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After the pain	By : Legilmyth Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 9758 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 27
- 28
- 29
After the
Pain- Chapter 28
AN: Sorry it
took so long, but the Fluffy part had me stumped for MONTHS! ANYway hope you enjoy. J

28 28 28 28
As of this
chapter it has been.
29 Days
since Naruto found Temari
21 Days
since they arrived back in Konoha. And
since Gaara was last seen.
13 Days
since Naruto left on his mission

28 28 28 28
28

Neji ran his
fingers through his waist length hair in an effort to shake out some of the
sand that had accumulated in it throughout the day, even though he knew it was
a futile effort. He seriously needed a shower.
�So where do
you think my team will be the most effective?� He asked Kankuro as he followed
the puppet master inside the Kazekage�s office. Leaving the rest of his team to wait outside until they had their
orders.
Once the
door was closed behind them, the painted man sighed heavily as he removed the
wrapped mummy shaped bundle from his back and propped it against the desk and
took the chair that he didn�t like sitting in. Gaara�s.
�I have no
idea.� Kankuro admitted as Neji handed him the three scrolls he had removed from
inside his vest. �There is so much turmoil inside the village over the lose of not only Gaara, but
Temari as well. Apparently my sister runs almost every department we have. And
with her being gone so long, the idiots we have here don�t have a clue what to
do.� He finished with another sigh as he opened the first scroll and scanned
through it.
�Would you
like word sent to the Hokage to have Temari-sama
returned to Suna as soon as possible?� Neji asked.
Despite all the paint, he could tell that the man sitting before him was being
run ragged.
Kankuro
shook his head as he opened the second scroll, again only giving it a cursory
glance. �I can�t believe I�m saying this out loud. But no.
I think my sister deserves to recover in peace. The idiots here wouldn�t give
her a moments rest.� He looked up at the white eyed man in front of him. �How
is she doing anyway?�
Neji
shrugged. �I have not seen her myself. But I understand that she has been
recovering well and was even seen training some. Naruto was called away on a
mission, but he left her in good hands while he is gone.�
The puppet
nodded and opened the third scroll. Which turned out to be a
letter from Temari. He almost smiled at how short and to the point it
was.
Kankuro, and Gaara if you have gotten your
ass home yet.
I�m am doing well,
enjoying my vacation. Have no intention of traveling on my own. When you want
me home, you can come and get me.
Temari�
Shaking his
head he rolled the parchment back up and put it in his pocket. Gaara would want
to see it right away. Whenever they found him that is. At least that was one
less sibling he had to worry about.
�Is
something wrong?� Neji asked.
�No,�
Kankuro stood and arched his back until he heard his spine crack. �The last
note was from

Temari. She says she is fine.�
�She seems
to have recovered very quickly.� The Hyuga remarked as he stuffed his hands
into his pockets.
The puppet
master frowned. �What does that mean? You know what happened to her?� He
suddenly had a hard glint in his eyes that instantly put Neji on edge.
�Not the
particulars.� Neji admitted carefully. For a moment the former Hyuga was sure
he had seen the other man�s eyes change color for a brief instant. But quickly dismissed it as a trick of the light. �Naruto
told us that she was nearly dead when he found her. It is not difficult to
guess what probably went on before she was left like that.�
Kankuro
snapped upright as if he had been slapped, and for a moment the Hyuga was sure
he was about to see evidence of the temper that both the painted man�s older
and younger siblings were known for.
Just as
quickly as he has snapped to attention, Kankuro sagged back down into his seat.
He looked utterly devastated, and Neji was starting to wish that he had kept
his mouth shut. Tenten was always telling him that he
still needed to work on his tact.
Rubbing his
hands over his face Kankuro sighed. �Well, I guess all that training was for a
good reason after all.� He muttered.
The Konoha shinobi raised a
questioning brow at the odd comment but didn�t say anything.
Kankuro saw
the look. �My sister was the eldest child of the Kazekage. She was not trained
as normal kunoichi are.� He explained as he once again got to his feet and
moved around the desk. �I remember watching her training when I was young. Or too injured to train myself. She endured more pain then I ever had too.�
Neji
frowned. �For what purpose?� He was seriously starting
to wonder if the former Kazekage had been more of a monster then what he had
turned his youngest son into.
�She was female, therefore she was considered a liability. I remember
Father telling her on more then one occasion that if
she didn�t get stronger she would end up being good for only one thing.�
Kankuro growled at the memory. Kami how he had hated
the man they called Father.
The things that man had done to his own children in the pursuit of more
power was criminal. And to Kankuro, it was a wonder that the three of
them had managed to come out of their child hoods without being completely
warped. Even Gaara had healed, thanks mostly to his encounter with Naruto.
Even when
Shukaku had returned to the redhead during the battle against the Itachi controlled Akatsuki.
Things had only gotten better, not worse as Kankuro had thought it would at the
time. Turning his back on the other man, the puppet master faced one of the
many windows and stared out over the desert as he tried to rein in the anger
that he felt welling up inside of him.
Losing his
cool now would not be a good thing. He had more important things to worry about
then what had happened in the past. Absently his right hand lifted so that his
fingers could trail softly down the uneven flesh hidden beneath the paint on
the right side of his face.
Neji chose
not to comment on the revelation that the other man had just shared. He had a
feeling that the way things were run behind the closed doors of the Hyuga clan
were not all that different then what had taken place in the Suna royal house.
There were
several minutes of silence before Kankuro finally turned around. Ready to continue with his current duties. �Let�s go see how
the patrols are doing, then I will know where to place
you and your men.�
Neji simply
nodded and once again followed the painted jonin
through the door.

28 28 28 28
28

Sakura
hissed in pain as Shizune lifted her burnt hand to
see how bad the damage was.
�Okay this
is getting insane Tsunade.� The pink haired medic
growled. �What the hell is happening to him?�
All three
women�s eyes momentarily settled on Kakashi�s form. Noting that once again the creeping black shadow had moved to cover
more skin. Now nearly half his body was covered with the insidious
coloring. And no one had the fainted idea what was causing it.
Sakura was
currently letting her anger cover the other emotions she was feeling. Seeing
Kakashi in such a state was hard on her. But a look at how exhausted Tsunade was, the young woman knew that she didn�t have the
luxury of tears at this point.
Shizune
turned her attention to healing Sakura�s damaged palm. The
result of her trying to push back the black marks, which she had discovered had
its own chakra pattern. But it seemed that every time someone tried
something to help, it only made the thing spread more quickly.
So far the
Copy-nin was still alive, just barely, only regaining
consciousness when the pain became too great. Which was
usually when someone touched him. So far Tsunade
had been able to keep his heart going. But the lack of sleep combined with the
demands of keeping Kakashi stable were telling, and it was only a matter of
time before the Hokage collapsed herself.
Shizune
finished healing Sakura�s hand and the pinkett
thanked her as she flexed her fingers several times. All three women knew that
they were fighting a losing battle. But not one of them were
willing to admit defeat just yet.
Although Tsunade did move to sit in the chair
that had been brought into the room for her some time before. �Any idea�s
girls?� She asked quietly. Her voice lacking any
emotion at all.
Silence
reined for a few moments while each woman entertained her own thoughts. There
were currently no other medics in the room. Since there was so far, nothing any
extra hands could do. And there were still many patients in the intensive care
units.
Finally
Sakura straightened her spine and started towards the bed. �I�m trying it
again.� She announced.
�Do you
think that is wise?� Tsunade asked, gaining her feet once
again as she watched her best student closely. �You might get burned again.�
Sakura
shrugged. �I wasn�t prepared for there to be so much resistance last time. This
time I know that there is. I don�t have any better idea�s,
so unless you do, I�m going to try.�
�If you get
hurt, Lee will kill me.� Tsunade reminded the cherry
blossom seriously.
Sakura shook
her head. �He will understand that I had to try.� She tried to give her mentor
a reassuring smile. But didn�t quite pull it off.
The Godaime shook her head in defeat. She only hoped that
Sakura was right. Lee was known for his protective streak, especially after
recovering from his break down. But when it came to his wife, and her safety,
the Tai-jutsu master still tended to get carried away
easily.
�Fine, but
if you get hurt and he starts ripping my hospital apart, its
coming out of your pay.� She finally conceded.
Sakura
nodded. Already standing on Kakashi�s left side.
After a few moments to center her thoughts and deciding where to begin, she
channeled chakra into both hands and carefully placed them along the bottom of
her former sensie�s ribcage.
She had
purposely placed her hands on the still untouched skin, her plan was to slowly
move forward, hopefully allowing her to push whatever
it was back away from his organs. Taking another deep breath she began creeping
forward.
She could
feel the opposing chakra against her own before she even touched the dark line.
But was confident that the higher power she was using now would have a better
result then it had earlier.
A few
moments passed and she felt the dark chakra give slightly beneath her own. She
smiled, sure now that it was going to work. But her triumph was short lived.
With no warning the dark power suddenly erupted
outward, sending Sakura flying back several feet where she landed on the floor.
