Chapter 13
It was a few weeks before Haruko could rejoin her team. The day she did was an unusually cold and foggy one. The early morning sun made the fog glow an eerie orange.
Kaoki and Tomaru stood on the bridge. Jaku had told them they were getting a surprise that morning, "What do you suppose it is?" Kaoki asked excitedly.
"I don't know." Tomaru said flatly, almost uncaring.
Just then a shadow came through the fog. They looked up to see Haruko standing there, "Haru-Chan!" Kaoki squealed, glomping her. The fell onto the bridge, "Welcome back." Tomaru said quietly. Haruko stood up, "Thank you both." She bowed deeply, "It's nice to return to my Shinobi duties."
Just then Jaku walked up to them with Kakashi in tow, "Haruko, I know you were happy about doing a mission with us, but, you have one of your own today."
"Already?"
"Seems so, You'll need to go with Kakashi."
"Fine." She said flatly.
She followed him to the village gates while he told her the details of her mission. And saw her safely off.
She walked slowly through the woods toward the canyon that ran through Konoha. The one with all the jagged rocks on the cliff sides. It had very quickly become a hot and humid morning. By the time she got to the canyon it was so hot, not even the birds were singing anymore. She walked to the edge of the cliff and could see her target watching her on the other side, "Hiding from me are you…Akira?"
"I have no reason to hide from a traitor." He grew out his hair, grabbed a tree branch, swung over, and dropped down in front of Haruko, "So eager to die, hm?"
"Oh, I'm not the one that's gonna die." She got into a very rigid and difficult stance, "Bring it on."
He took out a kunai and ran cautiously toward her. He got the kunai within an inch of her face when he was slammed backward. He slowly stood up, his hand on his chest. Haruko smiled, "How was that?"
"You're not gonna get a shot like that off again." He made a seal and 100 or so kage bunshin's appeared around her, "Such a feeble attempt." They swarmed her and within seconds they were all gone, Akira was sweating and breathing heavily. So was Haruko, only she seemed to be getting tired faster. The heat was getting to her, "That stance must be difficult to stand in for so long."
"N-no."
"If you shift even an inch, you're attack won't be nearly as strong." He backed up a little until he was right at the edge of the cliff. Haruko took this chance to make her final move.
She rushed in front of him and put her finger on his collar bone, "Goodbye, Akira." She pushed him backwards and he fell back over the cliff, "No!" He exclaimed as he reached up and grabbed onto her forehead protector and pulled her over the edge as well, "I'm not going down alone!"
She tried to grab onto the slick rocks but her chakra just wouldn't grab on, "Shiiiiiiiiit!" She screamed as the rock ground got closer and closer. She closed her eyes tightly as the two of them slammed into the ground.
- - - - - - - - -
When she woke up she was laying on her back next to a small stream that flowed through the canyon. Blood flowed into it, making the usually clear water into a very bright red. She lifted her head to see Akira laying at her feet. He had fallen on his stomach, his face smashed into the rock. His cold dead hand grasped tightly to her ankle.
She slowly sat up and pried his fingers off. , then laid back down as her bones made a horrible cracking sound. She rolled over and tried to push herself up when the pain of the fall kicked in. She collapsed, trembling. She started to feel as if this were all just a terrible nightmare. An awful, painful nightmare, "Akira…you bastard…" She whispered.
- - - - - - - - -
Jaku stood at the village gates. The sun was setting and the sky was beginning to get dark. The lights of Konoha began to spill out of the gates onto the ground of the forest outside. Kakashi walked up to him, "Worried?"
"A little. Her mission shouldn't have taken all day."
"Think we should go look for her?"
"Yeah…maybe."
"Right, I'll go find some free teams to help out."
"I'll get mine."
- - - - - - - - -
A short while later they were out with Gai's team searching for her. Neji was searching around the canyon. He looked over the edge and saw two bodies lying on the ground below, "Oh…"
He carefully made his way down and ran over to Haruko's body. He put his hand on her forehead she was unconscious, "Haruko?" He shook her a bit, "Wake up…" She didn't even flinch, "Gai-Sensei!" He yelled. His voice echoed through the canyon and the woods above.
A second later Gai was standing behind him and spotted Haruko. He looked up to the top of the cliff and back at her, "She must've fallen." He quickly knelt down and felt her pulse, "It's weak, we have to get her out of here."
"How…"
- - - - - - - - -
Jaku sat down under a tree, sadness on his face, "Something horrible must've happened."
"C'mon Sensei," Kaoki said, holding out her bear, "We'll find her."
Gai suddenly appeared next to him, holding Haruko's limp body, "Let's get going."
Jaku jumped up, "Where'd you find her?"
"…Bottom of the cliff…Let's go…" They all stood stunned for a moment, then made their way back to the village.