13 Unexpected Answers and Further Questions
Giant Snakes, a Deadly Encounter with a Catgirl, and a Jounin's Vanity Exposed
"And then, in the confusion brought by the fog, I would use their brief moment of distraction to synchronize my heartbeat with theirs..." Kotori frowned down at the manuscript. "Well, that's just great. It would take incredible focus in order to get in synch without touching them. Then I'm supposed to take control of their body and lower its temperature, all while gathering the chakra needed for a single powerful movement..." She sighed and sat back on her heels, regarding the scroll with faint distaste. "It's almost as if you expect me to depend on the demon as my main source of strength!"
You were created to be a tool – a deadly weapon at that – unless you've forgotten already. And how is a weapon supposed to be effective if its parts refuse to work together? The demon sighed, a rusty echo of its host's earlier emotion. Don't act so surprised. If you read through that scroll as thoroughly as you should have, you'd realize that every step in your training had its purpose, even back to when I was placed inside of you. And I've said it once before – I won't let you die. After all, if you die, then I die too. Sensing the girl's further hesitation, the demon persisted, saying, You'll never realize your ultimate purpose and potential unless you give me some part in this. Who knows, one of these days you might just need me...
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I'm sure there are others who would kill to be in my position right now, thought Naeko as she crouched in a corner just outside the actual bathing area. But this is just - ick. I'll be damned if Taiki expects me to watch that man naked. The combination of stress and the temperature caused a thin tendril of sweat to trickle down her cheek, and with an inner grumble she reached a hand up to wipe her face off. Then two voices nearby caused her to look up, recognizing one as Takeshi and the other as... A wicked grin crossed her face as she recognized the other. Ooooo, I could bug Tori-chan so badly about this. She then focused on the conversation between the two jounin, cursing her vantage point that prevented her from getting a clear view of her mentor but knowing she risked revealing herself if she moved. In the hazy atmosphere, she could barely perceive through fogged vision that Takeshi was not wearing his usual head covering, but she couldn't tell what was in place of it, if anything, because the other man seemingly refused to move. Damnit, Kakashi-san, if you could just step to the side...
But such was not her luck as Takeshi reached into a small duffel bag and removed a plain square of cloth, then tied it around his scalp much in the manner of the usual headband. When the two moved off toward the hot springs, Naeko cursed again when she realized that she'd been foiled. She gave the silver-haired man a dark look as he walked away, then shivered in sudden apprehension as he shot one pointed glance back over his shoulder at her hiding place. Crap. If he tells Takeshi-sensei what I've been doing, I'll be toast... better get moving before he says anything. Naeko then channeled what reserves of strength she had left into beating a hasty retreat.
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"Oh well. I might as well get used to it," Kotori grumbled in resignation, re-rolling the manuscript and securing it to her back. Do what you have to do, but you will leave when I tell you.
Don't worry yourself, the demon replied casually as the girl reached within and confronted the seal that held the spirit in check. She could almost see it stretching in anticipation of release, and with a mental gritting of her teeth she lowered her defenses and allowed the Two-Tailed Cat's chakra to spill loose.
Red fire galloped through her bones as Kotori fell to her knees, chest heaving as her senses whirled and struggled to regain their balance. Her vision flared blind white and her mind blazed; her muscles reshaped and reattuned to a monstrous new form that only vaguely resembled the petite girl that she had been. When the transformation was complete, the creature let out a sigh almost of relief and murmured to itself, "That wasn't so bad, was it?" before catapulting off into the depths of the forest.
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"Well, that went by too fast," Taiki muttered as he reached the last page of the novel. "And now I have to wait for the next one to come out, and figure out how I'm going to get a hold of it." Scowling, he closed the book and put it next to him on the bench, assuming a relaxed slouch as he waited for his teammate to return.
For a split-second, the youth's vision went stark white as if he'd stared into the sun. A psychic scream of pain lanced his temples like a searing brand and he lurched forward in his seat, reeling in the sudden sensation of released power that lashed across his senses. Then, as soon as it had come, the sensation was gone and Taiki sagged back, struggling to breathe normally as he tried to figure out what he'd just been privy to. He gingerly probed the faded sensation like a healing wound, wondering why it had seemed so familiar, and then the answer came almost as painfully as its predecessor. "Kotori..." he breathed, trying to get a bead on the location of the power surge in the case he needed to follow it to its source.
"Fancy meeting you here," another familiar voice commented over the youth's shoulder, causing the genin to jump. "Is everything all right? You looked like you were going to puke there for a moment."
Pressing a knuckle into his temple to quell the throbbing he felt, Taiki shot a shaky grin at the dubiously staring Takeshi. "I'm... I'm fine. Don't worry about me, I just got a headache all of a sudden."
The jounin shook his head with a rueful grin. "Strange things are afoot these days, wouldn't you say? A friendly source informed me that someone was peeking on me in the bath... and we all know I'm not that popular." When his measuring look went unanswered, Takeshi sighed and shrugged. "Eh, whatever. Listen, I'm going to be busy tonight, so try not to get into too much trouble." Numbly Taiki nodded acknowledgment, head still ringing from its recent abuse. "And try to track down Kotori while you're at it. I know she's the solitary type in her time off, but I've got a bad feeling about her today."
