Chapter 37 Reunions
Temari's head was spinning as her eyes opened up only to close once again, the bright medical light right above her face. The light slowly faded as she opened her deep green eyes, she still couldn't make out where she was. She tried to stand up only to find that her legs and arms where restrained. She could feel two straps running across her chest, with another one on her forehead holding her in place.
"Welcome back Temari of the Sand." said a voice in the darkness around her
"You're a demon aren't you?" asked Temari as figure stepped out of the darkness.
"Yes, I am Kado but you know me best as the Kyuubi" stated the orange fox with black marks around his eyes.
"I will not tell you anything and if you turn me the moment I get a chance I will kill myself." stated Temari
"I believe that at the moment you will." stated Kado "However I also know that those say they are going to kill themselves if they are turned, so far none of them have."
"Then I will be the first." stated Temari
"Maybe but I don't think so." said Kado "You should consider yourself special, the high council itself is debating what race you will become."
"Will not matter." said Temari as she closed her eyes
"Also what Shikamaru will become." added Kado as her eyes snapped opened.
"You have Shikamaru?" asked Temari
"No….but we consider the two of you a package deal, long term mates-in-waiting." stated Kado "They are considering both your fates."
'Shikamaru-kun will not give up and neither will I." stated Temari
"I know…I did spend twenty years inside Naruto's head." stated Kado "That is why I recommended you to become a demon fox, but other races want you too."
"I don't want them." stated Temari
'I know…" said Kado "Your brother, Gaara along with the others from the is being processed as we speak."
Temari didn't say anything but her eyes said it all, she was scared and worried. Before she could find words to say what she wanted to say the doors opened as a snake slithered in.
"Ah Orochimaru have they decided her fate?" asked Kado
'Yes" answered the white snake as he moved toward a large container pulling out a vile of golden liquid. "It took a while but they decided on a race."
"How long does she have as a human?" asked Kado
"Well as a high value target she had generation four drug placed in her a while ago, so normally five days." stated Orochimaru
"Five days will push our planned attack on the Leaf." stated Kado as Orochimaru prepared the injection.
"Sadly if I try to remove the chakra bomb inside her that releases the transformation agent she will die." stated Orochimaru as he slithered toward Temari a long needle in hand. "Now say goodbye to your humanity."
"Go to hell!" yelled Temari as she spat in Orochimaru's face. She twisted and turned in the restraints but it was no use as the needle priced her skin near the elbow. A small lump formed as the agent pooled there for a moment before it spread out throughout her body.
"In a few days you will be a demon and then hopefully then you will talk more about the plans of defense for the Leaf." Stated Kado
"What am I becoming?" asked Temari
It had taken too many hours for Hinata to finish writing her report about their run in with the group of demons which turned out to be Naruto, Sakura and Naruto's family. The report should have only taken her half an hour at the most but she couldn't stop but think about the fact that Naruto was back. Then there was the fact that he had called Sakura his pack, it didn't take a great leap to realize that pack meant family.
"No…the pink bitch can't be with Naruto-kun." thought Hinata as finally finished her report and moved to take her place on guard duty. In order to get up to the cell she had to pass by several armed guards. Finally she reached the area just outside the door, she was about to open it when the door opened as Kiba walked into her knocking her down.
'Oh…sorry Hinata." said her teammate as he offered his hand. "Are you alright?"
"Ya…I am fine." said Hinata as she took Kiba's hand. "Next time just be more careful."
"I will." laughed Kiba "So where are you going?"
"Inside." answered Hinata
"Really?" laughed Kiba nervously
"Is something wrong? Is Naruto-kun hurt?" asked Hinata as sheforced her way into the room only to find everything quite and calm. The ANBU guards where just standing there watching the prisoners as they slept.
"See nothing is wrong…you can go take care of other things." said Kiba as Hinata looked around the room some more. She could see the older red furred fox which she had learned was Naruto's mother, Kushina Namikaze sleeping beside a blonde fox but with black ears meaning it had to be Minato. They faced out but Minato had his arms wrapped around his wife. His head was resting partly on top of her face. Hinata moved toward the next bed to see the black fox that they had brought to the leaf laying on a bed, he was still knocked out. The next bed had the young woman who had warned them, Adria. She was sleeping flat on her back only with one leg off the bed and the arm on the other side above her head. She was mumbling something in her sleep but Hinata couldn't make it out.
'Naruto-kun must be in the last bed." Thought Hinata "But where is the Pink haired bitch?"
Her eyes widened as she saw a mass of blonde and pink.
"How God…oh God no." said Hinata as she looked toward Naruto and Sakura who where sharing a bed. They both lied on their sides facing each other; Sakura had her head resting on the soft spot under Naruto's neck while he held her close. One arm was visible on the back of Sakura's head and judging from the placement of the blankets the other arm was located just above the Sakura's tail on the small of her back. It was an image she had dreamed about many times only she was the one in Naruto's arms not Sakura.
