Winter's Embrace
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 14
Gaara quickly goes to find Kushina. She was the Nymph who had captured Apollo's heart and the mother of Naruto and Menma. The Goddess of Love right. If anyone would know where the God of Chaos had gone, it would be Daphne.
"My apologies for showing up unannounced, but I am afraid this is an emergency." Cupid knew that time was of the essence. "It is about your sons." So there was very little time for proper etiquette.
"What about Naruto and Menma?" She looks at him, suddenly alarmed.
Cupid sighs. He wasn't sure how to explain everything to her. It was all so complicated it made even his head hurt and he had been there for the beginning, but he knew that he had to try.
"Naruto is in love with Sasuke. Someone stole one of my arrows. The Obsession Arrow. Now Menma is obsessed with Sasuke and I fear for all of their safety." The red head would just have to be blunt. "There is an antidote, but it is hard to tell where Menma will be as he is the God of Chaos and for me it is nearly impossible to predict his movements." There was no time to sugarcoat things as humans said. "You're his mother. Perhaps you know where he would have gone?"
Kushina's eyes widen. She was well aware of what that arrow was capable of. Rarely was it was it used and for good reason. Normally, it was only deployed as a way to change history.
For Menma to be under its influence was unthinkable. She well remembered what had happened with Troy. Such atrocities should never be allowed to occur again!
"There is an island that he favors. It is filled with sirens, centaurs, and all manner of supernatural beings." She bites her lower lip anxiously, just thinking about it. "It's very dangerous. I think that is what he finds so appealing about the place." After all, her son was the God of Chaos. So perhaps, it was only expected that he would fall in love with such a perilous isle. "If you crush this pearl under your foot, it will take you there." Kushina muses to herself as she hands Eros a pearl.
"I'm going with you." Gaara hears a familiar voice from behind him and turns around to see Hinata.
The God of Love blinks. How did she get here? Had she been following him the whole time? Nevermind, that wasn't important! She was not going! It was far too dangerous!
"Hinata, I know you are worried about Naruto, but I can't allow you to go." He could never risk endangering her in such a way! As Kushina said, that island is extremely dangerous. And I could not bare it, if something were to happen to you." He caresses the beautiful woman's cheek.
His beloved was apparently not going to be swayed so easily though. "Gaara, I love you, but I am a daughter of Poseidon." Gaara knew that! "I am not weak. I can hold my own in a battle. Kushina, you said that Menma would be on an island?"
Kushina nods. She chuckles at the younger woman's display. Were she in Hinata's position, she would have done the same. Well actually she would have smacked Minato for suggesting that it was too dangerous for her to handle. But still, it was the principle of the thing.
"It's an island, Gaara. What are islands surrounded by?" Hinata smiles at him in a deceptively sweet fashion.
The God of Love sighs. "Water, My Love." As much as it pained him to admit it, his lover had won this battle.
"And do you not think that my water abilities would prove useful in such a terrain?" She continues.
Her point was a valid one. "They would. You are to stay close to me and do as I say. I would never forgive myself I something happened to you." Unfortunately. "Menma is insane, My Love. He would not think twice about doing something vile to another immortal." The thought of having his Precious Pearl anywhere near that psychopath terrified him in all honesty. "He is the God of Chaos. I don't think you understand what we are dealing with." He whispers.
Hinata places her hands on her hips. She stares at her lover intently. The bluenette knew that he was only trying to protect her. Gaara cared for her deeply and she appreciated it, but she was not going to be left behind. Not this time!
"I understand that our friend is in trouble and I might be able to help." One way or another, she was going to make her Beloved understand that. "That is all that I need to know."
Finally, it appeared that he was yielding to her demands. "I love you, My Precious Pearl." As she knew he would, eventually.
That was all that was said before Gaara grabs the pearl and crushes it. He crushes it under his foot and takes Hinata with him. To the Isle of Chaos!
Meanwhile back on the island, Kisame smiles as his lover takes flight. Itachi was truly glorious when he flew. There was just something about the way his wings would help him sail through the skies that was so majestic and haunting.
"Unfortunately, Menma is immortal." Yeah. That sucked majorly. "That attack at best would stun him." Itachi sighs as lands on the ground next to the Son of Poseidon.
Naruto nods in agreement. "Yeah. Some days I really wish that my brother wasn't Immortal." Naruto confesses.
