Chapter 9
No one slept at all for the rest of the night. It was quiet, but the silence was piercingly loud. Kina was most troubled that night. She sat by Youkai tending him. He had a high fever. He twitched in his sleep and every time he twitched, Kina jumped back. I continued to watch this scene and I started to feel sorry for her. When she stopped panicking, I sat down next to her, being careful not to scare her more than she already is. She simply turned her head and smiled at me as I took my seat, then kept her eyes on Youkai again.
"So, how is he?" I whispered to her.
"He's.... not doing well," her eyes still fixed on Youkai.
"What's wrong?"
"His fever is very high," she wrung the water out of a towel and placed it on Youkai's forehead. He was shivering violently. "It's never been this bad before... and this is the first time he's directly attacked anyone."
"Oh?" curious, I asked, "What did he used to do when he was... you know, insane?"
"He would just ramble about his life and scratch at himself. He gets like this every time he is reminded too much of his leaving the village."
"What do you think went wrong?"
"Hunters"
"Huh?"
"Hunter nins," she replied. "The hunters haunt him everyday. They remind him of his leave and the fact that he is being hunted by the village that he once loved. I've never seen him in such state. I could hardly recognize him..."
She stopped speaking suddenly as Youkai flinched again. I looked over at her again. She seemed scared and nervous. I gently laid my hand on her shoulder. She gasped and jerked her head at me. She calmed down at bit when she realized it was only me. I briefly nodded at her to let her know that I was there.
"Where's Tyde?" I asked.
"I... Don't know," she hesitated to answer. "I haven't seen him since the attack."
"Heh, he must be scared," I said all too quickly.
Kina's eyes narrowed and she shrugged off my hand. "I must tend to Youkai now... You should get some sleep."
"I shrugged her off, not knowing what I did or said to make her upset. I went in my ten and slept for an hour.
By the time I woke up, Tyde was still gone and Youkai had run away. Kina was sitting outside. Her legs folded up to her chest, she stared into the fire. I shook my head and walked around her. I'll never understand the two of them. Kina and Tyde.
"We need to keep moving," said Naruto glaring at me from the corner of his eye. "We'll just let Tyde catch up. I really don get why we had to stay overnight... we could have been there by last night, but SOMEBODY had to take forever running around trees.
That idiot thinks he's better than everyone else. His loud mouth and constant talking was starting to get on my nerves... Just a little... no, A LOT.
"Shut up, it's not like I ran more laps than you..." I simply said. "Besides, you ran the slowest."
"Oh!" cried Naruto. "So you're blaming things on me?!"
"Yes"
"Do you want to fight me?!"
"No, it'll be too easy..."
"For me?!"
"For me."
"Shut up!" yelled Kiba. "We're all as tired as you both are and you two aren't making things any easier."
Neji looked up. "He's right, I think you should both shut your moths for the rest of the mission or you'll both get us killed with your big mouths."
"What about you?!" Naruto was being VERY argumentative today. "You're the one who's always talking... talking and talking about fate!"
"That had done it. Neji activated his byukagan and pointed his fingers. The fingers dove right for Naruto's chakra points, but suddenly, he froze, his fingers still pointed... he froze.
"Stop fighting... All of you!" Shikamaru had taken control of Neji's body with his kagemane no justsu. "Especially you Naruto. You're picking all the fights."
"You! Shikamaru!" Naruto's loud mouth was going to kill him... by me. "You never pick anything. You're the laziest bastard I've ever meet!"
"SHUT UP!" Kina screamed into the fire. She held her head and screamed. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"
Ironically enough, TYde came running back. "What's going on? Where's Kina?"
"You!" Naruto yelled again. "Where were you?! We were about to leave?!"
"Quiet Naruto," Tyde simply said. "I could hear you all the way out there!"
"So how come you came running when you heard Kina and now when you heard me?"
"Do you WANT me to come running for you?" Tyde scoffed. The comment finally silenced Naruto. Finally. He opened his mouth to speak to defend himself, but no workds came out.
"Whatever," Kiba spoke up. "Now that we're all here, let's go. We should get there by early morning... Ikimasho."
