"Well, you're improving. But you should be making more progress than this, Kaiya." Sasuke stood next to her with his arms crossed and brows furrowed, a contemplative expression on his face as he studied her.
Kaiya shrugged, rubbing the burn marks on her lips, wincing at the pain it caused. They were on the dock that Sasuke's father would take him to teach him their clan's signature jutsu. He had been trying to teach that same technique to her for a while, but she never seemed to be able to control her chakra quite right. More than once, it had exploded in her face, resulting in minor injuries. Sasuke sighed. "Try it again."
Kaiya pouted but did as she was instructed. She gathered her chakra, formed the hand signs, and then sucked in a deep breath—as she had been doing for the past hour. Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu! A small flame burst forth from her pursed lips, but it was drowned out by a large cloud of smoke. Kaiya wheezed and coughed, dropping to her knees as she tried desperately to clear her lungs.
"Damn it!" she shouted, pounding her fists on the wood of the platform. The cool, crisp air of the early morning made the perspiration she contracted stick to her skin like glue, making her feel as disgusting on the outside as she did on the inside. She smelled like a mixture of sweat and charcoal, making her failure seem worse. "Why can't I get this already?"
Sasuke kept studying her, remembering when he was younger, and his father first tried to teach him the jutsu. He didn't get it at first either, but he kept at it until he did. Of course, he was a child back then. But he didn't say any of this out loud, because he didn't want Kaiya to feel worse about herself. That wouldn't help her progress. And it would definitely piss her off. He raised an eyebrow. Sitting next to her on the dock, Sasuke stared out at the lake thoughtfully, letting out another deep sigh. Kaiya looked up at him expectantly, unable to hide the disappointment and frustration she felt all the way to her bones. She moved to a sitting position slowly and resentfully, wondering what he was going to say.
Sasuke pushed back his bangs absentmindedly as he tried to think of something encouraging to say (which wasn't his strong suit—they both knew that). Kaiya felt heat creeping up her cheeks as she watched him, and the chilly air made them itch uncomfortably. She frowned and touched her face, her hands cold against its warmth. It immediately cooled.
An aftereffect of trying the jutsu too much?
Sasuke chuckled, shaking his head. Kaiya's eyebrows furrowed further. "Kaiya, you're never going to accomplish anything if you give up," he said with a shrug. "I had to work hard to learn this jutsu, you know." He blushed as Kaiya gave him a Really? glare. He cleared his throat and looked away. "You don't have a natural talent for ninjutsu and genjutsu, but that doesn't mean you can't do it. You'll just have to work harder at it." He smirked, the mischievous glint in his eye from the day before returning. "So, I'm going to work you to the bone until you get it down." Kaiya paled, gulping as a nervous sweat trickled down her brow.
"You…jerk," she murmured. Her lips throbbed.
The day was almost over when Kaiya's training session finally ended. She was exhausted and collapsed onto her back, right on the dock. Her chest heaved up and down as she gasped desperately for air, afraid she was going to exhale smoke, since she'd been working on that jutsu since dawn. Her mouth was charred and covered in soot and blisters, her eyes watering from all the smoke that had bellowed forth from her lips. She was especially surprised that she hadn't coughed up a lung.
Though Kaiya could barely move or even breathe, she wore a huge smile on her face, turning to Sasuke, who was standing next to her with his arms crossed. "I…think you're a tougher trainer than…Riichi-sensei," she heaved, laughing breathlessly.
Sasuke glanced down at her, before looking up to the sky, full of orange and pink as the sun began its descent below the horizon; cumulus clouds littered the atmosphere, casting a soft hue on everything below them. It wasn't as grand as the sunset they'd seen the night before, but it was still stunning.
"You're one to talk," he snapped, a grin on his face too. "You work me to death every time. This should be nothing for you." She laughed again, this time clearer, closing her eyes and letting the fading sun cloak her in warmth. She didn't care about her sores at the moment; she was too elated at her accomplishment.
"Well, at least I don't drain all of your chakra when I'm in charge of the training," Kaiya pointed out bitterly. Sasuke shrugged, chuckling briefly before he let out a slow breath, sitting next to her, letting his feet dangle over the edge of the dock, his sandals brushing the surface of the water. She sat up and stared licked her chapped lips tentatively. "This jutsu is your clan's legacy, so it means a lot that you were willing to teach it to me. Thanks, Sasuke." He scoffed, clenching his hands into fists as he joined her in staring out at the sun's setting reflection on the lake.
"Don't thank me, Kaiya…you're the one who worked hard to learn the jutsu. I just showed you the hand signs and taught you how to breathe." She grinned, sitting up slowly once she'd found the energy. Her grin faded as the two sat in silence for a few moments. She stared at the bank to her left, then back up at the dimming sky. Somehow, she wasn't as interested in it as she usually was.
"Sasuke, about last night…I don't know what came over me." She rubbed her neck guiltily, unable to meet his eyes. Her cheeks burned, but she had a feeling it wasn't from all the fire she'd been spewing. "It won't happen again, I promise."
