Chapter 61

Chapter Inspiration: Vitalic by Poison Lips

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It was loud. The music blasted through the speaker systems and made the ground vibrate at times. This was what Suigetsu enjoyed, completely immersed in a crowd of strangers left to his own devices. Taka was good and all, now that the team was back together, but everyone needed a break from the other. Even if the Uchiha was home for a while. This wasn't Jugo or Sasuke's scene, and no way in hell would he bring along Karin. So they would meet up again in two days' time before hunting down their next target.

The swordsman another drink from the bar he moved through the crowd brushing shoulders with many different people out for a night of fun. The welcoming sting of alcohol ran down his throat, eventually joining the bodies once more on the dance floor. There were plenty of women here that were hot, getting close to some and engaging in conversation with others. But none had fully grabbed his attention quite yet.

That was when Suigetsu's eyes landed on a rather exotic looking female. Her hair was the color of fire and braided down the back till it reached the middle of the spine. Pale complexion, dark eyes, and a killer body. The dark pants were form-fitting, accenting every curve, and a lacey top revealed skin in all the right ways. It wasn't trashy like some of the club goers. Instead, it made her look enticing. Even better, she was all alone as the ninja made his way forward.

"Mind if I join you?"

Turning, their eyes met. Her beauty up close took his breath away as a smile graced her lips.

"Not at all," she said.

Grinning toothily, he was pleased when the sharper teeth did not seem to scare her away in the slightest.

"My name's Suigetsu."

"Cho," she answered loudly over the noise. She still leaned in a bit towards his ear to be sure he heard.

He enjoyed their close proximity as the song changed causing those around them to cheer at the selection. He didn't care what played though as every song drew them closer. They were barely brushing against each other when the young man offered if she wanted anything to drink. Moving towards the bar he acquired a beer for himself, while Cho asked for water cocking a brow in her direction.

"I'll hold you to a drink later," she stated with a wink.

He left to go to the bathroom. The young woman offered to hold his drink.

Suigetsu grinned and deposited the beer into her grasp, "Be back in a moment."

He found his dance partner waiting in the exact same spot he left her. The swordsman downed the rest of the alcohol in a few gulps before leaving it on the bar top. His arm swept out towards the dance floor.

"Shall we?"

They were closer now when dancing, chest to chest. He grasped her hand placing it on his chest before holding Cho's waist with strong hands. She was exactly what he wanted at the end of this evening and no other woman in this club wavered his attention.

Another drink later, on his part, the two were immersed in full conversation off to the side, though the ninja was doing most of the talking. He didn't quite understand why he was being so vocal, but wasn't complaining. He felt giddy, happy, excited and looking out to the dance floor once more he didn't notice Cho pour the rest of the contents in her glass into the plant beside her. Something she had constantly been doing when it concerned hard drinks. His senses were too hazy from the alcohol in his system to notice.

"One more dance?" he asked. She agreed immediately.

Suigetsu twirled her around the dance floor not caring if he would bump into anyone in the process. He was trying to impress the beautiful young woman in front of him. Meanwhile, she was becoming bolder by the minute as her back pressed against his front and they moved to the beat. Oh, he was a goner and the ninja knew it with every sultry look sent his way.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Suigetsu questioned in her ear. Cho said yes and he was pulling them through the crowd towards the door.

The cold night air was a shock to his overly warm body. Shaking his head before grinning down at the redhead, the swordsman threw an arm lazily over her shoulder.

"My place is this way... or was it that way?"

She snickered before the ninja had them walking in the right direction leaning into her for some support. Cho didn't complain, wrapping an arm around his waist while the other intertwined with the dangling hand over a shoulder.

"Do you live in the area?" he asked.

Her head shook. "A few towns over. Needed to get away for a while and just have some fun for a week without harping parents."

"Still live with them?"

"They wish, but that doesn't mean they stay out of my business."

Suigetsu rolled his eyes dramatically. "A pretty girl like you can probably go anywhere she wants."

"Maybe someday. What about you?"

"Nah, just passing through. I'll be gone in two days."

"That's too bad," Cho pouted. "Where are you going?"

"I have some friends to meet up with."

Suigetsu wasn't sure why he was saying this but didn't seem to care. Talking to Cho felt natural to him and didn't feel the need to lie to. It was a relief in itself to not have to put up a complete act in his drunken haze. A few times he even stumbled when a foot became caught on the loose gravel in places. It had Cho snickering at his clumsiness, but that was okay. Anything to see her smiling was a great sight.

"We have some business to do on the border of the Leaf."

"Have you been there before?"

"A few times."

"And your friends?"

"One if from there originally so that helps since we'll be deep in Hiroku Forest if our sources are correct. He knows the area pretty well. We decided to take a break from each other for two days before tracking our next target."

"You're a ninja."

"Yeah, I am," he said, scratching a cheek in thought.

"I thought so. My older brother is one."

"Was it that obvious?"

"Your fingers and hands are calloused from using weapons, and your movements earlier in the evening were more skilled and controlled. Then there's your body physique."

Suigetsu grinned toothily. "So, you were watching me before I found you on the dance floor."

Cho laughed with a blush, "Guilty."

They finally made it to the hotel Suigetsu was staying at. Thankfully the room was on the bottom floor so they didn't have to try and maneuver upstairs. The two moved towards the back of the establishment. The path in front of the swordsman swayed a bit, doubling at times. The ninja cursed himself silently for drinking maybe a little too much. He didn't want to mess up his chances tonight.

