Mistakes in Blood

by Acolyte of Truth

The last thing Naruto remembered was a feeling of blinding rage, and in a flash of red, he left all he knew behind. Or so he thought. It seems that Naruto's mistakes have followed him to this new world, and will stop at nothing to ruin his life again.

20. Confrontations and Closure

So I attempted to fix this up after some complaints. However, after failed attempts to save, I can no longer be sure how thorough I was, as it just began to piss me off. But I think I got most of the things people complained about, so those who couldn't deal with this before should have a better time now. Anyway, the new chapter is being processed and should be out soon. Until then...

/

Chapter 20: Confrontations and Closure

An arid, hollow wind blew along the path, whipping up Mr. N's cloak a bit as Naruto regarded him, eyes wide, throat dry, and frozen in place. The man in grey was similarly motionless, though it was due more to boredom than disbelief or shock, waiting to see just what his favorite little plaything would do.

'Well, favorite is a bit unfair isn't it. So, what about... newest? No, no, no, where would that place Mako? Then again, she isn't really that fun to play with, so I guess I could describe him as the newest on my favorites list. But with less than a handful of playthings to begin with, can I really have a list of favorites? Bah, semantics!'

As the obviously deranged man attempted to figure this out, Naruto was coming closer to sorting out his own dilemma, that being convincing himself that, no, he had not descended into the depths of madness.

'Is... is it really him. But why is he here? No, why isn't Konjyoyaki here now? Surely if this was really him, Konjyoyaki would have sensed him by now. And he would come fight him, right? Or is he testing me? Would he do that if it were really N? Or is this a genjutsu? And if it's not?There are too many possibilities. I need a second opinion on this.'

With that, the blond turned to focusing on contacting his inner bijuu, hoping to gain some perspective. He concentrated on forming the connection, but also kept an eye on N, noticing that he seemed a bit out of it as well, perhaps trying to figure something out himself, or maybe just waiting for him to make the first move, taunting him like the bastard he was. Whatever it may be, Naruto couldn't afford to diagnose it, as he had his own problems, and at any moment the man in grey could snap and just attack him.

Knowing the dangers fully involved with it, Naruto closed his eyes so he wouldn't be distracted anymore, finding that getting the attention of the bijuu to be quite difficult for some reason. 'Come on, you stupid fuck! Answer!'

There were a few moments of relative silence, the only sound being that of dead leaves rustling from the breeze, before the blond finally gave up.

'Goddamn asshole! Probably off napping somewhere in MY mind ignoring me. Or my subconscious or whatever the hell it is!'

Seeing that he would just have to figure this out on his own, Naruto opened up his blue eyes, half expecting to find that N had moved and was now right in front of him. Surprisingly, though, it appeared that he had yet to move. Just getting rather annoyed at the whole situation, Naruto decided to go for broke and see if it was just a genjutsu. Granted, he had never been good with the art of illusions, but he was competent enough of a shinobi to know how to dispel one.

Closing his eyes again, Naruto focused on his chakra and sent it in a burst outwards in a bid to disrupt any outside influence there may have been on him. However, he felt no different than before, leading him to question whether or not anything had happened. Curiously opening his eyes, he of course found N now standing right in front of him, a sick grin of twisted amusement on his face. Of course, Naruto jumped back in shock, landing several yards away.

"Let me assure you, Naru-chan, that I am so much more than an illusion."

The statement was expounded with a chuckle, something which the blond responded to with an irritated growl. Deciding to overlook the insulting pet-name, at least for the moment, Naruto kept his response curt and to the point, something which caused N's grin to dissipate if only a little.

"Why are you here?"

"To the point I see. I must say, that is a bit... disappointing. I suppose you've been training with Kon-chan, then. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, isn't it? And to think, you've hated each other for so long."

A growl stopped the man's ramblings, causing his grin to return to its previous luster. It only increased when he noticed how tense the blond was becoming.

"Enough! I refuse to play your games!"

Naruto knew that N was most likely there to pick a fight. He knew that the psycho just wanted to mess with him. But regardless, in one fluid motion, his blade was released and he was in a crouched position, right foot out front and aforementioned blade in a reverse grip behind him.

"Tell me what you're planning!"

N's amusement was palpable as the two just stood there, one in a battle stance, the other just standing with what one would think was an apathetic manner given the situation. However, the thought would change when one heard what the source of the amusement had to say next.

"Oh, you won't play my games, you say? Well then, perhaps it's time I told you that you've been playing for far longer than you know."

Naruto gave N a confused, though guarded, look as the man once again showed his mirth through chuckling.

"Yes, truth be told, I knew you when you were just a child. Though, to be fair, you are still but a child with much to learn, though you understand my meaning, I'm sure. And back then, I could have struck at anytime. But I didn't, namely because you lacked any attachment to anything what so ever. That is, until you met your little girlfriend. What was her name? Oh yes, Haku. You know, she never stopped waiting for you to save her; never gave up hope. She was foolish. And so were you. You still are, finding but a pitiful replacement for what you lost. You know, I can't tell if it will be more or less fun taking your poor little Mizore-chan away from you. Maybe I'll do it right before your eyes this time."

With each word N spoke, Naruto felt his focus slipping more and more, as he once again became but a slave to his emotions, rage being the primary one at the moment. He tried to keep it in, but soon it became too much, as he rushed foreword to his target, slashing at his chest.

"Shut up, damn it!"

However, N just surprised him by doing no more than bending at his waste a little more than ninety degrees. Somehow, his hood remained obscuring the upper portion of his face from view.

"How uncouth," he said almost as if talking about the weather, still looking straight up. Then, Naruto saw the grin light up his face. "Just the way I like you."

And with that, N put his hands to the ground and flipped his legs upwards with an immense force, knocking Naruto in the chin and sending the boy ass-over-teakettle. The man in grey didn't end there, capitalizing on the blond's temporarily stunned state by pushing off form his position and spearing him in the gut, leading with an elbow. As for Naruto, who was actually quick to get back on his feet, he had expected something along the lines of this to happen, and managed to remain on his feet, grabbing onto N and sending a few knees into his poorly protected gut before the man managed to slip away.

"Well, colour me impressed," N began, panting and wiping a bit of spittle away from his chin. "You actually handle yourself quite well under duress. I commend you, especially since there has yet to be any intervention from that god-awful beast you contain. A bit predisposed, is it?"

Hearing that sent Naruto through one gigantic loop. He knew about the Kyuubi? For how long? How did he even know in the first place? Granted, nearly everyone back in Konoha knew, so there was the very real chance that N could have been from his home village. Of course, he could also somehow have been affiliated with Akatsuki, and had gleaned the information from them. Hands down though, the most worrying was that Konjyoyaki may have been up to old tricks and was playing both sides of the field. While it was true that he showed a deep-seeded hatred for the man, it could be an act. Then again, given the fact that they obviously knew each other, the information could have been given up at a previous date, possibly when the cripple was still part of Akatsuki, thus further supporting that one theory.

Then, there was the fact that N seemed to know that the Kyuubi was out of commission. How in Jashin-sama's name did the man know that? Taking a moment to think it through, Naruto realized that the statement actually could have just been referring to the fact that he wasn't using the beast's chakra, and he may have just been egging him on to start doing so. Still, taking a look at that all-knowing grin left heavy doubts in the blond's mind.

Apparently unsatisfied with the delays, N became even more pretentious in a bid to get Naruto to renew his assault. "What's this? You were so lively just a few minutes ago. Or is it that you've run out of steam?" N could see that his plan was working with the narrowing of the blond's eyes, and as he reaffirmed and tightened his grip on his sword. Just that one final push and the boy would be nothing more than a wild animal to him; no form, no fluidity. "Or is it that you've finally realized that you have no hope in defeating me, that you can't protect anyone?"

And with a fierce battle cry, Naruto rushed in, unwilling, and perhaps unable, to live with the connotations of the final insult.

(Elsewhere):

Whilst Naruto was unwillingly playing into N's hand, the winds of battle were picking up just a ways away. In an open field stood Kokoa and Moka, the two waiting across from each other. One with a self-satisfied grin on her face, and the other obviously not wanting to be there.

"Heh, I still can't believe you called me out here, Sister," the ginger spoke with a mocking tone, putting a sarcastic emphasis on the word 'sister'. As the little orange bat landed on the younger sister's shoulder, Moka couldn't help but wonder if this was a mistake.

Shaking her head a bit, her rosary jingling a bit with the motion, she dispelled those thoughts. Kokoa was more than a bit stubborn in her ways, and deep down, she knew that this was the only way. No matter how much she wanted to just talk about this, the pink-haired girl knew that no amount of talking could protect her friends. She knew that after today in the classroom.

Seeing that there was a bit of hesitation from her opponent, Kokoa threw a dissatisfied frown on her face. " Hey, you look like your about to fall asleep! Come on, I'm not going to have my fight ruined just because you're pretending to be sick or something!"

"That's not it."

Moka's words were strong, despite the girl usually being a little meek. "I'm ready to put an end to this once and for all!"

"Really?"

The Ginger actually seemed to be genuinely happy at hearing that.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to say that!"

