ϟ—Chapter Thirty-three — Light—ϟ
Finally, they found Ka'rai. It was just in time, too; bits and pieces of Fuu's armor were falling off of her—she had that much trouble keeping herself together. Luckily for both her and Hane, they were right above where Fuu detected Ka'rai's… breathing? Air shape? Hane couldn't quite understand, but that was probably because Fuu was terrible at explaining things.
Fuu descended—much quicker than Hane would have liked—over a village. It was built inside a massive, stony crater. Every building was modestly small, all of it was gray, and the amount of holes in the walls and ground would certainly trigger somebody's trypophobia. Thankfully, Hane didn't have it—
—"Blegh! This place looks nasty… it's making my skin crawl…" muttered Fuu. "It's like if Taki was infested by bugs."
Hane blinked. "Do you have trypophobia?"
"What's that?!"
"The fear of a bunch of tiny holes."
"I don't know! I just know this place looks weird! I don't like it—I don't like it!" complained Fuu, descending faster as her wings started to fall apart.
Hane's stomach lurched and her heart skipped its next ten-thousand beats. "Fuu, slow down!"
"I can't!"
With her eyes darting around, Hane tried to find a place to land that wouldn't leave her with broken bones or worse. There were rivers and streams that all led to a central lake… and Hane had Water Style.
Hane frantically pointed toward the central lake. "Go there! I can break our fall if we collapse!"
Grunting, Fuu directed the both of them over the water—they veered to the left as Fuu's right wing fell off of her. They were closer to landing on the small island at the center of the lake. But, at least they were still over water.
"Stop!" Hane yelled as she weaved hand signs. "Water Style: Aquatic Uproar!" From below them, the previously stable water below spewed upward like a geyser, catching both her and Fuu in the foam. Hane kept her hands in the Dog Sign so the water would slowly drop them. It turned out that the lake wasn't even that deep… it only went to Hane's hips. As they stood, Fuu's Nanabi transformation fell off of her completely, starting to decompose on the ground.
Immediately, they were surrounded by foreign Shinobi. All of them had some sort of weapon drawn, with the same headband that had three slashes in the middle. Hane put her hands up in surrender and glared at Fuu to do the same. "We're not a threat!"
Gritting her teeth, Fuu did the same, putting her hands up.
From out of the small building at the center of the lake, a man covered in a cloak of gems walked out. His flashy, almost gold hair matched the ticking clock of his eyes. In the sun, he glittered like diamonds as he walked toward them. With the way just the gesture of his hand commanded all of his Shinobi to stand down, it was obvious that he was in charge here.
"Not a threat, you say?" he asked with a hum. He only stopped walking once he stood directly in front of them. Taller than them both, he was only a bit taller than Ka'rai, with the same brown skin. "Then what was your business, falling from the sky?"
"I'm the Nanabi's Jinchuriki!" Fuu spoke for herself, as much as Hane didn't want her to—"And your village looks nasty as fu—"
"SHUT UP!" yelled Hane, glaring at Fuu. Her life was no longer in that crazy girl's hands, so she could say what she wanted.
"NO YOU—"
—Ignoring her as she yelled, Hane looked to the leader guy. "I apologize for her. But I can assure we bear no ill will to your village. All we want to do is look for somebody; we sensed him here."
"Ka'rai Uzumaki?" guessed the leader, tilting his head. Those clockwork eyes were still picking her apart.
Hane's heart leapt as she smiled, nodding. "Yes! He's here?!"
"Well, I wouldn't doubt a Jinchuriki's senses," said the leader, looking toward Fuu, who had since stopped yelling, crossing her arms instead of playing surrender. "Though I would like to question how Taki's Jinchuriki came into Kumo's possession…"
"I hate Taki!" declared Fuu. "They did nothing but keep me in a cage for my whole life! I hate Kumo too because they tried to kill me! We just need to take Ka'rai and leave!"
The leader laughed. "Well, no, I'm afraid that both of you are here to stay. But, Nanabi, I can assure you that we won't imprison or kill you… if you don't cause us any trouble, that is."
"My name is Fuu," she corrected, narrowing her eyes.
The leader nodded. "My apologies, Fuu."
"Is Ka'rai okay?" asked Hane, keeping her hands up.
His eyes turned back to her, and he hummed. "Well, I don't think I can tell you that unless you pledge your loyalty to my village, both of you."
"I will," accepted Hane without missing a beat.
