Chapter 13
Hikaru walked outside onto the training grounds of the Hayabusa village, waiting for Momiji to come out. Sighing, she watched several students practicing their ninpo against their senseis. She then glanced around to see other students getting lectured and crying from the harsh way they were talking to them.
Hikaru had flashbacks from times her villagers would always love when she would accompanied them at their homes when her father wouldn't send her out on missions. They would offer her training from each other once and awhile, and also helped her out with trying to surpass her father. Months after, she began training harder and started to grow more and more powerful up against the elders. Finally the day had come to she off her skills to her father.
"Papa! Junbi dekimashita!" She called and began to walk towards the center of the grounds.
He then slightly turned around to see his 6 year old daughter still dressed in her school uniform from head to toe. Sighing, he fully turned his attention to her and scanned her figure.
"Anata no yoi fuku no naka de? Watashi o warawaseru." He smiled and turned back to talking to one of the villagers.
Hikaru's brows frowned and her cheeks grew red as she slightly pulled at her skirt. She then glanced behind her to see some villagers cheering her on to go for it. She nodded and firmly turned back to her father and leaped towards him. She then grabbed her short sword and was ready to make a piercing cut into his back.
But her father was far quicker than she was. Spidor disappeared and reappeared behind her with a single kunai in his left hand. Hikaru didn't stop at nothing as the kunai slightly cut through her shirt, but didn't reach her skin. She quickly turned and grabbed his arm, with the weapon in his grasp, and released her fire ninpo through her body. Spidor flipped out of her grasp and performed a roundhouse kick on her. Hikaru went flying and skid her face across the ground. She rapidly looked up as blood gushed from her forehead and ran down her face.
He stood up from his position and tucked the kunai back in its place. Hikaru panted and looked behind Spidor to see one of the elders smiling down at her. She grunted and slammed her fist at the ground. Spidor then began to walk away from their little dual, but he stopped as he heard her grunting as she rose from her position.
"Watashi wa ushinaitakunai..Watashi wa kachitai Papa!" She yelled and grabbed her hand with her sword still tightly in her grasp.
"Watashi ni taishite? Watashi no musume o tameshite." He stated and turned to see her getting in her fighting stance. Hikaru then used all her strength to run through her father, with her blade going through first. She then teleported straight through her father and came through his back side. Standing there for a few seconds, she stabbed her sword into the ground and kneeled to the ground, still grasping her weapon. Hikaru glanced behind her to see her father falling to his knees, grasping his heart. His body then turned to ashes as the wind then took them away. Suddenly, the ashes flew past Hikaru and began to shape themselves again before her. Spidor then walked from the swirl of ashes and stood in front of her exhausted body.
"And you call yourself a Black Spider ninja while taking my name in the next generation." He stated and grabbed her by her neck. Hikaru struggled as she suddenly felt the burning of fire running through her father's hands. A gas of fire was released as Hikaru was along with it and she flew, yet again, across the field.
Her father crossed his arms as he watched her struggling to stand from his powerful ninpo. He glanced down and back up to see her slightly smirking at him. Spidor quickly shook his head to make sure he wasn't imagining things. But yet again, he stared straight at her to see her slowly standing up and getting in her fighting stance, still smirking.
"Watashi wa, s-sore o mō...manabimashita..The ninpo. Mite papa.." She smiled and began performing the ninpo. But instead, her body was consumed with purple flames and her form changed completely. Her legs turned purple and grew along with her nails. Claws spread throughout her body as she changed into her small Rasetsu fiend form.
Some of the villagers eyes bugged out while others brows rose as they saw the young girl finishing the ninpo. Spidor shielded his eyes with his arm as the flames blinded his sight. Seconds later, the flames died down as Hikaru slowly walked towards her father.
"Watashi wa anata o taosu tsumorida..Papa!" She called and crawled towards him.
Spidor grunted as she took the first shot and stabbed her crawl into his arm. He grunted again but managed to grab his sword and sliced her claw from her finger. She cried out in pain as her claw went flying across the field. But she didn't stop, even though the pain was extravagantly strong for such a young girl. Hikaru grabbed her sword that was stabbed into the ground and slid it across her hand.
