Trapped down below [Contract Search]

[Uka]

A glinting bright red spec stood out from the sand even if the sun was rather quickly disappearing into the horizon. With every coming moment it was getting harder and herder to track anything and that meant the fun would have to end. At least the thrill of the hunt would last for a little while longer. Ah the joy of finally cornering it like a rat, cutting off every single route of escape one by one and finally feasting on the desperation that filled them. It was truly bliss to hunt down followers of Fate. The kunoichi couldn't help but chuckle as she slowly followed the droplets of blood.

In a way it was somewhat sad really. Eventually the servant of Fate would notice he had left the trail being and she would have to rely on other means in order to catch up. That ruined the fun completely at the end of the day. What was the point of it and the fun if you could rather easily fund someone in a wide area without even trying? There was none. The Byakugan really was a cheat, hence why she was not going to use it unless she absolutely had to, trying to preserve every single moment. It was somewhat funny really. There were very few things that she believed herself and her brother had in common and this was one of them. Her grin widened ever so slightly as she quickened her pace.

Tick - Tock - Tick - Tock. With every passing moment it became darker and darker, the humongous sand dunes casting their shadows further and further until they finally melted one into another to form the canvass of darkness with only the moon as that one giant glowing beacon of hope. Natsuru stopped in her tracks, glancing up at the sky and clicking her tongue "Tc. No stars tonight."<i></i> She would note as her eyes scanned the blank canvass that was the sky, her smirk growing into a full blown grin as she noticed the colour of the moon - blood red. It had been a very long time since she had seen one of these nights, the times where the demons left their hiding spots and found themselves as prey rather than predator. Though this was good news there was one large problem, namely that she could no longer make out the blood in the sand. He had either managed to figure it out or there was just not enough light in order to be able to notice the barely-visible specs of crimson. No matter. The kunoichi shrugged, bringing her hands up to face height, forming the single seal as she forced chakra into her eyes and activated her Byakugan, the veins around her eyes bulging up in the ever so familiar way.

"Shame."<i></i> Natsu mouthed quietly as she quickly scanned the landscape with her now enhanced vision. "There you are."<i></i> The woman sighed as her pace quickened further into a full blown run. It was not fun at this point and this was a mere low-ranked servant of Fate. There was no challenge to be had, no real satisfaction. It wasn't as if he was a commander or anything of the sort. She would know if he was and this was further proved by the pitiful bounty that he had on his head, just barely enough for her to get through a few months. A true follower of Fate would have caused much more trouble, chaos being the only thing he left in his tracks. In essence what had happened to Konoha all those years ago before her brother had left and she had ended up injured in this damn desert. Years. It had taken years to recover after that trap, but she had survived and grown stronger still. The only thing Fate had managed to achieve with that is further expose himself and provide her with ample room to track his movements. After all wherever true chaos and sorrow could be found that is where he would most likely be.

The kunoichi couldn't help but giggle, her target mere meters in front of her now as he looked back, an expression of pure terror. His left hand was still hanging loosely at her side, his shoulder wrapped in a crimson-coloured cloth and multiple bruises covered all of his visible skin. No matter how much he quickened his pace he was wounded and slower than his pursuer. There was only one thing he could do, but it was a long shot. The man stopped in his tracks, quickly forming hand seals before turning and slamming his remaining hand down onto the ground, a huge casm opening just in front of him. Natsuru didn't have the time to react as she found herself in the centre of the opening. Her left hand shot down to her belt, drawing a single kunai and tossing it over at her target. A second giggle left her lips as the blade flew straight and true, piercing her target's neck in a spectacular display of gushing blood. She had managed to hunt him down, however there was one huge problem and that was the fact that she couldn't stop her fall. The sand was not a surface she could grip onto and the constant stream of it was stopping her from using chakra to latch onto the stone walls. "Tc."<i></i> Natsu would click her tongue once more just mere seconds before she got hit by one of the many falling rocks, everything going black mere moments later.

----
Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop. The distant noise caused her to stir as she slowly sat up, banging her head on the ceiling with enough force to cause the entire cavern to rumble. "Motherf......"<i></i> Natsuru would mumble as she brought her left hand up to rub the quickly growing bump on her head, quickly noticing the sticky substance covering her head - blood. By the looks it was old and it didn't seem like she was still bleeding, but that wasn't a good sign. And then there was the fact that she didn't know where she was. The former med nin glanced around, her eyes slowly getting used to the sheer darkness she had found herself in.

