Song of the Full Moon's Child
Chapter Eight--Control

We had been terribly wrong in believing that from there on out, it would be a free path straight to Konoha. Ha. Like that would happen. As it turned out, Konoha was far more popular than we gave it credit for. People were going towards it from all directions, and just as many people were going away from it.

But those people weren't the problem. The problem came a little while after the first set of people past by us...

It was around high noon; the sun was beating down on us as we hurried along. It had been a long day. We had been traveling since early morning with barely four hours of sleep to energize us. I felt my eyelids drooping as I ran alongside my teammates. They didn't look too good, either. Washi looked as if his jacket was weighing him down. He ran half the time with his eyes closed, and I wondered if her was sleeping and merely moving on instinct. When he snored, I knew I was right and quickly jumped closer to him to give him some support. It made moving even harder, but at least then I didn't have to worry about him falling down to the forest floor, so far below.

"Are you sure you've got him?" Nori asked, frowning in my direction. I nodded slowly, tugging him closer to me as he began to droop.

"Why is he so tired? Even you and I aren't asleep on our feet!" I called over to her.

Nori shrugged. "He hasn't slept well since we set out, really. He's been so concerned about you ever since you disappeared..." Nori sighed, smiling sadly at the image of the light-haired boy. "He would wake me up, sometimes, wide awake, and ask if it was okay if we continued on. Of course we never got far on the occasion that I said yes, because we'd both become exhausted and need to sleep. And then, when we finally found a lead as to where you were...well, he wouldn't sleep then, either! Even though he was practically dead on his feet, he dragged me off, insisting we find you before we sleep. He's so stubborn." She stared at him rather fondly, her deep brown eyes shimmering. A loving sort of smile took possession of her lips.

I felt awkward witnessing such an expression--like I was imposing. I had never seen Nori's face so totally open before...It wasn't as if she was an extremely private sort of person, but her face was always controlled. She knew what she wanted to have displayed, and what she wanted to keep to herself. And this was the sort of thing she always tried to keep to herself. Always. If Nori had ever loved someone, she had made it so that, if you looked at her, it would seem as if she were almost indifferent towards them...But here she was, an open book with all her emotions on display.

"Nori?" I asked, swallowing on the saliva forming in my mouth. "How do you...What do you think of Washi?"

Nori stared curiously at me, the loving look completely gone and replaced with confusion. It happened so quickly it was hard to comprehend. How could someone switch feelings so quickly? In the blink of an eye...

"Well, I don't know if I know what you mean. He's persistent, funny, nice, kind of...annoying at times, but a good person, likeable, stubborn."

"No, Nori. I didn't mean it like that."

"Then how did you mean it? Like what do I think of him as a ninja? He's pretty decent. Kind of cocky though. He thinks he's better than it is, you know. Arrogant. And that often gets in the way of his performance, but he gets the job done, and most of the time, it's a job well done!"

"No, Nori. That wasn't what I meant either. What I was asking was..."

Of course, that was when Washi decided that he had had enough sleep and that he could move on his own once again. At first he buried his face in my neck as he woke, mumbling to himself. And he started to grab my loose, dirty hair, gently, bringing it close to his face. I took a deep breath, trying to ignore him, but it was difficult. "Just, hang on Nori. Let me see...Washi? Are you awake?" I stopped on a branch and turned to stare at him. Slowly, his eyelids lifted, revealing familiar dark grey eyes.

He smiled at me at first, his eyes glazed over a bit. I smiled unsurely back, and that was when he realized what he was doing, where he was.

"Oh!" he sprang back, nearly falling over the side of the branch. My heart flipped in my chest and I immediately reached out to grab him before he could fall. Nori jumped to my side, quick as a wink, and helped me reel him back in.

"Careful," she warned lightly, a smile twitching on her lips as she stared at our male teammate. "It's a long drop down."

Washi paled as he peered over the edge. I looked over, too, and my eyes began to swim. The objects looked unclear. Imagine if he had fallen...if I had fallen...

