Ah at long last I feel like I am two thirds the way through this story. And I had originally intended to only write 80,000 words. The raw copy of my story (pre edits) has reached 100,000 words and forty chapters. My early chapters had been saved as two chapters stuck together but I've lengthened them since then.

My current thoughts are on Harems, of which I don't actually mind, I even enjoy them in quite a few stories. As with everything though, they have to be well thought out. I really hate it when writers seemingly jump from one to another without much explanation or bulking out the story, but those are in the minority because there can be some real gems that make me smile and laugh (a bit like Kakashi). They are the ones I enjoy with or without a harem. What do you think about them? and anyone suggest any new fan-fic?

Please continue your support and to take a look at my new second story because I have a chapter ready to edit and upload.

Six days before Naruto wakes up, a day after Fukushi was accepted.

The young shinobi was already tired by the time the proclaimed match between himself and Monica was about to start. While his body was in relatively good condition his mind was utterly exhausted. He had one eye, travelled hundreds of miles, escaped illegal combat ring, escaped proescusion and death almost daily and far from hearth and home. His body would feel stiff as the scar tissue would not allow his skin to be as flexible. The twisted scar over his chest was the heaviest of all because of the price he paid and he knew all too well. Fukushi was greatful beyond doubt that Konohagakure was willing to give him a chance. He had no idea what would have happened should events have been different. He doubted that he would have lived as long as he did. Without Monica, he could not have had any luxuries for what felt like over a millennium to him. It would have been too long for him to cope and he knew he would have just collapsed and forgotten. Aya would have been forgotten. And no one would be here to warn others about the coming storm. His family's legacy lay with him but so did his family's enamies.

Before the match he was allowed to go and get his attire sorted, under ANBU eyes granted, but at least he did not have to look over his shoulder. Needless to say, he was not going by unnoticed. He could hear many people muttering lightning demon under their breath. The one-eyed shinobi felt guilty for earning such a title but at least it was justified. Perhapse he could grow to appreciate the name or maybe carve out a better one.

Now he sat on a bench overlooking the stadium. He wore the headband customary of the shinobi from Konoha. He had it pulled down to cover his left eye. It covered the older scar but the one he obtained while rescuing Monica was still visible on his cheek. He wore fairly standard ninja pants and a dark green jacket that revealed a white vest under it. Both were made sleavless so the soul binding jutsu was still visible. It served simotainiously as a symbol of pride and shame, a relic notion from his days in the far world. He also donned a white cape, a lot thinner and better designed than his usual woollen cloak. The silk garment was not designed for survival but instead as a status symbol. The cape was wite at the bottom but faded into yellow and lastly orange at the tail. On the center of the design at the height of his shoulders was the black sun that symbolised his family's name. The last of his kind hoped to start afresh here in Konoha and not deny the hand that Sasuke has generously held out for him. He was starting to owe the Uchiha a lot of debt he mused.

"It's time to step out into the arena." An ANBU spoke. He was the one guarding him as it seems as he recognised the cat-like face mask. Fukushi stook up to walk down the steps and out to the sandy arena. At least he was in sunlight. He was drawing horrific memories from when he was stuck in the combat pit. Dark arena with flood lights only illuminating you and your opponent. It was kill or be killed and hesitation was never allowed. The crys of a crowed sounded just the same. He did not expect the event to be public but here he noticed the stands were filling with the general public. To one side sat the Hokage. In his own private booth, Kakashi was looming down on the combatant. Many were interested to see what this lightning demon could do. Although why Monica specifically, Fukushi could only guess. He knew who his opponent was and merely presumed it was to see what Monica could do. The ninja recalled her admitting that she used to be under performing here. It was what driven her to join Fukushi despite meaning she turned her back on her village. Had she been given some more attention, would she still have been a devote member of the Konoha kunoichi?

Taking a deep breath, he waited by the proctor of the match. He was told to get out of the way by the Hokage but that did not stop him from setting off the match. Currently Fukushi was unarmed and had no chakra in his five seals. Many of the jonin had apparently voiced the fear of him being able to use the greater half of his abilities if allowed to use more than the natural chakra he held within. Not that being unarmed was much of an issue, Fukushi had already thought of his first move to summon a weapon of choice depending on Monica's plan.

