Butterflies
"Me? I'm nobody. I'm not skilled like Uchiha-san. I am not passionate like Haruno-san. I am not smart like Nara-san. I'm not as strong as Chouji-san. I'm not as collected as Aburame-san. Or as pretty as Yamanaka-san. I'm not as confident as Inuzuka-san. If anything, I'm like Hyuuga-san, socially awkward. Oh wait, no, she's just shy. The socially awkward one is me." OC! Team 7 remix!
Chapter 81 – What could possibly go wr…?
A/N: A bit more graphic in some places. Let me know if it's too much and I'll tone it down.
8-8
You'd think that by now, people would be used to missions going horribly wrong. You'd think so. But no. They aren't.
"… Bandits? That's a first." Ino intones. I'd told them right off the bat that I'm both here and not here. I won't let them get killed, but I'm not fighting. Not unless someone is stupid enough to upset me. So Ino, being long range support, starts pelting kunai at the bandits. Of the six, four are already down before they even get close enough for Shika-nii to be needed, since he's midrange.
He traps them in his jutsu without too much trouble. And Ino walks up to them, putting them in an induced coma. They don't check them for weapons, scrolls, or anything.
"Um, shouldn't you guys be stripping them of anything useful?" I point out. They look at me, worried. "Don't give me that look. They attacked us, they're lucky they're still breathing."
They look a bit… green around the gills. "Sarutobi-sensei, what exactly have you been teaching these three?"
"Not everyone has your comfort with killing." He answers simply. I shrug, no longer caring.
"Is… this a regular thing for you, Aya?" Ino asks, visibly shaken.
"First kill?" I ask. She nods. My arms are around her in a heartbeat. "You did the right thing. You defended your pack. They are in the wrong for attacking, not you for defending." She starts shaking even worse, but I keep holding her, tighter and tighter, to show her I'm here. "Take all the time you need, Ino. I'm in no rush."
8-8
It takes less than half a day for things to go 'belly up' once again. This time, it's shinobi. With slashed Hidden Moon headbands. "A bit far from home, aren't you?" I ask, all friendly and warm. I compare their faces to the bounties in the Bingo Book, but come up emptyhanded. And to boot, they look like genin – smell like it too. Sixteen rogue genin happening onto us during a mission to the Land of This, what are the odds.
"You still sitting this out?" Shika-nii asks, not sounding too worried yet.
"So long as none of you are in danger, then yes. I'm not here to hamper your training." I say. I start idly stroke my wakizashi hilts – they've been sitting a bit funny ever since we left the gate. There's a clicking sound, telling me they simply weren't stuffed into the holders right. So I shift them around and slip them in properly. Shame on you, Aya. That's a rookie mistake, if not worse.
I sniff for scouts and/or accomplices, but come up emptyhanded. How do sixteen genins from Hidden Moon, thousands of kilometres away, wind up on our path, on the same mission that bandits happen upon us?
"Look, fighting you would be far too troublesome. Tell us what you want, and we'll consider out options." Shika-nii tries.
This, being a mob, calls for the stupidest member to open them big, fat mouth as loud as is humanly possible. "WE WANT YOUR HEADS!"
And now, you've pissed me off.
Snap!
The moron drops like a ragdoll. Dead. Oh the things that a Sound Release: Scalpel can do, even at this distance. The moron doesn't bleed, not yet, but I sliced his brain in half. If I wanted to, I could have opted for Sound Release: Organ Blender – the next step of that jutsu. But that's cruel and unusual.
"Imouto-chan?" Shika-nii sounds confused.
"He threatened my pack." Is all I need to say.
"I know that, I'm wondering what you did."
"Scalpel. I sliced something important in half. Like this."
Snap!
The other genins, stupid enough to draw kunais, find that they're suddenly only holding handles. The sharp and pointy part falls to the ground – and in one case, on the idiot's foot. He starts dancing around, trying to pull the kunai out of himself; bleeding pretty badly.
For some strange reason, the remaining genin think that's just a fluke, draw new kunais, and attack.
Chouji and Shika-nii brandish their weapons, and Ino keeps playing pin the kunai on the rogue. I'm not too surprised when the last genin goes down ten minutes later. And I don't even have to step in this time!
"… Remind me to never go on a mission with you again." Ino complains. Yeah, she went from first kill to tenth in a day.
"… Why? Doesn't this usually end up happening?" I ask, confused.
