Psychic King: *running and ducking quickly through Psychic King space as
quietly as possible*
Naruto: *walking up behind her, taps her on the shoulder and speaks loudly* Um... Whatcha doing?
Psychic King: *grabs Naruto and holds a hand over his mouth* SHUSH! *looks around quickly then ducks down with Naruto* You'll blow my cover, man.
Naruto: *ears perking up* 'Cover?' Are you hiding form something?
Psychic King: *nods earnestly* Hai. It's terrible. You probably aren't familiar with what today is, as you're a Ninja an all, but... Have you ever heard of the Easter Bunny?
Naruto: *confused* the WHAT?
Psychic King: *slowly* EASTER. BUNNY. *shudders* It's terrible, terrible, terrible... *huddles back in the corner crying*
Naruto: *looking worried* it must be, you don't even get THAT scared when Sakura's on the war path for you. And she's pretty scary.
Sakura: *appearing next to Psychic King; glares at Naruto* I heard that. *looks to Psychic King* Psychic King-sama... There's a rabbit smoking a cigar that's been looking for you... Something about candy? *steps aside to reveal the CUTEST little rabbit you've ever seen*
Naruto: *leaning down to pat it* Aww! It's SO adorable!!!!!
Easter Bunny: *in a voice like an angry trucker* Yo, hands off the fur, bud. *pulls out a cigar* Miss. Psychic King?
Psychic King: *nodding in mute terror*
Easter Bunny: I'm from the Burrow of Bunnies. I think you know why I'm here. *hops cutely forward, putting the Cigar out*
Psychic King: N-n-n-no! I swear, I didn't do it! It was her! *points at Sakura* I SAW her taking the candy! She's EVIL and hates children!!!!!!!!
Sakura: *stepping back* What?? That's preposterous! I would NEVER steal ANYTHING!
Easter Bunny: *cuffing Sakura* Yeah, we'll leave that up to the courts to decide, sweetie. *turns to Psychic King* Now all that's left is the issue of the last ten years in back dues.
Psychic King: TEN YEARS??????? I thought my parents were paying my Easter dues...
Easter Bunny: Only till you're a certain age, toots. You're well into your 20's and still celebrating, without any children to pawn it off on. *shakes head* it's sad when they aren't ready to grow up. I'm gonna have to take you in, too. Come on. *drags off Psychic King and Sakura*
Psychic King: *being driven away in the Easter Bunny's prison truck* Ano... This may take a while, but please read this chapter... I just want you all to know a few things before you do. #1 it's not as long as I would have LIKED to make it, but it was the only decent stopping point I could find (I've already written part of next chapter so it should be out pretty quick, hopefully). #2, I've introduced three new characters for the SOLE purpose of letting you know what's going on in Konoha. They aren't important, nor are they going to become major, I just thought people MIGHT be curious what was going on (I named the central one after one of my friend, hence the name 'Shawn'). #3, I found out that my italics thing wasn't working on ff.net... Sigh... So I have changed my format for thoughts. ~Now they look like this.~ Sorry for any confusion!!! #4, if a cigar smoking rabbit asks where I was today, would you please vouch for me that I've been writing this whole time? Thanks!
Sakura: *angrily* I CAN'T BELIEVE that you told him I stole the candy!!!!
Psychic King: *defensively* WHAT??? I panicked!! And you SO would steal candy from a baby, so don't give me that holier than thou stuff!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Embrace of Solitude
Chapter 20
Shawn stood atop the tall wall surrounding Konoha looking down in morbid fixation. "Are they still going at it?" His teammate and long time friend Yoh asked, lighting a cigarette as he glanced down.
Shawn nodded mutely, watching the group of wolves pace methodically in front of the wall, occasionally one would break towards the wall, ramming his head in a brutal manner against it and then rejoin the others. 'Group' was too small a word for the massive numbers that stretched along the wall, as far around as his eye could follow. There was probably over a thousand, all pacing and glaring and howling in unison. Shawn ran a shaky hand through his long brown hair, pushing his bangs from his eyes. "I've never seen wolves act like that..."
Yoh tossed his cigarette over the edge of the wall and pulled another out of his pocket, his spiky black hair gleaming in the moon light. He swore as the cigarette landed unlit near the wolves.
"What the hell was that?" The third member of their group and only female, Saya demanded as she grabbed Yoh by the collar and lifted him over the edge. "You wanna go over after it?"
Yoh's mouth opened in a silent scream as every wolf in the vicinity glanced up, growling. Shawn approached the woman cautiously, hands raised; Saya, standing over seven foot tall and as strong as an ox (almost as wide, too), was NOT the kind of woman you pissed off. "Ma, ma... I'm sure Yoh didn't mean anything by it and he won't be tossing any more cigarettes over the edge again, will you?"
Yoh shook his head frantically, clutching at Saya's arm as she brought him back over the wall to safety. As soon as she deposited him safely on the wall again he jumped to his feet, balling his fists, "What the hell're you trying to do, Saya?"
"What the hell're YOU trying to do, bastard?" Saya responded, balling her own hands into fists. "Our order was to observe until they either found a way to breach the wall or the attack signal was given. What were you thinking, throwing that cigarette at them?"
Shawn dropped his head into his hands as they continued fighting. When Yoh called Saya a bitch he knew there were going to be problems. Why didn't they ever get along? They were going to get in trouble for sure; he was certain that every other guard unit on the wall were watching them right now...
"What's going on here?" A sharp voice broke out.
