Her First Step Home

[erika]

Walking into the marketplace felt like walking back into her past. Except that, she felt like she was reading this from a history textbook. Everything had changed since the last seven years. Everything had been newly rebuilt and some of the shopkeepers seemed to have retired already. Like the old man that used to sell Erika three loaves of bread for a very cheap price, and they tasted so good. The wafting aroma of different spices and foods drifted through the air as the marketplace bustled with villagers walking to and fro with baskets hung from their arms, eyes focusing for the items they are looking for.

"Ah, there it is!" Erika pointed to the tailor's shop.

Entering a small, shabby area, an old woman sat atop a chair, looking at the both of them with her eyes, full of wisdom and truth. Erika had never ceased to be amazed by her.

"Rikyu-baasama, it has been a long time indeed." she gave her her most sincere smile. "I hope you can help us, as you can see..." Erika gestured to Santai, standing besides her. As Rikyu-baasama told them to take off their robes, she blushed three different shades of red.
"Why don't Santai go first?" she said, giving Santai a 'i'm-being-very-nice-to-you-by-letting-you-go-first-so-have-fun' look.

Standing there, she watched as he removed his robes. Not for long, he had fully exposed his well-chiseled chest before everyone. His skin was of a light, delicious tone, the outline of his muscles glinting in the sunlight. Erika gulped, trying her hardest not to lunge herself into his arms. However, that seemed to be a very novel idea at that time.

After Rikyu-baasama was done with Santai's robes, she asked for Erika's.
"Uh...I'll just go into the changing room and i'll pass it to you from the bottom of the door." she murmured, embarassed.

She drew the tattered curtains around her at the back of the shop, making sure that she bent low so that the people outside would not be able to see through the rips and holes at the top of the curtain. She removed her white silk top and her medic skirt, shamed of herself for not being more aware of her own clothes. Erika pushed them out from beneath the curtain and waited.

"Ah, it is finished!" she heard the old woman exclaim. Rikyu pushed her clothes back in from beneath the curtain as Erika heaved a sigh of relief and quickly put them back on. She felt really exposed and vulnerable at that moment.

"Thank you, Rikyu-baasama! Here's a token of our appreciation. I insist you take it." she placed 4 gold coins onto the table with a smile,"I shall be upset if you don't."

And with that, Erika left the marketplace once again, not sure when she'll visit her hometown the next time. For with that, she left all the negatives behind, as a hidden path lay before her eyes, full of hope, dreams and romance.

Stopping outside the forest, she stared into it's shady depths. She had been in there once before, and it was an awful experience. But without it, she would not have met her sensei.

"Yes, I'm ready. But are you sure you don't want to remove your forehead protector?" she questioned. "Hunter-nins are strong. Just pray we won't bump into any of them from your village."

It all begins here.

[Morisawa Santai]

"You're right, I really don't want any of them to come after me right now."

Santai murmured quietly. Hunter-nins from Kusagakure were highly skilled and were mostly known for their speed and accuracy. He just hoped that none of them were lurking in the depths of the forest at that moment. As he stepped into the confines of the forest, the gravel and soil crunched softly under his feet. As he continued on, the bustling and chattering from the village completely melted into the silence.

The screeching of monkeys and the twittering of the birds managed to keep the silence from being too still, and the thin rays of sunlight still filtering through from the canopy were extremely comforting. The beams of light darted from tree trunk to tree trunk, reflecting off the stones scattered on the forest floor. A lone monkey darted from one tree to the next as crickets chirped from within the thick trunks.

As he walked, Santai thought about the times where he traveled alone, without cause and without destination. Sometimes he felt as if he were endlessly drifting. He also had no one to share his pains with, or start a conversation with. At last he had a traveling companion. He did not agree with the phrase of 'the more the merrier', but felt that just one friend was enough. Or maybe it was more than a friend, surprising for someone he had met just a night ago. Things moved quite fast.

A bird chirped from a tree branch as he passed it. It sprouted bright yellow feathers, bright eyes blinking at them both as it flapped its tired wings, its tiny head darting back and forth curiously. Santai smiled.

It was not even noon any longer, but close to evening. The sky had already darkened, and soon the forest would be pitch black. That was not good. Santai hoped that they could make it into a nearby clearing by sundown, so that they could set up camp there to spend the night. He looked into the trees, trying to catch a glimpse of a white mask or the glinting of a steel kunai. But there were none. He breathed out a comforting sigh of relief.

