Oh, this is getting GOOD! I love this part...even if it is depressing and dark...but when is angst not fun to write? Or is it just me? 0_0

The saying i use (ino's mom says it, not in real life, but in this story) i got from Quote Garden, which is an awesome site if you're looking for quotes!

Anyhoo, sorry if its a bit short, but I think it's pretty good! Hope you all like it!

PLEASE REVIEW!

Chapter 43

Ino Yamanaka ran along the roofs of the shops, her blue eyes glancing over at her teammate Shikamaru, who was tightlipped and anxious. Both of them were silent, and Ino looked back forward in order to skirt a telephone, gripping the wood and swinging around it swiftly, not once breaking her stride.

She had gone to make sure her father had known what was going on, but Inoichi had quickly pushed his daughter out, saying that he and Shikamaru's father had found out some information regarding Pein – the Akatsuki member who was initiating this attack. And so she had made her way back to where villagers were evacuating, and had run into Shikamaru.

The two of them were making sure that Kurenai was safe, seeing as Asuma would haunt them for the rest of their days if anything happened to her or his unborn child. Shikamaru told Ino to go help the rest of the villagers, but she refused.

She didn't want anything to happen to him. He was a lazy bastard most of the time, but he was her teammate. In the past year…he had become something more than a teammate. He was the person she felt truly comfortable around, who made her want to do better, and who was there even when she was at her worst. Ino hated that she was falling for someone like Shikamaru Nara, but as her mother always said: "We're all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."

Shikamaru was Ino's kind of weird. He just didn't know it yet.

Ino and Shikamaru reached the apartment building that Kurenai lived in, and Shikamaru pointed out which balcony was Kurenai's, and the two of them perched silently there.

Kurenai was swollen with pregnancy, that much was seen through her loose fitting dress, and yet she was still holding a few kunai in order to have some form of protection. Her crimson eyes softened at the sight of the two chuunin, and she hurried to open the sliding glass door.

"Shikamaru, Ino…what's going on? I heard–"

Ino moved forward. "Kurenai-san, we've got to get out of here. There are several huge summons that are destroying everything in their path, it's only a matter of time until they reach this place. There's an evacuation taking place for civilians…"

Kurenai nodded. "I understand. Give me a moment." Kurenai moved quickly back inside, and she only took a minute or so to come back outside. There was a small pack on her back, and Ino's throat tightened as she saw the woman slip a framed picture of a grinning Asuma into its leather depths.

Shikamaru was fidgeting, and glanced over at Ino. "We can't teleport, can we?"

Ino shook her head, glancing at how far Kurenai was in terms of pregnancy. "No, it's highly dangerous for pregnant women, and taking her and jumping is also a risk. The traditional stairs are the best choice. Although slower, they're safer for the baby."

Kurenai nodded, and allowed Shikamaru to take her by the arm, Ino taking her other hand, the three of them hurrying down the hall and running as fast as Kurenai was able. The air was filled with panicking yells, and Ino was grateful for the fact that Kurenai was a kunoichi. She didn't cry, or scream, or panic. She was calm, collected, and willing to listen to orders without hesitation. Ino didn't think she could have dealt with a fumbling and panicky citizen right now…it would have driven her over the edge.

It was so hard to fully comprehend…the fact that her beloved village was being attacked. How could this have happened? The people were being killed and injured, and even though Ino knew that she was just one single person in a pool of capable ninja…she felt as though she should be doing more. That she should be stronger, that she should be able to protect so many without consideration for her own power.

She wanted to be able to protect like Asuma-sensei had protected her, so many times in dangerous missions, she wanted to be strong like her teacher had been.

There were three flights of stairs, and Ino felt the shudders of the building as they reached the ground floor. Shikamaru's eyes met hers, craning his head back to look at her, and she forced a smile.

"Don't look back, lazy-ass."

The three of them finally made it to the outside courtyard, only to find a large centipede with razor sharp pincers coiling around the entrance building, crushing it with its muscular body that bunched and compressed, creating rubble and dust where the building used to be. Kurenai tensed, and Ino stepped in front of the woman as Shikamaru moved forward, his hands flipping through rapid hand signs. Long and lethal looking shadows suddenly sprouted from where Shikamaru was crouched, and they peeled off of the ground and lunged violently at the creature, stabbing through the midsection and sending greenish blood splattering on the cement.

The centipede clicked and uncoiled furiously, attempting to move away from the shadows. But Shikamaru held fast, and with a quick jerking movement, sliced the shadows through the centipede's body, slicing it in half. Shikamaru's eyes were dark and wary as the body squirmed and twitched as it died, and Ino felt something curl in her stomach at the sight of his muscled arms slowly lowering to a normal position. Shikamaru was no Sasuke Uchiha, but he had a certain masculinity to him that made Ino's feminine side sigh in contentment.

