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.

No longer hesitating I went, back to the group of trees I had went to once before. My chakra searching until I found what I was trying to sense last time. Walking up to tree, I paced in around it, checking it. A rock that laid innocently beside it held bloodstains from that night. No one had disturb it. Between the rock and tree, was an old hole that was made by a mole. I pushed the rock with my paw to reveal that the hole wasn't as small as it appeared. I was pleased to see critter prints revealing that the hole was being used. It was likely why no one had suspected tunnels the creatures used. I took my muzzle and pushed it into the hole, using my paws to dig some of the dirt out of the way. My teeth, clamped around what I was looking for. I moved more dirt out of the way. As I pulled the scroll free.

The scroll wasn't as big as some of the Forbidden Scrolls that the village had. If you weren't paying attention at first glance you would think this a normal scroll. But then scroll came in different sizes. Placing it on the ground I winced when I seen that as payment for using their tunnel entrance as a hide spot, the creature that used it, had torn and ripped at the edges of the scroll. The paper was stain brown slightly too. Well, that was an oops on my part. Nothing I could do about it now. I picked it up, being careful so that my teeth wouldn't press too hard into the rolled up paper.

I don't know what I was expecting when I walked up to the gate that would take me out of the village. I certainly wasn't expecting to make it this far without someone noticing. Maybe I was being followed. If I was, I really didn't care. They weren't stopping me. The two guys at the gate, weren't even doing their duty. They were dozing off. I eyed them as I walked past. I couldn't help, but freeze in my track after walking ten feet. I looked around waiting. I was sure they would have stopped me by now. After all if not to stop me from leaving, I was sure they would stop me to get their scroll back.

Not wanting to waste anymore time I started running. Riku was never a patient person, and I didn't want to give him anymore reason to hurt Sora. The quicker I got there the faster I could rid this village of Riku and me both. I kept checking to see if I was being followed all the way there, but I didn't even see a glimpse of a Leaf shinobi. When I was about to approach the meeting place, for some reason it hurt to know that they didn't even follow me. Deep down some part of me wanted somebody from the village, the pack, or even Kakashi to follow me. To have back up. However, I was just a freak of a ninken they took in. And I did help in stealing from them. I even gave Kakashi a hard time. Taking a deep breath I walked passed the heavy brushes and trees that hid the cabin from sight.

"About time Mutt." Riku said, when he saw me. He was waiting for me standing in front of the rundown house.

I placed the scroll on the ground in front of me and stepped over it. "Riku." I greeted.

"Master Riku, or has your time in the village gave some sort of memory loss." He corrected. The Leaf Chunin that he had recruited were no where to be seen, but I knew Riku. He had them scattered around us. I would bet they were hidden to the thicket of the treetops.

"Master Riku. "I said, correcting myself to please his ego, for that is what it was. That was why Aimi and he started making me calling them Master. To them, as a dog, I was no longer worthy as Clan Leader. To them I had no rights. If I had never came to the Leaf and met Kakashi, I probably would have continued to play the obedient mutt.

He smiled at the title and took a step toward me. I growled, hackles raising slightly halting his approach. "Have you lost your mind, Mutt, baring you teeth at me?!" He demanded.

"The baker? I want to see him." I said, ignoring what he just said.

"Oh. Is that what the corpse is? I didn't think they gave corpses jobs these days." He scoffed. "Bring it out." He called over his shoulder. Riku never called those he intended to kill people. He would already label them as a corpse; as a thing, something that could be disposed of. Father had taught us that if we were to succeed as his predecessors, it was easier to not see our target as anything but something to be thrown away.

"His name is Sora." I corrected him, as I watched a chunin walk out of the shed next to the cabin, pushing Sora in front of him. They stayed at the sheds entrance.

"There." Riku smiled, giving me his full attention once again. "Still taking in oxygen. Happy?"

I nodded. He stepped closer, but I did not move, keeping the scroll safely underneath me.

"Move, Mutt." He ordered, when I showed no signs of moving.

"We need to talk." I said, raising my head high, using a tone I remember our Father using when he scolded us.

