7 - A Failure

Sparrow fingered the bracelet in between his thumbs, wondering not for the first time what significance it could possibly hold for someone like Kiruma. He leaned back in his bunk with a sigh, remembering.

"Oi, wait up Kira," Sparrow called in annoyance as she clipped her belt around her waist and fastened her weapons pouch securely on her left hip. He put a hand on her shoulder and Kiruma's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"If you want to keep that hand, Birdbrain, I suggest you keep it to yourself," she snapped venomously. He snatched his fingers back as heat flared from her skin where he was touching her.

"Hai, hai," he sighed, rolling his eyes when she wasn't looking. She shouldered her katanas, securing them across her back. He was quiet for a moment.

"Ne, I have a favor to ask." His voice lowered and Kiruma didn't spare him a second glance.

"I don't do favors." The words rang with finality.

"I know, and I know we aren't meant to feel emotion here, and aren't supposed to care about this sort of thing, but..." he glanced around quickly to make sure no one was listening before facing her again.

"I heard you were assigned leader of a team mission."

"Nothing gets by you, does it?"

"Of course not," he scoffed, though his eyes remained worried. He did have the most prestigious reputation of being quick and exceptionally adept at stealing information.

"I don't care as much for Three or that weird Dandelion kid, but Ruby's my little sister."

Kiruma blinked but said nothing. It wasn't hard to believe. Ruby had that strange phenomenon with the permanent sharingan. It didn't take a genius to know they were both related. Sparrow continued quietly.

"She hides a lot, and her eyes are stronger than anyone's, but she doesn't have experience. Not like us and Three. In a place like this only the strongest survive. Please just look out for her," he requested softly, his dark eyes betraying a hint of pleading in his expression. She glared at him.

"Throw away your relationships and forget your past. This kind of thinking could be your downfall, Sparrow."

He was silent for a moment.

"You don't."

She stiffened.

"That's right," she told him coolly, meeting his gaze. "Because someone else did it for me."

He blinked in surprise.

"Look, Kira, I know it's against protocol but we both know you're more than capable of it. Just bring her back alive. She's only fourteen."

"I'm younger," Kiruma informed him quietly, slowly removing her mask and wiping the dirt from training off its faded markings. He eyed her face with surprise and she looked down, allowing her hair to obscure her features.

"You should have more faith in your little sister. I wish my brother did," she continued icily, a trace of bitterness entering her voice as she mumbled the last part under her breath. He opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off.

"Listen," she snapped. "I don't do favors. But I'll tell you what."

His eyes lit up at the prospect of having convinced her. "There's something that was stolen from me, and if you can get it back I'll make sure she lives."

"But you're leaving right now-"

"Shut up," she cut him off, annoyed. "I wasn't finished." He lapsed reluctantly into silence.

"I'll look out for her and while I'm gone, you find it and steal it back. If you don't have it by the time I return, I'll kill her."

He stiffened, his eyes igniting.

"I won't let you-!"

"I said shut up, Birdbrain. Let me finish. You don't have to take the deal. If you want to let her take her chances on the mission and leave things as they are I won't lift a finger for or against her. Your call."

Sparrow's fists clenched.

"What was stolen?" he asked through gritted teeth. She sighed quietly, rubbing her wrist absentmindedly.

"A snowflake," she mumbled finally, glancing sideways. He groaned.

"Why does every answer you give me make me want to ask more questions?"

She shrugged.

"Who took it from you?" he asked, hoping that she at least knew who the thief was. She bared her teeth, a soft growl rumbling in her throat.

"Danzo," she snarled under her breath.

Sparrow blinked, and then his mouth spread into a feral grin. As the sneakiest, most slippery agent in the faction, this would be a challenge that set his heart racing in anticipation. He offered her his hand, eyes burning with excitement.

"Deal."

She raised an eyebrow but shook his hand, discreetly passing him a piece of paper through the handshake. He slipped it into his pocket without looking at it and nodded once at her, serious once more.

"I owe you one."

"Not if you succeed."

Shaking his head to rid himself of the memory, Sparrow glanced down once more at the small chain in his hands. For what purpose would a fire user carry around a snowflake? It baffled him to no end. He opened the slip of paper, reading the words he had unknowingly committed to memory. Slipping the bracelet into his pocket, he exited his bunk, walking into the training room and eyeing the exit.

