It all happened so fast.
There she was, gambling with her life with her soul buddy. Resting all of their fates on a thread so invisible you think it wasn't there. And then the bite.
…………
"Wh- what's happening now?!" Sakura stared at the senbon tornado.
Kakashi stared, his face chiseled by the horror of the reality.
"I….I think it's been decided…"
"What has?" A sudden, heart- chattering screech of metal paused their conversation.
The tornado was spinning so fast seconds ago it looked like a solid wall of steel. But now, it was like they slammed down on the brakes. Every needle was poised in midair, tinkling against one another. Then it happened.
The halted tornado suddenly collapsed inward, the needles blanketing each other as they claimed flesh.
"WHA?!"
"NO!!"
"AKI!!!!" Everyone gripped the railing, watching as the needles imploded and slowly dispersed into nothing.
…………
It felt like a really bad dog bite. First, Kage saw the hoard of needles comes at her. Then something beige slid out in front of her before her vision was darkened by cold steel.
Everything was spinning. She didn't know where she was anymore. Was this another weird dream? Not if her arms ached. A spiral of white started to swirl into her vision. Tan and green followed after. Then red.
Kage slowly opened her eyes, just staring at the ceiling. She was alive! That was a nice surprise. Then she tried to move. But couldn't.
"Wha?!" Turning her head gingerly, she saw what was pinning her down and gasped in disgust.
Hundreds of senbon needles were going straight through her arms and her legs, apparently, for she could not move those either. They cleanly stuck through her skin, blood dripping slowly from around the steel. But…shouldn't she be dead?
Gritting her teeth and stifling more than one scream, she lifted her torso up. A vague shadow loomed over hers and she looked up to see Aki standing in front of her, gripping her staff.
Her clothes were torn and frayed, scratch marks covering her body and face. Her blood had soaked into her skin, making her like a survivor in a plane crash. Kage could see Aki's visible rib expand with her uneven breathing.
Hayate knew it was the end. He raised his hand into the air.
"Akiosu is the winner!" Sakura sighed in relief, Naruto whooped, and Kakashi eased.
Nothing moved. Everything was silent still. Kage looked into Aki's eyes, and noticed that they were somewhat faded. And the light had vanished from them.
"Aki?" Kakashi got off from the wall.
He cocked his head to one side, and poofed down into the ring. Aki didn't react.
"Hey, Aki?" Aki just stared at the floor in front of her.
"Aki, come on." He tapped her lightly on the shoulder.
A pause, then suddenly, she keeled over like a chopped down tree.
"AKI?!" Kakashi caught her before she fell to the floor.
A splatter of blood flew from her limp lips as she exhaled an internal cry of pain. Aki's right eyelid twitched slightly as her eyes continued to grow wider. Fear consumed Kage's eyes.
"Oh, my God…!" Kakashi gasped in horror.
Aki's entire back flank was covered in so much senbon she looked like a cyborg porcupine. Her body sagged on Kakashi's arm, bringing her face close to Kage's. She jumped, seeing how dead Aki's face looked as blood continued to spew from her mouth and her eyes twitching.
"MEDIC!" Aki's stomach jerked violently as blood poured from her mouth like a waterfall.
She saw tan stone, then darkness, but the voices kept on screaming in her head.
(Kage…)
"Get her on the stretcher!"
"Her too!"
"Her heartbeat is failing!!"
"What was that thing?!"
(Everyone…)
"Was that a demon?!"
"Who is this girl?!"
"What is she?!"
"Aki?! AKI!!"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
(Forgive me.)
…………
Two dim lights casted their rays on a back semi covered in blue material. Needles were sticking out in odd ways, painted in the body's blood. Tiny beeps were heard as the body exhaled weak breaths.
…………
Standing five feet away from her, blocked by a pane of glass, Kakashi stared in emotionless hope. He leaned his forehead against his arm on the pane, watching Aki helplessly try to breathe and hang on to what life she had left in her. What had happened? His mind tried to find the answers but it was like catching butterflies without a net.
Impossible.
A demon was inside of her; everyone knew that now. A flamboyant one at that. His name was Sikuliah. Never heard the likes of that type of name. He was a dragon demon.
Kakashi shivered slightly.