Shawn slowly raised his head from his hands as the sound of Yoh and Saya's fight halted suddenly. "I'm sorry, sir!" Shawn said quickly, bowing as he recognized the speaker to be one of their high superiors. "My teammates were just expelling a little pent up aggression."
"Everyone's a little apprehensive right now, yet only your group is causing problems." The man said, condensation in his voice.
"We're very sorry, sir." Shawn, Yoh and Saya said in unison, bowing.
The man broke his stern looking face with a slight smile, patting Shawn on the back. "It's alright. We're all about ready to jump out of our skin right now; this is an unusual situation... Just keep a better eye on your teammates, got it?"
Shawn bowed his head again, "Yes, sir." He sighed and glared at the others as the man walked away. Why was he always the one that got blamed for Yoh and Saya's stupidity..?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ganten sighed, breathing heavily. This fight was using up more of his energy than he'd like and his attempts at blind attacks without thinking were flawed at least. He couldn't help by analyze what his opponent's next move SHOULD be; as a result Rin was never where Ganten wanted him. On top of that, in trying to avoid analyzing the situation Ganten found himself OVER analyzing it instead. ~I can dodge in now with a jab to his-~ Even as the thought was formed Rin had the opening closed. "ARGH!"
Rin smiled as he heard Ganten's frustrated growl. It was true that the white haired boy was having problems fighting him, but he was having a hard time of it as well. The problem was how much Ganten thought. He'd never faced an opponent that had so many statistics, numbers, scenarios and possibilities running through his head at once. It was throwing off his rhythm as well. That's why Ganten occasionally got lucky and managed to score a blow, not as often as he was but often enough. The only real advantage Rin had in this fight was Ganten, despite his negative thoughts about Sasuke, seemed to be sticking to the dark haired boy's wishes not to try to kill him. If he hadn't there were quite a few times that Rin would have been in a lot of trouble. He dodged another close blow. It was time to make things a little more interesting. "Your brother, Uzu, he's a pretty interesting fellow, isn't he?"
Ganten showed no outward signs of acknowledgement, but he knew Rin couldn't be fooled, as thoughts of Uzu mulled through his mind. ~IGNORE.~ Ganten thought viciously to himself. ~He's TRYING to confuse you. Talking about Uzu throws his rhythm off slightly, his right side is now 15% less secure-~ Ganten grinned as Rin reacted quickly to his thoughts, moving into a more defensive position. ~Damn, you're fast.~
Rin nodded, smiling himself. "I try to be."
~If we weren't enemies I'd kill to have you for a companion. I'd never have to talk again. Your reaction time alone is enough to make me respect you, though.~ Ganten thought, adding, ~Sparing with you would be useful, too. Opening to the side.~
"God, how do you think like that?" Rin replied, moving swiftly to the right as Ganten's fist thrust strait towards his shoulder. Reading the question in Ganten's mind he continued with his thought. "Everything's separated into usefulness and number values. You'd probably make a great merchan-" His words were cut off as Ganten's leg whipped from nowhere and caught him square in the back.
Ganten paused his attack as Rin's body slammed into the ground. "That's not true." ~If that were really the case, than I'd have killed Uzu a long time ago...~ Ganten thought, nostalgic smile forming on his lips as thoughts of his childhood streamed though his head. ~That's not true though, Uzu's a great man; the only one that's really useless is Mina. But she's the most powerful, she'll grow to understand her position in time... Now that we have Daddy maybe she won't need to. But I'd never kill Mina...~ A dark, doubting thought rose in his mind, ~Even if she's a spy? NO, she hates Kentaar as much as the rest of us do, she's my SIST-~ His thoughts cut off as he barely managed to dodge a throwing star from Rin's position on the ground. ~He's trying to side track me again, bastard. Openings on his head, right foot and left shoulder. 50% chance of success to the head.~
Rin leaned his head back as Ganten's fist swiped by it. "You're getting better at not thinking too far ahead with those attacks." Rin said quietly. Ganten's mind had taken a darker turn, brought about by Kentaar's name. The thoughts and memories were... Rin shuddered, wishing he could turn off his abilities for a little while. The man he worked for, if Ganten's memories were to be believed, was a monster... "Kentaar..." Rin shook as a wave of hatred at the name emanated from Ganten's mind. "He really hurt you."
"What kind of question is that, bastard?" Ganten said, voice getting gruff, eyes flashing slightly. ~You want to know? You want to see what he was like? How he used to enter my dreams and-~ Images flashed through Ganten's mind; like a morbid play of memories, each fueling his hatred more. ~Are you watching, you sick freak? Is this what you wanted to know? Uzu and Mina, too... He's still haunting Mina-chan; she's still tormented by...~ That last thought was enough to drive Ganten over the edge, the hold he had kept over his emotions thus far into the fight was gone.
Rin took a step back as Ganten began to growl slightly. The Ganten he was reading now was like a completely different person, if he hadn't been in his mind during the transformation he wouldn't have ever thought this could be the same person. The person before him was wild, angry, filled with rage and hatred and it was all being directed his way. For the first time in his whole life Rin felt sorry for a human being other than himself.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sasuke leaned quietly against a tree as he glanced at Ganten and Rin's fight. He was starting to wonder if Rin's supposed teammate was even going to show up. Maybe the other boy had made whoever it was up in order to avoid fighting Sasuke. He certainty seemed to have the upper hand against Ganten, but then again, Ganten was a very calculated person. He watched the white hared boy charge against the empath, landing a light blow to Rin's stomach, but it wasn't going to be anywhere near enough. What the hell was Ganten thinking pulling that last punch? That might have been his only chance.
