Through The Glass

by the lioness waits

3rd installment of the Kimochi series! Kenisha's been gone for 3 years, and things have changed. She's back in the village again, but more trouble arises. Such as dead Shinobi, sacrifices, and a whole lotta angst. rated M for the strong of heart

13. Back to the Base

Chapter 13- Back to the Base

I will sacrifice

I will sacrifice

All I have in life

To clear my conscience

I will sacrifice

I will sacrifice

All I have in life

Sacrifice, sacrifice

x- lyrics to Sacrifice by T.a.T.u.-x

Kenisha's POV

He would wake up alone. Its how it has to be, I know it.

It didn't make me feel any better about leaving the embrace. Not a bit. Not as I tied my hair up. Not as I splashed some water on my face. And not as I looked back at what I left in the bed when I put on clean undergarments.

I got on some new clothes and groaned softly as the slightly baggy black jeans went over my inner thighs. 'He bites hard…' The throbbing in my legs will be a hindrance, I know it. Even so, I garbed my black cloak and teleported out of the house, starting out in a full sprint outside of the Konoha gates.

"Auntie!"

I stopped abruptly and turned back to face my wayward "nephew", Shizuke. "Hai, Shizu-chan?"

"You're leaving again?" I nodded. No point in lying to him. "Nande?"

"Because I have a job to do, Shizuke." He looked into my eyes and in the faint moonlight, I saw them shining with water. "Don't cry, Shizu-chan, I'll be back."

OK, I thought I just agreed with myself that I wouldn't lie to him. He rushed up and hugged me, then stepped back and let go.

"Ja ne, Auntie. And tell my mom and dad I miss them," he said with a slightly higher pitch, as if he was about to cry. No matter what, my tough little Shizuke was still an 8 year old.

"Ja ne, Shizu-chan. And if you look up and say it, they'll hear you." I stepped back and turned around, my tail swishing silently behind me. "And tell the others to hold Lee-koishi here." Then I ran without a second look.

Second looks make it harder to leave.

But I had to. I had to leave for my angels.

'I hope to the Kimochi souls in Heaven that he won't tell anybody… I hope to you God. You'd better fuckin' listen this time…'

Seems like it was yesterday when I saw your face
You told me how proud you were but I walked away
If only I knew what I know today

Would you tell me I was wrong?
Would you help me understand?
And you looking down upon me?
Are you proud of who I am?
There's nothing I wouldn't do
To have just one more chance
To look into your eyes
And see you looking back
Whoa-o-oh
I'm sorry for blaming you
For everything I just couldn't do
And I've hurt myself
For hurting you...

x- lyrics from Hurt by Christina Aguilera-x

TenTen's POV

'Neji.. no I can't think of you... It hurts...'

I hadn't slept in days; my eyes refused to close. I was dressed in a variation of the funeral clothes I had on last: all black gouchos with a fishnet top, over-layed with a black and gold-trimmed shirt that had a V-cut. Not much, but it was all I could get. I wasn't willing to go back into the house just yet.

I was admitted out of the hospital with the warm suggestion of: "Get some sleep, you'll feel a lot better, TenTen," by the receptionist.

Well, she was at the fuckin' funeral she should know that I'm not going to "feel a lot better." I sighed and kept walking toward my destination: Lee's house. I needed my brother right now, more than ever. I knocked on the door and ruffled my wings a little bit; they were getting numb from not moving like they should.

It took me a minute to realize that it's dawn and he's probably still asleep. When I was about to open the door, a small hand stopped me. I looked down and saw that small boy that Kenisha and her cousins were fond of, Shizuke.

"Auntie TenTen," Hey, I never said I wasn't fond of him, "Auntie Kenisha isn't in there."

I smiled. "I know, Shizuke. I'm actually here for Uncle Lee." Shizuke nodded and opened the door for me. The faint light flooded through the doorframe to reveal a relatively clean house, save a few specks of dust and shoes on the carpet. I walked in, taking off my shoes and laying them next to Lee's, going down the hallway and into Lee's room. Shizuke opened this door too, and when it opened all the way, I almost giggled and gasped at the same time.

All of Lee's clothes and some of Kenisha's undergarments were strewn haphazardly on the floor and on the handle of the closet, in Kenisha's bra's case. I cautiously walked around the clothes and tapped Lee in the arm.

"Lee, up."

He woke up slowly, his eyes blinking and his left hand scratching his head. "Ken- TenTen? What are you doing in my house?"

"Oh, that's a nice way to greet your sister, Lee. I can come in whenever… or at least after you and Kenisha are done with whatever the hell happened in here."

He was still kinda out of it, so got up from his bed in all his nude glory and stretched. I averted my eyes; seeing Lee naked once in the good old days was enough for me. Shizuke just whimpered and shut his eyes and covered them with his hands.

"Lee, you're naked!"

"I'm what?" He looked down and quickly grabbed his boxers from the floor and put them on. "Uh, I'm sorry, TenTen…"

I sighed. "It's OK, but I think you mentally scarred your nephew." I gestured to the boy beside me; Shizuke still had his eyes closed.

Lee bent down and ruffled his hair. "I'm not naked anymore, you can open your eyes."

"No! You still have red marks and cuts and some handcuffs on, you sick man!"

Lee looked down at his right hand and saw handcuffs attached to it. "Oh…" He got the key from under Kenisha's underwear and unlocked them. "So, TenTen, what brings you here at," he glanced at the clock, "1:45 AM?"

"I needed to talk. And you need to get some clothes on; I don't want to see your penis again."

Lee smirked. "Well, maybe I could just flash--" I hit him in the head with the handcuffs.

"No!" He rubbed the lump on his head and pouted.

"Tennie-chan that hurt Lee-Lee-chan!"

