Return To Me (Part 2)

Normal Monologue

Thoughts

Jutsu

Hakaisha

Kyuubi

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Previously--

The boy spun in circles, seeing nothing but black. He whipped back to the picture, staring in horror as he reeled back, ready to plunge the kunai into Daisuke's body.

So Naruto cried for the only help he could think of. The only help…that he prayed still existed.

Kyuubi!!!

Return To Me (Part 2)--

Just as the knife was about to slice into the child's neck, everything froze. The wind stopped in mid whisper, the warriors in mid swing, his friends in mid run. Daisuke's eyes widened as he realized that his attacker's strike had also been stalled, and he took this moment to scurry out of his grasp, staring in horror at the crazed killer that had been only seconds away from taking his life.

Suddenly, the stone figure that was once Naruto shimmered, a second image splitting from the original. As it took on a semi-solid form, it's eyes opened, revealing a brilliant cerulean blue. Daisuke shook, tears springing to the corners of his eyes.

Naruto smirked, glad to see Daisuke alive and breathing, no longer in the clutches of his evil body. The blonde took a small step towards the boy, but to his surprise, the Muromachi stumbled away.

The blonde's sparkling orbs dulled a bit, and his voice was dulled with he asked, "Daisuke, what's going on here?"

The brunette child raised an eyebrow. "Like you don't know?" he replied shakily.

Naruto sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well I've only seen a part of it, but other then that, no, I asked because I don't know." the blonde answered. Daisuke smiled a little.

"Basically, you went berserk. You beat Dad to the ground, chopped off some guys head…". Here he winced, his eyes trailing over to where the man's body still lay. "And almost killed me." The boy glanced up to his sensei and asked in a small voice, "What's going on, I just…don't understand."

Naruto sighed softly, a faint pull nudging him backwards a little. Hakaisha was fighting, and quite hard too - he didn't have much time on the outside.

"Daisuke, I can't honestly explain everything - I don't even know half of what this whole thing is about. But I can tell you that the Naruto you see behind me is not the true one. I am the Naruto you knew…my body is now the vessel for a monster." Naruto whispered, casting a glance to the demonic statue behind him.

Daisuke shifted his gaze from the ghostly teen in front of him to the stone one a few yards away, his face set in a ferocious snarl.

"I'm locked somewhere inside my body, unable to reach the surface or break through his hold. I'm a prisoner in my mind - I can't see a way out." Naruto continued on, his eyes growing dim. Daisuke returned his gaze back to his sensei and a frown blossomed on his face.

"So…how do you plan to win if you're trapped?" the Muromachi asked. Naruto turned slightly away from the small child, staring off into the distance, gritting his teeth as he ignored the now stronger pull coming from his body. Hakaisha was starting gain control again - he had maybe a few minutes to explain to Daisuke what he wanted him to do.

"The only way we can stop Hakaisha…is if I die." Naruto muttered, his words slicing through the air like a sharpened knife. Daisuke recoiled, his eyes wide.

"B-But…no! I won't stand by and watch you be killed!" the child exclaimed, his fist clenching tightly. Naruto smiled sadly, a low grunt escaping his lips as he pulled against the yanks threatening to drag him backward, though he couldn't stop his feet from sliding across the ground inch by inch.

"I'm sorry Daisuke…but it's the only way. If you and everyone else are going to have a chance to leave this battle field with your lives, Hakaisha needs to be destroyed." the blonde explained, feeling the connection holding him in his semi-transparent state beginning to fade. Daisuke still looked defiant and Naruto chuckled before stating, "It's ok. I now know that I could never ask any of you to kill me…though I tried. I can still sense Kyuubi somewhere in my body…I can eliminate Hakaisha from the inside."

Daisuke's eyes widened as Naruto's form fades back into his original body, the form glowing a weak blue, pulsing softly.

"Naruto, no!!" he cried out, but it was too late. The echoes of his futile cries diminished as time started up again, everyone waking from there sleep, stretching as through they had been curled in a ball for hours.

Hakaisha trembled, his body quivering from the exit, time freeze, and re-entry of Naruto's spirit. He raised his royal purple eyes from the ground, his gaze landing on Daisuke. Instantly, his confused and pained expression morphed into crazed and murderous.

Daisuke stood frozen to the ground, his feet unable to move. His eyes were wide and in a split second, he saw the ghostly figure of his sensei flash in the demon's body before him, his smiling face and gleaming eyes flickering…

Tears sprang to the boy's eyes as he realized…it'd be the last time he'd ever see his face…in the shadow of a monster in his father's body.

"I don't know how you managed to escape me, but I promise you, this time, it truly will be the end!" he shouted, jumping into a run. Daisuke stared wide-eyed at the shadow of his sensei, the crazed eyes hungrily boring into his body, his deep violet eyes crying out for blood…his blood.

The Muromachi cringed, waiting for the impending attack with baited breath. His heart stuttered, missing a beat as the fear enclosed his mind, leaving him standing there, alone, with a killer.

