The next morning Katsumi woke up late. She hadn't slept well the night before and was very tired. She didn't want anything to do with this mission, her sensai's promise felt fake. She let out a sigh as she swung her legs off the bed and moved to her dresser, pulling out her mission clothes and pulling them on. She then moved to the mirror and looked over her image.
Her indigo hair was long, coming half-way down her back. She reached for her comb and brushed it out before putting her hair into low pigtails. She then moved onto her make-up, putting on a thin layer of eye-liner and lip gloss. Her pink eyes stood out from the rest of her. She let out a breath and lowered her head.
"I don't think I can handle this…" She whispered and turned to reach for her bag.
"Rataka-san, you're running late!"
"I know, Miyru!" She called back.
Her parents were rich and used maids to keep tabs on her. She hated it, hated everything about her parents. When she was a young girl she had one friend who was closer than anything – Kurai. Her parents called him bad influence and always tried to get rid of him, so when he disappeared without a word, she figured her parents had a connection to it.
She groaned as she made her way out of the mansion and out into the streets, heading for the gate. She could already see her normal team, but Raiden was not there yet, which she was grateful.
"You made it, Katsumi." Takinoko said and nodded. "A couple of minutes late, but you're not a bother. That Raiden kid is getting on my nerves, though." She muttered and scanned the streets.
Katsumi sighed. "He's later then I am I see."
Sin'ichi chuckled as he flipped his dagger in his hand. "Does he really look like the type to show up on time?"
"Why don't we just go?" Katsumi muttered.
"Yes, now that Katsumi is here, why don't we?" Raiden asked and began to head out the gates.
Takinoko grabbed him by the wrist and jerked him back. "We don't go unless I say we do, understand?"
Raiden's eyes narrowed and he yanked his hand away. "Don't touch me." He hissed.
Takinoko looked at him sternly. "I'm warning you, you regret seeing me ticked off." She stated before turning her back to him. "Are the three of you ready? Sure you're not forgetting anything?"
Miyako quickly checked her bag and gave a thumbs up. "Ready, Betty!" She said and grinned.
"Katsumi did. She left her di-" Raiden's voice stopped immediately when Takinoko turned to glare at him.
"Move it." She stated and nodded forwards.
Raiden rolled his eyes and turned to begin walking.
Katsumi sighed as she began to follow the others out. She knew the next three days were gonna be the longest of her life.
The team continued on their way, Raiden eventually fell to the back of the group. He noticed Takinoko keeping a keen eye on him, but he simply ignored her. Eventually, he moved closer to Katsumi and elbowed her in the arm.
Katsumi turned her eyes to Raiden, her face expressionless. "Yes?" She asked quietly.
"Let's start off on a new foot, alright? Forget these past few days, just pretend none of it happened." He said and shrugged. "Deal?"
Katsumi frowned and looked at the ground. "I don't think so..." She whispered.
"Nah...it'll be different - better even." He said and smirked.
Katsumi shook her head. "I-I don't think so... not after yesterday..." She whispered and bit her lip.
"Yesterday?" Raiden asked and shrugged. "Just forget about it, alright?" He asked and poked her in the shoulder.
Katsumi gasped and turned to look up at him. Her brow rose slightly before she shook it off and looked ahead again. "Why the sudden change? Yesterday you said you were a jerk because 'I exist'." She mimicked the last part in a mocking manner before sighing deeply and frowning.
"It's all the same to me. Everyone exists, but it's not something I can help. Look, you wanting to start off on a new foot or not?" He asked and looked down at her.
Katsumi sighed. "I-I guess." She murmured.
Raiden nodded. "Good." He stated and reached up to brush his bangs back.
Katsumi took a glance at him, seeing a freckle just at the corner of her eye. She gritted her teeth and shook her head as she moved up to their sensai. "T-Takinoko-sensai... h-how long until w-we stop?" She asked and bit her lip.
When the five of them reached a small village, Takinoko found a small inn and paid for three rooms. Raiden and Sin'ichi were to share a room, Miyako and Katsumi were to share a room, and Takinoko had her own small room directly between the two. A few minutes after they settled down, the rain began to down pour and the five of them went to eat at the Inn's Restaurant. For the remainder of the night, they did whatever; some sat out in the lobby while some roamed around. When the moon had risen, though the rain didn't stop, Takinoko sent them all to their bedrooms.
Sin'ichi flipped his dagger around and caught it over and over as he sat on his bed on the other side of the room from Raiden. "So... what did you do to Katsumi to make her so upset?" He asked casually.
"It is any of your business?" Raiden asked and looked up at Sin'Ichi from drying his hair with the towel. He had just exited the bathroom and felt attacked by Sin'Ichi. "What did you do to upset the big guy and kill your grandmother?" Raiden asked and raised a brow.
Sin'ichi looked unamused. "Whatever. I was just curious... Katsumi is my friend and I dislike seeing her upset..."