Suddenly, something thin and sharp flashed by Ino's chest and she only just turned in time to have the spine slice a line from her left shoulder to her collarbone. Ino yelped as heat began sinking in and burning almost immediately. Kurenai yelled to Shikamaru as Ino slumped backwards against the wall, holding her hand to the wound, gasping for breath.

It burned like acid – the most sinister, detrimental, painful kind – must burn. Ino looked down to see that the skin around the wound was bubbling and turning purple, and immediately began to push chakra through her fingers and moved to heal the wound.

The moment her chakra entered the wound, pain shot up her entire left arm and shoulder, and Ino couldn't help the whimper that escaped her lips, the sweat that beaded on her brow. Shikamaru was saying something to her, and she blinked as his words reached her.

"Ino, can you hear me?"

"Yeah…the stupid centipede wasn't completely dead…and it had poison spines of some kind. Get Kurenai to the evacuation site…I just need to heal this." Ino gritted her teeth, trying to sound more cheerful than she felt. Shikamaru was not fooled, and his dark eyes glanced at Kurenai.

The pregnant woman smiled. "I was a jounin kunoichi just six months ago…I think I can get myself to the evacuation site in one piece. Thank you both for taking the time to check up on me…and please, be safe." Kurenai moved to place a small pat on both of their heads, and before Shikamaru could protest she jogged out of sight, blending in with the various women and children running down the street.

Shikamaru moved closer to Ino as she attempted to penetrate the injury again, this time persevering even when the pain swelled up and seared through her skin. The girl felt her chakra slowly beginning to heal the wound, but she had to stop every few seconds because the pain became too great. Sweat ran down her face, and a small groan of pain whispered past her lips as she let her head lean backwards against the wall.

Through the haze of pain, Ino felt something rough and warm slip into her hand. She opened her eyes, and saw that Shikamaru was holding her hand, his eyes never leaving hers and silently pleading with her. His brow was furrowed, and she smiled slightly at the way his lips were pursed with agitation.

Dark eyes met blue for a few seconds longer, and then Ino took a deep breath before trying again, strengthened by Shikamaru's warm fingers gently squeezing her own. For an instant, she could imagine that he was concerned for her welfare not just as a teammate, but as something more. If she tried, she could imagine that the gentleness of his hands was him trying to express how much she meant to him.

Even if in reality it was all a part of her lovesick imagination, in that moment Ino believed it to be true.

Ino was so intent on her healing that she didn't notice that whenever she would grimace, Shikamaru's hand would instinctively tighten around hers. When a few tears leaked from the corners of Ino's eyes as an unintentional sign of her agony, Shikamaru's mouth tightened in angry frustration that he could do nothing but sit here and watch Ino suffer, as she struggled to heal herself from something he had failed to eliminate from the equation that formulated her safety.

My heart leaped in my chest, but not out of relief or joy. This time, my heart jumped in my chest out of horror as the heat of the fire flared and sent choking smoke into the sky. The Hyuuga Compound was on fire, and I quickly saw that the cause was the fire breathing summon that a dozen ninja were currently leading away from the site.

I ran into the compound, dodging the hurrying clan members as some ran out into the streets to fight, while others – the elderly, injured and mothers with their offspring – moved towards the evacuation tunnels situated beneath every clan facility. Smoke clogged my vision and I gagged as I held my shirt in front of my nose and mouth, not caring that my entire stomach was showing as I did so. Now was not the time for modesty.

I saw little children crying and coughing as their mothers hurriedly placed rags over their mouths to try and alleviate the effects of the smoke. The fire had been mainly contained in the center area, and several Hyuuga ninja were using a water jutsu to put it out. But there were several smaller fires that were taking root, and the first priority was to get everyone out safely.

"Mommy, Mommy where are you?" I heard a small voice cry under me, and I looked down to see a small boy collapsed on the floor, his pale eyes streaming with tears and his leg badly burned. I instantly ripped the bottom half of my shirt off, and tied it around his face, leaving only his eyes visible. He looked up at me fearfully, and I scooped him up carefully.

"Don't worry, kid, I've got you." I whispered soothingly, coughing as more smoke invaded my lungs. I ran to the evacuation tunnels, where woman were crowding and yelling in panic. I saw a woman with long black hair and soot stained cheeks sobbing and screaming as she stared around, her hands wringing her dress to tatters.

"Toshi! My baby, where are you? Have you seen him? Toshi!" She yelled, and the boy in my arms whimpered.

"Mommy!" Tears sprung anew in his eyes as he reached out for his mother, and I quickly pushed past the woman to reach her. The woman caught sight of me, and her pale eyes widened as a sob of relief tore itself from her throat. She yanked her boy from my arms, and held him close, both of them crying as she stroked his hair frantically. I smiled as she looked up at me, her gratitude too great for words. I patted the boys head, and moved away, allowing more women and children to fill in the space I had left.

The smoke was starting to make me dizzy, and I was running towards the exit when I almost collided with the ninja I was looking for. Neji's eyes widened as he stared down at me, and I spoke hurriedly.

