Okay guys, I lied. There wont be two or three more chapters. BECAUSE THIS IS THE FINAL CHAPTER!

Before you read, please understand this: I'M LEAVING IT LIKE THIS FOR A REASON! but FEAR NOT! I have part of the first chapter of the sequel, so DON'T THINK THAT I'M GONNA LEAVE YOU HANGING! It might take me a few days, but I assure you, i will have the sequel up soon! So stay tuned for it!

A huge thanks to everyone who has read, story-alerted, favorite-ed, and/or reviewed this story! You all are so freaking awesome...and I hope that you enjoy this as well as the upcoming sequel!

Buckle your seatbelts everyone, and get ready for the last chapter of Hikari: Path of the Avenger!

Enjoy, and PLEASE REVIEW!

PS: The title of the sequel will be - Sasuke: Beginning of the End

So be sure to look for it!

:D

Chapter 45

I lost track of time a long time ago.

How long had it been since Sasuke and I had been kissing in Naruto's apartment? How many days had passed? Had it really only been a few hours? Was it ever going to end?

My hands were trembling from exhaustion, but I forced my arms to keep blocking the enemy ninja's strikes. It was a large man, bulky and strong, but he moved quicker than my eyes could follow. His red cloud cloak whipped around him relentlessly, and anger welled in my chest as I remembered the same cloak around Madara. Was he behind this?

And if he was, why did I get the strangest feeling that the man fighting me wasn't aiming to kill? I could just be imagining it, but something told me that it wasn't just me. When he would try and hit me, his hand would always miss, and he was constantly moving, not trying to kill but instead trying to get behind me. What was he up to?

I was getting tired though – fighting several large, dangerous animal summons hadn't exactly rejuvenated me in terms of stamina – and it was getting harder to keep up.

Where was Sasuke now? Was he fighting one of the enemy ninja as well? Was he winning?

Was he dead?

I stopped myself before that thought could contaminate the rest of my mind. I couldn't let myself even attempt to imagine that scenario. Sasuke was fine…he was stronger than anyone I knew. He would survive this, and we would be together.

We would be together.

It was like a mantra, and I chanted it to myself as I forced my body to keep moving. I leapt out of the way as he sent a jutsu my way, and ducked as it hit the pile of rubble to my left, avoiding the sharp shards of concrete as they scattered everywhere.

I had been quick enough to avoid him touching me so far, which was good, because with the enemy, you never knew what they could do. I had heard from one of the jounin passing by that one of the enemy ninja could suck out a person's soul just by touching their head. After hearing that, I was careful not to let anyone touch me, in case the enemy was impersonating a Konoha ninja.

But I was running out of options. This guy was unlike any opponent I had ever faced. He was strong, big, fast, and strangely calm…something that unnerved me to no end. How was I supposed to beat him if I couldn't get close? I had never been exactly skilled at long-distance, much preferring mid-range to close-range combat. I was running out of chakra, and there was no one around who was strong enough to help me.

I knew that I had maybe one more big attack in me before my strength gave out, and I forced the fear at dying away as I put my hands together. It was going to take a lot of chakra, but I knew that I had to do it. It would require me getting close, but if I was fast enough, the jutsu would take him out before he had time to do anything. It was a wind technique Sasuke had explained to me. It manipulated the wind around the enemy to suddenly rush around the enemy, jabbing and becoming sharp as knives, stabbing into the enemy in all the vital places.

I completed the last seal, and got ready to jump from behind my haven of fallen rubble.

It's Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha.

My eyes widened. Why was I remembering this now? The memory of Sasuke telling me his name wasn't this important, right?

Someone like me. And what am I exactly, Hikari?

I felt tears welling up.

You're not a fool.

I couldn't stop the memories from trickling in, even as I jumped out and began running towards my enemy.

You were all of those things to others, I suppose…but to me, you were a clean slate. A chance to connect with someone who knew nothing about who I was…

I reached the Akatsuki member, and let my chakra rush free. But just as the wind was about to constrict, his hands gripped around my wrists, and suddenly my knees collapsed beneath me. The chakra dissipated, and I was left gasping for breath.

I couldn't do anything, and I felt something trickling away, and with a jolt I realized that he was drawing out my chakra. And since it was…already…so low…I was…

I love you.

