Ah, you guys are the absolute best X'D

Your feedback from the story has helped me so much, and made me feel appreciated 83 Unfortunately, there won't be many more chapters of this as the story is nearing its conclusion :'(

But! Fear not! I am thinking of making a continuation of this story with a new OC and more awesome Naruto characters :D lemme know what you amazing people think of that idea X3

MidnightheartXxX – you can't get much worse than a demon, agreed -_- but karma works in wonderful and mysterious ways… X3

Moonlttiger – haha me? Losing my touch? Pffffft :P Trust me, I'll have a few more really cliffy cliffhangers in store just for you ;)

nightshade – welcome and thanks for reading :D well, if you think about it this way, it is a post-apocalyptic alternate universe, I don't think Pein would be able to summon any of his alternate forms seeing as he has no connections to the world where he is physically able to…but a valid point, nonetheless :3

Once again, poor Kiba! DX gosh that poor little canine deserves better…can't believe I keep forgetting about him! *smacks head*

**Chapter twenty-two**

Shannon honestly had no clue what to do anymore. She wanted so badly to go with Shikamaru and the rest of the squad back to Konoha, but a part of her was telling her to stay and help rebuild her world. She also didn't know what was going to happen to Ashley and her mother…would the ninja take them back as well? She just couldn't bear to leave them after everything that had happened.

And thinking about Konoha…how would they even get back? The worst part about the whole situation was no one knew when the gates to the other world would be opened by the ninja on the other side. It could happen anytime, anywhere.

Shannon sighed. A raging headache was forming from all her stressful thinking.

"Shika…what's going to happen now?"

The two of them were sitting on the roof of one of the very few buildings still standing in the city. Shannon was lying against Shikamaru's chest, his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin resting on her head. She knotted her fingers with his, staring fixedly at the slowly setting sun. Neither of them felt the need to move – there was still a good two or three hours of sunlight left.

"Now? Now, we just wait for Konoha to find a way to get us back," he replied. There was such conviction in his voice that Shannon didn't doubt for a second that Konoha would fail them.

Shannon closed her eyes and listened to the steady thumping of his heartbeat. Just being this near to him still made her stomach twist itself into nervous knots. She snorted – it made her feel like one of those love-sick schoolgirls she always used to see around the mall. Shannon smiled to herself. There was no such thing as that fluffy nonsense anymore. In times like these, everything revolved around the very strongest and basest of emotions. No superficial crap like that.

Shannon opened her eyes again, gazing at the sunset. Even in the midst of an apocalypse, something as simple and as beautiful as the sunset remained unchanged. The sinking sun had reddened, casting warm light on the whispy clouds that drifted around it, painting them various hues of pink, orange and purple. The sky was just starting to turn from dark blue to a deep purple. Everything the sun's rays touched seemed to transform into something enthralling. Even the desecrated buildings held a stark beauty of their own.

As she lay there in Shikamaru's warm embrace, Shannon made up her mind. She would go back with him to Konoha when the time came. She would follow him to the end of the earth if she had to.

And she was pretty sure Shikamaru would do the same for her. He had told her as much.

"What about Ashley? And my mother?" she asked softly, shivering slightly as a gust of cold wind washed over her.

Shikamaru tightened his arms around her, laying his cheek against her temple. "We'll take them with. We couldn't possibly leave them here."

Shannon let out a short breath she hadn't realized she had been holding, relieved. She felt a small stab of guilt at what would happen to Carli and the others when they left. Come to think of it, she didn't even know where they were at the moment.

Shikamaru noticed her change in demeanor. "What's wrong?"

"I just can't help but think of what will happen to everyone that gets left here," she muttered, her gaze drifting to the rubble-strewn ground below her.

"They'll be fine, I'm sure," he reassured her. "Things won't stay like this for long. People have the uncanny ability to make the most of any situation. And anyway, like they say – necessity is the mother of invention."

"I suppose you're right," Shannon let a small smile curve the corner of her mouth as she raised her eyes to the heavens again.

