Chapter 3 coming at ya!

Disclaimer: pain17ification owns nothing


Me, Myself, and I

Chapter Three: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow


It had been over a week since the two Hidden Leaf teams left with their client and the actress that he worked for. As agreed, the Twins stayed close to Yukie and kept watch for anyone that could do the woman harm. The three Jonin of the group also took shifts with the Twins while Team 7 and the remaining two Jonin kept watch over Sandayū and the film crew.

Currently, Kakashi was with the Twins and the actress, reading his famous orange book while he stayed in the cabin of the ship the director had rented. Yukie was, to his interest, talking with Kikyo about some of her movies. He fought a chuckle at seeing the faint blush on the redhead's face, knowing that the daughter of his late teacher had a thing for women.

"I still think that your latest movie was the best," Kikyo stated, giving Yukie a small smile. "You looked like you were more into your role than the other movies, and it showed in your performance."

"You think so?" Yukie asked curiously. "I don't think I was actually as focused as you make me seem."

Shaking her head, the blue-eyed Twin elaborated, "You didn't need to be so focused in that movie. It seemed more natural to you at that point; which made it so much better." Her smile grew as she added, "I can't wait to see you on the set. Watching your movies is one thing; but seeing you in action will be something else."

"Trust me, it won't be as glamorous as you think," waved off the actress. "Before the editors work their magic, it won't look as crisp as the final product."

"Oh, I know that. But like Anko-sensei says, It's not the destination so much as the journey."

Yukie thought over the statement, finding the relevance in it and nodding in agreement. "I can appreciate that."

Suddenly, without warning, the ship jerked forward and threw the actress off balance. Kikyo was quick to catch her and readjust her posture, blushing brightly at how close she was to her crush. Her blush grew when she heard Kisaki comment on just how close the moment made them, due to the Twins briefly getting a feel for the actress' bosom.

"A-Are you alright?" Kikyo asked with a small stutter.

Yukie nodded as she took a step away from the Twin. "I'm alright. What happened?"

"My guess is that the ship hit something," Kakashi spoke up, closing his book and putting it in his pouch before moving to the door of the cabin. Opening it, he and the two women saw that the boat had indeed struck something; an iceberg to be exact.

After making sure everyone, both ninja and civilian alike, were alright, the director had a moment of brilliance and saw the iceberg as a great spot for filming. So, without further ado, the filming crew got their equipment set up and ready while Yukie was looked over by her makeup artist. Team 7 was instructed by Kakashi to form a perimeter around the film site while staying out of the crew's way.

Team 1 kept watch from beside the director. They were lookouts for anything that seemed out of place; the three of them already being slightly on edge at the strange convenience of the stray iceberg. To Yugao, it looked too perfect for a filming site and Anko just had an odd feeling about it, having learned to trust her gut long ago. For the Twins, they couldn't help but feel like they were being watched by someone, and it put them on edge; enough for Kisaki to currently be in control of their body.

Even though they all felt unsure of the situation, the filming was going quite well. Yukie looked incredibly beautiful and her performance in front of the camera was nothing short of professional. Kikyo was gushing about it in Kisaki's mind, and the more abrasive Twin couldn't help but agree with her sister's comments.

Hell, she was blushing slightly at how stunning the actress looked; something that made Anko snicker and Yugao smirk.

It was during the movie villain's monologue that things went south. An explosion near the top of the iceberg's structure caught everyone by surprise, and the ensuing avalanche made them start to scramble back to the ship for safety. Team 1 all jumped into action with the two Jonin using Fire Style ninjutsu to melt the snow and ice enough to redirect the avalanche into the frigid sea. Kisaki had appeared at Yukie's side in a blur, her serrated sword in hand as her pink eyes darted left and right for any instigators of the avalanche.

A blur of movement caught her attention, and she moved Yukie behind her just in time to raise her sword and block a metal gauntlet that had been aimed at the actress. The gauntlet was parried before it retracted by a thick cable and reattached to a large man's arm. The man was wearing a snowsuit with a strange device attached to his chest. On his forehead was a headband for the Hidden Snow Village and strapped to his back was a foldable snowboard.

