*~Kishi~*

A tale of her curse


Darkness. Nothing but the black abyss surrounded me. Something had happened to leave me in this place. A kunai knife, yes that was it, the blade was buried deep within my chest, yet I feel alive. Who did this to me? A hooded figure, yet I saw a glimpse of his headband. The Lunar village symbol engraved on the metal plate that glinted in the moonlight. But, hadn't I come from that village? Yes, I am sure of it. I was on a mission. Then I heard a voice screaming my name and a pair of glowing wolf's eyes flashed in my mind.

"Kishi! Kishi, wake up!"

Kishi. Why had my parents named their daughter Kishi? It means "long and happy life." Yet my life was not happy. Then the black abyss disappeared. I noticed the faint red light and warmth of the sun on my face. I opened my eyes and slowly stood up. The snow around me glittered in the sunlight – the snow that never melts.

"What…What happened to me?" I groaned.

I rubbed my face. I examined my body, mainly my chest for the puncture wound from the kunai – yet there was none.

"They must have not known about this apparent healing ability, those fools!" I spat.

I pressed my hands to my temples. My memories had rushed back to my head. My own village had done the impossible: betrayal. I thought I was on a mission, yet I was stabbed in the chest by the man I was sent out to destroy. He left me to be buried in the snow, because I held a curse inside me that the villagers had been afraid of for years. But it wasn't my fault… any of it.

It was not my fault.

I began to cry as I sunk to my knees. My loathing, all my fear, all my hatred was gathered up into my tears. Yet, as the sun set, I stood and wiped my face. I knew what I must do. I ventured into the forest of the Lunar Mountains to find wood for a fire and rest. Formulating my plan wasn't necessary; I felt too tired from my day's discoveries to think about it.

I spent most of my time reminiscing about when I visited The Village Hidden in the Leaves. I was there for the chuunin exams, and I met an outgoing boy named Naruto. His enthusiastic attitude warmed my heart and I grew close with him. He was the only one who understood me and could relate to my life. I have a demon, much like his, inside. Yet, it was just a part of me… my other half. With the hatred of my past, I would turn into a terrible wolf monster. That was my curse. People hated me at my village. Naruto became my only friend. My parents had been killed when I was a child. I never knew of the murderer, but whoever it may have been, I wanted him dead. Yet the village had let me go through the academy and I soon became a chuunin.

I thought I was respected – but I soon found that only Naruto would ever dare to step in my vicinity. Tears ran down my cheeks. I had fallen in love, carelessly. Everything about him took my breath away. Yet, I knew… I would have to let him go. I shook my head. I brusquely wiped the tears away and forced myself to sleep.

I lived in the mountains that I had woken up in for a year. All I did was train and spy on my village. Had they thought I was dead? So it seemed. A celebration was held because I was thought to be dead. My heart grew black with hatred at the sight of it. I felt an overpowering urge to kill these inconsiderate creatures. Had one of them even talked to me? Asked me my name? Never. Never even gave me a chance. All those years in the wilderness toned my skills. The anger grew inside me. Like a black hole. It reached out through my soul and sucked in the light, leaving a black void of hate. The influence of the demon inside me was beginning to seep through my actions and words. I was more monster than human.

I was slowly losing control.

I stood behind a cedar tree with my breath seceding from my mouth upon the dry winter air. This was the day that the village would attempt to kill me. They feared me. They assumed that every lie, rumor, and vicious falsehood spread about me was true. Thinking of all these things, my anger boiled inside of my soul.

It was then that I lost the battle. The demon… consumed my soul.

My eyes transformed into the black and gold coldness of the wolf eyes. My nails grew. I howled into the noon sky. The terrifying call shook the villagers from their beds. The alarms sounded as my rage sent me into a run. I let the demon take control.

I'll kill everything that moves.

Ever conscious of my actions, I grew into my full form as I ran. I was as big as a horse. I stood on all four paws – it felt so good to be so dominant again. Crashing into the village square, I slaughtered and tore apart every human being. I saw the look of horror from the mothers and children and smiled on the inside. Everyone was going to pay. The ninjas tried to attack but their power meant nothing to me. I was unstoppable.

Soon the village had sent a message to Konoha. My rampage went on into the afternoon. The buildings were cracked and the streets silent except for the occasional scream or plea. The village was my hunting grounds. Then, several new smells wafted through my acute senses. I looked up, forming a twisted grin.

More help. Excellent.

I felt a twisted sense of pleasure as I thought about the new ways to kill them. Then something jumped on my back. I growled and swung around to meet a human.

A Konoha ninja it was. Her pink hair fell to her shoulders. I remembered this person from the time at the chuunin exams. I felt so proud and dominant that I grinned at the poor, helpless little girl.

"Sakura," I growled wickedly. "How nice it is to see you again!"

This caught her off guard; her eyes widened, and the look of sheer horror cascaded across her face caused a shiver of pleasure to run up my spine. I seized my chance. I grabbed her arm in my teeth and swung her off my back, into the ground.

"What? How can you speak to me?" she yelled confusedly, wiping blood from her mouth, "and how do you know my name?"

