Demon's Path

Chapter 11: Reuniting

Naruto stared in shock at the red headed woman in the market. He had heard rumors, but he hadn't really believed them. Now, though, there was no denying it, Shakaku Miaka was alive and back in Konoha. He had to tell Neechan.

Kaishi and Aoi were moving slowly in sync with one another. Their movements slow and precise. Aoi had been Kaishi's student for a good month now, going with her on missions and training whenever they could. The boy practically never left her side, especially after the incident at the Onibashi compound that had changed his once blue eyes into the violet, cat-like, ones they were now.

~*:Flashback:*~

Kaishi was giving the boy a tour of the Onibashi compound. He had met Yumi, Kaishi's sister, and been frightened by her overly-mothering tendencies. It frightened him how similarly the pair looked, and how completely opposite their personalities were. He had met Kano, the leader of the clan and Kaishi's uncle. He was a congenial man, who seemed to look at Kaishi with a kind eye. Aoi didn't mind him that much, although he was feeling judged by the older man.

Kaishi led him into a large courtyard. A small pond lay in the center, a bridge over it, filled with floating lillies that were crimson in color. Aoi had never seen red lilies before. Kaishi explained that they were supposed to represent the Onibashi blood shed for the protection of the clan and village, and that the lillies grew no where else, save in this pond.

In a small circle of stones stood a fountain, carvings of the Onibashi symbol, the Onibashi eye, on the sides. Across from the fountain and over the bridge stood a red torii and a black cave. Aoi, who had a knack for sensing supernatural energies, was almost overwhelmed by the demonic and human chakra swirling from within the cave. It both intrigued and frightened him.

"That's the shrine cave," Kaishi explained. "According to legend, the village that became Konoha was under threat of being destroyed by oni that were escaping hell through this cave. In order to save the village he was so devoted to, he and his daughter went to the cave. A great oni stood at the gateway to the cave and saw Onibashi's daughter, he immediately wished to have her. Onibashi would not let him unless the demon granted him and all those of his bloodline power. The demon agreed and gave Onibashi's family demonic chakra. Using that chakra, Onibashi sealed the demon within the cave and closed the gateway. Enraged, the demon cursed all those of Onibashi's line by giving all those that possessed the chakra of Onibashi's family an oni tied to them. The oni would be a bloodthirsty creature that, unless the Onibashi was strong enough to overcome their powers and send them back into the other world, would kill them. In order to save his family, Onibashi started training all those of his line the art of shinobi. Soon, they turned the oni into a power in their favor and created stages in which the oni could appear.

"What Onibashi didn't know is that the oni had cursed him and his family with something else. A disease that no cure could be found. One that turned the chakra against a person and slowly destroyed the Onibashi's body. After the first Onibashi died of this disease, his daughter prayed to the kami to give them something to cope with this curse. The Kami, grateful for the Onibashi's sacrifice in order to save their people, they answered her prayers. Onibashi would always be born two, and they would be fertile long after a normal human should. And thus the Onibashi clan was formed," she finished.

Aoi nodded in understanding. The Onibashi were strong because of their devotion and belief. They could not be otherwise, or else risk letting themselves be destroyed by the many things that their kekkai genki brought upon them.

Kaishi moved onward, not noticing that Aoi had not moved after her. She didn't think he would cross the bridge and stand before the cave. That he would then enter the cave in order to slake his curiosity. It was not until she felt an explosion of chakra and dread grip her heart that she realized what Aoi had done. With fear flashing in her eyes, she rushed to the shrine.

Aoi was unconscious, his body lifted in the air and suspended by the pure chakra that flowed around in the cave. Being Onibashi, and already possessing this chakra, she entered the cave slowly, approaching the floating boy and gathering him into her arms. Quickly, she rushed him from the cave and brought him to a spare bedroom. "Hold on, Aoi. Onegai, hold on," she pleaded softly.

~*~

Aoi woke slowly, his vision blurring slightly and voices ringing through the air. Naruto was sitting at his side, along with Sakura, the blonde Kyuubi-vessel holding onto his hand as Sakura tended to Aoi gently. Kaishi and Kakashi were arguing, not a big surprise, but there was a tension in his sensei that he had never seen before. A tension he could almost call fear.

"How could you let him go into the cave?!" Kakashi grumbled.

Kaishi narrowed her gaze at the silver haired jounin, and her best friend. "I didn't LET him go in, Kaka-kun."

"You didn't stop him."

"I didn't know he would actually walk into the cave!"

"It's Aoi, Kai! That boy can be more curious than a cat sometimes!"

"I know it's Aoi! I still didn't think he would go in!" she growled.

