Chapter 6 - 'Captured' Arc; Chapter 6

I began to shake. I wanted to sob and just give up. But I couldn’t. Not when I had those two to defend. By itself, my life meant nothing to me. But I wouldn’t let others suffer on my account. Even if it meant embarrassing myself like this.

Damn you, Azami. I’ll make you pay someday!

I pulled my sandals on, threw my door open, and ran like mad to Naruto and Sakura’s training home.

I hope I’m not too late!
--

There was a knock at the door. Sakura didn’t wake up, but Naruto did. Straightening his sleeping hat and scratching his butt, he went to the door.

“Whaddaya want?! –huh?!”

Before Naruto was Ryouko. Only with a collar and chain around his neck. Naruto was in the opening stages of a dirty joke when Ryouko interrupted him.

“Naruto-dono, where’s Ojousama?!” Ryouko demanded. Naruto had never seen the boy look so panicked before.

“She’s been asleep on the floor since training ended. Why, what’s going on?”

Hastily, Ryouko unfolded the note. He thrust it into Naruto’s hand, looking all around, as he was worried about something finding him. That caused Naruto to read the note quicker. When he did, he immediately raced to get Sakura.

“Sakura! C’mon, wake up!” Naruto shook her shoulders, making her pink hair sway back and forth. She was miffed when she woke up, and decked Naruto as a consequence.

“What is it?!” she yelled, still half-asleep.

“Look, Ryouko’s here! He’s got this, like, collar on, so don’t be shocked. But there was this note. It’s from this ‘Azami’.”

“Oh, my God! That psycho dog from earlier! C’mon, we’ve gotta make sure he’s okay!”

As Sakura got up, something fell from behind the note. It was a chakra cigarette. Without knowing why, she stuffed it into her waist pouch.
-

I stood outside, cursing at Naruto for not letting me in. It wasn’t that cold outside during summer, but I was wearing this freakin‘ collar! If someone came by it would be really embarrassing.

That’s when I felt it- breath on my neck. I spun around and swung my fist, but it was caught, and my arm was wrenched behind my back. I felt long hair brush against my bare back before a hand slapped my bottom.

“Well, well, you actually followed the instructions in my note? Be honored- I really enjoy your company.”

Azami pushed me up against the house, tying another length of chain around my wrists. Once again, I couldn’t fight her. But why? Was there something more than emotions stopping me? Or was I so desperate for female attention that I’d let myself get abused like this?

“Good. Now then, get on your knees, or I’ll kill your students as soon as they open the door up to help you!”

This was it. I couldn’t take it. My masters were endangered because of me. I wouldn’t let myself be a bargaining chip in this stupid war! I opened my mouth wide and prepared to bite my own tongue off. I would drown myself with my own blood.

“Now, don’t do that,” she said, almost nonchalantly, having once more read my move. “If you kill yourself, I’ll still kill them both. And we can’t have your warning them either…”

Without warning, some ball of material was stuffed into my mouth, and another piece held it in place. A knee to the groin sank me to my knees. I would have sank farther, but Azami’s gave the chain a sharp jerk, pulling me back up.

“Good boy. You just stay there, now. I’m curious to see how well you’ve trained those two in just a month. They’ve been lucky with instructors, haven’t they? Kakashi the ‘Copy Ninja’, and one Sannin each teaching them… I wonder how you got to be next in line. Hmm, ‘Heaven’s Temper’?”

I didn’t answer. But I also didn’t feel so bad this time. I began to suspect something was up. This girl could have killed me any time she wanted, and then gone for Naruto and Sakura. She didn’t need to humiliate me- especially not a second time. She had broken me the first time. So now, when there was nothing left to break, why do it again? And the message on my back. I cycled through it so many times in my head. She choose to use English loan words, rather than pure Japanese. Why? There had to be more of a meaning.

This girl is stronger than the Kazekage, Gaara. Wait…Gaara. Gaara! His tattoo! Ai! ‘Love’! If I think of it that way, she wrote ‘love’ on my back, mixed in with ‘owning me’. So maybe…Could this mean…
This psycho loves me?

I looked at the facts:
She hadn’t seriously hurt me
There was such a thing as female to male domination
She even said that she liked me

But that still didn’t add up. Why involve my students? Then it hit me: Sakura!

She’s a bounty hunter and I’m a target. But she’s in love with me. Sakura realized earlier that I loved her. I even told her so. Obviously, Azami hadn’t left. So maybe she heard and decided to eliminate her rival? There’s one way to test this…but I’ve got to get this gag off first…

After a moment, I realized how. It would mean humiliating myself again, but after tonight, that meant nothing. I had to save Sakura…er, Ojousama!

“mmph!”
-

Azami looked down. She smiled at Ryouko. He could see it now- warmth behind that smile! But not in her words.

“What’s the matter? Are you trying to tell me something? Hmmm, little pet? I’ll let you speak- but only after those two come outside. I can’t let you warn them.”
-

I gave her the cutest, most helpless look I could. I had seen love in her eyes. I knew what it looked like ‘cause I looked at myself in the mirror every day and thought about Sakura. Especially when I kissed my image in the mirror and pretended it was her. (Like you’ve never done it!)

“I wonder what those two could be planning?” Azami wondered aloud. “They’re certainly planning something good to save their dear teacher.”

I just stayed still. She wanted a reaction. Well, there’s no law that says everything has to go your captor’s way. The more trouble you cause, the more they get upset. The sloppier they get. You yourself might die, but the next guy would have a better shot. That’s what I was banking on. Of course, I had no plans to die, but in my position I could do little more than hope.

