Thank you for the feedback of the last chapter everyone! It's finally time for the Winter Ball! I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. A lot happens here, I'm so excited to share!
Please remember to join the Discordgroup chat for Quietus where readers can discuss theories, share fanart, inspiring music and hilarious memes relating to the fic. There's also general chat channels and it's a great, fun place to get to know other SasuSaku fans during this isolating time. If you're interested please send me a message! Note you must be 18+ to join the group as the story is rated M.
A shout-out to my reader who messaged me recently. Wishing you a speedy recovery!
Chapter LXI
The stage is set, a wintery ball,
Where the pieces gather, one and all,
A magical, marvellous, mystical night,
Conceals a deeply dark, disturbing fright,
Slumbering beasts from lore of old,
Awaken from myths long since foretold,
Chaos seeps inside spinning heads.
Some hearts will race - some hearts are dead.
"Well?" Ino swivelled the vanity table's stool around, finally allowing Sakura to examine the fruits of her labour. "What do you think?"
Sakura gaped at herself in the mirror's reflection, barely recognising the striking young woman staring back at her. Since she hardly ever wore make-up, and Ino had absolutely refused to take no for an answer, her face had been flawlessly painted with cosmetics by Ino's masterful hands. Dewy foundation enhanced her naturally clear complexion, accentuated with a dusting of charming pink blush and sweeping highlighter across her cheekbones. The combination of bewitching smoky eyeliner, mascara coated lashes and glittering silver eyeshadow made her vivid green irises pop. Soft, plumping pink lip-gloss completed the look, which was set with the finest quality powder her best friend owned.
"Wow," Ino's baby-blue eyes were wide as she stared at Sakura's image in the mirror. "Wow, I've really outdonemyself. Forehead, you look like a dream!" She clapped her hands excitedly, securing one last sparkling silver pin to her best friend's impeccably-styled tresses, stepping back to admire her finished work as Sakura rose to her feet.
Her pale-rose hair was worn half-up, partly coiled into elaborate braids at the back of her head. The rest tumbled down her back in loose, luscious, softly curled waves. Pretty little white flowers adorned the braids. Sakura wore her mother's pair of stunning diamond droplet earrings, and that was the only jewellery she needed, for her dress was a flowing masterpiece of romantic, gossamer fabric.
Boasting a high-collared neckline, the figure hugging bodice was stitched with glittering silver thread. A small slit gap in the fabric that began just beneath the centre of the collar bone, ending above her waist, gave a brief, teasing glimpse of feminine cleavage underneath. The gown's sleeves were off the shoulder, snug fitting, reaching Sakura's elbows in length at the front, and trailed down to the floor at the back. The skirt of the dress was formed of concentrated silver stiches at the hips which progressively swirled out, forming the image of sequined, wintery branches overlaying a dusky rose underskirt. Sakura had opted for mid-length heels she could actually walk around in, as opposed to the outrageously high ones she suspected many of the girls would be wearing to the event.
Spritzing her favourite perfume onto her skin, she touched the wayward lock of hair that fell into her eyes with painted, glittery silver nails. Ino was right – she looked a vision, a grown siren of a woman.
It made her feel oddly nervous. She hadn't ever worn so much make-up before, even when she'd been back in the Underworld-
She abruptly cut off her train of thought. She wouldn't think about that place tonight.
Tonight, she could pretend she was just a regular nineteen year old student who was going out for a dance with her handsome date.
Ino, who wore her long hair in a stunning braid accented with pale blue flowers, looked exquisite in a figure hugging, off-shoulder, baby-blue sequined mermaid dress. It had a trailing train and was backless, something Sakura would never have the guts to pull off – but on Ino, it looked positively sensational. And of course, she had a lot more sexy cleavage on show. Sakura was sure even lazy Shikamaru's jaw would drop at the sight of her bombshell best friend. Ino had accessorised with matching pearl jewellery, and finished the look with a soft blue, faux-fur shrug. Her make-up, like Sakura's, was dewy, with the emphasis on smoky eyes and neutral, glossy lips.
The doorbell rang, and Sakura swallowed back a surge of irrational anxiety.
"Do I look okay?" she asked senselessly, even when she knew she looked far more than okay. "It's not too much?"
"It's exactly too much," Ino grinned back. "Kenji is totally going to be unable to keep his hands off you tonight."
"Ino!" Sakura exclaimed, grabbing at her sequined silver clutch bag.
Ino giggled, securing a pearl bracelet at her wrist, before she moved to the door. "Come on, let's not keep the boys waiting."
Sakura glanced back at her room before she left. It looked like a war-zone, with cosmetics and clothing and hair-styling products strewn everywhere. She wasn't looking forward to cleaning it up when she returned. With a sigh, she followed after Ino.
Her mother and Shizune were waiting for them as they made their way down the stairs. Catching sight of her daughter, Tsunade's eyes widened.
"S-Sakura-chan…" Shizune gasped.
"How do I look?" Sakura clasped her hands as she came to a stop before her mother, chewing somewhat nervously on her bottom lip as she awaited her reaction.
Tsunade's eyes inspected her, and she seemed speechless for a minute. Then she pursed her lips and reached out to push back a wayward twist of hair that had fallen into Sakura's face again, securing it gently behind her ear.
"Beautiful," she murmured softly.
"Doesn't she just?" Ino gushed, smiling widely, helping Sakura to secure her long, pale grey cloak. "Every guy will be wanting to dance with her at the ball."
"I'm not dancing with every guy," Sakura flushed, embarrassed.
"You say that now," Ino teased lightly.
"Pig," Sakura stuck her tongue out in a moment of childish, affectionate immaturity, prompting her best friend to do the same back.
"Remember," Tsunade cautioned the two. "No excessive drinking. And stay close to one another, so that you always know where your friends are. No wandering off alone."
Sakura nodded. Her mother was understandably anxious – but it was a huge event. Lots of people would be there, and the ball venue was tightly monitored by security at all times. Only people with tickets were permitted to enter the prestigious building. She was sure it would be nothing short of a magical night.
"Have fun," Tsunade said, her eyes meeting her daughter's. "And stay safe. If anything happens, you call your elders right away."
"We will," Ino promised. "After you, Forehead."
Kissing her mother and Shizune's cheeks in goodbye, Sakura then took a deep breath as she turned toward the door. Opening it, she found Kenji, who was dressed handsomely in a formal grey suit, a white shirt and a pale pink tie that complemented Sakura's hair. His wavy, sandy blond hair was neatly combed back. Pinned to his blazer were white flowers, matching the ones laced in her braids.
His eyes widened and he gawked at the sight of her, his jaw falling wide open.
