Cosmic Comedy - some things only a god can see the humour in.
Thirty year old Aiden - the husband, the father of two - is finding himself in a situation that every guy would laugh his ass off if he found someone else in it. Too bad he's the guy in it. Self insert, gender bender!
Chapter 24 – Butterfly wings
8-8
I've spent the last three days meditating. Not really thinking about anything, not really worrying about anything. Just letting the emotions come as they may. I acknowledge anger, joy and despair in each thought as it bubbles up. Other than that though, I've done my best to simply… be.
I've been scanning around me almost constantly. I've sensed every movement, every emotion, every word. I can identify every Anbu that has been hanging around – I can almost sense what elements they use as well. That is more a curse than anything right now. After all, it's hard to just be, when you can feel the residual worry and fear in every jounin around you. You know shit is about to hit the fan if five jounins –Kakashi among them– is worried about a single event coming up in the near future.
Yet, I'm not letting it get to me. No. All is well with my soul. I just need to focus on the things that I can do. If I focus on what I can do, if I let go of the things I cannot do… then maybe, just maybe… I can change the future that 'Konoha's Eye' foresaw. Maybe I can keep my Ka-san just a little longer with me. Just a little longer. Another decade, maybe two. That isn't too much to ask, right?
Desperation bubbles up within me. I sense it, even as I feel it. I acknowledge the desperate need to have things stay as they are in a universe where the only constant is change. Then I let it go. The emotion leaves as suddenly as it comes. I sense it leaving my chakra entirely.
Now isn't the time for silly things like 'worry' and 'despair'. No, I need to be ready. I need to be ready to act when my chance comes to change the future. And I NEED to change that future. I sense that need bubble up every time the thought does. I will change the future. I will reshape it with my own hands. I will love, believe, cherish and fight for Konoha, as my ancestors have done before me. My will of fire will burn brightly. And with that will, my allies and I will forge a new future. Right, Nii-san?
Dattebayo.
8-8
"Ai-chan! We're leaving in twenty minutes, sweetie!" Aunty Itsuko announces from somewhere downstairs. Yes, yes. Hurry the hell up, I got it. How people can be in such a rush astounds me.
Anyway. I'm already wearing my uniform – grey all the way, baby. I have my hair French braided and bound with ninja wire – so no, my kunai aren't hidden in there this time around. Mamaru (my umbrella) is strapped to my waist with the handle sticking out to my right; Tenshi is once again tucked away inside Mamaru. Both hip pouches and leg pouches are strapped on, as are my weights. All my other weapons are sealed away in my trusty scroll, which is now wrapped around Mamaru's handle. All exempt two: Shin and Kibou. Shin is tucked into my right wrist weight; Kibou is tucked into my left.
The only other change to my look is my earrings. Yeah, I'm wearing my custom kunai as earrings. They are light enough and they certainly are practical. A shame they're so long, seeing as the tips are resting on the front of my uniform shirt. "I should probably put on my sandals." Yeah, it would be silly to leave the house barefooted. I walk away from the mirror (can't blame a girl for checking if she looks good!) and grab my shinobi sandals from next to my futon.
"Hey." I turn towards the door, seeing Nii-san there leaning against the doorpost. His arms are crossed and he has a… conflicted air about him.
"Nii-san, you had a whole month to pull me out of the exams. So unless you are here to wish me luck, I-"
"That's not why I'm here." He interrupts. I sigh, wondering what it's about then. I'm mostly ready, so I know I don't need to hurry this along too much. Taking my time to pull on my sandals (bad mojo if Aunty finds out I'm wearing footwear in her house!), I wonder when he's going to elaborate. I could just wait him out, but I'm just not in the mood.
I turn to him, crossing my arms under my bust and offer little more than a blank stare. "So…?"
He doesn't answer. He just stands there, seemingly either biding his time or hoping to get something out of me before coming to whatever decision he thinks he has to make. "Nii-san, as much as I-"
"Are you going to wear your headband or not?" He seems to like interrupting me this morning. I snort, knowing this was going to come up eventually.
"Sure. As soon as you return it to me." I briefly wonder if I should point out that stealing someone's headband is actually no different from stealing their passport – part of the reason why shinobi are required to show it when passing through any hidden village's gates. Nah, he would already know that.
"What makes you think that I took it?" He asks, trying to mask his emotions – I can still sense his curiosity.
"No one else would go through my things. And even if they would, only someone with fuuinjutsu knowhow would be able to extract it without tripping the security measures I built into my scrolls." I point out. "So it's either you or Jiraiya, though I doubt he'd have much use for it."
He's still just standing there. "I love you, Nii-san. And as much as I can understand what you're doing, you and I both know I'm going to compete today." Finally, resignation seeps into his chakra. "If you want to hold onto my headband, go right ahead. I'm going to need it back when we're leaving, though." Partially true, seeing as I've been sending shadow clones out to Unraikyo valley to check on Jei. That just happens to be a three hour journey outside of Kumogakure – without said headband, mind you.
I decide the conversation won't really lead to anything, so I start walking past him and down to the others. Kouji and Daichi decided to take the day off from training –I wonder how they managed that (note sarcasm)– so they're going to be playing bodyguard again (note joy…). Just as I pass Nii-san, I decide he's not going to say anything else. I'm not sure what I want him to say, but I was holding onto the hope that he'd say something.
"If you," He begins just as I'm walking away from him. "If you really want your big brother to worry less about you… Will you hold onto these?" I eye the items he's holding. In his left hand is my missing headband – I can sense my chakra laced into the fabric. However, it's the odd kunai in his right hand (right usually meaning 'preferred' in these kinds of situations) that really grabs my attention. A single, three-pronged kunai with a complex seal algorithm wrapped around the handle.
I take both, mostly to look at the seal a little closer. "Seal…" I murmur, wondering that the exact same seal is wrapped around the kunai I'm currently wearing as earrings.
"Yeah, Ero-jiji told me that Ba-chan had you tagged in case she ever needed to get to you in a hurry. So I thought… well, maybe it's not such a bad idea." He rubs the back of his head, obviously embarrassed. "I also placed a special monitoring seal in your headband to keep an eye on you."
Wanting to see what he's going on about, I place the kunai in my leg pouch. I flip the item in question over, noticing that the once dark blue fabric has either been dyed or replaced entirely – it's black now, just like Nii-san's. Because of the new colour, it's almost impossible to tell which seals had been applied. Almost.