His head tilted to the side, like I had said something odd. "Talk?"

"Yes, brother to brother." I said.

"Ha! That's a laugh. You stopped being my brother when you turned your back on our Clan." He snarled. "Befriending the ones responsible for our destruction. Defended them, even. When you should have put a knife in their back. They actually did me a favor when you got turned into a mutt. They gave me and Aimi a way to take our rightful place as next in line. Gave us a chance to put you in your place. Haha, and you think you have the right to talk to me like a brother?! Your a joke!"

I let him rant, already prepared for this onslaught of words. Although I got distracted slightly when the Leaf Chunin that was standing threateningly over Sora, suddenly got pulled backwards into the darkness of the shed, and replaced by one of the ANBU shinobi's of the Leaf. The ANBU then grabbed hold of Sora and pulled him slowly backwards into the shed with them, making them fully disappear into the building. I felt some of my tension slip away knowing that the shinobi's of the Leaf had indeed followed me and were here, and now Sora was probably being lead out of here. Which if I was correct, meant that they were waiting for me and Riku to do something. Maybe even Kakashi was among them. I hoped so, anyway.

"You're lucky I even felt the need to keep that sad corpse breathing. I knew you were going to show up, because that is all you are. A mutt, a tool to use, a servant. A beast with no purpose but to obey my every command, until I see fit to end your miserable life." Riku continued, unknowing about us being surrounded. I was more focused on now the subtle movements happening in the trees, that I didn't see Riku's fist as it connected with the side of my face. I collapsed from the blow. "Listen to me when your Master talks to you Mutt!" He growled noticing my attention was not on him.

"I don't know what to tell you kid, but you're no Master."Both of our heads snapped to the new voice that decided to join in. My vision was doubled slightly, but I didn't perfect vision to see that I was looking at Pakkun. It didn't take long for my vision to clear up. Pakkun was standing off tot he side about a yard from us. "Actually, you're from it." He grunted.

"I see you brought a friend, mutt. So what are you suppose to be? Some kind of giant rat?" Riku snarled. "Am I suppose to be scared of a something I could squish with my heel?" Riku taunted, taking a step toward Pakkun, who merely looked at him with bored eyes.

"Am I suppose to be intimidated? Baring your teeth, and barking the loudest does not a leader make." Pakkun grunted.

Riku balled his fists up and took a step toward the pug. "I'll turn you into a pelt!" He snarled.

I hurriedly picked myself up. "Riku, don't! We have work to do remember?!" I really could have slapped myself. I just reminded him, damn it!

His eyes slid back to me, and before I could say another word, the back of his hand hitting the side of my face had me sidestepping away from the scroll, from the impact. I shook my head slightly, and quickly steadied my footing. I was use to this type of treatment, I just hoped he didn't go for Pakkun. Pakkun just sat there, not saying anything, but his frown deepened. "That's for trying to order me around." Riku scoffed, studying the scroll in his hand.

"You should bite him." Pakkun said, talking to me.

Riku laughed. "Yeah. Sure. Like he has the guts to even thi- Ow!" My jaws latched onto his wrist, that held the scroll. I bit hard and shook my head slightly trying to dislodge his grip that he had on the scroll, hoping that he would just drop it.

"That's it pup." Pakkun praised.

"You stupid Mutt! Let. GO!" Riku snarled hand grabbing my scruff trying to pull me off. But I didn't let go. I growled and tightened my grip.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" All eyes went to the new voice that joined in the conversation, although I really didn't have to look to know that it was Kakashi. I felt so relieved, even though I knew that I was trouble. At least I could except my fate with some redemption. Kakashi was crouched on a low hanging branch, looking down at the scene below him.

"Just teaching Kaito to follow his defensive instincts, Boss." Pakkun said, in greeting. "I think he's doing quite well."

"Indeed" Kakashi agreed.

I couldn't help the swell of pride that filled me and the approving tone.

"You seem to be needing more training Riku." He said, off handily.

