Naruto Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Stains of the Heart ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter Two

 

She is running.

 

She does not know why, but she knows she is running. To where and why are not questions that she needs answered, for she has answers to other things. She knows she is female, but she knows that she is not the same as before. Something has changed, and it disturbs her some, but not enough to be important. She knows she is running, and she believes that is important enough to be a category of its own. She knows she must escape, but she does not know why she must escape, only that she does.

 

A shiver runs up her spine, while she turns to gaze behind her. People are following her, many people. They want something, but she cannot understand what they want. It is as if they speak an entirely different language, for their lips move, but she does not understand the words passing their lips. She does not understand, and for a moment she does not know why she should. Why should she understand anything, when she knows she is she? She is herself, therefore she is important, and they are not. They could die and she would not care, she believes, but a sense of doubt tells her she is just trying to escape something else. Something different from the thing she was trying to escape in the first place, and now she is trying to escape something else.

 

Everything seems smaller than she remembers, and that confuses her, even when she thinks it shouldn't. Even the trees seem like sticks, and many other things seem small and insignificant; yet she believes they were important before. They had been important, but now they are not. Even the people who are following her are no longer important, and it amuses her that they believe they can keep up with her. They believe they can capture her, but she knows that they will not get the chance.

 

Another shiver rushes up her spine, and she tries to shake off the feeling of fear. It grips her in a blanket that she cannot escape, though she wants to. She wishes to escape from the feeling, wondering for a moment why she feels fear at all. Why does she feel she must escape something, yet other things do not bother her? Why does she feel the need to growl, snap, and howl, when she knows she has never done such a thing before? Why, she does not know, but she feels that someone must know, but perhaps not the people following her. No, they wish to capture her, and she wishes to be free, so they would not give her the answers to her questions.

 

A sense of dread floods into her feet—paws?—and she continues to run, feeling that something has changed. Something has become different and she must escape it. She feels as if images of the past are haunting her, each one continuing to try and pull her into their embrace, no matter how many times she tries to remain away from them. The people who were following her have disappeared, this sense of dread chasing them away, while she fears it herself. She knows she cannot escape the feeling, but she wishes she could.

 

The past rushes ahead of her, taunting her with images that she does not wish to see. The scent of blood fills her nose, making her feel something foreign, yet familiar, and she still does not understand. These feelings, she is sure now, are not truly her own, but she cannot understand why she is having them. She cannot understand the reason she would have the feelings of another person, and she does not want to understand. She merely wishes to make them go away, so she pushes at them, trying to escape the feelings coming from the images.

 

The forest flies by, and she stumbles into a strange place, one she is sure she has seen before. The feelings that cling to her fur shriek, and she is relieved when they finally leave her, leaving her to herself and this strange place. She knows this place, she knows she knows, but she does not know. It is a strange feeling, one she knows she has felt before, many times, and she wonders why she is feeling it now.

 

The place, what looks to be an old village, is dark and dreary. A sense of evil and darkness floods from the ground, seeping into her body, and she hates it. She begins to hate everything, for she does not understand the reason her feelings are changing so rapidly, and why everything has changed. She knows this place, she knows she knows, but she feels that this is not a place she wishes to be. Not this place, though she cannot come to fully understand the reason why. Why does she not want to be here, when another piece of her feels she deserves to be here? She still hates it, that piece of her that wishes to stay within the place. She hates it with so much passion that she is surprised with herself and blinks in confusion.

 

She has stopped, yet still she feels she is running. Running from something that she does not understand, as she does not understand many things. She is running, and truly that is all she understands. She knows this, yet she does not know this, and that frustrates her. She feels she knows, but she feels she cannot know, that it is locked away so that she cannot understand. That is why she hates this place, for she does know that this place makes her feel this way. She knows.

 

Something rises from the ground, and she shifts her head to gaze down at it, thoughts gathering within her head. She tilts her massive head to one side, and blinks, not understanding what is happening. Yet it continues without her knowing, and she is fine with that. She watches, as it rises completely from the ground and then a figure is once more standing in front of her. Not like the ones that have chased her many times over, and she knows that this person is different. She knows that this person is different and she understands it, though she is confused as to why she understands this, when there are so many things she cannot come to understand.

 

The figure raises his head, and she gasps, not understanding how this has happened. There, staring straight at her is someone she knows. A person she knows she does not want to remember and thus she swings her paw, trying to kill the person. She knows that killing brings her joy, brings to her a sense of completion, and thus she wants to kill this person. She knows that, and she knows she will forever understand it, even when it is hazy and undetermined. She does not know where this joy will take her once completely in control, but she knows she likes it now, and she will get it. Anything that will get rid of this person she does not wish to see any longer.

 

“You cannot hide from me,” the person says.

 

“Die,” she replies. She swings her paw, or what she believes now is a paw, trying to destroy the person before her. She wants to. She has to. She must.

