34.
She recognized the sound of that particular cane. Izuna carried it around all the time, just in case, after his...trade. It had been transformed to be more like a weapon.
Yuna didn't move from her current spot and waited for Izuna to pass. Instead, he stopped next to her with that polite, fake smile of his. She waited for him to say something, an insult, order or anything, but in the end, his head was just turned down to her.
If he still had eyes, he'd be looking right at her. Yuna finally sighed in defeat and closed her eyes trying not to imagine the emptiness behind the bandages.
She was to depart for her mission soon.
"Since when do you wait for invitations? It's not like you, Izuna."
Yuna felt a small shift, but didn't hear anything.
"I heard about your mission."
No emotion from her side, she tried to remain careful with Izuna.
"Has my brother confessed his love in any form?"
Her heart skipped a beat. Izuna heard that, without doubt. She could feel, even with her eyes closed, his smile growing wider with each passing second.
"Yuna, are you ignoring me?"
It stung when he used her name like that, with that soft, fake voice of his that made him sound almost as if he liked her.
His words were followed with a suffocating silence.
Izuna didn't mind waiting, especially if it annoyed and preferably made Yuna uncomfortable.
She pulled her clothes closer to her skin when the wind rustled past them. Izuna didn't move a muscle; he almost looked like a statue, a scary one with the bandages around his face.
He hated those bandages, they reminded him of the fact that people won't believe that he can just brush this off and casually move on.
Yuna interrupted Izuna's train of thoughts with a short, humourless laugh.
"I doubt that Madara would ever openly confess his love towards me," she answered truthfully. Yuna wasn't sure if Madara was capable of saying those three fatal words.
"Do you believe that there is a parallel universe somewhere? It might be a completely different era…but everything done here will affect the other universe."
Izuna looked at Yuna as if she had eaten something weird.
"What the hell are you babbling about?"
She smiled, "I had a dream last night where I was standing on a cliff, I looked different, I was wearing weird clothes, and Madara was there as well. His hair was short and his clothes were similar to mine, like a uniform or something.
It felt like it was solely up to him whether I jump or not, and then I started to wonder, is there a universe where Madara and I never got together. Or maybe there is one where we never separated. You get the point."
Izuna chuckled and got up.
"You know, I like you more than I did before. You've changed for the better. I'm not sure what my brother sees in you, but none of it matters to you two. I can tell that my brother harbours deep feelings towards you so I'm asking you not to crush them. What I'm curious about is…Are you in love with my brother?"
Yuna was glad that Izuna couldn't see the pink tint on her cheeks. It was faint, but nevertheless visible. She shook it off with a smile.
"Yes, it's the sole reason why I'm still here, for his sake, to try and keep him safe."
"I guess you took my warning seriously, not dying and all that."
Izuna halted for split second before he got up and left as if it was nothing, leaving Yuna more confused than before. Did he really drag his ass out there just to talk about his feelings?
She sighed and lied down on her back. That dream felt so familiar, even though she had never seen it before.
The strange clothes, sounds, voices, devices…it seemed like nothing that she could make up on her own. She never was that imaginative.
Yuna sat up and rubbed her eyes. Now was not the time. She had to focus on becoming someone else. Yuna was no longer Yuna. The tricky part was to become Yuna once more, just one last time. Madara had a sick sense of humour…Hikari…that's the name of her dead mother. A truly twisted man…
I wonder how Sayu's doing…I want to see her son…I'm sure that it'll be a son…She'd be damn proud of me.
She never saw Madara before leaving. Her mission was kept quiet to avoid any hateful leakages.
It took her only a few days to reach the lively town. It was a magnificent sight to behold. The mammoth stone walls seemed indestructible and the iron gates were safely shut.
Yuna took a moment to absorb the beauty; it won't be hard to get out as a ninja as long as she remained careful and stealthy. There were guards patrolling on the walls, walking back and forth as if they were in a strange trance.
She took cover in the trees, carefully assessing the walls. This place couldn't be completely closed. Every city, every house has a sewage pipe somewhere…or at least an opening.
She chomped down a soldier pill with lukewarm water before sitting down. For the rest of her day she was going to conceal her presence and simply observe the city.
