Crimson Stained

Chapter 36

Survivor

Honey eyes opened slowly, and the bleary figure of a small child met Michiko's eyes. She wiped at her eyes with heavy arms before recognizing the child sized girl. Nikushimi's kimono had been ripped, but was still mostly intact. She had no real injuries, unlike Sosuke.

"Sosuke!" Michiko gasped. Nikushimi was attempting to sooth the injured boy but every few seconds the floor would jostle and he would give a deep, pain filled moan. Michiko looked around finding them encased in a metal box with small holes that fed air to them at the top. She assumed it was an armored carriage.

"You're awake then, Michiko-hime." Nikushimi murmured as she leaned back from Sosuke.

"Is Sosuke going to be alright?" Michiko inquired fearfully. Nikushimi sighed and looked down at Sosuke.

"He's not in a good state. I would try and heal him, but I don't want to leave us unprotected. Nor do I want to risk them restraining me away from you two if they sense me healing him. If we can escape soon, he'll be fine."

"And if we do not..?" Michiko trailed.

"Gangrene could set in, I'm not sure of how badly his legs are damaged. As you can see, his legs have been mostly shattered. A few bones are sticking out, so don't look if you're queasy. In all honesty, I don't think there is a chance for his legs." Nikushimi answered truthfully as she leaned against the wall. She put her hand to it, "I've tried finding a weak point. But there is none, we're up against a man who looks like a lightning bolt and a woman who can pull metal from the ground. I assume her ability is similar to that of my teammate Shogai's ability, only with metal instead of glass."

"What do you mean by… there being no chance for his legs?" Michiko asked, wincing when she looked at Sosuke's legs.

"Exactly as I say. He'll never walk again. Until he wakes up, if he does, I won't know if his spine was damaged. If his spine is damaged, then much more could have been compromised."Nikushimi told her, more blunt than she had meant to be. Michiko looked down, making a fist as her face distorted in her attempts to hold back tears.

"What do they want from us?" Michiko whispered.

"Well, from what I've gathered they were hired to get rid of you. I believe they're bringing us to Yorokobi." Nikushimi answered. Michiko looked up, eyes wide.

"Yorokobi? But, that's full of…" Michiko trailed off. Nikushimi nodded.

"My guess is that our captors are specialized in tracking and capturing their targets alive. Then they dispose of them in Yorokobi and other villages that have underground markets for humans." Nikushimi shrugged, and Michiko gasped as the metal by Nikushimi began to bubble. Then, before she could warn her, the metal grabbed around Nikushimi's limbs. Nikushimi coughed and gagged as the metal began to choke her.

"It's too bad you're a little brat, you'd have made an excellent ninja." cackled the metallic woman. Her body was now all metal, and her grinning face and torso was reaching out of the side. Her arms wrapped around Nikushimi's throat and despite Nikushimi's flailing the woman didn't notice.

"No! Nikushimi! Please let her go, please!" shrieked Michiko, eyes wide and tears brimming. She looked on, horrified, as Nikushimi's throat was crushed even more by the woman.

"Suchiru!" the man, Takashite, called, "Don't kill the brat! We can still sell her. Exotic looks are Yobi's favorites."

"Ah, spoiling my fun Takashite. She's getting both the little whores, what about the boy?" she called back.

"I'll use him, I need a new subject." Takashite replied. Suchiru grinned.

"True, I could use arms for my new creation. And it's always fun to rip a limb off a screaming victim…" Suchiru melted into the wall with that thought. Nikushimi dropped from the wall, gasping for air and holding her bruised neck. Michiko crawled to her and Nikushimi pulled her kimono's neck down a little so she could breathe easier. Michiko was startled at the amount of scars that marred her neck.

"…bitch…" coughed Nikushimi, glaring at the wall. Nikushimi pulled her sleeves back. Michiko gaped openly at Nikushimi's arms. Like her neck, Nikushimi's arms were riddled with scars. No place was not touched by a scar, and scars crisscrossed over each other like laces.

