Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Our Lives in the Hurricane Chronicles ❯ Chapter 35

“I just want to get away! But I hurt you everyday! The part that hurts the most! The part that hurts the most is me–the most is you! It’s everything I do without you!” –Thousand Foot Krutch (The Part That Hurts the Most)
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Through his nose, he breathed in deeply. His senses were instantly filled with her. Slowly, his pale eyes opened, welcoming the morning sunlight. He released the breath he had absorbed through his mouth before attempting to focus his gaze. He blinked several times, trying to erase the blurriness. Another sigh escaped his lips as he tilted his head up. Once again, his eyes found her sleeping face. Unconsciously, he smiled. Despite her nature, she was very tranquil when she slept by his side. Cautiously, he reached up to stroke her cheek. As expected, a small giggle erupted because of the contact of their skin. She then turned her head. Her lips kissed his palm. Even in her sleep, she was still affectionate.

Realizing what he was doing, he recoiled. Narrowing his eyes, he returned his hand back to its original position. He placed his head back as well. The smile had dropped from his face by now. It was always like this. No matter what he tried, no matter how he approached her–it did not matter. The end results of his efforts were always the same. He would be in this position the next morning. Honestly, he felt like smacking his forehead. Could he still call himself a man after being overpowered every time? “But I… I can’t help it…” Neji thought, releasing a sigh. “Yaya-chan is…”

His train of thought drifted because the rise and fall of Yasmine’s chest increased. He lifted his head and watched her eyes move under her eyelids. Instead of waking, as he thought she would, Yasmine only turned her head and muttered something in her native tongue. Neji released a sigh before placing his head back on her chest. Closing his eyes, he frowned. He should not be doing this. It was not supposed to turn out this way. Originally, he had thought that if he was a bit rough with her, she would willingly break up with him. That is one of the reasons Tenten had ended their relationship. However, Yasmine had succeeded in crushing his plans. She was the aggressive one, not he. It had been weeks since that day, and he had yet to show her that he could be… a man. The bad thing about it was that on some level… he enjoyed it. Somewhere along the line, he had stopped protesting her advancements.

Neji absentmindedly traced circles around her navel as his mind continued to think of the foreigner. This bizarre relationship of theirs–it would not last. It could not last, he knew this. For Yasmine’s sake, Neji realized that it must end. It would be painful for her, yet it would be more painful if their relationship continued in this manner. The Hyuga opened his eyes. “I… don’t want her to go through that same suffering…” he thought. Yasmine suddenly moved again. This time she sat up. Her arm moved from his shoulders, and her hand rubbed at her left eye. Her mouth opened in a yawn, and then she smiled down at him. Her sleepy gaze shifted towards the window.

“Ah, it’s morning already?” she muttered. This time, she rubbed her right eye. “Have a nice night?” A small frown appeared on the young Hyuga’s face, as well as a slight blush. He sat up, moving his legs to the side of the bed. “I did, too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her chest against his back. His body did not tense at her touch anymore. The two stayed in this position for a brief moment. “Your mission is tomorrow, right?” Yasmine asked, lifting her head from his shoulder. Neji gave a nod. “So you’re training with Lee-kun and Ten-chan then? Could I watch?”

“Yes, that would be fine,” he answered.

“Arigatou…!” She gently turned his head and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. “I’ll make you guys lunch.”

Neji’s eyes expanded, feeling the warmth from her lips spread. How had one kiss caused such a reaction in him and leave him wanting more? The Hyuga narrowed his eyes as Yasmine removed herself from him. She then moved to stand. Without his mind telling it to, his hand shot out and grabbed the back of the foreigner’s tank top. He clenched the fabric between his fingers, causing Yasmine to look back at him. Before she could question his actions, Neji pulled her back into his lap. She gasped in surprise as his arms wrapped around her torso. The Hyuga rubbed his nose back and forth between her neck and shoulder, practically inhaling her fragrance. “Ah, don’t…! I smell weird in the morning!” she exclaimed. Yasmine very much enjoyed this treatment. Neji could hear the moan in her voice.

“No, it’s only your breath,” he stated. The foreigner went rigid at his comment before turning her head to glare at him.

“You’re so funny,” she sarcastically told him. Yasmine smirked, and then nipped at his bottom lip. “If I thought you didn’t like it, I’d punish you.” The thought of being punished… again caused Neji’s face to resemble a strawberry. The foreigner turned her body to face him. She pushed him down on the bed with herself on top. “You’re such a masochist, Neji Meji,” Yasmine whispered in his ear. The Hyuga lightly gasped, feeling her tongue slide against his earlobe. “But I have to leave for work soon! If I’m late again, Master Junko will be upset.” She quickly hopped off of him and scurried out of the room.

Neji lay there, contemplating his relationship with Yasmine. Pale eyes narrowed at the ceiling. He breathed a heavy sigh. Yes, Yasmine was at fault, yet it was he as well. He allowed her to continue her pursuit. Usually, he would be more resolved in his decisions. However, with Yasmine–something was different. Of course he did not want to hurt her in anyway. Perhaps that is why he was so cautious about this situation. He had already hurt her so much in the past. She, in no way, deserved the pain he would eventually cause her. And so… now was the time to act. He knew this for certain, yet he still could not bring himself to do it. Neji finally sat up and stared down at the floor. “I need to think of something quickly… before my mission,” he thought.

“Neji…! Could you come here?” Yasmine’s voice reached his ears. The Hyuga stood, wrapping covers around his waist. When he reached the source of her voice, he stopped in the doorway. Yasmine looked to be reaching for something, yet her hand was not outstretched toward an object. Her eyes were clenched shut.

“She cannot see,” Neji assumed in thought. The object that he assumed she was closer to her sitting position than she thought. The foreigner sharply turned her head. Her eyes remained closed, though. She called out to him. His body moved before his mind told him to. “Hai…?” Instantly, a smile lit her face.

“Could you find and give me my washcloth? I’ve got stuff in my eyes, so I can’t find it,” Yasmine explained. Neji nodded his head and took a step forward. “Don’t come on with my cover! Are you insane?!” The Hyuga genius raised an eyebrow. She could not see, yet she could tell he had wrapped himself in her bedspread? Nevertheless, he did as he was told. Letting the cover drop from his body, he stepped into the bathroom. He noticed that the tub was already filled with water. Yasmine must have been ready to soak before soap got into her eyes.

Neji knelt by her side and picked up the discarded cloth. He squeezed the water out of the blue rag before bringing it to her face. He was not the least bit surprised when she grabbed his wrist, holding him in place. She said her thanks but did not release him. Mentally shaking his head, Neji conceded and began to wipe at her skin. The soap suds were quickly removed from her face. Yasmine slowly opened her eyes. “There, you’re fine now,” he stated. The foreigner released his wrist and took the cloth from him.

“Maybe I can wash your back since you’re here now…? There’s no use waiting for me to get done,” Yasmine remarked. Neji scoffed.

“So you were only trying to lure me here?” he accused. She playfully stuck her tongue out. “Very well…” Neji turned his back to her. Almost instantly he felt her hands and cloth against his skin. He grimaced a bit as Yasmine rubbed roughly. “Not too hard.”

