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Shizune reported. As she waited for the Hokage to tell her what to do, she hastily brushed her black hair away from her eyes.
The blonde hokage pondered this over a moment, then asked, "Is Sai still missing?" She was referring to how three days ago the black haired teen had mysteriously vanished.
"Yes. He hasn't been seen since the night before he disappeared." Shizune had a sinking feeling that Sai had returned to the Roots organization, but didn't share these thoughts with Tsunade. She knew Tsunade also thought this.
"Alright, put Kae with Sakura and Naruto. They should make an excellent team. With Kakashi, an ex-ANBU; Sakura, a medical-ninja; and Naruto, a head-on fighter, they'll make a good team. Don't forget to warn Kakashi about that demon dog though... It would be disasterous if anything were to happen because he didn't know about it." Tsunade was worried about putting Kae with Naruto and Sakura, but she didn't voice this. It was better to allow the others to think all would be well.
Maybe Kae's attitude had changed with the death of her close teammates?

Kae hated this place. The buildings were close, and people kept leaping over her head, making her feel like something was going to be dropped on her at any moment. Not only that, but the busy streets were setting Rayne on edge, and it took every ounce of love she had to calm the dog, murmuring in a way that only she knew, and only the dog understood.
Suddenly, the girl whirled, feeling the harshness of hatred aimed at her. Beside her, Rayne's growling picked up a notch, sensing the hatred directed at her owner and friend. Distracted by Rayne's growl, Kae almost missed seeing those eyes. One silver, one insanely blue.
Fear spiked within her, sending shivers down her spine. Wrapping her arms around herself, she jogged away from the scene, hoping to get away from that hatred. It can't be him. These words were all the comfort she had, but they would have to do.

She was supposed to go meet her new team today, but she really didn't want to. No one would ever be able to replace Senna or Aku. They had been the familiy she'd never had, and you can't replace people like that. She would go... but late. She didn't care about the new team mates, why should she waste time on stuff like that.
"Come on Rayne. Let's train. We need to work on our skills," these words were a painful whisper. A whisper filled with guilt over deaths that one could not control.

"Where the Hell is she?" moaned Uzumaki Naruto, running a hand through his blonde hair. Glancing over at his team mate, Sakura, he grinned. This new girl was going to be in for it when she finally showed up. It looked like Sakura was going to burst open with anger.
They waited for about another hour, and just when they were about to give up, Naruto saw her coming. He saw Sakura stand up and stalk towards her, fists clenched angrily. Naruto was surprised when his team mate stopped and backed away, her face pale. Wondering what had stopped her, Naruto approached. When he was in range, he heard a low, ferocious growl. he closer he got, the louder that inhuman growl got. It couldn't be that girl, could it? No way. Absolutely not. This was a positively cruel growl.
Naruto slowed down, then gulped when he saw the animal growling. It was the meanest looking dog he'd ever seen. It was pretty big too, making it all the worse. It wasn't Akamaru big, but what it lacked in size it more than made up for in terrorizing looks and attitude.
Looking away from the dog, he saw his new team mate for the first time.
The first thing he saw was the black and purple hair, something he hadn't seen before. It wasn't a normal match for those in Konoha. Next he saw that stunning violet eye, and the strange bandage covering the her left eye. He wanted to ask what had happened, but now wasn't the time. Maybe later.
After a moment, he realized he was staring and looked away, blushing a little bit. When he looked back, he saw her smirking, and the blush faded. What was her problem? Not only had she shown up late, but she hadn't offered any excuses, and it didn't look like she would any time soon.
Kakashi strolled up behind him, examining the dog. "You are Kae and Rayne, I take it?"
The girl eyed Kakashi moodily, then nodded sullenly.
"Kae, huh? I'm Naruto."
"I'm Sakura." Naruto was surprised to find that Sakura still sounded scared. He didn't think she was afraid of dogs... so what?
"Rayne..." Naruto heard Kae murmur, somewhat sternly.
Naruto looked on, amazed, as the doberman seemed to give it's owner a sheepish look, then bark. The short, sharp bark made Naruto jump, but he was more scared when Sakura's legs gave out, and she was breathing heavily.
"What the Hell?" whispered Naruto, kneeling to help his team mate. Glancing up at Kae and Rayne, he asked, "What did you two do to her?!"
"I didn't do anything," Kae retorted, bristling at Naruto's assumption. "You didn't hear me bark, did you?"
Naruto blinked, then looked at the dog. "Is it really that smart?"
Naruto barely had time to blink before Rayne had snapped at him, jaws clamping shut with a metallic clang, just inches from his face.
Naruto wondered who would win in a fight, Akamaru or this 'Rayne'? Probably Akamaru. Rayne may be tough, but Akamaru had size and power in his favor. "I-I guess so. Anyways, what happened to Sakura?"
"Rayne showed her an illusion of her worst nightmare."
The words, so carelessly said, made Naruto angrier than he'd been in awhile. "Listen, Kae. As much as you might not like being with us, doing something like that to Sakura is not acceptable."
Kae eyed him coldly, not the reaction he'd been expecting. She didn't even say anything, just set a hand on Rayne, who's growling had increased tenfold while Naruto had shouted at her. At Kae's touch, the dog silenced.
Naruto was in awe. There was no other way to say it. She had such control over this animal. No way it was as strong as Akamaru.
"Like I said before, jackass, I didn't do anything. Rayne has a conscious mind and I cannot control her." Kae clenched her fists when Naruto merely shook his head, unbelieving.
"It's a dog, Kae. Normal dogs don't think." Naruto had had enough of this bullshit. Kae had obviously done something to Sakura, and was now denying it.
"Well, actually, Naruto. It's not a dog. It's a demon," Kakashi said quietly, blinking. He hadn't quite believed Shizune at first, but here it truly was. A demon who bent to the wills of a human. Amazing. Who was this girl?



When her torture ended at last, Kae had gone to her quiet, empty home. Not even Rayne came with her. As a demon, the dog had her own way of doing things, and part of their contract was that Kae was to never ask Rayne about the things she did. Never. Rayne was to protect Kae, and Kae was to protect Rayne. Nothing else.
Her home was empty, except for her small bed, a fridge, and a soft chair. It was all she needed, as she was rarely home. All she really came home to do was sleep. She ate out, usually. When she wasn't on missions, she was training. Her life was simple. It also had no meaning, not anymore.

Why couldn't he get her out of his head? Was she really that... confusing? The only answer to that question was yes. Without a doubt, she was the most intriguing and confusing person he had met. The air radiated with her loneliness, yet she pushed everyone away with every bit of strength she had. She went out of her way to be rude and detatched, but he sensed she really wasn't used to being so alone.
Naruto couldn't sleep. His bed was too soft, the floor too hard. The house too hot, the balcony too cold. His mind too empty, his mind too full. Nothing was working. He read boring books, only to put them down and stare off into space. A daze. Not asleep. He wished he could sleep.
He kept seeing that cold violet eye, warding off any of Naruto and Sakura's attempts at friendship.
Finally fed up, Naruto grabbed a foldable chair, then headed out onto the balcony. Using a blanket to cover himself from that cool summer breeze, he stared into the darkness of night. Every once in awhile he would see a shadow move, another shinobi heading out on a mission.
He didn't know when, but he did eventually fall asleep. He did not dream. It was an empty night.

