Hikari: Path of The Avenger Chapter 29, a naruto fanfic

hey everyone! Sorry for the long update, been pretty busy lately! I hope that this makes up for it!

Please review!

Is Hikari's character developed enough, is the relationship between Sasuke and Hikari gradual enough, and believable? Oh please, please let me know!

Chapter 29

Sometime later in my unconsciousness, a vision slowly came to me, and it was so vivid that I knew that it couldn't possibly be a dream.

I was running, but the feel of my body was so very different than what I was used to. It was like that time before, when I was only an observer in this body, not able to act on my own. The air was cool against my face as I leapt through the trees, and I heard my voice yelling, a voice that made me jolt in surprise.

"Kiba, do you still have his scent?"

It was Naruto. I was somehow…somehow…in the body of Naruto. What the hell is going on? How could I possibly be in Naruto's consciousness?

I heard Kiba's voice in the background, so familiar that it made me want to cry. But those feelings of true love were faded now…instead replaced with affection that friends share. Kiba was my friend.

"Yeah. It's masked by a shit-load of explosive ash and other debris, but it's there."

Naruto frowned. "Do you think…"

"I don't know. Sasuke's good, but good enough to escape an attack that extreme? I don't think so."

Naruto turned to Kiba, whose face was solemn as he kept his slanted eyes ahead of him, gripping Akamaru's fur tightly as they twisted to push off of a large overhanging branch. Naruto grinned widely.

"Kiba, you know, I bet Hikari's with him."

Kiba's eyes flashed, and a low growl filled Akamaru's chest. "Shut up, Naruto. Hikari's dead…you saw her…and the rocks…" His voice seemed strangled, and I wished that I could leave this scene; I wished that I could wake up.

But of course, I was forced to watch as Naruto sighed. "I have a feeling that she's alive…I don't know…it's like I'd get some kind of sign if she died or something."

"Bah. I suppose it's almost better this way anyway." Kiba muttered. "She told me…that we were just kids. She was right. I loved her…but it was such a quick, painful love. I loved her, and she was gone. So quick…so much more horrible to know that if I had been two minutes earlier, she'd be with us still…" Kiba went silent, and Akamaru whined in sadness as Naruto let his face turn back to the front once more.

"She loves you, Kiba. Just not that kind of love."

"Yeah."

The two were silent, and I wished I had something to bang my head against. Why now, of all times, did they have to discuss Kiba's relationship with me? Couldn't they wait until I wasn't haunting Naruto's mind?

Kiba's nose suddenly twitched, and his eyes widened as his eyes flickered to the east. "He was moved in that direction…and…oh god. Naruto, call the others, get them over here." Kiba's face was filled with mixed emotions; joy and pain, sadness and happiness.

"What is it?"

"Hikari."

One word, but that one word held so much emotion that it made my blood run cold. Kiba still loved me. He reminded me strongly of Sakura in that sense…never able to truly let go of someone they had loved at one point or another.

It made me both happy and sad, but mostly it made me afraid for both Kiba and Sakura…and the consequences their unfaltering love would bring.

I opened my eyes hurriedly, and my body was sitting up frantically before my thoughts could begin to formulate themselves. My body felt…strangely okay, which was a relief. I stared at my knees, and Suigetsu's voice drawled from somewhere to my left.

"Look who's finally awake."

I looked over to see Suigetsu sitting against a wall, his pale purple eyes shining as I ran a hand through my hair, which was loose and falling around my waist. Juugo smiled from his position beside the small window, several birds perched on his hand.

I slowly eased out of the blankets, and looked around to see that we were in a small inn room outfitted with soft ivory walls and paper sliding doors framed with wood. I frowned as I noticed that a familiar red-head was missing.

"Where's Karin?"

"She left about twenty minutes ago to get supplies."

I nodded, and glanced over at the figure lying motionless on the blankets beside me, and slowly crawled over so that I was kneeling beside him. Bandages covered the boy's chest and wrapped around his temples. His spiky black hair was strewn around his pillow and his dark eyes were closed.