So excited was Kokoa, that the little bat had to take to the air once again, lest it lose its balance and fall. Seeing how her sister was acting like a little kid, Moka once again felt a bit of regret and hesitation. That is, until she grabbed the bat and, before her eyes, it turned into a giant spiked mace nearly double her size with a sharp metal bat-wing for a pommel. That was enough to remind her that this was no little kid, and that she was actually playing with her life.

Almost immediately, Moka had to jump back or face being crushed under the weight of the mace. As it impacted, the ground split and dust was thrown up, though Kokoa easily lifted it back up.

"Come on, you got to be careful. If you slip-up now you'll die, and that wouldn't be fun."

Her tone was taunting, but Moka knew the reasoning behind it and didn't let it affect her. Instead, she picked up an uprooted grave-marker shaped like a cross in an, albeit poor, bid to defend herself. It just caused a chuckle and a comment about a flimsy weapon.

Laughing in joy, Kokoa charged, swinging wildly and effortlessly. Moka attempted an attack of her own, trying to get her to stop. Rather predictably, the grave-marker went flying and Moka fell to the ground, the mace stopping a hair's width from her head. She didn't even blink, though held a sad look on her face.

"I lose," she said, before going off to explain herself. "Look, I know how this looks, but I tried with all of my might."

Looking at her sister, all she saw was the thin, motionless line of her mouth and the fringe covering her eyes. Worried that she was mad, she tried to move the conversation along.

"So, I guess this fights over. You wi-..."

Before she could finish, Kokoa cut her off.

"What a lie."

Moka just regarded her quietly, noticing how her voice was neutral, not giving away anything, but the moment she looked up, Moka felt her heart sink. Tears were obvious in the young girl's eyes as she lowered her weapon.

"Why can't you take me seriously?"

Moka wanted to say something, would've given anything to just reach out and hug her sister, but knew that was the last thing that Kokoa wanted at the moment. Instead, she just let the girl continue.

"Ever since you left, I've waited for that fight. The house was always so quiet, and nobody would ever offer to even humor me. For so long, it's like I've been alone in the world. Do you know what it's like?"

By this point, tears were freely rolling down the ginger's face, and despite herself, Moka could think of nothing to really fit the situation, only knowing that she had made a huge mistake. So engrossed in themselves the two were that they didn't notice the approach of other people.

"So this whole time, you've just been lonely?"

Hearing the voice, Moka took her attention off of her sister, who went ridged at being discovered in her state, and was shocked to see all of her friends there, sans Naruto. Even Hotaru and Gin has shown up. It was actually pretty moving if she thought about it. Up until the point Gin opened his mouth.

"So why are we here? And who's the ginger? Come to think of it, who are you?" he asked, turning to Hotaru. The girl paid him little mind, and Zetsu, presumably the one who brought him along in the first place, was left to answer him.

"The one next to you is Hotaru, I told you about her, though it's more than a bit surprising how you don't know her considering you're in the same year. We're here for Moka's moral support. And that girl has apparently been chasing after Moka for years."

At hearing the last bit, Gin's eyes lit up with perverted glee, obviously taking what he heard the wrong way. Even before he opened his mouth, Zetsu regretted not elaborating.

"Oh, I see. She's batting for the opposite team, eh?"

His perverted smile quickly vanished when an elbow, courtesy of Mizore, slammed violently into his stomach, causing him to double over in agony.

"They're sisters, you perverted idiot," was the curt reply from the icy girl.

Apparently not afraid of any further repercussions, the boy managed to cheekily continue with, "That doesn't prove anything," causing everyone to feel a bit embarrassed about themselves and ashamed for knowing the boy. Luckily, Kokoa either didn't hear or care what he was chuntering on about, as she remained shocked at being seen in such a state.

Choosing to return to normalcy and ignore what had just happened, Tsukune went back to what he was going to say. "So all you really wanted was some to have a connection with, right? Your constant chasing after Moka and battles were just ways of playing and rekindling a bond, weren't they?"

From Moka's point of view,she could see Kokoa's face clear as day. Tears had stopped flowing down her face, at least momentarily, as Tsukune spoke to her, but if the ginger actually heard and understood what was being bespoke unto her, she didn't know.

Cautiously, and with a good-natured smile on his face, Tsukune approached the girl. "There's no need for that anymore, because as long as you're here with us, you'll always be with your sister, and you'll have plenty of other friends, too. Isn't that right everybody?"

Tsukune turned to everybody behind him, and in return they also approached, responding with a simply nod or other form of acknowledgment, most with friendly smiles on there faces, even if the person they were meant to benefit couldn't see them.

Moka could, though, and it helped her come to grips with the entire situation. "Kokoa-chan, is that true? I-I'm sorry, I had no idea. I never thought that I was actually pushing you away. You must have went through a lot, but after this, we'll be mates again, won't we? We'll all be friends. Given time, I'm sure even Naruto-san will be you friend."

For a moment, the vampire thought that her words had gotten through, as Kokoa once again began to let tears run down her face and her lip quivered. For a moment, she looked down, and then, one simple word left her mouth.

"No."

This was met with confusion, but before anyone could think about it, they had to either jump back or hit the ground, as the girl once again hefted her oversized mace and swung wildly.

"I knew that there was never any hope of you understanding! And what's with all this friendship crap? Are you serious?"

As she continued to swing, the others continued to dodge, Tsukune idly reminiscing on how his plan had failed. "Bollocks! Where did my speech go wrong?"

"I think it's pretty obvious you ballsed-up."

Turning, Tsukune saw gin, who was dodging effortlessly. Sometimes, he envied the man, though not often enough to become a habit. Next to him was Zetsu, who was also having little trouble.

"I really wouldn't become a therapist if I were you. After all, if you can't understand the mind of a young girl, what help would you be to anyone?"

That's not what you were saying when you were agreeing with me!" he yelled back, hoping that they would see some error in their own decisions. However, Hotaru was just the next to prove him wrong and destroy his self-esteem.

"We just didn't want you to feel bad." This was met with unanimous nods, something that got the boy falling into a funk, something he quickly snapped out of when he noticed Moka had tripped and the mace was coming straight for her.

Acting quickly, being the closest one to the couple, Tsukune leapt towards them, hoping that he would prevent anyone from getting injured. However, he knew that unless there was an act of divine intervention, he had no hope of making the save.

(Back with Naruto):

Things weren't going well for Naruto. Since he had charged in head first, N had continuously played and kept moving their battle deeper into the woods, effortlessly dodging and countering each attempt Naruto made to maim him, something quite literally rubbed in his face as N once more danced around a stab and, grabbing the back of the blond's head, slammed his face repeatedly into a nearby tree before dragging it down the coarse surface, embedding pieces of bark in boy's face before it finally, and violently, met the dirt.

Naruto then felt his head get pulled up by his hair, and heard N start speaking to him, but was too disoriented to see straight. For some reason, Kyuubi wasn't healing his injuries like he should, and it was causing him to become worn out fast. He knew that when all was said and done, he was going to have a nice, long chat with a certain fox. Read: he was going to chew his ass out.

"You know, I never realized how dependent you were on that fowl beast."

By now, the words barely fazed the blond. He knew he was an idiot for letting it get to him in the first place, but now, he had to be cautious. He had to make N believe what he might be expected to believe.

"Come on, look up at me."

With his free hand, N grasped Naruto's chin and had him gaze up at his shadowed face. The boy resisted the urge to attack then and there, knowing that even if N looked defenseless, it was still too early. Instead, he just glared at the man, resistance shining in his eyes. This elicited a snicker from the nutter.

"Wow, such defiance from someone so beaten, so nearly broken. How much more do you think it would take to ruin you completely?"

"Fuck you."

"Oh my, I guess you haven't quite learned your lesson yet. Such a fool."

As he said that, he released the lad's chin and reached under his cloak and produced a small, sharp dagger that gleamed in the faint light. He pressed it hard against the blond's neck, just enough to draw blood and cause significant discomfort and panic in anyone else.

"I know you can't die, but it will be amusing to watch you bleed out and struggle for air. Know what I mean?" This was accompanied by a menacing chuckle as he got ready to slit Naruto's throat. "Of course you do."

knowing that it was now or never, Naruto moved with a swift deftness and impaled his blade, which N had apparently forgotten about, deep into the man's foot. Surprised and in pain, n dropped the dagger and reflexively reached down to get the sword out of his foot, but instead Naruto twisted it, intent on inflicting as much pain on the man as possible, and jumped up quickly, driving his head into the screwy man's unprotected jaw.

With satisfaction, the blond could hear the cracking of teeth and saw the mist of blood exit the man's mouth. Then, putting his weight on his blade, he used it as a pivot and slammed a foot into the startled man's knee, effectively breaking it as he folded to the ground. Satisfied, the blond removed his sword and got up, ready to finish the man off.

However, his mistake was thinking N was out of commission. Instead, the man managed to send a surprisingly strong kick into Naruto's gut from his position, knocking him back. Quite forcefully into a tree. The shock was enough that the wakizashi finally dispelled. The lad than slumped to the ground, looking up weakly to see N shuffling towards him, blood flowing like a stream from his mouth. Surprisingly, his words were still coherent.

"You are such an impudent little brat, you know that. And, as much as it pains me to say this, you've forced my retreat. Head my words, though."

