Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Twilight ❯ Velvet Black ( Chapter 22 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 16: Velvet Black

A cloaked figure leapt lithely through the foliage, the forestÕs darkness masking his silhouette and blending him in perfectly. Contradicting thoughts ran through his head, a headache breaking out in less than a minute. His forehead scrunched lightly as he mulled over and rearranged his thoughts as he made his way towards the mysterious mountain.

No doubt he felt me alreadyÉ and heÕll be ready to welcome me, provided that heÕs not mad at meÉ

He stopped short, azure eyes narrowing. His mind cleared of all thoughts involuntarily; a habit formed due to past experiences. One never knows, a ninja has his own ways of uncovering the mind. It might be his undoing if he wasnÕt careful enough.

Several Sound scout nins were conversing in low tones on a particularly wide branch, alert expressions on their faces. Apparently there was a new order from the snake. Again, low tones arenÕt advisable. SomeoneÕs got the ears of a bat.

ÒÑchimaru-sama announced it earlier?Ó one nin questioned, raising an apprehensive brow.

ÒYea, he did.Ó

ÒNo jokinÕ. This is a real kick in the pantsÉÓ one of them whistled.

ÒAre you absolutely sure?Ó

ÒYes, I am!Ó the messenger nin exasperatedly exclaimed, raising his tones a bit. ÒWe attack tonight, and so we need you all back into base!Ó

ÒTotal fuckinÕ buzz kill this is, I was gettin' a real kick with these primeval wolvesÉÓ

ÒHaul ass, suckers, we get back to base.Ó

The cloaked figure hastily hid himself into one bushy outcrop, ducking low silently as they slipped past. He frowned.

Attack tonightÉ? Does that meanÉ damn them to hell and back, I need to get to Itachi as fast as possible!
iSasuke, Sakura and Itachi walked towards the last room. Sasuke opened the door silently, entering the room, followed by Itachi and Sakura. As the door closed behind them, Sasuke spoke up sharply.

ÒYou know you canÕt fool me, aniki,Ó Sasuke snapped. Sakura hastily walked over to the shower and closed the door behind her, turning on the water after pulling close the curtains. Itachi was present; there was no more privacy. If it was only Sasuke, she wouldnÕt have bothered, but this case was different.

Itachi sighed, rubbing his forehead and walking over to a single futon folded neatly in a corner. He started laying it out on the floor. ÒI felt something, otouto,Ó Itachi muttered silently, as if careful that someone might hear. ÒI felt something I havenÕt felt in years. Years agoÉ and thereÕs no way IÕm believing it.Ó

Sasuke sighed exasperatedly. ÒCan you please be a little bit more specific? IÕm not a cryptographer, you knowÉÓ

ÒRemember what I told you in the Shimatani Mansion, about Naruto having a dead brother who was my best friend?Ó Itachi said, sinking back on the futon and glancing at Sasuke expectantly. Sasuke nodded. ÒWell, I felt his presence earlier, Sasuke. HeÕs somewhereÉ somewhere near. I canÕtÉ I canÕt be certain, but I think heÕsÑÒ

There was a tense silence before Itachi sighed.

ÒI donÕt knowÉ I canÕt feel his trace properly, because of all the jutsus we have placed and the life force of this magical forestÉ ItÕs jamming it all upÉÓ

ÒImpossible, Itachi. Are you sure itÕs him? You yourself said that he was dead. Konoha proclaimed him dead. ItÕs notÉÓ Sasuke sighed. ÒLook, if it was him, IÕm sure heÕd find you. But he hasnÕt. So there.Ó

ÒSasuke, how do you expect to find a person in this confusion? All the protective jutsus and stuffÉÓ Itachi rolled his eyes exasperatedly. ÒAnd he wouldnÕt really be up to meeting me anytime soon, considering my betrayal to my pledged village,Ó he added tartly, tapping his scratched forehead protector.

