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Have fun with chapter 13...

XD

Downstairs was a bit different then what I had left the other day. Suigetsu was cleaning his ginormous blade, Madara was sitting at the table discussing something with Zetsu, and Alexia was calmly standing against a wall opposite to where I entered observing the room and my presence carefully.

The ancient Uchiha had his Orange mask off as he turned toward me sporting a sly and wicked smirk in his thick lips. I turned my gaze away from the site not bearing to see his smug behavior.

"So…you have decided to join the living?" He asked maliciously.

I ignored the comment walking over to my half sister, whom, I presume, didn't even know that she was my half sister.

"Forgive my actions last night. It might have seamed rude to you but I had some rough work to do until you came here and I felt quite ill. We have not been properly introduced. I am Jessica Kristina Bannon." I said calmly to her.

"Sasaki Alexia …pleased to meat your acquaintance." She stated indifferently.

"Pleased as well"

Madara and Zetsu got up to leave but he did not forget to brush past me in a significantly disturbing manner, as if to show me that he still has the upper hand in our little quarrel. Suigetsu left as well, probably to pick another fight with Kisame…that left Alexia and I alone.

"So…" She started "What's you're story?"

"You ask as if you got info from the rest of Akatsuki, fact which I profoundly doubt." I was only answered with silence. "My though exactly…" I continued "But…if you are willing to tell me your story I would be more than happy to tell you mine."

"That will not be happening."

"I suspected as much…" I said preparing to leave

"You seem familiar to me…" She said thoughtfully.

At that I looked at her emotionlessly and left. I needed someone to talk to…something….anything, so I went to Sasuke's room. He was there; packing…

"What are you doing?" I asked him

"Packing"

"Well DUH Einstein, I can see that…why?"

"I have some things to sort out…I will be back in a short while…definitely by the end of the week" He said giving me a knowing look.

"Where the FUCK do you think you are going in the middle of all this SHIT? Sasuke? Were you even paying attention to me? And what about Madara?"

"He will be coming with me"

"Now that just peachy…thank you for setting my mind at ease…" I said obviously pissed and sarcastic.

"That's none of your concern."

"Well fuck you then…just come back alive…and if you by any chance die in the process of 'sorting out your stuff' please call me and let me know!" I said as I exited the room and slammed the door in my wake. Not satisfied with the way things went I turned around and opened his door again, noticing that he was quite startled when I did that.

"And just so you know…I'M FINE BY THE WAY!" And now I finally slammed the door shut laughing quietly to myself at the silly funny face he made when he saw me again.

Satisfied with myself I went back to my room, used some jutsues to clean up the mess I had left in the bathroom and seated myself by the window and started reading from Dante Alighieri's Divina Comedia, The Inferno, which was a bit of what I was feeling right now: MY LIFE WAS A LIVING HELL!

The next six days went quite uneventful: Zetsu was patrolling the perimeter, Kisame was busy relaying to Madara what was happening with Killer Bee and Naruto and the old Uchiha was bent on making me suffer…you know…the usual…

By the end of the sixth day, at about 7 o'clock in the evening, Madara, who left the base that very morning, had returned with a very injured Sasuke. I followed them to the infirmary.

"My line was busy…I don't think I got your call…" I said sarcastically to the injured boy.

"I'm not dead"

"Oh…It's ok…you can call me later. By the way…Where's Red?"

"Dead…I think…"

"WHAT? And who's gonna heal you now? Juugo?"

"Very funny…I'll heal naturally"

Madara who was not paying any attention to us, left wordlessly. I sent a bit of my chakra out to scan. There was no one in the vicinity.

"Sasuke…Are you insane? We are nearing the most important battle and you are injured…what was in your head?"

"I killed Danzo"

At that I was speechless. I sincerity did not expect that answer.

"Hold on." I said as I exited the room.

I found the object of my search in an instant. He was standing outside the infirmary.

"Juugo…do you have the scrolls that Orochimaru used to use in the secret missions? You know the ones that heat up?"

"Yes…" He said skeptically "But how do y…"

"Never mind how I know…the important thing is that Sasuke needs your help. Split a pair with me and report to us when Madara or Zetsu are nearing the infirmary."

"But…"

"No 'buts' just do it. Please. We don't have much time"

He reluctantly gave me a scroll and I entered the infirmary again placing it in my back pocket, and turned on my Mangekyo. I teleported us back to Itachi's and the girl's hideout.

"OH FOR FUCK"S SAKE! WE NEED TO BUY YOU GUY'S A CELL PHONE SO YOU CAN WARN US WHEN YOU'RE GONNA POP UP" That was Mara's voice…I didn't need her…

"Where's Karin?" I asked her impatiently

"Nice to see you too…" then she noticed Sasuke's deplorable state "She's outside training with Itachi…I'll call her"

In a couple of moments Both Karin and the Uchiha prodigy were inside the house.

