I suck at updating.
Happy (early) Thanksgiving, everyone!
26
Sakura shuddered and nearly jumped for about the fourth time that day as the icy tendrils of the Lich King's grasp flitted across her mind for the briefest of seconds. She shook it off, face drawn and pale. A quick glance to her surroundings ensured that no one had noticed, and she breathed a light sigh of relief. She directed her gaze to the bloodied water, hoping to pass off the shiver as disgust. She watched with morbid fascination as the sun played across the crimson canal, stagnant water capturing Stormwind in a bloody reflection. She closed her eyes and breathed in sharply, savoring the scent of blood with her Scourge-like senses. She turned away from the water and began her somewhat lengthy walk to the Cathedral of Light, hoping to find some books on the plague there.
She swerved around steeds bearing knights in armor, troops marching around the city. Stormwind was a clamor of steel, not a whimsical thing in sight. In place of songs sung by handmaidens and seamstresses, military chants were bawled and swords and armor clinked to their raucous tune. The tailors had ceased the production of dresses and fanciful clothing, instead swiftly creating shirts and shorts for soldiers to wear under their skin-chafing armor.
She tilted her head back and drank in the sun's rays for a moment, grateful her transformation had not turned her away from it. Eyes fixed on the steeple towering over the buildings of Stormwind, Sakura swiftly began her quest.
It wasn't long before she stood at the steps before the magnificent church, boots clacking and resonating around the nearly-deserted section of the city. Nobody had the time to pray—everyone was busy, building supplies, performing chores, or practicing their swordsmanship. She glanced back at the cobblestone behind her and lifted one leg up the stairs. There weren't even guards at the door. She passed through the open arch and was surprised by the elegance of the church. So this is their religion, she mused, eyes following the royal blue carpet up to the throne whereupon High Priestess Laurena stood. She was swathed in a long, elegant, yellow and white robe that cascaded artfully down her form, a glowing staff clutched in her hand. Huge stained-glass windows shone bright light down upon the priestess and her followers; Archbishop Benedictus and Bishop Farthing. Sakura stood in awe for several seconds before pivoting on one foot and surveying the wings of the church.
She turned into a passage that traveled deep underground, curious. A Scarlet Crusade Emissary waited in the long, dark passage that contained skulls upon the tables. He said nothing to her but watched with narrow, beady eyes. She shuddered—the stench of death was heavy down in the tunnel beneath the holy church. As she traveled down further into the bottom of the rooms—she realized it was a crypt. With a horrified gasp she stumbled back up into the church. This is where they bury their dead?
Did they use this to bring about more Scourge allies? But she immediately dismissed the thought—there were no freshly rotten corpses lying about, nor were there traces of the plague lingering within the catacombs. The only remains were skeletons, long cobwebbed over, dusty and ancient. Flickering torches adorned the intricate, crumbling walls, and she quickly began her ascent back up into the light. Sakura emerged from the catacombs and peered in the other two wings—a library and a room of trainers. She headed right for the bookshelves, thumbing over each large volume. She selected several heavy tomes and slid into a wooden seat, moving aside the clutter of books upon the table.
She frowned as she tried to decipher the old common, scrawled in almost illegible script. Pouring over heavy, complex medical textbooks had been Sakura's favorite pastime, and the challenge both excited her and reminded her of the days in which she held her own office within the Konoha Hospital. A sad smile curved her mouth, and without further ado, cracked open the dust-clogged book and began to read.
After about forty minutes of engrossed reading, the chair beside hers was roughly dragged out, the wooden legs scraping against the rough stones. Sakura paused, placing an ivory finger upon the weathered page, lifting her head to pierce the intruder with her glowing gaze. It was Kosuke, throwing her a handsome smirk as he propped his boots against the table, leaning the chair back on its two legs. The Healer gave him a reproachful look but said nothing, choosing instead to direct her gaze to the bookshelves as Kosuke's bold gaze met hers.
"Yes?" Sakura drawled, slightly miffed at the interruption. "I'm trying to find the origins of this plague, just throwing it out there." Kosuke chuckled in response and ran a hand through his long, dirty-mint-green hair. He lightly fingered the tips of his pointy ears and eyed the books stuffed on the sagging shelves.
