Shike and Raiko had not spoken to her since their sensei had told them why they were not being entered in this chuunin exam. She had almost begged him not to tell them, things were worse enough as it was, but they heard eventually. Everyone heard. When she walked down the streets people would move aside or glance at her oddly. It made her angry.

Just because she couldn't hold it back this one time, the whole village found out her secret. She was stuck living with her sensei, the villagers hated her and the only two people she might have considered friends were not speaking to her. Her world was crashing down.

Izumi pulled her legs up closer to her in the darkness, letting the cold air surround her and steal the heat away from her, causing her to shiver. Outside was another hot, sunny day in Konoha, but the curtains were closed and it left her in the darkness, alone, cold. Daisuke had rarely laft her alone in the last days, following her everywhere and watching her closely. She relished in the moments when she was left alone for a few moments. At the moment, he was attending a meeting about something that had happened during the second part of the chuunin exam. Someone had done something that had gotten the Leaf-nin to tighten the security. The other day, she had even seen an Anbu dart past her towards the Hokage's quarters.

The third part of the exam had probably already started by now, it was still morning, but it was getting later. She relaxed slightly and slipped her feet over the edge of the bed into a pair of sandals before standing and moving slowly towards the door. She found her way through the house, back downstairs and out the door, closing it lightly behind her and blinking as she stepped into the sun. The streets were quite empty, and she guessed that everyone must be watching the exam. Her face darkened slightly as she spotted Raiko and Shike sitting alone at the ramen bar and speaking quietly.

She stopped in the middle of the street and looked over at them. They had still not spoken to her since the start of the exam. A cloud of dust blew up around her and she coughed a few times, causing the two gennin to turn around and spot her. But as soon as they lay eyes on her, their own faces darkened, their eyes narrowing into a glare. Keh, she thought, even I'd be over it by now. It's not the end of the world, there are two exams a year.

"What do you want?" asked Raiko lowly, still glaring at her.

"Nothing," she said, half suprised he had even bothered speaking to her.

"Then run along and play with your demon," he muttered. She heard him, and anger flashed through her eyes as she clenched her fists, shaking for a moment. Her body suddenly relaxed and she dropped her head, grinding her teeth as she stared at the ground, her eyes welling up with tears. This was unfair, no one cared anymore. They all hated her.

She took a step backwards slowly, then another and another before turning and walking, further and further before breaking into a run. This was just too much for her to take, she wouldn't put up with it anymore.

"I hate you!" she yelled as she tore down the street, turning a corner and taking off in another direction. She ran for a long time until her breath finally ran out and she slowed down, slowly bringing herself to a halt. She rubbed angrily at her eyes, trying in vain to stop the flow of tears. They poured down her smooth, pale cheeks, running along her jaw and dripping from her chin. She backed up slightly and leaned up against a tree, slumping to the ground and curling up in her usual position. She should have stayed inside today.

Her mind was numb, this feeling was getting old. Always the same feeling, no one wanted her, no one cared what happened to her, they hated her, treated her as if she were a monster. But she knew they were right, that they should treat her the way they did, that they shouldn't get near her. If they did, they'd probably end up dead. She was a monster, a demon, it wasn't just inside of her, but in her personality as well. She could feel the Koiryuu's anger and feeling reach out to her world through her own movements, her own decisions, her own actions.

It hurt.

It hurt alot.

It hurt too much for her small body to take. She knew that soon the monster would fully break free, she could hear it muttering to her in the back of her head, enticing her, persuading her to let go of life, to give up, to fully lose hope. Her mind was torn between her own feelings and having all her cares disappear by giving into the demon, and between those around her, the ones who might care in the slightest for her or her well-being. And right now, right now, her mind almost completely slipped away.

Let me feel it. I promise I'll be good. Let me out, Izumi. We are the same, we are both monsters, both demons. I'm the only one who understands you. I'll show them the meaning of true pain, the type of pain you live with every moment.

Let me feel it.