"Don't… pity me…" muttered Nikushimi, "I… chose this… lifestyle."

"But, you're…" Michiko didn't finish her sentence. She leaned back, staring at Nikushimi. The innocence in her eyes was fading, Nikushimi noticed. What was childlike and playful earlier was now thoughtful and horrified. Nikushimi knew that Michiko wasn't going to make it far.

'Neither is Sosuke… The fate that he'll be given by those … monsters… is something I wouldn't wish on anyone.' Nikushimi thought to herself. Sosuke murmured something through his pain filled moans. His eyes, blue as the sky, fluttered open softly.

"Sosuke, can you comprehend what I'm saying? Who am I?" Nikushimi called to him. Sosuke's eyes flitted to her.

"Nikushimi…" he mumbled, his eyes landed on Michiko and they lit up bright, "Michiko-hime."

"Don't move Sosuke, you're in very bad shape. And the situation we're in is grim." Nikushimi warned him as she crawled over to him.

"I… my legs… they feel… like they're on fire." Sosuke moaned.

"Alright, your spine is fine then. Your legs, I'm afraid, are not very… intact. I believe your legs are actually somewhat numb from shock." Nikushimi informed him. Sosuke took in the information and looked down at his blood stained pants.

"What's the situation?" he questioned, "And don't soften it. Tell me how it is."

"We've been caught by two capture specialists. I'm pretty damn sure they're insane, and insanely strong. Their plans are to use you to get body parts for their experiments, and to torture you for fun, while they sell Michiko-hime and I to a brothel or into the sex slave trade in Yorokobi." Nikushimi told him simply. Michiko gaped at Nikushimi's flat out bluntness.

"I see…" Sosuke's eyes burned with sadness, terror and fury. The three emotions ran together, and Nikushimi was able to see his eyes dull.

"I doubt Michiko-hime and I will escape with you, I may need to carry her as I'm faster. Your injuries are grave, and gangrene may set in. Your injuries could be fatal, given some time. We have three options." Nikushimi announced. Michiko and Sosuke gave Nikushimi their full attention. Nikushimi sighed.

"Well, option one is we wait it out and when they try and move us I kill them both, or manage to escape with both of you. Honestly? That plan is not happening. I won't be able to kill both, I'm a Genin. Not to mention you're gravely injured Sosuke. Option two is I escape with Michiko-hime using a diversion, you Sosuke, and my speed. However that would leave you to be tortured mercilessly by them." Nikushimi paused, letting it sink in, "I'm not a big fan of option two. And one is not happening unless I get lucky. Option three is the most plausible… but I'm not a fan of it."

"What's option three?" Sosuke inquired.

"Your case, I'm sorry to say, is hopeless. You're most likely going to die from your wounds. Slowly and in agony. If you live, as it is possible, you'll never have your legs back. From the damage already done, and with added damage from a possible escape or gangrene or other situations, your legs are compromised. You'll be crippled. You wouldn't be a samurai any longer, nor would most jobs suit you. Option three…" Nikushimi leaned her head back.

"I have to be a samurai though. I must protect Michiko-hime." Sosuke weakly insisted. He looked torn, but accepting. He knew it was the end of the line for his legs. His eyes were dead.

'Perhaps, option three is the best.' Nikushimi thought to herself.

"You changed. I thought you were a big, dishonorable brat when we left on our journey. Now, I can see you for what you really are." Sosuke whispered.

"What am I?" Nikushimi questioned, leaving her thoughts to look at Sosuke with slight curiosity.

"I can see why you're a ninja. You're in the worst situation possible, yet your eyes still burn. You turned from a snotty little brat who was yelling and getting frustrated to a hardened soldier. Your eyes, they hold wisdom that I didn't think anyone our age could hold. You look like the guard captain; his eyes are like that too. Calculating, cold, yet burning with desire to complete your mission." Sosuke murmured. Nikushimi gave him a weak grin.