“Oh, my bad,” she whispered.

Again, his eyes narrowed as he continued to feel her lathered hands on his body. Suddenly Yasmine had become soft spoken. He had wondered why… She had seen him nude numerous times. In fact, she was the one to remove his clothes with or without his permission. So his body was not the reason for her change in mannerisms. Besides, her logic was that it was the same body as a woman–just with different parts. The Hyuga shook his head at the thought. So what was it that caused this? “Yaya-chan… Is there something you want to tell me?” Neji did not voice his thoughts. Her hands left his back after awhile, prompting him to lift his head. It was no wonder she was a masseuse. His entire body felt relaxed after her ‘washing.’

“Could… you wash mine, too? I have trouble reaching,” Yasmine mentioned. Neji nodded his head and turned. The foreigner already had her back facing him. His pale eyes grew wide at what he saw. In all honesty, he had forgotten about it–the dark, ugly scar that began at the base of her neck and traveled down her back. Neji gritted his teeth. The scar looked much worse than when he was a child. It had grown with her–stayed with her. His fingers lightly traced the discoloration, causing Yasmine’s body to tense.

“Who did this to you?” he questioned. She made a sound, yet nothing intelligible. “When I saw this as a child, you told me you fell… That was a lie?”

“Yes, I lied. This mark was intentional,” Yasmine answered. Neji involuntarily gripped her shoulders as she continued to speak. “It was the last mark that I received from my uncle that did not disappear.” The Hyuga tried very hard to remain neutral. However, it was quite difficult. The thought of someone hurting his–uh, he meant the foreigner put him on edge. And to abuse a defenseless child–it was absurd. “I… don’t let just anyone see it, Neji. Not even Mayu or Ten-chan has seen it.”

“And yet I can?” he asked, letting his hands fall from her arms.

“Yes… We are lovers, and I trust you enough,” Yasmine breathed.

Neji’s gaze fell to the floor. He realized it now–why she had become meek. Numerous times he had seen her nude body. Now he became conscious of the fact that he had never seen her back in previous encounters. Right now, she was fully exposing herself to him. He had been foolish, arrogantly thinking that he had been the only one she had and would open up to. In reality, she had not shown herself to him. She had never really entirely trusted anyone–not even him. “Until now…” he thought. Neji shifted his eyes back to the scar. He frowned. Pressing his nose against the middle of her back, where the scar was, he wrapped his arms around her. Yasmine tensed momentarily, and then relaxed. “Forgive me for asking, but… Why do you love me?”

“Huh…? What do you-”

“From where I’m standing, it seems as though your feelings for me came from nowhere,” Neji explained.

“Oh… Well, they didn’t come from nowhere,” Yasmine muttered. “Rather… They were dormant, my feelings for you. I guess I was not sure, or maybe denied, what I was feeling. As to why I love you…” She trailed off. Did she not have a reason? Neji opened his eyes when she did not clarify. He felt her fingers intertwine with his. Slowly, she removed his arms before turning to face him. “Do I need a reason to love you?” Yasmine questioned, frowning. “You have not had anyone love you the way I do, have you? If you had, then you would not be asking me that.” She placed his right hand over her chest. Neji’s eyes expanded in surprise. Not only was her body trembling, but her heart raced. Their eyes locked. The Hyuga almost did not breathe. She really was showing him everything–making herself completely vulnerable to him. “Whenever I see you, this is how my heart is. Whenever you smile, whenever you are angry, whenever you touch me, whenever we kiss, whenever I think of you, this is how my heart reacts, Neji.”

“Yasmine…” Honestly, he did not know what to say. The foreigner smiled at him, and then gave a small kiss to his parted lips.

“The reason I showed you my scar is because I trust you completely,” she said. Her eyes shifted away from his for a moment. Briefly, she looked to his headband. Hesitantly, she spoke again. “Maybe someday you’ll trust me enough to show me the mark your uncle left behind.” Neji reflexively reached up to touch the metal plate which hid his symbol for a caged bird.

“Yasmine… forgive me,” he whispered. She gave him a confused expression, complete with a slightly tilted head. He was being unfair to her. Yasmine expected too much from him. He would only disappoint her. Right now, he felt extremely guilty about what he was going to do. Her words and feelings for him were real and intense. Suddenly, the idea of hurting her to protect her seemed questionable. He was having doubts. Betraying her trust in him would ultimately cause more pain than he could ever imagine.

“Neji…? Why are you asking for forgiveness?”

“You will be late after all,” he lied perfectly. The Hyuga received another raised eyebrow, so he kissed her. Yasmine blinked in surprise, smirked, and then returned the kiss, lying him down on the wet floor. The foreigner did not deserve what he had planned to put her through. “And I won’t,” Neji thought, wrapping his arms around her again. He deepened their kiss, making up his mind.

--

Yasmine closed the door and locked it behind her. Neji had left earlier, wanting to change his clothes, so he went back home. Perhaps he should leave an extra set of clothes, so he could just change here. The faint smile did not disappear even as the foreigner tripped and almost fell down the steps. She sighed dreamily as she walked through the town, barely paying attention to those around her.

She strolled into the back entrance of Kitty Paradise, humming a tune. The foreigner completely ignored the fierce glare she was getting. She hung her bag on the hook, and then turned. Because she had been demoted a number of times, she no longer had a cat costume. Yasmine danced around her boss, still humming. “What the heck is wrong with you?!” Junko could no longer hold back her screech. “This is the third time you’ve been late this week!”

“My bad!” Yasmine sang cheerfully. Junko’s eye twitched at the silly expression on the foreigner’s face. Based on what her other employees said, she had been like this for awhile now. The teen sighed again in a trancelike manner. “It feels like a weight has been lifted!”

“That’s nice–now since you’ve finally arrived, someone wants to speak with you,” Junko crossed her arms. “My brother has been waiting for you all morning.”

“Kaasan is here?!” Immediately, the foreigner snapped to attention. Junko almost rolled her eyes. The girl and her brother had such a bizarre relationship. “Where is he?!”

“He’s in my office, but I’m only giving you fifteen minutes to talk, and then you have to get my tea-” The woman stopped speaking, realizing that the foreigner was no longer standing in front of her. Scoffing, Junko turned in the opposite direction. It seemed like she wouldn’t be getting her tea this morning, after all.

Meanwhile, Yasmine was currently standing outside of Junko’s office. She giggled lightly before opening the door. “I’m coming in,” she said as she entered. Her ex-caretaker turned around in his chair and smiled in greeting. “What a pleasant surprise, Jano-san!”

“Gaki,” he stood up. “How are you?” Yasmine wrapped her arms around the man in a hug. Smiling, Jano returned the embrace. “It’s good to see you, too.” After releasing the foreigner, he sat back down. Yasmine followed suit. “Gomen–I haven’t visited recently,” he said. However, she waved aside his apology.

“It’s fine, I’ve been a bit busy, myself,” Yasmine replied.

“With what?”