"We'll spend the night in the clearing ahead. We should arrive by sundown."

[erika]

"And I'll be really honest right now. I'm not in the mood to fight either." she said quietly as they stepped into the forest. The memories flashed back, as Erika had taken this very same path, unaware of what lay before her.

One step, two steps, three steps, four steps...

And this was where Erika felt the most pain her entire life. She got caught in a trap where some hunters had set up to catch their prey.

Stepping into the forest, I could feel panic rise up in my chest. Walking in further to find the berry bushes, I turned round and round, but I couldn't find it. Suddenly, I stepped onto a loose patch of ground. The earth beneath me crumbled and I fell into its deep recesses. I screamed out in pain as sharp needles pierced through my skin. Blood was abundant and my voice turned hoarse from shouting. It was like being stuck to something you couldn't free yourself from. It was so painful. The needles were smeared with poison and I could literally feel it seeping through my veins. It was a hell of an eternity. Then, everything turned to black.

Erika recalled her memories of this place. She could feel the poke of the needles again on her body and she jumped. Turning around, she noticed it was just the leaves of a pine tree. Wiping the perspiration off her brow, Erika knew she was being too paranoid. Besides, what more could happen to her when Santai was accompanying her? She was sure he knew his way around traps.

The sun started to set, as the sunlight streaming in grew less and less. It soon turned twilight, and the nocturnal animals were starting to make their appearance. Hearing Santai's voice felt comforting, after not speaking for so long. Erika had been having the wildest thoughts. It seemed as if the forest was manipulating her mind. No wonder the villagers of Getsugakure called this place the Forest of Illusions. However, Erika didn't have the heart to tell Santai about that.

"Alright. I am pretty tired anyway." she breathed in heavily and continued walking, stopping at the clearing before them.

"I guess we should get a fire started. It will be cold soon enough. Don't forget, it's autumn." Erika added, sitting down on an abandoned rotting log on a ground of brown leaves. "I've brought some tea pouches along. All we need is some warm water and cups..." Erika reached into a small bag tied around her waist and took out two porcelain cups.

"Yes, I know...I carry everything around. But that's what medic-nins are for!" she joked.
"Why don't you get the wood and I'll try to figure out how to get water?"

Danger is soon to come.

[Morisawa Santai]

Evening settled peacefully over the outskirts of Getsugakure as the sunlight wore away, replaced by the gentle light of the moon.

Night followed shortly after as the clearing came into clear view. The pale light of the moon caused each blade of grass in the clearing to be laced with silver and the effervescent, spirited peace seemed to lie extremely still. After putting their goods down, Santai went into the nearby forested area to search for wood. Finding several discarded logs and some branches, he gathered them up and returned to the clearing.

"I'll find some water,"

He said, going deeper inside the outer area of the clearing where a small creek of fresh water ran through the forest. Using a waterproof pouch to scoop some up, he sealed the pouch and returned to set up the fire.

Placing the wood in the center of the clearing, Santai soon had a nice warm fire started as the autumn breeze swirled gently around the branches. As the fire crackled, Santai tugged at his slashed headband at his neck and pulled it off, setting it next to him. The warmth enveloped the entire clearing as he pulled several slices of bread from a wrapped package and offered some to Erika.

"You must be hungry after the long walk."

He said gently, observing the orange hues of the fire as it darted back and forth away and back again to its source. He also withdrew a few waterskins and set them next to the bread, hoping that this would be enough to last them for their entire journey. He was rather penniless at that moment, so he told himself that he would take a job after they left the forest.

Santai held the pouch above the fire for a moment to warm it, before unsealing it and pouring an equal amount into each porcelain cup, pushing one cup towards Erika and tossing another moss-caked log into the fire.

The sounds of the forest increased steadily as the night wore on and as the fire continued to hum and crackle. The crickets chirped, a haunting choir that stirred his soul. Truly, the music of the night was to be marveled at. He closed his eyes and leant back slightly, calming himself to his surroundings.

[erika]

"Alright then."

Dusk began to settle in the forest. She stared up at the sky through the canopy of leaves, watching as the multi-colored hues began to fade into darkness. The chill was soon to come. Sure enough, a ghastly cold wind travelled through the forest, shaking branches and rustling bushes. Owls began to hoot and night creatures began to make their appearance with their unnatural glowing eyes. Erika cringed as she saw a pair of red eyes poking out from the void in front of her.

