.: I spent an entire week periodically writing bits and pieces but then spent this past evening pulling an all-nighter to finish the last 75% of this chapter. I am happy to say that Akuma's backstory is extremely close to being done. There will just be one more part after this and then we can return to the main story. I will admit that his backstory has definitely extended far beyond what I was originally thinking, but I promise that nothing was milked! I simply let events flow and it turned out to be the equivalent of a few filler episodes lol. But I am very pleased with how his background has turned out; the goal was to create a villain who was not cliche or mindlessly evil, and I feel as if I have done just that. Trust me, I miss Dolia so much. It will feel so good to get back to her and her new friends. But hopefully this will be good insight to her own origins aside from Project Archangel's. And in order for that to happen, some things have to occur...Just a forewarning, this chapter is very dark. It was hard to type out. :.

The Archangel of the Hidden Leaf

Chapter 27:

The Tragedy - Origins of Project Archangel, Part 6

A quick evaluation of Tenshi and her son was enough for Akuma to feel less stress about what had just happened. Heartbeats sounded correct, breathing was steady, and bleeding was taken care of. The new mother just needed some stitches and pain medication afterward, but the green hue of medical ninjutsu quickened the healing process. She felt fine enough to walk, but Akuma wanted her to rest as much as she could before doing that. He gave her the raw meat to eat and aid in regaining her strength.

The baby grew quiet eventually as he fell asleep. Tenshi kept him snug in her arms, not hinting at ever letting go. The grass patch Akuma had found felt nicer underneath her than the rocky shore did, but she understood why it was necessary during the birth. He used the river water to keep things clean, and its cool temperature soothed the burning somewhat. What was most important now was keeping both archangels warm, so Tenshi rested between Akuma's legs and let him act as a cushion for the night.

Akuma helped support the newborn by wrapping his arms underneath Tenshi's. He could not peel his gaze away from the little life for any reason. White light from the moon was all he could use to make out the visible face inside the cloak. Just like his mother, it was hard to find any facial features, and some black strands peeked out. It was still very premature to think about his inherited kekkei genkai, but he wondered if newborn archangels could unleash teeth and wings at all. Controlling and harnessing it was out of the question but learning more about archangels excited Akuma.

His thoughts were distracted when Tenshi pressed the side of her head against his jawline. "Name him," she insisted.

Akuma did not respond straight away. The proposition was surprising. A sense of guilt came with his exhalation. He knew, deep down, that this dynamic between himself and Tenshi was wrong. The mission was to exterminate archangels, not fall in love with them. It had only been, what? Three days? And yet the medical shinobi felt as if he had a duty to protect this little family. The constant back and forth between village and cave would not last much longer. Naming Tenshi's son would only fortify the heartbreak further.

"No," he hesitantly replied, brushing the baby's head with his hand. "Yours."

"Ours," she corrected, relaxing against him more.

A small lump settled in his throat. She believed very firmly that Akuma was part of her life now, but it was ultimately a fantasy. But at the same time, he was touched…And made him want to make the fantasy a reality.

He could picture it: Bringing Tenshi and her baby into the village, into his home, and raise the boy into a fine shinobi. Seeing Tenshi wear clothes would be an entertaining sight. She was kind and could learn how to adapt to society. Akuma could teach her how to read and write, but she would not have to work if she did not want to. He would take care of her. He was taking care of her now. Both of them…

The nameless baby earned himself another soft stroke. He became aware of Akuma's presence and opened his eyes halfway. When Tenshi saw, her heart melted. "Hello," she whispered.

Akuma noticed and watched his eyelids slide up the rest of the way. There was no whimper or fuss to be heard; he was just a newborn still figuring out his sleep cycle. Akuma thought that a tender moment like this would be far in his future. With the warm welcome to jump into this new lifestyle, how could he possibly refuse? Children were something he wanted…so naturally, he had thought about names before. For a son, he had waffled between a couple. When he looked at this baby in the glare of soft moonlight, there was one he thought suited him best.

"Deidara," he declared, giving his head another stroke.

"Dei…dara," Tenshi tried to repeat despite her lisp.

He chuckled and held her tighter. Yes, this was the life he wanted.

