A/N: For those who guessed Orochimaru, you are correct! Thanks Akki-chan for suggesting the same idea I have in mind! Hehe!

Fallen

Whether it was instincts or not, she was sure someone was outside the door, watching her. She could feel his eyes on her, and it only brought back her fear of being touched by other men. Despite a certain Fallen's claim on her, she still felt like she was untouched. Her eyes went wide when that person entered the room, skin deathly pale, eyes a bright yellow, his hair was long and pitch black. She knew, just from the sinister smirk, as well as from the three pairs of battered bat-like wings, that this was none other than Hellarium.

Chapter 7: Heaven and Hell

He laughed, and she backed away to the wall, feeling trapped and helpless. She wanted to call for help, but it wouldn't work, her voice won't obey her command. Or maybe it was because he had silenced her with a snap of his fingers.

"So we finally meet in person…" he hissed, raising her whole body up, choking her at the process. He smirked when her hands tried to pry her cold, pale fingers off of her neck. "Such soft and smooth hands dear Chosen, too bad I have to take you to my realm down below." he transferred outside the house, startling the two men who had just finished eliminating the rogues. "Say goodbye to your guardian and adviser." And a black portal appeared behind him as he took a step back, entering the abyss, bringing Sakura with him.

She opened her mouth, no sound came out but the two knew who she was calling out to. Kakashi and Sasuke rushed to the portal in an attempt to pull her out. It was like déjà vu, just like the day when a secular had taken Sakura. His hands were near her outstretched one, and like slow motion, he was going to make it! But then, Orochimaru had smirked and pulled her backwards, causing the Fallen to stumble on the ground and watch as the portal slowly fade, taking away the only person he has finally learned to love.

"Sakura!"

Kakashi reached his side and pulled him up. "Come on, we can still save her, it'll take a long time to open a portal but we can make it." He brought out his wings and told his pupil to do the same. Both then headed towards Jiaraiya's place, at the same time, sending a telepathic message to Kakashi's counterpart as well as the other guardians of the Chosen.

"Sakura, I promise, I'll bring you back, wait for me." He thought, clenching his fists at the process and eyes narrowing, black shifting to red from time to time. Death noticed the Angelus' behavior and couldn't help but smile slightly. "He finally found someone he would love and care for."

"Hellarium took Sakura?"

Neji nodded as Naruto sat down in disbelief. Shikamaru, who seemed like he wasn't interested, turned to them, eyebrows raised as his gaze landed on Sasuke and Kakashi. "How can he take her when you two were there?" Kakashi sighed and leaned back on the back rest, looking up at the ceiling. "He took her."

"Hellarium took Sakura?"

"Yes." Neji said again when the blonde demon asked.

"Hellarium took-" Iruka bonked Naruto on the head and sighed. "Anyway, we'll have to wait for Jiraiya before we can open the portal." When he said that, Sasuke stood up and walked towards Jiraiya's room, knocked on the door and told him to come out. The others blinked and looked at him, not used to the way he's acting lately. They turned to Kakashi who shrugged. "He's in love." Neji narrowed his eyes at this and turned to Sasuke. "You fell in love with her?" Shikamaru also turned to his Angelus friend. "You do know that it was forbidden from the start. You're repeating what your ancestors did in the past."

Naruto, on the other hand, had a different reaction. "Alright! You finally admit it! Way to go Sasuke!" the others sighed and Iruka only hit him on the head again. Neji approached Sasuke and placed a hand on his shoulder, gripping it tight as Sasuke turned to him with narrowed eyes. The Hyuuga only glared. "Did you claim her already?" he asked, hoping he'd say no. Unfortunately, that smirk only proved him wrong and Neji couldn't help but give his friend a punch. "Out of the four of us, you were the one I least expect who would ever fall in love with the Chosen! She has to remain pure Sasuke! Now how can she ever unleash her hidden powers? It's been decades and still, the same damn mistake happens! That's why this world still hasn't been in pure peace or pure chaos!"

Sasuke only laughed a bit, getting on Neji's nerves. "If the place was in pure chaos, everyone dies and goes to Hell. If it's absolute peace, everyone will still die but go to Heaven." He faced Neji with sharingan eyes, the smirk not leaving his face. "It would be too perfect if it was peaceful, on the other hand, it would be too problematic. Either way, it still won't be a good life to live. We make mistakes Neji, it proves how much we can't be perfect despite how many times we try to be." He closed his eyes and calmed down a bit. "That's why the world is still in balance. When there's Good, there's Evil. When there's Light, there's dark. Everything has always been balanced from the very beginning."

