I Think My TV's Broken

by Exhale Vanilla Lace

*MASSIVE REVISION IN PROGRESS* Yukari's life isn't exactly sunshine and daisies. Somewhere between being disowned and having her only reason for living die in her arms you'd think someone would cut her a break. Instead her TV Broke and she's definately not in Tokyo anymore.

11. Passion and Fire

A/N: I know, I know, I know, it's been forever I'm SO Sorry. I really appreciate that you guys haven't abandoned me after all, I'm glad you like the story enough to come back. I so sorry that it took me so long to update, really I am. You see I've been grounded and my mother unhooked my computer, I pretty much had to retype this entire chapter during my study hall period. I am however happy to announce that I just got this back from my beta so it's been polished and everything!MY GOD IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I do own Kai though. He's all mine, yum. :)

Chapter 10

Passion and Fire

(It was as if a piece of me had awoken… the passion that had been robbed from my eyes, I'd stolen it back. Never before had I felt so utterly powerful.)

Kanoke once said to me, "You still don't trust me, do you?"

And she had been quite right at the time.

Thing is, I don't really remember when I'd stopped calling Kanoke, 'Princess.' She had made no effort to point it out; she probably welcomed the change. But, from then on, something in the air had changed between us; I hadn't noticed until weeks afterwards. And when I did, it upset me that I'd slipped up.

But Maya had liked the little orphaned girl from the moment I'd brought her home… well, I didn't so much bring her home as I was followed home. And why not? Kanoke was a sweet girl with a loyal disposition. But that just didn't seem to register to Tanner when they'd first met. He made his dislike for the girl quite clear. And in reaction, she'd decided she hated him as well. And when it was asked of me to pick a side, I had no trouble taking little Maya's hand and walking out the door.

To this day, I couldn't tell you what happened in that room after I'd left. All they would say is, "we've reached an understanding." So, I've concluded that they had angry rival sex and were quite content to be around each other after that. Though two ten year olds having angry rival sex is rather unlikely, I'm quite fond of what that statement gets out of them. They still teased and toyed cruelly with the other, but Tanner would never actually intentionally hurt her, and she would beat on him when he did it, so I can safely say that all of us had a rather dysfunctional relationship.

I had told Kai there was nothing for me back there. I would much rather be here. I had lied. But it wouldn't be the same without Maya. That's what we ended up wanting to do, protect little Maya. The other two had adopted her as their own sister, if I'm not mistaken. And I'm not. So without that common goal, do you think we'd break apart? I'm so secretly terrified of breaking apart from them. I'd like to think we'd all stay together and morn, but honestly, how many childhood relationships last forever? God knows if I really could take it all back, I would stick a knife in Father's back before he even had the chance to lay his impure hands on my little angel!

I wonder how my new teammates would react to the knowledge that I could kill my father without any qualms. Sasuke, the hypocrite, would quickly decide never to turn his back on me again. Sakura, the narrow-minded, would be appalled. Kakashi might understand, maybe. And Naruto… Naruto, whom I'd already become so attached to… I bet he'd still take me in. His favorite question 'why?' vs., my 'what if's?' I really would have to hook him up with Hinata.

Speaking of Hinata, I'd most certainly take the girl shopping. She gave me pajamas, so it was my turn to give something back. I suppose I could just buy her pajamas. I needed to go shopping, too. No matter what anyone said, I needed to change my wardrobe. No one else did it, but to hell with everyone else! I fucking needed underwear! I'd never understand how people did it. Naruto practically had to do it because the shopkeepers were mostly bastards. So maybe he'd started some sort of trend. Now that was just silly. Sasuke wouldn't follow a trend; Sakura would, if Sasuke were setting it. Sigh. Did that mean they all wore the same underwear? How incredibly boring. Or were kunoichi supposed to wear thongs cuz of underwear lines? I prefer lace myself…

"Morning, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura sang as she bounced her way out the door.

Did Sakura wear a thong…?

"Hn."

DID HINATA WEAR A THONG!?

"Yukari-chan."

I shifted as she added the suffix to my name again, but gave no other sign of hearing her.

I had more bothersome things to think about.

'… Well, that's gonna bother me for a while…'

/You said it./

Sakura edged closer to me, I had come to associate this with her hesitance to ask me a question. Unfortunately, her hesitance never really seemed to last. But what would she ask in the presence of her other teammate? And more importantly, if I wanted to be a kunoichi, did I have to ditch my boy shorts and start wearing a thong?

"What're ya thinking about, Yukari-chan?"

I responded on impulse. "People, shopping, boy shorts, thongs…"

Her jaw dropped and I almost laughed aloud when Sasuke twitched. "B-but you're not supposed to, to, uh-" She couldn't find the words and I couldn't blame her. She'd put me in a rather neat mystery box, and no where near that box had she decided I did anything as girly as shopping for underwear. But as much as I appreciate that image, I never really liked boxes.

"Alright everyone, let's get going," Kakashi announced, book in hand, as he causally strolled out the door, Tsunami and the bridge builder at his heels. "Everyone ready?" There was a chorus of 'Hai's that he nodded appreciatively at. "Okay, I'll leave Naruto in your hands. He pushed his body to the limit. Overdoing it as usual. So he may not be able to move at all today."

If I hadn't known Naruto would wake and come after us, I'd be hesitant to leave him behind. But with any luck, I'd scared Pinky off by talking about thongs. And maybe Sasuke would keep up that angry silence he's had since I stopped Kai and him from ripping each other's heads off.

"What about you?" Tsunami stated worriedly. "You're still recovering yourself."

I grinned wolfishly at the woman who'd become so attached to my sensei. I'm not gonna lie, I had never considered the relationship before. It's not very implied in the animation, but there was attraction there, and it made me laugh.

"Why, do I look wobbly? I'll be okay," Kakashi assured.

Of course, he was right, but it made me wonder why the fuck I healed so damn slow!? The stomach wound was still there, scabbed up all nice and gross like, but still there.

"Come on, let's get going," Tazuna grunted and like good little soldiers, we marched off to battle.

'Haha, it's like a song.'

I hummed a few bars of my song of very few lyrics with my eyes closed in a content fashion. I felt more then saw Sakura working her way closer to me, though we weren't very far from each other to begin with. In the anime, Sasuke had used Kakashi to separate himself from the pink menace, but why use Kakashi when you can use little ol' Yukari-chan? This left Sakura on my immediate right.

"Um, Yukari-chan?"

I took a deep breath marveling at how little luck I truly had. "Yes, Pinky?"

"Well I wasn't going to ask you before, not that I think about it a lot…" I raised an eyebrow, quickly becoming an unwilling victim of my own curiosity. "But now that I know for sure that you think about some girly things, like, uh-"

"Underwear?" I offered.

"Um, yeah, underwear…" she trailed off for a moment and I bit my cheek. I was probably gonna regret this.

"You were saying?"

