A/N: Some more advancement within the plot! Huzzah huzzah!
"Sweet mother!" Denji stretched his arms and shoulders out slowly, experiencing the dull pain. "I am so stiff!"
"Just keep it in your pants, eh?" Yukio remarked as they walked. Denji had slept oddly, his back, shoulders and neck were incredibly stiff.
"Could be from your lifting." Tomoko offered helpfully. "I mean I've seen guys who do that wind up with some issues."
"Could be." Denji rubbed the back of his neck as he rolled his shoulders for the umpteenth time. It was getting annoying, like he couldn't stop moving any part of his upper body lest it become incredibly stiff. It was like he had to shatter out of a stone casing every few minutes.
"You've dealt with worse." Aika talked over her shoulder at him. "You got your nose broken in a fist fight."
"It's not about pain it's about movement." Denji grunted as he cracked his knuckles. Makes me hard to move and my bones kinda ache." He was silent for a second. "if that makes any sense."
"I get that from leaning on an arm too much." Yukio offered as he read his book, his eyes remaining on the pages. He seemed fine now. "Lean on an elbow while laying on my side too long, sit up, collarbone aches for a second."
"I've broken a leg, it wasn't that bad." Arine added.
"Well you all had Shizune's help in healing, so thank her when you get the chance." Aika commented.
"We already did." Denji reminded her. "Several times. She saved Yukio's life two years ago, so that's a bit tough to repay."
"Just stay alive." Aika said, bored. "That's all you have to do. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Easier said than done, in our profession." Arine jeered at Aika with a ghost of a smile on her face.
"That's why we're doing easy stuff like this. Big rewards because people don't like each other, really simple." Aika informed them. "Humans can be trash sometimes, and it shows here."
"In both client and bounty?" Yukio asked. "To show the scum that are worth the money and the ones who spend their money on, sometimes, petty things."
"Exactly. Not to mention the people who spend even the most meager funds for revenge." Aika's tone became grim. "I've done missions for some of the poorest people looking for revenge on a murderer or rapist. They're the ones that get personal. And what's my policy on personal?" she asked her students.
"Never get personal." They responded in unison, leaving Tomoko to look at them with a raised eyebrow. Denji was worried she was weirded out by them but she simply smiled and looked to him with warm eyes.
"So I suppose I can't hire you for vengeance." She said, jokingly. Denji chuckled and rubbed his neck, it was stiff again.
"Heh, heh, yeah." He laughed sheepishly, wondering if there might be some deeper meaning behind it. Girls always seemed to have two meanings with what they said. Yukio said that it wasn't the case for the most part. "Like 99%, dude." Were his exact words. But Denji couldn't help but be paranoid.
"It's fine" Tomoko giggled a bit "I don't have anyone I need vengeance on… yet." She cocked her head to the side and smiled as if she had different intentions. Denji almost felt unnerved but her smile was genuine, so he let it slide.
"That's good. 'cause if anyone hurt you, I'd gladly hurt them." He smiled before the words he uttered made their way to his brain and he realised what he said sounded incredibly stalkerish or something. "I-I mean not that I'd hurt anyone who was, like, rude to you. Not that I wouldn't help you or anything, uhm…" Denji looked to Yukio, who was grinning, trying not to laugh.
"Well…" Tomoko looked like she wanted to laugh too. Then Yukio stepped in.
"Denji's just a nice guy, good protector. If you want someone as a bodyguard, he's your man." Yukio nodded at Denji before going back to reading. Denji wanted to thank his friend so much. Though the thought came to mind that of the three of them, Yukio was the territorial one. From what Aika said and what he saw, Yukio was the one who faced down Kohta Inuzuka, putting himself in harm's way, putting his life at risk to save them. And in the end, he dealt the killing blow.
"Well, I guess I'll have to hire you at some point." Tomoko looked at him with something in her eyes… what was it? Denji couldn't pin it down.
"Of course. It'd be my pleasure." Denji smiled at her. There, something nice and neutral that didn't seem like he was going to do stuff to her in her sleep.
"Well that'll have to wait." Aika called back as they kept walking. "We're nearing the border now. I hope you're all prepared."
"I am." Denji called as he straightened his jacket. He zipped it up despite the warmth. In his pocket was a scarf in case he needed it to protect against the sands if they were swirling up.
"Same." Was Yukio's response.
"I am." Arine reported. As she sipped her jacket up. Denji noticed she donned black pants for travelling through the desert sands. That was good.
"Fantastic." Aika pulled her hood over her head and closed her cloak around her body. Yukio zipped his jacket up and reached under the back of the neck and pulled… a hood?
"Since when did you have a hood?" Denji asked, curious. Yukio looked at him as he slipped the book in a pocket, eyebrow raised.
"I just keep it under the jacket, dude." Yukio rolled his eyes as he brought the hood up. Denji looked to Tomoko, who shrugged in a confused manner. She seemed to not know nor care and Denji decided to adopt that attitude. He started stuffing the scarf into the neck of his jacket when he head footsteps a bit off. Denji closed his eyes and focused his chakra into his feet, sending it out in pulses. A seismic sensing ability he'd had to refine since he told Aika about it. His sensing was better and used less chakra with his bare feet but a bit more chakra with his sandals on proved a decent trade off. He sent the pulses out and felt them return. He could sense his friends around him rather quickly but what came back disturbed him a bit. A couple of unknown people were walking up to them, closing in. They didn't seem hostile, they kept to the opposite side of the path. But still.
"Aika." He hissed as he opened his eyes. "People coming." hoping she got the message. It was half a minute before they came close. They wore white head cloths with forehead protectors that had an image of a gourde on them. They were navy blue jumpsuits with beige flak jackets that had large shoulder pads. The one on the right was tall with a rough, angular face with brown eyes. The one on the left was shorter and his face a bit chubbier but he also had brown eyes. Seeing the group, they crossed the path and quickly stopped the group as they walked over with serious looks on their faces.
"Excuse me, miss?" the shorter one asked Aika, who stood about as tall as the other man. "Mind if we ask to see under your hood?"
