"Where is he?! Where's Aisa?!"
"Sir, I have to insist that you lay back down. If you move anymore you may rip out your stitches."
"I don't care about my stitches! Where's my brother?!"
"Get the sedative."
I raise my eyebrows as the commotion inside the room reaches my ears. "Better hurry up, yeah?" I ask Aisa, "I'd hate to have to waste a couple more hours waiting for your idiot brother to wake up."
"Hey! Aidan isn't an idiot! He's really really smart!" Aisa protests as I open the door to Aidan's room. I raise my voice to be heard among the chaos.
"I don't think that sedative will be necessary!"
Everyone either stops or slows what they're doing.
"Cashile?" Aidan ceases his struggles, glancing towards me. "Aisa!"
Aisa sprints forward and flings himself onto Aiden. "Aiden!" He shrieks happily, hitting him with enough force to knock him back onto the bed. Aidan winces, but to his credit makes no noise of pain and allows Aisa to continue squeezing the life out of him.
"God, Aisa," he whispers fervently, "You're okay, right? You're okay?"
"Yeah! Cashile took care of me! We went back to her house, and we fought about what to have for dinner, but I won Aidan, I won! And we went to Ichiraku's Ramen and I had this huuuuuge bowl and then guess what? Guess what? Cashile taught me how to play chess! Well, she kinda played herself and I learned but she did talk about what each piece could do, and~!"
Aisa continued his rambling, but somewhere during his story Aidan looked up and locked eyes with me. "Thank you," he whispered, eyes bright and thankful, "Thank you."
I raise a hand in acknowledgement before looking at him pointedly. You owe me one. Then with one last glance around the room to make sure everything was fine I turn and leave.
I had training with Ibiki.
"You're late" ibiki says.
"You're just early." I reply, scoffing. "Couldn't wait to train me, Ibiki?"
"Can't wait to beat your face into a pulp," He growls, taking a threatening step forward.
Skillfully, I take his mind off of punishing me. "So I have an idea for my training today."
It works. Ibiki stops in his step and raises an eyebrow. "What is it, brat?"
"A summoning animal."
Laughter erupts from his chest. "Kid, that's way too advanced for you. You don't have an animal, you don't have a contract, you don't have the skill set, should I continue?"
I narrow my eyes at him but smartly keep my cool. "I'll just skip straight to the summoning part then. As for my skill set..." I look thoughtfully into the air. "That's debatable." I smirk playfully. "I guess we'll just have to see, won't we?"
My fingers interlock as I make the signs.
Anger flashes through his eyes."No. I'm your sensei and you'll do exactly what I say and when I say it. Got it?" He snarls, cutting the discussion off completely.
I could just do the summoning Jutsu and see where it takes me, but I tread cautiously. If I angered Ibiki too much by blatantly defying him, he could disown me as a student.
Which was much worse than a mere beating.
So instead of a disappearing act, I blurt out. "Jiraya the toad Sanin did it!"
That earned me a slap on the head. "He's a Sanin, Baka!"
"Well he wasn't a sanin when he did it!" I argue, careful to make clear points.
"He had a destiny-Baka," He stops himself mid sentence. "Why am I arguing with you?"
I smirk. "Because I'm almost always right."
Sheer force slams into me, knocking me to the ground. I restrain the noise of shock that threatens to spill out of my mouth.
"Stupid. We wouldn't even know what would happen to you if you tried something like that. The arrogance, the idiocy!" He mutters angrily to himself.
"And cocky." I add from my new vantage point on the ground once I get my breath back.
"And damn cocky," Ibiki agrees.
I raise my eyebrow, options running through my mind: the worst that could happen.. The gain I could get in return for a reprimand.. The most probable outcome..
I contemplated for a brief moment.
My final prediction: the risk was worth the gain. I do the signs while Ibiki has his back turned and nothing happens, I go Scott free. If I do them and I get zapped into my summoning animal's territory, the gain of my animal would be far greater than Ibiki's short term torture.
He could disown me as a student, but he has far too much pride for that. He would want to make me pay for disobeying him. He may give me some pain staking humiliating punishment to hit my pride, and torture me for sessions on end, but the gain of a summoning animal would be worth it.
I made the signs. "Summoning-"
Ibiki turns around faster than my eyes can make out and flies through the air, sailing towards me. "Cashile, DON-" But it's too late.
"Jutsu."
Menace fills the air.
It was dark, damp. I can't even see my own hands. Moments pass, and my eyes adjust to the darkness.
Well, fuck.
I haven't moved at all and I am already horribly lost.
I glance around what seems to be a cave, trying to find my way out. I could see nothing. I take a deep breath, thinking calmly. Air patterns... Light... Currents... Rock type... None would work if the cave was large enough.