When he got close enough, N picked the blond up by his neck, who was too weak to do anything at the moment. He could see the bloody and chipped teeth of the fruitcake as he leaned in close to speak. He could also see an energy covering the man's fist as he pulled it back in a punch. As he spoke, blood splattered the blond's face, perhaps inadvertently, but probably not.

"You and I will meet again, on in my territory, and more than you could ever imagine will be on the line."

And with that, the glowing fist was sent into Naruto's stomach, causing a blinding flash of light and an explosion that rocked the whole forest.

(With Tsukune and Company):

With the adrenaline coursing through his veins, panic assaulting him full force, Tsukune found himself in a sort of out-of-body state. Here, time moved slower, allowing him to take in all the details around him... up to a limit. For some reason, he still experienced tunnel-vision, making it so only what was directly in front of him became forever imprinted in his memory.

All the stylistic touches of the mace suddenly dawned upon him. The handle itself gave off a slight sheen, same as the giant metal ball it was attached to, almost enough to give a mirror-like polish to it. The elegant bat-wing for a pommel, something that seemed just as deadly as its crushing reciprocal, designed with a combination of beauty and efficiency in mind. And, of course, the shining spikes that maimed that reflected everything around it; Kokoa's frustrated, agonized look, Moka's shocked, helpless face, which in turn effected his own panicked and determined visage.

Then, the boy became aware of a brilliant white light, shining off the mace and just barely at the edge of him limited vision, followed by the slow compressions of sound waves against his eardrums in an explosion. Time seemed to return to normal then, as a smoking green and yellow blur shot out of the nearby woods and into the young vampire and her mace, sending them over Moka's vulnerable position, thus saving her from harm. Nonetheless, this all happened so suddenly, and Tsukune's momentum so so great to begin with, that he had no chance of stopping, especially when a decompression wave sent him stumbling into the girl he was trying to save.

Just a few feet from them, where everyone's eyes were turned, a series of groans were heard. It appeared that Kokoa had somehow ended up on top of the human projectile that caused her to miss her target. Another groan escaped her as she slowly rose, holding her head as she straddled the person. As she regained her barrings, she was finally able to make out just who she was on top of and his condition, both her body and voice shaking to show her unease. "Y-you!"

The others also appeared to finally comprehend, as Mizore shouted on the person's behalf and rushed over to the duo, followed closely by Zetsu and Hotaru. "Naruto-kun!"

Those remaining, unsure of themselves, son decided to follow after to see how Moka and Tsukune were holding up. Meanwhile, Naruto seemed to regain the consciousness he had lost from that final blow, only to hear the sound of his name being called. Faintly, he realized that there was a weight on his back, but attempted to rise anyway. "What the...?" he cut himself off to his in pain, his back almost sending him back into darkness. He refused to fall though.

A bit of weight soon left Naruto's back, though it didn't lessen the agony any. He then heard a voice close to him, a bit panicked. "Hey, you okay? Is there anything I can do for you?"

Looking up, he saw that it was Kokoa, causing a flash of irritation in him, though he used all the resolve he had to keep from outright snapping at her, seeing that she was distressed. It didn't stop him from allowing his latent anger from both her and N to seep into his voice.

"Well, that depends," he began noticing the girl flinch a bit at his tone. "Just what's wrong with me?"

"U-um, you see..."

Predictably, this just wore away at the blond's patience even more, and he just ended up using the most scathing voice he could muster, managing to somehow not send the girl away completely. "Stop mincing your words and just come out with it!"

At that time, the group had finally managed to get themselves over, causing a bit of relief to wash over Naruto, knowing that there were now some reliable people around him. Turning to Hotaru, he decided to see just how much he could tolerate her.

"You, why can't I move?"

The girl was a bit put off by the spontaneity of the demand veiled as a question, but was soon able to answer. "There's a giant mace in your back."

Despite the tone of the girl's voice, Naruto didn't quite believe her. Instead, he managed to turn his head, ignoring the pain flaring and protests from the others not to, and saw, yes, a giant mace was embedded deep into his flesh, the handle skewed up at an angle towards his head. How Kokoa managed to not get injured by it when she was on top of him was beyond him.

"Yours, I assume?" he asked, turning back to the ginger. She weakly nodded an affirmative.

"I-I can get it out if yo-..." she was cut off by the blond's harsh voice.

"You've done enough."

With that, he grasped the handle and attempted to pry the weapon out himself, but due to the angle and how deep in him it was, the only thing he accomplished was to cause himself more pain. He soon gave up and turned to his friends.

"Zetsu, help me out with this."

The giant moved forward to lend assistance, but was stopped by Mizore. "Wait, that mace it your pet bat, isn't it?"

The girl received a nod from the vampire, causing her to continue.

"Can't you just have it revert back to its animal form?"

Kokoa shook her head. "No, Ko-chan can't change if he's stuck in something. Otherwise I would have had him do so already."

Seeing that there was no alternative, Mizore gave Zetsu permission to continue. The man did so, and, grasping the mace in his hands, getting a good footing, the man yanked in an attempt to dislodge t from his friend. It barely budged, and just succeeded in causing the blond to gasp a bit.

"Just how heavy is this thing?" asked Zetsu, a bit strained from how much effort he put into the task for no result.

"Nearly two-hundred pounds. Maybe more."

Everyone just stared at the girl after that, wondering how she ever managed to lift such a thing with such a petite body. The point was moot, though, as Zetsu soon just backed away from Naruto, causing the blond to cast him a curious glance.

"What gives?"

"I think it would be for the best if you allowed her to remove her weapon. I don't believe that I could do so safely."

"It's not like I'm going to die, just do it!"

The irritable remark caused a few glances to be cast at him from those who didn't know he was immortal. However, the man still refused.

"No. You, girl, get your weapon out of him."

Kokoa was a bit hesitant, especially with Naruto's outright refusal to let her help. She didn't want to make the person who could probably kill her quite easily to be mad at her. However, a few words from Mizore soon changed her perspective.

"Please help him; he's just being irrational. I promise that I won't let him hurt you afterwards."

The ice woman than turned to Naruto, who was still protesting.

"Please, Naruto-kun, just let her help."

The blond stopped his whinging right quick after that, though it was obvious that he was still disgruntled.

The ginger decided to get this over with quickly. Remembering that Naruto apparently wasn't too concerned with safety, she just grasped her weapon and yanked it out with a sickening tearing sound and a muffled cry from the blond. Looking down, she almost dropped her mace in shock and disgust at the state the boy was in.

Blood was freely flowing from his wounds, from which bone and organs and muscle alike were visible. The boy seemed able to ignore this, though, as he soon rose to his feet as if nothing had happened. She soon saw why as his skin soon began to knit itself back together. Deciding that it would be for the best right now, she had the weapon turn back into a pet and put on a humble and apologetic face, preparing to face the one who she had injured not once, but twice in one day, before leaving.

"You okay?" asked Mizore as she helped to steady Naruto.

"Yeah," was his only response. He could feel his major wound begin to heal, and noticed the one's incurred by N were gone, letting him know that Kyuubi was back, which left him with the question of what had happened to it in the first place. Knowing that it would take but a few seconds, the blond tuned everything around him out and initiated conversation.

'Hey, Kyuubi, what's up?'

The blond made sure to inflect his mental voice so the beast would know how bitter and sore he was about the previous happenings. The reply was surprisingly demure, though was topped with high-notes of sarcasm.

"Right, right. Before you go any further with that thought, I apologize."

Naruto wasn't satisfied with that answer, and pushed harder, wanting to know exactly why the bijuu didn't intervene. 'No, I want to know why. What could have possibly possessed you...' he was cut off before he could finish, the Kyuubi obviously not liking the condescending tone. Predictably, the response held more bite.

"Fine! I'm so sorry for healing you, but the damage that you did to yourself was getting to be too great. Besides, I assumed you were done training."

Now that caught Naruto off-guard. Training? He was sorry for healing him? What the bloody hell was he yammering on about? The blond was just about to ask that, when a thought occurred to him. Instead, he decided to play off the beast's obliviousness.

Putting back up his indignant voice, he continued his, now faux, chastising. 'No, tell me, what did I say just before I started?'

"You didn't say anything!" the Kyuubi yelled, now incredulous. "All you did was cut off our consciousness from each other before going into the woods to train how much damage you could take with a damn bunshin, going so far as to even utilizing some of my power in the end!"

Well, that explained what the Kyuubi thought had happened and why he didn't work with him, but it only brought up more fearful thoughts. What if it was Naruto who had been hallucinating the whole thing? No, he knew what had happened, knew N was really there. But the beast seemed just as sure of events as him. Still, he found himself grasping for an explanation that didn't frighten him.

This was hurting his head, though, so he just decided to end the conversation before going back to sort things out in the real world. Keeping up the facade, the blond heaved a mental sigh and shifted to a more apologetic tone. 'You're right, I'm sorry. Let's... let's just forget about this, okay?'

The Kyuubi but caught off guard by this one-eighty flip in personality, but didn't have a chance to question it as the blond returned his focus to other matters. He, of course, came back to Mizore asking, "Just what happened to send you flying out of those trees?"

"Training," was the simple, one word answer that Naruto gave, stating the reason Kyuubi did a few moments ago. The blond made sure to make his voice sound as begrudging as possible, whilst also looking away and rubbing the back of his neck a bit, giving off the convincing impression that he had messed up whatever he was doing. He wasn't sure if either Mizore or Zetsu believed him, but he could tell them if confronted later in a more secluded setting.

