What am I?

Setsuko was staring down at the mud. Night had fallen and she was still in the same spot, only now she looked at the ground. The events of Kakashi leaving her there played over and over in her mind, trying to make some sense of what had happened.

"What the hell is wrong with you, human?! Everyone agrees that I am not human! Except that fact and move on!" Kakashi let of of Setsuko's fists and moved out of the way as she went tumbling forward. He pushed her lower back as she went passed him, causing her to fall into a large puddle of mud. Setsuko pushed herself up and spat out some mud.

"There is nothing I can do for you." Kakashi told her with a sad look in his eye.

"Why not?!" Setsuko demanded.

"Your main problem is that you can't control your emotions. You can fight when you think." Kakashi turned to walk off.

"I thought you said that you would teach me! Teach me a technique! I can't fight against the wolf god like I am now!" Setsuko yelled after him. Kakashi had stopped. "She taught Aka Yuki everything she knew! I only know what she knows! You have to teach me something!"

"You have to come to terms with yourself before I can teach you anything." After he threw that over his shoulder Kakashi left. Setsuko watched the direction that he left, her eyes wide and shock written across her face. She paid no attention to the rain that had started to pour down on her. She just sat there, in the mud, staring in a trance. Her mind seemed to have stopped.

"Come to terms with myself?" Setsuko asked herself with confusion written all over her face. The woman stared at the ground hard. "I have." She whispered to herself. "There is nothing else for me to come to terms with. I don't understand Kakashi. What is left?" Setsuko looked up at the sky, up into the rain. "What do I have to know?! Tell me!" Setsuko yelled. She stood up finally. Her eyes fell to the ground once more. "I know what I am. I am neither human nor demon. I know that. What else is there?" Setsuko brushed away some of her green hair. "I don't understand." Setsuko stared down at herself. Her hair was a mess. The bun and hair sticks were hanging on by only a thread. The rain had pushed them down and about. Her hair stick fell to the ground with a soft thud as the wind blew them out. Forest green hair tumbled pass her shoulders. Setsuko paid no mind to it though.

"There's the whore!" Her head snapped up at the voice, anger surged through her. Her? A whore? That hurt! It was a group of them. Just like the ones before she came to the village with her cousin. Cloud-nin were there, in front of her with hate written all over their faces. Setsuko narrowed her eyes at them. She felt her temper flare.

"What is it you want?!" She demanded over the pouring rain.

"You killed our teammates!" Setsuko rose an eyebrow. She'd kill to many to know. Besides, how did they know it was her?!

"I think you took a hit to the head." One let out an ugly laugh.

"We had some of our dogs tack ya! Now yer gonna pay!" A faint smile danced over Setsuko's lips. Shadows hid her eyes. The wind blew her hair up as though it was a flag. A cold laughter filled the air. Setsuko lifted up her head, revealing her blazing crimson eyes that were wild and bloodthirsty. She lifted her hand up to her mouth. A snide remark passed her lips.

"Oh dear, and I left my wallet at home." The woman bit down on her hand, letting the blood run out over her. Setsuko lifted her arm up and made a swiping motion with it. The blood soared off of her hand, towards the Cloud-nin. It landed on a few, causing them to drop to the ground, screaming in agony. Acidic blood ate away at them. More blood flowed from her wound. She held out her hand and it formed a sword. Setsuko didn't wait for an answer as she disappeared in a blur of speed. A cloud-nin stepped back as his friend's head was removed. Setsuko stood behind the body that was fall to the ground. Before she could move, fire surrounded her. Only three nin were left. One of them was controlling the fire.

"What do ya have ta say ta that, ya whore?!" Setsuko smirked.

"Chin imei kyougen iza." (We will play now.) Setsuko switched the sword to her other hand as more blood oozed out of her bite mark. The blood shot forward at the cloud-nin who was controling the fire.

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Setsuko walked through the forest. The rain was washing away the blood. She looked down at her bitten hand, it had already healed. She let her hand drop back down to her side. A faint smile graced her features.

"I thought I had two months."

