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e-eyed stare. She then turned away, breathing deeply.
Kae cracked a smirk, wondering if Sakura was worth anything at all. If she'd seen the thing Kae'd seen, the princess would've lost her breakfast. Kae had, at least.
Twice.

"Hey!! You've never used that move before!" accused Shoji, getting to his feet, brushing dust from his pants as he got up.
The gray wolf grinned at him, laughing at him in his own ways. It was true, the dog had learned some tricks along the way. Though this fight had merely been taijutsu, it had been pretty close. If Reikon hadn't used that move at the end, Shoji could've had him.
Lucky for him, Shoji was distracted.
Tension and anger carried on the wind, turning it foul. Kirigakure, or Village Hidden in the Mist, had always had clean air. It was odd. The air seemed almost foggy, yet different.
Unwilling to wait to find out, Shoji called a quiet warning to his companion. Soon dog and master had disappeared back into the small stone cottage.


Kae didn't realize she'd been left behind until she was all alone, with even Rayne gone. She'd only stopped a moment to get a drink of water, but they hadn't waited even that long.
After her quick drink, Kae was rushing to catch up to her group. So focused on that was she, that she didn't even see the other person approaching until she ran smack into him.
"Shoji?!" she exclaimed, rubbing the back of her head where it had smacked into the ground.
Shoji, the lucky b*****d, had managed to stop his fall, and was grinning down at her from a tree branch. "Well, fancy meeting you here. Where're your buddies?"
"Ditched me," growled Kae, scrambling to her feet.
Shoji chuckled, then dropped from his spot on the tree. Looking around, he noted that the forest had grown still.
The reason why was told when a great big raindrop landed right on his nose. "Oh, damn! That is cold!" he laughed.
"Noo!" sighed Kae dramatically, leaning on tree. "This'll slow me down so much. And it's hard to use the trees when it's raining. I slip a lot."
Shoji frowned when lightning lit the sky, then he said, "I don't think we should be near the trees... I know a place where we can shelter until the storms goes away. Why don't you come with me?"
Kae thought a moment, then nodded. It would be better to stay out of the storm. Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi and Rayne would stop eventually. She would catch up soon enough.
She followed Shoji quietly, jumping at every crack of lightning and roar of thunder, reveiling another secret better left hidden.
"You scared of storms?"
Though Shoji's question was innocent enough, Kae still felt herself harden towards him, towards his prying. With jerky movements, she denied the truth, then looked down at the muddy road, preventing eye contact.
Shoji chose to ignore the obvious lie, deciding ruffeling her feathers was something that shouldn't be done. After all, he'd seen her with those swords. He shot them a quick look, then shivered with forboding.

With every step, Kae felt she was doing something utterly stupid. Something that would change her life forever. As much as she willed herself to stop, a part of her was determined to prove that nothing would happen. So she continued following Shoji, a sick feeling in her stomach growing. And growing.

The minute Shoji opened the door to that stone cabin, Kae found the reason she had felt such a strong sickness.
That b*****d, the one from her nightmares, was sitting on a couch, drinking tea and watching the door with quiet patience.
"Ah, Shoji! You found her, I see..."
Kae shot Shoji a look of pure loathing, a hatred so great he stepped back a few paces. He turned to Muraki, stunned surprised on his face. "What're you talking about? You told me to go get some milk..." he muttered the last part, shooting glares at the floor. Obviously being an errand boy wasn't suiting him.
But Kae was ignoring him, like everything else in the room besides Muraki.
In one fluid motion, she had ripped the Twin Wolf Blades from their sheathes and was racing at Muraki, a horrible taste in her mouth.
She was blocked by a sword sheathe, sword still inside. She shot a glare to the one who stopped her, and was surprised to find Shoji there.
"Move, Shoji!" she snarled, pressing harder with her dual swords. The blades dug into the leather of the sheathe, but Shoji held firm.
"I can't, Kae. I'm his bodygaurd. I would give up my life for him. It's my job."
"Job?" hissed Kae, lifting one blade away from the sheathe, using the other sword to hold Shoji there.
Shoji saw what she was doing and muttered a curse. Quickly he pulled the sword from it's sheathe and used it to block Kae's other attack.
Suddenly he felt overwhelming pain in his arm holding the sword sheathe.
He glanced at the small nick in his wrist a moment, then gazed at Kae, puzzled. How could such a small wound hurt so much?
Kae saw his puzzlement and smirked, a rather cruel smirk. "Poison," she whispered, savoring the taste of the word. "If you don't clean that wound soon, your body will become paralyzed."
She felt no remorse over doing this to Shoji. He had gotten in her way. No one would stand in her way. No one.

