Ai pushed another mouth full of Otter-Penguin meat in her mouth and chew happily, her head rocking back and forth a she did. Ai, Katara, Sokka, Gran-Gran and Aang all sat around the small fireplace, eating their meal. Aang could only cry as he witnessed such a crime.
"How could you eat them… they're so cute, and fluffy" cried Aang
"It's what they're bred for" said Sokka, eating a soft boiled egg "It's the only meat, besides fish we can get around here… well, there is Polar Bear Turtle meat… but if you don't cook it right you'll get food poisoning"
Ai blushed and looked glanced away, letting out a grunt. Katara and Gran-Gran just ate their meal in peace, but nodded there heads.
"Your all monsters" said Aang
Ai swallowed her food, she gently wiped her mouth with her sleeve.
"Look, just because you're a vegan doesn't mean we have to stop eating meats" said Ai, grabbing one of the eggs
"But they're living creatures" said Aang
"Technically so are plants… they grow, they age, they die" said Ai, drinking the yolk of an egg "What say you to that?"
Aang just blinked in confusion, his eyes darted around… his whole world was just rocked.
"So… Hippo-Elephant in the room" said Katara, clapping her hand "Just, who are you?"
Ai looked over, taking another bite of her egg… chewing quietly. She swallowed with a tiny gulp coming from her mouth.
"Where i come… came from, it's rude to ask a name, before giving your own" said Ai
Katara gave a slight bow
"Forgive me, my name is Katara" said Katara, she gestured with an open hand "That's my brother Sokka"
Sokka was currently cramming a large amount of meat in his mouth, he glanced up with a wave as there eyes met.
"Sokka, you're being rude… give her a proper hello" said Gran-Gran
"It's ok, i was able to read him during eye contact" said Ai, looking back "I like meat too, but more of a seafood person"
Sokka blinked, his eyes widened and he swallowed the massive amount of food.
"W-Wha? How did… i mean" rambled Sokka
"You were cramming your mouth full, and savoring every bite" said Ai
Sokka rubbed his head
"Well.. y-yeah" said Sokka, giving a wave again "So, yeah… hi"
Ai smiled, she glanced back at Katara, who moved her open hand to Gran-Gran.
"And this is our Grandma Kanna… but we call her Gran-Gran" said Katara
"Pleasure to meet you young one" said Kanna
"As you Kanna" said Ai
"Please, call me Grandma" said Kanna
"Ok, Ba-Chan" said Ai
Kanna chuckled, eyes scanning over to Katara, who shrugged. Katara's smile soon faded, she balled up her hand and used her thumb to point at Aang.
"That's Aang" said Katara, almost as it it was poisonous to say
"I take it you're not friends" said Ai
"Far from it" said Katara
Aang rubbed his head, glancing away.
"So, now you know our names" started Katara
"My name is Ai, Uzumaki Ai" said Ai
Katara nodded her head.
"Ok, introductions out of the way… so, how is it you're able more than one element if your not a bender?" asked Katara
"My heritage" said Ai "What i want to know is, why is it only one person is able to use more than one"
"What are you talking about, it's always been that way" said Aang
Ai shook her head
"No it hasn't, not in my time" said Ai
"Your time… wait, were you frozen too?" asked Katara
Ai nodded her head, taking another bite of food
"Hmm-mm… very long time, so long i lost track?" said Ai
"Lost track? You mean you were conscious?" asked Sokka
"I drifted in and out, but yes" said Ai
"About how long would you guess?" asked Katara
"Long enough I went insane… but got bored of that, so went sane again" said Ai, rotating her hand "Sooooo… well over a few thousand years"
Everyone was speechless, Ai took a sip of her drink… she set it down. Katara inches closer, thousands of years… this girl was from that far in the past, amazing… much more then Aang's story was.
"You gotta tell us about you home… please" said Katara
Ai looked over, then back… she held her chin.
"Well… i guess, i mean… my village is long gone, so sharing classified info now would be fine" said Ai
Sokka snorted a bit
"Classified… like the kind that if you told us you'd follow up with 'and now I have to kill you.'" said Sokka with a snort and a laugh
"Thats right" said Ai, taking out her kunai and slicing the top off an egg off.
A silence fell over the group as Ai drank the yolk, letting it drip down her mouth.
"But you're just a child" said Kanna
"There were constant battles in my time, so the need for soldiers were high… I enter the academy when i was 4… 4 years below the average age, and i graduated when i was 6, just falling a few days short of the previous record"
"Wait, there was a record being the youngest to graduate?" asked Sokka
Ai nodded her head
"Only children from powerful clans ever got graduated early" said Ai "The record stood with Kakashi… our 6th Hokage"
"Ho… Kage?" said Katara
"Our leader… one of our leaders" said Ai
"Your 6th leader?" asked Aang
"Hmm-mm" said Ai "My father was the 7th… and my Ba-chan was 5th"
"Ba-chan, that's what you called me" said Kanna "What's it mean"
"Oh… it means grandma, you told me i could call you that" said Ai
"Wait… a girl was the leader?" asked Sokka
Ai looked over, nodding her head
"Yes, and one of the strongest… but her specialty was in medical" said Ai
"Knew it" said Sokka, getting Katara to smack him
"Anything else you can tell us?" asked Katara
Ai blinked for a moment, holding her chin
"Well…" started Ai
=== Ai's Past ===
Ai dropped down low, kicking her opponent high into the air, she quickly jumped up higher. Ai spun over her opponent, slamming her foot down onto his head, drilling him into the ground. His face smashed the ground, he was quick to shoot up and hold it.
"Ah, damn it Ai, that hurt" cried her opponent "I thought you said you'd go easy on me"
Ai smiled, she knelt down and helped her half-brother, Boruto to his feet.
"I did" said Ai with a shrug "But i'm a Jonin, and you're a Genin… the gap in power is to vase"
"But how are you so strong, were about the same age" said Boruto
Ai just smiled and shrugged, unable to tell him that she was holding the Kyuubi within her. Shortly after her birth, Naruto had the idea to extract the fox from him, and hid it in her. Trusting the truth with only a few select individuals, Tsunade and Kakashi.
Ai just chuckled and scratched her nose, soon looking over… to see her little half-sister Himawari, hiding her eyes.
"Huh… thought i heard something" said Ai, letting Himawari have her fun
Boruto looked over, he rocked his head back and groaned.
"Oh come on" said Boruto "Why do you humor her?"
"Humor who… no one's there" said Ai
Boruto palmed his face, dragging his hand down… he turned and waved his hand.
