Shikamaru's Pov
Shikamaru looked over at Lolly as her breathing leveled off, signaling that she was indeed asleep. "So you're Lolly's grandmother?" Fuu asked. Granny Mei shook her head, "No, I'm not her grandmother. Her family is actually a different branch from what branch I'm from. I was in the original Shinjukaze family. However when the branches and all of that started they ended up with the title of Shinjukaze." She explained.
"Do you know what Lolly's looking for?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes, she's looking for the Claveiza, the necklace that holds the unlimited power of our clan. If Soren were to get his hands on it then he would be unstoppable."
"You know about Soren?"
"Know about him? I told the Elder Council never to elect that little brat as the next leader! If I had my way he would've never even seen the Crystal Matrix!"
Shikamaru was a bit taken aback. He didn't think this little old lady could get so worked up. She sure prooved him wrong. However he heard coughing and looked back at Lolly. His eyes widened as he realized that blood was flowing from the corners of her mouth.
"Lolly!" He said in surprise. Immediately Sakura rushed over to try and heal her. As she began to try and find out what was wrong everyone gathered around.
Sakura poured more chakra into her jutsu but Lolly then began to cough up more blood even worse than before. "What are you doing because whatever it is it isn't working!" Fuu cried out as Neji had to hold her back. "I can't find out what's wro- oh god." Sakura said.
Granny Mei then hobbled over and shoved Sakura out of the way. She then put her hand into Lolly's front left pocket and withdrew a bottle of pills. Taking out one she shoved it into Lolly's mouth and then rubbed the young Shinjukaze's throat to make her swallow.
After a few minutes Lolly's coughing soon died down and she was once again fine. "What did you do?" Sakura asked. Granny Mei looked at her, "I fed her, her medicine." She said simply and then produced a rag from nowhere.
"Do me a favor and clean the blood off of her." Granny Mei said and tossed the rag to Shikamaru. He caught it and then quickly began to wipe the blood from her beautiful face.
In a few minutes she was fine and he ran his hand through her hair. That little episode only a few minutes ago scared him half to death. "Please don't ever do that again." He whispered to her and kissed her forehead.
"What happened?" Kakashi asked.
Granny Mei smirked as she looked at them, "It seems that you don't know Lolita as well as you think." She mused.
"Just tell us." Fuu growled.
"Patience little one. It's a miracle that she's even alive."
"How?"
"Don't interrupt!"
"Sorry."
"Before she and her mother left, durring Soren's attempt to take Claveiza, Lolita was watching as her brother began to walk towards her. She had almost no control over her crystal release markings. Which that in itself was remarkable-"
"How so?" Fuu interjected.
Granny Mei glared at her and Fuu nodded her head in a mock apology. Everyone knew that she wasn't sorry but no one seemed to care anyways.
"Only the eldest of each branch of the Shinjukaze Clan is supposed to have the Crystal Relase Markings. The fact that Lolita, the second born had them, meant that Soren was not supposed to lead the clan. However he had touched the Crystal Matrix already. That granted him great power and when Lolita touched it they ended up linked."
"Linked? How?"
Granny Mei shot Fuu another look and Fuu shrugged her shoulders. Shikamaru groaned slightly, he could tell that these two would be at each other's throats the entire time they were here.
"As in that they share power. Soren however is robbing Lolita of hers. So while she weakens he strengthens. They also can sometimes share injuries as well. Now back to what I was originally explaining.
"Because Soren was threatening Lolita when she had no control over her Crystal Realease Markings Lolita ended up performing the Crystal End Jutsu which is a last resort jutsu only. I don't think she knew that she did it but the Crystal End Jutsu will kill the user and coat an area in an eleven foot radius of living crystal that will attack anyone but the user.
"However something went wrong when she used the jutsu and instead of her body suddenly disappearing from existence only half of her organs did. She's lucky that she's even alive. That medicine is the only thing keeping her in this world. Without that she's as good as dead."
The mood turned very sombre as they all looked at Lolly. Shikamaru felt hurt since she kept this from him. If he had known...
Fuu walked over and then gently touched Lolly's stomach only to withdraw her hand with a gasp. She looked at Sakura, "Did you know about this?" She demanded. Sakura shook her head, "I just found out when I was trying to heal her." She replied.
Fuu nodded and then went and sat back in Neji's lap while he curled his arms around her waist. "One more thing though. When Lolly got hurt earlier the cut immediately healed but she put an 'X' over the spot where it once was. What was that about?" Sakura asked.
"This crystal here was created by Lolita. When she is in this eleven foot radius she is invincible. All wounds she recieves will be healed and all of this crystal is at her disposal. However if she steps out of it all of her inflicted wounds will come back ten fold. When she gets hurt she'll mark the spot and then heal them before she leaves."
"How do you know all of this?" Kakashi asked suspiciously.