When dawn was about to break, the sky began turning into deep violet. It was time for Akuma and Tenshi to go their separate ways once more. This departure hurt for Akuma, though, whereas before he wanted to distance himself. The swaddled infant being pressed into his chest was making his heart swell and ache at the same time. It had only been a few hours since he entered the world and Akuma loved him so much already.

When he had roused Tenshi from slumber earlier, she knew what was to come next. But she quickly remembered that she was free to move however she wanted now. "Fly?" she inquired with an excited twinkle in her eye.

With his permission, she passed him baby Deidara and immediately took flight. With the loss of so much weight leaving her stomach relatively flat, her wings did not struggle to lift her. In fact, Akuma did not expect her to suddenly disappear with a single thrust of her extra appendages. He tried to regain sight of her as she went as high in the starry sky as she could. Eventually, he noticed the silhouette blocking out the white dots as she twisted and flipped without much effort. It was entertaining to see someone experience freedom once more.

As Akuma walked back in the direction of the cave, Tenshi kept an eye on him while she followed from above. Deidara remained asleep as he enjoyed the body heat and sound of locusts in the trees. It was good for him to keep quiet; awakening any of her kind inside the cave, when they arrived, would be a predicament. The only challenge would be removing Deidara from the warm cloak because it could wake him. She would have to keep him as warm as possible with herself as the only parent during the day. As his mother, she would do it without question. But she also knew she would want Akuma to return as fast as possible since it will be easier with two parents.

Once close enough, Tenshi flapped down and landed on her feet sturdily. The feeling of the breeze rushing through her unkempt hair and across her exposed skin was one she missed dearly after months of being anchored to the ground. When Deidara grew to be less helpless, she would take to the sky with him in her grasp and give him a taste of his heritage, but it was too early to do that now.

He stayed unmoving in Akuma's grasp as a hand supported his bottom and another held the back of his head. Tenshi did not want to remove him but there was no other choice. Careful to not disturb him, Akuma and Tenshi passed him between themselves and slipped off the cloak. She wrapped her wings around herself again to shield him from the cool air and then gazed up at her lover.

"I'll be back," he promised her once more, throwing his cloak back over his shoulders.

Her lips pursed as she tried to form the words in her head. "Miss you…" she trailed, unsure if it was correct or not.

Understanding her completely, he smiled and decided to embrace her this time.

The new interaction surprised her. He held her close enough for her to feel his breathing but not too tight for Deidara's sake.

"I'll miss you, too," he said, kissing her temple and then releasing her. "Both of you."

After scouting every cave on the map, Akuma identified which one was to be targeted first. Each spot was assigned a number on the map depending on its size. To make his life easier, he made Tenshi's cave the very last designation. He wanted to buy as much time as possible for a few reasons. One was to make sure this plan to close up caves worked. It was his original mission, after all. Another reason was that he wanted to earn favor with the Tsuchikage after everything came together. If he accomplished that, then he could approach him with the proposal of sparing Tenshi's cave.

It would be difficult to get through to the Tsuchikage, and even more so the people of the Hidden Stone, but Akuma firmly believed that the archangels had potential. Over the past few days, he had independently witnessed how gentle they can be…how human they could be. He went into this mission not knowing anything other than what others had said. His entire perspective had shifted along with his feelings for Tenshi. If she could be given a chance, they would understand his defense on their behalf.

The medical shinobi wanted to introduce archangels to modern society. Somewhere down the line, they were isolated from the world and developed a feral lifestyle. Given some time to assimilate, he believed that they were more than capable of strengthening the village and becoming powerful Stone ninjas. Their kekkei genkai would make them nearly unstoppable when combined with training. The Village Hidden in the Stones could possibly become the dominant force among the five great nations.

But in order to get there, first, they had to rid of the infestations. There were too many of them; denying that was foolish and delusional. So, although it would probably pain him to watch, Akuma had to aid in the slaughter of many archangels.

He taught Haruk about their behavior patterns as best he could. It really came down to the most basic observations: Archangels all sleep in the cave during the night and wait for the scout's alert to come out and feed, and when they attack, they spread out to strike their target from all directions. That was why it was a good call to prevent them from using the sky to their advantage. Haruk had the Explosion Corps create paper bombs that were many times larger than regular ones. In addition, small clay rocks were tested and deemed as effective substitutes for paper. Individuals with the explosive chakra nature kekkei genkai were able to fuse their chakra with them and detonate them with hand signs. The plan was to line the mountainside with enough paper bombs and clay bombs to blow off debris that would block off the cave entrance. Haruk knew he was overcompensating for this first trial, but as long as he got the chain reaction he was looking for, then he could tweak things.

