Illusion's Folly

Chapter 22

Nightmare

(a) (a) (a)

Sakura stepped back, the man's voice washing over her in waves. It felt as if her bones were vibrating. The sound was amazing to come from such a slender man. She watched carefully as he dropped and came upright, his white-gold hair flowing like a waterfall down his back to brush his knees. He was pretty. As in girly pretty. Not her type at all, but that wasn't through any fault of his. She was still in love with tall, dark and bitchy. A slight smile touched her lips as she thought of her long time flame. She knew it was just puppy love for a boy who could only love one person. Her attention came back to the man as he shifted his feet to cock a hip out and prop his chin on one of his hands, resting the elbow on his waist.

"Such beautiful skin and eyes. Makes me wonder what the rest of that carefully hidden body looks like," he rasped, licking his rose colored lips.

Sakura snorted. "Not that you'll get to see any, Wave boy." Taking a kunai from her pouch, she shifted into a defensive stance. "So, do I get to know your name before I fuck you up or is that reserved only for long relationships?"

"What a nasty mouth you have, sweetness." He laughed, the points of his teeth sharpened to deadly points. "I'll let you know, but only because I will enjoy that little body of yours before I rip that lovely flesh from your bones." Bowing, he straightened and smiled ferally. "Mizuna Kurai, lady mine. May I have your name?"

Sakura snorted again. "Like I'd tell someone my name before I kill them." So saying, Sakura blurred out of existence, searching for the blind shuriken thrower. She would have to get rid of that one if she was to win against Mizuna Kurai. That one could play hide and seek all he wanted, but if the blind one was still around, then he could make her life a living hell.

Creating some clones, Sakura headed for the flares that had chased her over the tree tops. It was the only lead she had on the blind person and she was glad that she had spent all those days memorizing hundreds of medical jutsus and then the pain of having Tsunade beat her into submission three times a week. Those were the times that she knew would be the hardest on her. During those sessions, Tsunade would demand that she repeat the formulas of various antidotes and salves as she went at Sakura. Those times were hugely beneficial overall as Sakura could think while moving, remembering where the last blow would come from and try to calculate where the next would come. In retrospect, she had to smile at the times that Tsunade had come away with smile on her lips as Sakura, barely concious, had severed three of her Chakra lines before the woman had knocked her out. She could only wonder at the training that Naruto was going through with Jiraiya.

Coming back to the present, Sakura cut her Chakra out and focused on the last flare from the blind thrower. Could anyone really find a blind man or woman that knew a place? All it's in and outs? Sakura could only guess as she came upon the blind man. He knew she was there, of that she was certain. People like him could find anything in the blackness of non-sight. She had to get rid of him or she wouldn't have a chance against the pretty boy. Rigging three kunai with exploding tags, she threw them toward the man. As they landed, they immediately ignited, throwing the small glade into an inferno. The man had jumped three seconds before they had made contact and he was carefully and quickly making his way back to Kurai. Damn.

Following quickly, she sped through the trees, trying to catch him before he made it back. A different sound entered her perception. Ducking as she ran, a chain flew through the space she had been in. Barbs along the chain ate into the trunk of the tree she had been on and sliced through with a biting sound. Kurai had found her. She doubted that the blind man handled the chain. He was a range fighter, not a close combat fighter. Veering left, Sakura pumped Chakra into her feet and ran down the trunk of another tree, leaping before she hit the ground. Switching the Chakra from her feet to her hands, she swung around another trunk, again swithcing the Chakra to her feet to run up the tree and jumping to another. Taking aim with another exploding tag, she chunked it toward the Chakra flare above her. Releasing the Chakra, she fell to the ground and rolled as the explosion rocked the trees around her.

Hearing a grunt of pain, she hurried to the sound, finding the blind man holding his left arm. It had been burned and was nearly useless. Taking the chance, she infused her hands with Chakra. Running as silently and as quickly as she could, she got behind the man, cutting across the back of his thighs and across his right arm. Fully disabled, he wasn't able to move. Only screams of pain, as the full extent of the bladeless scapels cut into his muscles, echoed through the glade. Sakura didn't have time to end his screams as the chain swung down from above. Only a chance catch of a still flying branch saved Sakura from being caught with it. Using the Chakra in her hands, Sakura landed a blow onto the trunk of the tree.

She watched with a deadly calm as the tree was obliterated and the pretty boy fell from the branches in a heap. Not leaving him a chance, Sakura gave a sharp cry and grabbed the deadly chain, breaking it in half. The boy regained his feet and stared at the destruction around him. Nothing this small should have caused so much destruction in so short a time. His weapon was gone and all that was left was what he had in his pouch. A few kunai and shuriken should see him through this. He smiled shortly and took his stance.

