34. Lost

"KIBA!" my shrill scream echoed across the forest. I set Sasuke down on the branch beside me, moving to take off towards the explosion.

"Nakao, no!" Naruto called out, quickly grabbing me around the waist.

"No! Let me go!" I protested, trying to squirm out of his grasp. "Let me go!"

"Nakao, have some sense!" Shikamaru hollered at me.

I finally stopped struggling but refused to tear my eyes away from the smokey explosion. It reflected in my wide eyes as I searched and searched the smoke.

Finally, two figures emerged from the smoke. One was the two-headed ninja, the other was Kiba, holding an unconscious Akamaru in his arms. But I continued to watch in horror as they hurtled straight towards the ground, straight towards a great break in the earth at least thirty feet wide. I did not know how deep this canyon went, as it grew dark before I could see the bottom.

"Kiba!" I screamed in desperation as the three of them hurtled towards their probable death.

I couldn't watch this. Couldn't stand it. I brought my elbow back, plowing it into Naruto's gut. He yelled out in pain, releasing me in surprise. I jumped away from him onto the branch below him. I peered up at his and Shikamaru's surprised faces.

"I'm sorry," I pleaded with my eyes for them to understand. Because I was sorry. I swallowed, glancing at the barrel that contained Sasuke. We hadn't gotten him safely home yet. But at least we had him, he was safe. Kiba was not. And so I pleaded some more. "Please, take care of Sasuke. Get him home."

And without waiting for a response, I dropped off the branch towards the dark abyss below.

I plummeted through the blackness, my heart pounding. What if I reached the bottom of this canyon, only to find Kiba's mangled body? The image planted itself in my mind and I wanted to vomit. And so I pushed it away as the blackness finally gave way and I was falling rapidly towards rocky ground. I landed on my feet in a crouch.

My knees groaned, despite my slightly softened impact. I ignored them, looking about myself. If was nothing but rock down here, maybe a tree or two. A fast-moving river, several paces wide cut through the rocky ground.

Feeling exposed, I was quick to duck behind a large boulder. The area was eerily quiet, but I had not seen any bodies. Which meant Kiba was probably alive, unless he'd been swept away by the river. But if he was alive, our enemy probably was too. I was about to emerge from behind the rock when something suddenly flashed in front of me.

Relief rushed through me when I recognized Kiba, but it didn't last long. Kiba was rushing the enemy, slamming a hand into his neck, but it did no good. The enemy twirled around, slamming a fist into Kiba's stomach. Kiba called out in pain and flew into the river. He was immediately on his feet, the water only up to his ankles. Akamaru's bark rang around the area and I glanced over to see him standing atop a rock, his fur the color of rust.

I watched as Akamaru turned into a copy of Kiba. They both rushed their foe, activating their 'fang over fang'. But to my complete surprise, the pair was stopped. The enemy simply reached out, taking hold of Kiba's fist with as little effort as he'd had with Naruto. From the back, the back head appeared to pull itself forward and an upper torso formed, sticking out of the original's ninja's back. This torso copied, catching Akamaru's wrists. Kiba aimed a kick for the front abdomen, but a foot suddenly grew there, blocking Kiba's.

Kiba looked as surprised and horrified as I felt.

The back head, who'd formed his own torso, laughed. "Two on two; it's perfect, isn't it Sakon?"

I couldn't figure it out. What was this? Had they been fused together, like twins? But how could they just grow body parts? My head was spinning.

The upper body of the back head pulled back a fist, ramming it right into Akamaru's abdomen. He flew back, slamming into a rock, reverting into his dog form as he fell to the ground with a whimper.

"Akamaru!" Kiba called out.

"Oops, so that one's the real one," the back head smirked.

The front body began to pull back a fist and I acted. I bolted from my hiding spot, launching myself into the air. Just as the punch was about to be released, I pulled back my leg and smashed my foot into the front head. The ninja flew backwards, hitting the ground and skidding to a stop several feet away. Kiba stumbled backwards once released but quickly regained his composure.

"Nakao!?" Kiba turned a shocked expression in my direction as I landed gracefully beside him.

I shot him a tiny smirk. "You didn't really think I'd abandon you down here, did you? Who would protect your sorry hide?"