"Sasuke…" Came Itachi's worried voice.

"Set him on the table" Karin said.

I had to pry Itachi's 'unwilling to let go' hands from Sasuke's person so I could help him onto the table.

In the next our and a half I saw Karin work her magic over Sasuke, whom, she had professionally stripped down to the boxers to be able to reach his wounds. He was looking at her intently, without saying a word, while she was concentrating on healing him. His eyes were fixed on her.

"Why did you hug me before we left last time?" Sasuke was the first to break the silence.

"First time I had seen you since you deserted Konoha for Orochimaru…It seamed the right thing to do" She replied absentmindedly, finding a new gash to work on. He winced, probably from the slight pain of moving his injured limb.

When she finally finished healing his wounds, she did a final check up by slowly and gently running her hands over his whole body. When she reached his chest, I could see a small blush caressing Sasuke's cheeks.

"Thank you" He said

Considering the way the said conversation was going before the 'Thank you' was uttered I had no idea if the line was intended to thank her for the healing or the hug… judging by Karin's expression, neither did she… and despite that, she muttered a small "You're welcome".

"Tomorrow…" I said handing the scroll Juugo gave me to Itachi.

"Tomorrow…" he echoed.

We quickly said our goodbyes and teleported Sasuke and I back to the infirmary, where he told Juugo to give me the other scroll.

"What's going on?" The orange haired man asked.

"You will see tomorrow…I cannot say more now Juugo." Was all that Sasuke told him, before he gave me another scroll, but this time, the young Uchiha had the counterpart, so he could let me know where the ceremony will take place.

"You need to still act injured. Good luck." I told him before leaving to take a shower and prep myself for the coming chaos…tomorrow. I did faintly hear a 'you too' from Sasuke as I exited the room.

After I had thoroughly washed myself, I let the hot water run down my body in a soothing manner. I had a lot of questions again. Like if Zetsu was going with them, or…was Kisame going to tag along? If Madara decided to take Kisame with him and Sasuke, how would I be able to brief him on what was going on before something happened?

Turning off the water and towel drying, I decided to leave it up to fate, trust my luck and trust Sasuke. With that in mind, I snuggled into the covers I was never going to spend another night in…and thank God for that.

It was late in the afternoon when I woke up. I went downstairs to grab a cup of coffee when I was greeted by the sight of Kisame enjoying a glass of sake.

"This early in the morning? What's wrong? Girlfriend left you?" I cracked a joke…epic fail…

"Ha Ha! Very funny…"

"Sorry...too early…at least I tried."

"Your efforts are accounted for..."

"Thanks. Coffee?"

"Counter…"

"Thanks…"

As I poured myself a hot mug, I already felt I was waking up.

"Who's here?"

"Monster-boy, The idiot that's chasing after my sword, and me…"

"Tonight Kisame…it's tonight. Zetsu's not on our side and neither is Alexia. If you're still with me, we need to stop somebody who's trying to steal Madara's and Sasuke's eyes. The world as we know it will end if we don't."

"Who's trying to do that?"

So I explained everything to Kisame. From the three blades that Mara, Karin and I acquired, to how we resurrected Itachi, to the planetary alignments and that plan that my father had.

"You can still back out if you want…" I told him setting the now empty mug of coffee on the table.

"Well, you see Princess…Someone's gotta watch your back…that might as well be me…"

"Thank you" I said smiling

Kisame had managed to haul Juugo and Suigetsu to the meeting room where I could explain to them the gravity of the situation Sasuke was in…surprisingly, they both agreed to help. After that I teleported them back to where the girls and Itachi were.

"THE SCROLLS WERE GIVEN FOR A REASON! USE THEM!" That was Mara.

"AREN'T YOU GETTING TIRED OF FUCKING POPING UP HERE WITH RANDOM PEOPLE?" Karin was yelling now.

"Lively bunch aren't they?" Kisame asked me sporting the green tint on his face.

"Yeah… I know…" I said covering my years. Upon hearing the commotion Itachi quickly made his presence known.

"Ahem…"

"Yo! Partner…" Kisame joked "What have you been up to?" then he turned towards the other two members of teem Taka who were staring at Itachi like he grew another head. "What's wrong with you two?" He said laughing "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Oh SHIT!" I realized "I haven't told them about that…" I smiled sheepishly "Sorry…My bad…"

I made the necessary introductions and nicely asked the girls and Itachi to brief everybody as I went upstairs.

I could not take it anymore. I was having an anxiety attack, or a panic attack. I couldn't breathe and my mind was running amuck. What would I do once I got there? Would I be able to save Madara? Was he actually worth saving, and if so, how would I do it?...A knock on my door startled me. It was Itachi.

