*Warning: This chapter contains heavy violence*
"NO!" Kiri struggled against the three men that held her tightly and stared in horror as Sena's body was dropped onto the floor and blood began to pool around her head.
"Sena!" Natsumi screamed and her eyes were full and wide. "NO!"
Natsumi trembled as all sound disappeared around her.
Sena.
Natsumi's heart pounded in her ears, thumping in her chest until it might burst out.
Sena.
Natsumi felt herself go limp as she was unable to look away from the pooled blood and acid burned her throat.
Why?
Natsumi gulped slowly and a small sob choked out.
Sena... is the best person I know.
Taichi chuckled and took another long breath, nuzzling his face into Natsumi's hair. "Ah... Natsumi... I promise you that I'm gentler than my brothers. I'll treat you nicely and maybe in time, you'll come to like me. Wouldn't that be nice?"
Natsumi eyes rose slightly to Kiri, whose mouth was open in a scream, but no sound reached her ears.
This can't be happening.
This is just a nightmare.
Natsumi's head wobbled as her gaze returned to Sena.
No... not Sena.
"Sena..." Natsumi murmured and the ache in her chest spread and formed a hollow pit. "Sena..."
Taichi glanced away from Natsumi to the girl on the floor, then let out a slow sigh and shrugged. "Don't worry yourself about that little... mess, sweetheart. They'll get it cleaned up." He ran his fingers through her hair and adjusted his grip on her. "In the meantime, why don't you and I slip away? It's time we got to know each other."
Natsumi eyes shot open and she stared at Sena.
Mess.
Her jaw clenched and her trembling worsened.
How dare you speak about her like that.
"Hm?" Taichi smirked slightly and looked at Natsumi. "What is it, sweetheart?"
Sena...
Natsumi bit her lip and her heart pounded harder. Her face screwed up and she opened her mouth to let out a resounding scream as her veins filled with fire and her Chakra began to spill out of her body, visibly coating her skin in a soft violet glow. She screamed again, nearly howling in rage as she threw her head back and struck her captor directly on the bridge of his nose.
"What?" Taichi's eyes narrowed and he loosened his grip on her to lift one hand to his face. "You..."
Natsumi pulled one of her arms free, her breathing heavy and she quickly pressed her palm to her stomach. A glowing blue symbol appeared and her Ninjato vanished from where it had fallen onto the floor and the hilt stuck out from the seal. She gripped it tightly and pulled the sword from herself, slicing it quickly to amputate his left arm at the elbow.
His eyes widened and he stepped back, releasing her and clutching the bleeding stump of his arm as his hand fell to the floor. "That speed!"
The other men stared at Natsumi in surprise and Kiri's eyes widened. "Natsumi..."
Natsumi's head whipped in the direction of the man with serrated daggers and narrowed her gaze as the blood coating the blades dripped onto the floor.
"You."
He smirked and held up his blades, meeting her eyes. "Try it, little girl."
Natsumi gritted her teeth and her Chakra bubbled and surged around her, shooting out in every direction like quills. The men dodged them easily and the narrow points embedded themselves into the walls, floor, and ceiling.
Taichi stepped back and narrowed his eyes at the girl. "What kind of technique is this? Her Chakra is visible..." Glancing down at his missing arm, he cursed under his breath. "Damn it. I can't conjure a single Jutsu like this."
He glared at his brothers and looked at the girl. "What are you waiting for? Kill them! Kill them both!"
Natsumi turned in time to see the eldest Araki slipping away through a hidden back door, leaving a thick trail of blood behind him.
Damn! He's getting away!
Her Chakra spikes retracted and where each point had stuck, a blue seal appeared. Kiri's eyes widened and she stared at the seals.
"She's going to use that technique... but when did she master it?!"
Several of the brothers lunged at Natsumi, who snarled and dodged.
Damn! I'll have to take care of them first.
One brother's blade sliced her cheek as she dodged just enough to avoid a fatal blow.
There's too many!
Natsumi's eyes fell to Sena and she screamed out again, gripping the arm of one man as he lunged at her, dodging while simultaneously thrusting his arm forward to stab another of the men. Another grabbed her from behind around the waist and the two she'd just avoided turned on her.
No!
Natsumi exhaled and disappeared, teleporting behind her captor and arcing her Ninjato to cleave off his head in a single stroke. Blood erupted and splattered from the neck, spraying down in a fountain. Gripping her sword tightly, she avoided another attack and slid under the legs of the headless man before he crumpled to the ground, blood continuing to spurt out, thick and dark onto the floor.
Kiri struggled and looked between the two men now holding her. "Fuck. With my hands like this, there's nothing I do." She glared and shoved herself back, forcing one of them between her and the wall as they slammed against it. "Maybe there is."
Kiri kicked the second man away and gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain and formed several hand signs, causing her hands to bleed more. Then, she placed her hands on the cheeks of the stunned, chubby brother against the wall and met his eyes. "Love Trap Jutsu."
