Fallen

"Wow! This place is great!"

"Yeah! I love it!"

Hinata only giggled at Naruto and Sakura's behavior. She walked over to them and tapped one of them on the shoulder. "Come on, sensei is taking attendance and assigning rooms. Not to mention that some of us will have night shifts in case rogues were to attack." Sasuke's eyes narrowed at this as he looked over the mountainous area, recalling what Tsunade had said before they left for this trip. He glanced briefly at Sakura, the events that happened the past week replaying in his mind.

"She used the chidori and my fire techniques against a Seraul."

When a chakra or blood of a supernatural combines with their mate, they too will have the same powers and techniques, albeit not as strong as the original. Yet, due to Sakura being a Chosen and half-supernatural, she either has equal strength or more compared to Sasuke's.

The Fallen raised his right hand, staring at it as it shook. "If I was easily beaten by a Seraul, what other chances do I have to protect Sakura from Hellarium..?" two hands held onto his clenched fist as he gazed at the owner of those smooth hands. He was met with a gentle and sweet smile from his mate, calming his shaking nerves and muscles. "Let's go." He stared at her for a few moments before letting the girl lead him to where the others were. "Whatever happens…" he looked down at their entwined hands. "I will risk my life to save yours."

Chapter 8: The Cartum is Tsunade?

"Is everybody here?" Iruka asked, taking attendance afterwards and checking on the names of the students who were there. "Okay, there are 34 of you in class, and for that, one room will hold one pair. The names are picked by random, and if you do get a partner of the opposite sex, I suggest that you don't do anything that can suspend, or worse, expel you from school. Is that clear students?"

A chorus of yes was what Iruka got and he smiled slightly, flipping the first paper on his clipboard over and reading the next list of names that were to be paired up. "Room 01…" Naruto yawned and placed his arms behind his head, looking u at the grayish sky as a few snowflakes lightly fell onto them. He smiled as one landed on the tip of his nose, melting at the warmth of his skin.

"Naruto," Iruka called out. "Naruto!" he had practically yelled out the blonde's name and Uzumaki did snap from his thoughts and looked at Iruka who sighed exasperatedly then pointed at Hinata who was holding a key to a room. "You and Hinata are roommates." He said, crossing their names out of the list. Naruto smiled slightly and picked up his bags, then walked over to Hinata as they both went inside the huge cabin-like mansion where they were to share the place with other pairs, only in different suites.

His blue eyes marveled at the place, eyeing how the whole living room was spacious and roomy. It gave a warm and cozy feeling and he plopped on the soft couch, acting like a kid as he grinned goofily at the half-breed Angel. Hinata gave a small smile as well, shaking her head and taking a seat beside the blonde boy who continued looking around. "This is going to be fun! By the way, who did Sasuke get as a roommate?" he asked her, turning his head to look at her as she instantly blushed and avoided his gaze. "S-Sakura-chan…" she answered in a soft voice. Naruto suddenly had a sly look before asking: "So, when are they coming in?"

"They already got their rooms earlier before we did."

"Oh, damn… I should've listened…"

Hinata giggled and stood up, taking her luggage with her and walking towards the stairs that leads to where the rooms are. "They're under the same roof we are Naruto-kun, so you can still bug Sasuke-san whenever you feel like it, just not now." She said as the blonde followed her. "Why?" he asked, curiosity getting the best of him. "Well, he's not in a good mood today, as what I've observed since we got here." Naruto blinked. "Come to think of it, he was rather… distant…" Hinata nodded at this as they stopped when they reached their room door. "I think it has something to do with the Seraul…"

Her green eyes continued staring at him as he stood there, staring at the distance, eyes half-closed and brows knitted together. Sakura sighed, watching as her breath evaporated as soon as it was breathed out. Pulling her red beanie on top of her head, she bent down and took a hand full of snow. She rolled it to a snowball, her gloved hands protecting her from the stinging cold the ice gave as her lips formed a sly smile. "Sasuke." She called out as the raven-haired teen turned to face her, only to get hit by a snowball.

She laughed and fell on the snowy ground on her rear, her jeans ruffling as snow matted against her winter clothes. Her arms held onto her stomach upon seeing his bewildered face. His hair was tainted with snow as well, thanks to both the snowball she threw and to the flakes that continued to fall slowly onto them. His eyes blinked continuously, letting what had happen sink into his head. Sakura stopped to see his lack of reaction and sighed. "You're hopeless…" she muttered under her breath as she got up and dusted snow off of her clothes.

With another sigh, she approached him, brushing off the snow that was on his hair and face as he continued to gaze at her. "What is up with you?" she asked, done with "cleaning" him up. She noticed that there was still some snow on his cheek that she giggled and tiptoed a bit, her lips touching his cheek as she kissed the bit of ice away. He snapped from his trance and raised a brow at her which she returned with a smile. "What's up?" she asked again.

