Betrayal and Defection

Rift of Malice
Ryuka sped off, running on the rushing waters. His feet rapped against the blue surface as he zipped along with immense speed. Sweat ran down his face, and he panted mildly. But a grin was plastered on it, along with a confident look in his eyes, as he ran swiftly. Behind him, he sensed another presence, pursuiting him with the same rapid footsteps, and it made his adrenaline pump even harder.

He quickly leaped over several pointed rocks, landing on the balls of his feet and jumping over another piece of jagged rock, then another, and another in quick succession. Drops whipped his face as he jumped through the thick and sturdy network of branches, listening closely to hear the same feet jump onto the branches he left behind. But, as quick as his movements as, as fired up as he and his pursuer were, he was not trying to lose the ghost that followed him. In fact, he was leading it somewhere.

The feet that were stepping into his footsteps, only a few feet away, belonged to Kyashi Urami. Her long and blonde hair was matted around her as she ran, even blinding her for a second. Her eyes were narrowed in grim determination, even as the salt water ran down her face and neck in rivers. A snarl, not meant for a human face, was etched, and the only thing that was keeping her cool was her own fear and anger.

Many emotions were running through her mind. Anger...guilt...fear...disbelief...it was too much to think about. Her heart pounded in her chest painfully. The only thing that was fueling herself was pure willpower. It was all she could think of, as she chased after the figure that seemed to be so far away from her. She was tempted to call out his name, in an attempt to make him stop in his tracks and face her. But she knew that would never happen. All she could do was chase after him, like a crazed fangirl.

As Ryuka turned a corner, he could sense a powerful presence of dark energy, getting stronger as they neared it. By then, he knew she could sense it too, for it was impossible not to. His eyes squinted ahead, he saw a sudden slope in the wide river's path, and grinned.

"Good. I'm heading the right way." He thought, feelings of apprehension running through his veins. When he reached the slope, he didn't hesitate, he jumped, timing his control of his chakra right and sliding on the blue liquid like a slide, into darkness. He looked behind him, and sure enough, Kyashi had done the same, but she was soon becoming merely a speck, at the speed he was now going at.

Kyashi's eyes furrowed in frustration, as the figure of Ryuka began to get smaller and smaller, disappearing into the dark. She picked up her own pace, although an eerie feeling washed over her, as the dark energy seemed to close in on her even more. As she descended, everything around her seemed to turn into blackness, and the only thing that prevented her from thinking she was dying was the cold water she felt under her feet.

For a moment, she swore she felt the water felt warmer than usual. As she descended even more, out of the corner of her eye, several small orbs of light appeared as she passed by. Even their light could not allow her to see where she was. Even the water under her feet could not be seen.

"What kind of genjutsu is this?" She thought.

The suddenly, the warm water feeling stopped, and her stomach lurched up in her throat, as she felt her body jerk in mid-air, then plummet like a rock at an accelerating speed. She couldn't help the scream that escaped her throat, as she fell helplessly towards the ground. Behind her, she could hear the sound of loud rushing water behind her, also seeming to be plummeting downward.

Her mind clicked. She had just fell off a waterfall. Instantly, she stopped screaming, shut her eyes, and held whatever breath she had left, as she hit the water, making a large SPLASH!

The first thing she felt was pain from the shock, radiating throughout her body. A red glow pulsated for a split second, then dissipated, making her aware that Kyosuke used his chakra to protect her. The next thing, she noticed, was the warmth of the liquid that surrounded. Slowly opening her eyes, she wondered if she was in the middle of recovering from a concussion. The water appeared a crimson color around her, and she could barely see the surface.

Realizing she would drown soon, she shifted herself up and swam towards the surface, the pain disappearing. She managed to reach it quickly, however, and when she was finally able to pull herself up, she immediately took in a gasp of air, opening her eyes completely....and immediately started coughing.

The air reeked! The odor literally smelled of something rotting. It was awful, nearly unbearable to her as she continued coughing hard. Mild panic swept through her mind. But as she expelled the sudden air from her lungs, she pulled herself onto the water surface, slowly but surely.

As her vision slowly cleared, she saw her environment. In two rows, on both sides of a unsighted rock wall, were sets of the same orbs of light she saw before. They were completely still, not flickering, seemingly frozen in time. It was almost like they themselves had prepared for both her and Ryuka's arrival. The red and warm water she was standing on also seemed deathly still. No rapids, no rushing....nothing at all....

Wait....red water?

She then raised her arm up to take a good look at it. Her heart almost stopped.

Her arm was covered in a crimson red, like it had been cut several times. Of course, that obviously wasn't the case. It was slightly trembling as its owner stared at it in pure horror. Looking downwards even more and squinting her eyes, she saw several humanoid figures lying at the bottom of the sea. It only took her a split second to realize what she had landed in.

This wasn't water. It was an ocean of pure blood.

