"Aiko, it'll be alright, don't worry..." His calm, collected voice washes over me and I feel myself being carried gently to my bed in the corner, as though I were being tenderly cared for by a cloud maiden. He lies me down so I can see the scene before me; I have the first glimpse of my attacker. He is tall and thin, with ghostly transparent skin and glittering snake eyes. His limp, jet black locks fall over his eyes and down his upright back. Just looking at him spreads fear through my whole body, paralysing me once more. And then he speaks.
"I'm sorry about that... The little runt attempted to attack me..." He laughs, more like a hiss of annoyance than a noise of humour.
"Liar..." My father growls menacingly, his blackened hands still grasping the hilt of the sword and a nasty cut blooming red above his eyebrow. The stranger seems unhurt. He seems so familiar...
"Orochimaru... How..." The Raikage stops, searching for the words, "wonderful... To see you. What brings you to my village?" He finishes, coolly leaning against the door frame. My father growls at the name, his eyes burning with a flame I'd only ever seen once before; the hungry furnace. Orochimaru sheathes his long, thin katana and smirked back.
"Just browsing, you know... I heard there was a particularly good Blacksmith somewhere around here. I'm assuming that this excuse for a man is meant to be him?" He sneers, and cast a glance to my father who was tending to his cut. I suddenly feel a spark of something in my heart, warming my body and reviving my frozen mind. I sit up against the wall, but no one notices.
"Look, I don't know who you're calling an excuse for a man, but if you want something from me you're not getting it! You attacked my daughter and then me, and then you dare to ask me to make something for you? The nerve..." My father barks, dismissing Orochimaru with a wave of his hand, "You may be a 'Legendary Sannin' but that means nothing to me... Now get out!" He barks, and the door slammed open behind him, spitting at Orochimaru's feet. The Raikage opens his mouth to say something, but then wisely shuts it again. I take a moment to look at my saviour. He's tall and muscular, clad all in a white bodysuit and a blue bandana. On his back are two, long katanas with silver bound hilts and gleaming blades. His face is elegantly toned and muscled, with a straight nose and floppy white hair falling over one of his eyebrows, and a scar cutting through the other one. His eyes are pristine blue, ice-filled and cold, piercing deep into you like a knife. They say he fell from the stars. They say he just arrived one day and conquered all the bandits which had been tormenting us for hundreds of years. But they say a lot of things. The Raikage suddenly had a dangerous look in his eye,
"Orochimaru, I highly suggest you take the advice of this man. Or you will regret it." He says, his voice venomously low. Orochimaru laughs and stays where he is.
"You see, young Ryanu, I'm not used to not getting what I want... I'm not going anywhere until I finish my shopping. You understand?" He says, addressing the Raikage by his first name, shooting a smirk in my direction. I glare back, my hand grasping the small, golden kunai my father had crafted for me especially. I glance at the Raikage who gave a small shake of the head. Orochimaru looks down to the spit near his robes,
"I also don't appreciate being spat at..." Orochimaru hisses, and without warning leaps at my father, his sword, dripping with something purple, aiming for his heart. I scream and leap off the bed just as crimson blood splatters the stone floor, mingling with the old one of my head. Silence fills the room, and then a cackle.
"Interesting... Very interesting..." Orochimaru's cold voice fills the air, and I stare at where my father was. The Raikage stood in front of my father, a long sword impaling straight through his heart. It took a split second for me to realise what happened, and then I scream.The Raikage stands for a moment, pulling the sword out. The gash from the sword is thin and papery, oozing with purple liquid and blood. The Raikage suddenly keels over into my fathers arms, and he immediately kneels to the ground, his eyes brimming with tears,
"How...could you? You poisoned the Raikage!! Why? HOW COULD YOU ?!" My father gently lays the body down on the floor and draws his sword. Orochimaru lets out a throaty laugh.
"It was his fault... Fools!" And with that Orochimaru leaps at my father, who opens the door behind him and jumps to the side. Orochimaru trips out the door, cursing wildly. My father follows him,
"AIKO! Look after the Raikage! Alert the medical core immediately!" He shouts, and locks the door. I bite my tongue to stop the tears from flowing out, and I run to the Raikage, laying his beautiful head on my lap as my tears rolls onto his forehead.
"A-Aiko... It's ok... D-don't be m-mad... It's the p-poison of-f the... Of the s-snake King Man-nda... There is n-no c-cure..." He says, so softly I have to bend over him to hear him. I had heard of the deadly snake Manda, controlled by Orochimaru. It's poison had no cure, and it multiplies massively once in contact with red blood cells, paralysing each cell in the body, and killing them. He was going to die.
"Why?! Why did you do this?!" I say,
"B-because you're... Special, Aiko. You h-have two Kekkai G-enkais... And t-the t..." He stopped, coughing violently, blood ruining his pale face.
"Shhh... Don't speak.." I say softly, my tears coming out in elongated sobs.
"N-no... You have t-to know..." He stutters, taking my hand in his own cold one. I shook my head, but said nothing as he continued, "Aiko, y-you have the two-tailed b-beast inside---" He coughs and more blood runs out of his mouth. His beautiful eyes roll into his head, and he whispers,
"Seven... Times... Down... Eight... Times... Up..."
I have the Matatabi inside of me.
YOU ARE READING
Team 101: Enemies of Fate (A Naruto Fanfic)
FanfictionA Naruto Fanfiction about an unusual Ninja called Aiko Tora and her life, starting from the very first day when her father and the Raikage were ruthlessly murdered by the one and only Orochimaru to the day that she has to make a decision which could...
