Leaves in the Wind
Chapter Twelve: Sayonara
Amaya sat on the couch with her back to the arm rest and feet up on the cushion. She currently had a very content, blush cheeked Iruka asleep in her arms, head tucked away just below her shoulder. Kakashi had let the poor man get drunk again, and when she'd come back from an extensive daytime search for Kuro and Kuro, she'd been dumped with the responsibility of taking care of him. In Iruka's disoriented, slurred state, he'd claimed Amaya as a cushion, and now she sat, stuck with his sleeping weight on top of her.
The Jounin didn't mind very much. Iruka was a good friend of hers by this point, so the closeness didn't bother her. Amaya was tired herself and had actually taken to relaxing and dozing off on the couch. Kakashi's apartment was very small and had only one window, which made keeping an eye on her surroundings very simplistic, even with the handicap named Iruka. Her head nodded to the side, lying against the backrest. Her breathing began to match Iruka's soft snores, and her eyes closed as her muscles relaxed.
A soft buzzing started up from somewhere in or directly outside of the apartment. At first, it helped lull Amaya to a deeper sleep, but as it grew louder, transitioning into humming, it stirred her to a semi-conscious state. As the first words forced the humming into a song, her rest diminished. That song, with its ominous words so soft it was nearly undistinguishable, had been sung by the two men she'd spent the previous hours in pursuit of. "In my dreams I am jealous of you; but as the doors open, I will spread my wings and dive. I will take your sight away. It's what the wind whispers in my ears."
Iruka stirred as Amaya perked up, fine tuning her hearing to the voice.
"Secret worlds, secret worlds behind your secret door. Suzume, Suzume, Suzume. In my dreams, the gods bow to you, o Suzume. Suzume."
The Chuunin groaned noisily.
"Suzume, Suzume…"
Amaya stared down at Iruka and then slowly pushed him off so she could stand up. The girl hooked her kunai pouch to the back of her belt, and then pulled her vest on over her head. The Jounin's eyes flickered around the room, and then over to the window.
"They offered all their power to you, o Suzume. And I plucked your feathers when you were fast asleep. Suzume. Secret worlds, secret worlds, all your worlds are mine now. All your dreams are mine." The melody ceased and a nimble ninja landed on the window sill. "Greetings, Amaya-chan! I've come to visit!" Kuro gained a large grin.
Amaya gasped and instinctively stepped back once, bringing a hand in front of her. "Harogami Kuro!"
"Absolutely!" Kuro sang. "And I've co-me to visit! Good eve-ning, Am-a-ya-chan!"
Her stare narrowed. "I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!"
A night bird crowed somewhere near the apartment. The ivory headed ninja laughed lightly. "Yes! So smart, A-ma-ya-chan! Kuro-kun and Kuro-kun are both sons of a bitch." He laughed manically and flourished a black feather at her, twirling it between his fingers. "A friend taught me a new jutsu. You won't have seen it before, but it's very nice. Here. You should be the first to see."
Glass shattered and pain exploded up Amaya's arm. With first glance, she found a feather had struck the crook in her elbow, sinking through the flesh and muscle to strike against the bone. A feather had shattered glass and sliced through flesh…it felt like a metal kunai, not…
"Nothing special but it's bound to be useful for smuggling a weapon in any place one desires."
Amaya cringed and her hand went for the bloody feather. She jerked it out to look at it, only to be shocked that it was simply an ordinary feather. Amaya looked up to Kuro and a Shuriken flashed through the air towards him.
He shocked her by merely sitting there, taking the blow, watching blood rise around the Shuriken. "Oh dear. You've caught me." Kuro looked anything but pained. The ninja raised an arm and pointed to Iruka. "Iruka-sensei! Suzume, Suzume!"
Iruka rose unsteadily to its feet, body jerking spasmodically as he did so. His eyes were open but hazed; Genjutsu.
"You've served whatever purpose it was that Master saw fit. You should die now." The white-haired nin paused, tilting his head to the side. "Ah, and yet my chime has said nothing. How odd."
