Chapter 37 Foreign
All it took was one elevator ride that ended with the classical ding! and the doors opened to reveal an entirely different scene to Mizuko. A large room stretched out before her decorated with vibrant shades of oranges, reds, yellow and many other colors. Items that looked as though they could be from all over the world were scattered around in a feng shui fashion. Nude sculptures that could have come from Europe, statues of gold that were obviously from Egypt and even some weird looking doll that Mizuko had no clue about its origins. Even the curtains and fabrics looked as though they could be Indonesian.
Ignoring the fact that she was admiring her new surroundings, the guard harshly pushed Mizuko forward. With a glare she continued forward down the carpeted walkway, lined with stone elephants. Placed at the head of the room was a large bronze chair….more like a throne. Seated on its deep red cushions was a middle aged looking man with curly black hair in a near buzz cut hair style. His skin was tanned, dark, like an Indian's. He was dressed in fine robes that had a pretty good chance of being foreign. The man's eyes shifted to Mizuko and the guard. Mizuko suddenly felt a tightening in her stomach and shiver that quickly shuddered down her spine.
"Μέλος το σκοπό αυτό, Ζάντερ!" The man said, his voice calm but his tone harsh.
The guard behind Mizuko dropped to his knees almost immediately, dragging her down with him.
"Συγχώρεσέ με, Μεγαλειότατε, αλλά η δεσμευμένη δεν φαίνεται να λάβει για την καλά με το κρύο." The guard said quickly.
"Τι εννοείς?"
"Το δέρμα της ήταν κυριολεκτικά κατάψυξη! Θα μπορούσα να δείτε τον πάγο που αποτελούν για την αυτήν δέρμα!"The guard continued as he yanked Mizuko back to her feet.
"Dammit!" She cursed, spinning around to glare at the guard. "I hope you don't treat your wife this bad!"
The guard grunted, annoyed.
"Oh, right, I guess your much to ugly to have one!"
The guard opened his mouth to speak but Mizuko turned to face the obvious leader.
"あなたが日本語を話すか?! 'Cause I can't understand a damnword your saying!!"
The guard pulled her back harshly.
"You better mind your manners brat!"
"Αφήστε το να είναι, Ζάντερ!" The leader said harshly.
The guard backed down, who's name seemed to be Xander, bowing his head.
"Forgive my subordinate's rude behavior and for the fact that your were not involved in our conversation. My name is Aisuji Tawera, I am the leader of the Kyu."
"Tawera…" Mizuko mumbled.
"I hope you don't mind me asking why you and your companions are here?"
"Oh, that?" Mizuko shrugged. "We were headed for an island for a mini-vacation and were blown of course. I can't remember the last time I went to the beach."
"And that's why you asked for info around my village?"
"Wouldn't you if everyone around acted like they had a stick up their ass?"
"And even though you anticipated the beach, you appeared with winter gear?"
"Better safe than sorry, we're always prepared."
Tawera leaned back in his seat.
"Where do you hail from?"
"Huh?"
"Obviously a group of friends would hail from the same region."
"We're rouges. Didn't you notice the fact that we're not displaying our loyalties?"
"Since when did rouges work together?"
"Don't toss us in with the stereotypical."
The Kyu leader paused, his folded hands resting on his chin. Mizuko knew he was looking for a weak point, a flaw, some sign to which he could act on. But Mizuko remained confident, she was the best liar she knew.
"I see." He said finally. "Well, I must say I still do not trust you and will continue to hold you captive."
Mizuko flinched.
"I wont be putting you back in that cell, seeing the effects our hospitality has on you." His eyes shifted to the guard. "Xander, Ετοιμάστε μια φυλακή δωματίου."
"Yes, my lord."
*~*
With the snow corroding beneath my thick, winter boots, I made my way slowly up the icy mountain. Less than an hour ago, Sasuke and I had come to a large rock wall, blocking our path. Using chakra to ascend quickly would have seemed like the logical option but the snow was much to sleek, forcing us to either climb by hand or search for another root. So, now, about a few yards from the top, I held onto the crags and planted my feet deeply in the most stable parts of the rocks below my, constantly searching for my next hand or foot hold. While it should have been an easy task, every part of me felt chilled to the bone and parts of my body were becoming numb and unwilling to move. Already nearing the top, Sasuke moved upward as if the snow were nothing but a fabrication, hardly ever hesitating.
Ten minutes later I was a little more than a foot from the top, just a few more steps. Problem was…I couldn't feel my face, at all. Still unused to the cold weather, my body took over, shut out the reason of my mind and took the risk of reaching back and pulling my hood on. The moment I did so, my foot slipped. Thankfully, my left hand held on strong to its hold but the rest of my body dangled free from that one limb. I didn't even hear the cry of surprise I must have let out, because Sasuke's face soon appeared over the edge.
