Then There Were Two
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki...Katsumi Uzumaki...are the twin children of the Honorable, Late Fourth Hokage...both outcasted by Konoha, the two find strength in one another that is incomparable and irreplaceable. The Teams...are quite different now, and the future...is looking more than a little bit brighter…or is that but the calm, before the storm?
Anime/Manga: Naruto
Genre: Romance/Humor/Adventure
Pairing: I... know who with who will be. I'll let you guys fidget and wonder.
Rated: M for Mature
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Let it go, let it go,
and I'll rise like the break of dawn.
Let it go, let it go,
that perfect girl is gone.
Here I stand, in the light of day,
let the storm rage on,
...the cold never bothered me anyways…
- Let it Go (Idina Menzel)
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Katsumi jumped up with a Kunai in hand.
"Ah! It's Katsumi!" Ino yelled out in her surprise. "COME ON KATSUMI!"
Twisting in the air, she through the Kunai straight towards the ice mirrors, not surprised in the least when Haku leaned out to catch it.
"WHAT!? No way...he caught it?"
"Ino!"
Katsumi would have laughed if it had been any other situation, hearing the obvious annoyance heavy in Shikamaru's voice. Landing carefully on the balls of her feet, she locked her eyes on the mask. "Nice catch..." Even from where she stood, she could see by the way his head was tilted forward, he was eyeing the weapon. 'Did he already notice?!' She started running around to the other side, seeing Sasuke on the ground, turning towards Haku who was watching her, she smirked.
POOF!
Haku made to merge back into the mirror when Katsumi wrapped her legs around his arms before arching backwards and pulling him from the mirror.
"Perfect!" She eyed her clone, though it wasn't made to last. Not surprised in the least when Haku sliced through it and it poofed out of existence. The plan was just to get him out, a whistle sliced through the air. She was sure he heard it, turning only slightly, he caught sight of the Senbon just as it passed his mirrors. He brought a hand up and caught them as they nearly touched along his neck. 'He couldn't make it easy on me, could he?' She sighed, "well damn. I was hoping I could at least get you out of the picture."
"Sorry, but I can't fall unconscious in the middle of such a fight."
She nodded, "I hear ya." Looking at the ice mirrors, she walked past Kakashi and Zabuza, "well, are you two going to stand around staring, or are you going to fight? Leave Haku to me." Somehow, as she said this, she wasn't sure entirely who it was that she was saying this to. She had a hidden agenda and was sure that she'd be chewed out for it come the conclusion of this fight.
Kakashi sighed. He'd been thrilled to see Sasuke show up earlier, and then when Katsumi suddenly appeared, he felt himself relax into the situation they'd been handed. However, those ice mirrors didn't make him comfortable. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"I'll be fine. I'm not going in there to fight, but to protect the people precious to me!" She charged forward and twisted so that she could dive between the ice mirrors and curled up, rolling to her feet as she touched the ground. "Haku. Fight me."
Haku stood before her, the two staring the other down as Sasuke sat up, hand gripping one of his many cuts as he did. "Can you fight me seriously, Katsumi?"
Sasuke shook his head as he figured who it was beneath the mask. He doubted very much that Katsumi would be effective in this fight.
"...not with that mask on I can't. Why not take it off?"
"Would that really help you?"
She honestly thought that it might be to her disadvantage if she had to see his face. His eyes. After all, officially speaking, Haku was her first kiss, and then going out of his way to train her yesterday. 'Not something I need to think about!' She shook her hand before reaching up and pulling the two Senbon in her hair free, "yeah, it would. I want to see your eyes as we fight. This person...who didn't kill me when he had the chance...when I was weak and had no strength, you aren't a killer, Haku."
"You seem so sure,"
"I am." She shot forward and moved out of the way of a Senbon as he made to attack her, bringing her own up to parry and block the attack while bringing her other hand around to strike. "I'm no Genius with the Senbon like you or Genma are. By no means am I. However, I have my own talents!" She flipped sideways and brought a knee up to the mask while both his hands were occupied. Contact was made, the mask was sent flying as his head turned from the force of her knee, and she smirked as his eyes locked on with hers. Continuing in the air, she landed softly on her feet and carefully knocked the mask aside and out of reach. "Much better...now, shall we get to it?"
Sasuke's eyes were wide in his shock. He watched Katsumi's hands tighten around her Senbon, she looked annoyed, angry and excited all at the same time. 'She's got this...'
"You said your precious person isn't here...how will you ever hope to defeat me if you cannot pull out the necessary strength to do so?" Haku caught her wrist and guided her in a different direction as he redirected her attack.
"I lied!"
