Part XIII: Running Away

It was a nearly sleepless night for Sora. Every noise, every movement, every thought kept her too preoccupied to even think about sleep. She finally couldn't stand it anymore and got out of bed. The sun hadn't even risen yet but she washed up anyway. Her fear drove all the hunger out of her and she skipped breakfast. She grabbed her kunai pouch and quickly left her apartment.

Once she was out of the building she took a deep breath of the cool, dark air. It would be a few hours till sunrise but she needed to move. She needed to get her mind off of things. She began running. Slowly at first but then faster and faster as she neared the outskirts of the village. She went into the forest and jumped up into a tree. She jumped from branch to branch as quickly as the wind with her feet barely touching each branch. She didn't even have to think about where she was going. Her body moved on its own, She was too preoccupied to notice.

Her subconscious mind picked up on the small sound of moving water and she directed her course towards it. Soon a small waterfall appeared splashing into a little lake. Her body stopped moving and she stood perfectly still at the water's edge. She wasn't breathing hard. Her heart wasn't even beating any faster even though she had just run a few miles.

Water… She slammed her hands in a jutsu seal and pressed them together as tightly as she could. Her eyes closed, her brow furrowed. Concentrate…concentrate! Then her eyes shot open and she sprinted out onto the water. She had expected to completely sink but to her amazement, she was able to stay on top for a split second. But then she was completely submerged under the water.

It was freezing cold and Sora felt as if a thousand needles were slicing her skin from every direction. She forced her numb legs and arms to move and finally she broke the surface for air. She swam over to the water's edge and crawled up on land gasping for air and shivering violently. Her skin was already a ghastly pale. "N-no," she forced herself to speak through her shaking. "Again." She stood up but could hardly keep still she was shaking so much. She put her hands together in the same seal again and closed her eyes. After a second or two more, her eyes once again shot open and she ran out onto the water.

Hours passed and the sun began to rise casting pretty shades of red and orange across the water. Birds began singing and the morning flowers opened up revealing their colors hidden from the night before. A slight mist was in the air above the lake making it seem almost enchanted. But Sora didn't notice any of these things. Before, she would always stop to see the sun rise or at least smile at the sight of the flowers or the songs of the birds, but now she could only concentrate on one thing.

"Dammit…" she cursed through gritted teeth to keep from chattering. She once again crawled up on the shore of the lake from the sparkling water. Her entire body was shaking uncontrollably and her skin was a deathly pale. Her mind screamed out for her to stop and get back to her apartment but her will kept her still. "No," she whispered to herself. If Naruto can stand to have a demon inside of him, I can stand to have one inside of me. She stood back up with clenched fists at her sides.

It was beginning to warm up from the rays of the sun but the effects of the freezing water still lingered in Sora's body. She shook her head and tried to take a step forward but stumbled. Her knees began shaking and her legs felt extremely unstable. She gasped as she fell to the ground but she willed herself to land on her knee. "No," she whispered again unable to properly speak. I can't give in now, not when I'm so close to getting my Chakra back. I can't lose this battle! But no matter how hard she pushed herself, her limbs began to freeze up and go numb. She couldn't feel anything with her hands anymore. Her heartbeat became labored and slow. She was short of breath but couldn't inhale because she was shaking so much.

Her body couldn't take the torture anymore. She began to fall forward unable to stop herself. It seemed like eternity to her as she fell. She felt the icy darkness begin to take over her vision, her mind.

Two arms surrounded her shivering frame keeping her from crashing into the ground. A warmth spread through her body, small yet just enough to keep her conscious for a bit longer. What? The heat pierced into her frozen skin and coursed through her veins like a poison. But a good poison.

"Sora."

She couldn't respond yet but she managed to shakily turn her head to see who had found her.

"What're you doing?"

Her pale red eyes met dark black ones. "S-sa…"

"Sh," Sasuke commanded and turned her around so that he could embrace her from the front. He brought her closer to his body and put her head against his chest. The coldness was almost unbearable, but the more he felt of its harsh treatment, the tighter he held onto his red-haired teammate. I can't believe she would do this to herself, he thought as he stroked her icy, wet hair. "We're going back," he said softly in her ear. He didn't wait for a reply and leapt off towards the village to his home.

Soon the two were inside Sasuke's enormous house and Sora was placed in the great room near the fire place. Sasuke started a fire and the room became warm in no time. It was warm outside now as well but Sora needed more than just the natural heat of the day.

The shaking eventually stopped and her skin became less pale. Sora finally opened her eyes again and saw that she was in Sasuke's house and wearing Sasuke's clothes. "Wha?" she asked groggily and tried to move her hand up to her eyes.

"Sora," she heard Sasuke say from somewhere in the room but she couldn't see him or turn her head just yet. She felt him grab her hand that had been twitching because she had wanted to move it. Then she saw his face as he leaned over her. "My god," he whispered and he lowered his head to kiss her blue lips. "What the hell were you doing back there?"

