Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Our Lives in the Hurricane Chronicles ❯ Chapter 34

“Must’ve been relieved to see the softer side,” –Meredith Brooks (I’m A Bitch)
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The young kunoichi walked beside her Konoha comrade, trying to tone out the current argument. Of course, this hadn’t been the first argument between the two, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last. Honestly, they were like opposing forces. They couldn’t go a second without ridiculing the other for something they did. Now, the conflict seemed to be about how slow Suigetsu was moving. Karin was yelling at the white-haired male, telling him to hurry his ass up. Suigetsu calmly called her a bitch, and then explained that he had a delicate composition. Mayu rolled her eyes in annoyance as Karin fired back with an angry retort. Juugo had remained quiet this entire time–the strong, silent type, he was. A dark eyebrow twitched as the sounds of bickering increased.
“Sasuke… I will kill them!” Mayu hissed in his ear. The Uchiha merely smirked. “I’m serious! If something doesn’t change, I will slit their throats!” She was fed up with the fighting. Not even Naruto and Sakura were this bad.
“There’s no need,” Sasuke replied. Then in a louder voice, to get the others’ attention, he said. “We have arrived.” Instantly, the fighting behind them ceased.
Mayu squint her eyes, looking ahead. There, in the distance, was some sort of town. In such a barren wasteland, it was a bit surprising to see. Upon closer inspection with chakra enhanced vision, the kunoichi realized that not there wasn’t any movement going on. “An abandoned community?” she thought, narrowing her eyes. Deciding not to say anything yet, Mayu continued to follow her silent teammate. Once they reached the deserted city, her gaze looked up. As they passed the entrance, she repeated the name in her head. Apparently, the place was known as the Sky District.
The team continued to walk through the dead metropolis, observing the desolate buildings and damage. Sasuke suddenly stopped walking and turned, causing his followers to do the same. They were standing outside of a building. This building looked much… healthier than the rest as if it was still in use. “This is it,” he mentioned, and then stepped into the structure, expecting to be followed. Frowning, Mayu did follow as well as the rest. She stared at his back. He seemed to be getting a little more egoistical.
The group walked down a barely lit path. Suigetsu sighed heavily, muttering something under his breath. Sasuke, however, heard him and explained that it was not one of Orochimaru’s hideouts. It did, in fact, belong to the Uchiha clan. It was a supply base. “Here, we’ll prepare for the upcoming battle,” Sasuke continued.
“The hallways look so much alike. It’d be easy to get lost,” Suigetsu remarked.
“The air here is stifling,” Karin almost commented about the building.
“I’d have to apologize for that.” A voice caused the group to halt their movements and look back. It took a moment before their eyes looked down. On the floor were two cats. Both wore clothes–red and blue respectively. The one in blue spoke again. “I knew it. It’s that Sasuke kid!”
“Denka, Hina… It’s been awhile,” Sasuke greeted. Mayu’s fingers twitched at the sight of the two adorable felines. She swallowed nervously, mentally telling herself to have control. Noticing this, the Uchiha raised a brow.
“What are you here for, nyaa?” The other cat spoke up in a much more feminine voice, gaining Sasuke’s attention once more. He told them that he wanted weapons, medicine, and other things that were needed for battle.
“Talking tanuki, eh?” Suigetsu grinned as he walked toward the cats and squatted down. He held out his hand, beckoning them forward. “Hey, come here…” The cat known as Denka hissed and bared his fangs at Suigetsu, causing the teen to pull back with a startled yelp.
“You idiot…! Those are obviously cats!” Mayu corrected. “How could you possibly mistake them?”
“Those are ninja cats. I would advise not putting your hand in front of them. They’ll tear you to shreds,” Sasuke told him. Suigetsu looked back at the Uchiha with a frown, exclaiming that he wished he knew information like that beforehand. Ignoring him, Sasuke pulled out a bottle. “I brought you something–Matatabi.” The bottle was instantly taken from his hand by Hina.
“Much appreciated, nyaa!” she said. Denka appeared by her side, telling the humans to follow him to Old Lady Cat.
“So… So… cute…!” Mayu murmured, following after the two.
--
The sounds of constant meowing were heard as Suigetsu and Mayu played with some of the many cats and kittens scattered throughout the room. Sasuke was busy speaking to the old woman, who resembled a cat herself. Nekobaa was her name. A topless Juugo was getting help from the old woman’s granddaughter, Tamaki. Apparently, she was having trouble trying to find a shirt big enough for the massive teen. Karin stood off to the side, silent.
Sasuke passed a stack of money to the old woman. “I would like to rest here if that’s okay,” he said. “It’s going to rain soon.” Nekobaa nodded her head as she released the smoke from the pipe. “Arigato…” The Uchiha stood up straight as the old woman ordered her granddaughter to prepare the rooms.
“How many…?” Tamaki asked, looking over Juugo’s body, still trying to come up with some idea on how to dress him.
“Four,” Sasuke answered.
“But there are five of you…” she stated. That’s when she noticed the look he was giving to the dark-haired female, who was a part of his team. She appeared not to be listening. She was far too busy having fun with the cats that surround her. “Ah, four rooms it is.” She turned her eyes back to Juugo. She narrowed them, frowning before turning to her grandmother. “Ne, obaa-chan… Don’t we have anything that’ll fit him? I mean, he’s so-” Tamaki glanced back at the bigger teen. She smirked. “-Big…”
“Did you look in those boxes?” Nekobaa asked, not really caring.
“None of them fit!”
“Then just wrap him in that curtain! I’m not running a clothing store, ya know!” the old woman retorted.
“How rude…! We can’t just do that to a customer!” Tamaki frowned. To end their verbal spar, Juugo grabbed the said curtain and wrapped it around his upper body. He nodded his head, giving a grunt in approval. He was not aware of Tamaki’s flushed face. “… Cool…” Nekobaa, however, did notice and rolled her eyes.
She shifted her attention to the other female in the room. The kunoichi intrigued her a bit. The young girl had the scent of cats on her and it wasn’t from the cats that surrounded her. “Young lady…!” Nekobaa called out. It took a moment and a nudge from the white-haired one to get the girl’s full attention. It was her dark skin and blue eyes that sparked Nekobaa’s interests. “Hm… You are Ishikari, are you not?” Mayu’s eyes widen in surprise. The members of Hebi were instantly interested. “Judging from her expression, I’d say you are.” The old woman took a long drag before releasing the smoke from her mouth. “Your clan perished on their night, leaving only two of you left. You’re not planning to go after your relative are you?” The kunoichi shook her head. “I see… You must be… Ishikari Mayu, granddaughter of Ishikari Mayuri…” Mayu stood, nodding. “Yes, you have a striking resemblance to her. I met Mayuri-chan in her prime–quite the feisty one, she was.”
