Disclaimer: Naruto and all related characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto. Any and all Green Lantern references are property of DC Comics and currently under the direction of Geoff Johns. This is a fan work of appreciation and praise for both franchises, no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Tales of the
Red Lantern Corps:
Tora
Chapter 1: Crimson Red
"Find her! Madam Shijimi is furious!"
"Not again!"
Various retainers, servants, and maids searched in vain all around the Fire Daimyo's residence. Once again, the Fire Country leader's wife had lost her cat. Those of the Madam's closest circle knew, though, that this was more than a case of a misplaced feline.
"Did you check the guest houses?"
"I did! Nothing!"
"Dammit, where did that damned cat go?"
"Tora! Tora-chan! Get back here!"
The servants of the Daimyo's opulent residence knew of Tora's continued escape attempts, and of the few times she had succeeded. Once, one of the maids had let her loose on purpose, and if not for her fellows covering up the fact Shijimi would have punished her severely.
"I'll check the bushes!"
A bundle of leg muscles stiffened, which forced sharpened claws to emerge from dirtied paws. The servant bent down. Fangs were borne.
"I think I heard something! Help me look!"
"Ok, I'm on my way!"
The servant stood back up and ran away. The muscles relaxed, but the claws did not retract. A pair of highly focused eyes kept watch on the departing human, while sensitive ears darted side to side in anticipation of any other searchers.
The humans' noises died away and the light of their paper lanterns dimmed. Emerging from her hiding spot, Tora rushed out of the low bushes and quickly climbed the nearest tree. The brown-colored tabby cat took refuge on the tallest branch that could support her weight. There she sat and keenly watched any movement down below. Shijimi-mama had spared no quarter; nearly the entire population of the Daimyo's residence except for the security detail had joined the search. Luckily all were focused on the ground. These humans had little experience with cat behavior, and it never occurred to them that felines preferred high places. After all, despite their domestication, their predatory genes still held a powerful influence.
Tora reached back with its head and bit hard at the cloth ribbon attached around its neck. The hated accessory broke and fell from her, and without hesitation Tora swiped it out of the tree with her front leg. She did not know how many of them she'd ripped apart before, only for Shijimi-mama to come back with a new, stronger one the next day. If not for how much Tora disliked the item, she'd pity the maid that had to keep sewing her new ones.
When was the first time she'd worn the frilly pink ribbon? Despite her simple mind, Tora still pictured the day Shijimi hand-picked her out of a pedigree litter. The ribbon came soon after. At the time, being a typical kitten, all little Tora wanted to do was play, explore her surroundings, stay clean, and sharpen her claws. Shijimi-mama swiftly negated all her instincts. Play was strictly controlled, exploration was limited to a single room despite its mass amount of expensive paraphernalia, and claws were constantly cut. But the worst part was the baths. Dammit, didn't Shijimi-mama know that cats were perfectly capable of grooming themselves? Water was for drinking, not for spoiling impeccable skin and fur!
"What's this?"
"It's the kitty's ribbon! She must be close!"
Tora hissed at the two servants and at herself. She'd delivered them a trail. She dashed from the branch towards the next tree. She jumped with expert precision and landed on another tree branch, but the resulting shake ruffled both tree's leaves.
"There she is! Get her!"
Tora ran across the branches and jumped to the next tree. The two servants followed, followed closely by a growing number of people. As long as she kept making noise, she knew they'd keep following. The next tree led out of the property, and to her left lay the armory's tall ceiling. The tree led to freedom, but she would not get far with so many people following her. The connected buildings led closer to Shijimi-mama, but they presented more hiding opportunities. Tempering her desire for freedom, Tora swerved left and jumped onto the building.
The noise of the chasing servants died away, replaced by the frantic clacking of paws against ceramic ceiling tiles. Tora ran across the top of the Daimyo's residence in a desperate attempt to escape from Shijimi-mama once more. By now the feline had stopped caring to try and teach the human what it wanted; the fat lady apparently cared nothing for it. Even before the first escape attempt Tora had found that its tricks fell on deaf ears. It'd learned early and well how to entone her meows to tell her exactly what it wanted or what it felt. Shijimi-mama's only answer was either "Aww," or "That's enough, Tora-chan!". Tora then learned to hiss, which only got her a light smack or one of those disgusting mint treats. How Shijimi-mama confused the resulting hairball with a good thing was beyond Tora's simple brain to comprehend.
The first time she escaped, Tora learned the finer points of feral cat behavior. Hunting came naturally thanks to latent instincts retained from thousands of years of evolutionary inheritance. As the days went by her prey eluded her easier, and it was then Tora discovered it was due to her own stink. By coincidence, she observed another cat, this one with some dangly thing between its back legs, licking itself after eating its prey. Tora tried to approach but the other cat warned her away with a terrible hiss. Despite immediately rushing away, Tora emulated the tom and tried a single lick. She nearly vomited from the awful taste, but the stink dissipated slightly. It was a slow and almost agonizing process, but after a few hours she managed to get rid of the smell. The very next day she was able to hunt successfully again. Tora wasted no time and washed herself again, and this time, it felt so pleasant it made Shijimi-mama's infrequent baths feel dirty by comparison. But during a hunt the next day, she was caught by that blonde boy.
