Disclaimer: Read chapter one...
Here's the next chappie, people!
Chapter Seven: Reunion-
"The Art of the Shadow Doppelganger!"
Naruto's voice rang out in his signature move as the boy leapt forward. He sent clones scattering about, to distract the attackers as the Jedi students and his companions rushed for the cover the thick jungle offered.
Once everyone faded into the forest, the four ninjas regrouped a few hundred meters from the edge of the jungle.
"Does everyone understand who the enemy is and what their uniforms look like?" Neji asked. His subordinates gave quick nods of affirmation. "Good. I asked Master Skywalker about quarter policy here, and he said to capture or incapacitate when possible. Basically, kill only if necessary." He paused to make sure everyone understood. "All right. Move out!"
There was a soft rustling of branches and four blurs as the Leaf nins when on the offensive.
As Shikamaru balanced on the cloud of sand that Gaara had provided to aid their descent, he spotted a mass of familiar bright orange far below near a towering structure. He nudged the ginger-haired boy next to him and pointed.
"Oi, Temari!" he called out. The blonde nodded to show she, too, had seen Naruto, then guided her fan to land on a thick, gnarled tree limb. Once they had all settled, they looked up. Zekk and his Dark Jedi were pouring down in a dark mass.
"Hmph. Didn't like that Brakiss freak anyway," Temari smirked. "Time to kiss ass."
"Naruto Uzumaki is over there," Gaara put in, pointing over his sister's shoulder.
"Um…maybe you should avoid him for now," Shikamaru suggested. "After all, something weird from you two coming together was what got us here."
"Then maybe it will get us back if-" Temari started to say before the Shadow Imitator shook his head.
"Not until we're sure that no one else came here, too," he said. "If we and Naruto got here, then it is likely that Kakashi, Neji, and the others did too."
"True. Okay, wy don't you go find Naruto and see what he knows. Gaara and I can work on a little payback for now."
Shikamaru nodded curtly, then disappeared into the dense jungle. Temai slammed the base of her fan into the tree limb and smirked at her stoic younger brother.
"Shall we?"
Naruto grinned in triumph as three weirdos in black cloaks fell prey to his shadow doppelgangers. Suddenly, two more attackers, who had been rushing to their now unconscious companions' aid, froze in midstep.
"W-what's going on?!" one of them demanded.
"Oi, Naruto," came a dry, lazy voice as a figure rose to his feet from behind some bushes. "You missed a couple."
"Shikamaru!" Naruto cried out as he dispersed his clones and sautered out into the open. "You here too?"
"Traitor," one of the captured men hissed as they fought against the bind. Shikamaru shook his head and crossed his arms, which, in turn, forced the two to do the same.
"Don't bother," he advised. "There's no way you can get out of my Shadow Imitation Technique, unless I release it. And as for the whole 'traitor' thing, go asked that idiot Brakiss just what he told us to get us to agree to help his 'cause.' He was the one who lied to us, so…" The Jônin shrugged.
"Eh?" Naruto asked as he knocked the two out and strung all five of the men into a tree before destroying their light sabers. Shikamaru took that time to exchange stories with the blonde.
"So no one knoes what happened to Kakashi, Lee, or Ino," Shikamaru concluded thoughtfully. "But if the rest of us are here, then they are too, most likely." As they made their way though the trees, he glanced at the blonde with the corner of his eye. "Naruto…what happened back there? In Sunagakure?"
The normally cheerful ninja kept his eyes forward in a carefully blank expression as they traveled. It was a few minutes before he spoke.
"Later, okay? It'll be easier to tell everyone at once." The two continued on in silence.
"Heavenly spin!"
Blasts of energy were quickly repelled at the Hyuga genius executed the signature defense of his clan. One of the TIE fighters that screamed past overhead was hit on its left wing by a deflected blast and plunged downward to crash deep within the dense jungle.
"Woah…" This came from one of the younger students held tight in Neji's grasp, a human boy with sandy brown hair and large green eyes. The seventeen-year old suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and set the boy down..
