HOME | DD

Description
Forgotten They Stand – Chapter 1 – Reunion -----------------------------------------------------

The mangled twisted trees enshrouded by nights chill and gloom, provided no comfort to the lone figure darting among them.  No, this night the kunoichi was alone, not the iced trees, the numerous leaves, the bitter dirt of the ground beneath, nor the minute creatures of the forest eased her senses,  no tonight the purpled-haired ninja would find no comfort away from the cold glares from those of her home.

Ordinarily the normally self-confident, energetic, seemingly sadistic female, would take this opportunity alone to let down the edge of her mask, to allow herself to be human, to feel the emotions she’d blocked out for most of her life, to let them overflow else the strain break her.  But tonight she would find no solace alone in shadow’s embrace; she was on a mission, a vital mission and distractions were not welcome.

“Brat had better be alive when I get there…” she muttered under her breath as she propelled her lithe curvaceous body from branch to branch, her amber eyes having no problems with visibility despite the absence of light.   And with said vision, she spotted the slight warped figure of a branch in her path, an anomaly likely caused by none other then the one she sought.

Summoning more chakra into the soles of her sandaled feet, the Kunoichi came to a dead stop before kneeling over to examine the irregularity she now regarded.  The strong oak wood, seemed to ripple outward from what appeared to be the vague outline of a shoe, one clothed in footwear similar to her own she noted.  It was a mark left by few people, one being a certain blond haired energetic ninja.  A mark left by only those who possessed more chakra then they knew what to do with.

Training from years past rattled off an explanation immediately, the strange water like ripple effect occurred when too much chakra was used to keep the ninja in place, ordinarily if one used too much chakra to stick to the surface then they would simply break the wood leaving them to fall to the ground.  This was caused however not from an immediate pulse of chakra, but rather a somewhat long term exposure.  To produce this effect, the shinobi had to continue exerting large amounts of chakra after impact, causing the wood to warp and shift away from the source.  It took monstrous amounts of chakra to keep up for any length of time, and training to control, unfortunately her target, possessed, the former without the latter.

The boy possessed more chakra then likely anyone alive, even without his tenant he was born with enormous chakra reserves, and with his tenant’s power, his power grew exponentially.  The kunoichi’s thoughts of the blond were interrupted, and just as fast forgotten however as fire raced through her veins from her left shoulder.  Instinctively her left hand drew a kunai while her right snaked across her chest to rest over her seal, an undesired gift from the one she hated above all others, the one who’d made her life a living hell, her former mentor and betrayer of Konoha, Orochimaru.

With narrowed eyes the amber-orbed beauty took in her surroundings, ignoring the searing pain she felt; she’d long grown accustomed to it over the years, she was searching for some sign to give away his presence, the rustle of leaves, the snap of a branch, the squeak of a frightened animal, anything.  After all, the seal only acted up on particular occasions, most notably when the snake bastard himself was in the vicinity.

She stood silent unmoving for several minutes, simply waiting for some surprise attack on her person, however with nothing forthcoming, she began to worry.  Why would that bastard be out here unless he’s looking for me? She wondered.  However a glace to the undulation to her left answered her unspoken question as her eye’s widened.  “Shit!” she said rather loudly.  He’s not after me, he’s after him, he’s after Naruto!

Without a second thought she sped down her target’s path with renewed energy, hoping that against all odds she’d get there before the snake bastard did.  If the two fought there were only two outcomes, first was Naruto would be killed and her mission would be a failure, and the second one… if the boy released Kyuubi he’d undoubtedly win… but then again… if he did he might loose control, if that happened the land of fire was in all probability…doomed.

Naruto stopped in his tracks, turning his eyes over his environment as he searched for something, anything that seemed out of place.  Something just didn’t feel right, he was getting the same old sensation in his gut, the feeling that something was about to happen.  Most people would simply discard the feeling, labelling it as paranoia, but over the years the feeling had saved his life on numerous occasions, it was a heightened sense of intuition, one which some of his friends said bordered on paranormal.

But even as his gaze travelled over the bent twisted tree’s, searching the nooks, crannies and shadows, finding nothing… the feeling in his gut only worsened.  Cold sweat began to bead on his forehead and his fight or flight instincts kicked in, tensing his muscles, preparing them to be ready at a moments notice.

His train of thought progressed no further as he was forced to duck as dozens of shuriken flew at him from the shadows.  Training kicked in and he let instinct take over as he did a show of acrobatics for his opponent, dodging every projectile without so much as a scratch.  A smile split across the blonds face, it seemed he didn’t have too much to worry about, after all if his opponent had been truly skilled, he would have taken him down as he was dodging the shuriken.

“Heh, you’re not very good if that’s all you got, come out here and fight me for real!” he yelled into the shadow, hardly expecting a response, the one he got however was as unwanted as it was unexpected.

