The MISFITS

X looks around the town as he walks, taking in the scenery for once after years of imprisonment. He closes his eyes to feel the sun on his face and opens it again as he walks in the middle of the street, people looks at him weirdly for what he wears is not something they have seen before but they choose to ignore it, X scratches his head and yawns as he looks around for something resembling an inn.

To his luck, no establishment is seen in any corner of the village, he crouches down in the side walk and grunts "What the fuck, is there no taverns like those in fantasy films?" He stands up and pulls a random man walking on the street. "What? What do you want?" The man looks confused and scared, "good sir, do you know where i can find a hotel?" X asked.

"Hotel?" The man responds, X looks irritated and grunts "place to sleep" the man understood and nods "oh, you mean a ryokan?" He answered. "Sure" X said even though he didn't understand but he was to tired to learn, the man smiled "theres one nearby, just turn left and you'll see it" the man pointed at the direction. X let's go "thanks old man, appreciate it" and starts walking towards the direction he pointed.

He stood in front of the ryokan and sighs "why can't they just put up a sign that says hotel or something, 1 star" he said as he enters. Inside he walks over to the desk and speaks to the person "a room, I'm only staying for at least a couple hours" the reception nods and smiles at his request "okay, we will get the room ready right away, please pay up front" the reception smiled at X with hospitality.

X has now realized that he has no currency at all, "so about payment, could i probably postponed it till later?" X smiled and the receptionist smiled back. X sits outside of the ryokan in disappointment and grunts "after all that trouble to find one, i can't even get a room" X sighs and stood up as he touches his stomach "might as well get something to eat" he said while walking.

He gets to the stall and shortly walks away as he realized again that he doesn't have any way to pay, "This is getting annoying, in prison they just give the food for free" X scoffs. He walks towards a random direction and kicks a stone pebble which flings in the air and hits a kid on the back of his head, X kept walking ignoring the kid who has fallen unconscious. "Where's Suna, he should have money" he thinks to himself as he walks, he lifts his head to see the road and his eyes widen as he sees suna's body on the floor in the middle of the street.

Blood splatters in the air as suna eyes widen when he looks down to see the source of it is his own pierced chest, kuro eyes widen as she catches suna's body as it goes limp from the impact, his blood gushing out from his chest as he coughs out blood. "Wha-, why didn't you turn to sa-" kuro is cut off as another guard hits her with his spear from behind her head, from the pain she let's go of suna and she jumps to the side landing in all fours.

Her eyes turn to anger as she glares at the guard, she leaps towards one as they tried to pierce Suna with another spear. The guard falls onto the floor and is pushed down by Kuro, his spear flying to the side, "Hey!" A Guard shouted out to Kuro. She turns around to find the other two already pointing their spears towards Suna on the floor, Suna coughs blood as he turns his head towards Kuro, shaking his head, his eyes losing their consciousness.

Kuro calms down as she sees Suna's state, this let's the guard an opening to hit her at the side of the head, knocking her out. The other guards move towards Kuro's body and pick her up, "great, did you have to hit that hard?" A guard spoke, the guard on the floor stood up and grunts "how else will she have stopped, take her anyways. A beauty like her would make the lord happy" the guard spoke without hesitation.

"I was thinking the same, plus she's an animan" the guard chuckles. A carriage comes by and they load her into the cart, With last of his strength Suna grab hold of one or the guards leg, gritting his teeth. The guard pull his leg away and kicks Suna on the head before leaving him on the floor bleeding to death.

X sees the carriage drive away, he runs towards Suna's body and stood beside him. "X?" Suna asked, "yea" X looked down towards him, Suna fall unconscious as soon as he knew it was X standing beside him. Suna opens his eyes for the second time today at a room, he feels the soft embrace of the bed beneath his body, he touches his chest to check on the wound. His chest was fine, not a single tear of skin or muscle can be seen or felt, the cut has disappeared entirely. X stood near the window "finally awake, took your sweet time" he said with a smirk, "Where's Kuro?" Suna asked without any delay.

"They took her" X said nonchalantly, Suna looks down in defeat and disappointment, a moment of silent before he spoke again "I couldn't react fast enough to change to sand, and when the pain struck i couldn't even get up" he hold his head with irritation to his helplessness and weakness, his eyes began to water as he grit his teeth. X stood in silent, before walking and sitting on a chair next to the bed "you're not weak, just naive. Yes, you made a mistake but what you do next will determine if you stay weak or grow, learn from them and never do them again." He spoke calmly, "or whatever, i think that's what it said in a book i read back then" he chuckled.