"Whatever… see ya later sis" said Boruto
"See ya" said Ai, who was tackled to the ground
"Got you Onee-chan" said Himawari with a cheer
Ai gasped in fake shock.
"Where did you come from?" asked Ai
Himawari just giggled, she didn't answer Ai, but nuzzled her.
"I missed you" said Himawari, then pulled away and swatted at Ai with her fist "Meanie, why don't you visit me more often"
Ai chuckled, then kissed her little sister's forehead.
"I'm sorry… but it's a long trip from the land of demons." said Ai "And it takes its toll on me"
Himawari narrowed her eyes, her cheeks puffed out.
"Don't give me that crap" said Himawari, her byakugan activated "You got loads of chakra"
"Whoa" gasped Ai "When did you learn that?"
Himawari's eyes went normal, she grinned and chuckled.
"Ha ha ha, well" started Himawari
"She got it during my Hokage inaugurated" said Naruto, stepping outside "Boruto accidentally torn apart that toy you got her"
"Not Po" cried Ai
"Sadly yes, Po suffered a broken neck" said Naruto, trying to make a joke out of it "But made a full recovery… with the order to take it easy" Naruto cleared his throat "Anyway, after Po's accident… Himawari lost it, and may have tried to kill Boruto, i went to defend him… and got one-shot… right in my babymaker"
Ai held up her palm, Himawari slapping it in a high-five. Naruto gave both his daughters a dry look, then smiled.
"So, how's Shion doing?" asked Naruto
"Mother is fine, but she does wish you'd visit more often" said Ai
Naruto rubbed his head.
"I know, but with the Neo-Akatsuki and all" started Naruto, hinting at Ai
"Right, can't risk her becoming a target" said Ai
"So" started Naruto, changing the subject "How goes your training"
Ai just grinned, just like her father did in his youth.
"Great… already mastered the Rasengan and getting really close to mastering the Rasenshuriken" said Ai, grinning
Naruto closed his eyes as his teeth grit slightly
'Lucky little brat' thought Naruto, his fist trembled slightly in jealousy
"Oh Ai, i didn't know you were here" came a voice
Naruto turned around to see his wife, Hinata. Hinata know of the deal Naruto had… unwittily made to Shion, but didn't mind, she love him and she love Ai like her own.
"Hi Auntie Hinata" said Ai "I've been here awhile, but Boruto wanted to get his ass handed to him again"
Hinata sighed, she held her head
"When is he going to get it though his head, he's not gonna beat you anytime soon" said Hinata
"Yeah, but it does push him to train harder… he's improved greatly" said Ai, she stood up helping her sister "So, got any good mission dad?"
Naruto nodded his head, he cleared his throat.
"Yes… let's take this to the office" said Naruto, flashing away
Ai gave Himawari a hair tussle, then flashed away, leaving Himawari to pout.
"Ahhh, she always goes on missions" wined Himawari "She never stays and plays with me anymore"
"I know you're disappointed Himawari, But Ai is just like her father… always wanting to get stronger, always wanting to go on a mission" said Hinata with a smile "But she does come back afterwards to spend time with you"
=== Hokage Office ===
"The Snow Village is about to make a move, and plans to attack Koyuki, and destroy the generator to make the Land of Spring, the Land of Snow again" said Naruto
Ai nodded her head, Naruto pushed a scroll forward.
"I help them make a compromise long ago, that a few of the heaters were to be torn down… letting part of the island to be covered in snow once more… but the Kōrikage is no longer satisfied with the deal and wants them all destroyed, or they will attack"
Ai nodded her head, pulling open the scroll… scanning it.
"Koyuki is naturally outrage by this, she spared them on a whim for aiding in her father's death" said Naruto "She wants the village to be destroyed, no survivors"
"But naturally you want me to spare the women and children" said Ai
Naruto nodded his head
"I know I'll catch hell from Koyuki when she finds that out… but yes, spare them… if you can" said Naruto
Ai nodded her head, and took her leave. Naruto looked down at his paperwork, filling it out that Ai is taking the mission.
"Is it wise… sending Ai?" came a voice
Naruto looked up, he turned to greet his old sensei who was leaning in the window.
"She'll be fine" said Naruto "She knows what she's doing"
"I know… but has her chakra control gotten any better?" asked Kakashi
Naruto didn't respond, he turned back to his desk and went to work.
"Naruto, this is serious" said Kakashi "She's gonna get hurt one of these days."
"She'll be fine" repeated Naruto
"Naruto" said Kakashi
Naruto slammed his hand down, getting Kakashi to stop.
"I… I've tried helping her" said Naruto, sighing "I really have… but nothing clicks with her"
"Then why do you still give her dangerous missions" asked Kakashi
"Cause she's my daughter" said Naruto
"That's not a reason" said Kakashi "Why do you given them to her"
"Like i said… she's 'MY' daughter" said Naruto, he turned in his chair "If i gave her the Tora mission, or any other D rank mission"
"She'll bitch, moan, and throw a fit till you give her at least a B or higher" finished Kakashi
"Bingo" said Naruto, his tone quickly shift "Beside… I think the Neo-Akatsuki are getting wise to… Project Fuzz Butt."
Kakashi closed his eyes, he held his face.
"I still can't believe Tsunade and I agreed to that name" said Kakashi, he looked over " But i understand… keeping her on the move, makes it harder to track her"
=== Miles outside Snow Village, Days Later ===
Within the frigid cold of the light snowstorm that surrounded the village, the two women stood about 10 meters away from each other. Ai had her eyes narrowed, and Esdeath simply had a smirk played along her lips.
Neither seemed to have any interest in words at the moment. They just stood there, observing each other. Whether it was to observe their bodies, or look for any weaknesses in their stances, neither could tell. But one thing was for certain, and that was the fact that neither of them were backing down.
After about ten seconds, Esdeath placed a hand on her shoulder, her sapphire hair swaying behind her as the snowstorm seemed to kick up a bit. Despite the frozen water that flowed around them, neither seemed to have their vision obstructed. They were focused solely on each other. It was almost as if there was no snow in their eyes. Just a clear plain with the enemy in sight.
"I'd ask you to join me and help me rebuild my village, but I can see it in your eye. You have no interest in doing such, do you?" asked Esdeath, one hand stroking her hair back, showing just how calm she was, even if a dangerous enemy was right in front of her.
Ai said nothing back to Esdeath, which confirmed that her guess was right. Esdeath's smirk widened just the tiniest bit. She pulled her hand out of her hair, having it return to her side.
