Sora was unsure of what he'd done wrong, but it was clear he'd made a mistake. Why wouldn't they tell him anything? The boy mulled it over in his head, but he was unable to come up with a suitable answer.
The three continued to walk through the thick fog following the Rain Road, and the walls of Ame toward the entrance.
"So did ya wanna take him to Roji?" Straw asked.
"What good'll that do? He'll just hand her to Kuda along with the booze. Probably prompt it up as a token of good will or something like that. Nah, we'll stash em' in the barn until the meet; then we'll line em' up with us, deliver the booze with Roji, and then sneak off into the city. Should be easy to set up a meetn' after that."
Straw nodded along blindly following Aoi's suggestions. "Ya think we'll get enough to live in the city? I'd like to buy a nice cot, and live the rest o' my life sellin' clothes hehe." He looked down at his new boots as he spoke.
Aoi started to chuckle. "Sellin' clothes? You barely ain't got any clothes on; and the ones ya do ain't never belonged to you."
"That's why. I'll never be cold again." Straw laughed.
"As for me I, well I ain't really got any skills so maybe I can go to a school or something and learn a trade. Or maybe I keep fighting like I do but as a guard protecting a noble like this runt here. Bet whoever was suppose'd to be protectin' him ain't gonna have a job no more."
"A job? He'll probably end up losing his head."
The two started to laugh.
"Hahaha, hey runt. Maybe your pops'll hire me to watch over ya. How'd you feel about that huh?" He snorted as he laughed.
'What in the world... Have these two never seen the inside of a shinobi village?'
Sora had seen the inside of the village, and Amegakure was not the safest place to live. In fact of all five shinobi villages it received the least amount of funding from Kirigakure, and on top of that it had the highest crime rate and the worst poverty. There were better places to be - where did these idealized versions of his home come from? He'd love to tell them just how wrong they were, but...
"What about you Tsubaki hmm? Surely you got enough words to give us an answer."
Tsubaki looked at the two for a moment before sparing a glance for Sora.
'What face was he making under that helmet?'
"I just want to live peacefully, and free of trouble."
'This guy looks like the opposite of peace. How did a person like him end up out here?'
Now that Sora thought about it, what exactly did Tsubaki say about him? Aoi had said that it was thanks to Tsubaki that he's still alive. Recognizing family crests isn't an easy feat so he must have some kind of formal education. Either way, regardless of his intentions he was alive, and that was thanks to Tsubaki - he'd need to thank him later.
"Hey, wait a second." Straw said, raising a finger as if advising the group to stop.
"I hear something."
Sora heard it too. It sounded like something was running in their direction. A person maybe? He leaned forward, and squinted his eyes trying to peer through the bleak unbecoming fog. No, there was panting too, whatever it was, it was running on all fours. It must've been an animal.
The next thing Sora heard was the sound of blades being unsheathed. Straw had Sora's iron sword in both of his hands pointing forward. Aoi, and Tsubaki both had blades of their own as well.
"Mhhhhmm!" Sora cried out, unable to speak. He fumbled his way behind Tsubaki since he was the tallest, and he felt the safest behind. He wasn't the only one; the other two formed up next to him as well.
The three were formed up like a wall with Sora squeezed between them - whatever was coming they'd be covered on all sides. Once again Sora squinted his eyes this time trying to peak between the men's shoulders. Not only did he hear whatever was in the fog he could also hear his protectors, they were breathing too, and hard. They were nervous, scared, and unsure.
Sora's mind flashed back to the carriage, skulls, and spines, and gnawed bone - a heap of red flesh, and gore. That was going to be him - Sora was going to be the next pile of meat on the cold rainy ground.
"Mphmm!" Sora cried out in anguish. He wanted them to reassure him, to tell him that they'd be okay. He wanted them to tell him not to worry, and that they were used to fighting in battles, and war. He thought maybe he could befriend Aoi, Tsubaki, and Straw and maybe they'd let him stick around and show him the ropes; he wanted to join their group and dream of riches, and money. But that wasn't going to happen now.
Sora turned around looking behind him, and just as he was about to run.
"Don't even think about it." Were the words that Tsubaki spoke.
Sora wasn't sure why, but he stopped, and swallowed and just as he was adjusting to their situation - it began.
The panting, the running, the panting, the running the creature got closer, and louder, and closer, and even louder until finally it leapt out of the fog revealing itself. It was large, and black, and wolf-like. Aoi slammed his sword down on the beast as it approached, but it lifted its claws which were like blades of their own, and deflected Aoi's sword sending sparks dancing into the snowy wind.
Then with its other arm it launched an uppercut toward Straw. The man tried to parry, but his mark was off by an inch, and the creature's claws went straight up, and through Straw's chin piercing through his tongue, and mouth, and then through his brain and out his skull.
Squelccccccchhhhh was the sound the attack made once it hit the target, and a high pitched "G-G-Guahhhh" was what came out of Straw's mouth when he tried to speak afterwards.
Straw's body fell to the ground, blood spurting out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Sora could not comprehend what was happening. He stood still unable to move or act, unable to respond to the situation.
Tsubaki charged the beast, slamming the sword down on top of it. The wolf beast responded not by deflecting the blade, but by swinging its claws to the side slashing through Tsubaki's metal armor removing both hands causing the blade to fly to the ground.
Aoi charged the creature before it could deal the finishing blow to Tsubaki, but the wolf used its extended foot to kick Aoi in the chest, sending him flying into a tree, the wood cracking behind him. Aoi did not get back up. The wolf eyed Sora next, but before it made its move a loud crashing noise erupted from Tsubaki's armor. Sora fell to the ground in surprise as the front chest plate exploded outward impaling the wolf head on. The creature flew back skidding across the Rain Road to a halt.
The next thing Sora saw was a young woman that looked as old as him step outside of the armor allowing the armor, and the helmet to fall to the ground.
The wolf meanwhile began to shape and transform taking on a humanoid appearance.
It was an older boy with dark green hair that was soaked in wet blood. His body was grotesque, and muscular - but his most notable feature was a headband with I I I situated on the front with a / slashed through it. This boy was a rogue shinobi. He tilted his head back, and looked at the girl with amusement.
"Pink hair, and silver eyes?" He gasped in sarcastic surprise "But no headband. What brings a member of the prestigious Akinoyo clan outside of Ame's walls hmm? Isn't it a little early to be heading to Point Break?"
Sora was so transfixed on what was happening before him he forgot to breathe. Feeling his heart pound, and hurt he gasped for air taking in every breath he could. Tsubaki was a young shinobi. He'd judged that much by the skill in which she evaded that last attack. Tsubaki must've sunk into the armor, and then kicked the chest plate out, and into the boy. Looking at the woman she was very small, maybe 4'8 at most, but her body was ripped. She had the frame of a fighter who'd never experienced loss, and the most striking thing about her appearance was that of a watermelon sized pot sticking out the back of her waist, and inside were two large green leaves extending outward wrapping themselves around her body to keep it attached.