Kira was late.

She should've arrived that morning, and it was nearing noon.

He suppressed the initial surge of worry over Ruby's well-being, reminding himself of whom exactly he had struck a deal with. Kira would bring his little sister back at any cost.

She's with Three, too. They're strong.

As the second strongest member of the faction, he had been training extremely hard in Three's absence, in case one of the lower members tried to shove their way past him in rank. It was a delicate system they had, and the only way it changed was through the serious fights that were dueled. Some of the lower ranked members fought each other almost every day, but it was rarer for one of the stronger fighters to get demoted. Kira had challenged him her second day of being recruited, something the others openly laughed at her for. It was unheard of for a rookie to beat one of the top three Faction members. He hated to admit it, but he had been scarily close to losing that battle, winning only because of his superior speed, and she'd beat Calloway, the previous third best.

He needed to get stronger, and he needed a distraction so that he wouldn't get worried over Ruby.

Where the hell are they?

"Three! Someone! Please help!" Ruby pressed her hands over Kiruma's wound, desperately trying to stop the blood that was still oozing out. The red haired girl was unconscious, and the green fluid was gone, but the bleeding refused to stop. Three pressed more bandages over the wound while Kakashi replaced the warm cloth on her forehead.

"Her fever's rising," he observed in a strained voice. "She needs a doctor."

"We can't move her like this!" Ruby growled sharply. "She'll die if she loses more blood!"

"She'll die if we don't get medical help," Kakashi snapped back. "We're running low on supplies, and the cold isn't helping. Dandelion got rid of the poison but if we can't close the wound it's useless."

"Can't we stitch it together or something?" Ruby asked desperately as blood began to seep through the fresh bandage.

"It's a hole. Closing it now could trap air inside or cause an infection."

Dandelion frowned, his head cocking to the side before he walked forward and scooped the limp girl into his arms, causing her head to loll back lifelessly.

"Lesh go!" he yelled, pumping his fist into the air.

"Put her down!" Ruby snarled at him, lunging forward, but Kakashi held her back.

"We need to find a doctor before she gets worse! She can handle it – she's strong!"

Ruby clenched her teeth together.

"Th-then let Three carry her so that she won't be jostled around as much," she pleaded, eyes moving to the blood surrounding Kiruma's torso.

"No." Dandelion's rejection was blunt. He grinned, then smoothly jumped through the trees, obviously expecting them to follow.

Three went after him without hesitation, his eyes flitting briefly towards Kakashi and Ruby before he took to the trees in pursuit. The two glanced at each other nervously before following. They ignored caution for speed, and traveled so quickly though the forest that their surroundings were reduced to a blur.

"Konoha's in sight," Kakashi gasped out finally. The others grunted their assent.

Another dummy slammed against the wall as Sparrow's kick sent it flying. With each spar his nerves worsened.

Where are they?

He jumped into the air, drawing his regulation ANBU short sword and slicing the next dummy brutally across the neck. He yanked his blade free and leapt back, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Dead? Injured?

They couldn't be dead. Three and Kira were too strong to be killed on a massacre mission. He whirled around, swinging his sword towards a third target, and froze when rather than thick rubber, his sword clashed with metal, sending sparks flying. His gaze shot up to meet the eyes of Calloway, the faction member Kira had defeated on her second day. The tall man had drawn his sword almost casually, blocking his strike with a small smile.

"Worried about something, Sparrow-kun?" the blond haired swordsman questioned politely. Sparrow stepped back, sheathing his sword.

"Nothing," he answered flatly. Sparrow didn't trust Calloway. The swordsman was too polite, too… reserved, for him to see beyond that gentlemanly exterior.

To the few civilians that saw him, Calloway was the village heartthrob. Women with hearts in their eyes would fall at his feet one after the other, though he never seemed to return the interest. His wavy blond hair fell into his piercing blue eyes, and he always had an irritatingly pleasant smile on his face, one that didn't quite reach his ice cold eyes and tone.

Sparrow simply considered him someone to be wary of, and left it at that. If anyone had to be careful around Calloway, it was Kira. Kira had beat him on her second day, demoting him to fourth as she was branded the third strongest.

