Oh my God!! If you guys haven't gone onto to yet to watch Naruto Shippuden yet…. YOU SO HAVE TO!!!! They're awesome and the hilarity's great! I'm just glad that those darn filler's are gone with! But PLEASE don't watch them if you aren't caught up on your Naruto or… Well you won't be too happy when you watch and you'll be utterly confused. So please heed my warning! But besides that, I'm not sure if I'll be updating in the month of March or not because (gulp) I have to take my graduation tests! (Lightening flashes in the background as I shiver in fear) lol, so I want to focus all my extra energy academically for a while… Even though I really don't want to!
Well all I can say is I hope you are all going to be as pleased with this update as I am, I have a feeling you're going to like it better near the ending:D
I dedicate this chapter to my good friend Alex, or known on here as APienkoss, who celebrated his 23 on the ninth! Happy birthday again darling! And please check out some of his many awesome stories!
Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or Sailor Moon
Written in the Stars
Chapter Four: It Was All a Lie
Confused as to what exactly was going on Neji spoke first.
"I believe that it is time for us to leave Gai-Sensei… This is none of our business…" The Hyuga prodigy then walked out of the room as Ten-Ten hesitated then followed as did Gai and Lee.
As they were about to walk out the door Makoto spoke up.
"Lee-Kun…. You should probably stay…. You need to know this as well." Makoto gave him a small smile as she wiped the remaining tears from her face.
"Hai, Mako-Chan…" He replied no longer feeling as cheerful as he was a few minutes ago.
No one else in the room said anything as the door shut behind the retreating three.
"Well, I suppose you all would like to know who I am and why exactly I'm here right now… So I have no choice but to tell you everything… You all seem to have a strong bond with Makoto and she obviously trusts you all enough to know our true identity… Mako-Chan…. Would you like me to tell them so you may rest for the moment?" Setsuna asked as everyone turned their attention now to the sickened teen.
"Hai, Setsuna… Arigato…" Makoto spoke softly and unemotionally as she stared at the ground…
Makoto's whole body was shaking as everything raced through her mind as Setsuna began explaining who she was, who Makoto truly was, also informing them about everything of the girls past lives and lastly, why she had taken her from the village of Konoha. She was surprised that she hadn't gotten sick yet because the feeling in the pit of her stomach was very unstable, and she couldn't blame it for being so.
Right now she was thinking of nothing else but her now deceased grandfather. He was truly everything she had left after her mother was murdered, then about a year later her father…. Even though he was the Hokage, he still had much time to spare and with every second of that precious time he gave it willingly to her. Whether it would be a simple walk in the park, or even taking her out for lunch, whatever it was, it made Makoto feel special, almost like everything was the way it was two years ago. She had lived with him until Setsuna had come to take her away…. She would never forget that night for the rest of her life…..
-:-
"See ya tomorrow Naruto-Kun!" Makoto shouted behind her as she waved to the blonde while running home.
"You too Mako-Chan!" The boy replied laughing as he also ran down the dark streets of Konoha, but in the opposite direction of our young heroine.
Makoto smiled thinking about the wonderful day she had just had. It was the first day she remembered she had smiled since her father was killed about a month ago. It was hard but, her three wonderful friends and grandfather helped.
Her mind raced through the day at all the things she had gotten to do. First for some odd reason, Itachi had for once offered Mako-Chan and Sasuke at breakfast if they would like to go and train with him. That would have just made her day with that, and even though Sasuke and Makoto found it strange, they could never leave a once in a lifetime offer like that on the table! And it was definatly worth it! But, she couldn't help but notice how odd Itachi had been acting, but she brushed it off.
After that she had gone back to her home to get lunch but on her way she had run into Naruto who she ended up playing with the whole day in the park or anywhere they could go and find something to do. And now it was going to be the perfect ending to a perfect day! She was going to go home and eat dinner with her beloved grandfather and then head off to Sakura's to spend the night.
Makoto smiled and ran faster to her home, nothing was going to ruin this day, or so she had hoped…
She bolted into the house with a thousand watt smile gracing her lips.
"Grandpa! I'm home!!" She called out racing into his office half expecting to see him there writing out something on a document, but he wasn't there.
"Hum… Grandpa! Are you here!?..." Makoto asked again waiting for a reply but didn't get one.
Then ran back down stairs and into the kitchen and on the table she saw a note. She quickly ran over to it and read it aloud.
"Mako-Chan, I'll be home about an hour late tonight, come over to my office and we can eat dinner there, and bring your bag of clothes so you can head right to Sakura's after dinner alright? I'll be waiting there for you and be careful on your way over. See you then….." Makoto sighed and ran upstairs to get her things and on her way up she was ranting to herself.
"If he knew he was going to be working late this morning then why didn't he just tell me then?!" She scoffed; grabbed her already packed bag and ran down the stairs skipping every other step.
As soon as her foot hit the last step she felt something…. Something not good.
