You guys are too good to me X'D

Moonlttiger – haha, cliffy endings make sure people come back for more…they're sort of like drugs – unhealthy, but once you start, you can't stop lol XD as long as people like you keep giving splendid reviews, I'll update as often as is physically possible!

MidnightheartXxX – I don't really think Sasuke has the capacity for any soft-ish emotions, so that sort of is as gentle as he'd ever be with Shannon…also, he doesn't really know how to interact with the poor child, I think she intimidates him a little XD

There's a poll on my profile, so if you guys have any spare time, please visit and vote! :D

**Chapter fourteen**

After Shikamaru got both himself and Shannon back to the make-shift tent, the rain died down to a misty drizzle, almost as if it was in sync with their moods. Shannon just seemed…tired and defeated. Shikamaru just held her, offering silent comfort and letting her know that he was still there.

The others didn't ask what had happened outside of the tent, although Shikamaru could see the curiosity burning in their eyes. Ashley seemed to understand what Shannon was going through just by looking at her, and held her hand as the brown-haired girl sat silently between her and the Konoha nin.

Shannon's normally bright green eyes were dulled and downcast, her hair hanging in stringy wet strands all over her face. Her expression was blank, but every now and then Shikamaru caught sight of her lip trembling, though she tried valiantly to hide the fact.

Darkness had just fallen, the sun having finally sunk below the horizon. Everyone shivered as the cold set in. Shikamaru, drenched from head to toe from the rain, shook violently against his better judgment. He felt Shannon shift beside him.

She laced her arms around his torso and laid her head on his shoulder, offering her meager body heat to keep him warm. It was her fault that he was in this state, after all.

Shikamaru returned the gesture, his grip encircling her trembling shoulder. He rested his head atop hers and sighed. He was just glad that she was showing some sort of humanity, and not sitting around like a comatose vegetable.

The other's soon settled down to get whatever rest they could before the morning. Shikamaru rested against one of the telephone poles supporting their 'tent', Shannon lying against his chest.

"Just try and get some sleep," he told her quietly. "We'll figure something out tomorrow. I promise."

Shannon merely nodded her head and closed her eyes. Shikamaru prayed fervently that it was a promise he could keep.

…

The next morning was cold and damp, but at least the clouds had dissipated and then sun was shining. The squad quickly took down their make-shift tent and had a quick breakfast of their last stale bread loaves and musty-tasting water.

Shannon seemed to be in marginally brighter spirits. She had been thinking a lot the previous night, and had come up with a sort of plan for what she could do about her mother. Some of the usual determination and fire had leaked back into her eyes.

"Okay, so what do we do now?" Naruto asked as he sat back on his haunches, looking around the group of people assembled around him expectantly.

"First of all, we need to assess our situation," Sakura ran a hand over her face, trying to rid herself of the tiredness that plagued her mind. She looked at their meager belongings in the middle of their little circle and sighed. "We definitely need more food and water, or we won't last another two days out here."

"I'm with Sakura on this one," Sasuke agreed, standing with his hands in his pockets. "Here's what I think we should do – we each divide into four teams of three and scout the city for food, water, and whatever other resources we can find."

He waited for the others to nod their consent before he continued. "Each team should have at least one shinobi, in case of trouble." He paused and looked at the tall buildings surrounding them, squinting at the sun. "We won't go very far. Each team should take a separate direction and follow it for about a kilometer or two, and then head back to meet at this spot by noon. Agreed?"

More nods and a few murmurs of agreement. Sasuke nodded his head and picked up his pack, slinging it over his shoulder.

"I suggest we get moving."

…

Ten minutes later, Shannon, Ashley and Shikamaru were picking their way around the ruined city, searching for any food and water. Kiba yapped at Shannon's heels, and she looked down at the puppy, smiling slightly. She scooped the excitable ball of fur into her arms and scratched him fondly behind the ear. No matter what mood she was in, Kiba had a knack for making her instantly feel better.

"I see you're finally in a better mood," Ashley joked, nudging her friend in the ribs playfully.