No one slept at all for the rest of the night. It was quiet, but the silence was piercingly loud. Kina was most troubled that night. She sat by Youkai tending him. He had a high fever. He twitched in his sleep and every time he twitched, Kina jumped back. I continued to watch this scene and I started to feel sorry for her. When she stopped panicking, I sat down next to her, being careful not to scare her more than she already is. She simply turned her head and smiled at me as I took my seat, then kept her eyes on Youkai again.
"So, how is he?" I whispered to her.
"He's.... not doing well," her eyes still fixed on Youkai.
"What's wrong?"
"His fever is very high," she wrung the water out of a towel and placed it on Youkai's forehead. He was shivering violently. "It's never been this bad before... and this is the first time he's directly attacked anyone."
"Oh?" curious, I asked, "What did he used to do when he was... you know, insane?"
"He would just ramble about his life and scratch at himself. He gets like this every time he is reminded too much of his leaving the village."
"What do you think went wrong?"
"Hunters"
"Huh?"
"Hunter nins," she replied. "The hunters haunt him everyday. They remind him of his leave and the fact that he is being hunted by the village that he once loved. I've never seen him in such state. I could hardly recognize him..."
She stopped speaking suddenly as Youkai flinched again. I looked over at her again. She seemed scared and nervous. I gently laid my hand on her shoulder. She gasped and jerked her head at me. She calmed down at bit when she realized it was only me. I briefly nodded at her to let her know that I was there.
"Where's Tyde?" I asked.
"I... Don't know," she hesitated to answer. "I haven't seen him since the attack."
"Heh, he must be scared," I said all too quickly.
Kina's eyes narrowed and she shrugged off my hand. "I must tend to Youkai now... You should get some sleep."
"I shrugged her off, not knowing what I did or said to make her upset. I went in my ten and slept for an hour.
By the time I woke up, Tyde was still gone and Youkai had run away. Kina was sitting outside. Her legs folded up to her chest, she stared into the fire. I shook my head and walked around her. I'll never understand the two of them. Kina and Tyde.
"We need to keep moving," said Naruto glaring at me from the corner of his eye. "We'll just let Tyde catch up. I really don get why we had to stay overnight... we could have been there by last night, but SOMEBODY had to take forever running around trees.
That idiot thinks he's better than everyone else. His loud mouth and constant talking was starting to get on my nerves... Just a little... no, A LOT.
"Shut up, it's not like I ran more laps than you..." I simply said. "Besides, you ran the slowest."
"Oh!" cried Naruto. "So you're blaming things on me?!"
"Yes"
"Do you want to fight me?!"
"No, it'll be too easy..."
"For me?!"
"For me."
"Shut up!" yelled Kiba. "We're all as tired as you both are and you two aren't making things any easier."
Neji looked up. "He's right, I think you should both shut your moths for the rest of the mission or you'll both get us killed with your big mouths."
"What about you?!" Naruto was being VERY argumentative today. "You're the one who's always talking... talking and talking about fate!"
"That had done it. Neji activated his byukagan and pointed his fingers. The fingers dove right for Naruto's chakra points, but suddenly, he froze, his fingers still pointed... he froze.
"Stop fighting... All of you!" Shikamaru had taken control of Neji's body with his kagemane no justsu. "Especially you Naruto. You're picking all the fights."
"You! Shikamaru!" Naruto's loud mouth was going to kill him... by me. "You never pick anything. You're the laziest bastard I've ever meet!"
"SHUT UP!" Kina screamed into the fire. She held her head and screamed. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"
Ironically enough, TYde came running back. "What's going on? Where's Kina?"
"You!" Naruto yelled again. "Where were you?! We were about to leave?!"
"Quiet Naruto," Tyde simply said. "I could hear you all the way out there!"
"So how come you came running when you heard Kina and now when you heard me?"
"Do you WANT me to come running for you?" Tyde scoffed. The comment finally silenced Naruto. Finally. He opened his mouth to speak to defend himself, but no workds came out.
"Whatever," Kiba spoke up. "Now that we're all here, let's go. We should get there by early morning... Ikimasho."