Author Notes: Thank you all for your reviews! They were lovely to read and keep me going with this story. I apologise for the wait but job hunting takes up all my time and mental energy and the holidays have been a crazy time too.
Special thanks to SuperKaiokenGoku for their help with this chapter!
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Doukutsu = cavern, cave
Chapter 21
..~**~..
Kiba petted Akamaru's head, surveying his comrades around him.
Waking up to find out Sakura had drugged him, Sai and Lee, and then left them behind while she confronted Sasuke with the rest of Team 7 didn't sit well with him. He also didn't buy the pitiful excuse Kakashi-sensei had given them that Sasuke 'got away'.
Kiba's senses had picked up on the lie straight away.
Team 7 was hiding something and that wasn't all they were hiding.
Something had happened to Lucy. Something bad.
The kunoichi had barely said a word since he'd woken up and there was a new scent about her, something he'd never smelled before, that put him on edge. Akamaru had felt it too. Something dangerous lingered within her and Kiba was determined to find out more.
Just what the hell had happened on that bridge?
He looked about the forest clearing where Kakashi had chosen to stop for a short break and shrugged off his leather jacket. The day was unusually warm for late September and he was glad for the rest before heading back to Konoha. Nearby, Sakura and Naruto sat huddled together in the shade of a tree whispering among themselves. The red-head prisoner Kakashi had been carrying sat quietly to one side guarded by Sai, while Lee was busy keeping a look out for enemy ninja.
Kakashi and Lucy were nowhere to be seen, but Kiba's nose told him they were close and as he got to his feet and snuck through the trees towards them, his sharp ears picked up on their conversation.
"I have a favour to ask." Lucy's voice reached him first. "Lee said we were nearing the border with Fire."
Kiba signalled to Akamaru to stay put as he crept closer, hiding behind a tree trunk.
Kakashi stood in the middle of the clearing, hands in his pockets. "We'll cross it within the hour at our current pace."
Lucy bit her lip, one of her many nervous habits Kiba had noticed over the months. "Do you know of the prison on the border, operated by Konoha?"
"Doukutsu?"
"Is that its name? Doukutsu? Like a cave?"
Kakashi nodded. "It's a small civilian prison on the border that holds local thieves and gang members that operate around the borders. Why do you ask?"
"I need to go there."
Kiba frowned. Doukutsu? Why did she need to go there? He had been there once with Team 8 on a mission. It was a damp building set within a series of caves that held a few dozen prisoners at most. It was more of a transitional facility than a permanent prison.
"No," Kakashi answered without pause.
Lucy exhaled sharply, taking off her forehead protector to wipe the sweat from her brow. "How far is it?"
"Less than an hour away."
"I was thinking - hoping - to make a stop there before returning to Konoha," the kunoichi explained. "Kakashi-san, please. I'll even take someone with me."
"No."
"Kakashi-san-"
The jounin held her stare. "Our orders are to return to Konoha as soon as possible. To return Naruto to the safety of the village and get that girl Karin to T&I to secure as much information as we can about Madara and his plans for the war. We do not have time to take any detours, let alone send you off by yourself."
"I know," she continued, not backing down. "I realise it's not ideal, but it might be my only chance of getting there."
Kakashi looked her over with one eye. "Why Doukutsu? What do you think you'll find there?"
She hesitated for a moment before she reached down her mesh shirt and pulled out a necklace. From a distance, Kiba could make out a green pendant hanging from the string.
"Because I made a promise," she began, her voice soft again as she adjusted her braid before tying her hitai-ate. "I promised my teammate, from Root, that I would find his brother and apparently he's in that prison."
There was a moment of silence before Kakashi answered. "The teammate that Madara mentioned?"
"Yes."
"The one that spied on you and then who gave his life saving yours?"
Lucy stilled before looking away. "Yes. I promised him I would find his brother in prison and let him know what happened. And I know, I know, the timing is all wrong and we need to rush back to Konoha, but war is coming, and this might be the only chance I get."
Kakashi fell silent, thinking over her words.
"Kakashi-san, please. I promise I will be in and out within an hour. I can go with Sakura, or even Sai. Just spare me for a couple of hours and I will be back in Konoha by the end of the day. And once I'm back and Tsunade is awake again, I promise I will tell you everything you want to know. I'll answer all your questions. Just please, please, let me fulfil my promise and make things right with my teammate."
An uneasy feeling hit Kiba as he listened to Lucy plead with Kakashi and not mention his name. Didn't she need him anymore?
"Speaking with his brother won't erase the guilt of his death," the jounin replied in a low voice.
His words squashed her confidence, and she dropped her gaze. "I know."
"It's a burden you will carry with you for the rest of your life."
Her voice shook slightly. "I know, but I still need to go."
Kakashi remained silent. Before he had the chance to deny Lucy's request, Kiba stepped out from behind the tree.
"I'll go with her," he announced, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was eavesdropping. She may not have said his name, but clearly, she needed him still. "I've been to the prison before and can lead her there. We'll be in and out and then back in Konoha before you know it."
The Copy Ninja didn't seem the least bit surprised by his sudden appearance. No doubt he had picked up Kiba's scent from the beginning.
He ran a hand through his spiky silver hair. "I'm not going to change your mind, am I?"
Kiba wasn't sure who he was talking to as he came to stand beside Lucy. "We're going."
Kakashi gave a deep sigh. "Fine. But I'm not sending you two alone. Sakura and Sai will accompany you, making it a four-man team. I'm putting Sai in charge."
