Chapter 11

After the fiasco back on the island, Haru had no hopes of remaining unscathed once Makoto was through of him. And he wasn't the only one. Now, for the first time in his life, Sasuke found himself on the receiving end of his best friend's rage. He knew he had to brace himself for whatever would happen; he'd seen what had become of those Makoto wished to destroy.

So it came as no surprise that at the very next day at school, in the cafeteria at breakfast time, Makoto had an announcement to Maketo. He stood at the top of the stairs that led down into the lounge, as if he couldn't even be fussed enough to make it into the room.

"I have an announcemetn to makekot. Commoner," he said to Haru, though didn't bother looking in his direction. "Sasuke. Consider yourselves expelled from Samezuka." There was an audibale gasp from everyone in the room. Goro's cake dropped off his fork and onto his plate. Haru, who hadn't been even remotely surprised by this turn of events, closed his eyes resolutely.

The talking in the room gradually picked up as Makoto left. Momo and Mikoshiba stomped over to Haru.

"You dumb commoner, look what'd you've done! It's your fault Sasuke is being expelled!" Momo shouted.

"Are you happy, you filth?" Mikoshibo flared. "Now that you've broken up the swim club?!"

"Back off," said Sasuke as he appeared suddenly, grabbing Momo roughly by the shoulder and shoving him, hard. "Don't you dregs have anything better to do with your time?"

"I was trying to stand up for you, but if you're gonna be this way than you deserve to be expelled!" Momo sobbed running away. Mkoshiba glared at Sasuke before chasing after his brother. Haru grit his teeth and turned away.

"I didn't ask for your help," he said drinking his macherel tea.

"No, but I'll always protect you."

Haru turned away even farither to hide his blush. Sasuke pulled out a chair and sat next to Haru, sitting his cello case on the floor next to him.

"How can you protect me from being expelled?" haru said.

"I have a plan."

Goro leaned forward, head on his hands. "Ooh, do tell."

"Mind your own business," Sasuke snapped, standing up. His hands curled into fists, and as he left he muttered, "I'll do whatever it takes."

"Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Goro said, affronted. "I, of course, always wake up on the 'right' side, if you get my meaning." He then chuckled to himself as if he had said something extremely amusing. Haru ignored him as usual.

-Meanwhile-

Sasuke went to the swim club room. Makoto was sitting at his desk reading a book. He glanced up to see who had entered the room.

"What are you doing here? What happened to the guards? Lorenzo! Raul!" Makot shouted.

"They won't be coming." Sasuke said simplh. "And I'm here because I want you to take back expelling Nanase."

Makoto stood in outrage. "There's no way I'm going to do that! That commenor betrayed me! And so did you!"

"If you don't then I'll kill you. You can't expel anyone if you're a corpse." Sasuke said, crossing his arms and smirking.

"Are you… threatening me?" Makoto said, voice trembling with suppressed anger.

"Glad to see you've been following along," Sasuke taunted, raising an eyebrow.

"You can't threatened a Tachibana and get away with it!"

"Oh, I'll do more than get away with it," Sasuke said, reaching for something in his pocket. But they were both interrupted by Rin and Nagisa thundering down the stairs and into the room. "Tch," he intonated, before slipping out the door just before they burst in. Nagisa called behind him.

"Sasu-chan!?" But Sasuke didn't pause and soon he was gone.

Makoto felt his anger only grow. Clenching his fists and ignoring his friends' questions, he felt himself come to a decision.

-Late that night-

Makoto sat in his family's sitting room in a nice armchair in front of the fireplace, facing away from the door.

"You called?" Makoto heard a voice call from the door. He didn't deign to glance at his addresser.

"It seems I'll have need of your 'services'. You know, those services," he said. He glared into the bright, dancing flames. "Sasuke's betrayal on my own island was humiliating enough, but now he has the gall to threaten me with my life? I'm tired of the Uchiha clan thinking they can do whatever they want and stepping on my family's toes. I'm taking this into my own hands now." Makoto stood imperiously and nodded to both Mikoshiba and Momo in turn.

