"Come on, you just need to stick your head in." said B as he tried to force my head inside the cat's mouth, "Nuh-uh, no way! That thing will probably bite my head off just to taunt you guys!" I pulled away from the cat head while B tried to shove it in. "If you have a pure heart, there's no problem!" I gulped, "THAT'S THE PROBLEM! I'M A BITCH!" I kicked him away and jumped as far as I could from the cat head. "Come on! We've all done some bad things, that's not the reason you'll lose your head." I gulped, "You don't understand! I'm a horrible, horrible person! I'll die if I put my head in there!" I won't let that happen. Don't you worry, Aeli. I gulped, finally trusting Nikolai's words, "F-fine… But if I die, I'm coming back to haunt all of you!" I stuck my head inside, terrified that the jaw would close and rip my head off.

"Alright. Time to fight, Dark Aelia." I mumbled, looking around the darkness… "Where is she?" I stumbled around the place, trying to feel for walls. "You won't be fighting a "dark" version of yourself." Nikolai appeared next to me. "Huh? What will I be doing then?" Nikolai stepped aside to reveal a door, "You'll try to resist the temptation." the door opened to reveal my family, all happy with smiles on their faces. It irritated me. "

Resist the temptation of killing them." he shoved me into the room, "Aelia, you're late. Come on, sit." said my father as he walked me to my seat. I flinched at his touch. I plopped down in my seat, my hands itching to wipe those fake smiles off their face. "You've been gone for so long, you know. We thought you were dead." I am. You killed me. "Ah, well, I just wanted to finish a quick episode of the show that I was watching." my voice came out as strained but they didn't seem to mind.

"You look horrible." I turned to glare at my sister, of course she can't say anything nice, not even in this shitty fantasy world. "Whatever." I mumbled, but my mother bagned her fist on the table, "Aelia! Don't address your sister in such a rude manner!" I flinched, here we go again, mother's unnecessary yelling session. "I wasn't rude, she was!" I exclaimed, but mother slapped me, "Your sister is young! She doesn't know the difference between right and wrong!"

I clenched my teeth, hold it in, you'll get your head bitten off if you try to kill them. Just pretend to like them, you've been doing it for the past sixteen years. "Sorry." I muttered, sitting back down and shoving food into my mouth, ignoring the sting on my cheek. Something wet splattered on my plate and I realised that I was crying. "Yeah you know what, I'm glad you're crying!" said my mom as she slapped me once again, "It lets me know that you have feelings, that you at least feel something under that apathetic act of yours!" she hit me again and again, until she got tired of me and threw me back on the chair.

Resist the temptation. Resist it. "Disappointment of a child." muttered my father as he glared at me, annoyed. Nikolai appeared next to me and sat down, holding my hand, "You can do it. You just need to resist until dinner ends." they gave my hand a little squeeze though I could see that they were trying to resist too. "What's your challenge, Nikolai?" I asked, waiting for an answer, "Resist the temptation of helping you." I smiled at him, a thankful look on my face. "What are you smiling at?!" exclaimed my father as he grabbed me by the hair.

I raised a brow, could he not see Nikolai? I shot a look at the blonde who nodded as though to confirm my thoughts. "Nothing. I was just dozing off." I lied, "I'm sorry." father nodded before letting go of my hair, "You better be, you waste of a life!" I clenched my teeth. Come on… it would be stupid to kill them over this. You're better than this. "Ah, mom, dad, I forgot!" said my sister as she stood from her seat, "I was going to tell you something, I just remembered." My eyes widened as I glared at her, somehow, I knew exactly what she was going to say, "I saw Aelia kiss a girl the other day." my mother's eyes widened as my dad flipped the table, pinning me to the wall by the throat.

"Let go." I said calmly. This is just a simulation. This is behind you, this life, this entire thing, it's behind you now. It doesn't affect you in any way. "You don't deserve to be alive, you bitch, waste of a life!" I stared at him blankly, "Are you done yet?" I asked, a strange sense of calmness taking over me. I soon awoke to the sound of Naruto screaming my name. "Oi, wake up!" he shook me over and over again. I let out a grunt, "What is it, geez." I rubbed my neck, a wave of panic rushing over me as I saw blood on my palm.

"You fell out just in time! One second longer and you would've been decapitated." said Tenzo with a slight look of relief on his face. I fell to the floor, panting. "See!" I exclaimed, pointing at B, "I told you I'd get decapitated!" the man sweatdropped, "I didn't think you'd be that big of a bitch!" he exclaimed, adding a "yo." at the end of his sentence because he couldn't find any rhymes. "I told you I've done some horrible things! Just trust me next time!" I rubbed my neck, noticing the fang marks had made a hole in my mask. I let out a frustrated grunt, "Great. More scars."

"You used to love having badass scars." pointed out Naruto as he helped me up, "That was before I knew just how idiotic it was!" I mumbled, yanking my arm back in a frustrated manner. "Did you manage to control your beast?" I asked, trying to get the attention away from me as I healed myself. "Yeah. We get along better now." he mumbled, rubbing his chin. "That's great… wasn't fun was it?" I asked.

Naruto shook his head, "Horrible. That's the only word I can think of to describe it." I chuckled as I knew what his next sentence was going to be, "But it's nothing for someone who's going to be Hokage, like me, dattebayo!" I nodded, "Yeah, yeah, don't let it get to your head, brother dear. Let's go. I don't want to spend another minute on this shitty island." I rubbed my neck just to make sure that it was all healed, "Man, at least there aren't any scars." I muttered as I walked towards the ship. Naruto and I have been in that weird coma thing for an entire day apparently, that would mean that we need to go back today, focus on the war that will happen within two weeks. "What are you waiting for? Hop in." I told Kisame who didn't seem to know what he should do.

"You're taking that criminal with you?!" exclaimed one of the Kumogakure shinobi. I tried to keep my cool. Unlike Konoha shinobi whom I work with everyday, attacking a Kumogakure shinobi would be something similar to a declaration of war… "I don't know what you're talking about. Kisame may have been a criminal, sure, but he isn't anymore. He's on our side now so you better be thankful to have an ally that could slay an entire army within seconds. How many of your nin can do that I wonder? Is it in between zero and zero? Yes that must be it!" the kumo nin glared at me but went back to work.

"Now then, Kisame. Hop in!" I climbed on his shoulders, not wanting to touch the water. "Oi, midget, don't hold on to my hair!" he exclaimed, nearly falling into the water. "NO! Don't let me touch the water! I hate it!" I hugged Kisame's head while he sweatdropped. "Fine, fine. I'll carry you just calm down." he grumbled, getting on the boat and letting me hop off. "Okay let's go home now." I mumbled, "Itching to return to your Deidara-kun?" asked Kisame, a smirk on his face.

I punched him, "A-as if!" I crossed my arms and turned away from the grinning blue skinned man. "Hmph!" I stuck my nose in the air and walked away, "Ah, young love." I heard Kisame sigh. I noticed Tenzo trying to hold in his chuckle, "Don't tease her too much, Kisame-san. She becomes quite the terrifying demon when she's angry." I widened my eyes while Kisame chuckled, Samehada imitating her master, "Her? Terrifying? Please, that midget is so adorable when she's angry, reminds me of a three year old." I growled, "Oi, watch your mouth, I'll kill you."

Kisame barked out a laugh, "Sorry, sorry, I just remembered that time Hidan said… Hidan said… and then Hidan caught you…" he said in between his laugh. To the untrained ear, it would seem as though he was choking on his own spit, but to someone who spent a year in the same house as him, it sounds like the way he speaks usually. I blushed, "Don't bring that up! It didn't mean anything!" Kisame snickered, "Really? Cuz the two of you were so lovey dovey back then, I wonder how things are now," he teased, "Oh but wait, almost forgot! You're wearing that mask to hide the hickeys he gave you right? Then things must be going well," I blushed, I regret ever confirming that thought he had. "S-shut up!" the blush on my face extended to my ears.

"Why? Are you embarrassed?" smirked the shark man. I gulped, "N-no." I let out, turning my back to him and walking away, "You're embarrassed for sure! What is it? Are you pregnant? Is the first kid on the way-" I punched him in the face, "DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'M PREGNANT, BASTARD?!" I exclaimed, continuing to punch him over and over again, "Well you've put on some weight, Lia," smirked the man, making me punch him harder, "Shut up! My weight is average, asshole!" I growled, annoyed.