The swordsman had reacted to the loss with a simple, polite bow and a slightly strained 'congratulations'. Kiruma hadn't even been aware of the 'system' the Faction had at the time, she'd just been challenged and responded the way she always did. Sparrow had actually liked that trait about her.

'Third best' meant nothing to her at all. As far as he knew, she still didn't care. He glanced towards the exit once more, his nerves set on edge when he recognized Three's chakra heading towards them.

Finally!

His hand once again found the bracelet in his pocket. Ruby would be at his side again soon. Kiruma's words echoed in his mind.

Your compassion could be your downfall.

He scowled slightly. If living meant he wasn't allowed to care for anyone, he'd rather die young any day. He exited the training room and began walking down the long, underground hallway that led to the outside world. Three's chakra was getting stronger, and now he could recognize Dandelion and Hatake's as well. They must be moving quickly.

To his surprise, the first person he saw round the corner was Ruby, running towards him as fast as she could.

His eyes widened slightly when he saw the bandages around her chest. Fury ignited in his eyes.

Kira promised-!

"Get out of the way!" Ruby used one hand to shove him to the side, effectively interrupting his thought.

"O-oi, Ruby-!"

"There's no time! Dandelion, hurry up!" The urgency in her voice made Sparrow look down the hallway, where Three was running next to a smaller figure who holding something in their arms.

Once they were close enough to see in the dim lighting, Sparrow's breath hitched in his throat. The smaller one, Dandelion, was breathing so heavily that his breath was coming out in wheezes. Sweat slid down his face as his shaking arms tightened around the blanketed bundle he held.

In his arms, Kira was lifeless. Her face was completely devoid of color, her lips a pale blue. The blanket she was wrapped in was bloodied around her middle, but Sparrow could only stare at her eye. The once grey orb was now sealed shut with blood, the jagged slashes crusted in some areas and oozing in others. Three deep cuts, like a claw had raked down her face, started from right above her eyebrow and ended at her upper cheekbone. The veins around the area were blue and bulging, as if some sort of poison had entered her bloodstream.

What the hell… happened?

Dandelion suddenly skidded to a stop, his violet eyes widening impossibly further.

"What is it?" Kakashi demanded, bringing up the rear. "Why did we stop?!"

Dandelion grabbed the Captain's wrist before dropping it and pressing his fingers to the side of her neck. He shook his head, a bewildered and horrified expression on his face.

Three swore quietly under his breath.

"She only stopped breathing forty five seconds ago!" Kakashi snarled. "Her heart can't have stopped yet!"

Kakashi suddenly grabbed Sparrow by the collar, eyes wild.

"What are you standing around for, bastard?! Go get a doctor!" In any other situation Sparrow would have simply killed the rookie for talking to him like that, but rather than waste time, he wordlessly turned on his heel and ran.

This wasn't what he had expected. Kiruma always returned from missions walking on her own two feet. On occasion she would be a little roughed up, but for the most part she was on time, uninjured, and successful in every mission she took on, and she had taken on hundreds.

Out of the team, Ruby had looked the least injured. Had Kiruma's injuries been attained because she protected his little sister? Or had something gone terribly wrong with the mission? Something wasn't right. Kiruma had performed two other massacre missions, both of which she had done alone. This mission should have been a piece of cake. So why was she on the verge of death?

Sparrow burst into the hospital room and grabbed the unsuspecting surgeon by the back of the collar, towing him back down the hallway. Ignoring his startled protests, Sparrow explained the situation in a low voice, picking up speed as the surprised man got his feet beneath him.

They returned quickly and Dandelion set Kiruma on the ground as the doctor approached, where she laid almost too lifelessly. The doctor called for a stretcher and the red haired girl was placed on it, while the man simultaneously tried to mop up the blood. He removed the blanket covering her and both he and Sparrow's jaws dropped. Kiruma's uniform had been cut away, leaving her in her undergarments and uniform pants. Where her navel should have been instead was a large, gaping hole, oozing with blood.

The doctor took a step back, the air leaving his lungs as he exhaled.

He shook his head as he turned to her team.

"If her heart isn't beating and she isn't breathing, then with that kind of injury… she's dead."

