"My sweet Nayumei, at last we meet again."
"But I thought…" I was at a loss for words. It was as if my worst nightmare had come true. I stumbled back and was pushed forward by Benji. Suddenly I was filled with panic, like a cornered mouse about to be eaten. How could I have not seen this coming! Could it be Deidara was really warning me when he came to me in my dream?
"You lied to me Benji!" I shouted in disbelieve. "How could I have been deceived? How!"
"He was merely doing as I had asked. This time, I swear on my life I won't let you get away!" Tetsu Takami shouted.
The boy who was my first crush long ago. The boy who was a part of my very first team, the one who once saved me and brought me back to start a life in the grass village. The reason I betrayed them when I thought he was dead. He and I faced each other again while I tried to escape the Akatsuki and attacked Deidara, once again I thought he had died then too, but no. Now brought back face to face away from anyone else, no interferences. This time no one would be able to save me. I quickly stood up and stared at Benji whose face was still blank, but with evil intentions hidden behind his eyes. They were working together? But how? Why did this Benji guy team up with him? What was I missing here? Suddenly it hit me. I have seen this Benji guy before! Back at the sand when I was being attacked by that disguised Shinobi; he had popped out of nowhere and saved me. I never saw him again after that. If he was living in this village then what was he doing in the sand? How could I have not realized it sooner…
"I don't understand…" I yelled a bit shaky, what about my mother? Was that all a lie to lure me here? Why? Tetsu began to walk to me and pinned me against the wall, I suddenly felt unable to move as I tried to comprehend the mess of a situation. "Why you Benji? I trusted you…"
"You shouldn't have. I despise you and you're mother! You're mother is the reason my wife died!" Benji began to walk towards me pulling out a sword.
"And my sister!" Tetsu shouted.
"What? You never told you had a sister…My mother wouldn't do that!" I shouted.
"How the hell would you know? She's practically a stranger to you! She took her away from the both of us and now it's you who must pay and for the grass village!
"Why would she do that?" I mumbled.
"Because she's evil. Don't you get it?" He paused as if to swallow then continued on suddenly sounding genuine, but I knew it was an act. "Nay… I loved you so much and when I found out you betrayed the grass village I still forgave you, but then you and that Akatsuki tried to kill me again. And then I find out you're very mother killed Akiyo! You're exactly the same! You're both monsters!"
"Tetsu…. That wasn't love. You couldn't know what that is. And I only did it because they told me you were dead! My mother wouldn't do that!" I tried to break free from his grip, but he only pushed me up against the wall some more. "Tetsu please…"
"You're mother has always been my downfall. I loved her, but she always ignored me! She always humiliated me! Then I ran into that man Orochimaru, it appears he also held a grudge against your mother for never accepting his gifts, so then I told him about your father. I thought getting him out of the way would at last give me her, but then she still didn't want me! So then I decided to team up with him and I left the village, only wanting to destroy her. I found peace when I met Akiyo, but then you're mother had to come back and take her from me!" Benji stated with such intensity that I couldn't even grasp all of what was just said.
My mother was approached by Orochimaru? Could it be that's what he meant when he said I was just like her? She didn't want the curse mark either so then he decided to get even by killing my father? But why… Did she leave because she wanted to kill him? Is that the bad feeling she had before he left? But when she left she took her suitcases… She planned to never return. Right? Benji must have been keeping an eye on me in the sand village and I hadn't even noticed... Was it him that took my necklace to bring me to come here?
"My mother? Where is she!" I suddenly felt a pain within as if the curse mark was begging to be set free, but I fought it back as I struggled to get away from Tetsu's grasp.
"The coward is long gone!"
"Let go of me! If you want to fight then lets fight!" Tetsu released his hold and I fell to the floor.
"Come at me then," He said sinisterly and I suddenly found myself being flung across the room against another wall. I tried to reach for my weapon and found it missing. Suddenly Tetsu began to fling spears towards me and I quickly dodged them, the ground began to shake causing me to lose my balance. It wasn't fair, two against one when I was already in a weak state, I wasn't prepared for this. Benji suddenly began to run towards me with his sword and then in a flash disappeared. My guard was up, but my senses disturbed, not at their strongest, I felt a slash across my arm and I quickly jumped back only to be punched in the stomach and flung back some more. The fight had begun in the small room, and now into the hallway once the walls had been broken down, the roof looked ready to cave in and I began running down the dark hallway. If I was going to fight them then it have to at least be in an open space.
