The next night they camped three miles outside of Taikovara; they planned to arrive the following morning.

Nasari left the camp and headed for a nearby stream to refill the canteens. As she bent over to dip the canteen in the creek, a bright flash startled her and suddenly Kusame stood before her.

"Hello darling!" He said, embracing her. "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" Nasari inquired.

"Why ready to go with me of course." Kusame told her.

"Kusame…" Nasari lowered her' eyes and her' voice trailed off.

Kusame paused and looked at her. "What's wrong darling?"

Nasari sighed. "I can't go with you."

Kusame looked at her as if she was going crazy. "What are you talking about? Of course you can come with me."

Nasari shook her' head. She still loved Kusame, but last night she had realized that she loved Neji too. And she could not run off and leave him. "No Kusame. I can't. I've made my' decision." She told him firmly.

"I don't know what has gotten into you, but you've obviously taken leave of your' senses." Kusame told her.

"No Kusame. For the first time in a long while I'm thinking clearly."

Kusame's expression darkened. "I'm not in the mood for games Nasari. Quite fooling around and let's go." He started to pull her' forward but she pulled back.

"No! I said I'm not going with you and I mean it!" Nasari said stubbornly.

Kusame turned to glare at her. "You will come back with me. Now will you come peaceably? Or will I have to force you?"

Nasari stared at him in shock. "You'd force me to go with you?"

"You give me no choice." He said. "Come now, which will it be?"

Nasari's eyes narrowed and she said in a dangerously low voice, "You just try and make me leave."

Kusame sighed. "Very well Nasari, you asked for it." He grabbed her' arm and shoved her forward.

Nasari twisted out of his' grasp and shoved him away. He lunged for her and she lashed out at him. The sound of the back of her' fist coming in contact with his' face caused both of them to freeze. Kusame recovered more quickly than Nasari and he took hold of her' again. She struggled but he held her tightly causing the sleeve of her' blouse to tear.

Suddenly, something crashed into the side of Kusame's head, sending both him and Nasari sprawling.

Nasari hit the ground hard.

"Here." Said a familiar voice.

She looked up to see Neji holding out his' hand to her. She took his hand and he helped her to her' feet. (Neji had gone to see what was taking Nasari so long with the water and had seen her struggling with a man. He has no clue the guy is at this point.)

Kusame jumped to his feet and the two young men circled one another, each searching for a weakness in the other.

Kusame lunged at Neji with his' Katana drawn. Neji sidestepped and threw several kunai at his' opponent. Kusame evaded them, but it bought Neji enough time to activate his' Byakugan.

When Kusame charged at him, Neji used his gentle fist technique against him. Within about five minutes, the battle was over and Kusame lay on the ground, unconscious.

Neji turned to where Nasari stood, looking stunned. He embraced her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I can't believe he actually tried to force me." She whispered.

Neji shot her a bewildered look. "Huh?"

Before she could explain, there was an enormous blast that knocked both of them to the ground.

Neji and Nasari looked up to see five people standing before them. Four of them were ninja, dressed head to toe in black. From the Hitai-ates they wore the couple could tell that they were from the village hidden in the sky, the village that led the UCA rebellion!

The fifth person was garbed in a black cloak that covered his' face, making him unidentifiable.

Neji stood slowly, making certain to stay in between Nasari and the enemy ninja.

The cloaked figure turned to where Kusame lay, unconscious.

"Well Kusame," He said in a deep, silky voice that sounded, strangely familiar to Nasari. "I am surprised to see that you were defeated so easily. You disappoint me. I had expected better from you!"

Neji gasped. "That is Kusame?" He inquired disbelievingly."

Nasari nodded.

"But I thought he was dead!"

"So did I." She replied.

The cloaked figure turned to the two of them. "Well, well, what have we here?" he inspected them. "Am I correct in guessing that you were the one to defeat Kusame?" he inquired to Neji.

Neji eyed the man warily before nodding.

The man sighed. "To bad. I had grown rather attached to the lad. Oh well, what's done is done." (He automatically assumed that Neji had killed Kusame.) He paused. "Actually…" He mused. "I should thank you for taking him off my' hands. He has used up his' value to me and would only be in the way from this point on."

(Flashback:)

Seven year old Nasari gasped as she saw her' house explode into a tower of flames. "Mama san!" She whispered. Tears streamed down her' face and she felt a surge of hate as she turned her' gaze on the man who had done this horrible thing.

Diachi stood a little distance away chuckling evilly. "Forgive me sister." He said maliciously. "But you have given my' elder brother all the children you are going to. You and all of your' little brats are a nuisance and will only be in the way from this point on."