Amaya whirled around and promptly pushed Iruka to the ground, and three kuani shot towards Kuro in the process. Her hands flipped together. "Kai." She tapped Iruka. "Iruka-kun! Wake up!"
"Suzume, Suzume!" The Chuunin's eyes glazed over once again. "You try so hard, A-ma-ya-chan!" More laughter as Iruka sprang away from the Jounin, automatically drawing out a Shuriken and setting it at the ready. Kuro plucked a kunai from his shoulder. "You will have to decide. Continue to dispel the Genjutsu on your friend or fight me. You can't do both at the same time." Kuro took a handful of feathers out of his pants pocket and blew, sending a dozen of them rocketing towards Amaya.
The Jounin dodged the feathers, but Iruka's Shuriken nailed her in the back. The girl shouted and stumbled forward with the force. "Kai!" She dispelled the jutsu on Iruka, then launched towards the window, grabbing the rim of the frame with her fingertips and ramming both feet into Kuro's chest. The man shot out of the window along with her into the street below.
Civilians screamed and dropped their goods, running for cover. The two ninja landed on the street sending a plume of dust into the air. Amaya jumped backwards, skidding with the momentum.
Kuro let back his head and screamed. "AHH!" Well, that was enough for dramatic effect, wasn't it? He glanced up at Amaya and grinned. "You silly girl. I could be dead, and I wouldn't feel it. I would keep going until my body regenerated itself! Haha! Ahhh, but you're strong. I like that." He arched his back, then flipped, landing perfectly on his feet. His hands pressed forward and the following blast of wind knocked Amaya into the nearest building.
A dent in the wall appeared behind her stunned body and she gasped, staggering away from it. "Bastard! You don't feel pain?" This was unbelievable. Not to mention the middle of a dry street was not a good location for her ninjutsu. She looked up to the window they had just been thrown out of. Hopefully Iruka wasn't going to get involved in this.
She looked back. Kuro had been making sure he always kept a couple yards between them. He didn't like close range attacks, apparently. Perhaps his defenses weren't very good. That was perfect, she could do taijutsu. Amaya crossed her hands and her image flickered into four. The bunshins surrounded Kuro and leapt upon him. The real Amaya landed a solid blow across his face. Her knee followed the action, knocking him in the side and then foot extending all the way to throw him against the wall.
"You know, I really don't prefer close range combat, but, if you insist." A feather was shot at a lantern hanging from a vendor's cart across the street. The paper lighting exploded, causing smoke to billow through the air. Kuro eagerly inhaled. The last thing Amaya saw before rolling smog engulfed her was the grin on Kuro's face. "This smog will follow you wherever you go. My brother uses something similar though perhaps not as effective in blinding the opponent as mine. Do, try and find me."
"Crap." Amaya leapt out of the smog. It billowed afterwards to swallow her as soon as she touched down on the ground. The black smog filled her lungs and she coughed desperately, clenching her hand to her chest. "Suiton Suijinheki!" Amaya blew and water shot forward, but instead of its usual swirling affect for blocking, she clapped her hands above her head and it rose up, creating a small dome of water. The air in the glistening protective half-sphere quickly cleared and she gagged for breath. Amaya looked around, but all she could see past the barrier of water was rippling smog attempting to get through.
"Suzume, Suzume. We'll come to play another day. Rest your head and go to bed. A-ma-ya-chan!" The black smoke around her protective dome contorted and dissipated, once again allowing her to see the emptied streets. Kuro was gone.
Amaya dropped the barrier and water splashed into the streets. Her head lifted to the window. Glass shards that still clung to its frame glinted in the coming twilight. "Iruka-kun!" she shouted, hoping to get a response. Amaya ran at the wall and stuck her feet in place using chakara. She jumped in the window and looked around the empty living room. "Iruka-kun!" She ran to the bedroom and flung open the door, then the bathroom, closet, pantry, even kitchen cabinets. "IRUKA!"
"Amaya-chan?!" Kakashi's voice made her whirl around. The silver-haired Jounin jumped through his crashed window. "Iruka's gone?!"