“You’re telling me,” Mayu scoffed. Nekobaa smiled and asked her if she had a life partner. The kunoichi nodded. The old woman then asked to see. Nodding, Mayu bit down on her thumb, drawing blood. She then performed the necessary hand signs before placing her hand on the ground.
A giant cloud of smoke partially covered the room. The cats moved away from the smoke as well as Suigetsu. Once the smoke cleared, Mayu could be seen straddling the back of a larger than normal black leopard. A flick of the tail caused eyes to unintentionally divert to the purple ribbon. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been summoned, Mayu,” the large feline spoke. The kunoichi chuckled.
“What’s this, Nana-chan…? You want to be summoned more often?” she asked.
“As I thought,” Nekobaa’s voice drew their attention again. “You are the last one who shook Uchiha Itachi’s mind.” Several pairs of eyes widen. “The end result of your relationship caused you to overcome time itself, am I right?” Karin sucked in a breath, clearly shocked by the information. Mayu, however, did not respond. The room had grown eerily quiet as all eyes focused on her. Nekobaa suddenly laughed loudly, somewhat breaking the ice. “Well, well, now that my curiosity has been stifled, allow my granddaughter to show you to your rooms. Hope to it, Maki-chan!”
“Eh…? O-Oh right… Right this way please!” Tamaki came out of her stupor and began to walk away. She tossed the shirt in her hand to the side as she moved, expecting the group of five to follow. Mayu narrowed her eyes at the old woman before lightly kicking Nana’s side, telling her to follow Tamaki. That Nekobaa seemed to know a lot about her clan. That fact did not sit well with her. No one outside of the few people in Konoha was supposed to know of her clan, let alone the events that happened on that night. Mayu would definitely, definitely have to speak with that old woman again.
“And she knows that… doesn’t she?” she thought, glancing back out of the corner of her eye. Nekobaa had been smiling.
--
“And here is your room!” Tamaki said with a smile as she opened the metal door. Neither Sasuke nor Mayu uttered a word in response. Suigetsu and Karin had already been shown their rooms. “These rooms are sound proof.” The brown-haired girl grinned even though she didn’t get much of a reaction out of the two. “As I said before, showers are further down the hall. Any you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask… obaa-chan.” The two Konoha ninja, plus feline, entered the room, still remaining quiet. The door was shut behind them. Shrugging, Tamaki turned to the last member of the group. She tugged on his hand, pulling him down the corridor. “Your room is last.” She looked up at him and smiled flirtatiously. “Say, do you like cats?” she asked.
“Ah,” Juugo nodded.
“Good–I’m a cat person myself…”
Sasuke tuned out the fading conversation. His dark eyes focused on his comrade. Once again, she was deep in thought. What Nekobaa said must have really gotten to her. Nana trotted over to the cover of the room, and then shook her body. This action caused Mayu to fall from her back and land on the floor. “Oi, that wasn’t nice!” the kunoichi shouted, rubbing her head.
“You interrupted my cat nap. You should expect retribution!” Nana retorted. The powerful feline yawned, almost sounding like a dull roar. She then turned a few times before curling up against the wall. Her back was facing them. Mayu held up a fist, threatening to hit the black leopard. She muttered something about cheeky cats, and then released a heavy sigh.
“Mayu,” Sasuke said. She flinched, and then turned in his direction.
“Sasuke,” Mayu chuckled nervously. “Forgot you were here.”
“Mayu,” he repeated. “What were you thinking about just now?”
Blue eyes stared down at the floor. Slowly, the kunoichi stood, keeping her gaze away from her Sasuke. She turned her back to him. “Nothing really,” she answered. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. She was doing it again. Closing herself off. It was her nature, but he had hoped she would at least… “On second thought,” Mayu continued. Her head was tilted up as if she was looking at the ceiling. “That woman–what she said to me–makes me worried…” Sasuke’s mouth parted slightly as a rush of unfamiliar familiar emotion filled him. “The Ishikari clan was only known to a few, but she knew things that even those few did not know. That leads me to believe perhaps Itachi can here before. What do you… think…? Sasuke?” Mayu had turned only to become startled by her fellow ninja.
He had hugged her quite unexpectedly. It was the first physical contact he had with her since… the incident. The Uchiha rubbed his nose and lips against her neck. Mayu squeezed her eyes shut, forcing her body to relax. “Just when I think I’d have to climb up to, you jump down to me,” Sasuke whispered. His grip on her slackened. He pulled back and stared into her eyes. Mayu nervously looked from and to his eyes. She could be so cute. And no one else saw this side her except him. “I want to…” Sasuke leaned forward. “I want to kiss you.” He dipped down to do just that, however…
“NO!” she shouted, pushing him away.
And then she did shit like this…
Mayu opened her eyes to see the hurt look cross Sasuke’s face. “Damn it…!” she thought. He frowned and turned away from her. That… That wasn’t what she meant. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. “M-Matte-”
“No, I understand,” he scowled. “But when you claimed yourself as my woman, I expected you to act like it.” He glared over his shoulder at her. “It appears as though I expected too much.” His turned his head back. “I’m going first.” The Uchiha reached for the door handle.
Quickly, Mayu wrapped her arms around him, locking her hands in front of him. She pressed her left cheek against his back. Feeling his body tense, her hold on him became tighter. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I want to… I want to get naked for you.” Her statement caused Sasuke’s expression to change from angry to excitement. Damn hormones… “I really want to get naked for you,” Mayu repeated, closing her eyes. She was completely unaware of the reaction she caused. “But as I am… I don’t deserve to be your woman. I don’t deserve to kiss you. I hurt you so much even after I had forgiven you.” The kunoichi bit her bottom lip before continuing. She did not want to say it, but it had to be said. “So… So don’t kiss me. Until I’ve redeemed myself, I can’t have your affections.”
Sasuke did not reply for some time. The two ninja just stood there, secretly enjoying the contact between them. The Uchiha moved his arm. His hand rested on Mayu’s locked fingers. “A double-edged sword,” he murmured. She pulled her head back slightly, confused by what he meant. “You want to punish yourself by doing this, but you’re punishing me as well.” Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “After all this time, you still don’t realize how much I want to kiss you, among other things… especially when you’re like this.” He removed her hands and turned to face her, never widening the distance between them. “Mayu.” His hand rested on her cheek while the other hand reached behind her, lightly yanking her braid down, which caused her head to tilt up. “More than anything, I want to show you what I could not before when I left. More than anything, I want you.”
“Sasuke, you–mmph!” Mayu couldn’t finish her sentence. His lips had rained down on hers like hot lava. Her body burned. Her lips were on fire. The intensity from Sasuke felt like fire, yet it was heavenly–divine. Mayu moaned as she reached up to grasp his wrist. She did not, however, object to the tongue entering her mouth. Sasuke released her hair and moved his hand to Mayu’s mid back, pushing her against his body. Slowly, his hand moved down from her cheek, resting on her hip. Again, she released a muffled moan. She felt herself being pushed back. Sasuke was walking her over to the bed without breaking contact. He was about to lay her down, but a snort made him stop.