"Oh yes! Uh, I was just wondering, do you think wearing things like, er, thongs and lace, makes girls more attractive?"I choked on my own spit. This was brilliant; bloody, fucking brilliant.

"Yes, cuz I'm a lesbian and looking at women in sexy laundry makes me all hot and bothered." Sakura's face lit up red and she stumbled to keep up with my casual pace. "You hear that, Popsicle? Pinky has the hots for me now! Haha, no pink haired babies for you."

Sakura face planted and Sasuke gave me a look of complete mortification. Ah, life is good.

"Y-Yukari, no! I mean, just I-I W-wait I…" And I laughed with full-blown laughter that made Sakura stop her babble.

"Oh my god, Pinky, you're fabulous. Just fabulous. The look on your face, the questions you ask, fuck, I don't know how the Uchiha resists you. This is just fucking fabulous! Calm down, please, I get it, I get it." I was actually wiping mirth from my eyes. And why shouldn't I? I was one of the privileged few who were able to see Sasuke's face of mortification. "I can die happy now."

"Y-Yukari!" Sakura accused.

"Calling out my name already? I haven't even touched you yet."

Her face lit up again, she brought it on herself. "S-Stop!" she demanded. I grinned wickedly.

"Yukari-chan, perhaps you should tone down your humor a bit, ne?" Kakashi suggested.

I pouted. "Afraid of a little fire, Scarecrow?" I quoted. I blinked as I realized they wouldn't get it and sighed. "Sa, fine."

The duration of the walk was far less entertaining, much to my displeasure. And Sakura saw fit to stay as far away from me as physically possible. Haha. Sasuke still wasn't speaking. He probably stopped caring altogether. Which is a real pity, cuz it was extremely fun to bother him. I was suddenly regretting leaving Summers Storm behind. Just the pups company would have been a godsend to my boredom. It seemed like a good idea at the time. A battlefield was no place for the pup. Though, I've heard a lot about Haku's soft spot for small and fuzzy animals. It would be interesting to find out if it's true.

I couldn't shake the unnerving thought that my innocent little Hinata-chan might wear a thong. I wasn't even too sure how I'd come up with the entire idea. I think I'd been thinking about shopping. Harmless shopping. That's just… not fair.

And to top it all off, I'm sure that Tsunami shrunk my clothes. But probably not on purpose. Everything just seemed… a lot tighter, all of the sudden.

/Don't complain, you look hot./

I fought to find something else to think about, doing my utmost best to keep my mind from wandering to the upcoming fight. It wasn't that I didn't care; it wasn't even that I was afraid. But if I thought about it for too long, I would become jittery and paranoid. That was dangerous.

Haku's face appeared in my mind and my brow furrowed. I did not want the boy to die. The boy did not deserve to die. Maya had liked him… But I dare not change the plotline so drastically. It could get one of the main characters killed, disrupt time, or god knows what else. But I didn't want Haku to die… Was I really so selfish for wanting him to live even at the risk of everything? That didn't make sense; one person's life wasn't worth it, a person I'd never actually had a conversation with, no less. It just bothered me that he had to die; the first to die in the entire series was an innocent. And I was so clearly doing what I do so very often. For the first time, it was hard simply to ignore the problem.

I grimaced in irritation. This all could have been avoided… if only I'd been able to master that technique… but it was just too advanced. I was too… weak.

My eyes widened and my jaw locked at the mere thought. It was like being trapped in a fucking cage that didn't make any sense. By all rights, no matter how weak I was, I should have made SOME progress with that technique. But what did I get? Screwed over that's what I got. Nothing more than a puff of smoke. Fire was my favorite element, and not only did I suck at it, I was downright incapable of pulling off anything related to it.

'Fuck, no wonder Sasuke can't stand fighting his brother,' I thought.

/Cheer up, Bubbles-chan!/

'Tch.'

/Tut tut, you're not even using real words anymore./

'Like you care.'

/Oh but I do. A brooding Bubbles is a boring Bubbles. You never let yourself have any fun anymore/ it pouted.

Yes, I've resorted to calling it an 'it.'

/But that's silly, Bubbles! Clearly, I have a gender!/

'Well, I won't call you she. It's like admitting I'm completely off my rocker.'

/Actually, I'm the opposite of you! You're sulky and I'm cheery. You're dark and I'm light. You're female, I'm male-/

I choked.

'Excuse me!?'

/Aw, you know what I mean, don't ya? I'm the stuff you won't let out!/

I twitched in a rather seizure-like fashion and had to ignore Kakashi's pointed glance.

'So, erm, what? You're a guy?'

/Bubble-chan learns fast!/

I tripped. And over my own two feet, too, thank you very much.

'You're male!? The fuck?'

/Quite right. And if you let out some of your pent up happiness and craziness, I wouldn't be as hyper as I am./

'So you LIKED it when Clare KISSED us!?' Hey man, something here just isn't right.

/Not exactly, that's kinda of confusing./

I let this bit of information process for a bit. This was the first time I'd ever really considered the fact that the voice in my head might be a guy. It had never come up before, and I couldn't remember a time when there'd been any hints. This voice had been with me for a long time, so long in fact, that there was something incredibly comforting about its presence.

/That's because you need me, Bubbles-chan. I balance you out and absorb the emotions that you don't let other people see. Because of me, you're not bursting with emotional trauma./

'The fuck?'

/Sounds about right./ The voice sighed.

'But, but your voice it's all girly and stuff...' I was trying to break the denial, really, I was. But trust me, it's a hell of a lot harder then it sounds.

/I'm an extension of you, Bubbles-chan, created by you—our voices are the same-/

'Until you hit puberty?' I inquired.

/You make it sound like a bad thing/ it whined. /I'm only thirteen, after all. It's not completely unheard of… Some guys just have… girly voices…/

'Plus, you're totally gay.'

/That's not completely true… it's complicated, Bubbles-chan./

'Gaaaaaaaaay.'

It gave an indignant snort. /Technically, I'm not gay./

I froze for moment, letting realization hit me at his statement.

"I AM NOT GAY!" I announced rather loudly.

Everyone stopped walking. An eerie silence enveloped us. No one knew how to respond. I hadn't meant to say it aloud.

"Um Yukari…" Kakashi started, strangely baffled by this new situation.

But to hell with all of that. If the suddenly very male and very gay voice in my head wanted to challenge my sexual preference, then I'd be damned if we weren't going to court over it!

/Bubbles-chan, I already told you I'm not gay!/

"You have to be gay, if you're not gay, then I am gay, and I am certainly not gay. You said it yourself." I was talking aloud now, my hand raised in defense. No one moved.

/Blah! Forget what I said/ the voice cried. /I explained it wrong, okay. We're not complete opposites. Technically, that's impossible anyway! I'm just your emotional back up, created at the alternative of you slipping into manic depression. It's pure chance that I'm male!" he moaned.

I blinked.

