After Tartaros Arc

Snippet 11

When the master announced a break after everything had fallen apart, both of them understood.

It was a bit difficult to do, after seeing how easily Tartaros had nearly shattered them, even if they had stood united. But getting a fresh perspective is always a good thing and they went quietly.

They went to her family first, telling her how things had gone, because she'd been a terrible daughter in not sending letters regularly, just the occasional picture and a quote.

Her parents understand, of course. Apparently, inability in keeping up with long distance communication is inherited. Huh, who knew?

Shikako and Itachi stays for a week, before they get restless and head for the mountains. They train and let lose, and it is honestly exhilarating, to let everything go and not worry about the other's eavesdropping, or finding out.

They could have trained the entire time, but there is the cry of a missing child and they instantly recall those old shinobi D-rank missions with clarity.

He knows what she is thinking and he gives a wry smile. Well, it is one way to keep money anyway. They couldn't exactly subsist on foraged food.

They stay there for a month, before Shikako feels the wind turn east. Like always, he follows her, a constant shadow by her side that is as warm and comforting blanket. They stop several times, helping people and receiving vegetables and meat in return.

It is fairly interesting to see the rest of the continent while not under a deadline anyway and they enjoy the little spots of vacation they have in between pushing themselves to the limit. Still, the first time Itachi nearly burns down a house with just a glare is a breakthrough. He no longer needs to concentrate so hard to use his magic, or to feel extreme anger. It has become an instinctive thing, more deadly and infinitely faster. (They still had to help rebuild the burned house though.)

Shikako stays up for three nights in a row and manages to recreate timed bombs, distance triggered bombs and many other variations of her old seals. The day she managed to almost cause a rockslide was another breakthrough. The work cleaning it up was - to borrow the phrase - extremely troublesome. It was a good weight exercise anyway. (Itachi bit his lip, trying not to say "I told you so.")

Sabertooth's Sting tracks both of them down while they are putting out a rebellion and both of them look at him with some surprise.

"I heard all the Fairy's are homeless now," he tells them. "Come to my guild. It will be a temporary thing."

It doesn't even take that much thought. They had missed the easy camaraderie and the atmosphere of a guild. Wandering, while interesting, reminded them too much of their time as missing-nin.

"We will come when they call though," Shikako felt the need to clarify. "So..."

Sting just shakes his head and pulls the both of them to their temporary guild.

This is the last of the pre-written snippets from the forum.

Any other snippets will have to come from prompts!

Thanks for reading and more prompts will be welcome. Sorry for how disjointed it is, but well, forums, you know? And I wrote almost all of these sleep-deprived.

~Hallen