Chapter 48: Broken, Beat & Scarred

They came at dawn. The light had just begun to seep into the stone room from the small window high on the wall when the door was roughly thrown open. Katana was instantly awake and prepared to fight; she had always been a light sleeper when she had lived with her clan and the trait had quickly returned. Tenma was not among them for once and only lesser clansmen stood in the entrance of the room.

"True to his word as usual," Katana murmured. "My father was never one to make vows or plans that he would not follow. I see he wasn't kidding when he said you were coming for me in the morning."

"Are you ready to be broken?" one clansman inquired, cocking his head in an animalistic fashion.

Katana let a dry laugh ring off of the stone walls around her. "You're funny. I've heard that line so many times that it humors me. Try not to hurt yourself on this attempt, okay? Several others have died trying, you know."

"Let us be on our way," a second man said coldly. His voice was loud and harsh, something uncommon for one of the lesser clan members. Several of the group slipped forward with hands outstretched like souls bereft of their needs. Katana instinctually brought her hands together to begin a pattern of seals, but she stilled her motions and allowed her shadowy kinsmen to take hold of her. She needed to keep it a secret that Kinkou had unsealed her chakra.

Katana was brought to one of the interrogation rooms and thrown roughly inside. The door slammed shut behind her and left the lesser clansmen outside. Katana warily watched two figures detach from the darkness clinging to the sides of the room: one large and bulky while the other was slim and frail. The thin one let out a raspy laugh and began to slink around against the walls to keep his face in shadow, running his hand over the metallic torture devices and mechanisms that hung from hooks around the room. They clinked sinisterly as he moved, his laugh as grating as the metal.

"Well, well, 'Tana," the thin man hissed with mock humor. "I thought you would have your hand on my throat by now and be trying to shove one of these instrument into my chest. You're quite reserved."

"Am I?" Katana raised one of her eyebrows slightly with a gentle smirk. She took a step forward and a massive hand clamped down on her shoulder with enough force to make her knees buckle slightly. She looked back at the hulking figure behind her where he had somehow teleported to from across the room without so much as forming a hand seal. He had a patch over his right eye, but the ire held in the left thoroughly compensated for its twin.

"Don't try anything foolish," the hulking man murmured in the softest tone his deep voice could produce. "I have been given orders to subdue you in any way necessary. I would hate to see you lose a limb."

"What are you two planning to do?" Katana growled, body tense with the sudden sense that she would be powerless in the event she had to protect herself. The hulking man seemed to notice the tension in the shoulder he held and lessened his grip as the thin man stepped forward.

"I'm the main attraction," the thin man said coolly, coming into the light fully. He had sparse grey hair, a long nose, pointy chin, and overall gaunt appearance. "My friend is just here to make sure I get to keep my life. Now, all I need you to do is relax and sit down." He motioned to a chair against the opposite wall in the darkness.

"In hell."

The hulking man's meaty hands were clamped around her forearms in seconds. "Do as you're told or I will do it for you." He moved her forward and paid no attention to her resistance.

"Let me go!" Katana writhed in his grasp and attempted to wrench her limbs away, but she was nothing more than a helpless fly futilely trapped in flypaper. Father was certainly serious about this. Damn it. I didn't think things would be like this. I never would have thought he would send someone as resilient as this guy to subdue me.

The man roughly forced her into the chair and large clamps were fastened around her wrists and ankles. She tugged at the restraints and felt a jolt of energy course up her limbs and stab into her heart. Katana let out a gasp at the sudden bolts of pain struck her and the thin man laughed again.

"I suggest that you refrain from struggling. When these bonds feel any sort of strain, they release a concentrated burst of chakra to your body. It's a… precautionary measure that we thought was necessary." The man laughed again. "Shall we begin, then?"

"I assure you that I'll hand you your ass on a platter after this is over," Katana snarled through clenched teeth. "I don't care if this bear is your protector. I'll skin you both with your own teeth."

