My immediate reaction was to duck down behind Sasuke. His broad shoulders were tense as he stared ahead at the group in front of him. His tension seemed to leak into me and only enforced my feelings of needing to hide from the surrounding people.
"Sasuke, you need to calm down, you're frightening the boy." Someone spoke slowly, the voice soothing and low. Sasuke let out a strangled huff as he rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve some of the strain there. I pressed my face into the back of his left shoulder and shuddered out a breath while I tightened my grip around his neck, the muscles in my arms protesting as I tried to pull myself higher. When a whimper made its way past my lips, Sasuke's body shook with a growl that reverberated through my body and soothed me at the same time.
I shook my hair down in front of my face, making sure the crescents were covered in case the close contact with Sasuke had made them glow. Then, as cautiously as I could manage, I looked over Sasuke's shoulder. What I saw stunned me, it was the largest group of mixed demons and, what looked to be humans, I had ever seen. The tanned man from before stepped forward, the scar that ran across his nose should've made him intimidating but his chocolate eyes swirled with concern.
"Hi there, my name is Iruka. Can you tell me yours?" He said softly, stepping even closer. My grip on Sasuke tightened as I stared at him in a mixture of confusion, pain, and awe. He seemed to know I wouldn't answer, at least not yet, because he continued on after a few moments. "It's okay, you don't have to be afraid, we won't turn you in." As he said those last few words my breath hitched. He wasn't human. He couldn't be with the way he spoke. He must be some sort of sprite, if I remembered correctly, the earth sprites were known for their nurturing nature and their tendency to 'mother' those that were injured. I could practically feel my heart breaking. If he wasn't a human, then it was likely that the 'seemingly human' people I had seen weren't actually what they appeared.
Sasuke snarled, probably sensing my distress and turned glowing red eyes to the co-leader of his group. "Step back." He growled out. Not even thirty seconds later I found myself wrapped in the black cocoon of Sasuke's soft wings. His arms were clutching me to his chest, his bright red eyes and the glowing ruby on his forehead the only visible things in the faux darkness. When he spoke, the whites of his teeth flashed. "What's wrong? You smell….sad." His voice was garbled thanks to the fangs that brushed his bottom lip.
"There are no other humans in this group are there?" I whispered sagely, a hint of despair in my voice that I knew wouldn't get passed the dragon.
He shifted his weight from one foot to another. "No."
I swallowed thickly around the lump in my throat. The leathery end of his tail brushed against my cheeks. "I'm okay." I sniffled. "I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up, it was silly of me."
Sasuke stood quietly, looming over me, his red eyes flashing brightly. "I am truly sorry that this is what your world has come too, but I feel the need to tell you that there are those who disagree with the rules of Ancients. There are still places left in the world where humans and non-humans are co-existing peacefully. We are on our way to Skyrne Castle, my home, if you wish to join us. We are stopping in the catacombs of Rome to help recruit soldiers for the Konoha Regime." I could feel my eyes widen at his words. In the short time I had been away from the palace I had learned much about the workings of this new world.
The Konoha Regime was a rebellious group of demons, yokai, humans, etc. that worked together to bring down the new monarchy. Each region of the world was placed under strict 'guidelines' set out by the king and/or queen of the region but the kings and queens of the regions all answered to one being that stood above all of the others. The Konoha Regime had started small, terrorizing the smaller courts with smoke bombs and crude paintings like they were created by imps but they grew to the number one terrorists group of the world. They had protests outside of the slave quarters and some had even managed to break into the 'herding areas' where humans were kept in order to 'replenish' our numbers.
They were and are my only hope, it was pure luck that I had stumbled across them or rather, they had stumbled across me. There was still something in the eyes of Sasuke's group that unsettled me. Some of them had the same glint in their eyes as the cynocephalus' did. "…and if I refuse to come?" I hesitated to ask, both of us knowing that that would not be the case.
Sasuke's face hardened. "If you refuse to travel with the group then I will follow you wherever you wish to go…Naruto-sama." He said lowly. I felt the heat suffuse my cheeks as I gazed into his eyes. He lowered his forehead to my own as he had done the night before. "But I'd really rather you come with the group. They are…good people." He admitted almost grudgingly. It made me smile to know that the seemingly cold being I had first met had a family that he cared for, albeit only when they weren't listening.
