Yuka-sensei seemed... Tense. Cautious. It put Kane on edge.
"Brat, you told me once that you could keep blood fresh by heating it up to keep it warm. Was it true?"
Kane nodded, "Yes, Yuka-sensei."
She nodded back approvingly, "Good. Then do so."
Yuka-sensei pulled out a kunai and proceeded to cautiously, gently run the kunai along her arm. She did it so carefully that Kane wouldn't have even thought she was hurting herself had there not been a small, thin trail of blood following her path.
Kane had only seen the woman harm herself a couple of times, but she never hesitated like she was doing now. She seemed... wary.
The woman returned her kunai to the pouch on her waist, and suddenly thrust the blood through the air at him. Kane 'caught' the blood, placing it under his control, and gasped.
Excitement. Adrenaline pulsing. Ecstasy.
Kane had never felt so energized.
He stared at the blood in shock. It was the first time he'd ever truly felt anything that wasn't bland from controlling blood. It felt good. It was a completely different feeling than what the water gave him.
He definitely preferred the calmness of water.
Kane turned towards Yuka-sensei, who was giving him a pleased, smug look. She had clearly seen his reaction towards her blood.
Kane realized for the first time that he'd never actually controlled the woman's blood before now, they always used his. Or at the very least, she never let him control her own.
"Keep that blood fresh, brat!" She snapped at him, and he blinked back into focus before gently warming the blood.
"Sit." She commanded him, and he obeyed. He was finally looking up at Yuka-sensei, rather than down, Kane thought with amusement.
Yuka-sensei was gently rubbing her thumb along the cut on her arm.
"The Blood Well is what, brat?" She asked.
"It's the source of the Chi Sosa." Kane recited.
"By the end of the day today, you'll have seen the red sea twice, brat."
Kane's eyes widened at this before nodding.
"Maybe, after today, you'll finally understand what it means for a person to have pure blood." She quipped, still clearly hung up on that and refusing to let it go.
Kane wanted to roll his eyes, but instead just responded with a quiet "Yes, Yuka-sensei."
"The Red Sea is like a drug, brat. It's one of the most pleasant places in the world for a Sanguis, as you're surrounded by the very essence of blood, and the source of our Kekkei Genkai. Red Water, in your case." The woman lectured as Kane continued to keep the blood warm.
"Don't give in to it. If you do, you'll never leave. Enjoy it, respect it, but don't submit to it. We've lost many Sanguis children to the Red Sea."
Kane nodded as she continued on.
"After you first visit the Red Sea, there is only one scenario in which you will find yourself summoned by the Blood Well once more... You need to purify your blood."
Kane gave her a confused look, "What do you mean?"
"I mean that your blood is becoming diluted. Whether it's a small or a large amount doesn't matter; as long as it goes beyond just a few drops, the Blood Well calls to you to fix it. To remove the foreign entity from your body."
"Okay... How do I do that?"
"How do you think, brat? You use your Chi Sosa to remove it."
Kane nodded. That made sense. Well, as much sense as anything has made since meeting the old bat.
"When the Blood Well calls to you, you must answer. You can fight it off, for a time, but eventually you will return to the Red Sea. There is no way around this. It's the greatest weakness of the Sanguis Clan's most powerful ability."
"What happens when it calls to you?"
"You lose consciousness, and you'll once more find yourself at the Red Sea. At the Blood Well."
"So... When, exactly, will it call to me?"
"When you introduce foreign blood into your system."
Kane's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"
She scowled at him, "I mean, brat, when you drink blood! Whenever a Sanguis consumes blood, they grow stronger. For a short time, that is. You'll find yourself faster. Stronger. Quicker reflexes. You'll even find that, since Chakra is in the blood, you'll have regained some Chakra."
Her eyes shifted towards the blood in the air.
"The purer the blood, the greater the boost in power. Don't bother drinking the blood of the unworthy; it may give you some strength, but it's almost never worth having to return to the Blood Well for it. Besides, drinking such filth is beneath a Sanguis."
She smirked at him then.
