"Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift."
Orochimaru hadn't told the others of his pre-made plans with Saura the following night. Instead he simply informed them he had found a job, as he preferred exchanging news which would be readily accepted. Kakashi had informed them that he had also found a job he could work while they saved up, and Hidan said he had also returned successful. Asuma and Deidara however were empty handed. Deidara didn't seem to phased by it but it appeared as if the day had taken its toll on Asuma significantly. He did a good job of hiding it, but the serpents golden eyes picked up every movement which was slightly to forceful or tense. He could detect the minor depictions of anger, even when the entire room was oblivious.
"So you're still not coming tonight?" Kakashi asked his friend.
"I don't see a point to going." Asuma admitted.
"To relax a little." Hidan said, "you should ease up, you'll die of a heart attack."
"There's no harm in going, it's free entry." Deidara said.
The Jounin seemed hesitant before finally deciding he would also attend the function, as he had no other plans. Tsukiko looked up at the Sannin peacefully as his head rested on his lap.
Kakashi sat on the Sannins other side, and the dog didn't have any complaints. He was more than happy with the copy ninjas company now that they were on better terms, the hound now trusting the man. Orochimaru checked the time and then the invite of the Halloween evening. It was almost time if they wished to attend, not that there was any specified closing times anyhow. Deidara followed his friends eyes and then bounced to the small clock on the wall.
"We should start trying to find this place." The blond said eagerly.
"How do we go about finding it? We don't have a map." Asuma stated, he then walked to the counter to search in the draws before his eyes landed on the money. Orochimaru had hidden the NWs address but he hadn't moved the money. Asuma looked back over to the group curiously.
"Who managed to get more money?" Asuma asked.
"I did." Orochimaru said, he didn't feel like telling everyone of his prison story. He didn't enjoy relaying stories or explaining himself. He simply didn't see the point in it all.
"That's great. I'm starving." Deidara admitted, "we should get food at the event."
"We should head out, grab the money and let's go." Hidan said impatiently.
Orochimaru got to his feet and Tsukiko watched the male slip off to the small dingy kitchen. He returned with the last of the acquired dog food. A wagging tail greeted him as he exited the kitchen and he fed the dog who eagerly lapped it up.
The ninja all gathered themselves before heading to the door, Tsukiko decided he was feeling fit enough to follow and he hastily slipped out the door. Asuma eyed the dog passively.
"He coming with?" Asuma asked.
"I don't see why not, his leg seems fine and he seems rather eager." Orochimaru said. He didn't need a collar nor a leash it seemed, as the dog stuck close by to his newly found pack. They ventured down the halls and the man at the desk called over a friendly greeting to the Sannin. He then looked slightly shocked when he saw the dog pursuing him. He did not question the illegal activity of the animal being in the building, despite the obvious no-dogs sign on the door. He let the attractive male slip by when he flashed a charming smile and reciprocated with a warm greeting. Kakashi noticed how his lover played the man for a fool, pretended to be sweet and humble when in fact the snake was a far cry from it. The copy ninja simply rolled his eyes and watched as the dog bounded blissfully unaware of the implications of its presence. The ninja exited the motel and Asuma divided the money equally, almost equally. He gave a bit more to the Sannin who naturally objected.
"It's for Tsukiko." Asuma decided to say, and that seemed to settle the objections. Tsukiko heard his name, in which he had already learnt, and looked over at the man. Asuma made eye contact with the animal before continuing his business.
They had no idea where they were headed or which streets to take. They decided to ask for directions and Orochimaru hung behind Kakashi, he hadn't been successful last time he had asked, and he was willing to let someone else try their luck this time around. He didn't feel like being locked up again.
Asuma handled it and he seemed to do a much better job of it. Either that or he had picked a much friendlier NW. The man gave them directions and pointed out land marks. He offered to write it down as the info was a lot to swallow, but since they were all accomplished ninja they had no issues memorizing directions. Past missions had required they perfect the art of remembering details and using their instincts to get places. They thanked the man and made their way through the streets. Orochimaru was slightly unhappy that he had been stripped of his knife, he had just acquired it, and it was a comfort in the dangerous area, however he couldn't much complain as he had stolen it off a thug, perhaps he would just have to steal another. For now Tsukiko walked by him loyally, his dark eyes meeting all the strangers in the area. His ears alert his posture ready. He may have been weakened but he was certainly back to his old self it seemed and he was on guard. They reached the park which was hosting the event and entered the open gates to see many people moving from stall to stall. Some wore costumes while others had simply come to stop by.
