Translating the Name: I actually don't know why I am continuing this story; Y'all people are so ungrateful, if you took the flippin' time to make a hit, then you can flippin' review. And the reviews I get are always one sentence. Please, for all that is good in the world, review with at least TWO sentences. Just putting it out there.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I own his merchandise. :)

"Kyuubi"

'Kyuubi Thoughts'

"Dark and Light Kirei"

"Dark Kirei" (DK)

"Light Kirei" (LK)

Chapter 11: Two Roads

"Kakashi-sensei!" I yelled out in shock. Why would he say something like that, why would he suggest something like that? He's supposed to be my sensei not my love life consultant. I studied his face noticing how serious he was. Maybe he knew something I didn't. I tied up my long hair and began stretching deciding to ignore whatever crap was going to start falling out of his mouth.

"Kirei don't be surprised, even Ichiro noticed. It might be a little weird at first but I say give it a try, you might be able to save him from his foolish Idea of revenge," he said sternly. I stopped midway from my leg exercise and stared at Kakashi in wonder, okay he was serious before but now this is ridiculous. We got into this five minute staring contest until I looked away, a small blush to my cheeks,

"I already have a boyfriend Kakai-sensei!" I replied trying to control myself at the thought of Itachi finding out what my sensei just implied. In all honestly, I do not believe that Sasuke likes me let alone loves me. They must all be crazy or something. Kakashi let out a sigh,

"I know. I know who he is as well," I froze, would he tell on me Would he get me banned from the village or put to death for committing treason or something? I prepared myself to run just in case I had to. "Sasuke cares about your opinion and if you two were romantically involved, maybe he would let go of his idea of revenge Kirei," the use of my name in such a tone made me realize just how badly everyone wanted Sasuke in this village,

"Kakai-sensei, I'm not going to leave him for Sasuke. Never in my wildest dreams," I replied solemnly. It didn't really hurt me to say it but I know it would hurt Kakashi to hear it. I watched my sensei run a hand through his lop sided silver hair and it lead me to believe that he'd been thinking of this for quite some time. Kakashi seemed disappointed but not shocked and he turned to me with such a stern look I thought he might have scolded me

"Just make sure that Sasuke never finds out or it would be the death of him," I felt guilty because I already knew how he would take it. Sasuke would go around destroying buildings and what not,

"I already know that…"

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POV CHANGE (are you happy? You better be nicer when you speak to people)

Kirei let out a frustrated groan, she'd been training outside for the past week hoping that she would be able to master a simple technique. When she had first found the big breasted woman, she instantly hated her. She hadn't been in the village in like, five years and she was still mourning like everything happened yesterday. To make matters worse, she insulted the Sandaime Hokage and Kirei could not stand for it. So both blondes went outside for a fight and Kirei thought she could play fire with fire and try to use the super human strength which had been something she'd been looking through since the journey and still couldn't complete. Tsunade decided that she was worthy enough for her to get her back through a bet, if she could master that technique (which took her three years) in a week, she would return to Konoha and be the Godaime Hokage and heal all her injured friends. For the past week she'd been working on chakra control day and night without any stops, suffering from chakra depletion at least three times. She glared at the tree and with all her strength hurled a rasengan at it watching as the leaves fell down in large quantities. She placed some chakra on her feet and began jumping on the leaves to reach to the top. She was so close, one more leaf and she would make it. Suddenly, her energy left her and black was all she saw. She dropped to the ground harshly and a large thud echoed in the clearing.

Ichiro emerged from behind the tree trunk and stared at his unconscious friend. She tried really hard but it seemed she would not make this bet at all. Ichiro felt a sadness weling in his chest at the prospect of Kirei being unhappy because of her failures. She would be devastated if she ever found out that she over worked herself too hard. He bent down and lifted her up bridal style with ease and let her head rest on his chest. He noticed a ruslting in the bushes and went into a defensive stance. Slowly, a dark haired young woman arose from the bush wearing what looked like a robe. Ichiro relaxed upon realizing it was Tsunade's apprentice, Shizune.. Ichiro noticed at once at her sad demeanor.

"How is she?" she asked while she approached Ichiro let out a sigh and stared back down at Kirei's peaceful face,

"She passed out from depletion. I don't think she perfected the technique before hand," he said sadly as well. Shizune's eyes grew darker and knew that hr hopes had been lost. She should have known better then to put her faith in a child. "Let's head back to the hotel," Shizune nodded and they headed on their journey.

