So now we begin the long descent into the ending….and it is LONG, I tell you….I'll probably have to take a lot of time to try and condense it, so bear with. I'd like to do a good job with it.
I can't say it enough: thank you for all your kind reviews. I feel so happy whenever a new one shows up.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters (though that would be nice…if anyone ever bothered me, I'd ask Gaara to deal with it. They'd never bother me (or anyone) again! ^____^ )
SPOILERS: If you have not been keeping up with the manga and you do not want any inkling of spoilers, you may not want to read. But it is up to you.
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Run From You
By Doskoipanda
Chapter 9: Redeemed
"DAMMIT!" Tsunade screamed in frustration as her summon failed again. I'm running out of chakra…
Behind her, Konohamaru dropped to one knee, blood puddling at his feet. A giant bear growled menacingly at him, lifting a huge claw to strike again.
Kakashi can't be succeeding either, Tsunade thought dully as a surge of faintness passed through her. And the beasts just keep coming…the jounin can't stop them all…
And that snake…
She could see the Manda throwing ANBU off its scaly body, destroying more buildings in the process. Konoha was being decimated before her eyes. Someone has to stop that thing, she thought as she fought waves of unconsciousness. Got to stay awake—
A large thud crossed her senses for a brief second, followed by a smaller one. She turned to see the lifeless carcass of a large summoning bear sprawled before the bleeding, unconscious body of the Third Hokage's grandson.
You fought hard, huh, Konohamaru, she smiled as she pushed herself up and tottered over to the teenager's side. Rest now.
She swallowed hard and pointedly ignored the crimson life trickling from Konohamaru as she swiftly bandaged his laid-open shoulder, and hesitated only a moment before releasing the last of her chakra over the wound. It would speed the healing process.
Save one life and lose a thousand more.
"That's it, then," she whispered. "That's the end of Konoha."
So tired…a comforting sea of blackness began to envelop her. No……..not after I tried so hard….
Not after I tried so hard, Nawaki….Dan….
But an annoying voice was cutting through the warmth…….some obnoxiously loud braggart was screaming some sort of gibberish………no, there were two of them…
"FEAR ME, YOU FILTHY MONSTERS! THE REAL BEAST OF KONOHA, THE EXQUISITE GAI-SENSEI, IS HERE! AND I HAVE BROUGHT A WORTHY COMPANION, though less wonderful than I—"
"YOU HOT-BLOODED FOOL, DO YOU HAVE TO ANNOUNCE YOURSELF AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!"
"MY APOLOGIES! HERE I MUST PART WITH YOU, WORTHY ALLY, AND DEFEND OUR HOME! UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN!! FARE THEE WELL!!"
"….geez. There's always one weird one."
Could it be…
With huge effort, Tsunade managed to open her eyes and make out a figure silhouetted against the moon, a magnificent headdress flaring in the wind. The Sennin of Myouboku Mountain, Jiraiya, had returned to the Hidden Village of the Leaf.
And he was pouting. "But seriously, I had to leave such cute girls to deal with this menagerie?" he muttered sullenly.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. PERVERT. I'm going to deal with you later….when I can actually stand…
"COME FORTH, GAMA-BUNTA!" shouted the sennin, performing the seal with great flair.
Guess no one told him what's going on— Tsunade gasped as the powerful popping noise of a summoning beast crossing the alternate dimension heralded the coming of the great Boss Toad. He did it! she thought. Can we control our summons again? Then the frogs and Kakashi's contract—
A quick glance at the streets below confirmed her suspicions. The various dogs and amphibians below had turned on the snakes, bears and cats. Gama-Bunta was already locked in battle with the giant snake, the Boss Toad's knife submerged into the snake's flesh. Tsunade lifted trembling hands and performed a dismissal seal, sending all of the slugs back to the summoning dimension.
The last of her strength spent, she collapsed completely onto her back, letting unconsciousness creep up on her once more. As she was nearly gone, something white and hairy loomed in her fading vision.
"Hey, Princess Washboard Chest." Jiraiya said gently, kneeling beside her. "Miss me?"
Tsunade smiled and let her eyes close. "Go kill that fucking snake, you old fart. I'm taking a nap."
Jiraiya touched her cheek tenderly before turning his attention back to the clash of the titan beasts. As he watched the Boss Toad sink its knife into the snake again, he smiled, a harsh glint shining in his eyes.