Tora snarled at the thought. That kid gave her back to Shijimi-mama, and the ensuing bath was torture. At least she made sure to give the damned servants a piece of her mind and claws. The luxuries of the house had nothing on the outside world. She wanted it back, one way or another.
Tora jumped to the next building. She was nearly halfway to the opposite border and she felt no pursuers. She had succeeded twice before, and she would escape again.
The second escape came three years later, during the remodeling of the house. Tora raced straight back to her old stomping grounds. Her old habits and instincts once again kicked into high gear, and despite her lack of practice, she enjoyed the thrill of the hunt and the warmth of freedom. The lack of baths was a godsend too. She even met a few times with the same cat from before, who gradually tolerated her presence despite her occasional intrusion into his territory. Until, at least, that night...
She was caught three months later, this time by another young boy with spiky brown hair and a long scarf. Again, she was back with Shijimi-mama, but this time, Tora knew how to fight back to get her freedom. And oh, how she wanted to this time.
At first, she tried to get it by convincing Shijimi-mama, perhaps foolhardily. It didn't help she interpreted Tora's actions as cute. When Tora pawed her stomach, Shijimi-mama laughed and cuddled her close. The cat growled each time her test failed: the fat blubber that surrounded the Daimyo's wife was too think to allow delivery of a killing stroke. Next, she tried suffocating her while she slept. Even if she covered the human's nose, her roaring snoring opened her mouth too wide to cover with her other paw. Of course, then Shijimi-mama reached up in her sleep and dragged Tora in like a stuffed toy. As the last straw, Tora made the most aggressive, open threat against her keeper by hunting the biggest rat she could find and bringing the kill home. The resulting spank, bath, and encagement in the broom closet was beyond anything Shijimi-mama had ever done. The next week, when Shijimi-mama took her on a rare excursion of the ninja village, Tora could bear it no more and escaped again. She almost made it out, had it not been for that green idiot with the ring.
The fact that said idiot was the same ninja that had caught her the first time made it all the more maddening. None of them understood. Tora didn't just want to escape. She needed to escape.
Because two months after that night, after a long day of pain, she became a mother. She had given life to three little kittens, and she had to get back to them no matter the cost.
The memory of her children sent a surge of adrenaline coursing through Tora's body. Her muscles clenched even harder, her sight focused, and her legs moved faster and faster, carrying her swiftly across the ceilings. She was on the last building already, and the sight of the nearby fence spurred her on. Beyond, it would take the servants too long to get to her before she vanished into the night. Freedom was close. And after that, her litter. Her children.
Tora jumped.
"Got her!"
A thick rope net encircled the cat and dragged her to the ground. Tora yelped as three aides rushed towards her and held her down. She twisted and turned against the rope, but all she accomplished was to entangle herself further. Bellowing a long, drawn out screech that seemed to emanate from the very bowels of Hell, Tora lashed out at the closest attendant's hand with her carefully and deliberately sharpened claws.
"You bitch!" the man yelled. "Give me that sedative!" Another man reached into a pocket and pulled out a syringe filled with a purple liquid and gave it to the first one. The needle seemed to glitter in the moonlight. Tora meowed long and nervously at it. "Hold her still! I want to enjoy this," he hissed. Two pairs grabbed Tora's tangled legs and held her down. Tora's head thrashed back and forth as the needle came closer and closer. "Nighty-night, pussy. Madam Shijimi will reward us handsomely for bringing you back."
The prick of the needle sent pain straight into her heart. As the sedative coursed through her veins and her consciousness slipped, Tora howled one last time to the reddening sky, and just as her eyes closed, she felt a cold metal slip onto her tail.
"Tora of Sector 2814. You have great rage in your heart."
"Oh, my little Tora-chan! What's happening to you? I can't bear the thought of losing you!" Madam Shijimi paced around her private bedchamber, followed closely by her two closest handmaidens.
"I'm sure she's alright, Shijimi-sama," the senior servant assured her. She continuously shuffled close to the Madam while waving a large fan to keep her cool.
"Oh, she worries me so!" Shijimi said. "She's such a lovely little girl, but I wish she would appreciate what I do for her, and how much I suffer for her!"
"It's probably just a minor phase, madam," the other one comforted the lady. "So please, calm down. Your blood pressure…"
"It doesn't matter!" Shijimi spun and yelled at the younger attendant. "I want Tora-chan back, and I won't be alright until that happens!"
"Do you believe the experts you hired will be able to catch her before she leaves the palace grounds?" the head maid asked.