"Yes! YES!" She was breathing hard, holding her head. "Genjutsu! He was asleep and then Harogami Kuro came and-"
"Come on!" Her partner shouted and jumped to the window ledge. Once again there were civilians gathering below like cockroaches. "We don't have time to panic, Amaya-chan!" Kakashi leapt out and flipped to the roofs.
Both Jounin ran as fast as they could, leaping over ally ways and dodging antennas. The sun began its heated decent over the western horizon -the direction of the chakara traces of both Kuro brothers. The Harogami siblings obviously wanted them to follow, for they made no effort to cover their tracks. Irony, in any sense of the word, was something that fascinated the Harogami Kuros and they obviously sought to bring that fascination into their challenge. As the Jounin grew closer, Kakashi recognized the area immediately. It was different than the rest of Konoha was to him. This was the direction in which the monument, the Hero Stone, was found.
The siblings wasted no time in preparation. Both men had been busy healing themselves on the way, and while their chakara levels must have been significantly lower than what they'd started with, Kakashi and Amaya knew this would be no easy fight. Hunter nin status, Sharingan eye- they would be useful but they wouldn't guarantee victory. Not when the enemy had a hostage.
Kakashi landed in the clearing first and Amaya was quickly beside him. It had been restored during the past few days under the Hokage's express orders. Signs of the previous, intense battle still lingered in the area. One other person was in the clearing with them, kneeling in front of the black marble stone. He traced familiar weather worn names, neatly done ponytail swaying with the breeze.
"Iru-"
Kakashi grabbed Amaya's arm and jerked her back, eye fixed on Iruka. "Don't, he could still be under genjutsu or it's henge."
"Listen…" Iruka murmured. "Kakashi, Amaya…listen…" The two Jounin automatically filtered out all naturally occurring noises and fine tuned their hearing for artificial sounds or voices. They heard only the gentle pealing of chimes…. Chimes. "Someone…someone is going to…."
"No." Kakashi said, lifting his hitae-ate. "The only ones here to die will be the Harogami brothers." His eyes flickered around.
The Chuunin shook his head, hand sliding away from the rock. "…No…the oracle doesn't lie. Harogami won't die." His body stiffened abruptly and he fell limply to the grass.
"Iruka!" Amaya dashed ahead towards him and kneeled at his side. She looked back at Kakashi. "He's fallen unconscious. Kuro and Kuro are manipulating him again."
Kakashi nodded. "Come on, Amaya-chan. Let's end this quickly."
"Roger." The two Jounin separated, jumping up into the gently swaying trees to hunt their enemy.
When Kakashi and Amaya were a decent distance away, Kuro and Kuro dropped their concealments. One stepped away from a tree, the other stood out of a bush. Both made their way to the unconscious Chuunin, Kuro-kun kneeling next to the man while his brother looked on. "Do you think they'll realize we're back here, Kuro-kun?"
"Oh, well, now they should. I'm trying to envision their faces. I think Amaya-chan's must be something like this-" Kuro contorted his facial features to create a look of utter shock and anger.
"Maybe Kakashi-sama's would look like…this?" the other brother closed one eye, widening the other.
"Maybe." Harogami Kuro examined the chimes tied to the end of his long ponytail. They clicked together gently. "So, which do you think will be the one to die, Kuro-kun?"
"Let us discover this after we've finished, Nii-san. Perhaps both will perish?"
"Perhaps." They glanced up in unison as an owl drifted noiselessly by on the wind. "Master will be pleased with us."
"Yes. Sensei will be very pleased."
Kuro-kun waved at the bird. "Sensei! Sensei! Tell sensei we're having lots of fun, ne?!"
"Nii-san, I think they might be coming this way now."
"I know, I know. I feel them. Should we hide?"
"Bunshin, Kuro-kun?"
"Ahh, bunshin! And concealment!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!" The siblings vanished to await the re-entry of their opponents, however they suddenly lost track of the two Jounin. Utter silence befell the area.