"Ooooooooh. Oookaaaay," I nodded, putting my hand down and smiling happily. "Silly gay man."

I decided I had two choices. Go with it, or pretend they were all going insane. Both sucked. I started walking again as though my little outburst had never happened. It still didn't make much sense to me, but, fuck, who was I to argue with the gay voice in my head?

'I still think you're gay, you know,' I figured decisively.

/Fine./ He gave up. /If you say so… well done, Bubbles-chan/ he stated proudly.

I frowned. 'Hm?'

/You let yourself panic!/

I sweat dropped.

'That's not something to be proud of,' I grumbled. 'You know, I can't even talk to you that same way anymore.' I sighed.

'It's kinda weird knowing I had a guy in my head this whole time,' I admitted… to myself, my inner self… my inner guy self. The man in me.

'What the hell is wrong with me?'

/Just go with it/ it… he suggested.

I chose to ignore it.

-- --

"Yukari, what happened back there!?" Sakura questioned.

It had taken her a while of, what I suspected to be, deducing in her head before she spoke to me. And I suppose when she couldn't conclude, she demanded an answer. I couldn't say I was very surprised. Sakura had never been on the end of one of my chibi tantrums before, unlike Sasuke, who was doing a damn good job at pretending nothing had happened back there. Kakashi, I believe, had only arrived to the conclusion a while ago that he did not want to know. And the only question on Tazuna's face was if he had made a good choice in putting his life in the hands of the hyperactive, the fan girl, the moody, the porn addict, and the schizoid.

This left me with Pinky. Funny, I didn't remember the walk to the bridge being quite this long.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Haruno-san." I Xelloss-smiled at her and she twitched.

"You know darn well what I'm talking about Yukari!" she huffed impatiently. "You freaked out on us back there!" she insisted.

"Hm, did I really?" I was trying not to grin.

"Creamsicle-kun, whatever is she talking about?" I addressed Sasuke.

"Hn."

I grinned.

"Oh my, I think that puts little Uchiha on my side, Pinky, could you have imagined it, maybe?" Sakura looked at Sasuke in shock and then at me in disbelief.

"Kakashi-sensei, you saw it, didn't you!?" Sakura was near a panicked state now.

"I don't particularly want to know, Sakura." Kakashi stated, turning a page in his book.

My grin widened at the expected answer.

"But, but…" Sakura stared around desperately.

"Silly Pinky-chan." I gave a fake giggle that was laced with so much false innocence I almost choked on it and Sasuke literally flinched away. "You overwork yourself, you know. Poor dear. You need to relax more. You know, I know this lovely little ice cream place, I'd be glad to take you later. We could bring the Ice Cube as well, ne? You could learn his favorite flavor."

I hadn't really expected the idea to work and I was very surprised by Sakura's sudden mood change.

"Do you like ice cream, Sasuke-kun!?" she gasped excitedly.

I sweat dropped. That had been strangely easy. Sasuke cast a death glare in my direction and I waved casually back at him. He was proving to be incredibly useful on this trip. He was entertaining, fun to confuse, he made the strangest faces (whenever he wasn't wearing that mask of his), when speaking with him, I'd forgotten all about my little dream of Shura, and of course, right now, he was proving to be a lovely distraction.

"Hold on!" I heard Tazuna's suddenly alarmed voice and tensed in realization. When had I stopped paying attention to where I was going? "What the heck is this!?" he cried.

I knew before I even looked up where we were and what I would see.

The first thing I registered was the bodies. The workers lying in awkward positions, sprawled out from when they'd been chosen as the enemy's next victims. Their tools lay scattered about them and only the grunts that escaped their mouths convinced me they still lived. The fact that they did indeed still live made me conclude this to be Haku's work, and I was very sure if we were to check, we'd find senbon or at least puncture makes about the bodies.

"What happened!?" Tazuna panicked. "Someone was here, someone got to them!"

I could not force myself to be annoyed at his obvious statement.

"Could it be?" I heard my sensei mutter.

I braced myself, slapped by the sudden cold as waves of mist rolled over us. Thicker and thicker. There was no doubt.

"This mist…" Kakashi was finally at his inevitable conclusion.

"He's baaaaaaack," I sang, my own voice echoed and sounded creepy when thrown to the wind.

"Sasuke, Sakura, Yukari, get ready!" Kakashi sounded alarmed as the four of us successfully boxed Tazuna in. Sakura shook in confusion at my right, Sasuke shook in excitement at my left, and each of them drew a kunai from their pouch.

"I knew he was still alive." Kakashi voice seemed strained. "He just couldn't wait for round two." Though my back was to Kakashi, I knew he held a hand sign and I briefly wondered if I'd be able to make my way discreetly to the front of the group so that I might watch.

"Kakashi-sensei! It's Zabuza, isn't it!? This is his Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Sakura confirmed.

No need for Kakashi to answer, she was sure.

"Sorry I kept you waiting, Kakashi."

The voice came from nowhere and from everywhere, floating about the mist in a successfully ominous way. I ticked an eyebrow, of course, I hadn't expected him to apologize to me, but it would have been nice.

"I see you still have those brats with you."

I hissed in a way akin to an offended cat.

"That one's still trembling. Pitiful." I knew it to be addressed towards Sasuke. And in a moment, a split second of pure speed, many Zabuzas had circled us, perhaps 8 or 9. I did not care to count. Originally, the demon of the mist would have appeared before Tazuna, but I was in front of him now, an addition to the team.

And Sasuke smiled.

"I'm trembling with… excitement."

"Go on, Sasuke." Kakashi allowed.

Zabuza let out a grunt, I know not if it was of disbelief, offense, or something else all together, but it did not last long. Sasuke swept around with commendable speed. I'd have joined him as my pride wished it to be so, but instead I stayed put, letting Sasuke feed his own pride, and he would need the confidence boost as my narcissistic self did not.

A slash to the chest of each clone and they all came crashing down as water. I took Sasuke's place to watch and I laughed. The sound was enhanced by the fog, I sounded cruel and amused. I loved it.

"Oh, so you could see they were water clones," Zabuza mused, stepping before us, his apprentice calmly standing at his side. "Brat's improving. Looks like you have a rival, Haku."

"So it seems," Haku replied. I wondered for a moment if Sasuke would make the name connection, though I do not believe he did.

"What are you laughing about? Gone insane with fear?" Zabuza inquired.

"Me?" I asked, had I been laughing this whole time? He snarled and I knew he remembered me. I was glad. "I'm just glad for the wardrobe change. You really do look much better now, you know"

His snarl grew. "Still have that mouth on you, I see."

"But of course."

"I'll rip it off this time," he assured.

"That would be quite a pity. I have a lovely voice, you know. Shall I sing you a song?" There was a brief silence. "No? Perhaps at your funeral then."

"Well, well." Attention was back on Kakashi. "So I had it right. It was all an act. An act, and a cute little mask."