The man's eyes widened and flashed a vibrant pink before returning to their natural brown, and his expression shifted into a smile as he saw her.
"Darling!" He leaned in with puckered lips and she moved her head to avoid the kiss.
"Darling dearest." Kiri touched his shoulder and kept her eyes locked with his. "Your brothers want to keep us apart. They want to kill me."
His face screwed up and his nostrils flared, then glanced down at the wounds on her hands. "No one can hurt my darling like this and get away with it!" He retrieved his own dagger from his back pouch and lunged at the brother nearest him, who struggled to keep the blade from piercing his chest as he was pinned down.
"Roku! Snap out of it!" The scrawny man snarled as the tip of the knife began to press against his clothes.
"Was it you, Shichi?!" Roku snapped at his brother and added more weight to the blade. "Were you the one who hurt my darling like that?!"
"Roku, stop!" Shichi lost his grip on his brother's wrists and the blade pierced his chest as blood spurted from his lips and the new wound. "S-Stop!"
"NO ONE CAN KEEP US APART!" Roku pulled the knife out, and stabbed his victim repeatedly, punctuating each word with a squelch and blood splatter. "I LOVE HER!"
Kiri winced and looked from the holes in her shaking hands to Sena's body and threw herself to the ground and gently cradled the girl in her arms as her eyes spilled over.
"Sena, it's okay. It'll be okay. I'm here. I've got you."
Kiri bit her lip and gathered the Chakra to her hands, struggling as her concentration faltered. "Damn it! I wish I had paid better attention to her healing crash courses!"
Kiri placed her hands over Sena's throat and shut her eyes, hiding from the gaping flesh, sinew, and muscle there.
"I-I've got you. Don't worry." Kiri muttered under her breath and gulped. "You'll be okay. We've been through worse. Just hold on."
Roku laughed as he continued to stab his brother, and Kiri looked up at him and shot him a glare.
"Will you shut up, you fat pig?! I'm trying to concentrate!"
Roku's laughing stopped instantly and he looked back to Kiri with a soft grin. "I stopped him, my love. He won't get in our way again."
Kiri growled. "Your brothers are trying to kill my friend! Help her!"
Roku's eyes shifted to the redhead girl and he brought himself to a stand slowly. "Yes, my darling." He rushed at one of the men to engage him and Kiri let out a hot breath and returned her gaze back to Sena's empty eyes.
"Y-You'll be okay, Sena. Just listen to my voice. And, if you see a light, stay the hell away from it!"
Natsumi looked around the cabin and dodged a strike.
Two down. Four left.
Natsumi parried and sliced open the man's inner bicep. He screamed and reeled in pain, clutching his wound as the artery erupted.
These guys are weaker than the leader.
Taking in a deep breath, she activated the seals and narrowed her eyes as she held up her sword in preparation.
Flying Thunder God Jutsu!
In a flash, Natsumi was everywhere and nowhere, teleporting and zipping between her two targets before either could blink, slicing off limbs and reducing them to fountains of blood and a pile of small pieces.
She landed on her feet in front of the last man with blood entirely saturating her cloak, covering her features, and dripping from her hair.
The man screamed at the sight of his brothers and dropped his serrated blades as he backed away from her. His eyes were wide and he desperately gasped for breath as she approached him.
"M-Monster! What kind of monster are you?!"
The corners of Natsumi's mouth curved in a slightly smirk as she tilted her head to the side, then lifted as she grinned ear-to-ear.
"Oh, I'm the monster?" Natsumi laughed shortly and then pointed the end of her sword at him. "I think you're the ones who have earned that title after everything you've done... After you killed my friend."
Natsumi laughed again under her breath, low and dark. "I should torture you, you know. But looking at your face makes me sick."
"H-Have mercy!" He flung his hands above his head, shaking his head back and forth.
"Mercy?" Natsumi laughed and pressed the Ninjato against his throat. "Why should I show you mercy, when you didn't?"
"Natsumi!" Kiri called out to her, though it was ignored. "Natsumi, leave him! We need to go!"
"P-Please! Have m-mercy!"
Natsumi laughed as the man trembled and she lowered the tip of her blade to the base of his neck.
"Not a chance."
"Natsumi, stop!" Kiri pleaded, her voice cracking.
Natsumi sliced down and opened the man's torso and belly so that his organs and blood spilled out onto his lap. The man screamed, and Natsumi brought her sword down to pierce his heart.
All went quiet.
Natsumi slid the sword out and flicked the blood away, glancing at the back of the cabin and ran to the secret door, throwing it open with a growl.
"Natsumi!" Kiri yelled again, gritting her teeth. "Wait!"
Kiri screamed and stared down at Sena as she continued to heal.
"Damn!"
