12.29.18 EDIT: It's factual at this point that, yes, I take years to updated my stories. /shrug/ in any case, I found this last bit in my notes while skimming through them; I had a glasses-adjusting-eye-squinting moment because uh, this bit serves as a prelude to the interrogation, so I have no idea why I cut it out. Next chapter comes whenever.

silver lining
{ arc I ; the remembrance of tomorrow }
003 ; the tough gets going

Nothing could exactly prepare her for the strange sight of a man in a mask, but she isn't naive; she's seen masks like these and she has a vague understanding of it means, what the men and women who wear these masks entail. It fills her with dread. The girl is a rabid animal as she pants, her stance crouched low and her heart bolting through her ribcage like the heavy burden it is. Unlike the last time she ran, which was full of panic and fear, right at this moment she has purpose, however slight. She knows for a fact that the man in the fox mask is an obstacle. And it's at this moment that she becomes resolute.

Her eyes flash dangerously, and Utakata doesn't miss the wild glint in her eyes; he's lived those eyes. They scream raging madness. There is no doubt that it would take less than a second for him to hold her down, and with rapid ease… but something about her makes him unable to move forward. Her body position, the look in her eyes, the absolute desperation oozing off her… it almost makes him want to choke. He sees something of his young self in her.

It's frightening.

"Alright… look..." The sound coming out of his throat is much more collected and focused than he actually feels. His hand reaches out, trying to placate her, but it makes her stagger backward instead like an abused dog; the ferocity of her steps make him pause, and he can barely stand to shudder a breath, the sound being much too loud beneath his mask. The girl is bloody terrified and on edge; though it had been made apparent that she held no real skill as a nin, those two traits are still a very deadly, and messy, combination. But despite the obvious tension in her stance and in her facial expression, it's her eyes that have him transfixed and rooted to the spot. For all the world, this girl is as good as dead, completely beaten and weak; but the lively ferocity in her eyes contradict every inch of that notion, and it's fascinating to see, to watch. Because he was her once upon a time. He wants to know her reasons.

He hadn't missed the exchange with the bandits.

Thank goodness for obliviousness, however: "Is that… her? The child?" Harusame's unexpected and astonished interjection seem to snap him out of the tension, and the world seems to move again. The hospital staff are more startled than they are frightful; more likely due to him rather than a measly little girl, but despite that, nobody moves. It had only been a fraction of a second in which he had moved his sight away from her, bare moments after his sensei's voice had rung through the air; so when he snaps his eyes to where she'd been standing, all he sees are trails of blonde around the corner and astonished gasps. "Utakata, wait—" He doesn't stick around to hear what advice Harusame wants to give, because by that point he's already rounding the other corner.

"Tch— When did I get demoted to babysitter?" He ignores the obvious answer to his own question.

Hotaru doesn't know what's come over her; it's not fear, not exactly. And though she is on the verge of a panic attack, it's overshadowed by a little more than determination. This time, she has purpose. Her vision is tunnel focused, and every person she runs into is either shoved or evaded without grace, but purposeful all the same. She tries to closet the thought that forms in the back of her mind: Where exactly am I going? That bridge will be faced when she crosses it.

"Hey—!" cries out one of the many from the hospital staff. Papers are scattered to the floor, people are slipping and steps are shuffled. She doesn't miss a beat in knocking equipment all over the floor behind her, making an absolute mess. Someone tries to make a grab for her, yanking her by the hair fiercely. But she is in no mood to be maltreated again. She refuses to have it.

"Don't TOUCH me!"

Screeching like a banshee, she is turned towards the direction of her attacker; it's the nurse from before. "Ooh! You are in so much trouble when you're captured, child! Now, you're going to stay put and wait till—" The old hag had been babbling too much nonsense, and her sharp voice scraped Hotaru's eardrums like nails on a chalkboard. With all the strength she could possibly muster, and with renewed reason, she kicks the wailing toad in the abdomen. The woman curses in pain, and Hotaru pulls herself away from her monster grip, uncaring for the strands of hair that are pulled from her roots. "nngh— Get back here!"

