Yami Tenshi: Dark Angel

Disclaimer: Nothing ever changes. I don't own Naruto!

"Dialogue"

Thoughts

Chapter 8- One Last Chance

(From previous chapter)

Chiyo ran from the campus. She ran as fast as she could, for she knew what was happening to her. She struggled to stay awake, struggled to clear her vision. The familiar feeling was spreading and she ran all the faster. She ran towards the only one that could help her. Even though she knew that she would be punished for her actions that day, even though she knew he would be disappointed and the consequences would be severe...she still ran to him. She ran for her life.

She arrived home, limbs trembling and out of breath. Well…it couldn't really be called a home; it couldn't even be considered a house. Muttering under her breath, Chiyo canceled the jutsu she herself had put on the door, looking to see if anyone was coming. Dragon, horse, tiger, snake! The seal disappeared; the locks vanished as the Genjutsu was canceled. Chiyo pushed the door open, dropping her bookbag and nearly stumbled over a chair in her haste.

"Where is it!" Chiyo cursed loudly as her vision starred and her legs nearly gave out. A horrible scratching feeling started up behind her eyes, making her wince. Blindly, she dashed over to the kitchen drawers, yanking them open so far that the drawer came all the way out, dumping the contents all over the floor. Empty syringes clattered to the tiles and rolled everywhere as the glass vials smashed, empty.

No, no, no! The girl bit her tongue as a fresh wave of pain crashed in her body, moving to yank the next drawer out. Pouches and boxes met her eyes- all empty. Shit! I didn't know I had run out! "Damn it!" Chiyo ran to the bedroom, emptying the drawer at her bedside. Out tumbled various objects, but none of them turning out to be the one she craved; the one she needed so badly at the present moment.

The medicine cabinet in the bathroom slammed open. Shaking hands frantically swept across the numerous bottles, picking them up, and then throwing them aside. Bleary, unfocused, panicked obsidian eyes scanned the labels. The pills rattled inside their cases as they were dropped to the floor or thrown in a rage across the bathroom. "Shit!" Advil, Tylenol, God, I can't read these! Chiyo stumbled across the length, width, and perimeter of the dank, grungy, dark and shabby apartment, angry and frantic at the same time.

"Looking for something, angel?" The girl stiffened at the oily sounding, sly, seductive voice. "Looking for something you can't find…that only I can give you?" A disgustingly long, slimy, pink tongue darted out in between cracked, thin, pale lips as a chilling laugh filled the room. "Come here, my dark angel."

Chiyo turned, stumbling forward a few steps. Her legs finally gave out underneath her slight form and she collapsed to her knees, cringing when another sharp pain lanced through her temples, sending fresh agony throughout her consciousness. She closed her eyes; they by now felt as if they were melting in their sockets. "I'm sorry, Master…" she whispered, voice shaking as she trembled. "Forgive me, my lord…please…"

A pale man stood in the shadows, observing the teenage girl who shook in front of him. He wore a black silk suit, obviously being very wealthy. Smirking with cruel, morbid amusement, his tongue darted out in between his lips again, this time extending to an impossible length. It reached out to touch Chiyo's pale cheek.

Chiyo shuddered when she felt the organ touch her face, inwardly cringing as it began traveling slowly up and down the length of her cheek, as if the man were choosing to caress her in a disgusting way from afar. Then, suddenly, the man's tongue wrapped around her pale, slender throat, squeezing tightly. Instead of letting her hands fly to her throat, as any other human being would have done, the girl stayed on her knees, making no move as her airway was cut off, depriving her body of oxygen. I will not show weakness, I will not cry out for mercy, I will not beg for relief like a frail, ignorant girl…

"What were you thinking today, Ansatsusha, hmm?" Using his tongue, which was still wrapped around Chiyo's neck, the man dragged the teenager closer, seeming to have no trouble talking even as his tongue extended from his mouth. "Didn't I warn you of disobeying me and using your chakra, for any reason at all? And why did you disobey me? Oh yes, so you could stand up for a newfound friend you found. Is that it? Answer me!"

The girl's lips and skin were turning blue, but she nodded shakily. Something warm and wet rolled down her cheek. She didn't dare reach up and wipe it away, for she already knew what it was. Blood. My eyes…

"So you admit it. Do you know how much you endangered yourself by fighting that Haruno girl? Not only did you put your abilities on display for the world to see, but you just had to do it in front of the Uchiha, didn't you? Then you come back here, rummaging around, looking for that precious substance that you crave oh so desperately, running around and looking like a chicken with its head cut off. Tell me, my angel," The man let up a bit of the pressure around Chiyo's throat, but his voice dropped another lethal octave in the process. "Why should I forgive you? Why should I show you mercy?"

"T-two…men…tonight…"

The ghostly man laughed. "Two men? Are you trying to bargain with your master, you bitch? Bad dog, no treat for you."

"Please, master…I beg of you…" Chiyo rasped out. She could barely manage getting the words past her lips. "Please…" Unable to fight it anymore, she went limp in the vicious grasp, finally succumbing to the powerful pulls of darkness.

The man silently observed the unconscious girl for a moment more before finally loosing the death grip he had on her throat. Chiyo's body fell to the floor among the shards of glass and bottles, head hitting the cold floor hard. Twin tracks of crimson snaked down her cheeks and stained her shirt. Grinning, he lapped up one trail, smirking as Chiyo flinched, even in unconsciousness. "Kabuto," he called lazily.

A shape appeared beside him with a small explosion of smoke. "Yes, master?"

"Did you bring it?"

