A/N: Yes! I updated on time! XD I have to thank one of my friends for introducing me to My Chemical Romance back in our senior year in high school; otherwise, I wouldn't have bought their newest album (The Black Parade) and wouldn't have had the background music that enabled me to finish this chapter...

Fans of Naruto and Sasuke (not as a couple! O.o), I urge you to click the 'back' button now. Otherwise...be prepared. That sounded so ominous...

Disclaimer: I don't own either series or set of characters. Bakuten Shoot Beyblade belongs to Aoki Takao; Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. But Takenoichi Yuriko belongs to me!

Chapter 16: The Threatening Darkness

"No..." Kai half-whispered. His feet felt like lead weights and would not move, no matter how much he willed them to. Even his arms were suddenly rendered useless; it seemed as though his wrists had been bound with adamantium and the end of whatever chain held the unseen shackles buried deep in the ground.

On the return trip to Konoha, Sasuke had, gently and quietly, berated Kai for his desire to go after the Shikino the moment Yuriko fell into their dark clutches. That desire, the young Uchiha had said, had been born from irrational thought, driven by emotion instead of logic, an act largely uncharacteristic for the Hiwatari heir.

Yet, here before them - Kai knew Sasuke could see it, too - was the very thing that had driven the slate-haired teen to such hasty thoughts of rescue.

On the cushioned seat of the carriage lay Yuriko. She remained motionless, bound at the wrists and ankles. A strip of cloth was fastened securely about her jaw, impeding speech. There was really no need for such measures, Kai noted dully; though her amethyst orbs were open, there was no life-spark in them, and the poor girl seemed not to have the energy to call out. There was, however, a low moan that issued forth from her gagged lips every few minutes, but the sound was so soft that one had to strain to catch it.

There were two more people in the carriage, seated opposite to where Yuriko lay trussed up on the cushion. One of them was standing, and it had been he, apparently, that had performed the technique earlier, the one that lured Kai out into the open.

Shaking himself mentally, the crimson-eyed teen snapped out of his daze, slowly reaching into his weapons pouch for a number of shuriken. As he did so, he studied the man who gazed down at him. He had pale skin, dark hair, and even darker, deep-set eyes. His entire body, save the feet, hid behind a curtain of thick, dark cloth; this man - he was either Shinichi or Shinji, for Kai already knew who Eiji and Keitaro were - had the overall appearance of some macabre death spectre

Kai shivered. He wasn't scared, really; just disturbed. He expected the man to be smirking, at least - surely he was more than a match for the rookie Kai. But no. There was not even the littlest trace of emotion on the dark ninja's face, as if he saw nothing but the forest that stretched out behind the slate-haired teen. Then, Kai shook his head slightly and grit his teeth, ready to move. But he'd barely begun to perform the needed seals when he felt something bite deep into the rear left side of his trunk, just below the twelfth rib, close to where the kidneys were located. He whipped around, biting back the groan that threatened to escape...

...And came face-to-face with Eiji.

"You..." he hissed, slate-gray brows meeting in an angry 'V'. He jumped back, reading, with his diluted Sharingan, that the dark-brown haired man was about to slash at him again.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Kai yelled as he landed, breathing out a large ball of flames. The fiery sphere blazed bright, shooting off towards Kai's intended target, the heated yellow-and-orange tongues leaping high into the air and burning the tips of tree branches as it passed.

Eiji smirked, dodging to the side while five of his fellow Shikino ninja paid the price. Short, piercing screams sliced through the still air, cut off short as the hungry flames rapidly consumed their meal. The horses that had been pulling the carriage whinnied as the fire came dangerously close to them, but the heat only burned their restraints, leaving the frightened animals unscathed. They were still very much afraid, able to scent the hate and bloodlust in the air, and with one last heave, the two thoroughbreds pulled free of the reins tying them to the carriage. They bolted, neighing with relief, and clip-clopped swiftly into the forest, not caring where their hooves took them.