"Then do something about it and put the stupid dagger down." Raiden stated and threw the towel to the side as he headed towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Sin'ichi asked as he caught the dagger. "Sensai sent us to our rooms."
"Yeah, and? How old are you?" Raiden asked and rolled his eyes as he begun to open the door.
Sin'ichi rolled his eyes and plopped back, setting his dagger to the side and closing his eyes. "Fine, go get in trouble, see if I care."
"See my back? This is me not giving two cents worth of care." He stated and left the room.
"Katsumi~" Miyako called from one of the beds. "You can come out of the bathroom now! Seriously, what are you doing in there?"
Katsumi came out with her hair up and in her pajama's. "Nothing, just was thinking." She murmured and moved to sit on her bed.
Miyako frowned. "Just ignore Raiden, he's a jerk. You're better than he is." She said.
Katsumi shook her head. "He's the last thing on my mind." She muttered.
Miyako sighed. "How 'bout I get us each a bottle of water and a bag of chips and you can tell me about it, then?" She said and tilted her head slightly.
Katsumi nodded. "Alright. That'd be nice." She said and gave a gentle smile.
Miyako smiled and stood up. "I'll hurry back." She said and exited the room.
After Miyako left, Katsumi moved to her bag and pulled out a notebook and pen before leaning back on her bed and quickly scribbling into it.
"Worrying about the next guy?" Raiden asked from beside the door. "About how your father will belt you a good one when you refuse the perfect guy?" His arms were crossed over his bare chest. Water dripped from his wet hair, and his expression held nothing.
Katsumi's eyes widened as she pulled her notebook to her chest. "Wh-What?" She asked, her voice barely audible.
"Those bruises you so desperately try to hide after your father grabs you by the arms and tugs you closer to him to yell in your face. You mother giving you cold eyes as she looks at you in disgust. Sure, you find the guys attractive, but they can never be the one." Raiden said and closed his eyes partly.
"H-How d-do you know all that?" She whispered.
"I can read you just like that," he said and snapped his fingers. "Others would call it an ability."
"Liar." She hissed and turned her face away but her expression fell to sorrow again.
"Am I wrong?" He asked and moved closer, stopping just in front of her to kneel down. He reached to turn her chin slightly to the side. "Is that why you still have a little reminisce of a bruise here?" He asked and brushed his fingers lightly over the slightly yellow spot which she had tried to cover with cover-up.
She quickly slapped his hand away, tears brimming in her eyes. "G-Go away... you should be in your room..." She whispered, choking on a sob.
Raiden's eyes narrowed slightly and he gripped the hair at the side of her head, turning her face forcefully to look at him. "One after another, more and more just seem to show up. Your father standing there mockingly, acting as if he's proud and when he's disappointed he back hands you. Another one comes, and they look at you with pity, yet none of them are worth it and despite the constant pressures of both your mother and father, you look for an escape, a safe haven, but there is nothing for you. No future willing to accept you except that of your parents and you hate it. It physical makes you sick, but you push forward, day after day and return to your cozy bed to cry yourself to sleep every night."
She could no longer hold back the tears as they slipped down her face. "Y-You... are Kurai... a-aren't you?" She whispered.
Raiden's eyes narrowed and he slammed his fist into the wall beside her head. "I have no idea who this Kurai is!" He hissed and narrowed his eyes further.
Her eyes widened and she quickly looked away. "Y-You sit here... a-and tell me all the things only he knew... and tell me you know of my suffering... th-then you turn around and do the same thing my father does!" She cried and jumped off the bed, her journal falling to the floor beside Raiden as she ran to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
"You have no idea what's happened these past few years!" Raiden growled from behind Katsumi.
Her eyes widened as she turned to see Raiden. She shook her head and opened the door to run out into the room and headed for the door.
Raiden moved in front of the door before Katsumi could reach it and quickly pinned her to the wall. "Every day you watched me, years after years, after years. I listened to you and all your problems - everything you've ever told me, and I helped you through them. Yet, you never knew. It was right under your nose but you never asked. For years I was hurting. My parents had a divorce and blamed me for every part of it. They neglected me and pushed me away. For what? For their own selfishness. I went to the Academy every day with a smile on my face for your sake but you were too naive to realize that a child cannot smile every second of their day for their entire life. You never wanted to know. You wanted to believe I was perfect, and that you could use my life as a crutch for your own. I ran away, Katsumi. I ran away and in the last two years..." A snarl crossed features and he scoffed. "I am no longer the loser you've once known. The one who falls at the feet of others and kisses them. I'm a new man. A year ago, I changed my name and a lot about myself. "Why?" You ask, because in the shinobi world, when people know you, they treat you like they know you. You wanna take me to your father now, Katsumi? He'll get a real kick to know I've grown up to finally fit his profile for myself."
Katsumi turned her face away and gritted her teeth as tears streamed down her cheeks. She shook her head as she listened to his words. She realized a lot in the time he had disappeared, and she wished she could fix it all when he returned, but the man he was now she wanted no connection with. "B-Back off." She whispered.