�Sakura!� Shizune and Tsunade cried out in
unison. The brunet was the first one at the fallen medic�s� side.
�I�m okay.�
Sakura assured them, raising one hand to her now aching head. �I don�t know
what happened, it felt like it was going to work, and then�.� She trailed off
as she looked back up at the bed and her mouth dropped open.
Both other
women turned to see what had her attention. And then they too were shocked into
silence. For now surrounding Kakashi�s still body was
what looked like a dark pulsing energy field.
Shizune
helped Sakura to her feet as Tsunade moved forward,
intent on trying to figure out what this new development was.
Carefully
the Godaime reached out, her fingers tingled slightly
when she touched the energy. Which was in fact chakra, but when she put a bit
of pressure on it, discovered that she couldn�t breach it.
�It�s a
chakra barrier.� She informed the other two women as they came to stand on
either side of her.
�How on earth?� Shizune reached out to touch it as well, but
unlike Tsunade, she received a nasty shock from the
barrier.
�Are you
alright?� Tsunade asked, frowning as she removed her
own hand from the force field.
Shizune
nodded as she gave her tingling hand a shake. �No harm done, it just hurt.�
The Godaime then turned to Saruka.
�And you?�
�I�m fine,
not even a burn this time.�
The
attention of all three was pulled back to the bed when the barrier moved,
growing until it was at the edge of the mattress on all sides.
�Now what?�
Sakura asked, her voice small.
Tsunade
suddenly felt old. �I have no idea.�

28 28 28 28

Temari frowned
slightly when she didn�t see either of her usual lunch companions at the caf�
when she arrived. She knew that she was a little late. Meeka
had ended up spending most of the morning with her after they had eaten
breakfast.
And although
she had managed to cheer the girl up somewhat, the Suna
kunoichi knew that it would take more then just a few words from her to change how the genin was feeling. Guilt was a powerful emotion that was
not easy to get rid of.
Deciding
that she might was well save a table, Temari found a
vacant one and settled herself and her large fan into a chair. Leaning her
crutches up against the edge of the table she smiled as the usual waitress
greeted her.
Ordering a
tea to tide her over until Iruka and Kakashi joined her. Temari leaned back in
her chair, trying to decide what to do for the rest of the day. She had the
strongest urge to go training, but with her silly leg still acting up, she didn�t think that would be a wise choice.
She had
re-bandaged the wound first thing in the morning, and it still hadn�t closed
properly. She had been injured enough to know that it wasn�t normal, and yet
the flesh still looked healthy. In fact, the cut looked like it had only just
been inflicted, instead of it being nearly a week old.
The wind summoner�s thoughts were interrupted when Ino showed up.
�Mind if I
join you?� The black clad kunoichi asked.
�No not at
all.� Temari returned. �My usual companions seem to be running late, which is
unusual for Iruka.�
Ino frowned.
�You mean you haven�t heard?�
Temari was instantly
on alert. �Heard what?�
Ino signaled
to the waitress that she would have the same thing that Temari was as she
answered. �Well Kakashi was attacked yesterday.� She kept her voice low so that
the sound didn�t travel to the other tables. �We don�t know by who, and I don�t know for sure what happened yet. But he�s
in the ER.�
Temari
blinked in surprise. �When did it happen? He had lunch with us yesterday, he
did leave early but that�s normal.� She refrained from remarking about the
strange reaction she had experienced when she had grabbed his wrist.
The blonde
ANBU shrugged. �All I know is that Iruka found him in his apartment sometime in
the afternoon. And I�ll bet that the teacher is still with him at the hospital.
So I wouldn�t really count on him showing up for lunch.�
Nodding her
understanding, Temari toyed with the rim of her tea cup. �I hope he�s alright.�
She might not like Kakashi much lately, but she wouldn�t wish him harm either.
Despite those strange urges she had been having.
Ino nodded her
agreement but didn�t say anything else until her tea was served. �So what are
you doing for the rest of the day?� She asked after Temari had finished
ordering her lunch.
The Sand
kunoichi shrugged. Glad for the change in subject, she never had been good at
the whole sympathy thing. �Not sure, my leg isn�t fit enough yet to allow me to
train. But I would really like to do something other then
sit around the apartment today.�
Ino grinned.
�You want to go shopping with me?�
Temari
thought about it for a moment. �Shopping for what?�
The other
blond laughed. �Anything or nothing. Just a day on the town. Maybe stop by to have our nails or
hair done. Whatever strikes our fancy.�
The fan
wielder was surprised to discover that the idea had merit so she agreed. Ino
was overjoyed to have someone single to go shopping with for a change. It just
wasn�t the same with Sakura since her friend had gotten married and had a baby.
Ino hated shopping for baby clothing.
Since there
was no rush, the two blonds ate a leisurely meal before heading for the
shopping district.
As it turned out. Temari had no interest in buying more clothes. But she did help Ino
choose several outfits. And they both ended up in the beauty shop, while Ino
just had her nails done. Temari gave into the urge she had had a few weeks
previous.
She had her
hair cut. Not as short as she had sported as a teen. But to
just about the bottom of her shoulder blades, which resulted in more then a foot of hair being removed. The kunoichi
couldn�t believe how much lighter she felt without the extra length.
Then instead
of letting the stylist do something elaborate, she requested two strong hair
ties and she then secured the newly shortened locks into two high ponies tails. Having not wanted to go back
to her teen obsession of four.
Amazingly
enough she felt more like herself then she had in a long time. Just looking in
the mirror she felt as if she was looking at a woman who knew what she wanted.
Instead of one that simply did her duty without question.
Ino complimented
her on her choice, then in the next breath she teased
Temari for copying her style. The two blonds laughed and chatted all the way
back to Naruto�s apartment, where Ino left to find a
man to spend the evening with.
Temari found
herself humming as she climbed the stairs. For the first time in her life she
felt as if she had truly made a female friend. Funny that she
and Ino used to hate each other.
It was late
afternoon by the time she was settled back in the house, placing her few
purchases on one side of Naruto�s dresser. Surprised that she wasn�t feeling at
all tired after the excursion, she settled down on the couch with a book.

28 28 28 28
28 28
Naruto was
sure that he had never been so happy to see the gates of Konoha
in his life. He was exhausted. Having made the trip back in
record time. He first headed to the Hokage tower to give his reports,
then he fully intended on going home and having a nice hot shower before he
found something to eat. He was also starving.
It was late
afternoon when he finally walked into Shizune�s outer
office, so he was surprised when she wasn�t at her desk. And even more so when
he discovered that she was not inside Tsunade�s
office with said Hokage.
In fact
neither of the women were anywhere around. He had just set the scrolls he had
prepared before leaving the Mist village on the Hokage�s
desk when he was joined by Duckon, one of the chunin who occasionally helped Shizune.
�Naruto-sama! It is so good to have you back.�
The tall
blond was a little taken aback by the relieved tone he heard in the other man�s
voice. Duckon had always been a rather laid back
individual, who only spoke in quiet tones. So his greeting immediately put
Naruto on edge.
�Is
something wrong Duckon? Where is
Tsunade and Shizune?� He
asked, shaking off his exhaustion by sheer force of will. If there was a
problem it was his place to deal with it.
The dark
haired chunin blanched slightly at having Naruto�s
sudden and intense attention. �Um, well the Hokage and Shizune-san
are at the hospital dealing with�� well a medical emergency.� He stammered, not
really wanting to be the one to tell Naruto just what the emergency was.
Naruto let
himself relax a bit, it wasn�t unusual for the two
women to go to the hospital to help out with difficult cases. There had been
that outbreak in a nearby village that Hinata had
been sent to deal with before he had left, so it could very well be something
to do with that. He didn�t even notice the slight stutter in the other man�s voice, he was too used to it from those who were older then him. He still was the Kyuubi container to them after
all.
�Anything here that needs to be dealt with right away?� He asked.
He noticed Duckon shift uncomfortably under his direct attention. And
he wondered if something else had happened while he was gone that would cause
the chunin to suddenly be ill at ease in his
presence.
�Well, a lot
has happened while you were gone Naruto-sama, Its hard to say where to begin�� Duckon
stumbled to a halt when Naruto held up a hand to stop him.
�Look Duckon, I am exhausted and half starved, unless it has to
be dealt with in the next hour. I really don�t want to hear about it until I�ve
had a shower and eaten something.� He then pinned the still fidgeting chunin with a firm look.
�So is there
anything like that to be done?�
Duckon
shook his head. �No Sir, not that I know of.�
�Okay then,
I will be back in about half an hour. Let Tsunade
know I will be at my apartment if she needs me before then.�
He barely
waited for the chunin to nod before he made the signs
to teleported home. He was feeling a little annoyed that he wasn�t going to be
able to just go home and crash. But such was his job description.
With a puff
of smoke he was gone, leaving the relieved chunin
standing alone in the Hokage�s office. Duckon certainly hoped someone else was there when Naruto
returned. Because he didn�t want to be the one to tell the giant blond that his
former sensie was dying.
