Chapter 2: Amaya

Kakashi was immedeately greeted by an anbu captain when he walked into the room. Lady Tsunade looked over her shoulder when she heard Kakashi return the welcome. There was a strange stillness in the air. Kakashi could feel the anxiety that filled the room. It was smothering, pushing down on his lungs and making his heart feel heavy with dispair. Kakashi had heard so many stories about the vicious soul theives, but they were believed to be gone for almost ten years. Everyone thought they were gone forever. Kakashi never knew why; weither it was because of some unknown event or just wishful thinking, but they were gone for ten years, and that meant that they were never to return. People clung onto this belief, like it was gods solemn promise that this evil shall never return. Everyone believed it.

Until today.

Kakashi gingerly made his way up to the bedside, where Lady Tsunade was waiting for him. She turned back and looked back down at the victim.

"It's been confirmed. She's been cursed."

Kakashi looked at the body of the woman. She had one give away sign of the curse. Her hair was matted, almost burned looking, and faded from ebony black to an evil violet as his eyes followed down the strands. He reached down and touched a small lock of it. It was so thick and tangled that he couldn't hope to even get his fingers into her hair yet alone comb them through. her hair also felt very dry and dirty, like it was never combed in her entire life. He quickly drew his hand away. He had heard tales about this horrible fate, but he had never in his life witnessed it first hand. His eyes left her hair and scanned the rest of her body. She had no clothes on, and her body was covered in bandages, scars, cuts, scrapes and bruises. She had a tiny patch on her eye, held on by a bandage. Her breasts were hidden beneath bandages, and she had a small cloth around her waist. Blood stained the bandages on her knees.

"She was found outside the gates this morning around ten AM." Lady Tsunade began. "She arrived here in critical condition. She lost so much blood that the wounds stopped bleeding even though they've been too deep and open for the blood to clot. She barely made it."

"I see..." Kakashi didn't sound too shocked. "And, is there any particular reason why she doesn't have any clothes on?" he joked.

"These were all that were left of them." she said and held up a rag, blood stained and barely in one piece. Kakashi couldn't tell what they could've been before the attack.

"Ah..." He looked at the victim again. Her skin was unnaturally pale. Yet another sign. "Any idea when she was cursed?"

"Based on the time we found her and her wounds we believe that it was this morning. However..." she lowered her head. "We could be wrong..."

"Hm?"

"She could have been cursed for years now... And these wounds.."

"I've heard that people have a deep hatred for the ones touched by death.." Kakashi said, almost to himself. "Some go so far as to chase them out of their homes. Or worse..."

"It's such a tragic fate.." Tsunade said. "Others fear that the cursed are sleeper agents for the soul theives and treat them as such... The cursed are usually forced into an ultimatum."

"An ultimatum?"

"Join the soul thieves, and survive, although it means sacrificing everything you believe in, all your dreams, goals... your humanity and your soul... and be damned to a life of murdering innocent people against your will... Or try to live your life alone, greeted with hatred and violence from others every single day, unrightly accused of wrongful deeds you are innocent of, suffering until the day you die... be it from old age, or by another's hand..."

Kakashi looked into the womans face. It seemed so gentle, her soft skin almost glowing in the pale sunlight which poured into the room from the windows. The soft shadows brought out each gentle curve of her body. Her face seemed vacant of any emotion except for a hint of torment in her right eye and a gentle frown on her lips. The thought that such a woman could be the target of the soul thieves and sentanced to such a horrible fate weighed heavy on his mind.

"So... She won't be able to feel anything?"

"No emotions whatsoever." Tsunade confirmed. "The curse seals away the heart of the victim, taking away emotions and feelings. At least.. thats what we know about it. There hasn't been much research on the curse, mainly because, well... Most victims are killed by villagers before they can be studied."

Kakashi slowly nodded, unable to take his gaze away from the womans face. Tsunade reached into her bag.

"We also found this on her." she said as she pulled out a Kunai and Shuriken pouch, as well as one unusually large kunai with a very long wire tied to the handel. This kunai had a coat of blood on it. "This blood is not her own... She tried to fight back..."

