RIGHT. I have decided this was a way of making the story more... sensible. Because in the previous chapter(before revising), Shikaku randomly spewed out her past. Badabing badaboom, I thought it was weird so I changed the line of plot. Forgive me, the 125 people who had read it before I update. I don't know who you are but I am terribly sorry. (Idk there was a 125 views there so yanno)

BUT ANYWAYS. I WILL BE LATE IN UPDATING THE NEXT CHAPTERS. Because everything's too rushed and you get half assed of an ass chapters if I update every two to three days. So yeah. ONWARDS. (But it depends really. If I have a random surge of inspiration, well I update in a blink lel)

Chapter 21: The Past Lurks

As we rolled away to safety, the liquid landed at the spot we were sitting on a few heartbeats ago, and the ground underneath is made a sickening hissing sound.

By the time the poison had ebbed away, the ground was corroded terribly.

I looked over Shika's shoulder to see what threw that spiteful thing and stiffened, "What in the name of peaches is that?"

Whatever it was, it looked like a cross between a lizard and a slug. It's eyes were in different directions, each eye whirling around 360 degrees. It's sickly green tongue slithered out, poison dripping from its vile jaws. Because it looked more slug than lizard, I felt all the limbs in my body froze with disgust.

"What the hell?", Shika groaned when he saw the ugly, "How did it get here?"

Another roar came from the creature and the birds in the trees all flew away in fright. Suddenly, the usually calm forest turned into a myriad of sounds. The deer ran for cover, their hooves thundering the ground. The cries of the birds filled the air as they took flight and the sound of the woodland animals all scurrying for safety.

The creature roared again and began to advance to us. "Get out of here, you two!", Shikaku ordered, and I turned just in time to see his shadow piercing at the slug lizard, but it's movements were still wild, although it became considerably slow. I noticed how some of the shadows were sliding around it, holding the creature in place. The shadows tightened its grip and the ugly thing lets loose a strained cry.

Shikamaru grabbed my hand and was about to burst into a run but before we could stand, a being burst out of the woods in front of us.

"Aomaru! What are you doing?!", I cried when the buck jumped over us and ran towards the preposterous thing.

Aomaru let out a battle cry before advancing, his hooves pawing the air. Then his large antlers began waving in and out of the creature's reach, prodding into the creature's flabby flesh. The reptile screeched in pain as Aomaru pierced one of its bulbous eyes, black blood flowing from the wound. The creature lashed out, hoping to hit something, anything, but it was in vain.

The buck was graceful and swift as he pranced away from the danger and striking again. I felt Shikamaru pulled me away as he seethed, "Come on, it's too dangerous here." I turned and glare at him, "No. I'm staying to help."

His dark brown eyes met mine, and I could see the conflicting emotions he had inside.

Finally, he groaned, "Kami, you're so troublesome." I watched in surprise as he made the Nara clan's hand sign, "Kage Mane No Jutsu."

His shadow elongated and writhed around, nearly missing Aomaru, and headed to the creature. Once connected, I heard Shikamaru grunted, "Got it."

Whatever he did, it must've did the trick. The creature was still now, although it's eyes were still moving around, it's tongue still slithering in and out menacingly. Then Aomaru went in for the kill, lowering his horns at the intruder of his forest and ran towards the creature. But what happened later was unexpected.

A sickening whack filled the air.

"Aomaru!"

I ran to the buck as he fell to the ground with a thud, not caring that his body was dangerously close to the lizard.

The creature had feign immobility and waited for the buck to strike before it threw the blow. It was writhing against the shadows now, its shrieks piercing into the air.

When I got to the buck, he was breathing in short, raspy gulps. I hushed him, gently stroking his neck, "It's okay, Aomaru. It's okay, just breathe. You'll be fine."