"Really? I would've never guessed!" I punched him again, "You can't say that stuff to a girl, geez! You're so clueless when it comes to women! No wonder you don't have a girlfriend! Plus your skin is blue!" Kisame shot me a look of fake hurt, "Racist." he said, a smirk on his face. "Hmph! Not my fault women don't like men who look like fish." Kisame sweatdropped, "How did anyone agree to date you? You're extremely irritating. Plus you're flat. Front and back." I pouted, annoyed at how he found my weak spot. "I'm not flat! Idiot!"

I covered my chest, now embarrassed, "Really? I remember a certain blonde saying that you used a genjutsu to-" I covered his mouth, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Kisame snickered, he'd said that loud enough for everyone to hear. "What? What did she do?" asked Tenzo as he restrained my movements. "Kisame! Don't tell them you bastard!" I screamed, trying to get out of the ANBU's hold.

"Don't tell them what? That you were so embarrassed of being flat that you put a genjutsu on yourself to have big boobs?" I blushed, forcing tears at the corners of my eyes, "Kisame, you idiot!" I exclaimed, escaping Tenzo's grasp and running inside the ship, closing the door so that nobody would come in, a snicker at my lips. "Hehe, feel bad for making me cry, bastard. You'll have to face Naruto's wrath now." I heard a knock on the door, "Come on, you're not actually upset." said Kisame as he looked through the glass on the door, "I'm very, very upset! What were you thinking? Embarrassing me like that."

"Come on. I was just joking around." I lifted my nose in the air and turned away from him, "Hmph! Don't make fun of a woman's chest!" Kisame snorted, "So just the ass then?" I kicked the door, hard. "Aren't you supposed to be apologizing, you good for nothing fish?!" I turned my back to him and left, going to the kitchen to get myself some whiskey.

"Fine… I'm sorry I told people you were insecure so you put a genjutsu on yourself to have bigger boobs... But you've grown now?" I glared at him, "Complimenting my body like a pedophile isn't going to get you in my good graces." I mumbled, turning away from him once more. "What do you need me to do, then?!" he exclaimed, starting to get annoyed, "Don't bring up my boobs or my butt in the first place!" I glared at him and got out of the room, annoyed by his voice resonating in the room. "Annoying bastard." I mumbled, taking a huge gulp from my flask only to have it snatched by Motoi. "You shouldn't be drinking at such a young age."

I snatched my flask back, "I also shouldn't be fighting in a war at such a young age but here I am. Let me at least enjoy my alcohol!" the man sweatdropped, "Such a delinquent." he mumbled to himself, walking away. "Tch. Old men sure are annoying." I joined Naruto who seemed to be chuckling. "What are you laughing at?" I asked, irritated, "I'm going to tell the rest of the team." he snickered while I chased him around on the ship. I don't really know much about what happened after that. All I remember is Naruto screaming my name then hearing a loud splash. I remember sinking, tentacles wrapping around my legs, the feeling of my head as though it was about to explode as I ran out of oxygen. I felt something hard against my back. Probably the boat's floor. "...lia… Aelia…" the sound was watered out, hard to hear.

I opened my eyes only to see Kisame's face in front of mine. I pushed him away, an annoyed expression on my face, "Get your fish lips away from me!" I jumped away from him while a tick mark appeared on Kisame's forehead. "I was going to give you CPR because your dumbass doesn't know how to swim!" I glared at him, "I do know how to swim it's just that something grabbed me and dragged me down!" I let out a small sneeze and muttered a small "sorry" before going back to yelling at Kisame, "Besides, you didn't need to save me so why did you?" the blue skinned man facepalmed, "There'd be no one to give me my money if you die. I need you more than you need me so I'll save you whenever."

I let out a "Tch, whatever," and walked away, still coughing up some water. I really need to get over this stupid fear. "Aelia," I turned around to meet Aoba's gaze, "I don't think you're afraid of water." I cocked a brow and waited for him to elaborate. "Remember that time you had to jump into a water filled sinkhole? You were scared then too," I waited for him to explain his reasoning, "Well of course I'd be scared! It's super deep you can't even see a thing!" the man smiled, "I think that's what you're scared of, you're scared when you can't see the bottom of the sea. I'm pretty sure you have thalassophobia."

I shrugged, "Okay cool. Is there a way to fix it?" Aoba shook his head, "It's a phobia. There isn't really much you can do to overcome it." I let out a small sigh, "I heard that phobias were how you died in your past life." said B. I choked on my water. If that was the case, I'd be scared of middle aged white men. "So you're saying I drowned? I'm not scared of water though, just what's below it." Tenzo rubbed his chin pensively, "Maybe it's a metaphor? Maybe you're scared of what's beyond the surface when it comes to a person?"

I gulped. Stupid Tenzo, using his knowledge of my past life against me. "Perhaps you were betrayed in your past life, Aelia-san." said one of the Konoha shinobi who was playing cards with some Kumo shinobi. I chuckled nervously, "Come on now, let's focus on the lives we're living in this moment. Past lives are gone, that's why we're here today you know?" I walked away, seeming like a wise old oak because why not? I can be wise! I leaned against the mast of the boat and closed my eyes, drifting off to a dreamless sleep.

We had arrived at the port once I woke up. I got up thanks to Naruto and left the boat, trying not to mind the water that was below me. Scary… I really can't see the bottom of it… "Aelia… you're daydreaming again." said Naruto as he yanked me off the boat. "O-oi! Be gentler!" the blonde ignored me and dragged me away from the port. "Oi Kisame, you coming?" called, the blue skinned man nodded and followed, Samehada grumbling as though she was chuckling. "I seriously don't get how you get so many criminals to like you." mumbled Naruto as he continued to drag me away, "They don't like me, they tolerate me." I mumble, "Most of them would give anything to kill me but they know that the moment they try anything, all the dirt I've collected on them will be released and their lives will be ruined. That's the kind of empire I've built. No room for betrayal." I shrugged as I got out of his reach.

"So you rule through blackmail." I glared at him, "Brother dear, you make me sound like a criminal." The blonde shrugged, "That's your main job anyways…" a tick mark appeared on my forehead but for his sake, I decided not to act on it. I got up and started walking towards Ichiraku, knowing that Gai-san was going to force me to let his team know that I'm alive. It's been about two weeks after all. Might as well let the whole village know that the traitor has returned, right? I let out a small sigh and let myself be dragged to the ramen stand, knowing that once every blue moon, Gai takes his team to Ichiraku's to celebrate something. Seems as though today is that day… "Why so glum, my youthful lotus?" asked Gai with a concerned look on his face.

I shot him a smile, "Nothing. I was just deep in thought." the man paled, "Thoughts of killing me I see," I held my face with my hands and let out a high pitched squeal, "My, Gai-sama, you know me so well!" I shot him the fakest smile I've ever shot anyone in my life. "Y-your fake smile is more terrifying than any expression I've seen you made, my lotus." I continued on with the smile, "Is that so? Then maybe perhaps you'll let me go?" Gai chuckled, "No way. You've made them think you were dead for so long! Neji's basically become an alcoholic! To think that he could have been in love with you." No, I think he was just celebrating. "My, my, I thought Neji and Tenten were dating, are they not?" an aghast look made its way to Gai's face, "My student is a two-timer!"

I sweatdropped and sat down, ordering my usual meal, "Gai-sensei? Who's that next to you?" I flinched, recognizing Lee's voice. "That's Aelia-chan." replied the older man, putting an arm on my shoulder. "N-no… My name is… Anastasia! That's right! That's my name!" Gai bonked me on the head so hard I think I might have amnesia… What was my name again? "Aelia, it's not nice to lie." Wow you don't say. "B-b-b-but I'm not Aelia."

Lee let out a sigh, "Sure you are, that voice is easy to recognize. Also, I'd recognize my lotus anywhere!" He gave me a tight hug which I'm pretty sure wrecked a few of my organs. "Aw man!" exclaimed Neji with a smirk on his face, "Good to see you too, asshole." I mumbled shooting him a similar smirk. That's when I noticed Tenten. "Tenten! It's so good to see you again! How have you been?" I gave her a big hug, she returned the gesture and started patting my head, "Here comes my number one customer!" she exclaimed, the two of us chuckled and started to eat, talking about what the other has been up to. "You expanded your shop? Really? Man, I'd love to go back!"

"You should! You were my main source of income after all!" I shot her a fake look of hurt, "You make it sound like our relationship was only based off of money," she shot me a smirk before playing along, "That's right! I've never cared about you as a person! Muahahahaha!" I rested the back of my hand against my forehead, "The betrayal! The sadness!" we exploded into a fit of giggles and continued eating while Neji pouted. "What? This sad that I'm alive?" I joked, slurping on some ramen, "You could say that," sighed out Neji.