Across from the arena was where Monica appeared. Her bright orange hair was unmistakeable, cut to shoulder length and had several bead tied into various locks of hair. She seemed to have been given standard ninja attire, dark clothes with a green flak jacket. She had her arms bound but before she stepped into the gaze of the crowed she was released and told to stand in front of Fukushi. She obeyed but her eyes appeared to have glassed over, as if she was lost in thought. The girl hardly aknowladged where she was. The resunding emotion was evident in the crowed. Booing. She appeared to ignore them but both participants knew how each other really felt under the gaze of others. She remaind expressionless but Fukushi could almost feel her anxiety build up. He honestly felt bad, he knew how hard others were on her because of her under performance. The pair had worked hard to get as far as they did but the Monica that was now standing in front looked like she was already defeated. Her struggles were finally wearing her down as much as Fukushi's struggles wore him down.

Kakashi stood up. His presence alone was able to silence the crowed. He looked at the pair below, they were both young but from his vantage point he could tell that they were both injured. Not physically although they held their scars but certainly emotionally. They blankly gazed in no particular direction and never held eye contact with anyone.

"Today we have a rather unusual match for us." Kakashi bellowed. "As you can plainly see this is not for the chunin position but instead we are greeting the Solaris family as a clan of our esteemed village. We gather today to see if Fukushi Solaris is able to prove his worth and become a valuable clan. His opponent today is, as some of you know, Monica Uandi. Who has been given the opportunity of being pardoned depending on her performance today." There were a few questioning murmurs throughout the crowed. They had heard much about the pair but no one here safe for a few had ever witnessed their abilities.

"My name is Genma Shiranui, I'll be proctor for this match. Rules are as follows, no attacks that could potentially be fatal, you are to subdue your opponent. Not kill them. If you understand, bow, and begin on my signal." His voice snapped the attention of both shinobi. Fukushi nodded and processed to bow. Monica only gave a slight nod.

"Begin!"

Upon his word, Monica sprinted forward. She was performing a jutsu too fast for Fukushi to make out but he stood his ground and made the motion to pull something out of his left hand. The ninja moulded his chakra to form a spear, not a weapon that he personally was known for but was the weapon of choice for his family. Monica finished her jutsu and summoned a bright blue banner. In a puff of smoke and she was armed with her Wikizashi. She parried Fukushi's thrust to one side but the butt of the spear forced her to step aside to dodge it. Fukushi was able to jump over her second slash. He spun the spear and smashed the point into the ground just where Monica was about to step. A lightning bolt struck where the tip touched and yet both jumped away from each other. Monica brushed her fingers up the flat of her blade. As she did so, bright and firce flames ignighted up her weapon. Fukushi meanwhile held the spear in his right arm while he held up three kunai and promptly flicted them at the orange haired girl. As three kunai flew at her, three blue orbs made of fire deflected said kunai harmlessly to the floor around her feet.

This time Fukushi was on the offensive he charged and thrusted his spear several times in quick sucession. Monica was forced to bob and weave out of the combination of attacks. Unless she wanted her face to be badly cut. She finally managed to swipe the spear far enough to get a fireball in. Her hand ignighted and she basically threw her jutsu at Fukushi. He responded by dispelling his weapon and in the smoke, he was free to dodge the fireball and throw more kunai at the girl. One fireball flew out one side while four kunai flew straight for her. The smoke covered the attack and gave her limited time to react. Each kunai exploded in a bolt of lighting around her and had flung her across the arena. She landed and tumbled, some smoke was rising from her singed attire and hair. The girl coughed and spat a little bit of blood. She gripped the sand hard and cursed that she had forgotten that Fukushi was able to change weapons at will.

"Why can't I have you?" Monica called out. First time she said anything during the match. Fukushi was approaching here with apparent wind-type justsu in his hands. The air was distorting and blowing his cape about despite not having any wind present. Her voice made him stop several steps away from her. The girl sat up and looked directly at his remaining purple eye.

