It's me again! I'm terribly sorry it took me so freaking long to update! Collage has been awful for me during the last, two months and I really didn't had as much time as I'd want. And the fact that I got some stupid, author's block on this fic certainly didn't help (plus the popularity my original stories are getting on FictionPress). But finally I've managed to write it. It looks slightly different from what I've planned at first, but I'm actually quite found of it.

Basically, I've shortened the whole battle scene. In the previous version, the flashback was going to last another chapter, but considering how long I made you wait, I basically just left the essence of the flashback and squeezed it into this chapter. Those of you who enjoy my fighting scenes might be disappointed, but I assure you that later on there will be plenty of fighting.

As usual thanks to everyone who reviewed. It really means a lot.

And now, so that you won't have to wait any longer, here's the newest chapter of "Love, Demons and Bloodlines":

Chapter #17: Sealed Emotions – Yugito's Story part II

"Well, Akumo, your performance was pretty pathetic" came a deep voice from the bushes. The former sand-nin only threw a glare in the direction it came from and then got back to healing his left shoulder with his medical jutsu. As he did that, another man with the slashed, hitae-ate with the sunglass on his forehead walked out of the bushes. He had spiky, black hair, yellow eyes and his skin was mostly tan. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a white cover and baggy, white pants. Both his arms were wrapped in bandages. "That blonde girl sure messed you up good…"

"What do you want Hiromu?" the other man asked annoyed, without paying much attention to the newcomer. The brown-skinned man only smirked at this and then replied with a little playful voice: "I just thought I'll drop by to see how you're doing… besides, there's always that bet we made: you said that if you'll manage to kill the messengers that carry the note for Mizukage…"

"Yeah, I remember" Akumo interrupted him, even more annoyed then before. "So I got taken by surprise, big deal. How was I suppose to know that hag was some sort of a monster…" but at this point Hiromu's smirk only widen: "Not exactly a monster… a Jinchuuriki. Just like Kazekage's brat. Defeating her won't be as simple as you first assumed…"

"Regardless, she will die" the other man assured calmly. "Just when my shoulder heals…"

"Well then, I hope you won't mind I tag along" Hiromu more announced then asked. "I would really like to know what's so great about those tail demons and this is actually the opportunity to find out… that blonde girl became very interesting for me indeed…"

---That time, elsewhere---

Hana walked out of the tent and joined Kyouki, who was sitting on a log at the edge of the forest. He glanced over at the elder shinobi and the moment their eyes met, he asked: "Is Renge-chan all right?"

The jounin only stared at him surprised for a moment and then replied with a wide smile, joining him on the log: "She'll be just fine. She just needs some rest. I've managed to seal her wound, so her life is no danger. Right now I'm more worried about Yugito… where is she anyway? In this situation the last we should do is separate. That Akumo guy is still out there and most likely that wasn't the last time we met him…"

"She ran off to somewhere, I have no idea where" Kyouki replied, turning away. Instantly silence felt between the two, broken by the boy, who began hesitantly: "Back then… when we were attacked by that missing-nin… what happened to Yugito?"

Hana hesitated herself before answering. She looked deep into her brother's eyes before deciding to give him a response: "Do you know the story of the time when a six-tailed beast Raijuu attacked our village?" she asked and after receiving a nod from the boy, she continued: "Well, the Raikage fought the demon, however the best was hard to kill. Seeing no chance in slain it, he decided to seal it, so that the beast shouldn't do any more damage then it already had. He managed to trap it inside a scroll. I'm sure the taught you about that in the Academy… either way, it soon turned out that the seal on the scroll will not be enough to keep Raijuu in prison and so the elders of the village made another decision: they've decided to us a better container with a more powerful soul…"

"By that you mean…?" Kyouki began as his sister only nodded: "It's just as you picture it: Yugito-san was chosen to be the new container for Raijuu…"

"But… but that's insane!" the boy yelled loudly, completely forgetting about remaining hidden. "From what occurred today anyone can easily tell that the seal isn't working! And what's more, Yugito presents danger to those around her! You saw what she did! You felt the same thing I did! If she loses control, she'll kill us as well! She's a monster…" but at this point he received a powerful slap in the face.

He looked with total surprise at his sister, who only stood there, still in the position after hitting him, with a slightly angry expression on her face: "She didn't choose this… she was forced to do it… by saying that she's a monster you are no better then one as well…" at this point Kyouki only lowered his head. Hana let out a loud sigh and then placed her hand on the boy's hand: "Jinchuuriki is still human, Kyouki… they still feel, whether you accept it or not. It's true they're not like others. But they're just different… not better or worse then you or me… only if you'll refuse to give them even this much, they'll become true monsters…" and with that she glanced at the moon: "Lets go find her. We'll meet back here in thirty minutes no matter what!" and with that she disappeared.

