Hey wonderful people,

Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed, you guys make this a very gratifying experience :3

Sorry this is so late, I had a pretty hectic weekend and had literally NO time to write -_-'

But anyway, no excuses! Here's the next chappie for you amazing readers and reviewers :D

And for those of you that were wondering what had become of Shannon's mother…you'll find out soon enough ;D

**Chapter twelve**

It was the night after the attack by both Hidan and the shadow Creatures that Shannon and her companions were settled around a roaring fire. They had stumbled upon an abandoned scrap yard the deeper they ventured into the twisted mass of metal and concrete that had once been a city, and had managed to salvage a few large pieces of timber to use as firewood.

A sort of victorious silence had fallen over the group, after their simultaneous brushes with death. Sasuke sat silently beside the fire, prodding the crumbling wood with a metal pole to keep the flames alive, pondering exactly what type of ability Shannon had uncovered earlier.

Naruto was passed out on the ground, snoring loudly and contentedly after having finally been allowed to sleep. Hinata was right next to him, staring distractedly into the flickering light of the fire, her thoughts most probably centered on the slumbering blonde at her side.

Sakura was poring over a medical scroll, nothing unusual there. Sai was doodling distractedly on his scrolls, wondering idly if he could recreate something similar to Shannon's ability to use in his next battle.

Luke and Justin were sleeping in front of the fire, subconsciously keeping as close to the light as possible. Carli and Ashley sat on either side of Shannon, all three of them watching very amusedly as Lee and Shikamaru had yet another debate on Lee's 'Power of Youth' philosophy.

A thought struck Shannon as she sat and looked around her group of companions. This was the most relaxed they had been in what must have been months – Naruto was actually sleeping. And not just lightly dozing with one eye open like he had been. He was properly passed out on the ground.

And Sakura was reading. Not once on their travels had Shannon ever seen the pink-haired kunoichi let her guard down, especially not to read, of all things. Shannon chuckled to herself. It was certainly a change to their normal state of constant fear and apprehension.

"The Power of Youth has gotten us this far, has it not?" Lee said loudly, his tone exasperated, breaking Shannon out of her reverie.

"That theory is completely bogus," Shikamaru scoffed, folding his arms and rolling his eyes. "What's gotten us this far is instinct and sheer luck!"

"Well, I think your luck's just about run out, kid."

A new voice suddenly stopped their argument in its tracks. All the conscious members of the group raised their heads slowly, dread settling in their stomachs like lead weights. Shannon cursed mentally. She should have known they wouldn't have been out of the woods yet.

It didn't take Sasuke long to find the source of the voice. He was on his feet in seconds, a kunai drawn. The others followed his line of sight with apprehension, wondering what enemy they would have to face this time.

Shannon swallowed audibly when she laid eyes on yet another Akatsuki cloak about seven meters away, the third she'd had the misfortune of seeing. She then caught sight of a black mask covering the lower half of a shadowed face, and piercing green eyes literally shining in the darkness. The green eyes took in Sasuke's weapon and Kakuzu snorted.

"You'd best put that away, boy. I have no interest in fighting the likes of you," he said dismissively. His sentence was punctuated by a few muffled shouts from the sack he had slung over his shoulder.

He glanced at it briefly before continuing. "I have the sense to not take on an enemy when I am vastly outnumbered, unlike my partner here."

Kakuzu sneered the word partner like it was something distasteful.

Sasuke lowered the weapon slightly, still not letting his guard down or taking his eyes off the Akatsuki member. "What do you want?" he growled.

Kakuzu shrugged. Shannon noticed the stitches from one of his arms were extended into the darkness, connected to something the light couldn't reach. A ball of apprehension formed in her stomach.

"I'm here to merely propose a trade," the masked man answered. "Seeing as none of my fellow organization members seemed to have gotten very far using alternate methods."

"What kind of trade?" Sakura had discarded her scroll and was on her feet alongside Sasuke. Her tone was highly suspicious.

Kakuzu's piercing gaze flickered from Sasuke to Sakura, and then finally settled on Shannon. Her heart felt like it would beat straight out of her chest as those unnatural eyes bore into hers.

"The girl," Kakuzu tugged on his stitched, bring whatever they were attached to into the flickering fire light, "for the woman."

Shannon's heart felt like it had stopped beating entirely when she set eyes on the person entangled in Kakuzu's binding stitches.

"Mom…" she breathed, scrambling to her feet, eyes wide and breathing shallow. She found her voice a moment later and yelled, "What are you doing with my mother? Let her go!"

Shannon began taking a few steps towards the Akatsuki member and her wide-eyed mother. Kakuzu tightened his hold on the older woman and narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, girl. If you want her to keep breathing, that is."

Shannon stopped in her tracks, biting back a cry as the masked man tightened his stitches around her mother's petrified face.

"Here's the deal," Kakuzu went on in his business-like tone. "You bring the girl to the other side of town – the main train station - in a week. We let the woman go. Simple enough."

Shannon couldn't answer to defend herself or protest even if she wanted to. Her eyes were glued to her mother's…to the terrified face of the woman who had raised her and cared for her for seventeen years, who now needed her more than ever. And she was powerless.

After all this time of searching and hoping she was still alive and safe somewhere…now she was in shouting distance and Shannon couldn't move a muscle towards her. She was frozen to the spot in fear of what might happen to Josephine if she so much as twitched a muscle.

"We'll be waiting," the masked man finished ominously, melting back into the shadows, taking Josephine with him.

There was silence for a moment or two, before Shannon brain unfroze itself.

"Mom!" she screamed, dashing forwards to where Kakuzu had been standing moments before. "No! Mom!"

Before she could break out of the protective circle of light, Shannon was grabbed from behind and restrained by a strong pair of arms encircling her shoulders. She struggled wildly, tears streaming down her face. "No! Let me go! MOM!"

"Shannon! Calm down!" Shikamaru's worried voice sounded close to her ear.

"They have my mother!" she cried, thrashing about, trying to get out of his grip. "I can't just let them take her!"

But the Konoha nin wasn't having it. He tightened his grip, holding her tight against him. Eventually, Shannon's wild struggles died down to weak thrashes and jerks and eventually stopped altogether.

She choked out a defeated sob and collapsed, Shikamaru still holding her. He bit his lip, guilt stabbing him in the gut. He could imagine the torment Shannon must have been going through, not being able to help someone she held dear to her. He knew first-hand how terrible it felt, how utterly soul-destroying it was.

But the only thing he could do now was comfort the shivering girl in his arms and pray they found a way to get both Shannon and her mother to safety.

But by the looks of things, chances were slim of that happening.

Just a friendly reminder to review for chapter 13 :3