Chapter 7! w00t! I never thought a story would ever progress this far that I'VE written. Normally I'm lucky to finish the first chapter, even! But here we are! I remember when Zulaan was an innocent little girl… *sighs nostalgically*…. now she's going to be homicidal and insane…. ahem. YAY! This chapter goes to my amazing reviewers - Mintshadow 22 and Akari-Sakamaru in particular for the newest ones - even if Akari-Sakamaru reviewed chapter 1. To Mintshadow - a) Naruto will be Naruto. b) Just wait and see….muahahahahaahah! To Akari-Sakamaru - I read your story, and it's really good! So, without further ado, chapter 7. When it all falls apart, again. Except more so, and there will be a lot more sadness. If you cry, review, tell me, and I know I did a good job. ^.^ Sorry in advance, because this won't be a funny chapter.

When I woke up, I couldn't see. At first it was blinding, blinding light, but then it was just blackness. Pure blackness. I tried to open my eyes, but it didn't work. I could feel them open, though I never felt them blink, but I couldn't see. I blindly reached a hand out, and gagged out, "Help - me! I - can't…. see!" I heard a woman, I wasn't sure who, say, "Oh my! She's awake! Get Akiko-san in here right now!" I tried to turn my head, and it was painful, but I just managed to turn, so that I was approximately looking at the girl who spoke. Instead of seeing a girl though, or nothing at all, I saw chakra patterns, weaving intricately through the body of the person. I learned later that it was similar to the Hyuuga Kekkei Genkai, Byakugan, but at the time it was just weird. In other ways, it was unlike the Byakugan, though. Tiny bits of chakra off of the woman walking around spread over the room, giving me a vague view of what it looked like. I tried to sit up, but was too weak. I slumped back down in my bed. I decided to sleep some more, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was sucked into a dark, empty, painful sleep.

I was floating, in complete darkness. When I looked down, I could see myself, instead of the chakra signature. I looked up, and a strange black-robed figure appeared in front of me. "Who-who are y-you?" I asked timidly.

"I am the blackness which came to you yesterday." All of a sudden I was very angry. "You did this to me? You blinded me? I will make you pay…" I growled, and swung a punch at him, though it went right through him. "You cannot hurt me, Zula-chan. I am part of you, and I'm never leaving," the man had a deep, lilting voice. As far as Zulaan could tell, though, he - or rather, it- was just a mass of black robes. She could see no face or anything. "Nobody calls me that but Kiba. Nobody, alright?"

"Alright… Zulaan. But you cannot control me! I will use you, and get the better of you. This is my home, now, and some day I will force this tattered and weak soul you call your own out of here completely." The man disappeared, and I was left alone in the dark world. I pounded against invisible walls for what seemed like hours, until I fell to my knees, crying. "Let me out! Let me out!" I sobbed. "Just please… let me out."

While I was stuck in that black prison, the shadows that I had spoken with had taken control. When I got out, only a few seconds had passed, but the thing was already in control, and I couldn't get myself back so easily. I had to watch in horror as the monster controlling me opened my eyes. I could see myself, like an onlooker. My glasses were shattered. My eyes, though, had no pupils whatsoever. No irises, or anything to be found in eyes. They were completely black, from one corner of my eye to the other. I gasped, though no one could hear me. The nurse walked up to "me." I could see the corners of the monster's mouth twitch in an evil grin. Suddenly, shadows began to pulse from my body's eyes to the poor nurse. The nurse shouted out a muffled scream, and fell to the ground. "NO!" I screamed, horrified of what I had done. Or, the monster had done. In sheer anger and horror, I managed to take control of myself again. Ignoring the pain and weakness in my body, I forced myself to get to the side of the nurse. I felt for a pulse, fumbling around at first, trying to get the hang of my inability to really see. She was still just barely alive. "Somebody, help me!" I called out, crying. A medic was in there in moments, trying to save the young nurse. After maybe 10 minutes, the medic stood back, and bowed his head. "I couldn't do anything for her. I'm sorry, she's dead." I hung my head in shame. I could steal feel that demon on the edge of my mind. "How did this happen?" the tall man asked. I felt the demon momentarily control my mouth. "I'm not sure!" I forced the demon out, but it still had just enough control from keeping me from saying the truth. The medic moved the corpse out of the room. As soon as she was gone, I whispered bitterly, "You don't know how much I hate you." It responded, in my head, "Oh yes, I do. They all do, but they get used to me. You'll learn to love me in time!" I shook my head. I wouldn't. I sat back on the bed, and looked around, even though I couldn't see color, I could see the remains of chakra from the dead nurse. I reached out, and grasped it, somehow. I could hold it in my hand, a real thing. "I promise, I won't forget you," I whispered as I saw the blue chakra melt into my hand. I slowly pulled my broken glasses off of my face, and set them down on the bedside table. I then made a decision. I could help keep the monster at bay, keep it from using it's eyes. I grabbed my hitai-ite, my forehead protector. I supposed I could never look at the metal leaf symbol engraved on it. I wrapped it around my eyes, so that it my eyes were no longer visible. I could still see the chakra through it. Even if I couldn't, it was worth it. I could be safer from the demon, and other people could be too. I then heard a familiar voice penetrating my grim reverie.