"So… Are you two dating yet?" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows, "Me and who?" asked Neji, confused, "Oh I don't know… you and Lee- OF COURSE I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU AND TENTEN, DUMBASS!" the man backed away, face paling as he nodded, "Great. Now that that is confirmed… I'll see you guys around! Teuchi, put their meal on my tab." I walked away, stretching my back as I did so. Well, now let's go see the one person you've been avoiding the entire time you've been here.

I knocked on the wooden door, a familiar blonde opening it as she raised an eyebrow, "Do I know you?" asked Ino, seeing my smirk, "Sup. I'm alive." I said, poking my head inside the Yamanaka compound, "Is Inoichi-san home?" a tick mark appeared on the blonde's forehead. "Oi, don't just come in uninvited! Who are you?" she demanded once more, I let out a small sigh, "Jeez Ino, can you really not recognize me?" I shook my head, "I'm so disappointed." I let out, looking around the house, "Tell me who you are." ordered the blonde once more, putting a kunai against my throat. Obviously, I let her do that.

"Try to find the answer, we used to date, come on." When Ino shook her head, she said, "I've never dated a woman in my entire life," I chuckled, "Ino… did you erase me from your memory? I didn't think you Yamanakas could do that!" the blonde took a step back. I shrugged and turned my back to her, "Well, if you ever choose to remember… I'll see you around, Ino." I left the house, feeling a little disappointed that the blonde had no memories of me.

"At first I thought she didn't recognize me… but saying she's never dated a girl in her life? Either she erased her memories, or someone did it for her." I grumbled as I walked home, "Well I guess it's better this way… I'd rather not get smacked across the head." Nikolai chuckled from within me and led me home, "You should really stop taking over me when it's uncalled for, Nikolai," I mumbled, "Maybe try to take over when I'm fighting or something." the blonde chuckled once again, making me sigh as I opened the door to my house.

"I'm back," I called, entering the clean smelling house, "Hm… they've cleaned. That's nice." I mumbled, heading towards the kitchen. "Oi, what took you so long?!" exclaimed Naruto with a rag in his hand, "Gai-san dragged me to Ichiraku's," No use telling him of Ino, they aren't close anyways. "Really? Then why are you so glum?" asked the blonde, dropping the rag and coming to see me. "Huh? What? Oh well I guess I missed Deidara." I rubbed the back of my neck. Get your act together, you and Ino are nothing but strangers now. No need to dwell on it. It's not like you two became friends after breaking up so it's fine if you don't care.

I looked around the house, "Where is he by the way?" he was nowhere to be found. "Oh, he told me to give you this." said Kakashi as he handed me a letter. I gulped. This isn't going to be one of those 'sorry but I'm not good enough for you' kind of letters is it? "Why don't you open it?" asked Sakura from behind me, I flinched at the sound of her voice. "She's too much of a chicken is why," replied Sasuke with a smirk, "It's written all over your face, Lia. 'This isn't going to be one of those 'sorry I'm not good enough for you' kind of letters is it? You're an open book," said Sasuke as he imitated my voice. I glared at him, "Don't just read my face uninvited! I'll open it! Just not now."

So… it turned out to be one of those letters. My hands shook as I put the letter back in its envelope, a calm look on my face. I shot them the brightest fake smile I could, "He dumped me flat. Don't bring him up anymore." The Uchiha in front of me paled, "Her fake smile really is scarier…" I glared at him then went to Sakura for a hug, "S-Sakuraaaa!" the girl returned my hug, letting out a small sigh, "Now, now, you're too good for him." I buried my face in her shirt, "But why? Stupid letter doesn't say anything as to why!" I gripped her a bit tighter, "You're better off without him." said Naruto, giving me a brotherly smile, "Naruto you idiot!" I exclaimed, face fuming from anger, "That doesn't make the situation any better! How would you feel if Hinata left you all of a sudden?!" the blonde took a step back while I continued to be hugged by Sakura, "Do you think I did something wrong? M-maybe he couldn't accept the fact that I wasn't from this world after all…"

Even so, he doesn't deserve you Aeli. Just forget him, I know it's probably hard but you shouldn't waste your tears for a man as dumb as this one. I let out a sigh, "H-he probably doesn't mean it… that's right!" I was bonked on the head by all four of my teammates… plus Nikolai. "Denial? Seriously? Haven't you matured even a little bit?" I glared at Sasuke, "Shut up! I don't need to hear that from you!" I turned my back to him and walked away, stomping, trying to hold in my feelings.

Suddenly, a wave of warmth washed over me, as though someone was giving me a hug. You'll be fine, Aelia. You can just count on me, I'll always be with you. I smiled at that, knowing that it was true before a snicker reached my lips. You know I'd say it's pretty romantic but I remembered that you're sealed in by body so you don't really have a choice. You just ruin the moment all the time! I bet that's the reason as to why Deidara left. Tears reached my eyes again. Shut up! I'm going to meditate so leave me alone!

I sat down on the floor and crossed my legs, clearing my mind and just letting myself feel the air as it entered my body. I let myself feel my chakra flow within me then focused on Nikolai's only to notice that what was coursing through me wasn't chakra. What? Are there other energy sources than chakra? Nikolai what does it mean? I heard the platinum blonde chuckle. That's mana. It's similar to chakra, just a little bit stronger I guess. I nodded and focused on the mana, only to find myself in a white room, no floors, no walls, no ceilings.

I looked around the room only to see Nikolai in the middle of it, a basket in their hand and a wide smile on their face. "Oh hey," I waved at them and smiled. Guess they wanted to spend some time together, that's understandable. I've been neglecting them quite a lot recently. "Come on, sit." Nikolai's voice was soft. I obeyed and went to join them. "What is it Nikolai? Is there a problem?" the platinum blonde shook their head. "Nope. Just wanted to spend time with a friend, that's all." I nodded and sat down.

Nikolai wrapped their arms around me, "You're hurt aren't you? Sad, angry, confused." I nodded, getting comfortable in their embrace. "You… you know I'd never leave you right? Even if I had the choice." I nodded, "I know. It makes me happy, having such a loyal friend." I shot them a smile, feeling their hold tighten around me, "Say… do you really love him?" I nodded, "Very, very much." I sighed out, "But… he's gone now…" the platinum blonde smoothed my hair with their fingers. "There are other people out there." I nodded, "I-I know… but I wanted… I wanted to be with him…" I clutched Nikolai's shirt. "Why… why did he leave me…" Nikolai continued to stroke my hair soothingly.

"I don't know Aelia… maybe he decided he doesn't deserve you…" I clutched Nikolai's shirt harder, "If love was a matter of deserving… then it wouldn't really be love…" the blonde sighed and let out a small chuckle, "You should stop talking like Babulya. It doesn't suit you." I chuckled as well, he was right after all. "What can I say. I'm pissed." I mumbled, looking up to meet the blonde's eyes, "I love him. I really do." Nikolai nodded, hugging me a little bit tighter, "I know you do…" they said, resting their forehead against mine, "And I don't like that but if you're happy with him then I'll help you get him back." there was a slight sadness in his eyes, like he was disappointed but that look disappeared just as quickly as it came. "Thank you…" I breathed out, a smile on my face.

The blonde ruffled my hair, "It's no problem." Nikolai had a smile on their face but they looked hurt. "Are you okay? You look sad." the blonde shook their head. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me." I shook my head, looking up to meet his gaze, "That'll only make me worry more. What's the matter?" Nikolai cupped my cheek, "It's nothing okay? Don't worry yourself over it." A wave of calmness washed over me. "You… you're using some weird power over me aren't you?" Nikolai chuckled, "Yeah, you're erratic so I decided to calm you."

I shook my head disapprovingly, "Sheesh. There's no fixing you." the blonde let out a small snicker before bonking me on the head. I let out a small huff, "And then you tell me that I ruin the moment." I grumbled, pulling them up with me, "Oh come on, now~ don't be like that~" teased the blonde as they pulled me in their arms, "Hmph! Stupid Nikolai!" I tried to pull away from him, "No, no, what will I do? Aelia's expression is so cute right now~" he continued to tease me, ruffling my hair and all. "S-shut up! I ain't cute I'm telling you!"