"Are you ok?" He asked me. I could tell he was worried. I had suddenly retreated without saying a word.

"No…I don't think so…I don't think I'm cut out for this…I can't do this Itachi…I don't know what to do".

I was sitting on the edge of the bed. He came towards me and crouched in front of me placing his left hand on my knee for balance and the other reached out to my neck. There he slightly pulled on my necklace.

"Who are you?" He gently asked me. "Where is the girl I gave this to?"

"I don't know where she is anymore…"

"Did Madara chase her out?"

"Probably…" I said desolated

"Bullshit!" He told me in a stern tone. "What happened to you? Are you going to let yourself break down just because he said you should?"

I had no idea what to say to him. Did Madara actually manage to break down my spirit so completely that I was beyond repair?

"Where's the spirit I met these many years ago?" He continued "You're the one that taught me to keep on going no matter what because eventually you will find happiness. Have you thrown all that away?"

"Itachi…I…"

"You turned fate around once…Why wouldn't you be able to do that again? What has he done to make you feel so hopeless? Weren't you the one that decided to save him?"

"He knows of you…" I tried telling him.

"So what? It makes no difference now! I wouldn't have followed you if I wasn't sure that you could do it…but now you sit here and tell me that you don't believe in yourself anymore? That's a load of bullshit and you know it."

He was, as always, right. I had dragged him into this…I had dragged Karin and Mara into this as well as I did with Kisame, Sasuke, Juugo and Suigetsu. They were all relying on me. I would not dare let them down. I would not dare drag them down the pit Madara had thrown me into. I would climb up and face my fear, and when it would all be over I would laugh in the old Uchiha's face with my triumph in hand.

I stood up. As did Itachi, who saw the new found determination in my eyes and he kissed me passionately.

"Why hello there…" He joked "Now where have you been? I missed you…"

"As I you" I told him mimicking his words from our prior encounter and kissing him again.

We both got ready for battle. I took Sou'Unga from where it was leaned against the wall in Itachi's bedroom. I had left it there for fear of what Madara would think of me appearing at Akatsuki's doorstep with a new weapon in hand, especially one of this caliber. I put the sword on my back, and both Itachi and I went downstairs, where the rest of the group was ready as well.

"Well Princess, I haven't seen this much determination in your eyes for quite some time." Kisame smiled at me. He was wearing Samehada on his back again.

"How…?"

"I decided that this fight was more important than spying on a Jinchiurinki so I left a copy with Killer Bee" He answered before I could even ask the question.

"Thank you" I told him, and he only grinned back.

The scroll in my pocket was getting warm. It was time. I opened it and all that was written was: "Nisshoku Shrine in the Naka Mountains" and I read it out loud. Karin had already gone to get a satellite view over it. On the computer screen I could see the dome shaped building with the hole in the roof from above on the outside. I got a good look at it then with my Jagan, and I teleported all of us in front, in the dark of the night as the full moon shone above us.

The large structure stood ominously in front of us. I was scared but I did not let it show. For everyone's sake…I would not let it show.

"I'm gonna go kick some daddy ass…Who's with me?" And all I got in response were pleasing enthusiastic grins.

"So it begins…" Itachi said taking a step forward.

It was quite quiet. None of us could hear anything.

"How long until the eclipse?" Itachi asked.

"Less than twenty-six minutes" Replied Mara "So what are we supposed to do?"

"Look" I started "My dream started when the eclipse had already begun so I don't know shit right now. I only have a few advices. Mara…you should know that Zetsu isn't exactly battle equipped. He's the more silent killer type, so he uses vines and poisons, but on occasion he can use a very large number of vines and attack with more force than you think him capable of. Don't get scratched stung or anything else that involves losing blood."

"Understood." She said professionally

"Itachi, Karin, Sasuke, Kisame if you can't get past the massive number of shinobi that are restricting your path, try collapsing a part of the roof…I don't know how else to help you…Good luck everybody"

"Where will you be?" Kisame curiously asked.

"Fighting my dear ol' daddy." I said right before I started running inside the shrine to find him.

I had drawn Sou'Unga from its sheath feeling the strong pulse of its power course through my veins. I could feel it thirst for battle, for clash of metal against metal…or metal against flesh. I could faintly hear steps behind me. They were following me. That was good. I hope that my little act out there was convincing to them. In truth I was scared shitless. I was having doubts again weather or not I should save Madara, the one that made my life living Hell, planed the death of the man I love down to the last detail, wants to put the whole world under a permanent genjutsu to be able to…how did he put it?...Oh yes 'Achieve world peace'. But I would not allow myself to dwell on those thoughts too much. I had come here with my mind set already. I was going to do everything in my power to save Madara. We entered the main room of the shrine where my father, Alexia, Madara, Sasuke and Zetsu were.

