~ Part 11 ~

War's End

~.~.~

It ran forward in a nonstop charge. Venom filled its eyes; a frigid anger that could not be quelled. Every footfall from the great cerulean beast was like an earthquake, every breath was a gale. It was like no creature any of the shinobi had ever seen. Atop its head were strange, backward curving antlers, like a deer mixed with a ram—the antlers had the deer's slender jaggedness, coupled with the ram's arch. But it had a dragon's face, a wolf's body, and its three-digit feet must've also been dragonish, for what else had such bizarre claws with so little fingers. There was no tail, or what could be classified as a tail was nothing more than a deer's stub.

The Juubi screeched, turning its body to face the new threat. It opened its monstrous maw, and within gathered chakra. Calypso, the cerulean beast, mirrored the action. The two creatures expelled their energy blasts at once, and the energies—one made from chakra, the other from gelel—met in the middle.

The resulting explosion nearly took out the Allied Force's frontline, and would have if the gelel ball had not "smothered" the Juubi's chakra ball. Shinobi had to use their chakra to anchor their feet to the earth, and those that could not were blown back—flying yards away.

A plume of smoke consumed the image of Calypso. In silence they waited, the seconds ticking by with the beat of every anxious heart. There was nothing. The Juubi screeched in victory.

But then Calypso shot out from the smoke, darting towards its target. It slammed to a stop as its head rammed the Juubi. The demon stumbled backwards, nearly falling, and Calypso took the chance to push it further. But it did not fall—its ten tails stabilized it.

None of the shinobi knew what to do; no one had seen this coming. The only thing they could do was stand back. Stand back and watch in stunned awe as the two beasts fought each other. The Juubi's tails tangled in Calypso's antlers as it tried to gore the demon. They bit at each other, and sharp claws raked and tore flesh. Ice crystals clung to the demon where Calypso had touched it, slowing its movements.

With a frustrated roar, the Juubi managed to pull back. It opened its mouth and again gathered chakra. But Calypso was not about to let it have its way. Before it could release the devastating bolt, Calypso drew back a clawed hand and swung it—striking the tailed demon across the face. The Juubi's head snapped diagonally to the side, and the chakra bomb was released into the sky. Again the dark night was lit up with a flash.

Standing near the back of the army, Oreo gaped at the show of monstrous strength. She shook—from fear, from shock, and then from a strange elated giddiness. She knew Calypso was on their side. With the appearance of the phantom Gelel, the Alliance now stood a chance. "Go," Oreo whispered. Then, louder, "Go! Go Calypso! Yes, you keep that pimp hand strong! Hit that hell spawn again!"

Saved from death along with the others at HQ, Shikaku Nara's voice flowed through the minds of the shinobi, uniting the forces as one. Shinobi with long distance jutsu began firing on the Juubi, being mindful not to hit the cerulean creature that was helping them. Then the Akimichi, among them Chouji, and other large scale jutsu-users jumped in to attempt to restrain as much of the ten-tailed demon as they could.

Madara measured Calypso with cold indifference, not giving any sign to his confusion. He'd never seen the beast before. He then scrutinized the Alliance and their attacks like they were bugs. Beside him, Obito glared at the form of Gelel—Calypso. The phantom, with its teeth clamped in the Juubi, glowered back; never before had it hated any human as much as it hated the beings with the red eyes. It snorted, blowing a freezing gust from its nostrils at the pair, but Madara's Susanoo materialized and protected them. Calypso shrieked in rage, releasing its jaws only to punch the Juubi in the eye—the demon's scream joined in the ear-shattering chorus.

Oreo and Mae were making their way to the front, hoping to be of some help to the phantom. Oreo's eyes desperately scanned for Neji along the way. They finally found him at the very front with the rest of the Hyuuga, who were protecting an exhausted Naruto.

So many things were happening at once, but Oreo only had two concerns: Mae and Neji. She didn't care what happened to her as long as those two survived. She ordered Mae to stay on her heels, all the while keeping an eye on Neji. She joined the fire users in a long-range assault. The intensity of the heat caused Mae to shrink behind Oreo.

The Juubi was wildly attacking both Calypso and the shinobi. Calypso seized most of its attention, saving the Alliance from brutal attacks like the chakra bombs, but the phantom could not hold down every one of the Juubi's tails… and that's what it used to harm the forces. Long and massive, its humanoid arm-like tails swiped down, shaking the ground and crushing anyone unfortunate enough to be below.

