(Tim Seltzer, seltzer@seltzerbooks.com) Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do not own Wedding Peach.
I do not own any great quantity of money or property. I'm a STUDENT; that's
why I'm poor, okay?
Sakura's eyes slowly opened. She was dressed in a white hospital-robe.
Several cuts on her body were cleansed and covered with ointment. A few
bandages laced her arms and legs.
A blond elf pried the demon's arms off of Sakura. "Sakura-san has a
need to BREATHE," Minoru stated to Potamos. He then turned his eyes to
the patient. "Sakura-san, how do you feel?"
"Potamos? Minoru-san?" Sakura mumbled. She noticed that Momoko, Yousuke,
Scarlett, and Hinagiku were also in the hospital ward. "...What happened?"
The kunoichi's thoughts turned back to the last scene she saw. 'That's
right... Takuji's entire body started to glow green and...'
"I... lost?" she asked.
"Yup," Hinagiku said. "Sorry that my son did that to ya'. I would have
him come in now, but the doctors are bandaging up his shoulder."
"Sakura, you fought well," Momoko said.
Sakura's face remained blank. She had expected this to happen, sooner
or later. Takuji was an awesome fighter. Yet she couldn't help but worry,
that —
"Sakura..." Yousuke had to grin a little. "If you're still hung up about
being transferred to the human realm, you don't have to worry about that
anymore."
Sakura looked up. A light of hope?
"Yup, Sacchan!" Potamos punched the air in triumph. "I heard everything
those officials said! Members of the committees came in while you were
knocked out to tell Mr. and Mrs. Fuuma that you won't get transferred to
the human realm. You were just too good for a normal human — took them
long enough to guess that. So that means you get to stay here with MEEEE!!"
Scarlett's mouth was two, blood-red slits.
Yousuke rolled his eyes. "Um... yeah. What she said."
Yousuke and Scarlett hated the water-demon with a passion, especially
in regards to her actions during the Great War. Sure: even they, Viento
of the Fuuma-Zoku and Super Love-Angel Salvia, could treat her incarnated
form with civility. Potamos had no memory of her previous life.
But still, they did not like being around her. With that artificial
reincarnation, the worst possible thing about Potamos came back to haunt
them: her personality. That was it — Yousuke and Scarlett despised Potamos'
morbid cuteness.
Sakura, meanwhile, was relieved that the entire tournament was over
for her. She was a little downcast that she lost, but she had gone far,
and she was proud of herself. 'Plus, those damnable committees are off
my heels. I'm FREE!!!'
"Sakura, you did very well in the tournament," Scarlett congratulated.
"You even made it to the Final Four. And there is no shame in losing to
Takuji-kun."
"Although I have to ask him about that last move..." Hinagiku muttered,
her arms crossed. "I had no idea he trained for it."
"What was that attack, anyway?" Sakura asked.
"It's an aura attack, called the Shi Shi Houkoudan," Minoru explained.
"It is generated from the depression of the user. The energy merely knocked
you out; thank God. It was not strong enough to damage your flesh or internal
organs."
Sakura gave a mental shudder. If that ki attack had been more concentrated,
it could definitely have given her something worse. But what concerned
her more was the very idea that the son of Takurou and Hinagiku would do
such an attack. An attack made from depression?
"Do you still need to rest here, Sakura?" Momoko asked. "The doctors
said that you're fine, but if you feel like staying..."
"Get me out of here," Sakura quickly said. "...please." She had attended
the hospital-shrines long enough, and had grown tired of its cuisine. After
all, hospital food in this dimension was vile as at home.
Scarlett raised a halting hand. "You're not leaving just yet, Sakura.
I must talk with you. Momoko, Fuuma-kun, I think you should stay. Minoru,
Potamos, you are dismissed."
Potamos whined. "But I wanna —"
"DISMISSED."
Minoru dragged the water-demon out of the ward. "Don't cross Angel Salvia,
devil-child."
