"It's not so stinky anymore" - Is the first thing Katsuo thinks as he awakens, to the rhythmic sway of someone walking. His brown eyes blink rapidly, trying to adjust to the light after all that time in a dark stone prison.
Someone is carrying him on their back, the Uchiha realizes, but it's not Kana and that puts him on edge, and he thrashes against the man's back, but his whole body is sore and he's weakened after those days in captivity.
"Calm down, child. Miss Kana asked me to take care of you."
The boy frowns and stares at the old man who was talking to him. Katsuo is still tense but doesn't make any sudden movements, realizing that the old man was carrying Eiko too.
"Who... ?" – He questions, throat raw from the screams he gave.
"I am Gandalf. I met Kana recently at the Tower. She planned this escape and asked me to take you and this little one to the village in the south, and wait there for two days."
"Where is s-she?"
There is a heavy silence after his question and Katsuo forces his mind and body to be alert. Kana should be with them. This Gandalf is a stranger a possible threat.
"Don't talk too much. You are still a little weakened by what you've been through. When we get to the village and are rested and fed, I'll tell you more about what happened..."
The boy climbs off Gandalf's back, staggering and shooting the istari with a sharp look.
"Where. ?"
The old man looks tired and there's something in his expression that makes Katsuo's stomach twist. He knows that expression. It's the same one he sees when he communicates someone's death.
"Lady Kana stayed in the Tower."
Katsuo feels his knees weak, collapsing at the news, trying to deny the words, confused and afraid.
"Why?" He questioned himself over and over, looking around confusedly until his mind was able to provide a plausible answer. Between the old man, Eiko, and himself, there was another missing one besides Kana.
"Riki."
His eyes fill with tears, concern mingling with anger.
"She returned for Riki and abandoned us here!"
Katsuo grabs his head, gritting his teeth, outraged and conflicted. Of course, he was worried about Riki, but Kana should be with them, because if she died trying to save Riki, then... then... what would become of them?
Katsuo, in a raging sea of emotions, is only sure of one thing: he won't let Kana die. He can't lose her either.
Then he turns, and before Gandalf can stop him, the boy is running at a speed that shouldn't be humanly possible.
There is a very familiar black figure on its way to Isengard and Katsuo stutters in surprise and relief when the animal leaps at him.
"Raijin! Boy, what are you doing here?!" – Katsuo talks to the warg hybrid, who puts his snout on his neck, licking it. The Uchiha wraps his arm around the half-wolf, sniffling and sobbing.
"Y-you're supposed to be free now! That's why we let you go. Why did you come back?"
Raijin let out a short howl, almost a complaint, and nibbled lightly at Katsuo's hand. If animals could talk, Katsuo would swear the hybrid would say "you idiots".
"I know. Our family is full of idiots, Raijin. And now, what do you say to help catch two of them?"
Raijin, as if understanding, stood before Katsuo, waiting for the boy to mount him.
The Uchiha sat on the half-wolf and they bolted towards the Tower, which, to his complete horror, began to collapse. He was still too far away to do anything.
"Run, Raijin, run!"
His eyes take in the fallen building, ruins barely standing, rubble everywhere.
He screams for Kana and Riki until his throat feels like could bleed. Even though his vision tells him they couldn't have survived this, he can't believe it.
Hope blooms in his chest when he sees a small figure despite the mist of dust that hangs in the air; he approaches anxiously, and first meets Riki. His heart was overjoyed at the sight of the youngest alive and well, but that emotion soon fade away to disbelief as his eyes took in the figure just below Riki.
"No, no, no. Not again."
The teenager breathes raggedly, not daring to take his eyes off her partially crushed body, and the unnatural angles of her limbs are at. Her eyes open and empty and he wants to throw up as the underside of her head looks like there's a part of her brain sticking out.
"She is dead."
It's like having a bomb dropped near him; there is no sound and he is numb except for sadness and poignant disorientation.
"Every time. Every damn time! What is so wrong with me that everyone I love keeps abandoning me!?"
Katsuo closes his eyes, wiping away tears and sobbing.
Sadness soon turned into fury, and his eyes glow red, staring at the younger one.
"It's his fault."
The Uchiha bites his cheek hard, tears falling blurring his vision, while all he could think was that if it wasn't for Riki, they would be fine.
"But it's not his fault. It yours. And that mage." – The thought occurs to him, but he smothers it, focusing his anger on someone else – Riki.
It was Riki who insisted they go after Kana, acting strange the last few days before deciding to go to Isengard; it was Riki's fault that Kana came back when she arranged for them to escape; it was Riki who should have been crushed to death, not Kana.
