^_^ ... ... ... ... *no comment* n_n
...OH. x3 Again, if a whole line is in italics, Shikami's genjutsu's working. ;D
Shikami watched as Ethan tugged at the metal door. Locked, of course. Just because Rue was chained to the wall didn't mean these people would leave the door wide open.
"What do you think is going on, Shikami?" Ethan muttered.
Shikami shook his head, pulled a senbon needle from his pouch of ninja tools, and stuck it in the keyhole. He was about to get a crash course in lock picking.
"I don't know," Shikami replied in a low voice. "But I'm pretty sure this is the real Rue – the one that was with us for the last couple hours was a fake."
"I should've known," Ethan frowned. "She was acting kind of weird, though nothing in specific jumped out at me that something was wrong. Was she an illusion?"
Shikami shook his head. "No. It must've been someone using the transformation jutsu."
He continued messing around with the lock, and after what seemed like hours, he heard a soft click. The door swung open – silently, thank goodness.
But wherever the Rue imposter was, she knew they were there. They'd have to get the real Rue up and moving, and get moving themselves, quickly, before they got some seriously unwanted attention.
"Keep an eye out here?" Shikami whispered to Ethan. He nodded, and Shikami stepped into the cell.
"Rue," he whispered urgently, shaking the girl. He used his senbon needle and began working at her chains, cuffs, whatever they were called, that bound her to the wall.
Rue stirred and moaned sleepily.
"Shhh," Shikami said. "Keep your voice down, but as soon as you're wide enough awake, I need to know something. Give me some kind of proof you're Rue, and not someone that looks like her." She wasn't a genjutsu, he could tell. But he wouldn't put it past these people to make two fake Rues.
Rue opened her eyes and blinked several times, probably trying to bring them into focus. "Shikami?" she whispered. "You... You're here. Where's Ethan? Have you gotten your mom yet?"
"Ethan is just outside the cell. ...No, we haven't found her yet. After we were attacked in the forest today, those people must have given us a fake you. I need to make sure you're not a fake either. Tell me something about your life in Konoha, something you and I would know but not anyone in the clan here."
Rue blinked slowly, watching Shikami mess with her chains, trying to free her. Finally she said quietly, "My parents are Kyra and Sai, and I have one brother named Shin, named after my dad's deceased 'brother'."
Shikami paused at her last words, but then got back to work again. "I actually didn't know the last part."
"Dad's a really great artist, and I love drawing, too." She paused, seeming to search for something else. "Shin ran away recently, wanting to be a ninja before he was ready." She gave a soft, bitter laugh. "I guess I'm not much different from him, am I?"
What a drag. Rue wouldn't do her best if she continued to think this way about herself. Shikami definitely believed she could help him and Ethan if she tried, but it didn't really help a person's confidence to get used first as an insurance against an attack and then as either bait or just a prisoner.
Shikami released one of her wrists and got to work on the other. "Rue, you wouldn't let us leave Konoha without agreeing to take you with, but ever since then, you've seemed to lack confidence in your skills," he said quietly.
Rue looked up at him but didn't say anything.
"Ethan and I agreed to let you come along for a reason. Sure, you're not officially a ninja yet, but what does some headband matter?" Shikami continued. "You have to believe in yourself, Rue. And trust Ethan and me the way we trust you."
Rue was still for a while, but then she slowly nodded.
Then, just as Shikami clicked open, Ethan dived into the cell. He pulled the door almost closed, but Shikami didn't hear any clicks signifying that it had latched.
Ethan came swiftly to Rue and Shikami and pointed up. Shikami nodded his understanding, now hearing the footsteps of someone approaching.
Ethan quickly scaled the wall and came to a stop at the ceiling. Shikami debated for half a second, then decided not to worry about making things look normal. He picked Rue up and followed Ethan, using his chakra to hang onto the part of the cell where the wall met the ceiling.
There was no way of knowing what this person or these people were here for, so making it seem like Shikami and Ethan had gone without even trying to get Rue was generally pointless.
The person came into view soon enough. He looked into Rue's cell and gasped audibly. "She's gone! But how?" Apparently, this man had not yet heard from the fake Rue.
He clutched the cell's bars and moaned. "I'll have to tell Boss. I sure hope he's in a good mood!" He began to walk away swiftly.
"Get him," Shikami hissed to Ethan. Ethan responded immediately, jumping down to the ground, whipping the door open, and tackling the guy from behind.
Shikami jumped down as well and set Rue on the ground, then he ran out of the cell as well.
Ethan had had surprise on his side, resulting in an early upper hand. However, the man was bigger and stronger and more experienced, and soon turned the wrestling match around.
"If you see an opportunity for anything," Shikami whispered to Rue, "take it."
He saw her nod out of the corner of his eyes, just before he closed them and concentrated. With so little light, there weren't really any shadows to work with, so his only choice was genjutsu. He sent his chakra hurtling towards the man's mind.
He didn't waste time trying to find the man's weakness by searching his memories. From what the man had said only seconds before, he was afraid of the same man that the previous victim of Shikami's genjutsu had feared.
"Garbage! Worthless idiot!" a voice boomed from the stairway.
The man stopped struggling against Ethan, who finally pinned him, breathing heavily. Rue walked over to the two cautiously.
The man finally managed to pin the stubborn boy who had tackled him, though he felt extremely vulnerable to defeat now that he recognized the second man who was stepping closer every moment with a swift, threatening gait.
"My lord, the girl escaped somehow, and I was on my way to tell you!" he gasped.
The second man glowered. "And then you were nearly bested by a child!"
"He sneaked up on me!" the first man protested.
"Why didn't you see him coming?" the second demanded.
Ethan looked over at Shikami, who nodded. "He'll be unconscious for a while, if he doesn't break the jutsu," he whispered. He turned to Rue. "Do you know anything about this place, or have you only been in your cell?"
Ethan dragged the man into Rue's cell, and Shikami wouldn't doubt that he was chaining him as in Rue's place.
Rue thought for a moment, then slowly nodded. "I think I know a little," she said softly. "I was only about half conscious when it happened, but they took me to see your mom, and a lot of yelling took place. Then they brought me down here and next thing I knew, you were waking me up."
Shikami's heartbeat quickened. So she was alive, just like he'd thought at first.
Ethan closed the cell door and Shikami heard it click, then Ethan asked the question Shikami had been about to say next, "Think you can take us to her?"
Rue frowned, but nodded. "I think so."
Ethan flashed a chip-toothed grin. "Then let's go."
*legasp* We're getting closer to finding Kaida! 8D
Make sure to leave a review for meh again, please! ;DD