Kohana sat by a small fountain on the edge of town. She could feel the eyes of her newly assigned guard on her back. Sighing she tucked her legs beneath her and stared into the water. She was trying to calm herself. The turmoil inside of her was like a raging sandstorm. Her eyes could not forget the man she had almost killed, her heart could not forget the moment of utter satisfaction as she wrapped her chains tighter and tighter around the man. Sighing, Kohana swirled the water with her hand. Sai was coming. She had not seen him since they had left her here.
What would happen if she let the darker part of her take over? Would all of these mixed emotions disappear? The truth was Kohana had already acknowledged that Kurai was inside of her. She wasn't crazy, at least she didn't think she was crazy.
Kohana took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Into her mind scape she went as she meditated by the fountain. It was a labyrinth. One she had tried before to navigate but for whatever reason she had never been able to make it to the center. Today she was going to succeed. She glared at the hedges and vines before her, and squaring her shoulders she marched into the maze.
"Kohana," came a voice that stopped her in her tracks.
"Hearing voices... that's new," she said aloud and looked around her.
"This way," came the voice.
She looked towards where she thought the voice had come from and hesitated for only a moment. She was unsure of when she had started running but she could almost feel the pull of her muscles.
"Over here..."
Kohana could swear that she had seen something turning a corner. She followed in that direction, ignoring the fact that the more she ran the darker it was becoming. Until finally she came to a clearing with a pond.
"This is new," she said and wandered closer before she realized, "The center."
Looking in all directions she could barely see the maze beyond.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Kohana felt a presence beside her but didn't feel fear. She could only nod before bracing herself to face the person.
"Take your time, Kohana. It's not like I've been waiting for you to finally listen to me or anything," the voice said sarcastically. Kohana couldn't help but giggle and she cast a glance at the person.
"Kurai." she said and took in the fox ears and tails. The girl was the same height as her, same blue eyes, but where Kohana had the hair of her mother, Kurai's hair was pitch black.
"What are you staring at?" demanded Kurai and when Kohana did nothing but smile she stomped over to the pond to have a look at herself.
"What is this?" she demanded as Kohana moved closer.
Shaking her head, "I don't understand. What's the matter?"
Kurai reached up and tugged at her ears, "Oh no," then looked over her shoulder to see, moving in a circle. Kohana giggled again causing Kurai to flash some very sharp teeth at her, "You think this is funny?"
Kohana couldn't help it and tried to cover her mouth, "I'm sorry... I just don't know what's wrong."
Grabbing one of the tails, Kurai shook it at her, "This! This is the problem!"
"I don't- I'm not... What?" she laughed.
Kurai grabbed Kohana's arm and dragged her to the pond. Beneath it's calm surface was a huge red fox with nine tails glaring up at her.
"You see that? That is what I'm supposed to look like. You've made me into... into some kind of fox girl!"
Kohana glanced curiously at the fox below, reaching out to touch the water she had her hand smacked. Looking up she could see the shroud of darkness on Kurai.
"Don't do that."
"I don't understand, how did I make you look like you do?"
"It's your mind, I just live in it."
"Perhaps you should explain a little more. If that is you beneath the pond, how can you be here beside me?"
"When both of us were still sealed away in the darkness, you allowed part of me to escape the seal. Not a lot, just what you see here. You needed someone to keep you sane as Danzo tried his experiments."
A flash of memory hit her as she remembered. A loud crack sounded out.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
Darkness flooded around Kohana as the memory played she could hear another voice. One that was soft and kind speaking to her after all of the evil had left for the day.
"We're gonna get out of here one day! Just you wait and see. One day, I, Kurai, will help you get out and then... then we will get our revenge on them all."
That memory morphed into another one. She clutched her chest as the familiar pain of their torture washed over her.
"This is useless. She's never going to release it."
"You just need to push her harder. Make her run faster, more electricity. If that boy can call upon the chakra then so can this one."
More tests, always more tests.
She screamed, "Kurai!"
And another that flashed as bright as the blue electricity they had used on her.
"This is no good. She's out. I can't continue while she's unconscious."
"Then, zap her again! If you can't handle a simple task then I've no need for you."
The first ninja that held the rod stepped closer, not willing to disobey his master.
"Touch me again and I promise I will kill you," came a commanding voice in a threatening whisper. The man jumped back.
"Did that come from her?"
Cruel laughter came from the one called Danzo.
"Ah, finally. A bit of darkness. Continue."
A growl could be heard, low and menacing as the man with the rod let a spark of electricity crack though the air.
To the day she had escaped.
"Test subject 'Kurai' has again become unconscious. Much quicker this time with the rapid increase of electricity combined with the metal of the chains. I will be collecting blood samples again today due to the last batch catching on fire as soon as additive 34 was introduced."
Kohana watched for the first time how she had been able to escape. The man in a white lab coat approached her. Her eyes were covered with a dark and heavy material. She remembered being unconscious. He had removed the metal on her arm so he could get blood. Just as he went to stab her with the needle. Her arm shot up as if someone else's. A growl echoed the room.
