A/N: *points below* Look... A chapter. Yeah me! Had really bad case of "I don't wanna to". That and this is like the 5th or 6th incarnation of this chapter. I've lost count really. I was just never really happy about it until recently. Anyway, let me stop talking and let you get to it.
Warning: I don't own it except for the crap I came up with.
Chapter 88: This is not my day
In the Village hidden in the Waterfall:
Rai was standing at the open flaps of the tent set up as the command center for the rescue operation. Refugees were coming from all over the area. Some had been displaced by the volcanic eruption, but most of them were the displaced villagers of the Unclaimed Territories and surprisingly enough, a few farming villages from Sound. The destruction was massive, but the loss of life was minimal. Sound villagers, though closely guarded, had reported that there had been ninja that came through and told them to leave. The same reports had come from other refugees in the Unclaimed Territories. While some of the villagers and live stock had been slaughtered, the majority had been told to pack what they could carry and head northwest towards Rock and Waterfall.
It was confusing at best, but it meant something even more devastating. Madara had expected an attack on Sound. If this was the case, as Rai suspected, Madara had planned for that eventuality and possibly already moved his clone army elsewhere. Which meant that Myra's brilliant idea to destroy Sound and the cloning factories had been for naught. Madara had built up Sound as the 'patsy' to take the fall for his devious plan. There was one other thing that kept needling at Rai. Madara was a brilliant tactician, but he seemed to know what was going to happen before it actually happened. He was playing Konoha and the other villages like pieces on a chess board, but even the best chess players could only guess the most likely course of action.
Chess was a game of statistics, gambits, and strategy. You have to plan moves in advance and know that if the opposing player did 'x' or 'y', you could use 'a' to counter both strategies, or you pulled 't' out of nowhere to completely confuse and possible win the whole game. Even in a game of chess you have to be prepared for the opposing player to do something you couldn't predict. But Madara had been sure of what was going to happen next. He knew what Konoha was going to do before Konoha knew they were going to do it. Madara had played everyone in his little game of world domination. Rai's mood sank further as he continued to brood on what turns the future could take.
"General Ravenheart!"
The elder Ravenheart snapped out of his brooding to turn to the messenger. "Report." he said in a stern tone.
The messenger halted and took a brief moment to catch his breath. "General, your presence has been requested at the medical tent. There was a woman brought with the last group of refugees. She is severely injured, but alive. The medics are stabilizing her now."
Rai resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This was nothing new. There had been several of these instances since the information had arrived that Myra was suspected to be dead. Anytime a woman was brought in that remotely fit Myra's description, they would call for him. The first few times he had gone with all the hope he could muster. After the hundredth or so time, he was getting annoyed by the interruption. The last woman had red hair and looked nothing like Myra, what were his subordinates thinking? Kakashi had stepped in after that, and Rai had been grateful. But still, he had not completely given up hope that they would find her. "What is her condition?"
The messenger looked grave. "General Kakashi said it didn't look good, but he also said you would know more when you saw her."
Rai raised an eyebrow. If Kakashi had sent the messenger than it was possible that this time… His heart nearly seized in his chest from the elation. General Ravenheart didn't need to be told a second time. He raced from the command tent directly to the medical city not far away. He found Kakashi easily. "Well?"
The Copy ninja nodded and the both started walking towards the hospital. "It IS Myra. She has several broken bones and severe internal injuries. The group that found her at the base of a cliff say it's a miracle she is still breathing, let alone alive. The medics are with her now."
It seemed like hours that the two waited, but it was minutes when the head medic exited the surgery room. Rai stood from his seated position to greet the doctor. Kakashi stayed seated. The Doctor pulled his mask away and sighed heavily. "General, I am sorry, but there is not much I can do except keep her comfortable and see that she isn't in any pain."
Rai braced himself. "What is the prognosis?"
The doctor let out another sigh. "I'm not sure. There is a discrepancy with what I know to be medical fact and the miracle that is occurring in that room. She should have died from the fall, but she did not."
"Fall?" Rai questioned.
"Her injuries are a classic example of a fall from an extreme height. Shattered bones, ruptured internal organs and blood loss. If the information I have is correct, her disappearance was little over a week ago. I can estimate her fall at about the same time. With internal bleeding and the broken bones I am surprised she is not fighting sepsis or gangrene as a result." The doctor ran a hand over his tired looking face.
"Will she live?" That was the question Rai needed to have answered.
The doctor sighed again, and Rai really wanted to beat the guy senseless because of it. "The miracle I spoke of is that she is breathing on her own. Her body is healing like it should, but there is no discernable brain activity. The lights are on, but no one is home. She may have survived the fall and the last week without proper medical care, food or water, but I can't say that she will survive much longer. Her body is extremely weak. Even if we are able to heal her injuries, her mind is lost. So when you ask the question, will she live, I can't give you an answer of yes or no. Her heart and lungs are functioning, but without the brain activity can you truly say she is alive? Is it possible that she has passed on and her body hasn't expired yet? That is poss…"
Rai narrowed his eyes. "She isn't dead. As long as her body takes in breath, she isn't dead and there is hope."
A nurse exited the surgery room and handed the doctor a chart. "Excuse me for a moment General." The doctor flipped the paper on the chart, "hm"ing as he did. After a few more tense moments the doctor put the chart under his arm and looked back at Rai. "General Rai, may I ask you a few things about your daughter?"