At dawn Kae was already training with Rayne. She was highly annoyed when a rather large group of people approached her, staring. One kid stepped away from the group, followed by a large white dog. Immediately Rayne started to growl, lips writhering back in a mixture of warning and anticipation. She may have been bound to Kae by that contract, but she still had the fighting spirit of a demon. She always would.
Kae saw the kid had red triangles on his cheeks, but she didn't ask. She vaguely remembered him from her days at the academy. She'd been in the same class as Naruto and the others, but had ignored them. She had always been closer to Aku and Senna, and it was pure luck that they had landed in the same team.
"So. You're the new kid on Naruto's team. Who're you?" demanded the kid, who if Kae remembered correctly, was named Kiba.
Putting on a cold face, Kae turned to him. "Surely you remember me, right Kiba? Kae?" She didn't expect him to remember her. She didn't want him to remember her. If he did, that meant another person had cared about her in some way.
"Kae? Can't say I remember you... But you must know me to know my name, so I'll just let it go. If you remember me, then you must remember Shino, Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, right?" His hand pointed out the people as he called their names
Kae nodded quietly, rolling her eye. How could she forget them? Queer Shino; obnoxiously shy Hinata; just plain obnoxious Ino; 'troublesome' Shikamaru; and fat Choji. How could she ever forget? They sure had changed though. You could barely tell who Shino was with that huge jacket and hood. "Who're the others, though?" she questioned, waving a hand at the other three that had accompanied the group.
"I'm Rock Lee!" one of the other shinobi practically shouted. Kae had no doubt she would remember him easily with his ugly green outfit and huge eyebrows. And those eyes...
"I'm Tenen," said a the only girl in the group, smiling kindly. Her gesture was returned with a glare from Kae.
"I'm Neji." The solemn voice made Kae look at this kid with a different attitude, but soon dismissed him. He didn't have a reason to be depressed. It looked like he was just always that way. So much for someone to relate to.
"So-uh. Could you calm your dog down?" Kiba asked, "Akamaru's getting nervous."
Kae glanced at Akamaru, who was also starting to growl in reaction to Rayne. Kae smirked, then glancing at Kiba, her eye hard. "Absolutely not. Rayne does as she pleases."
She grinned as Kiba's hand clenched, then unclenched. "Alright then, to test you out, how about a quick battle? Me and Akamaru versus you and... Rayne, right?" Figuring that once he wiped the floor with her and her mutt she would get nicer, Kiba just wanted this done. He already hated this b***h. He'd seen how her eye had slid over his friends. Mockingly. Sarcastically. He wanted to wipe that smirk from her face.
"Whatt'ya say, Rayne? Wanna fight? Wanna taste blood again? Want revenge?" The murmured coos of Kae made Kiba's blood turn cold. What a cruel way to stirr up a fight between dogs. It worked though. Rayne's attitude had shifted from purely cruel to intelligent. "We can use that move, if you want. You need to practice in your other form anyways. Maybe if we had, we could have stopped him."
A cruel snarl ripped from Rayne at the word 'him'. It made Kiba a little nervous. Who had gotten these two so filled with hate that even the word 'him' would drive them over the edge?
"There's your answer, boy. We'll fight, but you can pick up the pieces of your mutt when we're through," sneered Kae.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kae saw Naruto and Sakura approaching, wondering what the crowd was for. Kae rolled her eye, then growled, "You might want to back up."
Curious, but wary, all of the bystanders did as she asked. She watched Kiba talking with Akamaru, then glanced at Rayne. "Go ahead," she said simply.
Everyone stopped at the horrible ripping noise, gazing at horror as Rayne's skin seemingly split, only to have more skin underneathe. Confused but curious, they watched on.
The first thing that change was she grew huge, but still kept the same coloring. Then her tail elongated. Her neck grew longer, and her teeth stuck out more. It was a gruesome sight. Another pair of legs sprouted from her sides, making her have six legs. Last of all a pair of black wings erupted from her back. Those black wings have black feathers on them, which were now falling around the gathered people, who were looking on with disgust and fear.
"See that, Rayne? Just like always," Kae was laughing quietly, watching as Rayne grinned.
Kiba had gone pale. "Holy Hell.... What the hell is that monster?"
Rayne stuck her face in front of Kiba, ignoring Akamaru's snarls. "A demon," growled Rayne, finally showing that she could speak.
At this new revelation, everyone jumped. It was too much. This woman could control a demon? How insane. How ******** insane.
What the hell was she?


The following fight couldn't even truly be called a fight. It was merely Rayne playing with Akamaru and Kiba, then completely destroying them with one move. Kae watched with dispassionate eyes, the only sign she care was her clenched fist.
Naruto was watching her with a keen eye, but Kae had eyes only for Kiba, making sure Rayne didn't go too far. when Kae was confident that no one else would doubt her and Rayne, she called the dog off. She looked at the pathetic heap of shivering fur that used to be called Akamaru, and scowled. How weak. This wasn't training. She needed to fight someone tougher! She had to get to him.
"Come on Rayne, these guys are nothing," hissed Kae. Grabbing her sweatshirt, she started stalking away, but was stopped when she was passing Naruto.
Seething, she glared at the hand that was grabbing her arm, her violet eye rising to meet Naruto's furious blue eyes. "What?" she hissed. "I didn't do anything wrong. He challenged me and Rayne. Not the other way around. He was a fool for judging Rayne by her looks," she sneered. Snatching her arm away from Naruto's rough grip, she stalked away.
Rayne followed behind, her form already changed back to normal. The dog eyed Naruto with haunted amber eyes, as if she wanted to tell him something important, but her loyalty to Kae was too great to overcome. She wanted to tell this blonde haired kid who seemed to concentrate so much on her master that there was a reason for her attitude, and that if one tried hard enough you could get around it. You just had to work at it.

Kae returned home, heart pounding. On the way home she'd realized how reckless she'd been. What if Rayne had been unable to control the demonic feelings the lurked beneathe the surface? She had put all of those people at risk, and she hadn't even warned them of what Rayne could do. Not only that, but she had injured Akamaru enough to put him out of work for a few days, weakening Konoha even more. What a fool she was. She'd let her anger at Muraki make her careless.
Just like he wanted. Damn b*****d.

Naruto was so confused. He kept clashing with Kae, no matter how hard he tried to be nice, she always found a way to take offense at what he said. Was it his fault, or was it her attitude? He didn't know, but he was determined to find out. He'd seen the look that demon had given him, trying to tell him something in the span of a second.
He wanted to know about Kae and Rayne. What had happened to close her off? He remembered her slightly from the academy, but just barely. She'd been closed off then too, but not nearly as much. And she didn't have that godawful bandage covering her eye. What had happened?
He was helpless until she finally decided to speak. Until then, he would wait. She would crack someday.