"IT'S YOUR FAULT!" Katsuo yells, killer intent spreading in the air, despite Raijin's yelps below him. He got out of the wolf and ran towards Riki, who had just now noticed him.
Katsuo fights fiercely, and in his fury, he doesn't notice Riki's eyes like fire, nor does he wonder how the smaller one manages to defend himself so well against him, even though Katsuo is the one with the most training.
Katsuo can't contain himself, casting ninjutsu on the younger, his chakra increasing the force of the blows; Riki continues to defend himself, cornered by the speed and variety of Katsuo's attack, until they are both out of breath and Riki is inches away from being burned alive by the biggest fireball Katsuo has ever made - the heat was unbearable, but he didn't feel anything but rage in his madness.
That's when it happens; Riki casts what looks like his own fire ninjutsu in an attempt to fend off the attack, and his power is like lightning bolts crashing into the fireball and then absorbing it, forming a massive firestorm. With his Sharingan active, he can see the attack overcoming his own and coming towards him, but he knows it won't be fast enough to dodge, nor strong enough to stop.
It's only then, in that split second, that Katsuo gasps and realizes what he's done. That Riki had no choice but to reciprocate with the same intensity. Katsuo tries to get Raijin out of the way of the fiery lightning towards them. He closes his eyes then, fear coursing through his veins and regret, because he realizes now that he had fought to kill someone he considered his own brother. His body never feels the attack, however; when he opens his eyes, there is no sign of Riki in sight, nor of the crumbling scenery from before, nor of the clear sky that surrounds them.
Instead, Katsuo finds himself in a cavernous tunnel, with cobwebs everywhere and a darkness that was only not complete because of his active Sharingan.
A man walked the halls of the Palace of Gondor, the weight of his responsibilities evident on his tired face, and his premature aging. Footsteps echoed hurriedly as he reflected on the Palantír's last vision, grieved by what he had seen.
He stumbled as he entered his chambers and, shivering, removed his cloak and sat on the edge of the bed, hands between his head.
Soon his sons would arrive, in the aftermath of the battle at Osgiliath. The attack had been sudden, something he had not been able to foresee with the Palantír, but Denethor was confident that his son Boromir would withstand well and guide Faramir through the battle.
But that attack had been a warning he couldn't ignore.
"I cannot weaken now; my people need me. Gondor will be able to resist with the Ring as a weapon."
He was sure that the one who should carry such a mission was Boromir; that he would be the one to achieve success. The man shakes his head, stunned as he recalls the sight of his eldest son dying.
"Sacrifices must be made."
For Gondor, he should make that decision to protect his people. He was the regent, the pillar of those people. Even if it cost him his own offspring, that was the price to pay for opposing such a vile enemy.
Boromir would die, so... maybe...
"Maybe Faramir can. He is my son too, after all, even though he has so many shortcomings compared to Boromir."
Denethor raises his head and pushes away skepticism as he considers Faramir for the mission. He would know soon enough.
Darkness, slimy, rotten, nauseating; his only company amid the harrowing darkness was Raijin, who seemed as hesitant to break the silence as the Uchiha himself. He doesn't know where he is or how many days have passed. The tunnels blended together and the cobwebs were dense and with many catches of their size or greater. He was afraid to go too long without his Sharingan active, the noise and darkness filling his imagination, and the only way to see something was through his Sharingan.
That's when he saw It. A huge spider, bigger than any he had encountered in Mirkwood and much more agile. Or maybe his movements were just slower. He had been without food or water for days, using his Sharingan constantly, after spending days in Saruman's captivity and then impulsively fighting Riki.
"Don't think about Riki." He chides himself, shuddering at both the thought and the force he has to apply to cut off one of the spider's legs. But none of his physical attacks are enough and Katsuo decides to use his Katon.
Its screams as it was burned alive were deafening, and the heat was unbearable inside the labyrinth. Even running from the raging flames, the fire still touched his skin, hand, and arm being burned.
He finds his way out, at least.
Not that his aching brain from the burns fully understood that he was finally out of the maze, and still alive.
He passes out, clutching his burned arm, with Raijin sitting beside him on guard.
The battle ends as abruptly as it began. The orcs retreated. Boromir feels the adrenaline wane, but the fear lingers in his heart as he doesn't see his little brother. He finds Faramir giving orders to the soldiers, alive, and Boromir can breathe easier.
"Brother!" – The man calls and he sees the same relief he felt a little while ago passing through Faramir's expression.
