UPDATE WOO~!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! I also do not own any of the characters within this fan fiction, save for the ones that I have claimed as my own as well as the entire Fujiwara Family O:!

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Chapter Twenty-Nine: So He's Really Creepy… The Diary of Nightmares!

Drip… Drip…

Nakusu grimaced, feeling a migraine flood through his head, making him never want to open his eye again, but he knew he had to if he wanted to find out what was going on. He forced his eye open and found himself staring at something straight out of a horror film.

A hot stream of boiling lava could be seen past long, thick iron bars of… Something, a cage maybe?

Nakusu shifted, wincing as his bones cracked and his body felt stiff. He sat up from his sprawled position on the bottom of the cage, lifting his head. He eyed a catwalk hanging over the river of bubbling hot magma with curiosity, seeing a shadow move before he heard a groan from somewhere else. He jerked his head in the direction, wincing in pain as his neck seemed to crack.

He could hardly tell where the groan had come from until he saw someone huddled in the corner of the cage he was in. The boy wore a torn old gray yukata… Or maybe it had once been white. His white hair hung to his shoulders in some places, others were short and loose flying. His eyes were a deep brown, maybe black. He looked up, frowning at the sight of Nakusu before his eyes widened.

"Your headband." He stated, his voice cracking. Nakusu blinked and reached up to his headband, then looked at the boy as he managed to sit upright.

"My name is Uchiha Nakusu… What is your name?" He asked calmly. The boy shifted a little, lifting a thin arm to grab onto a bar. He seemed to pull himself into straight sitting position, but he winced all the while. Nakusu himself winced, but mostly at the sight of the ribs that were clearly visible in his torso.

"I'm Owari Hyota… You're a shinobi."

"Yes. I need to know where we are. Do you have any idea?"

"Any idea," Hyota snorted, then looked at the bubbling pit of lava, shuddering, "I'd like to know myself… I'm not even from this psychotic village."

"You are not?" Nakusu asked, perplexed. Hyota shook his head and his expression seemed to darken, like a storm cloud passing across his pale skin.

"I'm from Yukigakure. I'm a prince."

"A prince?" Nakusu almost gagged on the term in shock. The boy definitely looked nothing like a prince. Of course, it was probably because of the grim, the sweat, the filth that covered him. Looking closely, you could faintly see the sign of royalty. His pale skin, snow white hair, and black eyes. His dirtied yukata must have been pure white at one point, like the very snow that covered his homeland. Nakusu grimaced, leaning back a bit against a bar.

"I see… Then how did you come to be here?"

"We were passing through, my guards and I. I was supposed to come here for a vacation or something silly like that, but we were ambushed… Some filthy old man by the looks of him. He looked to me like some kind of lonely old hermit in search of some disgusting hobbies."

"Old man? What was his name?" Nakusu demanded, glaring now. Hyota stiffened, pressing himself closer to the bars as if Nakusu's sudden interest frightened him. He stared at Nakusu cautiously before speaking.

"Kyoto. Fujiwara Kyoto. I think he's the mayor of this place." He managed. Nakusu flinched, then cursed under his breath, looking the other way. Why hadn't he seen it in the first place?

"Damn it," He spat in annoyance and shut his eye, "I should have taken someone with me, else I would have not been trapped in here."

"Sorry to sound so rude," Hyota admitted, "But I'm glad you're here. Everyone else I shared this cell with is gone."

"Everyone else? Gone? What are you talking about?" Nakusu asked. Hyota frowned, folding his thin arms over his chest tightly, shivering a bit.

"This thing only looks big enough to hold two people, eh? Nah, when I got here, there were seven others… Misa, Ra, Iwato, Tsukiya-"

"Tsukiya was here?" Nakusu demanded. Hyota nodded.

"Yea. He was the one trying to keep everyone calm. Kyoto came in here every day, taking someone out. They never came back. One by one they were taken away. We began to think that Kyoto was doing something really cruel to them before just killing them… If you catch my drift."

"That is disgusting."

