Chapter 18: The Story of Raika's Death...
Back at the restaurant, the boys plus Kaori witnessed the large burst of lightning at the distance just as they finished sawing up the logs. "Wow, it looks like the storm is getting worse!"exclaimed Naruto.
"Let's get this done quickly," said Lee as the two boys began to carry the logs towards the restaurant.
Neji was about to follow until he saw a worried look on Kaori's face, still staring in the direction of where the Lightning struck. "Kaori?"
"That Lightning...it came from the Gold Mines...Yue please be safe..." Neji heard Kaori say in a fearful and worried voice, which made Neji concerned even more as he followed her gaze.
Back at the mines, Karashi crawled back slowly in fear seeing Raiga back on his feet even after his supposed 'death. "B-boss..." he choked out.
Raiga simply glanced at Karashi before his eyes rested on Ranmaru's body lying at his feet. Horror began to fill his eyes as Ranmaru's body was momentarily replaced with an image of a dead Kurosuki Raika lying face down and bloody. "No...Ranmaru!" called Raiga. "Please, wake up! Ranmaru!" he said more fearfully as he got down on his knees and picked up the boy's body and held it against his own.
"Ranmaru...come on stop playing dead, it's not funny!" said Raiga, shaking Ranmaru a little, desperately hoping the boy was faking it. When he still got no response, Raiga glared murderously at Karashi, who shifted back a lot further, nearing to the rock where Yue still remained hidden unknown to them.
"You...What did you do to Ranmaru?" he demanded in a threatening voice.
"H-hang on! I didn't do anything! R-ranmaru...h-he was gripping your hands tightly and then you came back to life!" explained Karashi hurriedly.
Raiga's eyes widened as he looked down at Ranmaru's seemingly lifeless body before closing his eyes and gripping the boy's small hands within his. "Ranmaru..." he thought sadly feeling no life within the boy as he set the body down gently.
Suddenly, Raiga turned to face Karashi as the man suddenly shot a bolt of blue Lightning in his direction. Fortunately, Karashi was able to dodge just as the blast hit rock smashing it to pieces. "I know you're there show yourself!" demanded Raiga looking around him.
Suddenly there was a rush of wings as Yue descended to the ground in Winged Beast Form, having jumped high into the air to avoid getting struck. Yue landed on the ground and folded her wings making them disappear. "Kurosuki Raiga, you've cheated death not once, but twice. How impressive..."
"Heh, so its you Cat. What ever happened to your 'Kaori-sama' you seem so intent on protecting?" sneered Raiga.
Yue growled audibly as she turned to Karashi who was frozen with fear. "Karashi-dono, I suggest you should get out of here before your blood will get spilt.." she growled menacingly.
Of course, Karashi wasted no time as he quickly scampered away from the scene and hid behind a rock that was a safe distance away. Yue then turned back to Raiga as she began to gather energy around her. "4 years ago, I was too helpless to protect Kaori-sama from you, but this time...I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE YOU WOULD NEVER HARM HER OR ANYBODY EVER AGAIN!" snarled Yue as began charging at Raiga.
"BRING IT!" yelled Raiga, as he dodged and threw a kick at Yue who blocked with her paws. The leopard quickly spun around and whacked Raiga hard with a Lightning infused tail. The hit connected sending the man spiraling into the ground. Yue immediately made a lunge at Raiga's neck, intending to crush it in her jaws, but was sent flying in another direction by a kick to the ribs by Raiga. Yue roared as she hit a nearby wall hard.
"Lightning Ball!" cried Raiga blasting at the leopard.
"Roar of Raiju!" countered Yue blasting a huge bolt of electricity from her jaws.
The two attacks hit dead-on as both man and beast were blasted in different directions. Yue being closer to the blast felt the bulk of the force as she crashed into the rock wall again, this time cracking it. The leopard growled in pain as she tried to get up, her ears ringing loudly from the blast and her vision was spinning. Raiga on the other hand recovered quickly and charged,thrusting his swords forward. Yue was able to regain her senses quickly as she dodged, but unfortunately not quick enough as the spike on the blade nicked her back. Yue flinched a bit as she turned to face Raiga once more, blood flowing from the wound on her back. Yue snarled loudly as she launched herself at Raiga, her fangs bared and her claws out stretched, leaving her completely open in that one moment.
"Lightning Ball!" cried Raiga once more, sending a much larger Lightning blast at Yue.
This time Yue wasn't so lucky as the attack got her right between the eyes and exploded. A loud ringing and blinding light cause the leopard to roar in pain as Yue became deafened and blinded by the attack which blasted her into a large boulder. Yue twitched a little before staying still, having lost consciousness by the attack. Raiga sheathed his swords and walked up to Yue who had de-transformed and lay on the rocky ground unmoving. "Hmph, stupid cat..." he muttered kicking the kitten's body a little.
