Ninja Moon

Um...Yeah...Not really much to say about this chapter. I wanted to keep the chapters long and the first draft was short, so I added the battle against Jedite to the end. I sort of winged(sp?gr?) Gaara's personality, considering again that I haven't been following the series too loyally. All I had to work with were fanarts, and it's really hard to guess personality from fanart. I've been reading the reviews as I update, and I have to say, I'm flattered by your reactions! lol I wanted to write a fanfic that made people question my sanity, and I did it! Wooht! *happy dance in meh pants*

Chapter 6: Mars and the King of Illusions
I've grown up around burning fire and the blood of hatred, so I found it ironic that dreams of seeing the reflection of a crimson-gowned princess instead of me with a princess of forest green beside me began haunting my sleep. After seeing the newspaper about the mysterious woman named Sailor V, hearing stories of her, and seeing the crescent moon cat for myself, I understood what was happening and embraced my destiny with hopes that it would relieve teh burden of hate and lonliness from my soul.

---

Luna was thankful Iruka let her ride his shoulder; the speed the three nin traveld was unbelievable. Sailor Moon led Tuxedo Mask and the young Sailor Mercury through the forests toward the wilderness and the source of chakra radiating from a battle. Iruka's sense warned him of the Negaverse's evil, and Sasuke's transformation pen became a compact-radar that agreed that Negaverse agents were near.

"I don't understand!" Sasuke shouted over the wind-flow from their running. "What's the enemy's target?"

"Another scout possibly," Iruka answered, "or a civilian who may know something the Negaverse doesn't."

"I sense it may be a scout," said Kakashi. "Mars...Fire and power..."

Again the boy of sand entered Luna's mind.

The three reached the battle scene just as Gaara hit the ground, beaten and worn as Jedite stood nearby, watching the teen try to recover. Gaara sat up and shouted as Iruka reached to remove his tiara. "Stay out of this!" He got to his feet, glaring at Jedite. "This is my battle..."

"Gaara..." Sasuke started forward, but Kakashi held him back.

Jedite smirked. "You should have listened to your friends, boy. I didn't lead you out here alone without a back-up plan!" He flicked his wrist and the earth shook under the floor opposing him. Hands of mud minions reached from the ground and grabbed at ankles and wrists, dragging them down into the earth itself. The evil blonde laughed as they struggled in vain to break free and try to use their powers. "Resistance is futile, Sailor Scum! Admit defeat and death will be painlessly swift!"

The sand nin glared att he offending villain, growling as he struggled still. "I will not accept this as my destiny!" He shouted. And as the teen roared, a familiar red star fell and kissed Gaara's forehead. A blinding red light and choking heat filled the area, followed by the smell of smouldering earth. When the light faded, Gaara was freed of his bonds and in a fuku like Sasuke's, only blood red in color. Still Gaara glared at Jedite. "My destiny is to be Sailor Mars, guardian of the Moon Princess and protector of the universe."

A frightened look was on Jedite's face as Gaara's power of flames came to his hand and he looped it into a giant ring. "Mars Fire Surround!" He shouted the attack, sending the rings of fire to free his comrades. The shots dissentigrated the mud minions and the four faced Jedite.

He grimmaced, then glared at them. "We'll meet again, Sailor Scouts." With that, he vanished.

Like Sasuke, Gaara took this moment to examine his new body and abilities. His face held the same expression as always, as if everything he looked upon would die under his gaze, even his own gloved hands. Finally, Gaara closed his eyes and said, "My dream makes sense now..."

Sasuke went to his side. "You have dreamt of a princess?"

Gaara nodded. "I am in red, and she is in green. The princes of thunder and fighting spirit...the princess of Jupiter..." He faced Kakashi and Iruka. "Jedite will return soon to try once more to destroy us."

"Yes," Iruka agreed. "We must all be careful..."

"You must not tell anyone of your new identity or abilties..." Luna told Gaara from her spot on Kakashi's shoulder.

"I understand..." He closed his eyes and willed himself back to normal. The others followed suit. "Kakashi, Iruka, Sasuke...until the next battle." He bowed to them, then leapt away.

Kakashi sighed. "Sheesh...Even when he's fully on our side, he still acts like a prick." Iruka smiled and shook his head, but said nothing. Sasuke "hmph"ed and went home. The jounin smiled behind his mask. "So...what now?"

"I have paperwork to catch up on and papers to finish grading," Iruka told Kakashi, blushing lightly.

"Not enough time for one kiss?"

"No."

"Not even one?"

"...No..."

"Just one?"

Iruka sighed, smiling. "Fine. But only one. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't grope me also."

---

Iruka knew he was dreaming, but the flames were too real, too hot, too destructive. He stood on Hokage's mountain, watching as Konoha burned and hearing its inhabitants suffer. Jedite's image hung in the sky, glaring down at Iruka. "If you do not surrender the Silver Imperium Crystal to me by midnight tomorrow night, I will destroy your pathetic village and tear it from your cinders!"