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Kirei woke up suddenly wondering if she was still in the forest but relaxed when she saw Ichiro holding up a drugged Jiraiya. She frowned, Jiraiya was drugged? She threw the blankets off of her form and stood up hoping to find some answers. She heard a gasp and looked to her left noticing a shocked Shizune. Her hand was covering her mouth and the towel she was holding had dropped to the floor. Kirei raised an eyebrow, was she that ugly that people jumped at her appearance? She would have to find that out later.

"How? You're supposed to be out for days!" Shizune practically shouted. Kirei shrugged her shoulders absently then turned to her Ero-Sennin in wonder,

"What happened to you?" she asked in a slight mocking tone. Jiraiya tried to stand on his own yet was having even more difficulty. That's when Kirei got worried.

"Tsunade drugged him…" Ichiro replied coldly. It was as if his respect for the woman disappeared as fast as it came. Kirei frowned, "She isn't in her room and she took her battle gear with her," he pointed out again in his cold tone. That's when everyone in the room turned back to Shizune who had the gull to look ashamed.

"She went to go fight Orochimaru, he asked her to fix his hands and in return, she would return her lover and her younger brother," There was a large explosion and the four ninjas leaped out the window and headed to that direction. Slowly Jiraiya's sluggishness went away and he was strong enough to walk and run on his own. They made It to where once, stood two large castles and now, it's rubble. Kirei pointed to the tracks of a large battle and they hastily began to follow hoping Tsunade made the right decision. They arrived to see Orochimaru smirking in delight as he watched Kabuto and Tsunade fight. Tsunade was on her knees staring at her hands in shock and only Shizune understood what was going on, "TSUNADE-SAMA!" she called out running. Kirei glared at Kabuto and in an instant was standing in front of him with a chakra charged punch to his gut. Kabuto didn't even have time to look surprised as he flew backwards, stumbling and rolling on the ground then finally stopping on a rock. Kirei did not hold back her malice towards the treacherous snake and continued on her beat down.

Kabuto slowly got up from the rock wondering if he was hit by a stampede of oz only to look up an see the demon container heading starght towards him. He stood up (a little sluggishly) and went into a defensive stance.

Kirei decided to test her pressure point training to the test and began fighting at her high speed. By the dazed look on Kabuto, he couldn't really see how fast she was moving. She effortlessly hit with her index the pressure points on his right leg and left arm then sent a chakra induced punch to his left temple. Kabuto went crashing to the ground several feet away and made ruble. Kirei was angry as fuck, she wanted this bastard dead for all the sneaky evilness he had done. She wanted him to be down and stay down. She walked over to his form noticing how his bruises and pains began to ease and she frowned,

"It's called a bloodline, I heal," he smirked triumphantly and Kirei charged chakra on her foot and stepped on his left ankle. Kabuto didn't seem fazed meaning he had already anticipated that attack. Angry, Kirei crouched to his level and placed one hand on his stomach and another on his chest. Kabuto tried to get away only then realizing that his right leg and left arm were shot. Using his shock to her advantage, she created a rasengan on both hands and watched as Kabuto kept pressing himself into the ground. Kirei, not feeling any remorse stood up from the two foot crater and stared at her hands as they soaked in his blood. She calmly wiped it on his clothing and turned to see how the legendary three were doing. Jiraiya and Tsunade were speaking with Orochimaru while fighting in taijutsu.

"WATCH OUT!" She heard Ichiro yell. She turned back around and saw a kunai heading straight towards her. She used her speed and back flipped away from the attack. She landed perfectly then stared at a panting Kabuto who's chest and stomach were in the middle or rebuilding itself. Kirei glared,

"You were supposed to stay down," she growled out getting into an offensive stance. Kabuto stared at Kirei wondering when she became so ruthless, it seemed she must really want him dead. He smirked and wiped the blood from his mouth. Well, she was close to her goal.

Kirei grinned maliciously and began to tap her back foot. Kabuto watched, entranced by her demeanor. His skin crawled as she licked her lips. Kabuto studied her, the blood on her shorts, shirts band face... The dark look in her eyes, there was no influence of the Kyuubi which made her bloodthirsty demonic attitude that much more intriguing.

Kirei frowned, judging by his attitude and his lack of chakra, Kabuto will last between five to ten minutes before he dies of blood loss or chakra depletion. Oh that won't do, she wanted to rip him to shreads before that happened. She grinned and using LK's power, an aura of white appeared as she removed her gravity seal. The fun begins.

She ran forward aware of Kabuto's lack of ability to see her. All she knew he had to go on was instnct. She hit five of the major pressure points and removed the feeling in his limbs. She smirked then slowed down so Kabuto could see her. She sent a punch to his face and she knew he anticipated it which was why it didn't surprise her when he dodged. It did, however, when he flung a puch back. She played along and dodged a swell and let him go on the offense.

