REVERBERATING DOOM
By Hitokiri Midori
Author's Notes: Oh my, it's been a while. I apologize for my laziness.
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PART FIVE
Kin frowned and clasped her fist tightly. The night got increasingly worse. Every song Dosu and Zaku sang solo was a drop in their popularity. Nobody understood what angle they were coming from, what they were singing about. They were too used to fine young adolescents singing about love. Love they could comprehend.
They couldn't comprehend loneliness and sadness. They couldn't comprehend the shame of sitting alone at lunch, of sitting on top of school buildings just so you could get away from prying eyes… Kin looked around at her classmates. They were just different from her. They were friendly people, but they were not like her. It was as if they were a different breed. The Sound Trio, as they had begun to call themselves, were separate. They were removed from these people. No matter how much Kin tried to befriend these people, there was an inherent barrier that separated herself from the others.
She felt as if part of her was relieved, but the other part knew certain doom. A heavy cloud hung over her.
"We will now be taking an intermission, folks." Zaku announced, and winced when there was a very obvious shout of "YES! FINALLY!" in the crowd. Dosu said nothing but turned, so his back was to the audience, and began to take off the miniature metal amps. Dosu never liked the big black boxes – these were specially made. He tried to focus on taking the amps off and not the dangerous whispering in the crowds that spread like wildfire.
That band stinks.
Zaku felt like he was going to die.
"Homecoming… SUCKS." Anko declared. She had fought with Kabuto over who would accompany Orochimaru on his loan sharking escapade and won. White hair was just too bookish. She smirked and did her tongue thing. But she's a dragon, not a lizard1.
Her Orochi was dressed in an all black pimp suit, including pimp cane. He was feeling good. He had a white band across his forehead that had printed, in big bold Times New Roman characters, "I AM A LOAN SHARK NOW PAY UP."
Hurrah for subtlety! But Orochimaru is, and always will be, a super stealthy ninja. His mother told him so before he killed her, and so did that girl four houses down from his. It's a pity she died. Although, Orochi still had her head in the freezer, she was a pretty little thing.
"Anko." Orochimaru commanded without looking down at her. He had his sunglasses on, despite the fact that it was eight o'clock.
"Uh, Orochimaru-sama, can you see with those glasses-"
"SHUSH YOU! Let the pimp do his thing!" Orochimaru cackled and licked his lips, although with that tongue he could have probably licked his whole face and then swallowed it. "Now who's on the hit list?"
"We don't have a hit list, Orochimaru-sama." Anko protested.
"WHAT? You're fired! Who's next?"
"I am, Orochimaru-sama!" Kabuto came scuttling up, fixing his shoes, and in effect, hopping on one leg. "Sorry," He apologized meekly, "Nobody informed me you'd be playing Donald Trump tonight so I didn't get ready to replace Anko."
"Whatever." Orochimaru waved his hand impatiently. "Now WHO'S NEXT ON THE HIT LIST!"
"Er…" Kabuto pushed his glasses up and put on the classic thinking look.
"Well…? I'm beginning to lose my patience, Kabuto!"
"Hang ON! I'm putting on my thinking cap!" Kabuto groaned. While he fidgeted, he looked up in time to see Tsuchi Kin flee from the dance. She now stood in front, in the open night, catching her breath. Kabuto had no idea from what she was running from. Her hair was in disarray and she looked strained.
"Aha! IT MUST BE HER!" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. Yes, even more narrow. The dark slits glared at the girl.
Orochimaru had never seen Kin wear a dress before. He expected nothing fancy from her, like blue sequins or low-back gowns, but Kin wore a simple white garden dress. She pulled off the look well – there were no extra frills or trills or trimmings. She simply presented herself as who she was.
Orochimaru licked his lips.
"Offense one. Rejecting my invitation. Offense two – ARE YOU WRITING THIS DOWN, KABUTO?" Orochimaru shrieked. In his anger, he ripped off the white band from his forehead.
