My Pain is Yours
Chapter 24: Miracle
Jashin-sama!
Aiko couldn't comprehend the rapidity of the strength draining from her.
Is this what it feels like…to die?
She was lost in an obsidian vortex, thoughts disappearing.
Shinsei…Konan…Hidan…!
Even though she couldn't hear him, she knew he was calling her name.
Hidan!
Suddenly, Aiko felt her head jerk forward, entire body coming into being before a blinding white light. Her cheeks flushed as she realized she was naked, nudity illuminated as she sat in judgment before a divine, faceless being sitting in front of her. The brunette tried to cover herself, hands scrambling and legs twisting, but stopped when the voice beckoned her closer.
"Calm yourself, Aiko," the voice of this God said calmly. "Your time has come."
Swirling mists of the brightest white swirled around her, picking her up and carrying her towards the heavenly being. She did not fight it, she could not; her body refused to listen to her commands, screaming that she run away. However, she was able to flinch when God reached down and touched the glinting, silver necklace hanging against her chest.
"What is this?" God asked expectantly.
Aiko struggled to find her voice, mind bleak with fatigue. "A Jashin necklace."
God was silent for a moment. "Is that so? Tell me, are you truly a Jashinist?"
Narrowing her eyes, Aiko perceived this as some sort of test, chest swelling with discomfort as she struggled to pick her words. Was she dead? Was she truly facing a verdict before God, a creature she formerly didn't believe in? This wasn't a genjutsu was it? As she painstakingly brought her eyes back up to God, she found that she could only look so far before her eyes were burned with illumination. This was God; but He was not hers.
"Yes," she said firmly, legs quivering beneath her as she sat in a crouch. "I am a Jashinist."
Then, as if summoned by that very statement, a black cloud materialized before Aiko's eyes and two strong arms clamped onto her waist, yanking her away from God. She gasped outwardly as her captor spoke in a deep, masculine voice, ebony strands of hair falling into her face, "Now is not your time, Aiko. You are mine. You are a Jashinist."
"Wait!" God interposed, rising stridently. "You cannot take her!"
"Oh?" The voice was dark, taunting, timbre powerful. "But I already have."
Dark skinned hands held Aiko tightly, whisking her away to a darker world where a curtain as red as the blood spilled from innocent victims was draped over silver alters. Aiko shuddered as she was released onto the onyx floor, hands making contact with the cold stone. She bowed her head respectively, shaking slightly. She was in the presence of Jashin.
"Aiko," he spoke her name fondly, whimsically. "Your sacrifices have pleased me."
"I shall do whatever else it takes to continue pleasing you, Jashin-sama," Aiko whispered.
"Then do this for me," Jashin requested, stepping down to seize her chin between his potent fingers. "Continue to live for me and serve me…for an eternity!"
Before Aiko could wrap her mind around the disappearing scenery, she felt herself being hurled back to the world she came from, soul diving into her motionless body. Upon being reconnected, Aiko lurched forward, eyes snapping towards Asuma in a deadly manner. He breathed in sharply, removing his weapon from her chest and she dropped to her knees.
"Aiko!" Hidan shouted, pitch shrill. "Jashin damn it! Aiko! Aiko! Aiko!"
The silver-haired Jashinist went to rush forward when he was restrained by Kakuzu.
"What the hell you bastard! Let go of me!"
Shaking his head, Kakuzu solemnly muttered, "Open your eyes idiot and look; she isn't dead." Hidan flicked his gaze up to Aiko who was shakily staggering to her feet, hazel eyes blending mixed emotions to birth a glower that made her appear as if she had just paid a visit to death and had returned; revived with a vengeance.
Startled, Asuma stepped back.
Aiko advanced on him, emerald orbs alight. "You…killed me," she hissed. "Unforgivable!"
"Aiko!" She heard Hidan triumphantly yelling her name but did not turn around.
Instead, she lunged at Asuma, lashing out at him, fist flying as she pummeled her hand into his chest, sending the Jonin so far into the ground that it effortlessly could have passed as his grave. He meekly lifted his head to look at her, shocked by her ridiculous, miraculous recovery. Aiko returned from bereavement, more alive and deadlier than ever.
"Asuma!" Shikamaru bellowed. "Get out of there!"
In his appalled and severely maimed state, Asuma was barely able to stand.
Kakuzu and Hidan both leapt to Aiko's side, joining the kunoichi. The missing Waterfalls ninja glared pointedly at Aiko, eyeing her with suspicion and fear, though her overwhelming bloodlust seemed to cool down once Hidan was by her side. She immediately turned to him and opened her mouth to say something, hand reaching up to stroke his black and white cheek, but stopped when a pain in her chest drew her hand away.
"Aiko," Hidan growled, eyes narrowing as he brushed her pale face with his fingertips.
