A/N
Hehe, i'm sorry for the loooooong delay once again! Just got caught up with...stuff. :-( anyway, here's chapter 11!
loujane14: hmm...i don't know if they'll get all lovey-dovey in this chapter...but it will come one day! hehe. There's more interaction in this, though. (btw, Kurei was just walking around, heading back to the Uruha mansion, when he caught sight of her...). Thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chapter two!
aite: hehehe, you have more! Hope you like this too!!
sweet liar: Firstly, i'm sorry about the delay!!!! Really!!!! Hehehe, i know the feeling, about being impatient sometimes. When i'm typing it all out, I sometimes think to myself 'geez, just hurry up and get it over with already, Kurei...' but...well, that can't be done, can it? Hehe. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter too!
Chapter Eleven: Late Night Events
"…What?"
"I…meant what I said…" The dark-haired man stared at her, not entirely sure if he had heard her right.
"Stop being silly," he said, coldly.
"What? I-" the brunette stopped. "I'm not being silly or anything; it's true."
"If you're messing around with-"
"-I'm not!" exclaimed the brunette, fiercely. "Do you really think I'd lie about something like this?" The dark-haired masked-man watched as she bowed her head. "I just don't feel like…fighting you any longer…" When she looked up at him again, her green eyes showed her confusion…and something else that he couldn't place his finger on. "It's wrong, I know it is; after all, it's because of you that our lives have practically been made a living hell…" She paused. "But I don't feel like fighting you…and I don't know why."
"It's because you're being unfathomably stupid," said the dark-haired man, coolly. The brunette stared at him for a moment, before letting out a soft chuckle.
"Yes," she said, "Maybe that's why…" Silence surrounded the two for a few moments. "Or maybe it's because I want to help you…" That caught the dark-haired man's attention, causing him to stare at her.
"Help me?" His companion nodded. "I don't need any help, much less yours, Kirisawa Fuuko," he hissed, his voice reverting back to the cold, unemotional tone that he hadn't used on her for…a while now.
Fuuko's green eyes widened slightly at his words. "I didn't mean-"
"-At the end of the day, this it what it all comes down to, isn't it? It's all about pity…" the dark-haired man glared at her. "I don't need your help or your pity, so save it and give it someone who does."
"You arrogant jerk!" exclaimed Fuuko, clenching her hands into fists. "I thought we were beyond this whole…thing about pity. I don't pity you, for crying out loud. Why do you always think that if someone tries to help you it's because they pity you?"
"Because that's how it usually is."
"Are you out of your mind?! You don't help people because you pity them, hell no! There are other reasons for helping people." Fuuko paused. "When you helped me down from that tree a while ago, did you do it because you pitied me? Did you, Kurei?"
"Yes," said the Uruha leader after a while. "I did it because I pitied your stupidity." As the girl standing before him bristled, the masked-man was surprised to find that he wasn't…as satisfied as he usually would have been, with the knowledge that he was riling up the enemy. This 'realization', he thought to himself, is completely irrelevant.
Fuuko took a minute or two to answer the masked man as she was busy trying to calm herself down. Don't, Fuuko-chan…he just wants you to get all riled up…don't…don't give in like that…
"Better to be stupid than to be 'intelligent' and lead a life where everyone I love slowly leaves me," she said, frostily, before mentally cursing herself. Oh you insensitive……cow, she berated herself, how could you say that? He's going to kill me for sure now…
But yet again, the man chose to surprise her by nodding.
"Yes," he said quietly, "that is true…" Fuuko felt a pang of guilt in her chest as she watched him, even though a voice in her head reminded her that he had started it in the first place.
"I'm sorry," she said, after a while. "What I said was…wrong…"
"Do you have to apologize for speaking your mind?"
"I-well, no, but-"
"-Then don't."
"…Don't what?"
"Apologize."
"Kurei," said Fuuko, sighing inwardly. "Look, I don't know why, but…whenever I talk to you, I end up saying things that I don't mean to say, instead of what I…want to say –and it's annoying, but…it happens." She shook her head. "When I said I want to help you, it's…not because I pity you, as you believe, it's-"
"-I don't want to talk about-"
"-because I think you…deserve better." The Uruha leader's head snapped up. Fuuko nodded, guessing that it was because he disbelieved what she had said. It wasn't like she could see his face anyway. "You do deserve better. It's really unfortunate that you had to…end up in the situation you ended up in, but I guess you can't change the past now. But I believe that you deserve better…which is why I want to help you…but at the same time, I…feel bad about not wanting to fight you anymore because -"
"Because I am the enemy." Fuuko nodded slowly.
