Chapter 4: Truth or Lie: A Friend
Kikimaru has been acting really weird. I see her in the morning and then I don't see her until I the next morning. I wonder what she does in between that time. Oh well. I got a mission and I can't be caught up with these mind bundlers. I walked over to the other at the village gate still wondering about Kikimaru. "Sorry I'm late."
"That's not like you. You are never late." Kiba was always asking me when I got there to see how he can improve his speed. It became so common I stared to bring a stop watch so I could just show him the time. For me to be late was a first. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. We better get going don't you think." I put Kikimaru a side and focused on the mission. We had to go and find treasure. It seems easy if think about it ,but its really isn't. The treasure is set in a cave with lots of traps and mazes. The treasure it self is protected by a chakra barrier according to our client. We are suppose to get this treasure back in one piece and then bring it to our client in the Land of Candy. Good thing Chouji isn't coming with us.
"All right if you say so." Kiba really didn't push things about what was bothering me because of me having a hard life. He usually just shoves it off. So we went to go get this oh so special treasure. The path was pretty quite and it seemed to go smoothly. I knew Shino and me were thinking the same thing. The trip there was much to quite for it to be a treasure mission. Usually there was someone trying to get it. So, we kept on our guard while Kiba and Naruto were talking about a prank they pulled long ago and Hinata just listened. Soon I calmed down and told Naruto about the time Kiba walked of a cliff that he didn't notice. Naruto got a kick out of that and Kiba was jumping up and down trying to convince us that he was under Gen jutsu. I calmed Kiba down by saying how Naruto ran right into a rock wall when he was bragging about one of his missions.
"Shino, do you hear that?" I whispered to Shino so I wouldn't disturb the two who seemed to be comparing missions.
"Yes. You think its an enemy?" Shino whispered back. I really didn't know ,but I wanted to make sure.
"I'll find out." I stepped back from Shino and used my Wolf eye to look for the sound. I looked to the east. Nothing. I looked to the west. Not there. Then north and that was wrong ,too. Then I looked behind us a couple of meters. There! It was a tall guy with a covered face. I went walked back up to Shino. "Yes. He's behind us. About 15 meters away. What should we do?"
"We don't want to aware that we know his presence. We should just keep our guard up and wait." Shino was the person you would never want to sneak up on. He had the perfect plans. I nodded and went back to making Kiba and Naruto look like fools.
"Rose. I-I see something." Hinata was using her eyes to find the right cave. I walked up to her and looked with my Wolf eye.
"Good work Hinata. Hey Shino. Mind taking a look for us." Then Shino sent some of his bug to examine the cave. I would send some in myself ,but I was to busy watching the guy with the mask on.
"All clear." Shino waited for all his insects to return and then joined us in the cave. It seemed safe ,but I knew it was just a cover. Now we needed to turn the pages. Naruto however walked right along until he stepped on a trigger. Kiba got him just in time. We all went over to see if Kiba was ok and I slammed a fist into Naruto's head.
"Be more careful Naruto or did you forget that this is a bobby trapped cave." I stared at him in amazement that he could be so dumb.
"Owe. I'm sorry ok. Geez, you didn't have to bonk me on the head." He rubbed his head and then got up. I wasn't going to waste any words on him. The man with the mask was walking in the cave. He obviously doesn't need us to help him get through this cave. Shino nodded at me and I went to go see our visitor. I wasn't surprised when he hid when I got there.
"Come out! I know your there!" I looked at rock that had a piece of cloth sticking out from behind it. It's not challenging if he doesn't try. The man came out from behind the rock and stood there facing me. Then he threw shrunken at me and ran for the exit. I blocked them and ran after him. He was fast ,but not enough to outrun me. We stopped at a waterfall. The Valley of the End. Why would he stop here anyway? Or was he leading me here?
"Well it seems you ran right into my trap, Rose." He turned around and faced me. Then he vanished in a puff of smoke. There was the real face of the visitor. Kikimaru!
"Kikimaru! What are you doing here?" I looked at her in surprise and confusion. I wonder why she transformed into a man and followed me.
"I'm here because I wanted to ask you something Rose." Kikimaru smiled and swiped one her locks of hair away from her face.
"It can wait, I have to go back and finish my mission." I started to turn when she threw a kunai at my foot and I stopped turning.
"It can't wait. Not this time." Kikimaru stared into my eyes and then closed them.
"What is it then?" I was going to have to listen no matter how much I wanted to go back and finish my mission.
"Do I look stronger Rose?" Kikimaru's question surprised me. That's what she wanted to ask me!
"That's it? Yes you do now can I leave?" I was ticked off. She was wasting my time.
"Good." She opened her eyes and disappeared behind me. "Fight me!"
"What!" She threw a few punches at me and I dodged the best I could. Until she kicked me in the stomach and launch me to the first Hokage's statue. I looked up and saw her eyes infuriate.
"Fight me now! Or I'll kill your friends!" I looked at her weird and stood up. "I put paper bombs in that cave! All I have to do is activate one and its over." My eyes widened. She wasn't kidding around. I looked at my choices. I had no choice ,but to fight. At least until the others got out of that cave.
"Fine." I took my stance and waited. She flew into the air and kicked furiously. I blocked and grabbed one of her kicks and threw her off the statue. She flipped and threw kunai at me. I took one of my shinbone and looped it threw the hoops at then end of them, stopping them. I took one and flew at her. She took a kunai and we collided in the air. She tied a wire to my foot and hurled me to the water below. I rebounded of and waited for her to land on the water. "Why are doing this?"
