"Stop following me." Indra growled, teeth grinding as he kept walking up the path. Furrowed eyes remained transfixed on the road ahead while a voice at the back of his mind whispered to him to engulf everything around him in flames. Her only response to him was a hum which only served to irk him more.

He had been walking for some time now. After a meal at the inn on the morning after, he went on his merry way to continue his journey. Even though he had purposely strayed away from the prepared land in favor of a harsher terrain, and even though it was already well past noon and the time for a meal had thoroughly been skipped- all in the hopes of throwing her off, Indra could still hear the second set of feet that followed close behind him.

"It is almost time for the sun to set." She began, but Indra made no pause in his step nor spare her a glance. "This path is not a very ideal place. Don't you think it is time for you to stop and scout for a proper area to camp before nightfall comes?"

"I will only stop and rest whenever I please." He responded, adding more weight in his steps. "If you are so concerned, why don't you go and find yourself another inn full of barbarians to rest for the night?"

It was a rhetorical question, one that the both of them were aware that shouldn't be answered. In fact, Indra even purposely insulted those so-called 'gentlemen' she's fond of in hopes that it would elicit him a different response. One that is not a laugh, giggle, nor another hum. But even then, the stubborn woman still answered him and the mirth in her voice only told him that she was more amused in his attempt.

"Oh don't be silly, boy. You will never find another inn for the next sixty or so miles. Finding an inn is a luxury in of itself. It is fairly common knowledge, but I suppose you would not have known that, would you, boy?" the way she stressed her term for him was enough to snap his attention and turn his menacing glare towards her. However, as if she knew better than to be caught in his ruby-turned eyes, the pink-haired woman casually walked ahead of him, with her fan doing no justice to hide the smirk on her face. She stilled and turned, eyes wide as if she realized something. "Ah! But is it possible that… you do not know how to set up camp?"

Indra's cheeks flushed red in anger and her laugh only triggered him to attack. Hands shifted over his chest in such speed as he willed the air into an invisible whip that he directed towards her. Damn his father's teachings about respecting women, how could he give respect to someone who has done nothing but humiliate him from the very start?! This woman does not deserve even a single grain of his respect! And he refused to be insulted any more than this!

The whip of wind crashed onto the bark of a tree and as much as it annoyed Indra, he had already suspected the woman to not fall from such a blatant warning attack- based on the way they fought by the waterfall yesterday. He has yet to know what she had done to him to knock him into unconsciousness though, and he doubts a simple kiss could have any sort of effect. Expecting her to appear behind him, Indra turned his head, but he snapped it around and above when a shadow was casted over him. True enough, the pink-haired woman was floating before him and was slowly descending to the ground. Her emerald orbs flashed in greater amusement as she kept a straight figure to silently tell him that she was not intimidated by him at all. She may seem as if she was flying, but looking closely, she used a leaf that had fallen from the tree he had disturbed as a sort of platform for her descent and she had kept it using her chakra as balance. For a moment, Indra almost called her a genius.

"Temper, temper." She waddled a finger to his nose, tutting. "If you respond with such vehemence at my teasing claim, it is almost as if you are telling me that what I said was true."

Before he could react, she jumped back into the forest and Indra made blind pursuit. He chased her through the trees, pumping his feet faster with his chakra all the while kicking the dirt and grass behind him with such force that it made dents onto the soil. His arm came out from his cloak and reached forward once he came close. A smirk wound its way to his features at how close he was but as if she knew that he was right behind her, Sakura turned her head to him, gave him a smirk of her own and suddenly disappeared.

Flabbergasted, Indra stopped and turned his head here in there, sharingan eyes roving through and between trees in search of any hint of pink. A whistle called his attention and Indra's head snapped up above him. His mouth gaped a bit at the sight of her standing upside down the branch above as if her feet had stuck themselves on the bark.

"Up here!" she giggled, waving her hand until she curled up a finger in a come-hither motion and winked. "Keep up, boy. I thought you were going to try and capture me."

Indra's chakra spiked and that was her indication to move. Meanwhile as he chased her from the forest ground, Indra can't help but marvel at how she leapt from tree to tree with such grace and without a hint of hesitation, showing him that she had done this sort of travel method for a long time. While keeping himself aware of his surroundings, Indra focused his eyes onto her and with the aid of his sharingan, learned her trick.

