Hang on, we're almost there! This section is almost over! Yay!
WARNING: This chapter is also very cliché and may have a hint of Mary-Sue-ness. And yes, I'm aware that this part is very stupid. I greatly apologize. Again. But after this chapter, the writing skill gets better. I think. The thing is, at the time I was writing this, my writing skill was actually deteriorating instead of getting better. I think I remember mentioning that in a former chapter...
I awoke in the morning, just as every other day. It was completely normal. It was back to its original place. The way it was meant to be. The hideout was incredibly quiet. No Natalie ranting and no Anna joking around. Zetsu was gone now. Only Kabuto and I were left, really. I stared in the mirror. Being in limbo…. The energy of the place between worlds had allowed my features to regain some youth. I didn't know why. I didn't care why. I didn't question it. I was immortal anyway.
I put on my mask, and was about to turn and walk out of the bathroom when something in the mirror caught my eye. There was someone sleeping in my bed. I whirled around – how did this person get through the hideout's defenses? I blinked in surprise. No one was there. I shook my head, and walked out into the hall. My mind is playing tricks.
I got my usual morning tea, and was about to walk into the other hall when a figure ran past me, seemingly chasing after something that wasn't there. She – yes, it was a girl – turned around and smiled at me. Then she continued running down the hall. I stood, frozen in place. What the hell is wrong with me…?
There was no way that could have been Natalie. She was dead. Lifeless. A mere cadaver. And, maybe, someone brought back to life by Impure World Resurrection. But Kabuto hadn't done that yet. I shook my head again, and looked down the hall. No one was there. I looked the other way. Still no one. See? It's nothing.
Later on, I passed the cells. I frowned at myself when I saw a shadow resting within its bars. And, if I looked close enough… it was breathing. My frown deepened. I'm seeing things.
So yes, overall it was a normal day.
The next day was the same. I got up and, when putting on my mask, half-expected to see someone in my bed through the mirror again. Nothing. I looked down at the sink. There was still a small piece of that delicious chocolate cookie. I narrowed my eyes at it. It was certainly tempting, but I wasn't going to eat it. Not after what happened last time. I decidedly threw it into the garbage. Then I walked out into the hall to get my tea. I still didn't understand why I had a desk. I liked to walk around as I thought, which is why I often wandered around the hideout. I passed the cells again….
…And nearly stepped on the last bit of that delicious chocolate cookie I threw out that morning.
I picked it up, examining it. "All you need to do is take a little bite…." My Sharingan immediately activated on instinct, and I whirled to see that there was a shadow in the cell again. "Pretty please?"
Am I really hearing things, too?
"Pretty please with sugar on top and whipped cream and sprinkles?"
I must be…. Am I going insane? What… the hell? The shadow disappeared. The bit of cookie remained in my hand. I shook my head. I'm going to bed early tonight. I obviously need my rest.
I followed my resolve. I went to bed earlier than normal, just as I told myself to do. "Dad…?" I heard in my ear. I jumped up at the sound. "That tastes disgusting…. But I need it, right?"
Oh hell no. This must be… a dream, yes.
"Hehe…. Bologna. Ponyb—"
The shadow in my bed disappeared. "I've got the Impure World Resurrection ready!" Kabuto called, his voice echoing through the hideout. I blinked, and shook the event off as if it were nothing. I walked briskly to a large room in the hideout, putting on my mask as I went. Kabuto smirked at me when I arrived. "Here it is. You think she'll be worthy to fight in the war?"
I stared at the open coffin. Natalie, in a dark robe, stood there. It was eerie, sure. Someone I had killed not three days ago was standing upright and looking dark and emotionless. I crossed my arms. "Sure; of course. She'll be especially effective against people like that nuisance Samantha."
Kabuto nodded. "I wonder how hard she'll be to control if I release her emotions."
"Personally," I added on, "I'd like to know how she'd react to finding out she's dead."
He chuckled. "Might as well find out." He made a hand sign.
She looked up. "Ah… where am I again?" she asked, rubbing the back of her neck. She looked above her. "And why am I in a coffin? And why are you guys here? Jeesh. If it's a party, it's an epic fail."
"You do realize you're dead, correct?" I asked.
She stared at me for a second. "Holy shit I'm DEAD? That's what happened? Holy crap!" Her hands went to her head, ruffling her light brown hair. "Gah! What happened? Was I poisoned? Did I blow up? Was it the Nazis?"
I blinked. "None of the above," Kabuto smirked. "Madara finally decided to just get rid of you."
