ANOTHER LONG CHAPTER! WIN! ;D
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! I also do not own any of the OCs introduced within this fan fiction, save for:
Tsukuyomi Clan
Uzumaki Kaede
Mushishokan Gatsuki
Ikiteiru Kage
A/N: Ruriko's POV again~
Chapter Forty: Never Learning a Lesson! Getting Beat Down!
I really didn't think moving around at night was the greatest thing in the world, but Sasuke kept saying I had gotten enough sleep from my nap back at the hotel. Says him, he wasn't the one who woke up with Naruto's hand on his chest. I rolled my eyes at the thought as we moved through the trees.
Sasuke looked a lot better than he did before, I had to say. Some color had come back to his face and his fingers were just a light pink now. He still had his nasty attitude, though. You'd think the near death experience would teach him a little respect!
"Ugh, this is stupid," Suigetsu muttered, "I can barely see where we're going!" Karin groaned.
"And I'm still exhausted. I didn't get that much sleep…" She whined softly in annoyance. Juugo said absolutely nothing, but he looked a little tired himself. Even so, Sasuke ignored us and kept pushing on ahead. The night was getting humid and I was missing the blizzards of the Land of Snow. We didn't stop to rest at all, even as the sun began to peek over the tree line. My feet were sore and I wanted to relax, but that's when finally something big was happening.
But not so much for the better.
"Sasuke, wait! There's a large amount of chakra coming from the west!" Karin called. Sasuke came to a stop on a tree branch. I landed beside him, Juugo on his other side and Karin behind us. Suigetsu just barely landed correctly, wobbling a little and fumbling for his water bottle.
"West?" Sasuke asked, glancing in that direction. Karin nodded.
"There's… Three of them… Moving around somewhere not too far from here." She murmured thoughtfully, clasping her hands together tightly.
"We're heading that way." Sasuke commanded. I blinked and huffed.
"What? What if it's not Akatsuki? They travel in pairs, right? She said three!" I protested, but Suigetsu snorted, cutting in.
"Don't be stupid. Akatsuki goes around picking up those demons, right? That must be the source of the third chakra." He retorted. I scowled at him, but Sasuke wasn't having any more arguments or suggestions as he immediately shot off. I sighed and went after him, the rest of the group following close behind.
This was a waste of time. I had a feeling Sasuke was about to give up and just kill me, so I had to keep my guard up all the time. He was getting impatient and I could tell, especially back at the hotel when he had smacked me. Next time, I have a strong feeling he's going to do more than just smack me.
We landed on the ground, finding ourselves looking at a huge cave built into the side of a cliff. The cave was surrounded by a lot of trees and could have easily been missed if Karin hadn't kept telling us to keep moving forward.
"All right," Sasuke ordered firmly, "You three stay out here and make sure no one enters or bothers. Ruriko, you're coming with me."
"Eh? Why me?" I cried. Sasuke flashed me a sharp glare, so I gave up arguing and followed him into the creepy, dark and damp cave that just screamed GO AWAY. I glanced around, hearing the faint sound of rushing water from somewhere deep in the cave, but the big scene was a huge statue just across from the opening. However, it was broken up and looked kind of old. Sasuke frowned, scanning the cave. I kept a considerable few feet from him, just in case he decided to go off on me for taking him to an old meeting spot for Akatsuki.
"I don't know if you're trying to mock me or not," Sasuke began calmly, "But if you think for one second-"
"Hold up," I protested, waving my hands in surrender, "Karin did say she felt chakra coming from this direction! You can't get mad at me for this!"
"And who's the one who led us here in the first place?" Sasuke challenged. His Sharingan was turned on and he was angry. I flinched.
"Is it my fault you chose to believe me?" I demanded. Sasuke glared.
"So you were lying."
"I never said-"
"If you think…" Sasuke's voice trailed off at the sound of voices coming from one of the caverns leading from the inside of the cave. Sasuke grimaced and grabbed my arm, jerking me back. I yelped and stumbled a little, falling on my ass as Sasuke pulled us behind a few thick stalagmites. He frowned, peeking over the edge. I followed his gaze.
Across the cave, coming out from behind the statue were four familiar figures. The first was Kaede, but she had noticeable burns on her arms and legs. She still had that sick twisted smirk on her face and she was giggling about something. Gatsuki came after her, his arm in a sling and I could see that somehow, some way, his hand was back where it belonged! Kage seemed to just morph right out of the shadows, his shoes crunching on the dirt.
