I am blown away that anyone would read THIS fic, out of all the ones I write... Why THIS? It's crap... I'm not sure why I'm still writing, but I am.

Go read one of my other fics- something worth reading.

Wind

"Yeah… In the Wind Country…" The man answered, his eyes never once reaching her face.

Karin smiled, leaning forward and crossing her arms under her chest. "You're sure?" she cooed sweetly.

He leered at her. "Absolutely positive."

His hand never made it halfway to his destination. The table cracked under his weight as Karin threw him over it face-first. The other customers turned in shock. She dropped a vicious heel into his back, splitting the table cleanly and causing the man to howl in pain.

Giving him a nasty look, she scoffed, "Bastard." Whistles and cat-calls mixed with amazed gossiping as Karin re-buttoned her shirt and stalked from the bar. Sasuke-kun will be pleased, at least.

"Oi…" Suigetsu groaned behind Juugo, slumping with the over sized sword across his back. "Slow down."

The other sighed heavily. This is useless… We might as well go back and tell Sasuke we couldn't find anything. Juugo turned, eyeing him. "Let's go."

"What?" He straightened up, guessing at Juugo's thoughts by his posture.

"Let's turn back," The decision came through gritted teeth and over crossed arms. "We won't find anything out like this. We should just go back and tell Sasuke our end of the mission was a failure."

Suigetsu snorted. "You sound upset about it… Don't be." In answer to a raised eyebrow, he continued. "Karin will have found some kind of lead by now… Who cares what we did or didn't come across?"

The idea did little to comfort him, but Juugo had to agree. Despite all the faults Karin carried, she was deadly efficient in information gathering. Sasuke had sent them out as well more for precaution than actual practicality. They had done little more than wander the town, but it was nearing sunset and they turned back.

Her eyes were closed, and Sasuke shifted under her, feeling Kira's hair tangled over his arm. She had fallen asleep and he had used the time to thoroughly check what bit of skin she was showing for a seal mark. Her arms and shins had proved clean, as he had expected. The bit of skin below her neck and all around her face was clear of it as well. It has to be here… The only other easily confirmed spot would be the back of her neck. If the seal wasn't there, it would be debatable that she'd let him check the rest of her for it. There was hope she could find it herself, but most tattoos left by the process were out of the wearer's easy reach. But now he realized the memories were also usually stitched and made to cover what had been hidden. However, it was clear whoever had done this to her wanted all to know she a walking mystery. A distraction from something larger? But then why the seizure? Now unsure of his own choice to shelter her, he looked over her once again.

She was thin and appeared twig-like, but against him, she felt more weighted than she looked. Her body didn't give under touch and he realized she was pure muscle. His gaze slid over her features. Thin eyes, a full mouth, and despite being small, she was neatly proportioned. For a striking moment she reminded him of Karin. He stared harder at her, trying to discover what had trigger the connection. The two girls had nothing in common personality wise, and Kira seemed to have the attractive opposite of all of Karin's attributes. As Sasuke dissected the thought, he wondered at it. After a short while, he prepared to let it rest. As he relaxed and surrendered the idea, his answer found him.

By all standards, Karin was striking, and in a similar way, so was Kira. It was an odd notion to digest. Karin, so bent on getting his attention, and Kira intent on escaping, shared the strange allure of seduction. Suddenly, Sasuke was uncomfortable with having her curled against him. The urge to shove her out of his lap was nearly overwhelming, but then he thought back to the design of her seizure and memory seal. Despite an abrupt aversion to her, he would need to keep her close, for now.

The door flew open with Karin behind it. Sasuke glared back as she entered, Juugo and Suigetsu flanking her. All three froze, eyes locked on the scene in front of them. Kira still appeared thoroughly unconscious and was fast asleep in the cradle of Sasuke's arms.

Before any comments could be made, the Uchiha locked gazes with Juugo. "She had some kind of seizure." Karin smirked momentarily until returning to her glower.

"Do you know why?" Juugo took a step forward. "Is she alright?"

Sasuke shook his head. "She seems fine. I believe she's merely sleeping it off."

"It figures," her tone was dripping with abhorrence. "The moment she's here alone, she launches into some kind of fit…" Karin snorted, crossing her arms.