Sasuke scratched his brow in thought, neglecting to look at her as well. He frowned. Sure, the kiss had taken him by surprise—especially since it had been from Kaiya—but in all honesty, it didn't make him uncomfortable…not in a bad way (not like Naruto kissing him). He didn't know how it made him feel exactly, but he knew that it wasn't anything that would make him put distance between the two of them. His eyes narrowed.
"I believe you," he assured her, finally turning her way. That's all he said on the matter. He was so apathetic about it, Kaiya didn't know how he really felt, but the message was received—it was awkward for them both, so they should just drop it.
Ecstatic to change the subject, Kaiya said, "It's getting late, so I'd better get home before Yoshino sends the ANBU after me again. Besides, I'm beat. It'll take a week for these stupid burns to heal." Sasuke nodded, standing to his feet. He stretched out his hand, and she gently took it. At her touch, his eyes widened slightly as it sent warm tingles up his arm, giving him goosebumps. That had never happened before—aside from last night. He cleared his throat, shoving his hand into his pocket as soon as Kaiya let go.
"So, when are we going to settle things between us anyway?" Kaiya held her hands behind her back as they walked along the practically empty streets of the village. The sun had set long ago, and she hoped Yoshino wasn't in a panic, organizing a search party to find her. (It wouldn't be the first time). "You aren't scared to fight me again—for real—are you?" Sasuke glanced at her, annoyed, raising an eyebrow in question.
"Scared? Of you?" he repeated, frowning. His shoulders tensed. "That's funny. Once I surpass you in taijutsu, we'll have a rematch. I'll destroy you." Kaiya scoffed, crossing her arms.
"Surpass me in taijutsu? Keep dreaming, Uchiha! That's like saying 'once Naruto becomes Hokage.' Not gonna happen." Sasuke's brows furrowed.
"So, you really think you can win against me? Remember the last time you made a bold statement like that?" Kaiya rolled her eyes, hands on her hips.
"Yeah, I do," she answered. "We tied. But that was a long time ago. We're not the same."
"Well, you still suck at ninjutsu and genjutsu, so that hasn't changed," Sasuke muttered, a satisfied smirk on his face when he saw Kaiya's cheeks glow a bright red, visible even in the darkness. She turned to him and punched his shoulder lightly, unable to hide her own grin. She stifled a laugh.
"Now that's the Sasuke we all love, eh?" Kaiya stopped at the entrance to the forest that led to her current home. To her surprise, no one was waiting for her. She paused, turning to Sasuke, hoping he didn't catch her confusion. He'd never walked her this far before; an ANBU agent had always retrieved her en route. She hesitated, unsure of what to do. "Well, uh…this is where I take off," she said, speaking slowly to hide the tremor in her voice. He didn't seem to notice.
Sasuke nodded, looking down the dark, winding path under the twisted cottonwood trees, as far as he could under the streetlamp's limited artificial light; cotton from the branches floated gently through the air, the light making them glow like fireflies. Only the first meter of the path was lit, and then the rest of it was swallowed in a darkness almost as thick as the leaves overlapping above. He knew that anytime Kaiya took this path, she had always been accompanied by an officer. But not tonight.
Even if he didn't truly understand the reason for the escort, just thinking about her going through that path alone this time of night put him on edge. If her entire family was dead, then there was no purpose in being constantly watched by the Hokage's guard almost every waking moment. But then again, the Third wouldn't exhaust his resources for some silly superstition—there had to be a tangible threat for him to keep watch over Kaiya like a hawk. So, it was strange that there was absolutely no supervision for her today. Sasuke knew that they would have never allowed her to step foot onto her old property, or even onto his.
Is something wrong? he wondered, his eyebrows furrowing. His eyes lowered slightly as his spine prickled. Something didn't feel right, but then again, Kaiya seemed calm enough. Was he overreacting?
"You sure you don't want me to walk you the rest of the way?" he offered, trying to seem casual as he examined the opening of the woods. "No one is here for you. It's later than usual for you to go home, and it'll be a while before you get there, right? I don't want you to get in trouble or get lost in the dark." I don't want you to get hurt. He tried to hide the concern from his tone, embarrassed of what she would think if she knew he was nervous for her to go in there alone.
The shadows seemed to dance as the branches swayed back and forth with a small breeze, the leaves rattling gently. A cold shiver ran down Kaiya's spine, but she hid it well. Her eyebrows creased in thought; she glanced down the path as well, trying not to seem uneasy. If there was no one to guide her by foot through the path, there should have at least been officers hidden in the canopy, lanterns lighting her way. But it didn't look like any of them were around now. It was pitch black. Come to think of it, she hadn't sensed a single soul all day…
"Nope, I'm fine," Kaiya lied, doing her best to mask the angst in her small voice. She wanted to take him up on his offer, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, for pride's sake. She didn't need escorts of any kind, especially Sasuke. She could walk a few minutes by herself in the dark; she wasn't a coward. "You probably can't tell, but there are always ANBU around, even in the dark. Some of them are assholes and don't think I need a personal escort or a light to guide me. The jerks are probably slacking off sleeping in the trees." She glanced up, as if one of them would materialize from the shadows and scold her for saying something so rude about the Hokage's personal guards. But everything was still eerily quiet as the seconds ticked on.