28
Temari was
just placing an empty pot on the stove when Naruto suddenly appeared in the
kitchen. His sudden appearance startled her so badly that it took a moment for
her to fully comprehend who it was.
�Naruto!�
He had
appeared with his back to her. But at the sound of her voice he turned,
surprise was written all over his face when he saw her standing there. �Temari?�
With a
joyful laugh Temari threw herself into his arms. Wrapping her
own around his neck as he lifted her off the ground and crushed her to his
chest.
�Kami Temari, I didn�t think you would still be here.� He
admitted as he buried his face in her neck. A part of him knew that he was
probably holding her too tightly. But he was so overjoyed to see her, that he
couldn�t bring himself to loosen his hold.
He couldn�t
even begin to describe how it felt to have her greet him like she had, and then
to have her cling to him as tightly as he was to her.
�I missed
you Naruto.� She whispered as she sank her fingers into his wildly spiked hair.
�Welcome home.�
His throat
closed as emotion swelled within his chest. He had no words to describe how she
made him feel with those two short phrases. But he probably couldn�t have
gotten them past the lump in his throat if he had them. So he simply continued
to hold her tight.
Temari had
never felt such a sense of relief to see someone in her life. She wasn�t used
to missing anyone, but the big blond that now held her had left a hole inside
of her when he had departed for his mission. And it wasn�t until now that she
realized just how big of one it had been.
A part of her marveled at how easily he held her up, her feet nearly a
foot off the floor. For a brief moment she wondered if she shouldn�t feel a little
uncomfortable in the position they were now in. Holding onto
each other as if they were both afraid that the other would disappear again.
But she quickly dismissed the strange thought; Naruto was back, and in her
arms. And that was all that mattered.
�How was the
mission? You didn�t get injured did you?� She found herself asking.
She felt
Naruto shake his head just before he straightened his head so that he could
look her in the eye. Although he made no move to set her back
on the floor. �Not a scratch, it was a simple mission.�
She smiled
at the news. �Good.�
Naruto
returned the smile and decided that he needed to get them more comfortable
while they caught up. He started to move towards the nearest chair, but his
foot hit something and he heard several objects meet the floor with a loud
clatter.
That got
both of their attention and they looked to see what it had been. Naruto
stiffened when he saw the pair of crutches lying on the floor. �What are those
doing here?� He asked with a frown.
He felt
Temari shift slightly in his arms before answering him. �Those would be mine.�
The
horrified look in his eyes as his gaze snapped back to hers� had her quickly
explaining. �It�s nothing really, I just injured my leg a while ago and it�s
been taking a while to heal.�
After a
moment of silence Naruto swung her up so that he was now cradling her bridal
style against his chest. The move had been done so quickly that Temari was left
wondering how he had managed it without first setting her feet on the floor.
But before
she had even the slightest chance of figuring it out he was striding over to
the couch and was setting her down lengthways on the cushions. �Which leg?� His
serious tone of voice was so at odds with the soft tone of moments before that
a bemused Temari could only point at her right leg.
Kneeling down on the floor at her side. Naruto carefully grasped her right
ankle in one hand, while the other moved the edge of her kimono up to her knee,
revealing the white bandage beneath.
With utmost
care he started unwinding the gauze, Temari felt a shiver run through her frame
at the light brush of his fingertips on her skin. But she ignored the strange
reaction in favor of letting her eyes follow each one of Naruto�s smooth
movements.
Once again
she was struck by how amazingly gentle and controlled he was in everything he
did. One would think that a man of his size would be slightly clumsy or at
times forget his own strength. But Naruto always seemed to be very aware of his
every motion.
Being the
focus of his attention made Temari feel special in a way she hadn�t before. It
was a new feeling, as it hadn�t been present before he left for his mission.
Then she had thought that he cared for all those around him the same way. But
now she knew that the way he was with her was different. She didn�t know how or
why she felt that way, but she did.
Naruto drew
in a sharp breath when he saw the deep wound on her calf. �How the hell did you
get that?� He growled as he lifted her leg slightly in order to get a closer
look.
�I think I
nicked it with my fan.� Temari admitted quietly, trying not to be distracted by
the fact that she had forgotten just how thick his eye lashes were. She had the
strangest urge to see what they felt like.
Naruto
frowned but he didn�t take his eyes off of the injury. �I thought that you
weren�t supposed to be able to cut yourself with your own chakra.�
Temari
couldn�t help but chuckle at that statement. Despite its enhancements, her new
weapon was just as deadly without the special channeling feature. �Naruto, it
is still a weapon on its own. I guess I got careless. I didn�t even realize I
had cut myself until I got back to the apartment.�
He did look
at her then. �How could you not�..?� His outburst was
silenced by Temari placing two fingers over his lips.
�I was
having a bad night, so I was upset and distracted,� Funny how now that she was
telling Naruto about it, she could remember the moment perfectly. �I teleported
home so I wasn�t walking on it.� I should
have gone to the hospital right away, but I didn�t and ended up blacking out
from the lose of blood.�
Naruto
sputtered in alarm, but she kept her fingers on his lips and gave him a look
that said not to interrupt her. Deciding not to mention the falling asleep in
the tub part in case it got him more upset then he already was
,she skipped ahead. ��
�Iruka came
to check on me and got me to the hospital, I was fine by morning so no harm
done.� She assured him. �I won�t be that stupid again.�
�And the baby?� He asked when she finally let her hand drop.
Temari
smiled. �The baby is fine, I was checked over by both a medic and Tsunade-sama, and they both said that everything is good.�
Naruto let
out the breath he had been holding ever since she said she had blacked out. He
hadn�t been there, and if anything had happened to her or the child she carried,
he would have never forgiven himself.�
But he tried to shrug the feeling off now that she had confirmed that
they were both fine. Tsunade of all people would have
discovered any kind of problem. So that helped sooth him.
In an
attempt to hide how her news effected him, he turned
his attention back to her leg. Although the cut was deep, it didn�t look out of
the ordinary so he couldn�t see why someone hadn�t been able to heal it.
�Let�s see
if I can do anything with this okay?�
Temari
merely nodded, and reclined back against the arm of the couch, watching
intently as Naruto took a moment to close his eyes. By the feel of his chakra
he was basically havening to center himself before he tried the healing jutsu. His dual chakra natures having to be calmed before
it could be used like that.
Her brow
furrowed slightly as she wondered why she was able to feel what his chakra was
doing. It wasn�t something she remembered noticing before. But before she could
devote any serious thought to it, Naruto had moved his left palm over the cut
and the feel of the chakra flowing into it had her gasping in surprise.
Naruto had
healed her before. But she didn�t remember it feeling anything like this. It
wasn�t just warmth flooding the area. The heat was still there, but it was more
intense, not in temperature per say. It was like it was seeping into every
tissue, every cell of first her leg.
Then it
spread. Slowly. Moving to her knee,
then up her thigh. A tingling sensation, like and yet unlike a shiver
raced through her ahead of the heat, like that crest of a wave. The sensation
made everything inside of her tremble. And when it pooled deep in her belly
before continuing up her body she had to close her eyes as the sensation
overwhelmed her senses.
Blindly her
left hand reached for Naruto, finding purchase on the shoulder of his jonin vest while the other gripped the back of the couch
and her toes curled as her whole body was engulfed in simmering heat.
The sound of
a low moan leaving Temari�s lips didn�t fully register with Naruto. He was too
caught up in the most amazing feeling that he had ever encountered.
The cut on
Temari�s leg had healed almost instantly under his palm. Once the skin was
again knit back together he had allowed his hand to come to rest on the soft
unmarred surface. It was then that he felt it. The only thing he could liken it
too was chakra that wasn�t his own had wrapped itself around the chakra that he
was pouring into Temari�s body and was following it back to his hand.
Once it had
contact, it was almost like it was invading his body. Although that was not the
right description, for there was nothing forceful about it. It was soft,
gentle, almost as if asking permission as it moved up his arm like warm liquid
chocolate.
Blending and
then merging with his own chakra, much like his and Kyuubi�s
often did. Once it hit his chest it flooded the rest of his body almost
instantly. It was like a cleansing wave, his exhaustion being wiped away as if
it was no more then a puff of smoke in the wind.
Muscle by muscle relaxed until he was more relaxed then
he ever remembered feeling.
His eyes
closed of their own accord, for how long he didn�t know, but then the feeling
changed. Slowly it seemed to pull him forward, and his eyes once again opened
to find Temari�s luminous silver eyes focused on him.
Their gazes
locked and he was vaguely aware of the hand on his shoulder pulling him
forward, as he felt the over whelming need to be much closer to the woman
reclining before him. Slowly he shifted, moving to sit on the edge of the couch
although he barely realized that he had moved.
His
attention was centered on his left hand, which trailed absently up Temari�s
calf, and thigh, savoring the feel of warm flesh, first bare and then covered
in silk. It was more a re-affirmation that she was there, with him, pulling him
closer with soft fingers that had moved from his shoulders to the nape of his
neck then anything else.
