Chapter 29: Loss
"Naruto!" The two yelled together as they rushed across the bridge, determined to reach their friend before he lost himself and did something he would regret later.
Sasuke grit his teeth and glared at the gathering of orange chakra just up ahead. It would be just like that dobe to unleash something that he couldn't handle. It was probably for a stupid reason too. That kid he was fighting probably taunted him about his height or something.
Skidding to a halt just outside of the battle zone Sasuke and Sakura couldn't help but stare. Naruto wasn't just beating that kid. He was murdering him. And now that they were closer they could see why. Hinata was lying motionless on the ground with three senbon protruding from her chest.
Sasuke's heart leapt to his throat and his chest became tight. Staring at the dead body of one of his closest and dearest companions was preventing his ability to breath, let alone think strait. He had to kill him. That boy who stole his friend. Oh yes. That kid was going to die.
Before Sasuke could even think of taking a step in the direction of Naruto and his opponent Sakura grabbed his arm and jerked him back.
"Sasuke-kun, don't! She isn't dead!"
Sasuke froze. "What?"
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Shishini wasted no time in launching himself at the older shinobi. His kunai flashed in the darkness and Baki nearly laughed as he blocked the strike easily. Blow after blow was caught by Baki and Shishini began to show signs of irritation as none of his strikes were able to make it through the older man's defenses. Baki rapidly grew confident in his win and made a move to end this pathetic battle quickly so that he could return below and help the brat.
But, as in most cases, his confidence was his undoing when Shishini's blows that had become wild and began to loose their force suddenly picked up in both speed and strength. Baki's eyes went wide as he just barely avoided a blow that was aimed at the covered half of his face. He gritted his teeth angrily as the tan cloth that hid the left side of his face fell away from the slight contact that Shishini was able to make even after his dodge.
Shishini barked out a laugh and backed away, twirling his kunai around his finger by its ring.
"Is this all that you got? It's no wonder Orochimaru-sama no longer thinks of your pathetic little band as a threat." Shishini's smirk twisted his features dangerously. "And to think that Makoto-kun and I did. But you all are nothing but a haphazard group of washed up has-beens."
Baki's eye twitched and he lunged at the smirking brat. "Die snake scum!"
Shishini just laughed and danced out of the range of the blow. For several long minutes Baki attempted to hit the boy but Shishini simply moved out of the way of all of his strikes.
"You are beginning to bore me old man. Give me a real challenge, or I end this now."
"Fine." Baki stopped and dropped his kunai to the ground. "If that is the way that you wish it to be."
Shishini stopped too. His sharp grey eyes focused solely on Baki as the man stood perfectly still. Suddenly Baki's fingers snapped together in a series of hand signals. Recognizing the sequence Shishini smirked and began his own set of seals.
"Tsunami of Sand!"
"Wall of Water!"
The two techniques clashed and Baki was barely able to escape the soggy sand that rained down upon him in bricks. Sweat was rolling down his neck and his lips pulled back into a snarl. He was one of the Kazekage's greatest warriors. There was no way this punk should have been able to push him this far.
"Still don't get it old man? Makoto-kun and I are invulnerable! We can't be killed by the weak attempts of someone like you! Orochimaru-sama has given us a taste of his divine power!"
Shishini's eyes were crazed as he laughed at Baki's confusion. He knew that he could crush the pathetic sand nin in an instant. He could feel Orochimaru's power coursing through his body, his blood. It boosted his power a hundred fold. There was no way he could be defeated!
Shishini's laughter grew and grew and Baki could almost feel his strength diminishing with every mad howl. Until it suddenly stopped. Baki looked on in surprise as a kunai was pushed through the back of the boy's neck until it protruded from the front of his throat. Shishini's eyes grew wide from the painful shock and he gagged once before he crumpled to a heap on what had once been the Haruno Clan's main hall.
He was dead.
Kairi huffed and pushed a strand of hair away from her forehead with the back of her hand. A small streak of blood was left behind but she paid it no mind as she glared down at the body of Umikawa Shishini.
"Man that laugh was annoying. And really, some all powerful ninja, he didn't even sense me coming!"
Baki gapped at Kyo's wife in awe. Kairi just grinned. "No need to thank me. After all, what are friends for right?"
Before Baki had the chance to answer an explosion sounded from the basement below and the three companions above fell to the floor from the impact. Kairi was stunned and her face shown with fear as she scrambled to the edge of the large hole in the floor. She breathed out a sigh of relief as she saw that Kyo was mostly unharmed and he climbed to his feet.
Kyo gasped for breath as he hurried to form another set of seals. He knew that it was useless though. The effects of his extreme chakra exhaustion five years ago had left his chakra stores slightly less then they had been all of his life. He had nothing left.
But Makoto did.
Makoto smirked as he formed the seals for yet another fire dragon, but this time there was no opposition. Kyo steeled himself as Makoto finished his seals and the fire began to materialize.
"Kairi…" Kyo's whisper was drowned out by the sound of the fire dragon's roar. Kyo's eyes closed. If only he could see his wife one more time…
A sudden pressure on his mind caused Kyo's eyes to fly open in surprise. Kairi smiled up at him as her fingers finished the task she had set for them.
'I love you.' Was the last thing Kyo heard before a large wall of earth separated him from Makoto's jutsu; and Kairi.
"Kairi! No!" Kyo's fist slammed on the wall as frantic tears spilled down his cheeks and his voice began to grow hoarse from screaming his wife's name. It was too late. The large blast of fire was the final straw for the old manor's dormant gas lines that had been hidden deep inside the walls.
