Kaiyuga: sets fire to the blossom I told you that wouldn't work…You stole that from Yu Yu Hakusho…KATON HOUSENKA NO JUTSU!!
{Kai spits fire in all directions, getting all three of them}
All three: GUH!
{They fall to the floor}
Kai: {Eyes glow searing red, and she makes for Kohaku- san, who's the closest}
{Picks her up by her ankle, and hisses in her unconscious face}
Kai: You should be thankful. If you were awake, this would be unbearable…{grins}
{Grabs Kohaku- san's arm, and with a horrible snap, it dangles limply}
Kai: Now for the other…{grabs the other arm}
Kit: {regains consciousness} NO!
{A kunai sinks into Kai's back, making her drop Kohaku- san}
Kai: AAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! {Writhes for the kunai}
Kit: {Ignores the demon, and shakes Kohaku- san} Wake up! WAKE UP!!
Kai: Ku…Ku- heh heh heh heh! SHE CAN'T HEAR YOU!! {flicks out a lightning yellow tongue}
Kit: SHUT UP! {throws another kunai}
Kai: The same trick doesn't work twice with me, remember? {catches the kunai between the pointer and middle finger, and flings it right back at Kit, whose attention is still on Kohaku- san}
KIT!!
{Blood splattered against Kit.}
Kit: Huh? {looks up}
???: GUH! {KakashiLvr coughs up blood, gripping a kunai in her left flank}
Kai: {reaches for the kunai in her back, roaring increases as she gets closer} UHN! {pulls it out, black blood spewing from the open wound} Heh heh heh…
{Hurtles the kunai at Kit from a different viewpoint and dashes for Kohaku-san}
KakashiLvr: K- KIT! WATCH OUT!!
Kit: HUH?!
{A body falls in front of her, blood splattered everywhere in front of her}
KakashiLvr: {Can barely breathe as she grips the kunai that's now just above her heart}
Kai: NOW YOU'RE MINE!! {Kai protrudes a set of sharp black claws as a second jaw forms under the first, closing in on the three of them}
"Thi- this can't be!" Kage gaped at the names, her body freezing.
"I'm…afraid it is…" Aki's voice dropped in defeat of the truth.
"Did…didn't you know this?!" Aki gave an airy chuckle.
"Aha…nope." Aki sweat dropped as she got off against the rail, "Ah shit."
Aki trudged down the steps, a wry smirk on her face. Karma walked alongside her ankle, purring.
"So be it." She muttered under her breath.
She stood at the opposite end of Kage, standing strong.
"Sempai vs. Sempai, then, huh?"
…………
" "Sempai"?" Sakura looked at Kakashi, "What does she mean?"
"I'm just as lost as you…" Kakashi looked back on the two fighters.
…………
Aki bowed, looking at Kage.
"Should I go full out?" Kage swallowed.
"Is it guaranteed you won't kill me?" Aki snickered.
"Nothing is guaranteed when you're a ninja." She slipped her headphones on to Thrice's "Stare At The Sun".
…………
"Uh- oh."
"Kakashi- sensei?" Naruto turned around.
"When she places those sound casters on her ears…" Kakashi showed signs of worry.
A wave of blue chakra enveloped Aki's form.
"She gets an unreal chakra boost!"
…………
"BEGIN!" Hayate dropped his hand.
Aki took evasive action, Karma making her hair stand on end. She dashed around Kage, appearing and vanishing as she came closer to confuse her opponent.
"Don't take this personally." Aki struck Kage in the abdomen.
(An Atemi?! Why go there?!) Kage blocked with a Chûden.
"Inazumagen!" Kage flew back, blood dripping from her nostril.
She slid against the stone, and lifted her torso up. She wiped the blood from her nose, confused.
(Why didn't I see that?!)
…………
"Kakashi- sensei! What was that?!" he scratched his head.
"Well, guessing from their stances, they're fighting Jujitsu- style."