"You'd think that they'd at least clean them once in a while," he remarked, not even bothering to keep his voice down. His rosette partner shot him a quick glare, and the Healer sniffed loudly in response. "What? They're pretty fuckin' filthy."
"You seem to be in good spirits," Sakura mused, drawing her eyes away from the lines of text to peer at him. "You haven't been smoking Gloomweed, have you? I heard some Forsaken Death Knight is selling them all over town—secretly, of course." Kosuke made a face at her and rolled his eyes.
"I'm being put in charge of my own battalion," he announced proudly, folding his arms smugly over his chest. Sakura grinned and praised his success, but warned him not to get too cocky. "Mograine thought it would be best," he shrugged, attempting to regain some modesty. "You know, since you've got Sasuke and all." Sakura searched his eyes, keeping her expression carefully neutral. But neither his words nor his body showed any signs of bitterness, and he took no offense in being split from their teamwork.
"Congratulations, Kosuke," she beamed, "but I really must get back to my work. Who knows when I'll be able to research this again." With that said she buried her head and immersed herself with the wealth of information; the green-haired blood elf gave an affectionate snort, ruffled her hair, and sauntered out of the stuffy Cathedral. He threw the human Healer a lewd wink as he passed her, reverting back to the habits he'd had in Silvermoon. It was amazing to be safe of the Lich King's control—and even though a war was in full, raging bloom around them, Kosuke still had hope. After all, he'd seen what Sasuke's black fire could do—fully obliterate the ranks of the Scourgalli.
Back in the orphanage, Sasuke nursed his strained eyes. He groaned quietly, wincing at the intense pain that came with opening them into the light. With trembling, pale fingers he reached out for the roll of bandages in his pocket, slowly wounding them around his eyes and finally tying it in a firm knot at the back of his head.
He nearly cried out as he attempted to activate the sharingan—it sent a stab of pain through his aching eyes the minute he tried to mold chakra within them. He gave shallow gasps, using fumbling fingers to perform the jutsu for a snake summon.
"Get…Sakura…" he managed in a shaky, raspy breath, and without tarrying, the messenger snake slithered on its way. Meanwhile Sasuke lay back down and curled away from the dim candlelight, shivering slightly. He drew the blanket up over his eyes and concentrated on controlling his breathing, air hitching in his lungs as his hand accidentally brushed up against the agonized orbs.
Fifteen minutes lapsed by until Sakura threw open the doors to the orphanage, panting and blue eyes distraught. She closed the doors with a bang and hurried to their bed, throwing the large books onto the bunk below them. She swiftly swung herself up and over the man in the bed, gently rolling him over onto his back.
"What happened?" she questioned, breathless. Worry laced her voice and soothing green chakra glowed from her hands. She ran them over his shoulders and across his face, gasping in dismay at the bandages tied around his eyes. She removed them with gentle, nimble fingers, closing her eyes and fingers hovering above Sasuke's own.
"Strain," he bit out, muscles tense.
"I can work without light—thank god I don't need it to heal," Sakura murmured, concern bleeding through her rough voice. She set to work immediately, repairing fractured blood vessels and smoothing the other damage caused by Amaterasu. She bit her lip, regenerating the damaged networks, bringing chakra to his eyes.
She concentrated on the sound of his slowly evening breaths and the comfort of his body heat, and although she was disappointed by the damage done to his eyes, she was grateful for the time they spent together, even if that meant casting aside valuable plague-research. She paused for a moment and kissed his temple, giving him a soft smile. He didn't respond, eyes still closed, but the tension in his body melted away under her touch.
A painstaking twenty minutes later revealed an exhausted Sakura and a thoroughly relieved Sasuke, rubbing lightly at his eyes in respite. He curled an arm around the woman he loved and breathed out heavily into her hair, rubbing soothing circles into her hip with his thumb as she murmured sleepily into his ear. He drew her flush against him, hooking a leg between her own.