The explosion was so great it rocked the Hokage tower to its very roots.
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Shock. Absolute shock was all that he felt as he and his wife where thrown from their thin futon and onto the carpeted floor. Hikari gasped loudly and clutched her stomach as her body was jarred by the sudden impact with the floor.
"Are you okay?" Itachi said. His voice was calm but his eyes were searching as he tried to find anything about his wife that could be damage.
Hikari nodded and grasped Itachi's tunic with her left hand as she motioned for him to help her up.
"He did not like that."
Itachi's eyes darkened and he rubbed Hikari's stomach gently and guided her to the bed. "Stay."
Hikari rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah. I have so many other places to go."
Itachi tapped her lips to silence her as he stood and moved over to the window. It wasn't hard to pinpoint the source of the explosion. A large cloud of smoke rose high into the air coating everything in blackness. Except for one area. The Haruno estate was gone, and its remains were covered in a bright orange blaze.
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Pain ripped through Ichigo's body so suddenly she felt as though she was being killed. Her breaths were short and sharp as she tried to regain her body's lost ability to function properly.
Gaara's eyes were wide in what could almost pass as fear to a casual observer as he quickly rushed to her side. His hands slid to his gasping friend's shoulders as he tried to help calm her in any way he could. He could only hope that he was being effective but judging by the fact that he could hear her heart pounding rapidly in her chest he couldn't help but doubt that there wasn't much he could do.
Especially since he felt it too.
A sudden ripping. Like something that had rested in his heart had suddenly been ripped very messily away. It wasn't hard to place. Ichigo had told him that she felt the same thing when her mom died during the invasion.
He wasn't as in-tune with the semetry plain as the Haruno Clan, but he was sure of what he had felt. Someone had been killed. Someone very close to him.
A wail from the stares sounded from Akira's open door as the small infant was unceremoniously ripped from sleep. What was left of Gaara's heart fell. The baby had unknowingly confirmed what he had already been thinking. Either Kyo or Kairi was dead.
Knowing he had to comfort both red haired Haruno's, Gaara lifted the sobbing konoichi into his arms. Quickly he moved up to the nursery where Akira's heartbroken wails had awakened Hanabi and another set of sobs filled the air.
It would never be spoken aloud, but as he walked into the nursery and sat on Akira's small bed, Gaara greatly wished that he could join them in mourning the loss of the only mother he had ever known and the only father that had ever cared.
End Chapter 29
Kaliea: Waaahhh! I killed Kairi! And I hated it. I had to re-write it like six times and I'm still not completely happy with it. Of course Kairi is one of my favorite OC's so killing her is very hard for me to do. Not to mention the effect it will have on Kyo, Akira, Ichigo, and all the rest. She will be greatly missed by everyone in this story, and hopefully, by you all too.
Review Answers:
grim reaper sakura: Itachi is cool in this story. And sweat. Mostly because he had to grow up in prison and is still just as innocent as he was at twelve…er…minus knowing how to make babies.
Bloody Blossom: Thanks. I tried hard on these last few chapters. It's really nice to know that people like them.
Faereh: I'll do my best but my life is fairly full right now. The best you all can hope for is like, once a month, and even that is way, way if-y.
Suki dah Turdle: No. But Kairi did T-T
fRenZ4EveR: All my chapters are going to be pretty short for a while. It comes with writers block. And it totally sucks.
Hiei-Touya-icedemon: O.o Meep! Don't hurt meeee! I-uh-uh-uh….Hm…Ah! I can't up date if I'm dead! Yeah that's it!
He he (cough) anyway, thanks for reviewing and don't worry bout the last chapter. Things happen.
678yui-julie-and-kiki-kitte...: I'll do my best but that's all I can promise.
ShinkuNoTenshi: Yeah, he'll be beating himself up about that for a very long while…and probably start treating her like glass…
Sasukefaves: I'll try but I really don't know how well I can do.
Tears like Crystals: I'm glad, I worked hard writing the last chapter and this one. The updates may be slow but that doesn't mean I don't try right? Thanks for the review!
Danny-171984: Mimitsu! Can't tell secrets now can we? That should be mentioned in the next chapter or two, I can't promise for sure cause my plot map has been totally shot to hell. Oh well, what can you do? I hope you liked the chapter and thanks for reviewing! I love hearing from you!
Denisen: Yay! New stories! Or, you know, old stories since I read them a looong time before I posted this…yeah…Moving on! I'm glad you're still here and hope that you still find reasons to stay!
Dragon Man 180: Kairi jumping up and stabbing him in the neck works to right? I'll tell you though that was gross for me to write cause I totally had to picture just how it would happen so that I could explain it without being to gruesome. Didn't work so well for me but hopefully you all didn't have to see that whole disturbing picture.
Anyway, what did you think? Good? Bad? Maybe even a little sad?
lilaznangel5543: Yeah, they're way cute to write and I'm hoping to get in a little more about them later, especially after their baby is still born…er…born.
Fuzzzor: I'm glad you liked the chapter I thought it was pretty good myself but, well, I am a bit bias…
Shinobi Darkbeak: I'll try, but don't expect to much to soon kay?
CrazyGirlofManyNames: Oh yeah. It'll take forever and a day for him to be able to forgive himself.
Kaliea: Well thanks again to all who reviewed and I hope that you all like the chapter at least a bit. Let me know either way! That is a hint! Ja for now!