�Naruto.�
His name was barely a wisp of sound between them as his body covered hers. Not
touching, merely hovering inches above Temari, their noses almost touching as
their eyes stayed locked.
She was
intoxicating up close, her scent seemed to surround him, yet he needed to get
closer. To drink in her essence, with that thought in mind his head dipped
down, finally breaking the intense eye contact.
Her chin
tipped up as his nose brushed against the delicate skin of her throat. Not only
allowing access, but also inviting more, which Naruto quickly took advantage of. Inhaling deeply, savoring her unique, pure scent for a
moment before he rose so that their eyes could once again lock.
Only inches
separated them, until Temari moved to nuzzle her cheek against his, the
movement was at once accepting and inviting. It was communication without
words. He felt like the two of them were wrapped in a cocoon that no one else
could ever see or even understand.
Returning
the caress he couldn�t help but take in another draft of her scent, it was
addicting, going straight to his head, so very different then he remembered�..
Naruto
froze, feeling like he had been doused with a bucket of ice water. Alarm bells going off in his head. Why was her scent so
different? He felt like he should know the answer. But nothing came to mind.
Mentally he almost cursed himself for sealing up Kyuubi,
if he hadn�t, he would have had his answer instantly.
But then he
stomped on that train of thought. He had decided to learn how to do this sort
of thing on his own. To prove that he could do it. He
just had to put some thought into it that�s all, treat it like any other kind
of training he had ever done and work at it.
Reluctantly
he straightened slightly, putting some distance between himself and Temari,
although he never took his eyes off of her. Damn he had forgotten how beautiful
she was.
The movement
had Temari lifting lashes that had somehow fallen shut without her noticing.
But it was impossible not to notice the frown now marring Naruto�s brow.
Unwilling to lose the closeness they had been sharing, she gave a light squeeze
to the back of his neck where her left hand still rested. Hoping
to keep him from withdrawing too far.
She had
missed him so much.
�What�s
wrong?�
�You smell
different.� Naruto mumbled, clearly distracted by whatever it was that had
caught his attention.
It was
Temari�s turn to frown as she felt a light blush creep up her face. �Are you
saying I stink?� She asked, finding herself undecided between being indignant
or just embarrassed by his unexpected statement.
Naruto was
not so deep in thought that he didn�t immediately realize what he had implied.
But when he did, he felt his own cheeks heating. �No! No, I just meant�.. That
is, you smell really good. It�s just that you scent is so much different then
when I left. It just surprised me that�s all.� He
hurried to assure her. �Peoples scent�s don�t normally change that much in such
a short space of time.�
Temari felt
herself relax and her frown faded. Although she was a little put out that
whatever it was Naruto�s sensitive nose had detected had interrupted the moment
of closeness they had been having. She was having the strongest impulse to
burrow into his chest, and hold him as close as was humanly possible.
�Are you
feeling all right Temari? Did anything else happen while I was gone?� Naruto�s
voice interrupted her debate on whether to follow her impulse or not. His voice
sounded worried to her. And now that she was paying attention he seemed to be
studying her closely.
�Not really, why?� She asked, unsure why he seemed so disturbed by this so called change in
her scent.
�It�s
just�� His voice trailed off as he was unable to put into words the strange
mixture of feelings he was getting as he puzzled over the change. The reason
was right there, he just couldn�t seem to grasp it.
Sensing that
this topic was really important to him for some reason, Temari tried to make
her mind focus on it as well. Had she done anything that different since he had
been gone?
The answer
was so instant and so obvious that she couldn�t help but chuckle. Although the
look he gave her at the sound made her feel bad that she had been to distracted
at first to give it any thought.
�I did get a
new scented body wash the other day, and I was at the hair salon today, they
put all kinds of stuff in my hair.� She offered him a smile. �Could that be
your answer?�
Brow
furrowing slightly turned his head until his nose nearly touched the arm that
lead up to his shoulder. Taking in a deep draft of her smooth
skin. This time he was able to dissect the faint hint of some kind of
berry. Still intent on checking her theory he once again leaned forward to do
the same to her hair.
Although that time his nose was assaulted by so many strong odors that he
had to quickly pull back to avoid sneezing on her.
Temari
chuckled as he violently rubbed his poor nose in an effort to get all the offending
odors out of it. He offered her a lopsided grin when he was done. �Sorry, I
guess I got a little carried away there.�
The dainty
female shrugged. �That�s fine. Are you satisfied now?�
Even though
something in the back of his mind was still unsure, he nodded. �Yeah I guess. I
like the soap scent by the way.� The smile that curved her lips told him that
his earlier thoughtless words were forgiven.
The two sit
silently together for several minutes, simply watching the other. Until reality
intruded and Naruto remembered that he had to get back to the office. With a
groan he got to his feet.
�Sorry
Temari, but I promised to be back at the tower in half an hour. And I really
need to have a shower before I do that.�
The blond kunoichi nodded, carefully hiding her disappointment as she
followed him to her feet. She would have much rather climbed into his lap and
stayed there for the remainder of the day. But she knew all too well the
obligations that his position demanded.
�Would you
like something to eat before you go back?� She asked as she watched him shrug
off his pack, which until that moment she hadn�t even realized he still had on.
�That would
be great. I am completely starved.� Naruto gifted her with one of his dazzling
smiles which caused her heart to skip several beats.
�I�ll get
something ready for you then.� She all but whispered.
He gave her
a quick nod and headed for the bathroom.
28 28 28 28
28 28 28
Kyuubi
wanted to be upset, hell he wanted to be furious. But at the moment he was too
busy keeping his tails wrapped around his body tightly as he attempted to stay
perfectly in the center of his cage.
In truth, he
was too busy dealing with his first encounter with bone chilling fear to have
time to worry about anything else.
How had he
not recognized that power before? A White Miko, his host�s
soul mate was a damn White Miko! The kitsune watched with trepidation as the walls of his prison
continued to fluctuate around him.
The first
touch of White Chakra that had entered Naruto�s body had turned the walls into
an almost crystal like appearance. The small crack in the strong hold being
brightly illuminated as it shone with all the colors of the rainbow.
A crack that was slowly being enlarged as more purifying energy entered
his host�s body.
The ancient kitsune was convinced that he was going
to be wiped out of existence at any second as his keen eyes tracked the
lengthening fissure.
But just
when he was sure the walls around him were going to shatter. The light
threatening to break through faded. And slowly his container returned to how it
had looked before.
Not sure if
it was a trick, or the proverbial �calm before the storm� the nine tails
maintained his ridged upright position for several minutes before he
tentatively unwrapped one tail and used it to reach out and poke the wall with
the very tip.
No response
and several pokes later saw the onetime scourge of Konoha
collapse in a heap on the floor. Immensely glad to still be alive, even though
his heart still hammered in his chest and an unbelievable rate. Kyuubi was caught between wanting to thank every deity that
he had ever heard of for his survival and wanting to track down a certain Tanuki and his host and beat them into a bloody pulp.
�No wonder the little chicken shit wouldn�t tell me what kind of
potential the female had.� He growled aloud, deciding that being mad was a lot easier
after having the scare of his life.
�If I ever
get the chance, I am going to kill him.� He vowed. �Right
after he tells me why he wouldn�t warn me that I would probably be killed
during the mating process.�
That thought
only seemed to hammer home the fact that he now knew that his days were
numbered. Unless of course his recently downsized prison was
strong enough to protect him when Naruto finally took the female as his mate.
Because Kyuubi now had the answers to all the
questions that had plagued him ever since the female had been found. The unusual bond
between the pair. The dream sharing. Taking a moment
to look closer at the bond he swore under his breath.
It was now
three times as strong as it had been before. In fact, even their souls were
starting to tie. Which normally Kyuubi
would have found fascinating, since they had yet to actually mate. But
right then he was not his usual calm, clear headed self.
There were
too many bad memories tied to White Miko�s, or one in
particular. His entire clan had been wiped out by one, all because his youngest
brother had fallen for her. The devious vixen had used that trust to lull the
rest of them into a false sense of security.
And the one day
Kyuubi himself had left to scout out the where abouts of Hachibi on his own. All
hell broke loose on his people. He arrived home in time to witness the last of
his kin vanish in a flash of light, leaving only the Miko
standing over the fallen body of his brother.
Just
thinking about it make the nine tails see red, even
after nearly a two hundred years. He couldn�t help the wave of pain and anguish
that filled him at the memory.
He would
have surely killed the women, for she was tired and wounded from dealing with
the rest of the kitsune�s. But as it turned out, his
scouting mission had accomplished something. Hachibi
had found him.
And the
eight headed dragon had taken that moment to strike, thinking to kill his last
competition while Kyuubi had been distracted by his
anguish.
The fox
snorted know at the memory of the dragon�s folly, for his pain and anger had
only given him fuel to fight harder then he ever had.
He had to deal with the dragon before he could avenge his clan.
