Yuki stared at the earthly ground, her heart constricted by the numerous emotions which she felt at that very moment. She wanted to go so badly, and yet she couldn't bear the thought of leaving Akira and Naruto alone. She continued to lie, telling herself that they would be better off without her. She detracted from their relationship, and made things more difficult on them. Besides…her parents! She'd told the truth, when she spoke to Naruto. It had been bothering her for quite some time, and now that someone was willing to explain it, Yuki needed to know. She took another step towards the gate, her feet crunching on the gravel beneath it. She let out a slow exhale. Her body felt heavy, almost as if she was made of lead. She'd spoken with Tsunade, Kakashi and Anko and gotten their approval. Her mother had been extremely adamant about her coming to visit at least once a month, but her father simply nodded. Yuki gritted her teeth, stopping a good hundred feet from the gates. Her will to continue on, clashed with her desire to learn. The pain of leaving her home behind was almost too much to bear, and yet she sat there. She counted the seconds, feeling them slip between her fingers, before a voice spoke.

"Yuki."

Her eyes widened, as she recognized the feral voice of her lover. The nine tailed fox stood a mere twenty feet ahead, her gaze fixed on her. The Jounin lifted her gaze to meet the demons who flared with such anger, Yuki immediately looked away. She shifted a few strands of hair out of the way, before forcing her body to move, with great effort.

"Yuki. I will not let you do this. You promised to love me and stay by me. You promised!" Akira shouted, her voice a hiss on the wind, sending shivers up the younger girl's spine.

"Do you think I can just sit by and let you do as you please? Let you walk away from the things you fought for, almost died for? You said you loved me? WHAT HAS CHANGED YUKI? WHAT?"

Yuki's teeth grinded harder against each other, the pain of her lover calling her out, causing her to gasp for air that was not forthcoming. She knew what was coming, and tried to delay the inevitable. She continued to walk, and shook her head to try and clear the jumble of thoughts which threatened to overwhelm her.

"You know how this is going to end. I don't want to hurt you-"

"Then don't," Yuki said, softly, raising her gaze firmly to the kitsune's.

"I've chosen this path. Go back to Naruto. He needs you more than I do right now. The Village is on the verge of war, and of all the people who can understand his fears; you are the only one capable of allaying them. I must do what I must do. There is no turning back for me."

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO!" The redhead shouted, waving a hand. "WHAT PART OF THIS FULFILLS YOUR DREAMS? WHAT PART OF ANY OF YOU CRIES THAT YOU SHOULD HURT THE ONES AROUND YOU WITHOUT CARING? DAMNIT YUKI, ANSWER ME!"

I love you too much, to stay. Do you not see that, Akira-koi? By staying here I deny you Naruto. By staying here I continuously punish you for my failures.

Yuki continued to walk, until she was almost passing the older woman, only for said woman to grab her furiously. Their eyes met, holding each other for what seemed forever. Yuki read the fear and despair which lay in her lover's eyes, pleading her to stay. But it was too late. She'd made her choice and was sticking by it. With a soft push, she continued on her way, their shoulders brushing each other. Yuki inhaled the sweet scent of cinnamon for the last time. As she neared the village gate, she looked overhead to the sun, which was blotted out by ominous thunder clouds. The first drop of rain, hit Yuki's right eye square on the eyelid, rolling down her cheek, before falling off her features towards the ground. Time stood still, Yuki's breathing fading to nothing, while her fists clenched. The sound of a foot pushing off reached Yuki's ears, and she turned and dodged in the same movement, the demon's claw missing by inches. Time returned to normal and Yuki weaved out of the way of her sharp nails which threatened to tear her into pieces. Yuki jumped back into the constricting grip of a clone, her eyes widening.

"No…I won't let you go. Not when there is strength in my body to stop you," the fox whispered, behind a blue aura as a Rasengan formed in her hands. Yuki formed a Lightning Blade in her hands, which dispelled the clone in a single blow. Yuki's eyes narrowed, searching for the demon. She was fast, but Yuki was well aware of her capabilities. At the current moment, Yuki was more than capable of handling the situation. The sound of a single toe touching the ground alerted the Jounin, who ducked under Akira's attack, thrusting her Lighting Blade upwards towards her stomach. Just before contact, Yuki disipated her jutsu, and was rewarded with a slash that cut deep into her shoulder. The wound sent her stumbling backwards.

I have to be more careful. She's desperate, and will do whatever it takes to keep me here. Akira-koi…I won't hurt you.

Yuki shook the wave of pain that flowed through her chest off, and faced Akira one more time, ready to defend herself again. She flinched as lightning boomed overhead.

EIGHT HOURS LATER

"Huff…huff….huff…"

The two shinobi stared at each other, across the blood speckled ground, their eyes full of sorrow and pain. They knelt, soaked on the ground, in pain trying to get their feet underneath themselves. The falling rain, echoed off the muddy ground, as lightning arched across the dark skies.