"Hinata I am sorry." said Kiba "I tried to stop you from finding out like this."
"You knew?" snapped Hinata
"Not until I walked in." explained Kiba
"I need to get out of here." stated Hinata as she fought back tears, she ran from the room.
"You better go after her." stated Shino as he just stood there carrying out his role as guard.
The sun was just coming up over the demon feline village as crowned prince Gamba moved toward the royal main hall. It was the ancient hall where his ancestors had ruled since the formation of the demon races; the massive columns each lined with gold flanked the massive room. The white marble floor was polished so much it reflected everyone who walked across it. Gamba walked until he came to a stop in front of the great throne of the demon felines. The massive white stone throne had three chairs cut into the single piece of stone. The highest chair being in the center with shorter seats on the left and right. In front of the thrown separating any visitors from the royals was thousands of small figurers all demon cats with their paws opened wide so that they could hold a glowing candle.
'You summoned me my Queen?" asked Gamba as he got down on one knee in front of his mother, the queen of the demon foxes.
"Yes, Gamba." said the sixty million year old demon lioness, Oda. It was considered a miracle when she gave birth to Gamba, however the miracle proved her curse. She had used a special justu to conceive and the side was affect she slowly dying. "I want to talk to you about what you did at the human village."
"I did the right thing." stated Gamba as his mother nodded her head.
"I know and I agree with your general idea of letting the humans surrender however I am concerned." said Oda "You seem to be favoring the human ways. Giving them time to carry out some ceremony and taking part in one of their ceremonies?"
'My Queen if I may clarify?" asked Gamba as his mother nodded her head "I was putting the humans minds at ease and understanding where they come from."
"You are crowned prince, the last of the line of great kings you need to worry about our ways not the ways of the humans." Snapped Oda
"Those humans are going to be our people; their culture will blend with ours." Stated Gamba "By understanding their culture I will be a better ruler."
"Our culture is superior and will replace their own." growled Oda "Now I wish you had living brothers, they would have made you tough and proud of your culture."
"I am proud of our culture, the blood of kings run though me." stated Gamba as he thought of a way to convince his mother "As the Alexander the unifier said "in order to hold this kingdom together the King must know the culture of all the races he rules."
Oda leaned back in her chair as she thought over her son's words. King Alexander was considered by many to one of the greatest kings ever to rule, he was a young king when he took the throne and it couldn't have happened at a worst time. Panthers and Tigers where being oppressed by the lion ruling class and civil war not unlike the ones that ripped the three Canines races apart into two camps and the war between the snakes and lizards. He raised the Panthers and tiger up making them more than just second class citizens he gave them voices on the royal council, made them generals and royal guard members. He stopped a war that would have ripped the great kingdom apart by offering his hand instead of war.
"You want human culture to rise to the rank of the true demon races?" asked Oda
"No, but add to ours, they pray for their ancestors like we do, slightly different but still they pray." stated Gamba as he looked up into his mothers deep green eyes. She didn't look well, she was wasting away faster then he even thought. Her deep purple fur wasn't growing out like it should and adding more layers for the coming winter; this was seen by a sign of pour heath and future death.
"You should have waited until after the humans turned….if then you wanted to take part in a ceremony it would have been fine" said Oda
"I understand your point my queen." stated Gamba
"With that done, let's talk about personal items my son." said Oda as she lifted her hand, as per tradition unless told to rise you are not suppose to, just like the King or Queen must be addressed by their title and not their first name.
"What do you want to talk about mother?" asked Gamba
"I don't have much time left and I cannot rest peacefully in the catacombs until I know their will be another generation of our pride." stated Oda "The head of the royal Harem tells me you stop by only once a week if that, and while you are there you don't even talk to the females yet alone mate with them."
Gamba fought down a growl, how many other mothers know so much about their children's love life.
"Mother none of those girls interest me." stated Gamba
"There are over a fifty girls down there all waiting to have your kittens." stated Oda "How could you not find them attractive."
"Mother, some are beautiful but…." stated Gamba
"But what?" asked Oda
"There is more to love then beauty." added Gamba
"You and this idea of love." stated Oda "We are royals, love isn't need your father and I only slept in the same bed when he wanted some and others nights he spent with other members of the harem."
Gamba shock his head a little bit and his mother instantly pounced on it.
"You dislike our ways…the ways that has been in place since the founding of our kingdom." stated Oda "I like all the other queens before me came from the harem. I am only queen because you were born a boy, if I hadn't I would have ended up like all the mothers of your sisters."
Gamba swallowed his tongue as he remembered how after his father's death they had shipped out the members of his harem to a location outside the walls of the royal city. He wasn't allowed to visits his only living relatives, two dozen half sisters. They were making room for the new prince's harem even though his father had the smallest harem in history when he died only 124 girls not counting his own female off springs. The great warrior king Bared who had over a thousand lionesses in the harem when he died.
