Author's Note/s;
Oh. My. God. I AM SO SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN AGES! YOU ALL HAVE PERMISSION TO DESTROY ME!
I wasn't very motivated this week (such a sh!t week, I feel like banging my head against the wall -drags on about random stuff-) because I've been in a bad mood, which also included opposing God. I stopped when I started praying to God about my lost umbrella (I never found it in the end) which was 5 minutes later.
I'm Catholic and all that, but I haven't turned to Satanism and all that bull. Sorry for swearing if it makes you uncomfortable but I really need to get it out of my system. Hopefully, next time I update I'll have a clearer and happier mood.
Here is chapter ….6!
An extra note…
Taiyou means Sun
Hoshi means Star
Sora means Sky
Tsuki means Moon
Enjoy this chapter!
JunsuiFushichou
RECAP
"Seems you've met Taiyou." Sakura's voice came from behind them. She was kneeling beside a black, orange and white tiger, stroking it gently as it purred like a cat.
"And Hoshi." The wolf growled from their right as Ino approached it with confidence.
"And Sora." Tenten had the lynx spread on her shoulder, as it hummed, licking her cheek.
"And Tsuki." Hinata had the owl perched on her shoulder, a dead mouse in its beak.
END RECAP
"T-t-t-taiyou?" Sasuke stuttered, staring at the tiger. His voice was quivering as he eyed it suspiciously. It growled at him gruffly before caressing Sakura. She smiled as she stroked the tiger's head fondly.
"Yes Taiyou. And Hoshi, Sora and Tsuki." She indicated to the other animals who were fondling with their own masters.
"Wait a second… why do you have beasts?" Shikamaru interrupted, his eyes narrowed.
"They're not beasts!" Ino retorted, her face turning red. "They are animals!" The wolf beside her agreed, snarling at the leader of the investigation. He raised an eyebrow at it.
In a flash, a grey blur leapt at Shikamaru. Cries of horror and shouts of anger erupted.
---
"Stupid wolf…" Shikamaru muttered, holding the ice pack to his scarred face. Naruto was tempted to crack up but didn't, afraid that he might lose his job. Harukaze whinnied as it began to grow darker.
"You shouldn't have mocked it. I bet it's under the power of those witches." Neji muttered, poking the damp fire. The rain seemed to end once the girls left, which raised the detectives' suspicion level even higher. Shikamaru snorted.
"You're an idiot. If they're witches, they'd torture us with their powers and hang us up outside the forest to warn the villagers. That's what happened last time, remember?" The four of them shuddered at the event that haunted their minds ever since they were introduced into the police department...
"Excuse me. Please move, I'm an officer thank you." Shikamaru pushed his way through the crowd and stopped. His brown eyes widened at the sight. Neji, Sasuke and Naruto who were behind him dropped the weapons they were holding.
"Oh…my… Kami." Naruto murmured. Neji remained impassive and looked down, his mind filled with the horror of the scene. Sasuke's face was pale and he turned a little green.
Three male corpses hung from the tall branches of the oak trees outside the Beneyume forest. They were covered in scars and blade marks. Their necks were hanging by a sliver of skin and their eyes were bloodied, staring at the audience in front of them endlessly. The rope that was around their flesh was cutting through their flesh and their mouths held hundreds of insects.
A child in the crowd broke through the silence.
"Why mummy? Why is daddy up there? Tell him to come down… I miss him so much." The mother broke down in tears, kneeling on the floor, beating her fists into the ground. Her relatives around comforted her, their own tears flooding the dirt.
Shikamaru's eyes found the floor.
"Sasuke. Contact the rescue brigade. Tell them to take down the bodies." Sasuke nodded and left, his cloak trailing behind him. Hushes went around as Shikamaru went past them. His face was emotionless and exhaustion was the only thing evident. More whispers came past.
"Look at the officer. He doesn't even care. Not one word of comfort to the victim's families."
"Tsk. Shame on him. He just stands here and does nothing while the witches inside the forest are probably going to start a massacre?"
