Summary:
Fate and Destiny are petty siblings that are constantly tearing at each other's throats. Fate says what will happen and Destiny what should happen, of course, what will happen and what should isn't always the same thing. Chaos loves to fuck everything up.
The Kanbayashi were supposed to die, wiped out and never mourned because in the eyes of the world, they never existed. That is not what happens, nor what should have happened. An alien creature came for them and burned everything they loved to the ground; Sachi, against all odds, survives when she wouldn't have.
This will change everything.
Welcome, welcome! First of all, thank you for opening this story! Second of all, hi.
This is a complete AU that involves an OC but not a SI. I made this fic in hopes of exploring the Narutoverse and try my best to fill in some blanks and how it might have turned out if things went differently. It got out of hand fast.
Basically, I will follow the major events in canon but I will be filling in the gaps between them. What I'm trying to say is that some things will remain the same but others will change. Sachi will be my main character, and there are some more OC's, but she will act as a way to explain my take on the Narutoverse.
Of course, the whole Kanbayashi AU introduces a whole new clan that will be important in the story, among other things. This part is set around the years before the Third Great War and will continue forward a little bit further. Meaning, Naruto won't be appearing in this part and I will focus on the previous generation (Kakashi's) and everyone in it. Fate is my introduction to my characters and to set the story I want to tell, so the beginning might be a little slow for some.
Please do keep in mind that the Kanbayashi AU is the first part out of a trilogy, and it will be pretty extensive, so try to be patient. English isn't my first language, and I do admit that I might get the grammar or phrasing wrong — since I have no beta— but please do correct me if you spot anything! Feedback and reviews are more than welcome.
Finally, I want to thanks those that are willing to read my first fic and I do hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. ^^
WARNING!: The whole series contains mature language and depictions of violence as well as gruesome scenes. Read at your own discretion.
[Crossposting from AO3. I'm FlyingPancake there, FYI]
THE BEGINNING ARC:
CHAPTER 1: COUNTDOWN
It started as it should.
"Sachi, run!"
The little girl did so, flying through the corridors and sliding off the wooden tiles on sharp turns. She crossed the path of one of her cousins who flattened themselves against the window to allow her to zoom past to get to the bridge in time.
She jumped on the platform making it creak and nearly lose her footing but continuing her chase. The fear of arriving late was greater than plummeting to her death. The bridge connected to the third floor but she didn't have the time to run around the sides of the Heart so she thought of a better route.
The floors with the sleeping quarters surrounded the inner walls of the Heart of the Mother Tree with bridges connecting them not unlike the web of a spider with some of the bridges actually overlapping.
Taking advantage of that, Sachi climbed the rail using her gloves to stick them to the wood and dangle her feet into the air. There was seven feet of distance between the upper and lower bridge and so she jumped, because when one is eight years old they don't believe in death or risks.
Sachi rolled on the lower bridge with a faint pain to the soles of her feet but didn't stop and repeated the process until she cut down her journey in half.
"That's not fair!" she heard someone shout behind her.
"Come on, Michiko." she yelled back as her friend reacher her out of breath "Chika-sama is going to kill us."
The mention of the woman put a shiver down their spines colder than the winter winds. The matriarch of their clan was an old and very wise woman that didn't hesitate to reinforce the rule of outmost punctuality in any of her trainees.
Together they pass the obsidian gates, braided with the equally dark bark of the Mother Tree and squint at the light as they come out of the massive shadow.
Sachi can't help but look away for a second, trying to spot her favourite cousin among the crowd down below. The Heart is at the center of their home and elevated on the stairs of black rock, a pedestal of life and activity.
She focused towards the entrance of their settlement, too far away to tell if the redhead was there or not.
He should have been back by now.
Pulled along by her friend she stopped thinking about the fate of her cousin, who probably just got stuck in one of his travels. Sachi hoped he had many stories to share.
They took their boots at the entrance and Sachi used her scroll to store hers. The School was just like any other building in the Heart, black wood and a tendency to have spikes to decorate the pointy roofs.
As trainees they needed to go to the upper level, where the others must be waiting for them. It was not Sachi's fault, or so she would argue, but she knew that excuses will get her nowhere on Chika-sama's good graces.
They crossed the threshold just as the blaring sound of the horn indicated the start of classes.
