Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.
Warning: Intense battle between teammates.
Thank you for the reviews Angel Hatake, SakuMiChanNoGaara, PurpleRawan, Guest, Jemmy, Natsuki Scarlet, Paperboy Jacky, and ShugoYuuki123!
To address some of you:
SakuMiChanNoGaara: I'm glad I make your mind fly. That's what I wish for with this story!
PurpleRawan: I'll try to clear your confusion. Mae does feel Quorra gets everything handed to her, hence not a hard worker like Mae is. But Mae was shocked and upset by the anger of her tone and how her opinion and more came out. She's scared that's because of the result of her desire to become her true self- not the shy, invisible girl she displays. She's scared her true self is a horrible human. Hope this helped!
Paperboy Jacky: Thank you for your reviews on here and Inkitt! It's lightly mention in ch18 that Team 7 went on that A rank mission. It's more emphasized in Ch20 when Naruto bragged about saving a village and having the bridge named after him. It's easy to miss, but the idea was while Quorra was at the Academy, Team 7 was on that mission. Hold on to that other observation.
Happy reading!
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Be Extra Careful
"Ready to begin?" asked Hayate.
No. How could I ever be ready for something like this? As much as Mae hated me, she was still my teammate. Yet, they want me to fight her to the death.
I scanned her demeanor. Mae's pose was uncertain, like her hatred for me wasn't enough. Her hands hung by her side, still. She stared at me with shattered glasses, eyes determined. Even if she wasn't confident with the match up, this much was certain. She wanted to defeat me.
No one said anything above us, not even Naruto. I guess this situation was too much, even for him.
"Begin."
Mae lunged forward while I hopped back. We naturally started our hand-to-hand combat. Since being teammates, we knew each other's fighting style. I was quick on my feet; fight fast, strike faster. It was similar to Lee's. On the other hand, Mae's style resembled Neji's, more methodical. She hit when it mattered, thinking ahead. It was why we were such great teammates. We complemented each other.
Mae threw a punch, but I quickly dodged, leaving her open. Naturally, my fist flowed to the opening. Mae's eyes widen; those blue eyes. I remember joking with her that they were the color of sapphires. I remember how happy the remark made her. The smile on her face.
At the last second, my fist opened and slapped Mae across the face, rather than punch. Her glasses flew across the arena, like I was a bully picking on the unfortunate during lunch hour.
Her mouth dropped, staring at her glasses. Then she whipped towards me, her expression changing.
"I thought you said slapping was girly," Mae spat. She was referring to the time I fought Leda at the Academy. Leda was picking on Konohamaru and I punched her, stating slapping was too girly.
My hands shook. I didn't even like slapping her, how was I supposed to hit her.
She saw my pitiful expression. "Wimp," she said in disgust.
I was taken aback by the word. "What?"
"You heard me. I said you're a wimp. Fight me." She didn't even bother retrieving her broken glasses.
"I don't want to fight you!"
"But I want to fight you," and she quickly performed hand signs. Her water jutsu, like a fire extinguisher, threw me across the arena. I laid soaked in the puddle.
"If you don't go full force, I will kill you," she yelled and water rapidly shot out. I ran and rolled out of the water paths, but I didn't see the one changing its direction, coming at me from the front rather than the back, knocking me off my feet.
Quickly, I performed hand signals, took a deep breath, and exhaled the Phoenix Flower Jutsu. Rapid fire balls pirouetted towards Mae, who used her water jutsu to dowse them.
We performed an intense, elemental dance between water and fire. Fire that I created, she extinguished and water she created, I extinguished. Neither of us could land a blow as our fundamentals collided into a steam bath. It was a paradox; an impossibly in defeating the other. We were evenly matched.
"Use it," she demanded. Her eyes were wild.
"No," I slowly stood up. I knew what she wanted. The Sharingan.
"I said, use it!" This time Mae manipulated a single strand of water. Her arms waved widely as it swirled and dashed through the air with no way of tracking it.