Fuu grit her teeth even harder. Tension strained the air as Hane felt nothing but her heart beating like thunder's drums in her chest.
"Fuu?" asked the leader, raising his brow.
Sucking her teeth, Fuu declared that, "I don't wanna stay here! I just want my friend!"
"But you are here, you need to stay," reasoned the leader. His tone was a mix of calm understanding, with an unbreakable sternness lacing every word. "Especially with the fact that you can fly. You are a threat should you decide to leave."
"I won't do anything to you!" yelled Fuu, with the surrounding Shinobi going back on guard. "I just wanna do my own thing!"
"I'm afraid I can't believe that."
Fuu glared, stomping her foot. "I'm not lying to you!"
"I know you're not lying, but that doesn't mean things can't change in the future. You know the location of Dokutsu, and for that, I cannot let you leave." The leader's tone hardened. "We won't harm you if you won't harm us, Fuu.
"You'll be as free as you like in the confines of this village."
Fuu went to argue again, but Hane spoke first. "Fuu, please… if this was any other village, then we'd already be dead. Let's just go with them… don't you wanna make sure Ka'rai is okay?"
With hands grasping clumps of her cyan hair, Fuu let out a haggard sigh before glaring at the leader. "Fine… I'll be loyal." Her tone was venomous.
The leader narrowed his eyes on her. "Alright…" Distrust radiated off of him to the point where Hane felt it in the air. "I will just let it be known that if you continue to be a threat, that we'll have to confine you."
Fuu glared once again.
"If you play nice, then we will as well." The leader grew a smile as his clockwork eye faded to a yellow iris around a black pupil. "Alright?"
Fuu just huffed. "Fine."
"By the way, I'm Seiki Senko. But you may call me by my title, Lord Gem."
"I'm Hane…" she said, letting out a relieved sigh. They weren't going to be killed today, and they were finally with Ka'rai. That was great, at least.
Lord Gem turned his back and beckoned for Hane and Fuu to follow. "You two, come into my office, and one of you will retrieve Ka'rai Uzumaki. The rest of you are dismissed."
A Dokutsu Shinobi nodded and flickered away. The other dispersed as well. Fuu and Hane, of course, followed Lord Gem into his office. Apparently, it was that small building at the center of the lake, a modest stone-brick structure. Hane liked it; it wasn't big and grand, but still at the center, where it needed to be. This was a place where she'd be happy to lead from.
The inside was a simple office with a desk stacked with paper. Glass windows were behind and to the sides, with various chairs and benches for visitors to sit. Lord Gem waved to them, wordlessly offering them to sit. After days of being held in the air, sitting down felt like a luxury of a queen. The tired Fuu took a seat a few chairs away from her, still irritably having her arms crossed.
At his desk, Lord Gem tossed them both a headband with a smile. "Those are yours. Welcome to Dokutsugakure."
Hane grabbed her headband and sighed, looking at the three slashes at the center. There wasn't really… information about this village. With how he treated Fuu, Hane saw why. Very tight-lipped, very isolationist. Of course, Hane was familiar with the story of the Senko Clan… of how they were expelled out of Kumo by the Chinoike.
The reason was never really explained. After seeing what Seiki Senko was like… Hane didn't think the reason was anything related to bad behavior. Well, bad behavior by her standards.
With a sigh, Hane looked down. She was still in her pajamas. It was almost funny, but she couldn't bring herself to laugh. Pulling her blonde hair back, Hane tied the Dokutsu headband around her forehead. All she could do was pray that this was a kinder place than Kumo.
Looking to her right, Hane saw that Fuu had tied the headband around her neck. Hane was just happy that Fuu wasn't causing any more trouble. From what she knew about the Jinchuriki, was that Fuu was going to fly away at the first chance she got. As payment for, well, saving her life, Hane wasn't going to say a thing.
"So, I assume that you two flew away from Kumo?" asked Lord Gem, now sitting at his desk, doing paperwork as he sparked conversation.
Chuckling, Hane answered, "Yeah…"
"No Furachi came after you?" he asked further.
Fuu huffed. "I went super high. Nobody but me could breathe without my help."
"Smart…" complimented Lord Gem. "What's your relationship with Ka'rai Uzumaki?"
"I'm his girlfriend," answered Hane without missing a beat.
Fuu just shrugged. "I guess we're friends, or something like that."
"I see," he pondered. "You two must be loyal if you went so far out of your way to find him."
"Of course." Hane's fists clenched over her thighs.