Actually, he's far from fine. The reptile had made a deep gash into the buck's side, and he was bleeding terribly. I watched as the buck's dark eyes rolled to me, a hidden intelligence in them flickering. He whickered weakly and I leaned closer to him, pressing my face against his soft cheek.

I will see you in my next life, little one. Take care, child of Daiten, child of Tenshi.

I gasped in surprise when the voice echoed in my mind.

What was that?

I pulled away to look at the deer but the light in Aomaru's eyes were gone. "Ao?", I whispered, running my fingers across his silky nose. But he's gone. The voice... It was from Aomaru, I was sure of it. Those were his last words. But what did they mean?

Another shriek from the creature caused me to look up. A large webbed feet was aimed at me and I leaped away just in time. Rolling out of harm's way, I glared up at the ugly thing.

I'm going to send this ugly coconut back to whatever shithole it came from.

A flash of gold obscured my eyes but it quickly faded. When my vision cleared, everything appeared to be in sharp clarity. I could see every detail of my surroundings, from the veins on a blade of grass to the lizard's slimy scales.

Even my senses became much intense. The smells, the sounds, everything came crashing into me like a landslide. I stumbled slightly, trying to adapt to the sudden change.

Then, I could feel the vibration in the air and leaped away from the lizard's clawed hand. Landing on all fours, I growled threateningly. I felt frost under my hands, clinging against the grass.

I seethed, and a guttural voice came from my throat with a garbled speech. I knew I didn't speak the language of the damn, but strangely enough, I understood the words falling from my tongue like thick blood.

"Get out of my domain, sickened one."

The creature blinked its good eye before lowering its head to me, "Ssooo, you ssspeak the tongue of my people? Interesssting little girl." The creature tilted its ugly face, so it could see me better, "But then again... I don't think it came from you." Leaning closer, its fat tongue slid to me, tasting the air. "It came from the one inssside you. The one that callsss himself a god."

"Show disrespect to Gintaro and I'll tear you apart, slime.", I bared my teeth at it and it pulled back, it's neck sliding into its body, seething. "Whatever. Now that I've finally found you, Sarabi-sssama would be pleasssed."

"Not if I kill you!", I roared and tore into its good eye, sending ice into the blood. It screeched horribly, falling to its side. The shadows around him tightened but I noticed that Shikamaru's shadow had retracted.

"It hurtsss! It hurtsss!", the reptile cried, writhing around in pain. I raised my palm and ice spikes shot up from the ground, stabbing into the creature. Its cries grew more cringing until I curled my hands at its direction and released.

A deadly silence fell.

Frost began to seep into the creature's exterior, spreading like a disease. It's dead now.

Coughing, I fell to my knees. Whatever I did, it took a toll on me.

"Mononoke.", I could scent out Shikamaru's concern as his hands came to rest on my shoulders, even though his voice was steady. I could hear his shallow breathing, as if he'd run a marathon, and his erratic heartbeat. I shook my head, hacking, "I'll be fine. Don't... worry."

When I looked up at him, I could smell fear and surprise from him. His pupils dilated when I stared at him, "What?"

"Your eyes... They're gold.", he whispered. I blinked and I heard Shikaku coming behind so I faced him. The Nara man crouched to see me at eye level, his eyes narrowed, "We need to talk."

XXXX

Although the iced creature was still ominously laying there, Shikaku sat us at a nearby shade to talk. I wasn't sure why he was so tense about my sudden change of eye color. It's as if he's suddenly understanding something. But I have a feeling the refined senses from before had something to do with Gintaro.

His eyes were on the creature when he spoke, his question directed to me, "Do you still remember that I told you about Daiten?"

"Your soul brother?" He nodded, pleased that I remembered as he continued. "He's from the Yorukami clan, and they pray to and respect animal deities. They believed that the deities created the world."

"What do you mean?", I said, suddenly curious.

It seems that the Yorukami clan have a lot of impact in my life. First with Gintaro, and now with Shikaku.

Shikaku turned to me, "How much do you know about the Yorukami clan?"