She'd regret that tomorrow, when she'd grow a conscience… should she even make till then.

The girl continues to run, and she is tempted to let herself go into a blind panic. Shaking her head to be rid of such thoughts, and ignoring the pounding of her skull and her chest, she desperately tries to find a window or… or something. At this point, she's willing to jump out of her skin. —Running blindly while not knowing where you're heading is better than succumbing to a pathetic sobbing mess with no motivation to move at all. And then, it's as if though her prayers are answered, and an open window to her right just up ahead seems to beckon to her. Freedom…

—my chance!

Uncaring for the wrench of the weight of her body as she turns, she all but hurls herself to the opening, grasping at the edges of the thick glass as her heart gets caught in her throat. She hadn't realized how…. kind of high the floor was.

Not kind of…. a lot high.

Fierce spritzes of rain and wind hit her face with cold, silent slaps. The chills work their way to her brow and cheeks; thanks to her pumping blood and high adrenaline, the cold feels even more numbing than it should have. The transition in temperature is painful, and it makes her reel back in a slight cough, not counting on the small bits of hail to hit. Her eyes are nothing but a squint, but it really doesn't matter.

It hurts to swallow, the only sounds coming from the shuffle of her hair being pushed behind her ear, and the raging windy rain and hail hitting the window pane and inside the hall. Hotaru's neck and below are absolutely drenched, but she doesn't want to question why it feels like nothing. Hotaru didn't realize just how much of the water and ice made it's way into her mouth until she's left chortling and gushing her own spit from having it open. She can feel the bits of ice hitting the walls of her throat. Thinking right now is bad; the more she thinks and tries to make sense of her current predicament, the more she'll realize just how insane she's truly become. Because it's now or never. Her legs are absolute stone, yet quaking undeniably like twigs. She scowls in disgust at her inability to hold herself together; her thundering internal cries of don't look down bring her more worry than it does relief, but regardless she pushes forward, just like she's been trying to make herself ever since—

—don't think. Bad bad bad bad. Just. Don't. Think!

Just. Move.

Crouched on the frame as she monstrously grips the thick double glass, her heart thunders louder by the second in her ears. The girl can hear nothing else but her raging heartbeat, willing to live, to make her step back and not jump into who even knows where. But then it's like the world stops moving, even for just a fraction of a second… Her leg cramps and forces her to bend onto her side unnaturally from the white pain. But then, time stops.

Her foot slips.

— Ba-dum

Several hues of reds and blues flash in her vision.

— Ba-dum

The sound of rain echoes in her skull. Her stomach is sucked so much that she nearly chokes from the inhale—!

— Ba… DUM.

She can already feel her insides flipping… and she can't help to think that maybe, for just a fraction of a second, that… maybe this is for the best… Hotaru almost embraces the oncoming fall… except she doesn't, not really. Because her body doesn't even topple over the edge before she is yanked back, and she meets a pair of eyes through a slit fox shaped mask as their faces meet, merely inches apart, for a few seconds. Golden ones. And they have alarm and fire burning directly at her.

The impact of her back hitting the vinyl floor makes her sputter violently. Harsh coughs are practically choked as the air swooshes from her lungs, and she instinctively arches her back from the raw pain of such a trauma.

"Are you insane?!" She doesn't know what annoys her more; the fact that he's the one that sounds indignant after just yanking her into a painful landing, the fact that he seems to have no consideration for her pain, or the fact that his tone is oozing with something akin to… fatherly. Like he actually gives two shits. She'd scoff if she wasn't struggling to breathe. Her shaky hands grip nothing but the surface of the floor beneath her, and her eyes nearly gauge out of their sockets in searing white damnation.

'—Dear lord.. save me. I'm sorry!' Yet, she knows her prayers are hardly answered.

