Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Little Spark: Intro to Fire Hound ❯ Wrong Place; Wrong Time ( Chapter 7 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: rollaroach 
It's her party and she can cry if she wants to...
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Comedy / Martial Arts / Mystery / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 06.14.2009 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.7K | Visits: 257 | Status: Completed
It's her party and she can cry if she wants to...
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Comedy / Martial Arts / Mystery / Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 06.14.2009 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.7K | Visits: 257 | Status: Completed
Spark: Intro to Fire Hound
Act II: Tragic Destinies
Chapter 3: Wrong Place; Wrong Time
A little 6-year-old boy ran frantically through the forest, trying to evade the 3 vicious men chasing him. The young boy was battered and bloody, as he had turned several times to face the men. In fact, when they had begun, 6 men were chasing him, and he’d killed 3 of them himself. But he was tired now, having overused one of his jutsus. He looked over his shoulder, hoping desperately that he’d lost them. But there they were, pursuing him like a pack of ravenous hyenas. The now frightened boy continued to run blindly through the forest; He didn’t want to die…he hadn’t accomplished anything yet. As he ran through the darkness of the woods, he couldn’t help but wish deep down inside that someone was out there today to rescue him…
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Kamachi kept Katavi at a slow jog, for his partner seemed unusually spooky today. He tried calming the stallion with soothing words of praise, but the horse just would not respond. He tossed his head nervously, crow-hopped, and side-trotted all over the trail.
“Katavi, what is with you today? Of all days! Let’s just get this over with already. I’m losing wood here.”
Kamachi was desperate to finish running this errand so that he may go home and make hot, nasty, cake-covered love to his wife, but Katavi was being very uncooperative. Suddenly, a young boy exploded out of the trees and ran smack into Katavi’s shoulder. The horse reared and whinnied, throwing Kamachi from his back. Katavi was so spooked, he didn’t even notice that he’d lost his rider. He leapt over the frightened boy, who ducked his head down so as not to be struck with a hoof, and galloped down the trail. Kamachi got up, rubbing his back and moaning painfully. He looked up at the beaten and bruised kid, who in turn, looked back at him, fear in his black, little eyes. Kamachi jumped up immediately and ran to the boy.
“Oh my gosh! Are you okay, kid?” He grabbed the little boy by the shoulders and looked at his bloody face. “Who did this to you?”
The 3 men leapt from the trees and surrounded the boy and Kamachi. The boy got up, tired and bloody.
“If you’re gonna kill me, then just do it already.” He said in a serious, defeated tone. “I’m tired of running.”
Kamachi leapt to his feet and stood in front of the boy protectively. “Nobody’s killing anybody! What’s going on here?”
“And who the hell are you?” One of the men snapped.
“I’m Kamachi Inuzuka; Lord of the Inuzuka Clan, and you just happen to be in Inuzuka territory. This boy is under my jurisdiction now. So, I suggest you leave.”
The boy looked up at Kamachi, bewildered.
“What’re you doing?” He whispered.
“Don’t worry about it.” Kamachi whispered back. “Just stay behind me.”
“This is ridiculous.” Another of the men growled. “Let’s just kill this moron and then kill the kid.”
“Right.” The other 2 men agreed as they charged at Kamachi at the same time.
Kamachi waited patiently for them men to come just within reach. Suddenly, lifted his hands and performed 3 handseals: Usagi, Ino, Nezumi.
“Earth style: Quick Sand jutsu!”
The moment the 2 men stepped close, the earth opened up and they disappeared into oblivion. Kamachi closed his hands together in a clap. A sudden geyser of blood burst from the ground and rained down on the leader. Kamachi stood tall, his eyes narrow.
“I won’t say it again…” He warned coldly. “Leave the kid alone & get off my land.”
The leader of the group was shocked. Even the kid couldn’t take his eyes off the gory scene.
“You…you killed my men…” The man managed to stammer out. “YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!” The guy screamed before charging.
Kamachi immediately made the handseal for the Transformation jutsu. In a blast of white smoke, he turned into Katavi.
“Get on! Hurry!” He shouted telepathically at the boy.
The boy simply sat there, staring up stupidly. It was clear that he was in shock. So, Kamachi grabbed the boy’s shirt-collar in his mouth and flung him on his back.