Kae couldn't concentrate. Giving up, she dug in her freezer until she pulled out a tub of ice cream, then curled up on her bed, eating slowly and savoring the taste. She began to hum the tune her mother had taught her long ago, caught up in the splendor of the moment.
She didn't feel the tears start to fall, nor could she stop them when she did. It was a strange feeling, crying from only one eye, yet she'd gotten used to it. She'd cried for weeks after the incident, but it never changed. They were still gone, and always would be.

Kae hadn't shown up to training, nor had she left her home for the past two days. The more worried Kakashi got, the more worried Naruto got as well. Soon most of the village was worried, wondering what had happened to the terrifying young girl.
Deciding that she needed to be checked up on, Kakashi sent Naruto and Neji to her home with permission to enter if she didn't respond.
Armed with this, the two shinobi practically ran to the run-down home that Kae spent her days and nights.
Naruto was struck by the absolute loneliness that sseemed to echo from the home's every corner, making him wonder what had happened to Kae to make her allow her home to sink into such desolation. Giving Neji a concerned look, Naruto approached the door. He knocked softly at first, then louder when he got no response.
They knocked for about five minutes, then tried the door.
Amazingly, it swung open easily. Naruto entered the house, muttering about locking doors, completely disregarding the fact that he himself never locked his doors.
The inside of the house was painfully bare. The walls were a desolate white, and there was no furniture in the many rooms that lined the hallway. As Naruto searched for Kae's room, he counted three pieces of furniture total. A small couch; a fridge; and a small chair, facing the window. The chair looked the most used out of the three, since the fridge was almost empty except for a carton of ice-cream. The ice-cream was almost gone.
Naruto finally found Kae's room, and entered quietly, whispering to Neji to stay outside. This caused Neji to give him a look and refuse, knowing of Naruto's way. He said he would wait in the doorway, but he would go no farther.
Naruto approached the bed silently, wondering if Kae could possibly be alright. When he reached the side of her bed, he stared down at her, stunned.
The fiery demon who had snapped at him so many times had been replaced with a sleeping child. Curled up on her side, her face relaxed in sleep, it seemed impossible that she could actually be that harsh girl who was constantly picking fights with other.
Naruto reached almost unconsciouly for her, but stopped himself. A confused expression stole over him, but he shook it off. She was sleeping. Should he wake her? She wasn't dead or anything... so there wasn't anything to worry about, right?
Even while sleeping, the female shinobi kept that bandage on. If Naruto remembered right, the battle that had caused that wound to happen had happened almost a year ago. Surely she could take the bandage off now, right?
Then Naruto knew why she kept it on, why she never took it off. She was reminding herself of her friends, so she would never forget the battle that had torn her in half.
Naruto stepped back, shaken. To the rest of the village, she was a cold girl who mocked others and started meaningless fights, but Naruto felt as if he could see into her very soul.
She was protecting herself.
Trying to make sure she never felt that pain again.
Trying. And failing.



Kae woke up alone, wondering what it felt like she had slept for weeks. Looking at her clock on the wall, she blinked. It was 7:00?! She'd slept for over 15 hours! She had training to do!
Stumbling out of bed, she tripped and landed on her hands and knees, silently cursing her clumsiness. Pushing herself up, she came face to face with... Naruto? Jumping backwards, she nearly fell back into bad. Looking at him through a wide violet eye, she wondered wildly what he was doing here. Surely nothing had happened? Just by looking his face, she knew that was not the case. He was smirking. If something had happened, he would not be smirking.
Now Kae glared, wondering what on earth he was doing in her house. She stared at him. He stared at her. They did not speak, nor did they blink. Finally she raised an eyebrown, causing him to grin.
"You know, you look kinda cute when you sleep."
That was enough to shut Kae out of her playful mode. Her fists clenched as she took a step forward, violet eye narrowed, anger pouring from her. "Where all did you look?" she hissed, fear making her heart clench painfully.
Naruto looked surprised at this blatant change in attitude, then shrugged. "Just about everywhere, I guess. I've been here for a day, doing nothing. You should be happy I even cared enough to come look."
Kae's fists clenched yet again, this time her nails dug into her palm, but she took no notice. She took another step forward, until she was inches away from Naruto. With clenched teeth, she hissed, "Did you look in my desk?" As she waited for his answer, she shivered at the feel of blood rolling down her palm, over her fingers. When a drop slipped from her hand, it seemed like an eternity before it quietly landed on the hardwood floor.
Resisting the urge to glance down at it, she merely clenched her fist even more, resisting the urge to grab Naruto's collar and shake him. It shouldn't take this long to answer such a simple question!
"Uh, you have a desk?"
Kae sagged with relief, allowing herself to step back several paces, until she was pressed against the wall. Her head fell back with a thump, and she almost started crying again. Thank God, Naruto had not noticed the hidden desk in the wall.
Using her arms to shove herself off of the wall, she walked over to Naruto, who wasn't staring at her. He was staring at the spot she had just pushed off of, and she flushed, knowing he was looking at the blood print she had left behind.
Naruto's eyes slowly slid from the wall to her, surprise and compassion reflecting in his blue eyes. Without a word he reached for her hand, looking at the palm when her nails had bitten into, carefully wiping his thumb over the wounds.
Turning without a sound, he dragged her into the white bathroom and began to clean the wound.
Kae found herself blushing, wondering what on earth he was being so gentle about. It was just a small wound, nothing to get too excited about. However, this wasn't enough to make her hand jerk away. She let him wash it, wincing everytime soap touched the marks.
Soon enough it was done, and Naruto had wrapped her hand in bandages. At this, she had to object, "Really! It's not bad enough for that!"
She was hushed by Naruto's look, which said he didn't care, she would keep it on, whether she liked it or not.
Rolling her eye, Kae yet again allowed him to tow her out to the room which held her lone couch. Naruto gently pushed her down, then vanished from the room.
A prisoner in her own home, Kae gazed at the bare walls, a feeling of sadness coming welling over her. It hadn't been long ago when a lifestyle like this would have sickened her. So much had changed in that one day. It had changed her forever.

