Chapter 22 - ch.22

Hinata was sitting up, crying as she held the letter to her chest. It had been a week since Naru and the others left, and she was devestated when she read the letter. Ever since, she's been an emotional wreck, barely able to respond to her visitors, which Maka made sure she had. Blackstar and Tsubaki came every other day, Kid and his weapons on the others. They did their best to cheer her up, but to no avail. Stein visited once too, but stayed back, and didn't say anything. Kid questioned him on this.

"There's nothing I can say that will help heal her heart, only time and friendship can. We must be patient." He walks away, turning the screw in his head until it clicked. what he didn't tell kid was that he was there studying her chakra, what little flowed through her. He also saw a similar chakra flowing through her sword. "Zanpakuto, huh. I have to find a weapon that's suitable for both of them." He started turning the screw again, thinking hard on which student could be a good match.

Still weeping, Hinata opened the folded paper, attenpting to read it. She could barely see through her teary vision, but she already knew it by heart.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you when you needed me, and couldn't help when you needed it most. I don't deserve you. Death said you should stay here, that you still have a chance as a meister for them, since you have no chance as a ninja with us. So, I'm leaving, for your best interest, before either of us can change our minds. You have no idea how much this hurts, though I'm sure it's tearing you up too. I'm so sorry, Hinata. I love you. Sakura loves you. Goodbye.

                                    -Naru

Hinata was holding to her chest again, when Blackstar and Tsubaki made their visit. "Yahoo! Blackstar's here! There ain't nothin I can't do!" He snaps his fingers. "I know. I'll regale you with my latest exploits! Everyone loves hearing about the big man!" Tsubaki can't help but giggle at his overconfidence, though he ignores it. "So, this guy, Al Capone, and a bunch of his lackies were having some fancy dinner, pretending to be civilized while eating innocent souls, when no other than I, Blackstar, appear out of nowhere, stunning them all with my majesty! I started taking them out, a punch here, a slash there! I toyed with them, making think the got me cornered, when I call out for Tsubaki to change into ninja sword mode! Reliable as always, she does as I ask, and-"

Tsubaki grabs his shoulder, turning his attention away from his story, to Hinata again, who didn't pay the least bit of attention. Blackstar sighs. "Listen, Hinata. I guess there's enough room on this stage for the both of us. Tell us what's wrong! you've barely spoken in a week!" Said Blackstar, breaking character and showing concern.

Hinata shook her head. "C'mon Hinata! If you don't talk, we can't help!"

"What do you care?" They flinched from the venom pouring out of her words. "You're only here cause Maka asked you..." She never looked up, her face looking down at her lap.

"Hinata, that's not true! Me, Tsubaki, Kid, Liz, Patty, we all visit because we care! Maka only told us what happened, she never asked anything of us! She's not the kind to make us do stuff we don't want to anyway!"

"Why should I believe you! The person I trusted, I LOVED the most abandoned me! Like fucking garbage..."

"No, that's not true!" Tsubaki couldn't take it anymore. "Maka contacted us yesterday. she said she can't often, it's too difficult and expensive. Anyway, she told us about Naru! She a complete wreck! She barely eats, can't sleep, she even turned down Ichiraku's, whatever that means...My point is, she feels miserable without you, but she made you stay so you could have a chance to fight again! Isn't that what you want to? To fight and protect your friends?"

"It doesn't matter. I don't care anymore. *sigh* I should bave died from that attack."

"Don't say that! Don't you realise how hard Sakura worked to keep you alive!? She faught for your life with eveything she had! She fell unconsious after the medics came, from the exaustion of keeping you alive! To say something like that, it's like spitting in her face!" countered Blackstar.

"So, I'm just a burden: weak..useless....pathetic..."

"No one thinks of you that way! You just got a bad shot from a rogue ninja! I could have happened to anyone!"

"Not Naru...She sould have dodged it, or a clone would have blocked it, or her zanpakuto. But me, I can't even call it's name, much less use it's true power. I'm so pathetic..."