"That is an awful thing to say about your own brother. He is just doing what is in his nature, Naruto." The Angel of Death gives him a chastising look. "On the other hand, as Sasuke's brother I am well within my rights to make Menma wish that he had the luxury of death." The elder Uchiha growls.
"He's so cute when he gets all homicidal, isn't he?" Kisame smiles cheerfully.
Sasuke shakes his head in disbelief. "You two are insane. I hope you realize that." Sometimes it amazed him how perfectly rational and yet, mad the two of them were. "You're both mad."
Itachi shrugs. He was the Angel of Death. He had surely been called worse things than insane. So the teasing insult had no effect on him.
"Hey, guys! Look!" Naruto watches in shock as a swirl of water that was about 7 feet tall started taking form.
"You didn't think that we were going to keep all the merriment for yourselves, did you?" Gaara chuckles as he and Hinata reveal themselves.
Naruto smiles. He rushes over and hugs his friend. Hinata gets pulled into the bear hug to. Itachi noticed that Sasuke was not particularly pleased by this gesture.
"Oh brother, stop sulking." The Angel of Death rolls his eyes. "You know that he has eyes only for you."
The younger son of Hades seemed less than pacified. "I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it when he touches others, even if it is only a platonic touch." Because he was still glaring daggers at Gaara.
"Your lover is jealous." Gaara murmurs to Naruto, who walks over and kisses Sasuke's cheek.
Naruto smiles at that thought. "I like it when you get jealous, but we should really focus on saving your friend." Sasuke sighs and nods.
"I can take to the skies and run a scan of the island, I don't know how large it is…so it may take awhile." Itachi offers.
"Good idea." Sasuke agrees and Itachi flies off, gliding around the island in search of the Nymph.
Sasuke raises an eyebrow at Gaara and Hinata. He wondered how they found them. Nevermind, he figured they'd tell the rest of their party how they got there.
"I'd say we should find shelter, but we don't want to confuse Itachi." Hinata looks around warily.
The others nod. They settle hunker down on the beach. Itachi darts off. He notes the island was massive. He saw a few herds of centaurs, unicorns, satyrs, mermaids and mermen swimming in the waters, nymphs, and damn it…a hydra. That last one was going to be a pain in the ass. Which naturally meant, that was likely where the Nymph was.
He flies into the cave, where the hydra was. The Angel of Death tried to be stealthy so as not to alert the beast of his presence, but that was a complete failure. He barely manages to fly away fast enough to escape its jaws. But as he was doing so, in the back of the cave, he saw Haku.
"DON'T WORRY!" He tries to reassure the nymph. "HELP IS ON THE WAY!" Before flying back to the group.
When Itachi got back, he noticed most of them were sitting down. Sasuke was in Naruto's lap and the blonde was whispering something into his brother's ear. He couldn't make out what the blue eyed God had said, but he did note that rosy blush adorning his brother's cheeks.
"When we get back home, I'm going to chain you to your bed and make love to you for a week straight to celebrate defeating my bastard of a brother." Naruto smirks at Sasuke.
Well whatever it was, it seemed to excite his baby brother well enough. "Promises, promises." Itachi decides to file this under I Don't Want to Know Category as he watches Sasuke caress the blonde's cheek tenderly.
"Itachi is back!" Kisame gestures for everyone to look.
The Angel of Death lands gracefully. He was always graceful, Sasuke realized. The younger Uchiha brother couldn't recall a single instance of Itachi not being anything but the epitome of grace.
"The good news is I found Haku." The eldest son of Hades sighs. "The bad news is he's in a cave with a Hydra guarding it."
"Damn it." Naruto mutters, his good mood suddenly evaporating.
They had to save Haku. Haku was Sasuke's friend. While the blonde couldn't lie, he was jealous of the Nymph…he didn't deserve to die because of that. He had been with Sasuke first. He might even have been Sasuke's first love.
This was bad! "I could probably drown it, but everyone would need to get on top of the cave first." Really, really bad, but it looked like Hinata had an idea.
"I'll make that probably a definitely." So that was definitely good. "Come let's go. Lead the way, Itachi." The son of Poseidon and Itachi flies off.
It was a leisurely flight. He wanted his friends to be able to keep up with him. Once they arrived at the cave it was a nightmare. A Hydra was truly a fearsome beast by any stretch of the imagination. He quickly flies everyone on top of the cave.
"Alright. Let's show these land lovers what a son and daughter of Poseidon can do." Kisame smiles at Hinata.
