It had been a few months since Kotori's birthday. They went through Kakashi's birthday, and it went successfully. Now it was October, and the leaves were falling off trees and littering the ground. Chilly winds picked up and died down every now and then, which caused most people in Konoha to resort to jackets. Most civilians didn't noticed, but the days leading up to October 10th have been rather tense. The Jounin have been on their guard more often, and Kotori noticed her family had been running around making 'precautions' as the date came closer and closer. She had no idea what was going on, and whenever she asked, she was ignored or told that she would find out later.
She never did.
And so, on that special day, Kotori felt goosebumps run along her arm. Something in the air wasn't right. She glanced round Konoha, stepping on the edge of the building and looked down at the people below her. Totally clueless. A frown appeared on her face and she looked up at the sky, narrowing her eyes slightly. The air was cold. Clenching her fists, she jumped from the roof to another, much higher building and glanced around. Her hair whipped in the wind and she shuddered before looking round into the distance. She noticed a Jounin running down the street, and Kotori followed him with her eyes, watching carefully. Was he going to do something important? Kotori tensed, although she felt a sigh escape when he stopped by a group of people, presumably his friends, and they walked on like normal. Her shoulders sunk slightly and sighed, turning on her heel to jump down… And then it happened.
Kotori didn't know what exactly happened, or how it did. All she knew was that the roof underneath her crumbled, causing her to fall metres from the air. She heard screams and the sound of collapsing houses and shops. People's footsteps were ringing in her ears, as well as the wind and tears welled in her eyes at the speed she was falling out. Shit, she was going to die! Panicking, she spun in the air, managing to land on the ground in a crouch just in time, wincing. She looked up immediately in case anything was falling on top of her, and Kotori yelped, rolling to the side to avoid a falling peace of wood. She looked round quickly, staring at what was in front of her. A giant fox… With nine tails. It's paw was larger than anything she could imagine, and she couldn't see where it ended from where she was standing. People cried out and hurried people away. She eyed her surroundings frantically, seeing people buried under the remains of buildings. The large animal took in a deep breath and roared, causing a huge gust of wind that shattered windows and blew people over Kotori. She yelled, looking away and was forced to fly in the air, and she flailed her arms, trying to grab onto something. She couldn't hear anything and quickly took out a kunai, digging it into a building that was brave enough to continue standing. It dug into the wall and Kotori managed to stay put, reaching out to grab a passing flying stranger. He clung to her hand, yelling his praise to her. She winced at how tight he gripped, but Kotori suddenly looked round at the monster. She had heard of this. It wasn't just any random monster… It had to be a Jinchuuriki. Her fingers were slipping from the kunai and she cursed under her breath, glancing at the man holding onto her wrist.
"We're falling!" she yelled.
"No! No, don't fall! Use your ninja skills! Please, we're too high up!" he cried uselessly, Kotori only seeing him move his lips, trying to desperately climb further up her arm and Kotori yelled as he dug his nails into her. She was only twelve years old! She wasn't invincible, and she certainly wasn't strong enough to hold onto him as he swung around trying to keep a hold of her. She gripped the kunai handle for as long as she could, but she winced when the Kyuubi opened its mouth and roared once more. She felt the blast of air and she was inevitably thrown off her kunai, and the man fell from her arms. He screamed for his life, but Kotori was too distracted and spun in the air violently, feeling cuts appear on her arms from the power of the wind. She yelled, trying to control her flips and found herself bashing her shoulder against a large block of wall falling. Her shoulder cracked and Kotori grit her teeth, seeing the ground falling at her. She couldn't hear anything apart from a loud buzzing, and became rapidly more confused when someone caught her. She clung to them either way, terrified of landing flat on the ground. When the person landed, she looked up at them… Kotori stared at Kakashi, who glanced down at her. She couldn't tell if he was talking or not and frowned, suddenly panicking. Was she going to be deaf forever? Was this ringing ever going to stop? Would Kakashi be able to tell? Her eyes grew wide and Kakashi put her down gently, resting a hand on her shoulder. She wouldn't be able to tell what he was talking about unless she read his lips, and his mask was useless.