Kirei was easily dodging and hummed a tune to herself while Kabuto put all his effort into maiming her. He had a plan, it just had to work. He lifted his leg in a kick yet stopped mid way.

"Wh-what?" he stuttered staring at his body. He tried moving his fingers and his eyes stared at her in desperation.

"You see, my speed resembles that of lightening, almost God like..." Kirei mocked. Kabuto's eyes widened realizing what she was getting at. "You, are the first person to see my full speed, well, more like experience my full speed. The fact that you can't move your body atesses to the fact that my speed won, and I have succeeded in hitting pressure points. Well, any last words?"

Kabuto's eyes searched for something on Kirei while Kirei's crazed happiness shone in the light. Kabuto was shocked, he never knew she was this strong, this fast! He opened his mouth to speak, to stall, he knew his arms were useless, but had faith that he would survive. If only he could say

the same thing for himself.

"A..Duh..." He froze, his words... He couldn't speak!

"Ah... Sorry, I forgot that I cut that off too..." She giggled and a resengan popped up in her left hand, she grinned and stepped forward the resengan perfectly floating in her hand. "Goodbye!" She shoved it in his chest. She defeated Kabuto on her skill, and the simple fact that he underestimated her. Kabuto went flying when the whole thing went inside his repairng chest and stumbled along, his flapping along in the wind. Kirei grinned, no mercy, not for anyone. She was alone now, no one but her family, and what remains of her precious people. She didn't need to be with them, just protect them and she will be satisfied with wondering the place all alone. She didn't have to make sure he was dead, he was either dying, or already dead. She shrugged, even if he recovered, he wouldn't last long, or, he would be extremely crippled, never to fight again.

"Kirei!" She turned to see who had been calling her and noticed Ichiro running towards her. She remained calm and impassive too content with the results to care about anything. Ichiro looekd at her, noticing the specs of blood on her face, the blood soaked clothing. His eyes did not hide his worry. "Are you alright?" She nodded and Ichiro turned to see Kabuto. His eyes widened, "Is he dead?"

"Either that or dying, but even if he survives, his body would be useless to him. When I aim to damage I aim to maim," She turned to see how the sannins were fairing and was pleased to note that Shizune and Tsunade were fine as was Jiraiya yet Orochimaru looked worse for wear. Kirei and Ichiro made their way over to the panting sennin.

"What should we do?" Shizune asked.

"Kill him. No more problems, no more worry for war." Kirei stated rationally. Jiraiya stared at his pupil in surprise as did Tsuande.

"Kirei..."

"He was once someone you cared about, not anymore... He is a traitor."

"What if it were Sasuke!" Ichiro countered. Kirei turned to him, her eyes as expressionless as always.

"I would do the same, I am a ninja of Konoha and must eliminate all threats. Since Tsunade is now the new Godaime, you must end this man's horrendous existence. Sandaime made the same mistake look what happened at the chunnin exam." It grew quiet. Everyone contemplating her words.

"She's right." Jiraiya mumbled solemnly.

"Jiraiya!" Tsunade protested.

"The third did not die in vain. He died so Konoha can rein in peace!" He countered. Kirei didn't care anyway.

"Ummm, guys?" Ichiro asked. Everyone gave him their undivided attention. "Hate to break it to you, but Orochimaru and Kabuto aren't there anymore..."

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Konoha was quiet and still despite the war that took place. Kirei made one hundred clones and disguized them as ninjas in order to help rebuild the city as fast as it could. She wasn't tired, she wasn't hungry, she just felt out of place and as if something was missing. Her mind was elsewhere, on her brother, her father, her uncle who seald Kyuu-Nee in her, her mother, Itachi and the family she had here. Himitsu has been nothing but supportive as was Shino, Satsuki, Ichiro, Jiraiya... Sasuke too... She sighed, unsure how to deal with Kakashi seeing as he knew the whole time.

She said her goodbyes to the others and made sure she was heading in the right spot. Usually, Kakashi was at the memoral when he wasn't training or reading his book or whatever. She headed there, totally uncaring for the glares she received. She brought back their Godaime, they should be worshipping her.

Kakashi was kneeling down in front of the stone, his eyes staring at the names. She breifly wodnered who brought him there every day of his late life. Whoever it was must have been important for him to want to remember them so much. Kakashi sensed her prescence and stood up after finishing with his words. He gave her an eye smile.

"Kirei! So you're back from your mission with Jiraiya-sama!" He said casually. Kirei glared at him, unable to contain her anger.