I guess Azami got bored because she took the gag off. I gasped in the fresh air- man, I had never appreciated something so simple so much before! My reaction was understandable, and also useful. I could have a minute to spring my trap. I just had to lead up to it.

“So, how did you get this collar on me when I was asleep?”

Azami smirked at me. “You didn’t notice? How do you think you got to sleep at all? Your tea, genius. I slipped you a mild mickey.”

“Well done. I didn’t notice,” I commented, mildly sarcastically. “So, tell me why a beautiful girl like you is doing all this. If I’m a target, why not just kill me?”

Azami looked a little downcast. She whispered softly to me.
“…You didn’t enjoy it? But I thought for sure you would.”

My plan had been to catch her off guard. Instead, it was me she had tripped up. I listened as she kept talking.

“…At the festival. You were so polite, and so nice! You didn’t try to chase me. You didn’t make any stupid passes at me. You just acted like a gentleman. When I looked into your eyes, the first thing I saw…it wasn’t lust, like the other boys. It was…well, almost sadness. Maybe regret. And…well, I am a girl! I can tell when a boy feels left out. The way you watched that blonde kid walk off with that pink-headed kunoichi… I could tell you loved her. And I guess…I’ve been hurt, too. You just seemed like…maybe you needed someone to help you. A kind of help you couldn’t ask for. Someone had to offer.”

I was completely taken aback. I hadn’t seen this coming. I immediately melted.

“That’s really sweet of you. But really, you didn’t have to do this BDSM deal. I just want someone who loves me for me. Like that sweet girl you seemed to be at the festival.”

Azami lowered her eyes. “You…liked that side of me? But I had heard you say you liked practical girls. Being a simpering female…how would that appeal to you?”

“It doesn’t. But I guess…every guy wants to protect his woman. There’s just something primal and wonderful about it.”

I could see shades of that sweet girl at the festival. Had she really done all this for me? I mean, it was sexy in a twisted way. And I had enjoyed it. But still…as fun and spontaneous as it was, maybe a little warning?

Azami got off me so that she could kneel down to my level.
“…Did you really buy all that crap I just spouted?” she asked sarcastically.

“Yes, I did,” I said genuinely. I looked her in the eyes, unblinking. “I think you did, too.”

“Oh, shut up!” she shot back, blushing furiously. Man, she was cute when she blushed! She stopped being cute when she put her cigarette out on the side of my face. It was too late, though. She had hesitated- that meant she really WAS in love!

Can I return that love? I wondered. …Even after all this…
--

Sakura and Naruto walked out of the house. They both wore grim expressions. No tricks, apparently. I wondered just what they had planned.

“…What is it you want?” Sakura asked plainly. I mentally noted she was taking the lead. Good girl!

“…I want to see the future legendary students of the ‘Heaven’s Temper’.”

Sakura and Naruto exchanged glances. I hadn’t told them about my nickname. Even with the befuddled looks on her target’s faces, Azami continued.

“To think I captured ‘Heaven’s Temper’, and put him on a leash! You CAN tame a beast!” she exclaimed, tugging on Ryouko’s chain. Ryouko looked really pissed, but he didn’t make a move. That had seemed odd to Sakura.

He doesn’t need handsigns for genjutsu…so why didn’t he use it? Is it because he can’t? Or because it’s not effective? (eyes narrow) Either way, it means that he either can’t make a move, or is waiting for the right time. That means it’s up to me to create the right time. Or just flat-out win.

Azami pointed at Sakura. “You. I’ll fight you. Kunoichi to kunoichi. If you win, I’ll let this handsome little boy go free. If you lose…I get to keep him!”

Sakura tightened her gloves. “I figured as much. You can’t have Ryouko-sempai, sorry to say. He belongs to me and Naruto!"

Azami gave a hollow laugh. “All the times I’ve heard some girl defend her man! ‘He’s mine!’ But this is the first time a girl has ever said ‘he belongs to me and ‘so and so’’! We’ll just see, then, won’t we? I think there’ll be a change of ownership tonight…”

Azami moved FAST! It was all Sakura could do to dodge back just enough to avoid a critical hit. Azami’s fist still connected, though just barely, on Sakura’s chin.

Azami straightened up, blowing on her fist. “Blondie can fight, too. Both of you at once. Oh, and one more surprise- if your sempai tries to get involved, or you try to rescue him…watch!”

Azami tapped her upper back, near her right shoulder. As soon as she did, Ryouko clutched his back. He could feel her burning his back all over again.

“Ryouko!” Sakura started towards him, but Azami repeated the movement.

“You should have healed that burn, instead of analyzing it. Now then…we’ll fight for a half-hour maximum. Every ten minutes we fight, I’ll burn him again. At the end of thirty minutes, the one with less injury is the winner. The loser gives up quietly; the winner gets to keep Ryouko.”

Whoosh!

Sakura had moved nearly as fast as Azami. Her punch didn’t connect, but it DID manage to knock Azami off balance. Naruto charged in with three Shadow Clones. Azami dodged and weaved between their attacks, looking as graceful as a dancer.

“Wind Style: Wind Blade!” she called out, swinging her right arm as though she held a sword. The shadow clones all disappeared in puffs of smoke.

Naruto, a wind-type chakra, could sense it:
She’s manipulating wind, like a sword! Man, I can’t even see it! I guess it’s best to attack from a distance for now. But that sucks! Sakura and I are both short range style fighters! What do we do? Damn it!

Sakura, meanwhile, was busy trying to figure out what to do. She couldn’t just give up. She had to think of something to do.

I’ll let Naruto’s clones go in first. That way, I can pick out her attack pattern. Once I do that, I can find a weakness.
…
Wait! I’ve got it!

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