Naruto Fan Fiction!
Adventure! SI-OC!
(Title)
"A Song for Them"
A/N: Another chapter, another... well it's been a couple days, huh? It took me a while but I finally got the chapter just how I wanted it. And hey! I celebrated my birthday! 'Nother year older and all that jazz. Pfft, Jazz. Wow. No further comment on that.
In other news, I don't know what came over me but there's an unrelated Omake at the end of the chapter. I think it's Song!Canon but I just don't know why I came up with it, it's not a deleted scene or... well, you'll just see for yourselves.
Hope this was worth the wait! Enjoy~
DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the cannon characters! There's just too many strings attached to that stuff.
WARNING! RATED M! For Language. I think this'll be a constant thing now. Other than that? Violence, but not much on the gore side though.
Exam I Arc,
Chapter Thirty-Two: "Distraction"
"Doesn't 'lol' look like a drowning guy? I bet he's not laughing out loud." -The Internet
I ran across the ground, avoiding any tree jumping. I'd thought it over, remembering what happened to Sasuke Before when he'd first gotten the Mark. Images of 2D Sasuke crumpled up on the ground, writhing in pain came to mind. I cringed in sympathy, don't wanna end up like that.
First rule: No using any chakra. My chakra activates the seal and triggers the transformation, the transformation causes crippling pain. Bad if I'm in the middle of a fight so I'll have to be extra careful. That rules out pretty much everything but taijutsu, huh? Well crap. Still, my body is always using chakra on a unconscious level so theoretically I can use some. But the question is how much? I'll have to test just how much chakra I can get away with using back at camp. The boys will probably freak out if I start seizing so I'll-
-I heard a terrified scream pierce the air, shattering the calm of the forest. Chakra spiked in the distance and before I realized it my body had turned and I was already running towards the source of it.
Damn Samaritan. it snarled. I grit my teeth. Observation, that's all I'll do. I wasn't running to start a fight or get into one. I was just going to see what was happening.
Mmhm… Terra hummed, sounding like she didn't believe me. I was not a two minutes away when I saw a mass of brown, snarling fur that towered well above me. I came face-to-hind with a giant bear. I think it may be the same one we saw on the first day, the mere thought that there might be more creatures of this size made me very unsettled so I dismissed the possibility.
Kami, I hate this place.
It was then I noticed the girl sprawled out on the ground on the opposite side of the brown beast at the base of a giant tree, my eye catching on her red, red hair making me do a double-take and causing my heart stutter in my chest. It wasn't a ginger-orange hair color like I would occasionally encounter, instead it was a bright cherry-red that had my mind going blank. I didn't have more time to process what I was seeing as the mutation of nature had it's sights on the girl and resume it's attempts to eat her.
My body moved before I could really understand what was happening, feet were moving forward and a hand reached into my tools bag, pulling out my shiny new spool of wire. Unlooping a couple lengths of the metal wire and throwing it up, hooking onto to thankfully short branch and I leapt, using the wire and swung up, a fuzzy plan forming in my head but if I'm being honest, I had no friggin' idea what I was doing right now.
I landed and rolled into a crouch on the beast's back, drawing it's attention as it twisted it's head as far as it could around to growl. I sprinted along it's spine and pulled out a shuriken, reaching the base of it's neck I threw it down, it's wedged into the bear's hide but it was far too thick to do any real damage. Still, it's head snapped up in a roar and I used it's snout as a springboard as I jumped, aiming for the large tree next to us. With the added force from the bear's snap I flew up high, I kicked my feet out and touched the tree before I used my momentum to run up a couple more steps without using chakra to stick to it.
Reaching the apex of my height I felt as gravity started pulling and felt that funny weightless feeling in my gut. No chakra, don't use chakra, I reminded myself. I spun on my heel, turning around and began running down, building velocity. As I neared the ground again the beast reared back to stand on it's hindlegs and I pushed off the tree, twisting my body and extended my leg. I brought my heel down in the center of it's skull, with the extra force from my run it went limp under my foot.
The mutation of nature went down without much fanfare, giving the surrounding area a good earth rattling shake though when it collapsed. I stumbled not to fall off the side and straightened my spine, exhaled, raised my arms above my head in a stretch and feeling the muscles burn somewhat pleasantly. That was a good exercise, I should work out while actively not using chakra more often. I actually hadn't realized how often I unconsciously use chakra in just about every thing I do.
There was slight sounds of movement behind me and I half turned to look over my shoulder at the girl and was finally able to take note of her chakra signature, the same one that has spiked in distress.
Her chakra felt Muted yet still so Bright. A feeling like sitting in front of a fake fireplace. Everything looked real but the comforting heat was missing, the life was absent.
It stirred up a strange ache in my chest.
She was half-sitting half-lying on the ground still, her messily-cut hair was an unnaturally bright color of red cherry, it actually hurt my eyes to look directly at it. Her eyes were wide as she looked up at me from behind the frame of her thin glasses, large rosy orbs filled with... awe? She was wearing a mesh shirt under a plain open jacket, simple skirt with fishnet leggings, standard open-toed sandals and a Kusagakure hitai-ate. She was from Hidden Grass and looked a bit familiar.
She was also filthy. Covered in dirt and could plainly see tear tracks down her face, I hopped down from my conquest and began to approach her. Seeing me walking closer snapped her out of whatever stupor she was in and she scrambled to sit up.
"I don't have any sc-scroll for you to take! My team leader, Shigeri-san, has it. They left me behind because th-they thought that I would be dead weight-but they'll b-be back anytime now! So... so you better not try anything!" she warned weakly, trying to look firm with her trembling lip. I stared at her.
She was adorable.
'She's like a little bunny!' I cooed inwardly, resisting the urge to pet her for fear of-BurstUnder-yeah, that. That's a no-no.
Oh, God! Are you kidding me right now? Fucking Hell, She's An ENEMY You Moron! the voices in my head chastised. Oh, so fun. Two is definitely not better than one.
The girl's chakra remained steady, flowing easily with no sign of Intent or malice so she wasn't lying to me, she really didn't have a scroll. Not that I can honestly say that I'd forcefully take it from her, it was obvious from the lack of visible muscles on her body that she didn't train very often. She was just thin. Really thin actually, kinda reminds me of some of my former classmates. She wasn't dieting was she? That's not good and I just realized that I haven't introduced myself yet.
I held up my palms flat so she could see they were empty then I turned around and oh-so slowly lifted the back of my tunic and reached into my tools bag to grab my pad and pen, making sure she could see my every move. I was already writing when I turned back around.