ÒStillÉÓ Sasuke persisted, raising a brow at his brother. ÒThereÕs no reason we should take action, is there?Ó

ÒNoÉ I was just worried and confused, thatÕs allÉÓ

Sasuke sighed, slinging a brotherly arm around ItachiÕs shoulders. ÒI understand you want your best friend back. I want to meet him as well. But we canÕt be sure. I mean, heÕs supposed to be dead. What if all this was just a ploy from that snake freak? Hmm?Ó

ÒHnÉ Yeah, I guess youÕve got a pointÉ but stillÉÓ

ÒAnikiÉÓ Sasuke sighed. ÒWeÕre not arguing about this, are we?Ó

ÒAlright, fineÉÓ Itachi frowned at his little brother, harrumphing pronouncedly. ÒIÕll be leaving for about a few hours.Ó

At this, Sasuke frowned. ÒShouldnÕt you be taking some rest?Ó he berated. ÒAniki, you know you donÕt need to go and find him!Ó

ÒOn the contrary, yes, I need to,Ó Itachi muttered. ÒI was the reason for all the painÉÓ

ÒÉ?Ó

ÒNandemonaiÉ you get some sleep Sasuke, youÕll need itÉ IÕll wake you up when I come back,Ó Itachi sighed, disappearing with a resounding poof and some white smoke.

Sakura emerged from the shower, a towel wrapped around her torso. ÒWhereÕd he go?Ó

ÒDunnoÉÓ Sasuke sighed. Then he frowned at her. ÒYou were planning to get outta that shower in that with Itachi in here!Ó
Itachi leapt quickly from branch to branch, his senses on full alert. He didnÕt need the Sharingan to detect anyone nearing him, so he barely resorted to it. Besides, activating it took chakra and that was something he did not want to waste.

He scanned the perimeter with eyes harnessing the pinpoint precision of an eagleÕs.

ClearÉ All clearÉ Too clear for comfortÉ

He frowned as he noticed no Oto or Kage patrols rounding in about a quarter of a mileÕs radius. There was a strange tingle in the forest air, as if there was impending danger, and the forest was warning him. Something did feel amiss about the surroundings. There wasÉ somethingÉ missing. Something wasnÕt there that was before.

He strained his senses to notice anything out of the ordinary as he continued to travel from tree to intimidating tree. The forest looked like it was taken right out of a movie. Everything seemed gigantic; everything seemed twice their normal size.

Then, he snapped to a sharp halt on one of the thick branches, his head snapping forward, staring hard at the velvety black darkness covering the forest in the moonless night. He squinted, the black orbs turning bloody red, the three wheels revolving slightly back and forth.

Just as suddenly, a kick snapped out of nowhere and connected with his jaw, throwing his head back. Unfazed, Itachi caught the foot in his palm and twisted it sharply, slamming the person into the tree trunk, before sending a jawbreaker punch. His punch was blocked easily by the cloaked person, and was returned with equal fervor. He slammed a kick into the personÕs chin.

The personÕs head snapped back, absorbing the impact of the kick, his muscles and bones straining to contain the force. Then, he retracted his head slowly, glaring at Itachi with clear azure eyes, a defiant expression painted clearly on his face. That was before he recognized whom he was fighting with.
Uzumaki Naruto wasnÕt much of a stranger to weird dreams. He wasnÕt entirely ignorant of nightmares either. In fact, he was very, very familiar with them. Being the KyuubiÕs container wasnÕt entirely a pleasing affair, especially since he had to deal with unprecedented bursts of uncontrolled chakra, voices and noises in his head, uncontrollable thoughts springing up constantly, and endless prophetic or strange, senseless dreams and nightmares.

But this particular dream heÕs been having since the past couple of days was different.

It was of a young boy who looked exactly like him, ogling him playfully and making faces at him along with another boy who looked a lot like Sasuke. The two boys were playing with him. He seemed to be lying down on some kind of soft thingy, and staring up at a whitewashed ceiling, obscured partially by two faces.

Then the boy who looked like him grinned, saying something he couldnÕt make out to the Sasuke-look-alike. The Sasuke-look-alike nodded vigorously before saying something and rolling his eyes. The two boys laughed, a loud, tinkling sound to his ears. He couldnÕt understand why he couldnÕt make out their conversation clearly, when they were less than a feet away from his ears.

Suddenly, there was the gentle gurgle of a baby coming from somewhere near. Very near.

His eyes scanned the place around him and found no baby whatsoever. There wasnÕt any radio to make the sound, any child to imitate it. He wondered where the sound was coming from if there was no baby.Õ

There it was again, a loud, funny gurgle.

Naruto-look-alike looked at him and smiled in a proud, brotherly way, before everything turned black and Naruto bolted upright.
Orochimaru gazed cautiously at his surroundings, watching out for any signs of jutsus or traps around. It was dangerous enough that they were infiltrating a place they werenÕt familiar with. He didnÕt need any other complications or hindrances to block his path. There was no stopping him now. There was no turning back. This was it, the chance heÕs been waiting for all these years; the chance to get his revenge on Konoha and satisfy his craving for the spill of blood. He could take his pick from the elites as wellÉ they had perfect bodies for his soulÕs containment. It was a perfect chance he wouldnÕt want to miss. There is a slight drawback, thoughÉ Itachi on the other side is a bit dangerousÉ

He ground his teeth at the thought of the traitor.