---A little later---

Yugito threw another rock into the pond and watched it bounce off the water surface several times before sinking to the bottom. She didn't even paid any attention to Kyouki who walked over to her and settled next to her on the big stone. "Found ya" he announced, but the girl still didn't seem to even realize he was there.

The boy observed her for a short while as she threw another rock into the pond and seeing that she wasn't willing to talk, he decided to speak up first: "You know, I still didn't manage to thank you… you know, for that time you beat the crap out of that Akumo guy and all…"

"It wasn't me" she replied simply, throwing another rock. "It was Raijuu…"

Kyouki hesitated for a moment, lowering his head in the process. He picked up a rock of his own. He looked at it and then replied: "It may have been it who did it… but he only did it, because you wanted him to" and at this point he also threw the rock into the pond. For the first time Yugito glanced at him as he turn his head towards her and looked deep into her eyes.

"It's true that the demon sealed inside you is evil" the boy announced with a serious face without looking away. "But you've putted it into a good use. That's what counts. It's true that I was scared of it at first, but my sis helped me understand it a bit better. So: thanks for saving us back then!"

"That's rare" she announced, lowering her head. "It's the first time I actually hear a word of gratitude directed towards me…" and it was at that time that the boy placed his hand on her shoulder, making her once more look at him: "It's probably because people of our village are blind… they don't realize how much you did for them, just like I used to. They refused to accept it. But now I understand things better and I know that I owe you a lot. And I can promise you, that no matter what happens, I won't ignore it anymore!" and for the first time ever, Kyouki saw her smile.

"I'll hold you to it" she stated, smiling warmly. The boy's face also brightened as he struggled back to his feet, saying: "We should get back. I'm suppose to get back to the camp in thirty minutes and those are almost up. C'mon or we'll miss free dinner" he joked and so the two headed back to the tent.

---The next morning---

Renge stretched herself smiling as the sunrays hit her face. She glanced over her shoulder at Yugito, who also left the tent and yawned widely with her eyes still sleepy. Kyouki was already up and stood propped with his back against a nearby tree. The cat ninja winked to the boy playfully, making him blush deeply and look away. Some time passed and Hana returned from her scout.

"The route before us seems to be clear, but don't get too confident" the young jounin warned her subordinates with a serious face. "That Akumo guy is still alive and most likely he won't let us pass just like that, so keep your eyes open" all the gennin nodded and soon the team was back on the road.

Most of their journey went by peacefully, almost like a premonition that the worst was yet to happen. As the sun slowly began going down the horizon, they entered another forest road. The trees created a great shelter from the last sunrays, making darkness wrap around them. This whole time Renge and Kyouki kept on talking with each other, laughing from time to time. Hana only smiled at that, but having the responsibility to keep her guard up, didn't paid that much attention to that.

Finally night fell and the female jounin decided they should set up camp. Renge and Yugito were suppose to prepare a shelter, while Kyouki was suppose to catch something to eat. Hana went to scout the surroundings to make sure the missing-nin from the other day wasn't around. That proven to be a mistake.

Yugito heard some coming from the bushes and instantly readied her kunai, with Renge going into her fighting position while Kuroko settled on her shoulder with its fur raised. But it wasn't Hana nor Kyouki that came out. It wasn't even Akumo.

"Hello, little girls" Hiromu greeted them with a wide smirk appearing on his face as he bowed slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Hiromu, once from Suna, and I'm afraid that I have to kill you…" but neither of the kunoichi allowed him to finish as they both jumped straight at him, ready to attack.

Yugito tossed her knives at him from the man's right, forcing him to dodge by moving forward, where Renge was already waiting for him. As Kuroko changed into its master again, the two cat-nins charged towards their opponent with their hands surrounded by chakra once more. As the two slashed, ripping Hiromu's body to pieces, it suddenly changed into dirt and felt to the ground, lifting up a little dust.

"Kawarimi?" Yugito asked surprised, but Renge only shook her head in disagreement: "I highly doubt that. It seemed more like some sort of bushin. The one that is capable of taking damage. This guy is certainly not some low-level shinobi. We gotta watch out…"

Meanwhile Kyouki finished his task and lifting two, dead rabbits by their ears, he looked them over. "I sure hope you guys will do" he said to himself as his good mood returned, only to disappear a second later as a sudden, cutting sound reached his ears.