Sasuke was resting, and I pursed my lips as my fingers touched his cheek, where my bandage was still taped. I needed to tell him about my dream – or whatever the hell it was. I tried to be as gentle as possible, and leaned down to whisper.

"Sasuke, wake up."

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, and I saw the tiredness in them. He was still injured, and a small grimace crossed his lips as he struggled to sit up. I quickly put my arm around his upper back, supporting him as he reached a sitting position. His lips were slightly parted as he glanced around at the two teammates sitting idly on the floor.

The boy suddenly seemed to notice me, and I couldn't help but blush at the way his eyes narrowed slightly, raking up and down my figure in search for injuries. I had to get a hold of myself. Sasuke didn't feel anything for me, I needed to stop fantasizing!

"Sasuke?" Those intense dark eyes flickered up to meet my gaze. "I had…another dream. Like that one before, when I saw Sakura leaving for her mission in Sound. Back in the bank, Suigetsu heard that Konoha ninja were searching for Itachi, and in my dream Kiba and Naruto had just found our trail. We need–"

"SASUKE-KUN!" Everyone except for Sasuke flinched at the familiar shrillness, and we all looked towards the door, where Karin was kicking the paneled door down, her face flushed and her eyes narrowed. I sighed at the fallen door.

"You know, it would've taken you – at the most – two seconds to just open the door…"

Karin went on, rushing into the room. "Sasuke-kun, we've got ninja heading this way, either Konoha or Akatsuki, I can't tell."

Sasuke's face hardened. "How many?"

"Eight ninja, but they have several animals with them, ninja dogs I'm almost positive. We need to get out of here now!"

I got to my feet. "They're Konoha ninja, and they do have several trackers. C'mon Sasuke, get up." I knelt down, and Sasuke brushed me away as he slowly got to his feet. I blinked at the swiftness of his recovery, and as if sensing my shock the boy muttered.

"Absorbing Orochimaru made it much easier to heal…"

"Oh."

I quickly turned to roll up the blankets and shove everything into the packs once more. Suigetsu and Karin were already ready to go, and Juugo sighed as he quickly threw his cloak over his shoulders, standing to leave with the rest of us.

Sasuke strode towards the door, and we quickly exited the inn. I tossed some money on the counter, and the innkeeper waved goodbye. We reached the outside, and Sasuke flipped out the map that Juugo had made. The teen had used his birds to scout for Akatsuki sites, and those sites were marked on the map in Sasuke's hands.

"We're going to head to the nearest site on this map, take a good look in case we need to split up."

I glanced at the map, seeing that the base closest to here was to the west, in the forest. My brain unconsciously memorized significant landmarks, such as the large river that led up to the base, and a bizarre looking tree beside that river, a tree with branches that were bent vaguely in the shape of a bird taking flight.

I nodded, seeing Karin speaking to Juugo out of the corner of my eye. I turned to the two, but their conversation was already over, and I saw several strips of dark cloth in Karin's hands. I raised an eyebrow, and Juugo quietly explained.

"Karin cut up Sasuke's shirt, and I'm going to have birds carry them in all different directions, to throw them off our trail."

I stopped at the thought, and a flash of the vision blinded me for a moment, and my hands clenched into fists.

"What is it?"

"Hikari."

"They're looking for me too." I whispered, and Sasuke's eyes snapped to mine faster than I would have thought possible. He was in front of me in a second, and his onyx eyes were fierce as he snapped.

"Why would they be looking for you?"

I sighed, and debated trying to hide anything from him concerning my time in Konoha. But I realized that I needed to be honest, and not try and hide behind his back. I was his friend – I knew that he considered me as a friend, he trusted me – and I didn't want to threaten the emotion that lay behind that title.