It was then that Naruto turned his focus back to Kokoa. Faced with the blond's scrutinizing gaze, the ginger felt herself look down, despite feeling disgusted with such an action. Hell, she felt disgusted with herself whenever she was around the boy. It was because she felt weak; she felt fear. As a vampire, it should be out of the question to feel anything like that, especially around such a (in her eyes) lesser being.

However, in any event, she couldn't help what she felt. There was just something about the blond that scared her, and as such, she found herself so submissive around him. It was that which lead to the urge to appease Naruto alone that she offered up a solemn, "Sorry," and waited for whatever he may do.

After a few moments, nothing had happened, piquing the girl's curiosity. No one had yet to even move, and still looking down, Kokoa found herself at a loss for as to what they were doing. So, she naturally tilted her head back up, looking directly at Naruto and his friends behind him. She felt anger welling up inside her as she realized that she was just being stared at, blank confusion written on the faces of all parties.

The ginger was just about to yell at them, when she noticed Naruto move forward, raising his hand. The vampire felt all her anger vanish in that second as she unintentionally flinched, shutting her eyes and waiting for the inevitable blow. However, when all she felt was a hand land on her shoulder, she peeked and saw a tired looking blond looking her in the eyes, making her feel stupid for her behavior.

Naruto just wanted this day to end. It may have only been the first week since the academy had started back up again, but in his defense, it was late, and in just that day he had had the lives of his friends put at risk, been utterly demolished by his arch-enemy, and had an alter-ego (for a lack of better word) have a differing recollection for the past hour, coupled with the fact that he had just heal from some pretty good mutilation. In short, he had had enough of this shit, and couldn't even really stand to be mad any more, even if the object of his would-be ire probably didn't deserve it at the moment, something he would think back to at a later time. Instead, he just decided to confront the issue head-on, like with most everything else in his life.

"Tell me something," he began, keeping his voice as steady as possible and softening his features, trying to calm the girl in hopes of a quick and honest answer, "just what is the point of all this?"

She couldn't believe it. Even this guy apparently wanted to help her. The guy who had nearly killed her earlier in the day wanted to help solve her problems, even if she had (unintentionally) caused him grievous bodily harm. Really, the whole sentiment wore away at the young vampire's spirit, even if it wasn't necessarily true, and, despite herself, couldn't stop the stray tear rolling down her cheek. She turned away quickly, hoping to hide it.

"I just want to see my onee-sama."

Immediately, the gears began turning in Naruto's head. She had seen Moka multiple times, hadn't she? Looking over to his right, he saw the pink-haired girl and the others talking about what had happened before he had shown up. Apparently the ginger had been fighting her again. Apparently she had gone into a rage, even though she had won their little spat. So what, then?

It was at that point that it clicked in the blond's head. He turned fully to the group that was slowly making it's way over to them, shocking Kokoa with the sudden action as he accidentally pushed her away. "Hey, Tsukune!" he called out, halting the groups progression and causing everyone's eyes to turn to him. "Take off Moka's rosary for a moment!"

"W-Why?" the boy asked, caught unawares by the sudden demand. He and his group were just discussing what the others were confronting Kokoa about and why she kept picking fights in the first place when Naruto just shouted at them, seemingly rushed. He sort of wanted an answer for the demand since the other Moka didn't really seem like one to socialize, and he doubted that she would appreciate this much.

Naruto wasn't having any of it though, and pushed on. "Stop being a bloody yobbo and just do it already! Stupid wanker," he added under his breath.

Fearful of his friend's unholy wrath, the brunet complied with the demand and quickly detached the rosary with a dull click. What happened next was the obligatory flash of light and before everyone stood the silver-haired vampire, obvious disdain for being called out obvious on her face. However, what only she and Naruto noticed as the former surveyed the area was Kokoa's shocked, almost disbelieving, expression.

"Onee-sama?" Kokoa took a hesitant step foreward, followed sporadically by another one, before getting her pacing down. Moka was calmer, a neutral look on her face as she met her sister halfway. Most watched with bated breath as Moka gazed down upon her sister, Kokoa trying again with, "Is it really you Onee-sama?"

It really shouldn't have come as a shock to anyone (though to a few people, it did) when Moka's only response was a half-sneer and a kick to the chin that sent her sister flying. From the look on the elder vampire's face, it was as if she had done the most natural thing in the world, like blinking, as she turned away from where her sister once stood. Others couldn't keep the inevitable expressions off their faces, realizing that of course this would happen, though Naruto remained stoic, which would have normally shocked one who knew the emotive boy.

"M-Moka," said vampire turned to Tsukune, an exasperated look on his face as he continued, "Why did you do that? I don't think that's what Naruto had in mind."

"No, that's exactly what I thought would happen, more or less," the boy replied with a shrug. And although people should have also expected a response of the semi-violent nature or connotation from the blond, they still found themselves giving him a look that said, 'Really?' or 'You're not helping!'. Still, those who knew him best decided to trust his judgment.

And as for Moka, she just said, "See, he knows what's up. He's not a complete idiot who would go for the ideal rather then reality."

All talking was forced to cease, however, as a blast of power came at them from where the ginger had flown off to. Looking in that direction, everyone saw that yes, she was up again, and for all intents and purposes, she looked pissed. Feeling a bit snarky even with the situation, Tsukune turned to Naruto and went, "Oh yeah, that helped a lot, didn't mate?"

"Quit whinging and just watch," was Naruto's annoyed response. So he did, watching as Kokoa just kept emitting more and more power, before she began charging her sister at high speeds. Just as Tsukune was about to ask how getting the two to fight was any kind of solution, considering it was the type of thing they were trying to stop, his tongue got tied up as he and the others just watched the ginger fling her arms around her sister's neck and began wailing. Apparently, even Moka was confused.

"Kokoa, what are you doing? I thought you wanted to kill me?"

Through her tears, Kokoa managed to get out a coherent thought. "For so long I just wanted to see you again! Please, Onee-sama, don't leave me again!"

"And that's my good deed for the month," said Naruto as he turned to leave. He was stopped, however, by Tsukune's voice.

"Wait, how did you know this would happen?"

"Yeah, what made you think they wouldn't fight like they did earlier?" followed up Kurumu. Naruto just sighed.

"Honestly, you people are too near-sighted when it comes to these matters. Kokoa expressed wanting to see her sister. You just assumed that meant nice, pink-haired Moka. You're forgetting Moka didn't get the rosary until after leaving home. Silver-haired Moka is the one Kokoa knows and loves. Sure, they may have fought initially, but Kokoa would have eventually wanted to catch up with her sister... probably."

"So wait, what happens when Moka reverts to her other self?" asked Yukari? "Won't Kokoa just stare fighting her again?"

The blond just shrugged. "I'm sure you'll figure something out. If not, we'll start rehabilitation when it starts pissing me off. But I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

And with a yawn, Naruto left the scene, the others dispersing a their own pace. As she left though, Mizore couldn't help but smile. Naruto may have tried to come off as hard and a bit distant at times, but he truly cared about his friend's. And that's why she loved him, because when it really counted, he would help them with the unbeatable challenge in his own, unique way, enjoying the company while doing it, even if he was so head-strong he hated being questioned by them.

(The Next Morning):

Even after a night's rest, the blond was still knackered the next day. Suppressing a yawn, Naruto continued at a leisurely pace down the path to the school. As he did so, he pushed the events of the day before to the back of his mind, not wanting to deal with that shit so early in the morning.

It wasn't long before he met up with Mizore, causing him to cheer up almost instantaneously. The two shared a warm smile as they walked on, no words exchanged, no words needing to be as they escorted on another to school, hand in hand. As far as they were concerned, they were the only two people in the world, and they had forever, having the ability to just bask in each others presence. It was times like these that made Naruto glad he had started to live again, even if it did force him to think of why, exactly, he was there in the first place and have occasional, brief bouts of angst.

The two were knocked out of their thoughts, however, when they stumbled across something interesting. "Hey, runt," Naruto began, keeping his voice low and level as he spoke, "what you up to?"

His words caught their target's attention, breaking them out of their introspective state. A bit startled, Kokoa, spun around, seeing the couple. She stared, wide-eyed, as a blush crept onto her face, embarrassed at being caught spying on her sister.

Mizore playfully admonished her beau, saying simply, "Be nice, Naruto-kun."

"I'm being nice," was the half-hearted response. It was then that he further surveyed the scene, seeing that the ginger was, of course, watching Moka having a light breakfast of Tsukune's blood. He could guess, but asked regardless, "What's the problem?"

"Why do you care?" retorted Kokoa, getting a bit defensive. It caused a few raised brows.

"I can care about stuff. After all, I saved the day yesterday, didn't I?"

A smug look came over his face, contrasting the livid one on Kokoa's however, his next words caused that to change.

"Also, as much as I hate to admit it, you're fun, and could actually see you as a... friend," he stumbled over the last word, looking away and causing Mizore to giggle into her free hand. "So just let us help."

The ginger didn't know why, especially since Naruto had made her fear for her life whenever they encountered one another, but she soon found herself talking, maybe because she sensed some truth in his words, finishing by saying, "It's just that she isn't my Onee-sama when she's like that, and I don't know why she's so different."