I shuddered and looked away. It was too terrible to even think about. Just imaging one of our bodies laying on the ground, all crumpled and maimed...

I felt myself pale considerably and banished all thoughts of it from my mind. Nori and Washi both watched me curiously; I just stood there, staring blankly back. For some reason, the horrible image would not leave my mind. I kept picturing their faces, right now so perfectly balanced, though confused, as grotesquely disfigured.

And then I began to wonder, would it be my fault if they did fall? Would I be the one responsible if something happened to them while we were here, or in Konoha, or heading home?

I felt as if the answer was yes. After all, if it wasn't for me, they never would have had to have left Gekkougakure in the first place. If it wasn't for me and my stubbornness--my refusal to return home--they wouldnt be standing on a tree branch right now. If it wasnt for me, they wouldn't be facing the danger of coming across bandits, or being attacked or killed. Nothing could happen to them if they were back home--where they belonged.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but suddenly, as I stood there with my teammates--my friends--with the wind blowing gently, rustling the leaves, I felt an odd sense of foreboding wash over me, filling my body with dread. It made my body feel heavy; each limb felt like it was made of lead. I couldn't move. I could barely breathe.

"Kaiyo?" Washi squeaked, taking a step near me timidly. He made to reach out for me, but Nori pulled him back, eyeing me cautiously.

"Leave her be," she whispered warningly. Her dark brown eyes never left me, and I never moved. I didn't get why I wasn't moving except for the obvious reason that I couldn't; my legs were too heavy to move. Wouldn't it make sense though to try? If I felt something bad was about to happen, shouldn't I have taken Washi and Nori and ran as far as I could away from the approaching danger? It would have made more sense.

"Something isn't right..." Nori grumbled. Her eyes narrowed until they were merely little slits; you could barely see the warmth of her eyes.

"Kaiyo," Nori began; her voice was low and commanding, as it always was when she was about to give orders. "Move. Lift your leg or something."

I furrowed my brows. "Why?"

"Just do it, okay?"

"Okay..."

I did as she asked, and although the message was sent to my brain, my leg didn't quite get it. I felt myself trying, pushing against the weight of it to just pick it up, but nothing happened. My eyes widened; how odd! I pressed my lips tightly together and tried again, harder now. My leg didn't budge.

Panic began to fill me. It came in through my fingertips, I think, but I couldn't tell because my arms weren't trembling as the rest of my body, excluding my legs, was doing. As I had heard Nori whisper, something was wrong--desperately wrong.

I closed my eyes, hoping that I would calm down. There was no need to get so worked up about this. I was just...panicking. That was all.

"Stay back Washi!" Nori hissed, sounding aggravated.

"B-but!" Washi stuttered.

My female teammate sighed. "It's for your own good if you stay back," she said a bit more gently now. "I'm not sure, but I think I know this move..."

This caught my interest. My eyes shot open and I stared intently at Nori. She was still staring intently me, scrutinizing my stillness with her hawk-like eyes

"Oh? Tell us then," Washi and I both insisted.

Nori sighed. "Again, I'm not positive. I'm just guessing here..."

"It's better to have some idea than none at all," I whispered.

"Yeah! Spit it out!" Washi exclaimed.

Nori clamped her hand over his mouth and dressed her finger to her lips. She flashed him a warning glare; it was the first time I had seen her eyes move for a little while now.

"Quiet; they might hear you?"

"...They?" Washi questioned, quiet.

Nori nodded; suddenly, my foreboding made sense. Maybe I had heard them coming? Or possibly--and I hated to think that this was true--I had seen them pass while I was staring at the ground and didn't notice them, but my subconscious did!

"With this move, you can control the movements of a persons arms, legs, hands, feet, fingers, and toes. You target in on your...victim and they freeze up. Usually, terrible thoughts start to fill their mind, but that is just a side-effect; the user has no control over that. And then, he or she moves the victim's body by thinking it. The picture of it happening is transmitted from their mind's eye to the person that they're controlling's mind. Then, seeing that, they do it. I don't remember what it's called, but I do remember that it is a fairly new technique derived from that of the Tonkatsu clan in Konoha. Whoever came up with this move was trying to copy the one that the Tonkatsu's made up generations ago--and managed to keep a secret--but failed and ended up coming with a move of their own."

