OMG I keep finding strange phrases and editing again and again... T.T
I really hope that my mistakes are not so terrible that turn the story hard to read. BTW If anyone is willing to be the beta I will be really happy.
"This land is old."
Kana concludes, feeling out of place and young in that cavernous and dark environment. Never one to jump to conclusions based on her feelings, the conviction of that thought was surprising for her.
There is a certain vibration in the air, something dangerous and dormant that the girl has only now noticed. She wasn't the only one. The two Uchiha boys calmed down enough after the breakdown. The baby was busy pulling at her black hair, trying to eat It.
"And now?" Riki asks in a whisper, fidgety and his black eyes wide. Katsuo withdrew, but even he seems to struggle to remain still and alert. There's a poignant sense of being passively watched, which was disconcerting because Kana might not be a sensor ninja, but she was pretty sure no one was there. Nothing but the landscape itself.
The teenager narrows her eyes, analyzing the starry night through the cave entrance and pondering the risks she can take. In an ideal situation, she would not be separated from the children in hostile and unfamiliar territory, but she urgently needed to find a source of food and water. Kana straightened up, taking the baby off her lap and placing her on the floor. The child felt the ground and crawled a little.
"I'll explore some more. Don't go out.
It was far away, but Kana thought she saw birds heading west earlier; there must be at least some river and more biodiversity there.
"What? Y-you can't leave us!" Riki looked at her, terrified, launching himself at the girl in a hug. Katsuo quickly nodded, grabbing Kana's arm.
Kana blinked in surprise at the sudden physical contact and even more so at the attachment, the children were showing. Uncomfortable, she stays still, finding everything very strange and not quite knowing how to react. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been hugged. If she ever had been hugged.
"I need to. We need food and water. Mostly the little thing."
Kana estimated that the baby would go eight or nine hours without eating or drinking water. A civilian baby would last sixteen hours, one with a little more chakra reserve might even be able to last for 24 hours. She wouldn't risk it.
"What if an enemy appears? What if he finds us?"
Kana pulls out of the hug as gently as she can and squeezes the two boys' shoulders in what she hopes will be comforting. She looked at the sword and handed it to the boy. Carrying the Katana could have been more efficient, but the kids needed it more. She could fight without weapons if she had to.
"If an enemy appears, run. If the fight is unavoidable, use the katana. If you are about to die, use your Sharingan."
"But you said I can't use chakra or we'll be stuck here."
"I know. But alive and trapped here is better than dead. And about Itachi... he won't be able to come here. Jumping between dimensions is not common... Ah. The baby is crying. Hold her like this and try to calm her down. See ya."
The children watched as the eldest's silhouette faded and not even the baby's wail could distract them from worry and fear. Without her, they were completely vulnerable and alone.
Katsuo awkwardly held the baby.
"Hey, do you know the baby's name?"
"No. But what about Raijin? It's a powerful name."
"She is a girl. I don't think we can call her Raijin."
"Raijin...a?"
Katsuo shook his head in exasperation.
The night breeze and cold coursed through his moving body. Under the unknown stars, a pale figure could be seen. Petite in stature and with a curvy body, her delicate, aristocratic features did not suggest the lethality she was capable of.
The vegetation became more frequent and varied as it progressed westward, and the desert land became more and more savanna-like. She paused when she found cacti, refining her chakra to make it sharp and pruning the plants, taking water from some and holding the rest for the children.
It must have been an hour when she found a river. Activating her Sharingan, Kana noticed mountains to the west and south. At the North of the river was a suggestion of a forest.
Then she heard the sound of howling in the distance.
Not so distant was the lone howl that came a few seconds later.
The Uchiha hummed thoughtfully and placed the cactus on the ground, moving silently towards the nearby howl.
A dark growl and a quick form were all the warnings she got, and Kana allowed herself to appreciate the speed of that animal. Of course, as fast as the predator was, a ninja's reactions were faster.
"Hi, dinner." She thought the girl idly as wolf and ninja studied each other. It was huge, big enough for someone to ride on – and there was even a saddle in there. It was also ugly, like something that should not be the way it is but whose image had been corrupted. Kana couldn't help but notice that there was a certain intelligence and sharp cruelty in that animal, the teeth bared, some sort of beast that might not be quite a wolf as she initially thought.