Deidara was eager and he called for the Sannin to follow him to one of the stalls. They had no money to spare but it didn't stop the blonds eager blue eyes from scanning the wears. Orochimaru did not let logic burst his friends enthusiastic bubble of momentary forgetfulness. Tsukiko stayed by the Sannins side and watched the two feminine ninja browse the merchandise. Kakashi let his eyes wander over to see where the serpent had gone to, he didn't want to let him fall to far out of sight. He still found he naturally fell into protective mode by his partner. He had lost many loved ones in his life, he refused to let it happen again. The sudden thought made Kakashi think of his students. He wondered where they were, wondered if they had yet agreed to the proposal. Knowing Naruto, he doubted it, however the lonely cell of nothingness was enough to break any ninja. Somehow he still doubted the blond demon child had given in to their demand. Sakura was strong willed, but he hazarded a guess that she may have cracked in solitude. She may have become to worried about her friends and family. She would want to seek them out, she would rather do it with no chakara if need be, thankfully, their was a possibility that even if they went through with the proposal they may not have been stripped of anything.
Kakashi was pulled from his thoughts when Asuma spoke to him, and finally he realized why Asuma may have still been a bit of a dark cloud. He did not know where Kurenai was, nor did he know where his students were. The copy ninja at least had the Sannin. Asuma had no clue where his family was.
"Orochimaru should get his dog a collar." Asuma stated, the suggestion surprised Kakashi. Asuma generally avoided the Sannin, they were on neutral terms, but the snake had killed his father. And void of any compensation, there would never be anything to stop that fact from existing. Why Asuma would bring up the dog, which only held relevance to the Sannin was a new revolution in the copy ninjas eyes. He still willed to see Asuma and Orochimaru get along.
"What made you think of that?" Kakashi asked, he regretted asking, he had wanted to see if it was true, to see if Asuma finally saw Orochimaru as a part of the team. He expected the reply to be something along the lines of, "I know Tsukiko means a lot to him."
But that was not what followed, it was not the warm response of acceptance which flowed from his friend mouth. Instead his words shattered the copy ninjas moment of happiness and hope.
"Dogs wander, it's reckless to not put a collar on." Asuma said, "you better tell him, he is always doing things which are foolish, walking on thin ice never realizing there's a possibility of it breaking."
Kakashi watched him, his eyes slightly dropping into a dimmer shade as he noted that there was no care to the statement made.
"I'll tell him." Kakashi said, he then watched Asuma disappear into the crowd before he heard a small chuckle behind him. He looked up at Hidan who seemed to find the ordeal amusing.
"Such a sour ass he is." Hidan laughed, "swear the sun doesn't shine in his world."
"Hard times I guess, he will lighten up." Kakashi defended passively. Hidan didn't seem convinced but he looked over at the approaching ninja. Their long hair contrasting with one another, the light golden strands challenging the black hair which swept weightlessly in the air. Orochimaru came to lean into Kakashi's chest, he had an impish smile on his face.
"You going in there?" He asked, his partner followed his gesture and saw the haunted house. Being rather brave by nature the copy ninja saw nothing which would have put him off. However the creators of the event had certainly done their best in making the house, many NW citizens decided not to enter last minute and left the small line to watch others rush out the other end of the tunnel. Some people were even escorted out the actual haunted house as they had become to frightened, the ninja simply found the antics amusing.
"Why, too afraid to go in alone?" Kakashi asked, knowing full well that the odds were his lover was more brave than he could ever be. Demons and the darkest halls was where Orochimaru had once made his home.
Orochimaru shoved his partner lightly with an amused smile before he faked a frightened tone.
"Oh but of course my love." His voice rasped, "what would I ever do with out you by my side."
"I thought so." Kakashi said, deciding he would rather carry on the little act pretending he was serious, knowing full well his partner hated to be seen as weak. Golden eyes watched him with more impish amusement.
"Well then you first." Orochimaru said. He allowed Kakashi to take the lead when the line was empty and Deidara stayed by Hidans side.
"Yeah, depending on how you react coming out will depend on wether or not I go in there." Deidara said, Hidan laughed and looked at the blond with a wide grin.
"We will look after Tsukiko for now." Hidan said, Orochimaru thanked them and followed his partner into the house. The man looked at them with slight annoyance.
