A.N: Okay so...should we kill off Kyo-sensei in a tragic and heroic way? I say yes but Kitsunegirl2 says no, so now it's your turn to make a stand and tip the scale! Do it now or I'll have Sakura resurrect Yuki, then destroy Kohona, become Orochimaru's bitch, and sell Neji to Itachi. Oh and did I mention she'll kill Naruto and Sasuke too? And Lee (although no one really cares about him) will join the Akatsuki under the circumstances of selling sex tapes of him and Gai. So vote and review to stop all this from happening.

(Hey um so, I don't want to kill Kyo so yeah. Also, I suck at battle scenes, so if anything sounds weird it's my bad. –Kitsunegirl2)


Chapter 15: Lost in a Demon's Abyss

When Kakashi charged, I followed. Adrenaline was already being released into my system as I anticipated what was to come. As Kakashi traded blows with Zabuza, I sneaked around Zabuza's massive form intending to screw with some nerves, but someone rammed into me. I fell to the ground, feeling the air leaving my lungs as I skidded back. I moved back into a crouch, glancing up to see my attacker. He was dressed in a somewhat formal robe with black hair tied back in a bun. A white mask covered his face. Wait a minute...that mask looked familiar.

"Holy shit! You're that hunter nin!" He stood impassively, but now I remembered. It was the same nin that had taken Zabuza's body from us before; we hadn't even suspected that the supposed 'hinter nin' was on Zabuza's side. He moved then, just a blur that darted away. Damn, was he fast! Then senbon needles came flying at me from all sides. I moved, jumping up so that the needles flew harmlessly into the ground.

I heard Naruto come in behind me, landing neatly at my side. The other ninja appeared in front of us again soundlessly. "I'll deal with this," I said to Naruto, darting forward to swing a punch. He avoided it neatly, retaliating with a kick that I dodged as well. The punches and kicks continued, neither one of us managing to land a hit. Then I swung up my leg and it nicked him on the bottom of his jaw, and with a small tink the mask went flying. He had smooth features and pale blue-green eyes.

I heard a sort of strangled gasp from Naruto and he choked out, "H-haku?!" Wait, what? He knew this person?! I turned to look at him. "Naruto... just who is this guy?" I asked slowly, then – WHAM! His fist made an impact in my right cheek. I flew backwards into Naruto and we landed rather unceremoniously in a heap on the ground. I leaped to my feet, Naruto coming up besides me more slowly. He stared at Haku, his face stricken. "You...you were with him all along?" He asked, sounding sick. Haku was silent, face impassive. "In the forest...you..." He trailed off and then started again.

"Your 'special person' was Zabuza. How? How can that be? And more importantly, why am I still alive? You had your chance, so why didn't you just take me out there?" Haku still remained silent. "Why, damnit! I asked you why?!" The last sentence was a snarl, and I whirled around. Naruto's eyes were a crimson color and they blazed with a fury that was not human. The whisker marks on his cheeks spread and darkened as I looked on, and red chakra swirled around him. "Naruto!" I screamed, panic washing over me. My voice did nothing.

A feral and inhuman snarl tore itself from deep in his chest and suddenly he was gone, nothing but a red blur. The next moment Haku was slammed into from the side and he went flying, crashing into the side rail of the bridge. "What the-" I heard the exclamation from behind and I turned. There on the bridge stood Neji, Lee and Tenten. Shock and a little bit of horror was written on their faces. "What the fuck is that?" Neji asked, jerking his head towards Naruto.

"It's Naruto!" I blurted, and his eyes widened slightly. "He's...not well. You have to help me get him to calm down!" I pleaded, and as one they all nodded. Meanwhile Haku was getting a beat down. He could hardly move before Naruto hit him again and again, but as we watched he finally pulled himself into a crouch.

This time, when Naruto went to him, he dodged roughly to the side. Naruto landed on the ground in an animalistic stance. Fiery red chakra covered his entire body and streamed off into the shape of a tail behind him. It even extended past his head, creating long fox-like ears. I shivered at the killer intent that was rolling off of his body in waves. His eyes were blood red with angry black slits, and he snarled.