"C'mon, I'm still a brat I guess. I'm just trying to get us all out of here. But, I can't. I'm not strong enough… and option three is all I've got." Nikushimi admitted.

"So, what's the plan?" Michiko inquired. Nikushimi looked to her with a sad look.

"Sosuke's not getting out of this. No way. And, I don't want to leave him to the fate that he was in with option two. Option three, is that I kill Sosuke now, in an act of mercy, and then Michiko-hime and I escape." Nikushimi grimly explained.

"What?! No!" Michiko instantly denied when the shock of the proposal was gone. Sosuke, meanwhile, relaxed into a tranquil look.

"Option three. Michiko-hime, I'm not making it out of this. I'd rather die to the hands of a friend as an act of mercy instead of the hands of torturous killers. I would slow you two down, and, without legs, my dreams are gone." Sosuke gave his argument. Nikushimi was silent as she observed Michiko. She looked absolutely defeated and miserable. Tears dribbled down Michiko's face despite the girl's attempts to stop them.

"A quick kunai to the head, please." requested Sosuke as Nikushimi lifted a kunai from her obi. Michiko was frozen in horror as she watched Nikushimi lean over Sosuke.

"I like to think, that in my last moments, I was wise. Was I wise, Nikushimi?" Sosuke inquired.

"You were, despite the pain, the fear, the anger, the sadness… despite all feelings, you were calm and rational." Nikushimi assured him. She locked eyes with him for a moment and she brought her kunai up.

"Nikushimi…"

Nikushimi's arm swung down and to the side, so as to not mar his face and instead slide into the side of his head.

"You're a survivor."

Blood splattered all around, and there was dead silence.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Moyasu and Tamashi sat across from each other in a bar. A deck of cards sat between them, and each were regarding their hands with perfect poker faces. Tamashi's hand was much better than Moyasu's, and she frowned.

"Well, can't lie on this shitty draw." she fibbed perfectly.

"Funny how I believe that's a lie." Moyasu drawled. His hand was decent, but he knew Tamashi had him beat. She was just as lucky as Nikushimi was whenever he tried to get his cute little Genin to play games. Her luck was beyond that of a normal human's.

"Perhaps, or perhaps not." Tamashi slyly pushed. Moyasu groaned, slamming his hand down.

"I already know I'm going to lose. I can't play cards with a luck master such as yourself." Moyasu dramatically threw his arms up and leaned back.

"Hey, speaking of luck, good thing we don't have Nikushimi with us." Tamashi chuckled, and Moyasu smirked.

"True, she hasn't had a single out of village experience where things haven't gone horribly wrong." Moyasu agreed.

"Hopefully, we didn't just jinx her." Tamashi commented.

"If we did I blame you." Moyasu demurred.

"Why me?" cried Tamashi.

"You brought it up." Moyasu pointed out, and Tamashi frowned. They both turned when they felt chakra flare up behind them. They eyed two people sitting at the bar. One womanly shape had long, flowing blonde hair that was tied back in a plaited braid. The second was a skinny man with short dark auburn hair in neat strands that went to his shoulders.

"Those two for sure." Tamashi whispered under her breath. They watched as the two spoke in low tones to the bartender. The bartender scratched his head before looking to Tamashi.

"Oi, Shizen, get over here." the bartender called. Tamashi sighed, hearing her fake last name.

"Break time is over." Tamashi gave him a stony grin and sauntered to the bar.

"What can I get ya?" Tamashi asked, looking to the two bar patrons. She locked eyes with the girl, bright amber against piss yellow.

"We're looking for two Leaf Shinobi, you seen them?" the woman asked, showing a page torn out of the bingo book that showed off Tamashi and Moyasu.

'Ah shit, I didn't jinx Nikushimi. I jinxed us.' Tamashi thought. She squinted at the picture.