The foreigner froze at his question. Mentally, she scolded herself. She continued to forget that this culture frowned upon public displays of affection. Yasmine’s upper lip twitched. Neji would most likely be displeased if she made their actions public knowledge. It was best not to mention their private matters. “Ah… Research,” she answered. Well, it wasn’t a complete lie. In fact, it was the truth–half truth. Jano blinked twice at her answer. Luckily, he did not question it. Her ex-caretaker decided to change the subject. It was not too far from the previous one, though.

“So how are things with Neji-kun?” he asked, ignorantly. Yasmine looked away, feeling the warmth spread across her face. Just remembering the things that transpired between herself and Neji caused such a reaction to her body. Physically, it was not all that different from previous encounters. However, this time she had given herself completely. The foreigner bit her bottom lip and grasped the clothing that covered her heart. At that moment, she felt truly vulnerable under his gaze. To have Neji examining her scar–it was nerve-racking. But it felt good, since it was him. Yasmine closed her eyes as she thought about his reaction. He had been truly angry. If her uncle was still alive and near, there was no doubt that Neji would go after him. The scar is ugly–she knew this for certain. And yet he had touched it–touched it as if it wasn’t something completely hideous. Because of his reaction, Yasmine thought perhaps Neji would return her feelings. “Gaki…?” Jano must have noticed her lack of response.

Yasmine sat straight. “H-Hai?!” She focused on the man with embarrassment in her eyes. Jano raised an eyebrow. Guiltily, she averted her gaze to the desk.

“What were you thinking just now?”

“… R… Research…”

“Ah… but you didn’t answer my question. How are things with you and Neji-kun?”

“Things are great! In fact, Neji and I are dating,” she replied with a bright smile. With a nervous chuckle, Yasmine watched Jano’s face twist and contort into an expression of stunned rage. Never in her life had she seen an expression so priceless. It was almost comical. In a strained tone, he repeated ‘dating’ in a questioning like manner. She supposed that they weren’t officially dating, but they were together. They had been on dates, but… In her mind, it would not be official until Neji returned the feelings she had for him. “Yes,” she said. “It’s been weeks since our relationship upgraded?”

“Upgraded?!” Perhaps, that wasn’t the proper word to use. “Has he done anything to you?! I’ll kill him!! I’ll make sure he never has offspring! How dare he violate you?!?!”

“He didn’t violate me,” Yasmine tried to calm the man down. Really, it was the other way around. “Its fine–I’m in love with him.” She noticed the way Jano’s eyes grew wide in surprise. “I love Neji…” Her brown eyes stared down at her lap. Her eyelids lowered slightly. “I know I’m not supposed to feel this way, and it would be asking too much to have him love me in the same way, but I just can’t help it. I don’t want to be Mary-sue, and yet I’ve fallen helplessly for him.”

“Ga… Gaki…”

“… I know I’m supposed to make people think I’m weak when I’m strong, but… There is no pretending around Neji,” Yasmine continued. “I love him…” She closed her eyes. “I really love him.”

Jano stared at his brat for a bit longer, absolutely stunned. She was completely serious. This type of reaction was rare. With her cheeks stained red, she had told him her feelings for Hyuga Neji. The ANBU operative frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. Somehow, this was that damned Hyuga’s fault–Neji’s father. Slowly, Jano relaxed as he continued to watch Yasmine. She seemed truly happy loving her friend. Mentally, he sighed. Crossing his arms, he scoffed lightly. The foreign teen opened her eyes and focused on him. “Fine! I won’t castrate him–but only because you might want kids someday,” Jano muttered, looking away. That thought suddenly struck him hard. He narrowed his eyes. His brat had certainly grown up fast…

“Arigato, kaasan!” She smiled at him as if she was truly grateful that he was not going to harm her… boyfriend. Jano seriously had to restrain himself from attacking. Instead, he coughed in his closed hand.

“So how are things with you?” he asked, becoming serious again. The cute smile vanished from the foreigner’s face, causing Jano to feel guilty. Truly, he did not want her to feel bad. “I know Ishikari-san is your close friend… So I was worried about you.”

“Oh… Truth be told, I was distracted this whole time, but when it was discovered, I realized that a lot of time had passed, and yet they still haven’t come back,” she muttered. “I put up a front for others, but I honestly regret not being there when Mayu was kidnapped. I know it’s not my fault, and it was bound to happen–bad guy clichéd plots and whatnot–but I still couldn’t help how I felt… especially after Naruto and that ANBU guy said I wasn’t a good friend.”

“Who?! Which one said it?!”

Yasmine opened her mouth to answer that she did not quite know, but the door nearly being kicked down interrupted. Both she and Jano stood quickly and stiffly as if they had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Eyes wide, they stared in terror of the demon boss lady. Her delicate eyebrow twitched several times. “Your time is up!” she hissed. Yasmine could almost see her hair turn to snakes, which were hissing along with Junko. The foreigner quickly rubbed the hallucination from her sight. “Get your ass out now!” The woman focused her attention on Yasmine. “And you–I want my tea now!”

“Hai!” she saluted her superior and stiffly marched out of the room. Yasmine sweated with a nervous grin. “I guess this mean I’ll be late,” she thought. When her boss was irritable, Yasmine was the one who had to pay the price.

--

For the third time that day, Neji’s gaze shifted to the sky. This would have been normal for the Hyuga had it not been for the fact that this was his meditating time. Everyone on the team had a specific action they would take for the thirty minute break in training. Gai-sensei would take off to run laps around Konoha. Lee did hand stands to pass the time. Tenten sharpened and polished her weapons. And Neji, of course, would spend the moment of silence meditating. During his meditation session, he is usually completely still with his eyes closed. There were times when birds actually landed on his shoulders! So it came off as bizarre seeing their fellow teammate fidget and looked around. The weapon’s mistress and taijutsu-user shared a concerned look. There, he did it again! Finally, the two teens stopped what they were doing. Tenten dropped her kunai and cloth while Lee placed his feet on the ground. They walked over to their obviously distracted teammate.

“Neji…!” Tenten was the one to catch his attention. “What’s up with you?” The Hyuga opened his eyes slowly. He raised one of those delicate eyebrows of his. The kunoichi almost rolled his eyes. The guy was almost too perfect when it came to his looks. “You’re acting weird.”

“How so…?” he questioned.

“During your moment of serenity, you usually do not move,” Lee explained. “Today, your focus is not on your meditation. Tenten and I are worried.” A frown graced Neji’s face and his eyebrows knitted together as well.

“I admit that my mind has been elsewhere…” he nodded his head once. He then looked towards the sky again. “She was supposed to be here before our break, yet she has yet to arrive.”

“Mine-chan is coming?” Tenten guessed. She narrowed her eyes at her teammate. He hadn’t told them about that.

“Ah, I suppose I forgot to mention that she decided to prepare us lunch today and observe our training habits,” Neji supplied. “However, she told me that she would be here before our break time. It has been almost fifteen minutes pass. She seemed excited about coming this morning. It is not like her to be not on time for something like this.”

“I see,” Lee murmured. “Yasmine-san is late.”

