YUKI POV

Yuki landed gently, stumbling a little as she approached her family. Sweat poured down her face, and her body trembled as she knelt. Her good eye blurred, her body giving out on her. She had used a lot of chakra just trying to arrive on the battlefield. Yet, she still had Fotou so she could still fight if the need arose. She glanced towards her Mother and Father who smiled, watching her. She reached up and wiped the sweat from her brow, ignoring the redhead deliberately. She glanced towards her sister and Naruto taking in each person's condition.

If those Uchiha decide to come back, we will lose. None of us is in any condition to fight, and we need a break…

She glanced towards the sun, which was split in half at the horizon.

It's getting dark which means they probably don't want to fight until daylight. So that means we need to take stock, and rest.

"Yuki Hazukashii."

The tone of the woman's voice was menacing and she could feel everyone's gaze on her. She glanced towards her sister's wounds attempting to prolong the inevitable fight. She didn't want to confront the demon, yet knew that the decision was not up to her. She felt her own chest constrict as the time to make her choice grew nearer.

"Yuki. I am talking to you. LOOK AT ME!"

Yuki sighed, her sister's concerned gaze, mirroring her own.

A hand grasped her shoulder, only for her sister, to smack it away, and place herself between the demon and Yuki in a single instant.

"I do not care who you think you are, but laying a hand on her is a big mistake. I suggest you rethink your tactics," Kazuyo snarled, her feet planted and ready for a fight.

"Move aside. I'm thankful you saved my life, but this doesn't concern you."

"I made a promise to my father to protect her. Whatever you might have to say, doesn't require you to lay hands on her."

Her sister kept her hands spread out, and her gaze was level with the kitsune's. The tension in the air was palpable and thick enough to be cut with a knife.

"Move," Akira demanded.

"Promise you won't hurt her, and I will," Kazuyo retorted.

"Nii-chan. It's okay."

Yuki could hear the sharp intake of air in the circle as everyone stared at the woman who stood between the demon and the young Jounin.

AKIRA POV

The word hit her like a ton of bricks. All irrational emotion was swept away as logic hit her like a thousand pound weight on her chest. She almost laughed at her own stupidity. It should have been very obvious. The green eyes, were a dead give away.

"Si-sister?"

She was barely able to form the words, as the weight of the words settled on her. That meant that Yuki leaving had yielded results, which absolved her of all guilt. The girl had found someone who knew her parents. A connection to the past. Akira was unable to hide from the shame that built up in her breast.

"Yes. I know all about you Akira. Just because she has been away from Konoha doesn't mean –"

"Nii-chan! Just...just let me handle this."

Akira's eyes narrowed, as Yuki stood up and faced her. She could tell by the way the girl stood, that her heart was heavy, yet she refused to let herself lose control over her emotions.

Yuki…What are you thinking?

"Let's continue this conversation away from them. Is that fine with you?"

Akira nodded, and inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the girl. She could sense it and it helped her realize something.

You're not the same. What happened? Do you not sense I still love you?

She followed Yuki who walked away each step echoing in her mind, like the ripples of water. They walked in silence, giving the demon a moment to compose her thoughts. After about a mile away from the others, the girl stopped. Yuki turned, and faced her. Two emeralds which had lost their brilliance stared into her own crimson ones.

"Akira. What is it you want from me?" Yuki asked her voice deadpan and unemotional.

Akira stared at the girl for a minute before speaking. She was sure now. Either she was in a genjutsu or the girl was not who she claimed to be.

"What is this? You're not the girl I fell in love with! I'm not naive Yuki. Five hundred seventy years is a long time to live and I have seen a lot in my time," Akira started, waiting for a change in the girl's demeanor.

"I'm fine."

"No! You're not! Yuki… do not lie to me! I've been patient enough in our relationship..."

Before she could stop the oncoming onslaught, she was hit hard by words that cut deep.

