Kikiyo, a Naruto Adventure

Chapter 11: The Between

Hey, everyone sorry the last chapter ended sadly, this one isn't sad promise. Read, enjoy:)
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I awoke to blinding light. Lost, I must have been lost. Where was I, wasn't I on a bridge? I sat up and looked at what I had been laying on, a mirror? The floor was glass, but as I touched my reflection with my finger tips, it rippled like water. Where the heck was I? Standing up I noticed I was wearing a long white kimono and my feet were bare. "Hello!?" I yelled into the emptiness of the white walled place. No one answered, not even an echo. After a few more tries, I walked for what felt like ages, as I grew restless, a door appeared. I reached for the knob and entered, suddenly I was in a field of flowers and trees. My hair blew about in the wind. Under a cherry blossom tree I saw a man sitting on a bench, and watching a lake. I ran behind the man and slowed upon approach to speak, "Excuse me sir, I mean not to bother you, I seem to have lost my way, an..." As I was reaching for his shoulder he spoke causing me to drop my extended hand, "I've been expecting you child."

The man turned with a smile, I gasped and dropped to my knees, "Sage-sama, please forgive me for bothering you!" I said quickly not taking my eyes from the ground. "Rise Kikiyo, descendants of Tuachi, the first Siada. Please join me on the bench." He said patting the seat next to him, i did as instructed. For a long while there was silence, we watched the cherry blossoms petals hit the water of the lake in front of us. "Excuse me, my lord but what is this place? Is this heaven.... Am I really dead?" I asked hoping maybe I was only dreaming. He was silent and looked as though he was searching for words to say, when he found them he spoke at length. "You're not dead, well fully at least, you are in a place we call 'the between' it's the place between the world of the living and heaven." I thought for a moment and asked another question, "How can I be here? I accepted death, sure I would like to believe none of this is real but I embraced the idea." He again spoke, "Everything and everyone passes through this place, regardless of the acceptance of death. Most just cross over quickly going to either heaven or hell and don't remember their time here. You are here because the guardian wolf spirit inside you wants you to remain in the world of the living while your soul wants to move on." I ponder this for a time, I wanted to speak but knew not what to say.

Moments passed before I finally found the words, "I'm so tired my lord, there is nothing left for me in that world... My family is waiting for me are they not?" "Yes and no, they long for you to come into their embrace but understand you have unfinished business, I have planned for you in the land of the living. There is also someone you made a promise to. To protect that young lover of yours." My eyes turned sad and I looked at my feet. He sighed and stood extending his hand and I took it. We walked over to the lake and suddenly it was a window to the world I had come here from. "That young man, Inari, you saved him from sadness, now the only loss he knows is yours, he is watching as Kakashi and Sasuke carry you away. And look there, your best friends Sakura and Naruto are mourning you, crying for your leaving. And those two, want nothing more than to be like you, caring and a friend to everyone. Kakashi, he's feeling a pain no parent should, the loss of a child. He won't sleep properly ever again most likely, he might give up the life of the shinobi. And that one.. Sasuke, your greatest of friends, your lover, he has died even more inside and his hunger for revenge has grown ten fold. He will fall into great darkness without you." I watched the scene before me in great sadness and silence as he spoke again, "In the end the choice is yours to return or follow me. I will grant you two things should you return though. Knowledge and one other thing." I looked at him puzzled and then back to the water. My eyes traveled from Sasuke to my dad and I could feel the tears spilling onto my cheeks as they set me down in Tazuna's house. I smiled I knew what I had to do, "I don't think I'll be joining you my lord." He smiled and messed up my hair. "I thought you might say that, the first thing, in your life you will come here three times, now, once more where I will give you a great gift and your final time, passing into heaven. The last thing I give you is this..." He placed a hand on my stomach and I felt a tingle. When he removed it, I looked at him questioningly and he smiled and nodded. "Not soon but upon your eighteenth year. And even then I can't promise for sure just yet. Pray and hope." Understanding finally, I smiled big and hugged him tightly, he returned it in kind. "Until I see you again my lord."

I ran through the same door I'd entered and sat straight up in the land of the living, gasping for air. Everyone looked on shocked and Inari jumped into my arms crying, "golden eyes you're alive." I held him and he whimpered into my shoulder. "I promised I wouldn't leave you alone didn't I?" He pulled away and smiled. The next to attack were Naruto and Sakura, "I knew you'd be alright Dattebayo!" Said Naruto through sobs. "You're to much of a hard ass to give up that easy." Says Sakura with tears in her eyes. They stepped back as Tazuna and his daughter put their hands on my shoulders and welcomed me back. The next was my father who simply looked at me, before falling to his knees by me, resting his head in my lap and letting tears fall. This was the first and probably last time any of us would see him show this kind of emotion, everyone knew it was never to be spoken of again. "I thought I'd lost you." he said with a shutter. "Never papa." he huged me tightly and stood.

My eyes went to Sasuke who looked to be in shock still. Papa saw this and silently signaled for everyone to leave the room and they did as instructed. With the shutting of the door Sasuke collapsed in front of me, caressed my face as if trying to determine if I was real, upon feeling my now warm skin, he pulled me into a tight embrace and I returned it. I cried into his neck for a long time and I felt a single tear fall from his eye onto my shoulder. His voice broke and my heart did at hearing his words, "Just when I felt myself falling into that pit of darkness, my light came back." He pulled away and came back in to kissed me deep and hard on the lips. I returned the kiss, after a while air became a necessity and I pulled away both of us breathing heavily. There was a tingling in my womanhood but I chose to ignore it.. Just in time too, because the others walked in. "Sasuke-kun, I saw the sage of six paths." His eyes opened wide as did everyone else's and they nodded for me to continue. I didn't want to tell them that I would be dying again in our life time so I went on to the better part. "He gave me a gift before I returned." Feeling slightly embarrassed I only touched my stomach. They all looked puzzled at first before it dawned on all of them. "You mean?" my father asked quietly. I smiled and nodded, "yes, he lifted the jutsu. I may have children one day.. Unfortunately the same damage done to my sister may have befallen me. He only told me to pray and hope." They all smiled at me and congratulated me. I smiled looking from face to face before landing on Sasuke who gave a small smile and blushed slightly, turning away so no one would see.

We left the next day early in the morning. Everything was packed and Naruto and Inari fought one last time. We began to walk out of town.The bridge was finished and was our way out of the village. We began to walk away when I heard Inari call me by my special name, "golden eyes wait!" He and Tazuna ran to catch up with us, stopping us in our tracks. Inari jumped into my arms and I held him tight. "Don't forget me, golden eyes." I squeezed tight and told him I wouldn't. I put him down and we again continued walking. Suddenly a thought hit me and I turned to yell getting their attention, "Hey Tazuna! I told you there was no such thing as a lost cause." I waved and he smiled and returned my wave. Now I could go home and rest knowing that I changed not one but several lives. "Man I could use some ramen." Naruto grumbled and Sakura hit him on the head. I looked at my friends to see them all smiling, even Sasuke. Then I smiled bigger, and thought to myself...

More importantly though,several people have changed mine.

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Okay so kinda lied about the last chapter being the last bridge chapter. Sorry, not sorry