Blinking, he glanced elsewhere and shook his head. "Nothing." Came his quiet reply. The way his eyes looked bothered her a bit and she was starting to grow more worried than ever. "Is this about what Tsunade-san told us?" he remained silent and she assumed that it was a yes. Finding nothing else to do, she opted to fix his blue scarf around his neck, straightening out the black coat he had on that reached his knees at the same time brushing away his bangs from his face. Sasuke took his hands from his coat's pockets and clasped it with hers. She smiled, finally getting a reaction from the boy.

"Don't worry too much about it, okay?"

He didn't answer at first, but only continued to stare into her green eyes, letting himself drown in them. "I can't." he said. "Whenever I recall that Seraul's attack, I can't help thinking how weak I am…" she shook her head, disapproving his thoughts of himself. "I've seen you fight, and I most certainly think you're not weak Uchiha Sasuke." He lowered his head, not seemingly convinced. Sakura sighed inwardly and forced a smile. "Let's go back inside and get some rest, I think you need it." He gave a nod and let her pull him inside the cabin, all the while glancing back and forth at Sakura and the mountains.

"Innocent blood will be spilled…"

Tsunade's words kept ringing in his ears and it really disturbed him to no end. "What does she mean by it..?" he asked himself, recalling their talk. "Whose blood will be spilled exactly? It can't be Sakura's, can it?" absent-mindedly, his fist clenched while the other gripped Sakura's hand tighter. She felt it and it only made her worry some more. "Sasuke-kun…"

"Damn it."

She glanced at her boyfriend briefly before turning back to the opened books and scrolls that were scattered on the round table. He glared at the man that stood before him, giving a look that told him that if this was a joke, it wasn't at all funny.

"I doubt this is a joke Neji."

"Ten-Ten, I don't think this is possible."

Ten-Ten only shook her head as she read the written code of Heaven and Hell. "If comes the time that the forbidden love is to happen, chaos will come and the war shall break out once more. Heaven and Hell will clash, involving Earth as well. In order to stop both races, innocent blood must be spilled, the blood that is the fruit of the love that was made and was supposedly prohibited from the start." She said, reading the contents of the scrolls aloud. "Jiraiya doesn't joke around when things turn serious."

Jiraiya nodded at this and faced Neji. "Now that a Seraul had appeared, if Naruto wasn't joking, the time is nearing. You will have to report this to your comrades Neji, they must know the signs and warnings that Hellarium is sending." Neji slammed his hands onto the table, standing up at the process and startling the two people inside. His eyes were narrowed dangerously and his byaakugan was activated, glaring menacingly at the monk. "Are you sure about the vision you saw?"

Again, the monk nodded. "And if it is accurate, there's a chance that Orochimaru will win. That's why a sacrifice must be made once he appears, once the Angelus that has done a sin will clash with Hellarium, the blood must be spilled to redeem everything."

Sweat trickled down the Hyuuga's forehead as he sighed and straightened himself up, his eyes returning back to normal. "Then we have to go to Fujiten now before another Seraul appears." He bowed down a bit to show his respects, as did Ten-Ten, before the two of them went outside, Neji summoning out his white wings and carried his girlfriend in his arms as he flew at top speed to the direction of the snow resort. "Uchiha, hang in there…" he thought, his brows knitted, not noticing how the huntress had given him a worried look.

"Is it possible that it's not only Sasuke and Sakura who are committing this sin?" she asked all of a sudden. "What?" he asked back. "An Angel loving a Demon is also a sin right? Hinata has feelings for Naruto. Plus, I'm a Huntress, I'm not supposed to love, yet here you are, letting me feel those things. What about Shikamaru? Maybe it's okay if he falls for Temari since she's a Huntress but what if he falls for Ino, a half-breed Demon?"

Neji remained silent, contemplating on these things.

"And before I forget, Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei's… affection… Life and Death are not supposed to clash or even feel love…" she glanced elsewhere. "Even if they are genderless beings…"

"Opposite attracts Ten-Ten."

"Then how do you explain us and in Shikamaru's case?"

"Something unexplainable happened. A spark occurred." He picked up his pace when he caught sight of the snow resort a few more kilometers away. "What we felt towards each other is something not needing a reason or an answer. It just happened, and that's what makes it right, because we felt it. We fell in love."

"Neji…" she whispered, a small smile forming on her lips. "Thank you."

He gazed at the crackling fire that was on the fireplace, watching as the flames swayed a bit. His onyx orbs reflected the light it gave as he continued to stare and have his mind elsewhere. It was late at night, and he was still awake, clad only in denim jeans, black rubber shoes and a dark blue jacket that had a shirt underneath. His elbows rested on his thighs, hands clasped and fingers laced together, covering the lower part of his face.