“This morning…?” Tenten repeated. “It’s still morning–a few minutes until noon. Why were you with Mine-chan so early?” He turned his head sharply, closing his eyes. This was a suspicious action that caused the kunoichi to twitch.

“It is a private matter between Yasmine and I, and I need not discuss it with you,” Neji stated.

Tenten clenched her fists, openly glaring at her teammate. She knew exactly what private matter he was talking about. Yasmine had come to her earlier and told her all about it. The kunoichi gritted her teeth. She hadn’t wanted to believe it. She had even denied it all together. Her teammate was aloof and absolutely hated persistence. This man had even disbanded his own fan base, or at least crippled it effectively. They haven’t made moves in gaining his attention in years. Tenten was sure that Yasmine would be treated the same way if she became aggressive, which is why she taught the foreigner to kiss like a man… or like herself, really. However, things had not gone according to plan. Instead of being pushed away violently, Yasmine had actually succeeded in becoming sexually active with the stoic Hyuga. How she managed to do that was a mystery, especially since she only taught her kissing. It didn’t seem possible for Yasmine to win Neji over with just kissing.

Speaking of the Hyuga, how could he change so much from when they were together? Judging from what Yasmine had told her, he was submissive to her. That was one of the reasons she had not believed the foreigner. Calling Hyuga Neji submissively cute was like calling ice hot. It just didn’t make sense! When he was with her, he was the demanding one that didn’t take no for an answer when it came to sex or kissing. In the beginning, he had not been like that… Maybe it was the same with all his girlfriends…? Tenten mentally shrugged. Those women did not stick around long enough to have girl talk.

Tenten scowled down at the Hyuga. He had gone back to meditating. Lee had also gone back to his hand stands while she had been mentally ranting. Neji must have sensed her frown because he opened his eyes again. His stare was questioning, probably wondering why he felt her shadow. Damn it–why was Yasmine so different? Why was she allowed to be the dominate one? Tenten’s lips twitched. She found herself becoming increasingly angry. When Yasmine had visited her, their freaky relationship was all they talked about. She was sick of it. Not to mention her well thought out plans became worthless. Yasume had been exactly right. Yasmine had become unpredictable. “She doesn’t love you, you know.” The words were blurted out before her brain had time to stop them.

“Nani…?” he furrowed his eyebrows. His expression seemed heated. He had heard her perfectly clear. The only reason he was inquiring was to give her a chance to take back her words. Neji was like that. Tenten, at this point, however, did not care.

“You didn’t seriously think that did you?” she asked with a scoff. Neji released a strain sigh.

“It does not concern you.”

“I suppose I would be convinced, too with her little act,” Tenten went on as if she didn’t hear. “Then again, it’s not really an act. Mine-chan might truly think that she loves you… or feels obligated to. You were her first friend, after all.” Neji closed his eyes, appearing not to listen. However, she did see the flaring of his nostrils. “She told me how you two met each other. If I were in her position, I would ‘love’ you, too. Heck, if I had met her first and befriended her, she would fall in love with me… supposedly.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Tenten?” came his retort.

Ignoring his remark, the kunoichi continued. “This relationship you have with her–it won’t last. Mine-chan is a smart girl. She will figure out that she doesn’t have to love you and that she has plenty more options other than you.” She could tell her teammate was becoming irate. It was her fault for not realizing that Yasmine would go above and beyond her expectations. However, it was also Neji’s fault for not behaving how he normally did against persistent females. “What I’m shocked about is that you haven’t figured it out yet. Yasmine couldn’t truly love you in the first place. She’s probably only experimenting with you. You already know how she is, right? Being her, she would probably stay with you regardless of that. Your relationship with her would only cause her pain in the future.”

“Silence, Tenten!” Neji nearly hissed at his teammate. Her words should not have stirred a reaction in him, yet they did. “You know nothing!” That’s right… Tenten knew nothing of their relationship. She did not truly know Yasmine, in fact. His teammate snorted, and then moved away from him. She opted to return to polishing her weapons. Neji’s gaze shifted to the grass below. He gripped the clothing, covering his knee. Tenten’s last words echoed in his mind, causing Neji to grit his teeth. He had already made the decision, yet… doubts began to fill his head again. He had believed that he was being paranoid about the future. However, Tenten could see it, too, and made the same observation he had. “Shit…” he thought, narrowing his eyes.

To expand his field of vision, Neji stimulated his Byakugan. Coming from the west, he could see the foreigner making her way to their training field. Judging from her pace, she would be here in almost three minutes. The Hyuga unexpectedly broke out into a cold sweat. He deactivated his bloodline and swallowed hard. To hurt now… or later… Why did he have to make that decision? Neji curled his hand into a fist, inaudibly sighing heavily. He lowered his head, feeling his shoulders slump.

Yasmine had shown herself to him–completely shown him. This proved how strong her feelings truly were. The foreigner would do anything for him. Neji closed his eyes, thinking back. “Just like her…” he thought. He did not want to see Yasmine go through the same thing. She deserved better–someone who would never caused that kind of pain. If they had continued with this relationship, things would possibly turn out for the worse. No one would be happy then… “Damn it! Yaya-chan…” He clenched his eyes shut. “Please forgive me.” Neji looked towards his female teammate.

She would be his best option.

--

“I can’t believe I’m so late!” Yasmine sighed. “They’re probably so hungry! I know I would be…” Ignoring the comment about only she would, the foreign teen continued to walk through the forest, searching for the clearing which her friends and lover were most likely on their break. Her boss, Junko, had sent her on numerous errands. And when she had asked to go on her lunch break early, the woman practically growled at her. She then proceeded to force Yasmine to organize her paperwork. That took an hour and a half to finish. She barely had time to race home to grab the boxed lunches.

Yasmine wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her unoccupied hand. Hopefully she would reach the training grounds soon. She was getting hungry, too. Unfortunately, she had only had four lunches. She had left her own at work in the refrigerator. No doubt her coworkers had already found it and were now digging in. Mentally, the foreigner sighed as she listened to her stomach gurgle irritably. Perhaps the team she was visiting would be nice enough to let her have a bit of their meal.

She moved quicker at the thought of eating. Pretty soon, she had made it to the edge of the forest. Her brown eyes could clearly see the younger ninja of Team Gai. However, the oldest one was nowhere in sight. The man must have been running again. If he didn’t hurry back, she would claim dibs on his lunch. Yasmine focused on the three again. Lee was off to the side, sitting. His large dark eyes were staring at his other two teammates. They seemed to be locked in a verbal spar of some sort. They were standing, faces inches away. Both had their eyes narrowed into glares. Clearly, they were arguing. Interrupting an argument was rude, especially if that argument happened to be hilarious. Yet she didn’t think it was a ‘Yo Mama’ thing, since she didn’t hear anything funny.

“You just don’t have what it takes to please her! You should give up this fruitless planning of yours,” Neji had raised his voice. Although she didn’t need to–they were shouting, after all–Yasmine listened very closely.