It happened so fast the doctor didn't see it coming, and even Sparrow was surprised at the instantaneous display of speed. In an instant, Kakashi had lunged forward, grabbed the man around the neck, and slammed him into the ground with enough force to cause the air to rush out of his windpipe.

"Would you care to join her, then?" the boy snarled murderously, his eyes livid. "Shock her heart into working again! Force the oxygen down her throat! I don't care what you do, but bring her back, now! If you give up, you'll be joining her in the morgue, and I will personally take you there. Are we clear?"

All the color drained from the doctor's face and he nodded hastily. Kakashi released him and he leapt to his feet, grabbing the stretcher and pulling Kiruma hastily into his operating room.

The others followed him and remained outside of the OR, some of them shooting Kakashi wary looks after his outburst. Ruby leaned against the wall and slid to the ground, burying her head into her hands. Three stood next to her, arms crossed with his head down. Dandelion sat cross legged on the floor, his bright eyes following Kakashi back and forth as the rookie paced in front of the door.

Kakashi heard the muffled sound of doctors scrambling around, and heard the unmistakable 'clear' command that was immediately followed with the electric pulse of an AED unit.

This pattern repeated itself and Kakashi ground his teeth together in frustration. Waiting helplessly was taking its toll on him. It was taking its toll on all of them.

"Ruby," Sparrow spoke up suddenly, turning to his little sister. "What happened?"

The team stiffened, seemingly not wanting to answer. They exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable.

Sparrow was surprised to see the group acting this way. Before the mission, he could have easily sworn that not a single one of these team members had any form of trust in the others, but the way they were acting in response to each other now was as if they had been working together their whole lives. Had Kiruma had a role in that? Or had something else happened to bring even the emotionless ANBU faction together?

Ruby lifted her head, her eyes puffy and red from crying.

"It's my fault," she whispered, meeting Sparrow's eyes.

"No it isn't," Kakashi spat, hands shoved deep into his pockets. His voice seemed agitated and distracted as he kept shifting his gaze to the doors of the operating room. "You saw for yourself, didn't you?"

The image of Kiruma standing over him, blood dripping from the fist that protruded from her torso would forever be branded into his mind. It was almost exactly like Rin's death. But with Rin, at least he hadn't seen the damage inflicted. He could only remember her eyes. This time, the damage was all too clear.

Ruby met her brother's eyes, wiping away the tears that threatened to fall.

"Someone was there, someone strong," she tried to explain. "I don't know who he was, but he interrupted the mission. He…" she faltered slightly before continuing. "He wanted to take my eyes."

Sparrow stiffened, his fingers twitching as anger welled up within him. Ruby continued to explain, her voice low.

"He was stronger than me, and he left to get the materials he needed to remove them. I was too weak to get away. Kira found me then, and she…" Ruby trailed off, her eyes welling up with tears when she remembered Kiruma grabbing her wrist to keep her from stabbing herself anymore, her finally breaking down and pleading for help, and the flash of anger and protectiveness in the red haired kunoichi's eyes before placing her precious fox mask on Ruby's face.

"She didn't say anything, she just checked to see if I was injured and disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Sparrow echoed.

"When she came back, her eye was like that." Ruby's eyes suddenly widened in horror. "You don't think she-!"

"Offered her eyes in exchange for yours?" Sparrow speculated with a small frown. "I wonder."

I didn't expect her to go that far, but that's what it sounds like.

Ruby buried her face in her hands again, letting out a whimper.

"I'm too weak!" she hissed, her voice strained.

"We won't know until we ask her," Sparrow crouched next to the despairing girl, laying a hand on her shoulder. "She may have just let down her guard, and was caught by surprise."

"You don't believe that," Ruby accused without lifting her head.

"Why did she protect us in the first place?" Kakashi growled. "Isn't it your policy here to leave each other behind? Finish the mission at all costs?"

The others exchanged glances with each other uncomfortably.

Ruby glared at Kakashi. "What, do you wish she hadn't saved you? That she'd let that man kill you?"

"That's exactly what I wish!" he snapped back. "She's saved me once before. I never wanted to see that expression on her face again!"

He recalled Kiruma's chilling smile and suppressed a shiver. He ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up even more.