"Of course, sir. Shall I give it to her?"

"Yes. Let's give her one last chance." The man chuckled darkly. Reaching inside his suit pocket, he pulled out a knife of some kind and with practiced aim, sent it flying towards the far wall. Giving the girl on the floor one last uninterested glance, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The man named Kabuto sighed and stepped out of the shadows. Walking over a few steps, he flipped a switch and the dark, dirty apartment was poorly illuminated with a flickering light. The light revealed grey hair, glasses, and a box he was carrying under his arm. He was a relatively young man, mid-twenties, one would guess. But of course, no one knew his real age, it was hard enough to even get a glimpse of the young man now and again.

"Ah, Kimimaro," he suddenly spoke, eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "You should be resting. Aren't you scheduled to have another round of chemotherapy right around…" Kabuto glanced at his watch. "…now?"

"…It wasn't needed." Kaguya Kimimaro said, his voice calm. His laconic grey-green eyes were expressionless as he spoke.

"Does he know that you're here?" Kabuto queried, tone suspicious. He set down the box on the small table and opened it, examining the contents inside. "I take your silence as a 'no'." He lifted the syringe out and began filling it up with a strange, amber liquid. Slowly, methodically, he approached Chiyo's motionless figure on the floor, syringe held high like some sort of dangerous weapon. He stopped as a Kimimaro's voice cut through the air like a knife.

"Kabuto-sensai, please, let me."

With a raised eyebrow, Kabuto held out the syringe to his subordinate. Expressionless, Kimimaro took it, gazing back at the other man, waiting. Three minutes dragged on for what seemed like an eternity, until Kabuto stepped back, a dark smirk arranged on his face. Don't do this to yourself, Kimimaro…you are setting yourself up to crash and burn. Don't care so much for her, lest she become the bane of your existence. A final chuckle left his lips and then with a puff of smoke, he disappeared.

After Kabuto had disappeared, Kimimaro stood in the dirty apartment, motionless. A minute ticked by, and loudly at that. With a sweep of his arm that no mortal eye could follow, he silenced the offending object. Upon closer inspection, one would have observed what appeared to be a piece of his finger sticking out from the clock's cracked surface.

Kimimaro didn't even look down as his finger automatically began building itself back up, the muscles, tendons, flesh, and skin wrapping around a new bone. Stooping, he carefully lifted Chiyo up and walked to the bedroom, the syringe being carried firmly between his teeth. He frowned at how light the girl seemed. Too light even for the mere child she was. With all the care and gentleness of a parent, he laid Chiyo's limp body down upon the saggy mattress and threadbare, patched blanket.

Chiyo, why do you always do this to yourself? Why can you not…Kimimaro shook his head and tore off some cloth from his dress shirt, using it as a makeshift washcloth. In the bathroom, he gazed at the cracked, dirty mirror for a moment before attempting to turn the handles of the faucet. Brown, murky water spewed out after three seconds. Grey-green eyes squinted briefly in barely concealed annoyance before elegant fingers swiftly made hand signals.

The washcloth now damp, Kimimaro went back to Chiyo's still form and gently wiped the twin tracks of blood from her face, faint hints of regret and sorrow creeping over his otherwise blank features. Once the girl's face once again shone eerily like milk bathed in pale moonlight, Kimimaro turned and picked up the syringe he had set on the rickety bedside table.

One more chance, Chiyo…that is all Master Orochimaru will allow you. Please do not throw it away. A piece of his long hair fell in his eyes, but he didn't reach up to push it back. He blinked once, exhaled slowly, and plunged the needle into Chiyo's arm.

The girl's body jerked upwards, convulsing. Spasms wracked Chiyo's slender frame as the amber liquid shot into her body, entering her bloodstream immediately and rushed towards her heart. Her brain. Her eyes. Kimimaro stepped back in the shadows watching the scene play out before his eyes, yet he did nothing. Even in unconsciousness, Chiyo rasped for air, her body shaking as if in a seizure.

At last, it stopped. With a shuddering breath, Chiyo went limp on the bed, looking like a wet rag doll. Kimimaro let out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding and then set his jaw tightly. His job here was done; he should be getting back to Master Orochimaru, yet for some reason, he stayed.

Silently approaching the bed, he looked down upon Chiyo, at her raven hair, perfect complexion, and her innocent appearance. Something inside his chest twisted and constricted painfully and Kimimaro was reminded of the pain when undergoing chemotherapy. Slowly, he reached out a hand towards his colleague, his comrade, and dare he say it? His…friend…?

All of a sudden, his eyes turned steely and he snatched his hand back. His jaw ached and he bit his lip. Forcing himself to turn, Kimimaro quickly made some hand signals and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving the dimly lit apartment silent and empty. The bloodstained piece of a fine dress shirt lay on the bed, beside an empty syringe. And as dusk began to fall, a still, pale hand…twitched. The fingers searched blindly for a second before closing around the empty syringe.

CRASH. The fingers closed together, shattering the syringe and making blood drip. That same hand reached up and grabbed the knife that was sticking out of the wall. Out in the distance, sirens could be heard screaming, as if predicting what was about to happen. The Dark Angel had awakened, and was out for blood…literally.

TBC

A/N: Yikes! Dodges sharp objects thrown at her I'm sorry! I know I promised that this chapter would be up soon. Yeah…soon. Laughs nervously as she looks at a calendar

Anyway! I wanted to say thank you so much to those people who reviewed even when they saw that I hadn't updated in so long. Oh, and a special thank you to my last reviewer, who persuaded me to continue! Thank you fairydustgems !