A/N: Hey, guys! I've finally been able to work out this chapter. I knew what I wanted, but it was much more difficult than I thought it would be. This chapter, as you'll find out, is about showing what the others in each world are doing and to set a time frame for what's going on. I've put an explanation after each scene, so I hope it's not too confusing (if it is, just let me know). Some had been asking what was going on with the others, so I decided to tell everyone. The ending was suggested by a fellow commenter, Doc4, so points for their awesomeness. I want to thank all of you that has commented and added this to favorites.
Disclaimer: The series are owned by their incredible creators Kazuki Takahashi and Masashi Kishimoto, in other words, not me ^_^
Chapter 9 Meanwhile
Tristan waved goodbye to Miho after he dropped her off at her house. He had taken her out to dinner as she was leaving the next day for a trip with her parents and would be gone for the next couple of weeks. He walked away after she had made it inside the small cottage style house. Revving up his motorcycle, he headed back to the main part of the city.
He was now headed to the Kame Game Shop. He planned to talk with his friends to try and straighten out everything that had been going on. Joey had made a few comments that, while not cruel, made him realize that he had been neglecting the people that he had gone through so much with. And then there was Yugi. The boy had started to worry him with the way his attitude had started to turn. He was acting drawn in again, and he wasn't going to let that continue. He wasn't sure why he had started this turn, but he was going to try and help reverse it.
Tristan looked at his watch, seeing they had been out of school for a few hours now as he pulled up to the shop. He was surprised to see the lights still on. Usually, Solomon had closed up the shop by then and was hanging out with his grandson and the gang. Had things changed that much in that short of a time? Had he really been out of the loop for that long? He opened the small shop's glass door to see the short elderly man nervously pacing. Mai and Ryou were also sitting in the store-front, behind the counter, both wearing worried looks.
The archeologist turned grandpa spun around at the sound of the bell ringing from Tristan opening the door. His worried eyes were narrowed as they landed on the tall lanky teen, and upon seeing who it was, he deflated. He went back to pacing. The confusion Tristan was feeling must have been written on his face because Mai spoke up. "We saw Yugi, Joey, and Serenity in the park about four hours ago, and we both told them we'd come over later. They told us they'd be here, but Solomon hasn't seen them since this morning. Ryou checked the park while I went by Joey's apartment. Neither of us found anything; the apartment was clean and not even Mr. Wheeler was there. I do remember Joey saying his dad was going on a business trip, but that doesn't explain where they are."
Tristan was surprised, especially since there was no trace of the three to be found. Ryou was the next to speak up, his voice as quiet as always, "I found their back packs, but there wasn't any clue in them. There wasn't even a note saying they were kidnapped. We don't know what's going on."
Tristan was quiet; slowly processing everything before a thought came to him. "Did you feel any strange energy? Have you asked your guardians?"
All three looked sheepish. "No…" was the collected response.
"I didn't think to feel for energy where I found their bags. Maybe there is some residue on them." Ryou admitted. The albino picked up what he brunette recognized as Yugi's bag. The boy mumbled something and the third eye appeared on his forehead. He concentrated for a few seconds before pulling back. "There is a foreign energy, one I don't recognize as Shadow Magic. Someone has them."
Mai stood. "We should ask the Monsters and see if they've heard anything."
They nodded, and each called their guardian. Instantly Harpy Lady, Cyber Commander, and Dark Necrofear appeared. Cyber Commander looked around, "What's up? What's the threat?"
"Yugi, Joey, and Serenity are missing. They have been for hours, and Ryou detected a strange energy on their bags. Have you heard anything?" Mai asked.
"Yes, we have been watching over them. They are needed in another world. They are safe, for now, but will be put into danger many times. We are there to protect them, as called." Came Dark Necrofear's soft, but chilling voice.
"Don't go scaring them to death, Hana. But seriously, don't worry. Those three are being trained to take on what's coming. Yugi's actually about to start their Shadow Magic training. He knows what he's doing; he is our King after all. They've been training in that world for 2 weeks, maybe a little more. It's going to be ok." Rangiku assured.