Her red hair was hid under the hood of her jacket. Looking in the mirror, she still felt foreign.
Tomorrow she was going to enter the city and scout for an opening. It was all planned out; she had three days before she had to enter the mansion hide deep inside those gigantic walls. That's when her meeting with Uematsu was set up. If Yuna couldn't find a way out by that time, then she would have to count on her non-existent luck to get out again.
"Hey lady!"
The stentorian shout caused Yuna to almost fall off of the branch. She scrambled hurriedly to grab onto something before looking down, panting.
There stood a little boy, perhaps not older than fourteen with a wide smile on his face.
There goes my idea for scouting…STUPID mistake Yuna…and you call yourself a ninja?
She was too surprised to be angry, and simply stared down to the boy with wide eyes.
His grime covered skin and tattered clothes gave her a general outlook about his social status. She picked up her things and climbed down the tree.
When she turned around, Yuna found the boy close to him, examining her face carefully. He hastily pulled down the hood, revealing her red hair before grinning from ear to ear.
"Damn, you're very pretty! Why are you sitting up on that tree while staring at Uematsu's fortress?" He inquired with no restraint. Yuna found his lack of manners very alarming, but also amusing.
"Thanks…and I'm kind of trying to figure out the best way to enter actually…" she replied truthfully. No point in trying to lie her way out of this. What could a little boy do anyway? His forest green eyes lit up with excitement and he grabbed her hand and started guiding her through the woods.
"Oh you're going to love this! Using the front gate is stupid, they check in everybody that goes in and ask you a gazillion things before letting you enter. No point in doing that when you can always use the back exit…Not a very official one but the refugees and other poor folk like me use it!"
Her eyebrow rose and she tilted her head innocently, "What do you mean?" she asked, not trying to be soft with her words. The boy seemed like a straightforward fellow, Yuna didn't see a reason as to why should she hold back.
His fingers left her hand and it fell to Yuna's side, "My dad gambled all his money, and beat my mum so much that she almost died. That's when I decided that I will save her…we came here in the hopes for a new life, but that Uematsu is a real scumbag…the town is completely split into two, the upper and lower town…You can probably guess from where I come from," he said jokingly.
Yuna sighed and offered him a small smile, "I can honestly say that I'm proud of you, also thank you for showing me the secret passage… I'll make sure not to tell anyone," she added with the tiniest glint of amusement. It worked like a charm on the boy and his toothy grin resurfaced, "Anything for a pretty woman like you. My friends call me Rat."
He offered his nickname so proudly, keeping his anonymity for obvious reasons. Yuna found it only acceptable to offer her name in return, "Well my mother named me Hikari. Completely uncharacteristic for me but no matter…How long until we get there?" Yuna insisted. It came out too impolite for her tastes, but Rat didn't seem to mind.
"Just a little longer, Hikari. We're almost there. It's a hidden way in, after all. A smelly one I can promise you," Rat started to sound more and more bemused.
During their little walk, Yuna had the time to absorb his features. Rat was a short boy who was a little undernourished with sandy coloured hair and big eyes. Even though he had been through all of these hardships, his eyes hadn't lost their light. Yuna found that peculiar and also intriguing.
When she eyed the city walls, Yuna could occasionally catch a glimpse of the ostentatious towers and flamboyant decorations on the rooftops. Completely unnecessary.
Even Rat noticed it: "That's the upper town. They bathe in their riches while the poor people like us starve…Why are you here anyway?"
Yuna smiled and shook her head, "Well it's going to sound strange but a little voice in the back of my head told me that I should. Isn't it strange?"
"Well the little voice picked a horrible town…that I can promise."
After almost twenty minutes Rat led Yuna to a large pipe. As she had suspected it was a sewer line. Rat promised her that this was now unused and safe to use. They entered the narrow smelly pipe. The stench was ubiquitous, filling every last nook and corner. Their pace slowed down and Yuna had to crouch to fit through. Rat was still a small kid so he could walk freely.
If it hadn't been for the light coming from the end of the pipe, Yuna wouldn't have seen a thing in the small pipe.