"…Yes." She sighed, blowing a few of her brown bangs out of her eyes. "It's just…so confusing, you know? Yanagi-chan's life depends on…this final round –and with it, Recca's sanity- and then…Koganei, Mi-chan and Domon's safety……but all I can come up with is that I don't want to fight you…" There was a short pause. "It's weird."
Kurei found himself nodding unconsciously. "…It is odd."
"I know; but…no matter what I do, I just can't get rid of that feeling. Heck, I even tried telling myself that you were the devil re-incarnated…but it still didn't change that…feeling…" Kami-sama, I sound so stupid…
There was one thing on Kurei's mind –a question that had bothered him for a little while now, from the day the Fuujin-wielder had snuck into the Uruha mansion to…see him.
"Are you attracted to me?" What the-? The Uruha leader's eyes widened in…horror? Embarrassment? Surprise? He really wasn't sure what he felt at the moment, although from the looks of things, the Fuujin-wielder looked shocked.
Nice one, genius. The question isn't if she's attracted to you; it's if you're attracted to her
"E-Excuse me?" she spluttered, her green eyes wide.
"I…" Kurei paused, even more surprised to find that his voice sounded rather…nervous to his ears. Since when have I been 'nervous'? "That was…I mean, I don't think I –"
"-Was I…being incredibly stupid and hearing things or…did you just ask me if I was attracted to you?" asked Fuuko, wondering at the little skips her heart seemed to be doing.
"No, I…yes, I did…" said Kurei. Silence surrounded the pair for a while, as Kurei waited for the brunette to start laughing and tell him that he was good at making jokes…or something of the sort. It was only natural, after all.
'Then why are you oh-so-intently watching her face, waiting for an answer?' questioned the all too familiar, annoying voice in his head, causing him to scowl into his mask.
I am not, he thought stubbornly, don't be stupid.
"…I-"
"-Fuuko, there you are! Bloody hell, you had me wondering---" Her green eyes widening a bit more, Fuuko whirled around only to see two people she dearly loved but didn't want to see at that moment in time.
"…Recca…Yanagi-chan…"
"What the hell is going on?" asked Recca, not looking very happy at all. He held his right arm out, and it was clear that the limb was shaking, although it wasn't in fear…oh no, not fear.
"Recca, there's-"
"-Why are you with…him?" the venomous note in his voice as he referred to the Uruha leader was clearly heard by the three people standing with him.
Kurei didn't answer, choosing merely to stare at the…thing that was his little-brother. Besides, the question had been addressed to the Fuujin-wielder, and not to him.
"It's not-"
"-Is this the reason you've been acting all weird recently? Why you've been so…distant and…brooding?" asked Recca, not caring that he had interrupted his friend for the fourth time now. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from him, Fuuko? Didn't I tell you that he was dangerous?"
Fuuko shook her head as she took a step towards her best-friend, not noticing the worried look on Yanagi's face as she watched them. "Recca, it's not-"
"-He's trying to mess up your mind, Fuuko! Heck, he's trying to make sure that we're one fighter short for the final round. How many times do I have to tell you that?!"
Gritting her teeth, Fuuko paused for a few seconds before speaking. "Recca, he hasn't done anything of the-"
"-I though you'd realize that after he kidnapped you!"
"He did not kidnap me," snapped Fuuko, before Kurei could say anything. "Honestly, why'd he want to do that?"
"So we would be one fighter short," retorted Recca.
"Well why pick me then? Why not 'kidnap' someone like Mi-chan? Or Koganei?"
"Because they wouldn't be stupid enough to believe him!" Fuuko's eyes narrowed, just as Yanagi took a somewhat timid step forward.
"Recca-kun, I don't think that was very nice…" she said, quietly. "Please, you're making a-"
"So I'm stupid, am I?" Fuuko chuckled, although there was no humor in her voice. "You two brothers are certainly alike –or rather, you seem to think alike when it comes to me."
"What has he done to you, Fuuko? Has he touched or hurt you in anyway?" asked Recca, sounding almost fearful as he looked over his best-friend.
"No, he has not hurt me," said Fuuko, exasperatedly. "Do you think I'm…idiotic enough to let someone hurt me without doing anything? Have a little faith in me, Recca."
"What part of he tried to kidnap you don't you understand?" yelled Recca, getting worked up fast. "He's evil Fuuko, evil! And he's trying to ruin hime's life! Don't you care about that one bit?"
"Yanagi-chan's my friend too, so of course I care about that! But he's not trying to ruin her life!" yelled Fuuko, quite forgetting that the masked man was standing behind her. "What makes you think he's doing all of this because he wants to? Huh? Haven't you ever considered the possibility that he has no other choice?"
"Why are you defending him?!" Recca looked as though he was ready to explode. "How many people has he killed? Did you see what he did to Magensha?"