Sasuke pursed his lips but nodded. There was no point in arguing. She wouldn't allow him to help her. She was stubborn as hell.
"Mm. Well, if that's the case, then I guess I'll let you go," he decided, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible. Kaiya smirked as he studied her silently, looking for any indication he should walk with her anyway, despite her protests. But to his surprise—and annoyance—she masked her fear well. He couldn't tell what she was really thinking, for once. That worried him even more. He turned away. "Goodnight. I'll see you later."
Without waiting for a reply, Sasuke began walking home. When he'd gone a few meters, he stopped, but stayed facing the opposite direction. "And Kaiya…" She turned around from the path to look back at him. "Be careful." The wind blew his hair over his eyes, carrying leaves and cotton from the trees swirling across the empty street. Then he carried on to his apartment without another word.
Kaiya stood there for a moment, watching his silhouette fade as he strolled further and further away. She bit her lip, knowing full well that Sasuke had sensed her unease, but he wasn't the type of person who would make her admit it. If she wanted to walk alone, he wouldn't push her. She just hoped she was being apprehensive for nothing, and there really wasn't anything to worry about.
As she trekked through the dark forest path alone, she kept a close eye on the shadows cast by the rising moon above her, forming an eerie silver light through the holes in the thick canopy. She couldn't help but feel paranoid, like someone was following her. It could have very well been the ANBU, but this didn't feel right. The Black Ops traveled in the trees, and they usually sent Kaiya a signal to let her know they were tailing her. But she hadn't seen or heard any signal since she parted ways with Sasuke. In fact, she hadn't seen a sign of them all day. They'd never let her stay out this late alone, and they'd certainly never let her go within fifty meters of her old property, and especially not the Uchiha Estate.
It's strange…but it could just be because they've backed off a little since I became a Genin. Or maybe the Old Man has them on a top-secret mission, she told herself, scanning any part of the ground the moonlight touched. Although…he would let me know that. Her eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness, and she could see objects a bit clearer now. She knew the way almost automatically, even without someone leading her. She'd walked the path so many times now, she could have walked it with her eyes closed.
No, this silence is too quiet. Even this late, the forest is usually chirping with animals. Even the deer seem to have disappeared.
Paranoia was something Kaiya tried to avoid. It was always everyone else that was paranoid for her—Yoshino, the ANBU, Sarutobi. All she wanted was some room to breathe, to prove that their fear was just irrational and based on nothing but superstitions. Her family was all dead—father, mother, siblings. So, what exactly were they protecting her from? She'd always asked herself that question; it always annoyed her how suffocating they all were. But now that she was truly alone…the fear she had always called nonsensical now gnawed at the back of her mind like a cold hand resting itself on her neck. She gasped for air in short, labeled breaths, glancing around frantically as the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.
Sweat trickled down her brow as the deep silence sunk into her almost as deeply as the darkness. Her stomach churned, wrapping itself in knots. Her body was giving her so many signals to Run! it was almost a tangible voice.
She tried to tell herself what she always told herself: There was no reason for anyone to come after her. There was no reason to be suspicious of silence. The Hokage had told her the ANBU were keeping watch over her for her own safety, but that was because of the villagers' threats to retaliate against her—or at least, that's what she assumed. Hiruzen never disclosed the exact reason she was being shadowed every moment of her life, or how long it would last, but she had never been interested enough to care.
Until now.
Her attempts to calm herself failed drastically; they only made her more afraid. And if there's one thing Kaiya hated, it was feeling afraid. She'd done everything she could to push that feeling away, burying it beneath anger and apathy. But in the middle of the night with no protection, no company, she realized just how scared she had been all these years. Was there a bigger picture to her family's betrayal, one they had been keeping secret from her all this time? She wouldn't put it past Sarutobi, or even Shikaku. They were the kind of people who thought they had someone's best interests in mind when they left out imperative details.
Kaiya decided to stop ignoring her body's warning. She quickened her steps, but she still had some distance to go before reaching the Nara Estate. Even more so, she felt an unknown presence getting closer as the seconds ticked by. It could be a wild animal, she told herself nervously, biting her lip as she fought her curiosity to turn around and check.
Her skin pricked like she was being poked with tiny icy needles everywhere, warning her that something—or someone—was surely nearby. It wasn't her imagination. But what do I do? If she ran, that would signal to her stalker that she was aware of them, and it might prompt them to attack. But if she kept the pace she was at now, they could catch up to her and attack anyway. She was exhausted from training; she was sluggish and sore, hungry. There's no way she could fight efficiently if she was forced to, and on top of that, who knows the level of strength her opponent had? Surely they were more powerful than a fresh Genin.
