Chapter Seven;
Two days had passed since the rebels set out to the Southern hideout. It was a two week journey, since they were going to head farther west first, and then turn to go south. The strategy was to deceive any of Hanzo's men, whom they might run into, or have following them. In the two days nothing had happened. They changed their schedule, and were now traveling by night, and hiding among trees and thickets to rest during the day. They never built fires, and were mostly living on fruits, vegetables, and bread. Throughout the journey Itachi, Deidara, and Sasori practiced their taijutsu, since it was the only form of fighting they could use without chakra.
Shoto had taken it upon herself to find them each a weapon they could use. Sasori and Deidara were both long range when it came to fighting. Deidara himself seemed to work well with a bow and arrow. Shoto explained that once they got to the Southern hide out, there were dynamite there that he could attach to the end of his arrows, and light them before he shot them out. Which would create the explosions he loved so much. This had thrilled Deidara to no end. Shoto also warned him he couldn't also use dynamite. Since their supply was limited, unlike how it would be if he used his hand mouths. Regardless, Deidara was ecstatic about having some kind of explosive again, and he practiced with his bow every chance he got with false arrows. He kept his actual arrows in a pouch on the left side of his belt, and had a strap to place his bow on his back when he wasn't using it.
Sasori, also preferring to fight at a distance, was given a triple bladed boomerang, with a chain attached to it. He could throw it as he liked, and could use the chain to control which way he wanted it to go, as well as to pull the weapon back to him if it got lodged into something. Once he was used to it, he learned it was no different than controlling a puppet. Though the two were obviously vastly different, it was the same concept. He was given a hook like holster to place on his belt that would carry his weapon.
Itachi, they learned, was already skilled with a katana and the tanto. So, he was given both. A katana for a more mid-ranged fighting, and a tanto if any enemies got too close. He admitted it was slightly different to use them without chakra, and it would take awhile for his skills to be up to par. He kept both weapons in two separate sheaths on his back. so far, he was the most skilled with his weapons.
It was currently midnight, and Evelynn was calmly strolling at the head of their troop. They had about four hundred people with them. Only one hundred stayed behind. Since it was midnight Hanzo's men wouldn't be scouting anywhere for at least three hours. Though the rebel girls still had to be weary of bandits, and rabid wild animals. Sasori, who was currently in the middle of the troop with Mira and Deidara, was watching Evelynn from the distance.
"How can she be so casual?" Sasori wondered.
"E-evelynn?" Mira asked him. He nodded while turning to look at her.
"W-well, she believe th-the only way to be a-alert is t-to be relaxed." Mira explained. "Y-you can keep y-your senses sharper that way."
Sasori nodded, and with one more long glance at Evelynn he walked ahead to join her. She was about a yard a head of everyone else. So he could apologize in private.
"Evelynn." He addressed her as he came up behind her. She gave him a sideways glance, and then turned forward again.
"Yeah, what?" She asked, a slight edge to her tone. Sasori ignored it, for now.
"I wanted to.. Apologize. I suppose." He responded.
"Hm, whatever." Evelynn shrugged.
"That's it?" Sasori raised an eyebrow. Evelynn simply nodded.
Sasori furrowed his brow. That certainly wasn't normal. Not for women, anyways. Weren't they supposed to never shut up or something? Heh, she was an interesting specimen indeed.
It was windy tonight. That meant rain would probably fall soon. Judging from the dark clouds overhead, probably within the hour. They couldn't stop until daylight, though. If they did it would just waste time, and they couldn't afford that. The longer they traveled the more likely they were to be caught.
"It's going to rain." Sasori observed quietly.
"Aye." Evelynn nodded. "I don't mind the rain."
"Oh?" Sasori raised an eyebrow in question. Evelynn looked over at him for the first time in the few minutes they had been walking together.
"Rain is never alone." Evelynn stated. "From the first drop, to the last. There's never just one. The rain is never lonely, and that's something I can appreciate."
"You're lonely?" Sasori pressed lightly.
"Sometimes it feels that way." Evelynn sighed and looked a head of her again. There was a low rumble of thunder, and the sound made her shiver.
The rain never bothered her. The lightening was beautiful. Thunder was another story. It was like the world was yelling at you, in a foreign language. Trying to scream something at you, that you cannot understand. When Evelynn didn't understand something, it scared her. Therefore, the thunder scared her.
She wasn't alone, in fear. Shoto and Mira were both scared of lightening. Mira, because the sudden flashes always startled her. Anything that was too sudden startled the shy woman. Shoto was scared of it, because the sudden flashes would hinder her vision for a moment. When she couldn't see, her aim was off. When her aim was off there was the chance she could get struck down. That didn't sit well with the raven haired girl.
Often, the girls would just huddle together during storms, and Evelynn would hum a soft tune to try and get their minds off it. It was different now. They had their troop to look after. There would be no running to each other tonight. Evelynn jumped, and cast a sideways glance at Sasori as another rumbled of thunder rolled above them. He was looking nonchalantly a head of him. Good. He didn't notice her discomfort.
The rain started to fall. Light drizzling at first, but the wind picked up and it started to down pour. Within minutes everyone was soaked. A few of the rebels had gotten blankets, and were trying to keep the children dry. At the current moment, if any of them got sick, they would surely die. Evelynn turned her head towards the forest to their left.
"Bandits!" She cried behind her over the wind. Soon, the whole troop was shouting that there were bandits near by, and to keep their eyes open.
No sooner had the cry been called a troop of about two hundred men rushed from the woods. Evelynn swung her pole axe off her back, and Sasori readied his boomerang. His chain was only about twenty feet long, so he had to wait until they were close enough to strike. The men in the rebel troop readied their own weapons of piked clubs, swords, and war axes.