"Tennie-chan wants to get some damn talking going, so Lee-Lee-chan is going to have to deal with it," I said, marching out of the bedroom into his living room, settling on the couch. Lee followed in, dressed in black sweats and a white sleeveless tee, sitting down in the armchair diagonal from the couch.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

I bit my lip; I kinda forgot what I actually came here to talk about until now. "Um… I wanna talk about," my voice almost broke but I sucked in a breath and said, "Neji." Just saying his name made it seem like I was stabbing myself in the chest with a kunai. My expression changed from that of minimal depression to a look of the utmost pain and suffering. Saying his name... it was like seeing his bloody form in my arms all over again.

Lee's expression didn't change, but his voice did. "What about Neji do you want to talk about," his voice sounded wounded, as if saying his name hurt him as well. Then again, he was his brother, no matter how much they fought and denied it.

"I want to talk about him in general… It feels like I'm going insane, OK? I can't sleep, I'm not eating, not cleaning myself or grooming myself, and I haven't touched a weapon or another person in weeks!" I realized I was shaking, and my wings fully splayed, almost poised to strike. I had to concentrate to put them down.

"I can't do anything without him, I just can't. If I do, I see him where he would've been, like a god damn illusion. I see what he would've done, what he would've looked like, all of it! And it hurts, Lee!" I calmed myself and took a breath. "I just need something of him in my life right now, and being his brother you'd know what to do. I just... I just want him. I want him to talk to me. I want him to hold me. I want him to reprimand me when I'm acting childish or irrational... I just want want him here: I want him alive. And you.." I looked down. "You'd know what to do."

Lee stood up and gave me a hug, his arms pressing me to him despite how hard the wings made it. I slowly hugged him back, my head tucked safely on his shoulder. After a few moments he slowly pulled away, sitting beside me on the couch. "I know what to say too."

"Yeah, thanks Lee."

"So, Neji… There was this one time when we had a male sleepover with the other guys and played Truth or Humiliation." I felt my eyebrows rise.

"Truth or Humiliation? What the hell is that?"

"In the game, you either say a truth or get humiliated by the speaker: like, telling an embarrassing secret, having to dress up as a chicken, or having to kiss another male." He smirked. "I was so good, I never had to kiss anyone, but I did have to kinda dress up as a giant ice cream cone and let Kiba lick it off me."

"Lick what off… know what, I don't wanna know…" I held up my hands and shook them at him, turning away. He laughed.

"Neji was even better, but Sasuke made him say a Truth once or twice; they were about you." I stopped shying away and looked at him, grinning slightly.

"Sasuke and his damn sex questions… he asked about the sex, didn't he?"

Lee smiled. "How'd you know? Anyway, he asked Neji if he could describe your most recent sexual activities and Neji sat up and calmly stated, "During training, I got pinned to a tree by several kunai and shuriken. TenTen landed in front of me and cut my shirt down the middle, twirling the culprit kunai around her finger. My sleeves and the bottom of my shirt was still pinned to the tree. She was grinning at me, running her fingers through my hair as she worked her mistress magic on my chest," Lee held in a few laughs at the phrase and I blushed. That was his word for my sexual prowess.

"Then she cut with a katana, and my lower garments were no more. She ran a chain along my dick, sometimes tightening, sometimes loosening. None of her clothes were off, which infuriated me. I struggled against the weapons, but to no avail. She just smiled her sexy smile and said, "In time, Mr. Stiffy, in time. You've gotta work for it." And work I didn't; she was going to have to punish me sooner or later. Finally, after she was done with the whip, and cracked it beside me and took out the weapons holding my arms in place. "Since you're such a bad boy, I'm gonna give you the warden's treatment," she'd said, running her fingers down my arms and over my hip, stopping just a few inches from my dick. It was torture. I tried to remove her top, but she flitted out of the way, her movements like an intricate dance. That dance made me harder." Lee looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"OK, OK, so maybe I was a little bit over the top, but what could I do? I was bored from training for over 5 hours! And he's damn sexy," I said in defense of myself, crossing my arms.

"Yeah, and using your "mistress magic" on him made us get hard-ons, TenTen!"

I gasped. "Ooooo, I'm telling the girls about this!"

"Who, your breasts? They were there!"

"No they weren't! They were in Neji's bed, waiting impatiently for his tongue to come home. And I'm talking about the other kunoichi, baka! We always talk about that kind of stuff!"

"That's disgusting!"

"It's sex, it's supposed to be disgusting… disgustingly amazing…"

I heard a small gasp and we both realized that Shizuke was still there.

"Oh God, Shizuke, I'm so sorry--"

I held a hand to Lee's mouth, and looked at Shizuke. His eyes weren't on us. In the reflection of his eyes, I saw…

"Emily?" I blinked and looked at the oldest Kimochi cousin, who was standing a few feet from the open front door. (She's older than Katie by two minutes.) She was dressed in a red and black shirt, black arm sleeves with fishnet on them, and black skinny jeans, on her feet black and white Ninja Converse.

"Donde esta mi prima," she asked fiercely.

I recognized the Spanish and replied slowly, "Ni idea, Emicita."

"Why are you speaking in tongues," Lee shouted, and I patted his back.

"Yo hablo en espanol, Lee," I said, and he looked even more confused after that. "Spanish, Lee. Spanish."

Emily frowned and went to Lee, examined him and asked, "If you had sex with her, then you should one, be taking a damn shower, two, be looking for her, and three, taking us with you."

"Who's this "us"? And how did you know that I had sex with--"

"Some of her cum is in your hair, you sick bastard." I examined him a little better and confirmed that yes, some sort of sex juice was in Lee's hair.

I shoved him off the couch and shouted, "You hugged me, and you had my sister's damn cum in you hair!! Take a damn shower, Lee!" He nodded and ran into the bathroom.

