Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by its rightful writers. I am not any of them. I only own the characters I create during the story.
Note to readers: Here is another chapter - this one is a bit odd. It is also longer.
Rating: T
When Fantasy and Reality Collide
Eleven
The Grim Reaper really must hate me, Raven muses to herself as she dodges another swipe from a rogue ninja's sword.
She twists out of the way, blasting him away with a gentle shove of her mind. She digs inside of him, taking things he will never miss. Small memories, of hate for a woman he once loved or a small apple that he forgot at home when he was small. She makes others memories stronger – like when he was five and won an award for placing second in a chakra control contest.
At first, he seemed surprised.
Shocked, even – but she tried something more subtle. She gentle pressed her mind into his, stroking it to a different level of thinking. She bent it, curled it around her, and slowly encouraged him that he no longer wants to fight her.
He paused, eyes unfocused and confused.
But Death loves me so much he wishes to wring my neck, she brushes his arm with the tips of her fingers, an arm that once held her pinned to the ground.
She carefully props at the mind she is investigating. She knows there is something that she cannot recall, something that has slipped from her thoughts, and she hopes this mind might answer her questions.
You do not want to kill me. She whispers the words into his mind and, finally, he relaxes.
He lowers his arm, his eyes cloud over as she roots herself in the inner sanctum of his mind, and he sways as if pushed by a gentle breeze. To her relief, the cover of night shields them from view. Any ninja that wishes to see would have to come into her range of awareness.
Over the days that have passed, she has gotten good at this type of attack. Bending her opponents to her will, it makes battling that much easier. The effort is taxing, but it always has good results in the end – primarily no one dying.
Her mental attacks are much stronger. It almost feels as if it isn't as much mental as it is instinctual now. She can easily push someone away, or drag them closer as if pulled by an ultra strong magnet, and seeing them blast forward like they were shot out of a canon is always amusing.
But, at this moment, she is spreading her wings.
She props this ninjas mind, learning facts she never wanted to cross. The first time he killed someone, his first kiss, his first love, the first time he had sex, and the first time he raped. It disgusts her, this mind. It disgusts her to the point that she withdraws, face twisting in revulsion.
She burns some of his mind, twists him into a fractured man, and tells him to turn himself in. Men like him have no place for mercy. She hardly cares if he will be executed.
She watches as he drops to the ground, lies there, and turns on her heel. He will wake by sunrise and he will do what she bid. He will go to the closet village and he will turn himself in.
A light giggle escapes her as she runs her hand through the thick, black locks of hair that fall around her. She can hardly contain her joy as she leaps off the ground, the air holding her as the earth falls away. She can fly, in a sense, but only for short instances.
Like now, as the ground meets her feet with a gentle caress, she knows that the things she can do is not normal. Chakra, in this odd world, comes from the body. There are pathways beneath the flesh and, in it, chakra dwells. It runs its course.
But her energy, her power, is fueled by her mind. It is created there, born from the creativeness of her thoughts, but she figures she will have to calm down a bit. She has already caught Hidan and Kakuzu's attention – both whom wish to kill her more than anyone else she has ever known.
She walks through the grass, exploring it with her senses.
She can feel it brush against her ankles, feel the water in its roots and stem and leaves, and can feel the energy burning in it. She can feel the plant working, the act of respiration burning in it, and knows that once morning arrives photosynthesis will start once again.
This alone inspires her. A plant, a small flower, can make energy out of things around it. It uses it to live and, in return, it helps others – even if that is not its intention. She stops, looking down at the grass at her feet, and frowns.
She clears all thoughts, leaving her mind blank as she sits. With a boulder at her back, it is easy to sit up and relax. She sets one hand next to her, fingers spread out and digging into the grass.
She practices a gentle movement of her hand, a rising and falling action that follows the pull of the ocean and moon. She can feel the grass, the gentle press of moisture against her hand, and smiles. She whips her hand out, a thin strand of water follows. Her gaze goes to the grass next to her, to the brown grass that is waterless and dead.
If I am more like nature, I will have an upper hand on any who fight me. She rises, ambling down the hill towards the village that isn't far from where she is.
