AN: I've recently become entranced by "Death Note." Unfortunately, this means that I've also recently become upset by the events in chapters 58-59. It doesn't mean I don't love Naruto. I'm just more worried about L right now. Still, the show goes on.

Beta & Fire Department: Kim and Madi

benighted fool: Thank you for your in-depth critiques. I really appreciate the time you took to write those three reviews. You are right about doing the parody in a new story so it won't interrupt the flow. Also, my beta Madi got a little offended that she'd missed the word "annunciated" when she was checking my fic for errors (Kim only checks to make sure the characters and general story are on target, Madi does the actual grammar/spelling)….you can go read her response to that on the review page. She asked me to tell you that she's sorry if she sounded too harsh.

morgannia: Sorry I didn't answer you last chapter, but here it is: I'll think about it. We'll see.

OspreyAnimeG: Even though I'd like to be out with it, I can't tell you that, because it would ruin the story for everyone. Just wait, and you will see.

Thanks to: Shells, shikaruTo, benighted fool, RemyLuver, Shadowed Fear, OspreyAnimeG, and Xoni Newcomer

Chapter 11 – Through Me

"Through me you pass into the city of woe:

Through me you pass into eternal pain:

Through me among the people lost for aye."

– Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, Canto III

Watanabe Chise. Of course.

Akina was not a forgiving person, though she would be the last to admit it. When she passed through the hallways, the war cry sounding in her ears, people glanced at her in surprise or openly stopped and stared. She was the goddess Alecto wrapped in human flesh. Chise-chan, that fucking bitch, was going to get a taste of all nine circles of Hell.

Various lesser beings numbly pointed directions when Akina blazed by, and some trailed along behind her at safe distances, gawking much like those entranced by a lit round of candle-fizzing dynamite before stepping back to watch all the little bits and pieces rain down around them.

Chise's back was to Akina as she approached, but Akina would know that goddamn ugly hairdo anywhere. Akina moved in for the kill – and failed to take in the whole situation before it was too late.

Akina's clique was ranged around Chise, and looked panicky, to various degrees, at Akina's approach. Akina herself was going through several states of horror, pain, and finally, rage, as she reached her final destination.

It is worth noting at this point that the lowest circle in the Inferno is reserved for traitors.

0000

The lunch bell had rung just a few minutes ago and Caden was worried. Akina had stomped past him, practically on fire, ignoring him and anyone else she might have otherwise said "hi" to in the hallway. Something was up, and Caden really hoped that this wasn't going to end up like Carrie.

That one had really blown up in his face.

00000

Akerou was in the waiting room when it happened. He felt it coming, so he relaxed in his chair and crossed his arms, and let it take him away.

"Kazekage-sama!" someone shouted from outside his office door, on which was hung a messily scrawled "Do Not Disturb" sign, probably courtesy of his sister Temari. "There's something you need to see!"

"Come in," Gaara said.

One of his subordinates tromped into the office, waving around a paper, which, at second glance, was a map. Gaara was at his desk, signing legislation and reviewing mission reports. The piles were neatly organized on his wooden desk, illuminated by a window and skylight. Still, Gaara had to get up from his chair to see over the stacks. His medium build and impending workload were equally to blame.

"What?" Gaara added, his voice carrying tinges of irritation – if you knew what to look for.

"Well…let's just say that a geographic phenomenon has occurred, Kazekage-sama," his assistant sighed. Gaara pushed a pile of papers aside and motioned for the other man to sit before he did the same.

"Tell me," Gaara commanded.

"A lake. A new one has appeared out of thin air, in the desert a few miles south of the village. One of the birds spotted it."

"Send out a reconnaissance squad."

"Yes, sir," the assistant said, before vanishing to do his bidding.

00000

"What the FUCK is going ON?" Akina roared, spinning Chise around with one hand.

"What do you mean?" was the innocent response.

"You know exactly what I mean! Why have you been spreading lies about me and that dipshit KANAYE?"

The clique seemed uncomfortable because of Akina's loaded interrogation. Oh, they knew that Chise had been the cause of Akina's problems when she first transferred. They knew that Akina had saved them from Chise's chains when she led them away quietly, slowly, from Chise's grasp. They knew that Akina had kept them safe, again and again, from falling back into Chise's fatal embrace, from anyone else that might harm them.