"Charming, dear. Now you're starting to sound like your old self." The thin man stepped up to her, extending his hand toward her forehead. She leaned away and felt the pain race into her core once more as the restraints felt her move. It gave the man the perfect chance to clasp his hand to her skull and form a hand seal with his free hand.

A cry of pain tore from Katana's throat as she felt an icy probe lodge itself deep into her consciousness. She attempted to wrench herself away, back arching and fists and toes curling. The restraints sent a blaze of agony into her heart and she thrashed against the onslaught, eyes tightly shut and teeth firmly gritted. She gripped the arms of the chair and struggled to breathe as the assault continued the more she tried to make it cease. She felt as if her heart might burst or her skull might explode, but there was no stopping her resisting body as every motion caused her pain.

"Stop moving, Katana." The thin man was having difficulty keeping his hold on her forehead and his chakra control was wavering. She did not even realize that one of her clan that she was not immediately related to have actually called her by her full name. "If you continue struggling, you'll kill yourself before I've even started my task. Stop, Katana!"

But her spasms of agony and pain gasps only grew as the thin man's voice reached her ears.

"Would you like me to knock her unconscious?" the hulking man murmured as he watched his comrade struggle.

"Yes, that would be useful," the thin man responded in a tight voice. "Why didn't you offer sooner?"

"I thought you could handle this." The hulking man grabbed Katana's neck and pressed harshly on the pressure points on either side. Katana took one last sharp inhale before slumping into the chair, eyes falling closed.

"Damn it!" The thin man tightened his hold on Katana, but his brow furrowed deeply in frustration.

"What's wrong?"

"Even when she's unconscious she has incredible barriers around her mind. I can't get through to the memories that I need to pull forth. What is the meaning of this?! There's not a way in hell that she would be able to keep such things hidden when she has no control of her body." The thin man brought his second hand and rested it over his first, a dim pulse of light indicating that he had used more chakra to enhance his jutsu to meet the needs to complete his mission.

Katana groaned gently and her body twitched as the thin man intruded against the defenses in her mind. They lingered from the Anbu, defenses that had been created by a jutsu to prevent any enemy from learning information from a captive's mind. Yet they had weakened since they had been activated and they would crumple if the proper force was added. But the thin man was uncertain as to what those forces would have to be. He prodded and warped, slipped and attacked, but the barriers had been crafted by a formidable shinobi and would not readily fall by such measly measures.

The door suddenly flew open and Shuhan and Tenma entered swiftly, both father and son possessing hostile expressions. "Why is this taking so long?" Shuhan growled coldly. "You told me that you could complete the assignment I gave you. You told me that you could do this!"

"I can, Shuhan-sama!" the thin man yelped in a craven tone. "I-I just n-need time! She's a tough egg to crack, sir."

"You've been here for fifteen minutes. I expected you to have something to report by this time!"

"My apologies, sir!" the thin man could not prevent his voice from wavering in fear. "I-I'm afraid that I don't have the power to manipulate memories like Oboe or to cast such powerful genjutsus like Genkaku. It's a shame that she killed them."

"You trained Genkaku and you're Oboe's brother! How could you not have their power?!" Shuhan had his hands balled into fists and he seemed seconds away from snapping and ordering Tenma to attack. "I gave you orders to pull forth her memories and make them torment her. My orders were for you to break her! Can you complete my orders, or does someone with better qualifications need to take your place?" The fury in Shuhan's eyes was fearsome and he would not tolerate weakness in those he had trusted to carry out an important assignment.

"No, sir! I-I can do what you've asked of me. It will just take longer than I had planned. But that could actually prove to be advantageous." The thin man smirked at Shuhan's questioning expression. "The longer I can delve around and weaken her sub consciousness, the less likely it will be that she will have the will to retaliate against us. If I cause instability in her mind, it may be easier to break her."

"True. You have a point." Shuhan nodded curtly, quickly turning to the door and motioning for Tenma to exit. "Report to me with your findings and her condition when you are done. Any information from her mind that can assist us is to be reported to me." Shuhan allowed the door to slam behind him, letting the noise ring off of the walls.

