Chapter 1 - Sounds of Battle

When at war, one must cast aside all emotions. Love, hate, pity, remorse, fear- all must be shunned. To know thy enemy is to kill thy enemy. To fight for your beliefs is a just fight. To turn and run is sin against your comrades. You do not belong to only yourself in battle. No, you belong to those who would fight at your side and those who fight opposite you.

War. The constant clanging of kunai lives shattered the otherwise peaceful air of the cold morning. Screams of agony and shouts of triumph cascaded across the valley in which the battle was being fought. The bodies of countless dead lay, waiting for living comrades to save them from another cold night laying where they fell.

The shinobi from the Leaf were fighting the Cloud shinobi. What started the dispute exactly was unclear. However, war had become inevitable despite the peace talks that had done everything to prevent the outbreak of another ninja war. The Leaf was still the leading superpower, but was considerably weaker than before, given their fights with both Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. Still, the quality of the Leaf shone through even in this battle, as they were easily defeating their Cloud counterparts. No one was happy about the loss of life, but the Cloud refused to admit defeat. The stubborn Raikage was finally getting the war he had been spoiling for.

The Leaf sent only advanced chunin and jonin to the front line. They were met by jonin, chunin, genin, and even some academy students. No one was happy about the death of those students during this senseless conflict. But the desperation of the Raikage knew no limits. The Leaf took pity on those who were clearly unprepared for battle. Many children were adopted and taken in by caring families.

Each day, the Leaf took control of more and more of the neutral battleground on which the bloody spectacle was taking place. They continuously drove the Cloud troops back. This was less of a war and more of a route.

The Leaf had come in squads of three for the most part. One exception was Yuji Itou. He had always worked solo, but not by choice or punishment. That was just how things were, and it seemed to suit him. He could work with others in a pinch, but he was best left to his own devices sometimes. But he wasn’t the type to just go to war. Yuji had never killed a man until he was on the front lines. At first, he tried to only wound his opponent. But one close call was all it took to convince him that he was being foolish. He had come prepared to die, as had his opponent. That was a sort of justification in it’s own way. This war would go on with or without Yuji, and turning a blind eye to it seemed cowardly. So he signed up.

Yuji slashed another man’s neck, letting his body fall slack to the ground. The mud smeared under Yuji’s eyes made the hazel orbs look more heavily burdened than usual. The blood from his victim- at least the fiftieth in this war- dripped from the knife onto the hard ground. As it fell, it reflected the face of both killer and victim.

It had been six months since Yuji had joined the front lines. He had avoided war as long as he could, but in the end he simply couldn’t allow his Leaf brethren to die. In their place, he would commit this atrocious acts of violence. In their place, he would suffer, mentally and physically. In their place, he would likely die.

The sounds of battle raged all around. Yuji stood still for just a moment, realizing that he was still unscathed. This war was senseless, and it was now all but won. The Leaf had pushed back the Cloud forces with superior skill and numbers. It was a slaughter. And yet they continued to fight, trapped in a vulgar dance.

Yuji himself had changed in six months. He had left part of his innocence; his youth; out here on this God-forsaken battleground. His face was blurred by a five o’clock shadow that made him look closer to his age, yet was still strangely out of place on his youthful face. Beneath the black mud under his eyes lay bags that had seen too much violence and bloodshed. Under his tattered black clothes lay scars from near-misses. Each time, he had managed to kill- to survive- but just barely. Now, he killed so that he didn’t have to worry about dying.

A series of screams woke Yuji up. He saw five of his Leaf comrades battling one Cloud shinobi. He cleanly hacked his way through all of them, killing them indiscriminately.

“HEY!”

Yuji shouted only to get attention; not out of protest. No, this was war- anything anyone did out here was not personal.

The masked ninja looked to him. He could only see a pair of dark eyes under the mask, but that was all he needed. He drew a long knife from a shoulder sheath and flipped it to a reverse grip, matching the grip used by the opposing shinobi.