"Well then. It's a shame it had to be this way. I didn't expect you to be so narrow minded." said Esdeath
"It didn't, if you had just been happy with the offer Koyuki gave you" said Ai "You brought this village destruction on yourself"
"Is that so?" asked Esdeath asked, a smirk of amusement on her lips as she placed her free, hanging hand onto the rapier that laid against her hip. "If that's the case, then I suppose there's no need to talk anymore, is there?" Esdeath slowly drew her rapier, pointing it at Ai. "Show me that you're not just bark"
Ai narrowed her eyes and growled.
'If my chakra was at full-capacity, I could take this bitch out in seconds…but I'm running at this point… this might not end well for me.' though Ai before she crouched down, placing a hand on the snow-covered ground. 'And she doesn't look like she kids around either…I'll have to give this everything I got…straight from the start. Hopefully I can take her out in a few minutes. If this drags on too long, I could end up in a lot of trouble'
A small smile came across Ai's face before she shook it off, glaring at Esdeath. She made a single hand sign and summoned a small pack of ice wolves, 5 in total. She stood back up and took a deep breath.
"I won't let you kill Koyuki." said Ai as she saw the luscious femme fatale in front of her chuckle.
"Well then. Let's see just how strong your resolve is to your beliefs." commented Esdeath.
Seconds later, the two dashed forward towards each other. The duel had finally started.
Ai's wolves charged forward, frozen fangs ready to devour their target. Once they got close enough, they pounced, but none of them could come close to Esdeath. She seemed to dance around the wolves, as if they weren't even a concern. When the wolves landed, they jumped back at Esdeath, who constantly turned, changed step, or ducked below them.
Enjoying a bit of laughter, Esdeath decided not to let the small fry get to her. She swung her large rapier, and cut down one of the wolves in seconds, doing the same thing to the other four. They had been cut so cleanly that they were reduced to piles of snow. Esdeath charged at Ai, who narrowed her eyes and jumped back a bit. Esdeath stabbed her long blade forward, Ai ducking to the side to narrowly avoid getting stabbed.
'She's fast!' thought Ai as she started jumping from side to side, ducking and turning to continue dodging what came her way.
She could barely escape the onslaught of needle-like thrusts coming her way. Once Ai caught herself, she spun her body, dodging Esdeath before charging in towards her, kunai at the ready. Esdeath smirked and spun her body the other way, extending her leg to kick Ai in her side.
The strike was so impossibly fast that Ai was completely blindsided, sent flying a few yards from the impact. Esdeath gave Ai no time to relax however, as she dashed at the younger girl, rapier at her side. Ai skidded across the snow, using her kunai to block the swings that Esdeath sent towards her.
Esdeath was unlike anyone Ai has ever thought before on an assassination mission, or any wild animal from the Forest of Death. Esdeath calculated every strike in a fraction of a second. Each strike was purposefully meant to send Ai in a different direction. To make her block in a way that would leave another area exposed.
Ai pulled out another kunai from her pouch and used both of them to block the strikes that Esdeath threw at her. The sparks flying from the blades gave more than enough conversation between the two. No words were needed to know the concentration that each of them showed in their eyes. They were determined to kill. Both wanted to be the best, neither wanted to be weaker than the other.
Esdeath raised her blade, and swung down at Ai, her toothy smirk never disappearing. Ai spun her body and jumped out of the way, tossing one of the kunai towards Esdeath, who simply caught it with her free hand. Esdeath smirked a little wider, tossing the kunai aside almost the second she caught it. The kunai exploded seconds later, making Ai growl.
'Not even secretive explosive tags will work, huh? Looks like I'll be longer than expected, sorry Himawari, play dates on hold for next time.' Though Ai, before she reached back into her pouch.
Esdeath dashed at Ai, swinging one hand back. When she swung her hand forward, a storm of sharp chunks of ice made their way towards Ai, who pulled out a scroll from her pouch. She used the kunai she had in her hand to cut her thumb slightly, activating the scroll before a small plume of smoke covered her body. Esdeath waited outside of the plume, sending her ice forward to stab into Ai.
When the smoke cleared, Ai was holding a long katana with a jade handle, a silver pommel and guard, and a light-blue, radiating blade. The ice that had been sent her way had either been deflected, or crushed by the long blade.
"Let's go, Yukianesa!" said Ai, she held the long, slim blade in one hand, the other holding the kunai from before.
=== Interruption ===
"Wait… you named your sword?" blurted Aang
"I was wondering that too, but didn't want to interrupt" said Sokka, holding up a finger
"No, that's what the smith named it" said Ai, brushing her hair "It roughly means 'Elder Snow Sister', but that's not the reason for the name"
"Ok… then why?" asked Sokka
Ai sipped on her tea, setting it down… the shadow darken over her eyes
"Because the smith was Muramasa… maker of the cursed demon blade" said Ai "Once the blade is drawn… it can be sheathed till it taste blood"
=== Back to Story ===
Esdeath gave an amused look as she dashed at Ai again. Ai got ready by twirling the blade a bit.
"A demon blade, my my… dangerous toy you have" said Esdeath as Ai smirked back.
She started stabbing rapidly at Ai, who kept her ground and deflected the stabs by swinging Yukianesa around her. Esdeath's stabs changed to swings, as Ai started to go on the offensive, swinging her blade as well, both of the sylphlike swords striking each other, sparks of snow being the result.
The two came to a stop when their blades clashed together, both pushing into the steel with all of their might.
"You're very good with a blade. Good enough to at least keep me interested." said Esdeath
Ai growled as their blades shook against one another. Both girls jumped back, getting some distance. Ai had to catch her breath, while Esdeath didn't even seem to be tiring out.
"It's a good thing I could give two shits about impressing you then." said Ai, swiping Yukianesa to the side.
Ai swung her sword along the ground, and a small wave of ice rushed through the air towards Esdeath. Said woman slammed her hand into the ground, her never-ending smirk still played along her lips as the wave of ice slammed against the wall.
Esdeath then slammed the pommel of her rapier into the wall, sending it sliding forward towards Ai, who swung Yukianesa a few times, cutting the wall into multiple pieces before it reached her. Once the wall broke however, Esdeath was right in front of Ai, who widened her eyes and blocked Esdeath's boot that had been aimed at her head.
Ai pushed Esdeath's leg away from the proximity of her head, rushing towards her enemy. Esdeath jumped back just as Ai threw the kunai that she had in her hand forward. Ai then turned Yukianesa upside down in her hand, the blade facing her before she jumped into the air, spinning violently before swing the blue blade down towards Esdeath, who used her rapier to block the kunai, then swung hard enough to stop Ai's strike. Esdeath pushed Ai away with her blade, before she fixed the hat that adorned her head, not wanting to lose it in this fight.