"Because Kiba's on that team, and in Konoha we had…uh…sort of a thing going on. Completely childish and silly, but it was nice. When I left, I was able to put aside my feelings and realize that they weren't really that honest. I didn't really love him; I only wished that I was able to love him like he loved me. But Kiba…he's not one to forget something like that in a hurry. He still loves me…and I know that even if his orders are to just capture you, he'll take that opportunity to try and bring me back as well."

Suigetsu was in shock, while Karin was hissing to herself.

"Wow…Kiba must be as stupid as she is..."

I slammed my fist into her jaw, not hard enough to do any real damage, but enough to make her whimper in pain. It was the first time I had ever hit her, and it felt good. Sasuke didn't move, his eyes still on me as I snarled.

"Karin, I've taken a truck-load of your crap, and I understand that I deserve most of it because of my teasing of you. But don't, don't you dare insult Kiba like that. He is not stupid, and he is not cruel or evil. He is a good person. Rag on me all you want…but don't talk about any of my friends like that. You haven't earned the right, and probably never will."

Without waiting for an answer, I held my hand out for one of the strips of Sasuke's shirt. Juugo handed it to me without hesitation, and barely flinched when I flipped out a kunai and cut of a scrap of his shirt. I approached Karin, and did the same thing. She yelled, eyes flashing.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Suigetsu smiled, and cut away a piece of his shirt before I could do it myself. "Rack your tiny brain, Red. If one of the trackers is sweet on Hikari, who do you think he's going to be especially interested in finding? If I was with her, I'd think the hell with the mission, and try to find her as quickly as possible. Hikari now has all of our scents, which will fool the tracker into thinking that our entire team is going in one direction, rather than just Sasuke. I assume that beautiful here is going to deliberately cross paths with the Konoha group, and lead them away from where we're headed."

I grinned, and raised my hand for a high five. "You read my mind, Shark-boy."

"No, I just know what you're thinking."

"Uh, wait…isn't that the same thing?"

"Nope." Suigetsu grinned cheekily, and Karin rolled her eyes. I shook my head and tucked the pieces of cloth into my belt, pulling my hair back as Karin's eyes darted nervously towards the woods.

"I'll lead them far enough away so that they can't track your scent, and when I can I'll lose them and meet you guys at the base. If you find something on Itachi…don't bother waiting." I saluted nonchalantly, trying to swallow the nervousness that bubbled up in my gut at the prospect of getting captured. I would no longer be a guest…I would be an enemy. Who knows what would happen to me…I would most likely be tortured for information, and disposed of when I had no more to give them.

I turned towards the trees, and was about to start running when I felt strong fingers encircle my wrist. I turned to see that Sasuke was standing right behind me, his eyes dark and searching as he stared into my eyes. I smiled weakly at him, and found that I could not speak.

There was a torn look in those onyx eyes, and I glanced down at the wrist he was holding tightly, and slowly looked back up at him. He did not speak, but the pressure in his grip seemed to channel his emotions through my skin.

It's too dangerous, the stern grip of his fingers whispered to me, and I sighed.

"I'll be fine, Sasuke. I can take care of myself."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Why does it have to be you? When anything requires any degree of sacrifice…why are you always the one?"

I smiled at him, and everything seemed to fall into place. I knew why I had to do this, I knew why it was crucial that I was the one. I let my hand reach up, and slowly poked him in the forehead. I don't know why I did this, but it seemed right, and Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Because that's my dream as a ninja. I was given my gift for a reason…and I will use it to protect people I care about. Shocking, I know, but you're included in that category."

Sasuke blinked slowly, and I grinned, slowly pulling away. His fingers slid across my palm, and his fingers traced along mine before we were separated. I waved, and started running.

The moment my feet touched the trees, I felt several strong chakra signatures following me. I quickened my pace, smiling with the thrill of the chase. I knew that they would be expecting Sasuke's speed, so I poured all of my energy and confused feelings into my run, my hair quickly falling out of the loose bun I had tied it in. I ignored it, and reached up to swing myself down into the lower branches.

I was running, but the only thing that was allowed to plague my mind was the look on Sasuke's face as he gripped my hand.