He repeats the line again, reverberating with anxiousness rather than rage as she might have perceived. He'd shut the window, if it weren't for the creeping paranoia of taking his sight off of her, despite the unlikely circumstances. Utakata finally exhales a large, shaky sigh, and almost rips the mask off his face, because he's just that close to not giving any more damns. His hand wraps around a fistful of his own hair, and he resits the urge to yank it right out of the roots. But her heaving and coughing bring him out of his stupor, and he has to bring over his mask of duty and morality. It makes him sick and shift uncomfortably, however slight the movement. Without any more words, he brings out a water whip, the coolness of the chakra almost soothing as it runs through his fingers and extend beyond arm's length. He makes sure to wrap it carefully around her and as tightly as he could; she won't be happy, and she's already squirming desperately.

He refuses to acknowledge the stinging in his eyes.

He crouches, albeit slowly, and she has that insane maddening look to her eyes. "No..nonono don't -fuc —king touch me!" She rambles, voice echoing through the hall. His chest tightens, forming a big knot all the way to his throat.

"Calm down." His voice betrays the rattling of his head as he holds his hands up in surrender; a gesture that does nothing in her eyes as she glares daggers. "I'm not going to hurt you. Just cooperate with me here, it'll make this easier for you." And for me. "Please Hotaru."

Her lips curl fiercely, baring her teeth. "How do you know my name?!" Ah… so she doesn't remember? How could she not remember? Better to not reveal that just yet. He responds by giving her a blank look… though, the mask does that for him. After agonizing moments of silence, she moves around again trying to crawl, to do anything to get away. She doesn't get far when his grip tightens on the rope. "Let me go! What do you people want?!" Colorful words spill from her mouth that even he hadn't heard much of in this village, despite it's murderous reputation, make his eyes widen slightly, bemused.

—How old is this kid again?

"Let me go let me go let me GO!" Her blabbering is getting old, but he offers nothing more than a tilt of his head. Better to let a few moments pass.

"… Are you done throwing a tantrum?" The sudden snarl jutted his way would be a resounding no if he has to guess. "You've caused quite the ruckus here. You even knocked over some patients."

"Like I care!" She doesn't like his tone; rather, the lack of. As if he literally wishes to be sitting around than…. than entertaining this whole situation. As if he doesn't have her practically freaking hostage and won't. Let. Her. GO! If he's that ridiculously bored why doesn't he just turn the other way and play a small game of 'Oh, the blonde girl? Nope, haven't the slightest clue—

"Wouldn't dream of it." He deadpans. "In any case, you're pretty much all healed, evidenced by your ability to move; but thanks to your recklessness, you're probably going to catch a cold now." As expected, he gets no response; she instead turns away from him. It's a gesture not at all unfamiliar to him, but annoying all the same. "What exactly was your plan here? What are you trying to do?"

And then he sees it: hesitance. The girl stills, as if realizing something and her lips part ever so slightly. This of course doesn't fail to capture his attention, and before he knows why or even how, he's already leaning forward so he can hear better. "I… I'm—"

"Utakata," But the rest of her sentence gets cut off, and her lips clamp shut. Utakata sighs internally, before regarding his master with a sideways glance.

"Was there any necessity to let her roam about like a lunatic?" Grunting, Harusame adjusts his spectacles before gazing down at the girl with unimpressed eyes. The girl purposefully averts his stare. "She's caused a bit of an uproar. The staff isn't too happy about it." His hands fold neatly behind his back, his gaze back to his pupil, as if she's nothing more than a pesky fly.

"Whatever. I'll take care of it."

"Be that as it may… what are you going to do with her?"

"—Don't talk to me like I'm not here!" Hotaru had enough of their squabble, ignoring her and treating like nothing more than chopped pork. "Let me go already!"

"She's quite… rambunctious." The old man notes dully, nothing about his face showing the least bit acknowledgment but a raised brow.

"… Something like that." Utakata tugs on the rope, enough to let her know she should just be quiet. "She won't simmer down. I can't take her to Mei like this, that woman is a ticking time bomb."

"Regardless of the circumstances, you have a duty to uphold." Only his student would have the audacity to say such a thing in uniform.

"….Yeah." His blank tone doesn't go unnoticed.

"Well… I better get to it then..." Utakata sighs, muttering about this being troublesome before tugging on the rope. "I doubt your highness would let me carry her?" He tilts his head toward her, even though he fully well knows the answer already.

