Chapter 37: A few days of Travel

Ok, I'm sorry for not updating! It's been hectic to say the least. I'm aiming to update every Monday like before, get back on a schedule! Please enjoy and leave some comments! How are my kissing scenes doing? Was the first one a letdown? I worry.

The desert air was still hot even in the winter although the winds blowing the sand stung like ice. The group moved along the unstable surfaces made of sand, their hoods pulled over their heads and the cloak tightly wrapped around each body. Hibiki walked behind Suigetsu, holding onto the back of his cloak for guidance. She didn't like walking in sand, it was too shifty, and she could never truly get her footing right. They walked at a slow even pace for hours, from sunrise to sunset, and it was around this time they found a small village.

The village was built near a cliffside, one of the few rock formations they have seen, that had an oasis at its bottom. The buildings were old but not ruined, and the people were mostly elders. It was one of those dying towns that no longer held an interest in youth. Soon it would be a ghost town, a place for thieves, robbers, and other criminals to use as a hideout.

The wind began to blow stronger as they stumbled into the town and finally, after struggling with a door, the four tumbled into an inn. They took off their hoods and shook off and sand they could.

"Hello, what brings you around these parts?" the innkeeper asked. He was an older man, balding and a little overweight.

"Just passing through," Hibiki answered.

"You do know the Sand Village is in the other direction," he told them, wondering if the four youngsters were lost.

"No, no, we're heading toward the Land of Wheat" Karin corrected him.

"Oh well, your heading in the right direction then." The keeper affirmed, he picked up his pencil and pointed to each of them, "Four guests," he wrote in a book before calling out to his wife to set up a room.

"Do you need dinner this evening?" He asked.

"Yes, thank you." Hibiki answered.

He nodded and headed toward the back, calling out to another person to start some food. After a few quiet minutes the wife appeared with a soft smile.

"If you will follow me, I'll lead you to a room."

The group staggered down the hall, "We have roof access over there," She pointed out, "it's a good place to view the stars."

"Not in this wind," Suigetsu grumbled.

"We get these gusts all the time, it should be over soon." The wife informed them. The room was a fair size, with Four futons laid out, and a small table to eat at.

"Enjoy your stay." She said before walking back down the hall.

Everyone collapsed by the table, worried they would get sand in if they fell in bed now. Soon after, or maybe it just felt like a short time, The Innkeeper and another old man came by with their food. The group all eat quietly exhausted from the long day's walk.

"I thought this was supposed to be like a vacation," Suigetsu complained.

"The desert is the hardest part, there are only a few towns throughout it. Once we pass it everything will be easier." Hibiki told him. He groaned in acknowledgment.

After a bath, a good shake out of their clothes Karin and Juugo go to bed. Suigetsu returns from his own bath to find only the two inside. He checks the room for a minute before searching elsewhere. Suigetsu eventually finds Hibiki on the roof. The wind had calmed down and now the air was still, the sky cloudless. Suigetsu climbs all the way onto the roof before going to sit next to Hibiki. He promptly sneezed.

"So, you do get cold." Hibiki teased.

"Yeah that and all this dry air and sand is killing me."

"Here," she offered, she wrapped the blanket she had around him before taking a seat in his lap, covering them up into a small ball. He sighs and rests his chin atop her head.

"Feels sort of u real being free, not in any rush," Suigetsu commented.

"You know this is how most people live," Hibiki said.

"I could get used to it." He smiled.

"Me too, imagine that someday we won't be wanted people either."

"I don't know I'm pretty dangerous, I could do something stupid and get sent to jail again." Suigetsu pondered.

"I'll bust you out again," she told him.

"Then we would be on the run forever." He mused.

"As long as I have you, any life would be fine," Hibiki admitted.

They sit quietly for a while.

"What does the sky look like?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh uh… there are a lot of stars, more than I'm used to seeing. Surprising how clear it is out here" Suigetsu said, looking up.

"Do you know any… what are they called?" She thought for a moment, "constellations?"

"Nah, my brother showed me a few when I was a kid, but I never really got it." He told her.

"Oh."

"Can you see the stars; in your foresight I mean?" He asked.

"No, I can't. I can't see the sky at all, it's just emptiness." She explained.

"Why?" he thought aloud.

"I don't know, that's something even Haruto didn't know. Part of our curse maybe, we can't enjoy the simple pleaser of seeing the sky." They stay quiet for a few minutes.

"I think if you saw it, you'd like it. The stars." He said, poking her cheek.

"Really?" she chuckled.

"Yeah, I wish I could show them to you," he absently said.

"That's sweet."

Suigetsu 's cheeks began to burn. He was so happy no one else but Hibiki heard that. Why did he always say the most embarrassing things in front of her? At this point it was like a compulsion.

"Anyway," he changed the topic.

