Chapter 14 - A Family Matter

Chakaro leapt in for another attack. Again, he found the recurring Ekyt Kaguya in the way.
“Damnit! What do I have to do you?! The girl is my target today, not you… “sensei”.”
Chakaro’s short, greasy black hair moved slightly in the wind, matching Ekyt’s hitai-ate strap movement.
Ekyt, of the Leaf Village, a Special Chunin in the Jr ANBU Black Ops, coughed roughly. Blood dribbled down his chin.
Behind Ekyt was Sakura Haruno. The stunned Kunoichi was ready to defend herself against Chakaro, Orochimaru’s recruit from 3 and a half years ago.
Ekyt, despite the panting and bleeding, took another punch, still unwilling to move.

“You…have no idea (koff) do you? (koff) To know what it means…to be willing to die (koff) not only in the name of duty…but in the name of love…for something…for someone…You never did (koff) understand that…And you never will, not like (koff) this.” Ekyt’s voice belied his weariness. Whereas his body was near collapse, his voice showed strength, and anger, and a willingness to defend. Even with his life.

Sakura shook her head. All the time she had spent talking to this boy…She had spoken to him as a if she could tell him anything. At one point, Sakura was certain she had said “I wish Sasuke was more like you sometimes”. How had she not noticed that THIS was the kid who would have done anything for her sooner?
She looked again at the blood-soaked back of the 19 year old in front of her. It was an unnerving site, seeing kunai and senbon sticking out of him like some human pincushion. It was even stranger that the boy made no sound of pain when yet another kunai pierced his arm.


“So, the love bug has bitten my old sensei? How touching…I know this girl. Master Sasuke rejected her. She hasn’t given up on him completely…I can tell…how pathetic, BOTH of you chasing someone who hates you!”
Ekyt narrowed his eyes. Something wasn’t right. Every instinct he had was telling him to turn around. He didn’t know why, but he did. When he looked, he gasped.
“Forget it!” Ekyt leapt in front of Sakura.
“Remember this sensei? SAND SHURIKEN JUTSU!”
As the shuriken flew at him, Ekyt’s good eye shrank. The horror of what had happened…
“No…” he breathed. He wanted to turn the other way. But the sight of Sakura forced him to continue his leap. In mid air, his subconscious went back to that day…


FLASHBACK!


“Come on sensei! Can’t we rest?! We’re not insane, like you! Our bodies need to rest!”
Ekyt smirked. The complaint coming from the expected source. The pretty blonde “cheerleader” of the group, Kayla Donalds.
“It’s good for you Kayla. Besides, we’ve gotta keep up our girlish figures!”
THAT came from Linda Mawashi. That also brought the corners of Ekyt’s mouth back down.
I screwed up…but good. I really liked this girl…then I go and kiss her…now it’s so akward…
Ekyt’s thoughts had been like that for days, so he didn’t bat an eye. Not until there were three figures on the path in front of him.


“Hey, look at this! Are they ninja?”
Kankuro’s question shook Temari out of a trance.
“They don’t look it, if they are. I don’t think they’re a threat,” Temari said, off the cuff.
“Two of them…are strong. I want to kill them.”
Temari and Kankuro looked up in alarm. Gaara hadn’t said two words. Until now. And when Gaara spoke, it meant something.



Ekyt put an arm out to stop his team. There was one red-headed boy, a pretty, but feisty-looking, blonde girl, and a guy- in a black pig suit? What the hell?
“You…and you…Help me feel alive…”
Ekyt and Chakaro saw that the red head was pointing at them. By unspoken agreement, the two approached cautiously. Chakaro and Ekyt’s eyes met one more time, this time the message was clear: This kid was bad news.

Sand sprang up around Chakaro, enveloping him. Ekyt heard him groan in pain. The sand was slowly tightening around Chakaro. Ekyt whipped around; Kayla and Linda were both trapped as well.
Ekyt’s voice turned low and menacing.
“Let go of them…now.”
Gaara simply tightened his outstretched hand a little more. He smiled at the cries of pain he heard from the three who were trapped.
Ekyt’s eyes widened. Ho-how is he doing this?