“Hang on!” He shouted as he proceeded to gallop forward, bearly being grazed by the shuriken the charging man had let fly.
The boy instinctively grabbed a hold of the long flying mane so that he wouldn’t fall off. Kamachi tore through the trail, following the tracks of his real horse.
“That jutsu…” The boy finally snapped back into reality. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”
“A friend from the Sand Village taught me the Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu. I just modified it, that’s all!”
“It was…really something…” The boy complimented.
“Let me ask you something…why were those guys trying to kill you?”
The boy looked away. “People are trying to kill me all the time…” He said coldly.
“But why?”
The boy was about to answer when the assassin suddenly dropped down and landed on Kamachi’s back. He tried to quickly grab the little boy by the head and run a knife across his throat, but Kamachi stopped short and dropped the jutsu, causing both the man and the boy to go flying off. The boy landed directly in front of the man, who got up slowly, a look of madness on his scarred face.
“Now, I’ve got you…” He pulled a dagger from his cloak and held it high above the boy. He brought it down hard and swift…
A sudden jolt to the spine sent the little boy hurling across the trail and into a bush. He got up and turned. Kamachi had slid across the ground on his knees and pushed the child out of the way just in time, the dagger now buried deep in the young Lord’s thigh. He groaned painfully as he went to pull it out. It had dug into his artery, and the blood was rapidly spilling from his body.
The assassin sat there, eyes wide with shock. Kamachi took this opportunity & punched the man in the nose, driving it into his brain. The man rolled his eyes in the back of his head and died instantly.
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Tsume Inuzuka lifted her head when she heard the sound of thundering hooves.
“That must be Kamachi.” She thought to herself, entering the house and grabbing the cookbooks.
She became very distraught when Katavi approached without a rider. “Kamachi? Kamachi, are you there?” She dropped the books and grabbed the horse by the face and pulled him close.
“What happened? Where’s my brother? Take me to him, Katavi!”
Katavi seemed just as surprised, if not more so, then Tsume to see that Kamachi was not riding him. He nickered and turned back towards the road. Tsume mounted him and whistled. 4 large dogs came bounding out of the house, howling and barking up a storm.
“Go find Kamachi!” She ordered.
Upon hearing the command, the dogs dashed ahead, the horse loping closely behind.
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Kamac hi immediately began feeling the effects of the blood draining from his body. He crawled to a fallen log and lay against it, his breathing labored. The boy approached him cautiously. Kamachi turned to him and smiled the best he could.
“Hey, kid…” He coughed out weakly. “You okay?”
The boy looked at him, coldness in his eyes. “You fool…why did you do that?”
Kamachi turned away, blood trickling from his mouth.
“WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!?” The boy shouted, angry and hurt. “You…should’ve just…stayed out of it…” He growled, hot tears threatening to cascade from his eyes. “I could’ve taken them all out myself…”
“Yeah…sure you could, kid…” Kamachi groaned, obviously not believing him. “Maybe I should’ve…t-t-turned…” He sputtered and paused for a moment, the pain increasing. “If the Black Ninja were here…he would’ve been able to defeat them…and survive long enough to...” Again, he forced to stop due to the pain of having his organs failing.
“But, he isn’t here.” The boy’s voice cracked. “You idiot…”
“No…I guess not.” Kamachi himself began to cry, not out of fear of dying, but out of sadness for what he was about to leave behind. “Oh, Kita…I’m so sorry. This is not how it was supposed to be…” His own voice was beginning to crack now. “We were supposed to grow old together…you and me…and Kaliana…I’m so sorry I won’t be able to watch you grow up…I’m sorry…”
A drizzle of rain began to fall from the gray clouds above. Kamachi looked up at the darkness, his face wet from both tears & the mist that sprayed him. He laid his hands across his chest with the last bit of strength and formed a handseal.
“I’ll try to…make it up…to you…Kaliana…I’ll try to…protect you…”
His green eyes glazed over as death crept upon him. The boy leaned over, eyes wide with curiosity. That handseal…he’d never in his life seen it before, and he was an excellent little ninja at his age with an impressive knowledge of many jutsus.
That’s odd… He thought to himself. I wonder what that handseal was supposed to do? What does it mean?