Acting on instinct, he rolled on the ground, dropping the dead animals, and only thanks to that did he avoid a huge Fuuma Shuriken that few right above him. In a flash he got back to his feet, picking out his katana. "That shinobi star" he thought to himself, narrowing his eyes. "It's that Akumo bastard!" and like on queue, in that very moment, the missing-nin walked out of the bushes, spinning his huge shuriken on his hand.

"How're you doing, brat?" the man asked with a wide smirk appearing on his face. "Miss me?" but Kyouki didn't reply and in stead he charged straight at the former sand-nin with his sword ready. However his attack was easily blocked by the man's shuriken and the boy didn't even managed to react as his opponent landed a powerful spin kick into his chest, making him gasp for air.

"You seem to be slightly confused, my friend" Akumo announced, still smiling. "Last time you managed to survive, because you had that jounin chick and the Jinchuuriki to protect you. And now you're all alone. Oh, and don't count on the babes to come and save you, coz my partner is taking them down as we speak…"

"You bastard!" the masked boy yelled as he charged again, aiming to cut the man in half, yet the missing-nin simply jumped into the air and to his left, flying above the blade while he somersaulted, and cut from above, making his shuriken leave a deep wound on Kyouki's right shoulder. The weapon master instantly took few steps back and grabbed his wound as blood began escaping his body.

His breath became faster as he glared at his opponent. He never even realized that he let go of his katana the moment he received the hit. Refusing to give up, he picked out his chain with the scythe-like blade at the end and began swinging it around. Akumo only smirked again at the sight.

Kyouki reached for his hostel and picked out a kunai. His eyes narrowed again as he suddenly threw his chain at his opponent, yet the missing-nin easily dodged the assault by jumping to his right. What Akumo failed to realize however was the fact that the scythe blade of the boy's weapon sunk deep into a tree and the young cloud-nin used that to shoot himself at his adversary, using the chain to swing himself forward.

Having not enough time to dodge by jumping aside, Akumo leaned forward, making Kyouki fly right above his head. "That brat" he cursed in his mind annoyed as he spun around. "He wasn't aiming at me. Oh well, never mind. By the time he'll swing himself to that tree, he'll be dead!" and with that thought the stopped, preparing to lunch his shuriken at the boy, who was still flying towards the tree, grabbed tight to his chain.

But before the missing-nin could unleash his weapon at the young gennin, the chain suddenly exploded right above the boy's hands, thus breaking his flight. In a flash Kyouki flipped in mid-air and facing Akumo he threw the kunai he held in his hand at the man. Completely surprised at all of this, the shuriken user didn't manage to react in time and had the knife sunk deep into his wound.

"That little shit! So he actually looked so far ahead as to see that I'll not only avoid his chain but also his swinging attack! That time, when he reached for the kunai, he had an explosive tag ready and just attached to the chain so that it'd explode, breaking his flight and giving him a clear shoot when I'd be unprepared!" the former sand-nin analyzed in his mind with his eyes widen. "Dammit, this guy…"

Kyouki didn't wait for his opponent to get back to his senses. He instantly reached for more kunai and tossed them at Akumo in hope to finish the battle, yet the older shinobi managed to deflect all the knives by using his huge shuriken. He send the boy a dead glare and with a loud yell, he charged forward: "You did good, brat, but this ends here!"

But before he managed to reach the masked boy, a mysterious figure appeared in his way and with a quick technique, knocked him out with electricity. Kyouki looked surprised at the man, who now slowly turned around, thus revealing he had spiky, grey hair, light blue eyes and a face with several scars, with one going across his left eye. But the thing that made the masked boy let out a sigh of relief was the headband with the Kumo symbol on the man's forehead.

The man took a quick glance at the boy and with concern in his voice, he asked the boy if he was alright. Kyouki only nodded, too shocked to speak, but the instant he did so, the new comer's head shoot up with a little frightened look of his face. He grabbed the young gennin by the hand and with a simple 'we need to go' he dragged him into the forest.

In a flash they reached the place Kyouki's team set out camp, however from the sight that appeared before the masked boy's eyes, they came much too late: there, on the ground, laid a man he never saw before, with small slashes all over his body and with a big hole in his stomach. Just that made the young gennin almost threw up, but the worst was still to come.

A little further, propped with her back against a tree, sat a motionless body of his older sister in a similar state that the first body was. And a bit further away crawled Yugito right over another body, which also was full of wounds. That one Kyouki recognized instantly; it was Renge.