Karashi slowly tried to creep away from his hiding space when Raiga suddenly appeared in front of him, scaring the living daylights out Karashi. "Tell me...whose fault is this?" demanded Raiga menacingly, pointing to Ranmaru's body while grabbing a fistful of Karashi's shirt and lifted him of the ground. "WAS IT YOU?"
"N-N-N-NO SIR! It was that girl, Kaori's fault! She and her friends from Konoha!" Karashi quickly answered in fear. " Please don't hurt me!"
"Kaori!" exclaimed Raiga, dropping a petrified Karashi on the ground. "That's right...that evil Raijuko bitch... She's to blame for all this! She won't stop until she kills us all, just like back then!" hissed the man.
"Screw the funeral for her, a monster like that Raijuko deserves to be burnt to nothingness!" screamed Raiga with a deranged look in his eyes."Karashi, where is she?"
"I-I-I-I-I-I-I know where she is boss! I-I'll bring her to you! I'll bring them all!" stammered Karashi, scrambling to his feet. "This way!" he said as he lead Raiga up the mountain.
God knows how much time has passed since Yue passed out. The rumbling of distant thunder stirred the kitten awake as vision slowly came back to her eyes. Yue slowly pushed herself of the ground, her head pounding from the last attack she took. A sudden cough from Yue expelled blood from her mouth as the kitten licked her wounds. Suddenly she noticed Ranmaru lying not to far from her.
"Ranmaru-dono!" she exclaimed, running up to the boy.
Yue looked at the boy's face with sad eyes as she placed her paws on his face. "Ranmaru-dono...you gave up your life for Raiga...did you really cared for him that much?" asked Yue bowing her head in grief despite knowing she would get no answer. Suddenly, her ears picked up the faint yet distinct rythmic sound of breathing from Ranmaru. Yue slowly lifted her head to see Ranmaru twitch a little in pain.
"R-Raiga!" Yue heard the boy strain to say before losing consciousness.
"You're alive!" exclaimed the kitten before a look of new-found determination crossed her face. Summoning whatever amount of energy she had left, Yue transformed into her Winged Beast form. Very carefully, the leopard used her wings to scoop the little boy onto her back and folded her wings over him to keep him safe from the rain that was beginning to fall. "Hang on Ranmaru-dono, don't die on me yet!" said the leopard as she began to claw her way up a rock wall.
Yue's wings acted as a cradle for Ranmaru's body as the leopard climbed higher and higher until she reached the top of the wall, where she saw the old wooden shack from earlier. The climb had exhausted Yue so she decided seek shelter at the shack for a while as rain began to pour down.
Meanwhile, back at the restaurant the group was just finishing up reinforcing the place when Karashi suddenly came running up breathless. "There's trouble! Mother, there's trouble!"
"Oh my Karashi! Whatever is the matter?" asked Sansho worriedly as the others gathered around.
"It's Yue! She got buried in a rock slide!"
Horrified looks appeared on everyone's faces except for Kaori, whose suspicions became aroused, narrowing her eyes at Karashi. "How did it happen?" she demanded.
"I was running with her when a huge lightning bolt struck and hit the mountain side. I managed to get away but..."Karashi began to say trying to avoid her eyes. "I tried to dig her out but there was so much rocks..."
"Oh no!" exclaimed Sansho in shock.
"Quick! Maybe we could still save her if we hurry!" exclaimed Naruto as he ran off followed by Lee, Neji and Kaori.
Once they were some distance away from the restaurant, the boys heard Kaori say,"I don't trust him...Yue is far more versatile than that..."
"Huh?" asked Naruto in confusion,who fell back a little so that he was behind Kaori. "Kaori-san, what are you saying?"
"Nekojiwa cats, especially those born of Lightning, have reflexes that move practically at light speed! I do not believe that my dear Yue would easily be caught under a simple rock-slide even if she had broken all four of her legs!" snarled Kaori angrily.
"It seems that Karashi did not receive enough training," said Neji to Lee.
"I'm very sorry..."replied Lee feeling disappointed. "But why did he lie, do you suppose he's being threatened?"
"I know fear when I see it Lee-senpai..." replied Kaori running ahead of the group. " When I ran past him, I caught a fresh new stench of our old...acquaintance..."
The boys all widened their eyes when they realized what Kaori was getting at. "You don't mean...but I thought...Neji...!" Naruto began say in disbelief.
"It seems that I was wrong..." said Neji gravely as they picked up the pace. One thing was now clear within the group, especially with Kaori.
Kurosuki Raiga was alive...
Meanwhile, back at the shack, Ranmaru was having a very strange dream...