"Would you like to know something Kakashi?" His face turend serious at the lack of respect with his name. She smirked, "My name, is Kazama," he tensed at that word, "Narumi. Daughter of," his one good eye was widening by the second, "The brother of your sensei and your admirer. The one you looked up to when he was doing experiments on my older brother, Naruto. Care to fill in the rest."

"Kirei, allow me to explain."

"You will do more than that."

"Well, what you said was true. The fourth's name, was Kazama Arashi, and your father's name was Kazama Nakahara. Nakaraha-san was someone I looked up to when it came to ninjutsu for he knew how to create jutsu's like no one else could. He was a genius in his own right the same way my sensei was. Nakahara was older than Arashi by a mere two years and was happy for him when he became the Yondaime. He was already married to your mother, Uzairu Sunako from a wind tribe not too far from here. I did know that Orochimaru and Nakahara liked to debate about techniques among other things. I never knew they experimented on you or your brother. All that I know was that after Naruto

ran away, Nakahara became more involved with his work. So much involved that after Kyuubi was sealed inside of you, he secluded your family. It was only later, when the Sandaime got rid of Orochimaru and found out where Nakahara was..."

"Continue! What happened to my mother and me?"

"Your mother was found dead, and you were in your crib, screaming and crying. It seemed he had been injecting your mother which transfered to you and aided in her demise."

Kirei felt awful, terrible. Her family was just as bad as everyone told her they were.

"Did... Did dad really love mom?"

"Yes, he did, but something happened to him when he was here. It caused him to become partners with Orochimaru and to experiment on your brother, and mother which lead to harming you. Even today, we are not fully sure as to what will happen to you."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Were you ready to hear all of that? Besides, it was not my place, the third and the council decided your fate, Itachi and I along with the sennin's had no say despite everything. Not even the Uzairu clan knew of this. I apologize for not telling you but how could I tell you something as grave as this? When would I have told you. I suppose you found out from him right?"

"No, Kabuto told me."

"Ah..."

"I..Believe you Kakashi-sensei." He nodded and with that, I turned around and headed home. I had some meditating to do.

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Nightmare frowned, what was wrong with the one who was wielding the sword? The legendary sword that was strong enough to vanquish his very own? He needed to kill the wielder and then he wouldn't have to worry about anything. Yet why? Why was Talim so against this? Why was she so upset with every moment he mentioned his plot? What did she want from him?

"Is there a problem?" He rasped out. Nightmare knew there was no way she could hide anything in her large innocent brown eyes. He watched as the sadness filled it and his chest tightened. What was this feeling?

"Is there no other way?" He knew what she was refering to.

"I must continue to exist. I cannot do so without getting rid of what threatens my existence." She bit her lip. She was nervous beyond belief.

"What if the one who wields the sword does not wish to cause you harm?"

"How can you be positive? I must find whoever it is and kill them."

"No! You musn't!" She grabbed his cursed arm with both hands, her tonfa's resting in the tall grass behind her. He was surprised by her touch. Someone who wasn't afraid of his demonic apendage... He stared into her eyes despite the fact that his was hidden beneath his metal helmet. Talim held on tightly, pleading with him, "The wielder of the lengendary blade is my cousin... Kirei..." His eyes widened... This explained a lot. He cuppped

her cheek with his human hand.

"For you, I will trust that our paths will not cross in battle." She smiled, tears of joy slipping down her cheeks. What is this feeling?

"Do you have a name, something I can call you apart from nightmare?" He frowned though she couldn't say anything.

"Nightmare..is not to your liking?"

"No, you are not a nightmare to me..."

"Siegfried... My name was once Siegfried..."

"I like that name..." she looked down at his three fingers and traced her hands on each individual one. He decided that he wanted to be human again, to return his sanity and stay with Talim for the rest of his short life.

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Seeing as the Kyuubi was captured, his job was done for three years until they capture Shukaku. Leader knew of what he did with the container and surprisingly was not angry, but was pleased. He even stated that their spot was still waiting for them. Itachi glared, what he wanted was leader's death.

He needed to relax, to calm down. He really wanted to see Kirei again. He did feel bad for not telling her but it wasn't something he could just bring up! He felt bad already and all he wished was to go back and time and make things right. Hmm... And that is precisely what he was going to do.

But who? Who would he take with him? He stared at his door. Tobi... Tobi would be perfect.

