Eripmav

Part Five, Chapter Two

Eripmav

Sakura sat up and stretched. They boys had been gone so long she started to think that they were… No. Don't think such things. They were fine. They were trained ninja after all, and could certainly take care of themselves.

But…

She shook her head. NO! Don't think that. They were fine. It's only been… she looked at her watch… a few hours since Naruto left… she sighed.

/Stop panicking/ Inner Sakura glared and stated walking in circles. /If you are so worried about those two bozos, go looking for them/ Sakura sat back down again.

"If they are not back in half an hour, I will go looking. I'll wait first, you never know…"

- - -

They were following her directly into the water. Which normally would have been a stupid idea, but she was calling them… So it made perfect sense.

Naruto followed Sasuke ankle deep into the water. Something in the back of his head tried arguing, but he pushed that aside. She was calling.

- - -

Sakura nearly started chewing her nails, but she took one look at her perfect, hard-earned pink nails, and she switched to drumming them on the soggy forest floor instead. It had been ten minutes. Where were they?

She licked her lips.

Why was she so nervous? She had no reason to be… They had been out on their own before, and it wasn't like they were six and had been at the park since after dark… or something… They could handle themselves. Besides, knowing Sasuke, he had probably found Naruto by now and they two of them were trying to find a pond. With a nymph...

Nymph.

Why did that suddenly sound worse than it should have?

- - -

Sasuke felt pants start to soak through at the shins. But he didn't mind. He looked directly into her pale eyes and kept walking forward…

Wait. What was that?

He glanced over to his right and saw Naruto standing still and looking puzzled only a step behind.

"Something isn't right…" he started saying, his big blue eyes wide with confusion. Sasuke stopped moving forward and started to turn all the way around, but stopped when she grabbed his wrist.

"You're not leaving, are you?" he eyes were sad. Sasuke glanced at Naruto but faced the water again when the grip on his arm tightened then released. Then she sang the one word that could change the world. "Come…"

- - -

Sakura sighed and smiled up at the trees.

What was she thinking? A nymph was certainly not dangerous. How could it? All those fairy tales spoke of them as beautiful creatures that tempted males into their homes and made love to them.

Made…love…

Sakura's eyes widened. That didn't sound too… uhh…

But what came after?

Sakura raked her memory.

They pulled them into their homes and then… and after… They…

Killed them.

Sakura screamed and jumped to her feet. If those stories were true, her boys were in deep trouble. But where were they? What way did they go again? She spun around, chose a direction and started to run before turning around and running in the opposite direction.

"Be safe! Please! You haven't found a nymph, please!"

- - -

Naruto was still puzzling but tried his best to ignore the screaming in the back of his head. But he paid enough attention to it to know that it was not his voice that he was hearing. But a gruff, commanding voice that yelled at him to stop. Begging nearly.

But she was beckoning for him to continue. One step behind Sasuke. So he continued into the water, his waist now getting wet.

- - -

Sakura ran faster than she ever had. She could feel her energy draining as she used large amounts of chakra to boost her speed. If anything happened to them, she would never let herself live it down. But she might not be too late!

Might?

NO! Don't think like that… She wasn't too late! She couldn't be! If she was too late then that would mean that –

/shut up idiot girl and run/ Inner Sakura? Was it really you/RUN! If you stop, you will be too late/ Run. Yes. Must run!

Sakura felt her breathing become more and more labored. Run…

- - -

No. something was defiantly wrong. The voice was becoming more difficult to ignore.

/STOP/

Why? I don't want to. I can't stop. She is calling. She wants me. I must go…

/You must STOP! BAKA/

The voice stopped suddenly, almost cowering away when he took another step, water reaching his chest.

- - -

Where was Penelope when you needed her? Wasn't it like, her job to turn up randomly when things were dire?

/Keep running, idiot girl. You aren't helpless. You can do this./ Helpless. She wasn't helpless… Sakura stopped running and stood perfectly still. She wasn't helpless. If help didn't show up, it wouldn't matter. Yes, it would be handy, but if it didn't, she could do it on her own.

Not that this was an emergency rescue pr anything. Ha ha ha. It was just a desperate attempt to find her boys before trouble found them first. That was all it was, really.