"I warned you..." was all the voice said before the sound of bone snapping filled the silence.
"It was you..." she said as her vision seemed to clear. The fox girl stood with eyes far older than what she appeared, "You took over some how... Wait a minute."
The fox raised an eyebrow at her.
"This... this is great news!" Kohana started laughing. She laughed til she cried as Kurai stood there looking at her host.
"Don't you see?" she exclaimed and it echoed through her mind scape. It was changing, rapidly. The clouds changed to blue skies. The hedges growing flowers. Kurai growled as the changes took place, looking everywhere, her tails swishing back and forth quickly in agitation.
"What are you doing, Kohana?!"
Grabbing onto her counterpart she danced in a circle, "Don't you see, Kurai? I don't have a dark side! Sure, you're kind of dark and I'm getting the feeling that you're kind of moody at times, but oh, this is wonderful!"
When the mind scape seemed to stop moving, Kurai took in the new surroundings.
"I fail to see how sunshine and flowers make such a difference," watching Kohana dance in a circle before being pounced by the girl.
"We're not darkness," she whispered as she hugged onto Kurai. Despite Kurai's extreme dislike of being sealed within anyone, couldn't help but feel a tug on the heart for this little scrap of a girl.
"How long has she been like this?" Gaara asked the guard he had assigned to watch over her.
"Since she left the training grounds, Sir."
It was night now. The only lights coming from a quarter moon and the city lights.. Slowly he approached her. From the side he could see that she was relaxed in her meditation, even wearing a smile. A smile?
He realized too late as all of a sudden he had a grinning mad woman in his arms, her eyes lit with excitement.
"Good catch, Nii-san!" she exclaimed and stuck her tongue out at him.
Gaara shook his head and dropped her, starting to walk back towards their place. He fully expected retaliation, was braced for it, but after a moment when she didn't try to tackle him he stopped and looked back to where he had dropped her.
She was still there, laying on her back looking up at the stars. He made his way back to her.
"Look at all those stars, Gaara. Each one a brilliant light shining from so far away. As if they're calling out to us from the darkness beyond saying, 'I'm here.'."
Gaara looked at her a moment before looking up into the sky. Something had changed in Kohana, he could sense it. There was an odd sort of peace about her as if some weight had been lifted. Suddenly she was up and on top of the nearest building. Gaara let the sand lift him to the same building.
"It's going to rain," she said to him as he joined her.
He looked into the sky and at her skeptically, "That is highly unlikely, 'Hana."
They stood there a moment in companionable silence, both watching the sky. It was she that finally spoke up.
"I need a few days," she finally told him. He looked at her, her eyes still on the sky.
"I will see if I can get away for-"
"That's not what I meant, Gaara," she said and looked at him, "I need... a journey."
"I can assign a mission-"
She held up her hand to silence him. This was completely different from the Kohana just a few hours ago. He narrowed his eyes at her.
"What's this all about, 'Hana? What's happened?" he asked.
"I don't know yet, but I need time to find out, by myself."
"You know I just can't let you go off by yourself. The whole reason you are here is so that we can help you. Keep you safe."
"Trust me on this, Gaara. I will return in a few days."
Gaara suddenly had a sinking suspicion that who he was talking to was not the real Kohana.
"Where have you gone, 'Hana?"
She smiled at him, "Don't worry, Gaara. I am not headed to Konoha. I just need a few days and then I will return."
She could see the anger as he grabbed her wrist, "Damn it, 'Hana. This isn't a game. There are people out to get you or don't you remember what happened today?"
Kohana took her free hand and placed it on his cheek, "Three days, Gaara. If I'm not back in three days I will send a message to you."
"How are you going to send a message if something happens to you?!" he whispered fervently.
"If something does happen I will relay a message in anyway I can but if you don't hear anything then trust that I am okay. I need this time, Gaara. There are things I need to work out and despite public appearance, I'm not your little sister. We made a promise, Gaara, and I have no intention of breaking that promise at this time because what I have to do has nothing to do with Naruto and every bit to do with myself."
Gaara looked at her, knew she was already far from the village. His temper was walking a fine thread that threatened to snap at anytime.
"Three days, 'Hana. If I do not receive word from you in three days I will hunt you down myself," he said with barely concealed frustration and worry.
"Thank you," she said and the clone dispersed leaving Gaara on the rooftop alone.
"Baka," he swore after a moment and turned abruptly towards his home.
Kohana smiled as the information was absorbed into her, "Now, where to Kurai?"
"Just keep heading South until you reach the ocean. We're going to need a lot of space."
Kohana grinned, "I hope we can get it done in three days. I think Gaara might go on a rampage if we're not back by then."
"Then, I suggest you pick up the pace, kid."
"Are you going to be like this for the entire three days?"
Author's Note: I shall be soon entertaining all of the lovelies at Shuto Con in Lansing, Michigan with a beautiful Lady Tsunade, who I believe is hoping to keep me in line, on my arm. It can't get much better than that... except my eyes shall take fill of all the beautiful and sexy people at the convention. Mwahahaha... *cough* I mean... In the name of Research I shall do it!