Dare he fight me, I will kill him mercilessly.

Orochimaru smirked contentedly at the thought of killing Itachi in a hundred thousand ways. It was aggravating enough that the Kage leader wouldnÕt follow his orders; he didnÕt need him to completely turn over and flip to the other side. It was getting harder to handle the Kage nins, who were searching for their legitimate leader and hesitating, apprehensive to follow his orders instead of ItachiÕs. Either they were dead loyal to Itachi, or the Mangekyou Sharingan owner had bribed or blackmailed them in some way to heed his orders and his orders only.

Not that it mattersÉ They wonÕt yield, I donÕt careÉ TheyÕll still kill for my side, since they were trained to betray and to kill anywaysÉ And the last of ItachiÕs orders were to attack anytime they had the chanceÉ What more perfect chance than nowÉ

He smirked, glancing around him. Some of the nins were ahead a couple of feet, eager, sadistic smiles painted on those previously blank faces. ÒAhÉ nothing brings out the real potential of killers than the impending smell of fresh bloodÉÓ

Kanata and Kabuto were following closely behind him, silently smirking like their master. Kisame limped slowly behind, his wounds still not fully healed. He mumbled something under his breath before continuing the jumping.

ÒOh yesÉ there will be bloodÉÓ
ÒSo itÕs true, thenÉÓ Itachi gasped. ÒWhat I feltÉ Kouji, is that you?Ó

ÒItachi?Ó Uzumaki Kouji exclaimed, eyes narrowing. ÒAre you the real Itachi?Ó

ÒSolid and in flesh, brother,Ó Itachi grinned. KoujiÕs face slowly melted into a similar grin and the two ninjas enfolded each other in a tight, brotherly hug.

ÒItÕs been so longÑÒ Itachi started, but Kouji cut him off.

ÒLook, we both have a lot of explaining to do, but that can come later. We need to go. And now.Ó

ÒNande ka?Ó

ÒItÕs him, the snakeÉ heÕs headed to theÑÒ

Itachi suddenly pulled Kouji down into the bushes on one side of the tree branch, obscuring them both from view. Oto and Kage nins, patrols, scouted past them silently but quickly, as if they were just doing a recheck before a second batch passed through. As they disappeared into the other direction, Itachi grabbed KoujiÕs hand and both of them disappeared in a bunch of smoke.
Naruto panted, his eyesight dimming slightly from exhaustion. WhewÉ that was some dreamÉ donÕt tell me itÕs your fault again, Kyuubi? Not mineÉ IÕm sleeping, scram, boyÉ

Naruto scoffed at the foxÕs irritable behavior.

CanÕt even talk properly, for goodnessÕ sakeÉ

But his mumbling came to a halt when he felt soft palms touch his bare, sweaty back and gently rub in a circular motion in an effort to comfort him and ease away his exhaustion. He grinned despite himself and turned his head, laying it on HinataÕs chest, listening to her comforting heartbeat while she continued rubbing his back and hugged him with another arm. He smiled.

Damn, am I lucky or what?

ÒWhat was it, Naruto?Ó

ÒHmm?Ó Naruto mumbled sleepily. Due to his tiring ordeal, he was lulled to a light sleep by HinataÕs continuous rubbing in just a matter of minutes.

ÒYour nightmareÉÓ

ÒÉwuznÕt nightmareÉÓ mumbled Naruto, almost incoherently, against HinataÕs collarbone.

ÒThen what was it?Ó

ÒDunnoÉ dun careÉ I whunna shleepÉÓ

Hinata nodded gently and lay the two of them back on the bed, all the while hugging Naruto and rubbing his arms and back comfortingly. She pulled the blanket around the two of them, enveloping them in appreciated warmth. Naruto sighed in his sleep, a small grin forming on his face as usual. Hinata smiled angelically down at him, placing a soft, lingering kiss on one of his whiskered cheeks and drifting off into a silent sleep herself, hoping that nothing more would disturb their peaceful sleep.
Orochimaru scanned the vicinity. They were at the very foot of the mountain, the side where a steep cliff cut off the path. Up was the only way they could go. The foliage, against his prediction that they would eventually thin out, only grew heavier and larger than ever before, even possibly two times than what was back near the camp. It seemed that the mountain knew it had to hide something inside and prevented any way in to be discovered as much as possible. They had been hunting for any opening: tunnels and caves into the mountain, hidden doors, illusionary places that hid passages and such, but they had tough luck.