I'll show them... If you just let me out. Let your mind slip away. I promise I'll take care of everything. No worries, no more problems, no need to be afraid. No, not afraid. They will be the ones afraid. I know you, you like revenge. You'd like to see their faces as you rip them apart. You like blood as much as I. Think about it. Red, warm, gushing, so sweet, so sweet, let me feel it... The taste, the smell, the feeling, the sound of their screaming, let me see their blood again.

We used to have so much fun. Remember? After you cracked that one time and let me out? Didn't you enjoy that? I know you did. I can let you feel it again. Taste it, feel it, see it, be it. You don't deserve to be treated like this. I'll get revenge for you. I'll carve out their stomachs, decapitate them, make it rain blood...............

"But I can't," she muttered, her eyes half closed as she listened to the comforting sound of the Koiryuu's voice echoing through her mind. "Last time.... Last time.... So many people.... Dead bodies everywhere. There was too much blood, not good. It tasted horrible. It was all over me, on my hands, in my mouth... It ran into my hair and made it an even darker red... Then in my eyes, making everything look red. All the people were telling me to stop, but it felt...good..."

Yes... It did feel good, ne? I can let you feel it again and again, for as long as I live, I'll give it all to you. Just let me out. You are as trapped as I am, but if you let me out, you will be free and careless, like a dove in the great blue sky. You don't need to do anything, just watch as I do it for you. Think about the feeling that comes with it...

"No...." Her closed fully, plunging her into a familiar darkness and feeling a strange power rise around her. "This is my village now. I can't do this to them."

The Koiryuu appeared in front of her, chains wrapped over it, a large, iron collar around its neck, a thick, wire muzzle strapping its mouth shut. It grinned as she met its eyes, showing a number of black, needle sharp teeth.

But we really are the same. You have the same eyes as me. Blood red, stained with sins and dripping with anger, stewing in the blood of the innocent. And I know you like it. Remember before, how good it felt to make that transformation? We both showed our true selves that day. I used to be stuck in the form of some lowly demon, a useless, powerless dragon. And you, you were nothing but a small, weak, innocent little kid. That felt good, didn't it?

Remember... Your first taste of blood... Gushing down your throat, flooding your thoughts, so warm and sweet. You finally let me out, and I got the rest of them for you, remember? I was good, I only killed the ones you wanted me to. I listened to you. I've always listened to you. I'd never disobey you. You are like my master. Anything you want, I'll do for you.

She dug her nails into her arm, tighter and tighter until they broke the skin, blood flowing into the small cuts. She raised it slowly to her lips, eyes still closed, breathing in the scent of blood, her sense of smell enhanced over three hundred times. "Yes... I want to feel it again... Let me-"

"Izumi, are you alright?"

Her eyes snaped open and the voice in her mind vanished, leaving her alone and looking up at Shike. He was kneeling beside her, she hadn't even felt him approach. Her cheeks were still stained with tears, but she had stopped crying long ago. Her head pounded painfully as she snapped out of her trance and she felt the odd power fall away from around her.

"...Shike?"

She finally recognized him and lowered her eyes, thinking of what she had been about to do. There were four small, crescent shaped cuts on her forearm where her nails had broken the skin, the small amount of blood contrasting with her pale skin. She lowered her arm, still looking down.

"...I'm sorry I yelled at you like that," she whispered guiltily.

"He didn't mean it, and he does feel bad about saying that. I told him that it's just an exam, and that he should get over it. You don't deserve to be treated like that by your own team mates, it's enough having the rest of the village avoiding you."

She said nothing, keeping her head down and her eyes closed. But she really was thankful that she was on speaking terms with Shike now. At least he finally came around. He was the more sensible of her team mates, although Raiko was stronger. Ther was a long pause, both of them sitting in complete silence. She suddenly felt Shike's hand on her cheek, wiping away the rest of her lingering tears. It felt so cold against her skin, which was odd since she was usually the cold one.

