Psychic King: *hunched over the computer* And done! *preses the last key
with a flourish* Whew... Chapter 21 is now out! Heh heh heh.
Sakura: *looking over disdainfully* Oh really? And do I get my body back?
Psychic King: *looks around innocently* Um...
Sakura: *angry* You meant you wrote the whole chapter and DIDN'T give me my body back?
Psychic King: *holding up hands* I did NOT say that! *muttering* I didn't say that I DID either, but...
Sakura: *suspiciously* what was that?
Psychic King: Nothing! *walks over to Naruto and Sasuke, Sasuke glares at her* What??
Naruto: Heh... He's a little pissed that you've got Illia running around, even if it IS in Sakura's body.
Sasuke: *darkly* A little? A LITTLE?????? *glares as Illia's ghost flies into the room, perching on Naruto's shoulder*
Illia ghost: *sticks tong out at Sasuke*
Sasuke: I think it's time to try a little at home exorcism...
Naruto: *glaring at Psychic King* This is YOUR fault, FIX it, ya old ugly hag!
Psychic King: *clinging to Naruto* Naruto-kun, please don't be so mean to me! I really only have your BEST interests at heart...
Sakura: *snorts* Yeah, right.
Psychic King: I'LL FIX IT!! Gomennasai, gomennasai! *starts crying*
Uzu: *walks by whistling; Tenmar in with him* AH! Look, Tenmar, its daddy and mum together! Aren't they SO CUTE together? *waves enthusiastically at Naruto and Illia's ghost (still on Naruto's shoulder)*
Sasuke: *glares at Uzu* Naruto is MINE! *punches at Illia, but it goes right through her*
Illia ghost: *sticks out tong at Sasuke and glomps onto Naruto's head*
Naruto: *starts screaming* My EYES!
Psychic King: *still crying* I'm SORRY!!!!
Sakura: *raising eyebrow* So you'll re-write it?
Psychic King: *sobering* Not a chance, girly. It took me a LONG time to write that and I had to forgo a chance to hang out with friends in order to finish. The story stays the way it is. *looks to readers* Any how... Well, I think I did OK, lets see... Um, standard disclaimers apply, I don't own Naruto or any of the REAL characters but Tenmar and his sibs are MINE, MINE!!!!!! Haha! *calming down* I mean, I created them... *blush* Anyway, please enjoy this chapter!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Embrace of Solitude
Chapter 21
Gin and Kasai's fight was forgotten as Sakura's body was enveloped in light. When the light receded they saw the girl walk slowly towards Naruto, talking softly. They watched in silence as the two embraced. Kasai growled slightly as tears started flowing down the blonde's face. "You better not have been lying, boy. If this doesn't work out..." He allowed the threat to hang in the air, turning his foxy red eyes to Gin.
Gin smiled innocently at the fox, grimacing as Naruto's sorrowful cry echoed across the forest. "This is the only way." He said reassuringly, inching away from the large creature as it began growling once more. "I promise you," Gin said seriously, "This may be painful for his, but this is the BEST way to guarantee his safety. And give peace to Lady Illia's tortured soul."
A soft gasp from behind the tragic scene of Naruto collapsed in Sakura- no Illia's arms dragged Gin's eyes towards his master. Her face was covered in a sad smile and her breathing seemed erratic. He watched in confused terror as she grasped at her chest, breathing heavily and fell completely to the ground. "Sai-sama!"
Sai looked up as she felt Gin's arms lifting her from the ground, carrying her gently out of the bone circle. "Gin, I did it, I fulfilled that woman's last wish."
Gin smiled as he set his master down gently against a tree far out of the way of immediate danger, he hoped. "Hey, you're not done yet." He reminded softly as he mixed herbs together and set up a pot over a small fire. It would return a little of her strength, it'd have to do for now. "You still gotta put everything back the way it was, right?"
Sai smiled faintly as she tried to push herself away from the tree, struggling to get up. "Hai..."
Gin pushed her back down. "Not yet, they're not ready yet, so just rest."
"Thank you, Gin..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sasuke's head snapped up as Naruto's screams reached his ears, his heart threatening to leap out of his chest. Forgetting his fight he jumped past the little girl, rushing forward towards the clearing that the sound had come from. With a blur the little girl was in front of him again. She'd dropped the cute child act long ago, but Sasuke was still having a difficult time fighting against her. Her small size and lighter frame served to make her hard to hit and quick. "If you really think I'd let you go to him you're an even bigger idiot that you appear to be."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the girl; if LOOKS could kill she'd have been dead a buried by this point... Thinking frantically Sasuke decided his best course of action would be to just ignore the child. She might be quick and hard to hit, but could she really do enough damage to kill him before he reached Naruto? There was only one way to find out.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Uzu raised his head as his father's cries reached him, snapping him back to reality. He looked down at himself as his consciousness exerted control over his body, snatching it from his instincts. The last thing he remembered was biting into that dark cloaked guy. Looking down he noticed the man's body lying beneath him, his hands still clasped around various organs. There were various holes and rips across the man's flesh; luckily it seemed that most of them were from his claws rather than his teeth and fangs. The thought that he could have eaten part of the man was clear in his head.
