Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Just Simple Curiosity ❯ Ain't This a B@&%$ ( Chapter 16 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

A/N: Ok, ok so I have another new reviewer! Thank you AlphaBeta for your review! And of course my longest reviewer Dragon Lord thank you for the review and the charrie as well! His debut will be in a chapter or two, so keep a look out and I hope everyone likes the crazy ass twist coming up! BTW I’m sorry I posted later than expected. When I reread the chapter before posting, it decided it wanted to continue!

WARNING!! WARNING!! CHARACTER DEATH PRESENT IN THIS CHAPTER. I DO APOLOGIZE BUT THIS IS HOW IT UNFOLDED SO THERE’S NOTHING I CAN DO. PLEASE TRY TO ENJOY THIS CHAPTER AS YOU HAVE THE OTHERS.


Aya stared at the vial in her hand in both amazement and anger. The small

object was just slightly bigger than her hand and was slim on top and rather fat on the

bottom. Though it was a clear container the surface was covered in a smooth, rock-like

shell.

“Just how the hell am I supposed to get this open?!” Aya demanded shaking the

vial furiously and making the pale, lavender liquid fizz up slightly. Staring at the vial

wasn’t getting it opened Aya knew but just what the hell was she supposed to do. She

felt herself beginning to panic as she thought about Christie, Neji and the rest of her

friends. She knew they were counting on her but she just didn’t know how to help them.

She cast a glance at the man who’s chest she’d ripped the vial from. She’d killed him to

save her friend’s but Aya didn’t know a damn thing about him. All she knew was that

he’d come here to kill them all and probably would have gotten away with it too if she

hadn’t come to when she had.

But he was dead now for what good it was doing her. Son-of-a-bitch she ranted

in her head, probably should have asked how long I had to save my friends. Bitterly she

turned back to the vial once more her eyes catching a glimpse of her pants leg through

her periphrial vision. Since staring at the vial wasn’t helping, her eyes latched on to the


leg of her pants where a rather large whole was gaping at her and showing a very

bloody scratch that was mostly healed.

Must remember to sew that up when I get the chance she thought darkly as she

once more turned her head to glance at the vial clutched in her hand. Then it hit her,

maybe there was a way to get into the vial after all. Quickly she dashed across the

clearing toward Christie and Lee’s tent. She practically dove through the small flap in

her eagerness to get to Christie’s pack and quickly upended the entire thing. The

moment all of her best friend’s things were scattered about the tent floor she quickly

began searching through them. Finding what she wanted she walked out of the tent and

into the clearing to get more light. Opening the tiny sewing kit that Christie insisted on

bringing everywhere and that Aya, herself always teased her over, she located an

embroidery needle. Holding the small, silver, slip of metal up to catch the moon light

Aya raised the vial up in her other hand and looked from one to the other.

Swallowing hard Aya searched the smaller end of the vial frantically wondering if

she’d find what she was looking for. Yes, there just at the tip she almost screamed in

victory, was a small water droplet sized area that was not covered in the smooth stone.

Carefully Aya brought the needle’s tip to the area and took a deep breath. When her

hand was steady she used her strength to force the needle’s tip through the glass.


Luckily it went through she thought in relief as she jumped to her feet and rushed

back to Lee and Christie’s tent. Aya bent beside her friend and opened her mouth

tipping a little of the liquid inside. After forcing Christie to swallow she laid her back

down and repeated the process with Lee. Once she was finished with them she walked

back out of the tent and moved to Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto’s tent. After

administering what she hoped was the cure to them Aya walked to the tent she shared

with Neji and kneeling beside him poured the last of the lavender liquid into his mouth.

Taking a deep breath Aya stood then and walked outside the tent. She took several

deep breaths because she was unsure of what to do now. I mean she’d given them all

the supposed antidote and yet no one had woken up. Wandering back to the center of

the campsite where the fire had been built and the dead man still lay Aya looked down

at the corpse and felt a cold, just as lonely as death seep into her. All she could do was

wait now, she’d done all she could for them and she knew it. Still it was so hard to sit

and wait for something to happen, to not know the outcome immediately was the

biggest cruelty ever given someone in Aya’s opinion at that moment.

This was why she didn’t deal with humans, she decided. Entirely too weak and

fragile. She had no doubt that Christie would be ok because Werewolves were immune

to most poisons though there was that rare occasion that their bodies needed to

regenerate to recover from the toxins. That was probably what was happening to

Christie at the moment Aya decided with a sigh. But what about the rest of them?

Would everyone make it, were they strong enough to make it? With nothing to do but sit

and wait Aya did just that. She sat and slept under the stars, waiting and hoping against

everything that everyone would be ok.

The next morning Aya woke because of two things. The first was that the sun

was shining very brightly directly on her face and two she was being shaken roughly by

someone.

“Hey I think she’s waking up,” said a voice Aya recognized as Naruto’s. For a

moment Aya entertained thoughts of breaking the baka’s nose but decided against it at

the moment. That was when it hit her. Naruto was awake! She opened her eyes looking

up at her friends in surprise. Seconds later Aya found herself on her feet and she

hugged everyone as tight as possible while still making sure not to crush anything.

Once everyone had recieved a near back-breaking hug they moved aside for Christie

who stood staring at Aya with a sad face. At first Aya didn’t register the sadness, she

simply pounced on her friend and hugged her as tightly as she dared. While they

embraced they wept but Aya realized rather quickly that they were weeping for two

different things.