I can't just stop and call them out. Fighting blindly would be the stupidest thing I could do here, she decided a moment later, breaking into a slight jog. I might not be able to match their strength, but maybe I can outrun them. If there aren't any ANBU around here, I know there will be once I make it home. All I have to do is get close enough for them to sense me.
Kaiya wanted to beat herself over the head. Sasuke had sensed something, back before he'd left. She could see it in his eyes, the slightest tense of his shoulders—he had known something wasn't right. It wasn't simply that he could tell she was anxious…he was anxious too. That affirmed her suspicions that she wasn't alone now. Damn my pride…that's the reason he wanted to walk me home. I should've taken him up on his offer, but it's too late now.
Kaiya tried to focus on hearing footsteps or breathing—anything. She tried to smell the presence of another human in the vicinity. But so far, she couldn't find any evidence that solidified her fears. That just made it all the more urgent for her to get her ass in gear.
She broke out into a full sprint.
Despite being exhausted of chakra and her body feeling like she'd spent the entire day inside a fire pit, Kaiya pushed her body to move as fast as she could, doing her best to ignore the pain as she forced herself beyond her limits. Finally, she couldn't resist it any longer. She had to know for sure if someone was following her. She turned her head to look over her shoulder, shocked to see a long shadow only a few feet behind her, gaining speed, although she couldn't see who it belonged to. The silhouette's arm reached out for her, so she squeezed her eyes shut and turned forward again, gritting her teeth as she begged her body to go even faster.
She caught cramps left and right, in her legs, arms, and neck, but she kept going. Beads of sweat covered her entire face like someone had splashed her with water; twigs and leaves scratched at her ankles. Whatever injuries resulted from pushing her body too far, they were much better than letting whoever was behind her catch up.
The ANBU should have been around and caught the stalker before she even noticed him. Before he even entered the village, and surely the forest. They should have escorted her home in a caravan, with lanterns lighting the path. Shikaku himself should have been among them, and maybe even the Hokage. They should have been watching her the entire day, scolding her when she stayed out past sunset, lecturing her on how she should do everything in her power to keep herself safe from harm.
So where was everybody? What the hell is going on?! Kaiya had never enjoyed their stalking presence before, but in their absence, she longed for it. Without realizing it, they had made her feel safe and protected, and she had taken that for granted and treated it with annoyance because she thought she was strong enough to venture off on her own.
She was wrong.
Her labored breathing intensified, along with her fear, as she imagined putting more and more distance between her and whatever was behind her. Why couldn't she sense them? They had no scent, and she couldn't hear them, yet she could feel the shadow gaining on her. Was it just her imagination? No…no, something was definitely chasing her.
Kaiya's legs felt like lead and her arms like gelatin; her lungs were greedily sucking in more air than they could take, but it was never enough. Perspiration soaked her glands from head to toe, matting her stringy hair to her face. Her chest felt like it would cave in with every heave, begging for mercy; her heartbeat pounded against her ribcage, thumping in her ears relentlessly. But even though her body cried out for mercy, it agreed with her on one thing: You can't stop running. Don't stop running.
And Kaiya didn't stop, until she made it to an opening in the forest, where several lamps lit a stone path that led to Shikaku Nara's compound. She was about to collapse from both exhaustion and relief; she didn't know how she was still conscious, other than the adrenaline that was fueling her flight response. A hoard of ANBU soldiers were usually posted here; they should have immediately surrounded her after she burst through the last grove of trees before entering the property. They should have sensed the danger before she even appeared.
But something was wrong.
The smell hit her before she could register the scene with her eyes: Iron. It overloaded her nostrils and burned her nose; she doubled over, grabbing her face in distress. And then, she looked up, gasping at the sight before her.
Pools of dark, red stains glinted in the lantern's flickering light.
All along the stone path, the bodies of ANBU Black Ops littered the trail. Once she'd caught her breath, knees buckling, Kaiya's brain registered the carnage. Her eyes widened at the chaos surrounding her. She looked down at her feet to see she was standing in a puddle of fresh blood; some of it had splashed on her ankles when she'd skidded to a stop. Her entire body was numb, and now so was her mind; lifting any limbs was like lifting a block of cement, and she still hadn't recovered her breath from the exertion. Her brain fought to understand what she was seeing, but the shock she was experiencing was greater than her pain, greater than her thoughts could process.
The ten Black Ops were all facedown, none of them moving, resting in pools of their own blood. Whoever had done this had shown them no mercy. Limbs were missing, including a few heads. Kaiya trembled in confusion and fear, doubling over to throw up as the overwhelming sight and the smell became clearer. Once her stomach had been emptied, she slowly turned to look back at where she'd come from. There was a shadow approaching, lit by the torchlights posted on the fence surrounding the Nara home. It didn't look quite like the shadow she saw earlier, but then again, shadows changed shape frequently, especially in flickering light.
The shadow got closer and closer, becoming larger and more terrifying. It would have been the perfect time for Shikaku or even Shikamaru to come out, using their Shadow jutsu to stop the stalker. But they were nowhere to be found. Surely their bodies weren't somewhere inside, bloodied and severed like the agents outside…
Kaiya couldn't bear the thought. There's no way Shikaku would die from something like that. She had always seen him as eternal, immortal, too clever and too strong to be simply killed in such a way.
