Author's Note: Yes, I'm alive. I come in peace. Please don't kill me. XD
Ahhhh, I knew I screwed up, not updating since last year (November, if I'm not mistaken) but yeah. I've been bombarded with school projects, tests and group works and whatnot. Not to mention that I've been busy with my campaign as the student council president. (Sadly, I lost. But that's fine. :D )
Er, so yeah. Personally, I think this chapter SUCKS (It's kind of like a filler? Cuz yeah, nothing important really happened yet.)...Or maybe it's just me. I hope it's just me. Oh god.
Enjoy and review...?
Destiny of the Cursed
Chapter 41: The battle starts!
The sound of gentle waves rolling around and splashing teasingly on the sandy shore made the waiting girl on the coastline a little calmer. She sat on an elevated boulder, face blank and expression unreadable, her aura deceivingly relaxed. Long brown tresses swayed with the direction of the salty sea breeze and Katana inhaled the air slowly, releasing it in the same way. Inside her grip was the hilt of her trustworthy weapon, her slender fingers absentmindedly tracing the pattern engraved on the handle.
"You should loosen up a bit."
Raising an eyebrow, she turned, smiling lopsidedly when her grey eyes caught sight of pale yellow locks and tanned skin. The newcomer gave the same lazy grin, his arms crossed over one another, his cleaver-like sword slung over his back. Snorting and turning her attention back to the beach, Katana waited for him to stand by her side before she spoke in reply, "Easier said than done, Darui-sempai." She said softly, twirling her sheathed sword carelessly. Then, as if realizing something, she frowned and looked at him, correcting herself, "Wait. I'm supposed to call you 'Taichou' now, aren't I?"
The older man sat down on the rock, his onyx eyes languidly blinking at the clear blue waters. His smile broadened and he pushed up his leg, propping an elbow on top of his knee. "No." He argued back without much effort, sparing the girl a quick sideways glance. "I think I like the title 'sempai' better, Katana-sama."
"That's Katana-chan for you." The kunoichi corrected once again much to the surprise of Darui, her gaze shifting to his startled expression as she beamed with mirth. "You always treat me as the Raikage's daughter, don't you? Can't you at least treat me like a subordinate for just one moment?" It wasn't much of a protest since there was no hint of annoyance present in her tone and yet, the Kumo shinobi still chuckled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, his tendency to apologize hard to resist. "Sorry, Katana-sama. Old habits die hard, after all."
"I guess they do."
Tranquil silence took its place between the two as their conversation ended, the only thing left to liven up the surroundings was the chattering noises of the shinobi in their background. Katana sighed once more, this time out of boredom, her eyelids lowering halfway. It's not much of a war right now, is it? She asked herself inwardly, her gaze fixed indifferently on the continuously moving water. I wonder how Sakura and Tou-san are doing. I wonder if the others are okay…I wonder how Gaara is.
"By the way, Katana-sama…"
Craning her head to the side and grunting in inquiry, she watched the jounin's eye twinkle with underlying worry and guilt and she immediately blanched, frowning in suspicion and bracing herself for the incoming conversation starter; knowing Darui, it was certainly going to be unexpected. "Yeah?" She asked, the word rolling off her tongue and out of her mouth slowly, her tone sounding hesitant.
"The minute we engage in battle", he started, his dull tone and lazy lopsided smile covering up the nervousness he felt, "do me a favor and stay by my side, ne?" A confused frown and a downward movement of thin eyebrows was the given reply. "Why's that?" The girl questioned, her back arching as she hunched over to place both elbows on both knees.
Darui gulped at the query, his Adam's apple bobbing up then down before settling back in place, and fidgeted a bit from his seat, his smile twitching at the sides, his legs stretching out and his feet brushing against the sandy ground as if planning to attempt a quick getaway. "Well…" he sighed dejectedly, ready to stammer out his reason when a thought hit him hard and caused him to pause, his eyes blinking and his face taking a thoughtful expression.
"As the Captain of this Division…" he began slowly, coal-colored orbs staring fixedly at the open sea as if reading some invisible script that he has to follow, "…it's only common sense that the enemy will go after me with top priority. I need to have someone protecting my back."
The brunette sitting on the rock offered him a silent reply in the form of a deadly glower, her grey eyes taking a vicious glint in the sunlight. The man by her side flinched, a distressed laugh ripping out of his throat. Ignoring his chuckles, Katana pinned her intense gaze on him, her clenched jaw slacking only slightly as she opened her mouth to speak. "Someone to protect you during the fight…you never did need one, Sempai."
She grimaced, crossing her arms over her chest. "No matter how much I think about it, it sounds like a pathetic excuse to watch over me." Sighing and losing her dirty glare, the girl gathered her legs close to her body and placed her chin on top of her knees, her eyes sullen as she muttered behind her pants, "Tou-sama told you to take care of me again, didn't he?"
"Sorry", Darui said sheepishly once again, apologizing for the second time around, "but it's probably for the best, Katana-sama. We can't have the daughter of our leader dying on us now, can we?" Hearing the reply, a disappointed sigh escaped Katana's mouth, her eyebrows furrowed tight and her lips down in a frown. She glanced down at the sandy ground below them before turning to the side and giving Darui a fleeting glance. "Do you not trust me, Sempai?" She asked him with all the sincerity she could muster and for once, without the anger lacing her tone.
Blinking twice, the blonde jounin looked down to their feet guiltily, his mouth dropping into a thin line. "Of course I do. But I can't just ignore the boss's orders." A snort came from the girl and Darui looked up, sighing when he saw faint signs of a grimace present on the latter's face. "Katana-sama…"
"It's fine. I understand."
