A Ninken's Recovery

Chapter 13

Chapter 13: To Kill or Not to Kill

Kaito's POV:

After dinner, Kakashi had received a summons to report to Lady Hokage. I didn't ask questions, I just figured it was about the mission the rest of the pack was on or something. I declined going with him. I didn't really care, why he was being summoned, as long as he was out of the way, the easier it would be for me to the go meet p with Riku. I waited a couple of minutes after he left, just to make sure he didn't double back. It gave me time to think about the day I had with him. Kakashi was a good guy. A good pack leader. I was going to miss him and the pack. I was going to miss this village, and all the weird and friendly people who lived here. This whole place reminded me of the Mangetsu Clan. The leader of the village had no reason to keep me alive, much less give me a home. If anything, they should have just killed me, it would have saved them a lot of trouble. Even Kakashi and his pack did not need to put so much effort in trying to befriend me. It took me a moment to realize that, I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to go back to Riku. I didn't want him to succeed and bring the Kyūketsuki Clan back from the dead. I walk slowly over to the koi pond in the backyard and looked at my reflection in it. This time no bloody dog looked back. It was just me. I looked like a different dog. No, I was a different dog. The reflection of the Leaf hitai-ate simmered on the pond surface, it has beena long time since I had wore someones symbol on me. I remember when if first got here I did not want this around my neck. Now though, things felt different.

I wandered back into the house to look at Heki's face one more time. Then glanced at the scroll. It had the Mangetsu symbol on it signaling only a Clan member could open it. I had no doubt that Kakashi had tried to open it, for the same reason I was going to try and open it now. With a small flare of chakra, the seal keeping the scroll closed disappeared. I wasn't expecting it to open for me. Maybe they included mine and my siblings chakra signatures when they took us in. Either way, I looked at it for a moment before turning away from it. I wasn't going to read it. It didn't feel right to read it. Not after what had happened, but I would leave it for Kakashi to read. Beside, the Leaf were allies of the Mangetsu.

'Are you sure?' Heki's asked leaning on the coffee table on both elbows, watching me.

"Yes. I am not a Mangetsu. I am a Kyūketsuki." I mumbled.

'Your my brother.' He insisted.

"I am that too." I agreed, walking back out of the house and out the gap in the fence surrounding the compound. Heki following me, coming out the hole and dusting his knees, before running to my side, for I was not waiting. "If I survive, I will come back and read it." I said, not looking at his face as I continued onward.

'You're lying.' He stated, sadly. 'You have nothing to fix, Kaito. Nothing was your fault.'

This time I did glance at him, but I said nothing. He was wrong. Everything was my fault. I was Riku's and Aimi's Clan Leader. Yet I could not keep them in line.

'You were nine. A child. Clan Leader or not. You cannot continue to blame yourself. Remember I am here because of you. You created me. I know what you are thinking and I know what you plan on doing.' I ignored him and continued to walk. He was only spouting my own thoughts back to me anyway.'If you go through with this I will not talk to you anymore!' he said, stomping his foot, when he noticed I was not listening. 'Even you don't want to do it, its why I don't. Kaito! Listen to yourself!'

I stopped walking and turned to look at him. I could still see Kakashi's compound in the background, inviting me to come back. Heki's standing there in front of it seem to make it that much harder to not go back. "I think I am a little to old for imaginary friends." I said, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths. "I will put your ghost to rest." I said, eyes still closed. "I will do what I should have done, as rightful Clan Leader of the Kyūketsuki. I will no longer allow one of my own to run wild." Taking one more deep breath I opened my eyes. Heki was gone. The uncertainty that had been eating at me, was now gone.