"Papa! Mite!" She called and threw several attacks at Spidor, nonstop. He dodged all her attacks, trying his best not to use his skills to kill the fiend. He was impressed how she gained so much power in under minutes. Hikaru moved swiftly and thought quick each second her father had blocked her previous move.
"Watashi to tatakau Papa!" She told him and threw her sword over at her father, in the direction ready to cut off his head. Using his reflexes, he ducked back and used his feet to turn the weapon around, so now the sword was coming towards Hikaru.
Spidor froze in fear as he had a quick flashback of his wife standing there instead of Hikaru. She smiled as the kunai came across her throat, and sank its way through her neck. Her body fell to the ground as her head was nowhere to be found.
"Hikaru!" He yelled in fear as the weapon continued its high speed towards his daughter. She slowly turned around as the weapon sunk into her chest. Purple blood gushed from her wound as she tried to balance herself, trying not to lose consciousness. Spidor didn't move from his position as he witnessed her falling to her knees, grasping her chest.
Suddenly, the weapon started slowly sinking itself into her body as purple flames consumed it. Minutes later, the last piece of the weapon was consumed into her fiend form. Then her body grew bigger and it looked like several kunais were stabbed on the insides of her body. A loud cry of agony was heard as she grabbed her stomach and her eyes turned to black. Her right eye pupil turned the color red, looking ghoul-like. Hikaru then grinned from ear to ear once she looked up at her father.
"I will defeat you daddy. No matter what it takes to do so. You would not take my win like you took my mother's life!" She threatened him and raised two fingers above her head. Purple flames appeared above her fingers as she traced out the Black Spider Ninja clan symbol. She then drew 'DEATH' in traditional characters over the symbol.
Spidor's eyes widen as he heard what she had to say about her mother. She doesn't and would never know the real reason of her death. Coming back to reality, the symbol she traced was thrown at him. What he would have to do to keep her under control of her fiend form, he would have to put her back to sleep. Spidor stood there right before the sign had hit him and drew his last breath.
"Watashi wa watashi no masutā ni modorimasu." He whispered as the ninpo stopped right before him. It did as it was told and flew straight through Hikaru's infected chest. A white light engulfed the field as the ninpo struck her.
Hours Later...
Hikaru woke up in one of the healing rooms in the shrine of the Spider clan. She was back to her human body form, but had bandage wrap wrapped around her chest area, around her hand, and wrapped around her forehead. She grunted as she tried to squeeze her hand into a fist. Suddenly, small spots of blood leaked through her bandage that was wrapped around her hand.
"Papa!" She cried and grabbed her injured hand. He suddenly appeared by the doorway and walked over to his daughter. She looked up at him and cried as the pain grew worse as she moved.
"It hurts Papa! I don't know what happened, but..it hurts! Help me!.." She cried yet again as he kneeled down besides her. He gently grabbed her hand and unwrapped her bandage. He then inspected her many wounds and began to lick all around her hand. Hikaru cried as she felt the stringing of his tongue running around her hand.
"Taste.." He said and looked up at her, who had tears still constantly running down her cheeks. She then looked down as he removed his tongue from her hand.
"W-what?" She asked as he grabbed a new bandage wrap from the floor and began wrapping it again.
"Your blood, fiend DNA. Where did you learn that?" He asked while wrapping her hand.
Hikaru gave him a confused look, when suddenly her eyes flashed from black back to their silver color.
"Learn what? W-what did..I do?" She asked and looked at him.
Spidor finished wrapping her hand and slowly looked up and stared straight into her eyes. Clearly she doesn't remember what had happened due to his sudden way of how he put her to sleep. But will it happen again? Will her fiendish desires take over her again? Does she remember the techniques she used upon his form when she was attacking him as her fiend form? How did she master all that in such a short amount of time? Many questions ran through his mind as his stare grew more intense.
Suddenly, he slapped her across her face with all his might. She fell a few inches away from him, grasping her stinging cheek.
"Don't you ever listen to those other villagers out there! You will not learn any new techniques unless they are instructed from me. Understand?!" He ordered and stood up and looked down at her.
Hikaru quickly looked up at her angry father. A single tear fell from her left eye as she looked away from him.
"Hai Papa."
"And you will not teach other children what I've had taught you from here on out. You will be learning and listening to only me. Orders and all." He continued and turned around, ready to leave.