The more she looked around the clearer the picture became. She was in some sort of cavern. The walls were made of dark-grey rock and there was a small stream running through the middle of the corridor she was in. What originally seemed like a ceiling was actually a rather massive boulder that had fallen over her, just barely having avoided crushing her body. A close call indeed. Natsu slowly crawled out from underneath the rock formation, standing up and stretching in order to see whether there were any other injuries. From what she felt it didn't seem like anything was broken, however there was a rather large multitudes of sores and cuts littering most of her body, the worst of which being a deep cut on the side of her left torso. All in all nothing she couldn't fix once she got out of this place. There was only one problem with that, namely that there was no exit to be seen at all. The landslide caused by that blasted servant of Fate had been sealed by other huge boulders, which had previously been hidden underneath the sand and that had only left one small corridor for her to follow in the hopes of being able to get out of here.

[WC: 1269]

 

[Tomomi]

FORTUNE HAS NOT SMILED UPON YOU THIS DAY. YOU MAY SEARCH AGAIN IN 2 MONTHS!​

<i></i>

 

[Uka]

Well her day was certainly going fairly well. Then again she didn't even know if it was still the same day as when she ended up falling into this dark abyss. As she slowly began walking down the narrow path, Natsuru quickly noticed that she was fairly light-headed, which meant that she had lost more blood than she thought she had and on top of that the wound at her side had turned out to be much deeper than she had originally thought it was. All in all the day had gotten even better even now. On the bright side she had at least managed to take care of her targets, which was at least one thing that had gone her way.

The kunoichi kept her left hand on the wall, both allowing her to know she is moving forwards and in order to stabilise herself as her battered body refused to move the way she wanted to. The multitudes of small rocks covering the floor were also making her steps unsteady as she slid over them, falling down to the floor on a few occasions as she couldn't brace herself well enough. This resulted in a few more cuts and quickly possibly a small hole in her right hand, however it was rather difficult for her to guesstimate injuries when her entire body was screaming at her. ”Well you must be happy, Fate.”<i></i> Natsuru would mutter as she stopped for a few brief moments . The former doctor would take a few deep breaths before continuing her endless walk through the dark, damp tunnel until it suddenly opened up into a massive underground cavern. The sudden appearance of light blinded her for a while as her eyes readjusted. That was yet another sign that she had been down in the dark for a very long time, but that was a thought for another time.

Natsu would close her eyes for a few moments before slowly opening them, allowing her to finally manage to see where she was.

The sight was surprising to say the least. Unfortunately the light wasn't coming from outside, instead it was being emitted from the hundreds of cyrstal formations poking out of the stone walls, ceiling and floor. Frankly if she hadn't ended up here in the way she did this might actually have been one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen in her life, but now it served a rather cold and bitter dish of disappointment. Natsuru had hoped this was some form of exit, however that wasn't really the case. The woman let out a light huff as she studied her surroundings once more, her eyes falling upon a small undeground lake in the center of the room. So far she hadn't noticed how thirsty she had been, but now that water was within walking distance it was quickly showing.

Without really thinking about it too much she slowly made her way to the lake, staring at it for a few minutes before finally falling onto her arms and knees as she drank without even a second thought. Sand entered some of her wounds, but she didn't care. There was more than enough water for her to thoroughly clean them out afterwards, which was exactly what she set about doing as soon as she had satisfied her thirst. Now that there was enough light the true extent of her injuries had become rather apparent. Most of them were bruises and small to medium cuts, which would heal rather easily, however three things stood out the most – First the injury on her head wasn't in an area where she could look at herself, however at least it wasn't bleeding at this present moment in time. Considering she was able to walk it must not be that bad. Secondly when she fell she had managed to lodge a small and very sharp cylindrical pebble into her right hand almost completely piercing through her palm. Luckily it hadn't hit anything vital, so she just removed it. Lastly there was the injury to her side, which was rather gruesome now that she looked at it. Judging from the depth and size she must have hit some sharp rock along the wall as she fell down, because even though it wasn't heavily bleeding it was rather clear that it had reached as far as cutting into her muscle. All in all it was very bad. Natsuru could keep herself alive without much issue, but eventually she would run out of chakra and food, however the first priority now was to get some rest. It was quite likely that she had been walking through that tunnel for close to a day if her tiredness was a factor to be judged by. The young woman found herself a relatively level surface and laid down on the ground, looking up at the crystal-covered ceiling, letting out a prolonged huff.