She spun around and looked up to see a woman in the kitchen dressed in the strangest clothing she had ever seen. She immediately dropped her bag and stood in a fighting stance, grabbing a kunai from her holster and readying herself.
"Wh-Who are you and what do you want!!?" Makoto shouted in rage, but more so fear.
"Mako-Chan… Please calm down and lower your weapon… I've come to help you remember your true past and your true destiny… You don't remember me but I'm The Senshi of Time, Sailor Pluto, or better known to you and the others as Setsuna…." The woman with sea green hair smiled at the little brunette.
"Whatever you say you nutcase! But I'm not letting you come near me!" She shouted unmoving and the Senshi sighed and looked into her eyes.
"I should have figured you wouldn't listen to me… So I suppose I'll have to help you remember me…" Setsuna replied and pointed her staff at the seven year old.
"What are you do-" Makoto was cut off in that instant by many memories of herself flooding back to her.
In only a few seconds she remembered her whole life before she was reborn here when the Moon Kingdom was annihilated.
Her knees gave out as she fell to the ground staring into Setsuna's eyes with confusion.
"S-Selenity…. I-Is she really gone?" The young girl asked, tears brimming her eyes.
"Hai, Mako-Chan… She's gone…." Before anyone could say another word, fists banged on her front door as shouts came from the outside.
"MAKO-CHAN!!!!" The voice cried obviously in pain by the sound of their voice, and that voice was one Makoto knew very well and loved with all of her heart.
She shook as she stood up and ran to the door heart racing because she now had something much more important to her on her mind- Sasuke-Kun.
She practically ripped the door open to find her precious Sasuke-Kun, crying on her doorstep his body convulsing from the sobs.
"Sasuke-Kun!? Oh my God…. Wh-What's wrong!? What happened to you!?" Makoto yelled taking a step forward and quickly falling to her knees looking into his tear filled eyes.
Setsuna quickly realized that that was the one person she couldn't allow Makoto to see, if she found out why the boy was here, she would never leave.
"M-Makoto it w-wa-….." Sasuke stopped upon seeing someone behind Makoto inside her house.
"It was what Sasuke-Kun?..." Makoto asked but he didn't pay attention.
"I-Itachi…." Sasuke muttered, blood red eyes watched him as he looked right at the beholder.
"N-Nani? Sasuke-Kun I can't hear you." Makoto stated again but he still said nothing.
Suddenly he stood up and grabbed her arm and tried to pull her away.
"We have to get out o-" He was stopped by Makoto's shout.
"He-Hey let go of me!? What are you doing!? Can't you see he needs my help right now!?" Makoto shouted to Setsuna, who had pulled her back and was now holding her so she couldn't move. Setsuna said nothing as their bodies began to glow a light purple.
"Let her go! Let her go now Itachi!!" Sasuke screamed and launched himself at the door as Makoto reached out for his hand and it seemed like everything was going in slow motion. Just as the tips of their fingers touched the two disappeared.
"SASUKE!!!!" Echoed as he fell to the ground shaking, still hearing her voice as he slammed his fist into the floor.
-:-
"Isn't that right Mako-Chan?" Makoto looked up and gasped.
"N-Nani?" She asked looking around, she had definatly forgotten that she was here and not in the memory.
"I said we've come here to defeat Orochimaru as well…." Setsuna repeated.
"O-Oh yeah, right…. The others will be sent here when I find him, and that's when I get my piece of him…" Makoto growled thinking of the man's pale and unpleasant face.
She looked up at the faces of the others seeing that they had disheartened expressions on.
"Wh-what? What is it?" Makoto asked looking at them.
"Mako-Chan-" Sakura started then she looked over at Setsuna who was shaking her head telling her to go on.
She nodded then began again and walked towards Makoto taking a seat next to her.
"Mako-Chan… Sasuke-Kun… He's left… He went to Orochimaru because he saw an easy way to obtain more power…. He left us all…" Sakura told her friend chocking on her own words, it was just as hard accepting it as saying it.
"Wh-What?" She asked looking around the room at their faces, even Jiraiya and Tsunade couldn't make eye contact with her.
"B-But… But he told me… We promised…." Makoto whispered to herself, this time she didn't cry.
She looked up at them her eyes full of hate.
"He did this didn't he? He tricked him into going to him, didn't he?!" Makoto shouted.
For the first time in a while Tsunade spoke up.
"Hai, Mako-Chan…. Orochimaru knew that power was the only way to get Sasuke on his side… But we have yet to know exactly why he wants him on his side…"
There was a long pause and Makoto replied.
"Tell me everything that has happened…. And I mean everything." Makoto commanded, as the group sighed and Jiriaya spoke first out of the many to speak after him. On that day Makoto realized that there were many good reasons as to why she shouldn't have left Konoha.
-:-
Makoto walked along the streets of Konoha a box of heavy household items piled inside of it.
"It's amazing that it has only been a two days ne, Makoto?" Setsuna asked as she walked next to her also a box in hand.