Kae knew that the wound would not stop Shoji, but it would hopefully distract him enough so she could attack Muraki. She raised the poisoned blades, but was surprised again to find Shoji holding onto them, holding them still.
"I can't let you do that, Kae." His voice, though it trembled a little bit, was surprisingly calm.
Kae caught sight of Muraki, and felt her heart tighten in anger. He was smirking. When their eyes held, he winked. Just like before.
With a low, strained cry, she jerked her blades from Shoji's hands and stalked towards Muraki, rage overpowering her fear of this madman.
This time, Shoji's dog stopped her. She hadn't noticed the gray dog before, but now she turned on it, glowering. Why was everything getting in her way? This was revenge, and they weren't apart of it.
"Kae, I challenge you to a fight," came Shoji's voice, still calm despite the spreading poison.
Kae sighed, then nodded. She shot a glare at Muraki, but her honor was too great. She couldn't back down from a fight, or attack an unarmed man. As she thought about it, she knew it to be lies. She was too scared to even try and lay a finger on this man. He had killed her friends so easily. Was there any hope for her?
She would give her life trying to find out. That she knew.
But for now, revenge would have to wait. It was ironic. She would have to fight, and maybe kill, Shoji, before she could killed the murderer. Would that make her a murderer as well?
Kae allowed Shoji to cleanse the wound, starting from scratch. They would be evenly matched. Or not. Kae was a jounin. Shoji a chuunin. He had said this on the way to the cabin.
She hadn't told him about her jounin status.

"Shall we begin Shoji?" murmured Kae. She had tied her long black hair back, exposing her throat. To her, it was a dare. A challenge. It was asking if Shoji had to skill to kill her, and that she herself doubted it.
Suddenly, Kae was given yet another chance. Rayne had seen she was missing, and had followed her scent here. The great doberman didn't seem to care about the tense mood, bounding happily to Kae. When the scent of Muraki struck the dog, she immediately began to change to her demon shape.
Now, Shoji had never seen this. He could only stare in a mixture of horror, wonder, and amazement. This was her dog? She'd talked of Rayne, saying how loyal she was. He hadn't expected her to be a demon dog.
Inside of him, he heard Shinku laugh, quietly and coldly. He heard a whispered name, and gathered it was the name "Rayne". So, these tow had a past? How... amazing. And terrifiying. Something had survived Shinku's wrath and bloodlust.
With a battle-ready Rayne at her side, Kae turned to Shoji. "Are we ready yet?"
"Not quite," replied Shoji, turning to Reikon, his faithful companion.
Now it was Kae's turn to stare in shock, though she didn't show it as openly at Shoji had. Shem erely stared, somewhat moodily, as the scruffy gray dog turned into a wolf.
Kae knew the wolf had nothing on Kae. After all, it was a wolf compaired for a demon. "Remember with Akamaru, Rayne? Don't kill him. Shoji may be a fool for going this far, but it isn't his fault." Kae laughed at the look Rayne gave her, then turned back to Shoji.
"Don't be saying that so soon, Kae. I have secrets of my own." Shoji sounded either sad or angry. Kae couldn't tell. Nor did she care.