"What's taking him so long?" she thought. It wasn't a very nice place to stay for the night, especially with lesser light, it was getting creepy.

The sound of feet crunching through the forest broke the eerie silence. Squinting, she noticed that the person was Santai.

"You've returned!" she smiled. Erika was pleased to see him again. She hated the dark, and add on some nocturnal creatures and she would be scared out of her wits.

As he placed the food and water down, Erika reached for a piece of bread and chewed on it ravenously. Bread wasn't much, but that was all they had. While eating, she removed her bag and dug into the white pouch hung around it. She only had seven gold coins left and four copper coins. It was barely enough to last for a week. Sighing quietly, she put the thought aside and concentrated on her meal.

After finishing the bread, she bent down and picked up one of the waterskins. Staring into it, she wondered if it contained the same water that she bought from the shopkeeper in Getsugakure. Shrugging, she gulped some down, but left more than half in it so save for the rest of the journey.

She sat up straight on the log and looked up at the sky for what seemed the fifth time so far. The sky was filled with bright, glittering stars, and a half moon, obscured by a dark grey ominous cloud shone above them. Erika missed Getsugakure. And she was just about to leave it again. She would dearly miss the moon and the stars here. Although in every part of the world you could see them, Erika thought that the moon here was the most enchanting of all.

She smiled up at the moon, and then looked back down on earth. She watched Santai relaxing by the fire, his face lighted up by the orange hues that danced around the burning wood. Embers floated up and faded into oblivion as it kept on going. Then, something shiny caught her attention. Waiting for the flames to blow in the other direction, she noticed that it was Santai's forehead protector.

That mischievous glint in her eyes reflected once again. As quick as her motion could be, she dashed over to where he was sitting, swiped the forehead protector and began running away as fast as possible. Now, this could be fun.

[Morisawa Santai]

The crickets continued to chirp as Santai leant back, enjoying the symphony of nocturnal sounds. Ignoring the rustling next to him, he listened to Erika gorging on the various food items before there was another sound. Being a ninja, he immediately knew what was going on. Someone was running...maybe it was a hunter-nin. His eyes abruptly snapped open, and he looked to the side where Erika had been. Something was missing. Realizing that it was his hitai-ate, Santai quickly looked into the distance where a certain kunoichi was getting away with petty theft.

"Hey, come back with that!"

Santai declared, springing to his feet and starting the chase. He felt unnaturally immature doing this, but she was the one that started it. Unfortunately, the graceful kunoichi was too fast for even words to describe, seeming like just a blur darting from tree to tree. This called for larger measures. Looking around, he activated just a slight bit of his kekkei-genkai, not enough to turn his eyes green, but enough to make a vine nearby draw towards him.

"All right. So, you want fun and games? I'll give you fun and games."

He declared, drawing the vine towards him such that it wrapped around his left arm like a serpent, clenching his hand into a fist, the vine slid backwards, as if preparing to spring outwards before he released the fist, sending the length of vine cutting through the stagnant air towards her. Concentrating his chakra, he made sure that the long length of the plant matter tailed her from corner to corner, tree to tree. This was really entertaining her, wasn't it? He sighed.

He remembered vaguely in his mind a little memory from his past which involved him playing tag with his brother. His brother was an arrogant cheat, insisting that he was always right and that Santai was wrong. This caused them to play 'vine wrestling' with their kekkei-genkai. However, since Santai's was even barely there at the time, he always ended up being snared by his brother's attacks and ended up losing the game of so-called "tag". After his brother died, Santai had forgotten the games of his past, preferring instead to lay off games altogether.

But somehow, this sneaky kunoichi had brought it back.

Finally, after a tiring game of cat and mouse, the vine caught up with Erika. Waving his arm to the right, the vine abruptly drew back and changed direction, curling around the kunoichi.

"Game over, Erika."

Santai said smugly, before he closed his fingers tightly into a fist, indicating for the vine to snare its prey.

[erika]

He's slow. I've been running for quite some time and he still doesn't know?

Erika smirked, still sprinting through the forest, avoiding overhanging vines and branches that blocked her way. Turning back, she noticed the Santai hadn't come after het yet. Will he even know that she's missing? The slashed forehead protector was clutched tightly in her hand as her hair whipped to the back from the lightning-fast speed that she was going at. Then, she heard the creaking noise of vines growing in her direction from the back, and she noticed that they grew from the direction of the clearing.