The boy closed his eyes. He brought his right fist to his face, his middle finger and index finger ascended.
“Sharingan!”
His eyes shot open, his pupils replaced by large red wheels with black markings inside. He stared intently at the handseal for a few moments, recognizing it as an illustration he’d once seen in a scroll of Forbidden Jutsus. The... Once After Death handseal? So…it’s a real jutsu, then? Amazing... It certainly was like nothing he’d ever seen in person before…
He pulled away, blinking his eyes back to normal. He stared at the brave, noble young Lord’s expired body. He couldn’t help but feel the slightest twinge of remorse for this poor, unwitting fellow.
“Serves you right…” He growled.
But he couldn’t help but feel at the same time, that maybe there was a bit more to this fool with such a knowledge of unique jutsus then met the eye...
The sound of approaching hooves and barking dogs sent the boy scurrying into the forest and hiding in a tall tree.
The dogs stopped and sniffed the body; they tossed their heads back and let out a howl. Within moments, Tsume appeared on Katavi. She threw herself from the horses’ back and ran to her brothers’ body.
“Kamachi!” She shook her brother violently. Slowly, she put her fingers to her brothers’ neck. There was no pulse.
“No…” She whimpered in disbelief. Her brother was dead. She cradled his head and held him to her chest, crying heavily. “No, no, no…” She chanted, not wanting to believe her brother was no more. She looked over and noticed the other dead man. “What has happened here?”
Katavi walked over and nudged his master. He nickered and nudged him again.
“No, Katavi…” Tsume whimpered. “He’s dead.”
The horse didn’t understand. He pinned his ears back and gave the body a hard nip. Still, no reaction. The horse looked hopelessly at his master. His nostrils flared, he flicked an ear. It had finally sunken in…his master was no longer alive. Katavi threw his head back and reared, his mournful cry echoing throughout the forest. He finished with a pitiful squeal as he dropped down to his knees and rubbed his head over Kamachi’s limp body. Tears began flowing from his mismatched eyes as Tsume lifted Kamachi’s body onto his back. The stallion shakily got to his feet, moaning between his snorts.
“Let’s go.” Tsume squeaked, rubbing the tears from her eyes. The rain began to fall harder and the sky grew darker as night hung over the tragic scene.
The dogs sniffed around a tree in the forest and barked, but their owners’ call sent them running away and disappearing from sight.
The little boy who was hiding in the tree slowly climbed down. A wet piece of paper lay in the spot where Kamachi’s body was. The little boy approached and picked it up. The corners were stained with fresh blood, and the photo itself was soaking wet, but the boy could make out the shapes of a woman, who he assumed was the wife, and a little girl. He remembered Kamachi calling her ‘Kaliana’.
The boy stared at the picture for a long time. He looked up at the angry sky, allowing the water to pound on his face.
“You’re a foolish man, Kamachi. If only you’d have stayed out of it…well, it’s your loss and your family’s loss as well. What purpose did it serve? You’ve proven absolutely nothing.” His voice became cold and unfeeling as he switched his focus back down to the photo, at the little girl in particular. “Do you expect a favor in return…do you expect me to avenge your death? What a joke.” He tore the piece of paper in half and threw the pieces on the ground. “I, Itachi Uchiha, am NOT an avenger.”
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The loud ring of the phone echoed throughout the house.
“Kakashi, could you get that?” Akita called from the kitchen.
Begrudgingly, Kakashi managed to tear his eyes from the book and pick up the phone.
“Hello?”
“Kakashi…Thank goodness it’s you and not Akita…I don’t think I have it in me to tell her…” Tsume’s voice sounded troubled, and Kakashi picked up on that immediately.
“What’s happened?” He asked, concerned.
“It was a varitable bloodbath, I tell you…” Her voice trembled as she went on to explain the gory discovery in the forest near her home.
Akita stuck her head from out of the kitchen when she heard the click of the phone on the cradle.
“Who was it?” She asked.
Kakashi turned to her, his eyes red with tears. She exited the kitchen and walked slowly towards her distraught brother.
“What is it?” Her voice rising sharply, knowing something was dreadfully wrong. “Tell me Kakashi!” She shouted as she grabbed his shoulders & shook him violently. “Is it Kamachi? What happened?” Her voice was now filled with complete terror.
