Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto; it's owned by the amazing Masashi Kishimoto.
Warning: This may have some mild shounen-ai elements. Definitely nothing explicit. This is rated T after all.
The Crying Kamui
Chapter 3
The blood from Iruka's wounds gathered and formed dagger-like shapes. They then launched and embedded themselves on the Asura Path's chest.
"Kakashi!" Iruka yelled out weakly. "Hurry! Your Kamui!"
Kakashi's eyes widened as he realized what Iruka was trying to get him to do.
"No..." He whispered.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I am your soldier. Go ahead and do it!"
How could he use Kamui on the Asura Path when it held Iruka hostage? Iruka was too close! If Kakashi used Kamui, Iruka would surely get sucked into his dojutsu as well!
How could Iruka expect him to take that risk?
"Will you sacrifice Konoha for one man? DO IT, Hatake Kakashi! NOW before it kills me anyway!"
Iruka was right. The Asura Path was already attempting to aim his missiles towards Iruka. Fortunately, Iruka's blood daggers seemed to be doing enough damage that Pain was having difficulty in directing the missiles' target.
"If... If you don't do it, I-I'll... I'll hate you! We're running out of time! ...So please!"
How could Iruka be begging Kakashi to kill him? He could more than understand Iruka's reasoning and plea. Iruka hate him? He would rather risk that than kill a comrade.
It was at that moment that Kakashi truly understood why his father, the White Fang, had chosen the path that had ultimately led to his destruction all those years ago. How could he allow a fellow Konoha shinobi to die?
And Iruka... Iruka was precious to Naruto. How would he be able to face Naruto if he killed Iruka?
But if he didn't destroy the Asura Path, there was a chance that it could revive later and help capture Naruto and the Kyuubi...
...Then all of Konoha's citizens would die.
So the best thing he can do for Konoha...
He stared intensely at Iruka. His vision was slightly blurry as his mind made a choice that his heart cried against. He thought that he had lost the ability to cry long ago but now, as his Mangekyo Sharingan was activated, he learned that there really was no limit to how many tears one can shed.
Although his dojutsu encompassed both the Asura Path and the Chuunin, Kakashi's eyes were fixed on the brown orbs that stared back at him.
A soft curling of the lips... A tender smile... Then...
"Thank you, Kakashi."
Kakashi's eyes snapped open and the first thing he saw was his hand reaching out towards a wooden ceiling. He was lying down on a futon in a large living area with decorative fusuma hiding his view of the other rooms in the house. Kakashi slowly lowered his arm but refused to close his eyes in fear of seeing the image that has haunted him for three years once more.
He remembered how he thought he saw Iruka before he was knocked out by a humungous hand on his head. He had been poisoned with a staggering dose of Deadly Nightshade, which is known to induce hallucinogenic effects. It would not be out of the realms of reality for him to imagine seeing Iruka in front of him, especially since he was in the Land of Rain.
"Your companion had the exact same reaction," the owner of the voice that was so very familiar said with a dazzling smile. "While it's all amusing, you should sleep now, Jounin-sama."
He can only assume that "companion" had been Yamato and not Lee, especially if the younger shinobi had been too busy trying to reintroduce air to his lungs.
So maybe Yamato had been poisoned with the Deadly Nightshade too?
Kakashi slowly sat up and studied his own body for any injuries or dissipating effects of the poison. Thankfully, he felt fine physically and his muscles seemed to be in working order again as he was able to wriggle his toes and clench his fists. His mask was also gone but was replaced by a thin, breathable surgical mask – probably so that he could breathe easily while still having his face covered.
Kakashi then slowly tried to open his left eye but pain instantly pierced through it as soon as it was exposed to air. He quickly closed it to prevent his chakra from draining. The Sharingan already normally drained his chakra... An injured eye almost drained it twice as much.
"Ah, Jounin-sama, you're awake."
Kakashi immediately swivelled his head towards the direction of the familiar voice and instantly regretted it as a sharp pain pierced through his head. He winced and clutched at his head with a hand, breathing slowly as he waited for the pain to pass. Once he deemed it safe to look up again, he did so slowly and found himself looking into amused chocolate brown eyes.
It was him. It was truly him. Kakashi had not been hallucinating!
There was not much difference from the man he remembered. Granted, his currently unbound dark brown – almost black – hair was longer and fell down to his waist; his body was also leaner than Kakashi remembered but that could have been from the voluminous Chuunin standard uniform. But his face, his smile, was the same; except for the additional scar that ran from the left side of his jaw line up to his cheek to dissect the horizontal scar across his nose. The new scar ended just above that horizontal scar, that is, a couple of centimetres below his left eye. He was wearing a simple dark grey yukata; he didn't seem to have any weapons on him.