“Sooooo it seems the little fox container has grown stronger since the last time, but I have to wonder at the accuracy of your assessment, after all… it’s not everyday you insult a sannin.  Hmm… thissssss will be fun yesssss?”  Naruto blanched as he heard those words, only one person talked like that, only one person could instil such fear with words alone, nukenin Orochimaru.

His thoughts were confirmed as a figure seemed to melt from the shadow, his long raven-black hair, smooth pale skin and sharp features gave him an incredibly feminine appearance, in all appearances he was the prettiest boy he’d ever seen.  But never, never in his life would he ever think anything less of the man for his appearance, after all he was one of the most powerful ninja alive, and what was more, he knew how to, in all actuality, live forever.

Most ninja, most people in general would be frozen in fear, his simple presence and killing intent enough to drive them to their knees, but Naruto was no normal person.  He was a friend to the murdered third, friend to the boy who’d been taken from him, future Hokage to the village the snake bastard had nearly destroyed and most importantly… he was pissed.

“You… you killed the old man, you nearly destroyed my home, and you took my friend from me… I’LL KILL YOU!” he screamed as he charged at the legendary sannin, charging up the Rasengan as he went, there was no form, no plan, nothing but hate… maybe that’s what made it so effective.

Orochimaru’s eyes widened slightly as the boy charged him at a speed that should have been beyond his abilities, he could glean nothing from the teen’s fury filled gaze and so he simply withdrew his sword, the notorious Kusanagi.  The youth thrust the dangerous ball of warped chakra with astounding speed, making no effort to stop or avoid the blade that came out to intercept the attack.

Orochimaru smirked as the ball of white chakra impacted against his blade, had the kid known what he faced he likely would have tried to at least avoid hitting the blade but as it was the teen made no such attempt.

Naruto didn’t care if it hurt him, didn’t care if it killed him, all that mattered was that he would kill this man; he would kill the snake-teme.  However as soon as his jutsu made impact against his opponent’s blade, he could feel it begin to cut through his Rasengan, which should have been impossible.   He watched mesmerized and horrified as centimetre by centimetre the blade edged closer to his unprotected hand.  NO!  I won’t lose this, for the sake of the old man, for the sake of Sasuke I WON’T LOSE!  With those thoughts he began pumping chakra into his attack with abandon, he’d use up everything he had if need be but he wouldn’t lose.

Orochimaru’s smirk disappeared almost instantly as his blade just ceased to move, the boy was pumping chakra into the attack at an alarming rate, and as impossible as it should have been, he was actually forcing back the Kusanagi.   He should pull back, pull away and let the teen waste his attack leaving him drained; taking him back with him would then prove so much easier.  However he was not in the mood to allow the brat even this small victory and so he began pumping his own chakra into his blade, causing it to once again sink through the youths attack.

Shit, shit, shit! What the hell is with this fucking sword, I have to use twice as much chakra to get the same effect, it’s like it can cut through my chakra, kind of like that fish guy’s.  Naruto tried to formulate a plan as he watched the razor edge of the blade slowly descend toward him, but nothing seemed to help, even if he pulled back, at this point he’d probably lose his hand if not his entire arm.

It seemed Kami had a sense of humour, as it was at this particular moment that dozens of snakes shot out of the brush to entangle Orochimaru, giving the blond the time he needed to escape and pull away from the dangerous shinobi.  Even as the sannin recovered from the surprise assault a lone figure somersaulted through the black night overhead hurling shuriken as she went, before landing to stand in front of a now somewhat exhausted Naruto.   To say Naruto was surprised was an understatement, anyone else but her, of all the possible people to save her it would be… Anko?

Anko smirked slightly at the twelve year old brat’s astonished expression, she clearly wasn’t the one he’d expected to be his saviour.  Brats just lucky to be alive, if I hadn’t arrived when I did then he would have just lost and arm.  She thought, but she was also astounded at what the youth had actually accomplished.  He’d held a stalemate against the Kusanagi, a blade designed to cut through anything and everything, with nothing but his own chakra, truly an incredible feat to which he should be given credit.

However there was no time to congratulate the blond; Orochimaru had easily blocked her shuriken and was even then shrugging off the limp corpses of snakes.  The nukenin turned toward the pair and let loose a slight chuckle, its tone carrying hints of insanity.  “How good of you to join us Anko…chan…, I must say, you had me worried there for a second, I thought you may have been Jiraiya.  But enough about that, tell me, aren’t you glad to see me?”  He spoke mockingly, licking the edge of his blade as he spoke, sending shivers up her spine.

Most people recognized Orochimaru or at least knew of him, and of those most feared him.  But it was not the same, the fear not the same, could not be the same until you saw fully what he was capable of.  Until one saw what she’d seen, they couldn’t possible understand.   The victims he mutilated, killed, experimented on, the large human sized chambers where experiments were left until he had further use for them.  She’d seen it all, even helped him on occasion, she’d strapped down some of his victims, held them down while they screamed… all along thinking it was part of her masters special mission for the good of Konoha.  Even after seventeen long years… the nightmares still haunted her restless nights.