Naruto placed a hand on his senior's shoulder, reassuring him. Shikamaru smiled weakly before heading back to the office.
---
"Good girl Tsuki…" Hinata stroked the white owl gently while feeding it the dried fruits. Taiyou snorted as he chewed on a bone while Hoshi sat underneath the table, biting Ino's foot lightly.
"You shouldn't have let Hoshi scar him Ino. What if Hoshi decapitated him instead?" Tenten said, peeking into the fridge in search of food. Ino laughed out loud, shocking a meditating Sakura.
"Decapitate? If Hoshi decapitated him, it would've been better!" She chuckled to herself as she scratched the wolf behind the ears. He purred like a cat while Ino looked down tenderly at her pet.
Tenten rolled her eyes and sat down, drinking out of the carton of milk. As she was about to tip the carton, she looked into it once again.
"Better go buy more supplies. It's your turn next Hinata." The indigo haired girl nodded and continued to stroke Tsuki, gazing blankly out the window. Sakura waved a hand in front of her face.
"Hinata? You ok?" The girl shot up and nodded silently. She opened the window quietly and allowed Tsuki to go out and hunt. She watched as her pet flew out into the darkness and disappeared in the night.
---
DAY 2
Tenten awoke, with her head throbbing. Damn… stupid martinis… She thought as she stood up. Her nightgown fell to floor as she slipped it off and put on another kimono. She tied the obi and examined herself in the mirror. Green oak leaves were sewed on the bottom left hand corner and along her right sleeve. It wasn't too fancy or casual. She slipped on her wooden geta and walked outside to prepare breakfast. She yawned sleepily as she opened the fridge to find it bare.
Tenten sighed inwardly and remembered they had run out of supplies. After minutes of inner disputes, she decided she would go herself. With an extra gown inside the kimono, she untied and saddled Shizenchi and left.
Neji woke up and attempted to start the fire. To his dismay, the matches…were gone. He grit his teeth in anger. Damn Naruto… him and his stupid matchstick tower making plan. He threw down the empty box in annoyance and looked inside their storage cart. Empty. Alright, this time pits of fire were in his pearl eyes. Damn Naruto and Shikamaru having their eating contests… He looked over at his companions. Naruto was openly snoring, his 'un-cool' hat messily placed on top of this blonde hair. Sasuke was sucking his thumb (A/N; ….rightio) while Shikamaru was muttering Shogi piece names in his sleep.
"Lousy partners… make me do all the girly shopping crap…" Neji muttered as he mounted Natsukaze, attaching the cart to his horse. He headed towards the main path and rode on.
---
"Uhhh pre-packed bacon?" Tenten said in confusion. The shop-keeper nodded for the eighth time and pointed at the slices of bacon wrapped in several layers of plastic. "So they will probably stay fresher longer huh…?" The shop-keeper sighed.
"Yes! For the sixteenth time! Weren't you there when the inventors introduced it?!" Tenten shook her head and looked down at the butcher stall.
"No… unfortunately I couldn't be there…" She held a finger to the chin and started thinking over the possibilities of what Sakura, Ino or Hinata would think.
"Yes, I'd like the meat pack. Oh and while you're at it, could you add a little extra?" Tenten turned around in disbelief to find Neji down the counter, holding out a leather pouch of coins.
"YOU!" She pointed a finger at him threateningly. He stared back at her and gaped.
"YOU!" He mimicked, doing the same. The other customers were watching them in interest.
"Do you think they could be ex-lovers?" A woman in the crowd whispered. The two of the spun their heads in the direction and screamed simultaneously.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING LADY!?"
"Here is your meat deluxe sir and your package ma'am." Tenten picked up her parcel with a huff and Neji took his.
"Good day." They said concurrently. With their heads high and eyes closed, both of them stalked off out of the shop.
