A/N: I just wanna give a big thank you to for her ideas! They really helped me figure things out regarding not only this small story line but how the story should go overall. YOU'RE AWESOME!
Chapter 29 - Trapped
"Ugh come on Ino..." Shikamaru muttered as the blond Yamanaka was busy staring at the Uchiha male for what seemed like for hours, and in retrospect it probably was that long... First day of the Academy and she was already ogling someone. She continued to ignore the other boy and continued her examination of the young Uchiha.
"Wow he's really cute!" She finally spoke. "I can't believe he's going to be in our class!" She honestly had no idea that Sasuke would actually be in the same class as her but she was certainly not complaining. She couldn't help but be excited to have someone so cute and talented in her class. She could just imagine how popular they would be if they started...
"...Ino you barely even talked to him." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Troublesome girl..." They had just finished class and was now about to head home when she had spotted Sasuke in the distance. Shikamaru clearly was not amused at all that Ino's attention automatically flew over to the Uchiha and frankly just being in the same area with that boy made his blood boil.
"Hey who are you-." She stopped as she saw Choji running up to them.
"Hey guys wait for me!"He shouted from behind them.
"That's as fast as you can run?!" Ino shouted. "Come on Choji you're a academy student now, practically a ninja, put more effort in your training!"
"But Iiiiiinooooo?" Choji whined.
"Don't but me-." She looked up and saw Sasuke coming towards them. "Oh Sasuke is coming!" Ino pushed Shikamaru and Choji away from her and tried to look as cool as those models in her mom's magazines. She felt her heart race as he approached them. O-Oh hello Sasuke!" She grinned at the confused boy.
"Um...Hi..." He stepped back a bit at her cheerfulness.
"You were totally cool in class today with demonstrating the basic taijutsu steps." She giggled. "I was totally impressed!" Ino could not tell that Sasuke was uneasy about her, being that she was far into her own little word. She could imagine him and her fighting along side each other, complimenting on each others' moves.
"Wow Ino you're so amazing and strong and beautiful and-."
"...Um thanks...who ever you are..." Ino stared out in shock at those words. 'Who ever you are...who ever you are...who ever you are...' She stood there in complete shock and horror, though to everyone around her she just froze up. "Um...see ya..." He hurried off, leaving a heart broken girl behind.
"Ino..." Choi walked over to her. "Are you okay?" She refused to respond. "Ino..."
"I think she's broken." Shikamaru tapped her shoulder. Ino could hear them but her body was in too much shock to answer them. How could he...how could he not know who she was? They had introduced themselves and clearly everyone could remember such a simple name so...why couldn't he remember her name? Could it be that...that she wasn't worth him knowing? Did he not consider her as an equal and thus didn't consider her worthy of remembering? Ino couldn't help but feel slightly insulted that he would think such a thing, even if it was only a mere theory. 'I'll show him...' She would not allow this to happen. She was not about to be someone who he would consider beneath him. She was going to get the best grades, have the strongest ninjutsu, be the most amazing academy student...
"SASUKE!" She suddenly shouted, scary her fellow classmates. "I'll show you that I'm the best kunoichi around her!" She threw her fist in the air. "JUST YOU WAIT!
"Ino!" The blond kunoichi looked around and saw her fellow travelers staring at her in confusion. "Geez you've been asleep for like ever." Sakura giggled. Ino blushed and quickly stood up.
"U-Um I was merely recharging my energy!" She proclaimed. "A good kunoichi always keeps her energy."
"A good kunoichi also knows when to wake up." Sierra muttered.
"Shut it pig!"
Anyways..." Sakura sighed. 'These two are always at each others throats...' "Its time to leave so hurry up and get ready." Ino stuck her tongue out but complied, her mind returning to her dream/memory. How could she be so foolish to only want to be strong for Sasuke of all people? Was he her motivation for everything back then? She shook her head. That was not her anymore. She had more important things to worry about than having a boy notice her. 'There's more important things to worry about than boys now...' She thought to herself.
