Author's note of Epicness

I wasn't impressed with the last chapter at all :/ This one will be at least ten times better (hopefully more). And don't count the Akatsuki out just yet! They have a far bigger role to play in this story than I'm currently giving them credit for, poor things. They deserve some recognition.

Read, enjoy and review :):):)

**Chapter 6**

The squad slowly turned around to face the newcomer.

The man was perched on a collapsed road sign, leering at them from a few meters away. Shannon took in his ragged appearance, and the multiple weapons strapped to his person. She inwardly groaned. Marauders – when there was one of them, there were bound to be more lurking just around the corner. The squad had seen Marauders in action several times on their travels, but had always managed to avoid them. They didn't want to get into any fights and waste valuable resources. And the problem with the Marauders was that they often used their vast numbers to overwhelm their targets and take any valuable possessions said targets may have possessed.

"My, my, a group of kids like you all alone out here?" the Marauder sneered, "That's just too easy."

Shannon could see every single squad member tense visibly. She swallowed nervously. She had never been one to engage in physical fights – her slight build had her at a disadvantage against larger opponents.

She watched as the Marauder's eyes swept over the group, sizing them up individually. When his gaze fell on her, Shannon shivered. The man's eyes widened a fraction and his smirk turned into a grin. Dread settled in the pit of her stomach. This was not going to be good. Shannon's eyes flickered around their surroundings, desperately searching for the rest of the Marauder's mob. Shikamaru, sensing her apprehension, glanced at her and back to the Marauder again. He undoubtedly saw the expression in the man's face.

"Where are the rest of them?" he asked in a hushed whisper, sliding into a fighting stance.

"I don't know, I can't see anyone," Shannon swallowed her fear and put on a brave face. She didn't want the others to think of her as weak. "But they have to be around her somewhere."

Grunting, Shikamaru turned his attention back to the Marauder, who was slowly climbing down from the wrecked road sign. His hungry gaze never left Shannon. Frowning, the ninja placed himself infront of the girl. He knew she couldn't fight her way out of this like the rest of them.

"I see you've got something very valuable back there," the detestable man announced, his grin widening and showing off his blackened teeth.

Shannon whipped around, eyes wide. The Marauder noticed this and laughed – a sickeningly dry, scratching sound, like the rasp of sandpaper.

"How about I cut you kids a deal?" he continued, smirking. "You hand me over the girl, and I let you go without a fight."

Shannon's stomach dropped when his dirty, grubby finger pointed directly at her. Why did everyone want a piece of her?

"What if we told you," Naruto answered, fists clenched, "to take a flying leap of a bridge?"

The Marauder chuckled darkly. "Have it your way, kid. Things would have been a lot simpler if you just gave up the brat."

"I don't think so," the blonde growled.

More chuckling from the thug. "Boys!" he barked. "Move in!"

More Marauders materialized from behind burnt-out cars and rubble, seemingly out of thin air. They were all grinning like madmen, armed to the teeth and not looking very friendly.

"What a drag," Shikamaru muttered under his breath, tensing in his fighting stance. He turned to Shannon and told her, "Stay close."

She nodded and looked wildly around the gang of men and boys who were rapidly surrounding them. All of them had their hungry eyes trained on her. Cold shivers worked their way down her spine, and her heart beat in her throat.

"Just get the girl," the leader snarled. "Kill the rest."

Lee took up a fighting stance behind Shannon, determination written all over his face. "Do not worry. We will protect you with our lives if we have to."

Before Shannon could even reply, the Marauders charged, yelling and brandishing their weapons high above their heads.

The other five members of the squad broke off, distracting the majority of the Marauders away from Shannon, Shikamaru and Lee. Shannon cried out and dropped to the ground when one of the men started firing his weapon, some sort of modified rifle, at the three of them. Lee – moving faster than even the bullets - was behind the shooter in seconds. With one swipe of his hand, he disarmed the man and flung him away like a cheap rag doll.

Five of the mean then turned on him, but with his advanced taijutsu skills, they were all out of commission in seconds. The remaining men, sensing that fighting Lee would be a loss for sure, turned on Shikamaru, who stood protectively infront Shannon.

But before they could even take three steps towards the pair, Shikamaru called out, "Kagemane no Jutsu!"

The Marauders, slightly bewildered at his odd statement, failed to notice his rapidly expanding shadow spread over the rubble-strewn ground. When one of the men reached for his gun, he found his hands were glued to his sides. When he cried out in alarm, the rest of the group tried to turn and see what was wrong with him. But, they too found that they couldn't move.

