A cloaked figure stood in the middle of the dark forest, drenched in blood. Letting out a soft giggle, a hand wrapped in bandages was raised to pull down the hood, to reveal a girl. She had blue hair and a pair of red eyes, wearing a sinister smile on her face.
"Aww... They're dead already?" She asked, as she lifted her large sword up, leaning it on her shoulder. She looked around, snickering at the corpses around her, "What a sweet scent. I'm gonna miss this."
'Just get back. It's almost dawn.' A voice in her head snapped.
The girl chuckled. "No way. I still want to play."
'You had your fun already. Don't piss me off, Akane. Just a moment from now and I'll take my body back.'
"As if I care~" Akane sang, "Right now, I'm the one who can control it!"
'You need to finish your report. Don't forget that.' The voice calmly said.
The girl pouted, dropping her sword and began to drag it behind her. "Fine, I'll return. But you will do the report."
'Sincerely appreciated.'
It wasn't a long walk, a few minutes and the girl had arrived in front of a large cave, which she silently entered, before she sheathed her sword.
Her steps became faster, until it turned into a sprint through the dark hallway. "Be patient." She hissed, as she could feel the burning sensation all over her body.
The girl slammed open the only crimson-colored door in the hallway, running in and locking it, before she leaned on the door, her hands shaking as she took off her cloak. As soon as she's done, she immediately sat on the bed, taking deep breaths as if trying to soothe the pain.
She let out a shocked gasp, immediately curling herself up into a ball, clenching her chest while laying on the mattress.
'Leave.' The voice commanded.
And that word was all it takes to make her scream, snapping her eyes shut.
A few seconds passed. The girl stayed frozen in her position for a while, as her scream grew weaker into grunts. Her hair faded into a lighter shade, as she let out a soft, bitter chuckle.
"That was quite painful. Not as gentle as usual, Akane." She muttered, opening her eyes. They were no longer red. Her eyes were now dull grey, lacking the excited bloodlust they had before.
'Shut it.'
She shook her head and sat up, just as the door was opened. It was a white-haired boy, with shark-like teeth, holding a large sword.
"Hello, Akane! Welcome back! How is it-..." The boy paused as his eyes met hers, "Sorry, Akai. I didn't notice." He corrected himself, "Wait. It's morning already?!"
"You didn't know? And here I thought you had finally got woken up early."
"I got the night shift turn yesterday. Stayed awake for the whole night." He pouted, as he walked inside and sat on the floor across her, "So, how was the mission?"
"As bloody as always. You know how Akane is."
'Hell yeah, I'm cool, like, damn!' A voice cheered inside her head. Akane's voice, to be exact.
"She is a part of you."
The girl gritted her teeth. "No, Suigetsu. Listen."
"Akane is a murderer, one of Orochimaru's experiments, his most prized pawn."
"My name is Akai, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. I am Akai Kiri, and I am a Konoha shinobi."
| * | * | * | * | * |
Konoha used to be a place where the sun shined bright, children laughed and played and it seemed as if everything was perfect.
And maybe it was still that way. But to two teams of Konoha, the sky would never look the same and the people would never smile as bright. No, for team Kakashi and Team Ibiki, the world was dark and a place of loss.
Sasuke Uchiha, marked a traitor of the Leaf village. A man full of revenge, a man with a dream and a promise to himself and family he used to know once upon a time. A promise of revenge, a promise of death.
And Akai Hozuki. A girl who never believed in the way of the ninja, a girl who made her life out of stealing and being an outcast. But a girl who came to love her team, who would give up her life for her team. Akai was more than just a team member on Team Ibiki, no, she became everyone's friend. No matter the amount of picking she did, no matter the pranks she pulled and the anger she had every once in a while.
After the leaving of one, and the death of the other, Konoha was never the exact same. From Team Kakashi, Naruto left with The Toad Sage in an attempt to be stronger, for he vowed that he would bring Sasuke back. And Sakura, she trained under the Fifth Hokage, learning to be just a strong so one day she could bring back her forgotten love.