Shikamaru crossed his arms at this. "Good point though." Neji, however, was infuriated. "Even so, why are you preventing, why is it that the Angelus always has to stop the law and prophecy of the Heavens? What is it that you are planning? The resurrection of your race..?" Sasuke shook his head. "That was the original plan of my ancestors, however," he looked at all of them, a small smile on his lips, that was a first for his friends. They've never seen him smile, it was always a smirk. "That's all in the past, Sakura taught me how to love and feel again, she taught me something I could never learn from anyone else. It's a complicated feeling, but that's what makes me have the will to fight." He looked down a bit. "Besides, aren't you glad that she isn't a virgin anymore? At this rate, Orochimaru won't be able to let her choose eternal chaos."

Silence answered him as everyone had let the information sink into their heads. Kakashi rubbed his chin at this, thinking about it. "He does have a point there, and yeah, that's already an advantage. Still, care to tell us what's your real motive?" his adopted son shrugged and turned back to the door, a smirk on his face. "I love her."

"Ugh!"

Her head turned to the side from the impact of the slap he gave her. She slowly turned back to him, eyes dilating in fear as Orochimaru snickered. He was dressed in an all black robe, his wings were out and everywhere she looked, there were little imps who sneered at her. Sakura shook, afraid of what they might do to her. Her wrists were bound by thin wires, her waist was also secured with the same type of rope and she was bound on a wooden cross that was black and stained with blood. When Hellarium had taken her here, he ordered female devils to strip her off of her garments and clothes her with a pure white satin dress, looking like she was going to be sacrificed to Orochimaru himself.

"I was originally going to have you choose eternal chaos, however, because of an Uchiha's claim on you…" he narrowed his eyes at her. "You no longer have the power to do so." He smirked. "Sasuke is very tricky…"

"W-what do you mean…?" she asked weakly, her breaths shallow because of the beating she received from the man before her. "He knows that I will take you here one day, and before that day happens, he took a first step to preventing me from gaining what I want, he claimed you as his." His mind began to think of a few things and he snickered at the idea he had come up with. "He used you to defeat me."

"T-That's a lie!"

"Oh really? Dear Chosen, a Fallen doesn't feel, love is pathetic to them, they breed or mate because they need to keep their kin alive and still productive. He merely did two with one move. He managed to defeat me at the same time, resurrect his family. You became a victim of it."

"Sasuke is different! He didn't use me! He did it because he loves me!" she yelled, determined to prove to Hell's leader how wrong he is about Sasuke. "I detect doubt in your voice. But it's hard to tell with your fiery spirit." He sighed at this. "But I'm sure by now, he's forgotten all about you."

"That's not true!"

"Prove it then, he isn't here yet Chosen, and it's been a long time. How sure are you that he's coming? He won't come for you, especially since he now knows that I can't win. Now I'll have to wait for another Decade." He caught the look of her widened eyes and he smirked once more. "He won't save you, believe me on that." And he turned his back on her, walking away, leaving her reflect on the words he let her hear. "No. I won't believe him. He's lying, Sasuke will come!" his words haunted her head once more. "He will… right..?" She shook her head, erasing the doubt that her mind now bore. But still, she can't help but somehow feel like… "Sasuke… used me…"

Unaware was she that Orochimaru had laughed from afar, sensing how she had given in to him, to his trick. He walked back to her and noticed how her face was in deep pain. The look of hurt was evident. "Now, what has gotten into you?" She shook and let the tears fall. "There, there…" he said, releasing the ropes that bound her as her body fell from the cross, him catching her. "Don't worry about it too much, unlike Sasuke, I won't leave you." And her green eyes slowly turned to dark and lifeless ones. "Trust me." He said, placing an index finger below her chin and tilting her head up to meet his face. He leaned down as Sakura stared at him, her mouth slowly opening. "I… trust…"

"I love you. I know it now, I'm sure of it, and I won't deny it."

Her eyes widened, shifting back to green as she pushed Orochimaru away. She held onto her head, hearing Sasuke's voice, recalling the words and confession he gave. Orochimaru furrowed his eyebrows. "I need to make her mine in order to get what I want at least. Her powers can be unleashed. Her full heal can make me grow stronger to defeat Life and Death combined." He pushed her against the cross, pinning her there as she whimpered from the pain. Her eyes looked at him with fear as Orochimaru gazed back with a forced "nice" look. "Your head is hurting because of him, if he truly loves you, he would've been here, or he wouldn't cause you this much pain." He made her face him, their lips centimeters apart. "One kiss is all I need to have full control over you Chosen."