Shaking, he quickly pulled himself away from the scene. He would have liked to clean himself up before letting his father see him again, but after hearing those screams Uzu didn't think he should take that kind of time. It sounded like Daddy needed his help NOW. He was willing to risk loosing his father's affections, but he wouldn't let that bastard Kentaar kill him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ganten and Rin's fight barely paused as Naruto's cries reached their ears. In fact, Rin was so focused that he barely noticed the sound. That is until Ganten's mind started calculating the benefits of fleeing the fight to help his father. Rin's mind spun as he read numerous figures, facts, statistics and calculations from Ganten's thoughts. In the end Ganten seemed to have decided that the chances of him escaping Rin in good enough condition to be of any help were slim to none. Rin mentally sagged with relief that Ganten could not read HIS mind right now. He probably would have let the boy leave which would have meant at best some sever behavioral discipline from Kentaar, but considering the situation...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Iruka had just finished bandaging Aidan's wounds when Naruto's screams reached him. He quickly turned his attention to Tenmar. His body was definitely healing, almost father than Iruka wanted it to, and for the last half hour perhaps he'd been running a ridiculously high fever. He also seemed to respond to his surroundings a bit more by this point. As Iruka feared, Tenmar's eyes shot open moments after Naruto's screams subsided. "Na-Naruto-sama..."
Iruka quickly moved next to him, hoping that he would forgive him for a small white lie. "Naruto? What are you taking about? He's not here. You've been seriously injured and now you're running a high fever, you must be hallucinating."
"No... I just heard him. Something's wrong." Tenmar struggled weakly to rise, but wasn't able to even sit up before falling back down.
"Even IF Naruto did just scream, what could you do for him right now? You're half dead, if you even get up to walk around that status could change to fully dead. But you must have heard wrong, because Naruto didn't scream just now." Iruka said sternly, hoping that Tenmar would see the validity of his statement even in this fevered state.
"You're a terrible liar, Iruka-san." Tenmar said softly, but this time he remained in his laying position. "It must be part of what I find so charming about you."
Iruka blushed, "As a Ninja and someone who's supposed to be a master of deception, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to take that as a compliment."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In Konoha the situation remained unchanged. Shawn sighed as he looked over the edge of the wall, wondering what the wolves were thinking. "There's gotta be something..." He muttered, running a nervous hand through his hair. He stopped himself. Running his hand through his hair was an anxious gesture, he was a ninja, he shouldn't have such weaknesses.
Behind him the sound of Yoh and Saya holding a quiet conversation was the only sound he could hear. It was amazing, they had actually managed NOT to argue since they'd been yelled at by-
"That's it, bitch!" Yoh hollered suddenly, jumping to his feet. "Who the hell asked you, anyway?"
"You did, idiot!" Saya shouted back, jumping to her feet as well. "You want to MAKE something of it, you moron?"
Shawn's shoulders sagged, and he found himself running his hand once again though his hair. "Guys, stop it! I'm gonna kick your sorry asses if you get us in trouble again!"
That caused both Saya and Yoh to fall silent, more in surprise than anything else. Normally Shawn was such a laid back kind of guy, he'd never threatened them before. Bribed them, yes, but... "Sorry." Yoh muttered, walking a few paces away from his comrades and preparing to light a cigarette.
That was when they heard it, an eerie, mournful sound from somewhere in the forest. Three heads swiveled in the direction the sound came from, Yoh's cigarette hit the ground unlit and forgotten as he and his team mates leaned eyes wide.
"What the hell was THAT?" Saya whispered.
Shawn shook his head, looking around. Every ninja in sight was leaning out slightly over the wall, towards the source of that sound, every head was turned. Looking down he could also see the wolves halt in their pacing, heads turned and ears perked up. "It kind of sounded like..." Shawn ran his hand through his hair again; somehow that sound made him think of that rambunctious fox-brat that was always causing problems... There'd been rumors going around about him recently, too.
"Sounded like that Uzumaki kid, don't ya think?" Yoh asked, retrieving his cigarette from the ground and lighting it. "Damn, if he's out there..." he shook his head, "I hope he's OK."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sasuke grunted as he barley managed to dodge something aimed at wrapping around his feet. Simply running and ignoring the girl was proving to be a lot harder than it looked. Also, despite her small stature and adorable presence, he was finding her to be a merciless fighter. She'd already hit him multiple times as he raced towards Naruto, despite his best efforts at dodging.
Dodging was a necessity; he'd realized that from the first hit the girl managed to connect on him. She had a strange weapon, too; long chains with sharp rocks and metal pieces sticking out of the end. He was pretty sure she must have made them herself, or maybe the brother she'd been talking about, but it definitely had the 'homemade' look to it. To Sasuke right now that meant two things. Number one, although harder to wield than a professional made weapon, it most likely was going to be a lot more dangerous; number two with the skill the girl was swinging the weapon around she'd spent a LOT of time mastering it, so much that Sasuke wasn't sure she could wield a professional weapon of similar style. She'd found her niche with this one. Of course she was still young.
Once again Sasuke found himself grunting as the girl's weapon tore into his back. He wasn't going to be able to avoid fighting the girl, he realized. With a sigh he began forming hand Jutsu for his fire attack. He was almost close enough to smell Naruto, and here he was forced to fight this girl. In one fluid motion he turned his attention towards the girl and breathed a huge fireball at her.
As he expected the girl managed to avoid most of the damage, however she WAS taken by surprise and slightly singed. He grinned darkly. "Alright, if you're going to be SO persistent, I guess I'll fight you." The girl immediately jumped into a ready stance, opening her mouth to say something, but Sasuke didn't give her the chance.
Dashing towards the girl ~the OPPOSITE direction of Naruto, this better get over quickly~ Sasuke sent a flurry of punches and kicks at the little girl. Not letting up when he connected with her face and she went flying into a tree. Not stopping when she whimpered pathetically.
Finally Inuko managed to escape from the barrage of his attacks, panting and in significant pain, but she was alive. She glared at the man. No one had EVER managed to attack her so viciously in the past. That included the man that watched her tear the throats out of his wife and son; people just didn't have the heart to attack her before. Maybe she was getting too old; maybe she was loosing her cuteness... No, it wasn't possible. "You ARE a mean old bastard, aren't ya?" She tilted her head, putting on her perfect pouting face.
