Destiny of the Cursed

Chapter 27: Pain

Pitch black darkness engulfed her. For a moment, Katana felt nothing, heard nothing. Only one thought was stuck in her mind, and it was enough to make her stay conscious. And suddenly, she could breathe again. She could hear dry leaves crumple under her feet, the scent of pines and dew filling her senses.

But it wasn't Konoha. It didn't feel like Konoha. It was just…wrong.

She ran. Grey eyes darted in every direction. A hand was placed on her sword, ready to pull it out any moment. Foreign chakra signatures popped out. She focused, counting them one by one. Two by the entrance, she thought, jumping on tree trunks to hasten her pace.

As she came closer to the back gate, smoke and dust welcomed her. She coughed and waved away the dirty fog. The smoke dissipated and her eyes went wide. Debris and uprooted trees littered the ground. Buildings crumbled down before her, reduced to nothing but mere broken rocks. Screams and cries for help sounded from a distance, but she remained frozen on her place as she scanned the rest of the wreckage.

Her stomach lurched rebelliously. Corpses lay everywhere, close beside each other, under piles of rubbles with sharp weapons sticking out of them. A lump formed in Katana's throat. Those faces, bloody and pale… she knew these people. They were her comrades, her senpais and seniors. They were Konoha shinobi. Her chest tightened in…what? Sadness? Rage? Pain? She didn't know. Thoughts in her mind were scattered.

"You there."

She whirled around and met a pair of swirling violet eyes. A sudden chill waved over her and she shuddered involuntarily, unable to look away. The gaze held power, power beyond her grasp.

She can almost feel it drilling into her soul, taking every bit of what she had. "Where is the nine-tailed jinchuuriki?"

Snapping out of her trance, she glared at the man, masking her vulnerability. "I don't know." Her eyes darted down on the familiar pattern of his dark cloak. A grimace appeared on her face. "You're from Akatsuki…" she whispered, the mention of the infamous group making her blood boil.

"Indeed, I am." Confirmed the orange-haired man, moving closer.

Katana in return, took a wary step back. "Why have you come here?" she demanded, rage replacing her earlier dread. He ignored her question and once again asked, "Where is the jinchuuriki? Answer me." A metal rod slid down from one of his sleeves and into his grip. She shook her head stubbornly. "I won't tell you anything." His gaze narrowed. "I see." He droned out before vanishing from Katana's sight. The brunette drew out her sword as she made her breathing shallow in order to detect the slightest change in her surroundings.

Something charged towards her in a blur. She sidestepped just in time to avoid the stab the man delivered. She aimed a swing for his head. Her opponent ducked and slashed downward, but she jumped back, putting distance between them. The man eyed her as he stood up slowly. "Your fighting skill is impressive." He said in a monotone, never taking his ringed orbs off her form. "But I've had enough games." He charged for her again.

Katana did a hand seal. "Junsei Kurayami!" Black fumes covered her up, but the Akatsuki member ran through it anyway. Grey eyes widened as she saw him thrust the rod in her direction. She blocked, aiming a downward kick. He leapt backwards and closed in again, swiping at her. The silver blade and metal rod clashed together, emitting a shrill noise. Little by little the poisonous smoke cleared, leaving the two of them in a lock.

The man towered over Katana's shorter form, looking down on her with his hypnotic stare. The girl glared back persistently, anger fueling her courage. But no matter how much force she exerted, her enemy was still stronger, pushing her down without much effort. Unexpectedly, she stopped fighting and let him shove her. Landing roughly on her back, she kicked his jaw for good measure. She stood up while he was distracted, her breath coming out heavy. When she turned to look at him again, he was gone.

The furrowing of her eyebrows deepened. "This is it." Jerking her head to the left, she saw him thrust in the rod on her. She dropped down on her knees, eyes wide before disappearing with a 'poof'.

The real Katana came out behind a wrecked wall. The orange-haired man glanced at her. "How clever of you…" he stated dryly, before attacking once more. Katana stayed in her place, gathering a large amount of chakra in her hands. She waited as he went nearer and nearer, until he was only in her reach. Quickly doing a seal, a tiger's roar sounded just as she aimed her fist for his face. I've got him!