“Ya sure, I missed you about as much as I miss living on the streets as a kid you scaly bastard!” She yelled at him, trying to cover up some of her fear with her bold words.  It helped a little as her hair no longer stuck on end, but she no words could ever be spoken to completely remove the fear he still instilled in her.  Now was not the time for fear though, this was the moment she’d hoped for, and dreaded since she’d escaped him.  Tonight… I’ll kill that bastard using the very technique he taught me so long ago… besides… it’s not as though anyone will miss me when I’m gone anyway.

Without turning her gaze from the smirking man before her she addressed the blond Kyuubi container behind her. “Naruto head back to the village, Tsunade wants to talk to you about Garra and the Shukaku, you’ve done enough here, I’ll head back once I deal with this bastard.

“Alone are you cr~” he started clearly bent on staying to help, regardless of the fact that he’d likely just get killed in the process.

“GET GOING BAKA!” she yelled setting him back on his heels with her sudden outburst.  Then in a softer voice she continued, “This is something I have to do alone, please understand.”  Naruto was caught off guard by her words, never, had he ever heard Anko talk in that tone of voice; she sounded sad, fatigued, pleading, like she was finally going to be able to lift whatever burden she carried.

He knew what he had to do, but that didn’t make it any easier as be slowly backed away intent on leaving the clearing and heading towards the village to get backup for Anko.  She was an elite jounin, one of the best in the village, but against Orochimaru he suspected she had little chance.

However before he’d managed even two hundred yards the feeling in his gut intensified urging him to duck just as kunai flew overhead where he’d been standing mere moments before.  He whirled around suspecting that Orochimaru had been responsible.  He realized too late his folly as he heard a yell from Anko, “Behind you!” she yelled, but even as he turned around a fist caught him across the chin, sending flying.  He managed to land on his feet, but the blow still had him sliding across the dirt for a few feet before he stopped entirely.

He looked up to regard his new opponent and was quite annoyed to find none other then…another Orochimaru, this one, a shadowclone.   Feeling quite annoyed he decided to try out a technique he hadn’t used yet.  “Eat this teme! Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!” he yelled, releasing an enormous ball of fire banishing the dark of night with it’s presence before accelerating at the still smirking clone.   The clone flashed seals of its own at an incredible pace before yelling “Suiton : Gogyou Haretsu!” causing a geyser of water to explode from the ground around the clone, stopping the blond’s attack in an instant.

Naruto jumped back from the rapidly expanding cloud of scalding steam, he had to think of something before this clone could rip him to shreds, it may only be a clone but it clearly had access to any and all of Orochimaru’s techniques and jutsu making it a very dangerous enemy.

Now if only he didn’t have that~ Wait a minute!  He doesn’t have that sword anymore, he can clone himself, but since that sword is special or something he can’t clone it as well!  Taking a step back from his opponent Naruto formulated his plan of attack, his foxy grin had returned as well as his confidence, he would win this.

Anko turned a quick glance at the cloud of steam forming several hundred meters to her left where the boy fought one of Orochimaru’s clones, she did so sparingly just to make sure the boy was still alive, after all when dealing with Orochimaru, to let your eyes wander for even a second was to invite certain death… or worse.

Noting that the boy was fine she quickly brought her attention back to her own battle, closing the distance between her and her opponent in an instant, driving her kunai forward and back, darting in and out… like a snake.  If he leaves his torso open just once, that’s all I need, just once and I’ll finish this for good.  She thought attacking again, trying to find some weakness in his guard.

Orochimaru on the other hand had no intention of allowing her to continue her relentless assault.  Using the superior leverage of his longer weapon he drove her backward gaining some distance and enough time to form the seals for one of his favourite techniques.  “Doton : Tishi Tomurai” he cried, slamming his hand down onto the earth.

Anko was forced to jump as stone spikes began to erupt from the ground, things only went downhill from there as it seemed Orochimaru had learned how to control when and where the spires would appear and how large they would be.

She flipped backwards as one shot out in front of her grazing her leg as she somersaulted.  Placing her feet on the side of the spire, she propelled her body away with chakra just as another spike appeared, this time coming at her horizontally, only to miss and collide where she’d just been standing.  It continued for only maybe thirty seconds, but in those thirty seconds Anko had been forced to exert herself like never before, straining every muscle in her slender body to dodge the stone daggers.  And even so, she’d still suffered many minor scratches as blood spots growing on her torn clothing.

“Hehe, you’ll have to do better then that, you slimy bastard.” She said, though her words held little truth, unless she managed her technique soon her body would no longer be able to keep up after loosing too much blood.

Orochimaru let out a maniacal laugh, one that clearly showed his insanity before turning to regard Anko again, his yellow snake like eyes nearly glowing in the darkness.  “But Anko-chan… killing you was never the point of the attack… after all… I was never here for you.”  And with that he put on a burst of speed seeming almost to glide towards where Naruto and the clone fought.

