Relentless (Book 2)

Contempt- Erika

Erika didn't know exactly where she was going. She just knew there was only one place she was sure to find what she was looking for. She carried a small pack on her shoulders, the stolen scroll tucked protectively in its deepest pocket. Stealing the forbidden jutsu had not been easy but Erika had struck at precisely 3 a.m., the time when the Anbu switched shifts. She had been in and out of the chamber in under five minutes, using one of Kakashi's knives to enter, which had still possessed the near-clear pattern of his fingerprints. The scroll hadn't been hard to find. It was the only one with a green, diamond-patterned casing. Erika had escaped the village in the shadow of the night, the trees of the surrounding forests concealing her if the night was not enough to do so alone.

By morning , Erika had made it to uncharted territory, land that was claimed by no other village. It was dangerous alone, often crawling with bandits, but she had no other choice. She wouldn't bring anyone else into her situation. She had a long journey ahead. She needed to make it to the Sound Village before any other ninja from her village could come after her. If they managed to catch up, surely they would make her turn back.

Erika's knives were out in the next instant, as a vast white creature dropping from the sky came inches away from flattening her. It was a massive bird. But no ordinary one, of course. One made of a waxy substance. It was clay.

"Well look here, Sasori my man," Deidara said, perched on the bird's crown. "Looks like someone got a little lost."

Erika narrowed her eyes, taking a step backward as a redheaded boy also stepped into view, a smirk on his lips. "So it would seem," was all he said.

"What business do you have on the borders of the Leaf Village?" Erika demanded, glaring boldly at Tamiko's brother.

He shrugged. "I could ask you the same thing. Isn't it a bit dangerous leaving the Leaf's safety all by yourself?"

"I'm not by myself," Erika said quickly in reply.

"Come now...Erika,  isn't? Lying won't make matters any better for you. In fact, it will only make them worse."

"What do you want," Erika snapped, her kunai held high.

"The other two children as well," Deidara proposed.

"They do not know where I am," Erika said carefully. "And I will not lead them here if my life depended on it."

"Where were you headed, brat?" Sasori said, eyes cutting sharper than Erika's kunais ever could.

"My father's," she replied truthfully, finding no reason to lie.

"Is that so?" Sasori said as if the idea amused him. "And I'm just supposed to believe that?"

"I don't care what  you do," she snapped again. "It's true."

"What's in it for you?" Deidara asked, eyebrows raised.

Erika's glare turned to him. She didn't answer for a moment, evaluating if it had the potential to hurt her first or not. "He claims that my mother is still alive."

Deidara and Sasori exchanged glances. "What say you we do?" Deidara asked the redheaded boy.

He tilted his head to the side. "We could trade her for several forbidden jutsus," he mused. "I'm sure Orochimaru wouldn't refuse the exchange." His menacing grey eyes passed over Erika. "Why do you look so anxious?" he inquired then. "From what little I know of you, that is definitely not  part of your character."

"I stand before two of my worst enemies," Erika said defiantly. "Am I supposed to seem calm?"

"Where else do your anxieties lie?" he questioned, his tone proving his patience was running thin. "For all that I know, we are not solely responsible for them. You've always managed to act irritatingly calm around us. So, I ask again, whatever causes your eyes to dart about as they do now?"

Erika hadn't realized how much she'd been revealing to her intuitive enemy. "I do not want my senseis catching up with me," she muttered honestly.

Sasori sneered. "Ah," he said with a nod. "Your senseis. Kakashi Hatake and...Katsu Inazuna, am I correct?"

"Yes," Erika answered carefully. "You have contempt for them," she acknowledged.

"I have contempt for all citizens of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. What is your point?"

"Your contempt for my senseis is much less generalized than that of the Leaf's other citizens. Katsu Sensei in particular. I saw the way she looked at you the last time we were all face to face. You've met before."

"Perhaps," he said darkly amused. "But never met her by the name she goes by now. Oh, how I would love to...catch up... with her after all these years."

"She and Kakashi won't be involved in this," Erika said defiantly. "I must get to my father before they catch up with me."

Sasori's eyes glinted.

"Well in that case," Deidara said, hands on his hips. "Need a lift?"

Hey guys I know this chapter is short but I finally got to update! The next one will be longer! :) Please vote and comment. Thanks so much! -GoalieGirl

Image: http://img11.deviantart.net/9710/i/2008/155/c/c/sasori_by_vampirella87.jpg