You will never have this village, Orochimaru, he thought. We'll never let you.
* * * * * * * *
Naruto, or rather the Kyuubi, raised his head to the night sky. "The air smells of blood," he commented. Then he bared his fangs in a great smile. "How I missed this scent."
"Naruto!"
The Nine-Tails turned languidly in the direction of the voice. The red eyes narrowed at the sight of a lone ANBU warrior, one that the demon knew very well.
"Ah. The Uchiha." The Kyuubi smiled. "You are still here."
"Where is Naruto?!" the young man demanded.
The Nine-Tails' smile widened. "Gone."
"You're lying!" The Sharingan flared in Sasuke's pupils. "His body is still here. He's still here, inside—"
"You foolish human boy," The Kyuubi said condescendingly. "How could that stupid, loudmouthed brat survive the might of my soul? He was swallowed up by my presence. He's nowhere now."
No.
No.
NO!
Sasuke charged, kunai clenched in his hands, a scream of rage and denial ripping from his throat. A swift flurry of arms and legs, metal and skin, and suddenly Sasuke was locked in an iron grip, face to face with the most evil force in the land.
The Kyuubi opened its mouth wide and sank its teeth deep into the side of Sasuke's neck. The resulting scream was lost in the deep forest, spiraling up into the heavens where only the moon could watch and do nothing.
It hurts….it hurts….
By some twisted irony, the Kyuubi had bitten him over Orochimaru's cursed seal. But that bite so long ago paled in comparison to this. This was the bite of predators seeking death, one meant to kill.
Let it end….
He waited for the teeth to reach his arteries, for the life to ebb from him, for the pain and evil and fear to fade.
But it did not come. The teeth slowly left his neck, and the pain transformed into a throbbing ache just as potent, but he did not lose consciousness. He was still alive.
And the Kyuubi was looking at him so strangely—
"Are you so willing to die?" it asked him.
* * * * * * * *
Hissing with frustration, a forty-foot snake reared back as shuriken flew at its head. It flexed its tail, preparing to slam it into the side of a small, rather beleaguered-looking building.
More shuriken peppered the air, one scoring a shallow hit in the reptile's flesh. The snake hissed savagely as it eyed its adversary, a lone pale-blonde woman.
Ino put a confident sneer on her face, drawing more projectiles from her leg pouch. "I told you that you're not touching this store," she shouted at the snake.
But her spirit quailed as she chanced a glance back and viewed the crushed produce of her family's flower shop covering the floor. The building would fall after a few more hits. Containing summoning beasts was S level; it had been foolish of her to come out here alone. By law, S level missions were always carried out by at least two shinobi.
But there was no time, her parents in the north sector, and no one would come out with her to save one building in the business district….this building that had been so much a part of her life.
Kami-sama, help me….I need to protect—
She did not see the heavy tail whip her way. It thudded into her chest with a sickening crack, leaving her with not even enough air to scream in pain. She crashed into the outer wall of her family's store, windows blowing out from the impact.
It was funny how odd memories could filter into the mind during pressing situations like this. All she could think about now—even when realizing that at least one of her ribs was broken—were golden afternoons surrounded by gorgeous blooms and the delicate smell of beauty…the smiles of her mother and father…Sakura buying some daffodils "for old time's sake."
I will NOT lose this!
Gasping in pain, she tried to rise. The snake's head loomed in close, forked tongue flickering out to taste the air of certain victory. Ino raised her hands to perform her mind-transfer seal, but let them fall after a moment's thought. She could not transfer into animals, there was no guarantee that she could get back out. And she did not want to risk spending the rest of her life as a serpent.
A snake…that snake man was responsible for all this, the one that had tried to take Sasuke-kun…
Sasuke-kun…
Something twisted in her broken body.
Help me, she begged silently as the snake opened its mouth to let fangs glisten in the moonlight, as waves of pain dragged her to the brink of unconsciousness.
Please come…you always come when I need you…
I need you now…
And she fell into the deep blackness. With a sibilant hiss, the snake thrust forward, jaws stretched wide to encompass the kunoichi's body—
And reared back, hissing violently in pain. A large shuriken was buried in the side of its neck. The snake twisted about to view its new opponent.
No one was standing where the shuriken had come from. Puzzled, the snake turned back to its intended prey only to find another shinobi kneeling beside it.