I saw emotions flicker across Kiba's face, an array of them, conflicting with one another. But finally, a small smile quirked at the sides of his lips. But this was no time for a touching reunion. The enemy, Sakon, was getting to his feet and addressed me.

"So, you came down here to die too, huh?" Sakon grinned wolfishly at me, cracking his neck with a 'pop'.

I barely had time to glare in respond before he was rushing me. He was still insanely fast and he was before me in an instant, swinging a fist at my head. I dodged to the side but was unable to get far enough away before he reached out and grabbed me by the throat.

"We're very close brothers," Sakon began to say conversationally, as my hands tried to pull his hand away. "Usually my older brother, Ukon, would be sleeping inside me. But sometimes during a battle he'll come out and lend a hand."

So that was it. The second head in the back was Ukon. It really was two on two.

"Ukon is able to extend his legs and arms from any part of my body and is able to both attack and defend. Like this," the words had barely left Sakon's mouth before a fist appeared out of his forehead and punched me in the jaw. I grunted in pain.

Kiba growled and rushed Sakon with his fist pulled back. Akamaru was back on his feet, barking before he ran over to help. Ukon reached a foot out of the front and kicked Kiba in the stomach. In rapid succession, Sakon used both legs to kick him as well. Kiba flew backwards, smacking into Akamaru as he ran to help. The two tumbled around each other until they both slammed into a rock.

"With three times the kicks, it sure hurts, doesn't it?" Sakon smirked cockily.

"K-Kiba!" I choked out, still struggling against the hand wrapped around my throat.

Sakon tightened his grip for a moment, making me cough before throwing me to the side. I smashed into a rock wall before falling on my face. I groaned as I pushed myself onto my knees. I peered back at Sakon and gasped.

Sakon and Ukon had identical heads both topped with shoulder-length gray hair; but not any longer. Ukon's head had transformed. His skin was now a scarlet color. His eyes were no black, the irises a deep yellow. His hair had grown long, hanging past his shoulders, and was a snowy white. His teeth were replaced with fangs that grew over his bottom lip. A horn the same color as his skin jutted from his forehead like some kind of demon-unicorn.

"Let's end this quickly," Ukon said. "Use level two."

"Yeah, yeah," Sakon agreed. He activated his cursemark, also stained upon his neck, and it glowed a bright orange color. It spread across his face and faded to a black color. And now Sakon and Ukon looked identical again, and their scarlet-shaded faces now sat side by side.

Kiba was leaning against the rock he'd slammed into, panting. Akamaru lay beside him, exhausted. And we were separated from each other by several feet at least.

"How do you like it, brother?" Sakon asked on the left side of the body.

"In bits and pieces."

Akamaru barked quietly, grabbing mine and Kiba's attention.

Kiba glanced to him in surprise. "Nani? Are you suggesting we should do that?"

I didn't know what they were planning, but I needed to get to them. My foe stood closer to me, but his attention was fixed on Kiba. I tried to analyze Sakon and Ukon, wondering if this new transformation came with any new powers. I could already feel their power-level had increased.

"Akamaru, we can't!" Kiba insisted. "Doing it here, without our other teammates around, is too dangerous! You know that, don't you? If we were to use that technique, it will use up most of our chakra, and we won't be able to move. If we were to miss, we'd die in vain."

Akamaru growled in aggravation before biting Kiba in the hand.

"Akamaru…"

Without warning, Sakon took of running towards Kiba. Akamaru jumped in front, ready to protect his master.

"Kiba!" I yelled in alarm, jumping to my feet.

But Sakon was so quick. Akamaru lunged at Sakon, but Sakon dodged. He smashed a fist into Kiba's face, then his stomach. The force of the attack had forced Kiba's hood to fall back, revealing his head of shaggy brown hair, and a gush of blood to spurt from his mouth.

But Kiba smirked and grabbed hold of Sakon's arm. "Now, Akamaru!"

Akamaru barked and jumped up and over Sakon from behind his back. To my surprise and confusion, Akamaru began to spray as he traveled, covering his enemy in urine. He then began to spin rapidly in the air, spraying everything in his vicinity.

"How dare you do such disgusting things!" Sakon growled, pushing away from Kiba in disgust. Kiba stumbled backwards.

I had no idea what to make of this behavior. Clearly it was planned. But why? As a distraction?

