destiny calls | *. naruto fanfic

32.

A soft sigh escaped from the lips of Akari. She was perched in a tree, her eyes on Naruto as he followed the quote on quote, "Pervy Sage," out of the village. He was clearly trustworthy by the village's standards if they were allowing Naruto to travel with him, so she supposed there was no need for her to worry over the talkative ninja. She waited until the two were out of sight before letting herself drop from the branch, sticking her hands in her pockets as she headed back into town. She really didn't know what else to do, since Kakashi hadn't assigned them any missions for awhile. Come to think of it... the last mission Akari remembered doing was to the Land of Waves. Has it really been that long? Shrugging to herself, Akari decided she might as well go home. Hopefully she had been "social" enough for Eriko.

Leaping up onto the buildings, the kunoichi navigated the village with relative ease, taking the quickest route to the forest her home resided in. Letting the dappled light of the woodland wash over her, Akari began the trek to the small house, nimbly avoiding roots and branches on muscle memory. The surrounding area was quiet. A little too quiet. With a growing sense of unease, the girl picked up her pace, her mind no longer wandering as she focused on getting back home. Surely everything was alright. She was just being paranoid. Right? They're fine, they're fine, they're fine, they'r- The girl reached the house, her eyes immediately landing on the jarred door. The place was eerily tranquil, aside from Akari's rushed footsteps as she entered the house, the place was dead silent. Something isn't right. The thought registered in her brain a second too late as a kunai sliced her cheek, embedding itself in a nearby wall. Two sets of footsteps, one large and one small, sounded from behind her, and Akari whipped around to face them, the feeling of dread gouging a hole in her stomach. Emerging from the shadows came a boy, about Akari's age, with startling pale blond hair, and a young girl, a look of pure terror in her wide green eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You. Let my sister go. Now." A burning feeling of resentment shot up inside Akari, and with slow, deliberate movements, she grabbed the kunai from the wall behind her, her own blood still on the tip.

"I didn't want to get others involved Akari. You left me no choice." The amount of sincerity in his voice only angered Akari more as the boy held a kunai up to Machi's neck threateningly. "And besides, this girl isn't your sister. You never had a sister."

A low growl escaped the white haired kunoichi's throat as she flickered, and only a mere few seconds later, reappeared behind him, her foot colliding with his back. "Machi will always be my sister, and I'm always going to protect her!" A laugh of amusement ringed throughout the house as the shinobi vanished from view, shrugging off the kick as though nothing had happened.

"You've gone soft. No wonder you're so weak now." Akari gasped as the sharp pain of metal puncturing flesh met her shoulder, and she instinctively pulled away, leaving Machi exposed to attack. It only took those few precious moments for the young girl to be whisked away by the boy again, a scream erupting from her before her kidnapper placed a hand over her mouth in annoyance. "How about we make a deal?" He suggested, voice smooth. "I'll let your precious sister go, but you come with me without resisting. I'm afraid your other option is the girl dying." His voice took on a dangerous tone as he once again pressed the kunai to Machi's neck, a drop of blood sliding down the girl's throat.

"Let. Her. Go." Akari ground out, her fist tightening around the handle of the borrowed weapon. Her eyes held desperation in them as they darted around the dark house. Eriko. Where was Eriko?!

"This girl's guardian is unavailable right now. She put up a good fight. The dog too." The boy said nonchalantly, reading Akari's thoughts like an open book.

"What the hell did you do to Eriko and Riku-" Akari started forward, only to stop as she was once again reminded of her choice. Her... or Machi..?