"Oh shoot." she cursed silently under her breath and increased her speed, matching to the wind now. But the vines were relentless. They kept growing faster and faster, trying to pin her to a tree. Erika breathed heavily and continued her escape, but the plants were really persevering. She felt like a little kid, running away from the 'you're IT!' person. Instead, this time, she wasn't a kid anymore. She was seventeen, but still playing such silly games.

Stopping at the top of a branch, she shouted,"Okay, okay! I give up! Now, stop chasing-AHHHH!"

She screamed, as the vine beneath her curled around her ankle. Grabbing on for dear life, she let out another shriek as the rest of the vines reached her. Strangely, the vines formed a sort of platform under her feet, but there was no escape as thorned vines encircled themselves around her. Reaching ground level, Erika started to plan her escape. But before she knew it, the vines pulled her towards a tall tree and curled themselves around her. First, around her ankles and legs. The vines moved upwards and wrapped themselves around her arms and hands, the forehead protector still in it.

She screamed again, as the vines grew upwards to the tree, tightly securing themselves around thick branches high up in the tree. "Who was the one that caused these vines to attack me?" Erika thought, frightened.

Then, a familiar figure appeared before. It was Santai.

"You did this?" she questioned quietly, amazed.

It all began with just, one kiss.

[Morisawa Santai]

The vines leapt for their prey as Erika darted once more out of their grasp. She seemed to be the queen of speed for that very moment, and Santai wasn't happy about that, especially since she was getting away with his hitai-ate of all things. Of course, this would always have merited a little fun game of chase, but for playing a childish game in a dark, ominous forest, Erika was really overdoing it.

Santai would let her know that.

He would definitely let her know that.

Santai couldn't resist letting off a low chuckle as Erika screamed. The vines had snagged the victim. How satisfying. Now the poor petty thief was unfortunately stuck to a tree by a tangle of leafy vines. The crickets chirped again as the area fell eerily silent. He was still breathing heavily from when he had attempted to chase her, but was satisfied that his abilities proved better than hers. For now, at least. Now look at what she had gotten herself into.

"I'll take that."

Santai promptly said, pulling the hitai-ate out of her grasp and retying it around his neck. Raising an eyebrow, he took note of her unfortunate situation and sighed, flashing her a I-am-not-amused look, before the wind once more passed between them, layering the surroundings with the building tension. Oh, it had been fun. But now, something told him that they weren't playing a game of cat and mouse anymore.

Stepping forward, Santai withdrew a kunai from the belt around his waist.

Strolling towards the tree, he leaned in, his face barely inches away from hers. "Now, no more games, all right?" before he lowered his lips to hers in a soft kiss, eyes fluttering shut for that strange, yet wondrous moment involving him and his little victim. In the same second the hand clutching the weapon sprung forward, slicing the vines in half and releasing Erika. Pulling back abruptly, he realized what he had just done. He had let his feelings get the better of him.

"Argh...I'm, I'm sorry about...I'm really..."

Santai muttered, eyes shifting to the ground. His heart sunk to the lowest possible level as he silently cursed himself for making such a move. What kind of a person was he?

[erika]

"You're EVIL, Santai! Evil!!" she yelled at him jokingly, her face red from running so fast. Then, the forest turned quietly. Since when had forests become so quiet at this time of the day? She struggled to free herself from the vines, but they only grew tighter after each failed attempt.

She stared at him as he reached down for her hand and grabbed his forehead protector from her. He leaned in so close that Erika could feel his breath against her face. He was glistening from the perspiration and that only made him even more irresistible. Then, he suddenly drew a kunai from his holder.

"Santai? What are you holding that for..." her eyes followed the sharp weapon pensively. Surely not? She could not have been that dumb to fall for a guy that was about to kill her just for stealing his forehead protector?

"Now, no more games, all right?"

The tone sounded rather menacing to her. She squeezed her eyes shut, ready for the blow. Erika regretted meeting him. There goes her life. A short little life of only seventeen years and she haven't- "....Eh?"

Everything around her turned to white. Her eyes rolled back to the back of her head and all she could see was nothing. The sensation shocked her so much that her tense grip against the tree and vines now melded into simply nothing. How can one kiss just do this to her? Oh gosh, his kiss is my unbecoming.