“What do you know, anyway?! The only reason you have her right now is because you got her first! She’ll become bored with you and come to me eventually. You’re just jealous of this fact, aren’t you?” Tenten returned. The foreigner tilted her head to the side in confusion.

“They aren’t talking about me… right?” she thought.

“Jealous…?” Neji’s incredulously repeated. “Why would I be jealous? The only one jealous here is you. You will never have her, Tenten–never! No matter what you do, no matter what you try, you are still a woman. As a woman, she will never look at you as a lover.”

The foreigner winced as Tenten’s hand struck Neji’s face. She cracked one eye open to see the stunned face of Lee. Her expression was probably the same. Neji’s face was turned to the side. Already the blood began to form a handprint on the Hyuga’s pale cheek. Yasmine’s eyebrows knitted together. She didn’t have to hit him! Neji’s body was more sensitive than anyone thought. “Mine-chan is no different from my ex’s, Neji! Sooner or later, I’ll-” Tenten stopped talking. The reason for her abrupt silence was because the Hyuga had pressed his lips against hers.

Yasmine’s lips parted in stunned silence. Her eyes widen at the sight. Her… Her eyes must have been playing tricks on her. There was no way Neji was kissing Tenten, especially since he was dating her right now. However, there were no tricks. Lee and the kunoichi currently being kissed wore the same shocked expressions. Finally, Tenten pushed Neji away. “What the hell?!” she exclaimed as she wiped her lips roughly. “What the hell are you thinking!?”

“I never wanted to break up with you, Tenten…” Neji stated. Yasmine’s hands trembled.

“What?” the kunoichi looked taken aback by his statement. She shook her head in disbelief, eyes wide. “But you-”

“I never stopped loving you.” Both Lee and Tenten’s jaws dropped at his declaration.

By now, Yasmine could not control her body. Her legs took her forward. The three had noticed her presence. Tenten and Lee had looks that screamed ‘Oh shit!’ while Neji’s face remained neutral. He did look away from her, though. The kunoichi of the team looked back and forth between the foreigner and the Hyuga. Tenten took a few steps away from the two. She tried to speak, yet Yasmine began before she could. “It’s not true…” she said in a whisper. Yasmine moved forward again. Neji seemed to close himself off further. “It’s not true, right? You’re still in love with Ten-chan, Neji?”

“… It’s true.”

“Wait a minute, Mine-chan! He-”

“So this morning… it meant nothing to you?” Yasmine continued, ignoring the attendance of the other two ninja. Her sole focus was on the Hyuga. “Everything I said… didn’t matter to you?” Neji sighed and closed his eyes.

“I was flattered, but I cannot love you in return. My heart belongs to Tenten,” he said. Lie–it was a lie. Yet it was necessary. She had to hate him. His lavender eyes slowly turned to the foreigner’s face. He swallowed hard as he gazed into her eyes. He could see the tears welling up in her eyes. Soon that hurtful look would turn angry, he knew. “It’s true,” Neji repeated. He noticed his teammate opened her mouth, but Yasmine beat her to the punch… quite literally. The Hyuga doubled over at the force of the foreigner’s strike to his torso.

“Well, that’s just too damn bad, isn’t it?!” she shouted. Grimacing, Neji stood up straight again. “You’re mine, Neji, and I won’t give you up!” Yasmine muttered something in her native tongue, so he could not hope to understand her. The foreigner slammed the bag on the ground, and then turned her back to him. “I have to get back to work–there’s your food.” He could tell the way her voice cracked that she was upset and was holding back tears.

“Yaya-chan,” he stopped her from leaving. Her shoulders shook as she stood there. “You say you love me… If that’s true, then you’d want to make me happy… Let me go.” After a few tense moments, Yasmine’s shoulders slouched.

“F… Fine…” her breath was hitched. She then walked, hands clenched at her sides.

Neji watched her disappeared in the forest with a solemn look. Sighing, he bowed his head. Although it needed to be done, he, himself, was in pain. “Yaya-chan… someday… someday you won’t hate me anymore, will you?” he thought.

“Neji! What the fuck was that about?! What did you say those things to Mine-chan?” Tenten questioned. “They were all lies! You even kissed me!”

“I, too, know that they were lies, Neji,” Lee spoke up. “It is not like you to lie intentionally. I had believed you were in love with Yasmine-san, but you are definitely not in love with Tenten.”

“It is necessary,” Neji muttered, and then moved away from his teammates.

“Necessary…?!” The two repeated in unison.

Meanwhile, Yasmine stumbled through the forest, trying to get as far away as possible. She could honestly feel her throat constricting. “Never let them see you sweat! Never let them see you sweat! Never let them see you sweat!” she chanted the mantra as she moved. Theresa, her parental unit, had taught her and Mayu the saying. It was to help stop the emotion from building. It was to suppress feelings you did not want anyone to see. Despite no one being around, Yasmine did not want to unleash the feelings. She truly did not want to think of it.

The foreigner stopped to catch her breath. Her hand clutched the bark of a tree, forcing her erratic breathing to become normal. She sucked in a breath as she stared down at the base of the tree. Why…? Why would he do this? After she had completely given herself to him–why would he reject and humiliate her like that? Yasmine squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. Her nails dug into the bark of the tree. “I don’t understand. I thought he was starting to…” Her thoughts trailed off as she remembered his expression. As her friend, he looked guilty, but as a man, he had been detached. He had no intimate feelings for her. She was… probably merely a replacement this whole time. Yasmine tore herself away from the tree, and began to walk again.

She hated him. Well, perhaps hate was a bit of a strong word. At the moment, she disliked him with great intensity. That man–that wonderful man–had actually pushed her aside. Yasmine’s finger dug into the palms of her hands. If she clutched any harder, there would have been blood. The foreigner shook her head. She should have known it would turn out this way. She had him for a time, yet she should have known it would not last. A mere foreigner coming into his life, demanding his love and affection–it was wrong. She knew a lasting relationship with Neji could never come true. And yet she had fallen–fallen so hard. She had manipulated, deceived, and ignored all prior advice all for the sake of having him. “He was mine…” Yasmine murmured. Tears, unknowingly, fell from her chin. “And now he’s hers…”

Yasume: I knew you couldn’t trust him completely! You should have just fucked him and left him alone! Guys are all the same, anyway… They always hurt you.

Yasmine laughed mirthlessly, knowing her alter ego was right.

--

Ishikari Mayu watched as the body of her brother figure fell to the ground. She raised an eyebrow, watching the blood ooze out of the numerous wounds her comrade had inflicted. The two moved closer to the body. Sasuke had used his Chidori in such a fatal way. When it came to the elder Uchiha, he was ruthless like that. Itachi turned his Sharingan eyes to the two younger ninja. “You’ve become so… strong,” he murmured. He seemed to ignore the blood trickling down his chin. His red eyes focused on the kunoichi. “And Mayu-chan…?”

“Gomen… Becoming freakishly strong like you two isn’t my style,” the female replied.