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Kirei stared at her weapon, Tsuki, as she sat cross legged. Tsuki was beautiful yet now with her half fusion of LK and DK, she could sense a large evil hidden amongst the greater good. It was odd. The evil called out to her, to detroy, to cause anarchy. It whispered for her to kill and suck the souls out of those victims. She knew that there must be another weapon solely made up of the evil for it sounded like the same weapon that

killed Sakura.

What Kirei needed to do, was to purify this weapon. She could enfuse her spirit energy using LK's power or, she could find someone to do it for her. Maybe she should just ask Talim what she thought. She hadn't seen her cousin/teacher in a very long while. She closed her eyes and brought her hands up above her.

"Winds..."

It got the message, and circled furiously around her. To others, it resembled a mini tornado but to Kirei and those of the Uzairu clan, it was a gentle breeze. Feeling satisfied her message was delivered, she stood up, she needed to visit Sasuke in the hospital since the Godaime, Tsunade, healed him up.

Kirei felt awkward around Sasuke. At times, he was normal Sasuke. The guy who would train until he couldn't stand and the same guy who would protect her if someone were to threaten her. Sasuke was her best friend, yet lately, something had been festering in his mind. She refused to read it in order to discover what it was about and she refused to ask. She decided that he would tell her when he was ready despite her worry.

After she visited Sasuke, she wa going to find Shino and train, maybe Satsuki could come along.

"Kirei! Wait up!" She turned at the sound of her name. It was Shikamaru. She smiled,

"Hello, Shikamaru-kun," he stalked over, slouched as ever. Shikamaru couldn't help but feel threaten at the fact that she was stronger then him and capable of so much more (like bringing the fifth hokage) then he was. What made it worse, was the simple fact that she was a girl. "What are your plans for the day,"

"The Godaime wants to see me about something, most likely troublesome."

"Would you like some company?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Well I have to stop at the hospital to visit Sasuke and Ichiro." They started walking.

"Ichiro? What was wrong with him?"

"Oh nothing, he just wanted to learn medical techniques for future missions. Just enough so none of us die. He always forgets that I know the human body the same way I know how to breathe." She giggled and Shikamaru shook his head.

"Troublesome..."

A comfortable silence flled the atmosphere as the friends enetered the hospital. Kirei ignored the directed hatred and Shikamaru noted it yet ignored it as well. Kirei already knew what room her friend was in and Shikamaru followed after her. The door was closed but they both could hear murmuring from the inside. Kirei knocked.

"Who is it?" A familiar voice came from the inside.

"Kirei..."

The door opened, revealing Ichiro, wearing a ridiculous looking apron, Sasuke lying on the mattress looking very angry and a nurse who was trying to feed him. Shikamaru would have laughed if it wasn't so troublesome. Ichiro smiled when his eyes landed on Kirei.

"Hello!"

"Ichiro!" She asid happily. He hugged her and her eyes widened in shock. She slowly hugged back.

"How are you feeling?"

"I have had better days. And you? Are you learning about healing and what not?" He laughed sheepishly.

"Yup, but I didn't think it would be this hard, it takes a lot of commitment."

"Are you going to forego your kenjutsu and ninjutsu?"

"Nope, I could master that and clan techniques and then become a full fledge fighting medic nin! The plus would be I wouldn't waste a lot of chakra and I could protect myself and heal my teammates!"

"That's great! If you ever need help, I can help you, the human body is to me as the sun is to the sky." He laughed. She turned her attention to Sasuke and the nurse while Shikaamru and Ichiro began their conversation. The nurse groaned in frsutration.

"Uchiha-sama, you need to eat! How can you leave if you don't eat?" He glared at her and she cowered in fear. Kirei inwardly sighed.

"Maybe I could help?" She asked taking the seat beside the woman. The woman shook her head and handed Kirei the food,

"Good luck, I spent most of my time nagging at him. Hopefully you'll have some luck." The woman was so annoyed and tired, that she didn't care that the Kyuubi brat was in the same area as her. She left the room looking more relaxed then ever. Sasuke stared at her, unsure of what to do or say. He was a bit embarrassed seeing as the last time they saw each other, Itachi nearly killed him. His fist clenched at the mere thought. He stared at his lap, his hands as his knuckles turned white.

"Sasuke?" He was irritated that she was still near him despite the fact that he tried to protect her from him yet he was the one who needed it. And what did they need with her anyway? "You okay?"

"Fi-" He couldn't finish the word because Kirei took the chance when his mouth was open to shove some food down his throat. He blinked and she smiled.