"Uh…" he began, then seemed to remember himself, for he held up the bouquet he had sweetly purchased for her, his cheeks flushing an adorable shade of red. "W-wow. Sakura, you look…" he shook his head, as if searching for a word to do her justice. "You look incredible!"
Shikamaru, who had been waiting by his silver sedan car, straightened as Ino came out the house, discarding the toothpick that he'd been chewing on. He was dressed in a navy blue suit that perfectly coordinated with Ino's outfit.
Passing Kenji, Sakura's best friend sang teasingly, "Might want to pick your jaw up off the ground," before winking back at Sakura, and sauntering down the front path to meet her date.
Tsunade lingered by the front door, as her daughter accepted the flowers and linked her arm through the one Kenji offered.
A sliver of worry filled her. Ever since the visit to the sacred basin, Tsunade's sense of apprehension had heightened, knowing that this was her child's final reincarnated form. Sakura had exited the pool in a daze, with no recollection of anything happening while she'd floated in it – and Tsunade hadn't found it in herself to tell her.
Not yet. She promised that she would – after taking the time to process it herself. She'd wanted Sakura to enjoy this night in peace, and to spend the build up to the ball in happy anticipation – not morose worry.
Her daughter was now a grown young woman. Tsunade had to trust in her, and trust that they couldn't spend Sakura's final life obsessively trying to control everything in a bid to avert disaster. It had never worked in the past. And Sakura was already in enough trouble as it were, with the tie she now had to the Underworld – something that infuriated Tsunade to no end, and something she vowed she would confront the Underworld's ruler about – when the time was right.
"Don't be too late," she reminded Kenji, who nodded reassuringly back at her.
"Yes, Mrs. Haruno. We'll be back by half-eleven, I promise. You don't need to worry about a thing."
Satisfied, Tsunade waved them off, wishing them a goodnight.
As Kenji led her to their ride, Sakura's lips parted in astonishment. A very expensive-looking, flashy white sports car awaited them. It wasn't the regular vehicle he drove, and she looked at him, laughing in surprise.
"Like it?" Kenji beamed widely, opening the door on the passenger's side for her. "I thought I'd rent one out for the special occasion."
Sakura smiled as Kenji closed the door after her, settling into the luxurious leather seats, finding his thoughtfulness endearing. As he took his seat in the driver's side and switched on the ignition, he glanced at her again, as if he couldn't help from staring.
"I mean it; you look amazing. Your hair. That make-up. Wow."
Sakura grinned bashfully. "You look nice, too," she complimented.
They pulled out the driveway, and music blared from the speakers.
"Thanks. I really can't believe a girl like you hasn't been snapped up already, though," he shook his head as he drove, continuing to steal looks at her along the way. "I've got to have some competition I don't know about."
Sakura looked out the window. The memory of a smoulderingly dark, heavy-lashed gaze briefly flashed behind her mind's eye. No, she told herself fiercely. She would absolutely not think about him.
"Umm. Not really," she answered vaguely, hoping Kenji wouldn't notice the slightly nervous little laugh that accompanied her response.
Evidently he didn't. "Then I'm definitely the luckiest guy in Konoha," he declared, and Sakura felt heat creep into her cheeks.
"So this'll be your first Winter Ball at the university, right?" he went on conversationally. "Did you ever hold any at your old Academy?"
"We did," Sakura replied. "But I don't think it's anywhere on the scale that you say this one's going to be."
"Oh yeah, this is huge. Just wait until you-" he broke off as his cell phone suddenly rang. "Uh, excuse me a sec. It's my brother, Kojin." He hit the loud-speaker button.
"Hey," a voice spoke garishly into the receiver. "Where are you? Ma said you're at a party or something?"
"On my way to one," Kenji answered. "Why, brat? What's up?"
"Nothing. Bring me some cake back."
Kenji rolled his eyes at Sakura. "Is that what you called me for? Here I thought you were checking up on your big brother."
Sakura giggled. They seemed to share a cute relationship.
"Who's that?" Kojin questioned, curiosity instantly piqued. "Hey! Is there a girl with you?"
"Yeah. There's a girl. Don't sound so surprised," Kenji chuckled. "Sakura," he invited. "Say hi to my brat brother."
"Hi there!" Sakura greeted cheerfully into the speaker. "I'm Sakura, it's so nice to-"
"Sakura?" his brother echoed, interrupting a little too eagerly. "Are you like, my brother's girlfriend?"
Both Kenji and Sakura spluttered at that, mortified to be asked the question so bluntly.
"Ah-" Sakura began. "Well, you see, actually we-"
"Yes," Kenji answered hastily. Sakura's mouth fell open, and she looked at him, blinking in surprise at his unexpected boldness.
"Hahaha! Does Ma know? Jenki's got a girlfriend, Jenki's got a girl-"
"I'm not bringing back any cake," Kenji cut him off. "Later, bro." With that, he disconnected the call.
An awkward silence hung in the air between them.
"Sorry," Kenji apologised, visibly embarrassed. "I just wanted to shut him up. I didn't mean you were really my- that we're really- I mean," he fumbled. "Not that I wouldn't want to, Sakura-"
Sakura felt bad about how flustered he was getting. She laid a hand reassuringly on his arm. "It's okay," she assured him. "We can maybe talk about that later, okay?
He blinked, lips parting in astonishment. Glancing across at her, he then smiled, "Yeah. Yeah, sure. I'd like that."
After they had managed to park the car, they walked up to the venue and Sakura finally understood what Kenji had meant about the Winter Ball being a huge gathering. It was set in Konoha's Central Town Hall; a tall, stately stone building that was a triumph of classical architecture, consisting of multiple public event halls which held every manner of event ranging from formal weddings, to balls and training seminars. Sakura had been inside the place only once, as a child, for one of her mother's medical conferences, and she remembered being enthralled by room they'd been in. It had been a large one, wonderfully furnished and decorated within, bordering on palace-like finery.
They waited patiently in line by the front steps leading up to the large double-door entrance, until they passed the tightly controlled security checks, before stepping into the building's grand, square shaped entrance hall. It had a large central stone staircase that climbed up to a second level, and multiple wooden doors on the ground floor, leading to different function halls. Smartly dressed waiting staff greeted them politely, relieving them of cloaks and coats before pointing them in the direction of the ballroom. Pleasant music reached Sakura's ears, and she could barely suppress the shiver of excitement that ran down her spine.
When the large, polished mahogany double-doors parted, she exhaled in wonder, her eyes falling upon a most magical sight. A sweeping, renaissance-styled ballroom, furnished with expensive looking, classical furniture, wallpaper and framed artwork sprawled out before them. Snowy whites, glinting silvers, golds and varying shades of blue decorated the vast space. Stunning arched balcony glass doors lined both sides of the room and glittering silver chandeliers hung from the high ceiling. The intricately-patterned mosaic floor gleamed invitingly, its full design concealed from view by the sheer amount of people in attendance. Music streamed from an orchestral band playing on a raised stand which included a white piano. Couples wearing dressed in complementing colours had already started dancing.