She was stopped from explaining further as Kurumu flew in, knocking Moka from Tsukune and pressing him against her chest. It then relapsed into a childish tussle between the two, causing Kokoa to grimace.

"See, normally the succubus would be dead ten times over by now for what she just did. But instead, it's just... this."

Naruto analyzed the situation and immediately agreed. There really weren't any parallels between the two Moka's, so it would obviously be hard for Kokoa to just adapt to it. Sighing, Naruto just shook his head.

"I really can't offer you a solution, runt. I suppose with time you may come to accept it, but until then, we'll just have to try to take your mind off of it."

"Yeah, whatever."

Kokoa's voice was bitter as she turned away, stalking off to the academy. Naruto and Mizore watched her going, not being able to help feeling sorry for her. Still, what could they do, so instead they walked up to meet their mates before lessons started, knowing that there would be no easy solution to the problem.

(In the Clubroom):

The day had passed swiftly, and before anyone knew it, club activities were starting for the upper classes. During the day, both Mizore and Naruto had managed to inform both Zetsu and Hotaru of their encounter with Kokoa earlier in the day, hoping they may have had any better ideas. Sadly, they weren't able to think of anything at the time, and were now having another meeting of the minds, Hotaru having transferred to the newspaper club at some point before now, something that caused Naruto suspicion, but the blond let it slip. The girl seemed to be proving as someone he could trust, just with her own quirks. Granted, they all had something strange about them, but Hotaru's qualities were taking a bit of getting used to.

So were Kokoa's more abrasive ones, something that immediately came to mind as said girl walked calmly into the room, a determined look on her face. Instinctively, everyone tensed, on guard for what the ginger may be up to. They were left in a stupor, though, when all she did was nod to her sister and friends before walking over to Naruto's table.

After a bit of trepidation, Naruto finally asked, "What's up, runt?"

The vampire shot the blond a miniature glare, before heaving a sigh and saying so that only the five of them could hear, "I've decided to try it your way... for now. The moment I get proof that this is a waste of time, I'm off."

The group shared a glance at Kokoa's ultimatum, noticing that the other group was sending discreet glances their way, before collectively shrugging.

Kicking his feet back on the table, Naruto leaned back in his chair and simply responded with, "Do whatever you want. But hey," and here, everyone in the group put on a small smile, "it's good to see you're willing to try. You should also get in a chance to socialize with the others."

"Yeah, yeah," the ginger said, looking away so that the others wouldn't see an involuntary smirk.

"So, why don't we all formally introduce ourselves? I'll start. My name is Tenka Hotaru. This is my third year at Youkai Academy. From my understanding, the group gets into a lot of conflicts, if last year was any indication. I can hold my own in a fight against most opponents, though I prefer passive methods."

As Hotaru spoke, Naruto, Mizore, and, to a lesser extent, Zetsu cringed at the mention of the previous year. Truthfully, they hoped that it wasn't a repeat, what with Naruto being forced to work for them enemy and the school being destroyed, but they knew they would probably still be fighting other people a lot of the year.

Meanwhile, Kurumu, Moka, and Tsukune were conversing about the recent development, unable to hear what was being said.

"Well, it looks like your sister can stand being in the same room without attacking you. That's something, right?" asked Tsukune.

He was met with a sigh. "I suppose, but... it's almost like she's ignoring me now. I know from yesterday she doesn't hate me, but I'm just not sure if she'll accept me unless the rosary is released."

"Then why don't you go talk to her about it?" asked Kurumu, trying to break her rival out of her melancholy.

Casting a forlorn glance to her sister, seeing the small, genuine smile on her face, she shook her head.

"No, I don't want to push this. It's too soon. It might just be best for me to take it slow."

And, looking back one more time, Moka got the other two to talk about something else.

Back with Kokoa, Zetsu was just introducing himself. "My name's Zetsu. I abandoned my family long ago, so don't ask about it. I have a rare skin disease and chemical imbalance that makes disguising it impossible. This is my second year. As far as combat goes, my size is usually enough to intimidate enemies, along with my appearance, and my agility makes up from my standard strength."

"Right, my name is Shirayuki Mizore. This is my second year here. My abilities give me combat effectiveness at both close-quarters and medium range combat."

"And I'm Uzumaki Naruto. This is my second year here. I'm skilled in the art of kenjutsu, and an accelerated healing rate allows me to get up close and personal with whatever assholes we're fighting, and I can usually take them down with my skills."

While simply saying he had an accelerated healing rate was an understatement, mostly on behave of Hotaru, who Naruto didn't want knowing was immortal just yet, he still sported an extremely confident grin. Of course, those who didn't know of his immortality knew he was holding something back.

"Okay, your turn," said Hotaru, preppy for some reason.

A bit embarrassed, Kokoa shook her head. "No, that's fine."

"Come on, we shared a bit about ourselves. Your turn," Mizore prodded playfully.

"Yeah, come on," Naruto agreed, still in his laid back position. Truthfully, he didn't care, but if it would help end the sibling trouble between her and Moka, he would listen and play along. Finally, Kokoa relented, a smile on her face.

"Fine. I'm Shuzen Kokoa. This is my first year here, as you know. As a vampire, I can take on anyone, especially with the help of Ko-chan here," as she said that, she indicated to the small bat resting on her shoulder, "who can take on various weapon forms."

"And I'm Amami Konjyoyaki, though you'd know that if you'd bothered showing up for class."

The voice shocked everyone in the room, causing them to turn and see Konjyoyaki hanging off the window sill with his one arm, a disgruntled look on his face. Hanging next to him was a familiar witch with a happy expression, contrasting his.

"And I'm Tojou Ruby. Nice to meet you."

"All kidding aside, though, we have trouble," Konjyoyaki continued, causing Ruby to quickly sober up. Naruto wasn't having it, though, as the ma's sudden appearance had caused him to fall out of his chair.

"What the bloody hell, man?"

He didn't get a response, as soon after that, little Yukari came bursting in through the door, proclaiming, "Guy's, there's trouble!"

It was then that she took notice of the two people hanging out the window, Kokoa and Hotaru sitting at a table like it was natural for them to be there, and Naruto, who was still lying on the floor, along with everyone else looking at her blankly.

Of course, here only response was a confused, "What?"

(At the Scene of Trouble):

"The hell happened?" asked Naruto impulsively once he saw the scene. Really, it was what most everyone was thinking, as they took into account the yellow tape tied to trees, "Keep Out," displayed prominently on them, markers indicating the location of evidence, and a wounded student being loaded into a transport to the medical facility, along with what seemed to be some new campus law enforcement.

Around the group were other students, varying degrees of apprehension and confusion visible on their faces, making it obvious that they didn't quite know what was going on completely. Turning to his pseudo-mentor, Naruto demanded an explanation.

"So? What's going on? What is this?"

Pausing to take another drag, Konjyoyaki then removed his cigarette from his mouth completely, something he rarely did, and exhaled the smoke, before simply saying, "This is the work of someone the school has taken to calling 'The Slasher'. Not really creative, but oh well."

Seeing the glare from the blond, the infirm decided to cut the commentary and stick to the facts.

"As of this attack, there have been twelve students injured with three more currently missing. The culprit takes to using a knife, and doesn't restrict himself to any one area of the school."

"Wait, that many students have been attacked in such a short period of time, and your only telling us now?" as expected, Naruto was a bit upset, as were the others, but Konjyoyaki shrugged it off. Instead, Ruby took his place to answer the question.

"The school faculty didn't see reason in scaring the student body so early in the year without reason."

"That, and they were too incompetent to actually piece together that the attacks were somehow connected," was Kon's cynical response.

"Regardless, this will make a great scoop for the paper," added Kurumu, getting some nods of agreement. "If we're lucky, we may even get an interview with the person who finds him."

"And that's the kicker," said Kon, starting a new cigarette. "We're officially employing your help in finding the scumbag."

That statement was meat with many looks of shock, with Yukari being the one asking, "You would knowingly put students in potential harm?"

"You're always in potential harm here, as is the violent nature of monsters attempting to co-exist. Besides, you should be used to it after last year."

"But wait, aren't you supposed to be gifted with being able to sense people really well? Shouldn't you be able to easily find him?"

"Yeah, except I have no idea what his energy feels like, you yobbo. That's kind of imperative in tracking people. And before you ask, Zetsu's in roughly the same boat."

Seeing as neither Naruto nor anyone else could think of any other questions or arguments, they resigned to being forced to help out the sociopathic man his investigation. At hearing all of them comply, he reached into his coat and retrieved a paper tube.

"Good, study this map and search any leads. I'll see you later."

And with that, Kon simply turned and walked away. Ruby at least waved to the group, a smile on her face, before following. The group, dejected slowly returned to the club room, going to study the map like they were told.

(Back in the Clubroom):

"So, where do we start?" asked Naruto, wanting to get this whole ordeal over with as soon as he could. While he liked the idea of kicking ass, unleashing the pent-up rage he had against Mr. N with whatever unlucky sap stood in his way, the man didn't like having to hunt them down.

Meanwhile, Yukari had finished putting the map up on the chalkboard, right behind the sleeping form of their club supervisor, pointing at various locations with her wand. "As you can see as indicated by the X-markings, The Slasher doesn't restrict his movements to any one area of the campus, nor does he discriminate against who he attacks. In all reality, the culprit could be a student or educator, but it is unlikely, seeing as no one who has seen them has recognized them."