Before I could rely on fire, the stream threw me back. My head slammed into the concrete wall. The pain pounded, wishing for it to stop.
"You know you can't defeat me without it. You don't stand a chance."
Unfortunately, she was right. Between her water jutsu and her brain, she had the upper hand.
"Prove it to me," she said. "Prove you are a hard worker, that you are worthy of being here. Prove me wrong." Her fists were clutched to her sides with the intent look of determination. But, laced behind it, was sadness, fear. She reminded me of a school girl trying to stand up for herself, but wasn't exuding enough confidence to pull it off.
I suddenly realized what she wanted. She wanted me to fight her to the fullest, so she could, too. Yes, she wanted me to prove myself, but she wanted to prove to herself too. She didn't want to fight me out of anger, she just wants to fight. Fair and square.
My eyes traveled towards the people above me. Naruto and Sakura looked tense, knowing how much we both meant to them. Kiba was angry, gripping the railing harder than ever. Looking at Gaara, his arms were crossed and gave me a glare that asked if I was up to this challenge. He never saw me fight. He and his siblings wanted to see what I had to offer.
And finally, my eyes connected with Kakashi's. He wasn't leaning against the wall, like his nonchalant persona usually did. He stood by the railing with the others, watching me intently.
This was it. I needed to put all my prior feelings behind me and focus on the fight, no matter who it was against. Maybe that was the ultimate test, for becoming a shinobi. Sometimes you will be fighting battles or people you don't want to fight. But to protect your land, the village and the people inhabiting it, your emotions don't matter, they can't.
Kakashi gave a slight nod. It was all he needed to do. He knew I would have to face this, one way or another. He had faith in me, that I could surpass my emotions and do what needs to happen.
To become a kunoichi. To protect others.
I gave Mae, a quick, spastic nod. She understood and poised herself to fight.
I closed my eyes. Whatever emotions that remained were quickly shoved down. I was ready.
One moment, my eyes were green. The next, my eyes open to welcome the world with the newest shade of crimson. My Sharingan was activated.
"Don't hold back," Mae begged.
"I won't, Sapphire," I promised and charged at her. She performed hand signs, but already knew she was going to rely on her water and shot a breath full of fire. She rolled out of the way, but her long skirt caught wisps of the blazes, catching aflame. She quickly patted the hem.
Too slow. My knee drove into her chin, throwing her off her feet. Before she could recover, I swung my leg with a mighty kick and drove her into the wall. Elongated cracks formed.
Mae's body crumbled to the ground, but saw it was a trick. That wasn't the real Mae. The fake Mae disappeared in a wisp of smoke.
Before I could register it, my body instinctually threw their arms up in defense. The gusts of a punch grazed my ear and I dogged out of the way as bullets of water headed towards me.
I skidded to a halt and performed hand signs and fire left my lips. The tips of her hair smelled burnt as she ducked. She side-swept her leg, but I flipped over it.
During my flip, Mae recovered and manipulated a single strand as a shield. Whenever I had an opening, her water block me. Whenever she tried to hit me, I let out a burst of flame and the water would be gone. Again to be replenished by her jutsu abilities.
It was an even match. Fire versus water. Brains versus kekkei genkai. The methodical movements Mae performed versus the harsh jabs I executed. Water and fire matched our personalities, respectfully.
Mae used her mighty brain to not aim her water stream at my face, but rather my ankle. A tight grip of liquid grasped my ankle and threw me to the ground like a rag doll. Slammed to the ground, it held its grasp and slammed me repeatedly.
She was going for another round when I summoned a substitution jutsu. Poof in smoke, the water fell to the ground, no longer having a hold of me.
Mae looked frantically for me and when she least expected it— I knew because of the Sharingan— I reappeared where she didn't look, above her.
My foot slammed into the back of her skull, driving her into the ground. Back-flipping moves distanced me from her.
Mae rolled onto her stomach and, once more, performed signs. The water, this time, was bigger, flowing like a waterfall. With an angry call, Mae thrust her palms outwards and the water rushed towards me.
