A/N: FINALLY! I powernapped for three hours just so I could fuel myself on chocolate milk to finish this. This chapter...well I thought it was an alright chapter. When I started it, I thought, "Ah, shit I really should continue right? But I know I'm just gonna stump myself." And stump myself I did. But I finished! For the hell I've gone through to finish this, I'm really hoping to get some good reviews :D


Chapter 12: The End

True to their words, neither Gaara nor Shikamaru had backed out on me. I was touched, of course, but there wasn't much time to prolong the moment. According to our plan, Gaara came out to received Tenten. She was safer with him anyway. However, I was well aware that the snake-like dog was still hot on my tail, flying on some sort of board similar to Tenten's. That must've been where she stole it from. I tried to outrun him on my fan, but even with the upgrades Shika did to it, I was still considerably slower. Gaara's meeting point was only a couple more blocks away, if I don't lose him by then, Gaara will be involved with Orochimaru as well.

Tenten clung to me with her life, and I knew what I had to do. I couldn't let her down. The consequences were much too big, and the stakes at hand… If I were to lose this...well, I don't even want to think about it. She was too vulnerable to fight him with me. And besides, he knew all of her weak and strong points.

"Temari!" Came a voice over the headset that I had completely forgotten about. "Temari, can you read me?" Shikamaru said again, followed by jolts of static. I wanted to respond, but found myself too paranoid to. Orochimaru was starting to close in.

"If you can hear me, press the button on the grip. But hold on--" I ignored Shika, desperate to try to get out of this as fast as I can. He was closing in fast and Tenten was too horrified to move. She held onto my shirt tightly, wrenching my heart in the process as she did so. Without listening to the last part of his instructions, I quickly found the button and stepped on it. Suddenly, the fan beneath my feet gained an abnormal burst of speed, the velocity nearly throwing the two of us off. I clung to the edge of my fan, my body laying flat on it, shielding Tenten beneath me to protect her from the stinging wind. I dared not look back, afraid I would lose control. My only means of turning the damned thing was shifting my weight onto one side or the other. I barely managed to whizz past the large buildings.

"What the fuck, Shika! You nearly fucking killed both of us!" I yelled through the headset once I was sure Orochimaru was out of hearing range.

"I warned you."

"How the hell did you do that?"

"I installed a special something in the handle just before you left. Don't worry though, because it'll only work a couple times. Resources were a bit low."

"Still…we could've slammed into a building and died!"

"You're the one who ignored me." I scowled at his comment, but it quickly turned into a relieved smile as I spotted a made out a dark figure on the roof of our meeting point. I sped towards it as fast as I could, but abruptly stopped when I saw a second figure come up. I flew a little bit closer. The first figure stood at the edge of the building, its movements giving me the impression it was confused. That must've been Gaara.

In a state of panic as the second shadow crept towards my brother, I let out a loud cry before I could stop myself. I had given myself away to Orochimaru, I knew that much, but right now it doesn't matter. Gaara spun around and knocked him square in the jaw. Beneath the thin streak of moonlight, I caught a glimpse of the other figure's face. Kabuto. I knew I couldn't stay here. Tenten blanched in my arms, slowly releasing her grip on me. I held her tighter so she didn't fall off. I made a turn around one of the larger buildings, taking a moment to think of our next move.

"Not to worry, Kabuto's no match for Gaara. None of us will let any harm come to you. And if we make it though this alive--"

"D-don't say if… I know you will. You have to promise me you'll stay alive, even if we're about to lose. I'd rather be chained away then watch you die. You've got a great future, Temari… I'm… I'm just a homeless--"

"Homeless? Don't give me that, Tenten. Really now, what do you want me to do to prove myself to you," I said with a smile. "Alright, I'll promise you. But only if you promise me one thing in return."

"What's that?" She asked, looking up at me with her puppy-like eyes.

"I know this isn't the most romantic setting, up here in the sky with a mad scientist chasing us. And I really don't have anything prepared. But Tenten, if you don't mind me too much, stay with me. Stay with me forever. I promise I'll do anything for you, whether it's within my limitations or not. Anything as long as you're happy. I'll get us a new house, and shape it till it's a dream come true. Tenten, will you marry me?" I said with all the sincerity I had in me. I looked down at her almost pleadingly. She gasped.