"I'm not here to fight you, I heard your call for help. My name is Sora, what's yours?" I turned the pad around and her saucer-wide eyes blinked in confusion at the pad. I smiled my soothing smile and her cheeks flushed slightly, she reminded my of a small Hinata. Then she actually seemed to read what I wrote.
"M-My name?" she squeaked, enforcing my previous thought that she is a bunny. I nodded as I crouched to the ground so we could be at eye-level and make myself seem less intimidating. It gave the intended effect as she straightened her back and tried to look a bit more confident although I could feel how afraid she was. It was cute, she was cute.
"My name is Karin."
…oh.
Kill Her. It snarled.
'WHAT!?' I screeched inwardly, 'No! No, I am NOT doing that! Why the hell would you even suggest that!?'
What Would Be So Fucking Difficult? You Wouldn't Even Slit Her Throat, Though That Would Be The Cleanest And Quietest Way. it murmured, I felt sick. It continued, A Simple Scratch On Her Porcelain Skin And The Snake Loses His Personal Uzumaki. Easy. Just Fucking Do it Already.
'No.' I replied firmly, 'You are not in control and I won't be doing ANYTHING you tell me.'
If We Don't Get Rid Of Her Now Then She'll Be A Problem Later On.
'Killing is not the answer!'
And Why The Hell Not, It's What We Were Fucking Trained For! You Really Need To Let Go Of Those Damned Outdated Concepts, Even Our Precious Boys Kill When They Feel Like It. 'No-' -Even Sweet, Pure Asura SHREDDED Kakuzu Of Jiongu-
'SHUT UP!' my fisted were clenched painfully tight, the bandages were the only thing stopping my nails from digging in and breaking the skin. '...there is always another way. Always.'
It scoffed derisively, Goddamned Hypocrite. The Akatsuki Won't Play By Those Rules.
I...
"Uhm…" my attention was pulled back to the little girl who was peering up at me from behind the rim of her glasses, trying her best not to fidget nervously. Right, back in the present now.
I wrote, "Why are you alone? Why wasn't your team near enough to help you?"
"I'm... I'm not really suited for fighting so they left me behind while they went looking for a scroll." I frowned. That was irresponsible. If they knew that she wasn't a fighter then they should've taken measures to make she she'd at least be safe while they were gone.
I glanced up towards the tree canopy. It was as thick with a half-mile of branches and leaves here so I couldn't see the position of the sun, but I couldn't have been away from the boys for more than a couple hours now. I should probably be back by sundown so they wouldn't worry... or yell at me for being gone so long. Whichever they feel like at the moment. I looked back over the smaller girl whose hands still slightly trembled in front of me. Ohhh... I just didn't feel right about leaving her all by herself like this! Regardless of who she'll be one day in the possible future, right now she was a young girl who seems to have no combat experience in a very dangerous situation.
"When was the last time you had contact with your team?" I asked. At how she tensed up so much I quickly added, "I don't want to leave you here alone. There are more dangerous animals around."
Her eyes widened and she bit her lip, considering. After a long moment she spoke up, sounding hesitant. "They... I haven't seen them since the day before yesterday."
I kept the grimace off my face. That wasn't good to hear.
"Dust yourself off, we're going to find them."
"But-" I met her eyes and they darted down to the ground, head lowered, I didn't frown outwardly at the obviously submissive habit. This was the same headstrong, no-nonsense Karin from Before? She bit her lip nervously before continuing. "Aren't you worried about traps? I mean... this could all just be a ruse to lower your defense and c-catch you unaware."
So she does have some sense, not as clueless as she seems. That's reassuring. Karin's strengths did lie with her brains if I recall correctly. I wrote, "It had crossed my mind." I admitted. Of course it did, I haven't completely lost my mind. But given how genuinely afraid she was and still is, I'd crossed out that idea. "But I'm not about to leave you alone here, I'll get you back to your team." Plus... "I'm also fairly confident in my abilities to escape any traps that might wait."
I mean, if Karin's team had been formidable at all then they would've made it to the prelims, right? And if there really is a trap -something I highly doubt because she was the one who brought it up- then I'll just fall back on all the indirect training Naruto and I had when pranking out ANBU babysitters and all the years I've snuck in and out of the Hyuuga's compound. I'm fairly slippery when you think about it.
"I... I don't understand. Why are you helping me? Aren't we supposed to be enemies?" she asked, sounding every bit the confused little girl she was. That nasty urge to pinch her round cheeks was back and I smothered it with extreme prejudice.
I smiled warmly at the silly girl as I showed her my pad. "Not today we are. Today we are just two girls who met in a forest."
Two crimson eyes stared up at me uncomprehendingly, that faint feeling of awe was buried under a whole heap of confusion but it was there. Hm. That happens to me more often than not. Do I just not make sense to normal people or is it something else entirely? Something else to ponder at a later time.
I motioned her to stand and asked her questions like which direction they left, at what time in the day, did they have food and water on them. It wasn't long 'till I found a trail and thanked Iruka-sensei for insisting that everyone in our class learn the very basics of tracking, animal or otherwise. We traveled along the trail for two hours or so, a little longer because we had to manually climb the giant trees. Turns out that little Karin couldn't tree climb herself, no one had taught her. As we got father along I began to notice that the younger girl's skill level, stamina, and experience was about that of an Academy student's which kinda pissed me off.
Who the hell sent her into an event like this? Did they want her to die? How did she even survive this Before? I know I couldn't have influenced the events a country away so she must've attended, against her will I might add. It was obvious that she wanted to be anywhere but here. It also seemed like she wasn't really eager to find her teammates either which stuck me as odd. Then again they left her alone and undefended in this place so I suppose that's understandable.
The trail vanished suddenly and while I was looking for it again, that's when I heard Karin begin to dry heave. I was by her side in a second and holding back her hair, she shakily raised a hand and I followed the line of sight and grimaced.
Well, shit.
恐れ Fear
Wait for it... wait for it... wait for-"NOW!" I ripped the net out of the water. "Eehehehehe! This is so much faster than using my hands 'ttebayo!" I kept pulling the wire tied to the net until it was in the shallows, thinking with a grin about how I was going to cook my prizes! Mmm, I could taste it now! I'd cook them so good that even Sora-chan would-
My grip on the wire loosened and I watched in surprise as some of my fish tried jumping out! Damn it! By the time I pulled the net out there was only one tiny fish left, not big enough to eat. With a sigh I threw it back into the river and stood up, wading back to the shore to rest for a while. I've already been fishing for hours with little luck and I'm bored.