Shit! I’ve got to get there before he does!  Pulling a kunai from her pack and threw it as hard and fast as she could, her target…was Naruto.

Orochimaru laughed inwardly at the last expression he’d seen on his old subordinates face, it was one of both surprise, and of course fear.  But she mattered not at all anymore, after all, she’d been too far back to have any chance of catching him, and he was moving too fast for all but the most accurate jutsu, Naruto-kun… you’re mine!

However even as he approached, he saw the blond charging up that technique… the fourths technique, one that would have no trouble shredding his clone to bits, and that would be unfortunate.  The clone was built of his chakra, and it’s death would be a tremendous waste, not to mention how useful it would be when he fought the girl again.

Opening his mouth, his tongue shot forward, narrowly avoiding a kunai that flew by at an incredible speed.  Sorry Anko-chan but you missed.  His tongue moving to wrap around the boy’s torso, bringing his hands to his sides, forcing him to cancel his technique and essentially trapping him.  However even as this occurred, the kunai was replaced with Anko herself, and even as she flew through the air she cut downward with another kunai, severing his tongue freeing the blond boy.

He growled as the pain from his severed appendage made its way to his brain.  Damn you, you bitch!  Now you die! He thought as he made a motion with his fingers, sending Kusanagi speeding towards the young kunoichi.

Anko let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding just before colliding with Naruto who was still shrugging off the other half of Orochimaru’s detached tongue; what she’d done was incredibly dangerous and she was just glad it had gone over as well as it had.

Traditionally the Kawari technique was never used on anything but stationary, or near stationary objects, the reason for this was that to use it on moving objects involved chakra control that few possessed, not to mention intense concentration, as well as huge reserves of chakra.  Large amounts of chakra were needed depending on the distance, the farther from the user object was, the more chakra was required, concentration was required because should the user not imagine what they were replacing just right, well… things would not go well.

Ordinarily these details were not needed, when shifting with a piece of lumber or sand or whatnot particularity was not a concern, however she had been trying to replace herself with a very specific kunai, not a random one in her pouch, but the one she’d thrown.  All in all she was proud of her accomplishment, and was thinking that even as she collided with the spiky haired teen.

Naruto, surprised by the sudden impact, turned his body around and grabbed what he expected to be an attacker.

She saw his eyes widen as he realized just who it was, however, what frightened her slightly was when he looked past her and his eyes widened again, though this time she could see fear, there, a deep fear… she could only dread who or what was behind her.

Naruto felt his eyes widen in recognition when he realized exactly what it was that had hit him.  How she’d managed to do whatever she did he wasn’t sure, but it explained who had cut up the snake bastards tongue and freed him from its clutches.   His relief however dissipated immediately upon catching a glimpse behind a still recovering Anko.

There flying towards them nearly as fast as a kunai was the Kusanagi, Orochimaru was using his fingers to somehow control the blade as it sped towards it’s target unerringly… right for Anko.  He watched in horror as it began closing the distance, there was nothing he could do; she would die to save him.

Foolish brat, you neglect my power… but tell me, is there any other way you can save your friend?  Think hard and think fast… she has not much time remaining…

The Kyuubi’s voice could not come at a more unwelcome time, but its words held a grain of truth that he could not ignore.  He’d refrained from using the Kyuubi’s powers thus far because of how dangerous it was but this time he figured he didn’t have a choice.  I can’t let her die to save me, I’m going to be Hokage, and the Hokage never lets others take the hits for him, he’s the one who takes the hits for others… I have… no choice.

Taking grabbing Anko by the waist he spun her around so he was now blocking the path of the sword just as the blade covered the last few feet of distance.  “What ar~”  Anko’s words were cut off as the blade exploded out the front of his chest causing her eyes to widen and blood to splatter her face as the wound leaked blood at an alarming rate.

The scene played itself over again in Anko’s mind, his grip on her waist when he spun her around, the slight arch of his back right just as the blade entered, the sickly splatter like noise she heard as the attack hit home.  Her thoughts were interrupted when the boy let out a deafening growl and red chakra began to coalesce around him.

She reached forward and put her arms around his waist, hoping to calm him down, now was not the time for him to lose control.  To her dismay however he acted as though she was no longer there, growling as the burning chakra intensified.  He then did two things she would never forget for the rest of her life.

Taking the blade lodged in his chest with both hands, he tore the blade forwards, dragging the hilt into and through his wound, not so much as grunting at the immense pain he must have been feeling.  Then he did something that should have been impossible, crushing his hands together, a thin crack made its way along the Kusanagi.   Said crack thickened and webbed its way downwards and for a moment she thought he actually might break the blade.

