7/4/11- Update, did some minor rearranging and editing.
Ok, so this is kinda really messy... sorry! And I apologize in advance for the extreme absence of Itachi. (But a 'lil secret; you will seem him more if you look beyond the literal) ;3
Dawn.
The bright sun of an early spring morning shown down onto the vast spread of an open field. All forms of life were alive and in flourishing. The flowers, now in full blossom, proudly flaunted their colors, each hue sprinkled throughout a background of the brightest green. Small perching birds remained nested and sang little notes as they coddled their hatchlings. Even the insects, with their penchant for irritating all inhabitants, politely respected the hallowed moment. And everything, down to each individual blade of fresh, green grass was slicked with sweet dew.
In a scant canopy of tall grass, a pair of rabbits remained close together, a black one sleeping peacefully and another white one munching quietly on their lofty surroundings. The sleeping one's chest lightly rose and fell with the tempo of its slow breathing, and its leg twitched every so often in delight of what may have been an engaging dream.
The white rabbit abruptly stood up onto its hind legs, rotating its ears from side to side. Just a moment before it thought it had heard a rustling from beyond the grass. It turned its head sharply to the right. This time it was sure it heard the soft sound of a predator's cautious footsteps.
Leaning back down, the white rabbit slowly made its way over to its sleeping mate, and gave it a nudge. The eyes of the black one blinked a couple times as they stared into the deep red of the other's, who nudged its partner again, clearly uneasy. Though drowsy, the black one was quickly brought to attention when it too heard the rustling. Now on all fours, it followed closely behind the white one as they crawled back towards their burrow.
From in front, the white one halted. Only two feet from their sanctuary, the black one wondered what could be wrong. Why halt now, when safety was so close?
The white rabbit again shifted its ears from side to side, listening closely for any sound to indicate what lurked hidden behind the grass. It heard nothing. No sound emanated from around them: no whistling wind, no tweeting from birds, not even the infernal buzzing of a stray bumble bee. Was whatever had been there gone now? No, it couldn't be…
I front of them a red burst erupted through the stocks of grass. It pounced and landed, clawed feet only an inch or so from the white rabbit. Now looming over it were the sickening yellow eyes of a red fox, staring directly into the red of the rabbit's. Their black pupils communicated the perpetual understanding between predator and prey; run.
In an instant both rabbits turned and fled. The pair moved their feet under them as fast as they could, and the red fox covered their footprints. At a rapid pace they darted through the underbrush, gaining for themselves a slight lead. Between grass, bushes, and roots they ran until they entered unto the flat expanse of an open field.
Against the lush green of their new background, the two differed dramatically in their individual ability to camouflage. The black rabbit, with its apt dark hue, easily blended in with the shadows cast between the hills. Its white companion, however, could be as easily seen as a flamingo in a bevy of swans, even despite the dim light of morning.
A few strides into the field the white rabbit, running side by side with the black one, slowed to a stop and looked back at the underbrush through which they had previously came. Where was the fox? There was no trace of even the faintest movement within the tall grass. Had it gone? Were they safe?
From a ways ahead the black rabbit noticed the absence of its mate's footfalls. It too stopped, and looked back for the other. Immediately black eyes set upon the pristine white of the other's coat. The white rabbit was still looking back at the path through which they came. What was it waiting for? The fox, though not in sight, would certainly catch it.
The black rabbit's heart pounded faster. It turned and hurried towards its companion, only to be halted when an illustrious white head turned and red eyes locked its own profound black. Anxious, an ear inquisitively rotated on the axis of a black head: what?
The same red burst spewed forth from the between the blades of tall grass. The fox curled its jowls back to expose threatening canine teeth, yellowed by extensive use and accumulated tarter. A slick sheen of saliva outlined the corners of a black muzzle, and the pink tissue of a tongue protruded ever so slightly from between sharp incisors. Ears and eyes were pinned forward to lock directly onto the small form of opaque white fur.
