~*~*~Black Ice~*~*~

Chapter 38

Endless miles seemed to just pass under my feet. Hours turned into a day, and I slept between my two partners. Sasori was just a wind blocker as he didn't give off any warmth. I huddled pretty close to Deidara. He was too far asleep to realize I was so cold.

The morning was filled with running icy water over my skin and eating crusty and crumbly sandwiches Dei made at the base before we left. Gag.

My feet hurt and my back ached. Sasori refused to let me ride on top of his puppet nineteen times, and Deidara wouldn't enlarge his bird to let me on. Meanies.

It was around noon when we came to the town known for its "extensive knowledge on Bijuu"… yeah right.

I stood at the gates as my partners left. There wasn't any sense in following them in. I'd just stand guard here and wait. As soon as something caught fire I would THEN and ONLY THEN go in.

Hours passed again and I was all alone. I bet you anything they got a hotel and didn't come get me…

I decided on walking through the town in search of them.

People smiled at me as I walked. There were some who look at me with edgy glances. They were wondering why some girl was traveling all alone to an out-of-place city like this. I didn't care.

Oh look at that… they did get a hotel room.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. Without even thinking I continued walking down the street and out the back gate to a river.

A bridge was strung across the water. It was wide enough to be a major river, but it wasn't marked on any map. The currents were rapid and unstoppable.

I stepped onto the wood and pulled my arms back behind my head, whistling absently as I walked. So, I'd decided. I was NOT staying with Sasori and Deidara after this week. My next week would be with Itachi and Kisame. I was looking forward to that.

I looked up from my thoughts on nothing and saw a girl on the bridge.

She was bent over the railing and leaning over the muddy water.

I gasped as she began to fall forward.

I screamed and ran at her, slamming my weight into her.

Oh wait one second, Morgan… why in the world would you put your weight into someone leaning off a bridge? Why? Well I did, and we both fell in.

I hit the water back first with my face below my feet, struggling to the surface and kicking at the current that tried to drag me down.

The girl who had fallen in managed to get her head above the water, spluttering for air.

I gripped her around the waist and tried to hold us both up.

Her hand came down on my face and I was shoved under.

I gagged on the muddy water and rose back up.

"HOLD STILL!" I screamed.

She just freaked out and dunked me under again.

Now a ninja like Itachi-sensei could have easily stood on the water… but I was an idiot and couldn't concentrate enough to do it while also fighting not to be killed by the girl I was trying to save.

I knew too much time had passed, and I was growing tired. Too much chakra was being used to help my legs stay strong.

The stranger girl was thrashing like a wild thing, but I couldn't save us.

Finally she collapsed into my arms screaming like a maniac for me to let go.

I swam as hard as I could to the rocks on the sides.

I reached for them just as my chakra gave out and we were consumed by the muddy water.

I felt my head plunge in again and my vision was obscured by that disgusting brown.

Slowly as the water pulled me down it changed to black.

So I was going to die like this? How strange.

I'd died once and ended up in Naruto… maybe I'd end up in Bleach this time… Haha… death humor…

I closed my eyes and relaxed my mind.

I wondered what will happen to that stranger girl. I couldn't feel her in my arms… maybe she had died and sunk to the muddy bottom? Or maybe she had swum to shore and I was the only to die. Figures, with my luck.

I sighed out a few bubbles and felt my mind slip away… I was too tired to fight it.

A breeze? What is that?

Where am I? What's going on? What happened?

I opened my eyes and saw a canopy of trees above me. Blue sky leaked through them and I saw a white cloud pass over me.

My fingers twitched and I felt grass underneath me.

I moaned at the pain in my legs and sat up. A girl sat in front of me as she cooked something on a stick over a little campfire.

I finally got a good look at her.

Her long black hair looked like silk, falling down past her shoulders. She blinked and I noticed her unfocused yellow eyes.… was she blind?

She seemed to sense my movement, because she turned to look in my direction. "Thanks for trying to save me back then… But you sure suck at being a ninja."

Oh yeah, I already don't like her.

"Who are you? How did we get here?"

She turned away and closed her eyes. She set down the stick and put her hands on her hips, sighing in an annoyed tone. "My name is Hikari Shizuma…."

I pursed my lips and stood up.

She turned back to me with the stick, which I now saw had a grilled fish stuck on the end.

She thrust it in my general direction, but it was pretty far from me.

I replied loudly so she can hear where I was, "My name is Morgan Stream."

She walked to me and placed the stick in my hands.

"Sorry if it tastes horrible… I'm not a very great cook…"

I tested it for poison and found it clean. I quickly learned that a life/death situation sometimes makes you ravenous.

I finished it and looked around our 'camp'.

We were sitting by the river with a forest at our backs, and the sun was setting into the tree line across the river.

I frowned and stood, but my legs give out.

I fell on my beutt and that Hikari girl smirked.

"You really are a bad ninja."

I glared at her and grumbled, "I didn't see you doing any better at getting us out of there."

The girl stuck her tongue out and pulled her eyelid down. "I'm not a ninja, stupid. I SWAM us to shore."

I huffed in indignation and she folded her arms like she'd won some argument.

"Alright then, Hikari… Where are we?"

Her smirk disappeared, replaced by a slight frown.

"Lost."

I let my body fall flat on the ground and groaned. "I am so dead!"

She sat down a few feet from me and stated, "I'm afraid I can't see anything, so we will wait until you can see to guide us. Until then… stay away from me."

She rolled over onto her side and seemed to fall asleep.

I glared at her as the sun finally disappeared and tried to fall asleep as well.

Stupid Deidara! I blame him. Oh wait… this all happened because this Hikari chick was leaning over the water. It's her fault!

I was pretty dang mad about being called a bad ninja.

I sighed and decided I would TRY to be nice when I woke up.

I frowned as I felt my consciousness slip away. No… I will be very nice when I wake up. She's blind after all… little did I know just how well she could get along without sight…