Granny Mei smiled coyly, "Just because I didn't make my presence known all those years ago didn't mean that I wasn't watching over Lolita until she was away from here."
Shikamaru looked at Granny Mei suspicously. He really didn't like the sound of that. He huddled a bit closer to Lolly but then heard her whimper. He looked over to see that her face was contorting in her sleep. It almost looked like she was yelling at someone or thing.
He reached up and gently took her icy hand in his. He didn't know what was going on in her dreams but he wasn't about to leave her side.
Lolly's Pov
I felt so alone. All around me was darkness that stretched on into what seemed like forever. It was cold here and the feeling of the place was despair and longing. I shivered slightly and went to walk on but suddenly the scene changed again.
Here I was standing in the same wrecked place like before. Then, there standing over me and a few feet away was Sasuke Uchiha. He looked at me with his piercing eyes and I recoiled slightly. "What do you want with me?" I growled.
Sasuke smirked, "You should join me. Together we can accomplish our goals."
"I told you no before."
"You will join me. You are like me more than you care to admit. So come on, together we can help each other."
"If I've told you once I've told you twice. I. Am Not. Like you."
Sasuke smirked and then disappeared and before I knew it he had me pinned against the wall. "You may think that you're not like me but deep down you are." He hissed.
I glared at him and then kicked up my foot. It caught him in the face and he stumbled back. Glaring at me he unsheathed his sword and raced at me. I quickly dodged around his swipes and then aimed a kick at his left leg. He went to block and at the last second I feinted and kneed him in the face.
He flipped back and then made a few hand signs, "Chidori Current!" He called out. Suddenly several tendrills of lightning were coming at me. I quickly dodged them and then made a few hand signs of my own, "Crystal Shockwave!" I yelled out.
Crystal spikes burst up from the ground and caused his Chidori Current to funnel into it. I then raced toward him to punch him when our gazes met and I saw his sharingan. In that instant I stopped moving.
Sasuke smirked and walked over to me, "It was nice playing around. We'll have to do it again sometime in reality." He whispered to me. In the moment that he stopped talking, the landscape and him disappeared.
My eyes snapped open and I burst up. Shikamaru jumped beside me and his hand left mine. I quickly hopped up to my feet and probably would've run too if Shikamaru hadn't hung onto me. "Lolly!" He called out.
It took a few minutes but I eventually calmed down and then I looked at them. More specifically, Granny Mei. "I need it." I told her.
Granny Mei shook her head, "You and I both know that I can't just hand it over to you. You need to earn it." She replied. I felt anger well up inside. Didn't she realize who I was going up against? I sighed and looked at her with near emotionless eyes, "What do I need to do?" I asked.
"That's easy. Just prove that you deserve it more than Soren."
"That doesn't give me a definitive answer!"
"In time it will."
"But I don't have time! Soren grows stronger with each passing moment and the longer I wait to face him the more the chances of my survival weakens!"
Granny Mei looked at me and I knew that she would never bend. I took in a deep breath and then looked at Shikamaru, "Please let go of me."
"Lolly..."
"Please let. Me go."
Shikamaru removed his hands and I walked to the front door, "I'm going to meditate for a bit." I said and then exited the house.
I walked through the silent village until I found the center of the village. Once there I sat down and just relaxed. I felt the power of the crystals reacting to me and I took in a deep breath.
In.... out...
In.... out...
In.... out...
Once I established that rhythm I let my mind connect with the crystal and all at once I was seeing and hearing through the entire compound. It was then that I felt a foreign presence. I zeroed in on it and smirked at who it was. I knew they'd be here before long.
Masamune's Pov
Masamune looked up at the ceiling weakly. His face was itchy from the blood that had dried on his skin but it wasn't like he could move. Soren had once again encased him in crystal. Masamune swore that when he got out of this that he would kill Soren.
However he felt his mind start to ebb away with his strength. He winced slightly but refused to give up. He was bloody and beaten but he wouldn't give up until his life counter hit zero.
The door creaked open and Masamune couldn't see who it was but he knew what time it was. Soren was for the most part a creature of habit. Every day at the same time either he or another person would come in a torture him. Masamune guessed that it was that time.
However when the person came closer Masamune felt surprise go through him. He never thought that she'd be here.
A smirk came to her baby doll pink lips, "It's been awhile but are you ready to get out of here?"
If he could've replied he would have. However she seemed to understand what he was thinking like she always did.
"Close your eyes and hold on tight." She whispered. As Masamune was closing his eyes he never thought he'd be so glad as to see the color pink.
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Kaisa-Chan: That's a wrap!
Masamune: B-but who's gonna save me?
Kaisa-Chan: Haven't you figured it out?
Masamune: *Blushes* No.....
Kaisa-Chan: Can anyone figure it out?
Masamune: Sulks in corner.