When they began, no one moved. Not until Kae took those familiar blades from their sheathes. Holding both swords in one hand, she quickly did the handsigns. Using one hand.
Shoji gaped, then exclaimed, "I thought only Haku could do that!"
Kae gave him an odd look, but was concentrating on her swords. This was the tricky part. She could actually put the black flame anywhere, but it was most efficient on her blades. She also had to stop the black flames, so they didn't crawl up the hilt and burn her hand. She'd done that one, and still had the faint scar to prove it.
Finally her jutsu was complete, and she waited for Shoji to do something as well. It was only polite, after all. He had waited for her, hadn't he?
However, Shoji didn't need to do anything, he merely attacked.
One moment he was standing still, then their blades were clashing. Black flames flew off of her sword, landing on the wet grass, extinguishing themselves almost immediately.
Kae had a moment to wonder where that cursed sheathe of his had gone, before she felt that bloody wolf at her side.
She felt a moments pain as Reikon bit her leg, but soon the wolf was gone, replaced by a snarling Rayne.
Kae and Shoji fought for a few minutes, then they lunged apart, seperating themselves. Swords play obviously was not the way to win this battle.
Quickly doing the handsigns, Kae nodded to Rayne, mouthing to words Blood Rain.
A moment later, Kae used her fire jutsu to attack Shoji head on. Her attacks were parried by Shoji own, smaller but faster, fire attacks, that exploded as they ran into her own attack.
She was confident this attack would work, and quickly used more.
Suddenly, black fire coated the battle scenes, raising shouts of surprise from Shoji and Reikon.
Kae let out a shout, then raced over to Rayne, who was currently breathing her black fire.
Blood Rain, one of their best attacks. While Kae distracted the enemy, Rayne attacked from either overhead or farther back.
A moment or so after Rayne had stopped her fire attack, Shoji moved. Burnt, but still able to stand, he grinned weakly at Kae, announcing he wasn't quite done yet.
Amazingly, Reikon was still able to stand, but he was quite done in. He hadn't been able to dodge the attack as well as Shoji, and his burnt pads were causing him great discomfort. Soon he would crumple, fallen to a cruel, yet effective attack.
"Rayne, bite them!" Kae called, then backed away, staying out of the way of Rayne's massive black wings.
The demonic dog let out a roar, then sweapt into the air, her wings stealing of the oxygen for a moment. For a moment, Shoji felt panic at his inability to breathe. This moment was all that Rayne needed.
With a triumphant cry, she dove from the sky. As she opened her great fanged mouth, she bit into something quite different than she had accepted.
Reikon had doven in to spare his master just moments before Shoji would have been bitten.
Bitter and a failure, Rayne turned, Reikon still in her mouth. She could still use this mutt, but it wasn't what she had wanted.
When she was back on the ground, she pressed her head against the wolf's head, shoving painful images into the wolf's mind. Reikon howled in pain, but was soon quieted.
The gray wolf began to shiver, then froth formed at his mouth. His eyes had taken on a different tone, and he turned to Shoji, seeing an enemy.
Rayne smirked, hoping this would work. She had made Reikon see Shoji's death, and imprinted the murderer in the wolf's mind. To the dog, Shoji was now a murderer, the murderer of Shoji. Quite confusing, but effective.
To 'revenge' his master, he would kill him. Quite engenius.
Now Shoji was on his own against three foes.
Kae, with her poisoned blades. Rayne with her dangerous bites, wings, and flames. And Reikon, a friend he could not bear to hurt.
Things were not going quite as planned, and his hope was dying.