Rai nodded. The doctor shifted uneasily on his feet. "Do you know your daughter has been through child birth?"
The elder Ravenheart chuckled. "I know of my grandson."
The tension in the doctor's stance eased slightly, but still did not dissipate completely. "Then she is married, or has a significant other?"
"That she has, your point doctor." Rai asked with a twinge more annoyance in his tone than he meant.
The unease in the doctor's frame returned. "Well, you may wish to get him here quickly because there are two more miracles that will need to be discussed should her condition become further compromised." The doctor handed Rai the chart.
Rai snatched the chart and read over it. His eyes widened and he read over the chart again. The shocked General sat down next to Kakashi, who had been snoozing the whole time. Kakashi woke with a start when Rai handed him the chart. Kakashi read over the chart and even his eye became wide with shock. Kakashi couldn't contain his chuckle. "The boy always wanted a large family."
Rai shook his head. "I will send word to Naruto. He will want to know that we found her anyway. But she should be the one that should tell him."
The doctor shook his head. "General Ravenheart, I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation."
Rai stood up and loomed over the doctor. "No doctor, I don't think you understand. MYRA. IS. ALIVE. I want her prepped and ready to move as quickly as possible."
The doctor's eyes narrowed. "Moving your daughter could kill her and her unborn children. I will NOT allow her to be moved. If you care at all for her, you will listen my advice and not make a foolish decision based on an emotional reaction to her being found."
Rai allowed the doctor to fully understand why he was a General of the combined forces. The elder Ravenheart let the constraints on his chakra slip causing Kakashi to step back a little. The lights in the hallway began to flicker and the space became electrified with power. He voice was harsh whisper. "You will have her ready to travel as soon as possible."
The doctor, though inwardly quaking in his boots, outwardly refused to be intimidated. His expression hardened. "You push your power General and it leads me to believe that your actions are that of a distraught father that will not face facts. I sympathize with your predicament, but I cannot in all good conscience allow you to put her life in any more danger. As Head Medical Ninja of this facility and of the Waterfall village, I am declaring Myra Ravenheart a non combatant casualty under the protection of the Waterfall village. I am also declaring her father, General Ravenheart, emotionally compromised and incapable of making competent decisions on her behalf. Therefore, any decisions concerning her medical care will be under my purview until such time as the father of her unborn children can be found, contacted and consulted in regards to both her health, and the health of the children."
Rai continued to stare. He could tell the doctor was nervous and even a bit scared. But the doctor had years of practice keeping those emotions in check. Despite the tiny bead of sweat trickling down the doctor's brow, the man was not going to back down. A hand on Rai's shoulder brought him out of his thoughts. He snapped his head around to Kakashi. Kakashi sighed. "Send word to Naruto and let Naruto deal with him."
The anger at the situation turned to grand hilarity. Waterfall didn't know what they had gotten themselves into. Rai thought he was a pussy cat compared to the rage and anger they would face when Naruto found that she was alive, and here. Rai turned back to the doctor. "You will continue to treat her injuries with the prospects that she will pull through." It was not a question, it was a statement of fact. The doctor nodded, letting out the breath he was holding.
Rai shrugged off Kakashi's hand and turned away from the doctor. "Then I will send word to Naruto Uzumaki, he will be pleased to know she is alive." and he walked away.
The doctor paled. "N-n-naru-t-to Uzumaki?" he stuttered out. "The Kyuubi Jinchuriki?"
Kakashi smirked evilly under his mask. "Not anymore…"
0 - 0 - 0
Rai exited the hospital in waterfall and let the rain that was gently falling to wash away his anger. The doctor was right to a certain extent. Moving Myra could cause more damage than he wanted to risk, but he had to get her back to Konoha. Naruto would be the only one that could possibly pull her back. The old coot back in the hospital didn't know it, but Rai did. Naruto and Myra were connected by forces greater than any of them. Even if she was trapped in the Ethereal, her spirit would have sought him out, so it was possible that she was in Konoha, or close to it. If Naruto came to Waterfall, it was possible that she would follow. At the moment, all Rai had was speculation and conjecture, but since Myra could not be moved… Naruto needed to come to Waterfall.
Black wings fluttered to Rai's shoulder. "How long would it take you to fly to Konoha?"
"About a day if I did not stop, but I have a feeling that this requires a bit more haste." Edgar answered honestly.
"Then get going as if the hounds of Hell are nipping at you heels. Tell Naruto she is alive and she needs him."
"I will only have to tell him she is alive. My suggestion would be to have Kakashi etch a Hiriashin seal on the door to her room. Kakashi knows the seal, though he was never able to duplicate the jutsu. I will be sure to mention that the seal exists, though I doubt Naruto will need it."
"Would you just go…" Rai shooed the bird from his shoulder.
0 - 0 - 0
Back in Konoha…
Sasuke raced towards his house, Itachi keeping pace without any problems. The brothers would have missed the running Sakura, had it not been for the wail of the baby in her arms. Sasuke veered off his path directly for the frazzled and frightened woman. Itachi followed, but at a slight distance. The younger Uchiha alighted in front of his wife. "Sakura!"
He was met with a hard right cross to his jaw that sent him flying several feet. "Don't you come near me until I know who you are!"
Itachi wisely stayed back out of her reach. Sakura had obviously been introduced to Deuce and was not happy about it in the least. Being introduced to a member of Sasuke's family that was supposedly immobile could make things a little more awkward than they needed to be.
