"I don't have to run faster than you- not if I have enough of a head start. I just have to run farther. I know I can do that."
Crunch, crunch, crunch…
Six inches of snow compressed under small, fleeting footfalls. Crisp, icy air scratched at flushed, red cheeks as steamy puffs of breath expelled through a dry, raw throat through pink, cracking lips.
Dammit… Golden brown eyes looked up at dark grey clouds blanketing the night sky. It was framed by thin, dead branches laced together like a deranged doily. Paper-like birch obscured perception in every direction, their indeterminate patterns an optical illusion. There were no beaten paths. Only vibrant, pristine snow perforated by a trail of footprints.
She wasn't fast enough.
Crunch, crunch, crunch…
Asaya whipped her head over her shoulder just as a black kunai flew an inch in front of her nose.
...! There was no choice but to keep pressing forward. If she could just make it a bit farther then-
A sudden blow to her ribcage sent her flying to the right, smashing into a tree and falling to the ground. The snow's crust softly shattered under her body and glassy shards pricked her face. Pulling an awkwardly bent arm out from underneath her, she struck the ground next to her head, frustrated.
Crunch, crunch, crunch…
Panting, she propped up onto her elbows. Two feet appeared buried under the snow in her peripheral vision. She heard a low gurgling sound from the direction she had been running.
"Apparently, you didn't get enough of a lead."
Her lip curled up and she narrowed her eyes at her fist. 1, 2, 3... She counted with breaths then yelled "Fuck off!" Asaya pounded the ground with her fist and a wall of earth erupted to push him back. She launched into a sprint.
"Please, please, please…" she chanted. Mouth gaping open, she desperately inhaled every sliver of frozen air.
A red bridge appeared in the distance, beckoning her like a neon sign. Like a divine offer of salvation. Yes! Warm tears pearled in the corners of her eyes.
Witch! Itachi cursed her as he lay in the snow. He would have seen that attack a mile away- two even- if it hadn't been for her damn chicanery. Although, all's fair in war, he supposed. Covering his eyes with a palm, they still stung. Not that his normal eyesight was that great anyway but at least it hadn't been affected.
A cough erupted from deep in his lungs. Dammit, he thought clutching his chest. It felt as if they were filling with gritty polystyrene. No matter, he would still close the distance like a thoroughbred.
Asaya reached the apex of the bridge and turned around to see Itachi halt in front of the threshold, obviously cautious of what she was planning. Sharp, black eyes met hers. She could see the determination in them- a fierce determination that belied the fatigue she knew he suffered. How many times had she looked away from them nervous and embarrassed? Who could say? But this time- the last time- she would meet them.
Her face softened and her raw lips cracked as she sheepishly curled them up. She genuinely regretted how she had cursed him, but there were no rules in war.
The falling snow squelched all ambient sound except the gushing river.
Itachi knew better than to rush onto the bridge. If she ran straight to the other side, he'd catch her before she set foot back on soil. She obviously knew that, so she must be planning to destroy the bridge when he approached. Predictable.
His brow twitched as she unbuttoned her wool jacket and tossed it aside. Was she tired? Ironic, considering her bold statement about her superior stamina. Between his poor eyesight and the distance between them he couldn't tell if he imagined it, but was she smiling…?
In the stillness of their deadlock, the snowflakes had time to alight upon her soft, loose hair. This vision…
Asaya lunged over the rail and plunged into the river.
The frigid, black current quickly pulled her down. If she could just stay there long enough the river could carry her far enough away to where he couldn't follow. The water saturated her clothing and burned as it rushed over her skin. Only darkness greeted her squinting eyes. Desperation never led to ideal circumstances, she mused as her shoulders dug into the stony riverbed. At least she knew which way was down.
The oxygen in her lungs began to stale faster than anticipated. She pinched her nose and curled into a ball as tight as she could. A few bubbles escaped her as she again tumbled into the riverbed. The jagged rocks snagged a few strands of hair and ripped them off.
A hand suddenly grabbed her left wrist and jerked her arm away from her chest. She desperately tried to pull it back, clawing at the fingers around her joint. She would have chewed the appendage off like a fox in a trap.
Itachi's arm encircled her waist and she flailed against him, splashing wildly as he pulled her to the surface and then the shore where he collapsed on top of her in the snowy bank.
The weight of his body trapped her like a lead net. Limp and defeated, she listened to him wheeze. His lips were so close to her ear they drowned out the sound of her own gasps. Damn it… "Fucking damn it…!" She winced.
Itachi could feel her trembling beneath him. "You idiot!" He chastised her. "What were you trying to do? Kill yourself?!" His raspy, quavering voice betrayed him.
