26 Aftermath
Picking Up the Pieces Left by Failure
It can only be assumed that Naeko found her own way to the hospital, gathering strange looks from the medics who wondered how she'd managed a dual dislocation of her arms without other obvious signs of trauma. After her injuries were treated, she was released and discreet inquiries were made as to the circumstances.
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"What do you mean, they all failed?" Takeshi shouted, oblivious to any attention he may have gathered with this open display of agitation.
"Simple," Ibiki answered, folding his arms across his chest and giving the other jounin a cool look. "I gave them the chance to accept or reject the last question, giving them an escape if they felt like they couldn't handle it. Obviously your little flake, what was her name..." He glanced up into space for a moment, plumbing his memory. "Ah yes, Naeko of clan Kurogata. She obviously still can't handle the stress of real shinobi work, so it's a good thing she bowed out when she could. It's only too bad that she took the rest of her team with her."
"But the other two, they didn't deserve this," the younger man protested. "Bookwork may not be their strong suit, but if they'd only been given another chance - "
A disgusted sigh from Ibiki. "You should know this yourself by now, that in real life there are no second chances. If your student can't stomach a bit of risk in exchange for a chance at a larger gain, then she doesn't deserve to be a chuunin. Come back in six months and we'll see if she's got what it takes, but until then don't waste my time. I have more important things to worry about." Responding to the growing anger in Takeshi's eyes with a calm smile, Ibiki added, "And you know what was a real pity?"
"Dare I ask?" Takeshi growled, forcibly composing himself.
"I took the liberty of looking at her paper afterwards and her score was one of the highest in the room." A dry chuckle. "That girl has brains, Takeshi, brains and talent. It's only too bad that she doesn't have a spine to go along with them." Considering the discussion closed, Ibiki then turned and walked away, leaving his colleague in a storm of indignation and darkly swirling thoughts.
It took Takeshi most of his willpower to be able to walk out of the Academy building with an impassive face and bearing, ignoring the muttered comments made as he passed. Now I'll have to work doubly hard to rebuild them as a team and to salvage my reputation, he inwardly grumbled as he walked through the village, not paying much heed to where his steps unconsciously led him. And then I have to figure out just what that scream was! It was bloodcurdling and barely human. If that came from where I think it did, then we're going to have a lot more to worry about than a failed exam. The smell of boiling broth then reached Takeshi's nose, rich with herbs and freshly cooked meat, and he realized with a start where he'd ended up. They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and a bowl of ramen sure does sound good right about now. Breathing deeply and then exhaling slowly, Takeshi then entered the shop and smiled wearily in return to Ayame's usual cheerful greeting.
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The rage that Kotori had felt hissing through her veins at the end of the written exam had grown into a commanding, dizzying throb by the time that she reached her home, and it took all of her strength to haul herself through the door before collapsing in a senselessly twitching heap on the entryway tile. Her hands clutched at phantoms just beyond her sight, and on the edge of her hearing she sensed a bitter laugh. With a ragged gasp she recognized the laugh as belonging to the cat demon, and she rasped, "What do you want?"
Now you know what it feels like to be me, the demon purred, chuckling further at Kotori's torment. A killing machine bound by the failings of mere mortals. So powerful, and yet at the same time so powerless! How does it feel to be paralyzingly angry, knowing that there is nothing you can do to save yourself? That is my life, little one. It's time you knew what it's like. Another spasm of anger lashed through Kotori's body like a searing whip, tearing loose a shuddering moan.
Blood began to trickle from the raw marks on her shoulder, a visible sign of the demon's struggle to free itself from its fleshly bonds. The word 'jinchuuriki' itself refers to human sacrifice, the cat continued, and Kotori could feel spectral claws rending her core as it intensified its battle. In spite of her efforts, a howl of agony wrenched from Kotori's throat. So how much are you going to sacrifice before you finally let me take what is mine, release me, and let me destroy this place? It's not like anyone truly cares about you here. You're an outsider, a freak, and a danger to them. Let's prove them right!
"No..." Kotori husked, forcing what shards of will she had into place as a last defense against the Nekomata's hellish onslaught. "I... can't. Even if they... hate me... they've still done nothing to me."
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Taiki lay on his bed, glaring up at the ceiling. "I can't believe that girl, flaking out like that and letting us fail. Doesn't what we've done as a team mean anything to her? Everything we've done has built up to this point, our chance to shine, and what does she do? She turns chickenshit the moment someone starts putting some pressure on her. What a load of bull." He flexed his hands once, tautly enough to feel fingernails almost pierce the skin before relaxing. "I'm surprised Kotori didn't go ballistic right there and murder her, but what stopped her from doing it?" Blinking, Taiki then shook his head. "Never mind. I really don't want to know what's going through that furry little mind of hers."
