FicWad

“Of c-course you h-ad to op-pen your b-b-big mouth Naruto!” Sakura snapped as she gave a violent shiver. She pulled her thick jacket closer to her, hoping to block out the sharp coldness blowing about her. She took a few steps forward and nearly tripped as she stepped through a section of snow that was deeper then the rest.

“I h-haven’t ev-ven heard of a Sh-sh-sh-shu’vi bef-fore.” TenTen stuttered, her teeth clattering together. The two girls watched as Neji and Kakashi walked by, seemingly not affected by the cold at all. Even Lee seemed to be disheartened by the biting cold. Neji looked around him, seeing nothing but fields upon fields of white.

“Do you see her?” Kakashi asked. When Neji shook his head, Kakashi suggested he tried Byakugan. He did so and looked around.

“A-anything?” Sakura asked.

“A few kilometers ahead of us.” Neji said and started walking. The six Konoha ninja trudged on through the snow until they finally reached the place where Ikari was standing. She wore black, as usual, and her hair was its typical mess of braids, bones, beads, and knots.

“W-what is th-this place?” Naruto gestured around them. Ikari looked at Naruto, her silver eyes piercing.

“Roughly translated, they are called the White Plains. It is the land in the center of the three villages of the Land of Ice. It’s area is larger then that of the three villages combined three fold. We are in the East portion, what we call Allahm. The Ice Village owns this part. The South portion, the land that used to be owned by the Frost Village, is said to be haunted, as the village is.

Angry spirits roam free, seeking revenge on those who wronged them. That land is called Mavai. The West portion is owned by the Snow Village and is called Sunea. The North land is no-mans land. It is the land we are fighting over. Lately, however, rumors have spread that the Snow Village seeks to take over our land as well. If that be the case, all the more reason to fight for it.” Ikari explained. Four of the six ninja looked at her in surprise. That most definitely was the most she had said to them during their two weeks in the Ice Village.

“So, y-you enj-joy your p-p-people being at w-w-ar with one an-another?” Sakura shivered violently. Ikari’s impassive look made Sakura unsure of herself. She was surprised when Ikari walked forward and gazed the few inches down into her own eyes. Sakura found herself unable to look away. Her eyes were so unnatural, it unnerved her, yet intrigued her at the same time. Nobody, save Sai, should have such an emotionless look.

“Tell me, Sakura Haruno, of the village hidden in leaves, would you enjoy your land being at war with another land just as powerful, if not more so, then your own? Would you enjoy watching your people suffer, die even, because of said village, knowing you can only do so much for them? Even now, I wait for my cousin and best friend to come back with their troops, hoping they will return in one piece. And I can do nothing, because I’ve been charged with guarding the village and Lord Kree.” Ikari spat. Sakura, TenTen, Naruto, and Lee stared at her, wordless. Ikari flinched when a hand landed on her shoulder. She whirled around, ready to attack whoever had touched her. Neji easily caught both of her fists in his hands. Ikari’s eyes narrowed, silently warning him to let go, or he’d be in serious trouble.

“Ikari, we know of your troubles. We know you are worried about your people, but we are worried about ours too. Remember, your village is not the only one at war. Therefore, if you would kindly assist us in finishing this Shu’vi quest, so we can get back to the village, warm up and discuss our next move, it would be greatly appreciated. Stop terrorizing Sakura.” With that, Neji let go of Ikari and walked a few feet away. Ikari stared after him in blatant surprise, as did everyone, save Kakashi, who was currently reading a book. Ikari schooled her face into a mask of indifference and began walking. Nobody spoke for a long time, as the snowstorm picked up. Soon, it became impossible to see more then a few feet ahead.

“Wh-wh-where are w-we going?” TenTen asked. Ikari remained silent and continued to walk through the knee-deep snow with ease, though she did go about it slowly, so she didn’t loose the Konoha ninja. Said ninja had already tied each other together with a rope Lee had brought along, so that they wouldn’t loose each other.

“A few kilometers.” Neji shouted back to be heard over the wind, assuring his comrades that they were nearly there. Suddenly, a mountain rose out of the whirling snow. It took only a few minutes before they reached the mouth of a cave. Ikari ushered the Konoha ninja into the cave, making sure they stayed near the entrance.