She was surprised when Naruto came back with Ramen, but shrugged and accepted it anyways. It felt like she hadn't eaten in three days, so even ramen tasted like heaven. She felt Naruto's eyes on her as she ate, but ignored him.
It was really good.
"We have a mission."
Those words, said so quietly, made Kae freeze. She slowly looked away from the ramen, looking at Naruto instead.
Naruto was struck only by the hollow pain that echoed clearly within that violet eye. He wondered where that pain came from, then remembered she had not been on a mission in almost a year. She had been healing from her many horrible wounds, and was just now ready to go out.
Stepping away from in front of her, he settled down onto the couch next to her. He grabbed a hand and squeezed it, giving her a bright smile. "Let's start again, Kae. We started out terribly. Let's forget that and meet as new people. I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"
Kae gazed at him a moment, then gave him a weak smile. "I'm Itami Kae."
Naruto was struck silent a moment. Itami. Her name meant pain. How fitting.
Kae watched his expression, letting out a hollow laugh as she watched him realize. She said nothing, just quietly laughed.
"Well, Itami Kae, we have a mission from Tsunade. We are supposed to deliver an important message to a man whom we do not know. It's an A-Rank mission, and you're perfect for the job with your spying techinique." Naruto watched her face relax quietly, watched her agree.
"Alright then, we leave in two hours. Pack what you need, and meet us at the gates. We're going with Sakura and Kiba and Akamaru."
Kae looked up, confused. She was sure she had put Akamaru out of buisness for awhile at least, but he was already ready for a mission?
Seeing the look, Naruto smirked. "Sakura healed him up. He's as good as new." The blonde shinobi looked around quietly, then asked, "Where's Rayne?"
Kae shook her head, signaling that she had no idea. She never knew where Rayne was. The dog just showed up at the right time and place for missions, and no questions were asked. It was a little strange, but it worked.
"Alrighty then, see you later."
She didn't watch him go, already rummaging in her weapons for those blades she treasured so much



The small group met by the gates. For the first time in a year, the villagers of Konoha were graced with one of Kae's rare smiles. The full effect of it made Kiba actually look twice, wondering if this was the sneering hellcat he had fought before.
Only when she glowered at him did he sag in relief. Some things just never changed, after all.
Naruto frowned in surprise as he saw the two swords strapped on Kae's back, not having seen them before. He didn't ask though.
Kae paused, sighting Rayne not far away. A small smile lit up her face, in relief that her friend was still going to be her partner. She had done an incredibly stupid thing, and both Kae and Rayne knew it. Something so stupid could break their contract, but thankfully it hadn't.
They were ready to set off five minutes later, Sakura leading them, Kae taking up the back. Akamaru and Rayne were too busy growling at each other to make any difference. The same with Kiba and Naruto.
As they headed for the meeting place, Kae allowed her thoughts to stray. Her body took over, allowing her to just... leave.
However, one thing did draw her back from her daydream. It was the sight of a boy her age, walking along a dusty road. She slowed, then stopped to watch. He either had really dark blue hair, or black hair. She stayed only for a moment, but couldn't get him out of her head. For some reason, forboding seemed to hang over that kid.
They would meet again, she just knew it. She also dreaded it.

They reached their destination at about midnight, all of the group severely exhausted and just about to collapse.
Actually, Kae did collapse, only to be caught by Kiba and Naruto alike. She glowered at both of them, waved them away, then slumped to the ground. Rolling her eye back into her head, she let her head fall onto the ground, ignoring the dust in the road.
She scowled at Kiba and Naruto as the both leaned over her, grinning at her apparent exhaustion.
"Oh, just go away," muttered Kae, rolling onto her side, more than a little huffy.
Naruto and Kiba rolled their eyes, then joined Sakura. They would camp here for the night, then find an inn for tomorrow. The scheduled meeting wasn't planned for another five days. They had made amazing time, and really had no where they had to be.

Kae woke stiff, and alone. Even Rayne was gone. After a brief moment of panic, she sighed. Lifting her head up just enough to slam it back down, she bit back a string of curses. Of course they had left, but they would probably be back. Probably had gone to find an inn, and hadn't wanted to wake her.
But still...
Kae slowly got to her feet, more than a little tired. The dust road hadn't been the best best, but she'd slept in worse places. Far worse.
She shuddered, then got to her feet, enraged. Would the past forever haunt her? What was done was done. Muraki hadn't been sighted in months, so she had nothing to worry about. That was that.
Determined to get her mind off of other things, Kae pulled out her dual swords, wanting to train. Anything to get out of her memories.

It was training that he came upon her, and he didn't quite make himself known at first. He watched as she went through her motions, and watched with interest as black fire spread along the flames, indicating she was a shinobi.
Shoji didn't quite know what to say. On his way to his new mission, he'd seen the four shinobi leaping through trees, but hadn't looked their way. He'd been slightly wary when one of them had stopped and stared at him, but he had kept walking, so as to not alarm her. It was quite stunning to actually find her here, training.
Judging by her skills, she was a pretty good shinobi.
He would have to be careful.

When a stick cracked behind her, Kae turned and threw her sword the in the general direction it had come from. She didn't think, she just threw.
The sword ended up wedged in a tree, just beside a very pale man. At first glance, he seemed somewhat familiar. After a moment, Kae grinned. "You're that dude from before!"
Surprising, finding him here. She never thought they'd actually meet here. After all, they'd been using the trees, while he'd been on the ground. Walking. It seemed nearly impossible.
Suddenly, Shoji let out a yelp. The tree that had been struck by the flaming sword had burst into black flames, which quickly consumed the tree.
With an apologetic grin, Kae retrieved her sword and put the fire out with a quick handsign. She stuck the swords into their sheathes, then held out a hand to Shoji.
"I'm Kae Itami. You?"
Shoji regarded her suspiciously for a moment, then gave in. Taking her hand, he gave her a friendly grin. "Shoji. Shoji Akamatsu."
Kae removed her hand, then eyed him. "Why were you spying on me?"
Shrugging his shoudlers, Shoji gave her a blank smile. It was best to lie for now. After all, surprise was a shinobi's greatest weapons. "I wanted to watch your skills with the sword without making you feel judged."
Kae returned the blank smile, lying through her teeth, "Oh, really? I wouldn't have minded."
A lie. Lie. Lie. Liarr. She did mind. She didn't want anyone watching her while she trained, especially while she was alone. It made her feel violated and harassed.
She wanted to kill this guy so badly right now, but passed that off as nerves. After all, it hadn't taken much for him to sneak up on her, had it? She still had much more training to do.



Naruto, Kiba, Sakura, Akamaru and Rayne all sat around a table outside, quietly talking. They wondered how Kae was doing, but quickly delved into the true topic at hand. "He was last seen around here, correct?"
"Muraki. Yes. The report says that a strange man dressed in all white resides in a small stone cottage, and rarely does he venture from it," replied Sakura, green eyes shifting warily.
Kiba was a little anxious about doing this, taking Kae on a mission to find her teammate`s murderer without even telling her about it. She still thought they were delivering a message. It seemed wrong to do this without her consent.
"We can't tell her."
All around the table, the gathered group nodded quietly at Naruto's words. Kae would probably kill them all herself if she found out she was so close to Muraki, and they didn't say a word.
"So... if we find this guy, whatta we do?" Kiba was the one to voice the question on all of their minds, and he recieved glares from everyone for it. With an embarassed shrug, he sat back, fingers twitching impatiently.
"Well... we kill him, right?"
"Wrong," came a voice hissed behind them, and with dread in their hearts, the group turned.
Kae stood there, pain, hurt, and fury whirling within that once violet eyes. She was seething, everyone could tell. And she had a right to be.
She turned to look at Rayne, shoulders slumping. The dog whined at her pathetic look, but when Rayne tried to approach her, Kae whipped out a sword.
The demon dog stopped dead, looking at Kae in shock. Only the dog knew what Kae was threatening, and was now regretting her decision to join in this little group. She had betrayed Kae's trust, and her friend's spirit had shattered. Again.
When Naruto rose to talk to her, Kae slashed the sword, a blur to everyone's eyes. The next thing Naruto saw was the blade pointing between his eyes. And how it shook. Either her arm hurt, or she was shaking. Be it from rage or sadness, none could know beside herself, because the look on her face gave away nothing.
Her face was ice, missing any and all expression. Even her expressive eyes were void of emotion, making them look terribly cruel.
Kae shot one glare at the gather group, then turned and walked away, still gripping her sword.
When Naruto moved to follow her, he was stopped by jaws clamped around his wrist. He looked down to find Rayne, growling softly. Clearly, it would not be a good idea to follow her.