Sasuke picked himself up off the ground, rubbing at his chin. "Damn it Sakura, do you have to hit so hard?" He reached in his mouth and removed a tooth, spitting blood on the ground.
Sakura held Saiyuki protectively. Though her voice carried a deadly edge to it, her tone shook with the fear she was feeling. "How do I know it's you?"
Sasuke knew she was upset and could obviously tell that her faith in him had been shaken. He thought it best to just humor her. "The night I left the village was the first time you ever confessed that you loved me."
Her eyes narrowed. "Everyone who's heard the story knows that."
"Myra was the first person to get me to admit to myself that I loved you in return." he grumbled reluctantly under his breath. It wasn't something that he wanted to admit to anyone, let alone himself. Not the part about loving Sakura, more the part that it took Myra to get him to stop denying it. "But before that I knew that I loved you. It was that moment at the bench that I knew it. Kami Sakura, had you looked at me… Just one look is all it would have taken and I wouldn't have been able to leave. But at the time I had too."
Sakura's eyes widened before he could see the relief written in her expression. "Sasuke-kun!" she ran into his arms.
He caught her and just held her close. They both had to take a moment to calm. Sakura sobbed into his chest until she was finally able to stop. She hated showing any kind of weakness, but damn it, she was scared out of her mind and nothing was making sense. He hated it even more, but a little emotion wasn't going to kill them. The baby in Sakura's arms was quieted by the warmth of the family around her. "Are you okay?" Sasuke asked tenderly.
Sakura sniffled and pulled away. "I'm okay." A glowing green hand lifted to his chin. "But Minato, he's… Minato is… I don't know what he is."
Sasuke sighed. "I don't know either. There are a lot of things going on that I don't understand at the moment."
"I can shed some light on what's going on." Itachi made to move closer.
Sasuke pushed Sakura and his daughter behind him. "I still don't trust you."
Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at Itachi. "I thought… Saskuke, what is going on?"
Itachi shrugged. "It's a story I would be happy to tell when the time is more appropriate. Right now, we are here to apprehend the second clone."
"Second? You mean there's more than one?" Sakura turned to Sasuke.
"Actually there are several thousand. Madara had Kabuto resurrect the entire Uchiha clan to as far back as he could find DNA remnants. The good news is that none of them have the Sharingan ability. The bad news is they are all loyal to Madara. He said he removed the two fatal flaws of the clan." Itachi told them.
"Hn." Sasuke snorted.
"As I said earlier, I will be happy to regale you with all the information you think you are going to need, but now is not the time. Where is Deuce?"
0 - 0 - 0
Deuce bolted from the florist shop. He was running for the main gates of Konoha. The rendezvous point was just beyond the boundaries of the village. If he could just get to the gates, they wouldn't chase him. He could fool the guards at the gates into believing that Naruto needed to be detained. Just as the gates were in sight, Deuce slowed and stopped in a narrow alleyway to just wait for the right moment. Besides he needed to calm himself before he tried to pull off the cool and aloof Sasuke. The clone closed his eyes, taking in several deep breaths, and willed his heart to slow. It wasn't until he could hear the growling over the rushing blood in his ears that Deuce realized that he should have just left the village and be damned with trying to detain Naruto.
Naruto grabbed Deuce from behind. Deuce, really not wanting to be airborne again, slipped out of the giant purple knot, running for the mouth of the alleyway. Now he understood in clear detail the reasons behind NOT wearing clothing or accessories an enemy could use as an advantage. The rope went slack in Naruto's grasp, but he simply grasped it tighter. The blonde's hand whipped back and he used the rope in has grip exactly like a whip to wrap around Deuces ankle. The clone's forward momentum was halted, as he ate concrete of the pavement below.
He didn't have time to recover before Naruto's foot cratered his stomach and he reflexively spit out the air in his lungs along with any gravel that had been in his mouth. There was no time to breathe as his back was now imbedded into the wall of the building flanking the alley. Deuce was dazed and bleeding from the mouth, but he had time to have thoughts of what brought him to this retched village. He hadn't realized he would be dealing with someone this powerful. Madara had described Naruto as a pansy, spouting words of love and understanding while the enemy to beat him senseless. Where were the inspirational words? Where was Naruto's unwavering optimism? Why the HELL didn't Nakamiko kill him when she had the chance? Deuce wasn't strong enough to take on the Jinchuriki.
His mind reeled with that thought. He had taken the most damage during the training drills. Course, Deuce liked to believe that he took the most damage because he preferred to be in the thick of battle. Trace had teased him mercilessly about being a 'piss poor copy'. Nakamiko never made a comment on the subject, she was too busy being perfect. And now Deuce understood why he was given the task of kidnapping the boy while his other clone siblings were given tasks that required more skill, more finesse, more brains. It was because he didn't have them. He was defective and wrong. He wasn't given the tools he needed to be as strong as his Original, nor was he given the right praise and motivation to serve his Master. His siblings knew it, his Master knew it, and now Deuce knew it too.
But, he wasn't going to die here. If anyone was going to kill him, it wasn't going to be Naruto. The jinchuriki didn't have the right to kill him, that pleasure belonged to Madara. Deuce was going to show them all that he could be just as powerful as the rest of them. He was going to prove that he wasn't defective. He was going to do what Nakamiko couldn't. He was going to take on the Jinchuriki and win. If he could hold on to that goal, Deuce could do it. With as much speed and strength as he could find in his broken body, Deuce threw a punch at Naruto, connecting with his jaw. Naruto didn't budge. Deuce followed with a right cross, connecting with Naruto's cheek. The sound from the impact sounded like a thunderclap that echoed throughout the narrow alleyway.