Blackstar finally had enough. He jumps up, straddles her, and grabs her collar, pulling her inches from his face. "Listen you! I've had just about enough of you whinning, weeping, and depression. Sitting here feeling sorry for yourself isn't gonna solve anything. Regardless of what you do, the first thing you need to do is move forward! Dwelling in the past accoplishes nothing. You need to move forward one step at a time! Get a damn grip!!"

"B-Blackstar! Tsunade exclaimes, worried he might accidentlly hurt her further. He looks over at her, then at Hinata stunned face, before setting her down and getting off.

"I'll be back in a couple days. Make sure your mood improves by then." He strolls out, Tsubaki soon following after apologizing profusely.

Hinata sat there for several hours, letting what Blackstar sink in. Over that time, she started to gain some confidence, not much, but some, and managed to stop her tears. 'She abandoned you' A voice came in her head. She shook her head in dissagreement. 'No, she did what she thought was best!'

'She ditched you like yesterday's trash without so much as a goodbye.'

'She left the letter, she-'

'Face it! She abandoned you! Left you to your own devices in an unfamiliar city!!'

'No, no, she wouldn't!' She began to cry again.

'but she did. So, what should you do now?'

'I...I don't know.'

'I do.' Hinata begins to see a figure in her closed eyes. She sees a blurred silver figure, slowly coming into focus. 'You need to get stong.' Her hair was long and flowing. 'You need to find her.' He clothes were pitch black, looking like they actually absorb light, giving her an sinister etheral look. 'You need to make her pay!' She finally can see her face. It was her's. She realised what this was. Just as the 9-tailed foxes chakra came from nowhere, so did this, but with a much more sinister feel. 'I can help you get strong. Just submit yourself to me...'

"NOOOO" She screamed, pushing away her shadow. "I don't need your kind of help! I've told you before: I don't need you!!" The nurses suddenly rush in in a panic over her screaming. "S-sorry. Just a dream! I'm alright!" The nurses cast her worried glances, but leave. "She's back...I can't believe she's back."

---------------------------------flashback, 10 years ago------------------------------------

Young neji and Hinata were sparring under the watchful eye of her father. Neji was clearly superior, and always took her down quickly. "Hinata, your stance is sloppy! Stay calm and keep balanced!"

"Yes, father." She took a fighting stance again, and charged Neji, jabbing her palms at him, but her dodges each attack.

"Too slow, cousin." He says in his usual smug arrogance. Hinata tries her best, but simply can't land a blow. Neji suddenly smacks her back as her arm returns, knocking her off balance, before landing a sharp blow on her chest, knocking her back. "C'mon, get up. We're not done yet!"

Hinata does, her anger building, holding her chest where he hit her. Suddenly, her anger peaked, and her whole body pulsed, and she cluched her chest with both hands, and doubled over in pain.

"Hinata, are you alright!?" Her father calls out in concern, taking a set forward.

The voice that responds is no that of an 8 year old girl. "Never better, father." Said a cold, mature voice, laced with resentment and hate. Hinata's eyes had turned black, and she returned to her fighting stance. "Ready, cousin?" Her voice mocked him, like she was always superior.

"Don't screw with me!" He charged her.

"Neji, wait!" But too late. As he attacked, she moved with unnatural grace, deftly avoiding his attack, and countering before he even knew he missed. He flew into a beam holding the terrace up, nearly splitting it in half. The ten year old tries to stand, but only gets to his knees before he spits up blood. Her father rushes over to Neji, and calls for a medic, before eyeing his daughter with no small amount of fear.

Just as suddenly as it came, it went, as she held her chest in pain again, before returning to her previous self. "W-what happened? Did Neji knock me out again?" She turns and sees him leaning against her father. "Neji!" She started to run to him.

"Stay the hell away from me!" He yelled, half in anger, half in fear. She stopped, confused and hurt. "I don't know what jutsu you just pulled, but you better not use it again!"

"W-what? I-I don't understand! What happened!?"

"Figure it out!" He said just before the medic corps took him away, her father following in concern.

'That was fun!' Said a laughing voice in her head.

"W-wha? W-who are you? Where are you!?"

'Who, me? I don't have a name.'

"Where are you!? What are you!?" she was looking everywhere, panicking.

'I'm you, or at least the best part of you.'

"What do you mean, you're me!?"