"Is there a reason?" Aika asked innocently enough, which received a curt response from the tall one.
"Miss we need to see if you resemble someone we're looking for. Please remove your hood." His mouth was set in a hard line as he glared at Aika, who straightened.
"A criminal?" she asked, exasperated. Denji had to give credit to Aika, over the two years he'd know her, she had shown her chops as a pretty good actor.
"Yes, miss, a criminal." The short one answered her. "A dangerous criminal, one who is a great danger to her immediate surroundings." Denji felt something on his arms and looked to see Tomoko was holding on tight, her face one of fear, not severe fear, but as if she was were afraid if someone noticed her. Did something happened with official shinobi?
"Oh my- how awful!" Aika put a hand to her mouth in shock. "How such a person could be let loose!"
"We're trying to find her, miss." The tall one added again. "Now please, can we see your face?"
"Oh! Oh of course." Aika pulled her hood back to show… holy mother. Denji resisted the urge to stare, Aika was completely different. Her purple hair was now gloss black, her lips had black lipstick on them, and her purple eyes were now bright blue. Aika had become an older Tomoko. She smiled kindly at the two, who looked taken aback. "Sorry, I'm travelling with my daughters and their boyfriends." Denji immediately snapped his gaze to Yukio, who looked back, his face flushing. Denji's own face felt like it was lit on fire. He looked back to the two men as Aika asked "Will you be needing to see our papers as well?" though Denji wondered why.
"Oh, no…" the tall one answered awkwardly before he reached into his flak jacket and pulled a piece of paper from it. "However, if you do spot her, please contact the nearest authorities as soon as you can."
"Oh, of course." Aika responded cheerfully, smiling like a mother would, acting surprised at the criminal activities when it was always likely a future target. The two men looked between each other before nodding to Aika and leaving silently. Aika looked back, as did the group, aside from Yukio and Denji, who were glaring at Aika with red faces. It was only after the men were out of view, and hopefully and out of earshot, that Arine started chuckling and Tomoko looked at Denji sympathetically. Aika simply dispelled the transformation, her hair, eyes, and lips changing back. Her purple hair, purple eyes, and normal lips were a jarring change from her transformation. She looked to her students and raised an eyebrow. "What? I had to improvise." Her voice had no tone of humour or jeering. Her face was stoic and serious as she eyed every one of them. "Never be afraid to go for a ridiculous scenario, even at the expense of your teammates if it saves your life. A damaged ego is better than a damaged body." Aika pulled her hood back up. "Now let's get going." And she started forward, leaving a snickering Arine to follow while Yukio tried to comprehend what just happened.
"Uh, dude." Denji asked Yukio, who was still standing there.
"Huh?" he asked, looking to Denji. His face was complete confusion. Or awe.
"We going?" he nodded his head as Tomoko walked past.
"I'll just go on ahead." She said quietly, leaving Yukio and Denji standing there as the woman went ahead.
"Uh… yeah." Yukio took a deep breath. "Yeah, sure, let's go." He started forward, Denji following close behind, catching up fairly quickly. Arine was reading the paper Aika was given. She then handed it to Tomoko who quickly handed it to Denji. He held it before himself and read:
Wanted: Yuno Gasai, serial killer. Wanted on several charges of murder, stalking, kidnapping, torture, and assassination. WARNING: Mentally Unstable, severe issues. To be contained on sight by authorities. Armed and extremely dangerous. Reward: 500,000 Ryo. Below was a sketch of a girl with a cute, innocent face with pigtails. Her smile was nice enough, hard to believe she committed all those crimes.
"Holy…" Denji said, handing the sheet to Yukio. "That girl is crazy." Yukio read it quickly and whistled loudly.
"Crazy." He agreed.
"What?" Tomoko asked. Denji got the sheet and handed it to her. He watched her as she read it and her shoulders, which were tense, he hadn't noticed, visibly relaxed. He wondered why, though any sane person hearing about a serial killer would be tense or a bit scared. Though why she was relaxing was a bit odd.
"You okay?" he asked Tomoko, who seemed startled. She sighed.
"Yeah, I thought he was talking about someone who could to, like, some psychological mind stuff." She chuckled. "I mean a serial killer is easy enough to fend off, especially with someone like you at my side." She looked to Denji and smiled, making his heart rate skyrocket.
"Oh, uh, yeah." he chuckled sheepishly as his face was lit on fire. "Yeah, totally."
"Smooth." He heard Yukio whisper. Denji was about to turn on him when Aika called from the front.
"Okay, here it is." She announced as she stopped. The rest stopped and gazed out to the desert just outside the forest. The entire landscape was a light colour with whipping winds and sand movements in the distance. Definitely a harsh place to live, how could an entire village be here? Denji wondered.
"The Hidden Sand is a large rock dome, pretty much." Aika explained. "Within the middle of the desert, prevents usual assaults and the size of the desert means one can't surround the whole thing and hope to siege them in unless you had an incredibly large force. Even then, the shinobi of this village know this desert quite well."
"Aside from the Sword Graveyard." Yukio remarked, earning a glare from Aika.
"Don't take myths into account, Yukio." She scolded him but Yukio frowned.
"I'm serious, I think it exists now." Yukio exclaimed, a bold statement in Denji's eyes. Yukio always regarded the supernatural with an air of oh please disdain though he enjoyed reading nonetheless.
"Yukio…" Aika began but Yukio was about to go on a roll. However Arine mercifully stopped him.
"Okay, Yukio, you can explain, after we find our man and get the money, okay?" she frowned at him, her attitude now in the deep end for the rest of the day. Great. Yukio glared back at her and looked like he was about to start an argument. However, he simply sighed and relented to her. Arine's attitude had that effect at times. Denji was grateful, sometimes.
"Fine." He said, stepping back.