"Boromir." – The blonde greets him, hugging him for a moment before both continue to guide the soldiers.
The attack on Osgiliath was abrupt and they failed to fully protect the city. The east was under enemy control. He wanted nothing more than to tear those motherfuckers apart, but he needed backup. They needed to inform their father; he would know what to do.
In the meantime, he would patrol around the city today.
His feet dragged along the ground, a trail of blood from his badly treated, restless feet. He staggers and grunts in pain as he lands on his burned arm.
His half-wolf sniffs and licks him, pushing its snout against him; urging him to get up. His eyes close for a moment, his lids heavy, and his body too weak to do more than just lie down.
He should get up... But he can't think of a good reason to do so.
"What's the point now? Kana is dead." – He thinks, breathing more softly. The image of Eiko and Riki pops into his mind and he feels the tears on his face. He should do this for them, shouldn't he?
The mage would still be after them if he hadn't died in the Tower's fall.
"But what shall I say, if I see them again? Hey Riki, sorry for trying to kill you when I was angry because Kana abandoned us to save you? And Eiko, sorry for being a hypocrite and leaving you with a stranger?"
Pathetic. They would be better off without him.
"It's because of me that we're all here if it weren't for these damn eyes..."
His hands move to his eyes. The idea of ripping them out seemed increasingly tempting.
Raijin starts to growl, stopping Katsuo before he can get rid of his eyes once and for all, and the boy spies what made the hybrid stir. Indistinct figures are moving towards him, though he can't make out what kinds of creatures they are.
"If they are orcs, they'll kill me…maybe…that's for the best. I won't have to face the disappointment and righteous anger of Eiko and Riki. I will be able to see Uncle Kato... Aunt Akane... Kana-neechan..."
He grabs Raijin, hugs him, and doesn't move, even as the hybrid begins to growl uncontrollably at those approaching.
"End this." He thinks and lets out a sob.
They are men; he distinguishes from voices, speaking in Westron. He can understand that a man is trying to talk to him, and there is concern and confusion when he speaks.
"Boy! Hey, kid! Stay away from that beast!" – The man calls him and approaches, and Katsuo squeezes Raijin harder, finally opening his eyes when the hybrid makes an attempt to bite the hand of the man who tried to reach him.
The adult and the teen face each other.
The adult sees a dirty, thin child with half of his hand and arm burned, and dried blood on his clothes, almost on the verge of death. Someone who needed care.
The teen sees a man, a warrior, in a disheveled appearance. Someone who had blood on their hands, and could have some more.
"It's gonna be okay. We will take care of you, boy."
Katsuo shakes his head, loathing those words and trying to get away from the man.
"No."
He doesn't want to be taken care of.
"Hey, calm down. You'll be fine. No one will hurt you now..."
Katsuo grabs the warrior's forearms, gripping them with an amount of strength that surprised him.
"No. Please. Please just end this."
Boromir widens his eyes and looks apprehensively at the pain in that young man's eyes. The Gondorian understands what the boy asks of him because it is very obvious in his face, in his voice, and in those onyx-like eyes.
"He wants to die."
Boromir is not a very sensitive man, and he barely knows how to handle his own emotions, but something about seeing a child begging to die made him momentarily lose the semblance of sternness and he hugged him, careful not to injure the burned part further.
"Do not give up." – He says, voice steady as he wraps him in a hug that, he hopes, will be comforting enough. The boy doesn't return the hug, but he doesn't try to push him away either.
"Captain." – One of his men calls, and Boromir nods and slowly separates from the boy.
"My name is Boromir. Could you tell me your name?"
Boromir waits patiently for the younger one to answer.
"Katsuo."
"Well, Katsuo, would you accompany me to my city? My current company could benefit from a brave young man like you."
The man stands up, helping the boy up as well, giving him a confident smile.
"Then it wouldn't make sense to take me. I'm not brave."
The eldest's smile faltered and he remembered many years ago when his younger brother had said the same words to him. At that time, Boromir didn't know how to respond, and to this day he regrets not having given the answer a good brother should have given. Even though he had encouraged his brother in recent years, he sometimes wonders if he shouldn't have believed in his brother sooner rather than letting his father's favoritism out of doubt in Faramir's ability.
"I command soldiers, little friend, and I'm proud to say I can recognize a brave one when I see one, even if he doesn't think so himself. Now, come on, my brother must be worrying for nothing because I'm taking so long to get back."
Katsuo doesn't know why he followed him; maybe it was the confidence that the older man radiated, or his gentle but firm tone, exactly how a leader should be. He wasn't like Kana, but he was close enough to make the younger Uchiha obey him without even realizing it.