Kiba jumped into the air and Akamaru landed on his head. Kiba put his fingers into a seal and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I had in no way expected what reappeared. It was a gigantic, two-headed Akamaru. Taller than most buildings, his giant paws could squash me like a bug.

His new jutsu… I suddenly realized.

This newly formed Akamaru growled. His canines were huge, his eyes red. Drool dripped from his mouth onto the ground.

Sakon chuckled. "I thought something interesting had arrived but it's just a wild, drooling beast."

"What can this thing do?" Ukon scoffed, as though his time was being wasted.

Akamaru jumped into the air and began to spin rapidly. It looked so much like their 'fang over fang', but now it was one big twister. It came smashing down at Sakon, but he jumped away just in time. As he landed, he stepped in a puddle of saliva, and it didn't taken him long to discover the saliva was adhesive, keeping his stuck to the ground.

"Shit!"

The giant twister plowed into Sakon, pushing him back a good twenty feet. He finally fell to the ground, motionless as Akamaru came to a stop close to me. But as the large beast looked on in triumph, Sakon's body began to change.

When Kiba and Akamaru had plowed into Sakon, it had ripped the body in half and into two separate pieces. From the open sides of the body, a new half of the body began to reform. Instead of returning to how it was, however, Sakon and Ukon reformed arms and legs made out of, what looked like, black stone. They were now each a separate being. And neither looked happy.

"Now you've gone too far," Sakon got to his feet.

"Perfect. I was thinking we should split up and fight," Ukon commented breezily, also getting to his feet. "It's true that if we had gotten hit by that head on, it would have been quite damaging."

I gaped at the pair in horror. Now they really were two separate opponents. And incredibly fast ones.

The large beast in front of me growled, but its legs began to shake. Regardless, it used the technique again, swirling towards the brothers. They jumped apart, each slipping behind a rock. The beast then missed its target, but turned around like a boomerang and shot back towards the brothers.

I stood frozen against the wall. I didn't know what to do. I was nervous about joining in the fray and disrupting any plan that was in place. But I was also worried for Kiba's and Akamaru's safety. And so I watched on, my eyes fixed on the scene before me. I noted the way the large dog's nose sniffed and I realized something. Akamaru couldn't see in this form. He was solely using his sense of smell to attack. That's what all that urine was for…

But though the beast shot at the brothers rapidly, the pair bit their thumbs and drew blood. With it, they scribbled summoning markings on the ground. The ground cracked apart and a giant wall in the shape of a monster rose up so tall it made Akamaru's new form look like a puppy. Akamaru's giant form slammed into the wall hard enough to cause a dent, but began to waver on his feet.

"Now, time to end this!" the brothers simultaneously rushed forwards.

"No!" I screamed, whipping out handsigns.

Wind flew so quickly from my pores it sliced at my skin. But I ignore the burning cuts and barreled my wind towards the brothers. But my speed could not quite match theirs. Sakon did scream out in pain, falling towards the ground, clutching at his face. But Ukon had squeezed past my attack and punched Akamaru so hard in the face he slammed into the ground.

"My face! My eyes! My eyes! I can't see!" Sakon screamed, looking about himself wildly. His face was coated in blood, cuts criss-crossing his face in a gruesome display. His eyes had not been left untouched and had clearly sustained injury as well.

But my attention had been focused on Ukon and Akamaru. As he hit the ground, Akamaru's form transfigured back into his original form and Kiba crouched beside him on the ground. But Ukon was suddenly gone.

I cut off my wind, glancing about myself. Where the hell did he go?

"Looking for me?"

My blood ran cold as ice. Kiba gaped in shock as he tried to peer over his shoulder. Ukon's head and upper body were now poking out of Kiba's back. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sakon run towards the river, probably to splash water on his eyes, but Ukon held my full attention. Ukon took hold of one of Kiba's arms and wrapped it around his own throat.

"This is my special assassin's ability. Even with that nose and brain of yours, you will not be able to win against me. You know that the flow of chakra surrounds every single organ. The flow of chakra is deeply interconnected with organs and cells that create tissue. In those cells are the proteins that make up the matter of life and death. And when I am at level two, I am able to use chakra to split up and reconstruct those proteins. Simply speaking, I can break up my body into pieces, get into an enemy's body, then reconstruct myself."

