I'm sorry the chapters have been so short! I'll try to make them longer, but no promises, sorry! Also, the aura allows them to feel a King's Weissman level. Think of them as having the 'Healing Aura'. The King can 'heal' Swords of Damocles and the clan members can sense the Swords' Weissman level. Also, the black aura look sorta like glass instead of the flame like auras of the blue and red clan! :) I'm only having Lee and Neji use titles because I'm awful at using them myself and I don't want to insult the Japanese language like that '-_- .
'Thoughts'
"Talking telepathically"
"Demon talking"
"Normal people"
_-Timeskip-_
-Flashback-
Enjoy the chapter!
Ino glares at her lazy partner. They would have made it back to Shizume city before nightfall but Shikamaru was going slower than a turtle. Therefore, they ended up at Sakura's door at 10:26 p.m. (Coincidentally the same time I'm writing this!) with Shikamaru constantly yawning and Ino looking thoroughly spent. Ino knocks on the door and it swings open to reveal Hinata. She takes one look at them before slapping a hand to her mouth to stop her laughter. Ino grumbles something unintelligible and pushes past the Hyuuga. She storms into the living room where everyone is and flops down of the couch next to Sakura, whose next to Sasuke. Ino quickly undoes her ponytail before redoing it, making her hair look much neater even if it's still clear she's exhausted. Sakura chuckles.
"Nice of you to finally join us." Sakura jokes as Hinata and Shikamaru come into the living room. "You would almost think that you're becoming a Nara." Ino shoots a venomous glare at Sakura, who laughs it off. Hinata and Shikamaru settle in and Sakura turns serious. "Sasuke and I have found the original cause of the war. Nonviolent HOMRA member Tatara Totsuka was shot in the chest near the heart by a man who identified himself as the Colorless King. If I hadn't been there, Tatara would be dead." It wasn't meant to brag, it was just the truth. "HOMRA's on a warpath searching for the King. Not only will they enter a fight with the Colorless King, but I believe Scepter 4 will join in, making it a three-way battle. I don't know if other clans will join in but the most likely would be the Silver King, as he is the leader. The Timeless Palace and Jungle might also join but I doubt the last three will actually make an appearance. The Silver King hasn't been seen in years and the Timeless Palace doesn't really pay attention to clan activities unless it's dangerous enough. Jungle might be behind the war somehow but, even if they are, I highly doubt they'll make an appearance. We need to keep an eye on the Red King. When Sasuke and I were at HOMRA, we felt the Red King's Weissman levels. They were high up there, and I believe that if he's not careful, his Sword will fall in this coming war. And before any of you say anything, I believe that we won't be able to stop the war completely. We're gonna have to just keep the fighting from getting out of hand." Sakura finishes, sweeping her gaze over the newly reformed clan. Ino frowns.
"HOMRA's after the Colorless King, then. Are we going to save him or let HOMRA have their way with him?" She asks. Shikamaru's the one to reply, a just as prominent frown on his face.
"It depends. The Colorless Clan doesn't have a specific aura like all the other clans- that's why they're colorless. The King could have easily had an aura that allowed him to control someone else, take over their mind or body, or a plethora of things that would trick HOMRA into going after an innocent. We need more information." Shikamaru turned his attention to Sakura and Sasuke. "Do you have a video or picture of the shooter?" He asks. Sakura nods and unclips her watch, putting it in the middle of them with it for a second, she gets a holographic picture to come out. Ino studies the deranged looking boy.
"He looks like a teen, it's possible he's a student." Ino murmurs.
"Very possible. He looks to be sixteen or seventeen." Neji agrees.
"We must find him and make him answer for his unyouthful deed!" Lee shouts. Kiba, being closest to him, winces and slaps a hand over his mouth.
"Be quiet! The neighbors are gonna start askin' questions we don't need if you continue to shout things like that!" The Inuzuka growls. Lee pushes Kiba's hand away and rubs that back of his head apologetically.
"Sorry, Kiba-san." He apologizes, much quieter than he had been before. Kiba smirks and waves it off.