Fuu gave another bored shrug. "Things are just more fun with him around."
It didn't take much longer for there to be a knock on the door.
"Enter."
Hane's heart throbbed with anticipation as the door opened. The world seemed to move in slow motion—and Hane despised every millisecond she had to wait. A figure walked through—it was a man… but it wasn't Ka'rai. Orange hair and fair skin; he walked into the building.
However, the door remained open. Red hair, that face paint—navy blue feline face paint. Hane gasped as she leapt up—it felt like the inside of her chest was bleeding with the warmth spread inside. "Ka'rai!"
"Hane?!" he stepped in and his eyes went wide; they were so dull as he walked in but so much life inflamed in them as he saw her. "Hane!" Without a second wasted, he sped toward her. They wrapped each other in a hug and breathed into each other.
"Blegh," Fuu muttered.
Hane squeezed Ka'rai, only for him to flinch and growl. Her eyes opened and she looked up at him, only to see that they were both covered in blood—Ka'rai's blood. Hane pulled back, keeping her arms on his shoulders to look at him. Ka'rai was scarred—they were fresh and Ka'rai was bleeding.
"Ka'rai—?!" Horror crossed her face as she looked him up and down. All of her attention narrowed in on the Gem as she yelled, "What happened to him?!"
On the other hand, Fuu laughed. "Haha! You got your ass beat!" she jeered, pointing at him.
The Gem shook his head. "Your training with Kodaru has begun, I see."
"You didn't tell me he was a fucking sicko," countered Ka'rai, holding onto Hane as he sighed—the way he sighed looked painful.
Hane felt her heart falling apart as she looked at him. "Who's Kodaru?"
"I'll tell you everything later…" Ka'rai said before setting his eyes on the smug Fuu. "Thank you… for saving her, for helping me..."
"Meh, I just didn't want you to be all depressed and shit," grumbled Fuu. "It'd make you boring."
"Yeah… sure." Ka'rai rolled his eyes before taking a look at their headbands. "Are they here to stay?" he asked to the Gem.
He nodded in response. "Indeed! It's a good sign that they didn't have their old headbands… though your fellow Jinchuriki friend is not trustworthy in my eyes."
"Am I?" asked Ka'rai with a scoff.
The Gem's eyes shone. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Yeah… that's why I asked…"
"Well, I'll at least say I trust in you more than her."
Fuu let out a steamy, frustrated breath.
Ka'rai just shook his head. "I see…"
"All of you are dismissed."
"Thanks for letting them in, by the way…" said Ka'rai as he turned his back.
Lord Gem's eyes just shone. "Village policy."
Those were the last words that he spoke before the three of them left.
The moment they stepped out, the interrogation began. "Ka'rai what happened to you?! Who's Kodaru?!"
"I'm fine," he dismissed, waving his trembling hand. "Kodaru is… my uncle."
"Your what?!" Shock slammed into her like a brick. "You have an uncle?!"
"Apparently… He's also Sanbi's Jinchuriki."
"Woah," Fuu muttered. "Another strong Jinchuriki… And you said he's crazy?! Like me?!" A smile started to cross her face.
Ka'rai let out an amused breath that made him wince. "Yeah, something like that."
"Is he an Uzumaki too?!" asked Fuu, obviously giddy for information.
Ka'rai nodded. "Yeah… my mom's little brother."
"Why is…" Hane wondered, Ka'rai's look said that he already knew her question before she finished it.
Ka'rai just shook his head. "It's bad."
Bad seemed like an understatement. The way he limped over the stone path. His shallow breaths. He spoke too quietly—there was none of his loud bravado present… he was just… a shallow shell. Hane hated seeing him suffer. She couldn't squeeze his hand because she could already feel the broken bones that barely held it together.
"Are you out of chakra dumbass? Why don't you use Jinsei?!"
Ka'rai shook his head. "I can't. Kodaru sealed Nibi away."
Another shocking brick rocked Hane—but there was one flung at Fuu as well. "Wait, wait, what?!" Fuu instinctively backed away. "He can't do that!"
"Well, he did!" Ka'rai growled. "He sealed Nibi away and was just beating my ass and telling me to get stronger… he even took away my Jigoku Blade."
"It is a pretty cool sword; I'll give you that, nephew."
The three of them froze in their tracks. Ka'rai grit his teeth and glared behind him. "Why are you following me?!"
