Chapter 4 - Wake Me Up Inside

Ekyt fell through the glass window, it’s ornate picture now destroyed. The picture’s symbolism seemed destroyed as well. They were a long way up. His mind went blank on how to save himself. He was too far away to dig into the wall with his kunai. He was free-falling backwards, so tucking and rolling was out.
I’m going to die…Lee…Sakura…I hope you’ve finished the mission…
Then he saw their two faces, smiling.
“I won’t let my comrades die,” they had all said. They had bonded. If one died, all of them died, at least a little.
“I won’t make a liar out of my comrades!” Ekyt said it aloud. Then it hit him. He knew how to save himself.


Sakura focused her chakra. Some to her feet, some to her fists. She reached the first skeleton, leaping high, driving her leg home. When it dodged backward, she aimed a kick at the other one. It too leapt backward.
“Kunai Blizzard Barrage!” she called, throwing thirty kunai, all laced with explosives. She threw the torch.
The torch arched through the air. It landed in the middle of the tags. There was a pause before the heat spread into the carpet, setting it ablaze. That blaze reached the tags.
Sakura ran behind a stone pillar.
BLAM!!!!
The explosion was enormous. Sakura could hear bones clattering against the walls. So much for the two skeletal jonin. The blast had shaken Sakura up a little bit, as it always did, but the thought of that evil bastard, torturing that little girl.
Sakura clenched a fist. She would make sure he paid for torturing her.



Lee chased the old man up the tower. Step after step. The old man was fast, deceptively fast. But Lee’s hand was in reach of the long cloak Koori was wearing. As Lee reached for the cloak, something caught his foot. Seconds later- KABOOM!
An exploding tag!
The stairway caved in with a loud crash, rocks tumbling down. Lee could see no other way to get up to the tower. But he had to stop that insane old man from doing whatever it was he had in mind for that girl. So Lee began to dig as fast as his muscles would allow. Having opened the first Gate of Chakra, his stamina and strength were at incredibly high levels.
But they wouldn’t stay high for long. Opening the chakra gates gave you incredible abilities- but you couldn’t keep them open for long. And when you closed them, fatigue set in very quickly.
This is not the ideal position for a Shinobi to be in…but there is no other option. I must continue…


Ekyt made the hand signs rapidly. Horse, dog, serpent…
“Hidden Shadow Snake Hand!” he shouted, throwing his right arm up. Four snakes burst from his wrist. Their fangs sunk into the side of the stone walls, slowing and then stopping Ekyt’s descent. He hung from the building, relieved, and let himself catch his breathe. Then, he began to climb back up.


“Why hasn’t the jutsu ended yet? I killed the boy…” Koubakage wondered aloud. Then he heard a sound near the window. He smiled in disbelief.
I KNEW this one was special…

Ekyt put one arm in the window. Then the other appeared. He pulled himself in, first to his knees, then to his feet. The shattered glass broke again as Ekyt walked forward.
“I still have fight in me,” Ekyt declared to the Koubakage
“Young man, please tell me your name and rank,” the Koubakage asked kindly.
“Ekyt Kaguya, genin,” Ekyt barked out.
“I see…but you do not fight as a genin would… your skills are near-jonin level…”
Ekyt grinned, which you could actually see. His mask was hanging around his neck, with glass in it’s creases.
“That’s why I can’t die…I can’t let my team face this alone…and I have a sensei to prove wrong…not to mention this evil guy to thwart…so much I haven’t done…dated, kissed a girl, told off that bully, had a family…become a jonin…”
“I hope I do not rob you of your dreams, then. I had a dream as well…Part was fulfilled, the part where our Village has become wealthy and, for the most part, safe. My second dream was for one of my descendants to take the Koubakage title…” the Koubakage looked away briefly.
“I’ll make it happen, if at all possible. But, for now…let’s finish our fight.”


Sakura cheered inwardly. She had done it.
Cha! I’m not weak now! Hell yeah!
Not she had to finish her mission. That little girl needed medical help. Sakura sprinted off to join Lee.



Lee cleared the last of the rocks out of the way. Then his stamina failed him.
“Lee! Are you alright?!”
Lee heard Sakura’s concerned voice. He formed a tired smile.
“I am fine Sakura-san. I cleared the way. But I am not yet recovered…”
“Just take it easy,” Sakura told him. She quickly checked him. “No breaks, tears, or pulls this time.” she informed him, both relieved at the findings.
Lee managed to his “Nice Guy” pose. “But Ekyt-san is not back yet…”
Sakura made herself smile.
“Lee, if there’s one thing I can say with certainty, it’s this: Ekyt hasn’t finished his mission yet, and he’s never refused one, and never left one undone. He’s not going to start now.”



