Young Writers Society

((Chapter 6 - Mission (Part 2)))

A hard wind howled, whipping at their robes as they walked. Three in all, Ayumi recognized each, they seemed to be leaving a battleground.

The first figure stopped, bringing a hand up to catch himself before he toppled into a tree. The other two were by his side in a single bound.

“We’d be fools to keep going!” Kisame mumbled worriedly.

“You need to rest,” Deidara nodded his agreement.

“I can manage,” Itachi gasped. Ayumi could tell he was in pain; she’d heard that tone before. When Itachi tried to push away from the tree, his arm collapsed, making him fall back against the tree. She noticed that his right arm, his strongest, hung at his side, blood dripping off of his fingers. There was more blood just above his right temple.

“Where’s Ayumi when you need her? She’d get him to be still!” Kisame scoffed, steadying his teammate and friend.

Itachi glanced at him, smirking weakly. “And I thought ‘she stayed in the way?’”

“She did. But she can help you, now!”

Itachi closed his eyes, leaning his head against the trunk. “That’s the last time…I will underestimate…one possessed by a demon, much less Shukaku…”

The other two caught and lowered Itachi to the ground when he passed out…

Ayumi nearly screamed when she sat up, panting. She buried her face in her hands and cried. (God, please don’t let these be visions!) She sat still, crying into her hands, trembling from the fear of it being a vision.

Only when she heard Emi and a woman talking outside did she look up.

She wiped her eyes, trying to calm herself down, as she stood and left the tent. Outside, Emi and a purple haired woman were shaking hands. The ANBU leader then turned to Ayumi and took hers.

“We must thank you, too, Ayumi, for saving our lives.”

Ayumi nodded to her. “It’s only right.”

“Indeed, it is,” she replied. “We still have a mission to complete, but I fear

for my squad and wish to enlist your help in finding the Akatsuki.”

Emi spoke up, glancing at Kakashi. “Our mission was to find and assist you, but we will help you for the sake of the village.”

(As long as I don’t see Itachi.) “And they should be punished for what they did to each of you.”

Emi’s tone took on an air of aristocracy. “We should split into two squads;

Kurenai and Asuma can take seven and Ayumi, Kakashi, you, and I can take the other seven. In order to avoid losing any members and to inform the Hokage, the other group should go back to Konoha.”

“Right,” the others disappeared into the canopy.

“When did you first see the Akatsuki, and where did they go?” Emi turned back to the ANBU leader, who had given her name as Yugao.

“I will show you.” Kakashi, Yugao, and the other seven ninja bolted. Emi waited, looking at Ayumi. “If we meet Itachi, don’t do anything stupid.”

Ayumi hesitated a moment as Emi followed the squad. (I’ll try…) She took off after her cousin. Thoughts raced through her mind as she followed her new teammates. (What if we do run into Itachi? What then? I don’t want to jeopardize the mission, and disappoint the Hokage or them, but I can’t hurt Itachi! Who do I choose?! I…I can’t!) Before she realized it, they had stopped at the bloody road where the fourteen ninja had been attacked.

“It was about ten o’clock when we were attacked; they headed east,

towards the coast,” Yugao explained.

“The coast?” Emi seemed confused.

“Yes, we can’t tell where they’ll head from there, but we think they’ll take

the coastline into Fire Country.”

“The only question now is why?” Everyone waited as Emi summoned a small dragon and mentally conversed with it. When it flew away, Emi returned to the squad.

“I sent a message to the second squad, telling them what we’ve learned.

We had better hurry if we are going to catch up to the Akatsuki.”

Ayumi tried not to laugh at her cousin. (She doesn’t even realize she’s taken charge!)

“Let’s get moving.” Yugao, Kakashi, Emi, and Ayumi led the ANBU squad

through the trees. They only went so far before Emi stopped them,

fingering a thin metal wire that ran through their path. Emi then turned and whispered to Yugao.

“Take up positions in the trees and stay out of sight.” Yugao followed up with a hand sign, and everyone but the two cousins disappeared. Ayumi began to quiver. (I hope Itachi’s not here.)

“Ayumi,” Emi called.

“Right. Byakuugan.” Ayumi’s eyesight improved exponentially instantly.