As her hand was inches away from him, she again met his odd eyes. Her muscles froze and her breath hitched. Time seemed to stop as she drowned in his cold gaze. She struggled to turn away, but it pulled her closer, deeper into an abyss of darkness. For the first time of her life, Katana was unable to push away the fear that threatened to consume her alive.

The feeling of pain brought her back to reality. Her aim had missed, and the metal rod sliced a smooth long cut on her stomach. Her mouth opened slightly in a silent scream, but no sound came out. For the final touch, the guy delivered a kick to her new wound. Katana fell on dirt, her hand pressing down on the injury. Blood oozed out in a hasty pace.
With her free hand, she held her sword with a shaky grip. The man loomed before her, staring down in pity. "I will ask you one last time: Where can I find the nine-tailed jinchuuriki? Tell me and I will let you live."

She dared look up into his hollow orbs for one last time. Fear and uncertainty glinted off her eyes, but she managed a mocking smile. "I won't tell you."

His blank expression never faltered. "So be it." And he struck down. She brought her sword up in her defense, not that it would make much of a difference. The rod came closer and closer until it was only inches apart from her forehead. Then, it stopped. Katana found herself staring at the sharp point of the rod, blood dripping down from it. Her heart skipped a beat. What had happened?

"Sorry I'm late."

That voice…

Her savior stood by the side, his hand holding the gory rod in a death grip. For once, his head protector was up, revealing two mismatched eyes. Though his face held his usually 'cool' look, his glare was glazed with unmistakable resentment. "Seems like you gave my daughter quite some trouble, Pain." Stated Kakashi, his tone steely cold. Without bothering to reply, Pain aimed a roundhouse kick for his head. The jounin ducked, slamming his hands down on the ground. A ten-foot tall earth wall surrounded them from behind the enemy's back. The Akatsuki member lunged, stabbing Kakashi on his shoulder.

The masked man winced. Hanging on to the piece of metal buried within him, he charged, a raikiri forming in his hand. Katana watched as his body went rigid, as if something caused him to stop. His chakra-infused hand ended up on the wall. "Hatake Kakashi…It's an honor to meet you." Rumbled the man in his deep voice. "Where is the nine-tailed beast?" A hard lump lodged on Katana's throat again. I have to help him. Fast.

Hastily, she let her hand glow with chakra, doing a basic healing jutsu that she learned. The bleeding had stopped for quite sometime, but the wound was still open. The girl hissed as her chakra came in contact with the flesh, forcing it to close.

Kakashi snorted, pulling away. "That's a stupid question." He remarked, running towards the cloaked man with another raikiri. Katana's head shot up. "Tou-san, don't!" A sudden force exploded from Pain, sending the silver-haired man flying away. The earth wall behind him crumbled down from the impact. Everything around him was completely destroyed.

Pushing away the bricks that buried her, Katana saw her father throw a lightning attack towards the man. Pain made no movement whatsoever, standing calmly in the clearing. The moment it came in contact with him, the jutsu dispersed into the thin air. Repelling both taijutsu and ninjutsu…What the hell is he? Said the sword wielder to herself, her eyes narrowing in thought.

A crushing sound was heard, causing both ninjas to look back. Another Akatsuki member appeared, black spikes on his orange head. Like Pain, his face was also covered in piercings, his eyes an endless spinning violet. "Another one, eh?" muttered Kakashi under his breath and glanced at his daughter.

"Whatever shall we do?" he asked aloud. Grey eyes met his lone obsidian orb. Her gaze shifted to the newcomer's direction then back to him. He winked. An inaudible sigh escaped her lips. I hope this'll work. "Junsei Kurayami!" A cloud of poison obscured the whole area, this time thick enough to prevent one from seeing anything. With her eyes closed, Katana concentrated hard, looking for the strong line of chakra. There! She lunged to her right, swiping madly, only to feel an empty space. Damn it! Did it already wear off?