Tenten walked down the aisles, looking down at the prices. She looked back into her pouch and found a couple of gold and silver coins. Guess we'll have to keep being thieves… She thought sadly. The thought of robbing people for their own survival made her sick, but that was how she was forced to live. Her heart stopped when she spotted the boy outside, calling out the news headlines.
"Extra extra! Witches in Beneyume forest ransom now rose up to 250 gold pieces!" She ran up to him, placing the basket of food gently onto the ground. She gave him a silver coin and grabbed the newspaper.
LORD OF TOWN NOW RAISING RANSOM FOR CAPTURE OF WITCHES
Tenten's heart paused once again. She couldn't hear it. She couldn't hear anything. Not even the tap that almost sent her sprawling on the walkway. She snapped out of her thoughts and once again, found herself across Neji. The paper dropped from her hands. Her eyesight blurred and her body felt weak. Tenten was close to falling face down onto the sidewalk but two arms caught her.
"OI! Are you alright?!" She attempted to answer but nothing came out. Her vision blacked out.
"HEY!" What do you think you're doing buddy?!" Neji pushed the boy aside and caught Tenten in his own arms. The boy held his arms up defensively and pulled a face.
"I was just helping the pretty lady! It's not like as though she's your girl man!" Neji turned red and looked down at the unconscious girl. He picked up the newspaper and spotted the headlines. He looked back down at Tenten and thoughts rapidly flew by his head. Could she really be the witch? Could she?
---
"TENTEN!" Ino ran to her sister's side and took one look at her as Tenten lay unconcscious on Shizenchi. Neji slid off his own horse and gave the blonde haired girl the basket of supplies Tenten had bought.
"Thank you so much. What happened to her?" Ino asked, taking Tenten's brown coated horse's reins. Neji took out the newspaper from the saddle.
"This." He threw the paper down on the ground and pointed at the title. Her face turned cold and impassive.
"It could've been a fever. Do not act so suspicious." She said looking away as Sasuke, Naruto and Shikamaru came running. They stopped when they saw the storage cart.
"Wow! Thanks Neji!" Naruto exclaimed but stopped when he saw the serious looks on both Ino and Neji's faces. "Huh? What's up with this lady?" He poked Tenten a couple of times who was laying stomach-down on Shizenchi. She budged a little bit, before muttering strange words. Ino pointed at the brown haired girl.
"See? It is a fever. Now please, I'd like to take care of her." With a flick of her hair, she left, heading back to a hut. Naruto picked up the newspaper and instantly recognized the situation. He called out,
"WE KNOW IT IS YOU!" A dagger flew past their faces and latched itself on the tree just centimeters away from Naruto's face.
---
"Ino! What's wrong with her?" Hinata ran up to the two approaching figures. She dropped the jug of water she was carrying but ignored as it smashed into bits. Tsuki flew above them, before soaring out into the direction of the investigators' campsite. Sakura came running out of the house, her pink hair flying in the wind. She stopped when she saw the grave look on Ino's face.
"Ino. Tell me." Sakura went up to Shizenchi and helped Tenten up with Hinata's help. Ino led the horse back to the posts and tied him up. She stood silent, staring at the reflection in the horse water bowl. What has become of me?
Tenten was carefully placed in her bed. As she sat there, listening to her sisters talk, her mind was clouded with thoughts and questions as her hazel eyes fluttered open. She sat up, her long hair falling over her shoulders. She stood up, the green kimono sliding over the decaying wood. Her bare feet seemed to glide over the floor as she opened her door to find Hinata, Ino and Sakura staring at her.
"Tenten, why are you awake? I thought you fainted." Hinata said, holding up the fragile shards of the jug. The blue porcelain jug was the largest thing they had managed to steal when they were younger, from an old potter whose eyes were deteriorating. They still pitied him but it was either their survival or death. Tenten closed the door behind her and sat beside Ino. She brushed her hair noiselessly, before answering Hinata's question.