Sakura made a short noise.

"Big fully," Sasuke scoffed. I faltered for a moment wondering if that was a word.

"So I guess all that about being a tracker ninja protecting his village was just a bunch of bull," Tazuna put in.

"They look pretty chummy to me," Kakashi said. "I'd guess they've been pulling scams like that for a long time."

"He's got some nerve facing us again after pulling that trick," Sakura huffed. She's been doing that a lot today.

"Hiding behind a mask. Who does he think he's fooling?" I sweat dropped at Kakashi's choice of words.

"Speak for yourself, sensei," Sakura laughed.

"That's it," Sasuke stated, his head lowering like a bull ready to charge. "Who does he think he's fooling, hiding behind that mask like some sort of clown?"

"Sasuke!" Sakura squealed. "You're so cool."

"Wait a second, didn't I just say that?" Kakashi mopped dejectedly.

"Ice Cube, could you at least try to be original?" I scoffed.

He did not spare me a glare.

On the other side of us, I knew Zabuza and Haku were consulting on some matter, I also knew the conversation to be ended when the tornado that was Haku came spiraling towards us. Or Sasuke, to be more precise. I watched in mild fascination as Sasuke prepared himself.

Haku looked like he was dancing, each step as fluidly placed as his last, though fast and masterful. Closer and closer. I received a breeze from his calculated steps. Closer and closer Sasuke tensed at my side. Closer and closer. Senbon glinting in the winds. Closer and closer.

CLASH!

Sasuke's kunai met Haku's senbon in mid-spin, both freezing in the dramatic collision. I stood behind them, slightly awed.

"Sakura, cover Tazuna and stay close to me, let Sasuke handle this," Kakashi ordered. I found it rather convenient that he'd left me out of this order, since I intended to ignore whatever he said.

The two boys spun again and again, metal ringing as they met. And again, they repeated this sequence of blocking and spinning and dancing.

"We want the bridge builder, not you. If you back down, I won't have to kill you." Haku's words were muffled by the mask and his naturally soft voice made me strain to hear him.

Sasuke smirked. "Save it," he responded.

"You're making a mistake," Haku tried. He sounded rather remorseful. "You won't be able to keep up with my speed. I've gained two key advantages."

"Yeah, what are they?" Sasuke grunted, hands shaking with the effort it took his hand to block Haku's continuously.

"First, we are surrounded by water. Second, I've blocked one of your hands. Therefore, you only have one free hand to defend yourself with." Haku brought his hand up and Sasuke narrowed his eyes. And one-handed, the demon's apprentice began to form half hand seals. It looked rather ridiculous because I was having difficulties telling which seals were which, due to both speed and my own lack of knowledge. "Secret jutsu."

My eyes widened and I leaned closer, more eager then I should have been.

"A thousand needles of death."

Water sprang up into the air, hovered for but a moment, then thinned into thousands of tiny blades fit to call them senbon.

I saw Sasuke's hand sign and I felt the chakra appear at his feet as I had many times before. The senbon flew. It didn't feel like he'd gotten the chakra there fast enough. And then… everything shook as the senbon contacted the ground. Haku spun away from his own attack unharmed and Sasuke, who'd jumped to high with the use of his chakra, remained unscathed.

One, two, three shuriken Sasuke threw, each landing where Haku had been only a moment before. Sasuke appeared behind the boy a confident smirk adorning his features.

"You're not as fast as you think!" he said confidently. "From this point on, you'll be the one defending against my attacks."

I winced at his arrogance.

They both separated and again they spun in their dance, Sasuke's steps quickening as though the music tempo had changed in his own favor. They met fist to fist and Sasuke's kunai flew over Haku's head as the apprentice ducked to dodge. It wouldn't be enough. The Uchiha was fast. His foot connected with Haku's face and the boy flew backwards at the contact.

"Thought you were quicker, huh? What else are you wrong about?"

Sasuke was making it easy for all of us to hear him. Perhaps his pride was roaring too loud, but Zabuza looked a bit pissed off.

"You've made a mistake insulting these ninja and calling them brats," Kakashi put in dramatically. "That's just guaranteed to bring out Sasuke's attitude and he's the best young fighter in the Hidden Leaf Village. And Sakura here is our sharpest mind."

Sakura giggled at the recognition.

"Yukari is our quickest tongue and fast to find a weakness."

My eyes widened as he addressed me. It was a sentence I was unfamiliar with, as it had not been in the original animation. Though, I suppose on some level I had expected him to ignore me in his speech, it suddenly seemed stupid to think so.

"I can dance, too." I added, grinning cheekily through my awe.

"And last, but not least," Kakashi continued. "Our number one, hyperactive, knucklehead ninja is Naruto Uzumaki."

The brief silence that followed after was quickly broken by Zabuza's laughter. I suppose it was more of a chuckle, but it served its purpose.

"Haku, if we keep going on like this, we'll be the victims instead of them. Get on with it!"

"Right." Haku stood. He seemed taller now, but perhaps that was just me. I forced myself not to gasp as I could feel the surge in Haku's chakra, my left hand twitching at the sudden power. I could see it. It showed the blue coming off him like fire in the anime as well. But now I could feel it, it was strong and foreign to me. "I'm sorry it's come to this," Haku apologized.

The air was so cold now and Sasuke voice had become too quiet for me to hear. The demon's apprentice brought up both hands to form a hand sign. My eyes widened, I had thought I'd had more time.

Damn commercials!

A pillar of ice was already forming into a sheet behind Sasuke before I had even moved. I tried to be fast; I had pumped chakra into the soles of my boots so that I might get Sasuke away from the danger. I had tried not to crash into the sudden appearance of Zabuza before me… but I had failed. My small form did not budge the missing nin, and I stumbled less than gracefully away from him.

Another mirror formed, then yet another.

"And where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"That's a stupid question," I spat. His eyes narrowed.

Another mirror formed.

"I don't have time for this!" I tried to go around him and his arm shot out to stop me. Thankfully, I did not crash into it this time; there was not enough inertia.

"Haku is fighting the boy right now; you'd do well not to interrupt."

Another mirror formed.

Adrenaline pounded through my blood, not unlike the time Naruto had been attacked. It urged me forward, demanding that I move, though common sense told me I'd only be stopped should I try. My eyes narrowed as I realized that this time, just like last time, I might very well be too late.

"Demon of the Mist, I have neither the time nor the patience to deal with you right now!" The voice that left me was low and feral, muttering a warning that, somewhere within me, I knew I could not follow through on. Not yet, not here, not now. Zabuza could kill me. But my adrenaline high was unsatisfied. I was still unmoving, and it demanded action.

"What makes you think you can get past me, kid?" He seemed relatively amused. "That mouth of yours is going to get you killed someday. Act foolishly and that day will be today."

I hissed.

Another mirror formed.

