Chapter two of Elements of Eien.
And to answer those reviews;
Earth is pretty much the same as nature in my story, but Tenten can control both.
I chose lightening because I wanted the four primary colours which are blue, green, red and yellow. So I chose lightening. AND AND AND, I couldn't choose a good element for the colour purple.
NOW ON WITH THE STORY.
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Sasuke sat on his horse dreamily. He could remember the touch of the girl who he had met minutes ago. Her soft pink hair and her fragile body looked so frail. She was cute, to his checklist.
"Hey, Uchiha, what's up with you today?" Sasuke broke out of his train of thoughts as soon as he heard the pearl eyed boy beside him speak.
"Nothing," Sasuke muttered back, gazing at the road ahead of them. The four boys were heading to the "Boss's" house, where their next assignment was due to be handed to them.
Uchiha Sasuke and his friends were members of the great detective league, Kuro Tsumi, meaning "Black Sin".
There's Hyuuga Neji, the pearl eyed boy with chocolate brown hair. He was a calm, collected teenager. His parents left him in the care of his uncle when he was still a young boy. He is searching for his long lost cousin who was abandoned by the family years ago.
Nara Shikamaru, the strategist of the team. He is a rank higher than all of them but nonetheless, the laziest. He had black hair and brown eyes. His IQ is over 200 but yet, says it's too bothersome to do such a thing like writing in an office. He is loyal to his friends and a very trustworthy person.
Lastly, Uzumaki Naruto. The loud mouth. The annoying one. But still, a great detective, like his three friends. He joined the Kuro Tsumi in order to make everyone acknowledge him, for they believed that Naruto's mum was a witch. They said that she controlled water and sent a family who accused her to their deaths. He wants to find information and confirm that his mother didn't have the power of water.
Uchiha Sasuke. A great investigator and a member of the great Uchiha clan which was made of immense detectives. The legacy ended when the family was murdered, leaving only Sasuke and his older brother Itachi behind. Itachi is now off to find the murderer, leaving Sasuke back at Konoha. So Sasuke decided to do some good and became a detective, being assigned in his group.
The small group halted at the main building. It was huge, with a large analog clock on the top of the tower. They tied their horses up and went into the building, full of desks and paperwork. They threaded their way through the mess and arrived at the Boss's office. Neji knocked three times and entered, his three friends following him.
"Ah, you're here…" The black leather chair turned around and there revealed a man smoking a cigarette. This was Sarutobi Asuma, son of the creator of the Kuro Tsumis.
"Well, your next mission is to investigate the forest of Beneyume. There will be information of elements (Naruto's eyebrow raising) and there has been rumors that four girls live there." Asuma explained, his fingers interlaced upon the table.
"See Kakashi for your mission papers. You will have as much time as you need," Asuma finished with a wave of his hand. The four detectives nodded and left the room, heading for the office beside them.
"Yo," Kakashi greeted them, placing the files he had been reading on the desk in front of him. The four teenagers bowed. Kakashi headed to his cabinet and pulled out a folder.
"I was reading through them before. There used to be a book in the library about the forest, but somehow, it disappeared." Kakashi described. He lifted the file he was reading again and giggled as he read. Sasuke and Neji raised a brow. Naruto flipped the file over and instead of paperwork, it was Icha Icha Paradise.
They left the area fuming. They headed towards their horses and mounted them. Then, they set of in the direction of the daunting Beneyume forest.
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Sakura sighed and flicked her hair away. She seethed as she cut up the ingredients and chucked them in the bubbling cauldron. Today was the day that the four of them had found the gems. As the result, they made this day their anniversary to go and cleanse the waterfall with herbs and scent they collected from the forest flora. Sakura was always the one to create the mixture as she knew of the correct way. Hinata was too busy worshipping Me at the fountain, Ino was horrible at even lighting up the oven. Tenten had promised she would never hurt any flower OR herb that grew in the forest. So, Sakura was the only one left, as she was Nature's fear. She stirred the concoction wearily. Sakura sniffed it and made a face as soon as the waft hit her nose.
"You shouldn't be sniffing that Sakura, you'll get poisoned." Sakura turned to see Tenten coming through the door, holding flowers of all sorts. Sakura stuck her tongue out at Tenten and continued her job. Sakura and Tenten were always the closest, as they were the first ones to have been abandoned. After that came Hinata who came shortly after and lastly Ino, who was deserted at five.
Ino burst through the door after Tenten, holding fruits and more flowers to be placed by the waterfall. Hinata was still at the Eien river, praying silently, as the river flowed by like the time of life.
"Sakura, is the potion ready?" Ino asked, placing the flowers and fruits on the table.
"It sounds like as though you're referring me as a witch. And yes, the "Potion" is ready," Sakura retorted jadedly, her emerald eyes showing hints of fatigue. Sakura picked up the cauldron, which was burning hot, but it didn't seem to affect her at all. When she came outside, Tenten instructed the vines to carry the sparkling pot to the Eien river. Then, the worshipping began. (A/N: I won't bother describing it…It's too troublesome)
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Neji and his dun coloured mare, Natsukaze galloped through the silent town of Konoha. Everyone was deathly afraid of the so called "witches" in the Beneyume forest, fearing if they stayed out late, the witches will come and murder them.
