Ok, not exactly my best writing but please review anyway. I think my pace is too fast, but I don't plan on making this storytoo long - so I'm just...hurrying things along... ... if this is a big problem please tell me.

Chapter 5

The street vendor watched with an amused expression as Kiba walked past him slowly, whistling, small bouquet of flowers dangling from one hand.

"Good evening, Kiba!" he called to the Inuzuka, throwing a few scraps at Akamaru.

Kiba waved in return. "Hey, old man. Business going good?"

"Same old, same old." He reached out to rub Akamaru's head. "A bit late today, aren't you? The girl's been there for nearly an hour already. Why, in my day, we men would never dream of letting a beautiful girl wait - "

He chuckled quietly at Kiba's scandalized expression before the boy disappeared along the path towards the shinobi cemetery, Akamaru close at his heels.

Well, he seems to have cheered up a bit lately. He smiled a little sadly. That girl must be doing him some good...

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The man took a step closer to Hanabi. Yes, it was him, the one who had stabbed Hinata through that day, it was HIM and he was here and

Perhaps Hinata is alive, after all.

"Take me to her." She repeated, voice strained.

....Perhaps he is going to kill me once he takes me away.

Perhaps he is lying.

Too easy, his expression said, and Hanabi knew she was breaking all the rules of the shinobi.

Perhaps I don't care.

Because Hanabi felt lost, and her heart was aching in an empty kind of pain, in a way she thought she had repressed with work, sake and Kiba-kun, and right now – right now, she couldn't care less if she was killed because all she wanted, all she wanted, dammit, was to see Hinata again. Even if it meant death. Even if it meant abandoning Konoha, her comrades, and Kiba-kun.

He bowed mockingly, face still twisted in a cruel smirk. "Keito at your service m'lady." A hand gestured towards the forest that bordered the graves. "Well, shall we?"

Keito. His name is Keito, then. Hanabi swallowed and moved a foot forwards.

Shuriken hissed between them, embedding themselves inches from her foot.

"HANABI-CHAN! STOP! HE'S DANGEROUS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP! HANABI -–"

"Kiba-kun!" she gasped when she saw the boy barreling towards them between the graves, face contorted in rage and fear. Akamaru was snarling as he lunged at the man's throat, fangs bared. "Stop! Kiba-kun –"

But Kiba was ripping into the man, howling, and Akamaru was lunging at his throat, and then Keito was cursing, stumbling backwards before steadying himself by kicking Akamaru away viciously. He drew out a kunai but Kiba knocked it out of his hand and punched him in the jaw, snarling all the way. "YOU! You BASTARD! What did you do to Shino and Hinata! Huh?" Another heavy punch. "Tell me what you fucking did to them, you bastard! YOU BASTARD!" Keito's hands formed a seal and Kiba flew backwards into a headstone, but he immediately struggled back onto his feet and lunged at Keito again, eyes wild, scrabbling on all fours, teeth bared. Keito had recovered from the initial surprise and now settled into a fighting stance which Hanabi did not recognize – Akamaru was thrown yowling into nearby thickets and Kiba found himself violently assaulted by a barrage of sharp, brutal jabs to his chest that knocked the air out of his lungs -

- must protect Hanabi-chan, must must –

he raised an arm to block the attacks and twisted around. "RUN! Find help, I'll take care of him– " but the words died in his throat as he gazed up at the girl, horrified at what he saw. Keito took the opportunity and savagely struck Kiba on the back with his elbow. Specks of blood appeared around Kiba's mouth, yet his focus was only on Hanabi because -

"Hanabi-chan –" he croaked. Hanabi bit her lip but continued to hold the kunai firmly at his throat.

"Stop." she whispered. She turned to Keito, who was moving to strike again at Kiba, and pushed herself in between the two, forcing Keito to back off. The sudden movement caused her kunai to slice a thin red line across Kiba's throat and her eyes widened. "Kiba-kun, I – "

Wild eyes stared up at her. "What is this – what – why?"

"Kiba-kun, he's taking me to find Hinata. I have to –"

Keito was advancing once more onto Kiba, rubbing the bruises on this jaw. "If you won't let me kill this vermin, we should at least trap him somewhere; he's only going to get in the way."

Hanabi ignored him. "Kiba-kun, please understand. Hinata is alive! She's alive, and I have to find her, and he's going to take me to her-"

"Are you stupid?" he yelled at her, incredulous. "You're going to be killed! Do you think they would actually let you walk in and save her, just like that? Are you CRAZY? THINK! What if this is all a trick to get you? Hanabi-chan, you can't do this! You'll –"

"Stop it! " her voice hardened but he could hear the undercurrents of confusion and blind, desperate hope. "I have to take this chance! Can't you see? If you hurt him we'll never find her, ever! I have to go and I won't let you stop me now – "

His eyes burned into hers and she flinched. "...You wouldn't hurt me." he said quietly. He lifted a hand to grab at her wrist.

Her grip on the kunai tightened and she pressed it harder against his throat. Blood began to trickle from the thin cut and his eyes widened, hurt.

"She's my sister, Kiba-kun." her voice cracked slightly.