'I'm you dark throughts, you innermost desires, your worst nightmares. I am you're true essence!'

"No! No, that can't be! No!" She yells as she clutches her head.

She laughs crazily. 'You're so easy to scare! It's so much fun!'

"Stop it!"

'Didn't it feel good, finally showing up that asshole of a cousin!?'

"Stop it, Stop it, Stop it, Stop it!" She screams, truly afraid.

'Oh, are you scared? Good. Embrace your fear!'

"STOP IIIIIIIIT!!"

"Hianta!!" She opens her eyes to see she's lying in bed, her father over her with a concerned look. "Finally! Hinata, are you alright?"

Hianta was panting heavily, her heart racing. "Wh-what just..."

"A dream, honey. Nothing but a dream." He hugs her, and she soon calms down.

"Oh, father, it was so scary! This dark thing made me hurt Neji, and kept teasing me, and taunting me! I was so afraid!"

"It's alright honey, you're safe now."

'Or are you?' She hears it again, and screams.

Over the next several years, she managed to avoid another outburst, but could always feel it, lurking, waiting for the right moment. She became very quiet, doing her best to avoid attention, while surpressing the shadow. It continued to taunt and tempt her with dark thoughts. She nearly gave in several times, especially when she was angered, or lustful. Finally, one day when she was 14, it finally silenced. She thought she was rid of it, but...

-----------------------------------------present--------------------------------------------

'Ya didn't think I'd be gone forever, did ya? Nah, I just got bored, you little goody twoshoes.'

'Go away! I can't even stand your presence!'

'Oh, you've gotten feisty over the years! That Naru was a good influence, huh?'

'DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK OF HER!!'

'Or what? You would have rid of me before if you could! Besides, how can you STILL love her? she just up and left ya.'

'She did what she though was best!'

'"She did what she thought was best!" Do you know how pathetic you sound? Making excuses for her...I pity you.'

'Stop, please...' She began to cry again, never really ever able to win against her.

'So pathetic, I'm not even real, and you cower before me.'

'Just...stop...please!'

'Only if you submit. Let me take control, and all your worries will disappear.'

Her will was beginning to waver, and the shadow knew it. 'N-no, I can't. You're dangerous!'

'Don't worry, I'll behave! I won't hurt anyone unless the piss me off!'

'W-well...'

'Do you really have any other choice? You are so weak alone, you can't even walk without help. I can supply you with chakra like you've never felt! Just submit...'

'W-well, I suppose...' That was all the invitation needed, She felt the dark chakra of the shadow flow through her, empowering her like never before with terrible energy. Surprisingly, while she felt tainted, she stayed in control.

'Now, let's see how you use it. I'll sit back and watch the show.'

"What have I done!!" She exclaims shakily, fearful of her own power.

----------------------------------------leaf village----------------------------------------

Naru was being dragged by Sakura through town. "C'mon Naru! I'm pulling you out of this funk!" The last week had been torturous for her. Riddled with guilt and depression, she's stuck herself in her room all week. Sakura made several vain attempts to pull her out, and finally succeeded, though still pretty much dragged her like a doll. Naru mumbled something incoherent, but clearly negative. Sakura stopped, turned araound, and held her up to eye level by her collar. "Listen. I miss Hinata just as much as you! But you don't see me moping all day! You know why? Because I'm bettering myself, so if such a thing happens again, I'll be ready! You should train your jutsus while you can, and practice with you zanpakuto when you can't! Got it!" She nodded, signaling she was listening, but made no other movement. Sakura sighs. "Fine! Let's see..." She looks around at the nearby shops, and sees a clothing store. "There we go! A makeover!" She drags her in.

