Everything was alive in the early mist of the land of the waves, but Kaiya was concentrating on the bridge. She had recently volunteered as a guide to the many tourist who have been pouring in. They came for everything from "Do it yourself" fishing to tree climbing. Kaiya had dyed her hair dark brow in case she met someone who had met one of the many other Kaiya's. Her job was to show the people all they could do and, at the very end, invite them to jump off the bridge to go swimming in the cool water. The reason Kaiya was so focused on the bridge? Kabuto Yakushi was standing next to her, and she was wondering how it would feel to push him off it. As far as she could reason, nothing would happen.
"So, Miss. Guide, What's it like to live in this wonderful village?" he asked careful to put a lot of weight into the Miss part. His
"Why don't you try it, sir." Kaiya said lightly trying to keep her emotions out of her voice. "Housing here is very reasonable."
He smiled and combed a hand through his white hair, "I saw a house that I liked, but I don't think I can settle down quite yet." he sighed.
Kaiya turned to him and said, "I see, well I just hope you don't miss any opportunities which will cause you to regret your choice."
He considered her for a moment, then smiled, "I'll have to remember that."
Upon reaching the bridge, Kaiya turned to address the entire group, saying, "This is Naruto bridge, named after a ninja of Konoha village who help make this village what it is today." More than they suspect, Kaiya added in her head. "I invite you to look over the edge, and for the daring, feel free to jump in to the water."
A few teenagers looked like they were considering and to Kaiya's surprise Kabuto looked over the edge and said to her, "I'll jump if you jump."
Kaiya jumped over the railing then gave him a daring look. "Let's jump together!" she said.
He easily jumped over then said, "On the count of three."
Kaiya nodded then they started to count. On three, while Kabuto jumped, Kaiya fell forward, charged her feet with Charka and watched his decent to the water as she stood on the side of the bridge, but, instead of splashing into the cool river, Kabuto flipped and landed feet first on the water.
"You tricked me!" He called up at her.
Kaiya laughed, then watched as his eye became wide, then serious.
"You are a ninja!" he exclaimed pointing at her.
"And you are one too!" Kaiya yelled pointing back in a mocking manner. "In case you didn't know, ninja's are everywhere. Just so happens that this ninja" she said pointing proudly to herself. "failed her exams." which happened to be entirely true. Making clones had been a difficult business. "What's your story?" She asked, not sure that she wanted to know.
"I'm on summer vacation."
Kaiya smiled then somersaulted down, landing in front of him. "Then enjoy yourself and don't let little things like ninjas bother you." And I'll try to forgive you. Kaiya thought to herself.
"I don't see why we have to get Sasuke to come back when we have a pretty good version right here." Kaiya said as she pointed to their new teammate.
They were waiting behind a bush while the new team leader, covered in wood to look like an Akatsuki, was waiting on the bridge.
"What do you mean Kaiya?" Sakura asked patiently.
"Just look, he's got the ghost white skin, black hair, black cloths. Sure his hair isn't as cool and he is wearing a belly shirt, but he's almost there." Kiaya put her fore finger and thumb up to her chin as she considered Sai. "As a plus he doesn't have a brooding feeling around him."
"Shut up Kaiya." Sakura hissed.
"Is my shirt bad?" Sai asked.
"Considering the fact that your skin is almost as white as marble, you might want to cover as much as you can. Then again, my hair is bright yellow and Sakura's is pink. I have no reason to talk."
"But you are wearing dark green." Sai pointed out.
Indeed Kaiya was wearing her camouflage motif, but her banana didn't cover much of her hair. Smiling Kaiya said, "I like him better than Sasuke!"
Sai moved away from her, it was only a millimeter, but it was enough to make Kaiya's smile wider. She was successfully scaring him.
"Shut up, Kaiya!"
"Okay, okay. I will shut up as soon as you admit that I am right." Kaiya badgered.
Sakura's eyes flashed. "The only reason I put up with either of you is so I can find my real teammates!"
Kaiya frowned. "Aw, I think you hurt poor panda bear's feelings." she said putting an arm one Sai's shoulde.
"Panda?" Sai asked.
"Yeah, you know, cus you are all black and white."
Sakura sighed then said sharply, "Someone's coming."
The figure was cloaked and they couldn't hear what was being said, but they all knew who it was.
"So, it was Kabuto Yakushi after all." Kaiya sighed.
Sakura looked the girl's way. "How do you know him?" she asked.
Instead of answering Kaiya said, "Looks like summer vacation is over."
They watched the drama unfold from their hiding place as they waited for the signal. First Orochimaru appeared and it looked as if Kabuto would be on their side, but he attacked Yamato instead.
Kaiya shifted her weight yearning to jump down, but he wasn't in total trouble yet. Suddenly, without any reason that Kaiya could see Yamato made the sign.
Kaiya appeared on the bridge long before the others.
"So, you didn't get that house after all." she said as the others appeared behind her.
Kabuto looked marginally surprised. "Miss Guide?" he asked then he saw the bandanna around her neck. "I thought you failed your exams?"
"They gave me a second chance." or was it the fifth chance, Kaiya hadn't kept track.