"More ninja hey. Tell you what, we will plan something special for your kind." The man said, the two ninja stopped momentarily. On the one hand, the men outside the doors were meant to frighten customers to add to experience, perhaps the man was merely pretending to scare them. On the other hand, the man seemed rather serious, and ninja had been rather low on most NWs lists. They seemed to have something personal against the jutsu wielders, despite the fact that the ninja had been the innocent party.
Orochimaru eyed the man wearily before slipping in behind Kakashi, who evidently had decided in his mind that the man was simply trying to frighten them off. Either that, or he was brave enough to make a point entering the house. He wouldn't let men chase him out because he wielded jutsu rather than guns. They entered the eerily crafted house and heard screeching from its depths. It was not the screams of ghosts but rather of the couple who had entered before the ninja. Kakashi laughed as he saw his lover dart away from something which lunged at him, however it was not out of fright but more annoyance. He had a "I came in here to be frightened not smacked by giant fake spiders," look on his face. The two ninja found their natural instincts to avoid anything they caught sight of had them dodging every man who tried to pull something. The masks and face paint, the make up and costumes all seemed to be rather pathetic. Perhaps the NW found it to be frightening, but the ninja had seen real demons, ones the size of buildings, they had conquered serpents greater than pyramids and they had entered much darker more dangerous halls. Orochimaru hung onto Kakashi's arm as they walked, more out of affection than for support. He hardly felt the halls were worthy of their title. Many had proclaimed it was the best experience of their lives. Suddenly a man threw himself at the couple, and they avoided him once more before another man got in their way. This continued for a few minutes until there were ten men in the room.
The doors were all blocked by at least two or three men and the two ninja felt slightly threatened by the display. Naturally they both posed bored or casual expressions as they knew how to mask discomfort from their enemies. It was a requirement in battle, and they would never lose the ability, it would forever be a natural reflex to them. They let their facade falter only for a minute when two of the men pulled the Sannin from the copy ninja. Orochimaru hissed and shoved the man off him before seeing his lover being restrained else where. He could only watch for a mere moment when he was forced into another room, Kakashi being subjected to the same thing. Orochimaru wondered if it was a scare tactic, or if it was the man outside the house making good of his promise. For prides sake, just incase it was indeed a part of the house, the Sannin kept his composure through it as he was pulled down one more hall. He had to admit it to himself however, they were being awfully rough, and it made it less plausible with regards to simply being a part of the show. His golden eyes lit up in the darkness and he couldn't help but judge their pitiful efforts of decor. He saw snakes and spiders made of plastic hanging from roofs or stuck to walls. Sometimes the odd snake or spider would be enlarged, and sprung from the door ways. The Sannin would have felt far safer it the halls were littered with real snakes, he would have felt more in his element.
However the men covered in paint and make up which both hid their true identities while making it appear as if blood ran out from their skin finally came to a stop in a small dark room. The Sannin could make out every object in the darkness despite it being almost pitch black. He saw as the men stumbled as they could not make out anything. It was once again strange, why would they take him into a room which mirrored a dressing room. They were fumbling for the light, which once again was odd. Putting the lights on wouldn't make the room scarier. It would only help the men, so deciding enough was enough the Sannin decided he would break away. He was a fool to think any NW was capable of not discriminating against the ninja. The man holding his arm and pulling him felt a sharp pain as the ninja jerked his hand away and twisted his body to ensure the man had no means of holding on.
"Fuck-" the man cussed as he released him. Two other men blocked the door, which lead the Sannin to believe he had been a fool to not act quicker. The men hit the lights finally and the room revealed itself, however the Sannins eyes had already made out the odd arrangement.
Orochimaru hissed as the man he had broken away from came to apprehend him again. He looked around at the men with slitted eyes as he assessed matters. Four to one.
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Deidara sat beside Hidan and the dog which wagged its tail and looked around the festival eagerly. Suddenly men dressed in odd attire came out from the house and made their way onto a stage. The blond found it to be interesting and tugged on Hidans arms.
"Let's go watch." He said, the immortal had no objections as they went to watch the odd display. The gang of oddly costumed men made their way to random groups of people and attempted to scare them. The two elite rogues watched as every NW the gang scared would shriek and scatter before reassembling with mild fits of laughter, where as every ninja the gang approached would naturally dodge and then smile with some amusement as the gang failed at catching them by surprise. Deidara watched as he saw someone familiar catch his eye, the female ninja walking side by side with a male. Deidara did not know them all to personally, but due to their capture last time, he had been forced into their company on odd occasions. He gestured for Hidan to follow as he ran up to the ninja, they met him with grateful eyes.