Shannon smiled back at her, pulling a face and depositing Kiba in her backpack as she climbed over a fallen billboard. "I figured that it wouldn't help anything if I just sat around and moped the whole day. My mom's not just gonna suddenly appear of her own accord, and I won't be much help forming a plan if I sit in a corner feeling sorry for myself the whole time."

"Wise words, little one," Ashley chuckled, rubbing her knuckles over the top of the shorter girl's head.

"Hey! Cut that out!" Shannon chuckled, shoving Ashley's hand away. She realized that had been the first time in what seemed like ages that she had actually cracked a genuine smile.

Ashley laughed and dropped her hand back to her side, smiling at Shannon's change in mood. She hated seeing her best friend so down in the dumps.

Shannon glanced ahead to Shikamaru, who was walking a couple of meters in front of them, scouting the area for any threats as they went. Her grin softened to a thoughtful smile and she lowered her gaze, focusing on the ruptured ground she made her way over.

She thought back over the past couple of days – Shikamaru had been looking out for her a lot. He was always there when she needed him…and Shannon enjoyed the fact that she was the only one he smiled for. And though she would never admit it to him for fear of increasing his ego, she got shivers every time he held her hand.

Whether she wanted to acknowledge it or not, she was crushing over the brown-haired Konoha nin.

Shannon was suddenly snapped out of her reverie by the clatter of pebbles behind her. She whipped around, scanning the gutted buildings for any sign of what had made the noise.

"See anything?" Ashley asked her, tense, eyes darting all over the place.

Shannon shook her head, frowning. "Nah, nothing…"

Barely a split second after she uttered her response, something swooped down from above them, hissing loudly. Both Ashley and Shannon cried out, dropping to the ground as whatever was attacking them swooped past. There was a sound of sharp talons scraping over concrete as whatever it was alighted on a jutting ledge from a building across the street.

Shannon raised her head cautiously, searching wide-eyed for whatever had dive-bombed her and Ashley. She was aware of Shikamaru behind her as she laid eyes on the creature that had spooked them.

It looked human, male, but with large leathery wings and a long forked tail whipping out behind it. The only clothing it wore was a ragged pair of ripped jeans. Its fingers and toes ended in wickedly sharp claws that dug into the framework of the building the creature perched upon. A pair of long, curved horns stuck out of a wild mop of black hair.

"You'd be wise to be careful of what you refer to as 'nothing'," the winged creature snarled. Its voice was low and guttural, eyes burning with angry red flames.

Shannon's heart plummeted when she realized what the humanoid creature actually was.

"D-demons," she breathed, her heart beating frantically.

The demon chuckled darkly. "Smart girl," it sneered, grinning to reveal a set of pointed, needle-like teeth.

Both Shannon and Ashley's breathing became shallow with fear. They knew all about demons from Josephine's stash of old folk lore books she had kept at the back of the shop. These were Hell's elite, the most ruthless and corrupted of souls. The most dangerous adversary one could ever face off against.

"I haven't seen such a tasty-looking meal come around this end in a long time," the demon purred, flashing the three humans another hungry grin. "All the others were so thin, not even worth the effort."

Before any of them could even twitch an eyelid, the demon was moving again, shooting through the air like a winged bullet. Shannon's eyes widened a fraction before she shoved Ashley out the way, but the demon wasn't after either of them. He was going for the largest member of their group – Shikamaru.

"Shika!" Shannon shouted as the demon slammed into the brunette ninja, effectively knocking him clean off his feet. She dropped her backpack to the ground, with a shivering Kiba inside it, and ran to assist her comrade.

The black-haired devil did a sharp turn in midair and made another line towards Shikamaru, talons outstretched. Shikamaru was in no position to defend himself, still winded by the surprise attack. Shannon could only see his battle with Deidara replaying itself in her mind's eye.

No. she couldn't let him get hurt like that again. She wouldn't. And this demon…it wasn't anything like Deidara. This thing would kill him.

The demon saw her running towards his prey and snarled, changing direction abruptly and speeding towards her instead. Shannon gritted her teeth and kept running. She had to keep that thing away from Shikamaru at all costs.

"Shannon! What are you doing?" she heard Ashley scream behind her, but she kept running.