She opened one eye, only to shut it back hastily. A stinging sensation brought it to water, the dark fog irritating her eye. It's still there. So how did he know where I was? Feeling him to her right, she thrust in but missed. She attacked for the third time, raining down blows on the enemy, but not landing a single one on him. When the fog dispelled, she jumped back, standing beside the jounin. She let out uneven puffs of air.

"Well, your plan didn't work…" she whispered lowly, worry lacing her voice, "What now?"

"We fight one on one."

A hesitant nod answered Kakashi. "Alright. But what if—" Katana froze in mid-sentence, her words cut short as she watched the other member's head morph in a disgusting way. Two more heads sprung up from both sides of his face and he ripped off his cloak, revealing a freakish body with four other arms and a long tail of razor. She fought the urge to throw up. An intense power grabbed the two, pulling them towards Pain. Their planted feet on the ground slid off easily, carrying them as if they weigh a feather. With all her might, Katana brought down her sword, embedding it securely on the ground. She reached back, and called for Kakashi's attention. The older man grasped on a metal chain, his lower half being dragged towards them. Cautiously, he extended an arm, trying to get hold of Katana's hand.

The latter stretched on further, ignoring how her muscles ached. "Come on now, Tou-san…" she whispered encouragingly, sweat traveling down her forehead. "You can…make it…" At last, she felt their fingers brush slightly. Leaning forward, she grabbed his gloved hand, holding it tightly. "That's it, Tou-san… I've got you." Despite their situation, Katana couldn't help but smile hopefully. "I've got you." It faded away however, when she felt her grip on the hilt loosening. Pain seemed to sense her discomfort and the force intensified, sharply tugging them down. Katana flinched as her hand slipped on the handle, her numb fingers crying for ease.

Kakashi's eyebrows creased. "Katana…" he said, scrutinizing her trembling grasp. "Let me go." The younger shinobi looked at him incredulously. "What? No!"

"Let me go." He repeated, in a tone more commanding than before. "You can't hold us both."

She glared at him. "Yes, I can." It was nothing more than a lie; she knew he was aware of it. But she bit her lip and heaved both of them up, disregarding her chalk-white knuckles. It proved to be harder as Kakashi struggled to get out of her grip. She squeezed his hand, looking at him desperately. Kakashi returned it with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry." And he jerked away, leaving his glove in her fist.

"Tou-san!" screamed Katana as she tried to seize him, but he slithered downwards, his Sharingan wide as the blade-like tail of the monster pierced through his back. His figure altered and glided, bolts of lightning taking his place instead. The Akatsuki member shuddered, the large amount of electricity surging inside him. Out of the blue, two giant fists hit the ground, pummeling said enemy. Pain had gotten away just in time. The hands shrunk and two big-built males landed. "One down, Kakashi!" called out the older Akimichi. A sound came from the pile of rubble behind and Katana snapped her head to its direction.

"I had a back-up plan on my mind. But you guys just saved me a whole lot of chakra." Said Kakashi from under the wreck. He was covered in scratches and faint bruises, sweat and dirt clinging to his face like a second skin but otherwise, he was fine. Katana exhaled in the form of a heavy sigh, closing her eyes in embarrassment. So that was why he told her to let go.

Grabbing the handle, she pulled it out forcibly, leaving her hands throbbing and her arms sore. She had been stupid enough to think that he would be so reckless as to get himself killed. She could hear the footsteps of their back-up nearing. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and swallowed. It's just that the mental image of him being skewered by that—that thing brought out panic; something a shinobi should not show under any circumstances. She hadn't trained so relentlessly for the past few months just so she could lose control in a time like this.

A hand was brought down on her shoulder. She flinched, making the Sharingan user recoil. "You okay?" Concern made his deep voice sound softer. She nodded half-heartedly, casting her eyes down at her feet. "I'm fine." She answered and frowned at how fake she had sounded. Kakashi seemed to be unconvinced, asking her again, "How's your chakra level?" She chose not to answer and instead, gathered up chakra to activate her curse. The black and gold tinted orbs spoke for her.

"Dad!" warned Chouji from the side. "Here he comes!" the rest of the team tensed and got ready, running towards Pain all at once. Another enormous wave of energy blew against them. Kunais and shuriken flew. Jutsu rendered useless. Throwing an exploding tag attached to a kunai, Chouza took cover behind an overturned pillar. The bomb went off but the orange-haired man stood in the center, unharmed.