He walked toward him briskly, then sped up into a lunging slash. The opponent leaned back, dodging the strike narrowly, and returned it cleanly, efficiently, with no wasted movement. Yuji could admire that now, after all the fighting. He’d refused to kill some clearly over-matched genin. This one, he knew, would need to be killed to be stopped.

He parried the strike with the side of the blade, pushing upward to try to open up an avenue for attack. The opponent stepped to the side slightly, making Yuji’s knife arm a target. He kicked backward, withdrawing his strike, then adjusted his momentum and struck again. This time, the Cloud shinobi blocked, and their blades met in a shower of sparks. They leaned in behind their strikes, struggling to gain an advantage.

Abruptly, Yuji kicked low, only to find his kick met by another kick.

This person is no amateur! I’d better end this quickly!

They withdrew their knives as one, leaning back, then striking forward again. This time, the opponent used the butt end of the blade to block, and thrust the knife edge at Yuji’s face. Yuji leaned low, reversing his momentum again to bring the knife up in a sweeping arc, aiming for the opponent’s knife arm. The opponent snapped his elbow down at just the right moment, knocking the knife from Yuji’s hand. By then, Yuji had closed in and grabbed the Cloud-nin’s knife hand, yanking the knife away. The opponent let the knife go, giving it an extra toss so Yuji couldn’t retrieve it. But in the same motion, he had grabbed shuriken and let two fly. Yuji winced and flung an arm over his face, knowing he was going to get hit. But the shuriken sailed over his shoulder, only grazing his cheek, and sunk into an approaching Cloud shinobi.

“No one interferes. This is a one-on-one duel, with no interference!” declared the masked one, watching with apparent disdain as the other ninja clasped a hand to his throat, trying to stop the blood flow caused by the shuriken cutting his carotid artery. He fell, dead, finally, and the masked one raised his hands in a guard.
“Let’s resume.”

Yuji obliged him, and they began a fist fight. Blocks, parries, return strikes, elbows, knees- all thrown with incredible speed and accuracy. These two were veterans of combat, and it showed. Their fight raged on for nearly ten minutes in a war where fights were lucky to last ten seconds. A few times they actually grabbed a hold of each other, but for every lock there is a counter, and these two knew all the tricks.

A few people actually halted their fights to watch. It was rare to see two people meet in such a duel these days. In the constant melees that ensued each time the sun rose, there was a mob of attacks, with only a handful of people on each side really sticking out. There two fit into that category. Facing each other, one on one made for a good show. Not everyone was content with just watching, however.

The two clashed with more punches, each catching the opposite’s punch. Out of the corner of his eye, Yuji saw a Cloud shinobi coming toward him. He kicked off Mask, letting the Cloud shinobi pass between them. In one deft move, Yuji caught the man around his neck and broke it. His foot slashed out toward the Mask. Mask prepared to block, but Yuji abruptly set the foot down short and punched. Mask peeled back, but was caught by the tail end of the punch, throwing him off.

Yuji was jumped by another Cloud shinobi, this time from behind. The man tried to break his neck, or at the very least strangle Yuji. Yuji threw his head back into the Cloud’s nose, threw his hip into the opponent’s hip, drove an elbow backward, then spun, drew a knife that the shinobi had at his waist, stabbed him in the spine, and pulled the knife out, holding onto it by habit.

Mask roared in, driving en elbow into Yuji’s sternum while knocking his wrist upward, loosening the knife. Yuji managed to hold on, and slashed down. Mask leaned back, and the knife tore only the fabric covering his face.

Rather, her face.

Yuji gasped in amazement. This girl was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen. His world stopped as he stared at her, completely at a loss for words or action as her long black hair fluttered down from it’s cloth prison.

Taking advantage, the female kicked at Yuji’s hand, knocking the knife into the air. She caught it handily and pressed it to his neck. She was ready to slice when she saw him staring at her, blushing. She changed her tone and, keeping the knife at his neck, slipped around behind him.