A soft call carried with the wind. "Suzume, Suzume." Iruka jerked to his feet, head falling limply against his chest. He stood quietly, waiting. The Harogami brothers waited as well. They wouldn't be the ones to make the first move this time. How foolish that would be. Although, they had to admit the sound of Kuro's chimes was making them excited. Kuro shifted in the underbrush, itching with anticipation. A kunai was suddenly thrust into his back. Kakashi ripped downwards, knife dragging across ribs and flesh. "Ow!" The brother cried and promptly vanished.
A startled bird squawked and rapidly took flight. Feathers wafted downward towards Kakashi, but the Jounin paid it no mind. By then, it was too late. Three small, tufted feathers instantaneously become missiles, two slicing into the Jounin as he dodged the third. Laughter resounded around him. Kakashi plucked the soft, wet feathers from his right arm. It was some sort of Ninjutsu that even the copy-nin didn't recognize. Well at any rate, one of the Kuro brothers was bleeding profusely, and whether he felt it or not, it would still disable him.
Amaya appeared at his side. Their glances met and they dashed off after the blood splatter. As they tracked, the deep crimson trail slowly disappeared. "They heal themselves?" Amaya asked, looking around at the end of the track.
"Yeah. But it probably takes a lot of chakara." Kakashi leapt directly upwards, and his companion followed. If they could get close enough, they could take the Harogami brothers down, but as long as the bastards ran, they didn't have much of a chance.
"It is useful to be able to throw your voice and conceal your aura from others." As usual, the voice had no owner in sight.
"We give you a gift now. Sweet melodies to soothe you."
The high-pitched clinking of small chimes grew louder and closer as they continued their search. Yet, instead of finding their enemies, the chimes continued to grow louder regardless of which direction they went in. Alarm only struck the Jounin as it rapidly became a chaotic screeching rather than the peeling of chimes. Kakashi and Amaya's vision warped and rippled as a migraine suddenly gripped at their mind. Both staggered, loosing ground on the branch they stood on. Amaya's hands went to her head and she squeaked as the migraine became inhibitive.
Shuriken darted at them from seemingly everywhere, slicing through skin but not aimed to kill yet. They were being toyed with. Kakashi attempted to dispel the genjutsu, but quickly learned that it didn't work. Apparently, this noise was real…
Amaya's hands were clamped over her ears. She began to crouch downwards as her knees weakened with the painful, nearly hypnotic screeching. Another shuriken shot towards her and nailed her in the leg. The girl gasped and slipped off the tree limb.
Kakashi's hand shot out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back onto the branch. The cacophony grew. The two ninja leapt down to the ground, rocking from side to side as the chimes disoriented their balance even further. The situation was rapidly worsening. Kakashi's hand planted to a tree trunk and he blinked heavily, vaguely noticing Amaya was doing the same.
They dashed off through the trees, trying to distance themselves from the noise. It didn't work; they were being followed. Both Jounin started to loose grip on their consciousness, and they stopped dead in their tracks, knees weakening. With his last bit of self-awareness, Kakashi formed a series of seals. "Don't disengage it, Amaya-chan," he warned.
The younger Jounin waited patiently, attempting to decipher the jutsu Kakashi had just performed. She slowly felt self-awareness return to her. The chimes and the rest of the world distanced from Amaya as her hearing suddenly cut off. She looked up to the swaying trees, but no sound came from its leaves. She stepped forward; no crunch of dried sand came from beneath her foot.
Thudump.
Amaya gasped and looked up.
Thudump.
It was a heart beat. Amaya's hand lifted to her chest as she slowly realized it was her own heartbeat she could hear. The sound of breathing was added to it, and then the sound of four other heartbeats and breaths came to her.
"Genjutsu. Don't dispel it, Amaya-chan." Kakashi's voice sounded distant as if he were trying to speak through a pillow, but she could hear his steady heart and breathing as if it were her own. Amaya matched her rate with Kakashi's and her nerves were tamed. They were ready to fight.
"This is annoying, Kuro-kun." That voice was even further than Kakashi's.
"Indeed. Very perplexing. But we expected as much." Two men grinned down at the ninja, golden eyes gleaming as both Jounin looked up. "By the way, you can shoot at us, but we're only bunshin clones."