Asaya stared at her wet finger tips. They didn't even tingle. No, she thought, but you are.
"Well?" He pressed his cheek into her balmy neck. He would have gotten up, but the heat of her body tethered him.
"Go to hell." She whispered spitefully.
"Gladly," He huffed into her ear. "I'm sure it's much more pleasant than-"
She waited for him to finish the snide remark, but he didn't. "What? Can't think of anything stupid-"
He was limp, she realized. "Itachi-san?"
Like an inanimate ragdoll, he didn't resist as she rolled him off of her and onto his back.
"Hey, say something." She demanded, kneeling over him. "Hey!"
His eyes flickered open when she placed a hand on his chest and gently shook him. "St- Stop…" he muttered.
Under her small fingers, his heart beat weak and erratic.
She looked up the river bank, to the road that ran alongside it. Then back at the dying man beneath her.
Snow continued falling.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A middle-aged man shot up from his bed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The noise came from the front door, a pounding so strong he swore the whole house shook. He thought he heard a cry, one not unlike an animal's. He heard it again. A woman? He flung the sheets off and marched out of the bedroom and toward the front door, not bothering to put on slippers.
Bang! Bang- The door flung open.
At his feet, a young woman knelt on the doorstep with another figure propped up on her shoulder. She looked up at him like an injured dog. "Please, help-"
"Come in, quickly." He unburdened her of the second figure and carried it inside. Immediately, he realized the form was limp as a ragdoll. The young woman closed the door behind them as he rushed the figure to the living room and laid him on the sofa by the fireplace. It was a young man, he realized. "Do you know how to start a fire?" He asked her.
She nodded.
"Then grab some wood from the shed out back. The matches are next to the fireplace."
She was gone before he finished the sentence.
He returned his attention to the young man. His clothes were soaking wet and the tips of his long hair had frozen, like black icicles. Was he even breathing? The man placed two fingers to the young man's throat to feel for a pulse. It took a while, and it was feint, but it was there. The man felt a brief relief before rushing to grab scissors from the kitchen and a blanket from the closet.
The young woman came back carrying two more logs then she could comfortably carry. Grabbing some old newspaper, she wadded them up and threw them in the fireplace with the logs. Her fumbling hands needed a few tries to strike a match, but she did succeed in lighting the fire.
"You're not by chance a doctor, are you?" The man asked her. His voice was as gruff as the short, peppery hairs of his beard.
The young woman shook her head.
"Then that makes two of us. I'm no expert, but your boy here probably won't last the night." It was harsh but true. He watched her gaze shift to the young man. She was just as cold and wet as her companion, but only began shivering now.
"Look," the man scratched the back of his head. "Young lady, if you don't mind me askin', what happened to the two of you?"
Taking a moment to respond, she bit the corner of her mouth gently before saying, "My brother and I were attacked while traveling-"
"I'm sorry but I can't accept that." He calmly interrupted. Siblings? They looked nothing alike. Travelers? Maybe, but no one travels at midnight, not in this weather.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't tell you."
At least that was honest. The man sighed deeply before saying, "Alright then, but can you at least tell me your names?"
"My name is Yukimura Tomoyo." She spoke quietly. "And his is Hayashi Yuuto. Thank you for your generosity." She bowed politely.
She was probably still lying, but the girl was obviously in an unfortunate situation. No matter, the man thought. He just needed a way to address them. "I'm Ishikawa Banri." He introduced himself, giving a nod. "Sorry to meet you in these circumstances. I'll put the kettle on."
"I don't mean to trouble you more than I already have."
"Nonsense." He dismissed her formality.
Banri walked to the kitchen and grabbed the steel kettle from a cupboard and filled it about a third. The gas stove clicked three times before catching. Grabbing two teacups from the cupboard, he wondered if he should call the authorities. They might be miscreants trying to rob him, but nearly dying of hypothermia was a big risk for a small reward. He opened two packets of black tea. The two were likely runaways- they looked like naive kids, as far as he could tell. Kids who made a mistake that spiraled out of their control. Either way, they probably had families looking for them.
Just before the kettle whistled, Banri took it off the burner and poured the hot water into the two cups. The water instantly stained a deep brown as the tea steeped. Upon further deliberation, the two must not be at home with their families for a reason. Scratching his beard, he didn't know what to do.
He returned to the living room where the young woman- Yukimura- was still sitting next to her companion.
"How long have you known him?" Banri asked, handing her a cup of tea. Maybe it was none of his business, but he might as well ask anyway.
Asaya startled, not realizing the man had walked up to her. "Thank you, Ishikawa-san." She gingerly took the teacup from him. "I've known him-" How long had it been, she wondered while wrapping her fingers firmly around the hot cylinder.