Naruto's head whipped to the side, but his body remained ridged. He kept his head turned while the sound continued to echo in his ears. Slowly, Naruto turned his feral red hate filled eyes at the clone. The growl emanating from the blonde's chest meant he was not pleased at all. Those red slitted eyes of a demon ready to kill his prey focused on Deuce. The clone tumbled through the debris of the building when Naruto returned the favor. There was a cacophony of screaming people, snapping metal, splintering wood, and hurried footsteps to clear the area.
Deuce sat up, shook off the blow and pushed off some sheetrock. Slowly, with the grace of a predator, Naruto stalked through the gaping hole of the building towards Deuce. The clone stood up and wiped the blood from the side of his mouth. "The information on you said you were prone to spouting idiotic idealism rather than fighting."
Naruto stalked closer. "Sorry to disappoint you. I'm all out of the fancy words today. Maybe when I'm feeling less like killing you I can be poetic."
Deuce laughed and wobbled a bit while standing up. "I'm going to kill you, you know. I just thought that you would want to get all that crap out of the way before I did it, mostly so I could laugh in your face."
Naruto stopped and his eyes narrowed. "I not going to waist my time. You aren't worth my energy."
"What, does my face bother you that much? Are you living out some weird fantasy about killing my Original?"
Naruto punched him through another wall just to get him to stop talking. More chunks of wood and plaster flew through the air. Deuce was lying on the ground groaning in pain. The blond picked him up by the scruff of his neck. "Until recently, I've had this problem. I've felt like I lived in a world made of eggshells."
Naruto slammed him into the ground. "Always taking constant care to not hurt other people with whatever I did. I plastered a fake smile on my face and pretended the world was bright and shinny, even when I knew it wasn't."
Deuce was tossed high into the air and in a flash, Naruto was above him. The axe kick to Deuce's head sent the clone like a bullet to the ground below. Naruto was right there waiting to see if the clone would move again. Even the blonde was a bit shocked that the guy was still moving. Naruto crouched over him. "I looked for the best in people because I thought there had to be something better than all the shit in the world. I wanted to change it and I thought if I just believed in a better place, it could happen. But in the back of my mind, I knew that if I lost control, even for a moment, someone I care about would get hurt or die. But you're just a clone, a simple shadow of Teme. You're not even a real human. So, what we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose." Naruto grinned and allowed his fangs to show proudly. "I don't have to be the good guy."
Deuce had heard the words, but they were muffled by the ringing in his ears. He felt himself being hoisted up by his throat. Naruto didn't care about the crowd that was gathering around him, nor did he really care about the ANBU now surrounding the scene. The blonde raised his right hand, allowing his claw tips to glow red with the fires of his rage. Searing claws rendered flesh, leaving angry cauterized claw marks across Deuce's face. Blood dripped from Naruto's fingers. "As for your face being an issue, now everyone can tell the difference." Naruto released the clone, who was screaming like a little girl with the pain of having his pretty face marred beyond recognition.
Deuce landed in a kneeling position at Naruto's feet, his hands covering his face. Naruto sneered down at the clone. "I'm not going to kill you, I'll let Madara do that when he finds out you failed. Go back to that Bastard and tell him I will avenge Myra's death by taking his life." Naruto turned and started to walk away.
Deuce was enraged. All he wanted to do was wipe that sneer off of Naruto's face. With everything Deuce had left in him, he stood up and charged at Naruto with a jagged metal piece of debris that he could reach.
There were gasps and screams of the crowd and Naruto turned. In very slow motion he saw Deuce grab the jagged metal piece and charge right for him. The blonde sighed. So much for getting a locator seal close to Madara. Naruto flashed behind the clone and wrapped his large arms around the clone's neck and head. "I'll give you one last chance to walk away with your miserable existence."
Deuce stabbed Naruto in the ribs with the metal piece. Naruto grunted with the pain and squeezed tighter. It was getting harder for the clone to breath. He knew he was going to die here, but not without getting some satisfaction first. "Madara will rule this world, and…" Deuce's words were cut off by the sickening sound bones breaking, blood spilling, and air escaping from his chest. The last thing the clone saw before his vision faded to black was Naruto's clawed hand holding his heart outside of his chest. The smell of the blood and gore tickled at Naruto's senses. He was almost purring with the satisfaction of feeling the squishy muscle of his prey's heart in his grasp.
Naruto let go of the heart, which bounced in splash of red, and removed his arm from Deuce's chest leaving a bloody void. The clone crumpled in a heap at his feet. The blonde took a step back. His breathing was labored and for some reason he felt his strength ebbing away. He looked at the metal piece protruding from his side, noticing it's rusted color. In the back of his mind, he knew it was going to be a problem. Something told him he needed to get it out of his body quickly. Without really thinking too much on the subject, he pulled the iron rebar from his side. There were screams and shouts of horror that Naruto had killed Sasuke. ANBU had kept their distance in fear of the jinchuiki's rage. Those shouts and screams faded in Naruto's ears.
