Beauty And The Beast

Step 3: General & The King's Concubine

"They shouldn't be far away from here." One of the ninja in black muttered, scanning the forest behind them, then to the faraway lake stretched at the front. Giving a brief gesture to his team, the group then disappeared from the area.
From somewhere beneath the water in the lake, Raidou peered slightly under the surface, mouth still swelled with suppressed oxygen, small bubbles of exhaled breath popped up at the surface. Seeing the area was clear, he turned to the woman behind him whom was holding her breath just like him, except for her eyes were squinted shut.
Grabbing her wrist, he swam to the surface, and relief surged through him for the rush of oxygen back into his lung. He never good in holding breath for long, just as much as his tough luck in genjutsu. He was decent enough in ninjutsu, but his agile, wide hands had covered of what he lacked of and had made him one of the best close range fighter. In fact, they were also perfect for performing seals, twisting enemies' fingers off socket for intel, and cracking skulls for final blow.
"They're gone." He spoke quietly as he floated above the water and when there were no responses, he turned around, before he saw her squirming beneath the water. Almost impulsive, he dove back again.
Under the water, her white wedding dress was entangled between the roots branching near the shore, keeping her swimming about the same place. It was not long before he came back for her, looking out for the trouble and saw the tangling fabric between the dark roots. Without a second thought, he tore the lower part of her dress from the branching root and her protest was gone in a series of bubbles floating upward where he paid no heed to it and brought them back to the surface.
"They're gone?" She surveyed the place, dragging the heavy fabric at her feet off the water, drops of water trickled down from her sleeves, wet hair plastered against her face.
"It seems so." Raidou answered briefly, turning his wide back to her so as to scrutinize the surrounding. The place apparently was clear from unwanted presence and spying shadows, he noted quietly.
For some reason, the tanned skin of his face somehow seemed less wet on the right side. The water that dripped from his red-brownish hair soaked his forehead then make its way to the bridge of his nose but only halfway, before they followed the trail of the damaged, burnt tissues all the way to his left cheek and settled on his square jaw before they dropped to the ground.
No sooner that the sounds of sloshing and water running down the ground caught his ears.
"Not that I'm complaining that you've saved me but," The still unnamed woman in the white dress murmured, examining on the tore fabric, "I'm starting to like wearing this wedding dress. It's kind of shame it won't be used in the real ceremony in another few hours, but oh well." She shrugged then, straightening her dress and looked up to his back while brushing the black strand behind her ear, smiling wide like a kid who just get a permission to go out playing.
His brows wrinkled. The now familiar anxious feeling came crawling under his skin again.
What? Wedding?
In another few hours?
"Now, which direction should we take?" She nonchalantly paced to his side while all the while trying to pull out the gold hairpin across her wet hair. The wet midnight tresses then tumbled down her back and shoulders.
​ She peeked on his hazy face then; his expression was too ironic than when they met in the abandoned cell. She chuckled. "Hey?" A shed of amusement dancing in her eyes at the sight of his calculating face, "Still doing the math, are you--"
"Explain yourself, woman." He began, trying to fit together the event when he was arrested few days ago and when he had dragged her from his cell and escaped from the ninja who were searching for her. Looking at the bigger picture now, they must have misunderstood somewhere, did they?
He took a step forward, looking down at her, hands on his waist.
"I don't know how you know about me, or what other prank you have pulled before, but just so you know I'd rather being chased all day long or being imprisoned for weeks without food but saying my life as a ninja is over just because of a certain crazy woman is another thing entirely. Do you even know what you were doing??" He missed the small giggle curling at the corner of her lips as he began his lecture.
The flash of images of him being pulled down for a kiss while a high-ranking man just entered the room, or the image of her panic face in the abandoned cell came bothering him all over again.
Just who the hell is she anyway?
And who does she think she is to drag someone into her affair whenever she wanted?
She chewed her lower lips, remembering the incident, "I can't think of other way to escape this place other than making him see me with you like that."
​​ He instantly scowled, "Are you crazy? Do you always do this to a man you just met? Isn't a girl should act more decently? Have you no shame at all?" Her head casted down at the scold, looking unaffected as though she heard the same lecture everyday. She kicked the small pebble on the ground.
"So now you're feeling guilty? Didn't you ever thought of this before?" He continued and stared hard into her downcasted face as she kicked another pebble.