She could see everything.

“Byaringan.” Emi’s eyes turned into that lavender Sharingan from before.

Ayumi finally understood it. Side by side, they studied the area, locating two Akatsuki in the branches and three on the ground.

“You see them?” Emi whispered.

“Yeah,” Ayumi answered, involuntarily nodding.

“Let’s go, then.” They darted in different directions, teleporting out of sight. Ayumi perched on a branch about the two canopy-bound Akatsuki members. One had a broad hat, and the other sent chills down her spine. Half of his head was black, the other half white, and a large plant-like structure sprouted up and around him. Ayumi thought it resembled a Venus flytrap.

The Akatsuki in the hat looked over his shoulder just as Ayumi cast a fireball jutsu, and he leapt. The other seemed to disappear into the tree itself, reappearing out of the ground at its base.

Ayumi yelped when a fireball was used against her, but she easily wiped the fires out. Didn’t they know she controlled fire? She lunged at the first Akatsuki, the one with the straw hat, and they fought. Kunai and swords drawn and clashing, they pushed each other back and forth across a broad limb.

Vines shot out of the tree and wrapped around her, binding her arms to her sides and rooting her in place. When the vines dried hard and the eerie-plant-man rose out of the leaves before her, she couldn’t move. (Fine,

then. I’ll just burn my way out of this!)

The other Akatsuki waited behind her. “Careful, Ketsu. She may be more of a challenge than we expected.” His voice was familiar…very familiar…

“I’ll be the judge of that!” the plant-man scoffed when Ayumi smirked. She’d been gathering up her chakra the entire time.

A fire exploded through the plants, sending branches flying from the gust. Both members swore coherently from surprise. Ayumi charged at Ketsu, sword still in hand, and swung. She gasped when he disappeared in a fury of vines that once again entangled her. She roared in rage, focusing her chakra once again to burn away his hold on her.

Her freedom was cut short, for in that instant the other Akatsuki attacked her, throwing her backwards into a tree as he ran a kunai into her shoulder. She lost her control on her tongue. “Shit!”

Four ANBU ninja dropped down around them, diverting everyone’s gazes. Ayumi took the opportunity and blasted her attacker with a whirlwind of red flames, but only a scorched log lay where he should have.

(Damn it! This guy's tough!) Thanks to her Byakuugan, she easily found Ketsu, who fought three of the four ANBU members, and finally her own quarry. She took off after him, staying on his heels as they gradually entered the other part of the battle.

Ayumi cornered him and waged a hard battle against him. Her attacks were always blocked, and she evaded his. Ayumi swung so heavily a few times, she buried her sword in the trees and earth.

He leapt away, and she stared at him. She blinked and a clone of her appeared behind him, one hand gripping his arm and the other gripping a limb. The clone flung him through the air as Ayumi snapped, finishing her Dragon’s Judgment. He landed on the ground, hard, only just escaping the roaring flames. “Ayumi?”

She didn’t hear him say her name, and she charged, ignoring his commands to stop. She jumped for him, just missing his shoulder with her senbon. The needles were embedded in a tree.

Ayumi temporarily darted away from him, seeing that Kakashi and a few ANBU ninja were struggling against Ketsu. She quickly drew her first fires – which had sparked from the intensity of her chakra blasts – and plowed her fist into Ketsu’s stomach. The flames were instantly all over him. Job done, she went after her other opponent.

“Ayumi, please stop!” she thought she heard Itachi, but she couldn’t let that distract her. (It’s only my imagination. I’ve got to stay focused!) She kept swinging, but he always stepped away from them. Ayumi shot forward finally, tired of missing, and ran her sword deep into his arm. He cried out, stumbling from the attack. Ayumi smirked; it was the perfect opportunity! She spun on her heel, bringing her leg up high and out…

He yelped, as he was knocked sideways into a tree, straw hat flying many more feet into the forest…and Ayumi froze. (Oh, my God…)

There, standing against the trunk, was Itachi.

She knew everyone stared at them, but she couldn’t move. She couldn’t think! She had just attacked and injured the man she loved, and…She could feel her face burning red as tears of horror threatened to fall, and she ran.