However before her theory could be put to the test, the blade was wrenched from the youths grasp as Orochimaru called the blade to him.  The purple haired kunoichi was witness to the, anger, surprise, and most notably… fear, that consumed the visage of the snake nin upon discovering what had been done to his magnificent sword.  Turning to regard the youth, he was discouraged to see the blond not only still on his feet, but with a shroud of terrible burning chakra.  At this site he decided it was time to leave, after all, as strong as he was, the Kyuubi was a thousand times stronger.

Forming seals in quick succession he disappeared in a poof of chakra leaving Anko alone with the blond Jinchuuriki.

She looked up into his azure eyes, and upon noticing the glazed look, quickly set him down, lifting his head so he wouldn’t choke on his tongue should he start to convulse.  He was going into shock, or at least a minor form of it, likely do to the massive strain on his body.  The wound was gone, no sign of it remained, but the strain must have been immense, a wound such as he’d suffered would kill anyone else, and regeneration such as he’d undergone also put a strain on the body.

He would live, likely recover from his injuries faster then she would from hers, but despite all this, at that particular moment, moving him was not a good idea.

Grabbing the fourteen-year old under the arms, she dragged him back away from the clearing into a more sheltered area, laying him down at the base of a tree.  Suffering from blood loss and exhaustion she slumped down beside him, a worried expression on her face.  “You’d better live kid, please, just please live.” She whispered before drifting into slumber.

Dream sequence!

Anko looked on with wide-eyed revulsion at the tanks around her.  Each filled with a sickening green fluid, and in many the deformed figures of what had once been humans could be seen.  The most repulsive of these were those to which numerous tubes were attached, sticking into the skin, feeding the poor excuse for a creature nutrients… keeping the poor thing alive… she pitied it.

“Orochimaru-samma, why are you doing this to these people?  I thought your secret mission was to protect the leaf, but these people were all once its citizens, how is this helping Konoha.” She asked, fear and sordidness evident in her tone.  It was obvious she didn’t like the place, and she visibly didn’t approve of what was going on there either.

“Why it’s simple my dear Anko-chan… I must experiment to create the ultimate jutsu, the jutsu that will allow me to live forever, because you see if I can live forever then I can master all jutsu and who better to defend Konoha then the one who’s mastered all the jutsu in the world!?” He finished with a maniacal laugh before once again making eye contact with his student.

However it was at this point that she finally understood, where all the long pent up doubts came to fruition, he wasn’t the man she’d always admired, not even close.  He’d dropped his mask a little too long and she’d finally seen what lay underneath, madness and insanity.  That was when she realized the truth of it all.  All those people she’d helped restrain, tie down, drug or otherwise, none of them had been criminals or missing Nin as Orochimaru had told her.  No… they were the people that had been disappearing recently from Konoha and its neighbouring villages.

She vomited, spilling the contents of her lunch onto the floor before beginning to sob.  All those people had just been innocents; there was no secret mission, no nothing, just a madman’s dream.  “W-wh-what are y-you going to d-do with me?” she asked in a whisper, fearing whatever answer she’d receive.

“Oh well that’s simple Anko-chan, after all, that seal I gave you is a one of a kind, more powerful then any I’ve made and any I’m likely to make… but it also has a few extra’s so to speak.  Why my dear Anko-chan you are going to receive two of my greatest gifts.”  Before she could respond he disappeared and she felt a sharp crack to the back of her head before everything went blank…………………

………………She woke some time later, lying in a room she recognized, it was the chamber used mainly for surgery.  ‘But what am I doing here?’ she wondered.  It was then that the day’s previous encounter hit home and terror welled up inside her.  She’d seen too many dreadful things happen in this room, and the sheer thought that she was next filled her with a sense of hopelessness.

“Ah my dear Anko-chan, it seems your awake, and that means… it’s time to begin.”  The light above her flared to life painfully, stinging her eyes, she tried to scream but her mouth didn’t work, she was trapped.  Futilely she tried to free herself from the restraints to no avail, they were secured expertly and she could only so much as breath from the pressure.

“Now, now Anko-chan, we couldn’t have you screaming and thrashing all over the place, besides you should feel honoured, you’re going to be the first test subject to my completed immortality jutsu, you’ll be invaluable to me, my container as it were… so long as you survive that is.”  He finished with another laugh which she found both repulsive and disheartening.

“Now let us begin.” He said as he took out two vials she’d never seen before, each was marked with a warning label, marking them as two SS - rated substances from his library of compounds.  He quickly popped of the lid and slid a thin brush into the liquid, she couldn’t be certain, but it smelled a lot like blood… what bothered her… was who’s blood it might be…

She watched helplessly as he approached, and tried to scream as the liquid made contact with her face.  It burned, it seared; it felt as though he were burning the seals into her skin. She screamed again noiselessly, her voice no longer answering her call.  Tears streamed from her eyes but they did nothing to cool the burning sensation on her face.