Then began the rain of spears—the wooden splints that shot out from the demon's tails—striking and killing many ninja.

Oreo clenched her teeth so hard her jaw muscles ached. She breathed in deep, weaved hand signs, then her breath was set free with a sweep of scorching fire. The wood spears that were caught in the heat were sizzled down to blackened slits, giving those who were hit a greater chance of survival.

She constantly moved; dodging, firing, dodging, it never seemed to end.

"Mae!" she cried out as the girl was almost hit.

"I-I'm fine! Don't stop!" Mae zigged left and right.

Out of the corner of her eye, Oreo saw Neji. She made a split second decision, and made her way to him, firing and dodging along the way. Mae followed on her heels.

The giant splinters came down like a rainstorm, and the two struggling beasts caused the ground to shake with every step and tumble; winds lambasted every which way.

"Neji," Oreo reached for him—he was only a few yards away. "Neji!"

The wooden stakes hit the ground like giant bullets. She could hear the booms all around her.

Then she screamed—a horrified shriek of a woman. It was a scream that pierced upwards, cutting through the sounds of war like an arrow.

"Neji!"

~.~.~

He could see the two beasts from a large distance; they fought on the horizon. One he was certain was the Juubi, and the other was a gigantic cerulean creature.

Gaara looked down from his cloud of sand. There another, smaller, more deer-like version of the cerulean creature ran. It leaped and galloped over the terrain, leading the way to the battlefield. Behind him the other Kage were also being carried by sand.

The Kazekage looked between the two cerulean creatures—one below him, the other on the horizon. He didn't know Calypso could split into two beings. It certainly never used jutsu. Its power was gelel—its true name was Gelel—and had no use for chakra.

He watched the smaller one. It was moving fast, but he did not miss what it did whenever it passed as stray Zetsu. Trace amounts of gelel was ripped from the Zetsus, like strings being pulled from a garment, and they were absorbed by the phantom deer while the Zetsu were left in dried out, crumpled heaps.

His attention was grappled once more by the events on the horizon. The Juubi was changing, morphing into…

They raced there, the wind swiping them as they cut through to the battlefield.

~.~.~

Calypso's long, icy, glass-like claws sunk into the stem of the massive flower the Juubi had mutated into. It climbed up, up, up, all the way to where the bud was blooming in the face of the full moon. Once there, the spirit of Gelel latched onto the blossom like a parasite, and immediately began infecting it with the frigid cold. The petals froze together, parts of it wilted, but the most important thing was that it had stopped opening. If the flower could not open all the way, then it could not cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi to be reflected off the moon's surface.

Calypso had no choice but to stay put. Its job was to stop Infinite Tsukuyomi from happening; it could not spare any time for the ninja fighting below.

Ice fractals continued to creep over the petals, sticking together, keeping the bud shut.

Katy arrived on the battlefield on the back of Gaara's sand cloud. The distance was too much for her, and she had slowed, prompting the redhead to pick her up. As soon as they touched ground the ice creature that contained her leapt into the fray. Gaara and the Kages were right behind her.

Katy was trained far less for war than anyone else; she was on a civilian's level of tolerance for the blood, death, and destruction that assailed her sound sense—she could hear every splatter, every scream, every pain-filled moan. The vessel tottered nervously in reflection of its inhabitant's emotion. Then it surged forward, bent on finding Mae and Anna before anything happened to them and if something had already happened… Katy urged it faster, unwilling to let her thoughts go to the worst conclusion.

She listened for them, for the voices of the teammates who'd been with her up until she fell into the rapids. But there was too much noise all around her; the buzz of chakra was made worse by the Kyuubi's chakra cloak that almost every ninja was coated in—the work of Naruto, Katy presumed. Not only that, but everyone seemed to be shouting or screaming in some way, footsteps thundered on the ground, and jutsu boomed and frizzed everywhere. All the white noise practically "blinded" Katy.

Then another scream cut through the others. It was a scream of rage and despair. It was Anna.

Katy curled up tighter as her vessel rushed, pushing it faster and faster in panicked haste.

She found them on the frontlines. She could hear the hiss and crackle of fire joined with the enraged shouts of Anna. She could hear the barest creaking noise, like a trees and vines moving or growing.

"Calypso," she heard Mae urgently shout, and her heart gave a steep lurch. "Calypso, please, you've got to help Neji!"

