Recappy From the Last Chappy: The man stared forward soullessly with unusual eyes. Around grey irises, his sclera was marked with many ripples. Above those eyes was a shinobi hitaiate with a scratch across four lines; he was one formerly of the Rain Village. Black hoop earrings ran up along the lobes and tops of either ear; plugs pierced horizontally through his nose; and two pikes also pierced through his bottom lip. He wore a black robe with a wide, high collar and artistic red clouds. Bright, spiky orange hair rested on his head.
He was unfazed by Hades' statement. "Taking this path will lead to great pain, and great suffering . . . proceed."
Chapter Eleven: Breaking Through
Days had gone by since the group had departed from the Olympus Coliseum, and Hikari's drawback had passed. For their successful efforts in combating Cerberus, the boys had achieved "Junior Hero" status; apparently, they did not understand what it took to be a "true hero," and consequently could not be dubbed so. They did not let that get them down, though, and were still all smiles in the Gummi.
Hikari sat upright within the Gummi, tabulating her remaining kunai, senbon, shuriken, and other items that she would store in her pouch and holster. They were separated into piles, depending on what they were, and kunai that were too dulled to be of use were set aside separately. She would summon more to be held in the pouch through a scroll in a drawer by the bunk.
She picked up one of the kunai and eyed it closely, checking for wear, tear, or rust. After expelling warm breath onto it, she used the sheet to clean it, and checked again. There were a few small scratches, but for the most part, all she saw was her eyes, brow, and bangs. Satisfied with it, she set it with the pile of useable kunai. As she did so, her eyes fell on her right wrist where a new accessory was present alongside her bracelet of summon gems.
Sora entered the infirmary, grinning widely enough to exhibit nearly each of his pearly whites. He appeared to be absolutely victorious, wearing a brighter expression than she had seen even in Disney Castle. Sitting up in the bed, she turned her head a little and watched as he bounced toward her side; Donald and Goofy lagged not too far behind. Cloud had left not long prior.
"Hiki! We did it-we beat Cerberus!" he jeered, coming up on her side. Putting his hands on his knees, he leveled his face with hers and asked, "Are you okay? We saw Cloud carry you out."
She lifted her head a little, looking him in the eye. Those bright blues-though of a slightly different shade-reminded her of Naruto then; she flinched a little in response, but responded lightly, "I'll live." She turned her head and looked away.
He beamed brightly and teased, "Hee hee. Looks like I'm stronger than you now."
Her yellow eyes glanced toward him. "No, I wouldn't say that. I wore down Cerberus, and you had help afterwards. I'd call it a . . . fluke, at best."
He frowned. It was more than that; he had beaten the dog when she could not. Pouting, he muttered, "It wasn't a fluke . . . !"
Hikari pretended that she had not heard him. She spoke a little louder, intending not to sound condescending, but to make sure he heard her. "On the other hand-," he perked up a little; she looked at him, "-the tournament . . . that was not a fluke, was it? Up until Not-Naruto . . . hn . . . not bad."
Tickled pink, the brunette smiled once again, feeling warmth in his heart. "Oh!" From his pocket, he procured something small enough to be shielded from her view as he took her wrist; the movement made her wince. "This was left behind when we defeated him. It looks like Brave Warrior, which I don't think I could've done the tournament without." He slipped an Inferno Band on her wrist; it was much like Brave Warrior, being simple, but had a rose tinge to it. "Since you were totally owned by Cerberus, I thought it might help you in your recovery-and in future battles."
The yellow-eyed girl continued looking at the Inferno Band on her wrist as he let her hand rest in her lap.
"Um . . . Hiki?"
The girl glanced up from her wrist, wearing a small smile as a result of the reverie. Sora was standing in the doorway and rubbing the back of his head, seemingly discomforted by something. Realizing that she had been staring into space and that she wore a sweet grin, she looked back down at her weaponry and began putting good kunai into the pouch.
"What is it? Donald get us lost?"
The brunette shook his head. Truthfully, he did not know whether or not they were on course; the duck had been insistent that he was not lost, but they had well surpassed their Estimated Time of Arrival. That was not his reason for coming to her, however.