He continued to draw seals, over every part of her body, leaving nothing left out, by the time he was done her vision was blurred and it felt as though a storm raged inside her head.  But the worst was yet to come as he withdrew the second vial and dipped a kunai into its depths.  He withdrew it to reveal another strange substance, this one shimmering from black to red in her marred vision.

Ignoring her horror filled gaze he preceded to cut new seals into her flesh using the end of the kunai, making certain that the tip was always coated with the foul liquid of the vial.  The first experience had been painful, very much so, but what happened next made the previous feel like paradise.  It felt as though someone was burning her from the inside, sticking needles into all the most sensitive places, her vision shifted between black and white while her head felt ready to explode.  It seemed to last an eternity but eventually the pain subsided allowing her to slip into unconsciousness.

She opened her tear filled eyes and saw no one in the room, not a soul no one, she also noted that she was no longer restrained.  Bringing her hand to her face she immediately noticed something different, her hands felt smooth, too smooth, they didn’t feel right.  Opening her eyes and looking at the backs of her hands she gasped and more tears came to her eyes, there on her hands where skin should have been… were white scales… snake scales.  A scream like no other escaped her lips.

     End Dream Sequence

Anko woke from the nightmare with a scream, her clothes clung to her figure; soaked in cold sweat.  Her heart pounded like a hammer in her chest as it always did after that particular dream, it had haunted her from day one and it showed no signs of letting up.  However she immediately noted that something else was wrong, she glanced to her right as was frightened to see Naruto in the midst of convulsions, growls of pain escaping his lips.

“Oh Kami!” she gasped flinging herself over the boy, checking is heartbeat, looking for any sign that might indicate what was happening.  He had a terrible fever, but she was no medic, she new more about the human body then most due to her chakra but this was beyond her abilities to deal with, especially without the right tools to diagnose him.

All hell broke loose when Naruto arched his back like a cat and slumped to the ground.  She sighed a sigh of relief, but it caught in her throat as she realized another vital detail... there was no rise and fall of his chest… he was no longer breathing.

“Oh please no, you can’t, you just can’t.” she whispered pressing her lips against his and blowing in air; she then retreated and began pumping her arms into his chest trying to restart the young boys heart.  She tried for a few seconds but with no results.  Frantically she blew in more air and continued her attempts to resuscitate him.  “Not for me, you didn’t deserve this, oh Kami save him, please” she sobbed, tears in her eyes as she continued her frantic pumping motion.

Suddenly the boy inhaled a deep raspy breath, gasping in air as he fell unconscious to the ground.  Anko sobbed again, though this time it was not in despair, she was happy, happy that the boy had survived.  The thought of the boy losing his life because he saved her had been almost too much to take.  This was the boy that seemed almost destined to one day become Hokage, he was like a younger version of the fourth, he had a future, and what was more… he hadn’t committed the atrocities she had.  If either of them deserved to die it was her, she wouldn’t ever be able to live with herself if the boy had died due to his earlier rescue.

Wiping the tears and dishevelled hair from her face she let out a sad smile.  Wonder what everyone would think of me if they saw me like this… probably scare them shitless.  Fact was that none of her co-workers had ever seen her like this, to the best of her knowledge none of them had even seen her without her mask on.  In general, to all outward appearances she appeared as a sadistic energetic shinobi who was all but oblivious to socializing.  But in reality she was no were near as naive as she acted, but it was the only way she could live with herself, if she allowed herself to feel… all those people…

Her depressed thoughts were discarded as she noticed movement in the boy to beside her.  She reached a hand down her check if he was still suffering from a fever but was caught off guard when he bolted upright into a sitting position mere inches from her.  For a few moments they simply stared at each other, each for the first time truly seeing the other.

She stared at the boy, seeing him in the glow of the moon and stars.  He looked like a miniature Arashi to be sure; he had the same golden blond spikes, the same fox like features, and most notably, the same deep azure eyes.  He grinned a little as they stared at each other, it was then that she noticed his teeth; he had the same elongated canines, ones that in fact were much like her own.  She noticed as his eyes scrutinized her as well, she didn’t turn away, after all it was only fair she give him the same courtesy.

Naruto was shocked to say the least to find himself extremely close to another person upon waking.  He was even more surprised that of all the people it would be Anko who now say so close to him.  For a few moments it was all he could do to stare, but after a few seconds he usual foxy grin made it’s way onto his face.  This act was usually followed by some absurd comment that would diffuse the situation but for some reason he couldn’t find the words to say.

Unable to take his eyes from the kunoichi in front of him he studied her, her eyes were a rare bright amber, deep pools of orange bronze that reminded him of his own… they held a deep sadness.  Moving onwards he took in the details of her face, surprised to see streaks on her cheeks, and indication that she’d been crying, something he never would have thought possible.  He also noticed her canines, they reminded him of his own, or Kiba’s for that matter, longer and seemingly sharper then normal.