Tactfully, the man- Ishikawa- said, "You don't have to say if-"
Shoulders slumping, she sighed, "Not that long, actually." She closed her eyes, clearly drained. "I don't actually know anymore, though."
"I see." Banri said, knowing that statement didn't actually mean anything. "How do you know him, then?"
He and an anthropomorphic shark kidnapped me because their evil fraternity maybe wants to take over the world, or something? Asaya scrunched her eyebrows, trying unsuccessfully to articulate an answer. She thought of how he sometimes looked at her, red-eyed and detached, like she didn't exist enough to be disapproved of. But, then there were moments when he would whisper gentle solaces. Honest or not, "I couldn't say."
"Look-"
"I know this looks bad, sir, but we aren't trying to steal anything or running away from anyone. We won't cause you any trouble." She said, anticipating what the man really wanted to know. "We just-" she looked at Itachi, "He just needs shelter for now."
Banri saw her fingers twitch as she gripped the teacup a bit tighter. What had he gotten himself into?
Itachi did not realize he was awake. All thought was drowned out by an ache so overwhelming it didn't feel attached to his body. Time did not progress, air did not pass through his lungs, and words did not form in his mind. The pain and numbness were his sole state of existence.
A sudden crack bursting into his right ear pulled him to conciseness. He opened his eyes but the burning light seared them shut again. Clamping his eye lids, he waited a few moments before fluttering them open again. There was a wooden ceiling above him coated in a warm glow. A soft fabric blanketed his skin.
Itachi turned his head towards the light. Although truthfully, it fell more so than turned. A figure sat in profile huddled in front of a fireplace. The harsh contrast between the firelight and shadows prevented him from identifying the person. "Who are you?" He tried to say, but he barely even moved his tongue.
"…you." He eked out.
The figure sharply turned toward him.
"Hey," She spoke softly, as if her voice might shatter him.
"You." Hers was a familiar voice.
Itachi examined her, trying to remember. The vision before him- warm and golden in the firelight- did not match his memory of a woman whose skin glowed pearlescent and white. "Asaya."
Memories flooded his mind: the crunch of her footsteps as she ran, her flushed cheeks and tender lips, the snowflakes adorning her hair, and her determination. And his shock when she lunged over the rail and hit the water, and then another when he did too.
"You're alive." He breathed.
"You're alive." She repeated. There was a painful relief in her eyes, like circulation returning to a limb.
He tried to rise to meet her, but it was futile. He could barely move an arm let alone his whole body.
"Shhh…" She soothed him. Apprehensive and uncertain, she looked like a deer trying to decide if it was safe to cross a river. "Don't move."
The firelight flickered across her face and he was reminded that they were now inside somewhere. He couldn't remember anything that happened after he jumped into the river. "How did we get here?" His voice was still quiet and weak, but the words were pronounced clearly.
Turning towards the fire, she bit her cheek. "The woodsman who lives here was kind enough to open his door."
That didn't really answer his question, but he could figure it out by context; she had carried him here. "How long have we been here?"
"A few hours, I think. The sun should be up soon."
Itachi shook his head. The ordeal clearly had little to no effect on her- damn polar bear. "Why are you still here?"
She was silent and reticent, hoping he'd withdraw the question. But, he had no intention of doing so.
"You could be halfway to Iwa right now."
Was he criticizing her? "You could be dead right now." She retorted.
As if he didn't know. If she had just let him freeze to death she would be free. Or if she had just left before he woke. But, here she was. Here she foolishly was.
The fire cracked and sparked. Orange and white embers burst from the fireplace, fizzling out just before they singed her cheek.
"And yet, I am not." How many times had he been stifled by the ellipsis? How it made him feel pathetic and weak to not know what to say or do. To be ashamed because he was powerless to reconcile the conflict- his conflict. He was sick of it.
That golden brown gaze pierced him through the corner of her eyes. This game was nothing new, but there were so few pieces now.
Itachi propped himself up by his elbow. It took every ounce of strength he had, but he did it.
"Stop." She came and knelt beside him to prevent him from getting up. It didn't take much, just a gentle hand on his shoulder and he was pinned. "Stop trying to kill yourself." She gently chided him.
Itachi trapped her hand with one of his own. However, he was no longer a threat to her; she had rendered him declawed cat. Harmless black pools met her golden ones. All is fair… he reminded himself.
"Asaya, just go."
Delicately, she brought her hand to his cheek. Asaya conceded to it now- finally allowed herself to. He was not commanding her; he was begging.
"I'm sorry." She leaned down and kissed him just long enough for him to return it. Sweetly, earnestly.
The last thing Itachi remembered before he fell unconscious was her hand covering his eyes and a recognizable, searing pain.