"Excuse me?"

"A-all this time I only wanted something for myself. I never minded what, j-just something." She slowly tood up, her voice was quiet and Fukushi grew nervous. Her head was lowererd and made it difficult to understand what she was saying. "But no matter what it was it would always illude me."

"What are you trying to say?"

"First it was friends, then it was reputation and my dignity. I lost my confidence and I could never get any jutsu right. I wanted to be good and popular and respected, maybe admired but most importantly I wanted you…" She suddenly flashed through hand signs and vanished in a large spiralling ball of fire and intense heat. A fireball of blue fire dropped by Fukushi and she reappeared right next to him. If it weren't for his instincts, Fukushi would have been cleaved in half at the waist. He was not expecting her to be able to teleport but never the less she did. In a flash of lightning Fukushi was again at a distance away from her, just as her deadly blade passed through the space her used to occupy.

"But no, I can't. Who is this Aya! How come she gets to have you!" She looked right at Fukushi this time. Not as a friend but filled with rage and unbound anger that was swelling up inside her.

"It's not fair!" She cried out. "Why Fuku, why does she get you! What is so wrong with me!" She teleported again. "Who. Is. Aya." Fukushi was expecting the attack to come from behind and so turned just in time for an axe kick to materialise out of fire and strike him on the shoulder. A moments hesitation resulted in a fireball to the gut. This time Fukushi flew across the arena and landed hard. She continued to glare with her piercing grey eyes.

"I have one advantage you don't have this time around. You still have your chakra seals blocked." She spoke with her arms wide, she even sounded dangerous. Fukushi had to stand up, but a fireball to the gut hurt him, a small trickle of blood fell from his lips. She weaved more handsignals. Fukushi watched as she summoned the storage matrix and a couple of rolled up scrolls leaped up from the small smoke. She snatched two scrolls out of the air and immediately flicked them with her wrist. The scroll unravelled to show the chakra storage fuuinjutsu written in dark chakra-enhanced ink. The furthest flug tip of the scroll immidatly caught fire and rapidly burned up the scroll. She breathed in as the fire wrapped around her fist, slowly she closed it and extinguished the fire. Her eyes snapped back to attension and glared at Fukushi.

"When… When did you get the time to make those?" Fukushi asked as he slowly picked himself up.

"You told me to remember?" She smiled at herself. "I took your advice and made days and days worth because I wanted you to be proud of me." Upon finishing, she weaved more hand signes and channelled her newly replenished chakra into four fire balls.

"Aren't you proud of me? Fire style: fireball artillery." Upon command, the fireballs shot out at the one-eyed ninja who had barely enough time to throw a line of kunai at his feat and erect a lightning wall. The fireballs exploded upon impact sending molten glass flying in a sprey around where Fukushi stood. Once the smoke cleared he was shielding his eyes. Apart from the space immediately around his feet, the ground was scorched black. There was even some shiny lumps of newly formed glass in the sand and fires were burning silently on the very earth.

Kakashi was looking with interest, leaning over the banister and watching the fight unfold. He could hear whispers that Fukushi was clearly holding back but no one knew why. Kakashi and a select few knew though, Fukushi clearly was watching his chakra. He couldn't quite hear the conversation between the two but something was clearly off with Monica, she was showing some very powerful chakra that even Kakashi could feel. No doubt the ninjutsu Fukushi had was powerful but must have been at a huge cost to stamina. The Hokage grimaced, and Fukushi had his sealed and all the spare scrolls were handed over in good faith.

Fukushi uncovered his face and gasped immidatly and dived off to the right. A fifth fireball was already launched straight for him. He rolled and stood back up, running around Monica as fast as he could. Explosive fireball after explosive fireball struck the ground behind the running shinobi as he planned his attack. It did not take long for Monica to accurately guess his speed and fired ahead accordingly but her opponent waeved for another jutsu.