Ai landed on the snowy ground before she spun her blade upright again, holding it back as Esdeath charged at her, her blade low, scraping the snow as she dashed at Ai. Esdeath swung her blade up, making Ai jump to the side, her eyes widened. A large pillar of ice had appeared where Ai had been standing a second ago, separating a few strands of her hair. Ai narrowed her eyes and swung Yukianesa a few times in the air, smaller ice versions of the katana appearing at her side, floating in the air around her before she threw the swords of ice forward.
Esdeath got ready to send her own ice barrage forward, but stopped when Ai stabbed Yukianesa into the snow, flipping through a few hand signs before she took a deep breath.
"Fire Style: Grand Wave Burial!" yelled Ai before she took a deep breath, and released a large wave of fire.
The wave was so large that it buried the snow beneath it in a bed of flames. Esdeath had to knock the ice swords that flew towards her away, placing her hand onto the ground to summon another large wall of ice, this time making it taller. The fire passed along its path, but Esdeath remained completely safe behind the wall of ice, which blocked out the fire with no signs of melting.
Ai jumped to the side of the wall, her blade still stuck in the ground from before. Esdeath looked to the side to see that Ai was holding her kunai, and smirked as she swung her blade, effectively cutting Ai across the middle. Seconds later, Ai disappeared in a puff of smoke, making Esdeath widen her eyes as she looked behind herself, noticing the real Ai with a swirling ball of Chakra in one of her hands.
"Rasengan!" yelled Ai as she threw her wrist forward, the ball of Chakra aimed at Esdeath's back.
Said woman quickly jumped directly up to avoid the ball of energy, which crashed into her wall of ice. The Rasengan crushed the ice when it made contact, getting Esdeath to let out a surprised gasp.
Ai pulled her hand back when the energy died off, and ran back to Yukianesa, getting ready for Esdeath, as the latter landed on the snow, smirking at Ai, having her blade placed at her side again. Ai growled as she pulled her blade out of the snow, resting the frigid blue blade against her shoulder.
'This isn't good…I've only got a few of those left. I'm trying to focus on Taijutsu and Kenjutsu here, but she's really pushing me. Even worse, she doesn't even look like she's been trying. What's she hiding?' thought Ai as she crouched down a bit, her free hand resting beside her.
"Thinking of a strategy in the heat of battle will only leave you exposed!" said Esdeath, suddenly appearing behind Ai, getting a gasp from the latter as she quickly turned, swiping her blade down to deflect Esdeath's stabbing sword. Ai widened her eyes as Esdeath thrust her free hand forward. "Now Freeze!"
Esdeath's hand etching its way closer and closer to Ai's face, Ai quickly bent backwards to avoid Esdeath's chilled touch, stabbing Yukianesa into the ground before she used it to kick upwards towards Esdeath's chin. Of course, she was able to easily dodge the kick, spinning her body before she swiped at Ai. Ai pulled Yukianesa out of the ground, using it to block the attack in midair, though she was sent a flying back from the impact.
Before Ai could land, Esdeath used a small horizontal pillar of ice to launch herself forward, slashing at Ai through the air. Ai spun her body rapidly through the snow-filled air to deflect the strikes coming her way, while Esdeath made sure that she kept flying before she grabbed her blade with both hands, and swung hard enough to send Ai straight up into the blizzard.
Ai shot up through the cold air, Yukianesa at her side. She growled as Esdeath shot up after her, pulling her blade back. The two clashed their swords, Esdeath passing Ai as she went higher and higher up into the air. Ai looked back up and landed on the ground, only to see Esdeath snap her fingers, and turn to her side. Seconds later, a giant meteor of ice formed from the blizzard, aimed straight at Ai.
Said girl widened her eyes and stabbed Yukianesa into the ground. She weaved a few hand signs before summoning two shadow clones, then raised both of her hands in the air. The clones raised one of their hands to match hers, as their chakra started to swirl above them.
"Come on come on come on!" growled Ai as the chakra formed into a large ball, then slowly started to grow four sharpened prongs evenly split apart. Ai's eyes retained their vermillion hue, but her pupils became slit. The two clones disappeared after helping her, before Ai took a deep breath.
"Rasenshuriken!" yelled Ai as she tossed her arms, and the extremely large, swirling shuriken of chakra forward.
The wind-based chakra shuriken threw itself forward, and clashed with Esdeath's meteor of ice. Esdeath landed on the other side of her meteor, smirking as she watched the two attacks collide.
'She keeps surprising me with these new little techniques of hers. She's almost giving me a hard time.' thought Esdeath as she placed one of her hands on her hip, her hair being blown back from the omnidirectional wind that shot out.
She looked down to see her meteor starting to crack, and jumped off just in time to see the Rasenshuriken explode into a swirl of explosive chakra, the meteor caught in the blast and breaking apart. When Esdeath landed, the chakra had disappeared, and with it, the meteor.
Ai was panting as she crouched down slightly.
'I've only got two of those left before I run out of chakra…damn this is getting strenuous.' thought Ai as she fixed her stance, getting Yukianesa ready. 'I guess using a blade of ice against an ice user wasn't the best strategy. But still, at least I'm keeping up with her.' Ai stabbed Yukianesa into the ground, weaving more hand signs before she ran forward. 'Can't be helped. I gotta use what little chakra I have left to end this!'
Ai took a deep breath and slammed her hand into the ground. Esdeath raised a brow, only to feel the ground shake. Ai twisted one hand in the ground, before both opponents were both shot up into the air. A large tower of earth had propelled itself up from beneath the two, launching Ai and Esdeath into the snowy sky.
Esdeath suddenly charged at Ai, who grabbed Yukianesa and started to battle the blue vixen of death. The pillar of earth was stable enough to hold both of them with no trouble. Even by their standards, the elevated field was large enough for lots of mobility. It was almost as if they were still fighting on the ground.
Esdeath swiped her rapier through the snow on the elevated ground, before swinging towards Ai's head. The small girl raised Yukianesa, but gasped as she was cut down the middle.
Ai suddenly froze before falling back, off of the edge of the pillar. Esdeath smirked in triumph, one hand on her hip as she walked to the edge. She looked down, watching Ai's body fall, before it suddenly became a plume of smoke.
"What?!" Esdeath shouted before turning to look back. Ai was running up the other side of the pillar, two clones at her side, chakra charging in her hands before they jumped into the air. Esdeath raised her head to watch the three jump higher and higher, before the clones dashed down at Esdeath, kunai in hand.
Both clones threw their kunai forward, Esdeath simply stepping to the side to avoid both before she cut the clones down. She looked up to scoff, watching Ai hold another Rasenshuriken in her hands.
