Chapter 17 - Feelings (Almost) Revealed

She felt one, and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Naruto, find out where the hospital is. I can stabilize him enough to make him ambulatory, but if he doesn’t get treated…” Sakura looked down, their friend still unmoving. With shaking hands, she sheathed his swords and put them back inside the summoning scroll. Broken ribs…fractured arm…he got lucky, for something like that. He must have had his chakra focused at his feet and back. If he hadn’t, this would be a lot worse. Sakura took off his hitai-ate and put a washcloth on Ekyt’s forehead. She had dipped it in some pain relieving medication. All she could do was make the boy somewhat comfortable.
Sakura knelt there for what felt like hours. In reality, ten minutes had passed before Kakashi rushed over.
“Is he alive?”
Sakura nodded, blinking back tears of worry. “There’s so much blood, sensei…I did the best I could, but he might have lost too much…”
Kakashi put a hand on Sakura’s shoulder as he knelt down.
“Sakura, you did your best…he did his. That’s all anyone can ask. His sacrifice saved the lives of innocent people. People you treated, lives you saved. If he doesn’t make it…you have to understand: It wasn’t your fault. It’s in the nature of the Shinobi, and yes, the samurai, to put their honor over their life. And to him, honor means other’s lives.”
Sakura nodded her head, understanding, but not accepting. She continued to watch him until the Sand Village medic-nin got him on a stretcher. Sakura followed them, knowing she could assist. If not Ekyt, she could help others. She had seen teammates close to death before, but that was mostly after they’d been healed. And besides that, she knew Ekyt’s thought process. He’s going to beat himself up over losing…just like always…no wonder he and Lee are friends. I hope he’s alright…



Itachi, Deidara, Sasori, and Kisame rushed away from Sunagakure. No pursuit squads were sent. After they had covered enough ground, they replaced their hats and spoke in low voices.
“Never before have I been in a raid with such little damage!” Kisame complained.
“That Kazekage brat has gotten stronger since we last fought, un. Without that demon, he thinks more clearly.”
“That is your fault for not being more prepared, Deidara,” Sasori said with a sideways glance. Deidara was annoyed by this, and for once, dropped the ‘Master’ title he had bestowed to Sasori.
“Oh, and your battle was more successful, un? Only one of us can claim victory today,” Deidara shot back
Kisame shrugged. “If the little brat hadn’t tried to out-sword me, he might have had a chance. I was disappointed. I wanted to see how my Samehada would have stood up against his famed ‘Emotional Chakra’. He didn’t summon it, which surprises me. Itachi, is that information of any use to us?”
Itachi nodded silently. “His chakra is dangerous, but he has to feeling a certain emotion strongly, or be completely out of his regular chakra. Kisame, you avoided insulting him or attacking someone he cared about. And he still had chakra left when you defeated him. The next time we face him, he must be removed early, either by death, or by focusing on him. He came close to sealing my Sharingan. He’s a threat, and not to be taken lightly. But the greatest threat is still the demon fox. This plan was not completely in vain, we learned more than they know about them. And knowledge IS what we came for, after all.”
“I still don’t understand why we couldn’t have killed those other brats right away. We let them become threats,” Kisame complained.
“But now we know just how far their power extends. And you DID get to kill one, Kisame, don’t complain. My puppets are damaged, it’s going to take days to repair them. That damn ink…that artist kid is a problem. He’s sharp. Their medic, the girl there, and with Kakashi leading them, there’s no telling what damage they could have done if they had decided to pursue us. Their mission must have ended with stopping the village from falling. It’ll be interesting to see what measures they will take to protect their allies.”
“That IF the leader decides Sunagakure is still a worthy target. We have their demon. Konoha is too strong…but there are other demons and other threats. It will all fall on the leader.”