"-Wind Style: forceful gust.-" He appeared to swat something with his left hand. Monicas most recent fireball appeared to glow intensely as the wind chakra fuelled the fireball but the jutsu was effective at diverting the projectile off to the right. It even rolled across the floor before exploding and sending deadly flares in every direction. Now half of the arena floor was burning with bright blue fire. Fukushi did not stop to appreciate the fire works. Eight kunai were summoned above the young shinobi's head and immediately fired like darts towards the young kunoichi. Monica broke concentration and parried two kunai from mid air with her wakizashi, flipping over the third. However, the five remaining kunai were on target and she forced herself to teleport once more. The pulse of fire knocked the remaining projectiles about the arena. She materialised not far from where she had been a moment ago but her stumble indicated that the move had disorientated her. A large flash of lightning and Fukushi tackled her. He hoped to catch her off guard but as he grappled her, the orange haired kunoichi rolled with him instead of resisting. As a result, Fukushi was thrown off but he was able to right himself and land in a crouched position.

"I did so much for you Fuku. Why can't you see that? I became stronger just for you."

"Since when you could teleport?" Fukushi was now visibly out of breath. He had not known that Monica had learned to teleport when they were in Iwa. He had lost concensious when she first performed it. He had thought it was his doing all this time because he remembered channelling his chakra out of desperation but due to lack of chakra he had failed the jutsu and it was Monica who managed to succeed.

"You taught me remember? When you gave me that book and explained the sealing techninques. Well I wanted to surprise you by showing you how well I've grown. You taught me to read in your tongue by pointing out words for me." She got up and charge with her Wakizashi, Fukushi parried it with a quickly summoned kunai. He stood up and leaned back to avoid another swipe. He countered with two successive slashes before using his momentum to flick the kunai at Monica's belly. She caught the blade with her free hand and imeditly took a jolt of electricity into her arm. Better than a blade to the gut though. She just smiled at the pain though. "Why aren't you impressed?" She asked.

"I told you to be careful with that book!" Fukushi allowed his anger to flash through. He snapped at the girl and caused her to flinch. "I allowed you to read the pages I showed you."

Monica's fear lasted momentarally as she burst out laughing. "Is this what it takes for you to be angry? You taught me how to use it when you taught me how to find the right pages again, although you never said it directly; I knew what you meant. Don't you dare be pissed off at me."

"You were doing fine with the fire jutsu. Since when did you get this notion that I would be impressed with you showing power?"

"Oh, so you did not want me to be strong? Make up your mind, what had Aya been telling you to change your mind?"

"Aya?"

"Don't. Say. Her. Name." Monica grew dark with killing intent. She spilled out more chakra and the ground around them quickly caught fire, as in she was pouring a liquid, the flames spread and trapped the two in a small circle. The heat haze blurred out the crowed around them.

"Why? She never…" Fukushi was cut off as Monica was at his throat she grappled it tightly and threw the man to the ground with surprising strength.

"How the fuck is she better than me? Has she lived through hell with you? No! I did. Is she prettier than me? Is she stronger? Does she fucking know your past?! How the fuck is she better than me?"

"Monica…" He coughed. "She is my soul partner." He indicated with his left arm as he tried to show her what she meant. However, he said the wrong thing and Monica blew a fuse in her head. All she heard was 'Soul partner' and had completely forgotten that meant she died seven years ago, or at least her body did. Monica stamped down on Fukushi's left shoulder and forced him to the ground. She looked around and remembered that this was just an arena match. A fact that was distasteful to her. The grey eyes flashed around in thought until the seemed to settle on some plan of action. She summoned four scrolls of chakra and immeditaly attached them to summoned kunai. Throwing all four to separate corners. Once they landed a fuuinjutsu laid out in blue fire emerged. Once the fire had burned dark patterns of power into the ground a huge wall of fire was erected and effectively blocked her and Fukushi from outside help. Satisfied in her defense. She looked down at her foot that was stood on her love. He looked like he was in pain, it was a shame but if he knew what was good for him he would stay still. Monica lifted her foot slightly and flet Fukushi trying to get him. She frowned, pouted even. She kneeled down to face Fukushi. He stopped moving once she brushed his cheek with the tip of her wakizashi.