"I was. But now I'm fine." She lied. Her eyes barely managed to stay wide open and her body was swaying as she settled herself into the chair. "We need to find another way to distract them; they already know too much." Sakura agreed, scratching Taiyou behind the ears under the table. He had caught a hare that lurked in the forest and now shared it with Hoshi; both of them fought over for first bite. Ino nudged her pet with her foot gently.
"I agree. The newspaper affected Tenten during the market. Didn't you feel that sudden jolt of adrenaline?" Both Sakura and Hinata nodded, remembering the slight shiver that ran up their spines before.
"We have to find a new path to get their minds off our powers." Hinata whispered, leaning in closer. Her sisters followed her example, slipping off their chairs. Tenten looked around at the three of them before a brilliant idea snapped into her mind. An evil smirk crept across her pale face.
"How about…" Hinata instantly noticed the strange expression over Tenten's face. A dreaded feeling dropped inside her stomach. She shot up immediately, her indigo eyes widening.
"Oh no. No Tenten! I swear I can't do that!" Ino grinned along too, following Tenten's example. Meanwhile, Sakura sat, dazed at what on earth was happening.
"Come on Hinata, it'll be the only way we can get their suspicions off!" She shook her head frantically, eyes shut desperately. Tenten sighed and sat back down on her seat.
"Please? This will probably be the only way to stop this!" Hinata sighed before gazing out the window, staring at Tsuki who had landed on the windowsill. She turned back to Ino and Tenten and nodded wearily. The two of them squeaked and shot up, giving each other high five's. Sakura sat still, raising an eyebrow at their strange motions.
"Wait, so we're going to…"
---
Naruto sighed as he picked up the yellow bucket, his brown boots covered in muck and dry mud. The hem of his cloak was dirty, and it was his desire to clean it as soon as possible. Sasuke and Shikamaru had gone to find firewood while Neji was attempting to clean the damp fire-area. He scratched his head a bit; his blonde hair messed up. As he neared the river, he could see a faint shadow leaning beside the bank. He approached the person to find it was the indigo haired girl from the cottage. He knelt beside her, as though she was a fragile child. She gazed up at him drowsily.
"Hey, you okay?" He asked, placing his hand on her forehead. Her temperature was freezing. She advanced on him, reaching out to touch his cheek. Naruto fell backwards in surprise and Hinata continued moving forward.
"Help…me…" She said weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. The detective's sapphire orbs widened in disbelief as she gently stroked him. He could feel his face burning up and he couldn't ignore the shivers that crawled up his spine.
"A-a-a-wah…?" He stumbled over the words flowing from his mouth. His train of thought escaped when she pressed her lips against his cheek. His face scorched. She quickly moved back, letting out a luscious smirk that could've easily made him faint. But he didn't. Because he already had. Hinata sighed exasperatedly.
Seems like this guy will be easy to fool…
---
Sakura sat on the kitchen table, sighing wistfully. Her short hair was tied up messily and her kimono sleeves were rolled up. She sighed once more before picking up the pile of dough and began kneading. She wiped away her perspiration with her wrist and flicked her hair out of her eyes. Sasuke entered quietly, his footsteps treading against wooden floor. The girl didn't look up, her concentration focused on the dough. He coughed, indicating that he was there and she jumped up, eyes wide with surprise.
"Oh! Hello, Sasuke-kun…" She whispered a blush evident on her cheeks. Sasuke gazed at her in amazement; he could feel blood rising to his head. He coughed again, turning his face away. Sakura grinned to herself. Perfect. She flicked her hair once more and asked. "Want to help me Sasuke-kun? I'm making bread."
He nodded quickly. A lump was stuck in his throat. He went beside her and discarded his cloak on the wooden chair. He glanced at her powdered fingers. They were delicate, roughly kneading the dough. He turned away once more, slapping himself mentally for daring to look at her body.
"Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?" She asked, looking at him with innocent eyes. He cursed before muttering something like 'it's nothing'. Sakura handed him a pile and the two of them began working.
SLAP! Sasuke turned to glare at the girl who threw a ball of dough at his face. It slid off, plopping on the ground. Sakura giggled like a little school girl.