"Then what?" She paused. "If you're having boy issues, I might be the only other human on this Gummi, but I'm not exactly familiar with them."
A furious suffusion colored his cheeks and his shoulders tensed with embarrassment. He clenched his fists. "NO, it's not anything like that!" He uncurled his hands and averted his eyes, blushing still. Awkwardly, he scratched the back of his head. "Howwww . . . are you?"
The final shuriken to be holstered remained in her hand, a momentary hesitation before she put it in its place. Angling her head in inquiry, she commented, "I'm confused. I've been able to move for a couple days. Why would you ask me that?"
"Well, Jiminy told us what you said to Cloud, and . . . y'know, we thought maybe. . . ." He trailed off, losing his train of thought. Turning his head toward her, he placed his hand on his chest and said, "You know, if something's bothering you, ever, you don't have to go through it alone." He shook his head. "I. . . . We're here for you."
There. That should have done the trick. His words were sincere, completely truthful and from his heart; however, he had also hoped that saying them would touch her heart and aide him in his small side-mission to make her feel more like part of the group.
Her expressionless countenance did not waver; the membrane to Hikari's "heart" was untouched. "Nice sentiments. Not necessary, though. Truthfully, I find it strange that you'd even ask, since I'd obviously already talked to someone, according to your source. What do you care, anyway?" She set aside her pouch and began holstering shuriken.
He was visibly taken aback; shock and awe was written all over his face. Forget that she was unfazed-there was a prominent aching in his chest, bitten by her query. The loss for words was plain, but fleeting. "I. . . . Wh . . . what? We're-what do you mean? C'mon, Hiki! Stop kidding around!"
"I can't stop what I haven't started, can I? It's impossible. I really don't understand; why you care enough about me, that is, to say that." She looked down; the clip on her holster did not wish to close. "You seem to care about me too much, under the circumstances."
It was obvious to anyone with eyes that he was hurt; he stared at her with an open mouth and furrowed brow. Fury mixed with that expression, both from the harsh and rather nasty expressions she used as well as his confusion as to wherefore she was acting so. He clicked his tongue. "Because we're FRIENDS!"
A tear in the membrane was made; her hands immediately stopped moving. More earnestly, and almost melancholy as compared to her previous speech, she said, "Sora-that's where you're wrong. We're not friends. I don't have friends." She paused and looked down, her lips, pursing minutely. "I-can't-have friends. . . ."
Sora clenched his jaw and turned his hands to fists. He was blinking wide eyes rapidly, stepping back. With more conviction, he said, "Well, if that's how you feel-!"
"It is what I know. We're just allies, on the same side. Not-friends."
He clicked his tongue and snapped, "-Fine! Then we aren't!-," before he about-faced and left. His teeth grit against one another as his chest seemed to ache twice-fold, more than it should have. There was a crack, but it did not feel like it was his heart. A breaching of some sort, a feeling that was not his, it stayed with him anyway. His feelings of anger brushed those intruding aside.
The girl's eyes remained lowered during his exit, glancing to the side without moving her head. She pinched her fingers and finally fixed the clip of her holster. Silently, she began strapping it to her thigh. Those without hearts can't make such relations, isn't that right? And I'd never made friends even when I had one. "But he. . . ."
Akamaru trotted into the room and jumped onto the bed, climbing onto her lap. As if trying to comfort her, he set his front paws on her chest and began to bathe her face affectionately. She lifted her head and held his side to clear her face from the assault. Her eyes were shut, but there was a small, almost-smile on her face.
"Hn. And you . . . no matter what I say, or what I do . . . hmph. Dumb dog." Gently she moved him so her face was out of his reach. The affection was mutual as she scratched behind both of his ears and he reached his tongue to lick the inside of her forearm. "You have to know about my lack of heart, there's just no way you don't. . . . Animals sense that kind of thing. But for three years, you've stuck by me. I don't know why, and I guess it doesn't matter, isn't that right?"