Time was running out and Sasuke was not moving. In fact, Zabuza and I seemed to be the only ones not completely mesmerized by Haku's bloodline ability. Had the situation not been dire, I'd have smirked.

"Because I, like you, have been titled demon before. And a demon is measured by its darkness and its intent." My pupils dilated and I summoned up the most killing intent and malice I could manage, willing it to seep through my pores and purge the very mist to reach him.

Another mirror formed.

"Wanna see my darkness, Za-bu-za?"

His eyes seemed to widen as his name escaped my lips. There was power behind its use, something strange about the way I'd uttered the word that disturbed him. And I grinned, willing myself to seem as excited as possible and not show the briefest bit of alarm.

Another mirror formed.

I needed to leave and I needed to do it now.

I tried to use Zabuza's brief hesitance against him and, in my naivety, I again tried to go around him. His arm was thrown out again. I tried to stop. I really did… but I slipped.

It's not as bad as it sounds; the water carried me smoothly underneath his arm. And being that it was unplanned, there was no way he could have seen it coming.

I jumped up, having skidded away, and rushed again towards Sasuke. There was pain in my arm. Something I'd define as concrete burn, perhaps.

"Uchiha, time to go!" I announced, unsure of what I had planned and acting upon it anyway. I gripped his arm in my panic and tried to drag him away. "We need to get out of here!" I had only dragged him a few steps before he jerked away. "Um, heelllo!" I growled. "This has got bad written all over it, we need to move, now!"

More mirrors were forming, yet still the boy was ignoring me.

"Christ, Uchiha!" I tried to drag him away again. But again, the idiot shook me off.

"Get off, Yukari!" Sasuke demanded.

It was gonna be too late soon. The dome was almost complete."Are stupid or something!?" He cast me a glare, but I really didn't care.

A mirror appeared behind me. I tensed.

"Danger, Will Robinson. Danger!" It dawned on me that he was not moving and I growled again, drawing Winters Frost from the place at my belt. "If I die in here because I wasn't able to drag your skinny, little ass away, then god help you, Popsicle, because I'm gonna haunt your sorry ass for the rest of your life."

"This is my fight!" he announced. "Stay out of it!"

I gave the most incredulous look. "Haven't you learned anything since the bell test!? Or did you just tune me out like you do the rest of the world?"

"I don't need your help to beat this guy!" he insisted, still not meeting my eyes. He was making this more difficult then it needed to be. Not as if I could leave them alone if I'd wanted too, the dome was complete. Bloody, fucking brilliant.

"Just like you didn't 'need' my help to pass that test?" It wasn't a question, though I was sure his eyes were widening.

"I'm not sure what to do right now… hit you or pity you."

He turned to me in realization as I began to quote myself.

"Poor Uchiha, your arrogance will be your downfall… it's not wrong to accept help, you know…"

…Then you will fail…

He muttered and grudgingly he nodded at me. "Fine, do what you want. But I'm not leaving."

'Good enough,' I decided.

And quite suddenly, Haku was everywhere. Each ice mirror that made up the dome Sasuke and I were now trapped in wore Haku as its image.

'Shit, hope we didn't miss anything too important during that little revelation.'

/Aw, I wanted to see Haku merge with the mirror./

"Now, we'll begin." Haku's voice, like Zabuza's before, came from nowhere and everywhere at once. "And I'll show you what speed really is."

'Brilliant. Another arrogant son of a-'

Pain.

I choked on my own scream as pain rippled through my body. Needles. Hundreds, maybe thousands of them were scratching along the surface of my skin, ripping my clothes. Blood drenched my form. I wrapped my arms around my stomach in hopes to protect the unhealed area.

Sasuke was no better off then me. The force of the needles actually lifted him from the ground. Though… I realized quite suddenly that I would live. Haku did not want us dead. He never had. Or he'd have killed Naruto in that forest, skewered Sasuke from the beginning, and turned on me when I'd so clearly recognized him that morning.

Sound became quite mute and the pain dulled as I retreated into the comfort of my mind. But Sasuke's screams were so loud in my muted world. This couldn't be helped. I realized that standing so far from him was complete idiocy.

I phased in front of him, wincing in my pain, and forming hand signs on my way, ready to perform my chakra barrier… I changed them half way through, it took up too much chakra, and I'd have to save it. "Ice technique! Ice Crystal Barrage!"

The cold air became noticeably worse and frost formed at the tips of my eyelashes, but the crystals formed in the air. And then they flew. I had made as many as I thought possible and acting as their own shield, they met Haku's senbon in mid air in a distinct block. It did not block them all, but it was better, a thousand times better. I breathed deeply, my lungs reacting unkindly to the chill in the air, but my body demanding that I breathe. Sasuke collapsed at my side, trembling with more damage then I'd thought, but not enough to kill.

I knelt beside the boy. "Uchiha, are you…"

Saying, 'Are you all right?' would have been the stupidest thing to say right now. Well, apart from, 'Look on the bright side! At least your brother's not here!' But, that would be beyond stupid and more into the territory of suicidal.

"Get up, Uchiha. You're not dead, so get up. You chose to stay in the dome, now you'll live to get out of this dome, even if I have to take down Haku and drag you into Pinky's waiting embrace myself!" I barked.

He shot me a glare.

"Here!" Sakura called.

Sasuke and I both watched as she threw the kunai that had been knocked clear from Sasuke's fingertips during the attack. Sasuke reached up to catch it, but Haku got to it first, the upper half his body joining the three-dimensional world to do so. It was actually kinda cool, despite the fact that Sakura, the oh-so-brilliant kunoichi, had just given our ENEMY a WEAPON!

'You know what? Grr… just grr.'

/Amen/

The shuriken came from two different directions and both hit the mark that was Haku's mask. The force threw the boy from his mirror until he was lying on the pavement. I smirked at everyone's confusion.

"About time he showed up."

There was a loud BANG and cloud upon cloud of smoke with the boy's oh-so-inconspicuous appearance.

"Number one…" I heard Haku say, "hyperactive knucklehead ninja."

The smoke cleared… the suspense built dramatically as Naruto appeared in all his orange glory.

"Naruto Uzumaki… is here! Yeah! Believe it!" Naruto stated in his loud, overbearing, oh-my-god-I'm-glad-Kit's-here kind of way.

/Haha./

"Now that I'm here, everything's gonna be okay!" he announced, sounding so sure that I was tempted to believe him.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled happily, like a perfect, little damsel in distress.

"You know how in stories, the hero usually shows up in the end and then kicks butt? Well, that's what I'm gonna do right now. Believe it!"

Although I suppose it's not how I would have done it, if Naruto had done it my way, he simply wouldn't be the Naruto I know and love.

"Eh, this brat again," Zabuza scoffed in annoyance.

"Heh. Idiot," I muttered and Sasuke seemed to agree. "Cute, but... idiotic," I laughed.

"How is that cute?" Sasuke asked, choking either on the blood that was coming out of his mouth, or on his own spit. Who knows?