Emily looked at me. "You haven't been taking care of yourself, girl." I sighed. My hair was a mess; its strands were tangled and knotted. My wings looked unpreened, and my skin had lost its luster, along with getting stained in places. My teeth hadn't been brushed much, and I felt my stomach growl angrily, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I know. But its just--" She held a hand up and pet my hair, smiling sadly.

"I know, TenTen. I've lost my important people before too. Now come with me, Ino and Sakura want you clean." She took my hand and lead me away. As we went out the door, I yelled to Shizuke,

"Stay with Uncle Lee, but don't go in the bathroom!"

TenTen's POV

I was dragged to Sakura's by the pinkette herself and my other friends and tried not to voice my discomfort and fear when they locked the door behind them.

"TenTen-chan, you're a complete disaster."

I smiled weakly and laughed. "Wonderful thing to say to your friend, Ino-chan". Sakura just rolled her eyes and went upstairs, I assumed to get a couple things for me.

"I'm serious. You look horrible, you need to get clean," Ino said, proceeding to push me into Sakura's bathroom, following right in. Hinata and Temari just stood behind her with apologetic looks on their faces. I looked down at myself, and I had to admit, I did. Even with the clothes I obtained from the hospital, I still looked dead and depressed. I hadn't even accepted the baths they offered to me, and there was no way in hell they'd try and force it. Not to someone that could easily cut them across their jugular.

Sakura came back down with a small box and a towel. "Go upstairs, we're getting you clean."

I raised and eyebrow. "You're what? You're going to bathe me?"

"No duh, Ten-chan. You're obviously uncapable," Ino said, flicking her tongue in her mouth and shaking her head in disappointment.

"I believe the term is "incapable", Ino-chan," Hinata corrected her, to which Ino stuck her tongue out, then turned to me. "We all care about you, TenTen-nee-chan, and we all saw how you... sort of broke at the funeral. So now... well, we're going to help you."

"And the first step is getting clean, so get your dirty ass to the bathroom," Temari said, slightly shoving me in the direction of the stairs. I grudgingly complied, making my way up Sakura's stairs and turning the corner to the master bedroom, then into the master bathroom. They all filed in behind me, blocking the door with their bodies. Ino went to the bathtub and put the plug down, turning on the water to hot, and dumping some bubble mix into the water.

Temari put the towel on the rack and went over to me, giving me an unexpected hug. "Even if I wasn't there, I know what it's like to lose someone you love, and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I hope you can forgive me."

I'd almost never heard her sound so sincere in all the time I've known her. I hugged her back and looked up into her hair; her face was covering mine. "I do Tema-chan. And it's OK: it's actually better that you didn't see me there anyway." I let her go and and went over to Hinata, who helped me get the two shirts over my wings. Then I untied my breast bindings and took a shaky breath. Even if we did bathe together on weekends at the hot springs, I was never truly comfortable being naked around my friends. Sort of like Hinata is. I pulled down my pants and looked at my legs, unshaven and dirty. Then I peeled off my underwear and stepped into the bath water, moaning softly at the warmth. I laid all the way down and wet my hair. When I came back up, not only was my hair a shade darker, but it left dirt and other such things behind.

"Geez, Ten-chan," Ino said, crawling behind me and sitting on the edge of the bath, squeezing some shampoo into her hand. "Who knew hot water and some bubbles could turn you on?"

"Shut up," I muttered, sinking deeper into the bubbles. Hinata handed me a washcloth and I began to relieve the dirt and grime from my body, secretly cheering at the fact that no one could see. While I washed myself, Ino was working her magic on my hair, her fingers softly massaging my scalp and washing the depression from me.

'Just as Neji used to...' I felt my eyes water, but covered up my sorrow by quickly washing my face with the soapy water. The other four didn't seem to notice.

"Hey TenTen, I have a question for you," Sakura asked. I sighed. Leave it to Sakura to have a question.

"Hai?"

"Do you ever... dream of Neji?"

I gave her a look. "What kind of question is that? Don't you dream of Kiba? Doesn't Ino dream of Sai? And Temari of Shikamaru and Hinata of Naruto? We all do."

Sakura narrowed her eyes as she blushed pinker than her hair and put her hands on her hips. "You know what I mean, TenTen-chan. Do you dream of him?"

Now I knew what she was getting at. "... Of course I do." Ino stopped massaging my head and dunked my head down, scrubbing the soap out of my hair quickly before letting me back up.

"Oh Ten..." She squirted some conditioner in her hand and scrubbed it into my hair next, taking extra time this time, realizing I'd need the comfort.

"What are those dreams about?" She sat on the toilet with a clipboard and wrote down a couple things.

I took a breath and blew some bubbles off of my chest, watching as they flew out quickly and then fluttered slowly back down. "A lot of things... most of the time they're nightmares, and sometimes they're memories.... some of those memories are soft, sweet, some are violent and daring. And some rare few... they're so precious, so personal... and then I wake up. And I feel my world crash around me again, because I'm in bed alone and Neji isn't going be there." I heard Sakura scribble on her clipboard furiously, hearing her make check marks and X's in places.

"What are the nightmares about?" I looked up at Sakura and her burnished jade eyes looked apologetic. They didn't help.

"Blood. Neji. Screaming. Lots of blood..." I didn't care that I was getting repetetive. "And more Neji. There's Neji covered in blood, a Neji somewhere else lying motionless on the ground. And then... there's another one: he yells at me. He.. He blames me for everything. That the ten years he'd known me were the worst of his life, and that my stupidity ended it..." I hung my head and heard Ino grunt, having to bend lower to get at my hair. "And sometimes I wake up and try to ignore what he says... and other times I believe him. I'm nothing but an idotic, blubbering little girl that can't even throw a kunai in a straight line without her husband here. I can't take care of myself, I can't pursue my ninja career, and I can't bear to look into any Hyuuga eyes, can't even go in the house... I can't do anything."