“Hands behind your back!” she demanded roughly, extracting a length of rope from her waist pouch. Yuji obeyed, and she tied his hands together with the chakra-seal rope. No escape jutsu for him.

Two Leaf jonin came running to the rescue, but Yuji warned them off.
“She’ll only kill all of us! You know I won’t talk!”

But Yuji admitted that he warned them off because he was intrigued with the girl holding him hostage.
--
--

The girl dragged him all the way to a small cabin in the woods. But she didn’t mistreat him like she could (and probably would normally) have. She opened the rough wooden door, revealed a largely empty space, save for a corner with a small kitchen, and a bed in the diagonal opposite corner.

She pushed Yuji into a low wooden chair, tearing off the blindfold she had put on him for the trip here. Usually, the disorienting sensation of not knowing where you were or which direction you were going made even the most solid warrior crack a little.

She sat down across from him, a heavy oak table in between them. She sat with her arms crossed, in silence for a few moments, before she began her questioning. But Yuji beat her to the first comment.

“You won’t get any information out of me.”

She raised an eyebrow at the show of bravado, knowing full well he meant it.
“I have no intention of asking you anything about the Leaf,” she said soothingly. She made no indication that she had anything else to say.

Yuji couldn’t hide his surprise, even with the blindfold. The kunoichi smirked a little, circling around behind him. She noted some small, unconscious movements of his body that noted he was following her, likely by sound.
He’s no amatuer, despite his apparent youth, she decided.

“Your age?” she queried simply.

“Twenty-two.”

“Hmm. I would have guessed ‘sixteen’.”
She put her hands on his shoulders and leaned forward, making sure her breasts just nudged his back. It was the easiest way to ensure she had his undivided attention.

Yuji squirmed a little in surprise, but settled quickly enough to retain some sort of mental control of the situation.
“Pardon my saying so, but you don’t seem like the standard Cloud shinobi. You’re too…well, talented. And your skin is a different tone… No offense meant.”

“ None taken. The battle is already lost. I’m simply a mercenary. Aside from not wanting anyone else to die, I really couldn’t care less for the Cloud, with their pig of a leader. They just met my asking price.”
After a moment, she tacked on “It’s no shame to be distinguished from them.”

She leaned away from Yuji, stepping back and giving her hair a toss. That damn mask always left it feeling like it had a static cling to it; like it was sticking up in ten different directions.

“So why take me prisoner, then?” Yuji asked outright. “Seems there’s no advantage in it for you or your side…”

“You want I should have killed you?” the girl replied, a question in her voice, right beside the purr that Yuji was sure she was adding just for him.

Shake it off, Yuji. She’s playing with you.
“Well, how about your name? You can give me an alias; but calling you ‘you’ all the time will get annoying for both of us.”

“Isn’t it customary to offer your own name first?”

“If we’re talking manners, then the blindfold can come off, right?”

“Uh-uh. You’re dangerous. Name first; then we’ll talk.”

I’ve got her bargaining. She knows not everything is going to go her way now. Good. Step one. Step two: selective information.
“Then my name. I’m Yuji Itou.”

“Azami. Charmed.”

The tone of her voice suggested she was distracted, or at least wasn’t very interesting in exchanging pleasantries. That left Yuji wondering what it was she wanted. So far, she had kept him in the dark; literally and figuratively. He needed to remedy that in short order. He took a moment to choose his words carefully.
“So, if you’re not going to ask me about the Leaf…”

Yuji paused, milking the moment, cocking his head slightly to show a more innocent posture from his battle-ready, straight-ahead, I-ain‘t-telling‘-you-nuttin’ pose. This made him look more vulnerable- he hoped.