"Yeah, so he's killed a lot of people –that is what assassins tend to do. And shouldn't you be glad that he killed Magensha? Didn't that freak try and kidnap Yanagi-chan before the final round anyway?"
"That's not the point –Magensha was one of his Uruha minions…and he just…disposed of him so easily…"
"Recca-"
"-I have to ask, Recca, what exactly is your point?" All eyes shifted from Fuuko and landed on Kurei, who did not seem the slightest bit bothered by the sudden shift in attention, as he spoke up.
The Hokage leader stared at the older man, his eyes blazing. "Excuse me?" he questioned, his voice thick.
"I asked you what exactly your point was," repeated Kurei, as aloof as usual. He ignored the half-warning look the Fuujin-wielder sent his way.
Yanagi reached out, placing her hand on Recca's arm. "Recca-kun, onegai, let's just-"
"-My point, Kurei, is that we're not going to let you get away with whatever you've been planning. We are going to defeat you in the finals, and you're not going to do…whatever you planned to do to Fuuko," hissed Recca, interrupting the Healer.
"Is that so…" mused Kurei, as he tilted his head ever so slightly. "What makes you so sure that I haven't already done what I had planned to do? To Fuuko?"
Fuuko, who had turned to speak to Recca, turned quickly to the masked man, her eyebrows raised as she did so. What the-? The idiot…he's getting Recca all…it was then that it dawned on her. He's purposely riling Recca up…that idiot…
"…What?"
"Recca-kun-"
"-Recca, look, he's just-"
"-you're not laying your filthy paws on hime or on Fuuko, you jerk!" yelled Recca, flinging his right arm forward, his intention clear. Kurei simply stood where he was, not seeming to care much about his half-brother's behaviour. He didn't appear bothered by it at all.
"Recca, don't be stupid," said Fuuko, stepping sideways so that she was sort of standing in front of Kurei. It wasn't that she wanted to prevent him from getting hurt…she just didn't want Recca to do anything stupid. Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Fuuko-chan. "Look, I'm telling you again, it's just a big-"
"-Nadare!"
"Recca-kun!" Fuuko stood where she was, refusing to budge. It wasn't that she was terrified of the fire dragon, she just hadn't expected Recca to actually attack Kurei. Especially when she was standing in between them.
I'm trying to stop you from doing something silly before the finals, Recca…why won't you understand?
Raising her own right-arm, Fuuko allowed herself to feel the familiar weight of the Fuujin on it for a moment, before throwing it out before her. Baka, she thought. "Fuujin; Kamai-" Small bursts of a purplish-white flame flew past the Fuujin-fielder and struck the incoming fireballs summoned by Recca.
When the two different flames struck each other, it was only a matter of seconds before the explosions started, causing everyone present to shield their eyes. The moment the first explosion went off, Fuuko felt a hand land on her arm, and felt herself being pulled backward. Removing a hand from where it had been shielding her eyes, she turned around and saw that it was the Uruha leader.
"Kurei, what-" The masked man just shook his head, pulling her backward a bit more before eventually letting go of her arm and focusing his attention ahead of him, as the explosions died out. When the smoke cleared, it revealed Recca with his arms around Yanagi, shielding her from the previous explosions.
"Why you-" growled Recca, as he caught sight of the Uruha leader once more. Kurei, however, paid him no heed.
"So this is what you are really like…" he said, his voice low. "You'd go to the extent of attacking your own friend, just to hurt the enemy?" Recca stared at him.
"What?"
"You say that I am the bad man, when I kill the traitors in the Uruha…but you, you, Recca, almost attacked your own teammate…your friend…" continued Kurei.
It dawned on Recca what he was talking about.
"I didn't attack Fuuko!" he snapped. "I attacked you. Fuuko would have moved out of the way in a couple of seconds, and I knew that." Kurei raised his eyebrows, although it couldn't be seen through the mask he was wearing.
"Oh?" He glanced in the Fuujin-wielder's direction. "Were you?" The brunette sent him a questioning glance. "Were you going to move out of the way?"
"She was, okay! Stop trying to change the subject Kurei!"
"Were you, Fuuko?"
"Kurei…" Fuuko glanced from her best-friend to the man she……was starting to understand, before eventually sighing.
"No, I wasn't," she said. Kurei shot Recca a cool glance. "But I really don't see how that fits in to what was going on-"
"-You're no better than I am, Recca…just admit it."
"I'm not like you! And I'd never hit Fuuko with Nadare like that!"
"Then what happened the other day, while you were training?" Kurei cursed himself for letting slip that little question, the moment it left his mouth. Nice work, idiot…
Recca looked confused for a moment. "Training? What training...?" Yanagi, however, knew what he was talking about; she remembered the mock-battle that Recca and Fuuko had had, the one where Fuuko had almost won.