"I do not." Setsuko nodded and turned to face Chiharu. "Your blood led me straight to you. Any demon could smell it miles away." Setsuko stared at Chiharu.

"I know. That's why I made it such a bloody battle." Setsuko smiled. Chiharu laughed.

"So you wanted your last breath to be against me now?" Setsuko nodded once more. The wolf god showed what some might consider a smile. "Well then, I guess you know that you will never be Aka Yuki nor can you use her powers! Especially against me." Setsuko still smiled at the old demon.

"Aka Yuki means bloody snow. You named her that because of her skin. White as snow with bloody vines on it." Setsuko's calm looked turn to hate. "That thing chose me and condemned me to hell! Now, I shall take you with me." Setsuko hair blew in the wind once more.

"Die filth!" Setsuko dodged a claw and jumped back to try and put some distance between the two. She crouched down as the wolf swung at her again. 'Shit! I'm runnin' out of ideas!' Setsuko rolled to the side and barely avoided being hit. Setsuko flipped back to avoid another swing. She took a deep breath as she calmed her mind. 'Stay in control.' Setsuko dodged the wolf's bite and rolled out of the way. 'Think dammit Setsuko!' Setsuko bumped into a tree. The wolf growled as it came closer to her. 'Let's see . . . attacks? Anything but blood. Seals! What hand seals do I know?!' Setsuko came up blank and ended up rolled under the wolf, barely missing its fangs and claws. The tree that she had been pressed against was only splinters now. 'What was all that hand crap?!' She backed up as the wolf turned to her and laughed. 'Screw it! Who needs hand crap?!' Setsuko forced charka into her hand. A faint silver glow came from the small ball of charka in her hand. Setsuko clutched the ball in her hand tightly as it shook violently. She threw the ball at Chiharu but it was shaking too violently and missed completely. "Is that the best you can do filth?!" Setsuko started to panic as she backed up even more. She could think of anything else! She felt herself press up against another tree. 'Come on, think! It's too violent to go through the air! What else . . .' The answer came to her as she gathered another small ball of silver into her hand as she closed her fist. She raised the fist with the faint silver glow into the air above her head. The wolf laughed at her. Setsuko smirked before she finished.

"Saa oyobi kieuseru." (Come now and die) She threw the small ball of silver into the ground. It ripped apart the ground as it headed toward Chiharu. The wolf god leapt out of the way as the trees behind it exploded. The wolf smirked as it stared at the pieces of wood that were raining down to the ground.

"So you have learned to use more than your Ninjou Shuujuku? Not good enough!"

". . . Ninjou Shuujuku?" Setsuko whispered in confusion before she leapt out of the way of a claw. Part of her sleeve was ripped. Setsuko glared at the wolf god. "Why do you try and kill me?!"

"Because, you are Aka Yuki's human counter part! She left this forest, knowing that would happen!" The wolf snarled. Setsuko shook her head.

"I am not human." Setsuko spat out. The wolf grinned.

"You have human blood! Don't tell me you think that Aka Yuki turned you into a freak?! Your appearance was warped, yes, but not your blood! Your minds and souls were merged, taking Aka Yuki's very being from this world! You are a fool to think that does not make you human!" Setsuko froze in shock and was hit by the wolf's claws. "Aka Yuki understand that appearance did not matter! To be a true Ninjou Tatsujin you must except only your blood!" Setsuko laid on the ground in shock. 'I am . . . human? But . . . I don't look it . . . I don't have a human soul . . .' She felt herself being picked up and thrown across the clearing. The wind was knocked out of her as she hit a rock and slid down it. She stared up at Chiharu with distant eyes. Setsuko did not appear to be looking at Chiharu at all. The wolf god stopped dead in its tracks. "A . . . Aka Yuki . . ." It whispered quietly. The wolf took a step back. "It . . . it can't be . . . those eyes . . . that look . . ." Unknown to Setsuko, her eyes had turned a bright gold. Setsuko stood up as though she was being pulled by strings as if she was a puppet.

"Hello mother."