Hi! I've got a lot of fanfics planned, but I seriously need all the others out of the way. But then there's school, and my birthday party coming up, and there's so much planning, it's all…AAGGH! 'Keep calm…keep CALM!' I'm probably dropping my NejiTen fanfic; I tried so hard to make a good story, but she's so pointless, there's no back story for her. She's just THERE. I'll try hard. After Primal Forces I'll work on finishing Soul of the Shell. Here we go!

Chapter 7

The peaks of Aetha led to a sheer drop into oblivion. Gray skies covered the high plateau, which was dead center in a large mountain. Not a single part of the surface was craggy or bumpy.

But the geography didn't bother Hikaru. He sighed lazily as he looked up at the tall scaling. Hikaru scoffed and walked away, observing his upcoming task.

'Okay…wind's picking up, gotta work on my strength.'

He remembered the encounter with Hebiko back at the shrine: the pursuit, her bloodlust…and his sudden shriek.

'So much force was released when I opened my mouth…it was like an ultrasonic sound wave.'

A plan formed in his head as his blue eyes scaled the towering peak. Hikaru inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with fresh air until he dropped his jaw and pierced the silence.

"AAAHH!!"

His voice traveled to the mountaintops, colliding with the structure and causing a rumble. Rocks and boulders shifted out of the cliff. They fell downward at an incredible speed aiming straight at Hikaru.

He concentrated all his energy into his hands, raising them against the nearing terror.

"WIND STYLE: DRILLING AIR BULLET!!"

A sudden chill picked up immediately and blew against the tumbling rocks, creating loud discords. Cracks began to surface on the rocks, until it eventually turned into raining pebbles.

Hikaru still had to deal with the multiple pebbles crashing down on him. He crossed his arms above his head, seemingly trying to protect himself. Feeling power in his arms, Hikaru swung his arms down to his sides, pushing air again at the rocks. They formed an arc above his form and landed from a 7 foot radius from him. Dust flew everywhere, rocks collided with each other, and the violent wind died down.

He stood perfectly still, thinking about what just happened. Wind got involved in all of his actions. Hikaru looked down at his hands, feeling the power surge through his veins. The crass buffoon side of his personality drifted away, earning him a sense of responsibility.

After chuckling about his growth, Hikaru noticed the high pitched squeaking coming over the mounds of rock. His eyes shifted back and forth as small critters dawned on him, glaring with red orbs.

'Weasels…' A lot of weasels, to be more precise. Remembering last encounter, Hikaru assumed the inevitable.

'A Kyuubi is here.'

From behind, a dark shadow loomed over his form. Hikaru slowly turned his head; the first thing he noticed was the crimson red eyes before moving on to the long overcoat and pure black hair. It all belonged to a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. His tone was deep once he opened his mouth.

"Amazing show you put for us. Do you believe you're strong enough now?"

Hikaru blankly looked at the man before shrugging him off. "Eh…more or less. What do you want, Kyuubi?"

"At least show some respect. I'm Itachi, the seventh tail."

"And I'm Hikaru, the wind ninja that doesn't give a fuck." He gave a fake smile before trying to walk away. Hikaru believed it best not to fight at the moment.

Itachi learned beforehand that he was dealing with the laziest ninja of all…but he knew Hikaru's dark past. The information was given by the one person the wind ninja resented for all his life.

"He's the fourth tail…"

Haiku stopped in his tracks, realizing who Itachi was referring to.

Itachi smirked, for he knew he struck a nerve,

"Fukaso…your cousin, isn't he? Your dead brother's best friend?"

"Get the fuck outta my life!!"

He glared at the smirking Kyuubi. Anger built up in his trembling body. Hikaru tried hard to force back the energy of hatred and anger, but Itachi stayed calm.

"That guy should just go to hell!" Hikaru growled through gritted teeth. "He'll pay for what he did to my older brother."

Itachi's eyebrows rose. "Ah yes…in order to be a Kyuubi, one must kill a family member." He saw the young ninja tremble more than ever. "Do you want to kill him now? To avenge your brother?"

Hikaru thought while staring menacingly at Itachi. Fukaso of the Kasai family was best friends with Hikaru's only brother…until he was murdered solely to gain power.

"…I'll kill him…with my own hands…"

"You were close to your brother…I can understand the bond between siblings…" Itachi gave a devilish grin, one that made Hikaru grimace.

"I was so close to my brother…I was able to rip his throat out."

Hikaru's knees shook before he fell to the ground. He felt terrible, knowing that Fukaso killed his cousin and best friend, but to kill your own brother…

"What…what's the point?? Why must we kill…people who are so close to us!?"

As he grabbed a fistful of rocks, holding back the pain of his brother's death, Itachi turned around. The weasels descended the mounds; their master thought of the answer he found long ago, driving him to go on.

"It's about the power."

The seventh tail left the world of Aetha, leaving Hikaru to deal with his past. He felt like he lost everything after his brother died. The pranks and jokes Hikaru pulled…were to alleviate the pain he felt.

'This pain will never…NEVER go away…unless I kill him!'