"Shikamaru- Ino." Deidara said as he reached the Chunin. Ino swiped blond hair out of her eyes and then trotted to meet them, Shikamaru seemed as eager but his natural laziness kept him at a fast walk.
"Deidara, Hidan." Shikamaru said, "and here I thought we were the only two who agreed to the proposal."
"Have you found anyone else?" Ino asked eagerly.
"Yeah, we are here with the others." Hidan answered, "your teacher is Asuma right? He is here somewhere, then Kakashi and Orochimaru went into the haunted house together."
"Asuma." Shikamaru said with relief, he had always been close to his mentor.
"Wow, I didn't think Orochimaru of all people would agree to the proposal." Ino admitted, he had after all wanted eternal life to simply learn more jutsu. He had given up much to earn the jutsu he had over the years, it seemed out of character. And she was right.
"He didn't." Hidan said, "No idea how he did it really, but he managed to break us out of the holding cells."
"So you have jutsu?" Shikamaru asked.
"Not quite... there's some sort of gas released in the air to stifle our chakara for as long as we are under the dome." Deidara said as he brushed hair away from his eyes to face the Nara. The two seemed to contemplate the words before shaking off the down side to the rogues escape.
"Can you take us to Asuma?" Ino finally asked.
"No idea where he went to, but stick by us and we will eventually meet up again." Hidan replied, the two younger ninja had no issues with following the rogues.
Tsukiko started growling and the group looked at him, he started pacing on the same spot and whimpering in mild panic. He then looked around with his folded ears leaning forwards as they listened intently to what ever seemed to alarm him.
"Easy there." Hidan muttered, the two younger ninja finally noticed the dog and they passed questioning eyes at the two old Akastuki members.
"Who is this?" Ino asked.
"Orochimaru lugged home a stray. But we were looking after him for a while." Deidara answered. The two younger ninja accepted it and waited for the dog to settle, but Tsukiko did not settle, instead he carried on growling and snarling, whimpering and shaking. He then started off towards a crowd before Hidan snatched the scruff of his neck. The dog yelped and backed up before looking up at the rogue with agitated eyes.
"Leave them." Hidan commanded, wondering why the dog had rushed the crowd.
"He senses something." Shikamaru said.
"The last thing I need is to get in trouble with NWs because of someone else's dog." Hidan muttered. He held on to Tsukiko in hopes of him stopping.
However the dog never fell quiet and he never stopped pulling and growling.
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Kakashi soon realized he may have made a mistake letting the men pull him away from the Sannin. It had become frighteningly obvious that they were not a part of the haunted house but instead a group of NW racists. After that realization came about Kakashi broke from their group, as two men tried to grab hold of him again he grabbed hold of a prop candle. It was made of stainless steel and was supposed to make the room look medieval. It served a new purpose now as Kakashi used it as his chosen weapon. Being well versed in using weapons he found he had managed to wound three of the men before another got hold of him. However he wasn't unable to defend himself against the next attacker and managed to once again fight the man off him. The men cussed in annoyance as they were taken down. Kakashi didn't wait to finish the job but instead headed back down the dark halls cutting through many curtains with restriction warnings on them. He lost the men in the maze like halls and found he eventually ended up out of the house through a back door. Kakashi swiped at his face to move short white strands to find crimson blood trailing down his fingertips. He figured he must have been smashed in the head by one the attackers.
People nearby the exit flashed him worried eyes, as they sensed the flightiness of his motions were far to real to be acting, the blood far to realistic to be make up. They moved away with light murmurs of disapproval, they then spoke to random guards who were positioned for safety. Kakashi was approached by the man who asked him to explain what the matter was, naturally the man addressed him rather harshly.
"I was attacked." Kakashi said quickly, "and my boyfriend is still in there, we were split up by a group of men. I need to go back in and find him."
"No you don't, I'll get your boyfriend." The man replied, "description."
"Long black hair, gold eyes-" Kakashi was cut off.
"Is this some joke?" The cop barked.
"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked irritably.
"Golden eyes correct?" The man asked.
"Ninja belong to many different clans. Golden eyes is unlikely but possible." Kakashi said, "surely you've seen ninja are different."