And then came their ruthless leader, Kotaro. He didn't wear the heavy cloak he wore back in the Land of Snow, so his dark gray turtleneck with shoulder-length sleeves and matching lighter gray sleeveless jacket could be seen. His black fingerless gloves, with crème armor that resembled the Anbu's, were stained with blood that dripped off his fingers. His dark gray pants had blood staining the bottoms and he looked like he had just gotten back from 'disposing' someone.
"… A waste of time," Gatsuki was muttering, "Unbelievable. If we hadn't of gone after those stupid brats, we wouldn't have missed them."
"Oh quit complaining," Kaede huffed, "At least we got some information from this whole thing, kya!" Kage frowned and glanced at Kotaro, who was flicking the blood off his gloves.
"Are we heading back home then, master?" He asked. Kotaro scanned the cave a little bit longer, his expression hinting aggravation.
"Not yet… We're missing something." He stated.
"Hm? But what else could possibly be here, kya?" Kaede asked, confused, but having quieted her voice so as not to irritate her master any further. Gatsuki frowned.
"We gathered the last of the information they left here. Kage even scanned the entire structure. There's no other traces of that silly organization." He put in quietly. Kotaro walked forward some more, standing in the center of the room. I frowned, waiting for him to do something, maybe even snap at them or Kaede, who was hopping from foot to foot like she was bored with the whole situation.
I tried not to jump as Kotaro swung his arm around at the statue. He gathered a huge amount of electricity in his palm, making the air in the cave almost insufferable. Then he released the cracking orb of electricity, causing it to slam right into the statue. The whole cave trembled under the power and the statue cracked open like an egg. Kaede yelped in shock, leaping away.
Gatsuki frowned, side stepping a pile of rubble. Kage really didn't move at all, the rocks flying right through his smoky appearance. He looked like he was having trouble keeping his solid form. The dust curled away from the statue and Kotaro stepped toward it peering in calmly. Gatsuki and Kaede inched forward to investigate as well. Sasuke seemed pretty damn curious himself as he got on his knees, peering over some more. I went to do the same, but the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, signaling that someone was behind me.
I frowned and glanced over my shoulder, Sasuke doing the same. My eyes shot wide open and horror filled my body as I scrambled back into Sasuke. I opened my mouth to scream, but Sasuke clamped a hand over my mouth, his other arm grabbing onto me to keep me from squirming. Coming up behind us was a huge spider, but not natural huge, HUGE HUGE!
It was a sleek white with thin, long legs and a pointed, yet round body. All its eyes were bright red and its mouth was big enough for me to see its teeth, thick gunk sliding between its teeth.
Shiver after shiver ran through my body and I was trying to jerk away from Sasuke, but he kept a harsh grip on me, gritting his teeth and trying not to hiss curses at me. He glanced back over the stalagmites to see what was happening, but my eyes were locked on the spider. It didn't exactly look like it could see us.
It scuttled to the side, its legs touching up along the wall before it drifted back over to the stalagmites in front of us. Its long spindly leg brushed mine and I tensed up. I tried to keep back any sounds building in my throat, and scooted back just a bit more. I rather be smashed up against Sasuke than near that thing!
Over the stalagmites, Kotaro was stepping away from the cracked open statue, holding a scroll in his fist. He seemed less annoyed now, putting the old scroll in his black weapons pouch.
"What was that, kya?" I heard Kaede question curiously, peeking at Kotaro's weapons pouch, but being careful to keep a distance.
"Information." Kotaro answered shortly, his eyes flickering as if he had a little secret before he looked at Gatsuki, who seemed to be smiling very deviously behind the green cloth over his nose and mouth. Kaede blinked, clueless and Kage averted his eyes… Right toward the stalagmites. Sasuke flinched and immediately came back down.
This time, the spider had its jaws wide open. My eyes went wider and I slammed my fist on Sasuke's leg, hoping he got my 'HOLYSHITLET'SGO' message. Sasuke glared at me for it, but swung his sword forward and sliced the arachnid in half. A thick blackish red gunk pooled on the floor as the spider collapsed. We were deathly silent now, listening to the sound of the other shinobi's shoes scuffing on the dirt.