"Yeah, I still can't believe everything that I've missed…. And I can't believe that this is all I could get out my old house… It's kinda disappointing that all my old things are ruined. " Makoto replied sadly looking at the things Setsuna teleported here from her house in Tokyo and what she could salvage from her old home here in Konoha.
"Makoto please don't be so upset… I know it's hard not to be but, we're here for a reason and will fix this, I promise." Setsuna looked over and smiled at her.
"I-I fine really! See!" Makoto said smiling, trying to lie to her friend as well as herself, as she looked at her with an unchanged face.
"I just need some time, Suna-Chan…. And really I am happy, I mean look whose twenty feet in front of me yelling at one another, just like Usagi-Chan and Rei-Chan." Makoto laughed as she and Setsuna looked at the blonde and bubblegum haired teens.
"Naruto!! Stop going through Makoto's stuff!!" Sakura berated.
"I was just looking at a picture Sakura-Chan! These girls are really hot!" Naruto exclaimed with a wide smile.
"You pervert!!" Sakura shouted and walked faster.
"S-Sakura-Chan, matte!!" Naruto shouted and walked faster.
"See I'm practically home…Well except for Naruto being completely in love with Sakura-Chan… And Sakura not caring, which I plan to fix." Makoto smiled at the Senshi of Time.
"Now, don't get too carried away you're starting to sound like Mina-Chan." Setsuna smiled.
"Yeah… I miss her a lot…. Do you think just maybe they can come visit me sometime?" Makoto asked, with puppy-dog eyes.
"I'll think about it… Because you definatly can't leave here…" Setsuna sighed as she began to think about how to make that work for Makoto.
"Too bad you couldn't stay with Sakura, but if she doesn't have the room then we can't do anything about that. But I still don't understand why you didn't stay with Tsunade Mako-Chan! She is your God Parent after all, and you seem really close to her…" Setsuna replied.
"Well…. I just want to be able to talk to Naruto-Kun for a while and I'd feel like she would be breathing down my neck…. You know I really wouldn't be able to get used to having a parent around out of the blue, I haven't had to deal with parental vision for most of my life." Makoto smiled at her friend.
"Yes, I suppose you are right about that, and she seems to have just as much as a temper as you do, so that really wouldn't work out." Setsuna replied looking forward into the crowd.
"Now about the girls coming to visit me sometime…." Makoto smiled jumping back to the subject that she intended on talking about.
"I know, I know, now let me think about it for a minute…" Setsuna answered getting lost in her thoughts.
"Maybe they can come for her birthday?... No, or maybe just for holidays… I have to be firm with her, I can't go back on my word any more… And another-" Setsuna's thoughts were stopped by the strange feeling of gravity pulling her down as her foot hocked onto something on the ground; which in turn sent her flying at the ground, Makoto's belongings spilling into the air.
"Suna-Ch-….." Makoto stopped from shouting and sweat-dropped…
Makoto hadn't seen Setsuna in a comical situation in her life and this…. Nothing would ever knock it off her number one embarrassment.
There in front of Makoto was Setsuna who was falling to the ground with her belongings going everywhere. Suddenly a man with silver hair with a mask over his mouth and his Konoha forehead protector covering one eye caught Setsuna as well as Makoto's things in one hand while a book was held in the other. But the funny thing about the situation was Setsuna was blushing like crazy staring at the man.
"I thought you might need some help." Was all he said while looking down at her.
"A-A-Arigato…" Setsuna blushed then was brought out of her loving gaze by Makoto.
"Setsuna has the hots for someone! It's the apocalypse!!!" Makoto shouted trying to embarrass her older friend.
Setsuna literally jumped out of his arms laughing like crazy her face no more red than her own eyes.
"Hehe, Mako-Chan can be such a funny person don't you think?! Hehehe!" Setsuna blushed pulling the box out of the mans arms.
"Th-Thank you, have a nice da-" Setsuna was stopped by the shout from above and the two watched as a familiar figure jumped down next to them.
"Kakashi you dog! You left our staring contest to talk to a woman!... But that means I won, my eternal rival!... Oh, Makoto-San, Setsuna-San, how are you two doing? Have your wounds healed well Makoto-San, if so I know Lee-Kun is dieing to train with you!" Gai shouted giving Makoto the thumbs up. (XD Can't you so see Gai begging Kakashi to have a staring contest with him!?)
"Yeah, I'm doing pretty well, and I don't have anytime to waste, so as soon as I'm fully healed I'll take you up on that offer." Makoto smiled, and then looked over to see the man who Gai called Kakashi staring at her.
"Do… Should I remember him Suna-Chan?..." Makoto asked looking back and forth between the man and Setsuna.
"You're asking me Mako?... I know you're past but not every person you've ever met." Setsuna replied as quietly as she could but didn't make any difference because the two men were ninjas and were trained to listen closely.
"You're a Kino aren't you? The only one left and granddaughter of the Third Hokage?" Kakashi asked seeing Makoto's surprised face.
"Y-Yeah… Gomen… I still don't re-…. Matte…" Makoto said and paused thinking hard about the mans face.