Neji chuckled softly, knowing his uncle too was scared of them. They stood still at the small opening of the woods. Slowly, Neji slid off his horse and examined the black fragments that lay on the ground in front of them. He picked one up, but as soon as he touched it with his fingers, it broke away. Sasuke came beside and started following the trail it led to.
"Ashes…" Shikamaru muttered. He looked at Naruto who shrugged, climbing back on Harukaze, his blue roan (A/N: If you don't know what the colour the horses are, check on Wikipedia) horse. All four of them hopped back on their season named horses and continued their journey through the forest. As they traveled deeper, they could see traces of small craters, broken vines, damp soil and more burnt cinders. Wondering where on earth how these things managed to travel here, they reached a small river. The source of the flowing water was from a small waterfall which trickled lightly. Neji knelt down and sipped a little bit of water. Sasuke leant over the water barrier which was a small wall of rocks. Shikamaru walked to the other side of the small pond and gasped. All the rest ran up to him and skidded to a stop. There, lay flowers and fruits, piled in a small heap like an offering. The rocks close to it were sparkling clean and smelt of herbs and an instinct smell Sasuke couldn't remember.
"Is this… the work… of the witches?" Naruto asked nervously. Neji gulped while Sasuke stood there stoic as ever. Shikamaru sighed and muttered a line under his breath. Sasuke was the first to move, going back to his horse Akikaze a black mare that has always been his steed. Shikamaru gradually took small steps back to his mount Fuyukaze a pure white horse which Asuma gave to him at his promotion. They delved deeper and deeper into the woods, the flora of the forest surrounding them.
Suddenly, vines came flying at the Kuro Tsumi pack, trying to send their horses racing away. But little did the small brown haired girl who sat on a large oak tree know these horses were trained in a professional way. The males managed to calm their mares down and persisted with their journey. Tenten sat there, fuming, hoping Sakura could do a better job.
Sakura waited on her stallion Kahichi, in the depths of the shadows of the Beneyume forest. They show the intruders examine their pond. She knew instantly when she saw by their uniform, they were Kuro Tsumi detectives. How she loathed them, they had attempted to remove her and her sisters from the small cottage they lived in for years. Then, she heard the sound of trotting hooves. She went out of her trance and carefully followed the sound, keeping Kahichi quiet as they went along. Next, she quickly snapped her fingers, making sure none of the intelligent detectives could hear.
Flames engulfed Sasuke in a split second. It just appeared right in front of them, but luckily, it didn't burn anyone. Except for Akikaze. She whinnied as the patch in between her eyes was burnt from the disastrous fire.
Sakura swore at herself. She didn't mean to hurt the poor creature. She just wanted to burn the man who sat on her saddle. She quickly retreated back to the hut where everyone awaited the news.
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Sasuke jumped off his mount and tended to her. She backed away, frightened of everyone who dared to go near her. Sasuke held her head and began humming a song that always calmed down Akikaze. Slowly, Akikaze began calming down and finally allowed Sasuke to climb back on her. Together, they resumed to head into the centre of the darkening forest.
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Sakura sneaked into the back way of the house. She proceeded to the kitchen where Tenten and Ino sat. As Sakura came in, she was surprised to find that Hinata was gone.
"Where's Hinata?" Sakura asked the two girls who sat on the wooden table urgently. Ino looked at her with concern.
"She went to go get water. She said she'll be back," Ino replied and picked up the plate laden with freshly cut apples to place in the fridge. The electricity was supplied by Ino to help run it. Sakura provided heating and Tenten covered camouflage. Hinata contributed with water and the showers/baths were taken in the waterfall with shelter from Tenten and warm water from Sakura.
Sakura froze.
"Did she take Mizuchi?" Tenten shook her head and pointed at the grey horse secured at the side of the house with Shizenchi and the cream horse Inazumachi. Rahichi was left at the back, but Sakura knew that he wouldn't leave as he was educated by Sakura.
"No…" Sakura thought. She ran out of the house, with Ino and Tenten calling after her as the pink haired girl ran to the Eien river.
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Hinata carried the porcelain jug full of water. It was around 10pm and the moon was shining brightly. She hoped she got enough water to keep them hydrated throughout the night. She went back through the shortcut way, which Sakura and Tenten had professionally made. Finally, she reached the end of the path, which had to take her to the main road. She hopped out and stopped. Four horses stood behind her, who carried four male teens. She turned her pearly eyes which were covered with sapphire lenses, towards them. They stared at her in shock, their mouths gaping in and out like a fish.
Unexpectedly, Sakura came sprinting towards her. Sakura too, stopped, after seeing the four males looking at them with wide eyes.
"No…" Sakura whispered. Their time living in the forest has probably ended.
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END
It took me a while to get the right events I wanted properly.
Thank you for all those great reviews.
See you next time,
KieruMinazuki