Sasuke slowly removed his hand and let me go, rolling his eyes. I shuddered and smacked quietly at the part of my leg where the spider had touched. I shivered again, but froze when an odd liquid dripped from somewhere above. It landed right on the toe of my shoe.
It wasn't a liquid, not really as I looked closer. It was white and soft, but very sticky. I couldn't even lift my shoe out of it. I jerked my head up, Sasuke doing the same. This time he didn't move fast enough and I screamed.
"OHMYGOD, IT'S FUCKING HUGE!" I shrieked at the sight of the white spider. This time, the eight-legged freak was about the side of a freaking house! It was stuck to the ceiling of the cave, hanging by a thick web. The gunk that had fallen on my shoe was part of its web, having fallen apart from a hatching egg, revealing a pair of spiders the same size as the one that had curiously crawled behind us before. I screamed again and Sasuke cursed at me for it. One of the spiders came down from the ceiling and he slashed at it with his sword. I finally tore my foot out of the thick webbing and scrambled to my feet, bolting from the hiding spot.
Yea, it was stupid, but come on! There was a spider the size of a fucking ramen shop sticking to the ceiling above us! I was so not staying put!
Of course, stupid me, ran right out into the open. Kotaro seemed to be expecting it, however, looking up with a raised an eyebrow as I skidded to a halt, just a few feet in front of him. Gatsuki snickered pleasantly, Kaede joining in with her obnoxious giggling.
"Scared of spiders, kyaa!" Kaede laughed.
"Pretty stupid of you to come running out here in the open like that. You must really hate those little things." Gatsuki mused. I twitched, clenching my fists and trying my best not to panic.
"Little! Those things were fucking gigantic! And disgusting and just gross!" I yelled at him, then flinched when Kotaro shifted, just shifted. I took a step back. Great, I just got myself into trouble. I shut my eyes and waited to get blasted to pieces, but instead, there was a loud crackle and shriek. I opened my eyes and yelped, jumping back just in time for that huge, house-sized spider to hit the ground. Kotaro and his subordinates had leapt back, taking up a position on the statue to avoid getting slammed with the spider. It's huge body gave a final twitch before Sasuke came down from the ceiling, landing on its belly. Blood caked his entire left side, particularly his arm, some splashed up onto his face.
"You're really making me regret that I didn't kill you," Sasuke spat at me, making me glare, "Can't keep quiet for a single second…" He glanced at Kotaro, who seemed to be looking a bit smug about the whole situation.
"I'm surprised you haven't been killed yet," The international criminal said calmly, "That spider was rather large, much bigger than you." Sasuke glared at him, Sharingan full activated to match his annoyance.
"I'm not afraid of a stupid parasite." He replied flatly. I averted my eyes when Sasuke flashed me a sharp glare as if to say 'unlike a certain someone'.
"Tch." Was my totally intelligent response. It's not like he wasn't scared of anything, the bastard!
"Interesting display," Kotaro responded, standing up straight and calm, "Let's watch you two dance a little more then, if you're so confident in your abilities." He looked at Gatsuki, who nodded and swung out his good hand, easily making a hand sign with the one in the sling, making me blink in surprise.
Those stupid vampire moths came back, in a bigger swarm this time. Sasuke back flipped and easily used that special jutsu of his, causing electricity to spark through the air and kill the moths. I winced as the first one smacked into my cheek, biting hard. I swung my hand up and knocked it away. I grabbed a handful, crushing them and biting into a few more, but spitting them out afterwards.
Ugh, they tasted terrible, those furry little things.
I looked up in time to see Kotaro make a hand sign, causing a huge stalactite to shoot from the ceiling toward Sasuke, who was just landing on his feet on the huge spider's belly. I winced.
"Sasuke!" I yelled, then yelped when a foot flung up to kick me in the face. I winced and skidded back, wiping blood from my mouth to see Kaede smirking at me, revealing a deep scar spreading from the left corner of her mouth and out across her cheek like a half smile.
"I never got to pay you back throwing me down that crevice, kya! Get ready to feel the same pain I felt, brat!" She laughed at me and made a hand sign with one of her hands, swinging her other hand up toward me. I yelped when strong whips of wind lashes at me, cutting into my cheek and limbs. I back flipped to avoid anymore, landing just as Kaede started up a fire jutsu. Hot flames shot forward and I jumped again, using my chakra to keep me against the wall. I didn't stay there for long because Kaede giggled and pointed up.