"I wonder, which of you will hear the oracle when it moves our chimes?"
"It might even be Iruka-sensei! He could be collateral damage!" Kuro stared at them for a moment and his expression gradually became one of boredom. Already their wounds had begun clearing up. "We saved chakara for this."
"Yes! And we share it too!" The younger twin was quite eager. "Didn't you know? We have a nearly limitless supply."
"Funny isn't it?"
"Keep shooting, we find it amusing."
The air around the Jounin suddenly became stagnant. The wind in Konoha's forest didn't stop blowing; it just ceased to affect them. Kakashi shifted in the bubble of still air. Amaya coughed. The oxygen was rapidly diminishing.
"We like to call it: 'Dual binding suffocation'."
Heartbeats quickened and breath grew harder. Kakashi formed seals and thrust his arms outward. Once again, Kuro-kun's technique came in handy as the sudden blast of air disrupted the technique. The two Jounin separated from each other. They wouldn't be taken down simultaneously, they would be sure of that. The two Kuros poofed out of existence with a single shuriken.
One nearby Harogami Kuro lazily launched a few feathers into the air and watched them speed away and slip out of view into the trees. His eyes landed to the tree beside him. He knew a trap was there, and he knew they knew where he was. Possibly they even knew that he knew that they knew that he knew the trap was there too, but oh…how tempting it was…. And shouldn't he put on a good act? Shouldn't he entertain his friends? Kuro chuckled as he gracefully landed where the net should be. The rope swept up around his body and he let himself dangle a few feet off of the ground, entwined in the hemp.
"Nii-san! Oh, Nii-san!" Kuro grinned when he discovered he quite enjoyed the act. "I would like some help, Nii-san!" He wondered briefly when these Jounin had found the time to- oh, well, they were Jounin after all. The hunter-nin would think to set at least one trap, wouldn't she?
The rope connected to the net was cut. Kuro landed with a loud thud, and a foot rammed into his chest as Amaya landed on top of him, slicing through the rope across his neck. The kunai raked into flesh and blood splattered to the side. The wound was fatal, but her eyes widened in horror as the clean sweep on Kuro's neck suddenly melted back together.
"Such rash movement will cost you!" Kuro jerked upward, stabbed her inner thigh, pushing her quickly back. He hopped away as Amaya's shock registered, retreating into the trees.
"AHH!" Amaya crumpled to the ground and hunched over her leg. She had aimed to kill him. At first she thought genjutsu, but the blade was real and it was deep. She tenderly pulled it out and pocketed the kunai for later use. The hunter-nin quickly tied a cut of rope above the wound to reduce blood loss. She wouldn't let it hold her back. Kuro's heartbeat was pounding in her head. The bastard could run, but he couldn't hide. Amaya leapt up into the trees and followed him as fast as she could possibly go. Kuro came into view ahead of her and she threw shuriken to stall him. They nailed him square in the back, but he just kept going.
Not too far away, Kakashi was dealing with his own problems. Kuro-kun number two had been trying to turn him into a pincushion. The Konoha Jounin had already made one of Kuro, but unfortunately it didn't count for much more than an odd appearance. It wasn't too often a ninja could move so fluidly with that many kunai stuck in his body. Kakashi could pull it off if he needed to, but it would hurt like hell.
The damned man wouldn't stand still. He kept laughing and goading Kakashi on. His words didn't mean anything of course. It was just how…disgusting the guy was. Another barrage of feathers surrounded Kakashi.
The Jounin attempted to dodge, but was successfully hit with three in his blocking left arm. Kakashi traded off his kunai to Kuro, who sickeningly took every hit. Kuro didn't bother plucking the metal from his body, just kept going until his movement happened to wriggle one free. Kakashi had stopped bothering with ripping feathers from his flesh as well. It had gotten bothersome after the first ten, and the battle was increasing in intensity to the point where he had no longer any time.