Demo, she thought, how does he know about that training session? Unless...her eyes widened, was he...spying on us?
Fuuko turned her full attention to the Uruha leader, her green eyes narrowed as she stared at him. Like Yanagi, she knew what the man had been talking about, although Recca didn't seem to.
"How do you know about that?" she asked him, slowly. Kurei stared at her. Yes, Kurei, how do you know that? Should you mention the fact that you were spying on them? When the Uruha leader didn't answer her, Fuuko's eyes narrowed some more. "How could you know about that unless...you've been spying on us?" she questioned. "Which, by the way, is an absolute low down thing to do..."
Yanagi stared at Fuuko, wondering if it really had been a note of disappointment she had heard in her friend's voice. That can't be...why would Fuuko-chan be disappointed to know that Kurei was spying on us...?
"...You mentioned it," said Kurei, after a short internal debate, consisting of weather he should tell her the truth or not. "The day you were in the mansion." That is true. Partly.
"...Did I?" wondered Fuuko. Kurei shrugged.
"You mentioned Nadare's fireballs hitting you..." His voice took on an amused tone. "It is certainly not my fault that you have such short memory, Fuuko." What you don't know won't hurt you, I suppose...
"Hahaha," said Fuuko, dryly. "You know, you shouldn't hang out with Mi-chan. Ever. Geez, the two of you would probably form a 'Fuuko is a dumb, careless monkey' club or something..."
"The fact that you are a dumb, careless monkey is painfully obvious already..." said Kurei.
"...I," said Fuuko, as a stretched grin found itself on her face. "Am going to kill you. I'm really going to kill you."
Kurei raised his eyebrows at the girl, although the act couldn't be seen.
"Whatever happened to not feeling like fighting me?" Fuuko glared at him.
"Shut up," she muttered, well aware of how Recca would take it if he heard the Uruha leader. For some reason or the other, Kurei did do as she said. Much to both her and his surprise.
After a while, Kurei turned his back to the Hokage trio.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" asked Recca, somewhat warily. Kurei paused.
"I do not think it concerns you," he said. "I suppose that we will see each other again, tomorrow afternoon..."
Fuuko and Recca both nodded.
"Yeah," said Recca. "And we're going to beat you up so bad that-"
"-Don't make promises you can't keep," interrupted Kurei, before walking away. Fuuko stared after him for a moment, her brows furrowed as she did so.
Am I attracted to you, Kurei? she wondered, recalling the Uruha leader's earlier question. I honestly don't know, although...I am attracted to the thought of helping you against that stupid Mori Koran...
"Dammit, who does he think he is to be so confident?" growled Recca, clenching his hands into fists. "Just because he's the Uruha leader doesn't mean that he can easily defeat us! We've all gotten way stronger than we were before!" He turned on Fuuko. "And you, baka, what're you doing---"
Yanagi tuned out the argument that ensued, between the two best-friends. She had something more important to ponder on.
Like the fact that when Kurei and Fuuko had been conversing a minute or two ago, how...comfortable the two had seemed, with each other.
Yanagi glanced at Fuuko and sweat-dropped when she saw Recca pulling her cheeks as she tugged on his hair. Are you...starting to like him, Fuuko-chan...?
Later that night:
"Not-" the boy ducked underneath the kick that was aimed at his torso, "-bad, neechan," he finished, as he jumped back to get a small breather.
The brunette standing before him, also breathing hard, just grinned.
"Of course it's not bad," she said. "Demo, how long do you think you can avoid getting hit, Koganei?" The boy just returned her grin.
"For as long as it takes," he said. "Because I might be just a tad bit stronger than you, Fuuko-neechan." A vein ticked on the Fuujin-wielder's head.
"Heh, really?" she mused, before speeding forward. "You over-confident little twerp!" And so the punching, ducking and kicking started again, as the two Hokage fighters continued with their training session. It was a rather late training session, but...at least it was something. And it helped them take their minds off what that old man had told them, regarding their madougu.
"Is that all you can do, neechan?" goaded Koganei, as he blocked a punch before spinning around and attempting a punch of his own. Fuuko blocked his punch in return.
"Over-confidence will get you nowhere, gaki," she retorted, before using all of her strength to push the boy away from her. "And if I had my Fuujin with me, you'd be...shreds by now."
Koganei stuck his tongue out at her. "And if I had the Kougan Anki with me, so would you," he said. The training session was a purely physical one, in which the two fighters didn't use their madougu. Heck, they hadn't even brought their madougu down with them, which was quite a stupid thing to do, really.
But then again, who would think of attacking them?
A quarter of an hour later, the two stood facing each other, panting.
"This," gasped Fuuko, "Is getting us nowhere..." Koganei nodded in agreement. "Aaahhh...what I'd do for a cool drink right now..."