The look did not have the effect she would have wanted, Sasuke had beaten her badly enough by now that she was barely recognizable as the cute child from before. Sasuke glared at her. "I don't have time to play, I've gotta help Naruto. The choice is really yours; step aside or die. You seem to have already chosen. It's a pity that you have to die so young, but if you want to play with the big kids you gotta know you're gonna get hurt, little girl."
"I face death on either side." Inuko said sternly, moving once again to stand between Sasuke and the clearing that Naruto was at. "If I let you go my master will hunt me down and kill me; if I don't you'll kill me." Raising her chains above her head she started twirling them. "I can tell you right now, I would rather be beaten to death by your hand than tortured to death by Kentaar-sama." Even as she aimed her chains carefully at Sasuke Inuko knew that she was dead. She'd known ever since Sasuke blindly ran past her that he'd fight beyond his capabilities if necessary to save his beloved. If she had let him go she would only have been prolonging the inevitable. "It's better to die in your service than to live outside of it." She whispered as Sasuke's hand grasped her chains, catching them and pulling her off her position on the tree she'd been standing on.
Sasuke's mind paused for a split second as the girl's body went plummeting towards the darkness of the forest floor. Then he shook his head, wrenching upwards on the chain. She was giving up; at this point? He didn't think so. Inuko's body came flying up, a quick glance told Sasuke that she was passed out. Acting quickly Sasuke used the girl's own chains to tie Inuko to the tree, he didn't think it would hold her long, but hopefully she'd be passed out until after they'd finished with Kentaar. A normal person would be passed out for a least a day or two considering the beating she'd gotten, and then there was her size to take into consideration...
Sasuke sighed as he left her there, wondering as he did so if it was a mistake. He was in too much of an eager hurry to reach Naruto to bother turning around and killing her now. Besides, as he was saving the girl he was certain that it was what Naruto would have wanted; even if the girl was a subordinate of his evil brother and even if Sasuke himself was in grievous danger Sasuke was certain it was the course that Naruto would have taken. He smiled slightly and shook his head. "If you're dead, dobe, than it's ALL your fault." The mental image of a dead Naruto sobered him and he quickened his pace.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Naruto sniffed as he looked at Sakura's face. "Is it really you?" He whispered, looking away with a sigh. They looked similar, Sakura and Illia, probably even more similar than Mina resembled her mother, but there were definite differences, and looking up at Sakura's face Naruto was having problems coping with the fact that this apparently WAS Illia.
Sakura's face broke into a loving smile and Naruto felt his head spinning. That was her smile, no question about it. "Yes, it's me."
Suppressing the feelings that were flowing through his body he forced himself to focus on the main question in his mind. "What happened to Sakura?"
"She was kind enough to let me borrow this body. I assure you, she'll be fine." Illia smiled. Part of her was very relieved that her husband was worried over the still living Sakura more than his long dead wife. OF course part of her felt a small pain of jealousy that soon Sakura would return to her body and she would finally pass onto the next life. In some ways she really would have liked to grow up with her beloved.
Forgetting completely the monster that was his brother Naruto allowed himself to enjoy briefly the comforting embrace of his long dead wife. The smell was wrong, the feel was wrong, the look was wrong, but somehow part of it simply felt perfectly right. "I'm so sorry." He whispered as he held her close to him. "I couldn't protect you, I failed you. And our children... I feel right into Kentaar's trap, I am a failure as a husband and father. Even now..." Naruto closed his eyes and clung to Sakura's body, but he shed no tears. Some pain was too great, he realized.
"YOU'RE sorry?" Illia repeated, holding Naruto just as tightly. "It was all my fault. I haven't been able to rest these past twelve years because my heart is filled with guilt for the curse I brought upon our family." Naruto opened his mouth to argue but she placed a slender hand over it. "Please, I've waited twelve years to tell you this tale, before any more interruptions occur or our time runs out, please allow me to finish this tale and please know that I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't want any of this to happen. But I have to tell you, it's why Kentaar wanted me to return to a body, so that you would hear... It's why I wanted to return to a body."
Illia paused, sucking in a deep breath and Naruto could see her shaking. Naruto shook his head, feeling Kentaar's presence looming behind him like a dark symbol of everything he hated in this world. He shook his head, turning away from Illia. "I'll listen to your story after I destroy him." Naruto replied, moving away.
Illia grabbed his arms, trying to pull him back to her. "Please! Listen to me, there isn't a lot of time-"
Naruto cut her off, placing a hand over her lips and tilting Sakura's head up so that he could look deeply into her eyes. It was Sakura's body, but where it really mattered he could see Illia in her eyes. "I love you." He whispered softly, "There is NOTHING you could ever do or say that will change that; even if I fall in love again, you will always be part of my heart." Four things happened near simultaneously as Naruto's words trailed off. The first was a process that began as he started speaking; his body shifted, growing longer, hair getting slightly spikier and a little darker, voice dropping, sort slight roundness fading away into the sharp hard edges of an extremely well toned adult.
The second was Kentaar, who had been pacing madly as Naruto and Illia talked, suddenly snarled as he realized that his whole purpose for calling Illia was being destroyed, jumping into the air, claw like hands poised to strike at Naruto.
The third happened only a moment after Kentaar sprang. A silver and black streak suddenly darted from an unknown place in the forest and managed to grab Kentaar around the neck as he made his dash, stopping him inches from Naruto's head.
The fourth and fifth occurred from opposite sides of the clearing, as both Uzu and Sasuke came dashing in alert and ready for a fight.