She frowned. "Aw, that's mean. And after I gave him that chocolate cookie, too…. Wait." She paused, the event finally dawning in her. "I remember now!" She burst into hysterical laughter. "So I'm dead, eh, Maddie? Well, guess what? You haven't seen the last of me!" She continued to laugh, until Kabuto shut her up and she went back into the ground.
"Well, that was an odd reaction," Kabuto admitted.
"Hn," I answered, and turned away. "I'm going to bed now. I need some rest. I'll be thinking of war plans tomorrow."
"Uh, alright," he replied with a shrug.
When I got into bed again, I ignored the murmurs I heard. My mind was playing tricks. That shadow I saw; it was a trick of the light. Nothing more. "Dad…?" the voice repeated.
I frowned. "You be quiet," I whispered.
It stopped after that, and couldn't help but smile. It was my mind after all. "But why would I stop, dear Maddie, if it's annoying you so much?" My eyes flew open.
I was completely confused. I didn't even know what place and time it was; it kept changing. One moment I was sick in bed; the next I was running down the hall at the party, chasing a paper butterfly that Konan had made; then I was back in the cell, handing Maddie a cookie. And, all the while, I kept seeing an image of Deidara's destruction – his transformation into art. Don't ask why. I didn't know. So, the time kept switching….
I didn't even know I was dead.
That was, until I was brought back by Kabuto, which by the way was pretty weird. One of my first thoughts when I found I was dead: Oh wow, that fortune teller was right about that, too. Madara did kill me. That's just wonderful. But then I realized that… I was technically still there. A ghost, if you will. I later learned that the only reason I was still there and my time was mixed up and stuff was because the time machine thing was playing around. It wasn't supposed to be in this world. But still, I was going to annoy the hell out of Madara now.
I was gonna have fun.
I tried to get out of the hideout, but it did me no good. I had to stay near Madara. Why? I didn't know. I still don't know. I have a few theories, but that's about it. It was also bad when the pain I had right before my death came back randomly. Oh well, though. It was also depressing not being in touch with my friends. I was, well, dead, after all. I didn't even know if they'd notice me. What worried me most was the image of Deidara's explosion. It could have been a sort of dream of the future. I wasn't exactly sleeping, but I wasn't exactly awake, either. So… yeah.
The coolest part: walking through walls. The funnest and most amusing part: freaking Madara out. He probably thought he was going insane. Ha. But, anyway, I was going to have fun while it lasted. I actually kinda hoped I could, uh, go on living. Stupid wish, but hey, I could dream.
"C'mon Sierra!" Anna called to me. Her happiness had returned. A mask of cheerfulness that allowed her to escape from Natalie's death…. "You too, uh… Apple!"
"You sure you want to come along, Apple? She can be… annoying," I said.
"Oh, sure," she answered. "I love kids."
"I wanna meet, uh, Sasuke and Sui and Sakura and Naruto and Deidara and… and… yeah." She giggled.
"You already met Sasuke," I put in, catching up to her.
"Piggy back ride?" she asked, and pounced on me.
"Uh, sure, Little Sasuke."
"Little Sasuke?" Apple asked, amused.
"Long story," I answered as Anna got on my back.
We found Deidara first. "What do you want, hm?" he scowled.
"HI!" Anna greeted, waving.
He sighed and crossed his arms. "Hi. Now go away. I'm not in the mood."
"Fine, Mr. Grumpy," Anna huffed. Apple left to make Zetsu's special steak, in hopes he'd like it, and we next came across Team 7. Well, minus Kakashi, who was probably being tortured by Mackenzie's fangirlisms. By now Anna was off my back, thankfully. Especially since we were now in front of Sasuke himself. I didn't know him all that well, so I didn't exactly know how he'd react to that. Anna and I were five or six years apart, too. Just like him and Itachi. That was what made her and I the girl versions of them. Natalie had been Madara….
Woah, how ironic. Madara killed the girl version of himself. Well, not really, but hey, it sounded funny. If you cut out the fact that now my aunt was dead.
"Sasuke!" Anna squealed and pounced on him.
Eh? Since when is my little sister a Sasuke fangirl?
"I like hugs," Anna stated, smiling up at him.
He just sorta blinked down at her. "Can you get off?"
She nodded vigorously. "Sure!" She turned to Sakura. "I love the pink hair. It's so awesome, awesome, AWESOME!" she squealed.
"Hey, what about me?" Naruto joined in.