"And now he's unconscious. Great job, Kai."

"Don't you start judging me, Kakashi."

"You've nearly killed him!"

"At least he didn't betray the village and join Sound!"

"Don't bring Sasuke into this," Kakashi warned.

"If you're going to start judging me on something I couldn't control, then I might as well!"

"Stop it! Both of you!" Naruto shouted.

The two adults stopped and looked away from one another. Aoi could practically feel the bond between Kakashi and his sensei rip a little. Something was building between them, something that slowly tearing them a part, and Aoi wanted to know what it was. He would find out.

Kaishi's gaze caught his and relief entered her eyes. "Aoi."

All eyes turned to him suddenly. Their gazes filled with a combination of shock and relief which soon just turned to shock. It bothered him.

"What is it?" Aoi asked.

"Your eyes," Naruto answered. "You look like Neechan... yet it's different."

"They're purple," Kakashi stated.

Aoi sat up slowly, he could feel something in his chakra had changed. There was a darkness that had not been there before. It wasn't as prevalent as in Kaishi or any other Onibashi, but it was there. He turned to Sakura, gazing into a bowl of water that sat at her side. It was his face, his hair, but not his eyes that stared back. They were almost Onibashi eyes. The cat-like pupils swimming within violet irises looked both serene and vicious, much like his sensei.

Kaishi knelt before him and touched his cheek, making him look to her. "Looks like we're more family than before, ne?" she joked, although he could hear her self-hatred with every word. She was beating herself up over what he had stupidly done. She was blaming herself.

Aoi smiled and nodded. "Hai. I guess we are, Neko-sensei."

And from that day on, he started calling her that, and she started calling him by his first name.

~*:End Flashback:*~

Naruto knew those slow movements were deceptive. It was almost an optical illusion, making the movements look slow, but in fact actually being faster than sight. The pair moved simultaneously and Naruto smiled. Kaishi needed this boy, she needed someone to need her and never leave her side. She needed Aoi as much as the boy needed her.

Crimson eyes snapped to blue and Naruto smiled widely. "Neechan! Otouto-chan!" he greeted loudly.

Kaishi and Aoi relaxed their stances and stared at Naruto with similar expressions. The left brow raised and an amused look in their eyes. Naruto faltered, okay sometimes they were way too alike.

"The rumors are true, Neechan," Naruto said. "Miaka-neechan is back."

Kaishi frowned and then nodded. "Hn, how interesting, and the other two?"

Naruto nodded.

Aoi looked to Kaishi with a questioning gaze. "Who's Miaka, Neko-sensei?" he asked.

Kaishi's eyes smiled slightly. "Someone I thought had passed on. Someone that I had regretted my actions against."

Naruto nodded emphatically. "Hai! Miaka-neechan is really nice and used to have a crush on Kakashi-sensei!"

Aoi smirks. "I don't really blame her. The girl has good taste."

Kaishi's brow twitches and before Aoi could move, her fist had connected with his head, causing a lump to form. "Don't think those things, Aoi."

Aoi rubbed his head and pouted. "Nani? What did I say?"

Kaishi shook her head. The boy just had a talent for pissing her off. "If Miaka's back... Kakashi's going to be taken. So get that mind of yours out of the gutter."

Aoi stuck his tongue out at his sensei. There was no harm in looking at the older shinobi. It was hard to not notice that he was a fox.

Kaishi seemed distracted for a while before she started moving towards the village with Naruto. Aoi, curious, followed her close behind. There was a tension in her movements, a concentration in her eyes as they moved towards the market. His sensei was on a mission.

The trio reached the market rather quickly, they had to in order to keep up with Kaishi's pace. There, looking through a booth, was a shock of red hair and petite figure. It was really Miaka. The dark haired shinobi's eyes flashed a combination of sadness and happiness, a feat only a few could accomplish. Aoi and Naruto both saw it and looked to one another. That was a special look. A look reserved for only two other people: Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Sasuke.

Kaishi maneuvered herself through the people slowly before stopping a few feet from the girl. "Five years, and you're still too skinny," she said.

Miaka stiffened for a moment before turning to the older kunoichi. "Onibashi-sempai."

Kaishi moved a little closer, but not too close. "You've grown up," she stated.

Miaka regarded the taller woman with some fear and trepidation. "H-hai."

Naruto and Aoi sweatdropped. After all that. After all of Kaishi's words at the memorial and all the regrets that seemed to build within her. After everything, and she can only comment on the girl's eating habits.

Kaishi's eyes shined a bit with mirth. The girl really had grown up. "I was wondering who ate that bento. Hope you liked it."