Faster than lightning, the serpent flicked its tail through the air. The slitted eyes narrowed in disappointment as the ninja dodged artfully, but then the snake hissed triumphantly as it felt the very tip of its tail catch the ninja's wrist, snapping it easily.
The shinobi skidded to a halt, facing the snake directly. Eyes narrowed with certain victory, the reptile reared to its full height, tongue flickering out to catch the scent of its new prey. Swiftly, the ninja seized the hand connected to the broken wrist and bent the fingers on it into strange configurations. Ignoring the actions of the shinobi, the snake snapped forward to strike—
And froze. Hissing with surprise, the serpent tried to move but to no avail. Only its eyes could move, and they darted about in panic. The snake was so preoccupied with trying to regain mobility that it didn't notice the twisted shadow of a hand stretching up the length of its neck, suddenly clenching in a crushing grip. Without another sound, without even knowing what had happened, the snake died.
As its body fell to the ground, its opponent darted forward and snatched up Ino's limp form, coming to rest at the top of the battered flower store.
"Ino," Shikamaru said urgently, restraining the urge to shake her. "Ino!"
The kunoichi did not move. "Shit," Shikamaru bent his legs to bring them both to the rooftop, wincing at the lancing pain shooting up his left arm. "You better not be dead, you goddamn troublesome woman. I went through hell to get here—"
She still did not move. Shikamaru turned an annoyed glance onto her still, pale face. "What the hell were you thinking anyway? I know it's your family's store, but you can always rebuild! Better than ending up the way you are now…are you even listening?!" he demanded, angry relief making his voice a lot harsher than usual. "Ino! Wake up!"
Nothing.
Was she even breathing?
The anger surging through him died, became acidic and dissolved down through his gut. "Ino!" he said again, his voice beginning to tremble with intensity.
Goddamn you, no. No, no, no! Wake up! You have to wake up! Don't do this, woman, you can't do this! He gave her a very slight shake. You have to wake up and annoy me with your stupid girl problems, you have to remind me that I'm lazy, you have to…
The anger was fading fast, to be replaced by abject terror and the beginnings of despair.
You have to…still be here…
"Ino…" he said helplessly.
As the silence stretched on for an eternity and Ino did not stir, something hot welled in Shikamaru's eyes. He refused to acknowledge them as tears because he never cried. It was just his stupid, insignificant feelings struggling to break through and he had to ignore those because they didn't matter. All that mattered was for her to wake up, to exist, to be a part of his life once more.
It was selfish, but it was the only thing he'd ask of her.
You still haven't told Sasuke how you feel about him, Ino.
You….can't go without doing that, right?
So wake up and do it. And I swear I….
His eyes closed in a silent plea.
Kami-sama, I'll never tell her, so please—
A cough, a sickly gasp, and pale blue eyes snapped open. Ino curled into herself as she moaned, hugging her midsection. Shikamaru's eyes opened wide; he felt something melt down his cheeks as he watched her come back to life in his arms.
Ino…
She finally lifted her gaze up to meet his own. "Shika," she said weakly.
"Y…yeah. It's me." He regained control of his voice and instantly brought it into its normal brusqueness. "You stupid woman, what were you thinking being out here by yourse—"
He froze as her hand touched the side of his face.
"Thank you," she whispered, smiling a little. "I knew you'd come."
Her hand fell limply to her side as she lost consciousness again. Shikamaru rose slowly, mindful of her injuries, and prepared to head for the hospital.
And knowing that no one could see and that no one except the silent moon overhead would know, he gently hugged the blonde kunoichi to his chest in a long, silent, secret embrace, ignoring the meaningless pain in his wrist.
Thank you.
Then they were gone.
* * * * * * * * *
"Are you so willing to die?"
Sasuke lifted a trembling hand to his neck. It was bleeding freely, but not gushing, not dangerously.
"What?" he breathed.
"You dared to attack me…all those who fight me do not survive. Even the Yondaime fell sealing me." The deeply whiskered face crinkled into an evil smile. "Are you so willing to die?"
Sasuke swallowed hard. "I have to. To save the village."
"But don't you want to live?" The Kyuubi asked silkily, seductively. "Why don't you run?"
The Sharingan faded. Sasuke let his eyes close. "I have been running," he whispered.
Running from you.
But if from this moment on, if this is the last time I will be near you in this world…
"I don't want to run anymore."