Iruka was sitting leaning on the edge of the sliding doors, which had been drawn open to show the rain outside. There were no other buildings in sight, just endless fields of rice under the torrent of rain. Kakashi deduced that they were at the outskirts of a village on a traditional-style house with sliding doors made out of wood and paper.
Iruka seemed to be feeding birds with one resting on his drawn-up knee, one on his shoulder and one on the index finger of his right hand. A few more pecked at the crumbs at his feet and the man seemed very much at ease as he affectionately hummed at the birds.
Kakashi opened his mouth to speak. "Iru-"
"My name is Haruka," the man introduced himself in Iruka's voice. The birds surrounding him, including the ones resting on him, took flight, allowing Iruka- Haruka to stand up and approach Kakashi.
"You are in the outskirts of Amegakure no Sato," Haruka continued as he sat down beside Kakashi. His long hair fell forward to frame his face as he leaned closer to Kakashi to place a warm hand on Kakashi's hitai-ate-free forehead. "The other Jounin-sama and the Tokubetsu Jounin-sama are in an unofficial meeting with the new leader of Amegakure. Once you are deemed fully recovered, the official meeting will be held with your presence."
Was Kakashi truly mistaken? Was this really not Iruka? But the scar over the bridge of his nose was too much of a coincidence to be otherwise! And the likeness! The likeness! Not just the face but even the voice and his manners! This Haruka-person cannot be anyone but Iruka!
He then realized that gentle fingers were trying to smooth the creases on his forehead caused by his frown. Kakashi closed his right eye for a moment, relishing the tender gesture. Tenderness was something he received extremely rarely. He suddenly felt like a child – possibly one of Iruka's students – who was being comforted by the strict but kind sensei.
"You really don't know who I am?" Kakashi spoke for the first time since he woke up. His voice was hoarse but his words were undoubtedly understandable. Unfortunately, his tone was also very clearly sorrowful...
...Heartbroken.
"Of course I know who you are," Haruka – Iruka – said with a grin and Kakashi's heart soared with a fierce hope... only for it to shrivel once more at Iruka – Haruka's – next words.
"You are the great Sharingan no Kakashi, master of a thousand jutsu and the Copy Ninja! Even the shinobi here in Amegakure say you're a legend!" Haruka added cheerfully, his face charismatically youthful in his excitement.
"...I'm not great," was the only thing Kakashi could reply with as he turned away from Haruka. He couldn't bear to look at the face anymore and have false hope for a dream that was never going to be a reality.
"Jounin-sama?" Haruka said softly in concern as he leaned even closer towards Kakashi, making the Jounin look back at him.
Haruka's eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes wide with sincere concern. It touched Kakashi's heart while at the same time breaking it even more... Since Haruka wasn't who Kakashi wanted him to be.
"Are you all right-"
"Oi, Haruka! Are you bothering our guest?"
Kakashi looked beyond Haruka towards the door where a newcomer stood with a fist on his hip. It was a man approximately Kakashi's height – if not a bit taller – and he recognized the man's voice to be one of the voices he heard before he fell unconscious due to the poison. Unlike Haruka, this man was wearing the hitai-ate bearing the symbol of the Hidden Rain on his forehead. He also had a couple of piercings on his face that included a nose stud, three loops on his right earlobe and a ring at the corner of his lip. The man was quite handsome with startling pale blue eyes and bright orange-coloured hair. He looked like someone... In fact...
He looked like the Deva Path of Pain!
"I've done nothing but behave, Ba-Kaiten," Haruka retorted – and thus distracting Kakashi from his dark thoughts about the newcomer – as he stood up then hooked his hair behind his right ear. He headed over to a small table where a pitcher of water and a couple of clear glasses sat. There was also a tea set next to it. "Where are the other Konoha nin?"
"On their way," Kaiten answered nonchalantly as he entered the room and looked down at Kakashi. "They were pretty worried about you, Copy Nin. And for some reason, the older one was worried how you would react when you saw Haruka. Heaven knows he kept on staring and staring closely at our guy here." And this Kaiten guy obviously resented that fact.