I laid down the side of a big rock to dry off under the sun. As I watched the clouds float by I couldn't help but think of what Sora-chan was doing right about now, it was already the middle of the afternoon and Sora-chan still hasn't gotten back yet. Was she okay? Was she fighting? Did she get into trouble again? "Argh!" I growled and ran my hands through my hair, feeling so frustrated. I knew I shouldn't have let her go on her own! What if she needs me? I-My chest tightened uncomfortably when I remembered what happened yesterday.
"What are you doing?" I asked, wishing she'd just LOOK at me! Just once. Why wouldn't she just talk to me? This wasn't like her at all. "Why are you acting like this?"
I couldn't see her purple eyes as she raised her hands and signed, 'Like what?' I scowled at her, suddenly feeling angry now. She was being stubborn and... and... she still wouldn't look at me!
"You're acting like nothing's happened! You're pretending like we weren't attacked or that you didn't get hurt and then you wouldn't wake up or you didn't ki-" she flinched and I stopped. Her hands were trembling and she still wouldn't tell me anything.
Why?
It was me, right? I was her best friend, her FAMILY!
...so why?
I didn't mean to start yelling, I just... she wouldn't talk to me.
She's treating me like I'm somebody else, like I wasn't her best friend. She's always told me that I can tell her anything Whenever she would be sad she'd come to me so I could make her feel better. Whenever she'd have nightmares or feel lonely she'd come to me, not Kitty-guy or Hinata but to me. So what's so different now?
Was it 'cause she killed those guys? Why would that make her act weird? They were trying to kill us so I don't see why that would do it, they were scumbags anyways. Did it have something to do with her eyes when they turned red? I didn't know her eyes could do that, it kinda scared me when I saw she was crying blood but I guess that's was just what it did 'cause it didn't seem to hurt her. I wonder if she's always had those red eyes? Did she know and just never told me? If she wouldn't talk to me now I wonder if there's other times when she didn't?
Was she keeping things from me?
I pressed a hand over my belly, my chakra still felt a bit weird but I thought about what else was wrong with me. I swallowed thickly.
…I keep things from her too.
My chest tightened again and I felt my stomach roll. I didn't want to not tell her about the damned fox but I, I just want things to stay the same. I want to be able to able to still make breakfast together and talk about all the adventures we'll have when I'm Hokage and she's the best Fuinjutsu user in the world and go have dinner at Icharaku's and laugh when she makes fun of the Bastard for being so grumpy and go train until one of us can't move anymore and keep bugging Kakashi-sensei until he teaches us some really cool jutsu and listen to her play songs and... I...
"BAAHHH!" I shot up from where I was laying and shook my head back and forth, trying to get rid of those thoughts. It was no good thinking about them by myself. When Sora wants to talk then that's when we'll talk and if she keeps up this avoiding crap then I just make her talk to me! I won't let her keep me out like she does with other people.
I won't let her leave me behind.
"Will you shut up? I'm trying to sleep!" I turned my head to see Sasuke glaring at me from where he was napping. Well, he was napping. I scratched the back of my head and mumbled an apology, Sora-chan said he'd need a lot of sleep to heal faster. We were talking right now but that didn't mean I wasn't still listening.
Sasuke rolled his eyes at me with an annoyed look on his face but then his eyes snapped back to me suddenly, making me look around quickly in case he saw some kinda enemy but there wasn't anything. When I looked back at him his eyes had narrowed as he continued to stare at me. "What?" I asked. He didn't answer and I scowled, getting up and going back to fishing. If he was going to act weird too then I was going to ignore him.
I walked back into the shallows and began pulling up the net again, even though it felt like the Bastard was staring a hole into the back of my head. I glanced over my shoulder again and I see he was standing at the edge of the water still staring at me!
I turned around to face him and yelled. Sora-chan was acting weird enough I didn't need him acting weird too! "What the hell do you want 'ttebayo?! Why're looking at me like that!?"
"How?" the Bastard growled suddenly, making my eyebrows pinch together as I looked at him in confusion. How? How what? How do I fish? He began to stomp over, making the water splash with every step. The look on his face was angry for some reason. "How can you be healed already? Last night your face was yellow and swollen yet today you look completely fine!"
"Huh?" I blinked and lifted a hand to my cheek and-hey! It didn't hurt anymore! Last night it was really sore and hurt every time I touched it but now it's fine! Sasuke was standing in front of me with a angry scowl on his face, his fists was clenched at his sides.
"How can you be already healed when I-" his face twisted and he glanced away before taking a deep breath and after a minute he looked back at me with that intense look in his eyes, speaking a lot calmer. "How."
I shrugged, looking away from his eyes. "I dunno… I guess I've always been like this? Why does it matter to you anyway." I didn't realized I healed that much faster. How long does it usually take for a bruise to heal?
He didn't answer again as his eyes narrowed at me. The way he was looking at me reminds me of like when Sora-chan is trying to read my mind. I suddenly felt really uncomfortable, I tried not to squirm under his eyes as I tried looking at our surroundings. Where was Sora-chan?
"Does it have to do with that red chakra you have?"
W-What...? How?
I looked back at him in surprise, his eyes narrowed further as he continued, "During the fight with that snake the other day, your eyes had turned red and it was like you got a sudden boost in strength, just like back in the cave after we thought that Sora had been-" he grimaced, "The more I think about it the more it doesn't make any sense. After he knocked you into that tree, you shouldn't have been able to move after that, I saw the damage he did. Yet you got right back up and punched him with a strength I didn't know you were capable of."
I swallowed hard, my mouth felt really dry all of a sudden. My eyes had turned red? Then it really it... I suddenly remembered what that bastard Mizuki said all those months ago.
I could feel Iruka-sensei's blood dripping onto my face, he had protected me from that attack. That bastard's voice echoed in my ears. "You saw those eyes earlier, those were the eyes of a demon."
And Sasuke-he... is he gonna figure it out? My heart started pounding in my chest and my hands were sweaty. I was nervous. Why was I nervous? It was just the Bastard, it didn't matter what he thought. I didn't care. So that means even if he knew then it doesn't matter to me, right?
"You told me it was a 'secret from the whole Village'. What did you mean by that? Just what exactly is 'it'?" I lowered my head to look at the ground and I squeezed my fists to stop them from shaking. I didn't care what he thought, he was just the Bastard after all. It didn't matter.