Shikamaru smirked and reached down for a shuriken in his hip holster. Shannon, sensing what was about to happen, scrambled to her feet and averted her eyes. She knew about Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation Jutsu, and knew that none of these Marauders were going to survive this raid. She had no sympathy for the thugs - she had seen them ambush and kill enough survivors for them to have lost the luxury compassion a long time ago. She just wasn't all that comfortable with seeing them die.

In unison, and in perfect sync with Shikamaru's movements, the Marauders all drew their knives and raised them to their throats. When the men realized that they had no control over their own limbs, they began to cry out, their eyes wide with fear. Before they got too loud and attracted the attention of the others, Shikamaru made them swiftly slit their own throats and released the jutsu.

The Marauders dropped to the floor in a bloody heap, to be left as carrion for the Creatures after dark.

"That was too easy," Shikamaru snorted, replacing the shuriken in its holster and straightening out of his fighting stance.

"That was a very interesting technique," Lee commented, walking towards them.

He paused in confusion when a small clay bird fluttered down from above and landed on the ground between them.

"Oh shi-" Shannon's curse was cut off when Lee, using his incredible speed, knocked both her and Shikamaru backwards seconds before the clay bird exploded.

The trio was back on their feet in seconds, looking around wildly for the source of the attack. There was only one person who was capable of an explosion like that. Something caught Shannon's attention from the corner of her eye. She glanced at Shikamaru's back, and yelped when she saw his jacket was on fire.

"Shika, you're on fire!" she cried, tugging at the burning leather.

Shikamaru craned his head over his shoulder to see what Shannon was going on about. When he caught sight of the flames, he yelped and desperately tore the jacket off, chucking it on the ground.

Lee's head snapped up to watch the skies when a large shadow passed over the three of them. A large, bird-shaped shadow.

"Oh shit," now it was Shikamaru's turn to swear.

"This isn't good," Shannon agreed, looking up at the massive clay bird swooping towards them.

"Get down!" Lee shouted, diving to the ground. His companions quickly followed suit, and the clay bird swooped harmlessly over them, its blonde rider laughing maniacally.

"Thought you could get away that easily?" Deidara called down as he maneuvered the bird around. His query was directed at Shannon. She could only stare in horror as the Akatsuki member molded another clay bomb in his hand and threw it down at her.

Shannon was frozen in place by fear, her heart racing but her mind completely blank. Lee and Shikamaru had started running, but when Shikamaru realized Shannon wasn't behind them, he cursed and doubled back for her. He reached her side and dragged her to her feet just as the bomb hit the ground and exploded. The force of the blast sent both of them flying, Shikamaru receiving the brunt of the impact. They hit the ground a few feet away, both winded, the ninja landing half over the stunned girl.

Deidara circled the bird around, molding another bomb for the finishing blow. Shikamaru groaned and gritted his teeth in pain, trying to push himself off Shannon, who was staring in horror at the approaching Akatsuki member.

"Oh no you don't!" both Shannon and Shikamaru jumped at the loud voice. It seemed to snap the girl out of whatever trance she had fallen into.

As Naruto launched an attack against Deidara with about fifty shadow clones, Shannon hurriedly sat up, helping her wounded comrade up. He hissed in pain when she touched his back. Her heart dropping, Shannon apologized and turned his upper body slightly so she could assess the damage.

She winced when she saw that the blast had managed to sear through his black T-shirt, burning his back badly. "Shika, I'm so sorry," she breathed, her hand hovering uncertainly over his wound.

"Wasn't your fault," he sighed, trying to push himself to his feet. He cried out and fell back down, landing on his side.

"Yes, it is!" Shannon blinked back tears and helped her team mate to his feet. He had to lean heavily on her to keep standing. "I shouldn't have frozen like that."

"It was natural under the circumstances," Shikamaru answered, shaking his head. "Anyone would have."

"You should have just kept running," she muttered, tears running down her ash-covered cheeks.

"And what? Leave you to be incinerated?" he offered her a lop-sided smile. "Not an option."

Because then you'd be disobeying direct orders, she thought bitterly. If it wasn't for those same stupid orders, you wouldn't be hurt like this.

Naruto whooped behind them, and Shannon turned her head to see Deidara beating a hasty retreat on the back of his giant clay bird. The jinchuuriki grinned widely and flashed her a thumbs up. "He won't be coming back any time soon! Believe it!"

Shannon sighed and turned her attention back to her wounded comrade. He was trying very hard not to show any outward signs of pain, but she knew he was must have been hurting a lot.

"Come on, we'd better go find Sakura and get your back sorted out," she said quietly.

The pair limped towards where the rest of the group was rounding up the surviving Marauders.

"Oh, and Shika?" Shannon started, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

"Yeah?" he quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Thanks."

Shannon vowed then and there to never let any of her companions get hurt because of her. She would get stronger, and defend herself. That was a promise.