The Jounin dodged another attack, successfully spotting and missing every single black feather, thanks to his Shiringan eye. Another set shot towards him. He dodged, but the feathers split into two sets. "Katon Housenka no Jutsu!" Fireballs sprang fourth and destroyed the feathers in mid flight. Kuro didn't relent, so Kakashi attempted to match it with another set of fire. Searing pain suddenly shot through Kakashi's chest and he gasped, stumbling backwards. Consequently, he was nailed with ten feathers.
Smog exploded around Kakashi's body, and he let out a desperate cry of pain. It enveloped him like a heavy blanket and clung to his body. His chakara suddenly cut off, and the smog sank back through his skin. The copy-nin gasped for oxygen, heaving and blinking heavily. His body involuntarily trembled as his nerves were shocked by the jutsu. More feathers hit him.
Kuro chuckled, dancing around Kakashi like a child would, plucking kunai out of his limbs and chucking them at his victim. "You look like bird that's been plucked for eating." A pink tongue slipped between his lips and he slurped. "How delicious!" Kuro continued dancing and cajoling until he found it boring. The man then settled for merely watching Kakashi. He commented off handedly, "We named it Death Curtain." He made reference to the last bit of smog that was still hovering by Kakashi's feet. "It was still in your body from your encounter with Kuro-kun, Kakashi-sama. There should be a good amount of Chakara eating particles in the center coil of your chakara system. Pleasant, ne? We've been working on it for years. Not something so easily copied by Shiringan either." The man hopped from one foot to the other, continuing to toss the occasional weapon or feather.
Kakashi twisted and jumped, dodging the flying knives. With each movement, more skin was ripped by the feathers still stuck in his body. Kakashi's chakara was still in his body, but it had been completely cut off from his use. His genjutsu wouldn't hold out much longer. He dodged another knife and shouted, hands gripping at his head as noise exploded around him. The ringing of the chimes had come back full force.
Kakashi saw Kuro beckon him into the bushes. The crazed ninja waited for a few more seconds and sighed when he realized Kakashi wouldn't come. "Well fine, if you want to stay back here." He swung onto a branch and darted away through the trees.
Far off, over the din of the chimes, Kakashi could hear the scream of his comrade. This ushered him forward.
Ahead of him, Kuro danced through the leaves and over branches. He was blissfully unaware of pain and noise. His mind was focused on his mission and on his brother, as it nearly always was. They moved closer to the waning auras of the other combatants. Apparently, one of the Kuro brothers had taken too much damage.
Amaya's opponent had led her back to the Hero Stone, both of them trampling grass and staining it with their blood. They were engaged in a high speed, deadly dance. The earth around them was soaked with water and with body fluids. Each had their share of wounds, each were showing signs of weariness. Or, at the very least, Kuro was putting on a very convincing front. He forced two blasts of wind at Amaya, one rushing at her from both sides.
Amaya leapt up and the air blasts collided beneath her, shooting grass, dirt, and blood into the atmosphere. The Jounin shouted as she drove another kunai into the Kuro brother and ripped downward. Amaya's leg swept around his, knocking him to the ground. She flipped in the air, heel driving downward on his face in an axe kick with such force it knocked a crater in the ground below his head.
The second kuro made a move to help his brother, but Kakashi appeared in front of him, driving him backwards with a solid punch in the face, followed up with a series of kicks to the chest. His eyes gained a cruel glint and with amazing speed, he grabbed Kuro's arm and twisted it backwards, then pinned him to the ground. Kakashi looked back to his comrade. "Amaya-chan! To your right!"
The girl looked over just in time to dodge a series of feathers aimed to kill.
"Hey! Kakashi-sama! To your right!" Both Harogami brothers choked out laughs as a shuriken whizzed past Kakashi's head.
Its owner rose from behind the black marble and stared blankly out at them through glazed, brown eyes. Iruka stood, head rocking to one side. His movements were inhuman as his arms rolled back to grab another shuriken. He'd become a puppet.
Kakashi gaped. "I…ruka?" His shock was immediately numbed when the Harogami Kuro beneath him made a move to escape his pin.
