Chapter 33 Forever Snow, Forever Ice
I rubbed my hands together, but the friction couldn't heat my body faster than it was getting cold. Mizuko next to me was freezing like a puppy, her teeth chattering. I peeked over the edge of the boat, not far below was water with flecks of snow and ice. I couldn't even imagine how cold the ocean was.
Orochimaru had sent us out the two days after I went to the store room. He had only called Sasuke and told him to give us the details of the new assignment on the way. After a couple hours of traveling, we boarded a small ship. Apparently, Orochimaru had connections. Not too surprising. I had no idea where we were going at the time, so when I slept that night to wake up surrounded by cold waters, snow, and glaciers, you can imagine my surprise. That pretty much brings us to now.
We all got winterized outfits. I wore a thick pale violet cotton yukata, (I wrapped it tighter than I normally would) black , fingerless, arm warmers that reached above my elbows, thick sweats, and a pair of boots. Around my neck I wore a white scarf. Mizuko still wore her high-collared vest but she wore long black sleeve shirt underneath, that and besides the boots and gloves, her outfit remained the same. Hiko was dressed in her Chinese style dress but she wore a haori-like jacket over it, caprees, and fingerless gloves. Sasuke was dressed in a dark blue jacket that rounded off at his knees (similar to the cloth he usually wore) with his belt tied around his lower stomach, his normal sweats and arm warmers and boots. One thing we all shared were thick, hooded capes.
One thing I forgot to mention earlier was the new member of the group. If you can recall the boy whom I had seen in the hallway two days before, Orochimaru had sent him with us. His name was Yukimaru, where he came from I have no idea. The entire trip he had not said a word nor made eye contact with anyone. Yukimaru always looked sad or apathetic but not in the same sense as Sasuke or Yoshimitsu. I wanted to talk to him, but I couldn't come up with what to say.
Yukimaru wasn't the only one who had been silent, Sasuke had barley said anything the entire time as well. He was standing at the bow of the boat, lost in thoughts I could not understand.
Mizuko sneezed.
"Mizuko-san, are you okay?" I asked. "Maybe you should go inside."
She shook her head. "I-I-I'm f-fine."
I stood.
"Well, I'm gonna move around to keep warm."
Hiko, Yukimaru and Sasuke seemed unaffected by the low temperature. Mizuko and I seemed to be the only ones who found it unbearable. I walked across the deck over to Sasuke, rubbing my shoulders.
"Sasuke-sama?"
"Yeah?"
"Where are we going?"
He turned around, leaning of the ship's railing.
"There used to be a place called Yuki-no-kuni, but daimyo of the country found a generator that heated the whole island, turning the winter to spring. She worked on the machine to make the change permanent." Sasuke paused to nod his head behind him. "Obviously, the whole region wasn't affected, several smaller islands surround Yuki-no-kuni, were going to one of them, Shirayuki."
"Creative name." I said, sarcastic. "So, why are we going?"
"Basically to take out an organization that might prove problematic in the future to Orochimaru."
"Figures."
I shivered and began to rub my arms again.
"Are you cold?" Sasuke asked.
"Aren't you?"
He shook his head.
"Typical, well excuse me for being born in the desert." I muttered.
Sasuke pointed across the deck. "I think she's worse off than you."
I looked over to see Mizuko curled into a ball, her skin much paler than usual. She folded her arms into her side, her body shook nonstop. Hiko walked over and began to order her inside. After some arguing Mizuko finally hobbled into the cabins.
"Hiko-san!" I called, gesturing for her to come forward. She did so.
"Is Mizuko-san okay?" I asked. "I mean, she doesn't look so good."
Hiko gave me a slightly surprised look. "You don't know? Mizuko's a water element and due to some of Orochimaru's experiments, her body is over 70% water." She folded her arms. "She freezes much faster than the average person, I don't even know why Orochimaru would send her out here."
" 'cause he's a douche bag, that's why." I said.
I sighed and leaned on the deck, letting my head fall into my arms. My breath began to form in front of me, small wisps of hot air. Lazily, I looked down at my reflection. It rippled and warped itself gently, an occasional fleck of ice sometimes disturbing the writhing stillness. A dark shadow passed under the boat.
"What's that?!" I said as is straightened.
Both Sasuke and Hiko leaned over to see where I was pointing to. The dark shape drew closer to the water's surface before a leathery back appeared, spouting water from a hole. The water splashed on the three of us like little needles. I cried out and began to laugh, covering my face with a sleeve.