“Well, the heart of the matter: I want to know why a combat veteran like you froze up in combat so abruptly.”
Another pause. Apparently, she could milk the tension, too, Yuji noted.
“I saw you handle others without a backward glance. But you got a look at me and froze. I assume it wasn’t my pretty face that stopped you dead in your tracks…”

Hark, do I detect a hint of desire in there, miss bounty hunter?
“Sure it was.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere…”

“Sheesh, take a look in the mirror and a compliment!”

Azami smiled at Yuji’s wry grin. Well, she DID love a compliment, though she certainly did not thrive on them like certain superficial girls. But she still needed answers.
“Seriously now. What made you stop. Because I’m female?”

Yuji was quiet for a second. Then:
“Part of it. Like I said, I honestly saw your face and froze up. There was something about you that I was instantly attracted to. And, well, that’s when I froze.”

Azami continued circling Yuji, giving him the impression that a very sexy bipedal shark was debating on whether or not to eat him whole. The silence was uncomfortable, so he continued of his own accord.
“There’s no gender on the battle field. We clash as neither man nor woman; only as warrior.”

Yuji shifted in his seat, trying to face her, or at least her general direction.
“When you and I attacked, I knew I was in for the battle of my life. I’ve never met someone like that. People more skilled than me, or more attractive than me, yes. But someone who seemed to match me move for move…
And when I saw you were female, I just sort of…well, I decided that you weren’t like the other girls.”

“How so?”

“You’re every bit as attractive without being, well, simpering. You could handle yourself in combat; you’re practical. Yet you’re gorgeous and feminine at the same time. It’s a rare mix, and it caught me off guard.”

Azami shrugged even though the boy couldn’t see it.
“Well then, I appreciate your honesty. And I really like your flattery.”

“No flattery. All truth.”

“You do seem like the straightforward type. And you know…”

She slipped the blindfold down around his neck. Her nails, which he could now see were painted crimson, ran gently down his cheek, leaving light marks in their wake. He was awed yet again by just how sexy she was. Her lips were just the right size for kissing; her curves were in all the right places; and her long hair framed her face in a way that did nothing but add to her looks. Now that she was free of her cloak, he could see her arms taut with feminine muscle. The roundness of her shoulders; the perfectly tanned skin…
This girl was a goddess.

And he was very clearly mortal right now. Two days of stubble decorated his jaw. There was mud on his face, and his clothes were tattered, torn, and bloodied from nonstop combat. He bathed as often as he could, but in battle, that wasn’t nearly often enough for his liking.

From Azami’s perspective, this was a strong, capable warrior who appreciated her skills first and her body second. She was in agreement with him- she’d never had a fight like that either.

For a shinobi, he had a compact, sinewy build. Wiry rather than bulky, leading to efficient movement. His face was that of a boy, despite the light beard that was forming. He had a look of innocence to him, despite the gruesome fights she’d seen him in thus far.

Without warning, she slipped the blindfold back on him. Before he could say anything about it, she leaned forward and kissed him. Her crimson lips met his embattled, chapped lips and clamped down. Her tongue forced it’s way into his mouth, exploring determinedly over the roof and tongue, ignoring the shocked half-protests that he couldn‘t truly convince himself to make.

She pulled away, her hand stroking his hair as he gasped for both breath and understanding. She took pity on him and let him in on a little secret:

“Sometimes women are instantly attracted to a man. And your attitude and reactions thus far have led me to a couple conclusions.”

Suddenly all business, Azami outlined it for Yuji, and with startling accuracy.

“The way I see it, you are- one- girl shy. Two- attracted to me. And three- submissive, and probably masochistic.
How’d I do?”

How to answer that? Well, Yuji supposed, there was always the truth. But he was curious about her thought process.
“How did you come to such…accurate conclusions?”

“You made me work,” she admitted. “But the kiss, for one. No guy would be that shocked over a kiss- unless it was his first. Not to mention how you froze up out there in the war zone, and then again when I took your blindfold off. That led me to believe you were girl shy. ‘Submissive’ came when I captured you without a struggle. A warrior of your caliber could have made things very difficult. And yet you went with me. You skin tone changed- you blushed- when I tied you up and blindfolded you.”