Was I imagining the desperate look in his eyes, was I simply dreaming that his jaw had tensed in anxious worry?

I must be…there was no other explanation. I loved him, but I was ashamed of that love. It would tear me to pieces when Sasuke callously tossed me aside as he had done to Sakura, it would break my heart into such jagged lines that it would never heal again. I knew that Sasuke was the one I had been destined to be with…ever since that night out on the porch, when he had told me that I wasn't a fool…I continuously felt the connection that we shared.

My life had veered off in a separate direction for a time, and I had allowed myself to believe that I was happy there. But was it happiness? No, it was merely the shadow of happiness, the rare glimpse of a life that I yearned for and despised.

Even through all of that…my path had righted itself. I had found my way back to Sasuke. There were no other explanations needed, because the moment his eyes met mine I was home.

Home was no longer a pretty picture of a fading white house with roses growing up the sides. Home no longer resided in the face of a distant woman with dark, graying brown hair and bright green eyes. That life was beyond my reach, fading quickly into the darkness of my subconscious as a new life paved the way for me.

I wanted so much to include Sasuke in my future, but his path was so dark…and lonely. He had shut himself into a corner of hatred and sorrow, and I didn't know whether he had a chance of getting out or not. I wanted him to find peace; I wanted him to know that I loved him for him, that I would follow him into the darkness if necessary.

In a way, I suppose, I knew Sasuke better than even his teammates did. Naruto and Sakura knew him as the twelve year old boy who had run away from Konoha…I knew him as he was in the present. I knew him as the lonely soul lost in the emotionless shell his mind had created to protect himself. They wished to remain in the past…and that was what pulled them farther and farther away from being able to bring Sasuke back.

They needed to let go of the past and prepare for the future.

I didn't look back as the miles raced under my feet, and I heard a voice call out from far away.

"Hikari!"

That was Kiba. I smiled sadly at the sound, and continued onward. I needed to get them far enough away…and then I would stop. I would stop, and speak with Naruto and Sakura face to face. I needed to tell them to stop. I needed them to at least listen to me.

If they didn't…I would escape using teleportation jutsu. It took up a lot of chakra, but it was necessary in order to get enough of a head start. I would then find my way back to the river, where I would follow it up to the base.

I waited until I was far enough, and then lightly jumped down to land soundlessly on the forest floor. It was a small clearing, and I stood tall as I felt eight chakra signatures appear in the upper branches.

I calmly looked up to see Naruto, Kiba, and Sakura standing on the branch closest to the ground, staring down at me with wide eyes. I saw several other members of Konoha, but they were unfamiliar except for Hinata and Shino. One of them was crouched on the branch above Naruto, and I saw that he had spiky silver hair and his headband slanted downward to cover his left eye. Another one had sickly pale skin, with a black outfit that bared his midriff and a strangely content expression on his face. The last was an older man – about thirty or so – and who was vaguely familiar. I suddenly recognized him from the collapsing base…he had been their leader at the time.

I smiled slightly, and put my hands up mockingly. "So many…all to bring back a teammate who doesn't want anything to do with you. It's kind of pathetic, really."

I knew I was being cruel, but I had learned from my past mistake. I couldn't let them woo me into their world of warmth and cuddly bonds. I needed to remain in control. I needed to be cool, collected…and not give them any information that would hinder Sasuke's goal.

Kiba sucked in a breath, and Sakura flicked her pink hair back angrily.

"Hikari, where is Sasuke going?"

I stared at her blankly. "And you're assuming that I'm just going to tell you? I don't think so. I know where my loyalties lie…I'd say that it's time that you considered yours."

Kiba yelled. "Hikari, come back with us! You saved Sakura, that's all that matters!"

I sighed, looking up at the boy that I had fooled myself into loving. "Kiba, Kiba, Kiba…I told you in my letter, didn't I? We're just kids. There is nothing between you and me but physical attraction. You know it; I know it…so let's put it all behind us."