For Team Ibiki, Shin and Akito continued to grow stronger in memory of their fallen member. They continued to create memories that would have only been better with Akai there. With a smart comment, but a way to make everyone feel better. But instead, they told the stories to a grave in the ground with the girl's name engraved on it.
For the sensei's of these groups, Kakashi showed no real remorse for losing Sasuke. That was just how Kakashi was. He didn't show that he was upset, or that he blamed himself some days more than others. No, Kakashi Hatake held himself high and continued to train.
On the flip side of that same coin, was Ibiki Morino. A man held in high regards for his tough attitude and ability to break anyone who he was told to. He was the head of the Interrogation Unit of Konoha, and had been for years. But when he lost Akai, it seemed as if his world fell around him.
Ibiki knew that he lost teammates and friends all the time, and that it shouldn't bother him nearly as much as it did. But maybe it was because he had a deeper connection with Akai than he did almost anyone else he knew. Maybe it was because he felt as if he had a responsibility to take care of Akai, because she lived with him. Or maybe it was because in a sense, he became a father figure to the girl.
Not completely, he would never admit that. But in ways, he did. He took care of her, he made sure she was housed and trained so that she wouldn't feel like she was left out or didn't know how to do something. Ibiki Morino could say that he loved someone in a non-romantic way, and that person was Akai Kiri.
But now, Ibiki stared at the door frame of what was Akai's room, a place that was still untouched because for two years, he hasn't entered the room. He refused to believe that when he opened the door, Akai wouldn't be there to scream and yell at him to shut the door, and then throw a kunai at him.
Her death was sudden and quick, from a sickness that no one truly knew she had. Sure, everyone had their suspicions that she was sick, but anyone who knew Akai knew she would never, ever, tell someone that she was in pain for needed help. Because that just wasn't who she was.
As Ibiki stared at the door, his hand moved up the knob with a small shake to it, and he placed it on the cool metal. He continued to stare at the door, before he dropped his hand from the knob and cursed himself. Two years, and he still couldn't open that stupid door.
With a sigh, Ibiki turned towards the front door and walked out of it. He started his day the same every single day, a stop by Akai. Because it helped the pain fade a little more every day, helping him face the idea that she was truly gone. This wasn't in Ibiki's character, and everyone knew that. People worried for him, especially his team.
But loss was known to do that to people. It was known to create someone they never would have been before, and that's especially what it did to Ibiki. Maybe he was like this because he didn't believe a sickness killed her so quickly. Maybe he was like because he blamed himself, because he thought he could change what happened.
But for now, he continued with his daily routines. Just another day in Konoha.
| * | * | * | * | * |
As one of Orochimaru's special subject, Akai's duty is to make sure that no one at the Northern hideout tried to do anything. Escaping, killing each other, was some of the thing most of them tried, and most of the efforts were stopped by her.
Although, a few success had brought 'punishment' upon her.
It was stupid, really. She's not a gatekeeper or something. Again, she's a subject, that's how Kabuto called her.
That four-eyes mocks her, and she hates it. She wants to choke him to death.
The 'spoiled Yakushi' had managed to put her in different hideout from her cousin, Suigetsu. It was cruel, she thought. Her cousin is her last family member, and yet she couldn't even stay with him.
She really felt grateful to have Sasuke. He may not live in the same hideout as she is, but he is aware of her existence. He often persuaded Orochimaru to assign Suigetsu to simple missions at the Northern hideout, giving both Hozukis chances to met with each other.
In return, Akai often help the Uchiha with his weapons, especially giving proper maintenance on his katana. Well, it's not much, but of course it's better than nothing. As how her family's old saying goes: "Only a swordman knows how to take care of a sword."
Akai didn't hate him, although she hates his decision for leaving the village.
"Akai." A voice called. The blue-haired girl stopped walking, and turned. She found Jūgo, her orange-haired friend, standing behind her, holding a lantern, his large figure wrapped in a dark cloak similar to hers.
"Hm?" She hummed, looking at him.
"You got a message."