Shoto was already shooting her axe head at three of the closest men. Mira had her dagger out, and was in a defensive stance. Deidara had already shot down six men with his arrows. Itachi was currently in combat with four others.
Evelynn ran forward, one fist clenched, and her pole axe ready to strike. She impaled one man in the heart. They wore no armour, and the clothes they had were worn and ragged. As he fell she punched another one who was running up to her from behind him. The pikes in her glove tore into his flesh, and gouged out one of his eyes. The man screamed, Evelynn ripped her pole ace out of the first, and then decapitated the one she had punched. Sasori threw his boomerang with deadly accuracy, and it sliced into the throat of a bandit that was coming from Evelynn's right. Then yanked it back, flicked the chain left, and the bladed boomerang went around Evelynn. Sasori gave the chain a final yank towards himself, and the boomerang embedded itself into the back of another bandits head. You could see the tip of the blade protruding from him forehead.
Shoto jumped as the first flash of lightening struck. It startled her so, that she pulled her chain back too soon, and she barely moved out of the way of her own weapon. As she moved to the right, she swung her chain left, and the axe finally sliced open the chest of it's intended target. Slightly shaken from her near death experience, Shoto didn't notice the bandit coming up behind her. Not until she saw the club in his hand drop to her feet. She turned, and Itachi had his katana through the mans back, and piercing his heart. Shoto, with a flick of her wrist, had her axe head in action again, and spun the chain so the axe head flew around Itachi, and cut open the skull of another bandit.
"Are you alright?" Itachi yelled over the wind and rain.
"Fine!" Shoto yelled back. With a nod the two turned back to their enemies.
Mira herself had ducked down when the lightening flashed. It had startled her so much that she had dropped her dagger. Quickly, she scrambled for it. She turned and fell back when she saw a man with a sword standing over her. Before she could react he lunged the sword at her. Only, it never hit. Deidara took the blow, grabbed the man's head, and headbutted him. When the man stumbled back Deidara yanked the sword out of his body, and plunged it into the mans throat. Then, Deidara left him there, and turned to Mira. She had stood up, and was watching him with a horrified expression.
"A-are you a-alright?!" Mira wailed over the storm. Deidara just grinned, hooked an arrow in his bow, and shot the arrow into the skull of another bandit.
"Never better, yeah!" Deidara assured.
As he continued firing arrows, Mira went to work healing his stomach. The sword had gone all the way through him, so for now she just had to heal the internal wounds. She could stitch him up, and get a bandage on him when the fight was over.
-Time Skip!-
For two hours the rebels fought. Finally, all the bandits were dead. The rebels themselves lost ten men and six women. Evelynn panted as she looked over the massacre. The wind was still violent, and the rain still pounded down on them. She had been stabbed in her right knee, and had a deep gash on her face. Sasori had a cut across the left side of his throat, and across his right side. Other than that, they were fine. Evelynn started limping back towards the troop to see who else had been hurt. Sasori followed, watching her intently. She winced as another booming of thunder could be heard, and fell to her knees. Wincing again, only this time in pain.
"Here." Sasori put her arm around his shoulder, and helped her walk back. It didn't escape him that every time the thunder could be heard, she'd clutch him slightly tighter.
When they reached the center of the troop there were many men in bandages, and a few had arm slings. Itachi himself had a bandage wrapped around his head. Apparently, one of the bandits caught him off guard, and bashed him in the temple with a club. Shoto had a bandage around her upper right arm, and a wrap around her left ankle. She had been stabbed in the arm, and a minor ankle sprain. Deidara had his stomach bandaged up, and a bandage over his left eye. A side from the stab wound to his gut, he also got scraped with an arrow above his eye.
"S-sit here." Mira tried to usher Evelynn onto a stool. Evelynn waved her away, and let go of Sasori.
"Take care of him first." Evelynn ordered, and set to work cleaning the gash on her face.
Mira nodded, and was able to heal the gash on his neck completely. She stitched up his side quickly, and then wrapped a bandage around him to cover the stitches. After she healed the gash on Evelynn's face she went to work healing her knee. It turned out she had been stabbed all the way through. So, Mira healed the muscles and bone, and then stitched up the outer wound. Evelynn wrapped her knee herself.
"Should we keep moving?!" Shoto shouted above the rain. Everyone had started shivering. They were cold, drenched, and most were probably hungry.
"There's an abandoned village not far from here!" Evelynn yelled back. "We can rest there until the rain dies out! Then we have to keep moving!"
Shoto nodded, and then went around to everyone to tell them the news. Evelynn stood, and started walking to the front again.
"You should rest!" Sasori shouted after her. She turned back to him, and stared briefly. Then, she looked at all the rebels and outlaws around her.
"I have people to protect!" Evelynn yelled fiercely.
She continued to the front of the troop, and Sasori just stared after her. An interesting woman, indeed.
-Time skip!-
The troop made it to the village without any trouble. They set up fires inside huts, and most changed into dry clothes. Itachi, Deidara, and Sasori shared a hut with the girls. They had all removed their clothes, the boys left their underwear on, and the girls had bindings underneath their clothes. All six had blankets wrapped around them as their clothes dried near the fire.
"We should forget heading farther west, and just go south." Shoto remarked suddenly. "It's too dangerous to keep traveling them like this."
"I agree. We'll start out in the morning. For now, we need to rest." Evelynn sighed wearily.
Everyone mumbled an agreement, and they all laid down. One by one, they fell asleep. The three girls were huddled together, and the men lay side by side. The rain still beating harshly on the rooftop.