A/N: I'm trying out the thought of including a Songstamp into this chapter. The song is called "Any Other Way" by We The Kings; hence, the chapter name. Have fun reading this slightly violent and almost fluffy chapter!

Chapter Six: Any Other Way

"I am wide awake,

And I'm standing tall.

Up against the world,

Up against the wall...

Between the love and hate,

They can hardly wait

to watch the hero fall..."

My eyes flutter open, but my body stays glued to the turf. Judging by the position Kiba is in, I couldn't have been out but a mere minute. I weakly curl my fingers as I taste a metal-like substance in my mouth: blood seeps past my lips in a fit of coughing. My lungs feel ruptured, and my chest is numb, yet swelling with pride.

I did it; I'm awake.

Oh, but I should've known that it had only just begun. Rising to my feet is a losing struggle, and I can't keep an eye on Kiba because it takes so much focus just to manipulate my muscles through all the searing, throbbing pain.

I don't care how much tension I put on my body, and I don't care if I have to put up with the agony; I will succeed, and I will fight on not only my life, but also Kiba's life - my comrade's lives. Hinata and Naruto, wherever they may be, could be suffering - dying - and I refuse to cower and do nothing like worthless weight on their shoulders. The augmenting guilt in my gut would increase tenfold, and I would be eaten from the inside out by the thought of watching or knowing that it could be happening.

Kiba growls as he and Akamaru go in for a combination attack. His brunette head escapes my view as he invidiously rotates and grinds against Fūyoku's body. A mutilated screech erupts from the rogue as he is thrown backward, his body flailing helplessly as he slides against the earth like a tumbling stone. The boy and his dog return to their average state, and I notice that Akamaru's pearl white pelt is dusted with brown tips and burnt edges, and Kiba isn't looking much better to say the least. I feel bad for leaving them, but also feel relieved that I wasn't caught in the flames.

I fucking hate fire.

But that gives me all the more of a reason to ignore my pain to beat this heat-loving, comrade-smashing, satanic bastard until he regrets his mother giving him his wretched life; I'll make him want to return his first birthday present.

I don't care how the hell I do it or how much it hurts, I will channel every drop of rage in my being and unleash it in an onslaught unknown to mankind. I don't even feel like using ninjutsu, I want to feel his skin ripple and crunch when I send my fists crashing into his body; I want to see his face when he knows the pain he's put us through.

He has nothing to do with my clan's massacre, so I'll do it for myself, my comrades, for god damned Kiba and his pained face.

"You could give me hell,

You could give me death,

But before I bend,

I will have revenge..."

My throat rumbles in resentment as I blatantly ignore the abhorrent signals that my nerves transmit to my brain. For having a sprained and or broken ankle and having just taken the blow if the century, Fūyoku is surprisingly light on his feet as he evades my punch.

"Get out of the way you asshat! You're hurt, let me take care of this!" Kiba runs toward me, calling me off of the battleground.

I make eye contact with Kiba as I whip my torso around, and that split second is enough time to communicate what I wanted to say to him. My body aligns like a lever, my left leg planted firmly on the ground and the fingertips of my right hand giving support, my left arm hovers aside for balance, and my right leg sweeps upward for my opponents face. He ducks under my foot and forces my leg down to his left, knocking me off balance: my body collapses straight onto my face, but I catch myself on my arms, one leg sticking straight underneath me and the other bent to the side. I pull my head to the right and he stabs a kunai into the soil where my head once was. My chest turns at the ribcage as I sling my left arm toward the sky and follow through to my hip; he falls backward, clutching his face from where the pinky side of my left fist collided with his nose.

My eyes of ice meet with Fuyoku's sunken in pair as blood dribbles from his nose and down his lips. I smile, latching onto his wrist as he throws a punch, and I use his own momentum to sling him around onto the ground several feet away in Kiba's direction.

Kiba takes initiative to keep him busy while I have time to recover from almost freaking dying. Kiba's speed takes me off guard, and he seems to have found his passion in watching me or some kind of pep talk from Akamaru. It doesn't take more than a second for me to decide on the latter, nor does it for the situation to sink onto me.

I make up my mind without hesitation to head into the battle once again.