"K-Kakashi, I-I can't… Can't hear!" she stuttered, digging her nails into her other hand, "I can't hear you!"
His visible eye widened and his grip tightened slightly on her shoulder. Suddenly he turned his head sharply in the direction of the Kyuubi and grabbed Kotori by the waist, jumping away with her again. Kotori's ears were still ringing, and her heart was racing. They landed by a tree and looked round at the ninja guiding unharmed civilians away. Over there head flew more ninja, attacking with several jutsu. Kakashi ran forward towards a familiar face - Takeshi - and Kotori made a face. Kakashi seemed to be talking, as Takeshi was looking at him. His eyes widened and Kakashi quickly put her hand on her brother's, before jumping off. Takeshi looked at his little sister, clinging to her hand. He mouthed something to her twice, trying to be as clear as possible.
'Don't worry, I'll protect you.'
Kotori wondered if this was her brother at all… He bullied her constantly, he didn't even get her a birthday present. Why was he suddenly the big brave hero? Was it because… Maybe he did care for her. He didn't want her to die… He ran down the street, Kotori keeping hold of his hand and quickly stopped when he spotted someone carrying a small boy.
"No, my parents are there! Wait, my parents are still there!" he cried. Kotori watched as Takeshi spoke with the Jounin, and he put the boy down and left him with Takeshi. Kotori looked and her eyes widened at the sight of Iruka. He seemed to yell her name and hug her, and she hugged back with one hand. Suddenly Takeshi took Iruka by his other hand and hopped off once he was sure they were both ready. Takeshi eventually stopped near the Hokage statues, along with many other people trying to hide for their lives. Even from this far off, they could feel and hear the effects of the Kyuubi. Kotori fell to her butt once she was out of people's way, and Iruka kneeled beside her.
"K-Kotori, are you okay?" he asked and she looked at him, shrugging. She pointed to her ears, mumbling that she couldn't hear and Iruka seemed to gasp. She looked back at the ground sadly. The ringing had disappeared, but she could still hardly hear. Things were just… Buzzing. Looking back at Iruka, she tried to smile, but it came crooked and her cheeks hurt. Iruka smiled and squeezed her hand, as if to say he was there for her, and she looked down at her feet. Wiggling her toes a little, Kotori felt absolutely useless. People seemed to rush away and more buildings collapsed, causing violent shaking of the ground. Kotori looked up and squeezed Iruka's hand harder. She couldn't just sit here, she had to do something. Anything!
She frowned and traced a hand over her Konoha symbol on her top. Clenching her fists, she looked at Iruka.
"Stay here with someone you know." Kotori told him as clearly as possible. She got to her feet and he quickly followed suit, grabbing her hand.
"Kotori, wait! What?" he asked, facing her so she could see what he was saying. She could sort of hear what he was saying, but it was a lot more helpful being able to see his lips move.
"I'm going to help." she ripped away from his hand and ran before he could do much else. If she concentrated on the vibrations in the ground, then she wasn't so screwed. Taking out a kunai, she flipped over a fallen tree and jumped onto a building, joining a group of Jounin and Chuunin. She spotted a few Genin metres away listening to orders and she cursed under her breath. Suddenly someone shook her by the shoulder and she looked up. He was yelling, but all she could hear was buzzing. Eventually a large hand grabbed the Jounin's arm and Kotori looked up seeing Kimihiro. He stared down at Kotori.
"I… I can't hear…" she admitted, frowning sadly. Kimi stared, eyebrows raising before quickly picking her up and jumping off of the building, along with the over Jounin. Kotori glanced over his shoulder, watching as the paw slammed down on the building. She was terrified, and her heart was racing. Her muscles were tense. Kimihiro bellowed orders before setting Kotori down and mouthed words very carefully. But she could hear him… She could hear screaming. Kotori straightened up, concentrating. She could hear the sound of screaming and crumbling buildings.