"Are you going to answer me or not? Naruto!" I squeezed my eyes shut. It didn't matter. "Hey-"
"IT'S THE FOX, OKAY?!"
Shit.
I said it.
I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears as I waited for him to say something. To say anything. When he was quiet for a while, I gulped before glancing up at his face, the look on his face was totally blank and I felt my eyebrows pinch together. What's with that face?
I shifted on feet, "...well?" I asked quietly, my hand moved over my stomach. I kinda felt like throwing up. Still didn't care about what he thought though. Nope. Not at all.
"A... fox?" he repeated slowly, face still blank. I frowned. That's the same look he gets whenever Sora-chan tried to explain Terra to him before! The Bastard doesn't believe me!
"Hey, you're the one who asked! If you don't believe me then that's your problem 'ttebayo!"
"Wait... demon?" he mumbled under his breath, "Are you talking about the Nine-tailed fox demon that attacked the Village all those years ago?"
I swallowed and jerked my head, "...yeah. That's it."
"You're saying that instead of killing it, like all the stories say, the Yondaime Hokage actually stopped in the middle of fighting a beast that destroyed a majority of the Village to stuff it into your gut?" he said that as he still had that look on his face.
I nodded again, a bit slower this time. I don't know how exactly he did it but he did. "Um, I remember Sora-chan talking about how the Fourth was one of the best at Fuinjutsu and Sora-chan can seal a lot of stuff in her book so I guess it's like that?"
His eyebrows pinched together again. "Why you?"
I blinked.
"I... don't know." I admitted. I don't know why the Yondaime chose me to have this damned fox in my gut. I don't know why I had to be the one who had to be hated for something I didn't even do.
Sasuke stared at me another moment before he scoffed, turning around and walking away. He was walking away. I opened my mouth and took a step forward, reaching out a hand but I stopped. He...
It didn't matter what he thought.
It felt like a hole opened up in my gut and I grit my teeth and glared at the ground, feeling my eyes get hot. Stupid. I didn't care.
…I should've figured the Bastard was just like everybody else.
He spoke over his shoulder, "Giant fox or not, you're still a dead last loser."
I... what?
My eyes snapped up to see Sasuke walking back towards the dry ground, he didn't look back at me and kept his face forward. Stupid Bastard... always underestimating me. I quickly raised my arm and wiped my eyes, I must've gotten dirt in them or somethin' 'cause I still didn't give a damn about what that Bastard thought about me!
But... now that he does know, it feels... kinda okay? I feel better somehow, just a little. Like something heavy just got pulled off me, like training weights or something. Why is that? I thought I didn't want anybody to know about it, but... it was okay? I mean, I still didn't want to go around telling anybody else-It was just Sasuke and he doesn't count so...
I wonder if Sora-chan feels that way too?
決定 Decision
Two males, mid-teens, both quite dead. I crouched down by the corpse and ignored how I suddenly felt like upheaving my breakfast at the smell and tried to diagnose the cause of death. Kami, there were birds here before us. There weren't entirely intact but my biggest complaint had to be the flies, it was times like this I remember the six years I spent with an Aburame in class, the first rule you learn: Don't harm the bugs.
With a test of an arm it's easy to see rigor mortis has already set in. I couldn't see any bloating or green skin so they were killed within the last thirty-six hours at least. So that means they've been here a while, Karin would've been waiting for them to come back until the chuunin came to clear out the failed examinees a few days from now.
And Collect The Corpses. It so cheerfully pointed out. But yes, they would've escorted the jonin reps to collect their Village's property. It simply wouldn't do to have the bodies of foreign shinobi littered about the training grounds.
There were no obvious signs of cause of death -excluding what the birds got at- but I could faintly sense some residual chakra which was odd. The only other times I've encountered leftover chakra signature is only when intense emotions are involved. Like, really intense. Like, planning to overthrow your military institution kind of intense.
I still get chills when I go the Naka shine.
Little Karin finally mustered up the courage to walk a bit closer to see what I was up to, I pulled out the pen and paper to write. "They've been dead for a while. I'm sorry."
"It's alright?" it sounded like she was asking for permission. "I didn't even know them until a couple days ago. They..." she stopped, her hands wrapping around herself. I saw the faint scarring just under her sleeves and a cold feeling settled in my stomach. Bite marks littered her skin. And they weren't from animals. I... suddenly didn't feel too bad about the fate of these poor bastards.
Still, if I knew what killed them then I'll have a better idea of what to expect if their killer was still somewhere around here, lurking. Looking back at the bodies with my hand covering my nose I couldn't spot any obvious signs of how they died. There were missing pieces that the wildlife plucked out -and it's really incredible that something hasn't come to eat them yet- but there wasn't any cuts or gashes or anything like that. My only lead was the lingering chakra. Maybe I'll be able to sense some emotions, surprise, fear or anything to give me a clue. I closed my eyes and focused on the faint chakra that lingered in their muscles. If I could tell how much there was, I could-
My breath caught in my throat, eyes snapping open and senses reaching out in a sudden pulse. Karin looked at me in surprise, opening her mouth to speak but I'd placed my finger over my mouth to signal her to be quiet. This chakra wasn't leftover from emotions, it was from an extremely concentrated jutsu. The only reason I knew this is because I'd recognized who that lingering chakra belonged to. I knew it well from personal experience.
It was Numb and Sterile.
Kabuto had been here. His chakra was in their bodies, he was the one who killed them. Chakra scalpels most likely, his favorite tool. That would definitely account for the concertation of chakra, his chakra control is impeccable. My fingers twitched with a ghost of the pain and my head started to spin with questions. Had this been a coincidence? Planned? What were the odds of me ending up here with his victims in this whole entire forest?
"Sora-san? What's wrong?" a small voice asked hesitantly, her chakra suddenly taking a nervous turn. My eyes snapped back towards the timid girl beside me and as I looked at her, a thought struck me and left me reeling.
Was this how she met them? Was Kabuto lurking somewhere around here when he saw Karin for the first time? Was she already loyal to the Snake and lured me away from Naruto and Sasuke? Had this been a plan from the beginning.
I found I didn't know.
Don't Hesitate This Time, Kill Her Now. It's voice demanded. I did my best to ignore the homicidal thoughts and focused on what I knew. The facts.
Karin can't have been bait for me. As perfect bait as she is -lonely, unloved orphan- there's no way anyone actually knows that. Not even Kabuto, with all his information, could've set up such a perfect trap. And why would he even want to trap me in the first place? Even if he knew about my Kaa-chan's connections to the Snake -and damn him, he's probably the one who told Orochimaru about my existence- the real target of the Exams was Sasuke and not me. This damn forest is making me paranoid.