"What did he do?" questioned Chouji's father, panting. "He's deflecting all attacks." Explained Kakashi, wiping the soot from the bridge of his nose. "Like a magnet, he can pull or push anything from his center, controlling gravity and repulsion forces. Though his ability is powerful", he said, "it has a weakness. There seems to be an interval for each use of the jutsu."

Chouza knitted his eyebrows. "But if the interval is too short, we can't get close to him." There was a knowing glint in his Sharingan. "I have an idea and I need your help." Katana hid a grimace while he relayed the details. Your ideas had always hurt you, she wanted to say, but didn't. "Alright. Everyone, in your positions please." Both Akimichi jumped off. She set the thought aside and crouched low behind the large column, peeking outside.

The ground under Pain cracked, and out came the jounin with a kunai, threatening to plunge it into him. He recovered fast, however, and Kakashi was sent skidding off far from him. "You certainly have a vast knowledge of jutsu. Failing to kill you would mean trouble for me." Stated the Akatsuki, raising his metal rod. Before he could bring it down, two rolling boulders came towards him from either side. "Too slow." He said, his hands creating a somewhat invisible barrier that prevented them from coming any closer. The two men stopped spinning, grabbing the chain that he didn't notice earlier. They pulled, trapping Pain in the middle.

Kakashi ran, the lightning blade in his hand sending off sparks. Katana strained her eyes to see clearer. He was so near…so near to ending it all. There was a swift change in the air, a movement that she almost missed. Without waiting for the signal, she did a seal and vanished. She emerged behind Pain, holding up the arm that had the electricity shaped into a claw.

Patterned eyes narrowed as her suspicions were proved correct: the other member had blocked the attack. She charged for Pain's back and felt her fist bury deep into something. Blood splattered to her face and clothes and she looked up. It wasn't Pain at all. Her hand speared the freak's back. Something caught her eye by the side. It was Kakashi's hand, coming from the front. But where was Pain?

"Shinra Tensei…"

Katana stiffened at the whisper. Before she could even know what was happening, she found her back slammed violently against a wall. She could feel her head pounding aggressively, as if someone had knocked her out with a steel hammer. Her vision blurred until everything made no sense at all. She shook her head, pain coursing through her veins. Something warm and ran down on her split lips. Her tongue retracted at its metallic taste: blood. Her blood. Though shaky and unstable, Katana pushed herself up on her feet, stumbling over to the cleared area.

Pain was nowhere to be found. "Damn it!" she seethed in frustration. All that effort…and for nothing! Keeping her temper in check, she looked around for any signs of the silver-haired man. "Tou-san!" she called out, her throat parched and aching. "Tou-san, where are you?" There was a groan from her far left. She staggered, paying no attention to her exhaustion.

"Chouji!" she said, hope filling her as soon as she saw him sprawled on the rocks. Kneeling down, she hauled him up gently. "K-Katana-chan?" he mumbled groggily, coughing. "You're okay, big guy. You're okay." She encouraged, patting his shoulder. He had a few injuries and minor gashes, here and there. "Come on; help me find your father and Kakashi-sensei." He nodded, his spiky brown hair flowing with the movement. They stood up and parted ways, trying to find their missing comrades. Chouji found Chouza instantly, rushing to his father's aid.

Katana, on the other hand, couldn't catch a sight of Kakashi anywhere. "Katana! Kakashi-sensei's here!" The latter didn't waste another minute and ran, losing her balance along the way.

"Chouji, where—" She halted, staring with wide eyes. Her blood ran cold. "Kakashi-sensei…" He turned at the mention of his name, giving Katana a better look at his face. Blood ran down from his forehead, some of his silver locks clinging to it and turning crimson. His Sharingan was half-lidded, obviously abused. Half of his body was buried underneath the broken fragments.

"Katana…" he murmured weakly. "You and Chouji…you must go to T-Tsunade-sama…Tell her of Pain's—Pain's abilities. You have to find…a way to fight him." The order went unregistered by her mind. She dropped to her knees, digging him out furiously. "Katana!" the jounin rasped, narrowing his hooded eye. "You've gotta go! Run!"