"You okay there?" the hulking man questioned, a smirk playing at his features. "You looked ready to collapse with the way your knees were shaking."

"Oh, shut up and let me concentrate." The thin man reestablished his control of the chakra that was invading Katana's mind and restarted his attempts to break through. Although unconscious, she still reacted to the probe digging into her memories, the occasional spasm or shudder wracking her frame. But it was these movements that allowed the thin man to identify what was needed to slip past the barriers. The more violent her reaction, the more the thin man knew he was testing the defenses.

"Are you sure you can do this?" the hulking man murmured with slight boredom. He had no interest in watching his comrade sluggishly provide no results.

"Of course I can! Stop interrupting me. I think that I know what to do now. She reacts to this-" the thin man's hands flashed slightly and Katana jerked with a sharp intake of breath "-so if I apply more force-" the light flashed brighter and Katana gave a hitched gasp as she twisted against the bonds of the chair "-I will be able to get through." The thin man's building chakra made his hands begin to glow gently, his features creasing in determination. He shot the wave of energy forward and the pulsating force caused Katana's eyes to fly open, her pupils contracted to be hardly anything more than pinpricks. She slumped into the chair, her stare blank, and the thin man gave a whoop of triumph.

"Now, was that really that difficult?" The hulking man rolled his eyes at his comrade's victorious grin.

"Yes, it was, actually. But no matter. I'm through and all of her memories are mine. Well… almost all of them." The thin man lifted his hands and rested the fingertips of one onto Katana's forehead, grazing them over the surface of her skin and his true jutsu began. He wiped sweat off of his brow with his other sleeve. "Those barriers were about to crumble anyway. They hadn't been reinforced in a while, so it's actually a good thing that we caught her when we did. Now, let me see what I can find."

Katana was motionless, her blank, half-closed-eyed expression downcast. Her breath hitched as the thin man prowled through her mind, pain sharply striking her as he moved from one previously guarded area to another.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" the hulking man grumbled, looking around the room for something to occupy himself. "You're certainly taking your time. And I really don't want to spend any more time here than I need to."

The thin man rolled his eyes at his comrade and his impatient nature. "I am looking for something specific, as a matter of fact. I'm searching for something in her childhood, something Shuhan recommended. But getting to them is difficult. Her strongest and most prominent memories are of this one person. This white-eyed boy is practically in all of them. Hmm… we should report this to Shuhan-sama when I'm finished. Some of these memories are…interesting. They could be important."

"Would you do me a favor and focus on the jutsu." The hulking man had lifted a Heretic's fork that had been hanging on the wall, running his finger over one of the two-pronged pitchforks. "Instead of running your mouth, why don't you do your job?"

"I don't see you helping," the thin man growled, but his expression brightened as the hulking man began to respond. "I've found it! Finally, this is the one that Shuhan recommended. Now all I have to do is pull it forward to the front of her mind…" the thin man used the hand not resting on Katana's forehead to grasp at an invisible wisp. He slowly pulled his hand away and Katana let out a wavering sigh, her body tensing slightly. The thin man made a single hand seal and Katana went rigid for a moment before her eyes closed and she relaxed into the chair.

"Well, that wasn't as hard as I had thought it would be," the thin man said with a haughty air as he returned his hands to his sides.

"You could have fooled me," the hulking man grumbled as he replaced the torture device to its place on the wall.

"Well, now that everything is put in motion, all we have to do is wait. And once she wakes up, we'll see her status."

"Great, more waiting. Which memory did you pull forward?"

The thin man grinned coldly. "The one where her genin sensei and one of her teammates were killed."


"Whoa."

Katana's eyes fluttered open and she slowly sat straight, rolling her neck to relieve the stiffness that had settled in. She shook her head and began to move her hand to rub her eyes, but a bolt of chakra ran up her arm before she remembered that she was still restrained to the interrogation chair.

"Good morning." The thin man seemed to peel away from the darkness in the wall and he stepped forward with an icy smirk of humor twisting his gaunt face. "How was your little dream?"

