The Deadly Game
Ryu: Ok, I was mistaken. You will get to meet HER in this chapter…Don't blame me…I didn't decide this, the characters did…Alright…second story working on…trying to write and order stock for the store at the same time…not working…
Etna: Yay! You ordered my name!
Ryu: Yup. Hey, ordering Pandora panned out pretty well…but anyway…time to continue.
DISCLAIMER: No own Naruto… sniff sniff
Chapter 2: The Portal and the Keeper
Hyuuga Neji stared off in the distance down the road. He activated his Byakugan, trying to see if he could spot any of the girls. But they weren't there. He turned back to the rest of the guys.
Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Inuzuka Kiba, Rock Lee, Aburame Shino, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Sabaku no Gaara, and Kankurou sat in the shade, watching him.
"Any sign of them?" asked Naruto anxiously. The girls were supposed to meet up with them over an hour ago, but there had been no sign of them at all in the village. Even super-cool Sasuke and lazy Shikamaru were looking worried. Where were the girls?
"We ought to split up and look for them," suggested Kankurou.
Suddenly, a soft, female voice from behind them made them jump.
"That won't be necessary. I can take you to the girls."
A ring of sand enclosed itself around the throat of a green-cloaked figure, the hood still covering her face. The figure stood, immobilized, as Neji used his Byakugan to scan her over. Then, he nodded to Gaara, who released the sand, and stepped forward.
"Where are they?" he asked, voice cold, yet curious.
The hooded figure lowered her head. "They await your arrival in the home of my master. It was he who sent me to retrieve you." The figure bowed deeply. "He requests your presence."
The boys looked at each other, except for Gaara. Gaara's eyes never left the still bowing figure. He glared at her.
"Who are you?" he asked.
She stood upright. "I am of no importance at this time. My master is the one who wishes to speak to you. It is regarding the girls."
All the guys' eyes widened. They looked around at each other. Naruto was the first one to shrug.
"Well, it doesn't matter about all of you. I'm going," he said, "whether you are or not."
After a moment's hesitation, all the guys nodded. The cloaked figure bowed again.
"Please follow me." And she hurried off into the woods. The boys followed right on her heels.
Within a few moments, the boys glimpsed a small pool. Water flowed down the stones at the back, creating a waterfall. The water's soft sound was the only thing that broke the silence of the woods. The cloaked figure stopped next to the pool.
"This is the entrance into my master's domain," she said, gesturing at the pool.
Sasuke's eyes slitted and he stepped up to the girl in the cloak. "What the hell do you mean? What nonsense are you talking?"
She raised her hand, and the Uchiha fell silent. "I speak the truth. Here, I shall prove it to you." She stepped up next to the pool and waved a hand over it. The water stilled to a pure, unflawed glassiness, as if the water from the falls was never touching it. "Come. Look into the water."
The boys crowded around the pool and stared into its unbroken surface. Inside, they saw Tenten, Sakura, Temari, Ino, and Hinata, their eyes closed as if in sleep, reflected in the water. Everyone's eyes widened. Suddenly, a growl resounded, and Naruto lunged at the hooded girl. He grabbed her by the neck and wrenched her off her feet.
"What the hell have you done to them!" he cried, as his eyes reddened, claws grew and whisker-marks deepened. Before the others could act, he began to shake the cloaked figure, throwing her hood off. The figure was indeed a girl, with deep green hair and eyes the color of the deep ocean. She had grabbed hold of Naruto's wrist in an attempt to keep herself from choking. Streams of blood flowed down her neck from where Naruto's claws had pierced her skin. Gaara, in rushing to stop Naruto from killing the one person who may be able to tell them more about what had happened, noticed something. Even as her life-blood poured from her wounds, and her airway was being crushed, the girl's eyes did not radiate fear, sadness, or even resignation. Instead, they looked hopeful. As though she wanted to die. Gaara, memories flooding his head, wrenched Naruto's hand from the girl's throat, and held her with his sand, levitating in a seat above the ground. He lowered her to the ground and stepped in front of her.
"Where are they? Are they alright?"