"I want you to take care of him. Do it quietly; I don't want a big to-do like what happened last time."

The brothers each bowed to Makoto before grinning sinisterly and taking their leave. Makoto reached into his pocket and pulled out an old, worn photo and gazing at it. Smiling cheekily out at him were himself and Sasuke miniaturized. Taken over ten years ago, this had been their first camping trip together. He allowed himself a rueful smile before letting the angry emotions take him over again and tossing the photo into the fire. He didn't watch it burn.

-Later that night-

Sasuke was walking in a deserted alley by himself, carrying his cello case on his shoulder. Or so it seemed. But Sasuke was no fool. He dodged suddenly just as a bullet went whizzing by. He grinned.

"You know, I kind of expected better, considering the Tachibana family's resources, but I could sense you from a mile away," Sasuke turned to face his opponents. "This won't take long."

Momo stepped forward, a twisted bloodthirsty smile on his face. He pulled a katana from its sheath. "You're right. It won't take long at all. You'll be dead in 30 seconds."

Sasuke laughed. "Heh. Two on one? You know you're outnumbered." Setting his cello case on the floor, he began making complicated hand signs. "You really think you can take me on? Shadow Clone no jutsu!"

A dozen Sasuke's appeared. One of them punched Momo. Momo swung his sword at the fake Sasuke and he poofed away. "What the hell is this?!" Mikoshiba shouted in disbelief.

Panicking, he fired the gun everywhere. All the clones poofed away. Sasuke grunted in anger. What the- But how!?

Deciding it was best to try and get some distance and try something else rather than waste more of his chakra on clones, he ran up the wall of the alley and onto the roof of the building. Momo cackled in delight. Mikoshiba pointed the gun at Sasuke, who was standing over them, but Momo held an arm out to stop him.

"No, let me," he said sinisterly, licking the blade. He gathered strength in his calves and leapt up the building and straight at Sasuke. The latter only just managed to lean back in time to dodge the katana as it was swung at him. Rather than be disappointed, though, Momo seemed even more delighted as he landed easily on the roof.

"That's right!" He crowed, swinging the blade wildly at Sasuke, who was only just able to keep dodging. "Keep running! I love it when they put up a good fight! It's been ages!"

This guy's seriously bloodthirsty, Sasuke thought as a chill ran down his spine. I need to think of something, and fast! He jumped high in the air and over Momo's shoulder, sprinting back for the alleyway.

"He's coming your way, brother!" Momo jeered with all the pleasure of a hunter cornering his prey. As Sasuke vaulted over the edge of the building and plummeted down toward Mikoshiba, he saw him take aim with the gun and only just managed the hand signs in time.

"Fire Style! Phoenix Flower no justu!" He cried, and flames spewed forth from his mouth and Mikoshiba ducked for cover. Sasuke felt a savage satisfaction as he heard the elder brother cry out in pain; at least some part of his jutsu must have connected. He didn't stop to celebrate, though. He dove for his cello case, unzipping it with flair to reveal, instead of the instrument that belonged, a huge assortment of weapons and scrolls. He grabbed some shuriken and threw them at Momo, who had leapt off the building. He raised his arms just in time to avoid serious damage to his face and neck.

Now Mikoshiba had recovered and pulled out another pistol and was taking aim. I don't have a choice, Sasuke thought decisively, before activating his Sharingan with a burst of chakra. He dodged the bullets eiasily and seemed to be going for the guns when suddenly he was run through. Sasuke cried out in pain, the point of Momo's katana sticking through his chest cavity and dripping with his blood.

"I got him! I killed him!" Momo howled in delight, but his joy was short-lived as there was a sudden cloud of smoke. When the air cleared, rather than a half-dead Sasuke, it was a log that Momo's sword had penetrated. He bellowed in rage, slicing the log in half.

"And I'll take these," Sasuke said confidently, plucking the guns from behind Mikoshiba while they were distracted. "You're about to find out how unlucky you are to be on the receiving end of my Sharingan." Just as he'd seen Mikoshiba do, he raised the guns and pulled the triggers.

