Karui fic: Butterfly
Title: “Butterfly”
Author: Shaitanah
Rating: PG
Timeline: current canon (SPOILERS up to chapter 454)
Summary: Karui hates being given false hope. But maybe, just maybe, what Naruto offers is real. [Karui-centric]
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi.
A/N: I’m completely in love with those Cloud nins. XD And this story proves that I have too much time on my hands all of a sudden.
BUTTERFLY
Karui has always been proud of her village. Her forefathers had mastered the power of lightning; her Raikage used to have two powerful tailed beasts under his command; her team has accomplished many memorable feats. Come to think of it, it is no understatement that her loyalties lie with the coolest place in the world.
Karui has always loved her team (except when she hated their guts, of course). She is aware that Omoi is a pesky whiner and Samui is a tyrant and, when her PMS strikes, a natural disaster waiting to happen. She knows full well Killer Bee can defeat his enemies if only by reciting his ‘poetry’ aloud; that alone is enough to make a person commit harakiri. Yet somewhere deep inside (and don’t you dare call her sentimental for this!) a fuzzy, warm feeling unfurls every time she thinks about how lucky she is to be stuck with this gang of idiots. They are her idiots.
Karui has always delighted in crashing the enemies of the Hidden Cloud. Her village is the only home she has ever known; she wants to see it prevail. The relationship between Cloud and Leaf have been strained most of the time; yet seeing Konoha in ruins brings her no satisfaction. She hears the word ‘Akatsuki’, and cold rage floods her.
She hears the name ‘Sasuke’, and she thinks she knows what hatred is.
Karui doesn’t like the colour orange. It’s painfully intense and clashes with every other colour in existence. It makes the world seem more cheerful than it really is, and Karui doesn’t approve of giving false hope.
She meets a Leaf nin dressed in black and orange; the first thing he does is gives her hope. She has to admit she has no understanding of the world outside Kumo whatsoever.
The guy is a dizzying mix of bright colours. Tears prickle at her eyes when she looks at him. She hates crying.
She remembers the first time she saw Killer Bee. He was so huge, all muscle and might, the strongest guy she had ever met. She decided back then that she would stand by him through thick and thin. No one ever cared about her like he did.
She remembers herself dancing to r’n’b tunes from his boombox after workouts. She remembers him pissing Samui off by trying to find rhymes to her every word. She remembers Omoi drooling over some smalltown canteen waitress and Killer Bee giving him (completely idiotic) advice on how to hit on her.
She has already resolved to say goodbye to all that, and the stupid-faced blondie in orange clothes is telling her it might have been a premature decision.
She hits him as hard as she can. She would throw many punches as a kid; she’d rather fight with her sword now, but it feels so good to have her fists back in action once in a while. It’s a poor replacement; this guy is not the one she wants to hurt, but he’ll do.
He is an idiot. She knows what it’s like to believe in somebody this much (she puts so much faith in Killer Bee and her teammates) - but how can one believe so blindly in a traitor? a renegade? Akatsuki’s lapdog?! Never has the pride of the Yotsuki clan been sullied like this, and this fool insults them even further!
She draws blood and refuses to stop. He takes every punch with quiet dignity; in spite of her rage, her respect for him grows. He is a shinobi even if he looks ridiculous and propagates (impracticable) world peace.
His eyes are blue like the (cloudless) sky. She delivers the final blow and turns around sharply and leaves, brushing past Omoi who keeps standing there, twirling the lollipop in his mouth and looking at the bloodied and bruised Leaf nin. Karui flings herself on a mossy log somewhere in the forest and stares at her bloodstained hands. She curses hotly under her breath.
Upon hearing the sound of footsteps, she believes one of her teammates is coming to find her. She isn’t prone to running off like this, but everybody needs solitude once in a while. To her surprise, the one who lowers himself on the log next to her is Naruto.
“I didn’t catch your name,” he says.
She glances at him. Heals fast, little bastard. Just like Killer Bee. She gives him her name (it rolls off her tongue before she can stop herself) and looks away. She doesn’t feel like being around him.
“That didn’t make me feel better,” she says stubbornly.
“I know. But finding your sensei will.” He pauses, then adds: “I lost my sensei too. To the Akatsuki. But I forgave the one who killed him.”
“You’re an idiot.”
For some reason she recalls a mission with Killer Bee, years ago, the first time he showed his students the power of the Eight-Tailed Bull. Wide-eyed, fascinated, they watched the transformation breathlessly. “Now remember, kiddos,” said the sensei afterwards. “float like a butterfly-.”
“…sting like a bee!” they cried out in unison.
She misses the sense of unity. Even though he’s been gone for quite a while, he is their sensei - and always will be.
“What’s this Sasuke-guy to you anyway?” Karui asks grudgingly.
“A teammate.” No hesitation in his voice. She wonders if she hasn’t hit him hard enough. Somebody needs to bang it into his stupid head that the guy is a fucking traitor. “A friend.”
Karui sighs. Apparently her fate is to be stuck around nutters. She gets up and taps him on the shoulder casually.
“You’re weird. Bet Sensei would like you.”
She is still uncertain how she feels about this sudden offer of help (and frankly, it’s up to Samui to decide whether or not the Cloud accepts it), but she might just give the Uchiha bastard a chance. Obviously the orange brat knows what he’s doing.