"Nope, sorry, haven't seen any Leaf Shinobi around. That green haired woman's pretty awesome looking though." Tamashi answered after a moment. She could almost feel Moyasu face palm back at the table.

"Well, if you see them, let us know." the piss eyed woman murmured, stepping from the bar. The man rolled his eyes before looking to Tamashi. He looked between the picture and her, before his eyes narrowed.

"What's your name again?" he questioned.

"Shizen Nikushimi." answered Tamashi. The two looked each other in the eyes, and then the man smirked.

"Your heart beat says you're lying, Kurushimi Tamashi." Tamashi ducked down under a golden sword that nearly lopped her head off. Tamashi grabbed a sake bottle and smashed it on his head before rolling away from the piss eyed girl's own daggers. Tamashi slid over the counter, slicing the jagged end of her broken bottle cross the piss eyed girl's shoulder. Tamashi rolled back and launched the bottle at the man. He dodged and both advanced on Tamashi. Tamashi kicked a table up and threw it at them before she sprinted out the door. The two ninja followed, and Moyasu sidled out behind them.

"Kinta! Let's get her with the Golden Dragon Jutsu!" ordered the piss eyed girl, the man, Kinta, nodding.

"No, save that for her partner when he shows himself Tsukina. Let's do the Golden Tide Jutsu." Kinta calmly denied, jumping into the air with hand signs. Tsukina grinned and flipped above him, performing the same hand signs. Immediately, the ground began to rumble and gold spilled from the ground in waves.

"Ah shit, this isn't going to be fun." Tamashi droned, jumping to the roof of the tavern across the street. The gold waves began to cover the ground in a slick, oily substance that resembled molten lava.

"Golden Needler Jutsu!" called Tsukina as she sunk into the gold, waist deep. Her skin was slowly changing from the normal skin of a human to a bright gold color. Small senbon sized needles were sticking from her like a porcupine. Golden spouts began to twirl from the water, and hundreds of golden senbon began to whiz past a moving Tamashi. Tamashi was bouncing from roof to roof, only inches ahead of the dangerous golden needles.

"Golden Tidal Wave!" Kinta growled, his skin acting the same as Tsukina's. He didn't flinch when Moyasu, unhenged, dove from the shadows with a kunai aimed towards Kinta's head. Moyasu's kunai hit Kinta dead on in the head with a metal clang. Moyasu gaped as suddenly, gold shot from Kinta up into his kunai, making its way up Moyasu's arm. Moyasu managed a yell before he was completely engulfed in gold.

"Moyasu!" screamed Tamashi, flipping through the air and withdrawing her twin blades. She avoided hitting any gold with her blades as she carefully maneuvered through the golden street towards Tsukina. Tamashi dove through a ring of gold, inches away from the ring closing in on her. She landed on her hands and pushed up into the air into an acrobatic flip. She launched her swords parallel from her into the two buildings on either side of her. She hit the ground only to jump up again to narrowly avoid the liquid gold that was following her closely.

"Moyasu I swear if you're dead, you asshole!" Tamashi called as she began to flip over the statue that had once been Moyasu. As she did so, she noticed the melting gold that was Moyasu, and that Kinta hadn't dislodged himself from Moyasu. Kinta was gritting his teeth as he stared intently into the golden eyes of the Moyasu statue.

"No way." breathed Tamashi.

'Moyasu's body temperature, due to his bloodline, is several degrees higher than other humans. He is able to heat his body up even more and he takes no damage from his body being engulfed in flames! The gold is melting from Moyasu's heat! And I'm willing to bet with his double affinity for wind and fire, we can make them lose control of their gold!' Tamashi realized with excitement. She flipped through the air and tossed a kunai with an explosive tag wrapped around the handle at Kinta, and then tossing a second at Tsukina. Tsukina dodged, and Kinta hardly blocked the tag. In doing so, his control on Moyasu's golden tomb slipped for a moment, and that moment was all Moyasu needed. Flames busted through the gold and the gold was destroyed. The flame took the shape of a man, and the man threw himself towards Kinta. Tamashi grinned.

