Chapter 5
A New Destiny?
"Where am I?" Rusuta thought opening her eyes, her vision was very blurry she could barely see, above her all she could see was blue and she felt as though she were lying on a blanket on what felt like a raised surface. Weakly she moved her arm to the side and could feel a kind of cloth vertically standing.
"Canvas? A tent?" she thought trying to look around her more. Suddenly a bright light came from a hole in the blue and a blurry dark figure came into view. He came close to Rusuta and bent down to look at her, she though she could see the fading light glint on something glass in front of his face. She tried to blink to see clearer but the figure moved away back to the light source.
"She's awake, come and see," she heard his voice say, for some reason it was familiar but she didn't know why. Then as the light came back another taller figure entered and looked at Rusuta, she could see he had long hair and against the darkness she could see his hands were pale and white, though hued blue in the tent. The figure brought his hand to her face, it was cold like ice and Rusuta tried again to see clearly. Finally the shapes became clear and she could see the long haired figure scowl down at her like she was a worthless captive. However Rusuta smiled hopeful, for he had the eyes she thought she'd never see again.
"Father," she gasped dryly trying to reach for him but he pulled away sharply.
"Kabuto you fool, you captured the wrong girl, this is just a weak confused exam contestant!" he yelled angrily.
"But Orochimaru," said Kabuto knowing without a doubt that Rusuta was their intended target.
"Father, father it's me, please, it's me Rusuta, you must remember me!" Rusuta called out to him trying desperately to get up even in her weakened state.
"Get rid of her!" he growled angrily, "and go reset the trap, get it right this time Kabuto!" Orochimaru winked to his cohort and went to leave but suddenly,
"Father stop!" cried Rusuta having summoned enough energy to leap off the table and unleash her whip, as she did her tied up hair came loose and fell around her head like a curtain.
"Orochimaru," said Kabuto pointing, Orochimaru looked and smiled evilly. He turned round to her and showed her he had realised and Rusuta smiled relieved before fainting still weak.
"Take her to the other tent, call for me when she awakens, my daughter and I have a lot to catch up on," smiled Orochimaru leaving.
"Koni! Koni!" called Jivana as she and Krysta and Varundo searched the forbidden forest for both him and Rusuta, Krysta still could not feel her daughter's spirit but stubborn as ever she was not about to believe Rusuta was dead.
"Koni! Can you hear me!" called Varundo.
"Where are they," worried Jivana watching Krysta tear through bushes and trees in anger to cover her own sad worry.
"Rusuta, Rusuta please, I know you're there!" she thought to herself angrily.
"I can't feel Homaru either," worried Alana.
"Rusuta!" Krysta called out into the trees making several birds fly away in fright. Then they heard a rustling in the trees and suddenly Koni came through and huddled next to a tree exhausted, he'd looked everywhere for Rusuta and Umani and found nothing, now it seemed the fog had weakened him too.
"Rusuta, where are you, please, give me a sign," he said worried before noticing the black figures around him.
"Oh great, you guys again, I don't have time for you! Get out of me way!" he growled angrily standing up and taking out his sword.
"Koni, it's ok, it's us," said Jivana going over to him and taking off her mask.
"Mom?" he asked confused and Varundo and Krysta took off their masks too.
"Dad? Miss Krysta, oh no, I'm dead!" he worried afraid.
"Koni it's ok," said Jivana not understanding.
"Rusuta, where is she," said Krysta.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" said Koni panicked.
"Koni, Krysta won't hurt you," said Varundo a little embarrassed, "she just wants to know where Rusuta is."
"I don't know," he sighed sadly sitting by a tree.
"What happened?" asked Jivana sitting with him.
"We were chasing this ninja, we thought he was one of you, actually we thought you were the enemy, hang on why are you even out here mom?" asked Koni.
"Tsunade had us play enemies for the exam but the real reason for the exam and us being here is that there is a real enemy out here, our mission has been to find them and unfortunately every time we get close they disappear again, it's like they know we're coming," said Krysta annoyed.