"Oh, come now, Uchiha, You don't need to hide your feeling from me." He gave me a bewildered look. "I saw you kiss the boy myself. We all know you like him." I grinned. He choked again.

"You're delusional," he stated.

I laughed. "Denial, that's cute, too." I cooed, pinching his cheek in the old-person fashion.

"All right! You're history!" Naruto shouted, drawing my attention away from the moody homo next to me. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

My left hand twitched. That was my only warning of the surge that had passed through the air before four of Zabuza's shuriken were sent hurtling towards Naruto. A moment where Kakashi called out, the same moment where Haku had released his own attack, this moment where thought left me and my body became ridged.

"Haku," I whispered.

There was a clang as metal met metal and the attacks of the Demon and his apprentice collided. Haku had saved Naruto's life. I was sure he'd have been all right even if the shuriken had hit him, since he was Naruto, after all. But Haku had no way of knowing that. How could I have forgotten that the boy had literally saved Uzumaki Naruto?

Sasuke's eyes widened in realization and he sat up faster than I'd recommend. He shrugged off the pain and came up behind me to grip my shoulder.

"Haku! The boy from the forest!?" Sasuke had finally connected the dots. I did not answer.

"He didn't get him," I heard Sakura say.

"Their weapons canceled each other out. Now that's what I'd call lucky, I think." I almost snorted at Tazuna's statement; luck had nothing to do with it.

And then Pinky snapped. "What are you doing Naruto!? Are you crazy!?"

"This is a battle, not a talent show! Don't let your opponent see your jutsu!" Kakashi sounded pissed off. "The shinobi's art is deception. Always keep your enemies guessing. Even when executing a single jutsu one much distract their enemy's attention, catch them off guard, and out maneuver them. You just turn yourself into a human target when you enter a battle like that."

"Jeez cut the kid some slack, Scarecrow." I pitched.

"We can't afford to, Yukari! In a life-and-death situation, you can't let things like this go!" he shot back.

I shrunk back into Sasuke's chest, not used to my sensei's anger.

"Ah! I'm sorry! I was just trying to rescue everybody!" Naruto screamed, gripping his head in shame.

"But… there's another mystery here." Kakashi said. He was so quiet, I hardly heard him over Naruto's wailing.

"Haku," Zabuza demanded roughly. "What are you doing?"

"Zabuza… this boy… let my fight him my own way. Please." Haku's request was strange for anyone who did not know the reasoning, aka the boy and I, considering I'd seen inside his head before.

"Bring it on!" Naruto dared, his mood changing back to being confident and loud.

There was a moment of silence in which Haku never took his eyes off Naruto. Then finally, Zabuza closed his eyes and reopened them in a lazy fashion.

"Heh, so you want me to leave this to you. Is that it, Haku?" Another silence was the boys answer. "As usual, you're too soft."

Haku's head lowered. "Forgive me."

Sasuke blinked, mulling those words over behind me and for his benefit only, I muttered, "Explains why we're still alive."

Sasuke faltered.

"I'm warning you!" Naruto shouted, pointing a bit rudely in the masked boy's direction. "One way or another, I'm gonna rip that mask off and take you apart!"

Words passed between Kakashi and Zabuza that I didn't make out over Sasuke's growl. But, I suppose Zabuza was simply reminding Scarecrow that should he leave his position now, Tazuna would be sacrificed.

"That mask and your bogus story! You were with Zabuza all along!" Naruto started again, significantly louder than my sensei and the missing nin. "You think you can get away with a stunt like that!?"

"I'm sorry," Haku responded.

Sasuke choked in his new spot next to me.

"But as your sensei said, deceiving your opponent, catching them off guard, that is the art of the shinobi. Please don't take it personally."

Sasuke saw an opportunity in this conversation and he seized it. How do I know? His fucking kunai whizzed past, inches away from my right ear. Haku leaned back—that's all he did—and the kunai missed.

"I haven't forgotten about you," Haku assured. "Not for an instant. Nor have I forgotten the girl."

I quirked an eyebrow. "You hitting on me?"

Sasuke deadpanned.

"No, I shall simply keep in mind that you also know an ice jutsu." Haku responded, not at all perturbed by the random comment.

"Shame," I sighed. "You're pretty cute under that mask."

This earned me a reaction from all parties present. An anime fall from Naruto, a seizure-like reaction from Sasuke, a calm glance from the ice master himself, and a sharp, alarmed glare from just about everyone else.

"Some warriors accept defeat gracefully. They know when they are beaten." Haku said to Sasuke. I think he was ignoring me. "Others do not. So be it. Let us finish our battle, then. To the death!"

"Nice job pissing him off, Sasuke." I grunted, hulling myself to my feet.

"You," Haku spoke again. Strange I don't remember this part either. "You are free to leave, you know you cannot win against me and have not issued any further attack."

Was he talking to me? I looked blankly at him for a moment and then I laughed.

"Perhaps that mask of yours is cutting off the oxygen flow to your brain. You seem to think me weak. Let me assure you that I will not idly stand by while you attack those who are precious to me," I responded good-naturedly.

"If that is your decision."

I smiled at him. "It is."

"So be it." He nodded and walked towards the mirrors again.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Naruto shouted.

"It's all right, Naruto," The masked boy assured, stopping in front of a mirror. "We'll have our fight next."

From my incredibly horrid angle, I couldn't see Haku phase into the mirror. My eye twitched; my luck sucks ass. On the bright side, though, when Haku did appear it was in the mirror right in front of Sasuke and, at the very least, I got to see that much.

Sasuke tensed, reaching into his pouch for a weapon.

"I'm behind you," Haku said.

We both must have blinked, for, true to his word, the demon's apprentice was no longer in front of me. And then, one by one, the mirrors all filled up with Haku's image, showing him with his arm raised, a senbon between each finger, and poised for attack.

I opened my mouth to make witty comment and reveal Haku's secret as speed, when…

SHIT!

I threw myself in Sasuke's direction as to protect both him and my stomach wound.

Pain.

"Come on, Uchiha!" I shouted. "We're getting our asses kicked!" Sasuke grunted, stumbling forward into me as the onslaught of needles was put on hold.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted.

"Angel-chan!" Naruto called.

I caught the avenger and steadied him, shuttering in my own right from the attack. "I know what you're thinking," I started and he stared wearily up at me. "But dying, just so you can escape the fangirls, is a stupid idea!"

"That's not what I was thinking!" he growled. "Do you think… do you think he has clones in the mirrors, all throwing needles at the same time?" Sasuke asked, his voice lowering so much that I almost didn't catch it.

"Too fast for that," I stated. "And he wouldn't need the mirrors."

"Sasuke, Naruto, think!" Kakashi yelled. "You need to attack the mirrors from the outside and the inside at the same time!"

"What am I, chopped liver!?" I called in annoyance.

"Perfect." I heard Sasuke mutter.

