Hey guys, sorry it's been so long.  Not sure why I have such a problem with updating stuff on this website.  Anyways, I'm taking some time tonight to get this caught all the way up to the penultimate, so it should be fun!

Kakashi and Koishii sat poised on the roof top of the town's highest building, keeping a watchful eye on the nearly empty streets below. The chilly night was dark with few clouds in the sky, the moon a perfect crescent glowing brightly with the stars. The hours passed slowly. Quietly. The lights of the village turned off one by one, the commotion of the evening dying down as the evening came to an end. It was suspected that another child would be taken tonight. "Have you noticed anything?" Kakashi asked, squatting on the roof, his back to Koishii's as he watched one side of town, and she the blanket of trees that surrounded it. She shook her head, "only fog." But something would happen. Both the ANBU members could feel it. They would remain diligent. Ready. "There." Kakashi had finally spotted something. Koishii moved next to him, watching the same thing Kakashi was. A little girl. She staggered towards the woods, her feet bare and her auburn hair a mess. "This isn't right... It's almost as if she's... possessed," Koishii observed. Kakashi nodded, "I agree. We'll stay low and pursue her. She should lead us to the others." Koishii nodded, ready to proceed with their mission.

The child led Kakashi and Koishii to the other side of the woods. A cliff stood tall at the edge of the land, a great river running parallel to the rocky wall. The hideout was here. They watched as the little girl approached the river, but she did not slow down. Did not try to stop. She walked right into it, the running water immediately engulfing her tiny body. Kakashi and Koishii jumped from the trees together, moving their ANBU masks to the top of their heads, and prepared to dive in after her. Before they could approach the river, however, the waters began to bubble, and in a great wall of twisting waters, a figure emerged. She stood above the waters from which she appeared. The woman was tall and thin, her skin nearly white. Her hair was bright red and flowed straight down to her ankles, her bangs long and swept to the side, covering nearly half her face and her left eye. Her orbs shone yellow, her lips red like blood. She wore a long, ruby red gown, the sleeves resting below her shoulders, the front open across most of her chest, and two slits on either side at the that came to her hips. She wore many gold braceletts on both her wrists and ankles, her feet were bare, and her claw-like fingernails were nearly six inches long. "I am Kijo," she spoke slowly with vampiric smoothness, "and if you want that child... Well, you're going to have to go through me." She immediately preformed a set of hand signs, "water style, water dragon jutsu." A great dragon created of water rose from the river, and with a great roar, it lunged towards Koishii and Kakashi. No sooner had it started its attack, however, did another great watery beast emerge, crashing into the first one, creating a massive explosion of water in the air, soaking the duo as the waters came crashing down. Kijo growled, watching the scene unfold. Koishii looked over to Kakashi. His hands were positioned at the last sign for the water dragon jutsu, his left eye open, revealing his famous Sharingan. "Oh, I see now. So you're the famous Copy Cat Ninja. Well. I'm honored to be in your presence... But soon. Soon I will make you mine," Kijo spoke smoothly, calmly; her voice was captivating. Seductive. Kakashi noted her words, but he would not be baited. "Koishii. Can you turn into smoke and attack?" Kakashi quietly asked her, different plans formulating in his head for many scenarios. Koishii shook her head, "I can't change when I'm wet like this." Kakashi nodded, calculating the new information carefully. "Plan all you want, but it won't save you. Not now." She performed another set of hand signs, "water fang bullet jutsu!" Kijo spat out a mass of bullets formed of water at Koishii and Kakashi. Both ninja were quick to dodge them; it was almost a dance as they dodged through the quick bullets, flipping and twirling, bobbing and weaving, occasionally having to use kunai. How long could they keep it up? How long could Kijo keep it up? It was exhausting work. Having had enough, Koishii shot up into the air, doing hand signs while a few of the water bullets grazed her skin. "Now you're trapped in mid-air!" Kijo inhaled once more, and spat the bullets directly at Koishii. Ignoring her ever growing collection of pain, Koishii finished her hand signs, "Great fire dragon jutsu!" "Great gale palm!" Kakashi yelled, preforming the wind-style jutsu he had copied from Koishii many years ago, immediately on the dragon she had just made. The dragon nearly tripled in size, easily evaporating the bullets upon contact. Koishii landed, and as she did, she and Kakashi ran towards either side of Kijo, both throwing kunai simultaneously at her as the dragon made it's approach, the shuriken hidden within it ready to pierce her.

Kijo let out a scream as fear took over. The kunai pierced her sides, her entire being in flames from the dragon, and the giant shuriken stuck through her chest. She dropped to her knees. "A clone!" Kakashi exclaimed, his Sharingan now clearly seeing her. The burning Kijo turned into a puddle of water. The water in the river next to Koishii bubbled up, and she wasted no time drawing her katanas, sending her wind chakra through them. She slashed as soon as Kijo emerged, throwing her onto the shore and giving her a bloody gash across her waist. Kijo laughed maniacally over the injury as it began to slowly heal itself. "You can't win! Not against me! I have been made into a siren goddess! Now watch me sing. Kakashi, your time is up! It's time I made you mine!"