Both teens parted from one another and looked towards where the noise was coming from. “Did you forget I’m here?! I don’t want to see or hear that! There’s nothing worse than two humans going at it!” Flushing, Mayu pushed Sasuke away from her. “The way you two are it’s like you want children now…” The kunoichi glared at Nana, telling her to shut her giant mouth. The black leopard returned the hiss before turning her head back and placing it on her paws.
Mayu straightened out her clothes, and then moved around Sasuke. “I’m going to shower now!” she announced, heading for the door. Sasuke grabbed her forearm before she could reach the handle. He opened his mouth to say something. However, Mayu beat him to the punch. “I know,” she said. “We’re not done yet.” Gradually, her arm was released, allowing the kunoichi to open the door and step out. Once the door was fully closed, Mayu released a heavy sigh. She pressed her back against the metal door, grabbing a fistful of her shirt. Her heart–it was beating so fast. “Why does it feel like the first time?” she thought, squeezing her eyes shut. She sank down to the floor. She sat there for a few moments, trying to get her heart beat back to normal. The kunoichi covered her upper face with the back of her hand. “Should I really be this affected?” She stayed in that position for what seemed like awhile. Finally, her body returned to normal.
She stood up and began to walk down the hall. However, to take a shower is not what she had in mind. That old woman knew far more than what she was letting on. So to clear up the situation, Mayu decided that she must speak with her. The kunoichi frowned as she pushed opened the metal door. As she thought, Nekobaa was still in the exact same place as she was before. The older woman blew out smoke. “I knew that you would return,” she stated. The door closed by itself as Mayu walked forward. She sat in front of Nekobaa, paying no mind to the cats. This was a serious matter.
“So are you going to tell me what I want to know or are you going to make me go through the tedious process of asking questions?” Mayu asked. The old lady chuckled and commented how alike she was to her grandmother. “Yes, well, I know Granny Yuri wouldn’t reveal clan secrets even if she did trust you.”
“Your grandmother is not the one who told me. It was your uncle, Ishikari Morino,” Nekobaa stated. At that, Mayu couldn’t keep the bewildered expression from her face. “Yes, he as visited me here on numerous occasions always says ‘Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Itachi.’ My, my, there are a lot of people who want Itachi-kun dead.”
“Why would Uncle Mori tell you?” Mayu asked. The old woman scratched the ears of a kitten before answering.
“At the time, he believed that he was the only member of his clan left.” The kunoichi nodded her head in understanding. Her uncle must have believed, on some level, he would die in his battle with Itachi. As the clan law states, someone must know of the Ishikari clan. This way even though they were a secret, the Ishikari name would live on forever. Mayu mentally rolled her eyes. The Uchiha and Hyuga clans weren’t the only ones who were prideful. Her clan was just a lot more subtle about it. “The last time he visited,” Nekobaa continued, bringing the girl out of her thoughts. “It was just two weeks ago actually.”
“Two weeks ago…?”
“Yes… He told me that his niece was alive and well and that someday she would turn up here. It looks like he was right, ne?” she chuckled again. Mayu frowned, not finding anything amusing at the moment. If what the old woman said was true, then chances were her uncle would not show his face around here again. Morino probably knew that she would try to find him if given the chance. “Don’t look so harsh, girl. He did what he thought was best for you.” Nekobaa’s focus was elsewhere, though. “Hina, go get it.”
“Of course, nyaa!” The clothed ninja cat stood, and then jumped up, disappearing from Mayu’s very eyes. The kunoichi smirked. That was a ninja cat for you. Seconds later, the cat returned. In her mouth were two small scrolls. Wrapped in her tail were two other scrolls, larger than the other two. Hina placed the scrolls in front of Mayu. “Here you go,” she said, and then released the scrolls from her tail.
“My uncle left these with you?” she asked, picking up one. At this, Nekobaa nodded her head, complaining that she couldn’t make heads or tails of the shit. Well, not really, but that’s basically what was said. “Of course you can’t…” Mayu thought once the contents of the scroll were revealed. “It’s for clan eyes only.” Inside, there were advanced jutsu of the Ishikari family. Everything instruction, every example, was written in the special language. “I wonder how long it would take to learn every single jutsu in these scrolls.” Mayu lowered her eyelids. She realized what this meant. Ishikari Morino was getting ready for his last battle. Since she was receiving something that she was not supposed to receive until her eighteenth birthday, Mayu could only assume her uncle knew where Itachi was.
Mayu quickly stood, grabbing the other three scrolls as she did. She placed the items in her back pouch. The teen bowed to the older woman. “Arigato… These will help on my journey,” she stated as she stood upright. Nekobaa dipped her head in acknowledgement. “Now if you’ll excuse me…” Mayu turned her back on the woman and headed to the door.
“Be careful, he said. Be careful, be prideful, and be not afraid. You will survive–you must survive.”
“I know that,” Mayu rejoined, and then left.
--
Sasuke looked up from his position on the bed, the concept of ‘not being done yet’ still fresh on his mind. However, once the person entered, he immediately regressed back to staring aimlessly at the opposite wall. His sharp-tooth group member had strolled right in, without knocking. “Disappointed–am I not the person you wanted to see?” Suigetsu asked, grinning. He closed the door behind him. Mentally, the Uchiha pouted. His question was right on the mark. Suigetsu paid no mind to the impassive look on Sasuke’s face. He, instead, sat on the floor near Nana. He rubbed her back, still grinning.
“What do you want?” Sasuke asked, trying to keep the annoyance from his voice. Mayu could come back at any moment.
“Relax, relax…! I just wanna talk,” Suigetsu answered. Nana had begun to purr in her sleep. Sasuke frowned at the white-haired male. He was the talkative type, wasn’t he? “If Mayu is your woman, then I’m guessing she’s off limits, right?” For his question, Suigetsu received a Sharingan enhanced glare. “My bad, my bad… I was only looking for confirmation.”
Suigetsu watched his red eyes fade and smirked. He was much more protective of that girl than he let on. Poor, poor Karin. She did not stand a chance in this situation. Not that he cared much about the redhead’s feelings. Speaking of which, Karin was also in the shower right now. He knew because the bitch had come into his room and screamed at him not to ‘mistakenly’ come in. The sharp-tooth shinobi mentally scoffed. It only happened one time, and it had been a mistake. As far as he was concerned, her body was disgusting–too many marks. “I just wanted to know if she was off limits to everyone because those two have been in there for quite a while,” Suigetsu comment was nonchalant. He noticed the twitch in Sasuke’s right brow.
“Your point…?” he questioned.