"I'll say. Anyway, they just disappeared. Last one died yesterday and I'm the only one left. I didn't want to die alone." Hyota replied with a light smile. Nakusu stared at him for a long time before he rose to his feet.

"You are not going to die at all. We will get out of here. He made the mistake of catching an Anbu Black Ops from Konohagakure." He stated. Hyota blinked and stared at him in surprise as Nakusu glanced around the cell, his eye scanning the catwalk and the other surroundings.

"Black Ops? An Elite ninja? But, you look so young…"

"Sixteen…"

"You must be a prodigy! That's amazing!" Hyota exclaimed eagerly. Nakusu glanced at him, with a weak smile.

"Yes…. Prodigy…" He looked back at the bars, scaling them. He could definitely try using a fireball jutsu to melt the bars. They could sneak out and find a way onto the catwalk… Stairs. Nakusu scanned for a staircase, but only found chains dangling nearby.

Those will have to do. He thought with a nod. Climbing up the chains onto the catwalk and finding the nearest exit. Any encounters with guards could be easily put back by fireball jutsu until they could find an exit. Not to mention, Kotori, Sayuri, and Mitsuru were bound to be searching high and low for him when they realized he hadn't shown up for their meeting spot.

Nakusu waited a while, scanning the plan for any big flaws when he felt Hyota staring at him. He glanced over.

"What?" He asked. Hyota stiffened a bit, then shifted.

"Nothing… But, I'm rather curious. What happened to your eye?"

"Battle." Nakusu responded curtly and that was the end of that conversation as Hyota merely puffed out one of his cheeks in a pout. Nakusu leaned back away from the bars, pulling Hyota with him.

"All right," He stated, "Keep back and cover your face. I am going to get us out of here."

With that being said, Nakusu made a hand sign and flames shot at the bars. The iron turned to liquid and hit the ground in thick gunky forms. Nakusu darted forward, ignoring the hissing melted bars that touched through his clothes, turning right through and blistering his skin. He assisted Hyota, who winced a little at the burns.

"Come on. We need to hurry and be silent." Nakusu commanded. Hyota nodded eagerly and hurried after Nakusu as they moved past the bubbling hot lava toward the dangling chains. Hyota cringed at the sight of them.

"Uhm… Are you sure we should be doing this? Those things look unstable-"

"You go first. If you call, I will catch you."

"How can I trust you?"

"I am a shinobi of Konohagakure. It is my job." Nakusu answered sternly. Hyota stared at him for a while, then nodded slowly. Nakusu grimaced a little as Hyota used his shoulder to grab onto the nearest chain. A little voice in Nakusu's head shrieked wildly at being touched, especially by someone like this. However, he managed to keep his cool as he watched Hyota struggling up the chain, using another to keep balanced.

As Hyota seemed to find an edge onto the catwalk, Nakusu jumped up and caught the chains. He pulled himself up, inching along before he climbed over the edge with Hyota, who seemed to squeak in surprise. Nakusu whipped around as he heard a chuckle.

Kyoto stood there with his young bodyguards, one looking rather flushed and embarrassed while the other seemed rather ashamed. Nakusu frowned, inwardly flinching as Hyota grabbed his shirt sleeve.

"Ah," Kyoto mused, like a kind old man as he gestured a hand to them, "Uchiha, it seems you've assisted my last child… You're so kind to bring him closer to the alter."

"Alter?" Nakusu demanded. Hyota squeaked again and hid behind the Anbu, who continued to glare at Kyoto. The old man chortled before coughing slightly, then gesturing to his bodyguards.

"Yes, the alter. These two have just experienced such an alter… That boy there, Prince Hyota, is the next one to be killed for being such a rotten child."

"I'm not rotten!" Hyota protested, but one look from the creepy old man made him shut his mouth and grip Nakusu's shirt tighter. Nakusu frowned.

"What exactly are you doing? You called us to come here and catch the one kidnapping the children and it was you all along."