The feel of his lips against hers felt so good. Erika drowned herself in it, praying that it would last long. But all good things must come to an end.

As it ended, she felt the grip around her loosen. That was when the vines retracted and returned to their origins. Erika sighed, nearly losing her balance from just that kiss.

"Santai? It's alright. It's nothing...really." she murmured, her face blushing, but also wondering if he liked her or not. He always seemed to be apologizing whenever he made a move.

He is my unbecoming.

[Morisawa Santai]

"Really?"

Santai raised a curious eyebrow before heaving a deep sigh of relief. "In that case..." He muttered, trying to break the uncomfortable silence. "...we'd better return to the clearing..." Somehow, he felt strangely giddy. Perhaps it was the sheer exhaustion from chasing a sneaky kunoichi through the humid forest. Turning his back, he started the trek back through the trees, eventually arriving at the clearing.

They had no form of sleeping mats, so for spending the night here, they had to sleep on the carpet of leaves that was evenly spread over the floor of the clearing. The fire flickered as Santai tossed yet another log into the flames. Receiving the wood, fire immediately overwhelmed it, engulfing it in a mass of crackling orange-yellow tendrils. Leaning back, Santai gazed at the sky, admiring the stars. His eyelids were getting heavier by the minute, but he wasn't sure if hunter-nins would arrive in the night, so he kept watch, pretending to sleep so he could look over Erika.

The night passed, the fire simmered down, the chirping of the crickets quickly moving on to the twittering of the birds. A few colored birds hopped about on a tree branch, singing sweet melodies to greet the new day. The sky was painted a conflagration of pale pink and gold, seeming like an inspiring illusion. Santai woke. He had dozed off about an hour before sunrise, but no hunter-nins came, thankfully. Gently prodding Erika in the shoulder, he mumbled a sleepy "Wake up," before starting to gather the items scattered over the clearing.

After returning everything to its rightful place, it was time to continue the journey.

Santai knew that there used to be an old hunters' camp not far from here, a small community of wooden shacks nestled tightly together within a patch of cleared forest. The hunters there were self-sustaining, wanting to live away from the village in their own secluded environment. However, having to pass that place made him feel uneasy, for what reason, he did not know. Yet the feeling of familiarity was so insistent that he couldn't have shrugged it off easily.

The scenery was the same as they walked, Santai insisting on carrying all of Erika's miscellaneous items, the tall trees, the rustling undergrowth and the occasional squirrel that darted up the thick trunk of a tree. Then the hooting of the monkeys began again, and Santai watched, fascinated as he saw a bright-colored snake slither across the path from one bush to the next. However, the forest scene abruptly stopped when they arrived at the camp.

A row of abandoned shacks lay in a circular group, surrounded by tree stumps and an old campfire which had been long since deserted, rotting wood placed on stilts over the burnt out coals. A rusting iron pot had been tossed to the side of the campfire's stoneworked boundary. As he passed an old wooden shack, something about the rust red stain on its walls and the three gashes on its door made that horrible sinking within the reaches of his stomach. But something drew him to it.

Swerving away from the main path, Santai touched the door, which immediately fell over due to the snapped hinges. The furniture inside was a mess, upturned tables, broken chairs. The rust red stains were also all over the floor, along with a faded purple splash Santai knew to be poison. Something was not right about it.

The same poison she used.

There was an aura in the room, something eerie. Within the stagnant silence lingered a sense of unrest, as if a spirit possessed the shack. The same poison...the same poison... "Agh!" Santai let out as a sharp pain seared through his mind, staggering backwards into the edge of a termite-eaten wooden table and knocking it over. They were returning. Everything was returning.

"Stay back!" Santai yelled, stumbling away from Erika. "Don't come near me!"

Then he knew. You're a fool Santai, you knew it all along. You killed her. Then you hid the truth, you hid it from her protege, didn't you? You wanted it all... A sinister voice whispered. No. He wasn't that kind of person. But he knew now that everything, everything he had imagined was now a lie.

"Hand over the Shinzuki technique, and I'll let you go."

Santai snarled, his irises turning a reflective green. The medic-nin lifted the hand with the three-bladed kunai, ready to strike. But he struck first, and as she gasped and blood spilled from her mouth, the kunai sunk into his flesh, leaving the horrible scar. Tossing her lifeless body aside as he would a toy, the shinobi, him, ransacked the area, overturned the tables, broke apart the drawers. The glowing eyes in the shadows.