"But what about ME?" he shouted at her, furious and hurting. "Who am I to you? How can you plan to leave me here like this? After all we've gone through - I'm coming with you –"

"It's too dangerous."

"THAT'S JUST IT!" Kiba bit out in frustration. "You NEED me to fight with you! If Shino and Hinata ARE still alive, I deserve to –"

"Enough." Keito scowled, and he pulled Hanabi away roughly, suddenly crouching down and kickly sharply upwards, sending Kiba crashing back once more into graves that cracked and crumbled upon impact, jagged edges cutting into his back.

"Kiba-kun!" Hanabi fisted her hands, restraining herself from hurrying to him.

I don't know why Keito is here, or why he is so willing to take me to Hinata. I don't know if I'll come back alive.

She winced and averted her eyes when Keito shattered headstones around them and sent them crashing onto Kiba, trapping his body under a mountain of marble and granite.

That is why I'm not going to let you risk your life with me, Kiba-kun.

Only Kiba's head remained visible, bruised and bloodied. He couldn't speak - his chest was crushed under the rubble -but his eyes never left hers, willing her silently not to leave him.

Hanabi turned away from him, averting her gaze. "Let's go" she told Keito abruptly. Her mind filled with images of Kiba reaching for her hand, Kiba kissing her softly on his bed, his forced grin and how it softened around her.

I know you tried to heal me

Keito's oily smile was back on his face as he stepped towards her. "Good, good.Can't keep your sister waiting, can we?"

And it's not your fault you couldn't, in the end.

Keito resumed his fighting stance. Hanabi started. What?

And then he jerked forwards, striking her forehead sharply.

Hanabi crumpled onto the ground.

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" - didn't even have to fight her, the little fool came willingly enough." Keito's voice seemed far, far away. "...one hit, and all I had to do was drag her back here..."

She could hear faintly a woman's voice replying. But the pain in her head was overwhelming her, and Hanabi sank back into unconsciousness.

There was something at the edge of her mind. A huge, looming figure, an ever-shifting mass of blood red and crimson.

Hanabi stood inside two enormous gates of white wrought iron, twisted spirals stabbing upwards in delicate patterns. She was surrounded by white on all sides. No walls, no nothing – just a white void with the gates in front of her, and the mysterious creature writhing behind it.

"Do it now, Yumiko." An impatient voice near her.

Hanabi woke up, startled. Eyes widened at the sight of Keito and a strange woman looming above her. "Where –"

And then suddenly the creature was in front of her again, a shrieking, huge phoenix, talons outstretched as it plunged into her, and she was back in the void –

- only this time the phoenix was right up against the gates, wings beating against the iron, furiously trying to force its way in, and oh God, it hurt. Hanabi clutched at her sides, barely able to keep herself from screaming as the phoenix tore at the metal. Every tear, every hit on the gates seemed to cause herself physical pain and she watched in alarm as the gates began to break open against the immense pressure.

Could this be -?

Ignoring the stinging pain she ran forwards, pushing them closed with all her strength, willing the phoenix to stay out.

"The bitch is JUST as stubborn as her sister! Damn Hyuuga women - Keito, this is never going to work – "

She could hear their voices again but she concentrated on shoving her body against the gates, biting her lip as the phoenix scratched and stabbed at her through the cracks.

"Hush, Yumiko. Concentrate.. ...this isn't over yet."

She knew what they were trying to do, having studied the sealing procedure herself during her extensive training. Was this why they brought her here? To seal some monster into her body? Is this what they did to Hinata? She knew she could hold on, keep the phoenix out, as long as she concentrated. Never mind the pain. She was shinobi...she could deal with it.

They'll have to try harder than that.

A piercing scream split through the air.

"HANABI! Oh God HANABI –"

Her eyes snapped open and she was momentarily blinded by the molten scarlet raging above and around her.

"STOP IT! LEAVE HER ALONE! Oh God, oh God HANABI – "

Her heart hammered against her ribs as she twisted violently, trying to see through the phoenix that was tearing at her body –

- and then she saw her. The phoenix lifted its wings, screeching, and in that instant she saw a girl – no, a woman – frail, beaten, scarred, but a woman nonetheless – struggling desperately against Keito. In that instant pale eyes met across the stone floor and two sisters found each other again, seven years on -

Hinata –

She opened her mouth to call to her – her heart was going to burst, she was so relieved, so happy, so grieved – what had they done to her? - but before she could speak she felt something break inside her.

The gates shattered -

- and the phoenix ripped into her mind, overwhelming her thoughts and senses.

Hanabi could hear Hinata screaming, and she was on fire, her body shuddering involuntarily as chakra flooded through her. Hinata watched as the phoenix finally consumed her sister, merging into the girl, vast wings shredding her back as they folded out from her body. No, no no no no no – Hanabi's body jerked upright, head hung, red-tinged hair covering her face. Seven long, tail-like feathers whipped out behind her and black marks curled up her whole body like ribbons, forming an intricate pattern along her pale skin.

An inhumane shriek wrenched out from Hanabi and her head was flung back, exposing her face -

- and Hinata screamed when she saw her eyes – wide, burning crimson orbs that seared her with the pure fury of the Feng-huan.