Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Puppet in Pink

25. Far From Friends

This fiend is a bold

And famous fighter, but his claws and teeth

Scratching at my shield, his clumsy fists

Beating at my sword blade, would be helpless. I

Will meet him

With my hands empty...

-Beowulf

Naruto ran faster through the underbrush, though he didn't know why. He felt pursued; a nameless voice urging him to hurry. He leapt over a log, felt the laces of his boot catch on a splinter of rotten wood. The earth swam in his vision as he sprawled across the leaf-covered forest floor.

Picking himself up, the blonde-haired boy spat out the slimy, moist-flavored dirt. The urgency in the air would not permit him even this short rest. He felt his palms sting as if they'd been rubbed with bleach, and he felt the grit coating his teeth like mutated sandpaper. But from under it all the instinct surfaced and raised its nondescript head.

It told him to keep going, and so he did.

He scrambled to regain his balance, picking up his pace. He had to tell someone now, anyone-- Uchiha, Sakura, even the squirrels that were watching him curiously as he raced like a new breed of madman deeper into the woods. Hoping he would get there in time, not knowing where 'there' was or what he was so worried about. He felt like the only person alive.

And for Naruto, that was not a good thing.

The blonde-haired girl tried to relax as she lay on her futon. The sun was setting, sending ribbons of red light twining through her open window, coloring the room a pale scarlet. She glanced half-heartedly at the open book that lay nearby—one of her old romance paperbacks, the type that she'd always loved to read while fantasizing about her Sasuke-kun.

Somehow, she seemed beyond that now. The story that usually had her riveted to every word was losing its hold; becoming clichéd, overdone, almost boring. And that was what scared her.

What is wrong with me these days?

In a sudden burst of frustration, she flung the novel away, out the window, hearing its flimsy paper cover flop weakly on the street below like a dying animal. Its binding, weakened by countless poring over its pages, gave way at last. Pages of intricately formulated true-love words fluttered unheeded into alleyways. Ino buried her head in the pillow.

What is my problem?

Don't I love Sasuke-kun anymore?

Am I giving up?

She couldn't give up. Not now. Not ever. She had sacrificed an entire friendship to the pursuit of this prize; this coveted treasure that caught everyone's eye. She couldn't drop out of the race now. It was like the mafia—the first step in had left her over her head. But she was happy, wasn't she?

Lifting her tear-stained face, the girl set her jaw firmly. She knew that as soon as she saw her Sasuke-kun again, everything would spin back to normal. She would feel her heart racing, her cheeks warming. She would crave the sheen of the raven-hued hair, the depth of the onyx eyes, along with all the other girls.

What did it matter that he would never return her feelings? As long as she knew that she was still capable of emotion, she didn't care. As long as she could feel the return of her humanity, her normalcy, nothing else made a difference.

Ignoring the crimson tint that the air had acquired, Naruto continued his mad dash to nowhere in particular. He saw a clearing up ahead, and hurried closer, like a moth to a flame. Why this was his goal, he didn't know. But he knew that as soon as he got there, it would be all right. Everything would be all right.

Or would it?

He skidded to a stop at the edge of the open space. The trees glared at him with a light that was not of the sun. Three huge logs lay like dark lines disrupting the red. Another was split down the middle, looking comically helpless for such a majestic giant. But these were overshadowed by the smaller things near them. Things that held much more fear than plants.

A shadowed figure hunched over, huddled on the ground and shivering, mumbling and screaming at intervals--

Uchiha!

--kneeling unwillingly to a blood-red goddess, green eyes blazing scarlet, silhouetted against the darkness of dusk and the pulsating light.

Naruto's eyes shut down against their will. Things such as these were not meant to be seen by normal humans. Or normal demons.The only thing he could do was scream, and scream he did, compelled to fill the fleet-footed night with his shrieks.

Well then...I hope this wasn't a confusing chapter. I also hope to update as soon as possible; preferably tomorrow, seeing as I have no school (thank god).

To Hyourin Kage-sama: Yay—this makes two authors who have me on their profiles! (bows) I'm flattered beyond all belief.

To deity of death-sama: The rest of the characters will come in if and when I write the Chuunin exam arc. (Right now, they're probably training with their sensei's, not going insane...) I have a feeling that if I do write it I'll put the Chuunin arc in a 'sequel' format, mainly because it's rather cumbersome to read a story with a gazillion chapters. I've gotta wait until I know more about that part of the story, though!

To dobyuk princess-sama: Thanks for the compliments! (n.n)

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, because it really helps! And to everyone who's wondering as to the importance of Ino--well, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?