Legend :

"Blah" – Speech

'Blah' – Thoughts

'Blah' – Kyuubi Speech

Now on with the show!

Non-jutsu Translations:

Kiseichu Parasite

Chapter 7

Last Time on Kisses from a Rose!

We had arrived where Jimi and Sasuke, on some silent agreement, had come to settle their differences.

During our transit I had once caught up to them and when I opened my mouth to speak, they had both glared in a way that shook even me. I had moved back to following them soon afterwards.

Now, the two of them stood opposite one another on the banks of Konohagakure's lake, the rest of us standing several meters away, awaiting the imminent fight. None of us gathered wanted to get in the crossfire of the battle of wills.

I watched warily as the two of them slowly slid into two different combat positions, crossing my arms and activating my mighty Byuukagen to better observe this battle; Sasuke's chakra coils were almost exactly as I remembered them to be, and I finally took the chance to examine Jimi's... wait... there was no way! His chakra coils couldn't be like that!

////////////////////////////// Kiba's PoV //////////////////////////////

'This isn't good…' I couldn't help but think as I looked between the two of them, 'They're both so pissed off it looks like they want to rip each others throats out… I'm all for a good fight but… they're supposed to be allies now… and they look ready to kill one another… really kill one another…'

Neither of them knew what they were dealing with… Sasuke was the number one rookie in the entire village… and Jimi was, well, Jimi; he was like Shino like that, you just don't want to mess with him… right?

My enhanced hearing barely picked up a small growl-like sound coming from Sasuke as the angsty boy shifted, pulling a kunai from one of his back pouches, holding it before him backhand and glaring even more of them straight at Jimi.

Jimi stood with his legs set at shoulder width and his hands by his side, it didn't look like a fighting stance at first but the tension was visible in his exposed neck and at the corners of his mouth, I could only guess that was his fighting stance.

The tension in the air thick enough that Akamaru scampered into my coat, his head peeking out from the neck of my jacket; personally I wanted to crawl in there with him but I had to keep strong… there were ladies around to impress after all.

My thoughts were cut off when Jimi started to move, raising his hands slowly and bringing them towards one another, Sasuke tensed up, preparing himself even as the rest of us watching grew steadily more nervous.

Jimi seemed to be teasing us by taking his damn time putting his hands into the seal, holding them in the ram seal for several moments.

Then he spun into action, twirling on the ball of his foot with his arms out, green blurs sprouting from his long sleeves.

He brought his arms down in front of him, the whip-like blurs slamming down where Sasuke had been moments before, kicking up dust. We only had a fraction of time to look at the whips while they were still, Jimi was already moving them again, but it was enough.

The whips were long vines, and when Jimi flicked his forearms the two whips that came from his sleeves snapped at Sasuke once more, literally.

Sasuke leapt back once more, but this time he retaliated, moving his hands through had symbols even in the air.

Rat Tiger Dog Ox Rabbit Tiger "Katon- Hosenka no Jutsu! (Fire Release- Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique)" as he landed he inhaled, then forcefully exhaled, multiple smaller fireballs blasted out from his mouth, arcing towards Jimi.

The surprise showed on Jimi's face for just a moment before he spun, distinctly reminding me of Neji's kaiten as the vines pulled back to encircle him.

A number of the shinobi present winced as the fireballs exploded on and around Jimi's protective dome of vines.

Everyone glanced at a smirking Sasuke as the smoke cleared, the only two of his fangirls that had been able to follow us Ahem – Sakura and Ino – Ahem prepared to cheer violently just as I turned to go help the likely charred tree-boy.

Only to see the blackened vines crumble around him, revealing a relatively unhurt Jimi; there were several small burn marks on his clothes and one on his cheek but otherwise he was unharmed.

A collective gasp rippled through the audience (which, unfortunately, is exactly what we were), the combatants ignoring us as Jimi raised his hands to place them into a seal, stopping when Sasuke's smirk widened.

Jimi and I noticed it at the same time, on the audiences' side of Jimi there was a kunai embedded in the ground, with a sizzling exploding tag on it!

Jimi began to dive to towards the lake, his feet were barely off the ground when the exploding tag went off, the shock-wave washing over me even as far away as I was, Jimi was sent skipping across the water, tumbling as he did.

Jimi righted himself on his fourth skip, skidding to a halt on the water; much of his right sleeve was now smoking tatters, a large new burn adorning the exposed skin on his arm.