"So you mean that my girlfriend has kept me from being there to help and protect my friends, the very ones that I swore to always be there to help in any way I was needed, whenever I was needed?" Tristan ground out. His irritation was showing, or maybe it was a mask to hide his worry. "They have to go through—most likely—some horrible events, and I can't be there to help them. Miho had no right to tell me I shouldn't hang out with my friends anymore. It's not her business if I see them every so often. If she can, then so can I!" The brunette was practically growling by the end of his observation. He was seething. Sure, he did care for Miho, but so many things had glued him to Joey and Yugi over the years. He shouldn't have to choose between two people who were like his brothers and his girlfriend for the past couple of months. He really wondered where that sweet, shy—if a bit dense—girl he had fallen for had went. "When Miho gets back, we are going to have a long chat. I want her to understand just what we have been through and how important my friends are to me."
Before the boy could seethe further, Mai spoke up, "Is there any way we can go and help them?"
Hiro, the Cyber Commander, shook his head no. "We weren't the ones to take them there. But, like Rangiku said, everything is under control. We're going to take care of them, and they are being cared for by the ninjas there."
"We'll also bring you guys constant updates. You will know what's going on with them. We'll also let them know how you guys are doing. I know Joey is worried about you, Mai, especially when he found out I was going to be one of Serenity's guardians." The harpy assured
The 3 teens sighed. "So we just have to wait and pray?" came Ryou's quiet voice.
"I am sorry, master." Hana's gentle voice sounded. "But yes. Your faith in them will be how you help. The danger will be great, and they already know that as they have already seen what this village is capable of, and Joey has already been threatened."
At the worried gasps, Rangiku gave the necromancer a look, before sighing herself and explaining the events at the Uchiha residence and with Kakashi. She then told them how each were/are being taken care of.
Solomon chuckled, "That sounds like something Joey would say and do. I'm more surprised by my Yugi's reactions to this Kakashi person. Do you think he would have done anything to him?"
"It's possible. We were all angry. We wanted to have fun with him, maybe some target practice." Hiro confessed.
"He was willing to at least maim the man's hand if he resisted. I believe our king would not have sent the man to the Shadow Realm and us unless he caused greater harm to Joey Wheeler. He would not have had the coldness or hate to do such. "Hana pointed out.
They all nodded in agreement. After a few moments of silence, Solomon spoke up. "Thank you for letting us know what's happened to those three. We've been worried for a while. I'm glad you will be taking care of them, just please bring them back to us safely."
"We will. And like we said, our king will guide them well, and he knows what he's doing. We should be heading back now. We'll let them know you are concerned and that you rooting for them." Rangiku assured.
When the group nodded once again, the three Duel Spirits faded from existence, returning to their land. "Well, looks like we are going to be a having a while of mental cheering. I just hope they come back soon…" Tristan spoke up after they had been silent for a while. The other three made sounds of agreement before parting ways for the night. They didn't want to think of what may happen if their friends came upon something they couldn't handle, and it scared them too much to think about how this little trip may change them. For now they would just hope, pray, and send them all the faith they had.
(AN: This was to set up a time frame and, of course, to show what the others are doing. In the YGO universe it's been about 4 hours and in the Naruto universe it's been about 2 weeks. I'm going to be working on the assumption of 4hrs=2weeks. I thought you guys may want a time frame, as it's always nice to have that extra bit of information ^_^).
Naruto slowly pulled himself out of the river. He and Gaara had been running for nearly 3 weeks with very little rest to recuperate their wounds. They were both tired and weary, but they had to keep going. The blonde knew they would be safer at their own villages with the excess ninja, but they were too far away and risked too big of a chance of being found by the Akatsuki once again, putting their family and friends in danger. He slumped down on the hard dirt bank as he reassessed what they had been through so far.
They had separated from the rest in an attempt to protect the others, but it had only partially worked. The two had been able to get away and hide for a while, but just about 2 weeks or so ago they had been attacked by quite a few of the group's minions. The grunts hadn't been overly strong but there had been so many of them, and they had been already worn down from trying to lose their pursuers. They had defeated the group, but not without injuries. He had a large gash on his side that wasn't healing well thanks to no rest and having to hide his chakra signature by suppression. His arm was also not doing well. One of the cronies had gotten a cheap shot in and had snapped his radius and ulna, something that the little amount of healing his demon chakra was doing was turning into a problem. They had to get somewhere the Akatsuki wouldn't be able to find them for a while, get rest, and actually heal properly. The time they would spend in the river to decrease their scent while traveling was also not helping their gashes or slashes or stabs. The rushing water kept opening the wounds that would scab over in the short times they would stop to eat.