After she had seen Shoji off, Kae had finally had enough of sitting around and waiting. She was a shinobi, for crying out loud! It certainly had not been hard following them, but their topic of conversation had compelled her to hide, to listen.
They'd lied to her to drag her on a suicide mission. Bastards.
Once she was out of sight of them, she leapt up into the trees, trying to find a nice quiet place where she could control the anger that was welling with her. She didn't want her anger to get the best of her. Never that. Never never. Anger had lost Aku and Senna their lives.

A nice little stream and a small apple tree caught Kae's attention, and her heart welled with something that could only be called love at the beauty of the scene. Dropping down from the tree, she walked over to the tree, leaning her swords on it. Deciding this would be where she cool off, she sat down and leaned against the sapling, smiling quietly. Already her anger had dissipated, whether it was from the run or because of the tree, she did not know. Nor did she care.
She didn't realize it, but the gurgle of the stream, the hush of the wind in the grass and the cries of birds overhead were slowly putting her to sleep. Even if she had known, she would not have cared.
It was so beautiful.

When Kae didn't return to the camp, Naruto started to get worried. However, he had no idea where she'd gone after the scene at the resturaunt, and Rayne was reluctant to let him out of her sight.
So he waited, leaning on a boulder. He would wait, if only to know she was still safe. She was a fool. She knew Muraki was out there, nearby, and yet she still stayed away.

Amazing, he'd stumbled onto her again. This time she was leaning on a sapling, sleeping quietly. Once again, he did not bother her. He sat in the tree and watched, musing over her strange attitude. Today he had easily been able to tell that she didn't like him much, but maybe he could change her mind in time.
He wondered what had driven her to sleeping out here, but quickly pushed that aside. After about fifteen minutes, he got up. He had to complete his mission.
After all, he was not here for fun. Like the rest of the world, he had a job to do.
With a small smile to the sleeping woman, Shoji headed off for the assigned meeting place, wondering what this Muraki would be like.



"This mission was a complete dud. Not only did we not find the 'Stone cottage' mentioned in the description, the person who was supposed to tell us all about it never even showed. We got Kae pissed off for no reason." Kiba was in a huff, angrily shoving things into his small pack.
They'd waited the arranged five days, and their guide never showed up. For that matter, Kae hadn't returned to the camp set up by them. Not once. She hadn't returned for food or water, so the group assumed she had found a nice little spot complete with these necessities, or she had found a place to spend, like an old lady's cottage.
At dawn of the fifth day, they'd found a note by their belongings from Kae, telling them she'd left for the village, and that they were not to try and follow her. She also firmly told them not to come to her home. With the words, "Stay the ******** away from my home... Naruto," no one could dispute this fact.
Naruto had flushed when he'd read the note, and ignored everyone's questions. He wondered if it had been worth it, then decided it had not. Because of the lie they had told, Kae was ignoring them. Damn.

Her small white house screamed out it's loneliness, making Kae shiver with sadness and bitter loneliness. The rain fell in torrents around her, leaving her soaked and alone. It was days like this that she ached miserably for her childhood friends, and ranted against the lords of the sky for taking them from her.
When she unlocked her door, the smell of home made Kae clench her hands angrily. Slamming the door shut, she locked it with a satisfying 'click'.
Kae moved the blinds until they covered the windows, making her house completely black, except for the bits of gray peeking in from slits in the blinds.
Kae stood there a moment, confused and disoriented. While she waited for her eyes to adjust to the dark, she set her weapons on the ground, shucking off her jacket as well. This left her with her comfortable black t-shirt and khaki capris.
When her eyes adjusted at last, she slowly picked her way through her home, searching for that one room.
At first glance, it was the barest room in the house. There were no chairs, no closests, not even a window. However, if you looked in the right spot you could find a hidden room. It was the room Kae spent most of her time, and also the room she held most dear.
Using one hand to lean on the wall, Kae concentrated on speading her chakra through the nooks and crannies, searching for that one spot.
Finally, a soft sigh filled the room as the hollow hole in the wall was filled with red chakra. Kae gave a faint smile, then removed her hand from the wall. Immediately, the wall moved back, like a trap door in one of those old movies. However, this door was real. It would really lead to her secrets and her sadness.
Just like in those old movies, there was a staircase which led under the house, meaning the basement. However, these walls were lined with lightbulbs, not torches. A small smile made the corners of Kae's lips twitched, but the swallowed the urge to laugh at such a silly notion.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she smiled quietly at the sight of her mahogany desk and sofa. This was where she usually slept, her music turned on and letters on her desk.
She wrote to Aku, letters that he would never read. It was quite embarassing, actually, but she couldn`t sleep without writing him a letter of how her day went. It was an addiction for her. It used to be that she had to play a game of some sort before she went to bed, but now it was music and letters.
Strolling over to the desk, she ran her hands down it, shivering as her memories seemingly flooded through her. Pulling five letters out of her back pocket, she grinned sheepishly. "Hey guys," she murmured. "I can't even go camping without writing you two letters. I wish you could read these, but then I don't. Aku, you would laugh. Senna, you would cry."
Kae gave a bitter smile, wondering how on earth she had gotten so caught up in her past. Maybe it was because of that ever-present need to avenge their deaths, to torture Muraki, like he had her.
Suddenly realizing she was crying, Kae bitterly rubbed at her eyes, cursing Muraki with every breath.
Suddenly, she couldn't take it. She let out a harsh scream and fell to her knees, cradeling her head in her hands, sobbing hideously. Unknown to the others, it was a year ago from this day that Aku and Senna had met their bloody demise, while Kae watched on with horrified, yet awed eyes.
"b*****d," rasped Kae, disolving into another set of sobs.
She was such a b*****d. A whore. A b***h. She was nothing. She was worthless. Trash.
Not fit to live.