ÒLooks like theyÕve prepared properly,Ó Kanata smiled, his eyes closing silently.

ÒIndeed, they haveÉÓ Kabuto commented, adjusting his glasses, which glinted in the moonlight, and resumed looking for anything out of place. Or rather, looking for anything that was in itÕs place. This is a strange forest, nothing should be as it seemsÉ

Orochimaru was walking around the cliff face, examining every littlest crevice and crack, scrutinizing every corner, every inch of the giant earthen wall that was the start of the ascent of the ground. ÒWeÕre bound to find something sooner or later. Keep on looking out for anything and report to me, and only to me, as soon as you find anything. Report immediately,Ó he barked bossily to his subordinates, and the ninjas started walking off, disappearing in puffs of smoke and running off to find something. Some wanted rewards from the snake, some wanted recognition and fame. Some wanted power, some wanted money, some wanted revenge, and some were either afraid or forced and blackmailed into the job. But mostly, they had no choice but to follow.

Kanata walked over to a nearby river that flowed right out of the cliff face through a narrow about a meter in height and 2 meters in width. It was wide enough to accommodate the flowing water, but narrow enough to prevent any trespassers planning to go in through it. ItÕs narrow opening not only makes it hard for a person to get it, it also increases the burst of water, therefore, making it harder to get in because of the resisting force.

Kanata stared down the flowing blue waters, peering deep into the riverbed and examining the contents without bending down for a closer look. Then he closed his eyes and walked off towards the others, resigning his suspicion about the impossible river.

ÒStop smiling like that, Kanata, you look like a sinister ghost,Ó Kabuto smirked.

Kanata just smiled even wider.

And then it hit him

Ghost.
Everything was silent inside one of the leaderÕs room, everything peaceful, everything unmoving. It was the middle of the night, and both of the occupants were fast asleep, regaining their lost strength from too much responsibilities.

A muscular arm adjusted around a petite waist, before a black head buried itself deeper into a pink-haired kunoichiÕs neck and the sound of a contented sigh filled the room momentarily, before fading into silence again. The pink haired kunoichi simply smiled in her sleep, turning her head slightly to the side.

The two of them savored these verily appreciated sleeps, one thing that they had lacked ever since they got involved in the war. Sometimes Sakura complained so much that they both wondered why they ever enlisted for all the trouble anyways.

It was all going just as planned; they sleep, get rest, and then wake up to get to work. But tonight was not just another night.

There was a puff of smoke, a glow of yellow light faded and Itachi along with Kouji appeared beside the bed. Kouji looked around the room curiously, before noticing the occupants of the bed.

ÒYour brother?Ó

ÒAnd his future wife,Ó sniggered Itachi. ÒOtouto, wake up! Hayaku!Ó (a/n: Hurry up!)

Itachi bent over, rolled a groaning and protesting Sasuke to his side, before poking the youngÕs forehead sharply, waking him up.

The boy bolted upright, looking around the room groggily. ÒWhazzhit?Ó he mumbled, yawning, before collapsing onto the mattress again. Itachi sighed. Ever since Sasuke was a kid, he was hard to wake up.

ÒWake. Up. NOW!Ó Itachi yelled, startling Sasuke and waking him thoroughly.

ÒJesus Christ, you didnÕt have to yell!Ó snapped Sasuke, rubbing his eyes gently and scoffing. ÒGod knows how much I suffer from your presenceÉÓ

Sasuke continued mumbling and covered up Sakura, who moaned in her sleep from the disturbance. Sasuke calmed her with a single pat on the cheek. That was when he noticed there was somebody else in the room.

His head snapped around towards the person beside Itachi. ÒWho are you?Ó he said sharply, eyes narrowing.

ÒChill, otouto,Ó Itachi chuckled.

ÒUzumaki Kouji, doozo yoroshiku,Ó Kouji grinned very Naruto-ish. Sasuke shivered a little at the resemblance. (a/n: Pleased to meet you.)

ÒUzumaki Kouji? YouÕre supposed to be dead,Ó Sasuke said flatly, disbelieving his eyes.

ÒAh, yea, that, well I was hoping to save that for later because we saw Orochimaru heading here and most probably he is already at the foot of the mountain, searching for an entrance while his other nins scale the mountain and go up to the peak for the opening they know,Ó Kouji recited flawlessly in one breath.