"Cool drink? I'd rather finish this and go have a nice long nap," he said, causing Fuuko to grin.
"Aww," she said. "Little Koganei's sleepy?" Koganei scowled at her.
"Neechan!" he protested, causing the girl to laugh.
"Anyway, I'm really thirsty...I think i'm going to go and get myself a drink," she said. "We'll continue this after that, okay?" Koganei nodded.
"I'll come with you," he started, when Fuuko shook her head.
"Iie," she said. "It'll just take a maximum of five minutes. I saw one of those water-filter things on the way here." She flashed him a peace sign. "I'll be right back!"
As she jogged off, Koganei released a long sigh. He wanted to ask Fuuko about what was going on with Kurei, but didn't want to bring it up in case it spoilt the atmosphere.
Aaah, maybe I'll just sit down until she gets back...he thought, before plopping himself down on the ground.
After drinking to her heart's content, Fuuko splashed some of the cold water on her face, sighing in relief as she did so. Fun though the training session with Koganei was, it was also quite tiring. That boy certainly knew how to engage in physical matches -partly thanks to Domon's training, she supposed.
If there was one disadvantage that he had, it was that he wasn't perfect in the strength department. No duh, Fuuko-chan, she thought, he's just 13!
Brushing her now damp bangs out of her eyes, the brunette turned her back to the fountain, and started heading back towards the park.
Humming softly to herself (as she had forbidden herself from thinking about what she had been thinking about the past couple of days), she walked slowly down the road, relishing in the quiet that surrounded her.
That was until she suddenly came across a procession of tall, rather heavily-built men in dark-suits. Her eyes narrowed as she watched them from the other end of the road, heading her way.
Well, they weren't really heading towards her, just in that general direction.
Everything about the men screamed 'suspicious!' in the brunette's mind, but she thought it best to just ignore them and continue walking. She had finally learnt to suppress her curiosity. Or so she hoped. Continuing to hum to herself, she resumed her walk.
As she got nearer to the group, she saw from their formation, that they were...shielding someone or something in the middle of their little group.
Passing the group, with her eyes fixed ahead of her, the brunette released a sigh of relief. Whoever those men were, she was glad that nothing had happened with them. She didn't really fancy taking on, what, 20 odd men without her Fuujin.
"Stop." Hearing the command from a vaguely familiar voice, the brunette found herself stopping, despite the voice in her head that screamed for her to run. She turned around slowly.
"Excuse-me?" she querried, staring at the men who had also stopped and turned towards her. It was at that precise moment that Fuuko realized where she had seen the men before; they were bodyguards. Mori Koran's bodyguards.
Which most probably meant that...the man himself was amongst them...
Sure enough, a figure pushed forward, until he was standing at the front of the group. It didn't take the Fuujin-wielder long to recognize the dark-haired, ugly man in the expensive business-suit.
"If it isn't Hokage's Kirisawa Fuuko..." drawled Mori Koran, a smile forming on his face as his eyes roamed up and down the girl's figure. The brunette fought the urge to wrap her arms around herself. "...Nice attire, I must say..." he said, nodding at her shorts and sleeveless top.
"Don't expect me to take that as a compliment," said Fuuko, sharply. This guy just gives me the creeps!
Mori nodded politely. "Of course," he commented, before bringing his eyes back up to the girl's face. "So...you and your teammates have somehow managed to worm yourself up, into the finals..."
Fuuko frowned. "We fought hard and earned the rightful spot we deserved," she said, keeping her temper in check. Remember Fuuko-chan, she said to herself, this is the man who beats Kurei up and gets away with it...
"So you say..." said Mori. "I expected to get that girl of healing within my grasp much sooner..." Fuuko's green eyes narrowed at the mention of her friend.
"We're not going to let you lay your paws on Yanagi-chan," she snapped, clenching her hands into fists. "So you can keep dreaming and stop sending your lackeys to kidnap her."
"Ah, yes...it's a pity that Magensha failed at that time..." Mori shrugged, as he fiddled with a button of his jacket. "But," he looked up with a smile on his face, "I don't see why you're so worried. All I'll do is...borrow your pretty little friend for a while..." he paused. "And I'll return her after I'm done with her, and you can all live happily ever after."
"Return her in one piece, or with a bomb implanted in her?" Fuuko couldn't quite stop herself from venomously asking the man that. "Like what you did to Kurenai?"
Mori looked surprised for a second, before shooting her smile. "Of course not," he drawled, "now...why would I want to do that...?"
Fuuko, unfortunately, had nothing to say for that. Well, she had quite a lot to say to the jerk, but didn't want to lose her temper.
"In any case," continued Mori, "...I am still trying to obtain that girl, before the final round..." Fuuko glared at him. "...Although I realize I won't be able to do that now, I do know a way through which I can assure myself of obtaining her tomorrow..."
