Chapter XVII

Love Is So Twisted

Riddles

One minute Uchiha Sasuke had been laughing and feeling so good to finally have his older brother, the next he was clutching his head in pain as he heard a horrendous voice there chanting something. Influencing his every thought and all he wanted was to get rid of it, then blue eyes flashed behind his eyes and he felt like he was trapped in a different world. It was as if someone was playing with his mind, messing up his every thought. He felt hatred rush through him, forced on him.

Before he knew it he felt empty and cold, and even though his brother looked concerned about him and he was not conscious to what he was doing and he knew what was being said. Someone had take over his body completely and he knew they had that control on him once his hand came up and punched Itachi on the face and away from him. He'd never do that and it hurt him to know as he slowly faded away into the darkness of his mind where he was kept away. What happened next that dropped from his mouth. It killed him and pushed him completely away.

"Stay away from me you disgusting asshole!" Sasuke barked and Itachi flinched at his brother's words.

"Sasuke" Itachi looked him over and saw something wrong with the lines in his little brother's eyes. Eyes were always shaped in some form of flower around the pupil, Sasuke's was a star, but there was an extra line crossing it this time, a line that went around like a cerulean circle around Sasuke's fathomless black eyes. He knew this kind of magic, it was from the Yamanaka clan, a kind of magic that enveloped a persons mind and took it over completely. It was a complicated type of spell and there was no way to understanding it. It was almost like Sasuke was no longer in his body, but someone else.

It was something called a shadow, but why would they want to suddenly change people like that. It pissed Itachi off. He was not about to let someone mess with his little brother, he needed to break the spell. But if he was to do this, he was going to have to be cautious because if he wasn't, he would end up harming Sasuke's mind , either leaving him disabled, or retarded. He didn't want that "Come here Sasuke"

"I said stay away!" Using a powerful burst of mental magic Sasuke managed to push Itachi away, but Itachi quickly chanted something to lock his little brother in place. He could not mentally control his little brother, but mentally he could use objects to hold him down in place. Sasuke grounded his teeth together. He wanted to hurt Itachi really badly at this point.

But the concrete that suddenly surrounded him stopped him from doing so. "I HATE YOU!!" Itachi's eyes widen with evident pain. That was one thing he never wanted to hear his little brother say to him. Though deep inside he knew that there was something wrong and this was not really his brother talking. He'll just have to figure out what was going on. He needed to keep all this in mind as he watched his little brother try to escape "I HATE YOU!! YOU DAMN ASS!" Sasuke growled.

Itachi sighed. This was not his little Sasuke. He needed to remember that. Because even though Sasuke didn't mean it, it hurt.

A lot

"Sasuke" Itachi whispered as he tried hard to not crumble up in tears. He was not for crying , but when it came to the love of his life, the one who made him whole. The pain was too great to contain.

Neji gasped. "Tenten" said brunet turned sharp eyes towards Neji and then drew out a kunai. Neji was taken aback by the weapon that was suddenly pointed at him by the girl he loves. It didn't take word, it didn't take actions, and just the look in her eyes and that alone could kill him. They no longer shone with love, but pure hatred. Tenten smirked and she licked her lips in a menacing manner.

"I want your blood, your blood spilled all on the floor, I want you dead at my feat" She laughed in an uncharacteristically kind of way and it scared Neji even more. He was sure that this was not his Tenten, something had just happened but he was not sure what. He really could not tell, but the way Tenten's eyes looked now, there was something different. Was it a spell? Tenten on the inside could still feel what she was doing, since she had gone through this once before and a part of her was immune to it.

After all, her specialty was earth bound magic.

This was the work of Ino, magic from a different dimension, space, and time, but that didn't matter at the moment, all Tenten wanted to do was stop her other self from killing her love and at the same time search for her spirit. Oh, fuck it all, she was going to go search for Ino and snap her back to reality. All the while Neji will have to deal with her psychotic self, she knew that bad luck always followed those she loved. She just hoped that she did not end up killing Neji on this. She didn't want to lose him!

Neji back away and dodged the attack. "Tenten!" He set up his defenses as she mercilessly attacked the barrier wanting nothing but to devour him. What was going on? One minute ago, just one minute ago he had had Tenten in his arms and now she was coming towards him with the means to kill.

"I hate you" she hissed out and her eyes flashed a weird blue color and he knew this was not his Tenten. There was something very wrong here, and he needed to figure it out. But how? How would he know what to do? Besides that, Tenten's words had just hurt him deeply, what had he ever done to make her hate him like that? Was it her true emotion, or was something really playing with her head?