"By the skin of your teeth." they heard the deep voice of Chika-sama remark "Again."
They bowed their heads low to avoid seeing the glare directed towards them, waiting for permission to enter. Etiquette was one of the fundamental pillars of being a good Archive, a class course that took a week to complete. It was also a class that could be reinforced at any time. Sachi had already made two months worth of etiquette lessons and still hated it with a passion.
She really didn't want another one.
"Sit down so we can start."
Both of them did so without fanfare, kneeling on the cushions. Sachi let out a silent sigh of relief without breaking form and glanced towards Michiko who was recovering from the close call. Rie patted her on the shoulder.
At her side, Harumi rolled her eyes.
"Today we will be reviewing your roles as trainees for the upcoming festival." Chika-sama began, rearranging her long flowing robes with ease and grace "As you know, the Tókap Cup Ramante will come soon. Care to tell me who the patrons are?"
Harumi and Michiko raised their hands. Chika-sama pointed with a sleeve towards the older girl.
"The Isonash House." Harumi said "They are the ones that are tasked with hunting for the Tókap Cup, the sun, to bring nourishment for the clan."
"Very well. What does it consist of?"
"The hunt will take place in the Needle Forest." Michiko continued as the woman pointed at her "They will have to stalk and chase the beasts and bring their carcasses back to the clan for us to feast on."
"Indeed. What will be your duties, as trainees for the Archive?"
Harumi and Michiko raised their hands again. Sachi stared at the walls. She had recently washed the tapestries as a punishment for coming late the other week. The amount of grime that she had to scrub off — very gently and patiently as Chika-sama told her— , was something out of a horror story.
Speaking of which. Where was Sumi? He should have been back by now, since she knew how much it took to visit Uzushio. A few days were enough to make sure Aunty Yua was healthy and then come back. Maybe this was the year he managed to convince her to assist the Tókap Cup Ramante, since she had been House of Isonash at one point.
A tug snapped her to the front. Rie's hand was as little as she was but with a mighty twist. Chika-sama was eyeing her expectantly.
"As trainees we are expected to set the start of the hunt, as well as wait for their return to honor the animals that they have gathered." Sachi recited from her grandfather's lecture "Aspirants to the Archive must show impeccable behaviour. They have to hold vigil for the hunters, pray for their safe return and accompany the Archive."
Chika-sama's golden eyes, very much like her own, slightly twitched and said "True, but I've asked you what kind of robes you will have to wear." Sachi bit her tongue before she whined "Cooking duty, three hours."
Harumi sent a sly smile towards her. So high and mighty, that one, with her clean record and smug face. The only thing that keeps Sachi from telling her a few truths is that Chika-sama is in a forgiving mood that day and she would not risk having to go through the tapestry cleaning again. Or pruning for the Mother Tree. Or the etiquette lessons.
When Michiko takes the Archive she will burn the memory of her smirk falling off into eternity.
Just a few more years.
Rie tugs at her again, making her glance towards her. No more than six years old, she had the prettiest ribbons braided in her hair, customary of the Asir Rera House, and the biggest heart she had ever met. Rie smiled sweetly at her, attempting to support her in her own way.
Rie was a treasure.
The rest of the class was spent doing the rites and how to bow at exactly eighty-nine degrees to spite Chika-sama. Sachi had been doing this for three years already, being five when she first entered the program.
It only got more boring.
No one cared for the trainees besides betting on who will take the Archive next —a tie between Harumi and Michiko— and when they got to eat some good bear meat, since they were in charge of aiding the Isonash in parting the food.
The horn breaks the monotony four hours later for the change of classes.
"Which one you have, Sachi?" Michiko asked her as they left the upper floor.
"Seals with Susumu-sensei, and then with Hiroto-sensei" Sachi said "You have sewing with Rie, right?"
Rie nodded at her side before Michiko added "Yep, we'll pass the Library later if you want to join us."
Before she answered they saw the walls light up for a second, the seals carved into the wood announcing that something was amiss.
They rushed to the nearest window. Down the stairs leading up to the outer parts of their clan a group of people were gathered. They saw Chika-sama appear in a blink near the commotion, her assistant not far behind.
Sachi saw red hair in a sea of white and she knew.
"Sumi—!"