(Dream Sequence)
In the dream, Ranmaru could see a little girl with blue hair floating off the ground covered in lightning with her eyes a glowing. It was apparent that the girl was unaware of what was happening or what she was doing. The girl looked familiar...almost like..
"Kaori-chan! Please, you have to wake up!" Ranmaru heard himself say. The strange thing was, the voice that came out wasn't even his own, it was that of a young woman.
"It's no use Raika, she's going out of control! We have to kill that Raijuko!" Ranmaru heard a familiar voice yell.
'Raika? No way..then that means...' Ranmaru began to think before shifting his gaze to see a rather young looking Raiga, braced with his spike swords. "NO!" Ranmaru heard himself say firmly as he found himself shifting his body in front of Kaori and spreading his arms out in protection.
Raiga growled in frustration at Ranmaru..or Raika, in this case. "Raika, step aside, why should you protect an impure being like her?" he demanded.
"Kaori is not impure! She's just different!" Ranmaru, or rather Raika, shot back.
"SHE'S HAS THOSE CURSED POWERS!" roared Raiga angrily.
"They're abilities she was born with, Onii-sama! She was blessed by the Thunder Beast, not cursed! She just needs to learn how to control them!" 'Raika' protested. Ranmaru could feel hot tears streaming down his face in desperation.
"THE GOD RAIJIN-SAMA WOULD NEVER LET HIS BEAST TOUCH THAT IMPURE DEMON BEHIND YOU!" the man yelled, raising his sword intending to strike Kaori.
"KAORI-CHAN!" shrieked Raika turning around just as Raiga brought down his sword as a bright flash blinded Ranmaru's eyes.
"RAIGA!" screamed Ranmaru, awaking with a start.
"Ranmaru-dono, what is wrong?" asked a startled Yue, who was still in Beast Form. It turns out that the whole time Ranmaru had been asleep, Yue had used her own body as a bed for the boy and her wings as a blanket.
Ranmaru was breathing very hard. The dream he had, it was so vivid, so real. He felt everything, the panic, the desperation, all the emotions that he experienced as Raika. "Yue-san...where's Raiga?"
"He's alive thanks to you. Are you alright?"
"I think so..."
Yue placed her nose to his forehead. "Are you sure? You're burning up!" exclaimed Yue as she began to use her tail to fan the boy.
"Ne...Yue-san?"
"Hai?"
"What really happened to Raiga's sister years ago?"
Yue paused at the sudden unexpected question,before putting her tail down. "I suppose it is inevitable that you would want to to know..." Yue began to say sadly. "My eyes had only just opened when it happened, and it is the one memory I can't forget..."
On that fateful day, Kaori-sama was once again on her own. Raika-sama was called out on important business at the time, so she had left Kaori-sama in the care of two of her most trusted disciples, Nanami and Yamako.
Chibi Kaori sat at the foot of a tree looking at the sun shining through the leaves. Without the presence of Raika, Kaori feared getting bullied by the other disciple miko, so she kept out of their way when she could. A slightly bigger Yue, now with her eyes opened, poked her head out of Kaori's sleeve and mewed, since she hadn't learned how to talk yet. Kaori looked down and smiled a little. Suddenly she saw a shadow cast over her. Kaori turned her head just as Yue hid in Kaori's sleeve once more.
"Yo, Kaori-chan!" greeted a cheerful woman with short blond hair. By her side was another miko with long pitch black hair.
"Oh, Nanami-san...Yamako-san..."
"Ne, Kaori-chan, do you want to go herb picking with us?" asked Nanami, her blond hair bouncing.
Kaori's eyes brightened at the invitation but dulled quickly when Kaori suppressed her emotions. "Ok..." she replied, getting up and followed the two miko, unaware of the sneaky glances the two were giving each other.
You should recall, Ranmaru-dono, that Kaori-sama was despised for being a Raijuko so she didn't really have any friends. She had been in the care of Nanami and Yamako many times, so she trusted them as much as Raika did.
...
It took while before the trio had reached a large field and began gathering the herbs that grew in bunches around the area.
Kaori-sama was unaware that the particular field the two disciples had lead her to was quite a distance away from the temple, and happen to conveniently be located in a remote area. My poor Lady... she had no idea of what had been planned for her that day...
Engrossed in looking out for useful herbs, young Kaori did not realize that she was being led further and further away from the temple until she noticed the sky getting overcast. She looked towards the ominous sky, a strange feeling inside her that danger was approaching.
"Ne, Nanami-san, Yamako-san...it's going to rain...we should go back..." Kaori began to say before beginning to make her way back. It was then she realized that the two had not responded at all, making her turn to see them standing behind her, smiling eeriely at her.