She could feel the tendrils of darkness inside her awaken and come to the surface. It seemed she could only call them when she was experiencing some extreme emotion, like fear or anger. With a throaty snarl, Shannon thrust her shadow projectiles forward, like a flood of deadly spears. The demon's eyes widened at the unexpected attack and it snapped its wings out to brake harshly.

But it was too slow. The shadow spikes slammed into the demon's body, piercing its flesh and ripping into its wings. The demon screamed in pain, trying to detach itself from the writhing cords of shadow. But Shannon wasn't done with it yet. She skidded to a halt, focusing on controlling her shadows. She would make sure this demon didn't take any more innocent lives.

The shadows formed themselves into something resembling a whole army of fishing hooks, and Shannon yanked them back towards her. The demon cried out again as the spikes sank deep into its flesh, embedding themselves in its bleeding body.

Shannon's mind seemed to switch off, almost like she was giving herself over to instinct and throwing rational thought out the window. Her conscience, inhibitions, humanity…it all vanished the moment she looked into those evil red eyes. All she wanted to do was kill it. Kill the demon that had killed so many others. Rip it to shreds. Completely and utterly destroy it.

A few yards away, Shikamaru pushed himself to his feet after having regained his breath. He cursed himself for not seeing that attack and leaving Shannon and Ashley defenseless while he was lying winded on the ground.

He heard Ashley scream, and his head shot up to see something he had never thought he'd see.

Shannon had the demon on the ground, covered in her shadow spikes like a gruesome pin-cushion. It screamed and thrashed, but she refused to remove the dark tendrils. Even from so far away from her, Shikamaru could still see the killing intent in Shannon's eyes. It chilled him to the core. He had never seen such a blood-thirsty look in her eyes before. It was cold, predatory. She wanted to destroy everything the demon was, reduce it to ashes.

And suddenly he was running towards her. This wasn't the Shannon he knew. She was compassionate, kind, caring…not this soulless monster intent on destruction. He had to stop her before she was in too deep. Before the Shannon he cared about was lost beneath the surface.

"Shannon! Stop!" he called out, reaching her side in a matter of moments.

But she didn't seem like she had heard him at all. Her shadow hooks ripped savagely into the screaming demon's body, like they were about to rend it apart. And her eyes…Shikamaru shivered. He had never seen such a cold look in her eyes before.

"Shannon!" he shook her shoulders roughly, trying to snap her out of whatever trance she had fallen into. "Snap out of it! This isn't you!"

Shannon turned her icy gaze to him, and for a split second, Shikamaru felt genuinely fearful of her. It felt for a second that she would turn her shadow tendrils on him. But then a shadow or recognition flickered over her face, and her expression changed.

She blinked slowly, like she was coming out of a deep sleep. She looked at him questioningly, and then slowly became aware of the fact that her shadow tendrils were still extended. Shannon looked over at the bleeding demon and gasped, jerking in shock. The bloodied shadow apparitions shot back into her body, leaving the demon writhing and bleeding on the ground.

Her eyes widened to the size of saucers, and Shannon clapped a hand over her mouth. She had really been about to kill that demon…she had almost taken a life. This wasn't her. She would never have done something like that.

She had never felt that way before, so cold, so bloodthirsty. She was shaken to the core. Shikamaru shook her shoulder softly. She turned to look at him. His expression was relieved.

Probably relieved that I didn't turn into some murdering monster, she couldn't help but think.

"I think we should leave," he said as Ashley stumbled over to them, clutching Shannon's pack and Kiba in her arms. "The others will be waiting back at the meeting point."

Shannon nodded numbly, letting Shikamaru lead her away from the twitching demon behind them. All of a sudden, she wanted to run. Run from what she had done, and what she had almost been about to do. She felt cold. She didn't know what this new side of her was, or where it had come from. She had certainly never felt like that before. Never before had such killing intent taken over her every thought like that.

Shannon shivered. She knew those homicidal thoughts had something to do with her newfound abilities. If that was how they made her feel every time she had to use them, whether it was to protect herself or the others, then she wanted nothing to do with them.

She wouldn't become a murderer.

You all know the drill ;D