Just as she realized that her cousin had come back she shivered with a bad feeling. The travelers never activated the seals unless there was an emergency, but Sumi had only gone to visit his parents.
There was blood on the stairs.
In the next second Chika-sama and her assistant sent Sumi away to the hospital, leaving only the confused and baffled clansmen around the steps.
Sachi looked at the blood of his cousin, staining the dark stairs as it dripped on the rock with heavy drops. She couldn't help but think that it resembled a river of crimson but with red, shiny blood.
(It had been an omen.)
.
"A slaughter—"
"Sunk, just like that."
" —all of them"
"Dead."
That was the gossip that Sachi listened to as she peeled tones worth of potatoes.
Sumi had come back from Uzushio with a sword in his side and news of what happened to everyone that lived there.
Had lived there.
Sumi had shown the Archive the memories of his journey, how when he put a foot on the island it was to see the Uzumaki trying to hold the barriers against an entire fleet of Water ships; how he decided to call for reinforcements after he was too injured to fight. The island had sunk by the time he returned.
Sachi had tried finding her cousin. She had sneaked off to his hospital room to talk to him, maybe comfort him, because despite what happened she still considered him her cousin. Instead, Sachi crossed paths with her grandfather, who shook his head.
"Not now, little one" he said to her "Let him grieve"
Two days, Sachi had promised, then she will speak to him.
But, as it was, Sachi didn't have too much time in her hands. The summer hunt was getting near, no one had a breath of respite between the preparations and the excitement. As a trainee she was needed to help the hunters, bring them their cloaks, sanctify their weapons, and many menial things that took every second of her day.
And peeling potatoes. So many potatoes.
"This," Sachi said with a hiss "is the last time I get cooking duty. Ever"
She had mumbled those words every time she ended up on a stool in the kitchens. The cooks had gotten used to her presence to the point that they had etched her name on an apron.
"That's enough, dear." Manami-san told her as she took the baskets with the potatoes "I know you are busy, off you go."
Sachi almost argued because there was still an hour worth of punishment left; looking at Manami-san's easy smile made her nod her gratitude and leave before she changed her mind. Waving her goodbyes she folded her apron neatly; she had things to do.
That was the life of a trainee for the Archive, work, work and more work. Sachi endured it because she had a goal in mind, and she was nothing but not persistent.
She had sacrificed too much to back down.
Michiko was with Harumi, a wonder that both girls weren't at each other's throats but neck deep in an assortment of ribbons and fabrics.
"Sachi!" Michiko greeted "Good you are here, I need you to tell this dimwit that this year we have to wear gold!"
Of course.
Michiko was always sensitive about color coding all their uniforms even though nobody ever even glanced at them; telling her best friend that had proved futile the last hundred times they had the same discussion. Sachi only nods, Michiko smirks at Harumi.
"You only side with her because she's your friend." Harumi huffed.
Sachi took some of the offered ribbons to make a pretty bow "You could be my friend too if you knew how to have a chat."
Harumi spat "I don't want friends like you."
Michiko was more offended than Sachi was. "Rude!" she called after her.
" 's okay"
"No, it's not." Michiko pouted, making her cheeks chubbier "She's always picking at you, but she doesn't know what happened, or why you— argh! Take this." she put a long strip of black fabric into her hands "You don't listen to her, she's just jealous that we are going to be the next Archive."
Sachi ruffled her hair "You are"
Michiko shook her away "We. You will be my assistant and then…"
"The world." Sachi finished for her.
Just a few more years.
"So, gold this year?"
That seemed to brighten Michiko again, prompting her into a long ramble about how gold this time of the year is the best, how it will bring out their eyes so nicely and how they are going to glow.
Sachi listened to her friend go on and on. Michiko was like the sun, bright and warm and so, so cheery. It was difficult to look at her sometimes because she was always so happy, but Sachi still looked at her because she was her best friend and they had a promise to keep.
" —and then I said 'Well, Rie-chan, we can do both', you should have been there, I swear, that kid is so amazing—" Sachi assented when it was due to keep her going while she folded the other garments.
Tomorrow she will find Sumi, because she needed to make sure he was okay. Sachi didn't want him and her grandfather to suffer their loss alone. She knew full well that as trainees they needed to keep their neutrality from the other Houses, to break the bonds that tied to a single branch of the family; but Sachi didn't want the Archive and so she will keep those that mattered to her heart anyway, thank you very much.
