[1] Hunted in the Abandoned Town

[Kazuya]

The cuffs were like those kinds that criminals get when they’re under house arrest, complete with the obtrusive metal box that contained the chips and all that jazz that made it do its magic. Technology was an amazing thing, and she wondered where in the hell some of these people got their inspiration. Back in her day, you didn’t just bound and gag a prisoner, you simply killed them and got on with your day. Why then, had they been spared?

After the two strangers gave their parting instructions and left, Kazuya looked around at the other five that was bound with her, taking mental note of all their distinguishable features, the back of her mind processing it all the way down to race, personality and other small nuances. While some struggled against their bonds, the homely woman simply sat and waited. Five hundred years would teach a great deal about patience, and she simply shook her head at these young ones who fought so rabidly against their constraints.

Finally, hers clicked and fell away, and the seasoned warrior rose to her feet. Barefoot and wearing only her plain brown gi she wore to bed, she was reminded again of the dream, and all the warning signs she’d missed that would have perhaps kept her out of this mess. Why didn’t she wake up? Why didn’t she save herself?

Her eyes dropped to her chest, and heaved a long sigh. She hadn’t taken the bindings off her breasts, so they were still pressed flat against her body beneath the material of her garment. Her hand dipped into the inner pocket and removed a strap of fabric, pulling her hair back into a simple queue. Perhaps it was just habit now that made her do it, or instinct, but that lesson she’d learned so long ago was hardwired into her brain that made her automatically dissolve into her male alter-ego and protect herself from the ravages of the world. Perhaps it simply empowered her to be stronger than her sexual status gave her. Or maybe it was just that she wanted to hide her shame, hide the fact that someone had gotten the best of Kazuya Uzumaki.

Lifting her head to observe the rest of her group, she noticed with a frown that one or two had slipped away, leaving her with the remainder. She didn’t know names, and although she would have preferred being solo, she wasn’t too stupid to realize maybe having a few extra bodies piled up around her wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.

Crooking a half-smile, she straightened her back and looked each one over. “The name’s Uzumaki,” she introduced calmly. No first names, as is tradition with her Japanese heritage, family names were used with strangers, and only first names with friends and family. “And I don’t play games. If we’re going to survive, we’re going to have to keep our heads straight, which is why I’m electing myself as leader of this group. Stick with me, and I can guarantee we’ll live. Go off alone…well, you’ll just have to find out.”

“What makes you so sure you can keep us alive?” someone piped in, making no effort to disguise their disbelief.

“She said there’s another group of six out there we have to go hunt down and kill, right?”

“Right,” the collective nods murmured.

“If we stick together, our odds of coming out alive are a hell of a lot better than going it alone. I don’t even care about the $100 grand, I just want to make sure that my time on this planet isn’t cut short because one of you bakas decided to wander off.” Kazuya explained. A cool silence fell over the group, and she waited for them to respond.