"No, Namiki. This isn't normal." Sarutobi-sensei answers. "For people other than your team, I guess."
"Ah… Sorry?"
8-8
The sun is just about setting when the next group finds us. The four Konoha shinobi glare at me. "Look, not even I usually get it this bad." I defend. They aren't impressed.
It's chuunins this time. From Grass. Slashes through the headbands once again. Sixteen of them. That isn't a coincidence. They're upping the difficulty to test us. This is planned.
"Chuunins this time. I'm in. Fight only if you feel confident." I say, unsheathing a kodachi and wielding it right-handed. The enemy takes a look at the short blade, and they start laughing. Well, one of them does.
Snap!
He deserves the Organ Shredder. Right in his skull. In fact, seeing as he's the first 'volunteer', I think I put too much force into the spin – it sucks in his eyes as well, and he's bleeding and oozing a nasty smelling goo through every hole on his head. That must suck, but at least he isn't in any pain or discomfort. Had I truly been pissed off, I'd have targeted his rib cage.
The other fifteen look sick to their stomachs, obviously never seeing something like that before. Well, then don't pick a fight with my pack.
Before they can even recover, I body flicker into the fray, and start hacking and slashing through them like they're nothing. The others don't even lift a finger to help me. Sad.
The last three finally realise they're still alive, and start performing handseals. Yeah, uh huh. I feel like finding out what you know.
Snap!
And they drop, understanding all too literally what 'being of two minds' might mean, visually.
"These are my kills. So…" I drone, not caring too much. I recognized three of their faces from the Bingo Book, so I behead them and seal their heads in a special scroll I keep for bounties. I also go through their things, finding dozens of kunai –which I offer to Ino, to restock– shuriken, which I seal away, and a few blades. Nothing cute, or even all that special. I seal them away anyway. The headbands are all a bust – I don't think posing as a rogue Grass shinobi will ever earn me points. And their flak jackets are all bloody. I do seal their pouches though; leg and hip pouches alike.
"Ready?" I ask, wanting to get going.
"N-nn." What's with her?
8-8
It's going on midnight when the next group arrives. I figured. Four tokubetsu jounin. "Well, Aya. It looks like you win the bet." Sarutobi-sensei says, already fishing for his weapons. I shrug – you don't bet against a Namiki. "You take the stupid looking two?"
"In this crowd? You might want to be more specific." I say. They all look pretty stupid to me.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Ino, Shika-nii and Chouji are now in Mime's Barriers to keep them safe. Hopefully they'll sleep through this.
"You know. I kind of like having you along." Sarutobi says, grinning. I shrug. "Oi. So what do Mist rogues want with us?"
"The bounties, obviously."
"Really? What's my bounty at these days?" I ask, unimpressed. "Last time someone was stupid enough to tell me it was twenty-thousand Ryou. I mean, really? I wouldn't even behead someone for that kind of money."
"Four-hundred and fifty thousand." I'm told. I roll my eyes.
"That means you're referring to his bounty. I can't imagine someone going out of their way to kill me for that amount." I point out. They share a look, confused. I file that away for future reference. "So, who wants to die first?"
I unsheathe a wakizashi this time.
"Cute blade." One of them, a woman, says.
"I've got two of them. Kill me and they're yours." I offer, marking her and the stupid looking one beside her as mine. "Try to keep up." I aim that at my current partner in crime.
Sarutobi chuckles, liking me more and more as time passes.
I don't know what these idiots think they're dealing with. But the low powered water jutsus? Really? The woman fires six Water Bullets at me, obviously underestimating me. Something like that wouldn't even break my stride. Something is going on here. Something big. They aren't trying to kill us. They are trying to capture us.
And they will pay for that mistake with their lives.
The man tries forming a handseal, so I body flicker to him, hacking both his hands off. I hit him with a Flying Tiger Knee Uppercut, catching him right under the chin, and finish him off by beheading him before he can come up with something. I grab his head, refusing to get my bounty dirty – he's a tokubetsu jounin rogue, of course he has a bounty.
So with a wakizashi in one hand and a head in the other, I dash for my remaining bounty to collect. I seallessly cast a paralysis genjutsu, and behead her before she figures out what's going on. I sniff, smelling two other blood smears.
I look over my shoulder, finding Sarutobi already sealing his two bounties – whole bodies. That's inefficient, but probably better for the others when they wake up.
I still only seal the heads though. I bury the bodies with an earth release jutsu – after scalping their equipment, of course.