/RUN/ Yes. Before trouble found them first…

- - -

Suddenly the voice in the back of his head came back but stronger than ever.

/STOP RIGHT NOW OR WE'LL BOTH DIE/

…Die?

Naruto opened his eyes and stopped walking.

He was standing nearly shoulder deep in a warm pool of water. Sasuke was standing in front of him.

"Sasuke…? What are we –" Naruto shrieked. He had never screamed quite so loud or high pitched as he did then.

Before him was the ugliest monster that he had ever seen. Its unsightly tangled green hair hung at odd lengths all around its oval head. Piercing beady, black eyes started up at him angrily. Thin lips stretched into an unmistakable grin and reached out to Sasuke and gripped his arm firmly.

"Come…" it hissed, and for a moment an illusion of beauty flickered over its true self.

/Get out of here/ The voice in the back of his head screamed louder yet.

"Sasuke!" Naruto took a sloppy step back; it was a struggle to move fast enough in the water. The raven-head turned

"What do you want dead-last – What the hell? Why are we in the water and IYE-YIE!" Sasuke wrenched his arm out of the nymph's grip as soon as he saw it and stumbled backwards. He then turned hurriedly around and started to slosh awkwardly towards dry land; Naruto fearfully led the way.

"Are you leaving already?" The monster hissed and Sasuke stopped.

"Sasuke, no!" Naruto was ankle deep, Sasuke only a step behind. They were so close. They both could have gotten out of this alive, but as the blonde watched, Sasuke's eyes glazed over and he slowly faced the nymph. Naruto took one step back, and his foot landed on safety. He pleaded, "Sasuke, please, come back!"

"Naruto! Sasuke!" Sakura came to a sliding halt a few yards away. Sasuke snapped back to himself after hearing her voice.

"Sakura! What are you doing here? Why do you look so pale? Are you all right? I…" He ran out of the water at a speed that would normally be inhuman, the unmistakable blue glow of chakra curled around his legs as he dashed. But before he could even reach her, she collapsed to the ground.

"Don't stop Sasuke, pick her up and lets goooooo! We have a mad nymph behind us!" Sasuke didn't bother turning around and scooped a limp Sakura off the ground and sped off after Naruto.

- - -

"Idiots, I tell you!" Penelope seemed rather upset over the whole nymph issue. "Were you never told that nymphs were dangerous? Especially for males! Even females, since the nymph instinctively kills them on sight…" Penelope rubbed her temples.

"Then how are we supposed to get the water if they are so dangerous?" Naruto protested, pouting.

"Females, however, can get much closer to them if she knows what she is doing. Thank the nine-tales dear Naruto, because if it weren't for that demon you would have become a meal by now. As for you, Sasuke..." she glared and he returned her nasty stare with is own.

"How are you feeling, Sakura?" Penelope suddenly turned from the fuming Uchiha and faced Sakura who had just awoken on the ground nearby.

"Uhnnnnn." (Translated: Dead.)

"It would only be expected. You used up a lot of your energy, Chakra I believe you call it?"

"…Munn!"

"Oh, they are fine. It seems thanks to you as well, they both came out alive."

"….hhhh…."

"Yes, I know what you mean." The vampire glanced back at Sasuke. "Men are hopeless."

"Hey!" Naruto frowned in their direction.

"Oh, not you," She smiled at him sweetly. Naruto smiled and turned back to… whatever he was doing.

"Well, we obviously can't go back there." Sasuke grumbled under his breath.

"No, we can't, especially you." Penelope sighed again. "But, we could…" Penelope glanced at Naruto's wet jumper and Sasuke's wet shirt. "Do you have something that water could be kept in?"

"Hmmm…?" Sakura blinked.

"Oh, great!" Penelope skipped over to Sakura's backpack. "What pocket?"

"Mmmph."

"Great!" She opened the small pocket in the front of the sack and pulled out a glass bottle. She then walked cautiously over to Sasuke, and pounced.

"AH! Get off me! What are you doing!"

"Oh… my…"

"MNNTH!"

"Hold still!"

……………………CENSORED…………………… (or too lazy to write…)

In the end, Penelope managed to wring Sasuke's shirt and squeeze a small amount of water into the glass, and got a little more from a willing Naruto and the bottom of his pants.

"Last item collected."