Gazing at the crestfallen expression of the girl, Darui swallowed hard, contemplating on his next words and taking a deep breath. "It's not just because they come from Raikage-sama that I follow the orders given to me." He drawled out in a low tone, glancing down at the ground and then back up to smile slightly at the gentle waves of the sea. "I follow it because I want to. Even with no order given, I'd probably still protect you with all I have."
The jounin could feel the girl relax beside him, his statement a reassurance to her of some kind. Chuckling and turning to grin at her lazily, Darui placed a hand on top of Katana's head, his tone sincere, "You're like the sister I never had, Katana-sama. You, Raikage-sama, Shee and everyone else…you guys are my family. And so, I'd do anything to—"
"—protect us. I know." Katana supplied, her lips quirking up in a lopsided beam. Grey eyes were fixed on the open sea as she spoke slowly, but somehow, Darui knew that her full attention belonged to him at the moment. "So…fine." She answered, letting out a defeated exhaled and shrugged carelessly. "You win. I'll stay by your side."
Her gaze darted towards him in a sideways glance and Katana's smile softened, "Besides, someone has to cover your back during the fight. We can't have our captain dying on us now, can we?" Glancing at the surprised expression of her senior, Katana merely sent him a calm beam, turning back to the open sea.
Closing her eyes, she took a lungful of the salty sea breeze and exhaled quietly, opening them and frowning the minute she did. Leaning forward, Katana squinted and focused on the suspicious white thing that caught her attention from a distance, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword in reflex.
From behind the waves of the sea, she noticed the thing grow larger, as if inching forward slowly. Another joined it afterwards, followed by another and another still, and soon, the whole expanse of the beach were surrounded by the white creatures. Katana tensed, her chakra in a frenzied state and hovering restlessly in the atmosphere. "Sempai."
"Hai." Darui responded immediately, frowning and clutching his sword in his own hand. "We've got company." Raising his hand high up, the tanned man gave his signal and reached out for Katana's arm, gently pulling the kunoichi away from the shore. "Let's go." Nodding stiffly, the brunette broke free of the older man's grasp and jogged further away, returning to where she was originally stationed.
"They're here." She warned her comrades with a tight grimace as she helped one of them up. "We better get into formation." The rest of the shinobi stood up, others drawing kunai and shuriken from their pouches, some checking their supply of explosive tags. Taking a deep breath, Katana glanced back at the shore, clenching her teeth when the sight of thousands of white humanoid creatures filled her view. This is it… Quickly grasping the handle of her weapon, she drew her sword and took a defensive stance, closing her eyes as she willed her heart rate to slow into a normal pace.
From down below, Darui did a series of hand seals and welcomed the unwanted crowd with a nasty shock of his lightning jutsu, the black lightning that took the shape of a panther striking many of the creatures to death. Retaliating eagerly, the enemies sprung up, making their attacks overhead.
"Head's up!"
"Katana-chan, duck!"
Tenten's sharp voice cut through the numerous battle cries that sounded throughout the battlefield, taking the sword-wielding brunette aback for a short moment. However, her surprise went away as quickly as it came and Katana ducked obediently, shouting her thanks to the older girl covering her back as she speared a white Zetsu in the stomach. Her sword sunk into the soft flesh of the creature and a sickening squelchy sound emitted from it when she pulled it off, making Katana feel a little queasy.
Ignore it, she told herself, heavily swallowing the tight lump in her throat. Whirling back, the girl killed two of the creatures and sidestepped to dodge one that lunged in her direction. Swiping up a kunai from her holster, Katana slashed it across the Zetsu's white body and stabbed it on its chest, sending it falling dead to the ground like a limp sack.
Taking in a deep breath, Katana took a second to compose herself, one hand coming up to wipe grime away from her dirt-stained face and her eyes scanning the battlefield. On her right, a group composed of a Kiri nin, two Kumo and a Konoha shinobi seemed to hold their ground fairly well without any aid. To her left, Tenten and a few other shinobi defended the higher ground from the white Zetsus.
From afar, Chouza and his group were fighting the undead army, effectively fending them off. Her expression darkened at the sight of the animated corpses, her grip on her weapon tightening.
Dead people's souls attached to vessels, hypothetically brought back to life to fight as mindless puppets. Edo Tensei…She recalled unenthusiastically, remembering how Tsunade had informed them of this piece of knowledge back when they were still in Konoha, days before the departure.
The thought that a resting soul of someone who had already died would once again be woken up and shoved inside a body to serve as soldiers in a war against their own will…it was utterly disturbing in Katana's opinion. Not to mention incredibly disrespectful and sickening. Only a total bastard would do something like this to win a war. I'm starting to hate this jutsu even more…And it's not just the fact that we're having a hard time either.
Deciding that break time was over, Katana forced the thoughts away as she dashed toward the shore and bit the handle of her sword to temporarily hold it, her hands forming hand signs. "Dendou Tsume!" Electricity gathered in her hands, her chakra taking the shape of sharp claws. Prying her hands apart, Katana ran, swiping at every Zetsu that blocked her way. Finally reaching her destination, she turned sharply, letting her back collide against Darui's as she took a quick breather.
"Seventeen, sempai." She murmured lowly with a small smile, her movements following the blonde's easily as they took down the creatures one by one.
Behind her, the captain grunted. "Ten." He said and Katana's smile turned into a smirk despite the situation they were under.
"Only ten?" She repeated in mocking tone, sliding down smoothly to trip a Zetsu, sending in tumbling down carelessly and taking with it some of its kind before she skewered them without blinking. Shooting up once more, she shoved Darui away just as a white creature charged for him, "Does this mean I'm already better than you are, Sempai?"
"Not a chance, young un. You still got a lot to learn."
