a note from the desk of ethereal damsel
Final Renovation (Part 9): I compressed two chapters. The next chapter will be the last (of Catalyst, that is). The new arc will be published under another title. The final chapter of Catalyst will be up within the next week. Until then, stay tuned. And while you're waiting, it wouldn't hurt to review and suggest ideas and titles for the new arc. :3
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. The only characters I own are Kanzaki Kaya and her relations, Kirei and assorted children and adults from the Village Hidden in the Clouds, and Aoyama Kiyoshi.
So the weeks passed, with many comings and goings. Kiyoshi found all of his ANBU missions to be a breeze, though they tried his teammates to the very limits of their powers. Advancing quickly through the ranks, he soon became an ANBU captain. But as his importance grew, his time spent with Takara diminished. He almost resented himself for his talent, but then reminded himself that, as he had said to Takara, there was no other way. She had greatly inherited the Aoyama clan's power as well, so in some years' time, she would join him. Perhaps she would be in the same division as him, even the same team. These thoughts comforted him, and in telling them to his sister, she too was comforted.
One night, Kiyoshi went home, expecting to see Takara standing in the doorway impatiently, perhaps to reprimand him about taking so long on his latest mission. Instead, he found his old teacher, Mamoru, there.
"Good evening, Mamoru-sensei. I take it Takara is inside…?"
There was a grim expression on Mamoru's face.
"Kiyoshi, I would like you to come with me," he said.
"Mamoru-sensei, what is the meaning of this?" But Mamoru did not answer; he simply beckoned for Kiyoshi to follow him.
They walked through the blackened streets and back alleys of the Hidden Rain, finally coming to the ANBU headquarters.
"But, Mamoru-sensei, I already completed my mission…" Mamoru simply beckoned to him again, this time to follow him into the headquarters.
When they entered, several of the team captains were there, all with the same grim expressions upon their faces as Mamoru.
"Why do you all look so grave? What's going on?" demanded Kiyoshi.
One of the captains stepped forward to address him.
"Aoyama Takara is dead."
"What?"
"Your sister is dead."
"You lie."
"Why would I lie to you, Kiyoshi?"
Grief clutched suddenly at Kiyoshi's heart. But there was no time for tears. Not yet.
"Where is her body?"
"We have already buried it. I don't think you would have wanted to see it, for you wouldn't have recognized her, maimed as she was."
"Why? Why is my sister dead?"
The normally emotionless ANBU captain now wore a look of anxiety on his face. "While you were away, Hidden Rain experienced a night raid. The victims were mostly children, slaughtered in their sleep or taken prisoner. Takara was one of those taken prisoner…the raiders demanded one of the Rain's most important secrets, one that even I do not know, for the release of the prisoners. But the Hokage would not back down. And so…"
"And so she was sacrificed, for the sake of the village," Kiyoshi said bitterly.
"Yes. I'm sure you, of all people, can understand, Kiyoshi. Your clan willingly gave their lives for the Rain and—"
"And for what?" said Kiyoshi angrily. "To simply continue the bloody cycle of death and destruction? No, I can see now that they all died valiantly, but in vain. In vain! I am sure, thousands of years ago, there was a saying that if one small life is preserved, then all are. But I can see that it is not upheld here as virtuous, but traitorous." And with that, he stormed from the headquarters. The other captains and Mamoru let him go.
The next day, Kiyoshi's team patiently awaited him. But he never arrived. And no one ever saw him again. It was a great loss to Hidden Rain, people said, that the last of the noble Aoyama clan had amounted to nothing but a faithless missing-nin. None ever expected him to have been apprenticed by the Akatsuki.
How had it come to pass? Kiyoshi now thought to himself. Howhave Ibecome so twisted by anguish? He had been reduced to naught but a hollow shell, finding no joy in the prospect of living. Nothing could make him feel happiness as he once had; he was not like the rest of the Akatsuki, for he had no pleasure in bloodlust, nor did he find solace in the mere challenge of his role in life.
But there still existed a hope, however small, for Kiyoshi. Kirei. So like in manner and appearance to Takara, Kiyoshi sometimes found himself forgetting she was not his sister. Kirei could not know this, of course, for Kiyoshi's emotions were never decipherable, and he forever kept his silence about them. But it was rather unusual, to Kirei and the rest of the Akatsuki, how very protective of her Kiyoshi was.
When Kiyoshi had found her three and a half years ago, she had seemed rather weak in spite of her obstinate determination. Most of the Akatsuki had agreed on abandoning her; they thought it likely that she must not be a jinchuuriki after all. But Kiyoshi had told them, almost desperately, that he could train her. He had no traveling companion like the rest of the Akatsuki and he would not mind acting as her ward. They let him, for at the time, he did not seem to be much of an asset to the organization. But now, they suspected that he had advanced beyond some of them, and Kirei seemed to be distracting him from Akatsuki's true objectives. And Kiyoshi knew this. So he had to act upon his feelings before it was too late.
"Kirei," he said to her in the afternoon hours of another sultry day, "I need to talk to you about something."
"What about?" answered Kirei quizzically.
Kiyoshi sighed. "I release you."
"What?"
"All these years I have trained you. You have been under an apprenticeship of sorts, eternally bound to me. But as of today, that bond is broken."
"So you're saying I'm…free?" She hesitated on the last word, as though afraid to say it lest she be disappointed.
"Yes."
"But, Kiyoshi-sama…why…?"