Rin managed to hit Ganten's face pretty hard after that, but it still wasn't enough to knock the white haired boy down. Sasuke sighed; Rin pulled that punch, too. There might have been a reason, but it was obvious that these two were not interested in really killing each other. He shook his head, directing his attention back to the West, finally it seemed that Rin's little partner was approaching and they were just about here.
"Ano..." A small voice called from Sasuke's left. "Who are you, mister?"
Sasuke shifted his position to a battle ready stance and looked over to the person he would be fighting. A little girl, not more than six or seven if he had to guess, wearing what looked like a potato sack with holes cut into it for the head and arms to pop out, long soft looking brown hair trailing down her back, so long she could almost trip on it, large brown eyes looking questioningly up at Sasuke and long dog-like ears poking up in a curious fashion. The only thing Sasuke could think to describe her as was adorable.
The small dog like girl toddled over to him, tugging on the bottom of his shirt. "Who are you, mister?" She replied.
Sasuke looked down at her, then his shirt. Her hand had left some sort of stain, chocolate perhaps? That was when he noticed the smell surrounding the girl. Blood. Why hadn't he noticed it before? "What ARE you?" He demanded, jumping away from her.
The girl's face show the kind of indignation that only a child can have and she stamped her foot. "I asked you first!" Following the spot that Sasuke's eyes kept darting to she realized what the strange man's problem was. "Oh, I'm sorry! I got Niichan's blood on your shirt!" Her voice dropped to a scandalous whisper, "Kentaar-sama was angry at Niichan." For a moment she hung her head, drooping her dog-style ears, and Sasuke was left to wonder what terrible things this small child had been subjected to at the hands of Naruto's insane brother. Then her head was raised and a bright smile lit across her face. "My name's Inuko!"
Cautiously Sasuke regarded the girl, then turned and headed back towards the clearing Naruto should be fighting at, as sorry as he felt for the little girl, he didn't have time to worry about children right now; Naruto might need him. "Scram, kid, it's not safe here."
Effortlessly Sasuke jumped to a tall tree branch, sparing one last glance at Ganten and Rin as he left, but as before, they were too involved with their fight to pay attention to his departure. Turning his attention to the clearing Sasuke dashed as quickly as he could towards it, hoping as he did so that he was not too late to help Naruto. A blur in front of him caused Sasuke reason to pause, before him stood the little dog girl. "Where're you going? I want to play with you! Come on! Let's play, mister!"
Inuko grinned as the dark haired man narrowed his eyes. Being a seven year old was not without its advantages; looking like an adorably innocent child helped as well. This man wouldn't go all out against her; there was no way. He was drawn into her look just like all the others. He wouldn't guess that behind the innocent smile and pleading eyes was the calm and calculating mind of a well seasoned fighter. He wouldn't be able to tell until it was far too late exactly how much faster her mind matured than her body.
She was really annoyed right now; cleaning the remains of Garou, her adopted brother, from Kentaar-sama's cave had left a bitter taste in her mouth. Toying with this boy a bit before killing him would serve to satisfy some of that anger.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, he wasn't sure who this freaky kid was, but she was standing between himself and Naruto. Regardless of her age or appearance, he wasn't about to forgive something like that. Dashing forward Sasuke raised his hand to attack.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tenmar sat cradling Tenmar's head in his lap, tears still flowing down his face. He couldn't be dead. This couldn't be real. "Tenmar..." He whispered, wiping away some of the blood that was drying on his face.
Iruka's eyes widened slightly as Tenmar's hand seemed to twitch slightly in response to Iruka's touch. Disbelievingly, Iruka ran his hands over the man's neck, searching for some sign of a pulse. He SOULDN'T be alive. Iruka was pretty sure that no human, not even Naruto, could survive the kind of beating Tenmar just took, and yet...
Working fast, hope coursing through Iruka's body, he quickly worked at unbuttoning Tenmar's shirt. It was almost unbelievable, but there WAS a pulse. As Iruka tore Tenmar's shirt off he noticed that the wounds didn't seem to be as deep as he'd thought they'd be; or rather, they were actually healing themselves at a rate fast enough that Iruka could actually SEE it happening.
Of course, that didn't mean he was out of danger yet. Some of the wounds, particularly those of his chest, were deep puncture wounds. They wouldn't heal right if left to themselves. In this situation, the best thing Iruka could do at this point would be to widen the wounds himself, and then allow Tenmar's amazing healing abilities to work their magic on his body. It was the idea of widening the wounds that was making Iruka nervous. Tenmar'd just lost a lot of blood, even if he COULD heal himself, could his body handle any more damage?
Only one way to find out. Closing his eyes and saying a prayer to any god he could think of, Iruka grabbed a kunai, holding it shakily over Tenmar's puncture wounds until he was able to steady himself, Iruka quickly went to work making deep incisions into the holes, evening them out. Then he quickly pulled out a needle and string, thankful for all the oddities he'd grown accustomed to carrying around as a teacher, and carefully sowed up the incisions.
