She knew she must keep very still while she waited. There was a sharp wind buffeting up the rise, and she tottered precariously behind the bush she'd chosen to hide behind. But the shadow of the leaves above would not protect her if the wind blew her from her hiding place. She stiffened, stilling her body. The full moon hung like a silver coin in the sky, and it granted her just enough light to see by. Settling back on her haunches, she froze as footsteps crunched in the snow below the rise. The forest went silent, as if all the night owls were holding their breaths in anticipation.
Ooh, you better get him! Her Dragon Spirit, Natsukashii, roared inside her consciousness. Tsuyoi could barely restrain herself from snorting a cloud full of smoke in irritation. Natsukashii's excitement reverberated through her, and she was starting to succumb to her resident Dragon Spirit's wild demeanor.
Calm down, you big dummy. I can't let him see us yet, she thought back. She froze, then pondered her last statement. Ever since Naruto Uzumaki, a strange shinobi who'd wandered into Liodito a week ago and knocked into a row of domino events in Tsuyoi's life, she'd realized how much Natsukashii was a part of her--or rather, they were a part of each other. Two separate beings joined in one body. She snorted softly. She was just glad Natsukashii was trapped in her body, not the other way around.
Then her ears pricked. He was coming closer.
Get him! Natsukashii's overwhelming urge to pounce surged through her.
Noroi! She gritted her teeth. Quiet!
She peeked through the leaves. Naruto was walking toward her, concern creasing his face. "Hey! Where did you go?" He called, cupping his hands around his mouth.
His yelling sent a large barn owl flying up into the sky, rustling the trees above. She tensed, and she could feel Natsukashii crouch down inside her, wriggling with excitement. The Dragon Queen grinned, finally letting Natsukashii's longing over take her. With a snarl, she leaped from behind the bush, crashing into his legs and sending him tumbling down the hill.
"Tsuyoi!" He yelped. He grabbed her arms, struggling to get her beneath him. Tsuyoi fought back, twisting so he couldn't get a good grip on her. They rolled and rolled and finally collapsed at the foot of the hill into a bank the snow sending a flurry up into the night sky.
"I got you," Tsuyoi gasped, looking down at him with a massive grin stretched across her face. She'd pinned him beneath her. Again. Her sharp canines glinted in the moonlight. Naruto blinked and then tried to wiggle away, laughing. "No moving! I have to claim my prize first." She closed her eyes. "Forbidden Earth Dragon's Scorpion Tail," she mumbled, feeling the familiar tug in her tailbone. A reptilian tail, covered with black scales, protruded from the base of her back, and she whipped it around, smiling wickedly.
Naruto went pale. "W-what are you doing with that?" He stammered, beginning to struggle again.
"Be still, moron," she scoffed. "I won't kill you. Unless you give me the last takoyaki!" She held the sword-sharp tip of her tail against his throat.
"Okay, okay," he grumbled. "I wanted it for myself. And you're probably squishing it, 'cause it's in my pack." He gave an explanatory wiggle for emphasis.
Tsuyoi smiled. "I don't care about the takoyaki."
"Then what do you care about?"
She smiled even wider, a sad look in her eye. "You."
His eyes widened. "What d-do you mean by that?" He asked, a blush rising in his face.
Her eyes softened a little. "I care about you 'cause your my friend, orokana." She grinned and moved her arm away, letting him sit up. "Now will you share that last takoyaki with me? I'm hungry."
"Hungry? You bought every takoyaki on the merchant's stand!" Naruto nudged her playfully, then reached into his pack and pulled out the much-desired snack, and they split it, sitting among the glowing fireflies and the owls. Tsuyoi's green hair, which had fallen loose of its braid from their scuffle fell over her shoulder and she brushed it aside as they talked.
Tsuyoi couldn't help but stare at Naruto as he spoke, admiring his bright blue eyes that sparkled under the moonlight, and his yellow hair, the likes of which she had never seen before meeting him. He paused to bite into his takoyaki and looked up at her, into her eyes, and she flushed but didn't look away.
Go on, Natsukashii urged. Tell him. You don't have much time now. Tell him while you can.
Tsuyoi sighed. She could feel it in the air, the tension. It was as heavy and thick as the snow around them.
"Naruto," Tsuyoi said, smiling despite the crack in her voice. "Come here."
He leaned forward, confused. She gingerly placed her hands on either side of his face and pulled him close, touching her forehead to his.
"What is it? Are you okay?"
"Naruto." Tears filled her eyes. "Yowai was right. I do love you."
"Tsuyoi...I..."
"You don't have to say anything," Tsuyoi whispered back. "I'm going to be dead by tomorrow anyway."
"No!" Naruto pulled away from her and grabbed her hands. "Stop talking like that! I promised I wouldn't let you die! Why don't you just trust me?"
