Author's Note: Hey everybody! And now for the conclusion! - Ryu

Awakenings: Part Two

Neji scanned the forest with his Byakugan, looking for any sign of movement that looked like Ryu and her kidnappers. They had found the two bodies of the ANBU that were supposed to have been following her. Considering their missing masks, Guy guessed Kabuto had killed them. It seemed he was making a habit of showing that he could easily kill their best shinobi. They had sped up in their efforts to find Ryu before anything serious happened to her.

His eyes suddenly caught the image of a large domesticated cat, limping its way along through the forest.

"I found Al!" he announced. "But he looks like he's hurt!!"

They quickly went to the area, and found the orange tabby cat. He had been determinedly struggling along the trail of the scent of the silver haired young man, growling as he went. The cat looked up at the team of ninja that was suddenly around him, and, in recognizing them, collapsed to the ground with a sigh. TenTen kneeled next to him, checking the cat's bruises.

"He's really hurt," she said. "He'll need to see a vet a soon as possible."

Kurenai's team then arrived on the scene, Kiba jumping from the tree and landing next to TenTen.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked quickly. "Hinata, come here and take a look at him."

Akumaru went to his friend's side, whining, concerned. The cat growled as Hinata looked him over, quickly telling him what had happened. Akumaru listened then took off to a tree near them. He scrambled up it and started to sniff it determinedly. He then turned around and barked to Kiba.

"He says he's got Kabuto's scent!! And Ryu's!!" Kiba told the group.

"We'll need to move quickly if we want to catch up to them." Kurenai said to Guy.

"I'll stay here with Al, and wait for our backup to show up," Hinata volunteered.

"I will too. You guys go on, and find Ryu," said TenTen. "We'll be okay here."

Guy nodded. "Alright. Let's go!"

They quickly took to the trees, Shino leaving a few beetles with Hinata and TenTen to come and tell them if anything happened while they were alone. Kiba growled lowly as he followed the scent of fresh air tainted with the scent of a moldy basement. Don't worry, Ryu! We're coming for you!!

Orochimaru sighed as he sat in front of Ryu. The girl was still denying his existence and so he had taken a seat in front of her to wait. It had been nearly ten minutes though, and he didn't know whether to be peeved about the entire situation, or to laugh out loud. Kabuto had been leaning against a tree, tossing a kunai knife up and down. He walked over to his lord.

"If I may, Lord Orochimaru?" he asked.

"Have at it," he said. He got up to watch what he would do.

Kabuto walked over and sat down in front of her. He then seized her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

"Listen to me, you stupid girl!!" he said savagely. "If you're dreaming, then why am I here? And that boy who just left? You've never seen either of us in your life!! Explain that!!"
Ryu's eyes wavered for a brief moment, but then snapped to a fierce mauve in an instant. Her winds powers exploded around her with a roar. She whirled around in a purple-colored wind.

"YOU!!" she howled.

With a miniature roar, she charged at him, the wind tearing the ground around her. She started to flip, and kick at him, her eyes screaming for murder. She didn't care if he was more powerful then she was; she wanted to rip this monster in half! Orochimaru simply dodged and stepped out of the way, smiling all the while as he watched her move.

"Well, well," the snake said as he dodged her fury driven attacks. "The village trained you well."

He easily caught one of her legs.

"Just what I needed."

"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF ME!!"

She launched herself sideways, spinning so violently that he lost his grip. She took off, scattering dust as she went. She started to throw air sharpened wind at him from every direction, growling as she did. The sanin quietly laughed as he slid out of the way of each blow directed at him, the air leaving deep gashes in the earth.

"YOU THINK I'D JUST GO BACK WITH YOU?! AFTER ALL YOU'VE DONE TO ME?!"

She formed a wind sword in her hand and dived at him. She started to hack and slash at him as much as she could, nearly making herself sick with vertigo as she moved so quickly. She thought she felt the wind inches away from his pale flesh, but she couldn't touch him. The smile that had graced the snake's face had started to fade though.

It had been amusing at first, but now he was starting to become annoyed. He dodged the gleaming piece of wind in her hand, and quickly lashed out, wrapping his pale hand around her throat in an instant. Her lungs immediately started to burn, her throat constricting itself at the unwelcome pressure. His eyes gleamed a vicious yellow.

"ENOUGH!" he hissed maliciously. "You're coming with me!"

"I'd-rather-be-dead!!" she managed to choke out, her mauve eyes still burning.

He squeezed and she gave a small squeak as her lungs protested.

"That can be easily arranged!

Kabuto quickly came over, alarmed.

"Lord Orochimaru!! What are you doing?! I thought we weren't supposed to hurt her!!"

The snake looked at his follower, a mad taint in his eyes.

"You can't, but I can!!" He then laughed, and looked back to Ryu, smiling toothily.

