A/N: Sorry it has taken so long for me to update. I had to recover before they would give me back my memory stick so I could continue writing. Seems I was in a little worse shape than we originally thought. OH WELL, STORY TIME!! Sorry if this is a little scattered. I'm trying to make the chapters a little shorter that way they are easier to read and follow. Also, the mental encounter between Lotus and Sakura is a foreshadowing. The end is near my children...BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Erm, I mean, yeah...enjoy my take on Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto!!
CH. 28: Encounter with an Angel
"Sir…what should we do about Kabuto? He hasn't returned yet." asked one of the white clad figures standing behind the man with black hair and eyes. Red flashed and the man in white knew that Kabuto's disappearance was no accident. The man bowed and walked away, the unspoken dismissal weighed heavily in the air.
Madara steadily watched his obsession training in anything and everything. She was intelligent and strong…and completely loyal to him…or so he thought. He saw the young woman look at him through the two way glass and he held his breath. She didn't smile or wave at him however, and he cursed his own effectiveness at removing her emotions.
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Raidu was confused, and that was one thing he didn't do well with. He looked at his 'captors' for an explanation, but all they did was shrug and follow after the wench that controlled his brother. He looked over at his younger brother and felt a pang of guilt. The youth could remember nothing about him or their past. He looked over at the dark headed artist who was sticking unusually close to the man with only his upper face showing and his glasses shining in the sunlight.
He saw the man with the sunglasses look over at him and had the sneaking suspicion the man was glaring at him. Then the man did something that surprised Raidu: he put himself between Sai and Raidu. A look of pure confusion crossed Raidu's face and he could sense that there was something going on between his little brother and the man.
Raidu blushed as he thought of several things that could be going on between them and the obvious one made him cringe slightly. Looking at the blush on Sai's face when the man was close to him and the happiness in the younger man's eyes, Raidu couldn't help but be happy for his brother in whatever he chose to pursue. With a sigh of resignation, he followed the others as they pursued their mistress.
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Kankuro noticed the feral gleam in his new boss' eyes and stilled immediately. When Gaara had told her he was going to 'talk' to the moles, Kankuro had wanted to go with him, but refused to leave Karin behind. He watched as the woman he loved continued to cry. Kankuro reached out and touched her and she instantly quieted a little. Sakura looked at him and then at her sister. She quietly handed her to the boy and stood back. Suddenly, everyone who had been sent to retrieve Lydia was standing there and staring at the people present.
"Okaa-san? Are you alright?" came the small voice of the young artist that everyone had come to know to have a different disposition around Sakura. Raidu just watched the youth slowly make his way over to the young woman. Raidu panicked when he saw the killing intent in the girl's gaze. He stepped forward to stop his younger brother when the young woman pinned Raidu with her gaze.
"You take one step closer to my family outsider and it will be your last mistake. My own people are deceiving me and trying to kill my family. All outsiders are now under surveillance until Panda-chan returns." Sakura's voice held iron and no one dared to argue. Even the children seemed antsy. Shino noticed the children's discomfort and walked to Sai.
Shino could feel his mistress' eyes on him as he walked to Sai and put his hand on the youth's shoulder. Shino then looked at his boss, who had become much like a sister lately, and spoke on behalf of their 'family'. "Haruno-sama…might I suggest that we take the children somewhere they wont have to be witness to this? It can not be good for your grandmother's health to be here like this. Perhaps it would be best to allow Sai and the children somewhere to rest and to check on your grandmother yourself to ensure she is fine. I will disperse units throughout the house to ensure its perimeter." Sakura continued to stare at the two, but it was Sai who nodded with a smile on his face.
"Hai, Okaa-san…I agree with Shino-kun." Sakura's eyes turned to the young painter and Raidu saw the blush appear and the smile get even bigger. "Hai…I will Okaa-san. Shino-kun will help me look after them. Raidu-san will come with us so that I can keep an eye on him myself." Raidu saw the woman look at him out of the corner of her eye, then saw Sai's face turn to the emotionless mask. "Hai, I will. If he proves himself to be untrustworthy…I will kill him myself." Raidu blinked in astonishment. Something was going on between the woman and his little brother.