 

And then, though she could have sworn they were open, she opens her eyes, and light floods into her vision.

 

OoO

 

“Have you found anything, Tsunade-sama?”

 

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” the Godaime Hokage replied, grazing her hand over the bruise on the woman's neck. She was surprised that Temari had brought such a person into the village, especially after she'd seen how much blood had covered her. She had almost felt sickened while washing her. “This bruising here,” she motioned toward the bruise, “seems to be self-inflicted, though. She has no other wounds, external or internal.” She gazed down at her thoughtfully, “Where did you say you found her, again?”

 

“Just outside the village—not far, in fact. She stepped into our path, stared at us while holding her neck, and then fainted,” Temari said. Rubbing her hands together, she was glad that Tsunade had washed the strange woman. She hadn't noticed how much it had bothered her before, but she was glad now that she no longer had to stare at the blood that had once covered her from head to toe. True, the reaction the blood got out of Tsunade had been funny, as well as the shock that ran through many of the villagers, but it had still frightened her slightly. No one would ever want to be near that much blood, unless they were crazy, on an assassination mission, or perhaps trying to protect themselves from people trying to assassinate them. She didn't even want to know why the blood had been covering her, instead of merely covering her clothing.

 

Tsunade nodded once, a jerking nod that told Temari she understood but didn't like it. “Well, I'll leave her to you then. I would like it if you sent someone for me when she awakens,” Tsunade let out a small groan, “I would stay… but I have so much paperwork waiting for me. So much paperwork.” Her head tilted back in a slight look of thought, before her shoulders slumped and decided it was time to leave. No one else was going to do her paperwork—so much paperwork.

 

“I'm sure you'll be done with it in no time, Tsunade-sama,” Temari said.

 

The Hokage snorted, a deep scowl forming on her face. “Yes, I'm positive I'll be done with it soon.” She moved out of the room, leaving the two girls alone, and then motioned for an ANBU to watch over the door. She wasn't so sure about that girl, whoever she was, and she wasn't about to loose more people because Temari wanted to help a single person. Besides, from what she'd been told, Temari said she'd take full responsibility for whatever the girl did, which meant if she was a new member of Akatsuki, or working with that bastard Orochimaru, who had been hiding for quite some time now, Temari, for taking full responsibility, could end up with a death sentence.

 

Temari shook her head, knowing from the Hokage's words that the translation was she was going to get drunk and trick some fool into helping her with her paperwork. Either that, or Shizune would have to drag her out of the Hokage's office once she got so drunk that she couldn't properly do her duty, thus not having to do it in the first place. Turning her attention back to the woman lying on the bed, her lips tilted to the side, “Well, at least we know you're alright, whoever you are.”

 

The door opened once more, and Kankurou stepped into the room. Looking around, he scowled when he noticed the woman was still with his sister, and went to stand next to her. “Has she awakened yet?”

 

“Why do you want to know?” Temari asked. “You didn't seem to want anything to do with her earlier.”

 

“Gaara wants to know,” Kankurou's scowl deepened. “He said that he felt something unusual from her earlier, and that he felt a spike of strange chakra when she stirred within the village. Apparently he wants to find out why she was covered in blood and whatnot, I don't know.”

 

“Then you can tell Gaara that she hasn't stirred since then.” Temari frowned, wondering why Gaara's attitude seemed to turn from bored to curious once the woman had stirred a little as they were walking through the village. Many people had stared at them, but they hadn't really thought about using a teleportation jutsu in order to arrive quicker. True, she had struggled a little in her hold, and she had growled, but there wasn't anything strange that she felt.

 

“Tch, whatever,” Kankurou said. He didn't like that woman at all. She'd been covered in blood, she'd fucking growled like an animal, she'd somehow managed to make Gaara curious, and she'd carried around many strange scrolls, along with lots of shuriken. “You took all her weapons, though, right?” he asked.

 

“Yes,” Temari nodded.

 

“So, how many was she carrying?”

 

“Twenty-five shuriken, five kunai, two daggers, a small metal fan, a concealed sword, some string, a couple of paper bombs,” Temari counted off her fingers, trying to remember each and everyone, “and a few poison filled bottles, from what Tsunade-sama found on her. She also had a summoning scroll, though Tsunade-sama wasn't sure what it would summon, a few medical items, and a water bottle that was filled with some strange red liquid.”

 

“Red liquid?” Kankurou asked, and seeing Temari nod, he shuddered. “Temari, you sure that wasn't, I don't know, blood!”

 

“It wasn't blood,” Temari snapped. “Tsunade-sama checked when I asked her to, and it was just some strange liquid that seemed to be vitamin enriched. It wasn't dangerous in any way, and it tasted pretty good.”