"Kiba! Keep him steady!" I roar, drawing blood from my thumb before folding my fingers into various seals and pressing the offering to the soil. A large, white-pelted fox emerges from the rising smoke, blue eyes looking into my own with confusion."Kisura! Please help out Akamaru by holding this rogue down with your jaws; I just need a little but more time."

Kisura shakes her puzzled look away and zips into the bucking mess of barks, screams and howls. I focus my attention on my next move, concentrating a mass of chakra as I sign for horse, boar, tiger, ram, and lastly dragon. An unstable spark of bluish light pricks alive in my palm, growing rapidly from an ember to a freezing flame. I cringe as I force more power into it.

Stop it, right now.

You know that it was by pure luck that your were able to even almost execute this move on the leader of that group.

This variation could drain the small remainder of your chakra completely.

You haven't even fully developed the first variation of this attack.

You could die by using this.

I ignore the admonitions of the back of my mind and resume charging Tokesaki. I feel the cold seeping through my gloves as the mist morphs into a flame of ice-natured energy. Adrenaline soars through my body, kindling my brokeness into some sort of grotesque determination.

"Fire through my veins,

I will fan the flames

until by dying breath..."

In the fighting scene, Kisura lunges, jaws open, at Fūyoku, to which he evades by stepping aside. While dodging Kisura, he also dodges Akamaru's bite and Kiba's ill-aimed punch. I recognize his hand signs, and I instantly charge toward Kiba and shield his body with my own. A violent wind lashes toward us as I straighten my Tokesaki hand: just as the air almost pierces into us, I slice my hand from the sky to the ground, forcefully cutting the wind around us. Frozen dust particles, snow, descend from the contact point as I slowly pace forward, Tokesaki still raging on my hand.

I almost vomit, but I keep it down just in time. The dull ache in my bones turns into a shattering explosion augmenting in power with every heartbeat. I can read the panic on the rogue's pale face, almost eating him alive. His legs wobble as he signs once more, but this time for a different jutsu.

My heart sinks as I see him wield the sign for dragon, a common fire-natured seal.

Likewise, my heart burns hotter with anger.

Isn't it ironic that someone that carries such a hatred for fire has such relations and comparisons to it?

"I will never go down any other way.

I will never go down any other way."

The flames are casted toward us, and I feel a hand on my shoulder; I don't have time to look back before replicating the motion from before, cutting across the fire. The flames part around us, the contacted fire disintegrating into hollow spears of ice.

"Gasoline pumping through my veins,

Dancing on top of the flames."

The fire curves around us and nips at our heels. The heat seems to slowly die as its molecules halt all movement, and the newly-formed ice gives off a brisk steam before hardening into a dark blue color. I turn around and see Kiba's hand still placed gingerly on my shoulder, a grateful smile etched across his lips.

"I will never go down any other way."

I collapse once again, but I fall into Kiba's arms. The edges of my vision blacken, and eventually I am kidnapped by the darkness. I feel myself being hoisted onto a soft, warm surface - either Akamaru or Kisura - and that's when everything goes numb and I drift into full unconsciousness.

"Any other way..."

I don't regret anything I've accomplished during the mission, and I certainly don't regret protecting Kiba. He taught me things that I needed - he gave me the knowledge and strength I've lacked all my life. What better way to repay him is there than saving his life?

He taught me that the only way it's okay for a leader to go down is by protecting her comrades, and that is something I will never, ever forget...

XXX

"Just let me in!" A voice - an ever-so-familiar, raspy voice - calls in a desperately venomous tone. "It's my fault she's even in this pit and I should at least be able to see her!"

"I'm sorry, but you no visitors are permitted until she awakes. I cannot allow you to enter, sir." I peer out the cracked door and see a red fang-like marking. Kiba emits a low growl before our eyes meet through the slim opening through the door's threshold. His eyes widen as he throws the door open, receiving exasperated scolds from the nurse outside the door.

"You have five minutes!" And that is the last thing we hear from her before she storms away.

"I want to punch you so badly right now." Kiba states, crossing his arms. I merely roll my eyes and sit up.

"And why would that be?"

"Because you almost had yourself fucking killed!" Kiba seethes, a look of small anger in his eyes.

"Any mission is risk to one's life. Why do you care if I'm killed?" I retort, mirroring him by crossing my arms over my chest.

