Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Shinobi: Pride of Pride ❯ Chapter Thirteen ( Chapter 13 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Shinobi: The Price of Pride

By: Hanasaki Rikku

Summary: With a clan like the Hanasaki, is it any wonder why Rikku is the way she is? She lost her brother and friend at such a young age, and things with Chizuko have seemed to only gotten worse. What does Itachi want and why does a certain Snake Sannin seem so interested in her life all of the sudden?

Rating: T/M. For violence (poorly written, but still there), language, and some other stuff I can't quite recall at the moment. Just be warned. Oh, that, and my horrible writing.

Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure/Angst

“It's easy to face Death and Fate and all the things that sound so dreadful.

It is one my muddles that I look back in horror -

on the things I might have avoided.”

((CHAPTER THIRTEEN))

Rikku watched the blurs of black, clutching her arm to her aching side absentmindedly while trying to ascertain which Uchiha was which. It was obvious the two currently battling were brothers, even if the younger sported sickly blue hair and bore a gray tinge to his skin. His eyes, from the brief instance she had been allowed to glance into them before all hell broke loose between the two, were pools of black where the white of his eyes should have been, and yellow irises centered within them; hollow.

He distributed a sort of eerie aura, not unlike his accomplices. It was disturbing, thick and intolerable, making it difficult for her to breathe. She could feel the tainted chakra radiating off him, slowing her own chakra system down greatly, and causing her healing process to become laggard. She had thought she'd just been exaggerating, but no, it was true, she could feel it.

She inhaled deeply, the action causing her lungs to restrict painfully in defiance; blood was pooling at her feet. She tightened her grip on her arm, grinding her teeth against the pulsing ripples of pain riding throughout her nerves, throbbing incessantly. Suddenly, the serpent's head reared back, turning to the side; she could feel his body tense beneath her.

“What is it?” She murmured, slightly irritated with the insubordinate serpent, her focus leaving that of the brothers. When there was no answer, she found that annoyance rise steadily.

A shadow of movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and then, just as quickly, a figure dropped down in front of her. Her eyes widened a fraction of an inch, shock apparent behind her molten orbs; she didn't even have the chance to reprimand herself for not sensing the new presence.

She knew it was him the moment she laid eyes on him; Orochimaru. The Snake Sannin's amber eyes, so reptilian-like and yet similar to hers, bore into her with an odd look. He could not see her face, as it was hidden behind her mask, but she knew he could feel her minute fear. The loose fitting robes, an ashen white color, swayed in the slight breeze, flittering aimlessly; sleek tresses of midnight following suit. There was a slip of a smirk on his lips, cocky, like he knew something they didn't.

His head tilted slightly, back to face the serpent, but his eyes never strayed from her own, and even though she found it hard to not break eye contact, it felt near impossible to look away. A sense of familiarity washed over her, just looking at him, standing before him; she wasn't sure what it was, at a complete loss.

“Take us somewhere private.” His voice was low, smug… so damn familiar. Where had she heard it? It was like an annoying buzz in the back of her head, refusing to leave until acknowledged. He had spoken to the snake, and she had only been partially surprised to find it obey the man wordlessly, slithering away into the woods.

Her eyes narrowed, but she stayed silent, observing the man vigilantly. To stand in the presence of such a notorious character; she didn't know whether to be honored or frightened. It really would do her no good to fight him. It would be in her best interest to simply try and escape, no matter the consequences to her pride.

What the hell had she been thinking fighting Itachi? That man was beyond her level of standing, in a class all of his own. At the moment, he was the strongest man she had ever encountered. She held her doubts whether the Hokage herself would be capable of standing up against the ambiguous Uchiha.

Her mind snapped back to her current position when she realized they had come to a stop. Orochimaru's gaze was fixed on the symbol upon her exposed forearm, unnerving her. He seemed to be contemplating something seriously, his smirk no longer present, but in its stead, a disconcerted frown. Feeling self-conscious, she absently found herself hiding her arm behind her back, drawing his attention back to her eyes.

The smirk returned, but it was laced with a newfound knowledge. “I take it you are of the Hanasaki.” Seeing her tense, he chuckled, gesturing to her hidden hand, he added, “That symbol is only placed upon those of pure Hanasaki blood, or a Hanasaki heir. And only Hanasaki clan members are known to summon serpents of this caliber.” The smirk remained on his lips, condescending and smug; she hated it. The look in his eyes, everything about him reeked of power and evil, and it made her feel small; insignificant.

Her arm began to fall numb, and she could no longer feel it, she could still, however, feel the blood trickling down it, rivulets of the crimson substance seeping between her fingers. To make matters worse, she was surely miles away from Chizuko by now, alone with this bloodthirsty madman. She bit back her growing anxiety, inhaling deeply to steady herself.

Straightening her stance, she lifted her chin in defiance, golden orbs locked with the man's own, indifferent. She hid the dread well, keeping up her stoic front behind her mask. Finally, she spoke, using all the Hanasaki within her to keep her voice from trembling, “Such a thing is not common knowledge. How do you know this?” She inquired in her usual monotone; she almost scowled when she caught the amusement in his eyes, but settled for a glare.