A look of relief crossed Lucy's face as she realised he was acquiescing her request.
"But remember, not a word to Naruto or he'll want to go too."
"Of course," she answered while Kiba gave a firm nod.
Finally, some action!
..~**~..
I'm not in a dream.
I'm not in a coma.
And I didn't die or whatever…
Obito.
Obito came to the UK.
He came to my world, Earth, my life. He was there in Wales during my camping trip, at night, while I was playing drinking games with Rachel and everyone else.
He was right there, and somehow brought me here.
And he speaks English. How the hell did that happen?
And he said there's something inside of me. Which clearly wasn't in the original story. But he knows about it somehow.
Does that mean Black Zetsu knows about it too? What about Madara?
What's going on? What the hell is inside of me? What is that voice I keep hearing?
God… what if it's like a parasite… that's going to burst out of me… like – like in that movie, Alien!
"Lucy, are you okay?"
"Huh?"
I looked up to find Kiba staring at me with a worried look on his face.
"You look like you're going to be sick."
"I'm fine." The words slipped out of me like an automatic response. Naruto had asked me a dozen or more times since we'd left the bridge and Sakura had asked as well as she had healed the cut on my shoulder and even Kakashi had thrown a few worried looks my way, but I hadn't been able to find a suitable answer to any of their questions.
How could I be fine after Obito's revelations?
He had brought me to this world and that simple fact had thrown everything I thought I knew out of the window.
I wasn't simply cruising through the Naruto storyline, I had suddenly become an integral part of it and I had no idea how or why.
Nothing made sense anymore.
"You've been unusually quiet since we met up," Kiba continued, coming to stand beside me. I had hung back on purpose, taking the rear of our 4-man team formation as we tree-hopped and then walked to the civilian prison Doukutsu. I wanted to be left alone with my thoughts, and although I was glad to see Kiba again after such a long time, I just didn't know how to talk to him anymore.
To him or anyone else.
Not after the bomb Obito had dropped on me.
I suddenly longed to see Tsunade. At least she would understand how I felt.
"Is it because of your teammate?"
"Huh?"
Kiba looked unsure of himself as he continued, "You know… I overhead Kakashi mention that he died saving your life."
"Oh… yes," I lied. I felt terrible about lying…again, but Kakashi had forbidden us from revealing any information about our encounter with Obito/Madara until he spoke with Tsunade first.
"Was he the masked shinobi with the number four? The one who helped you fight off that Root agent during Pein's attack?"
I looked up to find Kiba's vertical pupils watching me carefully. He was surprisingly insightful. How did he know about Ryo?
"I saw you during the invasion," he explained, keeping his gaze fixed on Sakura and Sai walking ahead, "right after Pein destroyed the village. I wanted to help you, but I wasn't allowed to intervene, so I urged your teammate to help you instead. I noticed you were… close."
Close?
The tips of his ears were red as he spoke and his eyes avoided my own, watching Akamaru instead who zigzagged through the forest chasing after birds.
"I could smell your scent… on him."
Oh.
Any other time I would have been blushing from the implications of his words, but Kiba knowing about Ryo and I seemed like a tiny detail in the grand scheme of things. "Yeah, I guess we bonded since we were in the same team and well… one thing led to the other –"
"Right."
He scratched the back of his head looking downright uncomfortable.
"It wasn't anything serious, just you know… comfort sex really," I admitted out loud before biting my tongue. Why am I even talking about this with Kiba?
"Sorry, it's really none of my business," he mumbled and gave a low whistle, chasing after Akamaru before I could say another word.
Shit.
I wasn't thinking straight and should have kept my mouth shut. Now Kiba was probably going to judge me like everyone else had since I'd arrived here. He probably thought I'd slept with Genma too.
I swore again and downed the rest of my water bottle before Sai called for a halt.
"We're almost there," he announced, taking the mission much too seriously as he did with everything else. "Kakashi-sensei wants us in and out as quickly as possible. We find the person Lucy's looking for, she talks to him and we leave, nothing else."
I nodded, thankful I had even been granted permission to come here at all.
"I'll do the talking. The prison is guarded by Konoha shinobi so there shouldn't be any problems but keep a look out all the same."
We set off again, soon approaching a series of cliffs similar to the gorge with the Samurai Bridge before Sai veered off towards a huge stone boulder with a metal door in the centre.
Beyond it I could sense a dozen chakra signatures inside.
"It's just as gloomy as I remember," Kiba grumbled beside Lee.
I silently agreed. The heavy door grunted as it opened, revealing a series of dark corridors lit by torches.
"Something's wrong," Sakura announced, slipping on her gloves as we filed inside. "The guards should be here."
I used my senses to map out the prison structure and felt chakra signatures scattered among the ground floor, immobile.
"The guards are here, but they're not moving," I warned Sai.
"Dead?" he asked.
Sakura and Kiba both pulled out kunai.
"No. I wouldn't be able to sense them if they were dead. Sleeping, perhaps?"
A sudden movement tugged at my senses and I whirled around. "In the back room, over there."
I pulled out a weapon too and proceeded down the corridor flanked by Sai as Sakura and Kiba brought up the rear.
We passed by several offices on either side of the corridor, doors wide open, papers strewn across the floors and unconscious guards slumped over desks and chairs. Sakura disappeared to check up on them as we continued towards the furthest room.
"Only two," I said in a low voice, "but at least jounin-level."
One of the chakra signatures seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
Kiba nodded and once Sai gave the signal, they stormed inside stopping short as they caught sight of the intruders within.