[WC - 800 something]

 

[Tomomi]

After rolling, you unfortunately didn't find anything this time. However, you may search again in 2 months!​

 

[Uka]

Before she knew it the young woman had dozed off, her exhaustion having defeated her and who could blame her. She had managed to get herself injured fairly substantially. Unfortunatelly for her this was quite the bad thing. Without keeping her chakra manipulation going in order to keep her wounds closed she had lost even more blood. Sure it wasn't as bad as she thought, but she could have died fairly easily like this. Just her luck really.

Natsuru let out a light sigh, slowly standing up to avoid the feeling of dizziness that accompanied cases such as her own. It took a fair few minutes for her to stand back up fully. To say that her head was spinning was quite the understatement, but on the bright side her wounds had finally stopped bleeding, most probably the reason Natsu was still alive at this point. Unfortunatelly this was just a momentary respite. If she had to spring to action, that is if at all possible, the wounds would just plain rip open. She did have some ideas with regards to what to do if things went that far, but at the end of the day it was dangerous to say the least. Just her luck really.

The kunoichi let out a muffled chuckle, her throat having now completely died up. This prompted the former medic to limp down to the small lake, falling to her knees with agonizing pain shooting though her body as she did so, and began drinking thirstily. As funny as it might seem this was probably the best-tasting water she had ever drank, though that was likely just dehydration doing its thing.

When Natsuru had finally sated her thirst and stood up, just barely stopping herself from screaming out loud, she glanced around the opening once again in search of an exit out of this blasted place. After a good few minutes the kunoichi finally spotted another tunnel on the opposite side. Judging by the size of the cave and her condition it was safe to say it would take her a fairly substantial time to get there, however by the looks of it there was more than enough small likes for her to get by. With a final huff she headed off into the distance.

***

As difficuly as it was to tell the time she believed it had been at least a few hours since she left her previous location and currently she was somewhere around the middle of the way there. Walking had turned out to be much more difficult to be expected, considering she hadn't had anything to eat for a long while. She did have to check on the status of her wounds as well. With the light coming from all the crystal structures around her this was probably the best time for it. The medic stopped at the foot of one ot the small lakes and slowly began peeling the remainder of her clothes off of herself, the blood-soaked cloth clinging to her skin and pulling at her wounds, threatening to open them again. After a few moments Natsu gave up on that idea and glanced at the water to her side. It was probably the best way to deal with it, she thought and entered the pool slowly, allowing herself to soak in it for a few very long minutes. Oh how thankful she was that this was not salt water, but it was more than enough to get her clothes to ever so slightly detach from her skin.

Natsu slowly got out of the water and sat down on a nearby rock, continuing the endeavour and finally managing to get most of the mess off of her body. Surprisingly her shoes and undergarments were mostly undamaged, but her shirt and her left trouser had to be disposed off. Now that this was taken care of it was time to apply some more treatment. The kunoichi channeled a steady stream into her hand, the ever-so familiar glow taking over as she gently placed it over her side, trying to at least make sure it doesn't open up from her walking. Her leg was a secondary priority at least for the time being.

[Third time is the charm!]

[Using Discovery of Contract of Random Choice]

 

[Tomomi]

YOU HAVE FOUND THE KAMI CONTRACT! DO YOU ACCEPT OR DENY THIS CHALLENGE!​

 

[Uka]

Well then. This will be interesting. Let's do this!. I accept

 

[Shu]

The tantalizing water the the woman consumed started to make her vision swirl as she could see surroundings warp like a vertiginous sands storms of wind country. Her head began to be pressurized as if she had just come out of a rollercoaster. She had to find a good place to sit down and gather her composure. It was would be wrong assumption that the water that she had consumed may be riddle with a substance harmful human consumption or anything alive for that matter; still, this was an assumption. In reality, the water that she had drank contained massive amounts of devinesium, a component known to have massive amounts of spiritual energy. Fortunately, the woman was a trained kunochi and not common folk. Shinobi and kunochi alike were speciality trained in the art of manipulating chakra which was a subset energy source just like spiritual energy accept it was in a quantity that a mere chakra user was not regularly accustomed to.