Frost-like decorations hung from the ceiling and adorned the satin-draped circular dining tables dotted around the perimeter of the room. Large clusters of white and pale blue flowers adorned the hall, and pale mist was being pumped onto the dance-floor by a fog generating machine. Every painstaking detail complemented the wintery theme perfectly, resulting in a fantastical, fairy-tale sight.
"What do you think?" Kenji asked in her ear, over the noise of music, laughter and people chattering.
"It looks like a dream," Sakura exclaimed, shaking her head in delight.
"Hey, hey!" She heard a voice call out loudly. "Sakura-chan! Over here!"
Sakura turned her head, to find Naruto standing by one of the dining tables. He was dressed handsomely in a white suit, with a pale lavender shirt and a darker purple tie that perfectly matched the beautiful gown his date wore. Hinata, beside him, was glowing, looking absolutely resplendent. Sakura's lips parted at the sight of her friend; her hair was worn loose, laced with stunning pearls. Her pale lavender ball-gown was fit for a princess, with a modest illusion-neckline encrusted with pearls. A pearl belt accentuated her small waist, and the flowing, ombre-hued skirt was layer upon layer of gorgeous, pearl-stitched tulle, blending down from pale to dark purple.
"Naruto," she led Kenji over to her friends. "You look great! And Hinata! You're beautiful! Isn't she, Naruto?"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head, glancing down at the blushing girl. "Y-yeah, she sure does," he smiled shyly.
Hinata ducked her head demurely at the compliment.
His azure blue eyes then turned back to Sakura. "That dress looks awesome on you, Sakura-chan!" Noticing Kenji, he added, "Hey, man."
"This is Kenji, a trainee medic who works at the hospital with me. Ken, these are two of my best friends. Naruto and Hinata," Sakura introduced.
"Good to meet you," he shook hands with them both politely.
"And I'm Ino," a voice chimed in, as Ino and Shikamaru joined them. "I'm Sakura's bestest friend in the whole wide world. Isn't that right, Forehead?" She gave Sakura a teasing look. Sakura rolled her eyes affectionately at the moniker.
"Do you like what I did with her outfit today?" Ino smiled at Kenji, batting her lashes flirtatiously.
"You did an incredible job," he responded smilingly.
Shikamaru sighed at her antics and shook his head, accepting Naruto's fist-bump in greeting.
"There you guys are!" Another voice trilled happily. Sakura turned to find Tenten, who looked stunning in a knee-length, flirty dress that was deep burgundy in hue. It had a halter neckline and a ruffled tulle skirt that puffed outwards and swished with her movements. Her long brown hair was worn wavy and loose. With deep-red lipstick painted on her lips and winged eyeliner, she appeared a lot older than usual.
Further introductions with Kenji were passed around, and pleasant small-talk shared, before Ino suddenly looked around, as if she were searching for someone.
"Where's Sai?" she asked casually. "He did come, right?"
"Yeah," Naruto snickered. "Saw him with Neji, Chouji, Kiba, Shino and Lee at the snack table, looking socially awkward. Some girl was trying to get him to dance."
Tenten gasped. "Neji is here?" With that, she seemed to forget all about the rest of them and moved away in search of the aforementioned table.
Sakura watched her go with a twinge of sympathy, remembering Ino's words about Neji being fully committed to his role.
"Speaking of dancing, Shikamaru, can we, please?" Ino turned to him, tugging at his arm.
He shot a lazy glance at her. "Dancing is so troublesome…"
"Come on," Ino insisted. "Shikamaru. You're my date!"
Shikamaru sighed again, before relenting, "Alright. One tiresome dance."
Ino clapped her hands and pulled him along behind her, heading onto the dance floor.
"Well, I guess we'll go too," Naruto held out his arm to Hinata, who slipped hers through his, her cheeks dusted pink. "Sakura-chan, we'll see you in a bit. Meet us back here after a couple dances?"
"Sure," Sakura smiled, and allowed Kenji to lead her to the dance floor in turn.
"This is tedious," Asuma remarked, from his seated position at the edge of the roof-top, overlooking the street far below.
"Aaah," Kakashi sighed, glancing up from the novel he was reading.
"Tedious to watch over youth enjoying a fine evening?" Gai looked affronted. "Where's your spirit? Have you forgotten when we were young?"
In response, Asuma snubbed out his cigarette, blowing a plume of smoke into the crisp night air.
The three were stationed on the roof of Konoha's Central Town Hall. The younger deities were not aware of their presence; it was just a precaution that Tsunade had suggested. The night was likely to go by without incident, in which case, Naruto and the others would be none the wiser.
Kakashi had agreed it was a wise plan. After Tsunade had told them of what had come to pass at the sacred pool earlier in the week, he hadn't been able to shake the feeling of apprehension and foreboding in his gut. Combined with the information Sasuke had provided him about Cronus's plans, Kakashi felt that keeping a closer eye on everyone was probably the best course of action. They couldn't risk anything happening to Sakura – not when the pool had now confirmed she could no longer be reincarnated again.
He wondered how they were going to break it to the girl. Maybe it was best she didn't know. But Kakashi knew she would be furious about being kept in the dark.
Just as he and Jiraiya had agreed to tell Naruto about the fate of his parents after the winter ball was over, they were also going to wait until after it to inform Sakura of what had passed at the pool. Kakashi felt as though he were carrying a heavy weight upon his shoulders, as he glumly considered how distraught both Naruto and Sakura would be.
His thoughts then turned to Sasuke. Had the Underworld's king known what feeding Sakura the seeds would result in when he'd offered them to her? It didn't seem likely. Kakashi wondered if he ought to communicate the knowledge to Sasuke, too. After all, for six months in a year, the girl was now bound to be in his care.
If something didn't go horribly wrong first.
Keeping watch was wearisome, yes. But these were the cards fate had handed to them, and they had no choice but to continue to play with the ones they were dealt.
Sakura couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun. Her feet were starting to ache from dancing with Kenji so many times – he was a terrific dancer - and after a few cheeky drinks, she'd relaxed enough to no longer feel so self-conscious about walking around with her hand in his. She snuck up behind her friends, tried every delicious variety of food on offer, and played silly party games at the tables. They'd gotten so competitive that Shino and Kiba had left to sulk at their losses. She'd convinced Tenten to ask Neji for a waltz (he had surprisingly obliged her), danced a merry jig with an exuberant Naruto, and posed for endless selfies with Kenji and her friends. She'd even met Kenji's crowd, and when they'd teased Sakura and Ken about being together, both had laughed loudly along with them.