The amount of manpower required for this initial round was more than what the Explosion Corps had to offer. The Tsuchikage called for all shinobi to hear him as he asked for volunteers. If successful, it would be a great victory for the Hidden Stone and be a step forward in reclaiming the Land of Earth as their own.

Many shinobi who were personally impacted by the archangels agreed to join, but others were too apprehensive about their unpredictability to take on the risk. Either way, family and loved ones were the fuel to their choice.

The Tsuchikage ended the meeting by announcing his partaking in the mission. Too many times he had stayed behind while his juniors were killed by the archangels. He felt confident about the plan Haruk and Akuma had mustered. But he made it clear that Haruk and Akuma were the ones leading the brigade, not himself. They would leave in the middle of the night and detonate the mountainside before dawn.

As for Tenshi, he tried to tell her he had to leave much sooner than what was usual. The amount of red meat he provided for her, though, seemed to help her tolerate his absence. It was the first secret he would keep from her, and it would not be the last one.

In the dead of night, Akuma and Haruk led the army of Stone shinobi through the rough terrain of the Land of Earth. Many carried their paper bombs as they flapped with the artificial wind while members of Haruk's clan carried heavy clumps of clay. If an archangel was flying above them, they might have thought the earth was coming to life from all the illusive movement.

They were all a sea of red. It had a been a while since Akuma wore his standard uniform. The loose garments that swayed reminded him of how annoying it felt while the brown flak jacket was zipped snuggly around his torso. The headband tied around his forehead wanted to rub his skin raw. He gazed next to him momentarily to watch Haruk run full speed, not paying any attention to his uniform. Akuma wondered if he was losing his rationality the longer his archangel mission lasted.

He stuck his arm out toward Haruk to signal him to begin slowing their pace. They were all approaching the cave he had designated as the first target. Although everyone was being stealthy enough, the risk of hearing an incoming stampede of humans had to be eliminated for their own safety.

Haruk obeyed and began to straighten his running stance. Behind them, everyone repeated the same movement. They knew what the plan was. As the ominous black hole in the side of the mountain came into view, shinobi passed them both to go set their explosives. They all split in two to not be in direct view of whatever was inside. A group with massive paper bombs silently scaled the rocky outcrop, careful to not dislodge any debris. Empty-handed companions joined them, helping get directly underneath the upper lip by focusing chakra around their bodies, and sticking the papers in place in a tight line.

The rest of the brigade climbed up the sheer wall of the mountainside. Nearly a vertical ascent, but littered with craggy crevices and jutting protrusions, the new clay bombs were planted to be immovable but also able to break apart the area they were in. Haruk needed large chunks of rock to avalanche down, not small movable pieces. If the archangels could escape from their tomb, then the mission would have all been in vain.

Akuma watched from the bottom as his comrades recreated the image Haruk had shown them of how the job should be done. With the paper bombs completely lining the upper lip, the clay bombs had to be placed in a particular pattern that relied on size and explosive power to produce the desired result. The trick was to do it without disturbing any sediment or pebbles and then catching them completely off guard with the event.

"The archangels hunt as one unit," Akuma had described to them. "They only split when they have the sky as their advantage, and then converge from every angle to overwhelm and eliminate their prey. We have to prevent that from happening at all costs by closing them inside their cave. Not a single one stands guard during the night; they are vulnerable to attack from dusk until dawn. We must strike before the sky begins to change color. If the operation turns out to be flawed and leaves openings for escape, stay in groups of four to protect your person. Kill any who try to attack or flee. We cannot risk one finding a village or anyone innocent and defenseless."

Once everything was in place, every shinobi backed away but kept their sight on what was about to come. Haruk would signal the charge. Onoki decreased his own weight to make himself float, staying above the brigade. If archangels came with a counterattack, he would use his kekkei tota to fend them off. Enough Stone ninja had died from the vermin. It was time to turn the tide in their favor.

Akuma stood next to Haruk on the frontline. The mouth of the cave looked as if it had a black curtain draping over it; he could not see through it, but he knew that there were sleeping human beings inside. They were probably sharing body temperature to protect each other from any cold breeze that crept toward them. He never got to see it for himself, but after spending nights with Tenshi clinging to him as they both slept, he had the hypothesis.