There was nothing more to be said from where Yuji sat. She’d just called the shots on him perfectly. And he thought he was actually playing her a little! He was way off. That was obvious now. He had her reasoning, and her motive. But what did she plan to do with him?

Azami ran a hand under his chin, reaching toward his neck, pleased to note he was ticklish. She scratched him under the chin like a cat as she narrated her plans to him, as though she had read his mind.
“The war will be over within two weeks. Until then, you’re going to be my ‘guest’ here in my little cottage.”

“…I see…”

“What’s more-” she told him, standing up to her full height, guessing he could see shadows through the blindfold or sense her at the very least and would get the hint. “Room and board isn’t free here. You’ll have to work for it…”

Yuji suppressed an ironic chuckle. “Am I to take it that you don’t mean sweeping floors?”

“You take it correctly. It gets lonely and cold out here. You’re going to be my companion, and you’re going to keep me warm. And no, you won’t be supplying firewood. At least…” she snickered, running a hand suggestively down his chest, undoing his vest with one hand. “…not in the literal meaning.”

Yuji’s jaw dropped. If he read that blatant innuendo correctly, then-
“You’re going to…I don’t know, rape me? Or something?”

“I’m your captor; what we do doesn’t have to be consensual. But that consent depends on how enjoyable this is for you. I can leave you blindfolded and naked. Or you can submit to me completely, right now. Choose.”

As much as he liked this girl, and as hot as that little scenario sounded, Yuji couldn’t let himself be gone from home for too long. People he cared about were back in the village. But on the other hand, he really was attracted to this girl, who was ten kinds of beautiful.

Azami broke out in laughter, bending over (while affording Yuji a peak at the twin peaks of paradise), steadying herself with one hand on his shoulder.
“A-haha! Oh, I’m sorry!” she managed around more laughter. “But the look on your face. Were you seriously considering what I said?!”

Yuji nodded toward his hands, though he was very clearly embarrassed for not reading her intentions- whatever they were- more clearly.
“I’m your captive. I have to take you seriously.”

Azami sat down on his lap, making herself at home, still chuckling.
“You are DEFINITELY a submissive! I wouldn’t rape you! Probably the one crime I’m not guilty of,” she admitted, sounding both proud and ashamed. “No, no, you’re my prisoner, and I hope you won’t think I’m a slut for saying this, but…”

She hooked her arms around his neck, turning her body so she was straddling him. Yuji turned redder and redder, while Azami just seemed comfortable with him.
“…It’s not that I would object to sex either. I just won’t force you. But I warn you- I will be in charge, if and when you make your decision.”

That left Yuji with a lot to think about. But he couldn’t think too much right now. Azami had taken all his weapons and placed a chakra seal temporary tattoo on him sometime while he was blindfolded. That left her free to untie him without worry, as his speed and strength was diminished without his chakra flowing correctly.

She walked outside. Yuji followed her, to try to see where he was and if he could gauge which way to escape from. As he stepped out, his heart sunk.

He was surrounded, on all sides, by endless forest, with mountains in the distance. He had no idea where he was at all.

Azami noticed the look on his face and smiled to herself.
I know what he’s been doing. Trying to make me realize that I don’t call all the shots. But the fact is, I do. And if I’m playing my cards right, he’s feeling more and more helpless with each little victory I get. And the best part is, it’s even more devastating for him, because each time he gets a little bit of hope, I pull the rug out from under him.

She was ready to have more fun with him. He didn’t even consider running for it- not without his chakra. And only the person who set the chakra seal could remove it, with very few exceptions. Against this girl, Yuji knew he wouldn’t get far.

“Okay, first of all, we’ll need to get your clothes off.”

Yuji wheeled to face Azami, looking horrified. “In the presence of a lady, a gentleman doesn’t-”

“Do I need to repeat myself?” Azami interjected, drawing herself up to her full height- an inch or two taller than Yuji. “Now, clothes off. They got all bloody and you’re going to get an infection.”