"What, you don't recognize me?" I laughed, "I'm Kishi. From the chuunin exams, remember?"

"What? You are the cursed monster of the Lunar Village?" she gasped. Oh, how her shocked expression deepened my lust to kill her; to taste her sweet, innocent, fancy blue blood. She never talked to me. She was jealous of Naruto and I. I let out a low, raucous laugh.

"Is that what they call me these days?" I grinned. "Snazzy. I like it."

I threw myself at her with a vicious snarl. She dodged to the right; but not soon enough. I grabbed her arm and bit down. She screamed. Oh, it sent tremors of joy down my spine. I threw her over at a wall, cracking it in the process. I shoved my fangs in front of her face, feeling tempted, but something in my body pulled me back. I didn't understand it.

I cursed myself. Your dark side is breaking.

"Weakling." I spat angrily as she sunk down into a puppet-like heap.

I walked past the weak, pink-haired girl and headed towards the Tsukikage's office. I jumped up on top of the roof, and walked to the window of his office. There he was, cowering by the window. I felt such rage it was hardly controllable. He saw me, and I jumped through the window. He was knocked down in front of me. His eyes were wide with fright.

"Please, don't hurt me!" he cowered.

"Give me a reason not to," I spat acidly. "Do you not remember what you did to me?"

"I had to! You were a danger to society!"

"So you assumed," I growled in his face. "You and the other villagers thought you'd predicted what I would become. Did you ever speak with me personally?"

"Well –"

"Then how could you have the right to judge me?" I screamed harshly.

"I – I'm – we th- thought that you could not control the curse!" I saw the sweat beads on his face.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I grabbed him by the neck and crashed out of the house.

I ran to the village center. He was still breathing as I sat him down in front of me. I planned to make the greatest statement that any of these pathetic peasants had ever seen. I growled loudly.

"You people showed me no mercy in your black hearts," I snarled, pacing menacingly around the cowardly man bleeding on the ground. "Now, I will show you what merciless really means!"

I bent down to slaughter the man who was so undeserving of life.

Then a boy, in an orange and yellow jumpsuit with blond, spiky hair jumped between me and him. I reared my head up. I felt my heart skip a beat. Suddenly, everything slowed down. I felt panic and nausea sweep over me like a vicious toxin. I stepped back.

It was… him.

"N… N-Naruto…?"

I could hardly utter his name. I ignored every confused feeling inside me and felt the anger come rushing back.

"Have you come to kill me too?" I spat bitterly.

Naruto grinned. "Only to talk to you."

I took another step back, still wary. Staring at the smile on his face made my insides churn with a feeling that I hadn't felt in so long.

"Kishi, what happened to you? I thought you were a righteous person. Why do you have to kill these villagers? What did they do to hurt you?" he asked.

Surprised, I told him "They misjudged me. They hated me, and even tried to kill me. All I wanted was to serve my village. None of them ever took the time to talk to me."

"That was only the old man Tsukikage's mistake. But you are the one who didn't even attempt to talk to them, Kishi."

"I – I thought that I would get turned down or something." I looked down.

"Maybe, but I was the same way. When I branched out, I made friends. Kishi, you were reluctant to even talk to people. They thought you were scary because you never expressed your feelings. Open your heart, Kishi, to the people." Naruto's blue eyes gleamed as he looked me dead in the eye.

"Naruto – You know that I…I love you right? You were the only person who ever understood me. The first person to talk to me directly and speak not orders, but loving words." I began to cry. Then Naruto reached out and touched my blood-covered muzzle. No one had ever touched me.

"I fell in love with you too, Kishi. Yet, we can only be together if you stop all this pointless killing. Promise me?"

"Yes, yes! I promise!" I replied.

"I believe in you Kishi." He said and he hugged my muzzle. My wolf form began to diminish, and soon it was only me standing there being hugged by the boy I loved. Tears were still streaming down my face. I only requested to be loved – all of me. Naruto fulfilled this request and showed me mercy. Yet, I had killed so many. Looking around I observed all the bodies. They lay there lifeless, the town in ruins, and the pants were dead.

"Oh Naruto, what have I done?" I fell to my knees, remorseful.

"Kishi, it is alright. I love you still." Naruto tried to comfort me. It did not work.

"Naruto, I must take my own life." I looked bleakly into his eyes. "I have done more sins, than I can atone for in a lifetime."

"No! Kishi! Its fine, we'll clear things up with your village. Everything should be alright."

"No, Naruto. I can't."

"Kishi, please, if you let go now, you will never fulfill your parents wish." said Naruto.

"But, they are dead." I argued.

"That may be, but they told everyone their wish by naming you Kishi," he grinned, "It means that they wished for you to live a long and happy life, right?"

I realized why they had called me Kishi. I had been wondering all my life, and the reason was always there before me. They had wanted to give me a sun to oppose the night that came with this curse. They wanted to give me hope. I let more tears flood down my face, but this time in happiness. The feeling of joy blossomed inside of me for the first time.

"Perhaps… everything will turn out okay."