"Good. Now as I was saying" Aika returned to her original point "the shinobi of this village are quite skilled. Avoid attracting attention lest we get chased down. Got it?" she turned to her students. "Many of them, as is the standard of the Land of Wind, have Wind chakra natures and wind is a vicious element. It can go distances and cut through things others can't. Be wary, if they're looking for criminals follow them if you think they might know something. Though if they're good at their job, they won't be seen, at least not obviously. Otherwise, avoid them at all costs. Act normal." Aika smiled. "Go shopping, enjoy yourselves." She pulled a few pouches of money from her cloak and tossed one to each of her students, leaving Tomoko without one although she said she pre-planned this and wasn't expecting a fifth. "Stay out of trouble, and have a bit of fun. We clear?" she asked sternly.
"Yes Aika." The three answered in unison with clear voices. The woman smiled.
"Good. Let's get going." She kept her cloak closed around her as she entered. Yukio kept his hood up and close to his face. Arine simply hunched her shoulders and tried to keep her face in her jacket collar. Denji pulled his scarf up over his mouth and noses, feeling the heat already. Tomoko pulled her own hood up and Denji was beginning to wish his own jacket had a hood but he could live. He just had to make it through a trek in the desert. Simple.
Only it wasn't. All of them, sans Aika, strayed off the group at least once as the winds were kicking up the sands enough to make it almost blinding to be in there. Yukio was struggling with keeping his eyes closed a lot, which caused him to stray off the most. Ever since he'd become not blind, he'd had some issues with closing his eyes outside of sleep and even then some nights he stayed up late (Denji had found him reading outside or just down stairs sitting and drinking water) simply because his fear of becoming blind once more was acting up. Yukio himself said it was irrational despite how Denji tried to say otherwise. If he'd gained vision after having terrible to no vision for twelve years, he'd want to keep his eyes open as long as possible.
Arine simply tripped a couple times or mis stepped. Denji tried to remain close to Tomoko but she seemed distant now. She was never by his arm, which worried him a bit. However his want to not seem creepy didn't make him question this. At least not vocally. This resulted in him simply walking too far in either left or right. It was irritating, arduous, and painful at times. Denji could feel himself slowly roasting within his jacket and he was wishing he could simply teleport there or something. Travelling took what felt like several gruelling hours of hot sun, blistering winds, and sand everywhere. He was ready to be out of it quickly.
So his reaction when he saw the gates of the village before him was to go and kiss them profusely. He held his reaction, however, when he spied several shinobi on the various tiers of the entrance. They were a bit unsettling though they met no opposition as they entered the village, escaping the winds and the sand and continuing on. Denji looked to the sky and noticed that the sun hadn't moved much. The journey probably hadn't been as long as it felt but being pelted by sand was something that could draw out any experience, it you thought about it. They walked quickly into the village proper and Denji couldn't help but be impressed. Such thick walls, this place would have to be invaded secretly by a few with the ability to destroy a lot. A full on invasion force could be repelled so easily, it was insane.
"Okay then." Aika said to them once they were within the sprawling village a decent ways. Aika pointed over to the direction back and to Denji's right as he faced Aika. "Here's what we're going to do. You're going to split up, either pairs or on your own, doesn't matter. No more than two, lest we attract too much attention. Now you're going to start in the marketplace, go around, buy a few things though nothing too big please. Act natural, keep an eye out and an ear cocked. Listen for people gossiping and saying things. If they mention our target, try and gleam as much as you can, even talk to them if you have to. If you do spot the target, stay on him but don't try anything unless he bolts. Don't alert him to your presence, don't try to do it stealthily. We corner him and take him to a hidden station in the village together."
"What do we do if he bolts?" Arine asked as she unzipped her jacket, placing her hands on her hips.
"Then keep up with him as best you can."
"It'd draw attention if we ran after him." Yukio observed. "My suggestion would be to keep after him but stealthily. If he makes a scene, let people think he's crazy. People won't want to hide him, even good people, if he's running around like a mad man."
"Good call." Aika observed. "Keep up with him. It's a bustling market and we can be lost within the crowds. Now." Aika reached into her cloak and produced a small package. She opened it to show four radios, each had a strap that went around the neck and an ear piece. She handed three of them to her students, who equipped them. "I know we've never used these but they're wireless radios. Turn them to frequency six-seven-four. It's our own little frequency and the Hidden Sand doesn't use it. Target runs, keep us informed. Have limited use, don't attract attention as usual. We clear?"
"Yes Aika." The trio responded in unison.
"Great." Aika equipped her own radio and spoke into it as a test. It was well received, Aika's voice in Denji's ear was a bit odd at first but he just had to hit a button on it and talk. Simple. "Now go out there and find our target."
Anri was beginning to see Aika had trained her students well. Even Denji was keeping a good eye out as they walked around. However her transformation to the Sand shinobi was what cemented her suspicion that Aika was on the run, though from what she was uncertain. It could be from the Sand, it could be from all five of the Great Nations. What made her curious was her quick and nearly seamless transformation. Anri spotted a couple hairs out of place but the transformation the woman performed was quite adept given the time.
"Hey, what do you think of those?" Denji asked her as he pointed to a storefront that had many little figures made from both wood and glass. The glass ones glittered prettily in the sunlight, it was very eye catching as several girls had boys dragged over to it. Anri suddenly got the urge and grabbed Denji by the arm, dragging him over to the display. His jacket was zipped up high over his neck to cover the strap of the radio but the earpiece was still visible.
"Hey, put that in your jacket neck so you can grab it quickly." She hissed at him and Denji quickly pulled the device and put it in his extended jacket neck just as they reached the storefront. They stood there, pushing forward when couples left to get a better view of the figures. Anri looked to Denji and smiled as he saw the price tags.
"You…. You don't expect me to pay that much, do you?" he asked, eyebrow raised. Anri giggled, such a foreign action still. Being around this boy was so… refreshing to be around. He was making her happy, something she hadn't been for a long time.
"No, of course not. I'd never have a guy buy me something like that. I travel, it could get broken. Something smaller, bit sturdier, more permanent." Anri sighed as she tried to imagine herself with jewellery. It was difficult, thoughts of her previous actions came to the forefront of her mind along with her want to just give Denji the truth, though she resisted with every fibre of her being. Last thing she needed was Denji going to Aika and giving her up to the Hidden Sand.
