Disclaimer: I don't own S-Cry-Ed or I would know how to pronounce it. I don't own Naruto or Haku would not have died.

Naruto sat calmly on a large rock, waiting for the pack to arrive. He'd sent a message to each of them through their special collars. He had given them his location and told them it was an emergency, but so far only the sand siblings, Itachi, Kisume, Zabuza, and Haku had arrived. Ino sat at the base of his rock, still catching her breath after running for twelve hours straight to alert him of Sasuke's capture. Naruto looked up as Kiba appeared on top of the dune to his left, sadly noting the absence of Akamaru. Hopefully they could avoid another loss like that day.

Alter Fox

Chapter II: Gathering and Memories

Naruto look around, noticing one more gap in the ranks than he expected. Kakashi was late, his place between Anko and Ibiki empty. Sasuke's place between Itachi and Haku was also bare, but he had expected that. He spread his senses as Tachibana and Mimori watched him from the shop window. Kakashi was coming. He looked up to see Kakashi jump the dune to his right and skid into his place, panting slightly. Naruto nodded to him in greeting before climbing to his feet. "Brothers, Sisters, it has been two long years since the last Gathering. I only wish I could greet you on better terms. As some of you may have noticed, we have a brother missing this day." Naruto said, loud and calm. He was thankful he'd trained to keep his emotions out of his voice. "Sasuke the Flame Dragon, Second-in-Command and known ally through many a battle has fallen into enemy clutches." There was a general mummer as the pack took in this information. How could Sasuke be captured, his alter was among their best. Naruto waited until they quieted down before continuing. "We know little of his location. His collar stopped transmitting just as he entered the city. He was captured by HOLY, a group created to control people like us, labeled as Native Alters. If you know anything of this organization please speak now." Naruto felt a tear slide down his cheeks as he looked around. No one rose to speak. Naruto sighed and slid off his stone perch, stopping next to Ino and Shikamaru. "I won't send my brothers and sisters in blind." He looked over at Kiba, who sat beside Ino. "I need you to get a hold of Shino. Tell him we need his help." He nodded and stood up. Than Naruto turned to Gaara, who sat behind Ino. "Gaara, Ino, I'm counting on the two of you to search the inside while we await Shino." Those remaining behind divided duties between themselves before starting their campsite. Some set up tents, some collected food, and some kept guard.

Kiba ran in his alter form, anyone who saw him from a distance mistook him for a large dog. He was approaching a forest before he knew it. Insects buzzed angrily around him as he ran to the center of the forest. There he found a large nest. "Shino, are you there. We need your help, please." Kiba yelled desperately. Shino walked out if the beetle nest slowly. He had grown, still choosing to wear a coat that covered part of his face and sunglasses despite the dark forest. The insects buzzed around him as he looked down at Kiba, void of any visible emotion.

"You haven't found Akamaru yet." Shino said. Kiba growled slightly, panting from his run. "He died in the battle than? How many others?"

"We didn't count. All we know is how many survived." Kiba said. "Please, there could be another casualty, we need your help. Sasuke was captured by a new enemy, we need you to help us save him. All we need from you is for your bugs to scout the area."

"You lost so many, yet you continue fighting. I'll never understand why you refuse to fall with your village." Shino said. "I will not get involved with another battle. You are on you own this time. I lost to many beetles last time."

"Please, Shino. We can't loose Sasuke." Kiba said, a soft whine escaping as Shino returned to his place in the nest. Kiba tried to follow him, but the insects swarmed around him and chased him from the forest. Kiba sadly returned to the campsite, releasing his alter only when he was safely in the tent he would be sharing with Naruto and Neji. Neji looked at up at him from his place in the back, Kiba guessed that he had interrupted his meditation.

"I take it things did not go well." Neji said, closing his eyes again to continue meditating. Kiba just whined and fell onto his bed, hugging the stuffed dog there tightly and crying silently. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Neji looking at him, sitting beside his bed now. "You miss him?" Kiba just nodded, knowing Neji meant Akamaru. "We all have someone we miss. It was not yet their time to die, yet the enemy took them from us." Kiba sighed sadly and closed his eyes as Neji gently pat his head. (Everyone treats him kind of like a dog, this is just a friendly action meant to help him calm down.) Memories slowly resurfaced as Kiba fell into a slightly relaxed state.

FLASHBACK

Kiba and Akamaru fought side by side as the Sound continued to attack their village. Everywhere they looked something was of fire or destroyed. A female Sound-Nin grabbed Kiba from behind as her male ally caught Kiba's look-a-like dog. "Well, feisty little puppies aren't you. We'll have to fix that." Kiba's eyes widened as the man pulled out a kunai. Akamaru tried to bite him, claw him, anything. The man seemed immune to every attack. Kiba bit his captor's hand viscously and dove for Akamaru, but he was to late. In a flash he lay there holding his dog's small body as blood flowed freely from the stab wound in his chest. Kiba tried to stop the bleeding, but both dog and boy knew it was to late. Akamaru put his small paw on Kiba's face and licked his hand one last time before closing his eyes forever more. Kiba knew he was crying, knew the tears were flowing unchecked, but in that moment of grief for his best friend, Kiba really couldn't care less. He howled in his fury as a house beside him shattered into small rainbow colored particles, forming an alter armor around him in the shape of a dog. A few Sound-Nin stepped back as he looked up, foam coming from his mouth. He jumped at the man and tore his throat out, then turned to find another boy in wolf alter armor already ripping the girl apart. He saw Hinata lying dead behind the blue wolf and knew it was Neji. The two locked eyes and howled feral howls, both ripping the Sound-Nin apart. That day all but three Leaf-Nin had discovered their alter armor. Shino mourned the loss of his insects and vanished to make a nest in the forest where he could live in peace, Sakura tended the wounded and admired their armor while still mourning for her parents, and Tenten cried steadily and held her father's favorite Kunai close. The village lay in ruins, the Hokage had lost her life, there was just nothing left to do but give the lost a final farewell.

END FLASHBACK

No one really remembered how long they traveled together after that. All they knew was that the pack had eventually split up and settled down secretly in towns and new villages far away from their lost homes. Kiba sighed as he heard Naruto come in. He knew he needed to sleep, they had a lot of work to do tomorrow and sunrise waits for no man or beast. Kiba only wished he could remember which of the two he was, a boy or a lost dog searching for his home.

Fox: I for one am ashamed that no one could guess right. Does Sakura really have good stamina? NO! It was Ino. My best friend said Sakura to.