"My blood is of the purest pedigree, as I'm sure you can tell simply by using your Chi Sosa on it. Yours is as well, brat, even if you don't deserve it."
Kane rolled his eyes at that.
Yuka-sensei looked like she wanted to say something else, but was hesitating. Kane looked at her curiously.
"Is something wrong, Yuka-sensei?"
She scowled, "No, brat. Nothing's wrong."
The woman glanced at the long, extremely shallow cut on her arm and smirked.
"That'll do, I think. Alright brat. drink."
"W-what?!" Kane asked in shock. She couldn't mean-
"I said drink! You are holding some of the purest blood on the planet, brat. Drink it, and then you'll understand."
That's disgusting! There was no way he was going to-
Yuka-sensei's eyes narrowed at him for his hesitation, and Kane gulped.
Kane brought the blood in front of him, and eyed it warily. He closed his eyes, sighing with reluctant acceptance.
"This is so wrong..."
"Drink!"
And so Kane drank.
His eyes snapped open as her blood entered his system.
Kami, he felt so alive!
Kane felt like he was falling. Like he'd suddenly appeared thousands of feet in the air, and was descending towards the earth. Kane could've sworn he even felt the wind slamming into him!
Was this how Yuka-sensei felt?! All the time?!
It felt amazing!
Kane felt like he could take on the world! Kane felt like he could take on Naruko, or Sasuke, or even Kakashi!
Kane felt like he could take on Akatsuki, or even the Fourth Hokage!
Kane felt so good!
What if he took more?!
Kane's eyes snapped to her.
To Yuka-sensei.
She had plenty more to give! She should give him some more! Imagine if he drank even more... Just a bit! Just a little! Or even a lot! Imagine!
He could forego all this training! He didn't need it! He could just drink her blood, and the world would bow before him!
Yuka-sensei's eyes were locked onto Kane's stiff, rigid form. She eyed him cautiously.
When had she gotten so far away?! She was definitely standing closer to him when he was drinking! Was she running from him?!
The thought both displeased and excited him.
She shouldn't be running! She should give him more! It wasn't fair that she was hogging it!
She was being selfish!
"Well? Come on then, brat!" Yuka-sensei announced.
And Kane launched himself at the woman.
When had he gotten so fast?! He didn't even know what was going on! He was in front of her in an instant!
Everything was pure instinct.
The next moment, Kane was flying through the air. Yuka-sensei had knocked him away with a single swipe of her walking stick. She'd definitely never swung that hard before!
It didn't even hurt. He hadn't even felt it.
He knew she had been holding out on him! What else was she hiding?! He needed to find out! He needed more!
Kane rolled, and by the time he had even picked his head back up to look at the woman, his body had already cleared half the distance between the two, charging for her once more.
Yuka-sensei swung, and he jumped, his body flying above hers.
As he found himself above her, Kane swiped at her head with his hand, intending on drawing even more blood from the woman.
That was why she'd been so cautious! She knew if he wanted her blood while she was bleeding, he could just boil her alive and take it! The woman had planned this!
Stop! It wasn't fair!
Just give him more!
Yuka-sensei tilted her head slightly to the side, his swipe missing her by inches, and slammed her walking stick into his stomach. His momentum completely shifted and he found himself flying up into the sky.
Where was water when you needed it?!
He could make her bleed if he had water.
He just needed to cut her, and it'd all be over!
As Kane began descending towards the earth, he spun his body and did a downwards kick as he got closer to her.
She stepped to the side, and then knocked him away with a jab from her stick.
He was getting really tired of that stick!
Why wouldn't she just share?!
The process kept repeating itself. Kane would launch himself at the woman, and she'd knock him away. She didn't even look tired! Kane had been throwing himself at her for at least five minutes now!
Wait, why was he attacking her again?
As Kane rolled from another hit, he paused as he took in several gasps of breath and glared at the woman. Yuka-sensei stood there, the picture of perfect poise, her breathing steady as if she hadn't just been fighting him.
"Are you done, brat?"
Kane felt dizzy.
