Clash 2: The Wolf and the Desertstorm - a collab with Amaterasu

Chapter 11

Kumiko looked up when the man stirred. Slowly, so she wouldn't frighten him, she crawled towards him. Daisuke had fallen asleep not long ago.

"Are you okay?" she whispered to the man.

At first the man said nothing. He was carefully taking in his surroundings. His emerald orbs finally landed on Kumiko. "Where am I? Did I reach Suna?" He had never been to that land before, but understood it to be sandy and dry. The greenery he saw so far, however, didn't suggest he was in Suna.

Kumiko shook her head. "We are close to the border of the land of Earth. Suna is about a day's travel from here." She paused. "Why were you trying to get there?" She didn't want to give too many details about Sunagakure just yet. Not before she knew who this man was and what he had to do with her sensei.

"I must reach Suna." The man began to sit up, feeling his body ache in protest. He was still feeling the effects of what Taryn had done to him. Keigo had been stern in his warning, but Ichiya could not afford to go at a slow pace. "I was entrusted with an important message to give to the Kazekage. If it does not reach him, then his sister may die."

Kumiko gasped. "You know where Taryn-sensei is?!"

Her loud question woke up Daisuke and he shot up. "What's going on?"

Kumiko didn't even hear him. "You have seen her. Hideki was right. You do have her scent on you. Where is she? We need to find her!"

Ichiya's eyes narrowed. "If you go after her, you will die. The people she is with currently, they do not show mercy, not even to children like you."

Kumiko gulped.

Daisuke turned a ghostly white and he let out a nervous laugh. His voice sounded strained. "Yeah, fun's over Kumiko. You've proven your point. You're a tough ninja. Let's go home now yeah? Let your teammates handle it."

"My teammates do not know where to find her," Kumiko whispered. Though, truth to be told, she was almost inclined to follow up on Daisuke's suggestion. She looked at Ichiya. "Please tell me. Is she alright? I have to go. She is my sensei. And my teammates are looking for her. I need to find them to and tell them what you said."

Before Ichiya could say any more, he grabbed nearest his heart with a groan. It was wear Taryn had hit him last to induce the death state that got him away from the hide-out. It hadn't ailed him so much the first few hours after, but since then, it had been aching on and off. It was as though a hand was randomly grabbing over his heart and slowly squeezing, before it would let up for a few hours, only to repeat later. He hoped his life wasn't in jeopardy at the moment.

"Easy," Kumiko said. She helped him in a more comfortable position. "You are injured. I'm sorry. Here, we have food and water. You are welcome to it. Please, tell us your story. Don't strain yourself."

"We barely have enough for ourselves," Daisuke grumbled.

Kumiko glared at him. "He can have my share. I will catch some more fish later."

"Looks like he's been hit with Byakugan," Hideki commented.

Kumiko glanced at him. If that was true, then this man had fought wither sensei. But... he had a message for the Kazekage, hadn't he? "Is it true?" she asked him, "did you fight with my sensei?"

"It wasn't by our choice, but yes, we did. In order for me to get her message out, while at the same time for her to gain the enemy's approval, she had to 'kill' me. I am afraid I have been feeling the effects since then. Traveling has been difficult, even in four-legged form." He then took the offered canteen of water Kumiko handed to him. He took only a few drinks, being mindful that the people whom he spoke with were children. Though one was a shinobi, the other wasn't. Finding enough water for just the two of them must have been difficult enough in such an area. He was able to relax his tense body as the soreness and pain subsided.