"Us? There never was "us". There was you and Naruto. And there was me. We had sex and that was a mistake. You know this, and you deny it every time you to try convince me that we should be together. Just give it up. I won't come back. I thought I made that clear when I left Konoha."

Akira took a step back, a single tear rolling down her face. The words hurt that the girl didn't see how she felt. That she couldn't reach her with words or even with feelings. She laughed harshly.

"I now get what he means," Akira whispered, glancing back toward where her husband sat, resting out of her arms.

"If that is the case Yuki-"

Akira tensed her muscles, and glared at the girl suddenly aware how cold the air had become around them. She watched the eyes of the girl widen in shock.

"I will just have to remind you why I am here," she stated, dashing forward. Her claw struck her face open handed, taking a huge chunk of skin with it and sending the girl stumbling backwards. Her eyes watered as she stared at her, confused as to how it had come to this. To the two of them fighting like they had never cared about each other.

YUKI POV

The first blow was more of a shock to her than the demon'schange. She thought that the demon would simply just walk away, hurt, but alive. The split could have been clean. The split could have been easy. But the demon didn't intend to make it. She intended to break her until she said words she could never take back. Words that would scar her forever. Words that weren't true. Akira struck again, sending her skidding into the ground, her body too tired to fight back. All she could do was sit and wait for the assault to trickle to nothing. A knee in her stomach forced all the oxygen out of her lungs, and made her cry out in pain. Before she could recover, the demon had her pinned on the ground.

"Yuki-koi! Stop it…enough is enough! Why won't you listen to me? I forgive you. I love you and want you back. Is that not enough?"

She stared up into Akira's eyes as she sat on top of her, trying hard to let what she saw not affect her decision. Tears upon tears continued to drop on her face obscuring her view of the kitsune.

Yuki felt guilt and shame rise up in her chest.

"Akir-"

"Yuki...Do you not feel the same?"

Cinnamon encrusted lips captured hers, hungry and desperate to rekindle the flame which she had been denying. The flavor only caused the fever which Yuki had been fighting to kindle and light up in a bonfire which threatened to overwhelm all rational sense. Before she got lost in a single feeling, she turned her head away, breaking the contact. Her breathing came in short pants, as she fought to remain in control of the situation.

Akira-koi. Please stop! I don't want to say that.

"Akira. It's over. Understand that I cannot be yours. Not now or ever," Yuki choked out her eyes misting up with pain. She fought back the tears. She wouldn't cry here.

"WHY? WHY! GIVE ME A GOOD REASON WHY YOU HAVE TO GO!"

"For Naruto. All this time you have been pining and chasing after me, you have neglected-"

A heavy hand sent stars dancing in her vision. She should have anticipated that her reason would have caused such a violent reaction.

"Yuki. He knows I love him. I don't have to tell him or show it. He knows that my entire being burns for him."

"Obviously not all of your being. Not if you chase after me."

The kitsune immediately smiled, and her face came inches from Yuki's.

"You still don't get it do you? Naruto understands, yet the only one who is blind to it is you."

The younger girl stared into the demon's eyes, before she was sucked into a genjutsu.

FIVE MONTHS PRIOR- NARUTO POV

Naruto chased after his wife for what seemed like the hundredth time that day,ducking and avoiding the leaves which obscured his view. As he landed on a branch, Sage Mode's Frog Kumite warned him of incoming danger, and he started to duck, only to be caught from underneath by a hand which grabbed his shirt. Lips pressed against his, two red eyes glinting in the sunlight. Another hand pinned his left arm above him, a warm body pressed against his own. As his wife pulled away, his smile turned to a grin.

"Akira-Say it one more time?" he begged, his voice a mere whine.

"I love you, Naruto Uzumaki," the vixen replied sending a shiver of delight down his spine. He arched against her, only for her to tease, pulling away. As she pulled away, he closed his eyes, averting his face.

"Hmmm?" the demon demanded, a single claw tilting his face to meet hers.

"You say it, and the love is there. Yet..."