"Go!" I shouted and Neji leaped forward, his hands lighting up ever so slightly with blue-green chakra. At the same time Haku moved, senbon needles flying from his hand. Naruto leaped straight towards Neji. "He won't hurt you – just go!" I called, but oh, was I wrong. He slashed at Neji, catching us both by surprise, and Neji twisted and landed awkwardly while Naruto snarled and faced us. No. There was no way he could attack us, attack me.

There was no way....was there?

Neji darted in, his hands hitting at chakra points along Naruto's side, and he managed a few hits before having to move again. However, it seemed to have little effect as his red charka didn't even waver. He only snarled, seeming more enraged. Neji moved in again, hitting again and again, pummeling Naruto. Every time he landed a hit, I winced. I mean, Naruto's my best friend – it goes against my nature to just stand by and watch him get beat up on. Then he moved and landed in front of me, and I took a step back. His demonic eyes stared up at me with no human recognition.

"Naruto!" I shouted, sounding a lot braver than I felt. "You are Naruto. You are not that fox! You hear me? You are not that fox! You're better than that!" He paused, going absolutely still for a moment, and I saw the faintest glimmer or recognition in his eyes. "Remember who you are. You are Naruto Uzumaki, not the fox! Remember who you are!" I could see now that he was struggling to fight down the thing that was trying to take over. "Fight it," I whispered, watching torment in his eyes. "Remember who you are."

***Naruto's P.O.V.***

I stood in a dark, watery room that reminded me strongly of a sewer. I stood in a few inches of water. In front of me were several large bars, and behind it, I could see a pair of red eyes. "So, kit, you've come to me for power?" I started when the loud, deep voice boomed around the small room. The voice chuckled darkly. "I knew you would. You always do. When you get angry or upset, you open yourself to me, giving yourself over to my power. You are nothing without me, kit." In my mind, I could see that the fox was right. Images of myself when I got carried away flickered through my mind.

"No," I said, trying to sound strong and steely but coming out more weak. "I don't need you..." I trailed off when the fox laughed loudly, a cold and cruel laugh that echoed through the whole room. "Why do you feed yourself lies? Admit it. You need me, kit." I could see that he was right. My resolve was weakening, and I could feel more of his power flowing through me. I felt almost...sleepy.

"That's right, kit. Let me have control, use my power, and we will be unstoppable. We could kill anyone you want. You could even rule Konoha..." Suddenly Sakura's voice echoed in my head. "You are not the fox. You're better than that! Remember who you are!" I stirred from my half-aware stupor. What...? "You are not the fox! You are Naruto Uzumaki! Remember who you are." And suddenly I was there, I was awake; I could see what the fox was doing, preying on my fears and taking advantage.

"No. You're wrong. I am strong without you. My friends are my strength." I could feel the Kyuubi's chakra beginning to recede, and I could feel his pure hatred ripping through me. "Just wait, kit...you say now that you don't need me, but just watch. You'll come crawling back. I'm betting on it. Until then..." His voice receded until it was nothing, and the red eyes vanished.

I was back in control.

***Sakura's P.O.V.***

I watched as Naruto's eyes flickered between red and blue. And then, to everyone's amazement, the fiery chakra slowly began to recede. The tail vanished, as did his ears, and it went down until all that was left was a small layer of red. His eyes drooped and then shut as he slid forward and to the ground. I leaped forward and caught him, gently shaking him.

"Naruto, wake up, wake up. You did it. Now come on, wake up." His eyelids fluttered and then opened. "Sakura?" He asked, mangling the word. "Yes. You beat the fox." He smiled, and then pushed himself up and into a sitting position. He looked down at his still-red hands. "But..." He made a sort of helpless gesture towards his body. I shrugged, and then looked up sharply when I heard a yell from Tenten. I had almost forgotten that Haku and Zabuza were still here. She was matched up against him, meeting his senbon needles with every weapon that I'd even seen. Then Neji darted in, his hand connecting with a point in Haku's side, and he tumbled awkwardly to the ground.