The bridge of her nose touched his, cold and wet. Once he licked the tip of hers. "You've stuck by me for three years, and I've stuck by you. He doesn't know. I haven't gone out of my way to act nice to him that I recall. . . . True, since I've met him the reappearances of my emotions are more common, but does that mean there's a connection? I dunno, boy." She straightened and wiped her face, clearing it of slobber, but kept the other scratching behind his ear.
The Gummi slowed to an abrupt halt. Hikari lowered her arm and looked toward the cockpit. "There now? Guess I should take the wheel for the landing. Come on boy."
Akamaru followed her into the cockpit area where Donald sat in the pilot's seat holding onto the steers. Goofy sat in his seat, watching Sora and the duck bicker over the seat's back. The Keybearer was standing behind the pilot's seat, regarding the flora-heavy world before them.
"Riku and Kairi might be down there," he said, looking at the duck. Despite stalking from a conversation he had been rather upset about, he seemed to have somewhat calmed; an assumption Hikari would soon see was false as he said more strongly, "Let's just check it out."
"Forget it!" Donald replied sharply. "We're on an important mission!"
"Just land!" Sora's fist hit the top of the chair.
"No!"
"Come on!"
"Aw, phooey!"
Donald began to steer away from Deep Jungle. Goofy and Hikari were silently watching the quarrel, the former with concern whereas the latter was in speculation. The mission they were on was important, which was true; from what she understood, the grounds were a smidgen vague at the moment: combat the Heartless, stick with the Key.
The yellow-eyed teen took a step forward. "We shouldn't have navigation information for anywhere else; this is the best place to stop. Who knows what's lurking in that jungle? The King wouldn't think it beneath him to check it out-"
"We're landing!" Impatiently, the brunette lunged for the steers, knocking them in the direction opposite of where the duck had directed, causing the Gummi to violently lurch. Hikari braced herself against what normally was Sora's chair while Akamaru slid across the floor; Sora was also holding onto Donald's chair, whereas the occupant and Goofy simply grabbed their armrests with wide eyes.
Holding either side of his head, where feathers were ruffled to appear mangled, the duck yelled, "Don't touch that! Nooo!"
Sora and Donald continued to bicker over the controls, the former having more advantage with them actually being in his hands, and the Gummi was making a rocky turn toward Deep Jungle. In their war of elbows, pushing, and shoving, Sora pushed a button, and with a grand twirl, the Gummi barreled in an ungracious descent toward the treetops.
[{X♥X}]
Overlooking Elephant Falls was a high, grey promontory consisting of almost full rock. Two black-furred gorillas sat there just outside lush, chartreuse foliage. One gorilla held the fist and arm of the other, appearing to take great amusement in forcing it to punch itself repeatedly. The latter seemed to take no action against this, made silly by the repetitive motion.
Their amused grunts were joined by the occasional trumpet of the rust-hided elephants conversing with one another casually. Some of the younger ones seemed to be playing with younger animals of different, non-carnivorous species.
A feral feline's snarl broke jungle foliage, scaring a flock of birds into the sky. The canopy and leaves rustled with sound and movement. Although the wildcat's growls, grumbles, snarls, and yowls were more preeminent, a deep, almost gruff adolescent male voice grunted, growled, and gasped. Sometimes, that voice copied an animalistic language in reply.
The figure of a fifteen-year-old boy dashed back from the trees, sliding onto the lake's surface. His stance was rather bestial for a human; on all fours, forearms crossed in front, he was crouched low toward the water's surface.
Jumping from the cover after him was a fully grown black panther, snarling with its chops pulled back from its sharp, white fangs. It stalked by the water's edge, meeting the boy's scrutiny with slit green eyes. The boy also followed its movements. In a language not human, he said, "I'm not gonna be anyone's snack today. Beat it!"
The panther flicked its tail and snarled, crouching a little.
The boy hunkered lower, stretching his arms out wide. "Alright, you asked for it!" he muttered with a smirk and sprang forward, spinning in an extremely quick fashion. A long, grey blur, he rotated toward the panther and connected, bringing the feline from its feet and tearing into its flesh with his claws.
