Chapter 2 - The girl who became Death

A gasp and a fresh breath awakened the girl. She inhaled water and coughed violently, pushing herself off the ground. She could move."What...!?"She could speak. She extended her arms immediately, small pale arms, long white hair, and her reflection in the pond she had awakened in showed she was Shi."What happened to me?" she asked herself with her new voice. She was a child again? Not just any child, but her imaginary friend. She tried to stand from the muddy pond, and her legs worked. They felt real. Everything felt real. She looked up to the sky, the sun blinding her. She was alive. Tears fell down her face silently."Thank you, thank you..." she said over and over again. "Thank you, Shi..."An older man dragged himself through the forest, bloodied bandages, reopened wounds, and laboured breathing. He dragged a body behind him, every step he took laboured and heavy."Fuck... I need to get out of here..."His exposed torso was covered in stitches. He eventually dropped the body he was carrying and leaned against a tree in exhaustion. Grabbing his headband off his hair, he ran his hands through it, pushing it out of his face. Long black hair fell across his face and shoulders, red eyes with green irises, a muscular physique, and bloodied hands.She had seen that man before on one of her adventures with Shi, and here he was, a real person. The blood all over his body made her hesitant to approach him, so she remained hidden amidst the bushes. She shifted her weight from one knee to the other, the bushes rustling very quietly, but that was enough to alert him. A kunai came flying straight at her. She squeaked, closing her eyes and raising her hands in fear, waiting for the pain that would come with the kunai piercing her skin.If only she had stronger skin, she would have been able to avoid the pain."What the fuck are you?"She peeled her eyes open. The pain never came. The kunai had stopped at her skin and fallen to the floor. She looked at her skin to see no wounds. She looked up at the man still sitting, leaning against the tree."Did you see that?" she asked, making sure she wasn't going crazy. "I stopped the kunai!"He looked at her like she was crazy, but that was the least of her problems. "Just now, I stopped a kunai!""I saw it, so what are you doing here?""Oh, sorry. It was rude of me!" She had decided to at least be a better person in this life. Being polite didn't cost her anything at all! "I'm Tsukiyomi. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir!" She picked a new name for her new life."What's a child doing out here? Are you a suicide nin?""Oh, no. Sorry, I just kind of fell here. I'm not really sure what I'm doing here.""Are you from a merchant's family?" he asked, assessing her appearance. No matter how he looked at it, she looked poor."No, no. Um, what should I call you, sir?""Just call me sir. A kid like you has no business knowing my name," he said coldly.Her lips twitched. She did look like a kid right now. She remembered how she imagined her skin being strengthened. She imagined her body being older to fit her actual age. Kakuzu watched in horror as her body transformed and she grew into Shi's oversized shirt."What the hell...""Sorry about that. I am not actually a child. So what should I call you?""What the fuck are you?""Um, I'm human? If you mean how old I am, I'm 15?" His questions were confusing. He literally had stitches all over his body and he was questioning her transformation? She rolled her eyes."Why don't you have chakra?""What's chakra?" she asked, tilting her head in questioning."You've got to be kidding me." He sighed dramatically, his head falling into his hands, which rested on his flexed knees. "Do you live under a rock or something? How do you not know what chakra is?"She frowned at his condescending tone. If she didn't know, she didn't know. "Well, sorry for not knowing, I guess. But like, what's the deal with the dead guy? Did you kill him?""I killed him. Are you scared?" he asked.Yomi shrugged. "I mean, you look scary in general, but I'd smash.""What?"Yomi felt her face heat up aggressively. "I meant I don't care either way." She was chronically online; this is what she got for not speaking to other humans regularly. "Um, are you hurt? There's a lot of blood on you. Your wounds look quite severe.""You got that right, so at least you're not stupid.""I don't like your tone. If you keep being rude, I won't help you!""Fine, I'm sorry. I'll pay you back handsomely for helping me," he said."Why would I want your money? Do I look poor to you?"Her question answered itself. The man only looked at her dirty shirt and bare feet and felt like he was dealing with a weird personality. He tried to heal, but it seemed to be to no avail. She rolled her eyes at his silence. She knew she looked strange right now, but still! She walked up to him and touched his arm. Nothing happened."What are you doing?" he asked in a threatening growl."Checking something. Don't worry. Here, drink up!" Her nail cut her palm, and deep red blood slipped through and fell into his mouth."Is this some type of ninjutsu?" he asked."Right now, what you're saying is just words. I don't know what it means." She had her eyes closed as she placed her hand on his bare chest. After a few seconds, he felt his wounds heal but still couldn't feel any chakra from her."Thank you," he said quietly."It's no issue. Can you move yet?"He nodded, standing up. "Where are you heading?" he asked."I don't know. Where are we right now?""How are you still alive?""Why would I be dead?"He looked at her like she was crazy. This had to be a trap, right? She had to be some sort of spy. "Just... follow me," he said with a grunt. If she was a spy, he would just kill her. For now, it didn't hurt to keep her close. She was a decent healer."Can we go buy some clothes first? Walking around with this shirt feels weird..."His eyes narrowed. They just met and she was asking him to spend money? One glance at her body and he diverted his gaze. "I guess you need better clothes," he said, clearing his throat."You never did tell me your name," she asked again."It's Kakuzu.""What's