She drifted off, amazingly. She'd sobbed like that for what seemed like hours, until her chest hurt and her throat seemed torn. Her eye had ached, and her tongue had swollen up. She cussed out every body in the village for one reason or another, then had begun again. She cried just to cry, to let out that unbearable pressure that had been welling within her for weeks.
She'd taken a kunai and dug it into the concrete floor over and over, screaming with every impact. She was fighting to rid herself of this anger, so she could get back to normal.
For one year she'd lived without her love and without her bestfriend. Hell, she'd even begun to love again. Maybe. Was that what she felt for Naruto? She prayed to God not. After all, if she fell in love, it would be so much harder to let him go.
And she would. Let him go, that is. She couldn't stand to love again, then watch helplessly as he died in front of her, just to protect her.
"Selfish bastards," she murmured huskily, throat still raw from the crying and her nap. She felt like she'd been sleeping for hours, but her watch showed it had only been about two hours.
She pushed herself up from the couch she'd drug herself in her fit, looking around quietly. The room looked normal... except for the blob on her steps.
Curious, yet slightly scared, Kae grabbed the discarded kunai and approached the shape.
"N-Naruto?!"

Naruto looked up, confused. He'd come to Kae's house, against her orders, and had knocked. She hadn't replied, so he just came right in. When he realized she wasn't in her bedroom or her living room, he'd searched the house, and found a giant gaping hole in the wall.
Being himself, of course, Naruto headed into the giant hole in the wall, and was shocked by the sound of sobbing. Then those screams started, sending chills down he spine. He had stood on the steps, listening to those screams. Listening. Listening. Listening.
Then it had stopped, until it became an irregular set of screams. There was a harsh snap as she dug something into the ground. After awhile, the screams stifled into sobs, then into silent tears. Soon the ragged breathing of sleep overcame the basement.
And now that demon was standing over him, eye red and holding a kunai.
"s**t!! I'm sorry!! I know I didn't listen, but let's not get hasty with that kunai..." Naruto stuttered, gazing warily at the weapon, eyes flickering back and forth between the weapon and Kae.
She gazed at it stupidly for a moment, then grinned weakly. With a sad sigh, she dropped the kunai, then turned and headed back for her sofa.
She was stopped by Naruto's hand landing on her arm. She looked at it curiously, then looked at Naruto.
"You need to get out of the house."

The dark clouds looked forbidding, making Kae wonder if this was truly a good idea. Naruto had practically dragged her out of the village, saying that the hubub would only 'mess' her up more.
While she was dazed out, Naruto had pushed her onto a rock, then sat next to her.
"What happened to your eye?"
The words, soft as they were, couldn't have made Kae close up any more. It was a shock, but it shouldn't have been. Up till now, everyone had quietly ignored the subject of her eye, gathering that it was a subject. It should've been obvious to her that someone would ask eventually. It should've been even more obvious that it Naruto would clearly be one to ask.
Kae looked away, "I'd rather not say..."
Naruto shrugged this off, then leaned back, leaning on the rock.
He really had nothing to say, but he was happy to hear Kae's breathing regulate. She wasn't so... tense now.
However, he would get it out of her. Holding in the events of that day was what was killing her, from the inside out. It would be better for her to speak out it.
After awhile, the silence grew uncomfortable, and Naruto could sense Kae struggling to find a way out of this situation.
"Kae, you have to tell someone sometime. Let it be me. I understand anything you've gone through."
Damn those soft words. They were lies. No one understood the horror she'd felt as she'd watched her teammates tortured and murdered in front of her very eyes...
"Shut up, Naruto. You don't know anything," murmured Kae, getting to her feet.
Dusting off her pants, she prepared to leave. She should've expected the feeling of Naruto, grabbing ahold of her arm.
"Don't be a coward, Kae."
"What?" snarled Kae, staring at him with an outraged expression.
"That's what you're being. A coward. Only a coward would run from her past like you are."
Kae struggled to shake him off, shaking with her newfound rage. However, like a dog with a bone, Naruto refused to let go.
"Coward. Tell me. Tell me everything."
Finally at her wits end, Kae used her other hand to slap Naruto. Stunned, her loosened his grip onher arm, allowing her to pull it away. However, instead of running like she'd planned, her hand seemingly went to her bandage of it's own accord.
She found herself screaming at him, "Fine! If it matters to you so much, see what happened! Sit down and see what happened to me that day!"
Then, before she could stop herself, she ripped it from her face, reveiling the horrors she struggled for a year to hide.

Naruto didn't see it at first, too confused over the slap. Then his gaze focused on her face. He felt his eyes harden in disgust, felt himself back away in horror. Felt himself look away, unable to look any longer.
Heard her harsh laugh, bordering on the edge of insanity.

"You see it, don't you?!" she screamed, shoulders shaking with the pain and rage she'd bottled up for far too long. Just hours ago she'd cried for her friends. Now she raged for herself.

No matter how much Naruto tried to shut it out, he could only see that disgusting scar. Her eyes lids were seemingly sewn together, and they sunk into her face. Her eye... it'd been ripped out. There were scars along the border of her eye, as if someone had used a shaking hand to rip out her eye. Maybe they'd cut it out, using a dull knife. It certainly look so.
But worse than that was the frayed skin. The skin where an inexperienced hand had patched herself together, and then hadn't allowed anyone else to help her.
However, the worst part was her remaining eye. It was wide with pain, anger, and probably a mixture of other emotions. The once beautiful violet eye had lost all of it's beauty. It was now only a horror.
Then he realized what she'd said. Show? How was she going to show him what had happened? Curious, he sat down on the rock she had sat on only minutes before. He still looked away from her, unable to look her in the face. In the eye.

Kae felt something break, no, shatter within her. It was as bad as she'd feared. Even Naruto was unable to look at her. Look at it. So, she was truly a monster.
With shaking hands, she replaced the bandage. Naruto looking away like she was a beast was more painful than anything that'd happened in the past year.

Kae called to Rayne, calling her here. Telling Naruto would not be enough. She would show him.

When Rayne arrived, she changed into her demon form, anger radiating from her. Naruto had shaken Kae so much that she wanted to show him the events of that day.
Naruto was not expecting the demon to lunge at him and bite him on the shoulder. The demon bit, and he felt his shoulder shatter. He didn't realize it was merely an illusion. To Rayne, this was revenge.
Moments later Naruto felt like he was falling into blackness. Then he was... somewhere else.



"Hey! Hey, Kae! Com'on! We have a mission! Lazing around in bed will not get you a spot in the ANBU!!!"
Kae rolled over, groaning playfully. She sqeualed when someone poked her in the back, finally succeeding in waking her up. "Aku~, can't you leave me alone?" she pouted, but was already getting up.
Choosing her normal attire, she slid the sweatshirt over her tanktop, then slithered into her gray capris.
Her friend and teammate, Aku, was looking out the window, giving her privacy. Not only that, but the black-haired boy was waving at someone below.
Curious, Kae pushed him aside a little bit, then grinned down at her other teammate, Senna.
Senna was a 17 year old brown-haired beauty with a fiery tongue and eyes to match. She was the spitting image of her mother, down the the deep red of her eyes. Sister of Aku, the three had been best friends since before their days at the academy.
Aku had black hair, gained from his father, and his mother's red eyes. Older than his sister by a year, he was eighteen. Unlike his sister, he was easygoing and a playful teenager, despite his name. Over the years Kae had admitted to herself that she'd fallen in love with her childhood friend, but was unwilling to tell him, for fear of rejection and their friendship being destroyed.
Either a stroke of luck or haggling had made it so that the threesome had become teammates. The three and their jutsus suited each other amazingly well, making them a well rounded team.
Their sensei had died the previous year, making them a three-man squad.