So, what's my next move?
A little, overly-pragmatic voice in my head whispered about checking the corpses for a scroll but I discarded that idea on the assumption that if Kabuto was here then he most likely targeted them for their scroll and already pocketed it. Plus, although Karin wasn't on best terms with them it seemed a bit overboard to loot her comrades bodies right in front of her.
If Kabuto was near then I needed to get back to the boys as soon as possible, that was clear. Unclear? What to do about the defenseless girl standing next to me. She was unable to defend herself from the wildlife and who knows what'll happen to her if another -less friendly and morally inclined- team came across a cute, weak little girl in the middle of a forest.
Sounds like you've already made up your mind. Terra hummed, not offering any comment on whether this was a really bad idea or not. I did, however, hear something resembling a snarl from the other one.
And I suppose the answer was obvious.
心配 Worry
"My Eternal Rival, perhaps you should take a seat." Gai suggested with a slight frown. We were in the jonin's lounge and everybody else seemed to have cleared out, giving me a wide berth as I paced back and forth. They would take one look at me and turn right back out the door. Smart.
"Would you be able to?" I replied with a edge of annoyance in my tone. He didn't retort back but instead gave me a sympathetic look and I felt guilty for snapping at him. It wasn't like it was Gai's fault my team was cursed. Seriously, did other jonin-sensei have to deal with half the crap I do? I don't see anyone else having to worry about their genin being targeted by S-Class missing-nin.
Gai was the only one that stayed after seeing me like this, sensing that there was something obviously upsetting me. I didn't tell him what Yūgao had told me for two : It was a pitiful amount of information that only let me know that the rouge Snake Sannin had attacked my team and left my Uzumaki students unresponsive and unconscious. And Two: It was currently an S-rank secret while we're still hosting the Exams and foreign shinobi. I only know about what happened because it was my team that was directly involved and my background in the BlackOps division.
I didn't stop in my pacing as it was mostly to burn off this extra energy I had, I was frustrated and couldn't do a damn thing about it. Not only was I not allowed to go in and check on my student, two of who might be dead and/or seriously injured, and the last one was vulnerable to attack by foreign shinobi, but I also wasn't allowed to aid in tracking the Nuke-nin that somehow made it into the most 'secure' event of the season. After informing Hokage-sama about Yakushi, I had been given strict orders along with the other jonin-sensei not to interfere with the exams proceedings.
I was understandably eager to do something.
As I was making my thirty-second lap around the room an ANBU showed up, drawing our attention. It was the new ANBU Boar, the last one having retired on medical complications due to an incident involving a couple dozen explosives and a crew of pirates along the south-eastern coast. The obviously new guy was hesitant to approach me -I figure he's heard a couple stories about me in the barracks that no doubt exaggerated all the details to an embarrassing length. I know some of the other captains like to use me as an example of how hard a captain can run his squad to scare the sprouts- but I stopped pacing long enough to regard him with a hard stare. His spine straightened impossibly further and he quickly spat out his reason for being here.
"H-Hokage-sama has summoned you, Hatake-san!" he squeaked out. Hm. I might need to have a talk with this kid's squad captain. Exaggerated stories or not he should at least give off the appearance of being unaffected, there are a lot more scarier guys than me in the world.
I took a breath and nodded to Gai before shunshining to the Hokage's office. There was only one reason why Hokage-sama would want to speak with me, it was news about my team. I smothered any expectations I had and prepared myself for hearing the worst as I entered the room.
"Kakashi-kun." Sandaime-sama regarded me as he set down some papers, reports from the border and the Village patrol. "I hear you've had a frightening presence in the lounge for the last three hours. And I have agree after seeing your expression, but what worries me is how quickly you responded to my summons. I'd just sent out young Mariyori-kun to get you."
I shrugged as casually as I could. I still didn't raise any hopeful expectations at his seemingly casual tone, keeping myself prepared. He raised an eyebrow at me before lifting a hand and gesturing me over, his other hand reaching under his table. I hesitated in confusion for only a moment before moving to stand next to him. When his hands came back up, he was holding a small pillow with a purple circular crystal placed on it. The Sandaime set it on the low table and placed his left hand over it, his right moving towards his chest and bending into a seal. The crystal clouded over and I could see the outlines of a forest. I knew what this was, it was the Telescope Technique.
My eye narrowed at the image... I released a breath I was holding as I saw the form of a red-headish girl who was still breathing after an encounter with an S-ranked criminal. Sora was alive and walking, bandaged from head-to-toe but still upright with a friendly smile on her face as she walked alongside a girl with hair a shade of red that had my head spinning and my stomach lurching at the oh-so familiar color.
What the hell.
"There Sora-chan is now, she seems to be doing better than yesterday. That's good." he murmured. What happened yesterday? The Sandaime chuckled warmly as he looked at the image. "And she also seems to have made a new friend."
"And the boys?" I asked, only somewhat anxiously. I'll put a pin in the mysterious girl that looks disturbingly like a young Kushina for a later date. The image faded and then I could see Naruto standing in a river in nothing but his underwear, trying to fish I think. Then it shifted to Sasuke, he looked tired but other than that he seemed okay as he watched Naruto flail in the water with barely contained amusement/annoyance. I couldn't see any injuries but there had to be a good reason why these two were sitting back while Sora was wandering around with a possible blood-relative.
But, main point here being my students were all still breathing and in one piece. They were okay. Well, not 'okay' -how could they be okay after being targeted by a monster?- they probably weren't okay by any means, but they were alive.
I could work with alive.
The image faded again and I was met with a clear, purple crystal. Hokage-sama leaned back and regarded me sharply, on instinct I stood at attention like I was still ANBU Hound. "Now I need to speak with you on another matter. In the event that your team successfully makes it to the tower and I become indisposed, you will have to take my place in regards to a time-sensitive matter involving Sora-chan."
My jaw tightened. So there was something else? Yūgao had never told me just how badly my red-headish student had gotten hurt. Just that she was and it was done by Orochimaru. Kami, I wish I could've caught him all those years ago.
"Tell me Kakashi-kun, how much Fuinjutsu do you know?"
決意 Determination
"Sora." the Uchiha near growled. I held my head high as I crossed my arms over my chest. He stalked towards us with an impressive scowl on his face. "What have you done now?" he demanded pissily. I noted in amusement as Karin hid herself slightly behind me and grabbed onto the back of my tunic. Not touching, only holding the fabric. She seemed to be intimidated by Duckie's scowl. I half-expected her to start fawning over him. Interesting.