She pulled me down, her lips meeting mine in a warm kiss that lit a fire to my very soul. "Do you really have to ask?"

"Then it's a deal?" I said with a playful smile.

"It's a deal."

We flew together wordlessly for a while. The comfortable feeling gave me a sense of completion I had never expected. But reality came down as fast as it had left. The sound of faraway gunshots rang clear in my ears, and our mission suddenly dawned on me once again.

"Shikamaru, where's Kankurou?" I asked through clenched teeth. My heart was beating erratically in my chest, and my eyes flew from side to side in uncontrollable paranoia. Tenten looked up at me, half fearfully and half worriedly. She tried to calm me down by easing the length of my arm in soft strokes. I couldn't help but smile down at her. And despite both of our fears, she managed to return one with twice the brilliance.

"He says he's on his way."

"T-Temari…" Tenten interrupted before I could open my mouth to respond to Shika.

"Yes, hun?" I replied, looking down at her briefly.

"Take me to the alley behind the Façade." I gaped at her. But before I could ask her why, Orochimaru appeared next to us. He ran a long tongue along the length of a katana equal to the length of two arm spans. Tenten shrieked. I grabbed her and collapsed to the ground just in time to avoid an unexpected swipe. Wasting no time, I quickly pressed the button to accelerate. I grabbed on tightly, but it wasn't long before I realised we weren't going anywhere.

"Hand her over now, and maybe I'll spare the two of you," He said with a sadistic grin on his face. There he stood with his board atop of mine, hooking it in place beneath it. I quickly pulled out my smaller fan and tried to strike him, but he dodged with ease and landed a blow at my shoulder. I swore loudly and stepped on the button, knowing full well it would be futile at the moment. I pulled Tenten behind me and faced the bastard with my foot on the accelerator. He thrusted the thin blade of his katana forward, and I could've sworn I was looking into the hungry mouth of a python. I bent over backwards, pulling Tenten down with me, and stared wide eyed at the sharp metal only centimetres above my face. In the seconds he took to retract his blade, I pushed myself up with my good arm and kicked him in the shoulder. He grabbed my ankle in reflex, but stumbled backwards with the force of the impact and, because his arm was still held out, I pushed my entire body off the ground with my other arm, ignoring the burning pain surging through my arm as I did so. I kneed him in the face as I came up, with enough power for him to flinch and let go of my ankle. He took a step back, but the nasty smile on his face didn't waver. I was still in midair after the impact. I did a flip and landed on my fan, flipping his board up in the process. The moment I did, the large iron fan sped off, causing me to lose my balance. I slid off and clung to the edge of the hilt with my wounded arm. I grimaced, gritting my teeth as I tried to pull myself up. Tenten loomed over with a panicked look on her face and quickly pulled me up. I regained control of my fan just as we were about to crash.

The Façade wasn't too far off. We arrived in less than ten minutes on its rooftop. I folded up my fan once we landed and followed Tenten as she jumped down to the alley. "Why are we here?" I inquired, feeling just a little bit safer in the shadows.

"The Phantom lives here," she replied simply. "All her stuff is here." I looked at her in puzzlement. She turned around and enveloped me in a tight embrace before checking the damage on my shoulder. She looked at me with wavering hazel eyes that melted me on the spot. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You shouldn't be. I'm not. You know I love you."

She smiled. "Yeah. That's why I'm not going to let you fight alone." With that, she disappeared into the shadows, out of my viewing range. I looked around. This little area was all I was familiar with. I didn't know how long this alley ran. Whenever I came out here it was to throw away garbage or sometimes have a smoke. To think, she's been living here for god knows how long. I'm guessing three years? I've had this place since I dropped out of high school in my grade eleven year, that's about five years. The brunette returned soon after with a roll of white bandage in hand. She was fully adorned in the outfit I had first seen her in. The mask, the hat, the boots, everything. My heart jumped, unprepared to see my former enemy.

"Don't worry, these are clean. I took them from the hospital, I suppose stealing has always been a bad habit of mine," she said in her normal voice, adding a bit of a humoresque effect to her appearance. "Let me help you, I've been doing this for a long time so I know how to do it quickly and effectively." She pulled off my shirt and bandaged my arm without a hint of playfulness. When she was done, she took a step back to admire her handiwork. I closed in the space she had created and captured her lips in a passionate kiss just as she was off-guard. She gave a small mewl of surprise, but returned it heatedly.