 

“You… you tried it, Temari?” Kankurou's mouth fell open, “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

 

“Are you intelligent?” Temari asked. “I believe the answer is `no'.”

 

“That's not funny and you know it, Temari,” Kankurou replied. “You have no idea how long it could take for something undetectable in that liquid could spread through your body. You could be dead by morning.”

 

“Then the Hokage will be dead as well, and she will be put to death,” Temari replied, her voice tight. “Besides, I doubt she'd carry anything dangerous to herself in a water bottle. She could go days without water, become delusional, and take a drink without meaning to. I doubt she'd be stupid enough to do that.”

 

“You don't know anything about her, Temari, so don't act like you do,” Kankurou frowned.

 

“You're right, Kankurou, I don't know anything about her. I don't know where she's from, I don't know her background, and I don't know anything of importance, but I know that a shinobi would not be stupid enough to put dangerous liquids into their own water bottle. Maybe into someone elses if they hate the person enough, but not their own.” Temari turned her eyes to the woman on the bed, and suddenly became quiet.

 

“Temari?” Kankurou asked. Confused as to why his sister had stopped talking so suddenly, he turned his eyes to where she was looking and stiffened a bit. That woman. The woman that Temari had insisted on bringing with them was… was… was awake… and staring right at them.

 

“You're,” she began, her voice quiet, and she coughed a few times. “You're the people from earlier?”

 

Temari blinked, before realization dawned on her. “Oh, yes, we are. You fainted in front of us, and I thought you might need help. We brought you to Konohagakure, I hope you don't mind.”

 

She nodded a little, staring at them with blank eyes. “There were three of you before, were there not?” she asked.

 

Temari nodded. “Yes. Gaara, he's the one that's not with us right now, is most likely speaking with Tsunade-sama, or maybe one of the shinobi of the village.” She stopped, and then turned to point at Kankurou. “This is my brother, Kankurou, and I'm Temari. Gaara is also our sibling.”

 

Her eyes flickered to the headband around Temari's neck. “You're from Sunagakure,” she stated, her eyes narrowing a bit.

 

“Yeah, you got a problem with that?” Kankurou asked.

 

“No,” she said.

 

“Be quiet, Kankurou,” Temari frowned at him. Watching him look away, she turned her attention back to the woman. “What's your name?”

 

She remained silent.

 

Temari blinked, “Well, I guess you don't have to tell me. That's your business, after all.”

 

“They rescued you, did they? Interesting,” said the voice inside her head. Her eyes narrowed some more, a slight glaze forming over them, as she tried to figure out where the voice was coming from. She caught sight of red eyes for a moment, but they turned away and a white flank assaulted her eyes and then was gone. “Now, we're inside the village,” it went on, “where there is people… and blood…”

 

Shut up, she hissed.

 

“Oh, little one,” it laughed.

 

Her eyes flicked back and forth for a moment. You're not real; get out of my head, she hissed.

 

The voice laughed again. “I am as real as you are, girl. Never forget that.”

 

“Are you alright?” Temari asked. “Tsunade-sama said that you didn't have any wounds, but I'm starting to think that you might have hit your head some time ago from the way you're staring off like that.” She waved her hand in front of the woman's face, and watched as she snapped her attention back to her, her blue eyes filling with life, and a deeper emotion she couldn't understand. “I'm sorry, you seemed to have dozed off there.”

 

Blinking, she brought a hand up to rub at her eyes, and then once again lay down on the bed. Turning her head away from the Sunagakure shinobi, she ignored them, hoping that they'd leave her alone. Once more the voice was assaulting her mind, and she could hear it whispering for blood, to let it out. She didn't understand, and she didn't want to understand, and she wanted it to go away. She wanted it to go away.

 

Temari frowned, “You must be tired. We'll let you sleep, and return in a couple of hours to make sure you're alright.” Motioning to Kankurou, she went to the door, and watched as her brother stepped out. “Just don't try to cause too much trouble, I think this village has a hard enough time with Naruto as it is.” She stepped out into the hall, and went to close the door, only to notice that the woman had turned her head and staring toward her.

 

“Kagome,” the woman said, just before she shut the door.

 

“What?” Temari asked, blinking.

 

“You asked for my name, and I gave it to you,” she replied, turning her head so that she was once more staring away from the other kunoichi.

 

“Oh,” Temari nodded. “Well then, have a nice rest, Kagome.”

 

Once again, Kagome was silent, her eyes drifting closed.

 

OoO

 

She is running.

 

Blood floods around her paws, each stride of her powerful legs washing it against her fur. There is a flash of light, and her eyes flutter for a moment, but they drift closed again. She does not understand, but she sees a figure standing over her, the color of blood filling her vision. Aqua colored eyes flash in her mind, and she understands that there were emotions she understood within them. She understands, though she is not sure why she understands, but she does. She understands, and she is happy that she does.