'That's the same technique from earlier.' Esdeath thought to herself. She smirked and swiped her rapier to the side. 'Well then. I'll just have to do my best to defend against it.' It was at that moment that Esdeath heard a soft whistling tune. She widened her eyes and looked down at the kunai, seeing two tags attached to each. She instantly covered her face as two small explosions covered the area.
"Rasenshuriken!" Ai shouted as she threw the swirling shuriken of chakra forward, smashing it directly into the cloud of smoke, and into the pillar itself. Upon impact, the shuriken exploded, and the pillar started to crumble from the overwhelming force.
Ai watched as her chakra broke down the top of the pillar, the rest of the stone falling from the amazing height. Esdeath had managed to escape the blast, and was now jumping from falling stone to falling stone. Ai dashed down after her once the Rasenshuriken had died down, grabbing Yukianesa from the air before charging.
Esdeath and Ai jumped from different stone chunks as sparks flew from their blades. Ai jumped above Esdeath, then crashed her blade down, forcing Esdeath to block with her own, smashing her through the flying stone.
Esdeath hit the snow rather hard, while Ai jumped from one stone to land somewhat safely. Esdeath soon got to her feet, both standing away from each other as the stone pillar fell around them, neither afraid nor shocked at the pillars falling. One pillar fell between the two, which was instantly cut to a million pieces.
When the stone was obliterated, both Ai and Esdeath were facing each other on opposite sides, blades drawn back, before swinging. Ai was knocked back into another stone slab, which she spun around to avoid being stabbed by Esdeath. Once she had pulled her blade out of the stone, Esdeath ran behind the stone, only to see that Ai had vanished.
Esdeath's smirk remained on her lips as she pulled her cap down a bit to cover her eyes. She closed her cerulean orbs before slowly walking through the large field of stone chunks.
Ai was currently hiding behind one of the stones, panting softly, yet trying to keep her voice down. 'One more…I got…one more of those…' Ai thought to herself as she stabbed Yukianesa into the ground. She looked around the area, before looking up into the sky. 'I doubt that's gonna work anymore…if I do this, it'll have to be on the ground…but where?' Ai took a deep breath to calm herself down, peeking around the corner of the stone to see Esdeath walking slowly, her eyes still closed.
Ai started weaving a few hand signs, and summoned three clones, all of which started running through the maze of stone. Ai herself looked down to her hand. 'It's too dangerous to just throw another shuriken after her. I'll have to stick with the Rasengan for now. That way I can at least have chakra left over for if she dodges.' Ai thought to herself as she looked back outside, holding one hand out as chakra started swirling around in her hand.
Esdeath slowly opened her eyes and smirked wider before placing her hand to the snowy ground. Ice trailed through the maze before stabbing two of Ai's clones through their backs, the sharp edges pointing out of their chests, before the clones disappeared. The third clone ran at Esdeath from behind, before she turned and stabbed it through the throat, the clone disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Esdeath was expecting something to come from behind or above, but raised a brow when this didn't happen. Ai suddenly jumped through the plume of smoke that her clone had left behind, Rasengan in hand. Esdeath widened her eyes as Ai pulled her arm back.
"Rasengan!" Ai shouted as she threw her hand forward. She was too close for Esdeath to make another protective sheet of ice, and so she could only raise her Rapier to defend. Ai's ball of chakra hit Esdeath's rapier and instantly pushed her back, Ai charging forward, trying to break the rapier with chakra and brute force. However, Esdeath wouldn't just simply let this be. She suddenly swung her rapier to the side, knocking Ai's aim off before the Rasengan dissipated.
Ai swung her body to slash Yukianesa towards her opponent, who bent back to avoid being slashed. Ai grabbed Yukianesa with both hands before swinging downward, only for Esdeath to jump out of the way, effectively getting some distance between the two. That's just what Ai wanted.
Ai stabbed Yukianesa into the ground before flipping through a few more hand signs. Ai's hands became cloaked in lightning, and she dragged one of her hands on the frozen ground as she rushed at Esdeath.
"Lighting Lance!" yelled Ai as she dragged her hand up through the snow, using the frozen mist to mask what she was doing.
Esdeath raised a brow as she saw the snow obstruct her vision of Ai, who clasped both her hands together. The lightning chakra flowed into one of her hands before she slammed that hand onto the ground. The lightning chakra started to snake its way through the snow, rushing towards Esdeath, who summoned a wall of ice to protect herself. However, the lightning simply climbed the wall before it shot off the ground, streams of lightning rushing at her.
Esdeath smirked and held her hand down.
"All things before me, will freeze!" shouted Esdeath as the world suddenly turned blue around her.
The lightning itself had stopped inches away from her face. Ai was crouched down on the ground, very small molecules of snow brushed around her face. The snow itself had completely stopped, now looking like an obstructed sky instead of a blizzard.
=== Interruption ===
"Ok, wait" said Sokka "Sorry but… she froze time? How?"
Ai just shrugged
=== Back to Story ===
"Using this takes a lot out of me, but I've saved it for such an occasion like this." said Esdeath as she walked towards Ai, a hand on her hip, her rapier swinging to her side in her other hand.
She gave a small laugh before she raised her blade, and stabbed Ai clean through the forehead, her blade appearing on the other side. "Maybe things could have worked differently if you had just agreed to join me."
The lightning crashed into the spot where Esdeath had previously stand, sparking in the area before it dissipated. Ai widened her eyes as she remained frozen in fear, feeling the steel flow through her head. Ai's body went limp, making Esdeath smirk a little wider.
However, Ai suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke, and in her place was a log.
"What?!" gasped Esdeath, before she looked up, seeing Ai dive down towards her, Yukianesa in her hands before she slashed down Esdeath's back.
Esdeath tilted forward from the slash, getting Ai to smirk, only to widen her eyes when she saw that she had slashed a sword made of ice. Esdeath smirked and turned her body around, thrusting the ice blade at Ai, who slashed the blade away with her own.
Esdeath stabbed the blade of ice into the ground. She then swiped her Rapier, getting the log off of the steel blade before she charged at Ai. Ai held Yukianesa in reverse as she started to block Esdeath's blows, trying to keep her distance, to no avail. Esdeath gave Ai no room to rest, and barely any to breathe. After a few moments, Ai started twisting her body and striking with Yukianesa, gaining some ground as she forced Esdeath back.
Said woman jumped back and stabbed her rapier into the ground next to her ice sword. Ai charged forward, only to widen her eyes as she ended up slipping. She stabbed Yukianesa into the ground to keep from slipping anymore, noticing the sound that it made. Instead of stabbing snow, she stabbed very thin ice.
