Welcome to Gaia! ::

Chapter one:In the mist of the night; Those that dwell in shadows

Drip.

Water on cold, grey stone.
Drip.

The darkness presses in like a shroud, thick, suffocating.
Stalagmites rise from the ground like jagged fangs, broken by the slow steady trickle of water from the cracks in the cavern ceiling.
Drip.
Water falls in a clear, pure pool sunk into the stone. In the gloom of the cavern the occasional clink of chains dragged over stone.
Drip.
A pure clear drop of pure mountain stream water trickles over the stone just out of reach. Slowly like a teardrop it slides into darkness. To the three dying of dehydration in chains it should be hell itself.
Out of place in the gloom of darkness, however, is an irritatingly cheery tune. In the shadows a chained and manacled hand twitches.

Bound to the cold stone and just out of the reach of water, hang three prisoners.
The hand twitches again.
The one in the middle is shorter then the other two with hair as white as fresh snow despite the months of torture.
His ribs stand out like bridge struts, his pants are tattered rags. His back is mottled by the scars of whips and white linen bandages stained red mark the most recent wounds.
He lifts his head to the cave entrance.
The other two figures briefly look in the same direction before resuming their discussion.
The white haired figure hums to himself, partially to keep his spirits up but mainly to irritate the other two. Besides the humming and the ever present drip of water on stone there is silence.
"Well this sucks" says one of the cells other occupants. He is tall and slim with hair an electric light blue with darker blue in the tips. The cells other occupant turns towards him. Her eyes are a piercing shade of blue like the heart of glaciers. "Who was supposed to be on watch?"
The taller figure turns.
"Kaze was..."
Both his team mates turn to glare angrily at Kaze who is still ignoring them completely. Kaze's tune grows more cheerful.
"QUIT HUMMING! THIS IS SERIOUS!!" The other male figure yells. Kaze stops humming and glares at him.
"What else do you expect me to do?" he says in a bored drawl.
"Break us out maybe?!" The other male figure says sarcastic and yet with a slight hint of hidden optimism.
"I suppose you think he could chew through our chains Kumoru?" The other cell occupant says sarcastically.
Kumoru sticks out his tongue.
"Maybe you could try being more helpful for a change Yami!"
Yami sneers at him. "Maybe you could try staying awake for a change!" Kaze resumes humming as a fight breaks out beside him.

In an underground chamber a dark figure lounges on a black carved throne. A messenger with bandages swathing across his face kneels at the throne's carved lion's feet. A black gloved hand taps at the thrones arm. The messenger bows until his forehead touches the black marble tiles.
"We have the spies in Holding Cell 3 my lord. They still won't tell us where the scroll is hidden."
The dark figure taps the thrones arm thoughtfully. "Find out. The scroll is essential to this village's plans. If you have to, use the Kinjutsu."
The dark figure grins and chuckles "That should loosen those impudent tongues."
The messenger looks up "Those techniques are so dangerous...It could kill-"
A dark hand is raised "Just do it!"
The messenger bows deeply in terror "Of course....Right away my lord"

"I spy-"
"FOR THE LAST TIME WE ARE NOT PLAYING!!" Kumoru overrides Kaze violently and tries to kick him.
Chains clink but the blow falls short. Kaze sticks out his tongue. A black clad torturer watches this is amused confusion then regains his composure.
"This is your last chance to talk spy. These techniques will literally suck your knowledge right out of your head"
Kaze's head turns towards the torturer with an eeriely, almost unnatual speed.
"Do I look scared to you?" Kaze says slowly and deliberately, each word falling into place like parts of a jigsaw.
Yami turns her piercing blue eyes on the torturer and shrugs.
"Personally I like my brain inside my head"
"I'll never talk." Kumoru says stoically.
The torturer glances at him.
"As team leader I take full responsibility!" His voice seems cool and calm but with a faint edge of panic as if he's scared his voice won't be heard. The torturer turns to him.
"Why is it he's only serious when we are all about to die horribly?" Yami asks calmly.
"Because he's worried" Kumoru says matter-of-factly.
The torturer clicks his fingers and rotates his neck while forming hand signs. He actually looks apologetic as he forms the hand seals.
"I'm sorry I have to do this"
Kaze looks him in the eyes with a childlike, wide eyed expression "So sorry you won't?"
"You will wish I said yes!"
The jutsu activates and stabs. Kaze throws back his head and howls in pain
"Kaze!" Both Yami and Kumoru yell at the same time.
The chain links start to glow and steam rises from Kaze's skin as the jutsu burrows into his mind.