If Sora hadn't been so cold her cheeks would have flared up. "I…I…"

Sasuke slipped his arms around her and pulled her up into an embrace. He inhaled deeply trying to get some of her natural scent in his nostrils but all he could smell was dampness and coldness. He exhaled audibly and tightened his hold on her.

"S-sauske," Sora finally managed to get out. She moved a shaky hand to his waist and pushed back slightly. The two broke apart but Sasuke still held her. "H-how did y-you find me?"

Sasuke rubbed his hands up and down Sora's still freezing arms. "I followed you," he said simply.

He…followed…me… Sora thought remembering the time so long ago when he had "followed" her to the lake before to get the truth out of her. She looked down.

"I answered your question so answer mine," Sasuke said and lifted her head back up so that he could see her eyes. "What were you doing?"

Sora slightly cringed. "I was….I j-just wanted…" she stuttered still shaking from the cold. She took a deep breath. "I was just trying to get my Chakra back," she barely whispered.

"Cha-?" Oh right, I almost forgot her Chakra was sealed, he thought cutting himself off before he said anything stupid. "But why like that? You could've killed yourself," he said instead.

Sora turned her head away. "Y-you shouldn't be talking," she said slightly annoyed. "You always r-risk your life doing things y-you want to do. W-why can't I risk mine?" Immediately after she said it she regretted it. "S-sorry," she said in a much subdued voice. "I didn't mean-"

"No, you're right," Sasuke said silencing her. "I do risk my life a lot." He brought her back closer. "But it's because of you. I'd do anything for you. You're too important to me. If I lost you…I wouldn't be able to live with myself anymore." He kissed her hair softly. He really wanted Sora to say something like that to him but he didn't push it. Instead he moved her hair behind her ear and gently kissed the part of her neck right under her ear. He moved up a little to her jaw line and made a trail of kisses leading ever closer to her slightly parted lips.

Sora didn't resist this time. His words seemed to affect something inside of her. She allowed Sasuke to take over her lips and slip his tongue inside of her mouth.

The lack of resistance made Sasuke's body heat up and when he felt Sora's lips working against his own returning his kisses, he almost lost all control. He pushed her back down on the mattress he had set up in front of the fireplace for her and moved himself on top completely covering her. Small growls and moans came from the back of his throat at every movement he felt her make against his hungry lips.

Sora's arms moved on their own and slid around his neck deepening their kiss. She ran her fingers through his jet black hair with one hand and traced his spine with the other. She could feel something wasn't quite right in her mind but she didn't care at the moment.

Then Sasuke began pulling down on the shirt she was wearing to reveal more of her neck and collar. With every kiss he poured his fire into her body, slowly warming her up from the harsh coldness.

Then Sora's eyes shot open as she snapped back to her senses. She felt his lips on her chin and gasped hoping that he hadn't seen the bruises on her neck. She quickly lifted his head back up to hers with her hands and held it there.

"Sora?"

"I…we should stop before it gets any further," Sora said quietly looking anywhere but his eyes.

Sasuke slightly winced but said nothing. He gently kissed her forehead and then moved so that he was lying next to her. He circled his arms around her waist and held her close from behind. "Sleep," he said softly.

"Uh, is there enough time?" Sora asked.

Sasuke nuzzled the back of her head. "There's still an hour."

An hour… Sora was extremely tired. She hadn't gotten any sleep the night before and then she almost killed herself from being stubborn and stupid. Her body relaxed into Sasuke's and she took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. She took a hold of one of Sasuke's hands and pulled it up to her face. She leaned her cheek into his warm palm.

Shivers ran up and down Sasuke's spine and it wasn't from the cold. "Don't be, just sleep," he whispered back and moved his legs to intertwine with hers.

Within that hour, Sora fell completely asleep in Sasuke's arms. Sasuke on the other hand stayed awake stroking her hair and gently caressing her neck and shoulders every now and then. It went by too quickly for him. He wanted to stay like that forever, but he finally forced himself to wake Sora up. "Sora," he said softly in her ear.

"Mm?" came the reply.

"We should go," he said and sat up.

"Oh…right." Without turning around Sora pushed herself up to a sitting position. She pulled her hair over the front part of her neck to hide the faint but still visible bruises. Well, she guessed that they were still visible. She hoped that before, the coldness of the water had paled her skin so much that the bruises would have been temporarily hidden. From the way Sasuke was acting, she thought that was what had happened. "I need to, uh, change," she said softly.

Sasuke got up from the mattress and got her newly dried clothes she had been wearing earlier. "Here." He handed them to her. "I'll get us some breakfast." With that he left the room.

Sora stood up hugging her dress to her chest and stared into the fire. How could I be so stupid? she thought as she began to undress. Even if I could use my Chakra that one day…dammit. It must have been a fluke. I should have known that the seal couldn't be so easily broken. What was I thinking? I nearly killed myself! If Sasuke hadn't come I would be dead by now.