Naruto, now fully an adult, turned to stare at the others in surprise. "What you're just now getting here?"
Both of Kakashi's eyes curved visibly in a smile, "Sorry, I got lost on my way here, so..."
"Liar!" Naruto snapped, but in his adult form, with his adult voice, it didn't sound like the normal whining sound Naruto made when he was annoyed with his sensei. Seeing as how Kakashi had a good enough hold on Kentaar to last for a moment longer Naruto quickly turned towards Uzu, "Uzu, take Kasai and track down Tenmar, Iruka and Aidan then take them to Konoha and help in the city's defense."
Uzu, lost for words and confused found himself nodding. It wasn't until he and Aidan were a good distance away that he began to wonder what the hell was going on.
Naruto turned his attention to Sasuke. "Sasuke, take Illi-Sakura, and go over there." He pointed towards the area that Gin had moved Sai. "Together with that guy over there I want you to protect Sakura's body and Sai-san."
Sasuke was not as disoriented as Uzu and was NOT happy about rushing in to save Naruto only to find him in adult form cuddling with Sakura. On top of that, wasn't this Sai person working with Kentaar? "Aren't they with HIM?"
Naruto shook his head, moving his attention back to Kentaar and Kakashi. Kentaar had broken free from the other man's hold and was now sizing up his opponent. "I don't have time to explain right now, please Sasuke?"
Sasuke sighed as Naruto's penetrating blue eyes bore into him. Glaring at Sakura he grabbed her arm, pulling her away from Naruto and towards the area Gin sat with Sai. "Just what's going on?" He hissed at the girl as he half led half pulled her along.
Illia stared at the dark haired boy. "You must be Sasuke." She whispered. When she had been shifting places with Sakura there was a brief moment that the two had simultaneously inhabited Sakura's body. In that moment all of the pink haired girl's memories, everything she held as important flowed into Illia's being. This boy, this Sasuke was someone that meant so much to the girl. And just recently she'd seen... The mental image of Sasuke laying on top of Naruto, the two boys kissing passionately, filtered though Illia's mind.
"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke growled, releasing Sakura as he reached the area that Sai was being treated by Gin.
Gin looked up from his position next to his master as the two appeared. "That's not your friend. Right now her spirit has been removed from that shell. The person in that body was your blonde friend's wife."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he looked from the two strangers to Sakura. "Is this some kind of joke?" Looking at their serious faces, Sasuke stormed towards Sai. Gin jumped to his feet, moving protectively between the dark haired boy and his master. "Put her back!" Sasuke demanded, looking from Gin to Sai. "What the hell're you doing relaxing like that? Sakura's my team mate, not a resting place for some bitch that died twelve years ago!"
Gin's eyes narrowed and he moved an angry step closer to Sasuke. "Sai-sama is NOT feeling well right now, she'll put your little friend back when she's good and ready."
Illia stepped between the two men, "And how long will that take?"
Gin sighed, "I don't know. I've never seen her collapse like this. It usually takes her at least an hour after a ritual like that, though."
"I'll be ready in half and hour." Sai spoke from behind Gin, pushing herself unsteadily onto her knees. "Any longer than that and your friend's spirit won't fit into her body any longer. The body will also start rejecting you, Illia. If it goes more than five minutes without a soul it will cease to function." With great effort, relying heavily on her shaman stick, Sai pushed her body to her feet. "I'll prepare the ceremony here right now."
Gin moved quickly to his master's side, catching her as she fell began to fall. "Please, just tell me what to do, Sai-sama." He whispered softly as he once again gathered her into his arms and placed her against a tree. Sai nodded and the two began.
Illia turned to Sasuke. "Half an hour will be long enough for me. Will you please talk with me until the ceremony is prepared?"
Sasuke nodded slowly. He'd rather be fighting along side Naruto, but there was something about this situation, about the urgency in her eyes maybe, or the graceful way she walked perhaps, that made him feel the need to listen. "Fine."
Illia settled down on the ground, pulling Sasuke down with her. "It all began 15 years ago; the day Mina was conceived..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Psychic King: *looking eagerly at readers* SO... What'd you think? What'd you think???? I was actually rather pleased with this chapter, so I'm curious. (of course, I'm ALWAYS curious, but...).
Sakura: *sniffing disdainfully* It sucked. Rewrite it.
Psychic King: *Glaring* I said NO! If my readers REALLY hated it I would consider doing revisions, but I think it turned out good! Especially the lack of Sakura.... And I've got GREAT news! (Well for me anyway) I think next chapter or perhaps the chapter afterwards will wrap up the battle scenes! (I'm really aiming for next chapter, I have trouble writing the scenes and as a result it takes me a LOT longer to pop out a chapter...).
Naruto: *walking with Sasuke on one side, Illia Ghost on the other* Yeah? Well you better fix THIS situation, too.
Psychic King: *sing song* Next Chapter!
Sakura: And get her out of my body! *points at Illia*
Psychic King: *sing song* Next Chapter!
Sakura: and put me back IN!
Psychic King: *sing song* Next Chapt~ GEEZE, you are SO demanding! *crosses arms across chest*
Sakura: *Stomping foot* I WANT my body back!
Psychic King: *looking annoyed* I'll THINK about it.
Sasuke: *glaring* Think hard.
Psychic King: *backing away grimacing* Damn he's scary when he's being possessive over Naruto. *looks to readers* Well, please Review!! I promise to work hard at getting the next chapter out to you, but don't expect too much before Friday (I've got exams all over the place next week and a term paper...) but I promise that finishing this battle scene is a MAJOR priority on my list! *sing song* Next Chapter, Next Chapter~ la la la la... Ah, and as always you can e-mail me, Psychic_King@hotmail.com Bye all! *waving*
Sakura: *looking over disdainfully* Oh really? And do I get my body back?
