THE TIGRESS' LANTERN - A HINATA HYUGA FANFICTION

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: CRYSTAL-ICE VS SINISTER SAND

[LAST TIME ON THE TIGRESS' LANTERN]

"True," Hinata said as she stood and raised her sword to the sky. "Let's take care of him and get home." Hinata's sword dropped as she pointed it at Shukaku's Massive Form. "Charge!"

"At once!" Haku hissed as he slithered along the sky with narrowed eyes - his jaws opened with a roar as he charged at Shukaku.

[LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!!]

The Crystal-Ice Dragon slithered along with the air with his jaws open in a continuous roar - a frosty aura surrounding him, placing light volumes of frost and snow on the top levels of the trees he passed. The Tiger-Hybrid's feet were planted on the forehead of the ice beast with her eyes narrowed and sword held at the ready, watching the One-Tailed Tailed Beast's movements. Her ears darted back, laying against her head to protect them from the oncoming wind. Her eyes widened as she watched the Sand Tanuki open his massive jaws to bring in massive amounts of air before bringing his left arm to his puffed-out belly.

"Wind Style: Air Bullets!" Gaara's voice roared out as he pushed down on his belly 3 times, sending out 3 house-sized bullets made of compressed air, flying right at her and her dragon. Hinata moved her sword to her tail - using the long limb to wrap around the handle of the sword, freeing her hands, which she then used to form the 'Ram' Sign and channeled her chakra into Haku.

"Water-Style: Liquid Bullets!" The dragon roared out as 3 water bullets flew from his jaws - colliding with the air bullets & the two canceled each other out; making a large spray of mist. Haku flew the mist - nearing Shukakul, causing the large sand creature to raise his left hand and lunge out to grab Haku's crystal form.

"Crystal-Ice Style: Crystalizing Flare!" Haku inhaled and exhaled a glittering blue flame that consumed Shukaku's arm - turning it into complete crystal from the bottom of his shoulder to the tip of his fingers.

"Here I go!" Hinata yelled as she leaped high into the air with her sword now in her hands and glowing white, making Gaara look at her with his mouth ajar. "Crystal Style: Shattering Slash!" Hinata roared out as she swung her sword down - sending a silver crescent-shaped wave of aura into Gaara's left arm, completely severing it from the rest of him. It crashed into the ground like a giant crystal statue - she looked at it for a while before Haku flew up to catch her as she slowly deceased. She landed on his head and they flew a good distance away from him.

"Amazing..." The Large Sand Creature began laughing before he burst out laughing as he turned to face the large dragon but looked at the girl on the dragon's head, "AMAZING, HINATA HANTEI!!! YOU AND YOU MATE WILL PROVE MY EXISTENCE!!!" Gaara laughing out.

Hinata & Haku watched as Gaara's Human Form seeped halfway out of Shukaku's Forehead - eyes wide and devoid of any emotions. He called out a jutsu and he went limp - Hinata and Haku noticed that Shukaku's eyes turned a few times before getting darken in color before another voice came laughing out.

"HEH HEH HEH HEH!!! I'M BACK, BABY!!!" The Voice spoke from the large beast's mouth but Hinata & Haku looked confused at the voice.

"This...is the One-Tailed Sand Tanuki?" Haku questioned in a rather confused voice.

"That is one funky demon..." Hinata commented as her ear twitched and sweat dropped from her head. Shukaku looked at Haku & Hinata, pointed at them with his other arm.

"So, you're the ones who made the brat sleep and let me out?! Let me show my gratitude with a quick death!" He raised his arm back, "Sand Shuriken!" He swung it down - sending multiple shurikens flying at them. Haku dodged around the attacks before flying a bit high and kept moving as Shukaku kept sending shurikens at them.

"I see it now - If Gaara sleeps, Shukaku is out. It's as if only one can occupy the body at a time." Haku said.

"So, if we want Shukaku to retreat back into Gaara's Mindscape - we need to wake Gaara up. We need to get close so I can give him a good wake-up call." Hinata said.

"How are we gonna do that?" Haku asked.

"We need to stop him from moving - Let's blind him; make a big enough smokescreen so he doesn't know where we are. Then, you wrap around him to keep him from moving. Once that's done, I'll get to Gaara and snatch him out." Hinata explained to Haku.

"Are you certain you want to get that close, My Love?" He asked in concern, "Anything could happen to you."

"Don't worry, Haku-kun." Hinata smiled at the dragon, "You didn't marry a weakling." 

"I know, Beloved, but I would freeze this world if any harm befell you." The dragon hissed.

"I know you would, and that's one of the reasons I love you so much. Now..." Hinata lifted her sword and focused her chakra to the tip of the blade - a small ord of solid crystal began forming and getting bigger. Haku kept dodging the incoming sand before the crystal orb got to the size of a beach ball.

"Now!" Hinata yelled as she tossed to crystal in the air - Haku used his tail to whack the crystal into the ground in front of Shukaku, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Shukaku looked around, attempting to move to the dust out of the way to find his prey - what he didn't see coming was the large dragon was large open jaws charging at him, closing his jaws into Shukaku's surprisingly fleshy neck and wrapped his long body around the sand demon's body - completely immobilizing him like a rat in the jaws of a serpent.

[Meanwhile - In the Hidden Leaf Village Statium]

"ACHOO!" Orochimaru sneezed.

"Allergies, Orochimaru?" Hiruzen asked as he held his staff.

"No... I think someone may be talking about me." The serpent man said.

[BACK TO THE MAIN FIGHT]

"Now, my love! This is your chance!" Haku telepathically roared at Hinata, who leaped from her lover's head to Shukaku's head - glaring at the sleeping Gaara with her fist clenched.

"WAKE UP!!" Hinata roared as she lunged forward - smacking Gaara in the cheek before grabbing the front of his gourd sash and yanking with all her might - pulling the boy out of the weak sand; time seemed to slow down as pale blue-green eyes flutter open and met with glaring blue eyes.

"AW, COME ON! I JUST GOT HERE!!" Shukaku roared as his eyes turned grey - showing that he retreated back into Gaara's Subconscious.

"You... You dare!" Gaara roared in anger as he lunged his hand to Hinata's face but it was knocked aside and Hinata's punched him in the stomach before throwing him into the trees below - he landed on a top of a tree, grunting in pain. As Shukaku's body began crumbling, Hinata leaped down and landed on a tree across from Gaara - the body weakly picked himself up and glared at Hinata, who was lightly panting.

"What are you?" He questioned as he glared at her, "All that power...and yet you refuse to prove your only existence..." Gaara growled.

"I don't need to kill to validate my existence - the dedication and power are proof enough. My heartbeat is enough to prove that I am alive. I refuse to be a demented creature puppet just to have some kind of validation." Hinata said.

"I am not..." His teeth locked as he lunged at Hinata with his fist clenched and eyes wide, "ANYONE'S PUPPET!!!" He raised his fist and fired it forward but Hinata sidestepped it before shooting her fist at him - colliding it with his forehead, breaking the skin, and sending him into a daze. Hinata watched as Gaara began falling to the forest ground. 

Gaara looked at the fading light and the girl that stood above him and the dragon that hovered above her.

Amaterasu: Hey, Everyone. I know you must be wondering when I am going to post another chapter for Cat and Canary but I haven't been having the inspiration to work on it. I'm not gonna abandon it but I'm gonna work on it bit by bit. Please, be patient. This book will be over in 8 more chapters.