Beauty and the Beast: NaruSaku style
Chapter 10: Kill the Beast
"Yes my dear. I've come to collect your father."
"My father…?" Sakura questioned somewhat confused by the statement, why would her father have anything to do with this 'man'; Just being in his presence set her hackles to rising and looking into his cold yellow ophidian eyes sent cold shivers running down her spine as if someone had doused her in ice water.
"Yes my dear." He chuckled malevolently before stepping aside and with a flourish of his hand indicated a wagon with 2 burly men dressed in white coats near it. The wagon had the words Konohagakure Asylum written in red lettering on its side. Nearby she also noted was a large group of villagers who were armed with torches and assorted weapons and had angry looks on their faces. She noted that many of them were hangers on of Sasuke various flunkies and the like.
"Don't worry my child. We'll take excellent care of him." Orochimaru chuckled in that sibilant hissing voice of his.
"My Father's not crazy!!" Sakura protested indignantly as she moved to impose herself in front of the door her emerald eyes flashing dangerously and causing Orochimaru to take an uncertain step backwards. She was interrupted though as Kabuto spoke up loudly doing his best to rile the crowd up.
"He was raving like a lunatic earlier! We all heard him didn't we?" He mocked earning a few nods and yells of agreement from the crowd, mostly from Sasuke's followers.
"No!! I wont let you…"She protested but was interrupted again by Jin's appearance. "Sakura…?" Jin's confused and worried voice called cautiously as he came to the door in his robe. Kabuto seeing an opportunity spoke up again.
"Hey Jin!! Tell us again old man, how big was the Beast?" he chortled mockingly earning a few laughs and sneers from the crowd. Off to the side she suddenly noticed Sasuke leaning against a wall casually but with a self satisfied smirk on his face which caused her to narrow her eyes in suspicion. She was interrupted in her introspection as Jin stammered out an explanation.
"He was enormous! At least eight, no more like ten feet tall!" he spread his arms above his head to demonstrate the size, only to earn another round of mocking laughter from the mob.
"HAH!! Well you don't get much crazier than that" Kabuto snorted more convinced then before that the old man really was a lunatic. "Get him out of here!" He shouted and then watched with barely concealed interest as Orochimaru gestured to Rajin and Fujin the burly twin orderlies who stalked forward and grabbed Jin by his arms, and proceeded to haul him urgently towards the wagon in spite of his protests.
"NO!! You can't do this!!" Sakura shouted grabbing hold of Dr. Orochimaru's arm, fiercely only to have him contemptuously shrug her off while making his way to the wagon.
"Poor Sakura; It's a shame about your father really…" Sasuke came up beside her quietly clucking his tongue.
"Sasuke-san you know he's not crazy, please do something." she pleaded with him.
"Hmm; I might be able to clear up this little misunderstanding Sakura." He looked thoughtful for a moment before snaking an arm around her and pulling her close to him. "If…" he left the word hanging.
"If…? If what?" she eyed him suspiciously her emerald eyes narrowing coldly at him and the hackles rising on the back of her neck again.
"If you marry me." He smirked coldly causing her eyes to widen before they flashed in anger. She should have known he'd be involved in this farce. She looked into his cold onyx orbs and saw nothing, nothing at all. No emotion, no warmth, nothing but cold, selfish, lifeless pools of black. Not like Naruto's sapphire blues which were filled with warmth, and kindness, and caring. "One little word Sakura that's all it takes." He offered coldly.
"Never!! I'll never marry you!!" She shouted indignantly. Disgusted at the very thought, and pushing him off her, before rushing into the house, she had a surefire way that would prove her father wasn't crazy.
"Fine; Have it your way!" Sasuke threw his arms in the air as if washing his hands clean of the whole affair before stalking away. He turned a moment later though at Sakura's next pronouncement as she came out on the porch holding an antique silver hand mirror.
"My father's not crazy, and I can prove it!!" she shouted to the crowd before holding the mirror up. "Show me the Beast!!" she shouted.
The mirror crackled and glowed with an electric spark before a blinding luminescence flared forth from it. Sasuke's eyes widened as the mirror's surface showed the face of a monster. Long and fanged with blue eyes and blood red fur and a pair of long pointed ears as it stood there on some unknown balcony with a heartbreaking expression of sadness on it's face. His eyes narrowed and a sudden anger swept through him, as Sakura defended the monster to the crowd. Suddenly he was struck with an irrational, possessive, jealousy that he the scion of the Uchiha clan should be rejected by this mere girl for some obscenity against nature. The outrage twisted in his belly until he decided to set things right. He would kill this beast and mount its head upon his trophy wall. Then the villagers would view him as a hero, and willingly throw themselves at his feet.