"Was it not by sword point you decided to check my resolve? You know that was when I decided to change and become someone that you'd want." He gulped. "But baby, I'm going to make you forget all about Aya." Her voice had a seductive slur but felt misplaced as she plunched her sword through Fukushi's right shoulder, he cried out in pain despite his best efforts to remain stoic and controlled. "Shhhh I'll kiss it better later, I promise." She stood up and quietly humming to herself she walked around the arnea and bured kunai into a circle around Fukushi. She attached a scroll of chakra to each blade and when she was finished she walked towards the trapped shinobi. He was already trying to pull the blade out but she had buried it too far into the ground. She bent town and ripped off the jacket he wore until the fuuinjutsu he wore on his left arm was revealed in it's entirety. This was the point Fukushi realised what she was going to attempted.

"Shit Monica you're going to kill both of us. Please stop. You don't know what you're doing." His pleading fell on deaf ears until Monica had fished ripping off her standard ninja attire. She too was topless and the last remaining scraps of clothing where being burnt off with her own fire.

"Then at least we die together."

"Fuck you're crazy."

"No!" She snapped. "I just wanted you, this way I'll make certain of it and Aya will never steal you away from me."

"She isn't stealing me! She's dead for fuck sake!" But Monica ignored him and slowly pressed her chakra onto the skin of her left arm. Her fire slowly spread and burnt the patterns onto her flesh. Once she was done she cut her thumb and pressed it on top of Aya's print.

"Is this right?" Monica spoke to herself but continued on reguardless. She saddled Fukushi and grabbed his weaked right arm and just it for him. He was powerless to resist as she lifted his weakened hand and pressed his thumb on her chest. She blushed momentarally as no doubt some questionable thought flashed through her mind.

"Monica… Please… Don't do this…"

"So this proves that you don't want me?"

"I.. didn't say that… you know what I…" She kissed him on the lips. She was surprisingly gentle despite willingfully signing off their lives. There was a reason Fukushi had spend a great deal of his childhood over the particular jutsu. Monica concentrated as the Fuuinjutsu spirled in from the ten kunai towards the pair. She could feel her chakra was already being pulled to her arm. Her heart started racing as various parts of her body began to feel like they were burning. A feeling not too dissimilar to fire itself. She grabbed a hold of Fukushi's hand and held on tightly. She opened her mouth to speak but just as she did so. Sasuke appeared above her and struck the back of her head in one quick motion. Fukushi saw the man stand above him. His vision was getting blurry through exhaustion as consciousness was already leaving him.

"Fukushi, sorry I'm late. Is there a way to stop the jutsu?"

"Why… didn't you come?" Fukushi spoke at a whisper, arguably closer to death than ever before. "It.. can't… stopped…" As he passed out Sasuke sighed, as soon as he noticed was her plan was he tried his best to break the force field. He had admitted it was very strong to break considering it had resisted half of the shinobi in the entire village for at least five minutes. He stood over the dying couple as their chakra slowly escaped their bodies and into the surrounding ether. Was this what Naruto saw of him? Powerless to prevent another from leading into the darkness? Then again, Naruto managed against all odds and Sasuke considered himself as the blond equal. His sharingan sparked up and he gazed about the fuuinjutsu.

"Sai pass me some paper and ink."

"Sure, but why?"

"Just do it." Sasuke was running out of time. Said handed him his equiptedment and Sasuke drew the jutsu out as fast as his reflexes allowed him to. He had seen it done once before and he was confident with the Sharingan he could do it again. He handed the drawing back to Sai. "Correct any mistakes. Now!" Sai nodded and jumped around and quickly got his eye in.

"Sasuke what are you trying to do?" Kiba asked as he had helped get through the force field.

"Kiba, and everyone get by a kunai and push your chakra into it." He ignored other questioning looks as he slowly closed his hands into the first sign. He thought back to when Kakashi had tried to seal his curse mark after the chunin exams. He copied the pace and mono-tone one sign after another. Flawlessly exectuted to only the way only Uchihas could achieve, perfection.

