Loyalty (Sasuke Uchiha)

"If I were you, I wouldn't waste time on fighting myself any longer. Your friend, Sasuke Uchiha, seems to be in danger. I'll let you go and save him this one time... But the next time we meet, you will be mine."

I'd never ran faster in my life than I was right now.

I froze perched on a branch when I finally reached Sasuke, as he was staring in fear at a... black ball? in front of him.

But the second I heard it speak and a light illuminated from it, I knew this was trouble.

I shut my eyes and focused on my genjutsu, appearing in front of Sasuke before opening my eyes just as the bomb went off.

Time slowed in that instant as the explosion slowly but surely approached me, my vision darkening. My eyes burned instantly, as I felt a trickle of a warm liquid down my cheek.

I was the only one moving against time as I turned to face Sasuke, his eyes widened in surprise as I pressed my finger to his forehead.

All my chakra enveloped him at that moment.

This Akatsuki's explosion was lethal. I had to make sure Sasuke would live through this, and I'm not even sure my chakra was strong enough to withstand it.

Scratch that. I knew it wasn't strong enough.

So I did the unthinkable that I would most definitely regret later.

I summoned Manda. I made sure to apply a layer of whatever was left of my chakra around him, taking it from what I wrapped around Sasuke. I made sure to distribute my chakra equally so they would both survive, but I needed to be sure that Sasuke would live. And Manda would cope with a few major injuries.

I knew Sasuke would do something like that anyway. And probably transport himself to another dimension.

I pushed Sasuke slightly as I retracted my finger from his forehead. At this point, it had felt like someone had poured molten hot lava in my eyes, as more blood trailed down my cheeks.

My genjutsu against time took a toll on my body each time I used it.

And the only other time I used it was when I tried to kill Orochimaru for the first time; obviously resulting in failure.

Equipping this ability for longer than a few seconds would have drastic and permanent affects on my body. More than it already has.

And by this time I had it on for over thirty seconds.

Time resumed as I felt Sasuke's presence disappear from behind me, the explosion enveloping me in its light.

-

"Woah, you're a mess!" Suigetsu gasped out as Sasuke stumbled from behind Manda. He ran over to Sasuke, bending down before him.

"Who did you fight?"

"Miyako... That idiot.." Sasuke muttered out.

"Miyako you say?"

"You... Had the nerve... To use me.. You damned brat.. Those eyes.. You controlled me with those eyes... I, of all people.." And with that, Manda took his final breath.

"Uh oh. He's dead. Wasn't Manda Orochimaru's favorite? Now that I recall, he was Miyako's favorite too. You really should treat animals better. And the whole manipulation with the genjutsu.."

"Miyako... She jumped in front of me and took most of the fatal damage from the explosion... She protected me with her chakra just as I summoned Manda.." Sasuke tried to get up but winced as he fell back down on his knees.

"Found you!" Karin yelled out.

Her and Jugo ran towards Sasuke and Suigetsu. "Your chakra suddenly disappeared, so I wondered what had happened..."

"You hid yourself inside Manda. Then used the transportation technique to escape to another dimension.. Leaving Miyako there." Suigetsu spoke.

"She should have known that I would have figured out a way of escape." Sasuke said in annoyance.

Suigetsu's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "She threw her life on the line to save you! And all you can do is-"

"-My opponent was the Akatsuki. He was stronger than I expected. There was no time to hesitate. Miyako got what she deserved." Sasuke said in a monotonous tone.

"Sasuke's right." Karin agreed, mentally screaming in joy at the fact that Miyako was finally dead.

"Tch. I don't believe you, Sasuke. I know you had some connection with my now dead girlfriend. You may try and hide it with your 'cool' façade, but you can't fool me." Suigetsu told him with narrowed eyes.

"She's not dead."

"There was no way she would have been able to survive an explosion like that." Suigetsu said with arms crossed.

"I know her better than you think. She is not dead."

-

"Pakkun."

"Yes. I know."

Kakashi and Pakkun were the first to arrive at the scene of the explosion, only to see a tattered up Miyako near the center of it.

They appeared before her in an instant as Kakashi watched her with a worried eye.

White chakra steamed off her, her own blood forming a large pool underneath her. Miyako was covered in deep cuts and burns everywhere, her skin a deep maroon color.

"Miyako.." Kakashi mumbled out.

"Eh? You know this girl, Kakashi?" Pakkun asked.

Kakashi reached out to cup her face, but her eyes snapped open in an instant.

She was up in a flash, landing a few more feet away from Kakashi before she collapsed onto her knees.

"Miyako. Don't push yourself too much." Kakashi was in front of her in a second as he bent down, placing his hand in her shoulder.

"I-i'm such an idiot." Miyako choked out, clenching her eyes shut as tears threatened to escape her eyes. Her face was covered in trails of blood.

"Let me help you." Kakashi murmured. "And then we can talk."

"No. I have to go find that bastard." Miyako used Kakashi as support, trying to get up onto her feet but failing. Kakashi held her arm steady, not wanting to get her blood on his clothing.

"That can wait."

"I know you and your little friends are here. They can't know that I'm here too. Please Kakashi, you can't tell them you ever saw me." Miyako inched herself away from Kakashi as she turned around and stumbled away weakly.

"What happened, Miyako?"

She glanced over her shoulder at him.

"I threw my life on the line to save Sasuke, and I deeply regret doing that." She said through clenched teeth.

"I can't let you leave, Miyako. You're bleeding to death, and you obviously can't walk. And we need you to find Sasuke."

"To hell with Sasuke. Give up already." Miyako said.

Kakashi narrowed his eye at her as he watched her swipe her thumb across her lips, before she fell to her knees, pressing her hand on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu."

From the barren ground water begun to bubble up all around her, pushing Miyako up into the air as the water took the shape of a dragon. Throughout the center of the water dragon a heart of fire could be seen, surrounded by a pale white lightning. Its eyes were a crystal white lined with strange yellow patterns.

Kakashi and Pakkun looked up at the huge dragon in bewilderment.

By that moment Miyako had let her body become absorbed in the water, as it licked away at her wounds slowly but surely, her eyes shut as if she were asleep.

The dragon bent down closer to Kakashi.

"Don't try and follow us. It is my master's wish to not have you killed, but I will if you do. And don't even try tracking us after that. Her chakra, as you can see right now, is completely hidden within my water." The dragon spoke. And not only that, the more terrifying thing about Miyako's dragon was that not a single hint of chakra was given off from her.

"You should go. They're coming." Kakashi simply said.

"Thank you for understanding."

The water dragon took off swimming in the air, as her form disappeared within seconds as she equipped the invisibility jutsu that she had taught to Miyako.