"You need to produce offspring I don't care if you love them or not." stated Oda "To help that I am ordering you as your queen to…."
Oda never got a chance to finish as she started coughing so hard that small amounts of blood ended up on her paws.
"Mother….." asked Gamba as his mother stood up only to instantly fall down. "WE NEED A HEALER!"
"Yes sir." stated a nearby guard as he rushed off as Gamba moved toward his mother.
"Stay with me mom." said Gamba as he held his mother's hand while she fought for life.
Elsewhere in the demon world, the first group taken from the land of demons where being processed. As the leader of her people she had volunteered to go first as she stepped into the open area in the center of the large circular table. Shion looked at the demons gathered around her, all studying her.
"Shion high priests of the demon village…age 20…negative for blood protein needed for ant queen, no childbearing problems detected." stated a horse as she read off a chart.
"A priestess…interesting. We need more holy bears to take care of our temples." stated the bear leader "What do you pay too?"
"We pray to the guardian spirits of our ancestors." stated Shion
"Too bad you bears pray to the spirits of nature." laughed the snake
"I don't think you will want her anyhow." said a lioness "She has a mate in waiting. A guard named Sabig."
"I see." said the bear as he lowered his head.
"Why would that mater?" asked Shion
"The holy bears that run their many temples have to be pure so no mates or mate in waiting." Explained a fox
"Since you and your people surrendered which race would you like to become?" asked the wolf
"The holy documents of my ancestors was taken by the lions so one of those." stated Shion
"Alright but we cannot guaranty a lion maybe a tiger or a panther but you will be in the village with your scrolls." stated the lion "That is no one else wants her or her mate-in-waiting?"
Shion waited but no one spoke up.
"Take her to be processed and transformed." Stated the lion as Shion and Sabig were taken away to be turned.
Meanwhile in the Leaf Naruto was watching as his younger brother kept trying to find a way out of the room. He had woken up a few minutes ago and the moment he had found out where he was he started yelling and cursing.
"There is no way out of here." said Adria as she just sat in the corner watching Seth prowl like a caged lion.
"I am not talking to you traitors!" snapped Seth
"Listen Seth I am sorry but this has to be done." said Naruto
"Traitors...fucking traitors all of you." yelled Seth
"Now listen here Seth you don't use that language." ordered Kushina
"Why should I listen to you?" demanded Seth
"Because even though you hate what we did I am still your mother and you will respect that." ordered Kushina as Seth growled as his mother glared him down.
"I have no pack." snapped Seth as he looked at everyone, his siblings, Sakura, his father and finally at his mother. "I have no mother."
Kushina's eyes widened as she felt her heart break.
"When my fellow demons come for me, I will make sure you pay for betraying us." stated Seth as he moved toward the corner sitting down and just glared at everyone. No one seemed to know what to say; slowly Sakura stood up and sat beside Seth.
"What do you want?" snapped Seth as Sakura just sat there while everyone watched them.
"Listen I can understand why you are upset but we are all in the same position." started Sakura
"No…you don't." stated Seth
"You feel betrayed and trying desperately to find a way to get back to your home." said Sakura as Seth just glared at her but slowly nodded his head. "Well your brother, your parents and I all feel the same way."
"Then why did you betray the village…your race." stated Seth
"We were humans to us it was the demons who took us from our homes, our families and our friends." explained Sakura
"They improved your lives." stated Seth
"It may seem like that by looking at it from the outside but it we didn't choice to do have it done to us." explained Sakura "And while it is likely that the four of us who where turned will be demons for the rest of our lives but we were born human and we swore an oath of loyalty to the Leaf, to defend it."
"Just like how we swore allegiance to the demon fox army when we graduated." added Adria "We swear by the honor of our packs that we will defend the village in which we were born and raised. We will defend it from all threats both internal and from outside forces until the great fox mountain is turned to dust."
Seth lowered his head.
"That is a demon oath, as demons it should be come first." explained Seth "When you became a demon the human oath becomes pointless."
"If you don't keep your word you, your word is worthless." said Adria "That is what always told us."
"We are just keeping our word, our oath…can you understand that?" asked Naruto as he moved forward and knelt down in front of his brother. "You can disapprove but we are a pack though thick and thin, any one of us will die to save the others."
"I hate to interrupt this." said a voice as everyone looked up to see Tsunade standing there. "Sakura your mom is in the next room."
"Thanks." said Sakura
"Sakura-chan do you want me to come along?" asked Naruto
"No…I'll be fine." said Sakura with a smile as she raised a hedge so she appeared human without going through the trouble of transforming. The door slowly opened as Sakura stepped out of the cell with the guards at the ready in case she or the other demons tried anything. The seal Minato had placed was designed so if the cell door was opened then the door leading out of the room into the ANBU base couldn't be opened. When the outer door opened Sakura found the hallway filled with armed guards all waiting for a sign that she would try anything.