"Does that matter right now? The thing is, I couldn't live with myself if I watched someone who had sacrificed themselves for me die before my eyes without doing anything about it - especially if that person is-"

"You're just angry because I'm not your little damsel in distress. You're mad because I can handle myself - more specifically, you're mad because I'm the one who did the saving. Not just once, twice, but three times did I get your sorry ass out of trouble."

His face twists, and I smile out of pleasure. Bullseye.

"My little damsel in distress?" He laughs, causing a twinge of hurt in my chest. "You're not my anything, let alone my damsel."

"Why do you look so tattered? Care to enlighten me?" I grin and brush a lock of golden hair out of my eyes.

"I just..." He looks to the side a bit, a light tint of pink on his cheeks as he runs his fingers through his honey-brown locks. "I wasn't expecting the girl who could barely lead us - the girl that l had ridiculed - to throw herself in front of death for me. And I really wasn't expecting that bitch to turn out to be such a badass."

"Jeez, thanks." I say sarcastically. "But I guess I'll take what I can get." He stares at me in an uncomfortable manner, so I try my best to pick up another conversation. "But you did teach me something." I look at him thoughtfully. "You taught me things about leadership - things that were necessary in that mission - and I have to thank you for that."

He gives me an even weirder look and smiles cheekily. "So who is the real leader here?"

"I guess we'll never know, but for now, we can just assume it's me."

"We can settle this after you recover, you know. A spar, no ninjutsu."

"You sure it's wise to challenge such a badass to Taijutsu?" I imitate his low voice.

"Oh, I'll be fine." He smirks, "But will you?"

"Shut up and tell me how the mission went. Where did Hinata and Nature run off to? A secret wedding?"

"It went fine. After you were knocked out Kisura carried you back. I stayed and finished off the rogue and took the leader role. It turns out that that he, Fikiku or Fyoko or whatever his name was, had a bunch of lackeys that ambushed Naruto and Hinata in the underbrush. They knocked them out and arrived just in time to watch me deliver the final couple of blows." He yawns nonchalantly. "We brought them back here and I did the mission report."

"You beat Fuyoku? You did the mission report?" My eyes widen. "You took the leader role?"

"Yeah, I did."

I sigh in dissapointment, realizing that that was supposed to be me. "Ah, fuck me..." I whisper, remoarseful for passing out twice on my first mission. Is it possibe that that was acctually a B ranked mission? It seemed much harder than that.

"Gladly." Kiba grins, raising an eyebrow.

"You're abhorrent." I glare at him, covering my body with the sheets of the bed. "Get out, pervert."

"Don't you mean get in?" He smirks wildly, "You know what they say, beta in the streets alpha in the sheets."

"I'm fucking serious you're scaring me right now. Get out."

"No, not yet. I haven't gotten anything as a reward for answering all your questions-"

"You're disgusting!"

"Calm the fuck down; you can't take a joke. I'm being serious now. I did what you asked and now it's your turn to talk."

I groan and pout slightly, but I give in. "Whatever. Just be quick." He's so sexual it makes me cringe.

"Fine." He starts, his voice wing solemn. "Why did you protect me? I know how much those wind attacks hurt, so why did you take the blow? Why did you risk your life by jumping in front of me the second time and use some kind of freaking amazing jutsu to cut through the wind and fire? You saved my life, and I never forget when people do that for me. I can't just not know why."

I can feel my heart pounding in my chest; my mouth runs dry. I really hoped he wouldn't ask for an explanation, but I also knew he would not let it slide past his nose - that stupid nose.

"You're too slow." I say, lifting a brow. "You didn't look like you'd make it out in time, and I figured that the only way fit for a leader to go down is by protecting a comrade." At least it is half true rather than a total lie. I couldn't tell him, I won't tell him. That pained face of his - oh, the agony I read from his eyes as easily as a book. Pages and pages of words-terror, and weakness-that I hope I never see again. Each syllable contradicts the next, and they leave me in a state of hopelessness.

I hate hope.

"You really piss me off, you know that? I was expecting some deep answer from you for some reason. Why did I expect anything more than a snooty response?"

"I try." I give him a wink before he rises from his chair and makes toward the door.

"You going to be okay?" He says, turning his head slightly to me.

"I should be out of here in no time. Just worry about yourself for once."

"I could say the same for you."