Kakashi knew and remembered Makoto from when he saved her and Naruto, but was waiting for her to.
"You?...And when I went to get him you brought me?..." Makoto asked him questions that only she and Kakashi understood, as he shook his head yes.
"Arigato, for helping Naruto-Kun and I…. Wait! Kakashi!? As in Hatake Kakashi the Copy-Cat Ninja!!!?" Makoto squealed in joy.
"I see you have heard of me." He smiled at her.
"Heard of you!? All I remember when I was little was mom and dad telling me about stories that they had heard of you! I can't believe you're the one who saved Naruto-Kun and I!"
"Okay that's enough gloating Kakashi!" Gai shouted obviously jealous of his rivals extra attention. Kakashi paused thinking about what Makoto had just said.
"That's right you were friends with Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke before you left weren't you?... Ironic how they all were paired into Squad Seven together…" Kakashi replied as Makoto gave a confused look then watched as Naruto and Sakura's forms disappeared, which was bad because she didn't know if Naruto lived in the same house as he did when they were younger.
"Yeah, yeah it is thank you Kakashi-Sensei, see you two later, ja ne!" Makoto shouted and ran after Naruto and Sakura.
"Naruto-Kun, Sakura-Chan matte!" Makoto shouted as Setsuna watched Makoto as her eye twitched.
"Kino Makoto! Don't you dare leave me here with-…….Grrrrr…." Setsuna blushed and looked at the two men who were staring at her like she was crazy.
"Um… Do you two think you know where Naruto lives, Mako-Chan will be living with him…. And obviously I don't know where that is and the silly little girl ran off without me…And I need to help her move in….Hehe…" Setsuna gulped.
"Control yourself, Sets! You're the Senshi of Time, for kami's sake! Get a hold of yourself and just wait until you get your hands on that Senshi…" Setsuna thought as Kakashi replied.
"Sure, I would never mind helping such a beautiful woman as you." Kakashi smiled making the Time Senshi's face catch fire.
"I'm definatly going to kill that girl!" Setsuna thought to herself.
-:-
Makoto ran as quick as she could to find Naruto and Sakura but too bad it was extremely busy today and pushing through people with a heavy box in your hands while trying not to hit pedestrians was really hard.
"Damn it you two! If you weren't bickering all the time maybe you would have heard me shout at you!" Makoto yelled at the two teens which were obviously not in sight or earshot but it made her feel better.
Suddenly she felt herself slam into someone and fell to the ground.
"Damn it!! This not my day!" Makoto shouted trying to pick up her belongings and apologize at the same time.
"Gomen, forgive me, I wasn't paying attention." She said as she grabbed a picture of the Senshis and stuffed it into her box.
"Well I'm sure if you weren't talking to yourself you would have been able to see you were going to run right into my brother." A voice she knew from about a month ago spoke.
She looked up as her eyes widened and a smile graced her lips as she jumped up.
"Gaara! You're okay!!" Makoto shouted as she glomped him as everyone around them backed away thinking he would explode, but he didn't. She brought him out of the hug and smiled widely.
"I'm so glad because I didn't get a chance yet to ask Lee-Kun how you were after the battle and I just got out of the hospital two days ago and-…… Sh-Shikamaru?... Nara Shikamaru? Is that really you!?" Makoto asked a million miles an hour now looking over at the boy next to the blonde girl who had her hair up in four ponytails.
Shikamaru looked at her in confusion then gave her a small smile.
"Makoto?... Kino Makoto? If it isn't Makoto! No way, I thought you were dead!" Makoto sweatdropped.
"Yeah, it's great to see you too ol' classmate… And look at you! All grown up and… Oh my God you- you are a Chuunin!?" She screamed jumping over to him poking his green jacket.
"Yeah, so what's your point?" He asked lazily.
"Do I really have to reply!? You were as lazy as Naruto-Kun… No, no, no! Worse than Naruto when it came to procrastination as I remember!" Makoto shouted in unbelievability, she replied then looked back and forth between him and the girl he was next to and got a Cheshire Cat grin on her face.
She quickly popped back over to Gaara and whispered.
"They're dating aren't they?" She asked with a smile as he looked at her with no emotion on his face.
"No we're not dating! Are you kidding!? I'm just assigned to take them to Tsunade's office." Shikamaru replied and before anyone else could, Kankuro bet them to it.
"You could seriously need to calm down." Another voice replied as she turned around to see the man she had knocked over brush himself off.
"Opps… Gomen! Please forgive me, I didn't mean to run into you I was just trying to find Naruto-Baka so I could move my things into his house." Makoto apologized.
"Wait you're going to live with Naruto?!... Does that mean that you two-"
"Nara, I highly advise you to stop there! Naruto is nothing more to me than a close friend! He's practically a brother!" She shouted back a vein popping out of her head.
"Yeah, I forgot you're just like the rest of them, a Sasuke worshiper." Shikamaru replied. That was the last straw.
