Things were much worse for Isae when she regained consciousness. Apparently, she was too weak to return to the safe haven of the Shadow Realm. She wasn't entirely sure where she was but among the surrounding haze, she saw glimpses of both Realms, had she slipped in between them? Is that even possible? She had tried to claw her way through by brute force but to no use. She was trapped but that wasn't her only dilemma. She clutched at her chest as sharp pangs crackled with dark energy. Her fractured Soul Blade was unbalanced in power as it warred within her. Had that been the boy's plan all along? Tear her apart from the inside out? She trembled at the strength of his resolve; she had never seen the like before. Humanity was weak; that was a fact. She grit her teeth as she tried to overpower it, force him out. But it flared up with sharp memories.
I can't lose you again.
I was supposed to save you.
Isae…I know that you're still in there. Don't give up!
It released a flood of other memories in another time and place. There had been a connection between them. He clearly knew her. How long had he been searching? She hung her head in shame. She couldn't face the weakness she'd struggled so desperately to hide: her humanity. She had done everything to kill that part of herself and thought she'd succeeded too. But she couldn't escape the reminders that haunted her. Even that Aburame girl had pricked her conscious.
Don't you know what that's like? To care about someone more than yourself?
She roared, channeling her fury into a demonic blast of energy. She was going to escape this nightmare! Instead it cleared the misty haze and she found herself all alone in an infinite void. The emptiness made her shudder at her own insignificance. But that wasn't true. She was His Right-Hand, equal in purpose and blessed in power due to His favor. She was The Vengeful and her duty was clear. She flinched as her chest tightened sharply at another memory.
We're in this together, whether you like it or not…
His strength felt suffocating and she struggled to suppress it.
I can be every bit as stubborn as you are.
It was no use. She couldn't block him out and she sank to her knees in weary defeat. In the early days of her instruction, Teruo had mentioned that all actions should be part of ones resolve. That true strength lies in purpose. Was the problem that her resolve was weak? She grimaced as she carefully withdrew her Soul Blade, cradling it carefully in her claws. Thin silver lines streaked throughout the smooth ebony. She frowned curiously at its surprisingly flawless beauty. It wasn't what she was expecting at all. Far from clashing resolutions, it was almost as if…they were similar. A common purpose. She blinked slowly as it began to dawn on her. Could it be…that they were connected?
Wait…wasn't there a promise too? One that she hadn't felt ready to commit to, but that hadn't made it any less binding. Interestingly the silver lines continued to spread. That made her instantly suspicious. How could she trust this to be genuine? What if it was just a jutsu meant to dominate her by luring her into a false sense of comradery? Now that's just silly, she rolled her eyes. Don't assign him more credit than is due. What bothered her the most was that his resolve appeared to be stronger than her own. Why is that? Mine should have been superior one. She bristled irritably. It wasn't fair! She had worked so hard to make Him proud and to do her duty as His Right-Hand. Why was it…that it wasn't enough? It was all so frustrating.
With no easy answers, she turned her thoughts back to the boy. She knew him…but his name was lost to her, buried in the past she had tried to forget. But his hold on her appeared stronger than that. Who was he? She looked down at her Soul Blade and once again marveled at the fused resolve. Could it be, that they were similar in nature? She thought back to the confrontation when his will was made known to her.
Desperation to save…a drive to protect…something worth saving…
They did have that in common, but why should he feel the need to save her? What from? She had everything she wanted in both power and position, even if she felt lacking occasionally in ability. She was proud…and yet…here in solitude she felt so hollowed out. Something felt off. Was it the boy, or was it just her? Her bitter scowl falter to a solemn frown. How is one to make sense of all of this?
The ANBU Second Division was promptly alerted to the devastation of Akiyama Village and was set to deploy. Shizako quickly took inventory of her shinobi tools before packing them, so methodical that it did little to distract her. Her fingers twitched in anticipation, eager to be on the move. She knew that she shouldn't get her hopes up, but it was so hard not to. This could be it. This could be the encounter they've been waiting years for. She quickly packed her supplies and secured her Wolf mask over her face. "This is it. It's time."
"I doubt it," a familiar voice grumbled bitterly. She flinched at its unfamiliar coldness and turned to confront her former teammate. Satoru stood just outside her tent with his arms folded stubbornly across his chest.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" She countered.