When the three-way attack came, Shoji saw his hope vanish in a puff of smoke. He parried Kae's blades, but Reikon's fangs and Rayne's claws tore into him, causing him to grit his teeth and hope to stay conscious.
Rayne's huge nails had dug gouges into his back, and Reikon's fangs were clamped around his leg, hindering movement.
He felt blood pouring from his back, and wondered if he would die due to loss of blood.
Aparently that thing inside of him had other plans. This time Shoji let out a hoarse shout, but it was because the demon inside of him was preveiling, fighting for control.
Kae jumped back as a red aura surrounded Shoji. As she watched, his hair changed to a deep maroon. The effect made her swallow in fear. Shoji hadn't told her about this. It was... different.
And the chakra that now flooded through him. Positively evil. And then Rayne stiffened.
"Kae, get back!" cried Rayne already backing away.
A moment later Kae barely saved herself from a devastating lightning attack. The electricity singed her arm, causing her to cry out in shock and pain. What'd happened.
"Rayne! Long time no see!" said Shoji cheerfully. However, it wasn't Shoji. It was... someone esle?
"Shinku," snarled Rayne, the fur on her shoulders raising threateningly.
"Shinku?" asked Kae, now utterly lost. What had happened to Shoji? She ran over to Rayne, pressing a palm on the demon's head. She shuttered as everything Rayne knew about the demon flowed through her, through her mind.
"Oh," she whispered, backing away. Shinku, a demon Rayne had fought with at one time. Their fight had been a draw, and they'd never gotten to chance to finish it. Not long after, Shinku had vanished, and no one knew where he'd gone.
Rayne snarled, lips curling back to reveil her ivory fangs. Kae backed up, convinced this battle had just changed yet again. Now it would be a battle between Rayne and Shinku. Kae was a hindrance to Rayne, and better off gone.
So, she turned to look for Muraki.
It felt like she been slapped in the back of the head. Stumbling she landed on her knees, clutching her head and wondering what this immense pain was.
Suddenly, she felt it. An alien consciousness, a being invading her body and taking it over.
She looked over to Rayne, only to see a doberman. Not a demon.
So, it was happening.
The demonic side of Rayne had left the dog body, and was invading Kae's.
Why?
She didn't know she'd spoken this aloud until a slippery smooth voice stole over her, chuckling as he explained. "I want to fight Shinku on same level as he fights me. Then it can be assured that I am the more powerful."
"B-but Rayne fought him," gasped Kae, unable to stop herself. The moment distraction allowed the demon to fully take her over.

Shoji, trapped behind his demon's mind, could only watch with horror as Kae's back split open, reveiling black feathered wings, like those on Rayne. As they extended over her head, he knew Kae no longer held the body. Rayne had reverted back to her dog-like form, and was look hopelessly pathetic. So the demon had invaded Kae.
How... strange.
Why had the demon left the form that would make it easier to crush Shinku. Demon's didn't have honor, so that was out of the question.
He watched as brown, a nasty color, chakra coated Kae, turning her body brown. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, allowing Shoji to watch as he teeth elongated. Her ears shifted to the top of her head, making her look like a werewolf.
Ah, he was keeping the human body, but making it more dog-like. That's more like the demons he had read about. While making it seem fair, he was still making himself more powerful. No doubt her legs were changing, moving the knees to the back of the leg, changing their shape, making her faster.
Demons were so cheap at times.
Shoji felt pity for Kae, wondering what it was like for her. The first time was always the worst. Losing control of your body. Watching through different eyes, watching yourself wreak havoc upon the world with your body.
She'd better get used to it. Once a demon was inside of you, unless they left of their own accord, they were staying. Forever.
The two dogs faced each other, neck fur bristled with anger and pain. With Rayne's demonic side gone from her body, Reikon was no longer held under her sway. Outraged by the deception and pained by his attacking his own master, he demanded revenge.
Rayne refused to give it up, and stood before him, snarling the best she could. It was no question how this would end. No matter how strong Rayne was before, she was now just a doberman. Facing a wolf.
Reikon sensed his imminent victory and licked his lips, grinning a terrible wolfish grin. The two wolves were completely oblivious to the demons that clashed beside them. Kae, with her extreme fire attacks, and Shoji, with his lightning.
When Reikon and Rayne finally met in a clash of fangs and snarls, the sounds of the fight echoed through the valley.