"Not without you. You need to see Tsunade-sama as well." She said persistently, focusing on the pile of rubble. Unshed tears stung her eyes but she fought them back, still digging. "Katana!" yelled the man in such a sharp tone that Chouji shrunk back. This time, she faced him, glaring pigheadedly. "I won't leave you!" she replied, water brimming on her eyelids. "Chouji can go, but you can't make me leave you!" Her response was childish, immature. "A shinobi should never place their emotions in the way of their mission!" Stated Kakashi, but she cut him off. "I don't give a damn!"

"You sure are persistent." The trio's heads shot upwards. The smashed monster came to life, a missile coming out of his back. "Run Chouji!" barked Katana, charging her hand with another lightning jutsu. She made a mad dash for the enemy, her gaze promising much gore and violence.

The rocket was launched, chasing after Chouji. Katana's hand collided with the Akatsuki member's body, sending a hundred volts of electricity. He shuddered uncontrollably, smoke coming out of him. He dropped down, limp. Katana glanced at Chouji again, the rocket right by his side. "Chouji!" she shouted in panic. The brunette boy turned to her in confusion. She returned it with the same look. Where had it gone? The trail of smoke that came from the weapon was still floating in the air. She stood still, trying to comprehend the scene. Vanishing so suddenly…just like…how Tou-san's Mangekyo Sharingan works…

Realization hit her late. She whirled around and raced, not wanting to believe her own thoughts. There laid Kakashi, his scarred eye struggling to remain open. His breathing was shallow, too shallow for a normal person. He was ghostly-pale and terribly cold, the blood gushing out like a river. With all her might, dragged him out of the wreckage, kicking the heavy rocks that trapped his legs. She rested him gently on the floor, brushing away his bloodstained bangs.

"Y-You're going to be fine. I promise." She blurted out, more to herself than to him. Gathering her chakra, a golden glow emitted from her palms, healing some of the cuts and bruises that he had. But it wasn't doing anything to help him in his current condition. Katana knew. She knew and she was terrified.
"S-Stay with me, Tou-san…" she whispered, glancing back and forth at her hands and at his face. His eye flickered at her. Slowly, he brought his hand up and caressed her face. Katana shivered under his icy touch. It descended down to her eye, to the bridge of her nose and down her chin.

She looked at him, her gaze scared stiff and frantic. "Tou-san…" her tone spoke a silent plea. Please…

He gave her one of his signature masked smile, replying in return. 'I'm sorry…'

His arm fell to his side, his eye closing and finally, succumbing into darkness. The brunette beside him had her eyes fixed on him, wide with shock. Hatake Kakashi, the man who took her under his care and became her father…was dead.

Something hit her in the chest. It stung, aching so terribly. "This is…" she started, finding the right word. "…pain." It rolled off her tongue, leaving a bitter aftertaste. "Pain…" The shaken girl clenched her fists and rose like a robot, sauntering towards the creature that lay motionless on the ground. She glowered at it, a crazed look in her black and gold orbs. "You're not dead."

The Akatsuki member craned its neck at her direction. "But he is." He said bluntly, a snort of amused laughter rumbling from his mouth.

She kicked him in the face. Then, bending down with a silent whisper of "Dendou Tsume", she let the claw puncture his chest slowly before sliding it all the way down to cut his body apart. With the other hand, she swiped at his face. Other than hers, no other chakra signature was present in the area. The monster was dead as well. Her stoic face consorted into a hard grimace.

"Why…" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Why does it still hurt…?" She clenched her teeth and screamed, her bare fists pounding on the hard corpse. She punched and punched, watching as his face became disfigured and tarnished with blood from her skinned knuckles.

Closing her eyes, the tears that she held back fell. Katana clutched her head with her bloody hands, crying desperately.

"Why, Tou-san? Why…?"

End Chapter

Whew. Finally! I thought I'd never finish this. Anyway, enjoy reading, people. And please, comment! Your opinions fuel my ideas.

~KatanaSabaku