"Ino hurry up!" Tenten shouted from the road that laid next to them. Ino nodded and quickly finished packing her remaining items before running over to them.
"Lets go girls!" She said cheerfully. Sakura shook her head before unrolling the map to see where their next destination.
"Hold on Ino." Sakura looked at it thoroughly. "From what I can see the way to the lost city is through the forest towards the mountains." She said. "Okay girls I think our best route is up on the branches, we'll cover more ground that way." They all nodded and jumped high up towards the large branches. Not wasting time they quickly began flying through the air, jumping from branch to branch.
"So what can you tell me about Alexandra?" Ino asked Sierra with a curious look on her face.
Sierra smirked. "She was basically the best kunoichi ever to walk on this miserable piece of rock you call earth." The other animals huffed but ignored her comment. "She had the strength of 12 armies and the beauty of 12 queens." Ino couldn't help but ravish in the words that were being spoken.
"Well now I know where I get it from." Ino gloated.
"I wonder if she also had as big of a head as well." Sakura muttered to Kimi.
"Well..." Kimi looked away. 'They are definitely similar...'
"Hey she had every right to be confident in her abilities!" Sierra argued. "Not to say that this one does..."
"Hey!"
"Anyways, she was a very talented and strong warrior, though my memory is slightly hazy." Sierra cursed the power that blocks her full memory of the past. it was as if the kunoichi themselves have selected specific memories to stay in tact while they were sealing them away. She wonder why though? Why couldn't they have saved their memories?
"So what about this ancient city? What makes it so great?" Tenten asked.
"From what I can remember this was a very prosperous and industrious city, very advanced for its time." Kimi answered with her usual soft voice. "Prosperity was sort of like how Konoha is now.
"The city was also well protected by not only the mountains that surrounded them but legend has it that an even greater, far more fearful power, was what protected the city from the wrath of Ahriman."
"But if that's true than...what happened to it?" The animals were silent, something that never meant anything positive.
"We...We do not remember." Kimi finally stated. "Our memory is limited..."
"The magic that kept us contained has effected out memory." Kamatari spoke.
"Which leads me to a question." Temari stopped jumping. "How exactly was I able to summon you?" This question has been on her mind for a while but she never could fine a good time to ask.
"Huh?" Kamatari looked confused for a moment before sighing. "Oh right...I never went into explaining that..." He cleared his throat. "You see...your spiritual beings always had a connection with your represented partner. what that summon was just a mirror of my own image."
"So like a shadow clone?" Hinata pointed out.
"In a sense. While a shadow clone is merely a illusion of the true form, mine was a literal mirror of myself. All its memories, similar to a shadow clone, returned to me as soon as it was unsummoned."
"So what if I did another summoning contract?" Temari crossed her arms. "What would happen then."
"The same as if it were any other summoning." He said. "You see when you did a contract for the weasel my form automatically was assign to you."
"So what your saying is that because Temari signed a weasel contract and, because you were Ramona's partner and Temari is her reincarnation, a mirror of your image was created to stand in your place?" Ino was seriously starting to get confused. "So lets say I did a summoning contract for a boar-like summoning, a mirror image of Sierra would automatically be assigned to me?" Kamatari nodded. "So I would have been stuck with her no matter what?"
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Sierra growled.
"So I recently signed a summoning contract with slugs...If I were to actually summon a slug..."
"A mirror image of me would be created." Kimi smiled.
"Wow...that's kind of cool." Tenten smiled. "I thought I knew almost everything about summoning..."
"There's a lot that you will learn Mistress." Ken said with a drowsy tone. "Summoning, much like every jutsu, has many secrets that are still unknown to the known world."
"Well enough about that." Kamatari said with a yawn. "It no longer matters how I came to know Temari." Temari had to chuckle to herself on how he addressed her. She was used to being called Lady Temari that it was nice to just be simply called by her name, almost made her feel normal.