Ekyt felt himself being moved, but couldn’t do anything about it. He was aching, but he knew the pain would go away. He didn’t fear dying, for some reason he couldn’t explain. He just knew it wasn’t going to happen, not right now.
If I hadn’t focused my chakra, that would have been a lot worse…losing that fight was bad enough…it never occurred to me before, but I’ve never truly lost a fight, until now. Was all my work meaningless, my training worth? The endless studying? No, if it weren’t for that, I would be dead right now. It’s a sign…I need to work harder…as soon as I can, I know what I’m going to do.
Ekyt heard voices.
“Out of the way! He’s critical! Get out of the way!”
“Move aside! Damnit, move!”
“Pulse is normal, but those ribs are nearing internal organs!”
“Hurry up, damnit!”
Ekyt considered the voices, but didn’t react to them. He opened his eyes slightly, just enough to look around.
Hospital…must be in Sunagakure still. Probably wouldn’t have made it to Konoha.



Sakura left the room, once she was sure Ekyt was stable for the moment. Naruto, Kakashi, and Sai were waiting for information. Well, Naruto was. Kakashi was reading, and Sai was drawing a picture.
“How is he? Is he dead?! Tell me he’s alive?! Come on, Sakura!” Naruto wanted to know.
“He’s fine for the moment…well, physically,” Sakura replied, hedging the question. She caught a glance of what Sai was drawing. Her eyes widened in shock and anger. He can’t be that much of an asshole! He just can’t!
Sai dipped his brush in the ink again, and made one more curve. The picture was finished. He looked at it without smiling, until he saw Sakura. THEN he broke into one of his trademark fake smiles. She was anything but smiling.
“YOU MISERABLE BASTARD! HOW COULD YOU DRAW THAT?!” Upon it’s creator being punched, the drawing went sailing. Naruto caught it, and his eyes turned with anger. His hands shook as he looked at the picture, which was grotesque, to say the least.
It was a picture of Ekyt arching through the air, a huge cut across his stomach, blood coming from his mouth. Only the sword that did the damage was visible, though it was obvious it was Kisame’s figure that was the dark silhouette. It was Ekyt’s mangled body that had enraged Naruto and Sakura. Kakashi hid his disgust and pulled Naruto and Sakura off.
“Come on, it’s not worth fighting over. It’s just a picture. Be concerned with the real thing,” Kakashi urged/ordered.
“Sensei, I don’t want to travel with this piece of shoot! Why don’t you go home with him and Naruto, and I’ll stay here? I need to cool off, because right now, I’d kill him. If Ekyt-kun dies, I don’t want him to be in a strange place, with only strangers watching him. They don’t know him, and they don’t care if he dies.”
Kakashi nodded slowly. “If you feel that strongly Sakura, you can stay in Sunagakure. How long before Ekyt will be allowed to travel?”
“Just a day or two, sensei. Enough time for me to cool down,” Sakura muttered.
Sai dusted himself off. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I thought their battle was artistic. I’m sorry my drawing upset you…”
“YOU THINK THAT’S GONNA MAKE EVERYTHING OKAY?” Naruto shouted. “YOU DON’T HAVE A CLUE ‘TABEYO!”
Sai looked at Naruto and smiled. “And you don’t have a dick.” Naruto stopped dead. How the hell do you counter that? Naruto would ponder that all the way home. About three hours later, his mind came up with the perfect response. By then, it was too late to be effective (Don’t you hate that?! –NG)