"He said I look like someone," Haruka said soothingly in a placating manner as he returned to the two. "You're overly paranoid, Kaiten." He knelt gracefully beside Kakashi once more and offered the cup to the Jounin. "Here you go, Hatake-sama. Please drink it slowly and kindly ignore the tactless idiot standing behind me."
"Haruka!" Kaiten protested but was ignored.
Kakashi relished the feel of the cool water pouring down his throat as he kept a wary and cautious eye on the man who looked like the Deva Path of Pain, Kaiten. As soon as Kakashi finished the glass, Lee burst into the room.
"Kakashi-sensei!" he exclaimed boisterously. "You are awake at long last!"
Kakashi blinked. "How long was I out for?"
"Three days," Haruka answered him with a small frown. "We were quite worried, Hatake-sama."
"Kakashi," he immediately corrected. He thought Iruka – Haruka – would argue like Iruka did before but he just smiled and nodded.
"Kakashi-sama then."
Kakashi would prefer that he dropped the '-sama' as well but he had a feeling it would probably take him a while to make the younger man do so...
...just like with Iruka.
He shut his right eye as his fists clenched and gripped the sheets. He could feel Haruka looking worriedly at him and that hurt Kakashi more and more since it was so Iruka-like. It would be so easy to just pretend that this was indeed Iruka but that would be akin to spitting on Iruka's memory.
He could never, ever do that.
Most shinobi would not worry so much for a complete stranger but Haruka treated him as though he was a comrade... which was technically true since Amegakure was an ally of Konoha...
Except Kakashi never saw Ame nin as anything other than a reminder of his sin.
"Senpai, I'm glad you've recovered."
Kakashi looked up and saw Yamato looking down at him with a guarded look on his face. His kohai was pointedly avoiding looking at Haruka. Kakashi desperately wanted to ask him what his thoughts were on Iruka's look-alike but it was obviously not the time or place.
"I was probably a cat in the previous life," Kakashi lightly replied. Yamato allowed a small sad smile to touch his lips.
"If that were the case, you still would've already lost all nine lives years ago."
"I'm all right," Kakashi said, waving a hand dismissively. "Now report."
Before Yamato could speak, Kaiten released a loud yell as he was knocked on his face by a violet blur. He went crashing to the ground as what seemed to be a girl – or young woman? – used him as a foot mat.
"Kaiten 'ya dickless dickhead!" the female yelled as she began rubbing his head between her fists while the man protested by trying to buck her off of him. "What do 'ya think yer doin', runnin' off like that? Leavin' me an' Todou with those Leaf nin! Are 'ya forgettin' yer duty?"
"Why would you do that, Kaiten?" Haruka asked disapprovingly as he gave him a small frown. It was the girl who answered for him.
"This dickless dickhead was all paranoid that you'd be accosted by that Leaf Jounin," the female said as she inclined her head towards Kakashi. "Shithead."
"Shut up, Ameko!" Kaiten yelled at her as he struggled to get himself from underneath the ferocious kunoichi. His attention was completely on Ameko that he failed to instantly notice the shadow looming in front of him. It wasn't until he saw Ameko's vicious smirk that he finally looked up and saw Haruka cracking his knuckles, an enraged aura wrapped around him.
Kaiten instantly paled.
Kakashi watched on in great interest as Haruka took on an air that reminded him of Iruka just before he unleashed hell on the foolish Jounin who submitted messy or late reports.
"H-Haru-"
"Hey Kaiten," Haruka said in a deceptively calm voice, his gaze hooded. "You can't possibly be thinking that I'm a defenceless damsel-in-distress that you need to protect, right?"
If it were possible, Kaiten paled even further. Kakashi still found it so odd that someone with the Deva Path's face could express such fear and anxiety...
And towards someone like Iruka no less!
"S-S-Sorry!" Kaiten squeaked. "You're very strong Haruka and you don't need anybody's protection."
Haruka's expression suddenly changed as a sunny smile appeared on his face. He knelt in front of Kaiten and began patting his head as you would a dog.
"Good Kaiten."
"Haruka," a deep voice called softly. "How is our patient?"
Kakashi's gaze fell on the largest man he had seen in his entire life – members of the Akimichi clan excluded. The giant couldn't have been less than eight feet! The man had a bald head and stern features. Unlike the members of the Akimichi clan who appeared chubby, this man was all terrifying muscle. He could probably easily lift an elephant without breaking a sweat.
The man had to duck quite a bit to get through the tall sliding doors as he entered the house. He easily filled the room with his sheer size and Kakashi realized that this was the man who had placed an enormous hand on his head.