She lifted her head and met his dark eyes, blinking a few times. There was another long pause as they simply stared at eachother for a minute. Shike finally shifted, leaning forwards and dropping his hand. Izumi froze at the sudden movement, but relaxed as he leaned further forwards and pressed his lips into hers slowly. All of her thoughts and worries suddenly vanished as she relished in the feeling, blocking out every other thing that was going through her mind at the moment. It was better than anything she had ever felt before, better than anything she ever would. She felt almost... happy.

"I know what it's like to be hated," he whispered, pulling back slightly so that his face was inches from hers. "Even if what you feel is a hundred times worse than anything I've ever been through, I still know what it feels like."

She looked into his eyes again and for the first time she noticed somthing different about him. Before, where she had only seen darkness, hate and anger in his black orbs, she now saw pain as well. Endless mounts of pain and suffering. She didn't know how she could have missed it before,

His head suddenly spun around as a loud explosion shook the ground coming from the east, not far from them. A moment later, a large cloud of dust billowed from the Village wall, accompanied by shouting and sounds of battle.

"What's going on?" she asked, pushing herself up. Shike was perfectly still, his eyes looking deep into the forest, into the shadows. She said nothing more as the explosion becam background noise. Shike suddenly spun around, grabbing her arm and pulling her in the opposite direction.

"Run," he hissed. She needed no second warning as three giant snakes appeared over the treetops, barreling through the forest straight towards them at an unbelievable speed. She took off along with him, dashing quickly through the trees back towards the village. Branches whipped across her arms and face as she ran, but she didn't care. What she was currently worrying about were the fast approaching snakes.

Leaf-nin were suddenly everywhere as they broke into the village again, Shike releasing her arm as they looked up and behind them. Three gigantic snakes were barreling through their ranks, towering over them and crushing them like insects. All attacks used against it seemed to have little or no affect, and it simply kept on heading towards the center of the village. By the time the two gennin regained their senses and started running again, the snakes were upon them. Along with a small shadow.

The shadow hit them hard, lifting them up and knocking them away from the snake's path of destruction. Izumi hit the ground hard with her hands over the back of her head and Shike beside her. An Anbu was laying on top of them, but quickly pulled himself away, dusting off his black cloak. He removed the mask, revealing Daisuke's angry face.

"What are you two doing out here!?" he hissed, forcing their heads down as a barrage of attacks flew after the three serpents. When he got no answer and let them up, his face softened slightly. Slightly.

"Something has happened. The Sand and the Sound are attacking Konoha."

"What!?" they both shouted at once, staring at their sensei with open mouths.

"They used the exam and the peace treaty as a cover for their attack, and we were caught off guard. They are being led by Orochimaru most likely, one of the Legendaryy Sannin. I've already found Raiko and sent him to help at the arena, you two go find him and help. This is war. Go!"

The two regained their senses quickly and darted up and took off after the snakes at an even faster speed, heading straight for the arena. Izumi's mind was spinning as the arena's walls rose in front of them. There was a thin column of smoke rising from under a tower. On the tower's roof was a giant purple barrier. Withing the barrier was the Hokage with a kunai being held to his throat.

They plunged towards the arens, jumping onto the walls and finding chaos below. The townspeople and other visitors were all passed out in their seats, under some kind of Genjutsu sleep. Around them were many Sound and Sand-nin battling with the Leaf-nin who had managed to deflect the Genjutsu, but things weren't looking too good for them. Izumi spotted Raiko facing three other Sand-nin in the center of the arena, and she and Shike were off in a flash, landing on either side of him.

Izumi faltered when she saw who he had been facing. They were ther three freakishly powerful Sand gennin, Gaara, Kankuro and Temari, that they had been on the mission with. Gaara looked like he was having a mental breakdown, and the other two seemed to be afraid of him. Izumi stood from her crouch, looking out at him. He was muttering to himself, or to some invisible person, and she froze.