But nothing happened.

Feeling panic rising, Sasuke pulled the triggers over and over, but rather than the loud gunfire, all he heard was a harmless clicking sound. "Damn it!" He roared. Snickering, Mikoshiba punched Sasuke in the face. Sasuke flew back and smashed into the side of the building. He tasted blood, felt itdrip from the corner of his mouth, and for a moment he couldn't breathe or see. Bits of concrete and debris fell on him.

"So this is all the Uchiha clan is capable of?" Momo jeered while Mikoshiba guffawed. He pushed the tip of his katana against Sasuke's throat. "I must confess I'm… disappointed."

"Damn you," he swore.

"Tachibana-sama will be pleased," Momo said, raising his sword. Sasuke thought frantically; he didn't have another substition scroll, or time for any ninjutsu. Just before the blade came down, though, a voice sounded out of nowhere, loud and clear.

"Wind Scar!"

Momo and Mikoshiba were blasted out of the way. When the dust settled there was a figure in a red kimono standing before him, wielding a giant blade. It was Inuyasha, grinning smugly. He pointed his Tetsusaiga toward the brothers.

"That was a practice swing. Now, how about we even these odds?" He chortled. Climbing shakily to his feet, Sasuke said between clenched teeth:

"Mind your own business. This has nothing to do with you!"

InuYasha groaned as if Sasuke were causing him great trouble, though he kept his eyes focused on their oponents, who seemed to formulating a strategy of their own in the momentary lull of battle.

"Oh, believe me," he snarled. "I'd just as soon leave your sorry ass for dead and be on my way if it were up to me, but lucky for you, Haru likes you."

The name "Haru" jolted Sasuke and suddenly he felt more lucid and awake. That's right. The reason he was fighting so hard now, it was all to protect Haru. Breathing deeply, he got into a fighting stance alongside InuYasha. "Just don't slow me down," Sasuke muttered.

"I should be telling you that; you're already half dead," InuYasha retorted.

Suddenly, Mikoshiba jumped toward them and slammed his fist into the ground, shattering the concrete and causing the earth to shake. Inuyasha sprang away from the wreckage with ease, Sasuke slightly less so, and Mikoshiba's muscles bulged so much his shirt ripped off. Inuyasha realized with a sudden lurch in his stomach that the amount of power his opponent was emitting had nearly doubled. "I'm impressed you managed to dodge that, but can you dodge this?"

It was Momo who moved, though, but with a surprising quickness that he didn't have before. He lunged with his sword straight for Sasuke, who was barely able to catch the blade with a kunai. It took all of his strength to keep Momo at bay. Inuyasha turned to help Sasuke, but instead was forced to jump to avoid Mikoshiba's next punch.

"Damn you," Sasuke repeated while Inuyasha and Mikoshiba fought in the background, the kunai in his hand shaking from the pressure of Momo's katana pushing down on it.

"If you knew what was good for you, you would have run when you had the chance. Now, you will experience the true power of the Mikoshiba clan," and even as he said it, the pressure on his sword increased. The blade inched forward, bit by bit. Sasuke was losing strength.

"What the hell are you goin' on about?" Sasuke growled, stalling for time while he desperately tried to think of a solution out of this mess.

"Your clan isn't the only one with a kekkei genkai," he sneered, and Sasuke saw with horror that Momo's eyes were changing color and his chakra was increasing at an alarming rate. Momo laughed maniacallu. His eyes were now completely black. "Haven't you noticed? Poor little Uchiha, where's all your chakra gone?"

It was only then that Sasuke understood what he was up against, only then felt the slow draining of his energy that caused him to jump backward in alarm, breaking the contact. He panted as he realized how weak he felt. Keen to put more distance between himself and Momo, he backed away, still holding his kunai at the ready. "So this is what you're capable of. I knew there had to be a reason the Tachibana family would keep a couple of buffoons like you around."