"A whale!" I said. "I've never seen one before!"
I held out my hands to feel the cold water. It's true, I had never seen a whale, except for in books. Even back in Akatsuki, my missions we limited to the mainland. Before now, the only time I had been out on the ocean was when I had been a stowaway on a carrier ship going to Kirigakure, after I had left my village. I smiled with an almost child like wonder as the sunlight traveled through the water droplets, creating a small rainbow.
When the whale submerged once again, I turned to Sasuke, who was staring at me with a look I couldn't read.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing." He said and turned away.
I turned around, leaning against the railing, with a satisfied sigh. I looked over at Yukimaru, standing on the quarterdeck with his back to us. He was so quiet, I couldn't help but wonder what was going through his mind.
"How long 'till we get there?" I asked Sasuke.
He shrugged. "Probably sometime tomorrow or the day after."
I began to make my way back to the captains quarters, since we had none most of us slept there.
"I'm gonna turn in." I called back over my shoulder.
"Karasu?"
"Yeah?"
I stopped and turned around a bit. One hand on the bow, Sasuke turned to me as well.
"Don't use honorifics after my name anymore."
I stared at him and smiled.
"Whatever, Sasuke-san."
"Hey-" He began.
"I'll call you what I want, see you when I wake up!"
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That night we gathered in the main room of the captain's quarters to eat dinner. It wasn't much; some rice, bread and potato soup. Mizuko was a chatter box, even Hiko was more talkative than usual. As always, Sasuke ate his meal in quiet and I joined in on the conversation. At one point in time Sasuke looked at me and nodded his head in the direction behind me. I turned to look at Yukimaru. He was in the corner sitting on a rectangular chest, quiet as a mouse, with his food in his lap. I stood from my seat and walked over to him, Mizuko and Hiko beginning to argue behind me.
"Mind if I sit next to you?" I asked.
Yukimaru looked up, making eye contact with me for the first time since I had meet him. He looked back down again quickly and scooted over. I took my seat next to me.
"Do you like the food?"
He nodded.
"That's good. What's your favorite kind?"
He shrugged.
"Your least favorite?"
He shrugged again.
I leaned back a bit. Making conversation with this one wasn't easy. I gave up for a while to eat the rest of my dinner.
"Where did you come from? I was born in Sunagakure." I continued, putting my empty bowl and plate on the ground.
He didn't answer.
"Was that too personal? I'm sorry."
He shook his head.
I tried my best for the rest of the night to get him to talk, but eventually got too tired an turned in. I was disappointed I had not been able to get him to talk to me.
Another day passed. There isn't much to do on a floating chunk of wood in the middle of a freezing ocean. The four of us wasted time by training with one another out in the cold, working up such a sweat that the cool air felt refreshing. Mizuko wanted to hang out on the deck more but when the low temperature became to much for her, Hiko would force her inside. Hiko seemed to be enjoying the cold weather, she was more active than I had ever seen her.
Yukimaru still remained distant, never talking and keeping his distance from the rest of us. I had tried several other times to make conversation but I only got nods and shrugs. One thing I noticed was the way he was always looking behind us, at the ocean we had covered.
Today was foggy, and much colder than the past few days. But the strange thing was that the low clouds that surrounded us were much thicker than the ones that drifted onto the ship. Mizuko had gotten much more used to the cold and was making designs in the thin layer of snow that had piled up on the deck. Hiko was sitting on some crates with me, reading a book, while I sketched Sasuke.
It still amazed me that he could train out here in the freezing air with no shirt on. Then again, he was probably pushing his body to the limits. I sighed, putting my chin in my hand. He wanted his revenge so damn bad, but had the idiot ever thought about what he would do afterwards? I watched him a bit longer, as he attacked some unseen enemy, before returning to my sketches. I looked up moments later to see the fog in front of us beginning to clear.
"Hey!" I called, pointing ahead.
Everyone looked. Though it was just a silhouette, the shape of an island was slowly making itself visible. Sharp mountain peeks jutted up towards the sky above climbing snow covered evergreen trees. Snow was everywhere, literally.
"Is that Shirayuki?" I asked Sasuke as I approached him.
As we drew closer a harbor became visible, and soon, a small town. People buzzed through the streets, and burly men carried around crates of supplies through the harbor. Sasuke began to pull on his jacket.
