I do not down any Naruto characters or settings.  I only own my OC, Akuma Izoku.

WARNING:  This chapter contains descriptions of blood and violence. 

I hope you enjoy the conclusion of Avenger:  Demon of the Shadows!

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A violent coughing fit hacked her throat, the raven-haired kunoichi sitting up quickly to hit her chest to force out the coughs. Izoku took a deep breath, releasing one final cough before blinking her unfocused eyes. The dizziness whirled her head around, a slight pain stabbing her in the temples. She gripped her head and winced, her other hand behind her to support her weak body. Izoku took a few more deep breaths before shaking her head slightly to clear her vision.

The Kuraikage building stood in crumbles, the flat roof had caved in on itself and two walls lay on the rocky hill in pieces. The remaining walls were splattered in dried black blood, the ground encrusted in the dark gore. Izoku flickered her eyes to the side, her headache subsiding slowly. Yondaime's lifeless body, cold and limp, was slumped against the boulder. Her body was pierced with multiple slashes, her Kage robes stained in dark blood. She sat in a blotted pool of crusted black liquid, her skin splattered in the stuff. The woman's head drooped to the side, her shoulder-length black hair clumped together with the blood-ash plaster. Her mouth hung loosely and her eyes opened wide as the empty golden orbs stared off into nothingness. Her hands lay curled at her sides, gripped upward like claws. Her legs extended out, wrapped in blood-soaked bandages and her feet were coated in dried gore.

Izoku forced herself up, pushing off the ground with shaking hands. Her burnt palms, the scorched black skin peeling, stung as they touched the rock under her. She winced as she swallowed the pain, standing up on her wobbly legs; Izoku staggered a bit before regaining her balance. She stumbled to the edge of the rocky hill and gazed out towards the village with solemn violet eyes, narrowed and glazed over in tears.

In'ei shimmered a brilliant orange as the sun emerged from behind the mountains, illuminating the valley in its blessed rays. The village lay in ruins, all of the buildings knocked over and smeared in soot. At the base of the hill, a form of cooled lava reached up towards the Kuraikage building, the remains of Akuma's attacks. The new volcanic rock extended out into the town square, the statue of Hogo-sha toppled over and half-buried in the wake.

Izoku staggered over to the stairs that dropped down, destroyed from the battle that took place. She took a shaky breath and then jumped, landing unstably halfway down the massive stone staircase. She dropped to her knees and grunted, catching her body from falling on her peeling hands. Izoku forced herself up again, her body heavy from fatigue and weak from the overuse of Chakra.

This is a new feeling... She strained as she took a step forward. I feel drained...I've never been forced to use up all of my Chakra before...

Izoku suddenly lurched forward, her knees giving away under her; she fell down shoulder first, her side hitting the hard cobble ground.

“Itai...!” she grunted as her body flopped and flipped over on her back. She lay there, looking up at the glowing morning sky as she took shallow breaths. Her arms were outstretched on the floor, her narrowed eyes staring up into the watercolor sky.

So is this really it...? Izoku sighed, her heavy eyelids drooping. Has Death finally come to take me away...?

“Izoku!” a familiar voice rang from the side. “Izoku!”

The girl's head slid towards the sound, her vision blurring.

Ahh... she sighed again. You're just in time to say goodbye...

“Izoku!” Kakashi called even louder as he collapsed beside her, skidding down next to her limp body. “Oh Kami no, please no! Izoku!”

“Kakashi-kun...” Izoku forced his name from her lips. The sound of it was heavenly and divine, soft and smooth like silk on her dry tongue.

“I'm here!” The silver-haired shinobi wiped her fresh tears from her cheeks. “Please hold on, Tsunade-sama is coming!”

“Kakashi-kun...” Izoku murmured again. She let out a cough; the taste of blood present on her tongue. “Are you...alright?”

The Leaf ANBU's shoulders shook slightly in a sad chuckle.

“You're not the one to be asking me that...” He gave her a small, weak smile from behind his shredded mask.

“My clan...” Izoku fought her dropping eyelids to stay open. “They've been avenged...”

“I know.” Kakashi choked out. “I saw. We all saw. You and Yondaime on the hill...with two demons.”

“Akuma-san!” Tsuande yelled from the distance.

“Ahh.” Izoku breathed. “Looks like she's here...”

“Don't you dare leave me!” Kakashi shouted at her as her eyes closed. “Do you hear me? Stay with me, Izo-chan!”

“Don't yell at me so loud...rojin...” The girl smirked. Her mind swirled as the darkness began to swallow her up.

“No! Izoku!” Kakashi screamed.

“Get out of the way!” Tsunade shoved the shinobi to the side, her hands inflamed with a green fire. “Stay with me, Izoku! You're going to be alright!”

Kakashi stared down at the beaten girl, her raven hair splayed everywhere, her dark clothes ripped and torn, skin scraped and splattered in blood, her scarlet ANBU tattoo visible on her bare and bloody left arm. His eyes wandered down to her palms, which were scorched black and were cracking, clear fluid mixed with scarlet blood oozing from the lava-like cracks. His eyes, mix-matched onyx and a glowing red, flooded with tears as he gazed down at her, helpless and limp.

“No!” He clutched his head as he curled up on his knees. “Tsunade-sama! Chodo! Please! Please save her!”

“Urusai!” the Sannin shushed the distressed shinobi, her brows creasing from concentration.

“Izoku!” Kakashi wept as his fingers reached out to grasp her knee. “Don't leave me, please!” His dirt-caked face shined with hot tears, dripping down his bare chin and soaking the shred of mask that still covered his mouth and nose.