"Because! I-I hate you so much. I hate you Rose Wolf!" She charged at me and I charged at her. We threw our punches and we each caught the others. I looked in her eyes. She wasn't lying. She really did hate me. I know she didn't like me ,but I didn't know she hated me this much. I jumped back and took a kunai out of my pouch. She took one out too and then did some hand signs. "Water Dragon jutsu!" I bended the water and froze it to defend myself. I dove into the water and watched as she looked around for me. I took her feet and pulled her under. We kicked and punched through the water. We both jumped out and took a breath.
"Why do you hate me!" I took a knee and waited for her to answer.
"I hate you because I do. I don't need to give you a reason!" She drew her sword and slashed at me. I couldn't help ,but draw my sword and blocked. I couldn't understand it. I backed away and she stabbed me in chest. Blood came out of my mouth and closed my eyes. She picked me up by the neck. I dangled from my feet ,but I didn't put her hands on her.
"I don't know why you hate me so much. I don't want you to hate me." I looked in her eyes and I tried to see why.
"Why! Because everyone wants you." I didn't understand. "Everyone wants you to be on there team. Those people who posed as your parents. They were mine! After you had to leave. They wouldn't stop talking about you. I hate you Rose! I'd wish you'd disappear!"
"I'm sorry." I truly was sorry ,but not for what I was going to do. I grabbed her hand and threw her at the wall. I went under water and bent the water around me to form a whirlpool. Then I jumped out and skid across the water to were Kikimaru was. I walked over to her and put a kunai to her neck. "Get over it." I was lying then. I wanted to tell her to cry and I want to tell her it was alright to hate me. I just knew it would never end.
"Rose!" She smacked away my kunai and punched me into the feet of the Second Hokage's. This is were Naruto told me it all went down to. Now it was Kikimaru and I' s turn. I positioned myself and formed an aura sphere. She formed a black aura and stood watching me.
"Kikimaru. I know you hate me ,but." I didn't know what to say. I was a lose for words and I couldn't just say nothing at all.
"Rose. Rose you said one time that I rush into things. One thing I never rushed until now was our fight. I waited so I could get stronger because I saw you grow too. But when our sphere's collided and exploded. That was the mark to say that we were equal." She looked at the ground. "I haven't been around because I've been training hard to be able to kill you! Now I can!" She jumped up into the air and so did I. Time seemed to slow down as we flew though the air. I looked in her eyes and so did she. We looked right into our very soul. We collided. With that collide the aura around us swirled into a sphere. I started to slip and I hit her cheek and she hit my chest wound. I was blasted out of the sphere and it felt like a was blasted away from my friend forever. I slammed into the wall.
"Urgg." Blood came out of my mouth and I landed to the ground. I saw her feet and she walked toward me. She kicked me in the stomach and I felt a shock of pain through my very being as I grabbed my stomach. She picked me up and squeezed my neck. I choked and put my arms on her arm for relief.
"Finish what you were going to say!" Kikimaru loosened her grip on neck so I could speak. I drew a breath.
"Kikimaru. I know you hate me ,but….You were always my friend." I looked into her cold eyes and she looked at the blood still coming out of my mouth.
"Your lying." Kikimaru refused to see how I considered her friend. I wanted her to know I wasn't lying ,but she tightened her grip and I could not speak. She drew her sword and aimed it at my heart.
"Rose!" Kiba was at the top of the cliff with the chest. Shino and Hinata were behind him. Naruto was I think right behind Hinata.
"Darn it." Kikimaru dropped me and ran. I looked at her run to the cliff and I knew were she was going. I saw her kid self run away and I knew were she was headed. She was going to the Akatsuki to accept their invite to there team. She was going to become stronger by being with the stronger team. That's what she thought. Shino and Kiba came down first and Hinata followed. Naruto got on the water and started to run after her.
"No Naruto. Let her go. She needs to go somewhere to think." Naruto turned around and looked at me on the ground. I looked pathetic ,but I was still alive. Shino took a knee next to me and picked my head up to stop the bleeding. Kiba took a knee next to me and started to make a big fuss.
"Why did she do that? Are you ok?" I listened to all of Kiba's questions and watched as Hinata looked at me horror. Naruto walked back over to me and stared at the ground and I knew he was thinking of Sasuke. I simply said.
"Did you get the chest?" Everyone was surprised that in my condition that the only thing I could say was if we got the chest.
"Yeah ,we got the chest. But…." I got up from Shino's lap and took the chest on my back. I stumbled a little and Kiba was waiting to catch me ,but I never fell. "You can't complete this mission. We need to get you to the hospital. Don't be crazy!"
"I'm going to endure! If I could still train after getting chewed up like a corps then I can walk to deliver this chest to our client. I won't be told that I get beat up on purpose because I'm lazy. I'm going to finish this mission, with or without you." I jumped up the cliff and walked a little from the top then fell to my knee. Naruto took my arm and helped my up. Kiba grabbed my other arm and helped me up from there. Shino nodded and Hinata smiled. So we went together to the Land of Candy and delivered the chest. We were walking to the gates when I remembered that she said I was lying. I swear I wasn't lying or was I lying to myself? I don't know ,but I know I thought her as a friend. I took one step pasted the gate. I started to fall and then I fainted right at the gates of the Leaf.