"So next is jounins." I point out. "Probably four. And probably at sunrise."
"Or at three in the morning." He points out, lighting a new cigarette.
"There's that. Hungry?" I ask, unsealing my scroll with chocolates.
"Couldn't hurt." He sounds unfazed by this mission's insanity. Even by my mission standards, this is starting to get pretty bad.
Oh well. Nothing a little chocolate can't fix.
"What exactly are we delivering?"
"A scroll."
"Ah." Yeah, every scroll is worth all this trouble.
8-8
As if on cue, at sunrise, two jounins show up. They seem less chatty than the last group, but still don't attack on sight. Why?
"Look. We've already taken out bandits, genins, chuunins and tokubetsu jounins. Do you see any injuries that might suggest we'll have a problem taking you out?" I ask, trying to get them to see reason. It's hard to reach jounin level. Killing them is just… a waste. Even if there's a five million Ryou bounty on each of them.
"Namiki Aya. Konoha's She-Wolf. Age thirteen. Ranked as chuunin, but I don't buy it." The shorter of the men recites. Ah, so I have a moniker. Cool. "Current bounty set at eight-hundred and fifty thousand Ryou."
Warning bells are going off in my head. Why would the last group give me a different number? An older Bingo Book? A different kind of bounty? A mission? Things aren't adding up.
"Sarutobi Asuma… Somewhat more troubling, but the fifty million Ryou bounty will offset that nicely."
"Okay, now I just feel undervalued." I complain.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
I place Shika-nii, Chouji and Ino in Mime's Barriers again, only this time, hovering them high in the air. And I unsheathe my kodachi, wielding her left-handed this time. I need to really focus; jounins won't go down easy.
"Aya. You sure?" Sarutobi asks, also wielding his blades.
"Only one way to find out. And remind me to put in a complaint about the weak bounty on my head. I'm not developing an inferiority complex because people can't see my worth." I complain.
I hear Chouji murmuring for me to be safe. And Shika-nii is whispering little plans from his bird's eye view of the battlefield. Ino is mostly just in shock.
"You have a preference? The bounties on these two are exactly the same." I don't turn to him, but he doesn't need me to.
"The shorter one. I've faced him before and he got away."
"Works for me."
"Cute scar, little girl." My target taunts.
"It took an elite jounin to put it there." I taunt right back, already feeling him subtly moulding chakra below me. Idiot. I'm an earth release user too. I know a trap jutsu when I sense one.
I seallessly cast the paralysis genjutsu and body flicker to him. He's already broken out of it by the time I get there, but that's okay. I still get in a knee to his thigh and a light cut to his bicep.
He's decent at dispelling genjutsus, but he's no Kashi-nii. I smell blood. A brief glance tells me that Sarutobi's already done with his. Not bad. "Oi. You're just making me look bad now." I complain.
Snap!
His whole body convulses, but he doesn't fall. Dang! That he can stand while no long having any working organs in his ribcage! "You're on a whole other level. I'll be sure to do something nice with the bounty. I promise." He wants to snort, but it's kind of hard to with no lungs to push the air up. Instead, blood spills from his mouth. He still tries coming at me though.
Jounins. Never assume they're dead while their head is attached to their shoulders.
Snap!
He falls to the ground, wrapped in my Devouring Shackles. "You know. If someone ever finds a counter to my sound release jutsu, I'm going to be pissed." I say, focusing the Shackles to squeeze his neck so hard that his head pops off a second later.
I seal the head away, but… I'm curious what the second step of the Devouring Shackles looks like. It's not as if I've ever had to use it before.
I make the Seal of Confrontation, looking on in morbid fascination. The normally see-through, cloudy rope/snake turns blood red. And… wow. That's… not a nice way to die.
And the smell of burnt flesh and organs isn't helping me opinion on the matter. It's not that the Shackles burnt the corpse. It's… more like it tore it apart by exciting the molecules until they started cooking on their own. Before… evaporating.
That's… pretty gruesome. Even for me.
I unseal some chocolate. "Want some?" I offer Sarutobi.
"Couldn't hurt. And, please… call me Asuma."
"Aya." I return the offer.
"Well, Aya. I think I'll be requesting you if I ever get sent on a mission I don't trust." He says, smiling as he catches the chocolate. "You ruined the equipment though."