I froze at the sight of the masked faces standing in the middle of the office.
Root.
"Sai," one of the shinobi greeted, wearing a bird mask. He was halfway through clearing a desk stacked with rows of scrolls while the other agent was rifling through another desk, his back turned. "Leave, now. This doesn't concern you."
"Like hell it doesn't," Kiba argued as Akamaru growled at his side.
Sai paused, seemingly caught between his loyalty to Kakashi and Root. Already Root agents had approached us in the forest earlier looking for confirmation that Danzou was dead and now it was highly suspicious to find them in a civilian prison having apparently drugged all the guards.
They were definitely up to something.
"Sai, you've been warned," Bird guy continued, gripping the hilt of his tanto in warning as the other shinobi, sporting a whiskered mask, turned around.
The air shimmered around the room and I gripped Kiba's arm in warning. "Genjutsu."
Too late.
He was already paralysed as was Akamaru while Sai struggled to move beside me.
"That's her? Six?" Bird guy asked, and the other agent nodded, his dark eyes behind his mask fixed on me.
Suddenly, I remembered. "Dajimu-sensei."
He ignored my greeting, his voice tight and full of menace. "What happened to Danzou-sama?"
My lips curled into a smirk. "He got what he deserved I'm afraid. He couldn't take losing to Uchiha so he blew himself to bits."
"You're lying!" he snarled.
Watching them lose their cool delighted me even more. Before I could add a word, Kiba grunted and with a hand seal, he managed to break free from the genjutsu.
Panting, he narrowed his eyes at the two shinobi. "I wasn't taught by a genjutsu master for nothing."
"Grab what we need, we're leaving," Bird guy ordered and with a slam of his palm, Dajimu sealed all the papers inside a scroll which he secured inside his vest.
"Trying to cover your tracks, are you?" I accused, trying to gain some time while Sai fought off the genjutsu or Sakura showed up. Kiba and I alone were no match for them. "Did some shitty stuff to the prisoners?"
Careful. You're trying to gain time, not provoke them!
The Bird guy froze. "You'll get what's coming to you, Six. You should know what happens to traitors."
A chill ran down my spine, but I refused to show them fear. I had been afraid of them for too long. "Take a hint. Root is finished."
We saw the smoke bombs too late.
In an instant, the office was flooded with dense smoke that burned my throat and eyes. Kiba pulled me away and I followed him out of the corridor while Akamaru pushed Sai to safety.
Sakura came rushing towards us, one of the guards stumbling behind. "What happened?"
I couldn't say a word as tears ran down my burning eyes. Kiba leaned against a wall, wiping his nose in vain as coughs racked his chest.
Ugh, this shit is just like pepper spray.
"Here," Sakura grabbed a couple of cloths from her medic pouch and soaked them with water. "Wipe down your faces, it'll help."
We did as we were told and soon the stinging subsided and we were able to breathe again. Kiba soaked his cloth again to wipe down Akamaru while Sai seemed unaffected.
"Root agents," he said as a way of explanation.
Sakura turned to him in surprise. "Here?"
The guard, who turned out to be a Hyuuga with pale eyes and short spiky chestnut hair, looked unsurprised. "Danzo-sama is known to have come to the prison once or twice looking for fighters for his shinobi program."
Shinobi program, my ass.
Sakura's eyes went wide. "Root recruits criminals?"
"I'm not surprised," Kiba interjected, clearly angry.
"Well, this time they were grabbing papers and scrolls. Trying to hide something," I added, downing water.
"Fucking assholes," the Inuzuka mumbled.
"Hyuuga-san, do you know what they were looking for?" Sakura asked the guard.
He shook his head. "No idea."
"What kind of scrolls are kept in that office?" Sai demanded.
"It's the records room."
Why would Root come to take away records? What exactly were they trying to hide?
"We need to go back inside and see what was taken," Sai continued, turning to Sakura who watched the cloud of smoke still leaking from the doorway.
"Well unless someone has a wind jutsu up their sleeve, we're not getting inside until the room is aired out. Grab some fans, Sai, you're coming with me."
"I'll come too," the guard volunteered, and they took off together after soaking some more cloths and holding them against their faces.
And then it was just me and Kiba, sitting across from each other in the corridor.
He looked pissed.
"You okay?"
His eyes were bloodshot from the smoke bomb and his irritation was palpable as he wiped down Akamaru's face.
"M'fine."
His gaze avoided mine and we sat in awkward silence, him fussing over his dog as I sipped water until Sakura returned.
She paused when she noticed us sitting in silence.
"Everything okay?"
Kiba was up on his feet in an instant. "Perfectly fine. Let's just get this over with."
He stormed past her, Akamaru whining at his heels.
Sakura turned to me for an answer.
I shrugged before getting to my feet. "I have no idea what crawled up his ass."
It wasn't entirely true. Kiba had seemed upset after I'd told him about Ryo, but was that really the reason behind his anger?
Her brows knotted with worry. "Maybe he's still upset with me because I left him behind."
"I'll talk to him," I reassured her as we headed back to the office. "Although he has a point. We need to get this over with and hurry back to Konoha."
We walked back inside, the stench of smoke still heavy in the air but no longer stinging my eyes and throat. The Hyuuga guard and Sai were hunched over the remaining stacks of paper on the desks while Kiba rifled through the cabinets.
"What name were you looking for?" the guard asked us.
"Taketori Ryouta," I answered. "He came here about two years ago with his older brother. I'm looking for his brother, but I don't know his name."
The guard turned to the other desk, sorting through some scrolls. "Taketori, you say?"