When he realized, he was already among the soldiers of Gondor, being taken to the white city to receive treatment for his wounds.
Boromir had been nervous and tense for the past week; his dream was keeping him awake at night, his father was sullen, Faramir was more withdrawn than usual and the boy he had taken in inside the palace was still far from mentally healthy. He feared for what the little one might do to himself, though luckily none of the healers saw any signs of self-harm.
His horse slows as they approach the White Tree, and Boromir sighs heavily.
It was all about to change, he just knew. And not a good change either, if he was going to listen to his intuition.
"That was quite a sigh. Thinking of your maiden Herminia?"
The Gondorian huffs and rolls his eyes, turning away to see his younger brother's amused expression.
"No, I wasn't thinking of any maidens and Herminia isn't mine yet, you idiot."
"Yet?" – Faramir asks, curious and Boromir looks away, embarrassed. The eldest gets off his horse and walks with his brother.
"I shall wait for the right moment. Father won't be happy with my choice to court her, so I need something big to placate him. After losing control of part of Osgiliath and bringing a half warg into the city, he is not in the best of moods."
"Oh. I see. About that… He's not the only one in a bad mood with the animal. It's one of the reasons I was looking for you, actually."
Boromir frowns, recognizing the signs that his brother was hesitant to tell him the bad news.
"What happened?"
"There was a ruckus earlier while you were busy. Some soldiers provoked the hybrid and It bit them back. It was very superficial as if the half-warg was holding back. But the soldiers and others began to demand that the animal be killed and... well..."
"Speak up, man." – Boromir says impatiently.
"Katsuo intervened, saying that he would 'kick the ass of any idiot who tried to touch Raijin'. From what I heard, the soldiers tried to reprimand him, but Katsuo subdued them. They were humiliated by a child and I'm afraid tomorrow one of them will fight Katsuo seriously."
"I will talk to them. The soldiers and the troublesome kid."
Faramir nodded in agreement. He was more open to the warg's presence, quite fascinated by how the boy seemed to have tamed the beast, but most of them loathed him and were therefore deeply uncomfortable with the young foreigner. If not for Boromir's protection, he doubted that Katsuo would be treated so well.
"It's not just that. Our father has an announcement to make over dinner, it seems."
"Do you think it has anything to do with our dreams?"
The blonde shrugs thoughtfully.
"I have no idea. You know him better than I do."
The brother pats him on the shoulder, trying to comfort him, as they both make their way to the palace.
The atmosphere was strange, despite Boromir's best efforts to make dinner warmer, as a family should be.
"I have thought a lot about your dreams, my sons. And I came to a conclusion. Faramir, your soul is afflicted by the dream that torments you, so I will allow you to investigate Imladris as you wish. Boromir will designate your escort."
Boromir looks at his brother, who looks surprised and relieved, with a genuine smile on his face. He fumbles with his drink, coughing a little, just as surprised as the blonde, but not quite as happy about the decision.
"Thank you, father!"
Boromir carefully sets the goblet on the table and looks at his father warily, concern growing for his brother.
"I'm not sure it is a good idea. The journey to Rivendell is unfamiliar to us, and who knows what dangers may lie on this unknown road?"
"Our need is urgent, Boromir, and the attack on Osgiliath only proved that. You and your brother have had prophetic dreams and this is not something to be ignored in these dark times."
"I do not deny the necessity, my Lord, but perhaps I should appoint someone else. Faramir will be much more useful here, commanding the soldiers and strategizing for our defense against the enemy. I could go. As you said, both of us had this dream. In fact, that would be a much more suitable setup, as being too long in one place makes me itchy, you know." – The eldest tries to joke, although he was very aware of Faramir's confused and hurt look.
Though the intentions were good, Boromir knew that what he had said implied "Faramir must stay here, safe" and could be seen as an insult to his ability. It was not his intention in any way to hurt or insult Faramir, as Boromir was sure that Faramir was a very competent warrior and an even more brilliant tactician. But he was concerned with his brother.
"May he have the known evils. It's better this way."
"No. Your brother is the one I assigned to this mission."
"But..."
"Do you insist on defying my authority?" – Denethor asks, austere and with an irritated look that he hasn't seen directed at him for a long time. – "I have already made my decision, Boromir. You will not go. Stop testing my limits, it's enough the beast you allowed into this city, along with that foreigner. By the way, let the boy be put in his place, as the soldiers want, and get rid of the animal for good."
Boromir opens his mouth and closes it, astonished at his father's temper directed at him, looking at Faramir who looked as apprehensive as Boromir himself.