He tilted his head to the side, in a similar manner to her, smirk widening. “Ah. You would be surprised how much I truly know about that clan of yours.” His tone was arrogant; he was enjoying himself. He continued. “Tell me, girl, who are your parents?” He spoke of parentage as if it were some duty, a job; but then, knowing the Hanasaki, it very well could be considered nothing more than that.

Unsure whether or not to respond to the man, she hesitated, searching his eyes for ulterior motives. Seeing none other than - surprisingly enough - genuine curiosity, she answered. “My parents are… deceased. My current guardians are Hanasaki Hokori and Meiyo.”

He mulled over the newfound knowledge carefully, his gaze never leaving her own. His eyes had narrowed, and he'd taken a step closer towards her. “So that makes you the next heir to the Hanasaki.” She only nodded in the affirmative, saying nothing more. Another step closer, and this time his tone carried complete sobriety. “You say your parents are deceased?” Once again, she only nodded. “What was your mother's name?”

She remained silent, staring at him in morbid suspicion. Just what is he up to? She couldn't tell, his features were unreadable as ever. When she didn't show any signs of answering, however, he grew irate, and his golden orbs flashed dangerously in warning.

Relenting, she muttered, “Shizen. Hanasaki Shizen.”

That seemed to hit a nerve, because, for a moment, he seemed to have been rendered speechless, despite his best efforts to hide it. It took a minute to fully sink in, but when it did, that damnable smirk returned along with a slight gleam in his eyes. “And your father? What was his name?”

This was becoming extremely bizarre. Why was he so interested in her clan and heritage? Was there really a link between herself and this man, as Itachi had oh-so subtly insinuated. Deciding it was best to answer, she did. “I do not know. I have never met him.”

She didn't have a chance to wait for his answer, a large burst of chakra catching her attention in the direction of the others. The sky overhead darkened, clouds hastily rushing forth and obscuring the sun with a climactic shower of rain and thunder. Distracted, she had almost forgotten she was in the presence of the nefarious Snake Sannin until he spoke.

“Pay it no mind. Kabuto is simply showing off to that friend of yours.”

And that's not something to worry about? She didn't reply, but returned her full attention back unto the far older Nin. Taking a chance, she muttered, “Is there a point to this senseless questioning?”

He ignored her rather snide comment, continuing on with the interrogation. “Any brothers?”

She noticed he didn't ask for sisters, finding it curious, but said nothing of it. Her fear was all but gone at this point, and in its stead, annoyance had taken refuge. Wasn't he supposed to be some powerfully fierce Ninja? Did he always cross-examine his victims before killing them?

“One. An older brother,” she replied waspishly, taking the chance to focus some chakra on the tips of her fingers and heals the still bleeding wound on her arm. She might as well do something productive while with this man. She had no intention of angering and initiating a fight with a man of such high-ranking measurement, because, honestly, she wasn't in the mood to die. At least not today.

“Name?”

She inwardly sighed in exasperation. It was one thing to have Chizuko prying into her family history, but to have a complete stranger question her? This was ridiculous! “…Tochi.”

The recognition was barely visible, but it was most assuredly there, along with a strange curiosity. He once again fell into a meditative silence, staring at her with a solemn intensity.

Once more she took the time to reflect on that strange familiarity she held for the man. She was sure she had never once in her life met the Snake Sannin, Orochimaru. She would have at least remembered that, right? A meeting with such a man was not something you could easily forget.

This situation could surely fall under those curiously awkward ones where, upon later examination, proved to bring about more questions than answers. Should she have felt flattered that such attention had been bestowed upon her by someone like the Sannin? Maybe, but she was more fretful than privileged. This man was a criminal, famous or not, and he had the power to kill her whenever he so willed it.

But, knowing everything, she still refused to succumb to his whims as easily, even if she knew she wasn't doing such a good job in the first place. She didn't want to appear weak, especially not in front of him.

“Take off your mask.”

It was a demand, not a request, but it nevertheless caught her off guard. What?

His patience seemed to have run thin, for when he saw her make no move to do as told, his eyes flashed vibrantly, to an almost pale yellow, and she felt an intense prickling manifest in her head. Blood and limbs and cries of anguish and all the pain; it was nearly palpable, her mind and body working against her, making her feel a fear that was not there.

Kurutteiru.

It ended as abruptly as it had started, mostly because it had little to no affect on her, being Hanasaki and thus born to endure the technique. It had still left her in a minute of shock, long enough for something to whip through the air at her and swipe at her ANBU mask.

She stumbled back a step, more shocked to see him retract his unnaturally long tongue back into his mouth, swallowing it back down, and to discover he had use of her clan's technique.

“That's…” She trailed off, speechless. The eyes, the tongue… It made sense now. Those were all side effects prone to those who'd abused the Kurutteiru to such an extent it reconstructed the user's body and functions to relate to that of a serpent. All users were warned upon awakening the doujutsu, and few had ever experience it affects.