Hmm, a heart monitoring seal placed where my temple should be, a chakra-based emotions sensor seal – an interesting combination. No tracking seal, though. So that means the kunai either has a tracking or some sort of summoning seal. Impressive.
"Ai-chan! Please hurry up! You know we're not guaranteed the best of seats if we show up late!" Aunty Itsuko calls out once again.
"Come on, Imouto-chan. Let's show the world what we're made of." Nii-san says. I strap my headband into place, making sure to tie it securely. Then I notice him holding up a fist, obviously waiting for me to bump fists with him.
"Yeah." I tell him, making sure everything fits snugly. We bump fists – a sign of respect… at least to Nii-san. "Let's."
8-8
Well, so much for all that effort to calm myself. Standing in the arena where the tournament is being held immediately undoes all the good the meditation had done. I mean, seriously? Thirty thousand people staring at you while you fight? Let's not even get started on the fact that I can actually see four gigantic television screens above us – just in case they missed someone getting their head chopped off.
Fuck 'em. Focus on what's real, Ai.
The arena we're in is HUGE! Easily covering two or three square kilometres! And that's leaving out the fact that the stands go up almost a half kilometre, layered in eight levels to maximize the amount of spectators. HUGE! I have no idea why they'd make this place so big. Maybe it has something to do with the enormous ego of most of the 'men' running around here. I mean, come the fuck on!
At any rate, some new fuck comes up and bows respectably, introducing himself with the same name of the proctor from a month ago. I pay close enough attention to know that he's in fact a different person, but not enough to show I care – which I don't. The proctor briefly goes over the scheme and the rules, before shooing us. All very interesting, really. Very, very interesting. Mm hmm.
In no time at all, we find ourselves on a 'hidden' balcony that overlooks the battlefield. Leaning on the gilded railing, I could see quite a chunk of the crowd before me – along with the Kage booth. I had held onto the hope that Ka-san would come out to see me, but there's no denying that there's no Hokage present. Even Saru-ji-chan must have headed back to Konoha. Well, life's just fun like that, seeing that I can't rightfully be pissed that none of them came to see Konohamaru and I in our CSE debut.
Still, I peer up at the Kage booth, trying to see if maybe Bii-san was up there at least. There's the Raikage, pointy hat and all. Hmm, some dull-looking, dark-skinned dude is right behind him. Ooh, yup there's the infamous Killer Bii rapping about something again. The Mizukage is there as well – her red hair and the blue Kage outfit a dead giveaway. Some weirdo with an eye patch is standing close by, along with… some bored looking guy with the lower half of his face bandaged up and no eyebrows – it might be best if I ignore that he's shirtless. But no one I know from back home!
Seriously? No Konoha representative! Almost all finalists are Konoha-nin and no one thinks to represent us in the Kage booth. Humph. I'm half hoping that Saru-ji-chan will show up – Konohamaru's debuting as well after all. Or maybe Jiraiya – Naruto-nii would appreciate it. Hell, if Ka-san can't make it, the least she could do was send Shizune-nee-chan!
I notice that the screens blink to life, already filtering through slides with pictures of the contestants. Some slides reveal more information (Guru's showing that he's the heir to his clan, for example), some reveal false information (everyone knows that Naruto-nii isn't some no-name orphan). Mine actually shows two monikers I've acquired – Mournful Blade (which I know about) and 'Black Death'? Not even Nii-san has any known monikers! Well, none that he is happy to have up there.
I feel a spike of worry from the other competitors when they read that. Naruto-nii and Jei are obviously proud of it, but I'm still scratching the back of my head, wondering when the hell I got called that. Shouldn't I get informed when people start calling me something as ominous as 'black death'? I mean, I'd be nervous as fuck if I found out my opponent was known by that kind of name! And more importantly! Why the hell would they call me that? I mean, yeah I have black hair. But my hair isn't very deadly!
"SETTLE DOWN!" The Raikage shouts to get things started. Luckily he isn't a man for words, so he just welcomes everyone and announces that the matches can begin.
That cues the proctor to get busy. "Sarutobi Konohamaru and Houzuki Guru will stay here. All other competitors please wait on the balcony." The proctor announces, thumbing towards where we are currently waiting. It's about five meters above ground level, so it should be out of the danger zone. I hope…
8-8
I get comfy between Jei and Naruto-nii. Funny how even here they're guarding me like a Ming vase, but I'm starting to learn to just tune it out. I mean, it's not likely to change anytime soon! We're as far from the stairs as possible, leaning against the railing – well, Nii-san is leaning against the wall. I notice that Jei is keeping a casual eye on the others, for some strange reason. I don't know why, all of them are from allied villages. Sure, I keep a casual eye on my surroundings at all times, but that's mostly to shut sensei up, and that paranoid little voice in my head screaming profanities if I miss something.
Well, such is life. Let's get on with the show!
We're close enough to hear what the boys are talking about, but it's all smack talk anyway. Guru's saying some bullshit about Konohamaru's need to forfeit (like he's really going to) and here comes the more than expected retorts about needing a body bag with a Kiri tag. I just roll my eyes. This is why I consider them 'boys' and not shinobi.
"First match! Sarutobi Konohamaru of Konoha versus Houzuki Guru of Kiri! HAJIME!" The proctor jumps back and out of the limelight. Just in time for Konohamaru to shunshin forward and punch Guru in the throat. Ouch! That looked painful. And Guru flying back into the wall doesn't help the image any.
Konohamaru cracks a smile, taking out Eda and tapping her tip against the edge of his sandals. He then takes up a ready stance and waits. And waits. The smoke is slowly dying down, but there seems to be no movement from the wreckage. Either Guru's dead, or he's playing possum – I've got my money on possum.
"Come on, fish-face! I know that little tap ain't gonna end this match!" Kono-chan really needs to tone it down a tad. And the idiot reacts too? He starts getting up, his neck bubbling, and smirks at Kono-chan. Wow. Really? Isn't that impressive.
"At least you're smarter than the last guy." He's now officially lucky he's not fighting me. The 'last guy' is obviously a jab at Daichi, and there is little I tolerate less than looking down on my teammates.
"Che, fine. Dig your grave deeper." Konohamaru smirks, knowing full well that I'm already plotting against Guru. "Hey, do you think your teammate will actually survive against Ai if you keep talking about her peeps like that?"
They go back and forth a bit – Guru trying to understand what Konohamaru means, and the Sarutobi making some vague hints at my temper. Well, it's pretty entertaining for the Konoha contingent, but no one else here gets it. However… aren't they supposed to be fighting?