The memory Sasuke's voice saying those three words was the last thing I heard in my thoughts, and then everything started fading. Slipping away like numerous small boats floating away atop a rushing stream. My relationship with Kiba, my chance at a normal life in Konoha, my mom and friends back in their peaceful world. My relationship with Tenten and Neji shattered because of my natural inclination to hurt people who tried to hurt me, my petty thoughts regarding Sakura, my inexplicable connection to Naruto, my foolish courage when confronting Madara, my one and only meeting with the clone of Itachi, my affection for Suigetsu and Juugo.

My eyes turning to see a pair of dark eyes staring at me…eyes like onyx.

I love you too, Sasuke, my tired mind whispered feebly. I couldn't stay awake much longer. I hadn't felt this weak in a long time…not since that first mission in Sound. I was so stupid and foolish then…

Once upon a time, in a land – and universe – far, far away…I had been a normal girl, named Lily Thompson.

Arms were scooping me up, and I didn't try to fight as I felt the Akatsuki member's large arms shifting as he began to run. The movement made my head even more fuzzy, and I struggled to stay awake.

Once upon a time, I had wanted to go home to my mother and to her loving smile as she woke me up for school.

But that was in the past, in some fairy tale that I no longer played a part of. I was now apart of a tale that wasn't anything like Snow White or Sleeping Beauty. Mine was filled with horror, betrayal, sadness, pain, confusion, and tears…with happiness, and friendship, excitement, strength, love, and long kisses under a bright orange umbrella.

Now, I was Hikari.

And in a way, I had been Hikari all along, even when I was just a fifteen year old girl with nothing better to do than to try and catch the eye of cute guys walking by her house.

My heart just needed a little push in the right direction.

Well, in my case, a little push had somehow been translated to getting hit by a truck.

But I guess you can't be picky when it comes to things like that.

My thoughts were moving even slower now, and I felt a pang of fear as I realized the weight of my situation, but it was all swept away as the man carrying me stopped, and the sudden lack of motion made my mind finally succumb to the nothingness.

Sakura didn't know how it happened, but suddenly, as she was fighting the dark haired kunoichi, the ground around them suddenly exploded. Dirt, metal, and stone was flying everywhere, and Sakura felt something large sticking to the back of her shirt, chakra welling up around the medic, protecting her from the debris flying in the air. The chakra was familiar, and Sakura relaxed somewhat as she recognized it to be her mentor's.

Sakura fell to the ground, holding her head in her hands and waiting for the shaking to stop. Screams that were become numb and regular sounds in Sakura's ears were overwhelmed by the roar of chakra as it filled the air and the earth. It was huge, it was colossal.

Chills of fear and unease swept through Sakura as the shaking stopped, and when she looked up, a gasp of shock left her.

Konoha…was gone.

There was nothing but a flat expanse of earth, with stray piles of rubble that managed to survive the explosion. The air was thick with dust and chemicals from broken gas lines and other underground pipes, and Sakura felt tears welling up in her eyes as she stared around in horror.

Her village was in ruins. There was no chance that they could defeat an enemy that was capable of such destruction. So many were dead because of this, so many would continue to die…because there was no hope.

Where was Sasuke, where was Kakashi-sensei? Had they both been killed by the explosion, or was there a chance that all was not lost?

Sakura sat there, wanting to move, but her legs refused to cooperate. Her emerald green eyes were staring out at the flat expanse of earth, a dead expanse of earth. She felt the sting of cuts and bruises on her skin, but she couldn't find the will to heal them. What the point of hoping? It was all over…

It's a promise, Sakura-chan!

Naruto…he was still alive. He was still breathing, living, and grinning that impossibly wide grin that made Sakura want to roll her eyes and hug him at the same time.

Naruto would come back. He always did. He was her idiot, her teammate…her best friend. He loved her – even if she didn't share his romantic attachment – and he would come back. She believed in him, if nothing else.

Tears fell down Sakura's cheeks in a torrent as she screamed to the heavens.

"Please come back, Naruto! Please…please!"

Kakashi knew that he was dying. He could feel it, creeping up on him like a deadly poison, spreading through his skin and making his body instinctively panic. But his mind refused to panic. What was the point of panicking?

The clone of Pain in front of him was staring at him with cold purple eyes, and Kakashi stared right back, knowing that there was no point in resisting any more. Chouji had escaped, and would be taking details of this Pain's abilities to Tsunade. There was nothing else for Kakashi to do.