He took another step back, leaving a bloody footprint as he did. Naruto had bled before, but usually his healing had kicked in to stop it instantaneously. This wound, though healing, was not healing as quickly as he would like, but it wasn't going to stop him from returning to Minato. He ignored the shouts for him to stop. He ignored everything. His main concern now was getting back to his son. Naruto took two or three more steps before the agony and pain flooded his body. Before he could really protest the blackness of unconsciousness, his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the ground.
0 - 0 - 0
Kitsuya had waited over eighty years to have her back in his arms and now she was here. Not that he didn't know what to do with her. He knew EXACTLY what he WANTED to do, but now was not the right time. It would take a while for the girl to regain consciousness and more than that, it would take a little time for her memories to return. For now, he needed to get out of here. He stood up with the girl in his arms. Nakamiko's arms swathed around his neck, and she snuggled into Kitsuya's chest. A please smirk spread across the demon's face and he couldn't help but nuzzle her hair affectionately. He walked to the door and slowly opened it, peeking out to see if there was anyone in the hallway. Kitsuya thanked Mother Universe for granting him the luck of not having anyone in the room next door when he put his fist through the wall. If there had been, the escape would be more problematic.
He walked casually down the corridor with the girl, nestled in his arms. He even passed a few nurses and other medical types on the way to the hospital entrance and the freedom beyond. The demon had a smug smile on his lips as he passed the enraged looking Tsunade. She was yelling at the frazzled looking Shizune who was trying to explain how she lost the girl. Kitsuya ducked into a small closet to keep an ear on the conversation.
"Honestly Lady Tsunade, I only left her alone for a moment. I don't know where she could have gone or how the hole got in the wall. All I know is that when I came back she was gone."
"What do you mean gone?"
"Just what I said, gone. I don't know how to explain it. As far as we know, she hasn't left the building, so we are starting a hospital wide search for her."
Kitsuya bit his lower lip. The jutsu he used to mask his and the girl's chakra was simple enough, almost second nature to him. However, maybe it wasn't as subtle as he had once thought. It was a genjutsu. The genjutsu cast an air of non hostility and belonging around the user, and since the genjutsu was cast on the user, not anyone else, it was subtle enough that most well trained jonin never noticed. Tsunade could have looked right at him and she would have seen Kitsuya carrying the girl. Heck she probably did see Kitsuya carrying the girl down the hallway, but her mind hadn't caught up to register what she saw. The idea was to just get out of the hospital before they noticed she was gone. Now that everyone was looking, his little plan wasn't going to work.
The demon shook his head and sighed. That was the problem with this particular genjutsu, once someone know what they were looking for, they would notice. He wondered how long it would take for Tsunade to registar…
"Shizune…" Tsunade said with authority.
"Yes my Lady?"
"Search the hospital for a tall man, red hair, dressed in all black carrying the girl. It's very possible that he's already out of the hospital."
Kitsuya snorted. If he just hadn't stopped to listen to the conversation, he very well could be half way out of the village by now. He cursed his curiosity and self centered pride. The girl groaned in his arms and started to stir. His concentration was taken off the conversation and was directed to the woman in his arms. He looked down at her. It didn't take long for sooty eyelashes to flutter open. Nakamiko blinked a few times and was about to scream. A large hand covered her mouth to contain the scream. "Shhh… You wouldn't want to be found in a broom closet with a demon would you?"
Nakamiko's eyes widened. She wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to do. She was alive and in his arms. And it felt nice. Her eyes narrowed, sending him a clear message that he needed to put her down.
His eyes narrowed in response. "Are you going to scream? Cause if you do, we will both be in serious trouble."
Nakamiko shook her head in the negative. Kitsuya slowly removed his hand.
"I am sure you are questioning why I let you live. Those answers can be found later as soon as we depart from the hospital, but for now we need an exit strategy."
The girl nodded. "If you could put me down, Lord Kyuubi?"
"Kitsuya… My name is Kitsuya. You had some other names for me, but that is the one I prefer," he grinned lecherously, "in public."
She blinked at him, not really understanding. "If you could put me down, please Kitsuya." He did as she asked, but held her extremely close. She felt warm and… and she couldn't really define what else she felt. As confused as she was, she didn't know how to react to the demon who was holding her so closely. "I will need to be able to move as well."
Kitsuya frowned and gave the girl some breathing room. "There are several people out side this door, and then who knows how many more between us and the front doors."
"What floor are we on?" She casually asked while peeking out the closet door.
The demon blinked. "I believe the third floor."
"There are windows on the opposite side of this door. It would make quite a commotion should we simply break through the windows and run from there. If they are looking for us at every turn, a transformation would not work. Would not making an appeal to the Hokage be easier?" She closed the closet door.
"She will not be happy with me, or with you for that matter." Kitsuya grumbled.
Nakamiko blinked. "I am not concerned about the Lady Hokage's emotional state of mind."
Kitsuya chuckled. "Neither am I." He sobered for a moment. "But neither am I willing to let you out of my sight and she will want to take you for interrogation."
The girl tilted her head. "I understand that I am, or was an enemy. It is only natural that the Lady Hokage treat me as such."
He stroked her cheek. "I will not let you go again."
Her eyes closed and she leaned into his touch. She allowed the feeling to wash over her, giving her the courage to do what she had to do. With a sigh, she reached up and moved his hand from her cheek. Nakamiko was finding it extremely difficult to think clearly. Everything felt so right and she knew it was, but not now. She shook off the feeling and placed her hand on his chest to move him back slightly. "I will be ok Kitsuya."