Out of the blue, two pairs of hands shoot up from under Kono-chan and grab his ankles. Guru starts making handseals, clearly using the conversation – and probably some of the time the smoke veiled him – to trap Konohamaru and take him out. I recognize the sequence – it's the Mizurappa. He's either REALLY good or a complete fucking idiot if he thinks that he can take anyone out at that distance with that jutsu.
Kono-chan smirks again, then swats all four hands with his staff – I do take note of the hands turning into water, it might be useful information later on. Guru doesn't seem fazed and shoots a powerful stream of water at Konohamaru – I highly doubt it'd have the effect Guru is obviously hoping for – but Kono-chan just shunshins out of the way. The next thing I notice is Guru flying forward again, and Kono-chan standing just behind where Kiri-chan was. I have to bite back a chuckle – Kono-chan is standing there like he used his staff as a baseball bat.
Guru lands gracefully on the wall – for once – and obviously looks pissed. "THAT FUCKING HURTS YOU KNOW!"
"What? Can't take a hit? Stop being a sissy!" Kono-chan baits him further. I just roll my eyes. Sure, this is a good tactic; it'll piss Guru off and make him sloppy. It does make me wonder why it's needed, though. I mean, getting cocky is only going to lead to Konohamaru's downfall. But then, that might be Guru's tactic. He did more or less the same thing against Daichi, and won.
"WHAT'D YOU SAY?!" Never mind. Daichi is never going to be on Kono-chan's level of getting under someone's skin. The two rush at each other, meeting in the middle and going blow for blow. Kono-chan's got the further reach, but Guru gets in just as many hits. Over and over again I notice that Konohamaru leans away from the hits to minimize the damage, while dishing out some seriously harsh counterattacks.
Guru isn't faring that well against his opponent. Sure, they're going tit for tat and Guru can heal the damage pretty quickly… the problem is that the damage is piling up quicker than it can be healed. Guru seems to notice this and starts backing off. Unfortunately, Konohamaru isn't letting up. For each step back Guru takes, Kono-chan takes one forward. Each time Guru shinshins to create space, so does Kono-chan to remove it. Every time Guru substitutes, Konohamaru quickly finds him and continues the assault.
"A good old-fashioned beat down." Jei says, obviously noticing the tactic as well. The fight continues like this for a few minutes. I'm at least fairly sure that Kono-chan's got this in the bag, but I'm not counting Guru out just yet.
Without warning, Konohamaru stops. He's facing the other way, so I can't see his face, but I can tell he's trapped in a genjutsu. Obviously powerful too, seeing that Guru is taking his time to heal up. The bubbling slows down, then eventually stops. If taken at face value, then I'd have to admit that it looks like a win for Guru. Still, there's something that intrigues me: Guru doesn't move in for the kill immediately.
Essentially, Guru has his opponent on a silver platter, but doesn't move in for the kill. Why? Why is he circling his prey, toying with it? Is he that confident? That arrogant? "Proctor, call the match. He's not breaking out of that genjutsu." Yup, pure arrogance.
"He's not in any danger, either." The proctor makes a good point. No matter how defenceless, without an attack force there is no victor.
"Che." Fucking idiot. Guru casually strolls up to Konohamaru, flexes his hand and moves to grab his opponent by the throat… just in time for Kono-chan to knock him upside the head, launching back into the wall again. The crowd gasps as one, obviously not having seen that coming. I just roll my eyes. What did they think would come from underestimating a Konoha shinobi?
The proctor shunshins to Guru, checking for a pulse. From the relief I sense off him, I'd say the boy survived. Then the proctor grabs his hand and raises it, then releases it. It drops onto the rubble surrounding Guru, clearly knocked out.
"Winner by knock out: Sarutobi Konohamaru of Konoha!" The proctor calls it. I ignore the cheers that follow. Still, I clap for the victor – it was an entertaining match, if nothing else.
8-8
I can't help but chuckle nervously at Konohamaru's current situation. The medics were quick to collect their newest patient, so without so much as a breather, the proctor announces: "Second match! Sarutobi Konohamaru of Konoha versus Mizura of Hoshi!"
I remember Mizura well enough – mostly because I cursed Kouji out time and time again for giving him a free pass. But frankly, I've never seen him fight. Hokuto used that weird corrosive chakra thing, but that doesn't mean anything for Mizura – it could be a bloodline limit, or a hidden style in Hokuto's clan. Even if he can use the same style, that doesn't mean that he can use it to the same level of anyone else, or if he's any good at all. Hmm, this could prove interesting.
"I'd bet you anything Konohamaru knocks him out with one hit." Jei says, nudging me with his elbow to show who he's talking to.
"Define 'anything'." Jei's going to get himself in trouble if he starts making bold claims like that – not that I doubt Konohamaru can do it, it's just that it's not wise to assume before you know all the variables.
"Loser cooks for the entire group when we get back to Konoha. Including Kiba." Jei says it innocently enough… I just wish it didn't strike such a sensitive chord with me. I nod and noise my agreement to the terms, mostly to not show how much thinking about Konoha makes me emotional right now.
It takes almost a full minute for Mizura to finally make it down to the center stage. Why? Was he strolling through the park on his way? The two bow their heads to each other and the proctor starts the match. "Second match! Sarutobi Konohamaru of Konoha versus Mizura of Hoshi! HAJIME!"
Kono-chan shunshins to his opponent and launches a punch right in the gut. I cringe when I hear something pop. "And down he goes." Jei points out. And he's right. Even though I'm still cringing, I can tell that Mizura is most definitely not getting up. The proctor checks the poor boy for a pulse and calls it.
"So, Naruto. How good is Ai at making ramen?"
8-8
"Third match! Uzumaki Fuki of Konoha versus Hokuto of Hoshi! HAJIME!" Okay, so hopefully this match is a bit more entertaining. Two kunoichi, one with a wildcard personality, the other with a wildcard skill set. Although, technically both girls could fall in either category… hmm.
Hokuto is quick to call on that weird purple tail of hers, even as Fuki races towards her. Fuki throws a punch, which Hokuto evades. Hokuto then launches three of her tail feathers at Fuki, who sidesteps the first two and simply ducks under the third with a high sweeping kick aimed at Hokuto's knees. Hokuto blocks with the fourth tail, already moving the first three back into start position for the next attack.