The searing white flash of pain scorched across Taiki's synapses and left him with a reeling case of vertigo that left him grabbing onto the edges of his mattress, but this time he could only guess. "She must have really come unhinged! I don't know if I want to see this" He knuckled his eyes to try and erase some of the aftershock and felt a chill when he realized that this time the pain was tinged with abstract animalistic fear. "But considering what happened last time, it could be her life on the line. Hold yourself together, Tori-chan, I'm coming..."
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You can't hold out much longer, can you. Anger and disappointment have made you weak against me, and very soon this pitiful little body will be mine to do with as I please. Don't worry, Kotori, I'll be gentle. Another laugh, mocking this time, and the sensation of a claw tracing a light arc around the curve of her jaw. There are so many things I want to try, and who knows – you might just like some of them. Not all of them, though, so sorry to say.
The demon was then startled out of its devious scheming by a loud knock on the main door of Kotori's home and a concerned voice. "Kotori, are you all right?" Misery-tinged senses barely registered the visitor as Taiki, and mangled vocal cords could only manage a choked sob of entreaty. "I'm coming in, so you'd better be decent."
Ooo, looks like your little boy-toy is here. I guess I'll leave you alone for now, but don't think I'll back down. With a smug smirk, the Nekomata faded back into Kotori's subconscious as the door slid open and Taiki dashed inside. Seeing the bloody, battered spectacle that Kotori presented where she lay in an agonized knot on the tile, Taiki peeled off his coat and used it to stem the bleeding as best as he could. "Man, I thought you'd be upset, but what happened?"
"The cat... she tried to take over," Kotori whispered weakly, trying to sit up but failing completely and sagging in defeat back to the floor. "The only reason she let me go is because you're here. I don't know if I can hold her back if she tries again... so please stay? Just for a little bit..."
And you think I can do any better with keeping her at bay? Taiki thought, but put on his best comforting smile and gently eased the girl into a resting position in his arms. "I told you I'd always be here. What makes you think I'd change my mind?"
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That evening found Takeshi warming a barstool in one of the village's seedier establishments, seeking to salve his wounded ego with whatever he could find in a bottle, cup, or mug. The bartender, having seen this type of binge before, knew that the drinker would pay the consequences of their rashness first thing in the morning and thus reserved judgement or inquiry into the root of Takeshi's imbibing. When the bar closed in the early hours of the morning, the jounin did not feel quite up to returning home and made his way to another spot of comfort and meditation – the memorial stone out in the practice field.
After looking around to make sure that he was alone, Takeshi slouched sloppily to the ground and fixed the stone in bleary vision, looking as he usually did for his older brother's name in his usual ritual of visitation. When he found it, he gazed at it mutely for some time before finally opening his mouth to speak. "You know what, Katsuo, you have it easy. All you have to do is watch us as we run around down here and laugh as we screw things up..."
Maybe it was a trick of the wind, or maybe the shade of a memory in the drunk man's mind stirred at an unconscious prompt, but a deep gravelly chuckle made itself heard in the sepulchral quiet of the early hours. "I do laugh at times, you little punk, but other times I wish I could come down there and beat some sense into you!"
Takeshi blinked and skittered back a foot or so as a familiar figure came into view, solidifying from the shadows around the stone into the form of a tall, lanky man in his mid-twenties who wore the leaf band of Konoha in identical fashion to Takeshi and the garb of the jounin elite. "Holy - !" the younger man sputtered, staring at the specter. "I swear, I didn't drink that much..."
The ghost grinned widely at Takeshi's discomfort. "Someone's gotten into the sauce tonight, haven't they. And what might the occasion be – did some girl dump you again?"
"You know damn well what happened, Katsuo. My students failed the very first part of their exams because one of them got scared and chickened out!"
Grin fading into a sympathetic wince, Katsuo nodded once. "So it seems. What are you going to do about it?"
"... I have no clue." Resting his face in his hands, Takeshi muttered, "I didn't even dare to think what would happen if they failed. Boy, do I look like an ass."
A quiet eyebrow raise. "I won't comment on that. But still, what are you going to do? You can't just toss in the towel now."
"Don't you think I know that?" Takeshi glared up at Katsuo. "I wish you hadn't died that day. You'd know how to deal with this mess."
Katsuo sighed ruefully. "You aren't the only one, Takeshi. But this mess is yours to deal with, and I'd suggest you go back to square one with them. If they can't work as a team and trust each other completely, then it's your job to teach them, even if it means grinding them down a bit. I know you can handle this – you wouldn't have been promoted and given students if you couldn't!" An idle shrug, then, "Feel free to take my advice with a grain of salt, though – I'm dead, and you're plastered. For all you know, you could be hallucinating. Take care, punk, and I'll see you around."
Before Takeshi could protest, the ghost waved once in farewell and faded back into the shadows. Takeshi blinked a few more times, then lurched to his feet. "Damn, I need to go home and lie down..."