'This is my new friend.' I signed before I glanced back at the girl clinging to me and offering a warm smile. She relaxed only minutely, eyes darting in-between Duckie and I. The look the Uchiha gave me was very familiar. It was just like when-Oh right, Duckie has a thing about me escorting foreign ninja by my lonesome. But it's really not my fault when it come down to it. I'm just being polite!
Yes, You're Only Doing This From The Goodness Of Your Fucking Heart. It Has Nothing At All To Do With Creating A Shiny New Distraction So Indra And Asura Won't Press You To Talk In Front Of A Stranger. It rasped. I pressed my lips into a firm line, not answering that whatsoever. Nope.
"Ehhh? Who's that?" I heard the Hero call out, I followed the sound of his voice and found a half-naked blonde trying to wrangle a fish to his chest. Karin 'eep'd' from behind me and I felt embarrassment rocket through her chakra. I guess she's never seen a boy in his underwear before, ah, how innocent. I remember those days.
I turned my body slightly to expose the timid girl and gestured her to introduce herself. She gulped before releasing one hand from my shirt and bowing her head. "My name is Karin. S-Sora-san helped me out when I was attacked eariler."
"SO YOU DID GET INTO A FIGHT-"-'Splash!'-oh, the scaly fiend just slapped him in the face, cutting off whatever he was about to reprimand me fore. He yelped and it got free of his hold, flying back into the water while the Hero fell into the river.
Sasuke sighed, raising his hands to rub his face. He looked at me tiredly and expectantly, waiting for my explanation. I happily supplied, 'Short version. Both her teammates are dead and she isn't a fighter, she's about Academy student level and defenseless by herself. If I had left she might have died by herself. I figure we need to start heading towards the tower anyway to look for a scroll and we'll drop her off there and start our search in earnest and all together.'
"So this means you won't be running off again?" Duckie drawled. I put my hand on my hip and gave him a dry look in response. He shook his head at me before turning around and walking away, "Fine then, she's your responsibility. We'll leave for the tower before dawn."
I clapped my hands together. Yay! I turned to the girl who still had one hand on the back of my shirt and gave her a cheerful grin, causing her to stand completely at ease. Hesitantly she offered me a small and shy smile in return with rosy cheeks. It wasn't long until a soggy Naruto came up to us -with pants on- and grinned brightly at the red-haired girl, causing her to flush brighter. She does that a lot doesn't she? "Hiya! My name's Uzumaki Naruto and I'm gonna be the greatest ninja ever, so remember it!"
"W-Wait a minute! Did you say UZUMAKI!?" she just about screeched, causing three pairs of eyes to look at her. One in curiosity, another in suspicion and one in amusement.
"Yeah... what about it?" Naruto asked, oblivious to her reaction. He should be a bit more suspicious, I thought. Little Karin looked remarkably like a fish for a solid minute as she processed the starling information she just received.
"It's... it's nothing." she said eventually, still staring at her distant blood relation with impossibly wide crimson eyes. Hm. I wonder how this'll turn out? But before any shared Uzumaki connection could be investigated further, there was a loud growling noise that erupted from the small girl. Her face turned as red as her hair and she slapped her arms around her stomach, embarrassment and mortification shooting through her chakra. I tried to smother my amused smile while Naruto snickered shamelessly, we both have been there many times before.
"When was the last time you ate something?" I wrote on the pad and pen I whipped out.
Little Karin shuffled on the balls of her feet nervously as she bit her bottom lip, appearing to think about it. "Um... I had some rations on the way here."
I blinked. What? She didn't eat anything, I think I would've noticed her snacking on our way back here. So... "On the way where?"
She blinked cluelessly as she answered casually. "On the way to Fire country."
My jaw dropped. Uncertain I was hearing right, I looked at Naruto out of the corner of my eye and yep. His expression matched how I was feeling at the moment. Horrified. She was an Uzumaki going through the beautiful and disturbing growth process called puberty, as one myself, I know the ravages of the black hole called a stomach. It's no wonder she had such a hard time keeping up with me! The girl was seriously malnourished! Without waiting, I promptly pulled out three lunches and set them in front of her. She blinked in dumbfoundment.
"Eat." I wrote.
She opened her mouth to no doubt protest and I took back the pad and underlined the word for emphasis. Her brows furrowed in distress and I was already turning on my heel towards the river to aid Naruto in his attempts at fishing. If there were going to be three Uzuzmaki eating then we were going to need a lot more food.
Night had finally set on the third day of the survival test and I was on watch, not even considering the idea of sleeping. I knew I had to rest at some point soon but I also knew that I had at least another thirteen or so hours until I started getting a bit snappy. My longest record is about... five days without sleep? It happened not long after my incident with ROOT, right after Neko had taken me to the sectioned-off ward of the hospital. Every time I had closed my eyes I thought that someone would take me, I had to be drugged into sleeping on multiple occasions until I could finally get out of there and go back to Naruto.
Ah... cheerful memories.
Plus it didn't look like Karin was going to be sleeping either so there was that too. We'd start moving towards the tower in the morning to both drop off Karin and get an Earth scroll. If we're lucky then we'll run into another team on the way and get an entire day to rest before the prelims. Speaking of... I leaned back from my watch position nestled in a tree to look up at the sky. Beautiful and free of light pollution as always. The sight of the stars has always had a soothing effect on my spirit. It reminds my that there's a lot more going on that I can't see. That when it comes down to it... I'm quite small in the scheme of things.
Two days ago I made the decision to push Duckie out of the way. Today, I made the decision to take Karin along with me to meet Sasuke and Naruto. Tomorrow... who the hell knows. There's only one thing that's become very apparent recently. I'm doing things. Things that I have neither planned nor anticipated for.
There are no guarantees anymore, I realized.
It's kinda funny how that one sentence can inspire so much fear and relief at the same time.
If I want to keep things from straying too much farther than I have to work for it. If I want the good things to happen then I can't leave anything up to chance like I have been. Sasuke's issues have been temporarily postponed and now we'll have to deal with the next immediate threat.
There's little I can do about Lee's upcoming match-I can't change the match-ups or have any chance of getting him to forfeit so I can't focus on that. Same with the Invasion, Konoha already knew about Orochimaru getting up to something and prepared accordingly. There's a snowballs chance in hell that I could ever convince anyone that the Leader of a foreign Village was killed and that there was currently an imposter so I have to resort to other plans, making barriers to protect civilians during the attacks, like I've been planning since I decided to stay in Konoha. So there's only one thing that I have to focus my efforts on next.