"Eh~ Aelia, you're so dense!" exclaimed Nikolai, crossing their arms over their chest and turning away from me, "What do you mean?" I cocked a brow but the blonde just sighed and shoved a sandwich into my mouth. "Eat." he ordered, that same disappointed look on his face again. "Say… if I eat this, is it still nutritious or is this a part of my imagination?" the blonde shrugged, "I don't know but it's just as tasty." I chuckled and swallowed my bite. "You do know you can tell me if something's bothering you right?" I asked, taking their hand into mine, "We're friends after all, I'd like to be able to help you."

I gave their hand a little squeeze, "You can count on me," I continued, "Like I said, it's nothing Aeli, don't worry about it." they shot me a dashing smile before looking at the time. "Oh shit… Aelia, you've been meditating for three days." my eyes widened, "I've got to get out of here." I mumbled, bumping into a door, "How convenient." I waved at the blonde before walking through it, they had a smile on their face so I assumed they were fine.

"Finally you're awake!" I found myself in a hospital bed. I sat up, holding my head as it was hurting, "W-what? What am I doing here?" I asked, holding my head in slight pain, "You locked yourself in your room for three days straight. Didn't even come out to eat." said Sasuke as he put a plate in front of me, "Oh. Okay." I mumbled, taking a bite out of the food I was eating. "What were you doing in there?" asked Kakashi, his voice betraying his concern, "I was meditating. Accidentally astral projected to visit Nikolai though."

I mumbled, "Sorry. I forgot that time passed differently over there." I shrugged and continued to eat. "Why did you visit that creep?" asked Naruto, an annoyed expression on his face. A tick mark appeared on my forehead, "Can you top calling the guys I hang out with creeps? Nikolai and I are friends so stop annoying me about him." I looked at the head nurse, "Can I leave now?" I asked, getting out of bed. She let out a small sigh, "There's no holding you here. Nakajima-san was quite clear about that. Leave when you want to." she mumbled, getting out of the room. "The war will be starting in about a week. You should stay healthy." suggested Kakashi as he helped me up. "I know, I know." I leaned against him. I'll die for real in this one as one of Madara's prisoners anyway so what's the point? "Oh… Kisame-san came by earlier." declared Sakura, handing me a file, "Said you'd want to take a look at this." I gave her a curt nod as thanks. I opened the gfile to see what was inside.

Only a small piece of paper. Expect to be kidnapped at around three in the afternoon three days from now. I let out a small sigh, "Great. Just great." I pinched the bridge of my nose and walked to the window to open it, "I DIDN'T WANT IT TO HAPPEN THIS SOON YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING FISH!" I slammed the window shut and walked out of the hospital room, people giving me weird stares as I did. "What was that all about? Good for nothing fish?" chuckled Kakashi as he put an arm around my shoulder, "You sure you're okay to leave? Did you eat some weird mushroom in the astral plane?"

I swatted his hand away, "It's nothing. Don't mind it." I walked out of the hospital, rubbing my temples. "Three days… three days until that happens… I'll need to be ready." I let out a small sigh. "What is it that you need to be ready for?" asked my pinkette friend. I flinched, "It's something about Kisame… being in heat." I mumbled. HOW THE FUCK DID I THINK OF THAT?! "Anyways, I need to go talk to Tsunade. I'll see you at home?" the pinkette nodded and shot me a concerned look.

"I'm sorry but did you just say that you volunteered to get kidnapped?!" Shizune pinched the bridge of her nose while Tsunade offered me some sake. "You're up to no good, are you, kid?" asked the blonde as she took a swing out of her bottle. "It's to get Obito on our side. He'll hear me out. I'm sure." Tsunade cocked a brow, "Is that it or do you have some messed up fantasy?" I blushed, "Shouldn't call me out like that." I let out a small snicker, "But that is my main goal so whether you like it or not, I'm getting kidnapped. I'm assuming you know that this conversation isn't to leave this room?" the blonde nodded, "Don't boss me around, brat." I chuckled and opened the door to leave. "Three days from now, I'll get kidnapped by two hotties. Remember that." I shot her a smirk and ran out the room, hoping she didn't notice the slight tremor in my hands.

And thus, three days passed. Okay, don't look tense. They can't know that you're on to them. "Good morning, Teuchi." I greeted him with a strained smile. "Aelia, how have you been?" I answered way too quickly and I'm pretty sure he noticed. "I'm fine!" Teuchi cocked a brow but didn't question me, instead, he just waved as I walked away. "Man… was it really a good idea to ask Kisame to do that I wonder…" I looked at the time. Nearly three in the afternoon. Might as well leave the village so that there isn't a ruckus… he's probably been following me ever since I left my house anyways.

I walked to the gates of the village, trying to look as carefree as ever. It's no use. If Tenzo is at the gates, he'll immediately notice that something is wrong… I wonder if Madara came in person… he wouldn't would he? I mean seriously, why would he bother trying to kidnap one girl when he has an army at hand? "Ah, Aelia-san!" I turned around to meet Genma's gaze, "Genma! What's up?" we chatted for a few minutes, "So… going out on a date with that secret lover of yours?" teased the man, "Oh please. I need to go. I have some business in another village. I won't be here for a while, please inform Tsunade-sama."

The man nodded and let me through. I walked for a while, quickening my pace every now and then to get away as quickly as I could but not too quickly as not to arouse suspicion. After a while, I reached a somewhat quiet spot and decided to wait. Thirty minutes late. Wow. "Man… at least be on time if you're going to kidnap me." I grumbled, tapping my foot on the ground impatiently, "Geez. The quicker we're done with this the better." I continued on, starting to get nervous. I gulped. "Might as well sit down and read while I'm waiting. Couldn't hurt much could it?"

I sat down beneath a tree and got out a book, "I hope Madara has a big library… wherever the hideout is… What am I saying? It's not like I'll get special treatment. I'll be a war prisoner after all… or perhaps he'll come to convince me to join him? Nah… he probably knows everything I know already… other than some of the more… crucial details…" I let out a sigh, "I mean… even if he asks, it'll be more of a threat in disguise, though he IS extremely resourceful. Joining him would only benefit me…" I continued rambling on, not really paying attention to the paragraphs I was skipping ahead. "Gah! I can't take it anymore! What is he doing?! Prolonging the time just so I start freaking out?!"

I heard a set of footsteps from behind me and let out a small sigh of relief. Finally he's here. Wait no, that's bad! "I've heard much about you," said Madara as he appeared behind me, making me jump slightly, "Arrived late just to taunt me? How mean." Watch your tongue, dumbass! You're talking to Madara! "I'd say you should be respectful but I already expected those snarky comments," said the man with a smirk, "So what will it be? The fun way or the boring way where you beg for your life?"

I cocked my head to the side, "Isn't there a third way where I come willingly and get treated like a lady?" It seemed as though Madara was taken off guard, "You'd come with me willingly?" I shrugged, "Depends. You got a library, comfortable beds and some good food?" You're in no position to negotiate! Do you have a death wish or something?! "I don't think you're in a position where you can make demands." I let out a small chuckle, "Doesn't hurt to try, does it?" I stretched my back, "Besides… I'd rather be on the winning side of the war."

Madara nodded, "I was told you were the best informant around, I'm assuming you know the outcome?" I nodded, "But knowing doesn't always satisfy me. I want to be there to watch, be on the front row." I leaned against the tree, "You understand, right? Wait no, you don't. Unlike me, you're one of the people on stage, not the spectator. But I guess being a spectator has its own beauty to it." I let out a blissful sigh, "I'm not going to be staying in a cell am I? No amount of torturing will make me talk so you might as well treat me well."

I could see the Uchiha's eyebrow twitch, "Hn." was all that he said. So naturally, I got mad. "Listen, I don't have time to figure out your Uchiha talk so you might as well answer me with a word instead of 'Hn,' okay?!" Idiot! What have you done?! You're literally insulting a man comparable to a god! "You've got guts, I'll give you that. But you're also quite stupid. Or perhaps you're bluffing? I've been told you were one of the more cunning ones." smirked the Uchiha as he extended his hand towards me. "What? Want me to hold it?" Madara's eyebrow twitched again, "No."

"Then why did you- I don't have time for this." I sighed out, frustrated, "Are we going?" the man nodded, "Why come so willingly, though? You have a family, friends, a good life. Why throw it all away?" I chuckled, "I don't befriend people. They're merely tools to use to achieve my goals." the man nodded, "Still. You wouldn't betray your own flesh and blood." I chuckled at that, "Sure I would. Naruto doesn't mean anything to me. Why would he? After he discarded me so easily." I shook my head as though trying to chase away those thoughts.

