Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
don't you cry no more
"Carry on my wayward sons" by Kansas
Chapter 30: The lost Boys
It was an odd thing to do, building one's image. The exercise forces one to see and accept more about yourself than you'd wish to know. Blue eyes were traded for red, blonde locks of hair darkened to a jet black and cut short. In a meticulous fashion, Yuuki sat before her seal, picking apart the similarities from the soulless clone before her. They were so similar and yet so different, flipped reflections of each other. The amount of concentration the process took was astonishing; she'd forgotten how tiring it was to create a solid, truly functional doll. It reminded her of simpler times when she'd been so determined to master the Oiroke Jutsu. An utter waste of time when one really thought about it, hours spent memorizing dirty magazines, learning all she could about the female anatomy. But one could say it was to be expected, Uzumaki Naruto never did anything halfhearted. It was your all or nothing at all.
Seating back, she looked over her handiwork. Her creation stood before her, a perfect inverted projection of her looks, body and style. If Yuuki looked delicate, the only way to describe her creation would be wild and confident. Slowly, with a steady hand she drew the seal of life on the doll's chest. One misstep and it could all go horribly wrong…and yet just as she was about to place the final stroke a hand grabbed her shoulder from behind. The touch came so unexpected that she jumped, her tools clattered to the floor as her heart hammered in her chest. She turned around. Her blue eyes bled red as she spotted Kyuubi, her lips parted with a string of curses just waiting to launch but she refrained.
The redhead honestly looked like he regretted his actions for once. Huffing, she sat back down and righted her equipment. "What's the big idea Kyu, you know I can't be bothered right now. The seal is delicate, one mistake and it'd ruin the whole thing!"
"I know kit…sorry, it's just I wanted to check-in on you. Your side of the link was so silent I didn't know how to handle it. So how is it coming along, straining isn't it?"
"Yes, I guess you could say that. Was this how you created me…this body I mean?"
"No, similar but not exactly. What I did was create a vessel like your doll here and invoke a resurrection with your newly departed soul. Even the sage himself would have keeled over from doing something like that."
"And yet you're still here to annoy and distract me, doesn't seem to cost much from what I see." She joked but there was a serious look about his eyes.
"Don't joke like that kit. You can be short-sighted at times just like the rest. Resurrecting you cost me more than you know…"
"…What did it cost you Kyuubi?" suddenly she grew fearful. What could possibly cause the sudden change in atmosphere? If it had been so terrible why hadn't he said anything sooner? So many questions circling her head at that moment as she looked at her guardian spirit like she was seeing him for the first time. He looked so human, handsome beyond compare yes, ethereal even…but so utterly human. Since they'd returned he'd never turned back into a beast like before. She hadn't even seen his tails in a long time.
!
"What did it cost you?" She screamed.
The impudent jerk simply shrugged off her growing concern. "No need for theatrics, have you decided on a name for you doppelganger yet?"
"…Yes." She took a deep breath to ease back her worries, saving that grey strand for another day. Smiling, she placed her hand on the seal over where the doll's heart should be and released her chakra into it. "I have decided she will be called Kagami, a mirror to reflect all the things I can't. She'll be free to travel around the Elemental nations in my stead, protecting those I can't. She will be my eyes and ears on the wind. She is Kagami Hellsing, my cousin to be."
"How poetic." Kyuubi smirked.
She only chuckled, unable to tear her eyes off her creation for even a second. Slowly, bright hazel eyes opened. They looked like the sky on a cold winter night. Like a child they blinked at her, owlishly taking everything in. The doll regarded her in a childlike manner, tilting her head to the side as she seemed to think.
"Who are you?"
"I am Yuuki Helena Hellsing and from this day on, I am your cousin."
"Who is he?" She pointed past Yuuki, towards the redhead behind her.
"He is our keeper, Kurama, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. I would like you to call him Katsu in public." Yuuki instructed, dressing the doll as it continued to marvel at the smallest things.
"Then…who am I?"
Her reactions were so innocent; it almost pained Yuuki to look. The brunette simply stood there pointing at herself, those large ruby red eyes waiting for an answer she couldn't full comprehend.