"What's... What's going on? I feel..."
"The Blood Well is calling to you, brat. Don't resist."
Kane ignored her, trying his hardest to stay awake. The world was spinning, and he thought he was going to fall over.
Oh, wait, he already had.
Kane's eyes snapped open, and he could see nothing. Just pure darkness.
He turned his head, and red filled his vision.
He was floating in the red water. The 'Red Sea'.
It all came crashing back into him.
He'd attacked Yuka-sensei.
Kane felt sick to his stomach. He attacked Yuka-sensei!
Then, he relaxed, and all was right in the world. Everything was fine. Everything was wonderful. How could anything be wrong, when he was here, with all of this beautiful, crimson water? It soothed him, calmed him. Everything would be alright.
Kane closed his eyes.
This truly was paradise.
His eyes snapped open and he gasped as he shot up. This was what Yuka-sensei warned him about!
Kane stood up, glancing around for the very first time. The sky was pitch black, not a single star or light in the sky. Even the moon was nowhere to be found. The only source of light came from the ocean of red he was now standing on, and he wasn't sure where exactly the light was coming from.
Kane heard what sounded like a running waterfall. Last time he'd been here, hadn't it been completely silent? He wasn't positive of that, but he was pretty sure.
Kane turned around until he found the source of the noise, and gaped.
From what seemed like an endless abyss of darkness that was the sky, a waterfall of red blood was pouring down and into the red ocean. Kane walked towards it, and for the first time realized he could feel both the sea and the blood.
They were mixing, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.
'What am I supposed to do...?'
Chi Sosa.
Kane controlled the blood falling through the sky and the blood that he could feel inside the ocean, and forced it all to stop. Then, he forced it all towards the endless abyss of the sky, and watched as it slowly disappeared into the darkness. The waterfall itself seemed to have disappeared, somehow, as no new blood fell from the sky. He had no idea where any of it went, but it was gone.
Kane raised an eyebrow. That was surprisingly easy. He looked around at the great ocean, and wondered what he was supposed to do next.
He never got an answer to that question, as his world went dark once more.
Kane opened his bleary eyes to find he was on his mattress. A blanket was thrown across his body, and his head was on a soft, cushiony pillow.
"What?" He asked aloud, his mind struggling to comprehend the situation.
"You're awake, brat. About time." Yuka-sensei's raspy voice cut through the air like a knife.
Kane sat up to find the woman walking towards him.
"What happened?" He asked.
"Exactly what I said would happen, brat." She snipped back.
"You... You knew I would go crazy! You knew I would attack you!" Kane accused, disbelief coloring his voice.
"Of course I knew, brat. This isn't new stuff to me." She replied as if he were slow. Maybe she thought he was.
"Why didn't you tell me?!"
"Because then you would've hesitated even more! A Sanguis should never hesitate!"
He scowled at her, before his face turned into one of remorse.
"Yuka-sensei, I-"
"Don't you dare apologize, brat! For the first time, you looked like a true Sanguis out there! Never apologize for that!" She cut him off. Kane wasn't sure, but he could've sworn he detected a hint of pride in her voice.
The thought filled Kane with joy.
As the woman set a plate with a cooked fish down in front of him, Kane smiled widely as he dug into the food.
He watched the old woman's back as she cleaned a dish with water from the tin bucket, a fond smile on his face.
She really did care.
"Yuka-sensei?"
"Hmm?"
"I 'purified' my blood, just like you said."
She snorted, her back still towards him, "Obviously, brat."
"What would happen if I didn't do it? What if I just... Let the blood mix with the water, err, the ocean?"
The woman stopped, dropped the plate and began walking towards him.
Kane stopped eating and froze up. She looked serious.
"Let me put this into words you can understand, child."
The two stared into each others eyes, blue meeting silver-gray.
"Nearly everyone who has done that, has died immediately after. There is only one person that has ever survived doing such a thing."
Kane felt tense, as if the atmosphere could be cut with a swing of a kunai.
"That person slaughtered our entire clan two days later."
End of Chapter 37