"You see?" she whispered looking at my arm worriedly. "Look what I've dragged you into… Please, Temari, let me fight alongside you."

"T-Tenten… No. You can't. I don't want to lose you. You're the reason I'm fighting, and I'm not going to make such a risky move."

"But, Temari! I don't want to lose you either! Please… if something happens to you, what will I do? You can't defeat him yourself, even you should know that! And what about our promise?"

I shook my head and wrapped my arms around her, feeling just a bit strange to have her matching my height. "Don't make this more difficult than it already is. Kankurou is on his way. For you, I will do this alone. It's because he knows all your weak points that makes it so risky."

Her lips pressed into a thin line, tears threatening to fall any moment. Suddenly, the sound of a revved up engine shot through the still night air. The two of us held our breaths, holding each other tightly as we waited for it to pass. But the sound drew closer and closer still. A motorcycle. As quickly as it came, the sound stopped. The atmosphere was abnormally quiet. But over in the distance, muffled shouting could be heard.

The clouds had descended tonight and most civilians thought it safer to stay inside instead of driving in the thick blurs. I thought it would be a bit of an advantage for us, but also a disadvantage as well. Through the fog's denseness, I could only barely make out a couple of flickering silhouettes. The only thing I figured I could do was grit my teeth and wait. I couldn't tell for sure, but I knew for a fact that Kankurou loved his bikes. And if I'm not mistaken…

"TEMARI!!" The sound of my brother's voice burst through the thick clouds and emanated throughout the area, ricocheting off the walls, through my head, sending echoes and shivers through my body. The figures in the fog danced around in no particular rhythm, colliding with one another once in a while. Then a gunshot sounded, followed by two consecutive shots after a short interval. My eyes widened. He must've been the reason why I had heard the first gunshot, although it was much further.

"Temari!" He repeated, "RUN!!"

If the gang after Kankurou knew where Tenten and I were, they gave no indication of it. But we didn't have time to question it either. I was about to grab Tenten when I caught a glimpse of her disappear on the roof. I cursed and ran after her. Goddamn, I hope she wasn't heading towards Kankurou… It's not that I don't like her wild streak, but this is getting a bit much.

I rushed after her as quickly as I could, but I knew I was too late when she immersed herself into the thick blanket of fog. I ducked in after her, but my vision was beyond limited. I cursed when I suddenly heard the sound of another gunshot. As I drew closer towards it, I made out several silhouetted figures flickering in the dense greyness. The clashing sound of metal against metal gradually became louder.

Suddenly, I stopped. My ears perked up as a light patter of footsteps began encircling me in a broken tempo. I heard the clicking of guns and I knew I had been found. Closing my eyes, I mentally pictured the men around me with their guns drawn. Because they were just a couple of thugs, really, I had to make a very rough estimation of where they stood. My next move had to be planned out carefully, because, with my fans, blocking this many bullets proved difficult even at my skill level. Slowly opening my eyes, I scanned the area through carefully. Sure enough, I caught small glimpse of a Tenten-shaped panda.

Of course, if this was planned out, it'd be much easier. But right now I wasn't even sure if she saw me or not. So the best thing to do in this situation was to follow my gut instinct, unfortunately. I took a deep breath and jumped.

I grabbed my two smaller weapons as I prepared myself for the shower of bullets. Taking advantage of the slow reloading time of their pistols, I drew my much larger flying fan and hopped on it. Between each interval, I had even managed to initiate a couple attacks of my own. Just as I had thought, with each swipe of my smaller fans, I cleared a bit of the fog, albeit a very, very small bit and only for a while before it regenerated itself. But with their guns, I was too busy defending to accomplish anything.

After much struggle I finally managed to accelerate and fly far enough to avoid the gunshots.

Then without warning, a figure leapt up and took a seat on my fan. I froze as I felt the cool metal against the side of my head. A click. I smirked as I pictured the stranger's smug grin. Before he could even lay a finger on the trigger, I swept around and, grabbing him by the head, leapt off the craft. Landing on an adjacent building, I slammed the man's head through the roof, ensuring an instant death. I cringed a bit. Even though I've seen it and caused it more than enough times in my life, it just wasn't something I could get used to sometimes.