The white rabbit bolted off again as soon as it saw the flaring red of its predator. It looked straight forward at the feint outline of the other. From ahead, the black rabbit stood still as it restlessly waited for its mate to catch up. It had seen a small, abandoned hole up ahead in which they could both hide. If they could just reach it together…
But the fox was so close on the white plume running ahead. A little rabbit heart pumped blood as fast as it possibly could, lungs intaking and expelling air even faster. It concentrated on the shadowed figure of the black rabbit waiting up ahead. Didn't it know to run? If it lingered, there was the very real possibility that the fox would kill it too. And the white one was directly leading the fox to it…
In a split second, the white rabbit turned on its hindquarters in a sharp ninety degree angle to the left. The red fox, which was thrown off for a second, spun its back legs out and tried to quickly regain composure and follow its prey. It fell back a foot or so behind the closure it had on the rabbit.
Both the hunter and the hunted now grew tired. The fox now ran with its mouth gaping open, teeth bared and breathing hard, causing a froth of saliva to drip from a swollen mucous membrane. The rabbit fluctuated its tiny lungs as efficiently as it could, diffusing as much oxygen as possible to tired muscles. Its pink nose began to feel raw with the sting of air forced too quickly in and out of the small passage.
The fox knew that if it didn't capture the rabbit soon, it would collapse and its hunt would be for nothing. Quite possibly the rabbit knew this too as it pushed forward and back into the direction of the stocks of grass from whence they came. If it could reach them then possibly it could lose the fox and hide until safe.
From a hill on high the black rabbit watched as its white partner darted away. Where was it going? Its own heat beat fretfully as it followed the direction the other ran off in, easily keeping the two in sight from its elevated position.
The pair below raced madly, each trying desperately to reach their own goal. The white rabbit was almost free now, only a short distance from shelter, chest lightening in anticipation. Luminous white feet placed themselves in perfect stride. Until its front-right paw fell upon a minute and disembodied pebble.
In an undying instant the immaculate form of the white rabbit tumbled to the ground. The air in its chest froze as it smashed itself face first into dirt. Seizing its chance, the fox thrust its fangs forward and into the delicate jugular of its prey. The white rabbit didn't even notice as it lost consciousness.
In the distance, the black rabbit watched every moment as the image of the red fox lunged over its mate. Its body arrested itself, lungs unmoving, yet the pounding of a tiny heart rung in ebony ears as the horror sunk in.
The white rabbit was dead.
With a sharp intake of breath Asaya awoke. Her eyes gawked open and she immediately sat up. Shaking hands clutched her wavering chest, as a cold sweat coated her face and a hot chill ran down her spine. What was that? She wondered. Whatever that dream was had been was too real. She hadn't had a dream as vivid and heartrending in years, if ever. No, that was no dream. It was a nightmare. About rabbits of all things.
With a deep sigh Asaya fell down to lie on her back, splaying her arms out beside her. She took a few more deep breaths, and looked up at the lacing branches above her. Branches? When did I get here? It didn't take long before she remembered resting beside a tree with Itachi. The same tree she was still under now. He must have left her sometime after she had fallen asleep, like he had said he would.
Asaya blinked as she looked up at the sky. She must have been asleep for a long while, as there was no longer any light in the sky- no sunlight anyway. The only source of luminance was the ambiguous cluster of stars that shown through the otherwise empty night sky. There was no moonlight either, as that sphere was hiding in the beginning of its cycle of rebirth. Out in the country, the stars were much more vivid. Whenever Asaya looked up while she lived in Iwagakure, she always noted that the ubiquitous lamps hung to guide people as they crossed over the villages many bridges diluted the intensity of the night sky, making its fine details too hard to see. Effectively though, those same lamps had their own equally pleasing view, gently swaying in the breeze as they emanated an ethereal glow.
Rolling onto her side, Asaya could see the grass fields of Kusagakure. They looked peaceful. A soft rustle echoed into her ears as wind rolled across the tall stocks, making them bend and wave in gentle motions. Maybe there are rabbits out there too… She thought mockingly. If there were, they would most likely be sleeping, and dreaming their own dreams, but no matter.
As of now, Asya was alone, and out at night in this scenery it was too depressing to be without someone else. Asaya propped herself back up and sat cross legged, elbows resting on her knees, and gave another glance at the field.
That immeasurable distance before her was unknown territory, as she was not allowed to set foot beyond the border. Doing so would have been viewed as an act of treason against her own country, and a declaration of war against Kusa.
