The Angel's Ambivalence [Naruto]

The Takeda Twins

I grabbed him by the shirt, my hands twisting into the fabric as I lifted him up into the air. His dark eyes were wholly indifferent as they met mine, yet he seemed moderately surprised by my aggression, and I glared at him.

"Why the hell aren't you fighting back?" I snapped at him, half-ready to just throw him at Ten-Tails and be done with this mess.

"Because I didn't come here for that," was his simple reply, and I blinked, a bit taken aback. "I'm not here to hurt you, Minxie."

And those words of his made my anger boil to new heights, because how dare he say something like that when hurting me was all that he had ever done? I scoffed and dropped him unceremoniously to the floor, and he fell to the ground in a wounded heap. Jugo took a step forward, most likely to help his former Taka leader, but he halted when Sasuke shook his head, a silent command to stay out of this.

I was glad for that. I didn't want Jugo to get caught in the crossfire, because this wasn't about him. It was about Sasuke and I, and that was how it should've stayed. If Jugo interfered, however, I wasn't sure that I would let him leave this mess unscathed.

I blinked, surprised by my own train of thought. Where the hell did that just come from? Letting an innocent person get hurt wasn't like me at all. What the hell was wrong with me? I didn't get to think about it too much, because Sasuke spoke again, dragging me out of my unpleasant thoughts.

"You know, you can hit me all you want. It won't change what I said." And as the Uchiha slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, I realized that he  was what was wrong with me. Just seeing him again made me sick. "You done now?"

I growled at him, narrowing my eyes and taking a step towards him again, "You son of a-"

"Easy there, killer," Scarlett interrupted, blocking my way, that smirk of hers never leaving her lips. Her body language was completely relaxed, but I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was wary. If I wasn't so angry, then I probably would've laughed at the realization that she was wary of me, her -as she put it- 'innocent little Doppelganger.' "As much as I love this whole 'punch first, talk later' side of you, I'm afraid that I can't allow it. Beating up your potential ally is not a smart move during times of war, trust me."

"You see, I'm having a little bit of trouble connecting the word 'ally' to Sasuke, considering the fact that the last time I saw him, he promised to destroy my village," I deadpanned. "So forgive me if I rather punch him than talk to him."

"He can't be trusted," Ryuu said, his narrowed eyes never leaving Sasuke's form, which was seated a few feet in front of me. From the way some of my friends were looking at Sasuke, I could tell that they agreed. My twin brother's entire body was tense, as if he was ready to attack if the Uchiha took even one step towards me. I didn't doubt for a moment that he would, either. "You shouldn't have brought him here, Scarlett."

"That's just it, Ryuu. I  didn't bring him anywhere. Sasuke  chose to be here and to help all of you. All I did was give him a little push in the right direction," my Doppelganger answered smugly, crossing her arms over her chest. "None of you are going to want to hear this, but he's strong, and that's not a word I use lightly. Whether you like it or not, you need him if you want to win this war." Her crimson eyes flickered back over to me, "Think about this, Minxie."

I tilted my head, tapping my chin thoughtfully. "Thinking... Thinking... And done!" I clasped my hands together, a fake smile on my face. "I just thought it over, and it turns out that I still hate him. So, now that that's been settled, I think I'll just go back to beating the crap out of him."

"Do you have any idea how annoying it is to be around him?" She demanded, all semblances of her calm demeanor gone, replaced by annoyance and irritation. "All you've ever wanted was for him to come back to you, and hello, he's right there! Do you know how much work that took? I didn't suffer through his incessant yelling just for you to waste his strength by fighting with him!"