Crossing Over (#2 In Shifting Series)

Mind Meld

Iruka watched as Melissa sat down on the ground and crossed her legs.  She put her hands into the position that he had shown her for focusing.  She slowed her breathing as she looked to the battle raging overhead.  It was a battle that was as fierce as the one that had happened during the Fourth Shinobi War.  Mesmerizing and horrifying, all at once.

He heard movement and gripped a Kunai in his hand.  These guys were relentless.  He shifted his eyes back to Melissa and could tell she was slowly starting to pinpoint her focus on the monster above.  He felt a chill go down his back.  He was not sure how long he could guard her as she did what she was called to do.  His right arm was useless and his strength was waning from the blood loss.  He would die protecting her, though.

He narrowed his eyes as he saw the men coming towards them.  Four of them.  Damn.  He braced himself, ready.  One of the men abruptly stopped running forward.  A second was suddenly swarmed by bugs.  The third was hit by a hand that was as big as a house and thrown so far that he doubted the man survived the landing.  While Hinata appeared out of no where and started raining down her Eight Trigrams 64 Palms on the third.  He had never been more relieved to see Shikamaru, Choji, Shino, and Hinata.

"We got this, old man," Shikamaru said as his shadow possession was creeping up the one in his grasp in a stranglehold.

Iruka knelt down next to Melissa and let out a long sigh.  He grinned at them, "I'm so glad to see you guys."

"I'm assuming she has figured out what she needs to do?" Shikamaru answered after strangling the life out of the man he had in his power.

"Yes," Iruka answered.

Melissa was completely unaware of what was going on around her.  She had found and entered the mind of the creature above.  The power that pushed back against her assault was startling but she pushed further, going deeper and deeper into him.  She gasped at the images she saw that went by so quickly that it was mind numbing.  Yet she pushed further and in the midst of that mind, she could sense he had discovered her presence within him.

She could almost physically see him as he tried to fight back against what she was doing in his mind and could feel him trying to enter her own.  She pushed back against it but the information that was coming at her was mind boggling.  They were not from this world... or even this dimension.  They were travelers just as she and Sarah had been.  They had sent Kaguya to search for a new home for their people.

A land with weak people that they could rule over in tyranny.  Their own universe was ancient and dying.  She was one of many who were sent into various universes, seeking a place to conquer.  Yet Kaguya had fallen in love and lied to her people.  Then when her love was destroyed, she became greedy and wanted to rule all on her own.  She had forsaken her people.

Get out of my mind you witch....

Melissa was pushed back for a moment then she forced her mind even further in.  He was distracted between her and the battle he was physically undergoing.  She did not have to crush his brain as she had done earlier, in truth, she didn't think she could.  His power was immense and she was beginning to feel just how powerful he was.  It was painful pressing into him but she had to keep going just a little longer.

His people had all perished.  She gasped a little at the knowledge.  He had come here to find Kaguya and instead found that she had been killed as well.  He was her fiance from her world.  She now understood why he wanted to destroy them.  He was the last of his kind and he was filled with rage.  He had come in the Land of Lightning, happening upon the prison by chance.  He could sense the evil of those that were there and knew he could use them.  He would destroy the Leaf first then he would take rule over the world.

It will never happen.  You will die here. She screamed into his mind piercing deeper still.

Melissa felt information flowing over her in waves.  Things she did not quite understand, others that were so incredible that it left her speechless.  So much information that her head began to hurt.  It was too much, too much.

Iruka watched as Naruto and Sasuke came at him as he suddenly froze in his movements.  They hit him with enough power combined that it was almost like a nuclear blast happened.  The sky lit up so bright that they all had to shield their eyes and when they could look again, he had vaporized entirely.  He smiled big and gave a shout with the others.  He then turned to look at Melissa and watched in horror as blood came out of her nose and ears.  Her eyes rolled up into her head and she started to fall over.

"Melissa... no!"  He caught her before she could hit the ground.

***

Kakashi did not stop fighting even though the battle above was done.  Every so often he would look over at his wife but she appeared to be holding her own so he would continue to fight the ones that seemed to just keep coming.  When the last man fell, he turned towards them and activated his purple lightning.  They were in a grappling match at that point, both bloody and bruised.  He was done with this woman, she had to go.

She abruptly threw Sarah back as she saw his approach and looked warily between the two of them.  He looked at Sarah and gave her a slight smile, "Shall we my love?"

"Absolutely," Sarah nodded, breathing heavily.

They moved in unison, dividing her between the two of them.  Like a cornered animal, she screamed while coming at them with everything she had within her.  The two moved in perfect harmony as they countered and reacted to every blow and twist.  They had practiced so much with one another after all these years, they really were like one person that had been split in two.  Sarah feigned one way, leading Jaylyn to turn in such a way that she did not see the purple lightning blade until it pierced through her heart.

Sakura ran up to them as her body slipped off Kakashi's hand to land with a thud to the ground.  Sarah bent over breathing hard and looked up at her husband with a grin.  "About time that fucking bitch died."

"Naruto and Sasuke defeated that creature!  It was amazing!"

"I guess we are done here then," Kakashi said with that bored tone he liked to use.

"Not yet," Sarah said with a slight smile.  "There is something Sakura needs to do before we go."