"What kind of monster am I?"

And at that moment, as the pain and bloodshed of that night returned to him, Santai swore he could see the spirit of Jun Okinoshi, leaning over to Erika's ear, whispering something that he had finally remembered. Something that would destroy everything. Something he had forgotten, something that drew him to this cursed place. But he didn't blame her. The spirit's lips parted, and he could hear those condemning words through the haze of pain.

Your revenge is nigh. The murderer stands before you now.

Jun's voice echoed in the dust-choked air; in his mind.

Kill him, Erika, but only when his eyes change.

[erika]

Still slightly dizzy from the kiss, Erika stumbled over a tree root, but managed to catch herself before she fell. "I'm acting like a girl that has never kissed before. Wait, I've never been kissed before. What am I talking about anyway?!" she thought, balling her right fist and hitting the side of her head to get the weird thoughts out of her mind.

She was tired. Maybe it was because she had never run so fast in her entire life. But still, it was fine. The breeze was cooling, but the temperature had started to drop drastically. Shivering, she squinted to look in front, wondering when they'll reach the clearing again. Erika watched Santai as his feet crunched through the leaves that covered the earth, finding it impossible that he, and such a handsome one at most, had just kissed her. Of all people. "I'm creeping myself out again!" Erika squeezed her eyes together and hit her head again. It was hard trying to forget about the kiss that made her see fireworks.

Erika knew they were reaching the clearing as she saw a glimpse of burning flames through the leaves of the trees. Happily, she sped up a little, using her last bit of energy and hurried to the clearing. She sat with her legs curved to the right besides the fire, feeling its warmth encircle her. Besides her, Santai had fallen asleep. Or maybe he hadn't. Erika watched the fiery embers of the fire drift up to the heavens before dissipating as its flames hummed a soulful melody to her drowsy mind. It enticed her into a deep sleep, and not for long, Erika leaned backwards and rested her head against Santai's chest unknowingly.
And there, she slept till the dawn.

"Uh..." she groaned as someone touched her shoulder. Erika's body ached all over and it wasn't helping that the fire had been smoked into remnants when they were in slumber. She sat up straight and leaned back against the log, rubbing her eyes and pushing some hair away from her face. Whatever it was, Erika was feeling terrible. Like she had just run a 20km marathon without any rest. She gave an inaudible sigh and tilted her head up to the skies, noticing that some grey clouds hovered over them ominously. Dark clouds in the morning was not a good sign for the people of Getsugakure. It meant that something very unfortunate was about to happen.

Trying not to believe in the age-old superstition, Erika pulled herself up to her feet with much difficulty, realizing that her legs felt really numb and weak. "It must've been the wind and all that running last night. Ugh." she thought disdainfully.

"Morning' Santai." she greeted her companion, still sounding very sleepy. As they continued on their journey through the forest, Erika retied her hair, for many strands of it came sticking out at different angles. It was already bad enough that she felt horrible, and it didn't help that she was having a bad hair day too. Huffing irritably, she removed the hair ornaments and her forehead protector (that served as a ribbon) and put them at her mouth temporarily. After tidying her hair, she put everything back into place. It wasn't as messy as before, but it was still terrible. Annoyed, she stomped forward, not caring about it anymore.

So much for grey clouds today.
'
Erika had never been this deep into the forest, so from here, she followed Santai's every step, afraid of getting lost in the forests' depths. As they inched closer, Erika noticed an old wooden hut before them that looked rather dilapidated. The wood had rotted and moss and ferns caked themselves over it.

It was very familiar.

Following Santai as they explored, Erika saw the three slashes against the old wooden door. As he pushed the door down, a cloud of smoke engulfed them, but she fanned it away and entered the ancient hut. It was all too familiar.

She looked around in horror. It seemed as if a battle had taken place here. Rusted blood stains glazed the walls and the arrangement of the furniture told her it was a rough one.
Looking down at the ground, she saw purple liquid that had sunk into the wooden surface. Purple liquid...Poison.

Erika's eyes widen as she gasped. She finally recalled what this place was.

It was sensei's house.