"Awww..."
The door slid shut. Scarlett rolled her eyes, and turned back to Sakura.
"Sakura... Now that the tournament is over, I think it's time for me to
teach you iaido, as well as kendo."
Sakura blinked. "Iaido?"
"As you already know, iaido, or the art of sword-drawing, is often practiced
in conjunction with kendo. We'll have to rearrange your schedule at the
dojo a little. But I think you need to specialize more in swordsmanship.
You have a long road ahead, so you might as well get started."
"But my classes with Hinagiku-sensei..."
"Not ALL of her classes," Scarlett firmly reassured. "You will spend
one-and-a-half hours in her dojo, instead of the normal three hours. Our
sessions will be longer, and I expect you to train at least five hours
per day on your own with your katana. You will need to develop your sword-fighting
skills and aura better if you want to get back to the Ninja world as soon
as possible."
Sakura's jaw dropped. She was not so much baffled about the physical
over-load she was about to undertake — after all, ninja missions could
last anywhere from a couple of hours to months. What shocked her more was
that there was a real possibility for her to go back home.
"Go back to the world of Shinobi?" 'It's about time!'
Potamos charged towards the tree. She had recently finished her classes
at the Ninja Mansion, and now she was practicing the tree-climbing exercise
Sakura taught her. The water-demon was getting better. She didn't have
to use a knife to mark her progress; her water did the trick.
Potamos had no idea that she was just one result of an experimental
spell. This spell was now banned, classified under "forbidden magic". It
took an unbelievable amount of aura for the user; it killed more than half
of the well-trained magicians who attempted it.
After the Great War ended, most of the demon countries gave in to the
truce, war-beaten and tired. Bitter feelings still lingered, both in the
angel realm and demon realm. Yet the majority of both just wanted it to
end in peace. The only country that wanted to hold up was the country of
the fire-demons.
The beings of fire launched out attacks against its neighboring countries,
calling them traitorous. The angels offered help, but only a minority of
them were allowed to join. The demons also had their pride. Meanwhile,
the resurrection spell was invented by a magician living in the Rifts.
The news of this enchantment was picked up by an angel spy.
Pretty soon, the water-demons were accused of not participating enough
in the civil war. Diplomats counter-argued that the water-demons' numbers
had been greatly reduced during the Great War. As a surprise 'gift', the
angels decided to try the new experiment on a few water-demon women who
were barren. And if they just brought back the particularly powerful ones,
sending in angels would not be so necessary against the fire rebels.
What the enchantment basically did was: it isolated and brought back
the soul of a dead person, as long as enough of their ki remained in the
spot they died. When the 'essence' was captured, it would be infused with
a vitality charm, then get implanted into the uterus of the same species-being.
Thus, only a water-demon in a water-demon, only a sprite in a sprite, etc.
The complex process was sort of like making a spiritual clone. The reincarnated
subject would have all of their past memories erased — yet they would strangely
develop similar quirks and likings.
In her new life, Potamos was raised by her mother and her mother's brother.
She was five year's old when that incident happened.
(( "Mommy, what are we doing?"
Her mother held Potamos by the hand. "We're going on a trip, Honey."
She glanced at her brother. "Are you sure this will work?" she whispered
to him. The three were all dressed as run-away human peasants.
"It will, Watercress," he answered, not loud enough for Potamos to hear.
"It had better, anyway. That's why she was born."
After walking for three weeks, they reached a flat desert. A group of
bandits watched them from above. The leader raised the signal.
"Here they come." Potamos' uncle smirked. As they drew nearer, he and
his sister ran, with Potamos slung over his back. Watercress fell behind,
with the stampede of bandits coming towards her. This was all an act —
his sister could fight them off if they got too close. What they needed
was for Potamos to awaken her full powers.
"Mommy!" Potamos screamed. "Uncle, Mommy's still there!"
"They won't hurt her," he said.
"YES they will!!" the little girl shrieked.
