Destiny of the Cursed

Chapter 21: Back home

After a week…

As soon as the light went up the mountains and shone down on the village, the people of Konoha started their daily activities. When Katana walked down on the streets of Konoha, all eyes stared at her. Instead of judgmental looks, glares or malicious whispers, pleasantly surprised smiles were plastered on their faces. Nods of acknowledgement were sent on her direction. Children waved at her. "Katana-nee-chan!" they called. Relief and confidence washed over her face. Indeed, she was home again.

"WOAHHHH! That's how you do it!"

Naruto's voice could be heard a mile away from Ichiraku. Laughing to herself, Katana sped off to their location. From a distance, she caught the sight of Sakura grabbing Konohamaru by his collar, Naruto, Kakashi and Sai watching them.
All of a sudden, Konohamaru did a hand seal and smoke erupted with an audibly 'poof'. "Oiroke— Guy on Guy no Jutsu!"

Guy on Guy…? That can't be good. Thought Katana nervously.

"That's MORE like it!" screeched Sakura.

Katana walked even closer and squinted as the smoke went away. She regretted the action later on. A "Sasuke" bunshin was on top of "Sai" in a compromising position. Worst of all, they were…

Kami, I did not need to see that! With her face faintly turning pink, Katana jerked her head away from the naked view. Sakura on the other hand, had a big goofy grin and blood trickling down her nose. Naruto and Kakashi had a look that perfectly screamed nightmare.

"Oh…It's me and Sasuke-kun." Stated Sai innocently. Trying hard not to vomit out his breakfast, Naruto dashed and quickly thumped the younger boy on the head, thus undoing the jutsu. "Don't do something that nasty!" he reprimanded. When Katana was sure the show was gone, she faced them. "Hey." She greeted, waving slightly.

They turned to her, all smiles. "Katana-chan, you're all better now!" cheered Naruto. She beamed. "Yeah. All I needed was rest." Looking at them again, she saw Kakashi's single eye softened. 'Are you okay?'

They told Kakashi-sensei…

Wanting to escape the unspoken question, Katana hurriedly pointed at Sakura's nose. "You're having a massive nosebleed!" she blurted out. The guys fell for it and snapped their attentions to the short-haired girl.

"W-what? N-no! Of- Of course not! It's not l-like I en-j-joyed it!" she protested guiltily, wiping any traces of the crimson liquid on her face. They raised their eyebrows and gave her a flat look. Meanwhile, Konohamaru studied Katana intently.

"Yes?" asked Katana, noticing Konohamaru stare at her. He smirked wickedly. "I have something you'll like Katana-nee-chan!" He positioned his hands on a seal. She blanched and frowned. "Konohamaru, what are you—"

"Oiroke— Suna style no jutsu!"

"Poof!"

Half-lidded, ringed sea foam colored eyes regarded her. Rusty red hair swayed with the wind. Konohamaru transformed into Gaara. Anger flashed in her eyes for a moment and she restrained her hand from grabbing her sword. Then she looked down and forgot that "Gaara" was stark naked. "Ah!" Blushing furiously, she tripped and fell backwards, ending up sitting on the ground.

The "Gaara's" smirked grew wider. "So…you like it like this, ne? Katana-chan…" That brat even managed to copy his deep voice! She gulped. "Konohamaru! Release that jutsu at once!" Her demanding tone didn't prevail. Katana backed away inch by inch as "Gaara" stepped closer to her. "It's alright, Katana-chan…" he cooed again. "I'll be gentle…" He stooped down and tilted her chin. "Y-you…" stuttered Katana. She closed her fist and rammed it on the henge's face. Konohamaru turned back into his old form. She stood up indignantly, the red taint still on her face.

"BAKA!" she yelled. Her team watched in amusement as she reprimanded the genin. When her incredibly long speech about morals and respect was done, she reminded Konohamaru for the last time. "If I catch you doing those jutsu again, I will personally hang you upside down for a whole day, got that?" The frightened beginner nodded and sprinted away. She shook her head.