And yet, there was something about her that made him lust over her. She was beautiful, no doubt about it. She had a unique hair color that smelled so divine, and her eyes were an enchanting emerald, not to mention how smooth her skin felt against his pale and rough ones. He was a Devil after all, and instead of the one who does temptation, he was being tempted by this girl in front of him. She was more than an Angel, and it made him lust her more. "So this is what the Fallen has seen in her… such innocence can drive anyone crazy…" he said, gazing into her eyes.

Sakura couldn't move. Her mind told her to knee Hellarium on the crotch but she just can't. He had held her body still against the cross, and slowly, his right hand was lifting her skirt up and feeling her thighs. She shivered with fear, yet her mind kept playing back the night Sasuke did the same thing to her. And for that, Orochimaru used this as his advantage. He smirked inwardly, planting in her mind who he was, and he opened his mouth, his voice sounding different as he mentioned her name, and she opened her eyes in shock to see Sasuke in front of her.

"Sasuke-kun..?" she asked, unsure. He only gazed back at her with the look she knows so well, and without any hesitations, she embraced him and began to cry. Feeling his arms wrap around her waist. "I thought you'd never come! I grew worried and afraid!" she exclaimed as he hushed her, stroking her pink hair. "Don't worry, I won't let that happen again…"

"Yosh," Jiraiya stood up, discarding the white piece of chalk he used earlier to create a six-pointed star. "I can open a portal to bring you to Hell or Heaven, but only one can go, and there's time limit. If you don't make it in time, there's no way you can ever go back." He said sternly, eyeing the whole group. He took out a black book and read a certain page. "I need to know first, who's going?"

"I will."

Sasuke stepped forward as Jiraiya told him to stand in the middle of the star. He was clad in his almost all-black attire, a.k.a. Battle clothes, making him look like he was part of a Yakuza. The others also wore the same clothes, black shirt, dark blue denim pants and a black trench coat reaching four inches above their ankles. They also had fingerless gloves on their hands as Jiraiya made sure Sasuke had his black wrist band with him in case he needed his katana. "I'll tell you where you should stand then," he said to the others. "And once you're there, prepare the seal of the tiger and concentrate your energy ki on the middle. Keep it up until he and Sakura returns, otherwise, the portal will close and we can definitely not bring them back."

"Holy crap! That's risky!" Naruto exclaimed. "I know, but it has to be done." He told Iruka to stay on one end, opposite to him was Kakashi. They were the north and south point. He told Naruto to stand next to Kakashi as Neji did the same to Iruka, and then pointed the one between Naruto and Iruka where Shikamaru stood. Lastly, he positioned himself on the remaining point and all six prepared the seal of the tiger. "Ready Sasuke?" he asked. The teen nodded, standing in the middle. "Alright, now!" and they closed their eyes, concentrating their chakra on the middle. Wind started to gather around them as a portal below Sasuke slowly opened, transporting him to Hell, the others still holding their positions.

He fell all the way down and landed on the ground on one knee. It was too dark, but he could still see none the less. Sasuke searched the area, looking for any sign of pink or white. The only thing he caught sight of was a single Secular, glaring at him, it's teeth dripping with sticky saliva and tongue sticking out of its mouth, trying to have a taste of the Fallen. He glared at it and brought out his katana, readying an attack stance as the rogue charged towards him without hesitation.

With a swift move, he ducked and plunged the sword's point towards the secular's chest, hearing the blade stab right through its thick scaly skin and pierce the soft muscles of the heart, purple blood oozing out. He avoided the sticky liquid and slashed his blade on thin air, the blood sliding off as he continued to walk and look for Sakura. He only had ten minutes altogether to save Sakura and get both of them out of here. Right now, there were eight minutes, approximately, left for him to look for his mate and leave Hell.

"S-Sasuke…" she whimpered as he stopped and looked at her. Sakura was half-naked below his topless body and she was panting heavily. He hovered above her neck yet his eyes gazed onto her flushed face. "What is it?" she looked uncertain for a moment before looking at him straight. "Why are we doing this here..? I mean… shouldn't we leave this place-" she got cut off when he began to suck on her skin again, licking it afterwards as she arched onto him. "I know that, but we have to wait for Naruto and the others before we can leave."