As his mind wandered, he looked back to make sure his red-head friend also pulled himself out of the river. The Kazekage had lost most of his leader robes by way of fighting and fast-flowing water. He was slowly, slower than Naruto had, pulling himself out of the water. Naruto smiled weakly at his friend before collapsing on the bank.
Gaara looked up at the blonde as he fought the water to move out of the water current. He sat down upon crawling out. He was glad he had decided to leave his gourd in Suna, as by now he would have lost it or been weighted down by it. He ran his, as of a couple of weeks ago, clawed hand through his sopping hair. The two demons within them—or in his case what was left after the attempt to relinquish the boy of the demon—had begun and even sped up the fusion process between them. Now, no matter how hard the group tried, they could never separate them. With Naruto and Kyuubi, it would be awhile before they were fully merged, but the process was far enough along already to keep them from ever being separated. He and Shukaku were almost completely merged partly because his demon wasn't as powerful as Naruto's but also because of the pull-apart that had already occurred a few months ago.
The red-head knew that the merger was protecting Naruto from a lot of the pain of his injuries and was keeping them both going, but it was also causing the blonde problems. He had spied him at night, while they were treating their wounds for the day, and had seen the boy re-breaking his arm each night. It was difficult to keep the bones set let alone set properly in the first place with all they had to go through each day.
"Where are we to go now, Naruto? You are more familiar with this land than me."
"I'm hoping we can quickly make it to one of two villages that will be willing to take us in. I have friends in both, and the Akatsuki wouldn't really expect us to be there, since we haven't ran into any of them for a while. One of the villages, they may not even be able to get in until well after we've rested at least. The other is small, but have some strong protectors." Naruto sighed out as he started to try and stand again. "We should get going, if you're ready, Gaara."
The other ninja nodded before slowing making his way to his feet. They both knew they had to get to either village as soon as possible, before it was too late.
They continued on, following the river on the bank instead of the being in the flow. After another hour the two saw a large bridge in the distance. As they continued to near the large infrastructure, Naruto began to recognize it. "We're at Wave, Gaara. My old team helped to build this bridge. We're almost at the small village I mentioned. We can rest soon."
Before long, they reached the huge bridge, but they instantly noticed how much the mist and fog had increased since they stepped upon it. Gaara was worried about it as he remembered Kisame was from the Mist. However, Naruto smiled gently. *The both of you are still looking after these people aren't you.* Almost as an answer to the boy, the air cooled before warming again.
Half way across the bridge, both were stopped by a small shadowy figure calling out to them. "What business do you have here?"
"Inari, is that you, little bro?" Naruto returned.
"Naruto? Is that you?" A small child came forward, through the mist. When the boy saw the 2 of them his eyes widened. "What happened, big brother? Who is this?"
"Yeah, it's me, Inari. Remember that group I was telling you about the last time I was here?" At the boy's nod, he continued. "They attacked us a couple of weeks ago. Our demons are fusing with us to keep us alive. I'll explain the rest later, kiddo. Can we get shelter here?"
"Of course! Wait one second, and I'll get someone to watch the post for me real quick." The boy took off into the mist, disappearing once again.
"You were so open to him about our demons. How did you know he would not turn us away?" Gaara asked after the boy left.
"He's my adopted little brother. I told him everything before this bridge was finished. I felt like he had the right to know why I snapped at him the night or so before the huge fight that went down right here. He took it really well and even got angry at Konoha. That was the day he declared me is official big brother. His mother, Tsunami, was ok with it too, even cried for me. Tazuna—the one who we were protecting and Inari's grandpa—told me that anytime he went to Konoha for missions, he would always request me for it. These are good people. They even buried and do great upkeep of the graves of 2 enemies, the very ones that were hired to kill the old man. Those 2 even watch over the village." Naruto explained.
"What do you mean by that?" Gaara looked around himself.
