Moons: A review!? *pinches self* I'm not dreaming!! Thank you Brotmesseresser! *gives magical soda*
Kitai-kun and the organization Keimei are property of emoDeidara13 and are used with her permission.
Rest in me and I'll comfort you
I have lived and I died for you
Abide in me and I vow to you
I will never forsake you
~Evanescence, Lies
He was right behind him. There was little if any possibility of escape. The boy kept running as fast he could. Two kunai came flying his way. He moved quick enough just so they were a hair away. A hand reached out behind him.
"Gotta'cha!"
The redhead grabbed Sora by his shoulders and pinned his back to the ground. The two stared eye to eye for a total of about five seconds. Then they started to crack up with laughter.
"Ha... man I wasn't even close." Sora commented between snickers.
"You are close." Kitai said, getting up off him. "You're a naturally fast runner, and you're learning how to avoid me."
"Eh, I'm not nearly as good as you."
"Yeah, well I'm four years older than you and actually became a shinobi." Kitai helped Sora to his feet. "Didn't you have any shinobi where you came from, kid?"
"We had them visit, but there wasn't an actual school where you could train." He explained as they started to walk. Around his neck hung a silver rosary exactly like Kitai's.
They walked together casually on the edge of the town. At first glance, they looked like close friends. It would be hard to tell that they had met each other recently. Honestly, Sora didn't know how long Kitai had been watching over him in the village. Things, for once, were looking surprisingly well for him.
The sun was now long down and the two decided to call it a day. They were staying in an abandoned place that they claimed as their own for the time being. Sora instantly feel asleep, exhausted from the little work out Kitai gave him. Kitai on the other hand had an empty sleeping bag.
He couldn't sleep. The older Jashinist leaned back against a wall, having a flashback.
You are not alone in the world, Kitai. There are more people out there who have been through pain. I have rewarded them with a listening ear through their prayers. One of them is coming your way. Be my messenger and give him a little gift from me.
Kitai woke up from the dream. A silver rosary like his own was in his hand. "Jashin-sama...!" Of course it was the work of god. It had been his voice. He had given him a gift like this before.
The place he was currently staying in was a dark place to wake up in. He tucked the gift careful into a pocket to wrapped up later and given better protection. He took no notice of the figure sneaking around him. He practically slivered through the trees getting closer and closer to him.
Kitai yawned and got out of the place he was staying in. Iwagakure's streets were crowded even in the mornings. He frowned a little at the thought of how hard finding one to sacrifice would be. Well not really, but Kitai was picky. He only killed certain people. He loathed the killing of innocents. He wasn't much of a felon that way, but he didn't care.
Even though his sacrifice was that of a criminal, he got in trouble anyway. He ended up running from some shinobi who "caught 'im". He ducked inside a corner to hide last minute. The shinobi kept running.
There was a kid in the street. Surely he saw him! The shinobi ran in the other direction after interrogating him. He didn't tell them where he was!
He was in a good mode now. So he went up to the kid, told him thanks for not ratting him out. The kid seemed shocked when he got next to him. He admitted he hadn't even seen him and asked him if he was the 'Dangerous Mist'. Kitai sweatdropped. His name literally meant 'Dangerous Mist', but he didn't go flashing the title around. Some unknown person who feared him had.
"...It's Kitai. Misuto Kitai." He corrected. "And you are...?"
"Sora." He replied.
"Sora..."
"Nothing. Just Sora."
"Okay. Why were you looking for me, Sora?"
"I... need a rosary. For Jashin-sama." Sora looked down at the ground for a split second and looked back at him. He looked... hopeful?No that wasn't the right word. Desperate.
Kitai thought back to Jashin's words so long ago. He reached into his pocket. "You worship Jashin-sama as well?"
Sora nodded. "I'll do anything for him. But... I had a pendant and lost it when I was arrested a long time ago. I was told to go to you to get a rosary for him. If you don't have one... I- I won't get mad."
Kitai took out an item wrapped with a cloth.
"How old are yah Sora?"
"Twelve." He looked younger.
Sora's large eyes grew wider as he saw the it being unwrapped; a rosary. Kitai smiled and handed it to him.
Hayashigakure was to far for Sora to travel back to that day, so Kitai offered him to stay with him until he was ready to move on. The day wasn't over yet, so they started talking. They both wanted to know how Jashin had helped them.
"He made he immortal and saved my life..." Sora told him about how he was captured and tortured. Kitai could only listen. The kid had it rough. Torture was a hard thing to live through; he should know.
"What about you, Kitai-san?" Kitai paused for a second. "Oh... my story. Well, Jashin-sama gave me my rosary... when I became a missing-nin. After..." He trailed off, lost in the past.
Sora looked at him oddly. "Did I say something?"