She raised an eyebrow. He pulled out a scroll, throwing it at her. Akai caught it with ease, unrolling the scroll, and read the content. Despite the darkness of the hallway, her vision is still as clear as day, unlike the others there, who had to bring some kind of light anywhere they go.
"A mission with Uchiha. I gotta get going."
"Be careful, Akai."
"You won't see my corpse." She replied, turning away, and disappeared in a poof of smoke.
The boy sighed heavily, staring at the spot where the girl was standing on a few seconds ago.
"Sometimes I miss the old her." He muttered, before he blew out the lantern and teleported back to his room.
If only he knew, that she wished for the same thing.
| * | * | * | * | * |
"That was easy! A piece of cake!" Akane cheered, turning around with her large sword in hand, "I wish he had ordered us to kill more than that. Fifty rouge nins aren't enough!"
"You killed seventy." Sasuke corrected, looking up. He let out a relieved sigh, seeing that the dawn had almost come.
"Details, details, doesn't matter! Oi, Sasuke, I think-... Akh!" Akane's screaming starts, while Sasuke calmly sat down as the Hozuki dropped onto her knees.
Time pass by, and the forest finally was silent. Akai turned her attention at her 'teammate', still panting, wiping away the sweat from her forehead.
"Damn it. She's so stubborn." She muttered. Sasuke hummed in agreement, leaning his head on the tree behind him.
"She's such a burden. So loud."
Akai nodded, getting the blood off her sword, and put it back in its sheath. "I guess we should hurry back to the base. I don't want to have Akane outside any longer, she's making a mess." She replied, and sat up into a comfortable position.
"Do you hate him?" He suddenly asked.
"If you mean Orochimaru, then yes. I hate him and his little four-eyed servant."
"Good. Then you won't mind if I kill him, right?"
Akai immediately turned her head. "What?!"
"I'm going to kill him. As soon as I reached the hideout, I'll kill him. There's nothing more I can learn from him. Besides, I'm not planning to let him use my body. So, what do you think?"
Akai's jaws fell agape. "Five sentences." She whispered, "Five sentences from Sasuke Uchiha."
"Focus, Hozuki." Sasuke hissed. Akai instantly snapped back to reality.
"Right. Well, if you're gonna do so, I would be very grateful. Would you need my help?"
"No, it's alright. He trusts me." Sasuke assured, "After he's dead, I'm going to make a team to help me find Itachi."
"Whom do you have in mind?"
"Karin, Jūgo, and... your cousin. Is it alright with you?"
Akai stayed silent for a while. Suigetsu is her last family. She got rights to have him by her side. Then again, he seemed like he would enjoy these kind of adventure, not to mention the fact that he hates staying in one place for too long.
"If it's alright with him, then I'm okay with it." She said, "But you gotta make sure he doesn't die, okay?"
Sasuke nodded, "What about you?"
A soft smile made its way onto her face, "I'm not going to return to Konoha. I'll start over, back in my home village, Kiri. Just like my old life, Sasuke."
He narrowed his eyes. "You got a chance to get back to Konoha, you know? I'm a criminal, unlike you."
"I prefer not to stay a shinobi. I was forced, remember? I want to have a peaceful life." She explained.
He closed his eyes, shaking his head. "You're a great shinobi already, such a shame you are stopping. But I got no right to stop you, so..."
"Thanks, Sasuke."
"I'm doing it for myself. So, we part ways here? I want to do it as soon as I can."
"Alright. Good luck, Uchiha." Akai commented, watching as the male stood up.
"You're the one who need that luck, Hozuki." Sasuke replied, smirking, before he gave her a small nod, and teleported away.
Akai pushed herself off the ground, and let out a loud sigh.
"Now, to Kiri. Ha, the undead Red Mist will be back. As a half-monster, too." She said, chuckling bitterly.
| * | * | * | * | * |
It's true, Akai missed her old home. But to be truthful, she herself doesn't know what she truly wants.
'Come on, Akai, just let me take over. I will decide everything for you.' A very familiar voice taunted from inside her head. Akai scoffed, noticing how she had almost entered Kirigakure's border.