Kakashi was so tired. Unbelievably tired…unthinkably tired. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and drift into the abyss, but he forced himself not to break eye contact with the Akatsuki leader before him. He wouldn't back down, even in death. For Obito's sake…for Rin…for Minato-sensei. He would be strong to the end, strong in a way that he hadn't been able back when it counted.

The jounin caught sight of something, and let his eyes glance to the side. Kakashi's face paled as he registered what he was seeing. No…it couldn't be…what on earth would they want with her of all people?

Another one of Pain's clones was striding towards them, and the Pain staring at Kakashi turned to acknowledge the other clone. Hikari, battered and unconscious, was limp under the bulky Pain's arm, her hair in a loose and messy bun that was splattered with dust and blood. Kakashi didn't understand…why would they want Hikari?

The shorter Pain murmured. "So…this is the girl?"

The bulky one nodded. "Yes."

"Then it is time to execute the final jutsu. Go deliver her to Madara…you know where he's waiting?"

"I do."

The two suddenly disappeared, and Kakashi gave a soft chuckle that was bereft of any humor. He was dying…there was no chance of him surviving. Even Pain knew this, otherwise he never would have left Kakashi unfinished as he did.

Kakashi felt a wave of remorse. Just when Sasuke had found someone to love, too. Seeing them kiss had been a shock, but in a way, Kakashi was happy. Sasuke wouldn't have to live his life like Kakashi had. But now…

Hikari was gone. And Sasuke would never know that she had been kidnapped, nor would he ever know the identity of her kidnapper. He would assume that she died in the explosion, and that her body was buried too deep under debris and rubble to be retrieved.

What a pity…

I'm so sorry, everyone. Obito, Rin, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke…I wasn't able to protect any of you like I should have.

Obito's face, cold and filled with emotion, as he spoke clearly into the silent thicket, deep in enemy territory.

Those who disobey rules are scum, but those who don't care for their teammates are even lower than that!

The horrible sight of Obito, under that rock…the shock that filled Kakashi's chest as he stared at his teammate. The blood that coated the ground around Obito's mouth as the boy coughed roughly. There was nothing to do but watch, nothing Kakashi did budged that rock, his yells did nothing…they were useless…always so useless…

The right side of my body is pretty much numb…I can't even feel anything.

Rin's tears, and Obito's gentle smile as he whispered.

I never gave you a graduation present, did I, Kakashi?

Kakashi closed his eyes, and drifted.

Madara had been planning this for a long time. He forced himself to remain calm as he watched the Preta Path emerge from the trees, the girl unconscious under his arm. The Uchiha moved forward to collect her, and the Preta Path nodded respectfully before disappearing to rejoin the battle. Madara smiled coolly, moving his hand in preparation for a teleportation jutsu. But a lazy voice interrupted him, vaguely familiar to Madara as the man turned.

It was that water ninja who had been traveling with Sasuke…Suigetsu, his name was. The infamous experiment of Orochimaru who had an unhealthy lust for killing and dismembering his victims. The sword that had once belonged to the water rogue Zabuza was strapped on the youth's back, and pale purple eyes watched Madara's every movement with chilling clarity. Madara didn't tense; he knew that this boy was no match for him.

Suigetsu smirked. "You're Madara Uchiha, right? The guy who saved Sasuke a month or so ago?"

"And what of it?" Madara kept his voice cool and collected, barely restraining the irritation at this boy's casual tone. Who did he think he was?

"I'd like to join you. You know, in your whole world domination thing. Konoha's such a bore, and every other village has stacks of rules."

Madara was intrigued. Having such an experienced killer on his side could prove handy in the next few stages of his plan, but then he remembered that he had traveleed with Sasuke.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Honestly, you can't, but I can tell you that I'm not really tight with Sasuke or anyone, seeing as they've all gone soft and weak. I don't want power or anything…I just want a job that requires me to kill things. If you need someone like that…I'm your man."

Madara stared at the water ninja, his eyes narrowed in thought. After a moment, he nodded.

"Fair enough. You obey my every order, and I'll let you live. Understood?"

