Kag: Thank you for the reviews! A certain author edited this chapter. She's almost a big-shot but I have a long way to go! She is my ex co-writer and my alter ego.
Nameless author: Hey! I am not!
Chapter 2: Birds Caught In a Web
Silence.
He saw a huge spider web,glisteningof the raindrops that fellovernight in the sun. It hung on a tree branch, away from danger and sets a trap for the spider's prey.
'A spider's web?' Kai thought as he stood on the road, looking up the tall tree.
Warily, he glanced around his surroundings…
It looked of a village that he has never been in. The houses lay quiet and all he could hear were the rustling of the trees and whispers of the wind. Quiet, too quiet to be a ghost town, he thought as he took a cautious step on the paved road.
As he stepped his foot down, suddenly, he felt his feet stuck around a thick, clear thread. And Kai realized that he was in a web himself! Soon, he heard cries of help, but he too was weak and helpless to escape from the trap.
"Quit playing with the spider's web," a man yelled at a small child who threw rocks at it.
He fluttered his eyes open then blinked again, "Hn?" Kai sat up in shock, panting and covered in beads of sweat. Those cries were too familiar…
His head was on Hiromi's lap the whole time he was asleep. Hiromi opened her eyes and stared dreamily at him, "You're awake."
"Where are we?" Kai asked, massaging his forehead.
"In the village, where else?" Hiromi giggled. She rubbed her scarlet eyes.Carefully, he eyed his surroundings...the tree stood behind him, with the same spider's web...in the same place.
"Ok, how did I get here?" Kai asked, ruffling his tousled hair.
Hiromi sat on the park bench while Kai slept the whole hour away after Ray dragged him from the airport.
"Ray carried you," Takao said as he watched both Kai and Hilary sleep on the bench and the rest of their luggage. Silence filled the air taking its sweet time, pissing Hiromi off. Max and Rei were asleep also, exhausted from carrying the baggage. Takao was the only left awake to watch over them.
"Where are our guides?" Kai asked looking around the people and shops. He hated the silence between them.
"They're late!" Hiromi huffed.
"SOUND NINJAS!" a villager yelled from far away. The rest of the people around Takao, Kai and Hiromi all scrambled in fear and into their homes. Max and Rei woke up in shock.
"What's going on?" Max asked, watching the people run. A little girl tripped, Rei rushed to her and helped the tyke get up.
"Your leg is bleeding," Ray said to the little girl. 'What did she trip on?'
"Ninjas?" Hiromi asked in shock. 'Ninjas,' Kai kept quiet and simply took the kunai knife hidden on his boot and got ready to fight. He came in front of Hiromi as he heard the rustling of the trees near them. Three figures jumped out one by one. The first was a pink-haired short-haired girl who instantly questioned, "Are you the tourists?"
Hiromi nodded in fear. The second figure that jumped out was a raven haired boy with fierce onyx eyes. Hiromi noticed his good looks in an instant and blushed. Kai snorted and glared at Sasuke. He knew perfectly who the ninja was…Uchiha Sasuke. He was widely heard in the headquarters and so was Hiwatari Kai.
'Hiwatari Kai,' Sasuke sneered at the slate-haired boy. 'What is HE doing in the Leaf Village and in the Fire Country?'
Sakura noticed Kai's appearance and nearly fainted. He had to be a ninja. 'A really evil shinobi, just like Sasuke…' Sakura thought. The last one who emerged from the trees was a blonde, Naruto.
"I'm here to save the day-"
"Save it, Naruto," Sasuke cut in.
Screams of women and children were heard as numerous men attacked homes. Hiromi and Sakura gasped and shook in fear. Kai and the rest stifled their gasps as the place quieted down, they saw some of the ninja who came out with blood on their fists.
"We have to get out of here," Sasuke insisted turning towards the group.
"Sakura, take them and you to safety. Naruto and I will stay here," Sasuke ordered.
Naruto, stubborn as always whined, "Since when did you become boss?"
"Just shut up, loser," Sasuke said flatly. "No one else will fight against them."
"Military service, dumbass? Don't tell me that you've forgotten?" Naruto asked.
"No, I haven't. But you seemed to be preoccupied to realize that they are all in the Wind Country in a war and only a few of the troops are left here. Those troops are up north, only the chuniin, jounin and the other genin are left here and I'm not planning to miss the fun," he smirked.
"Dumbass," Sasuke's grin grew, ticking Naruto off.
Naruto exploded, "Sasuke, do you want to fight here and now?"
"No thanks," Sasuke said boldly, "we're under attack."
"I don't care!" Naruto retorted.
"Naruto!" Sakura scolded him. "Leave him alone or I'll beat you to a bloody pulp!"
The blonde silenced, sulking. The rest of the group, except Sasuke, gave him a weird look. O.O
Kai just kept his mouth shut. If he ever revealed that he was a genin, his friends will be in jeopardy and the deal is off. Kai can't kill any ninja in front of his friends, especially not in front of Hiromi.