"I just don't think its wise to get your hopes up, that's all."
"Oh no you don't, that's not all that's on your mind," she stormed up to him and jabbed him in the vest. "Spit it out already."
He pushed her hand aside. "It doesn't matter, its time to get going." He sheathed his tanto blade as he turned his back to her.
She caught hold of his shoulder firmly. "Satoru…you haven't forgotten our goal, have you?" His sudden coldness was worrisome. "To bring our friend home? She needs us and we're the only ones-"
He looked at her from over his shoulder. Even with the Bear mask on, she could sense the severity of his glare. "Stop it! Haven't you had enough already?" He growled. She froze, rocked to the core. They'd been in this together with the same goal. How could he give up already? Sharing the heartache together had made the treachery bearable and she couldn't imagine shouldering it alone now. He sighed as he turned back towards her. "I want her back as much as you do. It's just that…no matter how many times we do this, I just can't stomach the sight. So much blood and gore and the god-awful smell! It's the work of a depraved monster!" She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. He wrung his hands as he pressed on, "The blood seeps into every pore so that the stench remains! It won't wash off! Even if we did save her, we can't save her from her sins! It's naïve to think we could just wrap a bandage on that in the name of friendship!"
Just then their superior Yui Matsuda approached them. "What is taking so long? Move out!"
"Yes Commander!" They said in unison as they fell in rank with their comrades. The squardron set out at full speed, leaping from branch to branch. Shizako felt her stomach knot uneasily. She knew there was truth to what he was saying, but she still couldn't bring herself to agree. Was it just plain old stubbornness? She didn't want to give up, but how can you save the unredeemable? What about Shino? It's been several months since she'd last seen him. Had he given up too?
"Hey, listen," Satoru fell into step beside her. "I'm sorry about earlier."
She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. You're right-"
"But so were you," he reassured as he squeezed her hand. "We shouldn't give up on her."
"But it won't come easily," she agreed. "And maybe we really can't save her in the end."
"Maybe not," he nodded. "But it's not over yet." He gave a cheeky wink and smirk that made her smile. In that moment she felt grateful that their team hadn't truly dissolved. It suffered a loss from the third but still they were an awesome pair together. As the squad's speed began to slow down her attention was directed forward. She flinched at the initial devastation of the main gate at the village entrance. The large heavy timber scattered about like chopsticks, with great splinters cracked along the surrounding walls. No matter how times she's seen the like its still an awful sight to behold. Satoru grumbled bitterly about the stench as he pulled his scarf up higher.
Their superior quickly divided the squadron into their usual roles: Recover, Evacuate, Containment & Purging of any remaining demonic influence. That applied to both environmental and physical. Dealing with the few half-cursed who survive the feeding frenzy was truly the worst. There was no recovering from that. Mercy came in a swift death that had initially been denied them. The only real consolation was that they weren't in their right mind in the end. She and Satoru turned to join the Evacuate Team when they were stopped.
"Hold up now, you've been requested elsewhere." She gestured for the pair to follow her. They knew better than to ask any questions. She was a tight-lipped sort of leader, besides this was the sort of mission that the less you know the better. As they made their way through the wreckage at the front, Shizako kept her eyes down as best she could. She'd seen enough to know what to expect by this time. It didn't block out the gory stench though and she did her best to gag it down.
As they went further up the interior of the village thankfully the air was fresher here, but she still didn't dare to look up.
"This area doesn't look too bad," Satoru remarked with a low impressed whistle. "Was the attack thwarted?"
"Another shinobi team was assigned to defend this household, Team Eight." They both stopped short, a change Yui noticed. "Something wrong?" She asked coolly.
"Any casualties?" Shizako blurted out as her throat tightened.
"None whatsoever." They both sighed audibly which made her forehead crease in exasperation. "You ought to know better than to assume anything else just yet. Death may be final but there's peace in it." She turned at Kurenai's approach and gave a curt bow of the head in greeting.
"I must confess that I didn't expect such a quick response time," Kurenai said as she ran a hand through her tousled hair. Shizako noticed it shaking slightly and didn't think any less of her because of it.
"We were already en route when I received your missive. This is Shizako Nara and Satoru Hatake, as requested."
