Guys like us.
Sasori made his way in the direction of where the Kocho sisters had fled. He had saved some of Yahaba’s hands, which were still able to use his tracking technique, followed the footsteps of the two sisters, until he came to a door.
He opened it, and was greeted by a bright light and the scent of water-lilies. This room was of a stark contrast to the one where he had fought, Orochimaru. But in the light, he saw the harrowing sight.
“Looks like I’m too late…”
He walked past the spot on the ground where Kanae lay on her back, bleeding. Her hand still protectively placed on the unconscious Shinobu’s back.
Doma had fallen to his knees… bleeding and sputtering. “I don’t understand…” he rasped. “My body broke down her poison, so why can’t I heal?”
“You’re body appears to be riddled with blood clots,” Sasori observed. “As though your bone marrow has adapted to be constantly guarding against poison, and your veins are now full of blood with a consistency that your heart cannot oxygenate.”
“I see,” Doma said with a defeated chuckle. “So that little girl actually beat me…” Doma appeared almost relieved as he clutched his chest, and raised his head one more time, to look at Shinobu with a warmth in his dying eyes.
“Don’t even think about it,” Sasori said, as he raised the Kusanagi sword over the demon’s neck.
Doma's eyes flashed with the first genuine spark of emotion he had felt since he was a child, in the instant that Sasori's blade came down... Doma’s head rolled over to the floor beside Shinobu, and as it began to crumble away, an astonished look came upon his face, followed by a smile, and then his cheeks began to blush. “My head is severed from my body, but I still feel like my heart is beating… is this what they call love?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Sasori asked.
“If feelings like this exists, then do heaven and hell exist?...” Tears began to prick at Doma’s eyes. “I spent all my life thinking that everything was meaningless, that there was no afterlife, but now I realize… maybe there is… I’m so relieved… The girl who beat me is amazing, maybe I can convince her to come with me in the afterlife! She’s just so cute!”
Sasori stomped on the demon’s disintegrating head, scattering the rest of the ashes.
“Ridiculous,” he spat, before turning his attention to the Kocho sisters. Kanae was facing up, and his eyes met hers. There was still life in them… she still had some time before she eventually succumbed to her wounds.
“Sa….san.” Kanae weekly managed to say.
Sasori furrowed his brow. He didn’t even have to examine Kanae to know the prognosis… “Pl…ase… sa…ve… pl…se…. sa…e… Shino….bu…”
“Kanae,” he said, kneeling down. “I…” He stopped. He felt as though he knew what he was going to say, but then suddenly couldn’t remember… He did not know what to say. The silence seemed to say everything for him, a he immediately, and carefully began to get to work,
“One's Own Life Reincarnation Jutsu? What is it exactly, Granny?”
Sasori’s grandmother gazed thoughtfully away from him, even though she was the one who had brought it up… it was so many years ago, yet he remembered it with crystal clarity.
“It is a forbidden technique,” she answered him. “It was developed by our puppet master corps to give life to puppets, however, it came at such a cost, that it was immediately banned.”
“Then why would you offer to teach it to me?” Sasori asked.
“Because,” Chiyo said, “It can also be used to save a person from death. The reason it is forbidden however, is because if the target is close enough to the other world, then the user will likely die in exchange for bringing back their soul. Sometimes, the target of this Kinjutsu is still close enough to the world of the living that both the user and the target may survive, but the risk is still great, and even then, the user’s own lifeforce may be insufficient, which is why sometimes, a third party would have to lend their Chakra.”
Sasori blinked in surprise as Chiyo turned to him.
“I do not expect you will ever need to use this technique, Sasorii,” she said, turning to him. “But I will not live forever, and it is my will that you learn the technique from me before I die…”
Sasori gently turned Shinobu onto her back, and aligned her body next to Kanae. His face remained expressionless as he took the flower pillar’s hands in his. “Your sister is not beyond saving,” he said. “Trust that I will do everything in my power to save her… I just need to borrow your hands.”
Kanae smiled at him, and closed her eyes.
“Try to stay awake for as long as you can,” Sasori ordered. “I need your energy for this to work. If possible, I'll even save you when this is all over.”
Kanae’s eyes fluttered open, as Sasori began to transfer her Chakra into Shinobu, as well as his own…
“Th…k you…”
“Try not to talk… just listen….” For this Kinjutsu to work, Kanae would have to remain awake, no matter how great the agony, and to accomplish this, Sasori continued to speak to her… “I’m sorry I couldn’t arrive sooner… Then again, we can’t change the past. I am going to get your sister out of here, and you as well, if possible.”
Kanae smiled, and exhaled her approval.
“You two really are an oddity,” Sasori continued. “Stupidly altruistic, and foolhardy. Brilliant beyond your years, and as naive as a pair of overgrown toddlers, not to mention the rest of those weirdos in your organization. The brat with the demon sister, that silly amnesiac, and your apprentice Kanao who is almost as helpless as he is.” Sasori chuckled, “To think that such an unprofessional motley crew has survived this long. I’m almost curious to see for myself just how ridiculous your victory party will be when this is all over.”
Kanae’s smile broadened as she listened. She felt so at peace, and wanted to close her eyes, but forced them to stay open, remembering Sasori’s instructions.
“My partner in the Akatsuki was a kid called Deidara,” Sasori continued. “He was about your age, Hashira. Just thinking about him makes me realize what a shame it was that I was sent to your world instead of him. He’d have gotten along with you all a lot better than me. I tend to have very little patience for kids… You should have seen the look on Orochimaru’s face when he realized what was happening to him. Ha! The bastard got a fate worse than death… but then given how silly you and your sister are, you’d probably wish that I’d be more merciful… that even a scumbag like him deserves mercy… I’ve always thought of mercy as a weakness to be honest. I still don’t quite understand its value as a virtue… maybe later, I’ll have you explain it to me, Kanae…”
The life was returning to Shinobu’s face. The muscles around her eyes began to react to the pain that her body was in, but even those wounds were now beginning to heal. Her heartbeat was now completely steady, and her breathing had returned to normal.
She’s safe,” Sasori observed. “And I still have enough Chakra left to save you as well-” he turned to Kanae, but now saw that there was nothing left to save. Her eyes remained open, and though she had been smiling just minutes ago, as her muscles relaxed themselves against her control, her lips had retreated back into a closed neutral mouth, neither a smile nor a frown… like the face of a doll, with its eyes opened.
Sasori had known that this was the most likely outcome… he was prepared for it… and now his view of Kanae began to blur.
He was confused as his eyes began to feel hot, and then he felt the wetness trickle down his face. His mouth gaped open, and a heavy stiffness settled in his chest.
He rose quickly to his feet, turning away from the scene as he wiped his eyes with his sleeve, but there was no longer any fighting against it. He was helpless against a feeling that he didn’t recognize.
The feeling in his throat refused to go away no matter how many times he swallowed, and the pain that settled in his chest…
He forced himself to sit down, and squeeze his eyes shut. And he sat there like that, inhaling and exhaling deeply, until he felt the pressure in his chest lessen… When he slowly opened his eyes again, his vision remained blurred, as he looked at Kanae’s lifeless form. It offered no protection. The clear image had already been burned into his mind.
He removed her Haori, which was mostly dry and clean of blood, and wrapped it around Shinobu.
He paused to take one last deep breath, and rubbed the last of the wetness out of his eyes, and then picked her up, and carried her away from that place…