"Oh. Well…" Denji looked around, as if he were considering other options of a gift to give her. Anri lightly hit his arm.
"Don't. I don't need a gift, okay?" she did something completely involuntarily and slipped her hand into his. The boy almost jumped at the reaction but Anri just smiled. It'll look natural. She rationalised to herself. And she kept rationalising. She kept rationalising as she and Denji left the stand and walked over to others that held food and little treasures and little pieces of junk. It was like a flea market, though Anri had only been to one in her life and it wasn't all that special. Though she had to admit she was having quite a bit of fun just being near Denji in this market place. They were in just one small part of it and Anri was impressed by it more than she'd admit.
"So this place." Denji said after a while. "Quite big, huh?" he asked, looking to her, his hand still entwined in hers. Something Anri was enjoying almost a bit too much but it was a bit needed, at least for the inconspicuousness sake.
"Oh, yeah." Anri looked around, some locations seeming a bit different from her year in prison but it was overall the same. The marketplace was, thankfully, decently far from the prisons, mostly for obvious reasons. Last thing anyone needed was a large place where many people gathered to be right next to a place that held criminals of all sorts that would massacre them in an instant. Anri remembered when she was condemned as such.
"It's almost intimidating." Denji revealed. "I haven't been in a village since I was a kid. Not since the Hidden Stone Village."
"Well, let's hope you can go back some day." Anri said, a kind smile on her face.
"Yeah." Denji grimaced. "Yeah."
Yukio walked around with his hood over his head so he could keep his radio on his ear. He heard a crackle as Arine spoke.
Nothing over by the weapons shops. She reported. Yukio reached up and pressed the button.
"Did you have to go to those first?" he asked, jokingly. His voice above a whisper. Yukio himself was examining a few book stores but was finding things he didn't need or already had. A shame, he would've preferred some new literature.
Yukio he heard Aika's voice in warning. Don't use these for conversations. Quick reports only.
Besides. Arine interjected. We have to look natural. I like weapons.
"Fine, fine." Yukio spoke finally, letting it drop. Aika could be so stiff sometimes and Arine was just irritable. No one but Denji could have fun and Denji had more fun than him. Yukio just enjoyed irritating Arine in small ways like training because it lit a fire under her and got her to try different things which made Yukoi have to predict her more. Though at this point in time he knew her so well, he could pin down most of her moves before she even made them, even with his ankle and wrist weights on, a fact Arine had trouble with. Yukio never did, he wore the heaviest weights, even now. Aika was having issues finding heavier ones for Yukio to use. It was at the point that, without the weights, Yukio was too fast for even her to follow with much success.
Yukio grinned. He tried not to be cocky but he liked being fast. It gave him a rush. In fact if he did see the guy and he bolted, Yukio could catch up quite easily without hassle. Of course Aika would get on him for going out of the team to get the guy but he did what he thought took priority. That conflicted with Aika a bit too much at points, who preferred efficiency.
"She's uptight." He concluded, looking at a bargain bin in the book store. He flipped through the books, ignoring most of them as he looked around. It was easy to keep one eye on the books since he'd read most of them in his spare time. No one seemed suspicious as his fingers rifled through the books, one by one. "Nothing." Yukio sighed as he left the bin. Nothing cheap he hadn't really read already. A shame, really. The store wasn't very large and the bargain bin was the last of what he had to look through. Yukio left the store and began making his way along the shops, ignoring what he didn't want to see, like what normal patrons do. He eyed the patrons as he walked but kept one eye on the storefronts lest he need to enter one quickly and needed to know what he was getting into. But then one caught his eye. It was a small store front that had some exercise stuff. He stepped in and immediately saw some ankle and wrist weights on display. He headed to them and took a look, hoping to find something with more weight… no. "Damn." Yukio whispered as he heard someone beside him.
"Hello there."
The limbs from the sorry mannequin fell to the ground with hollow thuds as Arine held the massive sword in her hands. It was a blade she hadn't seen before, straight with a pointed end, thick, and nearer the hilt were two sharp curves like horns. The whole thing was so heavy.
"I see you like the claymore." The weapons merchant, a gruff, middle-aged man with short cropped greying hair and a hard, scar covered face commented, standing quite a bit taller than her. His voice was gravelly, as if he spent most of his life shouting.
"It's heavy." She panted, attempting to keep it aloft but with difficulty. The merchant took the blade from her and Arine gladly let him. "What else you got that's foreign?" she asked.
"Oh, I've got quite the store." The merchant answered. "Shall I bring some out?"
"Oh please do so." Arine grinned as she rolled her shoulders, her arms aching in a pleasing way from swinging something heavy around. She was behind the store as the merchant was offering the chance to do some trial runs and Arine was one of the few interested and able to actually use the things. It was nice to get some anger out against the inanimate people, something she'd been meaning to do. She'd ask Aika for some training dummies once they return after the job is complete.
"Here." The merchant carried a few weapons in his arms. One looked like an axe with a prominent front blade and a small back blade while having a spear tip. Another was what looked like the claymore she used earlier but smaller. And the last was what seemed like a wrist mounted weapon. A large contraption that had what looked like a small spear in it. The merchant kept the axe-spear and set the others down. "This is a halberd. It's basically an axe and a spear so it has quite the versatility." He handed it to Arine, who gripped it nice and tight, enjoying the weight on the end. Must be what one of Denji's weapons feels like. Only heavier. Arine turned to the dummies and jabbed one with the spear tip and moving it upwards, causing straw to go everywhere before she bisected it at the waste in one swing with the axe. The top of the dummy fell as Arine turned to the merchant who had an eyebrow raised. In interest as he took the halberd and handed Arine the sword. "That's a simple two-handed great sword. Not the weight of the claymore nor the strength by relation, but it's quite deadly still." The merchant grinned. "Should be a tad easier to wield. Even I had trouble with the claymore."