I fully expected Fuki's attack to hit, but instead she tucks in her leg and rolls out of striking range. I'm not sure why, but I assume she knows something about that hidden style – something that I obviously don't know. Whatever. I do notice that Fuki hit the ground with a flat palm, near Hokuto's feet, just before her roll, but I'm not sure if that's important just yet.
Fuki switches up her style entirely, choosing to rain kunai on her opponent from a distance. Every kunai is effortlessly deflected by one of the five tail feathers. Hmm, that's no good. Still, Fuki doesn't think twice about another volley of kunai. Hokuto blocks all of them with one feather, then launches the other four at Fuki – shouting something about 'zan'? It's an impressive attack, seeing that whatever it touches is crushed.
What follows is a mostly pointless show of acrobatics. Sorry, but Fuki is smart enough to stay far enough away to make Hokuto's attacks easier to predict and Hokuto is not changing up her tactic in the least to try to catch her opponent off guard. Don't get me wrong, Hokuto is amazing to still push Fuki that hard at a distance of… fifteen meters, give or take. But the fact is that long distance fighters need to know a plethora of attacks and attack patterns to have half a chance at not dying young. Her tactic's just not doing it for me.
"Hn!" Wow. Obviously Hokuto is not one for words, but she definitely gets an A for intonation, she sounds indignant that she has to put in so much effort – I guess. I can't really tell what's going through her mind, but I know the tone. The tail feathers whip back to her and she does something similar to a pirouette, launching a much thinner… something at her opponent. I guess it reminds me of a rope?
For some reason this attack wraps itself around Fuki a few times – in much the same fashion a rope would if it were weighted on the far end. I don't understand why, seeing as this attack was no faster than the attacks before it. Fuki allowed herself to be caught. "HA! I've got you now!" No, you don't. You got what bait Fuki left out for you. I know better than to assume anything you get from an Uzumaki is something they want you to have – whether she's an Uzumaki by blood is irrelevant.
"Congratulations. You got me." Fuki drones. She's wrapped in the rope, pinning her upper arms to her torso. It doesn't look all that hard to break out of, just spin in the opposite direction. Or cut it with a kunai.
"Don't even think of trying to cut this rope. It's indestructible." Hokuto announces. Mmhmm. Sure it is. But even if it is, that still leaves spinning in the opposite direction. Not a foolproof trap.
"I wouldn't dream of it." Fuki humours her. "Oh, what am I to do." I giggle at the barb, as do most of my comrades.
"Oh?! You've got a better plan?!" I like this side of Fuki. She's messing with Hokuto's head. In the worst way, judging from how easily she's getting under the girl's skin.
"Hmm. Let's see. I could do this." Fuki shoots a water bullet aimed right at Hokuto's head. No handseals, not overt focusing. Just BOOM! And the bullet is flying! Not bad. Hokuto bends backwards to avoid the attack, pulling Fuki slightly towards her. Fuki takes full advantage and takes a few steps forward, forcing Hokuto to pull in the slack as she straightens up.
"Or this." Fuki does a left roundhouse kick, loosening the rope just the way I imagined she could. What I didn't anticipate was Fuki launching three kunai from her sandal. Hokuto deflects each of them with a kunai of her own. I'm starting to notice that Hokuto is mostly staying rooted to the same spot. Why? What tactical advantage could that possibly have?
Hokuto has to pull the rope tight once again, but doesn't seem to think that abandoning this tactic is smart. "Or maybe… this." Fuki takes two giant steps towards her opponent. I laugh as the poor girl just pulls in the rope again. "I don't think this is working out quite the way you hoped." Naruto's sneakiness, my sarcasm and Fuki's natural penchant for messing with people? Ouch.
"You don't know how many tricks I still have up my sleeve!" Hokuto boasts. Less talking, more showing.
"Neither do you." Fuki clasps her hands together, making the Tiger seal. This should be interesting. "Fuuin!" The spot that Fuki tapped earlier lights up, blinding Hokuto and shooting out five ink hands that grab the girl – both wrists and both ankles are grabbed and stretched out as far from her torso as her limbs will allow, and the final hand grabs the girl by the neck.
Fuki spins out of the last loop of the rope and tosses it away from her to prevent any nasty surprises it might have. "Forfeit."
The rope retracts to its owner. "Fat chance!" Hokuto doesn't give in that easily apparently. The five tail feathers flare up attacking the hands keeping her captive and destroying them in one go. Hm, not bad. This IS a lot more interesting than the last match.
Hokuto decides to not risk another nasty surprise on that spot and dashes ahead full speed. Three of her tail feathers dash ahead trying to create an opening for a sucker punch – from what I can guess. Fuki sidesteps the first, ducks under the second and jumps over the third, which makes Hokuto alter her course. No point in attacking empty space, right?
"TAKE THIS!" Okay, ease up on the dramatics. Hokuto jumps head first at Fuki with all five tail feathers attacking at the same time – she gave it some corny name like 'dancing tail feathers', or something. I dunno. I wasn't too impressed with it. A simple substitution would defeat the entire attack.
Fuki, however, doesn't substitute. She dashes at her opponent and slid under the attack, tucking her right leg up against her ribcage. I cringed thinking about what was about to happen. And yes, even while cringing and looking away, I can hear the blow land. Nothing broke, nothing snapped, nothing popped out of place, but I doubt Hokuto will stand after that kick.
"That sounded painful." Fuki points out, standing up and turning to her opponent once more. You think? "Proctor?"
Hokuto still isn't giving up. "If there's anything Uzumaki Naruto taught me…" She's holding her gut with both hands and clearly in a lot of pain, but she forces herself to her feet. One eye is screwed shut – likely from the pain – and her legs are trembling from the exertion. "It's that no one…" She takes a step forward. "…and nothing…" She takes two more wobbly steps. "… can stop me from making my dreams a reality!"
Hokuto tosses all rational thought out the window and is attacking blindly. Bad move. Fuki clearly isn't going all out, and you're at your limit. But, it is something Nii-san would do.
Willing to take no more risks, Fuki dashes at the idiot does and something I didn't expect her to. With almost no effort, she stops Hokuto in her tracks – don't ask me how – wraps her right leg around both of Hokuto's, grabs both of the girl's wrists and holds her firmly in place. I can hear some mumbling, and I sense shock from Hokuto. Then I notice something changes. Hokuto is no longer shocked, she's embarrassed. Now she's ashamed? Huh? What is that girl saying to her?! Aw man! I love mind games more than actual fighting! Can't Fuki speak a little louder?!
"Proctor! I forfeit." Hokuto announces. Her shame and self-loathing are more than obvious to me, even if I ignore her tone. What'd I miss?! Aw come on!