"Oh I see, then that would have been the ninja we chased. We followed him and then we lost him but Rusuta said she felt something so we kept going, then it got all dark so we stopped for a moment, Umani's gone too, we lost him in the darkness. Then this light just shone everywhere and Rusuta screamed, I saw this fog roll in and we were separated, I couldn't hear her but I know Rusuta was petrified of it, it was so cold it was hard to keep moving, but then it just disappeared and when it did Rusuta was gone and all I found was her headband and our map," he explained, "I've looked everywhere for her, I'm sorry I can't find her, and now I don't even know if or who took her."
"It's ok, you're safe now, come on we have a fort that was the base of operations you can rest there, there's no more we can do for now," said Varundo helping his son stand.
"Thanks dad," he said sadly.
"Don't be sorry ok, you've done all you can for now," Varundo said helping him away. Krysta didn't move, she was worried for Rusuta and what of this mysterious fog?
"We'll find her," said Jivana.
"Jivana, it's, it's just like when we were sent to investigate Sasuke's disappearance, a fog that makes people disappear without a trace, Sasuke's been gone for years, what if this fog," worried Krysta.
"She's ok Krysta, she has to be, whatever got Sasuke Rusuta's stronger than he ever was!" snapped Jivana.
When Rusuta woke up she was now laying on pillows with her sash close by, there was green all around her, this tent was green, then she looked at the floor it was covered in a straw mat to prevent the cold and wet from getting in.
"Now where am I, was it just a dream, did I really see my?" she wondered sitting up feeling better than before.
"You're awake," she heard a voice say; Orochimaru was in the corner sitting on a cushion with a suspicious looking bottle beside him.
"Father, it is you…" she gasped amazed.
"Forgive my anger earlier, but you don't exactly look like the five year old I left behind," he sneered.
"I've grown a lot," she said sitting comfortably now.
"I can see that, and you're clothing style as well as your amusing hairstyle could also be considered differences," he continued, "the clothes are you mother's doing I can tell, there's no mistaking Blood Creed style, but you're long jet black hair, hunched up and strangled in thick gravity defying pigtails? Why put your hair through such torture?"
"I just like them that way," she lied childishly.
"Or it's for the same reason you wear a Leaf Village headband when your mother does not, you're afraid to be yourself," he told her glaring, "to hide the impact your eyes have on strangers you take away the other half of the look that makes people think of me and to deem yourself trustworthy to the Leaf Villagers you wear your mother's styles but wear their headband."
"What are you saying?" asked Rusuta suspiciously.
"Only that you've gone soft, I knew leaving you in your mother's incapable hands would be a waste of your power," he taunted her.
"Then why didn't you come back like you promised!" cried Rusuta going to stand but feeling a horrible twinge in her abdominal area and cringing painfully.
"I was waiting until you were ready, besides it's not like you kept your promise either. The Plasma Star turned black in my hands it held no power at all," he told her standing and watching her in pain, "besides you seem to be having some kind of problem."
"I gave you the real Star, it's not my fault it was powerless!" she cried out in pain. Orochimaru kneeled down to her and placed his hand on her face, he could see her skin was pale, she was very sick.
"What have you eaten?" he asked her.
"Nothing, I can't, every time I eat, I'm sick, but I'm getting so hungry," she told him sadly. Orochimaru smiled he knew what was wrong and was surprised Krysta had not seen it herself.
"What does Krysta say?" he asked.
"Mother doesn't know, I've been like this since my fifteenth birthday," she told him and he helped her calm down.
"My dear child, don't worry I have what you need to cure you," he told her quietly.
"Cure, you mean this is just an illness, it can be cured and go away?" she asked hopeful and Orochimaru picked up the bottle.
"I thought you looked ill when you arrived, here," he said opening it and putting it to her mouth, "drink now, you'll feel better." Rusuta opened her mouth and let Orochimaru pour the bottle's liquid into her, a few drops went down the side of her face and they were red in colour, just as the liquid in the bottle was. Rusuta started to feel better, even as she finished the bottle she felt nothing of the cringes that would normally follow to warn her she was going to be sick, she just felt warm and numb, everything she saw seemed sharper and she could feel even the slightest imperfection in the silk of the cushions.
"Father, what is this feeling? What was that stuff?" she worried and Orochimaru stood up and left her saying,
"You'll know in the morning."
Rusuta didn't understand but felt too much more interested in this strange feeling in her body, she stood up and looked around the tent, everything seemed closer and as she moved across the mats she could hear the crunch under her feet as though it were next to her head.