The gorillas on the ledge now watched in awe and anticipation, seeming to cheer in favor of the human like he was familiar to them; at the same time, they seemed wary of his strange fighting techniques. The elephants had scampered away through a pass sided with rock cliffs the moment the panther had appeared, trumpeting in fear.
The panther's snarls, cries, and whines were shrill as the boy redirected his attack a few times, managing to turn and strike it multiple times. When Piercing Fang was complete, he rebounded to the water's surface, almost immediately rushing forward to claw the panther once more. The panther was hit and swept its own claws at him in retaliation, but the brunette narrowly dodged.
Backing away from its intended prey, the carnivore hissed at him, carmine liquid streaming along its black-furred flanks. Before it could be attacked once more, it retreated between two trees and through their canopy of leaves.
Behind him, the boy heard a loud splash, bringing him to swivel and jump back a little. Wildly, his slit pupils searched the area surrounding him, and his nose twitched in search of a scent. Most of the whiffs were familiar ones, belonging to animals native to the land and several scent markings-some belonging to other males, some his own-on arbitrary trees. Another was less so.
When he looked at the water's surface again, two hands were breaking through the membrane, laying their palms flat as if using it to manipulate a placement of mass. Shortly, a female torso emerged with pallid skin and wet, darker-than-black hair that draped over the front of her face. Dripping wet, she brought up her leg on top of the water and pushed, standing upright. Like him, she stood atop the water as if it were earth.
Preparing to fight, he stood with his feet shoulder-width apart and rocked back and forth, hunched just a little. His nose wrinkled from a potent stench resembling the darkness of a Pureblood Heartless, but it was a little fainter and a smidgen different-yet not too different. This made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle.
It was an instinct he would trust.
The boy charged toward Hikari as she parted her bangs, revealing to him "heartless" eyes. When she realized that he was coming toward her, she quickly dashed back, dodging his attempt to claw across her stomach; she did the same when he continued with a barrage of them. What's with this guy?
In the bombardment of clawing, he suddenly flipped forward and then kicked from the water's surface, catching her off-guard. Before her arms could be positioned to defend accordingly, the boy head-butted her stomach, and she released a grunt before being launched into the air.
He came around behind her and lifted both of his legs, poising to kick her back. Prior to what seemed to be the inevitable occurrence, Hikari stretched back her arms and grabbed him by the front of his fishnet muscle shirt. While she threw him over her, she arched into a ball, ensuring that he would simply sail over her back. As soon as he was clear, she straightened and twisted, throwing him toward the rocky wall.
A gruff sound and the smarting expression on his tanned face told her that he had collided strongly. He appeared to be around her age, fitting in this setting as he was almost uncultivated in countenance. Mostly what she noted, for the brief time in which he was falling back to the water, were untamed, spiky brunette locks and red, fang-like markings painted over most of his cheeks. His canines were defined, and his nails were in fact more like claws.
Hikari glanced at her wrist decorated by accessories. The summon gems sparkled in the jungle daylight, and Inferno Band glinted delicately. Briefly, she dared to consider using the gems; perhaps not the one marked with "Guts," as it had brought along with it some terrible side-effects, but the one marked with the Branch Hyuuga's Curse had not harmed her thus far, even when she had tested it whilst idle inside the Gummi.
Well, aside from the fact that she would suffer a migraine if it was activated too long, that is. I'll save it for a bit, and only if necessary.
They both ran towards one another; the boy appeared to have crossed more water when they clashed again. She ducked beneath his claws and brought up the base of her palm to connect beneath his chin, forcing his head back. She swiveled and brought up her leg to kick his chest, but he grabbed around her ankle with both arms and lifted her off her feet.
Carefully, as they were still on top of water, he sunk to lie on his back and kept her above him. Smirking at her surprised expression, he curled up to bring his legs just under her and kicked her with great force in both feet at her stomach; the impact was dually significant for he had chakra concentrated to the soles of his feet still from when he had been standing on water.
