Author's Note: Well, this is it folks. The chapter you've (Hopefully) been waiting for with the (Hopefully!) epic battle between Hikari and Orochi-I-likes-me-some-little-boys-Maru. The whole thing has been fermenting in my mind's eye for a few weeks, and I've done painstaking work to come up with Hikari's weapons and jutsus (Which will be of the element of light!), and she even has her own Summon!

OMG, she does, and it is so COOL!

Alicia, you flatter me. X3 Anywho, I'm so nervous about what all you readers will think of this chapter… Eep! Lol, it's true, she keeps biting her lip and making squeaking sounds. SHUT UP!!!

XD

Disclaimer: Izzy doesn't own Naruto! Or 'Angel' by Sarah McLachlan.

XXX

'In the arms of an Angel,

Fly away from here.

From this dark, cold hotel room,

And the endlessness that you fear.

Oh, you are pulled from the wreckage

Of your silent reverie.

You're in the arms of an Angel.

May you find some comfort there.'

-Sarah McLachlan, 'Angel'

XXX

Hikari stared, seething with anger and hatred, at the man who had dared try to harm her teammate. 'You… You'll pay. I won't let you near them, you won't win, you WON'T…' She bit her bottom lip and reached towards the two weapons fastened to either side of her.

'I'll send you to Hell.'

Orochimaru blinked once and rubbed his neck, which still felt like it was burning. 'That girl's touch…' He stared upwards at Hikari, and his eyes narrowed. 'Interesting…'

"H-Hikari?!" Sakura exclaimed, her emerald eyes wide with shock and confusion. The girl in front of her looked like Hikari from the back… except she didn't…

Slowly, Hikari turned her head to look at Sakura and Sasuke, and she saw their expressions become one of surprise. She blinked her shimmering golden eyes once and smiled lightly. "It's me…" she murmured.

Sasuke blinked. 'What the-'

Suddenly, Orochimaru began to chuckle, and all gazes snapped towards him. He had stood up and was walking toward Hikari, his gaze scrutinizing.

"My, you're full of surprises, little girl…" he hissed as he drew closer. He eyed Hikari's snow white wings and clothes. Then, his gaze darted to the two swords fastened to her sides.

The sword on Hikari's left side had a uniquely designed hilt, and Orochimaru was sure it was made from pure gold. There were intricate designs of a color that looked like pure moon glow, and there was also an unreadable ancient text etched among the hilt, winding upwards and stopping at the blade.

The blade of the sword itself was long and sharp, and it seemed to emit a pure, glowing aura that was very powerful. The blade was a color that was somewhere in between silver and pure white, and at the very bottom of it, there was a single word inscribed. 'Tsukiakari,' (Moonlight)it read.

The sword on Hikari's right side was a bit smaller, but it seemed grand nonetheless, and it seemed to emit the same strong aura as Tsukiakari. The hilt was larger though, and the ancient text that was on Tsukiakari's was on this blade's hilt as well. Some of the characters were different, and instead of the moon glow-colored words, they were a pale gold, and the hilt was ivory colored.

The blade was thinner than Tsukiakari's, but it curved in some places, making it look even more dangerous and painful to be struck by. At the bottom of the blade, the same place where the word in the other blade was inscribed, there was a different word. 'Hoshiakari.' (Starlight)

And then, there was Hikari herself. Her face and body remained the same, but everything else was different.

Her black clothes were now gone and replaced by a silky, white, shimmering dress that reached her knees. A golden sash was draped around her waist, and her swords were attached to it. Instead of the traditional ninja sandals, Hikari wore gold colored sandals that were slightly high-heeled. They didn't look very comfortable to move around in, but Hikari was used to them.

Around her neck, she wore a small necklace that seemed to sparkle like the stars. There was an ornament that dangled down from it, and it was shaped and glittered like a teardrop.

On her head, there was a beautiful diadem made of many jewels and beads. It was so bright and sparkled with so many colors. Pure white, silver, pale gold, and a deeper gold all shimmered, and the glow the diadem cast seemed to illuminate her whole face.

The last detail about Hikari was the most outstanding. The snow white wings on her back that had not been there before. They weren't too big, or too small. The soft-looking feathers on her wings ruffled slightly in the breeze, and Hikari drew them closer to her, slightly wrapping them around her.

"Interesting…" Orochimaru repeated, finally shattering the silence that had come over them. He smiled maliciously.

"…Tenshi." (Angel)

"Shut up!" Hikari shouted, taking a step forward. Then, there was a soft, incredulous whisper from behind her.

"...You're an angel?" Sakura breathed, her mind suddenly feeling oddly blank and numb. Hikari turned to look at her with sorrowful, apologetic eyes.

"I'm sorry." Hikari said, the apologetic emotion in her eyes seeping into her voice. "I had to keep this a secret, until it was time… Please don't hate me." she pleaded. "But… If you trust me on this… I will explain everything later."

Sakura blinked once, and without thinking, she nodded. Then, Hikari turned to look at Sasuke.

His gaze was fixed on her, and she couldn't tell if he was surprised, or angry with her. His fists were clenched, but his onyx eyes were wide. Then he spoke. "You'd better explain everything later."

Hikari smiled.

