Chapter 4 Voices
"Where am I?" I said out loud. My voice echoed through the empty blackness. I hesitated then took a step forward. Water splashed beneath me, rippling under my bare feet. I looked up and a person stood before me, their figure almost glowing.
"Ah! Itachi-san!" I called.
He looked over slowly at me, the shadow of his bangs hiding his eyes. He held out his hand towards me. I smiled and began to run towards him. I reached out, my hand inches from his. The sound of cracking glass rang through the blackness. Itachi's hand curled away from mine just as the water beneath me shattered. I started to fall through nothingness. I finally hit the ground but, like the water, my whole body shattered.
--
"Oi! Kouta, look at this!" Teru said as he stared down at the dead body of Mikami. Kouta, a tall Suna shinobi with sandy brown hair, ran up and kneeled down next to his teammate.
"Unlucky bastard." He said when he saw the bite marks. "Probably got attacked by a venomous snake."
"This guy over here wasn't killed by a snake that's for sure." Said Kaya, a girl to their right, who was standing by Kyoya's body.
Kouta and Teru ran up to meet her.
"Damn! What happened to him?!"
Kaya shook her head. "He badly burned, probably an explosion. I'm a medic-nin and even I can't really tell."
Teru's head snapped up and he looked over at the base of a nearby tree. The tree was nearly clothed in shadows, making it almost impossible to see anything at this time of night.
"What is it, Teru?" Kaya asked.
Kouta shivered. "This-this feeling…"
--
I groaned. Ah, I hurt…everywhere. I opened my eyes slowly. It must've been night, the world was dark. I stared over at my hand through blurry eyes, it twitched slowly.
Do you remember him? A voice echoed in my head. Do you remember everything he did to you?
His face flashed through my mind. I felt the old anger and hatred begin to well up in my stomach.
That's right, this power can help you get back at him. Let your hatred feed your power, let me into that darkness in your heart.
I started to stand. I saw a group of shinobi standing over Kyoya's body. The sight filled me with rage. They stared back at me, like I was a freak.
Kill them!! The voice commanded.
"Get…your fucking hands…off my teammates!!" I roared.
--
Kouta stood up slowly as waves of immense chakra stifled the air. Kaya stepped back. All they could see was a figure standing up in the shadows. Teru stood up as well when a pair of blood red eyes snapped open.
"Sharingan." He mumbled.
The figure emerged from the shadows to revel a twelve year old girl with sandy blond hair. Ominous black marks were spreading across her face and arms. For a moment the three Suna shinobi just stared. Then she charged.
Karasu headed straight for Teru (he was closest). She took a hold of his face, literally digging her fingers into his skin. Teru screamed out. Karasu brought his head down and slammed it into her knee breaking his nose. Kouta and Kaya watched in horror, unable to react. Karasu released Teru and fell to the ground, rolling in pain. She calmly reached down and took a hold of both sides of his face, then twisted it sharply. His screaming cut off sharply and he dropped to the ground.
"You bitch!!" Kaya screamed and hurled a shuriken.
The shuriken sliced the palm of Karasu's hand open. Karasu stared at her hand, at the fresh blood sliding down her wrist. She looked over at Kaya slowly. Kaya froze, caught in the gaze of those eyes. Then Karasu was right in front of her, digging one hand into her chest. Kaya screamed. A insanely sadistic smile spread across Karasu's face as blood spattered all over her . Kouta knew he should do something, his girlfriend was dying right in front of him! But he couldn't move, not at all.
Finally, Kaya's heart ripped free and her eyes rolled back into her head as she collapsed. She twitch once. Karasu stared as the beating heart in her hand slowed. She tossed it to the side, no longer interested. She looked over at Kouta, again smiling sadistically.
"And then there was one." She sneered. "I hope you more entertaining."
Kouta noticed the blood on her hand was sizzling and bubbling. He didn't even have time to beg for his life before her hand impaled his stomach. Karasu curled her fingers around his spine and pulled. With a lot of screaming from Kouta and not much effort from Karasu, the spine snapped and slid out from the hole in his stomach. Kouta fell, his body unable to support itself.