"Give me you hand." He said, his voice as calm and apathetic as usual.
"I can do it fine by myself!" I claimed harshly.
"I would bet my life on it," He insisted. "Which is exactly what your doing."
"I'm fine!"
I swung myself forward and found and place for my right hand to rest but had trouble finding a stable hold for my feet. I slipped several times, driven my some strange determination to do this myself, for reasons I could not come up with. But, as if frustrated by my efforts, Sasuke grabbed my arm and pulled me up onto flat ground.
I lay there, panting for a while, teetering between warm and cold.
"So, now you don't trust me?" Sasuke's voice said.
"I said I could do it myself!" I said, frustrated, as I sat up to face him. "How can I improve and grow stronger if you won't let me!?"
"Now isn't the time." He said, his voice growing harsh. "If you want to improve, do it on your own time, not when a teammate's life could be on the line!"
I flinched away from his words, as if it had been Mizuko who said them. Shame filled my thoughts and I dropped, pressing my forehead to the snow.
"I'm sorry, I was wasting time." I apologized, though I wasn't sure who the apology was for.
When I got no response I stood up, believing Sasuke had become angry with me, but when I looked up at him, his attention was stiffly focused on the forest in front of us. From the way his body was tense, I sensed it wasn't the time for asking questions. Then, before I could comprehend it, Sasuke whipped a kunai from his pouch and hurled it in the direction on which his eyes were locked. The weapon exploded and four shinobi revealed themselves from the brush.
"Kyu." I whispered.
Sasuke had his sword drawn in seconds and with out a word, the Kyu charged at us. The first of the two that came at me earned a round house kick to the face. The second pulled out a knife and charged at me with it, aiming for my stomach, I dropped and kicked upwards, practically hearing the crack of his jaw. While his friend was stumbling back, the first came up and landed a pain fully blow on my cheek the moment I turned to face him. I rolled back, quickly regaining my posture and was ready when he came for another attack. I missed a chance to kick him in the gut and gave him the opportunity to make his way behind be. Locking my arm behind my back, I took advantage of his position to elbow him in the stomach with my free arm before bringing my fist up to break his nose seconds later. I untwisted myself and managed to reverse our positions so that the Kyu now exposed his back to me and was practically on his knees. With a well placed kick, he stumbled forward right over the edge of the cliff I had scaled minutes earlier.
As the second Kyu charged again, I lightly tapped my palm to his wrists, sending it in an outward direction before attacking all the sensitive points of his upper body in several quick movements. While he was still stunned, I took the arm the held the knife and used his own weapon against his by plunging it in his stomach. With a cry of pain he dropped, twitched, and lay still.
I sighed, allowing my body to relax once more. I turned to see Sasuke had managed to pick off his opponents as well. I approached him with a smile.
"Guess you finished before me, huh?"
"I was beginning to wonder if you would need some help." He said, his expression making it practically impossible to tell if the remark was sarcastic or not. "I take it that the exercise warmed up your body?"
"Oh yeah." I said, stretching. "It warmed me up alright."
Still enjoying the feeling of victory, a sudden aroma aroused my sense of smell. I looked down and saw the blood the man I had stabbed staining the snow. It was thick…and it's smell was strong. The positive feelings left as soon as they had come and I backed away slowly. Sasuke started at me, expressing confusion.
"Karasu? What is it?"
Placing a hand over my mouth and nose, I shook my head.
"It's okay, lets just move on already."
Sasuke stared at me, as if he were about to say something, but he was interrupted by the wheezing cough of one of his victims. We both turned to see one of the men flinching and obviously still alive. He groaned and sat up. Sasuke, brought his sword up to attack and the man's eyes, the only part of him that wasn't covered with clothing, went wide with fear.
"Per favore! Si prega di non uccidermi!" The man cried out frantically, holding a hand up. "Ho solo fatto come mi è stato detto!"
The different language of the man, caused Sasuke to pause, but he again prepared to finish of the begging man.
"Wait!" I said, as I held back Sasuke's arm. "Don't kill him!"
Sasuke looked at me, the confusion returning to his face.
"He speaks Italian." I explained. "Let me listen to what he has to say."
"You speak Italian?" His voice seemed surprised.
I nodded. "I can understand and speak most languages based from Latin, like Spanish, French, etc. It's a skill I learned in Akatsuki."
I leaned down to the man, who backed away slightly.
"Calmati, non ferita voi calm down, I won't hurt you." I said, holding a hand out to him, trying to display my good intentions. "Lei parla giapponese?Do you speak Japanese?"
The Italian nodded. "Alcuni Some."
"Come si chiama? What is your name?"