The kunoichi was kicked into the air as she winced and coughed up blood. The carmine liquid trailed from her lips, and seemed to bring the boy some satisfaction; his smirk bared his canines as he crouched with his forearms crossed in front of one another. She noticed that he had sharp eyes with mere slits for iris and pupil in either one, furthering his bestiality.
Eyes. Quickly she formed the supplementary seal and touched the Byakugan gem, summoning its power. Her irises paled to lavender-white as her pupils glazed over. Veins puffed around her eyes as total sureness for the power she was to wield filled her.
Piercing Fang! The boy sprang up and began spinning rapidly like he had versus the panther some time before. The long, grey blur headed toward Hikari, uncovering a bone buried in her memory. Not allowing that to distract her, however, she leaned forward and released chakra from every pore on her body. When the boy's assault nearly struck, she spun similarly to a ballerina, and that chakra manifested into a spherical shield surrounding her.
The brunette's Piercing Fang was diverted and ceased, for some of his chakra points had been afflicted. The sclera around his eyes had become even more evident in his shock as he stared at her in open-mouthed surprise.
Hikari stopped spinning and descended toward the ground, landing on solid earth that was the pass between the rocky cliffs. She watched with the byakugan eyes as he back-flopped into the water. Taking a moment, she combed through her bang, feeling that her still dampened hair was getting ready to flop over the entire right side of her face; next, she took up the stance which felt natural to her solely due to the certainty passed on by the stone.
The boy with fangs' head resurfaced before long; dripping wet, he shook out his hair like a sodden dog. The eyes he looked at her with were the same, only different; still they were sharp and animalistic, but there was a different emotion behind them.
Standing idly, Hikari watched him as he practically dog-paddled over, for some reason not being able to take those astonished eyes off her. The look he was giving her significantly resembled recognition, but it was clouded in ambiguity; even so, nearly all of that was eclipsed with an unmistakable hope.
Hikari's stance softened, though she found the expression quite odd. There was no way he could recognize her-he did not know her in this façade, nobody did. That look was definitely being misplaced. . . .
He continued looking at her that way even as he climbed out of the lake, standing a few feet in front of her. His eyes expressed even more uncertainty; however, one could see the scarlet tint in his tanned face. Continuing forward despite her raised guard, he swallowed and stared.
The countenance conjured in his mind had become more vague with the time that had passed since he had last seen it truthfully. He tried comparing it to the girl before him. Dark hair, and light eyes; these were the characteristics unquestionably shared; though he thought the hair was supposed to have a little pigment in it instead of being completely dark, and he at once would have sworn that her eyes should not have been yellow-of all colors! But the bloodline expressed otherwise. . . .
"You're starting to creep me out, Kiba," she said. "Speak already, will ya?"
Bearing an ever-present fanged grin, caution was thrown to the wind and he took her by surprise when he tackled her in an abrupt, messy embrace. "Hinata! No way-I can't believe it's you! Yahoo! I finally found you!"
"Oof!" The yellow-eyed teen's byakugan deactivated itself as she took a few steps back, hardly able to keep her ground as he squeezed her tightly. Had she even the desire to, she would not have been able to return the embrace for her hands were squished against his chest.
She could feel the dangerous proximity of his claws on her back and arms; also as they receded to normal, human fingernails. Any other change to come of him as he stopped his Four-Legged Technique, she could not see since he held her in such away that she was looking straight past him.
Eyes widened and her mouth in a straight line, she pushed Kiba and held him away at arm's length by his shoulders. His features were more civil now-for instance his hair, though hardly kempt, became a bit tamer, and his "fangs" became simply pronounced canines. Arms still feeling the warmth of his embrace, she looked him straight in the eye.
"I'm not Hinata. I don't know if she's okay. I've only run into a few people from our world, and she wasn't one of them."
Her words held no warmth; they were clear, concise, and cold, sending a chill down Kiba's spine. A breeze hitting his wet skin amplified that cold. His disappointment was made plain by the dumbstruck expression on his fang-marked face. Closing her mouth, Hikari lowered her hands from his shoulders to her sides, softening her expression a smidgen.