The woman would find herself slowly loosing consciousness and finally everything turning black. For a moment there was nothing but darkness until she could feel something tapping her on the forehead. She would wake up to see a young boy looking down at her perplexed and riveted in fear accompanied by surroundings that she was not familiar with. She was no longer confined in a gray cave but rather in great green terrain. The sun's coruscant rays illuminated the scene around displaying the vastness of the land. It was as if she plopped in the middle of fire country.

"Hello Miss. Can you help me?" The boy said clutching what appeared to be a small booklet. The boy was around four feet tall perhaps between the ages of six to seven years old. His attire was rather plain with nothing but a simple shirt and blue shorts. His wore bright red sneakers that matched his white ball cap.

 

[Uka]

With ever second that passes she would feel her body growing heavier and heavier, her eyelids slowly began to close as she struggled to keep herself awake. It was clear to her that it wasn't due to overuse of chakra as this was nothing, but maybe her body was in a far worse shape than she herself thought. It was pointless. She couldn't keep herself awake. The former medic slowly laid back on the rock, allowing her body to relax as her mind quickly drifted away.

The first thing she noticed was the smell. It was completely different than the stale air within the cave. The second was the initially gentle tap on her forehead, which quickly grew more persistent. Thirdly was the gentle breeze. Natsuru would slowly open her eyes as pain quickly brought her back to reality and her instincts took over and she jumped up and away from the boy, sending a jolt of pain through her entire body which fortunately for her managed to stay together and she didn't manage to reopen her wounds quite yet. Her mind raced to process what was going on and she quickly determined that she was dreaming. There was absolutely no way she was somewhere other than that forsaken cave and there was nowhere near enough grass in the entire Wind Country to fill this space. Heck this looked a lot more like an area around Konoha. Then again the world of shinobi was interesting. No matter. She would know soon enough.

Her gaze would finally fall upon the boy, carefully studying him and the booklet if she could see it at all. "Who are you? And help with what?"<i></i> She would ask calmly, the pain she was feeling managing to sneak into her voice as it quavered. Something wasn't quite right here and she had to find out what it was, but considering that even in this dream her body wasn't back to tip top shape she had to find somewhere to sit down. Whilst still keeping an eye on the boy she would once more glance around, trying to find somewhere to sit down and allow her broken frame to rest as much as possible.

 

[Shu]

The young woman was bemused by the sudden appearance of this young boy, especially for him to inquired from someone who was clearly bewildered by her surroundings. She did not take any time to ask her own questions. The boy could sense that the woman was seething in pain as her voice was rough like a voice under a sandy storm. The boy turned down his head in deference to the woman's predicament. "I am sorry miss. I did not know you were hurt. My name is Fate. I am just lost my way I was hoping I could find someone to help me out but I think you need more help than I do." The boy responded. "I have some training from where I am from would you mind if I help you." The boy said with a winsome smile. He sounded like a nice kid just trying to find his way. Hopefully, the woman would be as welcoming as he has been so far.

He would attempt to dress his wounds as he laid his free hand across her side. His warm hand began to glow hot white as some strange energy began to move through her afferent vains like gentle poison. She would find her strength slowly coming back to her perhaps enough that she would be able to speak clearly. Who was this boy and what was this place. It certainly wasn't Kansas or any civilized world. Could she had died back in the dark cave? Questions that this boy may or may not be able to answer. One thing was clear that she wasn't not going to get anywhere alone.

The boy would step away from the woman still holding his red velvet book in his hands like a girl would be gripping her doll. This book must be important given how much attention he was giving it. "What is your name?" He asked.