For the first time in a very long time, she felt normal and gladly soaked up the feeling. There were no worries, no stresses, nothing but the glitzy party and the endless night.
She was presently trying to smother her amusement while watching Ino's attempts at teaching Sai to dance. Awkward and tense, Sai stumbled over her feet, but Ino – who'd had a few drinks too – was surprisingly patient and attentive, repositioning his hand at her hip before guiding him along again.
They looked unexpectedly good together, Sakura thought. Sai was dressed in a white suit that actually appeared to fit him for a change. She watched as Ino explained one of the steps to him.
Oh, Ino-Pig, Sakura thought fondly, smiling to herself.
A gentle touch at her elbow drew her attention back to her date. "Hey," Kenji smiled, handing her a glass of water, which she gratefully accepted, hastily washing down her parched throat. "This is a really great evening, right?"
"It's wonderful," Sakura sighed wistfully, as they watched the crowds of people mingling around them. "I just feel so… so normal. So carefree."
He chuckled. "Normal? You're definitely not that."
"Oh?" she glanced at him, trying to feign coolness. "What makes you say so?"
"Uh," he looked self-conscious, as if he'd not been expecting her to follow up on his statement. "I don't know. You're just- you're special, Sakura. People seem to just light up around you."
Touched by the sweet words, she giggled girlishly. "Like lightbulbs?" she joked.
Wow, her inner voice dripped sarcastically. Could your jokes get any lamer?
But Kenji gave her an adorable, dimpling smile. "Haha. Maybe you don't see it." He met her eyes, his twinkling hazel ones suddenly oddly serious. "But I do."
Her smile slowly waned. They stared at each other for a long moment.
He then took a deep breath.
"Look - about earlier," he started. "In the car. You said we could maybe talk later… can we? Now?"
Earlier? Sakura scoured her mind, before it dutifully remembered. Oh. That.
"Sure," she agreed, and felt her heart jump when Kenji reached down to take her hand. Leading her to one of the balcony doors, they slipped outside together.
Cool air hit Sakura's skin, and she inhaled deeply. She supposed that she couldn't avoid this conversation forever. It had been overtly obvious that Kenji had been partial to her since the day they'd met.
She liked him. She did. She told herself the more she knew him, the more she liked him.
So why did she feel so stupidly anxious about discussing it?
Because who are you kidding? Her inner voice chided. Do you really want him to get all attached to you, when you can't even tell him the truth about who and what you are? And what about the seeds? You have to spend six months every year in the Underworld. How are you going to explain ghosting him for six months, if you choose to go ahead with this?
She knew the answer. Internally, she was being selfish. She craved normality so much, and Kenji was the very epitome of the nice, ordinary boy next door type. With him, she didn't think about her burdens. With him she was just Sakura, the girl. No supernatural reincarnation of a past self that had perished so tragically. She was just herself, and he saw her for it, and he liked her for it, without expecting anything back, or demanding anything, or making any sorts of presumptuous decisions for her-
Her eyes widened when Kenji reached out, taking a strand of her pale rose hair gingerly between his fingers and stepped closer. She felt an unexpected blush creep through her cheeks.
"Hey... Sakura...?" he began. "I kind of really need to get something off my chest." Her eyes darted up. He was closer than he had ever been, and it made her stomach fluttered unexpectedly. "It's crazy, but I... I really do like you," he said, as he twirled the strand gently around his index finger. "You're smart and beautiful and funny. We've been spending a lot of time together lately, and it's totally fine if you want to keep it this way, but I just need to know. Because it's driving me a little crazy."
She swallowed, but did not move. She tried to ignore it. She tried not to think about it.
But her stubborn mind kept whispering it.
Sasuke.
Sasuke.
What about Sasuke?
You don't owe him anything, she fiercely scolded herself. He's already stolen six months of your life every year. He sent you back like a coward, without having the decency to explain a thing to you, or to apologise, or to clarify what the hell is going to happen when your time on the surface is up. He didn't say anything at all, and had the nerve to be mad at you when everything bad that happened was because he abducted you. So why care what he thinks? You kissed him a few times. It doesn't mean anything that you did. He has no say in what you do when you're on the surface. Being tied to the Underworld doesn't mean you have no choice in who you want to see.
She took a steady breath. The thoughts were flung around in her mind like angry pebbles. They helped cleared her head, to clear away any foolish doubts she had about at least giving Kenji a chance. Besides, he made it clear he hates you now. He must, if you're not even worth an explanation, if he could just throw you away like that without any type of closure. He's a jerk. Forget about him until you have to see him again. Do you think he's thinking about you? And anyway - if Ino's right about the past then it's for the best you have nothing more to do with him than you need to. He hurt you. This is your life. Here's a nice normal guy, who isn't stuck up, who isn't a jerk, who doesn't make you feel like you're constantly on edge or make you stupid nervous the way Sasuke does, so stop hesitating right now. You made a promise that you were going to live, right? Just worry about all the details later!
"I'd really like to know you better," Kenji was going on. "I was hoping that after tonight, I could take you out more often. And I don't mean on study sessions. Just you and me, doing fun stuff together." Still holding her hand, he looked down, laughing a little nervously.
He really is cute, Sakura thought, watching the little dimple surface in his cheek. And kind. When I look at him, it doesn't feel like I can't breathe. It feels normal. It feels safe.
"I don't know if you like bowling? Arcades? Museums? There're lots of neat places we could go. I don't want to push you. If you're not feeling it, I respect that. But if there's any small chance you're interested too… then it'd be sweet if you could let me know."
A really nice guy, Sakura thought to herself. Polite, educated, understanding, patient. What more did she want? Hadn't she wished for romance at the Spring Festival earlier in the year? Here it was, staring her right in the face. What was she waiting for?
She would make her own choices and bear any consequences. She trusted Kenji. She believed – she hoped – in time, she could tell him the truth about herself.
"Sakura?" Kenji's voice drew her out of her thoughts. "Okay, now I'm really nervous. Can you at least say something?"
Sakura took a deep, silent breath. She reached out and placed her other hand over his. "I really enjoy your company," she confided. "And I'd like to get to know you better, too."
"What? Seriously?" His hazel eyes widened. He looked elated. "Then, does this mean that you'll agree to- that I can take you out?"
She met his kind gaze and smiled, nodding her agreement.
Suigestu peered cautiously through the crack in the wooden door. 'Okay,' he communicated. 'There are actually people in here. Check out their lab-suits. They look like dumbass space-men.'
Sure enough, five scientists in protective, full body suits stood around the research facility, working methodically on different tasks. Some carried clipboards. Others were wheeling equipment across the room.