Anna just sorta cocked her head to the side slowly and said, "You looked weird when you were blue in the game…."
"…What game?"
"Oh, I just lost The Game!" I frowned, facepalming.
Anna hit me. "Now I lost too you meanie!"
Suigetsu was next. She was dancing when she met him. "Uh-huh, Sierra loves you!" she sang.
I clamped my hand over her mouth. "Shut up! I do not!"
Hidan and I just sorta… walked. We walked around the village that day. We were completely silent, which is saying something when we're talking about Hidan. Heck, that's saying something if I'm talking about me! "Sarah, I have a question," Hidan said with slight hesitation, as though he still was unsure of what he was saying.
"Yeah?" I replied.
"Well… can you help me with something?"
"Uh, what is it?" I definitely didn't want to help him kill some person.
He stopped. So did I. He was serious about this – a kind of serious that wasn't… Hidan. "Can you teach me?"
I blinked. "Teach you what?"
"…Right… from wrong…?"
"Holy crud! What the heck? Are you okay?" I closely examined him. "Are you sick? Feeling funny at all?" If he wanted to be a good guy, then he'd have to quit being a Jashinist. And if Hidan wasn't a Jashinist, then, well, he just wasn't Hidan anymore! He'd already lost his immortality; this was proved when he was stabbed in the lung with Britt's staff. First that, then this? He obviously wasn't himself.
"I don't know! There's something fucking wrong with me!"
I blinked at him. "Are… you sure?"
"Fuck no!"
I smiled. "Well, we can try it." Deidara passed by, heading out the village gates. "Hey! Where're you going?" I called.
"I'm going out," he replied simply, and continued on his way.
Fuck no, I thought, running after Madara. It wasn't all that hard to keep up with him. It was like my soul was tied to him. And, really, only my soul was left. …Or something like that. Deidara had challenged him to a fight, and Madara had accepted. Madara allowed Deidara to choose the battlefield. Well, that's where we were going.
The trees suddenly broke, and we were in a large field. Both of them ran ahead as the pain of my death hit me hard. I was falling behind. They passed a hill, and I could no longer see them. Unfortunately, I was getting tired out. The pain was beginning to subside, though, thankfully. I don't see how a spirit getting tired is really possible, but, uh, it happened. I stared up at the sky. It was nice to be outside again. It was nice to breathe the fresh air. It was nice to see a friend. It was just depressing that he couldn't see me.
The scene where Deidara's death occurred flashed before my eyes again. I blinked, horror gripping my heart. He was going to die… but try and bring Madara down with him. I immediately ran up the hill. "Prepare for the ultimate attack, Tobi," Deidara said. I heard the smirk in his voice. I reached the top of the hill, fell to my knees (well… spirit knees, I guess), gripped the grass between my fingers, and screamed as loud as I could, "DEIDARA!"
He looked in my direction in confusion just as the black veins began crawling outward from his heart. I was too late. I admit it, I started to cry. When the explosion came, I was enveloped in the light. I closed my eyes. I wouldn't be affected by this. "Prepare for the ultimate attack, Tobi." My eyes flew open. The time had jumped backwards, yes! For once I was grateful for the unusual time changes. I screamed his name again, smiling through my now happy tears.
Both turned to look at me. Deidara probably heard nothing but a soft murmur, but he heard it. And Madara, well, of course he heard it. "Don't do it!" I yelled.
Maddie turned to Deidara, whose face had gotten slightly pale. "So… I'm not insane, huh?"
"Sierra?" I called, walking into her bedroom. I didn't like having a different bedroom than her. I was used to our old bunk bed. I was used to… home. I missed home. I missed Mommy. I missed Daddy. I missed… I missed Aunt Natalie. I tried not to think about that though. I didn't like to think about it…. I called my sister's name again, looking over her bed. Sierra was… gone.
I was headed for the Akatsuki hideout. I know it was stupid, but I saw the good in everyone. Just like Natalie. I knew Madara couldn't be all bad. Or at least, that's what I thought. There must be a twinge of guilt, a little regret, some form of positive emotion, I thought. Something that shows he's still human. Something that proves that he cares.
I fell into a genjutsu the second I got there. Of course, I didn't know it at first. I thought it strange when the walls around me began turning red, though. Obviously. The walls of that hideout don't usually change to crimson randomly when you arrive. Nor did the walls melt away, leaving only blackness. With nothing to stand on, I began to fall.
Gee, I hope there's no ground, I thought, right before feeling the shock of hitting the ground I wished wasn't there. Tobi appeared before me as I sat up. It wasn't Madara, it was just… Tobi.