"What was that punch?! I could hardly see it!" Naruto grinned mischievously, thinking if Aki could teach him that.
" "Lightning Flash Fist?" " Sakura looked at him with bafflement.
"That's what Aki said."
…………
Aki slapped her hands together in the Dragon seal.
"Jigokuryuu no Justu!" A black mist circled her feet.
…………
"HUH?!" Mostly everyone stopped and stared.
"What did she say?"
"That's what I heard."
" "Hell Dragon"?"
"Have you ever heard of it?"
Kakashi looked around at the whispering genin and the concerned jounin. He looked back, and jumped slightly.
…………
The ring of black mist now created a mini tornado, and sped towards Kage. She leapt up quickly, and began to dodge the tornado, which glared pupiless red eyes within the core of the mist.
Aki assumed a position as though she was doing a Katon Ryukka no Jutsu. She had a hand to her mouth, blowing out black mist in a stream. The tornado grew bigger and darker as each second came by until it was a mini F5 tornado.
Kage looked for a way out when something caught her eye. Something that streaked black and silver.
"Huh?" That split second of distraction made the tornado swallow her in the chaos that raged inside.
"AAUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Aki grimaced.
She should have been grinning.
"Jigokuryuu no Justu steals physical and mental energy." She winced at Kage's screams, and finally removed the tornado.
Kage was on one knee, breathing hard and twitching madly.
"Do you give up?" Aki stood a few feet away from her, unsure of what to do or say.
"Heh…Tell me, Aki…" Kage grinned, still trying to catch her breath.
"What did you shout that night? When I had received my yellow belt?"
Aki reverted back to that night.
"I see…I'm not responsible for what happens from now on." Aki took her stance, drawing her staff.
Aki placed two fingers in front of her, and after concentrating some chakra to it, pointed straight at Kage.
"Seifuku!"
Kage tried to dodge the thread of chakra, but her mind and body was worn out from the jutsu. She suddenly felt an invigorating feeling surging through her body. Any small abrasions she got from the tornado were vanishing, and her mind became sharp.
"Now…" Aki held her staff in defense, "Fight."
Kage was only taught defense, since that was the purpose of Jujitsu, but what if Aki didn't use fighting with fists? She'd be in a pickle.
A dead pickle.
"Come then." Aki offered a hand, "Or are you backing down?"
Her voice changed suddenly. It may have been her mouth forming the words, but it was someone else who had spoken them.
"I thought you didn't back down from threats?" She hissed in demonic mirth.
Kage glared at the moment, and charged. She flipped out a kunai, and hurled it at Aki.
"Child's play." Aki spun her staff so fast that the kunai was knocked off and clattered against the floor.
Aki didn't realize that was a diversion and Kage slammed a fist into Aki's side, gritting her teeth in remorse.
Aki's eyes dilated, and she spat out blood before grabbing Kage, and flinging her over her back. Karma bit Kage's hand, hissing.
"OW!" What bit her?!
Kage swiped her hand, and Karma flew off, landing on her paws lightly. At the same time, Aki and Kage formed hand seals.
"KATON RYUUKA NO JUTSU!"
"AKAKAGE NO JUTSU!"
Aki spat flame as Kage released red mist. An explosion of chakra sent the ring in smoke and disaster.
Aki fell to a knee, panting. A hand gripped her stomach as a small trickle of blood dripped from her bottom lip.
(Dammit! Not now…) She looked around as the smoke cleared up, not seeing Kage.
"Where is she?"
"AKI! BEHIND YOU!" Sakura jumped, seeing Kage stalk Aki from behind.
Aki's eyes widen, and spun around, doing a trip kick to Kage. She fell forward, her chin crashing against the stone. Aki leapt back, gripping her stomach. She coughed and turned around to breathe.
…………
Hayate quietly watched, intrigued by Aki's power and curious of the past these two had together.