He leaned back afterwards, admiring his work. It was terrible, in fact it looked like an amateur surgeon who'd been drugged and half blind had done it, but considering the circumstances, it was the best he could have done. All that was left was to wait and hope. In the meantime... Iruka turned tentative eyes towards the brave fox that had fought along side Tenmar to save him. His injuries were less serious and should be fine without any immediate care, but Iruka wasn't sure he could sit still anyway, he could feel the effects of the drug wearing off.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kentaar laughed as he finally managed to knock the last of Naruto's 'advanced' clones to the ground. His body was not undamaged from the fight, in fact Naruto and his varying levels of transformed clones were quite astounding, if he wasn't careful he could very well bleed to death. Kentaar's smile widened, THIS was what fighting was about, the adrenaline coursing through his body, the pain sharpening his senses, fear and instincts struggling for dominance through out his body... THIS is what it felt like to be alive. "I've waited so long!" Kentaar said, voice taking on an almost fanatical tone. "Come on! Show me what you're going to do next, brother!"
Naruto gritted his teeth, breathing heavily. Well, Kentaar definitely had the power Naruto remembered; in fact he seemed a little stronger, but it wasn't enough. Next move and Naruto would have him; these last twelve years would be avenged. The clones had really just been to buy time so that he could perfect his next move and now... it was ready. Breathing in deeply Naruto closed his eyes, quickly performing hand seals more to clear his mind and concentrate than anything else. He was surprised how calm he felt right now; no hatred or pain was fogging his mind. If this worked things were bound to change, if not... Things were definitely going to change, there was no longer any way around that.
Kentaar watched his brother's serious face, eyes closed. What the hell was he doing in the middle of a fight? "You must really not want to kill me, brother." Kentaar mocked, pacing patiently around Naruto. "You keep pausing long enough for my powers to heal my body. Or is it your body that's in need of healing?" He moved a little closer, almost touching the blonde, but Naruto's eyes snapped open, causing the man to jump back.
"Not want to kill you?" Naruto repeated back, voice incredulous. "NOT want to kill you, you bastard? You took from me not only the woman I loved, but the very existence I loved, depriving me of my children's childhoods and now... NOW you're doing it again, now that things are good again, now that I'm reunited with my family. There is no one in this entire world that I would love to eradicate more than you."
Kentaar grinned; Naruto's entire attitude was changed from his clone attack moments before... Everything was going according to Kentaar's schedule. "Ah, back to reality I see." Kentaar said dismissing Naruto's every word. "You say that now, but soon you won't even remember that pain filled existence any longer. Wouldn't that be magnificent? To forget all about that woman that pulled us apart, to forget these last twelve years of pain and loss? To forget all these people that have caused you nothing but pain."
"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, but let's end this- "
"NOW!" Kentaar commanded, maniac grin spread across his features.
Naruto's head turned slowly towards the direction of Sakura, eyes wide as Sai's chanting took on another level. Sakura's body rose steadily off its place on the ground, there was a bright light shining from outside her body. The light grew in intensity, enveloping Sakura's entire body and then... Slowly Sakura's body lowered, setting her gently on her feet, her eyes blinked open, focusing on Naruto. "Saku..." Naruto's breath caught as the girl moved gracefully forward.
"My love..." Sakura's voice whispered softly, in a tone of gentle caring. "It's been so long." Sakura's slender hand reached out and stroked Naruto's cheek as tears started to pour down his face.
"Illia." Naruto replied, body shaking. His arms reached around the girl, pulling her into a tearful embrace. With the body of one of his dearest friends and the soul of his beloved wife wrapped firmly in his arms Naruto threw back his head and screamed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Psychic King: *wiping at brow* Phew! They dropped the charges!
Sakura: Yeah, who'd have thought that such cute creatures could be so blood thirsty, though...
Psychic King: *shrugging* Eh, you just gotta know how to deal with em.
Sakura: *rolling eyes* Telling them that you'd send your cat after them is NOT dealing with them. You're on their bad list now.
Psychic King: *nodding* yeah, for my own protection I'd better actually get a cat now... *looks to readers* So... What the chapter OK? I've been watching Hikaru no Go recently and I'm afraid it's seeping into my style... Also, I know it wasn't as LONG as you were hoping (or at least I was hoping), but originally I'd planned on waiting to flash back to Tenmar and Iruka and let you know Tenmar was alive until the NEXT chapter, but I threw them in now because people were unhappy! See, I listen!!
Sakura: Of course you DID do something you said you wouldn't...
Psychic King: *feigning innocence* What do you mean by that?
Sakura: *rolling eyes* Illia, duh. You said you wouldn't ever have her IN the story.
Psychic King: *holding up a defensive hand* Hey, not quite! I said I would never have her NEXT to Sasuke in the story. And I DIDN'T. Anyway, she's in YOUR body, do you really think she'd WANT to stick around?
Sakura: *getting angry* and what is THAT supposed to mean?
Psychic King: Hey! Don't get snippy with ME, young lady. I could always call Sai in here to kick your soul to the curb. *looks to readers* Anyway, it's only temporary, promise. I would like to apologize at this time for the Tenmar wound cutting open thing. I got a puncture wound once and that's what they had to do so it would heal, I don't know if that is normal practice or not, however... My Doctor could just be a quack.... Anyway, questions, comments, whatever? Please review or e-mail me at Psychic_King@hotmail.com
Naruto: *walking by with a HUGE basket of chocolate* Hey that rabbit that dropped you guys off just gave me all this great stuff!!!
Psychic King: Wait, he gave YOU all that candy and he didn't give any to us?
Naruto: *shaking head* he said something about keeping an eye on you two, and that he'd be in contact, though.