"Of course… I love children, but what makes me so angry is that they grow up. Much too fast for my pleasure," He stopped to chuckle, making Nakusu sick to his stomach as Hyota managed a small whimper, "So, once they become too old, I take them to the alter where they are killed and are eventually reborn. I've come to realize that there are just not enough children in this village, so I went searching through a file of children within the perfect age range and who did I find, but you? The pride and joy of Konohagakure Police Force, of the Uchiha Clan. Uchiha Nakusu. Of course, the others were unintended. Merely there to be there."

"So you set up this entire ordeal? You wasted the last years of your life." Nakusu muttered dryly. Kyoto scowled a bit, tapping his cane on the catwalk, making it groan and creak.

"Don't be so ignorant, boy… I worked hard on this… And now that I have you, my final piece, I will be content. You've become my main objective, looking so much like Tsukiya, my grandson… He was such a good boy. Show me that you can be the same, young Uchiha. I've heard you're a prodigy." He crooned, gesturing a hand out so his wrinkled fingers spread apart. Nakusu glared at him.

"You are sick and disgusting. It is hard to believe you have ever even spawned children with such a demented mind. You are using and killing innocent children for your sick amusement and that is worthy of a painful death." He snapped, tensing up in annoyance and disgust. Kyoto's eyes narrowed sharply as he slowly lowered his hand.

"If you wish to play hard to get, then we shall play it, Uchiha. Tai, Suke, please apprehend the young Uchiha and the prince." He commanded. Both the bodyguards seemed to stiff for a split second before nodding and going to move forward, making Nakusu and Hyota step back, if not for a loud creaking and rocking that stopped everyone.

Nakusu's eye flashed and locked on the railing of the catwalk. Dark purple, almost barbed wire looking vines seemed to curl around the railings. They moved swiftly and seemed to wrap tightly. Kyoto's eyes narrowed and he went to turn, but stopped dead in his tracks as one of the bodyguards bolted forward as if to flee, throwing his spear down.

However, a thick, tightly wound cylinder of vines shot right through the bodyguard's stomach, causing a spray of thick red blood. Nakusu gasped and stumbled back, wiping his face off as Hyota cried out in disgust, still clinging to Nakusu's back. The other bodyguard shrieked immediately, throwing his weapon to the ground. Kyoto glared, moving as fast as a cobra and grabbing the back of the bodyguard's vest.

"You worthless maggot! If you dare run…!" He snarled, but the bodyguard managed to squirm away. Nakusu's eyes widened.

"No, wait-" He didn't finish as the bodyguard backed up into the railing and lost his balance, tumbling over the side with a sharp scream. There was a gunky splash and hissing followed as hot steam rose from the lava stream below. Nakusu felt sick again and covered his mouth on the verge of vomiting when he realized there was still one person left. Kyoto turned slowly to face him and a look of pure insanity glowed in his gold eyes.

"YOU! You've been a bad, bad boy! Killing my bodyguards! You called that monster, didn't you?" He roared. Nakusu stared at him in disbelief.

"Monster…? What are you talking about?" He demanded, but he didn't get an answer. Another blast of vines flung forward with a loud screeching sound at how fast they were moving. Nakusu leapt back, grabbing Hyota, who clung to him and cried out in shock.

The vines blasted forth, ripping through Kyoto's back, his innards, and bursting free from his chest and gut. More blood splattered and Kyoto's eyes widened in horror. Nakusu stared, watching as the old man's body sank to the catwalk.

"My… Boy…" He managed, his trembling, bloodied hand reached out, brushing against Nakusu's pant leg before he fell forward onto his face. Nakusu jerked his head up, watching as the vines retreated, slithering away.

He recognized the shadow that had run across the catwalk moments before their escape, a man by the looks of it. He was tall, at least six foot something, dressed in a thick black cloak with the hood pulled up and hiding whosever face was shadowed. However, very evident symbols were etched into the cloak.

Red clouds, outlined thickly with pure white.

Nakusu's eye widened as Hyota blinked in surprise, obviously wondering who had come to save them. The man stepped up to the back of the old man, heaving him up with a black-gloved hand.