I sniff the air. If in doubt, always follow your nose.
And it works.
To the left the air stank. It smelled of mold, mildew, of meat left on the counter for weeks on end. I only knew the smell of that last one because of an experiment I ran once.
But that's another story.
The way to the right smelled... Well, still bad, but a lot better than the way right. Fresher, more open somehow. So I make the only logical choice.
I go left.
I soon learn to traverse the rocky ground without stumbling despite the fact that I couldn't even see to my feet. I developed a strange sliding, shuffling gate that allowed me to move ahead without trip or falling.
I take a deep breath, noting that I should add a flashlight to my ninja pouch once I reached home.
If I even got back home in one piece.
I could feel a tense shift in the air, and a strange feeling. Eyes were watching me.
A prickly sensation along my spine and goosebumps alerts me that fear was nagging, trying to talk common sense to my body. Trying to lure me the other direction, the safer means of direction that I'd ignored.
But fear was illogical.
What use would fear do me in here?
It may be a fast track to stupid actions with death following close behind. But that was all fear would do for me in here.
I came here to become stronger. And it was no surprise that my fate was tied to a creature as sinister as me.
It would take a lot of wit, but there was a 76% chance that I would leave this cave today with a signed contract.
I stand absolutely still for a moment, closed my eyes, halted my breath and listened.
On the ground beneath me, in the walls of the cave above me and on the sides..
Astonishing.
These creatures in the millions could go undetected, unless specifically searched for.
Tactical. These creatures were spies. They were deadly, I could feel it. They carried poison with a far greater effect than a mere slash of a kunai.
Dark excitement floods inside of me.
If I could convince their leader to work with me, to concur on a mutual agreement, beneficial to both partners...
I would be ten steps closer to gaining the power I so desired.
All movement stopped.
They had sensed almost immediately that I could sense their presence.
Intelligent creatures... Just my kind of summoning.
I continue my venture through the cave, ignoring the small creatures that were dangerously aware of my presence.
They weren't acting on it, which was mildly worrisome. Their leader must know I'm here then. He must have given instructions not to make contact with me.
The texture of the ground eventually changed. Now I was treading on soft ground, almost like a rough rug.
Elegant, in a sort.
I must be close to the leader.
I still myself again. Perhaps I could sense this leader. After all, it's chakra must be great.
I search for large masses of chakra, but found-
A huge mass of chakra was made known to me in an instant.
"Oh shit." I mutter. Not the best way to introduce myself.
The ground raised above me. Except it wasn't the ground. It was the huge mass of chakra I had sensed in an instant.
It was the leader, purposely making himself known to me.
He had hidden his chakra, watched me. He observed carefully, going to the extent to order his underlings to leave me be till he could watch me carefully. He saw my movements and watched how carefully I tread through the cave.
He left me alone to identify my purpose and intent.
And now, he had revealed himself to me.
I jump backwards, my feet hitting the rocky ground in a lithe, gentle manner. I watch in awe as the entire cave splits apart- no, not a cave.
Legs.
Two legs that had been creating the walls of the cave split apart. I follow the legs up to the body, only to blink several times at what I saw.
"Ho-ly shi-" I'm interrupted when the ground shakes as the mammoth being heaves itself to its feet.
A fucking spider.
I squint as I stare up at the gargantuan spider. Huge, black, and with eight constantly swiveling eyes... This creature was the picture of menace.
Finally, gazing down at me, the spider decided to speak.
"Your name?" It growled out slowly, it's deep voice reverberation through the air.
"It's rude to ask for one's name without first giving your own," I reply, placing a hand on my hip and burying any hesitation. I needed this creature's respect.
The spider seemed torn between smashing me into the ground and laughing condescendingly. Thankfully, it chose the latter. "My name is Kumo, King of Spiders, tiny insolent child. Now give me yours."
"Cashile Kuroki," I respond, ignoring the tremor that seemed to have been permanently planted in my knees.
"And why have you, a human child, come here to Yami no Pitto?"
"You guys are really literal with your names, aren't you?" I ask sarcastically, "And let's not insult your intelligence. We both know why I'm here. A contract."
This time there's no hesitance in his booming laughter. "You think I'd allow you, a puny little human, to control us? To control me?"
"I think we could be able to reach a mutually beneficial decision," I say carefully.
"What could you possibly offer me?!"
"Any human enemies we happen to come across when I summon you," I offer easily.
"You think that's all it will take to sway me? What do you take me for, a fool?" He barks back, "I should squash you here and now."
"But, but," I placate hurriedly, "You won't. Because there's still a chance that this could benefit you... and your family." I go out on a limb, hoping that this King of Spiders cared about his descendants.
"Once a month I could bring some animals as a sacrifice to you and your family," I say carefully.