There was a deep growl that she could feel through her hand. "But I may not be." He knew they wouldn't be able to leave the hospital without causing serious damage to the hospital, or other people. Not that Kitsuya really cared… because he didn't… but, there were other people that did who would be very cross with him. Since discretion was the better part of valor… "Then we shall appeal to the Slug Princess and be done with this."
0 - 0 - 0
Minato sat in the garden near the pagoda the Kyuubi had been using as a home for the last few weeks. "Will Gramps be moving in with us now?" the boy asked honestly.
Myra floated near by. "I don't know Sweaty. He isn't human, so I can't exactly ask him to live like one. It would be nice to have him around, but that is entirely up to him."
"Why would it be nice? Once more person to cook for?" He looked up at her.
Myra shrugged. "I like cooking for everyone. It makes me feel special."
"Yeah I know." Minato became pensive. "I told you, you would be pissed about the kitchen."
Myra let out a deep sigh. "Please watch your language… I would prefer you not to become a potty mouth like your father. And I am not THAT mad about the kitchen. But I do wish that your father had taken out his aggression on something other than my kitchen."
Minato scrunched up his features and pouted slightly. He really didn't care about the cussing thing. If it would make her happy, then he could agree to not do it. At least not cuss in front of her. Myra smiled and shook her head. He would learn eventually. Myra looked off in the distance wondering what was taking Naruto so long when she felt the tug on her consciousness. Something was wrong with Naruto. She needed to get to him. "Minato, we need to get to find your father."
Minato stood up. "What is it?"
"It's not good, what ever it is. Find your uncle."
Minato tilted his head. "Which one?"
Myra smiled. "The grumpy one."
The boy nodded. "Uncle Sasuke, got it."
"Stay with him. And please, do not allow him to hurt Itachi. Without Itachi I would not be here. It will give you something to do." She started to fade.
"But Mama, I'm just a little kid, what can I do against Uncle Sasuke?" The boy whined.
Myra smiled. "Itachi seems to believe he deserves any ire his younger brother sends in his direction. Those two need to talk. But I will worry about that later." She put her hands on her hips and looked at her son seriously. "Now, your mission should you choose to accept it is: One, find your Uncles. Two, keep Sasuke from seriously hurting Itachi because Itachi will not defend himself, which leads to part three of your mission. Protect Itachi with any means you can think of, which includes appealing your Aunt Sakura for assistance if need be. And last, do not leave the presence of your Uncle Sasuke. Stay with him at all times. If you are with him, I know you are safe. Even if Kitsuya comes looking for you, do not go with him."
Minato had nodded in understanding to each of her requests, but her last instruction caused him to pause. "But Mama… It's Gramps… Shouldn't I…"
Myra held up her hand to stop him and then leaned down to be eyelevel with him. "I know Little One, but there are very grownup things going on right now. I love him as much as you do." She smiled faintly with that thought, he was a part of the family whether the old demon liked it or not. "And on most days, I would trust him with my life as well as yours. But there are things going on here that even I do not have all the information on as of yet. Please, until I or your father tell you it's safe, stay with Sasuke. And if Fluffles says anything about it, tell him he can find me, and take it up with me. That will protect your Uncle Sasuke from Kitsuya's ire. Now go…"
The boy sighed, a bit disheartened by the idea that he wasn't safe with the Kyuubi, but he would stick to what his mother said. Minato closed his eyes and tried to hone in on Sasuke. An intense look of concentration came over his brow. Myra knew she needed to go, but she needed to be sure he could find where he needed to be. "Can you find him?"
The boy's shoulders slumped and he hung his head. "No…" He sounded defeated and upset.
"Who can you find?" Her eyes lit up with a mother's knowing smile.
Minato closed his eyes again and concentrated. It didn't take him long to open his eyes wide with shock. "I found Yuki-chan!"
Myra's smile only got wider. "And who is she with?"
His eyes shifted back and forth like he was searching a mental map of the area the small girl child was in. "She's with Aunt Sakura, and… and… Uncle Sasuke… And Tachi." He looked up with her with a huge grin. "I think their headed for the Hokage building."
"Then meet them there. I am sure we will all convene shortly."
The boy nodded and bounded off in the shadows towards the Hokage building. He still didn't want to be seen by anyone who didn't need to know. Myra watched her son until he bounded out of her sight.
Minato stopped suddenly and turned back to look at the garden. He had seen the flash in his peripheral vision, and was now hearing the loud crash of thunder from the cloudless sky. He wondered just how much longer his mother was going to be able to waste chakra like that before she couldn't do it any longer. He pumped the chakra to his feet and bounded off towards the Hokage's office once again. They needed to find her body, and they needed to do it soon.
0 - 0 - 0
Kitsuya's hand was on the door handle of the broom closet. He looked over the girl with pleading eyes and was about to push the door open and reveal their cozy little hiding place when all hell broke loose.
"LADY TSUNADE! Naruto has murdered Sasuke!"
Kitsuya didn't exactly know if he should be extremely happy about this or not. The demon couldn't contain the snort, and mumble of "About time."
His hand stilled on the door. Nakamiko looked at him strangely. "Are we not vacating the closet?"
"At the moment we have an opportunity. The Brat has done something I never thought he had in him. It may give us the distraction we need to leave the hospital without any obstruction. Now shush, I want to know what happened."
