A/N: Alright it coming close. Chapter 14 and it's getting a bit crazy. 2 more chapters and then the end. What will the end be ... who knows?
As the sun started to show its early morning colors, Anko was already wide awake. She had been for some time but it wasn't because she couldn't sleep. On the contrary, she had slept beautifully. The reason why she was awake so early was because today was going to be the day that might change her life. It was the day that things were finally going to go good. And she didn't want to waste a minute of the day.
She got up slowly. She thought she might still be injured from the previous day's battle but it seemed that someone had already taken care of her injuries. She looked around the room that Tanaka had given her. It wasn't all that bad. There was a small dresser, single bed, small chair, and a closet. As she stood up, she stretched and cracked her neck. As the familiar cracking sound came, she was relieved once again.
She could hear voices outside her door. She couldn't tell whose they were, but she hoped it was the person she thought it was. She started walking towards the door and was about to open it when the door was opened by Kuro from the other side. Anko didn't move for a moment. She was just looking at what was in front of her. Since she didn't move, Kuro asked, "You ok?"
It took a moment for Anko's mind to register that Kuro had asked her a question. "Oh, yeah I'm fine. A good night's sleep and a good dream did the trick," she said.
"Dream?" Kuro thought, but decided to not start questioning her so early.
Anko walked out to the living room where she was greeted by Tanaka. He asked her how she was feeling. With a bright smile and thumbs up, she told him that she was fine.
Kuro felt awkward by Anko's new, happy attitude. He had never seen her that happy. He got worried. "Maybe someone or something got to her while she was sleeping?"
As they ate breakfast Anko couldn't stop smiling. Everything seemed so bright and full of energy. Kuro, on the other hand, was very serious and trying to figure out what could have happened to Anko. She kept sneaking peeks at Kuro. She couldn't help herself anymore. It happened like an instinct. She now knew why she felt the way she did and she was ready to say it after they finished eating.
When they finished eating, Anko went to Kuro. She was ready to tell him everything but Kuro spoke before she could. "We'll be leaving tonight so get everything you need. I'm going into the village to get some supplies and then I'll be back to get you and we'll leave."
"But Kuro wait …" Anko's words were in vain because Kuro had already turned and left. "What was that all about? Just when I was about to tell him something important he decides to leave. Great."
It was midnight and Kuro hadn't returned. Anko was starting to get worried. She could think up millions of things that could have gone wrong but decided to give him a little while longer before she herself went out to look for him.
"You look worried? Still waiting for Kuro?" Tanaka asked.
Anko was on the porch and Tanaka had come out to check up on her. "Yeah, he should have been back by now."
"Well, don't worry about him. He'll come back to you. He wouldn't miss that opportunity," Tanaka explained with a sense of confidence.
Anko knew exactly what he was taking about. She had heard his and Kuro's conversation and knew that he meant that Kuro would come back to be with her. This statement made her smile. She just couldn't wait to tell him everything but she thought she'd better save that for when they get back to the village.
Suddenly, Kuro showed up through a puff of smoke. "Let's go," he said simply. He was trying to act as serious as he could but in the end couldn't.
BAM!!!! Anko punched Kuro upside the head causing him to hit the floor hard. Anko said, "What was that? Trying to make a cool entrance? I was getting worried about you, you dorkface!"
Kuro got up slowly rubbing his head. "Well did you have to hit me?"
Anko just looked at her little dorkface rubbing his head with a smile on her face. She was savoring the moment. She loved these times. The times where they argued but in a loving way. They both knew it but now Anko understood.
As Kuro pulled himself together he grabbed his stuff and signaled to leave. "Thanks for everything Tanaka. We owe you one."
"Don't worry about it kid. Just make sure you do what you're supposed to do," Tanaka explained as he was talking about Anko.
"Yeah I will … one day." Then they were off.
About an hour had passed and they were about to exit the Land of Grass. Everything seemed fine. Kuro was soaring from tree to tree normally, but Anko couldn't take her eyes off of Kuro the whole time. They were going at a good speed but things didn't stay that what way.
As Kuro went to step on the next branch he saw that there was an explosive tag stuck to it and that it would activate if he stepped on the branch. "Shit" he thought.
He quickly turned around and took out a piece of rope. He made a quick knot and threw it. Anko didn't know what was happening. All she saw was Kuro turn around and throw something at her. When she looked down, Kuro had "caught" her by the waist and pulled her in close to him. He caught her in his arms as he whispered, "Hold on tight."
As they landed on the branch the explosion went off like it was suppose to. "Worked like a charm," someone from the bushes underneath the tree said.
"Don't get your hopes up; Kuro won't go down that easily," Tsao said as he walked out of the shadows.
"But boss no one could have come out o …" the enemy ninja said but was silenced when his head was suddenly cut off.
Kuro stood still, a few feet away from the beheaded ninja, with his chakra sword out. Anko was right next to him ready to fight. "Not these guys again" she thought.
"I knew you wouldn't go down that easily."
"Well you guessed right," Kuro said to Tsao.
Tsao glared at Kuro and said, "I believe we still have unfinished business."
"I'll finish it right here, right now," Kuro said as he dashed forward but was stopped by ten ninjas who appeared in front of Tsao.