"Fucking freaks." The man said under his breath, but the copy ninja heard it loud and clear. He refrained from starting fights however, he needed the man to help his lover.
The man then gestured for the Jounin to go to one of the other cops and explain matters again. He would then be escorted to safety, and possible candidates would be brought in to be identified as the attackers or not. Kakashi wanted to go back in and help the Sannin himself, so he stood his ground.
"I'd like to go with you." Kakashi said.
"Not your place ninja." The cop barked, "get back, that's an order. You don't follow that order and you can spend some jail time of your own."
Kakashi allowed the man to leave seeing as fighting would only make his lover stuck in the hell hole for longer. The man dissaperead into the house after yelling for the man at the desk to put it on lock down. The couple next in line decided they'd rather not enter the house at all after the small display and ran from the queue. Kakashi made his way begrudgingly to the cop he was told to go to. The man cast him a friendly enough stare and requested he retell the story. The copy ninja did just that and the man jotted the incident down on a piece of paper. As he was used to filing reports the Jounin left no small bit of information out and conducted a rather detailed report. The cop eyed him amusedly during his answer, then the sound of a man approaching halted their talking.
"Place is empty of all golden eyed males." The cop said, "I found the bloodied candle stick, but no men to link it to. Just a whole lot of startled costume wearers."
"He has to be somewhere near-" Kakashi said panicked.
"Perhaps, but he isn't in the haunted house anymore." The cop said.
"And neither are our attackers. We have to find him." Kakashi said again unable to comprehend why the man wasn't more concerned. The two cops carried on their conversation ignoring the copy ninjas worried plea, his eyes darted around the dark park. It would be close to impossible to find his lover. It appeared as if the cops had no real care either. The friendly cop finally looked over to Kakashi and informed him of their next move, it wasn't what the copy ninja had wanted to hear.
"We will send out a search party as soon as we have men to spare." He said.
"To spare?" Kakashi asked.
"Our citizens come first, ninja are always second." The man said.
"He could be killed." Kakashi said, he then shook his head in annoyance and left. He wasn't waiting around for the men to make quick work of his lover, and the officers seemed to be as useful as the trees themselves. The two officers let him go with out question, they evidently did not care much about the ninjas affairs.
Kakashi made his way through the crowds, he wasn't sure where he would look first until he heard Tsukiko bellowing loudly in the distance. He sounded full on alert and the copy ninja decided to follow the dogs instincts. He saw Hidan holding the dog as it thrashed and complained loudly. Tsukiko then fell to the floor and spun in circles as he barked and pined. Deidara looked up at Kakashi then noticed the absence of the Sannin. The copy ninja then met eyes with Shikamaru and Ino who also seemed rather distressed.
"What happened?" Hidan asked seriously, for once his natural light hearted slightly sadistic nature falling away.
"We were attacked, and they won't let me back into the house to look for Orochimaru." Kakashi said in a blur of words.
"Is he in there still?" Hidan asked.
"No- the cops entered and cleared the place. The attackers are gone as well, I think they have him." Kakashi said again, he looked at Tsukiko hopefully. He wanted the dog to track his lovers scent, to run off like his ninja hounds would have. However Tsukiko was not ninja, nor capable of speaking English to the necessary degree needed. He merely ran in circles and barked in distress. He could sense the energy was a mess, but he could not figure out what his use would be.
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Orochimaru thrashed in his confines as he was dragged into the vehicle before him, he hissed and kicked up a fuss but it was achieving nothing more than more harsh treatment. He couldn't believe his luck, once forced into a car by cops and now by the opposite side of the law. He was subdued and pushed into the car as the men over powered him. Four had grown to six and he felt the reality of his situation grow darker. The car started to life and he continued his futile efforts until he felt a harsh stinging sensation erupt on the side of his face as one of the men hit him.
"Sit still." He snapped, haven grown tired of the Sannins apparent disobedience. According to the men, the fact that the pale ninja dared try to fight for his freedom was infuriating. He hissed with his head lowered as he held his wounded face with a shaken hand, his golden eyes flicked over the men. They seemed panicked, worried that what they had done would end them up in prison.
"Since when do cops come looking for ninja?" One finally blurted out.
"Fucking ridiculous." Another said angrily, "they're our police force, we don't pay tax for them to help these bastards."