“So, what are we supposed to do? You haven’t exactly explained this to us.” Naruto asked. Ikari ignored him, busying herself with taking off a pack she’d been carrying with her. She brought out a small vile filled with a creamy green substance.

“Hold out your hand.” She demanded of them. They hesitated. Neji sighed and stepped forward, hand outstretched. She smeared some of the substance on the back of his hand. A few seconds later and all but Kakashi had the substance on them.

“It burns!” Naruto kept complaining.

“Neji-san. What do you know of the Shu’vi?” Ikari asked quietly as she put the vile back in her bag.

“Only legends I heard when I traveled here years ago. You know them better then I do.” Neji shot a smirk at Ikari, knowing where she was headed with this.

“Please, enlighten your friends.” Was her reply.

“The Shu’vi is a legendary monster. It is known to live only in this cave. It is impossible to find, except during storms like this. There are many stories of adventurers and warriors traveling to this very cave in search of the Shu’vi, but never coming out alive.” Neji and Ikari both held back laughter as multiple gulps filled the cave.

“You are to hunt down the Shu’vi. It is has white fur as well as sharp teeth and claws. You are to bring it back to me, alive and uninjured. The paste on the backs of your hands attracts the Shu’vi. You may come out of it…a different person.” Ikari couldn’t hold back the smirk that tugged at the corners of her mouth.

“Wait! If it’s only a legendary monster, how do you expect us to find it?” Naruto asked. Ikari just looked at him, an eyebrow raised.

“I give you until sundown. You may begin.” Ikari sat down against a wall of the cave. Kakashi perched on a nearby rock.

“Kakashi-sensei! You’re not coming with!?” Naruto nearly shouted. Ikari didn’t hear a reply as she busied herself with her journal, jotting down their progress so far. Kree had wanted her to keep track of this particular quest, extremely detailed. Ikari didn’t object, Kree could use the amusement. When she glanced up a half hour later, the front of the cave was empty of any other teenagers; they had gone further into the cave.

“Do you think they will succeed?” She asked Kakashi.

“Sakura and Neji may catch on rather quickly. I’m not positive about TenTen and Lee, but I’m almost certain Naruto will not catch on.” Kakashi replied. Nobody spoke again for a few minutes; Kakashi read more on his book as Ikari scratched things into her journal.

“You are the infamous copy ninja, no?” Ikari asked, looking over at Kakashi.

“And you are one of the Chosen, no?” Kakashi asked, looking at Ikari. Ikari hesitated, before bowing her head slightly in a nod.

“That I am.”

“Your cousin, Eri, is the other.” It was more of a statement then a question, so Ikari didn’t bother to reply. She looked around the cave, as if it became exceedingly interesting all of a sudden.

“I have been rather curious about that, actually, if you don’t mind me asking questions.” Kakashi said after a moment.

“I do not like questions, but I have heard many things about you, Kakashi. I will give you three questions. Do not waste them.”

“Were you chosen from birth? Or was it a spur-of-the-moment incident?”

“How am I to know the workings of the minds of the Great Mother and Great Father? I cannot say for sure, but I believe, though not chosen from birth, it wasn’t some last minute incident either. The Gods had been watching us, and so were the Elda Tree’s and the Guardians. Eri, on the other hand, believes that we were destined to die that night, and that our…abilities…are the Gods’ curse because we did survive.”

“How did it happen? Being changed. Tsunade, the Hokage of Konoha, had files of the important people of the Ice. You and your cousin were among them. The files are nearly blank, though there were childhood pictures of you two from when you lived in the Frost. Eri had red hair, and you had light brown. Both had hazel eyes. Now you both have black hair. You have silver eyes and hers are golden. Why is that?”

“To match our Guardians.” Ikari replied simply. Kakashi had many other questions, but chose the last one carefully, hoping for an answer.

“What are your…abilities?” Kakashi asked hesitantly. Ikari’s head snapped to look in his direction. Her face became a hard mask.

“That is none of your concern, Kakashi-san.” She spat. Kakashi simply nodded and went back to reading his book, smiling sadly behind the pages. ‘It must be a burden’ he thought, observing the girl over the book. She was merely sixteen or seventeen, yet she acted twice her age. She helped Kree rule his people and fought in wars. There was something about the Land of Ice that made it’s people just as hard and cold as the land itself was. Kakashi sighed and turned the page of his book.