'This fight is ours.'

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Nikushimi and Michiko didn't move. Michiko had emptied the contents of her stomach in the corner of their cell, and Nikushimi had ignored the vile smell of Michiko's puke. She leaned back against the wall before looking down at her kunai.

'Pull yourself together. It was for the better.' Nikushimi told herself, squaring her shoulders and sliding her kunai into her obi once again. The wait, in her opinion, was agonizing. Now that the tangy smell of blood was mixing with the putrid smell from Michiko's puke, their box seemed even less appealing. Nikushimi didn't dare look at Sosuke's corpse. She didn't want to let Michiko sense her guilt or depression.

'How am I going to get us out of here? Had it been one enemy of what is most likely Jounin skill, I'd feel better. But… two?' Nikushimi repressed the need to sigh as their box jostled and Sosuke's body rolled towards Nikushimi. She grunted and caught the rolling corpse with her sandals (That she found incredibly ill suited as ninja gear) before pushing it away from her. Michiko had turned to face a clean corner, but Nikushimi could hear the sobs that wracked from her small frame.

'Might as well prepare for the inevitable fight.' Nikushimi pulled a clean kunai out and sliced at her kimono, slitting the sides so that she could move more. She ripped her sandals off, preferring to go barefoot than in those dreadful things. She sliced through her sleeves, as her senbon holsters were still hidden on her wrists under bands that were made with faux gold along with the bandages she had kept. Her weights were there, but they were of no use to Nikushimi at the moment. She hadn't filled them with weight for awhile.

"What's the plan?" Michiko inquired after a few tense minutes.

"As soon as we're out I'm going to stab them and we're going to make a run for it. Depending on the situation the plan could change." answered Nikushimi, looking at her three kunai. Nikushimi's eyes widened when her kunai started to heat up. She tossed them at the wall and the three kunai stuck to the wall with a slight sucking noise. Then the kunais melted into the wall, leaving Nikushimi stunned and weaponless except for the hidden and slightly useless senbon.

"You don't think I wouldn't sense that metal?" cooed Suchiru as her metallic silhouette began to form from the top of the box. Looking down at the corpse of Sosuke, she laughed.

"Didn't think you had the guts kid, welcome to war." Suchiru dropped from the top of the box, her skin fading to normal as she pulled out a bar of metal. The metal twisted in her hands before dripping to the floor. It slunk over to Nikushimi and Michiko before wrapping around their wrists. Nikushimi struggled, she jumped up to punch Suchiru but her foot sunk into the metal floor and Suchiru delivered a swift upper cut that sent Nikushimi sprawling back. Nikushimi landed against the wall and she glared viciously at Suchiru. Blood dribbled from her mouth from the punch but she ignored it.

"That's a vicious look there kitten, but it's no use. You two are going to a good friend of mine in just a few minutes. She'll doll you up and set prices on you. She's the owner of a Geisha house." Suchiru paused for a moment before giving them a sly look, "But that ain't where you're going. Both of you are gonna be sold to the highest bidder for whatever they want. Whatever kind of slave they want."

"Nikushimi, what're we going to do?" Michiko looked to Nikushimi as Suchiru began to melt the wall furthest from them. Nikushimi grit her teeth, her knuckles clenched.

'Can't do anything here. I'm not Shogai, I can't pull glass out of nowhere.' Nikushimi closed her eyes and didn't protest or fight back when Suchiru harshly grabbed her by the shoulder and tossed her out onto the floor. Nikushimi eyed her surroundings, debating on running. But her shoulders slumped when she saw the nightlife section of Yorokobi. Most of Yorokobi was nightlife, actually. But the part that wasn't was a bunch of rich bastards.