She gathered her chakra to the soles of her feet, focusing a certain amount and used it to stick herself onto the tree's bark. He had to commend her for her control though. She used just the right amount, not too much to splinter the wood she landed on, and not too little that she would slip and fall. Indra wondered how long and how many times she had attempted to achieve such perfection. Even he had taken quite an amount of time to channel his chakra properly.

With determination, Indra leaped off the ground and onto the nearest tree. He gathered chakra to his feet but it was too much that his foot went straight into it. He stopped himself from looking up, no doubt what awaits him was just another smirking face from the woman that was no doubt laughing at his mishap. With renewed vigor, Indra leaped onto another tree but he gathered too little and slipped. Thankfully he landed squarely atop the tree's massive, upturned roots.

Indra panted and fisted his hands in frustration but tried again, and again, and again. His attention now diverted from the annoying pink-haired woman and onto his practice of focusing just the right amount of chakra to walk up on trees. Finally, he gets it, and a smirk broke from his face as he ran up the tree's length, but his control was not yet consistently precise and he would sometimes leave a trail of splintered bark. Once he finally reached the top branch, Indra felt his heart pump in his chest rhythmically. It had been so long since he felt this… triumph. The last time being when he was a child and he felt how awed he was when he first breathed fire from his mouth.

A series of claps caught his attention and Indra snapped his head to the source. Atop another branch of a different tree in front of him, the pinkette clapped her hands in joy.

"You have done it! I just knew you would!" she cheered and Indra found himself frowning at her strange behavior. Usually her smiles always had a tint of mockery in them, but as she clapped and smiled at him for his achievement this time, he couldn't find nary a trace of them.

Suddenly she hopped towards him, so near was she that they were practically touching noses. Then in a blink of an eye, she circled around him and shot herself forwards. Snapping from his stupor, Indra gave chase. However, he has yet to learn how he could launch himself through great lengths from one branch to another that he would often find himself jumping too short that he had to grab onto the tree and run back up. it was tedious and he thought that he would have to practice again but the line of trees suddenly stopped.

The forest ended just short from a rocky ledge with a steady stream of river flowing below. The pink-haired woman stood there at the center, fanning herself as she waited for him and Indra landed down from the towering tree with a cat's grace. The woman shut her fan closed and pressed her palms together.

"Oh my, how wonderful!" she cheered, Indra blinked. "You caught dinner!"

He frowned and followed her line of sight. The brunette almost jumped when he saw two dead rabbits hanging by his hip with a string under his cloak.

"That settles it then! You prepare our meal while I go find some firewood." She merrily walked past him with a bounce on her step but not before stopping for a moment before looking at his dumbfounded face over her shoulder. "You do know how to prepare a rabbit, don't you?"

Indra flushed, "Of course I know how to prepare a rabbit! I know how to prepare a fish too!"

"Good to know then!" she smiled and practically skipped to the edge of the forest, gathering twigs as she went along.

Indra was left to himself. His hands snapped the string that tied the rabbits to his hip and stared at them with angry eyes before shifting his gaze up to find the sky turning orange with the setting sun. That was then that Indra realized that he had been outsmarted… by that woman… again! He had every intention to go after her and settle their score once and for all until he stopped dead in his tracks. His cheeks burned in embarrassment when he felt his stomach gurgle in hungry protest. He just hopes that she did not hear that. With an angry huff, he turned on his heel and sat behind a flat rock as he began to skin the rabbits.

.

To Indra's confusion, the rest of their time was spent in silence with nary a word spoken between them. She would spare him a glance or two at times and he would meet her smiling face with his glare. However, that did not seem to deter her as she would just busy herself in preparing the fire. Even when the sun has finally set and their meat were cooked, both of them just ate in silence as they sat across each other with the fire between them. All the while, Indra kept his eye on her in case she made any sudden movement. However the only strange behavior he observed from her was when she stopped and closed her eyes, hands to her ears like she was listening to something else aside from the cracking of the fire. After which she let out a sigh with a solemn expression and then resume her meal. Once they finished and threw the sticks into the fire however, did she finally break the silence.