"...And how is that?" questioned Fuuko, although she had a feeling she already knew.
"By disposing of the Hokage warrior whom I was fortunate to run into at this time of night, while on the way to a rendezvous with my son..."
"Keep dreaming," hissed Fuuko, although she started preparing herself to fight. This caught the man's attention.
"What's this...?" he wondered. "Where's your Fuujin?" Fuuko refused to answer him. Yes, she realized the stupidity in leaving the madougu in her room, but how was she supposed to know she'd run into him?
"It's none of your business." She didn't like the grin the man sent her way.
"In that case..." he turned to his bodyguards. "Gentlemen, please, feel free to take her out." As the men nodded and started advancing on her, Fuuko sent Mori one last glare.
"Like I said," she said, "Keep dreaming, idiots." And from then, she started fighting.
At the same time:
"Kurei-sama, perhaps we should...hurry up?" suggested Raiha, his eyes fixed on the masked man walking ahead of him.
"... ... ..."
"...Mori-sama might not...like being forced to wait," tried the ninja, although he really wanted to say 'let's just get there before Mori-sama does something else to emotionally scar you.'
The Uruha leader just continued walking at his normal pace. He personally couldn't care less about his 'father' being forced to wait. But he too understood what the ninja was trying to say.
"Ne, Kurei-han, I'm booooored..." Raiha sweat-dropped -something he always found himself doing when he was with the Jyushinshuu warrior. Kurei didn't answer. "Neeeeee, Kureiiiiiiiiiii-haaaaaaaaaaan-"
"-The finals are tomorrow; you won't be bored then," said Kurei, interrupting him before he could get any more annoying.
Joker nodded. "Hai, hai...demo..." he pouted. "Do I really have to carry out the plan, Kurei-han?" The Uruha leader turned around and fixed him with a strong glare. "Maa maa, Kurei-han, it was just a question..." said the jokester, holding his hands before him in defence. "Mou, you're no fun..."
"He betrayed the Uruha...and must be punished," said Kurei, coolly. Raiha stared at his feet, a morose expression on his face. He had tried, many times, to talk the man out of it, but it hadn't worked. He was just a kid...he didn't deserve this, surely?
"Aa, but if I defeat him in battle tomorrow, and the Hokage lose and thus lose Yanagi-han...won't that be enough of a punishment?" questioned Joker.
"I suppose it would," said Kurei after a while. "But...he betrayed me..." After all I did, and all the high hopes I had for him...
Joker sighed. "Aww, Kurei-han's disappointed in his little brother, is he...?"
"He is not a brother of mine," hissed Kurei.
"Ah, true; Recca-han is your little brother," agreed Joker, nodding. Laughing nervously, Raiha strategically placed himself in between the Uruha leader and the jokester.
"Ahahahaha, he's just teasing you, Kurei-sama...that's all..." he said, as the Uruha leader turned around.
"Ehh? But it's true..." said Joker, grinning as Raiha sent him an exasperated glance. "Alright, alright, I'll shut up now..." Raiha could have sworn that Kurei let out a sigh of relief, and kept back his grin.
They continued walking, in silence. Until;
"What kind of an older brother were you back in the past, Kurei-han? Were you afraid of your ototo...or did you love him to bits before everything happened?"
"Ahahaha, teasing, Kurei-sama...teasing..." explained Raiha, sweat-dropping all the same.
"Hmm...?" mused Joker, as he stared ahead of them. "Aren't those Mori-han's bodyguards?" Both Raiha and Kurei turned around as well.
"Hai," said Raiha, after a while. "But...what are they doing there? We're supposed to meet Mori-sama at-" his voice trailed off when he saw one of the bodyguards being sent flying backwards. What? His eyes widened, however, when two of the other bodyguards moved, allowing him to see the all too familiar figure standing amongst them.
"...Fuuko-han..." Joker glanced sideways at the Uruha leader, but saw no reaction from him. Raiha, however, winced as they watched the girl double over after a kick to the gut.
"Chichiue..." hissed Kurei, as he spotted the man watching from a safe distance. "He's meddling again...and I told him not to..." Quickening his pace, he headed towards the scene. Exchanging a quick glance with Joker, Raiha followed him, although Joker followed at a slower pace, keeping himself mostly in the shadows. The Hokage weren't supposed to know that he was one of the Uruha after all...
"Ooof -" Fuuko managed not to lose her balance, as she doubled over, clutching her stomach. That last kick had hurt. A moment later, however, she had straightened again, ignoring the pain, before delivering a nice kick of her own, sending the man crashing to the ground, clutching his jaw.
"I'm impressed," murmured one of the remaining bodyguards, as he stared at the seven bruised men who were in different places on the ground. "You've managed to do all of this without a madougu..."