I nodded gently, my bottom lip tucked in between my teeth as his soft black tresses caressed the crescent moon on my forehead. "'Kay," I agreed. "But Sasuke," I began tentatively.
"Hmmm?"
"I don't…I don't want to speak to them just yet. I just….I just want to watch for a bit." I fiddled with my fingers, avoiding those piercing eyes until calloused fingers tugged my chin up.
"Only do what makes you comfortable." He stated before smirking. "And if that means that I have to carry you this way then I guess I could."
"Teme…" I growled but with no real venom before chuckling.
"You can pretend to be asleep. I will tell them that I put you under a spell." He said lightly and I nodded, closing my eyes and turning my face into his chest.
Once he was sure that my facade was unbreakable, he moved his wings back and left his tail wrapped around one of my hands. It was too quiet for what seemed like minutes before Sasuke cleared his throat and spoke with little to no emotion. "It was easier to put him under a sleeping spell than to have to deal with him." The words were harsh but I knew it was all a front, a mask for the crowd around him.
"Sasuke." Someone, a woman hissed. "He's just a boy! You can't go using magic on him whenever you want to." My fingers twitched in irritation but before I could do anything else, Sasuke spoke up.
"He's not a child, Tsunade." He said with a huff.
"Bullshit! Look at him!" The woman scoffed and the click of heels told me she was getting closer. Sasuke's tail tightened around my wrist and I unconsciously slid my fingers over it. "He can't be over 16." I grit my teeth together in annoyance, fingers tightening yet again on the appendage between them. "You've probably overwhelmed his system with your drakon magiya. Let me have him." And before I knew it, slender hands were tugging around my waist and ribs, trying to pull me from the dragon.
Their fingers dug into my bruises and cuts, causing a fiery ache to erupt from my body. Even in pain I didn't want to blow my cover, so my mind worked a mile a minute. Dragon magic such as a sleeping spell was only effective if the one put under the spell was safe and being protected because, much to the public's incredulity, dragons were very protective and would not stand for one that they protected being harmed. I reacted before I had even come to a complete decision.
My eyes snapped open as did my mouth. I cried out and tried to push the woman away, squirming in Sasuke hold and causing him to loosen his grip. His tail unwound itself from my wrist and immediately thrashed at the blonde woman's arms and face. Sasuke and I moved in sync, as if our minds were connected and we could read each other's actions. I raised my arms to grip around his neck as he swept one arm under my waist and legs while the other hand darted out and grasped the woman's neck hard enough that his claws drew blood.
"Sasuke-!" someone yelled from behind the woman, the pink haired girl from before. His head snapped immediately to her, his eyes glowing blood red. The girl had stepped forward, intent on coming forward but one look at Sasuke made her stop.
He had his fangs bared in a fierce snarl and his tail lashed about frantically behind him, blood splattering the ground from where he had cut the woman's arms and cheek. The ruby in his forehead shone against his alabaster skin and his wings spread to their maximum, knocking down quite a few people in the process. His horns sprouted from his temples, their sleek black color pebbled by the scales that seemed to be creeping slowly up his neck and arms. He was terrifying yes, but even more so, he was beautiful.
The sound of the woman's choking interrupted my dazed admiring. Her hands were scrabbling at his own clawed ones which were darkening with the same scales that were crawling up his skin and at the bottom of his horns. Her eyes were wide, but not with fright. They were filled to the brim with rage and bloodlust. I knew instantly that the two were not on the best of terms by any means and this would only set them back further.
"Sasuke release her!" The girl shouted from where she stood but there was only concern in her eyes as she gazed at the three of us.
Sasuke didn't even flinch. He leaned close to the woman, his nails digging even deeper as his hand tightened around her throat. "Ne nyúlj hozzá , ahogy tetszik , a vér nimfa."(Hungarian- do not touch him as you please, blood nymph) His voice was deep and rolled heavily with his foreign language but it was still the same dark, smooth tone that sent chills up my spine. Sasuke roared loudly in her face, smoke billowing from his mouth as he gazed wildly around the group before relinquishing his hold on the woman with a shove.