"You're not the only one," Taiki muttered, glancing off in the direction the alert had come from. "Don't have too much fun, sensei."
"You know me..." Giving his student a casual wave in farewell, Takeshi then set off on his unnamed task, a light breeze flapping the corners of his bandanna as he walked.
No sooner had he disappeared from sight than Naeko reappeared in front of Taiki, cheeks flaming red in mixed humiliation and anger. Lips pinched shut in an ugly scowl, she backhanded her teammate across the cheek and stood back waiting for a reaction. When none was forthcoming, she hissed, "Well? Aren't you going to ask me if I found anything?"
Taiki shook his head once to clear it and looked at her blankly. "Huh?"
"I've seen more of the men of this village within the past two hours than I would ever care to in my entire life, all for nothing! Oh, let me guess, it doesn't bother you because you've seen it all before, but I'm scarred for life! Does that mean anything to you?"
Mind abruptly returning to the topic at hand, Taiki tried a shaky smile. "Of course it does, Naeko. Your sacrifice has been noted." He blinked when he saw that her blush showed no signs of fading and added in a mumble, "You didn't get caught, did you?"
"We'll just have to wait and see, now won't we?" Plopping down next to Taiki in a huff, Naeko muttered, "I just had to run into him. Even without that Sharingan I could have sworn he saw me! Tori-chan sure has weird taste in men, that's for sure." She waved her hand dismissively and sat back to rest after her day's exertions. "Speaking of, has the Ice Princess deemed us fit for an audience yet?"
"No, not yet." And as soon as I can get away for a minute, I'm going looking for her, Taiki added mentally. "You know what? Why don't you go and lie down for a bit? I'm sure you're tired from your work today, and I don't think we're getting any closer. If anything, we can try again when he's otherwise occupied."
Naeko raised an eyebrow. "Otherwise occupied? Are you saying what I think you are, Tai-kun?"
"I just have some suspicions, that's all." Taiki patted Naeko on the shoulder and got up, pocketing his reading material. "We'll get back on the trail tonight, but you need to rest. Like you told me" a pained rub of his face where he swore he could feel a handprint "you've been through enough for today."
"If you say so, Tai-kun." Rising also, Naeko grinned tiredly and stretched. "Meet back here at sunset?"
"Sure. Take care of yourself." Leaving it at that, Taiki then turned and trotted off, trying to tune his senses and choose the swiftest path that would lead him to whatever had befallen the missing member of his team.
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As he ran, he became aware of subtle emanations of power, a trail of unusual chakra that he knew without a doubt to be Kotori's. Or whatever she is now, he thought grimly. She sure as hell isn't herself anymore. Breathing a quick prayer to whatever gods might listen that he would not be too late, Taiki increased his pace as he followed what scant trail had been allowed him.
He was soon greeted by sounds of intense struggle and was startled into sudden stillness by the sight of a giant snake poised to strike among the trees. Following the beast's gaze, Taiki gasped when he saw a barely-recognizable figure poised on a high tree branch, one hand poised at her lips in a seal while the other was raised aloft. The already moisture-rich air of the forest transformed into a chokingly impenetrable fog bank and Taiki could feel his blood chill when he realized that this was his teammate's work.
A single yell then pierced the air, its nuances lost in the mist, and then seconds later a nauseating wrenching sound followed. The fog bank changed from shifting veils of silver and gray to a strange shimmering red, punctuated by chunks of semi-frozen flesh and skeletal slivers that Taiki sincerely hoped had belonged to the snake.
Then all was silenced, the fog dissipating to reveal a scene of horrifying carnage. Splinters of bone pierced earth and foliage alike, and the immediate area was liberally coated with a fine layer of gore. In a brief moment of distraction, Taiki mused that it would take great imagination to figure out that this mess of organic matter had even been a snake. Then his mind returned to practical matters, the most prominent being two questions: What exactly happened to Kotori? And furthermore, why was there a giant snake in the forest this close to the village without someone noticing?
Unfortunately, the second question would have to wait to be answered as the solution to the first slammed into Taiki from above, pounding him into the ground with a feral growl. Death in the form of redly glistening fangs hovered inches away from Taiki's throat, and he had no doubt that the otherworldly light that now shone in this creature's eyes was a direct glimpse of the demonic presence that Kotori shared her body with and now held dominance over her. Yet, as strong of a hold as this presence exerted, challenge to its control could yet be seen played out in a rippling twitch of muscles in the disfigured face and body.