Observing on the rooftop, I peered through the density of the fog, but couldn't see a thing. I jumped down and perched on a thin ledge three storey down. It was just enough for me to make out the familiar wavering silhouettes of the rookie thugs. I could see Kankurou with his old blades jumping around, since it was the only shadow I recognised. I spread my arms and made my way across the length of the building as I travelled flat against the wall. My eyes widened as I continued watching the battle below. And from the way he was moving, I could tell Kankurou was getting sick of the idle damage he managed to inflict with ever bullet dodged. The gunshots were going off like crazy, and my brother, he was going berserk. And don't get me wrong, because I've seen this happen more than enough times to understand the intensity of his power. But right now there isn't a worse time to unleash it. I have no doubt that at least eighty per cent of the thugs on the field will never see daylight again, but, Goddammit, Tenten is down there too!

Basically, what happens when Kankurou goes into this trance, he attacks anyone he senses around him. It doesn't matter who it is, because at that point, he wouldn't know. I've suffered a couple of attacks from this before and it hurt! It's actually a very risky way to fight because the pain he undertakes while he's slashing away like a madman doesn't register until he snaps out of it. So, skipping all the gruesome details of the scene afterwards, he passes out. Honestly, I have no idea how he's trained himself to do it without killing himself afterwards. I guess it has the same general factors as sleepwalking. But, hey, if people can have sex in their sleep, I don't see why people can't go crazy and brawl against a hundred or so people at once.

Seeing his shadow slashing and stabbing so many people so mindlessly, it made me just a bit nervous as I stood on the ledge. I was more than ready to jump in and, once again, play knight in shining armour and rescued the, soon-to-be, distressed maiden from the dragon that is my brother. But just as I was about to push myself off the red-bricked wall behind me, I saw a figure leaping out of the fray, clinging onto the edge of the roof in gasping breaths. My head snapped around at the sound of the familiar panting. That sounds just a bit creepy, yes, but it's been etched into my brain since the first time we did it. And pleasure and pain sounds a bit similar to me… Fuck, okay no more nonsensical thoughts. I twisted around and moved along the wall, going as quickly as my feet could carry me safely. Jumping off the ledge, I landed on the flat rooftop with all the grace of a cat. Quickly running to her side, I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her up.

I thanked every deity I could think of at the moment for my correct hunch. Tenten straddled my hip with her hands on my stomach, breathing heavily in her Phantom costume. She suffered some minor cuts, but nothing much else. She looked up at me through her mask, her chocolate eyes softening. I pushed myself up to a sitting position and took both her hands in mine. It felt strange being so close Tenten's alter ego, the one I grew to respect and despise, completely different from the petite brunette I adored. Lifting up the silken black mask, I couldn't suppress the smile forming at my lips despite our situation. She leaned in and kissed me fully on the lips, bringing me back to the first time she had done that as the Phantom.

"You scared the living hell out of me," I murmured into her lips. She pulled back and looked at me with an almost panicked look on her face.

"K-kankurou," she said nervously, "I got there just in time to save him from a point-blank. But I guess he could've saved himself, huh? He's scary when he's mad. He very narrowly missed me." She pointed to a thin line of red on her right cheek. I looked at it briefly and sighed in relief.

"You were really lucky, babe. If you had been any closer, I would've been forced to kill my own brother for permanently marring your face," I said with a slightly sheepish smile. "He must've been really pissed off for him to put himself into berserker mode."

Tenten shook her head. "He tried to dodge a bullet, but it grazed the bandana around his neck."

"Ah, the bandana. That would explain things. He's kind of possessive about anything anyone gives him. I don't know why. Well, let's get going before Erochimaru--I mean Orochimaru-- finds us. Don't worry about Kankurou. He'll pass out afterwards, but I'll get Shika to get him." I looked at the communicator, the blinking green light signaling it was working. "Ya hear that, you lazy bastard?" He didn't reply but I didn't doubt that he heard me. Even if he didn't I would trust Kankurou to bust his own ass out of there.