The Sannin was more unnerved now, they had only taken him hostage as they feared he would report them to the cops. They all seemed unsure of what they would do to the ninja they had captured. Kill him most likely. They ventured down the road still in mild anger and panic, the road lights suddenly became more spaced a part until eventually they were driving using only their headlights to guide them. They had entered a forest it seemed, however Orochimaru could only guess as there was minimal amount of light anywhere around them and they were driving at a quick rate the dirty windows making it impossible to look out. It was a painful drive and every now and then the men would turn to make sure their captive wouldn't try anything, he didn't, or more so he couldn't. He wished in that moment that he still had his knife. Once more all he had was a bit of money which they would likely steal, and of course the number of Saura. Which he wouldn't have hesitated calling if it weren't for the fact that he didn't have a phone. Perhaps they would take him to their home, perhaps he could somehow call for help. Perhaps he could run, lose them in the dark forest as he had done so many times before. The car jerked to a nerve shattering stop and the men got out with some sort of tenacity. Orochimaru watched them anxiously until all of the men had exited the vehicle.
They then locked the ninja in the car as they discussed something outside of ear shot. Despite a clear open sign, the door was still not opening when the Sannin tried. He had seen NW men open the cars doors the same way before and he couldn't understand why it wasn't working for him. The attackers had the key of the car, but that shouldn't have stopped him from opening his door from the inside. He analyzed the interior of the dusty car and saw the flashing red words reading child lock. He had heard of it before, although only vaguely. He reached over from the back seat and subtly tried touching random buttons. Perhaps he could find a way to remove the locks. However he was very unaware of what every button did and he made the fatal error of hitting the cars hooter which boomed loudly. The men glared at the car and approached the car swiftly, the anger in their eyes told the Sannin they didn't like what he had done, so he tried to prevent them from getting to him. He hit the button which had a small white image of a lock on it and the doors made a strange clicking noise. However the men then made for the key and the same odd sound repeated before they wrenched the door open. Orochimaru tried to get away from the mans large forceful hand but his hair was caught in the mans hold and he was dragged out regardless of his struggles. He hit the dirt as the man shoved him downwards before he received a harsh kick to his side. He grunted at the familiar feeling of pain and wearily watched the group approach from his lower position.
He was hardly the best candidate to break away and fight back, his best option would be running but the men had him surrounded. It was a hopeless situation that he had wished he would never find himself in. There was nothing around him which could be used as a make shift weapon, and there was no way he could use his jutsu inside the dome. He hardly knew what to do in the horrid situation he was presented in until he heard a loud bang in the distance. He didn't hear which way the gun shot came from but it had his attackers jumping in fright and it had momentarily retained their interest. It was enough time for the stealthy serpent to slip away. They spun back to see the Sannin exiting the trees coverage. They took chase after his slim form which found it much easier cutting through the obstacles of nature. He ran until he collided with someone in the bushes. The man look disheveled and he had a slightly deranged look in his eyes, but he didn't aim the gun he held at the Sannin but rather pointed it ahead of them both. When the snakes attackers caught up they slammed on breaks as they faced the barrel of the gun, the hunter now the hunted, they put their hands up in surrender.
"Shit, chill man." One of the attacker panicked. They backed up and the stranger allowed them to vanish into the trees. Orochimaru wasn't sure if he was happier in the stranger company, but he had proven he was not on his attackers side at the very least. The gunner looked at the serpent cautiously.
"What did you do to get yourself in this mess." He asked as he lowered his rifle to his side, the Sannin stared up at him with slightly over whelmed lurid eyes.
"They attacked me- I-" he decided he wasn't going to explain, "can you point me to the nearest road."
"Nearest road is a good few kilometers away hun." The man said, the word hun almost had the snake Sannin ready to attack the man. He was sick of the demeaning nicknames the NW citizens loved to throw around.
"I can't stay around here anyway, I might as well get walking." Orochimaru said deciding he wouldn't anger the armed man. He received light laughter which sounded slightly unhinged.
"I can drive you there hun, I stay just a way from here." He said, the snake suddenly realized that once again things didn't add up. Why would a man be out in the dense forest, and why would he live close to it, closer than the nearest apparent road.
"You live in the forest." Orochimaru said, his eyes showing he hardly believed the man. The man burst out laughing.
"No of course not, my family has a holiday house in the woods." The man said.
"Why are you alone now?" Orochimaru asked.
"I left my jacket by the creek in the woods, I needed to fetch it." The man said as if it were all obvious.