“I see,” Itachi said. His body suddenly transformed into countless birds–crows to be specific. Of course it wasn’t the real Itachi. Both teens knew it wouldn’t be that easy. Sasuke released an annoyed grunt. “Come to the Uchiha hideout alone, Sasuke.” The oldest Uchiha’s voice filled their ears. Mayu’s eyebrow twitched. That man was purposefully leaving her out. Oh well, it wouldn’t matter in the end. “I’ll let you settle things there.” The voice and the crows disappeared, leaving behind their black feathers.

“Since… when is that guy attracted to crows?” Mayu muttered. “As if he couldn’t get any creepier.”

“Sasuke…!” A voice caused the two Konoha ninja to turn towards the entrance. Suigetsu, the one that had called out, Karin and Juugo were running towards them looking frantic.

“I thought I told you not to move until I give the order,” Sasuke glared at the three.

“Oh, don’t be like that, Sasuke. They were obviously worried about you,” Mayu smirked. The three in question, shifted nervously. They were slightly embarrassed being called out like that.

“We’re going now,” Sasuke stated. “Let’s go.”

It wasn’t long before Team Hebi, plus Mayu, was traveling again. This time, they were moving through the trees. Karin commented on the multiple chakra signatures that were the same. Sasuke ignored that fact and decided to go straight ahead rather than go the long way. Because of his decision, a Naruto clone ran into them. A disinterested Sasuke merely flipped over the blond clone. “Mayu, take care of it,” he called back to her. The dark-haired kunoichi rolled her eyes at his order. Nonetheless, she propelled from a branch, flipped, and brought her heel down on the clone’s head. It immediately disappeared in a puff of smoke. The kunoichi landed on a lower branch before pushing herself back up to the team.

“What was that?!” Karin questioned.

“An old friend,” Mayu answered. “That means they’ve got their lead tracker back.”

“Shadow clones, huh?” the red-haired female murmured. “So that’s why…”

“You honestly couldn’t figure that out earlier? You are as dumb as an animal!” Suigetsu chuckled. The sharp-tooth teen was instantly sent a death glare for his comment. Karin opted not to attack him again. She wouldn’t want Juugo to go berserk again.

Mayu caught up to the leader of the team. “They’re coming for us, Sasuke. What’s your plan to stop them?” she asked. The Uchiha shook his head.

“No plan,” he answered. “We’re almost there, anyway.” He gestured for the kunoichi to look ahead. “He’s close.” The group leapt out of the forest and landed on a building. They only got a second to look around before Sasuke ran across the roof, forcing them to run after him. Karin’s sudden shout of warning caused the group to halt their movements. Ahead of them, a twirling blue ninja came to a stop. He grinned at them. “You…?” Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

“Kisame–I see that you’ve become a ballerina since the last time we met,” Mayu commented. The missing-nin glowered in her direction. He squatted down on the pole he was standing on. He scrutinized her from afar.

“Ah, the cheeky brat from before,” Kisame suddenly grinned. “Still got that hammer of justice?” An embarrassed flushed settled on Mayu’s face. How the hell could he still remember that, she thought. The kunoichi outright ignored the questioning gazes of the three ignorant members. Luckily, Sasuke seemed to of have forgotten about that encounter with the shark dude. “Anyway, only Sasuke-kun can go any further,” Kisame stated. “On Itachi-san’s orders of course. The rest are welcomed to wait here.”

“That’s fine with me,” Sasuke replied. “They’re only traveling with me as a platoon. In order for no interference with my fight, this will do just fine.” Karin began to protest, yet it was Mayu who Sasuke heard.

“Okay, I’ll wait here,” she said. He turned to her, surprised. “What? Don’t look at me like that. I already told you that I have no intention of getting in between Uchiha blood.”

“Ah… okay then,” he seemed a bit skeptic. But who could blame him? Mayu was in no way obedient when it came to staying behind. After telling the others to stay put as well, Sasuke turned to go. He jumped from the roof with the intensity of an avenger in his eyes. “Hm… Five… four… three…” The other people present must have been confused at her countdown. “Two…” She suddenly pulled her arm back. “One!”

The Uchiha was suddenly yanked back by an invisible force. However, upon closer inspection, Sasuke was pulled by a thin wire. He crashed landed near Mayu’s foot. It was quiet for a few moments as the kunoichi waited for the Uchiha to stand. Suigetsu suddenly exploded in laughter. He pointed and jeered, ignoring Karin’s shouts for him to shut up. “Mayu… you’re dead…” Sasuke thought as he slowly stood. He was met with a pleasant smile as if she had not done anything wrong. “And you stopped me because?!” he asked in a strained voice. Sasuke removed the wire from around his wrists and legs, wondering when she had time to do it.

“Someone’s a little too excited about his death match,” she answered, causing Sasuke to glower. “You didn’t even give me a proper goodbye yet!” The kunoichi wrapped her arms around him. He saw the smirk first, then the Sharingan eyes, and then the sparks.

“Teh… you little sneak,” he returned the smirk as the two were enveloped in blue sparks. The sound of Chidori filled his ears.

In the next moment, the two were no longer near the four. They had appeared on another roof. Mayu could barely hear their frantic shouts, yet she could see them from where she stood. That meant they would see them… eventually. The kunoichi closed her eyes, powering down. She didn’t really want to use Sasuke’s abilities if she didn’t have to, but this was a matter that needed privacy. Besides, she had been practicing with his abilities for weeks during his recovery, and yet she could still only use Sasuke for a mere two minutes. He had gotten far stronger than he was before. Fortunately, though, she could reside in his body for however long she needed to.

Her blue eyes stared up at Sasuke’s dark ones. He stared back expectedly, waiting for her to speak. His gaze made her hesitant and nervous. There was no telling how he would react to something like this. “Before you fight Itachi, there is one more article of clothing I must remove,” Mayu began. “I saved this for last because I want you to have it fresh in mind before you fight Itachi… The truth is… ah…” She was a bit afraid to tell him. There was no telling if he would get angrier. Yet it had to be done. “It’s about him…”

“Spit it out already!” As expected, the kunoichi glared at him. Well, how did she think he would react? Uchiha Itachi was only miles away. Mayu knew exactly how important this fight was. Sasuke diverted his eyes for a moment. However, what she was going to say must have been important to her, especially since she had not said it before. The young Uchiha mentally sighed. “Please continue…” he amended. Mayu had called her little confessions clothes or layers, saying that she was glad after they were ‘removed.’ He still did not understand her reason for doing so.