Haku looked up at Naruto and spoke for the first time. "You ask why? Because he is my life," He said simply, and we all knew that he was talking about Zabuza. Suddenly Naruto moved, and his fist connected with the side of Haku's face. He stared down at him, face expressionless as a small trickle of blood made its way down from Haku's mouth. "Can't you see that he's using you?" Naruto asked quietly. "I am aware. I simply choose to work with him. He is my life," Haku repeated, and then he moved, his hands knocking Naruto's feet off the ground so that he landed hard on his back. I saw the breath leave his lungs, and then I moved, tackling Haku to the ground.

He landed on top of me, and I kicked him roughly away. Then the mists rolled in and I lost sight of him. I could hear Kakashi and Zabuza's battle going on, and a dark chuckle from Zaubza drifted through the mists. Then I realized something. Where was Sasuke? Oh, fuck. Do not tell me that he was with Kakashi, trying to fight Zabuza! The stupid, arrogant bastard was probably trying to fight him now. "Move!" I yelled, darting toward the sounds of Kakashi's fighting. I heard Naruto and the rest follow after me through the blinding mists.

I saw a large, dark shape fly towards another, which I identified as Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, move!" I called, but my words never reached him. I saw Zabuza swing his sword and it connected with Kakashi. Blood spurted from the large wound on his shoulder. He staggered slightly and then smiled. "Your mistake," He said. "Now you're covered in my blood. You're following my plan exactly." He slammed his blood-covered hand into the ground, and the sound of barking and snarling dogs echoed around us. Then several ninja hounds flew out of the mist and attacked Zabuza, sinking their teeth into him and holding him to the spot.

"You're finished, Zabuza," Kakashi said, and then his hand lit up with white-blue chakra that looked like lightning. "Chidori!" He shouted, and then he was running forward. He brought his hand back and then swung it forward, right towards Zabuza's heart...

...Blood spurted everywhere.

Kakashi stopped short, his eye widening. His hand was deep in Haku's chest. The boy stood, blood covering his body and face. His blue-green eyes stared at Kakashi, and a faint smile graced his lips. Then he slumped forward, the light leaving his eyes. We all stared, and behind me I heard Naruto stop dead. Kakashi gently pulled his hand from Haku's chest and softly set him down on the ground. He closed Haku's eyes.

Zabuza looked down at Haku's body. "You served me well." I heard Naruto let out an angry growl, and I slowly turned around. The fiery red chakra was back, but his eyes remained blue, although the pupils were slits. There was no tail or ears, but I was still wary. "Is that how you saw him? As a tool, something you could dispose of? You disgust me," He said, his voice sad but angry at the same time. "You don't even deserve to be called human," Naruto spat, and he started to speak again when Zabuza interrupted him.

"Do you think I'm that heartless? To want him to die? He didn't deserve to die, and I didn't deserve him, but he followed me anyway..." Then a loud, cold laugh echoed around us. The mists parted and cleared to reveal a pudgy brown haired man and a whole hoard of his men standing behind him. They all carried weapons. Zabuza looked at the man, "Gato..." He said almost inaudibly. "The Great Zabuza mourning the loss of a little boy? You're weaker than I thought; you are nothing but a disgrace. That boy is right, you don't deserve to be called human; you're not even worth that much." Gato laughed, and his men did the same.

"Honestly, The Great Demon of The Mist is nothing but a sniveling little brat!" I heard Naruto snarl from behind me, and then he blew past me, heading towards Gato and his men. "Naruto!" I screamed, starting after him, but Sasuke grabbed my arm and held me back. "You can't go after him! They'll kill you!" I tried to rip his hand off. "They'll kill him! Let me go!" But he only held tighter. Naruto darted between Gato's men, slashing at anyone he could reach. They whirled and slashed uselessly at him, because as soon as someone realized that he was there Naruto had already cut them down. Finally, three men ganged up on him and Naruto was caught between them.

