Chapter 41: Our Friend Shinji
"FANG OVER FANG!" Kiba and Akamaru flew at Shinji and made a direct hit.
"UAGH!" Shinji flew up on the air, then hit the ground.
"Sorry Shinji, but we're not weak," Airas said.
"We've gotten way stronger," Aurion finished.
"I-I'm not d-done yet!" Shinji shouted as he got to his feet.
Shino delivered a punch to the face. "Shinji, the only one who is going to die here is you."
----
"Stop right there!" Airi and Hinata finally caught up to Shen. "That's as far as you go!"
"So you want to do this the hard way?" Shen asked, turning around. "Then so be it!" He charged at the two girls, but they moved.
"You will pay for ruining my life!" Airi shouted. She whipped out her cards. "AAAHH!" She ran at him and swung the cards at him. Hinata joined in with her Gentle Fist attacks.
"What! That light left behind by the cards!" he said as he dodged two hits. "Those are…the Universes!"
"That's right!" Airi answered. "And I know the three Celestial Attacks!"
"That's impossible!"
"Not for me it isn't!" She jumped back. "Hinata! Combo!"
"Alright!"
"Status Seal: Wind!" Her cards radiated with a light, then the light transferred to Hinata's hands.
"HAA!" Hinata hit Shen in the chest and a mini cyclone engulfed the man. "Airi, go!"
"Got cha!" Airi ran up to her former teacher and jumped onto his shoulders. "Hup!" She forced herself backwards, pulling Shen with her. She touched the ground with her hands, then tossed Shen with her legs with all her strength. "How's that, sensei?"
He got up and wiped blood from his mouth. "Barely passable!"
----
"Akamaru!" Kiba shouted. His dog hit the ground and whimpered. "No!" A swarm of kikai hit him. "AH!"
"Kiba!" Airas held out her arms and tumbled to the ground when she caught Kiba. "Grr!" She held her staff out to Akamaru's direction. "Healer!" White orbs danced around Akamaru, then the dog got to his feet. "C'mon Kiba, get up!"
"Shadow Sword!" Aurion focused his energy into his sword and it split into five swords. "Heh!" The swords were headed straight for Shinji. "Eat this you son of a bitch!"
----
"ACK!" Hinata and Airi hit a wall and fell to their knees.
"You're in way over your heads, ladies. You don't stand a chance against me!" Shen said.
Airi winced and looked over at Hinata. "Ugh, she's out cold…"
"HRRGH!" Shen brought his fist down on them.
"No!" Airi grabbed the Hyuga girl and jumped out of the way. "Stay here Hinata." She put her down, but gagged when something wrapped around her neck. She was dragged over to the edge of the room, then pushed to the floor. "Y-You…ba-bastard!"
Shen held her over a pit of lava. "So this is how the 'wise' Airi meets her demise."
She managed a smirk. "I…I don't think s-so…Y-You see…a wise friend o-once told me th-that…it's always g-good to have a-an ace in the whole…" She held up a tag. "Please die."
"Impudent fool!" He quickly snatched the tag and threw it behind him.
"…Heh…" She closed her eyes. "He also said…th-that…two aces are better!"
Something kicked Shen in the side, knocking him off Airi. "GAAH!" He looked back and saw two Airis. "Wh-What! How can this be!"
"Oh this?" Both Airi smiled. "Just a new trick I picked up during my time in Konohagakure…" Thank you Shino… "That tag that you took from me wasn't a bomb tag. It was my new tag. The Doppelganger Seal. I wanted to show it to you so you could throw my clone behind you." The Airi clone disappeared. "Looks like you got the short end of the stick…old man!"
----
Shinji hit the ground and couldn't move. "Ugh…Is…this it? Am I…finished?" He looked at his hands. "I'm…going to die…?"
"It's over," Shino said. "You are going to die here." Kiba, Airas, and Aurion looked on triumphantly. Though they were injured pretty badly, they managed to put on a smile.
"…Is it really…Sh-Shino?" he got to his feet. "…I…might have to die here but…I WON'T DIE ALONE!" He did a hand sign. "SELF-SACRIFICING JUTSU: SPIRITUAL RELEASE!" He gave off a bright light, releasing all of the chakra in his body. "AAAAHHHH!"
----
Airi and Shen suddenly stopped to gain their footing. A violent tremor shook the room. "What was that?" Airi asked aloud.
"That fool…" Shen whispered. The ceiling above them crumbled and separated them.
"Agh!" Airi jumped back.
"Ooh…" Hinata sat up. "What's going on!"
"C'mon, we have to get upstairs!" Airi shouted.
"What about Shen!"
"Forget him! I don't know if the others are alright!" They ran back up the stairs they came from and gasped. "You guys?" Their friends were on the ground, bleeding, along with Shinji. "Noo!"
Hinata ran over to Kiba. "Kiba! Kiba!" She looked at Akamaru. "Akamaru!"
"Shino!" Airi cried. She shook him. "Shino?" There was blood everywhere, even on the walls and ceiling. "Oh God, oh God…." None of them moved.
