Chapter Summary
Kamryn and Olivia encounter some ruffians... Things don't go so well, but certainly better than expected.

Note
This may have been ready since December... and we may just be really horrible at updating.
Regardless, I hope you all like the chapter.
Reviews are always appreciated and encouraging!

The loud bang of a heavy door shutting echoed into the still quiet of a long hallway. The faint sound of quick, light footsteps and the whispers of cloth shifting filled in the silence. Another door opened and the footsteps ceased.

"There has been some sort of disturbance to the north..." A hushed feminine voice spoke.

"What do you mean a disturbance?" One could practically hear the man who spoke furrowing his brow.

They were both silent for a moment, before the ruffling of cloth could be heard. "Leader sensed something near the border of Grass. He said that it was strangely familiar but couldn't place it."

The man let out a breath through his nose, before closing the door, and heading back off in the direction he had come from.

They walked in the darkening woods along the road silently. They had slowed from their run, sensing a presence nearby. Whoever it was, they were very skilled at hiding their chakra, neither of the two men traveling together could sense it. The target was not, however, quiet.

The two men stopped, lingering at the edge of the woods, accessing the women in front of them. They certainly didn't look like ninja, more like civilians that went for a swim, seeing how both women were in swimsuits. It would also make sense with how noisy they were traveling. But it didn't seem right with how well they hid their chakra. There wasn't even a hint of it, even when one of the women faltered and cursed loudly.

The shorter of the two, a brunette, had a thin cover on that certainly wasn't helping her with the chill in the air that had come when the sun had set. She was currently holding her taller companion steady. It looked as if the Blonde had a rock sticking out of her foot. The brunette had started to say something, the men catching the name Kam, when she suddenly yanked the rock from her foot with a pained gasp.

Neither of the women noticed as the men approached them. The blonde, Kam, had taken her headband off, causing her hair to fall, and started to wrap her foot. It wasn't until the two men had stopped in front of the women that the brunette noticed them.

The woman visibly stiffened, her eyes widening a fraction. Kam did not seem to notice her companion's sudden unease as she studied her handiwork, moving to lower her foot when the taller of the two men spoke.

"Well now, that looks like an infection waiting to happen."

The woman's head shot up with a surprised gasp, almost stumbling as she shot upright, her foot hitting the ground harder than intended.

"Shit," Kam cursed under her breath, her brows furrowing as she looked at the cloaked figures before them.

The men didn't know if the curse was for their sudden appearance or the pain of her foot, but judging from the slight wince, it was probably the pain.

The dark-haired girl scooted in closer to Kam, her arm moving to link with the other women's, as her body and expression relaxed minutely.

"You two look a bit lost," the taller of the men spoke again.

Kam's eyes narrowed a bit as she tried to see their faces under their hats, but between the hats and the darkness, she couldn't make out anything. She let out a huff before her face relaxed, "yeah, actually. We've been walking for hours now, trying to find... civilization."

The tall man gave a chuckle, "well, the nearest town is days away, you'd die before you got there. Actually, surprised you haven't been attacked by bandits yet."

The brunette's eye's widened again, "bandits?" She squeaked out, clutching her friend's arm.

Kam looked at the two men with skepticism, "and you guys aren't afraid of bandits?"

The tall man threw his head back in laughter, "well, some might consider us the bandits."

Kam shifted in front the brunette slightly as she eyed the man, her expression sharpening, "I don't know if that was a joke, sir, but if it was it was a very poor one..."

"Enough," the shorter man barked out impatiently, silencing his partners laughs.

The women both looked to the other man, who was now removing his straw hat. Both of their eyes widened fractionally as the rising moon lit up his face and revealed his red spinning eyes to them.

The shorter woman locked eyes with him for a second, inhaling deeply as a sense of fear washed over her. Then the man blinked, his brow furrowing in confusion and anger.

He turned his red gaze to the blonde, meeting her eyes as they widened in disbelief.

The two women stepped back as Kam spoke, her voice raising an octave, "What the hell is wrong with your eyes?"

The red-eyed man stepped towards them, glaring at the two women as he spoke to the man behind him, "Take them, Kisame."