As she starts selecting dresses for Naru to try on, Naru gets up from the seat Sakura set her in, much to her surprise, and walks directly to a clothesrack, and pulls out a top/bottom set. The top was black leather, with a single orange stripe going down the spine, and had many hidden pockets, perfect for shuriken. The bottom was a similar design, pitch black leather with an orange stripe that met with the top's, and split going down her legs. It also had several hidden pockets, designed for kunai. She takes it to the dressing room without saying a word. 'She's right.' She thinks as she undresses. 'No more moping.' She pulls on the pants, hugging her snugly. 'No more regrets.' She pulls on the top, zipping it up with a zipper that was far on the left side, inches from her arm. It also hugged her frame, the chest slightly tight. 'I need to get stronger, no matter what.' She puts her headband on, and looks at herself on the mirror, and is pleasently shocked at waht she sees. The leather forms together seemlessly, looking like a full bodysuit. It hugged her every curve, but left her flexible enough to do anything she could naked. Whas really surprised her, though, was her eyes. Gone was the joyful warmth, and the inviting look. Now they were cold, sharp, and just scary. she grinned, making her look like she had a very evil idea. "This will do just fine." She said, pleased with herself.

"Oh, let me see!" Sakura had no idea what Naru took in, and was utterly shocked at the transformation. A shiver of both fear and pleasure rand down her spine as she took in her revealing form. 'Those eyes! She thought, looking her up and down, but always stopping to stare at her face. 'Those eyes...are eye's of someone...dangerous!' She shivered again at the thought. "N-Naru. What happened to you? You're scaring me."

Naru looked her up and down, her hands to her mouth from her transformation. Her eyes showed fear, and a hint of lust? Naru closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened them, they were less critical, thought still no where near what they used to be. "Sorry, Sakura. You were right. A makeover was just what I needed! I do feel...a little better!"

"Oh, Naru!" She wraps her arms around him. "I'm so glad! I was so worried! YOu never slept, you barely ate...I thought you were gonna waste away!" She cries as she buries her face in her collarbone.

"Thank you, Sakura. For showing me how much you love me." Naru took her chin and brought it up for a kiss. Sakura was surprised at first, and gave in, and deepened it. Naru grabbed her head, keeping her close, as she walked backward, back into the dressing room, locking the door. She broke the kiss, and set Sakura on the nearby bench. She grabs her crotch, causing her to gasp sharply; her dick already hard. "Now, let me show you how much I love you." She said as she pulled Sakura's pants down, making Sakura's thick member spring up, directly in her face.

"N-Naru! Not here! It's wrong! Someone might-" He words are broken with a gasp as Naru licked the sensitive underside.

"It's alright, Sakura. You need to loosen up!" She said as she grabbed it and gave it a light twist, making Sakura gasp again.

"B-but if someone finds us...!" She panting now, as Naru procedes to work her shaft, occasionally dribbling on it for lube.

"Well, then we just have to quiet, huh?" She starts to suck the tip, making Sakura cover her mouth as she moaned.

"N-not fair!" she looks down at her, face turning new shades of red from embaressment and arousal. The situation was too kinky, and she was getting harder than she thought possible. She puts both hands to cover her mouth when Naru placed the entire head in her mouth, trying not to be loud. 'We shouldn't be doing this, but it feels so good!' She thought, as she watched her bob up and down, getting a little futher every time. She was gasping for breath, sweating for the effort to hold back, but knew she couldn't last much longer. Naru was waiting for this. In a single motion, she got off her, and grabbed her arms, placing the behind her. "N-Naru! What are you doing!?"

"Just making sure you enjoy this as long as possible!" Holding her arms with one hand, she took Sakura's headband, and tied it around her arms, holding them behind her.

"Naru, stop, please!" She pleaded, not sure she would like where this was going.

Naru took some of her old clothes, and ripped a bit off, forming it in to a ball. She took off her own headband, and stuffed the ball of cloth in her mouth as she continued to protest, before covering it with her headband, and tieing it so she couldn't spit it out. Sakura muffled some protest, but grunted when Naru went down on her once more, immediately taking her to the hilt. She continued to cycle between a blowjob and stopping just as she came close, driving her insane. She was shivering, sweating, and obviously in pure, blissful torture. After the sixth time Naru's jaw was getting sore, so she started jacking her instead. "We can finish this." She managed to roll her eyes from the back of her head to look at Naru. "I can become you mistress. You service me however I want, and accept you punishments if you fail. In turn, I swear to protect you with my life. Deal?" What Sakura's sex-addled mind didn't realize is that she would have anyway. She nods in agreement, unable to take it anymore.