"Neji, I need you to unseal my chakra. I can't do anything to help if I'm like this."

"You're still an enemy, Hikari. No matter what–"

I threw up my hands. "People are dying Neji! And they'll keep dying unless everyone with chakra is fighting against the Akatsuki member that's attacking this village!"

Neji's eyes narrowed, his soot covered hands clenching in anger. "You'll just run away the moment I unseal your chakra, do you really think I'm that gullible?"

"For fuck's sake, Neji, look around! Do you really think I'm that heartless? I have feelings too, even if you think differently, and I will not run away when innocent people are suffering for the wrongdoings of shinobi. I don't give a shit what happens to me, because I chose the life of a kunoichi, I chose to become a weapon. But these civilians…they didn't." Neji was silent, and I continued, clenching my fists tightly.

"Being a shinobi doesn't mean holding petty grudges and denying the strength of another just to prove a point. Being a shinobi means putting aside your personal feelings and doing what you can to protect those that cannot defend themselves. I may not like this village, but that doesn't mean that I'd sink so low as to abandon it when it needs my help! Please, Neji…unseal my chakra. I don't care what the Hokage decides to do with me afterwards; you can weave any stupid story you want to get yourself out of trouble. Say that I knocked you out while you were saving an innocent child from under a fallen wooden support beam, and that I stole the seal when you were unconscious. Make up anything you want…just let me help protect Konoha."

Neji scowled, and lifted the seal out of his pocket. "You really need to stop giving long heroic speeches like that…they make you look incredibly conceited. Not to mention cliché…"

I couldn't think of anything to say to that, and so I decided to remain silent. Neji met my eyes, and whispered softly.

"I will unseal your chakra…but don't think that this gets you anywhere with me, Hikari. I will never forgive you for what you did to Tenten, no matter how much good you do, no matter how much time passes. I will never forget."

I nodded; trying to ignore the sinking feeling that lodged in my throat at the sight of Neji's cold and merciless glare. He didn't look away as he roughly pressed the seal to my arm, and I shuddered as the barrier melted away, and my chakra swam through my system in relief. Neji disappeared, and I turned to stare out at the village for a moment before turning to run out into the chaos, grinning as the nearest animal summon – it was a large badger-like thing that was the size of a large house – turned to snarl at me. I was not afraid, and the chakra gave me a sense of bliss as it pulsed through my hands that were moving through hand signs almost instinctively.

I was finally free.

Kōsuke's beady yellow eyes were wide as he stared out at the battle that was beginning to wrack more and more destruction. Tsunade had already left to help heal the injured, and she had ordered him to call back Naruto if the battle wasn't ended within the hour.

It had been only twenty minutes since the Fifth Hokage had left, but that was enough time to see that this battle was not in favor of Konoha. Pein's bodies were searching for Naruto, and they wouldn't stop killing and hurting until the boy returned. The toad swallowed hard, fiddling with his goggles hanging around his neck, his webbed feet shifting nervously as he glanced around the village. He had only seen it once or twice – it was usually the bigger toads like Gamabunta and Fukasaku that were summoned regularly by Jiraiya – and to see it now, being slowly and painfully decimated, tore at Kōsuke's heart despite his lack of a past attachment towards the place. It was his deceased master's home, and the home of the new student who had risen up in Jiraiya's place. It was precious to both of them, and therefore is was precious to all toads that served in the summoning scroll.

The summons created by Pein were slowly being taken down, but the destruction they left in their wake was enough to make Kōsuke's eyes close in a grimace of grief. So many good shinobi dead…so many innocents left to kill. Those at Mount Myōboku had to know about this. Naruto had to come back and help his village, because without him and his lessons from the elders…Konoha didn't stand a chance.

Kōsuke sighed deeply, his eyes determined as he put his hands together, preparing his chakra for the transportation. He felt the familiar flare of energy, and closed his eyes.

He prayed to the Great Toad Sage that he would make it in time.

But suddenly, something solid and sharp pierced Kōsuke's chest, so quickly that the pain didn't even reach Kōsuke until a moment later. The toad chocked as blood welled up in his throat, and he fell limply on his side, heaving and feeling his vision fading rapidly to black. Panic rose in him, and he turned to see the man – what was his name? – standing there, the sword still in his hand, his one un-bandaged eye cold and merciless as he stared out in silent pleasure at the city.

"I can't have Naruto running back here…not when Tsunade's fall from power is so close. I will have Konoha in my grasp soon enough…and no one will be able to stop me."

Forgive me…Great Sage…I was careless, and because of that I failed. Oh…

The toad could see the kind and smiling face of the ancient toad now, always smiling, always forgiving. Kōsuke didn't want to believe it, but a small part of him knew that even though he had failed, the Great Sage would continue to smile at him…loving and forgiving as he had always had been.

Kōsuke's eyes closed, and he felt a last desperate flare of chakra flicker through his body before his mind succumbed to the blackness, and he knew no more.