"Not bad for a sweet little thing like you, cutie. Won't you tell me your name?" he asked, his right hand reaching into his pouch.

"Not a chance in hell, pretty boy," Sakura spat. A short jump had her within arm's length and she cut at his legs.

Kurai leaped back, staying out of her reach. Sakura would have to take it to ranged fighting if she was going to win this. She wasn't the best at ranged but she could manage. A smile played around her lips as she gathered half her Chakra into her right hand. Faking a feint to the left, she slammed her fist into the ground and split it. The new canyon sped out catching the boy off guard as he fell. Running forward, she charged her Chakra scapels and cut his throat, not bothering just to cut under the skin. She flew by as the blood spray arced out. She listened in silence as the boy gurgled in his own blood, a look of utter disbelief coloring his face.

"Don't fuck with a girl from Konoha," she whispered to the silent trees.

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The Triplets smiled at their prey. This was going to be a piece of cake. The man was smaller than the three of them and there was no way that he would defeat them. Grinning, they all spread out around the slouching man. Each went through identical hand seals and created a triangle effect, tripling the water jutsus affect. A rush of water appeared around the man and encapsulated him. He seemed surprised and started to panic.

"No one can escape this watery hell we create," the woman boasted. "No on-"

The brothers stared at the fist protruding from their sister's chest. The faint crackle of white lightning faded away as the man inside the bubble became a piece of wood. Screaming in lossn, the men rushed to the woman and held her in their arms. She gave them a short smile, blood pouring from her mouth.

"He's going to kill us all, bros," she rasped through the blood. "It's Hatake. He's going to kill us all." Her words faded as the light in her eyes faded.

"Should I just kill you now? Or would you like to take your sister and get the hell out of here as quickly as possible?" Kakashi asked from his seat by a nearby tree. He held his book open and looked over it at the, now, twin men.

"You'll die for this, Hatake Kakashi," the one on the left spat.

"Have it your way then," Kakashi shrugged.

The men never saw the real one standing behind them or felt the kunai slice through their spinal cords. Each slumped over his sister and appeared to sleep.

"I hate killing kids," Kakashi said to no one in particular. "I wonder how Sakura is doing?"

Wiping the blades on the bodies, he set off to find Sakura from her Chakra flares. They were getting larger and larger, but the ones from Iruka's area weren't even flaring. He could only hope that his mate was still alive or in hiding. The Jounin flare he had sensed was enough to take him out with ease. Right now, Sakura was in need of help.

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"Shit!" Iruka screamed as the huge man chased him through the trees. He was big, but he could move. It hadn't taken long for the man to chase him down after their initial meeting. His scythe was cutting through anything and everything, taking out possible escape routes. Iruka had several cuts and scrapes along his arms and face from flying debris. He only had one route to take and that was forward. He could hear the explosions off to his left as he ran. Sakura had always been good with the tags. He only hoped she was doing better than him.

Dodging the scythe again, Iruka put more speed into his legs. Dammit, he's quick. Leaping up, Iruka gained a tree and used his Chakra to speed up. He could move faster through the trees than on the ground. Gathering more Chakra into his hands, he formed a seal and turned, dropping to the ground. He waited three seconds for the Wave Jounin to come at him and slammed his fist into the ground. A slight rumble echoed out and the Jounin stumbled as chunks of rock and earth exploded around him. Stepping through it, he kept coming. Iruka gritted his teeth and unsheathed his sword. Infusing the blade with Chakra he waited for the Jounin. He didn't stand a chance against the man's weapon, but if he could get a few good hits in, maybe he could break through his defenses and weaken him.

"No more running, little man?" the Jounin asked as he slowed. "I wanted to play some more."

Iruka grimaced. "I don't want to play anymore, fish breath."

The Jounin frowned. "Fish breath? I haven't had any today. Unless you count that little morsel from yesterday. She was a lovely little fish," he grinned hugely, again lickin his lips. "She was right tasty."

Iruka shuddered and felt sorry for any female that came into contact with this behemoth. What he dreaded most was that scythe. It had a considerable reach on his sword and looked to be heavy. He doubted that he would be able to lift it. The man was massisve, his muscles rippling along his arms and shoulders. Snapping out of his thoughts, Iruka searched for an opening. Finding one, he charged in only to be thrown back against a tree. Gasping for breath, he stumbled around the tree and faded into the shadows. He wasn't going to be any good for a few minutes until he caught his breath. He needed to gain the trees again. He had always been good at hiding. Breathing in, he winced in pain. Cracked a couple of ribs, possibly broken. Damn. The Jounin was just to strong for him.