"As you wish, father."
The sound of people bustling was relaxing after the time alone he'd spent in the dark. The smell of herbs and the occasional clank of metal on metal in the distance had been a constant in the last week he had been in Gondor. The inhabitants did not like him and were very clear in expressing their displeasure on their faces and in the way they spoke to him. It was a busy place, full of smells and sounds and people with no sense of subtlety.
"Kana would probably hate it." Katsuo thinks, a sad smile at the thought of her. Katsuo, on the contrary, despite the slight hostility directed at him, liked it there. He's always been one to like busy places, with lots of people.
His dorm door opens abruptly. One of the castle maids, robust and small-eyed that reminded him a little of a guinea pig, enters.
"Warg-boy, you must go to the soldiers' training ground."
"Why?"
She clicks her tongue, reaching forward as if to tug at his ear, but a growl from Raijin, and recoils with a squeak.
"It's the captain's orders, the man who saved you, brat! Now get out of bed! And take that filthy beast of yours."
The Uchiha glared at her with irritation at the way she spoke about Raijin but didn't comment, just getting up and going to the training place, as the woman had told him.
Boromir was really there, though he looked terribly tired. The soldiers who had pestered him were there too, most looking severe, though two had a particularly nasty and sadic look.
He knew he'd hurt their pride but in his mind, it was perfectly reasonable for him to defend Raijin.
Katsuo noted that other soldiers were also "discreetly" looking at them. Finally, from the window of the building, he glimpsed a middle-aged man watching the courtyard, and Boromir looked particularly uncomfortable under the older man's watchful eye.
Katsuo waited for them to tell him what was happening, having a brief suspicion of what it was.
When his hypotheses were confirmed and Boromir informed him of the regent's decision, he almost smiled in anticipation. He would not just stay still while they try killing Raijin. Katsuo would not deny the opportunity for a fight. Not when all he wanted lately was to punch someone.
"My sister taught me that I should never apologize for protecting myself or my family, Boromir." – He says, and is really pleased with the wave of indignation he feels rolling off everyone when he addresses the man so informally.
"You insolent brat, how dare you speak so unrespectful like that to Lord Boromir!?" – Someone screams and advances to hurt him, but Boromir raises his hand and stops him.
"I'm sure your sister wasn't referring to a dangerous beast."
The man rubs his temple, and Katsuo almost expects him to pinch his nose and mumble something like "I'm not paid enough for this", before remembering that Boromir is not Kana.
"And when you meet and she finds out about it? What would she tell you, then?
The fun at disturbing others ceases and his face becomes illegible.
"Dead people don't say anything."
The man's eyes widen and he sees one of the men in training give him pitying looks.
"I am deeply sorry."
The Uchiha closes his hands, nails against the flesh, almost drawing blood.
"But not enough to withdraw the orders to kill Raijin, I suppose? Look, let's do this: I go my way with Raijin, far from his city, and you forget we exist."
"And where would you go foreigner?" - The middle-aged man who was earlier looking out the window and was now approaching, asks. Katsuo looks him in the eye, not even bothering to bow like everyone else.
Katsuo thinks about the question, one he's been asking himself. There was only one way for him to break the chains of fear and face Riki and Eiko again – by making sure the mage was well and truly dead.
Some of his killer intent leaks out, and some shudder, not understanding how a thirteen-year-old boy could look like a real threat.
"After the little shit who killed her. I'm going to kill that damn mage even if it's the last thing I do in my life."
Denethor looks at him with interest and wariness when he realizes the implications of the boy's answer, and a certain satisfaction washes over the ruler of Gondor.
"It's refreshing to see a boy your age realizing how cunning istaris can be."- Denethor comments and probes further, intrigued by the vehemence of the youngest.
"And what would be the name of this vile mage who has your rage, foreigner?"
"Saruman." – Katsuo hisses his name, with a contempt rarely seen in someone so young.
Denethor smiles, a calculating glint in his eyes.
"I heard you would be willing to protect that beast of yours against anyone who tried to harm it. So here is my proposal: everyone who opposes the presence of this hybrid will duel you; defeat at least three of them, and not only will I expressly order them never to try to harm the beast or you again, but I will allow you to join my army. You will need training and opportunities if you are to kill Saruman, and we of Gondor are as committed as you are when it comes to eliminating the threats against our people."
Uchiha and Regent studied each other with interest, a reluctant affinity forming. Boromir looks at the younger in concern, wondering what his father had in mind now.
Then, Katsuo smiles.
"I accept."