"WATER DRAGON!" They both cry out and two massive dragons shaped out of water form and hurtle into the cave.
The hisses of the Hydra could be heard. The sounds of gnashing teeth trying desperately to hold onto another. Loud THUDS as it's massive body smacked up against the cave walls over and over again. The water dragons were unforgiving though. Again and again they attacked, slowly drowning the hydra.
Naruto blinks at the bold magical display. "Remind me never to get your boyfriend angry, Itachi." Damn. Kisame could be rather fearsome when he wanted to be and so could Hinata, the blonde notes.
"Well that should do it. Be careful though." Itachi nods in acknowledgement. "Somehow I doubt that is the only obstacle that Chaos has placed in our way." The Angel of Death tries to warn them as they make their way further into the cave.
"You're smart. That's right. That's far from the only obstacle." Menma suddenly appears. "Hello, brother. I knew you would come. You are just so damn predictable!" He taunts him.
Naruto snarls. He wasn't thinking straight. He only saw red. He charged straight at Menma. Menma smirks and releases some shadows.
There was obviously no love lost between the sons of Apollo and Daphne. "Careful! He can make those shadows do whatever he wishes them to." Damn. That was going to make this tricky. "Don't let them touch you!" And with that, the blonde slams into his brother with the full force of his body and the two begin grappling with each other.
The shadows soon morphs into centaurs. Because they were not actually alive, Itachi's powers of death would not work on them. Kisame and Hinata try drowning them. Gaara fires off some arrows. Sasuke shoots off daggers made of ice.
"You're so pathetic. You knew the Nymph was his lover and yet you came to rescue him." The God of Chaos mocks his brother. "If he were mine, I wouldn't be saving the competition. You've always been so tenderhearted! So weak! And that is where you and I are different, my brother." Oh yes, these two most assuredly despised each other, Itachi thinks to himself. "I'm not weak. I take what I want." Menma growls at him.
"Do you ever shut up?!" Naruto thunders at him as he throws a punch.
Though they weren't the only ones shouting. "HELP! I'M BACK HERE!" Haku was calling out for help.
"Quiet, Nymph!" The God of chaos roars at his captive and gags Haku with a shadow.
Menma obviously wasn't in the mood to allow such a thing. "Haku!" Hence the gag, but that did not stop Sasuke from rushing towards the back of the cave to save his friend and former lover!
Kisame grunts as he faints back. There were just too many of these damn centaur things. He looks at Itachi. His lover wasn't having any easier of a time. He was flying around quickly, trying to evade the shadows and tire them out. As they weren't actually alive, this strategy thus far had proven unsuccessful.
"AHHHHH!" Itachi cries out when one grabs his wings and the scent of burning feathers filled the air.
Kisame's eyes widen in horror. He shoots a jet of water at his lover's wing and lunges at the damn shadows. There was no way he was going to allow this "centaur" to hurt his lover further.
It was also borderline blasphemy. How DARE this creature burn Itachi's beautiful wings?! Did it have no sense of decency at all?! No, this a bridge too far for the son of Poseidon to tolerate! The creature had to pay for attacking his beloved and burning his wings!
"KISAME! GET BACK! DON'T TOUCH IT!" Itachi warns him, but it was too late.
Kisame falls to the ground the second he touched the centaur. He was now in a deep sleep. Itachi's eyes narrow in fury and he flaps his wings, sending violent gusts of wind at the centaurs, succeeding at knocking a few of them over.
Hinata wasn't holding up well. She had been kicked by a hoof and was bleeding badly on the head. Gaara had nearly been trampled by a one of the strange beasts on his way to help his lover. This was bad. This was very bad.
"HINATA!" Gaara calls out.
The daughter of Poseidon's eyes her lover reassuringly. "It's alright. I'm okay!" Though it was made less believable when she was forced to dodge two centaurs who were charging at her.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Eros bellows and fires off some arrows into the centaurs.
"Tell me my demon, which means more to you? Your former lover or your current one?" The God of Chaos hisses. "I suppose it doesn't matter. You're mine anyway and it is time you accepted that!" Menma looks at Sasuke as he stabs Naruto with a shadow.
"NO! Naruto!" Sasuke races towards the blonde and slams into Menma.
"I suppose that answers that question. It's impossible to kill a God, but it is fully possible to wipe his memories. He won't remember ever having met you, let alone loving you." The other Deity smirks coldly.