with the masks on your back?" Yomi asked, eyeing the strange accessories Kakuzu carried. It fascinated her seeing as they were literally sewn into his skin."It's my ninjutsu.""Ninjutsu meaning...?""It's how we use chakra.""Okay, so chakra is like energy, kinda like magic?" She asked trying to grasp what he was saying."Did you fall from another world or something?""Something like that." Yomi tried to keep the soles of her feet hard enough to walk. It took her a while to get used to it, but there was no choice; both of them were barely clothed. "Where are we going?""There's a neutral village close by, Kusagakure.""Village hidden in the grass? What kind of name is that?" she asked with a brow raised. Was it a village of little people? Was she going to meet Thumbelina?"All hidden villages are named like that.""Are the hidden villages actually hidden?""They're meant to be. Ninjas should generally be more inconspicuous.""Hold up, ninjas!?"Her reaction was strong. Kakuzu could vaguely understand that she was either really foreign, really sheltered, or faking her ignorance."Right, if you're gonna follow me any further, I need to catch you up to speed."The next hour was a long exposition session for her so she could briefly understand the situation. This world was divided into several ninja villages, each hidden and named after elements, like the Village Hidden in the Leaves (Konoha) or the Village Hidden in the Sand (Suna). These villages were home to ninjas, warriors who harnessed energy called chakra to perform ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. The villages were often in conflict, vying for power, resources, and influence. The world was filled with danger, from rogue ninjas to tailed beasts, and it was crucial to understand these dynamics to survive."Oh wow, that's cool.""It's not cool. It's dangerous," Kakuzu emphasised. He really didn't want her to get them killed before he had his chance to be free."Okay, so you escaped from your village because they were being dicks?""More or less.""Okay, let's hurry and get out of here before they find us! Oh, and thanks for being cool and teaching me and stuff.""I'm just paying you back for saving my life. My expertise isn't cheap, you know," he said.The forest hike was arduous. The dense canopy above cast dappled shadows on the forest floor, the sunlight filtering through the leaves creating a deceptive tranquillity. The ground was uneven, filled with roots and rocks that made walking difficult. Birds chirped overhead, and the occasional rustle in the underbrush hinted at unseen wildlife. The air was thick with humidity, the scent of earth and vegetation filling their lungs.Kakuzu moved with purpose, his steps sure and steady despite his injuries. Yomi struggled to keep up, her new body still unfamiliar and awkward, but she was determined. The cool mud beneath her feet was a welcome relief, and the occasional puddle they passed reflected their ragged appearances."By chance, do you want to make money?" Yomi asked, breaking the silence."Money is the only thing that's reliable, so naturally.""How about I make us some money?"He looked at her, brow raised. She didn't know anything about the world, yet she claimed to know how to make money."Come on, trust me just this once.""Fine.""Why don't we hunt bounties?" Yomi asked cheerfully. His lips started to frown, and she hastily explained herself. "Well, you're dead strong, and I have the skills to keep us alive. I can also change my appearance, so why don't we team up? You can keep most of the money—I don't have a use for it."Hearing her say he could keep most of the money, his face brightened a bit. "Okay, but if you get into trouble, don't expect me to save you.""Yes, yes, don't worry. I can take care of myself!"He looked at her again, contemplating if this was a good idea."Fine, after one mission I'll decide if I want to work with you long-term."Yomi's smile was bright, blindingly so. He had to look away. Why was she so excited to fight? It was like she wasn't afraid of death. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows through the trees, and the air cooled significantly. They would reach Kusagakure by nightfall, Kakuzu had some money to spare and so got them a room at an Inn, before he even got upstairs after paying for the room Yomi had passed out. Her body sprawled on the bed, her first good night sleep in a long time.'I had a dream, where I saw the beginning and the end. And shi was there with me.'Tsukiyomi groaned as she got up from the bed, how long was she out for? It felt like she had slept for a millennia. She looked up to see herself in the simple but clean inn, a desk and chair by the veranda; there was a paper bag on the chair, getting out of bed she walked to it to see new clothes on the inside.'Is this for me?' Bringing out the clothes she held It to the light.She twirled with it in her hands holding it up to her body. "Thank you.." She lifted her gaze to find the man that had bought her the new clothes only to see him sprawled out sitting on the sofa fast asleep.By the time Kakuzu woke up the girl on the bed was no longer there, looking around he found her by the veranda; elegantly draped in a beautifully detailed kimono. The kimono was primarily white, adorned with intricate red, which complemented her delicate features. Her long, white hair was styled neatly, cascading over her shoulders and down her back, with a few loose strands framing her face. A red and black obi cinched at her waist, adding a touch of sophistication to her attire. Her eyes, a striking red, were bright. She smiled brightly at him, "good morning Kakuzu!"He wanted to say something but stopped himself, he couldn't help but return the smile."The granny downstairs gave me some bread she baked this morning, she's so lovely!" Immediately her mouth went off, chattering like she had limited time to speak. He felt a headache coming."How come you're still here? You could have left.." I gave you an opportunity to leave.Her brows furrowed, confused as if his words made no sense to her, "aren't we partners now?"His eyes widened, shock flashed passed his face, but only for a while. "Yeah."