Her uncle looked at Potamos, and he smiled. "Okay. We've got to go in
there and kill them. We'll protect Mommy."
He ran back to his sister, just in time to cover her.
"Potamos, you've got to freeze them!" he yelled at the child.
"Freeze?" The five-year-old was panicking as she guarded her mother.
The riders were coming.
Potamos shot her trembling hand towards them. She was doubting herself:
she could only freeze water, one cup at a time. How could she do the same
to these scary people — in a dry, waterless desert, no less?
"DO IT, Potamos! Or your mother will get KILLED!!"
Potamos' eyes widened. 'Killed. Killed.' The words repeated in her mind.
When she snapped back into reality, she saw the lead bandit aim an arrow
at her and Watercress.
"DON'T YOU DARE HURT MY MOMMY!!!" Potamos screamed.
The leader got the full brunt of the magic: a large ball of water materialized
in Potamos' hands, and shot it at him. The blast absorbed quickly into
him — his face turned a sickly white. His hand grasping the bow froze shut
around it.
Potamos' uncle materialized a spear of ice in his hands. He threw it
at the frost-bitten rider. This was no illusion: it stabbed through the
rider's chest, tearing apart and stilling his heart. He fell from his horse
like a statue. The half-frozen body landed on the ground with a soft thump.
The bandits realized that this family was composed of celestials. They
sounded out the retreat.
Potamos' eyes were locked on the bloody, stiff carcass. A new, yet so
familiar thrill seeped into the little girl's heart. She created another
ball of water in her hands, and was prepared to shoot it after the rest
of the bandits.
"That's enough, Potamos." A hand touched her shoulder. Watercress smiled
at the little girl — yet she looked so sad. Potamos did not understand
her mother's reaction, but she obeyed. "Our trip is over. We have to leave
this place now." ))
The resurrection spell came at a high political price. When this information
leaked out to the fire-demons, it angered them even further. The angels,
in essence, modified the laws of nature and rebirth set by the gods. And
anger was what made fire-demons reckless and powerful. They increased their
forces against the water-demon country. A troop penetrated the village
where Potamos lived.
(( Potamos sobbed in her mother's chest. The two were hiding in the
stable. "Mommy..."
"Shhhh," Watercress hushed to her daughter. She had killed off about
ten fire-demons before she ran into the house, and pulled Potamos with
her to hide in the stable. She cast an anti-fire barrier on the room —
it would probably last about six hours. Hopefully, the enemy would be satisfied
with seeing only a pile of ash, not noticing the life it held underneath.
"You must be quiet, Potamos, and wait for Uncle to come save us. If
by any chance they find you, then RUN. Kill them if you need to — but run,
okay?"
The aura of Watercress was nearly depleted. Her normally sleek, dark-purple
hair was burned up. All that was left of it was a charred scalp.
Many burns covered her skin. Despite the pain, she gave a smile to her
purple-haired daughter. "Potamos, I love you. I am so glad to have had
you in my life... You are my baby."
Her eyes closed as she hugged Potamos for one last time. In a burst
of blue sparkles, her body disappeared. Potamos' arms went through the
space her mother occupied just a second ago.
It sunk in. Her mother was gone. This was how demons died — what was
left of their bodies would re-join nature.
"Mommy…"
Potamos' uncle burst into the room. He was clad in his full battle uniform.
He noticed the presence of his sister's ice-spell, and guessed that they
were hiding here.
"Watercress! Potamos!" he yelled out.
"Uncle..." The little girl sobbed from below.
He looked down, and realized that his niece was totally alone. That
could only have meant one thing.
He grabbed Potamos' hand. Now was not the time to mourn for his sister.
They had to run. ))
Potamos still thought of her mother, although she stopped talking about
her a long time ago. She missed her uncle. She would do anything to see
either of them again.
She remembered how beautiful her mother looked right before she died,
even with blood and third-degree burns all over her body. It was as if
the woman laughed at death, and took it willingly. This was another reason
why Potamos enjoyed fighting: she had a chance to see her mother's face
again, in other people.
