Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the Gushikan family and a select few is mine.

Chapter 24~ Death

I was breathing shallowly as I gulp and tried to ignore the now intense pain skyrocketing through my body. I had never felt something so intense. It wasn't like when I got stabbed through the hand, I was numb with a concussion then. So this is bad, so much worse than period pains.

I have never been so great full to be a Gushikan because otherwise I think would had died of shock by now. I am looking at something sticking out of me.

I gripped the stick, it was about a three fourths of an inch in diameter and was about a foot long sticking out of me. I release it and the palm of my hand was covered in blood from it.

'I have to move, I have to get up.' I thought. I began to try and fight through pain and sit up but it was no use.

1.) The stick seems to be planted in the ground.

2.) I can fell it move inside of me when I twist and push up. That hurts and makes me feel sick.

But, I know I can't stay here. I need to find Balance and I need to alert Naruto and Sasuke to my location. I'm not safe here.

So problem number one. How do I stand up?

I groan as a plan emerges, it will hurt like hell and It will hurt the wound even worse because it will aggravate it. However, it's all I got.

I twisted my arms so my hands were planted on either side of my head and bent my knees.

I did a bridge.

I felt my body slide up the stick but not high enough to leave the stick completely, that seems impossible and I don't want the stick out, it will lead to more bleeding.

I took a moment to steady my shaking knees from the pain and I turned my head to the side to cough blood. It hurts. I can't even fully express how bad it hurts.

I balance on just my left hand and reached into my kunai pack and grab a kunai. Then I started the slow and meticulous act of sawing though the part of the stick under me, so I won't be connected to the ground anymore.

It takes minutes, maybe eight, maybe ten, I lost a sense of time from the pain. I couldn't push too hard on the stick or the stick would shift inside me again and I'm already losing too much blood. I eventually break through it and push myself fully into a standing position only to immediately grab the closest tree and throw up a scary amount of blood on it.

I held a hand near the protruding stick as I begin to hobble along looking for my trusty katana.

It takes me forever but I eventually find it unharmed sticking blade down into the ground. I grab its handle with my left hand and give it a tug but it's really stuck. It takes all my remaining strength to pull it out and drag it along in my left hand.

I'm breath harshly and my lungs hurt. I'm slightly bent over as I walk, trying no to give into the pain and die.

Problem two, how to alert Naruto.

It's simple enough but no matter what this will also tell the enemy where I am... I guess it can't be help. They need to know where I am do that I can get medical attention.

I grab a purple smoke bomb and toss it high, near the top of the trees before it explodes.

Now I wait.

I leaned against some trees to control my breathing and I'm so tired but soon hear sticks crunching underfoot. I turned to see 3 bandit ninja. Their smug.

They just smirked proudly and enjoyed their upper hand. Especially when they saw the stick in me.

"This will be easy, she won't be hard to kill at all!" A girl said and the two boys laughed. "I almost feel sorry for her." One guy replied. The moment she took her eyes off me I reached into my kunai pouch and threw one into her neck.

None of them moved as they just stared at her with horror till the blood pulses out of her and she fell to the ground.

I held my breath as I surged forward at my break neck speed and stab the second one through the chest. He crumbled instantly dead.

I sharply look to the third one who is stepping away from me while hyperventilating. "You monster!" He yelled as he turned and ran away.

I didn't pursue him, I just coughed my blood, tried not to cry, and sat down so my left side could lean against a tree.

I was beginning to get tunnel vision, and my eye lids felt heavy. I turned my head up to look at the purple misty sky before I closed my eyes.

"Takara!"

It's Naruto I thought, as I cracked my eyes open a little. A moment later he crashed into my sight. He was bruised and bloodied but simply knelt to my level and grabbed my hand.

"We've got to go! They will come after us."

I smiled at him. "You found me. Good." I wheezed.

He looked confused until Sasuke piped up. "She's hurt."

They were now both staring at my puncture wound in a shell shocked silence.

"I fell onto a bad place." I coughed more blood into my hands.

They didn't say anything as Naruto slowly sat next to me and Sasuke looked away.

"It think it went through my kidney. I've lost a lot of blood... I can't really stop it." I whispered. I leaned my head against the trunk of the tree and closed my eyes. The moment I did so Naruto sprang forward and picked me up bridal style. Careful not to touch the stick but I still shook with pain.