"The bounty makes up for it. I'm more upset I got dirt on the head. Dirty heads in my clean seals." I point out, shivering at the thought. "We should get going. I doubt those three want to smell the air around here."
8-8
We stop for lunch. Looking around the plains we find ourselves in. I see some patches of trees and whatnot here and there, but nothing that would offer the cover I prefer to go. "Guys, a few healthy steps back, please." I suggest. They don't hesitate.
Tiger – Hare – Boar – Dog – Earth Release: Mud Wall!
I spit out the mud in a spiral design, like the Uzumaki swirl, around me. It pops up a second later, smooth as polished stone, and with the Kanji for 'wolf' chiselled onto it every few metres – each taking up a metre on their own.
"Ino! Come on in! We should be able to handle our business privately this way!" I call out to her. We see to our needs quickly, walking out of the impromptu labyrinth. I motion for the guys to 'have at', and they walk in to see to their needs as well.
I start unsealing and handing out lunch, wondering at the funny looks in their eyes.
"You know that's going to leave a trail." Shika-nii voices his concerns.
"No more than five battles will." I point out. He shrugs, not disagreeing. I seal the empty bottles, break down the Mud Wall, and used the Earth Release: Churning Earth to cover our scents. At the very least, we don't have to worry about us –specifically– being tracked.
"Imouto-chan… are you… even really human?"
"I… think so?"
"How do you…?"
"What, the killing?" He nods. "Namiki heritage. I've seen wild animals eating people and it doesn't bother me." I'd rather not have them associate my sweet and loving wolves with that image – even though it's true. I think that's why Namiki's are naturally Anbu quality; nothing churns our stomachs.
Well, not 'nothing'. Badly seasoned foods will have my spewing in an instant. Strange… now that I think about it. Whatever.
8-8
We make it to the Land of This around dinner time. Asuma-san seems to know his way around, so he leads us to an impressive looking palace. For a city-state –no bigger than Konoha, might I add– they are well off. I wonder how they come about that wealth, seeing as I only see farms and standard stores as a source of food and income. This reeks of bad news waiting to happen.
We're shown in to the 'throne room' immediately and the twenty guards now surrounding us seem well trained. Their eyes stare straight ahead, but their focus is so intense I can almost feel it.
On the throne, is a young, brash looking teenager, sixteen-ish, with a bored expression. That is, until his eyes land on Ino and myself. Now he's interested. I narrow my eyes, not liking where this is going at all.
Using Whispering Winds, I warn Team Ten, "High alert. I smell trouble." They don't react, but I know they understand just by Shika-nii's gaze sharpening.
"Sugawara-sama, it's a pleasure to meet you again." Asuma-san bows politely.
"Sarutobi Asuma. The last time I saw you, you were still one of the Twelve." The boy says, his tone still quite bored. "What brings you to the lands of my ancestors?"
"A delivery." Asuma-san says, taking out the scroll and offering it to the guard that approaches him. The boy takes the scroll, but doesn't open it. He doesn't seem to even care really. "By your leave, Sugawara-sama."
"Hold." He demands, almost laconically. "It will be dark soon. What kind of host would the Land of This be, should we allow you to travel in the dead of night." A wise one. "It would seem the girl with the scar is displeased."
"Merely cautious, my lord. We've been attacked repeatedly en route. Her inexperience doesn't allow for her to take to these things gracefully." I don't even react to the insult. I know he's approaching this politically, and really, I understand what he's trying to do. "However, I must agree with her this time. There has been… a series of coincidences that troubles me. I'd very much prefer to leave immediately."
"I'm afraid that's not possible." The door slams behind us. I narrow my eyes, sniffing the air. Mostly chuunin level shinobi here. The three behind the boy are jounins. And five by the door are tokubetsu jounins. This will be a fight.
"I'm afraid I don't understand." Asuma claims. He understands perfectly. This is the prick behind it all. And you've just invited the standard idiot monologue to explain his twisted –and likely simplistic or simply idiotic– scheme to get whatever it is that he thinks he's getting form this.
"I highly doubt that. But, seeing as you were so kind to me when last we met, allow me to explain anyway." I groan, glaring at Asuma. Monologues aren't fun to suffer through. "You see, my mother has been bothering me about settling down recently, but I'm picky. So I knew I'd have to find a kunoichi bride that could transform into whoever I wished to bed for the night."
My blood pressure skyrockets. "However, none of our own measure up, and I've tried them all. As such, I needed to send for others. There have been other teams sent with the same pointless scroll. Yet, yours is the first to bring two true beauties worth my time. I'll have them both."