A silver scaled tail smashes the chains and flicks into the torturer's head with a resounding crack. He crumbles like a paper doll.
The chain links fall to the ground and Yami and Kumoru land lithely on their feet like two giant cats.
Kaze manages to do the same then his legs crumble under him. He hits the ground hard, unable to even try to break his fall with his suddenly stiff and unmoving hands. His head smashes into the rocks and his breathing becomes light and raspy.
"Kaze are you alright?" Kumoru asks, helping him up.
Kaze winces and turns his head to glare.
"Oh I'm fine. Everything is all rainbows and bunnies and freaking sunshine!" He coughs.
"If he can be sarcastic he will be fine." says Yami rolling her ice blue eyes.

Footsteps sound from outside the cavern.

"Take the scroll and go!" Kaze says softly but with force and he struggles to overcome his temporary paralysis.
"I'll distract them!" he coughs and grins "And if anyone asks I died fighting a hundred of them."
Kumoru hauls Kaze up "We're not leaving you behind!" he snaps irritably. Kaze's breath rasps in his throat.
When Yami and Kumoru half-carry, half-drag him towards the exit they see three blackened hilts stick from his side. Yami's eyes widen as she realises the blades are buried deep. Kaze's breathing slows. His skin starts to turn cold as he breaks out in a cold sweat. Using a summoning in chakra-binding chains has drained far more of his chakra then he had hoped.
Kumoru swiftly forms hand seals and focuses his chakra on his fingertips in crackling sparks.
"Lightning style: Thousand thunderbolts jutsu!" he says aloud as lightning spears soar from the tips of his fingers and blows open the door in an unnecessarily showy way.
Kumoru blows the smoke from the tips of his fingers as he helps Kaze through the hole. A metal fragment of what used to be the cell door cuts into Kumoru's bare feet but he doesn't notice the pain.
"Kaze doesn't look too good" Yami says worriedly. Kaze coughs.
"Y-you think?" he says sarcastically, every word causing him pain.
He coughs once, shivers as if an icy breeze has passed over his skin then passes out. Kumoru reaches down and wrenches one of the blades from Kaze's side. Beneath the dark almost black blood is the flaky dried brown of rust.
"He needs a healer now. He could die of blood poisoning!" Kumoru says in a panic, no longer trying to act calm in front of Kaze. Simple cuts they can heal but he doesn't know how to get rust out of blood.
Yami breaks into a shaky run, the pair stumbling as they try to support Kaze. They skid around a corner and almost run into the barrier of solid steel blades.


"Hold it right there!" The guard forms hand seals and bites his thumbs.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu: Dagger of death jutsu!"
The guard slams his blood covered palms together then holds them apart.
Black handled blades like the two still imbedded in Kaze's side fly from the guard's palms. Kumoru tries to dodge but can't abandon Kaze. Yami dodges, dragging Kaze with her. Kumoru tries to do the same thing but blades slice into him. A blade thuds into Kaze's shoulder and the new pain wakes him in time to see Kumoru fall bleeding heavily.
"Kumoru!" Kaze calls. He stands shakily as he rapidly forms hand seals 'Kuchiyose no jutsu!'
The lizard leaps from the shadows, claws outstretched, white fangs gleaming and scales shining like a suit of armor.
"What the-?!" The guard has time to say before the lizard drops on him in a ball of kunai-blunting armored scales and razor edged claws. Kaze helps Kumoru to his feet, both using the other for support.
"Kumoru you'll be O.k.!" Kaze yells, the fear is his voice undisguised. The guard manages to form hand seals again.
"Dagger of death jutsu!" The blades strike the lizard's soft scaled underbelly and it collapses in pain, shrieking.
"Kumoru! Kaze!" Yami yells, unsure of whom to help first and panicking. Her piercing eyes suddenly blur and close as blood blooms on her shirt front. She collapses forwards, unconscious before she hits the stone.
The guard behind her kneels briefly to remove his kunai.
Kaze hyperventilates as he sees both his friends fall into pools of blood. He drags himself to his feet, panting for breath.
"N-No! It can't end like this..."
Kaze screams at the sky. Three more blades hit him square in the chest. Kaze flinches and stumbles back a step but swiftly forms the hand signs.
"Stop him!" a warden yells.
"Shadow devouring: Teleportation jutsu!"
Kaze slams his hands into the ground triumphantly.
Kaze's shadow stretches and grows like a lake of dark liquid spreading. First Kumoru then Yami slip under the darkness like it was a pool of water. Another blade hits Kaze in the chest and the strain of the jutsu mixed with blood loss finally breaks him. Kaze's eyes close and he tumbles into darkness. He is unconscious before he hits the ground and the liquid shadows swallow him.

Chapter Three: Start

As the darkness engulfs him Kaze dreams of his freinds.

Many years ago there was a school of ninjutsu in the mountains. At the age of Eight he had been taken in, in a way, fed and clothed and now enrolled in the only school of ninjutsu. In the room there are two students, newly graduated, who stand out more then the others. It is the first chaotic ten minutes before the teacher enters the room and both have their own groups of friends.