I peered over his shoulder watching him run his finger down a huge list of handwritten names. The record-keeping seemed quite meticulous if outdated.
"In the past couple of years, there have been six Taketori," he confirmed.
My face dropped. Six? We don't have time to go around the whole prison to meet all six!
"Two were released, one died, one is a woman and the other two are still here."
"Oh." I felt a little overwhelmed by all the information thrown at me. What if Ryo's brother had already been released, or worse, died?
"Kiba, take Gaijin with you and go meet the two remaining Taketori," Sai ordered, turning to the dog nin, who stood against a filing cabinet, arms crossed. "Ugly and I will stay here and gather whatever information we can about the others."
The Inuzuka nodded. "What about the one that died? Perhaps we can talk to his cellmates."
"He died earlier this summer," the guard answered, checking his name on the list. "The flu, apparently."
The flu? In summer?
I exchanged a look with Sakura who looked just as skeptic as I did.
The Hyuuga scribbled down all the information and went to hand it over to Kiba. "Here are all 3 cell numbers."
Kiba looked at it and turned to leave. "Let's go."
He whistled to Akamaru who jumped to attention. I breathed hard, annoyed by his attitude as I slipped on my jacket. At least our little excursion around the prison would give us a chance to talk alone.
The guard turned to Sai, a disapproving look on his face. "She shouldn't go down to the cells, it's not safe for kunoichi."
I blinked at him. "Why not? Aren't the criminals locked up?"
"Yes, but the presence of a woman… it might cause trouble," he added, his pale eyes looking over my black shorts and boots, a tinge of red appearing in his cheeks. "At least let me go with you."
"We need you here to assess which documents have been taken," Sai argued before turning to Sakura. "Perhaps Ugly should go instead. I doubt her presence would stir any trouble."
A sudden silence followed Sai's tactless comment.
Uh oh.
I watched as Sakura's jaw dropped open in shock before her face morphed into pure rage.
"No need!" I intervened quickly, stepping between the two. "I'm perfectly capable of handling a bunch of horny locked up prisoners. Besides, Kiba will be with me. We'll be back before you know it."
I gave my best reassuring smile and left before Sai's mouth caused any more trouble, following Kiba out.
"Phew, that was close," I whispered, and he snorted beside me.
The torches along the corridor cast eerie shadows along the cavernous walls and soon we reached the top of a large staircase leading down to the cells.
The air was chilly, and I suddenly wished I had worn pants and a long-sleeved shirt instead.
"You ready?" Kiba asked as Akamaru trotted down the steps first.
I took a deep breath, praying we would find Ryo's brother soon. "Yeah."
Fortunately, the staircase and rows of cells below were well-lit and not as creepy as I had first imagined. Unfortunately, the Hyuuga guard had been right, as soon as the prisoners caught sight of me, the catcalls and whistles began.
"Hey baby, why don't you come over and play?"
"Let us show you a good time!"
Kiba tensed, the endless comments riling him up. I nudged him with my shoulder. "Just ignore them. Don't pay any attention."
"Let's check the two prisoners alive first, their cells are closer," he answered with grit teeth and we made our way down the rows of cells, shouts and whistles echoing all around us.
"How can you stand it?" Anger filtered through Kiba's voice as he turned to me.
I wrinkled my nose. The air was humid and stunk of mold the further we went. "What?"
"All the hounding," he exclaimed, shooting a couple of prisoners making crude remarks a dark look. "It's… it's…"
"Degrading?" I suggested. "Yeah, welcome to being a girl. But seriously this isn't any different from a Friday night out at a bar or a club with my friends – especially if I'm wearing a dress or a skirt."
Kiba scoffed again but kept quiet as we reached the first cell.
"This one," he announced, double-checking the number.
I peered through the steel bars at the prisoner inside. A tall, muscled man with long, dirty blond hair and a mustache appeared.
"Taketori-san?"
The man crossed his arms over his chest, biceps bulging. "Who's asking?"
I pinched my lips. Here goes nothing.
"I'm from Konoha. I have news about your sibling," I answered, deliberately keeping it vague.
"Sibling?" The man gave me a once over before leaning against the bars, staring me down. "I'm all ears, sweetheart. Why don't you come inside and we'll have a nice chat?"
Kiba growled in warning. "That's not happening."
Hands on my hips, I stood my ground. "Why don't you tell me more about your sibling? Am I here for your brother or sister?"
The man gave a crooked smile revealing a nasty set of teeth. "My sister."
I smirked in return. "Wrong answer."
The prisoner's blond brows creased in displeasure. "Why you little -"
Kiba pulled me away by the elbow before he could try to lunge for me through the bars. "Let's try to next one."
I nodded, following behind him as the prisoner hurtled a bunch of insults our way.
"Fucking creep," Kiba whispered under his breath. I noticed his whole posture was still tense.
"What's going on with you?" I asked, patting Akamaru's head in reassurance. "You've been in a shitty mood since we left."
He didn't look my way, keeping his eyes on the piece of paper with the cell numbers instead.
"Is it because of what I said? With my teammate? That we… you know-"
"Slept together?" he cut in, his gaze levelling with mine before he ran a hand through his hair. "No, it's not that."
A sense of relief rushed through me. "Ok, then what is it?"
"It's this," he answered, waving a hand towards the cells. "Root, the upcoming war, the damned bridge – all of it!"
There was a hard edge to his voice as he spoke. "You kept me in the dark about it all. First Sakura drugged us to rush off and find Sasuke by herself, and then I wake up and you're there somehow and no one's talking and it's obvious you're all hiding secrets and it's driving me nuts!"