"Zula-chan? Is that you? Are you okay?" Kiba was beside me in a moment, and Akamaru jumped up and ran to me. I pushed the monster, the bakemono that was controlling me to the farthest reaches I could find.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Are you alright, Kiba-kun?" it was barely above a whisper. I tried to hide the pain coursing through me, but of course Kiba would see through it. He set his tanned hand over my pale hand. "What's wrong, Zulaan? Tell me, you can trust me with it. Whatever it is, I promise it will be okay. I promise." I wanted to believe him. I really did, with everything inside me, wanted to believe it would all be alright. But I knew it wouldn't. "Kiba, last night I was possessed by something. I know, you probably won't believe me, but it's true. I'm not sure what it is, but it's horrible. It blinded me, I can only see chakra now. And it tries to control my body, do horrible things with it."

"I'm sure it's not stronger than you -!"

"Kiba. Did you see that dead nurse that they brought out of here?" I could feel him begin to shake. I scared him. Akamaru positioned himself farther from me. I took my hand from under his, its being there probably only scared him more. Contrary to what I expected, though, he grabbed my hand. He took both of them in his own. "But it's not you… is it? Your still down there. You managed to suppress it once, surely it can stay down. Right?"

"I want to believe that. I know that it isn't me, it isn't Kiba. But when it takes over me, who is to know? I know I'm not strong enough. Which is why…" I trailed off, and looked out the window. Which is why I had to leave Konoha. I slowly detached my hands from his, mournfully. I cringed as I stood up, and hobbled to the window. I couldn't see the streets that I had come to know as my home, but I felt wind on my face. It felt nice. Kiba was staring at me, shaking visibly. He was crying. I slowly untied my forehead protector, keeping my eyes closed. I reached around the bedside table, and found a kunai. I slowly held it above the forehead protector. I tried to stifle my tears as I prepared to separate myself from the village. I reached down, prepared to make that strike through the metal…

The breath was knocked out of me, as Kiba had me slammed against a wall. He was crying, not even trying to hide it any more. "You can't go! Y-you can't d-do this! Please!" He hugged me tightly, and cried into my hospital garments. My arms slowly encircled him. We were both crying. "I- I know. I d-don't want to. But what if I hurt y-you? Wh-what if I kill you? Th-that would hurt too much. You're strong, Kiba. The strongest person I've met in my life. You can be whole again, given time. I know it." I swallowed back tears. Kiba reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a jewelry box. "I was going to give this to you today, anyways, so I might as well now." He pulled out a pendant on a chain. The pendant was a tiny Konoha leaf engulfed in fire. Kiba said to me, "There is apparently a 'will of fire' in Konoha. This means that you can always have that, e-even if you're not here, in Konoha…" I nodded, and let him attach the pendant around my neck. To him, it meant a will of fire, hope and strength. To me it meant my entire life burning up. I smiled sadly.

"I knew something so perfect couldn't last…" I kissed Kiba one last time, one last bittersweet moment with the person who brought me up out of the dark before I plunge back down again. I then walked to the bedside table, and picked up my smashed glasses. "Here. You always said I looked better without my glasses. Now I don't need them any more. Why don't you keep them, just so you know that I'm not completely lost out there." Kiba gripped the glasses firmly, like he thought I would vanish into thin air if he let go. The fact of the matter was, though, that either way, I was about to vanish. I held my kunai, and put the stroke through the hitai-ite. Konoha was no longer my home. I no longer had to stain it with that monster's existence. I stood at the window one last time. "Kiba-kun, I know your either planning on trying to come after me to bring me back, or planning on going with me, or something. But you can't go. You're a shinobi now, remember? You have loyalties. So don't go after me. It won't get you anywhere, and it will only hurt us both more. I'm sorry Kiba-kun. I really am. I won't forget you. So just remember this… I love you!" Without another word, I disappeared. Kiba realized that I had taken a bag he had noticed in the corner of the room. He remembered that I was planning to go stay with him, and that was probably the bag. But no matter, I was gone now. I had jumped out the window, and from rooftop to rooftop. I could quickly evade the guards, as the monster helped my skills. I wished it wouldn't, because deep down I wanted to be caught and locked away, so that I could stay there. I just faintly heard on the wind, as I left, "I love you too."

And there you have it. Zulaan left! :'( Wah. Poor Kiba-kun didn't deserve that. But I'm evil, and as an evil authoress, it is my duty to make bad crap happen. Now, important news! The next chapter will be written in 3rd Person POV, about Kiba after Zulaan leaves. It will be the last chapter set in Konoha, before we move on to Zulaan's travels. Which will be violent, bloody, and thoroughly awesome. I hope. Read & Review please! Do it for the sake of Zulaan x Kiba. Even if that's kind of a lost cause right now. One faithful reader and reviewer said I should make it a happy ending in the end. And maybe I will…. but that's not for a really long time. So there. Be back soon with another chapter!

~.

Also, P.S. Don't kill me if your mad that I took them apart. I think I would kill me if I was a reader, because I liked their chemistry. But if you (or me) does that, I can't update. So ha.