"Spectacular, asshole. Too bad you had no idea that I got over the whole incident not too long ago." Katana's head ached from the methods the thin man had used to fell the barriers and from the force of his probing chakra.

"Nice try, 'Tana. You seemed quite pained by the memory, though." The thin man's smirk grew malicious and he leaned closer to her. "What with the way you were groaning, you seemed quite agonized by the occurrence."

"You want to unlock these cuffs and run that by me again?" she growled, clutching the armrest of the chair in anger with enough force to turn her knuckles white.

"I'll leave that to him," the thin man said smoothly, pointing his thumb towards the hulking man. "I have no interest in fighting you."

"You mean you don't have the balls to fight me," Katana spat with cold mockery as the hulking man stepped forward.

"Now, keep this simple, 'Tana. I don't want to have to use force to subdue you." The man's large hands had released the cuffs swiftly and Katana was instantly on her feet. But she took a single step and her knees buckled, nearly sending her crashing to the ground before the hulking man caught her. "You're quite weak from out little tests, so don't hurt yourself." He lifted her into the air and slung her over his shoulder.

"You could be a little more gentle, you know," Katana muttered. "I'm not a rag doll."

The hulking man paid no attention and exited the room with the thin man flanking him closely. They moved at a brisk pace down the hall, passing various doors and the occasional clan member as they wormed their way through the corridors. Katana scanned the area as they moved, her mind racing even as a dull pain throbbed in her skull. Her thoughts were slightly clouded, but she was coherent enough to form a foggy plan.

Katana quickly wrapped her arm around the hulking man's neck and struck at the same pressure points he had subdued her with. More force was required, but he stumbled to the ground before he was able to register her actions. She landed nimbly on her feet as the man fell with a heavy crash and Katana was after the thin man within seconds. He recoiled and gasped in shock, cowardly shielding his face as she rushed towards him. Katana lowered her shoulder and rammed him in the stomach, knocking him clean off of his feet. She continued her momentum and pounced onto him, driving her elbow into his chest and raising a choked cry from his lungs. Katana pressed her hands against his throat, clamping tightly over his airway as he frightfully squirmed in futile attempts to get away.

"Thought I was out for the count, huh? You should realize that the element of surprise is one of the best weapons a shinobi can have. And you can't break me that easily. That display of weakness was just a show to drop your guard. And it worked flawlessly."

"Please don't kill me! Please, I'm begging y—"

Katana tightened her hold, stopping his words from passing his throat. "You should grow a backbone if you want to keep your name in this clan. Otherwise, my father may very well make you worthless. Because that's what you are."

She tightened her hands on his throat, waiting for him to suffocate, but the pounding of footsteps suddenly echoed from around one of the bends in the corridors. Katana released the man's throat and rose above him, hearing his relieved gasps rush into his deprived lungs. She glared down and landed a fierce kick to his ribs before turning and running down the opposite hallway. She sprinted away from the footsteps, senses alive with the adrenaline pumping through her blood as she dodged any form of life that might be present. But she skidded around another bend and stilled herself by allowing the wall to absorb her momentum. Her breath was ragged in her throat and her head was spinning and throbbing as she saw Tenma at the opposite side of the hallway.

A humored smirk lifted his marked face as he slowly made his way towards her. "My, my, sister. You're quite the slippery eel to catch, aren't you? It's like trying to keep a grip on smoke."

"Then give up and let me go. Your methods don't work, nii-san."

"They don't work now, but nothing can hold out forever. Now, behave and let me escort you back to your room. Or do I need to drag you by your hair?"

"Only if you can catch me!" Katana whirled around and bolted down the corridor she had come, her blood roaring in her ears along with the pounding of her heart. She turned down another bend and was unable to stop herself as two arms circumvented her body and trapped her in a crushing embrace.

"Never underestimate the advantage of Kage Bunshins, sister," Tenma chuckled from above her. "You fell right into my trap just as those other two fell into yours. Now don't resist so I won't have to knock you out."

Katana furiously allowed Tenma to usher her back to her room and lock her inside. I need to get out of here. Fast.