"Why did you come? Don't you have an entire army under your command? You could've sent anyone to retrieve me." the man grinned, "A few of my associates have already met you. All say you always ask to meet the boss so I decided to save the two of us some trouble." I nodded and started following him. "Aren't you going to knock me out or something? What if I was a spy?" Madara chuckled, "Come on now, even you wouldn't be dumb enough to try and decieve me. I'm not like the other people you've duped, Aelia-san. I've done my own research on you." I snickered at that, "Found anything interesting?"

The Uchiha shook his head, "You're merely a ghost. No records of you ever being alive." I nodded, "Ever considered the possibility that I'm as dead as you are?" Madara chuckled, "What are you talking about? I'm alive aren't I?" I let out a small sigh, "Is that so? Then answer me this, Madara: do you have a pulse? Is your heart ever fully beating or is it always between that and stopping? Are really breathing or does it feel like you're constantly stuck in between?"

The Uchiha let out a sigh, "Didn't think you'd be one to like deep conversations. Perhaps you'll enjoy Kabuto's company, or even Obito's." my body went rigid at the mention of those two names, "Ah, that's right. I'd forgotten Obito-san was alive." I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck, "Is there anyone near my age over there?" I asked, hoping to find a reason for Deidara leaving me still. "Yeah, a man named Haruki. Though it's an alias." I nodded, "Will you be using one?" I chuckled, "I reckon you already gave me one, I'm just waiting to hear it."

"This is Karasu. Treat her with respect." I cocked my brow at the name, "I'll be in your care." I said with a smile. Karasu... raven... the bird is usually seen as a bad omen, usually of death, a sign or a prophecy. In Japan, it's a symbol of the divine… does this mean he knows about Nikolai? No… that's impossible. I looked up to meet Deidara's gaze, my body going rigid as I did. "Don't be a bother." said one of the men, "And you are?" he had red spiky hair and emerald eyes… I guess you could say he's classically handsome. "Reo." he turned around to leave.

"Alright, Reo… fucking asshole." I looked around and met Obito's gaze, the man's eyes widening as the light of recognition shined in his gaze. I walked over to him, ignoring Deidara completely, "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Karasu." I said with a smile, "You are?" Obito sighed, "You know who I am, Lia-chan." I nodded, "Of course. Knew it from the start." Obito chuckled and rested his face in his palm, "Was it really that obvious?" I shook my head, "But then again, Obito-san, you should know by now, I'm not your average information dealer."

"Yes, I've had the misfortune of finding it out." chuckled Obito as he ruffled my hair. "Ah, Karasu-san, we didn't have time to meet." said Deidara as he tried to pull me away, "No need to. I know your name and you know mine. Now if you'll excuse me, I was in the middle of a conversation." I yanked my arm back and refocused on Obito, "How did you know it was me?" I asked, "Many people assumed I was a clown. I was so offended!" Obito chuckled, "Well first of all, it's impossible to ignore that constant grin you have, and also, you reek of sake. Did you drink or something?"

I nodded, "All the way here. Madara sure is a talkative one." I sighed, finally looking around the hideout. A simple cave is probably the right word to describe it. A simple cave with many high-tech shit. "What the…" I walked over to Kabuto. That's right, he's the one who brought Madara back. "Ael-Karasu-san." greeted Kabuto, I glared at him, "That's right. Karasu-san." I continued to glare at him, the look in his eyes showing me how terrified he was. "Tch. My time ain't worth wasting on you."

Kabuto took a step back, a sad look on his face. "Tch. You're just a dog. All you need is a master to be happy." I turned my back to him and walked away, shaking my head disapprovingly, "Karasu-san." I turned around to see Deidara, "Ugh. Don't have time for this." I mumbled once more, "Madara-san has asked us to his office." I glared at him but followed nonetheless, only to find out that he was lying. When we entered an empty room, the first thing the blonde did was to hug me, his chin resting on the top of my head.

"Get away." I ordered, "We aren't dating now so please get away," I whispered, trying to pull away, "No." the blonde hugged me even tighter, "I'm not letting go until I hear that you forgive me," I glared at him, "Seems like we'll be stuck like this forever then. Let go before I make you." Deidara put a hand behind my head and pulled me into him some more. "Aelia, please hear me out." he begged. I gulped and waited, "Tsunade ordered me to infiltrate this place." I barked out a laughter, "Out of all of the excuses in the world you chose the least credible one! I'm impressed." I turned around to leave, "Don't come near me unless you want to get killed." I warned, leaving the room, "Wait, Madara actually requested us in his office." I let out a frustrated grunt but followed nonetheless, not wanting to annoy the Uchiha more than I had to.

"Ah, Karasu-san," said Madara as I entered his office, "Great timing. Meet your new teammate, Obito-san." I looked at him, "It'll be a pleasure working with you." I said with a smile on, "Sure hope so." smirked the scarred man, making me chuckle, "Why is Haruki here?" I asked, pointing at the blonde, "I asked him to show you here." I nodded, "Great. He can leave then, right?" Madara nodded, glaring at Deidara which apparently was his silent way of telling him to fuck off. I'll need to learn how to replicate that. I stretched my back and shot Madara a look, "So… what kind of work will I be doing? I'm as good as useless on the field so you'll want to keep me close." the Uchiha nodded before abruptly changing the subject. How rude.

"You've already figured the true identities of everyone under my command, I guess." I nodded, "Mostly because I've met all of them in the past, though they didn't recognize me due to my… I guess you could call it a makeover." the Uchiha nodded. "I've heard you speak numerous dead languages. Are you confident you'd be able to solve the documents I give you?" I shrugged, "I don't speak all of them but I could try to at least learn enough to understand them with the languages that I already speak."

Madara handed me a book, my eyes widening as he did so. It's the same book that I found in Pain's library! "Do you think you'd be able to translate this?" I nodded, it was in russian after all. "Great. Get started. Obito, you'll be her pawn. Don't disobey her." the scarred Uchiha let out a sigh, "I'm her pawn. Great." I chuckled and pulled Obito with me, "Come on now, I'm not a horrible person to work with." Obito shook his head, "That's not it, I just don't like the idea of being bossed around by some kid."

I smirked at him, "Sorry, but you'll have to bear it. Let's go now. Show me to the library, please." Obito nodded and walked me there, neither of us acknowledging the existence of the blonde pyromaniac. "Oi! Don't ignore me!" I shot him my best fuck off glare and walked away, latching onto Obito's arm in the process. "Come on, let's go." the Uchiha next to me let out a sigh, "Don't use me to make your boyfriend jealous, Lia-chan," he groaned, "Hmph! He isn't my boyfriend anymore." I mumbled, dragging him to the library, "Eh~ I might make you mine then." I cringed at that, "You're like twenty years older than me."

"I'm thirty one! And I know that you're nineteen okay?!" I gulped, "Age gap is way too big still." I let out a nervous chuckle and entered the library, taking a random seat and opening the book, starting to read almost immediately. "How long do you think it will take you to finish the book?" asked Obito as he peered over my shoulder only to glare at the paper. I flipped to the last page, "Four hundred pages… it's probably going to take me around five hours." Obito sighed, "That's including the amount of time it will take me to translate the entire thing." I grumbled. "I'm going to create a clone to translate the things that I read." I mumbled, creating a clone and watching it translate the information I had just read.

"Wow… you can understand all that gibberish?" I ignored the Uchiha and continued to read. "It's nothing too important… probably written in some code too…" I continued to read. How did this book get here though? To this world… Russian can't possibly be an ancient language here. I refuse to believe that. As I was reading, something caught my eye, "When the day comes that silver turns to gold, a broken promise shall usher forth the death of a million." I rested my head in my palm. I know exactly what this is about. I shot a look at Obito. I can't tell him… he can't know. Ever.

"Something wrong?" the Uchiha shot me a concerned look, "No it's nothing, my head hurts a little." I shot him a smile and continued to read, "You should rest." I shook my head, "I need to finish this." I mumbled, shooting a look at my clone, "Ne le laisse pas voire la traduction, entendu?" (Don't let him see the translation, understood?) my clone nodded and went back to work.

"The hell? You know what, I don't want to know." Obito left the library, probably to bring me some food or something. "Karasu." an irk mark appeared on my forehead. "Reo." the man sat next to me and watched me work, "The hell do you want? Can't you see I'm working?" I continued to read through the book, not once letting him see that I was terribly concerned about what I was reading. This book is the literal description of the end of the world, the fuck. "We were all told that you were illiterate yet here you are decoding a book in another language." said the man, a smirk on his face. "Think you're onto me? Please. I taught myself how to understand these."