"So we're basically searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack," said Zetsu, obviously as excited by the prospect of canvasing the entire campus as the rest of the gang.

"In that case, doesn't it make sense for all of us to split up?" asked Hotaru, which was met with a shake of the head by Yukari.

"Think about it: The Slasher targets those who are caught on their own in desolate areas of the school. It would almost be like giving him an invitation to get the drop on us. We should at least travel in pairs."

It was Mizore who cut in next. "But wouldn't that deter him from showing himself? It would just make it harder to find him, and it would take longer to cover more ground."

"And what if someone does find him and needs backup?" questioned Kurumu. "Isn't our safety more important than necessarily finding this creep?"

And so the verbal dispute ensued, each person arguing whether if it was better to go off alone, in small groups, two large groups, or all together. Everyone took part, rather loudly voicing their opinions and why the other options were wrong.

There was, however, one person who did not participate. Kokoa, instead of arguing senselessly, approached the map to better examine it. As she noticed something, she loudly called attention to it.

"Hey, what's this symbol mean?"

Everyone stopped mid-yell, to see the ginger pointing to pointing to what consisted of two triangles, on inside the other, at a distant edge of the map. The young witch was the one to supply an answer.

"That symbol denotes the location of a dungeon."

"Dungeon?"

"Yes. Long ago, those who killed others in the school or the human world were imprisoned in that dungeon. It has since fallen to disrepair and is no longer used, though some say it still retains a dark taint within it."

"Wait," interrupted Kurumu, "are you saying that you think this guy is hiding out there? Shouldn't we be going off a little more than guess-work here?"

"What's wrong, scared?" asked Kokoa. Naruto, Mizore, and Zetsu could immediately see where the girl was going with this. She thought perhaps Moka's friends were influencing her less-than-acceptable behavior for a vampire, so why not take her frustration out on them? "Oh, that's right, a lowly monster like you wouldn't stand a chance against the criminal even if we did find him. That's why you're so adamant to search in groups, isn't it?"

Kurumu was visibly seething from the comment, as Kokoa held an air of superiority about her.

Finally, she grabbed her sister's arm and said, "Fine, you can stay here while me and Moka go get the criminal," much to the surprise of those who hadn't spent time with Kokoa, seeing as they though the ginger still had mixed feelings about Moka.

Nevertheless, Kokoa excitedly dragged her sister hurriedly out the door, the little bat following them. Surprised, Tsukune tried to chase after them, but was intercepted by Naruto.

"What are you doing, Naruto-san? I have to go after them!"

"Why? You actually think you'll be able to catch up to them? What's the point?"

"I'm the only one who can remove the rosary! Without me, Moka's likely to be no more than a liability if they confront the criminal!"

"And you won't be any better off if you go after them so recklessly," Mizore interjected, causing Tsukune to stop struggling. "Remember, The Slasher may not even be at the dungeon, but if he's lying somewhere on the path there, you're more likely to be targeted as an individual than they are as a group. You need to think."

That sobered the boy up rather quickly, prompting Naruto to release the lad. "We still need to search the whole area if we hope to find this guy if that brat's wrong."

Suddenly, a look came over Tsukune's face, indicating it was obvious that he had an idea.

"Wait, can't you make copies of yourself, Naruto-san?"

For a moment, the blond just stood their, looking at Tsukune with a blank look on his face. Finally, he palmed himself, clearly embarrassed that he had failed to think of that himself.

"Bollocks! Why didn't I think of that?"

Without further ado, the blond created a bunch of clones, before everyone rushed out of the room at their own pace, leaving Tsukune, Yukari, and Hotaru at the back, while Zetsu simply melded with the ground, intending to show up right outside the dungeon.

(The Dungeon):

It didn't take long for the siblings to reach the entrance of the dungeon, having stopped only to pick up a lantern, which Moka was now holding. Along the way, the pink-haired vampire also learned that, while she herself no longer held her sister's general ire, Kokoa had projected her hate unto Tsukune, Kurumu, and Yukari, thinking they were the reason she was so weak as opposed to her other self.

And while she wanted to tell her sister that it was her rosary that suppressed both her power and personality, making her more of an alter-ego to her more controlling and ruthless self, and that her friends actually made her stronger, giving her something that even her other-self could fight for, she found that her words were dying on her lips. After making up ground with her sister, she didn't want to lose it, even if it was wrong to not defend her friends.

However, she took her mind off the subject as the two stopped, watching as Zetsu finished melding out of the ground right in front of the. Backing up a little, Kokoa found herself surprised, the words, "What the bloody hell?" escaping her in a shocked gasp.

As if just noticing them, Zetsu turned and asked, "Why are you so surprised?"

"You just came out of the ground! You never said you could do that!"

"He never said he couldn't, either."

Even more shocked than before, both girls tuned and saw Naruto, his lax for leaning against a tree. Wanting to prod for more information, Kokoa was interrupted by Zetsu asking, are we going inside or not?"

Before they knew it, the four were traveling through the derelict remains of the dungeon, questions running through all their minds, though being to busy basking in the almost eerie silence to ask. Finally, curiosity got to Moka, and she asked, "Hey, Naruto-san, where are the others?"

"Hm? Oh, we all rushed here at our own pace. The others will get here on there own time. Anyway, why are you so sure this criminal holed himself up in here, runt?"

"Stop calling me that!" Kokoa growled, before reverting to her more enthusiastic and answering, "Anyway, I noticed all the attacks followed a trail either to or from this dungeon so it was actually fairly easy to deduce his hiding spot. Of course, Onee-san saw it as well, didn't you? As expected of vampire lineage."

The girl had a giant smile plastered to her face as she boasted about how superior they were, but quickly sobered up.

"In any event, if it turned out we were somehow wrong, this whole situation may very well reacquaint Onee-san with her other self, the environment and mood forcing her to think and act more like she should."

"This isn't what we discussed this morning, Ginger."

Kokoa once again growled, but supposed it was better than being called 'runt' all the time instead.

"As I said, I would do it your way until a better opportunity came around. Guess what: it's here."

Moka was a bit confused about what the two were discussing, but ignored it in order to better stay on guard and keep the lantern steady. It was then that the group once again relapsed into silence as they considered exploring the ruins.

Suddenly, the bat flew up into the air and began beating its wings rapidly as they approached an intersection, prompting Kokoa to say, "Ko-chan senses something. Turn off the light."

Turning to Zetsu, Naruto saw him nod, making him believe Kokoa's warning was all the more credible.

"He must be coming down the hall," the ginger said as everyone leaned up against the adjacent wall, making it so they wouldn't be seen. Sure enough, distant, echoing footsteps could soon be heard. Upon silent command, Kokoa had her pet morph into a giant, spiked club, which she quickly handed off to Moka, the closest one to the edge.

Shocked by the weight at first, the girl quickly took it up, and sent a confused, worried glance to her sister, which prompted a whisper.

"When he comes around the corner, you hit him. We'll support you if the need arises."

The elder one of the siblings still didn't seem too sure, but was prepared all the same. Slowly, all too slowly, the footstep came louder and more frequently, until a shadow stretched into view. Moka tensed, counting the seconds until she swung, and just as she was about to go all out, Zetsu decided to interject.

"You may want to hold off on that plan."

"Why?" asked Kokoa, her voice vehement, though it succeeded in its objective of stopping Moka, allowing the figure to pass fully into their line of sight. It was, of course, Tsukune, who jumped back, frightened at seeing four figures hiding behind a wall, the lead one with a giant weapon held above their head, poised to strike him down.

It took a bit before they managed to calm him, the human finally recognizing who it was, at which point Naruto promptly asked, "Where are the others? How did you get here before them?"

"Well, Yukari, Hotaru, and I all got here at the same time, but got separated from each other once we got inside," he started, nervous. "As for Kurumu and Mizore, I have no idea."

"Shit. Zetsu, think you can sense them out?"

The giant shook his head. "There is a thick layer of darkness and foreboding covering the whole area. I can barely sense anything as it is, and was only able to keep Moka from maiming Tsukune because of his proximity."

"Great, so we have a liability stuck with us that in turn makes Onee-san a liability, too week to assert herself, and now have to worry about four others, further bringing us down. Just bloody brilliant, that."

Whilst the ginger was busy whinging, she failed to notice the large presence behind her, as did most people, except for Tsukune, who saw something in the dim lighting. Acting on instinct, he pushed the girl out of the way, prompting a yell right before a giant fist smashed into him, which would have sent him flying had not Naruto intercepted his flight path, catching him and placing him of two feet.

"Zetsu! A little warning would help!"

"I can't. He blends right in with the atmosphere."

This little display caused a chuckle, snapping everyone's attention to the figure of their assailant. Most were caught off guard by the large form, a muscular and hairy torso, flexing with power, coupled with a demonic bull head, sharp, protruding horns and teeth on prominent display along with two, beady read eyes the gave off a faint glow. To top it off, he had on a pair of jeans and chaps for some reason, a machete in a holster on his waist. All in all, it made Naruto chuckle.

"Well, well, well, aren't you a large fella'?"