"Good, just wait here a sec." Sakura's eyes went wide as she left, grumbling in protest through her gag. Naru soon returned with a choker, made of the same leather as her new outfit. It was plain, but the latch in the back had a tiny padlock on it, and a ring hanging in the front. "This will be your symbol as being mine." She closes it around her neck snugly, though not enough to restrict aitflow, the ring in front of her throat, and locks it, putting the key in one of her many pockets. She then returns to the front, and rubs her shaft again. Her eyes returned to her skull, and she was breathing heavily through her nose. She was just about to climax when Naru swallowed her shaft in a single gulp. Sakura finally had the blessed release, her body seizing, her breathing all but stopped. Naru took wave after wave of the salty cream, coating her throat, and fill her stomach. When Sakura finally finished, she felt like she swallowed a bowling ball. She untied the gag first, pulling out the drool-soaked ball as she started to pant.

"Low *gasp* blow!" She gasps. Naru, about to untie her arms, instead put a finger suddenly in her ass.

"You will address me properly, unless you want the whole store to hear you." She begins fumbling around inside, lookin for her prostate.

"I-I'm sorry..." she mumbles, beyond embarrassed.

Found it. She began rubbing it, sending jolts through her, back to her slowly hardening dick. "Sorry, what?"

"I'm sorry, mistress!" she all but yelled, and didn't realise it until after. She thought she just might die of shame. She gave another sharp gasp as Naru suddenly pulled her finger out, leaving her achingly hollow. She untied her hands, an retied her headband herself, knowing just how she liked it. She then kissed her, deeply, before Sakura coukd react, and left just as quickly, making her want more.

"I love you, Sakura." She looked into Sakura's eyes.

Some of the warmth had come back, though she suspected it would not last. "I love you too, Naru." She hugged her, knowing this may be one of the few times from now on that her feeling were reciprocated.

As she hoped, Naru hugged back. They stood there for a minute, before Sakura realized her pants were still around her ankles. "uh, Naru?" Naru cleared her thoat, and pulled away, looking at her sternly. "Sorry, mistress." Naru's gaze sotenes in approval. "Can I pull my pants back up now?"

---------------------------------------home-------------------------------------------------

Eva watched with curiosity as Naru and Sakura came home, and came directly toward her. Well, it wan't really Eva, but a clone she used to keep her sanity at the end of the day. Having at least one part of her able to just relax all day helped her de-stress and not rampage and probably kill people. She noted that how they both carried themselves was different than how they left. Naru was standing straighter than ever before, her eyes sharp and cold. Sakura, however, seemed to slouch more, and always stayed within a foot or two of Naru. They soon reached her, standing in front of her on the porch. "Nice threads."

"I want to train." Naru said flatly.

Eva stared at him hard. "Are you willing to do as I say? Even if that means holding back?"

"Why would I hold back when I need to get stonger?" She asks, surprisingly calmly. Eva mearly points at her belly. Naru understood. "Fine. What do you want me to do?"

Eve stands, makes a hand sign, and makes two clones. "Each of you follow one. They will explain." she sits back down, and pulls a black sunhat out from under her chair, and places it on her face, clearly intending to sleep.

Sakura looked to Naru, who nodded, and they each followed a clone. Sakura had started training in medical jutsus, as she had a talent for it. Today, she had to fix a bird's wing. she focused her chakra, and held her hands over the it, focusing on the bones mending, the ligaments healing, and the muscles rekniting themselves together. After a slight crack, the bird's wing came back into place. It moved it experimentally, and proceded to fly away.

"Good. Now let's try something bigger!" She pulled the summoning scroll down a ways until she found the right one, and summoned the animal. This time it an eagle, also with a broken wing. "Be careful. Eagles have a nasty tendancy to-" She takes a sharp intake as it attacked Sakura. "Scratch!" Chachamaru was nearby, a medkit ready for just such occasions.

---------------------------------------Naru-------------------------------------------------

5 Naru's were holding leaves, attempting to cut them with chakra. Occasionally, one would get a small cut in it, but no where hear cut it in half. Naru's determination would not be swayed, however, and she kept at it, hour after hour, until Eva called her off. "OK, that's enough for today." Said Eva, standing. Naru let the leaves drop, and tok a deep breath before breaking her jutsu. As usual, the flood of their experience washes over her, making her light-headed. Eva just sighs. "Even now, you push yourself too hard! You know you can't do this once your pregnancy start's showing, right?"