Suna looks up towards X, his face is in agony "But i did the same mistake again, i was helpless again, i couldn't stop them from taking Hoseki, i couldn't even stand up and fight with Kuro, I'm nothing but weak" He said with pure shame, he looks away. X looks at Suna and smiles "do you want to stay weak?" Suna shakes his head slowly, "are you going to give up?" X asked, Suna stops for a while before shaking his head again.

"Then there's nothing to cry about, if you still have the desire to be better and figth for it, then you haven't lost yet" X said with a soft smile, "you're the strongest at your lowest, why? Because it takes more strength to rise from your low." He said with a grin. Suna takes in those words, "was that one from a book as well?" He said softly, "Nah, that was from me" X smiles. "I'll save them, hoseki and Kuro" Suna looks back at X witha new found determination, X grins in return "bet you will, kid".

"Btw where is this? It's a nice room" Suna asked while looking around, "it's the Ryokan i found" X answered back. "Wait, how did you pay without any money?" Suna looked at X, "isn't it obvious" X said without a care. Suna turns to see where his pouch went, seeming in distress, X laughs and throws the pouch onto him "I'm kidding, plus you wouldn't even have enough" Suna looks in relieve at X's words, "then how did you?" Suna looked confused, X smiled.

Before he could answer the door knock "perfect timing, come in" X shouted out, without a moment the door opens and a kid enters the room. Suna recognize the kid as the one Kuro saved before, the kid walked in carrying a tray with food. "Where's mine?" X asked looking behind the kid, "you weren't the one that saved me, it was that big sis and big bro here" the kid put his toungue out towards X, "why you, he would be dead if it weren't for me" X said in return and scoffing.

Suna then remember that his wound has healed, "you were the one that healed me, X? How?" Suna asked while the kid placed the tray on Suna's lap. "Like I'll tell ya without getting food" X pouts and looks away, Suna is left speechless at his pettiness. The kid speaks up "thanks for saving me, i know it was the Big Sis that was the one but you are friends with her right?" The kid said. "Yea" Suna nodded, "i thought that if i help you then you would help save Big sis" the kid said while looking away. Suna just smiled "I'm going to save her, that's obvious" X just giggles a bit, Suna glares at him. X stood up "well, now that you're awake, we just need to go to Kuro, any idea where she is?" X asked.

Suna turns to him "well, the guards said that Juhebi would be happy to have her so I'm guessing thay are taking her to the castle" suna said, then he lofted his hand and a finger is missing "i was also able to change a finger to sand before i went out as i hold the guards leg, i think i can feel it somewhere to the direction of the castle" X looked impressed "i guess that makes it easy for us, we find Kuro we also find that old man's daughter" X said, Suna nodded in return.

The kid spoke up again "are you going to the castle?" He looked at them both. Suna turns towards him "that's the plan" he said. "Then, i think my big sis can help you" the kid said, "you mean that money grabbing receptionist?" X said, "who are you calling a money grabbing" a young woman stood at the doorway.

"my name is Nanashi, and this is Gio my little brother" the woman spoke as she sat in front of Suna and X who now has very red and swolen cheeks. "I'm suna and this is-" before Suna could finish Nanashi interferes "stupid" she said with a straight face. "Whatever gold digger" X said before getting his cheeks pulled a second time. "So you two are planning on going to the castle right?" Nanashi asked in which Suna noded.

"Then i might be able to help, you see our parents use to work at the castle under the previous emperor and was forced to work under Juhebi. My parents didn't want to work for him so they and a few others planned an attack with the ishi clan on juhebi." She stopped for a moment "their plans were heard by Juhebi and my parent was executed for it" suna eyes soften "I'm sorry to hear that" he said.

nanashi shook her head "I've come to term, and by that i mean i want to kill that bastard. So my dad who was a guard made an entrance for the ishi clan to get in the castle without being spotted. You guys can use that to get in and open the front gate to let the ishi clan's army in, easy" nanashi explain with relative ease and confidence.

