Post by Raioishi Tenrai on Apr 8, 2007 23:52:27 GMT -5
The brief flash was Mezatoi Kaisa's first warning. The explosion just ahead of her flung her back, slamming her into a tree. She didn't hear the crack of her wrist over the commotion. Dazed, she remained where she was, in front of a large dent in said tree, as the smoke cleared. The camp was utterly destroyed. Small fires crackled in spots, shedding light on the blackened ground. A few lumps were all that remained in the now-enlarged clearing. Two lay next to each other, and, biting back tears, Kaisa recognized them. Her teammates would never wake.
The sound of her stifled sobs attracted the attention of the jeering men scattered around the camp. With a start, she realized what it would mean if no word returned to Konoha about the organization they had uncovered so recently. Grief would have to wait. Struggling to her feet, now noticing the fierce burning in her wrist and seeing the angle at which it hung, she turned and fled the scene of destruction.
As curses and heavy footsteps followed her, Kaisa took to the trees, not bothering to pause and balance but using the extra forwards motion to leap to the next branch. She cursed, echoing her pursuers, as they slowly gained. At this rate, she would be caught before long and she was days away from the village. With a broken wrist, she could form no seals, and she knew, at this point, nothing effective that needed none. Nothing that would work against this many. She didn't bother to count. No, she needed a different plan.
Fortunately, one came to her, and she dug her uninjured hand into the first of many pockets. Scooping out the contents, a variety of things, she flung them behind her. Louder curses announced that she had hit the nearest of them. Grinning grimly, she continued, emptying each pocket and sending the insides backwards. As she worked, she used the lessening of weight to increase her speed. Now, if she could keep the pace long enough, she could outrun them.
Hours passed. Kaisa could feel herself tiring, but continued onwards. One by one, her tail had thinned, and now only one remained. He was a stubborn one, and Kaisa needed something more. Her questing fingers closed about a kunai she had left. Releasing it, she reached into her almost-empty pocket of exploding seals and removed the last one. A finger hooked and withdrew the knife. Carefully manipulating the two weapons, she managed to wrap the note around the blade without tripping or falling. She waited until she was sure that he was behind her, then tossed the kunai.
Hearing the explosion and short-lived scream, Kaisa plowed on. Eventually, her exhaustion caught up with her as her pursuers had not, and she reluctantly stopped to rest, under the raised roots of a twisted and knarled tree. Rising before the dawn, she resumed her pace back to Konoha.
When she finally had the gates in sight, Kaisa allowed herself to sigh in relief. Having walked the last day on the ground, she managed to walk inside. She would have been immensely grateful to the shoulder offered before she had seen her friends die, and took it, though her battered face showed no emotion. Not now. Perhaps not ever.
Waking in the hospital room a fair while later was nice, at first. Then reality struck and drove her back into hell. Her wrist was bandaged, and it was a bit sore still. Some time later, another Chuunin entered. He wasn't really a friend, but they didn't not get along either. Apparently, she had to go back, show them were it had started, retrieve their bodies. Kaisa insisted internally that she didn't care. Her soul was numb, frozen, beyond pain, she told herself. And so she ended up going back, footing the same trail that she had limped back on so recently. Back to where scorched corpses lay, unmarked except by Konoha forehead protectors.
The sound of her stifled sobs attracted the attention of the jeering men scattered around the camp. With a start, she realized what it would mean if no word returned to Konoha about the organization they had uncovered so recently. Grief would have to wait. Struggling to her feet, now noticing the fierce burning in her wrist and seeing the angle at which it hung, she turned and fled the scene of destruction.
As curses and heavy footsteps followed her, Kaisa took to the trees, not bothering to pause and balance but using the extra forwards motion to leap to the next branch. She cursed, echoing her pursuers, as they slowly gained. At this rate, she would be caught before long and she was days away from the village. With a broken wrist, she could form no seals, and she knew, at this point, nothing effective that needed none. Nothing that would work against this many. She didn't bother to count. No, she needed a different plan.
Fortunately, one came to her, and she dug her uninjured hand into the first of many pockets. Scooping out the contents, a variety of things, she flung them behind her. Louder curses announced that she had hit the nearest of them. Grinning grimly, she continued, emptying each pocket and sending the insides backwards. As she worked, she used the lessening of weight to increase her speed. Now, if she could keep the pace long enough, she could outrun them.
Hours passed. Kaisa could feel herself tiring, but continued onwards. One by one, her tail had thinned, and now only one remained. He was a stubborn one, and Kaisa needed something more. Her questing fingers closed about a kunai she had left. Releasing it, she reached into her almost-empty pocket of exploding seals and removed the last one. A finger hooked and withdrew the knife. Carefully manipulating the two weapons, she managed to wrap the note around the blade without tripping or falling. She waited until she was sure that he was behind her, then tossed the kunai.
Hearing the explosion and short-lived scream, Kaisa plowed on. Eventually, her exhaustion caught up with her as her pursuers had not, and she reluctantly stopped to rest, under the raised roots of a twisted and knarled tree. Rising before the dawn, she resumed her pace back to Konoha.
When she finally had the gates in sight, Kaisa allowed herself to sigh in relief. Having walked the last day on the ground, she managed to walk inside. She would have been immensely grateful to the shoulder offered before she had seen her friends die, and took it, though her battered face showed no emotion. Not now. Perhaps not ever.
Waking in the hospital room a fair while later was nice, at first. Then reality struck and drove her back into hell. Her wrist was bandaged, and it was a bit sore still. Some time later, another Chuunin entered. He wasn't really a friend, but they didn't not get along either. Apparently, she had to go back, show them were it had started, retrieve their bodies. Kaisa insisted internally that she didn't care. Her soul was numb, frozen, beyond pain, she told herself. And so she ended up going back, footing the same trail that she had limped back on so recently. Back to where scorched corpses lay, unmarked except by Konoha forehead protectors.