The girl looked straight into his eyes, something Gaara was not used to. "They rest in the home of my master, and they are fine. Just sleeping." She turned back to the pool. "However, there is a limit to how much time you have to decide to come with me."
"What happens if time runs out, or we decide not to come?" asked Shikamaru out of curiosity.
The girl's head drooped. "Then my master will keep them, and they will have vanished without a trace. You will forget ever meeting me, ever coming here, all of it. And you will never see them again."
That seemed to settle it. Sasuke walked up to the girl and spun her around. "How do we get there?" He pointed to the pool.
She smiled sadly. "I can take you. I will unlock the portal." She closed her eyes and held her hand over the portal again. After a moment, she turned her hand palm up. A soft green glowing ball formed in her hand. It spun rapidly, then dissipated. Hovering in the air above her hand was an old-fashioned key. She took said key and slipped it into the water.
Suddenly, the water deepened, darkened, until it seemed to turn pure black. The girl turned back to the guys.
"Just touch the water, like this." She reached out a hand and touched the surface of the water with the pad of her ring finger. Suddenly, she vanished.
The guys looked at each other. Then, to everyone's surprise, Choji stepped forward and touched the surface, disappearing just like the girl. Within a moment, all of the guys touched the surface of the black water. A few seconds after the last person entered the portal, the water turned once again, pure and unadulterated, and no trace of the guys could be seen.
The trip through the water had been disorienting. The group stood, shaking their heads to clear them, in a patch of woods. A path wandered through, covered with leaves. Shikamaru noticed it first.
"Interesting," he said, looking around.
Naruto copied him, looking around. After a moment, the blonde could stand it no longer. "What?"
By this time, a couple of the others had noticed as well. "It was the beginning of summer when we came here. Bright, sunny day. No clouds. No wind. Here, it looks like fall, middle of it I'd say. Deep, overcast sky. Crisp breeze."
Everyone else looked around, surprised they hadn't noticed the chill in the air, or the deep colors of the leaves. The girl smiled another sad smile.
"Yes. It is my favorite time of year, with such deep, robust colors, the feeling of creativity and intelligence, and that taste in the air you cannot describe." She smiled again, eyes closed as a sweet, cool breeze blew over them. "I am allowed one thing here, and that is to control the weather. I love all seasons, but I love autumn the most." She turned to them, cerulean gaze piercing. "My master is coming. Prepare yourselves."
Neji activated the Byakugan and took stance for Gentle Fist. Naruto readied a Rasengan while his eyes reddened and whisker-marks darkened. Sasuke's eyes took on the red Sharingan as his arm glowed from Chidori. Kiba and Akamaru performed the half-beast formation and got ready to move into the Double Twister. Choji began to eat heartily and quickly, storing up calories for his moves. Shikamaru stood, kunai ready, silently cursing the lack of shadows. Gaara's sand took on a protective, yet offensive, ring around him. Kankurou pulled Karasu out, testing his Chakra strings. Shino spoke to his bugs, getting them ready. Lee took stance, waiting.
The girl turned. Seeing them ready to fight, she moved back with them, then turned back the way she had been facing. Suddenly, the wind kicked up, nearly blowing everyone off their feet. Heavy black storm clouds rolled in over the calm grey ones, lightning flashing. The rain began coming down in torrents, as the wind blew harder than before. Gaara watched as, while everyone, even Choji, was struggling to keep their feet, the girl just looked right into the heart of the storm coming, cloak and knee-length hair flapping about her. The wind fought with her old renaissance-style dress. Her eyes narrowed, and she raised a single hand. The wind died down as suddenly as it had appeared, the lightning ran from the sky, and the rain stopped as suddenly as if they had run under shelter. The black clouds receded, and the soft grey ones returned. The girl turned back to the group.
Without warning, a bolt of what seemed to be lightning struck the girl, sending her flying to the side. Gaara used his sand transport and caught her just before she struck a tree full-force. She shook her head clear, then looked where the bolt had come from, a mixture of hate and fear on her face.