Of course, Potamos had to sift it out from the many opponents she encountered.
And was ever so difficult to accomplish. Most of her peers simply got cold
feet — literally and figuratively — when they went up against her. Potamos
rarely was impressed with the teenage warriors in civilized country, but
she had to fight them if she wanted to get higher up. For the present,
she had to be in an ordered society for her to keep on living. Minerva
was one such society. At her present state of chakra control and lack of
family, none of the realms would accept the young water-demon.
Potamos wanted to taste both love and blood. She wanted to visit her
uncle. She wanted to become a spy and assassin for a government. This was
why she trained at the Ninja Mansion.
Most of her teachers, of course, thought that her goals were too high.
She showed no signs of control whatsoever, and she was too cheerful to
spy without being noticed. A warrior and an assassin each required different
skills, and Potamos was extremely deficient in the latter. She could kill
on a whim, yes — but there was no point if you were going to get caught.
The only reason why she was not kicked out of the Ninja Mansion was because
the city pressured the school to keep her. She was too restless and dangerous
of a creature.
And then, Haruno Sakura came along. This human girl was a real ninja,
who used any means to bring down her victims. When Sakura fought Potamos
all-out, and then complimented her on her skills, the water-demon was ecstatic.
This was her opportunity; she begged Sakura to help her train. Not only
did Potamos find a new teacher; she found a new friend as well.
'Mommy, Uncle, Sacchan! I'm doing okaaaay!' Potamos wanted to yell this
out to the whole world as she sprinted up the trunk.
She slipped, and landed carefully onto the ground. Her yellow cat-eyes
glinted as she took note of the markings. She made it half-way up the tree.
Sakura drew Tennyo out of its scabbard. She was dressed in her newly-bought
montsuki and hakama. It was about time, too — she had been practicing kendo
in her normal clothes for nearly a month, and now she was starting iaido.
This loose-fitting uniform felt much more comfortable to practice in than
her red dress.
'Mom and Dad,' Sakura prayed as she carefully pulled out her katana,
'I will do whatever to come back to you.'
She reviewed her kendo moves. Swordsmanship felt different, yet so natural,
for Sakura. All her life, she had been trained as a ninja, with kunai and
all sorts of small weapons which could be easily hidden. Now she studied
to be a samurai.
It was almost a contradiction in terms. In theory, a shinobi gave the
mission the utmost importance, while a samurai fought for honor and justice.
In many ways, their beliefs were often exact opposites to one another.
Of course, Sakura noted to herself, real life was a different matter.
Many ninja had a sense for honor and justice, and samurai could twist their
bushido to justify any action. Some samurai even killed off their own peasants
for fun, claiming that they were being disrespectful. 'Those morons!'
And the various Kage and high-ranked ninja avoided starting wars, even
sacrificing their lives to prevent them.
So in a way, there was nothing wrong with Sakura learning kendo and
iaido. It might take her several months — or years — to get back to the
Ninja World. But she wanted that wormhole open as soon as possible. She
had friends and family over there: end of the discussion. If she had to
get stronger in a non-shinobi way, so be it.
Sakura carefully put Tennyo back in its scabbard.
Now it was time to test her iaido. She had to draw the sword out, quickly,
gracefully, and efficiently. Sakura cleared her mind.
Her green eyes snapped open. Her right hand drew out the katana in the
fast, stylized motion of iaido.
Her first attempt was not bad — but it wasn't good, either. A tiny cut
formed on her left palm. Her left hand held the opening of the sheath,
and so her palm had been very close to the blade itself.
Sakura winced. She examined the cut on her left hand. 'It's my first
iaido move with Tennyo, and I end up hurting myself...'
A twig snapped from behind her. Sakura quickly turned around, making
a kendo stance to the intruder.
It was Amano Takuji. He held a basket of fruit in his hands. "Amano-kun!