"Winner by forfeit: Uzumaki Fuki of Konoha!" The proctor calls it. The crowd goes absolutely ape-shit! I have to admit, I'm clapping for Fuki as well. That was a fun match! Other than the last part I couldn't follow in the least. "Ladies and gentlemen! We will have a fifteen minute recess, should anyone wish to place some last minute bets!" Wonderful! And just when we were getting to my match!
8-8
"Ladies and gentlemen! The following match will begin in five minutes! The fourth match between Nene of Kiri and Senju Ai of Konoha begins in five minutes! Contestants, please enter the battle ring!" I hear announced. I turn to tease Jei, telling him something about seeing him in our match. An annoyed snort tells me that Nene has other plans. Oh really? I shunshin down to centre stage.
So far, I'm the only one that actually put any effort into showing up quickly. Not that I care, it's just something worth noting. Sort of. It doesn't matter, I still have a whole five minutes to wait. I just like knowing I'm where I need to be if something happens. Now, I could use this time to my advantage and start laying traps here and there… but nah! That's no fun. Legal? Yeah, probably. But not much fun. Though not knowing what Fuki said – even after I asked her – is making me a bit irritable. And Nene's teammate talking smack about Daichi before isn't helping. Lucky for everyone alive, I'm no longer on the crimson wave – I'm pretty sure I would have killed someone in that case. Kind of why I've been meditating for days.
You see! So little to do that I'm thinking about my least favourite time of the month! Come on, people! Move it, Granny! Plant that fanny of yours in your seat! Why am I down here this quickly again? Must be anxiety or something.
Anxious? Hm. Maybe that's it.
Time trickles by. Slowly the crowd settles in. Everything is finally set. Although the nervous spikes from the balcony is showing that there are at least two worry warts that seem to think I can't handle this fight. I roll my eyes, wondering what this girl has that would worry them so much.
"Kuroishi, huh?" Nene tries striking up a conversation. "Where'd you get a stupid name like that?"
"I dunno. First I've heard of it. Usually the people I fight don't survive, so I don't get the chance to ask what they'd call me." I taunt. It's partly true. I mean, that time in the bandit camp, those idiots in the second exam… that Sound nin from way back when… Jeez, I really haven't fought enemy shinobi much… Hm, maybe that's what's got Nii-san's knickers in a twist.
Waaaaait a minute! Now I'm talking smack before the fight?! The things I do to pass the time… are we still not fighting?
"The fourth match between Nene of Kiri and Senju Ai of Konoha! HAJIME!" The proctor jumps back, giving us plenty of space. I remember her style, she likes to let her opponent psych themselves out. Figuring 'what the heck', I stroll up to her. Slowly, calmly, peacefully. Just walking.
About a meter in front of her, I stop. I ease myself into a sideway stance and slowly 'launch' a kick, but not all the way. I tilt my hips properly and everything, but I hold onto my right foot back against my backside while pointing my knee at her head. My umbrella slips out of its holster, but I planned on that, so I catch it by the handle with my left hand. Still not much happening. I look at her with a bored expression that matches her own. "You ready?" I intone.
"For?" She's not even remotely curious. She's mostly assuming that I'm full of hot air right now. I smile.
Without further ado, I release my right foot and watch as it blurs right at her head. It connects and she's launched headfirst at the wall. I do notice that she manoeuvres and tries to spread out the impact between her hands and shins, so she's not dead. But mostly I notice the dust cloud from the impact.
Meanwhile, I'm still leaning in the same position. My foot is hovering in the spot her head was not a second ago. "Sucks to be you, I guess." I ease my foot down, tilt my hips back so they're once again horizontal, and stand up straight. I lean my umbrella on my left shoulder, holding solely with my left hand. "I know you're not dead. So can we please hurry this up a bit?" I ignore the annoyance from the balcony – Matsuri is probably going to give me hell for stealing her favoured 'annoyed drawl'.
Water bullets are fired from inside the dust cloud. Only one of them is aimed properly though. I twirl my umbrella to open it and place it in the jutsu's path. I will admit it had some clout, but I block it all the same. Interestingly, the force of the attack shatters the glob of water and almost makes it seem like it's raining. Well, that's what umbrellas are for, right? I think so, so I lean the shaft on my shoulder and let the umbrella do its duty.
I look at what's left of the dust hiding my opponent. Her eyes are focused on me. Only on me. I smile again. Underestimating me is not the smartest choice, but it's the choice I prefer my opponent makes. "You. Die. Today." She grinds out. Ooh, touchy aren't we? "Slowly. Painfully. Agonizingly."
"Very good. You've learned three new adjectives that can describe death." I taunt, making sure my tone is high and overly girly – almost like I'm talking to a toddler. I love mind games. They're fun. "Now why don't you come here and say that again? Come on! You can do it! Come here, Nene! Come on, girl!" I pat my hands on my thighs, just like when you call a puppy to come play. Should I be worried about the anger I sense boiling up in her? Hmm, not sure.
I'm half hoping she'll show me some of that speed she used last time, but I'm not overly surprised when she grabs her head and shakes herself to calm down. She keeps telling herself something about her sensei saying not to? Mmkay, let me know how that works out for you.
She makes a mad dash for me, but it's not nearly as fast as I was expecting. Why is she holding back? I know she's stronger, faster and smarter than this. Hmm, maybe taunting her just a little more will help? She comes in with a wild punch. Really? With a flick of the wrist, I close my umbrella and swing it round. I then use it as a lance and 'poke' her punch with it. I briefly wonder if I put in enough force, but I see that way too calm look on her face… she's holding back again. Deciding to show her what she's, more or less, dealing with, I slap her with my umbrella before she notices that her punch lost all its momentum. Her head snaps to one side.
Now, from my perspective, that seems painful. I personally wouldn't want someone to do that to me, but hey… don't fight against me? "Hey, you ready to give up?" Hey! I remember a scene that goes something like this in one of the Kung Fu movies Jei took me to! What was it called again? Didn't the guy that said that get his ass kicked? Sucks to be him.
Her head turns to me a little too slowly, but her eyes are showing that unbridled anger again. Still not fighting back properly? I swing my umbrella around like a bat and smack her across her chest. Sure, she flies back from the force, but from the lack of distance I can tell she used some chakra to stick to the ground a bit – maybe she should have tried harder.