Psychic King: *looks around innocently* Um...
Sakura: *angry* You meant you wrote the whole chapter and DIDN'T give me my body back?
Psychic King: *holding up hands* I did NOT say that! *muttering* I didn't say that I DID either, but...
Sakura: *suspiciously* what was that?
Psychic King: Nothing! *walks over to Naruto and Sasuke, Sasuke glares at her* What??
Naruto: Heh... He's a little pissed that you've got Illia running around, even if it IS in Sakura's body.
Sasuke: *darkly* A little? A LITTLE?????? *glares as Illia's ghost flies into the room, perching on Naruto's shoulder*
Illia ghost: *sticks tong out at Sasuke*
Sasuke: I think it's time to try a little at home exorcism...
Naruto: *glaring at Psychic King* This is YOUR fault, FIX it, ya old ugly hag!
Psychic King: *clinging to Naruto* Naruto-kun, please don't be so mean to me! I really only have your BEST interests at heart...
Sakura: *snorts* Yeah, right.
Psychic King: I'LL FIX IT!! Gomennasai, gomennasai! *starts crying*
Uzu: *walks by whistling; Tenmar in with him* AH! Look, Tenmar, its daddy and mum together! Aren't they SO CUTE together? *waves enthusiastically at Naruto and Illia's ghost (still on Naruto's shoulder)*
Sasuke: *glares at Uzu* Naruto is MINE! *punches at Illia, but it goes right through her*
Illia ghost: *sticks out tong at Sasuke and glomps onto Naruto's head*
Naruto: *starts screaming* My EYES!
Psychic King: *still crying* I'm SORRY!!!!
Sakura: *raising eyebrow* So you'll re-write it?
Psychic King: *sobering* Not a chance, girly. It took me a LONG time to write that and I had to forgo a chance to hang out with friends in order to finish. The story stays the way it is. *looks to readers* Any how... Well, I think I did OK, lets see... Um, standard disclaimers apply, I don't own Naruto or any of the REAL characters but Tenmar and his sibs are MINE, MINE!!!!!! Haha! *calming down* I mean, I created them... *blush* Anyway, please enjoy this chapter!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Embrace of Solitude
Chapter 21
Gin and Kasai's fight was forgotten as Sakura's body was enveloped in light. When the light receded they saw the girl walk slowly towards Naruto, talking softly. They watched in silence as the two embraced. Kasai growled slightly as tears started flowing down the blonde's face. "You better not have been lying, boy. If this doesn't work out..." He allowed the threat to hang in the air, turning his foxy red eyes to Gin.
Gin smiled innocently at the fox, grimacing as Naruto's sorrowful cry echoed across the forest. "This is the only way." He said reassuringly, inching away from the large creature as it began growling once more. "I promise you," Gin said seriously, "This may be painful for his, but this is the BEST way to guarantee his safety. And give peace to Lady Illia's tortured soul."
A soft gasp from behind the tragic scene of Naruto collapsed in Sakura- no Illia's arms dragged Gin's eyes towards his master. Her face was covered in a sad smile and her breathing seemed erratic. He watched in confused terror as she grasped at her chest, breathing heavily and fell completely to the ground. "Sai-sama!"
Sai looked up as she felt Gin's arms lifting her from the ground, carrying her gently out of the bone circle. "Gin, I did it, I fulfilled that woman's last wish."
Gin smiled as he set his master down gently against a tree far out of the way of immediate danger, he hoped. "Hey, you're not done yet." He reminded softly as he mixed herbs together and set up a pot over a small fire. It would return a little of her strength, it'd have to do for now. "You still gotta put everything back the way it was, right?"
Sai smiled faintly as she tried to push herself away from the tree, struggling to get up. "Hai..."
Gin pushed her back down. "Not yet, they're not ready yet, so just rest."
"Thank you, Gin..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sasuke's head snapped up as Naruto's screams reached his ears, his heart threatening to leap out of his chest. Forgetting his fight he jumped past the little girl, rushing forward towards the clearing that the sound had come from. With a blur the little girl was in front of him again. She'd dropped the cute child act long ago, but Sasuke was still having a difficult time fighting against her. Her small size and lighter frame served to make her hard to hit and quick. "If you really think I'd let you go to him you're an even bigger idiot that you appear to be."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the girl; if LOOKS could kill she'd have been dead a buried by this point... Thinking frantically Sasuke decided his best course of action would be to just ignore the child. She might be quick and hard to hit, but could she really do enough damage to kill him before he reached Naruto? There was only one way to find out.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Uzu raised his head as his father's cries reached him, snapping him back to reality. He looked down at himself as his consciousness exerted control over his body, snatching it from his instincts. The last thing he remembered was biting into that dark cloaked guy. Looking down he noticed the man's body lying beneath him, his hands still clasped around various organs. There were various holes and rips across the man's flesh; luckily it seemed that most of them were from his claws rather than his teeth and fangs. The thought that he could have eaten part of the man was clear in his head.
Shaking, he quickly pulled himself away from the scene. He would have liked to clean himself up before letting his father see him again, but after hearing those screams Uzu didn't think he should take that kind of time. It sounded like Daddy needed his help NOW. He was willing to risk loosing his father's affections, but he wouldn't let that bastard Kentaar kill him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ganten and Rin's fight barely paused as Naruto's cries reached their ears. In fact, Rin was so focused that he barely noticed the sound. That is until Ganten's mind started calculating the benefits of fleeing the fight to help his father. Rin's mind spun as he read numerous figures, facts, statistics and calculations from Ganten's thoughts. In the end Ganten seemed to have decided that the chances of him escaping Rin in good enough condition to be of any help were slim to none. Rin mentally sagged with relief that Ganten could not read HIS mind right now. He probably would have let the boy leave which would have meant at best some sever behavioral discipline from Kentaar, but considering the situation...