"I hate old guys… All the same." He retorted in a young, masculine tone. He thrust his arm to the side, making Hyota yelp in disbelief and Nakusu wince. The old man's corpse went to join his bodyguard's. The Akatsuki member bent down, grabbing up the other bodyguard, heaving him over the railing. Nakusu winced. A wretched stench began to fill the room as the man turned to face them now.

"You're not going to kill us, are you?" Hyota managed to ask shakily. The man was probably rolling his eyes, his arms folding over his chest.

"Of course not. You're not on my do-to list."

"Then thank you for saving us!" Hyota exclaimed. Nakusu grimaced, then studied the tall man in black.

"Who are you? Your voice…." He could sense something horribly familiar about this man, but what? His voice held a bitterness that could be icy enough to melt the lava below. He was tall and obviously strong if he could heave two bodies.

The man sighed a bit and went to the catwalk, leaning on his elbows on it. He waited a while, as if debating something in his mind before pushing away. He turned to them and reached up to his hood.

"I can't expect you to remember. It's been a while." He admitted and removed his hood. Hyota gasped in shock and Nakusu blinked, his eye widening.

The man had almost shoulder-length slate colored hair, most of it covering his face and the little it didn't was creamy and smooth, save for a stream of vine-like dark purple color that went over his nose, across his face like a scar. His eyes were a piercing lilac, so very pale and cold.

"Kaoru." Nakusu managed.

"Yup. Probably wouldn't have recognized you if that old coot hadn't of said your name a billion times. Last time we met, you had both your eyes." Kaoru pointed out. Nakusu cringed.

"So that happened recently!" Hyota exclaimed. Nakusu finally managed to pull away from him a bit, looking up at Kaoru.

"You have nerve," He began coldly as the memories flew back from their last encounter, "After you tricked us and stole my aunt's diary, you should be ashamed to make appearance." Kaoru stared at him sleepily, then reached into his cloak and Nakusu expected a kunai, only to receive a black leather bound journal.

"Here. It's Ruriko's diary. Lots of shit in there that'll be useful, but you can't look at it. It's only meant for the eyes of the writer. Otherwise, you'll be knocked clean out. I was told to give it back to her." He stated. Nakusu frowned and took the journal, studying its sleek black leather before he pocketed it into his weapons pouch. He looked at Kaoru curiously.

"That is still no excuse."

"I know." Kaoru replied calmly with a light shrug. Nakusu frowned as he stared at Kaoru's sad puppy dog look. He could faintly remember declaring to be Kaoru's first friend. The sad miserable puppy that he'd met had turned out to be just a lapdog to his master… But he could sense a deep concentration of hatred for the master that ruled over this abused mutt.

"Kaoru."

"Hm?"

"Come back with us." Nakusu said at last. Hyota stared at him. Kaoru frowned slightly, then seemed to smile. His expression slowly relaxing as he cocked his head a tad, his cold lilac eyes growing warmer for a moment.

"That sounds great. You have no idea… But I don't think I can deal with your aunt getting pissy on me for betraying you guys. I also have some unfinished business to attend to with old Scarface." He added, glancing behind him as if expecting someone to attack him from behind. Nakusu frowned.

"Kaoru-"

"It was nice seeing you again and take care of that brat," He pointed to Hyota, who pouted a little, "He's a lucky one. Tell Shisui I said hi too. I'll show up again, only I'll make it a better heroic scene, eh? So I don't scare the crap outta you by beating up old, pedophilic murderers and killed molested bodyguards." Nakusu blinked and opened his mouth to speak, but he heard loud crashing and booms from somewhere down the hallway behind him. He glanced behind him with Hyota, who jumped in surprise. He looked back, but Kaoru was gone.

He frowned deeply, but a familiar voice rang in his ears, making him look up in… Well, he didn't know whether to be horrifyingly embarrassed or extremely grateful.

"Nakusu!" Sasuke's voice carried down the hallway at an echo. Nakusu sighed and looked at Hyota, nodding to him. Hyota smiled faintly and followed him down the hallway.