This inner battle was soon resolved, the demon's aura snuffed out like a candle as its host collapsed senselessly. Unsure as to what had just happened, Taiki tentatively pushed Kotori away from him and felt mixed tremors of relief and concern as she rolled to the side unresistingly like a broken puppet. Rising to his knees, he looked over at the sight she presented, lying barely conscious on the sodden ground in a pool of blood both from her recent prey and from her own wounds, including the openly oozing marks on her shoulder. Her clothing lay in shreds, and her copper hair – which had somehow come loose during her transformation – fanned out underneath her like a tattered, crimson-matted cloak. The eyes that had only so recently shone with ethereal power now stared glassily ahead; any of the beastlike changes that had rendered Kotori so frightening had passed the way they came, leaving her a mere shadow of her usual self.
The utter and complete lack of movement from the girl jolted Taiki back to his senses, and with shaking fingers he verified the faintest fluttering of a pulse. "Gods, Kotori, why'd you do this?" He then saw the scroll lying nearby, dislodged from its carrier sometime during her recent struggle. "Damnit. You just had to, didn't you? And it's broken you..." With the feeling of shouldering a distasteful burden, the genin strapped the manuscript to his own back and then carefully picked Kotori up in his arms. "There are some things I'll never get about you, and some things that I'll never want to," he whispered into the forest air as he left the scene of all-too-vivid horrors to return to the village.
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"It's past sunset – where is he?" Naeko wondered irritably as she sat on the park bench, waiting for her teammate to meet her as promised. "If he's used this as an excuse to run off with her, I'm going to kick his butt when I see him." Ten minutes passed in tense silence, and finally the girl stood from her seat with an air of determination. "Well, if he's not willing to help out, I guess he just won't get his answers!" Smirking at this decision, she set out for the first place on her list of possiblities.
"Whoever did this was sick," the medic muttered as she considered the listless girl laid out in front of her. "You sure you don't know who did it?"
If I told you, would you believe me? Taiki shook his head. "They'd be hurting right now if I did," he replied as he too considered the state Kotori lay in. "How long do you think you'll need to keep her here?"
"That remains to be seen. Tell you what – find your teacher and get him to come over here. He might be able to shed some light on this mess."
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"So, was this worth the risk? I hope Teuchi-san won't kill me for taking you away from the restaurant."
"Oh, I don't think he'll mind. You and your students are some of our best customers after all." A small laugh, and the girl – whom Naeko recognized with a blink as the waitress from the ramen shop – drew subtly closer to her escort, who allowed himself an almost imperceptible smile at this minor victory. "So, are they your first cell?"
It was Takeshi's turn to laugh, more of a rueful chuckle that drew a frown from his concealed student. "Yeah, they are. Sometimes I swear they're a bunch of head cases, but I really can't complain too hard. I was like that too one time, you know?"
A look of mock disbelief from the waitress. "No way. You, a member of the jounin elite, were once an insufferable little punk like most of the genin running around these days?"
Takeshi's laugh was more genuine this time. "You'd never guess it looking at me now, would you. They have grown up a lot since I took them on, though – they'll be going for the chuunin exams sooner than I'd like to think."
"You make that sound like a bad thing. Don't you think they'll make it?"
The chuunin exams? Already? Naeko bit down on her lip in apprehension. So Kotori was right, he did have something up his sleeve that he was waiting to drop on us. A sour head shake. I hate it when she's right.
"It's not that," Takeshi said after a moment's thought. "It's just the same nervousness that any other teacher feels when they take the risk. Our reputations are on the line based on how our students do, no matter what you might hear – even moreso since my three are brand new." He chuckled again. "They'd get a kick to hear me talking about them when I'm supposed to be relaxing."
"I'd bet they would." The pair had paused in their walk in front of the same bench that Naeko and Taiki had occupied earlier, Takeshi gesturing for his companion to sit before doing likewise. "It sounds like you care about them a lot, Takeshi-san."
"You might say that," the jounin mused, unaware in his thoughts of the presence ghosting up behind his seat on the bench. "Every once in a while they worry me, but then they seem to take care of things themselves." Now or never, Naeko resolved, reaching her hands out and whisking the covering cloth away from the older man's scalp.
The reaction was immediate, Takeshi flinching at the sudden breeze and reflexively reaching up to see if the bandanna could be retrieved. Sudden silence reigned as the night lights of the village glinted from a suspiciously hairless cranium, its owner flushing brilliant embarrassed red and whirling around to see where the cloth had gone and hoping to salvage some scrap of his dignity. Naeko found herself the subject of a hellish glare from normally kind eyes gone stony cold, and she could not convince herself to move. "I'm... sorry, sensei," she mumbled, unsure of what action to take now that her goal had been realized.
"Is everything all right, Takeshi-san?" the other girl ventured, likewise unsure of the proper action or reaction.
The awkward silence was broken, however, by the clatter of running feet as a winded and inexplicably blood-spattered Taiki skidded to a halt in front of the trio. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something, sensei, but you need to come to the hospital right now. I just brought Kotori back, and it's not pretty."
Face crumpling into a why me? grimace, Takeshi snatched the bandanna from Naeko and re-tied it, hissing at her, "We'll have a little chat later once this is over." In one last attempt at suavity, he rose and gave the waitress a kiss on the knuckles, murmuring regretfully, "You and I will continue this later, maybe. Duty calls..." before running off with Taiki and Naeko at his heels.