"I've been waiting for something like this to happen" Adrian said while looking towards Madara, and snapping his fingers.

At the very moment Adrian's finger clicked, a large mass of shinobi came out of hiding. Most of them were using Doton to hide inside the walls or the floor, but some of them had used Henge to transform into objects inside the room. I, on the other hand had expected this large number of shinobi, and ran as fast as lightning right through them until I was face to face with my father, sword drawn out and ready.

"I wasn't expecting this caliber of safety measures, Adrian…are you sure there's nothing you want to tell me?" Madara said amused before Alexia attacked him.

"Madara! Get out of here!" I yelled in his direction but to no avail… all I heard was a smug 'Hn' from behind his orange mask. The idiot knew he was being set up but he went through with it anyway. That's a whole lot more self-confidence then is humanly healthy to have.

Adrian pulled out a regal looking katana which he started running his chakra through. The fight was truly beginning.

"So…" he started speaking "How have you been doing since I left?"

"Why so interested all of a sudden? You didn't give a shit about me for fifteen years and I do not expect you start now, so cut the fucking small talk" I said as I lunged toward him.

"Such a vulgar vocabulary" he said blocking my first blow. "I wonder what your mother thinks about that?"

"I wouldn't know." I spoke while I twisted in the air and sent a wave of energy toward him. That was funny…I was not using chakra…that was another kind of energy…well look at that…Sou'Unga rocked ass after all.

I was slowly learning to use my sword as the fight progressed but I was definitely not using it full blast and neither did my father use his powers fully.

"Madara! Get out of there! I told you to go!" I screamed

He just laughed and paid no heed to my words.

"Alexia NOW!" Adrian commanded

I had just clashed blades with him again and I was in the air when I decided to look at the battle field and the sky. This was it. Just like my dream, the moon was now completely covered. Adrian was going to hit me as soon as I would land, so I concentrated on doing a simple quick series of hand seals for a Doton jutsu and a shadow clone, but, hopefully, faster than he could see. I also concentrated chakra into my skin and skull so I would not faint at the impact of the jutsu dad was throwing at me.

It worked…in a way…my plan included getting hit, but I did not calculate that it was actually going to hurt. I dropped my sword as I was flying through the air in the direction of a thick rock wall. I broke through the wall with the force of my father's jutsu but as soon as the rubble settled on top of me and I couldn't be seen anymore, I entered the earth and activated my Jagan, leaving a shadow clone under the mountain of debris just in case.

Adrian had already started to steel Madara's eyes. I watched, unable to do anything to stop him, for fear that if the ritual was interrupted sooner, than I might hurt the old Uchiha or break the ruby which held the power of his Sharingan, which would make it impossible to get it back.

I grabbed my sword and dragged it into the earth with me. Madara had fallen to his knees and was bleeding from both his eyes, but had a defying look on his face, despite the predicament he was in. Bound in chains, he was still glaring at my father…that's what I call strong-spirited.

Adrian raised his sword above Madara's heart. I rose up from the earth quickly right between them running chakra through my left hand so I could catch my father's sword before it hit it's target, or me for that matter.

"Barehanded ka?" he asked a bit taken aback.

I only smirked in response and swung my blade to his neck. He jumped back pulling his sword with him and forcing me to let go of it before it cut through my chakra as well as my hand. That was it…no more 'miss nice girl' he was intensely pissing me off with his disconsideration of me, but before I could do anything, I was assaulted by a wave of water. I surfaced and looked behind me: Madara was fine, the blood was washed off his face though. I turned to see where the water had come from. Haha Kisame was on the same page with me here. He had gotten too bored probably and was now massacring the poor shinobi one by one with summoned sharks. It was a site to behold and quite funny too in a twisted and sick sort of way but I had to finish the fight I was in at the moment. Deciding to take advantage of Kisame's distraction I decided to attack.

"Katon Ryūka no Jutsu!" I said as a very large fire dragon raised itself to attack father. The dragon had its back to me and was going the opposite direction towards Adrian and I jumped toward it. Just as I suspected, dear ol' dad slashed the dragon and I caught him off guard when I came through his own slash and disarmed him.

I was standing above him, his own sword out of reach, and mine at his throat. I raised Sou'Unga above his heart and…I stopped. Could I do it? I had never actually killed someone like this before. Yeah…I used jutsus and some people and shinobi and a few Jinchiurinki died because of me, but that was something totally different than plunging a sword through someone's heart.

This whole trail of thought must have lasted about a fraction of a second but before I could debate with myself any longer, a blast came from behind me. A wall had been broken down and through the debris and smoke I saw a yellow flash, and…Adrian had picked up his sword and had stabbed me through the stomach with it…Father got away…Itachi held me tight and was carrying me to the rest of my friends…his lips were moving but I couldn't make out what he was saying…darkness.

Thank you for reading.

TBC