The flames continued to dance wildly as he closed his eyes, letting the sound of silence echo in his ears. Whatever Tsunade said always bugged him, and he just couldn't help but think that someone will die, that it might even be Sakura. It made him cringe at the thought, he would not allow it. He would make sure that she will live. He decided that this would only stress him, and it wouldn't be good for him to be stressed especially if rogues plan to attack. The students who were supposed to do a night shift round had gone to bed since he came down from his room that he shared with his mate.

"Sakura…"

His thoughts drifted to her, of how her eyes always seem to beam with happiness, the way she looks at him, the way her lips curve into a smile, the way her mouth opens as she calls his name. He felt his lips tug at one side, giving a half-smile as he continued to think about her traits and childish antics whenever she felt like it. It pained him whenever he sees her hurt, it drove him crazy whenever she pulls his body close to her, and it made him feel human and complete whenever she was in his arms.

"Sasuke-kun?"

It would be weird if he was startled, yet he wasn't. He didn't sense her come near him, but he wasn't surprised at all to hear her voice and footsteps approach his seated figure. Not long after, he felt her arms wrap around his waist as she seated herself on the spot beside him. "Can't sleep?" she asked, leaning her head on his shoulder as he leaned back and let her settle in his arms, feeling each other's warmth radiating. "Aa." He responded, leaning his head on the back rest as he closed his eyes once more, facing the ceiling in a relaxed position while she snuggled some more to him.

"I had a dream…"

"About?"

"About you… and me…"

He smiled slightly and looked at her, brushing away a few strands of pink hair away from her face. "Go on."

"We were somewhere in a forest, in the lake. My feet were submerged and I had a dress on… you, on the other hand, were flying, yet your hand was reaching down to me, caressing my face as the other clasped against my own." She looked up at him, their eyes meeting. "Pretty much like right now…" she whispered. "Then what..?" he asked, slowly closing his eyes and leaning closer to her. "I woke up…" she murmured, mimicking his movements.

"Uchiha, Haruno!"

The two pulled apart and turned to the door to see Neji and Ten-Ten enter, closing it behind them as they brushed off the snow on their clothes. "We have to tell you something important." Neji said, walking over to them as Ten-Ten rushed to where Sakura is, bending down before her while her right palm hovered over her stomach. The Chosen blinked as the Huntress closed her eyes and concentrated her chakra on her open palm. "Neji, check it now." the Angel nodded and activated his byaakugan, distributing more chakra flow to get a better view through Sakura's stomach. He deactivated it and Ten-Ten pulled away, standing up and looking at the couple who gave questioning looks.

The Huntress shook her head to her boyfriend while he nodded and faced the two who were still waiting for an answer from them. "I do believe that Tsunade has told you about innocent blood?" they nodded and Neji continued. "Thing is, we still don't know the real answer, but we have a feeling that it has something to do with the two of you." Sasuke raised a brow. "How?" the Angel shrugged, sighing after a while. He glanced back at Ten-Ten who nodded and opened her mouth to speak. "Jiraiya showed us the scrolls and books about Heaven and Hell's prophecy of some sort. Something or someone has to be sacrificed in order to stop the war that has been going on for years."

"And that would be what?" Sakura asked, getting a headache from too much thinking. "We're not sure yet, so until the time comes, we will never know. All we know is that it involves the two of you." Neji suddenly snapped his head towards the window and narrowed his eyes, activating his special ability once more as he stared across the snowy grounds, sensing and seeing a rogue. "Looks like we've got company."

"Tch." Sasuke stood up and headed for the door. Sakura reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him from going further. "Sakura." She only looked at him with worry-filled eyes as he sighed and faced her. "I have to." Yet she shook her head, silently pleading him to leave it to Neji and Ten-Ten. He gestured the two to go ahead while he stayed behind. "Look, I'm not doing this because I have to or need to, I'm doing it to protect you, to keep them from getting you." Her grip tightened and he knew that she would not let him go easily. "Tsunade-san said…"

"…to be careful, I know, and I will be."

"She also said to avoid any fights with rogues if possible."

"If, Sakura, and right now, it's not possible to avoid it. If one appears, there's no telling that there may be others."

"But-"

He cut her off by placing a finger on her lips, silencing her as he stared deeply into her eyes. "I'll be fine. I'll stay alive for you, and that's enough of a determination to win." She wanted to protest some more, but just by looking at how dead serious he is, she lowered her head in defeat and slowly let his wrist go, not bothering to speak or look back at him. Yet she felt two strong arms wrap around her body, and a warm breath breathe on her ear. "I'll be fine, I promise." And with a nod from her, he left.