Kurenai stiffened in surprise. "Wait…Isae Inuzuka was your teammate, wasn't she?" They nodded solemnly. She frowned suspiciously. Why had Shino requested them specifically? The only connection they shared was that traitor. How did demons tie into this? She shook her head to clear out the troubling thoughts. "This way then," she beckoned them to follow her.
"Report to the main gate when you've finished here," Yui instructed as she turned away.
"Is Shino alright?" Shizako asked worriedly as they caught up.
Kurenai flinched at the informality of her address. "I take it that you're all good friends?"
"Well…yeah. I'd like to think so," Satoru said frankly.
She hesitated at the door. "Then I suggest that you brace yourself. He is not himself at the moment."
The two exchanged puzzled looks before crossing the threshold. It was a small room, most likely meant for storage. Stuff was strewn about haphazardly, so it was hard to see through the clutter. It was dark apart from thin streaks of light through cracks in a boarded-up window. They stood still as they looked about in the gloom, hands near their weapons strapped at their side. A sniffle alerted them in the corner of the room. They turned to see Shino seated cross legged on the floor. His shoulders drooped with his head bowed. He looked disheveled and reeked of blood, like something had chewed him up and spat him out. He grabbed hold of a kunai from his pouch and thrust it towards his chest.
They cried out as they lunged forward to stop him. Shizako had her hand on his before she realized that it didn't pierce him, a hole had opened, buzzing and bristled around the edges. It must be an Aburame defense.
"What the hell?" Satoru hissed in disbelief.
"As you can see, I cannot kill myself." Shino said wearily as he let the kunai slip through his fingers. He looked up at them. Even with his eyes hidden behind dark shades, tears stained his cheeks. "You will have to do so for me."
"Don't be stupid, we'd never do that," She huffed irritably at the close call. That definitely rattled her.
"Even when I killed Isae?" He asked in a haunted tone. His face screwed up and he folded into himself. He covered his face shamefully. His shoulders shook from the effort it took to suppress his sobs. Satoru was utterly dumbfounded but Shizako reached out for the anguished Aburame. He shoved her hands roughly away, but she wasn't deterred. She pulled him into her arms and held him tightly, anticipating resistance. To her surprise, he collapsed in her arms. She shifted her grip on him to check his pulse.
"He's not dead is he?" Satoru asked.
It fluttered faintly under her fingertips. "No but he's definitely not well. Help me get him on his feet."
They wrapped his arms across their shoulders and hauled him out the door. His own teammates had been pacing outside and rushed towards them.
"What did you do to him?" Kiba growled as he raised a fist.
Hinata pulled his arm back. "Don't Kiba, they're-"
"We're taking him back to ANBU Headquarters." Shizako said, directing her comment past them to their approaching Sensei.
"He needs treatment before interrogation," she gently contradicted, trying to respect their position as she worried about her student's wellbeing.
"We have someone best suited to the job to meet his needs," she tried to reassure her without giving away sensitive information. After all, Mikka Aburame was still on record as missing in action. "And please send word for Ozuru Nara to report as well."
She frowned at that as she recognized that name in connection with the Intelligence Division. Wasn't he one of the men who interrogated Shino on his disastrous return? Again, she felt something gnaw at her insides. What was her student getting himself into here?
"We don't have time to waste," Shizako pressed for her permission.
Kurenai nodded silently and didn't turn as they hurried past her. She felt her heart sink as she realized that she still had to inform Shibi what happened. His rage and despair had left a clear impression on her memory from the last time she had given a similar report. All Shinobi face the same peril on every mission, it was a shame that children couldn't entirely be spared. Kiba made to follow but she caught hold of his shoulder to restrain him. "Don't."
"We can't just-" He protested.
"It's out of our hands now. Leave them to their task." She noticed Hinata watch after them with her hands clasped worriedly against her chest. With a sad smile, she took hold of her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Try not to worry, I'm sure Shino will be alright."
"So now what do we do now?" Kiba huffed as his stubbornly shoved his hands into his pockets. He didn't mean to pout but he didn't like being left in the dark. Nothing ever fazed Shino but now he didn't recognize him at all. Something really sinister was going on around here.
"We protected the Muzishima Estate and the family will evacuate under ANBU protection. Our work here is done. Its time to head home."