"You will be called Kagami Hellsing. You are to be my mirror, showing me things from afar that I can't possibly reach in time."
"Will that make you happy mistress?"
"Yes Kagami, I'd be very pleased." Yuuki felt like a jackass. She couldn't understand how Danzo could stand to de-sensitize and brainwash children if this is what it felt like. It was horrible. She promised herself that as soon as she was given clearance to leave the village she would do all her spying herself and dismiss Kagami. She'd never use this jutsu again and would strip its secrets from her memory.
"Mistress?"
She looked into Kagami's sweet hazel eyes and smiled, it was pained but it would do. She embraced the doll, hoping all her remorse and regret were passed along in silent apology. When the time came to dismiss this child, Yuuki wasn't sure if she had the inner strength to do it. She prayed Kagami would simply run out of chakra and disappear, selfishly sparing her from the consequences of her actions.
"Is mistress sad?"
"No, Kagami. I am not sad…how can I be when you've just been born!" She tried for cheer but it came strained.
Kagami didn't notice. She was too innocent to recognize it so she smiled. It was such an unrestrained smile; Yuuki didn't even notice the tears running down her face.
"It's my birthday!"
"Yes…yes it is."
Present
"You!"
"Yes, me." Kagami gloated with a smug look on her cheeky face.
"Oh, is she someone you know Hiashi?" Sarutobi asked. He could already connect the dots but in some cases it was best to feign ignorance till vindication.
"She's the child fighter I saw on the night of the kidnapping. She is the one that saved Hinata from Kumo."
The Hyuuga head seemed to be critically analyzing her, taking everything in. No doubt, he found it highly suspicious that she looked be Yuuki's twin with a twist. Where Yuuki was petite, delicate and short in frame, Kagami was slightly taller, athletic in build and wild. Her uniform mirrored her persona, looking to be well traveled and dusty at some parts. Her short pixie cut black hair stock-out in a fashionable manner, a rebellious beauty clad in shades of orange, red and black.
"Everyone, please allow me to introduce my cousin. Kagami Hellsing, she's been traveling with my grandparents for these past few years. We try to keep tabs on her but quite frankly it's impossible. She pops in when she wants to, deals out her jungle justice and leaves." Despite the flippant tone in her voice, one couldn't mistake the fondness in the heiress' blue eyes as she spoke of her cousin. So focused on their emotions of shock, gratitude and awe, they completely missed the fact that Yuuki Hellsing had just successfully foiled the prized Byakugans again. Her art was flawless; the elder Hyuuga could see no difference between the doll and the living.
"I suppose that makes you the source of my troubles as of late" said Fugato with a frown.
"Huh, how am I a problem?"
"He doesn't mean it in a bad way. I'm afraid my friend was just a bit thoughtless about his choice of words. What he meant to say was that I had him searching for you ever since that night. But since you seem to just vanish he's been having a bit of hard time finding you." No one missed the slight jab Hiashi threw at Fugato's interactive skills. For the past few months they've been forced to tolerate each other for the sake of discovering the secrets of the mysterious Hellsing family. But let it be clear that tolerance is all they'd been able to achieve.
It came as a surprise to see Fugato take the hit with grace, not aggressively throwing the Hyuuga's words back at his face. Rather he focused his attention on the newcomers. "Then as head of the police department, I suppose I owe you my gratitude. On behalf of the Uchiha clan, I, Fugato Uchiha, give you my sincere thanks." The proud clan head actually bowed his head in proper thanks. His actions shocked most but his message was clear to the ones it mattered most to. Uchiha Fugato was not above giving credit where it was due.
Kagami smiled, realizing Fugato had just won the war against Hiashi through humility. "No problem Uchiha-san. I'm glad I was in the right place at the right time. Trouble loves me, what can I say I'm just lucky that way!" She chirped.
"Sounds like shitty-luck to me…" muttered Sasuke, wasting his father's efforts as he shied away from the newcomer. Everyone heard his snarky remark but choose to turn a deaf ear to it. If it wasn't address then it never happened right.