"Why…" she whispered. "Why do you have to… just because of me?"

Neji didn't stop from continuously hitting the Secular with his punches and kicks. He specializes with the use of hand-to-hand or close combat, and that was enough to weaken a Secular that had a lower level than he has. Ten-Ten provided back-up, throwing a series of kunai and shuriken, readying her holy gun and aiming right at the Secular's heart, waiting for Neji to break away to be able to pull the trigger.

"8 strikes…" he said, continuously hitting the rogue without stopping to catch his breath. Ten-Ten smirked at this, knowing very well how an opponent is left stunned after receiving the attacks Neji gives on vital points. "66 strikes!" and when he jumped back, she pulled the trigger as the bullet went straight towards the Secular's heart, making it growl and dissolve to ashes, leaving no trace of its existence behind. The half-breed Angel didn't retract his wings but looked to his left, smirking when he barely dodged an assault of a Crusade. "A much higher level than the Secular, this will be fun."

When the rogue Angel was about to give another deadly blow…

"Rasengan!"

The couple turned to see a familiar Demon attack the Crusade as his technique blew up the rogue's gut, instantly killing it as the killer snickered and landed back on the ground, his bat-like wings beautifully spread out behind him as a female Angel flew down beside the Demon, smiling at her cousin. "Nice to see you Neji-niisan." Neji just gave a nod as he averted his attention on another rogue that appeared. "They just keep coming and coming, do they?"

"Heh, they love us too much." Naruto joked, cracking his knuckles as red aura began to emit from his body. "Let me have some fun." And his blue eyes turned red, his teeth growing to fangs and his nails turning to sharp claws. Neji nodded and stepped away, letting his demon comrade attack the other Crusade as he readied for another appearance of a rogue.

Her brows creased as she watched them fight from her room. She had this trip for the seniors to have fun on their last year in Sugo-Shizen High, yet being born a half-breed happens to take away that privilege. "If there are rogues, then I'm sure that Uchiha is bound to appear and fight." She sighed, massaging her temples and stepped out of her room, heading down the stairs to see a sad-looking Sakura seated on the couch and staring at the fire. "I would've expected you to go with him you know."

Sakura looked up, blinking at their school's principal who just gave a smile and walked over to her. "You've been feeling gloomy lately, care to tell me why?"

"…Sasuke."

Tsunade shook her head and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, I know you want to be out there to help him." She shook her head, pulling her hand away from hers. "I can't." she said, looking at the window. "It'll endanger us."

"…us?"

"Yes," she said, glancing down at her stomach with a small smile. "Us."

Tsuande's eyes widened as she pushed Sakura on the couch and bent down, closing her eyes when her palms were open and hovering over Sakura's belly. "You hid it with chakra…" Sakura nodded. "I didn't want them to worry." The principal stopped and looked at her, her eyes were filled with panic as she tried to calm down. "Does Sasuke know?" The Chosen shook her head. "I don't want him to worry too much. He isn't being himself lately since that talk you gave us."

"Sakura, since when was this?"

"I'm not sure… but I know that… it began to take shape and form when he rescued me from Hellarium, when we…" she blushed a bit. "…did something in one of Jiraiya's guest room." Tsunade sighed and shook her head. "Teens these days…" she muttered and stood up. "More or less, Iruka and Kakashi know about this, that, I'm sure they do." Sakura gave a nod. "I told them not to tell anyone."

"Sakura, you should let them know."

"I don't want to."

"It would be worse if they find out too late."

"What do you mean?"

"The prophecy." Tsunade responded. "I told you two before, the talk we had was meant as a warning. But it seems that I told it a bit too late. I was hinting for the two of you to not do anything that involves creating life or giving life."

"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."

"What do you mean by innocent blood will be spilled?" the Fallen asked, narrowing his eyes at the Cartum. "I'm just telling you to not do anything that involves life, and I don't mean Iruka, but what I mean is creating life. Don't rush things Uchiha."

Sakura's eyes widened in fear and realization as she stared at Tsunade. "N-no way… y-you mean that… this…" Tsuande nodded. "The key is inside you." Sakura shook her head. "No, I don't want him to be sacrificed! I want him to live!" The Cartum raised her eyebrows. "It's a he?" Sakura nodded. "I should know, I've molded enough chakra to hide him from the byaakugan or sharingan. But he can't be the key! There is no way I would give him up just to stop this pointless war!"

"You have to Sakura!"

"But you said that there's another way!"