Hane turned around to see him. Crimson hair, amber eyes, and pale skin. He looked just like Ka'rai's mom. That must've been him… Kodaru. Fuu was immediately on her guard.
The Jigoku blade was strapped to the waist of Kodaru's sleeveless, navy blue Shinobi garb. "Don't think just because Lord Gem called you, you're gonna escape training."
"What part of beating my ass is fucking training?!" yelled Ka'rai. Their argument was clearing the road around them. "I could be a better trainer than you!"
"Yeah! He is!" supported Fuu, pointing a finger at Kodaru. "And sealing Nibi away was totally uncalled for! That's where all of a Jinchuriki's power comes from!"
"Yeah, that's the problem, Nanabi," said Kodaru with a roll of his eyes. "A Jinchuriki that relies on their Bijuu for their strength doesn't deserve that power in the first place."
"I don't care what you say—and you're not going to take Nanabi away from me!" screamed Fuu, pointing a finger at Kodaru.
Before Hane could even blink, Kodaru was right beside them, grabbing Fuu's hand. "Is that right?"
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
All of a sudden, shattered glass invaded Fuu's rusted chains. Her eyes snapped wide as she stepped back. Nanabi's hostile buzzing made her ears ring and her head spin. Even still, Kodaru's laughter cut through all of the noise. Shutting her eyes, Fuu screamed, covering her ears. "SHUT UP! Shut the fuck up and get out of my head!"
The rusted chains of Fuu's mind mobilized to attack the incoming shattered glass, but metal broke apart on contact with the glass. Kodaru snorted at the pitiful attempt. "Your mind is weak," he jibed. "Even Ka'rai's was better than this."
"LEAVE!" Fuu commanded, but it was only heard by ears that didn't care.
All that came next was more noise. It wasn't from Kodaru—it was from Nanabi. Fuu hadn't felt such putrid rage from the Bijuu… ever. For a second it felt like the sky itself had collapsed in on itself—the accompanying thunder quaked Fuu's chains and Kodaru's glass.
"You rancid fleshing," Nanabi sneered. For once, she wasn't talking to Fuu. The presence behind Fuu only got worse and stronger and scarier—so she just got on her hands and knees to wait until it was all over.
"You dare defile my sibling!" that swarming scream made Fuu clutch at her head—bolts of lightning erupted in all directions as a storm formed in Fuu's mind. Nanabi attempted to fly, but Fuu's chains—her seal—kept her from soaring.
"I'LL TORTURE YOU UNTIL YOUR NERVES EXPLODE WITH AGONY!"
"Man… this beast isn't even in a cage…" Kodaru shook his head, laughing. A bolt of lightning shot toward Kodaru but nothing happened. Finally, Fuu looked up with her pupils shaking.
Behind Kodaru… was Sanbi. He was flipped on his back, with a spear of shattered glass stabbing through his soft underbelly, piercing the shell as Sanbi was flayed in his own blood. All three of his tails and all four of his limbs retrieved the same treatment.
His eyes weren't even open. Had Fuu not felt him… she would've thought he was dead. No wonder Nanabi was so angry… just seeing him made Fuu's stomach turn. She killed people but she never did anything like this—?! Was it even any better than what she'd done?! Was it even okay for her to feel bad for Sanbi?
She did anyway.
"See, Fuu!" called Kodaru. "This is what a Bijuu is supposed to look like!"
"Why?!" questioned Fuu as Nanabi struggled against her restraints.
Kodaru just snorted. "What do you mean why?! Bijuu have done nothing but bring death to all of those around them! It's what they deserve, you idiot!"
Fuu… hesitated. The way Nanabi just… took over her body—tried to kill her… after everything she tried to do for her. What was the point in defending her? Her fists clenched on the floor, her body still shaking.
Despite everything… it still felt wrong not to defend her.
Nanabi was caged, and it was her fault. Everybody deserved to be free, in their own way. So, Fuu stood and marched toward Kodaru. "You're not going to cage Nanabi more than she already is! I won't let you!"
It made no fucking sense—Nanabi wasn't her friend. Nanabi tried to kill her and yet Fuu found herself defending her. Why? Why? Why?! It was stupid; she was being so stupid. Maybe this would make Nanabi not try to kill her again… hopefully.
Kodaru, in response to Fuu, just rolled his eyes. "Man, you really are Ka'rai's friend… you two are both ignorant, weak, idiots." A flash and Kodaru's fist was embedded in Fuu's gut. The girl collapsed to her knees—the pain made her whine.