Eiji had been forced to leap into the trees when the horses galloped towards him, and now that they had passed, he jumped down towards Kai, readying his blade for another attack.

Thk!

The ninja staggered as he landed, gray eyes wide. His left hand groped frantically for the kunai he knew was there, its slender, bandage-wrapped handle peeking out from between folds of black cloth. The right hand loosed its grip, and the sword clattered to the ground.

It was Kai's turn to smirk. "Did you think I'd be that stupid, to come at you with a direct, long-range attack you could dodge easily?" With what seemed like a casual flick of his wrist, another knife whistled towards Eiji. There was a metallic clashing sound as the blade of the airborne weapon hit the handle of the other, dislodging it completely. "Fat chance."

The cloth around the wound turned darker in a quickly-expanding circle as liquid spurted from the deep puncture. The dark ninja, rendered speechless, dropped to his knees, and then slumped, face-down, as though wanting, even in death, to hide his shame at being beaten by a Genin.

The crimson-eyed teen glanced down quickly at his own injury. True to form, the wound was healing up now, and the pain had disappeared. Kai was grateful for this unexpected ability, and he wondered whether he could use it to help others when the time came. Clearing his head of the thought, he walked over to where Eiji had fallen and calmly retrieved his weapons, preparing himself to face the brothers behind Yuriko's capture. Then he remembered that there were a little over twenty ninja to deal with, aside from Shinji and Shinichi, but he shrugged it off; now was not the time to be hesitant. But, as he glanced around, he noticed that, aside from those that were dying and the already dead, the other enemy ninja had disappeared.

"Kai!"

The slate-haired teen glanced up, then frowned slightly in confusion. How did they-

Max landed in front of him, a small smile on his face. "Looks like you and Sasuke found them before we could warn you," the blonde said, his relief hidden by the cheerful tone in his voice. "Any casualties?"

"Just the Shikino," Kai replied curtly.

"You mean they're all dead?"

Kai shook his head. "They've disappeared, but I don't know where to. Anyway, listen. Yuriko's in the wooden carriage over there. Now-"

"What's she doing in there?" Takao asked, glancing at the now-horseless carriage, which had tipped slightly forwards, the thick rods that held the horses' restraints acting as the vehicle's support.

"Wasn't she fighting with you?"

"She's still a captive, and I intend to free her. Watch my back."

All three BBA members nodded, but Naruto looked slightly worried. "Where's Sasuke?"

Kai jerked a thumb over his shoulder towards the part of the forest where he'd last seen his cousin. "He's in there, somewhere. He'll be fine, though, so don't worry."

"You really don't intend to give in, do you?" Sasuke ground out slowly, tightening his already strong grip on the hilt of his sword, the Kusanagi. "You're fighting a losing battle, Keitaro; a group from Konoha is already on its way here-" of course, the dark-haired teen had no idea that what he'd stated was actually true - "...And, as you've no doubt heard from a few minutes earlier, several more of your clansmen were burned to death by my companion..."

"I doubt it, bozu," Keitaro smirked, bearing down harder on his sword. "Skilled as you and your companion are, we are more experienced, and certainly have the advantage of being able to control darkness. I'm sure you know that nothing can stand against such power."

Suddenly, Sasuke gave a short chuckle and stepped back. The dark ninja, taken by surprise, stumbled, his momentum propelling him forward. In a desperate gamble, he swung out with his blade, hoping to connect. The Uchiha smirked, crimson orbs shining with a dangerous light, as the enemy's weapon met futilely with his own, a strong current of electricity engulfing the blade; Keitaro's sword literally slid off. Allowing his instincts to orchestrate the movements of his muscles, Sasuke flowed gracefully into the front agression stance, driving the Kusanagi forward with little exertion. The Uchiha watched with fascination as it pierced through cloth and flesh, earning another shocked look and a short cry from his adversary.

