EP 9: Midnight Kage
“My Fuhrer, you did a fantabulous job!” Chikai started to rip Kuro’s drenched clothes from him.
“My apologies, Fuhrikage, I should’ve been waiting with warm clothes.”
The four Kage were welcomed by thunderous applause as they stumbled into the village. Exhaustion had taken hold from the battle, especially from all of that running.
“We’re still in fuckin’ public! You can do my laundry later.” The Yukikage fought his elder, trying to keep his clothes on.
“My apologies, Lord Yukikage. I have failed you. This cannot be forgiven. I will sacrifice ten mud-bloods in your name tonight.” Kuro wasn’t his usual self -- he didn’t play along, instead motioning for Chikai to leave him alone. Hayame shot her a wink; but he was promptly ignored.
Fulvius looked for his brother amongst the crowd; however, he was nowhere to be found. Several minutes of exploration found him standing amongst the trees on the uninhabited island.
“This is a tree.” Hooke had been staring at a tree for the last fifteen minutes.
“Yeah, that’s a tree.” The obvious answer, of course.
“Fuck yes! I told you!” Hooke turned to the left. His triumphant expression of glee changed to dejection when he realized that the person he thought he was betting with was just another tree.
“Told who?” Fulvius wondered who was stupid enough to say it wasn’t a tree.
“When’d you get here?” Hooke had a puzzled look on his face. Fulvius just gave up and left. There was better conversation to be had elsewhere.
“You gotta admit, that was pretty cool, right?” Kuro asked the Kaminarikage. “I mean, I sliced the guy in half. You should've seen the look on his face.”
“I did see the look on his face.” Reminance was tired. They all were; Kuro the least, due to the food pills he had taken, but he was still exhausted.
Kuria hadn't said much yet. The Okakage was disappointed in himself; he had been defeated so early on that he wasn't able to demonstrate his ability to the other Kage. Also, taking a twelve foot metal rod through the thigh wasn’t the most joyous thing.
“You four will be bedridden for at least two days, I'd expect probably more than that.” A nurse delivered the bad news. Everyone groaned except for Chikai, who was laying on the floor next to her Kage’s bed. As long as he didn't move, she could stay with him all day.
“Don't worry mein fuhrer, we will persevere. I will stay loyal by your side until my last breath!” She exclaimed.
“When the fuck did you get there?” Kuro rolled and looked over the side of the bed. Sure enough, his verifiably insane elder was laying on a sleeping bag next to his hospital bed.
“I’ve been here since I heard you were going to the hospital.”
“I HOPE THE FUCK YOU DO!” Nibui drew another bottle of unidentified liquid from his backpack. He was completely wasted, facing off against Hiruko in a drinking game. Hiruko quickly gulped down a seventh cup of beer; Nibui grunted in response and started chugging his liquor.
“Hit me, Izumi.” The medical ninja was testing a new jutsu of his; one that could help cope with the effects of alcohol. Hiruko felt a weird tingle on his back as Izumi began the jutsu, but his buzz soon began to subside.
“EIGHT, BOY. LET’S GO.” Hiruko yelled as Snoopy finished his drink. The Hidden Dust ninja bet he could beat Hiruko without Izumi’s jutsu; it wasn’t faring so well.
Kris Tsunagami followed his ANBU buddy around town; they stopped in several shops looking for a souvenir. No progress had been made, until they stepped into a shop with Takumi. The two shinobi nudged each other and muttered for a bit; finally, Kris stepped up and tapped Takumi on the shoulder.
“Hey man, my buddy and I just wanted to apologize for the other day. I might’ve gone a little hard on you during that fight, hahaha……” Kris scratched his head sheepishly. The red-haired Okagakure ninja grinned a bit and shook his head.
“Naw, that’s alright. You were just doing your job, which was to help the Hidden Hill.”
“Well, if you need anything, we’re in your debt.”
“Oh. Well, thanks. Kris and....” Takumi realized he never found out the other guy’s name. “And uh… ANBU guy.”
The two ANBU nodded and strolled out of the shop.
“Well. The Kage Ceremony is tomorrow. Do you think Lord Raimei will let us stay for it?” Kris asked his friend.
“Doubt it. We’re just the grunts.”
It was just past midnight, the usually dark room illuminated by the moon through an open window. Chikai could hear the snoring of three and a half men. It was obnoxious and undignified -- the prestigious Kage, blowing snot bubbles and snoring like elephants. However, Kuro looked like a baby in his sleep. She ruffled his hair, messing it up further than it already was.
There was no way she would be able to sleep in the room with the cold night air seeping in through the window. And the Kage. Mostly the Kage. Out of curiosity, she approached Reminance as he slept. Chikai had never actually seen his face -- just the mask.
Chikai gasped as she lifted the blanket that covered his face. He looked like… a normal person. She had expected him to be deformed, why wear the mask otherwise? Yet he was… kind of cute. Chikai could feel herself start to blush.
“Enjoying the view?” The Kaminarikage asked. Chikai froze.
Maybe if I don’t move, he won’t see me. His eye shot open, revealing a glowing red color. It was completely mesmerizing. She didn’t even want to move anymore. Slowly, Reminance sat up in bed. He wore a simple t-shirt and boxers, completely contrary to the image of an untouchable shinobi that Chikai had built in her mind. The Kaminarikage seemed so vulnerable to her, yet she was the one who couldn’t move a muscle.
Chikai could hear his feet slapping against the floor as he left his bed. Reminance strolled over to the window and leaned on the windowsill. She still stood in the same position, right hand extended towards the bed, right foot forward and mouth agape.
Nobody moved for at least fifteen minutes. Reminance enjoyed the gentle breeze while looking at the starry night. Chikai still couldn’t find it in her to move.
Is this genjutsu? It didn’t feel like it. Another five minutes passed, and the Kaminarikage finally left his post at the window. He settled back down into bed, holding one hand out towards Chikai’s forward. Suddenly, he tapped it and her vision went black for a few seconds.
Reminance was already fast asleep when it returned. That wasn’t the oddest part, though. She couldn’t remember what he looked like -- his face had been completely forgotten. All Chikai could think of for a face was the mask.
“Chikai? What the hell are you doing?” Kuro had woken. Suddenly, her body came to. She inhaled sharply and turned away from Reminance’s bed -- still no memory of his face, though.
“His eyes. They were so…” She couldn’t quite remember what about them made her pause.
“What color were they?” Kuro asked.
“I-I don’t remember.” Chikai grabbed her sleeping bag off the floor and headed towards the door. She probably didn’t want to see what was under his mask anyway -- the poor guy was probably fairly deformed.
“Good night, Lord Yukikage.” She pushed out of the door and started down the hallway. Kuro only offered a groan in response.
Thank you all for staying with me through this adventure. I had a shit ton of fun writing it. I don't know what the general consensus among you forum-goers is, but please do let me know. Thank you for letting me use your characters, and for those who weren't used, (I think I only missed 1 or 2 of you) you'll be in the next arc.
That brings me to the question; do you guys want more fillers? If yes, I'm very (very) open to suggestions about general plot points and/or smaller details. If I got your characters personality (or any trait about your character) wrong, hit me up and I'll change it for next time.
This story started as a purely comical adventure, but it turned serious pretty quickly. Was it a good balance? Do you want more random 'fluff' like the hospital scene at the end of this chapter, more comical moments or did you like having a serious plotline?
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