"That was a good meal, boy. Thank you." she thanked him genuinely and for a moment, Indra didn't know what to say. Because surely, a thank you was not something he was expecting to come out of her lips.

"Stop calling me boy." He responded instead, accompanied with a glare.

The pinkette blinked and tilted her head. "Well, in our terms, you are one, but then again I never quite caught your name."

Indra huffed, straightening his back as he crossed his arms over his chest. "It is customary to introduce yourself first if you wish to know the name of others."

She pouted and the corner of his mouth twitched, but she relented nonetheless. She placed a hand over her chest and gave him a slight bow. "My birth name is Aini, but milady calls me Sakura."

Aini, her name meant 'flower'. He doesn't know what Sakura means though. "What does that even mean?"

He referred to her having two names and she caught on with his question. Sakura giggled, "It means that you can call me either way. But I prefer to be called Sakura, tis a tree of blossom promised to me by milady that would objectify my odd features. Now, may I know your name?"

"Indra." He answered simply.

"Indra…" she drawled and a spark of electricity ran up his spine at the way her tongue rolled his name. "'One who possess raindrops', it is a very nice name."

He did not say thank you, nor did he even bow his head in thanks. Instead he kept his mouth shut and coal eyes focused on her form, sitting on a piece of blanket with her knees drawn up as she rested her chin on them. Granted, he's a bit unnerved by her sudden change of demeanor, her teasing smiles completely gone, but it's a change a part of him welcomed nonetheless. He was very tired, and he might just explode from his annoyance if she would keep up her mockery of him.

"So what is the purpose of your travel, Indra?" she began, raking her fingers through her hair as she loosened the ties that bound her pink locks. "You seem to be headed due west. What is your purpose in that region there?"

Indra followed the way her fingers just flowed through her hair like silk. "That is none of your business."

"Perhaps, but if I intend to follow you I would really like to know your purpose and destination." She continued, not giving him a chance to speak yet. "Based from your clothes and the way you carry yourself, you seem to be the son of someone of high stature. Your posh manners and built, tells me that you had lived a proper upbringing. I am very curious on what could drive someone like you to exit the gates of his comfortable home and traverse this wilderness all alone. I doubt you ran away, either."

Coal eyes narrowed after waking from his stupor. "How do you know all this?"

Sakura shrugged, "I am a vagabond, Indra-san. I have travelled across many lands, I have seen many things, and I have met many people of different walks of life. Though this is my first time seeing someone like you outside the comforts of their protective walls."

She finished tying her hair back together, and for a long moment, all they did was stare into each other's eyes. The fire that served as their only source of light under the starry night had illuminated her features as she stared back at him, waiting for his answer. Her viridian orbs were wide and knowing, showing him a secret tale of long, treacherous journeys and Indra can't help but wonder what sort of upbringing this woman had. Using her words as his reference, her clothes for one were of a slightly higher quality than the clothes worn by common folk. The way she carried herself and her mannerisms tell him that she was taught proper etiquette but her childishness contradicts her training in discipline. Moreover, she knows how to control and manipulate chakra. Are there other places with people that knew how to harness this power? But wasn't he told that he was the first to introduce this power to the masses?

"My father sent me and my younger brother to two different, troubled villages and tasked us to resolve their issue. This will also serve as our test for him to name his rightful successor."

Sakura hummed, "So you tell me that you are the older brother. Dost your family have a different custom? Usually it is the eldest son who inherits most of the father's wealth and power."

"So you have a brain. I am pleased that you understand." Indra smirked as she narrowed her eyes at his insult. "I am simply humoring my father. It is unwise and a waste of time but if my father wishes for us to go through this farce, then so be it. In the end it is only obvious that I will be his pick, compared to my lesser capable and emotionally-driven brother, I am far more talented and more than capable to lead the future of our people."

"When you put it that way…" she hummed, placing a finger on her chin in thought. "It seems that putting you and your brother through this test is his wisest decision."

Indra's lips pressed into a thin line. Didn't she just agree with him moments ago? He dropped his arms to his lap and leaned forward, eyes narrowing in focus. "What do you mean?"

She pursed her lips as she stared up at the sky. "I wonder what your father said when he sent you two out here? If he is truly a wise man, then he would have said something like, 'What will the two of you do when you are out in the world?'"