"This the new girls?" a nasally voice questioned. Nikushimi looked up to find a woman with steely gray hair pulled back into a tight but that had no stray hairs. Dark eyes that reflected Nikushimi's face looked down at Nikushimi with no emotion visible. Michiko landed with a small cry and whimper next to Nikushimi, but she didn't say anything. She looked behind the woman, where a teenage boy sat. He looked to be only a little older than Obito or Kakashi. He had pearly eyes that Nikushimi would have mistaken for a Hyuga's, had there been no pupil. His pupils were nearly transparent, and Nikushimi realized this boy was blind. She recognized the dazed look from his eyes as her scarred eye held the same lack of a gleam.

"Yes Madam Yobi." Suchiru nodded her head at the woman. The old woman strutted forward and with surprising speed had knocked Nikushimi across the face with her cane. She threateningly waved the cane at Michiko as Nikushimi grabbed at her abused face.

"Stand." she commanded. Nikushimi did as told while Michiko followed behind slowly. The woman looked Nikushimi over, tugging at her ripped kimono.

"I can work with them. Reso," she turned to the teen boy, "Bring these two to the preparation room."

"Of course." he nodded and Nikushimi noticed as he lifted a cane. He tapped it on the floor, waving it back and forth as he walked towards the gate to one of the intricate buildings.

"Follow me, and don't go astray. I can hear footsteps." he started into the yard, and Nikushimi followed behind. She watched his movements, tensing when she realized that he wasn't an ordinary blind man.

'His movements are trained…' Nikushimi followed behind him obediently, she knew better than to test him. Michiko followed Nikushimi meekly, hoping Nikushimi knew what she was doing.

'I think we're beyond dead at this point. No one will find us. I'll have to get us out of here on my own, and then I have to find a way back to the village.' Nikushimi followed the boy as he gestured for them to enter the fifth room of a hallway (The boy had tapped each doorway, no doubt to find the certain door he was looking for).

"Yobi-obaa will be in here shortly to undress and appraise you two. You'd best undress for her or else you'll be punished." the boy drawled as he leaned against the wall. Michiko whimpered and looked to Nikushimi.

"It is fine, Michiko-hime. He is blind and cannot see you." Nikushimi attempted to comfort Michiko. Michiko whimpered again, but began to peel the clothes off before she was left in her bindings and underwear. Nikushimi didn't bother remove her kimono. She instead sat in wait. It was several minutes before Yobi entered the room, eyeing Nikushimi first.

"How dreadful." she demurred as she peeled Nikushimi's kimono's collar to the side to eye her body. Pulling her kimono off one shoulder, Nikushimi's skin was revealed to the room.

Nikushimi looked down at her chest, eyes dense. Michiko looked away as the woman eyed her.

"Worthless."

And then Nikushimi felt the blow from Yobi's cane in the side of her temple. Nikushimi caught herself from falling against the wall as the world began to spin. Then, Nikushimi took a deep breath as she licked the blood that was dried around her mouth. She looked around the room for a moment, eyeing the tea set that sat on a low table. Nikushimi dove for that, shattering a cup against the wall and slicing her hand open as she wielded a broken shard as a weapon.

'If I can get any of my Jutsu to work, now would be the best time.'

AN

I'm very upset with this chapter.

I apologize for my shitty update schedule lately (I cry every time I think of it)

I swear, once we're done with this mission we get to a major plot point that will start the domino effect. This is the end of character development and introduction of background characters that will be needed in future chapters

What are senbon made of? I'm thinking a plastic metal kind of thing, so Suchiru wouldn't be able to sense them as she did the kunai.

Fun Fact- When under pressure, Nikushimi is more likely to be able to use her two Jutsu (Koka Chi Tetsu or Ketsueki Ora Buki). Examples being during the Fumo Wasteland fight and countless times with Nikushimi's senbon/kunai being encased in a red aura.

So, I'm not pleased with the review count lately (Where is Darkie-chan and Twinkie-chan ;-;)

Thanks to the following for reviewing:
Luvrainluv
LightMidnight