"Eh, it's alright. Just keep it down from now on, 'kay?" Lee nods in understanding. Ino snorts at the spectacle. Even after a year apart in a new dimension, everyone acted pretty much the same. Shikamaru's still lazy, Lee's still 'youthful', Sakura's still scary, Sasuke's still quiet. Everyone's the same. Except... everyone's quieter. Soft chatter breaks out, everyone talking about what they could do with this new threat. Ino herself is analyzing the picture, memorizing the appearance of the boy. There's an insane glint his eyes and a disturbing grin on his face, making his features look sharper. Hinata sighs loudly, drawing Ino's gaze. The kunoichi is staring at the disturbing picture sadly, her protective and motherly nature coming to light.
"That poor child had a hard past. Holding all that hate, then suddenly having the power to enact his revenge on the world... I can't imagine what that did to him, mentally." She murmurs, catching everyone's attention. The talk ceases as everyone sees the truth in her words. What could that boy have gone through to make him so disturbed? What could have happened to make him go so far as to try and kill another? Sure, as shinobi, all of them have taken lives. Some more than others. But that's because the dimension they grew up in was riddled with war and death, and soaked in blood. This world is... peaceful when compared. Killers are much rarer, so what happened to make him one? To make him try to diminish the light in another's eyes?
_-Timeskip-_
Ino jolted upright, glaring blearily at the cause for her sudden alertness. Sakura had woken up and was currently in the middle of getting dressed. Ino groans and pushes her blankets off, getting off of her cot. "Sorry Ino, didn't mean to wake you." Sakura apologizes, pulling her pinkish red shirt on. Considering they were in an entirely different world, the ninjas had been forced to change their outfits. Sakura's consists of black shorts, black shoes, a pinkish-red shirt, black gloves, and her hitai-ate tying her hair back as normal. The blue diamond on her forehead stands out more than usual in this new world. Ino sighs and shrugs her apology off.
"Eh, it's ok. Mind if I ask where you're going so early in the morning?" It wasn't actually particularly early for the ninja, but during this year they had all gotten pretty used to sleeping in. Sakura smiles as Ino drags herself over to the closet to get into her own clothes which are a purple mid-riff tank top, a purple skirt with black short-shorts underneath (in case she has to fight), fishnet on her shoulders and knees, and her hitai-ate used as a belt. All in all, her outfit probably changed the least.
"I'm going to HOMRA again this morning. Tatara actually offered us a spot with them but I refused, so I had him settle for me visiting. Plus, I'm helping with their search for that young man and it'd be a bit rude for me to not stop by. I'm up early because I want to get some breakfast before I go." Sakura explains. Ino nods at the explanation and ties her hitai-ate.
"I'm coming with. At least for the breakfast part." She says. Sakura smiles.
"I'd love to have you along. It's been awhile since we've been able to have some girl time. Should we wake Hinata and Tenten?" Sakura asks. One glance at the two sleeping girls and Ino shook her head.
"No, let them sleep." Ino decides. Sakura nods in agreement and opens the door silently. They fall into a comfortable silence as they leave the house, walking among the mostly empty if it's only seven in the morning, there aren't that many people out. Ino supposes it's because it's the weekend, but she isn't sure. She brushes a hand along her hitai-ate, thinking wistfully of Konoha. In Konoha, there was always people around and shinobi leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Little kids playing in the roads and academy students practicing with shuriken and kunai. There would be new genin hunting Tora or pulling weeds or repairing roofs. Naruto would be sitting in the Hokage office complaining about the paperwork with Hinata smiling in amusement. Lee would be doing some insane training regiment. Ino would be with Sai or on a mission or taking care of the Yamanaka flower shop. Ino sighs and smiles sadly, glancing at the huge buildings closing in on them on every side. In Konoha, they were free. Here, they're boxed in.
"Sakura!" Ino tensed, zoning back into reality immediately. Sakura beside her was still relaxed and she turned with a cheerful smile. Ino copied her best friend and spies a blonde racing towards them. His hair wasn't bright like Naruto's, but the boy's act immediately reminds Ino of their playful leader.
"Hey, Tatara!" Sakura greets. Ino glances at her swiftly before looking back at the boy- Tatara -who had just skidded to a halt in front of them. She smiles at him and he returns it with his own. -He smiles at her. It's a true smile. A genuine smile. It wasn't the fake smile he always wears. It's real and it's for her.- Ino's smile falters unnoticeably. The similarity was uncanny.
