Disclaimer: I have never, and will never, own Naruto.
Summary: When Sasuke killed Naruto, Naruto expected to go visit the angels in heaven. He never knew that sometimes the thing you most desire is often found if you just open your eyes…and unlock your heart. When the mission ended, everyone thought Naruto died, but when the Sound attacks a weakened Konoha, a ghost from the past will show them that life will go on, and angels do exist.
Warning: Major cursing and swearing.
X-X
Chapter 8: Fighting the Music
X-X"Damn," Naruto breathed out as he fell onto one of the plush couches in their room. Despite his exhaustion, he couldn't help but smile brightly. "That was great!"
"The reception was better than I could have hoped for," Salira's voice was hoarse from the overuse. Mingan gave her a third full glass of water and watched in amusement as she gulped the water down without taking a breath. Salira let out a breath of relief before glaring half-heartedly at her partner. "Shut up," she said simply.
Mingan raised his hands in defense, a smile tugging at his lips, "Haven't said a word."
"You were thinking it."
Mingan shrugged. No use arguing with the truth. Kyuubi snickered as she walked out of the bathroom dressed in a ruby red robe and drying her hair with a towel. "Who's next for the shower?"
Naruto slowly rose from his seat and walked to the open door, only to be pushed aside and have that door slammed in his face. "Salira!" he screeched.
"I deserve it more than you!" came the answering cry. "So buzz off!"
"Why I-"
"Naruto, sit down." Mingan sighed. "She'll be out before you know it."
"After she uses the hot water." Naruto glared and lay back down on the couch, covering his eyes with his arm.
Mingan shrugged, "Which is why Kyuu and I got ours already."
Naruto raised his arm and stared at his friend. "I hate you," he said weakly.
Mingan shrugged. "I know."
Naruto sighed and lowered his arm again and, after a few moments, grinned happily as the door opened and Salira poked her head out.
"I need to use the hairdryer in here, but if you want to come in, you're more than welcome to."
Naruto jumped up and ran in.
Mingan and Kyuubi sighed shaking their heads. Feeling tired, they released their human forms and trotted into the bedroom. Mingan curled up on the rug separating the two double beds. Kyuubi, having grown considerably in the last few years and now the same size as Mingan, curled up next to the wolf and buried her snout under his chin. Content, they both fell asleep.
-x-
WHEN Naruto walked into the bathroom he saw Salira leaning in front of a mirror armed with a hairdryer in one hand and a brush in the other. Having dropped her disguise earlier, Salira was now standing in front of a large mirror brushing out her waist-length hair that was thrown carelessly over her shoulder. "Why don't I cut this?" she murmured absently to herself as she struggled with some tangles.
"Because despite the troubles, you enjoy it," Naruto shrugged, taking off his vest and lifting his shirt over his head after returning to his true form. "Besides, it looks good on you 'nee-chan."
Pleased, Salira smiled and straightened. She flipped her hair over her shoulder as she saw her brother step into the shower stall. Moments later, Naruto threw his pants and undergarments out from behind the curtain. "What would I do without you?" she asked after she heard the water turn on.
Naruto's water soaked hair appeared from behind the curtain. "Not much. You'd be too crippled to even go through the trouble of maintaining you hair."
Naruto's laughter was abruptly cut off as a towel was thrown at his face.
-x-
KOUMYOU was awake and at their stage as the sun turned the sky pink as it was rising over the horizon. They were each equipped with a large garbage bag and listening to the music blaring from a portable CD player on the stage as the sun crept over the peaks of the Hokage Mountain.
"You never grow tried of watching it," Naruto sighed as he bent over to toss another piece of garbage in the bag. Surprisingly, Konoha citizens were a lot neater than most of the other places they've been to.
"Gorgeous." Salira agreed and held her bag open as Kyuubi swept a large pile of garbage into it.
Mingan grunted. He was not a morning person. "The sun rises everyday and you say the same thing everyday!"