Kakashi began to speak, his voice cracking all the way through. “That was…Tsume.” He stopped to take a deep breath. “She…she found Kamachi in the woods…”
Akita lifted her hands over her mouth, preparing herself for the worst news she could ever imagine.
“He’s been murdered, Akita.” Kakashi finished tearing his eyes away from hers. “I’m sorry.” He could no longer hold back the tears. He was not so much sad for Kamachi as he was for his sister and niece.
Akita stood there in shock. Her eyes were wide in disbelief. She began shaking uncontrollably. Kakashi turned back to her and opened his arms wide. He held her tightly as she finally exploded into tears. She buried her face in his vest, trying to muffle her horrific screams. Kakashi knew his comforting meant nothing at this point. Akita was inconsolable. She cried on her brothers’ shoulder for hours.
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Kal iana crept slowly down the stairs. She could sense something was wrong. Both Akita and Kakashi lifted their heads when she entered the living room. She looked around nervously.
“What’s wong mommy? Where’s daddy?” She whimpered softly.
This only made Akita cry even harder. She got up and ran into the kitchen, where she threw herself against the wall and sunk down, crying in her knees. Kakashi motioned for Kaliana to come sit with him, fighting to hold back his own emotions, which threatened to explode, as his sisters did. Kaliana walked up to her uncle and took a seat on the couch next to him.
“What’s wong, Unc-o Kakashi? Why is everwybody cwying? Where’s my daddy?” She inquired again, this time with tears welling up in her little questioning eyes.
Kakashi looked at Kaliana’s innocent, chubby face. How could he possibly tell her?
“Kaliana…your daddy…won’t be home for your birthday.” He looked away, wiping the tears from his face.
“How come?” She asked in her tiny voice, not sure she really wanted him to answer.
Kakashi’s eyes darted from side to side as he searched for an example. He brought them back to Kaliana.
“Remember when you found your goldfish with his belly up in the bowl, and mommy told you it had gone to heaven?”
“Yeah…”
“Well…daddy went to heaven today…” Kakashi stopped again, the tears cascading from his eyes like a waterfall.
Kaliana looked up, confused. “But…he wasn’t supposed to go to heaven until he was old and I was gwown up!”
“I know, I know…but…”
“I don’t want daddy to go to heaven yet…” She cried, her face turning red as her own tears began to flow uncontrollably now. Akita’s cry became louder as her daughters’ understanding of the situation became painfully apparent.
Kakashi bit his lip in an attempt to avoid the cry in him that was begging to come out.
“I wish there was something I could do…” He finally broke down, covering his face with his hand.
Akita slowly came out of the kitchen, her face flushed and moist from the tears. “Kaliana…” She whispered. “I don’t want daddy to go to heaven yet either…but it’s too late. He’s gone.”
“No!” She yelled at the top of her lungs, “It’s not twue! It…can’t be…” Kaliana didn’t want to believe that she’d never see her father again. She hid her face in the couch pillows and cried violently.
Akita was at a loss. She sat down in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room and continued her cry, her hand over her gaping mouth. Kakashi scooped Kaliana in his arms and brought her upstairs, trying so hard to console her as well.
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After an hour or so, he returned. Akita was sitting on the couch, sniffling. Kakashi took a seat next to her.
“I finally got her to go to sleep. You want me to stay the night?” He offered.
“Would you?” Akita asked hopefully, her face still burning.
“Of course.” Kakashi put his arm around his sister and held her close. “I’ll stay as long as you need me.”
Akita rested her head on his shoulder, staring blankly into space.
“Kakashi…” She whispered.
“What is it?”
“I need to ask you something, but you have to be truthful in the answer.” She looked up at her younger brother hopefully. “If anything happens to me…could I trust you to take care of her?" Kakashi looked into his sisters’ ocean-blue eyes. “I don’t want her in an orphanage, and I know she wouldn’t fit into the Inuzuka clan…she doesn’t look like them, she looks like us. If for any reason, I can’t take care of her anymore…would you do it?” She looked up at him pleadingly.
“Don’t talk like that, nothings going to happen to you.”