He thought about his lover and their child. Archangels just like them were inside this cave. There were parents, children, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins…All members of a monstrous clan were just trying to survive. The environment around them reminded Akuma of the one surrounding Tenshi's cave: depleted of resources and signs of life. He could understand why they scattered across the Land of Earth; they were just moving to where more life was to feed off of. But they were overhunting. That was the problem. They just needed the opportunity to learn, the opportunity to be rehabilitated. It was all a mere misunderstanding between her people and his.

Haruk raised an arm and struck it down with force, signaling for everyone to set off their explosives. Members of his clan performed the hand signs required for the clay rocks to combust. The white bundles vanished within gigantic balls of smoke and ash. At the same time, other shinobi set off the paper bombs, collapsing the entire front section of the cave roof. The ground shook beneath their feet as rubble crashed with the help of gravity. Sharp boulders rolled and jammed in a forming pile. Birds that were once sleeping in the trees chirped madly as they tore out of the vicinity. Akuma could only imagine the panic Tenshi's clan was experiencing at this very moment. The cloud of smoke covered the final product as explosions ceased but rocks continued to move.

Around them, shinobi grouped in fours without second-guessing. Cold sweat bled through clothes as they all waited for the sickening screech of an escaped archangel trying for a round of revenge. Swords, kunai knives, and shurikens were clamped firmly into shaking fists. Eyes darted in all directions. It was hard to see in the darkness, but they kept surveying for a hint of white flesh.

Akuma's breath was erratic as he watched the dust settle. He and Haruk stood shoulder to shoulder with weapons drawn. An obscure scar nestled against the mountainside. Freshly exposed rock yawned all the way down to where the cave once stood. Lumps of earth in all sizes superimposed the gaping mouth. Akuma immediately sprang forward, finding the very top of the pile to be towering over where the lip once was only seconds ago. It was obvious that the inside gave way some, but as for any opening, there was none to be found. A quick inspection all around affirmed it. The shinobi began to cheer with exhilaration. Their first victory against the archangels, who knew it would come so soon?

The medical shinobi did not join in their celebration, though. Not a single sound or cry sounded from underneath the rubble. Tenshi's clanmates were either too far down, or they were crushed in the process. His heart throbbed uncomfortably. Who was it to deem the virtues of personhood? And did it really have to come to this?

Several days later, many more caves fell to the same fate as the first, all with no incidents or casualties. The Explosion Corps worked incessantly to prepare more ammunition for each nightly raid. It was as if nobody wanted a break until the job was done. Well, Akuma watched his map dwindle to the last two caves, one being Tenshi's and Deidara's home. He knew that the issue could not be pushed aside any longer. It was time to speak with the Tsuchikage.

He could feel how thick the air was as he respired with apprehension. Deidara was doing just fine as well as Tenshi. He continued visiting them every night but leaving them earlier to meet up with the brigade. Sleep was almost a memory at this point; having to leave in the dead of night meant he had to be precise in order to not appear suspicious to Haruk or any other comrade. Because of that, any sleep was a risk. During the day, Haruk asked for his assistance in the making of explosives, particularly paper bombs, but he also had his regular hospital duties back. His mission with the archangels had technically finished once the plan was found effective in closing up cave sites, but he insisted on joining the nightly raids to assure Haruk was following his order of things. It was to protect Tenshi and Deidara as long as possible.

The only way to continue with his protection of them was to bring them into the village. His love for them made his feet walk to the Tsuchikage's office. If he described Tenshi's gentleness and reasonableness, there would be a positive reaction. Akuma never considered himself a schmoozer, but his newfound passion for his little adopted family filled him with so much happiness that he felt he could convince anyone about how wonderful they were.

His favorite things to do lately were hold Deidara while he slept and try teaching Tenshi new words and phrases. It would take time, but he knew she had the mental capacity to expand her vocabulary and language capabilities with practice. He just could not wait until they were out of the wild and slipped into warm clothes for the first time. It would make him feel better knowing they were more comfortable.

He knocked on the door and heard the welcoming from the other side, so he entered. Onoki pushed aside the paperwork he was doing. "Akuma," he greeted, instantly drawn to the bags under his eyes. It was obvious he had been barely sleeping lately.