The girl huffed and rolled her eyes, but stayed silent.
The Hokage turned to the yelling orderly with a rather shocked expression on her face. "What?"
The orderly skidded to a stop. "Naruto… He just… It's just awful. Come quickly. Naruto collapsed shortly after he… We brought Sasuke's body and…" the orderly gulped, "his heart into the morgue. Naruto is being rushed to intensive care under heavy guard. He's bleeding profusely and has a collapsed lung. According to the duty nurse, I am supposed to tell you that his healing or rather that he isn't healing like he should be."
That got the Kyuubi's attention. There were only one thing that could truly hinder the healing abilities of a demon, or any of the chakra creatures. Kitsuya rubbed at his still raw wrists, and now that he thought about it, his ankles itched too. It didn't matter if the shackles were supposed to be metaphysical, cold iron still hurt whether it was real or not. Sasuke had stabbed Naruto with something made of iron, so Kitsuya couldn't blame Naruto for ripping out the Bastard's heart. But he would have to congratulate the Kit later. The closet door burst open.
Tsunade was seriously getting tired of the shocks, starts, strange coincidences and just crazy shit happening to her today. First thing that happened to her today was her bath robe going missing after her morning bath. It took her twenty minutes to find it after she was sure she put it in the same place by the tub like every morning. And what was worse about finding the robe on the other side of her spacious apartment, she could have sworn she could smell the tell tale signs of Jaraiya's cologne all over it. Damn ghost better not be getting a look at something in death I almost killed him for in life. She thought idly.
Once she got to her office, she was confronted by a determined Sasuke wanting to take a baby into a war zone. She had heard crazier ideas, but it was ironic that it was Sasuke was proposing said crazy idea to bring back Naruto and not the other way around. Moments before Sasuke was going to leave to put his plan into action, a clone is presented in her office for inspection. The clone was good, but definitely not Myra. Shizune lost the clone, but the clone is being rescued by the Kyuubi. Now, Naruto had murdered Sasuke, the Kyuubi is in the closet with Myra's clone, Sasuke was in two pieces in the morgue, and Naruto was in intensive care under guard and not healing. Today was not turning out to be a good day.
Two fingers went to the bridge of her nose. After a moment Shizune had seriously thought the elder blonde Hokage had lost her mind. The Hokage has started to laugh. It was the laugh of a woman that had gone mad. Shizune took a few side steps away from the laughing woman. Tsunade rubbed her the tears from her eyes and let out a deep sigh. She stared at the Kyuubi, who was staring at her like she had gone around the bend as well. Nakamiko, who was standing behind Kistuya had a confused tilt her head and a curious look to her eyes.
Tsunade centered herself and took a deep, cleansing, and calming breath. Breathing in and out a few more times to just let it all go. She turned a very cheerful smile to the ex Kyuubi and took a few steps closer to him. She still had that cheerful smile that was actually beginning to give Kitsuya a creepy chill down his spine. No, he wasn't afraid of her, just that smile.
Tsunade blinked innocently at him a few times, still with that psychotic cheerful smile on her face. And then she exploded. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!"
Kitsuya used his pinky to clear out his ringing ear. The orderly and Shizune were cowering off in corner, and Nakamiko had ducked behind Kitsuya. She was actually feeling a bit afraid of the woman. Fear was a new emotion for the clone and every nerve in her body was telling her to run for her life. Kitsuya seemed to know this and reached behind him discretely to grasp Nakamiko's hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze to let her know everything was going to fine. In the meantime, Kitsuya seemed to be the only one calm enough, or brave enough, to respond to the fuming blonde in front of him. He kept his tone impassive and cold. "Many things are going on here and I suggest we hold our explanations for a later time. The Brat is bleeding to death, and you stand here doing nothing."
"Naruto will be fine once his…"
There was a vicious growl to Kitsuya's voice. "Has your age addled your mind and your hearing Slug girl? Did you not hear that flesh bag tell you Naruto was bleeding to death?"
Tsunade calmed considerably. She had remembered hearing that, but with the Kyuubi's appearance, she had just lost it. "Yes I did."
Kitsuya's eyes narrowed. "Then I suggest we go do something about it." and he turned to the orderly still cowering on the other side of the hallway. "Where is Naruto?"
The orderly's eyes darted to Tsunade first. The Hokage nodded, giving her silent permission to speak. The orderly swallowed. "He's… He's being taken into surgery on the first floor."
Tsunade nodded and turned to the Fox. "I assume that you know what is keeping him from healing."
"For once, you assume correctly where I am concerned. We must hurry or he will die."
The Hokage crossed her arms over her chest. "And the girl?"
Nakamiko pressed herself against Kistuya's back. She didn't want to be separated from him and she didn't really know or understand why, but he was the only thing that made sense at the moment. She wasn't going to give up that feeling of safety. She needed that right now. A growl sounded low in his throat and reverberated through his chest. The sound was menacing to everyone but Nakamiko. It made her feel even more safe, more protected. "She goes where I go. I go where she goes." There was no room for argument in his answer to Tsunade's question.
"She isn't Myra." Tsunade said as if he didn't already know, but it was his reaction that caused the Hokage to really get the shock of her day, year, of her life.