Jimi straightened from his crouch, looking across the water at a smugly grinning Sasuke. As he began rolling his injured shoulder Jimi spoke up, his deep voice carrying across the distance, "You know, I've been wondering… ever since I saw you come into the ramen shop, you have a following of fan-girls… yet you don't seem to be going out with a single one of them… are you gay?"

Even from this bad angle I was sure everyone could see the shock on Sasuke's face, Jimi had made a valid point, one that left the entire audience, especially Sasuke's fangirls, speechless.

The killing intent coming off of Sasuke had vanished for just a moment when Jimi had spoke, most likely in shock; now it was starting to pour off of him, his body tensing, tendons creaking, and a small growl escaping his throat, it felt like Gaara all over again.

Sasuke nearly exploded off of the shoreline, his feet barely grazing dirt or water as he blurred into motion.

My eyes widened as it hit me, 'He's actually going to kill him!'

////////////////////////////// Sasuke's PoV //////////////////////////////

'He's going to die'

I could feel the tingle in my eyes as my sharingan activated, the familiar sensation of time slowing down, everything coming into focus at once.

'I am going to kill him'

The bastard on the water in front of me began to shift, I could see where his arms were headed, a defensive stance.

I was barely twenty feet away now; he was only halfway into his stance.

Fifteen feet.

Ten.

Five.

I swung a right hook straight through his partially formed defense, my fist connecting solidly with his cheek, his face jerking to the side.

I saw the sweep of his left arm long before he was halfway to hitting me, my foot twisting on the water before I moved behind him, using the same high speed that I had used against Gaara.

He turned only to have my fist contact with his cheek once more, knocking him flying through the air.

I could see him righting himself in the air; he was going to land on his feet.

I charged at him again, rolling along the surface of the water, my heel connecting with his face even as he landed; continuing with the spin I grabbed his top with both hands and pulled him forward into my rising knee, catching him in the stomach.

I hadn't been able to see that my blows wouldn't faze him, and even though I could see the head-but coming there wasn't anything I could do to avoid or block it from this position.

Thus his hands grabbed by arms, holding me in place as his head shot forward, his forehead colliding with mine soundly and sending me tumbling away.

I skidded to a halt some distance away from him on the water, standing with a small wince. That had hurt; it felt like he had hit me with a crowbar and not just his forehead. It was then that I noticed that my knuckles, knee, and heel hurt some, not much, but it was noticeable. Everything I had hit him with felt like I had hit a brick wall instead.

I caught a smirk forming on his lips before he spoke, his tone just as taunting as his words, "That all you got?"

I couldn't help the smirk that crossed my face, he couldn't win, he was moving far to slow, he had to know it, I was just going to taunt him with it, "You can't win, I ca-"

"Can't win?" I scowled when he interrupted me, chuckling in his arrogance, "Well… if I can't win… then why, especially after all those blows to the face," he lifted his injured arm and adjusted his opaque shades with his middle finger, "Why are my shades still on?"

'I'm going to kill him.'

I did my best to restrain the anger bubbling inside of me, speaking through clenched teeth, "Then I guess I'll just have to try harder to knock them off of you."

I dashed towards him, but this time instead of lunging at him again I circled him, enjoying his momentary confusion as he looked around himself at the wake in the water I was kicking up. I was waiting for an opening to set him straight, he would learn-

'There!'

I felt my muscles protest as I called upon Lee's taijutsu once more, my foot connecting solidly with his chin, knocking him high into the air.

I landed on my hands and feet, launching myself off of the water at him, grinning as, for just a moment, we hung in the air, my index and middle fingers pressing against his back.

I tapped his back, swinging my leg up and unsurprised when his arm came up to block the blow to his side.

I spun in the other direction as we hung there in space, swinging my legs, tipping him off to another kick; switching to a backhand blow aimed for his face.

Only to have the back of my hand connect with his forearms, he had seen through the feint and blocked my blow, interrupting my Shishi Rendan (Lion Combo).

This didn't mean he wasn't vulnerable still though; I wrenched my arm and accelerated gravity's hold on him, sending him crashing into the water and propelling myself even higher into the air.

I slapped my hands together, he wouldn't be far underwater and would be getting out soon; taijutsu didn't seem to do much to him, but that exploding tag had thrown him for a loop, a Gokakyu no Jutsu was in order.

Snake Tiger –

The bubbles created by Jimi's impact with the water were clearing; I could see him through the water now with my sharingan… he had finished a jutsu!

