I'm not evil. sniff, sniff
Chapter 11: Finality?Sasuke prepared to leave the cave. He was done here. No more reason to stay. He glanced at both of them.
It wasn't worth it, he thought. He was supposed to be my opponent, not her. She was too weak.
Suddenly, a jolt of pain made him stop short. He coughed, and blood poured out. He clutched his chest.
Hyuga style, Gentle Fist Attack. He thought. Probably the most fatal. I've gotta get out of here.
He tried to stand up, but the coughs that wracked his body prevented him from doing so.
"I…I…"
He whirled around. Hinata was slowly pushing herself up. She looked at him, her pale eyes blazing with fury.
"I…will not…be…weak."
She tried to stand up straight, but a violent cough nearly threw her off balance. She placed her hands on her knees to steady herself.
"Why?" Sasuke asked, glaring at her. His tone of voice was full of menace. And, for some strange reason, there was a hint of nervousness. "Why…do you…fight?"
"Why do you stand?" Neji-ni san.
"Because…because I…promised th-that…you would…would…die with him." She returned his gaze.
"And I don't go back on my word."
Gaara looked away from his father's corpse. He was done here. He wandered over to Temari.
He stopped a few feet away from her body. So limp. Lifeless.
He gazed down at her peaceful face. It was strange. He didn't feel sadness nor anger nor disappointment.
He felt nothing but emptiness.
I swear it on your grave, he thought, kneeling down. This will mark the last time I kill anyone.
The last time.
He picked her up tenderly. No. He wasn't picking her up. He was picking up her shell.
The only time I felt acceptance…care…love.
It had to be taken away.
The sand slowly engulfed him. I guess…I…I…
He looked down once more at her pale face.
I don't deserve it.
Suddenly, he heard a loud explosion, coming from the direction of Konoha. The sand froze.
The destruction of Konoha, he thought, eyes widening. It would only pull through if Naruto was defeated! Don't tell me-!
He knew what he had to do. Tenderly, he put her back on the ground. I'll come back.
He reached behind and took out his kunai.
"You're…not…the target." Sasuke said weakly. "don't…force me to…kill…you." He choked, and blood poured out.
Hinata looked at him, veins bulging from the side of her head. "No," she said softly. "Don't lie. You're not worried about that."
"What-?"
"If you're condition was fine," she said, "you'd probably not even be talking to me. You would just rush forward and eliminate me. The truth is, you don't think you're in any shape to fight against me. You're worried you'll lose. And you're just hiding behind your deceptive words. You don't think you can defeat me."
"How…do you…"
"How do I know?" Neji asked, his eyes boring into hers, penetrating. Trying to find the truth.
"I can see it…"
"…with this eyes." she murmured. The first time she had tried to change herself…it was all coming back.
"I can see it," she said louder. "with these eyes."
His eyes burned in fury. She had hit a nerve. She could tell. She knew him now, and it angered him. Frightened him.
He rushed forward, those ivory eyes boring into him. Into his soul.
"Chidori!"
"Rasengan!"
She gasped and whipped around. Naruto was running forward, his once calm blue eyes blazing red.
"N-Naruto-kun…" she murmured, shell-shocked.
"Get out of the way!" he yelled. She remembered what was happening and quickly jumped out of the line of fire, leaving only the two of them.
The two best friends who, by some adverse fate, went separate paths. Their crimson gazes caught hold of each other, reflecting the exact same emotions. Anger. Frustration.
And…a plea. She thought, watching them both. A plea for forgiveness. She didn't need a bloodline limit to tell. It could be seen clearly.
Their techniques came in contact, and, in that instant, they knew. Everything was over.
They could never go back.
Neji looked out the window. An explosion from the cave on the mountainside.
Please don't let it be what I think it is, he thought, gripping the window ledge.
Hanabi looked at him with fearful eyes. He tried to return her gaze with a soothing one, but there was no fooling a Hyuga's eyes. She could see it plainly. He was worried as well.
"She…she's in that cave," Hanabi said softly. "isn't she." It wasn't a question.
Neji nodded anyway. Then, hoping to reassure her, he said. "It's alright. I'm sure Naruto's doing his best to protect her."
Hanabi simply nodded. She gazed out the window as well.
"And she's stronger then we may think." She looked at him, hardly daring to believe he had said that. His eyes offered no explanation on why he suddenly said that, so she turned back to the window. Her thoughts were elsewhere, though.
It's my fault.
Gaara raced down the mountainside, a roll of cloth tucked under his arm.
I have to hurry, he thought. No more blood shall be spilt on the sand.
It had all been his fault. If he hadn't been so blind to what Temari had been trying to tell him, maybe he would have had her a little longer. If he had only been smarter and known his father could never love him, maybe he could have refused. He could have stopped this madness before it had even started.
He could have prevented the guilt that was now consuming him.
It's my fault.
Naruto sat up. The smoke was clearing, but it was pretty hard to see.