"Yes, I too would like to offer my sincere gratitude. You saved more than just my daughter that night. Had you not interfered, I fear I might have done something regretful. Please, once the assessment tests are over allow me to show you my gratitude. Perhaps, dinner at my home?"
"Sure cool, I would love to!" It was amusing to watch the two clan heads try to one-up each other.
"Um, who's the kid with you?" Naruto asked, interesting conversations aside he'd been more interested in the pale skin brunette by her feet. Whoever the boy was, he didn't look happy to be there. In fact it didn't look like he was much of anything at the moment. His face just had that weird blank look the adults did some times.
"Oh don't mind him. This is Sai, I found him going full stalker mode by the trees outside the arena. He seemed to be taking notes." Kagami explained, waving Sai's notes about for good measure.
The reactions were simultaneous. Fugato cursed and stalked away to have words with his agents, the Hyuugas searched the area with their eyes blaring to life and Sarutobi frowned. He looked to Kagami and then Sai, conflicted on how to handle the situation with children present. The mere thought of someone sending a child to spy on him angered him to no end but he didn't want to lash out in front of the kids.
"Did you see anyone else with Sai?" The third asked Kagami.
"Nope, just him…what, wasn't he on the invite list or something?" The cheer in her voice wasn't shared by the paranoid adults present. They all looked to the Uchiha-look-alike as though he had all the answers. The said boy looked even paler, subconsciously sinking behind Kagami.
"Or something…" muttered Shisui, eyeing the Sasuke-look-alike closely.
"I'm afraid Sai wasn't invited Kagami-chan." The sinister tone of finality in Sarutobi's voice chilled her to the bones. He was in Hokage mode again.
"Then why was he out by the trees taking notes? Who was he gonna give them to if not you?" Her 'innocent' question seemed to only spark more fuel for the fire. The adults took to muttering amongst themselves while the children watched with interest.
"Why not just ask him?" Oh sweet Naruto, never one for avoidance and subtle wordplay. Only he would make it seem so simple.
"As if it would be that easy Dobe."
"I'm afraid Sasuke-kun is right. Sai is unlikely to just betray his employer's trust without any incentive from us." Inoichi kindly tried to explain, making no further efforts to define what those incentives would be. In a shinobi village like Konoha one could obviously assume he meant torture. All but poor sweet Naruto with his noble character and untarnished spirit came to the unvoiced conclusion.
"Danzo."
!
Their shocked expressions were so comical Yuuki could barely restrain her laughter. They sat there, just bubbling up her throat as she clamped a hand over her mouth. The others mistook her actions as proof of the shock they all shared of course but hey it's whatever works right. Dumbfounded, they watched the dark-haired boy do the same. His soulless onyx eyes held nothing but horror, like the name alone was enough to…kill…him! He looked back and forth between Sarutobi and Kagami. Something wasn't right; he wasn't even supposed to be able to say the name. It should have killed him just to think it. But the memory of Kagami pressing her finger to his tongue struck him and he physically whimpered. What had she done to him?
"I should be…why didn't it…what have I done!"
"You never expected to be able to speak his name. You were expecting to die by the seal of silence which he placed on you." Sarutobi stated in a grave tone as he watched the boy begin to fall apart. It hurt his heart to see one so young so utterly brainwashed, ready to die for a cause that likely had nothing to do with them.
For the first time throughout the whole affair the boy seemed to finally be affected. He was displaying signs of fear, anxiety and distress. But since he was an unknown factor no one knew how to handle the situation, some were still too shocked that he'd willingly given them answer so soon if at all. Only Yuuki, who secretly already knew the state of affairs came close to him and rested her hand on his cheeks.
"He knows…he'll know! He'll think I betrayed him! I didn't…I didn't" he repeated over and over like a prayer, rocking in her arms.
"Ssh, it's okay Sai. Danzo is a bad man, you've done nothing wrong." She whispered into his ear, giving him a comforting hug to stop his shaking.
