And continued-
the fashion victims soon grew tired of dragging me, and I was far too filthy for them to want to carry, so they decided to kill the ?pasty-skinned freak? on the spot and let the villagers clean up the mess. The passers-by didn?t say a word during this discussion; they just looked away or stared through us like we weren?t even there. They were deciding who would get the honor when a messenger showed up with orders. Underneath the steadily-decreasing pain, I was vaguely amused when they learned I was to be captured, not killed. A member of the Tsuchikage?s household had gone missing as well, and she was to be returned unharmed at all costs. I wondered if they hoped I knew something about her whereabouts, or if they were actually demented enough to believe I?d ever serve them.
My time sense was a little out of whack, but I slowly began to realize that I was hurting a lot less than I was earlier. While the Rock Shinobi argued about whose fault it was that they?d disobeyed orders, I was slowly loosening the cord around my arms ? the one around my knees was removed when they took me for a drag,
?Where?s Tetsuo?? one of the shinobi abruptly asked, looking around.
?I don?t know,? another one answered. ?Lazy bastard didn?t even help us drag this piece of shit.?
?Idiot!? the first one said, slapping the other on the head. ?We?re supposed to be looking for a little girl.?
?Shit!? more than one voice hissed.
The blatant fear in that expletive made my blood run cold as four of the five Shinobi took off running back the way we?d come. Had this Tetsuo creep heard her or something?
The remaining ninja guarding me looked a little sick and I felt my stomach tighten as well. I was still covered with blood, but aside from a little stiffness, I didn?t hurt that much. Minutes seemed like hours, but the bolo cord was almost untied behind me when a loud explosion made everyone look up.
Screams erupted as a brilliant ball of fire rose over the marketplace. Eyes wide, my guard stared at it, facing the same direction as his companions had gone. The bolo cord was around his throat, and my knee was pressed into the small of his back before he even realized I was moving. The fleeing shopkeepers didn?t try to stop me. In fact, they gave me a wide berth as I hauled back on the bolo, chakra burning in my aching muscles, until I felt the shinobi?s trachea collapse.
As I eased the body to the ground, I broke the neck with a sharp twist, just to be sure. Then I took off running in the opposite direction as the panicked civilians ? toward the growing fire.
There were muffled bangs as more flammable wares exploded, but nothing to equal that first eruption. I began dodging burning embers and detouring around flaming wreckage as I grew closer to the alleyway where I?d been caught. I felt sick about the little girl, and hoped she was all right. Even though she?d fairly demanded that I take her with me, it was at least partially my fault if she was hurt.
The fire was moving towards me as I approached ground zero, so I had to detour onto the roof of a stone warehouse to get past the flames. The clay roof tiles were nearly hot enough to raise blisters, and I wondered how far the fire would spread. Then I shook my head. Not my problem.
The alleyway was redolent with the sickly-sweet smell of burnt flesh. Five charred skeletons smoked on the scorched stones. The crates, bundles, and junk were all gone, reduced to a fine spray of ashes that settled in my greasy hair and coated my throat.
I winced as my feet sizzled on the hot stones. The pain numbed almost as soon as it started, and I felt the chakra around my seal circulate even faster. The cooking smell grew stronger and I was afraid to look down.
My eyes were drawn to the sole inhabitant of the alleyway. The girl stood there, her clothes gone? burned away or something. Her eyes were closed and she was shuddering so hard she could barely stand. The seal on her stomach glowed like it was made of live coals, but it was the livid bruises on her skin that made me feel sick to my stomach.
Her eyes snapped open as I approached, and I braced myself to be incinerated. An angry orange glow had replaced the brilliant green, but then it winked out. She staggered forward and I barely caught her before she hit the ground. ?You?re all bloody,? she whispered.
I just grunted, not trusting my voice. I picked her up and was amazed at how light she was. Moving across the rooftops and using the smoke and confusion from the fire, we were able to slip out of the city without another confrontation. I wondered how many would die before the blaze was under control.
The girl passed out as soon as we were no longer in danger.
OoOoO
I?d never seen a tree before, so it was a little odd to be surrounded by a double handful of them. But the small grove was the first decent cover I?d seen since we left Iwakagure, and I needed to get my bearings.
I was also a little worried about the girl. She hadn?t stirred much since she passed out, and I wondered if she was hurt worse than she appeared. I hope that Tetsuo bastard died screaming.
Anyway, the grove was centered on the merging of two small streams. The cool water soothed my throat, but nothing would help my conscience. I tried to drip a little water into her mouth, but that just set her to coughing. She let out a low moan and slowly sat up.