'Do I get to kill them?' Suigetsu asked hopefully, as Karin pushed his head aside, struggling to see past him.
'Move, you idiot, I can't see a thing behind your big fat head,' she mentally huffed.
He leered at her. 'I know you're not talking about the one on my shou-'
'Suigetsu,' Sasuke interjected sharply, unimpressed by his shameless innuendo.
The ocean-deity sniggered as a sputtering Karin turned disgustedly away from him. Then he repeated, 'So? Can I take 'em?'
'No,' Sasuke deadpanned flatly.
'Huh? Aw. C'mon!' Suigetsu complained. 'They're Orochimaru's lackeys. And Samehada is hungry!'
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he tracked the men in suits. It was likely the scientists had been mind-controlled in some way; that was how Orochimaru recruited his so-called 'assistants'. He doubted any of them were there willingly anymore, or really fully aware of what it was they were actually working to do. They likely bore curse-seals themselves which meant they'd doubtlessly been brain-washed to varying extents. Karin had already remarked upon their arrival that Orochimaru's chakra signature was strong here.
It was an unfortunate fate for the scientists, but they would have all first gone to Orochimaru willingly. And at some point, had fallen prey to the serpent's insidious, tempting whispers.
It meant they were victims. But still, not victims Sasuke was willing or bothered to spare, nonetheless. If he did, the snake would just find and re-recruit them. He couldn't allow that.
'We're destroying this base,' he reminded them. 'Their lives will end, soon enough.'
With that, he silently instilled a command of sleep. Like falling flies, the humans dropped to the floor and remained motionless.
They wouldn't wake up again. They wouldn't feel a thing.
'S-so cool!' Karin mentally marvelled, fawning over the immense, undeniable power Sasuke wielded at his fingertips.
'The hell?' Suigetsu eyed him suspiciously. 'Did you just fucking kill them on the spot, after telling me not to? What gives, you prick?'
'They're not dead.' Sasuke clipped, and wondered, for the thousandth time, why Suigetsu could not ever shut up.
'Oh?' the sea king glanced back at the still figures in bemusement. 'Then what? Asleep? Huh. Since when do you do that? That's almost like you're being merciful, making them unconscious first.'
'Move in,' Sasuke instructed, ignoring his remark, and how it seemed to grate on his nerves.
'Show off,' Suigetsu telepathically grumbled. 'But whatever. I guess there's a lot more equipment in this place we can trash.'
They pried the door open quietly, entering the base concealed under the Helm of Darkness once more. Much like the first research laboratory they had visited, this one was set in an underground cavern of sorts, nestled within a dense, surrounding forest and connected by a myriad of winding tunnels. But unlike the previous lab, it had yet to be vacated of its contents.
'Disable the cameras,' Sasuke instructed. Juugo and Karin moved to locate them, treading carefully around the slumbering bodies.
'Gross,' Suigetsu remarked, as he came to a stop by one of the cylindrical storage pods set against the eastern wall. 'Looks like this base is where that creep keeps his collection of spare… the fuck is this? Body parts…?'
Sasuke stepped fluidly around him and stalked along the length of the wall, eying the contents of each glass container intently. Sure enough, he saw grotesque assortments of gruesomely severed, yet well-preserved hands, feet, legs, arms, ears, tongues and other internal organs.
He was filled with disgust as his eyes skimmed hastily over each pod, the disturbing lengths Orochimaru went to in order to conduct his freakish experiments once again made glaringly apparent.
Was there a chance that the Sharingan eyeballs were being kept here?
'Cameras are out,' Karin confirmed. 'Why do you think he only had a few workers in a lab this big?'
'Maybe that's the rest of them,' Suigetsu tapped the surface of one of the cylinders, pulling a face. 'Or - what's left of them.'
She shuddered. 'Ugh. So gross.'
'Think your head would fit right in with his macabre little collection,' Suigetsu provoked. 'You sure look scary enough.'
'Shut the hell up, stupid!' Karin whirled on him, shaking a threatening fist, which only caused him to chortle in amusement.
Sasuke ignored their immature behaviour, continuing to scan the remainder of the premises. Drawing close to a makeshift noticeboard hanging above a messy desk, upon which were pinned nonsensical diagrams and medical notes, he searched amongst the scattered papers and scrolls on the table, finding nothing of use or interest.
No luck. It didn't contain what he was looking for – only more equipment and experimentation samples.
'So? This got what you're looking for in it?' Suigestu called to him.
'No,' Sasuke answered. 'Karin. What's the nearest base next to this one?'
Karin, who had finished mapping out the locations of all eight bases she'd tracked down by following Orochimaru's chakra signature earlier in the week, supplied, 'North-East from here, about 14 miles out.'
'We trashing two in one go, tonight?' Suigestsu grinned. 'Sweet deal!'
Sasuke met his gaze briefly, then ordered his companions, 'Destroy it.'
The hooded figures slipped into the empty room, moving silently. Security had been easy for them to bypass, and they had already ensured all locations were empty.
They walked forward with confidence and clear intent, both going over their intended course of action in their minds once again.
Three interconnected rooms. Three different orbs. And one count-down.
One of the figures dropped a glass ball to the ground. It was a murky sea-grey, glowing with ominous magical energy.
They slipped through the double-doors that led to the second adjoining hall.
The other cloaked individual rolled the second sphere onto the ground. This one was an angry, stormy gold.
They passed to the final room.
A black orb clinked onto the marble flooring, oozing black mist, and the countdown began.
Hinata sighed softly as she stared up at the night sky. It was perfectly clear, a stunning dark canvas twinkling with distant stars and a bright, full moon. Looking up at the very celestial body she was responsible for ensuring rose each night always filled her with an incredible sense of tranquillity.
Her hands folded neatly upon the balcony's stone balustrade, she stood in silence beside her date for the evening. It was a cool night, and the air was on the chilly side. She did her best to suppress a small shiver. She didn't want anything to disturb this rare, precious moment alone together that they were sharing.
When she was alone with Naruto like this, she didn't have to pretend. She had gotten so good at it, that it had become second nature. Giving the impression that she could never approach him, in her mind, had made it somewhat easier to keep her distance.
And yet, it took just one moment like this to remind her why it was all futile, to cause her heart to ache. She missed him. She missed the way they had been before in the long ago past, a tentatively blossoming friendship that had flirted on hints of a future courtship. His parents had been aware. So had hers.
Both sides had approved of a match.
Then everything had gone wrong. She had lost her family. Had barely escaped with her own life, and Neji's.