"Say ahhhhh." Why was she being so nice to him? He was a weak failure! A sorry excuse for an Uchiha! He chewed and swallowed, the food wasn't the reason why he wouldn't eat. The reason was because he was too angry. He sighed and opened his mouth letting her feed them. He was too busy with his thoughts to care. "You know..." His full attention was on her. "When I saw you, I was worried what you would do if you saw him. You are strong Sasuke, you are mentaly stable, you have friends and you have people who care for you. You are different then Itachi and you going on your hatred and power hungry ways will just make you like him." She was lying but this was the image he portrayed to his brother, she wasn't about to ruin everything Itachi had built. He stared at her. "Sasuke, if you kill him, what will you do after? Once your purpose is completed, what will happen to you? To your team, to us?" She looked up into his eyes. "As soon as you end his life, yours will end too. You lived for that moment and when it happens, an emptiness will fill inside you then what? You are young, you have plenty of time before it happens. So wait, the longer you wait, the stronger you'll get. Itachi is not going anywhere and nor are you. You promised to stay with me."

She read his mind, she knew what he was thinking, what he was planning. He wanted to get stronger and he believed that this village was hindering him. It pained her to see her friend like this. She had to do something. She continued feeding him in silence. Itachi... She wanted to speak with him, to clear her head. She also wanted to know what is the problem between the both of them. The plate was finished by now and she stood up and rested it on the counter beside the bed.

"I must take my leave. Goodbye Sasuke, see you soon." She gave a soft smile then turned to Ichiro, her face brightening. "Bye Ichiro!"

After the farewells, Shikamaru and Kirei made their way to the Hokage tower,

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She was smiling while eating a pocky stick. Kirei had the whole box as company as she gazed down at her city for she was sitting on the Yondaime's head. Today was a really good day. After going to the tower with Shikamaru who was promoted to chunnin, they headed out to eat with his team. She then discovered where Shino'a team would be and she stayed with them for a bit before taking Shino away and updating him on everything and sparring. Satsuki joined in later and cooked them a lovely dinner. All in all, it was a great day. Himitsu was even there to eat

with her.

The wind blew, and Kirei frowned, that wind... It was a message from Talim. She was coming or she was already on the road. It seemed she had to stay here for a while though. Kirei didn't mind, Talim was family. She shoved another pocky stick in her mouth.

She missed Itachi. After speaking with Kakashi, she understood why Itachi didn't say anything. She was still kind of mad at him for what happened to Kyuu-Nee and Sasuke but she loved him. Forgiving and forgetting was something she was used to. It's been about a month anyway. Her eyes watered and she furiously wiped them away. It was her fault anyway, she was being selfish! She should have just spoken to him. The tears she wiped away came down and she did nothing to stop them this time.

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"This is Konoha? Why is it so...peaceful Itachi-kun?" Tobi asked as he hopped up and down. Itachi twitched, he was here on a mission. Tobi was the only member he actually trusted at this point. Kisame has a big mouth, Hidan and Kazuku were the ones to do it and the rest were...weird. He briefly wondered if she was alive or if she was dying. He stopped and so did Tobi. He closed his eyes and looked for her prescence. There...

"Itachi-kun, have you snuck into Konoha so easily all the time?"

"Yes..." he mumbled not really feeling the need to speak. But since Tobi went with him, he might as well give him responses. Why did he need Tobi? Ah yes, just in case... Also, he'd be good to have as an ally. "Tobi..."

"Itachi-kun! We are friends, give me a nickname!"

"Tobi," Tobi's shoulders sagged, "If you please, would wait at a distance and then I will give you a signal to come out."

"'Tachi-kun, you're no fun!"

Itachi resisted the urge to roll his eyes and teleported to the monument. Tobi followed right after.

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Kirei had finished the box some time ago and was staring into nothingness. She should head on home, it was getting late. She stood up and turned around. Her mouth fell open and her knees felt weak yet she remained standing. Itachi stood there, his cloak on, his elastic gone, his hat no where to be seen. She didn't know whether she should scream or cry. She tried to speak she really did, but nothing came out. She swallowed.

"You're alright..." He half asked, half stated. He took a step towards her and she could feel her resolve crumbling. Itachi wanted to hold her yet knew it was not the time. He had some explaining to do.

"And...you?" Kirei mumbled. Itachi was surprised but did not let t show on his face.

"Stomach wound." He could see the worry trying to hide. It was silent, neither of them knew what to say thought they knew what they wanted to.

"Why?" she asked. "Why didn't you tell me?" First thing was first. She wanted to hear it from his mouth. "You've had many oppurtunities to tell me about my family yet you never did."

