Wandering Heathens

Saved and Found

"Just a few more steps," he panted, his wounds aching terribly. "And now...a few more." Ryuu had been whispering this mantra over and over as he fought through pain and exhaustion, hurrying slowly to perceived safety.

Walking at his slow pace, he heard shouts and cries nearby. Knowing that he should ignore it and continue on, his curiosity got the best of him and he turned and began walking towards the sounds.

Reaching a row of bushes, he laid down and opened a parting between the plants, looking out onto a field. He watched as a blonde haired teen fought a silver haired woman. The woman was clearly the better fighter; the blonde let her impatience cloud her thinking and expended more chakra than necessary.

Ryuu was focused on the fight, so much so that he didn't notice the figure creeping up on him until the cold edge of a kunai was at his throat. "Hida?" "Who?!" "Never mind. Who're you?" Caught a little off guard by this brief exchange, the figure pressed the blade harder to Ryuu's throat and demanded his name. He held his hands up, showing her that he was unarmed and slowly got to his feet. She watched him intently, her eye not missing any of his movements.

"Kakashi-sensei! Where are-who are you?!" The blonde came crashing through the bushes on the other side of them and dropped into a fighting stance, kunai in hand. "Two on one? Is that how Konoha fights?" Ryuu chuckled. Kakashi narrowed her eye and demanded his name again. "Ryuu. Now, can you please take me to a medic? I'm kinda bleeding here" Ryuu asked, holding his ribs where Hida had stabbed him.

Kakashi saw the blood on his hand and she softened a little. She put her kunai away before speaking, "I can do that but before I take you into the Village I need to restrain you." He held his hands out and Kakashi wrapped chakra stealing chains around his wrists and began to lead him to the Village, the blonde bouncing around him and asking questions that he refused to answer.

He looked around and marvelled at the Village. Colourful, peaceful, happy. I should burn it, he thought before shaking his head. No, can't burn it. Let's see where this all goes. Kakashi lead him to a hospital where the medic-nins placed him in a room, Kakashi standing in a corner with her arms crossed and watching him.

The medic-nins had asked him to remove his robes and shirt so they could examine him properly. He looked at Kakashi, watching her watching him. After a few minutes of silence, he cleared his throat. "Can you turn around please?" He asked her. "Why? Have something to hide?" She retorted. "I'd like my privacy thankyouverymuch. Hurry up and take these off me" he said, holding his wrists out to her. She strolled over, grabbed one of his wrists and squeezed it painfully as she undid his shackles before throwing his hands towards him and walking back over to her spot and turned her back to him.

Ryuu quickly stripped and crawled under the blanket and pulled it up to his neck. "Ok, I'm ready. You can shackle me again" he teased lightly. Kakashi turned and went to his bedside, shackling each wrist to the bed. "You can come in" she called to the medic-nins and they entered the room and approached his bed.

The senior medic-nin frowned when she saw him covered so with a deft move of her hand, she pulled the blanket away and tossed it to the foot of the bed. For some odd reason Ryuu felt a little embarrassed to be laying chained to a bed half naked. The medics worked quickly, cutting away his bandages and cleaning the remnants of blood and dirt from his body. They tsk'd over his poor stitching job and the wounds that that had reopened.

Tracing her fingers over the large jagged scar on his chest the medic asked "how did you get this?" "It's a long story that I don't feel like telling right now" he sighed as tiredness overtook him and he began snoring softly.

Kakashi sighed and sat down in the only chair in the room, pulling out an orange book. She waved at the medics, "continue. I'll stay here until he wakes up" she said, already losing herself in her book.

Shinjo ducked and somersaulted away. Kisame's sword swung over him and Itachi's kunais flew harmlessly under his back as he completed his maneuver. He landed on his feet and his Sharingan danced between the two women, watching for their next move. He saw Kisame readying a jutsu and wove his own signs, "Water Style: Tidal Wave!" "Fire Style: Fire Wall!" The water turned to steam and he flung up his arm to block Itachi as she came flying out of the mist. She was momentarily shocked that he had seen her through the dense fog but quickly recovered, ducking down and sweeping her leg. Shinjo fell to the ground and tilted his head back to see Kisame charging with Samehada. He looked back at Itachi and smiled, "Ritorai."

He flickered from beneath Itachi who couldn't believe that he had disappeared. She looked around frantically but couldn't sense him. Then she felt a presence behind her and a sword pressed to her neck. "I win" Shinjo said quietly while Itachi tried to think how Shinjo could have possibly escaped their attack. Kisame looked confused and shouldered Samehada.

Shinjo sheathed his sword and stepped away from Itachi. "Your Sharingan; what can it do?" She asked while rubbing her neck. "Time-space manipulation" he answered her nonchalantly. She watched as he began walking back to the base until he veered off into the left, bypassing the main entrance. What's he doing? She wondered as she continued to watch.

Shinjo followed the faint, oh so faint, chakra line until it lead him to a building several blocks from the Akatsuki tower. He looked around and saw no one so he turned to the locked doors. A seal warned of danger if one should enter but he dismissed it and held his hand in a sign and the seal cracked in half and peeled off the doors. He pushed one open and snuck inside, quickly closing the door behind him.

He felt the chakra beneath his feet and walked to where it was emanating from. He stood near the back of the building and looked around. Like all buildings in Ame, it was all concrete with faded and flaked paint that had dulled like the rest of the Village. He examined the floor but didn't find any cracks or cuts in the concrete that would indicate a door being there. He smiled nonetheless and quickly and quietly left the building, leaving a small chakra marker so he could find his way back to it easily, and headed towards the Akatsuki tower.

Found you, he smirked and chuckled evilly.