____________________
yay, to be continued:
the fashion victims soon grew tired of dragging me, and I was far too filthy for them to want to carry, so they decided to kill the ?pasty-skinned freak? on the spot and let the villagers clean up the mess. The passers-by didn?t say a word during this discussion; they just looked away or stared through us like we weren?t even there. They were deciding who would get the honor when a messenger showed up with orders. Underneath the steadily-decreasing pain, I was vaguely amused when they learned I was to be captured, not killed. A member of the Tsuchikage?s household had gone missing as well, and she was to be returned unharmed at all costs. I wondered if they hoped I knew something about her whereabouts, or if they were actually demented enough to believe I?d ever serve them.
My time sense was a little out of whack, but I slowly began to realize that I was hurting a lot less than I was earlier. While the Rock Shinobi argued about whose fault it was that they?d disobeyed orders, I was slowly loosening the cord around my arms ? the one around my knees was removed when they took me for a drag,
?Where?s Tetsuo?? one of the shinobi abruptly asked, looking around.
?I don?t know,? another one answered. ?Lazy bastard didn?t even help us drag this piece of shit.?
?Idiot!? the first one said, slapping the other on the head. ?We?re supposed to be looking for a little girl.?
?Shit!? more than one voice hissed.
The blatant fear in that expletive made my blood run cold as four of the five Shinobi took off running back the way we?d come. Had this Tetsuo creep heard her or something?
The remaining ninja guarding me looked a little sick and I felt my stomach tighten as well. I was still covered with blood, but aside from a little stiffness, I didn?t hurt that much. Minutes seemed like hours, but the bolo cord was almost untied behind me when a loud explosion made everyone look up.
Screams erupted as a brilliant ball of fire rose over the marketplace. Eyes wide, my guard stared at it, facing the same direction as his companions had gone. The bolo cord was around his throat, and my knee was pressed into the small of his back before he even realized I was moving. The fleeing shopkeepers didn?t try to stop me. In fact, they gave me a wide berth as I hauled back on the bolo, chakra burning in my aching muscles, until I felt the shinobi?s trachea collapse.
As I eased the body to the ground, I broke the neck with a sharp twist, just to be sure. Then I took off running in the opposite direction as the panicked civilians ? toward the growing fire.
There were muffled bangs as more flammable wares exploded, but nothing to equal that first eruption. I began dodging burning embers and detouring around flaming wreckage as I grew closer to the alleyway where I?d been caught. I felt sick about the little girl, and hoped she was all right. Even though she?d fairly demanded that I take her with me, it was at least partially my fault if she was hurt.
The fire was moving towards me as I approached ground zero, so I had to detour onto the roof of a stone warehouse to get past the flames. The clay roof tiles were nearly hot enough to raise blisters, and I wondered how far the fire would spread. Then I shook my head. Not my problem.
The alleyway was redolent with the sickly-sweet smell of burnt flesh. Five charred skeletons smoked on the scorched stones. The crates, bundles, and junk were all gone, reduced to a fine spray of ashes that settled in my greasy hair and coated my throat.
I winced as my feet sizzled on the hot stones. The pain numbed almost as soon as it started, and I felt the chakra around my seal circulate even faster. The cooking smell grew stronger and I was afraid to look down.
My eyes were drawn to the sole inhabitant of the alleyway. The girl stood there, her clothes gone? burned away or something. Her eyes were closed and she was shuddering so hard she could barely stand. The seal on her stomach glowed like it was made of live coals, but it was the livid bruises on her skin that made me feel sick to my stomach.
Her eyes snapped open as I approached, and I braced myself to be incinerated. An angry orange glow had replaced the brilliant green, but then it winked out. She staggered forward and I barely caught her before she hit the ground. ?You?re all bloody,? she whispered.
I just grunted, not trusting my voice. I picked her up and was amazed at how light she was. Moving across the rooftops and using the smoke and confusion from the fire, we were able to slip out of the city without another confrontation. I wondered how many would die before the blaze was under control.
The girl passed out as soon as we were no longer in danger.
OoOoO
I?d never seen a tree before, so it was a little odd to be surrounded by a double handful of them. But the small grove was the first decent cover I?d seen since we left Iwakagure, and I needed to get my bearings.
I was also a little worried about the girl. She hadn?t stirred much since she passed out, and I wondered if she was hurt worse than she appeared. I hope that Tetsuo bastard died screaming.
Anyway, the grove was centered on the merging of two small streams. The cool water soothed my throat, but nothing would help my conscience. I tried to drip a little water into her mouth, but that just set her to coughing. She let out a low moan and slowly sat up.
____________________
yay, to be continued:
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