"Can't stand a kid's jutsu?" teased Naruto. Katana narrowed her eyes at him. After seeing Konohamaru's little stunt, she wasn't in the mood for anymore jokes. "Actually, I wanted to train with you guys." Sakura frowned and fixed a stern look. "You just got out of the hospital yesterday." She told her. "I don't think it's such a good idea to—"

"I need to train." Countered Katana. "You guys said it yourselves, the Akatsuki are making their moves. I don't have time to slouch around." Sakura sighed in defeat and began to follow Katana to the training grounds. "Besides", added Katana, "I won't let some minor scratches stop me."

Hazel strands of hair flowed with the wind as a certain kunoichi slashed and swiped with her sword, cutting smoothly through the air. "Hiyaa!" Every twist and turn of her body was thoroughly calculated. Eyebrows were creased in concentration. She glided; her movements graceful and deadly, dancing together with nature. Her friends left earlier to meet the Hokage. So she stayed there and trained by herself.

Wiping the sweat off her eyebrows, Katana decided to take a short break and cross-legged sat on the patches of grass. Taking a lungful of fresh air, she remembered just how much she missed Konoha. The familiar faces of the villagers, the cool breezes and its luscious green grass. She closed her eyes shut and drifted off into peaceful meditation.

'Drip-drip-drip…' She was inside of the dark cave again. Katana turned in circles, finding a way to escape. There was neither an exit nor an entrance. So how did she manage to enter the void? "Here to visit me…? How nice of you…" A feeling of dread came to her when she heard the voice behind her back. Her breathing became erratic, arms and feet twitching in anxiety. No. Not again!

"W-who are you? Why do I always end up in this place?" An annoyed little 'hmph' came from the latter. "I told you who I am. There's no need to repeat myself. As for the place…" Katana could practically hear her smirking. "You're inside your own mind." Katana turned and stared at an exact replica of her. Same clothes, same hair and same appearance. Their only differences were the attitude and their eyes, for the copy had a pair of shiny black orbs.

Katana kept her face straight, occasionally fidgeting in her spot. "I haven't seen you in my dreams before… Where is Tamiko? You said she was some kind of bridge. Where is she? I want to talk to her." The other 'her' smirked like how a beast would.

"You can't talk to a dead person, dear." Katana's eyes widened. "W-what? Ta-Tamiko…She's..?"

"Dead, gone, lifeless. In other words, she's rotting in hell right now." She chuckled as Katana tried to overcome her shock. "How?" asked Katana. A cold hand was brought down on her shoulder. "There, there. No need to mourn for her. Don't tell me you weren't wishing for it to happen?" Katana opened her mouth only to close it again. She was lost for words. Obsidian orbs dared her to answer no. Instead of replying to the rhetorical question, Katana asked the one thing that was always bothering her. "How can you be with me ever since, when I've only noticed you until now?"

Pounding echoed inside the cavern, making both of them look up. "Katana-chan, wake up!" She heard Naruto yell outside. The girl with black eyes winked. "Your annoying friend is calling you. Sayonara!" Everything vanished into dust and Katana opened her eyes groggily. Two figures were near her, the yellow one shaking the living daylights out of her. "Katana-chan! Katana-chhhaaannnn!" he whined impatiently, still shaking her.

"Are you tryin'to kill me?" mumbled Katana, the motion making her dizzier. Startled, Naruto let go of Katana. With absolutely no supports, the sword mistress fell on her back.

Katana sat up, glaring death itself at the nitwit…who also happened to be her friend. "Oops." He said with a nervous smile. She groaned. "What is it that you wanted to tell me Naruto?"

There was no need to ask, for Naruto and Sakura blurted words to her all at once. Her ears picked up two words. Sasuke and Orochimaru. They stopped, struggling with evening their breaths. Katana blinked once. Twice. "What?" she asked in utter confusion. Naruto dropped his jaw incredulously and Sakura face palmed. "What 'what?'?" exclaimed Naruto, being oh-so-ever noisy. "You mean after all the effort we've put into saying that, you—"

"Didn't understand a single syllable out of it." Katana finished for him. A snicker came from above the three. They looked up to see their masked sensei looking down from the tree branch at their childish antics.

"Ne, Tou-san, how long have you been watching us?" complained Katana. She could see his smile from behind the dark cloth covering most of his face. "Long enough to catch the rare sight of you tumbling down ungracefully." He teased and jumped down. He walked towards them.