"I cannot believe you dared spoil my big entrance." The voice was male, a full voice, but seemingly entirely created of ice. Another blast of chill autumn wind and blowing leaves, and a man stood before the group. His black hair hung to about waist length, and his dark eyes glared daggers to the side at the girl. Gaara, helping the girl to her feet, noticed and gave the man his patented 'Gaara glare', complete with tendrils of sand itching to devour the man.
The man chuckled. "Well, it seems you've already made good with this group, Kagitsu." He pointed a finger at the girl, and she flew in front of him, hovering there. "But don't think that means you can do what you will. I still own you." Flicking his wrist, he threw her again. He turned away. "But, since they seem to like you so much, you explain." Another blast of wind, and he was gone.
Shino, who had managed to get his bugs to catch the girl, walked over and gave her a hand up. She smiled gratefully at him and Gaara. Neji walked over to her.
"Kagitsu. Key. What does that mean?"
The girl bowed, hair falling to one side. "My name is Kagitsu no Mamorusha. Keeper of the Keys. Kagitsu or Kagi for short." She rose.
"Keeper of the Keys? What kind of a name is that?" Kiba asked, cocking his head to one side.
"The only name I know. I forgot my name when I became his slave. He renamed me." Kagi looked bitter. "I remember well how I came to be here, but I don't remember any names or places, or even where I came from. Just Kagi."
The group looked down sheepishly. They had all thought that Kagi had been in on the kidnapping of the girls, but now they understood. Kagi had only brought them here because she had to. There was nothing else she could have done. Even Gaara looked a bit embarrassed.
Kagi looked over the group. "Well, I suppose I ought to tell you what is going on."
The group looked a bit relieved to be freed of the burden of their guilt. They looked at her with rapt attention.
"This place is made up of seven different…areas I suppose you'd say." She held her hands up, palm up, and closed her eyes. Five little balls appeared, depositing keys into the air. They hovered there as she opened her eyes. "In the first five, your goal is one of these." The keys glowed. "There is one in each area." She closed her eyes again, and the keys disappeared. "You will be split up into two man teams, randomly, and began at different parts of the area. Don't be fooled, this place is huge." She gestured to the ground. "When the key for an area is found, the path to the door to the next area will sparkle, like this." A green, sparkly haze covered the ground. "The world is strange and random. The weather will change without warning. You could be walking in a forest when it will suddenly turn into a grassy field, and then to an ocean beach. Don't be surprised." She started to pace. "Some places will not change, but those places usually have a test you must perform. A maze, a small quest from an aged woman, a game of shogi, whatever. You must perform this test before you can leave that particular place, key found or not. The places that change will be filled with enemies, human or beast. Be prepared and always on your guard. When you find the key, follow the mist. It will lead you to the door to the next area. You will know the door, even if it is in disguise, because the haze will cover it." She stopped for a moment, tilting her head to think. "I do believe that is it."
Shikamaru stepped forward. "What about areas six and seven? What are we to do there?"
A sad look covered her face. "If…no, when you reach there, I shall tell you. They are different than these." She turned to the world. "This is like a faerie tale. You are the handsome princes, going off to rescue the beautiful princesses. Too bad a dragon isn't all you have to worry about." She turned back. "Yes, the girls' fates rest on you." Her eyes saddened. "I will tell you what happened to me. I was taken, just like your friends. Unfortunately, I was not rescued. My friends were too weak to finish the job, so I was abandoned here." She turned, fire in her eyes. "That is what will happen to your friends if you fail. They will become slaves to him, like me." Kagi's eyes softened. "Please, do not let that happen. Save them."
Suddenly, thunder rolled over the land. Kagi looked up, then back at the group. "It is time. Good luck. I will see you at each door." She bowed, and, in a flurry of leaves, was gone.
Ryu: Ok, that went a bit differently than I had planned it too.
Gaara: That's because we wanted it to go that way.
Etna: Hey, I like it. Creepy guy, working class girl, sounds like me and Laharl. shakes her head, frowning Now that I think about it…
Ryu: I know it's been a long time, but, I think you remember how to write me a loving review! Right?