"I always am, aren't I?" Shikamaru joked, winking at her.

"Don't be so full of yourself, Mr. High and Mighty Genius," she scoffed, playfully smacking his arm and chuckling.

A small seed of hope sewed itself in her chest. Maybe things would be alright, after all.

…

A few days later, Shannon was still contemplating whether to tell the others about her half-demon heritage. She and her mother hadn't spoken of it again, but they shared a deeper understanding now that Shannon was profoundly thankful for. She had been so scared of losing her mother, and now that they were back together, nothing would ever take her away again.

One of the reasons Shannon hadn't said anything to her comrades was because she was scared of rejection, much like her mother had been. But she had vowed never to make her mother's mistake. She would tell them…sooner or later. Maybe when they got back to Konoha.

Kiba yapped at Shannon's side as she trudged along the congested city streets in search of supplies. She stroked his head affectionately. She really couldn't believe how much he had grown. From that shivering ball of skin and bones, now stood a fierce Alsatian. He was slightly larger than most normal dogs of his breed, but Shannon chalked it down to the fact that there must be some sort of crazy magic floating around in the air after hell all but opened up. His head now stood level with her waist, his muzzle full of sharp teeth. But despite all his intimidating characteristics, he had the most open face Shannon had ever seen on a dog. Never once had he snarled at anyone in the squad, even when they got on his nerves. His eyes were bright and earnest, always looking to please his various masters. His snout was short, contributing to his overall cuteness. Shannon loved him to pieces.

Despite whatever Sasuke might say, she was bringing Kiba with to Konoha. No discussions.

Shannon frowned when she thought of Sasuke, clambering over the ruins of a smashed building. Ever since that fight with Itachi, he had been avoiding everyone, always deep in thought. Shannon was actually starting to worry that the frown lines he wore so often would permanently etch themselves into his alabaster skin.

Though she had to admit, Sakura was taking good care of him – she had resorted to force-feeding him at mealtimes, and making him sit with the others for at least an hour a day so he stayed in touch with reality. Or at least tried to.

There was the sound of something scuffling over rock and sending pebbles skittering across concrete behind her, but Shannon ignored it. She wasn't scared of anything out here anymore. She continued on her merry way, Kiba trotting along at her side.

Shannon spotted a smashed shop window a few feet away. Her eyes lit up and she smiled hopefully, making her way over to the remains of the grocery store. The demonic chuckling behind her didn't even cause her to miss a step. As she ducked inside the shadowy interior, Shannon completely wrote off the sound of leathery wings slowly creaking open.

She then spotted her prize – a few tins of canned peas, some dented, scattered over the floor. Her smile widened to a grin. As she bent down to pick them up, the demon that had been so carefully concealing itself in the shadows of an old warehouse across the street launched into its attack.

Shannon didn't even bat an eyelid as her shadow tendrils shot out of their own accord. There wasn't even time for the demon to scream as it flew straight into the black pin-cushion of spears.

Shannon happily dropped the four salvageable cans into her pack and hopped back out onto the street, humming in a chirpy sort of way, with a contented smile on her face. Now at least the squad would have something to eat tonight. She continued on her merry way, completely ignoring the mutilated body that fell to the ground behind her as the shadows settled back under her skin, like it wasn't even there to begin with.

In her opinion, demons weren't even worth the effort of noticing.

It was a few moments after that when Shannon began to feel a little bit strange. A tingling sensation started in her fingers, then spread to her entire body, almost like pins and needles. She frowned, looking down at her hands. They started to flicker in and out of focus, like a picture on a TV with bad reception. She looked down at Kiba, who just cocked his head at her and whined in confusion. Shannon slowly started to realize what must be happening. She shrugged and got down on one knee, wrapping her arms around the large canine's neck.

A determined expression settled on her face. Screw Sasuke. She was damn well bringing the dog with.

And a moment later, the pair was gone.

Moonlttiger – cliffy enough for ya? ;D