"Definitely." The teen flashed him a sharp smile, and Madara nodded once more moving forward. Suigetsu tensed, as if preparing for an attack, which made Madara chuckle. The boy was smart to fear him, Madara would have killed him right then and there if he had been in any way comfortable around him. Madara would always be cautious around the teen, and would eventually dispose of him, but it didn't mean that he couldn't take advantage of the skills being offered in the meantime.

Suigetsu realized what Madara wanted him to do, and quickly grabbed onto the man's sleeve. Madara made a quick hand sign, and with a tug of chakra, the three vanished in a large cloud of smoke.

Yes, Madara mused to himself, his excitement coiling tightly in his chest, it is all going according to plan.

Ino and Shikamaru had been running down the street when the explosion hit, and both of them were thrown off balance by the strength of the tremors. The two were sent flying in opposite directions, the ground shuddering and rock flying around dangerously. Shikamaru hit the ground hard, and stayed down, curling up and holding his head until the shaking stopped.

Now, after recovering somewhat from the shock, Shikamaru looked around and hurried to Ino's side. The girl was crying, her eyes wide as she stared around at the village – now reduced to a flat expanse of land that was overlooked by the Hokage Monuments.

Shikamaru refused to let his feelings of desolation overwhelm him, and focused on helping Ino to her feet.

"Ino, c'mon, we've got to get to the others."

"S-Shikamaru…it's just…gone…" Ino sobbed, and Shikamaru blinked in surprise as she leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him desperately. Her body fit perfectly into his embrace, and had it been under any other circumstances, Shikamaru would have been blushing. But now, as he listened to his teammate's sobs, he felt only sorrow. He hated to see her cry, not because it was troublesome having to deal with a woman's tears, but because it was Ino. Ino was the strong one, the brash and troublesome girl he had been forced onto a team with.

She shouldn't be crying.

Shikamaru held her close, taking this opportunity to hold her close without any repercussions…taking the moment to wonder if she possibly could feel the same way as him. If she could possibly see him like…

The boy shook his head.

It was impossible. The only way that would ever happen was if the entire world was destroyed and Ino and Shikamaru were the only survivors, and after many, many years of close proximity. And even then, it was iffy.

So, Shikamaru took what he could get now, feeling the solidness of her body against his, and the warmth of her lower back against his arms.

After a few long minutes, Ino managed to compose herself, and gently pulled away. Shikamaru forced his hands to let her step away from him, and he quickly turned down the street as Ino embarrassedly wiped her tears away.

"We should go." Shikamaru muttered, and Ino nodded, moving so she was next to him once more. He stole a glance at her determined face, and the two set off.

The two ran more urgently now, but it seemed like seconds later that Ino suddenly shrieked a name with such urgency that Shikamaru, for a second, thought that they had somehow been transported back in time to their genin days.

"Sasuke!"

Shikamaru saw where Ino was pointing, and the two ran over to the motionless form lying on its stomach, black hair matted with blood. Ino's eyes were filling with tears again as she gently felt for a pulse, and Shikamaru let out a sigh of relief as she confirmed the presence of a heartbeat.

Ino looked at the wound in Sasuke's head, and then at a large lump of concrete that was bloodstained and off to the side. "He must have been hit with it during the explosion…"

Shikamaru nodded, and Ino examined the Uchiha carefully, her hands shaking with worry.

"I think he'll be okay, but we need to get him to Sakura or Tsunade-sama…I've never dealt with trauma wounds before…"

Shikamaru nodded again. "Is it safe to move him, though?"

Ino shook her head. "No, I don't think so. It could cause even more damage…we'll need to get someone to come here." Her deep blue eyes were narrowed in thought, and Shikamaru beamed inwardly. She was still shaken up, but she was trying so hard to be strong.

"I'll go get someone. Stay with him, okay?" Shikamaru hesitated, and touched Ino's head for a moment. She nodded, smiling weakly, and he imprinted that smile into memory before running towards where he could sense most of the chakra gathered. That must mean that Tsunade-sama, Sakura, and some others had survived, if the amount of chakra was enough to go by.

The chuunin dodged around a few large piles of rubble, seeing various groups of survivors crowded there as he went. He searched for the familiar flash of pink hair, and it wasn't until he reached the near center of the crater that he found it. But then, the sight before him made his mind go blank for a moment.

Several large summons were there, all toads of huge size, with a strikingly familiar ninja standing in front of them, his blonde hair whipping around in the wind, and his arms crossed in determination.