I smirked as I started to move stealthily away, but I felt something tug at my ankle. It was clear thread.
Shit. Before I could get away, the trip wire set off an explosion beneath my feet. She must have set it up while I was performing my substitution jutsu. Clever, Mae. Always a step ahead.
She was successful. Between the explosion and the tsunami wave, I wasn't quick enough. The wave pinned me to the wall. My body and extremities were bounded, submerged in water with only my head free. I tugged at my limbs, but there was no use. The pressure of the water was too strong.
Mae stood in front of me triumphantly, but I could tell she was exhausted. We both were with our chakra running quickly dry, like trying to get the last drop of water from the bottom of a well.
My Sharingan was still activated and I tried to predict her next move, but she wasn't going to use a jutsu. I couldn't pinpoint what she had in mind, I never seen the act done with my Sharingan.
My question was soon answered when she pulled a scroll out of her pouch. That's what I sensed, a summoning jutsu.
I had no idea where she got the scroll. I didn't recall seeing it during our time in the forest. Maybe she found it during our time apart, saving it for the perfect time.
Mae had the same questioning look as I did, which was extremely odd.
Hesitantly, she laid the scroll on the floor, opening it. A web of uncertain symbols scattered the paper. They all intertwined towards the center, encircling around a single symbol; the symbol for water.
Mae stroked the parchment, feeling the grooves of cryptic code, ending her fingertips onto the water symbol. With a deep breath, she summoning signs and threw her hand onto the page.
At first, nothing happened and we both stared at the parchment wondering if Mae did something wrong. But, then it happened. The earth began to rumble like there was an earthquake, but what happened next was worse, so much worse.
The two far end walls of the arena began to crack. Water seeped through like a dam that sprang a leak. The pressure was too great and water rushed in.
Mae looked around with shock, quickly glanced at me, and disappeared out of sight. I tried to escape, but it was futile.
"Fuck!"
The water was quickly rising. Any second now, I will be completely submerged in water. Thinking quickly, I concentrated as much energy into the pit of my core and exhaled flames. My lips burned as the water imprisonment fought to keep me its prisoner. The water boiled furiously, allowing me wedge out some, but it wasn't nearly enough. I couldn't heat the water anyone either because it was starting to burn my skin. I would become a human kabob before anything else.
The water level completely covered the surface of the arena and was inches away from my mouth, away from drowning me. I gasped for air and tugged as hard as I could physically muster, but it wasn't enough and gulped my last breathes of air before the water rose above my head.
Not even thirty seconds had gone by and I felt suffocated. Tugging and pulling under the high pressure of water was worse than anyone could possibly imagine. My lungs were crying, begging for air that I couldn't supply.
Bubbles of air trickled from my lips. I was drowning and didn't know how to save myself. I succumbed to the worse and waited the last painful seconds until the water had successfully taken my life.
If things couldn't get worse, I felt it. The pressure in my chest crying for air wasn't alone. Accompanying it, was the pain. That same, gruesome, internal warfare that I have experienced twice before. Once fighting James, and the other just recently in the Forest of Death. Was my body trying to survive or end my suffering faster, I couldn't tell.
I knew oxygen had completely depleted from my lungs, yet I felt my insides bubble. My blood boiled and even though I was in freezing water, the surface of my skin had tiny bubbles escaping. I was being cooked alive.
There wasn't a single cell that escaped from pain, but the worse was in my arms and legs. I wanted to chop off my limbs and drown in peace.
At that final thought, my death wish, my primary instincts told me not to give up even if I so desperately wanted to. Something told me to punch and kick. And I did exactly that, so the pain could cease.
It started with a kick, a heel to the concrete. It was minuscule, but I felt it. The wall was crumbling. I thought I was crazy and did it again, harder. Cracks, bigger ones, formed. It gave my feet more leeway and I kicked like I have never kicked before. Soon the wall was caved in enough that I could use my elbows and then fists.