"That has to be them!" shouted Naruto, fists clenched. The faint sounds of snarls, howls, yelp, and thunder were echoing up from the small bowl-shaped valley. They didn't know where the thunder was coming from, because the storm had stopped momentarily. However, the sounds of dogs fighitng made it all-too clear.
"We should head there, now."
Kakashi looked doubtful. He knew this fight would be long over by the time they got there. He was not looking forward to finding the results of this fight. He doubted they would find Kae alive and well.

Kae stood victorious. Shoji had finally fallen to her final attack. A great ball of fire she had sent towards him, then hidden inside of it. He had dodged the fire attack, but not her blades.
He rolled on the ground, mindlessly mumbling about the pain.
The demon within Kae's body laughed, mocking Shinku. "I win."
Shoji's mind had closed off, and was ignoring Kae's body. The pain. He could feel the poison spreading like fire through his veins. Kae had not lied. He had to cleanse this wound, before he became paralyzed.

Reikon and Rayne was both torn and tattered, but neither had lost. They had collapsed, exhausted. It had come as a shock to Reikon that Rayne could still use fire. Though he had the greater size and speed, he had no chance to use that to his advantage when she was constantly using fire attacks.
Now they were both tired, sore, and near-death. It was a draw, through-and-through.

The demon within Kae wasn't through. The defeat of Shinku was only the beginning. He would kill. Kill and slaughter. Slaughter and rule. He would take over this land with their pitiful humans. Bah. Too easy.

Naruto saw first the destruction, then the body of Shoji and the dogs. Then he saw Kae, but it wasn't Kae. She had fur. And ears. And even a tail.
He knew this was not Kae. She was like him. Only she was completely gone. Unlike him, once the demon took over a small part of her brain, he had complete control.
He then saw the man in all white, calmly approaching the unknowing Kae.
"Muraki?!" demanded Naruto, getting ready to attack. He was surprised when he was halted by Kakashi, who was shaking his head.
"Better not, Naruto."
"Why not? He'll kill her!"
"No, he won't. Can't you see in his expression? In the way he approaches her? Somewhere, within that sick mind, he loves her." Kakashi looked at Muraki and Kae with something akin to pity, before he looked away.
As Naruto stared, he saw. Kakashi was right. Muraki had such a pained look on his face, it was clear Kae's lack of power was killing him. What surprised Naruto the most was when Muraki grabbed Kae's neck, whispering words in her ear.
Almost at once, the demon within her weilded, frightened by a power far greater than his own. He disappear, deep within Kae. Perhaps never to return, or so Naruto would hope.

When the demon within her receeded, Kae saw Muraki gazing at her, and it made her ill. "Why did you help me?" she whimpered, wiping the grime from her mouth.
Muraki had backed away when she'd gotten sick, but now he smiled gently at her. He didn't answer, he merely smiled.
It was more than enough of an answer for Kae, who closed her eye in disgust. How had this happened?


Muraki easily dodged the weak-handed attack, but smiled at Kae all the same. It was then that Kae noticed that his eyes were not gentle. They were hard. They were bloodthirsty. He would kill her.
Panic rushed through her, and she swung again, this time adding more strength behind the attack. He still dodged, but a sleve was nicked, and he looked fairly surprised. He had obviously thought her down for the count.
He was right, of course. Kae was exhausted. Whether it had been from the fight or from being sick, she knew she had no chance against Muraki. not on her own.
As she gazed around helplessly, she saw Naruto. But he was far away. Too far. He was standing on a tree. Only a small orange dot made her know it was him. Judging from the distance, she wondered if he would ever get to her.
Then she realized he was much closer than she'd thought. She was losing it. Loss of blood, fear, hatred, a mixture of things were messing with her head. Yet another strike against her.
She was forced back to reality with Muraki's dagger at her throat. He was murmuring sweet nothings in her ear, but she was too far out of it to make sense of it. Why was she so out of it? Why?
Poison? No, she hadn't eaten anything... Ah. Hunger and dehydration were taking its toll on her. A fool's way to die, or so she thought.
She felt the dagger press harder into her throat, felt a drop of blood welling up. She wanted to laugh. After all of this, she would die.
Then, she felt Muraki stagger away, saw him gaping. She then saw a trembling Shoji, who gave her a small wink.
"Why?" she murmured quietly,
"Because I can't stand murderers. And from what I just saw, this man is a murderer."
Kae felt herself go weak in the knees, but held herself up. As she stared at Muraki, she saw the katana sticking out of his back. She recognized it as Shoji's.
Shoji struggled to his feet beside her, grinning weakly. Kae gave him a brief grin, then turned to look for Naruto. Her hopes were dashed when she saw him coming, but he was too far away to be any help. It would be her and Shoji versus Muraki. This would be a tough fight.

