Chapter 28
They had been walking for a few hours, and were going through a prairie with tall grass that brushed against Ayumi's knees. She smiled, seeing all of the small animals that were hidden in the grass, and thought she saw a shadow behind a rock a few yards away from the road on her left, with the carriage on her right. She stared at the rock warily, feeling that bad feeling in her gut, and Naruto came up next to her. "Hey, Ayumi-chan! Everything alright?" "I guess…but stay on guard…" Naruto gave her a questioning look. "Tell Kakashi to be ready…and Sakura-chan, too." "Ayumi-chan, are you sure?" Ayumi nodded, kissing him lightly on the cheek before he left.
After a few more minutes of walking, ten kunai raced towards her. She took out her blades, blocking them, and did some hand signs, saying, "Wind Release: Wind Blade jutsu!" she slashed her blades at the air, but the chakra and wind flew from her blades, smacking into a few shinobi. 'That should catch Kakashi's attention…' She ran forward, lashing out at the closest shinobi, but she was immediately outnumbered. They surrounded her, and she did some hand signs, saying, "Fire Release: Phoenix Tornado jutsu!" she started spinning, and the shinobi jump back from the blue/white flames.
The tornado quickly grew bigger, swallowing many of the shinobi, but the flames eventually dissipated. "Not so easy, now is it?" she mocked the still conscious shinobi. That's when she felt three high-leveled chakra's come at her from behind, and she whirled around, jumping back. "Well, well…a little girl…" the leader mocked, and Ayumi glared coldly at him. He was in his twenties, with dark gold hair and dark blue, almost black, eyes. One of the others was a younger kunoichi, with icy blue hair and pitch black eyes. The last shinobi was larger than the other two, with black hair and mocking laughter in his light brown eyes.
'Like Kisame's eyes…' she thought as she slid into a fighting stance. 'I have to hold them off until the others get here…' "If you're expecting your friends to come save you, you're wrong. They're…busy at the moment." Ayumi cast a glance at the carriages and saw them fighting frantically. "Oh God…" she glared at them, asking, "What do you want here?" "We came here to…get something…" "Vague much?" she mocked, smirking slightly at the leader's annoyed expression. She smirked, standing up as she said, "I'd say what you're here for now…" she punched the ground, shattering the earth around her. "Before I lose my patience."
The Ayaka Sharingan flashed as the kunoichi said, "She's not as strong as I heard. They said she shattered a whole hillside with one punch." Ayumi felt her anger boil up in her as she said, "If you wanted to see my true strength…" she formed a powerful Rasengan in her hands. "You should have just asked!"
She ran at them so fast they almost didn't see her, and she slammed each Rasengan into a different stomach as she kicked the third person away with her most powerful kick. She jumped back, having inflicted so much damage already, and stood, breathing heavily as the Rasengan dissipated in her palms. The shinobi poofed, and she cursed audibly when someone held her arms, pinned, behind her back, and held a kunai to her throat. "You're powerful…but not smart…" 'I should have brought Hara…' she scolded herself. "Ayumi-chan!" Her eyes widened. "Naruto-kun!" she gave him a pleading look, and he said, "Let her go!" "Why should I?"
Naruto's eyes flashed demonic red, and Ayumi gave him a look saying 'don't lose yourself to protect me…I'll be fine…' "What are you going to do with her?" Naruto questioned, a very slight shaking in his voice. He wanted to know if she'd still live. If there was a chance he could save her. "We're taking her to our boss…he's got something…special planned for this little kunoichi." There was a cry from Akira, and the leader said, "And he wanted to see the kings final moments…" the kunoichi came back with the king, saying, "I don't see why he's so interested in her. She's probably three, four years younger than him!" Naruto's eyes widened, and he looked behind him to have Sakura and Kakashi appear there.
Kakashi glared with his uncovered eye, his headband still covering his Sharingan eye. "You're not taking her somewhere to get betrothed or something, because we're going to stop you." What Kakashi said almost stopped Ayumi's heart. 'Betrothed…like HELL I will!' She started to struggle, but it was all in vain. "She's a stubborn one…rebellious, too…" "You should have seen me with my father!" She tried to kick him, but he dodged, pressing the kunai against the vein in her throat. She breathed deeply, trying to calm her racing heart, and the leader said, "We have what we want, so we'll be off."