Through the pain and suffocation, I put the last of my energy into one final fist to the cement. The wall crumbled enough for me to wedge myself out. When my final foot was freed, I pushed off the water prison and soared towards the surface.
I shot up so fast, it threw me for a loop. The water had stopped rushing in and conveniently leveled off where the upper level was. I shot out of the water, grabbed the railing and dragged myself up.
I gasped desperately for air. I sounded like… well a person that almost drowned. My breaths were wheezy and I cough up water.
Mae, she knew I couldn't walk on water. My chakra was lower than others, meaning it was harder for me to concentrate chakra in a specific location, such as my feet. I have gotten better by working on my fire jutsu, being able to concentrate in a large target like my abdomen, but I haven't mastered walking on water. She knew I would be a helpless fool swimming around.
No, not even that. She trapped me to down there to drown.
"Jesus, Mae you almost killed me," I wheezed, leaning over the railing like a sick drunk.
"Quorra!"
My head snapped up. I didn't even realize it. Where I resurfaced was right in front of Naruto and the others.
Team Seven, Team Eight, Team Ten and Team Guy were all taken aback. Some for the fact that I almost drowned, some because they never seen me with my Sharingan eyes, others it was for both.
Team Ten and Sakura were the only ones here who's seen my Sharingan. Kiba's reaction was sickly overwhelming. I've never seen him so petrified. His eyes widen, reaching for me.
Naruto didn't care that I had the Sharingan, he just wanted to help me out of the water. "Quorra!" he yelled again, rushing to help me over the railing. Kiba wanted to assist, but Kakashi held his hand out.
"You can't help her," he said.
"Are you shitting me?" Kiba spat.
Naruto was flabbergasted. "She nearly drowned!"
"He's right, Naruto." It was Hayate, who appeared next to the group. "If you help her in the slightest bit, she'll be disqualified and Mae will automatically be declared winner."
"God fucking dammit! She almost died, she's barely holding on!" Kiba argued.
"I'm okay," I coughed.
"You're kidding me?" Gachero-sensei rebutted, worry was stricken on my sensei's face.
"You need to stop. We need to send you to the infirmary," Sakura said worried.
A sound from the water area got my attention. It was Mae, using her chakra to stand. She escaped unscathed and was dry like fresh laundry. She was shaken; however. That last jutsu must of used up all her chakra. Her mouth hung loosely open, but words didn't escape her lips.
"Let her fight," Kakashi finalized. He never saw my newest power, the Sharingan. I looked at him with my crimson eyes, wet bangs dripping. My reaction was more shocking than his. He looked stern, but he wasn't surprised.
I didn't know what to do. How could I defeat Mae when she turned the arena into an ocean? I was so engulfed in everyone's company, I was suddenly reminded of the pain still present.
I thought back to what Kakashi told me before my fight with Mae:
Quorra Hatake vs Mae Muruyama
My eyes immediately went to Mae. She wasn't as shocked as I was. Maybe she thought this was faith.
"Hey, that's no fair!" Naruto pointed at Hayate. "They're teammates!"
"According to the rule, whoever's name appears on the screen has to fight," Hayate spoke.
"Your rules can blow it up the ass!" Naruto declared.
"That's enough, Naruto," Kakashi spoke. "Do you want them to get disqualified before they even begin?"
Naruto began to rebut. "But, but… gr." He knew it was futile.
"Don't worry," Kakashi-sensei patted Naruto's head as he stared at me. I wished I knew what he was trying to convey. He always looked at me like that, cryptic.
Kiba wasn't at all pleased with the match up as he growled. Mae, who stood beside him, grabbed his hand, spoke distant words, and patted it.
Kakashi shooed everyone, including the angered Kiba and Naruto, to the upper levels. Before the match officially began, Kakashi walked up to me while Gachero-sensei approached Mae.
Kakashi could tell I wasn't taking this well. I was on the verge of having a panic attack.
"Quorra…" he began.
"I can't do it," I fussed. "I can't fight Mae. I refuse."