X then jumps in "alright that all easy said and done, but it'll take time for the army to get to the castle and that's not even talking about the guards they have to go through before making It to the castle and I'm not about waiting that long. So i suggest that i make some sort of distraction that'll pull all the guards to the castle" X grins, nanashi shakes her head "and how are you going to do that?" X just smiles "I'll find a way, trust me" nanashi looks doubtful but sighs "fine that works i guess, all i want is for juhebi's head off his body" she then thinks

"now another problem is, someone has to inform the ishi clan and also show you guys the secret entrance" nanashi thinks for a bit, Gio then spoke up "i can show them the entrance" nanashi turn to gio and shakes her head "no way, that's to dangerous" Gio doesn't back down but looks more determine "it's the only way, it's better for you to go and inform the ishi clan as they will believe you then a kid like me and dad use to take me to his guard duties so i know where it is" nanashi still looks conflicted.

Suna jumps in "it's fine, I'll keep him save" nanashi turns to Suna and after a moment sighs yet again "promise?" Suna nods "promise" nanashi nods in return. "Then it's settled" X stands up and stretches, "great meeting, can i have food now?" He walks out of the door, Gio following him to keep him from stealing anything.

Suna starts eating his food, nanashi turns to him "thank you again for helping my little brother, he can be stupid sometimes" Suna looks at her and smiles "no problem even though that was all Kuro, but you can trust us especially X, he's annoying but very strong" nanashi doesn't believe that "annoying yes" she said. "About Kuro, will she be fine?" She asked looking worried.

Suna nods and smiles "she is surprisingly strong, it was my fault that she got captured" suna looks down, nanashi softens her eyes "you'll save her, i believe it" she said. "SIS, HE'S EATING EVERYTHING" Gio can be heard from downstairs, as noises of falling a objects follow as well. Nanashi sighs "that bastard" she stood up and walked down, Suna looks worried but then continues to eat.

At dawn, Suna and X with Gio went seperate ways with nanashi as they go on their own missions, "stay safe" nanashi said to Gio, Gio nodded "you too sis" he said softly nanashi messed his hair before setting off on her own towards the ishi clan. Suna, X and Gio made there way towards the castle as they left the village behind them.

Suna walked in front leading the way as he followed the sense of his missing finger, while X walked behind with Gio on his shoulders carrying a bagpack filled with supplies. "Do we really have to walk there?" X said with annoyance, suna sighs "well, we don't have any other way of transport" suna said as he looked around.

Gio plays with X's hair as he sat on his shoulders, "well, if god existed then a carriage of horses should appear" X said looking up, Suna agrees "i do hope so as well" as they walk a bit more, in the distance a carriage appears with a couple hebi guards standing near it, one of the fixing the wheel. X and suna looked at each other, and both smiled deviously.

"How much longer is this going to take?" A guard asked looking annoyed, the guard fixing the wheel "please be my guest and do it instead then, if not shut up" he said, the others just raise their hand and move back. He then start to go back to work while rambling about how nobody here is competent enough to do any work, while this is happening a guard notices rustling behind him and goes to check it out before getting pulled, the other is swiftly pulled from above the carriage.

The guard fixing the wheel kept rambling on till he sees two shadow close behind him, he turns to see Suna and X smiling down at him, and the next thing he is tied up with the other guards on the side of the dirt road. Gio fixes the wheel with ease, which the two guard looked at the one who was trying to fix the wheel with irritation. Suna and X with Gio take the carriage and drive of towards the castle.

X sigh with satisfaction, "now this is better" he leans back as suna drives the carriage, "how long till the castle with this?" X asked in which Gio answered "a day" X grins in return. "Great enough time for a nap" he then leans back and sleeps. They arrived at the main city as the dead of Nigth, with few guards on duty and the city is silent with nothing but the sound of the wind breeze.

Suna turns to sand and fly through the nigth wind, X proceeds to climb up to the roof of a house with Gio on his back and jump from one roof to another with relative speed following behind Suna's sand. They make their way to a building near the castle walls, Gio points towards a tree near the river surrounding the walls, "there's an entrance under the water, we must swim through and get to the other side" Gio tap on X's head.

"Well have fun you two" Suna said as he change into sand again and flew away, X sighs "man, can't i just wait outside" he looks up to Gio, Gio shakes his head and point towards the river commanding X to go. X reluctantly walks towards the river.

In the bottom of the castle, Kuro is brought by two guards and thrown into a cell "you will stay here until the lord is ready for you" a guard spoke before locking the cell door. Kuro glares at them, as the guard left Kuro notices sand stuck to the guards leg as he walked away, she smilled knowing that Suna will know. Kuro then sits on the bed and takes the folded picture of her mother and brother, lookign at it, "where are you guys?" She said as she sat there alone.