 

[Uka]

Natusuru would slowly make her way over to a nearby tree, leaning against it as she slid down to the ground slowly, allowing her body to lean back as she carefully observed the body. Whilst it was more than clear that she was barely holding herself together her eyes would be clear, deep and alert. She might be in in state that didn't allow her to do anything, but her mind was running in overdrive. The kunoichi rested her head against the bark just as the boy began to speak, relaxing for a few moments before her entire body tensed up and her expression changed completely. Her smile was completely gone and replaced by a scowl, her eyes burrowing a hole through the boy. 'Fate?' She thought to herself over and over. This had to be a dream. Fate was no child. He was far older than her, but then again she knew very little of his abilities. Maybe he could infiltrate dreams or change his appearance? What if he was the one that brought her here? He just wanted to watch her suffer. That was it. Whether this was a reality or a dream he would love that. After all he had caused her so much pain so far and this was probably one of the worst states that she had ever found herself in.

The second he started to move towards her she would attempt to move back, but she was already pressed as far back against the tree as possible. "Stay... away... from me."<i></i> She would manage, pain just as apparent in her voice, but also something one would almost never hear from her - anger. For somebody who had been hiding everything behind a smile, whether it be fake or real, this was an impossibility. An unusual rarity.

[Option 1 - The boy stops and does not approach her]

Spoiler

Her gaze would be stuck onto the boy, completely ignoring everything else around her. Her breathing would become faster and faster, slowly creeping towards hyperventilation as her left hand dug into her thigh, four streams of blood quickly began running down her leg as she cursed her own injuries. Cursed her own inability to go after Fate. She wanted to, but she knew it was impossible for her right now. Even her brother in his prime couldn't do anything against this opponent. The way she was now... it would be a death sentence. Her entire existence would have been pointless if she threw it away. "So are you here to make fun of me? Ruining my life wasn't enough for you already? The abuse, my parents, the memory loss? Was that not enough?"<i></i> The kunoichi would pause in between each sentence, allowing it time to sink in, malice radiating in her voice alongside the rather clear pain. "You know full well who I am. Natsuru."<i></i> She would state a little bit more calmly, but her body language more than indicated she was ready to pounce if she could.

[Option 2 - The boy continues approaching her]

Spoiler

The kunoichi would muster all her strength, jumping to the side and away from the tree, the rough bark and branches scraping against her back as they bit into her skin. Just as she landed on the grass the sharp pain in her side made her curl up in pain for a few moments as the wound once more began to bleed. The sudden motion had ripped it open once more, worsening her condition even further and rendering her mostly immobile as she closed her eyes in a feeble attempt to wish away the pain. The boy would be able to freely approach her and do whatever he wished with her in this state as she once again lost conscience, fading into the darkness just as her life force did. It would be a good while before she came back to, jumping back into a sitting position and noting the change rather quickly. Whilst she wasn't healed yet it was more than clear that she was better than before. 'What did he do?' She thought as she quickly tried to find where Fate was.

Her eyes would fall upon him once more, anger and hatred filling her gaze quickly. "You know full well who I am. Natsuru. Did you come here to gloat? Well enjoy the show. Finish it if you wish. It will just be one pursuer less for you, wouldn't it? Losing just another plaything you messed with for so long."<i></i> Pain would still be present in her voice, but it was much easier for her to talk thank it had been before.

 

[Shu]

After the young boy announced his name, the gentle smile of the woman melted away like caustic wax on a candle stick. Her emotions burned with like the screams of conflagrations. She had dreamed, no she was destined to meet this legendary creature called Fate. At least, Fate was someone that she believed but not like obsequious zealots rather like an angry terrorist who would sacrifice her life to obliterate the enemy. Ironically, the boy was not the enemy she envisioned, in fact a child was not who she thought Fate to be. Perhaps his appearance was an illusion to ossify her and bind her into his clutches or her imaginations were nothing more than just imaginations.

The boy stopped approaching the woman as she watched her franticly move back against the tree beside her. The pain blurred her sense of balance as she slide across the bark making the wound that stretched against her leg worse. The woman was rendered unconsciousness but only for a few minutes before rising up bewildered by the sudden spur of energy circulating through her body. The boy could be seen sitting in the cool graze waiting patiently for the woman to awaken.

Her voice quivered but still filled with anger as she inquired why the boy had come to her. Was it to gloat or trick her into submission?

"Natsuru-san. I am sorry I frighten you. This is the first time we have met...I think it is." The boy said pensively tapping the tongue of the blue ball cap. "You must be mistaken me for someone else but I don't think you should exert yourself too much, the healing will be disrupted if you continue to push yourself."