But then where was he now?
Kaiya held her breath, waiting for the end to come. She watched in horror as the shadow didn't give way to a person as it stopped in front of her. Instead, the shadow itself rose from the ground, turning into a three-dimensional silhouetted figure, still shrouded in darkness from head to toe. Her jaw dropped like an anchor, and she fell to the ground and shielded her face in panic. At this point, she was too weak to fight back. And she was too afraid.
"W-who are you?" she stammered, tears in her eyes. For the first time in years, she had felt real fear engulf her like a flame. She felt small, helpless and hopeless. Someone had always been there to rescue her, but now, she was completely and utterly alone. "What do you want with me?" The featureless black figure approached her slowly, taking its time closing in, as if it reveled in her fear. Once it stood over her, it slowly bent down and reached out a large hand. Kaiya tried to get away, but her body wouldn't respond, frozen in fear and fatigue; it felt like she was swimming in a tank of thick molasses and couldn't move fast enough, if she was even moving at all.
When the silhouette finally reached her, it gripped the collar of her black shirt, pulling her to her feet. Kaiya's knees buckled; her legs felt like wobbly sticks of pudding. Her fear was so palpable she could taste it, sour and burning on her tongue.
"The time is near, Kaiya Kimura," the black figure stated. Its voice was eerie and indistinguishable, like the wind whistling through the trees at night. She couldn't tell if it was male or female. Kaiya's bottom lip trembled, the immense fear that radiated through her evident in her verdant pupils reflecting the firelight. She tried to speak, but her tongue was heavy and dry, and nothing came from her lips except a hoarse squeak. Her embarrassment was drowned by fear and shock, fatigue. Her brain was shutting down, but she did her best to cling to reality as the voice whistled once more: "The time is near," it repeated. "We will take you to where you belong."
"Where…where I belong?" she repeated shakily, at last able to utter a few words. "What the hell does that mean?" Her voice was nothing but a raspy whisper. But the silhouette didn't speak again. Instead, it melted back into the shadows, bringing Kaiya with it. She clawed at the dirt as she sunk into the darkness, panic filling her like a pitcher of water pouring into a cup. As the earth swallowed her slowly, she let out a bloodcurdling scream that was quickly cut off by the ground filling her mouth and lungs. And then everything went black.
"—ya!" For several moments there was nothing but darkness and muffled silence. Until someone's voice broke through the thick quiet that layered over her like dirt. Dirt… The taste was still fresh in her mouth. Was she dead? Had her body been buried, and her spirit awakened to travel to the afterlife? "Damn it, Kaiya, wake up already!"
Her eyes shot open, and she sucked in a sudden deep breath, hyperventilating as she remembered the feeling of being absorbed into the ground. Her face twisted in agony and disgust when she tasted something icky, wet, and bitter on her tongue, coughing up mud, grass, water, and other strange contents whose taste she did not enjoy and did not want to know what they were.
She gagged and spat out the remainder of the mystery muck. Sweat and something far smellier trickled down her face in streams as she took in her surroundings wearily, her pupils dilated in fear, still dazed by what had happened earlier.
"Jeez, what the hell is wrong with you? Where the hell have you been?!" Her heart rate slowed down enough for her shock to dwindle, as her eyes adjusted to the fresh darkness that was somehow far less black than the darkness before. It was at that moment Kaiya realized she was sitting shoulders-deep in cold, thick, murky water. She frowned as feeling came back to all her limbs, as her entire body took this time to express its anger at her earlier exertion; every part of her screamed, from her splitting headache to the cramping of her toes. Not only that, but she was wet and cold and dirty. Not to mention smelly. She shivered, and it pained her.
Kaiya was sitting in a swamp. More specifically, the swamp in the forest near the Nara Estate. The smell finally hit her nostrils full force, filling it with the familiar—and highly undesirable—bitter, sour odor she knew (and despised) so well. And she was covered in it.
"Great," she murmured, scowling. "This smell is going to haunt me for weeks." She wrinkled her nose in repulsion, turning away. That's when she noticed the person standing next to her, the person that had woken her from her strange slumber. He was ankle deep in the swampy sludge, his arms crossed, and his countenance was one mixed with annoyance and revulsion, and perhaps behind all that a sliver of relief. He sighed.
"Honestly, Kaiya, you scared the shit out of everyone, and here you are soaking in the swamp like it's a spa," Shikamaru mumbled, rolling his eyes, which had dark rings underneath them. Worry seemed to have sunk his face in, which was odd for him—he didn't seem to worry about anything, especially other people. "Having to babysit you is such a drag. Please tell me this game of hide-and-seek is over and I can go to bed."
Kaiya's eyes widened when the events beforehand came back to her memory full force. She jumped to her feet, sending a wave of swamp mulch flying into the air; some landed on Shikamaru's shirt. "Damn it, Kaiya. Really?" He frowned, sloshing back to solid ground, kicking off mud and moss as he did so, ignoring Kaiya as she turned desperately in circles.