"Quorra, relax." Kakashi put his hands on my shoulders.
"You don't understand, Kakashi. This isn't just a fight against teammates. Things happened in the forest; words were exchanged, actions." He didn't know about the argument. How I felt my pity was forcing these people to care for me.
Kakashi kept his gentile grip and looked me in the eyes. "Quorra, that's in the past. You have to focus."
"I know," I sighed. "But I don't even think I can win." Mae was very skilled. She had the brains like Sakura and the brawns like Sasuke. How could I defeat that?
"You can win," he said. "You just need to think. Remember your training, use your surroundings."
I was confused. "But it's just an arena."
"Doesn't matter. Being aware of your surrounds, even an arena, is critical."
I thanked Kakashi and Gachero-sensei approached while Kakashi talked to Mae. Gachero-sensei wished me luck and to try my best. Other words were spoken but honestly, my mind was somewhere else.
"I'll be extra careful." Was all I told him.
Use my surroundings.
"Quorra," Kakashi said. Now he too stood uncertain, debating whether he should help me or not.
"Don't worry," I told everyone, especially Kakashi. "I got this."
With every painful cell in my body, I hopped over the railing and ran past them. Mae paralleled me in the water.
Soaked, I ran as fast as I could. Not towards Mae, but rather the hands statue.
Once at the massive hands, I hopped on it. It was easier, I realized. Despite them crying in pain, my legs felt stronger. The leaps were less strenuous. My legs felt like springs.
At the top, I overlooked the arena. Everyone looked puny from up here as they watched me in interest. Gaara and his siblings were curious, straining their necks to see me. Kankuro mumbled something. I could only imagine what kind thought he could be thinking. Whatever it was, Temari nodded, agreeing with her brother. Gaara looked at me, challenging me. Interested in what I had up my sleeves.
Mae watched me as well, standing at the base of the statue. I recognized that look, she was using that Mae mind and calculating the infinite amount of moves I could pursuit. But she wasn't the one with the gift of insight.
I was.
Through the pain, I conjured the most amount of chakra and energy I could muster into the pit of my stomach. All the stress, pain, and sadness accumulated. This wasn't to look flashy or prove Mae wrong, this was for me. This was to prove that I could fight. That I was strong.
This was for Leda.
When arriving here, I noted how large this place was. The walls soared high and the columns were sturdy, keeping this place standing. There were also beams that strung the ceiling.
I wanted them destroyed.
That moment, I aimed my fire breathing at my target, the ceiling. The flames enjoyed the challenge and caught fire with ease. The fire spread to the whole span of the ceiling. The reflection it created in the water was remarkable. The destruction of fire welcomed by the calming deep blue abyss.
Mae wasn't as awestruck as I was. "Are you crazy?!" Fear struck the kunoichi.
I smirked in reply. I wasn't done yet.
With my powerful legs, I pushed off the statue. With the Sharingan, I maneuvered around the flames and laid my first punch. Chunks of ceiling crumbled into the ocean below. By digging my nails into the cracks the ceiling formed and using bare strength alone, I held on and chiseled more and more, shocked by my sudden strength. The fire was thrilled, fighting alongside me. Kakashi told me to use my surroundings and that's exactly what I intended to do.
My fist was pulled back to lay another deadly blow when the rushing of water reached my eardrums. Behind me, Mae manipulated the ocean to form a typhoon, a swirling cyclone, and directed it towards the room above. Her hair was wild, sticking to her face as she furiously tried to save the building from being destroyed. A smile reached my face.
The water hit the ceiling, cooling the flames with a sizzle followed by the sound of cracking. It came from the beams who couldn't support the ceiling any longer.
Because they were made of metal.
Everything came tumbling down, including myself. The Sharingan helped me maneuver around the debris, free falling as I skipped between deteriorating chunks. The crash, as expected, created splashes; waves were more like it. Everyone on the outer edge were soaked. Screams filled the air as they moved out of harm's way.