"Ah. I see. Naru-kun. Listen to me: she is not my first choice. She is not who I desire most. How can I be jealous of that which I already have?"

Naruto contemplated the question, his head starting to ache with the effort.

"You could want her to replace me, dattebayo?"

Before he could react, he received a swift bonk to his head, which caused him to wince.

"Owowowow! Akira-koi. Please be gentle!"

"Baka! I love you. There is no debate about that. I want you, and since I have made you mine in every way possible, I have set my sights on making the last thing in this world worth living for mine. Yuki is simply icing on the most delicious cake. She could die, and as long as you continued to breath, I would be content. Your soul completes me," she replied, her tongue hitting a sensitive spot on his neck as she whispered to him.

"Bu-but..."

"No buts! You are mine. I don't need her. If you were to die, I would give up on life. If I lost her, I would still have my h...u...s...b...a...n...d."

He whimpered as her hand groped him, and held him to her, only to moan as she licked a spot that sent a jolt of electricity down his spine. He loved when she took her time. She never rushed for her pleasure. She held him off, so that when he finally did cum, it was an explosive release that made his love for the demon increase tenfold.

"Ah...ah...What made you choose me though?"

His thoughts became jumbled as she grasped him and started to stroke slowly.

"You want me to go down the list?"

He nodded and stared into her blood red eyes.

"It's hard to explain it. Living inside you, has given me a view of your soul. Of who you are as a person, no holds barred. The good and the bad. I know what you are capable of. After resenting be put in such a weak container I became consumed by revenge. That is until I watched you grow. Stronger you grew, yet you aimed higher. You never turned away from your feelings, and I became envious. Even now..."

He watched as he brought one of her hands into view. His eyes widened, as the appendage trembled and shook violently.

"Just being this close to you, affects me worse than genjutsu. Than any pain in the world. It's impossible to see harm come to you. I want you so bad. So bad I have to have you at any cost. Time within you helped me find what I had been missing. So...Naru-kun. In layman's terms-You complete me." Her eyes turned lustful and needy, and she leaned into, sucking on his ear.

Naruto felt his desire's get a hold of him, unable to stop the flow of testosterone which threw all common sense out the window.

"I am yours, eternally," she had whispered to him.

RETURN TO PRESENT

Yuki looked away.

"You know why I can't," she whispered. Her heart would not change. This was how it had to be.

"NO. I DON'T! Do you remember when we first met? When we first touched?" Akira cried, digging her nails into her skin.

"Why is it always like this? Yuki...do you remember how I confessed my feelings for you, or when I marked you as my mate? I gave you the very essence of my soul. All for what?"

Yuki could sense the rage bubbling up from the bottom of her heart. She didn't want to force this, yet but...

"Akira. I do love you, but I can't be with you. It's me. It's-"

"Don't lie. Just don't tell me that. I know for a fact, it's me. I've made mistakes Yuki! I'm sorry I pushed you away. I'm sorry I hurt you. But Naruto was always the one I desired."

"I know that."

Silence enveloped the air, as Yuki composed her thoughts.

"Akira. It's not you. Believe me this. I made the unconscious decision to stay away from you. It's not anything you did. It's not anything you could have prevented. It's on me. Everything that happens from here on out, is on my chest."

"Yuki. You know that you love me, and we could be happy together. Naruto is happy with me, and because of that, I am allowed to give my love to the two people who matter the most to me in life."

Yuki pushed gently on Akira's shoulders, eventually sliding out from beneath her grasp. She rolled away from the demon who sat there, tears pooling on the ground.

She looked away awkwardly, her heart breaking with each second that they sat in close proximity. It was not fair to the fox, to simply push her away. To take what she had to offer and then spit in her face. The disrespect, and the pain she was inflicting right now, would not be reversible.

"Akira. Stop making this harder than it has to be. Do I love you? Yes, but we were never meant to be lovers," Yuki said, standing up, and starting back towards their comrades.