He was out the door before I could give him a piece of my mind. It's much too cumbersome to do anything else; it puts too much strain on me. I curl up in the bleach-white sheets and light blue hospital gown.

I wipe my cheeks with the back of my hands, but more red-hot tears quickly flood over the dried tears from before. I feel the cold, hard soil of the training field against my legs, and I feel the rough edges of my armour hugging at my stomach. My chest pounds with a dull, hollow ache and my body shakes with overexertion.

Why is this always how it is?

I remember telling myself: If you work hard enough - if you grow strong enough - they'll be proud enough to come claim you as their child. They'll finally come back and meet you - they'll love you.

Why do I continue to hope when time after time my hope is completely lost?

Aiyoshi-sensei had never spoken of my parents, but all he told me was that they abandoned me and he adopted me into his own family. Never once did he tell me anything about them. Their names, appearance, or even their relatives were unknown to me, and they still are.

Why did they leave me?

I had always thought that something was wrong with me. I assumed that they left me because they saw all my flaws and decided that I was broken and could never be fixed. Aiyoshi-sensei told me they didn't deserve me. He told me I held a hidden talent that was unique to me. No one in this world could take that from me and that I should embrace who I am. I did that for a long time, but never once did I stop believing that my parents would come back for me.

I still believe that if I become stronger they will accept me.

And I will never stop training.

The cold air kisses my skin with its frosty breath and turns the pale covering to a rosy pink. Snow clings to my short, blonde hair and seeps into my scalp, chilling me to the bone. My fists continue to pound into the truck of a dying tree, and I can feel every split in my knuckles sting and every shard of rotting wood prodding at the wounds.

Aiyoshi-sensei gave me the necessary tools to train myself. He gave me tips about developing my own style of fighting and ninjutsu, and he helped me reach places I never would have alone. He let me choose skills I wanted to incorporate into my handbook and he taught me methods of learning those specific skills.

I've trained relentlessly every day ever since he let me, and in all of those years I showed great progress, but my parents never came back.

Why do I even try if the results with them are always the same?

I don't know why, but I'm not going to quit.

I awaken to the sound of the door closing and watch as a nurse come in and places a stack of paper on the table beside me. She gives me a warm smile before reaching her hand over my forehead.

"You're free to go." She coos, gently picking up the papers. "But you're welcome to stay and rest up until tomorrow. You have a fractured rib and a extremely mild concussion. They both should heal quickly, but be sure to avoid combat and rest for a couple of days." She casts her glance to the side of the room. "Your belongings are over on that table; be sure to remove your hospital clothing before checking out."

The woman stands, grabbing her papers, and paces slowly toward the doorway, but stops as she places her hand on the doorknob.

"That boy... He came by every hour and begged to see you. He seemed very distressed." She pulls the door open and treks outwards without so much as another glance.

I ponder on her words for a moment, but decide to make nothing of them. He already told me that he was worried, and that it was because he knew it was his fault that I got into this place.

I clutch my chest as I stand - nothing hurts; I feel completely and utterly fine all but the exception of a dull pounding in my head. It is nothing that cannot be fixed with a couple of aspirin. I change clothes and toss the gown into a crumpled heap on the bed, leaving it forgotten and in the past. There is no line at the checkout, so I am able to speed through all the nasty paperwork and leave as soon as possible. My first instinct is to sprint to the Inuzuka residence, and that is exactly what I do. My palm knocks loudly on the wooden entryway, and Hana appears as it is swung open.

A burnt smell and multiple loud barks come from inside the house. Hana's forehead is shiny with sweat, and a vein pops out. "Tsukami? Why are you here?"

"Um, is everything okay in there?"

"No, not at all. I burnt down homemade dog treats in the oven and the dogs out back are freaking out because I'm gone. Seriously, I leave for one goddamn second and they go berserk-"

"Hey, uh, is Kiba here by any chance?" I hold my own hand behind my back, shifting my weight from my heels to the ball of my foot.

"Sorry, but he just left about fifteen minutes ago. I think he's headed toward the park."

I nod and throw out a quick thanks before bolting down the front steps out out of sight. I get many irritated yells as I weave in and out of civilians in the streets, but I continue to make my way efficiently toward my destination. It looks to be about two, so I still have plenty of time to do whatever.