Not moments later did Sasuke come around a corner with Kotori grumbling behind him and Sayuri and Mitsuru muttering curses. Nakusu stiffened as Sasuke got a bit too close, but close enough so he'd remember his son's dislike of close contact.

"Nakusu! My god, I told Naruto this was a stupid mission. Sending a sixteen-year-old on a mission to investigate a pedophile! That's like sending him on a job to make peace with Akatsuki." Sasuke scowled darkly.

"Nice analogy," Kotori muttered dryly, then looked at Hyota with curiosity, "And this is…?" Nakusu glanced at them.

"This is the only survivor. He's Prince Owari Hyota of Yukigakure." He informed. Kotori blinked in horror and studied the boy before looking at Sasuke, who merely grimaced. Sayuri and Mitsuru cringed.

"ONLY survivor?" Mitsuru asked quietly. Nakusu nodded. Kotori clenched her fist.

"And what about the freak who was doing all this? He didn't get away, did he?" She demanded, wishing she'd gotten there in time to rip the man's head off. Hyota's eyes lit up as he beamed.

"He's dead! This man came and saved us! He killed Kyoto!" He exclaimed.

"Kyoto did all this." Sasuke deadpanned, sounding extremely disgusted now, looking at Nakusu, who stared back at him a bit obliviously.

"… Ew," Mitsuru groaned, shuddering and shaking his head vigorously, "That guy was like a freaking leather jacket in itself! Disgusting! I think I'd rather starve to death."

"I rather not." Hyota mumbled, holding his stomach at the sound of it growling.

"You're lucky we still have our hotel room," Kotori pointed out, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, "We've got plenty of food for you to eat. As soon as you do, we'll take you with us back to Konohagakure. Then we can find someone to escort you back to Yukigakure."

"Nakusu." Hyota stated. Everyone stared at him, including Nakusu.

"What do you mean?" Sayuri demanded. Hyota frowned a bit, folding his arms over his chest.

"I want Nakusu to escort me back to Yukigakure. That other guy may have killed Kyoto and his bodyguards, but Nakusu's the one who helped me out of the cell and talked to me first… I want him to escort me." He concluded and with that, wrapped his arms around Nakusu's arm almost possessively. Nakusu tried to contain a cringe and just shut his eye.

"You've got yourself a fan boy." Sayuri whistled with a wickedly taunting grin. Mitsuru snickered. Kotori sweat dropped and looked at Sasuke, who scowled lightly.

"We'll talk about that after we get you guys safely back in Konohagakure… Ugh, when we get back, there's going to be hell to pay with that overly cocky, perverted old…" Sasuke went into a rant, mostly uttered in curses as they made their way back to the hotel.

The village was still calm, but there were more people out and about, chattering animatedly about electing a new leader. The shinobi stayed in their hotel, however, to avoid accusations or anything of the sort.

Nakusu sat in the room he shared with Mitsuru, Hyota, and Sasuke while Sayuri and Kotori shared their own room across the hall. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed, staring with a frown on his face at the journal in his hands.

The leather was warm and bound tightly. A few pages were sticking out past the black ribbon that kept it shut. The temptation to open it was almost hard to control.

Useful things within this small diary? What sort of useful things could there be in a diary? And useful about what? He thought.

"Stop staring at that thing," Hyota complained as he sat across from him on the same bed with a little pout, "You look at it like it's some kind of jewel. What's so special about it?"

"It belongs to my aunt and apparently it is special enough for Akatsuki to want it." Nakusu replied flatly. Hyota frowned a bit when Nakusu glanced at him. Hyota definitely looked better now that they were safe and sound in their hotel room. His pale skin had a warm glow to it and his white hair shined like fresh fallen snow, matching a pair of, not black, but chocolate brown eyes. He wore a loose fitting ice blue yukata with matching pants and socks. Nakusu liked that he was comfortable now, but he was beginning to grow irritated with having… Well, a stalker.