Muraki was outraged that Shoji had turned on him, and the sword in his back was not helping. The force behind the attack hadn't been enough to create a killing blow. Merely a stunning one. However, every minute wasted was allowing Kae and Shoji to recuperate. Both had demons inside of them that could reawaken at any moment, and the two of them together would destroy him, no questions asked.
His eyes widened in fear as black fire spread down Kae's swords. He saw Shoji reached over his head and grabed something. He screamed at the sudden pain of electricity running down the sword, through his body.
Bloody man. Kicking an enemy when they were down.

Kae stared at Shoji, shocked. That one move had altered the turn of the battle. Muraki would have trouble moving now, and Kae and Shoji would almost certainly win.
Kae let out a joyful squeal and hugged Shoji, then let him go, grinning.
Shoji was looking a little confused. That's been so easy. All he'd done was send electricty through his sword. He laughed a little bit, then quieted.
Muraki was making handsignals.

Kae let out a snarl when she saw Muraki making hand signals. She raised one sword up, then plunged it into his hands, causing his to scream again.

"You b***h," snarled Muraki glaring up at her. "You were too late though. One made it through."

Kae turned with a sinking heart, denying what could only be the truth.
That demon. She felt the air in her lungs rush out, and she stifled a cry. He would bring that demon. She could still picture Senna's arm in it's mouth, it's beak bloodied.
She'd never really noticed it before, but the demon was birdlike. The first thing she saw was the huge golden beak. That's all she saw. She couldn't look past it, couldn't forget it.

Shoji watched Kae with concern, wondering what was going on in her head.

So caught up in the demon was Kae, that she didn't even notice Muraki stand. She only noticed when he backhanded her, sending her crumpling to the ground with a pitiful sound.
Shoji stared at her crumpled shape, confused. He then looked up at Muraki, pain making him stupid. What'd -?
Then the demon attacked, using the air to it's advantage. Shoji had only moments to bar the attack when one arm, grabbing Kae with the other arm.
He worried over Kae, wondering why she was still down. Then he saw her eye. She wasn't out cold, like he'd suspected. She was thrown into memories. It worried him more than her being out cold could ever have.
He set her down, then turned to face down the demon.

The fool Shoji had left Kae alone, giving Muraki his chance. He took up one of Kae's own fiery blades, and raised it above her. He saw the unseeing look in her eye, and grinned. Without a sound, he thrust the blade through her stomach, laughing when he heard her scream.
Taking up the other blade, he thrust this one into her as well, laughing again as he screams escalated.
Suddenly, he felt a strange feeling in his chest. Like a fuzzy buzz. Then it grew, until it was unbearable. He heard someone screaming, and realized it was he and Kae, screaming. Over the sounds of their screams, he barely heard "Ikazuchi Genkostu, Thunder Fist."
Muraki glowered up at him, hating him. He had lost, it appeared. He smirked at Shoji a moment, knowing he had dragged Kae down with him. Though he had lost the battle, Shoji hadn't won either.