Raiden growled loudly and leaned forward. "Dare you to tell me to back off?" He asked and leaned forward with a snarl.
Katsumi looked at him through her tears. "Back off." She said with a bit more force.
"Back off?" He repeated and moved his fingers around her throat. "How dare you to tell me-" He pushed her head back harder to the wall. "How- How dare-" He gritted his teeth as the tears began to fall from her eyes. His mind was growing hazy and his fingers tightened around her neck. He wanted to crush her, but at the same time he couldn't bring himself to do such a thing. "You tell-" His eyes narrowed before he leaned forwards, pressing his lips roughly to hers. He had forgotten how it felt - how her lips felt - and he hated it. Hated what he had done. When his eyes caught her shocked gaze, he jumped back and lifted his arm to wipe his mouth. He looked at her once more before storming out of the room just as Miyako was coming in.
Miyako gasped and watched as Raiden half jogged to his bedroom. "Are you alright?" She asked and moved to Katsumi who was crying. "What did he do?" She asked and wrapped her arms around Katsumi after throwing the bottles and chip bag down on one of the beds.
Katsumi was shocked as she tried to process everything. After a moment she broke into hysterics and fell to her knees, holding her face in her hands as she rocked back and forth as she sobbed hard. The memories whipped through her head and she wished it would all go away.
Miyako's eyes widened and she fell to her knee's, grabbing Katsumi's shoulders and shaking her. "Katsumi! Snap out of it!" She shouted and shook her harder.
Takinoko and Sin'Ichi entered the room and found the two on the floor beside the door.
"What happened?" Takinoko demanded.
"I-I...don't know. Raiden- he was leaving as I was just coming in..." Miyako said in confusion and shook her head.
Takinoko narrowed her eyes. "That boy really wants to tempt me, doesn't he?" She hissed and pulled the door open again. "I'll be back."
"S-Sensai!" Katsumi cried. "S-Stop!"
Takinoko froze just outside the door before turning back. "What?" She asked in shock.
"I-I...It wasn't... him..." She murmured and whipped her eyes. "I-I'm fine..." She whispered and stood up shakily.
Takinoko's expression twisted with confusion. "N-not...him?" She clarified. "What happened, then?"
Katsumi stumbled over to her bed and flopped down, pressing her face into the pillow. "Just go away." She murmured.
Takinoko moved over to sit down on the edge of the bed, her hand lightly rubbing Katsumi's back. "You can tell us anything, remember." Takinoko said. "You know you can trust us."
Katsumi shook her head. "I-I just want to sleep..." She murmured.
Sin'ichi slipped from the room to return to his own to find Raiden. He didn't see him in the room but the bathroom door was closed. He quickly rammed his shoulder into it to force it open. He saw Raiden looking over himself in the mirror. Sin'ichi growled and rammed his knee into Raiden's back.
"What the hell did you do?!" He hissed.
Raiden growled and turned around, slamming his palms into Sin'Ichi's shoulders to force him backwards. "My business is not yours, now keep your dirty self away from me and leave my sight before I'll have to remove you." He hissed and clenched his fists.
Sin'ichi shook his head. "I'm not leaving until I know what you keep doing to Katsumi!"
"If she's your friend, why don't you just ask her?" Raiden asked and grimaced. "Or is she not saying anything because she knows I did nothing wrong?"
Sin'ichi growled. "Tell me what you did!"
"I'm telling you, Sin'Ichi. You better leave right now." Raiden stated.
"You don't scare me, Raiden." Sin'ichi hissed. "I-"
"Sin'ichi, leave him alone!" Katsumi shouted from the door.
Sin'ichi slowly turned and growled. "But he keeps doing something to you!"
Raiden looked over at Katsumi and narrowed his eyes. "Already changing your mind, I see." He stated.
Katsumi turned her eyes away and turned to walk away.
Sin'ichi narrowed his eyes at Raiden. "Hurt her once more and I will kill you." He hissed.
"Bring it on, kid." Raiden stated and narrowed his eyes. "You have no idea what you're getting in to."
Sin'ichi growled and slammed the door in Raiden's face before going to his bed and laying down with a sigh.
Raiden let out a long breath and ran a shaky hand through his hair. "One of these days..." He muttered and turned to slam his fist into the wall. The wall broken behind his knuckles and his hand went through the dry-wall. He gritted his teeth and pulled his hand back out, looking himself over in the mirror before exiting the bathroom. He glanced at Sin'ichi who had his back to him before laying down on his bed.
"Before you go sticking your nose into others business...get your facts straight. Learn more about your beloved crush and then come to me with that precious dagger of yours previously plotted to embed itself in my back. Maybe then you'll realize the truth and lay it all down, turning and walking away. I don't care what you think, but under the circumstance, you're nothing but a teammate at the moment." Raiden stated and turned onto his side and closing his eyes.
Sin'ichi grimaced and turned onto his side. He did not have a crush on Katsumi, he just cared for her.