"Soo... What's the mission, Aku?" Kae said this between mouthfuls, having poured herself some cereal. Senna sat next to her her, munching on cereal as well. Aku was the only one not eating, and he was leaning on the wall, enjoying the view of Kae's quaint little kitchen
"Well, we have to find a scroll and return it to the Hokage, amazingly."
Kae groaned, "Another? Does this mean Rayne and I have to...?"
Aku smirked, then nodded. "Of course." Rayne would have to enter a man's body and take control, leaving a pathetic, simpering dog behind.
Kae sighed, shaking her head. "I'm not taking care of it this time," she muttered.
This mutter earned her a flashing grin from Aku, and a coughing laugh from Senna.

They reached the small village that the scroll was said to be, and quickly finished the job. Rayne took over a guard's body, then killed the men she approached with it. When all of the guards were taken out, Aku and Kae entered. It was Senna's turn to watch over the dog. She'd lost the coin flip.
The mission was too easy for three jounin level shinobi, and it was complete in less than two hours.
When the scroll was successfully retrieved and placed with Kae for protection, the group left the village.
They chatted easily on the way back, unfazed by the deaths of so many people. To them, they had done wrong against the hokage and their country. They deserved to die. After all, this was going towards the wellfare of the Fire Country.
When the sun started to disappear behind a large group of clouds, the three-man cell decided that camping would be best, as the clouds looked like they could turn into a terrible storm soon.
Kae and Rayne were left with setting up the tent while Aku and Senna set up the fire and looked for things to hunt. They hadn't expected the storm, and should've been back at the village before nightfall, so they came unprepared.
When the tent was set up, Kae settled into it, then waited for Aku and Senna to return with food. She counted sheep, not expecting the old trick to actually work. It came as a great surprise when Aku was poking her in the side with a foot, grinning down at her.
"Oi, sleepiehead. Wake up. We have company."
Confused, Kae looked around, sighting the beautiful man immediately. She stared for a moment, completely lost. She looked at Aku for help, but he only grinned and started to cook the meat they'd found.
The man told them that his name was Muraki, and he was just travelling. While running errands for his family, he got caught in the storm. It hadn't quite started yet, but it would start soon. It looked like it would be quite terrible.
As Muraki talked, Kae eyed him, smiling. He looked like such a nice man. He wore all white, making him seem almost angelic. His silver hair looked feathery light, and made her fingers ache with the need to run her hands through it. The only odd thing was his eyes. One was constantly covered by his hair, but occasionally she saw the color blue. That was odd, because his other eye was silver.
However, it wasn't impossible to have two different colored eyes. She herself had two different colored eyes. One was violet and one was blue. Cyan, her mother had always told her. Never blue. That was too plain. Her eyes were beautiful, and should never be called anything other than violet and cyan.
Suddenly Muraki looked at her, seemingly as if he'd known she was staring all along. Flushing, Kae ducked her head. Why did God have to make such a beautiful man?
When she looked up again, he was still staring at her. He gave her a slow wink, then turned to Aku, thanking him once again for providing him with a place to sleep and food.
When it was time to sleep, Kae slept in between Aku and Muraki, making it a very long night. Eventually she did fall asleep, and she dreamed of a red sky and crows.

By dawn, Muraki was gone, and everyone was a grump. The ground was muddy by the time the storm was over, and the tent hadn't been able to keep all of the water out. Aku was the biggest grump of all, a little bitter over how much attention Muraki had given Kae the other night. He couldn't place the feeling, but he didn't like it.
An hour after dawn, the trio left the clearing they had camped in, leaving the crude tent in flames behind them.
They traveled for about an hour, before Rayne alerted that they were being followed. Kae shrugged it off at first, figuring it was probably just a beggar, or something. Senna, on the other hand, was much more cautious. Rayne rarely alerted they were being followed, and it was good to listen to the demon dog.

"Hey! Wait up!"
Kae was so surprised to hear that voice she nearly tripped. Quickly turning, she was stunned to see Muraki approaching. Immediately she tensed, wondering what he was doing here. He'd left at least an hour before them, so why was he behind them?
Suddenly, Kae turned. "Aku, Senna! Run!" she screamed.
Rayne had sensed Muraki's cruel intent, and had murmured it to Kae, in a language only she and Rayne understood.
Aku gazed at Kae for a moment, in shock, then nodded. He grabbed Senna's arm and ran ahead, thinking Kae was following.
It had been her intention to run as well, but something was wrapped around her ankle, causing her to fall hard. A loud snap made her cry out at the sudden pain, then gaze at the offending limb in stunned disbelief.
She looked back at the approaching angel, wondering why he was doing this. She saw him wink in that same slow manner, yet she felt no happiness this time. She felt only dread.
Then she felt Aku's hand on her shoulder, and she began to shake. She shrugged him off and turned, screaming, "You fool! Leave me here! Don't risk yourself for me!"
Aku only gazed at her fondly, then did the handsigns that would start his genjutsu.
Kae could only watch as Aku stilled, along with Muraki. Now was the time Senna was supposed to attack, but something was happening.
Suddenly, Rayne went insane with her barking. Something was coming, and it seemed... demonic.
"Rayne!" screamed Kae, struggling to her feet. Immediately she fell back to the ground, tears swimming in her eyes.
Senna died first, torn apart by a beast that flew in from the sky. Then that beast ate her. Ate her.
Kae could only stare in horror as her lifelong friend was swallowed. Could only stare, could only stare. When it became too gruesome, she looked at Aku's feet.
Which had begun to move.
She looked up at her teammate, shocked. Aku was panting heavily, and crying at the same time. Kae realized his genjutsu had been shattered in time to see his sister get eaten. Kae's heart wrenched, and she offered up a hand, which he clasped onto with clammy fingers.
Then he was gone, attacking yet again, this time with a renewed anger.
It didn't take long for Muraki demon to subdue Aku, without killing him. Kae wondered, sick, if that was because it was full from Senna.
Muraki approached Kae, his demon pulling Aku along behind.
Kae couldn't look away from the beautiful, barbaric man. Why was he doing this? What had they done to earn his wrath? Finally she looked away, gazing at the spot where Senna had been torn apart.
Muraki finally stood in front of her, then he kneel. Using a knuckle, he lifted her chin until she had to look at him. He smiled gently, then shook his head. "Don't look at me like that, you soil your beauty."
Kae gazed at him in a mixture of wonder and horror. "W-why?" she rasped, fighting back the nausea that rose every time she thought of the brown-haired beauty who had lost her life this day.
"It's your fault, really. I noticed you at the village you three annihilated. You were so beautiful, with your hair flying and pride upon you face. You had completed a mission, and were ready to go home. I just had to get close to you. So I came to your camp, yet your attention was only for this boy," he said the last word roughly, turning to Aku and placing a slender and pale finger on Aku's black shirt.
"Once he's gone, your attention will be all mine, right? Still, I don't want him to go too quickly. So, my friend here is still hungry-"
"No," gasped Kae, her hands clenched in horror. She couldn't watch another friend get eaten.
Suddenly, she was backhanded by Muraki. There was a blackness for just a moment, then Muraki came back into focus. "Shut up, please." That gentle voice was still there, yet his eyes were hard. "Yes, he will be eaten, slowly and painfully." He smiled, then turned away. Kae's broken ankle would prevent her from going anywhere.