"Ara, what's the hurry Kaori-chan? Afraid?" asked Yamako, her voice sounding a bit sinister.
Kaori began to back up uneasily a little, only to bump into Nanami, who looked at her now with a dark sinister smile on her face. "And where do you think you're going, little Raijuko?"
"Y-yamak-ko-san, N-nanami-san, w-what is this about? P-please, let's go back to the temp-p-p-ple..." Kaori stammered, beginning to feel frightened.
"P-please, let's go back to the temp-p-p-ple..." mimicked Nanami mockingly, before glaring at the girl. "Oh we're going back soon enough, the only difference is you won't be with us," she said.
Now, Kaori was really afraid as she tried to make a break for it.
"Not so fast you brat!" yelled Nanami as she and Yamako pulled out Spirit Seals from their sleeves and threw them at Kaori.
Kaori was able to dodge most of them swiftly thanks to her fast reflexes but unfortunately, luck was not on her side as she got struck by the last seal, which quickly immobilized her limbs as she fell forward. Yue got thrown out of Kaori's sleeve in to a nearby bush as a result.
"Yue!" cried out the little girl just as Nanami and Yamako caught up to her.
"QUIET YOU BRAT!" screamed Nanami, kicking the girl hard, causing her to roll a bit.
Kaori cringed in pain from the kick, as electricity began to spark all over her body. "Wh-why?"
The girls scrunched their faces in annoyance as they began kicking and stepping on Kaori over and over again. "WHY? YOU CAME IN AND TOOK AWAY RAIKA-SAMA FOR YOURSELF, THAT'S WHY!" Nanami screamed again, her kicks getting harder with each word.
"WE'VE BEEN TRAINING AND STUDYING HARD FOR YEARS SINCE WE WERE TODDLERS FOR THE RARE PRIVILEGE TO BECOME RAIKA-SAMA'S DISCIPLES AND YOU LITTLE CHARITY CASE JUST SHOWS UP AND INSTANTLY BECOMES HER FAVORITE? WHAT A JOKE!" spat Yamako this time. "You're nothing but a little circus freak looking for sympathy!"
All this time, Kaori had her eyes closed, trying her best to withstand the pain from the repeating kicking. Tears were beginning to form at her eyes as she slowly felt herself losing control of her powers.
"YOU. DON'T. BELONG. ANYWHERE!" the girls screamed as they were about to deliver the final blow when Kaori heard the running of feet followed by sickening squishes and the ghastly screams of Nanami and Yamako.
Kaori slowly opened her eyes to find herself staring into the dead eyes of the girls, making her jolt and trying to squirm away from them as her limbs were still immobilized. She looked up to see a familiar man looking down at her splattered with blood. Kaori widened her eyes in horror at the wet, crimson blood dripping from the pair of spiked swords in his hands as the man took a step towards her. "Kaori..." he began to say, when Kaori gave a small scream and desperately tried to wriggle away. As she did, more electricity began to form around her body.
"Raiga...Stay back! Don't come near me!" she warned desperately.
"Kao-"
"STAY AWAY FROM MEEEEEEEE!" shrieked the girl. Ba-BUMP! Went her heart as it skipped a beat, unleashing a huge burst of energy from the girl's body, blasting Raiga and the corpses of the two disciples away.
Kaori's eyes began to glaze over and glow a bright blue as her body began to float off the ground. The burst of electricity was so strong it burned off the Spirit Seal from her back. Raiga landed on his feet and quickly began dodging some of the stray bolts of energy coming in his direction.
"Onii-sama!" he heard Raika call out to him. He turned to see his sister come running.
"Raika, stay back!" warned Raiga ditching his swords as he jumped forward and tackled her out of the way just seconds before a bolt of electricity struck the ground were she was.
The two hit the ground rolling with Raiga protectively hugging his sister. Raika gasped when she saw the two disciples dead not to far from them. She looked at her brother sadly. "I had to Raika, I'm sorry..." apologized the swordsman gravely.
Raika kneeled and bowed her head in prayer at the two corpses before standing up. "What's done is done, Raiga-niisama. Right now, we have to stop Kaori!" she said as her brother stood up.
"Alright!" agreed Raiga, running to grab his swords while Raika ran ahead towards Kaori, dodging lightning bolts. Raiga immediately came in as back-up and used his words to re-direct some electricity away from his sister. The discharged energy began to get stronger with every minute passing.
Raika quickly pulled out a few Spirit Seals and threw them at Kaori, only to disintegrate on impact. "Kaori-chan! Please, you have to wake up!" she called out desperately while Raiga appeared beside her, deflecting an oncoming lightning bolt.
"It's no use Raika, she's going out of control! We have to kill that Raijuko!" yelled Raiga raising his swords.