Tenten clung to me tightly and calmed herself while I observed the scene below us. But as I did, my ears perked up to the sound of footsteps behind us. I tightened my hold on Tenten. "My, how sweet," said a female voice above me. It took me a minute to recognise it but I did, no doubt. I gently withdrew from Tenten's grasp and got up to face her. Tayuya looked at me with a smug grin on her face, three other men, if you can call them that, behind her. And it certainly doesn't take a Shikamaru to figure this one out. The first guy had four extra arms and a tanned, but psychotic, face. Next to him was an abnormally large man with an orange cone of hair. The last one was a pretty-boy I suppose, if not for the second head behind him and his green lipstick. I figured they were all victims of Orochimaru's experiments. Tayuya herself was much less scary, of course. But something was definitely off about her as she stood with a flute in her hand.

"I suppose I should apologise on behalf of our men down there," she said, gesturing with a flick of her chin. "They can be quite difficult to handle sometimes, even for us. But Kankurou is doing a fine job of keeping them at bay. Heh, he was such a sweet guy. It makes me kind of guilty that I toyed with him for this long. Kind of. But don't worry; we're not here for him. As a matter of fact, we're here for you. Oh, and your precious girlfriend behind you, of course. So how about you two just give yourselves up so we can spare any unnecessary injuries?"

"Like hell I would," I replied, trying to stay cool but look threatening at the same time. I wonder if Kankurou knew. He never really talked about her and I've only seen her a few times. There's really no way I would've known she was a spy. Figures they planned everything out like this. We had revealed a small part of what we were going to do while she was over at Gaara's with Kankurou. I guess whatever it was we revealed, gave them access to much more vital things. Now what was it that we gave out… oh, our plan maybe?

"Kidoumaru." The six-armed man stepped forward and produced a web-like net, seemingly out of nowhere. I managed to slice a part of it, narrowly dodging it. I didn't notice it had frayed the edge of my fan. I gritted my teeth and tried to think of a way to escape. As the second man stepped forward, I grabbed Tenten's hand and ran. I knew outrunning them wouldn't be easy, but right now I'll take my chances. If I stayed and fought these clowns, I'd never be able to make it to Erochimaru. Even if I did, who knew how many body parts I'd have left to fight him?

I opened up my biggest fan and was ready to jump on and split. However, the biggest guy picked up the two-headed pretty boy and threw him across the rooftop. Tenten immediately threw a series of metal objects at him, but he forced himself towards the ground and used one hand to push himself back into the air, gracefully dodging the volley of weapons. Without warning, he held a gun to my head. I thought I'd be dead for sure as I stared down the barrel of the gun. I swung my fan with all strength as I watched his finger slide over the trigger. I hoped with all my strength I would be able to get past the aerodynamics of an iron fan and save myself. But someone grabbed me from behind and forced me down. I heard the mind-shattering blast of the gun above me. I widened my eyes and looked up just in time to see Tenten fly down like she did all those nights ago in the museum. The cape fluttered behind her. She landed with a kick in his face that sent him stumbling backwards. However, he recovered just enough to inflict a large gash at her side. Tenten staggered as she landed, clutching her wound.

A fiery burn erupted within me. I could feel the uncontrollable anger that's making my blood boil. With a roar, I ran with my weapon and charged at him. Caught off guard, he took the hit and slid across the building, blood soaking his clothes. He coughed as he tried to get up. But suddenly, a very strange melody enveloped me and distracted me from injuring him again. I couldn't move. I only watched as I watched the biggest man charge at me. Behind him was Tayuya, glimpsing at me sardonically as her fingers fluttered across her flute. I tried to tear my gaze away from her, but the music was so…alluring. I couldn't even close my eyes.

A loud cry pierced through the night air, abruptly putting me out of my trance. I spun around to see where it came from and immediately wished I had noticed it sooner. The big gorilla wasn't charging at me. No, he had been aiming for Tenten behind me. Now he had her pinned down under what must be five hundred pounds of body mass. He looked up at me with a one-sided grin as he sat stretching his legs on top of a gasping Tenten. Her hat fell to about two metres away, shifting slightly under the breeze. Tenten looked up at me pleadingly. She rolled her eyes towards her right side but said nothing. I followed her gaze and looked down at her arms.