Kyashi put a hand to her mouth, horrified beyond belief. Her mouth quivered under her hand's touch. "O-oh God...." She stammered. "W-what happened here...?" She was a shinobi. But things like this were something she would've liked to never see again. She had to restrain the urge to puke, or break down in panic.

Slowly getting up from her knees, all thoughts of the environment subsided, as she saw Ryuka walking slowly in one direction, away from her. He seemed untouched by the blood, although she was covered in it.

Knowing full well that she didn't have the energy to run any longer, she took in a deep breath, and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"RYUKA!"

That stopped him. Instantly. Like a sudden command, he froze in his tracks, his back still turned to her.

Kyashi breathed heavily, as she glared intensely at the Uchiha. The sweat mixed with the blood, forming a gritty and sticky network of rivers on her body. Her hands clenched into fists. "Turn around..." She demanded. "And face me!"

Silence. The only thing that could be heard was Kyashi's harsh breathing.

Then, registering her command, Ryuka slowly turned around. "It looks like I can't run from you any more....Kyashi-chan." He said, staring into her eyes.

Descent Into Darkness
Kyashi didn't move as Ryuka stared deeply into her eyes. She felt exposed under his emotionless gaze, like an owl on its prey. But she merely stared back with a confused and sad look.

"Why...?" She asked weakly, all power gone from her voice. "Why are you doing this...? We all are your friends...why are you pushing us back?!"

Ryuka closed his eyes. "Friends?" He replied. "Shinobi don't have friends, and don't need them. They only get in the way." He felt a guilty pleasure, as he saw Kyashi visibly flinch at those words.

"Let me make this clear to you." Ryuka said coldly. "I have my own goal to accomplish. You, nor any of the others, do not fit. To me, you're merely a hindrance to me, a mere obstacle."

"...Nani?" Kyashi felt tears well up in her eyes, threatening to spill into the bloody lake. "So...you're saying...that what you felt for me...was a lie all along?" She said vehemently, glaring angrily. "That I was your little fake love tool?"

An even louder silence reigned, before Ryuka spoke again. "It wasn't fake." He replied quietly. "Ever since that day, you've become one of the things I desired to protect." A noticeably peaceful expression was on his face, but it quickly etched back into a hard look. "But that day is long gone." He whispered harshly.

A tear spilled from Kyashi's eye, but the Uchiha didn't seem to care.

"My days of playing friendship with you and the other ninja are over." He said firmly. "Go home."

"Go home...."

"Go home...."

"Go home...."

Those words hit Kyashi hard like a physical blow. She slowly brought her head down, looking toward the blood she was standing on. Rivers from her eyes went down her face, falling to the ground. Her heart clenched even more. She even trembled slightly.

"He....he really wants nothing to do with me anymore...." She thought.

Ryuka was indifferent to the sight. He turned on his heel and started to walk off again, his footsteps sounding throughout the area.

He would have no resistance to his way to Jikokukenin. Kyashi was powerless to do anything against him, and even if she tried, she wouldn't be able to bring herself to harm him. She was too emotional, too caring...

"Too weak." He thought.

However, he never got to the exit. A presence was instantly felt behind him, and he turned.

Kyashi had rushed towards Ryuka, twisting her body around. "You mean to tell me," She yelled, losing her own cool. ",that all the time we spent together was for NOTHING?!" Her leg, spinning around with her, directed towards Ryuka's face, and connected. Hard.

Ryuka spun in the air like a rag-doll several times before landing on the blood surface, face-down.

A hand came on Kyashi's shoulder. It was none other then her brother, Seireitou.

Kyashi gasped. "S-seireitou-ani?!"

Ryuka merely got up, using his chakra to dispel the blood from his face. He glanced at Seireitou. "...."

Seireitou had an expression of sincerity on his face. "Kyashi-chan...." He said. "Are you okay?"

"How...did you find us?" Kyashi asked, mildly shocked. Her hands trembled slightly. Her attention was now focused on him.

Seireitou smiled at her. One of his eyes closed, while the other looked at Kyashi. "You're my sister. I'm supposed to keep an eye on you. right?" He said.

Kyashi chuckled. "I guess you're right." She admitted, turning to the Uchiha.

Ryuka frowned. "If you want what's best for her, you'll stay out of this." He said calmly, eyes narrowing. "Right now, she wants to do this alone."

From that kick alone, he was able to tell that she wasn't just going to let him leave. She was going to fight to the death, if that's what it took to bring him back.

"Kyashi-chan... I won't stop you. Just promise me you'll be safe..." Seireitou said, serious and concerned.

Kyashi still looked at Ryuka. "I won't be able to promise you that, big brother..." She replied quietly, turning her attention to Ryuka "But I can promise that I will bring you back. Even if I have to toss you around the world and back to do so!"

Ryuka had an amused look on his face. "Have it your way." He replied, the layer of the Sharigan surfacing to his eyes. "I will show you the true power....of the Uchiha!"