Tsunade's forehead shimmered with beads of sweat, the drops trickling down the sides of her face and dripping down her chin. Her hazel eyes were wide with frustration and determination, glaring down at the girl whose chest rose and fell ever so slightly.

“Don't you dare leave us, Izoku!” Tsunade commanded, the green flame on her hands intensifying. “I revived you once and I'm going to do it again!”

Izoku felt the burning sensation in her chest, but she didn't have the energy to open her eyes to see what was going on. It didn't hurt really; it was more of an open and tingling feeling, like how her chest felt when she would eat a strong mint. She felt warm air escape through her lips as she breathed faintly, her mind slipping away from her as a numbing peace was brought to her. The muffled sounds of people shouting at her filled her ears, along with the intense pumping of her straining heart.

“Izoku!” Kakashi screamed. “I'm going to keep my promise to you! I'm going to bring you back home!”

“Ba...ka...” The girl shifted as she hacked up a glob of blood from her dry throat.

“Don't speak!” Tsunade demanded forcefully as Izoku felt the warm tingling feeling rippling throughout her entire body.

“Izo-chan...” Kakashi cried as he scooted closer to her. His tear-filled eyes gazed at her as he drooped his head over her body. “You can't leave me...You can't do this. I love you, Izoku! Please don't leave me! Stay with me and I promise I'll take care of you! I'll bring you home and we'll move into one apartment and live like we did those three days here in In'ei! I'll protect you from any harm and fulfill my promise to you! I'll even give Korosu my soul in exchange for yours!”

“Baka,” Izoku snapped suddenly, her body going ridged. Tsunade flinched, but continued to pour her Chakra into the weakened girl. “My soul is the one that is contracted with the shinigami, not yours.”

“But I'll give you mine,” Kakashi wept as he placed a gentle hand on her abdomen. “My soul has belonged to you for a long time now...”

The girl's tears fell from the corners of her violet eyes, her faintly rising chest quivering as she sucked in a sharp breath.

“Kakashi-kun...there's one thing I want to tell you before I go...”

“You're not leaving!” the silver-haired shinobi snarled, his hand tensing up on her stomach.

She ignored him.

“Kakashi-kun...it's been a happy life being with you...and I...only wish we had...more time...” Her voice choked up as she gasped another quick, sorrowful breath. “Kakashi-kun...ai shi teru...(I love you)”

Izoku's back arched as she inhaled a sharp gasp, Tsuande's hazel eyes widening in panic.

“What's happening?!” Kakashi demanded as he helped Tsunade pin down the thrashing girl, frantic. “Izoku!”

“The shinigami...” Tsuande's eyes flickered across the flailing limbs, Izoku shaking violently.

“What about the shinigami?!” Kakashi shouted, leaping over Izoku's body to hold her down on the other side, his brow creased. “What's he doing to her?”

“The Akuma contract...” the medical nin choked. “It's coming to a close...”

“No, that can't be!” Kakashi snarled as his head whipped back to Izoku, whose eyes snapped open wide from tension. Her neck strained as her mouth dropped, her violet eyes rolling to the back of her head. “Izoku!”

“Hold her down,” Tsunade growled as she clasped her hands together. “Cell Activation Jutsu!” Tsunade clenched her jaw. “Clear!” Her charged palms slammed down onto Izoku's chest, pushing the girl down onto the hard cobblestone floor. She let out a grunt as she continued her vicious seizure.

Kakashi's eyes were glued onto Izoku's shaking face, pale and wet with tears. They wandered down back to her palms, which were slowly shedding the black burnt skin, revealing soft, new pink skin underneath. His moistened eyes widened in shock.

“The body is regenerating itself," Tsunade explained as the green flames on her hands flared, hovering over Izoku's chest. “Her percentage of survival boosted from five percent to thirty percent.”

“Thirty percent?!” Kakashi raged.

“It's better than five percent!” Tsunade snapped back. “Now urusai!” The medical nin's Chakra poured inside Izoku's frail body, the force of it causing a strong, unnatural wind to break from Tsunade's palms. Kakashi stared down at Izoku's expressionless face, clutching her freshly healed hand tightly in his. Tsunade released the last of her Chakra and removed her hands from the girl's chest, gasping and panting as she glowered down at her body, which was still unresponsive.

“Izoku!” Kakashi shouted as warm salty tears streamed down his cheeks.

“Hey...” Izoku sputtered weakly as her eyes struggled to crack open. Only her pale blue lips moved slightly as she stared at the Leaf ANBU with a playful gleam in her dim violet eyes, which seemed to be gazing into some other realm. “Why is your hair silver...? Are you old or something...rojin?” Her final breath escaped past her lips, the exhale hissing and wispy as the raven-haired kunoichi's amethyst eyes drooped and closed forever.

“No!” Kakashi screamed, the tears falling down in a never-ending rush from the corners of his eyes. “Izoku!”

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The girl slipped into an unavoidable space, dark and empty. Her violet eyes strayed from side to side, looking for something to focus on. An orb of white light sparkled above her head, growing smaller and smaller as she slowly sank down into the dark abyss. She felt weightless, floating freely in the emptiness as her head looked around curiously, her violet eyes open and awake. Her long black hair drifted past her pale face, her hand reaching up towards the little glimmer of light that twinkled above her.

A single word echoed in her mind as she stared up at the tiny luminous marble floating in the darkness, her violet eyes slowly closing.

Kakashi...

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