She quickly slipped into her dress and spotted a mirror on the wall. Her hair was a mess and her skin was still slightly paler than usual. She leaned forward to inspect her neck and saw that the bruises were indeed still visible but barely. When will these stupid things go away? She buttoned up her collar and tried to smooth her hair down.

Then Sasuke came back in the room with some fruit and bread. "Here," he said and motioned towards the table set in the middle of the room. They sat down and ate in silence, but neither was uncomfortable with that fact. Sora was a little self conscious and refused to look straight at Sasuke while Sasuke was still worried if she was really well enough to train today. Once they were finished, Sasuke gathered the trash and threw it away.

"Are you sure you can train today?" he asked suddenly as they were preparing to leave.

Sora looked at him in surprise. "Of course I am," she answered. "I feel much better now, thanks to you."

Sasuke opened the front door to his house and the two Genins stepped out into the sunlight. "Just promise me you won't try something like that again," he said grabbing her hand.

"I…I won't," she said looking down. "I was just being stupid."

Sasuke squeezed her hand gently and they started for the bridge.

Just as they suspected, no one was there yet so they waited. They stood in silence for a while but then Sora spoke. "Uh, Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"When did you leave the hospital?" she asked.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "As soon as I could."

Sora sighed. "I guess none of us like hospitals very much," she said looking out over the water.

Sasuke glanced over at the girl next to him. He could tell that she was trying to lighten the mood and get both of them to stop thinking about the morning's earlier incident. There were still so many questions he wanted answered but he held his tongue.

"Sora-chan!" Naruto shouted as he ran onto the bridge.

Sora turned around to wave a greeting to her blonde friend. "Naruto-kun!"

Sasuke did his usual routine of folding his arms across his chest and looking annoyed.

"It's been like forever since we've all been able to come here," Naruto said with a childish smirk. "Feels like old times, huh?"

Sora nodded. "And with you being late and Kakashi-sensei even later, it's definitely like old times."

"Hey! I wasn't too late this time!" Naruto insisted.

"And neither was I."

The three Genins looked up in surprise to see their white-haired sensei on top of the bridge entrance post.

"Yo," he said with his usual greeting and jumped down.

"Sensei!" Naruto said happily. "It's been a while."

"Yes, it has, Naruto," Kakashi said patting him on the head. "But I'm afraid this little reunion can't last very long."

"Huh? Did something come up?" Sora asked.

Kakashi nodded. "Because of Orochimaru's attack we lost a lot of men therefore greatly weakening our village. But in order to keep our position as a strong nation, we have to take on any mission that comes to us so this means that I'll have to be away pretty often."

"What? Then who's gonna train us?" Naruto asked.

"Well," Kakashi smiled, "the Chuunin exams were cancelled but it seems as though you guys have proven your-"

"Does that mean we're Chuunins?" Naruto interrupted excitedly.

"Uh, no," Kakashi said with a slightly raised eyebrow. "It means that I believe that our team can be split up to go on any mission our new Hokage gives us. Don't be surprised if you get put on a mission with other Genins, Chuunins, or maybe even Jounins for that matter."

"MISSIONS WITH JOUNINS?" Naruto nearly shouted. "This is going to be soooo cool!"

"But it could be very dangerous, Naruto," Sora said. "We might have to do other missions like the one to the Water Country without Kakashi-sensei."

"But we've proven ourselves, right? We can take on anything," Naruto said confidently.

Sasuke closed his eyes and bit his tongue to keep from hitting Naruto upside the head.

"Uh-huh," Kakashi said sarcastically. "Well, I need to go meet with the Hokage now so you guys can train until I return." With that he disappeared.

"We've proven ourselves!" Naruto repeated. "All right! Now I'm gonna have to train extra hard to be able to go on all the A ranked missions!"

So no one got promoted to the Chuunin level? Sasuke thought. He furrowed his brow in frustration. After going through all that they just decided to cancel and keep everyone Genins?

"Let's get going!" Naruto said and began racing off the bridge towards the field where they trained.

"Sasuke?" Sora asked seeing his expression.

Sasuke's eyes opened but he didn't look at her.

"I-is everything all right?"

Sasuke turned his head. "It's fine," he said curtly.

Sora was about to say something but she knew he needed some time alone. Instead she only said, "You know where to find us." With that, she leaped out of sight leaving Sasuke on the bridge.

Sasuke didn't move for a while. How am I ever going to get stronger if they keep me down like this? Haven't I proven myself yet? Can't they see my power? He narrowed his eyes. Or am I just not good enough yet? He turned and started walking off the bridge with his hands in his pockets. Training here won't help me get to the level I need to be…to kill my brother…to protect the one I love… He continued walking slowly towards the training field lost in his thoughts.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted when he saw Sora approaching. "What took ya?"