Kyuubi smacked him in the head with the broom, the bristles leaving a patch of dust on the drummer's back. "Spoilsport."
Mingan grumbled and swung up onto the stage before proceeding to check over and adjust the instruments and equipment.
The trio shared a grin behind the wolf's back.
-x-
THE villagers arrived at noon that day. Excitement was sizzling in the air and everyone was eager for a second performance. Chatter was found in abundance and even the shinobis were relaxing. They all lined up around the stage and waited. When the clock struck one, the curtains opened except, this time, it was Toru at the mike and Li strumming the guitar.
"Are you guys ready?" Li cried out into the mike in front of her. The crowd cheered in response.
Toru stood in front of the mike and grasped the guitar hanging around his own neck. "Be prepared," he cautioned his a smile. "'Cause anything can happen." And with that, their second concert begun, the guitar, bass, and drums starting in sync with one another as their first song began.
"I am so high, I can hear heaven," Toru sang, his normally smooth baritone coming out rough and scratchy, yet, he sang melodically; in tune with the instrument's slow rhythm. "I am so high, I can hear heaven," he sang again, his eyes closed as his head beating gently to the drumbeats. "Oh, but heaven, no heaven don't hear me," he held the last note as the tempo picked up and his vibrant eyes snapped open.
Toru's arm snapped into motion as he started strumming his guitar in tune with Li's. "And they say that a hero can save us, I'm not gonna stand here and wait…" Despite his multitasking, Toru's voice never once faltered as he sung the chorus. "I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles; watch as we all fly away." The note fell away abruptly as they smoothed their way into the next verse.
"Someone told me, love will not save us. But how can that be, look what love gave us." He let the note fall as he jumped into the next line, singing with all his heart. "A world full of killing, and blood-spilling; that world never came…"
The chorus came next; more forceful this time and the last word ended in a rough cry as Naruto paved the way for the guitar instrumental that he and Li provided. Suddenly, all the instruments died down and then stopped, their final notes echoing in the air before Toru's voice picked up softly where they left off as his head bent over the mike. "Now that that world isn't ending, its love that I'm sending to you." He voice rocked softly as though he was speaking to a lover. "It isn't the love of a hero and that's why I fear it won't do." He raised his head and everyone could briefly see the fear blatant in his cerulean gaze.
The music came back climatically. "And they say that a hero can save us. I'm not gonna stand here and wait-"
An explosion startled them all. Everyone that is, except Koumyou who had dreaded its arrival.
The Leaf shinobis sprung into action as they watched in horror as the marketplace burst into flames and hundreds of Sound shinobi jumped from the trees, catching the relaxed shinobis by surprise. Koumyou jumped into action.
Mingan jumped over his drums and ran to the villagers concentrating on the earth's aura around him. "Tsuchi Tate (Earth Shield)." He murmured softly, slamming his palms into the ground. Dirt and sand grew and surrounded the villagers before hardening and forming an impenetrable barrier around them just in time to deflect a massive sound wave from hitting the vulnerable townspeople.
Kyuubi remained on stage and summoned her bow and quiver to her hands. She then took aim. One after another, flaming arrows flew through the air, impaling themselves into the Oto-nins, and killing them before they hit the ground. Once killing their targets, the arrows returning to the fox's quiver to be used once more.
Salira and Naruto abandoned their guitars and raced to fight alongside the shinobis of Konoha. Back-to-back, side-by-side, the twins drew their weapons – Naruto grasping his kusarikama while Salira enlarged her boomerang and unsheathed her sword – and joined the fray, expertly weaving and parrying the attacks aimed at their vitals.
Ever so slowly, with the aid of the young band members, the shinobis fought back, turning the ambush into victory for Konoha. However, victory too, became uncertain as a new wave of shinobi materialized. Try as they might, the Sound was turning the tides against them once more.
Forced to retreat, Naruto and Salira were pushed back to the stage. Kyuubi met them at the edge, still loosing her fire-slicked arrows. "Its too hard," the fox growled as sweat began to form at her temples. "To maintain this form and to fight; its too hard. Mingan feels the strain as well."
