Chapter 6
The Opened Way
Gai laid his head down onto his pillow, dragging up an arm and resting it over his eyes in confused exhaustion. Questions that he feared would have no answers swirled in his head, the stress of not knowing anything in his current state proving too much for him. He drew the blankets up further over his body, relishing the feel of warm silk sheets against his skin. He rolled onto his stomach, nestling half his face into his pillow.
As vulnerable as he felt, he couldn't help but want to stay like this forever. At that very same moment, he wished for any sort of higher power that might be out there to gently take his life away from him. He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of light rays over his back disappear as the sun drowned. He opened his eyes as he nuzzled the cloth of his pillow, You're never there when I need you the most…
He adjusted his pillow, pulling it up closer to him to prop his head at a higher, more comfortable elevation. As light perished, he let his consciousness be a thing of the past and drifted off into darkness.
Kakashi-sensei…
Kakashi felt his heart jump at the sound of his own name, his comprehension of the word delayed by his slow awakening. His hair was matted to his face with mud accompanied by bits and pieces of crimson blood, his entire being soaked and dirtied by the fall of a warm rain. He felt sick to his stomach, an ill feeling he couldn't ignore despite his drowsiness and experience. It wasn't in his power to let the bloody churning in his body slip by his notice.
He opened his eyes, sore and dark underneath from exhaustion. His joints ached and his spine shivered with cold. His body trembled as he struggled to gain foundation with the ground and ease himself up to his knees. He was stopped frozen by a ghostly voice that burned like acid in his ears, "The Mark of Samael has been activated…But no matter. He will come despite this…intermeddling."
Kakashi lifted his head the best he could, feeling dizzy and unbearably weak in his trunk. His left eye was blind to all around it without the assistance of his now missing hitai-ate. His breathing labored as he struggled to see with his left eye, the blurry darkness swirling before it like smoke from a cigarette. His right eye saw a figure, slender but aged with back to him, blurred beyond his ability to judge gender differences. His only guide was their voice, as warped and painful as it was to listen to.
M-my chakra… it's…gone…
"You will help to bring him here. That is your purpose."
My…purpose…
"I will deal with whatever impudence is threatening my plans. You will be rewarded for your actions, mind you."
Kakashi's limbs gave out, causing him to fall flat onto his face in the mud. He turned his head the best he could, spitting mud from his lips before choking out in a raspy voice, "Who are you… What is it that you're after…?" An unknown force pressed down hard upon him, forcing him into the mud with the accompaniment of dull throbbing pains swelling in his lower back and chest.
The figure ignored his inquiries and said in a still voice, "He is to remained unharmed until the time comes. Only then will I be able to drown this world in a lake of fire..."
Fire…
The figure slowly evaporated into the thickening atmosphere, blending in with the growing fog. Kakashi felt a writhing constriction about his neck as the figure disappeared, causing him to squirm against the mud, choke and gasp for air through gaping lips.
"Wait…" He gargled against the mud, struggling against the slick earth, "…Wait!"
He stayed down, silently cursing himself for being in such a state of weakness. His breathing stabilized as he silently lay in the mud before he made another attempt to stand. This brought him success as he slowly rose to his feet. He was covered in mud but that didn't bother him as much as his complete lack of chakra and face mask.
He was surrounded by a thick layer of ominous fog, almost smoke-like, and it aroused a fear produced by his nightmares, a sinister phobia that plagued him all throughout the days and nights, asleep or awake. Slowly, he moved about the fog, waving his hands out in front of him, pushing mist from his path like as if he were swimming. As the vapor began to clear, his fears were confirmed.
He stood upon a street, concrete and smeared in scattered areas with crimson, buildings and plazas cramming at each side of the road with a parked mobile at the side here and there. The place was deserted, the buildings torn and worn due to neglect. He shivered as he looked around, his teeth gritted and his heart racing.
He was back.
His ninja instincts abandoned him as his mind raced for suggestions on what to do how to do it. He obviously couldn't just stand there and do nothing, but to wander through this ghost town and meet the beings he saw in his dreams was something he wished to avoid at all costs. Tightly, he closed his eyes, grinding his teeth as he gathered his strength, I can't flee…I must check this area out…No matter what…
Slowly he opened his eyes, clenching his fists as he pushed himself to mobilize himself along the road. The area was completely silent, saved for a softly blowing breeze and the nothingness, a nothingness that roared in his ears like a freight train. It made him uneasy.
Reluctantly, he began down the road into the unknown, kunai and shuriken at the ready. He felt what little chakra he had left depleting with every step he took, small beads of sweat forming over his forehead and sliding down his bare face. He felt naked without his mask and often found himself holding his arm up over his nose and lips as he made his way down the streets.