Sora landed in front of Naruto. "Sorry," she said slightly panting. Apparently her body had not completely recovered yet.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Hey, are you ok?" he asked putting his hands on her arms.

"I-I'm fine," Sora stuttered and pulled back slightly. Naruto had a surprised expression on his face but she ignored it. "We should start, right?" She turned to start her warm-ups but Naruto stopped her.

"What's going on?" he asked keeping a firm grip on her wrist.

"Nothing," Sora said hastily.

"Nothing?" Naruto pulled Sora closer to him. "It doesn't seem like nothing."

"Really, it's-"

"Just tell me, Sora-chan," Naruto said making her face him. "I'm worried about you." Did Sasuke come to her last night?

Sora tried to think of a way to escape but couldn't think of anything. She remembered the time in the garden when she had cried in Naruto's arms after not telling him about her seal. I should tell him about what I did…but not about Sasuke. "I was just being stupid this morning," she said in a small voice.

"What happened?"

"I couldn't sleep last night," she said. "I heard a voice in my head and I was scared. Every movement, every noise kept me awake all night. I couldn't forget that voice."

"Voice?"

Sora nodded. "It said that-that I was hurting…you and everyone else. That I was the cause of everyone's pain."

"What?" Naruto pulled her into a sudden embrace. "No, that's not true. You're one of the only people in this world that make me happy. That make me feel I'm wanted." He leaned his head against hers.

Sora couldn't help but sob lightly in his embrace. "But I'm such a wench," she cried.

Naruto pulled back slightly to look at her. He was shocked that she would think of herself that way. "How can you say that?" he said his eyes widening. He cupped her face and forced her to look in his eyes. "I can't believe you just said that!"

"You don't understand," Sora said and pulled back. She broke free from Naruto's grasp and turned to face away from him to continue her unwanted sobbing.

Naruto could only stare at his teammate in disbelief. "Sora-"

"No, don't," Sora said shutting her eyes tightly. "I'm not who you think I am."

I can't believe this, Naruto thought. How can she see herself like that when everyone else around her sees something so perfect…so beautiful? He slowly approached her until he was right behind her shaking body. "Sora," he said and quickly wrapped his arms around her waist. He leaned his forehead against her head.

"No, I can't-" She tried to get free but Naruto held on firmly.

"You're not a wench, Sora!" Naruto said through gritted teeth. "You-you're strong, you're beautiful, you're perfect in every way and…and I love you!" He crossed an arm across her chest and grabbed her shoulder pulling her closer to him. He moved his head so that he could nuzzle her cheek.

Sora gasped partially from Naruto, partially from crying. "I…I…" she whispered. I can't keep deceiving you… She continued to struggle to get away.

Naruto tightened his hold on her. "Whoever this voice is inside of you, I won't lose you to him!" He began kissing her upper neck from behind. His emotions ran wild inside of him. Love, passion, anger all mixed into one moment. He kissed her like he might lose her at any second. He slightly unbuttoned her collar so that he could kiss her lower neck. He wanted to make sure that Sora felt that she was loved, by him.

"Naru-"

"NARUTO!" a voice shouted.

Naruto quickly looked up to see who had shouted his name but his face came in contact with a fist and he went flying backwards. He crashed into the ground and skidded to a halt a few feet away.

"No, Sasuke! Stop!" he heard Sora's distant voice shout.

Sasuke? He started to get up but then someone grabbed him from the collar of his shirt. He felt himself be lifted into the air.

"You bastard!" Sasuke snarled. He punched Naruto hard in the face sending him crashing back into a nearby tree trunk.

When Naruto's body hit, he coughed up some blood from the impact. The birds scattered from high above, and leaves and buds fell to the earth. His vision was slightly hazy but he could just make out his two teammates some feet away.

Sora grabbed on to Sasuke's arm. "Sasuke, don't!" she pleaded desperately trying to pull him back.

"I'll kill him!" Sasuke snarled his eyes turning red with the Sharingan.

"No!" Sora cried out and pulled him back far enough so that she could turn him around to keep him from seeing Naruto. "Stop it! You can't do this!"

Sasuke turned his piercing gaze upon Sora. His eyes narrowed in seething anger and his muscles twitched from his intense concentration.

"Sasuke?" Sora said becoming scared at his expression.

Without warning, Sasuke roughly pulled back the slightly opened collar of Sora's dress completely exposing her neck as well as the bruises.

Sora gasped in realization. Oh, no. Her hand flew to her neck but Sasuke stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

"How could that bastard touch you like this?" he barely whispered. He let go of Sora and turned back around to face Naruto who was now standing but blood was coming out of his mouth. "You'll regret ever laying hands on her!" he screamed in fury. He ran at Naruto faster than Sora could stop him.

"Bring it," Naruto said dangerously and wiped the blood away from his mouth. He ran towards Sasuke whipping out a kunai.

