| [Feb. 22nd, 2012|05:02 am] |
“We’re not even done eating yet,” Katsuko sighed. She got to her feet, shoving her hands in her pockets. Nori was looking at Beni in concern, but he made no move to stop the redhead. That was alright; Katsuko hadn’t expected him to.
“Don’t care if you’re a jounin or the Empress of Tea Country,” Beni said, flushing with anger. “Let’s settle this--”
“No,” Katsuko said, calmly.
He rounded on her, jabbing a finger in her direction. “You! You don’t have any right to tell me what to do, not after--”
“Don’t I?” Katsuko smiled at him. “You talk big now, on home territory with Nori backing you up, but you’re as much a coward now as you were--”
“Katsuko!” Nori snapped.
Beni lunged at her.
Katsuko blocked the first two blows and slammed her knee into his gut. He staggered, cursing, and she shoved him away. Ryouma moved in, fast and deadly, and caught Beni in a chokehold that drove a grunt of pain out of the shorter man. Ryouma twisted, dragging Beni further off balance, and started dragging him towards the back of the restaurant with grim purpose.
Katsuko stared after them for a beat before following, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Nori gave a short, sharp sigh and brought up the rear, like he had when the three of them had still been a team.
“Door to your left,” Wakahisa said, flicking a glance at Ryouma and nodding. He looked at Katsuko, eyes tired, before turning back to the stove.
The empty dirt lot behind the restaurant was choked with weeds and littered with trash. The old cherry blossom tree still stood tall near the fence, trunk scarred from the time Katsuko had flubbed a katon jutsu.
She watched as Beni wrenched free of Ryouma’s hold, panting, to retreat a safe distance away. Nori joined him, arms folded across his chest and a pained expression on his face.
“The ambush was five years ago, Katsuko,” Nori said. “Let it go.”
Katsuko nearly drew steel. “Let it go?” she said. Her nails dug into her palms, a sharp pain that cleared her head enough to think. “I get that while I was in the labs you two finally worked up the nerve to kiss and hold hands, but did you even wait ‘til I was declared missing? Did you even care?”
“Of course we cared, you selfish bitch,” Beni rasped, rubbing at his throat. He looked at her, eyes wild. “It was six goddamned months for us, too.” |
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