Damn! His right arm was sheathed in what looked like a long thorn, he aimed the thorn at me and it fired off of his arm, bursting free of the water and flying towards me at high speed!

– Monkey Boar –

I twisted in the air, the tip of the thorn missing me even though the blunt edge connected with my side, sending me spinning in the air; but he had missed.

As I kept spinning in the air I caught a glimpse of Jimi in the wate- Damn!

– Horse Tiger

His hands were in a Ram seal, I could see the chakra moving from him to behind me; the thorn.

I let myself keep spinning so I faced the thorn, just in time as the large projectile shattered into hundreds of slivers of wood which came flying down at me.

I inhaled, gathering my chakra into my chest, and blew forth a concentrated fireball, catching the high speed splinters that would've have hit me other wise as they rained down.

As the rain of thorns ended, my momentum carried me farther away from Jimi, forcing me to land almost fifty feet away from him.

He pulled himself out of the water, standing on the water, drenched and facing me. His face cracked into a smirk and I scowled at him, 'The hell is he smirking about?'

He moved his hand and tapped the side of his shades, full out grinning at me, "They're still on."

'I am definitely going to kill him.'

That was it! I'm through holding back! I nearly slammed my hands together as my vision started to flood red, my hands moving quickly through the seals.

I didn't even register the hand seals, all I was aware of was gripping my right forearm tightly as the chakra built up in my hand, the distinctive sound building.

The sound of the Chidori.

The surprise flitted across his face, I didn't care.

I nearly flew across the water at him, a distant part of my mind noting the massive wake I was creating.

He brought his uninjured arm up in front of his chest as I closed in, his other arm not moving fast enough.

I thrust the chidori through his arm, encountering almost as much resistance as I had against Gaara's absolute defense, and it was over.

Even my sharingan could barely keep up with the last few seconds of the chidori's thrust. I took in the scene before me now that it was done, the lightning like chakra still pouring from my hand.

I had hit his forearm; that had been the resistance. My chidori had gone straight through one of the bones in his arm, I could feel the other bone pressing against my bloody arm; but his arm had done its job, deflecting my chidori from his heart. My still charged hand, instead of being imbedded in the left side of his chest like I had intended, was lodged almost up to my thumb in the center; not what I was aiming for but he was still dead.

Blood seeped from his wounds onto my arm and hand; some was flecked upon my face and clothes, his head drooped and my sharingan caught sight of blood dripping slowly from his lips.

I grinned as I watched his shades fall from his limp face into the water. The buzz in my eyes faded, my sharingan deactivating, the sound of the chidori fading as well.

"I win."

I tugged at the hand imbedded in him, it seemed stuck, so I placed my other hand on his shoulder, moving to pull my hand free.

A hand on the arm lodged inside him stopped me.

My eyes widened, he should be dead!

The hand began to squeeze and I could hear the bones in my arm pop, a bruise already forming under his hand.

He spoke softly, looking up at my shocked face as he held me in place, "You win? We're just getting started."

He pulled a leg up as I snapped out of it, struggling to get away before-

The sole of his foot connected soundly with my chest, my right arm pulling free of him as I got knocked flying; the wind being blasted out of me.

I went tumbling and skipping across the water, pain throbbing through my body each time I bounced on the water.

I finally righted myself, standing somewhat unsteadily on the water as I caught my breath and tried to figure out what the hell had happened.

Jimi still stood, his newly injured left arm dangling at his side, blood seeping out of it and dripping off of his hand into the water. He stood there, rubbing the hole in his chest and glaring at me across the water. He should be dead. I had hit him just as I thought I had; it was definitely a fatal blow… so how the hell was he still standing?

'No matter. I'll make sure I drop him with the next blow.'

I activated my sharingan once more, the chakra pouting into my right hand, the sound filling the air.

I will kill him.

He held his burnt right hand in front of him in half of the horse seal, then throwing his arm to the side, a long blade of wood bursting free from the back of his hand. He held the blade in front of him, glaring at me, mouthing the words 'Try it again pussy.'

'Oh, I'll try it again.'

I ignored the screaming of my muscles as I ran at high speeds, I paid no attention to the throbbing pain in my chest with my every breath, I disregarded the chakra I saw pouring off of him; he was going to die.

The chidori screamed in my hand as I came within the final stretch once again, thrusting my hand forward towards his chest, his own blade of wood moving to meet it.

The next thing I knew, there was this powerful jerk and I was being held above the ground by my right arm.