But the
battle had raged too long. One hundred years to be exact, and by the time the
evil eight-headed serpent had been laid low. There was no way for Kyuubi to claim his vengeance, for natural death, or
perhaps unnatural, he had no way of knowing which, had
taken his prey from him.
�The ancient kitsune
shook his head to clear it of such thoughts. It had been a long time since he
had visited his memories of that time. And the subsequent events that had lead
up to the day that he had, in a rage of anguish and despair attacked the
village of Konoha, vowing that he would either die or
wipe all humans off the face of the earth to atone for one female�s sin.
A heavy sigh
escaped him. And he had to wonder, not for the first time if Hachibi hadn�t planned it all. The woman,
his attack. The dragon had many times during their long battle claimed
to know what truly was in Kyuubi�s heart.
Had the
timing been planned so that Hachibi knew that even if
he fell, that Kyuubi�s pain would cause him to
unthinkingly lash out and fulfill the dragons greatest
wish. To eliminate all humans?
The very thing that the kitsune had been
trying, for nearly a thousand years to prevent.
One paw
moved to cover his eyes as Kyuubi pushed aside the
guilt those thoughts always brought to the forefront of his mind. He had nearly
done what he had vowed as a mere kit to prevent. Thankfully only one village
had felt his anger before he had been defeated.
Perhaps it
was what the Fates had intended all along. The end of the
demon race. And he had been lead to the one place where there was a
human that could stop him.
And now here
he was, after years of wallowing in anger he had regained his senses and made a
friend of his living prison. Only to help mess up Naruto�s
life as well. Looking back he had to admit that he had a really bad
track record.
Perhaps all
along this was to be his fate, payment for his many crimes. To be purified into
nothing, without anyone having any idea that it would happen. That thought
brought an odd sort of peace to the demon. And his anger at Shukaku
disappeared as well, who hopefully wouldn�t also get purified by the woman that
his host called sister.
Feeling
totally exhausted from the whole ordeal Kyuubi
decided to continue laying where he was. His mind pointedly avoiding any more
thoughts of dying, instead he thought back with fondness to the times he had
shared with his little silver coated brother.
Someisa had
been amply named. For though he had almost no skill in the area of battle, his
mind had been sharper then most, learning quickly and
devouring knowledge like it would disappear if he didn�t get to it fast enough.
The two had
spent many hours together once Kyuubi�s training was
finished for the day. And Someisa and always managed
to make his much older brother forget all the worries and pressure that weighed
on him because of his position as head of the clan and then their family since
their parents death.
The
intelligent silver kit had known well the demands put on his sibling. Because Kyuubi had been the only demon known to have been born with
multiple tails, he was heralded as the savior of demon kind. And he was
expected to grow powerful enough to destroy the evil dragon that threatened all
creation.
So Someisa always did his best to distract his older brother
with doing something fun, usually just the two of them. And it continued all
through the younger siblings growing years, their few other siblings never
seemed to want to join in, they were the odd two in the family. Not that either
of them cared.
And it had
all ended shortly after Someisa had confided that he
had fallen in love. And since he had never before had cause
to question his brother�s actions. Kyuubi had
been happy for him. Not pressing for details that weren�t readily given.
And that
mistake had caused his entire clan their lives.
Kyuubi
ignored the single drop of crystal liquid that escaped his closed eye and
slowly sank into his fur. �It would seem that Naruto isn�t the only one who
can�t let go of past mistakes.� He grumbled wryly to himself.
What a pair
the two of them made. He was going to miss the blond human a great deal he
decided. There had been some good times between them once they had come to an
understanding.
Voices
outside his prison finally pulled the kitsune out of
his funk. Well mainly the voice of the golden female, it was so pleasant to
listen too.
Lifting his
head he watched through his hosts eyes as she spoke to Naruto after making him
sit down to eat the sandwiches she had prepared for him.
Now that he was no longer concerned for his life, well not immediately
any way. Kyuubi took the time to dissect her changed scent with the
new knowledge of her power taken into account.
He never
knew that it was possible to so completely purify a body with White Chakra.
Though admittedly he never bothered to find out more about that power himself,
all he knew was that it could kill him, and had always thought that was enough.
Of course
now he knew why she hadn�t smelled right just before his host had left on his
mission. But the question was, would Naruto figure it
out on his own? Kyuubi wasn�t sure he would. After
all, the boy was so hopelessly infatuated at this point. Not to mention,
already fully bound to the female that it was doubtful that his logical mind
would be able to figure it out unless someone else mentioned something.
�Well at
least I might get some interesting entertainment before I die.� He grumbled
sarcastically. �And is sure blows my plan to hell. Of course since her power
has already bound them together its
not like they need the added incentive anymore.�
With another
sigh, the nine tailed fox decided that he had had far too much excitement for
one day and that it was time for a nap.
28 28 28 28
28
It was
closer to forty-five minutes by the time Naruto was able to drag himself away
from Temari�s side to return to the Hokage tower. He had been completely
shocked that she was still in his apartment when he had gotten home.
But he was
also thrilled. And was completely ignoring the stupid little voice in his head
that was trying to remind him that sooner or later she would have to go back to
Suna and then he would once again be living alone.
All thoughts
of this were pushed aside however when he arrived back in Tsunade�s
office to find several people there besides Duckon.
The chunin seemed very relieved to see him.
�Uzumaki-sama I was just about to send someone to your
apartment.� He blurted out before Naruto could ask what was going on. �I sent
word to the Hokage that you were back, and she needs you at the hospital immediately.�
�What�s
going on?� Naruto inquired. It wasn�t very often that he was asked to go to the
hospital.
�All I know
is that the order has just been given to evacuate the building.� Duckon replied in a rush.
The big
blond blinked several times before the chunin�s words
completely registered. �Oh crap!�
Without another word he teleported to the hospital. His mind churning
at the possibilities of what could have caused such a dire order to be given.
The Hospital was in the most protected area of the village. And since they
weren�t under attack, that left out building damage,
unless of course an inured shinobi had gone on a
rampage.
�It better
not be Lee again.� Naruto muttered to himself as he reappeared just outside the
medical buildings main doors. But a quick look at the front of the building
told him that hopefully having an irate Tai-jutsu
master was not the reason for his summons. Since there were no holes in the
walls and no sounds of walls being demolished either.
Not pausing
to figure anything else out, Naruto ran for the door. Which
surprisingly did not have a huge line of patients coming out of it.
�Maybe there
aren�t too many to move.� He thought hopefully as he pulled open the doors.
Only to be stopped in his tracks with disbelief as he beheld the wall to wall
gurneys and wheelchairs that packed the reception area. Medics and Nurses were
yelling orders and questions back and forth over the sea of injured. Making the noise almost deafening to Naruto�s sensitive ears.
�Oh my God.�
The words fell from his lips without his notice. What the hell had happened
while he was gone was his next thought. Duckon hadn�t
mentioned anything major, not that he had given the chunin
any time to report anything that wasn�t currently urgent.
A moment
later saw his horror increase when he stepped into the melee only to discover
that almost all the injured that he could see were genin
and new chunin. His students!
�N�Naruto-Sensie.� A faint voice stopped him and he looked down at
the girl laying on the bed he had been about to pass.
�You�re h�home.� Despite her bandaged head and black eyes she smiled up at him.
Naruto had
to swallow the lump in his throat as he finally recognized the child and bent
down closer. �Yes Tena, I�m home. Don�t you worry
about a thing okay.� He gently brushed her cheek with
the tips of his fingers.
��Yes Sensie.� She murmured,
closing her eyes with a sigh.
Straightening
Naruto realized that silence had descended a moment before he tore his gaze
from the frail looking child to once again take in the room at large. Everyone
in the room was staring at him. It was so quiet that he was sure he could have
heard a pin drop behind the reception desk.
Feeling a
little uncomfortable by all the sudden attention he said the first thing that
came to mind. �Sorry I�m late, I just got in.�
A murmur
finally broke out. He heard his name called out several times by many of the
young ones and he tried to make eye contact with all those that were conscious
as he made his way through the maze to the closest doctor.
�Do you need
my help here?� He asked without waiting for greetings to be exchanged.
To his
surprise the doctor, who had looked so relieved as he
had approached shook her head. �No Uzumaki-Sama, we
have this part under control. I think the Hokage will need your help more.�
Naruto
nodded his understanding. He didn�t want to speak any more then he had too, his
emotions were just too close to the surface after seeing all his students
wrapped in bandages. �Where is she?�
�Third floor, Intensive Care Unit.� She replied. Giving Naruto a sad
look that he didn�t have time to try to decipher.
He was
already heading at a quick trot to the nearest set of stairs his jaw set in a
grim line. As soon as he found out what the emergency was, he intended to find
out just what the hell had happened to his kids.
Taking the
stairs three at a time he was quickly on the third floor. He heard the
commotion before he had rounded the last corner to the ICU.
�Back up, its moving again!� Tsunade�s voice rang out.