"Tenten"

Inside her mind Tenten was searching in the sea of confusion.

That is until she found Ino's soul in chains and locks, ascended up in the free high sky where any wondering spirit could devour her, empty eyes and tears streaming down her face as her blond hair swayed back and forth from her.

"Ino" she sobbed out. "Who did this to you?" She hugged the frail body of the girl to her "You have to be strong, you have to stop this" But there was little hope on stopping this when your only body and sense of understanding was nothing but a spirit.

Sakura sat on the carriage her frail old body leaning onto her brother Lee as he sat there with a large grin across his face. Not that he didn't feel sorry for her, but this was the first time Sakura had not looked at him with disgust or neglected him, nor insulted him. Finally, the tables were turned. "It's cold" she mumbled and Lee looked down at her before wrapping a blanket around her body. Sakura pulled it harshly away from her and threw it to the ground as she glared at the green boy.

"I thought you said you were cold" Lee scowled. Now he wanted to punch her, yet he held himself back.

"No! Idiot." She took a deep breath "I said its cold, the blood in my veins….is it a side affect or something happen to Ino" she thought about it way back. When Ino and she had first met Ino had helped her in confidence. Back then she was even frailer and she was lacking blood, she needed some of her blood replenished and Ino had been the donor. She had thanked Ino for it all; at the same time as days went on even hurt her.

But she learned that she could now sense Ino.

So what was wrong?

She peeked out of the carriage, her heavy body moving slow with her and she glanced at everyone that was slacking off "JOSE!!" she yelled and then fell into a fit of nasty coughs as she felt her own voice scrape upon her dry throat. Said servant reached her with a disgusted face but quickly covered it up as he bowed to her and smiled patiently waiting for her orders.

"Yes, miss Haruno-sama"

"Tell me why my mother and father aren't here" The boy looked a bit confused as he glanced around and then spotted the mistress Haruno. She seemed to be in a deep sleep, but the patriarch Haruno was no where to be seen. He slightly noted that the Haruno mother looked slightly paled and drained but shrugged it off.

"Your mother is asleep, as for your father I could go look for him"

"No" she said "Why is everyone slacking off" she demanded.

"We aren't" the boy shook his head "we have orders from your father to not move a muscle, we were to move the cars here to block exit for anyone else" He spoke with a smile, unaware of what he was saying. Sakura's eyes widen. There was a spell she remembered; every time Ino used it the blood in her veins would run cold.

She had forgotten the feeling.

"Lee" she spoke.

"Yes"

"Take me to the castle now" Lee looked unsure. "Please, it's a matter of life and death, please. I need to know" She spoke softly and Lee nodded. He stood up and lifted Sakura up bridal style, usually Sakura would have complained if it was not for her aching body and the way she moved so slowly.

"Where to?" Lee asked.

"My father"

ItaSasu

Itachi stared at Sasuke for a while and slowly approached him. "Sasuke?" the boy refused to acknowledge him as he looked away with a cute pout on his face, yet an angry glare on his eyes. He had never seen his little brother so mad before. Itachi was about to reach out and touch his cheek when Sasuke made for a bite with a snap of his teeth making Itachi pull his hand away.

"Don't you dare touch me" Sasuke hissed. His eyes blazing red at their blood limit. Itachi for one knew that he could not keep his little brother contained for his restrain on him was to limited do to their special bond. Itachi could not control Sasuke mentally even if he wanted to. Sasuke then bursted out a large amount of energy that broke off all of Itachi's ties and Sasuke was once again free to do as he pleased.

Itachi needed to act quickly, but no longer could he catch his little brother so easily. The boy was running from him.

Itachi had no other choice but to follow.

For he would, always, always

Lee reached the main meeting hall where he found sir Hyuuga and Haruno taking a drink with each other in victory. They knew they had server the bonds that were making their lives miserable. Sir Haruno smiled "Why, my little girl, why are you here in your state, go to bed or something and rest up"

"What have you done father?" Sakura asked, a sob escaped her as she noticed Ino pinned to the wall like a white angel, her hair flowing around her, her eyes hollow, and her clothes a light purple that barely covered her. Her doggy ears and tail out meaning that she was in full form. "What have you done?" she sobbed.

"Me, nothing" that's when she noticed that Shikamaru was standing before her protectively, like only a warrior would before his princess. His hair loose over his shoulders, and spiky to the sides framing his face he had a dark vest and tight fighting pants. He wore boots and he was ready to battle with the sword he held in his hand.