"NO!" cried out Raika firmly standing in front of Kaori and spread her arms out in an attempt to shield the girl.
"Raika, step aside! Why should you protect an impure being like her?" demanded her brother angrily.
"Kaori-chan is not impure! She's just different!" Raika shot back with hot tears running down her face.
"SHE HAS THOSE CURSED POWERS!"
"They are abilities she was born with Onii-sama! She was blessed by the Thunder Beast, not cursed! She just needs to learn how to control them!"
"RAIJIN-SAMA WOULD NEVER ALLOW HIS BEAST TOUCH THAT IMPURE DEMON BEHIND YOU!" roared Raiga who began to charge forward with his sword raised and jumped over his sister to deliver the killing blow.
"KAORI-CHAN!" cried Raika as she jumped up at the last minute and hugged the girl just as Raiga brought down his sword.
SHHHICK! Went the ghastly sound of metal slicing through skin as Raika let out a ghastly shriek. Her blood flew through the air and splattered on Kaori's face and robes, snapping her out of her trance as the two fell to the ground.
Kaori slowly came two as she found her self lying beside Raika. "Sensei!" the girl cried sitting up when she saw the huge bloody gash across her sensei's back. Blood trickled from Raika's mouth as the miko slowly turned her head towards Kaori and smiled weakly as she began to move her lips in a barely audible whisper over and over again. Kaori leaned in closely.
"For..give...h...Kaori..."she heard Raika whisper.
"Sensei! Don't die, please!"
"Ka..ori-chan...treasure your powers...they are a gift...from Kami-sama... I-I-I have done... my p-part...now..you..h-ha-ve...to..grow on..your own...it is ..hitsuzen after all..." Raika whispered slowly as Kaori's tears began to drip on her face.
"No...Raika..."said a horrified Raiga dropping his swords as he pushed Kaori out of the way and picked up his sister's body gently and cradled it against his own."No...please don't ...Raika!" cried the man, as tears began to run down his face. "You're all I have left..."
"Dai..jo..bu..O...nii..sama..this...i-is hits-s-su..zen..." whispered Raika weakly. "Kaori..onegai..for...gi...her.." Raiga heard her say.
"What about Kaori? What is it?"
"Ka..ori...her..."whispered Raika before taking her final breath.
"Raika? RAIKA!" screamed the man tearfully as he cried and hugged his sister's corpse tightly.
Tears began to flood uncontrollably from a horrified Kaori's eyes as she watched the light leaving her sensei's eyes. "No...Raika-sensei...No...No..."she whispered in disbelief as electricity began to build up around her once more.
"YOU!" snarled Raiga angrily placing his sister's body down and picking up his swords and slowly walking up to the little girl who was so deep in shock that she made no move to escape. Instead she kept on whispering, "No...Raika-sensei...No..."
"This is YOUR fault! You killed my SISTER!" roared Raiga as he raised his sword once more.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...!"shrieked Kaori at the top of her lungs while clutching her head as the clouds in the sky crashed with thunder and lightning, drowning out her voice as a bolt of blue lightning came shooting down from the clouds and struck Kaori like a lightning rod.
Raiga stared in shock as the little girl's shriek slowly transitioned into that of a beast's roar as the lightning that struck Kaori got absorbed into her body and emerged as a huge cat made entirely out of blue lightning. It's eyes glowed white as it stared at Raiga and growled.
"It can't be...the Raiju?"
Suddenly, the lightning cat let out a deafening roar and pounced on Raiga as his screams rang through the air.
Ranmaru looked shocked at the same time awed at the story. "What happened after that?" he asked.
Yue shook her head. "To tell you the truth I wasn't sure. That blast from the Raiju had knocked me unconscious. When I came to, I found myself back at the temple in Kaori-sama's room. I saw her huddled in a corner, still covered blood, curled up and rocking back and forth, obviously traumatized. I later found out that the other miko came running to the field when they saw the lighting struck and found Kaori-sama in that state surrounded by the scorched bodies of the others, including Raiga. Naturally, everyone assumed him dead. I even had witnessed his burial. But somehow...it seems that the last attack merely gave him an apparent death..." explained the leopard.
"So that explains Raiga's obsession with funerals...but what about his powers?"
"Thinking back, I have a theory. When he was struck by the Raiju, I believe that Kaori's powers had gotten mixed with his own Lightning chakra...and if I'm right then that means..."
"Raiga-san...is a pseudo-Raijuko..."finished Ranmaru before suddenly breaking out into a series of violent coughing.
A rattling was heard caused by the strong winds outside beating upon the shack. Yue narrowed her eyes. 'It's not safe here...we better head back to Sansho-baasan's place,' noted the leopard mentally as she scooped Ranmaru and adjusted him on her back, folding her wings over him.
