2/1/2010
Wow it has been a long time and for that I am sorry...
But... Now if you have not heard, I am now engaged 3 so things are busy with me searching for a job and with school.
I swear I am going to try to update this and other fictions more often TT_TT

I love you all! 3

Chapter 33: Steel Determination and Diamond Eyes

Song of the Chapter:
Hero – Skillet
Reason: We all need that hero within us no matter who we are or the reason

*poof*

Before anyone could blink, Atsushi was replaced by a log and immediately all the ninjas in the area tensed up. Emiko narrowed her eyes and held out a kunai. She smirked for a moment at Hidan before barking orders to the Leaf shinobi. "Stay alert! He is a highly dangerous rogue ninja plus he has a seal. I can sense it!"

Sakura's pink hair swished around as she rapidly whipped her head backwards and did a rolling kick towards a random ninja that approached her. "We have company Emiko-san!"

She frowned and nipped her thumb. Small droplets of blood became visible and her eyes glowed for a moment to allow her to concentrate her power. "Small fry; do not hesitate and do not bother wasting your chakra on them. Focus on Atsushi!"

Naruto laughed and began to launch himself at the ninja. "Shadow Clone jutsu!" With a vast series of poofs, twenty more Narutos joined the fray. "Leave them to me Sakura-chan. Find that one guy so we can get the hell outta here."

Sakura tried to close her eyes to concentrate her chakra but suddenly winced. Emiko noticed her momentary pain and looked towards the kunoichi. "What is the matter?"

"I'm getting an interference of power." She shivered as a voice pounded into all their minds.

"You Leaf ninja have to complicate matters impossibly don't you? Even that Orochimaru bastard made things more complicated than he should have. It's all simple you see… we give you the Uchiha and you hand over the Fushigi heir. What is so difficult about that?" Emiko nodded at Sakura who punched below them exposing Atsushi who had a red tinted shield around him.

"Atsushi, I will not be denied the pleasure of ending your existence!" With that, Emiko charged towards him while her blood droplets hardened into a red katana. Atsushi frowned as his red shield shimmered upon impact. "Can your measly blood barrier be enough to fend off my kekkei genkai? I am much stronger and younger than you Atsushi and I will not be denied my vengeance!"

With a smirk, the shield dissipated and Emiko slashed through it only to be confronted by a log; now covered in blood. "So pathetic… The Fushigi heir is more foolish than I previously imagined… to fall prey to such a low leveled jutsu…" Emiko flinched feeling a familiar presence behind her and the cold steel of kunai against her neck. "I have decided you are not what I desire anymore… but I cannot tolerate your weakness disgracing what our ancestors worked hard to achieve. Say goodbye to your life." He pressed the cold blade against her neck to slice the flesh open but the skin barely peeled and the kunai was denied further movement. "What is this magic?"

The blood heir smirked and leaned into the cold touch of the weapon; this time allowing the blade to be bathed in her blood. "Not magic… merely my kekkei genkai… and you will die this time!" She closed her eyes and the blood from the kunai leapt upon Atsushi causing him to release the weapon and recoil back in disgust.

"Why is it burning?" Emiko looked back to notice the other ninja and felt liberated. She walked away from Atsushi who was being suffocated by the bloody mass surrounding him to survey the area. Suigetsu was smirking and mocking Karin but surprisingly they were making a good team in taking down the foes. Juugo and Sasuke were on the other side of the field clearing a path for the Leaf shinobi and protecting them.

"Emiko-san!" Her eyes flickered towards Sakura and she hurried to her. "Naruto's having a hard time breathing!" Emiko bit her lip and felt the young man's chest.

"Blood is clogging into his lungs. Do you lack the chakra to clear it right now?" Sakura looked away for a moment and sadly nodded. Emiko smiled softly and gently placed a hand on Naruto's chest and whispered a few soft words. "I was taught this by Kakuzu-san."

Naruto coughed a few times and fainted but thankfully was alive. Before Emiko could stand up, she felt arms around her. "That fucker Atsushi's body wasn't there anymore" Emiko quickly slipped out of Hidan's grip and ran back to the battlefield. Hidan sighed and looked at the young medic. "I wish she wasn't put through this hell… she deserves better in more ways than one. Damn this world."

Sakura looked at the various Akatsuki who were searching the area in a similar manner as Emiko. "Are we going to fight again? How much blood will be shed in this battle? I'm tired of fighting but I can never tire of healing… of saving others… why must we fight?" Hidan smirked and laughed.

"Without fighting and assholes like us, you would be outta a job girlie. And peaceful shit that you're used to I can't deal with. Plain and simple and Jashin-sama won't get by on peace. I must do my duty!" He snorted in laughter and patted Sakura's shoulder. "I can't say I'd take it easy if we fought against each other… I have no doubts we will have conflict. Just stay outta my way and I won't go outta my way to find ya."

Sakura giggled and nodded her head as she turned to tend to the injuries of the various ninja around her. Emiko frowned as she surveyed where she dealt the killing blow to Atsushi moments earlier. "Hidan-koi… where did he go? My blood should have overloaded and exploded his heart in addition to breaking his neck…" She shivered as a chill wind passed over her only to feel the Jashinists arms tighten around her protectively.

"It doesn't fucking matter. We'll track him down and make that bastard pay for what he's done and for hunting my wife…" Hidan's eyes darkened into a crimson shade similar to that of blood. "He's going to hell in the harshest way possible."

"Hell to a Jashinist… that's gotta be something." Kakuzu sniggered as he strode past; trying to loot the poor ninja they had defended against. "Odd thing though… these shinobi didn't carry much money on them but had an odd amount of enchanted chakra weaponry and armor… with similar properties that Emiko's kekkei genkai has."

Emiko frowned and looked at the two Akatsuki members near her. "Are my attacks going to be used against me?" Without warning, her world hazed out and went to black.

Six Months Later

Hidan entered the cold room and sighed. To his disgust, the room's air was stagnant. That bastard Kakuzu better turn up the heat in this hellhole. Biting his lip, Hidan continued until he was in the center of the room next to a flytrap. Hidan put his palm on it and it opened to expose Emiko but things were not the same. They never could be the same. He touched her cold cheeks and while she leaned into his touch, she did not open her eyes or even breathe. "My poor Emiko-koi…" At his voice, she raised her head towards his head and slumped into his grasp.

The door open again and Kakuzu walked in, shaking his head. "I wish this treatment could help her faster. Does Zetsu know what he's doing?"

"Better than the rest of us fuckers." Hidan placed Emiko back into the flytrap where it closed over here. Once she was out of sight, Hidan softly cried. "I hope she wakes up again. And soon… things are changing too rapidly for Jashin's liking."