"I'm okay," Aiko murmured, activating a medical ninjutsu. "It just really hurts."
Hearing this enflamed Hidan's temper and he wrenched his head up to glare at Asuma. "You filthy fucking bastard! How dare you!" Aiko glanced disconnectedly at Hidan, but found herself hopping back to avoid an attack from Izumo and Kotetsu, who were determined to rescue Asuma. Kakuzu swiftly secured each of them between his fists, threatening to crush their necks.
"You're all dead," Kakuzu grumbled, jade and crimson eyes flashing.
Asuma tore his gaze from the ground to his struggling comrades and noticed Hidan.
If he was going to save himself, he had to take the immortal out.
Swiping at the silver-haired ninja, Asuma missed as Hidan leapt back and threw his three-bladed scythe at him. Ducking, Asuma was convinced that he had avoided the death blow, but when he looked up, he found the scythe imbedded within Hidan; the Jashinist was standing in his circle. Hidan's lavender eyes lit up and he grinned cruelly. It was over.
"Asuma!" Shikamaru yelled.
Turning around, Aiko found Hidan pulling out a spear and raising it above his chest. Asuma watched him with heavily lidded eyes, death coming over him; he knew that the end was swallowing up his entirety with unbearable trepidation. Shikamaru was running towards him, bent on saving his beloved sensei, but Hidan was already in the process of delivering the final blow.
"Now I can finally savor the pain caused by your death!" Hidan's arm released.
"No!" Shikamaru shouted. "Asuma!"
Everyone watched, helpless to stop Asuma's fate as Hidan drove the spear through his chest.
Tears surged in Shikamaru's eyes as his breath hitched.
They were all too late.
Hidan began to shiver in ecstasy. "Oh yes that's it…that's the stuff…" His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he reigned in the sensation, ivory and ebony streaks disappearing from his skin until it reverted to its normal color. Aiko raced to Hidan's side as soon as he had finished, throwing her arms around his back and eagerly kissing his neck.
Smirking, Hidan lifted Aiko into his arms, positioning her carefully so that she avoided the spear jutting out from his chest. He glanced impatiently over to Kakuzu who still had to deal with Izumo and Kotetsu, though Aiko gained his attention with a short whisper. "Hidan?"
"Huh?"
Aiko slid out of his arms, frowning. "Where'd those black birds come from?"
Hidan blinked, noticing the abrupt accrual of crows cawing around them. "What the hell?"
Tensing, Hidan noticed the accumulation of obsidian feathers dancing around them and cursed, leaping back to escape the sudden flurry of winged beasts summoned by reinforcement Shinobi. Aiko and Hidan leapt back to flee the shrilly screaming birds and were joined by Kakuzu, who had no choice but to set Izumo and Kotetsu free.
A blond girl flanked by a boy who was no older than Aiko herself collected Asuma and Shikamaru, while Izumo and Kotetsu were saved by a pair of other Konohagakure ninja, one of which was controlling the distraction technique using the crows.
Kakuzu growled, "Terrific, reinforcements."
However, before they could fight the new arrivals, the sound of Pain's voice interrupted them.
"Aiko, Hidan, Kakuzu; we're sealing three-tails, come right away."
The sound of disappointment in Hidan's whine was unmistakable. "Right now? But Leader-sama, can't we have a little more time? We're just getting to the good part!" When Hidan was denied, he started to sulk and waited until Pain vanished from their minds to mutter, "Damn him; one of these days I'm going to put a curse on him!"
"Come on Hidan," Kakuzu ordered. "Let's just get out of here."
Hidan snorted heatedly. "Fine."
Glancing at the Konoha ninja one last time before disappearing, Aiko regarded them all with a disapproving glower; she despised those that would attack for no reason other than revenge and that in itself caused her to become a hypocrite. If they dared come after her and her comrades a second time, Aiko vowed to be less merciful.
"Come on Aiko," Hidan muttered, smoothing his hair back into place. "Let's go."
Aiko nodded, passing her enemies a cruel glare.
Hidan simpered. "Be right back."
Author's Note: Yay! Another chapter! I apologize for it being so short, but I enjoyed writing the interaction of the Gods at the beginning…that was arguably my favorite part! But I'm more excited for the next chapter; another sealing and we all remember how intense the last one was between Aiko and Konan, no?
That will be a fun chapter!And of course, thank you to my excellent reviewers as always, cheeky half-demon, werewolfwithaheart, Cold Fyre, mirambagirl1993, and yoyshaia-chan (whose story Study in Contrasts is getting more thrilling with every chapter! The Akatsuki are coming into it and they are awesome! Jashin-sama demands that you take a look at it. Really, don't make him come after you!).
-Aiko of the Akatsuki