I turned to the silver haired one – his stance made it obvious that he was the leader of this espionage – and smiled slightly. "I'm not here to fight…I just want to speak to members of Sasuke's old team in Konoha. There's something I would like to tell them in private."

The silver haired one narrowed his eye, and leaned forward. "If you want a peaceful meeting, it can be arranged. But first…you have to tell us where Sasuke's headed. You tell us what we want to know…and Naruto, Sakura, and I will listen to what you have to say."

I smiled wryly. "What's your name, if I may be so bold?"

"Kakashi Hatake."

"Kakashi…Sasuke's mentioned you a few times. I suppose I have you to thank for providing Sasuke with the perfect tree climbing exercise for me…you have no idea how many trees I marked up with various weapons."

Kakashi was silent, as I expected him to be, but I saw Naruto and Sakura's lips tighten slightly at the mention of Sasuke using some of their genin training exercises. I smiled, and leaned back against a tree.

"Sasuke's headed towards the ruins of Soraku, where he's gathering supplies before heading after Itachi."

I continued smiling faintly, not letting any muscle in my face twitch or shift to reveal my lie. I hoped that one of Juugo's birds had flown in that direction. Juugo had released his birds…right? I half-expected them to call me out on it, but to my immense surprise Akamaru – after a moment of careful sniffing – barked in affirmation, and Kakashi sat back and nodded to the rest of the group.

"Thank you."

The rest of the group slowly took off, and soon all but Kiba and the three requested to stay were gone. Kiba stood in front of me, his eyes so familiar and bright. I smiled slightly at him, a hand on my hip.

"You too, Kiba. Scoot."

"Did you ever love me, Hikari?"

I blinked, shocked by the sudden question, and Kiba took the opportunity to brush his fingers against my cheek. I was slapping his hand away before I had time to think, and Kiba's eyes darkened in pain, but his expression was then filled with bitter resentment as he moved past me.

"Should've known…"

I wanted to say something comforting to Kiba, but I knew that in order for him to move on, I had to keep this cold side of me up. I couldn't allow his smile and his eyes draw me away from my mission.

Naruto's eyes never left me as we were finally left alone, and Sakura stepped forward. "Hikari, why did you leave Konoha? I don't understand!"

I snorted. "To save your sorry ass, that's why. Are you going to tell me that I shouldn't have returned to Sound? If I hadn't, you would be dead by Kabuto's hand. He wanted to experiment on both of us…but he gave me a choice on who would be the one selected. You didn't even stop to think about why I kept you away from him, you didn't even have a clue that I was going to sacrifice myself for you."

Sakura's eyes widened, and her lips trembled as the past events went through her mind, as her hands clenched in understanding. She looked so fragile, so breakable, even though she tried to hide it.

It was because of her link to Sasuke.

Naruto's eyes were tense with nervousness, and his hands were shaking slightly as he glanced to where Kiba and the rest had gone. He wanted to get this over with, he wanted to find Sasuke. The jounin was calm, but after a year of being in close proximities with Sasuke allowed me to find a small fraction of frustration in the way he held his shoulders.

I sighed, and crossed my arms over my chest. It was time for them to hear it from someone who knew Sasuke as he was right now, who knew who he was behind that emotionless mask as well as what he was with the mask on.

"All of you need to give up on trying to bring Sasuke back to Konoha."

Kakashi was silent as Naruto yelled. "How can you say that? You barely even know him! Just because–"

Sakura interrupted him softly. "Naruto…Hikari has been training under Sasuke-kun for more than a year."

Kakashi's eye narrowed at this, and he leaned forward slightly. "Why would Orochimaru accept this?"

I decided to be honest. "Orochimaru thought that Sasuke would benefit by training someone his age, and Sasuke agreed to train me for five months."

"But its long since passed that amount of time…how would Sasuke benefit from keeping you as his pupil?"

"I assume that I was skilled enough to prove useful to his cause. I don't really keep tabs on him like that…"

Sakura interrupted me viciously. "Oh stop it, Hikari! We both know that that's not the real reason."