"Whatever-" Ino said before feeling an odd sensation spreading throughout her body.
"Ino are you-." Sakura stopped. 'Why do I suddenly feel tired...' She thought to herself. Her body felt heavy, her limbs slowly were starting to become numb. She looked around and found that everyone was starting to feel this odd feeling of fatigue. "Guys...Whats going on...?" Sakura asked softly.
"I-I don't..." But Ino couldn't finish her response as she fell off the tree branch and headed straight for the ground.
"Ino..." Sakura cried out before falling onto the branch. 'Ino...' Her friend's name was her last thought before everything turned to black.
Deadly Kunoichi 5
"That was awfully easy..." A voice said from above the unconscious team. "...Quite boring if you ask me..." The figured jumped down to examine them closer. "I must admit when Ahriman woke me up from my 'nap' I had assumed that the Kunoichi would still possess their skills...I should really try to not get my hopes up all the time." The figured giggled. She moved her long black hair to behind her ear and sighed. "Bring her up here." Suddenly a large dark blue tiger appeared from behind her with Ino secured on her back. The young girl eyed the body with deep disgusted. "You were always so proud of your looks...disgusting..." She narrowed her eyes, memories flooding her mind. "But at least you were a formidable enemy...this form of you is simply pathetic." She crossed her arms. "No matter...Come Aoi, lets go..." Suddenly dark shadows surrounded her and the others, swallowing them all up in a pit of darkness.
Deadly Kunoichi 5
"Ugh..." Sakura groaned as she started to regain consciousness. The darkness that once surrounded her was replaced by a dark room, the only source of light being a small candle in the corner, with from what she could tell were bars in front of her. 'Am I in a cage?' She thought to herself. After analyzing it more she can clearly see that she was in fact chained to the wall behind her. 'No...I'm in a prison cell...' Immediately her mind went to the other girls and panic quickly came to her heart.
"Oh look you're finally awake." She looked up and saw a young girl, about her age, staring down at her with a bitter smile. Her hair was long and black with one bang covering her left eye. She wore a black skinned tight body suit with a large purple sash over her waist. Sakura could feel the aura of this strange girl and knew she was no ally. "I was so worried you might have died, thank goodness I was wrong." She giggled. "Then again I should expect such a raw ability to stay alive from Haruki's reincarnation."
"How...?" Sakura muttered before shaking her head, now realizing that now was not the time for such questions. "Where are the others?!"
"My aren't you quick." She smiled. "Just like that Haruki..." She cleared her throat before facing away from her. "Don't worry...you're never gonna see them again..."
"What?!" Sakura tried to pull at the chains but instead of hearing the sound of them breaking...she felt her chakra being drained away.
"Oh I wouldn't try anything...Those chains absorb any chakra presented to them so any jutsu is basically useless." She giggled once more. Sakura narrowed her eyes. Who was this girl and what did she want from them? "Now if you excuse me, I have to pay a little visit to your blond, loud friend." Sakura felt her heart race and anger quickly flowed through her body.
"DON'T YOU DARE!" She shouted but instead of a response she heard the sound of a door shutting. Feeling once again useless, she cursed out into the space with her head held down. 'No...I can't be that useless girl again...I can't...' She thought to herself. She can't go back to who she used to be...she couldn't go back to needing to be rescued.
Deadly Kunoichi 5
"HEY LET ME OUT!" Ino shouted for the hundredth time after waking up from some type of genjutsu, at least that's what she concluded to. "HEY!" She was not about to be chained up like some wild animal and she wasn't about to die, if that was going to be case, in some old prison cell.
"My aren't you loud." She looked up and saw a strange girl staring at her with amusement.
"Did you do this?!" Ino narrowed her eyes. "Let me out so I can kick your ass!" Ino roared.
"Still so feisty...Even in the face of your own demise." She spoke softly, but by the sound of her voice Ino could tell that she trying hard to hold back some raw emotions. "You have no one but yourself to blame...this all could have been avoided."