Gaara.
If I want things to turn out okay with Gaara then I'm going to have to work for it. I don't know how but I'll... I'll figure something out. I have to.
And lastly, dealing with the brand on my arm. Orochimaru's fractured soul itself is imbedded inside my consciousness and is slowly learning that there is more to me than my obvious good looks and charming personalities. I can feel him crawling around up there and it unsettles me beyond words can express. He's learning things and that cannot be allowed to stand. Who knows what he'd do with the knowledge in my head in the off chance he ever did get his claws in me?
Think Ninja's With Fucking Guns.
Yeah. That can't happen.
Ever.
I... I need a way to seal my memories of Before.
"Mnn... mm... raaamen..." I heard mumbled. I glanced down at Naruto's sleeping form, he was curled up around his sleeping bag. He got to sleep faster than yesterday, I noted. I wonder if anything happened while I was out? He seemed more... I dunno. Calm? And it sure didn't have anything to do with me. I felt my lips pull down, guilt stirring in my chest. He's been through hell these past two days hasn't he? Hah... I suppose we all have and the worst part is that we weren't even out of the woods yet.
…Fucking Hell, Did You Just Pun?
'Just, please, do us ALL a favor and shut up?' I sighed inwardly, so done with it's commentary.
It was a bit lame, Sky girl. my traitorous one-third chimed in. I sighed heavily as my head thunked against my arms.
One more day, I reminded myself.
Exam I Arc,
Chapter Thirty-Two: "Distraction"
END
A/N: Ha-ha! How's that? A lot of things happened, no? Well we're not done yet! I honestly have no idea what came over me here with this omake. Just... I don't know. I think it's kinda bittersweet and came outta nowhere but I still like it. Tell me what you think about it.
Now, here is the omake that nobody asked for.
OMAKE: "A Forgotten Moment"
"Smile at a stranger. See what happens." -Patti Lupone
It was the middle of September in Konoha. The skies were a clear blue and the air was crisp, the heat of summer was finally winding down. I was standing in the middle of Yusawaki park, leaning lazily under a Hashirama tree while waiting for my oldest friend to show up for our meeting. I idly passed the time with some casual people watching.
There was a lovey-dovey couple in their obvious honeymooning phase walking hand-in-hand alongside the pond, whispering sweet nothings to each other, I was sure. A couple young boys were running in circles and attempting to outrun the designated 'ninja' to escape a premature capture. Ah, to be young again. A group of middle-aged civilians were practicing stretches on the grass and-oh, yeah. Nobody wants to see that hanging out. I valiantly held back a shudder at the sight of all that exposed skin, my eyes darting to anywhere else.
It was then I noticed a little girl, not more than ten, speed-walking down the stone path with a colorful ponytail that swayed back and forth with each rapid turn of her head. But what really caught my eye is that she was stuffing a jar of dark and ominous-looking liquid in the beige bag hanging off her hip. She was wearing a baggy blue long sleeve that hung off her small frame, a white skirt that reached her knees and an orange handkerchief tied around her neck, besides that she was wearing the standard little blue shinobi sandals that they give out to the Academy students. So she was kunoichi-in-training, huh? I wonder what she was up to? And what that jar is full of.
Hm. I suppose the real question would be; was I really bored enough to go and prod a girl half my age just to pass the time?
I felt a -no doubt impish- smile grow.
I'm not ashamed whatsoever to admit I used my hard-earned ninja skills to sneak up on her, shunshining onto a nearby tree branch to spy down on her as she scanned the park for something or someone. As soon as I settled against the branch comfortably her entire body stiffened and her head tilted back. I took a moment to appreciate the rare moment of surprise that over took me as large violet eyes looked up and directly at me.
One thought went through my mind as my eyes widened in surprise and my hand slipped out from under me and I began falling towards the incoming ground.
Oh crap!
I hit the grass with a muted thud and I groaned where I was faceplanted. Elite shinobi indeed. Hopefully no one I knew saw that. Kami, I'd never hear the end of it. With a hand to the newly forming bump on my head I leaned back on my haunches and was met with two violet eyes again. Her lips were pressed into a firm line as she stared at me.
"Hi." I lifted a hand and tried to smile, totally ignoring how hot my face was steadily becoming. Damned if I was going to own up to that tumble, I had my pride to maintain. She arched a brow at me and lifted one small hand in a tiny wave back. Well, she didn't scream so that was a good sign. She then pointedly glanced back up and looked at me expectantly.
"Ah, you are probably wondering why I was up there, huh?" she nodded slightly, giving me what I can only describe as a wary look. "Ah, well, you see I'm actually waiting on someone and I thought I'd pass the time waiting in the tree. Scouting the park for any danger. You, know, standard shinobi stuff." Half-truth. I am waiting on someone.
I watched in bemusement as the little ponytailed girl began to rummage through the cloth bag and took out a notebook and clicked open a pen only to begin writing on it. Was she too shy to talk? Well, that's cute.
When she finished she turned the book around and presented to me. "Is spying on little girls from trees something you often do, Shinobi-san?"
I choked on air. "I wasn't spying on you! I told you, I doing something else. Ninja stuff! Things that a little kid like you has no business of knowing." I finished with a serious expression and a nod. The ninja excuse always works with Sasuke and this girl couldn't be that much older, right?
An almost evil smile appeared on that previously innocent round face before it disappeared just as quickly. I'd almost thought I'd imagined it until I read what she wrote next. "Does 'ninja stuff' involve perving on little girls like some kind of creep?"
"I-I'm not a creep!"
"That's what all creeps say."
"I've been up there for hours! You just got lucky and looked up at the right time."
Was I going to hell for lying to an innocent little girl? Probably, but not thinking about that right now. Now I needed to defend my honor from such slander. Plus, she might not be as innocent as she looks.
She snorted in an unladylike way. "Are you sure that's what you want to go with? You were sitting in that tree for hours?"
I took a moment to think about it.
"Yup!" I said cheerfully.
"You know that doesn't make it any better. It just means you've been acting creepy all day. In the tree."
"...how old are you again?" I asked warily, raising a hand to rake through my curly hair. She sure didn't act like a little girl. Too observant with too much sass for such a small person.
Something of a sideways smirk curled her lips before she cleared her face of all emotion wrote, "I'm actually thirty-six years old, kiddo. This body is nine though."