"Yuki. Stop. Just stop for one minute."

She didn't know what caused her to stop, but she did, turning to face the hunched over kitsune.

"You know, Naruto and I discussed you many times. He loves you, as much as I do. He accepted the friend zone because he didn't want to hurt you. Before me, he thought you were the greatest thing since Ichiraku Ramen," a choked laugh coming out.

Yuki stared at her, her heart heavy with pain.

"And yet, now I don't get it. What is a girl supposed to do to make someone happy? How am I supposed to let you go?" Akira asked, turning. Yuki stared into the eyes of her ex , sensing the desperation and sorrow. The well of doubt and pain, which clouded her mind.

"Akira. Losing me now, is better than to lose me on the battlefield. At least here, you have time to accept my decision and learn to live with it. That way, you won't fear for my safety. Live for Naruto. You love him more than me," she said, glancing up towards the stars. She could feel her own tears working their way up to the back of her eyelids, but she would not let them spill. Not here.

"Akira. See ya, back at our campsite."

AKIRA POV

Akira watched the girl go, her heart constricting in her chest. She bit back the howl of rage which threatened to overwhelm her mind. Shivers of pain caused her to flinch, her arms unconsciously reaching for herself, when warm arms enclosed her. The smell of someone who had always been there for her, surprised her.

"N-naru-kun. How lo-"

"I heard the whole thing. Shhhhshhh. It's okay, my love," he replied kissing her forehead protectively.

It's no-not fair! What did I do wrong?" she asked, her eyes red with from crying too much. Dry sobs racked her breaths, as she burrowed her head towards his strong arms. She dug her nails into him squeezing hard. To his credit, he bore her sorrow without a sound, stroking her arms and tails, which in her sorrow had manifested. They whipped to and fro, creating deep gashes in the ground, yet she didn't seem to care.

"Akira-koi. I love you. Do not forget that I always will. She may not care enough to stay, but I will not abandon your side. Take it out on me. I will bear your sorrow for you. Only you Akira-koi."

Akira let out a low whine as he captured her lips in a tender kiss. When they broke away, she had to ask one more time.

"Even after all the times I ignored you, chasing after her?"

"She was not there for me when Jiraiya-sensei died. She was not the one I married. You chose me first, and that is all I need."

She grabbed and held him closer, crying. Several minutes passed, as Akira shuddered and cried. It didn't make sense. The girl had always pined for her, and now she was just giving up that easily. In her 786 years she had never been rejected, or broken up with. Now she understood why humans always wrote music about it. Why they sang about it. It felt like having the other part of you torn away.

Akira hissed as a similar scent to the one that departed landed several feet away.

"Akira-san, Naruto-chan. I was wonder-wait. What is going on?" Kazuyo asked, her eyes taking in the scene before her.

"It's none of your business," Naruto spat back, his eyes glazed over with anger.

"I..its okay. It's not her fault and she has the right to know."

"What's happened?" two jade green eyes stared into hers, confusion etched on them. How they reminded the fox of Yuki only made the next statement too hard to say.

"Your sister broke up with me." The words sounded so wrong, and felt so bad, that she leaned into Naruto to avoid the fresh torrent of tears which poured from her eyes. A fresh wave of pain hit her, at the reality of the words she had spoken.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

The unemotional tone of the girls voice stunned the demon. Then again, she hadn't expected the girl to get upset by the news. They barely knew each other, so why would she express a single ounce of sympathy for the girl's plight?

"Look. If it is any consolation, the girl is not worth your time," the older Hazukashii stated.

Akira's eyes widened, and fury unlike anything she had ever felt rose up in her chest. Before she knew it, she was racing towards the girl, who stared at her with a blank gaze. She stopped several feet from her, Naruto grabbing her gently. She wanted to take it out on someone but the girl didn't deserve it. She knew it, and simply sat back down, another wave of sorrow hitting her.

"Just go away already, dattebayo," Naruto cursed, holding her closer and tighter to prevent her from breaking out.