Kumoru relines coolly with both feet against the bench, playing idly with a kunai and telling some self-glorifying story to his group of laughing friends and swooning girls.
Yami is reading casually, ignoring all the boys wondering what it would be like if she was their boyfriend.
The paper screen doors open and the Academy teacher enters, shepherding a very reluctant Kaze. He wears a black cloth tight over his eyes to obsure his vision. Kumoru nudges the student beside him
"Hey. Who's that?" He whispers.
The student looks then whispers back.
"New kid. Called Kaze. No idea what he's doing here"
Kumoru leans back casually and smirks arrogantly.
"Probably to learn from the best" he says with a dismissive wave of a hand. Yami sighs.
"I could bounce rocks off your ego." She says sardonically.
Somewhere in the back of the class there is a wolf whistle. Kumoru pins the unfortunate suitor to the wall with the kunai without turning around and glares at Yami.
"An insult from Princess Sarcasm? That's rare" he says sarcastically.
Yami applauds slowly.
"Oh how very witty of you Kumoru. Now shut up would you Dumbass? You're disrupting the lesson."
She turns to smile disarmingly at the academy teacher who coughs and pretends not to have heard.
Kumoru shuts up.
"Good morning class. You lucky graduates will be moved into your teams soon."
"Please take your seat." He adds to Kaze.
Kaze calmly takes a place on a bench and everyone immediately moves away from the pale skinned child. Kumoru immediately takes a disliking to the younger boy and moves in closer.
"Soon everyone will be divided into three man cells, each over seen by a higher ranking ninja. As of today you are no longer children! ... And we have a new student. This is Kaze"
Kaze waves casually, smiling hugely. The teacher ignores the hostile atmosphere and continues.
"He's new here but he'll soon catch up"
Kumoru sniggers and Yami rolls her eyes.

A few minutes later...

"Kumoru stop talking!" The academy teacher snaps. Kumoru breaks off his conversation with an irritated glare and yawns exaggeratedly.
"As I was saying" the academy teacher says irritably "You are in a squad with Yami and Kaze."
Yami sighs and closes her book.
"Great" she says "I've always had to boss this bonehead around but now it's official"
"Oh yeah!" Kumoru protests vehemently. "What makes you think you think you get to be leader! I should be leader!"
Kaze, trying unsuccessfully to contain his laughter, finally snaps and bursts out laughing.
"What's so funny?!" Kumoru yells at Kaze, pinning him to the wall. "I'm the most powerful in this group!"
"Power often bends to common sense" Kaze smoothly slips from Kumoru's hold.
"Idiot." He adds as he walks away.
"Show some respect!" Kumoru yells, raising a fist.
"When you earn it, O Glorious Leader" Kaze replies with a faint mocking bow.
"I agree" Yami says.
"About respect?" Kumoru says, halting his attack in mid blow and looking hurt.
"About you being an idiot. Who says you get to be leader?" Yami replies calmly.
"Yes." says Kaze
"You're being far too temperamental" he adds.
"Oh and I guess you want to be leader?" Kumoru says, fist still raised.

Silence from Kaze.

"Fight me then brat!" says Kumoru, shoving Kaze in the chest. "So far you're nothing but dead weight and fancy words"
"I...don't fight." Kaze says looking at his feet.
"I knew it' says Kumoru spitefully.
He shoves Kaze in the chest and turns away
"You're just a coward"
Kaze looks at his feet.
"Kumoru that's just mean!" Yami protests, trying hard to break the fight up.
"Maybe when you can "catch up" with a real ninja you can insult me... freak" Kumoru quips as he strides off.
'I...don't want to do this" Kaze says quietly.
"I won't hurt you badly" Kumoru says, cracking his knuckles.
"I...am not a coward!" Kaze says louder, clenching his little fists.
"Prove it Freak!" Kumoru says, prodding Kaze in the chest.
"Kumoru quit it!" Yami says loudly. "He's just a kid. What's wrong with you?!"
Kaze looks down again.
"That's what I thought" says Kumoru spitefully, spitting at Kaze's feet. Kaze looks up.
"Tomorrow. Noon. If you dare."
Kumoru sneers in response and strides confidently away. Yami punches Kaze on the arm.
"What was that for stupid?! Kumoru holds a grudge! New you may be but I don't want to see your head smashed in by that angry moron!"
'I know what I must do...and it's saddens me...That there is no place for emotion." Kaze says solemnly.
Yami blinks in surprise at the way his tone of voice has changed.
"Are you really only eight?' she says, half-embarrassed by the question. "You sound...older."
Kaze's shoulder's tremble as if he's about to start crying. Memory hits him like a ton of bricks.
"Why are you sad?" Yami asks, wanting to hug him. He looks so sad and vunerable right now.
"And why does Kumoru hate you?"
Kaze clenches his fists.
"Because I killed his parents" Kaze says bluntly.