Sasuke stared at him, mouth slightly open, before nodding.

Sasuke rubbed his head.

ÒUhh, can you go through that again? SLOWLY?Ó he asked Kouji.

Kouji sniggered and nodded, repeating his one breath sentence in one breath but slower.

ÒSo snake-freak is headed here to slaughter us one by one,Ó Sasuke affirmed. Kouji nodded. ÒGREAT!Ó

Sasuke jumped out of bed, startling Sakura awake. He opened the door and started banging loudly on the door next to his. ÒNARUTO WAKE UP, WE HAVE A LIT-TLE PROOOBLEM!Ó he hollered.

ÒAre you sure this is your brother, Itachi? He acts more like mine,Ó Kouji sweat dropped.

ÒOh, thatÕs mild, itÕs because heÕs been woken up in an ungodly hourÉÓ Itachi shrugged, examining his fingers like it was nothing. ÒBesidesÉÓ Itachi muttered, smirking at him. ÒÉyoursÉÓ Itachi cocked his head. ÒÉis worse.Ó

ÒWHAT THE FUCK DO YA THINK YAÕRE DOINÕ TEME, WAKINÕ ME UP AT THIS HOUR, DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS, ITÕS NOT EVEN DAWN!Ó Naruto hollered, his voice reverberating inside the structure and some dust fluttered downwards from the ceiling.

ÒNaruto, wake up, we have a problem,Ó Sasuke repeated, silently smirking. Naruto groaned.

ÒGoddammit, I never have a good sleep nowadays, and people keep on blastinÕ my door open and disturbinÕ me from my sleep! Goodness gracious, if I ainÕt good, IÕd be whackinÕ Ôem endlessly to death! Goodness, IÕll have a heart attack hereÉ I need my ramen!Ó Naruto grumbled loudly, clanking his way towards the kitchen followed by Sasuke, a groggy Hinata and a sleepy Sakura. Neji and Fukai emerged from their own door, blearily eyeing the surroundings. One by one the others appeared as well.

The others noticed KoujiÕs presence, but Naruto seemed oblivious since he was too caught up in his grumbling, both his mouth and stomach.

ÒRaaaaaamenÉ Hina-chan, ramen please?Ó Naruto whined, rubbing his belly and collapsing on one of the chairs, groaning before sagging heavily on the wooden structure. Hinata placed a small kiss on his forehead before retrieving one of the instant ramen cups from the cupboard. She was too tired to do the cooking anyways.

ÒSasuke,Ó Neji grunted. ÒExplain.Ó

The chair groaned as Chouji sagged his whole weight on it as he sat down groggily.

ÒOrochi-freakÕs cominÕ for us. HeÕs probably on the foot of the mountain right now,Ó Sasuke smirked.

Disbelieving eyes turned to him.

ÒAnd who the hell did you get that from?Ó Naruto blared.

ÒYour brother,Ó Sasuke said simply, drumming his fingers on the table and waiting for NarutoÕs expression.

There was temporary silence.

ÒPardon?Ó

ÒYour BRO---THER!Ó Sasuke repeated, rolling his eyes. ÒSometimes, you are just too slow.Ó

Silence again.

Heated gazes.

ÒI donÕt believe you.Ó

Sasuke practically fell off his chair. ÒGawd, Naruto, you are sooo impossible,Ó he sighed. Then he motioned for Kouji and Itachi. ÒUzumaki Kouji. There. Do you believe me now?Ó

NarutoÕs jaws fell of itÕs hinges. ÒNo way in hell. Am I dreaminÕ? SomeÕn slap me please.Ó

Ino gladly did as he said.

ÒOw,Ó Naruto groaned, rubbing his stinging red cheek. Hinata nursed his cheek after placing the steaming bowl of ramen on the table before him.

Kouji, catching sight of the ramen, immediately dove for the table. Naruto, sensing the movement, made a motion to cover his ramen from the intruder, but because of KoujiÕs protruding elbow, NarutoÕs arm was snapped aside and hit the ramen bowl, spilling it all over a snoozing Shikamaru, who bolted upright at the scorching hot soup.

ÒARGH! HOT!Ó Shikamaru shouted, running over to the bathroom and locking the door, washing himself up.

ÒNOOOÉ. RAMEN!Ó wailed both Naruto and Kouji.

ÒThey are brothers,Ó Sasuke sweat dropped. Itachi just laughed and mocked Kouji.