“Nothing much… But I do wonder if they could be doing this and that,” Suigetsu said. As expected, his leader gave him a blank look. He internally sighed. Even with a girlfriend, Sasuke was a social retard, it appears. “This and that, this and that!” Suigetsu repeated, raising his eyebrows suggestively. It took a moment before his expected reaction appeared.
“This and that…? With Mayu…?” Gradually, a pink tint surfaced on Sasuke’s face. This caused Suigetsu try hard to keep the laughter from coming from his mouth. As he thought, Uchiha Sasuke was a closet pervert. Even though his face remained neutral, he could not deny the pink that had settled on his normally pale cheeks. At first, Suigetsu couldn’t believe it. After all, it was Sasuke–his emotions were kept under lock behind that cold mask of his. However, he had seen the Uchiha’s gaze focused on Mayu’s body more than once since they met. Right now, there was no telling what was going through Sasuke’s perverted mind.
Grinning, Suigetsu moved away from Nana and toward Sasuke. The Uchiha seemed none the wiser even though his eyes were wide open. The images his brain was sending to his eyes were probably much too distracting. His lips were inches away from Sasuke’s ear. Suigetsu disguised his voice using a higher pitch. “Ah, Sasuke, don’t stop!” Sasuke apparently didn’t find the joke as funny as he did. Suigetsu found himself pushed against the floor with a sword at his throat. “Hey, hey, it was just a little-”
“You want to die?” Sasuke asked in a dangerously low voice. The end of the blade pressed against his skin. Perhaps, he had taken the joke a little too far…? The drizzle of blood from his nose was sighted, as well as the darker blush on his face. Suigetsu lips twitched before forming into a grin. Nah, it was still pretty funny. Sasuke’s unoccupied hand reached up and wiped the blood away. Realizing what the liquid was, he became flustered. “You tell anyone and you die–especially Mayu? Got it?”
The white-haired male chuckled. So his leader wasn’t as fearless as he first thought, huh? Carefully, he pushed the sword away. “I got it, I got it,” he answered. Suigetsu watched as Sasuke sheathed his sword. His vacant look returned as he sat back down. “Ne, Sasuke… You’re unexpectedly cute.” This game was so much fun!
“You really are looking to die then?” Sasuke’s hand remained on his hilt.
“No, no–I’ll see you tomorrow,” Suigetsu headed for the door. He flung open the door, preparing to leave. However, he could not resist a final jab. “I’ve got a pretty big sword. I wonder which one Mayu wants–yours or mine.” The purple-eyed teen had to quickly close the door in order not to be impaled with a deadly weapon.
“Suigetsu,” a flat voice made the teen stop laughing. He looked to his right to see Mayu with her arms crossed. Again, he grinned. “What are you doing?”
“Just having a little fun,” he answered. Suigetsu walked pass the kunoichi, tapping her shoulder as he did.
His echoing laughter only caused Mayu to frown. “Okay, whatever…” she murmured. The kunoichi pushed opened the door to the room she shared with Sasuke. Most likely, he wasn’t sleep yet. Since Suigetsu just came out. She mentally shrugged as she entered. It didn’t really matter. “I’m back,” she announced, closing the door. It was then she noticed several kunai were impaled into the door. “Eh…?” She turned her eyes to Sasuke. He sat on the back, looking as detached as he used to. This somewhat irritated her. Her blue eyes went to the corner. Nana was no longer there. “What happened to Nana-chan?” she asked.
“She left when I pulled out my sword,” Sasuke answered.
“Ah…” Really, she did not get what the heck she walked into. Mayu shook her head, choosing not to think about it. She was much too tired to think about it. “Whatever…” She felt no point in figuring things out. Yawning, Mayu crawled onto the bed, her back facing the wall. “Night.”
Sasuke twisted his upper body. His hand brushed back her damp hair, tucking it behind her ear. “You tired?” he asked. Mayu nodded her head. “We have been traveling a lot.” His dark eyes glanced at her bare legs. She was, after all, wearing a large tan shirt. “You’ve just now took your weights off. Where are your things, by the way?”
“Tamaki-san said she wash my clothes. My weights were left with Nekobaa. Tamaki-san says the old woman can enhance them for me… I hope she doesn’t enhance them too much,” she muttered, closing her eyes.
“Hm, I see…” The Uchiha set his sword on the ground, and then lied down next to the kunoichi, back against the twin bed. It was small, so they were forced to remain close. Though, it wasn’t a problem for him. For a moment, he only gazed at her relaxed face. “Mayu, we’re going to meet with Itachi eventually.” Her blue eyes opened. She stared back at him.
“Are you worried about my actions?” Mayu asked, and then smiled. When she did things like this, it was hard to read her. The complexity of her mind was almost too much for him to handle.
“Can you blame me?”
“No,” she answered. “I was… very close to your brother, just as you were. However, my mentality is different than yours. If I were in your shoes, I’d wonder about me, too.” She inhaled deeply. “But rest assured I don’t plan on becoming in between blood.” Mayu turned sideways, using her arm to lift her head. “Sasuke, I have to tell you something. Before our relationship continues, I think you should know.”
The Uchiha furrowed his eyebrows. He turned his eyes to the ceiling. Mayu sounded serious–more serious than she had any time before. He had to admit that her tone made him not want to hear what she had to say. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. A coward’s way out, he thought, frowning. He turned his gaze back to Mayu. “Do it,” he told her. “Tell me.” The kunoichi nodded her head. Hesitantly, she spoke after clearing her throat.
“When we were separated, I was… so angry–angry all the time. I was angry, irritated… sad, and I felt so lonely,” Mayu began. She kept her eyes away from his. They were focused on another part of his face. Her gaze was most likely on his chin. “Even when Yasmine came into my life, I was still… different.” She narrowed her eyes. She sucked in a breath. “I didn’t like talking anymore. The only friend I had was Yasmine, and I didn’t trust anyone. My naivety had been erased. Even so… I missed you, Sasuke.” The Uchiha honestly did not know what to say. He didn’t know what to feel either. Mayu was beating around the bush. It wasn’t like her to not get straight to the point until she was nervous. “Your fifteenth birthday was coming up. It was a horrible day because I only thought about you more and more, and I did not want to. Your fourteenth birthday–I barely got through it. I had to distract myself by fighting. Yasmine was a substitute for you at the time and I didn’t want to hurt her like that again… So for your fifteenth birthday, I sat in my room just thinking about you. Missing you… Wanting you… Loving you–still loving you…” Her lip trembled. It was hard not to reach out and touch her. She glared heatedly at his body, yet Sasuke was sure she was looking right through him. She was recalling her memories–probably seeing them, too. “I hated myself for still having feelings for you. I didn’t hate you like I should have. I remember becoming so angry. I wanted you to suffer. I… I was so angry.”