She then gently pushed the door open with her paws and ran out into the storm as fast as she could. Rain was pouring down hard, soaking Yue's fur. Just then, a familiar scent caught on the wind blew in Yue's direction, causing to look towards a nearby mountain. "Kaori-sama...don't die..."she whispered before making a dash up the mountain side.
Elsewhere...
There was a loud clap of thunder as Raiga sensed the oncoming group. "SO YOU'VE ARRIVED!" he roared as the group appeared in a giant leap. Raiga and Kaori immediately locked glares with each other.
"Raiga!"hissed the girl menacingly.
"Kaori!" roared Raiga in response charging his swords with electricity.
Kaori landed neatly on her feet and was about to make a forward dash but Naruto beat her to it as he began charging towards Raiga. "Naruto, no!"
"Lee, stop him!" commanded Neji, quickly restraining Kaori. "Kaori, you stay!"
Without a moment to lose, Lee dashed forward and rammed into Naruto from the side just seconds before getting struck by a lightning bolt. The two hit the ground rolling simultaneously. "What the hell? That lightning felt different!" exclaimed Naruto.
Kaori stared in shock as she recognized the energy. "This is...real lightning...how is this possible?..Only Raijuko should have that kind of ability!"
"What!" exclaimed the boys in shock.
Kaori quickly turned to Neji. "Senpai, you have to let me go! Lightning has no effect on someone like me, I can take him!"
"No! Stay here and that's an order!" ordered Neji sternly, keeping an iron grip on the girl.
Kaori kept silent as she stopped struggling and bowed her head. "Neji-senpai...forgive me..." she muttered as Kaori began to spark with electricity, resulting in Neji receiving a minor jolt, forcing him to let go as his body went limp.
"Neji!" yelled Lee upon seeing what happened.
"Kaori, what's gotten into you?" demanded Naruto, stepping front of the girl.
"I'm sorry boys, but this is between me and Raiga..." she said placing an individual hand on each boy and knocking them out with a minor jolt as well. Kaori narrowed her eyes as she summoned her Cat Sash Bells and gripped them tightly, walking towards Raiga.
"Hmph, how typical of you to take down your own team mates!" sneered Raiga mockingly walking towards the girl.
"You have no right to say so..." retorted Kaori as her walk became a slow jog.
The same went for Raiga. Gathering electricity into their respective weapons, the two began increasing their speed until it came to the point where they both began charging at each other head on and screaming their battle cries.
Meanwhile, Yue had finally reached the restaurant just in time to see Karashi holding a small suitcase along with trying to drag his mother out of the restaurant with some difficulty considering she had a firm grip on the door frame.
"Karashi! What is this about?" demanded the bewildered old woman as Karashi tried to pull her free of the door frame.
"I can't explain Okaa-chan, we have to leave now!"yelled Karashi desperately but stopped when he heard a growl behind him, making him freeze. He slowly turned his head to see Yue walking up snarling a little."YUE! You're alive!"
Sansho widened her eyes at the kittens Leopard form. "Oh my, talk about about a growth spurt!"
"What's the hurry Karashi-dono? We have plenty of time for you to explain..."the leopard said smirking."Now GET INSIDE, Karashi!" she snarled making the man cringe and grab his stuff before scurrying back inside.
Yue then polite bowed to the old woman as she followed her inside."Sansho-Obaasan, please may I borrow a futon? Ranmaru has fallen ill," requested the leopard, unfolding her wings to reveal the boy's sleeping body kept nice and dry thanks to Yue, despite her dripping wet fur.
"Oh my! Right away! Karashi quick get a futon and a towel from upstairs!" ordered the old woman sharply. Her son obeyed quickly running upstairs before reappearing shortly back down with and laid it down on the floor. Sansho quickly helped tuck the boy into the futon while Yue finally de-transformed, shaking her wet fur dry while she allowed Sansho to wrap her up in a warm towel. Karashi then quickly formed a wet compress out of another small towel and pressed it against Ranmaru's forehead while his mother helped wipe the dirt of Ranmaru."Yue, however did this happen?"
...
After a few minutes of explaining...and kow-towing from Karashi...
...
"Oh you idiot!" scolded Sansho, whacking her son on the head hard with her ladle. Karashi cringed as he rubbed the bump on his head.
"OW! It can't be helped now since Boss is alive again...what other choice do we have? We need to run!" said the boy desperately, while his mother still frowned deeply at him.
Yue shook her head before crawling out from under the towel, her fur now mostly dry. "If you want run, then go ahead," she said as she walked up to Ranmaru's face and placed a paw. "I promised myself that I am going to save this child, and I will!"