I was about to make a run for the hidden object hidden somewhere near her outstretched arm when the "Kidoumaru" character appeared in front of me with a twisted smile. "Where you goin'? You're not thinkin' of savin' your little princess now would you? Whatever you're pullin' here ain't gonna escape my spidey senses." I raised an eyebrow at him. You've gotta be kidding me… He continued waving his arm in circular motions. I wasn't sure whether I should laugh or cry at the situation. "I'm a black hole, baby! A fuck'n black hole! I'mma kick your ass inside and out." This dork has obviously watched too many cartoons in his lifetime.

I didn't have time to stand here and watch him do whatever the hell he's doing! But thinking back to his previous attack, I suddenly realised that I really had no chance of escaping until I kick his ass. But since time is an issue here, there is only one thing that comes to mind. The idea was reckless and I had to work fast, Tenten fast.

As Kidoumaru continued with his threats, if you can even call them that, I looked around desperately for some kind of opening, meanwhile trying to mentally simulate my so-called plan. He took a step towards me, immediately putting all my senses on full alert. Deep within my inner subconscious, I was very vaguely aware that he was still rambling. Before I knew it, I was running. I knew I was acting completely out of instinct but perhaps it's for the best.

I dove past the Kidoumaru at full speed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him turn around with his arms outstretched. I reflexively threw my biggest iron fan in his direction. Just as I had planned and predicted, it got caught in his web-like net, granting me not only extra time but a priceless expression on his face. Unfortunately I was still running and didn't have the leisure to enjoy the moment. Tayuya's flute sounded again, but I paid no attention to it and kept running. I could feel my head begin to swim and panicked. Lucky for me, her melody ended abruptly with a loud crash from where she stood. I didn't turn around to look. With my heart pounding in my head, I reached Tenten and grabbed the dagger in her sleeve.

The big guy eyed me, but didn't move. He shifted his weight and sat cross-legged, causing Tenten to writhe in pain. He held up a pudgy palm. I ignored it and ran forward, about to swipe him with the dagger. He casually swept his arm and caught me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me as I flew a few feet back. I struggled to recover while airborne, and managed to through the sharp weapon before I landed on my feet, wobbling as I tried to retain balance. My precision wasn't as good as Tenten's of course, but this big guy was a big hard to miss. I watched him try to pull the weapon out of his leg, but it must've been of some special design, because he was really struggling. Of course, over all that flab, he had to bend and roll all over. He hovered over Tenten for half a second, but I immediately leapt forward and struck him across the side of his head a smaller fan. He didn't fly like he was supposed to, but he did fall over sideways and off of Tenten. I ran over and gave him a boot so he rolled around some more to drive the dagger deeper into his leg. I would've done it again if someone hadn't grabbed me from behind. My heart skipped a beat as I was taken above ground. But once I looked up, I smiled. Tenten looked down at me with her dust-streaked face, a triumphant grin on her lips. I would've kissed her senseless if I wasn't hanging twenty feet above the roof of a skyscraper.

I looked down from where I was hanging and was surprised to see Shikamaru waving at me from the roof, a tied up Kidoumaru at his feet. On top of him was a wriggling, handcuffed, and duct-taped Tayuya, her flute in the hand of Shikamaru. I watched him take the communicator to his face. Almost at once, the static crackled in my ear.

"Enjoying the view?" his voice said amusedly after the static settled down some.

"You never cease to amaze me, Nara Shikamaru."

"Heh, I got your fan here, but I'm afraid it's out of use for now."

"What? Why?"

"Y'know that web thing? It may look flimsy but it was actually a really tough type of mineral. Tougher than iron I should say. But not only that, it actually dissolves upon contact. Actually, I don't even know where he's spewing this stuff from. I really don't know what Orochimaru pulled to breed a freak like that, but you've gotta give him kudos for it. It's like the web's been welded on now. Just be thankful it wasn't you who's been welded to it. Unfortunately, I didn't get another one of these types. So if you don't wanna hang there, then I suggest you run. "

I cursed and took a deep breath to calm myself. "Well," Shika continued with a hint of slyness in his voice, "there is one thing…."

"Yeah?"

"You see these guys here? They've all got one of these little compact things. I doubt Spiderman and the Hulk here likes wearing make-up, can't say much for the other two though. But they've all got one."