As he said that, he crouched down in a fighting style, one hand in front of him, pointed at the opponent, the other near his waist. It elicited a rumbling laugh from the beast as it charged at high speeds toward him, though the blonde was easily able to keep up, much to the surprise of the beast.

As the two fought it out, Naruto failed to notice that Kokoa was still in shock from being saved, by someone she thought useless, no less, while Tsukune was still in pain from the hit, Moka worrying about them both as Zetsu tried to stay on guard.

It wasn't long before another man, with unkempt hair and a sickly visage appeared, knife in hand and wearing a black and white striped shirt, walking up behind Moka and saying, "Oh good, a woman. I'll be taking care of you personally," before knocking her out with a strike to the back of the head. Caught off guard by this, he was blasted through a wall by minotaur, rubble covering him, for all intents and purposes making him dead to the world. A stray piece of concrete flew from the blast and knocked Tsukune in the head, knocking him out and allowing the newcomer to scoop him up as he held Moka over his shoulder.

Looking around, frightened by what had happened in the last few moments, Kokoa noticed she was alone, Zetsu having left sometime without anyone noticing, leaving the two criminals to leer down ad her.

"Looks like you're all alone, little girl," said the one with the knife before turning to what seemed to be his minion. "Take care of her," was all he said before turning and walking away with Tsukune and Moka.

The beast grinned, drawing its weapon as it stalked towards her. Tears welled up in the girl's eyes, wondering how things had gone so wrong. She had just wanted her old sister back, the beautiful and powerful sister she prided herself into hopefully becoming like. Now here she was, alone, having her sister once again taken and about to die, pathetic. And she realized... she was no better than the ones she had ridiculed. And she didn't know if she wanted to live with that.

But, as the beast got in closer, she steeled her resolve. She wasn't injured. She could still fight, and didn't see why she couldn't. She was a vampire, and knew she would rather die fighting than simply letting it happen.

As determination grew bright in her eyes, she banished her tears and put on a vengeful face, summoning her pet to her and transforming it into a blade, capable of taking on the beast in front of her. She would save her sister and show her what it meant to be a true vampire, and would not be stopped.

Except she was stopped, both by the arrival of three more people and the pile of rubble Naruto was under exploding outward, freeing the obviously pissed blond and halting the surprised minotaur. The only thing that stopped the angry man from ripping the beast's head of was seeing who had just showed up.

"Looks like we got here just in time," said Kurumu, being led by Zetsu, Mizore at her side. Realizing Zetsu was the one who found them, Naruto immediately demanded an explanation.

"I thought you couldn't find shit here! What the hell?"

"Well, I detected the faintest signature, and since it wasn't obscured by darkness. I figured it was worth a shot."

"And we know how both Moka and Tsukune were captured," interjected Mizore, "Thanks to this thing distracting and temporarily incapacitating you."

"We'll take it from here," said Kurumu, both her and Mizore partially reverting to their monster forms and standing side-by-side, ready to attack.

This got an indignant response from Kokoa, who stated, "Back off, he's mine!" even if she was still just a bit afraid and unsure.

Of course that got Naruto to pipe in with, "The hell he is! He knocked me through a fucking wall! I get first crack at him!"

"You had your chance! It's my turn!" Kokoa fiercely replied.

"You both had ample time," interrupted Kurumu. "Let us have a go!"

Both Zetsu and the beast watched the three-way exchange, the latter more confused than anything, before they finally decided to play roco-paper-scissors for it. Gathering in a circle, all four played, Naruto and Kokoa throwing rock while Mizore threw scissors and Kurumu paper.

"We win," announced Kurumu, which only led to Kokoa and Naruto demanding how. "Paper covers rock."

"But scissors cuts paper!" Kokoa pointed out.

"Yeah, but Mizore and I are on a team, so even though she defeats me, we still win."

And before any more retorts could be made, the duo stepped out in front of the beast, causing it to grin at finally having an opponent. A grin on his face, he swung wildly, and was easily dodged by both girls, before they struck out together, sending the beast flying and cracking the ground in an amazing feat of power, leaving the spectators awed.

"When the hell did you learn that?" demanded Naruto as he approached them, embracing his girlfriend with a big smile on his face, proud for her.

"Over the break, we got Gin-sempai to train us. He's actually a good teacher."

Kurumu scoffed at that. "For you, maybe, but he was constantly groping me. The only reason you were spared was because he knew Naruto would kill him."

With that, the blue-haired girl turned to Kokoa and regarded her in terms to her previous superiority.

"I hope that proves to you vampires aren't the only strong monsters."

"Whatever, we need to go rescue Onee-san now."

With that, the ginger marched on ahead, picking up the forgotten lantern and going down the path she saw the other criminal take. With not much left to do, the others followed. As they walked, Naruto turned to Zetsu and asked, think you can keep an eye out for Moka's and Tsukune's signatures. It will lead us to the criminals."

"What about Hotaru and Yukari?" he asked.

"Yeah, them too. They may have been taken for all we know."

"So you didn't come across them?" asked Mizore, which received a shake of the head. Unbeknownst to them, the group was being monitored by a shikigami, meaning that their progress was being tracked, and the enemy could keep track of them. However, Naruto couldn't help but feel they were being watched.

Looking around, though making sure not to draw attention to himself, he soon saw it, knowing what it is and what it could do since Kiria had explained it to him the previous year. Palming a kunai, the blond slowed so he was at the back of the party, flicking his wrist and hitting the creature directly in the eye, killing it and watching as it silently fell to the ground. He didn't bother telling the others, though. He didn't need them getting riled up.

However, as they continued walking, they soon came to a stop at Kokoa's, "What the hell?" statement. Closing in, the group came across a sight that caused the blond's heart to drop. It was, of course, the dead shikigami laying in the middle of the path, kunai still embedded in it. Immediately, both Zetsu and Mizore rounded on Naruto, causing him to blanch.

"How long ago?" asked Zetsu.

"About five minutes."

"Wait, what's going on? What is that thing,"asked Kurumu, obviously confused about what it had to do with the dead creature in front of them.

Casually, Naruto crouched down and removed his kunai with a sickening squelch, returning it to his hidden holster. "That, is a shikigami, a monster which can transmit whatever it sees to it's counterpart, which can project the image to whoever the owner is. It was spying on us, so I killed it a ways back, meaning..."

"That you were leading us in circles," finished the succubus, rounding on the surprised ginger. "I knew that we shouldn't have followed you."

"Oh, like you would have lead us anywhere else! Following you, we would have been hopelessly lost! At least now we know to take a different route!"

"Why you little..." just as the two were about two fight, someone made themselves known.

"Guy's there's no need for fighting!" everyone turned to the source, and saw an indistinguishable figure, though the voice sounded familiar.

"Tsukune-kun? Is that you?" asked Kurumu as Kokoa turned the lantern onto him, revealing Tsukune's features. However, even though it was hard to see him fully, Naruto sensed something was off about him. He also noticed a strange smell in the air.

"Of course it's me."

"How did you escape?"

"I managed to beat up the criminals, of course!"

"Where's Onee-san?" asked Kokoa, a threatening edge in her voice, though maybe it was just to hide the worry.

Tsukune's expression suddenly morphed to one of urgency, as he quickly turned. "That's right, she was injured! Come on, she needs help!"

"What?" asked Kokoa, already racing ahead of Tsukune, not noticing as he palmed a knife, ready to stab her. That's when Naruto realized the scent. Tobacco. The smell lingered around the man, like a cloud that was following him. Since when did Tsukune smoke? And he was wearing different clothes. He should have been more worried about Moka. And he remembered before he was covered by rubble a piece of concrete had hit Tsukune it the head. Where were the signs of the wound?

"That's not Tsukune," Naruto said, catching everyone's attention. However, before anyone could react, the imposter thrust foreward, intent on killing at least one of them first, namely Kokoa.

Before he could succeed, though, a dark figure rushed past everyone and planted their foot into the back of the fake's head, sending him flying. Everyone got on guard, unsure if this person was a friend or foe. The rough, familiar voice put them at ease, though.

"I'm ashamed, Aono-san. Only pussies smoke menthol. You okay, kid?"

Kokoa could only stare up at the scarred face of Konjyoyaki, barely able to conceive that he had saved her, before she remembered him. "You're Amami-sensei, right?"

All she got was a nod before he ushered her behind him. "Sendo and Tenka are on the surface with Ruby," he said. "You guys might want up with them."

"But what about Tsukune-kun and Moka-san?" asked Kurumu.

"Look, I don't give a shit what you do, but don't blame me if you get injured."

His voice then became even more serious, if that was at all possible.

"However, I claim this guy."

That statement was met with a chuckle, as the faux-Tsukune stepped back into view. "Well, isn't that touching? Coming back to me, eh, Konjyoyaki-sama?" the title was obviously used with a mocking intent, and caused the man to narrow his eyes.

"Do I know you?"

"And what was that? Amami-sensei? I guess he really was important to you."

The others just watched with confusion, though Konjyoyaki growled at the man who was taunting him, bringing up memories he would rather forget. "Who are you?"

"I'm hurt that you don't remember," the imposter said, playing around by inflecting his voice to match what he said. He then reached behind his back, taking something he had hidden. "You know, I kept this on the off-chance that we would meet again. Turns out it came in handy."