"How…how did I get here? I wasn't anywhere near here just a second ago." She ran her swampy fingers through her already-disgusting hair in frustration. It stuck to her neck like glue. Lifting an eyebrow, Shikamaru scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"How should I know? I just found you. We've been looking for you all night, you know," he said, making the irritation clear in his voice as he wiped the swamp juice off his clothes. "Mom and Dad have been in the village market all day, and I've been on a mission. So, imagine our surprise when we came home to a bunch of dead ANBU, and you were nowhere to be found. They're freaking out, for kami's sake. We've been at this for hours." He heaved a deep sigh, and to Kaiya it almost sounded like relief. She furrowed her brows in question.
"So…those dead agents weren't just a trick or my imagination?" she asked cautiously, her head splitting from a migraine. Shikamaru's gaze darkened.
"So you did see them… Some officers are investigating it now, but Mom sent me after you, since I'd be the one most likely to know where you are. Everyone figured you ran and hid from the danger if you came across the scene. Well, I think they were hoping that, since it's better than the alternative."
Kaiya gulped. "Shikamaru, I…" But what did she say? She would sound insane if she told him what happened—especially at the end, where she was sucked into the ground like a wormhole of some sort.
"The Third is waiting at the house too. You've got a lot of explaining to do, and it looks like we might not be able to sleep on the property for a few days until things get figured out. Thanks for that, by the way." He stuffed his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to get out so they could go home. "You're gonna owe me big time for this, ya know. What the hell were you thinking, sitting here in the swamp like nothing was wrong? It's an odd place and time to take a mud bath, isn't it? Jeez." He rolled his eyes again, but Kaiya sensed no malice in the gesture. She almost grinned. But then she stiffened.
"Sh-Shika, did you just say…did you just say, 'we've been at this for hours'?" she asked nervously, swallowing a lump in her throat that was most certainly moss. She gagged, bile rising to her throat.
Shikamaru's eyes darkened, and Kaiya just realized that there was a lantern lit in a branch above them. She frowned—only the ANBU were allowed to light those torches, to be a guide on her way home. Shikamaru didn't answer, but he followed her gaze to the lantern and frowned along with her, until he realized its significance. He turned back to her and nodded.
"The path is lit again," he assured her, and she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Trembling, she waded through the swamp until she was on dry ground, not even bothering to shake the muck off her. When she got home, she was going to take a long, hot bath.
Kaiya had no idea what was going on. One moment, she was being chased by a shadow; the next second it comes to life and drags her into the earth. Seconds later, she's waking up in a swamp, the shadow nowhere to be found; instead, there's Shikamaru—a very angry Shikamaru—shaking her out of some sort of dream. She clenched her fists. But it wasn't just a dream, not if all those ANBU were really killed…
"Come on," Shikamaru said, eyebrows furrowed. He took hold of Kaiya's elbow gently and pulled her in the direction of home. Sighing, Shikamaru stared up at the thick canopy, where moonlight was still shining through, just a little. "The sun will rise soon. It's about three in the morning."
Kaiya stifled a gasp, halting her steps and pulling away from her comrade in shock. Shikamaru glanced at her with disdain and confusion, lifting an eyebrow in question. When she entered the forest, it was almost eleven at night. She'd been gone for around four hours.
But how is that possible? I couldn't have been underground that long…
Kaiya bit her lip and wrapped her arms around herself tightly. Shikamaru's eyebrows furrowed as he studied her in the combination of the lantern and the limited moonlight. It was clear that something wasn't right, but he had no idea what to make of anything at this point.
Kaiya broke down and told Shikamaru everything—about the lack of ANBU watching her the entire day, about how she stayed out too late and there was no one to guide her. And at the chance of sounding like a lunatic, she even told him about the shadow chasing her and appearing before her, the dead ANBU at the estate, and about being swallowed by the ground and ending up in the swamp hours later. And the ominous message she was given: "The time is near, Kaiya Kimura. We will take you to where you belong."
By the end of her story, Shikamaru was paler than the moonlight; sweat trickled down his face as his brow twitched. Kaiya wondered if she sounded insane, but he called her no such thing.
"I know it sounds crazy, but I swear I'm—"
"Kaiya, I believe you." Kaiya froze, surprised. She blinked.
"You…you do?" she wondered, skeptical. Kaiya had always been thrown into suspicious situations, and the more things happened to her, the less people believed her innocence. She had always told herself that she didn't need anyone's approval, but to be honest, that's all she wanted—someone to trust her. And for once, someone did. Relief washed over her like the swamp as Shikamaru nodded.
"Of course I do. You're a lot of things, Kaiya, but you're not a liar." He started walking toward home, and she followed without hesitation, giving no second thought to the swamp behind them. The path was well lit, bringing her to the point of tears, and she could see the occasional porcelain mask behind the canopy. So, the Hokage had stationed new troops to watch over her. She'd never felt so comforted by the fact she was being monitored.