There was a stunned silence as Karashi and Sansho stared in surprise at the kitten's determination. "Well then, in that case I'd better make him my special Curry of Life!" said Sansho smiling warmly before walking towards the kitchen. Yue nodded as she stayed close to Ranmaru, monitoring his temperature. Karashi simply gave a frustrated growl as he stomped upstairs.
Elsewhere, the battle between Raiga and Kaori rages on as the two repeatedly clashed with each other. Electricity sparked and flew all over the place as the weapons repeatedly came into contact with each other.
"Why can't die you just properly?" screamed Kaori as used the sash on her weapon to swing the bells around while Raiga dodged them effortlessly.
"And miss a chance to kill my sister's murderer? Not. A. Chance!"replied Raiga, slashing at Kaori, who tried to avoid the sword but it was to late as she fell to the ground, her weapons disappearing from her hands.
A sharp pain caused Kaori to place a hand to her side. She felt something warm and sticky flowing out. Kaori looked at her fingers in horror to see them smeared with blood. For a brief moment, the image of blood spatter from that fateful day flashed in her mind, causing Kaori to begin trembling. Raiga spotted this and began to smile in glee. "How lovely! The color of your blood against my blade...I've been dreaming this moment!" exclaimed Raiga happily with a crazed look in his eyes as he used his fingers to wipe the blood off the blade and looked at it. "But unfortunately for you, I'm not satisfied by this..." he said as he glanced over to Kaori who was slowly trying to get up due to the pain from her side.
Raiga couldn't look any happier as he began to walk towards Kaori who began retreating steps as she pressed her wound trying to stop the bleeding. "I am going to make sure that you die slowly and painfully Raijuko..."
"Stay away from her!" yelled Rock Lee as he suddenly appeared and kicked Raiga away from Kaori.
"Lee-senpai!" exclaimed Kaori in surprise to see Lee back on his feet so quickly."How-"
"Tend to your wound Kaori-san, I'll take over from here!" said Lee as he took his fighting stance and faced Raiga.
"No you can't! He's too powerful for you! It's me he wants, and he won't stop until one of us is dead!"
"How do you think Hikari-chan and Cori-chan would feel if you died? How do you think your whole family would feel? And what about Yue? She has struggled hard to protect you and constantly worries for you! Don't let her efforts be for naught!" scolded Lee harshly.
Kaori didn't reply at all as she bowed her head. "Gomenasai..." she said.
Lee then smiled at her before facing Raiga once more."Kurosuki Raiga, I will not let you harm Kaori-san as long as I am here!" he declared.
Raiga snorted as he twirled his swords in his hands. "God, you are so stupid... When will it get into that small brain of yours that there is no good in protecting that monster behind you?"
"Kaori-san is no monster! She is as human as I am! Burying people alive, bullying the weak, the real monster here is you!"
Raiga's eye twitched at Lee's retort. "Find have it your way!" he roared as began to summon and directed it at Lee and Kaori.
"Kaori-san!" yelled Lee as he grabbed the girl bridal style and jumped out of the way of the lighting.
"You can't protect that girl forever!" taunted Raiga as he continued sending lightning bolt after lightning bolt at the two.
Kaori winced as she clutched at her wound which was beginning to bleed again from all the movement. Lee noticed this and furrowed his brow in concern. Quickly ducking behind a huge boulder, Lee gently set her down. "Will you be alright, Kaori-san?" asked Lee while Kaori took slow deep breaths.
"I will. I did learn a bit of Medical Ninjutsu for times like this..."
Lee nodded and grinned at Kaori. "In that case, I will help distract Raiga while you heal yourself!" he exclaimed with a determined look in his eyes.
"Senpai..." said Kaori a little surprised before nodding.
Lee smiled and gave her a thumbs up for luck as he ran out from their hiding place. Seeing Lee's determination gave Kaori a new sense of courage as she began to form the signs for the Mystical Palm Jutsu and began to heal herself slowly.
Meanwhile back at the Curry Restaurant, Sansho was trying very hard to recreate the Curry of Life to give to Ranmaru but so far her efforts had been unsuccessful as Ranmaru would not wake up no matter how many variations of curry she had fed him. There was such a strong smell of blended spices in the air that poor Yue quickly ran upstairs so she could breathe a little. The moment she did Yue heard the sounds of Karashi pacing the floor of his room muttering repeatedly to himself. She poked her head through his bedroom doorway to see him doing just that.
"What to do? What to do? If we don't leave we're as good as dead!" she heard him say.
"I find it hard to believe that Lee-dono sees potential in you..." Yue said out loud getting his attention.
"Oh shut up, you furball!" snapped Karashi.
"How is it that a coward like you could possibly make life-saving curry? Seeing you right now is just so horribly pathetic...I do pity your poor mother so..."said Yue bluntly before quickly jumping out of the way to dodge a flying pillow from Karashi.
