Chikako slowly opened her eyes to be met with red hair.
"Ra-kun" Chikako murmured.
"Yes Ko-chan?" His smooth voice called out. Chikako faintly smiled and sat up. Something slid off her shoulders. She looked behind her to see her cloak with the Uchiha symbol. She lifted her hands to her face.
"I'm normal again" she said flatly. Ra-kun nodded. Chikako stood up and put her cloak on. She checked to make sure her veil was in before walking in the other direction. He stayed in his place and watched her go.
Chikako could feel everyone else in the forest around her, but she continued to walk away. She walked away from everything.
"Please stop walking" Neji came out from his hiding spot behind a tree. Chikako ignored him and kept walking.
"I thought you trusted me" Neji said. Chikako just nodded and kept going. Next came Lee.
"Chikako why are you doing this? We are friends are we not?" Another nod.
Chikako passed Naruto next. She didn't even hear him out, instead blocking out his voice. She knew whatever he says will make her waver and she couldn't afford to rethink her choice.
Chikako walked forward only to be forcefully stopped. She looked down to her feet to see her shadow attached to something. Shika and Sasuke jumped down from separate trees.
"What a drag" Shika said.
"Why?" Sasuke's head was hung low and he was trembling with his fists clenched.
"Why do you always leave? Why do you try to solve problems by yourself?" Sasuke's voice was starting to get a dangerous edge to it.
"I'll answer you as a parting gift" Chikako spoke emotionlessly. She didn't really care what they thought of her anymore. She was leaving and they will forget she ever existed soon anyway.
"Running. Being alone. It's all I've ever known" Chikako's voice was cold. A chill blew through the air as the female looked up at the darkening sky.
Chikako took a step forward surprising Shikamaru. Even with his shadow jutsu she was able to walk perfectly fine.
"Fine. We'll do this the hard way" Sasuke murmured.
Shikamaru tightened his hold on his shadow making it slightly harder for Chikako to move. Sasuke activated his sharingan and charged at her without hesitation.
Despite being held back by her shadow, Chikako dodged and used her fingers to mess with Sasuke's chakra points. He stumbled past her and fell to the ground limply.
"We don't want to hurt you" Naruto yelled. It seemed everyone was here. They surrounded her on all sides.
"Then don't" was Chikako's simple answer. She knew she couldn't get out of this, but she didn't want to kill them. They all had potential to become great shinobi.
Neji went in first going hand with Chikako with his gentle fist. As usually she blocked hit for hit, but she was slower. Shika's jutsu was affecting her and that was all they needed. Neji was able to land a hit, but not on one of Chikako's chakra points. He jumped away and stood there panting.
"She's slower. Shikamaru's shadow possesses jutsu is working" Neji announced to the group.
"Give up before we injure you" Lee yelled trying to convince his friend once more. Chikako simply swept her unfeeling eyes over each one of them.
Chikako's vision went black for a second, but she came back to herself when she activated her sharingan and used a genjutsu on Ino. It wasn't a dangerous one, just a vision.
Chikako started questioning herself and the pain from the curse mark she took was flaring up again. Would she transform back into that, or will she lose control and kill them? Either way they all die.
"I'm warning you now. Step away or you die" Chikako hissed. The pain was steadily increasing putting her in a bad mood.
"No way!" Naruto yelled. He created his shadow clones and charged at Chikako accompanied by Lee. She easily fought off each one and then blocked Lee's incoming taijutsu attack.
Just like with Neji, Chikako matched each strike perfectly with ease. He was slower than Neji. The pain spiked again and Chikako punched Lee in the stomach harder than she intended. He crashed into a tree after breaking through two others.
"How could you hurt Lee? He's your friend!" Naruto yelled.
"Let me go or die" Chikako said again. She wasn't sure she could suppress the pain any longer. Her head was twitching to the side and she could feel the marks searing her skin once again.
Deciding that they can't take her down one on one they came up with a plan. Shikamaru gathered everyone by him and they all nodded their heads. When they were done talking they broke off in groups.
Lee hobbled over to Chikako and began to strike at her again. He was injured and slow so she was easily able to push him away lightly this time.
Kunai were thrown around Chikako as Sasuke jumped down from the tree he was perched on. She ignored him seeing as he couldn't use his chakra because of her earlier hit.
Neji's fists came flying towards her as he used one of his attacks along side Hinata. As the three of them fought, Naruto made as many shadow clones as possible. They all jumped on her trying to hold her down. She sent out a large burst of chakra destroying each clone, and sending the Hyuga pair back as well.
Even after they were gone Chikako could still feel hands on her. She looked at her body to see Sasuke grabbing onto her left hand while Lee held onto her right with all his strength. Naruto was laying on the ground with his arms wrapped around Chikako's ankles. Gaara than trapped her in his sand coffin. He knew it wouldn't work, but it'll force her to stay in one place while Shikamaru moved.
When the sand burst in different directions Shikamaru captured Chikako's with his shadow strangling jutsu. She got distracted and let her guard down momentarily. Hinata was able to touch her neck.. She pressed down on a point in her neck making Chikako's arms go limp.
A heated glare was thrown at those standing around her.
"Let me go or die" she said one more time. The pain was to much. Something snapped in Chikako as a tear rolled down her face.
A large amount of black colored chakra was rolling off her in waves. Gaara's eyes widened. She's gotten mad, but never this mad. He backed up slowly. His whole body was shaking from fear. It seemed the others felt the same way.
"No! We won't leave you!" Naruto yelled.
"Everyone does. They always do. That's why I run instead" Chikako's voice was broken. None of them have ever heard her sound so desperate and hurt.
Chikako's mind replayed what happened when Orochimaru was taking over her body. The blood. The bodies. The mirror. It was all to much. She was a strong silent shinobi who helped those around because of what her mother told her. She didn't let her emotions take over or show, but the mirror. The whispers.
Chikako fell to her knees with a scream. Suddenly all her power was drained as the pain increased once more. She stabbed her thigh with a kunai to distract herself from the pain the curse mark is causing and to keep herself conscious.
The chakra began to build up putting pressure on everything around them. The animals all passed out. and they were all on the edge of unconscious, but still refused to give up on her. Sakura was the first to fall asleep, followed by Lee, then Hinata. The rest willed themselves to stay awake. Any lesser man wouldn't been passed out long ago.
Suddenly it all stopped and Chikako collapsed. Neji raced forward to catch her before she hit the ground. Gaara walked over and took her from his hands.
"She's coming with me. It seems your village in unsuitable for Ko-Chan" Gaara said walking away.
An argument broke out between all of them. They wanted her to stay in the village hidden in the leaves, while Gaara wanted her to stay in the Suna. Neji helped Hinata and Lee, while Naruto picked up Sakura.
"She will be healed in the leaf village while you stay to watch over her. When she wakes up she'll decide" Shikamaru offered. It was the only solution as much as he wanted her to stay, he knew that she should choose by herself. Gaara just hoped Chikako would agree.