Makoto looked down at the ground; no one was able to see her face.
"You baka! Look what you've done!" Temari shouted and hit him over the head.
Makoto looked up seeing Sasuke's face flash in front of her eyes.
"He was my best friend Shikamaru…. I just found out two days ago what happened…" She said sadly then looked up at him anger flashing a crossed her face.
"So could you cut out the snide remarks for a while because that little subject is going to be touchy for a while?!" She fumed eyes raging with fury.
Shikamaru sighed and looked away.
"You ass!! The least you could do is apologize!!" Makoto shouted and just as he was going to reply she slugged him a crossed the jaw, surprising everyone but Gaara.
"So much for old time sake Makoto!?" He shouted holding his cheek on the ground.
"And what the Hell have you been lifting?!" He shouted letting her get the best of him, which was obviously unlike him.
"Youma! You lazy ass! Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go find Naruto's house!" She shouted sticking her nose up in the air and walked away, making Shikamaru smirk.
"Oh and Makoto, Naruto's house is the other way." Makoto's eye twitched as she turned around.
"Well if you're so smart, why don't you show me as an apology!?" Makoto shouted as she stomped back over.
"It is the least you could do Shikamaru!" Temari shouted as she scoffed and turned away.
"Whatever…" He replied as he walked off obviously showing her the way as they followed.
"Arigato, by the way, I'm Kino Makoto." Makoto smiled as she walked beside Temari.
"Temari, Gaara's older sister. How is it that you two met?" She asked.
"Well…. I came to bring Naruto-Kun and Sasuke-kun back to Konoha but… I ran into Kimimaru who happened to be fighting with your brother and Lee-Kun… I am indebted to him… He saved both mine and Lee's lives that day." Makoto smiled over at Gaara who pretended not to pay attention.
"You know, if she wasn't all for that Uchiha, you could definatly have chance with that beautiful woman, Gaara." Gaara heard Shukaku speak in his head as he said nothing but walked faster.
Kankuro caught sight and smiled at his brother's embarrassment, and walked after him.
"She's pretty isn't she? Maybe you should go talk to her. She sure does seem to like talking to you." Kankuro smiled at his younger brother as Shikamaru smirked.
"Good luck with that because…" Shikamaru looked back at Makoto and then back to them.
"Makoto and Sasuke were attached at the hip before she left… Most people consider her to be the closest anyone has ever gotten to the Uchiha… No matter how I act towards her she's nice but the different thing between the other girls who fawn over Sasuke and her is, Sasuke actually liked her." Shikamaru replied thinking of his younger years.
"She did seem pretty upset when you made your little comment back there Nara." Kankuro replied as Shika scoffed.
"I was just kidding."
"Sure you were."
"Whatever…." Shikamaru ended the fight and looked back at her again smiling and talking to Temari.
"Anyways…. It is kind of nice to know that she's okay and not dead… Her whole clan was wiped out. Her mother the second to last and her father the last… What's also a bit sad is her mother was the daughter of the Third, and he was all that Makoto had left… I have a feeling she is very possibly taking that worse than Sasuke not being here…" Shikamaru replied as both Gaara and Kankuro felt a ping of guilt in their chest, feeling as though they were partially the cause of the Hokages death.
"She doesn't have parents either…" Gaara thought as he glanced back at Makoto, who smiled at his sister, obviously talking about something enjoyable.
Shikamaru then thought about something she had said a minute ago. She had replied she had been lifting Youma.
"Youma? What the Hell…"
"Makoto, what exactly did you mean when you said you had been lifting Youma?" Shikamaru asked as Makoto stopped dead in her tracks.
"Setsuna's going to kill me for this…" She said to herself, Temari was getting ready to ask her something but someone else beat her to it.
"Would you care to say that again Kino Makoto?" A voice from behind them asked as Makoto felt a shiver run up her spine at the tone of their voice.
She slowly turned around to see Setsuna holding a box in one hand and the other on her hip while glaring. And Kakashi next to the blushing woman with a glazed look in his eye.
"Hehehe… S-Suna-Chan…. I forgot about you didn't I?" Makoto asked as they watched the two women.
"Yes, yes you did Makoto, and I would highly appreciate it if you could try to keep your mind on one thing for at least two minutes!" She snapped causing Makoto to give her a sour look.
"Well you're just mad because the Meiho Setsuna got her feathers ruffles for once by a man!" Makoto shouted and laughed as she watched Setsuna slowly glance over at Kakashi and her face filled with red.
"Th-That's besides the point-.. I mean that's not true nor the point Makoto! You-You need to be more careful because you and I both know that I'm not going to be able to stick around here forever and if you keep acting on whim then I'll go crazy!" Setsuna replied becoming more serious.
Makoto paused for a moment biting her lower lip, thinking of what she just said.
"Um, may I interrupt? Maybe we should just head over to Naruto's so we go on normally?" Kakashi added catching everyone's attention.
"Oh! Of course, gomen, I didn't mean for you go through all this." Setsuna replied as Makoto rolled her eyes.