"Enough." His eyes flashed and Sasuke regained a firm hand on the room. Hebi seated themselves in a loose circle. "Report. What did you find?"

Juugo hung his head and Suigestu answered for them. "Nothing. Nothing at all." All eyes narrowed towards him, and the group was collectively frustrated by his attitude.

"Well," Karin smiled again, wincing as she glanced towards Sasuke. "I found something, and I would deem it a rather reliable source." She paused, basking in the attention of the room, only Sasuke's impatient stare egging her on. Clearing her throat, she continued. "I was in a local establishment and I found a man, thoroughly drunk, talking about 'men in cloaks' and threatening some others at the table…" She adjusted her glasses momentarily. "After some… persuasion… He told me something about them being in the Land of Wind."

Sasuke nodded, his irritation fading slightly. "Is that all?"

"Yes." Karin spoke for them all, not even needing to glance at Juugo and Suigetsu.

The Uchiha sighed, his eyes drifting back to his comatose burden. "We leave as soon as Kira is fit for travel." Disparity rose among them, but it was quelled by Sasuke's confidence in his idea before it reached their lips.

While the rest of Hebi had lined themselves against the walls and fallen asleep, Sasuke frowned at the tangle of limbs collapsed against him. He had no idea when she would wake, and he wanted to make sure he was there for it. Kira appeared uninjured, merely shaken, and by all explanations should come around soon. Still, she was unmoving.

His body had begun to cramp under her, and he sifted her weight. As he readjusted, he almost threw her in reaction to some unknown movement. Regaining himself, he frowned at her. She shifted again, apparently unaware of him as anything other than a piece of furniture. It was tempting to shake her awake, but he was unsure of how it might affect her recovery. In frustration, Sasuke sighed.

Tired with waiting, and fighting discomfort and lack of sleep, he moved her again, trying once more to ease her gentle but steady weight on him. This time she wriggled in a manner that bordered defiance. Losing his patience, he nudged her again. Abruptly Kira's eyes flew open. They stared at each other for a moment before he shoved her out of his lap.

"Oof!" She tumbled onto her back, groping the wooden floor in the near darkness. "What?!"

"You were out all day," Sasuke hissed, not wanting her to wake their company. "Everyone is sleeping now. Be quiet."

Her head spun. Out all day? How…? She tried to remember what had happened. Slowly it came back, like sand through a straw. Her face burned as she remembered the seizure and her inability to control herself. Kira bit her lip, recalling the way he had gripped her, and was suddenly much less comfortable around him. I passed out… An ache became apparent in her back and elbows. My elbows…? He threw me… from where? The blood drained from her face, and only her sudden stillness hinted for Sasuke at the churning in her brain. His lap?! "You asshole!"

Surprise held him in shock for a moment, and that was all it took for her to heel him as hard as she could in the leg. "Ow!" Without thinking, he grabbed her ankle, twisting her on the floor and locking her knee joint. A gasp of pain of reached Sasuke and he once again tossed her away from him. "Don't kick me," he growled, trying to preserve some sense of dignity.

"You low down bastard!" Kira's glare was now visible in the moonlight drifting in through the window. "How dare you touch me!"

Again, he stared at her, completely puzzled. "Touch you?" Suddenly realization fizzled in his sluggish brain. He watched her start to retort and cut her off. "Don't flatter yourself."

Her eyes turned into saucers. "Flatter myself?" Kira pulled herself into a sitting position. "I'm not Karin," she scoffed, her face made of stone.

In a business-like manner, Sasuke sighed and refolded himself against the wall to hold his distance from her. "Then we're done with this conversation."

"Yes, yes we are." She practically spat at him. Once glance around the room told her their argument had been nothing more than whispers and about as disrupting to the Hebi's sleeping pattern as a gusty wind. Shooting him as scathing a look as she could muster, she clambered over to Karin.

Shame colored her for a moment. Karin hated her. Kira had tried to take the supposed high road on their differences, but fallen from it as soon as Sasuke backed her into a corner. Taking a deep breath and preparing for a hectic morning, she lined herself up next to the generally agitated konoichi.