"Peek-a-boo, kyaaa!" Kaede laughed wildly. I jerked my head up as a surviving white spider scurried toward me, saliva dripping from its mouth. I yelped and lost my balance, slamming into the ground below. Kaede was starting up another jutsu, but I managed to make a hand sign, sending a huge bolt of lightening shoot at her. Kaede dodged to the side, skidding across the dirt. I managed to scramble to my feet, kicking her hard in the face and sending her flying into the statue.
Gatsuki made no move help her, though. I think he had learned his lesson after his hand was chopped off. Kage was no where in sight, which kept me on guard. I looked up as Sasuke just barely dodged a flash of lightening from Kotaro, followed by the jagged stalactites from above shooting downwards and piercing the spider's body. I flinched and took a deep breath before pushing off the ground.
I can't believe I was about to touch a spider!
I landed on the spider's belly, cringing at the sleek, wet feeling of its body before looking up in time for Sasuke to almost slam into me. I yelped out loud, flailing to catch my balance before Sasuke jerked me back onto my feet.
"Don't mess around! We're leaving! Now!" He ordered in my face before letting go. He swung around, catching a bolt of lightening directed at his face. I saw his fingers twitch, growing scorched on the tips. He gasped and let go, jerking back. He coughed into his hand and I noticed a droplet or two of blood.
"Shit," I muttered, "It's just like Sakura said. You still have some of the poison in your body. You need to be careful." Sasuke scowled a little, shaking the blood off his hand.
"It doesn't matter. Let's go." He commanded and nodded to me to go to the side to avoid an attack from Kotaro. I ducked out of the way just in time as a stalactite shot from the ceiling. I bolted forward to avoid the rocks that came crashing down with it. That's when I noticed the scroll sticking out of Kotaro's weapons pouch as he used another lightening jutsu to make Sasuke jump around it. My eyes widened with curiosity.
Yea, I know. I should've learned my lesson from stealing the files back in the Land of Snow, but curiosity got the best of me. I darted forward. Kotaro whipped around, a kunai in hand. I yelped and ducked, doing a quick roll across the sleek spider's belly to grab the scroll right out of his weapons pouch.
"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke demanded as I managed to skid right beside him on my feet.
"Getting information." I panted, shoving the scroll into my kunai holster on my leg. Sasuke frowned, but his eyes flickered as he jerked his head up.
"Ruriko…!" He started, but I had already felt it. I gasped as a kunai shot across my ankles, slicing open my calves and causing blood to spurt free. I collapsed to my knees, wincing.
"You've got a knack for stealing things," Kotaro muttered, "I would have thought you'd learned your lesson after what happened last time… Perhaps a repeat is in order." He made a few hand signs. I flinched, then yelped as Sasuke grabbed me up under his arm.
"Hold on." He commanded. I flailed a little.
"H-Hey! Don't pick me up like this! SASUKE!" I yelled, but he completely ignored me and swung his sword out at Kotaro, just as a huge explosion of electricity shot from his palm and outwards in a thick bolt of lightening, which collided with Sasuke's sword. Sasuke skidded down the side of the spider and hit the ground, this time shifting me into his arms before he took off out the cave, leaving a huge explosion sounding from behind him.
We met up with Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo, taking off into the trees. I went to yell at Sasuke again, but my eyes shifted behind him in time to see a spider shooting from the cave, tailing us. It was half the size of the house-sized one back in the cave and it was angry as hell as it made a hissing sound.
"HOLYSHIT. Sasuke! There's another spider! SASUKE!"
"I heard you! Shut up!" Sasuke ordered and he came to a stop on a tree branch, looking at Juugo, who had twitched. Sasuke opened his mouth to command Juugo to calm down, but Juugo was already whipping around and going after the spider. Sasuke cursed and set me down on the tree branch, glaring at me as well as Karin and Suigetsu.
"Stay put or I'll smash your heads in." Sasuke threatened and whipped around, taking off after Juugo. I grimaced a little. Karin bent down to examine my ankles.
"That's gotta hurt… You can't walk?"
"Well, judging by the fact that Sasuke had to carry me again, I think that says something." I muttered. Karin whined, stomping her foot on the branch.