“Itachi and I… were engaged,” Mayu finally announced. Sasuke’s chest tightened at her words. Yes, he already knew of their past… arrangement, but hearing it come from her mouth was somehow different. “It was an agreement between our parents. Your father was very steadfast about it. My mother agreed to it because he was… persuasive. I’ll never forget what he said. ‘With their union, our clans may stop living in isolation.’ That was the first time that I even thought that we were isolated from everyone else… Anyway, I did not love Itachi as a husband. I thought of him as a brother, but because he had become so different in the presence of his father, I wanted to take Itachi away from him. If we married, I figured that he would have the Ishikari name and Uchiha Fugaku wouldn’t have as much influence on his life. It looked as if Itachi was suffering, so I wanted to put an end to that.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. It was just like her. When it came to her precious people, she would do anything–even if it meant sacrifice. The young Uchiha’s body suddenly tensed at the thought. Itachi… was her precious person? It was foolish, but Sasuke became slightly jealous. Just where had he received his kiss from her? “On my thirteenth birthday, our marriage would be announced to both clans because it was to be kept top secret. However, something happened–something really major happened, and my mother called off the engagement. I didn’t see Itachi for awhile afterwards. Your father was livid, but she appeared angry and called him a traitor. I still don’t know what she meant by that… That day, my mother and I planned on seeing the Hokage on an urgent matter, as my mother said. But we never went. We had suddenly turned back. My mother said she had a really bad feeling.” Mayu scoffed. “And of course… On that day, the Ishikari clan was eliminated.”

“By Itachi…?” Sasuke was almost afraid to speak. The intense look on her face–it was rare. Her gaze wasn’t necessarily being directed at him, though. Mayu was only remembering. He, himself, became that way whenever he reminisced about the past. There were few good events in his past, after all. The kunoichi shifted her full attention to him. Sasuke involuntarily flinched. She was giving him the same serious look. She opened her mouth for a brief second, only to close it again. “I know your clan was wiped out by Itachi.”

“By Uchiha,” Mayu corrected. “Itachi wasn’t the only one there. You really think he could kill two strong clans by himself in one night? Huh?!” Sasuke thought it was best not to answer. Luckily, the kunoichi went on as if it was a rhetorical question. “My mother and I came home to witness the death of my father by Uchiha Itachi’s hand and to see the scattered bodies of everyone else. I saw each and every one of their faces as they retreated. Not one of them was Fugaku, but I know he was the one who planned the massacre. I hate your father, Sasuke!” Mayu suddenly turned her back to him as if her last sentence wasn’t supposed to slip out. She breathed deeply for a moment. “So now you know… everything about me… Even though I kept saying that I had a fiancé, truly I did not. I did it to… distance myself from you. Back then, I decided to not have a relationship with you.” Her head tilted toward the ground. “And also, I-”

Mayu did not finish her sentence. Sasuke had moved his arms around her, pulling her body closer to his. She gasped, startled. This was not reaction she had been expecting. Hell, after saying that she hated his father, he expected him to defend the honor of his clan. But no–here he was, hugging her of all things. “Lucky,” he whispered. This confused the kunoichi immensely. “You were supposed to hate me. Having Uchiha blood, running through my veins–you were supposed to despise me as I did the murderer of my clan. In your eyes, you were supposed to hate anyone with eyes like mine… but you didn’t.” He squeezed a bit tighter. “Instead of hating me, you fell in love… Ironic, isn’t it?”

“Hai,” Mayu murmured. However, this was no time to delve into the irony of the situation. Now was the time for distraction. More than likely, Sasuke would refuse to have a jutsu used on him. It had to been done. “So… the clothes have fallen off one by one. There is almost nothing coming in between us now. The kunoichi turned her body slowly, forcing Sasuke to release her. Mayu stared directly into his dark eyes. “I will give you myself.”

“Nani…?” Sasuke had a look on his face that said he was reaching for what she was talking about, but not quite there yet. Coming from the powerful, sometimes stoic shinobi, it appeared a bit amusing.

“I mean when you come back, I’ll make you a real man,” Mayu further explained. Before Sasuke whipped around with his back facing her, the kunoichi could see the undeniable shade of red his face had turned to. “Sasuke… you’re such a lecher… I bet he’s thinking about all kinds of things. Damn you, Jiraiya-sama!” she thought. Then she shook her head. Now that he was completely distracted, she could perform her latest jutsu. It was risky, especially since she wouldn’t know if it worked until later. “Here I go!” Quickly, the kunoichi ran through the proper hand signs. Her gaze was focused on Sasuke, more specifically his head. That was her aim. “Half Conscious Transfer Jutsu!” Mayu said under her breath.

His heart… His heart was beating so fast. He could hear it in his ears. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut and clutched his chest. He was a bit ashamed to admit that he had absolutely no control over his body… or hormones. What Mayu said had not only caused his body to react, but his mind as well. She didn’t say ‘if,’ she had definitely said ‘when,’ which meant she had the utmost confidence in him. This whole time, he had doubted her faith in his strength. However, she believed in him. By saying ‘when,’ she indirectly said that he was going to win. On top of that, he was going to get some when he returned to her. “Arigatou, Jiraiya-sama!” Mentally, he cried tears of joy. If it weren’t for those books of his, he would not know what to do in such situations. Sasuke shook his head slightly, trying to focus again. “Okay, okay, calm down… Before anything happens, Itachi has to die…” He breathed in and out slowly, forcing his neutral face to return. Once he was sure of it, he turned back to Mayu.

For some reason, she had quickly hidden her hands behind her back. She lowered her eyelids and smiled. “I hope you come back to me soon, Sa-su-ke…” Mayu whispered, stepping a little closer. Immediately, he forgot about her suspicious movements. The way she had broken up his name like that–it was deadly. It was extremely different from when Karin did it. “May I kiss you for good luck and a swift return?” she asked. It was weird for Mayu to use such a sweet tone, but there were no objections to what she wanted. The kunoichi stepped closer again, sliding her palms up his chest. Sasuke instinctively dipped his head. Mayu stood on the tip of her toes, causing their lips to connect. To his disappointment, the kiss only lasted for a few seconds. “I’ll be waiting.”

“That’s it…?” Sasuke frowned. The kunoichi grinned in answer. “When I come back, there will be more.”

“Haha, I thought you were going to say ‘There will be blood.’ I knew I shouldn’t have watched that. Hahaha,” Mayu laughed. For a moment, the Uchiha only stared at her. He blinked once.
“Yeah, that too,” he stated. However, before Mayu could question what he meant, Sasuke turned and leapt away. “Ja ne,” he said.

Mayu watched him go until he was out of her sight. She then sighed heavily, relaxing her shoulders. “Gomenasai… In the end I could not follow you and help you fight him,” she muttered. Her blue eyes stared down at the roof. In the end, she could not choose between her lover and her brother. The kunoichi sighed again. “But I can still hope to see the end of this rivalry, right?” Hopefully, the jutsu would work. The kunoichi took one more look at the place where Sasuke disappeared. “I guess I better get back to those crazy people,” she murmured.

--

Karin was, for lack of a better word, pissed. Uchiha Sasuke had been gone for almost an hour. Yet here his woman was, lying on the roof with her eyes closed. Her hands were used as a cushion behind her head. The red head grit her teeth, ignoring the crashing sounds behind her. Even in her own thoughts, calling this girl Sasuke’s woman was too farfetched. Karin clenched her hands into fists at her side. “I just don’t get it! Why her?! Her chakra is nothing compared to Sasuke’s, and yet he claims her!” she thought, narrowing her eyes. “In fact, her chakra is nothing special at all…” That is until she switched bodies with Sasuke.