'Don't hope too much, Akane. It's just noon.' Akai replied, as she looked up. It began to rain, and this brought a small smile onto her face. Just like her old times...
Now that she thought about it, it feels as if she would just return from a mission, like the times when she were in the Assassination Squad. That time, she never knows when would she return, whether she would survive, or whatever. She always came back soaked in blood, her sword without the bandages, a satisfied grin on her face.
That sounded more like Akane.
Akai stopped running, pulling out her old red cloak and put it on. She transformed her dagger into its original form, Hiramekarei, and tied it onto her back. Pulling up the hood, Akai continued to run.
The guilt never left her. She's alive, she shouldn't have made everyone worry. But there's also her fear. She's scared that Akane might hurt them.
Just start over, she kept telling herself. At least, she would tell Mairu. The woman had done so much for her, Akai believes that Mairu deserves to know.
'Hey, Akai. I still don't get what do you mean with starting over.'
'Just go through life as if I never came to Konoha. At least that.'
'So, you ran away? Because you're scared that I would hurt them? Aren't you a coward?'
Akai sighed. 'Maybe I really am. And I think it's alright. Because I got my reasons, I want them to stay safe.'
'Ha, the Red Mist from Kirigakure really had gone soft.'
'I guess I have. Konoha shouldn't have had people from Kiri, and vice versa. They're exact opposites.'
'You really need to take a look at the mirror.'
Akai didn't reply. She knows what Akane wants. For her to return to Konoha, because Akane is truly curious about her team. No, Akai's not gonna risk it.
Not long after, her feet came into a stop. Akai looked up, to meet the sight of her second home. Mairu's shop.
And that's all. Akai stayed frozen in her spot, not knowing what to do. Open the door or not? What will she say?
Her first question was answered when the door opened, revealing Mairu herself.
"Just come in! The rain's getting even heavier!" The woman exclaimed.
Still with doubt, Akai walked in.
| * | * | * | * | * |
Mairu, a woman in her twenties, never expect anyone to come to her shop. Even, it's not everyday she saw another human beside herself. Once a guest come, they're usually travelers, mercenaries, or some shinobis that were too tired to continue their journey, especially when it's raining, or a storm is coming. Being the kind woman she is, she welcomes them warmly, as how she should.
But this time, the case was different.
When the cloaked figure entered her shop, Mairu immediately sensed that something was off. Something's wrong, she just couldn't exactly put what it was.
The stranger was drenched wet, most probably because of the heavy rain outside. But he didn't show any kind of weakness, not even being cold or tired. When he turned around to close the door, Mairu could see something tied on his back.
A sword, a very familiar sword. Hiramekarei.
Mairu tensed. It brought back lots of memories. First of all, she knew the wielder of the sword. But she can't believe the sword was given to someone else. Besides, no customers would even bother to turn around to close the door quietly, usually the ones who do are people whom she knew. Kisame, and... Akai.
The simple gesture only made her suspicion grew. She could see his bandaged fingers, as he put his hand the counter. Mairu narrowed her eyes, and walked out of the counter, approaching the stranger, who followed her with his gaze.
She stopped in front of him, offering him a cup of tea with a fake smile. "You're gonna get sick! Here, drink this! And put off your cloak!"
The figure turned at her, slowly pulling down his hood. Mairu's eyes widened, shock entering her system. Her fingers dropped the cup, while she gasped in surprise.
A girl with dull grey eyes, blue hair which reached a few inches past her shoulders, bandages wrapping her neck, was standing in front of her.
The woman froze, she couldn't believe her own eyes. The girl gave her a weak smile, looking up at her eyes.
"Hello, Mairu-san. Sorry, for not being able to visit for these past two years."
A tear fell from Mairu's eyes. "Akai... is this really you...? T-This is real, right...?" She asked, her right hand raised and gently caressed Akai's cheek, while while her left hand held her shoulder.
Akai nodded, but before she could reply, Mairu's expression changed. The woman furrowed her eyebrows.
"No... Akai's dead. She never came for 2 years. Two whole years, not even a word from her." She mumbled, tightening her grip. Akai cringed slightly, but in a blink, Mairu had slapped her cheek, pushing her away.