I looked over snarling at whoever had interrupted our fight, surprised to see that Jimi had spun to glare at the person as well.

At least until we realized who it was.

It was the new Hokage. Tsunade-sama.

Damn.

She was glaring at the both of us intensely, when she spoke her voice was soft but laced with fury, coming out as a violent hiss, "Are you two out of your minds? You could've killed one another."

I looked away, unable to look her in the eye, but Jimi spoke up, "Pardon me, but that's what we were going for."

I looked up to see him staring intensely at the Hokage, he had balls, I'd give him that.

I heard his forearm snap and watched him wince; the Hokage had just squeezed his arm and broken it. I swallowed at the thought; his bones had slowed down the chidori… I didn't want to know what she could do to me.

"You two are acting like children-"

"Last I checked, we were just that."

Yep, he had balls.

Her eyes narrowed at him, the anger pouring off of her in waves before she turned, dragging the two of us along, "We're going to the hospital."

I had been expecting worse, but I certainly wasn't complaining, then Jimi spoke up yet again, "Tsunade…"

"What?" her voice sounded as tense as she looked at the moment.

"… can I get my shades?" I blinked, his voice was no longer held that commanding and arrogant tone in it… it almost sounded… scared…

The Hokage's eyes softened some, letting go of his arm and dropping him to the water. He turned, quickly finding the floating sunglasses and returning them to his face; then returning silently to Tsunade-sama, who grabbed him by the scruff of his neck before taking off with the two of us.

I thought back to the fight itself after he had lost his shades, trying to understand why he was so adamant to wearing the shades, I hadn't gotten a very good look at his eyes in that short period of time but my sharingan was activated so I should have an image of it in my… oh my… no wonder…

////////////////////////////// Kiba's PoV //////////////////////////////

The audience had watched in near silent shock as Jimi and Sasuke had fought; unable to move or interfere if just due to the killing intent radiating off the two of them. I had sent Akamaru off to get help soon after the exploding tag had had gone off. He had returned with the Hokage herself.

Even I had only been just able to pick up their exchanged insults during the fight, my enhanced hearing only could do so much y'know…

I know everyone present was startled out of their wits when that distinctive sound screeched across the lake, Sasuke was using that one technique, thousand birds or something like that… a killing blow technique.

By the time anyone had shook off the shock Sasuke had embedded his hand in Jimi's chest, a strangled gasp escaping most of the girls here and some of the guys, I had heard Naruto softly murmer, "No… Sasuke…"

Then Jimi had kicked Sasuke off of him, everyone knew Jimi should've been dead, we didn't need to see it up close to know he shouldn't have survived that.

I think that's when Tsunade-sama showed up, 'cause Akamaru made a sound like he as he was dropped beside me.

Tsunade-sama had practically teleported across the water to interrupt their attacks as Sasuke charged another thousand birds at Jimi, holding the two of them up by their forearms. I didn't hear what went between them, so there was no way anyone else had either, but I know that Tsunade-sama had let Jimi go so he could get something, then taken off with the two of them in tow.

"W-What just happened?" Naruto had spoken up first, looking at Shelby-chan, "How did your brother survive-"

She interrupted him softly, "It's our bloodline…"

We all waited for her to continue, all of us except Neji; I had forgotten the guy was here, "So that's why both of your chakra coils are actually vines isn't it." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah…" this time everyone was quiet, waiting for the orange haired girl to go on, "Um… well, not only does our clan put this plant inside our chests when we're born, called a kiseichu, that becomes our chakra coils… my brother uses his so much that… that damage for him is just, different… it's more general. So… even though he'll live… he'll be recovering for weeks…"

As she spoke her usually loud voice had dropped to hardly more than a whisper, rubbing her arm with a hand, "But in exchange for being so hard to actually hurt… as you have seen… he's not very fast moving… anyone here is probably faster than him…"

Shelby-chan was silent as she stared at the ground, as was everyone else as they digested this new information.

How would this change everything? Or more importantly, how would that fight have changed how everyone reacts?

////////////////////////////// End Chapter 7 //////////////////////////////

A/N.) Holy shit… I updated in time… Well anyways, there's only one announcement I would like to make:

I apologize if my OC's seemed unbelievably powerful. They have reasons for appearing as such.They are not as powerful as I've made them seem; they have just been in they're element. Like challenging Rock Lee to a Taijutsu match… I'll avoid spoilers as best I can but there will be a general explanation on my author's page.

Till next time, this is mister Fluffykins signing off!