"Akira-san. You may not know me, but I know a lot about you. And I will tell you this. My sister definitely doesn't deserve you. I can take one look at you and all I wonder is how she earned the love of one so beautiful. And now I understand. She is not perfect in anyway. Now I hate to bother you, but would you mind pointing me towards her? I have to talk to her about tomorrow,and see how she wants to approach the fight tomorrow. We'll need to get some rest. I'm sorry she left you. But you have someone much better than her."

Akira pointed towards east, and was stunned as a single tear dropped from the older sibling's eye. At first she thought it was a trick of the moon, but it wasn't. She wiped it away quickly, but Akira saw it, and it comforted her to know that someone else understood. That someone else was hurt by her predicament. Exhaustion at her pain threatened to take her under, and she gladly fell asleep in the arms of the man who loved her most. The one who would never leave her side.

YUKI POV

Yuki wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve, and looked at the pile of vomit which covered the ground. Another wave of nausea hit her, and again she threw up, her hair obscuring her eyes. She was sick with herself. She hated how weak, and stupid she had become. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Akira had done nothing but tried to make her happy and each time, she had pushed the girl away without so much as an apology, or even an expression of her own feelings. She thought back to how she had left the village when the girl had begged. Even after all of that, the kitsune still wanted her back. She had been so sure, she would never have been ...

"You okay, Yuki-chan?"

Her sister's voice made her feel worse, and she stood up, and glanced towards the her older sibling.

"You've been crying." It wasn't a question as much as it was a statement.

She hated to admit it, but she had handled her emotions worse than she thought she would. As soon as she had gotten some distance, she had bit back a scream, and fallen to the ground crying. It was for the best, but it still didn't hurt to stop and let her emotions out like the flood gates opened. Her mother had helped her realize the two were not compatible. That she was weak, and insignificant.

"So-sorry, nii-chan."

Suddenly her weight buckled and it felt as though she had become a hundred pounds heavier. Her chakra vanished completely and her vision blurred.

I must have used a little too much chakra.

"Yuki! Look. There is nothing for you to apologize to me for. Akira deserves one though. That was harsh. That was wrong of you. In the center of war, you tore that girl's heart to shreds. I understand that you have your reasons though."

She became aware, as an arm slid under her, and supported her weight.

"Hehehe. Thank you, nii-chan."

"I'll always be there for you. Even in your times of need."

Just like Akira used to be. Another wave of nausea hit her again.

She fought to keep her balance, and felt herself sinking deeper into the darkness. Her strength was gone. Now all she wanted was to sleep. Another foot in front of the other, and her breathing slowed.

"So..tired, nii-chan," she whispered, as she took another step. She felt herself sinking.

"You can sleep when we get back to camp."

"I love you Kazuyo."

And with that, Yuki passed on to the next life.

KAZUYO POV

Kazuyo heard it almost immediately. The girl's heart gave out, and her body became limp, as she died in her arms. Kazuyo had expected that her exhaustion had been a mere side effect of the fight. There was no explanation for this though.

"YUKI!"

Her movements became erratic, as she reached into her ninja pouch,and grabbed a flare. Within seconds, she popped the top, and pulled the string, letting loose two bright red flares. It only took a minute to have her lying down before ripping the girl's shirt off, looking her over. Her eyes blurred, fear setting in for the first time in her life. She stopped for a second the reality of the situation setting in.

This isn't the time to sit down and think. I've got to start CPR. I've got to keep the blood circulating.

She moved her arms over the girl's breastbone, throwing all emotion out the window. She started pumping hard, and forcing the blood to pump through her

It can't be. She didn't get inj-

A huge gash which slit her hip, shocked her. Blood seeped from the wound, yet Yuki had not exhibited any signs of pain. She thought back to the fight. The enemy had never had an opportunity to attack her. So how had she gotten that wound?

No chakra left...

Her fingers were numb from the lack of energy, and she continued CPR, hoping the others would be here soon. She would need help if she was going to save the girl from death.