The morning was bright and oddly enough, not one of them had glanced back when they left the town. Suigestu appeared too tired as of the early hours to pick a fight with Karin, and the haughty konoichi had readily taken notice of Kira's distaste for Sasuke's company. Juugo had been walking in steady silence, every once in a while grinning at Kira. She gave him a dirty look in return, unable to decipher the meaning in his smiles.

They stayed moving as a single group, but as they spread out, each became isolated. From Kira's vantage point at the end of the procession, she could see Karin gesture as she spoke animatedly to Sasuke, who was about as responsive as the surrounding trees. Suigetsu was still dazed with tiredness and Juugo kept his mysterious smiles.

Knowing they were too far behind to be overheard, Kira hissed to him, "What is with that?!"

"With what?" He grinned jovially once more, serving only to annoy her more.

"With the constant leers?" She frowned at him. "Why do you keep giving that look?'

He smiled as inexplicably as before. "Don't you get it?"

"Get what?" She growled, quickly losing patience.

Juugo sighed at her childish behavior. "Take a look up front at Karin and Sasuke." He gestured towards them. The scene was the same as before. Karin was still going on, trying to force a conversation that wouldn't happen.

"Your point?" she mumbled sullenly.

He smiled at her as though she were a little girl. "Don't you get it?" She was ready to retort but he continued. "Karin's trying so hard to get his attention by talking to him and putting herself right by him…"

Kira grimaced. "Yeah, it's disgusting… And I should care about her exploits because…?"

Juugo laughed softly. "You don't get it…" She made a face that said she'd had just about enough. "All you have to is walk up and Sasuke can't pull his focus away from you." He was surprised when she showed him rage in place of the coy elation he'd expected.

"Like I give a damn." Kira crossed her arms, tightening her grip on her own arms until her nails bit into her skin. Their exchange through the night returned to her. "He's an ass. I hope Karin gets her teeth into him and never lets go…" Juugo stared at her in surprise. "He deserves someone like her. They're perfect for each other," she scoffed.

"Alright…" He answered warily. "If that's how you feel about it…" After a moment he chuckled softly.

"What was that?" She snapped, still irritable, but not as she had been earlier.

He glanced down at her. "It figures… I guess Sasuke is no different from every other man on this planet… He wants the one thing he can't have, huh?"

Kira's face burned with the suggestion and she refused to answer.

The silence between Juugo and Kira prevailed unnaturally as Karin and Suigetsu returned to their bickering. Once more, Sasuke watched them in his usual detached manner. The travel through the day had been monotonous and uneventful. Other than a lack of civilization and a fading forest background, their new camp was unimpressive. A small fire was set up and they lined it. While Juugo kept merely enough distance to avoid physical involvement in the other's quarrels, Kira moved as far as she could get from them.

Juugo shot her an apologetic glance, but she refused to meet his eyes. Instead she watched the soil between her feet. The dirt met an intense examination as her eyes determinedly defined each grain. Juugo stared, regretting their earlier conversation. He mused for a moment, wondering if he should approach her, how best to go about it if he did. Before he could finish the thought, he found a familiar sight.

Kira's gaze whipped around behind her and she deepened her frown. She wasn't sure how long Sasuke had been crouched beside her, but the time didn't matter to her temper.

"What do you think you're doing?" She growled.

Sasuke appeared unphased by her attitude towards him. "You're not going to hang around Juugo anymore?"

"What?" Kira looked appalled for a moment. "N-no! I will… Just not now…" She grimaced and tacked on for good measure. "And that doesn't mean I'll 'hang around' you instead."

"Never asked you to." He answered matter of factly.

There was an uncomfortable pause as she returned her face to the spreading warmth of the fire. "Alright then. Fair enough." Kira stared at the flames waiting for his presence to leave. Karin and Suigetsu's forms moved in animated argument and from her vantage point, Juugo's face was illuminated. For the first time since their fallout, she met his gaze. He smirked at her, confirming the continued attendance of Sasuke behind her. "Go away." She hissed between clenched teeth.

Silence drifted from him and she only knew he stood as she felt the air at her backside swirl. To her astonishment, he left. Shocked, Kira clambered to check the forest behind her. One sweep around it and the campfire said he was gone.

Well.... if you spent the last few minutes reading this, at least do me the favor of reviewing.

ReViEw

You owe it to me after making me waste my life on this.