Hibiki smiled and turned to the side, she snuggled her face under Suigetsu's chin as she wrapped her arms around him. He did the same, pulling her close to him. She pulled back some and smiled up at him. Suigetsu moved a hand onto her face, caressing it. With little hesitation he leaned in and kissed her.

It was a soft peck. It lasted for a few seconds. Both still inexperienced and nervous Suigetsu looked at Hibiki's blushing face and was yet again, glad she couldn't see his.

…

Karin sat up in her bed and stretch as she yawned. She peered around her, to her right, Juugo was in his own bed sleeping and to her left Suigetsu had Hibiki wrapped in his arms. Karin took her earplugs out and heard him snoring as loudly as ever. Juugo was a heavy sleeper who couldn't hear Suigetsu once he was asleep, Hibiki never seemed to mind it, but Karin she hated it. It was loud, annoying, and impossible to fall asleep next to. She had brought earplugs with her from the very beginning, knowing she would probably need them.

Karin watched the couple for a moment, she couldn't even see Hibiki's face, buried and hidden in Suigetsu. Karin gaged a bit before standing and getting ready. She climbed to the roof and took in the bright day. It had to be nearing noon, the sun was high in the sky. Karin signed.

She reached up and ran a hand through her short hair. The hair she kept long in hopes of someday getting Sasuke to notice her, to love her. But just like Hibiki said, it was never meant to be. Karin always knew it was unlikely to happen, but she tried hard anyway. She could feel the breeze on her neck as the wind blew. Hibiki had suggested it, knowing the uneven cut still bugged Karin. It was a good idea. Karin had heard that many girls cut their hair after a breakup, then again Karin was never with Sasuke in the first place.

"Karin get your ass down here, we're heading out soon," Suigetsu called surprising her.

"Suigetsu I will knock you into next Tuesday." She warned.

"Suigetsu go eat with Juugo." She heard Hibiki say. "Hey Karin, come down when you're ready. No rush." She said.

"Thanks, Hibiki," she called back. She stayed on the roof for a few more minutes before descending into the inn.

Yet again the group set off. Walking at a leisurely pace through the desert. It was around 5 when the terrain began to change into dry plains. Hibiki was happy to have solid ground again. They walked on until night set in before finding a small village and an inn to stay at. Juugo was the last to take a bath, they were all sweaty and in need of cleaning. Hibiki and Karin went in together, then Suigetsu, then Juugo. Juugo being as large as he was, he wasn't going to fit in the small bath with Suigetsu.

Karin ordered food for everyone, it took a while, the old woman who was taking her order couldn't hear, it was quite the ordeal trying to get her to understand what she was saying. Karin finally heads back to the room, a bit frustrated she wanted to complain to Hibiki. She reaches the room and slides the door open only to find something she didn't want to see. Inside Hibiki was giggling while she was being held in place by Suigetsu who had been playfully biting Hibiki's shoulder. Suigetsu felt his blood drain as Karin grabbed him and threw him out.

Go check on the food!" she ordered before slamming the door shut.

"I'm sorry Karin, I didn't notice that you had returned." Hibiki apologized.

"Don't worry I'm not mad at you. I'm happy to see you so happy."

"Thank you, but still, I know you dislike seeing me and Suigetsu doing anything together."

"I can't help it, you're so precious!" Karin joked as she squeezed Hibiki tight.

Hibiki smiled as they settled back. Karin went on a rant about the old woman, getting her frustration out before saying,

"So I've been wondering, how's your foresight?"

"It's not good. I tried using it earlier, but everything was foggy. I got a massive headache from it too."

"How long do you think this will last?" Karin worried.

"Another month or two, I used it so much when we were with Sasuke that my body needs to heal."

"Well nothing's going on right now, so you don't need to use it anyway." Karin tried looking at the bright side for once.

"It just really bugs me, not being able to use it. Like an itch I can't scratch."

Suigetsu and Juugo burst in then with the food. They all ate together, with Suigetsu and Karin arguing like usual. The food was subpar but was at least warm.

Finally, after two more days of walking, having to camp out one night due to no inns being around, they made it back into more familiar territory. First was just grass fields but it soon morphed into a forest landscape. They stop on the roadside for a break and Karin pulls out the map and studied it, finding their location.

"Looks like the next place is in the Land of Wheat a small town called Yadorigi." Karin reported.

"How much farther until the Land of Oil?" Suigetsu asked not really wanting to hear the answer.

"At least six more major towns,"

Suigetsu groaned. He was never really one for traveling in the first place.

"Why don't we stay in Yadorigi for a few days and rest up?" Juugo offered.

"Sounds good, we need to resupply on a few things." Karin agreed.

"I think Yadorigi has a hot spring, that could be nice." Hibiki too offered, trying to sort through her memories as Haruto. The group hurried along and reached Yadorigi by the early afternoon.