Hinata tensed up and looked me dead in the eyes, which I looked quickly away from; I noticed that hers had barely noticable red rims around them. "TenTen-nee, you are not! You're just hurting, just as I am. You shouldn't bring yourself down, not down to this. The TenTen I know and love like my sister is strong, determined, compassionate and daring and doesn't let things like losing or getting beaten get her down. She'll come right back up and be above the rest, just like a bird. A beautiful, simple yet elegant chocolate brown colored bird. Don't let anyone or anything bring you down, TenTen-nee... don't let anyone clip your wings."

Temari leaned on Hinata's shoulder and cockily grinned. "Yeah, TenTen-chan. You're one of the most amazing people I know; you don't let anything hurt you and you fight to make you precious people happy. Don't let this break you, and smile for yourself for once... onegai, Nee-chan."

"Yeah, TenTen-nee-chan," Ino said, rubbing my head a little more than before," You can't let this change who you are. You're still TenTen: the sexiest weapons mistress in all of Konoha." She winked. "Don't wanna let that title go down the tubes, do ya?"

"Yeah, TenTen-nee," Sakura said getting up," Just because Neji's gone, doesn't mean that you have to be too. Live for him, TenTen-nee."

I looked up at her and looked fierce and determined. I felt my crumbling walls finally break down, and then a light coursed through me, warming me, bringing me back. Then out the window, I saw a shadow of Neji, crouched on the sill, smirking at me.

"Great job, TenTen-tenshi. Make me proud today... You can do it. Will you?"

He faded and I was brought back to Earth by Sakura and the others asking me the question again.

"Don't let his death crush you, TenTen. Can't you live for him?"

I smiled at the window for a moment before turning back to them. "Fine, I will."

I don't wanna live
I don't wanna breathe
Unless I feel you next to me
You take the pain I feel
(Waking up to you never felt so real)
I don't wanna sleep
I don't wanna dream
Cuz those dreams are company to the way
You make me feel
(Waking up to you never felt
So
Real!)

x- lyrics from Comatose by Skillet -x

Lee's POV

I sat in the hot water, deciding to take a bath instead of a shower. I was remembering last night; how wonderful it felt… and how so much, it felt like the last time I'd ever feel it.

"Lee-koishi…" She hissed, arching her back as I rolled my tongue over her breasts. She pulled on my hair and brought me up, kissing me in earnest. I kissed her back, lifting her leg with one hand, holding her to me with the other. She was so wet already, and we'd only just started.

It made me want to clean it up a little. I smirked. "What's on your mind, Lee-koishi?"

As my hot breath tickled her clit, she squirmed, her knee threatening to clonk me in the head. But my shoulders held it at bay, and I inclined my head, rubbing against her core with my head, licking any of the heavenly liquid that got on my lips. She couldn't take it anymore and flipped us over, grabbing some handcuffs out of nowhere and binding me to the head board. Her wet core rubbed against my hardened cock as she moved onto my hips and I held in a groan.

"You're coming first," she told me, playful as ever. Then she took her tongue and—

I jolted from my memories when I heard a knock at the door. "Uncle Lee? Are you done?"

"N-No, Shizuke-kun. I'll be out in just a minute." I quickly washed myself and got up, pulling the drain of the tub before wrapping the fluffy white towel around my waist. I dried off and put on my clothes, thinking about what I'd do if I let that memory keep playing. I walked calmly out of the bathroom and looked around. "Where's TenTen and Emily?"

"Outside, they just got back from Sakura's. They're speaking in some weird language or something…" I nodded and headed out, grabbing my shoes from the carpet. Emily and a much better-looking TenTen were talking heatedly in Spanish a few yards from the door, Katie and Yamato discussing more quietly in English by the tree next to the side of the house. Then I looked right in front of me and saw an unexpected face: Temari.

"Yo, weird kid, where's chibi-chan?" Her teal gaze pierced into my eyes and I quickly explained,

"We had sex and she left me before I woke up this morning. I have no idea where she is."

She sighed irritated and threw her hands in the air. "Just great! I bet she's on one of her little "bounty hunting adventures" or something. But dammit, with Orochimaru so close to Suna--"

"What's he doing around Suna?" She gave me a look and calmly said,

"He's after some of our experimental geneticist devices. No idea why, but he wants them bad for his embryonic research. And I have an inkling that Kenisha's involved…"

"Yeah, he took some of her embryos from her when she was his captive," I said, going deep in thought. Temari noticed Shizuke and groaned.

"Damn, who brought the kid here?!"

TenTen turned away from Emily, huffed, and said, "He followed me here. He misses Kenisha."

"I don't miss just her, you know…," he mumbled, lowering his head and becoming absorbed with the placemat. TenTen put a hand on his shoulder and kissed his tiny cheek.

"We're gonna find her, Shizu-chan," she said, rubbing his shoulder and looking up at me. "I'm gonna scout around the perimeter with Temari. Hinata's already looking around in the forest and Katie's gonna join her in a minute. And Emily is keeping with you to get information, cuz she's good at that," she said the last sentence with a touch of annoyance.

I nodded again and fingered my citrine shard, which wasn't glowing like it usually was when she was near. "She's farther away than we think…"

"Then I'll search farther away then, I'll be back," TenTen said, taking off before I could say another word. Some of the feather-like bits of fur from her wings fluttered in the gust of wind her wings made.

Temari opened her fan and jumped into the sky, following TenTen effortlessly without saying the name of her jutsu. I marveled at them before going to Katie and saying, "If you guys see anything, knock down a tree or something that'll alert us."

"Twin telepathy will work just fine, thank you. Ja ne, Tenzou-koi," she said quickly, kissing Yamato's lips before sinking into the ground and traveling wherever Hinata was.

Yamato put on his mask and teleported away, probably to ANBU. That left Emily, Shizuke, and me in the front of my house.