Kisaki stayed close to Yukie's side, taking note of Team 7's Genin intercepting a pinkette kunoichi dressed similarly to the first man; the only major difference being the mechanical wings that were connected to the device on her chest, giving her a flight advantage. Kakashi was locked in combat with the last member of the Hidden Snow team; a man with purple hair tied in a long tail, teal eyes, and a matching suit and device to that of his allies.

With the situation noted in her mind, she made a clone for Kikyo to take control of. "Take Yukie back to the ship," she ordered. "I'll handle the big guy."

Nodding, the blue-eyed Twin began to lead the actress away from the battle, bidding her sister good luck as she hurried off. It was just in time too, for the large Snow Ninja had reached Kisaki with his snowboard and went for a wide swing of his metal encased arm. Kisaki deflected the arm with her sword, grinding into the metal with the Wind Style chakra she ran along the blade's edge.

The two separated with Kisaki giving a wicked grin to the man as he checked his gauntlet and saw a shallow cut; though it was still a cut through thick metal. "Damn brat," he growled as he went through handseals and sent a large wave of snow towards Kisaki.

The Twin wasn't fazed and she swiped her sword upward, sending a thin wave of sharpened wind that cut the snow pile in half. As soon as the opening was large enough, she kicked off of the snowy ground and launched herself at her opponent, taking a wild swing with her sword.

The swing was evaded and the man went for a counter hit with his arm, but Kisaki ducked under it in a fluid spinning motion, getting a nice slash into the man's side. Her grin was gone, though, when she saw that the Wind chakra was had been nullified. She rolled backwards when the man swung his board at her, letting her see that one side of the board was sharpened enough for it to be a bladed weapon of sorts.

Making distance, she went through handseals quickly and unleashed a gale of wind from her lips that kicked up the snow and became a wave of its own. After that, she leapt high into the air to get a better look at what was going on, narrowing her eyes at the device on the man's chest. They narrowed further when she saw the device light up and the jutsu be significantly weakened as it got too close to the man.

'So, it's some sort of armor then,' she mused. 'Looks like ninjutsu isn't the best option for these guys.' As soon as she landed, she applied chakra to her feet and raced towards the man with her sword poised to strike. "Fine," she spoke up, her grin returning as her eyes flicked red briefly. "It's more fun this way, anyway!"

With a mad laugh, she leapt at the man, giving him a multitude of slashes that he deflected with his arm. She only laughed more as she saw her attack fail, keeping her assault on him and forcing him to go on the defensive. The man grew unnerved at her grin, and he fought a shiver at the near demented laugh she was letting out.

The girl was clearly unhinged.

He kept on the defensive, taking a few cuts that were fractionally getting too close for comfort. When an opening was revealed, he booted the girl and made some distance before taking out a windmill shuriken and hurling it at her. He wasn't surprised to see her deflect it with a perfect parry, but he was surprised to see her jump after it and pull off a "return to sender" by having her sword's tip catch the shuriken by the center hole. With a flick of her wrists, she sent the weapon back at him and charged again.

He activated the defensive mechanism of his Chakra Armor as soon as the shuriken was close enough, making the weapon shatter when it got within the perimeter of the chakra shroud. As the girl got closer, he readied himself to intercept her attack.

"Nee-chan, blind fire!" a voice exactly like the girl he was facing called out just as a kunai with a flash bang entered his line of sight; the small bomb already set to erupt.

In a brilliant flash, the man found his sight taken from him while Kisaki, having been warned by Kikyo as soon as she threw the kunai, kept her charge with her eyes covered by her free arm. The bang still made her ears ring, but she could smell the blood from the man's cuts, giving her a target.

Just as she leaped to initiate her attack, she moved her arm away to get a clearer shot. With a graceful twist of her body, her sword cut into the Snow Ninja's neck, giving it a deep laceration that immediately spurted out his life's essence and stained the snow crimson. He gave a gurgled cry of pain and held onto his wound, leaving him open for Kisaki to do a sharp 180 spin and finish him off, removing the man's head from his shoulders.

Kikyo looked away just before that happened, cringing at the sound of sharpened metal slicing through flesh and bone. When the sound of something heavy crunching the snow entered her ears, she turned back to the scene and saw her sister stabbing her sword into the snow to clear away the blood before flicking it off to the side to get any remains off.

"Nice assist," complimented the pink-eyed Twin. "Thanks for having my back."