(She's fighting? With the wounds I can deduce from that girl, something is wrong…)
…………
Aki coughed out a small puddle of blood, not paying attention to Kage. She gripped the kunai in her hands, and drove it into the stone in front of her.
If Aki's eyes could go wider, they would pop out of her skull. She crumpled to the floor, shrieking an inhuman screech of pain. She gripped her shoulder, blood spurting through her fingers.
"How…?!" Then she noticed it.
Her shadow was longer because of her chakra, and it was not normally black.
It was blood red.
The kunai Kage had stabbed into the ground spewed blood from the shadow equivalent of Aki's shoulder.
"Aki, stop now." Kage got up, trying to help Aki.
"Never!" It was that same, unrealistic voice that had answered Aki.
"You're not well! Stop it now! Forfeit!" Each word made Aki twitch in rage.
"We'll see whose not well when this match is over!"
Aki suddenly blindly charged, aiming for Kage.
"Aki…" she drew out a kunai, "You leave me with no choice."
Aki kept on coming, homing in on Kage.
"Aki, please forgive me!" She started her descent.
It all happened so fast. First came the glint of the iron, then the flash of black fur, then blood. Kage stood there, staring at Aki. Aki stopped dead in her tracks, horrified at what lay at her feet.
Karma lay there, blood seeping under her side. Aki slowly lowered herself and ran her fingers across the cat's dead face. Tears slide down her cheeks as she scratched the deceased cat behind her right ear, which she always enjoyed. She gingerly lifted the kitten into her arms, and hugged her tightly.
"KARMAAAAAAAA!" She cried to the ceiling, tears flying from her eyes.
Kage continued to stare.
Aki bowed her head, holding her limp cat to her heart.
"Aki…"
Without warning, she suddenly backhanded Kage so hard in the gut it knocked the wind out of her.
"You…" Aki stood up, her fists clenching and unclenching.
"YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!!!!" She went for a kill swoop when she stopped, frozen.
Deep inside of her, something snapped.
Aki suddenly collapsed to both knees, her arms constricting around her stomach.
…………
Watching above, the sensei for Zaku, Dosu and Kin was grinning, licking a fang with his long tongue.
(Now we will see the extent of your ability, Akiosu…) Orochimaru grinned.
…………
A cryptic silence filled the prelim stadium. Kage was slowly regaining her breath; Aki was still kneeling, a steady stream of blood silently traveling off her lip.
Kage pulled her head up from the floor, and stared at Aki.
A diabolic grin spread across her bloody lips, fangs growing into her teeth.
"Fr…." She reiterated that word over and over again.
A black aura of chakra flamed all over her body.
"Wha?!"
A clawed hand pressed down on the stone as she got up, her skin and nails as dark as smoke.
"Eheh…heh heh heh heh!!" Aki brought her hands to her eyes, flexing the fingers.
Kage heard her inhale deeply through her clenched teeth.
"FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!" The very word sent shivers even down Kakashi and Orochimaru's back.
Kage jumped to her feet in an instant, backing away from Aki, whose face was shadowed. Akakage no Jutsu had worn off by now, her shadow growing darker by the second.
Aki threw her head back, cackling in an insane and malevolent voice that was too deep to be human, much less feminine.
"WHO ARE YOU?!" Kage was losing her wit.
"Who am I?" The voice hissed, a poisonous blue tongue slithering out every interval between words, "I am amazed Aki didn't give proper introductionssssssss…"
Aki carefully gripped her forehead with her left hand, the other going across her forearm in a cross. She grinned, and slowly dug her claws into her flesh. She started to drag her claws down, scratching skin off.
"AKI?! WHAT THE HELL-?!" A growing chuckle grew in Aki's distorted vocal cords.
"Aki? She's not here at the moment. Leave a message after the scream." Aki tore the last of her flesh from her chin.
"My name…is Sikuliah…" He grinned, showing gleaming white fangs.
Hiding between loose hairs from her bangs, was glowing red eyes. The pupils tightened into slits, fixing on Kage.
She screamed.