"Why should I? Everyone I've ever known has abandoned me!" She noticed snow had started to fall.
"Because I love you too."
Tsuyoi's eyes widened. "You..."
"I hope you enjoyed your time together, Naruto Uzumaki," an icy voice cut across the valley. Naruto and Tsuyoi jumped apart, standing.
Takumi Yamashita, Tsuyoi's friend from childhood and captain of the Lioditan Guard, strode out from the tree line on the far side of the meadow, his spiky green hair and sharp eyes glittering dangerously.
"Because that is the closest you will be to Tsuyoi again," he finished, leering. He raised his hand.
"Sukerama! Earth Dragon Scale Armor!" Tsuyoi shouted, leaping in front of Naruto, arms outstretched. Black scales gleamed as they covered her from head to toe. A volley of darts hit her in rapid succession, clattering uselessly against her chest, falling to the ground. "Leave us alone, Takumi!" She yelled bravely, relaxing her stance. "I won't let you harm him!"
Takumi grinned. "I wasn't trying to harm him," he said, mocking Tsuyoi's tone. "I came here to kill him."
No sooner had the words registered in Tsuyoi's mind, she felt a dull thud on her back. It grew heavier, and when she tried to turn the weight vanished. Then she saw what it had been--Naruto's limp body, now sprawled in the grass.
"No!" She and Natsukashii roared in unison, their voices intertwining. She collapsed to her knees and pulled his head into her lap with trembling hands, feeling his pulse. It fluttered weakly below her fingers, like a butterfly's beating wings. His eyes were closed. "Naruto! Naruto, wake up! Can you hear me?"
"I poisoned him," Takumi's voice rang out. "I knew you'd protect him from the front, so I stationed a dartman to shoot him from behind."
Tsuyoi parted the hair around Naruto's neck. A small yellow dart was embedded in the back of his neck, right above his spine. She yanked it out and flung it away, then pressed her ear to his chest. His heartbeat was slowing.
"No! You can't die!" She cried, her throat closing up. "I won't let you!"
Takumi was at her shoulder, towering above her. "There's nothing you can do to save him."
She glared up at Takumi. She and Natsukashii joined together at that moment, in perfect sync, and Tsuyoi knew that he was seeing her Dragon Spirit's aura clinging to her. They both wanted destruction. Their voices joined again. "You have the curse of the Dragon Queen upon you from this moment on, Takumi Yamashita. Run. Run away and never return, on the promise of death."
Takumi froze, fear flashing in his eyes. He hesitated.
Tsuyoi let fire flicker across her frame, sparks flying from her mouth. "Leave or die!" Still joined, Tsuyoi and Natsukashii roared, the trees shaking under the force of the decibel they reached. Takumi winced, clamping his hands over his ears. He disappeared, and Tsuyoi didn't stop to see if he'd actually left.
"Thanks, Kashii," she mumbled, laying her hands on Naruto's chest. "Give me a little more reiki, okay? We're gonna heal him." Her hands glowed as she tapped into his life-force.
"Eternal Dragon Prison," she murmured. The earth crawled across his skin until he was completely sealed in a coffin. Tsuyoi's dairokkan tattoos glowed, and she pushed life energy into the sealed Naruto. The coffin glowed, and Tsuyoi withdrew her hands, sweat breaking on her brow. She slumped over, breathing hard.
She looked to the sky. Snow wet her face, mingled with her tears.
"I'll finish this quest, Naruto!" She roared, sending her vow to the stars. "I will not lose hope. And I....will not...." she fought through the sobs swallowing her throat, " ...lose you."
//////////
Yep, so this was a one-shot originally written for a contest (that I did win, astoundingly), and is very near to my heart. This part hasn't yet been featured in Heart Made Of Fire, but will soon, and may not make a lot of sense anyway 'cause a lot of this hasn't been fleshed out yet. But I liked it, the people who've read it so far liked it, and no, you cannot assume from this that Naruto and Tsuyoi actually love each other in Heart Made Of Fire because it might change!
Yes, I said it, CHANGE!
I should add that disclaimer--if I've written a one-shot that stems from a current story, things might not be the same or "canon" from the original. Remember, I'm pretty much spewin' junk here.
Anyway, if you like what you see, please feel morally compelled to leave a vote, leave me a comment telling me how awesome I am (or not, but hey, my comment count still goes up, ya damn haters, yeah you, you can just hate in silence), discuss the plot with others, ask questions. LET ME KNOW YOU'RE HERE and my reads count is going up only 'cause I'm re-reading my story (let's face them facts--those 3K reads on HMOF? Half of those are mine)! And maybe, just maybe, if I may be so bold, a follow from you to keep ya updated?
Let all the flowers sing your praises,
-Ya Junk-Spewin', Re-reading, Six-footer Crybaby