"Sorry, sorry…" Kabuto grumbled. "One: reject, two…" He began to scribble down.
"Two… SHE DIDN'T LISTEN TO MY DASTARDLY PLAN!" Orochimaru protested. "I'M SO SAD! LOOK AT MY SAD FACE!" Orochimaru boomed, turning to Kabuto wildly.
Kabuto stared.
Orochimaru put on his sad face.
"Well, what do you think of my sad face?"
"I don't know, do it.
"I WAS DOING IT!"
"WHAT! You were doing that whole creepy narrow eye tongue thing!"
"THAT WAS MY SAD FACE!"
"THAT'S YOUR HOMOCIDAL KILLER FACE!"
Orochimaru whipped out a foot long butcher's knife and held it to Kabuto's throat in the blink of an eye. "It's my sad face." Orochimaru hissed.
"Right. Sad face. NOW BLADE OFF MY JUGULAR!"
In their antics, Kin had spotted them and stared. Normal people are inclined to react when they see two people, one of them holding a butcher's knife to the other's neck, but Kin assessed the situation logically.
The one holding the knife was Orochi. The one about to be killed was Kabuto.
"Nothing new." Kin shrugged, when the doors opened, and Zaku and Dosu strolled out.
"Kin!" Zaku called. "Oh good. We need you to play Paper Kill. We're losing the people, here."
Kin began to speak, but bit her lip. She remembered the crowds of people, especially… that crowd that hated their band. The way the laughed at Dosu's bandages and Zaku's brusque attitude. They were quick to criticize.
And if she were to be seen with them?
Kin opened her mouth to begin to speak when a wind blew past her wildly. After finally recollecting herself and straightening, she stared at the shadow standing above her.
"Zaku! Dosu!" She cried, because it is natural instinct to react when a homicidal killer is holding your two best friends.
"I believe you owe me four thousand dollars."
Zaku struggled. "We don't owe you that much! It's not over two thousand!"
"Oh, but there's interest, sweet." Orochimaru grinned and ran a thin, white hand across Zaku's face, tracing it's contours. Then, he turned on Dosu.
"You are a mighty pretty boy," He declared, staring intently at Dosu's one good eye. The rest of his face was covered by bandages. "You hold one of those… injured beauties." He snaked around their bodies, twisting and turning until the two boys found two knifes pointed at their necks. "You kids may think I don't take loan sharking seriously but this is how I make my living, boys. Now pay with your wallets or pay with your life." He grinned, running a hand along Dosu's bandages. His fingers rippled down Dosu's neck before he stopped at a pulse.
"Well?" Orochimaru prompted. When none of the responded, Orochimaru swiftly pressed at Dosu's neck. His tense arms dropped limply, as he was unconscious. Orochimaru's right hand now began to snake down Zaku's neck.
"Wait! Stop!" Kin cried. "The money is at home!"
Orochimaru paused and look up. "Oh? Now should I believe that excuse, Kabuto?"
Kabuto was currently preoccupied trying to stop the bleeding.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU CUT ME ANYWAY! MONSTER!" Kabuto wailed.
"Hush up, Kabuto." Orochimaru frowned, and then the idea lightbulb made a little "Ding" sound above his head.
"You, sir," He smirked at Zaku, will accompany me into your tacky home and get my money out." As he said this, Zaku made violent motions with his eyes at Kin, as the rest of his body was restrained by Orochimaru.
"Kin!" Zaku gave up and finally shouted, "I don't have that much money!" He gasped for breath as Orochimaru's grip on his throat tightened.
"Yes you do," Kin said slowly, her eyes on Orochimaru's hand instead of Zaku's face. She racked her brain… they had to have money somewhere. It was possible Dosu could have some money laying around, but not two thousand dollars. Kin had ten dollars folded in her bra. In short, there was no where to get two thousand dollars.
In the gym, she started hearing loud shouting. "THE INTERMISSION'S BEEN GOING ON FOR WAYYY TOO LONG!" It sounded like Naruto was shouting it.