"Oh!" Tenten said suddenly, flying back down. I looked at her quizzically as I landed. She smiled and picked up her board before running towards Shikamaru, hand clutched at her wound. I jogged up behind her and watched as she held up her board, folding it until it was no bigger than a CD and no thicker than a cell phone.

"Hey, yeah, that's it," Shikamaru said as he pulled one out of his jacket pocket. "How did you get it?"

"I stole one when I was escaping from Orochimaru. They had a lab where they tried to improve on these things. Only specific people got to use them though because they were a bit difficult to manoeuvre. I heard they tried to mass produce these things but the little bits and pieces it took to make them were too expensive and were hell to put together. He figured that since there's no safety guarantee on them, people might not want to take their chances anyway."

Shikamaru nodded as he listened, examining the compacts in his hand. "Well I'm gonna investigate deeper on these after I take these guys back to the station." I gave him a horrified look. "Don't worry, Tema! I'm still available anytime. I've got the keys to the police's chopper, so just say something and I'll be there. My communicator will be on." He handed me one of the disk-like things and carried Tayuya and Kidoumaru over to the injured guys.

I paid no more attention to him and examined the disk. I marvelled in amazement as I unfolded the mechanism, but stared wide-eyed to see there were no straps of any kind to hold my feet in place. "Well this is gonna be fun," I mumbled to Tenten. She laughed and reassured me it was easier than it looks. I placed the board on the ground and stood on it, looking at my feet stupidly as I waited for the take-off.

"You have to press the little button here," Tenten explained, indicating to a flat, circular design on the board. "That's the acceleration button so you've gotta keep your feet on it at all times. The speed you go at will depend on your stance and the pressure you place on the button. If you just stand on it, it'll keep taking you upwards. But if you let go, you'll plummet down," she said excitedly with a grin. "Otherwise it's just like snowboarding, without the snow of course."

"I've never…"

"Its okay, me neither. But you'll get the hang of it."

After much struggling and swearing, I found myself hovering twenty feet above Tenten's head. I exhaled and squared my shoulders, proud at my achievement. I played around a bit in the air doing little half flips and turns. Tenten floated up and took my hand with a smile. "C'mon, he's gonna find us soon." With that, we flew around the city towards the dark horizon, not sure where we were going.

It was nice for a while, but I just had to remember not to look down. Of course I was used to flying but this board gave me a whole new cautiousness that didn't really bug me too much. And because it was so dependent on how you moved your body, it was really very tiring. But Tenten looked like she was enjoying herself. Naturally I was too. We didn't say much and just enjoyed the night breeze and the freedom we felt as we soared over the city. But of course, once again, our pleasure was short-lived.

Beside me, I heard Tenten gasp when she turned around. I looked at her quizzically and followed her gaze. I saw nothing at first, but I panicked a second later. I indicated to a large flat expanse of green to Tenten. She nodded and we flew down at full velocity. Behind us, the black silhouette emerged from behind a pointed skyscraper. Landing was shaky and awkward, but I only stumbled a few steps before I regained my balance. Once I did, I pulled Tenten behind me and took out my two bladed fans. Tenten frowned but didn't resist. I could hear my heart pound in my head as Orochimaru's ugly pale face came into view, the shining moonlight doing no justice at all.

"Well, well, well. You're still alive," he said with a slight lisp. I glowered at him. "After what you've done to my adorable minions, you really shouldn't be the one giving the evil looks, Ms. Tempest. But it doesn't matter. I've had my fun with them anyway. Since there's an opening for the job now, wouldn't you like to join me? Think about it, you can do anything you want after I'm through with you."

"How about fuck you and no?"

His face twisted into a wicked grin that showed his sharp canines. "Are you sure? A girl of your calibre really shouldn't be running around with a mutt like her. She'd just slow you down anyway. Imagine all the great things you could be doing now. And instead you'd rather be here, just waiting for death to be served to you on a silver platter. And I really do hate working up a sweat. But this time I suppose I'll help you out since you want to die so badly."