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Iruka had just finished bandaging Aidan's wounds when Naruto's screams reached him. He quickly turned his attention to Tenmar. His body was definitely healing, almost father than Iruka wanted it to, and for the last half hour perhaps he'd been running a ridiculously high fever. He also seemed to respond to his surroundings a bit more by this point. As Iruka feared, Tenmar's eyes shot open moments after Naruto's screams subsided. "Na-Naruto-sama..."
Iruka quickly moved next to him, hoping that he would forgive him for a small white lie. "Naruto? What are you taking about? He's not here. You've been seriously injured and now you're running a high fever, you must be hallucinating."
"No... I just heard him. Something's wrong." Tenmar struggled weakly to rise, but wasn't able to even sit up before falling back down.
"Even IF Naruto did just scream, what could you do for him right now? You're half dead, if you even get up to walk around that status could change to fully dead. But you must have heard wrong, because Naruto didn't scream just now." Iruka said sternly, hoping that Tenmar would see the validity of his statement even in this fevered state.
"You're a terrible liar, Iruka-san." Tenmar said softly, but this time he remained in his laying position. "It must be part of what I find so charming about you."
Iruka blushed, "As a Ninja and someone who's supposed to be a master of deception, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to take that as a compliment."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
In Konoha the situation remained unchanged. Shawn sighed as he looked over the edge of the wall, wondering what the wolves were thinking. "There's gotta be something..." He muttered, running a nervous hand through his hair. He stopped himself. Running his hand through his hair was an anxious gesture, he was a ninja, he shouldn't have such weaknesses.
Behind him the sound of Yoh and Saya holding a quiet conversation was the only sound he could hear. It was amazing, they had actually managed NOT to argue since they'd been yelled at by-
"That's it, bitch!" Yoh hollered suddenly, jumping to his feet. "Who the hell asked you, anyway?"
"You did, idiot!" Saya shouted back, jumping to her feet as well. "You want to MAKE something of it, you moron?"
Shawn's shoulders sagged, and he found himself running his hand once again though his hair. "Guys, stop it! I'm gonna kick your sorry asses if you get us in trouble again!"
That caused both Saya and Yoh to fall silent, more in surprise than anything else. Normally Shawn was such a laid back kind of guy, he'd never threatened them before. Bribed them, yes, but... "Sorry." Yoh muttered, walking a few paces away from his comrades and preparing to light a cigarette.
That was when they heard it, an eerie, mournful sound from somewhere in the forest. Three heads swiveled in the direction the sound came from, Yoh's cigarette hit the ground unlit and forgotten as he and his team mates leaned eyes wide.
"What the hell was THAT?" Saya whispered.
Shawn shook his head, looking around. Every ninja in sight was leaning out slightly over the wall, towards the source of that sound, every head was turned. Looking down he could also see the wolves halt in their pacing, heads turned and ears perked up. "It kind of sounded like..." Shawn ran his hand through his hair again; somehow that sound made him think of that rambunctious fox-brat that was always causing problems... There'd been rumors going around about him recently, too.
"Sounded like that Uzumaki kid, don't ya think?" Yoh asked, retrieving his cigarette from the ground and lighting it. "Damn, if he's out there..." he shook his head, "I hope he's OK."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sasuke grunted as he barley managed to dodge something aimed at wrapping around his feet. Simply running and ignoring the girl was proving to be a lot harder than it looked. Also, despite her small stature and adorable presence, he was finding her to be a merciless fighter. She'd already hit him multiple times as he raced towards Naruto, despite his best efforts at dodging.
Dodging was a necessity; he'd realized that from the first hit the girl managed to connect on him. She had a strange weapon, too; long chains with sharp rocks and metal pieces sticking out of the end. He was pretty sure she must have made them herself, or maybe the brother she'd been talking about, but it definitely had the 'homemade' look to it. To Sasuke right now that meant two things. Number one, although harder to wield than a professional made weapon, it most likely was going to be a lot more dangerous; number two with the skill the girl was swinging the weapon around she'd spent a LOT of time mastering it, so much that Sasuke wasn't sure she could wield a professional weapon of similar style. She'd found her niche with this one. Of course she was still young.
Once again Sasuke found himself grunting as the girl's weapon tore into his back. He wasn't going to be able to avoid fighting the girl, he realized. With a sigh he began forming hand Jutsu for his fire attack. He was almost close enough to smell Naruto, and here he was forced to fight this girl. In one fluid motion he turned his attention towards the girl and breathed a huge fireball at her.
As he expected the girl managed to avoid most of the damage, however she WAS taken by surprise and slightly singed. He grinned darkly. "Alright, if you're going to be SO persistent, I guess I'll fight you." The girl immediately jumped into a ready stance, opening her mouth to say something, but Sasuke didn't give her the chance.
Dashing towards the girl ~the OPPOSITE direction of Naruto, this better get over quickly~ Sasuke sent a flurry of punches and kicks at the little girl. Not letting up when he connected with her face and she went flying into a tree. Not stopping when she whimpered pathetically.
Finally Inuko managed to escape from the barrage of his attacks, panting and in significant pain, but she was alive. She glared at the man. No one had EVER managed to attack her so viciously in the past. That included the man that watched her tear the throats out of his wife and son; people just didn't have the heart to attack her before. Maybe she was getting too old; maybe she was loosing her cuteness... No, it wasn't possible. "You ARE a mean old bastard, aren't ya?" She tilted her head, putting on her perfect pouting face.