"My darling." Roku squatted next to Kiri, watching her with the doting eyes of a puppy. "What can I do?"
Kiri shot a glare at him and let out a breath.
"You can die."
Roku's face slowly contorted, then his eyes flashed pink once more and he nodded.
"As my darling commands." He grabbed his knife and held it to his throat. Kiri looked back at Sena as he brought the blade across his flesh and his blood spilled onto the floor as he collapsed in a heap.
She looked out into the woods and her eyes immediately landed on the blood trail.
If he thinks he can get away from me, he's wrong!
Natsumi chased after the trail until she came to the edge of a small cliff where a wide river ran below. Taichi stood at the edge, laughing as he looked her over.
"Well, well, well..." He smirked faintly. "I underestimated you, sweetheart."
"Stop calling me that!" Natsumi clenched her jaw and scowled.
"Sorry, sweetheart." Taichi shrugged. "I know I'm irresistible, but I have somewhere to be."
Natsumi lunged forward with her Ninjato but he flickered away, reappearing beside the river below.
Natsumi turned over her shoulder to listen to Kiri's voice as it was carried on the wind, then looked back down at the man, who only waved at her.
"COME BACK HERE! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU, YET!" Natsumi yelled, and his laughter echoed through the cliffs.
"Until next time, sweetheart." He flickered again, only this time, he was nowhere to be found.
Natsumi let out a scream as she fell to her knees, supporting herself by sticking her sword into the dirt.
"DAMN!" She gritted her teeth. He got away... I wasn't fast enough.
Natsumi let out a slow breath and turned back over her shoulder to Kiri's faint voice. Her eyes widened slightly in remembrance and her Chakra withdrew beneath her skin once more as her breathing slowed and she was left panting.
"Sena!"
She stood and raced back to the cabin, bursting through the back door, panting heavily as she stared at Kiri.
"Natsumi!" Kiri scowled and trembled, holding Sena in her arms. "That was stupid and reckless! Because of you, we don't have much time at all."
Natsumi blinked slowly and took a step forward, gulping at Sena.
"Is she...?"
Kiri bit her lip. "I did my best to stop the bleeding, but I'm shaking too much to even tell if she has a pulse..." She cursed under her breath. "Dammit!" She looked back at Natsumi. "Why didn't you just listen to me?! We could have left sooner! This didn't have to happen!"
Kiri choked back a sob and Natsumi fell to her knees.
This is... my fault?
"We have to get her to the Hospital right away." Kiri spoke softly and looked down at Sena's features. "Even if she doesn't make it... we have to try."
Natsumi's lip quivered. "But... Taichi... he got away. And the mission..."
"To hell with him!" Kiri looked up at the girl with fire in her eyes. "To hell with the mission! We need to save Sena! If you're not going to help, then just send us two back to the village and you can finish the damn mission yourself!"
Natsumi's eyes watered and spilled over, hot tears slowly rolling down her face. She wiped them away, the blood of her cloak only smearing the tears and blood on her face.
"I-I'm not..."
"Not what?!" Kiri snapped and Natsumi sputtered.
"I-I'm not going to leave you guys..." Natsumi bit her lip to contain a sob, dropping her sword as she reached out to touch both of them. "W-We're gonna go back together."
Kiri's expression softened and she nodded slowly. "She'll be okay. We just have to hurry."
Natsumi nodded and pressed her lips together.
To send all three of us back to the village like this... after sending that girl before, and using that technique... it just might kill me.
She gulped again and her eyes rose to Sena's lifeless eyes.
But if there is still a chance to save her, however small... I would gladly die.
Natsumi closed her eyes, focused her Chakra, and then the trio disappeared from the cabin.
They reappeared outside of the Village gates and Kiri instantly raced inside, carrying Sena in her arms. Natsumi fell forward onto her hands and knees, choking and coughing blood. Kiri stopped and turned to look at her, biting her lip.
"Natsumi!" She looked between the redhead and Sena, biting her lip. "Natsumi, hang in there! I'll be back!"
Kiri ran ahead, stopping again as she caught sight of Kotetsu and Izumo. "You two! Help Natsumi!"
They jumped and looked up suddenly from their game of cards and their eyes widened as they looked at her.
"K-Kiri?"
"Get Natsumi to the Hospital!" Kiri snapped and ran off again at full speed. "Please let it not be too late."
The two men scrambled to their feet to look beyond the gates and froze at the sight of Natsumi.
"I-Is that..." Izumo stared and slowly pointed.
"...Natsumi?" Kotetsu gaped at the figure covered head-to-toe in blood.
Natsumi's vision blurred and she glanced up at the two familiar faces, hear arms shaking under her weight. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
Damn... I can't... feel my body.
Her arms gave out and she collapsed on the ground and her eyes fluttered closed.
Is this... death?
A weak breath escaped her lips and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
Please, let it not be too late. Let Sena live.