One of them grabbed at him, but jerked his hand back with a yell when the fox's chakra burned him. Naruto grinned and kicked him in the face, and the thug went down. The second one threw a kunai that hit its mark in the inside of Naruto's elbow, but he ripped it out and I could see that it was already healing. That guy also was slashed down. The third thug turned and ran, and Naruto moved to continue fighting. "No! Naruto, come back!" I screamed, and he stopped mid-hit to turn and look at me.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto....The Greatest ninja in the fucking world!" He moved to keep fighting, but his words to me had given the other men a chance to aim a hit. Several kunai came flying out of the air and embedded themselves in his back and arm, and Naruto snarled and whirled back into the crowd. "Damnit Kakashi, do something!" I yelled at him, but then I almost smacked myself; yes, I'd like to see Kakashi go and fight. Then, to everyone's surprise, Zabuza spoke.

"Let me." I turned to face him, and he was looking down at Haku. "Let me atone for what I have done. So maybe I can be...like him..." I felt my throat tighten. Kakashi nodded, and the ninja hounds that were clamped onto his body released their holds. Zabuza looked down at Haku once more before an intense killing aura filled the air. White, angry chakra sprang up around his body and I shivered. So this was the true fierceness of The Great Demon of the Mist.

He grabbed his sword and raced into Gato's men, swinging it like a scythe and cutting down all in his path. Most of the men turned and fled, but Gato yelled, obviously trying to keep his men together but failing miserably. As Zabuza advanced, weapons were lodged fiercely into his body but he kept coming. He sliced his sword through the air one more time, and I closed my eyes as it sliced through Gato's body. There was a dull thump as the body it the ground. Then another as Zabuza fell too, a kunai stuck in his throat.

Suddenly I felt very small and weak, like my body aged a hundred years. My knees buckled and I fell. I don't remember hitting ground at all, but I felt someone yank me back up. I was standing again, although not on my own; my body was resting against someone else's. My first though was Naruto, but as I looked up I found pearly eyes staring into my own. Neji...Neji. My brain attempted to process this thought, but I was mentally and physically drained. "Where...N-Na-Naruto?" I forced out, "Here, right here.. Sakura." The familiar voice said; from here on Naruto and Lee took my weight and helped me to Tazuna's house.

***Back on the Road**

The next few days of recovery were a blur to me, everything was just happening. I almost felt as though I was an outsider watching from the sidelines. In fact the only thing that convinced me this was all real, and not some dream was the ache bruises that were large purple, and painful. Now however we once again stood on the not yet completed bridge, saying our goodbyes.

"Hey kid - blondie, check this out!" Tazuna said exuberantly. He pulled a white sheet off a large block to reveal a sign reading The Great Naruto Bridge. We all stopped and gaped at it. For a few moment there was complete silence, which I broke by saying, "Wow, so how does it feel to be a bridge Naruto?"

"I...I don't.. Why?" Naruto sputtered out. "Well kid you're a hero; you brought out the best of a criminal, and totally kicked ass." Tazuna said joyfully, and then stopped as Naruto shook his head. "No Tazuna.... Gato just... He didn't understand that real demons are the ones that attack from the inside; the ones who will do anything to show themselves." He was looking off into the distance and I understood he was speaking in more than a metaphor; he spoke from experience. I put a hand on his shoulder.

More silence ensued before, "Kid, I really don't know what happened to you that day, and frankly I really don't want to know. But what I do know is that whatever demon you have, you conquered it, and that is what really matters." Naruto met Tazuna's eyes. "No, old man. I haven't won yet, not by a long shot."

"Well then, I trust that you'll fight it tooth and nail? And that in the end you'll never give up, just like that pain in the ass you are?" Naruto laughed and put a hand on his stomach. "Oh believe me, I'll be the worse pain in the ass in all of the five great ninja lands!"

"Good lord and I thought I had seen the worst of you! I can't believe there's worse side of you!" We all laughed this time. Well, all except Sasuke, and Neji; they just don't know how to not be emotionally constipated.

Ugh I went into turbo drive for this one! Enjoy. Sorry it's kinda short.... kitsunegirl1

Yay, Kitsunegirl2 fixed some small grammar issues and broke down some rather lengty paragraphs. Three cheers for both of us! Read and review like always. Don't forget to vote in our poll!

-Kitsunegirls