Moving his eyes from her face his gaze unconsciously roamed her body, admiring her slender curves of her figure and noticed immediately that she was quite well-endowed.  Gah Dammit Ero-sennin, Kakashi and you have poisoned my mind!  He thought, forcing his eyes away a slight blush on his cheeks.  This seemed to bring them to their senses as each shifted away from the other, Naruto looking at the ground and Anko looking quite embarrassed.

“Are you alright brat?” she asked softly, something he was unaccustomed to from the violet haired shinobi.  He looked at her and her expression held nothing but worry, it seemed genuine.

“I-I think so, I’m exhausted though, then again that’s what usually happens when I have to use furball’s power.  Why did something happen while I was out, you look sad?” he asked, the question innocently posed, however proved difficult to explain.

“Well I…” she wasn’t sure how to handle this, very few people knew anything about her, and yet here she was, allowing this strange brat to see her without her mask, without her protection.  “You started to convulse earlier and then you stopped breathing… I… thought you might have died.”

“And that’s what made you sad?” He asked, he wanted to no why she’d been crying, he hated to see people cry, girls were even worse.

Anko almost flinched at the question, the kid certainly was forward, he didn’t beat around the bush at all.  “I…I…It’s just that… if you died to save me… I don’t know if I could keep going.” There I said it.  She thought, she’d revealed the depth of her guilt, to a child no less.

“Why would that make you so sad, after all I chose to save you, I knew the risks, and besides, with furball inside of me I’m not sure I even can die.”  In another setting she might have found the boy’s nickname for the legendary Kyuubi laughable, but right now it did little to lift her spirits.

“It’s not that, it’s just… I don’t deserve to be saved…” she whispered, trailing off before she could complete her sentence, the memories, the nightmare all coming back to haunt her,

Naruto was confused, why on earth would she feel that she didn’t deserve to be saved? That he deserved to live more then she, after all he was the bearer of the Kyuubi, most of the villagers wanted him dead.  How could she possibly think I’m more deserving of life then she is?

“I think you deserved to be saved, and besides, we both know that if anyone should have died it’d be me.  Id I died I’d take furball down with me… the village would probably make the day a national holiday” he finished, a sad tortured smile on his face

Anko looked at the boy and instantly saw the terrible sadness he hid behind his mask of smiles; he was just like her, suffering but hiding it from the world.  The fact that he’d said what he had gave her a sense of how deep those feelings went.  He actually thinks he deserves to die.  How could the villagers do this to the poor kid, driving him to a point where he thinks his own death as a good thing for the village?

“Your wrong Naruto, you should be the one to live, you may be the container for the Kyuubi but you didn’t choose that fate.  I-I I did some things long ago, when Orochimaru was my sensei…” she trailed off, swallowing the lump in her throat.  Unconsciously her hand reached up to rest on the cursed seal on her neck, something that did not go unnoticed by Naruto.

Kami what’s wrong with me today?  I’m on the verge of telling this kid things that’ll probably cause him to fear me as much as Orochimaru, not to mention that I’ve already shown him some of the real me.  Jeeze, this was just supposed to be a regular escort mission…

Naruto noticed her expression and could only guess at the terrible things she’d seen while under the tutelage of the snake teme, he’d seen some of the horrors of what remained of experiments and could make a few assumptions about the things she’d seen.  This is a sensitive topic for her I guess, guess I should change the subject or something.  “Hey what happened to Orochimaru by the way?  My memory is a little fuzzy after being stabbed.” He said.

Anko hardly heard him, she was in her own world, living through those terrible memories… at least the ones she could remember anyway.  Some lay buried deep in her mind, tucked away so she’d never have to deal with them, but some were simply gone.

Orochimaru had performed a mind-wipe jutsu, or something of the sort that had wiped out patches of memories, for starters, she couldn’t remember anything that happened after Orochimaru knocked her out after she’d realized who he truly was.  The next thing she remembered was sitting in the Hokage’s office, talking to the old man about everything that had happened.  What had Orochimaru done to her other then wipe her memory?  The thought nagged at her, her mind filling in repulsive ideas, the dreams didn’t help either.  Every so often she found herself scratching the skin on her arms, afraid that at any moment it might be replaced with scales.

However now another thought was thrown into the mix, one which was nagging her quite a bit.  Why am I opening up to this kid?  Why am I opening up to anyone period?  She figured she knew the answer but was afraid of what it might mean.  The kid knew guilt, pain, sadness… all the things she’d had to deal with he had as well, even if she didn’t know the details, she knew it was true, his eyes revealed everything.

“Anko-sensei?  You alright?  You’re not acting yourself…” Naruto asked, bringing her from her trance.  Taking a few moments to digest his question she smirked slightly at his words.

“I’ll be alright brat no worries, just thinking that’s all.” She said throwing on a grin trying to reassure him.  She could tell he didn’t buy it but apparently he wasn’t about to press the issue, for which Anko she was thankful.  “Anyways we should probably get some rest, neither of us are in great condition to head back to the village, Tsunade will just have to wait for your report.  For now get some sleep.”  She said sliding under the roots of the tree for extra protection before drifting off.