The growling stopped and his eyes softened. He turned to the girl still hiding behind him and looked on her with something Tsunade would never thought to see from him. There was love in his eyes and a longing born of years with out it. Gentle as the breeze through the trees the human form demon in front of the Hokage caressed the girl's cheek and smiled. "I know." Kitsuya shook off the moment, tightening his grip on Nakamiko's hand, though not enough to crush it. He returned to mask of indifference and gazed back to Tsunade. "We waste time and Naruto looses more life blood. Lead the way or I will find him myself and I will not be kind to any that stand in my way."
Tsunade nodded and started to make her way to surgery. The Kyuubi no Kitsune practically dragging the poor girl next to him. Her day was just going to get stranger and stranger as it went on. If she wasn't going into surgery, she would be making a detour to the nearest bar. She really needed a drink.
0 - 0 - 0
Sasuke and Itachi were hiding in the trees just outside of the Hokage building. Sakura had gone inside already to get into the Hokage's office and open the window. The idea was a simple one. Sakura would go in as if nothing was wrong, go up to the Hokage's office and open the window, draping her jacket out to let them know it was safe. They would wait there until Tsunade got back from the hospital. The boy, was currently shadowing Sasuke and Itachi trying to approach without scaring the daylights out of them and getting attacked.
Minato could tell that his Uncles were on high alert, probably because Itachi was supposed to be dead, mostly anyway, and Sasuke had just been murdered by his father. Yeah, Minato had heard that bit of news on his way to the Hokage building. Damn clone got what he deserved, but he wasn't going to tell any of the villagers the truth just yet. Things were getting more and more complicated by the minute. Perhaps Minato didn't need to be as stealthy as he thought he needed to be.
The tree rustled above Sasuke and he looked up into a pair of very mischievous violet eyes. "Mama says I'm supposed to stick to you like glue."
Sasuke groaned and ran a weary hand down his face. "Not now Minato."
Itachi blinked and stared at the boy. "Minato?"
The boy in question smiled. "Hi ya, Uncle Tachi. Pleased 'ta meet 'cha."
Itachi took in the boy's whiskered face, violet eyes, and scruffy orange blonde hair. A slight curl to his lip formed. The boy was a spitting image of Naruto at twelve with obvious differences. The biggest in Itachi's mind being that the boy was only supposed to be a few months old. "Aren't you a bit young to be jumping around in trees?"
Minato tilted his head. "I'm not explaining it 'cause I don't understand it."
Sasuke let out a heavy sigh and put it into terms Itachi could understand. "Its a Bloodline Limit."
Itachi nodded in understanding. "Now I understand why you said Duece's task would not be as easy as expected. Madara does not know of this. He presumes that Minato is merely a child of four months and helpless."
Minato smiled. "Well then I guess he's in for a shock." there was a silent pause from the boy. "Who's Madara?"
"The bad guy that wants to hurt you, you mother and your father." Sasuke answered the boy.
"Do not forget he wants to rule the world under his tyrannical thumb." Itachi added as an afterthought.
Minato blinked a few times looking extremely confused. "Is it a demon dinosaur?"
The brother's looked at the boy now just as confused.
"Excuse me?" Itachi asked.
The boy shrugged. "Well if we're gonna have ta fight the thing, I just wanna know if it's a demon tyrannosaurus or a regular tyrannosaurs. I mean seriously," Minato looked at his Uncles like they were stupid, "have you seen a t-rex's thumb? Do they even have thumbs?"
Sasuke looked at Itachi and then it started as a snicker. The snicker turned into a suppressed series of snorts and then they neither the Uchiha brothers could contain the laughter. Minato seemed the only one left out of the loop. "Hey! What's so funny?" the boy whined.
When Sasuke had calmed down from his full on belly laugh, he let out a large sigh and coughed to return to his normal scowl, but there was no denying the mirth behind his dark eyes. Minato's naiveté was truly refreshing, but it could be dangerous. The boy was only four months old, it wasn't possible that he could know everything he should at his age. The light of mirth died in Sasuke's eyes as he realized that the worst thing the boy should be worrying about would be how to chew on his toes.
"Minato, you shouldn't worry about such things." Sasuke said carefully. "We'll take care of Madara's dinosaur." And he did something he very rarely did. He gave Minato a reassuring smile. "You worry about sticking to me like glue."
Minato narrowed his eyes. Adults were weird, that much he already knew, but this stuff just got weirder and weirder. "Okay." the boy seemed disappointed. "Oh, and I'm supposed to make sure you don't hurt Uncle Tachi. That was the other thing Mama told me."
Sauske grumbled a curse under his breath.
Itachi nodded his head. "I assure you young one, I do not need the assistance."
Minato rolled his eyes and jumped down next to Itachi. "Well that's my job and I'm 'onna do it." He crossed his arms over his chest and set his face in a full on scowl that had no business being on his face. "So there." he nodded his head and gave a little "Hn." just to settle matters.
Sasuke was stifling yet another laugh. This was just not his day. This was not his week. This was not his year. He really just wanted to go home with his wife and daughter and pretend the day never happened. That's what he wanted. But there were other things more pressing than shutting out the world for a little while. Itachi tapped Sasuke bringing the younger Uchiha from his thoughts. Sasuke turned and Itachi pointed to the window at the top of the Hokage building. It had just opened and there was a pink jacket hanging out. It was the signal from Sakura.
The brother's exchanged looks and Sasuke turned back to Minato. "Lets go."
The boy nodded. "Lead the way, Uncle."
0 - 0 - 0