"Kiba-"
He stopped short, the red triangles on his cheek appearing like fresh blood in the torchlight. "I was your friend. Your first friend. Akamaru saved you from the river and I was the one who rushed you to hospital and saved your leg!"
I looked back at him in astonishment. Of course… Of course, I knew all that. Didn't he know how grateful I was for his help?
"I was the one who was there for you from the start and now you won't tell me anything. I didn't even know you were in danger until you showed up during Pein's attack. I didn't even know how bad things were until Sakura told me. Hell, even Sai knew more than I did, and I know you don't like him -"
"Actually, he's growing on me…"
"Don't," he snapped. "It's hard enough seeing Naruto wielding insane power and suddenly turning into the village hero. It's worse realising with my own eyes that you don't even need me anymore."
"Kiba!"
He strode off before I could stop him. "Let's just get this over with."
We reached the second cell in silence and seeing the older man inside, my stomach dropped. He looked too old to be Ryo's brother. I asked my questions anyway and he was much more polite than the other blond creep, confirming what I already knew, he wasn't the right man.
We left again in silence.
I trailed behind Kiba clutching my arms tightly against my chest as I realised there were only two outcomes left – either Ryo's brother was dead, or he had already been released.
"Kiba, wait."
I grabbed the back of his leather jacket and pulled him around.
"I don't want us to fight."
He paused, staring me down. "Then tell me what the hell's going on."
His attitude was starting to grate on my nerves. "You know I can't. Tsunade forbid me. Not to mention Kakashi would have my head."
He raised a brow. "Never stopped you before."
My temper flared. "You know, I'm starting to think maybe Naruto was right. You do spend too much time bitching."
He tensed. "And you've changed."
"Yeah well, try spending a few weeks with Root and see if you don't come out changed."
I brushed past him, intent to get this mission over with. I thought spending some time alone with Kiba would be nice, but clearly, I was wrong.
"I don't mean your skills, I mean… your chakra," he called after me.
I stopped in my tracks.
"It's darker. There's something about you – I don't know what and I guess it's another thing you can't tell me but whatever it is, it's putting Akamaru on edge."
Shit.
I glanced to the large white dog, standing by Kiba's side. Could they really tell with their canine senses that something was wrong with me?
"It's none of your business," I growled, refusing to think about the foreign chakra. "Now where the hell is this cell?"
Kiba huffed at my dismissal before pointing ahead. "Right over there."
I ploughed ahead, ready to get out of this damp cave and head back to Konoha.
"Well, hello there, darling," a deep voice greeted me as I stood before an empty cell.
I turned to the neighbouring one. A tall man with sickly pale skin, short jet-black hair and an eye-patch stared my way.
"Have you come to entertain us?" another voice guffawed behind me.
My anger spiked. Calm down, Luce. Don't lash out at them, you need their help.
"Of course not, you fool," the sickly man answered with a smirk. "They're from Konoha. And they sent an Inuzuka to boot."
The amused look on the man's face didn't fool me. He knew why we were here.
"I have questions about Taketori-san."
He sniffed. "Never heard of him."
Akamaru gave a bark behind me. "He's lying," Kiba added.
My fists clenched in irritation, but I tried my best to sound friendly. "We heard he died earlier this year. We'd be… grateful if you could tell us about him and how he died."
The man's dark eye roamed over me. "How grateful exactly?"
My hand shot out of its own accord, reaching through the bars and grabbing the prisoner's dirty shirt. "How about you answer my questions and I don't put my fist in your face," I snarled, close enough that the rancid smell of his clothes hit my nose.
His grin grew larger. "Oooh, feisty."
"Lucy!" Kiba pulled me back before I could hit him, shooting the man a dark look. "Just answer her questions."
With exaggerated movements, he adjusted his shirt as if he were wearing silk instead of rags. "Why do you want to know about him anyway?"
"I have news of his family," I spat out. "Depending on if it's the right Taketori."
The man froze, the smirk dropping from his lips. "You mean, Ryouta? You have news of his brother?"
My heart sank and all the tension left my body.
Oh God.
We had come to the right cell. Ryo's brother was dead…
"You know Ryouta?" I asked in a whisper.
"We grew up together, him, me and Daiki – that's his brother's name… or was. How is that idiot, Ryouta? Last I heard he was training in Konoha. Hoping to become a shinobi."
I felt numb.
"I… He…. Ryo – Ryouta's dead." I watched as his face turned to shock. "He was killed on a mission. I – I came here looking for his brother. Is he… is Daiki really dead?"
The prisoner's stare dropped to the ground. "Yes."
I was at a loss for words.
All that time Ryo had believed his brother to be alive and well when the man had already been dead for months. He had spied on me for Danzou hoping to meet his brother sooner when all of it had been for nothing.
It was all so… twisted. So wrong!
And Danzou – the thought of him made my blood boil.
I strode past Kiba and Akamaru, choosing to walk away as that tight ball of anger in my chest began to grow and spread.
Fucking Danzou – all that time he had known! He had known what had happened to Ryo's brother and still he had used him to manipulate poor Ryo.
Just like I had predicted.
I swore loudly, kicking at the wall in anger. If Sasuke hadn't already killed him, I would have killed the bastard myself!
"How did he die?" Kiba's voice echoed down the corridor. "The guard said it was the flu."
The prisoner spat on the ground. "The guards don't know shit."
I stilled at his words.