"You may be beautiful but you sure curse like a sailor." I chuckled at that, "Why thank you for calling me beautiful, Reo." What is this? Some weird shoujo manga? Why are there so many men trying to get into my pants?! Reo held my chin and forced me to face him, "It's polite to face someone when they're talking to you," he smirked while I cringed, "Do you think that makes you look intimidating? Sorry but it's hard to take you seriously when you have a zit at the tip of your nose." obviously there wasn't anything but I guess I enjoyed the three seconds of embarrassment I made him go through. "Can you let go of my face now? I have to get back to work." I heard the door open and felt Deidara's presence. "Actually, you know what? Don't move. Something interesting is about to happen."

Reo let out a small sigh but didn't move at all. "O-OI! GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" I smirked, "Why should he? Maybe I like it." I shot him a smirk latching onto Reo's arm, "You don't." declared Deidara, trying to pull me away, "Let go or I'll scream." I threatened but he kept pulling, so I took a deep breath in and…

"DON'T TOUCH ME THERE YOU PERVERT!" Reo let out a snort while Deidara panicked, "S-stop it Karasu! This will cause a misunderstanding!" he exclaimed, an embarrassed look on his face. Obito soon came into the room, an exasperated look on his face, "Really? Are you that petty?" I shrugged, "Hmph! He's the one who started it, getting all protective even though we aren't dating." Reo smirked, "So you're single," he concluded, I nodded, "Single as can be." I felt his arms snake around my waist. Okay I'm convinced. This is definitely a shoujo manga. "Then I guess I'll help myself." I cocked a brow. "What is this, you were such an ass a few minutes ago," Reo smirked, "Oh you know… people change." a small snicker played at my lips, "Within just a few minutes? That quick? Oh well what do you know."

Deidara let out a growl, "Get your hands off her." he ordered, only making me smirk, "Or what? What can you do?" I let myself be comfortable in Reo's embrace, "You'll get mad? You have no right to." Reo smirked, "Man, didn't think I'd get a beauty like this so easily." I stomped on his foot, "Don't think you've gotten far. I'm a lady. You'll need more than some cheap flirting trick to woo me." the redhead smirked, "Is that a challenge?"

WHAT IS THIS WEIRD LOVE PANDEMONIUM?! AT THIS RATE, I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF MADARA DECLARED HIS LOVE TO ME! WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?! Deidara glared at the redhead as he tried to pull me away once again, "Come on now," he mumbled, an irk mark on his forehead. "Let go. I'm still not done translating this book and you're ruining my focus." I kicked the blonde out, not giving him any time to complain. "Would you like me to leave too?" asked Reo, already comfortable in the seat next to me, "I'd say yes but it seems you've made yourself at home already. Don't make any noise." I ordered as I sat down and started to read, my clone translating all of the information I gained.

"What the…" I brought the book closer to my face, my eyes widened as I dropped the book, "Hey, are you alright?" asked Obito, a concerned look on his face. I shook my head, "This isn't supposed to be in here…" I mumbled as I ripped the page, "This is a map as far as I can tell." Of course it is. It's the map of my world. "Okay but what place?" asked Reo from behind me, "You wouldn't know." was my answer as I shoved the page in my pocket. I look suspicious as shit right now. "I'll need more time to decode this page so I'll take it with me."

Obito nodded, not questioning me for a second. "Now then… onto the rest of the book." The book mostly talked in code as in it was just a long string of different prophetic poems. It was quite easy to tell which prophecy was about who so I'm not really worried. My main concern at the moment is how and why this book has a map of my world and how it's in russian. There has to be a rational explanation to all of this. "Karasu-san?" I looked up from my book to meet Reo's gaze, "San? Are you okay? Why are you using honorifics?" Reo chuckled, "Can't I be polite for once?"

I heard Obito sigh by the door, "You've only known each other for a few minutes and already you're talking as though you're old friends." I smirked at that, "Eh~ Perhaps we were soulmates in the past~" I said in a mocking tone, taking Reo's hand into mine, "Why do I feel like I know you even though I just met you?" asked Reo, imitating my tone.

The two of us snorted while Obito pinched the bridge of his nose, "I used to deal with one, now I have to deal with two." I chuckled at that and went back to reading. A few hours passed and now, I was done with the book and the translation. I looked over at my clone, "Sakın harita üstünde bişey deme, anlasıldımı?" (Don't say anything about the map, is that understood?) my clone nodded and handed me the papers before disappearing, "You didn't need to precise such a thing. I disappear when asked to anyway." she mumbled before turning into a puff of smoke.

"What language was that? Sounded similar to the one you were mumbling a few minutes ago." said Obito. Is he talking about russian? Well… I guess turkish and russian do sound similar to some extent. "That was another dead language. Don't mind it." I stretched my back and got out of my seat, "I'll die of boredom soon enough," I mumbled, taking a sip from the tea that Obito brought me, "Hmm~ so yummy!" a slight blush appeared on my face. Is your british side taking over? Chuckled Nikolai.

Partly. My turkish side is also to blame for my addiction to tea. "I don't know how you can drink that stuff," sighed Reo, "It's basically boiling leaf juice." I chuckled at that and got my flask out, "Drinking at this time of the day? You haven't changed." Obito sighed while I shrugged, "Can't help it if the booze is more of a friend than you've ever been." the Uchiha bonked me on the head and grabbed my flask. "Hey!" I got bonked again, "You're way too young to drink. Remember what happened last time." I glared at him, "Yeah but I'm of age now."

"No you aren't. You're seventeen." Reo's eyes widened, "Finally someone close to my age!" I cocked a brow, "Isn't Haruki nineteen?" he shook his head, "Yeah but he isn't a beautiful woman." I cringed, "Okay maybe you're going too far with the beautiful woman thing." Reo cocked a brow, "I only said it three times." I chuckled, "I don't know what to tell you. Girls like asshole men." this time Obito was the one to let out a snicker, "But in your case you like asshole men and women." I glared at him, "I'd usually have something to say but I'm grateful you brought me the tea."

I finished my cup and put the book in my backpack. "Now then… gotta give this back to Madara." I let out a small sigh, "The book was pretty good too…" Reo chuckled and tried to take a look at the translations. "These are all written in some other language." my eyes widened in terror as I grabbed the paper, letting out a small sigh of relief. "REO! WHY JOKE LIKE THAT, ASSHOLE?!" the redhead chuckled, "So it has happened before?" I glared at him, "Hmph!" I crossed my arms and turned away from him. "Aw come on, you're not mad."

"Am so!" Reo wrapped his arms around my waist, "Nope. You aren't." my face flushed as the door opened, revealing a fuming Deidara. I gulped. What is Reo doing?! I mean sure I want to make Deidara jealous but not to the point where we both might die! "Oh. Hey." I nonchalantly said, turning away from him, "Don't 'hey' me! What the hell is going on?! Found yourself a new plaything?!"

I glared at him while Reo snickered, "Isn't she supposed to ask you that? Whatever happened to Hitomi-chan I wonder." I flinched at the name, "H-hitomi?" Deidara took a step back, a blush on his face, "Oh so you're allowed to go out with people and I'm not? Even though you're the one who broke up with me?!" I glared at him, "Weren't you flirting with her for the entire month too?" my ears perked up at that. So that's why he was leaving all the time. "A month?" I shot him a disapproving glare, "Okay, so you were cheating on me. Anything else you'd like to get off your chest? Or perhaps will you let Reo do it?"

"I'd never cheat on you!" exclaimed Deidara, livid, "I just wanted to get back at you." I lashed out, "For what?! For having guy friends?! Are you so insecure that the moment I get close to a guy you freak out?!" Deidara shook his head, "You flirt with them all the time! You and that idiot are unbelievably close and you're drinking buddies with your teacher! There were rumors going round that you were dating him and that woman! At the same time!"

I shrugged, "So you wanted to get back at me for rumors that I couldn't control? So what, I'm close to that 'idiot' he was with me in my darkest times, times where I considered fucking killing myself, ending it all because I hated myself. Are you telling me not to be close with someone who has helped me through that?!" Deidara took a step back, "Do you really think that jealousy is a reason to cheat? Because last time I checked, I've never been anything other than loyal to you. Even when you'd act like an asshole and try to make me jealous." I turned away from him, "And now I learn that you've been cheating for over a month." Deidara put a hand on my shoulder as though to hold me in place, "I never did anything to her!"