But with the preparations… how will she do it? The Isonash House she knew by heart but the hunters would be gathered, an arrow between her eyes won't do her much good. Besides, it was too close from that House, what if they were close? Aunty Yua was immediate family, almost like a sister to her—
" —listening? Gods, Sachi!" two sharp finger snaps were enough to make her come back "What are you planning? I know that look, spit it out."
Sachi gave her an innocent smile. It didn't work.
Michiko was sunny most of the time, just as well as she could bring up a storm at a moment's notice. Sachi learned this very early into their friendship.
"Just worried." she confessed.
Her friend softened. That was something Sachi cherished in her, the easy understanding of what went through her head without the judgement or harsh reprimands.
"Sumi, right?" they had met a few times but Michiko had been Resunotek, sentinels, so they didn't cross paths too often with a traveler like him. Michiko approved of him because he gave them candy from the Continent. "He's grieving, let him heal."
Sachi knew this, and yet—
"You think he will hunt this year?"
That took her off guard. Sumi was Isonash, next in line for House so it was only natural for him to go into the forest to hunt the beasts. He had participated in the summer and winter hunts before she had been born, he was good at it too, with their grandfather so proud of his ways with the bow. Just like his mother, he would say, just as boastful.
But he hadn't grieved then.
"I think so." was her answer "Grandfather will lead the blast of hunters, Sumi will follow if he goes."
Michiko made a few more bows, using her as a model to test the shade of gold "It won't be bad luck, right?" she asked her, unsure "If they go to hunt, grieving?"
Sachi let Michiko tie a bow on top of her head "Nah."
(It was)
"Besides, we haven't fasted for two days so they can bail on us." she joked, Michiko wanted to say something more but decided against. "Grandfather is strong, Sumi is fast, we will be fine."
Michiko finishes tying more ribbons around her fair and hands. "You know them better" she amended "I think this one, hm?" Sachi nodded without glancing at the colors, trusting Michiko's keen eye for fashion. After all, she's the one that dresses her in the mornings.
Sachi's thoughts drifted to her estranged family. They were strong, they were smart, they will get over this.
(It won't be enough)
.
The summer hunt came before Sachi had the chance to find her cousin. Not for lack of trying on her part, since she had tried everything in her book to pass under the radar of Chika-sama to check on him. It didn't happen, mostly because Chika-sama knew better than to let her unsupervised after what happened last year.
Not her proudest moment, especially when she had to wait for her eyebrows to grow back.
The Archive and her trainees, as the tradition goes, are at the front of the procession. Chika-sama is wearing her full attire plus headpiece, the white cloth with the crest of their clan at the back of her head as she marches forward.
The Archive is their guide, so they follow.
The trainees, including Sachi, are just a step behind her carrying the poles with the animal skulls on them. Sachi has the moose, the horns decorated with golden chains and black ribbons. Michiko has the bear this year, with little Rie and Harumi holding the elk and bison together.
Behind them is Sachi's grandfather, Sumi his second. The rest of the Isonash follow, their weapons drawn, catching the sun as they leave the safety of their settlement.
They all have their cloaks and hoods. Summer it might be, but warm it is not.
Here, where the snow is everlasting and the cold is unforgiving, they have found a home. They continue forward, their boots silent over the fine white powder. A good year, clear of storms or hail, no angry winds or watery snow.
The cover of their home gets them to the edge of the Needle Forest. The Archive stops, the rest of their clan fanning out around her. Sachi remains behind her, planting her pole, making the bells chime.
"Isonash." Chika-sama called, Naruhito stepping forward.
Sachi saw her grandfather, tall as a mountain and just as broad. He was wearing his House colors, black and gold, but this time he was wearing a wolf's cape.
Grief, it said.
Naruhito kneeled at Chika-sama's feet, offering her a black knife. She took the blade with practiced movements, poised, calm.
"I give you the blood." she said and pierced one finger "So you may hunt" the blood she smeared on his lips "So you may come to us," her grandfather took the knife back, offering his palms "with meat for life and furs for warmth." she put a circle of blood on his skin "What is your oath?"
"I will hunt." he bellowed, his voice deep and weathered "For meat and for furs, for life and for warmth." he continued, solemn "For those that keep the hearth alive, and for those that are yet to come. I will hunt for those that cannot and lead those that can."