"You lucky! I wish Sasuke would carry me!" She cried. I twitched and whipped around to smack her, but she managed to scramble out of the way.
"Be my guest," I snapped, "Lemme just rip off one of your legs!"
"Touchy," Suigetsu smirked, "You really have an attitude."
"Pot calling the kettle black," I retorted, then shifted, taking the scroll from my kunai holster, "I'm uneasy. I stole another thing from that guy, Kotaro."
"Do you have a death wish?" Suigetsu demanded. Karin put her hands on her hips, glaring at me too.
"Yea, really! Don't you remember what he did to us last time? That creep totally hunted us down!" She snarled. I scowled and shoved the scroll in my shirt, shaking my head.
"Be quiet. It's information that we'll need to get after Akatsuki. Kotaro's always several steps ahead of us and I was trained to take advantage, every chance I get to steal information. If I have to steal from a guy more dangerous than freaking Orochimaru, then I'll do it, even if he does hunt us down! Besides, I can always use you guys if he wants to kill anyone." I added with a grin.
"SHUT UP!" They both yelled down at me. I smirked, but it was short lived as I heard a faint rustling sound. I jerked my head up and whipped around in time to see something flash behind Suigetsu and Karin.
"You guys…!" I managed, but not before something went over my mouth and nose, a weird sweet smell wavering off it. Then I blacked out.
Later…
I was sore, that was for damn sure. My back ached and my wrists and ankles stung like hell. I managed to open my eyes, my vision blurry before focusing. I found myself staring at a stone floor before I shot upright, wincing. I looked around, finding that my hands were tightly wired together at my back, my ankles wired as well. I looked over to find Karin slumped against the wall, tied with wire as well.
I looked up. We were in a stone room with no windows, but a barred one at the top and a heavy wooden door with metal bars pushed across it. I frowned, then looked back at Karin, nudging my feet out at her.
"Karin… Karin get up!" I ordered and kicked her in the ribs. Karin jolted awake, yelping and lifting her head to reveal that the left lens of her glasses were cracked. She had a drop of blood dripping from the corner of her mouth and forehead. I frowned.
"Karin, what happened?" I demanded. Karin blinked a little, dazed before biting her lip and frowning.
"I don't know… I was going to yell at you, you know, for stealing that scroll… When someone came up behind us… I just remember something sweet…" She murmured. I frowned, then gasped and looked down my shirt. The scroll was gone. I flinched, my face going a little pink.
"Oh my gods, that asshole! Ugh! He nabbed us after stealing the scroll, shit! Unbelievable! And he obviously has no respect for unconscious women." I added under my breath, making Karin huff in annoyance. Karin and I looked at the door.
"Now what? And where's Suigetsu? What if he got Juugo and Sasuke?" Karin cried in horror. I grimaced.
"Let's hope not… And knowing this guy, he's a big fan of torture. We need to get out and fast… Karin, come over here and use your teeth to get into my kunai holster." I commanded. Karin inched over on her knees and leaned down, flicking the holster open with her tongue before using her teeth to pull out a kunai.
"Now what?" She asked pasted the kunai in her teeth. I shifted, nodding to the ground, making Karin spit it out. I turned and picked it up with my fingers, flipping it upwards and began to cut at the wire.
"When I get out of this, I'm going to let you go," I began to explain, "Then we're going to go find Suigetsu, grab the scroll, and get out of here, all right?" Karin gaped at me in horror.
"Are you stupid? Forget the scroll! And forget Suigetsu! We need to go find Sasuke and get out of here!"
"Why am I not surprised you said that?"
"Shut up! Suigetsu's just a pain in the ass and Juugo's always causing Sasuke stress with his sudden personality changes!"
"Good point. And there's you."
"Huh?"
"The one who bitches none stop and whines about every single thing and steals Sasuke's clothes when he's not looking." I replied dryly. Karin went red, twitching a little.
"Sh-Shut up! You're no better! You're a lying cheating little bitch and you're leading Sasuke in the wrong direction!" She yelled. I raised an eyebrow.
"Yup. That about sums up Sasuke's totally kick ass awesome group of villains. Now shut up so I can concentrate." I answered calmly, making Karin roll her eyes. I cut through the wire at last, taking the kunai and cutting my ankles free. I even took the chance to rip a piece of clothe and wrap around my ankles before I stood up, wobbling a little. Karin looked up at me, glaring as if expecting me to make a run without her. I paused, looking down at her flatly.