"Hikaru, if you are willing to surpass me, I suggest you stop playing your goddamn games and start becoming the best ninja in this clan. Stop fooling around. If you disagree with anything I say, I expect to see you walking through the doors." Was the final words he spoke as he walked out the room.
Hikaru's face clouded with thunder as she slowly stood up in her place. She then bowed and looked up as she saw her father slowly leaving the room.
"I-I want to surpass you Papa! No matter what,..I'm going to surpass you.. even if it depends on my life at risk to do so! I want to be special to you Papa!" She answered and knit her brows at him.
Spidor paused in his tracks and smiled at her response. He nodded and glanced behind his shoulder.
"Your training starts tomorrow."
"Hikaru!" Hikaru snapped back to reality once she heard Momiji call out to her. She looked up to see her face filled with concern. Hikaru fell back as Momiji walked over to her.
"Are you okay?" Momiji asked and held out a hand towards her.
Hikaru's eyes widen as she saw her father instead of Momiji standing before her form. Shaking her head, she got up and push Momiji's hand away from her.
"..I'm fine. What do you want? Like I asked before we even got out here.." She mumbled the last part.
Momiji sighed and stepped back a little bit and glanced from Hikaru's eyes to the Dragon's eye, that laid on her collarbone.
"Our village needs the eye back..well one of our leaders needs it back. Without that Eye..." Momiji paused as Hikaru rose her brow at her.
"Without it what? What'll happen? People would die or something? No, Ryu would die, I'm guessing?" Hikaru mimicked. But before Momiji could reply, Hikaru rose her hand up and shook her head. "Actually, I really don't care. Here." She ripped off the necklace and tossed it over to Momiji. "An ugly piece of jewelry anyway." Hikaru said and turned, ready to leave the village.
"Why does Ryu reply on such a piece of junk to save his life?" She mumbled and started to walk towards the exit.
Momiji looked up from the Eye in her palms to hear Hikaru say something to her.
"What were you saying Hikaru?" She asked.
She stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder and gave her a half smile.
"Nothing..I'm fine really." She stated and disappeared into lighting.
Sighing yet again, Momiji walked back to the shrine, with the Eye tightly in her grasp.
Earlier..
Kasumi rested upon a small futon in one of the medical rooms of the shrine. She then slowly raised up to grabbed her head in pain as she remembered what she'd shown Hayate at the lab.
"Nani..?" She questioned aloud and glanced at the doorway to see one of the maidens coming in, with a fresh set of new clothing in her hands.
"Miss Kasumi, Hayate-sama has offered you some new attire to attire on your new mission." She stated and kneeled down besides the kunoichi.
Kasumi looked confused as she watched the maiden placed different outfits along the side of her futon.
"Anything that is not your likings, please place them back on this table." She said and stood up then bowed. Getting ready to leave, Kasumi called out the maiden.
"M-Mission? Who is the request from?" She asked and looked at her.
"To my knowledge, Miss Momiji had assumed that you would continue your war and help fight. A lot has been discovered after Hayate-sama had brought you here Miss Kasumi." She explained and turned and began walking out of the room.
Kasumi had many other questions, but decided to not force them all out on the maiden. She then gave her a soft smile and bowed at the woman.
"Arigato.." She replied as the maiden walked out the room. She turned to give Kasumi the same smile and left seconds later.
Kasumi sighed as she looked at the different choices of attire to wear lying on the futon. Without wasting anymore time, she grabbed her white traditional dress with the Mugen Tenshin symbol on the back of it. She then quickly ran behind the bamboo dressing screen and took off her dirty attire in place of her new one.
When she came out, she began putting on her white stockings, her matching shin guards, arm guards, and her gold wristbands. Kasumi then grabbed her red choker and tied it around her neck and turned to look at her reflection in the mirror.
A frown tugged at her lips as she looked down at her waist. Was she forgetting anything? She realized and turned around to see her pink belt and her wakizashi sword leaning against the doorway. Quickly grabbing it, she tied the two tightly on the attire.
Looking back at the mirror for the final time, she disappeared into cherry blossoms, hoping to find Hayate as soon as possible.
Kasumi appeared behind a large boulder from afar, when she suddenly hear loud commotions coming from below her.
She slowing look down to see her brother attacking some Spider ninjas, with Ayane hiding in the treetops right under Kasumi.