By now, her fists were clenched and tears threatened to spill over. Sasuke felt his body tense. An uneasy feeling crept up his back and rested in his stomach. He… He did not want to hear anymore. Whatever it was, it was causing emotional strain on Mayu. Once spoken out loud, that strain would more than likely be transferred to himself since he was involved. Sasuke mentally chastised himself. “Idiot!” he thought. “She’s opening up to you!” He had to take whatever she said. He had to. And he would. He would take it like a man whatever it was. Mayu needed this. She needed to release it… whatever it was. “What did you do?”
“I…” She hesitated. “My mind came up with this ridiculous idea. I didn’t want to hurt anymore. I wanted you to hurt, so my head came up with a stupid plan. A stupid, stupid plan…” She was dodging the main point of her memory again. And he was getting irritated and apprehensive. Sasuke turned on his side and gripped her shoulder. Her head snapped up, causing the tears to fall.
“Mayu, what did you do?” he asked again.
“I… I tried to kill myself to spite you–so that we could never meet again.”
For a moment, Sasuke only stared at her. Mayu flinched internally when she felt his fingers relax, yet they were still stiff. Sasuke had become completely paralyzed by the news. She opened her mouth to explain, yet no words came forth. Her mouth moved several times, yet nothing. Unconsciously, she knew he wouldn’t hear a word anyway. Judging from his blank, yet stunned expression, he was too absorbed in her previous words.
Finally, he blinked, shuddered and moved to get off the bed. “Sasuke-” She sat up, reaching out to him, but he flinched away from her touch. Eyes widening, Mayu almost could not believe Sasuke moved away from her. Her eyelids lowered as she pulled her hand back. She stared at him. Really, she did not know for how long–seconds, minutes, hours… she couldn’t be sure. Eventually, Sasuke moved again, this time toward the door. Again, Mayu opened her back, yet again, nothing came out. The Uchiha left without a word. The kunoichi looked down at the bedspread. Squeezing her eyes shut caused more tears to leak out. She clenched the fabric between her fingers. Unintentionally, she had done it again.
She had hurt him again.
--
Team Hebi, plus Mayu, stopped walking. There were in a forest, some distance away from a village. Covering their usual attire were dark cloaks with hoods. The group had quickly left Nekobaa once morning hit. They had been traveling nonstop since. Mayu’s blue eyes took a tentative glance in Sasuke’s direction. He hadn’t spoken to her since last night. He hadn’t even looked at her. Inaudibly, she sighed. The others were in front, so they couldn’t see her change in behavior unless they turned around.
“I’ll be going,” Suigetsu announced.
“Uchiha Itachi, huh?” Juugo muttered to himself. Mayu assumed that he would be leaving as well. “I hope we find him.” Without another word, the two jumped away.
Mayu noticed the way Karin’s body moved. She looked a little too happy that Suigetsu and Juugo had taken off. She removed her glasses and moved toward the silent Uchiha. Narrowing her eyes, the dark-haired kunoichi pulled out a kunai. “Sa-su-ke! I’m staying with-” The deadly weapon flew in between Karin and Sasuke. Shocked, the redhead looked. If she hadn’t moved back, surely the kunai would have pierced her flesh. Mayu scoffed at her reaction. She must have forgotten she was there. “What the hell was that for?!”
“My bad,” she replied. “Sometimes my reflexes can be dangerous.”
“Dangerous reflexes, my ass!” Karin placed her glasses back on, fuming. Mayu smirked and asked if she would like to see more. Before the flustered redhead could retort, however, Sasuke interrupted.
“Karin and Mayu–you go, too,” he said.
Both girls frowned at the order. Karin made an annoyed sound before leaping away. Mayu, however, did not move to leave. Instead, she walked forward until she was by Sasuke’s side. She called his name to get his attention, but he only ignored her. Lowering her eyes to the ground, she spoke anyway. “About last night… What I said wasn’t meant to cause strife between us.” Still, he did not speak. “The reason I told you is so that there would be one less secret.” Mayu hugged herself momentarily before dropping her arms. “I want to shed myself of these clothes so that we can move forward. That is the reason I told you–not so you can dwell on it.”
“… When you said that,” Sasuke began. Mayu almost stopped breathing. Really, she hadn’t expected him to speak with her. Once she said what she need, she would leave him to his thoughts. That was her plan. However, since he started, she would stick around to hear what he had to say. “The guilt, which I had tried to suppress, overwhelmed me. The regret I felt for leaving you increased rapidly. When you said that, everything came back to me all at once. And then I realized that you were harmed much worse than I had anticipated. It was painful to know that I am the reason for your attempt at suicide.”
Mayu turned her head. The look on his face caused her pain. She curled her fingers, forming a fist. She moved to stand in front of him. Once his eyes connected with hers, she reared her arm back and punched him in the jaw. This caused the Uchiha stumbled back, clearly taken aback. Before, he could speak, or in this case yell, Mayu grabbed the front of his cloak, pulling him towards her. “May-” She silenced him, using her lips. His body tensed at the startling warmth, but then gradually calmed, letting the female kiss away his worries. Before going any further, Mayu pulled back a bit. She watched him slowly open his eyes again. Her hold on his clothes did not waver. A tiny smirk, she noticed, formed. “You’re violent.”
“And you’re a masochist,” she replied. Becoming serious again, she narrowed her eyes. “Sasuke, that is in my past. The point of telling you is so we can move on. There’s no need for you to feel guilt or regret… not anymore.” Mayu uncurled her fingers, releasing his cloak. Sasuke remained in his bent position. “You already have me. It’s me who needs to reach you now.” The two teens were silent, ignoring everything else around them. The wind blew, disheveling their hair. His onyx eyes reflected her cerulean ones. Once the wind subsided, Sasuke drew closer.
“You really have to stop making these decisions on your own, Mayu,” he told her. “I deserve to be punished just like you.” His arms reached out, encircling her waist. “We have to share this pain–you and I both.”
His words triggered an image from a previous dream. The dream that Jano had interpreted for her was fresh in mind. However, this time, her shirt had been removed by Sasuke. Mayu closed her eyes and returned the hug. One by one, her clothes would be shed. Once the final piece slipped off, she would give herself completely to this man. Mentally, the kunoichi nodded her head, resolute on her decision. Sasuke finally pulled back, holding Mayu at arm’s length. “Go,” he told her. The kunoichi nodded her head once, and then turned. “And be careful. I get the feeling we’ll be seeing old faces soon.”
Again, Mayu nodded, and then jumped up. She knew that eventually Konoha would send someone to investigate their disappearances. No doubt that they already knew Orochimaru was dead thanks to Sasuke. The kunoichi turned her head to take one last glance at the Uchiha. “He’s gotten so strong,” she thought. Her contemplations remained on her teammate as she landed. By now, she was far away from him. To be able to overpower Orochimaru, a Sanin, was a huge feat. Even if he had been weakened… His eyes were a powerful weapon. Mayu lowered her gaze to the ground. It seemed she had wandered into a clearing, but her mind wasn’t focused on this. “He’s changed so much from the little boy I used to know, but somehow I still love him.” That lead her to think about the older Uchiha, which made her face contort in restrained bitterness. If Itachi had not done what he did, things wouldn’t have happened this way. But it wasn’t his fault. Itachi had been a young boy, following orders from his father. She could not blame him for what happened. And that’s why on some level, she still loved him. “If we meet again, what will I do?” Mayu voiced her thought.