"What are you waiting for, you bastards? We have a chibi to find," Emily said, speed walking to the one place we'd find a gold mine of information: The Hokage's office.

Normal POV

The small group had reached the Hokage's office in the standard amount of time, knocking on the door angrily.

Well, Emily was.

"Let me in dammit! What the hell are you doing in there, pleasuring yourself?! Get your ass over here and let me in!" She pounded on the door while Shizuke and Lee sweatdropped.

Finally, an irritated Shizune flung the door open, her expression livid and her eyes tired. "What the hell is your problem?! It's 2:15 in the morning," she whispered angrily.

"Yeah, and Kenisha isn't in bed with Lee like people should after fucking so we're here to ask Tsunade where she went," Emily said, crossing her arms and leaning her weight on her right leg, tilting her head as if she was waiting for an answer.

Shizune sighed as she heard Tsunade rustle her sheets and get up. "Shizune, who the hell is at the door?"

"Uchiha Emily, ma'am," Shizune muttered wearily, opening the door wider to reveal a disgruntled and slightly pissed off Tsunade.

"What dya want, brat?" She leaned on the doorframe beside Shizune, adjusting her robe so her, ahem, assets wouldn't escape her.

"I wanna know where my cousin is. You and Lee last saw her, so you guys are who I'm asking. I've already asked the not-so guilty Lee, who got laid before she left," Emily said, glaring Lee's way. He just shrugged his shoulders and cocked his head, embarassed.

"I have no idea where she went, only who she went after."

"I have two guesses, and I know I'm right: Orochimaru and Ryoku."

Tsunade nodded, her eyes closing in confirmation. "Yes. So I'm assuming that she'll have gone a long way already." Emily looked right at her with an air of nobility, from where no one was sure.

"I need you to tell me where you think they are. And who her accomplices are. Right now."

"There's nothing I've said that you don't already know. I don't know of her accomplices or of where they are. But what I do know is of someone who does know that information," she said lazily, her hand pawing in the empty air as if a cup of sake would magically appear if she wished it to.

Emily nodded and pushed Shizuke out from behind her. "You can take care of him while we're gone, right?" Shizune began to protest, but without further ado, Tsunade closed the door on her and the child, pulling Emily in so she could whisper the name in her ear.

"Arigatou, Tsunade-sama," Emily said, bowing slightly before dragging Lee out of the Tower and sending a mental message to Katie.

Wherever Katie is

She sent a couple rocks into the sky and TenTen and Temari streaked down, a gust of wind slamming against the ground as they hovered a couple feet over it.

"You find anything?"

"Emily-nee has. We're going to a certain ninja's humble abode," Katie said, hopping onto Temari's fan and giving her directions, Hinata being carried by TenTen.

The Forest of Death Hinata's POV

We flew until we could see Emily and her giant two-headed snake slithering through the forest, Lee standing unsteadily beside her. We landed on it and Emily pointed to a small cottage smack dab in the middle of a poisonous insect and snake infested clearing. She smirked.

"Elapid, time to eat." The large two-headed snake did as she commanded, and soon after we were able to walk on the ground confidently.

Temari knocked on the door impatiently and yelled, "If anyone's home, open up!"

We were met with the unkept mane of Hatake Kakashi, followed by the rest of his head. "What are you kids doing here?"

"Where's Anko?"

Kakashi slumped on the doorframe and held onto his Sharingan eye, looking up at the lightening sky. "I wish I knew... she just kissed me goodbye and said "I have a score to settle. I'll be back if I win." Then she smirked and said "Which I always do"," he looked at us, "And I never thought to ask her where she'd be going..."

"We know where she went," Lee said, putting a hand on Kakashi's shoulder. I smiled and went to them.

"Kakashi-sensei," I said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find her. We will." He gave me a smile through his mask.

"Well c'mon people, we've got women to rescue," TenTen quickly shouted, shooting off into the sky, so fast that bits of the feather-like-fur on her wings flew off of the scales and fluttered to the ground, she herself becoming a speck in the lightening purple-blue-orange sky. We dutifully followed, Emily and most of the others on Elapid, Kakashi and I on the ground.

As I stared up at her through my Byakugan, I saw a fallen angel, her love gone, her heart growing cold, and her happiness blowing away in the wind. But I also saw her fierce determination and her own Will of Fire. She wouldn't let any of us down, and she'd find Kenisha and kill Neji and her parents' murderer. No matter if she died or not. No matter what. If she could live for him, she could die for him.

Her eyes couldn't hide her feelings from mine. My eyes saw it all.

'Then it's my job,' I thought, 'to keep you alive, TenTen-nee-chan.'

Everybody here, gettin' outta control
Get your backs off teh wall
Cuz Misdemeanor said so
Everybody here, gettin outta control
Get your backs off the wall
Cuz Misdemeanor said
So

x- lyrics from Lose Control by Missy Elliot feat. Ciara -x

Koneko's POV

I kept running until I felt that weird presence again and I knew I'd found the right place. The wierd presence always came from my seal, throbbing and itching as I got closer to Orochimaru. I also felt something else... another Orochimaru experiment, but...

I shook my head and kicked through the roots that hid the old rotted doorway from outsiders. Then I jumped down the flight of stairs and sprinted through the base, looking from side to side, my hair whipping behind me. "Not there," I kept saying. "Not there.... not that one... " I knew I found the right place after I heard a shriek of pain. Yet that shriek.. it sounded familiar. Then the scent reached my nose and my nostrils flared in anger. "No!"

The door to the chamber broke apart when I kicked it, it's splinters flying into the darkness of the chamber, shadows being cast by small candles in brackets around the room. But half were blown out by the draft coming from the hallway, so I couldn't see but an incomplete highlight of who it was. But that didn't matter: his smell was all I needed.

"Ryoku!"