Psychic King: *eyes wide, runs away and hides* He's not catching ME this time!
Naruto: *walking up behind her, taps her on the shoulder and speaks loudly* Um... Whatcha doing?
Psychic King: *grabs Naruto and holds a hand over his mouth* SHUSH! *looks around quickly then ducks down with Naruto* You'll blow my cover, man.
Naruto: *ears perking up* 'Cover?' Are you hiding form something?
Psychic King: *nods earnestly* Hai. It's terrible. You probably aren't familiar with what today is, as you're a Ninja an all, but... Have you ever heard of the Easter Bunny?
Naruto: *confused* the WHAT?
Psychic King: *slowly* EASTER. BUNNY. *shudders* It's terrible, terrible, terrible... *huddles back in the corner crying*
Naruto: *looking worried* it must be, you don't even get THAT scared when Sakura's on the war path for you. And she's pretty scary.
Sakura: *appearing next to Psychic King; glares at Naruto* I heard that. *looks to Psychic King* Psychic King-sama... There's a rabbit smoking a cigar that's been looking for you... Something about candy? *steps aside to reveal the CUTEST little rabbit you've ever seen*
Naruto: *leaning down to pat it* Aww! It's SO adorable!!!!!
Easter Bunny: *in a voice like an angry trucker* Yo, hands off the fur, bud. *pulls out a cigar* Miss. Psychic King?
Psychic King: *nodding in mute terror*
Easter Bunny: I'm from the Burrow of Bunnies. I think you know why I'm here. *hops cutely forward, putting the Cigar out*
Psychic King: N-n-n-no! I swear, I didn't do it! It was her! *points at Sakura* I SAW her taking the candy! She's EVIL and hates children!!!!!!!!
Sakura: *stepping back* What?? That's preposterous! I would NEVER steal ANYTHING!
Easter Bunny: *cuffing Sakura* Yeah, we'll leave that up to the courts to decide, sweetie. *turns to Psychic King* Now all that's left is the issue of the last ten years in back dues.
Psychic King: TEN YEARS??????? I thought my parents were paying my Easter dues...
Easter Bunny: Only till you're a certain age, toots. You're well into your 20's and still celebrating, without any children to pawn it off on. *shakes head* it's sad when they aren't ready to grow up. I'm gonna have to take you in, too. Come on. *drags off Psychic King and Sakura*
Psychic King: *being driven away in the Easter Bunny's prison truck* Ano... This may take a while, but please read this chapter... I just want you all to know a few things before you do. #1 it's not as long as I would have LIKED to make it, but it was the only decent stopping point I could find (I've already written part of next chapter so it should be out pretty quick, hopefully). #2, I've introduced three new characters for the SOLE purpose of letting you know what's going on in Konoha. They aren't important, nor are they going to become major, I just thought people MIGHT be curious what was going on (I named the central one after one of my friend, hence the name 'Shawn'). #3, I found out that my italics thing wasn't working on ff.net... Sigh... So I have changed my format for thoughts. ~Now they look like this.~ Sorry for any confusion!!! #4, if a cigar smoking rabbit asks where I was today, would you please vouch for me that I've been writing this whole time? Thanks!
Sakura: *angrily* I CAN'T BELIEVE that you told him I stole the candy!!!!
Psychic King: *defensively* WHAT??? I panicked!! And you SO would steal candy from a baby, so don't give me that holier than thou stuff!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Embrace of Solitude
Chapter 20
Shawn stood atop the tall wall surrounding Konoha looking down in morbid fixation. "Are they still going at it?" His teammate and long time friend Yoh asked, lighting a cigarette as he glanced down.
Shawn nodded mutely, watching the group of wolves pace methodically in front of the wall, occasionally one would break towards the wall, ramming his head in a brutal manner against it and then rejoin the others. 'Group' was too small a word for the massive numbers that stretched along the wall, as far around as his eye could follow. There was probably over a thousand, all pacing and glaring and howling in unison. Shawn ran a shaky hand through his long brown hair, pushing his bangs from his eyes. "I've never seen wolves act like that..."
Yoh tossed his cigarette over the edge of the wall and pulled another out of his pocket, his spiky black hair gleaming in the moon light. He swore as the cigarette landed unlit near the wolves.
"What the hell was that?" The third member of their group and only female, Saya demanded as she grabbed Yoh by the collar and lifted him over the edge. "You wanna go over after it?"
Yoh's mouth opened in a silent scream as every wolf in the vicinity glanced up, growling. Shawn approached the woman cautiously, hands raised; Saya, standing over seven foot tall and as strong as an ox (almost as wide, too), was NOT the kind of woman you pissed off. "Ma, ma... I'm sure Yoh didn't mean anything by it and he won't be tossing any more cigarettes over the edge again, will you?"
Yoh shook his head frantically, clutching at Saya's arm as she brought him back over the wall to safety. As soon as she deposited him safely on the wall again he jumped to his feet, balling his fists, "What the hell're you trying to do, Saya?"
"What the hell're YOU trying to do, bastard?" Saya responded, balling her own hands into fists. "Our order was to observe until they either found a way to breach the wall or the attack signal was given. What were you thinking, throwing that cigarette at them?"
Shawn dropped his head into his hands as they continued fighting. When Yoh called Saya a bitch he knew there were going to be problems. Why didn't they ever get along? They were going to get in trouble for sure; he was certain that every other guard unit on the wall were watching them right now...
"What's going on here?" A sharp voice broke out.