"What do you mean?" Kiba continued.
"They come here every so often, looking for people with skills. For fighters and then they take them to the Reaper and no one ever returns."
"They? The guards?"
The prisoner scoffed. "Not the guards. The masks."
"Root?" I whirled around, hurrying back to his cell like a fury.
The sickly man nodded. "The guards don't know half of what the masks do to us."
Oh my god….
Kiba looked completely taken aback by the prisoner's revelations.
My anger grew ten-fold and something shifted in the air. The prisoner's one eye grew wide.
"Hey lady -"
"Where did they take him?" I demanded, gripping the bars of his cell. "Where did they take Daiki?"
The prisoner stumbled backwards. "To the Reaper. Please, I don't want any trouble. If he knows I spoke to Konoha, he'll come for me too. He's always in need of bodies for his experiments."
Experiments? Human experiments? Who is he talking about?
I turned to Kiba, who was lost in thought until the answer hit us both at the same time.
My gut clenched.
The dog nin spoke first. "You don't mean…?"
"The Snake Sannin, Orochimaru," the man confirmed in a whisper as if the very walls were listening in. All I could do was stare at him in disbelief and horror as he spoke. "He has a deal with Danzou. He gives him information as long as Danzou provides prisoners for his experiments. Please, that's all I know! Don't ask me anymore!"
He retreated to the far back of his cell as I stared into the darkness, vague memories of human prisoners inside of Orochimaru's hideouts coming to the surface.
No…
Ryouta's brother had been one of those prisoners.
Sold off like a lab rat.
No!
Something inside me snapped.
Rage flooded through me and sharp pain spread through my chest. I gripped the bars, welcoming the scorching chakra searing within me.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, Akamaru barked.
Danzou hadn't just lied to Ryo – he had sold his brother to Orochimaru for his twisted experiments! And poor Daiki had probably died in some horrible manner, tortured to death by Orochimaru or Kabuto.
"Lucy!" Kiba's voice rang out.
Those assholes!
How many lives have they destroyed? Danzou's dead. Orochimaru is supposedly dead.
But Root is still around.
I pushed off the cell, no longer seeing my surroundings – only tracking with my senses for two chakra signatures.
Dajimu. The Bird guy. They're trying to cover up Danzou's deal with Orochimaru.
I can track them.
I can still find them and make them pay.
"Lucy, calm down!"
I can burn them to a crisp.
A hand gripped me.
I lashed out, kunai in hand aiming for the throat.
Dark brown vertical pupils, wide with fear, crossed my gaze and for a split second, I hesitated.
A beast snarled, and without warning, I was thrown to the ground, a row of knives puncturing my arm.
I screamed.
"Akamaru!"
The sharp pain brought me back to my senses and I dropped the blade. Akamaru's teeth sunk deeper into my skin as he growled above me, hackles raised, and lips, smeared with blood, curled back in anger.
What the- ?
I lay still, trying to comprehend what had happened as Kiba gripped Akamaru's fur.
"Enough, let her go!"
The white beast backed off, releasing my shredded forearm and I scrambled away towards the opposite wall.
Kiba was freaked out. "Lucy-!"
"No!" I warned him, holding a hand up. "It's ok, I'm ok, just stay away. Please, stay away."
Oh my God.
I gasped for breath, trying to restrain the foreign chakra and my racing heart.
I had let my anger get the better of me again. I had let the dark chakra take over and this time, I hadn't even realised it. I had wanted to kill again – and I had almost killed Kiba!
My hands shook as the reality of what I had almost done sunk in. Fresh blood poured from my wounds and I shrugged off my jacket, wrapping it gently over my arm.
Kiba was pale with shock. "We need to get you to Sakura."
I nodded and he paused, waiting for me to follow him by myself.
"What the hell happened?" he asked, panic in his voice. "What was that… that chakra?"
"I don't know," I answered truthfully, my voice shaking as I got to my feet. "But it keeps happening. And I can't control it."
"It's okay," he tried to reassure me, although I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was just as shook as I was. "It's going to be ok. Let's go find Sakura."
He gave me one last look before heading back down the corridor of cells, sending Akamaru ahead, away from me.
I trailed behind him with a heavy heart.
As we made our way back to the staircase, the prisoners around us remained hidden and silent.
..~**~..
Sakura didn't say a word as she healed me.
I sat on the wooden chair in the empty office in silence, trying not to wince as she bandaged my wounds. She had done as much as she could with chakra – the rest would have to wait until we reached Konoha.
"I can't believe Akamaru did this to you," she finally spoke, her voice betraying her worry. "I've never seen him attack a Konoha shinobi. Ever."
"I almost killed Kiba," I admitted in a low voice. "I don't even know how it happened…"
Her hands froze at my confession and a long silence followed before she picked up the bandage again and tied the ends together.
"Was it the black chakra?"
I nodded, not trusting my voice. I was exhausted and emotional. Losing my temper twice in the day had zapped all my energy and I could barely stand on my feet.
Mint green eyes flitted to mine. "Don't worry. Shishou will know what to do."
I doubted Tsunade would have a clue about what was wrong with me, but hoped Sakura was right.
"Did you and Sai find anything useful?" I asked, hearing several voices down the corridor.
Sakura's smile faltered. "Not much. Root did a good job clearing out the records."
Knotting some bandages together, she fashioned a sling for me and helped me adjust it around my neck and arm.
"Thanks."
I gave her a tight smile. The trip back to Konoha was going to be rough with a wounded arm.
Just as she left, a low voice called out, "Are you okay?"