The old man laughed and his shoulder twitched slightly. A loud gasp for air echoed through the cavern and I narrowed my eyes. "Put her down, Ryoku."

"Or what," he challenged, and I saw his shoulder twitch again. Her shrieks filled my eardrums again. I couldn't take it; I disappeared and cut my wrists in the dark: the pain helped me focus.

Then I snuck up behind him and backslapped him away from her, pulling the bleeding woman into the light. Mitarashi Anko was revealed, her longer, darker purple hair that was tied messily in a spiky ponytail plastered to her face, some blood flowing freely from her forehead. Her skin was a light gray-purple, her eyes a soft yellow. Her fingernails had gone claw-like, and she had a small tail growing out of her ass. The spikes on it retracted when she looked up at me.

Yes, my friends, Mitarashi Anko had gone Cursed Seal Level 2. "H-Hey kid... how'd you get here so fast?"

I smiled down at her. "I'm the fastest kid there is, Anko-shukubo." I hugged her and helped her shakily to her feet. "You feeling OK?"

She smirked at me and licked a kunai she had pulled out of her pouch. "Aren't I always kid?" I grinned back and licked some of my blood off of my katanas, my eyes looking sadistic. Ah, the habits I got from her...

"Time to kill a son of a bitch." She nodded, some of her hair falling out of place.

"Ah ah ah, not so fast," Ryoku said, amused by our declaration. "I need you to do something for me, Kimochi. You as well Mitarashi."

I growled and Anko narrowed her eyes. "What the hell did I say about uttering the Kimochi name around me, YOU ASSHOLE?" I felt my Chakra spike inside me, but was hindered by the seal on my chest; I couldn't use it.

"No need to get angry, dear girl. I just need some more of your eggs, that's all. And Mitarashi, Orochimaru-sama needs to have a quick word with you before Kabuto prepares you for the same treatment," he said casually as if he was naming instructions off a doctor's list.

A very fucked up, perverted, illegally insane doctor's list...

I tensed and then shoved Anko toward the exit. "Go. I don't want you to have the same fate as I do. Just fuckin' go."

"You expect me to leave you with the man who massacred your clan and then pedophile who took away my memories and gave me the Cursed Seal of Heaven? No way in this hell, kid. I'm staying," Anko said, getting angrier and crazier by the second.

I eventually nodded and walked about two steps before disappearing into one of my trademark Kurosendo Koneko attacks.

"Kurosendo style: Blades of Blood!" My voice echoed throughout the chamber, making it impossible to pinpoint where I was. I jumped on the pillars, going side to side as I sliced Ryoku with my katanas. Back and forth, right and left. Up and down. Side to side again. His blood was drenching me, seeping through my clothes and sticking to my skin like the sweat rolling down my body. Then I flipped off the pillars, charged toward his nearly unrecognizable body, and stabbed him through the chest, slicing my blades out the sides of his ribs. His crimson pain splashed onto the stone and dirtied my hands even more. I jumped away, knowing full well it didn't kill him, and yelled, "Anko, now!"

Anko nodded and jumped into the air, pulling her arms back as far as they could go, charging her cursed Chakra into them. She started spinning in a corkscrew fashion, until she was a blur, her hair coming undone and her wings almost cracking backward. Then she snapped her arms out toward him and shouted, "Ninpou: Shadow Snakes!" 5 snakes from each arm, black in color, their fangs larger than their heads, stabbed through Ryoku, getting covered in blood and organs. They pulled back out, and by Anko's command, bit chunks out of him, ripping him apart. They pulled back once more and bit his neck out, tearing his windpipe from his body.

She landed behind him, covered in his death and innocently licking on of her fingers, smirking like she was insane.

Well, after that display, I wouldn't doubt that she was. I grinned and she looked up at me, her eyes beaming.

"Can I have a hug now?" I sighed exasperatedly. Leave it to Anko to make a gory moment hilariously adorable. I nodded and jumped at her, glomping her on the back and knocking the both of us down. She turned over and hugged me back, petting my hair and laughing.

"Damn kid, you're a sight to behold. Ever heard of this wonderful thing called a shower?"

I stuck my tongue out and blew a raspberry. "You're one to talk. Did you eat him too?" I laughed with her at my failed attempt at a joke and got up, pulling her with me, dusting her off and getting some body matter off of her in the process. "Can't you stay clean for two seconds?"

"Can't you stay out of trouble for one?"

"How about we all talk about that over a medical table, shall we?"

I.

Almost.

Shit.

Myself.

"HOW THE HELL ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!?!?" A sickly dismantled figure that was once Ryoku got up from his place on the floor, cracking his skull back into place. My eyes widened and Anko hissed.

"Please tone it down, dear, you did cut off one of my ears while you were hacking away at me. And I can't cover it because Mitarashi over there had her snakes eat my arms to the nibbled bone. But still, this can all be repaired. Just come with me and I'll get you clean and ready for the procedure." He was slowly regenerating, his flesh re-knotting itself back together. Some if it had to regrow, its sick smell over-coming me nose, making me want to throw up. He was slowly walking toward us now.

"OK, what the hell? How are you still breathing? How are you able to talk? WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME!?!" I tensed; here was the moment, when he would finally tell me.. tell me what the hell was wrong with him...

Ryoku let his evil laughter ring through the chamber for a few more moments before leaning his head toward us. "Because I cannot die."

I felt fear strike into my soul. He couldn't die.

He couldn't be killed.

He can't leave.

He won't go away.

He'll never leave me alone.

I'll never feel safe.

I'll never be safe. I'll die before I see any of my angels alive again, excluding Anko. I felt my heart ripping itself apart, trying to kill me before he did.

My heart obviously isn't as strong as it once was.

He walked toward me and caressed my cheek, his dirty fingers rubbing circles into the flesh. "Come now, Kenisha, can't we just be a good little girl and do as I say? You wouldn't get punished if you'd just do as I tell you."