"It's coming back!"
"What?"
"My hearing!" Kotori cheered, before getting to her feet, "Sensei, I-"
"No, you can't fight!" he said immediately, grabbing her by the shoulder, "Leave that to the Jounin! I want you to find your brother and Sanjirou, and head to the hospital. They will tell you what to do!"
"But-"
"DO IT!"
The yell wasn't as loud as Kotori expected it to be; her ears must still be going back to normal. Kimihiro shot off with his Jounin group and Kotori glared at the ground, but quickly did as told, retreating to the hospital. She quickly arrived to see Sanjirou and Kotaro, along with other Genin, helping Medic-nin.
"Kotori, perfect!" Kotaro turned and gestured to Rin and Kakashi, "We need to stay here and help them… Can you go out and protect Rin as she heals the wounded?"
Kotori nodded and quickly shot off with Rin and Kakashi.
"Your hearing's back?"
"Mostly." Kotori nodded and Rin looked at her nervously, but then back ahead. Rin skidded to a halt and noticed a few men lying behind some cover. She ran over and Kotori and Kakashi glanced about.
"Rin, The Kyuubi's looking this way!" Kotori warned, and the large fox-like creature snarled, its saliva dripping onto the village. Kotori tensed, watching as people attacked the Kyuubi with no luck. Rin cursed softly and looked round.
"They're dead…" she mumbled and Kotori looked round quickly, watching as Rin ran back towards them. She did a double take, staring at the woman. Iruka's mother. No… She was holding someone's hand. Her husband? Kotori narrowed her eyes.
"Kotori, we need to go." Rin grabbed her friend's arm, her yang charm jingling and Kotori snapped her head round. The Kyuubi was advancing, its paw lifting. Debris fell from the sky and Kotori dodged quickly, moving as fast as she could from underneath the shadows of the murderous lowering appendage. Rin yelped as she tripped, and quickly covered herself.
"RIN!" Kakashi skidded to a halt, spinning and slipping on the ground, but he ran forward. It was too late, the paw was too low. Kotori rushed over and grabbed Kakashi, pulling him back before he was squished. She fell onto her back and Kakashi struggled out of her grip.
"NO! I have to save Rin! I promised Obito I would!"
"Kakashi, it's okay!" someone cried as the Kyuubi lifted its paw back up, revealing a crushed log in Rin's place. Kakashi was breathing deeply, staring. Oh god, oh thank god… Kotori gripped his arm, staring, then looked round at Rin as she appeared beside them.
"That was way too close!" she exclaimed, and Kakashi stared before moving forward and hugging her tightly, closing his eye. Kotori smiled, watching.
"Oh god… Kakashi, Rin, let's go!" she yelled, grabbing onto them and jumping into the air. The Kyuubi roared loudly, growls and snarls escaping before whipping one of its mighty tails at buildings. They instantaneously collapsed and the trio had leapt from falling rock to falling rock, dodging out the way of the Kyuubi's attacks. Rin yelled as a rock hit her from behind, forcing her to the ground. Kakashi jumped forward, catching her and resting her in his arms as they landed. Rin was shaking, and Kakashi felt the back of her head, revealing a gloved hand afterwards.
Blood.
The red liquid shined on his finger tips and he stared. It dripped slowly, taking an eternity to reach the ground. When it did, she could hear the plop. The Kyuubi didn't exist anymore. Nothing mattered. Kakashi stared at the blood, raising his thumb to slowly rub the tips together. His eye softened immediately, and Kotori could see a different look in his eye.
"Kakashi, we can get her to the hospital, let's go!" Kotori cried, and Kakashi quickly got to his feet, Rin in his arms, running speedily after Kotori. The Kyuubi attacked again, with a miniscule version of the attack he used on the Fourth Hokage. Kotori looked round just in time to see the attack coming at them… She attempted to move, but it shattered the ground and sent a wave of wind, hurling the trio into the air and onto the ground. Sharp pieces of wood flew into the air as more houses were destroyed, and chunks fell to the ground. Kotori flipped out of the way of one, turning.
