Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Bathing in Blood
28. The End
Be patient for one more day of misery;
I ask for no longer.
-Beowulf
Red.
It was all he could see, all he could sense and touch and smell in this bloodthirsty fantasy. A vicious, pulsating, perpetual red it was, ever-flickering between bright and brighter. It pounded against his eyelids; burned and seethed as if it had a life of its own.
Yes, it was all he could see, and yet all he couldn't see. Because if he imagined he was squinting, he might think for just an instant that there was a tinge of pink behind the crimson wash. It was familiar, much too familiar; a pink that whispered vaguely sinister things in a vaguely sinister way. It trailed in his vision like a lone, lost little puppy.
Like a little puppy with fangs.
But of course he wasn't seeing these things; it was just a dream and nothing more. It wasn't real. It couldn't happen if it was real, because he knows that the dog you feed won't bite you and the dog you starve won't either. He knows it's just a dream, just a pathetic, twisted, distortedly misfortunate horror of a dream, he knows—
Only five percent of people dream in color. Isn't he lucky?
Kakashi didn't seem to know anything anymore.
"Something odd's happening in there."
The man's posture echoed his drawling voice as he leaned lazily against the chain link fence. His mop of black hair, graying subtly, shaded his face from the freckles of sunlight that dotted the shadow. A normal reasonable-looking kind of guy, not the type to get worked up over nothing. Or anything, for that matter. And yet...
"'Odd'? What do you mean by 'odd'?" The female jounin standing next to him whirled around suddenly. Her words were clipped machine-gun-bullet noises, the sounds made by frayed nerves when they snap. "You know what they said! Anything that might be dangerous, even the slightest hint, should be taken seriously!"
The man sighed, rubbing his temples absentmindedly. "You take things waaay too 'seriously' for your own good. This test would be pointless without a bit of uncertainty and risk mixed in." He laughed at her still-anxious expression, the drawn brows and pursed lips that made her look like a human storm-cloud, and decided to alleviate her fears.
"Besides, all I said was that something odd is happening. I didn't say 'threatening' or 'scary', or that precious word,'dangerous'." He stared complacently into the wall of green foliage that surrounded the tower. Shaking her head, the woman mumbled something under her breath. It was hard to believe that this man was a proctor sometimes.
Then again, it was hard to believe that she herself was a proctor as well.
"But still! This exam is important! We should at least investigate it further; maybe contact Hokage-sama--" She felt her colleague's strong hand grasp her retreating shoulder. She turned.
The wall of green had become a wall of fire.
"I knew those fire-proofing jutsus would come in handy this time!" He smiled easily, unmoved from his place against the fence.
"Dear God!" She nearly sank to her knees; steadied herself before she fainted. Instructions first, instincts later. "We must tell Hokage-sama! Now!" Once again, she tried to run. Once again, she stopped. Her colleague wasn't moving. Instead, he was gazing serenely into the crimson blaze.
"Look." With her eyes she followed the tanned finger pointing into the midst of the flames. Three figures were beginning to emerge. "Who are they?"
You had to squint to see them.
"Umm..." Forgetting both instructions and instincts, she racked her brain for the information. "Kakashi's Team Seven. Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and...that pink-haired girl. What's-her-name. Haruno something, wasn't it?" The man nodded sagely, calmly, half-listening, seeming almost proud as he watched the children approach.
"Yep."
His tone as unfettered as eternity, gleaming with a hint of satisfaction.
"Always knew those two boys had potential."
FINIS.
Bathing in Blood
29. Credits
Acknowledging all my reviewers for the sequel to Puppet in Pink!
(in no particular order)
Noca-sama (aka Hina-sama)...for giving excellent tips on the non-existent fight scenes
Mad-killer-bunnies-alert-sama (aka MKRA-sama)
Kage-Rebirth-sama (aka Kage-sama)...for having a cat!
XiaXue-sama
Maya Amano-sama
Shiroi Hikari-sama
Sailor Tiamat-sama
xx-Tsumi-chan-xx-sama
lostfreakfound-sama
dobyuk princess-sama
Hyourin Kage-sama
deity of death1-sama
Adyen-sama
Ashley-sama
Fwoggie-sama
lonewolf-chica-sama
Red Crow-sama
faLLen-dreamz-sama
waterfox96-sama
Icy Lullaby-sama
BloodLasts4Ever-sama
Jingle Bells-sama
Phoe-chan-sama
tjal-sama
unmoving-sama
HikaruOfArrow-sama
ArrowOfHikaru-sama
Search and Seek and Destroy-sama
Rhythmic-sama
Miyano Shiho-sama
catc10-sama
legacyZero-sama
zero25-sama
silver dark rose-sama
PGRS-sama
Grummur-sama
Ewz-sama
kira-924-sama
Lady Light-sama
hikariko-sama
sonydjsnmix-sama
aNiMeaNgEl-sama
Shinobi Sakura-sama
insert catchy name here-sama
KKO-sama
Anime freak-sama
3-sama
LadyofDarknes-sama
WickedFantasies-sama
BBKarateGrl-sama
I hope I didn't forget anyone...even if I did, I want to say this: You guys are the best! If you didn't like the story, you told me so, without coming across as offensive. If you did like the story, you told me so, and gave me all kinds of ideas, suggestions, and comments. You also had to put up with my laziness, forgetfulness, and occasional randomness. For that, I must apologize. (bows) Can't possibly thank you enough!