"Those pet catchers better, or else I'm docking their pay!" the noblewoman complained. She did not have to wait long when there was an irregular knock on her door. "What! This better be good news. You, get the door," she ordered the young maid. The servant made a quick bow and rushed to open the door.
"It's them, Shijimi-sama," she said. The madam rushed past her attendant to the animal control officers.
"Well? Did you get her?" The catchers did not respond. They stood still with pale, blank expressions on their faces. "Are you deaf? Where is my Tora-cha…"
The three men went loose and slumped to the ground into a heap. Madam Shijimi and her two attendants gasped in horror when they saw their viciously clawed, bloody and burnt backs. Just behind them, floating in midair, dressed in a tight black and red suit, and surrounded by a warped crimson aura, Tora eyed her owner with slit eyelids.
"To… Tora-chan? Wha… did you…" Shijimi stammered.
"Bring kill home," said a rough male voice that appeared to come from Tora herself.
"Tora-chan!" Before Shijimi could provide any further reaction, Tora opened her mouth and let out a guttural hiss at her former master, followed by a jet of glowing blood that spewed from her tail and throat. Shijimi barely ducked in time, but the burning plasma covered her hair and erupted in flames. "AIIIEEEE!" Shijimi swatted the burning wig out, revealing a mess of unkempt dry grey hair. The handmaidens swatted at the wig with their fans, but the flames instantly spread to their tools. The panic-stricken women ran out of the room, right into Tora's path. The flying cat lunged at the women and caught hold of the older servant, biting her throat and ripping it out in a single motion. The other servant and Madam Shijimi ignored her dying gurgles and ran away, into the wide corridors of the Daimyo's mansion. Despite her girth, the mistress ran faster than her attendant.
"Shijimi-sama? What's the matter?" a group of male guards asked her. Madam Shijimi pushed them aside and rushed down the nearby staircase. The remaining servant behind her crashed into the guards, and all five were suddenly enveloped in a conflagration of crimson plasma. "GYA-!" The harrowing screams of the servants died as the flames of hate consumed their flesh and bones. Shijimi continued down and through the hallways, with the demonically enraged cat pursuing close behind. Streams of red flame darted past Shijimi, sending terror into her.
"Somebody! Anyone! Help me!" she yelled out, but another unnatural roar from Tora drowned her pleas. Shijimi narrowly dodged a jet of red light to her left, when another jet shot from her right and cut off access to the next hallway. The rich woman turned around and jumped to a right hallway, with her pet in close pursuit but lagging just behind her. Shijimi ducked left, then right, but as she was about to turn right again another fireball cut her off. She continued straight on, her heavy panting growing louder and her legs begged for relief from the increasingly numbing pain. She searched in vain for any exit, but every time she neared one, Tora let loose with another attack that blocked her. Shijimi ran on, without purpose, desperately trying to get away from Tora.
Her right leg finally gave up. Madam Shijimi fell hard sideways, the hit nearly breaking her left shoulder if not for the blubber on her arms. She turned on her back and found Tora slowly descending towards her. The transformed cat landed just in front of her, and as she playfully walked towards her former owner, the wooden ground caught crimson fire. Tora stepped on top of Madam Shijimi, and despite her slight relief that she did not catch fire, the look of sadistic glee on the cat's face made her gasp for air and cry in terror. Tora pawed the woman's stomach, reached up, and licked one of her tears.
"Tora-chan..." Shijimi cried. "Why?"
"Rage," the same voice whispered. "Revenge." Tora hissed at her master. "Shijimi-mama. DIE!"
"NOOOOOOO!"
"Put the fire out! Hurry!" the Fire Daimyo ordered his servants. "My wife is in there!" he yelled in panic.
Every available and surviving attendant threw water at the unnaturally red flames that consumed the whole of the residence. A few emptied their hoses with water pumped from the wells, while the majority were forced to rely on buckets. But none had any effect. The unearthly red fire consumed everything it touched. Earth, wood, and even the water that was supposed to douse it burned out of control. "No! Shijimi, my love!" the Fire Daimyo despaired. The fire spread to the adjacent buildings, and the once luxurious residence of the Daimyo's wife was soon reduced to a charred husk.
And high above, observing with a sense of fulfilled vengeance, a bright red star pulsed high in the heavens. Tora watched as her living hate destroyed the last traces of her past. But the ring did not give up its hold. Her rage still consumed her. Her children were still away and gone. Possibly...
Tora flew away from her former home and into the dark heavens. "I find little ones." Nothing would stop her, and those who tried... "I kill." She would not be the bad mother Shijimi-mama was. "Tora-mama, good kitty."
Author's Blurb: A second Red Lantern ring? Not too surprising given the second Star Sapphire ring, but to another cat? A second Rage Cat after Dex-Starr? Maybe cats are hellspawns after all. Hellspawns, vengeful...
And unpredictable.