Chapter 3

Once again, a big thanks to all of you who are taking to time to read my story. I appreciate each and every one of you. I hope you didn't think I was just going to end the story like that?

As I fell to my knees covering my face, sobs vibrated my whole body.

He betrayed me. Why did he do that? Why is he toying with me? How could he have done that to me? Who is he? Why? Why? Why? Why!

I was so consumed by my heartbreaking questions that I almost didn't hear the soft poof.

Tears still hanging on my cheeks, I looked to where his body should have lain. But it was gone. All that was left in its place was a stick with my throwing stars stuck into it.

Instantly, terror gripped me and squeezed hard. My head spun in dizzying circles trying to make sense of what I was looking at. What? What? What? Where! How?

I took a deep breath when the answer finally hit me, he used a replacement technique.

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hands, "Naruto," I call out tentatively, "where are you?"

He steps out from a tree directly in front of me. He looks serious. The brilliant sparkling blue of his laughing eyes have gone flat and dull. "Are you going to try that again?" I notice that he does not plant his feet firmly on the ground. He is ready to spring away at the quickest of seconds.

A rush of emotion chokes me. I'm surprised to find myself royally pissed off. He stands there, afraid of me? How could he when he knows damn well that he's a monster. He's the freak, not me. So what if I can hear people's minds? At least I'm human.

"Who the fuck are you?" I demand, narrowing my eyes in suspicion.

His face changes, if he looked serious before he looks deadly now. "I already told you that back there, before you freaked out and tried to kill me."

"You lied! You're the beast I heard in the woods! What are you? Are you even human?"

For a moment he looks shocked and hurt. While he stands there puzzling over the questions I have thrown at him, I leap to my feet.

Before he can react I rocket into the woods. Away from him. As I fly on the forest floor it feels as though my feet barely touch the earth. I can only hear two loud sounds. His footsteps as he chases me, and my heart as it pounds in fear.

He is quickly gaining ground. Remembering how he is I fully focus on trying to put as much space as possible between us. However, I don't notice the root sticking out of the ground until I feel my left foot catching under it.

I quickly throw my arms in front of me, turning my fall into a somersault. When I am back up on my feet, I pause to analyze my situation. I know he's strong but I could probably take him in a fight. It would be close though, too close. I have no idea what he wants from me. I flip through our exchange, trying to find any hints of guile in his words. To see if I can find even a clue of what he may want from me. My heart softens as I remember the sounds of his laughter. The way his voice tested out my name. The way he assigned the nickname 'Red' to me.

Shit, I've wasted my advantage. He's here. Before I can even brace myself for an attack five Naruto's burst out of the forest. My hand automatically grabs a kunai knife from a pack on my right leg, and I slice into the two who reach me first. The other three bound away in different directions. "Shadow clones!" I gasp.

Before I can even find my next point of attack, one of the clones grabs my right wrist and before I can turn to attack another grabs my left one, trapping me. In a burst of strength that surprises even me, I rip both my arms free and lunge at the left one, catching him the chest with my knife.

Before the right one can even react, I've spun around him, and stabbed him in the back of the neck. As he poofs into nothingness, I use my ears to try and find the real Naruto. Unfortunately for me, before I can find him with my ears he bursts out from behind me, tackling me to the ground.

He's knocked the air out of me and that stunned me. I can't even fight as he flips me over and pins me back to the ground, so that I face him.

Trying hard to catch my breath I notice how dark the forest has gotten, and how cold. I stare straight up into his face and allow myself a soft, small smile.

His blue eyes are the only bright and warm thing within my sights. I stare at them, allowing myself this small pleasure because I know he's about to kill me. I even let my brain imagine that he looks down at me with kindness in his face, even while my body tenses for his killing blow.

I hope he does it fast.