"We'll see then." Arine responded skeptically as she gripped the weapon, moving onto another dummy. It was a bit lighter than the claymore so she had less trouble. However since they were mere dummies she cleaved through the one before her with ease. Easier to wield but… not much variety. She looked to the merchant who held the new device.
"It's called a stake driver. It's an interesting weapon in that I've rarely had the chance to use." The merchant motioned for Arine to hold her arm out. She did and he slid her arm into the holder before securing it. The thing was heavy on her forearm, almost dropping her once the merchant let go. "Now" he said once Arine was balanced "the hand levers in your palms control retracting and launching the stake."
"So it fires as a projectile?" she asked.
"No, it simply lengthens. So push the handle up." He instructed. Arine gripped the hand lever and moved her hand up from the wrist so it was straight. The spear-like stake shot back, the spring on the back half of the shaft now closed tight. "Now go to a dummy and pull down while swinging."
"Simple enough." Arine walked to a remaining dummy and took a deep breath as she brought her arm back and swung, pulling the hand lever down. The stake shot forward, punching through the dummy as if it were mere rice paper with enough force to jerk Arine forward as the weapon stopped from launching with a clang. "Holy mother!" she exclaimed.
"So, your interest is piqued?" the merchant asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Well…" Arine looked to her arm and the weapon attached. She righted herself as she rubbed her immediately sore shoulder. "Anything else?"
"You're kidding!" Tomoko exclaimed as Denji was smiling at the memory.
"Nope. Yukio stood right up to him and was ready to take him down whatever the personal cost. Should've seen him in action. That's when he first used the Lightning Blade." Denji felt his smile widen. The memory was one of the things that inspired him a lot. Seeing a beaten down Yukio use what was left of his chakra to fight of the crazed Kohta Inuzuka. "He did this sweet dodge and jump over his sword and he stabbed him in the chest with it."
"So is it a lightning sword?" Tomoko asked, her smile lighting her face up. "Or is it something else?"
"Oh don't get him started." Denji rolled his eyes. "The Lightning Blade is sorta more like a lightning spike in your hand from what I saw. And Yukio's been working on other shapes and weapons he can make. He got his hands on a scroll detailing using your charka in a spiral and he's been working in secret ever since on something he says he's ready to test. At this point I guess he's bored of the Lightning Blade, in terms of the basic experience." Denji shrugged. "But he's gone into long, long lectures over the various ways he's learning to manipulate it. Aika's been quiet about it, which is odd."
"Oh? Why?" Tomoko asked. Denji sighed and looked around at the small dumpling shop they had stopped at. They sat together, having eaten their dumplings some time ago but simply enjoying sitting down and resting a while. They kept an open eye out but it was useless with no info to go on. Aika, Arine, and Yukio gave small, useless updates of not seeing him, same as Denji. So, in Denji's mind, it was as productive as walking around blind.
"I honestly don't know." Denji admitted. Aika's behaviour when it came to some things was almost inexplicable. Sometimes she was sarcastic, sometimes she was angry, sometimes she just ignored things and only acknowledged them with a grunt or look of indifference. Quite a few of those were directed at Yukio. "Aika's a bit odd.
"Oh. Well at least she's teaching you good." Tomoko consoled him. Denji smirked.
"Oh yeah. She's taught us so much, it's almost unbelievable. I honestly don't think I'd learn as much if I hadn't met her."
"So what is her story?" Tomoko raised her eyebrows in curiosity. Denji took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as he tried to make sense. The only thing Aika had mentioned was her days in training, her sensei giving them the bell test, a test the three of them had yet to pass.
"She hasn't been quite forthcoming." Denji admitted. "In fact she's told us one part of her life, really. Not much but we got some insight to her."
"Such as?" Tomoko leaned in, a smile on her face. Denji chuckled.
"Well it seems Arine's taking after Aika in her youth. Being all angry and… angry." Denji frowned. "Yeah."
"So that's it?" Tomoko asked sitting normally. "She really hasn't said much?"
"Nope." Denji shrugged his shoulders. "She'll tell us in good time, I'm sure. It's her life."
"True but shouldn't you know more about your teacher?" Tomoko seemed to be deep in thought over it, which interested Denji.
"I guess. I mean it's really up to her, she hasn't killed us yet and at this point we might…." Denji stopped as he almost said 'be able to beat her' but then it reminded him. "Well that's not true. We haven't even really passed her bell test. It's almost insulting, given the training she's been giving us."
"Aw." Tomoko put a hand on his arm, which lit his face up with fire. They'd spent the day holding hands and one would think he'd be used to it but the entire day his face felt like it was an inferno. "I mean you'll have to get it at some point." She consoled.
"Yeah." Denji simply answered. Ever since their most recent failure, he was convinced the team just wasn't coherent despite things that happened. It was like they were in sync when they weren't thinking about it, like back in the forest a bit. But when they tried actively they stumbled and tripped. Arine got angry at Yukio and Denji for making brash decisions, Yukio yelled back at Arine for being uptight and lacking in efficiency, Denji would get angry at Yukio for not discussing plans with him, things just kept messing up. All three got in shouting matches that would almost come to blows until Aika separated them and yelled at them about teamwork. It got irritating.
"Well I think you'll get it at some point." Tomoko smiled at him, consoling him with a simple action. Denji smiled back.
"We should."
"Hello?" Yukio responded as he turned his head. Beside him was… oh wow. Yukio was never one to consider himself a person who cared much for chasing women, at least at this point in time. However the girl before him was quite stunning if he said so himself. She stood with a kind smile on her face and about his height, if not a bit taller. Her skin was the colour of light chocolate and her eyes were bright blue. Her hair went down to her waist and was long and black. She wore loose white pants and a small tank top that exposed some of her muscular abdomen. From what Yukio could tell she was quite fit. She had a bag hefted over her shoulder and a grin on her face with a hand on her hip. He felt a bead of sweat make it down his face under his hood and down his neck. Whether it was from the heat or the girl was debateable in his head.