Miaka blushed a little. "H-hai... it was quite good, arigato."

Kaishi shrugged. "No big deal really."

Miaka shook her head. "Iie. It was very kind of Onibashi-sempai to make that for me."

Kaishi seemed to smile for a bit before she placed a hand on the shorter girl's shoulder. "I'm glad you're back, Shakaku," she said before squeezing Miaka's shoulder and turning to leave.

Naruto and Aoi looked to one another and sighed. Only Kaishi could pull a meeting like that off. To make herself seem cold and warm at the same time. She just had a natural talent for it.

The pair then approached the girl, Naruto grinning brightly. "Hey, Miaka-neechan!" Naruto greeted.

Miaka seemed still in slight shock over the strange behavior of the Onibashi woman. So, when Naruto and Aoi approached, she hadn't noticed. When Naruto had spoken, it had startled her. "Naruto!" she yelped.

"Gomen, about Neechan. She tends to throw people off sometimes," Naruto said.

Miaka nodded. "I know all too well. How are you, Naruto-san? And who's your friend?" she asked sweetly.

Naruto grinned. "I'm fine. I've been training with Erro-sannin. Oh, this? This is Aoi!" he introduced the pale haired boy.

Miaka smiled kindly. "Hello, Aoi-san. I'm Shakaku Miaka. Are you friends with Naruto-san?" she asked.

Aoi nodded. "Of a sorts."

"Oh? What do you mean?" the red head asked.

"Neechan kinda adopted him two years ago," Naruto explained, wanting to avoid that Aoi was Kaishi's student and possibly give the woman a heart attack.

"Oh? Onibashi-sempai did that? That's very kind of her. I see you have a hitae ate, are you a gennin?" Miaka asked.

Aoi nodded. "Hai. I graduated a few months ago. Neko-sensei says I have potential to be a great ninja and that she's considering nominating me for the chuunin exams next year."

"Oh, your sensei did? I suppose your team is very talented then," Miaka said.

Aoi snorted. "Team? Nah, I don't have a team. Just me and Neko-sensei."

Miaka thought for a moment. He wasn't part of a team? That's a rare thing. And who is this Neko-sensei he keeps referring to. To Miaka's knowledge, there wasn't a jounin instructor with that name. "If I may, Aoi-san, who is your sensei?"

Aoi smiled. "Onibashi Kaishi!"

Miaka nearly fainted. Onibashi-sempai had taken a student? And he wasn't dead? It was amazing. He seemed so proud of it too. "O-Onibashi-sempai is your teacher? H-how interesting."

Aoi nodded. "Hai! She takes me on all her missions. Even some of the Unclassfied ones!"

Miaka paled. Onibashi-sempai was taking a gennin on Unclassified missions? Jounin didn't take those kinds of missions, ANBU did. That meant that she hadn't stepped down like most others that decided to take on a student. Miaka feared for the bright, violet-eyed boy.

"It sounds all very exciting for you, Aoi-san."

"It is. Neko-sensei is great!" Aoi beamed. "She says that I'll be a great ninja one day. All I have to do is stop being so damned adorable, or so she says."

Miaka wanted to giggle. The boy was rather funny actually. "Well, Onibashi-sempai is rarely so full of praise. She must see a lot of potential in you. It was a pleasure to meet you, Aoi-san, but I must return to my shopping."

Aoi and Naruto nodded. "Nice to meet you too, Miaka-neechan," Aoi bid before chasing off in the same direction Kaishi had gone in.

Naruto waved to Miaka. "See you, Miaka-neechan!" he said cheerfully before darting off after Aoi.

Miaka watched the boys leave and shook her head. That poor boy. Kaishi was going to kill him.

~*~*~*~
Levii: Okay there... new chapter posted! Thanks for all the reviews I've been getting lately. I love getting reviews! So awesome! I just want to remind ppl though of a few things. Kaishi is under a dillema with her feelings for Itachi, she loves the guy for who he was but knows she should hate him for what he's become. Their relationship is abusive and dark, but it's Itachi ppl. Kaishi also never chooses to go with Itachi, he seems to just have a power over her and believes he owns her. Now, someone mentioned Naruto's impact on her life. He is very important to her, but remember that this is about her and her experiences. And he has made a huge impact on her life, if you look at who she had been before he came into her life compared to who she is now, it was Naruto that started that change. Thank you all for your comments and concerns about Kaishi and this story. I want you all to get involved in the story and to like Kaishi. If anyone's interested in seeing what Kaishi and my other characters look like, please go to my Deviant art page @levii.deviantart.com and take a look around. Alrighty then. Ja minna-san and don't forget to review! ^_^