Chuckling dryly and turning to behead a Zetsu that threatened to tackle her from behind, Katana sidestepped, bumping against Darui's shoulder. "I think I pretty much know everything that has to be learned." She answered and glanced to the side just in time to notice a Zetsu coming for her, her eyes widening as she sharply inhaled and jumped away swiftly when the body of the white creature opened in half like a flytrap and attempted to trap her in.
The shock traveled throughout her system and adrenaline rushed out into her blood for the first time since the start of the battle. Faster than she had thought she could move, the kunoichi jerked her arm back and swung her sword with a flick of her wrist, the action cutting the freaky thing in half. Letting out a ragged sigh, the brunette heard deep chortles from not so far and darted her gaze toward the laughter with a glare. "I think you're too confident in what you know, Katana-sama." Darui commented, offering a comforting smile despite his teasing remark.
"Oh, shut up." Katana retorted half-heartedly, trying her best to dissipate the adrenaline rush out of her body. White slime stuck stubbornly on the blade of her sword and Katana grimaced, wiping it away on a boulder nearby. Looking around, she noticed that she and Darui had managed to eliminate most of the Zetsus that surrounded them earlier.
Swallowing and shifting her weight back and forth on her two legs, grey eyes stared past the shore, focusing to where many more waves of the creatures were waddling their way towards the battlefield. Thin eyebrows furrowed deeply at the sight and Katana fidgeted on where she stood, anxiety churning inside her. Just how many are in there? Is there even an end to them?
Turning to her left, she staggered back as one of the said creatures pounced on her and Katana swore under her breath, her eyebrows furrowing as she struggled out of the tight hold of the Zetsu. "Dammit!" She cursed when her weapon fell to the ground and clattered out of her reach.
Eyes narrowing into slits, Katana jerked suddenly and shoved the creature to one side, throwing all her weight against it and sending both of them to tumble down the rocky ground. She wrestled with the white monster and found out that it was surprisingly weak despite its iron-like grip. A punch to the jaw had it dazed and the kunoichi took the opportunity to roll to the side, grabbing her sword in the process.
Stumbling back up just as the Zetsu pushed itself back up on its feet, Katana glowered, charging and plunging her sword deep into the creature's stomach, her sword piercing through its stomach and appearing out of a hole on its back. The girl grimaced at the putrid stench that wafted on her face—something that smelled like a mixture of dried blood, dead leaves and rotting flesh— when the Zetsu slumped dependently on her.
Sliding out her soiled weapon and letting the body drop lifelessly to the rocks, she turned her attention back to the beach, where the creatures rise and trudge towards them.
A sudden idea struck her and she kept her blank stare fixed, her hands meeting together in front of her. Still eyeing the sea, the girl unconsciously did a series of hand signs and then dropped to a crouch, slamming her palms against the sandy ground. "Kuroi Kago!" As soon as they words left her mouth, black bars sprung up from the ground without warning, spearing and impaling many of the taken aback white things. Self-satisfaction waved through her momentarily and the sound of Darui's pleased hum reached her ears, silently telling her 'good job'.
Behind her, her comrades let out pleased sighs and relieved breaths, all of them successfully defending their territory and preventing the enemy from infiltrating the coastline. Looking back, Katana stared at the older blonde, waiting for his orders and was surprised when she saw him turn his head back to glance at the base.
"You should take a break, Katana-sama." Incredulity filled her and for a minute, all she could do was blink at him as her mind registered the words. As the meaning slowly dawned to her, she scowled, her eyes narrowing. "I'm fine", she bit out, "I don't need rest."
"Your chakra level has dropped drastically low."
"I have large reserves. I'll be fine."
"That was an order. Rest."
Taken aback for the second time around, Katana's willpower crumbled down against Darui's expectant languid smile and the brunette let out a tired exhale, quietly glaring up at the tanned shinobi.
"Fine, Taichou." She drawled out in frustration, making sure the blonde heard the stressed word clearly.
Swinging her sword once, she slid it back to its sheath and trudged towards the base, the exhaustion and heaviness of her body just then seeping into her system.
Grey eyes were stormy and unfocused as they stared out into the open area before them, the brunette that sat on the edge of a low cliff distractedly counting the number of shinobi that scouted the place. Her eyebrows were knitted together in a downcast manner, thoughts brewing inside her head. What are they waiting for? Why stop attacking..?
Questions filled her mind and the fact that answers weren't available at the moment only succeeded in making her even more distraught. Closing her eyes, she leaned heavily against the sturdy wall of rock and reached up to clutch the hourglass that dangled from her neck, her fingers curling on the warm surface.
Immediately, her eyebrows relaxed, her grimace vanished and Katana released the breath that she'd been holding all along. She could feel the redhead's chakra pulsating beneath her touch, swirling inside, unraveling the stress and worry that was buried deep inside her. Heavy eyelids fluttered open slowly and the girl fixed her stare at the dancing sand, the particles sweeping across the smooth inside of the glass.
Gaara…Look's like you're doing just fine.
Sighing, Katana glanced away slowly, gazing out into the silent sea. The waters were clear, blue and calm, almost deceivingly docile to anyone who would pass by. Like the treacherous calm before a particularly violent storm, Katana contemplated with troubled grimace as dread crept up the base of her spine.
"Katana-san? Is that you?"
Blinking twice and shaking herself out of her trance, the brunette turned with a mask of indifference fixed on her face, her fingers dropping their hold on the hourglass. Grey eyes snapped wide open once they met warm, honey brown orbs, a soft smile and an overall bashful expression that belonged to a certain Kiri nin. Staring dumbly at the brunette boy, Katana relaxed unconsciously, her lips curving up in a faint beam.
"Kyosuke-san." She greeted slowly, allowing just a little bit of surprise to seep in her tone, "I didn't expect to see you here." She added, confusion taking over her face. As far as Katana knew, the boy belonged in another division, separated from them when the assembly began. Chuckling sheepishly, Kyosuke rubbed the back of his head, messing up his wavy brown locks in the process.