Everytime Aku screamed, another tear fell. The demon made sure to take as long as he wanted, eating fingers and toes one at a time. Blood loss was not possible, because the wounds healed over as soon as the limb was gone.
Soon, Kae was shaken, and Aku had lost hope. At midnight, the demon fell asleep, allowing a temporary reprive.
"Kae, kill me please."
Aku's soft whisper barely reached Kae, yet it seemed like a roar in her ears. "I-I can't. There's still a cha-"
"There's not, and you know it! Kae, I'm suffering. Senna is dead. Please, kill me. It's clear this guy isn't going to kill you. He seems to be... obsessed with you. Please Kae, just drive the kunai in my pocket into my throat. Just kill me!"
Aku repeated those words over and over until Kae covered her ears with her hands, yet the chanting continued. She could feel it.
Then, the horrific happened.
She gave in. She hugged Aku's torso, then removed to kunai in her pocket. She held it up to his throat, shuddering.
"Wait, Kae. Before you kill me, I just wanted to tell you. Hell, I just figured this out today, when I watched you cry over me. I love you. I do." With that, before she could throw down the kunai, Aku jerked forward, forcing the kunai into his own throat.
Kae let out a strangled scream and pulled the kunai out, sobbing.
She heard Muraki stirr, then wake up from his sleep, yet she didn't care.
"Aku! Aku! Please, don't leave me! I love you too!" she sobbed, clinging to his body.
Muraki now stood above her, his face a mask of rage. He kicked her in the stomach, causing her to drop Aku and clutch her stomach. Using this moment, Muraki kicked again, moving her away from Aku's body.
"Bloody b***h," he snarled. "I should kill you for that, but I'll just punish you in another way. At dawn you'll get your punishment." He then ordered the demon to 'dispose' of Aku's body, then to watch Kae. She was not to leave his sight. Not once.

At dawn, Muraki kicked Kae awake. He then grabbed her arms and yanked her to her feet, ignoring her cry of pain at her jostled leg.
Kae thought she saw someone behind Muraki, but shook her head, thinking she must be seeing things. That's what she thought until a little boy stepped forward, wide-eyed and holding a blunt knife.
Kae moaned deep in her throat, wondering what now. It would not be good. Muraki was insane, and he would make this painful.
"Cut her blue eye out, brat."
She watched with horror filled eyes as the little boy brought the knife forth with a shaking hand.

The extreme pain and numbness scared her. She could feel blood leaking from the spot where her eye had once been. She fainted at the feeling of the knife pressing against her eye, and had woken with the boy gone and her eyes gone as well.
She also felt wild. She felt Rayne's consciousness shoving at her own, fighting for space.
Rayne had left her body. With a great sadness she watched as with Rayne's consciousness gone, the demon took control of her body.
As she lost consciousness, she heard the roar of the demon as he proceeded to tear apart the forest.

She woke with Rayne near her, and Muraki gone. The forest around her was almost completely annihilated. Pulling herself onto Rayne's demon form, the demon dog flew into the sky, taking her master with her.
She had to get Kae to safety. Her friend was slipping away. Slowly, but surely.

As soon as colors were able to be seen, Naruto was on his feet, sure that he'd been out for a couple of days. He was stunned to find Kae still putting her bandage, as if nothing had happened. Then it dawned on him. "That happened in a second, didn't it?"
"Yes," replied Kae, still a little angry. For her, he'd only been out of it a moment.
"Kae, I-I really didn't know... how could I? You never said a word..."
Kae turned away, not wanting to hear it. "Whatever, Naruto. Just leave me alone."
Naruto could only stare as she stalked off, completely closed off. For a moment he had seen into her, and he hated it. Now he knew why she acted as she did. And it was terrible, oh so terrible.

Kae avoided Naruto for weeks, until the fateful day came when Muraki had been spotted again, and they had to go and confront him.
Kae looked nervous at first, but in the end she agreed. She would have to fight this skeleton in her closet sometime, and now was the best time.

When they met at the gate, Kae refused to look in anyone's eyes. This time it was just Naruto, Sakura, Kae, Rayne and Kakashi. Kiba had gone on a mission with Hinata and Shino, though the mission was unknown.
Naruto had told no one about Kae's story, and she was relieved about that. A moments weakness with him could have ended up with pitiful stares and murmured apologies. She would kill herself if it ever sunk that low.
While Naruto and Sakura said cheerful goodbyes, Kae and Rayne were leaning on the doors, pointedly looking out at the dark forest. It was clear to everyone that they had no one, nor did they need anyone.
For the first time, Naruto wondered what had happened to Kae's parents. After a moment's thought, he decided he better not risk asking about it. Doing so could shatter whatever feelings she had left for him. Recently, he'd doubted she cared for him at all.

The group traveled in an uncomfortable silence, broken only by the snapping of small branches as they passed through the trees.
Kae and Rayne were in the back again, choosing to stay alone. To the others, they looked like they were sulking, ignoring even each other. However, the partners were talking. Speaking about how much they wanted to tear Muraki's throat from his still-living body.
"Ooh, let's rape him," snarled Rayne, then a cruel grin at Kae's horror. Soon the two were chuckling to themselves.
"No thank you, Rayne. Good idea though."

"She's coming..." It sounded like these were the words that came from under the floorboards, but Shoji couldn't be sure. He'd been hearing mutters and laughter coming from Muraki's room for hours. He didn't know who this "She" was, or why she made him so happy.
Whatever reason, it was getting distracting. Shoji was playing with his companion, a small scruffy dog named Reikon.
"Alrighty, buddy. Wanna train? It's been so long since we've fought each other... wanna try it out?"
The gray dog gave him master a knowing look, then turned and trotted out of the doorway, wagging his tail along the way.
Shaking his head to himself, Shoji muttered, "If I didn't know better, I would swear he was mocking me..."
The dog coughed, almost as if laughing. Tactfully ignoring this, Shoji prepared to train.

"Here again?" Kae asked, surprised out of her talk with Rayne. The place they had come to was the exact place they had left only a few weeks ago.
"Yeah. It seems as if they found the body of our previous informant, his heart ripped out." Naruto shuddered at the thought, but Kae stilled.
"Muraki," she murmured, shivering with an inivisible wind.
"What?" questioned Kakashi, giving her a one-eyed stared.
Returning it, Kae growled, "I've studied about Muraki. His favorite way to kill is by tearing their heart out and throwing it to his demons. He then either burns the body or leaves it out to be eaten by crows."
"Ah."
Sakura looked sick, giving Kae a pal