He must have derived a conclusion to equal Naruto and him simultaneously attacking from both sides.

…

"Hey! I snuck in here to save you!"

I don't know how he did it. I didn't even see him coming.

I stumbled backwards and Sasuke fell on his ass in total surprise. Unlike Sasuke, Naruto had derived a conclusion to equal him coming in here to save us. Inside the dome… not outside it… Well… that sucks. Meanwhile, on Sasuke's face, new muscles were straining themselves into what was one of the most hilarious expressions I've ever seen in my entire life.

"Pretty cool move, huh, guys?" Naruto grinned and I laughed.

"So much for that plan," I chuckled.

"You are a complete loser! You're a shinobi! Think carefully before you move!!" Sasuke shouted angrily.

"What the heck's your problem!? You should thank me for coming in here to help you!" Naruto yelled back.

"Naruto, if we're both inside here… Argh! Forget it! I've had it with your mistakes." The Uchiha looked damn close to strangling my little, blond friend.

"And I've had it with your attitude! Believe it!" Naruto shot.

/Ah, lovers spat./

"That's it! I'm gonna destroy these mirrors right now!" Sasuke shouted, pure annoyance fueling his voice.

"Hey! What attack are you using?" Naruto demanded as Sasuke finished his hand signs.

"These mirrors are made of ice. How do you destroy ice? Figure it out!" Sasuke was not in a patient mood and I patted Naruto on the shoulder in a reassuring fashion.

"Don't worry, he's just ticked that I said Haku's cute." I said with a stupid smile and a matter-of-fact tone.

Sasuke growled.

"Fireball jutsu!"

Flames erupted from the Uchiha's mouth, forcing my hair back with hot air and engulfing a majority of the dome in fiery glory. I squinted, the heat rush making my eyes water and, for a moment, I could not help but feel immense jealousy. Fire: The element that seemed so determined not to ally me and the element the Uchiha seemed to have a natural talent for. I know it's wrong of me to feel jealous over something that was not in the Uchiha's control. But damn, if I could just use fire…

The confident expression on Sasuke's face faltered into utter disbelief. Not only were the mirrors still standing—oh no, they were completely unmarred. The attacked disappeared harmlessly, leaving only vapor in its midst.

"That didn't do anything at all!" Naruto accused, jumping to his feet.

"You'll need much more heat than that to melt this ice." Haku commented.

Sasuke was pissed.

Had I not known it was coming, I'd not have sensed it at all. But then again, just because you know something's coming doesn't always mean you can stop it. The sudden barrage of needles came hard and fast, forcing a cry from my throat as my comrades and I were thrown backwards.

"Where is he!?" Naruto demanded. "Where's the needle attack coming at us from!? Are they clones?!"

Naruto stood and I smirked, ready to get myself in more trouble than was necessary.

"We've gotta find the real one!"

"You can look into these mirrors all you like and you'll never find the secret," Haku responded quite confidently.

"Your speed," I said suddenly.

Sasuke and Naruto turned to face me and Haku's head rose as well.

"You're using a kekeigenkei and speed. You're too fast for us to even see."

Sasuke and Naruto looked shocked.

"What gave you that idea?"

I was a little put off by Haku not showing much surprise, for I knew I'd accomplished something here and my pride was suddenly sulking in a corner.

"Aside from it being one of the only possible explanations, you gave it away before you even started your assault." I tried to keep a matter-of-fact tone, but it was all betrayed as a proud grin marred my face. Sure, I had nothing to be proud of. I wouldn't have figured it out if I didn't know from the anime, but I'll be damned if this wasn't gonna leave an impression.

"Oh?"

"Yes, you said 'I'll show you what speed really is.' Now, you could have meant the speed with which you threw the needles, and I considered that. But that comment also got me to thinking. For a while I didn't want to believe that you were really just that fast, but that last attack…" I was lying. "If only for that one moment I saw you, I KNOW I saw you."

"You are quite perceptive. It's true, these mirrors only reflect my image, allowing me to transport myself at light speed. Through my eyes, you appear to be moving in slow motion."

There was a silence as realization seeped in, a silence inside the dome where fear crept at the edges of our little genin visions, a silence forced back by Naruto Uzumaki.

"I couldn't break though! So what!?" Naruto yelled in determination. "He's not gonna stop me! I'm not giving up. And I'm not gonna lose here… Cuz I have a dream and no one's gonna take it away from me! Someday I'll be respected in my village! That's my dream! To be the greatest Hokage!"

Something Naruto said struck a cord in our enemy. And I felt goose bumps trail up my arms from either the cold or the memory, I could not tell you which.

"Dreams…" Haku murmured. "It… it was not my desire to be a shinobi… it's painful. I don't want to kill you, but if you advance, I will have no choice. Then I will kill the kindness in my own heart, and embrace the shinobi way. And there will be no mercy, no turning back. This bridge will be the battlefield where our dreams collide. Now I must fight for my dream, just as you fight for yours. Please do not blame me. I-I fight for someone who is precious to me. I live for him, and I'd face death for him, so that his dream may become reality. That is my dream. And for the sake of that dream, if I must, I will act as a shinobi and take your lives."

There was finality in Haku's voice, a chilling certainty that struck Sasuke and Naruto with strange smiles. Smiles of relation.

And me, what was my dream? A child's dream without Maya. I had no brother to kill, no village I wanted to recognize me.

Naruto charged.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he cried, bursting into dozens.

Sasuke formed hand signs and all I could do was watch. Every time I'd seen this episode, I'd think fondly of the little blond girl at my side, think 'oh well, I have you, Maya.' And be none the more affected by these words.

It felt as if I was going to cry but I knew that I couldn't. When dreams collide like this, when they meet and only one will succeed. Haku, Kimimaro, The Sound Four, everyone Orochimaru deceived, ever will deceive.

And I HATE him for that. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him.

Something dark curled in my stomach, and my entire face burned with tears and emotions that made my arms weak and my throat tight.

He was going to take Sasuke, he was going to ruin Naruto. As if the boy hadn't had enough bullshit as it was!

'Orochimaru, Orochimaru, Orochimaru.'

Kill the third Hokage, use Gaara for his power.

'I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!'

"You little wretch!" he screamed, his fist landing in my jaw. The metallic taste of blood was in my mouth and I fought the urge to spit it back at him.

"That's right, you little bitch, just stay down!"

But I rose, shakily and battered, but I rose.

"WHY DO YOU KEEP GETTING UP?"

I refused to answer. Instead, I kept a miraculously blank face and stared back at him with hollow eyes.

I froze.

'This… no, no… this was not Orochimaru. This was… this was…'

Naruto's clones were taken down, Sasuke's second fireball skimmed its target. They were getting close and though I knew this, could see it, hear it, something about it just didn't seem to register.

"You ungrateful whore!"

"Bitch, I'll teach you to talk back to me!"

"You are no daughter of mine!"