And as he said that, he revealed a blank, white mask, the sight of which made Konjyoyaki take an involuntary step back, before he reaffirmed himself. "You..."

The man chuckled, donning the mask and changing his voice. "Konjyoyaki-sama? Are you hurt? What happened to your arm and eye? Oh, right, you blew your own arm off, and I'm responsible for cutting your eye out, aren't I?" at the end, malicious glee was evident in his voice.

"You're the one who killed Taiki..." was all he said. It was met with a chuckle. "You were the last one to see my students. Where are they?"

Although Konjyoyaki's voice was calm and steady, Naruto could see right through the facade, and cautiously approached his mentor. "Hey, Kon?"

"Stay back, Uzumaki!" he snapped, causing the others to jump, but the imposter to raise his eyebrow in wonder, though it was unseen to the others.

"Uzumaki? As in Uzumaki Naruto?"

The man turned his head towards the boy, before laughing.

"I thought you looked familiar! You're the Jashinist man from Kohona, aren't you? What a coincidence!"

An insane laugh followed, as Naruto looked worriedly to Konjyoyaki. "What's going on?" the uncertainty shown through in his voice.

"Uzumaki, whatever you do, don't let that guy touch your face," as Konjyoyaki said that, a blade of ice formed in his hand, ready to strike the criminal down.

"I wonder," he continued, almost to himself, "do your friends know the price you paid for your immortality?"

The statement managed to nearly push the blond off the edge, causing him to wonder just how much this guy knew about him. It also served to confuse those who weren't former affiliates of a criminal organization, as they turned to Naruto, wanting to know just how much more he was hiding from them.

" I wonder if it's transferable," the screwy man continued. "Don't get me wrong, Konjyoyaki-sama, I still want your power, even if it doesn't hold the weight it once did, but eternal life is just so much more... enticing."

And with that, he rushed toward the blond, only to reach a full stop just as quickly and jump back and Konjyoyaki got in front of him and made a stab, missing, if only just.

"I see despite your infirmity your skills have refused to dull."

"Sod off," was the reply as Konjyoyaki chucked his blade at the enemy like a spear. The masked man managed to dodge, but only to receive a fist to the gut for his trouble as he was rushed by the man in white.

The man attempted a stab back in return, but was too slow as Konjyoyaki dodged back. However, he still grinned, noticing the state the man was in. Rivulets if sweat ran down from his brow, and his breathing was ragged as he struggled on to hunch over, forming another blade.

"The air down here isn't ideal for brawling, is it? Especially for one with a limited lung capacity such as yourself, eh?"

"Shut your tra-..." the man began through his wheezing, before breaking off into a coughing fit, nearly collapsing to one knee as he did so. Only the one-eyed man could see the flecks of blood mixed in with spittle.

Worrying for the man, Naruto rushed foreward, unsealing his own blade as the criminal charged against the temporarily defenseless man. The blond was easily able to deflect the knife and repel the enemy, but pushed the offensive, sending his sword after him and forcing the criminal to either keep dodging or be impaled.

It came as a surprise, then, when Konjyoyaki kicked the person aiding him away, straightening up as he did so. "This is my battle, Uzumaki. Stay out of it!"

"The hell you doing?" was the shouted reply as the blond got up. "You can barely stand!"

"He's right. You should let him help," was the snarky comment coming from his opponent. "Even if you were the jammiest bastard alive, you condition makes you hard-pressed to beat me."

He began laughing, as if he had told a joke, but stopped quickly, and Konjyoyaki could just sense the mirthful smirk on his face.

"Oh, and it appears we have company."

As he said that, a wall was busted down, sending dust up into the air, both decreasing visibility and making it harder to breathe. As it settled, it revealed Tsukune, pronounced demonic attributes about him. An apathetic and blood-thirsty gaze fixed on everyone in the room, causing various reactions. Behind him, a voice could be heard shouting, "Tsukune-kun!" in a frantic voice, presumably Moka.

This clearly wasn't what the criminal expected, as he stumble back, most likely from a mixture of shock and the power the teen was exuding. "That's not Kumocchi. What the hell?"

Everyone but him and Kokoa knew, of course, that this was the effect of Moka's vampiric blood coursing through his veins, turning him closer to the point of no return by the minute. The Holy Lock was the only thing keeping him from turning into a ghoul at that moment, and it had it's limits. Something blatantly obvious to those who knew.

It was then that Tsukune stepped in the middle of a front, and charged blindly at the criminal, much to the ire of Konjyoyaki, though the others had mixed reactions, ranging from impressed at his ability, to worried for his well-being.

To the criminal's defense, he managed to dodge the first few strikes, before being caught off-guard and blasted away. He was still focused on his opponent, however, so he had no reason to prepare for Konjyoyaki smashing his head through a wall and repeatedly into the floor until Tsukune had blacked-out, the infirm man's patience obviously worn all too thin.

While some gasped at this brutality, tears in the eyes of both Moka and Kurumu, they only felt worse as Konjyoyaki lifted the unconscious boy by his head and flung him back at the feet of Zetsu, with the command of, "Transport him and any who wish to leave back to the surface, then escort them to the medical facilities."

There was a nod as Zetsu lifted the boy's body and instructed those wanting to leave to grab on to his shoulders. Kurumu sent a hateful glare at the man's back before being whisked away along with Moka, leaving only Naruto, Mizore, and Kokoa as witnesses. While the blond wondered why the ginger had chosen to stay, he realized it would be more fitting to ask later.

Which turned out to be a good idea, as while everyone was busy, the criminal had regained his bearing, and saw his opportunity to strike, dashing as fast as he could to Naruto's position, hand outstretched.

Taken aback by this sudden action, the blond couldn't even put up a meager defense. He didn't expect to be shoved out of the way by a large cripple, who promptly took his place.

From his position on the ground, Naruto saw the hand latch onto Konjyoyaki's pissed face, who sent a glare at the blond, before trying to get away. It didn't work, as the shape-shifter just became taller, and his outward appearance came to match that of Konjyoyaki;s, with the exception that the criminal wasn't wearing white and still had all his appendages, including his right eye as revealed when her removed the mask.

"Not exactly the body I was aiming for," the criminal said, joy in his voice, "but not half bad."

"I see you didn't copy it exactly," the real Konjyoyaki said cautiously, backing away, a serious and apprehensive look on his face, which received a laugh.

"No, I took the liberty to fix you deformations, including swapping your lungs in favor of my own. In essence, with your abilities, I am even more powerful than you."

"To what extent do your powers copy someone, exactly?" asked Konjyoyaki, motioning the others behind him, trying to keep his face blank. He couldn't afford to show any emotions, but he also wanted everyone out of the way.

"For all intents and purposes, I am a copy of you. Physical traits, personality, knowledge, I have it all, along with my own abilities," said the imposter, clenching his fist to get a feel for the new body. He also grinned, taking Konjyoyaki's expressionless face as a means to hide his fear. "I'll go through the memories later, though."

"I see."

Despite the situation, the cripple found time to replace his burnt-out cigarette for a new one as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Tell me, how long has it been since you've had a smoke?"

"Why?" he asked, a bit cautious at just how well Konjyoyaki was hiding his emotions.

"It's been at least five minutes, wouldn't you say?"

A pause.

"Tell me, are you a bit chilly?"

"What are you going on about? Are you daft? So what if I'm cold? It only makes your powers stronger!"

It was at that moment that the imposter noticed that he could see his breath, and that he was starting to shiver from how cold it was becoming? How had the temperature dropped so suddenly without him noticing. Then he saw the others were unaffected by the same ailments.

Finally, Konjyoyaki grinned. "What you say is true, but you're not used to the body. You don't know the drawbacks."

The imposter was about to shout, demand he explain what the bloody hell he was talking about, but was suddenly overcome by an excruciating pain, making him feel as if his head was splitting open, causing him to fall to his knees. That was the moment he had been waiting for.

Before anyone could blink, Konjyoyaki sprinted foreward, sword at his side as he passed by the doppelganger, lopping off his head as he went, causing it to roll on the floor as the body fell over limply. The blade disappeared shortly thereafter as the teacher turned to regard it.

Cautious at first, Naruto and the others approached, the blond asking, "What happened to him?"

"Fool became over confident and didn't know how to properly maintain my body. While what he said was true, that my abilities thrive in the cold, he failed to regulate his body's temperature, inflicting a great deal of stress onto it. As such he left himself open."

"Before the fight, you said something about a 'Taiki' which this guy killed, and was apparently close to you. Are you okay?"

"Taiki was a friend, and the man who killed him is dead. Truthfully, it's a load off my shoulders knowing that he is dead. Still, it's worrying to know this was the man my students were last with, and I have no idea what became of them" he said, pausing for a brief moment. "Go back to the surface, I want a minute to clean up."

Slowly, the students left the man, who just kept staring at the dead body of himself, which was actually pretty creepy, if Naruto was honest with himself. They each spared a glance back as the motionless man before rounding a corner.

Sure that they could no longer see him, Konjyoyaki knelt down to the body, picking up the discarded mask beside it. He looked at it long and hard, keeping a stoic visage, not letting his guard down, even if to just let a lone tear roll down his cheek for a long gone friend. Instead, he simply pocketed the mask, before reexamining the body, and beginning to meddle with it.

(End):

So, there are a few other concerns I want to address. They are as follows: