Demonology, Chapter 4

Fandom: Naruto

Rating: PG...sometimes PG-13; I'm not really good at rating things...my mind is too...liberal.  LOL!

Pairing(s): Hints of Itachi/Ameko

Genre: Drama/Humor (Is that an oxymoron?)

Warning(s): OC as main character; Some possible OOCness for canon characters, although I tried to avoid it; Suggested OCxCanon pairings

Prompt(s): My cousin's companion fan fic...and my own demented mind.  ^_^;

A/N:  Here's the final chapter of Demonology; I hope you like it; I was actually pleasantly pleased with the way everything came together (although I don't really consider myself good at "action" writing. :laughs:

Anyway, constructive criticism is always helpful and gratefully accepted (I don't bite...unless you want me to.)  And, as with so many other writers out there, compliments are my muses' fuel, so please feel free to feed them.  

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With Naruto hitching a ride on Ameko's back, we grab hold and quickly begin to scale the sheer wall. Itachi is in the lead, moving with practiced ease toward our goal and Ameko is close behind. However, with one hand still summoning light so we can see, I'm forced to move much more slowly; Iruka is pacing me, keeping an eye on my ascent with a mixture of vigilance and concern. Normally it would annoy me, but given the situation I'm more than a little grateful he hasn't left me behind.

Below us, the spider finally manages to scrabble out of the water, and immediately shoots out a line of webbing, attempting to make its way towards us. Fortunately, the creature doesn't seem to have fully recovered from my jutsu…or its unexpected dip in the chilly waters below. With erratic movements, it jerks through the air, overshooting our position and careening into one of the stalactites above us. Iruka and I flatten ourselves against the wall as debris rains down around us. Up above I can see Itachi and Ameko hesitate at the tunnel's entrance, looking back down at where we're still clinging precariously to the wall.

"Keep moving!" I call to them. "We'll be right behind you!"

Ameko looks like she's about to ignore me and come charging to our rescue when suddenly her head jerks around, looking further back into the tunnel and I hear her call out, "Naruto! Come back!" Then she turns and disappears into the darkness. Suddenly the spider lands right below us, close enough that, looking down, I can see myself reflected in its glassy eyes - there's no chance of out-climbing it. Taking a deep breath, I'm about to apologize to my friend for getting him involved in all of this when suddenly a stalactite shoots out of the wall beneath us and sends the spider flying; it attempts to adjust its descent but only succeeds in crashing onto the egg sac the creature's been trying so desperately to protect.

Shocked, I stare at Iruka as a grin spreads over his face. "Did you do that?" I ask, both surprised and impressed.

The grin gets wider, and he somehow manages a small shrug before replying, "It's just a little something I've been working on."

"I would so hug you right now…if it wouldn't send me plummeting to a, horrible, agonizing death."

He snickers. "I'll take a rain check – for now, let's just keep moving."

I nod, glancing briefly back down to check on our eight-legged friend. "Oh…that can't be good…"

"Huh?" My friend follows my gaze, eyes widening at the sight below. Hundreds of rat-sized babies have begun pouring out of the damaged sac. Most of them are swarming their injured mother, beginning to feed, but others are exploring the cave…and getting a little too close for comfort.

Quickly…almost frantically…we continue our ascent. Iruka keeps an eye on our surroundings, doing his best to knock away any of the spiderlings that get too close and eventually we both somehow manage to make it safely into the tunnel. Heart pounding in my chest, I immediately send more chakra to my jutsu, flooding the passage with light. Ameko, Itachi and Naruto are nowhere to be seen.

"We can't stay here," Iruka states. "Those things will find us soon…"

"And with so many, we won't stand a chance," I finish for him, nodding in agreement. "Let's move quickly. Once we find the others, getting out of here should be no problem."

"Well…they can't have gone far without any light…"

"We didn't," Itachi replies, sliding out of the shadows of a nearby passage. "Ameko's keeping an eye on Naruto; she sent me back to find you."

Suddenly several of the babies scuttle into view; almost simultaneously the three of us attack, spearing the creatures with both kunai and senbon. Looking nervously at each other, no words are needed as Itachi quickly leads us deeper into the new tunnel system. It doesn't take long before we reach Ameko and Naruto, and I have to suppress a chuckle at the teen's idea of "keeping an eye" on him. The boy is splayed flat out on his stomach and the blond is sitting directly on top of him, a big grin plastered on her face.

As the three of us arrive, Naruto calls out, "Emiko! Tell her to get off! I can't breathe!"

Crouching down next to where his face is pressed into the dirt, I respond, "Well…if you'd stop running off, maybe Ameko wouldn't feel like she needed to sit on you to keep you still."

"But I HAD to! There was something shiny…I thought it was the kubikiri."

"And was it?" I ask him, already guessing the answer.

Naruto sighs. "No…it was just some stupid book."

"A book…?"

"Umm…I hate to interrupt," Iruka says. "But could we talk about this after we get out of here?"

Ameko rolls her eyes at my friend, quickly hopping off of Naruto while making sure to keep a firm grip on the boy's arm. "Geez, I still don't know why you even bothered to come."

Iruka puffs up indignantly. "I came because I…!"

But the blond just shakes her hand in his face dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, Emiko asked you to – whatever – let's just get out of here. Everyone get close; if you're not touching me when I do this, you'll be left behind."

"Should I diffuse my light?" I ask her as everyone gathers closer.

Ameko nods. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea; I'm not sure how it will affect the teleportation."

Each of us places a hand on the teen's shoulders, and she closes her eyes as my jutsu disperses, leaving us in complete darkness. It's not long before I begin to feel the air slowly charging with chakra. For the first thirty seconds we stand there in anticipatory silence; during the next thirty we begin to get restless, and I twitch nervously at the thought of all those baby spiders creeping up on us in the dark. However, Ameko ignores it all, remaining completely focused on building up her energy.

Finally Iruka says, "We will be getting out of here some time today, right?"

Although Ameko is too focused to respond, I feel her shoulder tense beneath my hand. Reaching out, I grip my friend's sleeve in warning, as Naruto quickly jumps to the teen's defense. "Give her a chance! She's never done this many people at once before!"

"Y'know it's pretty bad when you get chastised by a five-year-old," I whisper to Iruka with a small smirk.

He shrugs off my hand, but sounds a little guilty as he grumbles. "Whatever…"

Chuckling, I'm about to say something else, when suddenly my stomach clenches almost painfully and the whole world turns upside down. The next thing I know, we're all standing immediately inside the cave's entrance, waterfall roaring just a few feet away. I can't tell exactly how long we've been gone, but the sun has set and through the crevice I can see a beautiful gibbous moon high in the sky. Ameko motions towards the exit and we carefully make our way out and away from the narrow opening and slippery rocks.

Once safely on dry ground, she turns and punches Iruka on the shoulder…hard.

"Ow! What was that for?" he asks with a shocked look on his face.

"It's for being a jerk!" she shouts. "Some time today, my ass! That jutsu isn't easy - you should be grateful I was able to do it at all! C'mon Itachi, Naruto – we're going home!"

My friend turns to look at me as the others head off into the forest. "What did I do?"

"You mean other than just make the worst first impression of your life?"

He sighs. "I've had a really long month, Emiko…"

"We both know that's not a good excuse; I think you should apologize."

Although his look is unsure, my friend makes a muffled sigh. "Alright…let's go before they get too far ahead."

It doesn't take us long to catch up with Ameko and the others. Iruka calls out to her, but the teen ignores him. It's not until I begin calling out, too, that she grudgingly comes to a halt. Itachi hovers slightly behind her and Naruto clings carefully to her hand.

Glaring viciously at my friend, she says, "What? Weren't you the one that was so anxious to get back to Konoha to turn in that stupid report?!"

Iruka shakes his head and says with a grimace, "It's too late now anyway; I'll never get it written up in time to hand in tomorrow morning…Look…I just wanted to apologize for the way I've been acting. I'm not usually…what I mean is, I'm not normally…"

"An idiot?" Ameko replies with a small smile.

He chuckles, a slight blush on his cheeks, and scratches absent-mindedly at the scar across his nose. "Yeah…that. Anyway, I'm sorry," he finishes, with a guilty shrug.
The blond simply stares at him for a moment, saying nothing. Then, rolling her eyes with a sigh, she says, "Well…you are a friend of Emiko's…and she likes Naruto, so her judgment can't be all bad…okay - I'll give you a second chance…but only one."

Iruka looks relieved as I reply with a smile, "Don't worry, Ameko; you just need to get to know him a little better…he grows on you, I promise."

The blond snickers and winks at me. "You mean like a fungus?"

"Exactly!" I reply with a widening grin, reaching out to tug lightly on his ponytail. "And after that you won't be able to get rid of him."

"Hey!" my friend protests, stepping out of my reach. "When did this become 'Pick on Iruka' day?"

Ameko and I both begin laughing, but I grab my friend's hand, encouraging him to relax and share the joke with us. "C'mon Iruka, we're just teasing."

He rolls his eyes and allows a small smile to flicker across his face. "Okay, okay – I guess I kind of deserve it…and I'd like to make it up to everyone; let's go out for ramen tomorrow – my treat – we can meet at Ichiraku for lunch."

"Yes! Ramen!" Naruto crows. "Count me in!" Then, he suddenly looks disheartened and looks over at me. "But…Emiko? Does that mean I have to wait until tomorrow to show you the book I found?"

"Of course you don't have to wait," I reply, my curiosity piqued. "I'd love to take a look."

He grins broadly. "I kept it 'cause I thought you might like it - but it's really old…and it smells kinda funny, too." Taking the book out of his pack, the boy hands it to me, his nose wrinkling in distaste. "Sorry…I think the smell's worse now."

Laughing, I reply, "Well, old books tend to get a bit musty…and I imagine this one has some mildew, too, being in that damp tunnel for so long." Slowly I examine the tome; it's bound in crumbling brown leather, and the cover is plain except for an intricate silver clasp. Rubbing my thumb over the tarnished metal, I can almost make out something carved into the decoration…four outward facing crescents…connected horizontally by a pointed cross…"No way," I whisper, almost to myself, voice tinged with awe.

"What is it?" Iruka's asks, peering curiously over my shoulder.

Naruto leans closer, too, but he's a little short to see what's caught my attention.

With near reverence, I carefully open the book and skim through the faded, hand-written words on the first page. "Naruto…I think…this is the 2nd Hokage's journal…"
The boy's eyes widen with amazement, immediately followed by excitement. "Really?" he asks, putting both hands on mine, trying to pull them down towards him for a better look. "Are you sure?"

Kneeling down next to him, the others crowd around us as I take Naruto's hand and trace it over the clasp. "It's hard to see, but the Senju clan's crest is etched right here. Can you feel it?"

The boy stares at the book with near reverence and then looks up at me, his eyes dancing. "I found something good, huh?"

Grinning, I reply, "You found something very good. Konoha's archivists have been searching for this book for decades; there are several records that suggested its existence, but no one's ever been able to find it…"

"Until now," Ameko states, sounding smug. "I can't wait to see their faces when we show them this."

"I'm especially looking forward to Youta's expression," I respond, sharing a small smirk with the blond. Looking to Naruto, I ask, "Can we take it to them tomorrow, right after lunch?"

He gives me a quizzical look and says, "Why're ya asking me?"

"Well, you found it – it's only right that you be the one to deliver it to the archives."

The boy's expression becomes nervous. "But…they told me never to come back…"

Interrupting, I smile with reassurance. "Don't worry – for this they'll definitely make an exception."

Naruto doesn't look entirely convinced. "Well…I guess as long as you and Ameko are there…okay…I'll do it."

"We'll be right there beside you," the blond replies, giving the boy a comforting hug. Then she looks at me and asks, "Would it be okay if we did lunch early, around 11:30? I've got a mission briefing in the afternoon."

"Sounds good to me. How about everyone else?"

The others nod in agreement, and with our plans for the next day confirmed we cautiously make our way back into the sleeping Konoha, quickly splitting up to head towards our respective homes. Iruka stays with me since his apartment is only a handful of blocks past the shop. When we reach my door I ask, "Do you want some help with your report? I know it's late, but if we pulled an all-nighter you might…"

He shakes his head, interrupting me. "It's over a month's worth of information, Emiko…I'll just have to ask for an extension tomorrow." He sighs, looking miserable.

I know how the people in the missions' office can be. One late report and you're likely to be stuck doing D-rank missions for a month – depending on how generous the staff is feeling at the time. "I'm really sorry…"

Iruka shrugs, cutting me off again. "It's no big deal..." Then he gives me a surprising grin. "I actually kind of had fun – just don't tell Ameko, okay?" I try to suppress a snicker and he gives me a warning look. "Emiko…"

"Okay, okay; I promise not to tell…so, will you at least let me go with you tomorrow to explain what happened? Maybe they'll go easier on you."

He smiles thankfully. "That'd be great, but I was going to go in early – most of them are a bit more forgiving after their first cup of coffee."

"I don't mind," I reply, smiling back. "I got you into this; the least I can do is wake up a little early to help get you out if it. Is 7:30 okay?"

*****

My friend nods. "Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow."

Iruka turns and heads off towards home as I quietly let myself in. Worried about being gone for so long, the first thing I do is head upstairs to check on my father. He's sleeping soundly, but the food I prepared shortly before leaving sits untouched on the nightstand. Frustrated tears prickle at the corners of my eyes. It's been two years and he's not getting any better. I shouldn't still have to sit by his side to make sure he eats…should I? But no matter what I do nothing seems to change. Will I ever get my old life back?

Sighing, not wanting to think about the possible answers to my questions too closely, I gather up the dishes, kiss my father lightly on the cheek, and head back downstairs.

*****

The day starts much sooner than I want it to; light glaring through my bedroom window in a way that forces me deeper under the covers to escape it. But I made Iruka a promise, one I don't have any right to break, so with an enormous amount of effort, I crawl out of bed and mindlessly begin my morning routine.

I've just finished off the last mouthful of juice when there's a knock on the door. Opening it reveals my friend looking not much better than I feel. "Long night?" both of us ask at the same time, chuckling as we realize we've duplicated our words.

He sighs, fidgeting with a note card in his hand. "I stayed up longer than I should have trying to figure out what I was going to say today. What about you?"

Shrugging, the words stick in my throat.

"You're father?" Iruka asks, already knowing the answer.

"I guess I should be used to it by now…but I keep hoping…"

"Don't worry," he says, softly. "With your help he's bound to get better soon."

"Thanks," I whisper, briefly reaching out to squeeze his hand. Then, forcing myself to shake off the melancholy, I ask, "So, are we ready to go?"

My friend nods with nervous determination. "Let's get this over with."

Our walk to the missions' office is filled with idle chit chat, mostly about horrible D-Rank assignments we've shared together in the past. After all, anything they do to him now couldn't possibly be any worse than what the two of us have been through before…

We're a little less than a block away when a ball of brilliant orange comes zipping around the corner and plows right into us, knocking everyone to the ground in a jumbled heap of arms and legs.

"Oh man, I'm really sorry!" a familiar voice says, as a small body tries to wriggle its way out of our tangled limbs.

"What's the hurry, Naruto?" I ask, as the boy stops moving long enough to glance at my face.

He looks startled, but then grins broadly. "Emiko, Iruka! Hey! I can't talk now, but I'll see you for lunch, kay? Gotta go!" Then he's off, running faster than I would have thought possible.

"I wonder what that was about," I ask, as my friend helps me to my feet and we dust each other off.

"Whatever it was, I don't imagine it was a good thing," Iruka grumbles, rubbing dirt off the end of his nose.

Sighing, I roll my eyes at him. "Would it really be so hard for you to give Naruto a chance? After all it's not like he's the only kid in the world who's ever acted out to get attention." I give my friend a meaningful look.

Iruka blushes, glaring at me half-heartedly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I'm about to respond when suddenly a voice from around the corner shouts, "NARUTO UZUMAKI!" It's followed by other shouts and cries…not quite as loud, so it's difficult to make them out.

"Told you," my friend whispers as we head towards where the voices are coming from.

I ignore him, wondering what could possibly have caused Naruto to get himself into trouble so soon after the incident in the archives. It doesn't take long to track down the source of the commotion. In fact, it's all centered directly outside of the missions' office. There's an acrid looking smoke drifting up out of the open windows, and there are ninja everywhere - some look ill, others just look angry. Iruka quickly heads over to a nearby woman, who's coughing loudly as tears spill out of her red, irritated eyes.

"Suzumi! Are you okay? What happened?"

She grimaces and carefully wipes the tears from her face. "Stink bombs! At least three dozen…" As soon as she says it I begin to detect the faintest whiff of putrification on the air. "That stupid kid set them off all over the office; the stench flooded the building; it's going to take us weeks to get rid of it! Right now the smell is so bad that no one can go inside without wearing a mask – and even that's not helping too much."

"That's awful," my friend replies, voice bordering on insincerity. "So…do you know what we're supposed to do with our reports until then?"

Suzumi shrugs, looking miserable as her eyes continue to water. "Everything we need for processing the paperwork is inside. Obviously we'll have to set-up elsewhere for awhile, but it will be at least three or four days before we can get it all coordinated."

Iruka feigns disappointment, but there's a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "But I have a really important report due today…"

The woman snorts and gestures at all of the ninja milling idly around, "Yeah, you and at least fifty others…" She sighs. "Just come back in a couple of days. If anyone gives you any trouble about turning it in late, tell them to talk to me."

"Really? Are you sure?" he asks.