Despite having a hand in killing a man, Kikyo gave her sister a warm smile. "What are sisters for?" she returned. "Are you alright?"

Smirking, Kisaki replied, "I'm good. I'm just glad that this mission won't be so boring anymore; even if the eye candy is a nice bonus."

Kikyo fought a giggle at that before dispelling, returning to Kisaki's mind. "We better return to the others. Those other two Snow Ninja took off after saying that Yukie isn't just an actress."

Intrigued, Kisaki resealed her sword and made her way back to her two instructors/caretakers.


Turns out, Yukie Fujikaze was just a stage name; an alias used to keep her true identity a secret. In fact, the woman that Sandayū had asked the two teams from the Hidden Leaf to protect was actually the princess of the Land of Snow; Koyuki Kazehana.

Years ago, when Koyuki was still a child, her uncle Dotō had killed her father in order to take control of the Land of Snow. To do that, the man strived to make use of the necklace Koyuki always wore, which was rumored to unlock the treasure of the snow-covered country.

Koyuki had no wish to return to her homeland, only agreeing to film in the country because her director practically begged her to. Although, it seemed as if Sandayū was subtly influencing the director into filming inside the country in hopes of returning Koyuki to her rightful place as ruler. Discovering this, Koyuki had sent the man away in anger, feeling deceived by him into doing something she had no intention of.

At some point in the night, while everyone was trying to decide on what to do, the princess attempted to sneak off and escape her country once more; though this time without the aid of the ANBU from her past (Kakashi).

She didn't get far.


Kikyo was walking through a frozen cavern with the disheartened princess, having convinced her to return willingly instead of bound; something that the kinder Twin had vehemently said she had no wish to do, but would. It was only because Koyuki had some bonding moments with the Twins that she reluctantly agreed; that and having no desire to be tied up.

"…"

"…"

It was uncomfortably silent between them. Koyuki had no intention of talking about her past or her country while Kikyo felt depressed at having to twist the arm of someone she admired. Kisaki had no qualms against it, but she didn't like the fact that it made her sister so upset.

"…I'm sorry," Kikyo finally spoke up, making Koyuki blink in confusion.

"For what? You didn't ask to be here and take this mission. From what you told me, you didn't want to come at first."

"It's just…hearing about your past and everything makes me understand, at least somewhat, why you don't want to come back. If I was in your place, I'd probably be doing the same thing."

"Not me! I'd kick that bastard's ass from here to next century!" interjected Kisaki.

Ignoring her sister's comment, Kikyo continued, "I know what it's like to lose someone you cherish; but I don't know what it's like to lose them forever. Nee-chan and I can still find Itachi, but you…"

She couldn't finish.

Koyuki felt her heart tug slightly. It was…comforting to have someone have such sympathy for her. She was a selfish coward; she could grudgingly admit that. Sympathy was something she did not feel she deserved, and yet this girl – no, this young woman – was showing her a genuine kindness that she wasn't used to.

It made her feel guilty.

"Look," began the princess, halting her steps and making Kikyo do the same. "I never wanted to rule a country or be the inspiration of some revolution. Ever since I was young, I had always wanted to act and perform; and my father supported that dream. He was…" Her gaze turned far-off. "He was a good man; a good ruler. My uncle is cruel and heartless to have done what he did. I want him to pay; believe me, I do. But," she looked somber, "I can't ask people to give their lives for it. I don't have what it takes to rule a country, and I'm not sure I will."

The Twins were silent, letting the woman vent out her frustrations.

"But…I'm getting tired of running. It's getting harder to stay away from the place I was raised; the country my father helped guide and rule through compassion and good-will. If… If this is the one chance I have to finally get justice," she took a breath and looked Kikyo in the eye, smiling faintly, "then I guess I'll have to take it and hope for the best."

Kikyo smiled back and nodded. "I'll be happy to help you, Kazehana-hime."

The woman shook her head. "Don't call me that. You and your sister have done enough to call me by my first name." She gave a small bow and said, "I'm in you and your sister's care, Kikyo-chan."

Kikyo turned tomato red – Kisaki blushing faintly in her mind – and stumbled over her words for a moment, amusing the princess. After taking time to compose herself, the blue-eyed Twin finally could say, "We'll do our best, Koyuki-chan."