Choosing between a brother and a lover was not going to be easy.
A loud noise caused the kunoichi to stop walking. She looked up. That sound–it was like a bark. But that couldn’t be. No ordinary dog had that much volume. Mayu grit her teeth as a thought crossed her mind. “I didn’t think it’d be this soon,” she groaned. She looked around. There was no cover in sight. Again, she looked straight ahead. A dirt cloud could be seen. According to her eyes, someone was coming on a giant dog. “Don’t tell me…” Within a few short moments, the two came to a halt a few feet away from Mayu. He looked just as surprised to see her. Then he grinned, hopping off his large white dog. “Inuzuka Kiba…!” Mayu greeted.
“What’s with the look? Aren’t you happy to see an old comrade, Ishikari Mayu?” the dog user asked. Briefly, the two were silent. “I’ve found you, so now all I need is Sasuke. So, you wanna tell us where he is?”
“How should I know?” Mayu retorted. How long had she been away from him? Just how far had she gone? Kiba’s nose, she knew, was more advanced than any human she knew. The shinobi could probably sniff Sasuke out. However, he had asked her. Why…? Her only guess was that she had been walking for a long time before coming into contact with Kiba. Her scent–combined with sweat–must be overpowering Sasuke’s. Kiba, though, wasn’t as stupid as some think. He would figure out that he only had to trace her smell back to where she came from and find Sasuke. Unfortunately, that was not an option. Sasuke needed to find and confront Itachi. They both did. There was no way either of them could move on without meeting Itachi again.
“There’s no need to lie,” Kiba said. “We know Orochimaru is dead. It’s time for you and Sasuke to come back home now. These are orders from the Hokage!”
“Sadly, we have some unfinished business to take care of outside the village,” Mayu replied. “I fear that until this business is finished, we can’t return.”
“To kill Uchiha Itachi, right?” the Inuzuka asked. The kunoichi chose not to answer. “I don’t know what you and Sasuke’s deal is with this guy, and I really don’t want to know, but everyone is looking for you.” Still, Mayu did not respond. “Me, Hinata, Shino, Naruto, Sakura, and your teammates are all looking for you.”
This sparked a reaction from the kunoichi. Sai and Nakatsu were somewhere near, too? “Your efforts are wasted,” she muttered. “You can tell everyone to go back and find something more important to do. We won’t be coming back now. Apologize to Sai-chan and Nakatsu-kun for me, ne?” Kiba frowned at her words. Hopefully, she sounded convincing. By doing this, she was abandoning her team. However, it must be done. She was selfish. Her problems were the top priority right now.
“Look,” Kiba’s eyebrow twitched. “I’m taking the both of you back–kicking and screaming if I have to.” A humorless chuckle erupted from Mayu’s lips. This probably ticked the Inuzuka off.
“I doubt that I would ever scream because of you and your mutt,” she remarked. She smirked, somewhat enjoying the snarl that came from the beast-like warrior. Mayu did not despise dogs, but cats were way better. She did not mind bringing that to Kiba’s attention. She pointed a finger at him. “I doubt that you can even get pass me to get to Sasuke.”
“Keep talking like that and I won’t go easy on you!”
“So you intention was to fight me all along, ne?” Mayu questioned. The grin on his face was her answer. “What–you don’t like me Kiba?”
“It’s not you… It’s your scent. The stench of cat is radiating off you!”
“Insulting my clan is a bad idea. I won’t be so nice anymore,” the kunoichi’s stated, face hardening. She quickly formed hand signs after biting her index finger. “Summoning Jutsu!” She slammed her hand against the grass.
A cloud of smoke covered her body, hiding her from view. Once the smoke cleared, Kiba could make out another form next to the kunoichi. His nose twitched. No wonder she smelled like cats. Her partner happened to be one. It was not an ordinary ninja cat either. This particular feline belonged to the Big Cat Family. Judging from those spots, it was a black leopard–very rare breed. It roared out and snarled in Akamaru’s direction. Akamaru repeated the greeting with a bark of his own. Kiba placed a reassuring hand on his partner’s back. “It’s still just a cat,” he said.
“You won’t be saying that once we’re through with you,” Mayu commented, taking her bow and quiver from the feline. She strapped the quiver to her own body. “Isn’t that right, Nana-chan?”
“The little pup can’t even talk yet, can he?” The giant cat chuckled.
“Talking’s not everything!” Kiba shouted, indignantly. “Let’s go, Akamaru!”
“Nana, here we go!”
The four race towards each other. “I hate going into battles without a plan, but in this case, I don’t have a choice.” Mayu ducked, avoiding the punch that came from Kiba. She, unfortunately, only knew one thing about the Inuzuka when it came to fighting. Again, she dodged a punch, which was followed by a kick. And that thing was his Piercing Fang technique. That alone made him a dangerous opponent. Who knew what type of other tricks he had up his sleeve. Realizing he wasn’t getting anywhere, Kiba jumped away as did Akamaru. Mayu hopped back a few times, putting some more distance. That dog of his was going to be trouble. “Nana, take care of that other one!” she whispered, even though Kiba might be able to hear.
“With pleasure!”
“I don’t have time to worry about a Dual Piercing Fang,” Mayu thought, narrowing her eyes. She fished out a kunai and discreetly attached an explosive note to it. She then threw it at her opponents. As expected, the two separated. The kunai stabbed into the ground harmlessly. The note wasn’t rigged to explode. “Again, Nana!”
The two females raced towards their opponents and the battle began again. Mayu attacked with a flurry of strikes, yet Kiba managed to dodge and block each one. However, the kunoichi kept up with the assault. If she hesitated, then it would more than likely be her downfall. She could not let him use his Four Legs technique. He would become more than she could handle… probably. Kiba jumped up, using chakra to go higher. Mayu was right behind him. He stood this chance to deliver a roundhouse kick. His attack connected with her jaw. The kunoichi twisted away from him. As she twisted, she formed more hand signs. Once she stopped, she unleashed jutsu. “Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!” The giant ball of fire spewed from her mouth and launched towards a shocked Kiba. Clearly, he wasn’t expecting this type of attack.
Mayu watched the fireball consume him as she landed on the ground. Glancing to her right, she saw Nana and Akamaru were still wrestling on the ground with each other. Her blue eyes shifted back to the sky, only to see a burnt log in the process of falling. Shit, she thought. The kunoichi was suddenly kicked in the back, sending her forward. Her body sprawled on the ground. Of course it didn’t hurt. Her teammates hit much harder than that. “What are you doing–trying to kill me?” Kiba asked, frowning. “I’m not your enemy you know.”