"You better not think about it, you creep!" —aaaaaand there it is. Her screeching is going to give him a migraine if she keeps it up. He shakes his head before, quite literally, dragging her across the floor.

Left with scratching his chin in amusement, the old man watches his student's back with the girl ranting obscenities following shortly after, Harusame lets his lips quirk. For the first time in a while, he noticed the boy react with something else other than a mask of indifference, despite if he himself thought otherwise. —Maybe that's exactly what he needs. A good dose of his own medicine would maybe do his pupil some good. He isn't getting any younger and at the rate he's going, I'll be the one to outlive the boy! He walks away, as the shouts of "—I am not an animal!" and "You might as well be with all this screaming, so settle down!" echo throughout the hospital halls; he pays no mind to those glaring pointedly at him.

For once in a long time, Mei is at a complete loss. With nothing to offer other than a pointed face and a raised brow. Her first instinct is utterly blank other than the echoing, unspoken, question that hangs in the room… but it's hard to even voice that and she's never been good at small talk, but… this is just— "Decided it was a lovely evening to swim, Captain? And after the fact, drench my sacred floors, did you? Are you going to mop?" The chortle caught in her throat is released as a cough, and she has to adjust her hands to distract herself. She doesn't doubt Utakata's been receiving strange looks since he stepped into the building, especially with the droplets of water from his clothes and hair. "I didn't think you were the kind to do such things; after all, we all stop being children at a certain point, but this—"

"This…. This damn brat..." he hisses. Even his voice is something foreign to her.

Her eyebrow twitches at that; she'd already gotten wind of a little mishap at the hospital less than thirty minutes ago. She nods placating, she figured as much— "I thought so.. Should I ask about the…." her eyes narrow to the bite marks on his shoulder and trails up to his messy, pulled hair. This makes her pause. "My my…. I know we're much more lenient on various societal… ah… views, Utakata, but I am obligated to ask how old she is because even this seems a little—"

"—Mei I'd rather not dwell on this can wepleasemovethefuckonalready!?" It takes everything in her not to laugh, but she miraculously keeps her composure graceful and cool.

"Alright alright, ease up there. I'm just poking fun; this is… very unexpected, to be frank." A thought comes, "I'm serious about the mopping though."

"She's been absolutely uncooperative." Yeah, really, Captain Obvious? Wouldn't have even dreamed of such a concept!

A hiss escapes her, lacing her fingers together. "And now you see why we don't like foreigners. You will have to get her to talk." Following the statement, she tilts her head, smile sugary and deathly sweet. "We wouldn't want any kind of information to spill out of that little mouth of hers." Her gaze snaps back to him; it's like an absolute switch. Fun time is over, and it's back to business. Her tone resonates that. "Alright then," her tone is laced with finalization, and so the captain stands just a bit straighter. "…since you seem so… persistent on the matter, I consent to an interrogation, however," Mei holds up a finger, despite knowing that her captain hadn't been going to argue or even offer another alternative. "You are to get information. I want names, I want places, I want relatives. Officially, she is our prisoner, a captive, but we have a fair system; she hasn't given any particular reason to be deemed as a threat, yet. Security measures will be taken. I refuse to have anymore casualties in Kiri; not when we have one resting, waiting, on our shoulders. Am I understood?"

With no hesitation, which assures her confidence in her fellow shinobi, he responds clearly: "Yes, Mizukage-sama."

"Excellent. Disband her to the interrogation unit. Do whatever you must."

With a final nod, he positions himself to poof out of the room with a single handsign. However, a millisecond before he does so, Mei halts him with a graceful motion. "And Utakata – don't make this mistake again." But there's a mutual understanding – respect, familiarity despite the urgency of the situation. After all, at the end of the day, she can't see him as anything else other than a stubborn kid; a trouble maker burdened with a heart too big for what he is. Although she doesn't see it, she is almost sure his smirk mirrors her own. And then, he is gone.

What she's conveniently left out though, is that she knows exactly what to do with this matter if the girl acts more or less how Mei predicts. The thought brings a quirk to her lips.

Well, this ought to be fun. Can't wait to see the look on his face after...