"Shut up! I am at the top of my game. I know who you are. Hatake Kakashi. You been harboring a spy, don't you know. Kaito is mine." Riku spat, no longer trying to dislodge my grip. I growled in response to his comment.

"Hmm. Doesn't look that way to me. But if you know me, then you must also know that I would never let one of my pack run off on their own." Kakashi said, snapping his fingers. Both mine and Riku's eyes moved watching as the rest of Kakashi's pack revealed themselves. "And as for you shinobi skills. If you were at the top of your game. You would have noticed long before that your prisoner if gone. And the traitors who you were able to ally yourself with, are no longer under your command."

Riku looked around his chakra flickering slightly checking to see if Kakashi was telling the truth. His eyes widening when he finally noticed that Sora was no longer in the threshold of the shed. His breathing quickened slightly when the Leaf ANBU emerged only slightly revealing the chunin's who had betrayed their village. I was beyond relieved to see the leaf shinobi's.

"You see." Kakashi continued. "Your only a mediocre shinobi. Nothing but a common thief. A wannabe. And I don't much appreciate such a shinobi mistreating one of my ninken." His voice darkened at the last sentence.

I felt Riku flinch back slightly.

"Kaito." Kakashi said. My ears twitched in his direction when he addressed me. "Release." He commanded.

Slowly, I unlatched my teeth, and took one step back.

"Now, drop that scroll." He said, to Riku. "And maybe I won't let my ninken tear you apart."

Riku narrowed his eyes in defiance. "Then what? You going to take me in?"

"No. Kaito will decide your fate. After all, he's your Clan leader isn't he." Kakashi said.

"What?!" Riku shouted.

"I don't believe I stuttered."Kakashi said.

"He's no Clan leader! And this scroll is mine." In a quick motion, he performed a transportation jutsu and was gone.

I stood there a bit dumbfounded.

"Well, what are you waiting for Kaito?" Kakashi asked hopping from his perch and strolling over to stand beside Pakkun.

I took a step back unsure of what he meant. Weren't the he and the ANBU here to take us all in?

"He's headed east." Pakkun said.

"We'll flank you if you need help." Kakashi added.

"You mean….?" I looked between them, unbelieving.

"Your part of the pack, Kaito. I thought I made that clear. Pack trust one another. I will trust your judgment on Riku."Kakashi said.

"Then unless I fail, do not interfere. This is a fight I must do alone. I will handle my brother." I said, standing straighter and turned toward where Pakkun indicated Riku was headed.

I ran fast, faster than I thought I had in years. I was very conscious of Kakashi and the pack following behind me. Trusting me to do the right thing. I was trusting them to let me settle this once and for all. I needed this and Kakashi obviously new this. Why else would he let me go after Riku? Why else would the ANBU stay back and let him supervise my actions?

'You're going to kill him.' Heki's voice echoed in my head.

So what if I was? Riku was dangerous and even if he wasn't a good shinobi, inexperience shinobi's can sometimes be the most dangerous.

'You don't have to go through with your plan.'

But I did. The Kyūketsuki Clan was a no good Clan. I refuse to let Riku live.

'Even yourself…..?'

I bit the tip of my tongue when I was started catching glimpses of Riku's back. It was now or never. Picking up my speed more I pounced onto his back, shoving him to the ground. The scroll flew from his hand and landed on the ground a few feet from us. Riku rolled to his feet putting distance between us. I stalked closer to him, baring my teeth. "Riku….." I growled.

His eyes widened slightly but quickly changed to a glaring gaze, shifting slightly as he checked to see if anyone else followed. When he relaxed slightly, I knew that he did not know Kakashi and the pack were watching somewhere in the trees. Riku was gullible like that, always thinking he was smarter than everyone. "They let you come after me? Maybe all those rumors about the Great Copy Ninja ans the Leaf Village was just that. A rumor." He scoffed. "Especially if they only sent you." he started to walk toward the scroll and I growl long and loud, making him freeze in his tracks.

"Don't move." I warned. "Just don't."

He looked back at me. I couldn't read his face this time, he had it blank. "Or what?" He asked.