Naruto on the other hand didn’t try to sleep immediately, he was still trying to come to terms with the Anko he’d seen earlier.  The one that reminded him so much of himself when he was down.  All this time, she’s been wearing the mask, afraid of what might happen if she ever took it off.  How long has she been so alone?  The thought nagged at him, after all, he knew all to well how hard it was to be alone in circumstances like hers.

The morning revealed to Naruto a new Anko, or rather the old Anko, the sadistic crazed jounin he recognized from the chunin exams.  She seemed to have completely forgotten about the events of the previous night… that or she’d simply chosen to pass them off.  As much as he hated to think so, he was relatively sure it was the latter.

He still felt a little weak from his use of the fox’s chakra.  Although his body was fully recovered, he was still suffering from chakra exhaustion; it was the price he paid for using the Kyuubi’s chakra; it always left him drained.  He was more worried about the woman who walked beside him.

Her tan trench coat, gloves, and shin guards showed heavy damage and large splotches of blood were visible on the material.  He couldn’t be completely sure but she looked to be suffering from blood loss.  She did a good job of hiding it, walking normally showing no signs of her injuries or weakness.  Though in truth it was that very act that gave her away, she was acting too alright for her situation.

I hope she’s okay; she really saved me back there.  Who knows what might have happened if she hadn’t shown up.  Deciding not to call Anko on her bluff they continued their trek towards the village, though he did keep a wary eye on her whenever he thought she wasn’t looking.

Anko was not oblivious to this fact and smiled inwardly.  It seems I made a new friend back there.  She thought; amused by how the kid would check up on her whenever he thought she wouldn’t notice.  However her spirits dropped as she thought about just how on the mark the kid was.  The kid generally tended to be oblivious to almost everything but it seemed he’d caught on to her bluff.  God was it really that obvious?

Discarding the thought she frantically pushed her weary body along, keeping it in line, showing no weakness.  She knew she would have to stop before nightfall, she couldn’t keep up a faster pace and the village was still a day or two away if they kept up the same speed.

Dammit. She thought annoyed at herself.  Some of the wounds left by Orochimaru’s jutsu had been deeper then she’d expected and it was starting to show.  Although she’d bandaged and dealt with the wounds they still continued to bleed, refusing to close due to her constant activity.  The loss of blood was taking its toll.

Somehow she managed to hold on until nightfall and slumped down exhausted at the base of a large tree, not even bothering to get out her sleeping bag.  She quickly drifted off to sleep and the events of another restless night.

Naruto watched as the girl tossed and turned, catching brief muffled cries from the girl as she suffered through a nightmare that clearly plagued her being.  He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a little shake trying to draw her into the land of the living but she continued as though nothing happened.  He called her name gently, and then more forcefully when she didn’t respond.  He was completely oblivious to the glow emanating from the cursed mark on her neck.

       Dream Sequence

Anko screamed a scream like no other as she stared at her reptilian flesh, tears welling in her eyes before spilling over to run down her cheeks.  Slowly, awkwardly, she forced herself to look in the mirror knowing full well what to expect but still dreading the inevitable.  The knowledge of being right provided her no comfort as she fell to her knees sobbing.

She cried and cried and cried, ignorant to the time that passed by during her uncontrollable fit.  During this time she remembered everything, all the terrible things she’d one, all the terrible things her master had done.  She felt the pain of every family that would never she their mother, father, daughter, or son again, for them she wept.

However gradually her sadness and depression was replaced with a new emotion, one that burned brighter then the previous ever could… anger.  Anger directed at only one person, her master. ‘Make that former master’ she thought.  And who better to deal his punishment then her, the one who’d helped him with his schemes, she’d make him feel the same betrayal he’d forced on her.  And she already knew exactly what technique to use to do it… one he’d created himself…

END

¬Doton : Ishi Tomurai (Earth element : Stone funeral )   The user diverts his chakra underground and melds it with the stone.  Then using hands seals to direct it, the user direct the stone upward forming jagged spikes of stone underneath the enemy.

Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire element: grand fireball skill)  The user gathers large amounts of chakra within the confines of their mouth, then forms seals to ignite it before finally blowing out the chakra infused flames at his opponent.

Suiton : Gogyou Haretsu (Water element : Water explosion )  The user diverts his chakra underground where can be found excess moisture.  Using hand signs the user gathers and thrusts the water up out of the ground creating a defensive geyser capable of deflecting projectiles, as well as attacks of the flame element.

Notes:  Naruto is age 12 in this fic whereas Anko’s age will be mentioned later.  Secondly, no this is not likely going to be a NaruAnko fic, I’m a die hard NaruHina fan and it will likely end up with that particular pairing (assuming you guys don’t want NaruAnko)