"What is this, all the colours, the feelings, the sounds, I'm, I'm smiling, I'm happy this way, I don't care about anything right now, I'm so happy," she started to giggle and then laugh and roll around on the floor in hysterics.
"Rusuta? Rusuta come on wake up! Rusuta can't you hear me?" worried Homaru, he could feel what Rusuta was feeling and it wasn't natural, he became sure of the substance she had been given and it filled him with dread as Rusuta continued to ignore him.
"She, she's laughing?" asked Kabuto standing and listening outside the tent with Orochimaru.
"That girl truly is a bonding of the powers of the Blood Creed and Sound, and that seems to mean she will endure a curse as hard as her mother's, only now I suspect that curse maybe combined with a most lethal weapon," laughed Orochimaru seemingly happy with what he believed was going to happen now.
"All posts secured sir," came the voice of a young man with long spiky black hair all tied up in a Sound headband and dressed in blue cloth.
"Good, Kabuto you go on watch now and find our friend, you watch the tent and inform me when she awakens tomorrow morning," said Orochimaru leaving with Kabuto.
"Yes sir," said the man and he stood out front of the tent watching them go. He looked back for a moment at the female shape that he could see dancing around within with intrigue then simply shook his head dismissively and returned to his task.
The next morning as dawn came Rusuta found herself strewn on the mats on the floor as if she'd simply fallen and gone to sleep, her head hurt and she felt sick again.
"What's going on, father said that stuff would make me better," she wondered lying in her heap barely thinking to move.
"Rusuta, Rusuta," she heard Homaru say.
"Homaru?" she answered finally.
"Thank goodness you can finally hear me, I was getting worried," he said relieved.
"Hear you? You haven't said anything since before the fog got me?" she replied confused.
"I'll explain, if I can, later, you need to get out of here, it's dangerous," he warned her.
"But my father?" she continued confused.
"I know, but please understand, that stuff he gave you last night, it wasn't medicine," he tried to explain.
"Then what…" she wondered suddenly cringing in extreme pain, "no the cramps, they're back, they hurt worse than ever!" suddenly she looked up and saw the youth with long black spiky hair come into the tent.
"Who are you?" she gasped painfully but the youth said nothing and simply bent down to look at her. Rusuta calmed down a bit and felt like she recognised this scruffy youth but before she could talk to him he left the tent.
"Why is he, he's so familiar," she wondered cringing in the pain again until Orochimaru entered.
"Ah there you are," he smiled evilly.
"I thought you said that medicine would cure me, I'm in worse pain than I've ever felt in my whole life, please stop it father, please help," she begged him.
"You haven't realised yet? Pity, I had brought you're breakfast, maybe it'll give you a hint," he sneered and suddenly a deer was thrown into the tent, freshly killed its neck was slit open violently. Rusuta looked at it horrified, what on earth could Orochimaru have meant by throwing a dead animal in here?
"Rusuta don't look at it, turn away it's not too late!" panicked Homaru.
"What do you mean it's just a deer," said Rusuta, "a dead deer, poor thing, look how much it's bleeding." Rusuta suddenly twinged in pain plunging her runed hand into the pool of blood on the floor. Her rune sprung to life and sparked healthily and the blood began to glow.
"Homaru…" she said trailing off as the glow became reflected in her eyes.
"Don't do it! Rusuta! Keep you're head I implore you, don't do it!" cried Homaru but Rusuta couldn't hear him as she looked at the blood on her hands. Finally with one last painful jerk her hands came to her mouth and her weakened body finally understood what it needed to survive and get rid of the illness that had plagued it for so long. Orochimaru looked on happily watching his daughter as she soon got the knack of blood drinking and the deer was soon dry, he was intrigued now to see what state her blood high would leave her in, would it be aggressive like Krysta or numb and easy to manipulate, he hoped the latter for it would take a mighty force to complete his latest plan to ruin Krysta and it all hinged on these few moments.
Finally Rusuta was able to stop and was feeling the same as when Orochimaru had given her the bottled liquid the night before. She smiled happily and thanked him for the relief.
"You like this feeling don't you?" he told her.
"Yes," she said dryly.