"Looking at weights?" she asked, looking to the display. She seemed casual enough as she turned her attention back to Yukio. "No offence but you're pretty thin." She smirked a bit and Yukio frowned suddenly. He didn't like this girl making assumptions.
"For your information" he said, bringing back his hood while also dropping his radio into his neck "I'm wearing the highest I've been able to find." He raised his arm and pulled his sleeve down, exposing his wrist weights. Each sleeve was about three pounds per arm. Each ankle weight was roughly eight pounds per leg. Yukio was hoping to upgrade. "I need five pound weights for my wrists and ten pound weights for my ankles." The girl whistled in mock admiration.
"Oh wow. I remember when I had three and eight pound weights." She grinned mockingly and Yukio noticed she lacked any weights.
"Someone's a bit cocky." He spoke shrewdly, making the girl laugh.
"Dude, I could probably take you in a fight. Fist to fist." The girl's grin was one of challenge, as if she were lacking one on a daily basis.
"That's probably not the best use of my time." Yukio said at first, knowing Aika would berate him for not going after the target, even if he was in the market place. The girl rolled her eyes and groaned.
"Come ooooooooooooon. One fight, friendly, you and me." The girl practically begged.
"I don't even know your name." Yukio reasoned, running his hand through his hair to the left. His hair parted there and it was something that never set right with Yukio but he was getting used to it. Slowly. "And I'm I a bit of a rush."
"Karako." The girl answered quickly, perplexing Yukio further. She seemed adamant about this little street fight. Yukio looked up. Still seemed like it was close to mid-day or early afternoon. Actually it probably was- "it's mid-day, whatever it is, I'm sure you have time." Karako grinned as she stared at Yukio, making eye contact. Yukio raised an eyebrow at her and felt something inside himself. A challenge, eh? Someone else to practice on. He felt the right side of his mouth rise up slowly, spreading into a grin that exposed his canine. He held out a hand for her to shake.
"Yukio."
"Thank you for your purchase." The gravelly merchant thanked Arine as he handed her the single scroll. Arine grabbed it and felt her far lighter coin purse in her pocket. However her purchases for Denji would be something he'd appreciate, she hoped. A little extra firepower than his fists and his hammer axe and Warhammer.
"No problem." She gave a light smile and set the scroll into the inside pocket of her jacket and walked out to the main crowds and joined them, keeping an eye on the crowds as she slipped her radio into her ear again.
Arine, anything? She heard immediately. She pressed the button.
"Nothing yet." She responded, looking around. No one looked like their target, at least not much.
I haven't seen anything either, Aika. Arine heard Denji speak.
Nothing near where I am. Yukio chimed in though his tone was hurried. Arine pressed the button.
"You sure there?" she asked.
Yes, now I've got some place that I'm going to check out. I'll report if there's anything of importance. And he cut his talking.
Tomoko and I are going to check out some of the areas just outside the market. It's mid day, people are crowding in. Denji added.
You're right. Aika responded, a note of disparity in her voice. All right feel free to take some free time but just keep one eye on the crowds. You find out anything, report it. You hear something, report it. Clear?
"Yes Aika." Arine answered at the same time as Denji. She pulled the radio from her ear and pulled her hood back, letting herself breath a bit. Arine took a breath as she enjoyed her head not being within a hood for once today. She spied a ramen outlet and made her way towards it. It wasn't very crowded but people were just getting here en masse. She sat down and ordered a simple ramen. She needed to stretch her funs a bit now.
"So, you hear about that criminal guy?" she heard behind her. Arine leaned back a bit in her seat and listened as what sounded like a couple of guys were discussing something of interest to her.
Anri was getting nervous. Not that she was in danger of getting found out or her not wanting to be in the Hidden Sand, though the latter was a constant issue, it was Denji. She wanted to stop holding his hand since Aika had given them the order to relax a bit but… she also didn't want to let go. And the logical part of her was beginning to realise that she was getting in too deep. Far, far too deep. And yet she was having some fun with this. No, a lot of fun. Almost too much fun. She'd never had fun before and yet she was having fun now. Something was really up.
"So we've had some pre-lunch lunch." Denji started as he looked around. "What is there that we can do?"
"Well…" Anri was about to say something but restrained herself. What should she say? "We could…" she said, thinking. "We could go do a more thorough search of the people." She offered. "I mean everyone else will be relaxing, we might as well go search a bit."
"You're right." Denji shrugged. "We have been a bit lazy so I think we need to pull our weight a bit."
"Good." Anri smiled, which was coming more and more naturally. That worried her. What if she left and she felt sadness or regret? That wasn't what was supposed to happen. Not at all. And yet nothing she said to herself was helping. This kind hearted boy had somehow gotten her to feel something. Anri wasn't going to admit it, even to herself, but she was enjoying every bit of it that she possibly could. It was bliss…. That was probably the best way to describe it. It was bliss. So simple and refreshing. A change Anri was almost feeling she wanted. But did she want anything?
"You see anything?" Denji asked her in the middle of her thoughts.
"Huh? Oh, no, nothing." Anri smiled sheepishly and looked around. Something wasn't right with her head. She'd find a psychiatrist or some other mind expert, giver her a proper diagnosis. This couldn't be right.
"Me neither. It's a shame. I honestly hope we find him soon. Last thing I need is to be walking around this heat. I mean the place is nice and all but holy kami, is it hot. And beige." Denji raised an eyebrow to the surrounding buildings and the clear sky. "Bit too stagnant though I guess people get used to it? Right?" he turned to Anri, who nodded.
"People just get used to where they live. Humid, hot, cold environments and such are adjusted to. I mean, really, when you think about it-" she was cut off by a crackling of Denji's radio. He quickly put it to his ear and Anri leaned in close. She heard it clearly.
I found him.
"So, you ready?" Karako was cracking her knuckles in anticipation. Yukio and herself stood opposite in a small, empty lot just outside the bustling marketplace. Karako was still in her loose clothes, sweat on her body from either the heat or a previous workout was still visible in the sunlight. Yukio simply stood, hands in pockets, an uninterested look on his face.
