Hey, Hi, Hello.
Welcome to chapter eighteen! This chapter features Kimi's fight in the prelims for the third part. The prelims will be starting as soon as the second phase ends, like in the show, but unlike the prelims in the show I'm having Dosu fight against Chouji as the ninth match, followed by Lee versus Gaara. Enjoy the chapter, please, because I really worked hard on it. Comment and vote(: the song is 'Riot' by Three Days Grace.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto.
WARNING: Cussing, blood, flexibility, a confession and some descriptive violence. You have been warned.
Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.
This is what memories look like.
This is what Kimi's thoughts look like.
'This is what song lyrics look like.'
And so it starts with a smirk~
--
'If you feel so filthy, so dirty
so fucked up.
If you feel so walked on,
so painful, so pissed off
You're not the only one
Refusing to go down
So get up.'
--
Kakashi-sensei definitely noticed the exposed scar on my neck and arm. I know he did.
After all of the bandages were used, there was none left over to cover my arm and neck. So it was just out in the open, there for anyone to see. It made me exceedingly uncomfortable. I shift my weight again, ignoring the searing pain in my upper back. Daichi had healed it as much as he could, but he did warn me that it could reopen and start bleeding again if I moved around too much. And he was right- I could feel a small trail of blood dripping down my back. The blood was probably seeping through the bandages and my shirt as well.
I carefully observe the people around me with an emotionless gaze. The kids from Oto were there, unfortunately, but it looked like Zaku's arms were still disabled. I catch his gaze and offer him a smirk. His eyes narrow and he scowls at me, obviously riled up by my gaze. He looks away first, and I look at his arms. They still looked disabled, though I could be wrong. I look back to the front, trying to pay attention to what the proctor was saying. There was to be a preliminary round to get rid of a few of the kids, and they'd be starting right away. And, since there was an uneven amount of people, somebody would be unlucky enough to go twice. I hoped I wasn't that person- I was already in poor physical condition.
--TIMESKIP--
The arena was huge.
I remember learning in class about other cultures, one of them being a group of people called Romans. They had arenas like this, called coliseums. Right now it was the tenth match, Lee versus Gaara. I discovered that I would be fighting the repeater, whoever that may be. Kakashi-sensei managed to get my wounds looked at by the medic nins on standby, but there was only so much they could do. They rewrapped my wounds after cleaning them, used chakra to close them and warned me not to move around a whole lot so they didn't re-open. I thought that bit of advice was pretty useless, since I was about to engage in a fight, but I didn't say anything.
Both of my team mates already went. Sasuke fought against someone named Yoroi, from Kabuto's team, and Naruto went against Kiba. Both of them won theirs, so I was determined I would win too. No matter the cost. Two of the kids from Oto, Zaku and Kin, lost theirs but the leader Dosu won against Chouji. I really hoped I fought against anyone but Dosu.
And the fight between Lee and Gaara is drawing to an end. My turn. My stomach churns- I'm so incredibly nervous right now. I bite the inside of my mouth and stuff my hands inside of my pocket. Kakashi-sensei looks at me from the corner of his eye. I frown, not because of the look, but because of the unfamiliar scroll that was in my pocket. I remove it from my pocket and look down at it.
Attached to it is a note. The note reads, 'Hey imouto-this will be beneficial in future fights. Don't open it until you need it. You might be confused at first, but you'll figure out what to do with it. Love, Kazuo.' I scowl down at it. Kazuo was too cryptic sometimes. And why didn't he just give it to me, instead of slipping it into my pocket without my knowledge? He most likely did it while we were hugging. That sneaky bastard.
I pull out of my reverie, stuffing the scroll into my pouch. He did it for a reason, and a reason I would just have to find out. The fight was over- I lean forward and rest my elbows on the top of my thighs. I was tense. "Hey, Kimi-chan, you're gonna go next!" Naruto exclaims.
"Hai," I nod. "I know."
Naruto begins to say more, but then the proctor Hayate is speaking. "Okay then! We have one more fight left- this year there is an uneven number of participants, therefore one participant who won their previous battle will engage in a second match with the other remaining participant," he says, pausing a few times to cough, "and that is Dosu Kinuta versus Kimiko Kioku."
Fuck, this is bad. Really bad. He defeated Chouji, even when he blocked out the sound, by transmitting his sound waves through the water in Chouji's body. So how would I do this? I was already weakened considerably. This would be extremely hard. As I stand from my seat, several eyes swivel to look at me. People were watching me. Tons of people would be watching.
As I walk away, towards the entrance to the arena, Naruto shouts, "GOOD LUCK KIMI-CHAN!" I pause and look back. Naruto is grinning, giving me a thumbs up. Sasuke is simply smirking, but that was as close to a 'good luck' as I would get from him. Kakashi-sensei is watching me carefully, seeming uncharacteristically serious. As I meet his gaze, there's a shifting behind his mask and he's smiling at me. I smile softly back at my three team mates. Then I'm turning and leaving, going to the entrance. People observe me as I walk past, noting the blood on my shirt and how much of my body is wrapped in bandages. They were probably all thinking the same thing- she's going to lose.