It didn't take long for her little sister to realize her presence because she gotten a grip of her kunai and slightly glanced behind her, ready to kill the enemy. Her red eyes narrowed and suddenly she jumped to meet a body that quickly disappeared as she unshielded her kunai from her side.
"What?" She questioned as she quickly turned around to see the figure move down to where she was. Grunting, Ayane fell back down there and tried to get a hold of the body. But instead, she grabbed a single cherry bloom that flew past her.
With realization coming to her, she groaned and shielded her kunai.
'That traitor.' She thought as she crouched on one of the branches she was standing on. Kasumi then appeared behind Ayane and watched her looking down at Hayate. She walked over to her and stopped once she was a few inches away from her sister.
"Ayane-"
"Shut up." Ayane interrupted and narrowed her eyes once she felt Kasumi's feet almost touching the lower end of her backside.
"I'm trying to give you an apology Ayane. Why do you hate me so much that you don't want me to talk anymore?" She asked.
Ayane rolled her eyes and glanced behind herself.
"You don't understand, do you?" She asked and once again pulled out her kunai and slid her fingertips across its sharp tip.
Kasumi slightly sighed as she had recalled what she told her after the death sentence was removed.
"You've always been loved by everyone and everything. All I have around me is hatred. To my family, to my clan, and even to myself. I thought solving the problem for everyone, I would have to erase my own existence. Hehe. But I guess that did made things worse, right? They look at me with all these weird faces. Saying "Why is she still even here?" Or "Will she turn away like Raidou?" All I want is for people to accept me for who I really am. I hate this world. I hate this clan. I hate this family. I hate myself. No would care for my absence."
Kasumi replayed in her mind from that specific day. That was the day she witnessed Ayane crying for the first time. She was broken. Kasumi never recalled Ayane being called "cursed" by anyone in the village. But how could she say that if she wasn't there long enough to actually witness that?
Suddenly, she looked up to see Ayane bringing the kunai to her collarbone. Quickly, Kasumi fell to her knees and hugged her from behind and grabbed her wrist with the weapon in her grasp. She then moved her hand to where now the kunai's tip was fixed to her collarbone.
"...What are you doing?.." Ayane asked as she tried to force the kunai back to her collarbone.
"Stop this Ayane! I don't care what everyone else thinks! You are my sister. Stop giving yourself this negativity. Why would you hurt yourself for the sake of other's happiness? Please tell me Ayane! Why?!" Kasumi cried as she moved the kunai closer to her neck.
Ayane paused as her eyes widen with tears.
"H-Hurting..myself f-for..other's...h-happiness?" She repeated as tears fell from her narrowed eyes.
She turned around and grabbed Kasumi's hand with the kunai in her grasp and moved the weapon to point it at her neck. She then pulled her down so that the weapon was starting to slightly cut at her throat. Kasumi grunted as she suddenly heard the snapping of the tree branch.
Her eyes widen with tears as Ayane's throat began to leak fresh blood. She then flipped her on top of her body as the tree branch snapped, with caused them to go falling down to the next branch below them.
Kasumi fell straight down on her back once they hit the next branch. Ayane's eyes widen as she watched Kasumi try to remove the kunai from her throat.
"..Hey!" Ayane called.
Tears ran down Kasumi's cheeks as they fought. Ayane narrowed her eyes and looked at her sister's form.
"I-I'm n-not..doing this..f-for other's h-happiness! It's for my own sake! Let me d-do this traitor. Y-you'd be h-happy any..ways..." She struggled to speak, trying to pull the kunai towards her.
"No! I won't be happy! Once you die, I wouldn't have anyone to h-help me! Hayate is the only thing I have left in this family. I don't want anything happening again because of me!" She cried and suddenly yanked the kunai out of Ayane's throat and threw it down below them.
Kasumi watched the kunai fall below them and turned to Ayane, who's eyes were full tears.
"Kasumi, I-"
Suddenly she heard something fly through the wind and hit its target. Ayane's eyes widen as she froze in her spot. Kasumi looked confused but then suddenly realized the weapon's target. Black lines drew across her sister's body, coming from her backside. Kasumi's eyes widen as well as she watched her eyes closing and she then began to fall to the ground.
The shinobi froze with fear as she watched her sister's lump body falling off the branch, to the ground below.
"Ayane!"
