Chapter 25: The Law of the Battle

"Aurion? Hey, it's me, Airi. I'm so sorry about all of this, really. I've condemned our village, I made Airas sad, and I've brought outsiders. Are you angry with me? Aurion, I don't want to feel this way anymore. I don't want to suffer. I shouldn't complain though anymore, right? Yeah, I think the ceremony is tomorrow. Aurion…I love you."

X-X-X-X

Airi sighed heavily as she entered her home. "…Aurion…"

"Tengoku Taiga, you're back," Yosaku said. "Your guests are in the living room."

"Thank you Yosaku," Airi said.

"Don't be sad, Taiga, the ceremony is tomorrow."

"Huh, I thought so. Well, I guess everything is turning out just as Tengoku Kitsune wanted."

"Yes." Yosaku sighed happily. "Tengoku Kitsune will save us all."

"Yeah…" She opened the door to the living room. "Guys?" She walked in. "Guys, you here?"

Hinata and Kiba looked back over the sofa. "Hey Airi!"

She smiled. "There you are. Where's Shino?"

"He fell asleep in the guest room," Hinata answered.

"Oh really? Thanks." She headed into the hall.

"Airi?" Kiba called.

"Yeah?"

"…Um…What's with the 'Tengoku Taiga' thing? Is there something that you didn't tell us about yourself? And who's Aurion?"

"…If it's alright with you, I don't feel like talking about that now," Airi said. "Excuse me." She bowed and went into the guest bedroom. "Shino?" Shino was fast asleep in his bed. "Oh…" She sat beside him. "Hi Shino…You look so different when you sleep. So innocent and gentle…" She carefully played with his hair. "Shino, there's a lot you don't know about me. You don't know what I'm doing or why I'm doing it. I didn't want our final good-bye to be in Konohagakure, so I'm really happy that you said you wanted to come with me. I'm kind of afraid of tomorrow but this is something that I have to do…" She looked at his face. "You're nothing like the Aburames that attacked my village seven years ago. What's with you Shino? You're so mysterious that it's…charming." She looked away. "That day in the park when you were with my sister…She did it, didn't she? She set you up, didn't she? Something told me that she did, but a small part of me actually believed that you did it. I don't know why I believed that small part. I was so stupid. I know you don't love my sister and I know you mean nothing to her." She looked back at him. "But…But you mean something to me Shino. You mean so much. I couldn't see it before, but when you were in the hospital, I realized something. I realized that I loved you. The irony of this is that you're an Aburame and I'm a Nozomi. I can't believe you don't understand that. Why didn't anyone tell you? Well, it doesn't matter now." She moved her arm and knocked Shino's glasses off the nightstand. "Crap…" She reached down to pick them up. "Why do you wear sunglasses all the time Shino? Not that there's anything wrong with them, but…you know, it's really mysterious…" She sat up and the first thing she saw was Shino's eyes. "Eek!" She dropped the glasses again and covered her mouth.

"What're you doing Airi?" Shino asked as he picked up his glasses.

"Sh-Shino! I-I can explain!" She flailed her arms as she spoke. "Y-You see, I was just-"

"Shut up." He covered her mouth. "Airi, I'm tired of all of this."

"Hmmph?" She blinked.

"I'm no good at stuff like this. This is all so new and so strange. Love. Love is so stupid and pointless but I'm glad there's such a thing." He looked at her and removed his hand. "But I'm tired of being nice about it."

"Wh-What?"

He grabbed her and kissed her. "I'm tired of waiting for you."

Sh-Shino! What're you doing! Sh-Shino…Oh… Her eyes began to drift closed.

"AHH?"

"What the hell! What're you--ACK!"

Airi and Shino quickly pulled apart. Airi looked in the direction of the door. "That was Kiba and Hinata!"

Shino got out of the bed. "Airi, come on." He pulled his coat on and put his sunglasses on. Airi followed behind him as he opened the door. He looked up and down the hall. "Hmm…" He pulled out his kunai knife. "Stay behind me."

"Okay…" She grabbed his arm. "Shino, be careful."

"I will." They slowly walked out into the living room. Shino looked all around. "What?"

"MMPH!"

"UMNPH!"

Shino looked down on the floor. Hinata and Kiba were bound and gagged. "What the hell!"

"Hinata! Kiba!" Airi shouted. "What happened! Who did this!"

"RESTRAIN!"

Plant roots shot up from the ground and wrapped around Shino. "AGH!"

"Shino!" Airi cried. She pulled out her cards. "Who's there!"

"Geez, you don't even recognize your own sister's attacks?" Airas walked into the room.

"Airas? What're you doing!" Airi demanded.

"What does it look like? I'm attacking your friends."

"Why!"

"Are you that stupid baby sis?" She walked over to Shino. "Hello Shino. I see you're as weak as your friends there."

"Go to hell Airas!" Shino yelled.

She kicked him in the stomach. "Shut the fuck up!"

"Stop it!" Airi shouted. "Don't you dare hurt Shino again!"

"Hmm? So, it's true. You do love this piece of crap. Airi, why do you even bother? You have no future."

"Airas, why!"

"You wanna know why I'm doing this? Well…It's because you fucking killed our parents!" Airi gasped and her eyes widened. "You're a murderer! You killed two-thirds of our clan! You killed Aurion!"

"It was an accident! I didn't mean to kill all of those people!"

"Face it baby sis, you're a murderer."

She covered her ears. "St-Stop it! Stop saying that!"

"Why do you think everyone abandoned you? Everyone here hates you! You know why I'm here? I came here to kill you!"

Hinata, Kiba, and Shino looked up. "No! You can't do that!" Shino exclaimed. "You can't kill her!"

"MMPH!"

"NUMPH!"

"Shut up all of you! CONSTRICT!"

"AGH!" Shino screamed. The roots were getting tighter.

"Alright Airas! Alright!" Airi looked down. "I'll do whatever you say…but you have to promise not to hurt my friends anymore."

"You…" Airas stomped on the floor. "You fool! It's not gonna be that easy! We will follow the laws of our clan and fight until the death in the Forest of Fate!"

"But Airas, you can't kill me! I have to go through the ceremony tomorrow! I made a pact-"

"I don't give a shit about the pact! You will fight me and I will kill you!" She smirked. "You don't have a choice. Meet me in the forest or your friends die!"

She looked down at her friends. "…You guys…Okay Airas, you win. I'll…I'll fight you."

"No Airi!" Shino shouted. "Don't do it!"

"Shino, don't say any more. I have to do this. Besides, I can't let you die."

"Alright then, Airi, the law is that we fight with no weapons. It's pure hand-to-hand combat, got it?" Airi nodded. "Good. But to make sure that you come, I'm taking you friends."

"No! You can't-"

"It is a custom!" She smirked even wider. "I'll be waiting for you…little sister…" She disappeared along with Hinata, Shino, and Kiba.

Airi blinked. "No…" She fell to her knees. "…No…No…NO!"