Chapter 15: Stowaway in the Sky

They didn't travel on the road. They didn't leap at lightning speed through the trees either, none of them was in any real hurry, but still they kept off the beaten path, instead winding their way through the trees. The sun shining through the canopy of leaves cast shadows everywhere, and everyone kept one eye on the ground. Which is probably why no one noticed the large object soaring overhead that caught up with them about midmorning.

It was a bit of a new experience for Sasuke, being in the lead. He was accustomed to hanging back, letting Naruto lead as he traveled somewhere in the middle of the group, careful to place himself behind Lee and Sakura so he could keep an eye on them. Not being able to watch Sakura as she walked arm in arm with Lee was a bit unnerving, still he wasn't worried. He knew they were not the sort of couple prone to great displays of affection with an audience present, not even seven years of marriage had changed that.

There were several villages between the Hidden Leaf Village and the Golden Academy, and Sasuke wanted to reach the first by nightfall. It seemed their pace would allow for that, they were moving at a reasonable speed and their way had not been obstructed yet. They could only hope it would stay that way. Most of them hoped that at least, since Sasuke himself felt as though he would almost be glad of an attack. Perhaps it was the desire to see Sakura in action again, or maybe he was just channeling Naruto's energy, but he suddenly felt as though he were itching for a fight. His eyes traced each shadow carefully, looking for any sign of movement that might betray the presence of a fledgling Dark, however only the shifting of the leaves above caused the shadows to dance and there were no signs of danger whatsoever. Sasuke kicked at the dirt rather angrily, then of course became doubly angry because he was acting even more like Naruto.

He was so irked at himself that when Shikamaru tapped him on the shoulder he whirled around angrily and snapped, "What!" so loudly he was sure the whole procession had heard him. Cursing himself for not being more vigilant, he looked away.

"What is it?" he questioned at last.

Shikamaru gave him a look that he supposed was meant to be comforting but instead just looked terribly patronizing. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sasuke sighed, still a little irritable, "what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Shikamaru stuck his hands in his pockets, falling into step beside his leader. "It's not important."

"Obviously it was important or you wouldn't have bothered me with it!" Sasuke growled impatiently, looking determinedly at the ground as they walked.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "I just wanted to discuss our plan for when we reach the Academy, but if this isn't a good time it can wait."

Sasuke said nothing for a few moments. At last he sighed resignedly, "Alright, out with the lecture. I saw you giving them to Naruto all the time."

Shikamaru just shrugged. "Forget it, its too much trouble to give you a lecture. Besides, just between you and me I never gave Naruto one either."

Sasuke gave him a shocked look, and Shikamaru laughed softly. "Its true, I'd just tell him what an idiot he was, then we'd spend the rest of the time trying to guess what the girls were wearing under their uniforms that day."

Sasuke stared, and Shikamaru grinned. "Not everything was so serious in those days you know."

Tenten wasn't entirely sure how or why she'd done it, but halfway through the morning she found that she had fallen into step beside Neji. It wasn't such a surprise really, she tried to tell herself, after all they'd always walked together during their Golden Army days. The couples had always walked together.

Perhaps it was the fact that she was once again calling him 'Neji-kun.' Perhaps it was the Golden Army headband, somehow so much different from her Hidden Leaf one. Perhaps it was just a little foolish wishful thinking, but somehow she felt herself transported back to those days. Suddenly she felt like she was back in that place and that time, when she'd been his girlfriend, the girlfriend of the boy, no the man, that she loved. She'd walked beside him every day, and felt his hand in hers. She'd felt his hands in her hair, pulling it from its exacting style to weave in between the silky brown strands to position her to receive one of his gentle, tender kisses. She'd slept every night pressed against him, his arms holding her close like something precious. Like she was someone precious to him.

"Neji-kun?" she asked suddenly. He glanced down at her, but said nothing. "Do you think that Choji and Ino will get back together? They were an item throughout the time we were the Golden Army seven years ago, and now they're all lovey dovey again."

This was true. Choji and Ino were walking beside each other in just they way they had back then. Ino was leaning on Choji's arm as she giggled quietly at something he'd said, while he grinned, still whispering in her ear, making her laugh harder. They looked for all the world like they were a couple again.

Neji didn't answer her question right away. Instead he glanced over at Choji and Ino, then stared off to the side for a moment or two, completely silent. She was just beginning to wonder if he was going to answer, or if he'd even heard her, when at last he spoke. "Even without Naruto here to guide us, the atmosphere of the Golden Army seems to have descended upon us again. It would not surprise me if people began to act like they used to, and old couples that grew apart in the village got back together. The passion of young love has a way of returning when one is reminded of one's youth."

Tenten swore she almost pulled a Hinata and passed out. She managed to stay on her feet, but she wasn't able to look at Neji for the rest of the day.