The Archive lifted her head, her pristine white robes fading on the snow beneath, to look at the rest of the House "Who are you?"
"Isonash!" they answered in unison.
"What do you do?"
"Hunt!"
Naruhito got to his feet, the House of Isonash bowing their heads as he turned to meet their eyes.
Sachi saw her cousin amongst the crowd, his red hair difficult to miss even with the hood. She tried shaking the pole a little to get his attention, but it didn't. Sumi was looking at his grandfather, still and straight.
He was wearing a wolf's pelt too.
"Then," Chika-sama prompted " hunt "
The Isonash charged towards the treeline, disappearing between the needles and the mist.
.
Three hours later, Sachi came with a plan.
"Oh no," Michiko whined "not that look again"
"Listen—"
"Oh no."
Sachi glanced around. The rest of the clan was coming to the clearing, men and women, old and young alike, they were there. Soon, all of them will be.
That was her chance.
"Just this once," she haggled "I need to get to him."
Michiko was sporting one of her thunderous frowns "You have responsibilities!" she hissed "Chika-sama will know the exact moment you left— Oh"
"Please—"
"Nu-uh"
"Michiko…"
Her friend shook her head. They were needed to prepare the tables and the huts for butchering the animals. It was tradition for the Archive to bless the carcasses but this year she had insisted on teaching them how to perform the ritual.
"There's still a day until they return, she won't notice."
"She will, she always does." she argued back "Sachi, this one is your worst plan yet."
Sachi put her hands over her heart "I have only good plans."
Michiko gave her an unimpressed look. Sachi reconsidered.
"Okay, I know— no, hear me out. I will only be out for a few hours tops."
"Your plan is to track down your cousin?" she asked, confused "Why?"
She was getting frustrated "Because, he's grieving alone, I need to see him."
"Need is a strong word…"
"Michiko, please."
She faltered. Around them the clan was busy, everyone with something to do. There were knives to be sharpened, food to be brought, people to settle… the summer hunt took several days, no one would be paying attention if someone slipped away.
"You know I've hunted before with Grandfather, I know the Needle Forest like the back of my hand" she had went on hunting trips with the Isonash, her grandfather keen on teaching her how to find food in the harshest of times in case the need arose.
It saved her life, once.
Michiko knew this, she had shown her the memories, but still hesitates. Chika-sama was already on Sachi's case since the beginning of her apprenticeship, the problems that followed afterwards more motives to keep an eye on her.
"You won't get in trouble, I promise."
"You always say that." she sighed "Fine. You promised"
Sachi hugged her tightly "Thank you, thank you, thank—"
"Five hours." she continued "That's all you get. I can keep Chika-sama that long, but not a second more!"
It was a stretch, she will need to hurry. The hunters had a three hour headstart, but she was persistent. She could do it.
She rubbed their noses together, their face paint smudging a little "Get off!" Michiko complained "I spent hours on this!" she was laughing then, as she tickled her.
"Thank you, Michiko" Sachi told her "I'll be back soon"
"You better come back"
"Don't I always?"
Michiko shook her head trying to hide her grin. Sachi and her plans, dangerous combination.
Sachi glanced at her friend, chubby cheeks and round face. Brilliant golden eyes, a blinding smile… she was perfect, she was the best she could hope for.
"Go now, before they notice."
Sachi left.
(It was the last time she saw her)
.
The Needle Forest, as its name would suggest, it is not a forest.
Black, tall spikes break the snow to scratch the sky, needles sprouting from them like bastard branches from a withered tree. There's no foliage or canopies, just bare, dark wood that curls around others to form a maze of thorns.
Sachi is careful when she walks, following the trail of the hunters. Her cloak is thick bear fur, and yet she is still wary of the sharp ends.
The Needle Forest it's not a forest, because it feeds from blood.
Here, where nothing grows, the Needle Forest thrives from the sustenance of its guests. It's a small toll to pay for safety, where humans are as much prey as bears or hares. The Forest is home to everything that seeks refuge from the unforgiving ice planes, including those beings that have been there from the beginning of time, ancient dwellers that take more lives than the beasts or the cold ever will.
The little girl slides down a slope with nothing but a breeze. Young but experienced, she tracks down her family. She knows Sumi's tells, how he favors the bears just as his grandfather.