"Yukimaru," Sasuke called, turning towards the quarter deck. Yukimaru stood at the railing, watching the approaching island. "Pull us into the pier."
Yukimaru nodded and took a hold of the wheel.
As we drew closer to the dock, we pulled on our capes. Before I pulled on mine, I wrapped a light blue sash around my shoulders to fasten my sword onto my back. Mizuko readied herself to drop the anchor.
With skill I would never have expected, Yukimaru steered the ship into the pier, smooth as butter. All eyes in the harbor turned to us and we made our way onto the dock. I pulled my scarf up to my nose. A pair of kids came running down the wooden walkway, chasing each other with wooden swords and giggling the whole way. When their mother, standing nearby, saw us, she gathered the children and kept her eyes down as we passed. I walked up to Sasuke as he paid the fee of tying up our boat. The man took one look at me, then the hilt poking out from my cape, and glared. Suddenly the money Sasuke handed him became batches of spiders.
"This place seems peaceful but sketchy, don't you think?" I asked in a low voice.
"I was just thinking the same." He said.
Yukimaru walked ahead of us into the small village. Turning his head from side to side, he observed the surroundings. Mizuko joined him and asked him something I was to far to hear, but he shook his head. Hiko knelt down, pressing a hand to the snow, my guess was she was testing the sturdiness. Her closed and held a concentrated expression. I watched, fascinated but not understanding. After about half a minute she stood and whispered something to Mizuko, who nodded and relayed the information to Yukimaru. Apparently Sasuke and I weren't part of the circle because no one told us what had been discovered when we approached. I didn't push though.
The village was small, and designed like the ones you see in movies or books. Groups of people bundles up, walking with their children to stores or talking with one another on the street. As we made our way through, I noticed the way some of the buildings were a western style and only a few were traditional. Some people looked at us, lowering their voices or turned away to enter the nearest building. Anytime a child came near us, the mother's would call them back.
I didn't like the feel of this place. It had been built with warm and kind hearts, you could tell but the people did not fit such a description. Their faces held signs of good-hearted nature but not even the people who smiled held friendly expressions. Everyone seemed tired.
"Sasuke-san," I whispered.
He nodded, already aware of what I was about to say.
"What do you think happened?"
"We'll just have to ask around."
I spread the information to the rest of the team and we agreed to split up and ask around for details. I headed for the bakery when I noticed Yukimaru following me.
"Do you want to come with me?" I asked.
He nodded, his face turning red, or maybe it was just from the cold. Either way I smiled and allowed him to follow. A door bell chimed as the glass door swung open. A large man behind the counter turned to us. He face looked as friendly as he was round and he smiled at us, not whole-heartedly.
"Hey kids, what can I get for you?" He asked, leaning his meaty arms on the counter.
"Information actually." I said as I approached. I noticed the way his expression fell ever so slightly. "My companions and myself are wondering if there has been any strange activity around here."
The man looked from Yukimaru to me. "You guess from the mainland?"
I nodded.
He sighed. "Can't really help you kids, life had been pretty good around here."
I was about to push him, I sensed he withholding info, but he reached into his apron and pulled out a scrap of paper.
"Since you two aren't from around here, how about I give you a discount?" He said, scribbling on the paper. "Once the bad weather is over, my bakery sends out it's products to the mainland."
I wondered what he was getting at, until I saw some movement in the back room. The baker held out his card.
"Let your friends know about me and my shop, this is my business card."
I took one glance at the card before stuffing it into my pocket. I nodded at Yukimaru.
"Get yourself a treat, I'll pay."
The baker's face lit up, whether it be because of the fact that we were buying something or that we were playing along with his game. Yukimaru pointed at a custard filled pastry, never saying a word, while I asked for a crepe. We paid and left. Once out in the cold, I pulled out the note. In scribbled handwriting it read:
I am under surveillance and cannot answer your questions. But when I close up my shop at 7:00, follow me as I head home and stick to the shadows. We are not watched in our homes. I will leave the back door open and you can come in through there, I'll explain everything.
I gave the note to Yukimaru, who read it carefully before handing back to me. Whoever had been in that back room had been watching us, which meant they knew we were asking around for information. If we stopped now, it could possibly arouse suspicion, so Yukimaru and I continued to ask around. Unfortunately, noone was as kind as the baker. The people we asked either ignored us or muttered excuses about not knowing anything and that we should go back home. Yep, this village was defiantly keeping secrets.