The look did not have the effect she would have wanted, Sasuke had beaten her badly enough by now that she was barely recognizable as the cute child from before. Sasuke glared at her. "I don't have time to play, I've gotta help Naruto. The choice is really yours; step aside or die. You seem to have already chosen. It's a pity that you have to die so young, but if you want to play with the big kids you gotta know you're gonna get hurt, little girl."
"I face death on either side." Inuko said sternly, moving once again to stand between Sasuke and the clearing that Naruto was at. "If I let you go my master will hunt me down and kill me; if I don't you'll kill me." Raising her chains above her head she started twirling them. "I can tell you right now, I would rather be beaten to death by your hand than tortured to death by Kentaar-sama." Even as she aimed her chains carefully at Sasuke Inuko knew that she was dead. She'd known ever since Sasuke blindly ran past her that he'd fight beyond his capabilities if necessary to save his beloved. If she had let him go she would only have been prolonging the inevitable. "It's better to die in your service than to live outside of it." She whispered as Sasuke's hand grasped her chains, catching them and pulling her off her position on the tree she'd been standing on.
Sasuke's mind paused for a split second as the girl's body went plummeting towards the darkness of the forest floor. Then he shook his head, wrenching upwards on the chain. She was giving up; at this point? He didn't think so. Inuko's body came flying up, a quick glance told Sasuke that she was passed out. Acting quickly Sasuke used the girl's own chains to tie Inuko to the tree, he didn't think it would hold her long, but hopefully she'd be passed out until after they'd finished with Kentaar. A normal person would be passed out for a least a day or two considering the beating she'd gotten, and then there was her size to take into consideration...
Sasuke sighed as he left her there, wondering as he did so if it was a mistake. He was in too much of an eager hurry to reach Naruto to bother turning around and killing her now. Besides, as he was saving the girl he was certain that it was what Naruto would have wanted; even if the girl was a subordinate of his evil brother and even if Sasuke himself was in grievous danger Sasuke was certain it was the course that Naruto would have taken. He smiled slightly and shook his head. "If you're dead, dobe, than it's ALL your fault." The mental image of a dead Naruto sobered him and he quickened his pace.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Naruto sniffed as he looked at Sakura's face. "Is it really you?" He whispered, looking away with a sigh. They looked similar, Sakura and Illia, probably even more similar than Mina resembled her mother, but there were definite differences, and looking up at Sakura's face Naruto was having problems coping with the fact that this apparently WAS Illia.
Sakura's face broke into a loving smile and Naruto felt his head spinning. That was her smile, no question about it. "Yes, it's me."
Suppressing the feelings that were flowing through his body he forced himself to focus on the main question in his mind. "What happened to Sakura?"
"She was kind enough to let me borrow this body. I assure you, she'll be fine." Illia smiled. Part of her was very relieved that her husband was worried over the still living Sakura more than his long dead wife. OF course part of her felt a small pain of jealousy that soon Sakura would return to her body and she would finally pass onto the next life. In some ways she really would have liked to grow up with her beloved.
Forgetting completely the monster that was his brother Naruto allowed himself to enjoy briefly the comforting embrace of his long dead wife. The smell was wrong, the feel was wrong, the look was wrong, but somehow part of it simply felt perfectly right. "I'm so sorry." He whispered as he held her close to him. "I couldn't protect you, I failed you. And our children... I feel right into Kentaar's trap, I am a failure as a husband and father. Even now..." Naruto closed his eyes and clung to Sakura's body, but he shed no tears. Some pain was too great, he realized.
"YOU'RE sorry?" Illia repeated, holding Naruto just as tightly. "It was all my fault. I haven't been able to rest these past twelve years because my heart is filled with guilt for the curse I brought upon our family." Naruto opened his mouth to argue but she placed a slender hand over it. "Please, I've waited twelve years to tell you this tale, before any more interruptions occur or our time runs out, please allow me to finish this tale and please know that I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't want any of this to happen. But I have to tell you, it's why Kentaar wanted me to return to a body, so that you would hear... It's why I wanted to return to a body."
Illia paused, sucking in a deep breath and Naruto could see her shaking. Naruto shook his head, feeling Kentaar's presence looming behind him like a dark symbol of everything he hated in this world. He shook his head, turning away from Illia. "I'll listen to your story after I destroy him." Naruto replied, moving away.
Illia grabbed his arms, trying to pull him back to her. "Please! Listen to me, there isn't a lot of time-"
Naruto cut her off, placing a hand over her lips and tilting Sakura's head up so that he could look deeply into her eyes. It was Sakura's body, but where it really mattered he could see Illia in her eyes. "I love you." He whispered softly, "There is NOTHING you could ever do or say that will change that; even if I fall in love again, you will always be part of my heart." Four things happened near simultaneously as Naruto's words trailed off. The first was a process that began as he started speaking; his body shifted, growing longer, hair getting slightly spikier and a little darker, voice dropping, sort slight roundness fading away into the sharp hard edges of an extremely well toned adult.
The second was Kentaar, who had been pacing madly as Naruto and Illia talked, suddenly snarled as he realized that his whole purpose for calling Illia was being destroyed, jumping into the air, claw like hands poised to strike at Naruto.
The third happened only a moment after Kentaar sprang. A silver and black streak suddenly darted from an unknown place in the forest and managed to grab Kentaar around the neck as he made his dash, stopping him inches from Naruto's head.
The fourth and fifth occurred from opposite sides of the clearing, as both Uzu and Sasuke came dashing in alert and ready for a fight.
Naruto, now fully an adult, turned to stare at the others in surprise. "What you're just now getting here?"
