Choooooo! The reverberating sound cascaded through the air, signaling its fellow travelers they were ready to leave port. Satoshi leaned against the railing with an iron grip, taking deep breaths as the boat rocked underway.

Tora sighed beside him, rubbing small circles on his back. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

Satoshi hiccuped. "I…ugh-I'll be fine."

The redhead raised an eyebrow, unsure of her partner's well being. "Nori went to get some sea-sickness pills. I can't believe you came unprepared…no, wait-I can."

"Tora-chan…" Satoshi groaned, sinking to his knees.

The cruise to Kirigakure was going to be a long one.


Just breathe. Keep calm. Breathe. Evelyn focused on the sensation of her lungs expanding. A slight itch led to a small cough, which she tried to muffle. Don't panic, just focus. You're doing good. Now think. What happened last night, who are these people?

Taking a large inhale through her nose, she identified the smell of sweat and the smoke of a cigar. The scent would have been comforting, if not mixed with the evidence of musky body odor.

The soft sound of cards being played upon a wooden table was being orchestrated around the room, with the occasional grunt and word from the two men who sat close by. Neither of them addressed her, but she could feel the occasional glance land on her body. She decided early on to not speak, and instead, remained as still as possible to pick up any hints or clues as to where she might be, and whom with.

Think. The inn. Her room. A shower. And then…a knock on the door. I was so stupid.

The hotel receptionist, the young man. Very nice, polite. Said the bottle of sake was a gift on the house; business had been good, everyone received one.

I can't believe it. Evelyn bit her lip, furious with herself. And then she blushed madly, and for once, was happy her face was obscured by the black sack she wore. In an instant, all of her fear had dissipated, and she mentally cringed at herself. Perhaps she didn't want to see Kisame again, not after last night. Oh my God, I can't believe I actually said those things.

Shuck. A door opened.

"Okay Sanzo-san, here she is. As promised." That sultry voice from before spoke aloud, followed by the shuffling of footsteps and the scraping of chairs being moved. "I trust the rest of my fee is taken care of?"

"As agreed upon." A deep voice resonated around the room.

Evelyn turned her head in the direction of the voices, tension creeping up her spine. Who are these people? What is going on? Why is this shit always happening to me?

White lighting then blinded her as the bag was removed carefully from her face.

"Please, excuse the situation. We've heard you were…difficult." A tall, broad shouldered man in a white suit knelt before her. His long, straw-colored hair was swept neatly over his shoulder, held together by a thin fuchsia ribbon. His eyes were blue, just like hers. "My name is Uzakisha Sanzo. You can just call me San, for short."

Evelyn couldn't help but breathe in his scent; the waft of something light and sweet was extremely pleasant. Sanzo set the bag carefully to the side, then moved a slender hand to the back of her head and untied her mouth gag.

"It's, Evelyn? Forgive me if I mispronounced it. It's such a peculiar name, please correct me if I'm wrong." Evelyn watched carefully as he moved to freeing the rest of her bonds. "You must have had quite the journey so far, glad to see you're not seriously hurt. But these clothes, tsk, you'll need-"

Evelyn remained frozen to her seat, half-listening to the man as her eyes darted around the room. An escape-an opening, it's all she needed. Her eyes roved the warehouse until they met with the woman. She knew what she was plotting, and Evelyn felt a little deflated. Between the four of them and herself, there was little to no chance of running. She had to wait and be patient.

"There. Can you stand?" Sanzo had finished and stood to sweep back his hair. Adjusting his burgundy tie, he held out a hand to her. "Please do not struggle, I do not wish to make this more difficult than it needs to be."

Evelyn gave a hard stare, shrugging off the extended offer. "Who the hell are you people?" With a rise from her seat, she stood tall and met his warm gaze with ice.

"Hmm." Sanzo gracefully retracted his hand, using it to cup his chin instead. He seemed unfazed by her hostility. "It seems you've had more than your share of misfortune here, to be so cautious. Not that I can blame you, after all. It's a dangerous world, filled with evil people." Unbuttoning the front of his jacket, he removed his satin white coat and carefully draped it around Evelyn's shoulders. The jacket was heavier than expected, but it was warm and smelled good.

What's this guy's deal? Why is he so nice and polite to me? Evelyn couldn't help but pull the jacket closer to her body, the weight of it somewhat of a comfort to her.

Her confused glance registered on Sanzo's face, and he took a step back from her. "I'm not here to hurt you, if that's what you're wondering. Obviously, everything that has been done to get you here has been drastic and a bit unnecessary, but the man you're linked to- Hoshigaki Kisame- is a bit of a handful and a very, very dangerous man." With a turn away from her, he extended his arm towards the door on the far side of the hangar. "If you would allow me to escort you from here on, I think you're going to want to hear what we have to say."

We? Evelyn bit her lower lip, unsure of what to do. Her bare feet felt the cold of the concrete floor, and a shiver ran up her spine. What would Kisame have me do?

"Kunoichi…what do you fight for?"

Holding her head high, she mentally shrugged away any fear or hesitation from before. Taking a small, but firm, step forward, she was on the path that would change them both.

"I fight for a world I want to believe in…I fight for you."

"Okay." Evelyn breathed out, meeting Sanzo's gaze. "I'll go."