Katy had her vessel stumble uncertainly, as she could not pinpoint their location through the noise.

"Over here!" Mae called louder, practically screaming, and Katy followed her voice. The vessel bumped into the large vine encircling them, acting as a shield, and Katy had to maneuver it up, over, and under the tangled mass until she reached the center where Mae had Neji. The fallen Hyuuga had a grave injury. Katy could hear his heartbeat flutter weakly, could hear the smooth sound of healing chakra coming from Mae's hands.

"He's not gonna make it," Mae's tone was wobbly. "He was hit by one of the spears—Oreo tried to burn it before it got him, a-and she did but… but it's too close to his heart!"

Katy heard the roar of flames outside the holey vine-dome. The wood of the Juubi's roots sizzled and hissed briskly as they were burned.

"Calypso, you can do something. Right?"

She brought her attention back to Mae, back to Neji.

What can I do? she thought nervously. Calypso's the one—I'm not…

Then one thought: Gelel. Katy had gelel in the vessel, keeping her stable. But, if she used that…

Neji's heartbeat was fading, the blood in his veins slowing.

She had no choice.

Katy maneuvered the vessel so that it was standing at the Hyuuga's side, leaning its head over his injury. Mae had already taken out the blackened stake, and was stopping the bleeding, trying to heal all that was wrong at the same time, with her chakra. But she was no Tsunade.

But it didn't matter anymore; there was no need for jutsu of any kind. There was only need for gelel.

The vessel lowered its head until its snout was hovering above the grievous wound. The light, glowing cerulean fluid flowed from Katy's icy cocoon and down through the neck, coming out its mouth in a steady stream.

The wound was stitching itself together with the cerulean thread, fusing like magic.

Neji's heartbeat grew stronger; his breaths steadied, smooth and deep; color returned to his face. Mae released the breath she didn't know she was holding as Neji opened his pale-moon eyes. "R...Reo," he whispered weakly.

"She's okay, she's fighting," replied Mae wearily. "Neji?"

His Byakugan activated slowly, the bulging veins crawling to his eyes. His gaze locked onto Anna, who was fighting like a rabid beast against the ever-growing roots of the Juubi. Then the cerulean creature—he could see two of them. One was a massive chimera latched onto the flower bud, high in the sky, while the other, a smaller deer-like being, stood near him.

His sight glued to the smaller creature.

"What is it?" Mae asked nervously. "Neji?"

There, in the smaller creature's belly…

"It can't be," he breathed out, stunned.

~.~.~

Gaara and the other Kages fought alongside their forces. They weren't the only ones to join the war, it seemed, as he caught sight of Orochimaru. Sasuke was there was well, fighting with Naruto. There were also the previous Hokage, brought back using the Edo Tensei jutsu.

He knew most of the Edo Tensei was extinguished. He also knew some had gone on even after the jutsu caster, Kabuto, had been defeated. He'd seen Madara defy it himself.

The war whirred on and on. Madara and Obito were the main threats—the Juubi was nothing more than a stationary tower for the most of it.

Then it collapsed.

There was a groaning, and the frozen bud at the top broke, falling down the side of the now headless stem. Shinobi scrambled to get away from the shadow that foretold its landing. Many used shielding jutsu. Sand rose up to protect them all. The blossom shattered on impact, shards and shreds of petal flying in every direction.

Calypso, the giant chimera, still latched onto the peak of the stem, and the frost spread downward, like a virus, or like a fungi that would consume the rest of the body.

There came a time when Madara tried to extract the Kyuubi from Naruto—and succeeded, despite everyone's efforts. He took Shukaku too, and Gaara cursed himself for allowing any of the tailed beasts to be taken, especially his own, though he was no longer bound to the Ichibi. They had developed a sense of… acceptance in regards to each other.

Gaara carried an unconscious Naruto on his sand cloud. He was determined to save the person who saved him.

The larger Calypso had turned its full attention on Madara and Obito, now that the Juubi tree had fallen. It attacked with vicious wrath.

Gaara caught a glimpse of something, then. It was the smaller version of Calypso, running and fighting alongside Mae. They were running in his direction. But there was something different about the horse-sized deer. Then he noticed, on its back, it carried someone.

His heart slammed against his chest.

It looked like Katherine.

Then he remembered Edo Tensei, and the thought was bittersweet. But he had no choice but to fly on, as Naruto was fading fast.