"Ah, hai. I was transferred here, actually."
"Transferred?"
"I'm a medic nin." Arching an eyebrow up at the sudden declaration, Katana studied him up and down, disbelief reflecting off her expression. In her opinion, he was much too buff to be a medic but she kept the comment to herself and nodded along.
"I was supposed to be in the medical division but as it turned out, Shizune-taichou sent out shinobi to act as the medic-nin of each division. I happened to be one of them."
Smiling, he crouched down before sitting beside her, his legs dangling on the edge of the cliff. "It's so the shinobi with minor injuries could get some quick healing without having to go to the main base."
"Shizune-san thought well then." Katana remarked as she glanced away from the boy, turning her attention back to the sandy shore. "It's a hassle for us to return to the base just to get shallow cuts and grazes patched up. If that was the case…" She trailed off, dry humor lacing the last statement, "then I would've just ignored my injuries until I bled to death."
"W-What?"
The incredulous gasp made the girl grin and she glanced at the shinobi beside her, her hilarity increasing when she noticed his wide-eyed stare. "I was kidding." She reassured then paused, blinking once before adding quickly, "Well, partly anyway. I am prone to being stubborn when it comes to resting and hospitals." Katana admitted in a sheepish tone as her grin softened.
The sigh that Kyosuke released ignited a raised eyebrow from her and Katana turned to the side to face him, her smile falling. "What is it?"
Brown locks swayed side to side as he shook his head and Kyosuke looked up, a faint frown present in his normally radiant face. "It's nothing." He said hesitantly and bit his lip, hazel eyes looking down then back up as he stammered out his next sentences.
"Y-You just…Well, you just don't look like a stubborn person, Katana-san. You seem more like an obedient shinobi to me…" He said, his voice toning down to a whisper.
"…Looks can be deceiving, I guess."
Quickly glancing up to meet Katana's gaze for a second, Kyosuke blushed and cleared his throat, looking away. "Hai, of course …but you know, ignoring your wounds is not a very good habit." He commented, changing the topic effectively with a feigned stern tone that had Katana smiling lopsidedly. "You could get infection, y'know."
"I know."
"A-And that's not very good. It's really, really painful."
"You're a strange guy, Kyosuke-san." Katana said as she resisted the urge to grin widely, amusement glinting off her eyes. "Lecturing a chuunin as if she was a three year-old girl…" She drawled out flippantly, snorting and crossing her arms over her chest.
Her companion chuckled from beside her, his legs kicking back and forth and against the rocky edge. Comfortable silence dawned between the two of them as both lost interest to continue their earlier conversation.
Glancing away, the kunoichi closed her eyes and took a deep breath, relishing the cool air coming from the sea. There were still no signs of impending enemies and for that, Katana was grateful. Was this war going to be easy after all? Pushing the hopeful question out of her mind, she cast her gaze down on the shore, her smile twitching down when she saw stray particles of sand dance with the passing breeze.
A dull twinge set off inside her chest and Katana lowered her eyes, fighting back the melancholic frown that threatened to take over her face. For a second, aquamarine orbs and red locks appeared before her eyes but the girl willed the heart-wrenching image to vanish before she could even fully think of the Suna shinobi. She released a silent sigh and slumped against the wall by her right, her hair brushing past her face when a particular breeze chose to blow right at that moment.
When have I become so…weak?
The inquiry lingered on her mind for a few seconds before she opted to sigh again instead of answering it, the annoying ache inside her chest feeling heavy and tight. This thing I'm feeling…why now? It's not right. It's just not right. I'm in the middle of a war. She reminded herself harshly, fists clenching on the fabric of her pants. I can't afford to get distracted. I should focus. Focus. No more thinking about—
"They're here!"
The sound of alarmed screams and chaotic cries brought Katana back to reality, her eyes snapping wide open and immediately scanning the scene unfolding below. Through a narrowed gaze, she noticed another group of Zetsu clones trudging ashore, some already in the beach and attacking her comrades.
From afar, two dark silhouettes broke from the surface of the sea, silver and gold strands of hair slowly rising up to reveal identical faces, ashen white in color with whisker marks on both cheeks, their irises faded grey surrounded by pools of black.
Grimacing tightly, Katana stiffly rose from her position, hand already placed on the hilt of her sword. She turned to Kyosuke, whose face was scribbled with surprise and sudden worry, and managed a small curt smile, nodding once. "I guess I'll have to see you later, Kyosuke-san. It seems that we have…guests to entertain." She said aridly, her eyes glinting dangerously despite the calm beam plastered in her expression.
Ignoring the man's broken stutters of protest, Katana bypassed him and leapt down from the cliff, landing on the sand with ease. As her feet touched the ground below, the carefree façade she had melted away, eyes narrowing and jaws clenching.
With a look of irritation, her legs began striding towards the brewing fight, her footsteps hasty and wide as she fixed her gaze on the two newcomers that stood in front of the beach, their presence radiating off menacing chakra and a sense of haughtiness.
These two… Katana whispered uneasily to herself, taking noticing of the Kumo vest and clothes that they wore. The two men carried with them unusual weapons, the silver-haired one holding a gourd-like bottle under his arm and a sword in another hand, the blonde one clutching a large fan in his grip, a thick length of rope wound around his arm. Kumogakure shinobi? They seem familiar. Tou-sama…Tou-sama told me something about two brothers who once—
"Katana-san!"
Stopping as her name was called, Katana whirled around with a flabbergasted expression, completely forgetting about the chaos that surrounded her temporarily. "Kyosuke-san?" She whispered under her breath, her eyebrows knitting together in both incredulity and confusion as she stared at the boy kneeling near the edge of the low cliff.
