Chapter 10: Superficial Fear
Guess what? You don't own Naruto, and I could care less if I did or didn't.
I didn't know what being scared was until this. I was in a fairly tight hole, it was dark, I was falling down some void, and I didn't know if my life would end here or now. Out of complete fear, I unpinned my arms and legs from my sides and jammed then against the sides of the hole. I stopped moving and held myself there.
I sighed. This wasn't working too well. Up above, I saw the light coming in from above, providing only enough to see up to my waist. Past that, it was darkness. I obviously couldn't have climbed back up to the surface, the opening was something like thirty feet above me! I couldn't hold myself up for long either. My arms and legs are starting to quake. I let go and returned to falling, but now in complete darkness. The hand I waved in front of my face was part of it. I was beginning to feel the hole was coming to end. I curled myself up tightly and waited for the ground. This is going to hurt.
I fell a bit further before hitting the bottom. All my nerves pinched, and I snapped.
"FUCK!"
My cuss jumped around emptiness, and I heard the word go ahead, off somewhere. That would mean I'm in a tunnel that goes ahead. Maybe it has more passages. Let's see.
"DAMN!"
Well, hey, it's a "natural" exclamation of pain for me, and it worked. But no, the tunnel goes only in one direction. How much do you want to bet if I take one more step the place is going to cave in or blow up or something? Before I do take a step, though, I'm going to recover for a sec…I'm freaking aching all over. Once I did, I took a step ahead of me and I heard a sort of static-y buzz and braced myself. Nothing came, but the whole tunnel was illuminated by tiny blue lights going for what seemed like miles ahead of me. Yay, miles of aimless running. Oh well. At least I've got mad speed skills, but still, this place looks like those gay subway tunnels…But this, this tunnel, leads to Oro's place. I'm sure of it.
I ran for something like twenty minutes; four miles or so. I was slightly out of breath, but not tired. In my pocket I felt Anko's headband, and I was suddenly relieved of my anxiety. It came back, though, so it was pretty aimless…until I reached a darker room, but the ceiling of the cave was high up, and long, thick stalactites hung from there. They looked like fingers reaching down to poke something. That's a retarded way of comparing it but, seriously, that's what they look like. Okay…let's get the echo again.
"ORO IS AN ASSHOLE!"
"No he's not."
I got an deep echo, but I didn't need the blank voice to join. I jumped and looked around like some crazed animal. Holy crap, who talked to me?! I looked to my side and I saw…a girl.
Stony eyes, ragged clothing, and hair that fell flat down mid back. There was no color to her cheeks, and I swear, it was an apparition. The mouth was thin, like it was pressed together or something. There was a pair of straight, impassive eyebrows above those emotionless eyes. The bangs that fell above her face were off to the side, and yet I realized something. The color. The mauve-ish, purple strands falling over the shoulder. It was…Anko.
Tsunade was right. Anko had changed. I didn't recognize her.
"A-Anko?!"
She frowned at me.
"Who are you?" she asked faintly.
I strangled a laugh. Is she serious? She knows who I am…
"Don't be dumb, you know who I am."
"No, I don't. Tell me who you are." She's messing with me. Anko couldn't have forgotten me.
"Genma." I smiled at her, and quickly added, "your…partner for work." That was painful…!
"Never heard of him or her." Anko replied, cocking her head.
"What? Who do you know then?" The corner of her mouth went up suggesting a smile.
"I only know or care about Orochimaru." she replied loftily. She has to be kidding me. What happened to her? Well, Oro messed her up or something, but did he have to take her memories away? That's…that's just fucked up.
"Anko…seriously…"
"What?"
Well, she responds to her name…that's helpful…I guess…
"Where's that bastard so I kill him?"
"Orochimaru is not a bastard. He is the ruler of the shadows."
'Ruler of the shadows'? Okay…whatever.
"Well, where is he?"
