Kaori Hatake

Chapter Thirty - One

Kaori's Point Of View:

"Your ramen is the best as always," I said to the ramen guy from Ichiraku ramen. I paid him and stepped outside of the stand. I sensed an enemy aura. I had to warn the jounin. They had to know. I searched the entire town for anyone, but I came up empty handed. Where was everyone? I returned to the ramen shop, but they, too, had disappeared. It was a ghost town. What was happening?

"Convinient for you to be alone." I whipped around, and Madara was in my face. His sharingan squinted at me, and it was then when I realized what was going on. I was caught in his genjutsu. A tremor shook my body.

"What do you want?"

"I have a special offer." He took my jaw lengthwise between his pointer and thumb.

"No."

"Will you join the Akatsuki?"

"N-"

"Before you say no, let me explain, and then take your time to think it over." I stayed silent. "It's not fair for a beautiful girl like yourself to be treat like this. You deserve so much more than what they have given you. Join me, Kaori. I will protect you. I will show you the world. I will make sure, with all of my power, that Kakashi never steps foot anywhere near you again."

He spat my father's name in disgust, but it seemed a little fake. It made me question if this was the same Madara whom everyone has always feared. However, why does he want me, specifically?

"What do you get in return?"

"You."

"What about me?"

"You will get me into that school, so I can get what I need."

"What do you need, exactly?"

"Memories and something else. I will show you when I get it." I closed my eyes. What is my nindo? I haven't the slightest idea. Although, I think this goes against it. I sighed heavily, watching Madara head towards the school, and I ended up numbly following behind. "Do you know what your father's grading scale is?"

"Whoever abandons a mission is scum. Whoever abandons their friends is even worse than scum," I said. "He grades them based on the lunch they get. If they leave the third starve, they are worse than scum. If they feed the third, they pass. Teamwork. Never leave anyone behind."

"I see. Well, we are here. Now open the door." I sighed heavily, slowly opening the door. This felt wrong. I was betraying my village. I didn't feel right doing this. I don't want to go through with this. Madara disappeared into thin air as soon as I opened the door. I walked inside, tracing the walls of the lonely walls that I once knew. I sighed, picking up a discarded headband. It seemed to be a trashed, semi - worn-out headband.

"Madara?" I called out. He appeared before me. "I'm going to my place for a few minutes. I'm going to leave my kinoichi headband there and keep this one." He carefully watched me lay it on the table and take out a blade. I carved a line through my home's symbol, almost bursting into tears. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a ruby gem. I gazed at him curiously.

"It's a healing gem. Quite the size, however." He put it back into his cloak, and followed me to my house. I snuck into my bedroom, carefully laying my headband on my pillow. I crumbled to my knees.

"Don't break now," a faint voice whispered. I tensed. Doana...

"Let's go," Madara urged. I took a deep breath before tailing him out of the village.

I decided to name the other beast Nemaku. Ne from neko (cat), ma from kuma (bear), k from neko and kuma, and u from inu (dog). He was actually a lot more calm inside of me. He felt like a completely different beast. He could still turn a 180 again, so I had to keep my guard up.

"Why do you want me?" I asked Madara. I tied the new headband around my head. I escaped from him before with Itachi's help, and now I'm willingly going back with him. What was my problem? I was doubting my every step. The farther away I got, the more suffocating this trip became.

"Kaori!" I instantly stopped and looked behind me. Madara stood on the same branch as me. Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, and Lee had determined looks on their faces. Naruto stepped forward carefully. "Kaori, I know you're upset, but this isn't the way to go." I almost breathed in relief to see them and return to their side, but Madara wrapped his hand firmly around my neck from behind.

"Leave her be," Gaara said lowly, readying his sand.

"Kakashi's girl will do what her father could not." His cool stare at them sent shivers down my spine.

"Madara," Sasuke seethed.

"Let Kaori go," Lee demanded.

"She's a fine speciman, isn't she, jinchuurikis?" Madara asked, running his other hand down my arm. Gaara narrowed his eyes, and Naruto gritted his teeth. I swallowed thickly. The Uchiha that had a hold of me dodged an incomming kunai knife.

"Leave my daughter go." Tears welled up in my eyes. Dad's sharingan was on full display. He sent another one my way, and I flinched when it almost hit me. Madara decided to use me as an unnecessary human shield.

"You wouldn't want to hit your precious girl, now would you? Kakashi?" Dad's eyes slitted in anger. Right then and there, I fgured out my nindo.

"Blood runs thicker than water," I stated. The boys seemed surprised at my statement. Madara's genjustu on me had finally worn off. "That is my nindo. My ninja way." I swipped at his legs, tripping him off his feet. I discretely stole the gem as he disappeared. I ripped off the headband, teleporting it to my treehouse as my dad engulphed me in a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry, Kaori," Dad mumbled. "I should have never yelled at you."

"If you don't be stern, we'll never learn," I whispered.

"I can't believe I let him get you this far away from the village."

"Daddy, I'm okay," I mumbled. Tears perked in his eyes at that statement. He held me tighter. I pulled out the gem. "I...uhm...believe this goes to the school." He smiled under his mask. He cupped my cheeks gently, giving me his signature eskimo kisses, and I giggled.

"You're my girl," he whispered gently.

1090 words.