Kaiya wrung her hands nervously as they walked back home. She felt a lot safer now with the ANBU in the trees and someone next to her, even if it was just Shikamaru. At least he could control the shadows. They walked in silence for a long time, both exhausted and relieved beyond the point of words. She glanced at him, noticing the serious expression on his face, which was rare. He looked just like his father—calculating a thousand things in his mind at once, piecing together a complex puzzle in his mind, trying to find any explanation to what Kaiya had experienced.
"Some parts of what happened tonight had to be some sort of genjutsu," Shikamaru figured, eyebrows furrowed together, almost touching. He tapped his chin in thought. "But some parts also have to have a logical explanation. Earth-natured jutsu, maybe even some kind of hallucination caused by a drug that made you lose track of time? Whatever it was, it means you were stalked and targeted by a real person. And that means the village has been infiltrated."
Kaiya blinked. She hadn't thought of that. Had she put everyone in danger? Would the villagers turn on her again? Well, there's not much more they can do to her at this point. They demanded the Hokage throw her in prison at six years old. What would they push for now, exile from the village? She'd love nothing more.
She didn't have time to mull over it, though. As soon as they reached the break in the trees that the Naras lived in, Yoshino, Shikaku, and even the Third were running towards the two preteens. Thankfully, the ANBU bodies had been cleared away, like they had never been there. But Kaiya would never get the image out of her head. Or the smell of their mutilated corpses.
"Kaiya!" Yoshino beat the two men to the children and grabbed both of them. Of course, Shikamaru was annoyed and told his mom to calm down—that he wasn't even the one that was missing. Kaiya had a hard time breathing, but tears welled in her eyes, burning them with foreign tears. Yoshino had never hugged her before. And the fact that she was so relieved that she came back–even if she was covered in swamp juice and smelled like a sewer… "Oh, Kaiya, you had us all so scared. What the hell happened to you? Where have you been, young lady?!" She tried to sound angry and accusing, but the hot tears running down her face and onto Kaiya's shoulder made that difficult. Kaiya melted in her embrace.
"I…" Her lip trembled, and she didn't trust herself to speak without bursting into tears and looking like a child.
Kaiya's and Shikamaru's unpleasant odor finally registered, and Yoshino backed away, trying not to gag as she clenched her nostrils with her fingers tightly. The Hokage hugged Kaiya next, and even Shikaku gave her a quick squeeze. After making them wash up, Yoshino made tea for the group, and they sat at the kitchen table to discuss what had happened. Yoshino wanted to yell right away, but Shikamaru convinced her to hear Kaiya out before she got angry, and the resentful mother decided to give her the benefit of the doubt—just this once.
Kaiya took a deep breath and shakily recounted everything she had told Shikamaru. She hated doing so, hated restating the fear and humiliation she felt. It was bad enough when people could sense how she felt, but when she had to explain her feelings in detail? That was even worse. But at least she knew the Naras and the Third wouldn't make fun of her or hold her emotions against her. And besides, this incident was nothing to mock. By the look of urgency on Shikaku's and Sarutobi's faces, and the look they both shared with one another, Kaiya could tell they were expecting something like this to happen sooner or later.
That put her on edge even more.
Kaiya's eyes darkened.
"You know who it was," she said accusingly, clenching her fingers around her teacup tightly. "You knew someone was after me, that's why you've always had the ANBU follow me everywhere. You were just waiting for this to happen." Sarutobi closed his eyes, and Shikaku lowered his gaze from her to the table guiltily. Yoshino stared at her tea in silence, while Shikamaru watched.
"Well, that's only half true," Shikaku admitted, letting out a deep sigh. He took a sip of his tea contemplatively, giving the Hokage a questioning look. The Third sighed, nodding.
"Yes, Kaiya, while we don't know many details, we were aware that you were in danger. Shikaku, I believe it's time we told her. We never expected things to escalate so quickly." Shikaku's eyes narrowed, and he nodded, letting out a deep sigh.
"Of course, Lord Third." Gathering his thoughts, Shikaku cleared his throat and began. Everyone sat in pregnant silence. Kaiya had never been so attentive in her life. "Kaiya, six years ago, we received a warning that you were in danger," he explained slowly, watching her face to see how she'd react. There was no telling what she'd do when he'd finished—if she even let him finish. Kaiya's eyebrows furrowed in question, but she said nothing as he continued.
"We were told that a dangerous person was coming for you, and it was imperative that we keep you safe at all costs. It would take a lot of manpower to keep this person at bay, and the messenger had done all they could, and it was now out of their hands. They couldn't take that responsibility anymore because more dangerous things were stirring. We had no reason to take this threat seriously, since you were just a child and there wasn't anything in your bloodline we should be worried about, like a kekkei genkai or a tailed beast."
What a way to say I'm ordinary, Kaiya mused.
