Kicking and Screaming

A chapter filled with battles of reality and heart…

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Raiden and Kiba looked at each other before turning back to their former sensei.

"What kind of messages?" Raiden asked walking over and standing next to Kiba. "And who sent you?"

"Your parents are very worried, they miss you a lot." He told the two teens. "I was sent by them to tell you guys to come back home."

"Ya right!" Kiba yelled eyes narrow. "You can tell them to go find themselves a new punching bag and that if they ever come within 10 ft of me I will personally beat them both!"

"Same goes for me!" Raiden, who he had always found as a quiet, well mannered teen, agreed. "Tell my 'father' he can shove those words up his ass and that I am NOT going anywhere!"

"Look, I know you boys are probably mad at them, but it's most likely just a big misunderstanding." Their teacher said.

"Like I said, this just proves how little you know." Ayame said walking over to him and looking him right in the eyes. "Tell me, what our schools policy on abuse was."

"Report any tell tale evidence, so justice can be served." Asked the confused teacher.

"Okay, now tell me, did any or all of us take a mandatory gym class?" she asked.

"You know as well as I that you did, its district code!" he yelled getting frustrated.

"One more question. If all that you say is true, then why…" she started turning and slowly taking her cover shirt off, moving her hair over her shoulder and lifting up the tank top. "Did no one say anything about these?"

"Or these?" asked the other two taking off their shirts also, one turning and the other staying toward the wide eyed teacher.

"H…how…?" he stuttered.

"Why did you think we always wore long sleeve shirts?" Raiden asked. "To mask all of the bodily and self abuse." He said sitting next to the fire as the others followed his lead. The teacher slowly made his way over as well and sat in front of the teen. He pulled out his pocket knife, his only defensive weapon.

In the glow of the fire, Raiden's blade gleamed, and as much as she wanted to stop him Ayame sat still as he placed the cold blade to his boney wrist and swiftly swiped it. She cringed, and then looked over to her many friends, Kiba who was clawing the ground, looked as though he was going to snap.

"This is what my life has come to." The brunette said as he held his wrist out in front of him upside down. Their sensei's eyes looked on in shock as the red fluid slowly soaked the ground. "This is how I control my life! This is how I know I'm still alive, how I know I'm still stuck in this hell!"

"I think it's best if you leave." Ayame motioned getting up. If this was going where she thought this was going it was best if he didn't see. "Ren, but a wrap on his wrist please, and Kiba, keep him from doing anything rash. Deidara, Dorchet you're with me." She said dragging the still shocked sensei behind them.

Walking out into the woods, Deidara and Dorchet cleared the way until Ayame felt they were a safe distance. She threw the teacher against a large oak and pressed her forearm into his throat.

"If you EVER come near the eight of us again I will be forced to take matters into my own hands!" she scolded taking her other hand and showing him the razor sharp blade on her back.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Everyone turned. Deidara, Dorchet, and Ayame bolted back toward camp leaving the teacher on the forest floor gasping for breath.

Drawing her swords Ayame burst through the brush and into the center of the ring of bandits that had her friends surrounded. Deidara and Dorchet followed shortly after giving two of the men satisfying slices to their arms on the way. The two boys were expert fighters, even with weapons as meager as they had; just as Ayame had trained them to be.

"State your business with my group!" she yelled at the largest of the men.

"And who might you be little lady?" he asked with a smirk.

"Ayame Naomi, only daughter of Kyra and Haruto and caregiver of this group." She answered.

"I am Hibiki Kiyoshi, and this is my band of bandits," he said. "I am what they call, an enslaver."

"Get out of our camp!" she growled while subconsciously counting options and thinking of strategies. By now the rest of the group was in defensive positions with Ren and the now twice injured Raiden in the center. All and all, it was 7 against 7 with Ren protecting Raiden.

"Nala."Ayame whispered. "Go flush out any stragglers." The wolf nodded and trotted off without any of the goons caring, either too cocky or not caring enough to fight the 4 foot tall beast.

"Look little miss, I don't know what you just sent your little pooch to do, but by the time it comes crawling back you'll all be gone." Hibiki smirked.

"Oh yea?" she asked before rushing at him. "And what makes you superior to me?" she yelled as their blades clashed. By now a fill scale attack had been engaged, with everyone fighting.

At first everything was going in favor of the small band of orphans, but minute by minute they lost the advantage. Although Ayame had every faith in the skills of her friends, she was started to doubt the outcome of the battle coming in favor of them without lifting their restraints.

"Kiru!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. One by one the battles stopped and the bandits looked around.

"Kill?" asked Ren's opponent. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means…" Ren said fixing his glasses before rushing at his opponent and killing him with a quick slash to the throat. "We no longer have to hold back."

Leia also quickly killed her opponent and rushed to help the others that remained in combat. Slowly the battles went to two on one and things were looking up.

"Well done!" congratulated the thug in front of Ayame. "You purposely have them hold back until things become serious, unfortunately so do I. exterminate them!"

"Crap…" Ayame thought out loud.

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Ren soon had his hands full, everyone was injured and he had three coming at him. Biting his lip he held up his one weapon, a katana as that his father had given him on his death bed. He closed his eyes and waited for the end, but when he heard the familiar sounds of metal through flesh he felt no pain. Opening his eyes back up he saw Ayame in front of him and two of the three bandits dead, her own Opponent missing a leg and cursing; after all she has never killed a soul.

"Never just wait for your own death Ren." She said looking back. "Always go out kicking and screaming!"

He smiled before watching as she immobilized the last thug, and he leaned on a tree with a content sigh. Looking around those that were less injured helped those with more serious injuries and some went about restraining all those that still had a pulse.

"Curse you!" Hibiki yelled as he threw his sword in a last ditch effort, straight at the medic. Ren was paralyzed with fear; this mind was abuzz with thoughts as, what he thought was his last few seconds on earth, approached. His eyes never left the gleaming metal as it whizzed toward him, that is until he saw a flash of brown and felt red rain drops hit him instead of the menacing steel.

"AYAME!!!!" he yelled catching the girl as she fell back. She had her eyes clenched shut in pain and he slowly looked to where her hands were clutching, the 3 foot blade sticking out of her shoulder. She opened her eyes and gave the teen a pained smirk.

"Always go out kicking and screaming…"