A healer, Kakashi thought, still in awe at the man's size. A very large healer.
"You should check him out to be a hundred percent sure," Haruka replied as he stepped aside to make more room for the man, who Kakashi assumed was Todou.
"Please excuse me, Hatake-san," Todou politely said as he reached out to place large hands on Kakashi's head. Kakashi fought to stay still and to allow a stranger to touch him. His eyes shifted over to Haruka, who gave him an encouraging smile. He instantly relaxed.
"As Todou is looking you over, I will introduce the others," Haruka told him. "As you already know, my name is Haruka. The one currently healing you is Iba Todou. The lovely hellcat over there is Suzuki Ameko-"
"Hey!" Ameko protested albeit half-heartedly.
"And Kaiten you already know," Haruka finished.
"He is Kaien-sama's younger brother!" Lee added cheerfully! Kakashi noticed a sudden change in the man's demeanour. Suddenly, he seemed more of a killer than the joker from earlier. Kakashi wondered if it had anything to do with Lee's words.
"'Kaien-sama'?" Kakashi echoed. The name was familiar and he knew that it belonged to an Amegakure shinobi. But why did Lee point out the fact that Kaiten was a brother of this Kaien?
"Kaien-sama is now the leader of Amegakure after Konan-sama's death," Haruka explained quietly.
This Kaien must be extremely powerful then to become the leader after the "God's Angel". As Kakashi's gaze shifted to Kaiten once more, he wondered if the older brother looked anything like the younger brother – and thus, anything like the Deva Path of Pain as well.
Todou's hands had already travelled from Kakashi's head to his neck then to his back and arms. Thankfully, the man deemed it unnecessary to touch his thighs. He did quickly go through Kakashi's legs and feet though.
"He's good," the giant finally announced in his very deep voice. "It helped that you had the antidote already, Haruka."
"Why did you have to kiss him though?" Kaiten said with a scowl pulling at his face. Haruka quickly hit him with a paper fan seemingly procured from nowhere. There was a bright blush on the scarred man's face.
"It was not a kiss!" Haruka protested heatedly. "I was saving his life, damn it! Stop being such a shithead!"
"Don't start taking on Ameko's vulgarity!" Kaiten exclaimed with a groan. This earned him a number of hits from the hellcat herself.
It was then that Kakashi remembered the conversation going on around him just before he fell into unconsciousness.
"He must have some resistance to poison and toxic substances," the second male voice commented. "Hold on, wouldn't i.v. administration be better?"
"No syringe..."
Oh, right. Now Kakashi remembered the warm lips and the liquid that passed through them.
That meant Haruka has already seen his face.
Contrary to what many people believed, a number of people have already seen Kakashi's face – comrades in missions that have gone to hell, medics and even a couple of lovers he'd had in the past. But definitely not Iruka.
Kakashi didn't know why but it somewhat bothered him that Haruka has seen his face while Iruka never had. It was a definitely stupid thought since Haruka had nothing to do with Iruka and the man who now knelt next to him pulled his mask down to save his life.
But at the same time, he desperately wanted to know what Haruka thought of his face.
You're deluding yourself again, Kakashi thought harshly. He is not Iruka!
"Yamato," Kakashi said out loud, making every head in the room swivel towards his direction. "Report."
"Amegakure no Sato's newly elected leader, Kaien-sama, was a right-hand man of Konan-sama, the 'God's Angel'," Yamato began as the room fell silent and all bickering stopped. Even Lee was eerily quiet. "We discussed the attack on us at the border of the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire. It seems that these nin are members of the lower branches of Akatsuki. They have been lurking the borders of Ame no kuni ever since the death of Konan-sama."
"We think that they are trying to isolate us from our allies," the giant Todou spoke, making Kakashi look at him. "As you know, before Konan-sama had offered an alliance with Konoha and the other Great Shinobi Villages in their war against Madara, Amegakure had been one of the sanctuaries of Akatsuki. We believe that they may try to attack us to bring us back into their fold."
This was getting nastier and nastier by the minute.
"So your Kaien-sama cannot afford to send out some of his shinobi to Konoha?" It was supposed to be a question but came out as a statement.
Surprisingly enough, it was the rough and tomboyish Ameko who answered.
"No, Kaien-sama believes that we should still proceed with that plan. After all, strengthening our relationship with Konoha is highly beneficial to us, especially in the long run. Also, we cannot afford to show weakness to our enemies by refusing to send out one cell because of their intimidation tactics." Ameko bared her teeth in a cruel grin. "If they think we'll cower like lowly rats in front of such childish and petty traps then they are in for a shockingly horrifying awakening."