Kiba's face burned scarlet as he looked away, trying to conceal his shame in making the mistake. When he spoke, it was with a wry smile. "I see. . . . So, how do you know my name? I'd almost forgotten what it sounded like when a human said it."
As if it were obvious, she stated, "I know you. And I have to say, I'm for some reason not surprised that you ended up in a place like this after the ninja world was destroyed. It's quite suiting, don'tcha think?"
He snorted. "I meant 'who are you'?"
"My name's Hikari. Hikari Uzumaki. . . . Most people call me 'Hiki,' nowadays." With a light note of sarcasm, she added, "Thanks for the nickname, by the way. I hated people calling me that even before I found out what a 'hickie' was."
He cracked a grin of mischief, recognizing the event, but his gaze was diverted to the trees. His brow furrowed in thought as he sifted through remembrance. Many years back his mind tried to recollect, farther than the three years; he knew her better, after all, from when they were in the advent years of the Academy. The image of himself, Akamaru, Naruto, and two other boys hopping out of the classroom window to play hooky was clear as day to him, but the girl following for some reason was very vague. . . .
Crossing his arms and tilting his head, he walked toward her, bringing his face very close to hers. Hikari straightened and tilted back a little on her heels, finding the distance between them too minuscule; he was definitely breaching the boundary most civil people respected. She faltered, letting one foot step back to keep her balance.
Getting a closer look at the shape of her face shed some light, and he could see a black-haired, yellow-eyed girl; even so, he could not shake off the feeling that it was not a hundred percent veritable. In his heart he began to trust that she was who she said, but something still did not feel quite right.
Backing up a little, he uncrossed his arms and scratched the back of his head. "You'd think I'd remember what an old friend looked like, huh? Especially one with eyes like yours. . . . You lose your heart or something?" He laughed.
She straightened and stood normally. Since he was laughing, she assumed that the comment about her heart was a joke; that was not the part that had caught her attention. "Old friend" . . . ? He thought of me as a friend? "You're not the only one that forgot; Sakura didn't recognize me right away, either. I just have one of those forgetful faces, I guess." She shrugged a shoulder.
"Yeah, I guess so. . . . Wait a minute-," he wore a quizzical expression, "-if you're not Hinata or a Hyuuga, how come you can use the byakugan?"
Lifting her arm, she let him see the gems dangling from her wrist. "Summon gems. I don't know much about them, but they let me borrow someone else's power if I mingle my chakra with theirs inside-not without drawbacks, though." She lowered her arm. "The Cheshire Cat didn't tell me much besides that."
"Uh-huh. . . ." Kiba seemed to accept that answer and scratched his scalp once more; from it he pulled a small tick. He eyed it like a child did broccoli; at the same time, he seemed a little disappointed, as well. Ticks taste funny. Without a second thought, he flicked it away.
"Have you seen Naruto?"
He shook his head. "Nobody. The only humans here are the people that came to study the gorillas and Tarzan-they're natives to this world."
"Mm." She turned away from him. "Sora crashed our Gummi, so I have some allies scattered around here. I should find them."
Kiba nodded. "Hey, wait-if Tarzan found any of them, he'd take them back to the Porters'. He was raised in this jungle, and sometimes wanders, so the chance's pretty high. I'll take you there; maybe you'll meet up with someone."
"I see. Maybe."
He grinned and led her into the jungle's undergrowth. She followed sans hesitation.
Something within her chest stirred as she watched Kiba's back, but did not bother to check for a heartbeat-these stirrings were occurring so often that she knew for a fact nothing would be there. She had come to a realization that she had ignored until now.
Kiba was Akamaru's true owner; a best friend, a comrade, a companion with a heart that contained fond memories of them together from when the boy was but a child, and the dog a pup. Hikari, on the other hand, was simply present when no one else had been; a heartless girl that presented back-handed or wry affection-if any. It was no different than Sora's apparent attachment to her because she was the first face after his world had been dilapidated; to Akamaru, she was the sole "familiar" face.