"Naruto? Naruto?!" Sasuke says as he huddles over the body of his lover who had fainted from the blow.
"You really are evil, but you're also stupid." Eros snarls. "Never leave your back exposed during a battle." Gaara fires off the antidote arrow into the God of Chaos.
The Centaurs were now no longer a threat to their group. They had all fallen in love with another centaur, thanks to Cupid's arrows. Gaara was a bit disturbed at the scene of the very much in love centaurs, but he ignores it. Instead he focuses on ending Menma's twisted obsession with Sasuke with his arrow.
Menma tenses up. He knew the red head had attacked him somehow. With an arrow, but he wasn't sure which one. That's when he looked at Sasuke and knew. It was the one to cure his obsession.
"You stole my feelings for him away!" Chaos snarls at Gaara.
Not exactly. "They were never your feelings. They were purely the result of this arrow and you know that." Though the God of Chaos certainly wasn't interested in discussing that it seemed because he lunges at Gaara with a knife.
How dare Eros take his feelings away?! They might not have been natural, but they were strong and chaotic! They made him happy!
He enjoyed playing this game with Sasuke and his brother. The red head had spoiled all his fun. Menma was going to make him pay for his crime! How dare he do this to the God of Chaos?! Eros had no right to take his feelings away from him!
"No, not this time." Itachi somehow manages to flap his badly singed wings and knocks the knife out of Menma's hands.
Naruto wakes up. He looks around in confusion. Where the Hell was he? Who were these people?
"Naruto, do you remember me?" Sasuke looks at his lover anxiously.
"No, should I?" The blonde frowns and was suddenly rather alarmed to see the beautiful man before him start to cry.
Silent tears of complete devastation. "I'll take that as a yes." Naruto as he brushes the tears away from Sasuke's cheeks.
"Sorry Sasuke, we are kinda in the middle of a battle." Hinata looks at him apologetically. "The lovers' drama will have to wait!" The bluenette rushes at Menma.
Hinata then drives her trident through the God of Chao's back, pinning him to the cave wall. "She's right. We will find a way to make this right later. Right now, we have to deal with Chaos!" Eros urges Sasuke.
Naruto watches the battle around him in utter confusion. "Sasuke," as the beautiful God was called, was apparently his lover? That couldn't be true. The Sun Deity was positive he would have remembered THAT! How was it possible to have made love to such a gorgeous creature and not to remember it at all?! Magic must be involved, dark magic!
All around him was chaos. There were shadowy centaurs coupling. A blue skinned man appeared to be sleeping. There was a handsome man with black wings who was leaning over the slumbering God. And someone who greatly resembled himself had just been pinned to the cave wall by a Trident. Not to mention a red head and a blue haired pair of immortals were also there. And was that a Nymph he saw in the back of the cave? What in world was going on here?!
"Sasuke! We must deal with Menma!" The Winged God looks at the beautiful one. "We can help Naruto later!"
Naruto? "He's immortal." Was that his name? "So we can't kill him, but I may have something better in mind." Sasuke stalks over to the captured God.
"What the fuck are you planning?!" Menma demands as he desperately tries to free himself from the cave wall.
It was no use though. Hinata's trident had pinned him against the wall completely. It had gone straight through his bone and he'd never be able to yank it out with one hand.
"Reminding you that you should never try to take that which doesn't belong to you." Sasuke murmurs and his hand suddenly glows an eerie shade of blue.
"What the fuck is that?!" Menma as he was called looked absolutely terrified. "What are you doing with your hand?!" Well at least in Naruto's opinion, anyway.
Sasuke smirks at Menma's fear. He couldn't deny that he was enjoying it. The God of Chaos had been terrorizing him for far too long. He was enjoying extracting some vengeance.
"You'll see. I can't kill you, but I can freeze you." Revenge had never tasted so sweet. "I can freeze your heart so that only your most basic biological processes are carried out. You will never threaten us again." Sasuke hisses and slams his fist into Menma's chest.
Menma howls in agony. His heart was being frozen. He could feel the ice spreading. And it wasn't an ice that would melt. This was magical ice. It would never melt if Sasuke didn't will it or unless another Immortal did.
"I'd say go to Hell but, I kinda live there." Sasuke smirks cruelly.
This was a punishment that the God of Winter had only carried out a handful of times. It was perhaps the most cruel one that he knew of.