"Really? Cuz you got caught snuggling under a tree." smirked Reo. Dread filled me as I felt the tears coming. "Oh really now? I'm disappointed in you." I spat out, pulling Reo and Obito out of the room. "Let's go. I have to give this back to Madara." I hope that everything is a lie, that he didn't actually do those horrible things, oh gods please let this all be just a dream. "Are you okay?" Reo asked, a concerned look on his face, "Y-yeah. Don't mind me, I'm just a little worked up." I shot him a grin and went into Madara's office, not knocking and just letting myself in.

The Uchiha's eyebrow twitched, "I know that you're essential but could you please knock?" I smirked, "Hasn't even been a day and you already look defeated." I plopped the stack of paper on the desk, "Here. It's the translation of the entire book." Madara nodded. Closest thing to 'thank you' I'm getting from him. "Don't mind that. It looks like you're on the verge of crying." I chuckled, "Never thought you'd be the type to worry about your subordinates."

Madara sighed, "I may be a monster but I've still got a heart. What's wrong?" I let out a sigh, "Just found out I'd been dating a bastard is all." I said with a small smile, "Oh yeah. I knew." shrugged Madara. My eyebrow twitched, "How?" the Uchiha chuckled, "Well I had to watch you for a few days before recruiting you, you know." I pinched the bridge of my nose, "And?" Madara shot me a confused look, "Did you not get my note?" I felt my soul leave my body, "You're the one who wrote 'we're thru' on a piece of paper and put it on my desk?"

Madara barked out a laugh, "What? No! I had Obito do it." I facepalmed, "Why?" Madara shrugged, "Wouldn't it be easier for you to part with the village if you were feeling bitter about your breakup?" I bit my tongue, not wanting to lash out, "Great. Thank you. Now I'm not dating a cheating asshole." Madara nodded, seemingly not having caught the frustration in my voice, "But maybe next time, you should write something more that 'we're thru,' it's horrible and makes it sound like you don't care!"

Obito let out a sigh, "I did tell him it was a bad idea." I let out a small groan, "Well whatever. Too late now anyways. Poor Hitomi-chan, having to go out with someone like him…" Reo let out a small chuckle, "Well, well, Karasu, it looks like you're the type to get along with just about anyone." I let out a small sigh, "Sure am." I shot a look at Madara, "Do you know why he wanted to get back at me? The real reason?" one of Madara's eyes twitched, "Kid, do I look like I care about your teenage drama?" I shrugged, "You sent Obito to break up with me in his stead."

The Uchiha let out a sigh, "That was to make it easier for you to come." I shrugged, "If you say so, Madara." Obito put a hand on my shoulder to catch my attention, "Maybe he was angry about… you know… the incident…" I raised a brow, "The incident?" Obito shot me a suggestive look, "You know… what happened in Zalfari?" a wave of anger crashed upon me, "Are you saying he wanted to get back at me for being-" Obito covered my mouth, "But that's so stupid! It doesn't even make sense! And even then, we weren't even dating! The fuck?! No! I don't accept this!"

"Um…" Reo said hesitantly, "What happened in Zalfari?" the look in my eyes significantly darkened, "Don't you worry about that. It's not important." Obito whacked the back of my head, hard, "The fuck do you mean not important?! Did you ever end up catching the guy?" I shook my head, "Gave up. He'll show himself eventually." I shrugged and walked towards the door, only to be held by the back of my collar, "You've got to be kidding me! That guy did some horrible things to you and you intend on letting him walk?!" I shrugged, "He can shapeshift anyway to what's the point? As I said, he'll come back eventually and when he does… I'll have his head."

I shot the Uchiha a smile, "Just what happened to you?" sighed Madara as he rested his forehead on his palm. "She got-" I covered Obito's mouth, "I'd rather people not know." Obito shook his head and tried to speak but his voice was muffled. "I said what I said. You might as well respect my wishes." I let out a sigh and dragged Reo out of the room with me. "Let's go, Reo." Found yourself a new plaything my ass. I might as well make you suffer, Deidara. "W-w-wait! Where are we going?!"

"On a date- where do you think we're going, we're going to the library, dumbass." Reo let out a small snicker, "I'd rather go on a date but alright." I let out a sigh, "You can call it a date if you want. I just want to read." the redhead chuckled and followed me to the library, a smirk on his face when he saw the glare Deidara was shooting at him. "Karasu, let's go." said Reo as he held my hand. Oi, we've only known each other for a few minutes. Don't go holding my hand.

My eyebrows twitched as I entered the library, an annoyed expression on my face as I climbed the ladder to try and grabbed a random book. "Gah, I've already read this one." I mumbled, picking another book. "Oh… that looks-never mind." it turned out to be a hentai. "Oh! I found a porno!" exclaimed Reo as he waved the book around. "Grow up a little. People read that stuff." I mumbled, taking another book, "Um… Karasu… you're in the hentai section." I fell from the ladder and landed in Reo's arms, "WHAT?!" I blush spread across my face. "Y-you're kidding!" the redhead shook his head, a slight smirk on his face. "Do I remember you reading a certain book? The cover looked awfully similar to Icha Icha."

About a week passed after that, I was starting to get antsy and it showed. I was easy to anger, had zero appetite and would spend most of my days in the library. "The war is starting in a few days." I mumbled to myself as I continued reading, only to throw away the book. "It's no use. I can't concentrate." I let out a sigh, "You've been sighing quite a lot lately," a smile tugged at my lips, "Reo. How was breakfast?" the redhead smiled, "Pretty good." he put a plate full of berries and pancakes in front of me, "You haven't eaten in four days. Eat this willingly or I'm shoving it down your throat. What are you so worried about anyways?" I let out a groan, "You can see it?" Reo's eyebrows twitched, "How can I not? You haven't eaten, you've never even entered your room so I'm going to assume you haven't slept, you've basically locked yourself in here and won't open the door even when Madara orders you to. We've had to fix the door three times already." I let out a small sigh again, "Sorry. I guess I just don't like what I found out in the documents that I was asked to translate."

"Karasu," I turned around to face Deidara, "Oh. Haruki. What is it?" the blonde pulled me from my seat, "We need to talk." he shot a glare at Reo, "Alone." I let out yet another sigh and followed the blonde. "How long are you going to keep sulking? I said I'm sorry." I barked out a laugh, "Oh man! You really do think the world revolves around you! Deidara, should I remind you that a war is happening in a few days?!" the blonde let out a sigh and pulled me in for a hug, ignoring me as I tried to get away from him. "Just let me." he mumbled, hugging me tighter and resting my head on his chest, "We might die in this war… I don't want the last memory I have of you to be a bad one."

He rested his chin on top of my head, "You cheated on me." I said in the end, "I wasn't thinking straight. Lia… I love you… please…" I gulped. I love you too, idiot… but I'm not so stupid as to let you break my heart again, "I'm sorry. But you hurt me. So, so much." I pulled away from him, "No, Aelia. Please." he kissed me, not pulling away until he absolutely needed to. "Aelia… please tell me you love me too." begged the blonde, a pleading look on his face. "I-idiot! Of course I love you." I whispered out, "But I don't want to be hurt anymore." Deidara looked hurt, betrayed, destroyed, yet he shot me a smile and said, "I understand. My time with you is something I'll never forget."

I now laid on the battlefield, a huge hole in my stomach and my entire team around me. "AELIA! I'M SO SORRY AELIA, I DIDN'T SEE YOU! PLEASE DON'T DIE! COME ON! BE STRONG!" I flashed them a smile, trying to wipe the blood spilling from my mouth, "S-sorry… B-but I don't think I'll make it." tears gathered at the corners of my eyes. I don't want to die. Naruto hugged my body, sobbing harder than I've ever seen someone cry.

"D-don't cry, Usuratonkachi." I said with a chuckle, "I-I don't belong here a-anyway… s-so don't cry okay? F-for me?" Kakashi took my hand into his, "D-don't come at me w-with an 'I failed as a teacher' Kakashi. Y-you're the best t-teacher ever." I shot a look at both Sakura and Sasuke, the pinkette had been trying her best to heal me, to no avail. I pushed her away slightly, "D-don't waste your c-chakra. I'm a goner now…" I started to cough, trying to bear the pain still, "Sakura… you're my best friend." I shot her a smile, "N-name your kid after me, I swear, you don't want to name her Sarada. It means salad."