"You've got flour on your face." She said, reaching out to wipe away the powder with her fingers. He deftly grabbed them and threw his heap into her face playfully. Her jaw dropped but broke into a grin.
"That's for throwing dough on my face, Sakura-chan." He accentuated the suffix at the end of her name. With a mischievous smile on her face, she reached out once more and ruffled his hair, the flour settling into the chicken-spikes. But unfortunately, she lost her balance and landed right on top of him on the floor.
Sasuke could feel his face burning as she blinked a couple of times to make sure this wasn't a dream. They were both panting desperately, their emotions getting the better of them. Sakura gazed at him with her green eyes. As her mind snapped, she hovered above his lips, her train of thought slipping away. Finally, she made her move. Her lips crushed against his.
---
Neji sighed as he poked the burning fire once more. The poker was glowing red hot as he lay it down once more and picked up the bottle of water. He took a long drought and wiped his mouth, to find a brown haired girl sitting opposite to him on the other log.
"Hello." She said, crossing her legs, revealing the flashy skin underneath. Neji's eyes trailed down those sexy legs. Wait, did he just think sexy? He shook his head wildly before his pearl orbs found the floor interesting.
"H-h-hey. What are you doing here?" He managed to blurt out, his eyes darting here and there nervously. Tenten smirked slyly. She easily noticed his movements; just like she had read other men's'.
"Oh nothing… here and there. Thanks for carrying me back by the way. I feel much better." She grinned cheekily, standing up and sitting beside him. She rubbed her leg against his, watching his changes closely. Neji blushed furiously. Tenten grinned and quickly gave him a peck on the cheek, running off into the distance. She could feel a chuckle building up inside of her.
---
Shikamaru walked along the road, examining the vegetation carefully. Most of the trees had been marked with either scratches or dagger scars. He slid his rough hand against one, allowing the texture melt into his skin. It tingled slightly. His mind was warped for a moment until he heard a sniffle from above. He looked up and blushed intensely. Ino sat atop the tree in her kimono. From his position, he had a very interesting view. Taking out his daggers and forcing the raging hormones from his mind, he climbed up before taking a seat beside the crying girl. Her eyes were red from crying and her salty tears were dampening her kimono.
"What's wrong?" Shikamaru asked, peering at her curiously. She turned away, taking one of her hands and pointing at her knee. It was bleeding furiously, the blood seeping out. Soon, the cut was going to be infected.
"I was going around collecting fruit but then I tripped and fell from that tree." She whimpered helplessly, indicating to the oak beside them. "It was pretty far up, so I fell down and scraped my knee against the rough back of the maple. I can't get up and all of my sisters have gone out to do their jobs." She hissed when the wound stung and she held her leg tightly, attempting to stop the blood flow. Shikamaru sighed, his face growing red from staring at her skin for too long. He had to do something quick.
"Shika-kun… it's so painful…" He snapped out of his thoughts and flushed. Did she just say Shika-kun? He looked around hurriedly and immediately took the hem of her kimono. "Eh? Shika-kun! What do you think you're doing?" She shrieked when he lifted her leg onto his own and ripped part of the gentle fabric. He began professionally tying it to the wound. The blood soaked through the fabric, dying it in a deep crimson. Ino blinked several times, her tears disappearing. Then, without thinking, she leant forward, grabbed his cheek and the gaps in between their lips closed.
Author's Note/s;
I'm STILL so sorry for not updating for a long time! I've been neglecting this Fic (yes I know, I should go kill myself for THINKING ABOUT THAT!) for a while but I pulled myself together and wrote another chapter! -thumb up- So proud of myself.
Thank you for your patience, for if it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't be typing this!
I LOVE YOU ALL!
Love, JunsuiFushichou
Playlist;
Complete set of full on UVERworld songs (I'm going on a UVERworld downloading rampage)
Kitto Eien ni, Kirakuni, Together - Crystal Kay
A GAFILLION anime songs which I cannot be bothered typing.