Naru nods. "Maybe, but that's all the more reason to do more now."

"Yeah, whatever. It's getting late. Time to rest." Suddenly she perked up. "Naru, you may want to hide. The real one just came home, and took out her own relaxing clone. Safe to say she's pissed." She dissappeared in a puff of smoke, and Naru ran for the trees, the only safe place from her.

-------------------------------------------Eva---------------------------------------------

As usual, paperwork had piled up, and she had a downright shitty week. While the elders disagreed, she insisted on getting the weekend off, and this weekend, she HAD to let off steam. She charged for home as soon as the clock struck 6, and was more pissed than ever before. "Grimmjow!!" She yelled as she charged to the house. In a blind fury, she punched her own clone through the gut, causing it to dissappear. "GRIMMJOW!!! GET OUT HERE!!"

------------------------------------------Grimm--------------------------------------------

"Fuck that shit." He mumbles, hearing her roar. Maka and Crona were dueling nearby, Crona being an excellent partner, and Maka being the only one Crona trusts. "OK, guys, funtimes over. Better hide before she finds you."

"Why, what's going on?" Asks Maka innocently.

"You'll see in a minute. Just trust me." He pulls out his Zanpakuto. "Grind, Pantera!" His resulting power wave knocked the meisters back, and they quickly ran, knowing things were about to get ugly.

-----------------------------------------Eva-----------------------------------------------

Her attention is drawn towards Grimm's chakra, and she pulls her own blade, a small dagger hidden in her clothes. "Burn them with frost, Freineia!" Little about her garb changes, but each nail became a frozen dagger blade in it's own right. She jumped right over the building, aiming for Grimm. "Grimmjow!!!!" She roared as she fell, her attacked blocked.

"C'mon, Eva, let's talk about this..."

"What is there to talk about!? You left her! You abandoned her When we were needed most! You don't deserve the luxury of conversation!" She swung her bladded leg, only for Grimm to catch it.

"At least calm down. We could hurt the others if we keep this up!"

This caught her attention, seeing Maka and Crona behind Grimm in the treeline, even noticing rustling from further down the yard as Naru watched. She released her Shikai, but still stood there, adamant. "You will pay for this."

"Yeah, I know. Just don't make them pay for my mistakes."

"Wait!" Naru came out of the trees nearby. 'She isn't that stupid, right?' Thought Grimm. "It..*sigh* it was my idea." He facepalms. 'so she is...'

"What do you mean?" Asked Eva, eyeing her with barely contained anger.

Naru gulped, but continued. "Death had told Grimm Sensei to do so, but never really considered it until I agreed. Hinata... Hinata would be miserable here! Her family has already disowned her, she can barely move with her own power, and there, she has a shot at becoming great! It was all we could do for her..." Tears began to well up again, but she managed to choke them back.

Eva turned away, "Fine." She said in a emotionless voice. What no one, not even Grimm knew, was she was on the verge of tears herself, knowing exactly how painful it can be not only to be an outcast, but to leave someone you love. She headed back into the house. "Go rest. It's getting late." Her voice still expressionless as she walks in.

"Grimm sensei, what just happened? I thought she was gonna tear me to shreds a moment ago!"

"I don't know, kid. Even after all these years, I still don't know!"

-----------------------------------------Hinata---------------------------------------------

'A little gift from me to you!' She heard echo in her head as she woke to find her stomach was completely healed, even the stiches were popped out.

"I didn't know you could do that!"

'Never know if you don't try! Anyway, staying up all night fixing your ass made me tired. I'm gonna sleep for a while! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!'

'One day! One fucking day and she thinks she owns me!' She got out of bed, noticing her belly and back pull a bit as the scar stretched, and grabbed her sword, which was leaning net to the bed. she walked out, only to be stopped by her doctor. "Hinata, you shouldn't be out of bed! The stitches-" She just lifted her shirt to show her healed belly. He was dumbfounded, and held her no further as she left. Near the entrance, she met Blackstar, Kid, and their respective weapons.