"Nene, seriously, this is pointless. You are making me feel bad because you aren't fighting back." I tell her before she even lands. You know what? She doesn't want to take me seriously? Fine! I won't take her seriously. "Fine! I'll fight you with my eyes closed! At least then it'll be interesting." And I really do close my eyes. It'll piss her off, but it doesn't put me at too much of a risk – not really.
I sense her dash for me, much quicker this time but still not at the speed I had every reason to expect. Still not opening my eyes, I dodge her punch and knee her in the gut. For her lack of effort, I punch her in the face as well. Sadly, I sense her skidding off into the distance again. She's not even trying! I know she's not trying. "This really is just pointless." I sigh. "Ridiculous and pointless."
"Stop." She says. I can sense a bruise forming on her forehead from where I just hit her. "STOP!" Her anger is getting the best of her. Hmm. Why would anger be so easy to her, and yet she fights it so hard? "STOP! MAKING! FUN. OF. ME!"
"Sorry, darling, but I'm not doing much of anything." I tell her, noticing a difference in her chakra signature. It's almost like that time with Jei. Only, she's fighting it. She's used to it. She must be a jinchuuriki! Or the child of one, I guess. Oh, is that why Nii-san was so worried about me? And this from the same guy that fought Gaara to a standstill at age thirteen? Well, according to Saru-ji-chan at least.
Whatever. Let's see, what do I have to counter demonic chakra? Well, there's the Kirisame that suppresses all chakra that isn't my own. There's the fuuin Nii-san gave me before the second exam – that hypocrite knew the whole time! There's also the… why is she forming a handseal? She's moulding water chakra? Hmm, this could be interesting. She shoots another water bullet at me, but I just tilt my head to the side and avoid it. Now, where was I?
Ah, yes, then there's narcotics I have packed for Kibou. I wonder if drugs would work on a jinchuuriki? Never tried it, really. I know they won't work on Nii-san, but I'm not sure how much of that is the Kyuubi and how much is his ancestry at work. No one really knows.
"…" Well, that's different. She's getting ready to charge again? I smile, knowing that she has been noticing that I haven't been paying attention to her. Treating an opponent like they aren't worth your time is the worst insult one can give – and something I can only guess she would hate more than most.
She disappears. I sense her, though, so I take a step back and punch at the spot I just stood. I catch her right in the jaw too. She doesn't fly back as far this time, so I know she's finally getting serious. She makes another pass at me, but I duck under it and uppercut her right in the gut. She skids past, now holding the spot she was just hit. Yeah, this seems to be the opportune time to come up with a plan… meh.
She comes at me again, but I clip her side with a punch. She comes again, I kick her right in the kisser. Well, she's pretty much the only one that I've managed to hit more than once without breaking something – Sakura-san's not going to be happy about that.
Oh, there she blows! I can see the first tail forming… hmm, it's greenish and looks like something off of a scorpion? Meh. Maybe I should calm her down a bit? Yeah, I doubt I'd be able to handle her if she transforms all the way. Yeah, I'd have exactly zero percent survival odds at that point.
She makes another mad dash for me, quicker this time. I grab the fuuin from my pouch and punch it onto her forehead. She flies back again and I see the odd tail retract back into her spine – okay, that was weird. She shakes her head, like she's clearing the cobwebs. "Better?" I ask. No, that isn't some ploy. I actually wonder if she can fight me properly this way.
"What'd you do?" She completely ignores the question. I tap my forehead so she'll look at her own. Well, not literally 'look' at her forehead, but be mindful of it. She still doesn't get it.
"Look. I could explain in excruciating detail what just happened. But wouldn't it be more fun to… I dunno, fight?"
"What'd you do?!" She is still ignoring my question? Why would I answer you if you refuse to answer me?
"Nene! This is an exam, remember? We're supposed to be fighting?" Breadcrumbs. You know what? Fuck it. Just fuck it.
"You want a fight? Okay. But if I win you have to show me how you did that!" Whatever you say, pumpkin.
"Yeah yeah. Whatever. Just bring it!" I'm half tempted to sigh, but she dashes for me again. This time she flashes through the handsigns for the Mizurappa, and she spews out enough water to cover most of the battle 'ring' in about an inch of it. She throws a punch, which I sidestep. Not much different from last time. She spins around and launches a flying roundhouse kick. Okay, a bit better.
I shove her to give her some space to come up with a plan, because this is getting old. And what does she do? She flits through the handsigns for the water clone. Okay, sorta interesting. Only… looking at the result, I have to smile. She made over forty water clones in one go. That's more like it!
"It's about time!" She's finally taking me seriously! Maybe I should really stop making my opponent underestimate me? Nah. I'll just play it straight for the sake of giving both of us a chance to make our villages look good. Curious how well she can handle her clones, I keep my umbrella at ready. She's still hesitating, so I'll just take it to her directly.
I can sense only one of the 'Nenes' breathing, so I'll just leave that one alone and work my way through the horde. It's a little weird that all of them have that little seal parchment on their foreheads, though. Whatever. Three of them try to gang up on me. I tap one of their punches to redirect it into the face of one of the others. I then do a flying roundhouse kick and snap the remaining two's necks. All three of them are reduced to water.
Another group of about ten decide to make it rain kunai. I smile, but just flick my umbrella open to deflect them. I dash over to them and once out of actual danger, I close my umbrella and swing it right through them. I'm not too surprised to see them turn to water as well.
"This is almost as much fun as training with Nii-san!" I announce, running after the next group of clones. My smile just keeps getting wider and wider the whole time. Ooh, did she just disappear into the water? Interesting. Let's see if I can take out the remaining clones in one swoop, shall we? It's not like this jutsu will kill her now anyway!
After I snap the neck of one of her clones, I dash for the sidelines of the brawl. This jutsu doesn't have a three-hundred and sixty degree angle of attack, so I need to narrow it down a bit. Making it to my target, I try to monitor all her clones at once. Hmm, just over a ninety degree angle needed. This'll do. "I hope you're ready for this!" I grab my umbrella with my right hand and grab push back the cover for Tenshi's handle. I focus the right balance of chakra where and how it needs to be… It takes a moment, but I have the time right now – it's the first time I'm using this in an actual combat situation.
"Futon – Zantetsuken!" In one clean swing, I draw my sword and unleash the jutsu. An arc of very dense futon chakra slices through everything in its path. She seems to have anticipated something drastic, though, seeing as some of them tried jumping out of the way. Of the thirty-two clones, only eight got out of the way. Yes, sadly it's a very thin plane of attack, so ducking or jumping over it is very possible. Still, it's a good surprise attack!