"I wasn't talking to you Kuro; I was talking to that woman next to you."
Kuro looked over to Anko who looked confused. "What business do I have with him? I don't even know him?"
"No, your business is with me Tsao. Leave her out of this," Kuro yelled.
"She has everything to do with this and she and I have business to talk about."
"Don't you dare …" Kuro said but was cut off when the ten ninjas in front of him brought out their kunais and held them up to his neck.
"Don't I dare what? I can do what I want and not even you could stop me. Now, Deadly Ten, get him out of here," Tsao ordered.
"NO!!!" The Deadly Ten grabbed Kuro and disappeared.
"Now, woman, it's just you and me."
Anko didn't know what to do. Kuro was taken away mysteriously. An enemy was right in front of her and he claimed that he wanted to talk to her. Anko could only think of one thing to do. So she let the ferocity she held inside her build to a frightening level as she made her decision, to fight.
Anko dashed forward and brought out her kunai. She went it for a stab but Tsao moved out of the way. She brought down her hand to balance herself and brought her heel up to try and kick Tsao. Tsao easily grabbed her heel and pulled her over his head. She crashed to the ground. Once on the ground, Anko used her Fire Release: Great Fireball technique. Tsao burst into flames but to Anko's disappointment it turned out to be a piece of log.
"I just wanted to talk. We can fight later?" Tsao said as he came out of the ground.
"This guy's better then I thought," Anko thought. She snarled at him, "What do you want to talk about?"
"What else? That kid you're with. What is he to you? A part of your village? Is he from your village? Does he live there? Does he have family there?"
"Why do you want to know?" Anko didn't understand Tsao's questions. What did he have to do with Kuro?
"Because it is finally time for me to get my revenge," Tsao said simply.
"What revenge?"
"Revenge for having my home destroyed, my family killed, and hundreds of other people killed as well."
A loud scream was heard through the forest. Kuro smiled to himself and said, "Two down eight to go."
"You really think you can beat all of us? When one of use dies their life force is transferred to the rest which multiplies their power by two. Even if you get to the last one, he will be 512 times stronger then he originally was," one of the Deadly Ten said.
Kuro looked at him and said, "And what makes you think that any of you could beat me?"
Anko was baffled. She didn't know how to react to this new information. Was it true? Did Kuro do the things that Tsao said? She didn't know what to believe in.
"Don't believe me? Well, did you ever hear of the myth of the Thief City?" Tsao asked.
Anko just gave a nod. She recalled the myth alright because it was a relatively new one. It told about a large city in what was now the Hidden Sound Village. It was a city where thieves of all countries would go to sell their stolen goods. They would also live there and they even created a black-market with other governing nations. But that wasn't the new news. The new news was the rumor that everyone that had lived in that city had been slaughtered and wiped off the face of the earth. When reports came in about it, investigators were quickly sent to check things out, but when they got to the city only buildings were there. Some of the buildings were fully destroyed, while others seemed untouched. But there was one thing everywhere … blood. It was all over the walls, buildings, carts, floors and stairs. There was not one spot that wasn't covered in blood but a big question hung in the air—what had happened? There were no signs of life anywhere when they got there, and nothing seemed to be living anymore. When the investigator finished searching the entire city, they found a young boy on the roof of one of the towers. When they tried to capture him, it was said, that he jumped hundreds of feet into the sky. When he came down they said that he was holding an enormous, black ball. It was the size of a large mountain. When it touched the grounded everything around it disintegrated. The city and everything around it was destroyed. All that was left was a giant crater. Anko still believed it was a myth because she'd traveled to just about every country, and all the lands they bordered, and never once had she seen a single crater like the one that was described.
"Well, I bet you think it's just a myth right? WRONG!!!! I use to live there. I was the king there. We lived happily. People would come in and buy our products and everyone would live freely. Free from persecution. Everything was great until that blasted kid came. I bet you can already guess who that kid was?" Tsao asked.
Anko couldn't believe it. It wasn't true. It wasn't. It couldn't be. Kuro could never do something like that. He just couldn't. He would never kill someone just like that for nothing. Never.
"In denial I see," Tsao began. "Well let me tell you why he came. He came because we had been decided to hold a young girl for ransom. We gave a letter to her Father explaining our demands, but the kid decided to take things into his own hands. Ayame was the little girl's name. I'll never forget her face. Full of tears and she was so scared. But that same night the boy came, and he destroyed everything. Killed and ate everyone. He even tried to kill me but failed to, and now I will have my revenge. But first things first, he took away something from me and now I will take away something from him." Tsao reached back and pulled out a large, four-pointed shuriken.
"Shit!" Anko thought but was left with no time to react since some hands came from the ground, grabbed her by the ankles and immobilized her. She was left wide open for Tsao's attack.
"Now you will die."
Tsao threw the shuriken and as it spun straight at her all she could think of was that boy … Kuro. Had he been the one to kill everyone? If so, he did it to save Ayame and that was why Ayame loved him so much. That was why Teuchi was grateful for him. It all made sense now, but in the end she was going to die without telling Kuro how she felt. Her realization came too late. It was all too late. As the deadly star came soaring towards her all she could say was, "I'm sorry … Kuro."
A/N: Just 2 more. Next up - what will happen to Anko? We will see next time.