"Why would I say something like that to you? Why place the burden of you on me? It was not my story to tell. Who should've told you were the Sandaime and the three sennin. I would rather you never knew anything then to see you hurting over something so important to you. I'm your boyfriend, not your mentor and you wouldn't believe me if I told you anyway. Comforting you is my job, not breaking your dreams of once having a perfect family." Kirei felt her eyes water again. He was right but the fact that she heard it from Kabuto... Still, she should have given

Itachi a chance.

"I'm sorry... I got the whole story from Kakahsi." Itachi knew she must be hurting. "Could you tell me about my brother?" she asked softly.

"Your brother was the opposite of me. The only thing that we shared in common was our prodigy status. He was a very interesting person, he once believed that every human was good, somewhat like you, until your father became mad. He ran away and we later met up."

"So he's alive?" He nodded and she let out a breath of relief. "Would I ever be able to see him?" He nodded.

"So they took Kyuubi away and you survived?" She nodded. Her tears began silently rolling down her cheeks. "I didn't know leader would have tricked me which was why I went after them."

"I had a feeling. And Sasuke? Why would you torment him so?"

"I cannot say... You do remember why I killed my clan? You do rememeber everything I told you."

"Yes but..."

"Then there is no arguing over something that has already been decided."

"But Itachi, but what about Sasuke and how what you did might affect him?"

"He needs to fulfill the Uchiha mission and this is the only way he would know how." Itachi frowned. "Do you care for him?"

"He is my best friend, I just wish he would stay here with me and happy like I am happy. You told me to take care of him and I have and he has done the same for me. I wouldn't want him to suffer like you did. I don't know... I care for him because he is family."

"Kirei...you're too pure..." She innocently blinked up at him, her eyes reflecting the moonlight. She understood now. "You are too good for me."

"No, I am the best for you, we balance each other out."

"Did I tell you today that I love you?" He asked. Kirei shook her head.

"No..." She whispered.

"I love you Kirei..." he smiled at her. She could feel her cheeks turn red.

"I love you Itachi, just the way you are..."

He wiped her tears and kissed her forehead and stood up. He looked back to where Tobi was hiding and he came out. Kieri blined, how could this man see with that mask. She smiled trying to hold back her laughter. The man stopped right beside them and Kirei noticed that he was taller then Itachi. His mask was facing her and she got the distinct feeling that he was seizing her up. She didn't have any weapons save for the scroll that carried Tsuki.

"Itachi-kun, this is your girl?" Kirei blushed again and Itachi glared at him. He circled them then turned to Itachi. "I approve!" He laughed to himself. She's very strong, she just needs to fight with her head and not her heart."

"How did he?"

"Don't...Bother..." Itachi murmured darkly. She giggled, anyone who could annoy him was special in her eyes. Tobi laughed.

"Well, Tobi wants to know what we're doing now!"

"We're staying." Itachi finalized. "The mission will begin in two and a half years and we are in vacation."

"Tobi will be staying here for two and a half years?"

"No. We will leave Konoha by the end of this week." Tobi nodded. He ruffled her hair

"Nice to meet you!"

"Uh, nice to meet you too um, Tobi-san."

Itachi hugged her and she hugged back.

"See you tomorrow." She nodded.

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It was in the afternoon when Talim arrived at the house. Kirei wasn't surprised by her but by her guest. He was a head taller then her cousin and was covered in dark blue armor. The only thing visible was this large brown arm that looked demonic. It had three large fingers. The man also had glowing red eyes and the helmet had flowing red hair. She blinked. The sword he wa scarrying was a broadsowrd. The sword was evil and it caused Tsuki to ring in irritation. Kirei stared, the evil from the sword was the same evil as the one in her Tsuki. She stared at this man where his glowing eyes were and smiled.

"Hello!" The man did not respond and Kirei didn't expect him to.

"This is Siegfried, a friend of mine. Can you help him?"

"How?"

"Well actually, we have a lot of explaining to do."

Kirei lead them to her backyard and took out her weapon. It was pulsing as was Siegfried's weapon. She set them down beside each other and they sat cross legged in a small triangle. Kirei looked at her cousin wondering what she wanted.

"You see... The weapon you have is a legendary weapon known as Soul Calibur." Kirei's eyes widened. "The sword that Siegfried has is a legendary weapon known as Soul Edge. Both weapons change forms depending on who weilds them. I used to wield Soul Calibur until it passed on to you. It chose you Kirei." She blinked, not sure what this meant. "Soul Edge is evil and it poisons the users mind making them into soul sucking vampires who need the souls of those they killed to survive. Siegfried did not know this when he picked it up and now..." Talim turned to his arm.

"The evil of the sword is manifesting on his person." Kirei concluded. Talim nodded.

