Sasuke and I flood the Sand Village with a magnificent river once again. The citizens don't come out to celebrate, though, until we are leaving on the outskirts of the village towards our next objective...Amegakure.
My witchy-companion has been silent as the dead sense we retrieved the second shard. He's got this permanent-glower on his face that makes me seethe.
"I stood up for you, ya' know!" I bark. "What the hell are you being such a drama queen for?"
He stops so suddenly that sand kicks up in my face. I'm staring at his back, when all of a sudden he twists, and lunges! His hands wrap around the fabric of my shirt. His eyes are fiery pools of amber. I glare back at him as he shouts-
"I don't need you to stand up for me! Those sand Siblings could have thought I was the anti-Christ for all I care. So don't go talking like you've done me a favor."
I scoff, pushing his chest so that he stumbles backwards. He has dark marks under his eyes. Did he sleep at all last night? I pause. Why the fuck should I care if he did-or-didn't? But when I look at Sasuke my instinct tells me to fight for him. Protect him. So I take a deep breath in and run my hand through my spiky-blonde locks to comb out any remaining frustration.
"If the people around us see us as threats that makes our job a thousand times more difficult. You may be a self proclaimed anti-hero but I'm in this for the good of the world. So let's just collectively agree that getting on people's good sides is the right move. Ok?"
He grumbles something along the lines of- "Fine, whatever." and marches on.
We finally break free from the desert and into the country of Amegakure. It is an immense country with a topography consisting of spiraling towers and ankle deep water that floods the city streets like a momentous lake. My gaze grows somber. Everybody knows that Amegakure was the first to fall victim to the War. Every Single inhabitant was slaughtered by Witches, or perhaps even Leaf Soldiers who went rogue or caught innocent civilians in the crossfire. Rumor has it that the spirits of those murdered refugees haunt he landscapes as drag any wandering victim into a fiery hell for all eternity.
Sasuke stops below a tall building with the face of a tongued-man at the top. It's a very modern form of architecture and I can't help marveling at it.
"Something feels off…" he grimaces. "...Witches are in tune with spirits and magic. Especially those spirits with malicious intentions."
"You know the stories of this place?"
"Yes-" His voice takes on a sad tone. "-my father was the one responsible for slaughtering it's inhabitants. He told me many times in the dark of night all the grotesque and horrendous things he did to these innocent people."
"If I knew any better...I'd say you sound sad about it, Sasuke-Kun."
"...I'm just saying we should be careful."
I take our two shards, the Light and Water, and press them together. With their combined energy, they form a ray of light like a holy beacon that points towards the next target.
"The Shard of Wrath." I gulp. "That's next. Fitting it would be stuck in a place like this."
We trudge through ankle deep water for many miles. It's excruciating. I'm so focused on walking that I don't notice Sasuke's knees trembling until it's too late.
He stumbles, falling onto his hands and knees. Disgusting lake-water splatters across his pale face and he coughs unapologetically. I come to his side, arms wrapping around his hips…
"Don't touch me!"
I grimace and aim to argue back.
"What happened to all that sexy-talk in the hotel? I though you wanted to fuck me?"
"Not anymore."
"Don't be a brat." I can tell he's just being proud. "Just because I insulted you doesn't mean we aren't a team."
"I- I can get up on my own!"
He tries to stand. But the trek has been arduous and he falls into my arms. His head slips into the crook of my neck. He's sweaty, sure, but he has this unmistakable sexiness about him that sends my heart into overdrive the moment he makes contact with me. He makes a groaning sound that hisses between his teeth. I smile down at him with a playful attitude,
"Alright, up an' attem!"
I pick him up bridal style. He blushes at first. Before settling into a glare. He crosses his arms like a child throwing a temper tantrum and "-huffs!" with disdain. I myself am only able to walk with him in my arms for another twenty minutes. I spot a staircase that leads to the top of one of the towers.
"Plan B?" I begin. "We camp for the night."
Admittedly, it's an terrific view. We start a small fire out of remains scattered within the empty building. We are at least 300ft off the ground, gazing at the other crumbling buildings. We are protected by an overhanging steel canopy that "plunk- plunk- plunks!" when the rain begins to fall.
Sasuke is sitting with his legs curled up to his chest. He seems deep in thought. I question him with a hushed voice,
"So- I'm sorry. I guess, I still don't fully-understand what I did wrong but I'll say sorry anyways."
"One hell of an apology, Uzumaki." He scowls, yet a light grin plays on his face. "I'll take it."
"You look like you're thinking about something."
His eyes scan the environment.
"I was my fathers prized possession. While the rest of my kin was out ravaging the countries I was trapped in a cave with little-to-no attention given to me. Fugaku wanted me to remain untouched so that I could eventually destroy Konohagakure...and kill your family. It's been drilled into my head that that's all I'm good for. But when I killed my father and absorbed his life-essence, I realized that he did so much more than trap me in a cave. He tortured me. Leaving me without any light or love…" he takes a shaky breath. "...that's why when I got my hands on the Light Shard, I seemed to change. I've never been around so much light. Looking at this landscape? It's dark. Like that cave- familiar, and I wish I could bask in the comfort of it but instead it leaves me feeling guilty."
"War is a terrible thing. It's inhumane and wrong. People will do horrific things to others if they think it'll protect the people they love." I pause. "Did your father truly love you, or do you think he really was just using you like a tool?"
He hides his head in his knees.
