See?! SEE?! I had a reason! Double-feature, as my apology bribe... Blunt, I realise, but hey, you'll forgive me, right?

I also, for your viewing pleasure, have re-done Chapters One and Two. In case you haven't checked them out yet, do so now. I'll wait...

What'd you think? Stellar? Amazing? FAR better than what I orginally had lying in that spot? I thought so. Glad you approve.

And so... Chapter 38!

---

"AGH!" Meari slumped against the wall, her injuries being freshly assaulted by the heat of a fireball. She picked herself up again, as Sakura was knocked down by a flying punch. At first, it was just Saimon and Sukotto who had appeared, but soon, Sasuke, Naruto, even Kakashi had formed from the dancing colours to administer their own damage. Each seemed to be the real deal, but a look to their eyes spoke a different story. All had the same cold unforgiving look as the rest.

"Do you see know?" The voice of Haku appeared again. "There are few people in this world you can trust. Humans are squirmy… foolish… they move with the current, swimming away from anything they find treacherous."

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US?!" Meari yelled, watching as Sakura was hit full-on with a dulled-down Lightning Blade Jutsu.

"I want… He wants you to see the true way of the shinobi. If you fail to see, you will be killed, as would be the blind animal being chased by a predator."

Meari stood back up. "You keep talking about that! About being a shinobi, about all that 'the way of a ninja!' stuff. If you think being a shinobi is doomed to failure, why did you become one?!"

A pause in the voices. "Because he willed it so. My life would be nothing without him, so I am his tool… and I understand that it is better to be so then to have to try and survive… with other people…"

"That makes no sense!" Meari looked to Sakura, who had succumbed to her limit and passed out. Other people can be mean sometimes… "…but… not all of them… Not all of them are bad!"

"Humans are, by nature, evil creatures. They think only to save themselves in a crisis."

"You're wrong." At that very moment, Meari heard banging sounds behind her, with familiar voices yelling behind them. "See? They're trying to get in. To save us. You probably met a lot of bad people in your life, Haku. But… but you have to keep trying… there are always nice people, everywhere you look… like you."

"…Me?"

"You would give your life for Zabuza, wouldn't you? A tool can't do anything but obey its master's wishes. Zabuza would never ask you to die in his place, would he? You would do that by your own! And he would do it for you!"

The images around them shifted, but instead of forming a new attacker, they slowly began to fade and eventually vanished, leaving the walls around them bare save for their own reflections. Relieved, Meari ran to Sakura.

"Sakura-chan? Wake up, it's over." Meari shook the girl.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. "M…Meari-chan?"

"Yup! Wakey-wakey!" She helped the girl sit up. "Are you wounded badly?"

Sakura cocked her head to the side. "Huh?" She looked down to her body and gasped. "I AM!"

As Meari gave her a very quizzical look, Sakura began to mumble something, bringing her hands in a strange sign that she had never seen before. Before any questions could be posed, Sakura brought her hand down on her chest. At that instant, her wounds instantly closed up, and her burns vanished. "Much better."

"What kind of jutsu was that?" Meari brought Sakura up to her feet.

Sakura looked at Meari, who was suddenly taken aback. Instead of the usual pale blue, Sakura's eyes were now shining an emerald green colour. "It isn't a jutsu, it's Kido; demon arts, you could say. Here, I'll show you." She did the same thing, pressing her hand on Meari's forehead. She felt a strange sensation, and saw that her entire body was completely healed. "There we go!" She began to look around the dome. "Now… I'll get you out of here… Hmm"

Meari gave Sakura a suspicious look. "You're… not Sakura-chan, are you?"

The girl turned to Meari. "You just noticed? I hope you didn't forget about me, Meari-chan." She laughed. She looked to the roof. "Yeah, that should work."

Meari gasped. She suddenly remembered where she had seen those green eyes before. It had been long ago when she had last seen them, but the memory was still clear. "You're-"

Sakura extended her right arm, placing her left hand at its elbow. "Stand back." Meari did as instructed. Sakura nodded, and then began an incantation.

"Ye Lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!

As she continued, a red light flowed up her right arm, collecting at her fingertips. The stale air in the dome began to whirr about, and Meari felt a strange power that she had never felt before.

"Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges! March on to the south!"

She pointed to the roof of the dome, and finished her incantation.

"Way of Destruction, number 31! RED FLAME CANNON!"

As she spoke these words, a strange thickness in the air filled the dome. Meari watched as, for a split second, the image of Sakura was replaced with the form of a brunette in a black and white robe, he hair flying in the wind. The red ball that had formed blasted from the girl's fingers, hitting the top of the dome with the force of a rocket. The entire dome seemed to shake, and as the mini-earthquake stopped, Meari saw that there was a large crack in the roof above them.

"There you go, Meari-chan!" Sakura reappeared, and quickly dropped to her feet. "Ah!"

"Sak-… No…" Meari ran to the girl's side. "It's Remikku-chan, isn't it?"