The medic nin was looking down from where she left him, his hands cupped next to his mouth and serving as a voice amplifier. "Katana-san! I'll wait for you right here! Don't ignore your wounds anymore!" He yelled with enthusiasm, ignoring the angry shouts of his seniors from behind him. "I'll heal them for you, okay? Infection is painful, remember that!"
Mouth falling slightly agape as the girl was rendered momentarily speechless, Katana blinked back her shock and snorted, shaking her head as she sent the boy a half-hearted wave. "I'll remember it!" She called out and turned her back on him, her eyes gluing themselves in front and her feet running towards the battlefield.
Kyosuke-san, you really are…a strange guy.
If there was one thing Katana learned from all the battles she has fought before, it was to never underestimate an enemy's abilities. And so, the minute she bolted off towards Darui's side to aid him, her sword was already inside her grip, her eyes swirling a steady black and gold.
"How sweet of you to finally remember me, girl."
The voice rang inside her head without warning and Katana froze, the brunette wincing as a sharp pang shot through her brain, painful throbbing following it soon after. Clenching her teeth and managing a grim smile, Katana swallowed back the tight lump inside her throat, trying to ignore the insistent pounding of her head as she replied inwardly, Ah, I see you're here once more. Glad to have you back to pester me again.
"Hah, drop the sarcastic tone, please. Weren't you the one who decided to summon me to help you?"
The sides of her lip twitching at the familiar bickering, the girl sighed in defeat, cautiously in order not to invoke anymore painful sensations in her head. Alright. Fine. You win. She distractedly told the voice inside her, her gaze scanning their opponents.
Both men radiated an aura of power and danger, their lips curving into merciless smiles and their bodies tense, as if the slightest move was all they needed to go on a bloody rampage. Just…Try to lessen the migraines, will you? Katana uttered a curse as another pang hit her and she grumbled, rolling her eyes at the sound of snickers echoing inside her head.
"I'm not going to promise anything, brat."
Ending the mental conversation with a silent sigh, the brunette left her unseen companion back to the depths of her mind for later and resumed her hasty pace, taking a sharp breath once she reached Darui. "Sempai," she began with a breathless inhale, "need help?"
Sending him a brief sideways glance, she noticed the slight relief that crossed his tight expression, his blonde head bobbing up and down in response. "Assistance would be appreciated." He replied dryly, his low voice tinged with a hint of nervousness as his hand reached up to take the cleaver sword that was strapped on his back.
Hearing his response, the silver-haired man in front smirked devilishly, eyeing Katana with a predatory gaze. Reflexively, the girl narrowed her eyes and met his unwavering stare with a defensive glower of her own, ire easily overcoming the uneasiness she felt. On cue to her bold reaction, something inside her mind clicked and she grimaced, suddenly remembering a piece of information she would've preferably forgotten.
"You're the gold and silver brothers…Ginkaku and Kinkaku." Katana said in a deadpan, her grimace deepening quickly, as if the words she said left a bitter residue inside her mouth.
"Calling our names without proper suffixes." The blonde undead in front huffed in mock hurt—effectively bringing Katana back to reality— his vicious smile matching his brother's. "What a disrespectful brat." Cackling beside him, his silver-haired partner nudged Kinkaku playfully, earning a wider grin from the blonde.
"Easy now, Kinkaku." Chided Ginkaku impishly as he kept his gaze pinned on Katana, openly ignoring the outraged flare of chakra from the girl despite the way it sent the atmosphere around them in frenzy. "She's just a kid. Clearly, she doesn't know much about whom we are and what we were."
"I know what you are, alright." Katana snapped in offense, a growl threatening to rip out from her throat. Knuckles were white and cold as her grip on her sword once again adjusted to tighten even further around the handle. "Eating the flesh of the Nine-tails and gaining its powers... That legendary thing you did would never change the fact that you planned a coup d'état against the Second Raikage and attacked him. Legends or not, you two are traitors. "
"Watch your tone, kid." Kinkaku bristled, his temper rising once more at Katana's statement. "Before I shut you up myself." Chakra flared powerfully from both sides, waves of killing intent floating around them and sending the shinobi in the background to turn and make a hasty escape. Gold danced in pools of black as Katana glared, taking an offensive stance, ready to attack when two figures appeared before her and Darui, blocking their view of their opponents. At the sight of two blonde heads, Darui let out a large quarter of air, relief and confusion scribbled all over his expression. "Atsui—"
"Samui-san, what are you two doing here?" Katana continued, just as baffled as her senior. Her guard dropped a little from being startled and her grip on her weapon loosened, her knuckles and fingers aching from the strain. The woman in question kept her narrowed gaze pinned on the said enemies, never taking her cold blue eyes off them even as she spoke slowly, "We're backing you up. If those are the real gold and silver brothers from the history books…" the older blonde trailed off with her next words trapped inside her mouth, her eyebrows furrowing deeply. "I suggest you let us handle this, Katana-sama."
"But—"
"Think of it as a precautionary measure", Her brother piped up from her side, his thin lips quirking up in a challenged smirk, "how do you feel about us being your personal hotshot bodyguards, Katana-sama?"
Though it was said jokingly, the brunette behind them couldn't help the twinge that set off inside her chest, her jaws clenching tighter than ever in inner turmoil and frustration. Sucking in a comforting deep breath, she brushed off the comment and swallowed heavily.
Craning her head slightly to the side to look at Darui in a pleading manner, she inwardly hoped that the look in her eyes is more than enough to convey the message she wanted to give out. As if feeling a pair of eyes on him, Darui's gaze darted towards Katana and lingered for a few seconds before the man turned away again, frowning as he said, "At least let us help you in some way." He protested, jogging up toward Katana and stopping beside her.