She stopped and looked at him, pushing him away as he gave her a questioning gaze. "No way… the Sasuke I know would say "Aa" instead of "I know". And he would most likely direct Naruto as "idiot" or "dead last" instead of by his first name…" she sat up abruptly and backed away from him, gathering her white garments and covering herself with it, her head hung low. "Who are you..? You're not Sasuke…"

"Sasuke" smirked and laughed mockingly. This was definitely not Sasuke. "Too bad, I almost had you… just one kiss and I could've gotten you, but no, it looks like I'll have to do this the hard way." Sakura's eyes widened when he turned back to his true form, and she felt disgusted to see that it was Orochimaru. "Y-you… y-you..!" she couldn't blurt out what she wanted to say, and for that, Hellarium was snickering. "Wait 'till Sasuke hears what I've done to his Sakura." He murmured, looking up when a familiar figure had dashed towards them, eyes blazing red as the commas in them began to swirl dangerously. "Bastard..!" he yelled and stabbed his katana on the ground, separating Oro from Sakura. "What the fuck did you do to her?" he asked, his grip on the katana tightening.

"Like you said…" he snickered some more. "I fucked her up."

"Asshole!" he yelled and landed a punch on his face. Oro spat out blood but the smirk remained on his lips. "I would have evaded if only I don't enjoy your facial expression and reaction. She sure has a high pitch scream when she thought it was you who was screwing her there. And the way she moaned made me want to have her." His yellow eyes landed on Sakura who trembled. Sasuke took note of this and extended an arm out in front of her in a protective gesture. "Over my dead body bastard…" he muttered, eyebrows knitted.

"I'd gladly walk over your corpse and take her away from you…" he said, standing up from his crouching position and calling out a few imps. "Attack." But before the little demons could have a scratch on him, Sasuke did a one-hand seal and closed his eyes, chanted a few words with his other hand over the handle of his katana. The ground shook a bit as white light emitted from where the Fallen and Chosen were, blinding the imps and Hellarium. Once it faded, Oro looked back to see nothing but the white garment he had let Sakura wear and a few cracks on the ground.

A single black celestial feather had slowly dropped on the blood-stained dress, an interesting and attracting contrast of colors. He picked the items up, smelling the scent of the dress while the feather was held in his other hand. He crushed the black feather and looked up, a smirk on his lips. "We shall meet again… count on it."

"Break!"

And the six men let go of the seal as they fell on their backs and rear, panting. Kakashi turned to the middle of the star where Sasuke was in a one-knee kneeling position; in his arms was a shaken Sakura who was half naked. He couldn't tell exactly since the Fallen had his wings covering the two of them. Sasuke's eyes were closed; the side of his head had blood dripping down to his chin and on the floor. Death stood up and walked over to them, asking if they were okay. Sasuke responded by standing up, carrying Sakura bridal style and his wings shielding her almost naked body from the other men who were there, mostly from Jiraiya who had his eyes bulged and a drool dripping from the side of his mouth, blood spilling from his nose.

The half-breed turned to Jiraiya with calm, half-closed but narrowed eyes that were still red and in an instant; the monk had coughed and looked away. Sasuke placed Sakura down on the couch in the room and kneeled down in front of her, his wings were still blocking her from the others' eyes. "What did he do?" he asked. She looked down at him and clasped her hands together on her chest, looking away from his gaze. "I'm sorry…" she whispered back. He knew what she meant, she probably felt like she betrayed him, but that was not how he felt or how he saw it. "It was an illusion, a trick. Don't blame yourself; if I had arrived sooner, it wouldn't happen."

Sakura shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes. "I still felt like I betrayed you… like I cheated on you…" he was about to say something but he stopped and turned to the group who had their gazes on them. He sighed at this. "Can we have a little privacy here..?" he muttered. Kakashi nodded and ushered the guys out of the room. Iruka approached them though and handed Sakura a white kimono, a pair of white socks and sandals. "Jiraiya told one of the maids to lend you some clothes, I hope this will do for now." Sakura nodded her thanks and waited for Iruka to leave the room.