Kakashi's eye widened. This woman didn't look particularly strong, and judging from her mangled body, he was pretty sure she knew at least near the begining of the battle that it was one sided. So why would she fight back?

"We also found six holes in her back. There was no blood coming from them though, and they seemed to have been sealed off, by the enemy we think."

"Why would they do that?"

"I looked into the history of Umogakure. It turns out that the ruling clan, the Kiseki clan, had their own Kekei Genkai, as well as a special collection of jutsus. One of those said jutsus was called the Yume Tsubasa no Jutsu, The Dream Wing Jutsu."

"Go on." said Kakashi, who wanted to learn more about this clan.

"It seems they would channel their chakra through pores in their back, and the chakra would take the form of angel wings, and even allow them to fly."

"So you're saying..!"

"Yes..." She looked back down at the outsider. "She must be the last of the ruling clan." She paused for a moment. "The trails of blood leading to where we found her only began twenty meters from here though, and there wasn't enough blood to suggest that she was attacked there. I'm guessing she flew."

"But how could she if her jutsus were sealed off?"

"They followed her and sealed them off when she passed out." She turned to the Anbu. "The guards went to the entrance because they heard a deep voice yelling, forming a jutsu. When they got there, only the victim was there. One reported that they saw what looked like a shadow running away. That must have been when they sealed off the keikei genkai."

"They did that to keep her from flying anymore, right? So that next time she'll be easier to catch?"

"No... they could have taken her then just as easily..."

"So why?"

"To force her to use... those jutsus."

"What..?"

"One effect the curse they put on her is that she has learned the soul thieves jutsus and has been given the chakra to use them. They are all forbidden jutsus and for good reason. The moment you use them, your heart is forever tainted with evil. These jutsus attack the soul, mangle the victims, and leaves them alive to suffer. If the user wants to, they can even send the souls of their victims to hell itself. This is how they force the victims into the ultimatum. If she cannot use her orriginal techniques, she either has to join them by using the jutsus, or just let herself be killed via lack of defense. And whats more... If she uses them, that curse will be perminant."

"You mean... there is a way to break the curse?"

"Yes. But... I don't know how."

She took a Kunai and grabbed the bandages that covered the uppermost part of her chest. She carefully cut some away and exposed the curse mark, which looked much like a strange set of prison bars, and lay on top of her heart.

"So thats what it looks like, huh?" Kakashi pondered.

"I was hoping Jiraiya would be able to recognize it and tell us how to break it. He should show up soon."

There was a sudden shot of panic that flew through the room when they noticed the woman's eye twitch. All eyes fixed on her, and the anbu all grabbed their swords, preparing for the worst. The tension in the room was like nothing Kakashi felt before. Her eye slowly opened. It was pale blue, almost like it had been frozen on the inside, a layer of ice obscuring the view. Another scar of the curse. As she sat up, all the Anbu drew their swords and pointed them at the womans neck. To Kakashi and Tsunade's amazement, she didn't flinch, or even show any sign of being startled at all. She casually glanced up at Tsunade and Kakashi.

"Where am I?" She asked in a startlingly calm, emotionless, almost monotone voice.

"Put your swords away!" Tsunade ordered. The Anbu complyed, albeit slowly. She then turned to the woman. "You are in the village hidden in the leaves."

"Thats right. Now I remember." She said, seemingly lost in thought. "So I survived after all... too bad." Her demeanor was almost chilling. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Hokage."

"Oh. Yes, of course."

"Who are you?"

"My name is... Kiseki Amaya." It almost seemed like she was trying to remember, or rather, force herself to tell them. She took a lock of her hair in her fingers and looked at it. "They got me, didn't they?"

"Yes, they did." Tsunade answered. Amaya nodded slightly, almost as if she was accepting her fate. Her face seemed almost concrete. it never changed. She glanced over at her left arm, which was in a cast.

"I could have sworn I died."

"Well, you almost did. it took me hours to get you in stable condition."

"I have a question for you, Hokage-sama." She slowly brought her gaze up to Tsunade's face. "Why did you save me?"

Kakashi was almost horrified by this. This can't be real. How could anyone possibly be this cold? It sent chills down Kakashi's spine just watching her.