Immediately, the scent of blood and death that clung to him wafted over her and it took every bit of effort for the brunette to not stagger with her footing because of the stench. "I've still got chakra with me and Katana-sama always had been reliable in saving our asses." Katana heard him say and the girl fought down the urge to just hug her senior then and there for the gratefulness that she felt; she opted instead to inhale sharply and jerk her head down in agreement. After all, Darui's statement would need all the support it could get and said support was very limited at the moment.
"Uh…how 'bout it, sis?" Atsui's voice was barely a whisper, his frown showing obvious doubt. Shifting from one foot to another in obvious discomfort, he spared his unresponsive sister a skeptical glance. Samui's expression was tight, clearly torn between her options. Silence fell upon the group, the tension increasing as the seconds went by and finally, the golden-haired man in front could take it no more.
"We ain't getting any younger waiting, Ginkaku!"
The impatient outburst was followed by a vicious wall of fire rolling in their direction as Kinkaku swung the ridiculous feather fan in his grip. Eyes wide as shock traveled throughout her system and ignited another rush of adrenaline into her veins, Katana jerked back, rolling to the side quickly and out of the way of the tongues of flame. Groaning, the kunoichi staggered to keep herself stable in her crouched position, squinting through the smoke.
Blurred figures darted in and out of her vision, a fight already brewing in the middle of the gray fog. Thoughts of the earlier conversation with Samui whizzed past Katana's mind as she got up to her feet and hesitation flashed in her gaze but the brunette shoved the feeling away before it could kill her courage for good. Sword at hand, she ran, lunging for the nearest enemy—Kinkaku, whose back was turned in her direction, the blonde man busy shoving down Darui's cleaver sword with his fan.
However, as soon as she jumped to give him a possibly large and bloody wound across the back, Kinkaku swerved with a knowing sneer, blocking her attack with his fan, one of his long legs bending and snapping swiftly as he delivered a nasty kick against Darui's chest. Taken aback, Darui took the full impact without much resistance and flew meters away, landing with his back scraping roughly on the rocky ground.
"Senpai!"
The scream was an instinct; barely registered by her brain as she clashed weapons with the burly undead, the shrill noise of weapons as steel handle of the fan scratched her blade drumming deafeningly against her eardrums. Anger pounded hard inside of her—so did worry, fear, hatred and all other things negative—, her heart threatening to burst open from the sudden rush of emotions that came coursing in. Despite the surge of energy coursing through her veins, her arms still felt like lead—delicate and unstable under Kinkaku's unyielding force.
"I don't think it was such a good idea to clash with him, girl."
The echo that resonated inside her head was followed by a dull throb of pain and Katana flinched reflexively, her hands jerking away with blinding speed but the golden-haired man managed to match her swiftness with ease. He struck for her front and she hastily brought her arms back up in defense, profanities escaping her mouth when her feet staggered backwards.
Bad timing, bad timing! She warned the voice inside irritably, trying to keep her concentration centered on keeping Kinkaku's weapon from burning her at the spot, all the while hoping that Darui was still conscious and breathing.
"Retreat. You can't handle him alone." Her curse advised in a murmur just as the brunette sidestepped and slid her weapon off the latter's, causing the burly man to trip with his own weight. I'll handle him just fine. Katana said wordlessly and jumped a safe distance away, her breath coming out in uneven, ragged exhales. Not a minute after calming her breathing, Kinkaku was back, with his fan in front of her again, threatening to break her blade by sheer force.
"I don't see how you'll manage to do that—"
I'm fine! Just—J-just shut up for a moment, will you?
"Listen to me when I'm talking, brat!"
Cursing lowly as she stumbled on her feet once more, she furrowed her eyebrows in effort, the beads of sweat that traveled down from her forehead stinging her eyes. "You're going to die today, little girl." Kinkaku cackled mercilessly, his putrid breath wafting over Katana's face and making her blanch.
"Can it, you rotten corpse." She grunted in response as she attempted to shove the man away but halted her careless movements after realizing that brute force was his upper hand and tempting him into a showdown of strength would be suicidal.
"What's this? Is that fear I see in your eyes, g—"
"Screw you. You're nothing but a bastard."
Racing thoughts whizzed through her head like kunai, ideas being considered and rejected in such a crazy pace that Katana thought for sure that she was going insane. Finally, a certain plan clicked in place and she did it with little hesitation, black flames combusting all around her. Immediately, the familiar sensation of prickling warmth surrounded her and she released an ounce of breath, glaring triumphantly at Kinkaku only to notice that he wasn't fazed in the least.
It didn't…work…Katana's mind stopped functioning as soon as the cruel realization dawned to her. Slowly, a maniacal grin grew on the blonde man's face and dread extinguished Katana's hope along with her personal shield. "Was that supposed to hurt now?" Kinkaku murmured in a mocking voice and the brunette's throat closed.
For once, she felt all witty replies leave her. It was supposed to work, she thought hysterically, her internal voice sounding angry and unstable at the same time.
It always works. Why won't it work this time? It was supposed to work. Why doesn't it work?
"I told you so."
At the painful throb of her head, Katana swore again, loudly. Her form was slowly staggering underneath the heavy weight, her wrists aching in protest. The familiar feeling of panic churned at the pit of her stomach when her arms gave in and folded completely, Kinkaku's fan centimeters away from her face. To say that she'd seem to have underestimated her opponent was an understatement.
For a minute, the statement 'I'll handle him just fine' came whizzing through her mind and she clenched her jaws, knowing that it had been a very bad idea to attack head on from the start. The intensity of the situation had clouded her judgment—not for the first time— and she wanted nothing more than to bury herself six feet under the ground for being such a careless idiot.