Kisame let out another chuckle, the women both getting a chill that had little to do with the cold air, "You got it."

The women backed away as the men started to advance on them, Kam slowly prying the brunette's hand away from her arm, "Olivia, you should run."

Olivia shook her head and squeezed her friend's hand, her eyes wide with fear, "but you can't run, I won't leave you."

They heard Kisame's voice behind them suddenly, "Sorry, no one is going anywhere."

Startled, both women whirled around and were now face to face with the towering man.

As soon as they laid eyes on Kisame, Olivia was yanked backwards, out of Kamryn's grasp.

"NO!" Kamryn moved to turn, putting too much pressure on her injured foot making herself stumble and fall.

"Kamryn!" Olivia cried out and Kamryn jerked her head up to watch as the red-eyed man jabbed two fingers into Olivia's neck. Olivia's eye widened momentarily before her whole body went limp.

Kamryn opened her mouth before she felt a sharp pain in her own neck, any sound she might have made dying in her throat as everything faded to black.

Kamryn felt sick when she came to. When she opened her eyes she understood why, she was moving extremely fast. Well, was being carried was more accurate, like a sack of potatoes over the man's shoulder. She couldn't move, actually, except for managing to wiggle in his grip.

Judging from what Kamryn could see, they must have been traveling for a few hours as pale moonlight lit up the ground flickering passed them.

She remembered what happened and guessed it to be the taller of the two men, Kisame, to be carrying her. Kamryn couldn't open her mouth, instead drawing in deep breaths through her nose to try and ease her nausea. When that didn't help she started squirming more.

Kisame finally must have gotten frustrated with her wiggling because he suddenly stopped, making her head spin. He pulled her off of his shoulder and let her fall on her butt in the dirt with a soft grunt.

Kamryn glared up at him, he was still wearing the large hat that kept his face hidden. He didn't seem to be looking at her as he called out, "Go on ahead, Itachi. This one's awake, I'll catch up in a minute."

If the other man replied, Kam didn't hear it. She was still glaring at the man that was towering above her seat in the dirt when he reached up to his hat, sliding it off.

Kamryn's glare faded as she blinked up at the man. Well, he looked mostly like a man. His skin was a blue-grey color and his small white eyes were on her with a predator's focus. She took in his dark blue hair and the gill-like markings that were under his eyes.

He grinned at her, making her stiffen at the sight of sharp teeth as he crouched down to be at eye level with her, his grin widening a fraction at the look of pure shock on her face.

"I'm surprised you're awake, did you enjoy your beauty rest, girl?" Kamryn's shock slowly shifted to anger as he spoke, "I suggest that you don't struggle, though, or else I'll have to put you out again..."

He just stared at her for a moment, meeting her glare with a fleeting look of amusement.

"Nod if you would like to stay conscious, we're almost there anyway." He stood again as he asked, Kamryn watching his rising form.

Kamryn was still for a moment. She really didn't want to be knocked out again, and she wanted to see where these men were taking them, thinking perhaps there would be a way for her and Olivia to get away.

At her small nod, Kisame hoisted her up off the ground and back over his shoulder. Disoriented from the sudden movement, Kamyrn squeezed her eyes shut and sucked in a deep breath through her nose. She still couldn't open her mouth and she figured she had to be bound somehow.

The grin could be heard in Kisame's voice as he spoke to her again, "Hold on."

Kamryn couldn't help but roll her eyes at the man, giving an annoyed grunt. She had to close her eyes again after he took off running, fighting back the nausea at his quick pace.

They were moving faster than she knew was possible, but she didn't want to think about that at that moment, nor did she want to think about the appearance of the man carrying her.

As much as she wanted to resist, Kamryn couldn't help but fall asleep a few minutes later. Her head had been throbbing and the wind was cold as they ran, but Kisame was warm and they were travelling rather smoothly. She figured sleeping was better than suffering her current migraine.

As she drifted off she thought of Olivia, hoping she was alright.

Olivia was startled awake by being tossed to the floor unceremoniously. Pain bloomed throughout her side as she hit the hard floor with a surprised yelp.