It feels good, doesn't it? The voice asked. The way the power flows through, fed only the darkness you hide from the world.
Kouta screamed and screamed, his pain unlike anything he had ever felt. Unable to defend himself or fight back, he began to cry in frustration.
"Are you still alive?" Karasu asked and brought her foot down on his neck.
Kouta's screams were silenced immediately. The forest became deathly silent. The small clearing looked like a slaughter house, with Karasu standing in the middle, covered in blood. The wind softly whispered through the trees.
Karasu raised her arm and stared at it. Black marks crawled up to her twitching finger tips. Blood ran in rivers down her whole arms before spilling onto the dirt. A drop of blood fell from her face into her open palm.
"What…happened to me?" She whispered in a shaky voice.
Her shoulder pulsed and Karasu's knees gave out. She coughed up blood and let fatigue wash over her. Blackness began to fill her vision. The last thing she saw was a pair of shoes come to a stop in front of her.
--
I opened my eyes and flinched away from the light. Where was I? When my eyes adjusted, I found myself starring up at a blue, cloud filled sky through a screen of leaves. I sat up and a wet wash cloth fell from my forehead onto my lap.
"Are you awake?" A voice asked.
I looked over. Kabuto sat on a log about a yard away.
"Kabuto-san?" I said lazily, then I realized who I was talking to.
"Kabuto-san!!" I said as I attempted to stand but my shoulder throbbed and I fell back down in pain. I breathed heavily and rubbed the base of my neck.
"You shouldn't move so suddenly." Kabuto said calmly.
I stated down at my hand. The palm was neatly bandaged. I took a deep breath.
"I ….I really did kill those kids, didn't I?"
Kabuto nodded.
I continued to stare at my palm. I closed my hand and looked back over at Kabuto.
"What's going to happen to me now?"
Kabuto opened his mouth to speak but is head snapped up. He sighed and smile.
"Could they have a worse timing?" He said as he stood up and disappeared.
"Karasu-sama!!"
I turned to see three Konoha jonin running up to me. I began to stand, fearful that I had been discovered.
"Don't run, Karasu-sama!" The youngest one called out. "We work for the Akatsuki, were disguised to blend in."
I knew that such little information wasn't enough to trust them.
"What's our leader's name?" I asked.
"Pain-sama." The tallest one answered.
"How did you find me?"
"Kyoya-sama sent a hawk shortly before he died. We came here as soon as we could."
Kyoya? I smiled. Of course. Kyoya summoned hawks. He had been trained to send one in case of an emergency.
My shoulder throbbed. I cried out and fell back to the ground.
"Karasu-sama!" The young one crouched down next to me. "Remove your hand, please."
I did and he pulled down the collar of my hanten. I could practically feel him staring at the mark I knew was there.
"Orochimaru is involved?" He asked slowly.
I nodded and noticed the other two jonin exchange glances. I stared down at my hand again.
"They're both dead."
"We know." The young one responded. "We know."
--
I can't recall much of what happened next. I remember somewhat passing out. They picked me up a carried me, I was basically half asleep. We didn't go far, I think they took me to the Konoha hospital. To the nurses this probably wasn't unusual, and survivors who didn't pass the test were probably brought here. My room was isolated with a single bed. I remember hearing someone say I could go into coma. I don't remember getting into the bed but they blindfolded me and gave me a oxygen max. Then sleep. Merciful sleep.
I didn't dream. Well…sometimes, but it was more like watching memories on a fuzzy television that kept changing channels. At one point it time I had a dream that wasn't a memory. This is what happened:
At first there was just static. Then the fuzzy image appeared…of a boy who looked vaguely familiar.
"I was told by (static fuzzed out the name) to train you." The boy said.
More static.
Another image appeared. This time the boy was training. He wore no shirt, no shoes, just a pair of sweats. He attacked a wooden dummy consistently. Then he stopped abruptly.
"You want something?"
Static…
"You shouldn't stand out there for too long, you might catch a cold."
Static…
"Someday I'll defiantly beat you again, (static)!" It had been me who spoke.
Static…
The scenes began to flash by too quickly, the it all ended. The television had been shut off. But the thing about the dream I found the weirdest was that I never saw the boy's face.