The moment Akamaru found Kiba, or Kiba found Akamaru, she would lose him. The companion to whom she could not whole-heartedly be kind, who had stuck by her despite that she was without a heart, despite that she called him "dumb" or teased him. The stirring was diminutive, but authentic, something like a feeling. It was like she was feeling . . . bereft.
Her gaze averted from Kiba's figure, looking along the jungle floor for a small ball of white fur. Where did you end up?
[{X♥X}]
Four late-adolescence figures dashed through the undergrowth of Deep Jungle, kicking off the branches of trees and sailing over the floor. Sometimes they would encounter vines, but were not hindered by them; the tendril-laden ropes simply brushed aside for them when coming in contact.
One of them took roost on a branch, crouching with one of his six arms bracing against that branch, as well. The three other figures followed suit; one with what appeared to be a second person's head of silver hair protruding from the head of his spine stood on a higher branch; a female with long, reddish pink hair and a heavyset male stood on a branch near the first.
"What would anybody be doing in a backwater place like this?" remarked the many-limbed one with a sneer. Before them, in an opening of the trees, one could see a waterfall pour into a peaceful lake. "The Heartless don't even bother."
Above him, the silver-haired boy snorted as his green-painted lips curled to flash white teeth. He stood casually with his arms crossed. "We should just annihilate it-stir up some trouble in this pathetic place."
He twisted his neck to regard him. "Calm down Sakon."
The portly one spoke up. "We didn't come here for the world."
Next to him, the girl stood with one hand on her hip and the other resting against the trunk of the tree. "Shut up, fatso. No one asked you."
"I said calm down, Tayuya," spoke the first as he twisted to look at her. "You do remember our mission, don't you?"
Tayuya narrowed her eyes at him. "Tch."
The dark-skinned, many-limbed shinobi looked forward again. Some of the sun's rays broke through the leaves and glinted off of the hitaiate across his forehead decorated with a musical eighth note. "We've got a special guest to escort. By force, if necessary." Once more, he looked back toward them over his shoulder. "Either way, we've got to bring her back alive."
The other three did not respond. Taking it as concession, the Sound nin proceeded forward once more, shortly followed by his cohorts.
End of Chapter Eleven
Next Time in When Darkness turns to Light! Chapter Twelve: Born to Be Wild
She had the voice and the face of an angel. Cool, peaceful and innocent blue eyes regarded him, shaded partly by bangs colored the same vibrant red as roses. Her hair was short, presenting her youth, and light blooms on her cheeks made her face glow pink. As one hand balanced her on the branch against the trunk, the other was held in front of her mouth.
"I don't think I've ever seen you so . . . naked before . . . ," she remarked, discomfited.
[{X♥X}]
I had a lot of trouble with this chapter; both because of the part with Kiba, and the end XD I must've rewritten the Kiba part five times! At first, it was rushed, then he wasn't impulsive enough; then I decided they needed to have a little sparring session and I struggled with that before I took a look at Narutopedia and learned what his fighting style was (then had to figure out what the heck capoeira was XD) THEN, when I was STILL having trouble . . . I remembered that I have like, all the North America-released Naruto: Ultimate Ninja games *sweat drop* Anyway, voila! Good in the end, ne?
Oh, and I don't doubt most of you captured some possible canon-couple allusions. . . . Well, I'd decided I wanted a little more romance in this story and kept meaning to ask for requests (or suggestions, rather, as under the circumstances some won't be possible) of couplings-mostly fluff if I do them-that can either be NarutoXNaruto, KHXKH, or KHXNaruto (:P If possible!) Soooo tell me, if you'd like! No poll for this one, if ya want it, tell me in a review or message me :D!
So when you review, feel free to say whatever about the chapter, what you liked and disliked and you can tell me about couplings-as previously stated. Also, if you have any theories on certain things that I don't want to directly state here, or things you've been wondering about, you can state or ask :D Of course, I most likely won't give a nod or shake, but it's good for me as an author to know if I'm presenting as much information as I think XD Or if I'm being too obvious. . . .
'Til next time, au revoir! God bless! Please vote and comment