"I...don't need a madougu to kick your ass," gasped Fuuko, despite the throbbing in her head and her stomach. She raced towards the man who had spoken, firing off a set of kicks and punches, which he avoided, until he tripped over one of his fallen comrades. "Baka..." muttered Fuuko, about to knock him out when she heard an eerie 'click' from behind her.
Turning around slowly, she saw another bodyguard standing there. What caused her eyes to widen, however, was the gun he had in his hands. The gun that was aimed at her. Two other bodyguards stood on either side of him, guns in their hands as well.
"Oh dear..." drawled the voice of Mori Koran, as he moved towards her. "Looks like it's game over for you now, Fuuko..."
"After all this cheating, it would seem that way..." muttered Fuuko, still breathing quite heavily. Dammit...I'm in deep trouble here...
"As nice as it was meeting you here, Fuuko -and despite the fact that I would love to get to know you better..." Mori grinned. "It's time for you to die." He turned to the three armed bodyguards, who nodded.
Fuuko stared at them, her face paling rapidly. I'm going to die...I'm really going to die, and it's going to be because of a bunch of stupid bodyguards...
Kami...I'm going to die...?
As she heard the guns being fired, she squeezed her eyes shut, and simply stood still. Without her Fuujin, there was no way she could stop those bullets from reaching her. Recca, she thought, as she trembled, g-gomen...I...I think I messed up b-big time...
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the agonized yells from somewhere close to her. Disobeying her commands, her eyes snapped open -and she grimaced.
The three men who had been standing before her were engulfed in flame...and were...being burnt. Mori, who had been standing close to the three men, looked around wildly, a fearful expression forming on his face.
"Kurei! What do you think you're doing?!" he yelled, as he saw the masked man approach. "How dare you -how dare you attack me like that!!"
The Uruha leader stopped only when he was standing directly opposite his father.
"I didn't attack you, chichiue," he said, coldly. "I attacked your men."
"Why you-"
"-I told you not to interfere in my business, Chichiue," interrupted Kurei. "I told you that I would get you that girl of healing...on the condition that you didn't get involved in things like this..." His eyes were glinting. "And yet, you didn't listen to me...even after I warned you..."
"Watch your mouth!" snapped one of the bodyguards. "You're talking to Mori-sama, to your fath-" Fuuko blanched when more screams filled the air, as Kurei directed balls of that eerie, purplish-white flames in his direction.
Mori stared at the dying man, his eyes wide, before turning to his son as the rest of his bodyguards rallied around him.
"Perhaps you should teach your bodyguards their place, Chichiue..." said Kurei. "Or perhaps I should do it myself...?" He raised his left hand again.
"If you do that Kurei, you know what will happen," said Mori, hurriedly. "I carry that console with me all the time...and I will not hesitate to use it now..." Just as he had expected, Kurei lowered his arm, his eyes blazing. "Good..." he said. "Very good; you know that you cannot betray me..." Mori glanced around at his bodyguards. "I was only trying to help you get rid of the Hokage-"
"-I don't need your help."
"Very well..." Mori nodded at his bodyguards, still rather shaken by the Uruha leader's actions. "We will have our little meeting some other time...I am expecting an easy victory for Uruha Kurenai tomorrow..." With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, rather quickly, with his men following him.
Kurei stared after him for a moment or two, when a groan caught his attention. His eyes continued to glint as his gaze landed on the eight injured bodyguards.
Fuuko found herself sinking to her feet, her eyes glazed, as the men released screams of torture, whilst the flames slowly burnt at them. The stench of burnt flesh made her want to retch, despite everything that had happened.
When the men were reduced to...almost nothing, the Uruha leader turned around to face her. The glint in his eyes faded somewhat as he saw the whiteness of her face, and the...vacant look in her eyes. Raiha watched as he advanced on her, reaching down and pulling her to her feet.
Fuuko simply stared at him, the screams of the men still ringing in her ears. A previously apprehensive Raiha watched in...shock, as the Uruha leader reached a hand out, towards the girl's face. He slowly wiped away the trail of blood trickling from the side of her mouth, taking note of the bruises she had on her jaw.
"K...Kurei..." The glint was back in the man's eyes, as he swiftly slapped the brunette, almost sending her tumbling back on to the ground.
"Kurei-sama?" questioned Raiha, worried. Fuuko stared at him, a hand resting on her cheek.
"You idiot," hissed the Uruha leader, glaring at her. "Where's your madougu?" Fuuko stared at him. "Where's your madougu?" he repeated, growling when the girl didn't answer. "Where's the Fuujin, Fuuko?"
"I-left it at the apartment..." said Fuuko, dully, tasting the blood in her mouth. Kurei's eyes narrowed.