"I need to discuss a matter with you, Lord Tsuchikage," he began, stopping a few feet in front of the small old man.

"Go on, then."

"W-Well…" he stammered, "we are almost finished eradicating the archangels."

A wrinkled grin crossed his face. "Yes, all thanks to you."

"R-Right, but…I was wondering…ever since I started conducting observations and research on them, I noted their way of life as well as their whole beings," he explained, pulling out his journal that was beginning to show wear and tear from his short journeys. "Archangels are not monsters per se. Instead, I have the firm belief that they are humans with a ghastly kekkei genkai."

Onoki's gaze hardened. He was not sure where this was heading. "And?"

Akuma noticed the shift in mood and hesitated. Perhaps this was happening too fast. "I was just wondering…Do we really have to eradicate all of the archangels? I-I mean, they have fundamentals a-and customs. Personalities, social interaction, a culture, everything we have. Is it really wise to wipe them off the face of the Earth?"

A pang of disgust punched Onoki's aching back. Never in his life did he think a person would simply disregard the bloodshed those vermin caused. Especially for someone of Akuma's intelligence, how could delusion interrupt his thought process like this? The Hidden Stone lost a world war and then had to face the loss of territory. Terminating the existence of archangels was the best thing the Hidden Stone could experience to aid in the recovery of numbers. They desperately needed more manpower through shinobi training, and that could only come through the birth of children outweighing the death toll.

Before he could interject, Akuma continued: "I have personally witnessed the potential of the archangels. They are an intelligent population, a clan. If we brought them into the village, we could rehabilitate them–"

"Enough," Onoki breathed, having heard enough.

But Akuma continued anyway, his words spilling out after being withheld for so long. "–They could acclimate and assimilate to modern society. They could be trained and become valuable shinobi. Their kekkei genkai could transform our village and its scale of power–"

"That's enough!" Onoki exclaimed harshly, startling Akuma. He had had enough of this blasphemy. "The last thing I am doing is bringing the enemy into the heart of the village. There is nothing beneficial about it whatsoever. Why on earth would you propose something so preposterous?"

Akuma stood with his nerves frozen solid and his breath nonexistent. The Tsuchikage was unwilling to listen to reason regardless of his evidence. "Sir, please–"

"No, Akuma. I'm sure what you've perceived is true – about them being humans – but it is more than clear that they will hunt us down before they are willing to talk. They are too far gone to be helped in any way. I do not wish anybody else to fall victim to them."

"But if we start with their young–"

"Akuma!" Onoki bellowed, smashing the end of his wooden cane against the floor.

He immediately took a step back. Challenging the Tsuchikage's authority was border-lining treason. He was not even taking it into account since the image of Tenshi and Deidara remained in his head. The thought of somebody viewing them as feral beasts offended him, so he was willing to defend and fight for them, even in front of the best shinobi in the Hidden Stone.

"You're exhausted. How long has it been since you had a good night's rest?"

He blinked, ignoring the lingering sensation of a sleep-deprived headache and heavy eyelids. "I'm fine."

"You're not. Just listen to yourself. Remember whose side you're on."

The medical ninja stared at the floor, unsure how to reply. He could think as clearly as ever, but even after a full night's rest, he did not think he could answer the question. In all actuality, which side was he truly on?

He awoke with a sudden jolt, his gaze meeting pitch black and his elbows digging into soft padding. After going home to gather his thoughts and think of another plan, he had succumbed to slumber's lustful serenade accidentally. There was sunlight streaming through his windows before, but now there was nothing. What time was it? How long had he dozed?

His heart palpitated with anxiety and fatigue as he shot up and dashed outside without shutting the door behind him. Stars littered the night sky as almost no light source illumed from within the Hidden Stone. The first thing he thought to do was run for the home he grew up in. His breath came in desperate gasps as he panicked for answers. Hikari could help him more than anyone else.

Instead of knocking and waiting at the front door, he lunged for the spare key that was hiding and barged in himself. His younger sister jumped in fright as she wore comfortable clothes to sleep in. "Ah!" she yelped.

Akuma instantly noticed how empty the house usually was. "Where's Haruk?!" he panted; his blue irises surrounded by bulging vessels.

"On his final mission," she answered, holding a hand to her chest in relief. "Why aren't you with him, Akuma?"