"Then why were you walking these woods with a gun?" Orochimaru questioned, the man seemed less interested in answering, almost as if he was starting to get the feeling that he was being accused of something.
"I'll be honest, I didn't expect to be rescuing some ninja out here. But I don't know what nature will throw at me, there are bears out here, lots of other predators as well." The man replied, "the nearest road is that way hun, it's a long walk, if you want a lift speak now."
The idea of walking around the dark forest when bears and other predators lurked seemed daunting. If he didn't stand a chance with the men from earlier he would bet his life an encounter with a bear would be his last. He decided to follow the man for the meanwhile, he could always assess how matters were from there. The cabin didn't look as rustic as a forest house should have but was rather modern and clean. There were other houses scattered around it, as it was evidently a common choice for holiday getaways. The other houses didn't have their lights on, and although it was late at night the Sannin still felt desolate. The house the stranger lead him to had its lights on and the sound of loud chattering also filled it. Orochimaru didn't go inside the house, he looked around for a car until it became obvious there wasn't one.
"Thought you had a car." Orochimaru said putting slight distance between him and the man with the rifle. The stranger didn't notice the gesture of unsureness.
"Someone must have gone to the shops. Well make yourself at home they shouldn't be long." The man said casually. He then noticed the snakes hesitance, "I didn't lie about the car, I didn't exactly walk here by foot. As I said its miles from the roads."
A cold wind rippled the air and the Sannin shivered lightly in his torn clothes, it was only then that the man noticed the ninja had been roughed up. Light traces of scarlet blood trailing down his shaken form, his body indicated he had been through a stressful few hours however his eyes remained calm and confident. His body may have been unsettled but his mind was still intact.
"We have a first aid kit I think. We can disinfect the more nasty injuries." The man offered, the sound of the bushes rustling made the Sannin make up his mind. He didn't want to be forest animals supper. They entered the only lit up house and the Sannin's suspicious eyes swept across the room. Family the man had said, yet there was no mother or wife present. No children. Just a group of slightly tipsy men the same age as the stranger himself.
"Ignore them, they'll probably try and hit on you." The man chuckled, "where the hell is the car?"
"He didn't get eaten!" One man said happily, "good job- who is this?"
"Hey beautiful." Another man called with a smirk on his face, the Sannin didn't reply.
"Catty." One man chuckled.
"The car you assholes." The stranger said.
"Fura took it out calm down, went to go buy more beer." The man who had previously said catty replied. The stranger nodded and moved to the couch where he placed himself next to one of the more sober looking men. Orochimaru made his way over to the window but he over heard one of the men despite their hushed voice.
"Good job bringing him here." He whispered, the snakes golden eyes looked over to him subtly. The stranger nodded and gestured for his friend to pass him a beer in which the man did so. Although the words could have meant anything the snake was weary, if it was one thing the Sannin had learnt it was that nice NW seemed far and few in between as they had arrived in a rather shady city. The stranger dialed on his mobile phone and put it to his ear.
"Yeah, make sure you bring it." He answered in the phone, although he had put his phone on quiet the snake could hear the voice on the other end. Due to his years of practicing as a ninja, his senses were always heightened where as the NW citizens seemed to have dulled their senses considerably.
"Yeah I know I will calm down. He there with you?" The voice said softly.
"No shit, of course it's here." The stranger said. The fact that the man had refrained from saying he and rather said it made the Sannin guess the stranger didn't want the snake getting any ideas. However he already had and it was too late, his trust was lost. Orochimaru played his facade of friendly and lost once more as he turned to the stranger after he hung up the phone.
"Do you have a restroom?" He asked politely.
"Down the hall hun." He replied gesturing, the Sannin thanked him, he had received permission to enter the rest of the cabin with out causing suspicion. He moved down the hall and disappeared into one of the rooms, it was a small make shift kitchen but unluckily for him there was no phone. He checked every room in the house but he couldn't find any signs of a phone, which he finally realized made sense, there was no power in the woods. He breathed out in frustration. He wasn't getting attacked again.
"Hey beautiful." The smirking mans voice called from down the hall, "need me to take care of those wounds of yours?"
Orochimaru let his eyes fall to the door where the noise was coming towards, he didn't want any of their help, he wasn't taking the chance of getting caught again. He exited through the kitchens back door where he found himself amid the trees in darkness once more. The idea of predators frightened him, but not half as much as the men behind him did. He propelled himself into the coverage and regretted haven not searched for a means of weaponry.