He stopped, jumping and yelping slightly as a small sound pierced his ears. Automatically, he whipped out a kunai, holding it up in front of him as his wide eyes looked around frantically for the source of the sound. Although it was unlike the sounds he faced in his dreams, he was still shoved into a state of terror and apprehension. The sound was soft, almost like a sniffle, the sniffle of a person, a human being.
His heartbeat ceased to race as he slowly edged forward, staring hard through the fog as he neared a figure. Sure enough, it was a human being, an adolescent holding their hands up to their face, softly crying into the palms. Their back was facing him and he slowly lowered his guard, despite his ninja instincts screaming for him to do otherwise.
The weeping adolescent was clad in a familiar outfit, green but worn and torn around the edges, baring skin that was bleeding, bruised or burnt. The forearms were tightly wrapped in bloodied tape and orange leg-warmers were reddened and ripped in small areas, revealing training weights secured about the ankles, as well as blue sandals caked in mud.
It took a minute to recognize the boy before he whispered softly in disbelief, "Lee…?"
The boy jumped to the sound of his own name, looking back at Kakashi with wide, horror-stricken eyes. Before Kakashi could reach out to the boy, Lee bolted away, not running in the usual ninja fashion, but as a scared teenager running for his life. Kakashi narrowed his eyes as he started off for the genin, pushing all notations of logic and reason to the back of his mind. Fear disappeared and he gained enough strength to speed up in his attempt to chase the other. In hopes of maybe stopping the child in his tracks, he called out, "Lee! Wait! It's just me, Kakashi-sensei!"
Lee kept running, not looking back. Cursing under his breath, Kakashi followed him through alleyways, crevices and other various obstacles through which the genin fled. Despite his speed and agility, it wasn't long before Kakashi lost sight of Lee and slowed, his breathing labored and his muscles aching. He growled in frustration as he pushed himself, This is unlike me at all…It's like my abilities are being restricted by something…
He knew his stamina wasn't exactly the best in the world, but this lack of energy was ridiculous!
"Let him go," said a trite voice from behind Kakashi when he finally stopped to catch his breath. The copy-nin whipped around to the aged voice, shocked to hear another human voice other than his or Lee's. He squinted his eyes, making out a feminine silhouette. He eyed her as she stepped closer, her image crystal clear to him despite the fog. He narrowed his eyes at her.
"Who are you?" he almost growled in a heated voice.
"My name is of no importance to you, but if you really wish to know… My name is Anna. Anna Carlie," the woman said, brushing dark red hair from her face. She stared at him with cold, stale eyes, small pools of obsidian that told tales of horror and suffering, both witnessed and endured. She was shorter than he by an inch or two and consisted of a frail form and pale skin hidden under a short mop of dark strands.
She was clad in a dark burgundy robe, her hands hidden and feet clad in black leather shoes. Kakashi relaxed slightly as he examined her, concluding ultimately that she was no threat to him. He straightened, clearing his throat a bit before he spoke as his body rested, "Alright then, Anna. Why should I let the boy go? What exactly do you know about him?"
She narrowed her eyes slightly but spoke in a gentle tone, "He fears. Do not chase a frightened creature for nightmares upon it you will certainly bring." Kakashi growled in irritation, "And why in hell is he afraid of me?" Anna closed her eyes and lowered her head, "It is not you that the child fears…"
"Then what is it! For some god's sake, what is he afraid of!" Kakashi shouted, his voice hoarse with an ever growing exhaustion. Anna froze momentarily before softly replying, "The Order…"
"The…Order…?" Kakashi quieted, not liking the sound of what he just heard and repeated softly under his breath. Anna nodded slowly before turning her back to him, "They…have touched you." Irritation flooded Kakashi's eyes once more, "What are you talking about? What is this Order?"
Anna lowered her head almost sadly and sighed deeply before she spoke, "A terrible group of terrible people…You had best redeem yourself…They will swallow you whole once God is born…I wish to be of help, but I cannot…Be at peace my friend for peace will be your ally…Reject them and their sinfulness…The more you do the slightly higher chance you will have of recovering from their evil…I wish you good luck, my friend…"
As Anna began to slowly drift down the street, Kakashi reached out for her, a sudden aching fear filling his chest, "Wait! Please! Where is this place? What the hell is wrong with this town?" His heart raced as she stopped but didn't look back at him. She only lowered her head some and chuckled softly under her breath.
"Silent Hill."
End of Chapter 6