"If I'm going to die today then let me at least put on a good show!" I thought to myself and dodged attacks as I pushed myself to run like never before. The attacks suddenly stopped and the roof began to cave in, on some areas, but I didn't look back.
~::.::.::.::.:: A few minutes later::.::.::.::.::~
"Let's step it up a level shall we?" Tetsu said coming out from the rubble. I looked around frantically when I noticed Benji had disappeared then suddenly was flung in the air when he came from underneath me and punched me under my chin. I landed several feet behind and wiped the blood from my mouth as I rose. It was a lot harder to fight obviously, when they both attacked one right after the other.
"How could you have been in the Akatsuki if you can't even focus!" Tetsu yells before kicking me up one more time then elbowing me in the back. I grabbed a hold of his arm and flung him over, taking him down with me.
"Earth style, earth burial," Benji shoved his fist into the ground and within seconds a group of roots quickly made their way towards me and sprung up from the ground. The roots entangled around my legs and slowly began dragging me into the ground. I struggled as my sad attempt to set myself free. Tetsu did another pair of hand signs while I was slowly being consumed by the ground. If only I had my boomerang, I thought I no longer needed. Or a sword of some sort, or even…. The curse mark. I closed my eyes trying to think of a way and suddenly felt like I was suffocating. If only there was a way.
"I need it!" I kept repeating and began to concentrate on the seal. With the emotions, my anger, my desperation I began to feel my neck pulsate. If I were to use it, it be like surrendering to it and surrendering to that monster's power. Suddenly regretting my decision, I tried to fight it, but it was strong. A surge of energy poured through my veins as I broke through the roots and jumped back on the ground. It came after me again, but I got away. Then it began to rain spears, a technique from Tetsu. I ran to some trees for cover and hid under a fallen tree trunk as the spears pierced the ground around me. "I don't know how much longer this will continue…"
...…
After it went back and forth for awhile, I finally got some blows in, with my fire jutsus. The only problem was that I started to run out of chakra. And that was beginning to take its toll. I panted heavily as Tetsu rose from the ground after being knocked down. We were now near the edge of the mountain just a bit away from the village. The fight seemed to have dragged on forever and I was finding no advantages. Was this really the end? Benji finally escaped my earth dome and was coming at me with his incredible speed. One punch after another, one deflected, one not, one punch in, one kick out. I finally collapsed on my back breathing becoming difficult.
"That's enough Benji! Let's end this now, we've had our fun," Tetsu begins to walk towards me with Benji forcing me to stand and pinning my arms behind me. I stood their motionless, lifeless. Like a failure, accepting my defeat, accepting my death, how I hoped the pain to be brief. Tetsu quickly raised his sword aiming it for my chest. He nearly succeeded, when a strange mist had appeared followed by a lightning technique that they both dodged and jumped away from, as I fell to the floor.
"That is enough."
It was a woman's voice, a voice I recognized right away. I forced myself to sit and then stand, ignoring the pain throughout my body as I stared at the emerging figure. My heart racing yet again as I tried to speak the word I so longed to say.
"Mother…" I whispered as she began to walk towards me. For a moment I thought as if she would embrace me, ask if I was ok, but instead she didn't even look at me, she walked to face Benji and Tetsu who were staring at her in disbelief. "I'll end this now!" She shouted and in a flash, such incredible speed, she cut Tetsu and stabbed him through the chest. Benji dodged and landed against a tree. Tetsu appeared to be unconscious, lying on the ground motionless. Benji faced my mother as the wind picked up and I continued to wipe the blood coming from my mouth.
"Hana. Looks like we meet again," He spoke warily.
"I have no desire to speak with you," She spat and began to run towards him with full force. A voice within me, who was remaining quiet, could no longer hold its silence.