Her answer jumbled his thought process. Final mission? What did that mean? He could have sworn there were two caves left, not just one. He was positive he did not miscount or read the map incorrectly. He could picture it mentally.

But his gut told him something was off. The last time his gut told him to take precautions, he had returned to Tenshi and found her in labor. Without saying another word, he dropped the key and tore out toward the entrance gate to the village.

"Wait! Akuma!" Hikari called after him.

Her voice drowned out in less than a second. The two people guarding the gate almost missed his exit. A wind he created was one of the only indicators they had to know he had even passed by. It left them confused more than anything.

Akuma could hear himself heave his breaths as adrenaline took over his extremities. It was long overdue since he was supposed to meet Tenshi with Deidara. He did not know how long she was alone, or she was waiting for him. It could have been more than twenty-four hours for all he knew. His body worked as hard and as fast as it could to reach her cave. The responsibility to keep them both safe had fallen flat on its face.

He entered the familiar landscape of trees and shrubs. His eyes mistook most of it for human beings, though, due to his current state of panic. The blurs moving in his peripheral all turned their attention to the one body that was clad in black instead of red. Just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone in the blink of an eye from pulling ahead.

His heels dug into the ground once he emerged on the other side of the trees, coming face-to-face with the cave that still stood without any damage at all. A cry of joy and relief burst from his oral cavity as he dropped to his hands and knees. All muscles burned from the existential effort. He had moved faster than when he carried Tenshi to the river.

"Akuma," her voice beckoned.

He lifted his upper body from the ground to gaze up. Tenshi sat atop of the cave's upper lip with Deidara cradled against her chest. His relief was so great that he felt tears well up to the brim.

The archangel's white skin shimmered against the moonlight like milky quartz. She transformed, pulling out her wings, and leaped off the outcrop. Akuma watched as they caught a breeze and expanded elegantly, giving him the most beautiful view of his love as she carried their child protectively to the ground he stood on. Everything about her – her black eyes to her silhouette – mesmerized him more than he thought was possible.

He did not even wait for her to transform back before he trapped her within his safe embrace. She felt so warm against his hands and neck as his arms wrapped around her and held her tight. Some of his tears dripped down his face as the idea of them both perishing haunted him. His lips found her hairline, her cheek, and even her own lips. His hands reached for Deidara on their own, and she allowed him to take him from her. He tucked the infant into his cloak as best he could while wearing it, knowing he would find comfort and familiarity in it.

Tenshi saw how his cheeks were shiny from weeping. "Wrong?" she asked, realizing he had never shown such an emotion in front of her before.

"Nothing," he reassured her, caressing her jawline, and then pressing a kiss to her forehead. One arm found her shoulders and pulled her into another embrace.

Nothing was wrong, not anymore. Everything was fine…

She looked over Akuma's shoulder, catching sight of some movement behind him. A person stepped out into full view. Tenshi suddenly pulled out from Akuma's embrace and pushed him behind her as he kept holding Deidara. "Tenshi?" he voiced, turning around to follow her.

That was when he met Haruk's eyes. An expression full of perturbance was all he could read. His brother-in-law had seen everything. The man who stood by him during these cave missions, who gave great detail about archangel behavior, had a secret life. The recognition of hypocrisy filled his consciousness.

Slowly, more and more shinobi appeared from the shadows and brush. Tenshi's head cocked when she realized she was greatly outnumbered. She transformed once again, trying to shield Akuma from the strangers. Their foreheads reflected the moon's light, allowing her to identify who she was up against. It was them who had tried to invade the cave. It was difficult to see because of the darkness, but she could tell their garments were red, too. She would protect Akuma and Deidara from them. A hiss sounded from her jutting teeth.

Dread filled Akuma. How did they get here so fast? He did not see a single one of them when he was coming here. For a moment, he thought his thinking process had turned out to be correct: the Explosion Corps were at the other cave. But he was the one who was wrong in the end, but how? Now he was exposed, and it was Tenshi versus the Hidden Stone.

"Akuma," Haruk said, sounding disgusted, discouraged, and in denial.

Tenshi's ears pricked at the sound of his name. Amid her sudden confusion, she began to realize how bad the situation was. She faced the invaders while Akuma faced the cave. One alert screech would bring her entire clan out and they would dispel the invaders, but Akuma would be caught up in the carnage and maybe even Deidara. On the other hand, the invaders could use the opportunity to kill her right here and now. She glanced over her shoulder toward Akuma, but he was not looking at her. His hands held Deidara as he prayed that he would not awaken.