The boy stood up shaking the strands of grass from his shorts. "I think we can work something out. If you help me get back to my village I can bring you to our chief. I am sure he will help you with anything you need. Deal?"

 

[Uka]

The former medic couldn't help but chuckle, sending pain through her body as this was more than enough to trigger the pain receptors around the wound on her abdomen. This was slowly but surely turning more and more confusing. WAs her mind playing tricks on her or was this reality. Her fainting was a rather substantial clue, but then again who knew what her mind could be playing on her due to the rather horrendous state her body was in. This could all just be a figment of her imagination just as it could be reality. The possibility was not one she would pass up, however this could all just be a trap as well, one she would just walk into if she wasn't careful about ever litte detail.

If she believed what this kid, this thing in front of her then everything would be brilliant, however Fate had managed to mess with her more than enough so far. After all what other reason would her parents have to abuse her like that other than being coerced by somebody, by Fate. She knew that was not the case. That it was just them trying to not make the same mistake again and instead making a far, far worse one, but she didn't want to believe it. There had to be some other reason, one that was standing right in front of her and one she couldn't deal with right now. That however didn't mean she couldn't gather as much information as possible for later. She could follow him, however that might be quite dangerous.

The kunoichi would close her eyes for a few moments, throwing caution at the wind as she continued to consider her options. Even with her desire to destroy the target in front of her she knew it would be pointless. She would barely be able to catch up to him, let alone actually do anything right now. It would be best to play a little game of tricking one another. If she could find his actual location she could go and visit that place. If this dream was nothing more than a nightmare then she wouldn't be able to find him again and nothing would happen. If it wasn't... then this was a lot more dangerous. Natsu would let out a prolonged huff, slowly standing up and opening her eyes to look at the boy, the same hint of hatred still fairly visible. "Very well. I am already at your mercy as is."<i></i> She would note with a sour hint in her voice. "But be warned if you corner a wild animal it will not hesitate to bite. Lead the way."<i></i> Natsu would upnod to signal for him to lead the way. One of three things was going to happen. A) She was going to fall into a trap and get killed, which was likely to happen by itself; B) She would find a way to locate fate once again if she survived; C) She would find an opportune moment and take him with her.

 

[Shu]

The boy frowned. He didn't understand why this young woman had so much contempt with him. It wast true that the boy standing before her was Fate; however, it was untrue that all her hate to this young boy was warranted. Fate was a child that at part of tribe of people called the Faithful or at least that is what legends call them. They are old ancient spirits that observe and record the events of both the spiritual and physical realm. Some one would say they are like the beastly owls who lock themselves away with their esoteric knowledge; but others would say that they were one of the few spirits who were not afraid to have personal encounters with humanity. Of course, all of this was hearsay no one really knew or full understand the spiritual world or its inhabitants even those who venture into the lands before or after death. There was always something new to learn and hopefully this day both Natsu and Fate would learn something today.

For sometime the two were taciturn not feeling the urge to speak to one another. The only sound that could be heard was the calm breeze that blew across the terrain. The temperature had began to drop slightly as they began to leave the green terrain closer to the forest. The boy was on the woman's right side keeping very close to her as fear slowly crept to him. He never really ventured into the forest without his clansman. Fate was still very young spirit among his clan as he was still learning about his place in the clan and the world.

"Natsu-san, why do you hate me so much?" The boy inquired as his deep blue eyes looked up into her. She was so much taller than him like a man glaring at the large tree that seemed to reached to the glorious heaven filled with wonder. The boy was filled with wonder but also fear. He was starting to doubt if bringing this woman along was a good idea. The boy sighed as he looked on the ground with crestfallen. He felt himself clutching his arms trying to warm himself up perhaps due to wind that continue to flow through the forest or the fear of not knowing what to do.

 

[Uka]

The kunoichi would slowly make her way forward, her gaze burning a hole through the boy as she considered what to do. Even with all her injuries she was more than willing to endanger herself. What would all those insane missions be if she wasn't ready to do at least this much? With every passing moment she steeled her resolve even more. Should she just get it over with? She would likely die, but maybe she could get him as well? The only person who would miss her would be Kazuki. As much as the thought of causing him grief pained her this was probably the one only opportunity she would get in order to deal with this cursed creature.