And Maya. Maya, Maya, Maya, Maya.

'Please, go back, don't come to me, go back. Let him kill me. Oh god, please.'

My entire body burned, my wounds felt so incredibly fresh, but I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe. She came to me and I couldn't say it. I couldn't tell her to leave, get out of the way. I couldn't warn her. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry. It hurt, it hurt, it hurt.

'Please god, no!'

"I was so close, but I couldn't quite get to him," Naruto grunted.

"Naruto, can you do it again?" Sasuke asked, something strong in his words.

"Huh? Of course! Nothing can stop me, believe it!" he assured. They were forming a plan, without me. Maybe I wasn't needed. No—not even maybe—I just wasn't needed…

They started again and Sasuke shouted for Naruto to get out and attack from the outside. Haku would have none of that. The plan was smart; Sasuke would nail Haku with a fireball the moment he went after Naruto… but Haku was Haku, it wasn't going to be that simple.

Maya's breath hitched and I saw blood pouring rapidly out of her stomach where my bastard father had cut ruthlessly into her back. For a moment, all was still. Her eyes were wide like my own, her blood stained my clothes.

"DON'T GET IN THE WAY!" he slurred, brandishing his bottle at Maya. "I OWE THAT BITCH A LIFE'S WORTH OF PAIN! AND NOW MY OWN DAUGHTER COMES TO HELP HER! YOU LITTLE TRAITOROUS WHORE! I'LL KILL YOU BOTH!"

Naruto tried to get out of the dome again, but I didn't see him do it. Haku wanted it all to end and still Naruto tried, egged on by Sasuke, who was catching on to Haku's moves.

I heard none of it.

And the needles that soared toward my comrades, perhaps leaving me forgotten.

I felt none of it.

Chakra boiled in my system and I did not notice that my attempt to release it had set a shield in front of Sasuke and Naruto, protecting them from the short onslaught of needles. I did not hear, I did not see, I did not feel, I did not notice and yet I had protected them in my rage. The technique normally drained my chakra, but I didn't notice that, either.

'Bastard, bastard, bastard. Your own daughter. Not just me, but Maya. Maya the innocent, the lamb, the angel. Kill the demon, not the angel; the angel doesn't deserve to die. Bastard, bastard, bastard. I'll kill you for touching her, I'll kill you!'

Needles flew into me.

Was I standing or sitting? Had I fallen? I think I was pushed. By Sasuke, maybe Naruto? I was numb. Sakura screamed and I didn't hear it. Naruto sounded worried and I couldn't think why. I heard Haku utter the word, "Sharingan," and the only thing I knew was that it was red. But the sharingan was not mine… it was Sasuke's… I knew that… somehow.

'I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!'

My entire body burned.

I knew something was coming, something bad was about to happen. Somewhere in me, I knew Haku was going to target Naruto, I knew Sasuke was going to protect him. I knew Sasuke was going to fall. I knew, I knew, I knew. But I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't scream. Déjà-vu. Painfully familiar. My body shook and heaved with a sudden heat.

'Maya, no. Maya stay. Please, Maya, no! God no. Not her, anything but her. My soul, my heart, my life, but don't take my light. No, please, no. Maya, stay with me. Please stay. Don't leave. I want to covet your innocence, protect it, and cherish it. Protect you, covet you, and cherish you.'

It felt like I was on fire.

"I-I love you, Yuki"

I could see her; she was right in front of me. She smiled. But this, this wasn't a memory. It couldn't have been. Her pale hair was so real, her blue eyes lit with love. I reached forward, tears of disbelief welling in my eyes. She grabbed my hand, I felt her. My god, I felt her. I was numb for a moment, and then-

"Thank you, Yuki."

She stepped away. Everything froze. It simply stopped. Or were they just watching me? Haku should have been attacking Naruto, but he wasn't moving. A flake of dry skin peeled off my hand and flew away. I was on fire. It engulfed my entire body. I felt strong, high with power. My back arched in the ecstasy of it. I felt whole, more then whole—it was amazing. Emotions I'd buried came back from their graves and filled me until I felt strong. It was like a piece of me had awoken, the passion that had been robbed from my eyes, I'd stolen it back. Never before had I felt so utterly powerful.

My katana pulsated at my side, reacting to the power… or the fire… or maybe both. Or maybe, maybe it was reacting to Maya; the stone on its hilt, her birthday gift. Maya. My eyes flew back to her. She was still there. Everything was all right. I was strong. Maya was here. All I knew was passion and fire. The power was further building. I felt I could take on anything, the world. Incinerate all that stood in my way with the fire that came in licks off my skin. So much power felt I could burst and then… and then…

"Don't forget."

Pain. White hot and searing. I was blinded by it. I staggered and my fire ebbed. My legs buckled as everything was drained from me, slipping away in the same ghost-like speed with which it arrived. I was weak. I felt my lungs fill with fluid that was not supposed to be there. Had I been struck down by Haku? No. No, it was something more. The world was moving again; Haku towards Naruto and me towards the ground. I choked up more blood and my stomach split as I hit the floor. An old wound causing more issues. It hurt, it hurt, it hurt.

'Too much,' I realized. 'Too much power. I couldn't handle it. My body couldn't handle it.'

I felt so hot but I was sure my skin was cold. I was not sweating as I should have been. I rolled myself onto my back where my stomach would not be stretched.

"Sasuke… Angel…"

It was Naruto, I knew it was him. But I couldn't open my eyes. I was still seeing white, so it didn't matter. I felt incredibly lightheaded, like the first time we'd fought Zabuza, but worse. I knew I was losing more blood than then. It was harder to breathe, I choked on every gasp. And then it occurred to me.

'Why don't I just stop?'

I wouldn't have to gasp for every breath as blood filled up my lungs if I just stopped breathing. Somehow, that all made sense. Breathing had become a problem,

'I should stop doing it.'

Black was creeping at the edges of my vision and I didn't fight it. My brain was receiving less and less blood by the minute. Please forgive me, but the darkness was very, very welcoming. And somewhere in the black, I could feel her. I couldn't see her. No, not just yet. My breathing slowed and I relaxed into the darkness. Somewhere in that black, I knew there was Maya.

A/N Okay I'm gonna cut you off there. I played a bit on cruel humor for this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. Jeez, Yukari sure seems to pass out a lot. She should really get the stomach wound looked at. And yes, for those of you who refuse to believe, Yukari has, in fact, STOPPED breathing! I know the chapie wasn't that funny, but I had to do something dramatic. It's on a whim, but I think I know where I'm going with it.

Next time, on Fuck, I Think My TV's Broken: Blood, tears, memories, heartbreaking speeches that make ya wanna cry, angst, more blood, more tears, Kanoke's not gonna give Yukari up without a fight, but she may not have much of a choice. Next time: conclusion to the Water arc in Chapter 11: Don't You Dare!

PLEASE REVIEW! Love Love!