"NO!" Sora screamed and began running towards the two boys.

But Sasuke and Naruto had already begun. The sound of metal on metal rang through the air scaring off any birds left in the trees nearby. Clash after clash pierced the once peaceful training field as the two Genins fought with all they had.

The two were using their Chakra to move so quickly that Sora could hardly see them let alone catch up to them. How can I stop them? she thought desperately. This is all my fault! She quickly looked around to see where they had gone. Then she heard the awful ring of clashing metals deep in the forest. They're already so far away? She quickly sprinted towards the sound.

Sasuke made the seals for his Phoenix Fire technique and multiple fire balls came flying from his mouth towards Naruto.

Naruto dodged them one by one but just barely. His clothes were singed from the close calls. Dammit, he thought as he landed but then jumped up in a tree to get away from the last fire ball. The forest was burning from the attack. I gotta get out of this forest before he burns it all down! He changed the direction of his course and began blindly running hopefully out of the forest.

Sasuke was hot on his trail. I won't lose to him! he thought viciously. Sora is mine!

Sora saw the fire off in the distance and skidded to a halt. All around her she saw burning leaves and falling branches. Sasuke's out of control, she thought fearfully. This is so bad. She looked around but couldn't see any sign of the two boys but she knew that she had to somehow put out the fire first. "Dammit," she said as tears streaked down her face. She took off for the village to find some help.

As she neared the outskirts, she saw a familiar white haired Jounin just about to leave the village through the gates. "KAKASHI-SENSEI!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as she ran.

"Huh?" Kakashi said and stopped in his tracks. He looked around and saw his student racing towards him. "Sora?"

Sora stopped in front of him gasping for air. "There's a fire" gasp "in the forest!"

"What?" Kakashi said and looked towards the forest. He saw a small column of smoke rising. He looked back down at Sora and grabbed her hand. "Let's go."

He took off so quickly that Sora had the wind knocked out of her. He's so fast, she thought as they zipped through the air. Within seconds, they were already at the place of the fire.

Kakashi let go of her hand and made a seal. He began muttering something that Sora couldn't understand but then she felt the earth begin to rumble. She heard the sound of an enormous amount of rushing water coming from deeper in the forest. Then she saw it. A huge wave of water came out of nowhere and engulfed the burning trees. She thought that they would drown but then she saw Kakashi holding out his hands in front of him controlling the water so that it would go around them.

Sora couldn't help but gawk at the amazing Chakra ability that she was seeing in front of her. Controlling the elements of nature that well was no easy thing to do and demanded a lot of Chakra control as well as body control.

Soon the fire was put out and the water receded back to where it came from. The trunks and branches of the trees were scorched black from the fire and most of the leaves in that area were completely gone, but the forest was saved.

Kakashi turned to Sora. "What happened?"

Sora snapped back to attention. "I-uh-I mean, Sasuke and Naruto began fighting and, and-"

"Where are they?" Kakashi interrupted with a look of concern on his face.

"I'm not sure," Sora said meekly. "I think they might have run towards the village."

Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment thinking.

Sora held her breath afraid to break the silence.

"Let's go," he said suddenly and grabbed her hand.

Once again Sora felt an immense pressure of air on her as the two zipped through the air at an amazing speed. While running, Kakashi focused his senses and listened for any sign of fighting between his two other students. Soon he found them and pinpointed their location. He directed his course towards the noise and soon the two found themselves approaching the roof of the hospital.

When they stopped in front of the hospital, Sora was a bit shocked. What? Why would they come here? she thought.

"They're on the roof," Kakashi said quickly. "Stay here." He disappeared from sight.

"What?" Sora found herself alone in front of the hospital building. Then she heard the sound of electric pulses from the roof of the building. Oh no, that's the Chidori! She ignored Kakashi's order and ran into the hospital sprinting for the stairs but by the time she got to the top, it was all over.

Sasuke and Naruto were each in front of a water storage container with a hand embedded in the metal. Kakashi was standing a few feet away facing them.

Sora stared while panting from climbing all those stairs. Did they try to…? she thought. She saw Sasuke pull his hand out of the metal and a rush of water came spewing out of the newly made hole. Naruto pulled his hand out but there was only a small hole and the water trickled out slowly, but Sora recognized the swirl pattern on the metal surface. They each used their most powerful technique on each other, she thought. How could they…

No, it's you.

Sora sunk to her knees. Her breathing became more labored and it wasn't from running. Her wide, red eyes took in the scene, the realization of what she had done.

"Sasuke," Kakashi said breaking the silence. "I taught you the Chidori only for your protection. Not for using so carelessly on a teammate."

Sasuke turned his head slightly to glare at his sensei but then he caught sight of Sora on her knees staring straight in front of her with wide, fearful eyes. He felt his heart wrench in guilt and anger. He gritted his teeth and jumped the fence surrounding the roof of the hospital building not wanting to hear more of Kakashi's lecture and not wanting to see Sora in any more pain.