Kin did the math. There had to be at least two hundred people at the dance. If each of them donated ten dollars, they'd have enough. It was a long shot, and nearly impossible to pull off, considering the circumstances. Not to mention the school would skin her for trying to raise money at a school-sanctioned event.
"Zaku will get you your two thousand." Kin said steadily. "You'll get your other two thousand before the end of the night."
Both Orochimaru and Zaku looked at Kin with such a wary expression she swore the two of them looked like brothers. Then Orochimaru flicked his tongue and she violently pitched the idea from her head.
"I need… Dosu, that's all." Kin said steadily. "Wake him. And if you harm Zaku at all while he's getting his money, you can rest assured you are not getting the rest of it."
Orochimaru scoffed. "You think your friend is worth two thousand dollars?" He laughed. "If I cut him up into little pieces I could sell his whole body for around ten million, I'm guessing…"
Zaku gulped, then sneered. "I didn't know you do your own dirty work."
Orochimaru shrugged. "Just part of it. Kabuto will handle the cutting, I'll handle the transaction."
Kabuto pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Excuse me?"
Orochimaru seemed to ignore this line of thought, and brushed off Kin's threat like it was nothing. He dropped Dosu unceremoniously, and began to march off with Zaku in tow. "Have that money, Kin."
Kin had already begun to dishevel her hair and ran a hand trough it messily. She ripped off the lower hem of her dress and shook Dosu. He stirred slightly.
"Eh? Who are you?" He mumbled.
"We gotta go play," Kin said urgently.
"Hmm? Now you want to play?" Dosu groaned, holding his head. "What the hell happened to me?"
"You fell on your head," Kin said brusquely, pulling him in. "I've pushed you on your head at least fifteen times in the past. Let's go."
Instead of going in front of the stage, Kin marched backstage and picked up the guitar Zaku left. Dosu had hooked up the amps to Zaku's guitar on his arms, so when they played, the wires intertwined between them like lifelines. The only trust they held towards anything in this world zipped beneath the rubber coating, twisting along the metal inside the wires, each little spark like a faint glimmer of friendship. Faint. Kin bent down and turned the volume up all the way.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." She marched on stage, looking over at the entire crowd but not looking at anyone at all. "There has been an emergency." She stated simply. Dosu, still dizzy, realized she had pushed him into the seat and the drumsticks were shoved into his hands.
"What are you doing?" Dosu snapped.
"This is a life or death situation, my friends." Kin continued, ignoring the ruckus both behind her and in front of her.
"When was Tsuchi-san part of tonight's show?" Sakura turned to Sasuke, who looked like he was trying to escape this whole ordeal in one piece. He shrugged before beginning his fiftieth attempt to slither to the door and into the freedom of the night.
On stage, Kin began, "We need to raise two thousand dollars before the night is over. That is just ten dollars per person." A wisp of desperation seeped into her voice. "If you like any of the music we play for the rest of the night, or just want to support a fellow student, please donate."
Dosu understood where Kin was going and he was already groaning, his face in his hands. How would Zaku's eulogy go? 'He rocked our world?' No, that was far too plain… he needed something with a jazzy feel, or at least a bit snappy, since Zaku was a bit snappy –
"Dosu. Do Paperkill." Automatically his hands picked up and started the beat, but realization dawned on him. This was probably one of the best songs they had, only because Zaku was guaranteed not to sing it. He winced mentally, steadying his spirit for a cry of "Boo!" from the crowd.
Surprisingly, they were silent.
And this isn't
Any old wishful dream
Of cherry hearts
Dipped with gold
High contrast black and white
Fifty thousand written words
Launch a woman off the cliff
Neo-Helen of Troy
Tap your feet
Move your hands
Drop the bomb
It's only your life after all
But those fifty thousand words
Staring up against you
Isn't like you can d-d-d-do
Anything about it
Anything about it
Anything about it
END/
1) From Mulan! "DRAGON, not lizard, I don't do that tongue thing!" Mushu. Come on, you've got to have seen that movie.