"I refuse, Tenma. There's no way I'm going to let you come with me."

Katana glared angrily at her brother, locking eyes mirroring her own. She had been in the custody of her family for eight days and, because of the underground location of the clan headquarters, there was no running water. Tired of the meager option of sponge baths, Katana had requested to Kinkou that she wanted a proper bath, knowing that there was a small lake with a waterfall not far from the headquarters. She had expected her aunt to accompany her, but her expectations were usually disregarded as long as she remained the rebel.

"We don't trust that Kinkou can subdue you if you try to pull a stunt like you did yesterday. I'm the only one Otousan trusts to keep you in check. You either go with me, or you're staying here."

Katana gritted her teeth and grudgingly agreed. He pulled a strip of black cloth from his pocket and tied it around Katana's eyes, preventing her from learning the path to the headquarters' exit. One of his large hands closed around her wrist and led her through the halls swiftly, guiding her sightless self to the surface of the earth. She could feel the dirt and grass beneath her bare feet, the sun shining down warmly. It felt so alien from the cold, dank walls of the headquarters and she savored the thick smell of nature. Such a simple thing suddenly seemed so important.

She could hear running water when Tenma removed the blindfold and the small lake was the first thing she saw. It was quaint and calming with the gentle crash of the waterfall and the lapping of the ripples on the rocky shore. Katana set down the towel and spare clothes she had brought and turned to glare at Tenma.

"What are you looking at?" he growled as he folded his hands over his chest.

"Are you just going to stand there? I would prefer not to have you watching me."

"We're siblings, 'Tana."

"The only think that classifies us as such is our blood. Move away, brother."

"Fine. But I'm not going to go far, 'Tana. Don't even think about trying to escape." He turned and walked off into the surrounding trees, his chakra flare powerful and eminent to show how near he was.

Katana took as much time as she could, averse to returning to the underground. She was soon wading out to the waterfall and standing just out of the pounding torrent of the falling water so only a gentle stream cascaded over her. The deepest area only reached to her shoulders and she ducked under several times, listening to the muffled roar of the waterfall. Her thoughts were cleared even if her head continued to ache from the previous day.

I need to take action today. I don't have much time. Sure, that memory wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but that was just the first. It can only get worse from here. And I can't shake this headache. I have to escape as soon as possible. The element of surprise is my only advantage.

Katana returned to the surface and sighed, staring down into the water at the distorted rocks below. She looked at the scars lining her skin and a rueful smirk crossed her face. All of these scars… I have to have at least twenty of them and they're only the visible ones. Who knows how many I have on the inside and how many more I'll receive? She could feel Tenma's chakra flare and could almost sense his impatience as he fidgeted erratically. He had never been content to sit still and wait for someone.

Katana waded back to the shore and retrieved her towel, casting a wary glare in the direction where Tenma was located. She pulled on the new shift dress with an annoyed sigh and wrung out her wet hair. Pulling it quickly into a braid, she could hear Tenma's heavy footsteps on the grass as he returned to her.

"Alright, let's go." He raised the black cloth but Katana stepped back.

"Give me a few minutes, Tenma. I want to stay in the sun a little longer before I have to go back into that hole in the ground."

Tenma rolled his eyes and sighed heavily as he sunk to the ground. He leaned against a tree and rested his hands behind his head, closing his eyes. "For being one of us, you certainly like the sunlight."

"I need my vitamin D. Leave me alone." Katana stared up into the swaying trees and clasped her hands behind her back. "I had a question for you, nii-san." Tenma grunted his acknowledgement. "You have several very strong members in the clan, such as that guy you sent with the thin man yesterday. If you want to accomplish your goal with me," she shuddered slightly, "then why don't you just get someone like him to subdue me? Or why don't you just knock me unconscious? Why do you feel the need to 'break' me?"

"It's quite a simple explanation, 'Tana," Tenma murmured as he cracked open one of his eyes. "If I know you at all, you would never settle to remain idle and passive if we just took advantage over you. We need you broken so you won't want to fight back. If we tried to carry out our plan now, and we tried something as simple as knocking you out, you'd wake up and raise hell. And there's no way that you'd keep the next generation…safe. You'd do anything you could to prevent the birth of another child of our blood, right?"