He was a powerful demon. He had a fetish for blood, NO! Dammit! A taste…a bloodlust. He thrived on the fear of his opponent, and would not stop until he was dead. But what had made this creature emerge from Aki? How long had Aki harbored him inside of her? Would he die if she did? How would he be sealed?
His thoughts were shooed away as the surgeons walked into the room, and began to sedate Aki.
…………
A dim whiter haze clouded her vision as she turned her head to the side. Her eyes were half-open, hoarsely breathing as she stared lifelessly at the scarecrow watching her. A steady line of blood dripped on the gurney and onto the floor. She ignored the doctors coming in and continued to scowl at the silver- haired jounin, whose mind was trapped in questions.
She paid no attention as they placed the mask on her face, nor when the nozzle was turned on. She felt the bite of an IV needle being inserted into her wrist, and within seconds after the barbiturate was circulated through her system, she was totally oblivious to the world around her.
A faded black object slowly circled the floor in front of her. It stopped to clean itself, and looked up at Aki with beryl yellow eyes. It mewed.
"Ka- Karma?!" In her last conscious breaths, a tear fell from her eyes.
A slow, thin line of saliva sagged out of her mouth before she blacked out.
…………
Kakashi could not bear to watch her anymore as a surgeon took a scalpel to the back of her neck and started to remove the senbon.
…………
Kakashi waited hours, continuously running his fingers through his hair. Sakura and Naruto had already come by, wondering why Kakashi was so bent out. Twice, he had jumped when he thought he saw the head surgeon come out, but all in vain. His eyes were always on the clock, watching as it cackled in his face.
"Kakashi?" His head shot up from staring at the floor.
"Yes?" He saw the surgeon come out from the OR double doors.
He hastily got up and walked towards the doctor.
"How is she?" The doc sighed.
"We brought her out of shock, and she's in Recovery right now." Kakashi let out a relieved sigh.
"But," Kakashi's eye focused on the doc.
"But what?"
The doctor sighed, and pinched his eyelids.
"She has suffered extensive damage to all of her systems, lost a great deal of blood, had a couple of fractures and can hardly breathe on her own." Every one the doc ticked off made Kakashi slowly shrink away.
"At least she is alive and recuperating." He arched his eyelid in a smile.
The doc shook his head slowly.
"I'm afraid we have sustained a dead body." Kakashi's eyes bulged out slightly.
"What?!"
"Not only was her body broken," He leaned in closer to hush his voice, "But her mind has also been cracked."
Kakashi's eyes were practically round now.
"She…Has she said anything?"
"Nothing. Will not respond to a single stimulus, whether it be her name or something smashing like glass."
"Is…is it alright to see her?"
"Yes, but I don't know why you want to…"
"Which room is she in?"
"C13."
…………
She would never forgive herself.
Never.
What was the price of living when most you have lived for you have destroyed? Questions would be asked. Rituals would be held. Sealing would be involved.
Trust would be shattered.
Death would welcome her.
Life would shun her.
Darkness would consume.
Light would be snuffed out.
Why was she breathing? Stop making me breathe! Let me die!
JUST END IT NOW!!
She heard voices, too faint for her ears to catch as she stared grave silent at the ceiling. Sakura and Naruto entered, seeing the living carcass under the sheets and covered in machines.
"Aki?" Sakura bowed close to Aki's face, wondering what was going on behind her eyes.
She stared on.
"Aki, it's me. Sakura." She gave a small smile.
Aki stared. Slowly, very slowly, Aki turned her head at Sakura, stared into her ivy green eyes while breathing like a fish out of water behind the oxygen mask, and turned back to the ceiling.
LET ME GO!!
"Aki?"
I WANT IT TO END!!
"Aki, what's wrong?"
DON'T DO THIS TO ME!!
"Aki, can you hear me?"
JUST LET ME DIE NOW, I BEG OF YOU!!
"Aki…"
PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!!!!! LET ME DIE!!!!!!!!
Aki's soulless eyes suddenly shot open. Muffled groans of excruciated pain barely got past the mask. Her body jerked suddenly, her head causing a mini version of whiplash and she pressed it against her pillow, silently screaming to the ceiling.
"Uh, Sa- Sa- Sakura?" Naruto backed towards the door, "I...I don't think…A- Aki's okay…"
A small fountain of blood shot from Aki's mouth, cresting against the sides of the mask like waves and dripping underneath it to slide down her cheeks. Her hands snapped around the metal bars on either side of her bed, hurling her torso forward as she screamed out blood.