Torn between wanting to keep her pride and wanting to ask for help, Katana averted her eyes to the side, checking the rest of the situation and looking for something that could work to her advantage.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the siblings barely handling Ginkaku's attacks and Darui wearily shoving Zetsus off their backs while they exchanged blows with the silver-haired man. All of a sudden, the silver-haired undead swung his sword and caught Atsui by the arm, the blade making a slicing downward motion. Katana's heart stopped. The next few seconds went by in a hurry, as if everything was happening in twice the speed than that of normal.
Samui's frantic cry made the younger girl's ears ring, Darui's cursing in the background increasing as the Zetsus increased and piled up on him. None of that caught her attention; her gaze was fixed pointedly at the unmoving body on the ground, Atsui's eyes closed and his chest still.
Eyes frantically searching for any signs of life on the shinobi, for anything at all, Katana's ears barely registered the offended growl that her opponent let out and Kinkaku rammed his weapon against her sword impatiently, twin pools of total black glaring at her.
"I'm the one you're fighting here, girl." He snarled.
Just as she was making her decision, Kinkaku inched forward and all thoughts inside her head evaporated into nothingness as she turned back to stare with wide eyes at the silver-haired man's malicious grin, a searing feeling prickling her left cheek so suddenly where three of the fan's feathers had touched.
Shock reflected off her expression for a fleeting instant but it was gone as soon as it came, mind-numbing agony washing over her like a bucket of ice-cold water, freezing despite the blistering burn on her face. The stench of charred flesh hit her senses fast and made her eyes water—from the horrible smell or the pain of the wound Kinkaku engraved on her cheek, she didn't know.
Though Katana fought it stubbornly, her vision blurred against her will and bile rose at the back of her throat, her stomach doing rebelliously sickening somersaults as she felt blood leak out of the angry, red wound and down the side of her face like a teardrop. Swallowing back the sour taste in her mouth, Katana felt her face sting agonizingly once again and this time, hysterical panic flared inside her chest.
Trying her best to shove the man away—and failing helplessly—Katana bared her teeth, her knees already bent awkwardly and her head turned as far away as possible from the feathers that leaned in.
"Katana-sama!"
The enraged yell rang out in the middle of the silence and for a split second, Kinkaku's concentration broke as he distractedly jerked his head to the side to glare at a charging Darui and a giant wave of hope crashed inside the girl. Desperation overcoming her hesitation, the brunette gathered all the chakra she could get from her body to her arms and shoved the man away with all the force she could muster up. The result wasn't much; they separated a meter away or so when Kinkaku stumbled back, but the small distance was more than enough for the girl to take advantage of, especially in her situation.
Hurriedly jumping as far as she could go, Katana let herself trip on her own two feet and roughly land on the ground with her behind, her legs stiff and her arms feeling detached from her body as she watched her senior clash weapons with the undead without further thought.
She gasped shallowly, lungs burning, and held back the prickling sensation of tears in her eyes. Her brain was fuzzy, her vision swam, one of her ankles felt sprained and dammit, the wound carved on her face was still bleeding and painful and nauseating.
Then, as if remembering something horrible, Katana's breath caught in her throat and she jerked back fast, staring wide-eyed at the sight of Samui lashing out desperately at Ginkaku, her mouth deformed in a sneer, eyebrows knitted tight, red-rimmed blue eyes that were puffy from crying and wild with hatred and rage and grief. Breaking her gaze off the woman's form, her eyes darted towards the still unmoving body that was sprawled on the ground far, far away and her heart jumped agonizingly inside her chest as she realized, Atsui's dead. He's dead and he's never coming back.
Ignoring the pain that shot from her weak knees up to her pounding head, Katana bit the handle of her sword as she sprinted for the silver-haired, the sound of electricity crackling and a beast roaring trailing behind her. With anger pooling at the pit of her stomach and the thought of vengeance stuck at the back of her head, Katana leapt and slammed her fist against Ginkaku's side, taking him aback while his hands were occupied by two of Samui's swords, the brunette's hand ripping his torso open with the momentum.
Ugly words tumbled out loud from Ginkaku's mouth as he swore in shock, his body momentarily frozen as it took time to recover from the damage, patching up like puzzle pieces fitting each other, filling out the empty spots. Eyes flashing in a sudden surge of blood lust, Katana spat out her weapon, dropping it in her tight grip, and swung it down Ginkaku's thick head in one smooth movement, cutting him in half once more without giving him the time to mend himself.
Pitch black eyes with red irises darted to the side to glare venomously at her, Ginkaku's crumbling mouth turned down in a repulsive scowl. "Fuck you, you little bit—"
The pointed tip of Katana's sword whipped out all of a sudden and speared the back of the silver-haired man's throat and the undead choked on his words, eyes wide with incredulity and rage as the kunoichi drove her sword up further, her watery glare drilling a hole in his forehead. "Samui-san!" She barked out hoarsely, her hands shaking as she yanked her blade forcefully to the side, slicing Ginkaku's cheek and jaw as she did.
The older woman didn't need to be told twice, a sealing scroll already at hand and in the process of being flipped open. Strips of cloth-like structures shot out of the scroll once it Samui's blood hit the seal in the center, the bindings coming out to latch onto Ginkaku's torn apart body, surrounding him all around and ending with a red paper seal in the middle. The scroll swallowed him up and then rolled shut once more, both Samui and Katana running for Darui's aid the minute the blonde woman scooped up the sealing device.
"Buy me some time, Samui-san, Katana-sama!" Darui ordered, shoving Kinkaku back roughly with a grunt of effort and jumping away as the two girls took his place, the duo landing one blow after the other. The shrill scratch of blades stung their ears repetitively as one swooped down after the other, forcing back the golden-haired undead further and further away from where Darui knelt, completely vulnerable.