Sakura grimaced, 'Not good. Sasuke will be hurt! Naruto too! I can't let Sasuke get killed again!'
She suppressed herself. Sasuke was strong enough to defend himself in battle and had, in the past, defeated the strongest enemies. The sound ninjas were nothing compared to a Uchiha clan member. Sakura still felt afraid. She can't bear it if Sasuke leaves again since he mentioned he was only staying for a short period of time. And if he does leave…how will it take until he comes back?
'Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura…So they're our guides. They look very young, around our age. I was expecting a little older than we were. And how come the pamphlet hadn't mentioned anything about attacks going on the village?' Hiromi felt herself being pulled by the wrist into safety.
"Quit zoning out Hiromi!" Kai yelled at her. 'Come to think of it, I think we're in the wrong place!' Hiromi frowned and panicked. How was she going to break the news to her friends? Kai pulled on her hand as they ran.
"AH!" her leg suddenly caught something that made her stumble across the road. Kai pulled her up and noticed a scratch right across the lower part of her leg. Hiromi shook the pain off and continued to stand up.
Her blood dripped from something…a string or thread of some sort…
Kai eyed Hiromi, "Are you-"
"Yeah," Hiromi beamed, brushing her skirt. Kai wrapped his hand around hers tight and they both ran.
They soon arrived to a building filled with young children wearing the same weird head gear with the metal plate in the center, etched with a weird symbol as Hiromi noticed. All the children eyed the whole team since they appeared weird; they weren't dressed in traditional ninja clothing and looked terribly foreign except for Ray. The building appeared to be a school, with numerous classroom and children.
Uneasy, Hiromi smiled at Sakura, "Where are we?"
"The Ninja Academy," Sakura replied, trying to recover from the running.
"Oh great, I'm spending time in a school again after being there everyday for eleven months!" Takao said grumpily.
"Now stay here. I'm going back." Sakura turned to ran when Max called,
"Didn't the guy a minute ago told you to stay here?"
She turned to the blonde, beaming, and replied, "I know. I just want to give Sasuke a hand."
His mouth suddenly had a mind of its own. Kai, without thinking, called after Sakura, "I'm coming with you."
"No Kai, you'll get hurt!" Hiromi cried in protest, grabbing his arm.
"It's not the first time," Kai took the kunai Hiromi had with his own and caught up with Sakura. He raised his hand up for a moment and continued to run.
"So…are you really a ninja?" Sakura asked as they both ran.
"Hn, what made you think that?" Kai replied. Two men were dead ahead, armed with a huge Fuuma Shuriken and one held a katana. They were only halfway from where the team had been before the attack. Sakura stopped dead at her tracks; the men looked deadly and intended to do something far more than kill people. Both of them eyed the pink-haired female with a sneer as she bravely, she took her kunai out and stood still, ready to fight.
Kai stood still and whispered, "Kai." Behind Sakura, he did the hand-seals of the genjutsu and one ninja lost his Shuriken. Sakura gasped, 'Cancellation Jutsu. Kai really is a ninja!'
Suddenly, Kai felt his body froze in the spot.
'I-I…can't move!' He was under a jutsu effect placed on him. Straining, his arms moved and soon his fingers. He had enough energy to move his hands to do hand-seals.
The two men charged to them at great speed.
'This jutsu requires so much charka, I just can't miss,' Kai deeply thought.
"Kai! They're coming at us!" Sakura yelled fearfullyDesperately, Sakura threw her kunai but missed one of the opponents' head. Kai stayed motionless as his eyes were closed. His kunai weren't seen or handy.
Sakura panicked, 'Sasuke-kun!'
"Lousy timing for being a klutz," a voice called to Sakura as he grabbed her by the waist and leapt to safety, on one of the concrete walls that stood around a house. In that same second, Kai did the hand seals of the jutsu and his plum coloured orbs changed into two purple slits.
The two men stopped on their heels and screamed in terror. Numerous black snakes come out from their sleeves of their ninja uniforms, hissing and grappling with their arms. The ninjas struggled to fight the jutsu, using their katana and barely cutting the snakes on their arms. Soon after, some snakes began to travel up to their necks, choking them and dropping their swords. They howled in horror as the snakes' fangs dug deep into their arms and neck, letting blood out…slaying both of them.
'So, he has learned the skill,' Sasuke thought, 'the Shadow Snake Hand.'
Sakura placed a hand over her mouth in shock. Looking up to her saviour, she nearly fainted or even died for that matter.
"S-sasuke-kun?" Sakura stammered, "You came…" Sakura noticed his wounds and the needles he had on his chest and arms, 'Some of them were from the Hidden Mist…'
"You're hurt," Sakura eyed him.
"Don't cry," Sasuke said in advance, almost a beg for her. In disbelief, she pouted at him, "I wasn't going to!" He quirked a brow in incredulity, the pink-haired medic sighed and admitted, "Okay, I was about to." She avoided his doubt gaze, embarrassed.