"Now you know what you need to do to feel like this, would you like to feel like this all the time?" he asked her helping her stand up, Rusuta nodded happily, "This forest is full of people after me, if they find me they'll split us up again, and you don't want that, so I want you to help my friends stop them." he gestured towards the door and to Rusuta's surprise Umani appeared.
"Umani?" she asked confused.
"Rusuta," he smiled at her.
"Umani was sent to the Leaf Village to find you, I'd have come myself but I've been hauled up here for a while and couldn't get away," Orochimaru explained vaguely, "Umani, Rusuta has agreed to help us, you can take it from here."
"Yes sir," Umani nodded and Orochimaru left after saying goodbye to his slightly incapacitated daughter.
"Umani, I'm so happy to see you," she told him smiling.
"I thought I'd lost you when I saw you and Konimashi run into the darker forests," he replied.
"Koni? Oh my goodness Koni I forgot about him, I hope he's ok?" she said worried for a moment.
"I haven't been able to find him, but no matter, you still have me and together we'll pass the exam and eradicate the forest of all those who wish to hurt Orochimaru," he smiled evilly.
"I can't believe my father actually needs me, I'm so happy Umani," smiled Rusuta childishly. Suddenly Umani grabbed her and threw her against his body hugging her tight, Rusuta was surprised.
"Umani, what are you doing?" she cried out only to have Umani suddenly kiss her.
"Don't ever scare me like that again, I'm not letting you leave me again," he told her whilst the flustered Rusuta caught her breath.
"Remember what I told you, stay and be safe or leave and be somebody, your soul needed you to make the choice, now you have," he told her smiling.
For Krysta and her family morning had also come and still there was little news of Rusuta. Koni had lain awake all night worrying and when he emerged from the small fort he found Krysta too had barely slept. She was sitting atop the wooden pillars of the fort covered all over with dew, she looked as though she'd been crying because of it but Koni knew better than to expect Krysta to cry.
"She's searched all night," said Jivana appearing, "uh, I can feel how deep her heartbreak is. Our connection's so strong, and so painful sometimes that I feel I wish to cry for her."
"I feel so useless sitting here, Rusuta's out there she has to be," said Koni and Jivana shook her head.
"Koni you mustn't feel that way, none of this is your fault," she told him.
"Why can't I feel her mom? Krysta can and Rusuta can feel her mother, you can feel Krysta so why can't I feel Rusuta, she's my best friend," he said sadly and Jivana took hold of Koni's hand and placed it on his rune, it of course covered his heart.
"You can feel her Koni, you only need to try, you might not have my telekinetic gift but you have something more special and once this is over I'm sure you'll realise what that is," smiled Jivana. Koni didn't understand but smiled at his kind mother.
"I'll find her, I promise," he nodded going off into the forest again.
"Be safe Koni," worried Jivana going over to her soaked friend with a towel.
"Rusuta…" Krysta shivered in the cold morning.
"Here, this will warm you," said Jivana covering Krysta's shoulders, "you've been up all night, did you have any luck?"
"I've sent my astral form to the farthest reaches of this forest, nothing, not a sign, not a footprint, not a hair," sighed Krysta sadly.
"Koni's gone off to look for her, we'll find her you know we will," she tried to comfort her but Krysta was in no mood to mope.
"We should be focusing on the mission," she said coldly.
"But Rusuta," said Jivana confused.
"If they've taken her we'll find her in due time, we still have a job to do, right now, that's all that's holding me together," replied Krysta jumping off of the wooden roof and going into the trees herself just as Varundo returned.
"Where's she going?" asked Varundo.
"To find the enemy, she won't say because she's too proud, but I think she's given up on Rusuta," said Jivana sadly.
"You know Krysta would never abandon her daughter, she's just looking for a distraction that's all, and she's probably right, if we look for the enemy it will take our minds off this terrible event," Varundo tried to cheer her up.
Out in the forest Umani and Rusuta were searching for enemies, Rusuta felt normal again and even though she felt suspicious of Umani's sudden seeming feelings she was feeling up for a fight. Since the numbness had worn off she had felt stronger than ever, she was faster and more dextrous as she leapt from tree to tree whilst Umani watched from the floor, suddenly they stopped behind some bushes.