I frowned. So I was being controlled, eh? It did make sense. The terrible thoughts, the lead-feeling...I wondered how much of it was of my own making and how much of it just occurred because someone was controlling me.

"So...why hasn't the person made me jump off the tree yet?" I asked; Nori shrugged.

"And why did you tell Kaiyo to move her leg?"

"I wanted to see whether or not it was a possibility that she was under the attack. That's why I whispered it. If the user was smart, they would have her move her leg when I told her to--if they had heard me. However, unless they have super-human hearing, there's no way they could have."

"Why not?" I wondered aloud.

"Because, for whatever reason, the move can only be used at a long-distance range."

"That's odd..." Washi muttered; a frown took shape on his mouth, creasing his forehead.

"Yes it is..." Nori agreed.

The two sat down, leaning against the tree and just staring at me. They didn't move, didn't speak, they just sat still as if they too were under the jutsu. After a while, it started to irritate me.

"Isn't there any sort of...I don't know, counterattack?!"

Nori shook her head. "Not that I know of."

I sighed. "So are you just waiting it out or something?"

Again, Nori shook her head, causing her long hair to whip across her face and Washi's. He spluttered and spat, untangling his face from the dark web.

"Some people can see the chakra lines for this attack, connecting the two people involved, if they are looking hard enough. The reason for this is unknown, though some say its because the chakra is so bright during this jutsu. Others, however, disagree and say its just because they have special eyes."

"I'm hoping its the first one, because, no offense Nori, but your eyes aren't that special looking to me," I teased, sticking my tongue out at her; she returned the gesture.

Washi frowned, not quite getting the joke. "I like her eyes," he said defensively. "They're...warm. And they sparkle."

Nori's face tinged a light shade of pink; I smiled.

"Your eyes are nice, too, of course Kaiyo!" Washi quickly added, afraid that he had offended me in some way. "They have a sort of glimmer to them. It's like your eyes are reflecting some greater light; it's a little dim, but it's beautiful still." He paused thoughtfully. "Plus, they're a nice shade of green."

Of course, he had to ruin the depth of what he had previously said with that. Of course.

But what he said got me thinking. It reminded me of the odd dream I had had that night. The one with the little girl.

I closed my eyes and the dream began to replay itself in my mind--or rather, the memory. Because I knew it happened; I remembered it distinctively.

We were playing tag. She was 'it' and I ran fast, but she caught up. When she tagged my shoulder, I felt an electric zap and, I saw when I looked over to look, my shoulder was glowing, as was her hand.

She seemed just as confused as I was, and so, as if to experiment, she touched me again, and the same thing happened.

And then she did the oddest thing--she smiled. It was a radiant smile, and all her small white teeth glowed. It made my face light up as well, but I knew that my smile would never be as brilliant as hers.

It was like she made me shine

How odd that Washi should mention me--or my eyes, really--glowing the same day I had remembered that. It was as if he was inside my mind or something.

He wasn't the only one who seemed to have some sort of occupation up there. I was just starting to loosen up a bit when a picture entered my mind. It wasn't just any picture, but a command.

I felt my arm--now suddenly heavier than lead--moving towards my throat. My fingers gently touched the tender skin before closing tightly around it. My oxygen supply was cut off and the inside of my throat began to feel scratchy. I tried to loosen my fingers, to pull them away, but the harder I tried, the tighter my grasp became.

"Please...let me do it myself...I'd rather go with a weapon familiar to me, no matter how odd it sounds." She looked at me, her eyes flashing warningly. She told me to leave, so why hadn't I?

"Heh. Go ahead. But if that doesn't kill you quickly, we'll take care of the rest."

"So long as I get to use my own weapon first, I suppose that is fine."

Out of the sheath she pulled her thin sword with golden wings on the handle, a diamond between the two. She stepped into the pond, a favorite place of hers, and lifted the sword high so that the harvest moon's bright light glinted on the blade.