Amaya's head whipped to the side to follow Kakashi's gaze. In that instant of distraction, she was knocked backwards with a forcefully thrown set of kunai that at one time belonged to her. Her body slid across the ground and rammed into the Hero Stone. She cringed as she struggled to get back up. Her neck was abruptly pinned to the rock by Kuro's foot.
The other Kuro threw Kakashi from him and stumbled away to the line of trees. "The Oracle needs to be answered!" He began a short series of hand seals, whipping his arms out and crying, "Gods of the Winds and Skies, we offer you this sacrifice!"
Kuro One leapt back from Amaya, flipping away to stand by his brother's side. "Sky God's Breath. Good choice, Kuro-kun," he complimented.
"Naturally, Kuro-kun." The horrendous noise that had been disabling them for so long faded to the soft rustling of leaves and quiet creaking of branches. Such respite didn't last long for with Kuro's words and movements, the wind around the clearing picked up.
Iruka took advantage of Kakashi's momentary shock and surged past the monument, dishing out sharp blows at Kakashi's vulnerable areas. He skidded away as blows were directed back at him in the same fashion.
Both siblings became absorbed in their attack, ignoring Kakashi and Iruka completely. All attention was pinned to Amaya. They followed the progress of the binding bubble with their eyes, tracing the faintest of outlines in the air around the hunter nin with their fingers. This would take a large chunk of their chakara with it, but all would be well; it would be well worth it.
Kuro sighed as the bubble became complete, trapping Amaya with a limited supply of oxygen that was being rapidly depleted. It was different than the first jutsu they'd thrown at her. Dual Binding Suffocation didn't have the unpleasant feature of air pressure being applied. Asphyxiation or air pressure: it had a 100 percent death rate. They'd used it only once before, but the mechanics of the move left no room for failure. This wasn't a bubble so easily broken out of.
Amaya's breathing grew harsher, and she pulled herself to her knees. The air grew heavy around her trembling body, and a weight pressed on her skull, making her flinch. Her blue gaze lifted to the brothers. For the first time, the Harogami siblings saw terror. "Ka…. Ka…. I…" She began to wheeze as her throat clamped up.
"Amaya-chan!" Kakashi shouted. Iruka launched at him, and both fell to the ground. The Jounin's arm shot up to block a left hook. He pulled his knee to his chest and kicked Iruka from him. He looked back to his comrade only to be struck in the back of the head by Iruka's elbow. He stumbled forward and turned, knocking the Chuunin back.
Amaya's hands lifted to her throat. She couldn't stand, couldn't move. A burning sensation came to her lungs as they began to scream for air. The girl instinctively let out a cry, but no voice came to her. Amaya's body grew heavy and her muscles weakened. The Taki Jounin was slowly forced to lay on the ground as gravity took over. Amaya's hand inched across the grass, begging for help. The noise of Kakashi's heated battle suddenly silenced. Piiiiing…. Vision blurred. Piiiing… Her fingers curled into the bloody dirt and grass.
A series of kunai smacked the weaker Kuro in the back, but Kakashi's desperate attempt to distract was to no avail. He kicked Iruka back and ran ahead, slamming Kuro across the face with a solid punch. The brother was knocked backwards into a tree trunk, blood splattering from his mouth. The kunai knives still in his back rammed further into his body.
The man laughed with crimson drenched teeth and lips. "You can't stop the Sky God jutsu! She hears a single chime now. It's the oracle, telling her time is gone."
Harogami Kuro nodded to his brother, watching Kakashi's movements out of the corner of his eye. He was too enthralled by Amaya's performance. She writhed on the ground, hands clasped around her own throat and body agonizingly twisting into the fetal position. It was deliciously beautiful.
Another sudden heavy blow was directed at Kakashi from behind, and Iruka grunted as he was automatically sent flying. He landed with a loud 'thud' a few feet away.
Kuro's breathing became labored and his eyes grew wide with excitement and anticipation. His long fingers curled into fists and his shoulders trembled. Tears streamed down Amaya's flushed face and her mouth was contorted into a silent scream. Her body twitched violently as the pressure bore down upon her from all sides, squeezing her intestines into her cracking ribcage. Her knees buckled under her chin, and her fingers dug so tightly into her own neck that blood began to stream down her pale flesh.