Gaara spoke up. “You know nothing of chakra…you would have fought back by now if you did…”
Ekyt’s eyes narrowed this time.
“Chakra…I know what it is…are you saying…chakra is letting you do this?”
Gaara tightened his hand again.
“That’s right. I sensed a strength from you, and one other of you group…”


Ekyt shook himself out of his trance. He drew his sword and rushed Gaara. Sand flew up, blocking his strike. Ekyt noticed this, so he did the logical thing: He pushed his sword against the sand, farther and farther against he wall. He heard a sound of shock as he felt his blade hit something solid. Ekyt guessed he had managed to hit the boy’s forehead.
Gaara responded with a strategically-placed attack.
“You have a choice…fight me…or save her!” Gaara called in his dry voice. Five shuriken, made of sand, were speeding towards Linda.
Without a thought for himself, Ekyt pulled his sword free and ran. He made a last second move: A diving leap in front of Linda.
Four shuriken hit him in the arms, legs, and stomach. The fifth, however, shifted. Ekyt could do nothing as the sharp sand pierced his left eye. After the initial, sharp, stabbing pain, Ekyt felt nothing.
“Come back…” he said silently as he lay on the ground. He didn’t lay there long. He forced himself up, and put his hands in a guard position.


Temari saw the boy who she picked out as the leader get up again.
Against Gaara? Kid, stay down, don’t be a hero…what am I saying? He’s protecting his group…
“Gaara, they aren’t a threat to you? Why not just let them go? No big deal, right?” Temari gulped, praying that this worked.
“I want to kill…but they aren’t worth it…”

The sand slid off the group.

“Thanks…” Ekyt said to Temari, before he finally fell, first to his knees, then forward, lying face down in the road.


END FLASHBACK!


Ekyt’s eyes shimmered with anticipation.
“Not again!” he yelled aloud. He landed on his feet, scooped up Sakura, and leapt again in one motion. The shuriken sailed away wildly.
Chakaro immediately gave chase.
Ekyt zigged and zagged through the trees. Sakura just held on, knowing how Ekyt’s mind worked.
He’s got a plan…but where is he going with this? Come on Ekyt-kun, you can do it…


Ekyt landed behind a large oak tree. His breathing was ragged from the pain he was in. He vaguely wondered how his body was still moving, but pushed that aside.
“Sakura…he’s acting on Sasuke’s orders…there’s only one thing I can do against Chakaro…but it’s going to take all of my chakra. After I do it, run. Don’t look back, just keep going. No matter what. Okay?”
Sakura stood open-mouthed, staring at Ekyt. She didn’t even answer when he jumped off, landing in a clearing.


“HEY! RIGHT HERE!” Ekyt shouted. Seconds later, Chakaro landed in front of him.
“Giving up?” he drawled in a hoarse whisper.
“No…I just thought I’d show you that I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve…This battle isn’t over Chakaro.”
Ekyt’s thoughts turned to Gaara. His hate began to build. He thought of Chakaro, and Kabuto. He thought of how unfair it was that Naruto was ostracized…how unfair that Lee couldn’t use jutsus…how miserable it was that Sasuke was with Orochimaru.
Ekyt’s hate surged painfully into his chest. The chunin winced, knowing that the pain would hit it’s climax next.
A small sound escaped his throat as the pain reached his heart. Ekyt’s body began to shake. Every bit of chakra in him was changing the way it flowed. It normally flowed clockwise. But Ekyt’s powerful emotions were changing it to counter-clockwise, and that was painful.
“I don’t like doing this…but you’re a special case.”
Ekyt put a hand to his chest. It sank in, past his skin, right into his heart. Ekyt grabbed at something. When he pulled his hand out, a transparent flame was crackling merrily where Ekyt’s hand had been. The hand was, in fact, still there. But it had become transparent as well.
Ekyt’s hands weaved together. Chakaro, realizing that this was trouble, raced forward, throwing senbon as rapidly as he could. Ekyt was unfazed by it, his brain had already accepted the full amount of pain it could. Thanks to the chakra, it rejected the feelings of pain.
“Demonic Illusion: Mind Barring Technique: Speed Break!”
Chakaro suddenly felt his mind grind to a halt. He could only watch as Ekyt got a running start.
“What I’ve done is used a genjutsu to sever the ties between your brain and your nervous system…don’t worry, they’re self-repairing in this case…but I need to stop you…even if it means we both die, here and now.”
Ekyt was gathering speed. His body’s structure was even blurring.
“BLUE FLAME CHAKRA: SWALLOW STRIKE FINALITY JUTSU: SECOND FORM!”
The flame in Ekyt’s hand leapt higher, now as tall as the one wielding it.
With a yell of rage, Ekyt threw his hand into Chakaro’s face as hard as he could. He felt the traitor’s jaw break. But that wasn’t all this attack did.
Chakaro suddenly screamed. His body turned red. Some blood cells were rupturing. Every nerve in his body, every muscle, every cell was aching, screaming with pain.
Ekyt stumbled backward. But he had done his job.
“Like it Chakaro? That’s ALL The pain I’ve ever felt…emotionally, physically, spiritually…all put into one strike…don’t worry, you won’t die…it’s worse than death…”