"Hinata! Should you be up!? You seemed so weak yesterday!" exclaimed Blackstar.

"Blackstar!" Tsubaki scolded.

"Well, she was!"

"Indeed. You should be recouperating for several more weeks. How are you so much as standing?"

"Fuck off!" She said, surprising not only them, but herself. "Sorry, I guess I don't quite feel like myself! I don't really know how, it just healed overnight!" 'Well, at least I'm only half-lying!' She thought to herself at the blatent coverup.

"Well, whatever the case may be, me, Liz and Patty are Housesitting for Maka and Soul until they return. I'm sure they wouldn't mind you using the guestroom again. Your stuff is still there anyway."

"Right, thank. Has Stein made any headway on my weapon partner?"

"No, it seems that sword of yours, this zanpakuto, is making the matchup very difficult, as he needs to take both your chakra into consideration."

"Why? It's chakra gets along with me just fine! Wouldn't someone else compatible work just as easily?"

"It's not so simple. Your sword gives you chakra as long as you are near it, making a consistent balanced flow. Adding a third, who swaps in and out of your chakra flow, needs to not only resonate with both your chakras, but also be able to either create a large enough output to balance between all three, or be flexible enough to allow your chakra to flow through him, and his to follow your pace. Pairs are hard enough as it is, but 3! That's nearly unheard of!"

"But, don't you have two weapons?" noted Blackstar.

"I'm a reaper. I'm the exception to the rule. Besides, Liz and Patty are twin sisters. Their chakra is so similar, even Stein can't tell who's who without looking directly at them."

"Maybe we should visit him. Maybe a second look will help." Hinata said, thinking out loud to herself.

"Couldn't hurt to try, but You'll have to go alone." A look of disgust crosses his face. "His house is so unsymmetrical!"

Hinata drops a sweat. "Blackstar?"

His knees were visibly shaking. "I'd love to come, but I got workouts to do this morning! Right, Tsubaki?"

"Right!" She responds, though knowing Blackstar was terrified of him.

"Oook. Where do I find him?"

"His house in the cemetary. Trust me, you can't miss it!" responded Liz.

----------------------------------------10 minutes later------------------------------------

"Can't miss it is right!" she says with a "are you serious?" face. In the middle of the cemetary was a 3-story house that literally looked like it was stitched together. She ran the doorbell, which intead of a chime, said. "You rang?" in a deep spooky voice. Suddenly, the door opened.

"Come in! I'm in my study!" she heard from beyond the door. She walked in, shutting the door behind her. "Last door on the left!" She follows the instructions and his voice to an open door at the end of a hall. He turns on a swivel chair. "Oh, Hinata! Impressive recovery time! Mind if I examine you later?"

She had a bad feeling about how he said examine. "No, that's alright. I just wanted to see if double-checking my chakra would help!"

"Sure. Couldn't hurt." He focuses on her, and sees it's black in stead of the usual blue, and is flowing when it shouldn't. "Hinata, what happened?"

"Wh-what do you you mean?"

"Don't play dumb. Someone or something is mixing with your chakra, and manipulating it. It's full of dark desires and evil intentions. This chakra will destroy you in time. So, I'll ask again: what happened?"

Hinata gave in, and told Stein everything she knew. "I'm not sure what it is, but there's some sort of shadow in me. For years, it's been trying to wrestle control, and, well... I guess I got desparate..."

"I see. Left unchecked, you will lose yourself to it. However, if we can counter its negative influence, it can be your best weapon. In fact..." He turns and pushes the chair, making roll and slam ito a cabinet. He turns and opens it. "Let's see, O, P, Q, R, Sara, Seth, Selena, ah! Here we are! Weapon: Name: Serah (long e), she has been known to be a bit picky, and not many know what her weapon form is! But her chakra does have healing and purifying properties. She's allowed me to experiment with it a few times, and I even managed to bring on of the teachers back from the dead!" Hinata looked at him, horrified. "It was a failed experiment. He only came half back. at least it was the half with a brain!" He chuckled at his own joke, but Hinata didn't find it so funny. "Anyway, I need to double check, but I think her chakra matches yours pretty well."