“At the moment,” Mayu stood. “You kinda are.”
“Fine, be like that.” The shinobi squatted down. He’d have to take of this by himself since Akamaru was preoccupied. He raised a hand sign, and then shouted out the name of his ninjutsu. Kiba bent forward, placing his hands on the ground. His normal nails grew into claws and his canines grew and sharpened into fangs. He gave a feral grin. “Is this what you wanted?” Mayu swallowed nervously.
That was the last thing she wanted!
The beast-like ninja charged at her. His claws ripped into her skin, not too deep, but enough to send a message. He was faster than her. Again and again, attacks seemed to come from all sides. Mayu clenched her teeth after his barrage had ended. She fell to her knees, and then to her hands. “Looks like he’s only using taijutsu against me.” Inwardly, the kunoichi smirked. Hearing the Inuzuka taunting her, asking if she was ready to give up, caused Mayu to smirk openly. This must have annoyed Kiba because he glared. She reached behind her, slowly unclasping the straps on her weights. The left one fell off. Mayu did the same to her right weight, causing it to fall as well. The kunoichi slowly stood, already feeling unrestrained and light on her feet. Mayu removed her cloak and tossed it to the side. She lifted her arm, palm upright. She beckoned him with her fingers. “Let’s see you try that again, ne, Kiba-kun.”
Angered by her taunt, the shinobi ran forward. Mayu smirked, and then dashed forward. She saw the widening of Kiba’s eyes and she knew she had taken him off guard by her sudden boost of speed. The kunoichi punched, kicked, and smacked the shinobi– going back several times to do so. In his eyes, she was moving too fast. Mayu finally finished her assault and stood a few feet away. Kiba coughed out as he fell to his knees. Her attacks were focused on his torso to knock the wind out of him. An out of breath opponent was a weak opponent. That was something she learned from Itachi. She wasn’t heartless, though. Those blows would not cause bloodshed.
The Inuzuka’s breath came out ragged as he glared at the kunoichi in front of him. He knew that she did not mean to cause him any harm. That was good. That meant she wasn’t abandoning her village and comrades. Kiba held his stomach. “Still, I have to bring her back.” He narrowed his eyes. She had gotten much faster after taking off what he assumed were weights. “Just how heavy were they? This could be a problem…” And since she had effectively distracted Akamaru, collaboration wasn’t possible at the moment. “Looks like I only have one shot to knock her out.” He knew from experience that a person might be extremely fast, but their reflexes were still average.
Mayu watched Kiba through narrowed eyes. He was scrutinizing her, most likely trying to find weak points. Suddenly, the shinobi disappeared from her sight! “Shit…!” She turned around, knowing he would try an attack from behind. That’s what nearly every ninja did. Her leg struck out and hit his side, sending Kiba away. Unfortunately, her attack only hit a log. Mayu cursed herself for falling for such a trick. However, she didn’t have time to berate herself for long. A strong blow to the stomach caused her to gasp and double over.
Kiba gently laid the unconscious girl on the ground as he pulled his fist away. He would have liked to fight her and see what her true abilities were, but he had no time. His feral eyes turned to Akamaru and–he believed her name was–Nana. They were still going at it, wrestling, biting and scratching one another. Despite the intensity of their fight, Akamaru seemed to be enjoying himself. The Inuzuka allowed a grin to cross his face. Yeah, he had to fight this girl again. Chances were that it be a worthy challenge. “Wait a minute…! Isn’t that cat a summoning?! Shouldn’t she have disappeared already with–fuck!” Before he could turn his eyes back to his opponent, a very loud explosion diverted his attention away. He looked towards the East. A brilliant light, which towered high above the trees–probably higher than the tallest mountain–made Kiba stare in amazement. “What the…?!” The growls had stopped coming from the two fighting animals. They, too, must have been astonished by the light.
The kunoichi, who had only pretended to be unconscious, slowly and quietly stood. Kiba’s back was to her. Her eyes only glanced at the illumination that was happening far from where they were. Her only thought was to use it to her advantage. Once she was right behind the Inuzuka, she called his name. The shinobi whipped around, only to receive a palm thrust to his nose. She could hear the bone cracking of the force of her hit. Disoriented, Kiba stumbled back, holding his nose. A heavy flow of blood leaked through his fingers. “With that, he won’t be tracking anytime soon,” she thought. “You shouldn’t turn your back on the enemy, ya know,” Mayu told him out loud.
“Why you…!” Kiba began, but the kunoichi merely disappeared from his sight. She only reappeared at his side. She jabbed her tallest digit into his upper side. Instantly, the shinobi went rigid. “What… what–my… bo-body!” The ninja shuddered before collapsing.
Mayu stood up straight. “I should be grateful to Yasmine. After being hit by that damn technique of hers, I figured out how she does it… At least with that spot…” she muttered to herself. She looked down at the angry shinobi. His expression asked what she had done. “Your body is paralyzed, Kiba. It will be paralyzed for the next hour, if I remember that correctly.” She walked over to her weights and put them back on. Her slow pace only annoyed Kiba. After finishing the task, she stood again. “Nana-chan, it’s time to go!” The giant feline nodded and went over to her. “Akamaru, your partner will be in danger if left alone. I suggest you stay with him or something bad could happen.” A disgruntled, yet affirmative bark was her answer. Mayu hopped on Nana’s back. Her eyes looked back, only to discover the light had become a giant dark cloud. “It’s like an atomic bomb…” She bit her lip, telling Nana to go. That place was near the rendezvous point. Since it was destroyed, the others would most likely be congregating at that other place. “Sasuke, what the hell happened…?”
A worried frown made its way on her face.
--
Mayu watched, rather glared, as Sasuke was being wrapped in numerous bandages by Juugo. She had wanted to scream, yell, kick his ass, maybe, but in this state, that was impossible. The idiot had gone and gotten himself hurt pretty badly by Deidara of Akatsuki. Apparently, the blond had blown himself up, trying to kill Sasuke. Luckily, he escaped the blast before it could destroy him. Currently, the group of five was in an inn, miles away from where the detonation occurred. Suigetsu was sitting down, resting his back against the wall. Karin, who looked annoyed, was standing with her arms crossed. Sasuke was sitting up on the futon. And Mayu sat on the left side of him, watching Juugo finish his task.
“Hah! You talk about killing Itachi…” Karin scoffed. “You won’t be able to move for sometime in this condition!”
“We’ve been moving around nonstop. This is as good as time as any to rest up,” Suigetsu commented.
“All you’ve done is rest, you feeble punk!” Karin pointed an accusing finger.