“Damnit!” Ekyt missed one more time. He had to win this. He formed a plan quickly, then put it into action.
“Shadow Clone Jutsu! Hidden Shadow Snake Hand!”
Four clones accompanied Ekyt, using the Hidden Shadow Snake Hand. Lord Koubakage dodged three of the sets of snakes, but the fourth set snared arm, knocking him off balance.
Ekyt saw the opening. He rushed in as fast as he could and grabbed the Koubakage. He leapt high, falling backward off the second story landing.
“BACKWARD KONOHA SNAP DRAGON!”
The Koubakage hit the ground hard. His exposed spine snapped, tearing him in two pieces.
“Very good! You need to finish me, quickly!” he shouted to Ekyt.
“What?” Ekyt couldn’t believe it.
“You’re doing me a favor! I am already dead, it is not murder, I cannot die again! But I ask you…as a friend…Send me home…”
Ekyt was panting with the effort.
“How do I do that? If that move snapped you in half, but didn’t kill you…what can I do?”
“You need to put me back in the casket, then seal the casket. My top half will fight you, but you need to put me in that casket. And…break me up. Make sure my bones cannot be reformed so easily…I never want this to happen again…”



Lee and Sakura were at a loss for ideas. They didn’t know what to do. Neither one of them was in any condition to take on Koori. Sakura would need all her chakra to help heal the little girl. Lee hadn’t recovered yet.
But time was running out for the girl. They HAD to act.
“We can’t give Ekyt any more time. We have to try,” Sakura said, finality in her voice.
“Yes…I hope he is alright…but we must put a stop to this, here and now!”



Koori smiled at Kora, his yellowed teeth penetrating her mind.
“Well, you have been a very good girl for me the past few days Kora. But I’m afraid you must be punished…punished for the misdeeds of your ancestors…Everyone must pay…they do not know hell, not as I have experienced it. But they will…the time has come…the most forbidden jutsu, the one I have kept secret to me…The time has come to use it.”
“You will not!” Lee shouted, aiming a Konoha Whirlwind kick.
Koori batted it aside, knocking the exhausted Lee to the ground.
“You have become a pest! I am going to kill you now!” Koori yelled. His four-points dagger came down toward Lee.
Koori yelled with anger when his strike was blocked with a kunai.
Sakura used her chakra to force the strike back. She tagged Koori with a solid right hand, sending him soaring twenty feet. He hit the wall hard, his spectacles falling to the floor.
“Lee, take Kora! Hurry!” Sakura said firmly.
“I cannot leave you alone!”
“Do it! I outrank you!” Sakura snarled. I’m sorry Lee…but the mission comes first…if I have to pull rank on you to make sure it’s a success, I will…please don’t be mad…
Lee nodded slowly. “Yes Sakura-san, er, sensei.” He went to work on the chains holding Kora down. They wouldn’t come loose, so he started to use his kunai, sawing at the thick metal.



The Koubakage was back in his casket.
“Thank you…for helping me feel alive, even only for a brief while, Ekyt-san.”
“It was an honor Lord Koubakage…are you sure about this?” Ekyt asked. He had re-arrange the bones of the First Koubakage, as he had been asked. Now, he was to seal the casket.
“Yes, I’m sure. Just use a five-pronged seal on where the casket meets the top. And thank you again…I was right…you are special.”
Ekyt nodded, silently thanking the Koubakage. He shut the casket’s lid, then rolled up his right sleeve.
“Five Pronged Seal!”
Ekyt pressed his hand against the wood of the coffin, at the precise spot the Koubakage had said. His fingerprints burned into the wood. For a moment, Ekyt wondered if the whole casket would go ablaze. As he turned off the chakra flow, he realized that wasn’t going to happen.
“Rest in peace,” Ekyt said solemnly, kneeling near the casket to pray. He finished, got up, bowed one more time to his opponent, then started toward the stairs. He prayed again, this time that he wouldn’t be too late…