"Orochimaru is dead. Sasuke killed him." Katana's expression darkened. "Sasuke…killed Orochimaru?" She received three nods for an answer. She lowered her head as another breeze passed. "What the hell happened to him…?" What the hell have I done…? A low sigh escaped her. Kakashi focused on Katana. He knew well that when the Sasuke topic was brought up, she immediately goes to blaming herself. But today, she seems a little too sullen, like there were other things that bothered her…

"Naruto, Sakura…why don't you two go out for ramen?" offered Kakashi. "Just the two of us?" asked Sakura. Their sensei nodded. "Like a date?" Naruto grinned impishly while Sakura grimaced. She turned her back on him and stomped hard towards the restaurant. "Fine. But it's your treat, Naruto!"

Naruto pouted. "Bu-but, Sakura-chan!" The blonde boy ran along with her. Watching as his two other students bickered with each other, he sat down on the patch of grass beside Katana. They sat in complete silence, until Kakashi broke it. "What happened?" It was a simple question, something that people can easily lie to. Katana didn't answer at first and chose to move closer to her foster father.

"I hate him…" muttered Katana under her breath. Kakashi's eyebrow rose at her statement. He didn't bother asking who this person was. He knew all too well who she meant. "What did he do?"

"…I freaking hate him." The reply didn't fit for an answer to the question, but it was all Kakashi needed to hear to drape a comforting arm around her. She sat stiff and stubborn, refusing to bawl out her problems to him and cry out like a hopeless teenage girl. No matter what, when or where, she always showed everyone that she was a shinobi. The corners of Kakashi's lips twitch slightly in amusement. She was truly the daughter of the 4th Raikage. Proud and fearless like him.

"I'm proud of you." He said it with ease out of the blue, making Katana snap up her head in surprise. "Eh?" Realization of what he said dawned to her and she smiled softly, forgetting her problems at hand. She chuckled. "That's silly, Tou-san." She said and leaned against him like a pillow. He gasped in mock hurt. "That's just mean, Katana." She laughed again, her body rumbling as she did. This time, he laughed along with her. He brushed away a stray lock on her forehead. "Thank you, Tou-san..." she whispered. Silence dawned onto them again, but this time it was comfortable. Kakashi wished they had more chances to spend time like this. No worries, no responsibilities or duties...And speaking of duties...

"Oh, and by the way…Tsunade-sama asked for your presence… one hour ago." She faced him, mouth agape. "Tou-san!" she protested, glaring at him before teleporting herself to the Tower and left him guffawing. Shoot, Tsunade-sama's gonna kill me! In panic, she sprinted across the hallways and towards the office.

"Tsunade—huff, huff—sama! Y-you called—huff— for me?" She asked aloud from outside in between pants. An annoyed grumble answered her. "I called for you an hour ago!" barked Tsunade. Katana cringed. Then, she heard Tsunade sigh. "But I suppose it's not entirely your fault. Come in." she ordered, muttering under her breath Kakashi's name.

Whew. Thought Katana in relief and opened the door. She bowed down before she could even glimpse at the Hokage. "My apologies, Tsunade-sama." The blonde woman waved it away. "Never mind it." she said. "Somebody asked for your company." Katana raised her head. "Somebody? Who—" Blood drained from Katana's face as she met the person whom Tsunade mentioned. She balled her fists tightly, her knuckles slowly turning white.
"Hello, Katana." Gaara greeted, sitting beside Tsunade. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of him and became stormy with rage. The bastard…!

"Why are you here?" she hissed through clenched teeth. The fact that this person she was addressing was a Kage and that she was disrespecting him in front of her leader didn't matter to her anymore. Katana lost her cool the moment she saw him.
How dare he show up after telling her all those things! Gaara stood up calmly, unaffected by her glares. "I am here to talk to you."

"There is nothing to talk about." She seethed, turning sharply on her heels and storming off. "Katana!" called out the sand wielder, but she was already out of earshot. He sighed dejectedly and ran a hand to comb his wild brick red locks. Tsunade cleared her throat, earning the youngest Kazekage's attention. She raised an eyebrow.