I chuckled while the girl shot me a teary smile, "W-was that seriously h-how we were going to name her?" tears streamed down her face, making me chuckle and wince soon after, "S-seems as though you're c-crying for the wrong reasons." the girl wiped her tears, "E-even in death, you're joking." I nodded, craning my neck to look at Sasuke, "Sasuke…" the Uchiha came a little closer so that I didn't have to hurt my neck, "You're like a brother to me… so fucking annoying… but I love you nonetheless… I love all of you guys…" I was crying by now. I really don't want to die. I heard Nikolai sniffle, I'm sorry… there's nothing I can do… "S-say… guys… please… tell Deidara I love him okay? That's it's okay to move on?" they nodded.

"C-cold…" they all hugged me, tears streaming down all our faces. "C-come on now… You guys are the original T-Team Seven. I wasn't supposed to be here i-in the first place. D-don't be sad." I could feel my last moments arrive, "L-listen because I d-don't have much time left. Y-you guys a-are the best friends anyone could ask for… Naruto, Sasuke, d-don't fight for random shit. Sakura, please… try not to go crazy okay? They're both idiots that are still l-learning. K-kakashi… Thank you… thank you so much, for being a good drinking buddy. T-try not to drink too much though… F-for your liver." These are my last seconds… I can feel it. "I-I love you guys…" I said at last, "S-see you on the other side… d-don't come t-too soon o-or I'll get mad."

And with that… I died… I have no regrets this time, I guess. I'm glad that I got to see them one last time, that I died as Uzumaki Aelia, not Karasu. I felt my soul leave my body, a kind hand extending to grab mine, "Aelia, we've heard a lot about you." I looked up to see a kind looking woman with fiery red hair and purple eyes, a blonde man behind her, his blue eyes looking directly at me as he shot me a warm smile. "Y-you're Naruto's parents." I said with a smile, looking back to Naruto. He was crying, even though he had a smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, Naruto… everyone…" tears spilled down my face as my spirit ran to hug them. "I'm so sorry but it's for the best. It's how it's supposed to be." I watched as Deidara approached my lifeless body, his eyes betraying so much sadness. I went to him and put a hand on his cheek, "Come on now, you know that there isn't any bad blood between us anymore." I watched as his eyes widened. I guess he can see me. I shot him a smile and gave his cheek a small kiss. "Don't come here too soon okay?" and with that, I took Kushina's hand and went to the other side, a smile on my face as I saw Jiraiya, Itachi, Haku, Sakura's parents, Neji and everyone else.

Apparently, a few years have passed in the mortal realm now, "Aelia, are you coming or not?" I nodded as I followed Kushina, Minato, Neji and Itachi to the bridge. "I can't wait to meet Boruto." I said with a delighted expression on my face, "Ah, Itachi, you'll be meeting Sarada, right?" the Uchiha cocked a brow, "Sarada? They named the girl after you." deadpanned Itachi. I let out a small snicker. "Oh my gods I didn't think they'd take me seriously on that." Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose and dragged me to the other side of the bridge, "Come on now, I don't want to miss this." he mumbled, an irk mark on his forehead. "See, Boruto? That's your Aunt Aelia's grave." said Naruto as he held his kid above my grave.

"Aw! He's so cute!" I exclaimed, patting the kid's head. "Woah! He can see me!" I grabbed Boruto's small hand and squeezed it a little, making the kid giggle. "She's probably up there making fun of me you know? Saying stuff like 'Hah! Let's hope Boruto doesn't end up being an idiot like you' I mean that's probably what she'd say if she was alive." I smacked him across the head but it probably was like a wave of hot air to him. "Naruto~ is that really how you see me?!" I demonic aura surrounded my body, making the little whiskered boy giggle and Naruto sweatdrop, "Guess she heard me. I feel a deadly aura around here." snickered my brother.

I went to see Sasuke and Sakura next. "Hey there, Aelia." said Itachi as he played with the hands of the little girl, "Woah! So cute!" I exclaimed, running to the little girl and patting her head. "Don't be so rough," exclaimed Itachi, a protective look in his eye. "Hehe, sorry, sorry." I met Sasuke's gaze though I doubt he could see me, perhaps he could sense me? A smile came to his face, "I'm probably imagining it but it's like I can feel that they're here." said Sasuke, giving Sakura a hug. The girl nodded, "I just hope she's happy wherever she is. Or maybe she went and reincarnated in another world again."

I let out a sigh, "NO! I'm right here, see!" I waved my hand in front of the girl's face, letting out a small sigh, "No use. She can't see me." I groaned, walking away after waving at the little pink haired girl. "So cute." I said once again. I walked to the KIA stone next, there sat Rin. That's right… her and I never really got the opportunity to meet. "Hello, Rin-san." I said with a smile, "Ah, you must Aelia." I nodded, she was so short compared to me, "Guilty." I chuckled as I watched Kakashi put an offering of dango in front of the grave, I noticed my name was written on the stone.

"Oh… so I guess they put me there." I chuckled, walking to sit next to Kakashi. The man put a bottle of sake in front of the gave, "If you're here, you might as well have a drink with me," he said. I could see the outline of a smile behind the mask he was wearing. "Can't refuse an invitation such as that, can I?" I grabbed the bottle and took a swing from it. "Ah, guess he can't tell I picked it up." I chuckled, "I wish we could come here more often then once a year." I sighed while Rin nodded, agreeing.

"He told me a lot about you and the rest of his team. At first he was talking about how much of a bother you were, but then it slowly went to how much he pitied you. After a while, he started to talk about the times you went drinking and how you didn't know if you two had hooked up until a few months later." she chuckled while I blushed embarrassed. "O-oi have you got no shame, Kakashi? Telling the dead about this." I let out a small sigh, "So… was Obito happy when he saw you?" Rin raised a brow, "Whatever do you mean? Obito is alive. Look, he's over there."

I looked to my right to see the scarred man, "W-what?!" I'd never seen him ever since I died, I just assumed he was mad at me but no, seems he was alive all along. "He became Hokage after the war, because Naruto was too young. But now, things are how they're supposed to be and Naruto is Hokage." I nodded, "In the original story, it was Kakashi, but oh well, I guess this version isn't so bad." I smiled while Rin nodded. "If things had gone differently… and I had come back to a time when Kakashi was a kid… I… Rin-san I don't know if I could've prevented your death." the girl nodded, "Some deaths are just supposed to happen, aren't they?" I nodded, letting out a small sigh. "If only I could've saved everyone though."

"That would be impossible," I nodded and got up, "It was nice to meet you, Rin-san." the girl nodded, "It was a pleasure meeting you as well." she shot me a smile before I turned my back and walked away, going to Deidara's house. I walked through the door to see the blonde cooking some food. "Kagome! Please come down here and eat." he called, a young black haired girl with big brown eyes came running down the stairs, "Daddy! Look at what I drew!" she exclaimed, showing the picture of what appeared to be a badly drawn dog.

"Honey, it's beautiful." said the blonde, hanging the picture on the fridge. A few minutes later, a woman entered the kitchen, with long brown hair and big blue eyes, "It smells delicious, dear." she said, giving him a kiss. I smiled, "I'm glad he was able to move on." as soon as the woman left the kitchen, I sat on the counter, watching as Kagome ran around the room, waving her arms around, asking to be picked up.

Deidara sighed and picked the girl up, "Oh, you've become heavy haven't you?" he teased, kissing the girl's forehead. There was a small bitter part in me that was devastated that Deidara and I couldn't have had a life like this, together, but I pushed it away and smiled. "Guess you don't need me to stick around anymore." I walked through the door and went to the bar. Tsunade was drinking as usual, "Oi, Aelia-I mean Anko… don't you think this sake is delicious?" the woman nodded, letting out a sigh, "You've got to get over it, Tsunade-sama. No amount of sake will drown the sorrow." the blonde nodded.

"Things are just different without her around." I smiled and left, heading towards the Yamanaka compound. "She still doesn't remember I existed does she?" I watched as Ino played with baby Inojin. "So cute." I though, leaving the compound to go back to the bridge. "Come on, Aelia. We'll come back next year." I nodded and left, "Next year it is, then." as I walked to the other side, I warm hand held mine, "There you are, I've been trying to find you ever since you got here." I smiled at the voice, "Nikolai, how've you been?" the blonde chuckled, "I've been well." a dark look entered his eye, "I'm sorry… it's my fault you died." I bonked him on the head, "Nonsense. This is how things were supposed to be from the start." the two of us chuckled before crossing the bridge, leaving the mortal realm behind us.

So yeah... this is the last chapter of this book. Thank you all for reading it! It really means the world to me.