The cuts along his arms and face stung and were starting to slow to an ooze. Hearing the man crashing behind him, he pushed away from the tree and started to run. He needed water. He would have to use the water. It was really the only option left to him and with his Chakra starting to run low he could only gamble on the last few jutsus he knew. He could only hope that he disabled the man. Searching his memory, he recalled a stream back near the plain. Veering right to avoid the fight on his left, Iruka hurried back the way he had come.

Breaking through the trees and pelting for the stream, he glanced behind him. The Jounin was a distance shadow but would soon be on top of him. Reaching the water, he gathered his Chakra and formed the seals. He waited. The man would have to be close for this to work. Blood covered his arms and dripped onto his chest. He slowed his rapid breathing and steadied his pulse. He needed to concentrate. This was everything he had. There was no chance for a redo. He waited as if there was nothing to worry about.

"I love the ones that play hard to get, little morsel," the Jounin giggled as he came within shouting distance. Getting closer, the man smiled evilly. "You have given great pleasure so far, lovely, now I want even more." He licked his lips and shifted his scythe to his shoulder.

Iruka looked at him with dispassion. "You won't be getting anything from me, you sick bastard." He curled his lip as he thrust his fist out.

A bluish mist surrounded the Jounin. He blinked at it curiously, lifting an arm to sweep at it. A few seconds later he watched as his skin started to welt and bubble. Frowning now, he set his weapon against his side and rubbed at his arm. Not seeing a difference in the bubbles, he rubbed harder. Skin swelled and burst, blood starting to flow from the blisters. The Jounin watched as the skin on his other arm started to bubble and burst. He reached up and felt his face, the skin also starting to ripple.

"What have you done to me?" the man screamed as the pain hit his brain.

Iruka watched as his Melting Water jutsu became a reality. He had not thought that the new technique would work. It had popped into his head at the last second as he had burst into the sunlit plain. He couldn't think of where it had come from, but he was damned if he didn't try it. A quick flash of a white masked face crossed his vision. What the hell? The turned his attention to the mewling Jounin. His skin had sloughed off and left the muscles exposed. He could end the man's pain now, but he didn't want to. How many had suffered at this man's hands? What atrocities had he committed against humans? Iruka shook his head. It wasn't his job to judge. He should do the charitable thing and just slit the man's throat to end his suffering.

The technique was designed to burn through the layers of the skin, down to the muscles and then to the bone. Right now, the jutsu had only made it to the first layer of muscle. The nerves were completely in shock by now, as the acid mist ate through the flesh. Skin would slide right off the person caught in the blue mist. Once the mist had attached to as much exposed skin as it could, it faded to nothing, but left those caught in it writhing in pain. As the acid seeped further into the skin, it would spread outward and start to itch, causing the victim to scratch and spread the acid faster, and finally initiating the eating process. Within fifteen seconds of the first contact, the acid was bubbling the skin. Thirty seconds saw the first blisters bursting, the pain starting to sink in. After a minute, the victim would be nearly senseless in pain. At two minutes, the first white glint of bone would be visible. By then the victim was unconcious or had died from the pain, their heart bursting. All in all, it was not a pleasent way to die.

Iruka whimpered as he fell to his knees, the grisly images flashing by as the information poured into his brain. The figure in the mask threw his head back and laughed at the pitiful creature jerking on the ground in front of him. Iruka got the impression that this was one of the masked boy's favorite ways to kill. He shuddered at the pure malice the boy radiated. Pushing the image away, he grunted as he crawled to the Jounin and slit his throat. He couldn't stand to hear his cries anymore. The boy came back and seemed to sneer at the act. Wiping away a tear that trailed down his face, Iruka stood and went to the water to wash away the gore.

Clapping sounded behind him. Whirling, he blinked in surprise at a woman standing beside the Jounin's corpse. Her hair was braided down her chest and her back, the purest black he had ever seen. He also noticed that she resembled the man, but with nearly white eyes. Only a short vest covered her chest and low slung pants hing over her sandal clad feet. A band of tape held a small kunai pouch to her left thigh. She bent down to retrieve the scythe, examined it, then threw it away.

"Jarka never knew when to leave the pretty ones alone," she muttered, tossing her braid over her shoulder. "Told him it would be the end of him one day. Me, I let them tire out before I play with them." She smiled and her pointed canines featured in the toothy smile. They were longer than the rest of her teeth. "And what a pretty little toy Mira has found today."