"Stay back!" she heard Santai scream. Whipping her head around, Erika was in for more shock as Santai began to stagger backwards, as if a terrible headache had struck once again. But this time, it looked more like he was having a memory jolt.
This place must mean a lot to him.

A rush of spirit energy filled the room. Erika felt its presence. And yet, she wasn't quite sure who it was. She spinned, round and round, trying to follow the spirit's energy but watching the wind patterns. Finally, it stayed still.

"It is he, the one who murdered me for your family's secret.
Kill him, Erika.
Do it for me.
Just the kunai's blades will do.
The revenge, is ours."

It whispered into her ears eerily, like a hoarse whisper.
Then, Erika realized.

Santai was Jun's killer.

The rage boiled deep inside her, as she struggled to keep control of her emotions. It would not stop. No, it would not. If she could just take control of herself once more...

"You know what, Santai? Maybe we she just forget all of this. Afterall, it's history. And Jun's already dead." she flashed him a strange, freaky smile with her silvery eyes wide open with a slight tint of blue in them.

"Let's just go back out there and have a nice cup of TEA."

With her final word, the rage within her released its energy. It has happened again. Erika had used a positive emotion to cover up a negative one.

This time, her eyes turned into an unnatural metallic blue. Around her, the energy was so powerful that it blasted the roof of the hut. The blue energy surrounded her with the pressure so strong that everything in the hut flew to the wall and crashed, all in one heap.

He killed the one that appreciated her.
He killed the one that taught her.
He killed the one that saved her.
Most of all, he killed the one that loved her.

Erika opened her eyes, and looked at him.
A glare full of malice.
And a fate for him, that embodies death.

You shall die now, Santai.
You will repay your debt.
A life for a life.
I will fight to the last.

[Morisawa Santai]

The time has come. You were never a kindred spirit, Santai. Never.

Shirugan, activate. Santai growled, no longer sounding like himself, but rather a low, menacing tone. His mind had been taken control of. No longer was he himself. No longer did he hold back his repressive memories. He was now someone else altogether. Someone who couldn't control his kekkei-genkai. But he liked it. The power...resistance had broken.

She had turned against him now, unleashing the destructive force of her kekkei-genkai that shattered the weak walls of the hut, blowing it outwards. The forest surrounded him now, calling. Letting his arms fall limply by his sides, Santai raised his head, once warm, chocolate-hued eyes was now a brilliant shade of metallic luminescent green, demonic and reflective like the murderer he was. Nothing was left now, only one thought remained.

Kill her. Just like you killed her worthless sensei.

"The power of the Shinzuki technique is mine! Come to me, join with me Mother Nature! Let us share this carnage...together!"

Raising his arms, he felt the power of his Shirugan channel to each and every vital point of his body, and as he swung his arms forward, the forest behind him shook and in one powerful blast, various thorny vines curled their way through the trees, melding into his arms as his skin adjusted to the new additions. Leaves encircled him, blowing furiously in an invisible wind that threatened to destroy the other surrounding huts.

The power of the Shirugan is great. But it turns you into a monster.

Lunging foward, the thorned vines reared themselves up like angry serpents, growing and lengthening as they curled around him, his chest, his waist and around his right leg. He wasn't Morisawa Santai. He was simply a creature, something bent on killing, on seeing the spilt red of blood and the screams of worthless shinobi as he cast their bodies aside. The technique...the technique. All that echoed in his mind now. The true purpose of his journey to Getsugakure.

"Thorns, do my bidding!"

He roared as the plants detached themselves from him, spiralling through the air with the sound reminiscent of the cracking of a whip, aimed directly for her heart.

[erika]

Sensei, I will fight.
If I lose, I won't regret.
For if I die,
He, will die together with me.

The power of her Tsukigan rushed through her veins rapidly, sending all 5 senses into combat mode. She watched him carefully like an eagle, as he too, triggered off his kekkei genkai. His eyes turned green, just like the woodsy forest outside the hut. Erika felt the Tsukigan's powerful energy flowing swiftly through her entire body as the glow emanated strongly against her.

So far, in all her life, this was barely the third time that Erika had released her kekkei genkai, Tsukigan, the Shinzuki technique that Santai had tried to pilfer years ago. Never did she know that the man that she had fallen in love with, was also the man that had killed her sensei. The only other person in this world that cared for her as a young girl.

"The technique will NEVER be yours!" she screamed on impulse, releasing another blast of hot energy into the humid atmosphere. Erika had been feeling cold earlier on, but right now, she was just getting heated up.