Nodding, Suzumi says, "Well, it's not like we'll be able to do anything with it before then…but I guess if you really want to turn it in now…"

My friend's eyes go wide with panic. Thinking quickly, I interrupt, "Actually, I offered to look over it last night and accidentally left the papers on my kitchen table. We were just on our way to get them. But if it can wait…"

She sighs. "Whatever - like I said, we can't do anything with the reports right now anyway…"

"Great! Thanks!" I reply with a smile that's probably just a little larger than necessary. "Well…we'll just be on our way then." Grabbing his hand, I tug Iruka away from the office, as a large grin spreads across his face. Once we're far enough away that we won't be overheard, we both stop and let out thankful sighs.

Iruka leans back against the nearest wall, shoulders sagging in relief. "Wow…what are the chances?"

"What do you mean?"

He shrugs. "Well…that Naruto would decide to pull another prank on the very day and in the very building that…"

"Wait," I interrupt, beginning to feel a little irate. Did Iruka really not understand that Naruto was intentionally trying to help him? "You honestly think that this was all just a coincidence?"

My friend gives me a confused look. "Well…yeah…I mean, what else could it be?"

Rolling my eyes, I put both hands on my hips and give him a hard, steady glare. "I hope you're acting this dense because you didn't get enough sleep last night, because otherwise I'm gonna…"

"What?! It's not like he pranked the office intentionally…!"

I raise one eyebrow purposefully and cross my arms over my chest, but say nothing.

Iruka looks confused, then uncertain, and finally says, "But…why would he do that? He didn't even know…"

Snorting, I reply, "You spent half the trip complaining about your mission report; he obviously heard at some point and decided to lend you a hand. As for why…I think the answer to that is pretty clear. Despite all the trouble he gets himself into, deep down…"

"…He's a good kid." Iruka interrupts, with a gentle look on his face – one that I'm not sure I've ever seen before.

"Exactly," I reply with a satisfied grin. "Although it sure took you long enough to realize it…"

My friend sighs, blushing slightly. "I guess I can be a little stubborn sometimes…"

"Sometimes?" I ask, just a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

"Okay, okay - but I still think he's needs to stop trying so hard to get attention."

"Well, maybe if he hung out with you more often you could influence him a bit." Iruka's about to protest, but I rush my words to keep him from interrupting. "Besides, it'll make excellent practice for when you become a teacher at the academy, right?"

My friend's face is a mixture of both acceptance and dismay. "If this is your not-so-subtle way of trying to get me to start watching out for Naruto, the answer is 'No'! I'm not going to be the one the village holds responsible every time he…"

Rolling my eyes, I sigh, "This isn't about hanging out with him ALL the time, I just think you should give it a try every now and then."

Iruka grimaces. "Well…I guess every once-in-awhile I could…"

"Great! We can tell Ameko at lunch; I'm sure it'll be a relief for her to know there are others looking out for him, too."

He sighs. "I suddenly have the sinking feeling that I should've just said no when you asked for my help yesterday…"

"But you didn't," I reply with a wry smile. "And everything happens for a reason."

"Which means what?" my friend asks, one eyebrow raised dubiously.

"Which means that we're all linked…"

"Linked?" Iruka interrupts, with a chuckle. "By what?" He drops his voice down low and mysterious. "The red strings of Fate?"

"Well...not exactly, no. I just think that once your life intersects with someone else's their life becomes a part of yours and vice versa. The decisions Naruto makes will begin to affect us – just like they did today – and likewise the decisions we make will begin to affect him, too.

"So…I guess this means I shouldn't go out drinking tonight with Mizuki," he replies, not able to contain a teasing grin.

Laughing, I shove him playfully in the shoulder. "I'm trying to be serious here."

"I know," my friend whispers. "I'm just not sure how ready I am to be an actual influence on someone else's life."

Taking Iruka's hand, I squeeze it reassuringly. "Don't worry. That's what being a teacher is all about. You're going to do just fine – not just with Naruto, but with all the kids in Konoha."

He chuckles. "I'm several years away from applying for that job, y'know."

"Maybe…but that's no reason not to start influencing now, right?"

My friend nods softly, almost to himself. "You're right…" He pauses, thinking for a moment. "Hey we've got some time before we have to meet the others, right?"

"Yeah, nearly three hours…why?"

"I want to thank Naruto for his help today…and talk to him about why he shouldn't have done it. Will you help me look?"

"Of course." I reply, smiling happily.

As we head out in search for Naruto, I watch my friend closely, noting shoulders that are more centered, a pace that's more self-assured, and a determination I've never seen before. Smiling to myself, I realize that the boy is already starting to change him…and I have no doubt that soon Iruka will begin to do the same.