"Shut up! What does a cat like you know?"
Yue shook her head at Karashi sadly. "Enough to know what is the right thing to do..." she simply replied as she bounded down the stairs leaving Karashi feeling angry and humiliated at the same time.
Yue stopped and peeked into the kitchen to see Ranmaru had awaken but was refusing to eat the curry that Sansho was offering with a spoon.
"Please, child. You'll feel better once you've eaten this,"urged Sansho gently.
Ranmaru shook his head and pursed his lips together, causing Sansho to release a worried sigh. "Oh dear..." she sighed.
'Ranmaru-dono...' Yue thought, greatly concerned when suddenly she noticed Karashi walk past her and to the pot of curry. "Karashi-dono?"
"You messed up the spices, Oka-chan," he said taking a small taste from the pot.
Sansho turned her head in surprise to see her son taking a small jar of chili powder and dump all of it's contents into the pot before beginning to stir it. "Oh my!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Karashi, do you mean you still remember the recipe for the curry?"
Karashi didn't reply as he wordlessly kept putting in seasoning's and other ingredients. Yue took her place by Ranmaru's side once more and looked at Karashi in surprise to the point she didn't even noticed the smell anymore.
After a few minutes, Karashi was ready with a new plate of the curry and handed it to his mother, who once again tried to urge Ranmaru to eat it but was refused. "Oh Ranmaru please! You must eat it to get your strength back!" pleaded Sansho desperately but Ranmaru shook his head stubbornly.
"BAKA!" snapped Yue slapping the boy's forehead with her tail, startling everyone in the room.
Ranmaru rubbed the red mark on his forehead and looked at Yue stunned. The kitten glared at the boy angrily. "Why do you reject the efforts of these people? They're trying to save your life!"
The boy appeared to be confused by this outburst. "But why?..."
"To save the life of another...does one really need a reason?" replied Yue calming down. "I could have left you on that mountain side, but I didn't. Karashi-dono and Sansho-dono could have chosen to run away from danger but they didn't. We all chose to stay and help because it is the right thing to do... if you don't see the worth of it then I'm sorry I ever took pity on you..."
Yue's words struck Ranmaru deeply as they slowly began to make sense to him. He glanced up at Sansho who smiled warmly at him and then at Karashi who averted his eyes a little with a small blush on his cheeks. "Anyway, you don't have to eat the whole thing, one bite should be sufficient enough," he said awkwardly.
Ranmaru nodded slowly as he opened his mouth for Sansho to feed him the curry. It wasn't long before Ranmaru sat up and began eating the whole plate of curry eagerly, much to the delight of the others in the room.
"Was it good?" asked Yue as soon as Ranmaru put down his plate.
The boy looked at the cat and nodded a little. "That's the feeling of being alive," explained the kitten smiling at Ranmaru, who appeared to be surprised. Someone like himself who has never experienced such a feeling, it felt wonderful and it gave him energy. It made him feel like he could do anything.
Tears began running down his face from being overwhelmed by the feeling. "I..I want Raiga-san...to eat this curry..." he said softly.
Yue placed a paw on the boy's hand and looked up at him. "Well then, let's go give it to him."
Elsewhere, Kaori 's wound still had not fully healed as she poked her head out from her hiding spot to still see Lee engaged in fierce battle. She could see he was having difficulty getting close to Raiga who kept using lightning to keep Lee at bay. It had begun to rain heavily once more and Kaori was soaked through and through.
'Why is it that he can harness the power of natural Lightning? Such a feat should be impossible for a normal human unless he is a Raijuko like me...'thought Kaori as she watched Raiga's movements. Then she recalled how Raiga had accused her of cursing him when it struck her. 'Could it be... that the curse was when he was attacked by my Raiju...could it be that my powers got embedded into him?...'
"DIE!" screamed Raiga as he summoned and extra large Lightning bolt from the sky and sent it down on Lee. Kaori watched in horror as Lee was unable to dodge in time. The boy screamed in pain loudly as volts of energy was sent coursing through his body.
However, even when the attack stopped, Lee was still standing. "I won't let you hurt my friend!" he declared looking even more determined than ever as he shakily walked up to Raiga who looked at him in Kaori appeared to be extremely surprised at Lee's tenacity.
"Lee-senpai..." she whispered as tears began to run down her face slowly getting mixed with the rain drops on her skin.
R.F.: So now you know the truth behind Raika's death. Would Ranmaru and Yue be able to arrive in time to stop the battle? Would Naruto and Neji ever wake up? Is Kaori going to find her strength to defeat Raiga? Too many questions! Find out for yourself in the next chapter! And be sure to review okay? Bye now!