"Yuki…do (gasp) not do this…." The demon panted, her tongue lolling out. The fighting had been furious, with Yuki merely defending herself. The fox had used her more than considerable strength to try and force the girl to concede to no avail. Yuki stared up at the storm which raged around them, enjoying the feel of rain which pinged on her face. Her body on the other hand…

She winced in agony, as another droplet of water hit her open cuts, the furious breeze causing her wounds to bleed more. Yuki had done her fair share of fighting, but had not even laid a single mark on her beautiful kitsune. Yuki smiled. The last time she had put the demon in such a rage, it had not ended well for her. She was happy to leave after conveying her complete love for the kitsune. The brunette stared at her lover, before teleporting right in front of the fox, kissing her forehead.

"I love you, Akira-san. Sooo much."

"Please? PLEASE? I'M BEGGING YOU! I- I don't have anymore chakra in me to fight…"

"Good bye."

Yuki took a step forward, watching the demon reach out to grab her, falling short. She was tired, and it showed, as the kitsune passed out mid motion. The younger girl caught her swiftly, and lowered her to the floor gently.

"I promise to always care for you. Take care of Naruto for me…kay?"

In a rush of the wind, Yuki was gone.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

A small puddle of blood formed under Yuki's legs, as she sat down in the middle of the forest. She had been traveling nonstop towards Kirigakure. Keeping her feet underneath her had been hard enough with the large amounts of blood she had been spilling out. Her body felt heavier than it had in a long time, causing the girl to smile, before wincing as a stabbing agony shot through her side. Moving a few strands of hair out of her way, Yuki sat down, with her back against the solid trunk of an oak tree, sighing contently.

You sure put up a hell of a fight, my Akira-koi. I'm sorry…Really.

A cold breeze tickled her wounds which pulled her in and out of consciousness. Pushing up, she tried to stand back up, before deciding against it. She let herself slide back down sitting down against the tree. She sat there, watching the clouds pass overhead. As soon as her body had the strength to continue onwards, she bandaged the wounds to stop the bleeding before getting up. She took off at a high speed towards her new home. The miles passed by with little to no observance by her. The only thing that registered on Yuki's mind was where she needed to be. She tried to ignore the mental anguish which flooded her being at the current moment sucking her into an endless pit of despair. She would be fine the moment she arrived at her destination. After some helpful guidance, Yuki followed a small path which led towards the village.

"Hehehe. You shouldn't wander so far from the nest."

The voice was soft, yet the sneer in it was unmistakable. She took another step onwards, attempting to ignore the voice, her eyes closed. As a warning hiss filled the air, Yuki teleported, dropping to a knee. She landed softly only a foot away, the stress of teleporting too much for her body.

My body is in too much of a wreck for me to go full out. I have to get away or just defend myself. Damnit!

Yuki blocked the incoming snake, and thrust five at her opponent who countered by cutting the heads off with a single movement of his hand.

"Hmmm? Orochimaru-sama was the creator of that technique. Such a feeble jutsu compared to mine. You'll truly have to do better than that."

Yuki growled, in fear, backing away. She turned, before screaming in pain as a metal rod pinned her to a nearby tree. Her eyes locked with her new opponent's whose Sharingan sat a mere inch from her own eyes. The rage behind them, caused the woman to shake in fear of what was to come.

"You have caused me nothing but trouble. I am going to-"

"Easy, easy now. Perhaps she might be of use to her. After her last fight she has been rendered incapable of sleeping. Her body produces large amounts of chakra in a small period of time," the white haired man spoke. Yuki took in his features, disgusted by his appearence. His short hair did little to conceal the horrendous features which his face had become. White scales occupied where his flesh had been, while two yellow pupils with slits stared into her own. Yuki shook her head, before reaching up, and snapping the rod which bound her, only for two more to be slammed into her consecutively, one into her wrist and another into the opposite shoulder. She let out a small whimper in pain, gazing at the wounds which held her.

"So futile."

Yuki's strength slowly faded as the toll of her wounds weakened her. Her knees gave out, and she became heavy. She didn't even have the strength to resist the pinch as the tail of the man in front of her, bit into her neck, injecting venom into her. She tried to fight the toxins which blurred her vision. Her muscles spasmed out of her control, and she hung by the rods, tearing into her own delicate muscles. As her eyelids fluttered, she was able to make out the gate of her new home a mere forty feet away.

So…So close….

Yuki Hazukashii faded asleep, her body stiff and immovable.

Tobi glanced to his companion, who held the girl by her throat, unmercifully.

"She is a liability. I will not let you use her as you please."

He waited for the retort he knew was coming, as he withdrew the rods from the woman's unconscious carcass.

"Her limitless supplies of strength will help increase my control over Edo Tensei (Reanimation Jutsu). I will use her until the need is gone."

Madara glanced into the forest weighing the pros and cons in her hands. A single blue signature formed five feet away, only to fade into nothing before his eyes. He narrowed his single eye, before starting back towards headquarters.

"Until she no longer becomes of use to you then," he replied, warily. They departed without a trace, quietly.

From the darkness of the forest a single femine voice spoke, in shock.

"It's been awhile…"

HOPE YOU ENJOYED. I CAN'T WAIT TO REVEAL THE NEW CHARACTER TO MY STORY. SUFFICE IT TO SAY IT WILL BE REVEALED TONIGHT WHEN I UPLOAD ANOTHER CHAPTER.

SINCERELY

YUDASHI