The adults of the group couldn't help but grimace. If what they suspected happened to be true then Yuuki had every right to say such things about Danzo. Creating child soldiers was an offense on its own, branding them with suicide seals and setting them to spy on your own Kage warranted nothing short of a death sentence. No matter his defense, Danzo was likely looking at an early retirement, several years in prison and possible execution for his crimes. In a world where the life expectancy of shinobi was so short, they didn't play around on matters regarding the next generation.
"Fugato I'd like you to kindly order an arrest warrant for Danzo. I don't care if he is out of the village, with his family or quite frankly if he's pissing in the toilet. Arrest him and have him dragged to my office by tonight." Sarutobi ordered, using the full weight of his position for the first time in a long time.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Fugato bowed, lightly kissing his wife on the cheek and disappeared to gather his men for the manhunt. He would trust Itachi to tell him further details of the assessment should it continue later.
"Hiashi, I humbly request that you station some of your clan members around the vicinity. If there's a single leaf out of place I want to know about it. It seems I have been too kind to assume people would uphold the law without incentives."
"I would be honored Hokage-sama." The Hyuga head fled to his task as well, wanting to be as far away from an enraged Hokage as possible. He might be old but there was a reason he could still hold the hat after retirement.
"Yuuki-chan I sincerely apologize for this but I think it might be wise for us to call off this assessment for now." Sarutobi wasn't sure he could really give the assessments his full undivided attention in a situation like this. His mind kept going back to Root and how this had been going on for so long without his knowledge. Just how lax had he become?
"No Hokage-sama, if I may. I suggest we allow dear Kagami here to have her match and then call it a day afterwards. I'm sure you're close if not already at a decision about our merits." Katsu was adamant that this be done and over with.
Sarutobi considered it and then nodded his head in consent. "Fine, if you don't mind we may continue."
"Great, now what do we do with our little spy?" Kakashi asked, feeling sorry for the brat already.
"Um, if possible we'd like a moment alone to talk with him." Yuuki and Kagami had their hands on either side of Sai's withdrawn form. The boy looked like he couldn't take much more of their stares. He seemed so disturbed by his unintentional betrayal that he barely paid any attention to what they were saying. Realizing they'd be doing more harm than good pushing the situation, all the remaining adults consented to the request. They watched in silence as the two female Hellsings led Sai back towards the empty stands. He seemed to respond better to them anyway.
"He's creepy" Ino surmised.
"Yeah and if you weren't so quick to judge you'd realize he's just as brainwashed as well. What have I told you about early judgments little lady?"
"Never assume to understand anyone's mental state by first glance" she droned, having heard the same thing over and over. She had the decency to look shamed in his father's presence. If nothing else her father had always taught her to be civil and respectful of the human mind.
"I'm sorry Dad."
"It's fine, just be sure to think before you speak next time. Words can be just as bad as weapons, they hurt just as much and their effect can linger for much longer." Inoichi warned before going to join the other adults. They had to at least have an idea on how to take down Root before the next council meeting was called.
"I wonder what they're talking about" Naruto mused. His head was tilted back with his hands pressed behind his hair as he peered over towards the stands. Yuuki seemed to be the one doing all the talking. Sai would occasionally respond but for the most part he seemed to be utterly shell-shocked to still be alive. Kagami simply watched them, often comforting the boy with a soft gesture or two here and there.
At the stands
"There is nothing you can tell me Sai that I don't already know. Whatever you choose to say isn't an act of betrayal. I already knew."
"…"
"In a matter of the next few weeks I plan to bury Danzo. All I ask is that you stand aside, do nothing and let me take down the evil bastard that did this to you."
"But he…" Sai's voice died off, unable to trust her with his one true weakness.
"I know he has your 'brother' Sai. I promise you if you cooperate with us we will get him back. We'll even accept the both of you into our clan as our wards. No one will harm you under our protection. What do ya say Sai, wanna be our friend?"
The brunette looked into her crystal blue eyes, sucked in by the aged wisdom in their depths. He had no doubt she could do as she said in regards to Danzo. There was a deep hatred there that she tried to hide but he could still see it. For whatever reason Danzo was on her hit list and wasn't likely to get off in anything other than a body bag. But he'd never been one to trust easily.
