keep a serious face for more than a few seconds, can you?" I replied.

"Ouch. That hurts you-" Kenny started to retort, before fourteen men jumped out, pulling out all sorts of arms.

"Ah... You guys wouldn't happen to be an escort or anything would you?" I asked, seemingly prompting them to attack.

Ten of them jumped to attack Kenny, while four raced at me.

One swung a oversized katana at me as I scrambled backwards to avoid.

"Hey! Those things are sharp you know!" I yelled, leaping to the side to avoid another of the men, this one holding a kunai.

"Doton jutsu: Hyoujin Yari!" (Earth Style: Sharp Spear) I threw myself out of the way again, only to end up in the line of a Fuuma Shuriken.

"Damn it!" I cursed as the kunai wielding man attacked again, this time I only side stepped; swinging my knee up into his gut. As he collapsed, the long range weapons user threw a volley of senbon, which as I moved managed not to hit any vital areas. It still hurt like hell, though.

"Gah!" I yelled, twisting on the spot as another (or maybe the same) fuuma shuriken hurtled past me. Over balancing I fell in an unceremonious heap, rolling up to my feet.

"Doton jutsu: Jishin Yuri!" (Earth Style: Earthquake Tremor)

"Woahah!" I exclaimed, almost losing my footing as everything seemed to move. Almost as suddenly as it had started, it stopped and I glanced to the ninjutsu user; collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. The other two hesitated, glancing at their comrade.

"Sakutoshi! Ringo! Get rid of your enemy!" I heard yelled from behind me, a grunt following a moment later; the noise almost in my ear.

I swung around, seeing Kenny holding him up with a fist in his gut before tossing him aside.

"I'm your opponent, trash!" He said, a dark and menacing aura surrounding him. He didn't even take his eyes off his opponents as he said; "Kana, take them out. Use whatever means necessary if you don't wanna die."

He flashed away; slamming into one of the men, his katana flashing.

I felt the need to duck, just in time to avoid a shuriken imbedding it's self in my head. The weapons user through more at me, though this time I could see them, or at least what direction they are going in. Weaving passed them, I drew my sole katana from its sheath and ran at the weapons user.

I reached him and with a clumsy side stroke I sliced at his ribs before he had time to react. An infuriated yell alerted me to the danger to my left as straightened my katana and rolled under the swing. As I stood, I twisted away from another infuriated swipe and brought my blade to meet his. As I struggled to push through his attack, he snarled at me; no words were spoken. I jumped backwards as I found my strength waning.

Before he could move to attack again, I brought the attack to him, swinging as fast and as hard as I could, from all directions. His blocks becoming weaker; I pressed the advantage, only for him to leap as far away as he could when another voice yelled, "Retreat!" He leapt to the trees, other flashes blurring past to collect the injured enemies.

Silence fell once again, although I had a definite ringing on steel on steel in my ears. I shook my head, stumbling to the ground.

"Errgh." I moaned; a dull headache thumping into my attention. I heard footsteps behind me, and turning to see Kenny standing there.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

I groaned. "Just f*ck*ng dandy."

He chuckled softly, muttering to himself.

"What was that?" I demanded, trying to be threatening with a type two headache. I obviously failed, Kenny taking pity on me.

"I said that was convenient, I was wondering if I would have to attack you myself to find out if you were an enemy or not."

I blinked, then scowled. "I hate you." I stated, before I collapsed.

I awoke to the smell of meat cooking, as well as my head throbbing.

"Ow." I grumbled, a hand on my head.

"So your awake now?" Someone asked. I rolled over slowly, facing Kenny.

I moaned. He chuckled.

"Ah. I will take that as a yes." He replied, then stood moving to rummage through his pack. He pulled something out and tossed it to me.

I picked it up. Painkillers.

"Awesome."

Kenny had insisted that we got on the road as soon as I had taken painkillers, stating that they weren't dead and were highly likely to come back to finish the job.

I had to agree to the logic in getting as far away as possible.

So we had been walking for a while until my headache had died to a dull tempo, before I realised that there was something off with what had happened. Taking a sharp breath, I quickened my pace to catch up.

"Kenny? Can I ask you a question?" I started.

He glanced at me for a moment then grinned. "I believe that was two questions, right there. What's up?"

I gave a death glare to him, free of charge."Douche bag. Why didn't you sense the other ninja coming?"

He scratched his head. "I did, and was trying to get back to Konoha, but you were walking too slo-"

Thunk.

Kenny hit the ground, clutching his jewels. This time I did not feel better.

"It's called communication, D*mb*rs*! I could have moved faster if you had just told me what was going on!"

I stormed ahead, darkness covering my features.

After another hour of walking the Konoha walls were in sight, the Hokage monument only visible in silhouette, with the village in premature darkness as the sun set.

"Hey Kenny?" I said.

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking... could I become a ninja? Of Konoha?" I asked, curious as to whether I should try to or not.

"Hm. Your a little older then recommended starting age... but maybe." He replied, his tone cautious.

"M'kay. Cool." I replied, thinking of possibilities, pro's and con's.

'Although I have to see if I'm alone or not...'

"Kotetsu, Izumo! How're ya?"Kenny yelled out, ten metres away from the gates.

"Good, Kensai-san. Good." The guy I recognized as Kotetsu replied, looking at me quizzically.

"Evening, Kensai-san, bring back your girlfriend?" Izumo asked, as Kenny and I spluttered.

"No! I only just met this guy! Erg!" I complained.

Kenny said nothing on the subject, face red as a tomato. "We need the civilian sign in book please."

Kotetsu cluttered around, knocking over large piles of papers stacked haphazardly on the portable desk. Kenny turned to Izumo.

"So Izumo-san, what is up with all the papers?"

Izumo sighed slightly. "Ah, the Hokage decided that we Chuunin should be able to handle a small amount of paperwork within a day, and still be able to properly maintain defence of the gate."

Kenny still had a look of horror on his face as he signed the ninja books.

"Miss, can you sign this book please?" Kotetsu asked me with a kind smile. I smiled in return, and picked up the pen.

"Will my name do? I haven't got a signature..." I asked.

"Sure will." Kotetsu replied.

Scribbling Kana Wasuki down, I stepped back, looking up at Kenny.

"Hey Kenny, can we get a move on?"

Alternatapocalypse: Dun-dun-dah! The longest chapter to date! AND we arrive in Konoha!

Ana and Toni turn to you, turning on the puppy-dog pout.

"Review?"