Salira bit her lip as she thought over their options. "Naruto," she murmured softly - in case a Leaf-nin was nearby - as she dipped low to avoid a horizontal slash aimed at her neck.
In sync with his sister's movements, Naruto leaned over Salira's crouching form as threw his chain. With a flick of his wrist he wrapped it around the assailant's neck and tugged him closer before beheading him with the sickle. As he finished, Salira rolled out from her spot and spun her boomerang around, deflecting a kunai as she drove her sword into the surprised attacker's abdomen.
"Yes?" he said, panting softly as he absently sent the chain through an advancing Sound-nin's chest before retracting it, killing him instantly.
"How would Konoha feel about seeing Kyuubi again?" She asked as she deflected a fatal blow intended for her brother whom spun around to kill the offending shinobi.
"We're in the middle of a battle," Swish. Gasp. Slice. A kunoichi fell dead at Naruto's feet. "At the moment, they won't care as long as she's helping them. Afterwards," the blond shrugged, parrying a blow and killing another shinobi. "We'll just have to see."
"Got it," Salira nodded flinging her boomerang and killing five of their attackers at once. "Kyuubi?"
The feral grin that appeared on the bassist's face halted a few of her attackers in their places. Flames erupted around the female and, before anyone could blink, a large nine-tailed fox sprung out from the flames, attacking the nearest Oto-nin and sinking her fangs into his jugular.
Before anyone could react, Kyuubi was up again, pouncing on her next victim before she was off once more; nine bright, ruby red tails sailing seductively behind her.
The silence was broken as shouts ran throughout the crowd:
"It's the Kyuubi!"
"The Kyuubi no Youkai!"
"Its back!"
Only a handful of people thought differently about the sight of the legendary fox demon.
Kakashi looked up from his group of fighters. Naruto? He thought, looking around. That brief hesitation was all the Oto-jounin needed to slash his katana at the ex-ANBU Captain's back.
He found himself missing an arm.
Kakashi spun around in time to see the fatal sword fall at his feet, still grasped in the hand, and Kyuubi land lightly in front of him. The youkai's gaze caught his and he could have sworn that he saw it grin and wink at him before leaping off again.
What the- he didn't get the chance to finish that thought before he was surrounded once more. Angry at the interruption, he attacked more vigorously.
Mingan smiled to himself from within the dirt prison. With his keen hearing, he was one of the few people inside that could hear the commotion outside. "Always making a scene," he murmured to himself before saying more loudly: "Don't be afraid." He then glowed whiter briefly and switched into his animal form. In his place was a tall gray wolf, standing proudly, head high as he faced the wall. Much better, he thought happily.
The Sound-nins grew more frightened and sloppy at the sight of the red fox. The shinobis of Konoha decided to push their fears aside – as the Kyuubi seemed to be helping them – and attacked more briskly.
Within a few long, agonizing moments, the clearing was empty of any attackers. Yet, they couldn't help but feel apprehension. All eyes were on Kyuubi as she walked amongst the corpses. The veteran fighters couldn't help but get into battle-stances, hoping for the best and prepared for the worst.
However, Kyuubi ignored them all in favor of walking over to Naruto's crouching form. When she got there, Naruto ruffled her ears briefly before standing up to face Konoha once more, this time, with no disguises. Kyuubi sat protectively at his side and wrapped her tails around his feet.
Only one shinobi stepped forward.
Kakashi stepped away from the group until he was standing between the shinobis and the familiar whiskered-faced, blond that should, on all accounts, be dead. "Naruto?" he asked tentatively.
Naruto smiled softly, blue eyes twinkling in the sun. He rested his hand on Kyuubi's head for comfort. "Hai," he said quietly. "Tadaime Kakashi-sensei."
X-XOkay. This one's shorter than the last, but just as pleasing to write. I hope you enjoyed it. The song is "Hero" by Chad Kroeger.