--
This fight is going to be brutal, I think. I'm standing a few feet away from Dosu, waiting for the signal to begin. I tally up my odds- I had the advantage of knowing what his fighting style was while mine was kept secret, but he had an even bigger advantage. He could manipulate sound waves, send them through water even. I could only hope he would toy with me, because if he did that would give me more time to think about how to defeat him. I could always try to destroy that tool on his arm, but I doubted that would work well. I would have to get close to him, and while I would have the advantage when it came to taijutsu, he would likely resort to desperate measures just to protect it.
He pretty much controlled this battle, and he knew that.
As soon as the 'go' signal begins, he smirks at me and jumps towards me, swinging his fist to punch me. I duck beneath it and swing my leg out to knock him off balance. He moves away to avoid it, but I manage to clip the side of his leg with my foot and he stumbles. He was surprised at my actions- I used it to benefit me. I direct a high kick to his face and a kick with my other foot towards his simultaneously, leaving my entire body airborne. I press my hand to the ground, like I'm doing a very awkward handstand, using it as support. As one foot makes contact with his face and then clears his face, I change the direction of my other after it connects with his stomach and I kick his jaw with all the force I can muster. He stumbles back from the force and I twist my body around, still only supported by my hand, so I perform a back flip and land safely on my feet.
My chest heaves from the exertion, and my wounds have already re-opened. He's gripping his jaw, visible eye wide with surprise. Blood seeps through the bandages surrounding his mouth. That was good- the force behind that kick definitely hurt. The power and momentum behind it probably knocked a few teeth loose and could have even fractured part of his jaw. "How?" he murmurs.
"Does it matter?" I ask, sitting in a crouched position. "I managed to make contact with you."
His eyes flicker to me. He's pissed off that I managed to make contact with him. I smirk at him, taunting him. If he was anything like his team mate, or most people, if I taunted him and made him angry enough he would act without thinking. I begin to say something else, but then he's scowling and he lets the metal contraption rest on his hand. "You'll die here."
I wince and grit my teeth as a blast of sound assaults my ears, and my hands instinctively go up to cup my ears. I feel a warm liquid trickle down, soaking my fingers. Blood. I was bleeding. He was angry, I was bleeding and disoriented. My vision was a bit blurry around the edges. This was bad. I rise shakily to my feet and spare a glance up to the stands. I needed some inspiration, in the form of seeing my team mates watching me. I spot Sasuke, who's face holds the ghost of a smirk, and Naruto, who's watching intently with a look of concern on his face. I look desperately for Kakashi-sensei- where was he?
Hurt settles in my heart as I realize he's not there. I knew that he was generally focused more upon the boys, whether it be from the assumption I could take care of myself, or just not caring as much, but I didn't think he cared so little as to not even watch. I turn back to Dosu and try to push my hurt away. I could fall to pieces over how stressed I was later. For now, I needed to focus on Dosu.
I turn back to face Dosu. He's smirking beneath the bandages at me, just a single foot away. "You're disoriented, bleeding, and running out of time. Remember what I said in the Forest of Death? My sound waves assault your ears."
I snarl at him, "Shut the fuck up!" I dart forward again, aiming my fist towards his face. My hand clips the side of his face and he grunts in pain, swinging the metal contraption back around and a high keening noise echoes through my brain. I fall to my knees, my hands flying up to cover my ears. I hiss in pain, swallowing hard. I taste something bitter and iron-like- my mouth was full of blood. I spit it out, glaring up at him. I was very, very disoriented. My movements were sloppy and I was growing desperate. I knew my body couldn't sustain a whole lot more damage than it already had.
"Oh, having trouble? And to think you were so feisty," he mocks. My hearing and vision waver as he continues talking softly, explaining to me how horribly I would fail. I shake my head as my vision completely disappears for a few terrifying moments. It comes back at my action and I know I need to get up. I stumble to my feet, seeing double. We were closer to one end of the field. He was slowly cornering me. I needed to push him towards the center so I had more options. I couldn't dodge the sound-based attacks, but I could at least dodge the others. I blink rapidly, focusing my vision. Then without a word I launch into a taijutsu battle. I had the advantage when it came to taijutsu it seemed.
I punch him in the stomach. He grunts and another sound wave hits my ears. My vision blurs and my head rings, but I don't stop moving. I move quickly, hitting him as viciously as possible. I force him back a couple of feet, ignoring my disorientation. The fight had been dragging on for nearly twenty minutes now. I need to end this soon. Really, really soon. I manage to move him to the center, and we're standing in a small depression created from a previous fight. Through my fuzzy mind I think of my options. He begins talking again, louder, buying me more time to think.
The scroll Kazuo slipped in my pocket. That could be useful, and I was growing desperate quickly. I was light headed from not only the assault on my ears but the profuse bleeding. My body was torn to pieces by his techniques.
Okay. The scroll it was. Keeping my sight on Dosu, who was still talking, I use one hand to extract the scroll. I look at him. He pauses in his speech, eyeing the scroll carefully. "What is that?" He asks.