"Unfortunately," Orochimaru hissed, and there was the sound of something stretching as he pulled off what remained of his mask. "Your little friend won't be alive when I'm finished here. And neither will you."

"You know nothing…" Hikari spat. She glanced upwards, and through an opening in the tree leaves above, she saw bright orange and blood-red light shining down from the opening. 'I can feel it… My light fading with the day's…' Hikari wrapped her right hand around Tsukiakari's hilt, and she slowly drew the blade and brought in front of her. She smirked, and it was an odd expression to see on her face.

"You have," Hikari spoke slowly, as if she were explaining something simple to a child. "Absolutely no idea of what I am capable of. And for even daring to harm the ones I care for…" Hikari frowned.

"I'll send you straight to Hell."

XXX

Orochimaru scowled at the young girl standing before him. 'This is certainly a nuisance…'

"Well…" he hissed forming some hand seals. "I guess I'll just have to deal with you first, then. Summoning Jutsu!"

There was the sound of splintering wood, and Hikari leapt back as part of the branch she was on broke away when a large snake appeared. She quickly placed Tsukiakari back in its place and began to form hand seals.

Sakura blinked and stared in awe. 'I… I've never seen those seals before! What is she doing?!'

Hikari concentrated as hard as she could on forming the hand seals, but she was aware that the large snake Orochimaru had summoned was moving towards her, and she knew she had to act fast.

'Sun, Moon, Earth, Stars, Heaven, Stars, Earth, Moon, Sun, Moon, Stars…'

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes at Hikari. 'What is she doing? Those seals…' He growled.

"Kill her now!" he ordered the large snake, which was happy to oblige.

Hikari's golden eyes flashed up at the moving beast, and her hands formed the last seal. 'Sun!' Hikari raised her arms up over her head, and she positioned her hands as if she were grasping something.

Sasuke and Sakura stared at their teammate from their position on the tree, both more than a little confused. Sakura squinted at Hikari's hands, which seemed to be glowing slightly. Suddenly, she pointed and cried out, "Sasuke, look!"

Hikari brought one hand in front of her, palm up, and immediately, she began to feel something begin to pulse in her palm.

The light shifted and swirled, and then began to gather and grow in Hikari's palm. It was different colors, in some places a soft gold and others swirls of pure white. The ball of light continued to pulse and fluctuate in energy, but the energy it did have caused a small breeze to kick up and leaves and dust to flutter around in the air.

Hikari turned her head back to look at Sakura and Sasuke, who were still standing behind her, shocked expressions on both their faces.

"You guys get Naruto and go somewhere safe! You don't want to be here during this fight!" she warned.

"Are you crazy?! We're not leaving you alone with this madman!" Sakura shouted.

"I only told you to get somewhere safe! I never said anything about running away, so you can stay if you want! But just don't join the battle- I'm serious!!!" Hikari shouted back, aware that Orochimaru and his snake were getting closer and closer.

"Okay." It was Sasuke who answered, and with that, he grabbed Sakura and hopped away to retrieve the still-unconscious Naruto.

Hikari turned back to face Orochimaru and his snake, who were still coming at her. The ball of light in her palm was now quite large, and it was pulsing so rapidly and loudly that the periodical thuds could be heard, sounding much like a slow, steady heartbeat.

"No matter what pathetic jutsu that is, you won't make it out of here alive, little girl!" Orochimaru snarled at her.

Hikari scowled and spread her snow white wings. She bent her legs slightly and prepared to take off. 'Just watch me, bastard.' And then, she was flying.

Sasuke and Sakura, who had gotten Naruto, where hiding among some branches in one of the nearby trees, and they watched as their golden eyed teammate took off and began to soar. Hikari's wings flapped quickly one moment, and then she was gliding and rising gracefully, higher and higher until, within a few moments, she was almost at the tops of the trees. And then, her voice rang out in the forest.

"Hikari: Hebun Fungeki!" (Light: Heaven Fury)

Hikari turned and then spread her wings as far as they could go, feeling the wind rush under them and propel her faster as she descended. Orochimaru had changed the direction his snake was moving in, and the great beast was stretching its neck up towards her. For a brief moment, Hikari's mind wandered to other things; were her teammates well hidden and safe? Would she be punished for her abrupt actions later? Would she even survive from the fight with such a dark evil?

But a moment later, Hikari was forced to push all those other thoughts out of her mind as she felt her hand connect with something and felt all the built up energy and light suddenly erupt into a frenzied explosion. And then one more thought popped into her mind. Was Orochimaru shocked? After all, she hadn't hit the snake.

It wasn't even her target.

XXX

Author's Note: I know, I know, it's short, but my parents want me to get off my laptop. Meanies. I wanted a longer chapter for you guys, but I also wanted to end with a cliffie.

This is what I got.

But trust me, the next chapter will be longer, and it will have more action. You can speculate as to what will happen (I'm pretty sure most of you are thinking, 'Orochimaru got blown up! YES!!!'). And lucky you, you got to see one of Hikari's Jutsus. Her Summon will show up in the next chapter.

And, it would help if any of you guys knew where I could find some clips of Orochimaru doing some of his evil Jutsu (I've heard of one called Summoning Jutsu: Rashomon, and it sound really interesting.). If anybody knew where I could find clips, or knows when this jutsu was used, please tell me.

In the meantime, drop a review by, please!

Fate