Iruka laughed and sobbed at the same time. "Why am I the pretty one?" he whispered. "Why couldn't I have been the ugly one?"

Mira threw her head back and laughed. "My, aren't we being sorry for ourselves?" In a flash she was behind him, wrapping her long arms around his tired body. Whispering in his ear, she said, "But I like them all. More to feed on." With that she licked his ear. Iruka shuddered and tried to break away, but she was to strong for him. "Not today, boy. You are exhausted and out of Chakra. Your companions are to far away to help you. Mira will get some joy from your death for killing her brother."

"No," he whispered, trying to get away.

Mira ran a hand over his chest and down his stomach. She loved the way he shuddered at her touch. It got her excited. She nibbled at his neck, piercing his skin with her teeth. Lapping the blood as it welled from the punctures, she tasted the salty sweetness of his blood. So young. So nubile. She had probably ten minutes before the others came back for him. Plenty of time to destroy him and get her pleasure from his body. She quickly gathered a little Chakra and bound his hands together. He may have some Chakra left, so she wasn't taking any chances. He may be Chuunin, but he was strong. He had killed her brother, hadn't he?

Dragging her prisoner to the small rock fall, she threw him down none to gently and drew a kunai from her thigh. Tapping the blade against her blood stained lips, she debated on what to cut off first. After a minute of thought, she opened his vest and slit the ragged shirt to his navel. She appreciated the lean muscle of his stomach and the tight bands across his chest. She really liked the blush that spread down his face and onto his bronzed chest. He was very pretty and shy. She was going to enjoy this. Leaning down, she drew the vest and shirt down his arms. He turned his head away to hide his mortification. A small smile lifted her lips and she ran a finger across his tight chest. Such soft skin, too.

Silently, Mira straddled his knees and kept his legs restrained as she tapped the kunai against her thigh. Where should she cut first? Carefully, she sketched a thin line across his shoulder and down his right pec, circling the nipple. She watched as it rouched and tightened. Interesting. She performed it again on the left pec this time. Again, the same affect. She let a small smile touch her lips. Tracing the muscles of Iruka's stomach with her kunai, she reached his navel. With her right hand, she raked her nails over his upper thigh, making him quiver. This was the most sensitive she had ever teased one of her playthings. Maybe she should keep this one alive for a while. She laughed as she drew new lines across the boy's chest and stomach, digging deeper with each pass. Soon, he was covered in cuts, shallow and deep, his brown skin weeping blood and staining the ground under them.

Iruka could only endure the pain in silence. He knew she wanted him to scream. He wanted to scream, but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. He had nearly died of shame when his body reacted in pleasure at the pain she inflicted on him. But when she started to dig deeper into his skin while raking her free hand over his thighs and tweaking his nipples, he had grown hard. He wanted to die. This wasn't something he could handle. His body could only take so much abuse and this was the last that he could take. As the blood tickled over his body to pool around him, he gratefully went into a state of shock. He hurried into a corner of his mind to hide from the woman and her minstrations.

He wasn't alone, he realized. The boy was watching the woman in fascination. He stood there for a few moments, then came back to Iruka's curled form. He was wearing ANBU black, arm and leg guards, and that white mask. He stared at him, his eyes narrowing.

"Why aren't you killing her?" he barked, a thumb thrust over his shoulder. "She's killing us."

Iruka blinked. "Us?"

The boy exhaled in annoyance. "Yeah, dimwit. Us. She kills you, she kills me. Get it?"

"Who are you?" Iruka asked, sitting up. "I keep seeing you in my dreams."

The boy came over and sat with a grunt of frustration. He reached up and lifted his mask. "I'm you, of course."

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A/N: Well, a quicker chapter this time. Yay me! Now that I don't have to worry about my schedule, I can focus on writing more. But it also gives me more time to think of ways to torture my boys. (smiles at Kakashi and Iruka) They love it.

Don't you just love cliffies? I know I do. (grins ) I need to watch some more Martial Arts technique videos. I only know Tae Kwon Do, so I only know defensive moves. Grr...I need to get into a good fight with some of my cousins again. That would give me a motivation to create a kick ass fight scene.

(looks around) What? We tussle and then move on to stick fighting. It's one of the many things we do to entertain ourselves besides trying to kill each other with heavy horseshoes when we get together. Otherwise we'd be jumping from cliffs into water or trekking through the Appalachians. Can't with it being hunting season. Crazy hunters.