"Hinata!" Naruto yelled, trying to stand up. His back still hurt. "Can you hear me? Where are you? Are you alright?"
He heard a soft cough near his left. "N-N-Naruto-kun, I-I'm fine!"
He managed to see her faint outline through the smoke. He ran towards her. "Are you sure?" he asked tenderly. She nodded. Both gazes locked, and for a brief moment, he felt something stir inside him. But it was broken when she quickly looked away.
"Th-thank you," she said softly, looking at the ground. "f-for p-protecting me."
He smiled. He placed his hand under her chin and tenderly turned her face so she was looking at him.
"Thanks," he said. "I was partly conscious, and I saw at least half of what you did to Sasuke. You were amazing."
"You've really changed, Hinata-chan."
She smiled back. Then, her face turned serious.
"We have to get back to the village."
"I know." he let go of her face, then he shook his head. "It might be too late, though-"
"I don't care." Hinata said, shaking her head. "We have to help."
They dashed out of the cave. It was pitch dark, except for the faint glow of a few scattered stars.
"Naruto!" Hinata yelled. "Look!"
Naruto turned to where she was pointing. A silhouetted figure lay on the ground, surrounded in what looked like blood.
"Who could that be?" Naruto murmured. Hinata looked at him, ivory eyes wide in fear.
"It…it's…Kakashi-sensei!"
"What!" Naruto ran towards the body. He stopped and looked down. It's not Kakshi-sensei. His mind whispered. Oh, sure, he's wearing the same clothes Kakashi-sensei usually wears, and his hair's pretty much the same color, and the face bears a striking resemblance. But there's one big difference; Kakashi-sensei's alive. The poor guy in front of me's dead.
He knelt closer. There was no way this man could be…
"…Kakashi-sensei." He murmured. No more games. No matter what his mind was saying, this was Kakashi-sensei. And he was dead.
It was strange. He didn't feel sadness or anger whatsoever. He just felt…drained. Empty. He stared unblinkingly at him; the crimson color of the blood trickling from his forehead was a stark contrast to the whiteness, of his pale, unmasked face.
"His mask…" Naruto drew back when the reality hit him. His mask wasn't on.
"Here." Hinata said softly, holding out the piece of black cloth. "I found it next to him."
She wasn't shedding any tears as well. It was as if they had gone through so much, they could no longer spare enough energy for emotion.
Naruto took it and placed it gently on Kakashi's face. The way it used to be.
"He didn't want people to see his face." Naruto said softly. "He didn't want people to know him. We'll respect that."
"Even in his death."
Without another word, he picked up Kakashi and slid his arm over his shoulder. He turned and nodded at Hinata. They no longer had a reason to stay. They raced down the mountainside.
After a few minutes, they broke free from the mountainside forest. Total chaos met their eyes.
Ninjas were everywhere. Some were fighting; some were fatally injured, some already dead. There were huge fires here and there, and new ones were breaking out every minute.
Naruto watched in stunned silence as even the children were caught in the crossfire. He saw some screaming for help. The braver ones were trying and failing to protect others.
He watched the brutal scenes play before his eyes. So many screams. So much pain.
Like before. Like the last time. Except much worse.
This is all my fault. He thought. If only I wasn't so weak…
"Naruto-kun," Hinata said softly. "Why is there guilt in your eyes?"
Damn that Byakugan…
"The destruction of Konoha," he said softly. "It would only go through if I was defeated. If I wasn't so weak, so pathetic, this wouldn't have happened."
He turned to look at her, his once-blue eyes turning fire-red with anger. Frustration.
"Why am I so weak?" he asked, trying to calm down. "Why am I so weak when it matters most? They think I'm so strong because the Kyuubi's in me! That's the only reason they have! This…this curse is the only thing that makes me strong! Why!"
He realized he was gripping her by the shoulders already, unable to contain his frustration any longer. Slowly, he let go.
"If I never had this thing inside me…" he looked into her soft, pale eyes, searching for answers. "…would you still think I was strong?"
"It's him!"
Their heads jerked upward. Sand Ninja's were all around them.
"I thought the Uchiha kid got rid of that monster!"
monster…
"Who cares? Get him before he gets us! It'll be too dangerous if he attacks first!"
dangerous…
"Kill him!"
Like before…all the tears…anger…pain…
No more! He thought, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to block out the screams and yells. Why won't they stop?
"ENOUGH!"
Gaara's voice rang out. The crowd parted to look at him. He was partly shadowed, but they could see his face clearly. It was full of hatred. Anger.
"Stop this madness. Only fools will follow a fools' orders."
After a few seconds of stunned silence, one of the Sand Nin stepped forward.
"Were to follow the Kaze-kage's order only." He growled. "What makes you think we'll listen to you?"
Gaara's teal eyes flashed in anger. As if in answer, he held up his arm.
Everyone drew back in horror.
A/N: Why are cliffies so popular among us authors? Oh, sorry if it's waaaay too much of a suspense...
Next chapter is final chapter!
Rei