Shawn slowly raised his head from his hands as the sound of Yoh and Saya's fight halted suddenly. "I'm sorry, sir!" Shawn said quickly, bowing as he recognized the speaker to be one of their high superiors. "My teammates were just expelling a little pent up aggression."
"Everyone's a little apprehensive right now, yet only your group is causing problems." The man said, condensation in his voice.
"We're very sorry, sir." Shawn, Yoh and Saya said in unison, bowing.
The man broke his stern looking face with a slight smile, patting Shawn on the back. "It's alright. We're all about ready to jump out of our skin right now; this is an unusual situation... Just keep a better eye on your teammates, got it?"
Shawn bowed his head again, "Yes, sir." He sighed and glared at the others as the man walked away. Why was he always the one that got blamed for Yoh and Saya's stupidity..?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ganten sighed, breathing heavily. This fight was using up more of his energy than he'd like and his attempts at blind attacks without thinking were flawed at least. He couldn't help by analyze what his opponent's next move SHOULD be; as a result Rin was never where Ganten wanted him. On top of that, in trying to avoid analyzing the situation Ganten found himself OVER analyzing it instead. ~I can dodge in now with a jab to his-~ Even as the thought was formed Rin had the opening closed. "ARGH!"
Rin smiled as he heard Ganten's frustrated growl. It was true that the white haired boy was having problems fighting him, but he was having a hard time of it as well. The problem was how much Ganten thought. He'd never faced an opponent that had so many statistics, numbers, scenarios and possibilities running through his head at once. It was throwing off his rhythm as well. That's why Ganten occasionally got lucky and managed to score a blow, not as often as he was but often enough. The only real advantage Rin had in this fight was Ganten, despite his negative thoughts about Sasuke, seemed to be sticking to the dark haired boy's wishes not to try to kill him. If he hadn't there were quite a few times that Rin would have been in a lot of trouble. He dodged another close blow. It was time to make things a little more interesting. "Your brother, Uzu, he's a pretty interesting fellow, isn't he?"
Ganten showed no outward signs of acknowledgement, but he knew Rin couldn't be fooled, as thoughts of Uzu mulled through his mind. ~IGNORE.~ Ganten thought viciously to himself. ~He's TRYING to confuse you. Talking about Uzu throws his rhythm off slightly, his right side is now 15% less secure-~ Ganten grinned as Rin reacted quickly to his thoughts, moving into a more defensive position. ~Damn, you're fast.~
Rin nodded, smiling himself. "I try to be."
~If we weren't enemies I'd kill to have you for a companion. I'd never have to talk again. Your reaction time alone is enough to make me respect you, though.~ Ganten thought, adding, ~Sparing with you would be useful, too. Opening to the side.~
"God, how do you think like that?" Rin replied, moving swiftly to the right as Ganten's fist thrust strait towards his shoulder. Reading the question in Ganten's mind he continued with his thought. "Everything's separated into usefulness and number values. You'd probably make a great merchan-" His words were cut off as Ganten's leg whipped from nowhere and caught him square in the back.
Ganten paused his attack as Rin's body slammed into the ground. "That's not true." ~If that were really the case, than I'd have killed Uzu a long time ago...~ Ganten thought, nostalgic smile forming on his lips as thoughts of his childhood streamed though his head. ~That's not true though, Uzu's a great man; the only one that's really useless is Mina. But she's the most powerful, she'll grow to understand her position in time... Now that we have Daddy maybe she won't need to. But I'd never kill Mina...~ A dark, doubting thought rose in his mind, ~Even if she's a spy? NO, she hates Kentaar as much as the rest of us do, she's my SIST-~ His thoughts cut off as he barely managed to dodge a throwing star from Rin's position on the ground. ~He's trying to side track me again, bastard. Openings on his head, right foot and left shoulder. 50% chance of success to the head.~
Rin leaned his head back as Ganten's fist swiped by it. "You're getting better at not thinking too far ahead with those attacks." Rin said quietly. Ganten's mind had taken a darker turn, brought about by Kentaar's name. The thoughts and memories were... Rin shuddered, wishing he could turn off his abilities for a little while. The man he worked for, if Ganten's memories were to be believed, was a monster... "Kentaar..." Rin shook as a wave of hatred at the name emanated from Ganten's mind. "He really hurt you."
"What kind of question is that, bastard?" Ganten said, voice getting gruff, eyes flashing slightly. ~You want to know? You want to see what he was like? How he used to enter my dreams and-~ Images flashed through Ganten's mind; like a morbid play of memories, each fueling his hatred more. ~Are you watching, you sick freak? Is this what you wanted to know? Uzu and Mina, too... He's still haunting Mina-chan; she's still tormented by...~ That last thought was enough to drive Ganten over the edge, the hold he had kept over his emotions thus far into the fight was gone.
Rin took a step back as Ganten began to growl slightly. The Ganten he was reading now was like a completely different person, if he hadn't been in his mind during the transformation he wouldn't have ever thought this could be the same person. The person before him was wild, angry, filled with rage and hatred and it was all being directed his way. For the first time in his whole life Rin felt sorry for a human being other than himself.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sasuke leaned quietly against a tree as he glanced at Ganten and Rin's fight. He was starting to wonder if Rin's supposed teammate was even going to show up. Maybe the other boy had made whoever it was up in order to avoid fighting Sasuke. He certainty seemed to have the upper hand against Ganten, but then again, Ganten was a very calculated person. He watched the white hared boy charge against the empath, landing a light blow to Rin's stomach, but it wasn't going to be anywhere near enough. What the hell was Ganten thinking pulling that last punch? That might have been his only chance.