"Yuki. Don't you dare die on me. Fight, damnit!" she growled.

She thrust down harder, her heart keeping a steady metronome as she tried to resuscitate her only living sister.

AKIRA POV

Akira woke up out of her nightmare for the third time in ten minutes, and burrowed her head against was feeling better now. She was coming to terms with Yuki's departure. She heard Naruto's sharp intake of breath, and glanced up at him.

"Wh-what's wrong?"

Shock ran through her, as she was lifted by hermate, gently.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it. Just get some rest, kay?"

She was so emotionally drained, all she did. She wandered the corridors of her mind stopping at the memories of Yuki. It took her moment, but she opened Pandora's box, smiling at the the old days. She dreamt of the times they had been together. Of the smiles and laughs. The passionate love they had made. The happiness which she had calmed her down,but it only rubbed salt on the deep wound her old lover had inflicted.

She faded in and out of consciousness. Naruto's body against her helped some with the pain, but she still hurt. She woke up when Naruto's warmth faded. She stared into the darkness, as four shinobi stood around something obscured from her view.

"This can't be happening."

"No. Not Yuki."

"Shhhh. Akira will wake up."

"Damnit. No. Not my daughter! They...they'll pay."

"Anko-san. Come here."

"Why her? It's not fair."

"How did it happen?"

"I don't know."

"Keep it down. Akira's in no condition to deal with this. Let me get her out of here, and then we will figure out what to-."

Finally unable to return to sleep, she got up, her movements shaky. Naruto approached her, grabbing her around her waist.

"Naru-kun. What is going on?" she asked, her voice dry and rough.

"It's nothing. Let's go," he stated, his voice shakier than her own. She looked up to see his eyes were red and he looked white as a sheet of paper.

"Naruto? What's wrong?"

His arm tugged on her more insistently, but he refused to meet her gaze.

"Akira. Please. Let's just go back to camp."

She tried to consider the reasons behind his blank stare, unable to comprehend it in her emotionally tormented state. She glanced back towards the trio, the green emitted light of chakra, catching her eye.

Healing...jutsu? What happened?

"N-naruto. Don't lie to me."

"Akira! Please. Don't make me say it. Let's just get out of here. After the war, I promise to tell you what's happened. For now, let's just get some rest."

Akira forced herself past him, and rushing towards the scene. If he wouldn't tell her, she'd find out by any means necessary. He chased her, but she ignored him. As she got within five feet, Kakashi and Kazuyo blocked her way, their arms out.

"It's in your best interest to turn away. Trust me, Akira-san. As your friend, just go back to Naruto," Kazuyo stated, her voice rapid. She could tell by her shaky eyes she had been crying as well. Yet she was too tired to understand the signs.

"Move it!" she shouted, forcing her way by. To their credit, they both didn't stop her. And she stopped in her tracks by the sight. Anko was kneeling over a body, and from the look of her, it was a losing fight. Within seconds, Akira had turned away, vomiting her dinner.

"N-no. Yuki! Please tell me this is a joke. No!" Akira shouted, pushing past Anko. She shook the corpses shoulders, hoping the girl would wake up and scream surprise.

"No! NO! Yuki! Wake up! Please? I'm sorry...I'M SORRY! This is all my fault. No. She can't be gone."

Akira shook violently, and put her hands over the younger woman's heart, pouring as much of her chakra as she could into it.

"Akira-koi. Stop...she's gone," Kakashi said, trying to pull her away. She shook him off.

"No! She's fine. It's just a small cut. A flesh wound. She'll live."

Akira felt her jaw tighten, and her tears start all over again. It had been bad knowing that they couldn't be together. At least there had been some hope that maybe she could change the girl's mind. But no. She was dead.

"Yuki..." she whispered, saddened. She laid the girl back on the ground and stared at the serene face. This was it. There was no going back. Her lover was dead, colder than the ground she lay on.