"Why do you consider her now, and not before?" Hinata asks.

"Well, she is a good candidate, but she has this wierd kink about troubled girls. You didn't seem like one, but the recent events, along with your chakra, may intrigue her. I'll contact her later today, and you can meet her tomorrow. For now, try not to use too much chakra. It will only increase its influence."

"I'll do whatever the fuck I want!" Hinata yelled, instantly regretting it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean...!"

"It's fine. I was expecting it sooner or later. Just try to control it. Some people may not be so forgiving."

"Right! Thank you Prof. Stein!"

"No problem. See you in class on monday. Kid should show you around. Now, if you would excuse me, I was in the middle on an experiment."

"Right. Thanks again!" Hinata left, leaving Stein to work on whatever crazy thing he was doing.

----------------------------------------Next day--------------------------------------------

Hinata was still asleep when Kid heard the phone ring. He got down from the ladder he brought, organizing Maka's shelves (she's not gonna be happy) And answered. "Hello? Ah, Prof. Stein! Already? She's still asleep. Alright, she'll meet you there." He docked the phone and went and knocked on Hinata's room. "Hinata! Wake up!" No answer. "Oh my..." He opens the door, and is graced by her sleeping form, tucked into the covers. "Whew..." he sighed in relief, glad to see she was at least covered. He walked over to her, and gently shook her. "Hinata, time to get up!" *whack* She backhanded him in her sleep, turning to her side in the process. "That does it!" He flips the bed, giving her a rude awakening on the hard floor.

"Ow! What the hell!?"

"Sorry, but you wouldn't wake and you punched me in your sleep."

Hinata was on him in seconds, but stopped before she noticed her hand pulled back for a punch. She sighed, and got off him and helped him up. "Sorry."

"Me too." He started dusting himself off. "Anyway, Prof. Stein called. He said to meet in front of the academy once you're ready."

"Right. Ow..." She holds her head, and grabs her clothes for the day, and heads to the showers.

20 Minutes later, she was marching up the steps of the academy, to see Stein. "Hello Hinata!"

"Hello, Prof. Stein. Where is she? I thought you said..."

"She has a bit of a flair for the dramatic." He looked to his left, and from behind a pillar she jumped, striking a pose.

She had shoulder length blond hair, tied into a short ponytail. Her face was tomboyish, with a tiny nose and red and blue eyes. She wore a grey halfcoat over a red skintight top, showing offf what little curves she had. Her pants appeared to be made of the same material, but was a light blue instead. She wore black knee-high boots that appeared to be steel-toed. And her pose...let's not get into that. The Ginyu force would laugh at it, as did Hinata. "mmph hahahaha!! What the hell!? Hahahahehe!"

"Oi! Stop laughing! Do you know how long it took to choreograph that pose!? Hours! And my time is very precious!" She yell, having an accent somwhere between australian and english.

"I'm sorry, but, it was terrible! OH MAN! If you saw yourself, you couldn't help but laugh too!"

Serah sighs and looks at Stein. "Is this barrel of laughs REALLY my new partner?"

Stein was grinning to, seeing them making good chemistry already. He waited for Hinata to calm down before introducing each other. "Hinata, this is Serah Serenia, your new weapon. Cerah, this is Hinata, your new meister.

"What, just Hinata!? She too cool to have a last name?"

Hinata looked down as Stein answered. "A recent wound left her almost without her own natural chakra, and her clan is very pretentious and strict. She was disowned as soon as they found out." Serah was regretting her question. "And, this may interest you, but her best friend recently up and left her hear, for her own good, of course."

"Th-that's terrible! Why would she do something like that!?"

"Dunno. Her reason's are her own. One more thing, and it's the reason you need to pair with her: She has some kind of shadow or something festering within her, and she recently accepted its chakra. Frankly, it was a dumb move, but she seemed desperate. Anyway, I need you to actively purify the chakra whenever possible."

"We, she's just a whole mess of trouble, eh? Alright, I'm in!" She walks over to Hinata, who is a little depressed from the summary of the last few days. "Yo, call me Serah! I hope we get along well!" She puts out her hand to shake, and Hinata takes it gratefully, glad to make a new friend.