There was a quiet moment as I read and processed that.
"Pffft!" I slapped a hand over my mouth to try and stop the laughter from escaping. She had such a serious look on her pudgy face! "Nine, huh? You're pretty tall for your age." I replied only semi-seriously, it was all I could do without busting into laughs again.
"For someone who claims not to be a creep you sure do like saying creepy things. You really shouldn't flirt with girls so much younger than you."
"I'm seventeen! And stop saying that! I'm not a creep!" I whined. Why was she stuck on that? I'm starting to think she gets off on teasing random strangers. I frowned at her in faux anger and pointed an imposing finger at her. "Some people find me charming and very not creepy! People who are girls!"
She patted my extended hand in an almost consoling way, nodding her head as if she was humoring me. What the hell. I heaved a sigh, realizing that I probably wasn't going to win here. I couldn't help it, I felt a chuckle bubble up in my throat and I smiled wryly at her.
"You know... you kind of remind me of a friend of mine. He acts like a little grown-up too! Has the driest sense of humor you'll ever find. Though..." I hummed, leaning my face down closer, she began blinking rapidly, round cheeks tinting pink ever so slightly and I grinned wide. Found her weakness. "He's not nearly as cute as you!"
Her reaction was a vibrant red blush, her round cheeks turning rosy. It was adorable. I wanted to wrap her up and show her off to Mikoto-Obasan and watch as the older woman melted. Her violet eyes flitted away nervously before she scribbled something and held it up against her chest so I could see.
"You have a nice smile." it read. I couldn't help it, I grinned wider.
"So what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" I asked, successfully changing the subject away from me.
"I was actually looking for my friend before you decided to drop in." I chuckled sheepishly, her lips turned down slightly in an almost frown. "We'd gotten separated and it's already been over an hour. I'm starting to get a bit worried."
My smile wilted a bit before I thought of something. "Well, what does your friend look like? I've already been here a while so maybe I saw him pass through." her face lit up and she pushed her pen to the paper when my attention was pulled to the side by a familiar voice calling out to me.
"Shisui." My head turned towards the person who called my name to see my tardy friend now. I lifted a hand in a wave, hearing another voice call out to somebody else. I looked back down to see what she'd wrote and-She'd disappeared?
Now, hold on. My eyes quickly scanned the lunch time crowd, the only thing I saw was a spot of blonde hair running through the mass of people followed by angry shouts and a few chuunin pursuers, instructors from the Academy? Wait, wasn't that kid-
"Something wrong?" a familiar voice asked, the barest hint of curiosity in his tone. Though you'd never know unless you've had years of experience in telling the micro differences in his expressions. I continued to look through the crowd as I regarded my closest friend.
"I was just talking to a cute girl but..." I frowned when I didn't spot that colorful little ponytail in the crowd of brown and black. I sighed in defeat, "She ran off before I got her name."
He hummed thoughtfully, "But, Shisui… isn't that what they always do?" I hope she at least found her friend, she-his words just registered.
"Oi!" I squawked indignantly, whirling on him with an obvious look of betrayal on my face, then I pouted. "Why are you so cruel to me, Itachi? Haven't I always been a good friend to you? What did I ever do to deserve this? Was having such a horrible friend punishment for something I did in my last life?" I wondered aloud.
Itachi gave me a very flat look, unamused with my wonderings. Well, all he did was lower his eyelids but other than that it was is usual expression. It's the details that are key in decoding him.
He gestured with a nod of his head towards the road to the outer training grounds. "Let's go. We have the training grounds for only a couple hours. There's a new jutsu I've been wanting to test." he said tonelessly. I purposely ignored him as I got the idea to poke fun at him at his expense.
I smothered a smirk as I spoke, "You know she looked to be around your age, Itachi. Had a bit of a mature air about her, clever too, I really think you would've gotten along. You should really get more friends, you know. You're young! You should go out and have fun once in a while! Have a drink and unwind!" I nagged good-naturedly, ignoring when he said; 'I'm eleven, Shisui. I can't drink. And neither can you for that matter.' and continued. "It just can't be healthy to work all the time like you do. I swear, you'll work yourself to death before you ever even find yourself a suitable girlfriend let alone a friend."
Itachi hummed disinterestedly as he began walking off, apparently tired of listening to me. "Why would I need an 'age-appropriate friend' when I have you, Shisui? …you act like juvenile enough for both of us." he muttered.
"Heeeeey!" I whined, that's so mean! The younger boy's response was a look of apathy mixed with amusement as he looked over his shoulder at me. Haah… only Uchiha Itachi was capable of making an expression as contradictory as that.
We headed off together to spar and my conversation with an odd girl who wouldn't speak would become a funny little memory I would soon forget as tensions began to rise within the Clan in the following weeks.
…I never did meet that girl again.
The single, brief meeting between two strangers would be forgotten. Neither side ever realizing how connected, however distant, they were to each other.
Fin~
A/N: That was fun. And kinda sad? Melancholy I suppose. I love Shisui, I've always pictured him as that smiley dork you can't help but love. The whole chapter was unedited so if there's any unforgivable gaps in the plot, please let me know so I can fix it! Now other things that happened!
I think Naruto and Sasuke's little talk was the headliner here, am I wrong? They've been due some bonding time. With the whole 'Sora getting bit' this story is really going to get started on building everybody else's relationships and seeing how they develop without Sora's direct involvement. They won't go at the same pace as Canon or even happen the exact same ways, so there's that.
Kakashi! You keep popping up when I hadn't even planned on you showing up until the prelims! Damn you, Scarecrow. Some of you guys were eager to see his reaction to the news so I couldn't help myself. Hope that sated you. Oh, and Karin. That happened. How many of you were expecting Sora to stumble across and subsequently adopt the girl? And the threat of a looming Kabuto? So much happened! Sorry it took me this long to post but I made it!
Author Question!
"Okay so, ultimate move. If you could have one ultimate move to vanquish all of your enemies and their nefarious machinations, what would it be?"
Hmm... I often ponder ways to vanquish my enemies. But if I had to choose one way then I would like an ability to turn them into BARBIES! -Men and Women- I'd be able to dress them up in pretty, pretty outfits and force them to attend the house parties at the super fashion palace WHERE ALL THE FOOD IS PLASTIC AND THE REFRESHMENTS ARE STICKERS!
Life in plastic is fantastic, after all.
Ahem, please excuse that bit of insanity. I wuv yew guys! I hope to see you next time!
-Nanami