Andromeda & Aburame

Chapter 9: The Attack

Shino's POV:

We had just reached the spot in the forest where we found the mystery girl when everything went to hell. I announced that we were here and I turned towards her to see if she was remembering anything. The sight of her horrified me, the others had turned to look at her as well and I imagined my face looked much like theirs.

Her eyes were empty, there was nothing but darkness where her eyes should have been. I was entranced by that darkness and I couldn't look away. The longer I looked, the more I realized her eyes weren't empty. Her eyes were like a mirror into the universe, I could see stars, nebula, galaxies within them.

Her eyes weren't the only thing different, her blonde hair grew white and her skin began to pale. The ninja outfit that Sakura gave her transformed before our eyes, it began to resemble the dress she was wearing when we found her, only this one wasn't damaged in any way. She was gorgeous in her horror, an elegant monster.

Then she spoke, her voice was no longer the soft gentle one that I had previously known. It echoed with the voices of many other women and had a noble tone to it.

"How did I come to be at this place, tell me where I am."

Kiba stuttered, Hinata looked terrified and I saw Lee and Sayuri holding hands while looking at me. They nodded at me, encouraging me to speak. I may be the only one who could get through to her.

Shino: "You are in the forest outside of Konoha. We are your allies, your friends. We brought you here because you lost your memory, we were trying to help you find yourself and find out who you are."

I gestured to the crater and her eyes followed this motion. Upon seeing it she let out an unearthly scream as she fell to her knees, the noise penetrated my soul and seemed to shatter everything in its wake.

The sound was so painfully loud that Kiba and Sayuri gripped their ears as they fell to their knees and screamed in agony. Lee was desperately trying to comfort Sayuri while Akamaru and Hitsugi whimpered and tucked their tails.

The sound was so heartbreaking that Sayuri and Hinata began to sob while Lee, Kiba and I fought to hold back tears.

Unknown: "How could they do this to me? They betrayed me, they abandoned me! They left me to die alone, and and they, oh no no no."

I hesitated and spoke with a choked voice
Shino:"Miss, I I don't know what happened to you, but I, we would like to help you. Please don't cry."

I heard her mumble something, I reached out to touch her shoulder.

Shino: "Miss, are you okay?"

Unknown: DON'T TOUCH ME! NO MAN WILL EVER LAY HIS HANDS ON ME AGAIN! NEVER! MY NAME IS ANDROMEDA, AND I AM NO MAN'S PROPERTY!!!"

Sayuri: "Andromeda, we aren't here to hurt you. You're confused and scared, please just let us help you."

But her words didn't reach Andromeda and suddenly the aura around her seemed to darken. She was going to attack. Lee seemed to pick up on it as well

Lee: "Everyone get back!"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sayuri weave the hand signs for her Static Sheild jutsu but I was too close to Andromeda and so I wasn't in range of her shield. Sayuri and the others were yelling for me to pull back so I would be protected.

I had to make a choice, risk turning my back to her and risk the safety of the others in order to run towards them so I could be safe within Sayuri's shield, or stand my ground and form my own shield. The choice was easy.

Using my bugs I formed a shield around myself. I saw her attack just as I was being hit and I thought it would be a beautiful way to die. Her hair and the stars in her eyes turned into millions of lightning bugs and fireflies made of actual lightning and fire. The last thing I remembered was Sayuri and the others screaming my name and the sight of Sayuri reaching out to me.