"Luciano." He answered, and I could see he was beginning to relax.
"Il mio nome è Uchiha Karasu My name is Uchiha Karasu e questo è il mio amico Uchiha Sasuke-san."
"Karasu…" He spoke the words well but his accent was apparent. "A-are you going to k-kill me?"
"Ealier, you told Sasuke-san that you were just doing as you were told, ho solo fatto come mi è stato detto?" I asked, translating the last half for him to better understand. "What did you mean? If you work for the Kyu, you must be willing to die for their cause."
He shook his head. "My p-parents sol…" He struggled with his Japanese. "… i miei genitori mi ha venduto."
"Sold you?! Why?!"
"Debito." Luciano said simply.
I could tell that Sasuke didn't like being unaware of the situation, his arms were crossed and his eyes had a glare to them.
"He's been sold into service for the Kyu because of him parent's debt." I explained. "I don't think he works for them willingly."
Sasuke didn't seem to sympathetic, as if he still wanted to kill Luciano. The Kyu must have sensed the same thing.
"I can…get you in-inside." He stuttered. " Take you to the Kyu, destroy…h-help your friend."
I looked to Sasuke, pleading without words, though why I wanted his approval was strange. He sighed.
"Fine, but if it turns out to be a trap I will finish the job." He said, walking past without eye contact.
Luciano sighed, finally relaxing. I touched his shoulder lightly. He flinched.
"Si dovrebbe essere sicuro." I said, smiling.
*~*
Mizuko, curled up in the corner of her bed, stared at the window of her cell's door. It was smaller than the size of her head and was barred with three iron poles. Below the window was a rectangular hole just wide enough to fit a plate of food. What kind of food she hadn't learned yet. Surrounded by stone walls, the room had a closet, a nightstand, one bookshelf, the bed, which was big enough to fit two people and even a small bathroom complete with shower. It was pretty nice for a cell, well sized and almost cozy. Though she hated to read, the books would supply something for her to do. But every time she looked at the door, she remembered she was a prisoner. Even the one window in the room, which nearly took up the whole back wall, was barred securely. Besides, she didn't like looking at the snow, and kept the drapes closed over the view.
There was a clattering sound and Mizuko turned her attention back to the door, a tray of food sat on the small shelf protruding from the feed-hole. It smelled delicious and she stumbled over and snatched it. The tray contained deep fried salmon with mashed potatoes and a bowl of rice. After she had grabbed her meal, a small can of soda rolled through after it. She grabbed it as well before dipping a finger in the potatoes and tasting them. No poison and it was perfectly cooked.
Suddenly the world didn't seem like such a bad place and Mizuko plopped back down on her bed to eat the food as fast as possible, while some how still being able to enjoy it. Everything had been prepared perfectly and tasted amazing. Mizuko couldn't believe her luck at how well they were suddenly treating her, compared to the cold cell she had been in hours ealier.
Shadows appeared in the light of her doorway and she glanced up slightly.
"Feeding the new prisoner, Kar?" Said one voice, deep and obviously male.
"Have you seen this one yet?" The one named Kar responded, his voice sounding older that his companion.
There was pause before Kar continued.
"Sie ist total heiß! Ich bedeuten Klasse A!"
"Keine Chance!"
"Ihre Brüste sind riesig!" Kar said enthusiastically.
Practically slamming her tray on the bed, Mizuko stood up and strut over to the little window.
"Hey!" She called out to the guards.
The two turned to her, they both appeared in their twenties, one with a clean shaven face and long black hair and the other with short brown hair and stubble. They both shared the look of slight surprise.
"I can understand German, morons!" She continued, glaring at he pair through the bars. "So stop talking about my boobs, bastards!"
The surprise was replaced by embarrassment and the two shuffled away.
"Aber sie ist eine Hündin." Kar mumbled under his breath to his friend.
"I heard that!" Mizuko yelled as she flung the empty soda can at his head, managing to squeeze her arm through the window.
Turning back to her room, she let out a frustrated sigh and walked over to the bookshelf. To her delight she found some manga amongst the other boring covers. She curled back up in her bed and began to read the one kind of novel she enjoyed.
Author's Notes: It's been a long time, eh? Well sorry about that XD
Translating all the foreign languages was hard, and not all of it got translated correctly, I think. But if your curious about some of it, just go to iGoogle Translator. Originally Luciano was going to speak Spanish but I wanted to work on my Italian lol
I really like the idea of incorporating foreigners into the story. I'm not exactly sure where and when Naruto takes place but I remember in one of the filler episodes (ugh, fillers) there was a character from America. I guess that somewhat inspired this idea, lol.
I'll try to updated asap, but I'm not going to type if I don't feel like it, lol