"I suppose it really doesn't matter." Kabuto said with a shrug, then he turned to Orochimaru. "This is the guide that I told you about, after I came back from the land of wave." He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, before he continued. "Of course the person that I met there was only a clone, this would be the real one."
A sickening smile started to creep onto Orochimaru's face, "Good, then this day will not be a waste, I had rather hoped to kill Sasori, but capturing her will do."
Sakura met Kaiya's eyes then back at Orocimaru and said, "You want to what?"
Kabuto took a step forward and said, "Not to long ago, I traveled to each village looking for people with unique abilities and to my surprise I found one in a very talentless village."
"How dare you say that, the people of wave are all talented people. They just didn't have the things you were looking for." Kaiya yelled.
"Never the less, your ability to have a fully functional clone while you were not close enough to sustain it was amazing." Kabuto said as he carefully cleans the lens of his glasses and put them on his face. "We have been researching that for a very long time. Just think of all the knowledge one person could gain by having multiples of yourself all over the ninja world! Then the moment there is a threat they would disappear only to return to the original."
Orochimaru's tongue slithered out and he licked his lips, "I suppose we will be able to find out now." he said.
Turning to Orochimaru Kaiya said, "I really hate snakes."
Oroshimaru chuckled.
Yamato stepped forward slightly, why had everyone landed in front of him? He had to be on guard, anything might tip things and he had to make sure that Kaiya stays calm.
Taking another step Yamato reached for a weapon too late. The bridge exploded. Sakura was the first to fall followed by Naruto and Sai, Yamato was far enough behind them that he had time to jump back.
"Sakura!" Kaiya yelled, warning her teammate of the large piece of wood heading towards her.
Sakura looked up at Kaiya and screamed, "γγΆγͺγ! Abunai!"
Kaiya felt it before she could see it, but this thing had happened to her before. Something wet and warm was surrounding her. Kaiya was being swallowed by a snake. Before the mouth was fully closed Kaiya cupped her hands and dragged them towards her beckoning the wind towards her, but it was already too late.
Sakura was unconsciously falling. "Sai, save Sakura!" Yamato yelled, but Sai flew right past her and he was forced to use his wood to save her with wood. There was no doubt in his mind that Sai was not going on to save his teammate. "I'm going to have to learn some things from Kakashi." he said to himself as wielded the wood to bring Sakura up.
The worst she had was a bump on the head, "Wake up Sakura!" They didn't have time to stay still. He had a clone following them, but with the Kyuubi captured he didn't want to have too much distance in between them.
"Kaiya!" Sakura screamed as she suddenly opened her eyes.
"Let's go." He said helping her up.
She couldn't breath, she couldn't move. A dark muck surrounded her, strangling her. She had gotten out of this before, but the cost would be too great.
Suddenly, though she should be use to it happening, she found herself in a green colored sewer.
A cruel chuckle was the first reply, then a voice said, "I can help you, if you only let me."
"No! Never again!" She was no where near the horrible caged figure that haunted her waking dreams.
"You are dying." the monster reminded her.
The fox was right, she didn't have time to waste. Looking around she ran down a pathway that lead away from the demon. Her mind was burning, pressure was all around her.
She may have need the fox to save her during the Chunnin exams, but she hadn't known what she knew now.
The tunnel became dark, then Kaiya realized that it was dark because she was back in control of her body again.
The natural energy was different inside the snake, but she could feeling the blood pulsing, she could tell where every mucel was and she noticed that she wasn't going downwards towards the tail anymore, she was going up towards the mouth.
Is it planning on eating me again? Kaiya wondered.
The mouth of the snake opened and air rushed in. With amazing speed Kaiya found herself on a stone floor. Looking up for a moment she thought she was back in the fox's grasp, but upon closer exception she noticed people walking around in large stone enclosing.
"Oh, looks like we have another one." A figure to Kaiya's right said. "Its a girl!" someone else exclaimed.
Kaiya was in a cave, the walls were made out of an orange colored rock showing that there was a lot of iron in them. To her surprise there was a, but no sign of a food source. The only placed that looked like it had once been an opening was piled with rocks. There was space where light and air came through, but it looked as if any shift would close those precious gaps.
"This is a prison." Kaiya said softly.
"She's a smart one!" The man to her right said sarcastically. "What brought you here girly?"
Kaiya motioned to the snake as it disappeared. She would need to have a talk with her frogs, if the snake spirit could transport her here then, surely her frogs could to the same. For a moment she considered just leaving that way, but as she looked around at the other faces and realized that if she left them here she would never be able to forgive herself. Saving Sasuke from Orochimaru was important, but she couldn't leave these people in that evil mans grasps.
"How do you get food down here?" she asked the most talkative prisoner.
"About every three days or so food will come by way of a snake, but sometimes little animals make their way into this place."
There weren't many options, but Kaiya was going to explore them all, if worse came to worse she would have all of them transported out via frog, but she the frog boss wouldn't appreciate that.
Sitting down on the ground Kaiya stopped all movement.
"Giving up already? That's a new record."
She wasn't giving up, but she wasn't going to promise anything either. Kaiya needed to know what she was dealing with.
That's that. I feel bad updating on a Sunday, but with school I have no other time. Thank you for reading.