"Why have we stopped?" asked Rusuta coming down.
"Our first targets are behind this bush," he said looking through Rusuta looked too and couldn't believe it.
"You want me to attack them? They're no threat to father," she said nervous.
"Maybe not but they'll make good practise for your new powers," replied Umani.
"New powers?" she replied confused.
"Of course, I can tell you've strengthened a great deal since the other night, just unleash your whip and have at them, besides, after what they said about you before you should be ravenous for revenge," he smiled evilly. Rusuta let her whip fall out, it glowed suddenly it was stronger; the edges of the blades flashed white and then sharp green crystals formed over them.
"Show me what you can do," smiled Umani.
"Li Li! We're totally lost!" cried an impatient young girl sitting next to some trees.
"I don't see you trying to read this thing Mi Mi!" cried a tall girl with a map.
"Si Si, don't indulge her you'll just make her worse," shrugged a scrawny thin girl looking at the bushes worried about enemies.
"If we keep fighting, goody miss perfect and her team will beat us, do you want that?" said Si Si trying to shut Mi Mi up.
"She's probably already made it," huffed Mi Mi.
"Did you guys hear that?" worried Li Li alerted by a bush rustling. Suddenly Mi Mi screamed and Si Si looked as she was thrown half way across the clearing by a super force.
"What the!" she cried.
"Mi Mi? Mi Mi!" cried Li Li going over to her friend, she had a huge cut over her torso. Suddenly Si Si was thrown over as well, Li Li looked up all she could see was a flick of black hair before a sudden silver flash before everything went dark.
"Rusuta! Rusuta!" called Koni running through the forest. He stopped for a moment hearing what sounded like the cries of a fight. Looking behind some trees he could see a youth in orange battle clothing attacking trees with sheer force, on a log an older man was sitting looking bored close by. Koni braced and moved closer only to realise, it was Naruto.
"Naruto?" he asked surprised, Naruto turned, in the ten years he hadn't changed much still as energetic as ever and seemingly as hard headed but training with the old man he was with was paying off and Naruto was much stronger now than ever.
"Hey Koni long time no see man!" he cheered happily.
"What are you doing here, you're already a Chunin right?" asked Koni confused.
"Ah no the exams started! I was supposed to be helping Sakura!" cried Naruto worried.
"Don't worry Naruto Sakura can handle it herself, besides you've been training non stop for seven days, didn't you even realise it was night and then day?" asked the old man coming over, then he noticed Koni, "are you one of the exam hopefuls? Don't you have a team young man?"
"My name's Koni Tsomuso, yes I do have a team, but they're missing," he said numbly.
"How do you lose a team?" asked the man.
"Jarriya give him a break," nagged Naruto, "I'm sure Rusuta's just gone scouting or something."
"Rusuta? Rusuta Monolo?" asked Jarriya.
"You've seen her!" cried Koni.
"Sorry kid just heard of her, apparently Tsunade expects great things from her and her mother's a real hot head, I wouldn't get too involved if I were you," Jarriya winked.
"Cut it out, Jarriya Koni and Rusuta are childhood friends, not boyfriend and girlfriend!" cried Naruto embarrassed.
"I'm sorry but I have to find her, she's in terrible danger," said Koni.
"What happened?" worried Naruto and Koni told them about the fog, Jarriya looked suspiciously towards the northern trees.
Suddenly they all heard painful cries and on instinct ran towards them, right into a clearing strewn with female bodies.
"What happened here?" Koni worried looking at the devastation.
"Please, please help us," said Li Li managing to lift herself from the floor a little, "my sisters and I, were attacked, by a monster, I can't waken them, the monster, ripped out their necks, I couldn't stop it." Koni knelt by her and helped her sit before looking round at the other two girls. Their chest wounds were superficial but both were bleeding profusely from the neck.
"Oh no, has Krysta gone nuts again?" worried Naruto.
"We can't say that for sure Naruto, no matter how scary this is," said Jarriya creeped out.
"Miss Krysta?" Koni worried picking one of the fallen girls up and flinging her over his shoulder, "hey Naruto, give me a hand and help me take these girls back to my family's camp. You can you walk I can't carry you too?" Li Li cringed and started to walk, her wounds were deep and painful, she could feel a terrible stinging all over her.