Sachi wasn't lying when she said she knew the Needle Forest like the back of her hand. She knows where to step to not fall into a tree well and suffocate, what tracks to avoid, how many turns it takes to reach the silent stream in the west or when to double back.
A wind makes her kneel in the snow. You don't fight the climate but yield to its mercy, that's the law in the frozen wastelands. The cold carries a whisper, steps, the familiar snap of a string…
Sachi makes her way back slowly. There is no one ahead but she risks waking those that must rest.
The Needle Forest is not kind; Sachi doesn't expect it to be. She digs her way under a small arch of needles; the snow has been moved and set again. Her grandfather is nothing but cautious.
Above her the dark slender branches cast shadows over her; a clear day, the sun creating spots of blinding light on the ground. She sees a little drop of blood.
Strange.
The hunters know better than to leave a trail of blood. Not even when they kill a beast they leave the blood on the snow; they will bring the animal to the camp to bleed it and then pour the blood for the Mother Tree to feast with them.
Blood on snow attracts predators. That was the first rule that her grandfather taught her, a rule that even those that eat berries and roots follow.
(It was a warning)
Sachi approached silently, wary of her surroundings. There was only black and white, blue for the shadows, gold for the sun. And a drop of red. Perhaps one of the hunters nicked themselves on the needles, maybe it was just a beast that had gotten too close.
The path was too narrow for any of them to pass through, she knew this, yet she insisted that there was a good explanation for why there was blood on snow when it mustn't have been.
She sees no more tracks, the careful steps of her grandfather and cousin stop at the blood. She persists.
(Her curiosity will undo her)
The sun marks three hours into her journey. She will need to go back soon. She should have reached her family long ago, since she knew which route they will take to near the bears. At the back of her mind she feels a strange pressure, an impulse that makes her hair stand on end.
Sachi takes the decision to push further a bit more, she can take the shortcut of the burrows if the need arose. Ahead is only more clean snow, the needles growing thick and dangerously tangled.
Where is her cousin? Her grandfather? They must have known that she was going after them, a hunter knows when they are hunted.
(She was not a hunter)
It's only a coincidence she notices when something is truly wrong. A rain of snow falls on her as she makes her way to the edge of the Forest. When she looks up she doesn't see the owl that shook the needles that made the snow drop, but smoke.
Rich, black smoke clouding the sky. Sachi stares, not understanding, at how the smoke twists to shadow the sun. Fire does not burn in the cold, fire does not burn in the ice and snow.
And yet, it does.
Sachi feels her body shiver, because her instincts tell her to run, that this couldn't be right, that—
She rushes through the Needle Forest, holding her cloak around her to shield her from the sharp ends of the branches. There's a tight panic in her body fueled by her need to know, to understand what was happening around her.
For the first time in her eight years of existence, Sachi sees fire in the snow. It's surreal, absurd, because she is aware of how fire cannot burn on snow, too wet, not enough fuel—
Snow burns around her.
At her right a crackle shakes her awake from her stupor, when she turns she sees a cloak of fur approaching fast. They barrel through a wall of thorns and spines, slipping on the watery snow. Sachi is still frozen in her step when she recognizes who the person is.
Arata, from the Isonash, cousins third removed—
"Sachi!" he calls to her, getting to his feet "Run, child, run—"
Behind him the needles tremble, he makes a sound at the back of his throat that sounds like a strangled scream.
(It is)
Sachi is focused straight ahead, seeing the exact moment when Arata's chest sprouts a hand. Arata takes a breath, or tries to, before glancing back. Sachi follows the strange bulging limb with unseeing eyes.
Behind Arata is a creature darker than the night itself. It has two reflecting pupils where the eyes should have been, a humanoid figure that pulls its arm from the hollow chest of her cousin. He falls to the snow, unmoving.
She looks down at the body, Arata's face with an expression of horror, his eyes wide like saucers. He isn't breathing. Sachi looks up to the creature, hovering at the edge of the little clearing she is in. It quirks its head to the side, then it takes a step.
Sachi watches, transfixed because she feels far away from her body. At her feet there is a body, Arata; he told her to run. The creature takes another step.
A god, it's her first thought, they have enraged a god. It doesn't feel right, she knows her gods, she prays to them.