"Hi, Sierra-chan! What's up?" he asked cheerfully, then began his giggle. I couldn't help but smile…. But the giggles turned to dark chuckles as a red light flashed from the eye hole. Madara carefully removed the mask. "Tobi doesn't exist, you foolish little girl. You feel bad for me… but your sympathy is wasted. What could you possibly be sorry for?"
"Well, you've hated people all your life…," I pointed out hesitantly.
His smirk fell. "My own clan turned against me, for that idiotic Senju. They wouldn't even accept me anymore. Wouldn't that make you the least bit mad?" asked with a hint of anger.
"Well, yeah, but…."
"But what? You wouldn't kill in anger, now, would you? You wouldn't kill to prove you're right, would you?"
"No," I replied honestly. "I'd rather kill to save a life."
He began circling around me. "You don't want death. Isn't that right?"
I nodded.
"No war. Peace, see? That's what I'm striving towards. But sacrifices must be made on the way. The only way to make it to my goal is to eliminate those who stand in my way."
"But… but… the Moon's Eye Plan is what your big idea is, right? What is peace if it's only an illusion? If you're in control of everything then… then…. What happens to hope?"
He turned his head away. "You're just like the kages. Hope isn't real. It shows a sense of giving up."
"I'm the type who likes to look on the bright side of things…."
"Hn. You are just a fool. Just like Natalie was." I winced, and he faded into the darkness. I was forced to watch as the people I now considered family died right in front of me.
First was Deidara, who exploded into flames. The fire literally exploded upwards and outwards, the flames licking the darkness surrounding it. It was beautiful… if you left out the fact the face of Deidara was grinning at me as his skin slowly peeled away, transforming into ash. He'd like that death, I knew, but it still wasn't good. Oddly enough, there was no smoke. Proof that this was only a genjutsu.
Then Suigetsu, who melted in a way much like the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz, as if he were burned by acid. He let out a cry in vain. It's not like I could help him; I couldn't move. He reached upwards, as if hoping to grab onto something. Something to pull him upwards, out of the pain; the agony I knew he was feeling. Well, this illusion of him. It just seemed all too real….
Itachi fell to the ground, coughing hard, blood exploding from his mouth until he collapsed. He clutched his chest, curling into a ball. He kept hacking up blood, as though it happened to be the only thing in his system – no food and such. His mouth was a fountain of crimson liquid. The hacking soon subsided, leaving a soft, pained gurgling from his throat.
Sasuke merely turned to ashes. His face was calm; solemn. His Sharingan was not activated. He didn't look directly at me, but rather past me as if her were looking at something only he could see. There was hatred in his eyes. Long-seen hatred. A need for revenge that was never fulfilled. Then… he began blowing away with an unseen and unfelt wind.
Apple died in a similar way, dissolving into blood-tainted sand. She was smiling. Her eyes were cheerful; kind and serene. But then the blood seeped through her clothes, her eyes grew glassy, and she, too, blew away.
Ash went insane right in front of me, killing herself in the process. She laughed hysterically until tears streamed down her face, cascading like small fountains, stray tears dripping to the seemingly empty ground. I think I even saw a little bit of foam at her mouth as she clawed at her own neck. Then the laughter turned to sobs, at which she soon began to hyperventilate… until… she couldn't breathe anymore.
Agatha seemed to be merely a shell, beetles crawling in excess out of her mouth and eyes. It was, to say the least, gross. The bugs were forcing her mouth and eye sockets open; Agatha's shell was overflowing with the insects, making them pour out. It was like that scene Natalie had explained to me very vividly – the one where Itachi was seemingly consumed from the inside by blackbirds. It was like that. Only Agatha was being consumed from the inside by beetles.
Sarah smiled wide at me, and I smiled back through the tears that now overflowed from my eyes. She kept smiling, even as her eyes rolled back and she fell to her knees, then forward. It was as simple as that. It wasn't all that gruesome, but…. It still took her life. Her… simulated life, I guess. She wasn't really there, if it was a genjutsu.
Haru smiled at me too, a smile that didn't fade either as she was stabbed from the back the blade piercing through her chest. The red blossomed across her chest. Her navy tank kimono top was forever stained red in this nightmare realm. This was another existence that lasted an eternity….