Deciding to ignore the rest of their argument, Mayu placed a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder. “You did a stupid thing,” she told him. “But I understand you had no choice. Deidara is crazy about his… art.” She refrained from rolling her eyes. “You probably pissed him off by being rude, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what that guy’s problem was. In the end, he didn’t tell me a thing about Itachi’s whereabouts,” Sasuke muttered, slipping his inn kimono back on. Mayu removed her hand so that he could. His dark eyes shifted over to the member of his team. Juugo had gone over to the window by now. For some reason, he was topless. Mayu, however, had yet to figure out why. “Enough already!” Sasuke’s commanding voice ordered. The two instantly straightened up. “Suigetsu, Karin… Have you gathered information on Itachi?”
“You’re in no position to act so bossy!” Karin remarked.
“I picked up some tips about Akatsuki,” Suigetsu answered. “But there wasn’t anything specific about Itachi.”
“I got zero,” the redhead admitted, looking guilty. Sasuke remained quiet, obviously disappointed by the information, or lack thereof. Suigetsu explained that Akatsuki was searching for people with ‘special’ chakra. However, that was a fact that the Konoha ninja already knew. Special chakra equaled those with Tailed Beasts contained inside.
“I did some talking to animals and located a number of Akatsuki hideouts,” Juugo stated. “It seems they always sense an unpleasant chakra around each area. That’s what the animals say.”
“Even simple-minded animals can sense chakra, eh?” Suigetsu murmured. He then grinned. Mayu had a distinct feeling that his next words were going to bring about something bad. “Or maybe it’s because they’re simple-minded… Just like you, Karin.”
“Ah, damn,” Mayu almost rolled her eyes after the sensitive redhead rounded on the sharp-tooth teen. She kicked him in the face hard, causing him to deform to water. She did so several times, not giving him a chance to reform. The yelling and protesting could probably be heard throughout the inn. That’s when she heard Juugo, muttering to himself about killing. “Look what you idiots did now!” Mayu shouted. The two stopped their fight and looked towards Juugo. His face and upper body were beginning to become covered by the curse.
He almost sprang forward, but Suigetsu and Karin restrained him, just barely. The two struggled to keep him calm. Mayu only stared. This was the first time she had seen him act up. She recalled Karin saying something about Juugo’s lack of control over himself. Finally, Sasuke moved to act. “Juugo, calm down,” he said. The kunoichi beside him raised an eyebrow. Was that really going to stop him? She turned to Sasuke to see he had his Sharingan activated. Perhaps, she thought. Mayu turned her eyes back to the three. They had fallen to the floor, panting heavily.
“I guess it did work,” she commented. Juugo whispered an apology as Mayu laid Sasuke on the futon. He was already sleeping. She covered his body with the cover. His Sharingan, by now, was deactivated. Slowly, his eyes fluttered close. He was more than a little exhausted. “Rest easy, now, Sasuke.”
“You…! Why didn’t you help?!” Karin demanded to know. Mayu only scoffed.
“I wasn’t the one that triggered it, now was I?” Her eyes cut to both Suigetsu and the redhead. Both looked away guiltily. “Anyway, we can only rest here for about an hour.”
“Hm…? Why is that?” Suigetsu asked.
“I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’ve been hurt as well. I ran into an old acquaintance while I was away from Sasuke,” Mayu stated. “From him, I learned that several ninja from Konoha are tracking us.” Her statement caused the three to look at her, startled. Karin even demanded to know why she hadn’t told them earlier. Blue eyes looked at Sasuke’s sleeping face for a moment. “Don’t worry… With Sasuke’s little stunt, we’ll be fine. Also, their lead tracker–I fought him myself and he is incapacitated at the moment. He won’t be sniffing us out right now. That buys us a little time to rest.”
It was quiet for a moment. “I got it. I’ll get some supplies,” Suigetsu stood up. Mayu suggested that Karin go with him. “I don’t want this bitch with me!”
“You’re not the boss of me!” Karin shouted.
“I’m not a part of this team, and I don’t expect you to listen to me, however…” the kunoichi began. “We have a limited time before they catch up to us. It would be easier if there were two instead of one going.” Mayu sighed heavily. “Please do what is needed.” The redhead snorted, but followed Suigetsu out of the room anyway. She shifted her eyes to Juugo. “Please, if you don’t mind, help me?”
“Ah…” Juugo moved to stand. Mayu removed her shirt and turned her back to the massive teen. Five long red stretches were revealed. “Were you fighting a wild beast?” The kunoichi chuckled.
“Something like that,” she answered. She hissed when his hand touched the injury. She felt the soothing ointment soon after, causing her to relax. “After this, you should probably mark the hideouts on a map. If Sasuke’s not up by the time we have to leave, you will have to carry him.”
“Hai,” Juugo replied. He began to wrap bandages around the girl’s torso. “Could I… ask a question?”
“Hm? Sure, go ahead,” Mayu replied.
“How did you… become Sasuke’s woman?”
The teen literally choked on her own spit. She looked back at Juugo, startled by his question. Not to mention slightly embarrassed. Her face flushed as she tried to form a sentence. “Wh-Why do you–where did you… what?!” In the end, she could not form a proper sentence.
“I’m curious. That girl, Tamaki-san, said that I made her my woman on the night we spent there,” Juugo explained. “I wondered it if was the same with you and Sasuke.”
“Made her your woman…?” Mayu honestly did not understand. Her eyes then bugged and her mouth dropped open in shock. “Y-You mean… yo-you an-and sh-she did… that!” She placed hand over her mouth. “Tamaki-san, you slut!” she thought, assuming.
“That…?” the muscular and tall teen looked confused. “Hm, she came to my room that night. I had thought she wanted to fight me, but this was… different. It was nice.” Mayu could only stare, completely amazed. She desperately tried to stop the foam from bubbling in her mouth. “I wanted to know if it was the same.”
“N-No,” Mayu stammered. “Not in that sense.” She put her shirt back on once the bandages were wound tightly. She could only imagine how her face looked at the moment. Blue eyes gazed at Sasuke’s sleeping face. For a fleeting moment, she fantasized about a time that would surely come in the future. “Not yet, at least,” she muttered. “But Sasuke has claimed me, and I accept that.”
“I see…”
“Sasuke and I have been together for awhile… I do wonder when he started claiming me as his–probably at a young age,” Mayu continued. “He’s a bit of a narcissist, but I still like him.”
“I think you and he are okay,” Juugo observed. “You’re a lot like Sasuke–a softer side. Yet, you could still command an army with an iron fist just like Sasuke.” The kunoichi scoffed, and then smiled.
“Arigato, Juugo-kun,” she said. Mayu looked at Sasuke once more before closing her eyes. “Our meeting with Itachi is coming soon. Perhaps, I should try that jutsu again…” she thought. “And this time… I won’t let either of you escape.”
The sibling rivalry would finally end.
--

QOU:

“Just when I think I’d have to climb up to, you jump down to me,” –Uchiha Sasuke
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