"I hear him in my head, you know. He tells me all the time that's all I was."
"Well, if it's any condolence. I don't think you are a tool. This world of light may be new to you but you're rolling with it. You fit in- I think!"
He lifts his head and gives me a sweet smile.
"I'd say "-thank you" if it wasn't out of character for me."
"I'll take that." I remark.
"I'm also worried...about-"
I hate that he pauses.
"Go ahead. Spill your guts."
He bite his lower lip in contemplation.
"I don't know if I'll be able to beat my brother next time I see him. Itachi is immensely powerful…" he shivers at the mere thought of his sibling.
"It'll be ok. I'll be here with you."
He looks to appreciate the sentiment.
We sleep on separate sides of the fire. Despite our obvious attractions to one another we are wrapped up in our own thoughts. I'm busy trying to determine whether the good things I say about Sasuke are true and I truly believe them. He is trying to be a good guy. But at the end of the day he is a Witch and his family is responsible for the death of hundreds of innocent people. Gazing at his slumbering figure between the flickering flames, I watch his chest rise and fall, his lips are slightly parted, and I let myself imagine kissing those tender lips. When my cock twitches in response- I shake the thought out of my head and close my eyes…
Within the darkness of sleep, I hear something hiss in my ear- "grooooannnnnn!" It's a haunted wail that makes the hairs on my arm stand upright. I shock myself into the living world. Rising from my sleep I examine the surroundings.
"Waiiiillllll!"
Sasuke jumps towards me! He has a knife in his hand. Is he going to kill me!?
SLASH!
He cuts something in the face right next to my right-shoulder. I spin in alarm. A bonafide ghost-woman is staring at me with a gnarled smile and blood soaked skin. Sasuke's knife has sliced through her corporeal figure, but it still appears to do damage. She peels backwards and falls off the ledge, only to reappear a moment later with two more ghosts. All of them are female. Dressed the same. With long kimonos of different primary colors. There is a red, green, and blue one. Each has long black hair and elongated limbs that are twisted like tree-branches.
"Well, fuck me. Ghosts are real!"
"Duh!"
Sasuke kicks me in the knee forcing me to stand. I unsheathe my sword and point it at the trio of ghosts. If we engage in battle here, it won't be to our advantage. The roof is only 20 feet in width and length. Plus, a fall from this height would be instant death.
Too late to contemplate further! The red ghosts- swooshes! Towards me and sends my flying towards the bonfire. I tumble into the flames and take care to continue my tumble so that I smother and remaining fires that lap at my clothes. In the corner of my eye, Sasuke lets loose a string of black-magic that wraps around the Blue and Green ghosts like a lasso. They writhe and writhe for a second.
It appears that magic can hurt their corporeal forms!
The Red ghost continues it's assault. I barrel-roll away from a slash of razor sharp nails that could shred me into ribbons. I drag my sword across it's back but it does not damage. The Ghost wails and sets its eyes on Sasuke. It flies forward...and pushes him off the roof!
Sasuke is left dangling in the air like a fish on a hook. His only means of survival are the threads of dark magic that are still wrapped around the Blue and Green specters. In an enchanting dance, they lunge towards Sasuke before gravity has a chance to pull him down and cut both his arms. He screams in agony and the ropes of magic come undone and blood catapults through the air.
The last thing I see is his figure disappearing from the sky as he falls head-first towards the ground.
"No! SASUKE!"
Without a second thought, I throw myself off the roof to catch him.
The wind whips my hair and the cold rain stings my skin like millions of tiny knives. I catch Sasuke in my arms and we are sent spiraling through the open air. The ghosts are trailing behind us, slashing and cutting at our skin as the ground comes closer and closer.
No...no way! I won't die here! I can't!
Just then. The shard of light in my pocket reacts to my plea for life. It glows a brilliant yellow. A magical shield that looks like an enveloping sun explodes through the air! It slows our descent just enough so that we hit the ground with a decreased speed. It still hurts the shit out of my ankles though and we both tumble into a bloody-heap. The blast of light magic also fended off the ghosts, who are now spiraling above us in an enchanted dance, waiting for a chance to descend and attack again.
"S- Sasuke! Are you ok?"
He's bleeding from his mouth and nose. He coughs.
"Why did you save me? Are you insane?"
"I...I-" I don't know why.
I stroke his cheek in response. His large red eyes are sparkling with amazement. But we don't have much more time to stare at each other with love-struck expressions. The trio of ghosts shoot towards us like missiles from a rocket. Sasuke just barely manages to deflect one of the ghosts with his knife and I parry the others with my sword. They circle around us in a sort of macabre-dance that makes my head spin. They are cutting and slashing and biting at us until every inch of our tender skin is blood-soaked and raw.
That's when Sasuke leans over and shouts.
"I noticed something!"
He deflects a set of gnashing teeth.
"Oh? What's that!?" I slash at the face of Green Ghost.
"These ghosts are protecting something, put the two crystals together again. I'll distract them!"
I crouch down into the cold water and press the shards of Light and Water together. That familiar ray of light shoots forward...and lo-and-behold...it's pointing at the tower we just came from!
"The shard of Wrath is in that building! These ghosts are protecting it!"
I'll admit. Sasuke is inquisitive. I'm impressed by his examination of the battlefield. He launches multiple whips of dark-magic that lash out like angry vines.
"Go find the shard for fuck-sakes. I'll fend them off!"
Without a second thought, I turn-tail and run towards the tower we just fell off of.