"You think we cannot fend for ourselves?! That we must be hand fed by humans to survive? The audacity!" Kumo shrieks.
"Not at all, not at all," I assure him, "I simply think that you and your kind deserve sacrifices for your great power."
"You do know how to flatter and manipulate," Kumo concedes grudgingly. I freeze, wondering if he would kill me for attempting to manipulate him. "Here is my counteroffer. I expect one hundred rats every other month and ten deer every other month as well."
I do the calculations quickly in my head. Six hundred rats and sixty deer, plus whatever enemies the spider I summon happens across... It was already a steep price.
"How about instead every other month, we change it to the number of times I summon you or another spider in a year, and pay it in a lump at the end of the year," I challenge.
Kumo is silent for several moments. "I will compromise on that," he agrees, "Though now I will be adding one more thing. I will be allowed to test you before you can summon me."
"How?" I immediately ask. I watch as a single small spider descends from it's place on his... Shoulder area?
The shrouding darkness irritated me.
"This is Doku, my second in command," Kumo introduces as she dangles in front of me, "She specializes in poison. One drop of her venom can kill over a hundred men."
I stare at her. So much power in such a tiny spider. Perfect for assassinations.
"If you survive her bite, return to this place and I will allow you to obtain a contract. If not..."
"I'll be dead, yeah," I say.
"Only if you survive will I recognize you as worthy of holding a contract for my kind. Do you agree to the terms?" Kumo finalizes the agreement.
I hesitate, weighing all the options in my mind before nodding. I would survive.
That was my last thought before all went black.
Kumo and Doku watched as Cashile's eyes rolled into the back of her and she proofed out of existence back to where she came from.
"She'll die, yes?" Kumo checks with Doku.
"It'll be an extremely long and incredibly painful death. She might not even regain consciousness before she dies, but she'll still feel every moment of pain. Don't worry. The child will perish," Doku reassures.
"Heh," Kumo laughs as he slowly lowers himself back to the ground,
"That will teach humans about what happens if you try to control us."
Pain.
Red, black, hot, boiling pain. Did I die in the cave?
Have I been sent to hell already?
Judgement sure was fast.
I bite back tears. My limbs were swelling. This pain was worse than any I've ever felt in my life.
Each bone in my body was being crushed and ground. Each muscle melting into a boiling stew of blood, muscle, and bone.
I could barely move. Barely see. Barely hear. My five senses were being blocked by a dark black mass. My tongue was swollen and I couldn't speak.
I could faintly hear yelling, shouting as I choked for breath.
"Cashile! Damn you, stay with me brat!" I hear Ibiki's desperate voice faintly. "Oh God." Why does he sound so horrified? Is he upset because he himself won't be able to punish me while I'm in such a shape? Or is he upset because all the time, effort, and training he put into shaping me into a kunoichi would be wasted if I died?
He slaps me so hard that his own hand turns bright red, but that was baby pain.
Nothing compared to what was happening to my body right now.
Nothing compared to any training I've ever endured.
And it wasn't only the pain. Doku's poison was lethal.
I was dying.
But hey, at least I wasn't in hell just yet.
Hiiiiiii.
SUCH A QUICK UPDATE FOR YOU GUYS! Aren't you happy with us?!
And if we get even more beautiful comments for this chapter we may have the inspiration to finish up the next chapter by FRIDAY!
Anywho.
HOW'D YOU LIKE THE CHAPTER?
How'd you like the little Aisa Aiden cashile moment?
Apparently we now have an official ship name: CASHDEN. I'm so excited to have the first official ship name for this fanfic!
SPIDERS.
I fucking hate them.
And we made that her summoning animal. T.T how do you like her summoning animal? Like the names? Think it fits her?
She has been poisoned! Venomed? Lol.
Meh, I'm running out of things to say, sooo
WAIT. COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT! Okay now I'm out of things to say.
On to supermassiveblckhole!
~gaara119
Well, that was fun to write. What do you guys think about Cashile's deal with the spider king? :33 hah.. You guys this is a serious thing I've discussed with Gaara119 who now hates me forever ( I love you Jackie 2) but I've decided to split from this book and kill Cashile; the end. And alas, the end of our writing partnership.
Nahhh I couldn't do that I love her too much 2 it's her weirdness :'3 and her stupid homemade whipped cream :'|
Anywhoooooo, COMMENT! VOTE! FAN SO THAT WE WILL LOVE YOU AND TALK ABOUT YOU WHILE WE CONTEMPLATE OUR NEXT CHAPTERS!
If we get enough comments we'll definitely have an update for you by Friday :) but motivation is required for that, so COMMENNNNNT!
Okay bai guyyyys
PS COMMENT
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Supermassiveblckhole out 8)
Comment, Vote, and Fan!
Ja ne!
Insomniac_Lullabies