With a sick grin, Kodaru looked up at the furious Nanabi. "I heard that bugs don't do too well in the water. Wanna see that in action, beast?"
"DIE!" Wind cut out like razor blades but a shield of coral blocked it. The incapacitated Sanbi's mouth was open, supplying Kodaru power.
He weaved a series of hand seals and grinned. "Drown."
Water pooled below Nanabi as chains of coral held the beast down. The rust of Fuu's mind shattered and dyed the water a disgusting pale orange as Nanabi screamed. As he sealed Nanabi, Fuu tried to attack, but she was just kicked away. Lightning sparked in the water as a show of Nanabi's poor attempt to fight back.
It failed.
Fuu felt cold. Everything inside of her became so much weaker. With horrified eyes, Fuu looked up at Kodaru.
He smirked down at her, cracking his knuckles. "Try not to break; that'll be disappointing."
Each attack that Kodaru delivered, Fuu was too weak to counter. Her mind rattled and the manifestation of her body crumbled. Everything hurt and Fuu was just… helpless—she could do nothing.
"Is your will seriously this weak?!" Kodaru backhanded her into the coral of Nanabi's cage. "You're pathetic!" he cackled, yet the annoyance in his eyes was as clear as day.
"Fuck you!" Fuu cried, trying to get up… to fight even a little bit.
She was beaten until everything went black.
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
Kodaru just… took her. Ka'rai couldn't do a fucking thing as Kodaru took Fuu away. He knew exactly where, that same cave where he got his ass beat for who knows how fucking long. Fuu was going to get the same treatment. Without Nanabi… she was more helpless than he was. It was sickening how bad he felt—Fuu went so far out of her way to help him, to save Hane, and there was nothing he could do to help her now.
Fuck.
"Ka'rai…" Hane spoke, keeping her voice down. "Is there anywhere we can go?"
Ka'rai looked down at her. She was alive. She was here. She was safe. Thanks to Fuu… But she was in danger in the first place thanks to him. Had Ka'rai ever fucked up so badly? He should've just kept his mouth shut… let those Konoha fucks die. What the hell was wrong with him?!
It was too late for that.
"Ka'rai?" repeated Hane… as he just stared into the concern stirring in her coffee eyes.
He cleared his throat, gritting his teeth through the pain. "Yeah… there's something like a refugee camp, housing Dokutsu keeps open for new arrivals… we can stay there."
"Okay," her voice cracked and that somehow hurt Ka'rai more than anything Kodaru did to him. "You're going to go to the hospital first, though…" Hane sighed. "Y'know… I've always wanted to learn Medical Ninjutsu… but I didn't. I didn't because you had it covered. For the longest time, Ka'rai, I thought you could do anything… because that's who you were."
That somehow felt like the greatest compliment and the most painful slap across the face at the same time. Ka'rai couldn't even tense, because that would make everything ache more than it already did. "Yeah… I thought the same until now. I looked at Bee-sensei, looked at myself… thought I was invincible. It didn't seem possible for anyone to get hurt… for things to go wrong."
Ka'rai let a cynical smile cross his face as he choked down his laughter. "Guess that's not how the world works."
"Lesson learned," Hane said, trying to smile.
Even Ka'rai saw it was fake. "I haven't been in a hospital since Gaara tried to kill you, y'know."
"Ah…" Hane rubbed her legs. "Well, you're going to go again."
Just that they did.
People in Dokutsu, they were nice. Some older lady walked the both of them to the main hospital personally. It almost felt like a village full of Narutos and Hanes. Obviously, everyone wasn't like that. After all, Kodaru lived here. But… yeah. Some medic nin and doctors patched him up as time passed.
Hane didn't dare to leave the room. She asked more questions than she probably should've. From the look on her face, Ka'rai could tell that she was taking notes. Just seeing her in action, just watching her exist… made Ka'rai feel better.
Ka'rai really loved her.
With Hane here… maybe things wouldn't be so bad.
By the time the sun set, his flesh wounds were bandaged up and his broken bones were kind of mended, they would still need time to fully heal. Ka'rai knew that Kodaru wasn't going to let that happen. Evening's light bled through the window of the white-tiled room. It was the only part of Dokutsu that wasn't gray.
Ka'rai was ordered to stay in the hospital bed until at least the next day… he knew that Kodaru was probably going to pull him out soon enough. For now… Ka'rai finally had the time to rest. His eyes drifted to his girlfriend… he missed her lips. Even with both his hands bandaged, Ka'rai reached out to bring her head closer, so he could kiss her.