She grabbed her brother by his shirt & pulled his face close to hers. “Just promise me!”
Kakashi nodded. “Of course I would. I’ll never let anything bad happen to her. I promise.”
Akita, somewhat relieved, placed her head on his chest and closed her eyes.
“Thank you…”
Act II: Tragic Destinies
Chapter 3: Wrong Place; Wrong Time
A little 6-year-old boy ran frantically through the forest, trying to evade the 3 vicious men chasing him. The young boy was battered and bloody, as he had turned several times to face the men. In fact, when they had begun, 6 men were chasing him, and he’d killed 3 of them himself. But he was tired now, having overused one of his jutsus. He looked over his shoulder, hoping desperately that he’d lost them. But there they were, pursuing him like a pack of ravenous hyenas. The now frightened boy continued to run blindly through the forest; He didn’t want to die…he hadn’t accomplished anything yet. As he ran through the darkness of the woods, he couldn’t help but wish deep down inside that someone was out there today to rescue him…
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Kamachi kept Katavi at a slow jog, for his partner seemed unusually spooky today. He tried calming the stallion with soothing words of praise, but the horse just would not respond. He tossed his head nervously, crow-hopped, and side-trotted all over the trail.
“Katavi, what is with you today? Of all days! Let’s just get this over with already. I’m losing wood here.”
Kamachi was desperate to finish running this errand so that he may go home and make hot, nasty, cake-covered love to his wife, but Katavi was being very uncooperative. Suddenly, a young boy exploded out of the trees and ran smack into Katavi’s shoulder. The horse reared and whinnied, throwing Kamachi from his back. Katavi was so spooked, he didn’t even notice that he’d lost his rider. He leapt over the frightened boy, who ducked his head down so as not to be struck with a hoof, and galloped down the trail. Kamachi got up, rubbing his back and moaning painfully. He looked up at the beaten and bruised kid, who in turn, looked back at him, fear in his black, little eyes. Kamachi jumped up immediately and ran to the boy.
“Oh my gosh! Are you okay, kid?” He grabbed the little boy by the shoulders and looked at his bloody face. “Who did this to you?”
The 3 men leapt from the trees and surrounded the boy and Kamachi. The boy got up, tired and bloody.
“If you’re gonna kill me, then just do it already.” He said in a serious, defeated tone. “I’m tired of running.”
Kamachi leapt to his feet and stood in front of the boy protectively. “Nobody’s killing anybody! What’s going on here?”
“And who the hell are you?” One of the men snapped.
“I’m Kamachi Inuzuka; Lord of the Inuzuka Clan, and you just happen to be in Inuzuka territory. This boy is under my jurisdiction now. So, I suggest you leave.”
The boy looked up at Kamachi, bewildered.
“What’re you doing?” He whispered.
“Don’t worry about it.” Kamachi whispered back. “Just stay behind me.”
“This is ridiculous.” Another of the men growled. “Let’s just kill this moron and then kill the kid.”
“Right.” The other 2 men agreed as they charged at Kamachi at the same time.
Kamachi waited patiently for them men to come just within reach. Suddenly, lifted his hands and performed 3 handseals: Usagi, Ino, Nezumi.
“Earth style: Quick Sand jutsu!”
The moment the 2 men stepped close, the earth opened up and they disappeared into oblivion. Kamachi closed his hands together in a clap. A sudden geyser of blood burst from the ground and rained down on the leader. Kamachi stood tall, his eyes narrow.
“I won’t say it again…” He warned coldly. “Leave the kid alone & get off my land.”
The leader of the group was shocked. Even the kid couldn’t take his eyes off the gory scene.
“You…you killed my men…” The man managed to stammer out. “YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!” The guy screamed before charging.
Kamachi immediately made the handseal for the Transformation jutsu. In a blast of white smoke, he turned into Katavi.
“Get on! Hurry!” He shouted telepathically at the boy.
The boy simply sat there, staring up stupidly. It was clear that he was in shock. So, Kamachi grabbed the boy’s shirt-collar in his mouth and flung him on his back.
“Hang on!” He shouted as he proceeded to gallop forward, bearly being grazed by the shuriken the charging man had let fly.