It was Shino that walked over to Raidu and motioned him to precede them. Raidu looked at his brother to see the dark haired artist gathering the children that were present and smiling at them and telling them they were going somewhere to rest. Both small girls looked frightened, while the older of the boys stood by the one with russet colored hair and the smaller of the two boys stood by a girl with orange hair. He saw the girl with russet colored hair attach to the taller boy and the youth blushed. The smaller boy pulled the orange haired girl to him and comforted her.
Raidu felt Shino push on his back but Raidu didn't move until his brother was closer to him. Raidu growled at Shino when the man tried to move between him and his brother. "Look hoody, I don't know what your connection is to my ototo, but you need to stop trying to get between me and him. I gave up everything to protect him and The Center stabbed me in the back and took him anyways. I'm just as eager as anyone to see that hell hole burned and the man who started it hung out by his balls. I gave up my freedom for my ototo already, I'll give my life for him if I have to." This seemed to satisfy Shino as he no longer tried to put himself between the brothers.
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Neji knew that this was really bad. Sakura had resorted to communicating with them via their minds and she only did that when she didn't trust anyone around her. Neji looked over at Tenten, who was with the other girls that had been recently added to their team. He looked over at Shikamaru, who had a similar expression as himself. Neither of them knew what was going on anymore.
Neji was slightly intimidated that the children of his boss's sister had such…unique…abilities. Neji shook his head to clear it and then looked back over at Sakura, who was kneeling in front of her grandmother, inspecting the older woman. Neji again looked at Tenten to see her sneaking glances at him. He noticed that Shikamaru and Temari were practicing a similar ritual, as well as Kiba and Ino, who were cuddled up together on a couch. Akamaru was lying at their feet with Ichimanako and Hime curled up against him, sleeping.
Neji noticed that Sakura's eyes were still the vibrant sterling color and decided to leave her be. He was about to lean against the wall when he saw three people flash into the room. It was Gaara, Lacey and Lee, who had a large hand print on the side of his face. Neji looked to see Lacey fuming and glaring daggers at Lee every once in a while. Lee cringed when she did this. Gaara just looked at them stoically, then made his way over to Sakura.
Neji could see the immediate difference in the young woman he worked for. She instantly calmed and smiled up at the red head from her position on the floor. Her eyes were the serene emerald he'd known for years and she was talking lightly to her grandmother instead of telepathically now. Gaara leaned down slightly and brushed his lips to hers, whispering to her as he did. Neji saw her smile falter and she stood quickly. She walked over to Kiba and whispered to the Inuzuka and the blonde that had taken up residence on his lap.
Kiba nodded and then Sakura and Gaara disappeared. Neji was curious, but he would never ask what was going on. He had way too much pride to do something like that. Instead, he walked over to where Tenten, Temari, Shikamaru, Kankuro, Karin, Hinata, and Naruto were at and listened to their conversation.
"I still think that Sasuke-teme has something to do with all this. I mean, his dad is the head of some top secret lab and he has no clue about it? I don't buy into that." Naruto said earning himself several surprised glances. He had never shown much intelligent insight before.
"But Naruto…everyone knows that Uchiha Madara was declared dead years ago and that Sasuke has been living with his grandparents ever since. It's entirely possible that Sasuke has no idea his father is even alive." Temari pointed this out and it was obvious that the blonde hadn't remembered that fact. He scratched the back of his head and then admitted defeat.
"As much sense as that makes Temari-chan, I can't believe that Sasuke knows nothing about the center…not with that kekkei genkai of his. I'm positive that he has his hands in it somehow." Tenten seemed to agree with Naruto to a certain point. Neji got fed up of it all and put in his opinion.
"If I had lost my older brother and twin brother to some crazy scientist that was trying to mutate the perfect heir, I don't think I'd have much to do with the people responsible. It's entirely possible that he is just that stupid and has no idea what he is involved in or that he has any involvement whatsoever. It's obvious Madara cares nothing for the boy or he would never have faked his own death. I have a feeling that the Uchiha's delinquent behavior stems from his inability to deal with his losses." everyone just looked at him for a moment then started nodding in agreement.