The benches, trees and lustrous grass soon fade into my field of vision along with a young man with messy brown hair and a dog at his feet. I slow my pace and approach until he notices me.

"Go back to the hospital. Go rest." He says, staring downward at Akamaru.

"Still ticked off? I see how it is." I plop down beside him on the bench and sit back.

"Go back."

"No."

"Go."

I turn to face him, narrowing my eyes. "No." He shakes his head and sighs.

"Well if you're going to stay you might as well explain something to me."

I cock my head and grin. "And what might that something be?"

"That move... the one you used to cut through those attacks. What the hell was that?"

I place my elbows on my knees and use my hands to support my chin. "To be honest, I don't know. I call it Tokesaki; it's a jutsu I developed, but I haven't really mastered it yet." I want to say that it is somewhat a variation of the Kitsuyuki's forbidden and hidden jutsu, but obviously that isn't something that he should know. "There are three stages, and I used the third back then. It was by pure luck that I was able to execute it. It really takes a lot out of me."

I glance at Kiba and receive an expectant look. Is he wanting more?

"I'm still thinking about a better name because I don't think Tokesaki really fits. It's kinda like an attack that changes the form of ice energy. In the first stage it's like electricity. It has no cutting power but it can stun or shock target with the cold from ice. The second stage takes the form of rocks - sedimentary rocks. It freezes and eats away thin, fragile layers of skin or whatever contacted which can break away at slight movement, just like sedimentary rock. Together they can compact together and stay strong, but alone they will shatter like weak glass. It works a lot like liquid nitrogen, though, it can freeze limbs off, but it can only stay cold because I chill it with my chakra supply. The third stage is a combination of the two that takes the form of fire. It is so cold that it halts all molecular movement and can freeze just about anything. It's like absolute zero and has something to do with Bose-Einstine condensates. Wind freezes to snow, fire is coated in ice and it disintegrates and forms hollow shells, water turns to a glass-like ice, electric currents stop completely, and rock and dirt compacts into balls of dirty, rocky ice. Basically, all phenomenon of nature is brought to a halt."

"I'd be lying if I said I understood anything you just said... Those were some funky words." Kiba buries his face in his hands and wipes his hair back before looking at me. "How in the world did you make that jutsu?"

"I can't say that I developed it alone." I smile and stand, bringing my fists in front of my face in a defensive position. "Spar?"

"Go home, Tsukami."

"Oh, c'mon, Kiba." I whine, rolling my eyes. "What happened to that fighting spirit? You scared?"

"Nope, but I don't want to hurt you when you're weak."

"Me? Weak? You wouldn't be able to land a single scratch on my skin." I smirk and park my hands on my hips, leaning my face inches from his. "You're scared."

"I'm not going to give in to your games. I'm smarter than you take me for."

My smile melts away. "You're no fun!"

I take his wrist and yank him to his feet, dragging toward the training ground with sheer determination. He plants his feet firmly, and I am unable to more him anymore. I whirl around, staring up at his face. It's slightly embarrassing how much taller he is than me, but I shouldn't let that be a reason to give up. I'll switch to a new tactic - one I'm sure he'll fall for.

I lock my fingers together, bending forward slightly, and plump my lips with a cute pout. I wiggle my shoulders slightly for emphasis, "Please, Kiba-kun? If you can win I might be able to give you a reward~ Maybe something like you had in mind earlier?"

He doesn't even bat an eye; he just stands there, unphased.

"Not now. Don't tease me. I'll spar tomorrow."

I sigh and unclasp my fingers, accepting defeat. "Whatever." I scoff disappointedly, walking away from the scene. "You better be at Training Ground 10 at noon tomorrow or else I'll come looking for you."

I turn around and give him an icy, hardened glare. "And you best not get on my bad side before a spar."

A/N: By the way, in the last chapter I said that Kiba's chairs nature was earth, but that was just a guess because I needed to give him one. So really, just... I don't know what I'm trying to say here. Anyway, I've been conflicted between having more action or romance in this story. Do far it's been mostly action, but what do you think?

Reviews, Follows, and Favorites are greatly appreciated!

Check out my Instagram page at { mikasu . kitsuyuki } to see a picture of Mikasu/Tsukami drawn by me. (No I am not shamelessly self

promoting on my own story ahahah).