The drop in temperature didn't even phase her, as her anger boiled within her, growing with every passing second, with every millimeter that the boy closed between them. She was bearing with it for the time being, but it was only a matter of time before it spilled over. And spill over it did. That question. That feigned ignorance was more than enough for her to finally snap. It didn't matter if it ended badly for her. This had to be done. She burst out into a fit of laughter as she stopped, turning to face Fate, her one and only real objective in this life. "You don't need to bother provoking me. Manipulating my parents into abusing me was more than enough to anger me, believe me."<i></i> Natsuru would begin, her pure rage spilling out into her words. Gone was her everlasting smile and cheery attitude and all that was left was pure hatred.

She would attempt to grab the boy by the collar, raising him up in the air. Even if that would likely end up causing her injuries to open it didn't matter at all. She had made up her mind. "Oh but that wasn't enough. It got worse and worse. You had to keep manipulating them. You had to force them to that encounter. You had to force them to fight my beloved brother. The one person immune to your poisonous influence."<i></i> The kunoichi would reach down to her left thigh, trying to find her kunai holster, but it wasn't there. It had likely been lost during the fall. She cursed her luck before continuing, her grip tightening to the point of her knuckles turning pure white as her fingers slowly began digging into her palm. "You had to do everything else after that as well. It wasn't enough. No. You had to enjoy my suffering more. You had to force the Daimyo to attack the village, to destroy the tree. You had to get everyone I knew, everyone I cared about get killed. I only have my cousin and brother left. Nobody else. All because of you and I almost lost that as well. I am tired of your games. I don't care if I die as well, but you will pay for everything."<i></i> Her voice would slowly rise until she was at the point of shouting.

The kunoichi would then toss the boy into one of the trees with full force, her muscles screaming at her to stop, but completely overridden by the desire to end this little game. "Any last words?"<i></i> She would ask, a manic grin spreading across her face as she picked up a rock from the ground as a weapon.

 

[Shu]

The whole ordeal left the young boy disconcerted as the woman's caustic emotions burned through the him. Her feelings erupted in a fit of uncontrollable laughter as if suddenly turning into a manic. Clearly, Natsu was left to her own devices for to her long mutating her mind to an unhealthy mental state or at least that is what it appeared to be, perhaps, Fate was merely a scapegoat to deal with the issues that she was dealing with.

She would continue to ensnare the boy with her words as more allegations flew out of her. She suggested that it was Fate who ruined her and it was Fate that forced her to disowned own beloved brother. Everything that has happened and everything that will happen was due to him. A single boy. How ridiculous could she be to attest that a single child could be ultimately responsible for the misery that was bestowed upon her.

She tired to grab the boy and raise in the air like a trophy as if she was congratulating herself a job well done for defeating her enemy. The boy did not resist as his legs dangled in the air before his small body was thrown toward the trees. His body laid their limp for a moment.

"I hope throwing me like a doll made you feel better." The boy said as he sprung up like a spring with energy. "I really wished I remember the things I did. There is a reason why I am regressed to the statue of a child. All I remember was that I was punished for doing something but I just don't remember what that was. My clan has put it upon ourselves to observe everything but we are not to interfere like our youkai cousins. My clansman said I broke of these tenants. I have been trying to put the pieces of my past to find out who I was and find repentance for the things I have done. I understand if you wish to kill me, Natsu-san but I promise you I will repay you."

Fate picked up his red velvet book and thrust it in the air. "This book has all the memories that I have being able to put together about myself. You can say it is my life blood that connects me to you and everything around you. I know that I am not permitted to get involve with your life but there is nothing stopping you from getting involved in mine. Stay with me, Natsu. I am sure you will get something good from it this time."

He was only few feet away from the woman who was still holding the rock. He was offering his book as a peace offering to the woman trying to kill him.

humorous to think that silly object would do harm to such an ancient spirit like Fate. Obviously, the erudite creature was greater in power compared to Natsu, especially in her weaken state. The woman was acting irrationally blinded by her anger and not seeing the bigger picture. It was possible that Fate was responsible for some of the things that had happen but it is possible that some of the good things would not have been possible without Fate.