My eyes shook with fear, my muscles paralyzed. With Ukon's life now tied to Kiba's, I could not attack; not without seriously hurting Kiba. And if I did nothing…

"I guess you could say we're sharing the same body," Ukon summarized, a very smug look on his face.

"Sh-Sharing…" Kiba looked just as horrified as I felt.

"Oh yes," Ukon grinned. "And a kind of brutal killing that I can do is tearing off cells that belong to you."

"I see," Kiba said, eerily calm. It made the hair on my arms rise. "In that case…"

Kiba reached behind him, pulling out a kunai. He brought it out with his free hand and, without hesitation, stabbed it into his abdomen.

My vision turned back and white for a moment, or at least that's how it appeared against the bright red blood now soaking the front of Kiba's gray jacket. My hearing had whittled down to a faint hum and it took me a long moment to realize that I was screaming.

"KIBA!"

Kiba only twisted the kunai further into his body. "If I do this, I wonder what will happen?"

Blood began to leak from Ukon's mouth, and he looked slightly panicked. "Suicide!? What a fool!"

"Let's die together," Kiba smirked devilishly, narrowing his eyes over his shoulder at Ukon. Blood was streaming down his own chin and I could see his body clenching in pain.

Kiba pushed the kunai in harder still and his cry rang out alongside Ukon's.

"You bastard! What are you thinking!?" Ukon hollered in pain.

Shakily, Kiba turned his head forward once more. His eyes fell on me as I gaped in silent horror.

"Nakao…I'm…sorry," Kiba tried to smile but he coughed, and blood sprayed from his mouth.

I barely noticed that tears were streaming down my face. They fell to the ground, creating wet splotches at my feet.

"K-Kiba…" was all I managed to croak out.

"Don't cry, Nakao; I hate it when you cry," Kiba winced in pain but carried on. "I need you to take care of Akamaru. Get him out of here."

But I was shaking my head, tears flying. A fresh wave of hot tears gushed down my cheeks as my fists clenched at my sides and my eyes squeezed shut. "No! No! You idiot! You can't die on me!"

"I'm…sorry…"

I peeled open my eyes. I could barely make out Kiba's form through my blurry vision. I felt my knees buckle and I was falling to the ground.

"I'm Kiba, and this is Akamaru."

"I'm Nakao."

"Hey, you should smile more!"

"Since when are you Prince Charming?"

Kiba scoffed. "Since forever."

"Where's your white horse?" I challenged playfully.

"I have Akamaru!" Kiba responded happily, scratching beneath the puppy's chin. He yipped.

I laughed. "Well alright then, Prince Charming. Should I go wait in my tower?"

"Shut up you flat-chested stalker!"

"You shut up, Nakao!"

"You started this! What is your problem!?"

"You're my problem!"

"Woah, woah, okay that's enough," Kiba suddenly cut between me and Sakura.

We were in the academy courtyard surrounded by a ring of classmates our argument had attracted. I'd been minding my own business, but she just couldn't let me be. She had to come over here and start a fight. And over something so asinine!

"You're never going to be worthy of the title kunochi," I practically spat at her over Kiba's shoulder as he tried to push me away from Sakura. "You'll be lucky if you ever get your headband!"

Sakura snarled but was not quick enough to reply. Kiba finally succeeded in pushing me away and through the throng of students around me. He didn't stop until we were clear across the courtyard, far away from any other student.

"Don't give me that look, she started it!" I immediately hissed, seeing the look on his face.

"I know. But she's not even worth it," Kiba tried tiredly.

"You're right," I hmphed, crossing my arms. "She'll never be a good enough shinobi."

"Even if she was, she'd still never be able to beat you," Kiba said, flicking my nose playfully.

I wrinkled it in annoyance. "Yes, I know. I'm invincible."

Kiba's face sobered. "You're not invincible."

I glared at him sourly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"You're not invincible alone," Kiba corrected, nudging me with his shoulder. "But with me, no one will ever hurt you."

A sob was wrenched from my throat. I could feel my heart breaking in my chest. My shoulders heaved up and down, salty tears sliding over my trembling lips.

"Are you suffering?" Kiba had turned his attention back to Ukon, a weak smirk on his lips. "Then let's end this!"