"You haven't even gotten your clan approved yet."
The two gave him skeptical looks. "Surely with the skills you've seen so far you know that won't be a problem."
"…"
"Come on Sai we just wanna be your friends." Kagami said.
"Yeah, friends help each other out. Let us prove ourselves by saving your brother and then you can decide okay." Yuuki chimed, poking his cheek in a playful manner. He batted away her finger but nodded his head in silent consent.
"Friends?"
"Yes" she said, taking his hand into hers and looking him in the eye "Friends."
It pleased her to see his frozen expression morph into something more pleasant. Slowly, a shaky smile crept up his lips. It made him look so much younger than she last remembered but it comforted her to know she could save him. She could re-write the horrid script Danzo had forced upon him this time. What she offered wasn't perfect, it came with a lot of secrets and lies but it was a start, the first stroke among thousands more to come for Sai's new future.
"I promise you won't regret it Sai." And she meant it. Yuuki intended to give Sai the childhood he never had with all the support he'd only dreamed about. Hopefully this time around he'd find it easier to interact with others.
"Yuuki!"
"What Naruto?"
"You done!" Naruto yelled from the arena, wanting to know if it was ok to head back to the stands.
"Yes!" Yuuki waved them back over as they all prepared for the next and final match of the day.
Neji VS. Kagami
The two combatants stepped up to the arena, bowed and waited for Genma's permission. There was a tense silence, broken only by their shallow breaths.
"Begin!"
But the combatants made no move to launch at each other. Instead much to everyone's surprise Kagami withdrew slips of paper from her breast pocket, placed them to her lips and blew. They scattered all over the arena floor, sticking to the ground with single-minded tenacity. She watched Neji give her seals a wary glance. He'd have to be careful with his steps, locking down his more grandiose moves for now.
Satisfied, Kagami pulled out a scroll and smeared her blood on its blank surface. In a puff of smoke, her summoned daggers appeared. They were the same daggers she'd used the night of Kumo's attempted kidnapping. It pleased her to see any lingering doubts cleared from Hiashi's eyes. He could question this and that but he couldn't deny these daggers. With expert skill, she twirled them on her fingers. There was perhaps one feature that he hadn't seen that night.
"Do you intend to simply stand there all day twirling your pretty toys Hellsing-san. Or will you accept your fate and lose to me." Neji taunted, trying to get under her skin.
"Actually no, I just thought I'd get some momentum going with these babies." She chuckled as she threw one of her daggers at him. He expected the throw and dodged. What he hadn't expected was the ninja string that pulled back the dagger with equal force. It nicked him on its way back home to Kagami's open hand. With an appreciative smirk, she watched him hesitantly touch his cheek, looking at his own blood in shock.
"Looks like I call first blood hmn."
"For now…" he conceded, getting into his family stance. He refused to be caught by surprise anymore.
"That's more like it." She likewise tensed, tightened her grip on her knives and charged. In an almost choreographed act she stopped inches from him and let loose her daggers. They aimed not at him but the scattered paper at his feet, exploding the instance the blades touched them. Her tactics were unexpected and the results were undeniably wicked. Neji, so used to hand-to-hand combat had to step out of his comfort zone and avoid the exploding tags. He was forced out of his fortified stance and like a hawk she struck.
She never stayed long enough for their taijutsu match to grow heated, striking with her daggers a few times and then jumping back out of range. It vexed Neji how easily she controlled the flow of their match. It was a direct insult to the Hyuuga how easily she used their own family practice against him. Neji was limited in his attempts to reach her; constantly wary of where he placed his feet lest they be blown off, while she had free reign around the arena. Kagami simply danced around him, her deceptive daggers biting into his skin without so much as a moment's notice.
"Damn, remind me to ask them where they get their weapons from" groaned Tenten, completely in love with their construct. Her father would be envious that she got to see them first-hand when she got back to the forge.