She didn't even take into account that she no longer wore her mask, her features frozen in a confused shock; mouth open slightly, and eyes widening.

He only stared, so absorbed in whatever it was going through his mind, his own expression that off shock. His reasons, however, she paid no mind to, confused as she was at the moment. The thought that someone out of the clan, that someone could even have the abilities of a Hanasaki, were almost too absurd to think about.

It just wasn't logical. It made no sense…unless of course…No! That would be simply ludicrous! It was a doujutsu, a family trait passed down through blood. Hanasaki blood. Not even a Sharingan could copy down a doujutsu technique…It was just…It wasn't right. It didn't make sense. Besides, she would have known if someone like Orochimaru was Hanasaki. Surely that merited enough importance to be brought to her attention at some point in her studies.

She wasn't sure how long they stood there, staring, because nothing would register in her mind other than the slight chance that she'd been hallucinating things, because, she would have known if…if…if what? Damn! She was so confused. This didn't make sense. Surely…

She blinked, and slowly, a thought came to mind. Itachi. He had known. He must have known. Why else would he have mentioned it only after seeing, experiencing, her technique? It made sense, right? He had known. So then, she'd only wasted her time in tracking down Orochimaru, when it was Itachi she should have been questioning. He would know why, right?

“I see little of your mother in you, girl.” Orochimaru spoke calmly, as if nothing had happened, smugly, striding forward with that despicable smirk, circling her like prey. This seemed to snap her from her overwhelming thoughts, worry seeping into her chest at the look in his eyes as he spoke. Something was off…His expression was unrecognizable, some emotion she couldn't quite name shone brightly in his eyes. “So, I can safely assume,” he continued, pausing behind her. He leant forward, hovering just above her ear as she stood frozen, rigid with anticipation, anxiety making itself known once again. “That you'd take after your father.”

She frowned slightly, though she had managed to gain enough control over herself to keep her features impassive as ever. He pulled away, chuckling as he made to stand before her.

Narrowing her eyes, she forced herself not to look away or step back; again, she ignored the nagging familiarity that crept up within her, pushing it away brutally. “I wouldn't know.” She intoned, hardening her gaze. Pausing, she then added, just as dispassionately, “Why are you so interested in my clan?”

He chuckled, an eerie sound, dark and powerful like the very man it represented. Shrugging, he didn't answer, dismissing her question and posing another. “What is your name?”

“I fail to see what that has to do with anything,” she was quick to reply. Her wound was nearly healed, but she would leave it as is and focus on recovering her spent chakra. Although, at the rate they where going, she doubted a fight would be breaking out between them any time soon. A thought struck her then, as she thought back on his prior comment. “You knew my mother?”

His head fell back and a wide smirk crossed his lips, serpentine eyes staring down at her pretentiously. “You could say that…” he responded vaguely.

She frowned in return, but then, another spike of chakra caught her attention, followed by an unsound eruption. That was most definitely Chizuko's chakra, she could tell simply by the deviant waves of red chakra… but there was yet another chakra that belonged to none of the others she had encountered. It radiated a rich emerald, but was clearly tainted with undeniable evil.

“What is that?” She hissed pointedly at the Sannin, glaring. Chizuko's chakra was making a dramatic descend.

He grinned, “A complicated little technique I taught Kabuto.” He glanced in the direction the explosion had taken place, chuckling. “Your little friend doesn't stand a chance. She never did. She'll be dead before you get to her, if she doesn't lose her mind first,” he said mockingly, smirking like a maniac. Amusement flickered animatedly in his eyes. “That won't work on me.”

She had been summoning forth her Kurutteiru, the only sign of this being her narrowed pupils. Surprised he had discerned this, she dropped the technique and frowned.

“How did you…?” She cringed involuntarily as pain shot through every nerve of her body, her vision blurred, like a sudden fog had dropped down around her.

Beyond this, she could see nothing but the light-haired man, and a bloody, unrecognizable corpse appeared behind the Sannin. Its skin was decaying and burnt, with sunken, sightless eyes gazing at her blankly. It lacked a jaw, its tongue hanging loosely, bloody and shriveled.

No, no, no. Please…no! Not…not…this…Please…! Her pleas fell on deaf ears, her eyes prickling but she didn't dare blink, her mouth dry and no sound escaping her lips. Her features contorted with her fear, matching the terror within her accordingly. It was so full, so complete, so there, so real. She couldn't remember feeling this before, couldn't remember loosing herself to her emotions this way.

Paling considerably, she lost control of her breathing, her heart pumping loudly in her ears. She took a step back, forgetting entirely about Orochimaru, and instead focusing on the cadaver behind him.

“You lack the experience, girl.”

His words were lost to her, a cold apprehension fallen over her being, chills running up and down her spine. Her nerves were dead, she felt numb with fear. Her breaths came out faster and shakier still, until she collapsed, her knees giving way, eyes still burning dangerously and all she could think about were emerald eyes and crimson tears.

((CHAPTER END))