"I don't think I'll be telling you." she answered. Oh, and why not? It's hard to deal with this. I can't believe she's gone like this. Anko is detached, she has no emotions. I, on the contrary, am battling them right now before they get out…
"Anko, where is he?"
"I'm not telling. He told me not to tell." Anko smiled.
"Ugh…Anko…come on…"
"Why do you want to know?"
" 'Cause, that's why." I'm a retard. That won't help here, but oh well. Anko turned on her heel and walked off. Should I follow? Aw, why not. So I went behind her, and I realized she was absolutely gaunt. Before, she had the normal feminine fat, but not fat, as in overweight. But this was like, grossly skinny. In a matter of a day, how could this have changed so much? I really didn't recognize her. She wasn't Anko anymore, physically and mentally. I found it hard to resist crying for some reason. And I'm pretty damn hard to get any tears out of.
"Why are you following me?" she asked, irritated.
"Uh…"
"I already told you, I'm not giving away Lord Orochimaru's location."
"Yes you are!"
"No."
"YES!"
"NO."
"YES, dammit!"
Anko looked at me and shook her head. I was totally exasperated. Then I remembered something. She loved to mess with my hair, so maybe…I took her weightless, translucent hand and ran it through my hair. I shuddered at the cold of her hands, but ran it through. I watched Anko's face mold into a deep frown. She immediately took her hand back.
"Now do you remember me?" I asked.
"I…vaguely. I don't know who you are or what you're here for."
That being said, holding back tears became harder yet. Was she really gone?
"You don't remember me. Or, vaguely, anyway. After the arguments we had, the good times, messing with Tsunade and everyone else, you don't know who I am?"
"No, I don't."
"Do you remember this?" I pulled out er headband and put it in her hands. Anko studied it for quite a while.
"Well, what is it?" she asked, tossing it back to me.
Penultimate heartstring, cut and frayed, last nerve, stricken with a perfect bull's eye.
"It's the headband from Konoha."
What will I have to do to her to remember? What have I done to deserve this, and what in the past could I have changed to prevent this from happening? Oh, falling in love of course. If I hadn't fallen in love with her, this never would've happened, or at least I wouldn't be here in some cave after her. I added after some thought, "Your home country. Where you were born and raised, Anko."
"I don't recall, sorry. Now, Orochimaru has things he wanted me to do."
"But I--" I stopped suddenly.
A scream, coming, traveling, I should say, from behind me, from the tunnel chilled my blood. Anko cocked her head. She was distracted, and I had no choice but to do this…I put her in a head lock and swiftly put a kunai to her throat. I held it there for a minute recalling the scream. If I was not mistaken, that high pitched scream belonged to Yuugao.
"Augh!"
"Tell me where he is or it's your head."
"No!" she choked out. I lifted her off the floor and pressed the kunai so it drew some blood.
"Yes!" I was absolutely teary, realizing I was threatening to kill her, but I continued anyway. If I wanted her back, this is what I would have to do. I wouldn't kill her, but the threats will have to go far…to my utmost dismay.
"Fine."
I put her down and sighed. Okay, good. She got that far. "I'll show you." she said.
"Quickly, please."
"Right…" Anko flashed a smile at me. I returned her smile, but quickly stopped it, the tears were too far on the edge and quivering on my lashes. Anko quickly walked off, and I followed her down somewhere. I was too distracted to pay attention to where I was going. It got darker and gloomier.
"We're here." I looked around. We were in a place similar to our previous surrounding, but I saw Oro in the distance, grinning. Anko quickly skipped off to him.
"My lord, we have a visitor!" she said happily. I'm not a visitor, I mean death. For him anyway. I have no intention of killing Anko, but I will injure her if I have to. Orochimaru smiled sardonically at me.
"Is that right?"
"Yes, Oro!"
"What did you call me?"
"Hm?" Anko looked at him curiously, and it reminded me of Kiba with that look only Inuzukas can pull off. Orochimaru sneered.
"You know what you did?"
"I…did?"