There was a silence so timeless that it seemed infinite. Hours and seconds lost all meaning in the quiet space. And then the Kyuubi laughed.
Laughed, and released Sasuke.
"You humans," the Nine-Tails chuckled. It wasn't a particularly reassuring sound, so Sasuke did not relax. "You….and this brat…."
What is it doing?
Red eyes bored deep into Sasuke's soul. "He fights deep inside me."
"Naruto?!" Sasuke asked hurriedly, harshly.
He's still there?!
"Yes," The Nine-Tails smiled. "Tenacious little bastard. Thanks to him, I did not fall under that shinobi's control."
Dumbfounded, Sasuke could only stare. The Kyuubi grinned. "Why are you surprised? The brat has more spirit than even I. His consciousness shielded me from the effects of the music. He is the reason why you and your village still stand."
"But you took over…" Sasuke whispered. "You possessed him…"
The demon fox's smile faded. "Yes. My soul can break the seal when he is emotionally broken."
Emotionally…
The Nine-Tails watched impassively as Sasuke tried to collect his thoughts. "How old do you think I am, Uchiha?" it suddenly asked.
Startled, Sasuke shook his head. "I don't know."
"I am hundreds of years old," said the demon fox. "It took centuries for me to grow into the monstrosity that nearly destroyed Konoha nineteen years ago." The red eyes narrowed. "Nineteen years of imprisonment inside a loudmouthed, clumsy idiot of a boy! Do you realize how maddening it was, human? How insufferable my ordeal? I desire freedom, Uchiha. I should kill you, I should make you my first taste of flesh in nearly two decades and fully emerge as the glorious demon beast I was…that many years ago."
Hearing these words, Sasuke felt the heavy hand of fate descend on his shoulder once more. He shut his eyes against it and crouched into a ready fighting stance, kunai in each hand.
Destiny may have caught him, but he wouldn't let it take him so easily. No more running, he thought. I'll die trying to live.
I'll find you or die trying.
But nothing happened.
He waited longer. And still the demon fox did not move, did not gather chakra, did nothing. Silence and moonlight were the only active forces around them.
Unable to stand the calm any longer, Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at the Kyuubi. And he jumped, because the demon fox was smiling at him with a grin that was not evil, nor triumphant, nor hateful.
The demon fox's smile….Naruto's smile…was gentle.
"I will return him to you," the Nine-Tails said.
Sasuke had seen and heard many strange things in his life, but none as unexpected as this. "What?" he choked.
"Rest assured, it is not the last you will see of me," the Kyuubi's voice turned acidic. "I have no intention to die with this brat. But I will return him to you…for now."
Why?
A deep chuckling filled the space between them. "You seem puzzled, Uchiha."
"Why—" Sasuke's voice caught in his throat, tripped on the wonder and rising hope. "Why are you doing this?"
The Kyuubi laughed openly. "You dare ask me such a thing…you Leaf shinobi are surely brave if not foolhardy."
"But why?" Sasuke repeated. You're a demon….
The Nine-Tails raised its gaze to the moon. "He interests me…this Uzumaki Naruto. I have watched him grow for nineteen years, and he still does not bore me. And it is because of this that I am willing to let him direct his own life…" The red eyes closed. "It is because of this that I bow to the force that is stronger than even I."
Sasuke blinked. Force? "What—"
With eyes still closed, the demon fox smiled one last time. "You foolish human, do you not understand the bond between you and this brat, a force strong enough to confound even the great Nine-Tails? Out of respect for this bond, I will grant him one last chance. I will grant you one last chance. And I will do it because it intrigues me….this force that I still have yet to understand completely."
Sasuke swallowed hard. Does he mean….
The Nine-Tails raised its arms to the night sky as if paying homage to the moon.
"Will you run from each other even now?" it said before Naruto's body crumpled to the ground.
Sasuke stood still, frozen, hardly daring to believe…
Is it over?
And Naruto was….
He was….
"NARUTO!!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Well, it is over, but not. In fact…::stares at the miles of text left to post::....it is far from over. I'll start apologizing for the length of the wrapping up here. It puts me in mind of the Return of the King movie…."it's going to end NOW! No? Ok…..NOW! No?! What the heck…." So yes, sorry. But I couldn't help myself. Hopefully it won't kill y'all. I'll go slowly so I can finish soon.
Thanks for reading, please review!