Naruto blamed himself for it all. But she never had. And he'd spent so long avoiding her, thinking himself an unworthy suitor. It had broken her heart, and seeking to adapt, she had put on her own front, her own barriers, believing him to no longer want her. She'd accepted that perhaps he wished them only to be friends. And for her, that was enough, even though her heart would ever yearn for so much more.
When he'd bashfully asked her to attend the ball with him, her heart had soared. She'd seen the surprise in his eyes when she had agreed, the brief delight – and then the same guilt that rushed up to blot his happiness out. Her heart ached for him. Her arms ached to hold him.
She still wasn't brave enough to do anything about it. There was so much they needed to speak of. So much left unsaid. And yet… her tongue was tied. She could not open her mouth to begin, longed, as she always foolishly had, that he would address the needless rift between them first.
But he never did. He was too much clueless. Or too much a gentleman. Or perhaps simply too afraid. He'd held her hand that evening. He'd danced with her, made her giggle endlessly. He'd laughed boisterously, his mischievous, boyish grin positively infectious. But any time Neji happened to glance their way as he carefully monitored his charge, Naruto would flinch back. As if reminded of his failure, as if reminded not to forget, or enjoy himself too much.
Naruto noticed her shivering, of course. Appearing ever the oblivious ones in front of others, Hinata knew him to be internally more perceptive than anyone else she knew. His issue was that he didn't always believe in himself – or the leadership qualities she could see shining out of him as brightly as the sun he governed. He was as brilliant as his element – and yet, since his parents' untimely deaths, had become a shadow of himself, shouldering endless guilt and blame for a multitude of misfortunes, most of which had been entirely beyond his control to salvage or rectify.
"Are you cold, Hinata?" he asked quietly.
"Ah… please don't worry about me, Naruto-kun," she turned clear grey eyes to him, offering a timid smile. "I should be used to the cold now-" she broke off with a little gasp, as he immediately shrugged out of his blazer, and draped it over her shoulders. She inhaled deeply, clasping her hands tightly together, the fresh scent of his cologne overwhelming her.
"Th-thank you," she stammered, touched by the gesture. But of course, Naruto was always thoughtful. Always so kind. He was his fierce, proud father's and kind-natured, formidable mother's son – if only he could see himself the way she did, the way she always had.
He turned his eyes up to the moon, too. "The moon, the way it's always there. It always reminds me," he began. "Of your strength, Hinata." Her pulse began to quicken, when he added, after a long moment of silence, "Right after the war, when I'd look up at it, I'd wonder if you were alright. Before everyone found each other again, I'd look at it and think…" his voice trailed off.
The hands on the balcony top closed into fists, reflecting his internal pain.
"Naruto-kun," she said gently, reaching out to place a milky hand lightly on his arm. "We do not need to talk about the past tonight. It's such a beautiful evening…"
He blinked, hurt flashing across his handsome, tanned face. Hinata felt her chest constrict. She wanted to make him happy. It was all she had ever wanted – to see him smile.
"You're right," he said softly. Then his blue eyes shifted to meet hers. "It's really something."
Their eyes locked and held – and it was as if they couldn't look away from one another at that moment. Naruto exhaled, taken by her grace and beauty, and stepped closer to her, meaning to reach out, his treacherous hands itching, begging him to touch her – when the balcony flood lights behind them suddenly winked out.
Sakura had just finished dancing another waltz with Kenji – when the chandelier lights flickered, before going out, plunging the entire room into abrupt darkness.
Alarmed gasps filled the air. She looked about in confusion, still gripping Kenji's hand. It was impossibly black, she thought. She could barely even make out Kenji's body beside her.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Looks like it's a power cut," Kenji replied, switching the torch on his mobile phone like many others in the room also opted to do.
"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice shouted – doubtless one of the staff members supervising the event. "Our sincerest apologies; we seem to have briefly lost electricity. Please, nobody panic and remain where you are. All is well. We've sent our technicians up to fix the problem, and we'll be back up and running shortly. Let's have some music while we wait."
Violins began to play a cheerful melody.
"It's pitch-black everywhere, damn it. What the hell happened?" One of the technicians, a dark-haired man in a plain-blue uniform grumbled, pointing his torch ahead of him as he took the stairs to the electricity control room.
"We used a lot of power for this, it's not really a surprise," his grey-haired, senior colleague said, following after him.
They soon reached the power room, withdrew a key card to unlock it – only to find that it was already open.
"The hell?" The dark-haired engineer exclaimed, stepping inside. It was pitch black. Shining his torch around the machinery, he beckoned to his colleague, who followed him in.
"Hey. Come give me a hand, will you? I'll need you to switch on the emergency system fir-"
He never got to finish his sentence, as metal slashed savagely across his throat, blood spurting from a fatally inflicted wound.
His colleague froze in shock, having absolutely no time to react. The blade struck his head in turn, and his flashlight clattered to the ground.
Sakura took her phone out of her small clutch bag to find that it was 10:35PM. They'd been waiting around in darkness for almost ten minutes already, and people were starting to get understandably restless.
"Hey!" Someone yelled. "Where's the power, man?"
"This sucks! You said it'd be fixed!"
"How much longer?"
"Let's get out of here, this blows!"
Sakura knew she needed to be home in an hour. Maybe the power-cut was their queue to get moving? She was just about to turn to communicate this thought to Kenji – when a multitude of people began to cough at once – as if suddenly choking on something.
She turned her head in confusion, the same second someone shouted, "This mist is leaking gas! Run!"
The band immediately stopped playing. For a horrible instant, time seemed to suspend, in which people looked around at each other in confusion, nobody quite sure of what they needed to do.
A loud, echoing thud reverberated in the air, followed by screams so piercing they caused a terrible, jagged knot to twist tightly in Sakura's gut.
Then, far too quickly for her to even process, masses of people began to run, stampeding toward the exit of the building. Everyone flowed forward at once in instant, mindless panic, and she felt herself being swept along with such force that Kenji lost his grip on her.
"Sakura!" he shouted, but she could barely hear him over the panicked cries. She spun, trying to avoid bodies, trying desperately to shine her cell phone back in the direction she had been pushed away from.
"Kenji!" she called, her heart racing, her eyes frantically seeking him out. But in the oppressive dimness, it was impossible. She tried to locate her other friends in the pandemonium that ensued, seeking a face she knew, any face to help anchor her in the sudden calamity of the situation.
"Naruto?! Ino!"
"It's locked!" she heard a girl scream from up ahead. "Why have they locked us in?!"
"Let us out!" Voices chorused angrily, as hysteria mounted.
Someone shoved into Sakura from behind, sending her shooting violently forward. She collided roughly into a body. Hands grabbed at her shoulders, steadying her, and then she was hauled out the path of the oncoming stampede.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice sounded both shaken and relieved. "Are you alright?!"