(End of flashback:)

Nasari gasped as recognition struck her. Her' hold tightened on Neji's arm and her' Breathing grew strenuous.

Neji turned look at her' and was shocked to see that she had gone white as a ghost. "Nasari?" He whispered. "Nasari what's wrong?"

The cloaked figure chuckled cruelly. "Well my' dear, I see you finally recognized me." He said.

"DIACHI!!" Nasari growled. Neji's jaw dropped, and he looked back and fourth between Nasari and her' uncle. "You mean he…?"

Nasari nodded grimly. "Yes. That atrocious excuse for a man is the one who murdered my' family!"

Diachi pulled back his' hood to reveal a man who looked very much like Nasari's father, Lord Kasono. He shook his head reproachfully at Nasari. "Really my' dear, you shouldn't harbor a grudge for so long; it's dreadfully unhealthy you know."

Neji recalled the first day he met Nasari. He had insulted her' clan after she had punched him to help Hinata. The look that had come over her' features had been one of such rage and hostility that it had made him a little nervous. Now however, he realized that the look he had received had been a relatively mild one.

Nasari stood, unwaveringly. Her' arms down at her' sides, her' fists clenching and unclenching. Every muscle in her' body was tensed, and Neji could see that she was clenching her' teeth in a mighty effort to keep her' self under control. The wind whipped at her hair and the short skirt of the dark red kimono she wore (Don't worry, she was wearing black pants underneath) giving her' the appearance of some powerful goddess.

But out of everything, it was her' eyes that were the most wild, the most ferocious. Her' dark eyes flashed with fury as they glowered at Diachi with a look of pure hatred. Her' arching eyebrows formed a sharp 'V' as she gazed fiercely at the man who had taken so much from her.

Diachi smirked. "My' word. If looks could kill I'd be a dead man!"

"You're a dead man either way!" Nasari growled in a dangerous voice.

To Neji, she looked like a deadly cobra about to strike.

Diachi smiled wickedly. "We'll just see about that won't we?" He turned to the four ninja. "Deal with the boy, but be sure you don't kill him. As for the girl, leave her to me."

The ninja nodded and fell into fighting stances along side Diachi. Neji looked to his' side and saw that Nasari had also settled into a stance. Neji quickly did likewise.

One of the ninja charged and Neji was immediately found him' self fighting with all his' might against the other four.

Nasari activated her' Tisran and Diachi copied her. The two of them circled slowly, each searching for a weakness in the other's attacks and defenses.

Nasari made a sign and the blue, paralyzing, chakura, wind chords shot out from her' fingers and encircled Diachi. But they were unable to draw tightly around his' body because Diachi quickly put up a shield perimeter around him' self. Nasari frowned and said, "Kitsote Matokar, Needles of Destruction no jutsu!"

The air was immediately filled with thousands of needles. They shot directly at Diachi, but halted abruptly right before they reached him.

Nasari watched in amazement as Diachi waved his' hand and the needles disappeared.

Nasari paused and tried to recall all she knew about Diachi's fighting style and abilities. She knew that his' preferred element was water and that he had amazing control over it. Apparently he also possessed a limited ability to control wind as well, seeing as he had just caused Nasari's needles to disintegrate. What Nasari was unsure of was by what methods Diachi used the element of water. Something told her that she would soon find out.

Diachi smiled and formed three hand signs. As Nasari watched, the water in the air surrounding them began to condense into the form of a dragon the size of an elephant!

Diachi pointed to Nasari and the creature charged. Nasari executed a handspring to evade the initial attack. She reached down, picked up a large piece of wood, and hurled it at the monster. The dragon exploded as the branch hit it but condensed again, this time into five separate dragons the size of Labradors.

The creatures hissed and snarled. One of them opened it's mouth and let loose a surge of ice needles. Or at least Nasari assumed they were ice needles. But as they reached her she was shocked to see that they were actually thousands of tiny scorpions made of Ice. Their' tales were glowing blue so Nasari accurately guessed that they' must possess the same type of paralyzing chakura that made up her' paralyzing, chakura, wind chords.

Nasari quickly used her' hovering wasp jutsu in order to avoid the stinging creatures and, using her' wind, began to smash the scorpions.

She thought a minute. She recognized that the more she tired to destroy the dragons the more they would multiply and the worse off she would be. Okay…maybe I should try something with heat so that the water in the dragons has to evaporate. Then it hit her and she smiled. The first week or so that she had arrived in konoha, she had spent quite a bit of her' time training with the Konoha ninja. During that time she had talked Sasuke into demonstrating his' fireball jutsu to her.

