Destiny of the Cursed
Chapter 23: Nightmare came true
Smoke sent the girl into a mad coughing fit as she traveled past the pile of debris and rubble. Where was she? Katana could see well the corpses, burned down houses, and blood that littered all over the ground. "What's happening?" she asked at no one, standing frozen in the middle of wreckage. People, old and young, ran in circles, desperately calling for help. Katana wanted to help them, but for some reasons, she couldn't move a finger. "Where am I?" Katana lowered her head, her eyes squinting in focus at a dead person. Something was wrong and she knew. She scanned his body—which was full of cuts and stabs, his familiar attire and finally, her eyes widened as she saw the image of a leaf in his headband. She was in Konoha. Katana's knees buckled as her mind tried to get over the shock. "This…This can't be real…!" Katana convinced herself that this was just a dream. A horrible nightmare. It was hard to put the idea in her head, for everything felt sickeningly real.
"Don't sound so surprised, darling…" cackled someone darkly. Having a distinctive ring in her ears, Katana recognized the voice quickly. In rage, she whirled around to face her double. "What is this?" She roared, angrily jabbing a finger to point at the horrendous scene before her. She had never sounded so furious, let alone so troubled and afraid before… "All these dead people…" she seethed, "They were civilians! They were innocent! What the hell have you done?" Katana's ash colored eyes flashed gold for a moment.
The Katana with the black eyes looked at her in mock offense. "Me? Darling, I assure you, I did nothing." Katana knew there was a possibility that it was true, but right now, she needed someone to blame. The other person smiled wryly. "I'm not the one who did this…you did."
Katana glared death itself at her, her hand on the hilt of the weapon. "Don't play coy with me…" she hissed. The other one remained unaffected and pushed Katana further. "Don't lie to yourself, dearie… You know you were responsible for this."
"I never did anything, and I certainly wouldn't do this." said Katana, her tone clearly accusing the other one in front of her.
"Never did anything?" sneered her double. "Why don't you ask them then?" Katana followed the direction her look alike motioned and her eyes widened. Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto stood there, barely ten feet away from her. She rushed to them, completely forgetting about her look alike.
"Kakashi-sensei!" She called out and ran to crush him in a hug. After drawing back, her hands were placed on his face, searching for any injuries. "Kakashi-sensei… what's going on? What happened?" She looked up to meet his lone eye staring coldly at her. Her temporary relief faded away into worry. "Kakashi-sensei?...Tou-san…?" He pushed her away slowly but firmly looking betrayed. "I never thought you would do this, Katana." He rasped.
Katana's hands shook in dread. "Tou-san, what are you—"
"Don't act like you don't know!" he growled harshly, Katana flinched. "You…You betrayed us all." His voice was steely, nothing like the warm soothing tone Katana knew of.
She opened her mouth to speak, desperate to explain and hear an explanation in return, but Sakura cut her off. "First, Sasuke-kun and now this? I thought you were our friend, Katana!" Tears flowed down on the rosy, angered cheeks of her pinkette friend.
Katana felt helpless and completely vulnerable. "Sakura", she choked out, "I am your friend!" She tried getting closer to them again and reached out her hand. Naruto grabbed her wrist and shoved her off. "Never show your face to us again…You're even worse than Sasuke." he spat, bright sapphire eyes forming a narrow slit.
Katana was lost for words. People gathered around her, enclosing her in the middle. Everyone was staring at her right now. Everyone glared at her. Their mouths formed angry sneers. They looked down on her with hatred like people used to.
"You destroyed your own home!"
"Traitor!"
"You're a monster!"
"You don't belong here!"
"Freak!"
Every insult felt like a knife stabbing her as intense emotions surged inside Katana, her chest threatening to squeeze the life out of her.
It was just like…before.
Flashback:
Icy glares were sent to her direction. Katana lowered her head, hands shaking in pain.