"Let's get it over with." He said, looking up. He had his ear cocked for the radio in the shoulder of his jacket but it could be misheard or missed entirely. And here he was fighting a girl that was far stronger than him, physically. Though to be fair, Arine was quite a bit stronger than him and he dodged her but he knew her. It was easy. This girl… Yukio bit his lip. This would take some recon.
"All right." Karako grinned, baring her teeth. She looked like a wild animal. "Come on!" she launched herself at him faster than Yukio had anticipated. She was on him so fast, Yukio barely jerked himself out of the way.
Kami! He was surprised. Even more so as Karako turned on her foot swiftly and prepared to launch herself at him once more. Yukio sent chakra into his eyes and had a good look at Karako. Her body was on fire from working out, but it seemed to impose her very little. She moved with perfect accuracy and threw a fist at him, aimed for his face. Should it hit it would do its fair share of damage. So duck. No, too simple. Though simple was easy to do. Yukio ducked quickly as her fist sailed over his head. Whirlwind kick. Yukio spun low, stretching his leg out and swinging it around. Karako, however, caught this quickly and jumped clear over his head to avoid it and landed behind him, turning quickly and aiming a kick at his head. Yukio grinned. She goes for quite a bit of style, overdoing it. More data. Mid-spin, Yukio stopped himself with his outstretched leg and shot to the opposite side, avoiding the deadly kick. Karako frowned and looked to him, but Yukio grinned. He had his tricks. Mainly, prediction. He was getting a good feel for her fighting style. She was a brute, good with punching. Not as slow as Denji was but Denji was far more muscled and just heavier.
"Quick little bugger, ain't ya?" Karako bared her teeth in a deadly smile as she spun herself parallel to the ground by landing her kick into the ground and propelling herself into a spin.
She'll kick down. Jump to the side. Yukio grinned as he stepped back to avoid the kick. However Karako clearly knew about this. She planted a hand on the ground instead, using it to spin herself around and bring her legs down onto Yukio's shoulders with a painful hit. Yukio grunted and bent slightly under the hit. Karako took full advantage of this and quickly got her lags around his neck and pulled. For a brief second Yukio admired her leg strength, able to lift a person clear off the ground and throw them. As he flew through the air, Yukio landed on his elbow and rolled with it, coming up quickly. Karako pushed from her hands and landed back on her feet, a smug grin on her face. Clearly she had tricks up her own sleeve. Or lack thereof. Yukio licked his lips.
"Weren't expecting that? I can spot a predictor when I see one." Karako gloated. Yukio frowned. Was he so obvious?
"Well then." Yukio switched internally. Go aggressive, predict. He stood, his knees bent and his arms loose but at the ready. Karako wasn't the bandits of previous engagements. She had been training quite a long time, if not most of her life. At least that was Yukio's guess. No time for that now. Just win. He made the first move this time, running at her, low and fast. Karako bent slightly, to absorb any shock. Yukio grinned. An attack from below was expected. So, he jumped at the last second, his fist cocked to throw the punch. Karako's expression was one of irritation as she raised her arms up to block. However, Yukio spun in mid-air slightly as he extended his leg and wheeled it around to his her in the back, hard. She had her knees bent so she took the brunt of the force without moving but Yukio landed and quickly went for a low whirlwind kick. However Karako had different plans. She did a light hop over Yukio's leg as it passed under her, allowing her to land quickly and reach out faster than Yukio could react, grabbing his face in her hand tight as she reached with her other hand and grabbed him by the shirt. Karako then picked Yukio up and swung him over her head before slamming him down on his back hard, knocking the breath out of him. Karako turned herself around and straddled him, pinning his arms to his chest with one hand while pressing the other beside his face.
"Never let your opponent get a hand on you." Karako leaned in and grinned in his face as she hissed the words. "Otherwise you'll find yourself pinned. Or worse." Karako's grin was almost feral, wild. Yukio felt his face light up with heat as he tried to comprehend what just happened. She'd beaten him! She'd… Yukio clenched his jaw as he tried to comprehend this. Karako saw this and her grin widened into a full toothed smiled of smug superiority.
"I…" Yukio began. But Karako laughed.
"And the little boy blushed with defeat." She pressed herself into him more. But Yukio had worse things to worry about than the close proximity. She was insulting him!
"How dare you." He growled as he began to struggle, but Karako was like a constrictor. She held on tighter, as if she'd caught a prize.
"Credit, however, for out manoeuvering me a couple times. Your speed is quite good with those weights on but I ain't wearin any." She began chuckling. Yukio was about to come back at her with a retort when he heard his radio come to life. He heard Aika's voice say three words.
I found him. Karako frowned, her feral grin disappearing as she questioned why he had a radio on him.
"What was- GAH!" she let out as Yukio shocked her with a quick bit of lightning. It was enough for her grip to loosen and let Yukio kicker her off of him. She landed a bit back as Yukio left, turning back as he did.
"Rematch tonight! Here! I won't stand for that defeat!" He growled, leaving, hoping Karako wouldn't realise who he was. Last thing he needed was officials searching for bounty hunters.
Arine was listening intently even after she finished her ramen. These two mean seemed to be in the know.
"Yeah. Heard about him fleeing here. You think the Leaf's guys are gonna try anything?" one asked.
"No." The other responded. "They're out of their jurisdiction here. Either our guys deal with him or the bounty hunters do."
"Bounty hunters? Here?" the first guy asked, sounding anxious. The second sighed in exasperation.
"Yes, bounty hunters. They're likely after him. Heard he has a huge reward on his head."
"What's his name even?" the first asked.
"Akihiro Kurata." Arine's heart skipped a beat. She pulled her hood up and put the radio earpiece in.
"Aika, I've got info." She hissed. "I'll report soon with more." She kept her ear cocked as the two men discussed the issue. The second guy had just listed Kurata's crimes.
"Holy…" the first responded.
"Yeah. I bet he's gonna get his ass kicked across the village by whomever catches him. At least the bounty hunters are." The second guy whistled as he spoke. "I've even seen a few of them."