Cho opened the door once he fished the keys from a pocket. He plopped down on the edge of the mattress. The young woman sat next to him, one leg pulled up onto the bed as she faced him. She was pretty, Suigetsu kept thinking and had to remind himself constantly that Cho was all his for the evening. All the other guys at the bar had definitely missed out, but he wasn't complaining.

"Did I tell you your birthmark suits you perfectly?" he questioned.

"Yes, you did," she smiled.

Twice already in the club. It was on her left cheekbone just below the eye and when he was a little more sober realized with clarity that it reminded him of a small heart with how the top and bottom edges were warped. It was different, just like the hair and striking features.

His arm rose resting a palm against her cheek to stroke it slowly with a thumb. In turn she reached up and grasped the arm near the elbow.

"Did you want to stay the night?" Suigetsu asked.

The young woman's figure was going in and out of focus. He had to act on his urges now before the alcohol made him pass out.

Cho cocked a brow. "I thought that was why I was here."

His hand grew too heavy to hold up, dropping it onto the young woman's shoulder. Slowly the young man leaned in. Suigetsu's eyes glazed over as the eyelids drooped. Growing closer and closer to her lip's things began to black out. Her head turned slightly away.

Cho's hold loosened on him, which made the swordsman pitch forward. He completely missed her lips and sagged against the nearest shoulder. But only for a brief moment as the ninja slumped against the mattress. Suigetsu was unconscious as the young woman's head turned to stare down at his form. Light snores escaped his lips. Cho stood from the bed to look around the room. He was indeed alone and now vulnerable. Being robbed blind was entirely an option, but that's wasn't what the young woman was there for. The bright orange hair began to melt away from the roots down to the tips revealing the pitch-black strands that had also begun to shrink. Even the beauty mark on the cheek was a farce as it shimmered before vanishing. [song ends]

"A few drops of sleep draught and vial of truth serum will always do the trick."

Her fingertips lightly tapped against the hidden pocket inside the shirt that held the two small vials. It was right to assume this would be the better target to find. Suigetsu was clumsy enough to leave his drinks with a complete stranger.

"Thank you, Suigetsu, for your time and knowledge," Mai spoke to the empty room. "You've been a great help."

She could kill him. He had no defenses. But if the young man didn't return to regroup with Taka, they would come looking and then be on high alert. The Be Fong needed to be smart with this. No matter how bad she wished to end him here and now for his involvement with eliminating No Face. Stalking around the bed she began to mess up his clothing to incite that something had indeed happened before passing out. He would remember nothing of what happened in the last four hours. Leaning down beside his ear she spoke,

"I was happy and you rip it away from me. I will kill you when the time is right. I want you to feel the pain and agony every innocent rogue felt before you killed them so cruelly. And then, when I think you've had enough, you'll feel my own. Only then are you allowed to die."

Leaving the room Mai made her way through an alleyway before taking to the trees on the outskirts. Fishing the stashed bag from the branches the young woman tugged on the long sleeve black turtleneck and situated the rest of the un-identifying clothing into place. It was late, looking out over the small town below that continued to bustle with nighttime activity. The air around Mai rippled as she vanished without a trace only to reappear in her bedroom moments later.

It was silent, save for the sound of crickets coming from outside. She found Naruto sleeping on the couch, one arm dangling over the edge with the blanket only halfway covering him and snoring a bit. It was rather amusing as a smirk twitched at the corner of her lips.

Mai took a long shower to be rid of the sweat, the feel of the ninja's hands on her body, and sloppy kisses placed on a cheek. Suigetsu would have one massive hangover in the morning. He deserved it, leaving the shower stall and slipping on an overly large shirt that stopped at the knees. The Be Fong crawled into bed. There were a few more hours left in order to sleep.

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Naruto woke up to the smell of food, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and walking into the kitchen. He was relieved to find Mai at the stove cooking. She seemed unharmed on the surface.

"Hungry?" the young woman asked.

"Starving." Moving towards the cabinets he began to remove some plates and chopsticks for them to eat with. "How was the mission?"

"Handled. Nothing too eventful."

Nodding, Naruto leaned against the counter and watched her finish cooking their breakfast when Mai suddenly swayed. Instantly he reached out and grasped her arm to be sure the ninja didn't burn herself.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine... just a little out of it from a jutsu I used last night."

He was still worried because Mai never allowed weakness to show. Even when injured.

"You weren't hurt, were you?"

"No. I promise," she added when seeing the disbelieving look in Naruto's eyes. "It just took more energy than I anticipated. Got in early this morning, so I didn't sleep that long either."

The spatula was taken from the Be Fong's grasp a moment later as the knucklehead's hip bumped her out of the way gently much to her surprise.

"Sit down for once and let someone else do the work." He grinned down at her. "If you just needed more rest, why didn't you say so?"

Because she wasn't weak, as Naruto continued to stare. "Is there something on my face?" she wondered.

"You're looking paler than normal. Are you sure you're fine?"

"Positive."

Naruto turned back to cooking the food. "If I asked you to go to the hospital for a checkup is that too much to ask?"

"Yes," she answered without hesitation causing him to sigh heavily.

"You never make it easy, do you?"

Mai gave a small smile. "Why would I do that?" The knucklehead threw back his head in a laugh.