Lee barreled down the stairs, holding the little girl across his back. He saw Ekyt.
“Ekyt-san! Thank God! You are alright!”
“I’m fine Lee. Is everything alright?”
Lee shook his head. “I have the girl, but she is weak! Sakura-san is upstairs, fighting Koori. I do not think she has a chance…”
Ekyt narrowed his good eye. “Where is she?”
“The North Tower.”
“Will you be okay here?” Ekyt asked Lee.
“Yes, I will be fine. But the girl, I am afraid for her…”
Ekyt thought quickly. “Alright, I’m going to put a False Surroundings Genjutsu around her. Flowers, animals, etc, to keep her calm and sedated.”
Ekyt performed the jutsu quickly. He saw the little girl smile.
It was an eerie scene. Her torn dress, blood-stained hair and clothes, and the obscenities on her head. The smile seemed out of place.
“I’m going back for Sakura. If I’m not back in a half hour, send word that ANBU needs to get here pronto. I’ll leave Umisu with you, he’ll know where to go. Summoning jutsu!”
Umisu, Ekyt’s Bearded Dragon, landed on his shoulder.
“Umisu, stay with Lee, okay? You may need to go Lady Tsunade, but you’ll have a rest first.”
The Chinese Water Dragon closed one in a wink. Ekyt put a gloved hand on the Dragon’s head fondly, then took off at top speed.



Sakura slammed her heel into the ground. The crater opened up widely, but missed Koori.
“You foul dog! You have ruined my plans! I will sacrifice YOU instead! My filthy ancestors…You ruined my chance at becoming the Koubakage! I needed to kill the last heir in the family!”
“The girl…she’s related to the only Koubakage?” Sakura asked, surprised.
“I am her great uncle…but that matters little now…I may be an old man, nowhere near my peak…but you have not yet reached yours…your chakra is almost gone…your mind is mine! Demonic Illusion: Hell Bringer Technique!”


Ekyt saw the attack happen. Sakura cried out, though nothing actually hit her. After training with Ibikki, Ekyt knew the limits on the mind. And Sakura’s was nearing the end… she needed rest to replenish her mind’s integrity.
It meant using the last of his own chakra, but Ekyt kicked the door open the rest of the way.
“Release!” he shouted, the correct handsign accompanying it.


Sakura slumped to the ground, finally exhausted. She heard Ekyt’s shout, but could do nothing else.



“If you hurt one hair on her head, you’ll going to see hell first-hand, you sorry son of a dog!” Ekyt was was shaking with rage.
Maybe it was the fatigue. Maybe it was the fact that he should have died twice over tonight. Whatever the reason, Ekyt felt every emotion more strongly. Right now, love and hate were predominant.
“I have not harmed her…seriously…But I AM sorry for putting you through all this trouble…” Koori said humbly, obviously not meaning it.
“It’s too damn late to apologize, it’s not going to get you mercy!” Ekyt snarled.
“That is an empty threat. You have no chakra, you would not DARE attack without it?”



Ekyt felt his emotions surge through his chest. He felt the coldness of his own anger. His rage built in his chest. He put a hand to his chest. When he held it away, a blue flame was crackling merrily in it.
“No chakra? Wrong.” Time to put Ibikki’s training to work…
“Yo-you can’t have any power left!” sputtered Koori. The old man tripped over his cape, looking helpless.
Ekyt pressed forward, Ibikki’s training in his mind.
“You planned to take the Koubakage title, didn’t you?”
“Yo-you c-can’t know that!”
Ekyt stepped forward again.
“You meant to kill that girl. You’re related to her, aren’t you?”
Koori’s eyes darted around the room. His own chakra was nearly exhausted.
“Speak up, you heartless bastard! You know I’m serious if I’ll let loose with a swear word with a girl in the room. You talked about hell coming here…it’ll be easier if I just send you there.”
Koori smiled widely. His hand found the hilt of his dagger. He stabbed. He hit Ekyt, put Ekyt stepped to the side. To the already-pained Shinobi, the little pinprick meant nothing.

“You spoke of hell…well, let me introduce you to hell…”
Ekyt’s good eye glowed blue. His second (Blue Flame Chakra) chakra was focused into the eye. It bored into Koori’s.
Ekyt had used his specialty. Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique. He stared at Koori, making sure it sank in. Ekyt head Koori scream. He would witness his own gruesome death over and over again.
“Welcome to hell…it’s all yours,” Ekyt said, his eye alive with the mysterious twinkle again. This time, though, the mystery had disappeared, replaced by one of contentment.

Sakura stirred slightly, feeling the weight of a blanket on her.
“Thank God,” she heard someone sigh with relief.
She sat up, kunai at the ready.
“It’s all over Sakura. You did it.”
Ekyt’s calm voice instantly settled Sakura.
“And Kora?”
“She’ll be fine, same as you. Right now, she’s resting under a genjutsu. Whenever you can treat her, she’s stable,” Ekyt replied.
Sakura blushed seven shades of red.
“Ekyt-kun…you saved me?”
Ekyt shrugged. “I don’t let my teammates die.”
Sakura couldn’t help but stare. Ekyt stayed