"So it seems you do know me, nii-san. I don't know whether to be flattered or concerned."

"Just get your fill of the sunlight and let's go back." Tenma closed his eyes and sighed again. "I never did like it when it's so bright outside."

"Really? So you don't like light?"

"No. I've got a demon sealed within me. That's pure darkness right there."

"So, fire is off the list too?"

"Fire? Well, fire is associated with Hell, but… What are you getting at?"

"Nothing. Just thinking out loud."

Tenma opened his eyes as his suspicions rose and he caught the tail end of a pattern of hand seals Katana had woven. "What?! Your chakra is supposed to be sealed!"

"Oh really?" Katana released an enormous tongue of flame from her mouth, striking Tenma directly in the chest. He bellowed in pain as the grass around him ignited and the flames spread up to the tree behind him. And Katana broke into a dead sprint.

She ran through the trees blindly, her only goal to get as far away from the headquarters as possible. The ground was hard beneath her bare feet and she controlled her chakra to her legs to increase her speed to an Anbu-like pace. Sharp underbrush and other thorny plants sliced at her feet and legs while sharp rocks jabbed into the soles with every quick step. But she hardly noticed the pain in her frantic flight and chakra-saturated limbs. They were practically numb. Her teeth were gritted together tightly, so tightly that she felt they might break. She felt hot determination course through her blood as she sprinted, determination to keep herself out of the hard life that her clan had planned for her. She was determined to keep running and she willed herself to not to fall.

Katana had risen and fallen, risen and fallen until it seemed as if she was living her life on an ocean wave. She had survived many deadly experiences, and every thing that had not killed her had only made her stronger. It was her life: rising, falling down, and rising again. But this time she was determined not to fall again. She planned on staying standing no matter what. She felt the wind part around her body as she tore through the trees, her breath rasping in her throat. But she could not feel safe until she could see Konohagakure, no matter how far away it was.

Katana bit her thumb and quickly wove a pattern of hand seals and threw her hand out to the side to hit a tree. A dragon leaped from the puff of smoke and fell into flight beside her, weaving through the trees nimbly.

"What is it, Katana-sama?"

"I need you to go to the Village and tell Neji that my family captured me. I've been trying to escape and I think I've finally succeeded, but just let him know."

"Is that all?"

"Just look for the headquarters and find it's location. Fly high so you won't be seen. And if you meet any danger, you may dispel yourself."

"Understood." The dragon rose to the treetops and vanished over the canopy.

Katana resumed her breakneck pace and felt that she was indeed going to succeed. But something sharp scraped across her back and she stumbled.

A ferocious roar rose from the forest behind her and she caught her balance on a tree, whipping her head around to the direction she had come. Tenma burst through the trees, his body distorted and warped. The marks had covered his skin, turning it a deep shade of navy, and his eyes were a vibrant red. His demon was just beneath the surface and was threatening to break free of the seals, wrath and ire rousing the creature into action. Vicious claws extended from Tenma's hands and one was covered in blood.

"GET BACK HERE!" His voice was not his own; it was deeper and gravelly.

Katana could feel herself blanche and she turned to continue running, but her brother's hand was around her waist in seconds. She was dragged to the ground and pinned to the earth, Tenma landing over her and staring down with bloodlust in his eyes.

"I SHOULD KILL YOU FOR THIS!" he roared in fury. He twitched and shook his head, struggling to control his demon. The markings soon receded and returned to their normal places but his eyes retained their red hue. "But I have orders to be docile, which is REALLY DIFFICULT!" He struggled to suppress the markings as they attempted to crawl across his flesh once more.

Katana could feel her blood seep from the scratch on her back onto the grass beneath her. She stared up at the hot sun above her and sighed weakly. I've fallen again. Why must it always be this way?

"Next time, you won't get away. You'll regret this act, sister. I swear it." Tenma gripped her neck and she fell into blackness.