She laughed. "Yeah, it's me." Meari helped her up. "Kido is kind of draining on someone who hasn't done it before."

"And… Sakura-chan?"

Remikku smiled. "I'm just borrowing her body for a bit. I can't retain it for much longer, so I need to go."

Meari frowned. "What? You can't go! We're going to find everyone again, Kotto-kun, Sai-kun and I! We're gonna find a way home! Please don't leave!"

Remikku smiled. "Oh, Saimon-kun and Tama-chan are with you? I'll try to stop by sometime again so I can see them too." She looked at Sakura's fingers. "Now... how did that thingy go again? The... Something release…?"

Meari sighed and showed her. "You just interlock your fingers and say Kai, Release."

"Right. Well then, I'm off!" She placed her hands as Meari had instructed and cried, "Kai! Release!" For an instant, Sakura's body went rigid, her eyes quickly changing back to their pale blue. She relaxed and fell to the ground.

"You alright, Sakura-chan?"

"I think so…" She clenched a shaking fist. "I barely have any chakra left. That demon magic stuff really does take it out of you."

Meari laughed. "Then leave breaking out of here to me!"

---

The boys stood staring at the dome. A moment ago, a fierce tremor had erupted from it, and something like an explosion roared from inside. Both were wondering the same thing; were the girls alright?

"WEEEEEEEE!" The top of the dome was suddenly blasted upwards, breaking a large hole in its otherwise seamless surface. Meari jumped through the gap, Sakura following her out. "Yay, it worked!"

"What the hell happened in there?!" Saimon looked from the girls to the now shattered dome. "We heard explosions!"

"Oh, that!" Meari laughed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Just be happy that we got out alright, Sai-kun!" She patted him on the back. "Can we go?"

"Soon enough." Sukotto walked over to the dome. "What was happening to you guys in here?"

Sakura explained. "These images kept appearing and attacking us. They looked almost exactly like you guys, and there was Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-kun, too. And…" she paused. "There was Haku, Zabuza's sidekick."

"Haku's supposed to be dead too, right?" Sakura nodded. "Alright. In that case, I think I know which Card this is. Stand back."

The group did so, and Sukotto repeated the ritual he had done before. "Card mastered by Sakura, I identify you as that which lies beyond the looking glass! Mirror!"

The dome returned to the fluid that had formed it, now taking the shape of a young woman in a white robe, holding a small hand mirror in her hands. Sukotto brought up his staff.

Return to the guise you were meant to be in!

SAKURA CARD!

The Card was swiftly sealed, and Sukotto added it to his collection. "I wonder how the Mirror managed to do that. Usually it can only recreate people if they're standing in front of it."

The group started off towards the Tower again, but Sakura tapped Sukotto on the shoulder. He slowed down to slip behind the other two, and came into stride beside her. "What's up?"

"Um… about what happened in there…" Sakura rubbed the back of her head. "We saw… someone. I think you know her."

Sukotto looked at Sakura wide-eyed. "She used my body and blew up the dome with some kind of magic… demon arts, she called them. She had to leave, but she gave me a message to give to you before she left. I didn't tell Meari-chan."

Sukotto nodded. "What was it?"

"She said… "I'll try to drop in again sometime, so I'll see you soon! Don't keep me waiting to long, Tama-chan!" She thought hard. "Yeah, that was it."

Sukotto smiled. "Thank you, Sakura-chan."

"Yeah, no problem." She ran ahead to join Meari.

Sukotto looked back to where the dome had been standing earlier. "You never really were the type to just sit and do nothing..." He ran ahead to the rest of the group, the Tower looming larger ahead of them.

---

Remikku: YES! That's me!

Skittles: Yeah, see! I told you I'd get you in there somewhere.

Remikku: Well, of course! Since you did make me out to be last, Tama-chan... Hidoi desu yo!

Skittles: Hm.. yes, well. I'll notice you haven't been reading anything recently. Your comment on that?

Remikku: I'll catch up soon! I promise!

Skittles: Okay. (High-five). Ooops. Look what we just did with our fingers. Gross, Remikku-chan.

Remikku: (Uncontrollable laughter) REIGUN!

Skittles: YAAAAAAYY!

...Random moment for you there, considering as I have NOTHING for Omake... again. Go figure.

I'll try to update MUCH sooner than what I've been doing... Kei is not leting me leave Arsenic and Cyanide for ONE MOMENT'S PIECE!

Kei: That isn't true! Lies, I tell you!

Skittles: Kei, you hacker.

Kei: XP I WIN!

Skittles: Yes, Kei (pats on the back).

Kei: I need you to pose for that drawing idea you gave me.

Skittles O.o DO YOU HAVE TO MENTION THAT HERE?! AND IN SUCH A SUGGESTIVE WAY?!

Kei: I reitterate: I win. Tongue-stickey-outey smiley face.

Skittles: (Note to self, get new friends)