"You remember, don't you? You wouldn't talk to me, so I used to crush your hands until I could squeeze blood from them. I used to peel strips of flesh from your pretty little legs, and then poke little hot wires into you!!"

The man laughed once more, his cruelty reaching towards the sky. Kabuto stood there dumbly, absorbing the information. He didn't know whether to be horrified or fascinated. He decided it was a mixture of both as they started for the forest.

"Does she have any scars?" he asked.

"I don't know. I cut her hair off as well. It used to be so long too... I wonder how long it took her to grow it all back?"

"RYU!!"

The shout came from the other side of the glad as Kiba and Akumaru burst onto the scene. Kurenai and Guy followed after with Shino, Neji, and Lee right behind them. They all froze when they saw each other, the kidnappers regarding them with disdain while the ninjas looked determinedly on. Kiba and Akumaru stood growling menacingly while Shino's beetles nervously wavered around him. Neji and Lee looked ready to leap into action in half a second.

"Well, isn't this nice." Orochimaru said aloud. He leaned into Ryu's ear. "What a wonderful birthday present, hm? You get to say goodbye to all your friends!"

She quivered in unwanted fear, her heart crying as a murderous rage struggled to crawl up her throat and burst into being. He looked to the angry shinobi.

"Well, it's generous for all of you to have come to see us off, but me and my little dragon are leaving now, thankyou."

He turned back to the forest. Kiba's rage exploded within him.

"NO, YOU'RE NOT!!" he shouted, infuriated.

He ran towards them, already looking as feral as a manic wolf. Kabuto leaped forward, knife ready, giving a sharp whistle as he went to meet him in the boy's anger. About fifteen Sound ninja seemingly materialized out of the air.

"CHARGE!!"

They all leapt into battle, Guy and Lee the first to enter the fray. Neji easily sent a few flying with a quick rotation. Kabuto was quickly finding out he had made a mistake by challenging a fully enraged Inuzuka and his partner. It seemed the angrier he was, the more powerful he became, making it harder and harder to elude his sharp claws and quickly growing fangs. The boy caught sight of the snake moving back towards the forest, the rage in him howling at this sight.

He quickly sent Akumaru some chakra, and the pup quickly became his double. Kiba knocked Kabuto away with a quick punch, and left him to Akumaru. The silver hair then found him being pounced upon by a snarling monster. Kiba quickly started to charge toward the fleeing foe. Kurenai turned from her quickly finished fight to see her running student. Panic quickly seized her as she started to run over to stop his deadly pursuit. Another Sound ninja stepped in her way, forcing her to stop. She looked fearfully around him; she didn't want to see one of her students die!

"Guy!!" she shouted. "Do something!!"

The man spun around to see the boy meet up with the sanin. They were too late. With a snarl, he leapt at the kidnapper. All Orochimaru had to do was step out of the way. He quickly dropped Ryu, who quickly started to shout and scream, as soon as she hit the ground.

A snake flashed out of his hand and curled itself around her, constricting her body and going over her mouth so she couldn't scream anymore. Kiba whirled around from his miss and started to attack the man with swipes and punches, growling all the while. Orochimaru smirked as he dodged all of this. The boy leaped once again, preparing to strike from above, and forcing Orochimaru to turn around.

As he spun slowly, taking his time, Ryu caught a sliver of silver starting between his thin lips. She took breath to scream, but the snake viciously constricted, forcing the air out of her. Her terrified eyes desperately implored the flying Kiba to stop what he was doing. NO! she wanted to scream. STOP!

The two met, and sword came out.

"AH-! ARRRGH!!"

The cry split the air as the sword had went through one of Kiba's outstretched hands. With unseen speed, Orochimaru caught the boy by the neck, squeezing until he thought he heard miniature bones snapping. Ryu started to squirm and whimper desperately, ignoring the popping in her own bones as the snake continued to squeeze the life out of her.

Orochimaru looked back her, smiling maliciously.

"Did you find a boyfriend while I was gone, Ryu?"

He then turned back to the kicking and glaring Kiba, a taunting glint in his eye.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't think you're good enough for my little dragon!" he said with a mocking smile.

"She's-not-yours!!" he managed to growl out.

Orochimaru laughed, his sick mirth reaching towards the sky. Another glimmer of silver started in his throat.

"Oh! I really beg to differ!!"

The paralyzing terror from before gripped her again as Ryu saw the scene from her mother's death being played out before her. He was doing it again. Killing the people she loved. The murderous rage from before would not be held anymore. It roared.

NO! NEVER AGAIN!!

A venomous growl suddenly came from Ryu's body, and swept through the glade. The quick grip of fear made everyone involuntarily pause. The snake that held Ryu then exploded in a rain of blood. Orochimaru moved off to the side to avoid the falling pieces. Kiba looked out of the corner of his eye, seeing a crouching Ryu.