There was a gentle creaking, the faint squeaking of hinges, and Katana pulled herself awake. She quickly rubbed her eyes and stared towards the door as it slowly opened. That's odd. Usually they come barging in with no disregard. She sat up and waited, eyes narrowed and strained in the darkness. She saw a figure slip inside without closing the door and creep up to her bed. They stepped into the small slat of moonlight that came from the window and Katana gasped loudly.

"Shhh. Keep quiet or we'll be discovered."

"Neji!" Katana cried in her loudest whisper, leaping up and throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank Kami. You don't know how happy I am to see you."

"I'm quite sure that I can guess. Let's go."

"Wait just a moment." Katana embraced him tightly and ran her lips slowly along his jaw line, his body tensing against her. She reached his mouth and kissed him lightly before he pulled away roughly.

"Enough, Katana," Neji growled, pushing her back.

She winced and crossed her arms over where he had hit her chest just below her collarbones. "Jeez, you don't have to be so rough. What's wrong?"

"Don't be so dramatic; I didn't push you that hard. Let's just get out of here. I don't want to stay here any longer than I have too. Just consider yourself lucky that I thought it decent to come and save you."

"Decent? What are you talking about? This is very unlike you. You're acting like when we first met."

"Just get on your feet and follow me. We must remain undiscovered. You don't know how difficult it was to get in here and find you. You owe me one, Katana. Actually, you own me several times over." Neji grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of the room, activating his Byakugan and running down the hallway. He wove through the corridors skillfully, changing direction several times to avoid dangers only known to his eyes.

"Could you be more careful? My arm is about to come out of my socket with the way you're pulling me along. I'm dizzy, too."

"Do you want to get out of here or not?" Neji glared back at her and Katana met his gaze in confusion. It was not the normal glare that she remembered he had once given her. It was softer and not at fierce, very different from what she was used to. He seemed to catch her confusion and he looked away, quickly resuming pulling her along the corridors.

Something's not right. He's acting so strangely and that glare wasn't his. Katana staggered as he wrenched her in another direction. He suddenly, uncharacteristically, swore and turned back, only to swear again and come to a halt.

"We're surrounded now. Your clan is coming from all sides."

"Then we'll fight them off. You and me just like before. Memorable, isn't it?" Katana cast him a smirk and he glared at her coldly, but the glare was still different than what was normal.

"Have you no weapons?"

"No. They took my swords. I only have my jutsu."

"You do know that your chakra is sealed, right? I can see it."

"What?!" Katana quickly tested his claim, and she found it to be true. "They must have resealed it after Tenma recaptured me."

"Must I always protect you? You're still so needy and dependent."

Katana looked back at him as she heard the footsteps start to approach. "What's gotten into you? Why are you acting like this?"

"Let's just say that I'm sick of coming to your rescue."

Katana stared at him in wide-eyed shock. "I don't understand. Neji, how can you say that? What about what you said the last time we saw each other, the night before I left on the mission… What we did…"

His brow furrowed and he would not meet her gaze. The footsteps were suddenly upon them and clansmen swarmed from all sides. Katana felt Neji's hand clamp onto her wrist again and pull her towards one side. She fell against the wall and heard the battle ensuing behind her. She turned and saw large shadows locking together and searching for their targets, Neji's white-clad figure darting in and out of sight. Katana grit her teeth and leaped at the closest figure, landing a solid kick to the back of his knees and sending him toppling down. She ran to join Neji, quickly positioning herself back-to-back with him.

"Stay back, Katana! You'll only get in the way!"

"Not a chance. We fight together; we fight to the final breath. And if we lose, let us die hard."

"This way!" Neji buried his palm into another figure and pulled Katana down a clear path before she could react. "Keep up or we won't get away!" Katana sprinted as fast as she could to keep up with Neji, but her feet seemed unstable beneath her and her head spun with dizziness.

"Neji, I can't—"

"Up here," he directed, pulling her up a steep flight of stairs and into the open air. Katana inhaled deeply to try and clear her head, but she stumbled and fell to the ground. "Get up, Katana. We have to get out of here before they follow us."