The Jinchuuriki glanced back at the new arrivals, thus revealing her black eyes and fangs in her mouth, from which saliva dripped. Her nails became claws once again, while her body was shaking. The man only narrowed his eyes at the sight as he reached for his pocket: "I came too late" he cursed himself as the Raijuu vessel suddenly jumped right at them, extending her chakra hand.

With one, smooth move, the cloud-nin charged forward, barely dodging the Jinchuuriki assault, yet still received a cut on his left cheek. As electricity shoot from his new wound, he kept on running at the girl and placed a tag with a strange symbol right on her forehead. The instant he did so, the kunoichi let out an ear-piercing yell, like she was suddenly ripped apart, and collapsed to her knees. The chakra sphere that was surrounding her until now began fading away.

The man didn't pay a lot of attention to it. In stead he went over to the older kunoichi that laid under the nearby tree and checked her pulse. He only lowered his head at realizing that what he feared came true: the girl was no longer among the living. He then glanced over to the other girl, next to which Kyouki was already kneeling. The boy also lowered his head in the gesture of powerlessness as tears slowly gathered in his eyes. Seeing this, the older shinobi only looked away.

He then got back to the Raijuu vessel, who've seemed to calm down finally. She was kneeling on the ground as she hid her face behind her hands. The man heard a sobbing sound, that was a sign she was crying. He placed his hand on her shoulder, but she didn't react. In the meantime Kyouki walked over to the two with the motionless Renge on his arms.

It was only then that Yugito raised her sight and settled her eyes on him. With water still going down her cheeks, she struggled back to her feet and hesitantly held her hand out front: "Kyouki, I…" she began with a shaking voice, trying to touch her female's cheek, but the boy took a step back, placing the dead kunoichi out of her reach. "I didn't mean to…"

Without a word the masked boy settled the cat ninja's body next to his sister and stood back up, looking at his only, living teammate with a look that she has never seen before. It was exactly anger nor was it sadness. It was something in between… along with something else.

"Kyouki, I really didn't…" she began again, incapable of stopping the waterfalls of tears that kept on going down her face. She this time reached for the boy, but he stopped her hand halfway. "I'm really sorry… I just… I lost…"

"You haven't lost a thing" he replied, trying his best to hold back his emotions. "The one at loss here… is me" he announced, looking at the ground so to not let the kunoichi see his face. "To think that I've allowed myself to get blinded twice… first with the impression I had of you… and then, when I actually believed that impression was wrong…"

"Kyouki…"

"I was wrong all the way" he continued, still refusing to rise his head. "In the end, you are a monster. There's no, other way to describe it. Even considering what I said the other night, you still did all this" and at this point he raised his head, revealing anger that suddenly stuck to his face. "Nobody was wrong about you! You're different! You're a freak! And I hate you!" and with that he disappeared into the forest.

"Kyouki!" Yugito called after his with a broken voice as she made an attempt to go after the boy, but got stopped by the man's hand that once more landed on her shoulder. She looked at him surprise, only to see him shake his head in disagreement. The kunoichi lowered hers, making the tears keep on falling on the ground. Once more, she was alone.

---Flashback end---

"So this is what happened" Kurenai concluded as Kiba stood there, completely shocked. Hinata covered her mouth as she felt tears gathering in her eyes as well, while Naruto had his head lowered. The only one who seemed to be unmoved by it all was Shino, as usual. "And that man…"

"He's the current Raikage" Yugito announced as she slowly stood up and exited the room. Kiba glanced after her and then turned towards Kyouki, who had his head lowered, just like the Kyuubi vessel. He stared at the masked boy for a short moment, and then finally, decided to break the silence: "So this is why you hunt Jinchuuriki? Because Yugito-san lost control?"

"Jinchuuriki cannot control themselves" the former cloud-nin replied a little painfully. "Even if they're doing something in the best interest, they can still end up hurting their comrades… they can run amok… well, that is how I felt…"

"And have you ever considered" Naruto cut in, gaining the boy's attention. "How Yugito felt back then?" and with that question, he exited the room as well. Kyouki only managed a forced smile behind his masked as he once more looked at the floor.

"Indeed, that I haven't considered" he said quietly, but still everyone heard him.

---secrets are revealing! Coming up: the conclusion of the Lighting Country mission!---

And so this chapter ends. As I wrote above, next time the Lighting Country mission will end and some mysterious characters will come into an act. Time to settle things with Orochimaru is drawing near. The real battle is only beginning.

I'll also do my best to update much sooner this time. Hopefully I'll manage.

Thanks for reading and hope you'll leave me a review once you're done.

Take care and until next time, hopefully!