"His sanity was alsmot gone and returns to him when he is not wielding the sword. The first time he lost his sanity was when he was defeated in battle and his sword broke into pieces that scattered across the globe. I have already collected all and have given them to the sword except for one."

"The one inside Tsuki? I mean, Soul Calibur?" Talim nodded.

"Soul Calibur stayed with our clan in order to be purified but it seemed the priestest there were not strong enough to remove the taint and shard. If we were to purify Soul Calibur, the shard would go to Soul Edge which would cause surrounding people to go mad and possibly erase Siegfried's sanity forever."

"We should purify Siegfried-san. I am a presitest and I can make it so the influence of Soul Edge's evil does not currupt you. It may remove that arm of yours. I am not too sure. I can also contain the evil of Soul Edge so that only it's wielder will hear it's calling. Are you sure you wish to be placed with this burden?"

"I can think of no one else." He mumbled.

"I will begin with the sword yet in order for me to do that I must purify Soul Calibur. If you could stand fifty paces away from me, I just need both swords."

Kirei fused her priestest powers with some of LK's powers and set both swords side by side. Shen she grabbed the hilt of Soul Edge, it called to her yet she easily ignored it. Before her eyes, it turned into an exact copy of Tsuki and she stared before setting it down side by side. She sat down in front of her own weapon and cast her hands over it. She knew what she should do and closed her eyes. She calmly began chanting, her weapon glowing a faint blue. It was easier then she expected and slowly, a shard glowing red emerged from her weapon. She opened her eyes and used her telekenesis to escort the shard into Soul Edge.

To contain it's power within itself will be difficult for she needs to create barriers. Locks, if you will. The first lock will contain its evil allures, the second will contain its evil manipulation and the third lock will contain its destructiveness. The same thing was on her own legendary sword except it was different resons for the locks. Both swords were too powerful for mere mortals though she was not one, she would not walk around attracting attention to her spiritual strength. She waved her hand over the weapon feeling its evil and how it worked. It looked for your weakness, your insecurities and hopes and made you believe you could acheive it by listening to it. What an intriguing weapon. She closed her eyes and began her chant.

Talim watched, awed at the display of power from her cousin. Her aura was white and her hands were glowing blue as she chanted. It seemed her spiritual energy has improved.

"What then?" He asked. Talim was startled. "What would I do afterward?"

"Continue to live, we can wonder the world and help those in need or look for challenges."

"We?"

"Yes, we, I wish to stay with you, I mean, I do posses priestest powers, and some healing ability. If it is okay with you..."

"Yes. I would enjoy that..." They were shook out of their reverie when Kirei called out,

"Siegfried! It's your turn!" Talim giggled and watched as he headed towards her. "Take off your upper armor!"

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Sasuke stared up at the moon as he walked, he did feel a bit guilty for what he was about to do but in the end, he needed to do this, he needed to do it now. He broke her promise but surely she would forgive him right? He hoped. He didn't want to hurt her, that was the last thing he wanted but he did want to become srtong for himself and for her. He hated that she was stronger then him. Maybe he sould stay with her. Maybe things would get better if he stayed here.

He stopped. Someone was sitting on the bench. They stood up into the light and Sasuke looked on at his electric blue eyes. His dark hair tinged blue... He stopped, staring at his rival. He was weaponless, defenseless. Sasuke frowned, that was unusual of him.

"Where do you think you're going, Uchiha?" The look on his face made Sasuke freeze. He was curious to know what he did to Indigo to make him so upset. He shouldn't worry since he was unarmed.

"Go home Indigo."

"No. Not until you tell me why you're leaving." Sasuke scrutinized him. He was serious.

"Why do you want to know so bad?"

"If you leave, you will crush Kirei. I can't allow you to hurt her. You love her, yet you hurt her. You don't belong with her. Not at all."

Sasuke stared. Why did everyone get the notion that he was in love with her? It must be true. Other's see his actions and they must know what it means. No, Indigo was just trying to fill his head iwth nonsense. He stared at him. Well then. It looked like he was going to fight but how would he fight with no wepons?

"You don't understand."

"No, you don't understand. She is willing to sacrafice herself for you yet all you do is demand more or turn your back on her. I will kick your ass if you take one more fucking step!"

Sasuke got into a loose taijutsu stance, he didn't want to waste too much energy on him. He decided to use his speed to his advantage. When Indigo didn't move, he dashed forward and hit the back of his neck. Indigo fell down out cold and he caught him. Sasuke afterall, considered him a good rival and an okay friend. He placed him on the bench.

"Sorry...."

And headed on his way.