Standing up, Asaya dusted off her clothes and pulled them back into place from the skewed position sleeping on dirt had left them in. She untied her bun and used her fingers to comb out her hair. Small partials of debris had found their way into the fine strands of her black hair. And a few tangles needed to be removed too. It had always bothered her that no matter how thoroughly or frequently she combed it, her infuriatingly thin strands would always carry a hidden kink. After she was satisfied with her improvised grooming, she tied up her hair again in another bun equally as untidy as the first- despite the intention to keep herself manicured- and then turned and headed back towards the house. Soon, she would be home and safe to relax.
Just up one final hill was the house. It stood stark and desolate; shingles and siding barely clung to its frame and extensive weather damage gave almost no hint to whatever color the wood had originally been stained. But to Asaya it was a welcomed haven.
As she approached closer, she could see a light originating from the corner of the house occupied by the living room. Tsuta must have still been awake. How late at night was it anyway? Hopefully not too late, as Asaya didn't want to upset her delicately arranged sleep schedule too much.
Treading up to the front door, she lazily kicked off her sandals to the side, twisted the doorknob, and quietly snuck in. If she was quiet enough, she could avoid Tsuta and whatever explanations he would demand of her extended disappearance. At least until tomorrow. Luckily, being a trained kunoichi left her more than sufficiently trained to avoid detection from a simple teenage boy. Though despite those teachings, Asaya couldn't help but take a small peek through the small crack in the living room's sliding door, to look in on whatever Tsuta might be up to…
Tsuta slept on his back across a small, worn futon. His right arm rested over his eyes and a wonton leg hung over the side his makeshift bed. Sleeping without a pillow forced his head to tilt back at an unusual angle, causing his jaw to hang open ever so slightly. On the low table before him rested an open book and a half empty cup of cold tea. He must have stayed up late for me, she realized.
It was a wonder how someone as large as Kisame was able to make himself comfortable on that feeble piece of furniture. She and Tsuta were only able to fit because of their short height, and Tsuta just barely now that he was in the middle of another growth spurt. Sparsely had Asaya ever actually seen Kisame sleep on the furnishing, but she thought he looked like an overgrown toddler trying to fit back into the crib of its infancy.
Chuckling, Asaya slowly opened the door and crept inside. She wouldn't need to worry about him waking, he slept deeply enough. Over the back of the futon lay a cotton quilt, stitched from uncountable squares of miscellaneous patterns. Neither she nor Tsuta remembered where the thing had come from; simply that it had always been in the house. Asaya grabbed the quilt from over him and unfolded it in both hands. With a gentle motion she draped it over Tsuta's sleeping body. Tenderly she tucked him in, and stroked his cheek as she whispered a soft goodnight.
After her maternal moment, Asaya turned around to the table to pick up the teacup and book. Examining the piece of literature in her hands, she immediately recognized it. It was small and thin, not even two hundred pages in length. On the cover of the navy cloth-bound book the title was displayed in faux gold foiling; Watership Down. A big grin appeared on Asaya's face as she read the title. This was the book Itachi had given to her. Apparently Tsuta had found it from wherever she had left it.
Asaya bent over and blew out the oil lamp on the table. Unfortunately, the kitchen was the only room in the house with any form of electricity, unreliable as it was. Leaving the book on the table for Tsuta, she took the teacup with her as she exited the room, heading towards the kitchen where she would rinse out the cup and set it to dry. After doing so she trotted upstairs to her own room.
After opening the door, her eyes immediately settled on her own bed. It too was a futon, but thankfully larger and made of a more comfortable mattress. The sheets were laid out perfectly, as if no one had ever used them. Itachi must have arranged them before he left. Though she was thankful for his generosity, it troubled her at the same time. His immaculate assembling of her sheets gave the bed a characteristic emptiness whenever he left. As if he had never been there at all…
Maybe that was his intention…, Asaya thought, then immediately shook herself out of her forlorn disposition. There was no sense in sulking. Itachi would be back eventually, she just had to wait.
Treading over to her dresser, she changed out of her dirty clothes and into a new set of lightweight pajamas. Tonight was another humid tempest and she didn't like to feel hot and sweaty in her own bed. Asaya already felt a coat of grime on her body, but decided to forgo taking a shower for sake of how exhausted she still was. Besides, as soon as she woke up she'd just have to patrol again.
Crawling into bed, Asaya laid awake for only a few moments before she fell back asleep, this time to hopefully not dream about rabbits.