"I wasn't aware that there was another reason."

"Sasuke-kun is attached to her, Kakashi-sensei. That's why he kept her around. I watched the two of them together, and they were like Yin and Yang almost…so different and yet balancing each other out perfectly…"

"Very poetic, Sakura. Quite enthralling." I scoffed sarcastically, and Naruto glared at me.

"Don't talk to Sakura-chan like that, Hikari!"

"What are you going to do about it, Naruto? Are you going to chase after me like you do Sasuke, never accepting that you do not have the right to choose what is best for other people?"

Naruto's mouth shut with an audible pop, and his eyes were wide as I went on.

"You are not God, Naruto. None of you are. If you had an ounce of sense in you, you would accept the fact that Sasuke is not the twelve year old that left Konoha for Sound. He is not your teammate anymore! He is old enough to take care of himself, and you two chasing after him like idiots isn't really making any big steps in his return to Konoha. Get this into your heads: if Sasuke is ever going to return to Konoha, it's going to be by his own choice, not by a team of ninja dragging him back by force."

Naruto slammed his hand against the tree trunk beside him angrily. "Shut up! Sasuke is coming back with us, whether I have to beat him senseless and drag him by his feet! Nothing you say or do will change that! I made a promise to bring him back, and I never go back on my word!"

"Promises can be broken. They're broken all the time, actually. Just because you won't give up doesn't mean that things will go your way. In this case…your promise is only hurting you, and the lovesick kunoichi beside you." I murmured, and Sakura bit her lip as Naruto's face blanked with shock.

I went on, putting a hand on my hip. "Life is a cycle, and things are both gained and lost in the course of that cycle. You gained a friendship with Sasuke back in the days of your childhood…and you lost that friendship when he left. That line was drawn in that moment, and however hard you try to deny it, that loss still remains. You and Sasuke are now enemies; you are now traveling two different paths that may never cross again. If you care about Sasuke at all…you need to let him go. I know it's painful, but trust me…it's for the best. I'm not trying to do this to have him all to myself, I almost wish that you could still chase after him and try and change him. I wish I could be that foolish. But I know him better than any of you do at this point, and I know that Sasuke is walking a very fine line between sanity and insanity. His vengeance is what drives him…and I believe that he deserves that vengeance. I don't know what path he will choose to follow after he gets his revenge, but I know that whatever path he chooses…I will stand by him. You see, what I have with Sasuke is more binding than your so-called friendship. Friends accept the other's faults; they stand by them no matter how dark the path may seem, they try to understand the other friend's situation. Can you call yourselves friends, after trying time and time again to dictate what path is right for him? Can you call yourselves friends if you don't try and empathize with him, and don't let him choose his own way?"

Naruto staggered backward a few steps, and I smirked slightly. "You know I'm right…you know that your promise is pointless."

Naruto seemed about to speak, but suddenly Kakashi was gone, appearing right behind me. I sighed, and flipped my foot around to land on his arms, that quickly rose to block my attack.

"Nice try, but I'm not going to be–"

I looked up, only to find myself face to face with a spinning Sharingan eye. My knees seemed to turn to mush, and I crumpled to the ground. The jounin was careful not to knock me out, that much was plain, but my vision still went slightly fuzzy as I heard Kakashi speaking quietly to a yelling Naruto and an indignant Sakura.

"Kakashi-sensei, why?"

"What the hell, Kakashi-sensei? We said that we'd have a peaceful meeting, not–"

Kakashi held up a hand. "I'm not going to take her back to the village…I'm going to use her as bait. If you're correct in your observation of Sasuke's attachment to her…then sooner or later he'll come looking for her."

If I could have, I would've smiled.

Because unlike them, I knew that with Sasuke being this close to finding Itachi…he would never let something like a teammate foolish enough to get captured get in his way.

While they talked about setting up camp and waiting for Sasuke to show up – which was something that Sasuke would never do – I closed my eyes and slowly and carefully began formulating a plan to escape.