"I think this is perfection" the Hyuuga spoke as he sipped his drink, "this is just what this world needed, a clean up, a fresh start, a way to rid of those who try to change normality"

"You are wrong!" Sakura hissed. "You don't even know what the hell you are talking about! You are the insane person here!"

"You don't want Itachi sweetheart? I'll have him begging you to give him another chance" Her father said, an evil and unlike him sneer on his lips. Sakura gritted her teeth, she had once, once maybe she would have laughed with her father and agreed, but now she didn't. Now she didn't want it. For once, someone had been bold enough to punish her and teach her a lesson, and yet her father insisted on spoiling her. Insisted on treating her like a child, making her selfish. She didn't want that anymore, she wanted to grow up.

"No" she sobbed; her eyes quickly scanned the room. She was going to have to play the game that Ino taught her. "Lee, please bring me a pen and paper, I need you to deliver a note to Itachi, please" her father and the Hyuuga looked confused, but soon the pale eyed man simply smirked and looked back to the blond girl that was making all this possible.

She really was an angel sent from above.

To help him!

"Sakura, please go lay down" her father pleaded with her but she simply shook her head and stood her ground. There was no way that her father was going to stop her from trying to help. So long as she was conscious and she could do something to help, she would.

There was laughter that came from the long haired brunet in the room "Your daughter is an annoyance and an imbecile" Before her father could yell at the Hyuuga lord Sakura scoffed, already she was feeling dizzy and pain was surging through her aching bones. For once in her life she was not going to hide behind her parents, she was going to defend herself. She owed everyone she had hurt with her selfishness that much.

Even though she really didn't know what was going on, she had an idea of what it would be. After all, she was an intelligent and perceptive person. She just knew what she had to do and she had to do it now!

"Hah! I only have one thing to say" she cleared her throat as much as she could as Lee had left her side to find what she needed. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, not really comfortable standing here on her own for to long. "I want to play a game, like Neji's competitions but this one will exercise the mind and stretch reality beyond its limits if played right" she said.

"What is she babbling about?" the Hyuuga lord hissed as he crossed his arms.

"I have no idea" Her father responded.

"Do you accept?" she smirked. There was only one way to stop what Ino was put up by, there was one thing that would break her hex and she had to get it out before hers and Ino's hearts completely froze over. She remembered what Ino had told her, their own little part on it. Because once your soul is away from your body for to long and the cold blood takes over, you could only wonder what the emptiness and loneliness does to it…..

Glittering points that downward thrust,
Sparkling spears that never rust.
What is it?

"Do you know?"

"No? What's does it mean Ino?"

The blond smile and placed a hand over her heart "Not only for us, but the ones we are controlling at the moment. They will freeze"

"An icicle." She whispered under her breath. That's what our heart, love, emotions, everything will become. That's what they would become. Forever

"Do you accept?" she repeated, her world already spinning.

"Sure, girly, we'll humor you. We'll play your game" Sakura smirked.

"Alright" she sighed "You have to solve this riddle, and if you can do it then you will be alright as well as gain power beyond belief" Lee came by her side once more. She grabbed the paper and pen and swiftly begun to write out what she needed. "Lee, make sure you hand them in at the same time" she handed the paper with the tree riddles to Lee, one was marked for Itachi and the other one was marked for the two men in the room. The third one was for him.

Lee looked them over uncertain as he gulped "Sakura?" he whispered and then his eyes widen as he watched her start to fall "SAKURA!" He yelled as he caught her in the last minute. The white haired old lady the pink haired girl had become had fainted. Lee was not sure what to do anymore and held her tightly.

Slowly he opened the note addressed to him and looked it over

Until I am measured,
I am not known.
Yet how you miss me,
when I have flown!
What am I?

Lee Understood, there was only so much and he had to hurry. Quickly setting a spell on the paper meant for both men in the room, he set a spell on it. "In a few minutes, you'll be able to get it" Lee smirked as he looked at them, carrying Sakura in his arms both men looked panicked at the green glowing letter that was out of reach at the moment "Let the games begin" and he was gone in search for a certain long haired Uchiha.

Oh man, this story is getting harder to write. I do hope you are all enjoying it AND THANK YOU FOR ALL WHO REVIEW!! I'm not sure myself where this story is going on it's own. I erased a couple of things, rewrote some, and tried to think of the rest. Didn't like it, changed it here and there....well. It's a hard story, but let's hope it ends well. I won't give up on it!

Please review!!