The little person mounted upon Calypso stayed in the back of Gaara's mind as he flew.

~.~.~

The war had been won.

It was a grueling war, the likes of which none of the shinobi had ever witnessed or heard of before, not even Oonoki, the elderly Kage who'd seen the passing of many things. It would surely go down as a legend, many whispered.

Madara had turned to ash, Obito had turned to ash. Calypso had helped them all. Naruto was saved and joined with Sasuke to defeat them once and for all.

Mae remembered the sweet relief that washed through her in waves as the ashes of the two Uchiha scattered into the wind, carried off into the burning glare of the rising sun. She hoped they burned, she really did. At that moment she didn't care how cruel the thought was, she was just so glad it was all over.

She had been with Katy as they followed the sand cloud. She saw Katy give the last of the gelel in her possession to Naruto so that he could recover.

Mae didn't know what to feel. She was assaulted with so many emotions she didn't know what she was feeling. They were all trying to cram into her, getting stuck in the doorway; relief, disbelief, sadness, happiness, rage, glee, and so much more.

But for now, she allowed herself some reverie as she sat in one of many medical tents. She sat beside the cot that held her aunt, watching her face as she slept. Katy was so pale, and cold, and thin… but alive. Mae still had trouble believing it.

The tent flap rustled as it was swept aside and Oreo entered with Neji. The Hyuuga had his hands around her shoulders, supporting her as she stumbled in. Oreo stared at Katy, the frail figure in the bed, and promptly burst into tears. Neji looked distressed, but remained silent, unknowing what else to do.

Then a second person came bursting through the tent flap. Mae was surprised to see that it was Temari. She was huffing and puffing like she'd done a lot of running (no doubt she had, with all the affairs of the dead and wounded going about). She stared at Katy, eyes so wide Mae thought they might fall out of their sockets.

"She's alive?!" the Jounin finally gasped.

As if in response, Katy groaned and turned her head away from the noise. Temari was left gawking.

Mae nodded, though it was not needed. Then she remembered to ask, "How's Kankuro doing?"

"Fine," Temari responded once she gets ahold of herself. "The poison's been taken care of and now he's in recovery."

"That's good to hear." Mae smiled, casting a worried glace at Ann—Oreo, who was still in tears. "How's Gaara—I mean, the Kazekage?"

Temari smiled, reassuring yet tired. "If you were anyone else I'd tell you to address him properly, but… You can call him Gaara, he won't mind. He's doing well, by the way. As well as can be expected. He's convening with the other Kage at the moment. He said he'll be here as soon as he can. He sent me to make sure…" She trailed off, eyes resting on Katy.

Mae nodded once more, going silent at Katy's bedside.

Oreo had sunk to the floor, Neji sitting beside her. Her tears had dried, and she sat staring numbly at the cot Katy lied on. There were others in the tent, wounded shinobi who lied on their own cots. They were separated by a thick curtain. Oreo could heard a moan coming from beyond it. But there was not a sound coming from Katy. She was completely still. If she hadn't made a noise earlier, Oreo would've thought her dead. The barest rise of her chest told she lived.

Minutes passed like hours. Temari stood vigil by the tent flap, looking strong and capable even with her broken arm in a sling.

Then the tent flap was pushed aside, and Gaara entered threadbare room.

Oreo went completely still, not daring to even take a breath.

Everyone's eyes turned to the Kage, but his were glued to Katy. He approached her slowly, as if any noise or sudden movement would scare the image of her away. He stopped at the bedside, next to Mae.

And then he just…stared.

"Gaara?" ventured Temari.

He made no response, he just moved to wrap his fingers around Katy's wrist, feeling the pulse beat steady beneath.

No one said anything when the tears silently streaked down his face.

~.~.~

A/N: It's been awhile, again. I'm sorry! My health hasn't been so good, but I'm finally starting to feel better. I want to thank all of you who've stuck with me through this. This story wouldn't be going anywhere without your encouragement and gentle prodding. Thank you so much!

On the subject of Neji: Gai survives the Eight Gates, Naruto survives the Kyuubi extraction, Obito won't die until he's turned to ash… and Neji gets killed… by a stick. A stick. Bullcrap. That's all I have to say about that.

You'll notice I completely ignored Kaguya's existance...

This chapter is brought to you without editing. I will go over it later and correct mistakes accordingly, but for now, I didn't want you guys to wait any longer than you already have.

Thanks for reading!