"Go. The one you call Tionne is over there." The child grinned and scurried off in the direction indicated. Neji sighed and looked around for his next vict…er…assailant. Eying on of the flying machines soaring overhead, a slow smirk crossed his face. The idiots were flying in patterns…He could work with this.
Hinata gasped as she flew back and slammed painfully into a tree. A split second later, Tenten slammed into the ground next to her. The two kunoichi had been hurled backwards by an unknown force.
"I dunno about you, Hinata, but, uh, this guy ain't like the rest of them," she said as she climbed to her feet, gasping for breath. Hinata just nodded her head, equally winded.
"You should just give up now," the pale-skinned boy who faced them advised as he brushed back a strand of his jet black hair and swept back his cloak. "Nothing can stand before the power of the Dark Side of the Force."
There was a clack of metal as something slammed into the ground. They turned to see a smirking blonde Sand Nin.
"Wanna bet?" Temari drawled.
"What do you think you're doing?" Zekk demanded. She cut him off by slamming her fan into the ground again.
"Puh-lease. Save me the 'betrayal' crap," she said. "This is what you get for being deceitful. Okay, okay," she conceded in afterthought. "It was that Brakiss jerk who lied, but whatever." Temari shrugged. "You're his right hand man, so same dif."
"Lied-what do you mean?" Zekk asked, brow furrowed in confusion. She dismissed his question impatiently and opened her fan to reveal one star.
"Enough talk. Wind Element! Slashing Whirlwind!"
Caught by surprise, the Dark Knight was picked up and thrown backwards as the blast of wind hit him directly. He leapt to his feet with a snarl as blood trickled down from the various cuts that littered his body and activated his glowing red light saber.
The battle was joined.
Gaara's eyes narrowed as he observed the man waiting on the top of one of the temple ruins. Dressed in brown robes and a heavy cloak, the brown-haired man was a picture of calmness. He didn't seem to notice the Sand shinobi's presence .
After a few moments, the man's head turned slightly. The bushes rustled to reveal Brakiss. Dark feelings surged within him, demanded the kill before Gaara suppressed them harshly. He waited until the two greeted each other before revealing himself.
"Gaara?" Brakiss scowled. Then his handsome features smoothed. "Do not interfere please. I have agreed to face Luke Skywalker by myself." The ninja remained silent, seemingly a statue, half hidden among the shadows from the trees that overgrew the ancient ruins. Brakiss gave a slight shrug, then turned his attention back to his former Jedi master.
Gaara surveyed the two as they fought with vague interest. They moved with fluid grace, meeting and retreating as their sabers clashed and sizzled.
Finally, the teenager was able to see that Skywalker was gaining the upper hand. He idly thought of interfering so he could kill the deceitful man himself, but decided against it.
Suddenly, Brakiss's weapon was destroyed and he lay at the mercy of his opponent. He leapt back and threw off his silvery cloak to reveal a repulsor pack, catching Skywalker by surprise.
"Brakiss!" Luke Skywalker was gazing at the man, despair clearly visible in his dark eyes. This confused Gaara a bit, but he dismissed it and lifted a hand. A wave of sand hot up into the air and slammed the ascending man back into the ground, effectively destroying the pack. The long-standing structure they stood on shuddered from the impact.
"W-what are you doing?" Brakiss demanded, struggling to rise. "Gaara-"
He shuddered as he met the cold gaze of the boy. The two Jedi were puzzled to feel absolutely no emotion from him, but stony purpose and a harsh killing intent. The Dark Jedi's eyes widened when Gaara finally explained his actions with a brief sentence.
"We are not so easily manipulated."
Taijutsukenka- lol...no prob
brokenpromises8- I've actually been meaning to do that, but I forgot...short-term memory loss
what are we talking about again? ;-)
magerm- yup, you were right! and as for the other question, that's for me to know, and you to find out :-p
Everyone else - Thanx for reviewing for those who did, and for those who didn't...DO SO!...please? (00)