Author's Note: I CAN FINALLY UPDATE!!! I'm so sorry it took so long and I'm even more sorry that this is a kind of filler. But hey, atleast it's the next chapter...right. Anywho, I'll try to update within the week.
A loud and high pitched whine broke away from Kiba's throat. Gaara's jaws crushing at the back of his neck. Blood seeped through the wound, matting the fur and melting the ground below. Kiba's whines grew in volume as bones began to crack.
"Gaara stop, PLEASE!!!" Temari cried. "You'll kill him!!!" She couldn't stand it. This wasn't her brother. This was a monster, no, a monster would have control of what they were doing. No words would come to mind that could relate to him.
"Neji! Help me save him." Hinata demanded, desperate to save her teammate. Her body began to glow, a watery light emanating from her form as she transformed into her Tennyo form.
"As you wish..." Hinata flew off. "my love." Neji's wings spread wide, flapped once, twice, and he followed.
"I have to help!" Ino also transformed, not wanting to be left to watch. None of them took the time to analyze the growing chakra. Kakashi did.
No matter what they did, they couldn't get Gaara to let go of Kiba. Kiba wouldn't last much longer at this rate. They didn't even notice the lack of corpses. They couldn't even spare a glance with Kiba's life in the balance. Ninjutsu was too risky. Magic was non-effective. All that could be done was heal Kiba constantly so that he wouldn't die.
Gaara was becoming very irritated, letting go of his would be kill in favor of snapping at the flying pests. He growled each time one flew out of his grip, smoke tendrils escaping his nostrils. Standing on his hind legs, he began swatting and making mad grabs before he tripped over a hole in the ground. With all the grace of an obese walrus, he fell flat on his back. Dazed and confused as to how that happened.
"What the hell?! When did that get there?" Ino exclaimed, using her Hagoromo to lift the unconscious Kiba off the ground as he changed back. A quivering mass of naked limbs.
"I don't know...Is Kiba alright." Hinata flew closer in order to check his wounds, not hearing Neji's growl or the look of pure jealousy. Kiba's pulse was faint and erratic, but still present. He required extensive healing, way above the level that Hinata or Ino could handle. They needed Sakura. But she was...dead. Her body was gone!
"Where's Sakura!?!" Hinata gasped, flying closer to where she was last seen. The hole that Gaara tripped on was all that was there.
"You were crying."
"I thought I'd lost you."
"How can you. I have a long list of things to do before I die. Like my first father daughter dance. And a Christmas with you and Neji. Besides..." Bones twisted back into place. "I'm still needed." Sakura rose into the night sky, the light of her celestial form signaling to everyone her life. "Ready or not, here I come!" Spinning and dancing around all obstacles as an orb of light formed in her hands.
Gaara rose to his feet, flames spewing from his mouth. His body growing rigid with a growing light. The air became humid and thick with heat. Acid began to rain down from the starless sky. All went silent save for the sizzling sound the melting earth and corpses made as they came into contact with the drops.
The two celestial maidens did all they could to shield Neji and Kiba, but the strength and concentration required was a daunting task because of Gaara's constant attacks.
"GAARA STOP!!! I'M ALRIGHT!!!" Sakura flew right into him, wrapping her arms around his neck as best as she could, shoving the ball of light into him. "I'm alright." She whispered into his ear as he reverted back to his old self. The orb reemerging from his back, painted black with all the impurities that Gaara had ingested. The orb became ash. The ash scattered to the blowing winds. The land reverted back to normal.
"Sakura...never...do that to me again." Gaara commanded weakly before losing consciousness.
"Sakura!" Ino exclaimed, accidentally dropping Kiba due to her excitement. She made a move to hug her, but Neji beat her to it.
"What took you so long!?" Neji tried to sound as if he hadn't lost hope. But Sakura heard right through it. "I don't know how long I would've lasted without your help." (he's referring to his issues with Hinata) he whimpered, his sanity had completely returned.
"Well what else did you expect. And don't you even think you're off the hook!" Sakura grinned, Ino and Hinata flying over for a hug. "Guys! I can hardly fly like this!" Sakura laughed as they began a slow, but gradually increasing, decent to the ground. They didn't care, not in the least. Especially since they had so many willing cushions.