Yuji was slow to strip, so Azami walked over and yanked his vest off, then pulled his shirt over his head in one motion. While the fabric was over his eyes, she undid his belt and yanked his pants off, which caused him to trip and fall to the muddy ground.

Grinning, Azami put one foot on Yuji’s stomach. She didn’t do any physical damage- rather, she was aiming to do psychological damage.

Not much is more humbling for a man than to have a woman not only strip him against his will, but step on him and humiliate him even more. All these little hits to his psyche are going to add up.

That in mind, she reached down, brushing her hand over his groin, and grasped the waist band of his underwear.
“I can give you an enormous wedgie, or you can let me pull these off you.”

Yuji obediently raised his legs, his face flushing as she ripped off his black low-rise trunks. He saw them dangling from her hand, and he felt even more embarrassment. However, that embarrassment came with a pleasant warm sensation below his waist.

Don’t tell me that she’s right! I really am submissive! Yuji lowered his eyes to his exposed body, surprised to find how he was reacting. I liked her right away, and I like her even more now that’s she owns me like this. And she’s not even being mean! Just…in charge. And I feel like she likes me to, so I’m not offended. Just…humiliated. And I’m loving it.

Yuji’s sense of duty was fading, but it called him back. He had to get back to the battlefield. He had to-

Azami put the blindfold back on. She began to push Yuji in the direction she wanted, her hand on the small of his back, occasional warnings about a low branch or a tall rock to avoid coming from her mouth. She had taken away his clothes and his ability to see, plus the ability to defend himself. This was all clear to Yuji, who knew what game she was playing, but was powerless to stop it.

“I’m going to get your clothes cleaned,” Azami told him on the way to wherever they were going.

“Is there a place I can get cleaned up myself? I’m a little muddy now…”

Yuji could hear the smile in her voice as she told him “That’s where we’re going now. Want to take a peak?”

She lifted the blindfold for a moment, letting Yuji see a beautiful, natural pond and waterfall. It struck Yuji immediately that he wanted to train here sometime. It was so pristine and untouched by any outside source.

All too soon, the blindfold was back over Yuji’s eyes.

“I’m putting you on the honor system- don’t take the blindfold off,” came Azami’s voice from somewhere behind him.

Yuji wondered why he couldn’t be allowed to see while he bathed. Then he heard the sound of fabric hitting the ground, and he understood.

She’s going to bathe, too! That means she’ll be naked! Damn my good nature and this blindfold!

“Don’t get your hopes up. I’m wearing a bathing suit. This is for MY entertainment; not yours. Now, hold still.”

Am I coming on too strong, too quickly, I wonder. I do genuinely like him, even though he’s my prisoner and nothing more. And for all my bluster, I wouldn’t really sexually abuse him. Well, not seriously, anyway.
Now, teasing. THAT is another story.

Azami stepped behind Yuji and wrapped her arms around his gently, almost lovingly, and rested her chin on his shoulder. For his size, he had good, sturdy shoulders. The stubble on his face was attractive to her, but she was rapidly wondering if she was looking for reasons to like him.

She dipped her hands into the cool, clear water and began to wash Yuji. First his chest, then his back. His skin was mostly smooth, save for the scars that marred his slender frame. He was very pale, from head to toe, and apparently very sensitive to touch. Part of that was his training; the other part… She smiled at the tension in his muscles. It was clear he was both intimidated and intrigued by his female captor and her unpredictable actions. The sexual atmosphere she created drew him in like a drug.

Can I really betray him when the time comes? She wondered, startling herself. I always honor the wishes of my employer to the point we agreed upon in the negotiation. I’ve captured an agent, and I’m seducing him now. But when it comes time to turn him over to them for interrogation…
I just don’t know anymore.
I don’t understand these feelings I’m having.
He’s only a target.
Nothing else.
…
Isn’t he?

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