"Oh, and then their insides... And I'll give them all to you, mother. I've always been a good boy..." He was muttering to his mother? She slowly realized the similarity between her and him. She was not as derranged as he appeared now, but when she fell into her trances, it seemed as if she was. She would constantly speak to Koiryuu as if it were her mother or guardian, with the same faroff look as him, the same voice, the same... Hyoui no Jutsu!? she thought, staring at Gaara. He had black markings around his pale eyes that stood out from his colourless skin, and as she peiced it together she came to this conclusion. It was the original Hyoui no Jutsu, not the kind that had been used on her, but a Possession skill none the less.

"Gaara, the Plan!" hissed Kankuro. Plan? she thought. What 'Plan'?

Something flickered in front of them and a Sand jounin appeared, who she recognized to be their sensei, Baki. A flicker of recognition passed over his face as he saw the three Leaf gennin, but he shrugged it off and barked something at the gennin before taking out another Leaf-nin.

"These three aren't doing anything, we should make the first move, so-"

Izumi pulled Raiko down ad a number of kunai passed over him where his head had been moments before. Acting on instinct, she lashed out, grabbing two kunai from the air and charging the Sound-nin who had thrown them.

He seemed to be caught off guard at the ferocity at which she attacked him, because as the kunai connected with him, he made no move to block or dodge. They both toppled over, Izumi skidding to a halt a few feet away and leaving him dead with two kunai in his throat, blood gushing onto the arena floor.

Raiko and Shike were staring at her in horror along with the two sane Sand gennin, but she wasn't done. Ripping the kunai out roughly, she charged at another Sound-nin, catching him from behind and embedding the kunai into the base of his neck, killing him instantly. She felt something burning inside of her, a power she had not let loose for years, and her eyes burned with it, her pupils growing into long, reptilian slits. She ripped out this kunai as well, letting the body slump to the ground and pausing for a moment.

She turned her head slightly, looking behind her with wide, inhuman eyes which fell upon a row of eleven Sound-nin, each holding kunai of their own and facing her. Her eyes widened further, not in fear, but in anticipation, and she turned fully to face them, blood spattered on her pale face and enhancing the colour of her eyes. She fell into a relaxed position, her arms hanging losely at her sides, a kunai dripping with blood in each hand. The Sound-nin seemed taken aback at the eyes she was showing them, staring out at them hungrily, as if she were the predator and they were simply dinner.

There was a soft whoosh of air and Raiko and Shike were suddenly beside her, weapons drawn. She shifted a foot, not seeming to notice the other two before she plunged forwards recklessly, head-on at the first two. Raiko and Shike followed suit somewhat less enthusiastically, but gave it their best.

She threw the two kunai at the one behind the first one, and he ended up on the ground with a kunai embedded up to the handle in each eye, screaming and writhing for a moment before falling still. She then dropped suddenly into a crouch, lashing out with her leg and missing the Sound-nin before her. But he fell anyways, Shike's blade going clean through his chest before sliding out quickly. Izumi didn't hesitate to jump at the next one, grabbing him in a complicated taijutsu manuever and snapping his arms easily before dislocating his shoulders as well.

Shike was almost disgusted at the way she was fighting. She hardly ever aimed to kill instantly, but cause great pain and suffering by hitting pressure points, dislocating joints, breaking bones, hitting internal organs... It was almost as if she was a cat playing with its dinner before eating it. She jumped animal-like at another Sound-nin as he threw four kunai her way. One hit her in the shoulder, not going in very deep, and she managed to dodge the rest. She pulled the weapon from her shoulder and tackled him to the ground, slipping the kunai into his throat slowly, behind his windpipe and avoiding his main arteries.

"Demon!" he spat with his last breath. She grinned a grin that was too large for her before jerking her hand forwards, severing his air supply and arteries, blood spilling over her. He was the last one, and he died in a matter of seconds. Shike and Raiko had barely a scratch on them, and the only wound she had was from the kunai on her right shoulder. They turned back to where the three Sand gennin were standing and saw something odd.