"Well I guess that means you can head over to Tsunade-Chan's then, see you guys later! Ja ne!" Makoto said as they walked away, but not before she could look back at Gaara shaking her head, because she knew he wasn't dumb and realized what her 'youma' comment had been about. She smiled because she could almost see him give her a small nod of confirmation.
"Hey! Kino! You never answered-" Shikamaru was cut off by Makoto replying early.
"Sorry I can't hear you!! Tell me later!" Makoto shouted back even though they all knew that she could.
"She's a bit weird and flighty…" Kankuro smiled and watched her run off while ignoring Shikamaru's question.
"Heh, you think?" Shikamaru asked with a smirk as they walked on over to the Hokage's office.
In only a few short minutes they arrived at Naruto's only to hear Sakura and Naruto still fighting… Well it was pretty much one sided since it was Sakura he was fighting with. They walked up to the door and Makoto sweat dropped.
"I should have guessed." Makoto said as the two people next to her looked down.
"What?" Setsuna asked as she had obviously calmed down.
"That Naruto still lived in the same house he has all his life." Makoto replied as Setsuna face-vaulted because of having to go through so much embarrassment when Makoto knew where to go all along.
"Well, it looks like I better be heading off." Kakashi replied.
"Arigato, Kakashi-Sensei! And thanks again for helping me, I hope to see you around soon!" Makoto smiled as she opened Naruto's front door and walked inside.
Setsuna was knocked out of her daze by the sound of the door shutting.
"Oh, um hai, arigato Hatake-Sama. It was nice meeting you as well." Setsuna blushed as she backed up finding the doorknob and walked inside.
"Ja ne Setsuna" He replied with a smile which made her blush even more then slam the door quickly.
She turned around to see the confused faces of Naruto, Sakura and Makoto looking at her.
"A-Are you alright Setsuna-San? You look a little red, are you running a fever?" Sakura asked looking at her in concern and Makoto burst out laughing.
"Yes she's sick! Love sick!" Makoto laughed as they looked at her in confusion while Setsuna growled.
"What? Who!?" Sakura asked suddenly interested.
"Kino Makoto, don't you say a word! They know-"
"Kakashi-Sensei!" Makoto shouted as the both Naruto and Sakura looked at her with amazement.
"You mean that pervert!?" Naruto asked.
"Well Kakashi-Sensei doesn't look bad Naruto! I think its kinda kawaii!! You know like love at first sight." Sakura squealed.
Setsuna sighed in frustration and sat the box down on the sofa.
"I don't like him. He is just a very kind person." She replied sitting down.
"Yeah right! Have you seen the books he reads! It's a-" Sakura clamped her hand over Naruto's mouth.
"They're romances! It's really adorable!" Sakura shouted covering up his words.
"What are you trying to do!? Break her heart!?" Sakura seethed at Naruto.
Naruto then crossed his arms and replied.
"I was only telling the truth."
"It truly is starting to feel like I'm back home with the girls." Setsuna thought with a small smile as she watched the three unload Makoto's belongings from her old house.
-:-
Setsuna, Naruto, Sakura and Makoto had finally finished unloading her things at Naruto's and Makoto offered to take Setsuna and show her, her favorite place in Konoha, while Naruto went to get some ramen from Ichiraku Ramen for dinner while Sakura went along.
Makoto and Setsuna sat on a park bench and watched the sun slowly set over the horizon.
"Setsuna… About what you said earlier… About you not being around here for me… When you do leave what am I going to do without you here? It's going to be hard because you tell what I need to do…" Makoto stated sadly as she looked over at Setsuna who kept her eyes on the blazing sun.
"Makoto, honestly, I think you'll do just fine without me here. You have a good mind and heart to follow, which is what you've done all your life and now look at where you've ended up." Setsuna then looked over at her and smiled.
"I know… But I still can't help but feel a bit responsible for not getting here sooner… I mean Setsuna you heard what Naruto said about him and Sasuke fighting! I feel that he had just left… As soon as I walked into the clearing he was gone, I don't know for sure but that's what my hearts telling me and I feel if I had only been a few seconds sooner I know I could have stopped him from leaving…" Makoto replied looking at the ground in frustration as Setsuna looked down at her then back at the sky.
"Makoto you must not dwell on what you were unable to accomplish in the past, but learn from your mistake and concentrate on what you are able to accomplish in the future… That is what I have always told you." She replied as Makoto looked up with a small smile.
"Hai, Suna-Chan… Arigato." She replied then suddenly her whole body tensed as she looked down the sidewalk and saw to figures dressed in black with blood red clouds on them.
"Setsuna-" Setsuna cut her off.
"I know, hush and do not make eye contact with them. This is not Tokyo; we can't just attack them like we do there… It is not our place." Setsuna replied her voice bitter and emotionless.
"But Setsuna-'
"No! Don't you feel their power? I know you can't normally detect it but, it's blaring with bad vibes. You are not yet fully healed anyway so I won't allow it Makoto!" Setsuna seethed, she was dead serious and Makoto hadn't seen her act like this in a long while.
