It Tells a Tale

Dedicated to Yuun-Chan and Sabaku no Sarah-Hime

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I still remember the world
from the eyes of a child
slowly those feelings
were clouded by what I know now

Where has my heart gone
an uneven trade for the real world
Oh I...I want to go back to
Believing in everything and knowing nothing at all

I still remember the sun
Always warm on my back
Somehow it seems colder now

Where has my heart gone
Trapped in the eyes of a stranger
Oh I...I want to go back to
Believing in everything

Iesu, Rex Admirabilis,
Et triumphator nobilis,
Dulcedo ineffabilis,
Totus desiderabilis.

Where has my heart gone
an uneven trade for the real world
Oh I...I want to go back to
Believing in everything
Away

Where has my heart gone
Trapped in the eyes of a stranger
Oh I...I want to go back to
Believing in everything

I still remember.

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"In the world of Darken, everything answers to me, and me alone," a whispery voice hushed.

"Declare yourself!" Sasuke yelled, though it was obviously a pointless attempt.

"WhoIam is none of your concern, I'm afraid," the voice began to coarse. "Hand over Shiy-Sama and his sister;I might leave you with a whole corpse."

The world of Darken is no doubt a realm collected by advanced Genjutsu. However, mind tricks usually don't work on me. Though highly annoying, this Darken is quite amusing.

Wide prairie cast alight only by the eerie luminous full moon. There was no sound, no scenery. The ground stretched out forever; only then did I realize this is a Genjutsu Shinko told me about a long time ago. The world of Darken reflects your soul; was my soul really so empty?

"In the world of Darken, you are your own worst nightmare," the voice rose, as if in a fit of giggle. "The only way to defeat us is to conquer your worst fear, your own shadow shrouded past."

"My past?" I interrogated, my shrill voice echoing through the quiet night sky. "I have no past!" I slipped a sharp kunai out of my pouch and harshly slit a cut on my forearm. The feeling of blood trickling down my arm was warm, comfortable even.

As if being tearing apart suddenly, the world of Darken vanished as quietly as it came.

"Very good logic, little traitor girl; only wounds can erase the soul, though not fully, but enough to set you free of the trance," the voice laughed painfully, as if choking back its tears.

"Enough! Show yourself!" Shikamaru commanded.

"You are quite annoying, you know that?" the voice went quiet. "And I'm afraid that annoying people must repay their debt with their lives. I will repeat again; hand over Shiy-Sama and Lady Satsuma."

"NO!"

There were no replies this time. The empty night occupied with an uncomfortable silence. The stillness continued, only to be broken by a sharp shriek.

"Stop him!"

A gold blur of a head appeared among the trees with an unthinkable speed, followed by a flash of silver, a flicker of pink, and a spark of light blond.

"Hand over our scroll!" Ino cried.

The voice giggled softly. "The more the merrier, I suppose," it laughed again.

What the hell? I thought.

"It seems like that I am hopelessly outnumbered. I guess I will dispose some of the useless ninja...such as you!" the voice muted to a threatening tone.

I swung my head around, only to see strings of shadow snaking its way to Shikamaru at the speed of lightning. I heard a soft gasp from Shinko, and then she was gone. Her form snapped appears in front of Shikamaru, just in time to block him from the jutsu.

Shinko just saved someone, that's big time news!

Her dark crimson eyes blanker than usual, her head tilted slightly to the left, arms dropping to her side in the motion like a puppet without its strings.

"Shinko," I called out uncertainly.

She dropped into a dead faint onto the shocked Shikamaru. Though her eyes were still open, I can tell that she's no longer in this world.

Shinko falling for a Genjutsu, what has this world come to? My mind cried in desperation.

"Well, well. I meant to kill you, boy; but instead, I've gotten myself a bigger prey."

"She's...dead?" Shikamaru asked, shuddering.

"No...at least, not yet anyway," the voice snickered. "But you might as well pass her for the dead. There is nothing any of you can possibly do."

Kisame-Sama is not going to be happy about this.

"Ino, I need you to transfer me into Shinko's mind. Can you do that?" Shikamaru suddenly blurted out.

"I suppose so, but it's a great risk. If the situation not taken care of cautiously, all three of us would die!" she yelled.

He's what? My god...

"No!"

I need to intercept this. A chance of him discovering Shinko's mind and past is a chance of the whole mission goes awry.

"Yuun, listen; I need to snap her out of this trance. The more time we spend arguing, the more she slips away to death!" he protested.

I silenced.

"I'm ready," Shikamaru nodded, though not fearfully, but uncertainly. It's quite fun to see a genius doubt himself.

"I sure hope you are," Ino whispered.

There was a moment of dead silence with Shikamaru passing over to the unconsciousness. The world seemed to have stopped breathing, only the sound of our hearts pounding against the walls of the chests.

His body fell. The silver flicker sped forwards, catching the two mindless bodies.

"I've got them," Jin assured us, as he attempted to drag thetwo backbehind a tree.

"He's a smart one, isn't he?" the voice chuckled, highly amused by Shikamaru's plan; at the same time, stepping out from its protective shadow of the night.

A man; but how he looked like Shinko is what surprised me the most; same height, same hair, and the same blood red eyes.

"Oh shut the hell up!" I suddenly yelled in annoyance. "I am more than enough to keep you busy." I withdrew my katana.

At the same time, Shikamaru gazed at the sight before him, shocked.