Ekyt woke up, feeling the sensation of a genjutsu leaving him. The pain of surgery hit him, but not hard. He didn’t feel any drugs in him, so he guessed the damage didn’t go much beyond hut ribs and arm. With good medic-nin, those problems disappeared quickly, thanks to chakra and surgery. Ekyt tested his arm, finding little pain. A good sign. It was then he saw Sakura standing by the window, looking troubled. Ekyt hadn’t planned on saying it, but he couldn’t help but voice his surprise.
“Sakura?” he said in disbelief. She stayed…to be with me? Does this mean she likes me? Or she knows how I feel? If nothing else, she cares enough to hang around while I heal. As if I needed another reason to like her.
Sakura turned at her name, a surprised look on her face.
“You’re awake already? You were supposed to be out for another hour! How are you feeling?” Sakura came and sat on the edge of the bed.
“I don’t feel much pain. I vaguely remember I have you to thank for that.”
Sakura blushed. “Well, it’s my job. I’m just glad you’re alright.”
Ekyt looked around. “The others aren’t around?”
“They went home. Sai was being an asshole, so I decided to stay here and cool down, not to mention keep an eye on you. Because I know you too well…”
Ekyt gulped. She DOES know how I feel about her. Good God, I might have a relapse here. What’s she gonna say?
“…I know you too well. If I wasn’t here to physically stop you, you’d be out of bed getting missions!”
(NOTE: Imagine the black lines of doom and a huge sweatdrop on Ekyt’s face) “Yeah, you’re right,” he said, blushing at his own stupidity. Getting my hopes up, that’s not like me! Stop doing that to yourself, the falls a lot shorter if you don’t build yourself up!
“I appreciate it. I’m in no rush to go back,” Ekyt said. Damn, I didn’t want to say that out loud!
At this, Sakura inched closer to him. “Something was wrong before this. And now, the way your mind works, you’re upset that you lost that fight. I don’t know what was wrong before, why you left Konoha so easily. Mission or not, I know you would have fought harder than that. Konoha still means something to you. The people. Maybe not all of them, but a lot of them mean a lot to you. But losing this fight…you’ve got to understand, even Gai-sensei had a hard time with him. Your fight saved precious lives. There were hundreds of people behind you. If you hadn’t fought, they’d be dead. You’d be alive, in a sense. But in another, how well would you be? I know how your conscience treats you. You’d be eating yourself alive. Right now, you’re more at peace than I’ve seen you in weeks. But there’s still a lot bothering you.” Sakura reached over, thinking nothing of it, and grabbed Ekyt’s hand.
Immediately, red sprang up under Ekyt’s patched mask. It stayed, even as the bearer of the blush realized what was going on. She holds patients hands…that’s all it is. Why do I keep hoping for something more.
“I hope you know you can talk to me…about anything. I will be there for you, the way you have been for me. The dreams I had, fighting Itachi, fighting Sasuke, you, and Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei, all of you have been behind me. In the chunin exams, when I had to fight Sasuke (See previous fics), you made me think I had a chance. You helped me get the strength I needed to fight Sasuke, instead of worshipping him. And you’ve never asked anything in return. You’re really a special boy.”
Ekyt bowed his head, and looked away. I should tell her now. Just say it. ‘I think I’m in love with you’… ‘I love you’…
“Did you say something, Ekyt?” Sakura questioned, brow furrowed in concentration.
“Ah, nothing, nothing, he he!” Ekyt cursed himself for panicking. It’s a girl, not a demon! You weren’t afraid of that Kisame dipshoot, WHY are you afraid of a kunoichi that’s being nice to you?
“You’ve only been down a day, so you can- hey, get down!” Sakura tried to talk Ekyt off of the roof. “Don’t jump!”
Ekyt laughed. “I’m not going to jump. It’s nice out here. There’s a breeze today. Sunagakure is beautiful, in it’s own way. I thought about staying. I’ve thought about it more than once. At least until I had a team, and chunin status. But I could never leave Konoha…it would take something awful to drive me away. Unfortunately, Tsunade and Ebisu might just be it,” Ekyt said with a sigh. He sat leaned against the rough surface of the wall, absently picking sand off it with his fingers.
Sakura climbed out next to him. He’s been spending too much time with Hayate-sensei. They’re starting to sound and look alike! Or has he always been like that?
“Do you really feel that way? Ebisu rubs EVERYONE the wrong way. And Lady Tsunade doesn’t hate you, she hates the situation that you were put in. But, that’s not a good enough reason to leave us. At least tell me this: You met with Master Sarutobi, what did he say.
Ekyt froze up.