"Yes but that would be impossible! Hellarium is too strong for one single Fallen to handle. Even if Orochimaru fears the race of the Uchiha family, there is still no guarantee that Sasuke will defeat him alive! If he finds out about your child, Sasuke will have no choice but to sacrifice his own son. He knows the prophecy, and he must do it in order to stop this war." Sakura shook her head. "No, he won't. He told me himself that he wants to have a family, and our child is the first step to having one."

"Are you even listening to yourself? Surrender this baby's life and you can start anew! This is the only way for the two of you to redeem the mistake that has been done by a Fallen and Chosen for the past few decades. History will keep repeating unless you forget about this and give up this baby's life. If I were in your position, I would know my responsibilities and do what must be done. It's the only sure way to end this war."

"No, I won't let it happen!" and she stood up, heading towards the stairs. Tsunade stopped her. "You have to tell them."

Naruto darted his eyes from the Seraul that has just been form, to his best friend who was pinned to a tree by the rogue's staff. "What the hell is wrong with him? He isn't being himself lately…" True enough, Naruto wasn't so sure if this was really the Fallen that he knew that was fighting. It was like he didn't have any experience in killing rogues at all. "Teme, what the hell are you doing? Why aren't you fighting?" he asked, at the same time dodging an attack from another rogue Angelus.

"I… don't know dobe…" he thought, feeling his energy drained. "Why can't I fight the way I used to..?" he felt a stinging sensation on his mark while it threatened to spread through his body, his demonic self wanting to take over. "No… I almost killed them back then…" a snicker was heard, and he knew it too well. "You…" he whispered. "Yes, me. Why don't you let me out and help you? It looks like you need it." Sasuke shook his head, trying to get rid of the voice. "Get out of my mind Derick…"

Uchiha Derick, the demonic side of Uchiha Sasuke. He only laughed a bit. "Relax Sasuke, you have control over me now, I just need you to use my power. You'll need it in this state of yours. The reason why you're feeling drained is because a Seraul sucks out the chakra of any half-breed or pure-breed. That's why you have to let the mark spread." Sasuke tried to clear his blurred vision, fighting the urge to loose consciousness. "How can I be sure that I can trust you..?" Derick sighed. "It's you're only choice." Indeed, it was, and before he knew it, he gave in to the mark, and Derick has completely taken over.

Ten-Ten shot the bullet across the rogue's heart while her boyfriend panted from using too much of his energy ki. He felt a strong amount of dark chakra coming from one of his comrades. And when he turned to look at Sasuke, he was surprised to see the mark spreading like wild fire over his whole body, his eyes the color of blood and his smirk more sinister than ever. Having an attempt to stop him, a hand was placed over his shoulder, firmly holding onto it to stop the Angel from doing anything.

"Don't worry, he won't go berserk."

Neji turned his head to the owner of the hand, seeing Death right there, staring at his supposed son who had just taken hold of the Seraul's staff and had used it against the rogue. "Sasuke, something's wrong with you… and if worse comes to worse, I will stop you." He thought as he watched the teen deliver quick punches and kicks to the Seraul that had a hard time to block everything due to the abnormal speed the Angelus was giving.

"Are you sure about this Kakashi?" Naruto asked when Hinata has just performed a technique that eliminated the rogue he was previously fighting. "You told us before that once a half-breed goes to their full-mode, they are unstoppable." Kakashi just shook his head. "That is, if you're full of nothing but hatred." He continued to look at his pupil, seeing him execute fire techniques as the Seraul was engulfed in flames. Sasuke did a few more hand seals, calling out his killing move as the blue ball of chakra that was surrounded by lightning started emitting the sound of chirping birds.

"You're finished…" he murmured, sharingan spinning wildly as he charged head on at the rogue, aiming for its heart. Once his hand was plunged, piercing the flesh of the creature, he disabled his chidori and grasped the rogue's heart, crushing it with his hand, killing the Seraul quickly. "Brutal." Kakashi murmured and shook his head.

Sasuke fell to his hands and knees, panting as his mark slowly went back to its origin, leaving him too drained to get up on his feet. His wings curled, wrapping round him as he healed and wounds he got from the fight, silently thanking the gods that he wasn't poisoned by any rogue's blood. He felt a hand pat his shoulder as he looked up, seeing the masked face of his sensei, his eyes telling him that he was smiling. "Good job." He whispered, bending down to be in eye level with the half-breed. "You'll need a lot of rest to restore your chakra to its fullest."

"I'm afraid that will no longer be necessary."

Their eyes widened as they turned to face the one person they wouldn't want to see or meet. His pale skin, yellow eyes and long hair gave them the creeps, especially that eerie smirk he gives and his abnormally long tongue. "Thanks to that Seraul, I've drained your chakra Sasuke, and nothing can stop me from taking your mate." He knew he hit a spot, and boy, did it really amuse him to see the Fallen let his mark spread across his body, his eyes turning red and his glare more intensifying than ever. "Why so possessive? Though she has been claimed, I can still take her despite the written code, I never did follow rules." He snickered. "I am Hellarium after all."