"What're are you doing out here?" He asks. Ino snorts and rolls her eyes. 'Being a bit hypocritical, are we?' She thinks. And the similarity ends there.
"Well, my friend and I are going for breakfast. You can join us if you like." Sakura offers. Tatara shakes his head.
"No, thank you. I'm getting groceries for HOMRA. I swear, if I wasn't here, those guys would end up forgetting to eat!" Tatara jokes. Sakura chuckles. Ino can here they sharpness hidden within in it- Sakura knows that him dying was a very likely outcome. Even with her healing, the boy had probably lost a lot of blood. "Well, nice to see you Sakura! And you..." Tatara blinks and trails off, realizing he does not yet know Ino's name.
"The name's Ino Yamanaka." She greets, holding out her hand for him to shake. The boy does so, the smile that looks so much like his planted firmly of Tatara's face. They shake and Ino pulls her hand away gently, not wanting to seem rude. "Well, I guess Sakura and I should get going. Don't want to hold up your shopping!" Ino says jokingly, trying to force the memories back. Tatara chuckles.
"Oh yeah, and I guess you guys want to get some breakfast?" Sakura smiles and nods.
"We're starving! Anyway, I was just gonna drop by later with Ino, but I guess I'll tell ya now. I was thinking of heading over to HOMRA after breakfast sometime. I want to make sure you're perfectly fine and Izumo probably wants to know if I've found anything." Sakura explains. Tatara sighs and rubs the back of his head.
"I don't get why you guys feel the need to go after him. I'm alive, so no harm done, right?" Sakura and Ino both give him deadpanned expressions.
"Tatara, I know there was harm done and I wasn't even there." Ino stresses. Tatara sighs again.
"Fine, fine." His smile comes back full force, "Well I'd better get going." Tatara waves and starts to walk away. Ino returns his wave with a short one of her own. Once he's out of earshot Sakura gives her a worried glance. Ino ignores her and turns back around, continuing the way they had been going. Sakura sighs and walks next to her, leading them through the streets to a restaurant. Several minutes later, they were sitting at a two person table in the back corner of a small cafe, sipping coffee and eating sandwiches. Sakura puts down her glass, the clink it makes oddly loud in the still air.
"You tensed whenever he smiled," Sakura says softly. Ino tightens her grip on her sandwich minutely before relaxing again with a sigh.
"It's nothing." She murmurs. Silence reigns again for a few minutes, broken only when a group of shady looking boys came in and sat a few tables away.
"Ino, please. You can talk to me." Sakura pleads quietly. Ino glances at the boys, switching the topic with Sakura.
"They aren't very pleasant looking." She remarks, eyeing the boys warily. A small frown slips into place on Sakura's lips. Ino holds back a wince at the betrayal shining in her friend's green orbs. Even though she would trust Sakura with her life, this was something she had to get over on her own. Ino blinks away the thoughts- which brought with them painful memories -and focused on the boys, one of which who currently had the waitress' wrist gripped in his hand. Sakura had turned her eyes to the group as well. Ino pushes her chair out silently and stands, using her kunoichi prowess to moves up behind the nearest boy without alerting any of them. Ino taps the brunette's shoulder and smiles sweetly as he whirls around.
"Excuse me, but could you let the waitress go? She's got a job to do and you're keeping her from doing it." Ino says innocently. The rest of the boys turns to her. There's four in total- the brunette, a blonde, a redhead, and a black haired one. The blonde chuckles lowly and pulls a gun from his belt and aims it at her. Ino keeps her sweet smile plastered onto her face and the blonde sneers.
"Oh look, we have some girlies trying to be brave." Ino's smile gets a lot more menacing at that statement- any sweetness in it gone. Her eyes glint and Sakura puts a hand on her shoulder.