Her eyes shot open wide, her vision blurred from both being woken abruptly and the pain of hitting the floor. She hissed in pain, her hand going to clench at her hip and tears coming to the corners of her eyes. After a few deep breaths and trying to let the pain fade away, she blinked away her blurry vision and looked around to take in her dark surroundings.

She could barely make out where she was, but could see she was in a cell of sorts. Three stone walls surrounded her with the only opening being the single wall of iron bars. The little light that was let in was from a flickering candle upon the wall opposite her cell.

Her eyes darted around the room, looking for her friend, hoping she was just hidden by the dark shadows in the corners of the room. She placed both of her palms on the rough, damp floor and pushed herself up, wincing as she did.

She opened her mouth to try and speak, but found her mouth and throat too dry to get out more than a strangled noise. She stumbled over to the iron bars of her cell, swallowing hard and trying to will some moisture to her mouth and throat. Gripping the bars tightly to support her weak body, she tried again to make a noise.

"Kamryn?" Olivia called out weakly, her voice so faint, she barely heard it herself.

After waiting a moment and getting no response, the woman slumped to the floor, still clinging to the bars. She rested her forehead against the cool bars, a shiver running down her spine as she let her eyes close again.

For a moment, she let her mind wander back to what had just transpired. She remembered the two strangers happening upon them, after Kamryn had hurt herself, then the man with his red eyes. After that was just fear, pain, and then nothing.

She closed her eyes tightly, letting her body go completely slack before letting out a hopeless sob. What she had seen had seemed impossible, but from the reaction Kamryn had given, she was sure that she was not the only one to see those demonic red eyes.

The sound of a heavy, metal door being slung open made her shoot her head up, a little too fast. She had already felt as if her head was spinning, but the sudden movement made it worse.

A dark, tall figure passed in front of her cell before she could properly process what was going on.

Standing abruptly, making sure to grip the bars tight for support, she called out. "Kamryn!" Her voice was a little louder now, echoing off the empty stone walls of the cell and corridor.

She got no response as she stood worried in her little cell, watching the tall figure mess with something next to her cell, gnawing at her bottom lip to keep herself from screaming out again.

Olivia's heart beat so loudly in her own chest that she barely registered the sound of a lock clicking, the cell door being opened, and the soft thump of something being placed down on the floor.

Silence filled the area momentarily, Olivia's heart beat now pounding in her ears, the near deafening sound making her close her eyes tightly.

"Olivia?" The familiar voice made Olivia release the breath that she held, her eyes opening back up quickly. The voice was weak, but it was unmistakably Kamryn.

The door to Kamryn's cell was shut before she could even think of getting to her feet. Her head spun from moving so much, so quickly. She struggled to push herself off the cold floor as she fought the bile that was threatening to rise in her throat.

Olivia called out to Kamryn once again, the sound of her voice making Kamryn stumble her way to the cell door on wobbly knees. All thoughts of her surroundings being ignored, only thinking of her younger friend, she finally managed to clutch at the bars of her cell. Her blurry vision focused on the tall figure that still stood before the bars, her brows furrowing as she, once again, took in the odd blue features of the man.

Ignoring him, she quickly looked passed the man and searched for Olivia, but became disheartened when she could only see empty stone wall and flickering candles. Panic bubbled in her chest and her eyes darted back to the blue man, realizing it to be the man that had carried her before.

"What's going on?" Kamryn's face twisted into a scowl as she glared up at Kisame, trying to sound demanding, but her voice coming out weak and broken.

Kisame looked down at her with what almost seemed to be pity, no trace of the toothy grin he had, had before.

"Look, girl, I don't know anything about what's happening, I'm just following orders." He shrugged his shoulders, "And even if I did, I probably wouldn't be telling you. All I can say is that you've got one powerful man's attention and managed to royally piss off another. So, be prepared for the worst."

Kamryn's grip on the bars tightened as she continued to glare up at him, her body tensing at his warning, "We haven't done anything to warrant anyone's attention."

Kisame just shrugged again to this, still giving Kamryn that same look of faint pity.

Olivia couldn't help but stiffen as she overheard the exchange, the conversation happening before she could let her friend know she was alright. She let out a shaky breath and spoke, trying to ignore what Kisame had said.