Ekyt: Master Sarutobi…(breaks down, crying) What will it take? I’ll never be successful, I’ll never be a jonin! No matter how hard I work, or how respectful I am, I’m always held back! I love Konoha and all it stands for, but I can’t serve it any better than this the way I am now! How much more will it ask of me? I have no girl to comfort me, no parents to complain to…I’ve remained stoic and distant for four years, and here I am, cracking in front of you! What kind of warrior breaks down and cries over some depression?

Sarutobi: Ekyt, your metaphorical sword is difficult to wield. You remain stoic, but when you DO show emotions, you show them powerfully, in the form of chakra. It’s your nature. I wish more people had your burden. There would be less war, and more understanding. You, much like Team 7, have a burden to carry, and it seems that it’s your kekkai genkai. It won’t go away, Ekyt. If you learn to channel it’s power, you will be one of the strongest Shinobi ever to wear that hitai-ate.

Ekyt: Master…what about Team 7? What’s their burden?

Sarutobi: (Puffs on pipe, looking out over deck) I believe the three are destined to be legendary. Sakura has learned from Tsunade, Naruto has been tutored by Jiraiya, and Sasuke has chosen Orochimaru’s path.

Ekyt: How are our burden’s similar? I’m struggling to become chunin, and all of them are going to be legendary?

Sarutobi: They were great because of their guidance…they had my tutelage, and I gave them all the knowledge and love I could. Two embraced that love, one rejected it. But all three were naturally brilliant.

Ekyt: I…still don’t understand, Master…

Sarutobi: Everyone who becomes legendary has people who have helped them. They’re footprints in the ground are rarely alone, there is always a second set, belonging to a mortal who helped them become strong. And you, Ekyt, might very well be that person.

Ekyt: But the burden…I’m going this alone, they have each other, and Kakashi-sensei…I don’t have any steadfast help, not like that…It could make all the difference.

Sarutobi: It must be frustrating…I have felt frustration. Learning a new jutsu, teaching my students, or fighting Orochimaru. Nothing ever goes as planned. In each case, I had a stepping stone that led me to victory. For the jutsu, a scroll. For teaching, the jutsu I learned from the scroll. And for fighting Orochimaru: the time I spent teaching him. Everything and everyone serves a purpose, Ekyt. Yours has yet to be revealed. But I have little doubt that your fate is intertwined with that of Sakura Haruno’s and Naruto Uzumaki’s.

Ekyt: So…that means I won’t be remembered, like a legend? I’ll help them get there, but I’ll die in obscurity?”

Sarutobi: (laughs) No. Actually, I think of you as a Kakashi of sorts. Kakashi will someday be legendary. It wouldn’t surprise me if he became hokage himself someday.

Ekyt: I’ll help them, then. Sakura and Naruto. Master, I’ve seen it too. There’s some…something ahead, isn’t there. Some danger. Orochimaru? The Akatsuki? Both?

Sarutobi: (Smiles) That is why you will be remembered, Ekyt. You can read the signs just as well as anyone. If nothing else, your loyalty will make you legendary. Naruto and Sakura will come to turn to you. And you, of course, to them…


Ekyt gulped. “It was about my kekkai genkai and my emotions. He says I’m stuck with them.” Lame! You dickhead! Well, you’ve got your chance now: Tell Sakura how you feel! Do it! Just say it! If she says no, you stay in Sunagakure! If she says yes, you live happily ever after! Come on, grow a set, and say it! Sakura scolding him interrupted that thought. Ekyt realized he would have a horrible time saying those words to Sakura.
“Come on, get back in your room. If you’re well enough to be out here, you’re well enough to go home.” As soon as she said it, Sakura knew it was a mistake.
“I’m ready to go! I’ve traveled with worse. Really, I’m fine. I’d rather be in Konoha. Just let me pay my respect to the doctor and nurses, and the Kazekage…”

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