Another growl came from her, this time louder and she looked up. Her face now held purple stripes around her eyes and cheeks as her eyes were a mixture of yellow, purple, and red. She roared threateningly at Orochimaru, four-inch canines glistening in his direction. The Ryu from before had disappeared and had been replaced by... what? She looked like a demon.

The stripes spread across her arms as she stood there and growled, looking angrier and angrier at her previous captor. With a snarl, she took off at a run on all fours towards them. Orochimaru quickly dropped Kiba, and started for the forest again. She determinedly veered off, but was then stopped by four ninja. Claws started to grow from where her nails once were, but the growling never stopped.

Animal ferocity had taken over as she looked around herself. She leaped, and pounced on one of the ninjas, a spray of blood going up as she did. A quick scream, and she moved on to her next victim. Roaring, she swiped and clawed at her attackers, taking off fingers and pieces of flesh as she did.

Kiba wanted to look away, but couldn't. This couldn't be Ryu... Could it?

The enemy ninja weren't even able to touch her in her in-human speed. She met up with another, gutting him before he even knew what was happening. Another tried to run at this point. She jumped from the now dead man, and onto him, digging her claws into his neck. She then leapt on another, tearing his arm from his body with a snarl. Wings suddenly burst from her back, red with blood but white in color.

She turned her furious eyes on Orochimaru, and charged at him, her hands leaving red stains on the ground. She leapt, and swiped her drenched claws at his chest, leaving red slash marks on him. He had tried to duck, but he was slow compared to her. She was suddenly on top of her him, wrapping her red hands around his neck and digging her claws into his skin. Small puncture holes bled little rivers of dark red blood. Enraged eyes bored into his.

"YOU MURDERED MY MOTHER!! AND YOU THINK I'M GOING TO LET YOU MURDER MY FRIENDS?!" she screamed in pure fury. She raised a hand from her crushing hold, the long claws gleaming. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!"

She brought it down, and a howl went up. Kabuto stood behind her, plunging a dagger into her back. Orochimaru kicked her off, the sword coming out of his mouth as he did. He moved quickly, slashing her across the chest. She screamed in pain, the feralness from before leaving her voice.

He moved again, the sword missing her chest, but going through her arm instead. Another howl of pain, this time sounding more human then before. Kabuto moved in and sent her flying back a few feet. Her wings flared out, stopping her from going into a tree. More growls started to come from her, purple wind starting gather around her.

"FISH OF THE ANCIENTS!!"
"DOG OF SPARTA!!"

A huge rush of water suddenly came from the forest, and wrapped itself around Ryu. The flicker of a fish tail was seen. A red Doberman then jumped out and stopped in front of the wall of water, growling and snapping threateningly at the two. Through the water, what looked like a blue mermaid quickly curled herself around the injured girl, trying to calm her down. Dr. Masuda and Inu came from the forest.

Orochimaru took a step back from the giant dog, Kabuto staying close to him. They looked around at the other Leaf ninja, finding themselves along since their allies had either been torn apart by Ryu or quickly dealt with by the two teams that had been sent after Ryu. The snake stretched out his hands.

"You don't actually think you can do anything to me, do you?" he sneered at them.

"We might though."

He looked up to see Shikamaru with his own team of chunin and jonin standing in the tree branches above him. Kabuto leaned into Orochimaru's ear. Even if he was with a sanin, this many ninja might be hard to deal with, and he didn't feel like being caught by the Leaf as a traitor. Again.

"I think it's time we leave," he said.

Orochimaru sighed. "Fine!"

They started to quickly sink into the earth. Shikamaru jerked involuntarily.

"Quick! Someone stop them!!" Half of them leaped to the spot, but they were gone by the time they got there. The mermaid and the dog had disappeared to where they had come from, and Dr. Masuda quickly ran over to Ryu. Kiba was there before him, catching her as she fell over in a faint.

"Ryu?!" he asked her. The girl looked at him, glassy-eyed as the demon-stripes faded from her face.

She tried to open her mouth to say something, the thin lines of tears starting from her eyes. She wanted desperately to talk, but her throat felt raw and red inside her. Why was everything fading...? The world quickly dipped into darkness as she struggled to answer the questions that seemed to be being flung at her from the people around her.

Extra Author's Note: Well! I just wanted to put in some extra words here; I've got the next two chapters half-way written. Which is a good thing since I've got final exams, the final art show at the studio that I go to every day, the fashion show that I have to model in and the deadline for the student-run magazine that I help edit coming up! And so's my birthday! I'm turning eighteen! I'm gonna be legal!! XD Yeah, May's super-busy... BUT! I shall try my hardest to wrap this story up!! Only two more chapters until it's finished!! -Ryu