"Weren't you wondering about the mist that's randomly covering the area? It's not Kisame, that's for sure. It's from Zabuza. He uses it to shield this tiny village." A section of mist formed around the blonde teen's shoulders, and he smiled. "It's also cooler here than where we just came from. That's Haku's doing. Zabuza was the 'Demon of the Mist', and Haku was the child he took in and raised with the incredible ability to control ice, his Kekkei Genkai." A cool wind blew through, causing the blonde to shiver slightly, but smile.
A few seconds later Inari ran up with a man behind him that Naruto recognized as one of the men that had worked on the bridge. "Hey, Naruto. Wow, Inari was right, you 2 look horrible. Go get some rest, boys. I'll take over as the look out."
"Hey to you too, Nambi. Thanks, running from a group of psychos for nearly a month has started to take its toll."
The older man nodded before disappearing into the mist to take his spot as look-out. Inari motioned for the weary ninjas to follow him, taking the two to his house. "Mom's going to be really happy to see you, Naruto. I wish grandpa was here, but he's out on a commission at the moment."
"Aw, that's too bad. I was hoping to see the old man. How's your mom doing?" He answered back.
"She's doing well. She's really been big in our new school and pushing to increase defense around here. She's really trying to push dad's ideals that the village had lost when he was killed."
"I'm glad to hear that. It's great that the Wave is finally getting fully back on its feet." Naruto wearily smiled.
They walked the rest of the way to the small boy's house. When they reached the home, the two ninja were ready to collapse. Tsunami came out at her son's call and gasped at the two teen's condition. She herded them into the home and to a small room that Naruto recognized as the one Kakashi had used when he and the team had been there. Their wounds were quickly treated as the boys dozed off. Naruto finally felt safe, and Gaara trusted Naruto to know these people well enough to feel comfortable to sleep. The blonde's arm was reset and stabilized properly and their deeper wounds were sutured up. Soon both teens were cleaned up, treated, resting.
Afterward, Tsunami gathered the dirty supplies and, telling Inari to come get her when either of them awoke, she went to fix dinner for the group.
Over the next couple of weeks or so the two rested and healed, not training until they were fully healed. Gaara learned more about the village and Naruto's relationships with the people in the tiny fishing town. They decided to stay for a while longer, at least until Gaara had finished his fusion or someone from one of their homes came and found them. The later would be sooner than they thought.
(A/N: One week before these two got to Wave was when Yugi and the others arrived. The time they spend in Wave for recuperating is the ending half of training I described in the last chapter and what is coming up in the next chapter or so.)
Kisame sighed. The past week had been way too boring for his liking. Then again, he never did like waiting and watching. The two demon brats hadn't moved from the fishing village the entire time, and they couldn't get any closer. If they tried—actually Kisame had been the one to try, but he was bored and Itachi had been away—the air in the lungs began to freeze as the fog got thicker, then his blood began to move slowly and painfully. He had quickly gotten away before things had gotten worse. When he reported it to Itachi, he had just told him that he needed to learn patience. The rest of the time had been full of them scouting the area and doing nothing. They had felt a disturbance just before arriving in the area, but Itachi told him not to worry with it. He spun the scaled sword in his hand, wishing something interesting would happen, or the boys would come out finally.
As the blue scaled man sat on the rocks, Itachi sat at attention, as he usually did, with a blank look on his face. Kisame knew that look; it was the look the cold man got every time he was thinking of his old home. There was no talking to him for the next few days; Itachi always brooded more during that time and was more lethal at that, and Kisame preferred his head right where it was.
Just as the day seemed like it was going to continue like every other day there was a huge explosion of unidentifiable power coming from the direction of Konoha. Both Akatsuki members were on their feet, readying for a fight, but none was forthcoming. After another few minutes things seemed to settle back down, and both men relaxed without dropping their guard. Suddenly, Itachi was down, completely out of it. The scaled man went rigid, waiting on another attack, but none ever came. He quickly grabbed the Uchiha's body and took to shelter, watching for the one that attacked the man the entire way. Once inside the small hut they had made their cover, Kisame laid the young man down and went to fortify the place while he waited for the other to reawaken.
Over the next couple of hours, Kisame sat and watched. While it was the same as he had been doing over the last week, this time his nerves were too on edge to be bored. He wouldn't admit it, not even to himself, but he was scared. If this, whatever it was, could take Itachi out so easily and not even be sensed, what chance did he have against it?
