one_long_mission

"So that's it. We're scouting ahead hm? Makes sense, kills two birds with one stone." he often looked up and sometimes slightly changed direction, so as to not give anyone that might find their tracks a clear and direct way to the village, before finally setting out for a relatively straight course.

Two days and a half, times TWO, with Neji... and stick on the the fact she would also most likely be desecrating the temple since safety first: he was not to leave her outside alone. He dearly wished he could have attempted this journey by himself.
"...why are you even doing this?" he finally asked at length.

"I have my reasons," she answered simply, looking ahead rather than meet his eyes. It would be far too foolish to let him know that perhaps yes, she wanted to believe him. Perhaps change could be brought to their village through this means, so no child would have to worry about being left alone and unwanted there again. "Suffice to say that our goals are not so opposed as you might like to believe."

There was a smirk. So much for her whole business about fate back there. Their goals were not as opposed as -she led him- to believe, rather. He could have laughed aloud, but he did it privately, to himself.

"There are a lot of things that I might like to believe too." he looked up to the sun in order to make certain he was still headed where he wished to. There was a path to get to the shrine, but he had decided not to follow it. The more direct way took them through a forest, but he would cut travel time this way. He feared no one and he feared nothing.

She gave him a sharp look as if sensing his amusement, but didn't comment, instead following along behind him. She was content with silence for now; she had a sinking feeling that come their arrival at this so-called temple, there would be more than enough to say to make up for the lack.

As night came closer to fall, Sasuke still trudged ahead despite the darkness that started to enshroud the land, hoping to perhaps make more ground covered before the day ended. He even ate while walking, munching on some tough dried meat. Eventually, however, he paused at a small clearing with ankle-length grass.

Looking up to the star-filled sky, he seemed to be murmuring to himself before heading to a nearby tree and making a small indent upon its trunk with a kunai before finally lying down. "So, who's first watch?" they had to split the night in two, so what else would he ask.

She didn't object to the pace; truthfully, it was more sedate than she was accustomed to, as her instructor had seen fit to ensure that she and her teammates were as physically fit as possible. She had just opened her mouth to recommend that they find a place to rest for the night when he moved to the tree and settled before it.

As for watch...? She had been contemplating it for some time now, but either way, whether she took first or second, it would require some measure of trust between them both. "I would prefer you take it," she answered, rising to her feet and drawing a wired trap. "I shall ensure we will be alerted in either case."

"As you wish." he helped her with the setup, covering his own part of their small encampment, then settled upon the ground and munched at more of that dried meat he had with him. Had he been by himself, he knew the lightest of sounds would wake him. Any shinobi worth its salt could, really, but when out of their village, they set up traps such as these.

He spoke very little, content to stare into the darkness ahead, as he would until it was time to wake her, if nothing else went on.

Once their traps were set, she drew her bedroll and made herself as comfortable as she could. Scouting missions rarely could set a fire or anything of the like, what with the potential for discovery. It might have been cold, but wrapped in her bedroll, she could think of far worse places to be. She dozed lightly, attempting to set her own biological clock for approximately four hours after falling asleep. Just in case Sasuke decided to take his chances and run off, she'd be awake in short order to start trying to catch up with him.

When she did awake, it was abrupt, head lifting as she cased the area. "Anything to report?"

He was in the same position as he had been when she had gone to sleep. There was no indication he had moved, although he did a few times through the few hours, to peer at a few suspicious shimmers that turned out to be the moonlight reflected upon the surfaces of a few rocks within the area, an interesting fact he made a note of.

He shook his head, having noted nothing at all that needed reporting.

In place of bedroll, he merely took off the belt at his waist, wearing a light shirt underneath, and used his robe as blanket, apparently used to doing such a thing outside.
After somewhat more than two hours, the bundle was shifting slightly, the lightest of groans escaping. More shifting, and curled fingers somehow made their way out of the cloth, digging into earth before an almighty shudder occurred. Her attention may be drawn to light, but definitely panting breaths, before--

There was a sharp screech, a wire trap set off, and more screeching as a weasel got trapped in it.

The noise perhaps only made it look natural for Sasuke to have sat up, but those attentive eyes of hers might not have missed the thin veil of sweat upon his skin. "..oh.. just.. wild animal.." he muttered before settling back into sleep again.

She had been debating with herself whether it was worth it to wake him -- after all, were he exhausted, it would be that much more difficult to make good time tomorrow -- but before she could, she sensed the animal approaching behind them. With light, padding steps, she was already over to slice the wire around the animal to set it free (though she was nearly bitten for her trouble before it ran off). By the time she returned, the other had already rolled over.

In spite of herself, heart still pounding from the sudden alarm of the weasel, she shifted closer to him. "Uchiha Sasuke." She didn't yet dare to touch him, in case he had already fallen asleep and her gesture startle him awake.

He didn't answer, at first. There was a long minute where the bundle was still, silent, and then, when he was perfectly sure he was composed..

"..what?" curse it, his voice was still cracked. Hopefully she would attribute that to sleepiness. It was as good a bet as any, right? He didn't move, knowing she was close. Too close.
This was why he wanted her twenty meters away! Never would anyone have noticed anything was off!