Naruto and Kouji wept over the spilled ramen, while Sasuke and Itachi sighed, calling everyoneÕs attention.

ÒAlright,Ó Itachi muttered. ÒThat guy you see there is Uzumaki Kouji, NarutoÕs long lost brother. I donÕt know how he came to survive the war or whatever, but he said heÕll explain, so probably weÕll have to wait for that explanation until heÕs damn finished wailing over the spilled ramen.Ó

Neji grumbled. ÒAnother idiotic moron to add to the bunch. I donÕt even know why theyÕre crying over the spilled soup, thereÕs more in the cupboardÉÓ

ÒJust take it as a package deal,Ó Fukai giggled.

ÒOne package I wonÕt be willing to take, thank you very much,Ó Neji rolled his eyes.

ÒKouji informed us that Orochi-freakÕs headed for us, and heÕs coming right at us right now. We need to get prepared, guys, this is it!Ó Sasuke said heatedly, excited to see a battle.

ÒSasuke-kun, control please, your bloodlustÕs raging again,Ó Sakura sighed, bonking Sasuke on the head. ÒBoys.Ó

The others sighed and nodded, getting up to get ready for the upcoming battle. Ino screamed at the other rooms at the top of her lungs to wake the other ninjas up.

ÒThey sure are taking this pretty light, otouto,Ó Itachi said, raising an eyebrow.

ÒWeÕre prepared. We knew that this was the kind of attack Freaky would make.Ó

Sasuke yawned and left Naruto and Kouji mourning the loss of their beloved ramen, moving over to his room to prepare, followed by Sakura and Itachi.
Kazahana Kouji woke up in confusion and darkness. He opened his eyes groggily, his ears straining against the thick, heavy and tense silence.

It was silent.

Too silent.

He could feel it.

He looked around in the darkness, unmoving from his ratherÉ uncomfortable position.
ThereÕs something wrongÉ

He shifted uncomfortably on the cold concrete floor, a thick, sticky liquid running down his arms and chest as he stood up. The strange yet familiar liquid was smeared all over the floor.

Ébut what is it?

He groaned as one of the largest headaches of his life hit him like a wave on the sea.
Gods. How long was I out?

He shook his head to clear the cloud covering his comprehension and rethought everything that happened.
Where am I? What happened?

His mind buzzed in silence, as no answer came from inside it. No longer was the other voice in him, no longer was the noisy nuisance always chiding him.
What theÉ?

He knew it was not easy to relieve himself of that nuisanceÉ he took several years before he managed to lock away that particular living emblem of his past before. He never expected it to just disappear on itÕs own accord as well, because, frankly, it would never be his accord to disappear. It was the voiceÕs mission to annoy and eternally irritate Kouji to death.

He strained as his eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness and some light started to enter his irises to form the images of his surroundings. As he surveyed the cell in the half-darkness, his eyes widened as he recalled what happened, as he caught sight of the scene that lay unmoving before him.

He screamed.
Ino and Sakura chatted while preparing a fast meal for the ninjas before they set off to their duties. It was amazing how they still had time to cook and stuff when the other party was coming.

ÒI didnÕt notice Ten-chan earlier, Ino-chanÉ wonder why she hadnÕt come back yet,Ó Sakura mentioned worriedly.

Ino snorted. ÒTheir probably humping it up, Sakkie. Let them be, TentenÕs a big girl, she can handle herself.Ó

ÒHumping it? In a cell? HmmmÉÓ Sakura thought, a smirk appearing on her face.

ÒPerv,Ó Ino snickered as she caught sight of the expression on her best friendÕs face.

ÒWhat?Ó

ÒYouÕre a perv!Ó

ÒNo IÕm not!Ó

ÒYes you areÉ and youÕre proud, arenÕt ya?Ó

ÒINO!Ó
Blood.

Smeared on the walls.

Blotted on the sheets.

Sprayed on the food.

Dripping on the floor.

Red.

All red.

Kouji sank back to his knees, leaning over the bloodied girl.

Tenten lay on the cold, hard floor, her side sporting a large gash that almost showed her insides, her head bloodied, her right arm almost severed off.

ÒT-TenÉten?Ó Kouji whispered in the dark. ÒTentenÉ w-wake upÉÓ

He placed a hand on her cold cheek, feeling for her breath. There was, but it was faint.

ÒWake up!Ó

He started to get agitated by the situation, slightly tapping TentenÕs cheek.

ÒWake up, please!Ó

He slightly shook his head, tears streaming out of his eyes. ÒTenten!Ó

Oh God, what have I done?