I turned to Kiba standing in the doorway, Akamaru at his heel.
"I'll be fine." I showed him my bandaged arm for effect. "Sakura patched me up."
He nodded, his eyes not quite meeting my own.
"Kiba, I'm so sorry," I apologised in a tight voice. "I shouldn't have gotten angry like that-"
"Akamaru's sorry too," he answered, an unusual solemn look on his face. "He shouldn't have attacked you. He's not supposed to attack fellow shinobi."
The huge beast gave a whine and took a small step towards me, head bowed. I slipped off the chair and knelt down, putting out my uninjured hand towards him.
"It's okay, I'm not mad," I told him gently as he came to lick my hand. "You did the right thing."
I scratched him behind his ears, petting his thick white fur when Sai walked in.
"You ready, Gaijin?" he asked with his usual blank expression. "We need to head back soon."
Although I felt exhausted and my chakra was almost depleted, I stood up and gave him a nod. "Ready when you are."
..~**~..
The sky was bleeding orange-pink by the time Naruto made it to the village gates.
Kakashi stood perfectly still, watching the road ahead with Genma by his side. Sensing his student's presence, he sighed. "Naruto, I told you to wait until morning."
It had been pure luck that Naruto had spotted his sensei by Ichiraku's when Sai's message had arrived. The slight furrowing of silver brows had told him everything he needed to know, but despite his pestering, his sensei had merely told him to go home and come back in the morning.
"I want to see her," the blond insisted and the two jounin turned towards him.
The long-haired jounin twisted the senbon in his mouth. "Why?"
"Because she's my friend and roommate," the blond answered, standing his ground. "She should stay with me."
Genma's lips curled into a smile. "Oh, she's your friend now?"
Naruto didn't like his tone and noticed for the first time how dishevelled the jounin looked. His bandana sat askew on his head and there was something weird about his shirt. He decided to not push his luck and keep his mouth shut.
Genma's smirk grew and Naruto scowled. He didn't know much about the tokubetsu jounin except that Ero-Sennin had been quite fond of him and would often be out all night drinking with Genma whenever he visited Konoha. The long-haired jounin was rumoured to be ANBU and had been an elite guard to his father during his time as Hokage according to Tsunade. Sakura-chan would no doubt tell him to make more of an effort to make friends, but Neji and Kiba didn't like him much and the jounin's teasing attitude had always rubbed Naruto the wrong way.
"I promised I would keep her safe," the blond finally said, even though he had done anything but since they'd met.
However, all the secrets were out now. The second Naruto had seen Sasuke's brother with Sakura-chan he had understood what Lucy and Baa-chan had kept from him all those months. Everything had suddenly made sense and any trace of anger he had held against the foreign girl had disappeared.
Lucy had saved Itachi.
And Itachi in turn would save Sasuke.
"Naruto," Kakashi began, staring him down. "You saw what happened out there. If you're here to confront her -"
"I'm not," he said firmly. "I just want to make sure she's okay and let her know she can still stay with me."
His sensei exchanged a look with Genma, who shrugged. They turned back to the road as two large white birds appeared in the streaked sky. Landing before the gate, Naruto watched as Sai helped Lucy climb down, her left arm in a sling.
Kiba, Akamaru and Sakura appeared behind them looking unharmed.
As Naruto had expected from Kakashi-sensei's reaction to Sai's message, something had happened.
"Lucy-chan-"
Before he could go any further, Genma's hand pressed down on his shoulder holding him back.
"Let Kakashi do the talking," he said in a low voice.
Naruto stilled, his eyes seeking out his teammates instead. Within seconds Sakura's eyes locked with his and she gave him a faint smile in reassurance.
"Welcome back you four," Kakashi greeted as they reached the gates. "Sai, I got your message. I want your report within the hour, same for you two."
Sakura and Kiba looked less than happy but nodded all the same.
"We'll make sure Lucy gets to the hospital," the silver-haired jounin added and realising they were being dismissed, all three continued down into the crater where the village now stood, Sakura sending Naruto a look which he knew all too well.
Be nice …
Lucy looked terrible. She had dark circles under her eyes, her tanned skin was unusually pale and her black jacket was covered in dark stains that Naruto recognised as blood.
"Welcome back, Lu-chan," Genma greeted with a large grin. "Looks like you got yourself into another mess."
She gave her sensei a rare smile before turning to Kakashi.
"What happened?" the Copy Ninja asked, his one eye taking in her bandaged arm.
Her green eyes flicked to Naruto before she answered. "I attacked Kiba,"
She dropped her gaze, brushing strands of hair out of her face before fiddling with her bandage. "I lost my temper again. I got angry and next thing I knew I almost slashed Kiba's neck with my kunai."
Kakashi and Genma exchanged a look while Naruto's eyes grew wide. She almost killed Kiba? How? Why?
"Akamaru stopped me," she added, lifting her wounded arm. "I think he reacted on instinct to the… chakra inside me."
She looked defeated and wouldn't look any of them in the eye as if she were expecting the worst.
Kakashi stood before her and clasped a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it tonight, let's get you patched up and we can discuss it further in the morning. Tsunade-sama wants to see you first thing."
Lucy perked up at the news. "She's awake?"
"Yes, since last night, but she's still recovering."
"That's great to hear." She stifled a yawn. "Sorry."
"Naruto, take Lucy to the hospital, would ya?" Genma asked, his attention still on his student. "We'll catch up with you later."
"Let's go, Lucy-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, glad to get away.