Rin managed to hit Ganten's face pretty hard after that, but it still wasn't enough to knock the white haired boy down. Sasuke sighed; Rin pulled that punch, too. There might have been a reason, but it was obvious that these two were not interested in really killing each other. He shook his head, directing his attention back to the West, finally it seemed that Rin's little partner was approaching and they were just about here.
"Ano..." A small voice called from Sasuke's left. "Who are you, mister?"
Sasuke shifted his position to a battle ready stance and looked over to the person he would be fighting. A little girl, not more than six or seven if he had to guess, wearing what looked like a potato sack with holes cut into it for the head and arms to pop out, long soft looking brown hair trailing down her back, so long she could almost trip on it, large brown eyes looking questioningly up at Sasuke and long dog-like ears poking up in a curious fashion. The only thing Sasuke could think to describe her as was adorable.
The small dog like girl toddled over to him, tugging on the bottom of his shirt. "Who are you, mister?" She replied.
Sasuke looked down at her, then his shirt. Her hand had left some sort of stain, chocolate perhaps? That was when he noticed the smell surrounding the girl. Blood. Why hadn't he noticed it before? "What ARE you?" He demanded, jumping away from her.
The girl's face show the kind of indignation that only a child can have and she stamped her foot. "I asked you first!" Following the spot that Sasuke's eyes kept darting to she realized what the strange man's problem was. "Oh, I'm sorry! I got Niichan's blood on your shirt!" Her voice dropped to a scandalous whisper, "Kentaar-sama was angry at Niichan." For a moment she hung her head, drooping her dog-style ears, and Sasuke was left to wonder what terrible things this small child had been subjected to at the hands of Naruto's insane brother. Then her head was raised and a bright smile lit across her face. "My name's Inuko!"
Cautiously Sasuke regarded the girl, then turned and headed back towards the clearing Naruto should be fighting at, as sorry as he felt for the little girl, he didn't have time to worry about children right now; Naruto might need him. "Scram, kid, it's not safe here."
Effortlessly Sasuke jumped to a tall tree branch, sparing one last glance at Ganten and Rin as he left, but as before, they were too involved with their fight to pay attention to his departure. Turning his attention to the clearing Sasuke dashed as quickly as he could towards it, hoping as he did so that he was not too late to help Naruto. A blur in front of him caused Sasuke reason to pause, before him stood the little dog girl. "Where're you going? I want to play with you! Come on! Let's play, mister!"
Inuko grinned as the dark haired man narrowed his eyes. Being a seven year old was not without its advantages; looking like an adorably innocent child helped as well. This man wouldn't go all out against her; there was no way. He was drawn into her look just like all the others. He wouldn't guess that behind the innocent smile and pleading eyes was the calm and calculating mind of a well seasoned fighter. He wouldn't be able to tell until it was far too late exactly how much faster her mind matured than her body.
She was really annoyed right now; cleaning the remains of Garou, her adopted brother, from Kentaar-sama's cave had left a bitter taste in her mouth. Toying with this boy a bit before killing him would serve to satisfy some of that anger.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, he wasn't sure who this freaky kid was, but she was standing between himself and Naruto. Regardless of her age or appearance, he wasn't about to forgive something like that. Dashing forward Sasuke raised his hand to attack.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tenmar sat cradling Tenmar's head in his lap, tears still flowing down his face. He couldn't be dead. This couldn't be real. "Tenmar..." He whispered, wiping away some of the blood that was drying on his face.
Iruka's eyes widened slightly as Tenmar's hand seemed to twitch slightly in response to Iruka's touch. Disbelievingly, Iruka ran his hands over the man's neck, searching for some sign of a pulse. He SOULDN'T be alive. Iruka was pretty sure that no human, not even Naruto, could survive the kind of beating Tenmar just took, and yet...
Working fast, hope coursing through Iruka's body, he quickly worked at unbuttoning Tenmar's shirt. It was almost unbelievable, but there WAS a pulse. As Iruka tore Tenmar's shirt off he noticed that the wounds didn't seem to be as deep as he'd thought they'd be; or rather, they were actually healing themselves at a rate fast enough that Iruka could actually SEE it happening.
Of course, that didn't mean he was out of danger yet. Some of the wounds, particularly those of his chest, were deep puncture wounds. They wouldn't heal right if left to themselves. In this situation, the best thing Iruka could do at this point would be to widen the wounds himself, and then allow Tenmar's amazing healing abilities to work their magic on his body. It was the idea of widening the wounds that was making Iruka nervous. Tenmar'd just lost a lot of blood, even if he COULD heal himself, could his body handle any more damage?
Only one way to find out. Closing his eyes and saying a prayer to any god he could think of, Iruka grabbed a kunai, holding it shakily over Tenmar's puncture wounds until he was able to steady himself, Iruka quickly went to work making deep incisions into the holes, evening them out. Then he quickly pulled out a needle and string, thankful for all the oddities he'd grown accustomed to carrying around as a teacher, and carefully sowed up the incisions.