The sweet moment between them was cut off from continuing when they felt a wave of warmth come from where they had been walking from. At their feet, two lines or faint blue chakra became visible, melting the ice and revealing a set of tracks that led to where they had been walking towards.

Panic took in and Kikyo let Kisaki take over so that she could get behind Koyuki and pick her up bridal style before taking off at full speed towards the exit. That same panic crept into Koyuki's heart as she heard the telltale sound of a train whistle and saw the large light at the front.

"Oh kami!" she gasped out, turning back to the front. "We're not gonna make it!"

"With that kind of attitude, you're right, Princess!" retorted Kisaki, still going full sprint. "I'm not stopping for one second! We're getting out of this, or we'll die trying!"

"You're crazy!" cried the actress, clutching the redhead in fright at the thought of death.

Kisaki laughed as she kept running, running chakra through her legs to keep their strength up. "Maybe, but I'm the crazy person who's saving your tight ass!"

Koyuki squeaked and her face burned at the feeling of Kisaki's hands giving her ass a brief squeeze.

"So, shut up and let me do it, ttebane!" the Twin finished, eyes turning red for a split-second.

Faster and faster Kisaki ran, barely staying ahead of the speeding mass of metal while continuously egging herself on with a chant of "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!". With a final burst of adrenaline, she burst through the opening before immediately diving to the side, just in time for the train to blitz past them both as they landed in the snow.

Out of breath, Kisaki was gasping for air while Koyuki was left in shock at the Twin's incredible feat of physical exertion. Through her gasps, the redhead gave weak laughs and panted out, "Told…you that…I'd…save your…ass…ttebane…"

Seeing the proud look on the Leaf kunoichi's face, Koyuki allowed herself to relax and even laughed with her. "Yeah… You sure did…"

After resting enough to get her breathing stable, Kisaki forced herself to her feet before she and Koyuki resumed their trek back to the others.


It was devastating.

By the time they made it, they saw dozens of samurai – even Sandayū – laid dead on the snowy hillside that faced the side of the train. There were hundreds of kunai knives either stabbed into the dead or stuck in the snow. Koyuki fell to her knees in horror at the sight of so many of her countrymen dead; more than likely having given up their lives in the name of her father (if not for her).

She was so out of it that she was unprepared for a claw attached to a cable line to snag onto her snow coat and drag her into the air towards an awaiting blimp. She gave a cry of surprise and fear while Kisaki rushed up the nearest tree and leapt towards her, throwing a kunai with a rope attached to the ringed pommel.

Koyuki stretched out her hand to catch it, but she missed and fear took over. Fortunately, the miss wasn't absolute since the rope wrapped around her arm and she quickly grasped it so that it wouldn't unwind. Acting as the anchor, she held on tightly while the Uzumaki started pulling herself up the rope.

Their fortune was cut short though, for the pinkette Snow kunoichi jumped out of the blimp and cut the rope with the sharpened edge of her retractable wings. With nothing holding her up, the last Uzumaki of the Hidden Leaf fell towards the trees below while Koyuki cried out, "Kikyo-chan! Kisaki-chan! NO!"


The Twins woke up to someone gently slapping their cheek, opening their blue eyes and showing that Kikyo was in control. "Wha-?"

"Easy now," urged Yugao, helping the girl stand up from the tree she had crashed into and toppled over. "You're pretty banged up."

With a hiss, the kinder Twin let her sensei help her out. Worry filled her and she quickly asked, "What happened to Koyuki-chan?!"

Yugao didn't answer immediately, focused on using healing ninjutsu to fix up her student. "Dotō has her. We're going to make a plan to- Wait!" Kikyo forced herself out of Yugao's arms and stumbled forward. "What are you doing?! You're in no condition to do anything right now!"

"I…" strained the Uzumaki, forcing herself to walk, "promised Koyuki-chan…that I would…help her! I can't…stop now!"

"At least let us come up with a plan first!" Yugao stressed, standing in Kikyo's path. "I'm not going to let you run to your death!"

"And I'm not going to sit around while Koyuki could be killed!" argued back the Twin, one eye turning pink and the other staying blue. "We made a promise, and we're going to keep it, ttebane!"