She did feel their power but something inside of her was telling her to do something about it.
"Hai, Setsuna…" Makoto replied and then her whole body froze. She gulped and looked behind her where the two were now and she knew in that second her heart had stopped upon seeing the eyes through one of the hats. Her breathes quickened as she grabbed her chest and quickly turned around to Setsuna who had a concerned look on her face.
"Makoto? Makoto what's wrong?" Setsuna looking at her fear stricened face.
"I-Itachi…" She whispered, and then her face contorted into wrath.
She quickly stood up and turned towards to two.
"ITACHI!!!" She screamed before she could stop herself to realize, before she had turned around he was there right in front of her, face to face after nine long years.
Wait! No that wasn't Itachi… It was some weird-Weird was an understatement! This man had a face that was a freak of nature!
She quickly jumped back as Setsuna stood up.
"Makoto! What did I just tell you damn it?!" Setsuna cursed, but Makoto was too freaked out care at the moment.
"Hey there little girl I don't think you should cause anymore distraction than you already have do- humph" The man was cut off by Makoto swiftly kicking him across the face her eyes huge.
"You bitch! I'll kill you!" He screamed throwing his hat off freaking both her and Setsuna out by his appearance. His face was a light blue and looked very similar to a shark, because of the gills on the sides of his face and the shark like teeth.
"I'd like to see you try!" Makoto screamed trying to cover up her fear of the man and that's when she felt it a swift breeze behind her then his breath down her neck.
"Makoto!" She heard Setsuna shout from her left but Makoto couldn't even move if she wanted to.
"It has been a long time Makoto-San…" The voice spoke in the voice that sent shivers down her spine. Even though he had changed the memories that his voice brought back had not.
"Nine years t-to be exact…" She replied, cursing herself for sounding scared and weak. She gulped then slowly turned around to look at the man she once had her first puppy-love crush on.
Her breath caught in her throat when she looked into his eyes, yes it was him, it was Uchiha Itachi, brother to the boy she loved and who killed off his own clan, and rumored to have killed her as well.
She body quaked as she tried to spit out a single word.
"I-Itachi?" She asked no longer adding the loving use of Kun on the end or calling him Itachi Nii-Chan as she used to when she was seven.
"Hai, Makoto-San. I'm surprised you're not dead as rumored you were. But of course I wasn't the one to kill off the end of the Kino clan seeing as you're standing here in front of me." He replied his voice suave and unmoving, as she backed way from him slowly only to feel something sharp at her neck.
"Where do you think you're going? Itachi seems to want to talk to you about something, so why don't you and your friend stick around for a while?" The man asked as she slowly looked over to Setsuna almost daring not to breathe because the sword he had put to the back of her neck was piercing her skin now. She couldn't understand why but she had suddenly felt considerably weaker, almost like she was being drained of her energy.
She saw Setsuna nod slowly and Makoto quickly jumped away from the two as did the green haired Senshi.
"I'll take the one you call Itachi and you go for the other-" Makoto stopped Setsuna.
"No! Itachi's mine you take care of fish stick over there! This is my fight!" Makoto shouted wrath in her voice as she charged at Itachi full speed.
"Makoto sto-Ugh!" Setsuna screamed as she was thrown back by Kisame's sword piercing her skin and sending her flying into a tree.
As soon as she opened her eyes the mans face was right next to her's as he pined her to the tree.
"Didn't you hear your friend? She doesn't want your help." Kisame smiled wickedly at her as Setsuna's face darkened as she was able to maneuver her hand to grab her henshin wand.
Kisame failed to notice as she looked up at him and whimpered.
"Pluto enteral power, make-up." Kisame quickly let go of her because as she transformed the light it emitted sent shocks through his body.
"What the Hell!?" He screamed backing off a bit as Sailor Pluto stood in front of him her expression irate.
"Heh, well look at you." He smiled and ran towards her intent on killing her.
"Itachi! I'll kill you for what you've done!" Makoto screamed fists ready as she felt lightning crack around them. It was new to her but she couldn't think of a better way to try out her new abilities than on someone she would love to seek retribution on. She ran at lightening speed, shocking herself for a minute because she wasn't use to this new found power.
She was only a foot away now as she readied to throw her first punch as he didn't move at all. Then it was so fast it felt like it hit her all at once. The next thing she knew her head slammed into the tree behind her while Itachi gripped her slender neck.
"You're so naive Makoto. You know it was almost like fighting Sasuke again. Everything was the same, the rage in your eyes, the bloodlust, and lightning pouring out of your hands. It seems you haven't been wasting your time while you were gone have you? Because from what I remember you were just that weak little girl without a family. But I suppose you've gotten a few things straightened out have you not?" Makoto coughed up blood on him as she looked up her eyes like smoldering embers.