Pulling away Aya looked at Christie worriedly helping her sink to the ground in

what she was sure was despair. Fearfully Aya looked around, finally taking stock of

everyone. Lee and Christie were all right she confirmed as the man in question knelt

beside her friend and held her in a tight hug. Aya quickly turned her attention to

everyone else. Naruto was good, as were Sakura and Sasuke. They were all fine Aya

thought but where was Neji. Slowly the last three of her team parted so that she could

get a good look at the tent she shared with her Third-in-Command. She stared at the

tent material willing it to open and produce the only one missing from their team. When

nothing happened Aya looked around at her friend’s who did nothing but cast their eyes

downward and not look at her as they wept.

Confused Aya walked toward the tent on unsteady legs, stopping at the opening

in fear. She reached a hand toward the smooth material trying to force herself to pull

back that last scrap between her and Neji’s smile. She stood their for several minutes

trying to force herself to take that last step and open the tent but Aya knew she didn’t

need her eyes. She already knew what was in the tent but she couldn’t bring herself to

open it. Sinking to her knees in front of the still closed tent Aya curled herself forward

and began crying softly. Everyone, she’d saved everyone but him. Why had he not

survived. Had she given him the antidote to late, saved everyone else but not him

because she’d waited to give him his elixir last. As the possibilities raced through her

mind Aya began rocking back and forth still crying tears that tore her heart to shreds

with each slow drip down her cheeks. While she continued crying she heard something

and then she realized it was her.

“It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault, it’s all my fault. . .,” over and over again. It was all

Aya could here echoing in her ears. The words shook her to the very core, had her

crying harder and unrestrained because that voice was hers. It had been all her fault

because she’d been too fuckin’ slow to realize the way to open the vial. Those facts

alone made Aya stop crying and merely lay where she was, unmoving, silent, and

unresponsive.

Christie watched her friend suffer, knowing that it could have been any one of

them that could have died. Any one of them that Aya could have been crying over at

this moment. But it had been Neji instead. Fuckin’ Neji Christie swore to herself as she

clutched Lee to her even tighter. She knew there was nothing she could do, no words

she could offer, or comforting pats she could give. Aya would have to work through this

on her own and she just didn’t see that happening. Clearly this mission was shot to shit,

there was no doubt about that but they just couldn’t go home and call it a day. This was



the real world Christie reminded herself sharply as she got to her feet and looked

around at the team that was now her’s by default.

“Everybody break camp,” Christie barked at her friends. “The only thing you don’t

touch is over there and there, “ Christie said indicating where Aya still lay across her

knees in front of the tent that contained Neji’s body and the body by the campfire.

Everyone glanced at each other before moving to do what they’d been told. Within thirty

minutes camp was broken and they all stood before Christie with their packs on and

ready to go. Christie surveyed her people and nodded in approval before she became

completely serious again. “Lee-San I want you to stay behind and guard Aya-Chan,”

Christie said.

Lee shifted nervously at his orders but nodded slowly as everyone else

shouldered their packs and waited for Christie to signal the departure. Within minutes

she did just that, leaving Lee and Aya to themselves. Not knowing what else to do Lee

moved to the other side of the clearing and set up his tent. When he was finished and

since Aya had yet to move he went down to the river to see about dinner. After fishing

for over an hour Lee made his way back to the campsite to find Aya just as he’d left her.

Sighing he wondered what the hell Christie had been thinking when she’d given him this

assignment. After a minute however he pushed his thoughts aside and set about

making a fire so that he could make dinner. While dinner was cooking Lee set it upon

himself to wrap up the corpse that was starting to smell and tossed it to the side by a

tree. With that done Lee found the tea and fish finished so he put the food on plates

and turned looking at Aya.

“Aya-Chan?” he asked hesitantly. When he got no reply Lee took a couple steps

toward her. “Aya-Chan dinner is ready,” he said stopping well out of touching range.

Though realistically he thought to himself if Aya had decided to attack him there would

be nothing he could do to stop her. After scaring himself slightly with that thought Lee

reminded himself firmly that Aya was his friend. He continued coaching himself, saying

that he was safe as he moved closer to his distraught friend. When he was close

enough that he almost fell over Aya’s crumpled form Lee hastily caught himself and

knelt down beside her.

“Aya-Chan you need to eat something,” Lee said gently as he shook her

shoulder to get her attention. Once again Aya made no move to respond so Lee

reluctantly stood up and went back to the food. Carefully covering Aya’s plate in case

she wanted it later, Lee went to work on his own food. He made quick work of his meal

before taking his dishes down to the river and cleaning them up. Aya was such a neat

freak he mused as he walked back to the camp feeling a little better. After Lee had put

away everything he made his way over to Aya again and shook her by the shoulder

gently.

“Come on Aya-Chan I think you should get some sleep,” Lee said softly. The

word sleep seemed to sink into Aya’s skull and she looked up at Lee with red-rimmed





and swollen eyes.

“Sleep?” She repeated in a soft voice, like a child who’d been left alone in the

dark with the monsters still under the bed.

“Yeah you need to rest,” Lee said carefully as he pulled Aya to her feet. He

guided her over to the tent he’d put up and led her inside laying her down on the only

available sleeping bag. She seems so helpless Lee thought to himself as he tucked Aya

into the sleeping bag and zipped it around her. He felt a bit relieved that Aya had gone

to sleep immediately, thankful that she hadn’t fought him or protested being moved.

With Aya down for the night Lee left the tent and set about a grisly task.