How did you get in here?" Sakura asked.
Takuji gulped. "My... mom is visiting the Fuumas now."
Sakura realized that she was still in her fighting stance. This was
unwise, not to mention very rude. She relaxed herself and began to put
away Tennyo.
"Wait, wait!" Takuji exclaimed. "Um — May I see your katana?"
Sakura raised her eyebrow. "You're into sword-fighting, too?"
"N-No," he stuttered, "but I often look at the stuff they have on exhibition
in the dojo. And I heard from... my mom... that you got a real sword of
your own..."
Sakura delicately held the weapon out to Takuji for him to see. He adjusted
his glasses, and studied the blade.
"Ethereal," he breathed. "She's beautiful. Thank you."
The kunoichi shrugged, and put the blade back into its sheath.
Takuji then remembered why he was here. "Oh! Haruno-san... I'm here
to give you this fruit-basket." The sentence ended in a high-pitched crack.
He coughed in embarrassment. Boys took puberty so much harder than girls.
Takuji was extremely nervous with this situation. He had one large weakness:
any cute girl who was nice to him. Haruno Sakura became one of those few.
This trait of Takuji did not affect him during yesterday's match (solely
because they were attempting to make each other unconscious). But now that
Sakura was a meter away from him, looking wonderful in her new kendo uniform,
listening to every word he said...
Sakura gazed at the slightly extravagant basket. "Thank you, Amano-kun.
But that looks a little expensive... and I'm not sick or anything."
"Um... well... It's just a thank-you gift from me, for your help..."
Sakura looked at him, but not critically. "My help?"
"Well, you see... Before I fought you, I never could produce ki. I had
practiced for nearly a year to achieve the Shi Shi Houkoudan, but nothing
happened. But during our match, your seriousness... and strength... made
me more and more depressed. And that helped me."
Even though it was so bizarre listening to his explanation, Sakura followed
him perfectly. In basic terms, he was thanking her for taking him into
the depths of despair. She knew well that the Shi Shi Houkoudan had to
be powered by depression.
Takuji adjusted his spectacles. "...Yesterday, you pushed me over the
edge — and because you did, I finally... GOT IT. And now that I have the
Shi Shi Houkoudan, I think that maybe... my angelic powers will awaken
more quickly. I just wanted to thank you — in some way."
The half-angel gulped. He had to now swallow some of his pride, but
something told him that was obliged to.
"And... I'm sorry..." he mumbled out.
The kunoichi thought this politeness slightly touched the absurd. "Amano-kun,"
Sakura said, "there's no need to apologize for beating me in a tournament-setting.
We were opponents, for crying out loud."
"It... shouldn't have been that strong," Takuji explained nervously.
"I knocked you out for almost four hours. It just... came out of me, and
when I came to my senses, you were lying on the ground. It was my first
try — but that's no excuse." His head went down into a bow. "I'm really,
really sorry!"
'He's so cute!' Sakura commented to herself. The kunoichi accepted the
basket of fruit. "Thank you," she politely said. "Besides, I should thank
you, too. You taught me something in that fight as well. I wish you luck
for the final round."
Sakura paused to consider what she just said, and then re-phrased it:
"I mean, I hope you lose." She grinned.
Takuji looked a little surprised for a brief second. But in an instant,
his face cracked into a tiny smile. 'She's sharp,' he noted to himself.
"Ha… Haruno-san... Could you come watch my match?"
Notes:
"montsuki" and "hakama" - these are worn by practitioners of aikido,
iaido, kendo, and kyudo. The montsuki is a kimono-like blouse, which is
black in winter and white in summer. (At all formal events, it is black.)
The hakama is a wide set of pants that looks like a skirt.
"bushido" - means 'the way of the warrior'. Much like the Western concept
of chivalry, bushido was an ethical belief, not a fighting system.
If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please tell me! If
I suck, by all means tell me. In an intelligent manner.
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