Once everything settled. Many of the large pieces of ceiling floated on top of the water, creating islands.
"Quorra! What are you trying to do, get us killed?" Naruto yelled, shaking his fist. His wet, yellow hair clung flat to his face.
Mae dragged herself out of the water with the help of one of the islands.
"Metal, smart," she said, wringing out her hair. I couldn't help but smile from Mae's compliment, a genius who called me smart.
"The beams that held up the ceiling are made of metal," I spoke. "With metal, when it is heated but then cooled quickly, say like with fire and water, the metal can't take the sudden change of temperature and cracks. That, on top of the ceiling coming down, it was too much. And I needed something to stand on, isn't that right, Mae?"
Everyone was starting to get it. I haven't mastered walking on water so I needed to find another way to fight.
"I used my surroundings," I confirmed, looking at Kakashi. He understood what I've done. "You're not the only one with a few tricks up their sleeve."
Mae was impressed, she couldn't hid it. She assessed the damage us two young kunoichi inflicted on a single arena. It wasn't a simple fix, manipulating the floor to puzzle piece back together, the place was destroyed. The sky above was a pale blue, the signs of an early morning. Who knew?
We stood at a stare off, both completely exhausted as she held her injured arm and I was barely standing. The world didn't feel real anymore. I didn't feel real. I swayed. I didn't know how much more I could take. She wasn't done fighting either.
We charged at each other, hoping over islands. Any islands that were too far apart for me to jump, I used my fire to propel across the gaps. We were hand to hand, clashing our thrown weapons with fury before they sunk to the bottom, never to be seen again.
Our last clash had an aftershock that threw us back. We each luckily skidded onto an island. Neither of us moved.
Naruto and the others were cheering, screaming really, to the both of us. They, as much as we did, wanted the battle to continue. They wanted the battle to be finished and a winner declared.
Slowly, we crawled to our feet. That last skid ripped through my leggings, resulting in black blood to drip onto the island. I was surprised the blood wasn't boiling as I still felt the inferno whirling inside me.
"Quorra…" Mae spoke, softly. Just one look at her said it all, we were at the end.
She performed hand signs. "This is it. This will be our last move so make it a good one."
My head lulled, trying with all my strength to remain standing. The world around me swirled. My eyes could barely focus and the ringing in my ears wasn't helping. I nodded with agreement. "Let's finish this," and followed suit.
I've witnessed it before, Sasuke using the Sharingan to copy another's move, when he copied Rock Lee's techniques. Witnessing someone doing it and you doing it, I learned, were two different things. My crimson eyes followed Mae's hand movements. They were fast, complicated, easy for the Sharingan.
The water started churning around us. We were each the center island of a whirlpool. The jutsu started to take form, into the form of a water dragon. Mae's grew behind her. A furious beast rose from its shallow womb.
My followed suit, rising with just as much fierceness. It was getting to be too much. This jutsu required too much chakra, more than I could have possess, but I persisted. My dragon danced around me, ready to strike.
Simultaneously, we sent our dragons at each other and they collided with a heavy crash. It was a fight between the water gods.
Round two was ready to commence. Mae's dragon waited patiently. My water dragon demanded more power so he could strike down his enemy. I wanted to oblige but the demons within stopped me. The dragons went ahead into another strike.
The pain was too much. I became disconnected with the world around me. All my senses were muddled, except for pain. I dropped to my knees and grabbed my head. I might have been screaming, might have not. Blood sprouted from my nose, coloring the stone black. It felt as if my heart detonated in my chest. I could have been breathing, I could have been dead.
My dragon took the blow as it disintegrated. Mae's dragon was still heading strong and slammed into my body.
That's when everything went black.
I entered in a contest on inkitt dot com/stories/44827 ! If you would like, you can vote for As I Wake. I obviously don't expect nor want to win, but I hope more people can come across Quorra's story and enjoy it like you all have. It's a cover photo of purple lightening. And you never know, you might find a story that catches your eye along the way! Contest is called fandom 2
XO