"I should leave you here, like you wanted to leave Suigetsu and Juugo," I said calmly, making her twitch, "But… I'm not like you. So I'm going to help you. And then Suigetsu, then Sasuke and Juugo. And then I'm going to take the scroll, find Akatsuki, stop all this stupid shit from happening, go back home, and stuff my face with makizushi. If you have a problem with what I just said, say so now so I can 'accidentally' slit your throat."
Karin said nothing. I nodded and bent down, cutting through the wire on her wrists and ankles, allowing her to stand up. I made a hand sign after sticking the kunai in my holster, thrusting my other hand out at the door. Lightening shot forward in several bolts from my fingertips, burning them in the process, but easily shooting the door off its hinges and making the metal bars melt.
"Let's go," I commanded, "We'll keep looking until we find someone, but be quiet. He's probably got traps everywhere." Karin nodded and we slipped from the room, heading down the lantern lit hallway. We stayed at a walking to avoid any tripping of traps. Along the way, we stepped over several wire triggered traps as well as a few that were built into the fancy mosaic tiles of the halls. It was definitely a nicely built hideout. We walked into what looked like just a show room. There was a little platform with an arch built into the wall behind it, holding a statue of a horse and a woman, the woman pouring a bucket of water out into a pool just across the platform. It was definitely fancy and probably expensive. I glanced at Karin, who was staring in awe. I looked back up as we walked into another hallway. I noticed that there was a thin trail of water leading down the hallway toward a pair of large metal doors, opening just a slight crack. I frowned and peered inside, Karin pushing on me from behind to take a look.
Inside the room was a large glass box, or at least, it looked glass. The top of the thing was shut tight with no holes in the top, only a few long greenish lights. Why should there be holes in that box?
Because inside, Suigetsu was lying flat on his side, breathing heavily. I could tell it was unbearably uncomfortable in there as his body looked like it was melting and every so often, he was shift his hand toward the edge of the box, his finger splashing into a thin stream of water, trying to find a way out of the box, but it seemed to be sealed tight.
"Oh my gods…" Karin managed, covering her mouth. I frowned and glanced around the room. There was nothing else in the white room. It was like boredom and pain wrapped into one air tight room. I pushed the door open, releasing a huge blast of hot air as we walked in. Karin and I both winced. I moved forward, walking up to the box. I tapped on the glass, but Suigetsu didn't seem to even notice me. Karin frowned, almost pressing her face in on the glass.
"I think he's under a Genjutsu…" She murmured. I nodded.
"All right. We're going to have to crack this thing open and get him out. Maybe I can try and release the Genjutsu." I muttered. Karin blinked and scanned the case before pointing up.
"Wait, there's a cursed seal on the top of it. Look." I followed her gaze and frowned. I jumped up and landed on the side of the lid, finding the black paper stuck to the top. I studied the thing and the little incantation written on the top.
"Looks like this is the thing keeping him all docile… Stand back, Karin. This thing is gonna burst to pieces when I take it off." I told her. She nodded and leapt away a good distance before I reached down and ripped the tag off, leaping back quickly in the process.
Just as I thought, the lid of the box popped up and shot into the ceiling. The glass exploded, bursting into a million little shards. I landed on my feet, wincing a little and falling over onto my knees. My ankles were still sore and not ready for any harsh landings… I watched as Suigetsu shifted a little, panting hard for air.
"I need… Water…" He groaned. I looked at Karin, who looked at me. We both shrugged and went to grab him up under his arms, dragging him back toward the fountain that we had passed earlier. We chuckled Suigetsu in, where he gasped and opened his mouth to accept huge gulps of the water, sighing contently. I blinked, watching as he seemed to melt in with the water comfortably.
"Ahhh… Sooo much better…" He sighed comfortably, the water splashing on him. Karin rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest.
"Hmph! Where's our thanks?" She demanded. I sweat dropped as Suigetsu rolled over onto his back in the water, smirking at her.
"I forgot."