I felt my eyes widen and my spine straighten immediately. Do as he said.... so I wouldn't get punished. I can't get into trouble... or else I'll be punished. My eyes felt wet, but I didn't dare wipe them. I just blinked as quickly as I could. Do as he says, or I'll get punished.

"...nisha? Kenisha, deary, you're supposed to be listening to me. Did you hear what I said?"

My eyes snapped back to his, my fear becoming paramount as his cold obsidian orbs pierced into me. "I, uh... I... you said..." I almost cried. I didn't hear what he'd said. Now I'm gonna get raped... Just like before.

"You said that you were going to go easy on her as long as she gives you what you want. Lord Orochimaru would leave her little friends alone and let the prisoners free, as she does what you tell her. Miss Mitarashi will also be set free, but she will have to stay. She's of no value to him corrupted by Konoha," Anko said quickly, her eyes never leaving Ryoku's slowly regrowing body.

"Very well Miss Mitarashi, you recited it perfectly. But, I had asked if she had heard me, not you," he sneered, giving me a look of pure malice.

"I remembered, she did as well. She just can't talk under pressure, can you Kenisha-chan," Anko asked, her eyes leaving Ryoku for a second to give me a warm, protective look. I gave her a look of gratitude and love, and then looked back up at Ryoku.

"Uh, yeah. You just... your power is overbearing, Ryoku-sama. It left me paralyzed for a moment," I lied quickly, not daring to blink.

He pulled away and smiled a sick smile. "Oh, you treat me too well, dearest. Of course that was the reason. Thank you for reminding her, Miss Mitarashi." Anko glared back at him. "Well, I guess I must put you in your room now, to wait until Orochimaru-sama returns," he said lazily, putting a hand on his miraculously regenerating hip. Then he turned and walked away without another word.

I immediately followed, shivering even though it was relatively warm in the base. Anko followed beside me, slowly reverting back to her normal form, putting an arm over my shoulders. I took a couple breaths and my shvivering lessened, but my hands wouldn't obey. They shook violently, so I held them together in front of me in an almost pleading gesture. Anko rubbed her thumb over my temple and "shhed" me. "I'm not going to let him hurt you, Chibi-chan." I moved closer to her and almost shut my eyes. My mother's best friend, Mitarashi Anko... I was glad she was here. Yet I wanted desperately for her to run away. She can't be here.

Not with her best friend's daughter. Not with the man who murdered her best friend.

Not back with Orochimaru.

Our footsteps echoed down the tunnel as Ryoku hummed aimlessly to himself, clearly bored out of his mind. I got enough control over myself to glare at his back. I wished my glares could kill him, though if they did, he'd have been dead before he set foot on Kimochi grounds. None of this would've happened...

He opened a vaguely familiar door and shoved us inside. "This will be your home until Orochimaru-sama sees otherwise. Enjoy," he said sickly sweet, slamming the door and locking it from the outside. I heard some earth move and assumed he barricaded us in as well. I let out the breath I didn't know I'd been holding and let it shudder out.

"Oh my God... Oh my God, Anko-shukubo, we're not getting out of here! He's not gonna let us go, he's not gonna go easy he's gonna to make it worse and he's gonna kill the rest of the angels!! We're gonna die this time," I cried, punching the ground and thrashing violently, trying to get his disgusting blood off of my body.

Anko went behind me and held me up, pulling me into her. She had totally reverted back to herself and was weak, her breaths short and hard. "Sh... Shut up, kid. We're gonna get outta this mess, alright? And you wanna know why, don't you?"

I nodded quickly; anything of hope was enough for me. Anko smiled faintly. "Well, it's love. Love sounds pretty damn corny, I know, but it will. Actually, it's the people we love that're gonna help us. Like your Lee and my Kakashi. And all of our friends. We aren't alone, and never will be, if we have love, Chibi-chan. Remember that." I felt my heart throb at her words and hugged her tight, crying some more.

"My mom said something just like that once, a long time ago."

"Where d'you think I got it from," Anko said, closing her eyes and smiling at me. "You look just like her, by the way. But you got a bit of your father in you; little jokester, that one. Couldn't pass up a chance to laugh his ass off at something stupid or act completely retarded and childish while doing something. Yeah, that Tenkou was a funny one."

I couldn't resist. "What about the other people in my family? What about my grandfather? My mom said he died before I was born, so I never knew him."

Anko shook her head. "Sorry kid. By the time I met Kora-chan, he was already dead."

"Kora-chan can't be her full name, right?" I didn't know a whole lot about my mother personally, no matter how close I was to her. When I talked to Anko I knew it would be the only chance I got to find out anything about her.

"Yeah. Her full name was Sokora Amesui Kimochi." Anko shifted a little, wincing as her back scraped the wall.

I blinked and then nodded. "That's right... her middle name was Acid Rain... her most powerful jutsu..." Anko nodded and leaned her head back, breathing some more.

"Hey kid..."

"Yeah Anko-shukubo?"

"Let's just be quiet for a little bit... alright?"

"OK." I got off her and lead her to the small bed, where she slowly laid on the threadbare sheets. I crawled on after her, trying to make her as comfortable as possible before closing my eyes.

I didn't sleep, but the least I could do for myself was block the images of my surroundings, that way when I did fall asleep, the nightmares wouldn't scare me as bad.

He was going to try and kill us.

He was definitely going to rape me.

But one thing he couldn't do, the one thing he couldn't take away, was my love.

Anko was right. He'd never be able to break us as long as we waited for them.

Waited for our friends. Our loves.

And, if they were still alive, our angels.

TenTen's POV

I felt my heart soar even higher than I was when I heard Hinata yell, "I can see traces of her, both Anko-san and Kenisha-nee-chan! We're getting close!"