He frowned, dodging another kick, he didn't bother merging with his mirrors. He wondered why it was that he'd decided to stay on the ground. It would be an easy fight, easily won, he could knock her unconscious and she wouldn't wake up until the fight with Kakashi and Zabuza was long finished. He and Zabuza would be gone from the village by then...yet, he didn't. Why didn't he? "Lied?"
"Naruto, my brother; he is my precious person! However, he is not the only one I find to be precious! I have many who I will gladly fight for...and die for! This team has become precious to me, Haku. My Sensei...Sasuke...Ino...and Lazy Shikamaru will always be worth dying for! Not just them...but my village, my Hokage!" She caught him in the shoulder with her Senbon as he didn't move out of the way quick enough to avoid the needles point. Jumping back before he could retaliate, she stared ahead at him and watched him carefully before reaching into her back pocket and pulling out a clear container. "My precious ones, the list continues to grow every day! That's why...even you...I'll fight to protect!" She tossed the container his way and he caught it before his body stalled, tightening his hand around the container as he dropped onto his knee at a sudden falter in his muscles.
When his eyes grew unfocused as he tried to push himself back onto his feet, he dropped the container and watched it roll in circles before falling to its side. Reading the label, he closed his eyes and frowned. 'Dicentra Formosa...it shouldn't be this effective. I'm sure it's mixed with something else,'
"I didn't want to risk making a mistake with the pressure points...but I don't want you to needlessly throw your life away either." She got down on one knee in front of him, she reached out and caught him as gravity gave out and he fell forward. "Please...let this all blow over. Just, stay out of it."
The ice mirrors didn't fall as she had hoped they would. 'I guess, they'll fall if he dies or if he brings them down himself?'
"You should make sure that he's dead,"
Katsumi frowned and glared at Sasuke, "I have no plans on killing him, and if you try...you'll be fighting me too!"
"He's a rogue shinobi!"
"I can't bring myself to kill him for the cards he was dealt in life."
Sasuke picked up a Senbon, "I can!"
"Wait...Sasuke-Kun! Katsumi no!" Ino's voice carried, it always did...somehow, she wondered why it was that she could always hear Ino no matter where she was.
She stood up and moved before Haku who was now behind her and immobile.
"KATSUMI!"
She recognized Shikamaru's terrified tenor raising as Sasuke threw the Senbon in her direction. She wondered if he was really going to strike her down in order to get to Haku, 'this guy, does he really think I'm going to just let him hurt Haku!?' She felt a hand on her wrist, felt a body pull her out of the way. 'No, it shouldn't be possible!' Dark brown eyes clashed with her wild blue, she watched the Senbon pierce through his shoulder, it wasn't a vital wound, but that he threw himself in front of her. Sasuke stared in surprise as he realized what had happened. Taking this as his chance, he took several Senbon and charged the boy in front of his teammate. "No, Haku!"
Katsumi felt her eyes widen and she brought her hands up to his chest to push him from in front of her. His arms tightened around her. Keeping her held tightly to his chest as he disabled her from pushing him out of the way. She was forced to watch the Senbon impale and slice through him. "S-Sasuke...SASUKE STOP!" Tears swelled in her eyes as she felt Haku's weight in her arms. Something swirled dangerously around her, she began shaking as something burning inside of her a swirl of heat surrounded her as a red chakra burned along her fingers before wrapping dangerously around her arms and legs.
"What's going on..."
She Jumped back out of Sasuke's range with the boy still holding her. "Haku, let go of me! Drop your Jutsu, it's too much to hold onto right now!"
"My list..."
She frowned, "...what?" Her eyes shot up as Sasuke moved towards her, the red chakra suddenly shot out dangerously around her. A voice grew in her head, but she blocked it out, ignoring it as she growled out irritably while watching Sasuke cautiously. He was a threat, and her body began to react with primal instinct. Feeling enraged, she refused to let her eyes leave Sasuke's.
"...my list is also growing..."
'Haku...' tears trailed dangerously along her cheeks as she screamed out her hurt. She wasn't thinking straight when his hand fell limp, when his Jutsu fell, she couldn't see clearly.
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"...what a sinister feeling..." Zabuza watched Haku. The boy lay limply in the girls' arms, her blonde hair whipped wildly around him as a red chakra could be seen spiraling around them out of control. 'Well, this is an interesting turn of events.' His eyes turned to Kakashi and he sighed, "kids these days. They just don't understand what it means to be a Shinobi. You and I, however...we get it. Once you start, it's hard to stop..."
Kakashi said nothing. Peeved that Sasuke tried to attack Katsumi. Peeved that Katsumi had protected Haku. Peeved that he couldn't send the two flying with a well-placed punch until all of this was over. PEEVED! No, he was pissed. Not only were the two fighting, but the Nine tails Chakra was apparently leaking. "Let's end this, Zabuza!"
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Me: Here is chapter 21! I'm almost through the Land of the Waves. Goals~