Kakashi furrowed his brow, "we'll see about that." He pulled out a scroll from his vest, quickly spreading his blood across it, and preforming a set of hand signs, slammed it onto the ground. Koishii watched as Kakashi's ninken burst from the ground, all latching onto Kijo. Kakashi prepared his chidori, and Koishii drew her blades back, ready to strike after Kakashi made his mark.

Kijo struggled to get away from the dogs, but her efforts were futile, only making them pierce their teeth even deeper into her porcelain flesh. She let out another blood-curdling scream as Kakashi jolted for her, piercing through her gut with his chidori, and Koishii running both her blades through her neck immediately after. Kijo's screams ran silent, blood pouring from her body. The dogs vanished, going back home, their job done. Koishii pulled her katanas from her neck, and Kijo fell back into the water, her body still and lifeless. Koishii turned to Kakashi, "are you ready?" she asked, knowing that their mission was far from over. Kakashi nodded, closing his Sharingan and stepping into the river, Koishii following suit. "Wait," Kakashi stretched his arm out in front of Koishii. Something wasn't right. He opened his Sharingan again. Chakra was flowing into Kijo from the water. Slowly gathering into her injuries. Realization hit. "Get back!" Kakashi yelled, and Koishii listened without hesitation.

Kijo soon stood back up, standing on the water, laughing once more as the water began to heal her again. "How is this possible?" Koishii asked herself aloud. "I told you, I have been made into a siren goddess! Do not underestimate the powers of Orochimaru!"

That name. It struck Kakashi and Koishii both. Kakashi remembered his encounter with Orochimaru in the past. He was someone to fear; he was not surprised that he was involved. This situation just got a whole lot deeper. But Koishii. Koishii didn't know what to think of that name. It brought her back to lunch with her mother; she had made it sound like he was an awful man. But here. His powers must've been unbelievable if he had made Kijo indestructible. Maybe he had helped her clan. Or was her mother correct? She would find out. She had to. But not now. Now she would focus on her mission.

Kijo produced a bottle of pills from one of the bangles on her wrist. "Now then, no more interruptions!" She swallowed one of the small pills, and immediately after, she cupped her hands around either side of her mouth and blew, moving her arms behind her. Her breath came out in waves, going out in all directions, and spreading into a fog. The duo jumped into the air together in an attempt to avoid the strange attack. "It's pointless," Kijo muttered before beginning an ongoing chant.

Koishii, still suspended in the air, ran her wind chakra into both of her katanas, and slashed them through the air, causing her now sharpened chakra to fly off them, heading down towards her foe, and flipped down towards the ground. She tumbled as she made contact with the ground, blood splattering in all directions from her attack as she stood back up. She gasped, her eyes wide in shock. Kakashi stood at the foot of the river, his arm red with blood as it dripped onto the ground. He had taken the attack. "Kakashi, what are... what are you doing!?" But Kakashi remained silent. He put his hand down, forming his electrical chakra into it. The chidori. Koishii put her katanas away. "Kakashi. Don't do this." But he didn't listen. Couldn't listen. What was wrong with him? He charged at her, his only original jutsu in hand. Acting quickly, Koishii raised both her hands as she spoke, "wind wall jutsu!" A Great wall of wind blew up in front of her. Kakashi hit the wall with all his might, but was unable to fully penetrate the dominate chakra nature. Koishii jumped high up and over her wall of chakra, making a bee line for Kijo. She was somehow controlling him. It was her breath earlier. It had to be; it had enchanted him. Koishii would take her out and break the spell. She noticed she was still chanting. If she stopped her, Kakashi may gain control over himself again. But Kakashi wouldn't let that happen. He would protect Kijo.

Kakashi quickly regained himself, dashing after Koishii. "Great fire ball jutsu!" Kakashi's blast of fire was a powerful one, but Koishii quickly rebound with her own fireball jutsu that was just as powerful. The jutsus collided in a great explosion of flames, scarring the earth as they created a massive crater with their force.

Koishii waited patiently for the smoke and flames to die out. To see if her plan had worked. She frowned as the smoke cleared, revealing Kakashi, Koishii's two giant shuriken in hand. He had caught them with ease. The Sharingan was a powerful thing, indeed.

"What the--!?" No sooner had Koishii felt something grab her ankle had she found herself neck deep in the ground. So. He had sent a clone after her. She struggled to get out, but her efforts were in vain. She growled, mad at herself for not expecting it. For being unprepared. Kijo laughed, still standing in the water in the same place. "It's useless. The chant is over. He is mine for as long as I please! Now, Kakashi, my dear, finish her!" Kakashi faced Koishii, drawing the set of over-sized shuriken up, and threw them.