Suddenly Rat stopped, causing Yuna to bump into him.
"On your left there's a ladder. Climb up and you'll end up in an alley."
"Thank you for showing me this route. It'll come handy in the future."
The Rat laughed and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "Oh don't thank me! Anything for pretty women…Just don't tell anyone about this place okay?"
Yuna grinned and extended her pinkie finger, "I promise," she said truthfully. Rat gladly accepted her little promise before running off. What could he possibly be busy with down in the sewer remained a mystery for Yuna. Nevertheless she started climbing up from the ladder. It was made out of metal and was covered in grime, which made climbing a little perilous.
Yuna pushed the lid up without any difficulties and climbed out before closing it again carefully. She looked around the dim alley, not a single soul in sight.
Yuna left the dead end, engraving her escape route into her mind. This was the one and only way out and if she mixed something up, everything was lost.
Yuna ended up on a more-than depressing street. The buildings looked like they were on the verge of collapsing, while on the background flamboyant, exquisite buildings stood watch over the ominous lower town. She sighed and started walking down the street, trying to find an inn where to stay.
The few people she did see on the streets glared at her dubiously. Before any of them could say something or pick a fight Yuna noticed a sign pointing towards an inn nearby. She was more than happy to escape the distrustful glares.
The inn was no better than the rest of the city; grey, broken and pitiful. Nevertheless Yuna decided to hop in. She found herself in an empty reception room with a red dirty carpet on the wooden floor. The walls were splattered with a nauseating green colour that made her stomach turn. Behind the reception desk stood a bored old man. He didn't seem dangerous, but looks can be deceiving. The man was overweight, with a balding head and yellowing teeth. He looked like he hadn't shaved or taken a shower in weeks.
Yuna walked up to him with a polite smile, "I believe that I'm a little lost. I was wondering could you point me towards the way that would take me to the upper town. I have some business there, but I've never visited this place."
The man's bored look melted right off of his terrible features and it was replaced by a sneer.
"I'm in no mood to help the rich blokes in any way. So you can shove that smile up your rear and get the hell out. Don't understand why you even bothered crawling to the lower town!"
She didn't flinch because of his crude choice of words. Yuna sighed and shrugged, "I guess I got lost. No harm done…I'll just…follow the buildings or something…" she mumbled and retreated with the smile still glued on her face, just for the sake of annoying the man.
Why do you always nettle? She asked herself, but no answer came. Yuna slammed the door shut and pulled her hood up before continuing her road. This town was dead. The kids weren't playing or laughing and the adults looked worn out and…old. Ridding them of Uematsu seemed fair to her.
The lower town was like a maze, keeping her occupied for almost an hour until she came upon a gate. It was strange to see how suddenly, beyond the iron bars the grey ended and the flamboyant and colourful life began. The line looked as if it was cut with a knife.
She walked up to the gate and smiled to the guards politely. They eyed her dirty, unwashed figure with distaste.
"I would like to get to the upper city if you may. I have a meeting with Uematsu-sama, but I accidentally arrived three days too early…It's my first time here so I somehow managed to end up in the lower city by accident…" her voice trailed off and she removed her hood to ease their suspicion a little. One of the nameless, stoic guards stepped forward.
"State your name and business," he ordered, his voice as flat and boring as his face.
"Kuroki Hikari, I'm here to heal Uematsu-sama…or at least try to ease his worries a little."
One of the guards noted it down onto a board before tugging a rope on his rope. After a moment the metal bars rose and Yuna was granted access to the upper city…piece of cake really…
"Don't cause any trouble," one of them warned. She smiled politely and bowed while entering an entirely new world. A brighter one, filled with beautifully dressed women dancing in the hands of well-mannered lords. Pompous rich people, to put it shortly.
She walked through the crowded street, her eyes blinded by the colourful signs, all of them trying to invite her to their restaurant, shop or inn. Yuna randomly picked one that didn't seem too expensive and walked right in. A traditional one with hot water and free breakfast…perfect.
It seems like I'm on a roll this week. Keep on reading and reviewing and thank you for putting up with my irregular updates… I'll try not to do that again...you know...disappearing for almost a year...