The second thought it's that it's a demon.
The thing that makes her run is how the alien stopped, straightened its back and smiles at her. It was as if it had cut a gash on its face to let her see two rows of needle sharp teeth.
Sachi runs.
The creature gives chase.
The Needle Forest closes around Sachi as she sprints through the branches. She isn't trying to be silent so she leaves stealth in favour of speed. The creature is hot on her heels, unbothered by the sharp needles that stop its stride. Sachi doesn't have the same luck, the needles lodging themselves in the soft of her skin.
She can't scream, her breath ice in her lungs, she can only run and hope for the best. She jumps over a fallen branch just for a second later for the hand to lodge itself in it. Sachi hears the wood being torn apart, a sickening wet crunch resembling breaking bones through flesh.
Panic makes her run faster still, sliding across the wet snow and the flames that lick her fur cloak. She can smell the burning wood, the smoke thick and heavy. At her left, a black hand grabs a branch, breaking it to send it towards her.
Sachi can do nothing but roll away as the rain of needles try to skewer her. The needles are heavy, piercing the snow around her. One cuts across her sleeve, letting a trail of blood behind. It hurts; it's cold and she is crying.
She is being hunted by a demon.
Then, between her ragged breaths and the unnatural presence at her back, she hears the wolves howl.
Wolves are an omen of death, they come to eat the flesh and carry the soul.
Sachi prays to her gods for protection, because this can't be happening, not to her, oh please. She has so many things left to do, she has promises to keep, debts to pay— please, please, please.
The creature laughs behind her.
The girl takes a sharp turn, recognizing the path. She jumps without thinking and she falls several feet until she meets a slope of snow. She slides with barely enough balance not to fall into the cliff at her right, trying desperately to lose that… thing that is set on killing her.
She is certain that it wants to kill her.
(She's right)
As she skis on patches of ice and clumps of snow she notices the source of the fire. On her far left it's the camp, with the conical tents now burning black. The pillars of black smoke are licking the snow with greedy warmth, making it melt around and create rivers.
There are bodies there, little tiny bodies.
And a river of red, shiny blood.
She comes to a stop with a harsh stumble. Her body is weighted down by the water, she is cold and she is bleeding—
In front of her there is a head. Manami, from the Resunotek, head cook—
Her body is two feet away from her head.
Sachi feels her entire body tremble. That is enough of a shock to make her notice the sounds, the hellish howls of the wolves, the blazing of the fire, the gurgle of the blood gushing from the bodies—
She hears screams. They are her own.
Here's where Fate and Destiny pull Sachi. They make her get to her feet, start to run again trying to find someone still alive. She is alone, she is afraid, she doesn't understand.
There is chaos around her; Sachi can only run aimlessly without knowing that she is making herself even more of a target, a challenge for the unnatural creature that wants her blood. The white snow is stained by crimson, her clan, her family is laid down on the ground like offerings for the abomination that has come for them.
The crux approaches as she runs to meet it. Sachi, in her desperation doesn't notice how the demon has come out from the Needle Forest, right behind her.
She sees a familiar shade of red that doesn't belong to blood or gore, but to her cousin. Sumi appears from thin air to find her running towards him with open arms and a flicker of hope. Sumi also sees the demon chasing after her, a looming hand that has claws at the end coming from the heavens.
Here's where Sachi died, staring at her beloved cousin as a hand pins her to the snow like a butterfly to a wall; a quick death, not painless, but quick.
Fate says that Sachi will die, and Destiny says that Sachi has a mind like no other, and Chaos, who has stirred by the massacre agrees to disagree. The cracks of what will be done and what is done widens and as such, Sachi slips.
Sachi survives her imminent death by a slip on the snow. Sachi faceplants on the ground, rolling over because she has taken a mouthful of snow and blood, missing the hand that was meant to stab her through her back do so just by half an inch.
Adrenaline makes a last attempt to get her out of the butchering, prompting her to her feet to meet Sumi halfway through. Sumi takes hold of her hand to disappear the next second.
Sachi would and should have died, but she didn't.
(The world will be torn apart because of her)
.
Sumi takes them away in the depths of the Heart. Sachi is holding on his hand with a tight grip, trembling all the way. He gets down to hug her but stops when he sees the damage on her expression. Sachi, his happy and smart Sachi, was pale as the snow, her cheeks splattered with blood. There is a cut from her temple to her chin.