Suddenly, he sensed movement from behind him. Quickly, the raven-haired teen drew his sword out from Keitaro's upper chest and whirled around to face the would-be attacker. Eyes wide, he took a half-step back, bringing the sword blade upward in a slash from the horizontal. This was not for offense, though, but defense; another Keitaro had appeared from behind him and had slashed downwards, his sword held vertically. Sasuke then knew that he had faced not a clone, but another Shikino ninja disguised as Keitaro.

"Well done, Uchiha..." Keitaro whispered, menace dripping from every word. "You've beaten a protege of Shinji-sama, which is no easy feat." He allowed Sasuke to throw him off, flipping backwards gracefully and landing five feet away, his sword back in the sheath hidden at his side. "But Ryuushi was young, not quite experienced in the ways of an all-out battle. I can assure you, you have chosen death in intercepting our journey..."

"If there's anyone who's chosen death," Sasuke shot back, returning his own weapon to its sheath, "it is you and your clansmen. The Leaf ninja are not so easily defeated and, though they don't make a show of it, are highly skilled, probably more so than you could imagine..."

A short bark of laughter, so sudden it seemed as though a bomb had detonated at close proximity. "The child speaks like a parent, yet remains that child..." Keitaro said, smirking as he lowered his stance. "You spout off foolishness, boy! To come at me with a squad of Jounin would have been the better choice; instead, Konoha comes at me with a mere Chuunin! To sing praises of your home and its ninja is insulting, but to mock me by standing against me is the ultimate insult! You deserve to have your head rolling in the dust!"

Quick as a breath on the wind, Keitaro shot forward, the deadly silver of the ninjato - similar to the wazikashi but straighter than the traditional katana - swinging out towards Sasuke. Much to the dark ninja's surprise, however, the crimson-eyed teen stepped into the arc of the attack rather than away from it. To that effect, Keitaro overswung his target, and paid for it. An eye-blink later, the man found his left arm completely severed from him, the shoulder hacked clean off. Biting back the sudden wash of pain that engulfed him, he channeled his chakra into his blade, preparing for another strike. He never had the chance.

Another explosion of pain, this time radiating up from a different area on his body. Stupefied, he glanced down, a mixture of a gasp and a moan escaped his lips when he saw a hand in his upper left chest, buried in the flesh up to the wrist. There was a crackling in the air as the Chidori burned with the blue-white light of electricity.

Sasuke wrenched his arm out of the cavity he'd created, watching with curiosity as the dark ninja collapsed, blood spurting out from his back and his chest as the lightning chakra faded from the Uchiha's palm.

That takes care of one of them... Sasuke thought, sheathing his sword; he was sure he wouldn't need it for a while. Keeping as silent as possible, he crept back the way he and Ryuushi - disguised as Keitaro - had come, coming back out onto the path the Shikino had taken through the forest.

He glanced left and right for any sign of his companion, noting that the person he'd seen standing in the carriage was now gone, leaving only Yuriko and the other man inside. His pulse quickened, already sounding like a trip-hammer in his head; he couldn't spot the slate-haired teen, and the immediate vicinity seemed awash with the dark-clad enemy ninja.

"Raitte!" a cry far to his left, and Sasuke whirled out of the way, closer to the carriage as the unfortunate victim hurtled into the tree under which the crimson-eyed teen had been standing. To his surprise, Rei, Takao, Max, and Naruto were there, fending off twenty-something ninja.

Sasuke leapt up over the wooden vehicle, landing on the other side, and instantly spotted Kai doing battle with the man from the carriage. This was undoubtedly Shinji, second-in-command after his brother. It was also not difficult to see that Kai was having a hard time matching the dark ninja blow for blow, so Sasuke rushed forward.

"Kai! Get out of the way!" he called, stopping at a spot five feet away from where Shinji stood. The slate-haired teen glanced at his cousin, bewildered. Sasuke was obviously not going to use any projectile attacks, so Kai was in no danger of being hit erroneously. Why did he have to move?