"He was always alone in grade school…he never had anything to do with anyone until Naruto-kun became his friend. After that, everyone started befriending him. By the time we hit high school, he was so full of himself he thought he was better than us. He stopped talking to us and even started making fun of us. Then he hurt Naruto-kun…" Hinata could see the pain in her boyfriend's face and stopped. Neji could tell that the offense still hurt the young man and no one pressed for details.
"I think it best if we retire for the night. That way, when it's our turn to keep watch, we will be rested. Shino is in charge of watch duty, so we need to talk to him before we turn in. I'll go see who has first watch tonight." Shikamaru looked at Temari out of the corner of his eye and she did the same, looking at him. She got up and helped Kankuro with Karin. The girl was still very pale and sick looking. She had stopped vomiting, but they were still worried.
Neji waited until everyone had gone past and grabbed Tenten's hand. She turned and looked at him, a blush on her face as she looked at their joined hands. She looked back up into his face and he looked her in the eyes before giving the other guards a pointed look. When he faced her once more, there was something unfamiliar in his eyes. "You'll be sharing a room with me. That is not an option." Tenten gave him a scowl and then looked over at the Hatori agents. They were eying her hungrily and she stepped closer to Neji, who smirked slightly.
"Just so you know…I'm not doing this because you told me to…it's because those guys are creepy." She hissed stepping away from him and tugged her hand free as she stalked down the hall after her companions. Neji smirked again and made his way down the hall after her.
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Shikamaru was almost to the room he sensed Shino in when he felt a hand tug on him. He looked back to see a concerned looking Temari. He looked at his blonde lover and cocked his head to the side in a silent question.
"I'm worried about Kankuro. He's been really quiet since Karin got so sick. And what was with Gaara and Sakura!? He came in and then they just disappeared!" He could hear the tears in her voice and he cupped her cheek in one hand.
"Your brothers will be fine. Karin is just in shock, she will recover quickly with Kankuro around. As for Gaara and Sakura, they are jinchuriki…their bond is much different than anything you or I can comprehend. Try not to dwell on it love." He hugged her to him just as Shino stepped out with Sai and Raidu. Raidu whistled, only to have Sai bonk him on the head. Shino just looked on with the typical blank face. Shikamaru arched a brow and Temari blushed lightly.
"Shino…we came to ask you about the watches. Who do you want to patrol and in what order? We need to set this up so that the ones not patrolling can sleep until their shift comes up." Shikamaru made no attempt to let her go, so Temari resigned herself to being held by him. She could see Raidu giving her an appreciative once over and she scowled at him.
"What the fuck are you looking at bright eyes? Do I have 'undress me with your eyes' tattooed on my fucking forehead?" She hissed at the youth. He was taken back by her crude manner and reassessed her quickly.
"I THOUGHT I was looking at a lady, but it seems I'm just looking at another female that don't like voyeurs. As for a tattoo, I don't see any, so I guess not. And I wasn't undressing you with my eyes, I was wondering how it is that a pretty girl got stuck in a group like this." Raidu smirked at Shikamaru's scowl and he just shrugged at the other male.
Temari relaxed and looked up at Shikamaru, who arched a brow at her, making her chuckle. "I CHOSE to be with them. They're my friends and this one is especially friendly to me." She teased the brunette, running her hands up his chest seductively. Raidu blushed lightly and looked over at Sai, who was blushing as well. Raidu reached over and covered his younger brother's eyes, making Shino snort lightly in laughter.
"A little late for that, ne kochou?" Shino nudged the dark haired artist, who squeaked and blushed even more while trying to remove the older boy's hands from his eyes.
"What do you mean 'a little late for that'? Why did you call him that?" Raidu bristled and stepped between the other boy and his little brother. Sai growled and stepped to Shino's side, crowding close to the tall bug user.
"He's talking about the fact that I've already seen two people having a carnal relationship. And he calls me that because we are together." Sai smiled and looked up at the blushing older boy. Raidu blushed as well, having figured that was what it meant. He looked at Sai and found the younger boy was truly happy with the hooded guy named Shino.
"Well…if that's the case, then all I ask is that you take care of him, make him happy, and if you hurt him I will personally kick your ass." With that said, Raidu walked off down the hall to find a room to sleep in. Sai looked shocked, as did the others in the hall with them.