She stumbled over her feet as she backpedaled into the awaiting crowd. She raised her head to look at us, her previously light brown eyes were almost completely covered be a thin red film. I pulled myself closer to Sasuke, my limbs groaning in pain but I leaned up anyways.
My lips brushed the cold shell of his ear and from the corner of my eye I could see sparks jump from his mouth. "I think…that maybe it would be in our best interest if you calmed down just a bit, Teme. Everything is okay, the old hag was just trying to make sure I was okay…" I spoke softly and a bit begrudgingly. Much to my amusement, as soon as the words "old hag" had passed through my lips, Sasuke choked on the fireball building up in his throat and went into a bit of a coughing fit, plumes of smoke billowing comically from his mouth. I couldn't help myself, I held in as much laughter as I could but a few sniggers escaped me.
I rubbed Sasuke's chest soothingly, knowing the fire that built up in his core would leave a heavy burning feeling in his heart. Sasuke grimaced but I turned into his chest and took some of the feeling away, grimacing myself when it took residence in my own chest for a few moments before vanishing.
"Ex-Excuse me…" Iruka spoke up. I froze up a little as I looked at him from the corner of my eye, the hand on Sasuke's chest hovering over his heart. Iruka smiled kindly, not moving from his place next to the silver haired man from before, the other captain. "Hello again, let's try this once more shall we? Hopefully with less fighting now that we know where certain boundaries lie." He spoke first to me and then slowly directed the rest of what he was saying the awaiting group. Sasuke straightened, glaring at the woman once more before allowing his face to form his mask again. "Can you tell me your name?"
I shrunk back into Sasuke's embrace, eyes keeping steady focus on the chocolate ones staring into mine. I shook my head, figuring I would be decent enough to respond with yes or no with body language. Iruka looked to Sasuke who stared back defiantly. "I will not share any information I have without his permission." Iruka frowned and ran a hand through his hair.
"Okay," he huffed out, "how did you get all of those wounds? I would like to know if there is anything we could get you to help you heal faster but some creatures claws have magic that doesn't react well with herbs that we use in our painkillers." I stared at him for a moment, considering my pain level right now. "Please," he broke in, "I only want to help you." His face was contorted and I thought again about the nature of his being. Earth sprites thrive while caring for others and having someone injured and so close was probably killing him.
I turned away from him, looking into Sasuke's eyes before motioning for him to tell them. He arched one eyebrow before I remembered that I hadn't told him anything about what had happened to me. I avoided all eyes as I prattled off the names of the beings I had encountered and gestured to the injuries I sustained from them. "Will-o-wisp's," my knees and ankle, "nemean lion," my lower abdomen, "manticore," my upper torso, "cynocephalus," my wrists and thy, I paused, catching Iruka looking at my throat and knowing that the bruising was still there. I couldn't say who gave me them, it would give too much away so I clamped down on the words that bubbled on the tip of my tongue. Iruka looked into my eyes, begging to reveal more but my resolve had strengthened in those few moments. I stared back in defiance.
"Alright now Iruka-koi,I think you've bothered the boy enough for now. Let's see what you can do for those injuries he so gratefully shared with us." The silver haired man rubbed Iruka on the back but not before sharing a look with me that said "I know you're holding back but I'm not going to do anything about it….yet."
"Let's set out troops! Next stop is Město Vlků (Czech-Town of Wolves)." He shouted, turning around to eye Sasuke and I. "It would be best for you two to travel in the middle of us. Sai will take your post for now but I can't rely on him for all of your duties Sasuke, he's simply not you." His last message was a warning in itself, mostly that Sasuke couldn't keep me around all the time but also as a sign that just because I'm human, he wouldn't count me out for pulling my own weight around the camp.
I appreciated that.
HEyyyy guysssss so sorry its been sooooo long but here's just a bit of whats coming. Ive had it saved up for a long but I just haven't gotten much time to work on it and because its been so mong im just putting this out there with no editing or any of the usual pazazz. College is crazy but I love it. GO HOKIES!