Putting on a
burst of speed Naruto rounded the corner and nearly flattened a nurse. Grabbing
the woman he kept her from falling even as his eyes sought out Tsunade. But the blond Hokage at the far end of the hall
didn�t hold his attention for long. For behind her and several others was a
chakra barrier that swirled liked it was filled with black smoke.
Once he made
sure the nurse was securely back on her feet. Naruto strode towards his leader.
�What the
hell is that?� He barked out before he even reached them. His eyes quickly
taking in who was all there.
Iruka, Shizune, Sakura, Sasuke and Tsunade all turned as one at the sound of his voice.
�Naruto!�
He heard the tears in Sakura�s voice before he noticed her red eyes. Which he barely had time to do before she was flinging herself into
his arms.
�What�.?� He
looked to the others for answers.
Iruka and Shizune dropped their eyes, while Tsunade
closed hers momentarily. Naruto thought that she looked exhausted. But before
he could ask again, it was Sasuke who finally spoke.
�Naruto.�
The Uchiha stepped forward and placed a hand on his
friends shoulder. �Its Kakashi.� Nodding towards the barrier.
�He was attacked yesterday, we don�t know by who, but
now this barrier has formed around him and we can�t get to him to try to help.�
Naruto�s eyes
narrowed at the news. �What was his status before the barrier appeared?�
He felt
Sakura shake her head against his chest. But it was Tsunade
who answered this time. �He�s dying, there is some kind of what we believe is
chakra enhanced poison that was slowly shutting down his systems.�
�Have you
tried dispelling that barrier?� Naruto asked next. His eyes
moving once again to that ominous dark wall of energy.
�In any way
we could think of.� Sasuke confirmed. �But every time
we try something it seems to get bigger. That�s why the hospital is being
evacuated. Its moving like a sphere and is spreading into the floors above and
below.�
Naruto
nodded as he gave Sakura a squeeze before gently disentangling her arms from
around his waist and moving away from her. �How long has it been since you
haven�t been able to see him anymore?� He asked as he slowly approached the
barrier. His eyes looking for any kind of a pattern that
could tell him about it.
�About four
hours.� Tsunade admitted quietly as she moved to
stand beside him facing the energy field. �Naruto its
possible�..� Her voice trailed off, unable to finish the thought aloud.
Naruto
closed his eyes and tried to use his other senses to assess the barricade.
�Don�t say it Tsunade, until its fact. I don�t want to
hear it.� He intoned, his voice as hard as steel.
Naruto knew
he sounded calm and possibly even cold. But the truth was he had simply shut
off his emotions. He had had ample training in that area, even if people didn�t
realize it. Since he had been so vocal and open as a
young teen.
But if he
was going to help at all he needed to focus, and there was something about this
barrier that seemed familiar to him. It wasn�t like the one that Orochimaru had used to trap the Third in that day at the Chunin exams all those years ago.
In fact, as
weird as it seemed, when he closed his eyes he couldn�t sense it at all, it was
like it wasn�t even there. So either it was somehow made so that the chakra
powering it couldn�t be detected, or��.
Opening his
eyes again he reached out his right hand.
�Don�t
Naruto!� Tsunade cried too late.
But to the
surprise of everyone there except Naruto, there was no nasty shock forthcoming.
In fact his hand barely contacted the surface before it gave way beneath his
palm, allowing him to put his whole arm through it.
There was a
slight tingle on his skin as it passed through, but other then
that he wouldn�t have even known it was there.
�Well I
guess we�ve just going to have to dispel this thing from the inside.� He
remarked. Then without waiting for anyone else to comment or protest he stepped
through completely and headed down the hall.
28
Tsunade
realized too late what Naruto was doing, and by the time she reached out to
pull him back, he was already through the barrier and her hand connected with a
solid wall.
�What
the�.?� She muttered.
�Maybe its weakening.� Iruka remarked as
reached out to touch it as well. Only to receive a nasty
shock. With a yelp he jumped back, and Shizune
immediately took his hand to inspect it for damage.
�Naruto come
back!� Sakura called. She wanted to save Kakashi as
much as anyone, but she didn�t want to lose two people to this��. Whatever it was.
But Naruto
either couldn�t hear her, or was ignoring her because he disappeared into Kakashi�s room.
�Was it just
me, or was he glowing?� Sasuke asked after a moment
of silence.
Tsunade had
noticed the same thing. �I thought I was seeing things,� She
admitted, but it did look like it to me.�
�Perhaps because of Kyuubi?� Iruka
ventured after thanking Shizune for tending his hand.
�I have no
idea.�Tsunade replied. She was really getting tired
of repeating that phrase.
28 28
Naruto was a
little surprised that the air on the inside of the barrier didn�t seem to smell
or feel any different then on the outside. There was still the dark chakra
swirling around him, and the wispy threads tingled slightly when they touched
him. But other then that, there was nothing
different.
Moving
carefully, just in case someone or something was hiding in the barrier, he made
his way to the door leading to what he assumed was Kakashi�s
room. He had to steel himself before he stepped through the entry.
A part of
him wanted to walk away. To pretend that this was not
happening. Not knowing if he could handle losing someone else close to
him like this. Once again he hadn�t been here to protect those most precious to
him.
In the few
moments that it took to push the door open he had tried to prepare himself,
even if he hadn�t bothered to ask what he might expect. Nothing was too
apparently wrong with his former sensie, until he
reached the side of his bed.
Only to
realize that he wasn�t wearing a long sleeved shirt. That the
black covering him was actually the color of his skin. Naruto knew only
the basics about poisons, so not knowing if this one was topical his hand
hesitated for a moment before coming to rest on the Copy-nin�s
jugular. Who gave a damn, he had to do something.
The kisune vessel held his breath for several seconds, before
he finally felt the faint flutter of a pulse beneath his fingers. �Thank God.�
He muttered.
Kakashi was
alive, but for how long was hard to say. Naruto looked behind him, but since no
one was there, he came to the conclusion that the others must not have been
able to follow him. He probably should have checked on that before he had come
all the way in himself he realized.
Admittedly
he wasn�t thinking the clearest at that moment in time. He had just arrived
home only to discover that the woman he was responsible for had been injured in
his absence. And just to make it better, finding dozens of his students in the
hospital and now, the man who had given him the chance to follow his dream of
becoming a ninja was being eaten away by something.
Choking down
the anger and shoving it down with the rest of his locked up emotions, Naruto
tried to decide what to do. He supposed that he could go back and try to ask Tsunade and Sakura what to do, but he was pretty sure they
had already tried all sorts of things. And he didn�t want to risk leaving the
barrier and not be allowed to come back in.
�Several moments passed while he tried to
decide what to do. His senses told him that he was alone inside the sphere with
Kakashi, his thought that there was someone behind it
didn�t seem to be the case. So he wasn�t as worried about dispelling it since
it didn�t seem to be harmful on the inside, as he was with making sure Kakashi didn�t die while he tried to get rid of it.
He started
cursing his lack of enthusiasm when Tsunade had made
him learn basic medical techniques. He had never imagined that he would need
more then the standard field training when it came to
this kind of thing, because Konoha now boasted so
many exceptional medic nins.
Realizing
that it was too late at that moment to worry about such things he decided that
at the very least he could try the poison extraction jutsu
he had earned. It was better then just standing there
doing nothing. And as far as he knew, it wouldn�t hurt anything.
Taking
several deep breaths he positioned himself square to the bed and let his memory
run through the procedure several times before he slowly placed first his right
hand down on the centre of Kakashi�s chest, then
placed the left on top, lacing his fingers together.
This
technique was not as effective as the one he had seen Sakura use on several
occasions, where she would slowly ease the toxic substance out of the body.
This one simply forced it out the pores, and while that wasn�t usually the
greatest thing to do with a victim. Naruto reasoned that in this case, since
the poison seemed to be throughout the silver haired shinobi�s
entire system anyway, it just might work.
��Come on Kakashi,
you can�t die on me too.� He muttered as he gathered this own chakra and slowly
started easing it through his palm.
28
Temari was standing
at the sink washing the few dishes that were left over from her breakfast and
Naruto�s quick snack when the room around her blurred to nothing.
Silver eyed
glowed slightly as she felt the sensation of her body moving forward at
impossible speeds, even though she hadn�t moved a muscle. Then just as quickly
as it had started, it stopped, and she found herself in a dark place, standing
over a prone form.
Of its own
accord, her right hand moved to rest on the featureless body before her. The
connection allowing her to sense the pain and torment contained in the prone
figure. The desperate plea for death to free them from some
horrible torture.
At the same
time she had the sensation of being surrounded by a large protective figure, as
if she had merged with another, larger being. From this one she felt the
anguish at the thought of the one before her dying. And the
determination to do anything to stop it from happening.
Her ears did
not hear words, but more the feelings of the one surrounding her as a surge of
power surrounding her was channeled into the stricken figure before her in an
attempt to save them.
