Six hours. It had only been six hours from the time Evelyn had left that musty warehouse and was civilly escorted to the train station. Six hours since she had sat in silence and watched the world pass by through a pane of glass. She did not know which country she was in anymore and did not bother to ask. It had been six hours, and throughout that stretch of time, a certain blue-skinned shinobi would mingle with her thoughts.

Here she was, in a foreign land, already in a foreign world, and she was completely alone. Her stomach was in knots, and her mind was in complete chaos. What was she doing? What was to become of her? Why was she being so compliant?

The man she had met earlier that day shifted in his car seat, arms crossed. "What ever are you thinking about, if I may so inquire?" His voice reminded her of a chord on a cello, deep and full of vibration.

Without turning to face him, her eyes shifted onto his person. This man was everything Kisame was not. Polite, considerate, modest, and genuinely handsome. Not one fiber of his being repulsed her in any way, shape, or form. But why?

She was not familiar with him in the slightest.

"Are you thinking of Hoshigaki?" A twinkle lit in his eyes at the turn of her head. "I'm fairly certain the man can take care of his own needs."

Own needs. Evelyn bit back a lump of sadness and anger in her throat. While their last interaction wasn't unpleasant, it was all too clear of her obvious emotions towards the man. And his lack thereof.

"I'm thinking of what in the fuck is going on." A sharp rise in her tone caused some of the other passengers to look back at them, passive faces blinking. Ignoring their stares, Evelyn crossed her legs and locked eyes with her co-passenger. "I followed you for some answers, and I want them now." By God, she was sounding more like Kisame than she liked.

Sanzo was unfazed by her sudden outburst, or at least, was careful to not let it show. With a small adjustment to his diamond cuffs, he let out a pleasant grunt and smoothed back his hair. "Fair enough. I rather do appreciate the cooperation you have been giving today, it doesn't go unnoticed. But we can't discuss this in the open." His eyes flickered for the briefest moment. "There are ears everywhere."

Evelyn gave a tired sigh, and proceeded to stare out the window, watching everything race by in a blur of color…much like her life for the past week. And like that, the forefront of her mind was filled with angry remarks, ugly crying, and moments of pure happiness.

What was he doing now, and was he looking for her? Was he even worried about her?

Or did he just take it as his chance to hide away forever, and pray for her physical safety?

A snort escaped her, earning a curious glance. Kisame didn't seem to be the praying type, rather, he would just curse his luck and strike a fist up at the sky.


It was late in the afternoon. Kisame was running a few fingers across some evident marks on the concrete floor. Someone was tied to a chair here, and the legs scratched the surface as they struggled. He had taken enough hostages himself to know what to look for. With a rise, he rested a lax hand around the handle of his sword, predatory eyes glinting in the dim light.

"I'm not here for a fight, Hoshigaki." A slender woman with short hair stepped forward, keeping a good twenty feet of distance between them. "I'm here to help."

Kisame grunted, not moving his hand from his weapon. "It's funny, everyone keeps telling me that, and I've yet to see it…so, you survived our little encounter."

"I can help you find the girl." Jun stepped lithely to the side, resting lazily against a warehouse crate. "They left here about seven hours ago. If you hop on the next train, you may catch up to her in a day's time, although I highly advise against it."

Kisame would've snarked at her if he wasn't so goddamn tired of everyone's little games. Still, he'd let her humor him. "And why is that?"

"Because as we speak, she's headed to a well-armed fortress, hell, she's probably already there. Uzakisha Sanzo is her personal guard at this very moment, (he's an ex-shinobi), and even he would be a challenge for you." She kicked a small rock across the floor. "You're a one-man army, Hoshigaki, and even though you're strong, you're not that strong."

"So, I should heed the advice and accept the help from the same woman that tried to kill me days prior?" Kisame cocked his head at her, unsheathing his sword quickly.

"Things have changed." With a whistle, two more men appeared behind the woman, and one was carrying a rather large, bandaged item. It didn't even take a second for Kisame to register what it was. "A gift; from my master. He only has one request, and that is to let us help you take the woman back."

His fingers curled inward from an itch to hold his sword. "And why on earth do you want to help me?"

Jun held the great sword, Samehada, before her as she knelt with a bowed head. "Because she will decide the fate of this world for us all."


"You are quite the unpredictable woman, from what I've heard." Dazzling golden nails glittered under the soft lighting, coming underneath the woman's perfect chin to rest. Her ebony skin almost seemed to glow, and her eyes radiated a golden light. "You've been on everyone's tongues lately…it's as if there's no other interesting news going on in the world."

"Um, I'm sorry?" Evelyn wasn't quite sure what to say at this point. Her mind had grown tired from its constant fretting, and the day's journey was catching up to her body. Nothing but a hot bath and a soft bed sounded pleasing right now.

The woman, whom Evelyn was introduced to as Amaya, seemed to notice her fatigue. "Sanzo, take her to her room. I think she's going to faint on me." She gave Evelyn what appeared to be an apologetic smile. "You've had a long day, we'll talk more in the morning. For now, get a good night's sleep, and don't worry, you won't be waking up with a bag over your head this time." Her tone almost sounded playful.

"Come, I shall show you your quarters." Sanzo lead the way in silence, as Evelyn tried to sort out the day's events in her mind. Eight hours ago she was strapped to a chair, now, she was being led through an elaborate palace, surrounded by unfamiliar faces.

"Oi, hey-o kit!"

Well, make that one familiar face.