"Please I know he looks frightening, but he's really kind and gentle. He's my friend." She explained saying the last part in a soft longing voice and with a gentle smile on her face. She already missed him and all the others there in the castle dearly and wanted to get back to them as quickly as possible.
"If I didn't know any better Sakura, I'd think you had feelings for this monster." Sasuke snorted in disgust at the very absurdity of the thought his voice low and dangerous, as his hands gripped her shoulders uncomfortably.
"He's no monster Sasuke!! You are!!" Sakura snapped as she pulled away from him causing Sasuke's eyes to flash in rage.
"She's as crazy as the old man!!" he shouted while grabbing the glowing mirror and ripping it from her grasp. "A Beast will make off with your children; he'll come stalking them in the middle of the night!! We won't be safe until his head is a trophy mounted upon my wall!! I say we KILL the Beast!!" he shouted to the crowd while swinging the mirror to and fro causing sparks to fly and the mirror to hum ominously as it swung through the air.
Sakura's protests were quickly drowned out by the frightened crowd, as Sasuke extorted them to action with the threat and fear of the unknown. The mirror which could only show Naruto's outer appearance monstrous and frightening was used to drive the crowd to greater depths of hatred. It couldn't show his anguish, and heartbreak, and loneliness. It couldn't show his kindness, and generosity of spirit, it couldn't show the kind, gentle heart that she had helped to find underneath the rough exterior. Sakura gasped in horror as she suddenly realized what she'd done. What Sasuke was about to do was her fault. As Sasuke stood there in front of the torch wielding mob and smirked as they gnashed their teeth and shook their fists at the beast.
"Were not coming home till he's dead; good and dead!!" Shouted Sasuke in another extortion to violence towards his prey, he didn't need to do much just let the mobs passions run free and they'd follow him all the way to hell and back. Inwardly he laughed wickedly at the thought.
"No!! I won't let you!!" Sakura grabbed his arm while trying desperately to reach the mirror which he kept from her grasp.
"If you're not with us, then you're against us!!" he sneered at her while grabbing her arm ungently. "Bring the old man. We can't have them running off to warn the creature!!" He commanded. Mizuki and a couple of the others grabbed Jin and hauled him towards the basement where he was thrown down the stairs. Sakura soon followed him down before the basement door was slammed close and a thick plank was used to seal it shut preventing their escape.
"We'll rid the village of this beast!!" He shouted "Who's with me?!"
A rising chorus of cheers indicated most of the mob was, and soon they marched away from the Haruno farmstead towards the castle in the distance. Sasuke was reasonably familiar with the area having traveled that way with his father as a young boy and had a decent idea where it was. The mirror was quite helpful in that regard as well showing the precise location to his well trained eye. Soon he would be an even bigger hero to these people then he'd force Sakura into marriage, and who knows maybe he might even take over as Hokage of the village. Heck anything was possible he smirked wickedly at the thought.
No one noticed in all the hysteria that a small teacup with a chip in its rim peered with wide scared eyes out the door at the ruckus, and quickly became more frightened as he realized just what the tall man with the black hair was talking about when he said they would lay siege to the castle and bring back his head.
"Grandma!!" he thought terrified, he had to do something and fast. Quickly he hid as his young mind tried to come up with an idea how to save his family.
-ooOoo-
Inside the Basement Sakura tried to use a pry bar to try and force the door open, but to no avail as the mob had nailed the plank into the door sealing it tightly. She was in tears now as she pushed, shoved, and struck the door in her frustration.
'I've got to warn Naruto!! Oh this is all my fault. Papa what are we going to do?" she moaned and collapsed sobbing softly as Jin tried to comfort her hugging her and patting her back.
"There, there pumpkin we'll think of something." He wasn't quite sure what to think anymore to be honest. His last meeting with the beast hadn't gone so well, and still sent shudders down his back. Still Sakura wasn't given to flights of fancy on a whim, and she was an excellent judge of character much better then he was. Yet another thing she got from her mother he smiled sadly to himself as he hugged her. So if she said the beast was kind and gentle then he'd believe her and try and help her as best he could.