As she sweeps past the gate, bending minds to allow her though without any calm of alarms, she pulls the hood of her cloak up. She lets it fall over her, to cover her as she moves, and blends in with the shadows the line the edge of the street.
She can feel the people around her, mingling and talking. None of them notice her. None of them see the black figure, a raven all on its own, whisk by them. They see nothing but an empty wall, forgetting about her just as they see her.
Like she doesn't exist.
But something is off. She can feel something following her movement. She stops under the canvases by a store and frowns. She turns slightly, scanning the area.
And she sees him. Itachi and Kisame, standing across the street, both whom are currently staring at her. She meets the Uchiha's eyes, knowing his name but not really remembering where she learned it from. A fading memory that she can hardly cling to.
Turn away, she sees his brow furrow, irritation flickering in those otherwise expressionless eyes.
It should not be possible for him to feel that gentle brush of her mind on his. Yet his eyes darken, the red coming to life with more force than she thought he would. She turns, batting away the darkness slipping up on her.
Genjutsu does not work on her.
And she can feel his unsettledness at this. She can feel it ring in her. She can feel him and his partner moving, following.
Damn it, she cuts into an alley, leaping off the ground.
The roof's singled form touches her feet as she glides across it. She leaps off to another roof, higher up than the first one. She can sense the Uchiha's confusion, irritation, and satisfaction. Losing her, looking for her, finding her…
She drops, plummeting into the shadows. She keeps both of their minds, their energy, in mind. She knows their location, knows as they try to circle her. Try to catch her, It will not work.
She cuts through the allies, past people, and heads closer to the center of the town. To her growing displeasure, they are still on her tail. She cuts into another street, one that is heavily crowded.
Come and get me…if you can. She knows he can feel the challenge from her, not in words but in impressions. She can feel him level out his emotions, thinking ahead, pausing and changing his mind.
She presses into the crowd, the people dancing and singing. One boy, a year or so older, grabs her hand and pulls her along. She lets him.
"What's a lady like you doing all hidden in dat cloak?" he asks, a drunken slur to his voice.
"Playing a game of hide-n-seek with a few people I know." Her answer is soft as she slips away from him, using him to distract the two hunting her.
And she can feel their confusion that he would go up to them and bluntly ask if they have seen his date. She smiles, slipping through the crowd.
And they are following again.
She leaps to a rooftop, up to another and another, and pauses beneath an overhanging slab of wood. She sits, eyes already finding her hunters and watching them in the center of the dance. So far up, in the shadows with her blending cloak, she is nearly impossible to see.
But the Uchiha sees her. She can see his eyes staring up at her. Holding her gaze.
You can only find me if you catch me, She flickers out of his sight, sinking into the wood and landing in a desolate room before slipping out the back door. That she never gets used to, phasing through things. It makes her feel like a ghost, dead and untouchable.
She likes being touched.
She knows these two Akatsuki are enjoying the hunt. They haven't had a challenge in some time, she can feel this. She knows this will continue.
They will hunt, think, corner, and catch. That does not mean she will make it easy. That wouldn't be fun, not fun at all. She is a challenge, something new and fun. A game of sorts.
She slips from one crowded district to another. The festive areas, people are not afraid of reaching for her. They sense her slipping and, if they act fast enough, they can grab her. Warm and comforting, that is what they are. They bring images from the vanishing past – images of friends, fire places, and smores. They make her warm, wanted.
And then she can feel him, just ahead of her. She frowns, not all aware that he got ahead. The other one, the one with the massive amount of energy pulsing in him – Kisame, if she recalls – is the one behind her.
She slows to a stop, knowing that Itachi is just ahead.
And he steps out of the shadows, black and red cloak fluttering around him. She knows Kisame is behind her, she can feel his heat against her back as he stops. They are tense, both watching.
She cocks her head to the side, Itachi can see her mouth.
She smiles.
Another chapter! I haven't updated this one but, as you know, things are changing. And why the hell does she keep running into the Akatsuki? She gets away from one and runs into another. This time it is Itachi and Kisame. And her new discovery of her power - is that going to far? I hope not. Anyway, it doesn't work on Itachi. His bloodline limit maybe...or because he is stronger than a normal ninja? LOL - you'll have to wait to find out. And Kisame, will it work on him?
Review, please.
CideanForever