"ARGH! I hope someone pisses in this fountain, you asshole! Dickhead! Jerk!" Karin yelled at him. I ignored her, frowning as I walked toward the hallway. I had the oddest sensation that someone was watching us. I also took notice to the darkness of the hallway before I turned back to Karin and Suigetsu, who had begun to argue obnoxiously. I glared.
Seriously, I must be getting punished or something to have to be stuck with these two nimrods!
"Shut up," I hissed, "If you keep getting loud like that, they'll find us!" Karin and Suigetsu glanced up, both glaring and ready to shout at me, but Karin gasped.
"Ruriko, duck!" She shrieked, pointing. I blinked and hit the floor hard, popping back up and whipping around as a familiar someone stepped out of the shadows, curls of dark smoke coming together to make up his black and gray outfit. His grayish black hair fluttered lightly at the gently breeze his transformation caused, his smoky gray eyes like daggers.
"You're very mischievous…" Kage greeted calmly, his voice almost monotone-like. I glared at him, listening to Suigetsu stand up in the water, causing it to splash a little.
"Shut up and tell me what happened to Sasuke and Juugo." I ordered. Kage raised an eyebrow, but his expression still seemed blank.
"I only follow orders given by my master and no one else." He replied. I scowled, folding my arms over my chest.
"You're pretty damn loyal to an asshole like Kotaro." I retorted. Kage's eyes flashed and narrowed dangerously.
"I only allow myself to be led by the strongest… You have nerve speaking so lowly of a man who's beaten you on a couple accounts." He mused. I twitched, then glared.
"Shut the fuck up! If you're not going to tell me what happened to Sasuke and Juugo, I'll kill you!" I threatened. Kage averted his eyes, keeping his arms at his sides.
"They are not here. But it doesn't matter because you're all finished." He replied and swung his hand out, making a hand sign with it and flick his fingers. I yelped as a shadow shot from his foot and snapped at my ankles, causing me to fall on my knees. I cursed under my breath and went to grab at him, but my hand went right through him as he stepped back, his back against the wall with the shadows.
"You can't touch me," Kage said softly, "It's like trying to grab smoke." I cursed and spat in his direction, but of course, it went right through him. I gritted my teeth, clenching my fists on the ground. Shit, I was stuck.
Karin wasn't meant for fighting and Suigetsu was probably still weak from whatever they had been doing to him. And here I was, on my knees, and probably facing a torturous death, just fucking great! Kage raised his hand up, making a hand sign with his other hand, but just then the room began to shake slightly, followed by the screeching sound of a thousand birds. Everyone jerked their heads up as the roof exploded into dust.
I wanted to sigh with relief, but then again, Sasuke was probably just as dangerous as Kage. Sasuke burst through the roof, Juugo on his heels as they landed in the center of the room, allowing a huge blast of sunlight to enter the room. Kage's eyes darkened and he slid back into the hallway where it was dark. My eyes flickered.
That's it! Sunlight! He's a shadow!
I made a hand sign and swung my hand out at him, allowing a huge globe of light to emit from an orb of electricity in my palm. Kage's eyes widened and it looked like his hand was starting to sparkle and smoke at the same time. He tore backwards into the hallway and vanished with the shadows. I grimaced and released the jutsu before leaning back to whip around and glare at Sasuke, who was muttering about bad entrances.
"Thanks for showing up at the last minute!" I snapped. Sasuke scowled.
"I could've abandoned you completely, but I came back to find the scroll that Kotaro had… The one you had." He added, then raised an eyebrow. I received comical stares of impatience from Sasuke, Suigetsu, and Karin. I laughed a little nervously, rubbing the back of my head.
"Oh, right! The scroll! Haha, you see. Funny story. I stuck it in my shirt back in the cave and for some reason, when I woke up-"
"I don't believe you!" Suigetsu groaned in disgust, throwing his hands up. Juugo sighed and Karin smacked her forehead. Sasuke glared.
"You're kidding me… Ugh, I am so tempted to kill you right now." He started toward me. I winced and held up a hand toward him.
"Hold up, hold up! Don't waste your time on me! The scroll is somewhere in this place! If we can find it, then there's no need to get after me!" I protested. Sasuke frowned, kicked my hand away before turning.