Finally, after nearly 4 hours, the black haired man awoke. He took in his surroundings for a moment before his eyes landed on his partner's questioning face. "It would seem Konoha has some powerful guests. They caught the eye of the war monger himself, Danzo. I believe we should stop by for a visit. They could be very useful to our cause. Come, Kisame." Itachi stated before standing from the cot and walking out of the door.
Kisame shrugged. He already knew he wouldn't get any answers as to what had happened with the emotionless Uchiha, so the abrupt brush off wasn't a surprise. What he did wonder about was how he knew about Konoha. Maybe it was a connection he had with the village since he came from it, but then again Kisame never had any visions about the Mist. Oh well, there was no point in trying to figure it out. His answers would either come or not, that was just how things were with Itachi.
(A/N: The week is the first half of the time Naruto and Gaara are in the Wave village. This is starting the brunt of what will be explained in the next chapter of so.)
Feeling the massive pull of chakra being used to open up the dimensional door, Orochimaru decided to see just what Konoha was up to. He sent Sasuke off to their old village with the orders to report, observe, and, if whoever was brought seemed powerful enough, bring them to their side. The black haired teen set off to the tree hidden village. He had been traveling for about a week now, not really in a rush, just happy to be out of the Sound village for once and getting to stretch his muscles some. He wasn't an idiot; he knew why the snake charmer wanted to 'keep him safe.' He was just making sure his latest vessel didn't get damaged before the transfer. He had been doing secret training without the curse mark to increase his own power, and he had realized why Orochimaru had told him to not train on his own: his mind had begun to clear, and he began to remember who he really was.
It had already been nearly 2 weeks since the chakra pull, and he wasn't too far from Konoha when the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. A power surged through the area coming from one of the training grounds. It was energy not at all related to chakra and strong enough to send a shudder through him. Once the energy settled, he took off toward the village at a fast sprint, searching for the source. If he could find it, not only would he be able to kill his so-called master, but his brother as well. He had to have it. But would his strength be enough to overpower the individual and allow him to take what he wanted or believed he needed. Only coming face-to-face with them would tell.
(A/N: I'm fairly certain this one explains Sasuke's time line without my help ^_^ Now for the Present time I've been hinting at with the last 2.)
Yugi stood in front of his two friends, their senseis around them, watching for anything going wrong. "Ok, I want you to concentrate, like when you called up your chakra. Instead of pulling a life force, I want you to search for a power connected to your soul. Try only pulling a small amount up. I know you've already unlocked your's, Joey, but don't let your emotions override control. They make it stronger and harder to control."
The two nodded and began to slowly contact their Shadow Magic, using Yugi's words of coaching, the feeling that came from summoning their guardians, and the instruction the said guardians had given. Over the next few minutes, everything was quiet, when suddenly the golden light of the Eye of Ra appeared on the siblings' foreheads. Both opened their eyes, looking at Yugi who smile at them.
"Great job, guys. Now, let's try a small Shadow Blast." Yugi then began to explain how to call up the small amount of Magic needed as he showed them what to do. Once done, the Duel King shot the crackling mass of Shadows towards a nearby tree, causing a large portion to erupt from the center.
Serenity was the next to try, her blast fading out half way to another tree. She continued to try while her brother began his turn.
Seeing her first failed attempt, Joey tried to push extra Magic into his crackling mass. Before Yugi could warn him that it was too much, the blonde shot it off. The power's ripple effect upon impact with the tree was literally felt by all in the clearing, and most likely for miles. The tree was also obliterated, and Yugi had to bring up a shield to keep the splinters from flying through any of them. "Joey, I said to bring up a SMALL amount."
"I was trying. I thought I may need more than what I had because of Ren's dissipating. I didn't know it was going to blow everything up." Joey confessed.
Suddenly, ANBU appeared, surrounding the group. The leader turned to Jiraiya, "The Council demands to know what that shock wave just now was, and have ordered us to bring the individuals responsible. The village is in an uproar."
The white haired man sighed. "And Tsunade. Does she know of this demand?"
"We have sent members to inform her. We have orders, again, to take those responsible for the disturbance into custody." The leader continued.