I didn't answer his question, but then he wasn't expecting me to. No faster than I blinked he was suddenly before my, the Forbidden Scroll forgotten for the moment on the ground. I had just enough time to move my head out of the way as he slashed a kunai near my face. However the blade nicked my muzzle slightly and I jumped back rubbing a paw on the sore spot before fixing my stance. I was not planning on dragging this out. I just need the sun to disappear and at the sight of the moon rising I knew that the time to finish all this was going to be now.

"You're going to do nothing that's what!" He snarled, stalking closer. I watched has ran his thumb over the kunai in his hand and marking the scroll, summoning his swarm of bats.

'Kaito…..don't….'

I ignored the voice in my head. I was not going to take Riku alive and I wasn't going to let anyone else but myself take him out. However, Kakashi was right when he said Riku was mediocre for a shinobi, of course I wasn't much better off, even as a ninken. But there was one thing I could do that Riku couldn't. One technique Father handed down to me, and trained into my very being from the moment I could talk and walk. I just prayed that it worked even if I was now a dog. I did not want a long fight, that would just result in injury and pain in the end. I wanted to finish this quick, before the moon had time to fully rise in the sky.

"I'll show how a real Clan leader takes care of traitors." Riku promised, raising his hand and signalling for all his summons to gather. Preparing to command an attack.

"Summoning jutsu." I summoned as my blood from the cut dripped to the ground. I watched as the Bat Gargoyle I summoned appeared in the air, and flew upward toward the darken sky. "Vampire Transformation" I said, with out hesitation, letting her grab me in her talons.

Riku and his swarm had not moved. "Y-you're not….-Father's techni…..Kaito no wait!" He took several steps back, realizing what I was about to do.

'Kaito, your only suppose to use this in extreme situations. Isn't this overkill?' Heki's voice in my head sound disappointed, but it was too late to turn back now. I couldn't let Riku walk away. Just like how I couldn't let Aimi walk away that night. I couldn't allow any of us to walk away, not now that I finally had my chance to finish off the Kyūketsuki Clan; my clan for good.

Riku continue backing up even as my summons called his swarm away from him. They surrounded my summons and myself and I closed my eyes and let myself merge with the gargoyle that held me up in the air. It wasn't painful, but it certainly wasn't comfortable. Her wings soon became mine. Her night vision sharpened my eyesight, and I could feel my four legged form turn to two. Before I knew it, I was the one keeping myself in the air.

Opening my eyes I looked at Riku as his stared up at me. "Now brother. We will finish what the Mangetsu should have." I said. Swooping down upon him.

"You idiot!" He screeched dodging out of the way.

I redirected myself, as I landed on the ground. It was weird after ten years to stand on two legs, so I crouched. Even crouched though I was still taller than Riku. "What's wrong brother? All I am asking is for your blood." I taunted, stalking him.

Our summons were vampire bats and by merging with Fathers summons. I was basically one with her, and I felt her craving. Merging with her came with a price in itself. The longer I shared a body with her, the more I sacrificed my soul to keep this form. And after years of never understanding, I now understood why Father only said to use this form in extreme situations.

"Are you not going to fight back. Is the oldest son of our Father really going to run from his weak little brother?" I asked.

"Cut the shit Kaito." He said, hurriedly. "We both know you can't kill me. You were never a killer."

That was true. I have never liked fighting or the killing that came with it. No matter how many times I would kill on command for Riku and Aimi, I could never find any joy in it. "Until now." I countered. It was easy to ignore silly things like emotion merge with my summons.

He signaled for his bats, but they did not come to his aid, and I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped me, as I glanced up at them as they poofed away in tiny puffs of smoke. They would no long listen to him, when I was in this form. When I was part of Fathers summons.

"Now Riku," I said, when his back hit the bark of a tree stopping his slow retreat. "I think we should make this quick and painless. Don't you?"

TBC

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I hope you all like the new chapter. And its October! Yay! Time for spooks! So hate it?, like it? let my know what you all think by faving, following, and/or Reviewing. I really enjoy hearing your thoughts. We are coming toward the end of this fanfic