More growls, more lows, and Kana glimpsed in the distance puppies feeding on something with gray skin.
"Tsk. Puppies make things more violent."
The wolf advanced and the girl clasped her hands.
"I should get this over fast."
The wolf advanced and the girl clasped her hands.
"Earth Sword." She whispered, watching the ground transform beneath the animal, solidifying and becoming as hard as stone and sharp as metal. The 'sword' accurately and quickly pierced the animal's skull, effectively killing it.
Turning to the remaining puppies, Kana blinked contemplatively as she counted four wolves.
"Hmm. Convenient."
She frowns in revulsion at the savagery of the cubs and the disfigured figure of that strange creature they were devouring the entrails of. Curious, she studied the shape of what appeared to have been that wolf's summoner. The thing had a humanoid form, but it was definitely not human. Like the wolf she'd killed, it looked…unnatural.
A few wolves noticed her, splattered with blood and ready to try to make her their next victim.
"Eh. Let's see if those puppies can be as wild as you are."
A satisfied smile graced her face, eyes glowing crimson.
"Do not resist. Follow me."
Katsuo ran a hand through his black hair, fighting the urge to pull some hair out. His head was hurting. And the baby was still crying.
"Won't you do something? Make her stop!" The six-year-old complained, grimacing in displeasure.
"I'm trying, okay? But she has shitty and piss all over, of course, she's going to cry!"
"Well, aren't you supposed to change her or something?"
"Are you offering your clothes? Because there's no way I'm going to use my only piece of clothing as a butt cleaner!"
"Humph." The boy huffs and crosses his arms, staying quiet.
Uh. He hopes Kana will return soon. Katsuo has no idea what to do with the baby and his cousin is getting more and more angry and apprehensive the longer they are alone.
He looked at the cave entrance again and nearly gasped in shock when his eyes caught the shape of a creature on the back of what must have been Kana-san.
"Kana nee-chan! You are back!" Riki exclaims in absolute relief and palpable admiration.
"Nee-chan? Already? It was Kana-san until a few hours ago." She arches an eyebrow and shrugs.
"Holy shit. Is that a wolf?" Katsuo asked.
"That is the food." She lets go of the hand that held the wolf on her back and arranges the plants she carried in another. The Uchiha then points with her now free hand behind her and the two boys see a line of cub wolfs following her.
"And this, and this, and that, and oh, yes. That one."
"B-but they're puppies! You're not going to kill puppies, are you?" Riki exclaimed, widening his eyes.
Kana smiles, a somewhat feline and sly quality framing her face and her eyes flashing in red involuntarily. Katsuo swallows hard because at that moment she is the predator.
"Nope. You are."
The boys look at each other, apprehensive and conflicted. None of them had killed anything and Katsuo was now starting his animal dissection lessons. It was disgusting.
The baby starts crying again. This time, Katsuo and Riki are grateful. Maybe she's just playing with their having to kill the puppies.
"She pooped." Riki said as Kana put most of the cacti on the ground, cutting one with her sharp chakra. Afterward, she took the baby from Katsuo, giving the little girl a drink, wrinkling her nose at the stench exhaling.
"Hmm." She hummed thoughtfully and then looked at the two of them, confused.
"What are you waiting for? An order?" She pointed to the cacti on the ground. "Drink It."
Katsuo blushed in embarrassment and took the katana, doing as she said. Once they were satisfied, the girl was already distributing chores. Normally, Katsuo would hate to be bossed around like this. Now, he was grateful that they had something to do. It was better than panicking or being useless.
"Katsuo, you're going to bathe her. After it's done, Riki washes the baby's dirty clothes and the blanket."
He was about to ask "with what water?" when she formed some hand seals and expelled water, shaped like a half bubble. She had both hands full with the Jutsu, so he understood why he should be the one to wash the baby.
It wasn't easier to bear the stench as he stripped off his dirty clothes and the odor spread throughout the cave.
"Ew." He muttered and started to wash her, careful not to drown her even though she was fidgeting a lot and still crying. He was quickly discovering newfound respect for parents around the world.
"So, do you know her name?" He asked, filling the silence. Kana shook her head, denying it.