Kakashi watched from the corner of his eye with pained shock as he blocked more of Iruka's blows. He couldn't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. Taijutsu wouldn't stop the attack, but if he was able to attack the weaker Kuro, perhaps he would have a chance at stopping them. As he parried another attack from his Chuunin friend, he swept out Kuro-kun's legs and kicked him across the ground towards Amaya. The man's body rolled, arms curling around his body with the momentum. Kuro skidded into the attack and bumped into Amaya on the ground.
On the opposite side of the clearing, his brother merely 'tsked', shaking his head slowly. His golden eyes swiveled over to the copy-nin with an amused glint. "I will only regenerate him, Kakashi-sama." He cackled as he saw Iruka rise up behind the Jounin. "You should turn your attention on the man with a kunai aimed at your heart."
Kakashi turned in time to get a kunai driven into his chest. "AHH!" He stumbled away from Iruka. Kakashi gagged and coughed as blood bubbled up into his mouth. His grey and red eyes lifted to the Chuunin whose arm was drenched by the same liquid. He had to disable Iruka without killing him. He brought up his right hand to block another attack. The two danced in a deadly form, Iruka slowly winning over his unwilling opponent.
Kakashi felt wood at his back. Iruka's kunai pelted towards his head, and he rolled out of the way. Splinters scattered with a loud THWANG.
Kuro stood near Amaya and his brother, struggling to breathe but not really frightened of the experience. He appeared to be merely waiting for the attack to be over. He'd occasionally glance out at Kakashi or his brother, but he mostly kept his eyes on Amaya's prone body. She had stopped twitching and now lay still with eyes half open and glazed over.
Iruka rushed, aiming a kick at Kakashi's head. Kakashi's arms crossed, blocking the attack. "Sorry, Iruka!" A kunai flashed through the air and stabbed the Chuunin in the leg, handicapping his motion by a fraction. Kakashi made a run for the second Kuro. If he could knock both into the attack with Amaya, then they wouldn't have anyone to regenerate them.
"Kakashi!" The Chuunin's sudden desperate, pleading cry startled him. It was just enough time for Kuro, who sensed the sudden shift in powers, to summon another volley of wind blasts. Kuro's final attack was coupled with Iruka's kunai knives. Kakashi was blasted through the air, taking the full brunt of both attacks. His body slammed square into a tree trunk and splinters showered around him. Kuro looked on with wide eyes, trembling and panting. Kakashi's form fell away from the tree and limply clumped on the ground. The Jounin didn't stand up.
Harogami Kuro outstretched his arm towards Iruka and the genjutsu lifted. The Chuunin's body slackened and slowly dropped to his knees. Iruka folded forward at the hip and rolled to the side. He turned back to the two locked in the air bubble. He saw his brother's smile and watched the man wave as he resigned himself to the first shock of death.
Blood spurted as the Sky God Breath jutsu reached its peak. Bones crunched. The noises and the images sent shivers down Kuro's spine. He never used to enjoy this so much. At one time, he'd been doing everything within his power to stop death. Some small voice lingering in the back of his mind chastised him and begged him to atone for his sins. Harogami Kuro refused to listen.
His brother and the hunter nin lay in a heap in the crimsoned grass, limbs contorted and bones sticking out at odd angles. What had been a fierce wind returned to the faint breeze from the early evening. Once more, the Konoha Hero Stone monument had been desecrated….
Harogami Kuro found he didn't particularly care.
Hooooot.
"Yes. Thank you, sensei. We are pleased we gave you a good show." Kuro stood slowly, hobbling over to his brother, hefting the corpse up over his shoulder. He took one long look at Amaya's contorted face and bent over slightly, running a long finger down her cheek. A slow smile came to his features and the humming returned. "…Sweet dreams, A-ma-ya-chan." With that, the sibling danced through the trees, corpse flying with him.
A lone bird landed on a nearby branch and watched all in silence.