"What the hell was that?!" One of the clones asks – it's not breathing, so I know it's not the real Nene.
"A really cool jutsu my sensei was helping me with!" I say. I'm half hoping she'll whip up some more clones, because obviously this batch was mostly duds. "Now come on! You're still just toying with me!" I wave around Tenshi for emphasis. I mean, come on! I still haven't even clicked her into her snake form!
To show that she really needs to come up with something new, I swing my umbrella like it's a sword and watch as a small orb flies at the remaining clones – technically I pressed a little button too, but no one needs to know that. I try not to look at the explosion though – that usually hurts my eyes.
Not a moment later, I see the water bulge up in dozens of places. A brand new bunch of clones are formed. I smile, wondering what I could do this time to get the same affect… Hmm, I haven't tried that yet. So I click Tenshi into her snake form and dash into the center of the clones. Every few steps I swing and watch as Tenshi rips through packs of clones at a time. It only takes a few swipes before she has to form more clones. "Aww, come on! You can't do the same thing over and over again! It gets repetitive! And boring." I gripe. At least Nii-san uses his sneakiness and prankster ways to come up with new tactics every time he sends a new wave of clones! Humph!
I dispatch this batch just as quickly as the last, wondering if I should just take the fight to her. I mean, this isn't going anywhere anymore. When she forms a new batch of clones, I decide to end it – as much fun as it tends to be.
Focusing on the one signature that seems constant – well, the other one at least – I launch Tenshi at her and drag her up from her hiding spot. I see her fly up into the air and I launch a senbon at that magical spot on her neck – with just more force that I otherwise would have. I'm not trying to kill her, after all.
The needle penetrates and I see that she immediately loses consciousness. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. I do make sure I catch her before she breaks her neck or something. That would be a waste of a good kunoichi – and potential sparring partner! You can never have too many sparring partners!
"Winner by knock out: Senju Ai of Konoha!" The proctor calls it. Not even giving the medics a chance to come for her, I see her sensei shunshin to right in front of me. I do make sure to check his chakra signature – still cold as ice too. I shiver at the thought.
"She's plagued by her bijuu. Her seal's not keeping him out properly, that's why she was so different when I placed that seal on her forehead. If you want you can have Naruto-nii look at it to help her rest easier." I whisper. He nods and shunshins up to the Kage box, handing the sleeping Nene to the Mizukage – needle in her neck and all. I see the redhead take out the needle as gently as she could, smoothing her hair to try keep her in her restful state. Hmm, is there something there? Like her daughter or something? They look nothing alike, but that's also true for me and Ka-san. Oh well. Another day for that story.
8-8
And here we are… Kaminari Jei versus Senju Ai. The proctor announced the match already and the crowd seems antsy to see what I can do. Although, there must be a sense of pride here too, knowing that the Raikage's clansman is up against a Senju – pride is funny like that.
Jei is standing a few meters away, facing me and is clearly prepared for a fight. I can see the tension in his stance, the nervousness in his chakra. More than that though, I notice that the water Nene left behind is starting to turn murky and muddy. With Jei being a Raiton user… that definitely works to my disadvantage. "HAJIME!"
We both blaze through handseals, though he's at the advantage because I need six and he only needs one. I'm not in the least surprised when he stomps his foot, or when I see electricity arc off his legs and into the water – he was planning on taking me out before I could come up with a plan. Pretty smart, but pointless seeing as I figured he would.
Mere fractions of a second before I'm electrocuted I jump into the air, flip and flick my umbrella open. I throw my umbrella upward and catch it with my legs, trying to balance myself and not lose focus on the moulded chakra I'll need.
After reaching the very peak of my jump, I start falling back – gravity is funny like that. However, my umbrella pops open from the force of the wind as I fall, though my flicking it open with my feet might have helped. Still, no umbrella could keep me airborne long. Not with the training weights I lug around. So I focus the already moulded chakra into my right palm and cast the Gale Palm justu into the underside of my open umbrella, but a very weak version of it. I only need to create enough of an updraft that I stay airborne, or at the very least descend at a slower pace.
"Whoa!" I meep out. Not only am I still airborne… I'm fucking FLYING! Okay, that wasn't the point! Well, not that I'm really complaining, but I just 'jumped' like five meters into the air! That's a little daunting!
"You know! I'm starting to think you've been holding out on me!" Jei shouts, probably to make sure I can hear him. I almost don't, with all the wind rushing past my ears.
"And I'm starting to think you're right!" I reply, smiling anyway. Seeing as I'm out of range of most of his usual tactics, I decide to try my luck. I whip out Kibou and start launching senbon at him, cackling as he ambles out of harm's way. "DANCE, PUPPET! DANCE!"
And dance he does. I can't help but laugh at how comically he's avoiding my attacks, but we both know we're just playing around. "Hey, Jei! I kinda need to talk to you about something!"
He takes something out of his pouch and throws it at me. Oh, it's just a kunai. He didn't even attach a tag to it or anything. "What, now?! We're kinda in the middle of something!"
I snag the kunai between the ribs of Kibou and flick it right back at him. "Yes now! It's kind of important, so it can't really wait!"
"Fine! But I'm not discussing important stuff with a clone!" He knows? How the hell did he know! "Yes, I know! You think I don't know my girl?" I roll my eyes, but I release the jutsu anyway.
From my vantage point on the wall behind the proctor, I see the shadow clone disperse. I roll my eyes, fully agreeing with her (my?) annoyance at being referred to as 'his girl'. "You know I hate it when people claim me like that, right?" I ask, releasing the concealment jutsu that's kept me hidden for at least twenty minutes. I seriously doubt that even the proctor knew I was here.
"Yeah, yeah. So what's this thing you need to talk about?" Jei asks, obviously choosing to ignore the proctor's 'acting cool and totally not freaked out' that he didn't notice me a meter behind him.
"It's about why I needed to be in Kumo with you. You were given up until today to announce your bride after all, right?" His eyes harden instantly. He knows what I'm talking about, but he clearly doesn't like where this is going. "Well, you see the thing is that I have yet to officially consent."
He balls both his fists. He's obviously preparing for some sort of psychological warfare or blackmail – he clearly doesn't like the idea. "And."
"Well, here's the thing. I want to tell you yes." I bait him a little, he'll be pissed but he'll thank me in the end. "I mean, you've earned my friendship, my trust, my mother's approval, my best friend's approval, my team's approval. You've even mostly earned Nii-san's approval." I hear a snort disagreeing with me from the balcony, Nii-san obviously is still undecided. "I said 'MOSTLY', didn't I?!"