"Don't be ungrateful!" she snapped at him, hands balling into fists. "Don't be selfish! I don't know what we mean to her, but we're obviously more than just worthless pawns in her eyes! She saved you for a reason, just like she did me, so don't you dare look down on her actions!"

"It'll be pointless if she dies!" Kakashi yelled back, eyes widening in wild anger.

Sparrow stepped in between them, lifting his hands in a calming gesture.

"Oi, oi," he interrupted. "We shouldn't be so loud, people will overhear. Kira's tough. She won't give up on living so easily, so you can ask her all about her reasons when she wakes up. Clearly she thought she could achieve the mission and keep all of you alive."

"She called off the mission," Kakashi told him bluntly. Sparrow's eyes widened.

"What?"

"She called it off. We pulled back without killing everyone there, and Dandelion purged her system of the poison before we returned. She put our lives before the mission." Sparrow was speechless. Kiruma had an untainted record of hundreds of missions, all completed perfectly. She had never failed a mission before. Not until now.

Is that how far she goes to keep a promise? Or did she call it off for a different reason? Did she recognize the man that attacked her?

His fingers found the bracelet in his pocket as he wrapped his hand around it absentmindedly.

But Ruby said she saved Hatake as well. As far as I know, she had no obligation to keep him alive.

He clenched his teeth, annoyed. He had the reputation in the Faction for getting the most information, yet when it came to Kiruma, she was simply a mystery. Every fact he found out led to more questions. He wanted straight answers from her, but knew she wouldn't give him any. It simply wasn't in her nature to let people know what she thought was unnecessary. He turned to Ruby suddenly.

"Are you alright?" he asked, eyeing her bandages.

She chuckled dryly. "All of the injuries you see were either inflicted by myself or Kira," she confessed with a note of shame. "Don't worry."

"Kira attacked you?" Sparrow's eyes darkened. Ruby scratched her head sheepishly.

"I uh… threw a drink in her face, because I thought she was slacking off," she grimaced and looked down. "Now that I think about it, the drink was completely full. I don't think she even took a sip of it."

Sparrow blinked, suddenly exasperated with his little sister's antics. To throw a drink in the face of Kira the Killer… She was either very brave, or very stupid. Kira probably came within a hair of killing her, he thought, relieved that Ruby's injuries were as minor as they were.

"She was probably trying to get information on something," Kakashi noted quietly. "Come to think of it, she seemed suspicious of the mission from the start." He stopped pacing suddenly and Dandelion held his head in his hands, eyes spinning dizzily from having watched the rookie walk back and forth for so long. The blond promptly fell over on his back, eyes still spinning comically.

Ruby nodded.

"I owe her more than one apology," she muttered miserably. Suddenly the doctor burst out of the door and five pairs of eyes zeroed in on him immediately. His gloves were bloodied, as were his sleeves, and he gulped nervously, eyes wide.

"I-I don't believe it," he gasped, his forehead beading with sweat. "H-her heart actually started up again."

Kiruma was in a galaxy again.

She whipped her head around, seeing the familiar plane of glass beneath her feet and shivering at the familiarity.

I've been here before.

She didn't move, wondering if that grotesque face would appear to haunt her again. Now she knew better than to touch it willingly, but would she be able to get away if it wanted to touch her? She distantly could hear voices, shouts, and the erratic beeping of monitors, but it sounded muted and muffled. Her eyes widened.

Am I in a coma?

She clenched her teeth. She had to get out. Her previous coma had been three months. She couldn't waste time here, but how? The last time she had only woken up because that face had allowed her to.

"Where are you?" she demanded. "I know you're here." At first, she sensed nothing, but then she heard a laugh. A laugh that sent icy chills down her spine.

She took a tentative step forward and to her surprise, the glass held beneath her feet, rather than shattering like the last time she was here. Her gaze shot up as light began to pull around her and swirl together in front of her face. Rather than just a face, the shadowy figure of a man appeared before her, completely made up of the writhing red fire she possessed.

"Calling me out?" he questioned, his voice freezing her in place.

"Send me back," she snarled. "I can't stay here."

"Have you experienced your pitiful little hell yet, child?" he questioned in a horribly mocking tone. "You seem to enjoy taking advantage of a power that isn't yours."

Kiruma crossed her arms over her bare chest, glaring ferociously back at him to hide the irrational fear she felt.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she snapped. "I don't know who you are, or what you are, or what that damn hellfire is, but I don't care. I need to go back."