To be alive and aware of what was going on, but not able to do anything was nothing short of torture. But for Menma, he was willing to make an exception. Sasuke might have been a merciful God, but even he had his limits. There were some things that just were unforgivable.
"That's for stealing Naruto's memories!" He hisses.
Naruto blinks. He had never seen such viciousness before. Well maybe he had and just couldn't remember it at the moment. Still the God looked every inch like an Angel of Vengeance.
Magnificent, but truly terrifying at the same time. It was a stunning contrast to say the least. The blonde knew that he would never forget the scene that was currently paying out before him in such wickedly vivid detail.
"NOOOO!" The other God cries out as his body slowly goes limp.
Soon enough, Menma stops moving completely. His eyes had glazed over and the blonde could see the ice surrounding Menma's heart like a cocoon. A very malicious cocoon.
"Where should we send him?" Sasuke tilts his head to the side as he considers the question.
"Send him to Daphne. She will unfreeze his heart and when he wakes, she will give him a far worse punishment than we could ever think of." Cupid nods sagely. "She is truly sadistic when angry." There could be no crueler punishment in his mind because Kushina was terrifying when she was angry.
"I like the way you think, Eros." Sasuke teleports Menma to where Kushina was.
Gaara nods and raises an eyebrow. Not that he was complaining, but this all seemed a little too easy. Why did he get the impression that the God of Chaos might not have been the mastermind behind all this?
"I hate to be the barer of bad news, but the battle isn't over yet. We still do not know who stole my arrow and why they struck Menma with hit." The God of Love reminds his friends.
"You're right. That was too easy." Itachi agrees and both Uchihas look fretfully at their lovers.
Sasuke was worried because Naruto had lost his memories. Itachi was anxious because Kisame was still slumber and because his wings were still badly singed. Little did either brother realize those things were going to be the least of their concerns very soon.
Elsewhere on Olympus, Zeus was pacing. The King of the Gods was extremely worried to say the least. He remembers his conversation with the God of the Underworld earlier that day.
Hades had appeared on Olympus. This was a rare occurrence. His brother did truly seem to hate being on the Mountain. So the Sky God knew that something terrible must have happened.
"Brother, tells me what troubles you." Jiraiya looked at Fugaku warily.
"Sasuke has gone missing. You are aware of Menma's obsession with him." This wouldn't end well. "I fear that Chaos may have kidnapped him." If Chaos was truly obsessed with the boy, the King of the Gods actually feared for his nephew's sanity. "I would like your help to find my son." Fugaku cut straight to the heart of the matter.
"I will do everything in my power to assist you. I'll send out a search party." He promised.
Hades nodded. He quickly departed. Zeus assumed it was to start his own search. Oh where could Sasuke be, he wondered? There was no telling where the God of Chaos might have taken him, if he had at all.
Ares smirks. While Zeus was distracted, it had been a simple matter to slip into his bedchambers. It had taken awhile, but he finally found it. He found the scroll that kept Madara sealed in the underworld.
He quickly rips it apart. The God of Titans was freed. It took only seconds for Madara to appear before him.
"Excellent. Go release the titans and I shall challenge Zeus. He was fortunate last time." Madara smirks in triumph. "He had the element of surprise. That will not save him now."
"Yes, My King." Ares teleports off.
Madara smiles. At long last, he would have his revenge on his son for his imprisonments. King of the Fields? It was an insult and Madara would not tolerate any insults! It was time to reclaim his throne from his usurper of a son. The Titan couldn't wait to toss Zeus into the very same pit that he had tossed him all those years ago. It would be such a fitting end to the spoiled brat. He could languish there for all of eternity and Madara would rule, as he always should have.
It was almost amusing really. "To think all that was necessary was a single arrow to make the God of Chaos obsessed and distract them, while Ares freed me." How easily everything had gone according to plan." It's almost insulting that I spent so many years in the Field when escape was so simple." He muses to himself as he walks out of Zeus's bedchambers.
Hera was walking to their bedchambers. She had forgotten something inside. Her eyes widen in horror when she sees the Titan. She lets out a scream of panic.
"Oh that was terribly rude of you." Madara tsks at the other Deity. "You spoiled the surprise." And with that being said, he flits behind the busty blonde and driving a dagger inside the Queen's heart.
She was immortal. So it wouldn't kill her, but it should render her useless for the rest of the battle. He had seen Hera on the battlefield. She was as formidable as her husband. Madara was not going to take any chances. Victory would be his.