"We are getting you to a doctor! Sasuke where the closest Village?"

Sasuke just shook his head slowly, "The sound, but even running it would take hours."

Naruto started to sweat and my

tunnel vision was worst.

"Then we need to find Kakashi!" Naruto yelled as he started to run with Sasuke, which way I don't know.

"I'm cold." I said shivering and Naruto just told me to hang on.

'Man I'm tired' I thought as my eye lids started to lower. 'I just need a couple minutes to sleep.'

"Takara!" Sasuke shouted making me flinch and look at him.

"Don't close your eyes."

I sighed as I realized what was going to happen.

"Sasuke... Naruto... if I die take care of Usagi and dad." I choked out.

They both stiffen and don't respond.

"Guys... my dad... he's strong, amazingly strong but losing mom almost destroyed him. You have to watch him. Usagi, he won't understand and will be sad. I'm afraid he'll forget me but I also don't want him to be sad. Don't leave him please."

Neither of them responded, they didn't even look at me.

"Naruto?"

He didn't look at me, he had tears in his eyes and looked like he might break down.

"Sasuke."

His eyes glance at me.

"Promise me."

He looks away as they run forward. I struggle through the pain and jerk around until Naruto stops.

"Sasuke promise me!"

He swallows and wipes his face, "Ok I promise."

"Naruto?" I pull on his shirt.

"Promise." His horse voice cracked, he sounded weak.

I just smiled and relaxed fully into Narutos arms. "Now just five minutes." Then my heavy eyes closed.

I heard their protests, and I knew why, but I'm so tired.

It felt like I was dumped into ice water and my eyes flew open.

I was standing on the front porch of my house and it was pitch black out. I walked to the door and tried to open it but it was locked. I turned around to see a ninja in a black cloak, but I can't see his face.

I reach to grab Balance but it's gone, all of my weapons are gone. I feel naked in a way.

"Who are you?" I ask sternly but he doesn't reply, he only bends slightly as the cawing of crows gets louder.

I blinked and the ninja seemed closer than before. Gulping I begin to knock loudly on the door. I don't take my eyes off the ninja as I continue to hammer the door.

It swung open and without looking from the ninja I stepped in. Once the door closed I look up. "Thanks dad, I think we have a stalker... you're not my father."

An older man towered over me, he had slightly gray light brown curly hair and a goatee. His tan skin was the same shade as mine and his brown eyes matched my dads. He looks familiar.

"I've been expecting you but not this early." He grunted and turned, walking into the kitchen. I followed quickly behind and continued to stare him down.

"What? Don't recognize me? Figures." He leaned against the counter and stared at me.

"Ya I do." I replied and crossed my arms. "But you're supposed to be dead."

He laughed loudly and grinned a little. "Just as logical as your dad."

I breathed in deeply and sat on the counter next to him.

"Takeshi..." I replied.

"Takara." He muttered back.

"I don't understand, where are we? If I'm with you am I... dead?" I paled and gulped thickly.

He didn't respond and looked out the window. The ninja was still standing there, definitely closer now.

"He sure isn't taking his time with you, you must be pretty badly hurt."

"I was impaled by a stick in my kidney."

He nodded, "That'll do it."

"Where am I Takeshi?"

He motioned for me to follow and led us into the living room but it had one key difference, the walls were made of mirrors.

I stared dumbly at the weird display until I looked at my own reflection. I had a large blood splatter where I had been impaled and my image was blurry and a little see through. Takeshi doesn't have a reflection at all though.

"That is the representation of your life. When your reflection is gone then you're gone."

I gulped.

"How do I live?" I asked, rubbing my arms as I shiver.

"Don't give up. Do you want to live?" He mumbled.

"Ya! Of course I want to live! I want to see Usagi and Dad again. Not only them though, I want to be with Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, Kiba, Choji, Shikamaru, Iruka, Ino, Hokage-sama, and even Sakura! I want to see them all again, I'm not ready for this to be over." I sighed and covered my face with my hands, I heard Takeshi move slightly.

"I'm not ready either." I look up and glance around.

"Conscience?" I replied timidly, but there was no answer and it was silent once again.

"What was that?" I asked Takeshi, he shrugged, "Sometimes we have attachments from earlier lives, when missions aren't completed."

I frowned as I sat in moms chair.

"All you can do now is wait and have faith in your body and friends." He grumbled sitting on the couch.