July 4, 2009
Author: Shaitanah
Rating: PG
Timeline: current canon (SPOILERS up to chapter 454)
Summary: Karui hates being given false hope. But maybe, just maybe, what Naruto offers is real. [Karui-centric]
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi.
A/N: I’m completely in love with those Cloud nins. XD And this story proves that I have too much time on my hands all of a sudden.
BUTTERFLY
Karui has always been proud of her village. Her forefathers had mastered the power of lightning; her Raikage used to have two powerful tailed beasts under his command; her team has accomplished many memorable feats. Come to think of it, it is no understatement that her loyalties lie with the coolest place in the world.
Karui has always loved her team (except when she hated their guts, of course). She is aware that Omoi is a pesky whiner and Samui is a tyrant and, when her PMS strikes, a natural disaster waiting to happen. She knows full well Killer Bee can defeat his enemies if only by reciting his ‘poetry’ aloud; that alone is enough to make a person commit harakiri. Yet somewhere deep inside (and don’t you dare call her sentimental for this!) a fuzzy, warm feeling unfurls every time she thinks about how lucky she is to be stuck with this gang of idiots. They are her idiots.
Karui has always delighted in crashing the enemies of the Hidden Cloud. Her village is the only home she has ever known; she wants to see it prevail. The relationship between Cloud and Leaf have been strained most of the time; yet seeing Konoha in ruins brings her no satisfaction. She hears the word ‘Akatsuki’, and cold rage floods her.
She hears the name ‘Sasuke’, and she thinks she knows what hatred is.
Karui doesn’t like the colour orange. It’s painfully intense and clashes with every other colour in existence. It makes the world seem more cheerful than it really is, and Karui doesn’t approve of giving false hope.
She meets a Leaf nin dressed in black and orange; the first thing he does is gives her hope. She has to admit she has no understanding of the world outside Kumo whatsoever.
The guy is a dizzying mix of bright colours. Tears prickle at her eyes when she looks at him. She hates crying.
She remembers the first time she saw Killer Bee. He was so huge, all muscle and might, the strongest guy she had ever met. She decided back then that she would stand by him through thick and thin. No one ever cared about her like he did.
She remembers herself dancing to r’n’b tunes from his boombox after workouts. She remembers him pissing Samui off by trying to find rhymes to her every word. She remembers Omoi drooling over some smalltown canteen waitress and Killer Bee giving him (completely idiotic) advice on how to hit on her.
She has already resolved to say goodbye to all that, and the stupid-faced blondie in orange clothes is telling her it might have been a premature decision.
She hits him as hard as she can. She would throw many punches as a kid; she’d rather fight with her sword now, but it feels so good to have her fists back in action once in a while. It’s a poor replacement; this guy is not the one she wants to hurt, but he’ll do.
He is an idiot. She knows what it’s like to believe in somebody this much (she puts so much faith in Killer Bee and her teammates) - but how can one believe so blindly in a traitor? a renegade? Akatsuki’s lapdog?! Never has the pride of the Yotsuki clan been sullied like this, and this fool insults them even further!
She draws blood and refuses to stop. He takes every punch with quiet dignity; in spite of her rage, her respect for him grows. He is a shinobi even if he looks ridiculous and propagates (impracticable) world peace.
His eyes are blue like the (cloudless) sky. She delivers the final blow and turns around sharply and leaves, brushing past Omoi who keeps standing there, twirling the lollipop in his mouth and looking at the bloodied and bruised Leaf nin. Karui flings herself on a mossy log somewhere in the forest and stares at her bloodstained hands. She curses hotly under her breath.
Upon hearing the sound of footsteps, she believes one of her teammates is coming to find her. She isn’t prone to running off like this, but everybody needs solitude once in a while. To her surprise, the one who lowers himself on the log next to her is Naruto.
“I didn’t catch your name,” he says.
She glances at him. Heals fast, little bastard. Just like Killer Bee. She gives him her name (it rolls off her tongue before she can stop herself) and looks away. She doesn’t feel like being around him.
“That didn’t make me feel better,” she says stubbornly.
“I know. But finding your sensei will.” He pauses, then adds: “I lost my sensei too. To the Akatsuki. But I forgave the one who killed him.”
“You’re an idiot.”
For some reason she recalls a mission with Killer Bee, years ago, the first time he showed his students the power of the Eight-Tailed Bull. Wide-eyed, fascinated, they watched the transformation breathlessly. “Now remember, kiddos,” said the sensei afterwards. “float like a butterfly-.”
“…sting like a bee!” they cried out in unison.
She misses the sense of unity. Even though he’s been gone for quite a while, he is their sensei - and always will be.
“What’s this Sasuke-guy to you anyway?” Karui asks grudgingly.
“A teammate.” No hesitation in his voice. She wonders if she hasn’t hit him hard enough. Somebody needs to bang it into his stupid head that the guy is a fucking traitor. “A friend.”
Karui sighs. Apparently her fate is to be stuck around nutters. She gets up and taps him on the shoulder casually.
“You’re weird. Bet Sensei would like you.”
She is still uncertain how she feels about this sudden offer of help (and frankly, it’s up to Samui to decide whether or not the Cloud accepts it), but she might just give the Uchiha bastard a chance. Obviously the orange brat knows what he’s doing.
July 4, 2009