"Get dressed." He ordered and got up, retracting his wings. Sakura nodded and put on the kimono, looking at the red obi, she asked for his help and he nodded, assisting her in tying the knot behind her back. Whilst doing this, a pregnant silence rang through their ears and Sakura couldn't take it. She combed her long hair with her fingers, feeling the soft petal-like locks of her pink tresses. A hand reached up to stop hers as she glanced at him. "Here." He said, handing her a red ribbon that he took out from his pocket. She blinked and looked at the silky red lace, finding it familiar. "Where-"

"Let's go for a walk." He said, cutting her off of her question. She followed him outside of the dojo-like estate of the white haired monk. She looked up to see white flakes falling from the sky, and she couldn't help but smile and run out into the falling snow, arms spread wide and her whole figure twirling, dancing under the falling snow. He watched as she continued to sway with the flakes, dancing a silent song. "Good thing she's wearing socks, otherwise, she'd feel cold." He joined her outside, hands in his coat's pockets. They were pulled out of the warmth of it when her hands had clasped on his wrists. Sakura laughed and swayed with him, spinning around like a child. He couldn't help but smile as well.

Running out of breath, she stopped and panted, her smile not fading the least and he only brushed off the flakes that were on her hair, earning a light blush from her cheeks. "You feeling okay now?" he asked in a soft voice, taking the ribbon for her hands and tying her hair in a half-pony tail style. She nodded, smiling at him. "This ribbon… I had one like this when I was a kid, but I lost it…" he shook his head at this. "You didn't loose it, you gave it to me." She blinked. "Ten years ago, I didn't have any friends, a little girl with pink hair and green eyes came up to me and asked me to be her friend." He smiled slightly when she looked down, avoiding his gaze. "I got a red ribbon from her because she was moving away to another town. It was a reminder that we became friends and will always be friends. Then a new student came to school when I was in first year, and that was you."

"Then… why didn't you…"

"Sakura, you didn't remember me at all back then. Despite how many eye contacts we had, you only smiled at me and nothing more. I decided to give up then, but I somehow had hope that you would someday remember. I guess even showing you the ribbon didn't help huh?" she sighed and leaned her head on his chest, closing the gap of their bodies. He wrapped his arms around her waits and drew her closer. "I didn't forget, I just thought that you changed after hearing from the other students how much of a loner you are, and that anybody who got near you ended up in the clinic, if not… the hospital."

He laughed slightly and looked down at her. "You were scared of me?"

"Yeah, in a way…"

"What about now?" he asked, leaning his forehead on hers.

"Why, you scared?"

She recalled that day, the day he first spent the night ion her house, when he was poisoned by the Secular's blood. Sakura can remember his words back then, how his hands wrapped around her neck as a threat.

"Now we'll see what similarities and differences you have compared to the rest of the girls in school."

She smiled and shook her head. "No." how ca she be scared if he was always there to protect her? If he said he loves her? If he was the one who saved her? Who'll be afraid of that person? Definitely not her "No, I'm not scared." He nodded at this and leaned down, capturing her lips in a sweet kiss. She pulled him closer, making it more passionate and again, she was swept off her feet, literally since he had carried her in his arms without breaking their lip lock. Parting a bit, he licked her lip, giving her a bit of satisfaction as he jumped onto the roof of the dojo and laid her there, his hands supporting his weight and body from crushing her.

Sasuke moved to her neck, nipping on the skin and marking her again. She grabbed a handful of his spiky raven hair and pulled him closer, a moan escaping her lips, her breaths growing shallow and her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. "Sasuke…" she gasped as he raised his head to look at her. Her hair was slightly a mess, her breaths shallow and her face beet red. Her eyes were half-lidded and her kimono was nearly exposing her shoulders and cleavage. He smirked and she smiled slightly. "Not here…" she whispered and he nodded, carrying her in his arms, kissed her forehead and went inside a vacant room in Jiraiya's dojo.

"Hey, are you sure this is okay?" she asked, seated on the futon while he leaned closer to her. "Yeah, I'm sure." He whispered and nipped her ear, earning another moan from her. He licked her lip slowly, making her open her mouth as his tongue went in, having a taste of her once more. She pushed his coat off of him as he slid it off and began to untie her obi, the only thing that secured her kimono. He tugged on the obi and discarded it, along with the kimono she had just taken off. Her hands went to his shirt, pulling it off of him, leaving him in his pants as he leaned down and kissed her again.

They parted and gazed at each other for a while, thinking of a few things before she whispered his name and added: "I love you." And she brought her head up, kissing him again as he pulled away and whispered: "I do too."

A sigh escaped her lips as she read the piece of paper again, approving the idea none the less. "I don't know why but, I guess it's a good idea as well. It could let the seniors have fun on their last year here in Sugo-Shizen." Her secretary nodded with a smile. "Shall I inform the school paper Tsunade-san?" the blonde principal of Sugo-Shizen High nodded with a smirk. "Yes, I'm sure everyone will love the news." He laughed and her secretary just nodded and went out of the room.