Of course Hane went with it. The moment their lips touched, a wave of peace—
—I wonder what she tastes like.
Ka'rai couldn't help but pull back. Shut up.
Nah, nah… she's really sweet, as a person. I just think it'll be reasonable if her flesh tastes somewhat similar! What if she's bitter because all the sweetness went to her personality and not her body?
What the fuck is wrong with you?!
Nikuya's sick laugh filled his head and Ka'rai felt the grip on his sanity loosening. Shutting his eyes—he kissed into Hane deeper. By the way she kissed, Hane knew something was off.
Bite her tongue off, chew on it and feast on the blood, c'mon, I know you want to!
Ka'rai snarled and pulled back from the kiss, grabbing his head.
Hurt and concern crossed Hane's face. "Ka'rai, what's wrong?"
"He won't shut up…" he growled as Nikuya cackled.
The best way to eat somebody is the legs first. When you get a chance, take Hane and rip her leg off, let the blood—
Fury burned over Ka'rai's face as he shut his eyes.
Black opened to dim gold and Ka'rai immediately zero'd in on Nikuya as the fucker wouldn't stop laughing. "Don't talk about my fucking girlfriend like that you bastard!" screamed Ka'rai as he stomped toward Nikuya.
With a devious glint in his Ketsuryugan eyes, the fucker said, "Make me."
Without a moment's hesitation, Ka'rai charged him. He was met with a bloody fist to the face and he collapsed to the ground. Ka'rai stumbled as he got up and Nikuya kicked his face in. Spit flew from Ka'rai's mouth as he screamed, but Nikuya simply grabbed Ka'rai's tongue and yanked it out of his face.
Blood poured from Ka'rai's mouth as he made nothing but unintelligible sounds. A serrated butcher's knife of blood shredded Ka'rai's chest open as Nikuya kicked Ka'rai back to the floor. In front of him, Nikuya took Ka'rai's tongue and dropped it into his own mouth. His Ketsuryugan glowed as Nikuya chewed, allowing a mix of his own saliva and Ka'rai's blood to drop on Ka'rai's face.
A swallow and Nikuya looked ready to gag. "Ugh, you taste like shit."
Nikuya balled his fist and broke Ka'rai's nose.
"Since you can't talk and you're too weak to do anything about it! I can tell you everything I want without interruption." Even in his mind, Ka'rai's blood was turned against him. He was paralyzed in every sense of the word—Nikuya could kill him if he fucking wanted to.
"Your uncle, that Kodaru guy? I love 'em. If I had about ten more years as a Jinchuriki, I'm sure I'd be able to do what he did. But, well, Nibi killed me, very unfortunate. What is fortunate is that you're here!" Nikuya started to fall apart with laughter as blood stained his teeth red.
"I'm beating you in your own mindscape; how pathetic is that? You're supposed to rule here; this is the place where you're supposed to be God and a damn ghost has you at his mercy. It's sad, Ka'rai Uzumaki."
His wrist orbited as Nikuya whirled that serrated butcher's knife in his grasp. "Well, it makes sense. Far before I was the Nibi's Jinchuriki, I was an accomplished member of the Chinoike Clan, one of the strongest they had to offer. You're a damn Genin who can't even control his own chakra…
"But no! That's not the reason why I'm beating you. I'm beating you because you don't have any grasp on your own mind, you've had no reason to make yourself strong!" Nikuya leant down to whisper in Ka'rai's ear. "Nibi's been doing that on purpose… to keep you easy to conquer… she's been keeping you weak, Ka'rai."
His eyes went wide.
"You need to strengthen your mind. Right now, it's weak. You don't have to be stronger than Nibi, your will has to surpass hers… That's the key to conquering a Bijuu. You have resolve, that's good but you don't know how to use it, dammit! Your Yin is nothing compared to your Yang." Finally, Nikuya stood up and walked back. "And I'll be fighting against you at every turn until you do.
"Try to get all cuddly with Hane? I'll be there. Try to sleep? I'll be there. I'll be there until you can beat me, Ka'rai Uzumaki." A sick smirk crossed Nikuya's face as he weaved a hand seal. The pool of guts and gore expanded. A headache far more nauseating and agonizing than anything Yugito put him through made Ka'rai want to scream.