"GAAAHHH!!!" Both Sakura and Naruto fled from the room, slamming the door shut with their backs.
"WHERE'S KAKASHI- SENSEI?!" A horrible crash was heard inside.
"THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO KNOW!!" The door banged.
"HEEELLLLP!" they both screamed.
…………
On the other side, Kakashi was too preoccupied with Kabuto trying to kill Sasuke. He could not hear his other students cry for help.
…………
Kage was contently resting in a hospital bed, her arm splinted and her wolf plushie mended.
…………
Aki snapped her head back in an awkward angle as her convulsing hands reached for her neck. Her jugular was throbbing, claws slowly sliding down the skin that covered the vein.
"Nooooo…not now!" Fangs constantly drew from her mouth and retracted.
She gripped her throat with both hands, vomiting blood and other substances. Her back shivered as spines of bone slowly shot out and shrank back like a spring-loaded trap. Temple veins stood out as blood flooded her mask, sliding against the tubing. She grabbed her head, hoarsely screaming as her nails dug into her scalp.
"NOOOOOO!!!!" She tore her hands away, drawing blood and scales.
She bellowed a glass-shattering roar that echoed throughout the building.
…………
Kakashi was about to contemplate the idea of leaving Naruto in Ebisu's care when he heard the roar.
"WHAT THE-?!" He rushed out of Sasuke's room.
…………
Sakura and Naruto both felt the door pound with every blow the creature inside gave. Hideous cries of anguish and bellows of pain echoed through the hallway as though the creature was right in front of them. Doctors and personnel began filing down the hallway, some carrying equipment.
"Help! Someone!" Doctors rushed towards Naruto and Sakura.
"What's going on?!" one shouted fearfully over the roars.
"WE DON'T KNOW!" yelled Naruto and Sakura.
The windowpane in the door shattered, a black claw sliding back into the room. The doctors jumped back, looking at one another as if to say, "You go in first!".
A sudden poof of smoke was their saving grace.
"What's going on?!"
"KAKASHI?!" Naruto and Sakura rushed up to him in a blabber.
"And then she was all twitchy and-"
"She was screaming silently in pain; I could see her fists cur-"
"But then she was all killer on us and started to-"
"Vomit blood and other things and then-"
"Whoa WHOA! Hold on! What's-?" A smash sent splinters from the door flying out.
"HOLY-!!" Kakashi, narrowing his eye, poofed into the room.
…………
Blood dripped from everywhere in the room. The bed had been cut in two and overturned, the sheets torn and soaked in crimson. Sparks flew from the machines as if they themselves were bleeding away. Claw marks were chiseled into the walls, blood coloring the lines. Kakashi saw something crouched in the corner.
It was wheezing, drenched in blood. One arm was normal looking while the other was covered in murky swamp green scales. It seized up suddenly, and without warning, lunged at Kakashi. He dodged just into time, seeing the hybrid creature smash into a wall. It staggered to get up, stabbing its claws into the wall to pull itself up.
"KAKASHI!!!!" The hybrid fell to its knees, grasping its throat and stomach.
Its extended tongue lolled out of its mouth as pints of blood were ejected from her mouth. It fell forward, propping itself up with its deranged hands. Its back rippled in disgust, and in a final heave, the creature threw up a black glob of foreign material. The creature collapsed from weakness in one arm, and twitched constantly. Its hair slowly went back to the autumn hazel, matted with blood and coursed with sweat.
She fought for breath, her side barely even rising to take it in. Her blood drenched hand twitched slightly, unable to do much more. Kakashi was to the wall, horrified at what he had seen in less than a minute. His mind was crowded with questions, but a small hiss caught his attention.
He looked down at the floor, and watched as the black glob slowly melted away with a hisssssssssssssssssss. His eyes narrowed, then widened. Revealing underneath the black goop was a tag. Not just any tag.
It was a Curse Tag.
How could it have gotten inside of A-? If a realization could hit, Kakashi would be out cold.
The operation.
When Aki had crashed on her glider, she had to be taken in to stitch up the wound. How could he have been so STUPID?!
You don't place a bandage on the inside of the stomach.