The only thing I am proud to say about the giant dog pile of ninja is, none of them got poisoned by Naruto. So they were in the clear! All but Kiba anyway. It's a miracle that he's still alive!
"What happened Sakura!" Naruto inquired, trying to get out of the dog pile, wriggling against Sasuke and slithering out. Sasuke groaned in a mixture of pain and pleasure. Pleasure because of where Naruto and he touched. Pain because he was at the bottom of the pile, the only person under him being Kiba.
"Kiken. Kiken said I'm not aloud to die until she finds the ultimate pain...or at least until I get laid." Sakura blushed and giggled.
"Does that mean I'm going to have to wait even longer!?" Gaara whined, consciousness returning full force.
"What was that?" Kakashi growled.
"I take that as a yes." Gaara sighed. "...I know I'm sexy and all, but can someone PLEASE get me some pants. I'm cold."
Sakura's face became red as a tomato. Hinata's went even redder. Temari looked away with a slight coloration. Ino just stared hungrily, a slight, barely audible mewling sound escaping her throat. Gaara made no move to remove himself from Sakura's arms. He was quite comfortable thank you. He didn't even budge when a pair of his pants were dropped onto his head. Kakashi growled. Gaara groaned. Kakashi arched a brow. Gaara grudgingly moved and dressed, the girls closing their eyes when he rose.
"Whoa!"
"That thing's huge!"
"You are one lucky girl Sakura." Ino purred. Staring in awe, like the rest of the guys. Temari and Shikamaru clamped their hands over her eyes. Ino pouted in disappointment, before leaning over to Shikamaru.
"Okay, time to get home!" Sakura announced, dragging her hormone driven friend away from anyone with a cock.
The rest of the trip went by with little activity. Sakura had fully healed Kiba, but he was still comatose, so Akamaru ended up carrying him, Sakura shouldering the extra baggage. When they got to Suna, Kiba was placed in the medical ward while the nin from Kohona rested and restocked.
That's when Ino, Sakura, and Hinata desided to stay at an inn. In order to lessen any possible risks between them and the guys. That's where they stayed while everyone went about their business. Being in celestial form taking more energy then normal.
"Sakura! I'm so horny. What's wrong with me!" Ino whined, on the brink of tears due to her lack of control and shamelessness.
"It's because you're a bunny. It's natural. Just don't give in or you'll be having more kids then you can handle." Sakura patted her friends shoulder in sympathy. If her calculations were right, she would be next.
"But what if I can't? It's starting to hurt. A lot."
"What do you mean?" Sakura cocked her head to the side, giving Ino her undivided attention. Even Hinata stopped reading to listen.
"I mean, whenever I'm around a guy, especially Shikamaru,...I start to hurt. At first it was mild, hardly noticeable. But now, it's getting worse. I can hardly even walk." It was true too. She'd been relying on Chouji to carry her for a lot of the trip. Increasingly so as the days passed. Chouji didn't mind, and Ino didn't seem to have any attraction to him save for that of a strong bond of siblings. "If it weren't for Chocho (her nickname for Chouji, it means butterfly), I'd be screwed." Ino admitted.
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Hinata maneuvered her way over to Ino's side.
"I didn't want to bother you until it got really bad." Ino admitted, suddenly curling over as if she were punched in the gut.
Shikamaru and Chouji hadn't intended on spying. They truly hadn't, but when Ino started talking, they just had to listen. They hadn't expected in the least for Ino to admit to that of all things.
I cause her pain? Shikamaru thought, feeling his heart clench and his breath become labored. It hurt. He didn't know why, but it hurt. This pain, coupled with jealousy, made his mouth dry and his eyes water.
"Do you have any idea why that is. Where does it hurt." Ino had managed to sit up and stop cringing, but Sakura's question caught her off guard. Her cheeks flushed and she suddenly felt embarrassed.
"Promise you wont tell?"
"Sure, I'd just about promise anything to find out what's turned you into the blushing bride." Sakura joked halfheartedly.
Shikamaru pressed his ear to the wooden door to hear what was going to be said. But Chouji would have none of it. Not on his baby sister anyway.
"What are you doing!?" Shikamaru hissed as, fighting against his comrade's hold in order to listen.
"The blushing bride was hint enough." Chouji 'hmph'ed, dragging his friend away. "And you owe me lunch."
