I woke up because I heard someone's footsteps on the terrace. I slowly rose from the bed and carefully opened the door to my room. Nothing seemed to be amiss. The usual courtyard was illuminated by the moon. I opened the door completely and walked out. Someone's sighs could be heard just around the corner. By now I already knew who was that.

"Hey, Nii-chan! What are you..." My elder brother was sitting on the edge of the terrace in daze wearing a full set of armor.

"Oh, Izuna. Sorry if I woke you up." He turned his head to face me and smiled apologetically. Under the silver lights of the stars his face was clearly visible.

"Nii-chan, what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your face looks tired. Where did you go and why are you wearing your armor." A sudden thought crossed my mind." Did f.u.kushū return?! Did he attack you?!"

The fact that f.u.kushū abandoned the village was still more or less under wraps. Everyone in Uchiha clan knew, but no one, except Hokage and his aid, got a ring.

"No."

Thank G.o.d..

"If it was f.u.kushū, I would probably be injured, right?" I nodded. Yes, he did become really strong. Nii-chan looked back at the sky. "Malika left."

I stood there like a training dummy, trying to comprehend the meaning of those two words.

"W-what do you m-mean, Nii-chan?" Hey, why is my voice shaking? She was a little annoying... was.

"Something came up and she followed that something that seemed to be waiting for her." Nii-chan said in a matter-of-factly tone.

"And you couldn't stop her?" My brother is one of the strongest! How could he not be able to apprehend a girl? Yes, she is unique and quite strong, but she can't match Nii-chan's full strength. I have seen it many times when they would train or just spur together.

"Heh," A smile full of mockery appeared on his face. "We didn't really try."

"We?"

"Yes, Hashirama and Tobirama were there as well."

I stared at him in utter disbelief.

"The three of you couldn't stop a single girl?!"

"Just like I said earlier, we didn't really try. Besides..." He trailed off. "If we tried, we would find ourselves all blue and purple. Heh."

"Nii-chan..."

"Go to sleep, Izuna. I will be retiring as well." Not letting me to finish my sentence, he stood up and moved deeper into the house in the direction of his chambers.

Looking up in the sky, I felt something p.r.i.c.king my heart.

"Haha, Malika, when did I start to consider your annoying being as my sister?"

***************************

Elder brother went straight home. He said something about waking up early tomorrow and the ceremony. I nodded, but did not follow. Strolling down the silent street and hearing nothing, but light rattle of my armor and heavy footsteps, I unconsciously came before her house.

I came closer to it and opened the door. The berrier we put up didn't react to me, for I was one of the few who were permitted in here. A small hallway led deeper into the house and at the end, a staircase to the second floor, where her room was located, were seen. To the right, was the entrance into a cute guest room and to the left, was a wall that had one single, gorgeous painting with many water lilies and swans on as a decoration.

I approached the painting and moving my chakra from one lily to another in a complicated pattern, I opened the secret pa.s.sageway. Instantly, many lights appeared and guided me deeper into our research room.

"Those 'Fireflies' are really convenient." I muttered this prase yet again. When Malika first made them, I was mesmerised. She taught me the method that was using chakra as a fuel, but the amount needed was a little too much. She said that if we compare it to usage of mana, it would be like using twice as much chakra to cast a simple fireball.

Thick doors slid open by themselves and when I entered, closed tightly. To go back I'll have to use a special teleportation mechanism since Hiraishin is useless in this place. Walking between many shelves and tables filled with our researches and new seals, failed and successful. Memories of days we spent here filled my mind.

"It will be lonely without you here."

I picked up a s.h.i.t of paper. Different runes and some complicated formations were drawn there.

*Flashback*

"Tobirama, runes are actually a language. If one knows the language, it is possible to create many different seals, formations and other things. Well, there is also a particular patterns and meanings of the same word can become different depending on the context."

Malika stood next to a bid board where few o the runes were written, while Tobirama sat on the chair behind a table. Hearing her trailing off made him sweatdrop.

"This sounds like a awful amount to memorise." He muttered with determination in his voice. "How long did it take for you to memorise all of them?"

"Hmmm...." Malika tilted her head, "I think it took me an year to completely memorise everything that was in the royal library. Also slipping out to different ruins of the world expanded my knowledge by leaps and bounds.... which led me closer to that hateful 'crown princess' t.i.tle...."

Tobirama's determination only grew stronger. 'Since she was able to memorise them in an year, I will be too.' He taught happily. He wasn't called a genius for nothing.

*End of flashback*

"To think I tried to compare to her crazy memory..."