Yes, Karin had long since figured out the girl’s ability. It was really an accident. She had been sensing Sasuke’s chakra while he recovered from his fight with that Akatsuki member. It was all for medical purposes, of course! There was nothing carnal about watching his chakra shape while she was in a different room! Anyway, one of those days, Ishikari Mayu had stepped into the room. Although she hadn’t wanted to, Karin watched her outline. The kunoichi had begun making hand signs. After about a second, Sasuke and Mayu’s chakra signatures had switched places. Karin had been so surprised she had almost denied it. Yet her eyes had not deceived her. She had assumed that the kunoichi had performed some type of jutsu, causing them to switch bodies.

She had heard of the Yamanaka clan’s jutsu, but Mayu was in no way related to that clan. Her appearance was just too different if she came from that family. Sure, she had the blue eyes, but her skin was darker and so was her hair. Besides, the Yamanaka clan could not use jutsu belonging to another once they returned to their bodies. Despite finding out about her power, Karin still knew little to nothing about the kunoichi. Her abilities were special, but then so were hers. Why did Sasuke choose her between the two of them? Karin yanked at her hair in frustration. “It doesn’t make any sense!” she thought. The red head resisted the urge to chew on her hair. “Why can’t his smiles be directed at me?!” Had she been younger, she would have stomped her foot. She wanted to see it… one more time, yet with Mayu in the way, it wasn’t going to happen.

Suddenly, the kunoichi in question sat up with a loud gasp. Her dramatics gained the attention of everyone around. Even that blockhead and Akatsuki member stop clashing swords. On the girl’s face, she wore a blank expression. Her eyes and mouth were wide open. Her gaze to the sky seemed as if it wasn’t focused. What the hell was going on with her? Concentrating solely on Mayu’s body, Karin’s eyes grew wide in shock. Sweat had formed above her brow. What she was seeing could not be happening! Half of Mayu’s chakra was pulling away from her body! “Is something wrong, Mayu-san?” Juugo asked, going over to the kunoichi.

“Don’t!” Karin shouted, startling the massive teen. He turned to her with a questioning gaze, yet the red head only watched the half completely move away from Mayu’s body. The kunoichi’s body fell limply back down, and then the chakra signature shot off in the sky, toward the direction Sasuke had gone. “Nani…?!” Karin sharply turned her head. While Juugo moved toward Mayu’s body, her red eyes were still on the traveling chakra. “How… How could this be possible?!”

--

Dark eyes snapped opened, only to close again because of the rain. Feeling the pain, an arm reached up and clutched an exposed chest. All over–it hurt so much. It was almost hard to move, but it was managed. Slowly, the ninja sat up, taking in the surrounding area. It was wet everywhere, yet one could easily tell a fight had happened. “Maybe a fight between giants, yeah…” Onyx eyes shifted to the left, only to widen in stunned silence. Bloody and battered, there lay Uchiha Itachi. His eyes were open slightly, yet there was no life within them. A trembling gasp of horror erupted, and then the scream. Scrambling over to the defeated shinobi, the ninja dropped down. Shaking hands gently touched both of the great man’s cheeks. “Itachi… Itachi… Itachi… Itachi…” Tears began to spill over. “Itachi… Ita-Itachi!”

Thunder struck in the distance.

She knew death was eminent, yet it was so surreal. It was almost as if the great Uchiha would rise, brandishing his paper fan before smacking her upside the side… like he used to. More tears fell onto Itachi’s face, mixing with the blood. She pulled him up slightly, pressing his head against the chest that did not truly belong to her. The dark eyes of her team closed, causing more tears to run down. She could seriously feel the warmth leaving Itachi’s body. “Itachi…” she repeated his name as she laid him back down. “Gomen…! I couldn’t protect you, not from your father and clan, and not from Sasuke,” she sobbed. “Gomenasai!” The ninja bent forward, pressing lips against the Uchiha’s cheek. She pulled back, using her new hand to close his eyes.

Mayu shuddered as she stood up. Backing away from the dead Uchiha, she stared for a moment longer. “Why couldn’t you have been born in the Ishikari clan?” she cried, shoulders shaking. “All you did was become powerful and suffered in the Uchiha clan… You couldn’t even have your oasis like you wanted because of them!” Mayu thought, frowning. Her sobs had gradually diminished. Only the tears still flowed down. “I’m years late, but at least I can still do this... Como heredero del clan de Ishikari, declaro Uchiha Itachi Ishikari clan miembro honorario en la vida... y en la muerte!” The young ninja wiped away the tears, forcing herself to calm. As she stood there, gazing at the dead body of Uchi–Ishikari Itachi, it began to rain faster. “Your death will be like ours… Live by the flame, die by the flame.” Performing the necessary hand signs, the ninja’s eyes closed. “Fire Style, Fireball Jutsu…” She breathed out, sending a ball of flames at Itachi’s body. Because it was chakra enhanced, the fire burned his body quicker. Soon there was nothing left except ashes and ambers. She released another sigh. “Viven y mueren por la llama... Itachi. It is done.”

“Viven y mueren por la llama…?”

A strange, new voice caused the ninja to flinch. Mayu sharply turned and looked up. Standing on a pillar was a strange man. He was wearing the attire of Akatsuki. His face was split–white and black. Both eyes were yellow. She could barely see detail on the black side of the man’s face. If that wasn’t bad enough, the man seemed to have Venus flytrap like appendages. Despite that, Mayu was not surprise. Akatsuki were filled with bizarre characters. “Who are you?” she asked, stepping back.

“Don’t be so alarmed by my presence, Sasuke,” he paused. His voice sounded light, a rare thing coming from a member of the criminal organization. Mayu recalled seeing a glimpse of him before. But for the life of her, she couldn’t remember where. “Or should I say… Ishikari-chan, hm?” Apparently, he knew her, though. Dark eyes narrowed up at the man.

“Who the hell are you?” she repeated.

“I go by the name of Zetsu… Information concerning the Uchiha clan, the Ishikari clan, and why Itachi did what he did will be given to you by the leader,” his voice changed. It was rough and a bit hoarse. Just what she needed right now–another freak. “That is if you come with us.”

“And what if I don’t want answers? Itachi is dead, so there is no need to continue with this anymore,” Mayu commented. “Sasuke and I are done with vengeance.”

“I know you want to know why–both of you,” Zetsu–light side–said. “As heirs of your respective clans both of you should know the truth about that day. He knows all the answers…” Mayu raised an eyebrow.

“He…?”

“Yes, he will tell you everything if you come with us,” he replied.

“… Fine, I’ll do it,” the ninja nodded. “But I need time… Sasuke is still unconscious.”

“That is fine. We will take you to a place where both of you shall rest,” Zetsu actually smiled. “It’s a shame you burned Itachi. He could have made a fine meal.”

“Um… ew…?”

--

I am so sorry it’s so late, but once again it’s my fault! The computer had to go in for repairs and I completely forgot to transfer my things onto a disk, so all that info was lost, and I had to write this chapter all over again! –insert epic facepalm- So sorry about my forgetfulness.

“Maybe someday you’ll trust me enough to show me the mark your uncle left behind.” –Yasmine Dalton