"Look…It's that cursed child." Murmured a woman to one of her friends. Katana gritted her teeth as she fought down her tears. A shove made her stumble down on the path. Now covered in dirt and grime, Katana looked up to see a girl about her age, sneering at her.
"You're a monster!"
"Yeah! A monster!" jeered the other kids as well. Katana stood up and brushed her clothes. She ignored them and walked away like nothing happened. But the girl wasn't done yet.
Katana felt a sharp yank on her hair that pulled her back. "Ow!" she winced. The bully gripped even harder. "A freak like you doesn't deserve to live!" She shouted indignantly before sending Katana to drop on her knees. She and the other kids laughed and pointed at her while their parents did nothing to stop them. They only stared at her, as if she deserved to be treated like that.
End Flashback
"I… I didn't do it!" Katana tried explaining at the crowd of people, but was drowned down by their shouts. It was happening again. No matter what she did or said, they refused to accept her. "It's not…my fault…" she ended weakly, dropping down. One by one, the people disappeared from her sight, including Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi.
Baffled, she looked around, her eyes searching for someone…anyone.
"K-katana…" Hope flickered inside her. That voice…
She turned around and saw a red figure coming closer. He was there! Finally, there was someone who could understand her. But something was wrong with the way he walked. He was slow, too slow, and he clutched his stomach like he was injured. And then, he fell on the ground. "Gaara!" she yelled in panic, running towards his body. She kneeled down beside him and took his face on her hands. "Gaara, what happened?" she asked shakily. He coughed violently, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. He fixed his gaze on her, teal eyes fading. "Why…Katana?" His question was something she couldn't understand. He closed his eyes and went limp on her. "Gaara! No!" She cried out desperately and hugged his lifeless body against her.
"You still don't get it, do you?" Katana's double kneeled beside her. "You!" screamed Katana, "This is your fault!" Black, merciless eyes bore into her ash grey ones. "I didn't do it. It was you…You killed him." She stated.
Once again, Katana refused to believe her. "I didn't! I…I couldn't…"
The other one grinned sadistically as she bent over to whisper in her ear.
"…Murderer…"
Katana's eyes snapped open with a crazed and horrified look. As her chest contracted, she heaved an unsteady breath. She sat still on her bed, tangled in sheets that were cold with sweat. Horrifying scenes of her dream came rushing back on her, making her feel sick and feeble.
She closed her tired and bloodshot eyes. "It's was just a dream. Just a dream." She said aloud, trying to reassure herself. It was working quite well, until…
"Gosh, chill out." Katana's shut lids flicked open and she froze. A woman sat on a chair in a relaxing position, far off on a dark corner.
But Katana's shinobi trained eyes allowed her to see the smirk on the woman's face or better yet, her smirk on the woman's face. A cold feeling of dread came to Katana again, the tiny rays of sun that seeped through her window revealed her pallor.
The smirk even became wider when the clone-like person saw her expression. "Wondering why I'm here?" she asked, as if reading Katana's own thoughts. She stood up and Katana mentally screamed in question to why she sat there, still doing nothing but stare like an idiot.
"You look pretty tired." Commented the latter in mock concern. "Why don't you go get some sleep while I stroll 'round town? Bye…" Katana watched as her mirror image winked and disappeared in her teleporting jutsu. She sat there mouth agape. "She escaped…" The statement was obvious, but Katana made little sense of it. Slowly comprehending her situation, she scrambled out of bed, swearing in chains as she dressed and grabbed the sheathed blade. "She escaped!" Readily reaching for the doorknob, Katana heard a sizzling sound and came face to face at an exploding tag. "Damn!"
Smoke came out of every hole, every window and from the blown up door itself. Katana came out of the black fog and ran in search of the doppelganger, fury etched on her face.
Sweat poured down on Gaara's naked back, his chest rising up and down in pants. He had just finished his daily morning training; something medics said would help with the recovery of his stamina and chakra level. The wind hollered at him and he shuddered at the cold contact. Back in Suna, the mornings would always have a generous amount of scorching heat and blinding sunlight.
