A Thousand Million Miles

Her chest burned. Like fire licking every crevice of her lungs as she tried to keep up with the speedy Suna ninja. Lady Kira had instantly disappeared from her view - body flicker, her mind nonchalantly reminded her - the moment she was given the “go” to leave. Saya didn’t know the technique yet, but had managed to “catch up” with her red-haired companion. In actuality, Kira was only a crimson dot in her scope of vision with her red hair flowing behind her like the afterimage of a cardinal butterfly.

A part of her wanted to shout to the woman, tell her to slow down, to wait for her but Saya swallowed her complaints and soldiered on through. They were currently barreling through the country of Earth and its treacherous terrain of precarious boulders and heart stopping cliffs. It was an absolute blessing when they had come across a small village after hours and hours of travelling. Soon they would hit the borders between Earth and Waterfall, but that was still quite a distance away.

Her muscles ached and the young girl was sure that it would hinder her the next time they would be up and running to their destination. Idly, Saya made a mental note to swallow a soldier pill and some pain suppressants before they would leave for Konoha in the near future. That should keep her inevitable soreness at bay until they reached the village hidden in the leaves. The young girl almost collapsed onto the worn bed but fought the urge. As much as her entire body language and facial expression were obvious about her current state of fatigue, Saya didn’t want to flaunt how utterly exhausted she was. Not to mention it was only a couple or three hours of rest. That much was understood between them as the two settled in for the night.

Saya, however, had not anticipated Kira’s quick escape nor her body’s total shut down. Come morning, after having slept several hours, the young Kumo ninja found herself blinking under the sun’s ray. There was a moment of peace and certain discomfort from her muscles before her brain caught up with the situation. Despite her body’s protest Saya shot up from her prone position and frantically sought out her companion. Like ice cold water colliding with her body, she realized that Kira had left her - the futon beside her was neatly folded and empty. A surge of foreign feelings swept her up and Saya tried to identify them all.

Anger. Betrayal. Hurt. Shame.

It was all boiling underneath her skin, flushing her neck and cheeks a rosy color. Her fingers gripped onto the sheets tightly as her brows drew together in contemplation. She had to shake it off. Emotions were a distraction from her main goal right now. A weakness that the kunoichi needed to shed if she were to try and find the Sunagakure ninja. Or, maybe, skip trying to get to Konoha altogether and make her way back home.

Her thoughts were all jumbled up as she zipped through cleaning up after herself and paying the clerk the right amount of money. Saya hardly packed anything and while that was great for travelling as she had done the night before, she was utterly feeling lost and naked without a map and the extra bills in her purse. She raked through her dark hair in frustration, still flip-flopping between her two options.

Kira’s panicked expression flashed in her mind. Her decision had been made and Saya sped through the land, almost making it to the borders when she had come across a loud group of merchants gossiping away. Her ears perked up when keywords floated towards her. Something about Konoha and being warned away by other travelers. It wasn’t safe there and that things were happening; they didn’t know any of the specifics when she asked but they had all told her that the deed was done and that she ought to go back home for safety.

After she had gathered enough intel to draw some educated guesses, Saya found herself frowning and on the verge of pulling at her long tresses. On one hand, she still felt the need to find Kira and figure out if she was alright and if the older woman was able to save her friends. But there was always that off chance that Kira was already on her way back to Kumogakure as well. She let out a frustrated groan. Decisions. Decisions.

There were also consequences. Saya had left the confines of Kumogakure’s forces to aid a recently inducted Suna ninja without actually having an audience with a proper superior. Despite her conflicting thoughts, she knew that she had chosen right in wanting to help out Kira. Now, however, she was stuck in limbo. Saya paced just a few yards away from the collection of street food stands before heaving a dejected sigh at her conclusion.

Kumogakure was her destination. As much as it tore to not check on her information, there was very little chance of her finding Kira anyways. Saya hoped that the fiery woman, if all things were lost, would turn to the country that overtook hers. If that happened then they wouldn’t have to send in a team to track her down and bring back a dead body. She nodded to herself, an action of reassuring herself even though it felt like she was abandoning the red head.

Her journey back home took longer than expected and it wasn’t even because she had to change directions from Waterfall and trekking through the biting cold of Snow or the almost perpetual dawn of the Moon country. As embarrassing as it was, Saya had run out of money at during her odessey and had to spend a few days to a couple of weeks every other village or so working for some cash.

It was a good experience overall. Saya learned a few more social cues and reigned in a bit of her blunt nature though some instances continued to confuse the poor girl. But she had made it. The kunoichi stepped through the borders between Snow and Lightning, effectively making her giddy at the thought of home.


WORD COUNT: 1038 @ 100 Speed
PREVIOUS THREAD: Romeo. Romeo. Where Art Thou Romeo?

Approved