"Kamryn, I'm right over here, I'm alright." She tried to keep her voice even, masking the fear she felt so that her motherly friend wouldn't be sent into more of a panic. She moved to the very edge of her cell and stuck her arm out as far as she could, hoping Kamryn could see it.

At this distance, Olivia could more clearly make out the man who stood in front of the cell beside her own. She took in a sharp breath of shock through her nose as his features became clearer. His gaze landed on her momentarily, his small white eyes shocking her and causing her to jerk her arm back into the relative safety of her cell.

Kisame's eyes narrowed in on the petite girls' form, a smirk forming on his face at her reaction.

"I'll leave you two ladies alone for now. Someone else may be by in a bit, though", turning away from the cells and the women, he raised his hand in a farewell, "Have fun"

He gave a deep chuckle as he walked out of the dungeonesque room, the door shutting solidly behind him.

Olivia reached back out of her cell as soon as the door shut, "Kamryn?"

When Kamryn's hand reached out of the cell next to her and grasped her own Olivia felt herself sag slightly in relief.

"Liv, are you okay? You aren't hurt?"

"No, I'm okay. What about you, that... man didn't hurt you did he?"

Kamryn let out a sigh, shifting slightly to reach her friend better, giving her hand a small reassuring squeeze. She winced as she put pressure on her injured foot, her foot throbbing slightly and seemingly reminding her that the gash needed attention.

"I'm fine. Just that cut on my foot, he didn't do anything."

Olivia bit her lip, anxiously looking towards the door that Kisame had left through, "What are we going to do?"

"I- I don't know. I'm not sure what's happening or what these people want from us."

Olivia frowned, "Our luck we are going to be forced into a cult."

A scowl formed on Kamryn's face but before she could reply, she heard footsteps echoing behind the door.

"Liv, behave, be polite, and quiet. We just need to do what they say and figure out how to get out of here, okay?"

Kamryn gave Olivia's hand one more squeeze before letting it go. Olivia pulled her arm back into the cell and wrapped her arms around herself just as the door opened.

A woman with her hair styled up in a bun walked into the room. She wore the same cloak as the two men that kidnapped them. As she approached their cells, Olivia took in the pretty flower in her blue hair that seemed to clash with her stern yet attractive features.

She stopped between the cells at a point where both the women could see her, taking a second to look over each of them as they watched her cautiously.

"Ladies, there is no reason for you to be so tense. We have no intentions of harming you... unless you give us good reason to, that is."

Kamryn's eyes narrowed at the woman, her back straightening as she tried to appear more confident and at ease. To the woman, though, it was obvious that she was clearly more guarded and apprehensive.

Olivia's demeanor changed little, hugging herself tighter at the veiled threat of the woman in front of them.

Noticing that neither of the captured women were relaxing and that her words seemed to have made them more on edge, she let out a soft exhale through her nose.

Kamryn tried to hide her scowl from the woman, "Why are we here? Why take us?"

"If you don't already know, then you don't need to know." She watched each of them as she spoke, observing their expressions closely. "We would like to know what business you have in our territory, though."

"What are you talking about?" Olivia couldn't stop the words from blurting from her mouth, her brows furrowing in frustration. "We don't even know how we got here, much less where we are. We don't have any business here." Her teeth gritted as she soon realized she might have made a mistake by talking that way to the woman and she took a small step backwards. Her already stern gaze had narrowed in on her, making her look even more threatening, and causing a shiver to run down Olivia's spine.

Kamryn's jaw clenched at Olivia's outburst, watching worriedly as the woman focused on her younger friend. She took a step toward the cell bars, hoping to lessen the woman's focus on Olivia.

The woman stood silently for a moment after Olivia finished speaking, her intense gaze not leaving the younger woman until her mouth set into a grim line and her eyes flickered over to Kamryn. "Do you have anything else to add to that...?"

Kamryn held the woman's gaze as she responded, trying to convey their honesty, "We really don't know where we are, we were just trying to find our way out of the woods. We didn't realize we were trespassing on anyone's property."

The women's gaze lingered on Kamryn before she looked away from the both of them completely. "Ok." That was all she said as she turned away from the two and left them alone again, leaving them both a little stunned.