Ekyt was breathing heavy, but still upright. He couldn’t access his chakra for five minutes, but his stamina was still holding.
WHAM!
From behind, Ekyt was kicked so hard he flew ten feet into a tree. His head bounced off the wood, his outstretched arms blocking only some of the attack. He pushed off the tree and rolled backward.
“Kabuto! I should have known!”
But there was little Ekyt could do. He could barely fight Kabuto with a full compliment of chakra.
“You’ve been quite the thorn in Lord Orochimaru’s side, Ekyt Kaguya. Yes, we know of that. That’s why I’ve brought someone special to meet you…”


Sakura still hadn’t moved. No matter what he said, Ekyt was still her boyfriend. He was ready to die for her…now she was going to show the same loyalty. She wasn’t some scared little fangirl anymore. Sakura Haruno had blossomed into a talented Kunoichi chunin, and a warrior. She was tired of people saying she couldn’t do anything. She was going to prove them wrong.


Kimimaro Kaguya appeared at Kabuto’s side.
“Interesting…fighting Lord Chakaro…” Kimimaro’s placed voice seemed unnerving.
“It’s good to meet you…cousin. I had hoped it would be under better circumstances…” Ekyt said. He felt the warmth of his chakra returning.
Kimimaro suddenly reached back and pulled a bone out of his shoulder. He thrust it at Ekyt’s neck. He looked down midly, seeing a kunai held against his own neck.
The two cousins were at a stalemate.
“Good reflexes.” Kimimaro coughed, blood falling out of his mouth.


Sakura suddenly flew into the clearing. WHAM! Her chakra-enhanced punch sent Kabuto skidding. Before he could recover, Sakura brought her heel down on the ground. The earth split and opened a yawning chasm that swallowed Kabuto.
Sakura’s hands weaved together quickly.
Kabuto pulled himself out of the hole.
“That was foolish…you could have survived. Oh well, I guess I have to complete Lord Chakaro’s mission.” Kabuto started toward Sakura. Suddenly, he saw a giant flame leap up in front of him. Non-plussed, he stepped through it.
“Genjutsu. Good try, I’ll give you that. But”
Kabuto was cut off in mid-sentence. He suddenly saw horrible things…terrible things…
Sakura smiled. “Overconfident as always Kabuto. Enjoy viewing hell.”


Ekyt looked at the blood. “You’re dying needlessly Kimimaro. I know you won’t betray Orochimaru…but I ask you…to trust me. There is help for your disease…but we have to go to the Leaf Village…you’ve commited no crimes against us, no one will persecute you…”
Kimimaro didn’t move the bone away from Ekyt’s throat. By the same token, Ekyt didn’t move his kunai.
“Why would you help me?” Kimimaro finally asked.
“We’re cousins. Besides, why die when there’s no point?”
Kimimaro didn’t reply.
“Please, trust me…”
Kimimaro stayed still. Am I dying needlessy? But I am in the service of Lord Orochimaru…


Kimimaro decided: He slashed his sword forward, slicing Ekyt’s neck…

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