"Hey you lovebirds! Not that you mind but we're surrounded!" Kai yelled at them both. Sasuke paused and glanced around, they were, at least by twenty men. Each ninja wielded a weapon, prepared to kill. Suddenly Sasuke and the others felt something around their arms and legs…clear strings. Sakura struggled to move and whispered, "Sasuke-kun!"
Kai felt the clear string tighten around his biceps and thighs. Soon, the string will tear through his clothes and into his skin. Eventually, it will cut him into tiny little pieces.
"Stay back," Sasuke said. Sakura nodded and tried to back away from Sasuke. Kai pulled a sword from his fallen enemies and stuck it on the ground near him. He was glad that none of his friends could see him now.
As if on cue, Sasuke and Kai did hand seals and appeared as if they were the exact signs of the Chinese zodiac.
"Katon Housenka no Jutsu!" the boys yelled in unison. Both boys were covered in flames and sent beams of fire all ninjas who held the strings and the rest of the men. The fire revealed that the whole village was tangled with the clear thread, bonded around the trees, light posts, houses…everything!
Soon, Sakura realized that the whole road ahead where the park bench sat still was free from the web. Those torurists were sitting in the heart of the web. They were unaware of the trap set out for the villagers of the Konoha. Sakura should've seen it coming…but it was so inconspicuous, so well hidden, no one could have seen it.
Sasuke fell on his knees as his energy slowly drew away from him.
"Sasuke!" Sakura cried, pulling to get to him.
'Damn it,' Sasuke thought. 'The threads are still here!' The strings had tightened onto his skin, drawing blood.
'I have to get Sakura and that twit out of here.'
He glanced at his team member and friend. Wearily, she looked up, meeting eyes with his obsidian ones with a somnolent glint. Sakura glanced to the side. Sasuke followed her eyes and noticed her bare porcelain arms had been deeply gashed by the strings wrapped around them. Sasuke drew his scornful gaze on her legs and they, too, were bleeding, for she stood on her pool of blood.
'Sakura can't die!'
"Sakura," he called in a whisper.
'I've never lost this much blood…' Sakura's vision of Sasuke blurred and her body numbed.
"Hang on Sakura!" Sasuke yelled, trying to reach her, but no avail. 'Naruto! Where are you?'
Her lips tugged into a helpless smile, 'I'll hold on a little longer…'
Sakura's jade-coloured eyes closed shut and her body gave out lifeless. The strings held her up on her feet, like a puppet. Who would do this! Sasuke felt rage rise up in his heart and his head burned in turmoil.
Kai used his kunai to cut from the strings that imprisoned him. Taking the sword, he jumped up and used the katana to slice the strings off of Sasuke and Sakura. Instantly, Sasuke caught her in his arms. Holding her, Sasuke gazed down to her face and felt responsible.
"We'll have to get out, now!" Kai exclaimed, motioning Sasuke to go. 'If that thread is around the village, then it must be back in the Academy! Shit! The dream!'
Cutting the strings with his katana, he ran ahead of the Sharingan user who piggy-backed the bleeding Sakura. Soon recognizing the blood-stained string where Hiromi had tripped on, he angrily slit it, like cutting hair or throats back when he was to assassinate great leaders.
Sasuke felt her blood soaked legs…was he touching her legs? Sasuke's face reddened. What was he thinking? Sakura was injured! But if she ever realized that he was…, she'd kill him for sure…
Sakura opened her eyes as she felt being carried.
"N-ng…where's-"
Sasuke's face froze.
"Don't talk, we're almost there," he muttered blankly. Sasuke felt relieved that she had finally woken up. Now Naruto must be still with Kakashi and the others. Good. No interruptions from him for a while.
Sakura smiled, and strained to heal herself.
Kai kicked the door open and found the children and his friends were all right! Hiromi rushed to him as she quickly spotted the first scratch on his arm. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tugged him to an embrace.
Takao and the others bombarded him with questions about the ninjas.
"What happened out there?"
"Yeah! I want to know!"
Kai's eye twitched in disbelief and the fact he was friends with idiots.
Rei, a bit more mature than the others, approached his tour guide.
"Are you going to be fine?" Rei asked, placing a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.
"I'm fine," Sasuke looked down. 'Sakura isn't.'Rei noticed the pink-haired girl in Sasuke's arms, which reminded him of Mariah.
The neko-jin sensed and noticed Sakura's condition. Rei sent Sasuke a sympathetic smile, "She'll be fine."
Sasuke glared at him, which reminded Rei of Kai.
"You have little faith in me, Sasuke," she strained to say. Sakura's eyes opened as tears began to come out.
Sasuke stifled a gasp and said nothing. 'How did she-hey! Don't you cry then die on me, Sakura!'
His gaze softened at her as his mask of no emotion slowly fell off.
'I'm sorry.'
Katon Housenka no Jutsu- Phoenix Fire Jutsu
Kagari: How was that? Thanks for reading! And also, tell me if I need to stop the fic and don't you flame me, that's just evil…I should know! Review please; I want to prove to my other writer that I am THE better half!