Sitting cross-legged on the grassy ground, he wiped his face with a brown towel. He inhaled, enjoying the tranquil silence as his thoughts descended on a certain girl. Amusement filled his teal eyes. It still bewildered him how it was only Katana who he could think about.
He couldn't imagine how lucky he was. Years back, he was nothing but a heartless monster as he was named, and it still made him guilty when remembered all the people he killed. Then he met her during chuunin exams.
He remembered meeting her eyes, not a trace of fear within them. She was simple but different. And this baffled him quite a bit.
She changed him, without him even realizing it and inspired him to reach up as high as one could with their dreams. And now he could feel this very person's chakra, getting closer.
"Gaara." Snapped out of his trance, he whirled to meet her. Her breathing was cut in short gasps as if she ran away or chased something. He studied her intently. Something was off. "Gaara", she panted, "help—huff, me." She pleaded. Hearing her distressed tone, he paid no attention to his earlier observations and nodded. Gaara picked himself up from the ground and approached her. "What happened?" he inquired, his deep smooth voice rumbling in concern. "It's…It's…" Katana bit her lip, her eyes frantically looking around. Using his index finger, he raised her chin up and looked at her inquiringly. "What happened?" he repeated softly this time.
"M-My curse…It's reacting again and something weird happened. There were these w-whispers and voices in my mind and I had a t-terrible nightmare and so suddenly, t-there was this person looking like me and she's roaming around town." Her voice cracked with pressure as she rambled hastily. She finally stopped, looking at him with worry. He blinked. Katana tackled him in a hug, shivering as she did. "Uh…" Gaara felt his face burning at the bold gesture. Something was definitely off. But then he heard quiet sobbing, something wet on his chest. He inwardly scolded himself. She needed comfort, not opinions. Awkwardly, he rubbed her back and whispered soothing words.
"Calm down…I will help you." he murmured, brushing away the tears. "R-really?" Katana asked hopefully, burying her face in the crook of his neck. His mouth twitched upwards. "Really." He heard her draw a breath. "O-Okay…I trust you."
Meanwhile…
Katana swore again, eyes dangerously narrow. The atmosphere around her literally meant bloodlust. She wasn't just pissed. Oh, she was infuriated. What was the other 'her' thinking? She could be caught! What would people say when they see two Katana's? Heaving a troubled sigh, Katana entered the dango shop and sat down, planning to have a quick break before resuming her search again.
"Here you go." The waitress approached her table, setting down a glass of water. Nodding in thanks, Katana raised the glass to her dry lips and chugged it down, relieving her parched throat. "Katana-chan!" The remaining liquid in her mouth was spat out and she coughed. She craned her neck to the entrance. "N-Naruto? Sakura?" They smiled at her and entered, several people following behind them. Katana's droopy eyes widened as she saw the rookie 9 plus Team Gai. "Why are you guys all here? Is today some kind of special day?"
Kiba shrugged. "It's nothing really. We just haven't hanged out in a long time." A bright smile came from Chouji as an agreement. Ino pouted. "There wasn't really a time to hang out until now."
"Man, the missions were such a drag." Complained Shikamaru. They all sat around her, bringing up normal conversations. Katana smiled. She missed their academy days when they had time in their hands. "How 'bout you, Katana?" A question brought her back to reality. She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry Ino, I wasn't paying attention. What was your question?" The blond girl blinked. "Not…paying attention?" They all stared at her. "What?" she asked in confusion. Then, Naruto smirked. "Ah…you must have been thinking about your new boyfriend, ne, Katana-chan?" Katana flushed. "I…I was not!" she protested indignantly, crossing her arms around her chest.
The girls giggled madly. "Don't bother denying, Katana-chan!" snickered Tenten teasingly. "We know what happened between you and Kazekage-sama." Added Sakura. A guilty smile crossed her features. "Okay, okay… but really, I wasn't thinking about him."