The boy instinctively grabbed a hold of the long flying mane so that he wouldn’t fall off. Kamachi tore through the trail, following the tracks of his real horse.
“That jutsu…” The boy finally snapped back into reality. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”
“A friend from the Sand Village taught me the Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu. I just modified it, that’s all!”
“It was…really something…” The boy complimented.
“Let me ask you something…why were those guys trying to kill you?”
The boy looked away. “People are trying to kill me all the time…” He said coldly.
“But why?”
The boy was about to answer when the assassin suddenly dropped down and landed on Kamachi’s back. He tried to quickly grab the little boy by the head and run a knife across his throat, but Kamachi stopped short and dropped the jutsu, causing both the man and the boy to go flying off. The boy landed directly in front of the man, who got up slowly, a look of madness on his scarred face.
“Now, I’ve got you…” He pulled a dagger from his cloak and held it high above the boy. He brought it down hard and swift…
A sudden jolt to the spine sent the little boy hurling across the trail and into a bush. He got up and turned. Kamachi had slid across the ground on his knees and pushed the child out of the way just in time, the dagger now buried deep in the young Lord’s thigh. He groaned painfully as he went to pull it out. It had dug into his artery, and the blood was rapidly spilling from his body.
The assassin sat there, eyes wide with shock. Kamachi took this opportunity & punched the man in the nose, driving it into his brain. The man rolled his eyes in the back of his head and died instantly.
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Tsume Inuzuka lifted her head when she heard the sound of thundering hooves.
“That must be Kamachi.” She thought to herself, entering the house and grabbing the cookbooks.
She became very distraught when Katavi approached without a rider. “Kamachi? Kamachi, are you there?” She dropped the books and grabbed the horse by the face and pulled him close.
“What happened? Where’s my brother? Take me to him, Katavi!”
Katavi seemed just as surprised, if not more so, then Tsume to see that Kamachi was not riding him. He nickered and turned back towards the road. Tsume mounted him and whistled. 4 large dogs came bounding out of the house, howling and barking up a storm.
“Go find Kamachi!” She ordered.
Upon hearing the command, the dogs dashed ahead, the horse loping closely behind.
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Kamac hi immediately began feeling the effects of the blood draining from his body. He crawled to a fallen log and lay against it, his breathing labored. The boy approached him cautiously. Kamachi turned to him and smiled the best he could.
“Hey, kid…” He coughed out weakly. “You okay?”
The boy looked at him, coldness in his eyes. “You fool…why did you do that?”
Kamachi turned away, blood trickling from his mouth.
“WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!?” The boy shouted, angry and hurt. “You…should’ve just…stayed out of it…” He growled, hot tears threatening to cascade from his eyes. “I could’ve taken them all out myself…”
“Yeah…sure you could, kid…” Kamachi groaned, obviously not believing him. “Maybe I should’ve…t-t-turned…” He sputtered and paused for a moment, the pain increasing. “If the Black Ninja were here…he would’ve been able to defeat them…and survive long enough to...” Again, he forced to stop due to the pain of having his organs failing.
“But, he isn’t here.” The boy’s voice cracked. “You idiot…”
“No…I guess not.” Kamachi himself began to cry, not out of fear of dying, but out of sadness for what he was about to leave behind. “Oh, Kita…I’m so sorry. This is not how it was supposed to be…” His own voice was beginning to crack now. “We were supposed to grow old together…you and me…and Kaliana…I’m so sorry I won’t be able to watch you grow up…I’m sorry…”
A drizzle of rain began to fall from the gray clouds above. Kamachi looked up at the darkness, his face wet from both tears & the mist that sprayed him. He laid his hands across his chest with the last bit of strength and formed a handseal.
“I’ll try to…make it up…to you…Kaliana…I’ll try to…protect you…”
His green eyes glazed over as death crept upon him. The boy leaned over, eyes wide with curiosity. That handseal…he’d never in his life seen it before, and he was an excellent little ninja at his age with an impressive knowledge of many jutsus.
That’s odd… He thought to himself. I wonder what that handseal was supposed to do? What does it mean?
The boy closed his eyes. He brought his right fist to his face, his middle finger and index finger ascended.
“Sharingan!”