Kankuro was standing and staring at them in shock, along with Temari, but where Gaara should have been standing there was some kind of barrier. A barrier of sand packed tightly together to form an impenetrable defence in a dome around him. Izumi noticed this as well and let another peice of her mind slip away. Her eyes fell onto the man she was still holding onto, the blood gushing from his throat.

The sight and smell of so much fresh, warm, sweet blood caused something inside of her to snap, like the last dam inside her mind had overflowed. Her grip tightened around the man's body, her eyes widening further as the warm liquid poured over her hands, soaking her, turning her vision red. Her lips parted, her tongue running across her unusually pointed teeth as she leaned forwards slightly.

"What are you doing, Izumi!?" yelled Raiko, staring at her in horror along with the other Gennin. But she was as far gone as Gaara by now, and the blood was all she saw. Her teeth seemed to grow even longer, tapering into sharp fangs as her head was lowered towards the neck of the dead man. Her tongue licked out again, hovering millimeters from the blood as some amount of reason found its way into the back of her mind. She pulled back slightly, but the demon withing overpowered reason and she placed her mouth over the wound, closing her eyes and sucking in the dark red liquid.

One of the Sand gennin made a gagging noise and they all took a few steps back as she silently enjoyed the sweet liquid dribbling down her throat. Her fingers dug into the dead body, her fingernails growing longer slowly, small pointed claws replacing them. She pulled her head back finally, blood dripping from it as she grinned again, dropping the body and standing. Her hands flew into a short series of seals and red chakra suddenly exploded from under her, wrapping around her and creating another impenetrable barrier around her like Gaara's.

Except there was a difference between hers and his. His was made from sand that grew stronger with blood, hers was already at its strongest, being made entirely of blood. It flew up around her, creating a dome that blocked her from the rest of the world, plunging her into darkness.

"I am ready... I'll give up my body to you. Let me feel it. Let me taste it. I need more. More blood."

Hehehehehe, I knew you'd let me. We are the same. Don't worry, I'll leave the others alone. Like last time. I was good. I'm always good.

"Once I can..."

Get out of this...

"Stupid body..."

I'll...

"Be..."

Free...

"Again!"

Pain ripped across her body and mind violently and she enjoyed it, laughing in her dome of blood. It was a pain she had only felt once before, and the results from that had been wonderful. She almost screamed in pleasure as the pain reached a climax and she felt things ripping her body apart, tearing from her skin and stretching out around her. As the pain faded, the dome around her fell as well, revealing none other than the Koiryuu.

In the larger clearing, its wings stretched out to an amazing length, almost thirty feet. Its wild eyes burned angrily and blood dripped from its mouth as it snarled at the Sand gennin, folding its wings by resting them across its back, supported by two bony spikes that protruded from its hips. At the exact moment it broke free, Gaara's own shield fell away, revealing a demon of his own. It was the sand demon, Shukaku.

The other gennin leapt away as the two demons spotted eachother, glaring at each other in silence. The Shukaku was as large as the Koiryuu, but had no wings, making it look somewhat smaller. The black dragon's jaws parted and it let out a short laugh.

"They got you too, Shukaku?"

"Koiryuu? I thought you would have been able to resist a simple posession skill like this," retorted the other demon.

"Keh, I wasn't in my true form. I'm suprised they didn't just kill you, weakling," growled the dragon, taking a step forwards.

"Your vessel seems to have a stronger will than mine. Gaara willingly lets me out, but that girl seems like she can think straight."

"Doesn't matter, I'm out now. Let's play," roared the dragon. It suddenly whipped up its long tail, narrowly missing hitting Shike and Raiko and slamming into the concrete wall behind it. The concrete shattered as if it were nothing but glass, showering down and cracking easily. Many shinobi who were not fighting were now staring into the arena which was almost completely filled with the bodies of the two demons. The Shukaku growled as well, suddenly leaping forwards at the dragon, swinging a clawed hand towards its head.