"I have a few tricks of my own." Esdeath said as she smirked, having created a field of black ice from when she stabbed the ice sword into the ground.
Esdeath slammed her hand into the black ice field. Ai widened her eyes as the entire field became covered in spikes of ice. She jumped high into the air to avoid the ice. Esdeath smirked as she grabbed her rapier, running forward as the ice spikes extended up towards Ai.
Ai stabbed her blade into one of the spikes and landed atop the ice, running down towards Esdeath. Both women started jumping from spike to spike as they clashed blades. Ai jumped into the air and dashed down towards Esdeath, slamming her blade down against Esdeath's hard enough to send her through the ice, back down to the snow-covered earth. Esdeath laughed in amusement as she landed on the ground, jumping back to avoid Ai as the latter slammed her blade into the ground, rushing after Esdeath.
Ai weaved a single hand sign and summoned two shadow clones, who both rushed in after Esdeath, kunai in their hands. Esdeath ducked and dodged the attacks that the clones sent her way, while Ai tried to gather a bit of chakra, coming to a halt in the snow. While Esdeath danced around with the clones, she noticed that the real Ai was sitting back. Esdeath smirked and dashed between the two clones, stabbing them both in their sides with ease before she ran to Ai, the clones disappearing soon after.
Ai growled and became mobile again, jumping back as she blocked a strike from Esdeath. The two started to run with each other through the snow, slashing at each other as much as they could. Ai hissed as multiple cuts started to adorn her body. Being low on chakra lowered her speed, even if by just a little, and it was barely enough to keep Esdeath from skewering her. Esdeath on the other hand seemed to be holding her own almost perfectly fine. A bit of her clothing was cut, and her cheek had been sliced, but it was nothing that bothered the femme fatale.
Once the two jumped away from each other, Ai was panting heavily, stabbing Yukianesa into the ground to keep herself up as she tried her best to catch her breath. Esdeath was taking light breaths, a sign that she was at least tiring, even if it was the slightest bit. She swiped her Rapier through the air, aiming the point at Ai.
Ai was about to get up, but groaned as she held her stomach. She felt pain shoot through the inside of her body.
"Heh heh heh. At this rate, you'll be dead within the next few minutes." Came the sinister voice that she hated to no end. Ai growled and forced herself to stand.
"I seriously don't need this right now…" she said as she stayed focused.
"Let me take control. If you borrow my chakra, you can win for sure." mocked The fox within Ai.
"Not. Interested." retorted Ai before she twisted the seal around her stomach, echoes of pain shooting through her ears as she blocked out the fox.
She grabbed Yukianesa with both hands, and panted a bit before she narrowed her eyes.
'She's fast, strong, and agile. But she's still human. My guess is she can't take that much punishment, which is why she has so many defensive countermeasures.' thought Ai as she narrowed her eyes. 'If I can just get one good hit in, maybe a Rasengan or a lightning jutsu, I can end this. I just need an opening…finding one is gonna be the hard part.'
Ai narrowed her eyes as she took a deep breath, focusing again before she ran at Esdeath, blade drawn back as Esdeath came charging as well.
As the two clashed blades again, Ai started to look for any weak points that Esdeath might have had. Any openings that she may have left open. She growled when she found none. Ai placed her hand on the flat side of Yukianesa and blocked Esdeath's overhead swing, the two blades clashed against each other for the moment.
"We're about done here." said Esdeath with a smirked. "As fun as this has been, I don't plan on staying here forever. I hope you've said your last words already."
With a sudden burst of speed, Esdeath ducked beneath Ai, much too quickly for her to notice since she was suffering from Chakra Fatigue. Ai looked down, only to be hit with the pommel of Esdeath's rapier, sending her back a bit. Esdeath dashed forward and repeatedly stabbed at Ai.
Because of the chakra that she had used, Ai was unable to do much. The snow had finally been doused red from the strikes that Ai took, feeling her body being turned into a pincushion. It took everything she had to simply deflect the strikes that would have been fatal, but in return she was pierced through the arms and legs more than enough time to cause pain. Esdeath swung her rapier and knocked Yukianesa out of Ai's hand, before she ran forward and kneed the kunoichi in her face.
Ai felt blood leave her nose from the sickening crack that followed after the strike. Before she could get gain her bearings, Esdeath grabbed Ai by the back of her head. Esdeath slammed Ai's head down into the snow, face first. Esdeath then started to run, dragging Ai's head through the snow as she kept a firm grip on her hair.
Esdeath gave an amused laugh before she flipped herself, throwing Ai forward in the process. Esdeath then slammed her hand down, summoning an ice wall, which Ai crashed into.
Ai gasped as she hit the wall, and before she could even take a breath, Esdeath charged, jumping before she kicked Ai with such force that she broke through the wall. Ai rolled on the snow for a bit, landing on her stomach, before she suddenly screamed.
"Aaaagh!" cried Ai, feeling a piercing pain flow into her hand.
She looked at her hand to see that Esdeath had stabbed her rapier through her hand. Esdeath then stomped on Ai's head, her boot keeping Ai's head lowered, while the heel barely dug into her head, though not enough to make it bleed.
"This is how the world works." stated Esdeath as she smirked, looking down at Ai. "The strong strive, and the weak perish. If you're not strong enough to fight me, then don't fight me. Seems pretty obvious, right?" digging her rapier deeper into the ground, getting Ai to hiss as the snow around her hand turned more and more crimson. "I believe some call this the Law of Nature. If that's so, then it's not hard to see who's at the top here." She smirked and snapped her fingers. "Now, it's time for you to finally be put to rest." Above Ai, a small hail of ice made itself known.
Ai growled as she saw the large hailstorm rest above her. Before it could come up, however, Ai suddenly jumped up. Esdeath widened her eyes as she saw Ai jump. She pushed her hand up along the Rapier, effectively getting it deeper into her hand. But in her other hand was a fully charged Rasengan. And Esdeath had nothing to defend with, now that her rapier was stuck in the ground and Ai's hand.
"Rasengan!" shouted Ai with all of her strength before she threw her second hand forward.
Esdeath raised her hand at the last second as Ai's Rasengan crashed straight into her gut. The Rasengan grew in size as it hit its target. Ai let out another shout of fury as she threw the Rasengan forward, the sphere of chakra sending Esdeath, and her rapier, away from Ai, back into the snow, the result being Esdeath rolling along the snow after being blown away.
Ai hissed when she felt the rapier suddenly yanked out of her hand, looking at the large hole that stood in the center of her hand. With her low chakra, she couldn't simply heal it immediately. She waved it off for the moment, going back over to Yukianesa, which had been knocked out of her hands earlier. Upon picking up the blade, Ai looked back over to Esdeath, only to widen her eyes.