"MOM!" I shouted. She was suddenly distracted and it gave Benji time to dodge and get out of the way. I stood with a fist as she finally turned to face me. Benji began to laugh as my mother stared with a look only explained as if she had seen a ghost.
"Stupid girl. She doesn't know who you are!" He shouted.
"Mom it's me! Nay!" I began to walk towards her slowly, as my leg dripped blood. Her face puzzled. Then she turned her back to me to face Benji again. "Face me! I am you're daughter so face me! Quit being a coward!" I shouted suddenly boiling with rage. Even now, as fate has finally brought us together again she chose to ignore me.
"I have no daughter."
Her words like knives, piercing through my very soul. How could a mother deny her daughter? After all that I went through all because of her. It was all her fault. If she had never left, if she wasn't such a coward, my life would have been completely different. I couldn't fight the tears from falling any longer, and I began to question her. All about what Benji and Tetsu said. Was it really true? She killed Tetsu's sister, also Benji's wife? She denied Orochimaru's gift? Father died because of her? Did she leave to start over without me or to find Orochimaru? Why didn't she come back?
"I did not kill Akiyo," She said coldly.
"You lie!" Benji shouted suddenly charging at her. She dodged, what seemed so effortlessly.
"Why did you leave me! Why didn't you come back to me!"
Her face was expressionless. It was as if she couldn't hear me, only focusing on Benji who was getting furious, simply by looking at her. My fists began to shake as the anger increased. I continued to try and talk to her, but she didn't answer any of my questions.
"You're mother doesn't remember you! Her memories were erased!" Benji seemed amused at my confusion as he began to explain how she left the sand village to kill Orochimaru and had lost to him and as punishment he had erased her memories of everything. She had become a shell with no emotions. If what he was saying was true then… why did she take her suitcases? Why lead me to believe she abandoned me?
…...
"How could you forget something like that?" Deidara said.
"Deidara! Her memories have obviously been erased," Sasori said.
…...
Hana suddenly collapsed to her knees, holding onto her head as Benji continued to talk about how Akiyo was on a mission when she was murdered by her. From that day forth he vowed to get his revenge on my mother, and when he found out I was still alive and ran into Tetsu, he decided to kill us both at the same time and to rid the Akada name once and for all. I watched as my mother suffered with the pain, I too went through that when I had lost my memories, if only she could remember, than everything would become clear.
"Remember mom! You have to remember! Remember me!" I shouted. Suddenly Benji came towards me catching me off guard; my mother now lying on the floor as her headache grew. I barely deflected Benji's attack. I almost fell off the edge completely, but grabbed a hold just before I was a goner. I gasped as I watched my legs dangle and rocks fall and disappear. The mist prevented me from seeing the ground. Benji began to laugh as he walked closer telling me what a tragic story was held to the Akada name.
"Mom!" I shouted as felt myself slipping. "Gaara…Naruto…Kankuro… Temari….I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to return. I'm sorry I failed you and I failed myself…" I began to sob uncontrollably as I felt myself slipping… slipping away forever. Then finally I sucked it in as I desperately hung on with the last of my strength.
"You have to be strong."
Benji looked down at me telling me how things are always better in the dark and I chose the wrong path. He began with some hand signs, but wasn't able to finish. My mother had come out of nowhere and pushed him over the edge. He fell for what seemed like a really long time, yelling and extending his arm out, almost succeeded in taking me with him. To my surprise, my mother had grabbed my arm and began to pull me up.
"Nay…" she spoke softly. Could it be? She remembered me, the jutsu broken? Almost to the top, she let go and stood back as I finished pulling myself up and maintained my eyes to the ground. I looked up with a smile and was surprised to see her staring at me with tears in her eyes.
"Mom!" I began to walk towards her, ready to embrace her when I saw the growing stain of blood on her shirt, the blood dripping to her feet and from the corner of her mouth. Tetsu stood back from behind her, pulling the last of his sword from her back and collapsed to the ground lifeless.
"No…"
It almost seemed as if it was all just a very long dream. Unfortunately for me this wasn't. My mother began to fall and it seemed at that moment, life had suddenly been put to a stop.