"No... it's just... my story." He sighed heavily. Sora had to think for a moment before understanding. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm not forcing you to do anything."
Kitai smiled softly, "Thanks kid."
"But Jashin-sama... he gave that to you directly!?"
"Yeah. It was a promise. And a while ago, he gave me yours and told me to pass it on."
"A promise?"
"That... that I'll never have to go through what I went through again."
"It must have been pretty bad."
"You have no idea."
"Worse than what I went through?"
"Much worse..." Kitai said, "It's something I hope you'll never ever have to go through."
"..." Sora became silent, probably imagining the kind of pain he had to go through.
Kitai made him a little offer then. Sora wasn't a shinobi and those skills were the kind that one needed to kill and get away with it. So he would help Sora out a little by sparing with him until they had to go their separate ways. It took no further words to convince Sora.
He didn't know, however, that Sora was bran new to his katana. So they kept it simple, first grade academy level. He took his own kunai and the ones in Sora's arm and used them in target practice. He helped Sora throw and gave him pointers on how to improve his aim. Sora was a fast runner, but not as fast as Kitai. They raced each other anyway and it would soon become an extreme shinobi-like version of tag.
Days went by...
It had only been a week ago when he met Sora, but he was growing attached to him. The kid was full of hope and he seemed to admire him. The feeling he had because of Sora was strange and completely unfamiliar. What was it? He didn't know.
Sora looked up to Kitai a lot. Kitai didn't know what to think. He was jealous of Sora, for not having as cruel of a life as he himself did. It was weird. He had gone almost his whole life without any sign of love and this kid just made him his hero. He glanced down at Sora. He was softly snoring, probably having peaceful dreams.
Something burned on his skin. Kitai groaned and covered the area with his hand. He tried to suppress the energy, but was failing.
Orochimaru's curse mark continued to dig at his energy and burn his flesh. Kitai gritted his teeth and groaned.
And it was over. The pain went away. 'It's getting worse… It just keeps getting worse…' He sighed as relief flooded through him. He glanced back down at Sora.
'I can't let him get involved with this.'
The next morning, Kitai and Sora were both up early. "Kitai-san?"
"Huh?"
"It's been awhile since I killed somebody."
"You need a sacrifice?"
Sora nodded. Kitai's smile went away. "It's grim... you have someone in mind?"
"There's no one I know around who deserves it. I usually stick to people who come out of bars: drunks, alcoholics, you know?"
"Even if it's their first drink?"
"It's hard to tell." Sora explained, "They all start to look alike after a couple of rounds."
"So even if they're innocent!?"
"There's no way of telling th-...oh." Sora saw Kitai's disgusted look. "Well... they're easy..."
"That's a poor excuse." Kitai snapped.
"Sorry, Kitai-san... I didn't know you had something against that." Sora looked down at the ground. "I- I just think about Jashin-sama. I don't think about something like innocence."
"Who the hell taught you murder was okay!?"
"My senpai."
Kitai blinked and his expression became a little less cold. "Your senpai!?"
"Brom-senpai. He taught me about Jashin and saved my life."
"Oh...oh..." Kitai hit Sora lightly, "Look up, okay?" Sora looked up. Kitai exclaimed, "Jashin! You look down too much. Let people see your face!
"Sorry..."
"C'mon, we'll find someone who you can kill who we're sure is bad."
"Kitai-san?"
"What now? Don't tell me your senpai told you not to kill bad guys."
"No, he told me when it came to killing it didn't matter who it was, as long as it was for Jashin-sama. Why are you different?"
"...Let's just stick with I hate killing. Especially innocents."
"Oh, okay then." 'He's still a Jashinist. Whatever his believes are, I won't go against them. I'll still kill. Makes no difference. It just has to be a criminal... for his sake.'
"There." Kitai pointed at the figure in the road. "His headband's crossed. He's a missing-nin."
"So, he's okay to kill?"
Kitai smiled and nodded. "Knock yourself out."
"Er, Kitai-san..."
"Huh?"
"He's missing-nin. I'm not sure I can..."
"Don't worry. I'll give you some help." Kitai assured. He jumped from the hiding and got behind the victim. Before he could react, Kitai gave him a swift hit in a pressure point on his neck, causing him to fall to the ground.
"He's just knocked out. You can easily take his blood and do the ritual now."
Sora smiled back at his friend and jumped out of the hiding spot. He carefully spilled his blood and got everything set up. Kitai sat down a little ways aways and watched patiently as Sora licked the blood. His skin turned black and white as the ritual started.
Kitai blinked when he examined Sora further. Was he... hesitating?!
Sora's arms were shaking as he held the katana in front of him. His mouth was moving as he was whispering a fast prayer to Jashin. When his prayer finished, he flung the sword into him.