Akai stumbled, her back hitting the wall. She was about to regain her balance, when suddenly cold ice had wrapped itself around her wrists like some kind of cuffs, pinning her onto the wall. Mairu glared at her, her hand stretched out, making sure to keep the ice cuffs in place.
Mairu stood firmly in front of Akai, while a blade made of ice was just a few millimeters away from her neck. The woman only hardened her gaze.
"What kind of sick joke is this?" Mairu asked. Her voice is shaking, Akai noted, and she was holding back her tears. Understandable. "How dare you? I know Akai is dead, you can't fool me."
Akai merely shook her head. The ice blade came even closer, touching her skin.
"Now. Show yourself, or I'll kill you. Slowly and painfully." Mairu growled, as the ice blade made a large cut on her neck. But Akai doesn't show any kind of pain, instead she opened her mouth to speak.
"I'm sorry, Mairu-san. But I can't feel anything. A slit on my throat is nothing compared to what I've gone through. The sickness, all those loss, and that snake's torture."
Mairu's eyes widened, and she immediately released Akai. The girl almost fell, but Mairu caught her with a hug, and started crying.
"What happened to you...?" Is all she could manage to whisper. While Akai only closed her eyes, hugging back even tighter.
| * | * | * | * | * |
"Wait. You're not staying?!"
Akai cringed. "Well... I would like too, but I think I shouldn't."
"Why?"
"I already told you about my second personality, Akane. She might hurt you during nighttime if I stayed here."
"Oh, come on. Have you forgotten about who I am? Mairu Yuki, the prodigy of the Yuki clan. I'm sure I can handle one psychotic swordwoman in my own house."
Akai let out a sigh. "No. I'm not gonna risk it. Besides, I still have to go to Konoha. I left some of my stuff in Ibiki's place, and I need to take them. Hell, I even left Dad's tantō there."
"I thought it was broken?"
"...Uncle Kisame fixed it. He gave it to me as my 13th birthday's present."
Mairu's gaze softened at how Akai called the Hoshigaki. "Ahh... Kisame... of course he would do that..."
Akai turned abruptly hearing her tone. The girl stared at the Yuki strangely, "What's going on between you two...?"
"N-Nothing!"
"There's something, definitely." Akai stated.
"I'll tell you the next time you visit." Mairu replied with a smile. Akai sighed, pulling up her hood.
"Alright, I get it. Well, I'm leaving now. See you soon, Mairu-san."
| * | * | * | * | * |
Akito approached the graveyard with flowers in his hands, something he had done every couple of months since the girl's death. It was never a lot of flowers, but enough that he was sure Akai would appreciate them.
But once Akito arrived at the graveyard, and near where Akai's grave was, the flowers dropped from his hands and he took a step back.
Because standing in front of the grave was a figure in dark red cloak, the only thing on the back of it, was the kanji for 'Mist.'
"A-Akai...?" Akito mumbled to himself, trying to stay quiet. But it seemed that he wasn't quiet enough, for the figure turned around for only a second, and leaped from the spot in front of the grave.
Akito sighed heavily, and shook his head. That couldn't have been Akai. Akai died two years ago in the hospital, and he knew that. The blonde boy reached down and grabbed the flowers, walking over to his friend's grave.
But when Akito reached the grave, he noticed something. Akai's name on the grave had been scratched out. The way it looked seems like the person who did it was angry, mad about the grave and what it stood for.
So maybe, just maybe, it was Akai.
| * | * | * | * | * |
3983 words for the first chapter! What an achievement!
Surprised, aren't you? Akai is alive, Mairu is a Yuki, and so on, and so forth. We really are evil, huh?
But those tears aren't just for nothing. Do you notice the change Akai's attitude? What happened during the 2 years break? Most importantly, what will happen next?
Well, the time will come, the time when you find out, eventually. So many surprises are waiting, so, keep this book in your Library!
If you don't mind, would you give us a vote, and drop a comment or two? Thank you so much, tashikani!