Neither of them noticed a tiny teacup sitting on the window sill looking down upon them and sadly wondering what to do next. As he looked around though something caught his eye, the first was a small crowd of people coming their way with concerned looks on their faces. The second was the axe like armature of Shigoto-Boto sitting forgotten in his wagon and tarps. A fast plan came into his young mind, and he sure hoped that the people coming were friendly or else they'd all be in trouble. Overhead lightning and thunder crashed ominously in the distance threatening a downpour on top of everything.
-ooOoo-
Sasuke smirked wickedly to himself, as he led a group of the men in felling a small tree, before using the axes and saws they carried with them to cut, and chop, and saw the log down to make an improvised battering ram. The castle was visible in the distance and they'd be there in another hour or so at the pace he was setting. Soon he'd look on the face of a monster and then he'd strike it down. For surely something so ugly couldn't be good at all. No it was a monster on the outside so it had to be a monster on the inside as well. It really didn't matter to him either way. He'd soon rid the world of this monster and then all would be as it should, Sakura would be free of the beast's influence, and then come willingly to his side and be his wife as it should be. For after all he Sasuke Uchiha was no monster, he was handsome and smart, and gifted. One need only gaze on his appearance to know the truth.
Yes soon; it would all be over soon. He thought with a savage predatory smirk on his face as he rode at the forefront of the mob and led them to their destiny as saviors of the village.
-ooOoo-
High in the castle Tsunade frowned as Gai and Kakashi argued back and forth as to whether Sakura should have ever come to the castle at all due to the high hopes she had dashed. They had gotten to the point where Tsunade had finally had enough and told them both to "SHUT IT!!" which had the desired effect and left them both grumbling at each other.
It was as she was mentally rubbing her temples—seeing as she lacked arms—to try and soothe the rapidly forming headache that Shizune came running in saying that Hanabi had seen something approaching. Quickly making her way to the window she saw something out the window that sent a shock through her being.
"Could it be…?" she whispered, as the shadows approached the bridge. Next to them Kiba and Akamaru started barking in worried alarm.
"Is it Sakura Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked plaintively
Kakashi and Gai joined them quickly at the window only for Kakashi's good eye to widen at the sight of the mob crossing the bridge, a glaring Sasuke Uchiha in the lead. The sight sent a chill through them followed by a shock of action.
"Invaders!" Kakashi shouted
"Encroachers!" Gai responded in kind.
"And they've got the mirror!!" Tsunade shouted when she saw what was being carried by the apparent leader of the armed mob. Her worry skyrocketed as multiple scenarios all of them unpleasant in their implications as to how the mirror had come to be in the possession of an armed mob ran through her mind. "Oh Sakura what happened to you?" she thought quietly to herself.
"Quickly Tsunade-sama; warn the master!! The rest of you prepare to show these interlopers the fires of our YOUTH!! Who's with me?!" Gai shouted only to yelp in indignant surprise as he found himself alone the rest of the staff having already leapt to the castle's defense.
-ooOoo-
"Take whatever treasure you like. But remember The Beast is mine to kill!!" Sasuke commanded them loudly as they approached the main double doors of the castle. Quickly a dozen of the mob hefted up the log and proceeded with a mighty swing to slam it against the tall oaken doors with a booming thud. The doors though stubbornly refused to grant them entry and held up against the pounding. Undaunted though the mob continued to hammer away at them knowing it was just a matter of time before they gave way.
-ooOoo-
Inside the tower of the west wing, the booms reached the ears of the master of the castle as he sat there brooding over the rose in his sorrow. The accursed thing glowing in its pinks and reds and whites with its green stem mocking him in his torment by reminding him of the woman he loved, the woman who had left and taken his heart with him. The loneliness had returned and with it the bitter, bitter cold that had surrounded his heart for so long had begin to creep back into it leaving him broken and without feeling. He alreayd missed her so.
"Naruto!!" Tsunade's voice broke him from his introspection briefly and unwelcomely.
"Go; leave me in peace oba-chan…" his voice was cold and empty, bereft of its usual warmth, and passion.
"But Naruto the castle is under attack!! You've got to do something!!" She admonished him. On any other day her authoritative voice would have shaken him from his brooding and sent him into battle headlong.
But not today; today he was simply too lost, and scared and lonely. Today he was just too damned tired to care. As he stood there staring at the rose he watched in morbid fascination as a single petal fell one of the few remaining. He watched it fall slowly before finally coming to rest with an awful finality on the table top under the glass jar.