Kiba brought back his blood-stained kunai.

"You fool! Stop with the stabbing!" Ukon called out in fear.

"Too late!" Kiba yelled, driving the kunai into his abdomen again.

The moment before the tip dug inside, Ukon managed to pull himself out, tumbling onto the ground behind Kiba and escaping certain peril.

Kiba cried out in pain and slumped forward. His previously-occupied arm held him up as red blood dripped from his wound and onto the ground. Blood ran down his chin. Beside him, Ukon's breath hitched in pain as he grasped at a gaping wound in his abdomen.

Kiba shakily pulled the kunai from his abdomen and pivoted, throwing it at Ukon. Ukon held up his arm and the kunai dug itself into it instead of his face. Kiba then tossed two smoke bombs at Ukon, completely engulfing him in purple smoke.

I was already on my feet. I sprinted over to Kiba, who was struggling to stand. Wrapping his arm around my neck, I dragged him towards Akamaru. I knelt, allowing Kiba to scoop him up and carry him with his free arm.

And then we were gone. I rushed us over to the river, hoping to erase a trail for Ukon or Sakon to follow. I waded through the river for a measurable distance before crossing to the opposite side. I leaned Kiba against a rock next to the river. As he panted, I put a hand over his freely bleeding wound, applying pressure as I fumble in the pouch around my waist for a roll of bandages.

"Nakao…" he said weakly.

"Shut up!" I bit at him, face screwed up in concentration. I finally found the bandages and unzipped Kiba's jacket. I quickly began to wrap the wound over his shirt, for pulling off his tight muscle shirt would probably aggravate the wound. And I didn't have the time to struggle with it anyway.

While I wrapped the bandages around and around, Kiba glanced down to Akamaru laying beside him. He gently petting his head. He was unconscious, but still breathing.

I'd gotten several layers wrapped around when Kiba gave a sudden grunt of pain, his face contorting in agony. I gasped as a fresh wave of blood began to seep through the bandages.

"No, no, no!" I panicked, fumbling to keep wrapping.

"Nakao…" Kiba's eyes fluttered shut. "Stop."

"Be quiet!" I snapped, but my voice broke and quivered. Tears sprang to my eyes as I realized the bandages were only continuing to soak with blood. The roll finally ran out and I threw the empty tube aside in anger. "Kuso!"

"Nakao…you need to leave."

"What?" I pulled back and Kiba slowly peeled his eyes open.

"Go find Sasuke and whatever teammates are left. There was still another enemy, which means there's only one person to get Sasuke home safely," Kiba winced again. "And if it's Naruto, he's screwed."

"What are you talking about, you idiot? I'm not leaving you!"

"Sasuke needs you," Kiba insisted.

"You need me!"

"Sasuke needs you more…and you need him."

His eyes bored into mine and I swallowed against a tight throat. My shoulders shook with silent sobs, fresh tears streaming down my face.

"I need you too…" I whispered, voice straining.

Kiba's eyes softened before he winced in pain. "Please, Nakao, go. I'll…I'll catch up with you later."

I hiccuped, rubbing at my eyes with the heel of my palm. "You're so full of shit."

"Go. That guy is wounded too. I have enough energy to finish him off. If all else fails, I'll escape into the river."

"But I can defeat-!"

"And waste valuable time. Go Nakao."

I was certain my chest had never felt so tight. My eyes shook but Kiba stared at me, urging me. I blinked away welling tears before leaning in, carefully wrapping my arms around his neck. I held him to me as gently as I could, pressing my cheeks against his. I felt him maneuver his head to plant a kiss on my forehead. Fresh tears sprang to life as I pulled back, placing a kiss on his cheek. I wanted to savor this moment in case…in case…And so I lingered, trying to take in his familiar scent. But it was overpowered by the copper scent of blood.

"Promise me you'll escape Kiba," I croaked. "Promise me."

Kiba watched me sadly. He moved his lips, like he wanted to say something, but he stopped. Instead, he shook his head.

"Go. Bring Sasuke back to Konoha…and never let him out of your sight," Kiba shakily held his hand out.

I took it in mine, squeezing it. His skin was clammy and cold. Mine was stained crimson. More tears slipped down my face and I brought the back of my other hand to my eyes, wiping at them.