"Asuma."
"That's an admission of guilt. Try to keep him alive."
"… fine." I REALLY don't like that idea.
Tiger – Hare – Boar – Dog – Earth Release: Mud Wall!
I make the same spiral as before, so the others know to keep near me. The Wall pops up, and I get busy with my next jutsu.
"Oh? A feisty one. I think I'll enjoy you most." I snarl at the boy's words. I'm so going to enjoy skinning you alive. I stow my glasses, grinning at what I'm about to unleash.
Boar – Bird – Dog – Monkey – Ram – Summoning jutsu!
Dragon – Boar – Tiger – Dog – Tiger – Snake – Okami jutsu!
8-8
~3rd Person PoV~
When the guards hear the howl, they know something just went wrong. They've seen things go wrong before, but… never an unsettling howl from an animal they can't even identify. And when six wolves howl along with the first beast…
They don't even need the order to attack. It's obvious this is going to-
No one can say they're sure what happens next. All they know is that a wolf pack just poured out of the labyrinth. One the size of a small cow, five the size of Great Danes, and… the last straight from a werewolf movie! Only the last has a scar, exactly where the brunette has one and wearing the same clothes. Not that their brains are able to process that.
Sugawara Ashihei, twenty-third daimyo of the Land of This, watches with the same bored expression as his men are slaughtered. He doesn't find this half as boring as the last few teams, actually. Even the gore isn't bothering him too much – he's seen worse. The joys of being the daimyo of a country most don't bother with.
And besides, the elite guard isn't attacking. The cannon fodder will wear them down, as they always do. When they do, the elites will move in and clean up this mess.
Only… the cannon fodder seem even more inept than usual. And the screams are starting to grate on Sugawara's nerves; it's repetitive.
With a lazy wave, the second wave –not his elites, not even close– are sent in. A howl announces just how bad an idea that is – not that they realise that in time. The scent of burnt flesh meets Sugawara's nose. That's new. And he can't even say he saw what happened. One second they are closing in from the door, the next they are writing on the floor and screaming in pain. More screaming. How drab.
The only screams Sugawara will admit to enjoying are of the girls he's… met privately.
When the fighting –or just the screaming– dies down, he starts getting curious. No one has ever forced him to send in the third wave before. He looks to the captain of his guard, tilting his head to those oh so entertaining Konoha shinobi.
The only thought in his head, is how delicious it will be to break his two new brides, have them begging him to do them harder, faster, deeper. Genin kunoichi are shameless when it comes to things like that; when properly motivated.
Three jounins –or perhaps more accurately, two jounins and an elite jounin– disappear, entering the fray without fear. Smelling the trouble coming, there's another howl, from the larger wolf. The five pups disappear with a poof… then the growling starts. From two sources.
With that growling comes the most vivid, grotesque genjutsu anyone has ever seen. Seeing their own vital organs being ripped out and eaten over and over and over again. Feeling the pain, smelling their blood and other fluids. Only, their bodies don't react. Can't react. Sugawara, for the first time in his life, knows fear. The two jounins fall before there's even a half a hope for them.
However, the elite jounin… starts humming.
The genjutsu fails, and Aya starts growling even more menacingly. She was in a bad mood before. Now… she's pissed!
She'd warned the gods what would happen. She'd warned her would be targets, whether they could hear her or not. And they just had to find her a target that can counter her sound release jutsu. And elite jounin no less!
Aya continues growling, only this time also using the Offsetting Sound, to allow Asuma to join the fray. He notices instantly, pelting wind laced kunai through the Mud Wall to keep the enemy on their toes. Constantly dodging, trying to keep his insides where they belong.
He dodges again, already coming up with the perfect plan to take out the-
Nevermind.
Tsuren pops up from under the jounin's feet, slashes his legs at the knees with her claws –though not exactly sharp, with her fire cloak, they are hot enough to melt through skin and bone– and she bites down on his neck.
Never let it be said that Tsuren of the Wolf Clan is a pushover.
"Impressive. Well and truly astounding." Sugawara says, clapping. "However, now I'm afraid I'll have to kill you all. The third wave will be hard to replace." A button is pressed, and one new person enters. Two metres tall, orange hair, grey eyes, and looking pissed off.
"I spent years training those three." He grinds out. "You will regret killing them."