I heard Kakashi ask where and Hinata pointed. Sasuke growled; he had joined us not long after we got back from Kakashi and Anko's cottage in the Forest of Death. "That's where I first went... He's there all right."

"What's wrong Sasu-ai," Emily asked, looking concerned. I think that being near the base of the man who almost took everything from him must've done something to him.

"My curse mark... it's burning. We are close... very close." I motioned to Temari, and we both glided down toward the group, who had stopped near a large oak tree and some concrete stairs.

"Damn, looks like Chibi-chan's been here," Temari said, pointing at the door, which had been kicked to splinters. Kakashi lit a light and lead the way in. Temari and I had to land and walk behind them, kunai out and at the ready.

"I don't like this," Shikamaru said, rubbing his head and peering into the blackness. "But I have an idea."

"Yeah, what," Kakashi said in his bored tone, turning his head slightly to hear him.

"I think that two of us should go back and get help if this gets too hectic. It has to be someone that can fly, since they go the fastest." He looked pointedly at me and Temari.

"No way in hell am I leaving my sister in that hell hole," I said, crossing my arms.

"I'm not going either, and I know that's why you said it. I can take care of myself in a fight, Lazy-ass," Temari said, glaring at him. Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed.

"That isn't why. It's just that we're going up against a powerful enemy, one that could take on two villages if he wanted to and live to tell about it. I just want to know that if we need help we can get it fast. A handful of ANBU and one sibling of the Kazekage can't do much against a foe like this."

We all nodded, finding truth in his words. But no way in hell was I going. "Temari, you can go when he says. Take Shikamaru with you."

"Since when did you become team leader? 'Sides, I said I wasn't going."

"You are, and you're gonna like it. And I'm not saying I'm team leader, I'm just saying it's the rational thing to do. You have people to go back to and a brother to assist back in Suna. And you have Shikamaru and a duty to uphold as ambassador. You can also go faster than I can. I have no clan; every Hyuuga but Hinata, Naruto, and Minato hates me. I may have a duty, but what's one lost ANBU? And like I said, you have Shikamaru. Neji's dead, and I've got to avenge him. And none of you, not even Lee, is going to stop me."

OK, maybe I went a little overboard, but dammit, she shouldn't kill herself over this! Temari sighed as she knew I wasn't going to be swayed.

"Fine, I'll go. But only if it gets rough enough that someone isn't gonna make it, cuz in that case, I'm taking the injured with me," she said in slight defeat but also in confidence. She'd do it.

"If we're done planning, we should go," Yamato said, getting up in front with Kakashi and checking the rooms on the sides of the hallway. Hinata was doing the same when she stumbled on another busted door.

"Everyone, look at this," she pointed a shaking finger into the room, which ended up to be a dimly lit chamber. Blood was splattered everywhere, and some flesh was hanging from some of the pillars near the center. Katie walked up to it, and much to my distaste, she tasted the blood.

"It's not Kenisha's. It's Ryoku's."

"How do you know that from tasting the blood?"

"The badger that I can summon bestowed me ome of her more vulgar abilities, including the one that enables me to tell who a person is by tasting their blood, confirming their blood type, age, height, weight, and other such information." So the smart-ass Kimochi was part-vampire.... awkward.

"OK..." Everyone seemed to edge away from her, even Yamato. She rolled her eyes and spit, probably to get the blood out. Didn't make it any less creepy, sorry.

"Then they killed him," Emily said, getting excited as she broke the silence. "Only one more to go..."

"If they killed him, his body would be here and we would have heard fighting. He's not dead, and neither are they," Shikamaru stated, walking out of the door way and continuing down the hall with Kakashi and the others. We followed the little droplets of blood until we found a door. But as we looked beside the door, the droplets lead on to some other part of the base.

"Ok, half of us stay here, the other half go ahead and follow. I suggest the strongest of us go ahead," Shikamaru said, getting a serious look on his face. Temari scoffed and stood in front of him, her back pressed against the door.

"If you want things done right, you do them yourself. Hinata, please look into this room and tell us what you see," she asked.

Hinata obliged and gasped. "They're in there."

"What do you mean "They're"? Who else is in there with Kenisha-nee-chan," I asked, getting impatient.

Hinata motioned for Temari to move and opened the door slowly, as if she didn't want to wake the people inside. "Anko-sensei is there as well..."

We all crowded in to see Anko and Kenisha, covered in blood and foreign flesh, breathing softly on a tiny bed on the side of the room.

"OK, this is as fucked up as it gets," Emily shouted, making Sasuke cover her mouth quickly.

"Baka, d'yu know what you've done?" She wrenched his hand off and glared.

"No, I don't so why did you cover my--"

A loud bang interupted their arguement and faint footsteps echoed from the open door.

"Dearest Kenisha, why make so much noise... I was preparing to heal, but I guess you want to be punished instead..." That voice sounded all too familiar to me. The two on the bed stirred, and at his next words, Kenisha shot open her eyes and whimpered.

"Time to be punished...." The voice was getting closer.

"N-no... I was a good girl, I was a good girl!" She began to shake and hold herself and Anko held onto her shoulders, petting her hair and trying to soothe her. We heard the sickly familiar voice again, and what he said sent chills down my spine and haunt me to this day.

"I hope you're prepared, young one: Sex is all the sweeter when you scream."

---

Me: OH EM EFF GEE! PLEASE REVIEW PEOPLE!!

Anko: E, H, that means you!

Emily and Hermione: Fine!

Katie: *grumbles and walks away, throwing a bomb behind her, blowing up the Inuyasha TV show set*

Everyone: WHAT THE HELL, KATIE?!?! THAT WAS INUYASHA!!

Katie: Yeah, was....

Everyone: PLEASE REVIEW, AND WE'LL ADD SOMETHING SPECIAL IN THERE, JUST FOR YOU!