"Goodbye, Kiba…" I said quietly, because my voice would have cracked if I'd spoken any louder.

"Goodbye, Nakao…" Kiba said with the smallest smile.

Reluctantly, I gave Kiba's hand one more squeeze before letting go. I had to walk away now, or I would never do it. And so I got to my feet, forced my eyes away, and headed for the canyon wall.

I followed the trace of Sasuke's chakra. And I noted with dismay that he had backtracked. As I followed his trail, I was not moving towards Konoha. But I did finally catch up to him.

The forest gave way to a river than ran off a huge cliff as a thunderous waterfall. Two, enormous statues stood on either side of the river. They appeared to be facing each other in battle. One, I realized, looked like the first Hokage. The other statue was not familiar to me.

I found Sasuke with Naruto. Naruto was lying on his back on the rocky ground. Sasuke was on his knees at Naruto's head, bending over him. Naruto's eyes were closed, and Sasuke stared solemnly down at him. His black bangs curtained his face. There was splatter of blood at Sasuke's knees. Beside Naruto's head was a headband, a scratch through the Leaf insignia. Sasuke's headband was missing from his forehead.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke was not quick to react to my voice. He slowly got to his feet, turning his gaze in my direction. He looked tired; bags smudged the skin beneath his onyx-colored eyes. His skin was covered in cuts and scrapes and bruises. His right hand was grasping his upper, left arm.

A steady drizzle of rain began to fall from the sky. My bangs fell over my eyes, but I still turned them on Naruto. He was definitely unconscious, but his chest was gently rising and falling. He was alive. And so my eyes slipped back to Sasuke.

"You're here too?" Sasuke finally said with little fanfare.

"What are you doing, Sasuke?" I asked quietly, sadly.

"Go home, Nakao," Sasuke said bluntly.

"What did you do to Naruto?"

Sasuke stared at me for a long moment, before his eyes flickered to Naruto. "We settled our rivalry."

I was trying to understand. Trying to understand the unconscious teammate on the ground. The sad look on Sasuke's face. The despair and fear that was gripping my heart. I didn't know what to say. What could I say?

"Go home, Nakao," Sasuke said again, his eyes moving back to me.

"No," I said. And then I glared and spoke louder. "No. Not after all I went through to get here."

I subconsciously wiped my hands on my pants. Flecks of Kiba's blood fell off.

"I'm not going back to Konoha, Nakao."

"Why not!?" I demanded, fists clenching at my sides.

How could he do this to me? Chouji…Neji…Kiba…Shikamaru weren't here…they all sacrificed themselves so we could take him home. And he wanted to run again. He wanted to leave again. He was staring me straight in the face, and he still wanted to leave.

"I cannot get the power I need there."

"So you're going to that fork-tongued bastard!?"

"There are too many distractions in Konoha," Sasuke insisted calmly.

"What distractions!?" I yelled in exasperation. But I felt like something was squeezing my heart. Desperation was creeping up my throat, choking me.

But Sasuke only looked away from me. Silence settled over the area, broken only by the roar of the waterfall and the raindrops dropping into the river. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to yell at him. I wanted to shake him as I begged him to stay.

"Look at me," I demanded hoarsely.

I was almost surprised when he did. I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat. This was it. This was my last chance. And so I poured everything into my next words. I let the pleading tone stay. I let my eyes sparkle with unshed tears. I let him see everything.

"Please, Sasuke; come home…"

"I've tried to picture my life in Konoha- with the rest of you. But I am different from you. That is not my path."

"That's a bunch of bullshit!" I choked. Tears were stinging the back of my eyes. The cold was seeping into my bones.

But Sasuke didn't cry. Sasuke's face didn't change. He just stared at me, and I could not read his eyes.

"Nakao…come here," Sasuke finally said quietly.

I wanted to scream at him, tell him to go fuck himself. I wanted to slap him until he saw sense. But my traitorous feet were moving on their own and I suddenly found myself standing inches from him. His scent still lingered on him. He stared down at me, and I stared up at him.

"Please, please, Sasuke-kun…come home with me," I whispered. Tears formed in the corner of my eyes before a single tear ran down my cheek.

"I cannot go back."