Kakashi immediately noticed how her way of speaking became more proper compared to her first entrance. Suzuki Ameko was actually quite pretty – when profanity wasn't being vomited out of her mouth. She wore a revealing black halter top with a violet skirt that reached to her knees. She was also wearing black leggings and black sandals. Her long black hair was tied in a bun with some strands framing her heart-shaped face. Yes, her looks were definitely deceptive – so lady-like looking yet so vulgar! Honestly, this violet-clad, black-haired, green-eyed kunoichi reminded him too much of Mitarashi Anko.
"So who are the members of the cell to be sent with us?"
Ameko grinned as she opened her arms widely. "You're looking at them, Hatake Kakashi."
Kakashi's eyes widened as he realized why this group had been the ones to retrieve them from the borders of the Land of Rain. He should have known. The new leader's brother was a good choice due to his familial ties with the head of Amegakure. Todou the healer would be able to discuss and exchange knowledge with Tsunade. Ameko...
Well...
Kakashi's gaze landed on Haruka last even though the man was the one closest to him. Hands landed on the yukata-clad man's shoulders as Kaiten leaned over Haruka protectively and almost...
...possessively?
"Haruka's not coming," Kaiten said bluntly.
Haruka nodded in agreement and Kakashi could sense some regret emitting from him.
"I am not to leave the Hidden Rain," Haruka said wistfully. "Especially not on a diplomatic trip to another village."
Kakashi opened his mouth. "Wh-"
"Come on, Haruka," Kaiten said loudly as though Kakashi had not been about to say something. He pulled the younger man up by the armpits like he would a child before grabbing Haruka by the hand and pulling him away. "Kaien has orders for you."
They disappeared after turning outside the door.
"Oi, dickless dickhead!" Ameko yelled as she ran after them. "Don't manhandle Haruka like that!"
Todou carefully yet somewhat gracefully stood up. He went to the door before turning around and bowing.
"We shall leave you to discuss your mission and what you have learned, then." Todou then disappeared after his team.
"Kakashi-sensei," Lee said quietly, surprising both Jounin immensely. "Was that Iruka-sensei?"
Kakashi closed his eye for a moment and an image of Iruka instantly popped in his mind. Haruka's face then appeared and was superimposed over Iruka's. Kakashi quickly opened his eye then.
"I do not know, Lee," Kakashi said honestly as he placed a hand over his closed left eye. "I don't know how or why but it seems that my Sharingan is injured."
"Were you hit in the eye?" Yamato asked urgently.
Kakashi shook his head. "No but one of the cholinergic effects of the Deadly Nightshade affects the eyes. For some reason, I think it's taking longer for its effects to dissipate from the Sharingan. Don't worry about it. I'm still one hell of a shinobi without the Sharingan."
Yamato nodded gravely.
"Does Iruka-sensei have relatives in Rain?" Lee asked with a one-tracked mind. Kakashi desperately wanted to avoid all of these questions since he had the exact same questions himself. He didn't want to have false hope that Iruka could be alive through Haruka. Once they leave Amegakure no Sato, Kakashi would forget all about the Iruka look-alike.
Actually...
"Why isn't Haruka coming with us?" Kakashi asked, his gaze on Yamato intent. "Judging by their interactions with one another, I thought they all belonged in the same team. But I must have been wrong if he's not joining us."
"That's because they're not in a team," Yamato replied slowly. "At least, not officially."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Clarify."
Yamato sighed heavily. "They're not officially on a team for the same reason Haruka-san was chosen to watch over you while the rest of us went on an 'unofficial' meeting with their leader and some of the village elders...
"...Haruka-san is not an Ame shinobi."
A/N: Can you believe I received TEN reviews for the last chapter? *takes out party hat and rejoices* So after this chapter, I shall start replying to reviews via the Reply to Review button! So please regularly check your messages if you've reviewed since that's where I'll post my reply... except for the anonymous reviewers of course!
CLIFFY AGAIN! Sort-of... Erm... I can't help it, okay? It's more dramatic this way! Now what the hell could be going on? Stay tuned! LOL!