"But I wanna' know!!!" Shikamaru clawed at the ground as he was dragged away by Chouji. Ino, Hinata and Sakura all poked their heads out of the doorway.
"Chocho?" Ino was hiding her pain well, but the slight twitching gave it away.
"Shikamaru just wants to know why you hurt around him sometimes." Chouji answered. A cheeky grin plastered onto his face as Ino's face turned beat red, feeling it was best not to touch the subject she was trying so desperately to hide.
"Chocho!" she whined, albeit playfully. He already knew why.
"Can someone please fill me in!!!" Shikamaru commanded, feeling completely out of the loop.
"Nope!" both said in unison. Ino gave Shikamaru a sultry look, batting her lashes before returning to the room with an exaggerated sway of the hips. And while Shikamaru stared in...awe, Chouji dragged him away. Sakura giggled before reentering the room with Hinata.
That morning, the girls had a greater head start than before. The guys would be leaving in the evening with Shikamaru, while the rest of the non demons would be with the Faeries, to prevent anymore unfortunate events. Gaara and his siblings were to stay, they've been absent from their village enough as it was. It was for the best if anything. Given Gaara's behavior, it would be a good idea to keep both him and Sakura apart until mating season was over. It was one of the safest bets.
"Don't worry so much. She'll be fine." Temari insisted, trying to coax her brother back into his office.
Gaara looked at her. Longing and confusion being the more dominant of many emotions in his eyes. He was still getting over the fact that Sakura had died on him, and what's worse, that he couldn't do anything about it. He felt weak, powerless. He felt inadequate. "I'm...I'm going to train for a little while. Come get me if it's an emergency."
"What about your paperwork?" Gaara stopped mid step. Then continued walking. "Come get me in three hours." The stacks shouldn't get all that higher in that time frame. Could they?
Ino's wails reached the village before she, and everyone else even got their. She was in agony as waves of raw energy burst from her body. Chouji was having much difficulty holding on to her while the other faeries fought all the males of non human and non animal origin into either submission or unconsciousness.
But as each wave escaped her body, each more powerful than the last, more powerful demons came running. The village was just coming into view, and so were the demonic villagers. It was almost as if with each wave, they grew more powerful.
Kunai sliced through the night sky, tearing through flesh and embedding itself in wood. Blood dripped. Faeries cried. Their were too many of them to handle. They couldn't even tell the shadows from foe. Both the moon and the stars were absent. No light could be seen save for the light of the village and the few glowing eyes of demons and other such creatures.
"You think your helping her!?!" one cried, voice having no specific origin. "If you don't let one of us have her she will suffer! Let us, let me help her!"
"Please." Ino wept. "It hurts." A figure, only set apart from the background by a darker black, began to approach. His arms reached out, only inches away from Ino, in order to carry her off. His body stiffened and froze. Something whistled, the sound growing steadily louder before the metallic smell of blood overpowered the scent of the forest.
"Not without some form of ID." It was Shikamaru.
"Shiki-kun, please." Ino begged, another wave wracking her form.
"I'm sorry, I...I can't let them have you. I won't let them have you. Forgive me." Another set of strong arms enveloped her. "Please forgive me." The last thing Ino felt was a needle being pressed to her vein. The drug having affects similar to that of morphine and a sleeping pill. She was out cold within moments.
"Are you sure about this?" Chouji inquired.
"Yes, it's my turn to protect her." A smile could be heard in his voice as he removed her from Chouji's arms.
"Wait...if things turn out...will you be able to service her till this is over?" Sakura stood tall before him, an ethereal glow forming a halo behind her form.
"Whatever she'll need from me, anything at all, I'll gladly give her."
"Then go!"
A chakra that wasn't his own invaded his body, making his muscles pulsate with the rush of growing strength. "Gladly." Shikamaru never new he could move so fast. With Sakura's celestial chakra within him, he felt like he was invincible. Dodging around trees. Leaping over obstacles. Dancing around opponents. The village was no longer a gentle glow over the horizon. He was within it's limits now, and home never looked so good. The number of pursuers was dwindling.
With the last burst of energy, Shikamaru made a bee line for Ino's home and an even greater threat, Ino's father.
Author's Note: again, sorry I took so long. If you have any questions, any at all, let me know.