"Airi…" Hinata whispered, full of tears. "They're…!" She suddenly passed out again.
"…No…" Airi stood up. "…No, you guys can't die!" The ground shook.
"…Ugha…"
She spun around. "Who's that!"
Shinji tried to get up, but couldn't. "…Damn…"
"You bastard, what've you done!" she yelled. She ran over to him and shook him. "See what you've done!"
He looked around. "…"
"See!" She was in tears. "You've killed them!"
"…I…am sorry."
"Wh-What?" She blinked.
"I did not…mean…to…" The floor under them split and Airi jumped back. The piece of floor Shinji was on, toppled over.
"Shinji!" Airi grabbed his hand.
"Why…do you spare me?" he asked, his eyes empty of life.
"Why…did you apologize?" She was keeping him from falling down into the pit of lava.
"…For the same reason…that you…saved me…"
"What?"
"…I…finally understand…what it means…to be…good…" He coughed.
"…Shinji…"
"I can…see…everything…clearly…What I've done…is wrong…" His hand began to slip.
"Shinji!" She held on tighter.
He smiled. "Why Airi? You hate me. Why don't you just let me go?"
She started to cry harder. "Don't say that! What's important now is that you're repenting for your sins! Gah! H-Hold on!"
"I…am?" He sighed. "I am…truly sorry…Shino and I…were the best of friends but I…betrayed him…"
"Shinji…if only you had realized this from the beginning…then maybe…we could've…been…friends as well…"
"My apologies…Miss Airi…" He managed a smile. "I…envy Shino…to have someone like you…"
"Shinji?"
"I will…help you…There is a tower south of here. Shen is going…there…please…stop him…for everyone…"
"…I…I will!"
"…Good…the use Inochi to…resurrect everyone…"
"Yes!"
"May I…ask something of you?" She nodded. "Before I die…I would like to…" He whispered something to her.
"Shinji I-"
"Please. I just want to know…what it might…be like…"
"Oh…Okay…" She carefully lowered herself closer to him, then placed a small kiss on his lips.
"…Hmm, yes…I…see now…thank you…"
"Wait, Shinji! I can heal you! Just hold on and I'll pull you up!"
"No, it's too late for me…Airi, when I first saw you I…" He was starting to slip again. "Take them…upstairs…There's a way out…from there…" The room shook again but this time, the ceiling cracked.
"But I can-"
"…Thank you…for showing me the light…and for…for…giv…ing…me…" He closed his eyes.
"Sh-Shinji!" She tried to hold on.
"I...lo…ve…you…"
"SHINJI!" He slipped away and plummeted into the pit of lava. "Shinji…" She sat there, tears flowing from her eyes. "Oh…tears…" She got up. "Thank you…Shinji…" She dragged everyone upstairs and pulled them out of the collapsing temple. "Ugh…" She closed her eyes. "…Thank…you…"
XXXX
"A-AH!" Airi sat up. "Oh no, I fell asleep!" She quickly jumped to her feet. "I gotta summon Inochi!" She closed her eyes. "I call upon the ruler of heaven, earth, and everything in between…the giver of life…I summon thee…" She held up her right hand, "Come, Inochi!" The sprit form of Inochi came out of Airi's charm. "Inochi, please help!"
"Okay! Possession!" She merged into Airi's body.
"Okay, here we go!" She held up her hands. "Rebirth Flame!" Fire came forth from her hands and covered the bodies of her friends. The flames licked at their wounds and cleaned up the blood. Wings appeared on their backs and they stood up. "You guys! AAH!" Inochi came out of Airi's body, then went back into the charm. "Ow…"
"What happened?" Kiba asked.
"You guys are alive!" Airi shouted.
"How'd we get out here?" Aurion asked.
"It's a fairly long story, so I'll tell you guys on the way to the tower south from here!"
"What?" Airas asked.
"Shinji told me!"
"What!"
"Where is Shinji?" Shino asked.
"There's no time! We have to stop Shen once and for all! We have to win for everyone's sake…as well as Shinji's!"
"I don't know what happened, but let's get to that tower you spoke of!" Kiba shouted.
We hated you…
You hated us…
You were our enemy…
We were your foes…
You tired to kill us…
We tried to stop you…
You kidnapped me…
They chased you away…
We hated you…
You hated us…
You fought us to the end…
We beat you again…
You tired harm us…
We tried to hurt you…
You despised us in every way…
We became enraged by your actions…
I hated you…
But…
You said you loved me…
You envied him for loving me…
But still, you tired to kill me…
You ruined my life…
I ruined yours…
But…
You helped me in the end…
And I wanted to save you…
You saw the light…
And I saw kindness within you…
Shinji, why'd you do that?
Why'd you help me?
Why did you say those things?
Why did you ask for a final kiss?
Why did you choose to do what you did?
I could ask these questions forever but…
No one will answer me…
You won't answer me…
I hope you're watching…
We'll win…
For everyone and you…
We'll win…
But you're a jerk…
Why, you ask?
Because…
We could've been friends…
We will…
Miss you…
Our enemy…
Our friend…
Aburame Shinji