Chapter 10
The people of Kumo are taller than those of Konoha, the medic noted, watching passers-by through the window. Everything seemed to be bolder here: from the colorful, clashing shops with their individualistic architecture, to the brash, boisterous conversations. These were not people who were afraid to show who they were, and were fiercely proud of that fact.
"You're not much for conversation, are you?" Sakura blinked, jarred from her thoughts, and turned to see C's dark eyes scrutinizing her with rapt attention.
"I'm still trying to put some pieces together," she said, picking up her untouched meal. It was some kind of sandwich, made from a single doughy wrapping and stuffed with meat and vegetables. She bit into it, letting the menagerie of flavors play over her tongue before she set it down again.
"Well, lemme know if you need help connecting the dots," C smiled. His own sandwich was already half-finished. "Oh, before I forget, I took the liberty of putting together some clothes for you, since I'm sure you're a bit lacking." He glanced over her shirt – still Neji's actually – as though to drive the point home. From under the table, he produced a sizable bundle of clothes. "It's mostly the standard Kumo uniform and such, but I figured it'd be better than nothing."
"Thanks," she said, taking the package. The attention she was now getting from seemingly everyone was a far cry from her isolated existence in Konoha. It was a paradoxically more unsettling sensation than any combat situation she had found herself in. "What do you think of Neji?" she asked suddenly. C paused mid-bite, frowning.
"The Hyuuga?" he asked, after chewing carefully and swallowing, "What do you mean?"
"I mean you two don't seem to get along," she pressed, "Why is that?"
"He doesn't play well with most," C said dismissively, finishing his food in a few rapid bites, "Really, the only people he's friendly with are A and Mabui. And Karui, I guess, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms." Karui, Sakura noted mentally.
"If the Raikage is fine with him, shouldn't that be good enough for the rest of the village?" she asked.
"He's just a tool," C replied nonchalantly. His words were coming more smoothly, now. "The Raikage thinks he's useful, that's all." His logic made sense. The Hyuuga had more than proved himself capable. Still, something about the way C spoke gave Sakura pause. Keep asking.
"What's the story behind Karui?"
"She's been trying to get him to loosen up more than just his personality, if you know what I mean." C shifted uncomfortably, glancing poignantly at her mostly neglected plate. "Not sure why. Look, can we talk about something other than that guy?"
"He's the reason I'm here," Sakura said, ignoring his hint. There was something more than met the eye, something far more important than lunch. "And, I assume, the person primarily responsible for me. I'm trying to get a grasp of his character."
"Good luck with that," C said with a derisive snort, "No one gets through to him. Why don't we chat a little bit about you, instead?"
"Me?" Sakura ask blankly, "I would have thought that you'd have read my dossier already. Neji seems to know me well enough."
"The Hyuuga's the only one who has access to that information," C said, his lips thinning with disapproval. "Don't know where he got it." His eyebrow twitched with irritation and he glanced over Sakura's shoulder. "Well, speak of the devil enough, and he doth appear. Looks like our time is up." Sakura turned to follow his line of sight. Across the street, Neji stood patiently outside of a building, arms crossed and eyes closed, his white attire made all the more obvious by the wide berth people gave him.
C dropped a handful of bills on the table and stood. Sakura followed suit, picking up the clothes that he had given her.
"I'll see you around, Sakura," C said, the shadow of a frown replacing his usual smile, as they exited the restaurant. Sakura barely had time to thank him for lunch before he had gone. She crossed the bustling street to Neji, who opened his eyes as she approached.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"Not long," the Hyuuga replied vaguely, starting off. She walked beside him, matching his pace easily. It was peculiar, the way he could remain unfathomable to her at times, even when she knew more about him than most anyone else. She could see why C had described Neji's interpersonal relationships the way that he had.
"How long?" she repeated firmly. He didn't bat an eye.
"Fourteen minutes." She didn't doubt that C had seen him before, only feigning the realization when it had become convenient to do so.
"You could have come in, you know."
"It would be rude to interrupt." When had their conversational ebb and flow fallen into such a comfortable rhythm? In a few short days, it had become like second nature to her. Was it their commonalities, or his frank veracity?
"I think I've set the bar for discourtesy at meals pretty high," Sakura remarked. The comment seemed to surprise Neji as much as it did herself, as evidenced by the laugh that broke out from his lips. It was an unexpectedly warm sound, and Sakura felt a tingle of pleasure for having coaxed it out of him, one that sparked in her stomach and raced up her spine. Her steps seemed lighter for having heard it. "Where are we going?"