Behind him, Hinata looked at Sakura, concerned.
Sakura shone her cell phone light into his face, her eyes glassy with panic. "Naruto! What's going on? They're saying we can't get out! They're saying there's gas leaking into this room!"
"I don't know," Naruto shook his head. "We came in from the balcony when the lights hit, and when we tried to get back out, these metal shutters came down, and the doors were locked. People are trying to break them, but they're shatter-proof!"
"S-something doesn't feel right, Naruto-kun," Hinata conveyed. "I can't smell any gas…"
"We need to get out," Sakura exclaimed, looking around them wildly. "We need to help get all these people out. Have you seen Kenji? I lost him. Where's Ino?"
"Stay with Hinata," Naruto pushed Sakura toward her. "I'll round up the others and be back."
Sakura took Hinata's hand in hers, huddling close to her as crowds of agitated people ran past them.
A sudden loud explosion rocked the building. Everyone in the room screamed. People pushed and shoved at each other, scrambling madly for the exit, and clawed at the doors, trying to break them down. The huge chandeliers on the ceiling shook violently. Sakura's eyes widened when one of them abruptly snapped off its silver chain, and plummeted straight toward the ground.
"No!" she cried, spying a large group of people standing in its rapidly descending path. They looked up in confusion, as if in slow motion.
It smashed into the ground with a deafening crash, breaking into sharp fragments, spilling crystal shards of glass everywhere. They struck at people in a wide radius like flying shrapnel bullets, and fresh cries punctuated the air.
Sakura's heart thundered against her rib-cage. She and Hinata raced reflexively forward toward the wounded. Sakura could already see that it was too late for some. Figures lay motionless on the ground, crimson pooling onto the ballroom floor beneath their glass impaled bodies.
She gasped in dismay when her frantically-searching eyes suddenly spotted Tenten, huddled on her front, sobbing. Her legs were trapped under a large pile of broken glass. Blood was pouring from them.
Sakura's thoughts flew into autopilot, and she drew out the crystal pendant her mother had infused with chakra from beneath the neckline of her gown, closing her hand tightly around it. Concentrating, she absorbed some of the available flow into her body to allow her to heal, her medic instincts taking over, and felt the familiar sensation of chakra seeping into her body. She and Hinata carefully pushed the glass off Tenten.
They caught their breaths at the sight of the ugly wound.
"A-are you alright?" Hinata asked worriedly.
"It hurts!" Tenten winced, gripping her knee in agony.
"Hold still," Sakura pressed her hands down against the deep wound, swallowing at the feel of warm blood welling up against her skin.
"Where's Neji?" Tenten asked tearfully. "What's happening?"
"It's alright," Sakura tried to reassure her, focusing a small flow of chakra into her palms, enough to just stem the heavy bleeding without making her efforts look too suspicious. "You're going to be okay. We'll find him."
"Open the door!" People were now heaving against the wooden barriers and balcony doors. Sakura's eyes trailed across the floor. Still bodies and people who were wounded from being trampled in the rush lay around, groaning in pain. Hinata had moved to try to heal and help some of them to their feet, her phone torch darting left and right.
It was like a vision from a horror movie. Sakura blinked, body fuelled by adrenaline, knowing she needed to keep a straight head and not give in to fear if she wanted to help herself and others. Pulling her hands away, she saw that she'd succeeded in partially closing the wound to ensure Tenten didn't lose a dangerous amount of blood. Helping her up, she asked, "Do you think you can you walk?"
Tenten nodded. But she was shaking violently, clearly in shock.
"Hey," Sakura gripped her by her shoulders and met her startled eyes. "I need you to stay calm, okay? Stay with me."
Tenten swallowed, but then nodded.
Sakura looked around anxiously, praying that none of the fallen bodies were other people she knew. She checked pulses, feeling sick to her stomach when she detected no signs of life in five motionless forms, and stood stunned for a long, muted moment, simply staring in dismay at the carnage around her.
There was blood on her hands. It now stained her beautiful dress.
The evening had been like a perfect dream, just minutes earlier. How had it all gone so disastrously wrong?
Don't panic, she told herself, when she felt the first quivers of fear rack her body. Don't you dare panic, Sakura Haruno! You've been through much worse than this and survived! Stay calm!
"Sakura," Hinata's soft voice drew her attention back to the girl who had re-joined her side. "We should go back to where Naruto-kun told us to-"
Ear-splitting screams echoed around the room as the ballroom's main doors blew off their hinges, throwing masses of young people back. Sickening cracks resounded as bodies made impact with the ground. There was another loud explosion, which once again rumbled the entire room, followed by a hellish, high-pitched shriek that pierced so loudly in the air, everyone doubled over, shielding their ears in pain.
"Ghhhn…!" Sakura clenched her teeth, her ears ringing. She had never heard such a sound.
What was happening?
Looking up, she saw that people were running through the destroyed doors, flooding out into the entrance hall of the building.
"Sakura!"
Sakura's head turned to find Ino running toward her, followed closely by Shikamaru, Sai, Naruto and Kiba.
"You're alright," Ino hugged her quickly in relief.
"Have you seen Kenji?" Sakura asked fretfully.
"No. Wasn't he with you?" Ino looked concerned.
"He was, but the crowd split us up!"
"We'll find him," Ino reassured her. "But we need to get ourselves and all these humans out."
Tenten blinked large brown eyes at her, bewildered at the odd choice of word. Humans?
"The exit doors are open, guys!" Kiba pointed.
More loud yells filled the air, coming from the direction of the shattered doors. People began to run back in blindly, smacking into other bodies, tripping over themselves in terror.
Sakura's breath caught in her throat. Someone's clothing was on fire. She could hear that the fire alarm had been set off and was blaring loudly, echoing piercingly around the building.
"What's going on?!" Tenten raised quivering hands to her cheeks. "What is that sound?!"
"It's not safe that way," Hinata said, her hands clasped anxiously to her chest. She was staring straight ahead, and Sakura could see that thin, pronounced veins had surfaced around her eyes, and that they had turned to an almost ghostly, reflective white. "I… I can sense something…"
"I can, too," Shikamaru agreed grimly. "I'm willing to bet this trouble is their doing."
"I can't believe it," Naruto said furiously, inwardly seething. He'd felt it all along, his gut instinct had warned him something like this would happen. "That damned bastard-"
"We'll worry about that later, Naruto!" Shikamaru placed a hand on his shoulder, his intelligent mind setting out a clear and instantaneous strategy of action. "Let's check out what's happening over there." He turned to Sai and relayed calmly, "You take the girls and round up as many people as you can. See if you can find a back exit. There's a door on the opposite end of the room behind us. Break it down if you have to – don't worry about tapping into your seal. If it's safe, take everyone out that way."