"How kind of you, Erochimaru," I said sarcastically with a roll of my eyes. But much to my delight, he flinched visibly at the nickname. "But if you think it's gonna be that easy, you're very gravely mistaken." I kicked up the dust and charged towards him with my fan raised in preparation for a full-blown attack. But completely forgetting the fact that he was something of a superhuman, I found myself swiping only the air. My eyes widened as I felt his foul breath by my ear. I spun around to face him but was too slow once again. He caught me by the arm and spun me around. And before I could steady my footing, his arm flew forward. I howled in pain a sharp fingernail penetrated through my left pupil. I keeled over and clutched the bleeding wound. The excruciating pain prevented me from opening my eyes. I heard Orochimaru's disgusting laugh above me and a sudden gasp from behind me.

"Well, well, game over already? Tsk, tsk, I expected more from you."

I chuckled as I straightened up. "Game over? The game hasn't even begun. Don't think this handicap will decide victory." I opened my eyes, ignoring the pain, and looked up in the eye, knowing full well how grotesque I must look right now with the river of crimson running down my cheek. He dashed towards me at lightning speed. I thrusted a blade forward, fully expecting it to miss. He appeared behind me and again I turned around. But as I caught a glimpse of his arm reaching for mine, I spun a full three-sixty, the impact of the wind knocking him a few feet away. He landed with the grace of a feline and was unhurt, of course, but surprised.

I looked over at Tenten, who had climbed up to the lamp-post while I was distracting Orochimaru. She nodded with an uneasy smile. We had talked about this in the alley and were prepared to launch a very risky attack. The chances of this plan succeeding aren't too high either, but it's worth a shot. Tenten wasn't too happy with the idea, but I was willing to put my life on the line. And if she wasn't going to co-operate, there are even more drastic things I can do.

While he took a second to regain his composure, I started my spinning. I closed my eyes and spun as fast as I could, the pain of my eye entirely forgotten. Since my vision was blurry anyway, this would be the best time to launch an attack like this. I held up my arms spread-eagle and felt the sudden extra strength I needed to pilot myself with my fans. My ears were filled with only the sound of the rushing winds, and I felt as if my body spun at its own accord. Right now, I knew no fatigue or any type of vulnerability.

As the wind picked up, I suddenly felt a sharp slash on my arm. It's finally begun. I braced myself as a barrage of sharp objects sliced through my skin. I could feel my hair dancing around my face, as if trying to avoid the weapons themselves.

The volley was endless, the pain blinding. But hell, I was blind already so what did it matter? I could only bite my lip and keep spinning for the sake of my love. Twirling until I was trapped inside my own cyclone, I wondered if this plan was effective at all. But it had to be, albeit it was a matter of just how much. We were both familiar of his teleportation-like speed that exceeded even Tenten's. That was why I thought this up as I reminisced of our own rooftop battle all those nights ago. Tenten threw her weapons into my tornado, blindly aiming for my fan through the dust and dirt the wind picked up. As the objects floated around in my enclosed space, I carried them around until my fan collided with the metal, shooting it back out in whichever direction I could manage.

It seemed like hours before the gusts died down. I collapsed on my knees, my breath coming short and ragged. My body felt sticky with blood and sweat, the pain of the inflictions coming to me at once. I looked up at the blurry figure about three metres away from me. He stood tall and no doubt had an arrogant look on his face.

"H-heh, don't underestimate me. Though I'm much, much older than you, my speed and stamina is superior. With age comes experience. Just face it, you can't win," his rough voice said sounding slightly strangled. His figure lunged towards me with the moonlight glinting off what I assumed was his katana. I struggled to my feet and held up a fan in a futile attempt to block his attack. He didn't even bother with any little tricks and struck me in the stomach with the hilt of his sword at maximum power. I choked as the impact threw me across the grass. I tried to get up again, but only managed to stain the grass even more. I could feel my strength drain away until I could barely move my fingertips.

One more hit and I was as good as gone. But…I can't die yet. It's much too soon. Tenten… Knowing what they'll do to her once she's caught. I'll never, never be able to rest in peace. Just a little nap… and I'll be as good as new… Orochimaru… you bastard… you're gonna die… I promise… Just… give me… five minutes… and I'll be… good…


A/N: Sorry, guys end of the line here! I bet most of you thought this was gonna be the end of the fic, eh? Well I'm probably gonna take a break from series and maybe do a few one-shots here and there. Maybe. I'm almost caught up to One Piece. So if anyone cares, there just might be something to look forward to. SO ANYWAY! READ AND REVIEW! Please...