"Bastard…"

"Sasuke." Kakashi gripped the teen's shoulder, giving a look that told him to control his anger. "Don't interfere Kakashi, I'd like to see how far the Fallen can go. Unless of course, they really are worthless, since they were merely killed by this surviving Uchiha, it would be an honor to defeat him." And Orochimaru attacked, running towards the two, only to jump back when a kick was aimed at his jaw, almost breaking it if he hadn't dodged. "Tsunade…" he smirked, seeing the brown-eyed blonde glare back at him. "Orochimaru…" she glanced back at Sasuke. "That is why I told you to not fight any rogues." She only got a cry of pain from the Uchiha. "This is bad, Orochimaru has triggered Derick's demonic side, and seeing as Sasuke is rapidly running out of chakra, it could cost him his life if he doesn't fight that mark."

Her mind raced while Sakura and Kakashi tried to calm Sasuke down. He was beginning to loose consciousness from loosing chakra, and if he does give in, Orochimaru would win. "You four," she turned to face the two Angels, Huntress and Demon. "Get them out of here, take them to Jiraiya's." she aced Orochimaru once more. "I have a score to settle with Hell's leader." A smirk answered her with the comment she made. "Oh really now Tsunade, then I guess I'll have to finish you first before I deal with Uchiha." And he charged right at Heaven's leader, engaging themselves in hand-to-hand combat.

"You know Tsunade, we could always form an alliance and take over the world."

"No thanks, tempting as it may sound; I don't trust the devil, especially not you."

"Hang in there Sasuke." Kakashi said, glancing at the boy that was in his arms while Sakura flew by Death's side. "Why is his mark acting up?" Kakashi sweated a bit when the Fallen's mark kept going back and forth as Sasuke continued to cry out in pain, trying hard to endure it. "Orochimaru's appearance and how he angered Sasuke caused his mark to spread… if this keeps up, his mark will suck out what's left of his energy ki." Sakura gave a frantic look. "Put him down." She said earning quizzical looks from the four teens and Kakashi.

"I know what I'm doing."

Kakashi hesitated at first but flew down, setting Sasuke on the snowy ground while Sakura knelt down beside him. Neji and the others followed suit, wondering and thinking what the Chosen was up to. "I'll transfer a few of my chakra to him." She said, finally answering what's on their minds. Naruto blinked a couple of times before gasping. "You can do that?" Sakura gave a nod as blue aura emitted from her hands. She closed her eyes and placed her open palms over Sasuke's body, transferring almost half of her chakra to him.

"Isn't that sweet…"

They all turned to face one of Orochimaru's demonic soldiers, Kabuto, giving them a sinister smile as he pushed his specs upwards. "I've come to eliminate the Fallen and take the Chosen. If you want to avoid any of your blood to be spilled, then I highly suggest that you give me what I want." Neji and Naruto blocked his path while Ten-Ten readied her weapons for long range attacks. Hinata went to Sakura's side, assisting the Chosen while Kakashi stayed beside his adopted son, making sure that no one will kill him or take the Chosen without a fight.

"Suit yourself." And Kabuto snapped his fingers, calling not one or two, but three Serauls of the same level Neji was in. "Shit." Naruto cursed. "This is not going to be pretty…" The Angel gave a nod to the blonde demon's comment and activated his byaakugan, at the same time, concentrate his ki all on his palms. "Looks like this is going to take a while." Naruto smirked though. "Hinata, ready your sealing demon technique, I'm about to unleash Kyuubi." And just as he said it, his blue eyes turned to red, his teeth turned to fangs, his nails grew sharper and his mark started to spread across his body. "I'm going full Demon mode." He said, his tone of voice sounding more of a growl then a statement.

Neji shook his head and got into a fighting stance. "I'll save that for later." And he attacked one Seraul with a faster pace. "I'm not too experienced on rogue Fallens, but it looks like I have to deal with this thing." Ten-Ten took out a talisman, sprinkled it with holy water, wrapped it around a kunai and threw it towards the Seraul that was advancing towards her. She followed it up with three more shuriken and took out her katana, making sure it was the blade that could kill both Secular or Crusade. "Both means combined or not." She smirked, licking her lip as she charged at the high-level Seraul.

"Sakura," she looked up at Kakashi. "Get Sasuke out of here. Head for Jiraiya's place and take Hinata as well." he opened his usually shut left eye, revealing sharingan eyes. The two girls gasped at this while Death only smiled slightly. "Jiraiya can explain this, or maybe I'll tell you some other time, right now, get out of here, quick." And he soon blocked an assault from Kabuto after taking out his scythe. Hesitatingly but having no choice, she helped the half-conscious Sasuke to his feet and had his right arm around her. Hinata did the same with Sasuke's left as the two girls flew towards Jiraiya's place.