Her head was slightly turned so that she could see me. I knew she didn't want this to be viewed by me, but terror kept my feet where they were.

The sword came down, right through her arm. The blood flew, staining her skin and clothes. Her bangs hung in her green eyes as she watched the look of horror on my face; she frowned.

"I did this for you, Kaiyo. So that you can live on with your dreams."

I gasped for breath; tears were stinging in my eyes. Reina-onee-chan...I couldn't breathe! The memories were choking me even more than my hand was.

"Ma! I'm home and here to serve-I mean help you."

"Reina! What took you so long?" Mom's screech pierced my ears, and I could tell they burst Reina's ears as well, because her free hand shot up to one.

"Well you see, Kaiyo is only six years old, and you sent her to get me. So it took a bit of time for her small legs to carry her to me. Plus she had to find where I was...so that took a while. But once she came, we left right away," Reina replied, moving her hand from her ear to a strand of her teal, knee-length hair.

Ma stepped into the room, red faced and thin-lipped. "I didn't ask for your tone missy!" she said in a dangerously low voice.

The 11-year-old Reina froze as Ma came towards her and I. Mommy didn't even acknowledge me, cowering against my sister, clutching at her clothes. Reina, arm still draped over my shoulders, brought me close to her so that my face was snuggling against her sides--she knew what was coming, and she didn't want me to see.

But that didn't protect me from hearing the sound of Ma's hand making impact against Reina's cheek.

The tears started spilling down; my cheeks stung as if I had been slapped. I started gasping. "Nori! Washi!" I choked. "Help me!"

She took out a kunai and gently dragged it over her palm once, and then again, above the first one. Blood slowly leaked out; I watched in horror.

I screamed; it took so much air I just about ran out.

"Kaiyo!" Washi screamed. My eyes were watering so much I could barely make out him jumping up to come to my rescue. I could feel his warm skin holding onto my hands. He wrenched and pulled. I could feel my fingers' grip loosen slightly, but then tighten again.

"Come on, Kaiyo!" Washi cried.

My leg lifted; I pulled it back, and then let it loose. It made impact with something. I assumed it was Washi's leg because the boy let out an agonized cry.

"Keep trying, Washi!" Nori demanded. "I found it!"

She zoomed off, leaving Washi stuck trying to keep me from accidentally killing myself while also trying to keep himself from killing me.

She was a mess when she stumbled through the doorway. She was more blood than she was skin. Her eye was swollen shut; her hands were so chafed that the skin was starting come back, leaving her red. The ends of her hair were stained with blood. There was a long gash going up her arm and a hole in her one knee.

A younger me ran forward to greet her, a gleeful smile on my face. I caught sight of Reina, though, barely able to support herself, her skin sheet-white, and I felt me heart rate lower.

I screamed.

"Kaiyo!" She smiled weakly. "Come here!"

My mint-green eyes widened and I screamed again. My older sister fell right on her face, a smile planted on her face.

"MOMMY!"

My hands pulled back away from my throat. I felt oxygen fill my lungs. I coughed and clawed at my throat. Free! I was...free!

"Thank you Washi," I croaked, blinking back the tears in my eyes. The light-haired boy smiled weakly back.

"Thank Nori. She's the one who broke the line. She's over there right now."

And so she was; barely standing, but there.

"We have to go," she said, shaking back her wild mane. "They're coming back."

"Who are they?" I asked, still gasping for breath.

Nori shook her head. "I don't know...but let's go!"

I shook my head. "How many are there?"

"Just two. Why?"

"And...are they men?"

Nori nodded. "But why? Why does it matter?"

I merely shook my head. "I'll hang back. You two go ahead; I'll catch up."

"But--" Washi began to protest; I silenced him.

"I promise I'll be right along. Just go."

Nori frowned. "You're weak though."

I shrugged. "Don't worry." I gave them both a shove, took a deep breath. If there was any chance that these people were my sister's murderers--I needed to be there to take care of them alone.

a/n / just one more chapter written so far. after that...nothing. :( sorry