Something about his gaze made me feel uncomfortable. I looked over at Shikamaru but he was looking at his father. He seemed just as confused as I was.

"Kakashi told me the Yorukami were nomads. And that the family in Konoha had died out.", I said slowly, turning back to Shikaku.

"That's what we thought. It was Daiten's family. I should know better than anyone.", Shikaku took a deep breath, "What a lot of people did not know was that Daiten had a daughter."

I blinked in confusion, "So that means that there is hope for the Yorukami clan in Konoha?"

"Yes, in a way."

Shikaku is giving me half assed pieces of a puzzle, as if he expects me to know what's going on, and it's kind of irritating me. He could just tell me the whole thing.

"Stop beating around the bush, Shikaku. What's going on?", I growled. I could smell the anxiety and hesitation from Shikaku. It's rolling off like waves and it's making me grit my teeth in annoyance.

Shikaku just chuckled, "You're every bit like your parents, Mononoke."

That's when I froze.

"What... are you talking about?", I asked softly. Shikaku just shook his head, "I always suspected it, ever since the moment you stepped through the doors of my house for the first time. You were the spitting image of your parents. And the mark on your cheekbones."

I looked into his eyes as his hand came close. Shikaku traced the markings on my face, as if finally seeing me for the first time, "I was there when your father etched them on your face."

"... Shikaku-san. Please, explain from the beginning.", I begged, placing a gentle hand on his.

He sighed before slumping and rubbing his face, "I'm sorry. It's just..." Shikaku shook his head and placed a hand on my head, "I'll try my best to tell my side of the story."

"Your father and I,", Shikaku began, looking away as he collected his thoughts, "We go way back. Even before I met Inoichi and Choza. We were like brothers, we played, we rivalled, we fought. And we grew together. We were close enough to know what the other was feeling. The bond we had, it was rare, even for a Yorukami, who strongly feels for one another."

"Until one day, the Yorukami clan decided to leave Konoha. Daiten's father was the head of the clan but he did not have the heart to leave, because he decided that Konoha was very well suited for him. As well as his only son, for this was the place his son was born."

"But the elders had other ideas. They said, it was tradition, passed down from their ancestors. No one, except the Yorukami themselves knew the reason. Not even I, as close as I was to Daiten. All he told me was that it's a feeling the clan has. When they have the urge to move, they move. But Daiten's father, Dao, did not have the calling. Nor did any of his family members. But thankfully, on good terms, Dao managed to elect a worthy new leader for the clan and decided to stay behind in Konoha. So that's the only Yorukami family that stayed behind, and they became news to the Konoha."

"Because they were a nomadic clan, and had been ever since the beginning, back during the dark ages of the Ninja Wars, whichever land they were in, the Yorukami would aid their host land in battles. And whoever they sided on, that side would always win. So you can see, they're quite a force to be reckoned with. To have a Yorukami clan on our side, it was a blessing."

I nodded at the brief history lesson before scowling, "And what's that gotta to do with me?" He chuckled, "I thought you might want to know more about them. But I'm getting to it, don't be so impatient." Shikaku patted my head before going on.

"So Daiten stayed. When we grew up to be fine young men,", he coughed a little as he said this, hinting that it was otherwise, "Like many young men, we fall in love, get married, you know." Of course, Shikamaru and I groaned a little at this and the Nara leader laughed, "Kids."

"Well, Daiten, he had sights on a Nara girl. Must be from my influence but he did. He fell utterly in love with her. Nara Tenshi, was her name.", Shikaku turned to look at me, "They were quite a powerhouse couple. Tenshi was one tough woman, stubborn too. Sharp tongue of a woman and had little patience with fools. But she was kind, and very loyal to her loved ones. Yoshino was her cousin, actually.", Shikaku added, chuckling at this. "I'll spare you two the stories on how we tried to woo your mothers."

"Please do.", I groaned.