Kabuto cursed and tried to tail them but Kakashi wouldn't allow it. Instead, he pulled on the demon's wings and threw him back, glaring at the white-haired demon. "Your fight is with me Kabuto, and I will not allow you to kill he who I have considered as my son." He smirked at Death's chosen words. "Spoken like a prophet, yet you can't be one because I'm about to take you back to hell!" and their fight had begun. With a swing of his scythe, Kabuto blocked it with his wings. He knew it was hard to fight against Kakashi's level, being death himself but he had to; otherwise, he won't be able to kill the Fallen and take the Chosen. He just needed to wait for a while before executing any of his plans. He needed to wait patiently.

She felt his body slowly give in and instantly, she called his name, trying to keep him awake. Sasuke had his eyes half-closed and his vision was slowly becoming blurry. He felt really drained despite Sakura's transfer of chakra to him; it was as if something continued to eat away his life. "Sasuke-san, please stay with us." Came Hinata's usually quiet voice. He wanted to say that he will be fine to stop letting Sakura worry, he didn't like it whenever she was sad or worried about him; instead, what came out from his mouth were words that they couldn't understand.

"Demonic tongue…" Hinata whispered, knowing that Derick Uchiha dwells within the body of the Fallen they were carrying. "Derick is trying to speak to us." Sakura looked at Sasuke, seeing how his eyes were blank. "I… don't understand what you're trying to say…" Hinata only picked up the pace, telling Sakura to do the same as she activated her byaakugan. "We're getting closer to Jiraiya-san's, we have to hurry." The Chosen nodded as they flew faster, stopping abruptly when Hinata had told her to do so. "When I say now, take Sasuke and keep heading north, I assume you know what the monk's place looks like."

"Yeah, but why? Aren't you coming?"

"I can't." she said. "It seems that another Seraul has come out to play." She started to fly north, Sakura keeping up with the Angel's pace. "Ready?" she asked, Sakura unsurely nodding her head. "NOW!" and the pink-haired teen pulled Sasuke and flew as fast as she could past the Seraul which Hinata had stopped by pulling on its tail. Her palms were glowing white, her byaakugan still activated and her eyebrows creased together. "You will not go anywhere but here." She demanded and with enough strength she could muster, pulled the Seraul back.

Hinata spun around, dodging the attacks of the Seraul as she searched for vital areas of the creature. Getting a bit impatient, she did a seal and activated her full Angel mode. Unlike the others, she was in perfect control with her cursed mode, and didn't really have a dual personality. Her mark spread across her body while her short hair grew long, reaching below her waist, her angelic wings flapping behind her back, celestial feathers slowly falling down the ground accompanied by snowflakes. She was ready to fight; she was ready to give it her all.

The Seraul growled and flew directly at her. Hinata expertly evaded every quick attack the rogue gave, at the same time countering with double the effect. She managed to paralyze its right arm and tail, having more advantage in the battle. Some would smirk on the luck they got, yet Hinata was still dead serious, she didn't let her guard down and still treated her opponent as a higher level Seraul instead of her equal. It always pushed her to do her best.

"This is for my friend's sake, for the world's sake." She said in her mind, performing a few quick hand seals as she raised her hands in the air, chanting out an Angel language as her whole body glowed, blinding the rogue Fallen. "Angel's Blehm!" She cried out, spiritual angels appearing and attacking the rogue one by one at top speed. Without giving the enemy any chance to recover, Hinata summoned out her spear, saying a few holy words before she pierced it at the Seraul's heart.

"This is bad." Sakura wondered what Jiraiya meant as she watched Sasuke helplessly. He was slowly loosing his life as the mark continued eating away his chakra. "Even with my abundant supply of energy ki that I pass to him, the mark only sucks it all up. Clearly, this was what Tsunade was trying to avoid. She wanted Sasuke to stay clear from rogues or it will mean meeting Orochimaru. That trip to Hell had given him an effect." He eyed the pink-haired teenager who held onto one of Sasuke's hands. "Tell me, what did he see?"

She looked down at his almost lifeless figure before telling everything to Jiraiya. The monk only wiped a sweat away from his forehead as he continued to keep the Angelus alive. "I need Iruka here right now." He ordered one of his servants who nodded and began to send a telepathic message to the Angel of Life. In a few moments, Iruka had appeared with a poof, magically teleporting from Fujiten to Jiraiya's dojo. "What is it Jiraiya?"

"See for yourself."