---

"And then he vanishes and the dream ends," Iruka finished telling Tsunade. "I knowt he others have dreamt this as well, and I feel Jedite has the power to make his threat full and true." He shook his head. "What do we do? I know I've broken taboo by telling you so much, but you're the only one I trust..."

She sighed and rested her chin on interlaced fingers. "From a Hokage's perspective...you know what I'll say."

Iruka's face became serious. "That's...what I anticipated."

"Then you know what you must do..."

"I will defend my village and my Hokage with my life and without hesitation."

Tsunade smiled. "You make a fitting princess. It will be sad to lose you to a higher power."

The nin said nothing, his eyes on the distant paperwork and their meaningless words. Everything suddenly felt insignificant; every symbol, every word, every touch, and even every breath he took in. Iruka caught himself holding a breath, analyzing it, charishing it, then letting it go as gently as if it were a bird, wondering if this was the emptiness every high-ranked jounen felt before a dangerous A-or-higher-ranked mission.

---

An ominous fog filled the large clearing of the forest, the place Iruka knew Jedite wanted to do battle in. The low clouds blocked the third-quarter-waning moon the nin knew existed in the sky. Even transformed by ribbons and magic into a woman of power, Iruka felt weak, powerless, helpless. Luna shivered on his shoulder, and the chuunin petted her head to ease them both.

Tuxedo Mask stepped up beside Sailor Moon, and Iruka could see the sleep linguring in his mis-matched masked eyes. He was awake with stress as well, Iruka thought. Now was not the time for tenderness and love. "Where are the children?" Iruka asked.

"They're coming," Kakashi answered. "I stopped by Sasuke's on my way here. He'll get Gaara. They'll be here soon."

Iruka shivered and wanted to be held, but knew he couldn't. Kakashi put a hand on the woman's arm, and Iruka felt a warm calm flow through the hand into the transformed nin. The chuunin sighed, holding the hand in place. "Is this what it feels like...to go into a mission, knowing you may die?" Iruka whispered to Kakashi. "Is this the emptiness of all jounin and ANBU?"

"Yes..." Kakashi answered, feeling the need to hold Iruka with both hands. "As a chuunin, you were never meant to feel this way..."

The two turned as Sailor Mars and Mercury approached. Both younger nin appeared wide awake and alert. Gaara glared through the fog all around, and a set of blue goggles had covered Sasuke's eyes as a minicomputer in his hands analyzed the area. "He's here..." Sasuke said, the energy readings visible on his goggles.

A familiar roar sounded, reawakening dark memories in two of the four nin. Terror covered Iruka's face as three great kyuubi emerged from the fog and forest around. He felt himself cling to Kakashi. Gaara glared at the creatures and leapt into a tree, then higher into the air. Fire gathered into his hand and as he shouted, "Mars Fire Ignite!" Gaara sent the fireball at a kyuubi. It went right through!

One of the three roared and lashed at the group. The four dodged the attack, the ground shattering when the attack hit the earth. Jedite stood on another's head, watching with a dark grin. Gaara sent another fireball through the third kyuubi's side, and the evil blonde roared with laughter.

Sasuke dodged another attack as Iruka and Kakashi hid in the fog and trees. "They're illusions!" He shouted over the blast of falling trees. "Somehow, we can't phase them, but they can hurt us!"

Iruka and Kakashi left each other's sides as a tree fell between them. "There needs to be a source," Iruka said, more to himself. "Sasuke! Find the source of illusions! If we target the source, we can destroy the illusions themselves!"

The Uchiha hid behind a boulder. "Distract them for me!" He opened the mini-computer, and his fingers flew over the foreign keys as if he had known how to operate the mechanism since birth. The genin shuddered as a wave of dirt went over him from an attack at Gaara. "Got it!"

Sailor Moon appeared beside him, battered from diving through tree branches. "What's the source?" He asked, panting a bit.

"Jedite, on the kyuubi's head," Sasuke said, peeking over the boulder. "The crystal at his belt to be precise. I can create a thicker fog, but we'll need a small object to shatter it."

"My tiara is too big," answered Iruka, "but I'm sure Kakashi has something."

Sasuke nodded. "You, Gaara, and I will distract the kyuubi in the fog. Destroying the crystal is Kakashi's duty."

"And once the illusions are gone, we combine our attacks on Jedite."

"Right."

Like true ninja, the two leapt away to relay the messages to their teammates. A thick fog of freezing bubbles filled the area, so thick that gravity loosened its grip on the four as they leapt into the air. Kakashi saw his target as he floated behind unaware Jedite's back. A rose was pulled from his cloak, its stem stiff and sharp as a needle. The jounin felt like a child again, going through one of his many lessons.

The three kyuubi howled in agony as he hit his mark with the thrown rose and the crystal shattered like glass. Fear filled Jedite's face as the illusions faded, and he remained hovering in the bubble-cloud. He knew what was coming.

"Moon Tiara Attack!"

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

"Mars Fire Ignite!"