"Thank you," he whispered, and quickly realized his mistake when she immediately stiffened beneath him. A fleeting second passed before she relaxed, the guilt lying heavy on Sasuke's shoulders. He loosened the grip he had around her waist, ready to withdraw if she so wished. However, Sakura whipped around and cuddled into his chest, burying her head into his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," she half-wailed, "I didn't mean—I'm not afraid that you'll leave me," she babbled, but Sasuke hushed her.
"It's okay, Sakura. I deserve it," he told her huskily, but she shook her head fiercely in denial.
"It's not okay," she argued, and reached up and twined her arms around his neck. She arched her head up to kiss him, and Sasuke's near-death-grip on her waist overwhelmed her senses. He clasped her tightly to him; large palms burning against her torso. He bled his warmth into her, showering her with hot, open-mouthed kisses.
Suigetsu stood; eyes squinted against the sun's harsh light, overlooking the crashing waterfall pouring into Mirror Lake. He hefted his giant sword and laid it gently across the boulders, slipping out of his shirt and diving in. Karin watched in fascination when his muscles rippled smoothly across the plane of his stomach as he tensed in preparation for the leap, and with her eyes followed him down into the lake. He emerged, tossing his sea-foam green hair back, water running down his sculpted torso in rivulets. Karin blushed, face turning the same shade as her hair. She turned away and yelled something about his 'chubbiness' when he smirked knowingly at her.
Shaking off the water much like a dog, the shark-lookalike joined her on the banks, shirt slung over his massive shirt.
"Let's go," he said, shooting her a toothy, sexy grin. Karin nodded and tore her eyes from his face, tugging her boots a bit higher up her thighs before swiveling to face the greenery of Elwynn Forest.
"We should follow the water to the main road," she said, eyeing the giant spiders and wolves respectively. Suigetsu nodded in assent and together they took off, Suigetsu occasionally sliding into the water to refresh. They clambered up the rocky slope to the bridge, splashing each other playfully all the way. "Where are we headed again?" Karin asked, peering up at the directional post. Names of places were printed in large, blocky letters on the arrow-signs, and they were all gibberish to her.
"Westfall," he answered, and after a couple seconds, she turned right.
"I hope it's as pretty as Elwynn," Karin sighed, and Suigetsu rolled his eyes.
"Whatever," was his smooth reply, to which the redhead shoved him.
"Shut up, fish," she bantered.
"Same goes for you, four-eyes."
Karin let out a shriek and swatted him, pushing her glasses into place and storming away from him, nose held high in the air. She succumbed to laughter in naught but twenty seconds later, looking back and throwing him a dazzling smile.
Suigetsu really enjoyed flirting—but with Karin it was about 10 times better… he only hoped this wasn't meaningless. He really did love her.
"It's hot," she grumbled, eyeing his dripping wet chest with envy. Suigetsu grinned a predatory smile and held his arms out, darting forward and lithely capturing her in a bear hug, ignoring her shrieking protests. She batted at him with her hands, half laughing half screaming. "You're all wet!" she exclaimed, "Now you're getting me all wet!"
"What am I doing, hmm?" Suigetsu winked, voice low and seductive, and being surrounded by his half-naked body didn't do much for Karin either. She glared and called him a fish face while squirming out of his hold.
"Shut up, Suigetsu. Can we go through the forest? Pretty please?" she asked, smiling innocently up at him. The pale-skinned man shrugged and veered off the path, holding out his hand for her to take, waggling his eyebrows at her. Karin snorted but took his hand anyway, and it warmed Suigetsu's pride. He grinned in triumph and led her through the thicket of trees, from whereupon they perched on the tallest one they could find and climbed up through the tallest, thinnest branches.
The wind ruffled with their hair and swayed the trees, but to them it presented no danger. They were shinobi, after all… and it was why Suigetsu decided to turn to the woman and present his startling revelation. If she was in shock he would catch her—or she could catch herself. He took a deep, shaky breath, and turned to look at her. She was looking out over the treetops and into the distance, where Westfall surely lay. His mouth parted and his eyebrows rose. She was fucking beautiful. He couldn't wait any longer—it was straining against his chest, threatening to fly out of his mouth every time he saw her. He'd seen those other guys eyeing her up and down, flirting with her, trying to get close to her – and Suigetsu was afraid that sooner or later, it would work and she'd be lost forever.