His eyes shot open, his pupils replaced by large red wheels with black markings inside. He stared intently at the handseal for a few moments, recognizing it as an illustration he’d once seen in a scroll of Forbidden Jutsus. The... Once After Death handseal? So…it’s a real jutsu, then? Amazing... It certainly was like nothing he’d ever seen in person before…
He pulled away, blinking his eyes back to normal. He stared at the brave, noble young Lord’s expired body. He couldn’t help but feel the slightest twinge of remorse for this poor, unwitting fellow.
“Serves you right…” He growled.
But he couldn’t help but feel at the same time, that maybe there was a bit more to this fool with such a knowledge of unique jutsus then met the eye...
The sound of approaching hooves and barking dogs sent the boy scurrying into the forest and hiding in a tall tree.
The dogs stopped and sniffed the body; they tossed their heads back and let out a howl. Within moments, Tsume appeared on Katavi. She threw herself from the horses’ back and ran to her brothers’ body.
“Kamachi!” She shook her brother violently. Slowly, she put her fingers to her brothers’ neck. There was no pulse.
“No…” She whimpered in disbelief. Her brother was dead. She cradled his head and held him to her chest, crying heavily. “No, no, no…” She chanted, not wanting to believe her brother was no more. She looked over and noticed the other dead man. “What has happened here?”
Katavi walked over and nudged his master. He nickered and nudged him again.
“No, Katavi…” Tsume whimpered. “He’s dead.”
The horse didn’t understand. He pinned his ears back and gave the body a hard nip. Still, no reaction. The horse looked hopelessly at his master. His nostrils flared, he flicked an ear. It had finally sunken in…his master was no longer alive. Katavi threw his head back and reared, his mournful cry echoing throughout the forest. He finished with a pitiful squeal as he dropped down to his knees and rubbed his head over Kamachi’s limp body. Tears began flowing from his mismatched eyes as Tsume lifted Kamachi’s body onto his back. The stallion shakily got to his feet, moaning between his snorts.
“Let’s go.” Tsume squeaked, rubbing the tears from her eyes. The rain began to fall harder and the sky grew darker as night hung over the tragic scene.
The dogs sniffed around a tree in the forest and barked, but their owners’ call sent them running away and disappearing from sight.
The little boy who was hiding in the tree slowly climbed down. A wet piece of paper lay in the spot where Kamachi’s body was. The little boy approached and picked it up. The corners were stained with fresh blood, and the photo itself was soaking wet, but the boy could make out the shapes of a woman, who he assumed was the wife, and a little girl. He remembered Kamachi calling her ‘Kaliana’.
The boy stared at the picture for a long time. He looked up at the angry sky, allowing the water to pound on his face.
“You’re a foolish man, Kamachi. If only you’d have stayed out of it…well, it’s your loss and your family’s loss as well. What purpose did it serve? You’ve proven absolutely nothing.” His voice became cold and unfeeling as he switched his focus back down to the photo, at the little girl in particular. “Do you expect a favor in return…do you expect me to avenge your death? What a joke.” He tore the piece of paper in half and threw the pieces on the ground. “I, Itachi Uchiha, am NOT an avenger.”
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The loud ring of the phone echoed throughout the house.
“Kakashi, could you get that?” Akita called from the kitchen.
Begrudgingly, Kakashi managed to tear his eyes from the book and pick up the phone.
“Hello?”
“Kakashi…Thank goodness it’s you and not Akita…I don’t think I have it in me to tell her…” Tsume’s voice sounded troubled, and Kakashi picked up on that immediately.
“What’s happened?” He asked, concerned.
“It was a varitable bloodbath, I tell you…” Her voice trembled as she went on to explain the gory discovery in the forest near her home.
Akita stuck her head from out of the kitchen when she heard the click of the phone on the cradle.
“Who was it?” She asked.
Kakashi turned to her, his eyes red with tears. She exited the kitchen and walked slowly towards her distraught brother.
“What is it?” Her voice rising sharply, knowing something was dreadfully wrong. “Tell me Kakashi!” She shouted as she grabbed his shoulders & shook him violently. “Is it Kamachi? What happened?” Her voice was now filled with complete terror.
Kakashi began to speak, his voice cracking all the way through. “That was…Tsume.” He stopped to take a deep breath. “She…she found Kamachi in the woods…”
Akita lifted her hands over her mouth, preparing herself for the worst news she could ever imagine.