"Your aunt? What is she? A criminal or something?" Hyota asked, intrigued. Nakusu sweat dropped and wondered what Ruriko would have to say to that.

"Uh, quite the opposite. She has worked with Sunagakure's Special Criminal Information Squad. She is now working with the Konohagakure's Police Force."

"Really? That's amazing! Is she at the Anbu level?"

"… Basically."

"That's cool! What about you? You're an Anbu, yes?"

"Yes."

"So cool! Do you go on a lot of missions?"

"Ah, yes."

"Are they all dangerous? Are some of them boring? What about your relationship with that one guy, Kaoru? You guys don't have some kind of thing going on, right? Even if you did, it's obvious Kaoru'd be the one to keep you on your knees-"

"Yes, my missions are dangerous, no, none of them are boring! And my relationship with Kaoru is strictly rivalry, NOTHING MORE! How old are you anyway?"

"Sixteen! And why would you rival with Kaoru? Did he use to be part of Konohagakure? Do you guys hate each other then? Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Mitsuru!" Nakusu yelled as soon as the bathroom door opened. Mitsuru stepped out in a towel, his gray eyes wide in surprise as he held a toothbrush in his mouth. He mumbled a 'hmpth?' Hyota snickered while Nakusu slid off his bed with a huff.

"Entertain him. I am going to shower now."

"Eh? Entertain him? Doing what? You want me to stand on one foot and eat a cow?" Mitsuru asked dryly. Nakusu glared at him and Mitsuru merely shrugged before stepping aside to let Nakusu into the bathroom, slamming the door shut rather loudly behind him.

"He hates me." Hyota deadpanned. Mitsuru blinked and looked up after spitting his toothpaste out in a cup. He shook his head.

"He doesn't hate you. Nakusu's just not used to being clung to. Even his girlfriend doesn't do it." He admitted as he walked over to his bed. Hyota blinked and stared at him.

"Girlfriend?"

"Yea. Her name's Yuriye. Cute kid, pretty smart too."

"Do they kiss?"

"Do they kiss? Kid, I don't know, I don't stalk the guy." Mitsuru snorted as he removed his towel, pulling on a pair of loose boxers and a large black t-shirt with the Konoha symbol on it. Hyota smiled lightly.

"I have a girlfriend." He stated. Mitsuru glanced up as he pulled back his bed sheets.

"Oh?"

"Yes. Her name is Yura. She's small… And she's got freckles. She works in my palace back in Yukigakure, oh… And she doesn't know I'm her boyfriend yet." Hyota added, cocking his head and rubbing the back of it. Mitsuru sweat dropped."Er… So basically you just have a crush on her."

"Sure."

"Why don't you just ask her out then?"

"What about you and Sayuri?" Hyota challenged with a blush. Mitsuru blushed red in return, twitching.

"That's totally different!"

"How?" Hyota dared. Mitsuru glared at him, then shifted a little before pointing a finger at him.

"Don't tell ANYONE I said this… But Sayuri's really strong. She won both her battles in the Chuunin exams. She beats me every time we spar and she's always on top of things… Well, it pisses me off, especially since her ego is as big as her head!"

"Her head's not big."

"That's not the point… I like Sayuri, don't get me wrong. She's freaking cute and I want her to like me back, but there's still the fact that I want to beat her before I date her."

"You shinobi have such weird morals."

"Tell me about it." Mitsuru snorted as he started to get in bed, but stopped when his eyes landed on the black diary on Nakusu's bed. Hyota started to get up from the bed.

"Hey, hand me that." Mitsuru commanded. Hyota blinked, then reached out and picked it up.

"But it's not yours."

"No, but I think I know who's it is."

"Nakusu's aunt?"

"That's my mother."

"Cool! Your mom is Ruriko? Is she cool?" Hyota asked with a beaming smile as he happily handed the diary over. Mitsuru shifted a bit, puckering his lips comically, hugging the diary to his chest.

"Cool? Eh, define cool…" He mumbled. Hyota blinked in confusion. Mitsuru was already trying to remember a time when his mother wasn't yelling at the top of her lungs.

