Silk

IV.

Rain pelted the oiled skins they wore, the trio moving beneath trees. Orochimaru held onto Kimimaru’s hand, Sasuke following behind. They were taking a risk, traveling through the Land of Fire, as Konoha ninja could show up at any moment, and thus foil the plan they’d started to develop over their fortnight of travel. There was a stretch of land between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, south of the Land of Grass. As far as they knew, it was unclaimed land, and according to Sasuke, who had gone to scout ahead, there were no signs of a daimyo or a ruling ninja clan. It was a perfect opportunity. But they had many miles to go, and then their dream was only half-started. Half-baked, Sasuke had commented one night over a dinner of jerky and water. They kept moving, resting only when they could no longer stand hunger, pretending to be civilians when meeting other travelers on the road.

They crossed the border without incident, into the country the trio were going to claim for their own. Huge trees rose above their heads, blocking sunshine and rain alike, and they shed their cloaks, the warmth and breeze making them unnecessary. Orochimaru gazed up at the canopy as they walked, going deeper into the country they were going to call home. The higher branches were covered in a silvery moss, threads of it stretching for miles from a single tangle.

“It looks like silk, doesn’t it?” Kimimaru asked, coming to a stop in a wide clearing, Sasuke moving in a little bit further.

“This clearing is wide enough to hold several houses and defend if there’s a wall.” Sasuke paused on the perimeter, looking up into the trees. “We could create tree houses, rope bridges… If we extend the wall depending on how much our village grows, it should work.”

Orochimaru dropped his pack with those of his companions, looking at the Uchiha boy before looking up at the canopy. He moved over to his student, trying to imagine what the young man saw. He had a point though. A wall and gates would serve as perfect protection along with a regular guard. And with most of the village high in the trees, off the floor, lives wouldn’t be lost in a surprise attack by an enemy. Fire would be their worst enemy, so the village would need a constant water source to prevent a wildfire from destroying the trees, and consequently, the village. Homes would be built on the ground for civilians, and those nin who would prefer to live on terra firma rather than the branches. Children certainly couldn’t live that high up.

“A tower in the center?” Kimimaru supplied. “One for the leader of our village.”

“A hospital as well.” Orochimaru countered, pinning his bone manipulator with a stare. “We’ll need that and shelters, no matter how shabby, before that tower. Defenses as well.”

“Population.” Sasuke added. “We’re starting a village. Not a refugee camp.”

“Do you know any ninja who would want to join us?” Orochimaru asked, arms folding over his chest as he stared at the Uchiha boy, watching Sasuke through black strands.

“…They might be a little… old.” Sasuke replied. “Dead, in fact.”

Orochimaru shrugged. He could work with dead. “Bring them here. Anyone you’ve met in the past you can find. Kimimaru and I can do the rest of the work. The more people we get, dead or alive, the sooner we can start building.”

Sasuke nodded, sighing a little bit. “I’ll leave now. I’ll try not to take too long.”

“See that you don’t.” Orochimaru ordered, and Sasuke vanished as he’d been taught to do, rushing back toward the Land of Fire, and the lands beyond. Orochimaru turned to his medic, meeting those soft understanding eyes. Kimimaru only smiled, nodding a little bit, and together they moved to start setting up a lean-to, starting a little shantytown of sorts while they waited for Sasuke to return with his burdens. They said little to each other, neither needing words. Instead, just simple proximity was enough, the paler often finding any excuse he could to brush their fingers together, or press against his master. Orochimaru in turn caressed those fingers and returned those loving touches, reassuring the bone manipulator almost. They finished their meager shelter and sat down to wait, resting against one another and whispering plans for their future.
---
Sasuke rushed through the Land of Fire once again as he made his way toward the Land of Waves. How badly decomposed would a body be after three years? What if an animal had dug up those bodies? Grave robbers? Sasuke shook his head and kept moving, the cowl of his cloak kept wrapped around his face. He made it to that familiar forest in the Land of Waves, and began to search for those old graves. It was hours -- it could have been days -- before Sasuke came across rusted metal sticking out of the ground, the earth around the metal undisturbed. Undisturbed or not, there was still the chance that the bodies were no longer there, or just bones. He began to dig, first with the grave he knew to belong to a boy not that much older than himself now, shifting earth away until he manages to find a patch of pale skin. Sasuke moved the dirt away from Haku’s face, sighing just a bit as the body had not worsened to just bare bones in the few years he had been buried. He hauled Haku’s body out of the hole and filled it in to keep anyone from realizing his presence before digging up Zabuza. In no worse condition, though Zabuza did seem to be a little chewed on, Sasuke lay Zabuza’s body beside Haku’s as he worked to fill in the hole left by removing the body.

He turned back to the bodies behind him, watching them for a good hour or so. It was almost a pain, Sasuke thought, grimacing. He moved to pick up Zabuza, settling the older man’s body on his back as he lifted Haku into his arms. Travel would be so much slower now, but by the time he returned to Orochimaru, he figured some sort of shelter would be built. He moved as fast as he could with his burden, refusing to let fatigue, or hunger, slow him. It did seem to take so much longer returning than it did setting out, but Sasuke was determined. He reached their upstart little village in the making by nightfall a week later than the day he had set out, all but dragging himself into the village, staring around at the little cabins that had popped up while he was away. Only three, and then small, but then they had just started this project.

Kimimaru emerged from one cabin first, followed by Orochimaru, the pair moving over to Sasuke to relieve him of the bodies he carried. Orochimaru tossed Zabuza’s body over his shoulder as he lifted Haku and Kimimaru lay a hand on Sasuke’s shoulders.

“Go rest. You’ve done well, Sasuke. Thank you.”

Sasuke gave a small smile in return and left the pair on their own. He certainly didn’t need to know what the hell was going to happen. In fact, he didn’t even want to know. He entered an empty cabin and found a futon to curl up on. Sasuke was asleep before his head even touched the pillow set on the mattress.