She nodded and they left together. She followed him at a distance as they walked down into the crater. Naruto glanced over his shoulder wondering if she was still upset with him, but soon realised she was simply too tired to keep up with his fast pace.
"Wow, look at that." She stared at all the wooden buildings forming the new Konoha. "I hadn't noticed all these buildings when I left."
"It's great, isn't it?" Naruto agreed. "They even rebuilt Ichiraku's."
"I bet that's the first place you visited," she teased. "We'll have to go sometime."
His heart lifted at her words. If she offered to eat ramen with him, then surely they were friends once again?
He slowed down, waiting for her to catch up so they could walk side by side. The usual construction cacophony had died down as the sun set and only a handful of villagers were still out. They greeted Naruto warmly, but seemed wary of his companion.
"Ne, Lucy," he began as they turned into an empty street that led to the hospital. "I'm sorry about what I said. Back in my tent. I didn't mean what I said – I don't really want you to leave me alone. It was actually nice to have someone live with me. It was nice to have someone there every time I came home."
He paused, trying to find the right words. "It was more than nice. It was... something I had always dreamed of. Thank you for what you did – you know… cleaning my apartment and cooking for me – you even made awesome pancakes! And I didn't do anything to help you…. I think maybe I didn't help because…. I didn't want you to leave."
Lucy had stopped in her tracks as he spoke. When he looked up, he noticed her eyes shone brightly with tears. Noticing his stare, she looked away quickly wiping her eyes.
"Well, now you've done it and made me cry," she joked in a tight voice.
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. They took off again and after a moment, she glanced his way eyes red with tears and fatigue. "I'm sorry too. Really, I am. I'm sorry for all the secrets. I didn't like keeping everyone in the dark, but I did what I thought was best. Now though… after what happened at the bridge… I don't know if I made the right choices. Perhaps you were right to get mad."
She clutched her small jacket tight to guard herself against the cool wind.
Naruto stared at her incredulously. "Are you kidding? You saved Asuma-sensei. You saved Itachi and reunited him with Sasuke!"
"Yeah, I guess," she conceded with a smile. "But then again, Madara…"
She paused, her brows knitted together. "Naruto, he knew. About me. About Itachi. About… well everything! That was never in my visions – and now I can't stop thinking that maybe – maybe everything I've done so far has only helped further his plans."
Naruto could tell the thought had been eating her up inside ever since they had left the bridge. Having confronted Pein and met his father recently, he could begin to understand how the weight of responsibility and guilt could crush a person.
And the weight on Lucy's shoulders had been crushing her for months. She needed her friends more than ever.
"No. That's not true." He slipped in front of her, forcing her to stop. "Because he still needs Kyuubi and your power for his plans and as long as we're here, together with everyone, we won't let him win. I won't let him win. You can count on me, Lucy-chan. You're not alone. I promise I'll do everything I can to protect you and everyone else, and I never go back on my word."
She stared back at him, speechless.
His face broke into a grin and he held out his fist towards her. After a moment, she rolled her eyes and bumped her fist with his. They took off again towards the hospital.
"Was that your big hero speech?"
"You better believe it!"
She scoffed. "You're such a dork."
"Hey! At least I made an effort to look presentable to come pick you up like you taught me. Your sensei didn't even try."
"Pfff, that one is a lost cause. His shirt was inside out, did you notice?"
"Of course, I'm a ninja! Do you think it's because he was sleeping all day?"
"Not sleeping, Naruto…"
"Then what was he doing? Ne, Lucy-chan, what was he doing?"
..~**~..
..~**~..
The humans came again.
With swords, and spears, and arrows.
Fire pelted down from the dark sky, falling without relent. And among the stream of fire, the White Lady ran towards us.
"Help her!"
The Tree was upset. It cried out with every arrow aimed at the lady from the sky.
"Please, Bird. Help her!"
And so I helped. Because I loved the Tree dearly and the Tree loved me. Cherished me and made me fire.
I swooped down from the tallest branch into the night and soared towards the human army. I swallowed the fire from their arrows. I ate and ate and my body grew, fire all-consuming until the humans shrieked in terror and I burned them all to a crisp.
The White Lady ran towards the Tree, tears in her eyes, and the Tree welcomed her. And fed her the fruit. The shining fruit it had allowed me to peck all those years ago.
"Tree, Bird, you have saved me," she thanked us. "I owe you my life and I will protect you forever more."
The skies opened and the moon turned red, but I was not afraid because the White Lady was my friend.
The humans disappeared, wrapped in the branches of the Tree. How we laughed at them. Pitiful humans who came with swords and spears and thought they could break us.
The White Lady was too strong for them now. She offered the energy of the soldiers to the Tree and wiped the memory of all the others.
"I will control the land," she told us. "I will protect you both and feed you so that we may grow strong together."
At dawn the White Lady was gone, and the Tree wept and wept. But she kept her word. She sent humans to the Tree, who wrapped them within its roots and branches and drank their energy.
The White Lady nourished us like her children. Loved us like her children and protected us like her children.
The Tree was my friend, but the White Lady was our mother.
And then everything changed when her sons discovered us.
..~**~..
Oohh, sounds rather daunting. These dream sequences are a bit vague and lyrical on purpose, but hopefully they will start to make sense.
Next chapter will bring Tsunade back, the war will draw closer and someone else will find out the truth about Lucy. I might even add a snippet showcasing Sasuke and Itachi :) They will reunite with Lucy soon, promise!
Happy New Year to you all! I hope 2021 will improve for everyone and as always, let me know what you thought in a REVIEW!