-Meanwhile, Several Hundred Feet in the Air-

Usagi didn't think she could last much longer. She'd been up in the air for hours on end, and while she loved flying there was only so long she could hold onto her glider as it rode the rough higher air currents. She'd been following her family, the Golden Army, for most of the day now, and as morning gave way to afternoon her stomach began to rumble. At last she couldn't take it any more. With her arms aching, her stomach growling, and her ears roaring from the wind, she circled in for a landing.

It hadn't been hard to sneak away from Ayura and Kakashi's house. Being in such emotional distress as a fight with Kakashi put her in, Ayura had of course turned to the greater world for a Sign, and thus had spent most of the morning up on the roof. So Kakashi, of course, had spent most of the morning out front trying to coax her down off the roof, with very little success. At last, out of sheer desperation, Kakashi had leaped onto the roof and attempted to use his sharingan to get her down. Big mistake. Not only had it not worked, Ayura had far to much experience with him for that, but the mere attempt had also made her absolutely furious. The resulting chaos of the fight that followed had been more than enough for Usagi to make her escape, and now as she touched down on the blessedly solid earth she simply prayed that she would only be caught after they'd gotten far enough from the village that they couldn't send her back to that crazy place.

"Usagi-chan!"

No such luck.

Usagi hadn't expected to keep her presence a secret that long. Still, she thought, she hadn't expected herself to be caught the minute she came back to earth. No sooner had she found her footing on solid ground again than she'd been ambushed by Kiba, Tenten, Hinata and Neji, all clamoring to know why she was there.

"Are you alright?" Hinata cried, half hysterical as she pulled her daughter into a tight hug, held her at arms length to examine her a moment despite her assurance that she was fine, then pulled the little girl back into her embrace. The moment Usagi got free of her mother Neji's hands clamped down on her shoulders and she was swiveled around to face him next.

"Little rabbit, what are you doing here?" Neji demanded, activating his byakugan to scan her for injuries as well.

"I came to help!" Usagi insisted, trying to squirm out of his hold.

"Help!" Kiba shouted, pulling her out of Neji's grip so she was facing him now, "what the hell could you possibly do to help? This isn't a game, Usagi-chan, this is dangerous!" Akamaru growled his agreement.

"I know!" Usagi told him, still trying to get free, "and that's why you need all the help you can get!"

Shikamaru and Sasuke watched all of this from the head of the group. "She really is just like Naruto, you know," Shikamaru remarked idly as Usagi was waylaid by Tenten next, "this is exactly the kind of thing he would have done."

"I know," Sasuke shook his head resignedly, "its almost a shame we have to send her home."

And then the noise started. Suddenly all arguments were forgotten in the sound of the awful, screeching, screaming noise that suddenly erupted from nowhere and everywhere at once. Instantly everyone, Usagi included, adopted a fighting stance as the shadows all around them began to twist and lengthen, warping and melding into huge and hideous beasts. A great winged tiger with horns appeared by Ino and Choji. Two enormous birds with four eyes and fangs protruding from their beaks materialized, one at the head of the procession and one at the rear. Next to Usagi and the four adults who'd clustered around her suddenly erupted a kind of bear, with six clawed limbs and horns on its head.

"Usagi look out!" Kiba cried, tossing her out of the way as the bear swiped it deadly paw at them. Usagi rolled away, stopping a few yards from the fighting, laying on her stomach. When she looked up, she saw the fight laid out before her. Everyone had instantly sprung into action. The clash of kunai against solid shadow rang in her ears, as well as the battle cries and names of various techniques.

"Partial Expansion Jutsu!"

"Fang Over Fang!"

"Cyclone Scythe Jutsu!"

Red hot anger welled up inside Usagi as she watched her family fight. Each slash of a claw that cut through skin made her blood boil. Each bite of a fang that caught flesh made her muscles clench. Hot, burning energy swept through her body like fire. This scorching hot feeling rose up inside her as she got slowly to her feet, starting in her stomach and bubbling up to press against the boundaries of her skin. A scream rose up in her throat as her nails and gums bled, claws and fangs bursting forth from her flesh, and at last, her vision red-washed, she threw back her head and howled.

An explosion of red chakra swept the area. Wave after wave of demonic energy spread out from where Usagi stood, somehow barely washing harmlessly over the Golden Army as though they were merely gentle wind. The Darks faired much worse. As the angry red energy touch each shadowy creature they let out another piercing symphony of yells, screeching in pain as they disintegrated, unraveling at the barest touch of Usagi's chakra. She noticed them all staring at her as she swayed, her legs unsteady, her body like a rung sponge, and finally collapsed into Neji's arms.

"Well," said Shikamaru at last, "we certainly can't send her home now."