They knew.

What really hurt was the way they cowered behind Chise as she gave Akina the retort, "It's true. You've been hanging out with Kanaye and that wimp Hinata way too much lately for you to be just friends. We were just letting everyone know that he finally had a girlfriend."

Akina slapped her so hard that her head spun. Chise fell to her knees and started to wail as she clutched her face.

"Why?" Akina demanded of her friends, stepping over Chise to meet them. "WHY?"

"You don't want to hang out with us any more, so why should we want to hang out with you!" Akiko shrieked, close to tears, huddled together with the others.

"You haven't called most of us for a week! You haven't met with us in a week!"

"You call that friendship!"

"You're so violent! You even hit Chise-chan!"

Amid the rising tide of requited hate and sharp jeers, Akina fled.

00000

Caden sat on the roof and waited to see if Akina would show. She'd come yesterday and the day before and he'd gotten to like their English conversations. It had been a relief for him to find someone else who knew 'Franz Ferdinand' was a band, and someone who understood him when talked about American foods, or sports, or the episode of this TV show or the stupidity of that politician. Akina was up-to-date on everything, even if she had spent the last year or so in Japan.

Alone, he pulled out his comfort food, one that reminded him of his home every time he ate it – a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Then he pulled out his cell phone to check his voice mail. Maybe Mom had called him. Maybe his sisters had.

"Twenty-five new messages? But I just checked this last week…"

00000

"I don't mind if you eat lunch in here. I know it's lunchtime at your school right now," Haraguchi-san said. Akerou looked up at him and slid out a lunch box and some chopsticks. He opened it and slowly began to pick at his rice in the shadow of his traditional sunless spot in this office. The lunch box was on his lap. Haraguchi creaked his leather armchair.

"How are you today?" was the first question asked, as usual. Akerou chewed thoughtfully and swallowed.

"Hi, how are you?" Temari asked, sliding into Gaara's office jauntily, a smirk on her ever-confident features. "You rang?"

"Someone sent me the heads of a reconnaissance team. Without their eyes."

"I see," Temari remarked. "You want me to go?"

"Find me a jounin team specializing in disabling water ninjutsu," he supplied. The village had grown since he'd become Kazekage; he couldn't remember all of the teams by name any more.

"Sure thing," Temari, captain of the Sand ANBU, replied. "This is serious, though. I'll go along as backup."

She hadn't seen any real action since the Akatsuki had been destroyed. To Temari, this would be intriguing.

00000

This was the first time Akina had felt like crying since her father's death.

How dare they!

She'd even forgotten to threaten Chise to keep quiet about all this – no, no, rather, Akina had jumped in without thinking. She should've tried to catch Chise in a place where so many people wouldn't see them. Akina was pretty positive that she was going to be suspended for slapping Chise.

Then Akina looked up and realized where she was. The third floor girls' bathroom was empty and desolate and cold and tiled. Akina stared at her reflection in a mirror at herself; she was red-faced, breathing hard, and shaking. In the girls' bathroom.

With that revelation, Akina began to punch the wall until her knuckles bled and her bones were sore.

They'd never make her cry.

They'd never…

Akina's mind barely registered the red splatters on the wall as she realized how tired she was. She breathed quietly, sank onto the gray tiled floor, and leaned against the wall; she closed her eyes.

"Sakura-chan!" he called loudly, too loudly for the comfort of the patients in the Sand's medical ward. Naruto was now more of a lanky teen than he'd been just a few months ago; he was much taller than she was now.

He was limping but he still put on a smile as he came up to Sakura. She quickly finished the analysis she'd been doing on her patient and wrapped his new bandages tightly before performing a minor medical jutsu, one meant to help speed the body's healing process. Then she closed the starched white curtains on her patient's bed and put her hands on her hips.

"I thought you were just going to scout the remains of the Akatsuki compound for traces of forbidden jutsus and weaponry," she said, giving him a critical eye.

"It got complicated," Naruto told her sadly.

"How?"

"Sasuke was there."