As the thorns that he summoned came for her, Erika sprang up onto the heap of broken furniture and landed outside the hut swiftly, the leaves around her still in midair as she landed in a half split with her legs stretched out and hands firmly placed on the ground. If he wanted to fight, come out here.

No one disrespects sensei's final grave.

The metallic blue in her eyes shone even brighter as the thought whirred in her now, fast-moving mind. She felt tears slide down her face. Warm tears.

Tears of hatred.

Those eyes. I remember seeing them before. In her dreams, I recall a monster or a creature with those glowing green eyes. Sensei had met Santai before. And that would have been their last meeting. Those eyes made her feel even more hatred towards him. Those same eyes were the ones that saw her Sensei die right before him. Those eyes, were about to see one last battle before closing.

"Come out here and meet your fate, Santai."

[Morisawa Santai]

Growling as the thorns failed to hit their mark, Santai's vines pulled the remnants of the hut to the ground. Increasing the strength of his kekkei-genkai, all human thoughts were now completely cast aside as the metallic sheen of his eyes shone brighter, and you could almost see an eerie green light radiating from his irises. The thorns returned to him as he pulled back his arm, kicking down a table and moving out to face his opponent.

Tsukigan.

The secret technique of the Shinzuki clan.

What he wanted.

The vines rapidly closed around him into a protective shell as the heat seared the edge of the plants. Then they spread into a pair of thorny wings sprouting from his back, nature having completely merged with his body. His breathing had become heavier and more laboured, yet he was only beginning to show his power. The crack of the vines echoed once again as they sprung forward from all sides towards her, controlled by the movement of his hands like a master would a puppet.

Call out your wishes
The forest listens.
Command them; they will injure
Your enemies will bleed.
And as each life is taken,
So increases your greed.

That song that his father always sang.
But who cared? He loathed his father.
The Shirugan could do him no wrong, could it? It was his weapon, his power, his life force.
And she would die by it.

Branches snapped themselves off the trees, melding into each other to form a long wooden spear with a blade of thorns, leaves adorning it like torn ribbons. It floated into his hands as the rest of the vines swayed around him like dancing cobras, waiting for his command. The hue in his eyes were demonic now, almost as if all the humanity had been sucked out of him. It already had, and now only bloodlust had control. In the recesses of his mind still the memories hid, and as he relished the power of the thorns within his skin, his mind burned from the pressure it all was giving him.

Let us share the carnage.

[erika]

Erika stayed as still, in the same position as she landed as a menacing wind blew, as if challenging her to a fight. She bit down hard on her lower lip and caused a stream of blood to start flowing down her chin. She needed to feel in order to know that she was still alive. The battle has yet to begun. The heat seemed to be melting her brain and a pounding headache seared throughout her head because of the overwhelming pressure that the Tsukigan had on her.

As Santai stepped out of the house, she watched as earthly wings sprouted from his back and a thorned spear in his hands. Erika had nothing to shield herself from his attacks. But she had the speed, agility, and strength. When Tsukigan was activated, all her attributes would be increased by at least 5 times. Smirking slightly, Erika slowly eased herself to stand up straight, facing her opponent with her eyes glinting.

The blue glow around her increased in intensity as she lunged for an attack. Indeed, she moved so fast even the wind was no match for her. The air resistance brushed past her skin as she sprinted rapidly towards him, forming red cuts around her body. Erika would try some taijutsu now, if it didn't work, she would use another method against him. Afterall, she didn't activate her Tsukigan just for this.

"Now, promise me you won't use it unless it's a situation between life and death. Alright, Erika? Listen to sensei, or you'll regret."

The woman's face broke into a smile, with widening crow feet around her eyes and pockets of fluffy clouds around her cheeks. Then, she placed a hand on Erika's head and wished her well.

"Okay, sensei! I promise you! But why would anyone want to kill me?" the eleven-year-old asked.

"You'll find out when you're older, Erika." she smiled again, but Erika could detect a sense of solemn in her expression.

"It has something to do with a word that starts with an 'r'. "

She recalled what Jun had mentioned when she was young. Yes, she has kept her promise. And now, she knew why she had to activate her Tsukigan. She was older now, and the answer lay right before her very eyes.

It starts with an 'r'.
A simple 'r' for revenge.