"So what do we do then?" she asked him when she saw he wasn't answering her or even seeming to pay attention to her. His next words sent a cold shudder down her spine and left her to turn away and head to find her grandchildren as quickly as she could so she could get them to safety.
"It doesn't matter anymore." He said softly looking back at her for a brief moment his sapphire blue eyes were dull and lifeless.
"Let them come…" he said softly before turning away again.
-ooOoo-
"This isn't working Kakashi!!" Ino shouted at him in fear and frustration. The entire staff had piled as many of themselves on the door as they could creating a barrier of weight which would hopefully reinforce the door and keep them out. But the steady pounding was beginning to make the door groan on its frame with each blow of the makeshift battering ram they were using.
"Oh Kakashi; we have to do something." Shizune cried worriedly at him.
Quickly Kakashi racked his brain, he was no slouch when it came to tactics he was just short on ideas at the moment. He had a quick thought of Shikamaru in the library the chess set sitting there coming up with strategies but unable to help because he was just a chess set with moving pieces, hardly capable of fighting. Then his good eye widened and it hit him suddenly like a blow to the head.
"I have it!!" quickly he sent Shizune to tell Ten-Ten of his plan. He knew the weapons mistress was rallying the suits of Samurai armor in the basement and the upper north wings to shake off their dust and get ready to come sweeping into battle to drive out the foe. He wanted Ten-Ten to hold off though until just the right moment to spring the trap. Next he quickly ushered everyone else into position to either side of the Main hallway so they would just appear to be normal items and knickknacks and whatnots, and furniture. Then he quickly bade them all be still until he gave the signal. They all obeyed and soon enough the bolts on the main doors gave way with a crash, and Sasuke and his mob of ne'er-do-wells entered the castle. Soon they would step into the trap he had carefully laid for them. Inwardly he chuckled Gai always said he wasn't too bright; even for a candlestick. He guessed he'd find out soon enough.
-ooOoo-
Outside inspite of a torrential rainstorm that had started falling upon them all, Sasuke had joined in and offered his own muscle to the task. At last after a few mighty swings the accursedly stubborn main doors which had defied him so far gave way with a groaning crack and fell open to reveal the inside of the castle.
The inside was empty of human life that he could see—except of course themselves—and he could detect no trace of the beast either. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously Sasuke proceeded forward. His Hunters instincts were on edge, they told him he was being watched and that they weren't alone. He was positive that someone else was here, someone who up until a moment ago was barring the doors against him. Carefully he made his way through the piled up furniture, and assorted things that someone had carelessly left lying about, cautiously he gestured the men forward even though he could see no one his feeling of being watched only grew the further inside the castle they went. He thought they were almost clear of the main hall and he was just putting a foot on the stairs to climb to where he suspected the beast to be hiding when suddenly all hell broke loose.
-ooOoo-
Patience was a virtue even still Kakashi was nearly sweating as he waited calmly on a nearby table for the men to enter the point of no return where he could spring the trap on them. He warily gave Neji standing stiffly nearby a cautious wink and received the slightest nod in return signifying he was ready and able.
He was waiting when Kabuto picked him up to add some light for Sasuke; Just as he did the last man passed through the doors and into the main hall signaling that it was time.
"NOW!!" Kakashi shouted in earnest causing all hell to break loose in the castle.
Men panicked as suddenly from nowhere and everywhere they were beset with all manner of implements and furnishings and whatnots and such. Everywhere they tried to go the mob was attacked and quickly found itself being overwhelmed as they just couldn't figure out who their attackers were much less figure out how to fight back at them.
Neji leapt into action with a flourish of his coat rack forms eight arms. Already a skilled fighter as it was adding six more arms to the equation was just not a nice experience for those who faced him. Quickly he clobbered one poor soul, only to smack around another fool who thought to sneak up behind him only to discover that the coat rack seemed to have eyes in the back of its head as it quickly disposed of attacker after attacker in a whirling display of martial ability.
Others were also similarly overcome as a chest swallowed one man whole eliciting a satisfied belch from it. Others were hit in the face with mops, and frying pans, one poor fool even thought to grab a frying pan to use as a weapon only to have the offended piece of cook wear clang him upside the head repeatedly.
Still in the middle of the fre for all Kakashi could only watch helplessly as the seeming leader leapt clear of the fray and made his way nimbly up the stairs.
Towards Naruto's room.