Clashing swords with the burly man for the nth time that day, Katana clenched her teeth hard, teeth grinding as her wrists ached from the pressure. From behind her, Samui threw explosive kunai to where Darui was, taking out the white creatures that threatened to pounce on his back. "Senpai, how much longer?" Katana called out, voice hoarse and raspy from exhaustion, her arms bending back forcefully against Kinkaku's strength.
"Switch."
Samui's monosyllabic command registered in her ears as the blonde woman swooped from in between her and Kinkaku and the younger shinobi wasted no time jumping back and balancing her weapon in between her clenched teeth, the two free hands she had now forming seals in a hasty pace. "Dendou Tsume!" Electricity crackled all around, the gathered chakra in her hands taking the shape of claws.
Pulling back her arm, Katana took three long steps and jumped, charging for Kinkaku's side, hoping to take him aback in the same way she startled Ginkaku and injured him. Unfortunately, the blonde undead proved to be much smarter than his brother despite his short temper and impatience. He leapt away before Katana's hand could come in contact with his torso, sending the kunoichi stumbling down before she could regain her balance, her body skidding through jagged rocks.
Gold and black orbs shut close as Katana maneuvered her body in a position that could possibly lessen the height of the injuries she'd get, the unkind sensation of jagged rocks raking down her side making her jaws lock tightly. A sharp pang of agony stung her when her head collided with a boulder none-too-gently, the pain reverberating from the base of her skull down to her toes.
A dull grunt escaped her dried lips as she pushed herself up with shaky arms and scrambled to stand up as fast as she could to get back to Samui's aid. The girl struggled with her sense of balance for seconds, her eyes blinking rapidly as she tried to clear out the blurry images. Everything was spinning.
She could feel something wet and warm trailing down her left arm, the liquid thick and heavy as it oozed down the length of her limb, the disgusting sensation making her forget the reason why she stood up in the first place. The same liquid traveled down the side of her head where it had hit the boulder—it felt cold rather than warm this time around—and Katana visibly shuddered when the crimson dampness crawled down her face.
Suddenly, the dark, thick blood was everywhere, hitting her sense of smell, trickling down her parted lips, clouding her vision, overwhelming her. The black and gold flecks disappeared as her eyes turned back to their natural stormy grey, her irises remaining unfocused and dazed.
She crumpled to the ground unceremoniously, uncaring for a moment that the thoughtless move twisted her ankle in the process. She half-sat, half-laid there, breathing shallow and slow, confusion fogging the inside of her head. She could hear Darui's shout from a distance, his roughened voice echoing her name. Katana knew he couldn't have been that far away, but her ringing ears told her otherwise, the sound drowned out by the mindless chatters inside her brain.
"Katana! Katana!" Darui was running now, with Samui behind him trying to catch up and both of them knelt down once they reached her, two sets of hands latching themselves on her face, her arms, her hands, her head—anywhere really, just as long as they get in contact with her. The minute their freezing palms touched her, the brunette jerked away as if burned and let loose a pained groan, her offended arm stinging badly.
"Katana, Katana—Shit, wake up." The older man rambled on, tapping her cheek twice with as much gentleness as he could muster, his eyes darkening with exhaustion, worry and concern. Unfocused grey orbs struggled to concentrate on his face and Katana absentmindedly replayed his words inside her head, mentally wondering when he started calling her name without suffixes.
"Sempai", she heard herself croak out, her voice sounding rough and breathless and slurred, as if she was intoxicated, "m'fine. W-Where's—"
"We've sealed Kinkaku", Darui said, "and no, you're not fine." Her captain argued automatically though obvious relief reflected off his expression when Katana spoke up. "You're wounded and bleeding and your chakra level is low." He stated, the furrow of his usually relaxed eyebrows indicating that he was upset.
He looked around with a tight grimace, his hands brushing away the hair that was splayed on Katana's forehead, the blood turning them a shade darker and making them cling stubbornly on the skin. "The medical team's on their way." Samui assured from beside him, looking more composed than he is as she silently checked Katana's pulse. "Nara-san sent us back-up from the fourth Division. Nara Shikamaru is leading them, if I'm not mistaken."
"Four…Fourth Division?" Katana stuttered weakly from below them, eyes blinking slowly as she struggled to stay conscious. It was proving to be a harder task that she thought, if the dark spots in her vision were to be considered.
"Isn't that—isn't that wh-where Gaara is? Is he here?"
Genuine confusion radiated off her question and for a quick second, Darui's frown dug deeper in sympathy. It was obvious that the redhead was still who the girl thought of all the time, even when blood was gushing out of her and she was barely coherent.
Instead of answering the puzzled query, the blonde man cleared his throat awkwardly, saying, "You need to stop talking and rest. I think you may have had a bad concussion when you hit your head."
"B-But…But Gaara—I need to know if he's okay. Is he alright? Where is—"
The sound of dozens of footsteps interrupted Katana in mid-statement, vest-clad shinobi from another division leaping down from the cliffs and aiding the exhausted ones. Jerking her head at the sudden noise, Katana gave her surroundings a quick sweep of her eyes before turning back to Darui. "What's happening? Are—are we under attack again?"
"No. We're fine."
Two other shinobi appeared in her line of vision as Darui shrunk back, giving the medic-nins the space they need to help Katana up. "S-Sempai? What's going on? Who're they?" There was a hysterical edge to Katana's tone that made Darui fist his hands in an attempt to calm himself down. "Sempai, I don't—" The sudden surge of dizziness overtook her and she halted in speech, half-lidded eyes blinking once, twice, before fluttering close.
End Chapter
It's going to get a LOT better the next following chapters, I promise. More Gaara. :D Deal?
Meanwhile, tell me what you think?