Asuma eases out from behind the labyrinth, hoping he isn't… no he is. Hagino Koto. The only thought going through the Sarutobi clan head's... well, head: Shit.
Asuma focuses his Flying Swallow, feeling the familiar wind chakra peeking out from his trench knives. Without giving the man half a chance to attack Aya –he's WAY out of her league– he engages Koto, trying to keep the man's attention on himself, rather than on her.
Nothing he does seems to be working though. Koto keeps out of range of the Flying Swallow, Aya's enhanced speed isn't helping at all – and even the earth chakra in her blades isn't putting a dent in his seemingly perfect defence. Tsuren doesn't seem to be faring much better, but at least none of them have been injured so-
Koto kicks Tsuren in her ribcage as she comes in for another pass at him. The sound of ribs breaking… does things to Aya. Bad things.
The only true link to her mama –heedless if Miwako returned– just had six of her ribs broken by this man.
"Tsuren… go home. I will summon you to tend to your wounds later." Seeing nothing more she can do in her current state, Tsuren nods. Disappearing in a poof.
"You sound upset, Namiki." Koto teases, a smile in his voice. "What's the matter? Can't stand to see your little bitch hurt?"
Aya tries the genjutsu, but isn't too surprised when the Offsetting Sound comes into play once again. The master that taught the students. Aya understands exactly what this means. All too well. So much so, that she starts throwing attacks at Sugawara. Attacks that start to unnerve the daimyo, because now… now Koto has to defend himself his daimyo, and still continue the onslaught to wear these two down to make them sloppy.
Only… this is no longer working out the way he'd planned. Not for Koto, not for Sugawara.
The attacks start getting more and more unpredictable. More and more widespread. Sharper and sharper. Asuma, understanding the tactic, starts firing Air Bullets as well. Koto is NOT very happy right now!
Still, his lord is in one piece, and he plans on keeping him that way.
If only he'd been smart enough to advise his lord against this. Mist and Stone had needed the money, so they'd sent run of the mill, ragtag teams. Konoha… isn't in the same situation. Not if this is the team they'd sent on a barely-a-C-rank mission.
You see. The reason Aya and Asuma can quite comfortably stay where they are, buying time? Because Shimaru has been watching from a peep hole created from Asuma's kunai earlier. He's been analysing, studying Koto, finding the hole he needs. And both Aya and Asuma know that.
Koto doesn't have a clue. He thinks the other three are just pests, barely worth noticing.
Never. Ever. EVER. Underestimate a Nara when he's protecting his precious people. You will regret it. Guaranteed.
Just as Aya and Asuma fire off their respective 'bullet' jutsus, Shikamaru acts. His Shadow Possession catches Koto at the last moment, shifting him into the attacks and dropping his defences. The Air Bullet snaps his ribs, the Mud Bullet his right –dominant– forearm.
Koto had been loyal to his daimyo as long as he'd held the throne, and twenty years he'd serve Sugawara's father, before him. However, he'd long since decided that a cruel master isn't worth dying for.
He breaks Shikamaru's hold on him, body flickering away from this madness. His bones will heal, and he can find new students. But… once you're dead, there's no coming back.
Koto is no one's fool.
8-8
After Aya –with her Okami jutsu still active– seals away Sugawara and catches her breath, she summons Tsuren again.
The proud wolf whimpers, the pain almost too much to bear. Not the physical pain, mind you. It's her pups whining and licking her snout, obviously worried if she'll live. It's seeing Aya, even in her current form, grief stricken that Tsuren is in pain.
Aya shakes off her emotions, activating her jutsu to tend to her summons. Even as the bones right themselves – a painful thing to suffer through. Even as the punctured lung is healed. Even as the bruised and cracked ribs that hadn't broken from the blow and healed. Tsuren doesn't make a single sound. Only the sound of her breathing can be heard.
But the sounds she hears? Her heart aches something fierce, nearly snapping in two when Tsuki, her only daughter in all these years, starts crying and muzzling her neck, whimpering pitifully.
"I'm sorry." Aya's voice assaults Tsuren's heart. "I'm sorry." Two words, said over and over.
"Do not be sorry, Aya. Prepare. Our prey has escaped. We must hunt him down and kill him once we are ready."
~End PoV~
8-8
End Chapter 81
8-8
A/N: Wow. What exactly went right on this mission? And now, we have a very emotional, very upset Aya. Will anyone calm her down? Can anyone? We'll just have to see.