-ooOoo-
As it turned out the small group of people that had come to the Haruno household was friendly. Ayame having seen the mob and the Asylum wagon approaching the Haruno house was certain that Sasuke was up to no good, and so she had quickly woken her father. Then after a brief discussion the two made their way around Konoha and gathered what few people they could find who would be willing to help them out. These unfortunately only turned out to be three people. Still they were a good three people. Iruka Umino the assistant teacher at the local school was one, also Anko Mitarashi a local mercenary and a heck of a fighter if rumor was to be believed was another, and lastly Jiraiya the old bookseller was with them as well.
Quickly the five had made their way to the Haruno household too late to stop the mob from leaving but in time to stop any further mischief from befalling the Harunos themselves. Anko quietly and quickly did away with the group of three thugs left behind to guard the house only to be stymied by the thick wooden plank nailed across the basement doors. They were working quickly to come up with a way to free the trapped couple when in a mysterious turn of fortune Jin's odd contraption had suddenly whirred and clanked and hissed its way to mechanical life before rolling downhill with a toot and whistle, causing them all to dive for cover. Shigoto-boto's axe like armature made fast and efficient work of the door only for the poor machine to tumble down the stairs and explode with a clang of metal and a billowing orangish red cloud of smoke which then cleared away to reveal a disheveled but alright Sakura and Jin Haruno, much to the relief of all present.
-ooOoo-
Inside the basement Jin was in the middle of trying to shout out directions to where the tools were kept so they could bring an axe—ironically enough—to free them, when he heard the odd sound of Shigoto-Boto whirr and wheeze his way to mechanical life and then come tearing down the hill his axe like arm swinging away like a maniac.
"What the devil…" he muttered at the thought before his eyes widened as he realized that the infernal machine wasn't going to stop. "Sakura!! Look out!!" he shouted while grabbing his daughter and moving them both to safety.
A crashing and groaning of twisted metal, and a coughing and last boom of fire and smoke left them both hacking for a moment before a small voice caught their attention with a jolt of surprise.
"Hehe you guys gotta try this." Konohomaru chirped as he hung off a wayward spring which swung him back and forth. Quickly he was scooped up by Sakura who was helped up out of the basement along with Jin by Teuchi and his daughter Ayame. They also recognized the others, and As Sakura ran inside she hurriedly donned her cloak and rushed to saddle Lee. Sakura was in a near panic now the mob had a good hour or so head start on her and even with Lee galloping full out she was terrified that she might not make it in time to prevent a true tragedy from occurring.
"Please Naruto be safe. I'm coming home." She prayed softly hoping he would hear her words in his heart. She felt the strong but reassuring hands of her father along with purple haired Anko who quickly helped her saddle Lee. Jin who had haphazardly thrown on some clothes climbed up onto Lee behind her and wrapped his arms around his only and precious daughter.
"We'll save them together." He reassured her. She gave him a determined nod before galloping off towards the castle.
-ooOoo-
At the castle the battle was very rapidly going against the mob. One fool who had managed to get away from the initial barrage ended up getting a face full of tomatoes courtesy of a group of the drinking cups. His attempted retaliation with a shovel earned him a face full of hot tea as Tsunade with her grandchildren poured a good hot portion on him from the safety of a highshelf.
"Take that you scum!!" She shouted with a laugh as the poor idiot ran too and fro screaming before being knocked into blissful unconsciousness by the stone wall he ran blindly into.
Ino too got into the mix as with a high pitched battle cry she leapt off the stairway bringing her bulk down on top of a misguided soul rendering him unconscious. Never shy about being physical when she was a human having wooden doors for arms only made her hit harder, add in the fact she needed to vent a little frustration with the past few years and several men quickly found themselves in varying degrees of injury. The last though was yanked inside Ino, who upon his release heard him give the most horrified scream she'd ever heard anyone give. It wasn't that he found himself in woman's clothing that got him; no it was the fact that they were the most garish and horribly mismatched clothes ever—Those pumps simply did not go with that skirt at all--. The sheer horror sent him running from the castle screaming the most girlish scream he could muster.
Others also got into it as well. A dogged and determined Kiba made sure that a couple of the intruders didn't set one foot in the observatory to molest the Hyuuga sisters, especially Hinata whom he was quite fond of if the truth be known. He was helped immensely as Nii Yugito seemed to put aside her dislike for the mutt, and gave several of them cat scratches they wouldn't soon forget.
A group of men trying to escape into the backyard area suddenly found no respite as a set of wind chimes, and a possessed puppet set scared them whiter then sheets, only to have their terror compounded when the very sand of the beach rose up and tried to engulf them. Needless to say they ran as quickly s they could from the accursed place. Shino's swarm of Honeybees stung them repeatedly in order to make sure they left and didn't come back.