Nasari made the hand sign for the jutsu and blew a ball of fire at one of the dragons causing it to vaporize. She did this again and again until there were no dragons left.

Nasari turned to once more to face Diachi. "Well Nasari, I see why my' brother always bragged that you were the strongest of his' children. Using that fireball jutsu was good thinking."

Instead of replying, Nasari charged at him again.

Meanwhile Neji, who was already tired from his' fight with Kusame, was slowly being overwhelmed by the four, UCA ninja.

Finally one of them flipped him onto his back and Neji looked up to see four blades not and inch away from his' throat.

Nasari was finally gaining some ground. She ran forward to release another attack when Diachi shouted something to his' assistants that caused her to freeze in her' tracks.

"Execute the Hyuga boy!"

Nasari turned and saw Neji with four blades pointing at his' throat. One of the ninja raised his' blade to carry out Diachi's orders.

"No!" Nasari screamed.

"Wait!" Diachi commanded. The ninja paused.

Diachi turned to Nasari. "Now that I have your' full attention, listen up. I have a proposition for you."

Nasari watched him suspiciously. "Such as?"

Diachi smiled. "I'm going to give you two choices. One, I will kill your' little friend now, as well as Kusame and your' self and then I will go to Taikovara and kill, not only your' father, but also your' team and the nobles you are supposed to be protecting. I will also completely destroy both Konoha, and Taikovara. How does that sound to you?"

Nasari did not reply.

Diachi continued. "The other choice is that you do what I want, and I spare all your' little friends."

"What do you want me to do?" Nasari questioned.

Diachi smiled. "I want you to return to the Sky village with me, become my' wife, and bear me a son."

"No!" Neji exclaimed. "Don't do it Nasari!"

Nasari just stood there looking stunned. She thought of her' father, her' teammates and of all the people she had left behind in Konoha and in Taikovara. Her' eyes flitted momentarily to Kusame. Then she turned and gazed at Neji for a long time.

Neji attempted to struggle but it was impossible as his' captors held him in an extremely tight grip. Nasari? Marry Him? The very idea was so revolting that it made him want to throw up! He killed her' family! It's all his' fault that everything happened the way it did! And now the bastard expects her to marry him?! Neji's mind rebelled at the thought. She can't! Yet even as he thought these things, he knew in his' heart that she would. She had married someone she didn't want to in order to save those she cared about before, and he knew that she would do the same thing now.

Nasari finally looked down and closed her' eyes. Then she opened them and looked Diachi directly in the eye. "If I do what you ask, will you swear on your' life, that you will not kill Neji?"

Diachi smiled like a cat that had just captured a mouse and was now toying with it. "You have my' word that the boy's life will be spared." He extended his' hand. "Do we have an agreement?"

Nasari took a deep breath and took his' hand. "Agreed!"

"No!" Neji lunged for Diachi, but the UCA ninja held him back.

"Careful boy." Diachi sneered. "I may have given my' word that I won't kill you but that doesn't mean that I won't kill, or at least hurt her." He gestured to Nasari.

Neji froze and his' eyes widened in horror.

Diachi smiled. "That's right." He hissed. "You had best dance to my' tune." He pulled two pairs of strange looking handcuffs from within his' robe, and snapped them on to Neji's and Nasari's wrists. "Don't even think about trying to get out of these." He warned. "These are a special type of cuff. They cut off your' chakura flow and make it impossible for you to fight while you wear them."

He smiled his' cruel smile and said, "Say farewell to your' lover Nasari, cause it's the last you'll ever see of him."

Nasari turned to look at Neji. "I'm sorry Neji." She said. "There was nothing else I could do."

Neji took Nasari's hands in his'. Then he leaned forward and kissed her. "I love you Osara Nasari." He said.

"And I love you Hyuga Neji. Be safe."

Diachi grabbed her arm and pulled her away. "Take Hyuga here, and Kusame back to castle and put them in the dungeon."

He snapped his' fingers and there was a blinding flash of light that forced them all to turn away. When Neji looked back to where Diachi had been. He and Nasari had both disappeared.

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Hey everyone!

What did ya think of this chapter??

I'm starting to feel kind of sad because I only a couple chapters left for this story. (Sights heavily)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Thanks to all of you who are still with me in this story.

Remember I really appreciate reviews. (No flames please.)

I'll try to get the next chapter posted soon.

Until next time,

Yaruhi