Chapter 10: Kiss from a Rose

Disclaimer: The author does not advocate messages of spitting in people's eggs or breaking out of prison. That's just what I did. Also the author does not own Naruto or any of the characters.

"Now Baa-sama let's not do anything hasty now," said a nervous Naruto who was mimicking his father's movements. "Ero-senin, you know all that stuff is true so why are you taking offence to what I've said."

"Yes and I've just come back from the dead after sacrificing my life to save the village," said Arashi hoping to gain some sympathy from the martyrdom.

"And I'm going to send you back to the AFTER LIFE," shouted Tsunade as she charged at Naruto and Arashi, who sped out the door and took flight into the night. They didn't notice that Tsunade was giving chase or that she was slowly gaining or that the other women were watching them in awe as they saw Naruto and another man who looked like him, only a bit older, and then there was Tsunade chasing them with the rage that exceeded a murderer's.

"What's going on," asked Marie. She repeated her words as she tried to get the attention of the three (Jiraiya was distracted by three women having a splash fight in an onsen.) "Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

"HEY," shouted Temari, who also wanted to know what was going on and was annoyed that she wasn't getting any answers from them. "HEY WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"

Tsunade sent Temari a death glare that made her cower in fear, as well as all the women who were there, even Anko. Naruto and Arashi decided to split up so Arashi ran down the alley way after looking behind him and seeing Naruto disappear in a flash, just like he did with some people, but now Tsunade was angry and it took a lot to lose her. After looking at the various places, Arashi was certain that he was near and onsen do to the mist that surrounded a building, but as he got closer he saw that the building was more of a cabin, just like the one Naruto was staying at and he noticed the flash of metal meeting another flash. He ran towards the position of the blade and soon he could make out two figures in the mist. He gasped as he saw Orochimaru, the man who brought him back, fighting another man with red hair that was slicked back and spiky in the back of his head. It was clear that Orochimaru was only playing a blocking game because the man was overly cautious in his movement, which meant that he had felt he'd been too dominant in the fight. Arashi looked at the man who was attacking Orochimaru and noticed that his hair was still wet and he wasn't wearing a shirt, which meant that he had just stepped out of the shower. Now Arashi was confused as to who was the person on the right and who was in the wrong.

"Alright, father, how about we finish this right now," said the red haired man with venom in his voice, especially on the word father. "In the next world, say hello to my mother for me."

"I have no intention of going where your mother went," said Orochimaru. "I know that I'm destined to be basking in the fires of hell. You're mother was to kind, a fault which made her mate with me and conceive you. She told me not to be mad at you when she died from lack of strength."

"What," asked Renji, who was now tormented with the fact that he caused his mother's death, so much that he went through a violent stage of denial as he rushed Orochimaru, who didn't summon up a special jutsu to protect himself. "I couldn't have, I wouldn't have."

Before the kunai could come within an inch of Orochimaru's chest, a fist pressed against his stomach that he knew belonged to the person who had been watching them as they had been fighting and Renji was sent back. The wall was painted in a brighter shade of salmon that made it look like strawberry yogurt had been thrown all over the wall. It had pictures on it that were of various ships and spots on the island. These pictures fell on Reji as soon as he collided with the wall and found it hard to keep his eyes from looking straight ahead. Something was slowly clicking in Renji, something all familiar, like when he drained the blood of a young woman and then he heard the sound of clicking heels that was coming from someone's feet. The feet of the man he hated more than his father, the man he should have killed a long time, the man who betrayed him so long ago.

"Well Renji, it looks like you're finally finding someone stronger than you and before I came to," said the man laughing at Renji's position on the floor. The blond man who had driven him into the wall stepped aside, not for his enemy to come kill him, but for Renji to meet his enemy.

"You shouldn't have come back Kousen," shouted Renji in rage as his eyes started turning pure red and his back was overcome with a sharp pain as something moved under the skin.

Renji cried out as the wings ripped through his flesh and spread out, finally getting the much needed stretch that they had so desperately lacked. His forehead was getting strained as horns poked through the flesh and his canines grew sharper and longer as the transformation worked its curse on him. Orochimaru looked in horror at the deed he had done to his son, his own son, and he wondered what had he become. Kousen was wandering just that as he started to take of his black coat to reveal his muscular form under the fish net shirt he was wearing, as well as the sword by his side. Not wanting to give Renji as chance to get any more terrifying, he thrust his sword at Renji's heart. Renji, using the arm that was not throbbing in pain, his left, to catch the blade, but he only redirected the blade into his stomach causing him to cough up blood. Kousen laughed as he twisted the blade into Renji's stomach and watching Renji's blood spill all over the ground. The marks of the beast were fading from him, but before they were completely gone, Renji thrust his hand into Kousen stomach and then pulled it out with blood on it.

"Was that all," asked Kousen as he turned to leave, but fell as he was about to complete the movement.

Looking down he saw that his right leg was gone from the knee down. Trying to use his right hand to steady himself, Kousen was able to get up, that was until his right arm exploded, spraying blood and gore all over Kousen. He could only watch as he slowly exploded body part by body part.

"You see, no matter how powerful you get I will destroy you every time," said Renji as he watched his enemies gory death.

"Are you okay," asked Orochimaru, who actually looked worried about Renji's well being.

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Renji warily as his eyes got heavier and the last thing he could see was her, Marie.

Marie had gone with Tsunade to follow Arashi since Naruto had used his kyuubi speed to disappear into nothingness. She had followed them all the way to her cabin, where she saw him, Renji, the man she was slowly falling for, being stabbed by a dangerous looking man. Then the man blew up due to something Renji did before his monster form disappeared. Death crept up onto his face as she rushed towards him with Tsunade bringing up the rear. His eyes closed and she started shouting out his name in hopes of getting him to open his eyes, the thing she'd give anything for right now. Tsunade ran her hand over him checking all the damages to his internal organs and her face tiold it all, Renji was slowly slipping away. Marie couldn't let that happen, her life had gotten better because of him, ever since he saved her from Mitsuhide, and now he was dying and she felt helpless that she couldn't do anything to stop him from death. His breath was slowing down more and Marie felt even more that she was in a nightmare that she'd soon wake up from and hug Renji while he slept, but she wasn't waking, this was the real world. Real kunai, real shuriken, real blood, and real death. Tsunade tried her hardest, but she could do no more, her look of sorrow was what announced Renji's passing.

"RENJI," screamed Marie out into the cold dark night.