-ooOoo-
Elsewhere; the Candlestick Kakashi found himself in a sticky situation indeed. He'd managed to give several of the invaders a series of painful burns on their buttocks. However a sneaky little man wearing glasses and wielding a torch had him pinned in a corner and was advancing upon him with a malicious smirk and a malevolent chuckle. Kakashi began to sweat for real this time as the heat of the burning brand started to actually melt him for real. Desperately he looked right and left for an escape route but could find none.
He was about to consign himself to his fate when he was saved as with a cry of "DYNAMIC ENTRY!!" Kabuto was sent flying as Gai slid down the stairs railing and poked Kabuto in his butt with a Kunai.
"Well isn't this a fine youthful mess we've gotten ourselves into eh Kakashi?" He stood there with his teeth gleaming gave him the nice guy pose he was so famous for. Kakashi could only wipe his brow and smile back at his friend before noticing Shizune had gotten herself into a spot of trouble. Some brute was busily chuckling while trying to tear out all her delicate feathers from her bottom causing her to yelp in pain.
No; Kakashi most certainly was not going to let that pass. No sir. Rapidly he slid behind the man and taking a deep breath spewed a powerful gout of flame onto the man's unprotected backside. He was rewarded with a howl of pain as the brute ran out of the castle his posterior still burning. Causally stretching his arms out to the side he was again rewarded as the light feathery weight of the lovely Shizune landed in them. He smiled down at her causing her to blush prettily as she snuggled into her savior.
Elsewhere poor Akamaru had also made a nuisance of himself by gnawing away at the ankles of several of the men. One of their shoes was now held in what passed for his cushions mouth as he ran from them and headed into the kitchen ahead of a few thrown knives that stuck in the door behind him. Laughing wickedly the men approached what they thought to be the cornered cushion only to discover much to their horror that the kitchen was a trap in and of it self. Drawers filled with lethally sharp knives and other cooking utensils opened to reveal their wares and Choji inflamed with anger as he always was at the invasion of his kitchen sanctuary Flared up his burners and Howled like some primordial devil at them. The end result was a group of terrified men running from the castle as far and as fast as their feet could carry them.
At last Ten-Ten herself entered the fray and the fight quickly turned into a massascre. The weapons mistress threw kunai with pinpoint accuracy that sent wounded men scurrying for safety. But the final straw was when she shouted in a commanding tone "Get em boys!!"
This command unleashed a score of polished and gleaming Samurai armor which marched up from the armory with their Katana held high. This new development proved too much for the mob and without Sasuke to lead them their will was broken and they would not be reformed. Cries of horror were heard as the mob quickly broke apart and retreated as fast as humanly possible from the castle hoping to never see the accursed place again.
The defeat and subsequent retreat of the mob sent a jubilant cheer through the staff, including a cheerful Kakashi who gave a smiling Gai a most unyouthful and unmanly pair of kisses on his cheeks. This of course earned him an Ewwwww and a light slap, slap on the face. Kakashi merely smirked and went to celebrate the well earned victory with Shizune.
-ooOoo-
In the depths of the west wing an angry and increasingly frustrated Sasuke his bow drawn and an arrow knocked, had been kicking down doors for what seemed like hours. He wasn't helped in that it sounded like the men he'd brought with him were being massacred by the mysterious forces that ahd caused a bunch of seemingly harmless furniture to come alive and attack them. At last he came to what he guessed was the end of the west wings hallway If he guessed right this should be the balcony he'd seen from the mirrors image.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself Sasuke lashed out with his boot and kicked the door open to confront the monster within the room. Drawing his bow to the full he took aim and held waiting for the perfect shot. He had expected the beast to charge him roaring its anger and rage at this intrusion into its nest. So he was amazed and his eyes widened in shock as the beast merely turned its head slowly to take him in with a pair of sapphire blue eyes that locked with his. For a moment he hesitated as he looked into those eyes. They were filled with a plethora of emotions, everything from grief, to sadness, to a heart breaking loneliness, and loss was present.
But only for a moment this was no man he reminded himself silently. It was merely an animal in mens clothing. The rest was irrelevant, he had come here for one purpose and one purpose alone. He was going to kill this beast and take Sakura for his own.
With that purpose in mind Sasuke pulled back the drawstring and as Naruto looked away from him mournfully.
He fired.
To be continued