Ayumi inconspicuously cut her pointer finger all the way down, willing her blood to drip, leaving a trail as they carried her away with Akira. She was sure Kakashi would notice, or one of his dogs. "It looks like the little princess is finally on her way to Grass Country." She glared at him, cursing him in her head with all of the curse words she knew. "A little temperamental, aren't we?" "A little moronic, aren't we?" she mocked, her eyes icy. He seemed ready to hit her, and she was ready. "Hit me. I dare you. If you do, you'll have to walk around with my foot stuck up your ass!" He gave her a wary look, but didn't hit her.
They soon reached a large castle with one side overlooking the sea, and the other surrounded by a large city. 'Akira's palace? Why are we here?' They went in through an entrance on the side facing the sea, and Ayumi would have cherished the salty smell, but she had bigger worries. She noticed the cut on her finger hadn't even started healing yet…just like she wanted. She could will her body to heal or not…how many times she could have used this trick! She let it drip until they led both her and Akira into the throne room. She clenched her fists, willing the cut to heal faster than usual, when she noticed Akira's shock.
Sitting on the throne was a young man only three or so years older than Ayumi, with blond hair like Naruto, and brown eyes. "It looks like you finally brought them. Took you long enough!" Ayumi even had to admit that he was handsome, but she still preferred Naruto. There was no one else in the WORLD like Naruto…no one with the same drive, no one with the same caring blue eyes…no one who cared so much…"What are you doing, Kaito? Why are you kidnapping me?" Ayumi agreed with Akira's questions, though she didn't show it. "You executed my father, and you don't think I have a reason?" Ayumi gave Akira a questioning look, but he seemed too ashamed to meet it.
"So I'll take control of this country, like my family should have, and execute you like you did my father." Ayumi felt sick at the thought, and said, "Revenge is bitter-sweet. It won't bring your father back, and it most certainly won't make you feel better." The leader gripped her wrists tighter, but she just gritted her teeth in pain, not making a sound. "This is the kunoichi I've heard so much about? The one that can shatter a hillside with one punch?" the leader nodded, and Ayumi, with the natural Uchiha pride, held herself up. She held his gaze as he inspected her, and she wished she had the use of her hands, so she could get away. "Why do you care who I am, anyway?" "Because I've never heard of anyone who could do that…" "Except Tsunade."
He looked at her closely, asking, "What's your name?" "Ayumi…" He stepped closer, and her gaze faltered for a moment. "Why am I here?" He smiled, caressing her cheek as he said, "Every king needs a queen." She ripped her hands free of the shinobi behind her and smacked his hand away. Before the shinobi could subdue her, Kaito said, "Taiko, its under control…" Ayumi tried to build up chakra as he said, "I hear that you have a little boyfriend…" "So? What does it matter to you?" Unfortunately, her voice shook very slightly, but he noticed. "If you really care about him, you'd do as I say."
She glared at him warily, saying, "You don't know where he is…" "They'll find him, and you wouldn't want him to be hurt, now do you?" she glared at him icily, saying, "Don't you dare hurt Naruto." "I won't. Its either he lives…" he paused, making the feeling in her stomach worse. "Or he dies." She was about to punch him, but Taiko stabbed her in the arm with a strange device that drained her chakra. She gritted her teeth in pain as Kaito said, "Now you can't fight back." "They'll come get me. I know it. And when they do, you'll be sorry." He smirked, saying, "I doubt they'll make it in time." "In time for what?" she asked, though she dreaded the answer.
"I heard you were smart. Think about it." Her eyes widened as she said, "No way in HELL am I going to go along with this!!!" Taiko grabbed her wrists, saying, "She's a wildcat, for sure! With the strength of a bear to match!" "And my foots gonna go up your ass if you don't LET ME GO!!!" This seemed to make Kaito like her even more, however, and it didn't really help her situation. "Take her to the guest room." He then turned to Ayumi. "And we'll see the execution of this fool before the ceremony." Ayumi glared at him as she was dragged away.
"If you think it'll be that easy, then you're DEAD WRONG!!!"
"We'll see." 'He'll regret this! Naruto-kun is coming to get me! But…what if Naruto-kun dies…?' she shuddered at the thought, thinking, 'No! He won't! I'll make sure he lives! And then this nightmare will end!'