His entire mindscape was… Nikuya's. A sea of blood and gore. Even Nibi's watery prison was that of blood now. The formerly golden cage was made up of broken bones. Casually, Nikuya sat down on shattered and broken bones in the shape of a throne. It was decorated with intestines and two cracked skulls had hearts shoved between their toothless jaws. "Now… where was I…"
Nikuya snapped his fingers and smiled. "Ah! Right! Now you see, the best treat I've ever had was a fetus. Luckily for you, Ka'rai… you already have a girl willing to have sex with you."
It took two seconds for Ka'rai to process what Nikuya meant. This sick fuck needed to die. With a delirious battle cry, Ka'rai charged him. Of course… he was beaten in his mind again.
And again.
And again.
Was his mind ever even his?
It was going to be.
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
Wispy, smoky tendrils of violet chakra steamed off of Sami's void as she did her best to keep it in check. Clowui stood behind Sami's back, eyeing the blood dripping from Sami's arm. One of many contingencies should things get out of control. Zero, however, stood directly in front of Sami. It was impossible to read him with that pitch black mask.
"Better, better… you're catching on to this fast!" complimented Zero as he clapped. He was probably smiling.
Sami gave a strained smile of her own. "Thanks…." All of her chakra focused on the diamond etched into her palm. Yin—the power of the mind. It was all up to the form she gave her will's power. Thickening the barrier between the real world and her void. Higher security and tightened control—she was going to do it.
With a cry, Sami's control fizzled out. The moment before it did, she sealed off her void entirely and collapsed to her knees, letting out a heaving breath. She wiped the sweat off her brow with her sleeve before she cursed.
"You're doing great," encouraged Clowui. That brought a smile to Sami's face.
Zero nodded in agreement as he looked down at Sami. "Hmm… question."
"Yeah?" Sami raised her brow as she looked up at the masked man.
"What're you gonna do when you're done with all this? Once Cirru and Cee are free? What's your game plan?"
Sami paused. She hadn't thought that far. "Uh…"
"I think it'd be better for her to focus on one thing at a time, Zero," suggested Clowui, staring where Zero's eyes were behind the mask.
Waving his hand, he dismissed her worries. "Nah, it's better to have an extensive plan. So, Sami, what's your game plan?"
"I dunno, I just wanna… live life." With a breath, Sami sat down. "I want a family, since I never had one growing up; just thought it'd be nice to make one of my own."
"Aww," Zero sang. "That's cute."
"Shut up…" muttered Sami, hanging her head down.
"But it's also boring!" Zero threw his arms around. "What's the point of raising a family if they're all gonna die?"
Sami looked up at Zero with bewilderment. "What?!"
Even Clowui had a dubious look across her face.
In response, he snapped his fingers and looked Sami right in the eyes through that featureless mask. "Listen to me. Before you raise a family, you gotta make sure the world you're bringing them into is a safe one. Now tell me, how did Cirru and Cee get absorbed into that Void of yours?"
Sami clenched her diamond-palmed hand and narrowed her eyes. "You don't need to know that."
"Too late! I already know. Konoha Crush, mhm, Nanabi's Jinchuriki—"
"—Shut up!" Sami yelled, glaring at Zero.
He put his hands up and chuckled. "My bad. But listen, the circumstances only came into place… because Kumo ordered you to invade Konoha. It's not your fault; it's the fault of those who ordered you in that position in the first place."
"What are you getting at?" asked Clowui with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
Zero simply chuckled. "Oh, nothing! I'm just saying that the world as it is, isn't safe because of people who are so willing to wage war. Take that away, and what's left? Safety, Sami. Safety for your future family."
"You think I should take away the people willing to wage war?" questioned Sami.
Zero laughed. "Well, I guess assassination is one way to do it~"
"What?!"
"I'm joking," clarified Zero. "I do not condone overthrowing governments."
"Right," muttered Sami.
"Zero…" Clowui said, looking him in the face. "You helped organize the invasion of Konoha."
"For a reason, plus Konoha deserved it." For once, his tone wasn't all goofy and cheerful as he muttered, "That village is full of bastards."
Sami cleared her throat, deciding it best not to question his line of logic. "I see…"
Clowui kept a suspicious glare on Zero as she stepped closer to Sami.
He clapped. "Well, let's get back to training, shall we?"
"Yeah, let's…" muttered Sami, standing back up.
Sami's mind was stuck on Zero's words for longer than it should've.
ϟ—Chapter End—ϟ