Yugao froze for a moment, a familiar redheaded woman flashing through her mind before her image stood behind the Twins, matching their determined look and glare. 'Sensei… Heh…' She smiled softly. 'They're just like you were…' Taking a breath, Yugao nodded to her student. "Okay… But at least let me get Anko over here and heal you up."

They kept their glare, but nodded. "Fine… But hurry it up!"

'Yep,' deadpanned the woman mentally, remembering Kushina's impatient nature when she was her sensei. 'Just like you were.'


It was to the Twins' growing fortune that Team 7 came over with Anko and a plan was made quickly. Team 7, led by Kakashi would take on Dotō's subordinates (Kakashi facing Nadare while his Genin took on Fubuki). Meanwhile, Team 1 would focus their efforts on taking down Dotō himself and saving Koyuki.

Kakashi had been smart enough to bring a scarf from Koyuki's cabin so that his ninja hound, Pakkun, could get a scent and lead them to her location. They found themselves being led to a large stone alter with a pedestal in the center and large reflective rock pillars surrounding the border of the rounded alter.

Inserting the necklace into the pedestal, it was revealed to be a key for a massive heat generator that melted away the snow, revealing the barely growing grass that had been buried beneath. Koyuki was left speechless for she had a vague memory of her father promising to show her Spring and bringing it to their Winter oriented country.

She couldn't fight the smile and tears that formed, seeing the fruits of her father's efforts and how, even in death, he looked out for her and their country. Dotō on the other hand was not as pleased, having expected power or riches; not a glorified heater.

In his rage, he sent his subordinates after the Leaf ninja, which spurned them to put their plan into action. Splitting up, Team 7 took on the two Snow Ninja while Team 1 faced down Dotō, who was wearing a newer Chakra Armor than his henchmen.

Unknown to them all, the director of the film crew had his men working their cameras so that they could capture every moment on film.

Anko took point, two kunai brandished in her hands as the engaged the man in close quarters, using her Snake Style taijutsu to her advantage. Her flexibility was the perfect foil to the man's more power focused taijutsu, letting her get quick hits inside of his guard before she leapt away for Yugao to engage him with her sword.

Yugao was left unable to do much, unfortunately; the man's armor rendering her style insufficient due to the fact that it relied on chakra usage for many of its techniques. However, that didn't mean that she couldn't keep him occupied for her teammates to flank the man. And they tried to, but he kept them at bay with his Ice Style: Black Dragon Blizzard.

The black snow fired from the jutsu took the shape of a dragon's head with menacing red eyes, and it was able to be aimed by Dotō; an enhancement given to him because of his Chakra Armor. Because of this, the all-female team was forced to go on the defensive, keeping out of reach of the dragon while looking for any openings. It became much more difficult when he added a second dragon into the mix and they merged into a massive black tornado that had a vacuum effect; attempting to drag them into its devastation.

The women all used chakra to hold their ground, but Kikyo saw that Koyuki was gripping a boulder for dear life before her grip slipped and she began to fly towards the tornado. Eyes wide, Kikyo released her chakra and moved with the vacuum's force, increasing her speed so that she could grab Koyuki by her arm just before she anchored herself with her chakra once more.

"Don't let go!" urged the Twins, using all their combined strength to pull the princess closer to them and away from the black tornado. "We've got you!"

Blue, frightened eyes locked with the mismatched eyes of the young redheaded woman, and she saw raw determination burning within them both. This put her heart at ease and she gave a faint smile before nodding firmly. "I won't!" she called back, using what strength she had to reach her other arm around to grab the Twins.

The shared body grinned at her before they turned to their two teachers. "Yugao, Anko, torch that damn thing already!"

Anko grinned at the idea while Yugao smirked and the two blazed through handseals for their collaboration jutsu.

"Fire Style/Wind Style!" Anko and Yugao began respectively. "Dragon Flame Jutsu/Drilling Air Bullet!"

The dragon head made of flames flew towards to tornado, only to expand greatly and give off incredible heat when the wind bullet struck it and gave it more fuel to burn. The vacuum force of the Twin Dragon Blizzard only helped suck in the flames before the entire tornado became a pillar of swirling flames. The spinning blaze erased the vacuum, letting Koyuki fall onto the grass below while the Twins quickly moved in front of her, two sealing tags in their hands.