Mackenzie was attacked my millions of needles coming from everywhere at once. It was almost like Haku's Crystal Ice Mirrors jutsu that nearly killed Sasuke so long ago. Although, I couldn't see where they were coming from…. Not even the ones that hit her from my direction. It was almost as though the needles were non-existent, but still left a mark. Then, in her end, a needle pierced straight though her head, passing right through it as if her skull were made of butter.
Britt let out a blood-curdling scream and collapsed. She just kept screaming, her eyes were pupil-less. It was almost as though she were being possessed…. She kept squirming and screeching in pure agony, until she could cry out no more.
Sam stood there, until a sword pierced through her back, the tip of it seen through her mouth, in her throat. The tip was stained crimson, the blood running down into the back of her throat. Her eyes remained wide open, staring at nothing. What was there to look at in this empty black world? Then, her body relaxed, and she fell to her knees. The fell onto her chest, and I noticed her hair was stained red in the back with the sword that had pierced her.
Anna, who was screaming and crying until she literally broke her own heart; her cries slowly became choking sobs. She cried herself to sleep… a sleep that one would never awaken from.
And finally Natalie, brutally murdered, stabbed repeatedly until not a single breath could escape her mouth. A fierce sense of determination on her face slowly deteriorated, soon showing a sense of being desperate, then sadness, and then… finality. She relaxed and her life was over.
Tears cascading down my cheeks, I smiled. "At least this isn't real…."
"The Natalie one actually happened, remember," Madara replied, appearing from the shadows, mask still gone.
"At least she died fighting for what was right…."
"You really do look for the light in things, huh?"
I gave a smile. "Just like my aunt."
I flicker of… was it regret that I saw? My tear-filled eyes went wide. "I saw that!" I exclaimed, pointing a finger at him. "There is hope for you, admit it! Admit that you're guilty for what you've done!"
"Hope doesn't exist; I've told you that," he answered darkly, and held out a sword. He stabbed me in the shoulder. Um… ow…. He twisted it. Double ow.
"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" someone called, her voice echoing in the empty space we occupied. "Stop torturing my niece! You know she doesn't deserve it, Maddie!"
"Na… Natalie?" I whispered.
"It's not the genjutsu," Madara said before I could even wonder if it was. He ripped the kunai from my shoulder, a sobered look on his face. "Go," he told me, placing the mask on his face as the blackness faded, leaving the ordinary grey walls of the hideout. "Get out of here. You have no business here." My sight completely cleared – genjutsu gone. "I'd suggest you go to the field nearby in three days." Then, he turned and walked briskly away, me staring after him.
"What do you mean you don't remember?" I cried in exasperation at Deidara. He had been back at the village for a day or two.
"I mean I don't know what you're talking about, hm!" he answered in frustration.
"Natalie's dead! How could you forget that?"
He took a step back. "I-I don't know, Sam!"
"Um…," Sasuke came in.
"Sorry to cut in, but we didn't hear the news either," Itachi said softly.
I whirled around. "All of you were there! Madara killed Natalie! Don't you remember?" I couldn't help it; tears started to come. Sierra walked in the village gates at that moment. "Sierra! Tell him what happened! Tell him Natalie's dead!"
She blinked. "Well, yeah…. She is…." I whirled to give the three a look that said 'See?'
"…And we have to go to a field, by the way."
I was getting stabbed repeatedly. Déjà vu…. He twisted the kunai in some places, making it hurt even more. My arm was lying on the ground beside me, detached and lifeless. I'm gonna die…. It began getting harder to breathe. I can't believe this is my last time…. My vision started getting cloudy. It's over, isn't it…?
He made a final cut, and I looked up at him. "…Why?" I asked, and I began to fall. The darkness swallowed me. A light appeared… a meadow, with some of my old friends waiting for me. Mamoru, Tama, Yasuko, Katsu…. Even my grandpa. I smiled, running towards the comfort. The warmth. The cozyness of the place ahead. The way it felt like home. Mamoru smiled at me… and shook his head. The light began fading….
I opened my eyes to see brown ones above me. "Her eyes are open!" Sam cried in relief. "She's alive! She's alive! I don't know how, but she's alive!"
I sat up, putting my hand on my head. I was in a grassy field, many… living friends surrounding me. "Uh… hi guys. Whatcha starin' at me for?" And then I was suffocating in what seemed like hundreds of bone-crushing hugs. Luckily, I love hugs.
...And that's a wrap, peoples! *sigh* Good. The worst of my story is over, now I can relax. Well, except for the reviews I'll be getting... Or lack of reviews... Hm... Well, at least I warned you this time, unlike last time. So... yeah.
Have a wonderfully wonderful day!