Koiryuu simply lowered his head, not moving its feet in the slightest and taking the blow hungrily. The Shukaku's claw was easily peirced by the two, long, pointed horns that were protruding from Koiryuu's head, going clean through. The Shukaku pulled its hand back and the wound sealed itself back up quickly, not doing any real damage. Below them, the other gennin had engaged in their own battles, Shike with Temari and Raiko with Kankuro. But to the demons they were nothing but small specks, easily crushed if they were thrown off balance.

"Get serious, Koiryuu," growled the Shukaku, crouching again. The Koiryuu grinned its toothy grin and stretched its wings wide before beating down and lifting off. He circled above, eyeing the earthbound Shukaku with an air of superiority.

Spill his blood.

The Koiryuu dived suddenly, folding his wings and plunging with unseen ferocity towards the sand demon,head folded down so that the two horns were pointing straight down. It hit the Shukaku in the back of the head, grabbing at it with long, sharp claws and ferociously tearing the first layers of skin to shreds. After wrenching its horns free, it bit down on the demon's neck, black fangs sinking deep and drawing blood. Its wings flapped uselessly at tis side and its back legs were tearing away at the Sand demon's tough-skinned belly.

The Shukaku's tail suddenly rose and soared towards where Raiko and Kankuro were fighting, and something within the Koiryuu jolted, causing it to release its death grip and dash towards the gennins. It brough its own tail up, above its head as it stood towering over the fighting gennin, blocking the blow. The gennin froze in their battle, jumping back and staring up ar the belly of the Koiryuu.

Where the Shukaku had connected with the Koiryuu's tail, the spines broke, blood gushing slowly from the small wells left behind where the spines used to be. The gennin below stopped their fighting completely as the Shukaku grinned.

"Why did you protect the brats?"

"Unlike you, I keep my promises.," snarled the Koiryuu, throwing the Shukaku's tail off of himself easily. Shike and Temari had also stopped fighting, instead getting ready to save their own lives. They had bigger things to worry about. Much bigger.

The Shukaku grinned and turned, charging at full speed towards a frozen Shike. The Koiryuu snarled angrily and dashed after him, but wasn't able to reach the gennin in time. But Shike wasn't totally defenseless. He held up his hands as he had done when Izumi fell after the transformation last time, setting his legs further apart and bracing himself. A second later, even the Koiryuu was forced to brace himself as a whirlwing embedded with thick chakra blades exploded in their direction, stopping the Shukaku dead before slowly pushing him back. The Koiryuu held up its wings to defend as the blades tore at its skin, drawing blood in some places, but not doing much damage.

He wasted no time in charging forwards, skidding to a halt in front of the boy and facing the Shukaku again. There was a pause in the battle and the Koiryuu turned his head towards Shike, looking down on the small gennin. He has potential, he thought, his mouth breaking into a grin. He unfolded a long, scaled wing, the tip touching the ground in front of the panting gennin.

"You've got some power there kid. I like that. Climb up here and get on my head, that way you won't get in the way."

Shike looked up at the dark demon in shock, before his eyes fell on the outstretched wing. He was breathing heavily and didn't seem to want to get any closer to the demon.

"I won't eat you," laughed the demon. "I'm still half Izumi, and I promised I wouldn't. Hurry up."

Shike still remained frozen for a few moments, but he reached out, timidly touching the leathery wing before climbing up onto it, scambling onto the demon's back. He carefully climbed passed the llong spines until he reched the head, grasping handfuls of dark red fur and looking at the Shukaku on eye level. The Koiryuu folded its wing, resting it back on the spine protruding from its hip and glaring out at the Shukaku.

"This damn girl is distracting me... I can't think. Oi, you boy. Help me with this thing," called the Koiryuu, crossing his eyes to look at Shike.

"What?"

"I can't think straight so I need you to help fight this with me. You're strong enough, so lets go," he growled, lunging forwards. Shike almost flew off as the Koiryuu charged the Shukaku again, raising his claws and diving back into the battle.