"Kakashi, come on, we-" she stopped, staring. Kakashi was kneeling beside Rin, who was lying on her back… Blood splayed underneath her. Kotori hesitated, taking a step forward, "K-Ka…Kakashi…"
She stopped behind her friend, staring down at the girl. Her eyelids were half closed, and she gazed at the smoky sky. A shard of wood was lodged into her stomach, blood slowly leaking from the wound. Kakashi didn't move. Rin slowly moved her head to look at the grey-haired ninja.
"Please, Kakashi-kun…" she whispered, but he did nothing. The Kyuubi slammed its paws down again, causing another earthquake like shudder. Kakashi didn't even seem to move, as if he was in his own world that wasn't affected by the Jinchuuriki. Kotori caught her balance quickly, clenching her fists. She watched Kakashi, her eyes slowly lowering to her feet. The girl made her way over to her friends, Rin's breathing becoming more and more shallow. Her body was steadily becoming less shaky… Kotori gazed on into the distance, incapable of looking at her dying friend. Her death was inevitable, but she didn't want to think about it. More screams echoed in the background and the Kyuubi roared.
"I promised Obito I'd protect her…" he whispered behind his mask, watching as Rin's head slowly fell limp. He clung to her hand, which was slowly turning cold, "I promised…"
"It's not your fault…" Kotori kneeled next to him, more interested in escaping than comforting Kakashi at the moment, "And I understand, I completely understand you're upset… But we'll both be dead next if we don't go to the hospital…"
He slowly looked up at her, his right eye glistening. His body was shaking. Kotori frowned, putting a hand on his shoulder, and he quickly looked back down, raising the back of his hand to his eye.
"I… Have dust-"
"Right…" Kotori smiled meekly, unable to look at Rin's body. Kakashi removed the wood, and Kotori winced at the squelch. Finally, Kakashi slowly stood, Rin's body in his arms. The pair jumped off, just in time to avoid another attack. Neither of them cared to even look back at the damage.
They arrived at the hospital, and Rin's body was quickly put into a black bag. The Genin were immediately set to work guiding people through the hospital, in and out. Kotori was feeling good at first, but as things slowly dawned on her, her shoulders felt heavy and she sniffled. Trying to keep in her tears as she guided someone to the emergency area, she could feel a tear rolling down her cheek. She wiped it away, but more started and she let out a loud shaky moan, unable to stop the flowing tears. A nurse spotted her and assured it was alright to head off to a private room, and Kotori sat by the wall, knees to her chest and she bawled uselessly. She couldn't stop… Rin was gone, just like that, and there was nothing she could do about it. Wiping away tears, her eyes were sore and her cheeks were red. Sniffing, Kotori looked up at the sound of someone entering. Her breaths were shaky and she quickly looked away at the sight of Kakashi.
Silently, he walked over and sat beside her. He revealed the yang necklace Rin had had around her wrist and Kotori stared, tears threatening to fall again. They both said nothing, and Kakashi put the necklace around his neck before allowing Kotori to dig her head into his shoulder, crying as quietly as possible. She didn't care what happened outside. She didn't care what happened tomorrow. She just wanted to stop being a ninja, she wanted to stop all the deaths… But she knew she couldn't.
She had a duty to do. Her hand reached for her yin necklace and she clung to it as she wiped away tears, lip wobbling.
"We'll remember them…" Kakashi spoke softly, looking at Kotori. Slowly the girl looked at him, "To honour them. Follow their ninja way. We will be proud and confident for them…"
"Those who break the rules are scum… But those who abandon their comrades, their friends, are worse than scum…" Kotori murmured and nodded gently, and she sniffled one more time. The pair slowly got to their feet and, together, as friends, made their way out of the room to aid their fellow comrades.