"Aw come on, can't we play with them?" Ino asks, lusting for a fight. She hadn't been able to fight in a long time, and having grown up being trained to fight and kill, she was becoming really restless. The hand leaves her shoulder and Ino's smile widens. In a soundless flicker, Ino appears next to the waitress. She gives a squawk of surprise and Ino sighs before bringing her hand down on the black haired boy's wrist. The boy cries out in pain, retracting his hand and consequently releasing the waitress. Ino picks the waitress up bridal style and uses shunshin to get behind the counter. She puts the girl down and smiles at the girl- who looks like she's about to faint. "Just stay back here, ok? Maybe call someone for help." Ino says in a reassuring tone of voice. The waitress nods shakily and Ino smiles again before using shunshin to get back next to Sakura, who was currently fighting the redhead and brunette absentmindedly. Ino has to lean to the side almost immediately, a bullet whizzing past her head. Ino leaps at the blonde, who fires off some more easy-to-dodge shots. She swipes the blonde off his feet and blocks a lousy punch from the blackette. Ino grabs the fist, twisting his arm out of socket with a pop, throwing the boy to the ground. He clashed heads with the blonde, knocking them both unconscious. Ino turned to see how far Sakura had gotten. The pinkette hit a pressure point, knocking the redhead out. Sakura kneels in front of the brunette. She had tied the boy up with ninja wire, keeping the brunette from moving.
"Have you learned your lesson?" Sakura asks. The brunette sneers at her.
"You were lucky! We didn't know you were strains." The brunette hisses. Sakura chuckles and stands. Ino looks at her in confusion.
"We're not strains. We were just trained well." Sakura says. Ino nods her agreement, sending a glance over to other boys to make sure they aren't going to wake anytime soon. "Now, what were you planning to do to the waitress?" The boy smirks- though pain flits across his face for a moment.
"What do you think?" He spits out. Sakura sighs and stands up just as the door to the cafe opens.
"Too bad Scepter 4's here, I don't appreciate men who try to take advantage of women." Sakura says before going over to the table and grabbing their half-eaten sandwiches. Ino moves around the Scepter 4 men- who are all watching them warily -and the unconscious boys to get to the counter. She looks over it, smiling warmly at the waitress, before leaving twenty bucks on the counter.
"Keep the change. Think of it as a sorry gift for causing such a raucous." Ino says and heads over to Sakura. "We ready to go?" Sakura nods- they needed to get out of here quickly. Back in their world, jutsus are a normal, every-day thing. Here, however... if they weren't careful, they'd be convicted by Scepter 4 for being 'strains'. Something they had learned to be generally bad. They apparently have various powers gifted to them- despite the fact that they normally aren't under a King's influence.
"Hold on! You can't just leave!" A Scepter 4 soldier (because that's, essentially, what they are) objects. Ino glances at them, the true weight of their actions settling in. If Scepter 4 thought they're strains, they'd have to disguise themselves wherever they went. Even if they weren't found to be strains, Scepter 4 would be curious about their fighting skills. Ino suppresses a curse and sighs instead- there had been a lot of that lately -and turns to fully face the soldier.
"And why not?" Ino questions, putting her hands on her hips. When the soldier took in her appearance completely, his face went red.
"A-ah w-well... you see, uh, we need to know... um... what exactly happened." The man stutters, adverting his eyes. Ino chuckles.
"Well, these boys came in, they antagonized the waitress, and we taught them a lesson. Simple as that." Ino says, waving off the question. "If that's all, my friend and I are gonna hit the road. Have a lot of distance to travel." She lies sarcastically. She caught one of the soldier's gazes- the only one not blushing like a madman. His blue eyes are narrowed and Ino knows he's onto them. Or, at least, he thinks he's onto them. Ino smiles innocently at the man and grabs Sakura's arm in a loose grip. Since she couldn't very well use hand signs to convey her suspicion, this would have to do. "I'm sorry for any inconvenience we might have cause, we thought they'd be much more difficult to take down." Ino apologizes, talking mostly to the man in the back this time. The suspicion didn't leave his expression, though it did lessen a bit. Sakura frowns.
"Can we leave now? I need to check up on Tatara to make sure he's complete-" Sakura whips out a kunai and deflects the knives aimed at her. The red aura surrounding them flares wildly at the contact and Sakura creates a thin black aura shield to protect her momentarily. The man smirks.
"So you are strains. I knew something felt off about you."