Feeling a
deep need to help the one she was merged with, she added her own chakra to the
flow of that moving around her. And a quiet, yet firm command directed at the
injured figure before her fell from her lips.�
�You will
not die.�
28
Kyuubi was
jerked awake by a wave of chakra shaking the very walls around him. His head
came up in time for him to see the ghostly glowing figure of a female pass by
his prison.
White chakra
swirled around him, but this time it did not seem to have any effect on his
cage, instead it flowed around it as a river diverts around an island. Seeming to have a destination in mind.
Quickly
getting to his feet Kyuubi tried to figure out what
was going on. His eyes widened when he realized that somehow, the golden female�s spirit had somehow entered his host and
was guiding his actions.
�Just when I
thought things couldn�t get any more interesting.� He muttered and continued to
carefully watch the events unfolding before him.
28
Kakashi
awoke with a scream of pain. It felt like his body was being torn apart from
the inside. Yet out of nowhere a commanding female voice echoed inside of his
head.
�You will
not die.�
Forcing his
eyes open he looked up to see a glowing figure hovering over him, or was there
two? It was hard to tell, it was like there were two silhouettes fading in and
out of each other as they forced light into his chest.
Somehow the
Copy-nin knew that that light was the source of his
torment. And he managed to find the strength to reach up and grab the wrist of
the hand holding him down and pulling it off his chest.
There was
instantly some relief, but again the voice echoed inside his head. �You must help
dispel this if you wish to survive.�
�28
Naruto was
shaken to the depths of his soul by the sound of pure anguish that erupted from
his former teacher as he regained consciousness. He knew it would haunt him to
the end of his days.
He was
forced to hold Kakashi down as his body thrashed
beneath his hands. The jutsu was broken as he
couldn�t concentrate enough to do both.
His
attention was caught when Kakashi grabbed onto his right
wrist and pulled. Looking up he was met by a pair of mismatched eyes. Although
they were glazed over with pain, Naruto had a feeling that the Copy-nin was trying to communicate something with him.
�Half�� Kakashi managed to croak as he desperately tried to lift
his shaking left hand up to meet with the one of Naruto�s that he held with his
right.
Naruto
frowned as he tried to figure out what Kakashi was
trying to say. It was painful to watch the tremors wracking the jonin�s body as his other hand slowly came up.
��sign.�
The second word was nearly drowned out by the groan that left the injured shinobi at the same time.
It was as if
someone was whispering in his ear, Naruto suddenly realized what was needed.
Reaching over with his free hand he pulled Kakashi�s
left hand up to meet his right in the sign of the ram.
Four more signs
quickly followed, with Naruto feeling as if someone else was moving his fingers
to copy Kakashi�s in perfect timing. But he didn�t
have time to figure it out, because as soon as the fifth sign was completed a
wave of chakra that Naruto had no control over surged out of him colliding with
a matching surge from Kakashi, swelling into a bright
orb that pushed their joined hands apart.
Then it
exploded. The resulting shock wave sending Kakashi back onto the mattress, while Naruto�s body was flung
across the room into the wall behind him.
28 28
The five
people standing outside the barrier had no warning as it suddenly exploded
outward like a shattered window, the force behind it knocking everyone but Tsunade off their feet.
�What�.?�
The Godaime growled as she lifted her arms to protect
her face.
The whole
hospital building trembled for a few seconds, shaken to its very foundation.
But just as quickly as it had come, everything became silent and still.
As the blond
Hokage lowered her arms she instantly saw that the barrier was gone. �Is
everyone alright?� She asked, casting a quick glance behind her to her
companions.
Affirmative
answers quickly replied, as the four shinobi regained
their feet and moved to flank her. �He did it.� Sakura breathed. Naruto dispelled
the barrier.�
�So it would
seem.� Tsunade remarked as she stepped cautiously
forward. There was no telling what could happen next, so as much as she wanted
to know what had happened. She didn�t want to rush headlong into some other
strange phenomena.
She had only
moved several paces before Sasuke moved ahead of her,
followed closely by Iruka. Both men feeling that the
situation warranted the same caution, and not wanting their Hokage to be at the
forefront of any possible danger.
The group
was quickly at the room that held the center of the crisis. The Uchiha entered first, and after only a moment he waved the
others in after him. Having seen nothing dangerous looking he quickly made his
way over to his best friend, who was sitting against the far wall holding his
head in his hands. While the three medics made a
beeline for the bed.
�Naruto are
you all right?� He asked, crouching down beside the blond.
The Uzumaki nodded as he dropped his hands, �Just cracked my
head on the wall when I was thrown back.� He muttered. �It bloody well hurt.�
Iruka was
quickly there as well. �What happened?� He asked as he and the other dark
haired shinobi helped the big blond to his feet.
�That would
be really hard to explain.� Naruto grumbled as he rolled his shoulders and headed
for the group surrounding the bed.
�Is he still
conscious?� He asked as he arrived to find the three women maneuvering Kakashi�s limp body back into a comfortable position. As he had been sprawled out across the mattress when they had
reached him.
Tsunade
shook her head. �No, but look at that.� She pointed to
the perfectly shaped hand print of healthy looking skin on Kakashi�s
chest.
�His vitals
seem stable.� Sakura announced then, her fingers still wrapped around the prone
man�s wrist. �But I�ll have to do a complete work up to know for sure.�
�So what did
you do Naruto?� Shizune asked. �Is that from your
hand?� She pointed at the mark.
Nartuo
scratched the back of his head, �It must be, it wasn�t
there when I got here. But honestly after he woke up, everything happened so
fast that I don�t know when it appeared.�
�He woke
up?� Tsuande couldn�t keep the surprise out of her
voice.
Naruto
nodded and proceeded to recount what had happened while Shizune
moved to the corner of the room to retrieve the monitoring equipment that
seemed to have been pushed back by the shock wave.
�So you just
tried to force the poison right out of him?� Sakura asked in surprise.
�That�s all
I could think to do at the time.� Naruto defended. �Its not like I have as much medical knowledge as you
do.�
Sakura gave
him a sheepish look. �Its
not that Naruto, its just that I never even thought
of trying something so simple. We were working so hard to just get the
spreading to stop that it never crossed my mind.�
Tsunade
shook her head as well. �Neither did I. All the
elaborate poison techniques we used at the beginning didn�t work, so why would
one so simple work?�
�Hokage-sama!� Shizune�s
voice interrupted them.
�What is
it?� The blond female asked, not liking the tone of voice her younger prot�g�e
had used. It couldn�t mean anything good.
�All of this
monitoring equipment is fried.� The brunet informed them all. Causing Sakura to quickly join her. �All the sensors are
melted.� She pointed out to the younger woman.
�But what
could have done that?� Sakura asked, then she turned
back towards the big blond still by the bed. �Are you sure you�re feeling all
right Naruto?� Worry shining brightly in her emerald eyes.
The Uzumaki nodded. �Other then a bump on the head, every things fine with me.�
The other
people in the room all shared a perplexed look. But then Tsunade
decided that there was no point in trying to figure out that mystery until she
was sure that her other patient was doing all right.
�Shizune, go find a new set of monitors, we need to get Kakashi hooked up as soon as we can. I want to make sure
that he�s stable.� The brunet nodded and headed for the door.
Iruka
quickly offered to help her and followed her out of the room.
�Sakura, try
the same thing Naruto did, maybe we will finally be able to move this stuff out
of his vitals.� The Hokage directed, she was too
exhausted to try it herself. The last twenty-four hours had used up her energy
reserves, and she didn�t want to collapse part way through a jutsu.
The pink
haired medic nodded, and moved back to the bedside.
�Are you
alright Tsunade?� Naruto inquired gently, her order
to Sakura had made him take a closer look at her. Normally she was the first
one to jump in and work on a patient. But now that he actually looked, he could
see the dark circles under eyes. She was clearly exhausted.
Before the Godaime could answer Naruto turned to Sasuke
who was standing at the foot of the bed with his hands in his pockets. �Find
her something to sit on will you?�
Glad to have something to do, even if it was something as mundane as
fetching a chair.
The Uchiha made to move, when a yelp from Sakura
stopped him in his tracks. All attention was returned to the Cherry Blossom,
who was cradling her hand against her chest.
�I got zapped
again.� She admitted quietly. �I don�t know why that keeps happening.�
Frustration was clear in her voice.
�Zapped?�
The two men questioned in one voice.
Tsunade
sighed, not bothering to explain as Sakura nodded. �Fine, I�ll give it a try.�
But both her
wrists were captured in Naruto�s large hands before she could even touch Kakashi. �You�ve exhausted Tsunade,
let me try.� Normally the Godaime would have taken
exception to the quiet authority in her subordinates tone. But she just didn�t
have the energy to put up the fa�ade.
Before she
could decide, Sasuke was placing a chair behind her
and Naruto was helping her into it. �Don�t worry,
Sakura can guide me through it okay.�
�Finally she nodded. And Naruto moved back to
his previous position beside the bed. With Sakura standing
across from him, and Sasuke once again taking up his
post at the foot of the bed.