Suddenly, a blur shot down towards Kai, pausing only momentarily to pick him up, before bounding up into the trees. Bouncing off a particularly thick branch, the blur with Kai in tow landed just beside Sasuke. The Uchiha took this as the signal, concentrating, pushing his psyche outward to envelop the opposing ninja. Kai, of course, could see none of this happening.

"Sasuke, what are you doing just standing there?" he hissed, about to charge forth once more and attack. Suddenly, a sharp intake of air as he saw what looked like a dark pinpoint of light form on Shinji's chest.

"What the hell-" Shinji muttered as he tried to take a step forward but found he couldn't. The next second, he fairly screamed as what felt like a million swords knife into his chest, and then quickly spread; his whole body was on fire with the pain. And then, a strange, though still painful sensation of being pulled towards a small, concentrated area...that dark pinpoint on his chest.

Kai's eyes widened as Shinji's form appeared smaller and smaller, the mouth opened wide in a contorted scream as he drawn in an agonizing spiral towards the black hole. He shuddered inwardly. No wonder Sasuke had shouted at him to get away; had he stayed close to the Shikino, he, too, would have been drawn into that tiny, foreboding hole of nothingness. Soon, there was no trace of the dark ninja save a few gray wisps of smoke from the small implosion.

Sasuke half-turned to look at the blur that had pulled Kai out of harm's way. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be resting in the hospital?"

Kakashi smiled beneath the mask. "So you decided to use it, eh?" he asked, completely avoiding the question.

Use what? Kai looked bewildered.

"Well, I needed to test if your method of training worked, Kakashi," Sasuke replied. "Now would you answer the question?"

"Couldn't let you guys have all the fun," the silver-haired Jounin said, shoving a hand in his trouser pocket. "Anyway, I-" suddenly, he cut himself off, turning around to parry the slashing sword of an enemy.

Sasuke blinked. Suddenly, the twenty Shikino nin looked like two hundred. How-? he asked silently, glancing around. He spotted several creeping from the forest, heading straight for Naruto, who was still unaware of the approaching danger. Snarling, he bent down into a running crouch, drawing his sword while he did so.

"Oi! Dobe!" he called when he was less than three feet away, his sword arm stretched out obliquely from his body.

Naruto turned, cerulean eyes widening when he saw his best friend rushing at him, sword drawn and what looked like murderous intent in his eyes. "Teme?!" Thinking that Sasuke intended to slash him, the blonde jumped aside, which was just what Sasuke wanted. Coming to a momentary stop between the blue-eyed jinchuuriki and the Shikino, he turned to face the oncoming attackers. A sudden chirping and crackling as electricity emanated from every pore of his body, rendering two of the nearest ninja immobile. The pair fell, writhing from the pain of being struck with the equivalent of a lightning bolt.

Quickly channeling the electricity into the ground beneath his feet, Sasuke used the sudden jolt to propel him forward. Then, whirling around in a blur, he slashed downwards each time he sensed he was near enough to take an enemy ninja down.

As he landed, amidst the seven he'd taken life from, Naruto ran over to him. "What's the big idea, Teme?" he fairly shouted. "I thought for sure you were going to kill me-"

"But you already know what it was I was doing." Sasuke answered quietly, smirking.

"Yeah, but that doesn't justify the fact that you scared me near out of my trousers!"

Suddenly, the ground beneath them cracked apart, and both boys jumped away. One glance told them that it was Tsunade's doing; if it were Sakura, the ground would have exploded immediately.

"Tsunade-sama!" Sasuke heard Kai exclaim from not far off. Apparently, that sudden crack in the ground had disrupted his fight with two other Shikino clansmen.

There was a slight thump as the Hokage landed beside Sasuke. "Kakashi was kind enough to tell me that the enemy's numbers had grown suddenly, so I came as quickly as I could, with some back-up." As emphasis, a large rock landed on an approaching ninja with a sickening crunch. Sasuke had no doubt who was the cause of that, and he glanced back up at the blonde woman, waiting for the instructions he knew were coming. "Now, take Kai and get Yuriko back to the village! That's your mission for now, Sasuke."