Till this day, meaning 5 years, I still haven't memorised them all. Drawing them was another issue on it's own. A single line or dote can change the effect.... drastically. Once, I almost blew up half of the village. Malika saved us back then and we made this room to practice.

Gazing at all of the knowledge gathered here, new ideas popped up in my head.

"I will be borwing this room a lot, Malika."

*************************

"f.u.kushū-sama, presence of that being that you have mentioned, had disappeared." A human-alike, black with golden eyes, figure emerged from the shadows of the forest.

"Really? Good! Shall we go then? Since she posses no threat now, we should take this chance and attack them...." f.u.kushū who was sitting on the ground and tending to his weapon, a long katana with interesting pattern that resembled a dragon, stood up.

"I would advise you to wait a little more, f.u.kushū-sama. Your strength is sufficient to beat your former master; however, remember, he will not be your only opponent. The Hokage, Senju Hashirama and his brother, Senju Tobirama, as well as Your master's younger brother, Uchiha Izuna, still owerpower you by great merigin. Their advantage isn't only their raw strength. They have got numbers, thus they will be able to use much more options with a proper tactics."

"Hn."

"Then we will leave them for now. Zetsu lead the way."

"Yes." Black Zetsu said with emotionless tone and continued to lead his 'master' to the location where Kyuubi, the strongest of all Tailed beasts or Bijuu, will most likely to appear after his long slamber. 'Mother, wait for a little longer. I was able to retrieve your body from the moon. Some time will pa.s.s, but I will resurrect you.'

****************************

Walking through a long, rocky corridor of the cave, I was led by my golden scroll deeper and deeper into the bowels of the earth. Absolutely no diversions. Only straight, illuminated by mystical torchers, path. As I walked, I tried to investigate the mechanism behind those torches; however, something was distracting me from doing so. The pa.s.sage was wide and round, as of a worm was the one who made it.

'That would be one heck of a giant worm...' I laughed at my own thoughts. My senses were slowly becoming weaker and all that I could still do properly, was see and walk. My sense of smell was blocked. My skin started to lose its sensibility and ears stopped picking up the sound of my own breath and echoing footsteps.

I followed the scroll absentmindedly, for my mind was turning hazy. When I came to, I was at the end of the path.

"What?! A dead end?!"

Oh no! I probably missed some kind of turn or other pa.s.sage! It's just impossible for this much of mysticism to serve no purpose!

The scroll continued to float and touched the wall. Golden runes appeared on the walls of the corridor and the ground under my feet disappeared. I sweatdropped. I tried to use a spell to levitate, but the scroll landed on my head and absorbed my spell. Falling down, a strange sense of Deja vu never left me.

*Splash!*

A moment later I found myself in a cyan water that was glowing in the darkness of a specious.... gigantic...enormous chamber of an ancient cave. I moved my soaked hair away from my eyes and surveyed the majestic landscape. Teal crystals and blood-red flowers filled the floor and the walls of the cave. Everything bathed in the multiple colours that they gave off. Looking up, I could see the scroll moving higher and higher. Not wanting to loose it out of sight, I partially transformed and flew after it.

It stopped again and the golden glow enveloped the area right beneath me, forming a large, floating island. As soon as my feet touched the ground, the scroll unrolled once again and the final lines of the message were revealed.

"Welcome, oh young one!" I red out loud. The scroll started to glitter with all sorts of colour, slowly expanding its radiant aura until everything was engalved in the soft golden milk.

Two silhouettes could be seen materialising from behind it. I observed them carefully. A sudden wave of electrical impulses caused my body to shiver and eyes to tear up.

"I would never think that this scroll was so special!" A tall man exclaimed.

"You dared to daupt my words and teaching of my father?!" An extremely beautiful woman said in threatening tone. The man started to shake his head violently.

"Mom..... Dad...." The two of them turned towards me and hastily locked me in their warm hug. This was the warmth I longed for during all of those many years.

"Our girl grew up into such a beautiful lady." The woman said with shaky voice, trying to suppress the urge to cry.

"You know what, you are even prettier than your mother in your age! Looks like my genes were able to complete the unfamiobal beauty!" The man stated with vigor only to be crashed by the gaze of his mesmerising wife.

"Of course she would be a beauty! All of the descendants of my family had stunning appearance! Did you want our daughter to be an exception?!"

"No! I..."

The man stopped when he felt something hot on his chest. Looking down, he saw his dear daughter crying in their arms.

"Mom, Dad.... sob... is this true? Are y-you r-r-really here?"

"We are here, Malika. We are here." The family sat on the ground in a tight hug, calming down a girl in between.