"To the training grounds," Neji said. His smile lingered for a moment longer before fading, leaving his visage just a touch softer. "I believe I owe you a spar."
o
Neji cleared the chain-link fence in a single leap. His billowing robes turned him into a silk wraith when he was in motion, adding an otherworldly elegance to his naturally effortless movements. Sakura landed beside him, her heart rate already speeding up in anticipation. This was a familiar setting for her, one she had spent much of her time in.
In a matter of steps, the enclosing fence was no longer visible. Bamboo had grown, thick and tall, inside of its boundaries. They had passed a number of training grounds on the way here, none of which had the same sort of visual blinds. The location is conspicuously far away from everything else, as well, Sakura frowned. It seemed the Hyuuga had no interest in granting prying eyes audience to his techniques.
She caught a glimpse of the actual site through the thinning veil of greenery. For something so secretive, it was certainly nothing spectacular. The earth was covered in wild grasses, with the only noteworthy feature being patches of stunted growth, often in the formation of long lines. Some sort of technique? she ventured a guess. Neji stepped out into the open air, crossing the grounds to stand in the center before turning to face her.
"Ready?" he asked.
"You're not going to change out of those robes?" she jibed, "They look expensive."
"It would be a small price to pay for..." He paused, and a frown creased his brow. "It seems our exercise will see an inauspicious delay." There was a rustle, and a shadow darted over the sun. Sakura looked up just in time to see Karui descend from above like a bird of prey, landing behind the Hyuuga. The sword she had nearly unsheathed this morning was bare, now, and held loosely in one hand, while another was gripped in her other, still housed securely in its scabbard.
"I thought I'd find you here," the redhead crowed. Her demeanor was smug, but Sakura could see the roiling anger underneath that brazen exterior. The corner of Neji's lips tightened. "Since we're here, how about a bout, you and me?" She lofted the sheathed sword at the medic. Neji snatched it out of the air without looking.
"Sakura is my guest," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "I will not tolera–"
"It's fine, Neji," the medic interrupted. Neji's eyes shifted a fraction of a millimeter to regard her directly. "I'll settle this." Without waiting for his response, she stepped forward, drawing the sword straight from his hand. The blade, keenly honed, shone with deadly promise. While it was not her weapon of choice, she had had adequate experience with it, both on and off the field. The Hyuuga was like a statue as she stepped around him: rigid and silent.
Karui was already rushing forward, a savage grin on her face. The medic dug her heels in and met the charge head-on, blocking with the flat of her sword. Karui's attack ricocheted off harmlessly and the redhead jumped back, circling and sizing up her opponent. The redhead had superior finesse and training on her side, the medic knew, but she had the advantage of raw speed and strength. She'll overwhelm my defense, given enough time. I have to attack!
The next slash cut was stronger, but parried as proficiently as the first. When the redhead skipped back to neutral ground this time, the medic surged forward. Karui's eyes widened with surprise, but she deflected the medic's horizontal chop just in time. Sakura redirected her swing at Karui's ankles instantly. The redhead's dodge turned into a stumble, taken aback by the ferocity of the medic's counterattack. Off-balance, she barely ducked out of the way of the medic's forward thrust. The follow-up slash was forceful enough to send sparks flying and Karui to the ground. She rolled away, popping up onto her feet again, weaving the tip of her sword in a defensive lattice to fend off the pursuing medic as she regained her balance. Undeterred, the medic waded in, cleaving fast and hard at the redhead's center mass.
There was a flash of lightning, and the smell of ozone stung Sakura's nostrils.
The medic launched herself into a backward flip, putting some distance between herself and the redhead, leaving the severed half of her sword behind. Shit. She had seen that technique before, the infused blade that sliced through flesh and bone as though they were air. Evidently, it could do the same to steel.
"What's the matter, scared?" Karui gloated, arcs of residual electricity still clinging to her sword. Sakura ignored her ridicule, already formulating her strategy.
There was no doubt in her mind that the redhead would use that technique again. She would give her a target, then: the rest of her weapon. If she could avoid a fatal blow, it would put her in range to put her fists to use. I'll take a hit, but I can heal, she thought grimly, I'll make sure Karui won't be able to try that again. Clenching her free hand into a fist, she lunged.
There was a flash of lightning, and the smell of ozone.
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