Iruka was about to question him when he sensed a weird and eerie feeling. Looking at Sasuke's unmoving body, he quickly did a few hand seals and placed his palms over the boy's head, closing his eyes as he tried to explore the Fallen's mind. "Nightmares…" he said. "His past is haunting him… most of all… Orochimaru is slowly taking over his body." The Chosen and monk looked at Iruka as he continued to speak. "The trip to hell was a trap, sure Orochimaru was targeting Sakura, but he was also getting Sasuke. It was only a lie when he said he wants the Fallen dead and the Chosen alive, instead, it's the other way around."

"You mean, he wants me dead?" Sakura asked.

Life took a step back and checked Sasuke's temperature, feeling his body slowly growing cold. "Tell me Sakura," he said, trying to stop the mark from spreading all over the Angelus' body. "Do you have a child in your womb?" she remained quiet for a while and then nodded. "You do realize why Hellarium wants you dead, yet he cannot touch you, since you are no longer pure. Only one person can do his job." He glanced at Sasuke. "That is why he wants to take over Sasuke's body, by doing so, he needs to drain every ounce of chakra Sasuke has left, and finally, he'll take over, and use the Fallen as a vessel, then control him and kill you."

"Are you dead serious?" Jiraiya asked in bewilderment.

"Yes, I won't be joking at a time like this, not to mention," he looked back down at Sasuke and smiled slightly. "He's fighting Orochimaru from taking over, and Uchiha Derick is helping him out." he turned to Sakura. "I need you to close your eyes and search your mind for Uchiha Reishin, she's the only one who can help Sasuke right now. Derick plus Reishin together equals Orochiamaru retreating and leaving Sasuke's body for good. It would give us a better chance to win." Without anymore time to loose, Sakura let go of Sasuke's hand and did what Iruka told her to do.

"Jiraiya, you have to keep distributing chakra into Sasuke's body in order to keep him alive, remember this, if you stop, his life stops, and Orochimaru wins." He received a nod from the monk as Iruka continued to enter Sasuke's mind, trying to help him ad Derick out to battle against Orochimaru. "Sasuke, don't let the darkness consume you."

She knew something was wrong while she was fighting against Hellarium. He was too relaxed for one thing, and it took her at least twenty minutes to figure out Orochimaru's plan. "You sick bastard…" she cursed. Orochimaru only snickered and merely wiped the blood on his lip away. "It's easy to target the Uchiha lad because of his past, not to mention how possessive and jealous a Fallen can get when it comes to their mate." He frowned though. "What's stopping me is that old monk who keeps distributing chakra to his body, that Iruka who is still giving the boy light, and Derick Uchiha who still has a strong will." Tsunade smirked at this.

"And that Chosen… whenever I'm about to have Sasuke completely, she appears in his mind and he instantly fights back despite his condition." Cartum only laughed a bit. "That's what he promised her, and Angelus are known for keeping their word. Sakura just happens to be Sasuke's only hope and determination that is keeping him alive. Sure there's Kakashi and his friends, but Sakura plays a big part that has a strong impact on him. She is his weakness, at the same time, strength."

"Rubbish." Retorted hell's leader. "In simpler terms, it's called love. I still say it's trash to even bother about those feelings."

"It amazes me though," Tsunade reasoned, blocking another kick from Orochimaru. He rasied a brow at her. "How can a kid like him, who ahs never felt the feeling love, ever feel it towards someone?" he only rolled his eyes at this as Tsunade snickered. "I know, yet you don't." He snorted. "It's quite obvious Tsunade." He said, disappearing all of a sudden and reappearing behind her. "His mother had sacrificed her own life to save him. That's also love." And he tried to knock her out, completely missing by half an inch. "I guess you're not so dense and dumb about feelings after all." She narrowed her eyes seriously. "Enough talk, let's finish this. The sooner I get rid of you, the better the Fallen would be."

"Go ahead," he snickered, snapping his fingers as the ground shook. "If you can." And when he said that, hell broke loose.

"No… the Apocalypse…"

To be continued…

Next on Fallen: Chapter 9: Withered Wings

"I wanted to start a family with you…"

"You'll pay…" he whispered, holding her lifeless body close to his, black celestial wings engulfing the two of them as his mark continued spreading across his body. His eyes turning completely blood red, the commas of the sharingan spinning wildly as they glared into Orochiamru's yellow orbs. "I won't forgive you for this…"

"Too bad… it can't happen…"

Those were her last words, and he was going to make sure that he would get his revenge for his mate and his child. "I'll send you crawling back to hell!" and with a blink of an eye, he was behind Orochimaru and had his arms locked around his neck.

A/N: Fallen is nearing its end! I'm not sure if the next chapter will be the last or the tenth chapter will be the finale! Depends! But hey, at least Yakuza II will replace it!