"Understood," Sai nodded.
"Eh?" Tenten looked even more confused. "Seal?"
"What are you guys talking about?" Kiba looked equally as puzzled.
"P-please be careful, Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered. He nodded at her – and then set off with Shikamaru.
"We'll explain everything later," Ino told them. "Help us get as many people to this end of the room as you can!"
They dispersed to do so. Sakura caught sight of the door Shikamaru had pointed out, and rushed to it.
She reached out, rattling the door-knob in frustration. It was locked. Gritting her teeth in determination, she focused the remnants of chakra she had absorbed from the crystal into her right hand, and gave the knob a violent jerk. It worked. The door swung open outwards, leading to a dark, interconnecting room.
"Over here!" Sakura called back to her friends. Together they waved the crowds of people they had gathered along, shouting at them to remain calm and to move in single file. Sakura looked into the pale, ashen faces as they passed her. Make-up was smeared, painstakingly prepared hairstyles and outfits ruined. Many of the students had sustained shallow injuries – others, more substantial ones, leaning heavily onto companions for support.
Naruto and Shikamaru ran into the entrance hall of the building – to find it a scene of utter pandemonium. Walls leading to other function halls had been blown open. Roaring flames lapped at the exit doors of the building, preventing anyone from accessing the way out. People were sprawled on the floor, groaning and crying. Some weren't moving at all. Glass fragments and broken wood littered the ground.
"What did this?" Naruto asked in a hushed whisper.
"Nothing natural, that's for sure." Shikamaru answered. "There's nothing else for it. We need to use our abilities if we want to get people out of here alive."
An inhuman rumble then reverberated throughout the building. Yelling humans dove to the ground, frozen with fright. Some scattered and ran back into the ballroom.
Naruto slowly turned, with wide eyes, toward the noise – only for his lips to part in gaping shock.
Out of the gap in one of the walls, prowled a humungous, winged, hybrid creature with eyes that glowed like burning flames. It possessed the head and body of a fearsome golden lion. The head of a demonic-looking black goat protruded from its back, spewing an acidic, bubbling liquid that burned through stone itself. The alarmingly long tail of the monster was a writhing, hissing, green snake that lashed out, seizing a screaming victim immediately from the ground, flinging the body upwards as if it weighed little more than a feather.
The lion's eyes rested on Shikamaru and Naruto, and it exhaled smoke loudly.
"A chimera?!" Shikamaru exclaimed, his usual calm composure visibly shaken at the sight.
"I thought all mythical monsters on the surface were sealed away!" Naruto looked at his friend in horror.
Shikamaru shook his head in response, at a loss to explain. The monster's mighty paws shook the ground as it stalked forward, a merciless predator intent on creating carnage and feasting on fresh flesh.
"We need to get these people out!" Naruto cried. "Shikamaru! Take them! I can tap into my chakra more than you can!"
"You can't use his chakra, Naruto!" Shikamaru grabbed him by his shirt. "They'll-"
"I'm done following the rules when that bastard is breaking them all!" Naruto yelled, enraged. "This is their doing! To hell with the Council's pact! And all these people have already seen that thing anyway!" Lifting his hands, he formed a seal, and golden light glowed from his body. "I'll distract it. Get the people out! Go!"
He shoved at Shikamaru, who hesitated for just another minute - before turning to round everyone up, rapidly forming his own hand seals. Shadowy hands wrapped around alarmed people, hauling them all up at once, as he pulled everybody who was conscious or awake and injured back toward the ballroom with him.
The chimera reared its lion-head back, and breathed out a scorching stream of crackling fire. Naruto leapt out of the way of the flames and lunged forward, drawing on forbidden chakra, a spinning vortex of air forming swiftly in his right palm.
He couldn't make it as powerful as he would have at full capacity – but Naruto knew it would be effective enough to at least badly injure the beast.
"Rasengan!" He yelled, aiming for the creature's chest.
Its serpent tail whipped down, so fast that it grazed Naruto's left side, almost sinking its poisonous fangs into him. It swiped a paw, forcing Naruto to drop into a rolling dodge at the last minute. The spinning wind orb missed its target, and slammed against the concrete wall, leaving a cracking indent.
Naruto cursed, as he twisted lithely on his heels and regained his bearings. The creature turned to him, its interest fully captured. Good, he thought to himself. As long as it was looking at him, it couldn't chase or maim anyone else.
He'd never fought a wild chimera before. In the past, they had been known to lurk in caves and avoided humans where possible, hunting on large animals instead. They had only ever been an issue if foolish mortals had sought them out for the purposes of obtaining glory by slaying them. And in those unfortunate instances, the mortals were usually the ones who lost their lives.
His father had kept two as guardians at Olympus's gates. They'd never attacked anyone without orders to do so.
This chimera, in stark contrast, seemed possessed, with only one intent in its furious eyes.
To kill.
"Hey, you ugly bastard!" he taunted it, leading it in the opposite direction of the ballroom's entrance. His eyes slipped briefly behind its huge body, to find the last of the humans had left the entrance hall. Waving at the monster, he yelled, "You hungry? Huh? Come get me!"
The chimera growled, and in response, inhaled deeply, before spitting out another stream of flowing lava. Naruto's form exploded into golden rays, immune to it. After all, he commanded the sun itself. The chimera seemed to grow angrier at the ineffectiveness of its flame, and the goat-head blared, ejecting boiling acid toward its target. Naruto ducked low, darting to the left. He jumped against a wall, pushing off it, and flew forward toward the goat-head, another spinning ball of wind whirling in his palm.
Rasengan! This time, it connected. Blood sprouted from the loudly bleating goat's head as one of its horns flew into the air, cleaved straight in half. The head hung limply upon the creature's back, its tongue lolling to the side.
The chimera roared in fury, and the snake tail lashed out, clipping Naruto's ankle.
"Damn it!" Naruto cursed, as he was launched into the air at incredible momentum. The lion opened its mammoth jaws, ready to crush his body to a pulp as he fell into descent.
Quickly forming hand-seals, he body-flickered away, a log of wood replacing where he had been, which the lion savagely snapped into splintering pieces. Stumbling back to the ground, Naruto prepared another attack – only for the chimera to abruptly turn its mighty back to him. With a growl, it bounded through the ballroom door opening, breaking apart the wall, stone crumbling and flying in its wake.
"SHIT!" Naruto swore louder, his heart somersaulting violently in this chest. Why was it retreating? It was heading straight toward everyone else!
'Shikamaru!' He urgently called out with his mind, as he raced after the beast, trying to slow it down as much as possible. 'It's coming your way!'
Author's Note
This was split as it became too huge in length. Hit the next chapter and directly continue!