“He’s been murdered, Akita.” Kakashi finished tearing his eyes away from hers. “I’m sorry.” He could no longer hold back the tears. He was not so much sad for Kamachi as he was for his sister and niece.
Akita stood there in shock. Her eyes were wide in disbelief. She began shaking uncontrollably. Kakashi turned back to her and opened his arms wide. He held her tightly as she finally exploded into tears. She buried her face in his vest, trying to muffle her horrific screams. Kakashi knew his comforting meant nothing at this point. Akita was inconsolable. She cried on her brothers’ shoulder for hours.
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Kal iana crept slowly down the stairs. She could sense something was wrong. Both Akita and Kakashi lifted their heads when she entered the living room. She looked around nervously.
“What’s wong mommy? Where’s daddy?” She whimpered softly.
This only made Akita cry even harder. She got up and ran into the kitchen, where she threw herself against the wall and sunk down, crying in her knees. Kakashi motioned for Kaliana to come sit with him, fighting to hold back his own emotions, which threatened to explode, as his sisters did. Kaliana walked up to her uncle and took a seat on the couch next to him.
“What’s wong, Unc-o Kakashi? Why is everwybody cwying? Where’s my daddy?” She inquired again, this time with tears welling up in her little questioning eyes.
Kakashi looked at Kaliana’s innocent, chubby face. How could he possibly tell her?
“Kaliana…your daddy…won’t be home for your birthday.” He looked away, wiping the tears from his face.
“How come?” She asked in her tiny voice, not sure she really wanted him to answer.
Kakashi’s eyes darted from side to side as he searched for an example. He brought them back to Kaliana.
“Remember when you found your goldfish with his belly up in the bowl, and mommy told you it had gone to heaven?”
“Yeah…”
“Well…daddy went to heaven today…” Kakashi stopped again, the tears cascading from his eyes like a waterfall.
Kaliana looked up, confused. “But…he wasn’t supposed to go to heaven until he was old and I was gwown up!”
“I know, I know…but…”
“I don’t want daddy to go to heaven yet…” She cried, her face turning red as her own tears began to flow uncontrollably now. Akita’s cry became louder as her daughters’ understanding of the situation became painfully apparent.
Kakashi bit his lip in an attempt to avoid the cry in him that was begging to come out.
“I wish there was something I could do…” He finally broke down, covering his face with his hand.
Akita slowly came out of the kitchen, her face flushed and moist from the tears. “Kaliana…” She whispered. “I don’t want daddy to go to heaven yet either…but it’s too late. He’s gone.”
“No!” She yelled at the top of her lungs, “It’s not twue! It…can’t be…” Kaliana didn’t want to believe that she’d never see her father again. She hid her face in the couch pillows and cried violently.
Akita was at a loss. She sat down in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room and continued her cry, her hand over her gaping mouth. Kakashi scooped Kaliana in his arms and brought her upstairs, trying so hard to console her as well.
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After an hour or so, he returned. Akita was sitting on the couch, sniffling. Kakashi took a seat next to her.
“I finally got her to go to sleep. You want me to stay the night?” He offered.
“Would you?” Akita asked hopefully, her face still burning.
“Of course.” Kakashi put his arm around his sister and held her close. “I’ll stay as long as you need me.”
Akita rested her head on his shoulder, staring blankly into space.
“Kakashi…” She whispered.
“What is it?”
“I need to ask you something, but you have to be truthful in the answer.” She looked up at her younger brother hopefully. “If anything happens to me…could I trust you to take care of her?" Kakashi looked into his sisters’ ocean-blue eyes. “I don’t want her in an orphanage, and I know she wouldn’t fit into the Inuzuka clan…she doesn’t look like them, she looks like us. If for any reason, I can’t take care of her anymore…would you do it?” She looked up at him pleadingly.
“Don’t talk like that, nothings going to happen to you.”
She grabbed her brother by his shirt & pulled his face close to hers. “Just promise me!”
Kakashi nodded. “Of course I would. I’ll never let anything bad happen to her. I promise.”
Akita, somewhat relieved, placed her head on his chest and closed her eyes.
“Thank you…”