Naruto's eyes – a strange yellow color, like that of an amphibian – were filled with hatred and pain, and Shikamaru saw that Sakura and Tsunade-sama were standing at the edge of the ring of rubble, watching with wide eyes as Naruto tensed in preparation. Sakura was stiff and scared, while Tsunade was even more so, if possible, her hands – strangely wrinkled and weathered – clenched into tight fists.

Naruto words were so cold and assured, and Shikamaru couldn't help but freeze in shock at the sound.

"Don't let anyone interfere, Granny. This one's mine."

Suigetsu watched as Madara finished the jutsu, and didn't dare show any unease on his face as Hikari slowly opened her eyes. They were the same color as always, but there was something missing. There was no fire to her eyes…only a soft, and almost child-like confusion. Something wasn't right, and it made Suigetsu's insides turn.

If he could have, Suigetsu would have killed Madara back in the forest, and brought Hikari back to Konoha. His words about Konoha being weak and pitiful weren't lies, but those regarding his lack of loyalty to Sasuke were. Sasuke had saved him from his prison, he had treated him fairly, and if the Uchiha hadn't saved him…Suigetsu wouldn't have met Hikari. That was enough for Suigetsu to feel some sort of loyalty.

But Suigetsu wasn't stupid. Madara was strong, strong enough to kill everyone in Konoha in his sleep. When Suigetsu had seen who that cloaked guy was taking Hikari to, he had known what a risk it was to continue. But he couldn't just leave Hikari to his mercy, even if meant risking his own skin in the process.

And so here he was, watching helplessly as Hikari looked up at Madara, her hair glinting darkly in the dim light of the room, her eyes staring up in wonder. Madara smiled in triumph, and asked.

"What is your name?"

The girl frowned. "I…don't know."

Suigetsu's chest felt frozen as he realized what Madara had done.

"Your name will be…Aiko. Now, Aiko, who is your master?"

Her eyes lit with understanding – the sight made Suigetsu sick to his stomach – and a glowing smile crossed her face as she pointed to Madara.

"You are!" There was a lovely ring to her voice, and she looked extremely pleased with herself. Suigetsu wanted to shake her, and slap her until she remembered why the hell she had distrusted this monster of a man.

Madara nodded indulgently. "Correct. Now, Aiko," the man spoke softly, walking to the corner of the dim room and pulling out something small and whimpering from the corner. Suigetsu's eyes widened when he saw that it was a small child, a girl that couldn't be more than five years old. Her face was smeared with dirt, tears making two small tracks down her thin cheeks. "you wish to please me, don't you?"

The way Hikari's eyes shone with happiness made Suigetsu so angry that he wanted to rip Madara's throat out right then and there. Suigetsu would make Madara pay for this, even if it killed him. First, he would find a way to get Hikari out of here, and back to Sasuke. But for now, he would have to play along with Madara's game.

Madara shoved the girl forward, and she cried out as she hit the hard stone floor. Suigetsu watched in horror as Hikari didn't even flinch, instead staring down at the girl with a small confused smile.

"Kill her."

If there had been any doubt in Suigetsu's mind whether Hikari had somehow evaded Madara's control and was just faking in order to survive, it was wiped away as he watched Hikari's next movements.

She didn't even hesitate. Her hands moved forward, and with a clean twist, the child's neck was broken. The body fell uselessly to the floor, and Hikari smiled sweetly, an innocent…horrible smile. Madara offered his hand, his smile widening as she happily took it.

She stood, and Suigetsu stared in silent horror at the sight of Madara and the physical resemblance of Hikari standing side by side, striding towards the door, stepping thoughtlessly over the child's corpse. Suigetsu forced himself to follow, his hands clenching into angry fists.

This wasn't Hikari, not anymore. Hikari would never, ever – even if it was a choice between life or death – kill an innocent child like that, it just wasn't her nature. It went against everything Hikari stood for.

No…Hikari was gone, because this new entity – it had a name, and it was Aiko – had destroyed her.

Madara had wiped away everything in Hikari that made her Hikari, leaving only a killing machine that was as innocent and malleable as a child. A terrifying, dangerous child who knew nothing of remorse, or of mercy.

Dammit, Sasuke, how am I supposed to save her now?