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Kiba was nervous having all those strange men around Ino. She seemed a little tense as well when they looked her over with all too readable expressions. Akamaru growled lowly once and it sent most of the men scattering. The two cats with the large white dog never lifted their heads. Kiba cuddled her closer to him on the couch and remembered what Sakura had told him.
He rolled her words over in his mind, trying to make sense of them. She had told him to make sure that the men outside of the SHINOBI squads were sent to patrol the property lines while only SHINOBI stayed in the house. He wondered what was going through Sakura's mind that she would say that. Nonetheless, he had a job to do. He sat Ino on the couch and had Akamaru and the two cats jump up to sit with her and keep her company…and to ward off anyone who would think of talking to her.
Kiba walked over to the men eying Ino and growled, getting their attention. "Hatori-sama has instructed me to assign patrol duty to the lot of you. I want all of you to patrol the property lines and make sure nothing gets onto the property. If anything makes it past you, you will answer to Hatori-sama and she will be immensely angry. Dismissed!" Kiba watched as they all retreated out of the room and he watched them through the window as they dispersed out the front door to the property lines.
Kiba then walked over to the couch where Ino was and pushed the large white dog off so he could sit down and the cats followed the dog once more. Ino allowed him to pull her into his lap and she yelped when he nipped her shoulder teasingly.
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Hinata was lying on the bed facing the bathroom door and listening to the running water. She knew that Naruto was just as tired as she was, but she couldn't find the energy to shower just yet. She turned onto her other side, away from the door and sighed. She heard the water stop and looked over her shoulder to see Naruto come out in only a towel, a look of irritation on his face.
"I can't believe I forgot to bring extra clothes!" the blonde exclaimed, making her giggle. She got up and went to the duffle she had brought with her. She pulled out a clean pair of his black boxers and the orange pants he usually slept in.
"I packed for both of us Naruto-kun." she smiled at his happy look as he rushed over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He swung her around and then hugged her to him tightly.
"Hina-chan…I don't know what I'd do without you!" the young blonde exclaimed and gave her gentle yet enthusiastic kiss. She moaned lightly as he backed her up towards the bed. He felt her stiffen as her knees hit the edge of the bed. He backed off and let her hand him the clothes and escape into the bathroom to take a shower. He watched her until she closed the door and looked sadly down at the floor wishing, as he had many times before, that he could erase what Sasuke had done to her.
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Emotionless eyes watched a young couple walk around the park, hand in hand. The owner of said eyes hid her emotions beneath layers of psychosis and a wall so thick that nothing would break it. She watched the heavy set man as he turned and looked down at the young woman. She noticed the woman smile and turn a little red.
A medium height black haired woman with cold eyes walked out from under the bridge towards the couple. She knew that this particular couple wasn't supposed to be here, they were supposed to be back at the mansion with the other agents, but the man had wanted to get away. It would be his downfall.
"Lotus…you know what to do." said a small voice in her ear that she knew as Madara. She shivered slightly in revulsion as she thought of him and the way he looked at her. She wasn't stupid; she knew he had ulterior plans for her. Thankfully her designer had withheld one tiny detail from Madara. Lotus was incapable of producing human life. Unlike project crystal's subject, Karin, she was not designed to produce life, only to take it.
Lotus turned her gaze to the couple and walked a little faster. She had to make this look real and then alert the right person of what had happened. She decided to use the one talent she had hidden from Madara: telepathy.
'Can you hear me, SHINOBI? Do not react, you are being watched.' Lotus sensed the man's apprehension and then his hesitant acceptance. He continued to smile, but he kept his female companion very close to him.
'Who are you and how is it you are in my head? Sakura-sama has made our minds tamper-proof.' Lotus nodded mentally, acknowledging she could sense this. The man looked around covertly and spotted her. She shifted her eyes in the direction Madara was and urged Choji in the opposite direction.
'I am the darker side of your mistress. I was cloned after her, but we are not the same. I am a construct, incapable of even the simplest human actions. But unlike most constructs, I was gifted with a soul. One of the souls from the dreamstone necklace Haruno possesses is inside me.' She slowed her pace so that it would not seem like she was pursuing the couple. She could sense Madara's agitation that she was getting too far from him.