�Be careful
Naruto, everyone but Tsunade-sama keeps getting
shocked as soon as they try to channel Chakra into him.� Sakura cautioned.
Naruto
nodded, but wasn�t deterred in the least. Carefully he placed his hand over the
clear patch of skin. Only subconsciously noting that the mark
was smaller then his hand. Slowly, repeating
his motions from earlier he started the healing jutsu.
Several
seconds passed then he heard Sakura let out a breath as no shock was
forthcoming. A few moments later his former teammate started to quietly
instruct him in how to expand the jutsu.

28 28
Temari shook
her head with a groan. Her brow furrowing as she looked around her.
�How did I
end up on the floor in the middle of the kitchen?� She asked herself as she
pushed up into sitting position.
She didn�t
remember fainting. A quick assessment of her body didn�t reveal any weak
feeling limbs, so she carefully got to her feet.
�Hmmm, not
even a wobble, what on earth happened?� She wondered, a quick look at the sink
told her she hadn�t finished dishes so she stepped forward to continue the
chore.
�Weird.� But
since she felt fine, she shrugged it off as just another strange happening and
pushed the incident out of her mind in favor of trying to decide what Naruto
might want for dinner.
28 28
It was
nearly midnight by the time Temari heard the door to apartment open. Climbing
off the couch she was by Naruto�s side before he was even finished closing the
barrier behind him.
One look at
the anguish written all over his face had her filled with dread. �Oh Naruto,
what happened?� She asked, gently resting a hand on his arm.
�He opened his mouth to reply but all that
emerged was a choked sound as all the emotions he had been holding back, came
rushing forward at once. Before he could try again, Temari stepped forward and
wrapped her arms around him. Holding him tightly.
Mirroring
her actions he pulled her even closer and buried his face in her loose hair.
Squeezing his eyes closed, he tried desperately to regain control before he
lost it completely. He didn�t want to burden her with all the evenings� events.
Especially when she had obviously stayed up to wait for him,
despite the late hour.
Temari could
feel his big body trembling against her own, and could only guess that whatever
had transpired since he had left her only six hours before had been horrible.
Trying to sooth him she ran one hand gently up and down his back while she
continued to hold him as close as he held her.
An unknown
amount of time passed as the couple clung to each other in the dim glow of the
lone light burning in the kitchen. Temari waiting patiently
for Naruto to tell her the cause of his distress. While Naruto was just
thankful that for the first time he didn�t have to come home to an empty house
after the evening he had endured.
Finally the kunoichi couldn�t stand the silence any longer. �Tell me
Naruto.� She demanded softly.
�Kakashi�s dying.� He stated flatly. His
voice now devoid of emotion.
Temari
gasped in surprise and she pulled back far enough to force him to look her in
the eye. �How? I heard he was in the hospital, but not
what happened.�
Like a dam
breaking, the whole story came pouring out of the large blond. Temari didn�t
interrupt him once. She simply listened intently while continuing to keep her
arms wrapped around his waist. Then he finally finished with.
�Now he�s in
a comma, and there is so much internal damage that won�t respond to healing
that Tsunade doesn�t think he�s going to come out of
it.�
�I�m so
sorry Naruto.� Temari murmured giving him another squeeze. �I wish there was
something I could do to help.�
Naruto tried
to smile. �I know, thank you.� Without thinking about it he placed a kiss on
her forehead before taking a small step away from her.
Temari let
him leave her arms, but didn�t let him get far. Reaching up she unzipped his jonin vest while he was kicking off his footwear.
Wordlessly she helped him out of the garment.
�Are you
hungry?� She inquired.
The way he
only shook his head, for some reason had Temari thinking that there was
something else weighing on him. Although she couldn�t imagine what could be as
bad as him finding out his former sensie and close
friend was at deaths door.
Sensing that
he was exhausted she grabbed his hand when he headed towards the couch. Without
a word she led him the bedroom, and he followed without protest. Once inside
she didn�t bother to turn on the light, preferring to let the bit of light
sneaking in from the kitchen illuminate the way.
Making him
sit down on the bed so that they were closer to eye level she finally spoke. �Tell
me what else is upsetting you.� She entreated softly as she stepped between his
legs and reached up to untie his hatai-ate, slowly
removing it and dropping it to the floor while her gaze held his.
Without
meaning to, Naruto blurted out what had happened to the all the kids in the
hospital. Telling her how much he blamed himself for
not being there to protect them when they had needed him most.
Throughout
the telling Temari remained silent, knowing that there was nothing she could
say at that point that would make a difference to how he felt. What he needed
now was to just get everything off his chest.
By the time
he had finished his rather short outburst, since he didn�t know much about what
had really happened. Having spend all most all his time trying to help
stabilize Kakashi, since for some reason everyone but
himself and Tsunade kept getting zapped when they
tried to work on him. He was exhausted.
But to his
surprise she hadn�t tried to interrupt him once, had simply stood before him
with her hands resting lightly on his shoulders. Even once he was finished she
didn�t try to convince him that he was over reacting as he had half expected
her to do. Instead all she did was reach for the hem of his shirt and pull it
up, forcing him to lift his arms as she stripped the garment off of him.
�You must be
exhausted after such a long day.� She murmured as she dropped it on the floor
as well. �You�re going to need to be rested for tomorrow.�
In that
quiet intimate moment it just seemed natural for him to reach up and untie the
belt of her wrap. The material parted and a he was happy to see that she still
seemed to favor sleeping in one of his t-shirts.
With a
dainty shrug of her shoulders she removed her hands from his and let the wrap
float gently to join his shirt on the floor. His eyes followed it down, then traveled back up her form. Noticing how his clothing dwarfed
her slender figure. The hem coming down almost to her knees.
A hand on
his cheek brought his attention back to her face and his heart did a strange
flutter when she leaned forward to gently bump noses. �Time
for bed Naruto.� She whispered.
He tried to
nod, as he looked into her eyes which in some trick of the light seemed to glow
silver in the darkness, just inches from his own and he could feel the weight
on his shoulders lift slightly. Just because she was with
him, and had been willing to listen.
�Thank you
Temari.� He whispered, afraid to disrupt the moment by speaking too loud.
A smile
curved her lips for a moment, before she nudged his chin up slightly and
pressed them briefly to his. �Any time.� She returned softly.
The brief
contact she had offered wasn�t enough. Without thinking about it Naruto grasped
her waist and pulled her closer. As if reading his mind, Temari once again
lowered her head so that their lips could meet.
Softly at first, then that to wasn�t enough. Her arms wrapped around his neck as
he increased the pressure, bringing their bodies closer as his lips slanted
across hers several times. His heart singing at the contact she was allowing.
Temari knew
she shouldn�t have taken advantage of the moment, but she had been wondering
for some time what it would be like to be really kissed by this man. And now
she knew, it was toe curling perfection.
She never
wanted to stop, yet something inside of her told her that now was not the time
for more. So before it could get too out of hand she slowly eased back.
Allowing her lips to curve up in a pleased smile once their gazes once again
met.
�You need to
get some sleep Naruto.� She told him gently, even as she placed one last kiss
on his lips before releasing his neck and slowly stepping away from him.
�Yeah.�
Analyzing what had happened would have ruined the moment. So Naruto didn�t even
try. He got to his feet as Temari turned down the covers and climbed into bed.
After
stripping down to his boxers he quickly joined her. More then
happy to oblige when she tugged him into position spooning up to her back. Ending up with her using one of his arms in place of a pillow,
while the other held her close to his chest as she snuggled back against him.
Both feeling
a contentment like never before, it took only moments
for both to be fast asleep. Secure in the knowledge that no matter what, the
other would be there in the morning.
28 28 28 28
28
There was
barely any moonlight filtering down through the trees to the forest floor. But
no light was needed by the predator that was seeking his prey.
All the
nocturnal creatures that were usually up and about at this time of night,
stayed hidden away in their nests and burrows as the faint sound of sand
slithering through the undergrowth slid past them.
Golden eyes
glowing brightly in the darkness gave away the position of the Tanuki container as he practically crawled across the
forest floor. His nose only a half dozen inches from
the ground.
Until
finally he stilled, a low growl rumbling up from his chest. �Found it.� He
hissed. A cruel smile curving his lips, showing off pearl
white teeth.
�That�s the
same scent all right.� The Tanuki confirmed from
within his host. �We should be able to track him from here, even though its been several weeks since he�s
been here from the smell of it.�
Gaara
agreed, sinking his fingers into the soil in order to read the echo of
footsteps that still remained just beneath the earth�s surface. Within moments
He found the trail and had his sand follow it ahead of him. Clearly marking the
trail for nearly a mile, to where it left the ground.
�I�ll find
that bastard now.� He vowed aloud.
The Tanuki hummed his agreement. �Yes, he�s as good as dead
already.�
28 28 28 28
AN: Well
after giving me so much trouble, I finally got this chapter finished, funny how
the last half was finished in just two days, despite having a lot of things in
it that I didn�t originally plan on.

�
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After the pain