She suppressed the surge of anger and bitterness she suddenly felt directed towards herself.

My mother died because of a coma like this one. I won't let that happen again, no matter what.

"You still know nothing." The fiery figure walked towards her and she stepped back warily, knowing full well the pain she would feel if he touched her.

She visibly shuddered when he spoke, hating the way his voice automatically sent fear shooting through her body.

She summoned white fire to her hands defensively.

"S-stay away," she snarled, backing up until her heels touched the edge of the glass.

The writhing fire paused, watching her with pure loathing.

"How I wish I could kill you," it snarled menacingly. She hesitated, blinking slowly.

"Why can't you?" she asked hesitantly.

"Look around you," he ordered in a low voice. "The glass isn't broken, and I'm not speaking in your mind or in Japanese. You've accepted me," he said the last three words with disgust. "If you die, I will cease to exist."

Kiruma's eyes widened. "W-wait," she backtracked quickly, trying to take in the information. "You aren't speaking Japanese?"

"Neither are you," he replied, looking at her as if she were an idiot. She noticed for the first time that rather than those three words, 'dochira moanata ha', a strange, guttural language came from his throat. They had been speaking in some odd, twisted sounding language without her even realizing it.

What did any of this mean? Accepted him? Accepted this… this monster? This twisted being that had tortured her?

"I-I don't have time for this," she managed to say finally, noticing again that she wasn't speaking in Japanese, but in the same guttural tones the demon used. "Send me back."

"I'd rather keep you here and torture you until you set me free," he told her calmly, his black eyes burning into hers. He held up a hand and red fire writhed from his grip, spiraling towards her immediately. Her teeth set into a snarl and she purposefully grabbed the red fire, yanking it towards her and jerking him forward with it, even as the skin of her hands immediately melted.

It's not real. Pain is just a chemical in your brain. She drew back her fist and punched the figure straight in the head, her fist passing directly through him as the flames greedily devoured her wrist. She bit down on her tongue to keep from screaming. It's not real!

"Watching Rin die was torture," she growled, yanking her arm back. "Holding Obito's hand was torture." She crouched and sprang towards him again, throwing a giant ball of white fire towards him.

"Finding my dead mother was torture!" she snarled angrily. He reached out calmly and his fingers latched onto her head, flames melting into her temple. Pain exploded in her skull.

"Th-this… is nothing!" she yelled at him, and suddenly, for an instant, the red fire obeyed her will, swirling around her body instead of his and lashing out at him, sending him stumbling back.

"Send me back!" she screamed, and both colors of fire, white and red, exploded from her body in arcs, writhing together and shooting towards him. There was no way to dodge. The fire was around both of them in a dome, shooting inwards, and Kiruma felt a brief burst of victory as she had the satisfaction of seeing his eyes widen just a fraction.

Then the fire hit both of them and her world faded to black.

"I think she's coming to."

Seven people had squeezed themselves into the tiny room, awaiting the red haired Captain's return to the world. Among them were the Hokage, Danzo, her team, and Sparrow. She shifted slightly, her eyes slowly opening, and her visitors tensed, about to speak when Minato raised a hand to silence them.

"Kiruma, can you hear me?" he asked, unable to help eyeing the thick bandages around her waist. Eyes half lidded, her mouth locked into a slight grimace before her vision seemed to come into focus and she met the blue eyes of the Hokage.

Her gaze moved, taking in the worried stares of Ruby, Kakashi, Dandelion, and the more stoic Three and Danzo. Her eyes stopped when they met Danzo's, her gaze hardening as the influx of memories registered. She blinked once and then her eyes moved to Ruby's.

"Where the hell is my mask?" The mumbled question, spoken in annoyance, made Ruby's cheeks flood with color.

"H-here," she answered immediately, placing it in her lap.

"So," Danzo broke in coolly, his gaze icy. "You failed."

Kiruma responded with a ferocious glare of her own.

"Ah," she agreed, her voice little more than a snarl. "I did."

Author's Note: Thanks you to adoxy for beta reading this chapter! One more Faction member to go, and then that's all the OCs for the rest of Part 2, I promise. I'll update within two weeks, as per usual!