"Can we call her Raijin?" Riki questioned and she shrugged. Katsuo blinked, perplexed. Was she really going to let the baby be called that? It wasn't even unisex, for Kami's sake!
"We're not calling her Raijin! It doesn't even suit her! And why are you so obsessed with the name Raijin?"
"And what suit her, then?"
Katsuo paused, looking at the baby he was holding carefully. The boy remembered the other babies and parents he saw killed during the massacre and, with a choked and soft voice said:
"Eiko. Because she will live a long life."
"Eiko." Kana repeats and nods to the boy in agreement. Riki pouts.
"Not so terrible, I guess."
They completed their chores without, although Riki nearly vomited twice while washing Eiko's clothes and both boys blushed furiously when Kana took off her pants and wrapped the baby around her while the little one's clothes dried.
"A ninja must not be prudish among their companions. It would delay the mission. Don't worry you'll get used to it." She commented casually.
Kana took the katana with some hesitation and then turned to the two of them.
"Now, which one of you will help me scalp and prepare our food?"
The children's calm breathing spread through the cave. The crackling of the fire entertained her as she kept watch. One of the wolves yelped, and Kana saw that the smallest of them was injured. She arched an eyebrow, the other three standing together as the black fur ball remained distant. If he tries to approach, one of the puppies would growl in warning.
Kana didn't understand much about wolf behavior but found it curious. The most malnourished one was the most similar to the 'normal' wolf she'd seen at home. It was a pathetic creature compared to the rest.
"The weakest of the pack, uh?" She concluded. As if sensing her eyes on him, the wolf stared back at her with golden eyes and in contrast, black fur. The small animal was uncertain and a few feet away. As the night wore on, the animal got closer until it was only a few inches from her foot. The other pups began to watch, curious.
"What are you doing?" Kana thought, interested. When she skinned the older wolf for food, despite the genjutsu she could feel their fear and rage. As if they knew what their fate would be.
Kana smiled when the wolf tried to bite her and released some killing intention focused on them. They withdrew. Well, except one. Kana had to admit that what the black one lacked in stature, he made up for by being stubborn: he tried to bite her again. Quickly, Kana uses one hand to hold the animal's muzzle firmly and hit It where was hurt, trapping and immobilizing the little wolf for the rest of the night.
"I'll like to see how long you last."
He growled, amber eyes gleaming in defiance.
Kana would find It cute, but finding the meal cute was a bad idea so she let the thought fades away.
The land was shrouded in ash and destruction. Piles and piles of bodies everywhere: elves, humans, dwarves, orcs, Uruks, hobbits - a slaughter without discrimination.
Standing, a large black warg surrounded a hooded and masked figure. In front of the human-like form, what looked like a boy of the nobility, covered in black robes, pale skin, deep brown hair, and black eyes. Beautiful but dark. He looked human and, at the same time, not. His air was haughty and timeless, eyes strangely ancient and full of bitterness for such youthful features.
"This is useless." The child declared. "It would be a shame to waste a talent like yours, so stop fighting me before you die."
"Rule number 04: A shinobi must always put the mission first." The masked one replied.
"Oh, another one of your golden rules. Alright, I'll play along. What is your mission?"
"Protect our family. Protect you. We stay together… no matter what."
There is a pause. The boy's eyes turn blood red, a disdainful smile.
"You came to rescue someone who no longer exists. I'm not your brother."
Then the two move faster than human eyes can see in a lethal dance where every step could be their last. The cape slips, black hair flying. One opening. The masked one hugs the young boy tightly.
"You will always be my brother." She says, crimson eyes crying blood tears. And then... then there are flames.
And the world burns.
In a forest, a queen awoke from a restless sleep her open eyes shedding tears.
"Another dream?" The elf asked, worried. Galadriel nodded. "Do you remember anything?"
"Red eyes. A black wolf. Death. And fire." She closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. "That is all I remember."
"The red-eyed soldier? Do you think he's working for the Enemy?"
The blonde leaned against her husband's shoulder, sighing.
"I don't know. These dreams... They're confusing me. At one time, it seems that he is united with the forces of Evil, and other times… it seems that he helps us. But whatever happens, he is completely entwined in Arda's fate."