Suddenly, as the Naruto look alike was only a few feet away from his target, he stopped, his hand in mid-reach. His eyes narrowed a fraction and his mouth twisted from a sadistic gleam to a thin lined scowl. His eyes slowly rolled in a creeping circle, his gaze shifting across the ground with a look of deep thought…

A piercing cry of anguish broke from the lips of Hakaisha, and instantly, the demon burst to life once again, his eyes relit, but this time with fear. He frantically clawed at his heart, the material tearing under his needle-point nails. His yells rolled across the field, echoing against the trees, surrounding the masses like a war cry from many - it was hard to distinguish which screams were real and which were merely ghosts of one past.

Hakaisha stopped, his eyes wide. Suddenly, a ripping sound started from his stomach, and shockingly…his eyes went blank, becoming nothing but dull grey, lifeless orbs. His body went limp, still standing, but his shoulders slouched forward and his head dropped, everything cold and deathly silent.

Daisuke uncurled from his defensive position and gaped at the stone body standing in front of him, not moving in the slightest…it didn't even breath. Kakashi took a step toward the Muromachi boy but his eyes were trained on his student. He stopped by the child's side and put a hand on his shoulder, gingerly turning him to face his stormy grey gaze.

"What's going on here Daisuke?" the shinobi questioned, his eyes flickering back to the slouched body of the blonde. The plain was silent as everyone waited, no one breathing, as they all nervously expecting the boy's words.

Daisuke's eyes never left his sensei's form, tears welling up and threatening to break. Naruto's words echoed in his mind, faint and fading, though they were spoken only a few minutes ago.

"The only we can stop Hakaisha…is if I die…"

The twin trails of tears slid their way down his pale face, spilling to the ground in crystalline drops. He shuddered, and his hands shook, clenched into fists.

"Naruto told me that the only way to defeat Hakaisha…was if someone made a sacrifice…if someone gave their life…" he muttered. Kakashi nodded, his gaze heavy on the boy's shoulders as he patiently waited for him to continue explaining. The child looked up, his chocolate orbs shining with the weight of sorrow.

"Naruto-sensei told me…that Hakaisha could only be destroyed…if he died."

Again, the silence that filled the air was thick, pressing down on everyone's shoulders like the weight of the world had come crashing down. The Kamakura gasped, shocked that their new found friend had slipped away after such a brief encounter.

But the shinobi, the one's that had known him for years…they broke. Though they didn't show it outwardly, three hearts cracked simultaneously, and it took all of their training of emotions to hold back the torrent of depression they felt edging into their minds.

They knew they couldn't afford to be sad…they couldn't afford to lose it…not here…not now, in the final battle.

Just then, Naruto's body lurched, and Kakashi swiftly whipped a kunai from his holster, whirling defensively in front of Daisuke, ready to attack against whatever was thrown his way.

But the blonde body had stumbled backwards, his head lifted, but his eyes closed. He breathed with ragged rhythm, as though he had run for miles without stopping. Both the Kamakura and the Muromachi waited in anticipation, no one quite sure about what was going to happen next.

So no one was ready when the teen opened his eyes and revealed…

The familiar cerulean eyes they had known for both ages and weeks, though all too welcoming. Slowly, he straightened back to full height and sighed deeply, an edge of exhaustion creeping into his voice.

Sakura took a hesitant step towards her team mate, keeping her hand close to her kunai holster on her thigh, incase what they saw was nothing but a trick.

"Naruto?" she questioned softly, cautiously. The blonde smirked, chuckling lightly under his breath. He could easily see the fear and distrust portrayed in mostly everyone's eyes - he could only guess what had gone on while he had been trapped in his mind. He might never know the destruction his demonic twin had caused…but he did know it was his job to clean it up.

The blonde sighed, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"Kyuubi managed to seal Hakaisha away behind a barrier, much like the one that holds him captive inside me. It took a lot of power away from his seal, so he has more freedom, but both are safely stowed inside me…Kyuubi here", the boy pointed to his stomach, where he felt the seal burning. "And Hakaisha here." Now he pointed to his head, where a faint mark that looked like a raging fox pulsed, colored a deep purple. It then soon faded, the skin unmarked.

Before anyone could say much else, the boy turned, his gaze meeting up with the golden eyes of Tigerstar, who had stood among his troops waiting to see how everything had played out. A firm scowl had been set into his face - he had been hoping for the blonde to parish, from either the demon or his friend's hand.

"Tigerstar…it ends here…and now."

~Oi, this story is almost done! I swear, 1, maybe 2 more chapters if I feel like adding the other one. It's kind of a relief, now that I've got 4 stories going on at one time. Hard work, keeping up with everything. Sigh, oh well. See you all next week for the possible conclusion of this story!!

Happy New Year!!

Kyubbi-Kitsune

Next Chapter: Golden Blaze

His hands were bathed in a warm golden light that spoke of kindness but gave off the feeling of the end.