Her body jolted as she pushed electricity through her whole body, trying to electrify him so she could get free, but just as she did that his grip around her neck tightened as she screamed out in pain. Her fingernails dug into the skin of his hands leaving them a blood-spattered mess but his face was unmoving.
She was now desperately chocking for air but her windpipe was constricted. Itachi then blinked and his Mangekyo Sharingan had appeared in his eye as he planned on using the Tsukuyomi Sharingan.
"Suppose I can show you what happened the night I killed my clan it seems to be something you fear to know, and something you should know about that night." Itachi spoke as Makoto looked up into his eyes and her body went limp.
In those few seconds Itachi made her relive everything from Sasuke's point of view of his clans death and she watched Sasuke run crying to her door that night, the night she left, the one night he needed her more than anything and she left.
"Stop it Itachi!! Stop it!!!" She screamed unable to do anything about the feelings her mind was creating.
Then Makoto watched all over again as her parents died in Tokyo in the plane crash. Then skipping to her finding the murdered bodies of her mother and then her father. Something he also found which intrigued him was the memory of her dieing on the Moon Kingdom as well as many other times leading up to her last death when they fought Galaxia and her Sailor Crystal was removed. Makoto screamed at the top of her lungs tears flooding down her face, but Itachi didn't move what he was finding out was something that even surprised him that he would have never expected.
"The crystal." She heard him murmur in the midst of the feeling of her dieing.
"Makoto! Wake up!!" Setsuna shouted as she was caught trying to hold off Kisame while using her Time Staff as a makeshift guard.
Itachi blinked and quickly threw Makoto to the ground upon sensing a sharp object flying towards his body. Makoto's body convulsed, tears spilling from her eyes finally being able to breathe after all that time Itachi constricted her neck, but it felt like she had been like that for days.
"Just the person we came here to see!" Makoto heard Kisame shout but not before she heard Setsuna's body fall to the ground unconscious, he had obviously been toying with her all along.
"S-Setsuna…" She mumbled trying to move, but she couldn't even do that let alone stop crying.
"I-I have to tell her about him seeing my crystal!" Makoto thought to herself trying to crawl over to her friend.
Suddenly a familiar feeling wrapped around her body, it was scratchy but familiar and comforting… But… But from where?
"Leave. Now." The voice growled as she looked up to see Gaara standing protectively in front of her body.
"Subaku no Gaara, ironic how you showed up." Itachi spoke lividly obviously not finished with finding Makoto's secrets just yet.
"Yeah, now we don't have to look all over Konoha for you." Kisame laughed as he walked over to Itachi.
"I said leave, or you will regret that mistake." Gaara seethed then felt something grab his leg.
"G-Gaara… Don't try fighting them, just leave and get out of here, he will kill you." Makoto growled fighting to maintain consciousness.
Gaara quickly looked at her seeing her face bloodied and he growled as he looked away.
"Gaara please listen to me!" Makoto shouted tears in her eyes.
Kisame smiled and readied himself to attack but Itachi held him back.
"No, we've completed our mission… Besides there is only a few seconds before the other arrives and I only have enough strength to get out of Konoha… We will check on the other container later… For now I think we have plenty of interesting information." He replied as he left but not before sending Makoto one last glance and they vanished before their eyes.
"Gaara…" Makoto whispered. He looked down and commanded his sand to pick her up and as he did he heard her murmur so softly with loving care to herself.
"Gomen… Sasuke-Kun…For leaving you like that…"
Suddenly Gaara felt another presence arrive and he and Makoto both looked over to where Setsuna lay.
"Setsuna!" The man shouted shaking her shoulder and looked up at the two in wonder. His eyes made quick contact with Makoto's as he realized who had done this.
He looked down and picked Setsuna up bridal style and turned back to them.
"Uchiha Itachi… Come; let's get them to the hospital quickly…" He replied as he dashed away Gaara obviously silently agreeing because he followed just as hastily.
Makoto looked up at Gaara then back towards where she had just fought the man she once cared so dearly for.
" S-So it was all a lie? Every time I thought that he cared for Sasuke-Kun… Or even my wellbeing sometimes?... It was just a lie?…I-I couldn't even last against him for a second…" Makoto thought to herself as she felt tears of failure dare to spill over her emerald eyes.
"I'm… Pathetic…" She mumbled harshly to herself, finally loosing consciousness in the arms of the sand shinobi who looked down at her then back up towards the silver haired man he was following.
Please!? Don't kill me for stopping here; I just really need a break! I've been typing nonstop for like three days in a row! And this chapter's really long… Which seems to be a habit of mine, but good for you all! Well I promise the next chapter will be on a much higher note and happier for you 'cause this is a really morbid Post-Valentines Day update, lol. BUT I swear that the update for Desert Rose will be upbeat, funny, and Valentine's Day happiness spread throughout it! And I will have that updated hopefully before the end of this month and if not I will update in early March. Oh yeah! And if there are any errors please ignore them! I was trying to finish this tonight for you! Well please be kind and review with your thoughts! Lot's of love loyal readers!!
Chow!-Kat