My eyes hardened, my chest filling with rage. "I wasn't asking."

My fingers moved to make the handsigns I needed for my kekki genki. But I didn't get the chance. Sasuke's hand whipped out, grabbing my wrists. I jerked my head up, ready to curse at him, but he cut me off. Sasuke bowed his head and pressed his lips against mine.

My eyes widened.

The world froze around me. The cold was suddenly gone. Everything I'd planned to say died in my throat as my mind went blank.

My senses came alive. I felt everything. The softness of his lips, his nose gently brushing against my skin, the goosebumps that formed on every inch of me; and not from the cold this time. His scent filled my nostrils and my brain stuttered to life, conjuring up images of us as children, and images from just days ago as I held him beneath our bridge. And as his lips moved gently against mine, my eyes adjusted, half-lidded.

The world was chaos. It had been since my parents died. Life was a cruel and fickle thing, always waiting for me to trip. Always waiting to take something else from me. Always finding new ways to make me suffer.

But this moment, this one, right here…

Everything was…right. Suddenly, nothing had seemed to make sense in my life until this moment. I had never felt more calm, more safe than I did right here. We fit together perfectly, as though we'd been made to do so.

This was how things were supposed to be. How they always should have been. Even though everything was fucked up. My parents should be alive, Keitaro should be alive, Sasuke's clan should be alive, and Sasuke and I should have been together. But it was okay. It was all okay now. Because he was right here, with me-

Something pierced my abdomen.

I gasped against Sasuke's lips. My eyelids snapped open. I felt…pain.

Sasuke pulled away from me and my shaky eyes met his.

"S-Sasuke…?"

Sasuke was silent. His eyes searched my face, like he was trying to memorize it. He reached one hand up, brushing some stray locks away from my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Nakao."

I gaped up at him. The shock was beginning to wane and pain was beginning to explode across my abdomen. I glanced down as Sasuke pulled his kunai from my gut. I gasped in pain as it slid up, still slicing at me as it was removed.

And then it was out.

My hands grasped for the wound. Blood was already soaking through my shirt, through my vest. It was staining my hands. And though my hands were now warm, the rest of me had gone completely cold.

I fell to my knees.

What had just happened? What had I just lost? I…failed. I failed. I failed my first mission as a Chuunin. I failed Konoha. I failed my team and my friends.

Perhaps I wouldn't live through this. Maybe I would bleed out right here. And I wouldn't have to face the fact that I had failed. That I had given into my weakness and let my heart jeopardize everything. That I had disgraced the title of kunoichi. I wouldn't have to face that I had lost everything. My family. My best friend. Sasuke.

I was suddenly overcome with dizziness. I swayed before falling face first to the ground. The pain in my abdomen was so great that I hardly felt my chin smash against the rocky ground. In my vision, I watched Sasuke's feet turn away, and I felt his presence leave.

My yearned for him to stay. I wanted to scream, beg. Come back, come back, I wanted to sob. But I'd lost my voice. His departure was causing an emptiness in my heart that I'd never felt before. It was different than when my parents died. Than when Keitaro died. I felt like I was losing a piece of myself. Some integral part of my soul that I needed. I tried to call to him. I needed to tell him…I needed to tell him what he meant to me. That he meant…everything.

But my throat was dry. My mind was numb. And instead, tears streamed down my face.

My lips were tingling, my wound searing, and my heart shattering as I heard Sasuke's footsteps fade into the distance. I couldn't stop him. I was too weak. And it had cost me. This is what it felt like to lose everything.

My eyelids flickered shut.

Author's Note:

Sigh. Every time I read this I become a KibaXNakao fan. Alas.

I'd always liked this ending, but reading your reviews has made me a little nervous. A lot of you wanted Nakao to leave with Sasuke. But I agree with the few that didn't want her to. Nakao hates Orochimaru; he's the reason her entire family is dead. So it wouldn't have made a lot of sense, especially seeing as Sasuke was so quick to leave her behind. And then someone wanted Nakao to fight Sasuke and I admit, that would have been pretty cool. But I kept my original ending. So now I'm SUPER nervous about whether or not I created something that you all still liked. It is my job to please after all.

Regardless, we move on to the next arc! I assure you, Nakao hasn't seen the last of Sasuke. Stay tuned!