When I was a younger kunoichi I had gotten into a situation I shouldn't have. I had bitten off more than I could chew, as the saying goes. My team had been killed off and it was only me against three other stronger ninja. My clothing was torn to pieces and my chakra was running almost on empty. I wasn't ready to die, and fought with all my might. However, that still wasn't enough to keep me from falling to those three ninja.
They surrounded me, which I knew was the beginning of the end. In unison, the three ninja started to fly through hand signs, all of them the same. I recognized the hand signs and attempted to fly through my own hand signs in a pathetic attempt to protect myself. Sadly, I wasn't fast enough and didn't finish in time. The three ninja released their jutsu; leaving me in a bloody heap on the ground.
I wasn't ready to die. Not yet. I still had so many things to do; to prove to the world. I still wanted to make a legendary name for myself; to grow up and find the one to spend my life with. To see the next generation at very least begin. No, I was not ready to die for I still had things to do and dreams to fulfill. So, in the pool of blood that I was forced to lay in, I called out to the unknown begging for help. What I got wasn't exactly what I thought would be my savior.
The three ninja had left shortly after I was down, so when a vertical spiral of fire rose up from the ground I just figured they had returned to make sure their job was truly finished. I was so wrong. As that fire died down, a larger than life wolf of fire stood before me. Its blazing tri-colored eyes looked at me with what can only be described as a cross between disgust and hunger. Its fur seemed to dance just like a real fire and the heat that radiated off of it was comforting yet slightly frightening. I lay there, dying, and just stared at the creature.
"You're not one of the stupid humans that thinks this is a dream are you?" The fire wolf questioned in a demonic voice.
"This is no dream. I'm either hallucinating or you're really here." I answered in a voice I didn't realize was mine.
"Good. Then you might actually be worth my time. You see, I'm in need of a host." The fire wolf stated as it sat down next to me. "You're in need of saving; which I can do easily. You'll be my host and I'll keep you safe. Do we have a deal?"
I lay there, the darkness creeping in faster than I would have liked. Was this fire wolf really here or was it just a well planned out hoax created by my own brain to comfort me in death? The wolf looked, sounded, and felt real enough. Then again, the brain was a very powerful thing. I lay there, the darkness almost completely consuming me. Looking to the fire wolf I smiled and nodded. I had come to terms with the fact that if this was just a trick created by my brain then it was a twisted one that would end soon. So what was the harm in accepting this creature's offer?
I should have died that day. I should have left this world behind. Somehow I didn't and for the most part I was grateful for that. I could still complete my life goals and die when I was truly ready. I was glad to see, once I had come to, the overly white room of a hospital. I smiled to myself with relief and looked around. I was back home in Konohagakure. I smiled even wider, but wondered how I got back home. Just then a nurse came into the room.
"Oh, you're awake. Splendid. I'll go get a doctor." The nurse smiled and then left in a hurry.
I watched as the door was quickly closed and a few minutes later re-opened. The same nurse from before and a doctor walked in. The doctor looked surprised but happy nonetheless. He walked over to my bed and sat down next to my right hip on the bed.
"Do you remember your name, Miss?" The doctor questioned.
"I'm Kyra Tsuki." I answered.
"Tsuki-sama?" The doctor questioned with confusion.
"Yes," I responded with mild confusion.
"You do not look like yourself." The nurse answered for the stunned doctor.
"What do you mean I don't look like myself?" I growled, "What the hell do I look like then?" This aggression wasn't me…was it? "Forgive my aggression; I don't know what came over me. Please, might I have a mirror?"
The nurse looked to the doctor, who nodded his approval, before leaving to get a mirror. He continued to sit on the bed as he started taking my vital signs. By the time the nurse returned, the doctor had finished what he was doing just to tell me everything was normal. I was glad to hear that, not that I really expected anything to really be out of the norm. Accepting the mirror that the nurse handed over, I gazed upon the girl looking back at me.
That wasn't me was it? My hair was silvery-white and my blue eyes were almost glowing. My skin was paler and almost had a slight glow of its own. I blamed the glow on the way the lights shined on it. I was beautiful to begin with but now…wow! There were no words to explain how I looked now. I could finally understand why the doctor didn't realize, or believe me for that matter, when I said who I was. Just then I realized that my ears were slightly tapered. What on Earth caused this to happen to me?
There was a dark chuckle from the darkest corner of the room. In the corner stood an extremely beautiful woman with tri-colored eyes, fire red hair, smooth and slightly tanned skin, fire like wolf ears and tail, and she was wearing black leather pants with a matching top that stopped just below her breasts. She smiled a sickening smile that revealed white fangs. Raising a hand from the crossed position they were in, she waved her fingers that had thick black claws instead of normal finger nails. As I looked down her form I came to an eye widening sight. Her feet were that of a wolf's.
The doctor and nurse followed my gaze to see nothing at all. It was a good thing that they passed off my facial expression as a weird reaction to what I just saw. The nurse took the mirror from my loose grip and retreated from the room with the doctor following close behind. Guess they figured I needed alone time to fully process this dramatic change.
I waited a few minutes before addressing the creature in the shadows. "Who are you and why is it that those two weren't set off by you?" I asked the strange woman.
"Simple, my dear, you're the only one that can see and hear me. As for who I am, I'm the one that saved you three days ago." She answered.
"So who are you?"
"I have many names, my dear. What's one more?"
"You want me to name you?" I asked with a raised brow.
"If you wish."
"Not really." I responded with a slight eye roll.
"Then call me Mara."
"Ok, Mara, why is it that I'm the only one to see and hear you?"
"Simple, you're my host." Mara smiled revealing deadly fangs.
"Wait, you're to tell me that you're that huge fire wolf from the forest?" I gasped.
"That's right. That was my true form. This is what I look like when around humans. Less conspicuous, wouldn't you say?"
"Sure. Not that anyone can see you." I mumbled.
"I could always look like this." Mara suggested as she changed forms.
Now she stood crouched down in the same corner. Her whole body covered in fire red fur with yellow and orange markings. Her eyes were still that strange red, yellow, and green color mixture. She was hunched over and rested her long fur covered arms on her strong, powerful legs. Her tail curled around her right foot covering up the long black claws that protruded from her toes. A matching set of black claws were also protruding from her hands. Her teeth were long and seemed to glow against the darkness of her slightly open mouth. Her voice came out in an almost echo when she finally said something.
"Do you prefer this form to the other?"
"It suits you but what form you choose to be in is entirely up to you. I'm the only one that can see or hear you so it really doesn't matter now does it?" I smiled slyly.
"I suppose you're right," Mara sighed as she returned to her more human form. "But I'll stay like this for now."
"Whatever." I sighed as I looked out the window at the setting sun.