"Karin," he croaked, then cursed himself and tried again. She turned and lifted an eyebrow, brilliantly gorgeous against the backdrop of picture-perfect trees and blinding sun. "Iloveyou." Suigetsu blurted it out, hard and fast, voice husky and slightly embarrassed. The tips of his ears burned red, and he redirected his gaze to the edge of the sword on his back, but darting his eyes to meet hers when she made a strangled, choked sort of sound. His heart fell and plummeted at her response—and waited for rejection or denial.
But to his immense surprise and relief, she did none of those things. Her eyes sort of shimmered, and her seductive, succulent lips parted slightly. Suigetsu was compelled to kiss back the words bubbling on her tongue – but he held fast, and clutched onto the trunk of the tree for support. Karin stared at him for several long moments, then launched herself at him, face split in a relieved, beaming smile. She laughed, and it was the most glorious thing he'd ever heard.
"You dummy," she yelled without malice, "I've loved you for so long, I thought you were going to reject me!" Stunned, Suigetsu froze and blinked like a fish for a moment. Did he really just hear what he thought he heard? In a dizzying rush of relief, he hugged her fiercely to him, crashing his lips upon hers. She tasted divine. He pinned her to the tree, leg falling between hers. He kissed her, sharp tooth poking out to tickle her lip. Karin wrapped her arms around him and almost moaned when he left her mouth, trailing butterfly kisses along the edge of her chin. She gritted her teeth as he leaned into her neck, sucking gently. She moaned quietly, fingers sliding up to grab fistfuls of his hair. Before it could get any more heated, she gently pushed him back with the palm of her hand, but not before reaching up to steal a quick kiss. She shot him a smile and took his hand, and they began the descent down the tree together.
Westfall was hideous. It was very much like Suna—blistering heat, golds and yellows splashed across the landscape. Trees were scarce upon the plains, and few animals roamed the terrain. It seemed desolate and nearly barren, save for the plentitude of golden wheat grass. Karin sighed, eyes roaming the cloud-free skies, the white-hot sun shining heat. She cast a longing glance back at the Elwynn Forest, wishing they'd been assigned anywhere but here.
Suigetsu hastily wiped his forehead and searched the plains for any sign of a lake or river, but found none. He gulped, resisting a sip from his canteen. He had to conserve all he could before finding a source of water—or until they reached Sentinel Hill. He spied a tower in the far distance, and sighed in dismay. He was grateful for his loose fitting pants, and tied his shirt around the handle of his mighty sword.
Karin was not so lucky, but she was thankful for her short-shorts and open bellied top. They nodded at the two civilians with a wagon-load of supplies, breaking into a swift run as they neared the nearby farmstead. Clanking enemy mecha-robots steamed and hissed on the field, marching up and down, armor rusted. Luckily they didn't catch sight of the two shinobi, who were left to sprint on in peace. Karin concentrated on her breathing, watching her feet fly above the dirt path.
They veered to the right of the path as a charging horseman came up the path, heading back to Elwynn Forest. His linen shirt was soaked in sweat, and he seemed to be in quite the hurry, alarm in his eyes. He bent lower and urged the horse faster, and the clopping hooves grew louder and quicker. His golden hair, colored like the wheat fields, flew behind him. He spared them a quick glance and surged past them. Karin peeled her eyes away from the rider and turned it to the burnt and blackened home ruins. Enormous black vultures continuously circled the area, looking for remains and small wildlife to devour. She ran her eyes over the crumbling chimney and its falling-apart stove, guessing a fire had taken the house down.
At last—Sentinel Hill. Suigetsu breathed a loud sigh of obvious relief, stopping to swig a large mouthful from his canteen of water. He looked a little worse for the wear, and Karin felt a rush of pity. He was made for the water, and here there was none. They hadn't seen one pool the entire run. They drudged rather down-heartedly to the tower, taking out their quest scrolls and straightening out their clothing. Suigetsu tugged his shirt over his head, tying the sword to his back once more.