(FLASH BACK TIME, KIDS!)

"MITSURU! Where the hell are all your clothes?" Ruriko shouted angrily, walking into the kitchen in just an oversized t-shirt. A fourteen-year-old Mitsuru twitched, grabbing onto the counter and inching into a corner as he pointed a finger out the window.

"I sort of left them at the last hotel during my last mission!"

"YOU WHAT? How much money do you think I have? Shinobi aren't rich, ya know!"

"I KNOW! Jeez, mom! You scared the crap outta me."

"Scared the crap outta ya. Jeez. You're using your next pay to get clothes!"

"What? But-"

"Some kids aren't fortunate enough to have clothes, Mitsuru! You should really pay attention to what you're doing!"

"Yea, yea, all right. I got it."

Then there was the time when…

"I hate you," A twelve-year-old Haruke ranted angrily, clenching a fist, "You're such a big-mouthed mutt! You're so pathetic it makes me sick! Not only can you get your butt kicked by Sayuri, but you can't even talk to her without sounding like an idiot!"

"Shut up, Haruke! I'd like to see YOU talk to a girl!"

"Girls are stupid!" No more than seconds later did Ruriko walk in, grabbing both Mitsuru and Haruke by the backs of their heads.

"First off," She began with a very creepy smile that a mother probably shouldn't be wearing as she held the heads of her children, "Mitsuru is NOT pathetic. He's a good boy and good boys are too shy to ask beautiful girls out sometimes. Second, you never, ever say you hate your brother. THIRD, of all! Who says girls are stupid, eh? Boys got some problems too, so you both best apologize to each other or I'll crack your heads together like this morning's scrambled eggs!"

Squeaks of apologies were blurted.

(Flashbacks over~)

"What do you look sick?" Hyota asked curiously. Mitsuru shuddered, shaking his head before smiling lightly.

"I'm fine, just remembering a few things… Yea, my mom can be pretty cool… There was this one time she took our family out to eat some dinner at a sushi restaurant. And she does buy us gifts from time to time, especially on our birthdays. She likes having family birthdays with everyone getting together at the table, having some dinner and cake…"

"That sounds nice… Who makes up your family?" Hyota asked. Mitsuru frowned a bit.

"Well… There's my mom and dad… Me… Erm… My… Younger brother, Haruke… Then there are the twins, Miwa and Manabu." He replied. Hyota crinkled up his nose a bit.

"That's funny… Your brother's name sounds familiar."

"Haruke?" Mitsuru asked, perplexed. Hyota nodded.

"I think Kyoto mentioned something about him one time, when he was dragging one of the kids out of the cell. His spy was feeding him information about a boy named Haruke, who had ran away very recently. Maybe the other day? He was buying supplies from a toy shop owner, Kyoto's grandson, Ryuji." He explained. Mitsuru stared at him, then felt a sudden surge of hot anger.

He didn't know if he was mad at Haruke specifically or not, but he knew he was mad and he just wanted to punch something, but it was hard to feeling raging with Hyota staring at him with wide puppy dog eyes. Mitsuru sweat dropped.

"Weird… Well, anyway. I'm going to bed. I'll talk to you in the morning."

"Okay!" Hyota beamed.

In no time, Sasuke had returned and Nakusu was finished with his shoulder. The four males were in bed, the lights out in a darkened room. Mitsuru lay comfortably in his bed, his mother's diary sitting under his pillow.

A sudden jolt of fear shot into Mitsuru's head as soon as it touched the pillow. He was shooting back up in bed, breathing hard and hopeful that the others couldn't hear. He hurriedly took the diary out from under his pillow and stared at it.

The book seemed to almost stare back.

A/N: I finally got this chapter done. I had to stop due to lack of ideas on how to write the ideas that I already had… :'D I fail. O:! Oh well, at least it's done! Hopefully I can post the next one tomorrow if I get a snow day! I pray for a snow day! I think this is all… Thanks very much for reading, hope the characters are okay, and your reviews are greatly appreciated!