It's all Naruto's fault, he thought before he took off. He looked back up towards the water towers and saw that the entire back of Naruto's tower was completely blown off. WHAT? I can't believe this! How could he have gotten so much stronger? He ran away as quickly as he could. He needed to be alone. No, that can't be right! He can't be stronger than me! I…I deserve her more than he ever will! I must defeat him!

Back on the hospital roof, a silence enveloped the three or actually the four. Jiraiya was hidden behind one of the other water towers on the roof unseen by Naruto or Sora but Kakashi was not so blind. He bent his head and put his hands in his pockets and walked towards the tower he knew Jiraiya was behind. "You taught Naruto the Rasengan," he said in a quiet voice.

Jiraiya nodded. "But you taught Sasuke the Chidori," he responded just as quietly.

"Yes, but only as a protection."

"The same goes for Naruto." Jiraiya came out from behind the tower. "I'm afraid that teaching these techniques to these two might have cause more harm than aid."

Kakashi nodded. "I'll go talk to Sasuke." With that he leaped off after his student.

Jiraiya turned to face Naruto who had now stood up and come down from the water tower to the roof. Sora was still on her knees but her eyes were closed. Sarutobi-sensei was right, Jiraiya thought as he looked at the red-haired girl. She is dangerous. Even without her Chakra. He hated thinking like that because it didn't seem like Sora was trying to make the two boys fight over her, but she was the cause. He approached Naruto.

Naruto shuddered but kept silent.

"The Rasengan is not a technique to be used against a friend," Jiraiya said keeping his voice steady.

Naruto bit his bottom lip and said nothing.

"He is a friend," Jiraiya stated simply. "I know you see him as a rival, but he is your friend and friendship is not something to be overlooked so casually."

Naruto clenched his fists and turned to face Jiraiya. "Overlooked so casually?" he repeated through gritted teeth. "He attacked me first!"

"But you returned the attacks," Jiraiya countered.

"I had to defend myself somehow!" Naruto said struggling to keep his voice down. "What else was I supposed to do? Let him kill me?"

"But why did you attack with the Rasengan if you were only defending? You could have killed him. Is that what you want?"
Naruto was seething with anger but at Jiraiya's question, he couldn't answer. He glanced over at Sora but quickly returned his gaze back to Jiraiya.

"Hm," Jiraiya said and turned away from Naruto. "Examine yourself very closely, Naruto. Look at what you truly want." Then the frog tamer disappeared.

What I truly want… Naruto thought and closed his eyes. I want to be recognized…by everyone. Sasuke never took me seriously before but in that fight, he was fighting with everything he had and I was too. It was for her. It was all for her. He looked back over at Sora.

It would've been better if I had never come here, Sora thought bitterly and stood up using the door frame for a support. It would've been better if I had just killed myself before any of this happened. I just cause everyone more pain! She reached in her kunai pouch and took out a blade.

Naruto saw what she was doing and rushed to her side grabbing her hand before she could plunge the blade into her heart. "Sora!" he nearly shouted. "What the hell are you doing? Snap out of it!"

"No, you don't understand!" Sora sobbed and struggled to get free. But her sobbing weakened her and Naruto soon pinned her wrist back against the wall and grasped her other hand in his. "Please let me go," she whispered looking down tears dripping off her face.

"I-I can't believe…you can't do this!" Naruto said and kept his hold on her. He moved the hand that was pinning her wrist to the wall to her hand and forced her to drop the kunai. The blade fell to the ground beside them. The dull clink seemed to echo throughout the air.

A silence followed. Sora let her knees collapse and she sunk to the ground with her back against the wall. Naruto came down with her still holding onto her hands. Sora kept her eyes down and let her hair cover her tear-stained face.

Why, Father? Why Konoha? Is it to torture me and the people I've grown to care for?

His power is so close.

I just want to run away…run away and die alone where I can't hurt anyone anymore.

I can taste it…maddening my senses. I must have it!

Sora looked up, her eyes a silver color.

"Sora?" Naruto asked with a concerned expression on his face. Sora moved her hands faster than Naruto could sense and he was thrown backwards. He hit the ground a few feet away. "What?"

Sora picked up the fallen kunai again and turned to face Naruto. She took a step forward. Her face was void of any emotion and her eyes were still that awful blank silver color.

"Sora," Naruto said and stood up as well. "What're you doing?"

Sora pulled the knife back as if she was going to throw it at Naruto.

What is she doing? This can't be her! "Sora!" Naruto shouted.

"I can't wait any longer!" the shadow screamed as she threw the girl back.

Sora hit an invisible wall forcing blood out of her mouth. I can't believe she's this strong! she thought. "I can't let you!" She rushed towards her shadow replica. Even without my Chakra, I must fight!