Sakura tended to Kora. The little girl even smiled and hugged each of the team.
“Thank you so much. I was-really scared. But now, I’m fine!” Kora turned to Sakura. “It’s all thanks to you, Sakura-san! Thank you! I want to be as strong as you someday!”
Sakura smiled and patted Kora on the head. “You’re already strong, Kora. Not too many would have survived what you just went through.”
Kora looked proud of herself. She looked over at her other two rescuers. Lee was exercising, of course. Ekyt was…by himself, staring at…nothing. Kora frowned, then tugged on Sakura’s sleeve.
“What’s wrong with him? Is he sick?” Kora asked Sakura.
Sakura saw what she meant, and realized she didn’t know.
“He’s a different one, Kora-chan. Don’t worry, I’ll see what’s wrong with him, and I’ll fix it, okay?”
Kora nodded, proud that she had a difference.



Ekyt was staring at nothing, just thinking. What if… But his thoughts were interrupted by Sakura putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“Are you okay?” she asked simply.
“Just thinking,” Ekyt replied quickly.
Sakura cocked her head. “You have a bad habit of doing that. Can I ask what you were thinking about?”
Ekyt debated whether or not to tell her. Somehow, he, the person who defined trust as ‘just a word that few give meaning to’, felt comfortable enough with this kunoichi to tell her something that had been on his mind lately.
“Lately, I’ve been feeling…well, incomplete. My anxiety is back, and, well…I’m still a genin. But more than that, I don’t have a family. I just wonder what my life would have been like if I was…normal. Would I have met…someone, and not spent all this time alone? Has everything I’ve done been worthless? Why am I being punished?” Ekyt stopped, looked Sakura in the eyes, then quickly looked away.
I can’t tell her. I just can’t. When she turns me down, she’ll feel guilty, and I want more for her than that. I’m not good enough for her…I know I’m not.
Ekyt shook himself out of his trance and continued. “I’m sorry, you don’t need to hear this. You’ve got enough stress, without my complaining. I’ll be fine, I…always am.”

Sakura didn’t believe him. “You know, I’ve seen you depressed before. You have something on your mind. If it’s a real concern to you…it’s real to me. You can always come to me…I hope you know that. Whatever you’re thinking, whatever you’re feeling…you can talk to me. Okay?”
Sakura was really worried. The tough-as-nails boy in front of her looked near tears. She had never seen him so emotional, so upset.

Ekyt wished Sakura knew. How he felt about her. There was no longer any doubt in his mind: He was in love with her. Head over heals, ain’t no bout a doubt it (Yes, I meant to write that), crazy in love. But he couldn’t tell her, he wasn’t good enough. He was NEVER good enough, and he never would be. He nodded his thanks.

Sakura looked over at Ekyt. He was deep in thought again, but in the places where his mask had been torn, she could see his face. And it was red, from blushing. Without thinking about it, Sakura put an arm around his shoulders. She could feel every muscle tense at the touch. She was reminded of Kakashi-sensei. The mystery, the occasional pained looked. Of course, they were two different types of people. Kakashi was jovial and laid-back. Ekyt was wound tighter than a cheap watch, and studied as if there was nothing else.

In his world, maybe there wasn’t. It had been dawning on Ekyt for a long time that, as much as he needed the ‘human touch’ (as Rick Springfield so poignantly pointed out), that you really couldn’t count on anyone or anything. He wanted to be the exception to that rule.


Sakura noticed the far-away look in Ekyt’s eyes again. There was a flickering pain in his hazel eyes, an internal pain that was hard to explain. Had Sakura not been a medic, she might not have noticed at all. But she guessed that it was something that her friend needed to work out. All she could do was heal his wounds (which were of considerable size- had it not been for his constant training, he wouldn’t be alive right now), and then offer a hug. She did just that, then left the suddenly perplexed genin to think.


As Ekyt was trying to figure out what the hell just happened, a town offical wanted to talk to Sakura. She talked briefly, then came back, a troubled look on her face.

“Ekyt…they want us to stay. They want you and Lee to train them, and they want me…to be then next Koubakage.”
Lee and Ekyt exchanged glances. Ekyt spoke up.
“Is this a choice on our part…or a demand on theirs?” he wanted to know. Before Sakura could answer, Ekyt got his answer- swords, pitchforks, sais, bos, and other gardening tools were being pointed at them.

“An answer- NOW!” one town official demanded.
Ekyt, Lee, and Sakura all knew where their loyalty lied. With Konoha.
“No. Sorry, but no,” Ekyt told them.
“Wrong answer!” the official said, and jabbed at Ekyt with a pitchfork. Ekyt stepped to the side and swept the man’s legs, taking up his weapon.
“Wrong move…”

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