Thrown into the Dark

Promise

Soramaru was keeping pace with the group pretty well. He wasn't totally out of breath, and there wasn't much soreness. Sakura had mentioned that the portal he entered through was located. Now, they were going back to it.

Sakura had voted against their current plan, making it clear that Soramaru could very well be killed in the process of sending him home, but the Hokage had used her veto power, declaring that he could also survive the journey between worlds and it had to be done for the safety of the village. He was willing to deal with those odds. If he died, the Orochi would too.

The portal was a a bit far away. To ninja standards it was almost unbelievably close, five and a half miles from the village. Normally the distance would be short for Soramaru as well, but being bedridden for a week did not make the journey easy for him. Still the portal, although bound to one place was hard to track, not a very certain location.

For Soramaru's sake they took a few breaks. "Count on Orochimaru and Kabuto to make something so hard to get to ." Naruto said after taking a swig of water. Soramaru got the feeling that he was not just referencing the portal. "Well, if you're going home, some people will be really relieved to have you back. I'm sure that-"

"Naruto." Soramaru interrupted quietly. Naruto stopped talking and looked at Soramaru. The Kumou's head was down, hiding his eyes. "Thanks for defending me." This thought had been lingering in the back of his mind the whole trip. "But, there's a good chance that my swordsmanship master will kill me when I get there. The Yamainu was made to take down the Orochi. I love my home and the people there. If there is only one way to keep them safe,I'll do it, gladly." Somehow, he couldn't feel okay with leaving before that was off his chest. Naruto nodded. He understood. He would do the same for the leaf village if he had to, after all he wanted to be hokage and it was a hokage's job to keep the village out of harm's way.

They got up and continued on their path to the portal. No words were exchanged on the way there. The silence weighed on them, and was practically tangible. Soramaru traveled in the middle so the ninjas could knock him out in case he lost control of himself at any given moment.

A glowing circle of all colors rested hidden in a bush. "This is it." Sakura said in a hushed voice. They stared at it. At it's center, Soramaru could see a small picture of the forest in Shiga. He could see the birds fly and past a few trees, he could see the tip of the shrine's roof top. "Well," Soramaru began, unsure of what to say. "Thank you." Then, "Good bye." He took a step toward the portal, about to step through when a hand on his shoulder pulled him backwards.

"Listen, Sora," Naruto said. "I understand what you have to do, but promise me that you'll at least see if there's another way." Soramaru promised. Sakura took off her backpack she carried and handed it to him. " We made a map from the portal to the hidden leaf. If you're ever around, you could always come back to visit. I packed some medicine that might help you, and some survival supplies, in case the portal was a long ways away from your home." She said. Soramaru thanked them again and stepped into the portal.

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Travelling between dimensions was a tricky business. Soramaru tumbled over and over. His stomach lurched. When he managed to open his eyes when he was in the portal, they stung. He ended up curling into a ball and hoping he wouldn't puke. The immense and terrifying thrill of weightlessness made him feel sick, there were times that he was surprised that he didn't die of fright right then and there.

The ride ended with him making hard contact with the solid packed earth. The shock and joy of feeling the ground again left him lying on his stomach in awe. He got to his knees and brushed himself off. He wanted to remember this spot. He knew that he was close to the shrine, so he searched the bag that Sakura had given him. A kunai was lying on top of a neatly folded blanket. He stuck the knife deep into the ground to mark the portal. He would remember, if he lived.

Soramaru suddenly realized that he didn't have the luxury of time. He went running to find Sousei. Once again, something deep in his heart twinged at the thought of dying. Naruto had reminded him of how much he wanted to live, but he wanted Shiga to live more than anything. So he made his way to Yamainu headquarters. (Continue with episode 10)

The End

Well, that's all! I hope everyone enjoyed it! Just so you know, I will post a sequel that revolves around Soramaru and Nishiki. It will be called "The Shadows That Follow" or something with the word 'shadow' in it. So, look out for that. Please comment your overall opinion of this story. I crave the feedback. Anyway, REMEMBER TO LAUGH!!!!!