"Hai." With a curt nod, the raven-haired teen dashed off. He knew that Kai had understood, for he joined him as they neared the broken carriage.

Then, they screeched to a sudden halt as a shadow blocked their path. He looked like Shinji - the same pale skin, dark eyes and hair, and choice of clothing - but was considerably taller, older, and for all they knew, more skilled.

Shinichi.

"Kai, I'll take care of this one. You go around and get Yuriko out as quickly as you can," Sasuke whispered to the slate-haired teen. Kai nodded once, and then took off. The Uchiha gripped the handle of his sword tightly, getting ready to launch himself at Shinichi.

"Foolish boy..." A whisper on the wind. And then, like smoke only more corporeal, a three-dimensional shadow seemed to creep towards him. Once it wrapped its cold, wispy tendrils around his ankles, the colors seemed to disappear in front of Sasuke's eyes until all he saw was in varying shades of gray to black.

Black…a deep blackness…surrounding everything...

All around him, he could hear screams as weapons and technique projectiles found their marks. Sasuke hoped those being slain were the Shikino and not the Konoha nin.

Screams...cries...yells...sounding from all sides...

Now, Shinichi seemed to be getting ready to fire a projectile of his own. Dark energy sizzled in the empty space around them - was it another dimension? Or an illusion? Sasuke couldn't tell; the blackness was so deep that it confounded even his Sharingan. He stared at Shinichi, focusing on his actions instead for these would dictate how the Uchiha would react. And, in each palm, Sasuke saw dark flames gather, swirling into a small sphere, a bastardized Rasengan it seemed.

...a fire so black it made the darkness seem white...
Sasuke grit his teeth, slid his sword back into its sheath, and gathered his chakra into his hand. The Chidori Nageshi was quite different from the Chidori, but in nature remained the same. Sasuke wondered faintly if using the technique for what was essentially the fourth time wouldn't activate the Cursed Seal of Heaven at his apex of his neck and left shoulder, but decided to throw caution to the wind; now was not the time for self-doubt and hesitation.

"Suiton: Mizuken Ha!"

"Fuuton: Dai Ryuu Senpuu no Jutsu!"

Max and Takao apparently had released another version of their combination technique.

"Katon: Bakuretsu Kazan!"

Kai, probably fighting off more ninja than he could handle, had reverted to using the Exploding Volcano technique to slow down their advances and hopefully take more than a few of them out.

"Baku Tora no Kiba!" A blur of green chakra knocked down three or four enemy nin. Wait...how could it be that he was seeing in color now when a moment ago, everything ranged from black to light gray and nothing more?

Then he realized that the dark dome surrounding him was fading now, and Sasuke could see Shinichi's form more clearly. In that instant, the dark ninja leapt forwards, energy humming in the palms of his hands. Behind what he guessed was the carriage, Sasuke noted vaguely that blasts of color, no doubt coming from Kai and his companions - had they joined forces to get to Yuriko while he had been trapped in that wierd dome? - were shooting off towards the enemy ninja.

Green, purple, blue, red...flashing...exploding outwards...

This is exactly like that dream - or premonition - I had! Sasuke realized as he readied himself to meet Shinichi head-on. To his surprise, Shinichi leapt past him, heading instead to an area somewhere to Sasuke's left. And for a moment, he was dumbfounded.

A scream tore him from his confused half-stupor. Crimson liquid dotted the ground at his feet.

A blur to his right...another to his left, pink this time...

Pink...? Sasuke's eyes widened, and then narrowed dangerously as he uttered a curse under his breath. He turned to see whether what he had assumed was true, and if it was, he swore he would tear Shinichi limb from limb and leave the carcass to rot in the deepest valley he could find.

A sigh of relief was about to escape him; Sakura was safe. But then, the crimson-eyed teen noticed that the young medic nin was staring in horror at something, and he followed her gaze. Another muttered curse was flung into the air.