She didn't comment on his voice, though she did lower a hand to lightly touch his shoulder at the sign that he was awake and aware.

Are you alright was a question with the obvious answer of no, so she didn't ask that. Instead, she mentioned, "You may use my bedroll if you wish. You may have a more restful night."

If he deigned to roll over, he would see that her eyes were open, a silent opening for him to speak further if he wished to.

"...whatever... remains of that." he muttered. Not much of his allocated sleep time did remain. He had seen much worse though, and immediately gave himself a mental kick for even complaining.

He did shuffle, and saw those wide, inviting blank eyes... and retreated to hiding onto his robe.
After a while though...
"I can... never save them..." his voice rose from the lump of cloth.

Her breath emerged in a quiet exhale as he finally spoke again, her fingers tightening lightly against his shoulder. More than anything, she wished to see his face to better gauge his mental state, but... that he was opening up like this at all was certainly an indication of his mental unrest.

"No," she agreed quietly, assuming he referred to his family. "But you can honor their memory, can you not?"

How ironic it was, for one whose main element was fire to fear it in its nightmares, to revive scenes he had not seen.

He did hear the screams, he saw the corpses... and it would forever haunt him.
Honoring their memory? "That's what I'm trying to do!" his voice was scratchy, higher-pitched than usual. The bundle of cloth shook lightly. Still, he knew. The nightmares would always be there.

Alone... she knew the feeling, of being left on one's own without the people who were to care for her. It was a hard, crushing feeling that weighed in on her at night, made it hard to breathe sometimes. Perhaps it was that which drew her to her feet, releasing Sasuke's shoulder and moving away from him.

It was only long enough to fetch the blanket from her bedroll before she wrapped it around him, settling cross-legged beside his head and letting a hand touch his shoulder. "I truly hope you succeed, Sasuke."

He gave what was unmistakably a choked sob under all that cloth, shaking... and after a few minutes few still and silent, breathing finally regulated and asleep again.

Who knows what he would remember of this once he awoke once more? It would be all too easy to think of this as part of a strange dream....

Well this was certainly an unexpected turn of events. She remained still, her hand on his shoulder, until it was clear he was asleep, then slowly drew her hand back to rest on her leg instead. But she stayed near him, ready to wake him should he start to suffer from another nightmare.

Should he fall into that deep a sleep once more, the sun would be well up into the sky. These were perhaps a one-time only nightly occurrence, since the remainder of his rest was undisturbed.

He did stir once the sun's rays started filtering through the branches, groaning and sitting up from the bunched robe and.. blanket? When did that get here, he wondered.

He gave a blink then, and looked over to her with large dark eyes.

After he had lost a good portion of the night to his restless sleep, she was content to permit him to sleep past sunrise. Still seated where she had been, she had started to meditate, letting her senses expand and take stock of everything around them. Quiet and safe, at least for now.

At the sound of him stirring, she drew herself up out of her center and opened her eyes, glancing down to meet his. "Good morning."

"m..morning." he murmured, hastily rising, gathering and donning his black robe again before folding the borrowed/lent bedroll to her. "..t'was comfortable... y'were right" he hastily intones before taking out some dried fruit and proceeding to eat some, feeling somewhat awkward when he recalled what went on overnight.

Her eyebrow quirked as she watched him with a touch of amusement, though that was the only visible sign she permitted herself as she accepted the blanket. "Good. Rest is necessary if one is to perform well during the day."

She'd already eaten when the sun rose, so she focused on making sure everything was packed for when he was ready to go. As much as she wanted to ask about the nightmares... no. They were none of her business, and she had no need to know.

He spent no time on meaningless thoughts, moving forward as soon as they collected the wires and disarmed traps.

He was still eating those dried fruit as they walked, with him leading her... but soon, as they reached the end of the forest, he halted abruptly. "...how far ahead can you see?" he inquired, ducking into foilage, knowing she would follow her lead. "I'll need your eyes."

What she would find out would be bad, since two contingents of eight of those Shourisha were stationed there, about five-hundred meters ahead on the other side of dunes. Indeed, those were war times...

"Far enough." She moved in beside him and crouched down easily, hiding herself beneath the foliage as she peered out. A breath, then she exhaled, bringing her hands together slowly to draw Chakra to her eyes and enable them to see much further than a normal human eye.

"...Sixteen Shourisha, split into two groups of eight. Here, and here." She indicated with a hand, though it was obvious from her motions that she wasn't looking at what she was doing, staring at a point far beyond theirs. "Within five hundred meters of this location. It may be wiser to go around rather than rouse attention."

Sixteen? He would have tried their luck against eight but sixteen was pure suicide. "...five hundred meters, and we have to go around? Mostly flat lands and small hills though." he clicked his tongue lightly in annoyance.

"No choice." he snorted, starting to move back into the forest. Good thing they had made campfires and he had caught the lingering scent. "...we can't have them move on us as we go, so keep an eye on them till you can't anymore." Going around meant wasting a few hours for sure.

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