"Fine, fine…" Ino said before rolling her eyes.
"K-Katana-chan…" Katana turned to the meek voice and smiled. "Yes, Hinata-chan?"
"H-How a-are you?" Hinata returned the smile shyly along with the question. Katana's smile broadened at the friendly concern but it was soon turned into a grimace. Abruptly standing, she excused herself.
"Wait, wait, where are you going?" asked Naruto, grabbing her wrist gently before she could get out of the shop. She faced his worried gaze and the others' too. "Can't you stay here?" he asked almost pleadingly. Katana sighed and shook her head a 'no'. "Sorry guys, I…have some unfinished business to deal with."
"Unfinished business? What do you mean?" asked Lee next. Hesitation was written all over her. "I can't tell you." She admitted shamefully. Their faces dropped. "Why not, Katana?" Sakura stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey", she said, "you can always tell us anything. We're your friends!" Katana stared at her. Then she stared back at her friends around the table. They're waiting for me…
"What? A double?" Katana winced at her friend's volume. Numerous hushes made Naruto shrink back to his seat. Shikamaru rolled his eyes at his outburst, muttering words like 'too noisy' and 'troublesome'. "And the cause is your curse?" he asked. "No, the double is my curse. And after that nightmare, she managed to get herself out." Katana sighed tiredly, bringing her head down the table with a thud. She ran and searched for hours but still no sign of the offender anywhere.
"What do you plan to do?" asked Neji, sitting stiffly across her. A muffled groan answered him. They stared at her blankly. Raising her head up, the dark shading under her eyes became visible to them. "I don't know." She admitted in a low voice, none-too-happy.
"T-there, t-there, Ka-katana-chan…" smiled Hinata reassuringly, the pink taint in her face ever present. "W-we'll help y-you f-find her…r-right?" The shy Hyuuga turned to the others for support. Quick nods and smiles from the group. "Of course we will help, Katana-chan!" Lee exclaimed energetically, pumping a fist up in the air. "You didn't think we'll let you handle this stuff on your own, did ya?" piped in Tenten, weapons at hand. Katana's eyes soften. "Thank you."
Getting up and out of the restaurant, Naruto yelled, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A thousand Narutos grinned at Katana. "Come on guys! We've got some searching to do!" The black and orange crowd jumped off into several directions together with the rest of her friends. As Katana ran from roof to roof, an idea came to her. In her dream, even though she was talking to the other 'her' as a separate individual, she managed to activate her curse.
She focused, gathering her chakra towards the center and pushed it outwards. A burst of strength surged all over her body, her irises enveloped in gold and only gold. She was suddenly aware of the familiar chakra that was missing in her body. Calling her friends' attention, the sword wielder sped off to the location of her missing piece.
Katana unsheathed her sword as she took closer steps towards the training grounds. Although alert for anything unexpected to happen, she really didn't expect to see that scene right before her very eyes.
With her grasp loosening around the handle, the weapon came down on the grass with a thump, making the two people in front look at her. Wide aquamarine eyes focused at her. "Katana?" the deep voice of his never failed to send chills down her spine. She nodded slowly and reassuringly. "It's me. I'm Katana."
"Don't listen to her!" Katana glared at the woman beside him. She balled her fists tightly. "You…" she hissed under her breath, her attention all on her. "Gaara, step away from her." She ordered in a commanding voice, one that you shouldn't argue with. The confused sand wielder obeyed, backing away from the two same girls.
The fake called out to him again. "Gaara, don't leave me!" she begged. "She's— she's already deceiving you! "
A dangerous growl emitted from Katana. "Hands off my boyfriend!" A smirk graced the impersonator's lips, drawing her own sword. "You wish." She charged at the defenseless girl.
End Chapter
Yes, I know it took long, but my attention's kind of split in half because of summer classes I'm taking. On top of that, I had a huge, as in HUGE, writer's block.