"What...What the hell are you-." Ino cried out as her throat was being held by this strange girl's grip. "Do you remember Alexandra?! Does this bring back memories?!" Ino had no idea what this girl was talking about. What memories? She has never in her life met her or had done anything to her yet her she was being yelled at to remember some crime she committed to the girl. "You...You ruined everything!" She shouted, her voice hoarse with anger. "YOU AND YOUR STUPID KUNOICHI FRIENDS RUINED MY LIFE!" Ino felt it was starting to become harder for her to breath and knew that if she wasn't free soon, she was going to die. Suddenly though...the strange girl stopped. The girl glanced back to see a small blue cat staring at her. "BUT AOI?!" She screamed. "You-...I know..." Suddenly Ino felt a rush of air entering her lungs and the pressure on her neck disappear.
"...!" She breathed out. "What...the hell?!" The girl however ignored Ino and continued to stare at the strange cat.
"Aoi..." She muttered. "...I understand." She finally turned to face Ino, a look of disgust in her eyes. "You may have gotten off easy this time but just wait...I'll get my revenge soon enough." Ino watched the girl walk out of the room with the cat, leaving Ino to dwell within the darkness. Who was that girl? What could have happened in the past that would make her have so much hate? Ino thought back to what she had called her earlier. 'She called me Alexandra...What could she had done to make her hate me so much?' It confused her greatly that someone as noble and kindhearted, at least from what Sierra had said about her, would have such an enemy. Then again...Most Ninja do tend to get those, especially powerful ninja. Ino could only image what enemies might have wanted her previous life's head... What what confuses Ino is that most of them should be dead right? Most of them shouldn't even be corpses anymore, most of them are already dust...The first thought that came to her mind was that she was some type of demon. After all that she and her friends have been through, it makes a lot of sense. She had also heard of demons taking human form, probably the reason why she looks so human. But what confuses Ino so much is that from her battles with these monsters, she could pick up a certain amount of dark aura from them and though this girl's aura is indeed pure evil...it wasn't the same? The last demon they had fast back in the desert was similar in that he too took a human form but...his aura was obviously demonic yet her aura, though evil, isn't as menacing... Could certain demons have certain auras? Or could she actually be human...or something beyond that? Ino let out a frustrated sigh before leaning on the cold wall.
"I don't have time to wonder about that...I have to find the others!" Thinking quickly, Ino tried to open up a mental link to the other girls but only found that her chakra was being taken away from her. She stared down at the chains and came to the conclusion quickly that the chains were reacting to her jutsu by absorbing her chakra. 'That makes things a little bit difficult...' She sighed. How was she supposed to get in contact with the others now? At times like this Ino wishes she had the same intellect as Sakura or the strategical skills like Temari. 'No wonder Shikamaru...' Ino shook her head. She can't beat herself up like this! She needed to think of a plan and soon.
Deadly Kunoichi 5
"I don't understand!" She had her chance...her chance to gain the revenge she so deserved but Aoi had to come and take it away from her. "I had my moment to finally kill that bitch and you took it from me! WHY?!"
"Because I want them alive." She stopped at the sound of Ahriman's voice.
"But why my Lord?!" She growled.
"I did not free you from your prison for you to ask questions that don't concern you. Now do as I say or I will not hesitate to send you back into the realm of darkness!" Her heart stopped at the thought of returning to the dark. 'I can't go back there...I can't...'
"...I'm sorry my Lord..." She said softly. "It is it that you want me to do?" She heard a satisfied sound before sighing out in relief.
"What I need you to do is...prepare them for my arrival..."
A/N: So There you have it lol pretty epic stuff huh? Got yo gears running on who this girl is and what did Alexandra do to her to make her so salty with Ino. Most of these answer will be answered next time on DEADLY KUNOICHI 5 Btw Sorry its so short...