Tell me what you guys think of Haruka! I shan't say more about him! =D And tell me what you guys think of Kaiten, Todou and Ameko! =)
Thanks muchly for everyone who has reviewed! Also, thanks for the kind and awesome people who have added this story to their Favourite or Alerts list! =)
Imperial Dragon – Woah! You're so fast at reviewing! Do you live in Australia? LOL! Again, this chapter is dedicated for you for being my first reviewer for the previous chapter! The answers to the questions you seek are still out of your reach... *sage-like voice* LOL! But yup, you need to keep on reading and commenting... *hint-hint, nudge-nudge, wink-wink* LOL! Thanks for your comments!
Behan – Oh, thank you sooo very much for the lengthy review! I LOVE lengthy reviews! =) They seriously make my day! LOL, please don't jump off a cliff (even though here's another cliffy) since I might get in trouble! I'm glad you like Naoki and what NAUGHTY things are you thinking? Haha! No, I understand. I am a fangirl too you know! *leers* Ah, Lee... Yes, I love Lee too! He's such a bundle of Eternally Youthful Energy and Hip Optimism! HAHAHA! As for all of your Iruka questions... What do you think after this chapter? What do you think of Haruka? Ooh, now I have the questions for YOU! BUWAHAHAHA! LOL! And thanks for the congrats (even though it was grudgingly given ^_^)! I feel the love! =P
tina – Thanks for your review and the congrats! Yeah, it's hard to find a job especially depending on where you live but the job I got is actually only for the Christmas season. I hope you liked this chapter as well! I actually had fun writing it and introducing the new OCs. I hope you liked them as well!
magostar117 – Haha, I'm glad you're liking my fic so far! I do try to make it as interesting as possible while still sticking to the plot in my head. Yes, I think Kakashi's the type to shoulder burdens, especially as you see with his regular visits to the memorial stone. But we love him for it! Please tell me what you think of this chapter! Thanks again for dropping your comments! =)
Prescripto13 – Aww, thanks! I've noticed that you mention my first name every time you review... Just noticing! =P I hope you find this chapter just as interesting!
eve – Haha! Well, that's better! Now I hope this chapter is the best so far! =)
KakashiKrazed – Woah! Novel-length review! *squeals joyfully* LOL! Yup, I think Kakashi's loyalty to Konoha will always override his personal feelings and opinions. Even his inherited belief that comrades should never be abandoned, in my opinion, still reflects his loyalty for his village as a whole rather than just for its rule-makers. I think he's the perfect balance of soldier and man although could also often teeter between the two. I'm glad you liked the Naoki scene! I was quite happy with that myself! I didn't want to use Naruto for that scene and using Konohamaru didn't seem quite right for me so I borrowed Naoki from Reynard although I made him older in this fic. I was actually quite nervous about the ambush since describing action had never been one of my strong points even though I love devouring action while reading stories, which is why I actually love a number of your fics. I'm glad that I was able to produce something satisfactory at least. Now I'm really, very eager to know what you think of Haruka! *nervous fiddling of thumbs* And thanks for the congrats! It's just Christmas season jobs at 2 retail stores although I might have to give one up. Hopefully, I'll earn enough and get myself a nice graduation present! =) Again, thanks for your lovely review!
lilrocker – Thank you so much! *blushes* You're adding this to your faves? *blush intensifies* I'm really glad you like my fic so far! I hope you liked this chapter as well! It took me a while to get it out but I'm kinda busy at the moment so... But writing this helps me relax when I get too stressed and have to walk away for a moment. Thanks again! Tell me what you think of this chapter. =)
The-Lady-Smaell – Hi Milady! =) Yes, I'm evil! It's another cliff hanger! *laughs evilly* Oh wait! Does this mean you're going to make the next chapter of Otherside a cliffy too? NOOO! LOL! =P *sigh* I really am too vain, haha! I'd give you Naoki as a present but I still have some use for him... (Naoki in the background: What kind of use...? WHAT USE?) He should just resign himself to his fate of being my eternal teddy bear... He was my plot bunny assistant when I got stuck in that Kakashi-in-front-of-the-memorial-stone scene last chapter. Anyway... I'm glad you liked the ambush scene although I was a bit nervous about it. Yeah, that variation just reveals my sadistic side once more. Now... TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF HARUKA! LOL! And yes, I'll be using the review reply button with the next chapter except for the anonymous reviewers of course! Thanks again for the lovely and length review, Milady! =)
jazzy2may – Haha, thanks! *blushes* You're my tenth reviewer for the last chapter! Do you know how happy I was when I received it? VERY! =D I hope you like this chapter as well! I look forward to hearing from you! Thank again for the review!
Well people, I'm signing off! Thanks again for your kind comments!
Ceil Scheherazade