'I must be quick. I do not wish to harm you or your woman, but I have to incapacitate you in order to achieve my goals. I have a link with your Haruno, but I can not initiate the connection. I want you to covertly call your mistress as I pursue you and tell her what is going on. Tell her that she has an ally at the heart of the center. Now is the time to call, while I have Madara distracted. He will not let me far from his sight.' with her inhuman sight she saw the man take out his cell phone and call someone. Lotus felt the instant wave of apprehension and the anger that vibrated through the air
'I called her mate. He will bring her to us. What is it you need us to do? I have told Michi what is going on. My name is Choji, by the way. Who are you?' Lotus was tempted to smile at the bravery and protectiveness this man exuded. She knew he would fight to defend his woman.
'I am called Lotus. I need you to fight like your life depends on it. I can not afford Madara to think I am not giving it my all. I will have to use force on you, and it will not be comfortable for you. I will put your woman to sleep first, so that she will not get hurt. How long until your mistress arrives? I do not want Madara getting near you if at all possible.' she knew that she was acting strange, but ever since Kabuto gave her the crystal fragment, she could feel emotions, but could hide them expertly.
'I will trust you Lotus, but know this…if you hurt Michi…I will kill you.' Lotus gave an imperceptible nod and took off with lightening speed at her 'targets'. Michi let out an ear piercing scream as Lotus slammed her body into Choji. Having been expecting this, the large red head had braced himself, so that the smaller black haired woman almost bounced off him. Lotus twirled her body around the large man with inhuman speed and with a few quick jabs, lowered Michi to the pavement and faced off with the larger man.
A sudden burst of anger hit Lotus and she knew that Sakura was close. She felt a tug at her own soul when she felt the girl close. It was the telepathic war cry that finally announced Sakura's imminent arrival. 'What the fuck is going on!?' Lotus withdrew slightly as she felt Sakura nearing.
Choji looked up into the air, only to crash to his knees when Lotus caught him off guard. As everything went black for him, he saw one single tear fall down Lotus's face and the words 'Forgive me, it is for your own safety…' before he lost consciousness. A roar resounded as Choji's unconscious body fell to the pavement beside Michi.
"Lotus, get out of there. You are no match for her, not yet." Madara practically screamed in her ear. She started to drift backwards, slowly, as a gust of wind sent all the leaves scattering. Lotus looked into angry silver eyes with her emotionless ones.
'Your people are safe Haruno. Do not worry; I will not let you destroy hell alone. I will take it down with me when I go, but for now, it has its uses. For now, remember…this angel seeks her wings…' the leaves swirled violently around the two and when Sakura looked back up, the woman was gone and Choji was propped up against a rock, Michi curled up beside him.
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Cheela was ringing her hands raw. She hadn't seen her brother since Michi had checked on the old woman and had said she needed fresh air. She was in a room with Eto, Moegi and Konohamaru and she was worried sick about her brother. She heard someone clear their throat and saw Eto staring at her. She looked down to see her senbons had made ribbons of her hands and she hadn't felt a thing.
"Chee…if you're that worried about him, just call him. I'm sure he's fine. He would never take a chance with my sister's safety, we both know that." Eto said softly and started wrapping her hands with the bath clothes that he'd found on the bathroom sink.
"I know Eto, but I have a bad feeling…something's happened…and I'm scared." she said in a small voice as he tied the end of the make shift bandage and he held her hands in his, looking her in the eyes.
"Cheela, your brother is a tough guy. At the worst he'd fall asleep of boredom. Just relax and try to get some rest, okay?" he said and led her over to one of the two twin sized beds. Moegi was fast asleep on one, while Konohamaru stroke her carrot colored braids. Eto arched a brow at the younger boy, but Konohamaru ignored him.
"Eto…um…would you…stay with me, until I fall asleep? I have a hard time sleeping unless you, Choji-niisan, or Lacey-neesan are close by…" she asked shyly, a small blush on her face as she looked at the floor. Eto blushed but nodded quietly and climbed onto the bed. He lay on his side and she crawled in after him, putting her head on his shoulder and clinging to him. After a while, both of them were asleep, along with Konohamaru.
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I dont think I used any new Japanese, but if I did, let me know and I will fill you in on it!! SAYONARA!!!