"That's it? That's all you can do?" she inquired in a coaxing tone. He stared at her, eyes widening a bit. "Are you suggesting that I run after her?" he asked bluntly. She shrugged. Taking a gulp out of her bottle of sake, Tsunade motioned for the door. "Go get her. Unlike other girls, you gotta chase this one." Even before she could finish talking, Gaara was out of the door, hot on Katana's heels. Tsunade snorted humorously before sipping sake again. "Ah, young love…" she sighed.

Katana paced briskly, muttering colorful words under her breath. She was trying to calm down and hearing Gaara call her name repeatedly DOES NOT help. "Katana, stop at once." He ordered. This time, she complied, stopping on her tracks unexpectedly, Gaara almost bumped into her. "Katana…"

"What?" she snapped, her head jerking towards him, eyes tearing him into shreds.

"We need to ta-"

"No, we don't!" cut in Katana. "First, you ignore me, you get mad at me for no reason at all, you sent me back here and now YOU WANT TO TALK TO ME?" Her rant was cut short into pants and huffs.

Hesitantly, he reached out and brought his hand gently down her on shoulder, hoping it would sooth her. "I…I need to explain." He said. Gaara could feel her lower her guard down. He almost smiled. Almost. The thought of smiling escaped his mind the instant he felt her fist jab into his gut. He winced. Doubling over in pain as he clutched his stomach, Gaara fell in front of Katana. It was ironic how his sand, the thing that blocked and saved him from the most powerful attacks, had actually let her punch him. "Touch me again and I'll gut you alive." The threat was icy and steel hard, making him shudder on mere thought of it.

No one dared to ask what happened to the fuming girl who trudged down the streets. Her aura was literally murderous, still mumbling threats incoherently. No one also dared to ask why the Kazekage was following her like a lost puppy. He didn't say anything and kept a safe distance between him and the angry female. Katana looked over her shoulder and glared daggers at him. "What are you doing?" she scoffed.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm walking." He stated the most obvious thing. A vein popped out of her temple. "No, you're not just 'walking'. You're following me!" she snarled. He sent her an innocent and confused look. "I'm not." An aggravated growl emitted from Katana's mouth. Not wanting to see his face anymore, she dashed to the training grounds.

Team 8, Team 10 and team Gai were having their usual warm-ups when they heard two voices interrupting the peaceful silence.

"Stop following me, you jerk!" Lee stopped halfway on his 499th push-up and blinked. He turned to Neji. "Hey wasn't that—"

"I'm not following you." Droned out a deep male voice. Kiba sniffed the air around them. "Oi…It's Katana-chan and Kazekage-sama." He informed them and pointed two figures arguing on an opening clearing. Soon, all of them stopped their training and watched as the two fight.

Katana planted her hands on her hips. "If you're not following me, then why are you still here?" she demanded. He crossed his arms and replied. "I just happen to be going in the same place you were." Katana's temper flared even more. He was down right infuriating. Katana's hands itched to take out her sword. She turned her back on him and began to walk away.

"Katana." He called out for the umpteenth time this day. She didn't stop or turn to him. She just kept walking and walking and walking until…

"I challenge you in a taijutsu match." She halted. Everyone's eyes widened. "Oh boy…" muttered Tenten.

"He didn't just—" Ino started.

"C-challenge h-her, d-did he?" continued Hinata worriedly. Shikamaru let out a long sigh. "This is gonna be so troublesome."

Katana faced him, a wry smile on her face. "A taijutsu match?" she inquired just to make sure. Gaara nodded carefully. "Both of us are to use hand-to-hand combat only. No weapons, no jutsu or anything else. The battle continues on and on. The first person to forfeit or go beyond the training grounds loses." He'll end up dying, he knew. But he just had to give his plan a worthy shot. Her smile never ceased. "Name your price."

He took a deep breath. "If I win, you will have to go out with me." He was sure his face was about the color of his hair. Katana looked unfazed tough. "Alright. But if I win, you'll promise to never show your face to me again, unless it's for business." This time, it stabbed him, Katana's words. Nonetheless, Gaara nodded and offered his hand.

They shook on it. "Deal."

End Chapter