"Neji, I don't know what—"

"Watch out!" Neji dove over her, blocking her from something unseen in her eyes.

Shluk.

Neji's eyes widened and Katana gasped as a large bloodstain blossomed over his chest. His arms gave and he collapsed on top of her, his body heavy. Katana wrapped her arms around him, feeling his blood begin to soak her shift, and she slipped out from under him with difficulty. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the crossbow bolt protruding from his back and saw how deeply it was buried.

"No." She pulled it from him and rested him onto his back, staring into his chalk-white face. It was becoming paler by the second. "No. Neji, don't die. You can't die! You can't!"

"L-look-k w-what y-y-you've d-done," he rasped, blood running from his mouth with every word. He coughed violently and blood spurted onto his shirt. Most of the white fabric had already turned red.

"No! It's not my fault! Neji, don't die! You can't! NO!" She caressed his ashen face, tears springing into her eyes. She quickly wove a set of hand seals, but her chakra was immobile. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that she was unable to initiate her medical ninjutsu; she was powerless to help him. "This isn't happening! IT CAN'T HAPPEN!"

Neji's eyelids fluttered and slowly fell closed, a shuddering breath leaving his lungs. His head lolled to the side and Katana felt as if her heart had stopped as well.

"No." She felt his neck, searching for the pulse that had already ceased. "No!" She felt his chest, desperately feeling for the throb of his heart, the throb she had coveted, the throb that she had listened to while lying on his bare chest over a week ago… But all she could feel was the wound that was still gushing blood as if determined to rid his body of every drop of the life fluid. She now realized that the bolt had pierced a section of his heart.

She stared down at her bloodied hands, stared at his lifeless features, and her sight blurred with tears. "This is my fault. What have I done? What have I done?!" She looked up to the sky, seeing dawn just beginning to paint it with vivid colors. And the firm vice of despair finally found the proper grip on her heart. "NOOOOOO!" Katana collapsed forward onto his chest and fell into sobs, clutching at him with every attempt to somehow keep him alive. But he was already gone.


Katana gave a cry and sat up abruptly, her breath strained and heavy. She looked in all directions and found that she was in her room once more and Kinkou was sitting on the edge of her bed. Katana touched her face and found tears still running down her cheeks. Sunlight was streaming from the window.

"It was a dream?" she whispered in disbelief, her chest feeling hollow and her head still spinning. "It was a dream!" Nausea suddenly swept over her and she turned over to the edge of the bed and violently vomited over the side, coughing harshly. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and noticed something on her palms. She stared at the substance and saw that it was dried blood. The vice suddenly recaptured her and she stared down at her shift. It too was covered in a large amount of blood. And she knew that it wasn't her own. She looked back to Kinkou and saw the sadness in the woman's eyes. The blood was still damp against her skin.

"No, 'Tana. I'm afraid that it wasn't."

Katana felt as if the air around her had disappeared. Everything had all happened so fast. Too fast. She felt nauseous again, but could only fall limp onto her bed, every subtle sound echoing dully in her ears. She stared blankly at the ceiling, tears running from her eyes of their own volition. He's gone. It's my fault that he's gone. I couldn't heal him. I'm the reason that he's dead. The words echoed perpetually in her mind, drowning everything else to nothing. Only after Kinkou had been gone for several hours did Katana realize what had happened: they had found the proper force to sever her mooring rope. She had been broken.


Author Note: Bet you didn't see that coming. What do you think? I'll try to update soon so you guys don't flame and curse me out. This chapter was originally a lot longer but I took out a couple chunks that I didn't think were important. I'll bet the ending was a punch in the face, right? Or will it be that significant? Not all things are as they seem, remember that. But I want to know what you think and please try not to make me cry. I'm on break so I hope to get a chapter out before the new year. But if not, have a happy new year and I'll see everyone in 2010 (holy crap! Already?). Not much else to say, so digest this for a while and try to be patient for the next chapter. Peace out.

-cagedbird361