Yugi sighed in exasperation before disapprovingly looking at Joey who looked sheepish. "Sorry. I have no control when it comes to this stuff."
The ANBU looked the three teens over, noting that they had never seen them before. "Who are you, and why are you here?"
Jiraiya spoke up before the three unknowingly said something they shouldn't. "We brought them here to train them to help with getting Naruto and Gaara back as well as getting rid of our snake problem. It was by Tsunade's orders that they be brought here and trained. The Council has no say in what happens with them, nor do they concern them."
"I believe that is their decision to make." The leader grabbed onto Yugi's arm tightly, causing the small boy to cry out in pain and surprise. One of each of the others were also grabbed much the same way. The three performed a hand sign before disappearing.
"Crap. We have to get the council room before they hurt those three. Fortunately, Hiashi is on it so he'll keep them safe until we can get there. Let's get going." The oldest ninja reacted before sprinting toward the village, praying to get there before something bad happened.
They met Tsunade just as she was stomping out of her office. Their eyes met, and they all knew there were two things going through their heads: this was going to go badly and change the lives of all involved.
Yugi and the others stood in front of the council, who were eying them suspiciously—except for Hiashi who was trying to mentally calm the small group of teens. An elderly man stood up and hobbled towards the duelists, his visible eye boring into them causing Yugi and Serenity to cringe back but Joey to glare back. "Why are you here? To find out our village's secrets to take them back to your own? You three were the ones to cause that power surge?" He continued to hound the three until Serenity was nearly in tears, Yugi was getting agitated, and Joey's anger was beginning to flare.
Seeing the volatile attitudes Joey and Yugi were showing, the man smirked. Just as he began to speak again the door flew open, allowing Tsunade and the others to come bursting in. The group saw the almost wicked smirk on the war monger's face made their blood run cold. "Danzou, what are you thinking?" Tsunade growled out.
"I know what you have ordered. These three aren't from this world, I can feel it. What far reaches you go to, Tsunade-sama, to bring back an unwanted demon brat. Well I propose something else. I will take the boys and force them into submission until they work under my control, to help truly protect this village and destroy ALL of our enemies. The girl will be useful as well. She will become our breed mare, giving powerful off-spring to each clan, all to be raised to become powerful ninja under the control of the village." He declared.
"You mean under your control. They are not you pets to do with as you will." Tsunade growled out.
"I can, and I will. ROOT, get them now!" Danzou smirked.
A group of color changed ANBU appeared around the three teens. Two grabbed Joey and Yugi and another grabbed Serenity and began to separate them. Joey's Shadow Magic began to crackle around him while their trainers and Tsunade began to vocally object, and Hiashi activated his Byakugan, but there was a strong tension around Yugi. Suddenly a bright shining golden light burst from Yugi, shoving away the ROOT member holding him, slamming the man against the wall. Everyone froze, and Joey's Shadow Magic receded. The two siblings recognized instantly the aura around the Game King. He stood taller, almost regal in his appearance.
Danzou's eyes widened as the boy's eyes met his. There was a crimson hue to the amethyst now and a confident smirk appeared upon his lips. His thinned eyes showed a darker, justice driven, force than Danzou had ever seen. The boy then spoke one sentence, his voice deeper, more confident, "Come, play a game with me."
A/N: Yes, what just happened is what you think just happened. An explanation will be coming with the next chapter, I promise. I will admit, what I know of Danzou is from Wikipedia…I'm so behind on Naruto, that it's kind of sad, but that's what Vet school and not having cable does to you. Classes are about to start slowing down, so hopefully in May I'll start to be able to get these chapters out faster. I still want suggestions for weapons for both Joey and Serenity. And, after a suggestion/question from a commenter, I'm wondering if you guys would like the idea of Yugi being able to summon the three "spirits of the items". It would be kind of like: for Atem, he would come forth when Yugi summons 'The Spirit of the Pharaoh' monster. For Y. Bakura or Malik, I would come up with another set of actual monsters or create another for each of them. Give me a comment with your ideas, suggestions, and thoughts. Also, I found my old notes about Chapter 7, and I really like the way it was written out (some of the explanations seemed more feasible for Kakashi's reaction). I'm thinking about re-writing that part of the chapter, and when I do I'll put a note on my profile.
