Ten
The young shinobi darted about the burning flower field like rats while Kimiko, the lazy housecat, watched them scurry with a mixture of loathing and aloofness. Sure, her instincts urged her to stalk, prowl, and pounce, but she knew better. She held the cheese that the rats so desperately craved. Sooner or later, their hunger would overwhelm their fear, and they’d crawl just a little...too...close.
And then she would strike: lopping off their diseased little heads and presenting their mangled corpses to her master - a gift. A display of her superior hunting prowess and a promise of future success.
Nine
But, as the girl settled into her fantasy, one of the rats opened its big rat mouth and vomited up some truly disgusting sounds in a vain attempt at speech. She narrowed her gaze at the little loudmouth, measuring his worth.
“BITE ME!” she spat back at him. She had been wrong in her assessment - he was no rat. Why, he was no more than a flea. A pesky, meaningless flea. She could crush him. She should crush him. She would crush him.
But not yet. She had given her word. The other two would retrieve the flag and this stupid little game would come to an…end?
…
...wait…
...where was the flag?
Eight
Kimiko gazed past the chirping insect towards the other end of the field. She had been certain there was a flag there...where the actual fuck did it go? It couldn't have simply vanished...could it? Was that something one of those rats could do? She returned her gaze to Hoseki. No flag. The ugly toad-rat then? How in the actual fuck did they hide a colorful piece of cloth on a damn pole that quickly?
Seven
The increasingly agitated kunoichi scanned the field once more. She noticed Ruru actually taking the lead. The actual stones on this kid. She was impressed. More than that really. She was proud. Her little kitten was now acting like a proper predator. He was…
Slipping.
On.
His.
GOD.
DAMN.
ASS.
Six
“RURU, YOU LITTLE SHIT! GET YOUR GODDAMN ASS UP!” the raging Mama Cat roared, all her previous feelings of pride now acting as fuel to the white hot inferno of wrath burning away the girl’s patience and goodwill. She wasn’t suited to the backlines. Her instincts were becoming harder to resist. How the actual fuck was she supposed to trust her teammates if THEY COULDN’T EVEN HANDLE FUCKING WALKING?!!
Five
That ugly toad-rat threw a punch at Ruru. As unbelievably angry as Kimiko currently was, she actually managed to surpass it and reach levels of rage the girl thought before to be impossible. Her knuckles were tiny mountains dusted with snow as the tension wound her grip around her sword’s hilt and sheath to painful levels. This waiting thing was getting REAL OLD, REAL FAST.
…!
Four
Kimiko’s head snapped towards the tiny rat gazing at her. It held in its greedy little paws a pole. And around that pole was the little piece of fabric that marked Team Nine’s flag.
That.
Dirty.
Little.
Shit.
Three
Was that cheating? Well...nobody said you COULDN’T move the flag. Actually, there really weren’t any rules mentioned besides getting the other flag. A horrid grin stretched across Kimiko’s face as she relaxed her body. Fine. If that’s the game those little shits wanted to play, that’s the game they’d play.
Kimiko turned and walked towards her team’s flag pole. She quickly drew her sword and sliced the rope tethering the flag to the pole. As the fabric fell, it got picked up by the wind, floating carelessly over to the girl. She snatched it out of the air and examined it before tying it around her neck like a bandanna.
If those rats wanted their cheese, then they’d have to pry it from her cold, dead, claws.
Two
Kimiko stood unmoving for a moment or two after donning the flag. Then, she turned towards Hoseki. She lingered there for a moment. Then she took a step. And another. Three steps towards the boy.
Kimiko stopped and frowned. Something wasn’t right. She couldn’t exactly place her finger on it, but that hotheaded fuckboy not charging in was a red flag. Whatever he had planned, she didn’t give a fuck. He wasn’t important. Not yet anyway. Sure, he ran his fat rat mouth, and she’d surely carve him up eventually, but she had another target in mind.
Kimiko turned towards her boys engaged with the ugly troll toad rat abomination and dashed towards them. She arced around Hoseki, not getting any closer, yet also not running away. If he wanted to fight, it would be on her terms.
Sure, she could always go after that nameless little Ruru-wannabe. She could cut him down real quick then take the flag...but where was the fun in that? Kimiko trained her eyes directly on him, her killing intent on full display. Ruru and Kuku had been pushing towards him on one side, but the little coward liked to run. Of course he did. What else could frightened little rats do but scurry?
But no, he would also get a pass for the moment.
Which left only...
One
That idiot.
That absolutely ignorant waste of air.
She had fucked up.
She had royally fucked up.
She had placed her FILTHY RAT PAWS on KIMIKO’S PROPERTY. Those boys of hers, as fucking useless as they may be, were still HERS. And NOBODY would harm HER PROPERTY without her permission.
Surely Mizo knew that? She couldn’t POSSIBLY be so arrogant as to think that there would be no PUNISHMENT for her crimes?
As Kimiko grew closer to her teammates, she slowed, coming to a complete stop about ten yards away from the two. Casting a quick glance over her shoulder towards Hoseki to see if he had reacted to her sudden repositioning, Kimiko raised her left hand and pointed her sword towards the thing she thought was Mizo, wordlessly challenging her.
Her arm trembled in excitement. Her face contorted into a mixture of rage and pure, sadistic bliss.
GO!
She was going to hurt somebody.