"This way Sakura." said Tsunade as the two of them started down the hallway.
"How is the test on the transformation agent?" asked Sakura
"We should know in a few hours." added Tsunade as they stopped in front of a door. "She is in there, I will be out here when your done."
"Thanks." Said Sakura as she opened the door to find her mother sitting in what appeared to be an integration room, two chairs with a single table bolted to the ground. It was probably the most protected room outside of the cells.
"Sakura." said Rin Haruno as she stood up and hugged her only child. The woman was in her mid forties had her long pink hair pulled back in a pony tail which reached down to her but. Over the years she had added some pounds but she was still good looking for her age but her love died when the Kyuubi attacked the village.
"Mom." said Sakura as the two of them hugged in the center of the room.
"I was so worried." said Rin Haruno as she held her daughter close "They said you had been kidnapped by demons."
"I was." answered Sakura as her mother pulled back a bit.
"Well looks like you got away safe." said Rin with a smile as her lime green eyes looked into Sakura's deep green eyes. Mother and Daughter looked almost identical only Sakura inherited her father's deep green eyes instead of lime green.
"I am sorry that I worried you." said Sakura "How have you been doing?"
"Apart from worry about you I have been fine." answered Rin as she moved some of Sakura's hair from in front of her eyes to behind her ear. "Did you do something with your hair it feels weird."
"That is because it is a hedge." answered Sakura she couldn't hid it from her mother.
"Those are the justus that change your forms?" asked Rin as Sakura nodded her head, her mom was a civilian it had been her father who was a ninja."Why would you have a hedge on your hair?"
"It isn't just my head mom." answered Sakura "They turned me."
"What are you talking about?" laughed Rin
"They turned me into a demon." explained Sakura as her mother's eyes widened "I just thought that if I showed up looking like I do now you would freak out."
"You're a demon?" asked Rin as Sakura lowered her head. She was worried this would happen, while her mom had always been kind to Naruto saying he was nicer then the jerk Sasuke she wasn't a fan of Naruto and hoped her little girl would end up with a nice demon free boy, such as Neji or Choji.
"Yes." answered Sakura "The turned me into a demon, just like they turned Naruto-kun and his family."
"But you can change back? Right?" asked Rin
"We can't be for sure but first impression is that there is no way back." said Sakura "Once you are fully turned you are a demon."
Rin pulled away as she looked at her daughter, not with love and worry in her eyes but fear and hate.
"Mom." said Sakura as Rin raised her hand, it was something she did when Sakura was a kid. Instantly Sakura shut up.
"No…I am your mother anymore." said Rin
"What?" asked Sakura
"You're a demon, a demon…the thing that killed thousands of my people when your beast Kyuubi attacked." Stated Rin
"Mom…you held me in your arms as you ran away from Kado." stated Sakura
"Kado….is that the name of your friend, the one who killed my husband and both my clan and his leaving me alone with a young daughter." said Rin "Now he took even her away."
"I am right here mom." said Sakura with tears in her eyes.
"No…my Sakura died when she lost her humanity." Said Rin as she walked past her daughter toward the door, she stopped beside her "I don't know what you are but you are not a Haruno anymore."
"Mom." cried Sakura
"Go back to the demon world scum." said Rin as she walked out of the room leaving Sakura to fall down crying. Her tears dropped down onto the floor as she dropped the hedge becoming the demon her mother hate. She didn't know how long she had been on the ground when she felt a hand on her shoulder; she looked up to see Naruto's face.
"Sakura-chan." said Naruto as Sakura stood up only to barley her face into Naruto's chest as he wrapped his arms and tails around her keeping her close. She didn't know how he had gotten here so fast but she didn't care she needed him.
"I lost my mom Naruto-kun." cried Sakura as her tears landed on his fur cover chest.
"It will be alright." Said Naruto as he held her as close as possible, he was going to protect her no matter what.
On the other side of one way glass Tsunade watched with a mixture of joy and hate. Hate for what Sakura's own mother had done to her and joy for seeing how Naruto was there for Sakura. She was going to wait for a bit to get Sakura into the medical lab; right now she couldn't handle it.
"It will be alright Sakura-chan." said Naruto as he ran his hand down the back of her head, as he comforted her.
"I lost my mother; I am no longer a Haruno. What if everyone else feels like my mom?" Thought Sakura as she looked up into Naruto's smiling face with her own tear filled eyes "Naruto-kun and his pack is all I have now."
Well I hate to do this again but it looks like I will not be able to update on Friday, I will once again be out of town. In the mean time I hope this chapter is everything you wanted. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed and I ask that you keep on reading. Thanks Wilkins75