"Why is Neji letting her lead him around like that?" asked Hanabi, surprised to see her cousin having such a hard time. It was unthinkable that her hero was unable to land a solid hit on the Hellsing. His form and well-practiced katas were still impressive to witness but against Kagami's wild unpredictable dance, it bore no real threat. He simply couldn't get her to stay still long enough for it to matter.
"He isn't letting her do anything. He can't carelessly follow her. If he so much as makes one mistake he could trigger one of those explosive tags."
"But Kagami's walking all over them!" Hanabi protested.
"Yes but they are her tags. I fear they may be linked to her chakra somehow, only activating anyone else steps on them." Hiashi surmised.
He wasn't happy to see his nephew losing either but he had to respect her quick thinking. Not many thought to fight so intuitively with seals anymore. In fact the art of fighting with seals was dying and rarely seen these days. From what he'd seen so far he'd concluded that the Hellsings clearly didn't care about the most conventional ways of fighting. He had to admit, it made them interesting.
With tense appreciation he watched Kagami box Neji in, limiting his mobility while weakening his stance. Even for a branch member the boy showed excellent signs of potential, otherwise he would have lost the match long ago. Neji may not be leading the fight but he was certainly still in it. By not chasing after Kagami when she flirted with his senses, drifting in only to twirl away, he was keeping his calm. Eventually he'd see the flaw in her tactics; he just had to wait for it.
Had Kagami been fighting anyone else she would have been able to wrap this up quickly. But this was Hyuuga Neji, prodigy and head of his class. He had the patience to outlast most people. It came as no surprise that the moment her explosive tags ran out he charged her like a train, giving her no chance to reapply more. It was one of the few flaws to her tactic. Gritting her teeth, Kagami braced herself, going numb the instant he struck.
One could say they were equally matched. While her capabilities with seals and aerial weapons kept him at bay, his hand-to-hand skills crippled her. Unlike most people she was a being made purely out of chakra. His prime skill was sealing up that said chakra, making each strike he managed to inflict on her person almost life-threatening. He couldn't have known of course…but all the same it wasn't a safe gamble on her part.
Rolling with the punches, she had no choice but to follow his lead this time. Each time he struck out to close a chakra point she dissuaded the attack with chakra coated swipes. His chakra acted as a positive charge while hers acted as a negative, negating his ability to seal her points. Oh but how it hurt each time his blows reached her smaller frame. Shivering from exhaustion, they were both breathing high. There was no place for mistakes in their deadly tango; one misstep was all it would take for absolute victory.
"Damn, how are they not chunin yet?" Kakashi wondered. He'd expected a fight between fresh recruits with barely enough skill to keep him entertained. He hadn't expected to find it so hard to keep his eyes on his Icha Icha Paradise. He almost envied their teachers, the sheer pride they must be feeling at this point. Perhaps he could be more willing to train whatever poor souls he got saddled with this year.
The end came as unexpected as its start. Neji aimed to blast Kagami away with an imperfect yet impressive Kaiten. But the girl's response shocked onlookers as she planted her feet as well and spun in the opposite direction, her knives ripping through his chakra dome. It was like two spinning tops colliding against each other. The sheer backlash was enough to send both participants sailing out of the ring, by default declaring them to both have lost as the crowd found themselves biting their lips. They were all aware of the rules…but the conclusion was so dissatisfying!
"A Tie!" Gemna declared as proctor.
"That's it!" Naruto screamed, his blue eyes wide and his mouth gaping. As disruptive as it was, the feelings behind the outburst were shared among the rest of those seated in the stands. They watched the two combatants bow one last time in respect to each other and return to the stands. Kagami looked triumphant despite her unclear victory, grabbing and jerking Sai about in good humor. Her opponent however looked shell shocked, beyond disbelief at his loss to an unknown, unseated genin!
Hyuuga did not tie, you either won or lost. There was no tie!
Well there it is folks, sorry for the late update. I could give you a list of things that stopped this from happening sooner but for now lets just live it at life sucks sometimes. Thanks to all those who faithfully held out hope for this story. It is far from over.