"Where am I? What's the point of all of this?" I asked, begining to feel like having an existential crisis.

"You're in between life and purgatory. When your image fades then your officially a member of purgatory. The point is that this is your last chance to live. You're mental and physical strength is being tested. Don't give up."

I groaned, "I'm not giving up, I'm just confused. For example, why are you here? You're.. you're not still in purgatory... are you?"

I broke into a cold sweat as he glared at me. Takeshi is absolutely terrifying.

"Pardon me for wanting to meet my great granddaughter. I just thought you'd want someone to explain this all to you."

I looked down at my moms chair and rubbed the fabric.

"Then why isn't she here too?"

It was quiet and then he scratched his head. "She didn't want this to be any harder than it is already. She didn't want to make you... inclined to die."

I stared at him and sadly looked down.

"I suppose I understand but I miss her."

He nodded, "She misses you as well."

I glanced back to the mirror and my image seemed a bit clearer.

Takeshi seemed to be examining my face when he suddenly piped up. "How's your father? Enjoying work? Staying safe?" I looked up to him and smiled a bit.

"Ya he's fine, he loves his job after all, although he's got a scar across his forehead now. He thinks it makes him look more intimidating though."

Takeshi finally grins and looks down to his scared hands. "Dying so young and leaving him was my biggest regret. I had a lot of regrets."

I looked a bit uncomfortable and shifted more towards him. Gushikans don't really share memories or anything, not to mention all I've ever heard about Takeshi is what a scary man he is.

"As you may know my wife died in child birth for that useless Tekeshi." I sat silent, a little shocked at Takeshi's words, I never knew he didn't like his son. "I was very put off and depressed for a majority of Tekeshi's childhood, maybe thats why he grew up to be an imbecile but oh well. The only good thing he ever did was impregnate his wife and have your father. Anyway, my idiot son and his wife, whatever her name was, decided to prematurely activate their bombs and kill themselves." My mouth dropped open.

"They didn't care about their son. All Tekeshi cared about was being a hero and getting his name on the KIA stone. That's what he considered the greatest honor. He convinced his dim wife that suicide by our bomb patches is the only way one should die and then against clan law gave her, her own bomb."

I gulped and averted my eyes, I feel totally uncomfortable, like I shouldn't be listening to this.

"Then on an extremely simple delivery of a scroll mission they took their own lives. I, at first, mourned as any father should but then an investigation showed that after they were attacked by bandits for the scroll they just activated the bomb. They had no reason to and could escape if they wanted to." He spat, crossing his arms and glaring at his sons photo on the book self.

His stern glare then struck at me. "Did your father expand on the bomb rules? I doubt he did, he probably didn't want you to have one at all."

I nodded, "Ya he just told me to never use it."

He scoffed, "Sounds like him, for future reference though, the situation you were in, three against one and you losing a fourth of your blood already, it would had been alright for you to activate your bomb. There are conditions one must follow for this!" He yelled and I paled, I could had taken my own life so soon? I'm only 12!

"You're not allowed to activate your bomb unless you've lost an appendage imperative to fighting, lost 40% of your blood, are completely out numbered with no way out, will be killing someone who is in the bingo book who will kill more for no reason, it's for the complete greater good, or a combination of those reasons. You can't do it for personal issues!" He shouted getting angrier and angrier.

"That stupid son of mine, I don't even want to call my son, destroyed our family! Tenchi was a wreak and then thrown into an orphanage faster than you can say 'stop!' I spent two days in hell trying to convince the board I should have custody of Tenchi because no one believed I could be a good guardian after Tekeshi." He raged on and on.

I awkwardly looked to a mirror wall and saw my image fluctuating between clear and foggy.

He stopped talking altogether and just stared at his fists for a moment before looking at me.

"Your father was six when his parents died and nine when I did. Don't ever stop respecting your dad. He's gone to hell and back three times now. For his parents, me, and Ume."

He sighed and his tense shoulders dropped. He put a hand on my head and ruffled my curls. "I'm happy he forgave me for dying. I never wanted to die. Especially in front of him like that."

That caught my attention as I jerked my head up to look at him. "Wait what?"

His eyes slowly met mine, "He never told you?"

I shook my head wildly.

He got a far away look in his eyes and sunk into the couch.