"That woman is so hard to understand…" he muttered, shrugging and heading towards the school paper's room. He knocked twice and entered, informing the editor-in-chief about the whole trip and then the staff began to type and print the whole thing.

A student who passed by stopped and listened to the discussion as his eyes went wide and a grin was soon plastered on his face. He stopped at his classroom's door, opening it, catching the attention of the students who stopped eating and chatting and turned to him. "Yo Inuzuka, what's up?" Naruto asked and continued eating his ramen. Beside him was Shikamaru who was trying his best to ignore a blabbing Ino. Hinata ate her food silently on Naruto's other side, stealing glances at the blonde demon occasionally. He looked around some more, seeing some of his friends looking at him. The two lovebirds, Sasuke and Sakura, on the other hand, were busy eating. Rather, Sakura was busy feeding Sasuke some tempura and a bit of onigiri.

"I just heard that the seniors will be having a trip to Fujiten ski resort!"

"Wow! Really? Isn't that resort expensive? Plus, there're a lot of us! That would mean the place would full up with visitors and tourists!" Naruto said, scratching his head. "That's no problem! The principal is a close friend of the owner, plus, we're paying at half price for a one week stay!" The class then started talking about it, smiling, laughing and dreaming about a few things. Some of the boys discussed about hot springs and peeking on the girls, earning a glare from the opposite sex who have heard what they were planning.

"I don't believe it! This has got to be the luckiest year ever!" Ino said to Shikamaru who muttered a "How troublesome" under his breath, earning a scowl from the female half-breed. Naruto chatted with Hinata and Kiba happily, talking about things to do, sports to play and etc.

"Snow resort…"

Sasuke turned to her as she cast a sad look on her face, her head hung low and staring at the bento box she had. He raised a brow at this, wondering what had caused her to suddenly have a different mood. "Sak?" he asked as she snapped from her thoughts and turned to him. "What's wrong with you?" she forced a smile and shook her head. He narrowed his eyes further and she sighed. "Past experiences." It was a simple answer and he already knew what she meant. Something good didn't happen, he was sure of it. Be it the death of her parents or just some accidents she had. "And… I don't know how to ski or snowboard down the hill." He laughed slightly and faced her. "I can teach you, though I can't guarantee that you'll get it soon."

"Is it that hard?" she asked.

"Well, depends, are you a fast learner?"

"You bet!"

"Then I guess you'll have no trouble at all. I can teach you later after school."

"No trouble at all huh..?" she huffed and got up, dusting the snow off of her red jacket. She watched as Sasuke snowboarded down the small hill near Kakashi's house and he smirked at her. "It takes time Sakura, you won't be able to get it so soon." Again, she sighed and stretched her arms. She glanced back at Sasuke, seeing his navy blue scarf slightly messy. A giggle escaped her lips and she fixed it for him, earning a curious look from her… boyfriend.

She smiled and finished fixing the scarf and picked up the snowboard she borrowed from Naruto, who was with Hinata on a bench, watching them. "Okay Sasuke-sensei, teach me more!" she grinned when he twitched at the name. "I'm not that old, and for your information, you're older than me." She punched his arm playfully and pulled him up the hill. "Come on, I want to learn more!" he smiled slightly and followed her climb the hill, both reaching the top at the same time. "Again, you have to have control and balance. Be in command when you slide down." He positioned himself the correct way. "Do the same position." She nodded and mimicked him. "I'll count to three and we'll go down together okay?" again, she nodded. "1, 2, 3!" and they both boarded down the hill. Sakura at times, loosing balance but end up recovering quick until she got the hang of it.

"Alright!" she punched the air when she reached the foot of the hill, Sasuke stopping near her and giving her a proud smile. "Teme, rogues!" he turned to Naruto who brought out his double-bladed spear, pointing the blade for the Secular towards the rogue Demon. "There's a Crusade behind you!" he warned. The Fallen pushed Sakura down on the snow, ducking a swipe of the Crusade's staff. He brought out his katana and blocked another assault from the rogue Angel. "Sakura, stay by my side okay? I can't afford to loose you again, be it in Magna Carta(Heaven) or Hellarios(Hell)."