"Anyway. You see, that means you've only 'won over' the 'girl' and the 'heiress'. You still need to win the kunoichi in me!" I speak loud enough for the crowd to hear me as well. I can see him breathing a little easier – he finally realizes I'm not trying to mess with his head.
"Alright. What do you propose?"
"Simple. You need to defeat me. Here, in front of everyone. You need to show me and the world the might of the man who wishes to claim a Senju's hand in marriage." I explain, mostly for the crowd's benefit – and Essu, if that worthless whore is watching. "Taijutsu only. You win, I'm yours." I pout. That means no substitutions, no tricks, no elaborate tactics, or mind games. As much as that will suck for me.
He thinks about that for a long moment, eyeing me the whole time. He's probably wondering what brought this on, but knows me well enough to know I'll never tell him. "Alright." He agrees.
Without a word, I seal every weapon on me. Well, every one of them, other than the kunai earrings that I promised Ka-san I'd always have on me. And the leg pouch that holds the funny kunai Nii-san wants me to hold on to. Once everything is done, I chuck the scroll at Nii-san, who catches it and stuffs it into his leg pouch. "Grabbing a weapon is a conditioned reflex. This way I can't be tempted." I explain. He just shrugs.
I notice a change in his stance. He's preparing for a fight – a real fight. I've never seen him look this intense before, it's as if this is life or death to him now. I blush at the implications…
Without fair warning, he rushes me. He doesn't shunshin, and I can tell from his chakra that he's not molding it in any way, but that boy is FAST! I duck under his punch and counter with a knee to his gut. Even without enhancing the blow, I know I can hit hard – I enhance it anyway. I want him to win, but I need him to earn it even more.
He flies back, but lands on his feet and rushes me without giving it a second thought. His eyes glow with determination, his focus is absolute. I honestly doubt he can even feel the pain of that blow. He's more cautious this time, but no less aggressive in his attacks. I can barely see his limbs move in the flurry of his attacks, forcing me to defend purely on instinct. I deflect every punch I can, parry every kick I can and try to land every counterattack I throw at him… but it's not hard to see he's overpowering me with his speed.
Still, I land enough blows to show I'm not messing around. Even though I'm not as fast as him, he's not as strong as me – I can sense his pain, even if he can't. I duck under a punch that I think he intended to knock me out with and try a sweeping kick. He somersaults over the kick and tries to plant his foot in my face. Unfortunately, I can't dodge, so I punch his foot – half scared that I'll break something on him. Even with the extra momentum, his kick doesn't overpower my punch, but he doesn't seem to even notice. He just throws another flurry of punches and tries to take advantage of me being low to the ground – lack of retreat options this way.
I deflect what I can, and try to shimmy out of the way for the rest. When he lands a particularly nasty kick to my shoulder, I kick his other foot out from under him. Unfortunately, that means he just landed on top of me. Without giving me a chance to force my attack, my wrists are grabbed and his legs pin mine down. I'm officially incapacitated.
I smile at him, wondering why he thinks that this will stop me. I mean, sure I could just accept my defeat, but he needs to earn it! So, even with my muscles howling in response, I focus my chakra into my muscles and start forcing him up. With his bodyweight, leverage and gravity on his side, it takes considerably more force than it otherwise would have. But I can still feel him being inched back, little by little.
"Ai." He begins, bringing his full strength to bear. I focus a little harder, and smile as I feel him slowly losing ground. He needs to win, but that doesn't mean I'm going to throw in the towel at the first opportunity. "Ai, you've already lost."
I snort, forcing even more chakra into my pretesting muscles. We're sitting up now, him in my lap. "I thought lap dances work the other way around."
"Do you submit?" Not 'give up', not 'forfeit', not 'yield' or even 'admit defeat'. No, he's fighting to show he's worthy of me submitting myself to him as his wife… and he my husband…
"I…" I want to tell him no, that I still have a trick up my sleeve. Hell, I'm even tempted to go against my own terms and blast a water bullet in his face. But I look him in the eyes instead. I see a desperate longing there, an irrational fear that he's not good enough.
"Please, Ai." He brings his face closer to mine, letting our noses kiss. The feel of his hot breath entices my every sense – I shiver a little. "Please…"
"Please, what?" I ask. My eyes wander to his lips in hope that he understands how much I want him to kiss me right now.
"You know what."
"No… I don't know what." I'm stilling fighting him back, albeit not very well with my muscles screaming at the injustice of it all. Still, I want so badly to hear the words… I need him to ask me, even if this isn't the most romantic setting I've ever dreamed of.
"…" Jei's never really been one for words, unless it's to tease me. He prefers to show, rather than to tell. "Will. You. Marry. Me?"
I stop resisting. But seeing as he wasn't expecting it, that means he wasn't able to compensate for the lack of counteracting force and we fall. I wouldn't have cared either way, but I still feel him release my left wrist so that he can support my head and minimize the damage.
That of course brings him just that much closer to me… and I take full advantage of it… I steal a kiss. No, not just a kiss – the kiss of all kisses. I close my eyes, enjoying every aspect of him. Especially the sheer joy I sense in his chakra… and the relief.
He picks both of us up off the ground, but I don't let go of him just yet. I don't know how he managed, but he's limping around shouting to the world: "She said yes!" He seems quite happy about having messed up his shot at being promoted, but I'm not having it.
Ignoring the crowd awwing and squealing, my hands blaze through the familiar handseals. The swooning turns to shock as my hand glow green and I grab him as tight as I can. I can feel the glow growing, taking me over. What I'm doing is too chakra intensive to ever be useful, but I'm sure I'd have passed out before dealing with this… so I guess I'll just pass out a little quicker.
With no time to spare, I convert as much of my chakra as I can without being a complete twit, and I offer all of it to him. I sense his aches and pains dissolve, and that cracked rib mends. "There…" I manage. "Now, show… the world… how scary… my man is." Darkness came swift after that.
8-8
End Chapter 24
A/N: Two chapters left, and the poll for promotion is still open. And FYI, no complaining about me 'Mary Sue'ing my way through this fic. Ai's been working her ass off for years, it'd be weird if she was still pathetic in a fight.
Anyhoo! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to leave a review to tell me what you think!
A/N 2: Thanks to Setokaiva betaing once again, I've taken out the glaring mistakes. Sorry about that (^-^)''