"Step away and you may come out alive," Haruk warned, snapping his fingers once. The shinobi kept their gazes peeled on the single archangel that was out of the cave as they began to file around to ascend the mountainside and plant their explosives.

"Please don't do this, Haruk," Akuma pleaded hoarsely, feeling desperate yet hopeless. "Not this cave. Spare them."

"They killed our comrades," he reminded the medical shinobi, "yet you decide you loved one?"

"You don't understand. Please. They're savable. I know what they're like. They're gentle beings…"

Tenshi blocked out the conversation as she connected the dots for herself. The invader knew Akuma's name, and spoke to him freely…

She suddenly turned around to face him, swiping a hand across his forehead to find the same shiny metal on it. His chestnut strands covered what he had not removed before he had accidentally fallen asleep in his own home.

Terror instantly flew through her. Akuma was the enemy. She entrusted him to her love and her own child! The same child he was holding right now!

A greatly distressed wail echoed toward the cave's mouth. Archangels became roused from their slumber. Akuma stood frozen as he saw hurt and betrayal in Tenshi. The infant in his arms twitched and began to cry at the disturbing sound. More archangels screeched to wake the others. They sensed danger.

Haruk read the gravity of the predicament. This was exactly what they had been avoiding these past few nights. The archangels were coming. People were going to die. "SET IT OFF!" he shrieked, throwing the kunai that was clenched in his fist.

Tenshi yelped loudly as the sharp edge penetrated the center of her spine, cutting off all sensation from her waist down. Akuma tried to catch her as she fell, but Haruk had already stuck a paper bomb between her wings, gripped him by the shirt, and kicked them both away from each other. The female archangel toppled toward the cave. In the second after, a wet explosion reverberated in Akuma's eardrums, and her body parts flew in all kinds of different directions.

He landed on the ground ungracefully, keeping his hold on Deidara secure to protect him, and looked back with horror as Tenshi was strewn all over the soil. A scream unlike any other erupted from Akuma, one full of shock and anguish. He could feel his throat claw in pain from the force exerted against his vocal cords.

"I SAID SET IT OFF NOW!" Haruk shrieked louder toward the brigade. A swarm of flying bodies was becoming visible silhouettes in his eyes. The Hidden Stone's worst ever tragedy was about to take place.

Shinobi abandoned their handiwork in imperfect places, instead opting to leap backward away from the mountainside. Hand signs blurred, followed by a sloppy light show full of fiery rocks that dislodged from the mountainside. They avalanched to cover the mouth of the cave. Splatters of blood flew as archangels were crushed by boulders. Haruk grabbed Akuma once more and threw him farther back from the fray. The dust cloud that formed was not enough to mask the reality that there was an opening ready to be taken advantage of. Archangels inside the cave cried out in terror and fear.

When everyone landed on the flat ground, archangels jolted through, having to squeeze and cut open their skin to gain freedom. Rather than angry screeching, there were pained yowls and younglings squealing with fright. Some became lodged and stuck while others – although not many – emerged and took to the sky to escape the Hidden Stone ninja.

"Kill them all!" Haruk ordered angrily. "No survivors!" He reverted around to find Akuma wide-eyed in a state of shock, holding the bawling infant against his chest. There was no time to waste. He marched over and grabbed Deidara, prying him away.

"No! Don't!" Akuma screamed, holding on as tight as he could. "He's just a baby! He's innocent!"

Deidara released a pained cry that wrenched Akuma's heart as Haruk yanked.

"And he will grow up to be a monster just like them!" he argued, lifting a foot and kicking Akuma straight in the face.

He felt the cervical bones in his neck crackle from the impact, forcing him to let go of Deidara. But he instantly got right back up and went to get him back. That was, until he saw Haruk slice a kunai across the infant's throat, silencing the cries forever.

Bile rose in Akuma's throat, making him gag and vomit involuntarily. Screeches of archangels struggling to escape and dying at the hands of their invaders overwhelmed him. The images of his family being ripped apart carved out his chest. Haruk stood over the medical shinobi as he buckled and collapsed in his own vomit. He was a man who lost what he loved most in the matter of a single minute.