"Okay." She replied, standing behind him as he pushed away the Crusade. The rogue Angel twirled its staff and stabbed it on the snowy ground, causing a slight shake. Sasuke and Naruto's eyes widened as the Secular that the blonde Demon was battling flew towards the Crusade, landing on its shoulders as they both glowed with whit light. Once it faded, they were shocked to see the Crusade have bat-like wings, a serpent's body on the lower half and the upper being the rogue Angel's. "Crap…" Sakura heard Naruto curse. "Sasuke, what is that thing?" she asked, tugging on his blue jacket's sleeve. "It's a combination of a Secular and Crusade… it's…" he trailed off and glared at the thing with narrowed eyes. "A rogue Fallen, Seraul…" she turned to the rogue Angelus. "Seraul…" she mouthed. "This is bad…" he said and then bit on his thumb, drawing out blood. "Summoning technique, Kagemizu!" a black-bluish wolf came out, eyes were red and fangs sharp.

"Kagemizu…" Naruto smirked. "He is a wolf that can control water and shadows. Two of the basic elements a Seraul controls." The Angelus didn't remove his single hand tiger seal from his nose and lips, sharingan eyes gazing at the Seraul, the other hand commanding the wolf to attack, defend, block, dodge and attack again. After a while, Kagemizu finally managed to deal a great damage to the rogue Fallen. Yet, due to the staff that was stuck on the ground, the Seraul chanted a few words and soon, another bright light emitted, blinding the four teenagers. "Shit…" Naruto cursed when he realized he couldn't move. He turned towards Sasuke who was bound on the ground by a sticky web that the Seraul had used to counter.

The Angelus narrowed his eyes and tried to squirm free. "Damn… this is bad… at this rate…" he glanced at the rogue Fallen that prepared its staff to hit him on the gut, hard. "I may end up dead…" and the rogue brought down the staff. "Sasuke!" Sakura yelled when the weapon had hit the half-breed. Hinata turned to Naruto in a panicked state, catching the half-Demon's attention. "You have to unleash Kyuubi…" she whispered. "But if I do that, I won't be able to go back to normal without Iruka-sensei here!" Hinata shook his head. "I know how to seal Demons, trust me on this Naruto, we have to save Sasuke." She exclaimed, turning back to the said teen who just coughed out blood. Naruto shut his eyes and cursed, calling out the demon fox within him- But… The Seraul growled in pain as Naruto and Hinata turned to see what happened. All they saw were white celestial wings with a hint of light blue wrapped around the owner and the half-conscious Sasuke.

"No way…" Hinata murmured as Naruto gaped, his lips slowly forming a smile as he yelled. "Way to go Sakura! You unleashed your powers!" and indeed, the white-winged creature was Sakura, and she had Sasuke in her arms, cradling his injured and drained-out body, his eyes squinting a bit, his vision blurry as he tried to make out Sakura's face. She was glaring at the rogue Fallen and holding onto Sasuke in a protective way, just like he does when she was in danger. Seraul only narrowed its eyes on Sakura as she glowed a bright white, looking more beautiful than an angel. "…Reishin…Uchiha…" it whispered, eyes widening upon seeing Sakura. It then turned to Sasuke, opening its mouth to say another name. "Derick… Uchiha…"

Naruto blinked and stared at the couple. "Reincarnation of the Angel who fell in love with a Demon; but… Sakura isn't an Angel and Sasuke isn't a Demon… so… how?" Hinata smiled slightly at this. "The spirits of the two dwell within them. Just like Derick and Reishin's love, Sasuke and Sakura's love is also forbidden, yet they ended up together."

"You…" The Chosen said, holding Sasuke closer when he was slowly loosing consciousness. "You hurt him, for that…" she glared at Seraul. "I will never forgive you!" as soon as she yelled that, a spirit of a mythical phoenix appeared and charged towards the Seraul that blocked the attack. When the phoenix dispersed, the Seraul looked up and met another blow, a large fireball. "Wha- how did she-?" Naruto gaped. Sakura had her right palm open, facing the Seraul with a glare. Her left arm still supported Sasuke on the ground, having him in the warmth of her wings. "You've always protected me, taught me how to stand up… you were always there when I needed you… now…" she gave another determined look and as a blue ball of lightning began forming on her open palm. "It's my turn to save you… to be there when you need me." Slowly, she lay down the unconscious Fallen on the snowy ground and stood up, her left hand clasping her right wrist as the Raikiri formed. She prepared for an offense, waiting for the right time. "Arigatou… Sasuke…" and she rushed head on, chidori emitting the chirps of a thousand birds.