Sasuke finally finished and opened his eyes. The arms of the two shinoibi were glowing as expected. It looks like he saved them again. Everyone around the jutsu was clearly breathless as the gluttonus jutsu took all it needed to soul bind the two.

"So that was the soul binding jutsu?" Kakashi asked first.

"What… the fuck… was that?" A tired Anko shouted, clearly too tired to hear that Kakashi had already answered.

"Now no one can doubt the calibre of the Solaris family." Sasuke spoke firmly. If he was younger he knew this would have made him jealous but he couldn't deny the body language he saw before the one-eyed ninja passed out. This was forced, and the Uchiha was right to intervene. Many people hesitated that they were in a life-threatening situation. To those who did not know different only saw what looked to be a domestic despute turning violent but not life threatening.

"Why did they soul bind here? it's a bit odd isn't it?" Sai asked, signalling at the fact they were in an arena. Even Sai knew there were better places to do something that was supposed to be intimate. He had mentally filed the soul binding as a form of intimacy, just like sex, or kissing. He was taught there was a time and place although he was still confused over what was the correct time and place. At least he knew enough to know it was not in the middle of a sparring match.

"I have a bad feeling that it was forced on him by Monica." Sasuke spoke bitterly. She had betrayed him in his eyes but now could not do anything about it. Aya had told him that breaking the jutsu resulted in death for both partners. Save for rare cases.

"Forgive me Sasuke, but why are you going to such lengths to save this shinobi?" Tenten asked.

"Simple answer, we need him. Naruto is using this same jutsu to keep Hinata alive and no one knows it better than him. Naruto never gave up on me, so I can't forsake him when the help I need is right here." He gestured to the unconscious couple.

"But didn't you just copy his jutsu."

Sasuke sighed. "Tenten, I can copy jutsu not necessarally understand how to use it. I've been told it could have devastating effects."

"What about before Naruto and Hinata was mortally wounded?" Lee asked, he jumped down to join his comrads. "You had youthful interested in him before."

"Resources." Shikamaru interrupted. "Sasuke most have found out in Iwa that he has a large resume of jutsu. Clearly he was able to teach Monica something because honestly, she was set to beating Naruto in dead last. So instead of wasting the opertunity, Sasuke intervened."

"I guess you're right." Sasuke turned to leave the arena, he had not been explicit of his intentions over saving another from a fate he knew would only bring more pain. Taking a leaf from Naruto by doing so. Only the Hokage knew of his deeds on his journeys, and Sakura had an idea. It was a wonder how rumours had not reached Konoha yet. He stepped over still hot sand, the fires were put out when Monica's chakra reached critically low but the sand was still glassed in many areas.

Monica woke up with a start. Her body ached but she was somewhere she least expected. Some sort of wide open red desert. There wasn't anything for miles in any direction. No landmarks, no features and not even a sun to indicate a direction.

"wha? Where am i? Fuku? Can you hear me?" Her voice was sweet once more and even held I hint of fear. She looked around over and over until she finally saw a figure walking towards her with quite a pace to its step.

"Fuku!... Wait who are you?" She noticed her hair was a light blue, like her own chakra although the red light gave her a purple tint. She was wearing a white Kimono-like dress with the sleaves very short and barely covered her shoulders. Embroided around her dress were flowers that Monica did not recognise, as they were not from the five nations but further afield. Monica realised she adorned the same arm that Fukushi, Naruto, Hinata and now herself, although she realised that fact too late as she was now standing in front of the orange-haired shinobi.

Slap.

The sound echoed throughout the landscape and held such force it nearly knocked Monica over, certainly enough to make any onlooker wince. She held her cheek as it stung worse than most beatings she had. The bluenette was glaring holes into the girls' soul and she shrank under the intense killing intent.

"W… W-why? What did I do to you?"

"-Not to me, but to Fukushi-."

End of Act II

What will happen to Naruto and Hinata?

What about Fukushi and Monica?

How about Sasuke and Sakura?

Can't forget about Konohagakure...

Keep on the look out for the third act. Once I organise the plot i'll be posting.

Thank you for the support, I'll be working on rewriting the earlier chapters and on my other story (shameless advertisement).