Both of Kakashi's eyes curved visibly in a smile, "Sorry, I got lost on my way here, so..."
"Liar!" Naruto snapped, but in his adult form, with his adult voice, it didn't sound like the normal whining sound Naruto made when he was annoyed with his sensei. Seeing as how Kakashi had a good enough hold on Kentaar to last for a moment longer Naruto quickly turned towards Uzu, "Uzu, take Kasai and track down Tenmar, Iruka and Aidan then take them to Konoha and help in the city's defense."
Uzu, lost for words and confused found himself nodding. It wasn't until he and Aidan were a good distance away that he began to wonder what the hell was going on.
Naruto turned his attention to Sasuke. "Sasuke, take Illi-Sakura, and go over there." He pointed towards the area that Gin had moved Sai. "Together with that guy over there I want you to protect Sakura's body and Sai-san."
Sasuke was not as disoriented as Uzu and was NOT happy about rushing in to save Naruto only to find him in adult form cuddling with Sakura. On top of that, wasn't this Sai person working with Kentaar? "Aren't they with HIM?"
Naruto shook his head, moving his attention back to Kentaar and Kakashi. Kentaar had broken free from the other man's hold and was now sizing up his opponent. "I don't have time to explain right now, please Sasuke?"
Sasuke sighed as Naruto's penetrating blue eyes bore into him. Glaring at Sakura he grabbed her arm, pulling her away from Naruto and towards the area Gin sat with Sai. "Just what's going on?" He hissed at the girl as he half led half pulled her along.
Illia stared at the dark haired boy. "You must be Sasuke." She whispered. When she had been shifting places with Sakura there was a brief moment that the two had simultaneously inhabited Sakura's body. In that moment all of the pink haired girl's memories, everything she held as important flowed into Illia's being. This boy, this Sasuke was someone that meant so much to the girl. And just recently she'd seen... The mental image of Sasuke laying on top of Naruto, the two boys kissing passionately, filtered though Illia's mind.
"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke growled, releasing Sakura as he reached the area that Sai was being treated by Gin.
Gin looked up from his position next to his master as the two appeared. "That's not your friend. Right now her spirit has been removed from that shell. The person in that body was your blonde friend's wife."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he looked from the two strangers to Sakura. "Is this some kind of joke?" Looking at their serious faces, Sasuke stormed towards Sai. Gin jumped to his feet, moving protectively between the dark haired boy and his master. "Put her back!" Sasuke demanded, looking from Gin to Sai. "What the hell're you doing relaxing like that? Sakura's my team mate, not a resting place for some bitch that died twelve years ago!"
Gin's eyes narrowed and he moved an angry step closer to Sasuke. "Sai-sama is NOT feeling well right now, she'll put your little friend back when she's good and ready."
Illia stepped between the two men, "And how long will that take?"
Gin sighed, "I don't know. I've never seen her collapse like this. It usually takes her at least an hour after a ritual like that, though."
"I'll be ready in half and hour." Sai spoke from behind Gin, pushing herself unsteadily onto her knees. "Any longer than that and your friend's spirit won't fit into her body any longer. The body will also start rejecting you, Illia. If it goes more than five minutes without a soul it will cease to function." With great effort, relying heavily on her shaman stick, Sai pushed her body to her feet. "I'll prepare the ceremony here right now."
Gin moved quickly to his master's side, catching her as she fell began to fall. "Please, just tell me what to do, Sai-sama." He whispered softly as he once again gathered her into his arms and placed her against a tree. Sai nodded and the two began.
Illia turned to Sasuke. "Half an hour will be long enough for me. Will you please talk with me until the ceremony is prepared?"
Sasuke nodded slowly. He'd rather be fighting along side Naruto, but there was something about this situation, about the urgency in her eyes maybe, or the graceful way she walked perhaps, that made him feel the need to listen. "Fine."
Illia settled down on the ground, pulling Sasuke down with her. "It all began 15 years ago; the day Mina was conceived..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Psychic King: *looking eagerly at readers* SO... What'd you think? What'd you think???? I was actually rather pleased with this chapter, so I'm curious. (of course, I'm ALWAYS curious, but...).
Sakura: *sniffing disdainfully* It sucked. Rewrite it.
Psychic King: *Glaring* I said NO! If my readers REALLY hated it I would consider doing revisions, but I think it turned out good! Especially the lack of Sakura.... And I've got GREAT news! (Well for me anyway) I think next chapter or perhaps the chapter afterwards will wrap up the battle scenes! (I'm really aiming for next chapter, I have trouble writing the scenes and as a result it takes me a LOT longer to pop out a chapter...).
Naruto: *walking with Sasuke on one side, Illia Ghost on the other* Yeah? Well you better fix THIS situation, too.
Psychic King: *sing song* Next Chapter!
Sakura: And get her out of my body! *points at Illia*
Psychic King: *sing song* Next Chapter!
Sakura: and put me back IN!
Psychic King: *sing song* Next Chapt~ GEEZE, you are SO demanding! *crosses arms across chest*
Sakura: *Stomping foot* I WANT my body back!
Psychic King: *looking annoyed* I'll THINK about it.
Sasuke: *glaring* Think hard.
Psychic King: *backing away grimacing* Damn he's scary when he's being possessive over Naruto. *looks to readers* Well, please Review!! I promise to work hard at getting the next chapter out to you, but don't expect too much before Friday (I've got exams all over the place next week and a term paper...) but I promise that finishing this battle scene is a MAJOR priority on my list! *sing song* Next Chapter, Next Chapter~ la la la la... Ah, and as always you can e-mail me, Psychic_King@hotmail.com Bye all! *waving*