"You pathetic piece of shit!" the shadow hissed. "I don't have time to waste on you!" A black flame appeared in her hand.

Sora came at the shadow with nothing but her fists. "AHH!" she shouted as she pulled back her arm.

The shadow thrust the flame forward but hit nothing. ARGH! She's wasting my time!

Sora had moved around behind the shadow and aimed a kick at her back. She thought she had her but then a barrier of energy seemed to pop up out of nowhere. What? Her leg came crashing into the barrier sending a bolt of energy through her body. "AHHH!" she screamed out in pain.

"Stay out of my way!" the shadow shouted and grabbed Sora around the neck.

Sora couldn't move. She was paralyzed from the shock and she was losing air fast.

Naruto saw Sora's arm twitch slightly but she didn't let go of the dagger. What's going on? he thought as he took the opportunity to get out his own dagger just in case. He saw Sora's eyes flash red for just a second but then it was back to the silver. "Sora? Come on, snap out of it!" he called to her trying to get through.

"Nar-u-to…" Sora gasped when she heard his voice.

"You were a good puppet I suppose, that is until you became so insistent upon existing!" her replica spat in her face.

Sora winced but was still unable to move or speak properly.

"Heh, I don't even know why you try so hard to find yourself! You're nothing more than my creation. I made you to hold my spirit for a time so I could regain my power. Who knew you could be such a nuisance!" The shadow threw her harshly to the side sending Sora crashing into another invisible wall.

If Sora could have, she would have screamed from the pain. She gasped for air but with every breath she could feel broken bones puncture her lungs. She felt as if her neck was going to explode if she tried to breathe too quickly. Her back felt as if it was broken and she still couldn't move her arms or legs. There's so much blood…

Naruto took a cautious step forward. Sora hadn't moved from her position but her eyes followed his every move. What's with her eyes? he thought. This can't be Sora. He took another step. "Sora," he called again. "Please…come back."

Sora heard Naruto's voice but she couldn't respond. Am I just…a puppet? she thought. What would it matter if I came back or not? She knew that she should have the responsibility of trying to stop this monster inside of her from getting out but she was almost at the point of not caring anymore.

"But I suppose I can't kill you yet, lucky bitch," the shadow said carelessly and walked towards Sora. "Good thing you tried to stop me otherwise I might've done something I would regret later." She stopped in front of her.

She can't kill me yet?

Sora's replica bent down and grabbed her by the arm pulling her up to a kneeling position. The shadow knew it would cause Sora inexplicable pain but not enough to knock her unconscious. "You know I need you and the fox boy to be alive now, right?" she said. "I guess I just got a little carried away, being so close to him when I'm so much more powerful." She licked her lips and a black fire seemed to come out of her mouth. "Be a good girl while I'm gone and don't even think about suicide. It won't work." She released her grip on Sora's arm letting her slump back to the ground. Then with a cruel laugh, she disappeared into the swirling darkness.

Naruto saw his teammate gasp for air suddenly and her eyes flashed back to normal. Sora was still standing but she was breathing heavily although she hadn't moved at all. She still grasped the dagger making Naruto a little uneasy but since her eyes were back to normal, he gathered his courage and walked towards her.

Sora wasn't looking at Naruto. She didn't even notice that he had begun to move. Her eyes locked on to some imaginary distant object that she couldn't look away from. Her chest rose and fell heavily with every breath. She was sweating, panting but from what? Her body hadn't undergone any physical movement. I'm so afraid, she said to herself. My body isn't even listening to me anymore. I…I can't control it.

Once Naruto was close enough, he grabbed onto her wrists and pulled her arms behind her so that he was sure that she couldn't attack him with the weapon in her hand. "Sora-"

Only then did Sora notice that Naruto was there. Her focus snapped back to her surroundings and she saw that Naruto had her hands behind her back. She dropped the blade. "I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," she whispered and lowered her head.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of her voice. He loosened his grip on her. "Sora, what happened to you? You look like…like you were possessed or something."

Sora shook her head. No, it was real… "It was nothing," she lied. "I'm just really…" She took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm just really tired that's all." She pulled away from Naruto easily and turned her back to him.

Naruto was shocked and he knew that she was lying. "Sora, tell me what's going on," he pleaded. "Please, I care about you."

"Really, it's nothing. I just need some time alone now," Sora said without turning around. She started for the door leading down the stairs to the hospital. "Don't worry about me."

As Sora left the rooftop, Naruto stood stunned in his place. He wanted to run after her and get the truth but for some reason he couldn't move. His mind raced through all that had just happened. Sasuke… He became angry at the thought of him and clenched his fists. He knew that he didn't really know what was going on but to him, it all seemed to be Sasuke's fault. If he hadn't attacked me then this would've never happened! he thought viciously.

But then Jiraiya's voice came floating back to him. Examine yourself very closely, Naruto. Look at what you truly want.