Indra's eyes went wide again in wonder and surprise. Sakura smiled at him fondly as he stared at her as if she had grown two heads.

"Was that accurate?"

"Accurate…" he parroted. "Who are you?"

Sakura giggled hugging her knees to her chest. "I am but a simple vagabond who has seen and learned a great many. Well, I am sure you are as tired as I am. What say you we call it a night? This part of the region is very peaceful so there is no need to worry about animals coming to attack while we sleep."

"Animals… are the least of your worries. You seem to have forgotten that you have done nothing but irk me since the moment we met. Are you not concerned that it is I who will kill you in your sleep instead?"

His answer was a snort and a roll of her eyes as she gently patted her hands on her blanket. "If you are truly someone who would stoop so low, driven by childish frustration and vengeance, then you would never have told me your name and the purpose of your travel, Indra."

"You are a fool to blindly have faith on a stranger."

"But you and I are no longer strangers for we now know each other's names. You could say that we are… acquaintances?" she giggled.

"Is that how you do this? You selfishly insert yourself as someone's travelling companion without permission just to satisfy your curiosity? Are those eyes that has 'seen a great many' so greedy to learn more?"

She gave him a sad smile and Indra was suddenly at a lost for words. "These eyes that had seen a great many… has helped me survive all these years, and yes they are greedy. My eyes will never be satiated until I finally find what I'm looking for."

Indra would've asked what she meant, would've asked what she was looking for, but she suddenly cut the tension before it could thicken with a loud clap of her hands and a bright smile on her face.

"Anyways, I am also headed due west in the same direction and I have a good guess on the village you are going to. Besides, traveling all those miles alone, would it not be better to have a traveling companion to depend on and make the journey more enjoyable? You also need someone to guide you through these mountains. You may have a map but I doubt it will tell you what changes these lands had undergone during the last few decades."

His hand reflexively went to his pouch where his map was. When had she taken a peek? True, they have been warned that the maps they carried were outdated for almost fifty years. "Enjoy-? I did not come here for pleasure, woman. I have no need for a companion. They will only slow me down. I can also sustain myself just fine. I do not need your help."

He bit the last words rather harshly but it seemed that even that did not deter her at all as Sakura snorted again and laid her body down the blanket. "True, even without my help, you can survive in this wilderness all alone. But that's the point is it not? You will be all alone, and where would the fun be in that? Well, goodnight Indra."

Casting him one toothy grin, Sakura turned her head and comfortably laid on her side. Indra's mind was divided, one side remained silent in awe and wonder while the other was loud and aggravated at her sheer audacity. Never had he met anyone like her before. He had other people talk back at him and disobeyed him before but they would usually cower in fear after they had their fill. This woman was different, far different, and he wondered if the people who had traversed these wild roads are the same, or if she truly is unique. Which makes him wonder back to how she could use ninshu and have such perfect chakra control.

This woman, this Aini… Sakura… was an enigma. A very irritating and puzzling enigma. For one, she slept in a way that has her back totally presented to him. Unarmed and completely open. Does she not know how dangerous that position was? No, she probably knew, but why? Why would she just throw away her blind faith to him? They may now know each other's names but it does not win the argument that they have just met and barely knew each other. He doubts trust has already been established between them.

He moved silently, almost inaudibly, and from his pouch he produced a sharpened weapon and poised it over her neck. His sharingan eyes stared at her sleeping form for any sort of movement, but all that met him were even breaths and the steady rise and fall of her chest.

Indra bit his lip and pulled his weapon as he walked back to his position on the other side of the fire. Truly, she was an enigma- an enigma he is determined to unravel. He will expose her secrets and make her tell him all that she knew about ninshu. She may be wisely observant but she has been displaying the manners of a child. With a little coaxing, it will not be difficult to turn this woman around, and once he learns everything she has to offer, he will leave her at one side of the road and be done with it.

Shifting comfortably in a better position, Indra pulled his hood over his head and closed his eyes to sleep. What he didn't know however, was when he finally succumbed to slumber, Sakura opened her eyes to briefly look at him over her shoulder with a knowing smirk on her face. No, he will never get rid of her that easily. Not when she finally found the sharingan eyes.

Will continue depending on your responses.

Ciao~!