Chapter Twenty One

It took them awhile to corner him. He was angrily searching for Karin, which meant his path wandered through the streets. Karin was narrowing in on him only to have him switch directions at the last moment, taking him away from his pursuers.

After another of these close encounters, Gakuri took to the roofs, indicating that Karin should join her. From this new height, they watched as Suigetsu shoved his way through a crowd leaving the market area. Then he stopped and looked up.

Karin backed away from the edge of the building, falling on her backside when Suigetsu appeared in front of her. Her eyes widened in terror as he pulled his sword out, but he was not threatening her.

"What are you doing here?" He growled at her, while glaring at Gakuri.

"What do you think she's doing here; she's watching you make a fool of yourself." Gakuri replied, completely unfazed to be facing down the sword that caused her injuries.

His eyes flicked down to Karin, seated in front of him, before darting back to his cousin.

"Why would you do that?" He asked, back to glaring, even though he was talking to Karin.

"She's your cousin." Karin said softly.

"She isn't my family." He replied harshly.

"Sensei." She reminded him, and he tore his gaze away from Gakuri to stare at Karin.

"You tricked me so you could play make-up with that bitch?"

Karin stared down at her hands, in her lap; her fingers fidgeting nervously.

"What are you angry about?" Gakuri asked.

"Stay out of this!" Suigetsu snarled.

"Is it because you lost her? Or because she left you?"

"Shut up!"

"Because she tricked you? Because you found her with me?"

"I told you to shut up!" Suigetsu screamed, stepping around Karin to attack his cousin, who stood calmly on the edge of the building.

"No, Suigetsu, don't!" Karin yelled, grabbing hold of his leg and preventing him from moving.

"Karin, let go!" He growled, still glaring at Gakuri.

"No!" Karin yelled again, drawing his attention down to her.

"K-Karin?"

She looked up at him, still desperately holding his leg. Her eyes were red and swollen; tears were streaming down her face. His arm faltered, as he saw proof that her emotional wounds were still gaping open, unhealed and weighing heavily on her.

"You can't just kill her! Haven't you done enough damage?" She cried.

"Karin?"

His sword clattered to the floor as he crouched next to her.

"You're right. I don't have a home. I don't have a village to go back to. I don't have a family or any friends. Even my sensei is dead." She sobbed, her face in her hands now.

Suigetsu stared at her. Gakuri watched, confusion and concern warring with complacency.

"But you, you have all these things."

"I offered to share." He said quietly.

She looked up at him, "And I want them. But you keep doing these stupid things, things that will destroy them."

"But… it's you…"

"What if something happens to me?" She asked fiercely, and he flinched at the thought. "If I'm gone, and all your actions become meaningless, where will you be?"

"Karin…"

"You'll be where I am!" She yelled hoarsely, "Alone! Homeless! No family! No allegiance!"

"Some people would call that freedom." Gakuri interjected quietly.

Karin and Suigetsu stared up at her.

"Only if that means you have nothing left to lose." Karin replied, her voice gaining strength. She turned back to Suigetsu. "You have something to lose, your family, your village. You've already lost them once. Why are you so desperate to throw them away again?"

"If I can't keep them and you, one of them will have to go." He murmured, wiping her tears away and caressing her cheek. "And I'm keeping you."

Before he realized what was happening, his face was disappearing into a puddle on the rooftop. He briefly recognized the source of the pain was his backside as he coalesced and looked for the perpetrator.

Karin lay sprawled next to him, which ruled her out; not that he could figure a reason for her to have done what had been done. He looked up and found the culprit.

"You idiot boy!" Gakuri glared down at him, "Do you think those two are mutually exclusive? Do you think you'd be turned out of the village for taking up with her?"

They stared up at her, silenced by their mutual shock.

"But… you don't even like me!" Karin stammered.

Gakuri folded her arms and turned her face away, "You think my dislike is reason enough for this drama?"

They looked at each other, but before they could say or do anything, Gakuri had smacked them both over the head.

"And you wonder why I think you're not ready. Idiots."

Still not hearing anything from them, Gakuri leaned down and grabbed Suigetsu by the ear, icing it over and hauling him upright, grinning at his cry of pain.

"Suigetsu!" Karin cried but a sharp look from Gakuri kept her seated.

"Bitch!" Suigetsu spat, only to yelp as she twisted her wrist. He took several deep breaths, gritted his teeth and demanded, "Let me go, now!"

Gakuri smiled evilly up at him, but with a certain level of pride, "That's my boy. No more of that senseless pleading."

Suigetsu rolled his eyes, while Karin continued to watch the cousins in confusion.

"Now, I heard about your little exercise with the other two, and I've heard that you were of no use during your mission."

"That mission was to test Karin!" Suigetsu spat, bending awkwardly as Gakuri lowered her arm, still holding onto his ear.

"No excuses!" She bit out harshly, "You could have been of use, but you just served as a distraction."

"What are you going to do?" Karin asked, fearful for Suigetsu's safety. She wouldn't put it past this woman to ice him up and throw him off the roof to shatter in thousands of little pieces.

As if she could read Karin's thoughts, Gakuri laughed, "Overly dramatic pair, aren't you?"

Suigetsu growled, Karin shifted nervously and Gakuri shook her head in mock despair.

"Starting tomorrow morning, you will both report to the training grounds. Clearly your training is incomplete. And despite the," She paused, looking at Karin as she searched for the right word, "scope of your skill, it's clear to me, you have a near fatal lack of other talents. That will have to be remedied."

Then, reveling in their shocked looks, Gakuri released Suigetsu and disappeared in a cloud of steam.

"Come on." He grabbed Karin's arm and hauled her upright, "Let's get out of here before she comes back and orders something else."

Author's Note: There, I updated, Kira Ryuuza (smart arse). And I hope she doesn't still annoy you, Blades252. And Anemone, you'll be glad to know that the rest of this story is already typed. I'm just waiting for the best time to post it.