"A summoning scroll," I answer. My voice is dry and weak. Without waiting for him to say anything else, I open the scroll with a flick of my wrist and I read it quickly. It was a summoning scroll for water. I frown slightly at that- water?
And then it makes sense. Water was exactly what would help me most right now. I smirk at him and the look in his eyes lets me know he's majorly confused. I lay the scroll on the ground and make the hand signs as fast as I can. Forming the final one, I stomp my foot on the summoning seal and jump out of the depression. I land right at the edge and I watch as it fills with water.
Dosu is clearly unaware on how bad it is for him that he's standing knee-deep in a pool of water. He looks at the water, then at me. "What do you think you're going to be able to do with water?"
I look at him, keeping eye contact. "I am so sick and tired of getting underestimated. People do that to me all the time, even my instructors have. They think that my kekkai genkai is worthless and I have no abilities, and then they move on to marvel at my team mates because one is known for being powerful and capable and so much better than everyone else, and the other just draws attention with everything he does. You don't know much about my abilities, do you? So you don't know what I am and am not capable of. It's people like you who piss me off- the kind who make assumptions, especially when it comes to determining another's capacity. You do not know my abilities, and I know all about yours. That gives me an advantage. You were kind enough to tell me. So I'll tell you about mine." I stick my finger in the water, swirling it around and causing ripples. My voice is loud, loud enough that everyone in the arena can hear me, and I seem to be ranting. "Do you know anything about the conducting properties of water?"
He jerks his head slightly, letting me know that he didn't. I smile at him. "You probably don't know about my kekkai genkai, either? Well, first let me explain the kekkai genkai. Essentially, I have a picture perfect memory. I notice every single thing-every movement, every noise, no matter how miniscule or quiet. And about water- water is good at being a conductor. It amplifies electricity or lightning to a heightened level, makes it that much more powerful and devastating. Fresh water works, but not as good as salt water. And this is just fresh water, not salt. Or, it wouldn't be if you were standing in it. Human sweat contains a considerable amount of salt, just enough for it to work-"
"For what to work?!" He asks, interrupting me. He seems alarmed. I scowl at him, not happy that he interrupted my explanation.
"Patience, Kinuta, I'm getting there. My chakra affinity is effective in this situation-It's lightning, you see. You could get out of the water, but you would still be soaked and it would still work. Severe electrical shock causes burns, and if it's bad enough it can induce ventricular fibrillation. All that is is irregular contraction of your heart. There's also neurological effects, in which one lacks control over his or her basic functions, especially your heart and lungs. I assume, though, being from Oto you know all about this," I tell him, leaning forward to lower my whole fist into the water. I slowly begin gathering chakra there. "And guess what? Electricity moves faster than sound."
His eye widens in horror as he finally catches on. But it's too late-I charge my fist with as much lightning as I could. The water is alight instantly, crackling and glowing with the lightning. He screams in agony and a sizzling noise fills the air. He tries in vain to get out of the water, but he fails miserably. He's getting sensory overload as the combination of water and lightning fries his nerves. I know I could stop now, but I don't. I was experiencing a sort of sensory overload too-my ears were ringing with his agonized screams and the sound of his skin burning and my nose was filled with the scent of burning flesh. He falls face forward into the water, already dead. His skin was frying, sliding off of his body like it was oiled. His muscles and ligaments and tendons were loosing their elasticity.
He's dead. I killed him. I can stop now. I shakily withdraw my hand, staring down at it. I was protected from the main, and most severe, damage because the chakra encased my entire hand and shielded it from the water. My skin was still tinged pink, though, and I lean back on my folded legs. Dosu is floating face down in the water. Someone grabs my shoulders, saying something to me, but their words don't quiet process. My gaze drifts to them- it's the proctor, Hayate. I blink at him, frowning, watching his mouth move. I couldn't hear anything but the ringing in my head. What was he saying? I blink again. My vision was still blurred. I look down at my hands, wondering why I couldn't hear. Maybe it was because I sustained so much damage to my ears.
I look up at the ceiling. My body felt weak and like it was floating. Black dots dance across my eyes and I can still smell burned skin. I was dizzy and my head pounded. My sight fades away and my body slackens as I loose consciousness.
--
Well.
That was gory.
Sorry if that fight scene sucked): I don't like it. I think it's lacking in length and description. Then again, Kimi was extremely disoriented and focused on Dosu most of it. Somenone pointed out I stated that she told Dosu he didn't know anything about the amplification properties of water and lightning, and that being from Oto he would have known. To that person- I meant he didn't know she could utilize lightning, not that he didn't know about amplification. Sorry if that was unclear! I went through and added a bit to try to clear it up (:
Those facts Kimi tells Dosu about electrocution are legit. Google it if you want, or if you ask me I can explain it to you so it's much clearer than what is told to Dosu. Please comment and vote(: I'd really appreciate it. The next chapter will probably be filler, so I should be able to write it quickly and publish it by Sunday. This is not edited, either, so if there's any mistakes I apologize.