"How can she do that? I mean… aren't those Sasuke-san's techniques?" Hinata asked, facing Naruto when they were finally released from the binds of the sticky web. "I'm not sure Hinata, but… somehow… I think Sasuke's chakra and blood have combined with Sakura's, which is why she knows his attacks." Seraul screamed out in pain when Sakura's chidori had plunged through its heart, ending its life. After a few moments, the creature dissolved into thin air, leaving no traces of its existence. Without any more seconds to spare, she quickly ran back to Sasuke and examined his wounds. He was glowing a bright blue and his injuries slowly healed, making him look good as new. "Self-healing." Naruto answered, seeing Sakura's confused look. "He told you that before right?"

"Mm. But I didn't know he could when knocked out."

"Maybe because I'm not knocked out but just drained…" the Fallen muttered, flinching from the sudden pain that surged through his body. Slowly, he sat up, eyes half-opened and gazed at Sakura who was slightly teary-eyed and a smile on her face. "Mou, you made me worried…" she whispered, wiping her tears away and tackling him to a hug. "You made me really worried…" he smirked and shook his head. "You're always worried…" and the four only shared a round of laughter.

"A Seraul appeared?" Kakashi asked, slamming his hands down on the dining table, making the utensils on it shake. Sakura stopped eating and looked at Kakashi who waited for Sasuke's answer. The half-breed teen only closed his eyes and remained calm. "Aa… they combined themselves to form a Seraul. They've grown more powerful Kakashi. There has got to be a reason why they want to finish me off so badly, and I'm sure it has something to do with Oro."

"I know. He wants you dead so that he can take Sakura, especially since she's no longer a virgin. She cannot choose pure chaos or eternal peace anymore. At this rate, Hellarium has only one option left, and that is to take her powers to be unbeatable."

"But in order to do that, she'll have to be kissed by him." Sasuke said, eyes opening and staring into Kakashi's. "He can do that if he manipulates her mind." Sakura shook a bit, recalling the time when she was brought in Hell. "He… already did…" the two male turned to her with questioning looks. "He already manipulated my mind, but he hasn't kissed me yet. He almost did but… there's no telling that he might succeed in our next encounter." She clenched her fists and lowered her head, her eyes shedding silent tears. "I'm scared… I grew afraid of him when he almost… r-raped…me…" Sasuke grabbed her hand and assured her that everything was going to be fine.

Death sighed and tried to calm his anger. "He can't claim you." Sasuke told her, looking away. "It is written in the code and rules of Heaven and Hell that once a half-breed or pure-breed claims his or her mate, no one can interfere or claim the already taken being. That's one of the reasons why I needed to have you." She looked at him with wide eyes. "I had to… it was the only way to stop Orochimaru from winning, it was the only way to stop him from getting you. He has a slight fear of a Fallen's blood and aura, that's why I had to act fast without anyone else knowing besides Kakashi. But trust me on this Sakura, I didn't do it for those reasons only." He looked at her with sincere onyx eyes. "I did it because I love you, and I chose you."

He smiled at the two and stood up quietly, leaving them alone. Kakashi sat down on the couch and sighed deeply. "Sooner or later… this war has to end… but for it to end… a sacrifice must be done…" he turned back to the kitchen's doorway. "A sacrifice of innocent blood must be spilled…"

To be continued…

Next on Fallen: Chapter 8: The Cartum is Tsunade?

"It's hard to believe, but it's true. I am the Cartum, the leader of Angels in Heaven, and I am here to make sure nothing goes wrong, but it seems I underestimated today's generation." She smiled at Sasuke and Sakura. "I underestimated this year's Fallen and Chosen. However, despite you being one step ahead of Hellarium, there is something you need to know. Your next battle with Orochimaru will be the last, and truth be told, innocent blood will be spilled in order to stop this war. How you deal with it afterwards is all up to you, Uchiha Sasuke, descendant of Uchiha Derick."

A/N: New word: Seraul- A cross between a rogue Angel and Demon; it's a rogue Fallen. Thank you xXxAllMySinsxXxfor the name of the creature! For those who answered my fanfic challenge, thank you very much! Readers, please be up to date with my Author notes for I'll be needing your help in picking out the best Narutrix fiction! Participants, please put in your summary or story that it is a fanfic challenge given to you by me so that flamers will not think that it's plagiarism. Also, school is about to start for us Filipinos so it's going to be another while before my next updates!