"Everyone diserves a second chance." Tsunade replied. Amaya just casually nodded. Just then, Jiraiya came in through the door.

"So, where is she?" he asked. Tsunade stepped aside and Jiraiya came up to the bed. He saw the curse mark. "I see..." he said, almost sadly. "I know how to break this curse.."

"I have to kill the soul thief who did this to me..." Amaya interrupted. Again, there was no emotion. Only an expressionless face and a cold monotone voice. Jiraiya was stunned for the moment, but slowly nodded. "I see.. And my Keikei Genkai was sealed off, right? I can tell." she said feeling her back with her hand. "How unfortunate." She paused. "You can all leave now... I can imagine how upsetting it is for all of you to watch me." The Anbu stayed where they were, only leaving when they got a nod from Tsunade. Amaya stared ahead, not looking away even when there was no one there to look at.

Kakashi still couldn't believe what he was seeing. Every moment he watched her, his heart sunk deeper and deeper. It almost frightened him to watch her. But he found himself unable to take his gaze off of her. She slowly swung her eyes from the wall in front of her up to kakashi's face. Kakashi almost felt his heart stop when her eyes met his. It was almost as if his soul was frozen in place. Her stoic eyes devoid of any reaction to his frozen gaze. She slowly blinked. Kakashi couldn't. Finally after what seemed like hours of unnerving tension, she broke the silence with equally void words.

"You have been staring at me for a long time now." Her mouth barely moved, only enough to form words. She looked almost as if she was mumbling to herself. "Why is that?"

"I-I..." Kakashi found himself at a loss for words. She interrupted.

"It's alright. Answer me not." She looked down, almost at Kakashi's chest. "I wouldn't trust me either. I'm too inhuman." She looked back up at his face.

"N-no, that's not it, really." Kakashi scratched the back of his neck. He couldn't think of what else to say. Jaraiya did him the favor. If thats what you'd like to call it.

"What he's TRYING to say, is that you're a very lovely young lady! And he couldn't keep his eyes off those two great big, round, juicy--"

"Eyes." Kakashi interrupted, trying to save as much face as possible. Amaya's face didn't change. Kakashi was sure that if she wasn't cursed.. it still wouldn't have. He laughed nervously and scratched his neck even more.

"Even with my matted hair and mangled body, you think of me as 'lovely'?" She softly asked. "I doubt it. Not even the biggest man-whore in the world would find me attractive now." She casually remarked. "most of them are probably getting their torches and weapons ready now. I shant be here much longer."

"The biggest man-whore in the world just SAID you were a lovely young lady." Tsunade grumbled, giving Jiraiya the evil eye. Jiraiya was too busy staring at Amaya's chest to notice. "You should be safe here in the hospital. For now."

"I thank you. But you need not worry about me. I will die soon." Kakashi was taken aback by her blunt answer.

"Well, I best be off." Jiraiya said. "I've got things to do."

"As do I." said Tsunade. She went first and Jiraiya followed. After he got so far through the door, however, he stopped.

"If you're feeling any better later on, come down to the apartment building in the middle of town! I'm in apartment number three two fou--" Tsunade's hand reached over and grabbed him by the hair and pulled him away. The door shut right after. Amaya and Kakashi listened to his whining, something about Tsunade ruining his chances, and him getting lucky that night, as it faded further and further down the hallway. Kakashi cleared his throat.

"I, uh, I'm sorry about what happened back there." Kakashi began, still embarassed by the perverted sage's speech. "um, You see, Jiraiya is--"

"Don't worry about it."

"... okay."

"You can leave if you want to." She said. "You don't need to stay here on my behalf."

"If you're sure."

"Positive. You look like a busy man." she said, looking up at his Hitai-ate. "If Hokage-sama called you in here, i'm sure it's because you're well known for being a strong ninja."

Kakashi hesitated, but he slowly turned away and walked out the door. He stopped before he closed it and looked over his shoulder. Amaya saw a very concerned look in his eye.

"Take care of yourself.." he softly said, and closed the door. Amaya listen to his footsteps fade away. She was alone once more.