Kae lay there, staring up at the gray sky, wishing and wondering. She could feel herself screaming and thrashing against the blades, but she was already gone. Her mind was shut down, shock, she guessed. She could think rationally, and it was like she was watching from another body.
She saw Shoji lean over her, saying something, but she didn't quite know what. He looked scared, and she wanted to laugh and tease him about it. For some reason, her throat was dry.
Well, kind of. Something was rising up in the back of her throat, and it hurt. She started to cough, startled to find blood coming from her throat.

Shoji saw her distress and turned her head, allowing her to throw up the blood. This was the result of the blades through her stomach. Sweet God, she might not survive this. He had seen the triumph in Muraki's eyes. He knew he could not allow that murderer the satisfaction of winning, even in death.
He turned and saw three shinobi running towards him at full speed. He felt relief spill through him, but he was still tense. When he looked back down at Kae, her eye was closed.
He prayed to God she would live.
"Live, Kae! Live!"

Was heaven so bright? It was annoying. Then again, maybe this was Hell. Was hell so bare? Yeesh. Did it have a ceiling? She wanted to laugh at historians. They thought they knew everything, yet obviously they didn't.
She thought death didn't hurt, but obviously that was another lie. Her stomach hurt like Hell. Her throat was parched.
She decided something was decidedly off about death. It felt like life.
Turning her head just a fraction, she saw the bright orange jumpsuit of Naruto, and her heart melted. She had survived, somehow. Was it a good thing that the first person she saw was Naruto? She hoped so.
With a surprisingly heavy arm, she reached out of him. Her hand flopped on his arm, but she was smiling. She felt so weak, yet triumphant. Muraki was finally dead.
She jumped when someone placed their hand on hers, and she turned back to Naruto. She saw his worried blue eyes, and gave a small smile.
With that small smile, Naruto felt a tear slide down his cheek. For three weeks Kae had been in and out of comas, losing herself. It had been rough, yet Tsunade had excused him from his shinobi duties. She knew love when she saw it.
"Why are you crying, Naruto?" rasped Kae, flinching at the dryness of her throat.
Naruto gave her an ice cube, then grinned as she glowered at him. "Hospital's orders. And I'm crying for a lot of reasons. Happiness, sadness, and weariness. Looking after you has not been fun."
Kae laughed a little bit, but was tired. She wanted to sleep. She closed her eye, and felt Naruto squeeze her hand comfortingly.
She gave up.
She loved him.
She loved that foolhearted, knuckle head ninja.

Three Years after the incident...
"No! You can't see him yet, it's bad luck!"
"Bu-!"
"No buts, Kae! You know the bride isn't aloud to see the groom until the wedding!" Tenten was shaking her head, but grinning at Kae. The poor girl was looking so lost in her white dress. She also looked beautiful.
"Oh Kae, I'm so jealous!" sighed Tenten, looking around dramatically.
"Oh shut up! You and Neji tie the knot in only a couple of weeks. Today's my day." Kae had gotten over her little sulk, and was now staring at herself in the mirror.
Her plain white dress looked stunning on her, making her flush in embarassment. She had grown out her hair to her waist again, since the hospital had cut it off three years ago.
Three years ago she had lain in a hospital bed, with no certainty of her living. Naruto had stayed by her side for three weeks, waiting desperately. It was then that Kae had given up her foolish idea that she loved only Aku. Oh, she had, at one point. But she had also fallen in love with Naruto.
"It's time!" squealed Sakura, rushing into the room. She wore a light blue bride's maid dress, and was flushed with excitement.
Kae felt her stomach clench in anticipation and fear, but held her head high. It was her day.
As she had no father to give her away, Kakashi stepped into the role. Kae rolled her eyes at the sight of that ever-present mask, but said nothing.
As she walked down the isle, she caught the eye of Shoji, and gave a small grin. He gave her a thumbs up, then turned back face the front, a smile playing on the edge of his mouth.
Kae looked forward, dreading it.
She let out a sigh.
He hadn't worn an orange tuxedo. Thank God.