Naruto stood there, blue eyes wide and unseeing, his black-and-orange jacket stained with the same liquid that seeped into the ground. Shinichi's right hand was buried up to the elbow just under the blonde ninja's sternum. The man himself was chuckling, as though enjoying having drawn blood.

Sasuke charged, ready to draw his sword and sever the man's head clean from his body, as he had done with Keitaro's shoulder. The electricity faded, absorbed back into his body, and he channeled it once more into his sword for a quick strike.

A soft squelch as the tip, followed by the blade itself, pierced through fabric, and then skin, muscle, body tissue, and exploded through the other side, winking faintly in the moonlight. A small smile crept onto Sasuke's lips when he noted his aim had been true. He then yanked it out of Shinichi's lower belly, certain that enough electricity had surged through the weapon and into the enemy to ensure a momentary paralysis. He turned to Sakura, about to tell her to take Naruto to a sheltered spot and work on him, but the pink-haired teen had already gathered their teammate, bounding into the bushes.

Suddenly, movement to his right, and he turned back just in time to feel what seemed like a hundred shuriken pierce his lower right torso. He tasted blood in his mouth and felt it trickle in a thin line down towards his chin. He brought his right arm up to strike, and then realized that his sword had been knocked from his grasp. And then he gasped as Shinichi's hand pulled free, and he stumbled back, scrabbling blindly for his sword.

Damn it!

As he touched the end of the tooled hilt, he heard it: the stealthy whisper of steel on rayskin.

...the unmistakable silvery gleam, glinting faintly in the half-light...

A whisper in his ear - "Look out!", the breeze seemed to say - as Shinichi ran towards him, sword at the ready.

Do they all carry swords? Sasuke thought, forcing himself to his feet. He had a feeling about this battle, but if his instinct were right, then he would die fighting, not succumbing to the pain of a dozen injuries.

Suddenly, Shinichi disappeared from his view, but Sasuke was ready. The dark ninja would approach from above, he knew; his Sharingan told him everything he need to know about his adversary's movements.

And then, a sharp, sudden pain, and Sasuke glanced down to see the tip of a sword winking up at him. The four or five inches of bloodied steel protruded from, he guessed, between the fifth and sixth ribs. He slumped, trying to catch his breath, though he knew intuitively that it was useless; a lung had been punctured, making breathing difficult.

A sword. In his side.

A deep-throated chuckle, like the one he'd heard in his premonition-dream. But...how...? Sasuke thought dimly as the sword was wrenched painfully out of him. He was only vaguely aware he had toppled forward and was lying on his belly on the ground. He was supposed to...attack from above...I couldn't have misread his movements...unless...

With some difficulty, he turned over to get a better look at his attacker.

Unless...he was only the distraction and...I got so focused on him I forgot to...keep an eye out...for others...

His eyes widened, the crimson leaking out of them as Sasuke's strength left him. He tried to speak, but his jaw wouldn't work, and he couldn't get enough air into his lungs.

No...way... he thought, fighting to keep awake, to keep the engulfing darkness at bay. He focused on his attacker, failing to assure himself that it was an illusion. But no. He knew, then and there, what the strange black dome had been for; it wasn't for distraction but as a screen, to keep from his eyes the crucial scenes he needed to complete the scenario and warn his companions.

I...have to tell...the others...now that I know... Sasuke thought even as he succumbed to the deep sleep brought on by unconsciousness.

The height, the build, the battle-ready stance, the features...

It was all the same, no question about it.

Takenoichi Yuriko.

A/N: ...The term bozu is similar to 'squirt' or 'kid'...seemed just right for the occasion...And why the heck is my cursor moving when I'm not moving my mouse?! Weird...

I'm not sure, but my chapters seem shorter...or maybe it's just because there are more fight scenes so its moving faster, hence, it seems shorter...I'm not really sure... XD

Peace out and God bless!