"This is such a drag.", Shikamaru followed after.

"You told me to start from the beginning.", Shikaku snorted and I rolled my eyes, "Not that far in the beginning. You might as well start from the dinosaurs."

Then it struck me. He said 'your mothers'. When I told him this, Shikaku sobered up.

"You heard me right. I'm getting to it. As stubborn as she was, Tenshi was from the ANBU and she had her pride. Even when she's pregnant, she still insisted on going on patrols.", Shikaku snorted at this, "Daiten was worried, of course, but once she gets her head set on something, Tenshi never goes back."

"And thanks to her strong will, she gave birth to a healthy girl in the woods.", Shikaku shook his head in wonder, "Women. She conceived the child with the help of a few other female ANBU members that were assign to be at her side, in case something like that happens. So there the kid was. Crying and squealing in the middle of the woods."

"But on the eve of her birth, Tenshi was killed protecting her comrades. The enemies were unknown ninjas and Tenshi, as weak as she was, used too much chakra when she immobilized the enemies, giving the others enough time to take the attackers out. She could have lived, had not another ambush took her life. One of the ANBU managed to save the child when they were attacked."

"When they brought the child back, Daiten was devastated by the loss of his wife. The Yorukami clan are bound to their lifemates, as that's what they termed 'husband and wife'. It's a blessing and a curse, that if their spouse dies, their partner will follow after seven days later. During his last days, Daiten was a good father, although he was grieving. He did all the necessary Yorukami traditions for his firstborn, especially the Marking, a lifelong mark given to the child by the father. I was there, of course, helping with what I could. I offered to take care of his daughter after he passed, and he agreed. At least that was what we said. But it was strange that Daiten never named the child. He said it wasn't the right time. I didn't understand what he meant, but I respected his decision."

Shikaku sighed as he turned to me, his eyes soft, "On the child's seventh night in this world, Daiten slipped away and he took his child with him. No one knew where he went or what he did, and we couldn't find the child. But we found him. Dead on the memorial stone, one hand on the name of his wife. And on his other hand."

He lifted my left hand up and looked at my empty palm, "The word 'Mononoke' was etched into his skin. He had used the same marking technique he did on your face, you know."

When he looked up to me, a smile spread his lips as he wiped a tear off my cheek, "When you came to me that day, I knew it was you. And when you told me your name, there was no doubts. And when Aomaru came to you with the same respect he had for your mother, it's as if the gods were shoving all the signs into my face."

More tears flow as I half sobbed at the truth, and half laughed at his desperate attempt to make a joke. I guess the truth finally revealed itself then.

"The Third had suspected it at first, when he sent you under Kakashi's care.", Shikaku continued, "After I went to him and told him about it, that's when he agreed that you should stay with me. I had to take care of you. You are my goddaughter."

"Th..at's.. uh.", I sobbed as I wiped the tears from my eyes. Shikaku patted my hand, "Take some time to absorb it. I know it's hard."

I shook my head and smiled, "But it changes nothing, doesn't it? I still have what I have." I squeezed his hand. "But at least I know my past clearly now. It's good enough for me."

XXXX

Really short chapter just because it's a hell lot of new stuff to take in. I FEEL HEARTBROKEN THAT AOMARU HAD TO DIE. BUT DAMMIT.

AND YES. MONONOKE'S PAST IS FINALLY PIECES TOGETHER. But her future still remains uncertain. Quite a dramatic flair, ain't it? Well, from now on, it's going to be preparations for the Chunin Exams. Meeting the Sand, fighting bad guys, the usual. And do you think she should meet Jiraiya? A perverted as he is, I have a soft spot for the Sannin. Just a thought.

Fact#17: Mononoke enjoys cuddles actually, as tough and snappy she might be. Give her a huggle and she tones down real quick. (This trick is not known to many but one. BUT WE ALL KNOW WHO THAT IS, AMIRITE?)