Orochimaru stood up and walked over to her. He made this pissed off face and slapped Anko so hard it made me scream. She ended up on the floor with a hand to her face and gasping.
"Bastard!" Out of complete anger, I tackled Oro and knocked him over, but not before he got to kick Anko. That made me angrier…and that's where I went savage. Between gouging his face out with my trusty toothpick and biting his arm, I was kicking him nonstop with one leg and had him grappled with the other. Anko sat watching us, eyes wide, and big red welt where Oro's hand had touched her.
Suddenly, I heard glass break in behind me and I turned around when I heard a savage growl and a sharp cry. Anko was laying curled up in a ball and I was hit with the familiar smell…and standing above her I saw Kurenai…holding a smashed vodka bottle, and two more were tucked neatly under her arm. Oro and froze and stared. I did too. Even in the dim light, I saw her pink cheeks and her swaying movement…Kurenai was DRUNK. "da fuck are you lookin' at?" she asked me.
"Uh…"
"Oh, shit!" I looked up and I saw Asuma and Raidou run in. Asuma smiled painfully at me. "She's drunk, I think she mistook someone else for Oro, sorry."
"Whatever." Anko would probably suffer severe, permanent damage to the mind with the blow Kurenai gave her.
"Hi, Genma!" Raidou said.
"Hey. Gimme a sec, okay, Raidou?"
I stabbed Oro in the eye with my dearest toothpick and he let go of me and I let go of him. I ran toward Anko but ducked when I saw two things glimmer in faint light. A "teehee" came from above me. Okay…Yuugao's here. And Hayate two. Those two always carry around those gay katanas and they're obsessed with them. But, they're so graceful when slicing things and people into pieces. Seriously, it's like, pretty.
"THE ANTICHRIST IS COMING!"
And so are the rookie nine…as Kiba has informed us…
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" the girls huddled together and glared at Kiba, who was laughing like he was the antichrist. As a result, Asuma hit him upside the head. Funny.
I took a minute to observe the place. Kurenai was drunk and smashing Oro with her other large bottle of vodka. Oro was giving her such a look…I saw Ino taking pictures of it with her cell phone, but the guy was like crapping himself in fear of Kurenai. HAHAHAHAHAHHA! Take that, bastard! HAHAHAHAHA! Anyway…I let Kurenai scream things that won't be mentioned take care of him for a while. I ran up to Asuma to get a quick briefing.
"What's the deal?"
" 'Kay, well, Gai, Izumo, Kotetsu, Iruka, Lee, and Chouji are up making a hole so this place will collapse and all that blah blah blah, yeah." Gees, Asuma can't brief himself right. I have no idea what he's talking about.
"And…Kurenai…?"
Asuma laughed thunderously and slapped his leg.
"Ahahahaha…she had four of those. I'm talkin' the one and half or two pint bottles of the vodka stuff. It was scary. It is scary."
"I noticed."
"So, what's the deal with that lady scrunched up over there?" I cringed.
"Anko…"
"NO!" Asuma recoiled, glancing at Anko, horrified. Well, pal, that's how I feel, but toss in some love and pain to the mix.
"Yeah…" Asuma gave me a sympathetic look and patted my back. Why do people always touch me? Well, him Raidou, Iruka and Kotetsu are all touchy. They'll poke and prod at you for no reason. I hate that!
I looked over at the crazy battlefield. Kiba was dragging Anko to safety while saying "Bring it on down to big daddy…oh, shit, it's all good, it's all good…HAHAH I PWN YOU…" so he's apparently feeling better, and Hayate and Yuugao were giving each other quick kisses, the girls were shrieking when they saw Oro was all bloody, Raidou was being happy, and Kurenai was…well, we all know she's under the total influence of alcohol. And then I suddenly realized that with these people it's pretty hopeless. I might as well kiss Anko and my mental sanity goodbye.
That was fun! REVIEW! I suck at action scenes, so you know...yeah. Anyway, review to just help me stay sane. My new braces are killing me.