He couldn't exactly turn back however, he had no way of telling if the men would be angry. He thanked the gods when he heard one of the men yell.
"He got away!"
It was enough to reassure him that he had made the right decision, he then heard gunshots fire after him and he carried on running down the path. He avoided any jutting out roots and logs which may have tripped anyone else who ran through the starlit forest. He ran until his lungs burnt and his body shook from both adrenalin, fear and the cold air which tore at him. He could feel every injury he had attained from his original attackers and he came to a near crash when he stopped running. He placed a hand to support himself on the rough barked tree. He tried to calm himself down and he almost succeeded until there was a light rustle in the bushes, it wasn't a predator it was to small a sound, but trying to reason with his mind when he was lost in a forest wasn't working out. He took off running again and the forest became that of a blur once more, finally he saw a light in the distance. His legs were tired and his breathing was heavy but he hurtled towards it out of pure desperation. He slammed on breaks when he realized the lights were that of a car, the latter of which hooted as it swerved away from hitting him. Orochimaru backed away from the middle of the road and proceed walking the same way as the car, it must have been heading somewhere. He walked up the road for an hour before he reached civilization. He had never been thankful for seeing NW citizens in his life, however at that point any human was good enough reassurance.
He then realized he had no idea where he was, he would have asked a nearby NW but they all looked alarmingly shady. He suddenly no longer felt safe and he hurried onwards. He spotted a nearby sign and read the name: East Boulevard. It wasn't familiar in the slightest he thought morbidly before he walked down the street with a heavy heart. Halloween had hardly been a blast for the Sannin, it had turned out to be a true nightmare. He regretted going to the Haunted House, regretted not heeding the mans words and most of all for dismissing his own instincts. He saw a small box made of glass, within it a phone was placed. The payphone was a foreign looking object but he headed towards it. He then swiftly dialed the numbers of Saura, the only contact he had on him, or had for that matter. The phone didn't work and his eyes eventually spotted a money slot. He sighed and placed the money into the slot and then redialed the number. The phone buzzed to life and the Sannin breathed out in relief, he the heard the groggy sounding voice of the NW who may one day regret giving the bad luck charm his number.
"Hello...?" Saura asked sleepily.
"It's me-again." Orochimaru said, he wished he didn't have to depend on the man so heavily, but it was not his world it seemed, he was heavily dependent of the NWs laws, and to survive those laws he needed a NWs help.
"It's four in the morning, is something wrong or do ninja not sleep?" Saura laughed tiredly.
"... Where is East Boulevard?" He asked cautiously, he was hoping it was around the corner form his motel. There was a brief silence and then Saura could be heard moving.
"Let me search for it quick." Saura said, there was more silence until the NW sighed out, "it's out of town, about two or three hours drive away, why?"
"An hours drive... How far a walk?" Orochimaru asked.
"Wow ninja, that's no small walk, it's long roads, lots of freeways. Give it a days walk." Saura said, "I can give you a lift, if its urgent."
"An entire days journey... I want to get back to the motel, how would I get transport back?" The Sannin decided to ask.
"Wait, Orochi are you in East Boulevard? God, how on earth did you get there?" Saura asked, he was evidently worried, "you know what, don't answer that. I'm coming now don't move, don't leave the phone booth. It's dangerous in the East, more than this hell hole and that's saying something."
"Is there no way I can just get another car down to the motel. I have money on me." Orochimaru tried.
"Not safely no, not for a ninja. Just stay there." Saura said, "don't move, promise me you'll stay put."
"Alright." Orochimaru said, he put the phone down and locked the door on the booth before slumping to the floor. He drew his legs towards his chest. Although he had earned the right to break down after the day's events he didn't. He simply sat patiently, almost numbed, almost happy. It had given him a small taste of the good days, when he had jutsu, when he ran places. He loved the thrill, he loved out smarting his enemy. It was all dangerous, but that was what made it worth playing. It was a life the serpent thrived on, and it would have been a rather good reminder of his past had he not had to call for help. One step at a time he thought with a light smile on his face, he brushed knotted strands out of his eyes tiredly.
Authors note- hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, and I hope it wasn't too over due this time around. Let me know what you think in the reviews! Thanks for reading, and a huge thanks to Vampiredoll666, as the support is always appreciated.