Esdeath stood up to her legs, a bit shakily, but she stood up nonetheless. She panted a bit, but was still able to smirk even after that attack. Ai was pondering just how she was able to stand after getting hit at point-blank range. Esdeath smirked and extended her hand, showing Ai a sheet of cracked ice.
"I put almost all of my energy into this one piece of ice." said Esdeath as the ice dropped onto the ground. "I must admit that I'm impressed. I didn't expect you to make such a bold and daring move. I was more than surprised, but you gave me just enough time to create a sheet strong enough to at least dull the blast a bit." Esdeath swiped her rapier to the side, Ai's blood flying off of the blade and onto the snow. "No one else has ever come close to giving me a severe injury like that. Congratulations." She focused her attention on Ai, who growled. Ai readied Yukianesa in her one good hand, and got ready for her enemy. Esdeath slammed her rapier into the ground, placing both hands on the hilt of the blade before the air around her started to get even cooler. "But this is where we part ways in this world!"
Esdeath she pushed the hilt of her sword forward, and the snow around her suddenly burst forward. A wave of snow made its way forward, shards of ice mixed in with the plume of snowy mist that came Ai's way.
"Yukikaze!" shouted Esdeath as the snowstorm shot towards Ai, the latter growling as she tried to deflect what she could, though it wasn't much she could do against a storm of mist in her current condition.
Ai started to block as many of the small ice shards that she could, but she could feel her body being cut at all angles. She hissed and tried to avoid the blades, but could do no such thing. Seeing that she couldn't defend, Ai decided to attack.
Ai looked to Esdeath, who was still standing with her blade in the ground. Esdeath raised a brow as she watched Ai move, though her vision of Ai looked blurry thanks to the mist that she sent her way. Esdeath narrowed her eyes before she tilted her head to the side to avoid a kunai that had been tossed her way, watching as Ai's silhouette slowly fell to the snowy ground. Esdeath smirked before she widened her eyes, turning around just as the kunai exploded.
Out of the smoke was Ai, who held a kunai, swiping at Esdeath's back. The older woman yanked her rapier out of the ground, and stabbed Ai straight through the stomach before she could get her kunai to her skin. Ai froze in the air, halted by Esdeath's blade.
"You turned yourself into one of your kunai? I definitely wasn't expecting that." said Esdeath with a smirked and swung her blade to the side, cutting Ai in half, the latter's eyes wide as she dropped the kunai. "But this is where it ends. You shall return to the dust from whence you came."
Ai exploded in a puff of smoke, replaced by a cut log. Esdeath gasped and looked back to the mist, only to turn around too late. Ai was in front of her, Yukianesa drawn back before she thrust her sword forward. Esdeath froze as she felt Ai's cold blade stab through her chest, appearing out the other side of her back.
Before Ai could catch her breath as a reward for landing her hit, Esdeath gritted her teeth and raised her leg, swiping it and kicking Ai away, the young girl rolling on the ground, too tired to move.
Esdeath fell to a knee, grabbing onto Yukianesa's blade, fresh blood falling from the blade's edges onto the snow below. She started to laugh a bit, yanking Yukianesa out with a hefty grunt, before she tossed the blade aside.
"You see?!" shouted Esdeath, who was slowly pushing herself up, covered in the blood from the snowstorm from before. Ai remained on all fours, looking up to see Yukianesa land beside her, the bloody blade a sign that she finally did some good damage. "I will not die!" Esdeath shouted louder. "I will never be weak! Nor will I concern myself with the matters of those who are!"
Esdeath stabbed her rapier into the ground, using one hand to cover the wound on her chest, and the other to cover her mouth as she coughed, some of the vital liquid slipping between her fingers.
Esdeath looked down into her hands to see the blood that snaked its way between her fingertips. She looked up at Ai, slowly stumbling towards her.
"I will…never…be weak!" shouted Esdeath.
However, another cough proved that her body betrayed her words, as she fell to both knees, a splatter of blood suddenly hitting the ground. She panted softly, her vision getting hazy as she looked up at Ai, who slowly got to one knee.
Ai forced herself to stand, using Yukianesa as a cane to help her stand. She looked to the hole in her left hand, then to the wound that she left upon Esdeath. Esdeath stood back up and grabbed her rapier, a soft laugh escaping her lips. Ai growled at Esdeath's determination, but she had to admit it was admirable.
"Why won't you just stay down already?!" hissed Ai, running back at Esdeath.
Esdeath swiped her rapier from the ground, getting ready for Ai. She started to step back as Ai swung Yukianesa rapidly, though not as quickly as she did in the beginning, nor as quickly as she could have if she was at full chakra.
As Esdeath stumbled back, she started to lose her balance. It was enough for Ai to jump in and swing her blade. Esdeath, blocked Yukianesa with her rapier, both of the blades swinging to the side. Esdeath turned her body, ignoring the splitting pain that shot through her chest, and swiped her blade at Ai. Ai raised Yukianesa, but was still cut along her arm. She hissed and swung her blade upward, cutting Esdeath's leg deep enough to get her to trip up.
Ai then dashed forward and kicked Esdeath's feet from under her, having the latter hit the snowy ground. Ai swung her sword down, only for Esdeath to roll out of the way. Ai turned and dashed as Esdeath jumped up, her blade pulled back. Ai swing Yukianesa only for Esdeath to duck, and dash forward. Ai gasped as she felt Esdeath's blade pierce through her stomach, this time actually getting the real Ai.
Esdeath pushed against Ai until her blade hit the ground, pinning Ai to the snowy ground. She laughed and looked down at Ai, stabbing her rapier deeper into her stomach.
"I have no need to stay down! The strong should always stand above the weak!" coughed Esdeath suddenly jumped, showing off her flexibility as she held the hilt of her rapier, effectively 'hand-standing', or in this case sword-standing above Ai. "In this world, the strong shall reign! And the weak shall perish!"
Esdeath twisted her hilt, and kicked her legs, before she started spinning, along with the sword in the ground. After a grunt of pain, Ai started to spin as well, the blade inside of her making sure she followed along the ground. Esdeath let out another laugh before she removed the blade, flipping back in the air as she kicked Ai like a ragdoll.
Ai skidded across the snowy ground, coughing as she curled up on the snowy ground. She could feel blood leaking from her stomach. She could hear laughter inside of her head. She could feel the cold creeping up on her, something that she hadn't felt since the beginning of this fight.