The pillar then collapsed on itself and erupted outwards as a wave of fire, but the Uzumaki were prepared and they made a large ring of clones around the perimeter of the alter; each one armed with the same two tags that the original had. As one, they all cried out, "Sealing Jutsu: Twin Fire Sealing Method!"

All the tags lit up, making a ring of chakra that intercepted the wave of fire, sucking it all into them and leaving them all unscathed; save for Dotō who had been trapped inside of his own tornado and roasted alive. All that remained of him was his charred skeleton, and even that didn't fully hold up thanks to the breeze moving through the valley they were in.

The clones dispersed and the original fell to her knees in exhaustion, a tired smile on her face as the pink eye faded into blue; indicating Kikyo in control. "T…Told you…we'd help you," she muttered to Koyuki before losing the rest of her strength and falling unconscious.

The last thing she saw was the princess/actress looking at her in concern and a faint echo of her calling out her name.


She woke up to the sight of a medical tent, recognizing the smell of anesthetics and medicine while seeing the "ceiling" of the tent itself. With a weak groan, she tried to sit up, but a soft hand placed itself on her shoulder and gently held her down. Blearily, she looked to the owner of the hand and was surprised to see that it was Koyuki, dressed in a rather stunning sundress that was white in color.

The woman gave her a smile and said, "Don't get up. You deserve to rest after everything you did."

Kikyo swallowed and tried to speak, but her throat was too dry for words to come out. Koyuki quickly got her some water and helped her drink, earning a thankful look from the Uzumaki. "So…we won?"

The actress gave another smile and nodded. "Yes… My country has been saved and my people are grateful to you all for your efforts." Her smile softened significantly as she added, "And I'm especially grateful to you and your sister for doing so much for me. You both saved my life so many times and helped me get justice for my father. I can't thank you both enough."

Kikyo smiled back, shaking her head. "You don't need to do anything for us. We promised to help you, and we weren't going to break that promise." Her eyes closed and she had a proud look on her face as she said this, making Koyuki once again amazed at the Twins; this time for their modesty.

Still, she felt the need to do something, and she had a good idea what it could be. So, leaning down, she pressed her lips gently on the young woman's forehead, making the Uzumaki's eyes widen and her cheeks blaze red. Left frozen, she was unable to say or do anything while Koyuki pulled back, her cheeks blushing faintly.

"Thank you both." She grabbed the redhead's hand, squeezing it gently and giving her an affectionate smile. "I'm glad I met you both."

Mind rebooted (mainly thanks to Kisaki mentally slapping her back into focus), Kikyo gave her a flustered smile. "I uh…" she tried to say, but it was difficult to. "I'm glad that…we met you too…"

The woman giggled at her reaction. "Promise to keep in touch, okay?" She leaned in, making Kikyo's blush return full force as their faces were inches apart. "I'll look forward to your next visit. And who knows? Maybe I'll come back to the Hidden Leaf to discuss some kind of trade agreement; provided I have someone act as my…escort within the village walls."

Words escaped her due to her flustered state (Kisaki's snickering not helping at all), so all Kikyo could do was nod. It seemed like the right response, for Koyuki smiled a bit brighter and winked before leaving the tent, looking over her shoulder one last time before taking off.

Not even five feet away from the tent, she heard the Uzumaki squeal happily, making her giggle into her hand with a faint blush. She didn't expect to have felt so strongly about this, but for some reason it felt…right to her. And she enjoyed it.

She couldn't wait to see the Uzumaki Twins again.


Cut and Print! That's the end of the third chapter!

So, just to be clear, I'm giving some SERIOUS thought on having this be a Yuri Harem story. Right now, Itachi (Izumi) is still the main love interest of the Twins. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean that I won't have them make lasting impressions on other female characters.

So far, I've got three other women in mind for the possible harem. Koyuki is one of them; as seen in this chapter. The others are a secret! *winks*

If you guys are for the Yuri Harem, then let me know. The same the other way around. If the harem isn't your cup of tea, then let me know. One thing is for certain though; I'm adding in Koyuki either way. *grins*

Also, please don't forget to review! Let me know how I'm doing; especially since this is my first FemNaruto story!

Until next time!

~pain17ification~