"The reason you have a madougu is not to leave it behind, it's to take it with you at all times," he said, sharply. "How careless and stupid can you get? You know that the finals are tomorrow, so you should be better prepared!"
Fuuko stared at him, her eyes still vacant. "I-"
"You, of all people, know what that man is like," interrupted Kurei, who was almost snarling by now. "Who knows what he would have done? It wasn't like you could defend yourself against guns when you're walking around without your Fuujin."
The vacant look in the girl's eyes was starting to worry him. "Maybe what everyone has been saying is true, you are weak, despite the tough attitude you put on. You're nothing but a weakling who-"
"-Well I'm sorry!" exclaimed Fuuko, interrupting him. "I'm sorry that I was just training with Koganei, without our madougu. I'm sorry that we don't like to depend too much on our madougu." She was glaring at the Uruha leader, her eyes losing their vacant expression. "And I'm sorry that your father's such a jerk! It wasn't like I asked to be attacked -the idiot just suddenly ordered his men to attack me."
She stopped, coughing as she swallowed the blood that was leaking into her mouth. A disgusted expression found itself on her face as she saw the blood on her hands. "I just-" her eyes fell on the charred remains of the injured bodyguards, and she stopped again, fighting the urge to retch.
"They got what they deserved," said Kurei, following her gaze. He was surprised when the brunette looked up at him with a saddened expression on her face.
"They...were human too..." she mumbled. "And...and you...burnt them into...nothing..."
"No," said Kurei, coolly. "Anyone who works for my father cannot be human..." Fuuko shook her head slowly. As she opened her mouth to speak, however, the Uruha leader calmly and quickly punched her hard in the stomach.
"K-Kure...i..." gasped Fuuko, before her eyes closed as she fell unconscious. Kurei caught her before she fell.
"Joker." There was no reply. "I know you're there."
"Hai, Kurei-han?" questioned the jokester, not playing around for a change.
"Take her back to the Hokage," said Kurei, as he held onto the girl. "Ask them to hea-" he stopped, shaking his head inwardly. "...Tell them she has internal injuries...and that she should probably-" he stopped again. I don't need to tell them that...they'll take care of her well enough...
"What should I tell them?" questioned Joker, as he moved towards Kurei.
"...That she was attacked by my father," said the Uruha leader. Joker nodded, solemnly.
So you do care for her in some way, Kurei-han...
"Take her." Joker sighed as he stared at the unconscious girl. This was going to be the second time he carried her without her knowledge. Oh well.
He held his madougu out to Raiha. "I can't carry both her and my madougu," he explained, before grinning. "Present for you, Raiha-han!" Picking the girl up in his arms, the jokester turned, heading in the direction of the apartments. "I wonder where Koganei-kun is...he should be somewhere around here..."
As Joker walked off, Raiha stared at the Uruha leader. No matter what anyone else thought, he knew that the Uruha leader chased off Mori and his bodyguards for the brunette Fuujin-wielder's safety...and not just because Mori Koran was 'interfering' again.
And, the way he had reacted, practically yelling at the girl for not carrying her madougu around with her...that was...well, that simply confirmed his sudden theory.
Kurei was worried about the Fuujin-wielder...about Kirisawa Fuuko.
I've never seen Kurei-sama worried about anyone, except for Tsukino-sama, ever since Kurenai-sama was killed...he thought.
"Raiha," called Kurei, snapping the ninja out of his thoughts. "Let's go."
"Hai, Kurei-sama," said Raiha, as he proceeded to follow his leader back to the mansion. I wonder...is this why Joker was asking me what would happen if Kurei-sama were to fall in love again?
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Perhaps there was some hidden feelings for the Fuujin-wielder...and, from what he had seen, Fuuko hadn't exactly seemed afraid of the Uruha leader, as she normally would have...
So...it is possible, then...
Raiha smiled to himself. Everything will work out fine, Kurei-sama, he thought. "We'll make sure of it..."
"Make sure of what?" Raiha glanced up hurriedly, his face turning red as he realized what had happened.
"N-nothing," he said, smiling. "I...er, was just thinking, Kurei-sama!"
"... ... ..." Kurei simply continued walking, a frown on his face as he thought about the Fuujin-wielder. He hoped the girl of healing healed her, and that she would be forced to rest for a while.
'Oh? Why?' questioned the annoying voice in his head.
Because...it would be a shame for her to be only partially healthy during her match...
'Is that the only reason?' wondered the voice, sounding amused.
...I don't think so...
'Ah. You're finally seeing the light...'
A/N
Well, that's it for now! Hope you guys enjoy this too...and tell me if things are moving too slowly or too fast...
The next chapter will feature the final-round of the Urabutousatsujin!
See ya!
siriusgirl1