"Call us what you will," Momo said, brandishing his sword. "But unlike the vain Uchiha clan, my family has always been fine with being underestimated. In fact, it makes things all the easier for us. You see, we absorb chakra from those around us in order to bolster our own strength. While you were busy not taking us seriously, we were able to drain most of your chakra while you were none the wiser." Exhausted, Sasuke stumbled a bit. "So, how does it feel, being completely helpless and at my mercy?"

Sasuke straightened, still weak, but smirked. "That's where you're wrong," he said confidently, adopting a battle stance. He didn't elaborate any further, unwilling to give his enemy any more of edge. However, Sasuke had faced this sort of technique before and he was fairly confident he'd be able to pull out a win this time, too. I'll have to ration my chakra carefully, he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha and Mikoshiba continued their battle. Inuyasha had managed to avoid injury for the most part; the older brother's fists were relatively easy to dodge. The only problem was that Mikoshiba's speed was almost on par with Inuyasha's himself, and the Tetsusaiga wasn't exactly the speediest weapon due to its size.

Unlike Momo, however, Mikoshiba seemed distinctly ruffled and seemed to be growing more impatient with every missed blow. He glared savagely at Inuyasha. "What's with you?!" He yelled. "How can you still move so easily? You should be out of chakra by now!"

Inuyasha, taking advantage of Mikoshiba's confusion, lunged his sword at him. There was a cry of pain and a splash of blood as finally an attack landed. Holding his left arm that was now dripping blood, Mikoshiba stumbled a few steps back, looking angry as everr.

"You bastard!" Mikoshiba roared, but with this new injury, he suddenly didn't seem as agile as before. Inuyasha pressed his advantage with a new barrage of attacks.

Momo seemed to realize his brother was struggling, but he had his own problems. Rather than try any other ninjutsu or genjutsu Sasuke decided to focus on his taijutsu. If Momo could absorb his chakra, then it made little sense to rely on abilities that used it. Lucky for him, this strategy seemed to work very well, or at the very least Momo hadn't been expecting it.

The tide of battle was changing. InuYasha had already cut Mikoshiba several more times, and Momo seemed more concerned about his brother than Sasuke, which quickly became his folly as Sasuke beat him down with his martial arts. The katana fell from Momo's hand with a clatter, but Sasuke didn't relent. His fist caught Momo right in the face and sent him flying. There was a crash as, just as Sasuke had earlier, Momo slammed into the building.

Sasuke panted, his lack of chakra and physical energy making it difficult to stand. He wasn't sure how much he had left in him. When the dust finally settled only for him to see Momo getting up shakily, Sasuke thought he was done for. "No way," he mumbled, vision becoming blurry.

"Brother!" He heard Mikoshiba shout from behind, rushing over to his younger sibling's aid and completely forgetting about Inuyasha. "Hold on-"

"Oh, no you don't!" Inuyasha roared. "Get out of the way, Sasuke!" Sasuke managed to do so just before his comrade bellowed, "Wind Scar!"

"What a pain in my ass," InuYasha growled, supporting Sasuke as the two walked away from the wreckage, Sasuke's cello case on his shoulder. Momo and Mikoshiba were buried somewhere under all the debris, harmless now.

"No one forced you to come," Sasuke replied, only begrudgingly letting Inuyasha help him because he had no strength of his own. After several more minutes of silence, he spoke up again. "So, how did you do it? How'd you keep them from draining your chakra with that technique…?"

"Demons don't have chakra; they have yoki. Duh," was his response, his dog ears alert for any sounds of ambush.

"Fine," he conceded, glaring at the half-demon. "But, where are we going?" He asked as they walked through a subburban neighborhood.

"Big bro, wil you please get out of the bath, it's been three hours and I really have to go to the bathroom," Haru's little brother screched. Haru ignored him and continued to sit in the bath playing with his favorite rubber dolphin toy.

"No," he answered, sinking further into the lukewarm water. His parents had to come drag im out of the tub. He went to his room and got dressed and dried his hair when the doorbell suddenly rang. He went to the door and opened it.

It was Inuyasha and Sasuke!

TBC