The hours ticked by in silence, despite the constant howling wind. The young Konoha ninja had yet to return. Ikari was busy meditating, drawn deeply into her mind.


“We have lost many. Nearly fifty have died, from either battle or the storms and there are about ten that have been wounded. Even with Mikomo’s troops, I’m sure we’ll have to return soon.” Fayne’s profile was slightly see through. His usually kempt dark blonde hair was a mess and icy eyes were sunken in his head with exhaustion. A scoff to her right caused Ikari to turn. Golden eyes stared back at hers with aggravation.

“Return soon? We should have returned days ago, Fayne. We are running low on supplies and the men are eager to be home. The Hidden Snow has made no moves for the past two weeks! I think it would be fine to return for a week at least!”

“Eri, you know as well as I that the Hidden Snow may want us to do just that! They could be waiting for us to pick up camp and return with our tails between our legs!”

“We need supplies though!” Eri shouted.

“Which I’m sure Mikomo will be bringing with him!” Fayne shouted back. Eri was about to reply, but Ikari cut in.

“Return home. Mikomo’s troops left this morning, not long after sunrise. If you leave now, you should meet up with him before nightfall at Harbingers Pass. Those willing to stay can join up with his troops. The rest can return for a week or so.”

“This is foolish!” Fayne cried. Ikari stepped forward and rested her hands on her friends’ shoulders.

“Look at you, my friend. You are exhausted. I can only imagine how the men are. You have three troops with you already; yours, Eri’s and mine. Mikomo’s is the largest. With all of you gone, that leave’s only Tira’s men and Kree’s personal guard. I need you back home, Fayne.” Ikari said softly, giving Fayne’s shoulders a slight squeeze. Fayne looked like he was about to argue, but sighed.

“You are right. We need our rest.”

“Good. Be sure to tell Mikomo that I do not want his men fighting. They are to scout and remain hidden. Spy if they must. I want to know what Snow is thinking.” Ikari ordered, as she backed up.

“Look at you, Ikari-chan. You and Eri both. So young, yet leading your own men, giving orders in a time of war.” Fayne chuckled. Eri and Ikari’s eyes met and held.

“I will be seeing you soon, cousin.” Eri remarked.

“And I, you. Farewell for now, Fayne.”

“Farewell, send Kree our regards.” Fayne muttered. Ikari nodded and closed her eyes. She felt a tug at the back of her head and took in a deep breath.


“-kari-san! Ikari-san!” somebody was shouting. They shook her shoulder roughly and she snarled, pulling out a dagger as she grabbed their jacket. Immediately, they found themselves on the ground, Ikari holding the dagger to their neck. She blinked a few times as she realized it was just the annoying blonde. With a sigh, she flung herself off the boy and stood.

“What was that all about?” TenTen muttered to Sakura, who shrugged.

“We found the Shu’vi! And it isn’t anything like the legends said!” Naruto’s grin hurt Ikari’s face.

“I know.” She rubbed her temples, suddenly wanting to go home. A white mass was shoved in her face. She jerked backwards and, on instinct, grabbed for the Shu’vi.

“What do you mean, you know? You and Neji were telling us about the legends and said how terrible it was!” Naruto exclaimed. Ikari looked down and petted the Shu’vi. It looked like a large fox, as far as body shape went, but the head was more similar to that of a lynx. It purred as Ikari scratched behind its ears.

“The Shu’vi is a legendary creature, nearly extinct. They can only be found in this cave, during snowstorms. They are dangerous, if provoked.” Ikari said.

“But what about the people who never come out alive?” TenTen asked.

“I’m sure you ran across plenty of bottomless holes and sand pits.” Ikari stated. She shouldered her bag and headed to the mouth of the cave.

“What now!?” Naruto was in front of her, eyes pleading for more adventure.

“We throw you down a bottomless hole.” She and Neji said at the same time. They looked at each other, with a raised brow.

“Creepy.” Naruto whispered to Sakura, who hit him on the head.

“Baka.” She muttered and followed her companions out of the cave.