"The cold hand is getting closer." Came the voice of the demon fox inside of her. Ai clenched her fist as she remained on the ground, blood pooling into the snow around her. "If you take my power now, you may yet survive. We both know you won't be able to keep this up for much longer. Just hand over your body, and I'll take care of the rest."
She could feel its demonic aura leaning across her shoulder. Ai gritted her teeth. She didn't want it to end this way. Not like this.
"F-Fuck off…fox…" said Ai with what little energy she had left, trying to push herself off of the icy ground.
Her vision got hazy, and every breath she took felt like a stab of its own. She looked up to see Esdeath slowly stumbling over to her.
Despite being able to stand, Esdeath wasn't doing much better. Her vision was also starting to falter and blur. She continued to cough, one hand covering the hole in her chest. One of her lungs had been pierced it seemed, and the blood-loss was getting to her. Nevertheless, she didn't let that beat her. Esdeath stopped above Ai, raising her rapier in the air.
"I refuse to be weaker than anyone." said Esdeath in a calm voice, streams of blood leaking down her chin, her smirk still there despite the pain that she felt. She lowered the hand that covered her chest. "No matter the enemy, no matter the obstacle, I will always come out on top!"
Esdeath swung her blade down, Ai bared her teeth and her grip onto Yukianesa. She could feel the cold hand of death reaching out to her. But she wouldn't let it catch her today. Ai suddenly jumped up, and pulled Yukianesa back. Esdeath swung down, her blade coming closer and closer to Ai's head.
Ai suddenly spun her body, something that took an amazing amount of strain at the moment. Esdeath widened her eyes and looked to the side just as Ai grabbed Yukianesa with both hands, ignoring the pain.
"I don't care what you think!" shouted Ai. "I WON'T LOSE TO YOU!"
Ai swung her blade with all of her power, just as Esdeath turned around. Ai then stabbed her sword into the ground, sliding a bit as she used Yukianesa to stand again. She looked up to see that Esdeath's left arm had fallen to the ground.
Esdeath's eyes remained wide, her pupils constricted as she stared at her lost limb. She refused to scream, despite the pain. The blood loss was starting to get to her more and more.
Standing was a fight in itself, and staying awake seemed almost close to impossible. She fell to one knee, stabbing her rapier into the ground. Esdeath looked up at Ai, both of the girls getting back to their feet slowly.
Both girls stood away from each other, having an immense stare down. The snow around them turned crimson, Ai's vermillion eyes locked onto Esdeath's cerulean ones. Both were panting, blood leaking from wounds on their bodies. Their grips on their swords tightened, as they tuned everything out. They both decided to focus on one thing other than each other.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sound of blood from their wounds seemed to drip almost in sync. The howling wind of the snowstorm was blocked out by the subtle yet powerful meaning of the sound of blood hitting the snow.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Both girls never took their eyes off of one another. After their battle, this was the end. It was time for their final assault.
Drip.
Ai and Esdeath narrowed their eyes, summoning the last of their energy.
Drip.
Their grips tightened on the handles of their swords. Ai pulled her blade back a bit, and Esdeath aimed hers forward.
Drip.
Both girls widened their eyes. Ai and Esdeath ran towards each other. No dashing, no tricks, no turns. Just complete running. Then, the two attacked. Ai swung her blade, Yukianesa sinking its cold steel into Esdeath's shoulder. Esdeath thrust her rapier forward, stabbing it once again through Ai's body.
Neither of the girls moved after the gut-wrenching sound of ripping flesh tore through their ears. Both of them stared at each other, their steel not moving an inch as they could feel the determination from one another. Eventually, the winner of the small skirmish revealed themselves.
Esdeath tilted her head down as she coughed again, blood adorning her sleeves. Ai pulled Yukianesa out of Esdeath's shoulder, making Esdeath fall to a knee, pulling her rapier out of Ai's body. It took all Ai had after Esdeath pulled her sword out to keep herself standing, but she wouldn't fall right now.
Using her one good hand, Esdeath held herself up, her sword lying flat in the snow. Ai looked down at the elder woman, swiping Yukianesa to get the blood off, it slipping from her hand and falling to the ground
Esdeath started laughing again.
"Do you think you've won?" asked Esdeath, a small trail of ice leaving her hands. "No. You haven't won. Not yet. Not now. Not ever!"
Around Ai, a prison of frigid water built itself. Ai watched as she was trapped in a sphere of water, which froze itself almost instantly. Esdeath continued her weak laugh, looking up at Ai.
"I told you. I will never be weaker than anyone else. No matter what the cost, to myself, to those around me, even to the planet as we know it, I will always win." said Esdeath coughing again, falling to her stomach on the ground.
She continued to laugh as she felt the open wounds in her body working against her.
"No…Not yet…" mumbled Esdeath, slowly raising her head to look at the imprisoned Ai. Esdeath's laughing slowly fell to a simple smirk. "I will win…I refuse…to lose…" she said softly, extending her arm towards Ai. Her hand shook as it was raised toward the helpless kunoichi. "I refuse…to die…not until…I win…"
Ai looked around the prison and widened her eyes. On the inside of the ice prison, spikes of ice started to form. Ai couldn't move as the spikes of ice slowly sharpened themselves, aimed directly at her.
'I-I don't have enough chakra to melt through this ice…' thought Ai as she saw the spikes finish forming. There was no way to avoid something like this if there was no escape route.
Esdeath's smirk was interrupted by a very strained cough. Her eyes widened as she felt her energy leave her body all at once. The ice spikes inside of the prison started to crack, before they turned to diamond dust. The prison itself remained, getting Ai to look at Esdeath through the slightly sapphire prison. Esdeath's arm fell to the ground, followed by her head. Her smirk had left her face, followed by a look of shock.
"I… lost…?" Esdeath asked herself, simply talking taking the remainder of her strength away. She slowly smiled, feeling the frigid shadow crawl over her body like a tight blanket. "I…lost…I was…the weaker one…it seems…" she forced her smile to stay on her face. "But…I won't….go in pain…even now…I will not…die…I refuse…to…" before she could get the last word out, Esdeath's eyes slowly shut. The snow around her started to grow red, spreading further and further.
Ai looked through the prison as she watched Esdeath draw her last breath. She took a deep, shaky breath herself before she fell back onto the ice, sliding down it until she sat along the prison.
While Esdeath's death would surely cause her final jutsu to melt, due to the ice and snow blowing around… it wouldn't matter. Ai closed her eyes, letting out one last sigh… and awaited her death.
=== Story End ===
"But luck was with me… i didn't die" said Ai, putting her hands behind her head "As for the next chapter in my story… well, i don't know really know"
Katara felt a rush of hope, she smiled.
"I think i can think of something" said Katara
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