"S-Sumi…" she calls with a broken voice "Sumi…" then, she breaks.
She hugs him first, throwing her arms around his neck and shaking while she cries. He keeps her close, his hands also trembling. He had seen that thing chasing after her, and he couldn't do nothing but look as that arm stretched to run her through.
A slip, a slip is what saved her.
"Oh, Sachi" he sighs into her hair. It smells like smoke and iron. "It's okay, it's okay," he croons " it's going to be okay". Sachi sobs, muffling her screams against his cloak.
Sumi looks at the seals carved in the walls. The floor shakes as the barriers try to stop the intruders from entering their home. There's no one left to defend it.
The sound of footsteps carries over the corridors. Sachi tenses against him, whimpering. He hushes her softly, saying "It's okay, it's okay"
Chika-sama appears in the hallway. Sumi knows it's her but it's difficult for him to recognize the woman that was the embodiment of control and presence appear so… disheveled. Her hair is out of her intricate braids and knots, the golden chains hanging in pieces just as the rest of her robes. There's blood on the hems.
She approaches in large strides, going directly for Sachi. Sumi has never seen the Archive on her knees, but she is as she takes the head of his cousin into her hands.
"Gods…" she murmurs. It's the most emotion he has ever heard in that woman, which startles him more than it should.
Chika-sama touches him too, patting his cheek. Her pale yellow eyes are filled with sorrow as she asks "The others…?"
She knows the answer, so Sumi just shakes his head. Chika-sama, wise and old takes a breath to steel herself. She had instructed him to find the other trainees but by the time he found them…
They were in pieces, all of them.
The matriarch turns to Sachi, who has not let go of him. He knows what she did for her three years ago, and he is grateful, but what she asks…
"Sachi…" her voice is cracked.
"Where…. w-where's Michiko?"
The silence is heavy.
"Rie… Harumi?" she asks, cracking "They… they—"
Chika-sama intervenes before Sumi does more damage. "Come here," Sachi wants to stay close to him, but she is their matriarch, so she follows. "Let's clean your wounds".
Sumi feels the shift, the old woman with unexpected kindness takes Sachi from him. Sumi knows better than to be fooled by her calm demeanor; the snow is crimson and the Heart is empty.
Sachi goes with her, tripping ever so often. Sumi watches, hopeless, because he knows what follows.
They do clean her wounds, bathe her and warm her up. They even cut her hair down to a buzz before she realizes that they are not safe, that they should be running away.
"I never wanted to be Archive" she blurts as Sumi carries her "I… don't wanna take the Archive, I want to travel"
Chika-sama doesn't stop. Sumi puts her down on the altar. She has never been in this room, he knows because the only time he had been there before was to witness the previous trainee be turned into the Archive.
She didn't survive.
Sachi clenches at his hand, shaking. Behind her, their matriarch is opening a chest. "Sumi… I don't like this," she tells him "please, I want to see Mother… I want to apologize—"
Chika-sama straightens and turns. There's no warmth to be found in her eyes. Sachi's eyes are wide, glossed over with unshed tears. She has always been quick to figure things out, he knows because there wasn't a riddle or a puzzle she hasn't cracked in a matter of minutes. This time, it only makes everything worse.
Sumi can't admit the truth out loud. Instead he says to her "It will be okay, I will be just here, okay?"
It doesn't ease her worries. Chika-sama lowers her onto the black obsidian table, Sachi snaps her head towards her. She bares her teeth when she yells "I don't want to be Archive! I never wanted this! You promised Mother that you would never—!"
Chika-sama doesn't listen to her as she binds her limbs tightly. "I won't accept this, I won't. I swear to the gods I won't—" she turns to him again "Sumi, please, I'm sorry, please, please don't let her do this to me, please…!"
Sumi can't do nothing but watch. He can't take her away, he has orders to follow. He loves her dearly, but their clan is dead and she needs to keep their sacrifices alive. That's what he tells himself because admitting he is a coward is too much for him.
He watches as Chika-sama takes out the ceremonial needles. They are eight black spikes, the length of his entire arm, just as thick and sharper than any knife.
The matriarch takes the first two, angling them at her temples.
Sachi's screams will haunt him for the rest of his days.