"Really?" the first guy was sounding really nervous now.
"Yeah, big guys. Few women. Wouldn't wanna get in their way at all." He chuckled. "But I might have info. I saw him nearer where the girls like to hang out."
"No way!" the first exclaimed. "You gotta-" he was cut off.
"No! I'm not getting rid of this unless it's for the right price."
"Aika!" Arine hissed into her radio. "Are there local prostitutes in the area?" Arine uttered the word prostitutes with a bad taste in her mouth.
You think he's near there? Aika asked.
"Yeah. Couple guys say they saw him near there." She whispered.
I'm actually… Aika went silent for a minute. Arine was tense as the men behind her discussed the various things Kurata was about to go through. Then she uttered the three words Arine wanted to hear all day. I found him. Suddenly the other radios came alive.
Where is he!? Arine heard Yukio pant into his radio. Why he was out of breath, she was curious, but she had bigger fish to fry.
Where should we go? Denji added.
Listen closely. Aika began.
Aika walked up to Akihiro Kurata who matched his description perfectly. He was older, his grey hair flopped over his head with his thin face and smug smile. Aika had to resist retching as she approached him, distracting him from his quarry. He was wearing some awful white shirt and brown pants with an orange vest. So much for stealth.
"Excuse me." Aika said, her voice inviting so that she could get his attention. It worked. She drew his attention and he turned to face her.
"Oh, heh" he started off, his eyes semi-closed as if he were falling asleep "hello miss…." He stopped and his eyes widened. He knew, he was on the run. Aika let her grin fall sideways as Kurata bolted. Aika hit her radio.
"I found him!"
Where is he!? She heard Yukio on the radio.
Where should we go? She heard Denji.
"Listen closely." Aika said, keeping a brisk walking pace as Kurata tried bruiting his way through the mid-day crowds. He wasn't very successful but Aika could tell he was attempting to head over to the more recreational shops. "Denji, he's heading over to you. Find a way to block him, shove him over to…"
I'm in the food shops. She heard Arine speak into the radio.
"Send him to the food shops, start walking to him and he'll bolt."
Got it! Denji affirmed.
"Yukio, head over to the food shops, aid Arine."
Don't worry, almost there! The out of breath student of hers answered.
"Good." Aika began making her way to the food shops as well.
Yukio was making his way to the food shops as fast as he could but it was slower going that he'd like to admit. He had to push through the crowds as politely as he could while still keeping his ear ready to obtain the data he could. Last thing he needed was to miss the guy completely. Suddenly his radio crackled to life.
Shit! Denji exclaimed. He's bolted the other direction!
What!? Aika exclaimed.
I think he's heading over towards weapons! We started approaching him and he immediately ran the other way, we screwed up!
"No!" Yukio chimed in. "I'm right by the weapon shops. I might have an idea, if it works."
Go for it, if it can get him stalled. Aika spoke adamantly.
"Sure thing!" Yukio answered as he made his way along the weapon shops. He looked above the crowds and watched for someone disturbing them. However they were moving so much it was almost impossible to distinguish a disturbance within. Curses! Yukio thought. Just like him to be late like this. Come on, come on… Yukio looked above the heads of the market place goers as they shuffled along pleasantly until… aha! Yukio keyed his radio. "Got a visual. I think…" Yukio looked around for something that he could… there! "I can get him in an alleyway, I need someone here now though."
I'll be there. Aika answered. Arine, Denji, head over to Yukio as well. We'll box him in.
Yes ma'am! Arine and Denji answered in unison. Yukio saw he was in front of a building. So he leaned against the corner, keeping an eye on Kurata's progress. He was keeping to one side as he pushed through the crowds. He was on Yukio's side of the street.
"Just a bit more…" he whispered as the man neared him. Yeah, he fit the description. He pushed from the main crowd with some mutterings of discontent, but he surged right at Yukio, who leaned as casually as he could against the building. He eyed the distance Kurata was from him and, once he was close enough, Yukio stuck his leg out. Kurata hit it at full speed and went toppling into the dirt with a rough scrape. Yukio immediately crouched down before the man. "Sir! Are you okay? What made you trip?" an act, but it got Kurata's attention. He propped himself up with scraped arms and dirty clothes.
"Watch what you're-" Kurata began until he looked up and probably saw Yukio's radio. His face became frightful as he bolted, but he turned into the alley, just as Yukio predicted. He wasn't off his game it seemed. Yukio quickly followed him, he would explain he wanted to know of Kurata was truly okay as he said, should it come to that. As Yukio entered the alley, he saw Kurata had stopped for Aika was standing at the end of the alleyway. Kurata turned to see Yukio there and he froze up completely. He started babbling as Aika swiftly made her way to him and, as he was spouting words, Aika hit him hard in the back of the head, toppling him. Yukio heard footsteps and saw Denji and Tomoko behind him. Arine appeared on Aika's side of the alleyway. He looked down at their target. They had caught their prey.
"Dude, I wish I was there!" Denji exclaimed. Yukio shrugged as he and Denji were in the girls' room later that evening. Yukio was asked to give his tripping of the target in full detail. He did, a few times.
"Hurt a bit but nothing bad." He said, finishing the story that Denji found too absurd to have worked. However Aika intervened.
"Okay, it's late." She said, now only in her pants and a shirt, her cloak deserted to the other side of the room. "You two, go to your room and grab some sleep. We'll see if there's anything else in here that we can do but if things go good, we should be leaving tomorrow or the day after."
"Sure thing." Denji yawned and exited the room. Yukio stood and Aika turned, going to deal with something else. As he was exiting, he saw something poking from Aika's discarded cloak. He quickly pulled it and exited the room before anyone could see. It was later that night when Yukio examined it and learned about another bounty Aika was keeping from them.
A girl named Anri Nomura.
A/N: Sorry for the tardiness! This just took a long time due to various things. Ending's a bit choppy but at this rate I just wanted the bloody thing done! I'll elaborate more next chapter. Thanks for reading!