He leaned back afterwards, admiring his work. It was terrible, in fact it looked like an amateur surgeon who'd been drugged and half blind had done it, but considering the circumstances, it was the best he could have done. All that was left was to wait and hope. In the meantime... Iruka turned tentative eyes towards the brave fox that had fought along side Tenmar to save him. His injuries were less serious and should be fine without any immediate care, but Iruka wasn't sure he could sit still anyway, he could feel the effects of the drug wearing off.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kentaar laughed as he finally managed to knock the last of Naruto's 'advanced' clones to the ground. His body was not undamaged from the fight, in fact Naruto and his varying levels of transformed clones were quite astounding, if he wasn't careful he could very well bleed to death. Kentaar's smile widened, THIS was what fighting was about, the adrenaline coursing through his body, the pain sharpening his senses, fear and instincts struggling for dominance through out his body... THIS is what it felt like to be alive. "I've waited so long!" Kentaar said, voice taking on an almost fanatical tone. "Come on! Show me what you're going to do next, brother!"
Naruto gritted his teeth, breathing heavily. Well, Kentaar definitely had the power Naruto remembered; in fact he seemed a little stronger, but it wasn't enough. Next move and Naruto would have him; these last twelve years would be avenged. The clones had really just been to buy time so that he could perfect his next move and now... it was ready. Breathing in deeply Naruto closed his eyes, quickly performing hand seals more to clear his mind and concentrate than anything else. He was surprised how calm he felt right now; no hatred or pain was fogging his mind. If this worked things were bound to change, if not... Things were definitely going to change, there was no longer any way around that.
Kentaar watched his brother's serious face, eyes closed. What the hell was he doing in the middle of a fight? "You must really not want to kill me, brother." Kentaar mocked, pacing patiently around Naruto. "You keep pausing long enough for my powers to heal my body. Or is it your body that's in need of healing?" He moved a little closer, almost touching the blonde, but Naruto's eyes snapped open, causing the man to jump back.
"Not want to kill you?" Naruto repeated back, voice incredulous. "NOT want to kill you, you bastard? You took from me not only the woman I loved, but the very existence I loved, depriving me of my children's childhoods and now... NOW you're doing it again, now that things are good again, now that I'm reunited with my family. There is no one in this entire world that I would love to eradicate more than you."
Kentaar grinned; Naruto's entire attitude was changed from his clone attack moments before... Everything was going according to Kentaar's schedule. "Ah, back to reality I see." Kentaar said dismissing Naruto's every word. "You say that now, but soon you won't even remember that pain filled existence any longer. Wouldn't that be magnificent? To forget all about that woman that pulled us apart, to forget these last twelve years of pain and loss? To forget all these people that have caused you nothing but pain."
"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, but let's end this- "
"NOW!" Kentaar commanded, maniac grin spread across his features.
Naruto's head turned slowly towards the direction of Sakura, eyes wide as Sai's chanting took on another level. Sakura's body rose steadily off its place on the ground, there was a bright light shining from outside her body. The light grew in intensity, enveloping Sakura's entire body and then... Slowly Sakura's body lowered, setting her gently on her feet, her eyes blinked open, focusing on Naruto. "Saku..." Naruto's breath caught as the girl moved gracefully forward.
"My love..." Sakura's voice whispered softly, in a tone of gentle caring. "It's been so long." Sakura's slender hand reached out and stroked Naruto's cheek as tears started to pour down his face.
"Illia." Naruto replied, body shaking. His arms reached around the girl, pulling her into a tearful embrace. With the body of one of his dearest friends and the soul of his beloved wife wrapped firmly in his arms Naruto threw back his head and screamed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Psychic King: *wiping at brow* Phew! They dropped the charges!
Sakura: Yeah, who'd have thought that such cute creatures could be so blood thirsty, though...
Psychic King: *shrugging* Eh, you just gotta know how to deal with em.
Sakura: *rolling eyes* Telling them that you'd send your cat after them is NOT dealing with them. You're on their bad list now.
Psychic King: *nodding* yeah, for my own protection I'd better actually get a cat now... *looks to readers* So... What the chapter OK? I've been watching Hikaru no Go recently and I'm afraid it's seeping into my style... Also, I know it wasn't as LONG as you were hoping (or at least I was hoping), but originally I'd planned on waiting to flash back to Tenmar and Iruka and let you know Tenmar was alive until the NEXT chapter, but I threw them in now because people were unhappy! See, I listen!!
Sakura: Of course you DID do something you said you wouldn't...
Psychic King: *feigning innocence* What do you mean by that?
Sakura: *rolling eyes* Illia, duh. You said you wouldn't ever have her IN the story.
Psychic King: *holding up a defensive hand* Hey, not quite! I said I would never have her NEXT to Sasuke in the story. And I DIDN'T. Anyway, she's in YOUR body, do you really think she'd WANT to stick around?
Sakura: *getting angry* and what is THAT supposed to mean?
Psychic King: Hey! Don't get snippy with ME, young lady. I could always call Sai in here to kick your soul to the curb. *looks to readers* Anyway, it's only temporary, promise. I would like to apologize at this time for the Tenmar wound cutting open thing. I got a puncture wound once and that's what they had to do so it would heal, I don't know if that is normal practice or not, however... My Doctor could just be a quack.... Anyway, questions, comments, whatever? Please review or e-mail me at Psychic_King@hotmail.com
Naruto: *walking by with a HUGE basket of chocolate* Hey that rabbit that dropped you guys off just gave me all this great stuff!!!
Psychic King: Wait, he gave YOU all that candy and he didn't give any to us?
Naruto: *shaking head* he said something about keeping an eye on you two, and that he'd be in contact, though.
Psychic King: *eyes wide, runs away and hides* He's not catching ME this time!