"However, this warning came from a trusted source, so we took precautions just in case," he went on, taking another sip of his tea. Kaiya glanced at Sarutobi to see his reaction, but of course his old leather face was set in stone. "We had an agent follow you around, to monitor the situation. They were young, close to your age, but they were strong, and they wanted to help. Ironically, your family betrayed the village only several days later. But because of that warning, the agent who had kept watch over you was able to get you out before you were involved in any way. No telling what could have happened to you if they hadn't."
Kaiya's eyes narrowed. Suddenly she was back in her old compound, unable to move her body, wondering what all the commotion was outside her bedroom. Someone had come in through her window, then disappeared. When she was finally able to move, she ran out to see what was going on, but someone had grabbed her from behind before she could see the carnage left behind by the ANBU's battle with her parents and siblings.
She thought it had all been a dream, but now it made sense. Someone had been keeping an eye on her and had saved her from being traumatized by the scenes her family left behind. They had kept her safe by keeping her in her room when everything was happening. But something still didn't make sense to her.
"Ok," Kaiya said, blinking the image of that night out of her mind. "If that messenger was warning you of my parents' betrayal, what does that have to do with tonight? My parents are gone. I wasn't worth their time to kill anyway. So, who attacked me tonight?"
Shikaku and Hiruzen shared another look, and the Hokage decided to take over. Shikaku bowed his head and closed his eyes. Kaiya frowned in suspicion.
"Kaiya…" No doubt he was looking for the perfect phrase of words to say that would give her an answer but not give the entire truth away. The Third was frustrating that way. "The true concern lies in that night—the night your parents lost their lives," he said, after taking a sip of tea to steel himself. She noticed he didn't have his pipe with him, for once. Maybe Yoshino wouldn't let him smoke in the house. She almost laughed at the thought of such a tiny woman intimidating the most powerful ninja in the village. But this was too important. She couldn't believe they were actually telling her anything, much less so much all at once. Could she really handle it?
"The messenger who gave us the initial warning lost their life that night," Sarutobi added, clearing his throat. Kaiya knew the Old Man—this was a personal death for him. Whoever the messenger was, it had to be one of his men. "But there was another warning we received, from someone else. And that's when we realized that this went far deeper than just an insurrection, and that the first warning was valid—we would need to give it a lot more attention than what we had given at first." Kaiya held her breath desperately, her patience wearing thin.
"We were told in the aftermath of your parents' destruction that there were several enemies that were interested in you, because you were special," Hiruzen explained darkly, his fingers now crossed in front of him. Kaiya frowned. "They had no idea who you really were, where you truly came from, but there were others who did. It was the reason they had kept you alive all those years instead of killing you like they would have liked. Powerful people were saving you for things beyond our knowing, and we couldn't stop them. It was only a matter of time.
"We didn't tell you, of course, because you were young, and we didn't want you to be afraid of a threat that held no weight at the time. However…" Hiruzen let out a long, drawn out sigh, shaking his head as he said, "It appears the people who made that threat were in fact telling the truth. It's just taken longer for them to appear than we expected."
Kaiya's hand trembled on the table, so she balled them into fists to stop their quivering; she gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering. Outside the window next to the table, the sun's first light appeared over the horizon in the distance, but to Kaiya, everything was still as dark as the earth when it swallowed her.
She counted to ten, to make sure she could form words. Shikamaru wondered if she would jump across the table in a rage against the Third, but she remained seated—for now.
"Special, you said…ha, that's ridiculous," she murmured, laughing humorlessly as she tried to decide who to look at—Shikaku or the Hokage. "There's nothing special about me. Who was it that made that threat, then? It sounds like it had to be one of my family members." Her jaw was tight, her words tense. Her eyebrows furrowed, meeting in the middle of her forehead.
"You didn't demand answers or anything? And where the hell did they even find the time to have this discussion in the middle of an ambush?!" Kaiya started to rise but decided against it. She knew she couldn't take on either male sitting across from her. She was too exhausted to even think about it, honestly. She doubted they would give her a straight answer. But she wasn't stupid. It made sense that her family only kept her as a pet for someone else. Why else would they put up with her when they hated her so much? But even so, that seemed cruel, even for them.
Finally, I have a few answers, she thought, biting her lip so hard she drew blood. But now I'm left with more questions.
Kaiya ignored the metallic aftertaste left in her mouth, which was much less revolting than swamp gunk. She stared back and forth between Shikaku and Hiruzen expectantly; her gaze held so much intensity that not even the two most straight-faced men she knew could keep their composure. Finally, Shikaku sighed, closing his eyes once more as he downed the last of his cold tea.
Setting the empty cup on the table, he decided it was time to come clean. If anything, this might give her a little bit of her closure, at least in one area of her life. He cleared his throat, searching for the right words. He didn't even bother looking at the Third this time.
"The one—or should I say ones—that made the threat…well, you're right, Kaiya." At this point, even Shikamaru was interested, his currently hard expression a far cry from his usual bored countenance. Kaiya held her breath in anticipation, her heart thumping against her ribcage. "It was your family. All of them made that threat. They said that you were just a means to an end, and the fight wasn't over, even if they were all killed."