What I want? Naruto thought. What I want is…is… He knew he wanted Sora. He loved her, there was no denying that. But he also knew that he wanted something else. To be accepted by people for who he was. He wanted to protect the village, the place he grew up in. He wanted to become the Hokage.

The more he thought, the more his anger subsided in him against Sasuke. Sasuke's my rival…but he's my friend. He's a Konoha ninja just like me so I have to accept him if I want to be accepted by Konoha. Yeah, if I don't accept people then how can I expect people to accept me? He put his hands in his pockets and walked towards the door. I should apologize to Sasuke or something…

Sora walked stiffly down the many flights of stairs and finally made it to the ground floor. She went out into the streets and made her way silently towards her apartment building. She didn't see anyone. She didn't want to see anyone. Once in her apartment, she locked the door and closed the curtains on the windows. None of the lights were on. She stood in darkness.

It's time for me to leave, she thought. I can't fulfill my promise, Father. It's too much for me. I-I can't take this torture. She closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. What she really wanted was to stop hurting everyone around her. She needed solitude away from others so that they could live on happily without her. There was only one thing left in her mind that she could do. Return to her village.

In the darkness of her room, she began to gather the necessities for the trip there: food, water, clothing. She wasn't planning on coming back so she decided to take the rest of her belongings to the outskirts of the village at night and get rid of them somehow. Burning would cause too much unwanted attention and burying them would take too long without her Chakra. Her best option was to find a deep lake and sink them all to the bottom.

By the time she was almost done preparing for her journey, the sun had gone down and it was approaching midnight. She couldn't decide whether or not she should keep all of her pictures of her friends from past villages and her present one. But after some consideration, she decided against it. She crammed the pictures into her bundle trying not to look at any of them but of course the picture of her team fell to the ground. She tried to pick it up without looking at it but failed. The familiar faces smiled or scowled up at her causing her to feel a pang of guilt and regret. But I've decided already, she thought closing her eyes and fist. The photograph crumpled in her grasp. It's time to leave.

Finally, all of her belongings she wasn't going to take with her were in a bundle on the kitchen table and the things she was going to take with her all fit into a small pack she carried on her back. She wore her ninja suit of all black. Then she used some black cloth and wrapped her face so that just her eyes showed. Without looking at her eyes, no one could recognize her. In fact maybe no one could tell if she was a male or female, but she wanted it that way.

She quickly grabbed her possessions and silently unlocked her door. All was still in the hallway. She swept down the hallway as swiftly as a shadow and was soon out on the empty streets. The moon wasn't very big that night but it was high in the sky so she kept in the shadows and as low as possible to the ground. Sora saw a few people still walking around near a bar and avoided going too close. She passed without being noticed.

She didn't see another soul all the way to the outskirts of the village. The forest came into view and Sora quickly took cover amongst the trees. She ran half knowing where she was going and half unconscious of what she was doing. Finally a lake appeared and she stopped at the water's edge. She took some wire and tied a few rocks to her bundle to make sure that it would sink and then she threw it as hard as she could out on the lake. The bundle sailed through the air and landed with a distant splash near the center of the lake sending a ripple out to all directions. Sora sighed shortly and then took off without noticing the reflection of the full moon wavering on the lake's surface.

Soon the gate became visible and she slowed her pace to a walk without knowing why. Maybe it was her mind's hesitance at the thought of never coming back. Maybe it was her sentimental feelings of the village she had grown to love. Maybe…

Sora shook her head slightly and shifted the pack on her shoulders. It's been what a year? Two? She sighed heavily and looked towards the sky. Why did it have to be this way? Why did it have to end like this? Why can't I be strong- Her thoughts were interrupted when she had that feeling that someone was looking at her. She turned around quickly and saw- Sasuke? She saw Sasuke look at her with a questioning glance. Obviously he didn't recognize who she was yet so she decided not to look too long. If I run, he would get suspicious and might come after me, she thought quickly. But what's he doing out here so late?

Sasuke saw the shaded figure quickly turn his gaze from him. Strange, he thought to himself. I wonder if he's from Konoha or Orochimaru… Then he saw the figure walk towards the gates and out of the village. Sasuke shrugged inwardly and followed the strange person out of Konoha's gates. But once he got outside and onto the path that led into the woods, the person was gone. I suppose I should hurry and get away from this place in case that guy was from Konoha. I don't want anyone following me. He sprinted down the path leaving a small trail of dust behind him.

Sora had hidden herself in one of the trees near the village walls to see what Sasuke was doing. She saw him stop and contemplate something. Then a second later, she saw him fly down the path at an amazing speed. She felt the sudden urge to go after him to see where he was going. Worries automatically sprung up in her mind of what he might be doing. No, no, she told herself. No, I've…I've got to let him…them all go. It's none of my business anymore. She located the North Star and set her course towards her intended destination: her village.