"I took him on a mission with me. He was finally a genin and was so excited to work with me. I don't really remember what the mission was, some sort of patrol, all I really remember is that moment we were surrounded. Tenchi's arm was dislocated, and he had a kunai in his leg. I was relatively ok, some cuts but I was fine. We could had ran for it but I knew he wouldn't make it. He wasn't fast enough, not when hurt. They were after me, I was head of the Anbu after all. I told him to run but he refused. So I took off Yin and Yang and threw them sheathed at him and he caught them."

"I then turned and ran away from him. Our assailants didn't bother with him and followed the defenseless me. I got far enough away and ripped off my bandages to show my bomb. The assailants didn't know what it was. They surrounded me and stabbed me slowly, I only let them come in closer before activating the bomb." He breathed out hard as he remembered his own death.

"The last thing I saw was Tenchi in the distance yelling at me. Crying, something I don't think he had done since his parents death. Then I took all those bastards with me so he could escape."

I can't even imagine my dad really crying but the the thought made me depressed. Takeshi looked gone for a moment as he relived his death.

Takeshi looked from his hand to me and smiled, genuinely smiled. "Tell him thanks for naming you after me. It makes me pretty proud. That being said you better not die for a long time and better make me glad you're named after me." He stood up and put his hand out to me.

I also stood up, "Thank you Takeshi, for being here that is, I'll make you proud. I'm really happy I was named after you instead of Tekeshi." I grinned and he ginned back.

I took his hand and shook it firmly. "See you again someday great grandfather."

I felt a warm light fill me and I felt at peace.

"Not too soon though Takara." He grumbled back.

My eyes popped open and I screamed bloody murder as Kakashi stood over me holding the stick that used to be in me.

Naruto scrambled to put my head in his lap and to hold my hand. Sasuke just looked concerned while holding Balance. Suzuki-san just stared in a scared awe just muttering the words, "So much blood." Over and over.

"Kakashi she's losing even more blood now! What do we do?!" Naruto yelled as I began to whimper.

"We have to stop the bleeding, only then will she have a chance to make it to the next village."

"How are we going to do that?" Sasuke asked looking wide eyed at me.

"The only option... is to cauterize the wound." He said grimly

My eyes popped open again as I gasped, "You're kidding! Please no!"

"What's that?" Naruto asked looking frantic as I got visibly paler and paler.

"He's going to burn the wound shut." Sasuke muttered.

I held back the tears as I choked out, "Not just the outer wound, he'll have to stick something inside of the wound, all the way though me to stop the internal bleeding too." I shivered in pain.

"I need something metal." He said looking around but no one answered him.

"If we really don't have anything then you can unwrap the cloth hilt of Balance, don't cut through it! Just unwrap it." Kakashi nodded as he carefully but quickly unwrapped the hilt and stared at it.

"It's too thick, it'll have to be forced in."

I gulped as I watched Sasuke heat it up with a fire jutsu to the point that is expanded but didn't glow. It was feet from me but I could feel it's heat.

Kakashi slowly walked to me, carefully holding Balance by the sheathed blade.

I whimpered again as it got closer to me.

"I'm so sorry, I wish I didn't have to do this." Kakashi whispered.

I nodded, never talking my eyes off it.

Naruto took off his jacket to put his sleeve in my mouth so I could bit on it.

I watched the metal for a moment and started to hyperventilate, I was beginning to realize what a horrible idea this is.

"Nevermind! I'll be fine! We don't need to do this! Please!" I tried to reason but Kakashi only looked at me with pity.

"No! Don't do it! It will kill me! It will hurt! Please don't do it! I'd rather die!"

"You're strong Takara, just hold on!" Naruto exclaimed, putted the sleeve in my mouth before Kakashi plunged the metal into my wound.

I couldn't scream. It hurt too much. My mouth was open, eyes bulging out, body tense, as the pain shot through me. It was like my entire body was on fire. I couldn't make a nose.

He held it in me for five seconds but it felt like I was in hell for five years. He yanked it out and I still only stared at the sky as Naruto said my name over and over but I couldn't respond. Tears built up in my eyes and began to stream down my face as I finally managed to take a breath.

Then I screamed.

Authors Note:

What a fun chapter to write! I really like Takeshi personally. Even if he's eccentric.

I did this chapter so fast too!

Reviews are loved but not required.

Thanks and have a nice day!

~ToL