"The reasons for my actions are too painful for me to speak of. Be glad of your freedom, and go find that friend you used to speak so fondly of to me when you were young. As for your training in ghost ninjutsu, I have laid the foundation. You, Kirei, have the capacity to surpass some of the members of the Akatsuki, perhaps even all if you gain full control of the demon inside of you, though it will take time. Continue channeling spirits and you will begin to understand. I bid you a very fond farewell." And with that, he loped off into the pines on the edge of the meadow they had been training in.
"Kiyoshi, wait!" Kirei cried. He paused and looked back at her. "Thank you." She could think of nothing more to say, so Kiyoshi departed and left her alone among the silver grasses.
Kakashi had informed Kaya of all he knew about Kirei's current situation and where she had run off to the last time Kaya had seen her, those many years ago. Kaya thought long and deeply about everything he told her that day, for she had never expected to see Kirei again.
A few days later, Kakashi spoke with her once more after Team 7's other members had gone home.
"Kaya, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura have informed you of the untimely death of Konoha's previous Hokage, correct?" he began.
"Yes."
"Well, his death was caused by none other than Orochimaru. Not only did he kill the Third, he also destroyed most of Konoha and got rid of many talented ninja in the process. Our forces have been cut in half and Jounin such as myself have been doing twice as many missions. In fact, I have one that will interfere with my joining you on this next team mission."
"You won't be able to accompany us to the Tea Country?"
"No. But you won't be going to the Todori Burning Fire Race either. You'll be searching for that old friend of yours with a Tokubetsu Jounin, Mitarashi Anko, and an ANBU member, Morino Ibiki."
"Why is Konoha so interested in my friend Kirei?"
"Because our village has had problems involving jinchuuriki and the Akatsuki before. Someone from Konoha was at one point attacked by Uchiha Itachi and his traveling companion, Kisame, because of the powerful demon inside of him. Akatsuki seems to be gathering all jinchuuriki to them, but no one knows why. Most likely it is for the untapped power they possess. If we can afford to slow Akatsuki's progress in any way we can, we will. And thus, you being Kirei's greatest friend, I thought it wise to send you to retrieve her; with sufficient protection, of course. Your presence will be vital in persuading her to come to Konoha."
"But, Sensei, how did you know she was my friend?"
"Years ago, there was an alliance between the Cloud and the Leaf. It has long since dissipated, but old friendships do not vanish so easily. The ANBU of both our village and your old village completed many missions together during the time we were allied, and as I was in ANBU at the time, I met your mother. We became good friends, and she confided much in me, though I can't say as much of myself. One thing she confided in me was that of the remarkable tale of your finally making a friend and losing her just as quickly. Based on her description, this girl sounded rather unusual in appearance. What normal child had eyes of pale yellow shade? I asked around the Cloud and found that she was one of the jinchuuriki."
"Ah," said Kaya blandly. "I will go."
"Good. Thank you, Kaya. You cannot even begin to realize how important this is. Now come with me; you have a Jounin waiting to make your acquaintance."
Kaya followed Kakashi through the cluttered streets of Konoha to a small apartment complex near the center of the village. They entered, and after Kakashi shared a few words with the concierge, headed for apartment 12B. Upon their arrival at the nondescript little door, Kakashi knocked softly.
"Coming!" a voice cried from somewhere inside.
All of a sudden, the door opened quite quickly to reveal a fairly short woman of about the same age as Kakashi with wild purple hair and dark, mischievous eyes.
"Ah, so this is the Kanzaki!" She paused, looking at teacher and student in turn. "Well, come in, come in, don't just stand there." The two of them walked in and the woman shut the door behind them.
"My name," she said with relish, "is Mitarashi Anko, and you would do well to remember it. And you are Kanzaki…?"
"Kaya," said Kaya quickly. This woman was a bit overwhelming…
"Kaya! Pretty name! And this is about that mission we are to go on to retrieve the rogue jinchuuriki, is it not?"
Kakashi nodded.
"Well, then…" Anko said a bit more seriously. "To work. From the information I have gathered, this Kirei seems to be somewhere in the vicinity of the Village of Grass, but entirely alone and wandering aimlessly from town to town. It should not be difficult to track her down, but I am worried that the Akatsuki might've already sent someone after her. So we have to work quickly. We can't leave tonight, because Ibiki is off on a mission for ANBU, but by tomorrow morning he shall return and we will leave as soon as possible. Though Kakashi has requested that you continue your training as usual tomorrow, you should be prepared to leave at any given time, Kaya."
"Yes, Anko-san."
"Come, Kaya, there's no need for formality. Just call me Anko." She grinned at Kaya and Kaya smiled weakly back. "Well then, now that everything's settled, you two can head on home and I can finish my dango!"
As Kakashi shut the door behind himself he turned to Kaya.
"She's quite overbearing, isn't she?" said Kakashi boredly.
Kaya laughed nervously. She did not acknowledge that those were her thoughts exactly.
The next day, training continued for Team 7 as it always did, the only difference being that Kakashi briefly explained why Kaya would be leaving for a time while the rest of Team 7 completed its own mission in the Tea Country. Soon enough, Anko arrived, along with the tall, hulking figure of Morino Ibiki.
"Goodbye, everyone," said Kaya to the team in general. "I'll miss you all. Good luck on your own mission."
"Good luck on yours, Kaya!" Naruto cried, grinning.
"Yes, good luck," said Sakura.
"Be careful, Kaya," Sasuke said in even tones. Sasuke looked quite earnestly at her as he said this, though only for a moment. Kaya smiled slightly at him and nodded, before waving to everyone.
"Well then," said Anko loudly. "Off we go!"