The missing-nin died instantly. Sora had the sword stuck through his heart. His skin slowly changed back to it's normal tan. His eyes squeezed shut. He bit down on his lip and pulled the katana out.
Kitai looked at him oddly. "Sora-ku-"
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Sora fell to the ground and pressed a hand to his chest where blood gushed out. His scream ended and he gritted his teeth to prevent another one.
"Sora!" Kitai rushed to his side. He wrapped and arm around Sora. "Sora! It's okay! I'm here!"
Sora found some comfort in his words and forced himself to smile up at him. "I'm fine..."
"Bullshit!" Kitai said, "I thought you were immortal and used to that!"
"I've only been immortal -groan- for a little over a month -moan-..." Sora got to his feet. "I-I still need to get used to that."
"How can you-"
"Brom-senpai... told me you get used it, you learn to love it. And I trust him."
"How can you love it!?"
"He was laughing as he went through the others pain."
"But even I don't love it that much. I've been immortal for about two years and I-"
"I trust him!" Sora repeated. Deep down, he regretted saying it. Even though it was true that Brom had saved him and he couldn't thank him enough for that, there was something in his soul pushing at him; it told him to hate Brom. He hadn't done much but hurt him and leave them since they began traveling together.
But his heart... His heart argued strongly. Brom had cared for him still, right. And if it wasn't for Brom, his entire world would be completely different. He would have never been enlightened by Jashin if not for his senpai. Also, what if someone else had discovered him after the torture and found him alive. His life would go straight downhill for the worst. They would probably do stuff to him he didn't want to imagine- so bad he couldn't imagine!
"I'm sorry, Sora." Kitai said. Sora barely heard him. "Not your fault." He muttered. The talk of Brom-senpai had reminded him of his promise.
"Kitai-san... I'm going to have to go back."
"Back?"
"I promised my senpai I won't leave, so the least I can do at this point is go back so that I can meet him when he expects me."
Kitai stared speechless for a moment before saying, "I understand."
"Neh, what's the matter Zealot-kun?"
"Shaddup, Neko! I'm not in the mood..."
"Oh..." Neko leaned forward on the table and watched, bored, as Sora held a rosary in his hand and spun it around.
"Neko...?"
"Eh?"
"I just met another immortal Jashinist... do you know if there are any others?"
"Hmm." Neko thought for a moment, "Sorry Zealot, I dunno of any. But there are criminal organizations who might know of some."
"Criminal organizations?"
Neko nodded. "Two of the most famous are Keimei and Akatsuki. Both hate the other.
"Keimei is actually very close to us, team Chiri. We get paid by them for our information gathering skills. Their goal is to take over the world. There are always twelve members maximum and the leader is a woman named Jemukousa Hina.
"Akatuski is... probably slightly more powerful. They're about equal. Their goal is unknown, but they have something to do with capturing monsters I think. There are ten members maximum. We don't even know what their leader looks like, never mind his name."
Neko kicked her feet playfully under the table. "That answer your question?"
"No."
"Well I tried." The pink girl sighed.
"Thanks anyway..." Sora said, cradling the rosary in his hands.
"Sora..."
"Yeah, Brom-senpai?" Sora looked up at the giant. Brom noticed the rosary around his neck. "Where did yah get that?"
"Oh..." Sora smiled softly. "I made a friend."
"Friend?"
"Mm-hm." Sora held up the rosary in his hand and stared at it, eyes shining. Kanemaru shifted uncomfortably on his new metal leg. Brom got the hint. Something seemed off.
"Where did you meet your friend?"
Sora glanced down at the ground for half a second, but then looked up trying to keep a straight face. "In the village of course."
"You glanced down and hesitated." Brom told him. "You dirty liar."
Sora stopped walking. "B-but I had to! I-it was for Jashin-sama!"
"Grraaaaaa!"
Brom's fist collided with the wall next to them, breaking some of the bricks.
"Brom-dono control yourself! There may be people around!" Kanemaru warned.
Sora stared, stuttering, "Senpai! I'm sorry- I- I-!"
Brom took deep breaths and slowly lowered the fist. "You promised me that you would stay in the village!" He growled.
Sora closed his eyes, not wanting to know what was coming. Instead, Brom put his hands on his shoulders. "I made you promise that for your own safety. If someone were to capture you, what would happen! And even if not, how would I find you again!? I don't want people to find out about you!" His hands started to crush the boy's shoulders from squeezing them so hard. "I don't."
"Sempai..."
Brom let go. Sora grabbed his now sore left shoulder.
"C'mon. I want to be able to train yah."
Moons: If you want to see more of Misuto Kitai, read Religious Insanity by emoDeidara13. Seriously, 'cause that girl helps me out A LOT!