The five of us gathered back together nearly two hours later. We all shared the information we had failed to gather and the strange behavior of the people. I suggested we get a bite to eat, which everyone agreed to since our meals on the ship were not very filling. We entered a restaurant near by with the creative title of "Foreign Foods", designed to fit it's name. The inside was made to look like a cabin with red and white checkered curtains. A few pictures hung on the walls displaying wonders from around the world.
As the door closed behind us, a women with bouncy red hair turned to us with a smile that looked more sincere than the people surrounding here.
"Grab a seat kids, I'll be with ya in a sec."
The five of us managed to squeeze into a booth, which wasn't actually too hard considering how small Hiko was. Once Sasuke had picked up the menu and began to observe it, I slid the slip of paper over to him. Without averting his gaze he took the paper and placed it against his menu. He passed the note to Mizuko next, who read it then slid it over to Hiko. It continued around the table until it ended up back in my pocket. Moments later the red-headed waitress approached our table.
"The name's Osuzu. You guys ready to order?" She asked, pulling out some paper and a note.
"Um…I'll have-" I began.
"OH! Is that a sword?" The Osuzu said.
I glanced at my sword, leaning against the window. Both Sasuke and I had removed ours to make sitting more comfortable.
"Er, yeah-"
"How cool!" Osuzu cut it, again. "You guys from the mainland?" -She wouldn't even let answer that one either- "I bet you guys have a bunch of cool stories, huh?"
Well, we were all dumbstruck. After walking through a rather melancholy and cold village this bouncy attitude was a bit much. And suspicious.
"Well, we are curious about any strange happenings around here?" Sasuke asked, the expression on his face telling me we had come to a similar realization.
Without even a twitch Osuzu shook here head. "Nope! Nothing but snow and family around here."
Liar.
"Oops!" She said suddenly. "Gotta take your kid's orders. So, what do you want?"
I ordered steak and a baked potato; Sasuke: tomato soup and a side of onigiri; Hiko: Spanish rice and coffee; Mizuko: some kind of deep fried fish; Yukimaru just pointed to something on the menu, keeping his eyes on the table top. Osuzu smiled and nodded before turning and disappearing into the kitchen. As the door swung slowly, I could've sworn I saw here talking to someone. I looked at Sasuke.
"She's more suspicious then the rest of the village." I said in a low voice.
Sasuke nodded.
"When we asked around, everyone averted their gaze or twitched when we asked about strange activity," Hiko pointed out. " but her face did shift in the slightest when we asked, she knows more than the rest of them or she's in on it."
Mizuko sighed. "I hate having to be cautious! Why can't we just bust in and-"
"Keep your voice down, dumbass!" Hiko hissed.
Mizuko shot her a glare but said nothing else.
"S-she…" Yukimaru began.
We all looked at him, surprised that he had finally spoken. His face burned and he turned it down towards his lap.
"She…she had a weapon hiding under her jacket." He said slowly, his voice deeper than I would have imagined. "I-I saw a blade, I think."
We exchanged glances. It was highly possible that she was carrying the weapon for self-defense but from the looks of the village, most people were scared and carrying something dangerous would be a violation of whoever was keeping them in check. Than again, the fact that Osuzu was carrying a concealed weapon didn't necessarily mean she was hiding it from us, but from whoever was watching her. It was likely that she was under surveillance as well.
Moments later our waitress/suspect reappeared, balancing all six plates of our food in her arms. With obvious skill, she tossed the plates on the table, without spilling anything. Osuzu smiled, her dark red lips stretching out.
"I'll get you guys something to drink." She said with a smile that was hard to not trust, but something in here eyes told another story.
The moment she was gone we inspected our meals, making sure no one was trying to kill us, but everything proved to be edible. I was surprised by how well the food had been prepared and wolfed it down as quickly and politely as possible. With a mouth full of steak and buttery mash potato, I glanced out the window. People buzzed outside, scurrying from shop to shop. Groups of three gathered to gossip and mutter amongst themselves, usually mothers watching their children. There was a clothing store not too far ahead on the opposite side of the road. Something fluttered in the breeze, a piece of fabric; black with a red pattern. For a second the red pattern looked like clouds, but when the fabric straightened out, it revealed to only be flowers.
Author Notes: Well, this chapter was rather long now wasn't it? A lot of explaining to do I guess, so this is one of those locations I kind of come up with on the spot. I'm just glad to be out of the block. Lol.