"All right. Spread out and find the scroll. We'll meet back here to escape. Be careful… That guy is bound to alert the rest of the subordinates as well as Kotaro himself. Be on your guard and very careful. Karin, you're coming with me." He added, averting his eyes and walking down the hall with Karin happily tagging along. Suigetsu scuffed and trudged down a hall, Juugo going in an opposite one. I rolled my eyes and got to my feet shakily before heading down the hall and past the room Suigetsu had been held in previously.
I listened to my boots scuff on the mosaic tiles as I walked down the hallway. I was peeved off at Sasuke, completely ignoring how dangerous it was that I was throwing doors open. I was lucky the first few times to find empty rooms, some containing absolutely nothing. Just a waste of space!
The next time I wasn't so lucky. I threw open a door to find some men crowded around a table that had a few gold coins sitting at the center with some cards thrown down. They all wore that special symbol; the octagon with the two inverted triangles moving down to touch the top of another triangle that had its tip pointing down and covered with a circle.
They all jerked their heads up, glaring at me. I twitched and laughed a little.
"Ahaaa… Oops. Wrong door." I muttered. The first one jumped at me and I swung my foot out, kicking him hard in the face and slamming him into the table. I winced at the pain in my ankle and stumbled a little, but managed to duck as one shinobi jumped past me, flying right out the door and into the wall of the hall. I smirked, then yelped as I ducked to avoid a kick in the head. I made a few hand signs and swung my hand into the room, sending volts of electricity exploding inside, electrocuting the men inside.
I stepped back, then yelped as the man who had hit the wall whipped around and kicked me into the wall by the door. I flinched, then swung around and grabbed the man by the shoulders, making a stupid move, and slamming my head into his. He gasped and slumped to the ground. I rubbed my forehead.
"Ow." I muttered, then took off down the hallway. I rounded a corner and kept running, hoping that all the men behind me had been downed. I slowed down, then stopped and leaned on my knees, panting for breath and wincing at the pain in my ankles. Great, as if my shoulder wasn't already weak from Osamu's attack from the Chuunin Exams a long time ago. Now my ankles were going to be weak. It wasn't helping that I wore heels.
I sighed and stood up straight, wiping the sweat from my forehead before I continued to walk down the hall, quietly now and only pressing my ears to doors to listen for sounds. Most of the room either had subordinates in them or absolutely nothing. I rolled my eyes at the waste of space before I came to a large room. The entrance was a pair of heavy double doors, closed pretty tight, but not locked. I glanced up and down the hallways before daring to lean on the door. I heard nothing and carefully, quietly opened them.
I winced as soon as I did. It was a large, luxurious bedroom with a huge canopy bed with white and blue silks thrown upon it. Lying on the bed, Kotaro had his back to the door. I went still, holding my breath. He was sleeping, I could tell, from the way his chest rose and fell slowly. I inched forward, closing the doors as quietly as possible behind me.
I know, stupid move. Why would I sneak up on an internationally wanted criminal, who's almost killed me twice? Well, I needed that scroll and I could see that he had tucked it under his pale blue pillow. I walked up quietly to the side of the bed, peeking at him.
I got the same impression as when I had seen Sasuke sleeping. Seemingly peaceful and not bad looking, but extremely deadly. I let out my breath softly and quietly before sucking it back in, reaching out and grasping the scroll.
A hand shot out and grabbed mine, making me gasp.
"I was expecting you." Kotaro said calmly, his grip on my wrist tightening. I flinched.
Shit.
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A/N: Yeaaa, the dramatic scene… o3o! I was super excited to right this, oh yea. xD I also want to throw this out there right now, since the last chapter reminded me of it… I don't know FOR SURE if I'm close to ending the Shippuden or not, but either way, it's nice to mention it now just in case! Part III of Shadows of Heroes will be posted under a different story name as a separate bit. The third part is where all our heroes, antagonists and protagonists, are adults in the shinobi world, some having lovers and some having children. C: I would like for those of you who have submitted OCs to pick both or one of those things. You can have a lover, but not children, or just a lover. You don't have to have a lover or kids at all! I would just like you to be thinking about your OCs as adults! :D You can pair them with other Ocs (So long as you ask permission from the user, first!) or a character from the show. However, three characters from the show are already taken: Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Sasuke. HOWEVER, Sasuke will be available a tad later on in the series, just putting that out there for Sasuke-fans. o3o Well, I think that's it for my totally long author's note… lol. Thanks so much for reading, hope the OCs are in character, and your reviews are greatly appreciated!