Wow...well now, isn't this awkward? I've been gone so long that I'm certain everyone has forgotten about this story...wow, how bitter is that? In any case, I want to apologize for my lateness, from a combination of stress and lack of time I haven't been able to create anything in quite some time. However, since I was able to meet up with another fan fiction author at the recent Youmacon, (Zhanael *cough cough* shameless plug for an awesome writer) I gained the inspiration and pursuit to break everything down and write the next chapter of Tao and the Art of Love! I hope you enjoy this chapter...granted one of the characters is slightly tweaked but it will be explained in later chapters, I do have a plan and it will flow together pretty well...hopefully. Well enough of my speeches, please enjoy this new chapter and remember to review!

Please read, review, and most of all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 8: History

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~REBEL 8: START~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For what felt like an eternity Kagimaru lay in the room by himself, his mind wanting to chase after the storming Tao but his body not responding. The furthest he could get was a feeble attempt to stand, his legs turning to useless jelly the moment he put any weight upon them. For a moment he was lost, whenever he had been hurt in the past he was left alone with no problem. He had been given cuts, broken bones, and various other injuries from the bounties he hunted and all of those times he had been alone, only seeking medical attention when his life was in danger. His road to these many recoveries was lonely and quiet, never once did he mind this process...until now.

Alone felt like a poison, a disease that aimed to eat him from the inside out while his body was weakened from his extreme exhaustion. He felt he would do anything to see Doctor Litchi again, her soft reassuring voice keeping him calm and urging him to get healthy. He would accept the words of the village elder, her cryptic but interesting words of wisdom and advice catching him off guard and keeping his mind occupied for hours on end. But most of all, he wanted Tao. Her energy, her lively spark, could chase away any loneliness even if it was in favor of annoyance. No one could say that they felt lonely while around Tao, even when she was silent and napping her presence was warm and fulfilling. He desired that, to hear her cheery voice and feel her energetic attitude...

"Excuse me..."

Kagimaru was rocked from his thoughts as he turned to the doorway of his small temporary domicile, his vision encountering another of the Kaka clan whom leaned heavily on the doorway for support. This Kaka was larger than Tao, her height about a head taller and her body overall seeming a size larger than the young Kaka he knew. Her coat was a darkened ash black with pumpkin orange trim and zipper, her crimson eyes were wide and expressive in the darkness of her hood while her light orange hair flowed from the back of her hood in a mane of untamed pigtailed spikes.

This Kaka was obviously exhausted, her coat had the tell tail signs of a fight while she huffed, her form doing everything it could to catch up on the oxygen she had lost. Her heavy paws laid upon the bare wood of the door frame as she panted in exertion, her long orange tiger striped tail whipping back and forth in annoyance, "Did you see a big ball of fluff in a beige coat run through here? Probably looking for someone called Heart Guy?" Kagimaru chuckled softly, his throat feeling dry and rough as he spoke, "Yeah...she came in here looking for me but she already left." For a moment the Kaka froze, her heaving body seeming to even refuse breath as she stared at Kagimaru.

However, it was only seconds before the Kaka gave him an enthusiastic grin, racing for his bed and gripping his hand tightly, "So you're Heart Guy huh? Tao has told me a lot about you!" To say Kagimaru was confused would be an understatement, he had been thrown for a loop so far that the only intelligent statement that he could form was "Wha?" The Kaka instantly smirked, letting go of Kagimaru's hand and standing tall and proud, "The name is Torakaka, big sister to Tao and all of the kittens in this village."

Kagimaru could only stare in complete confusion, his eyes never fully gaining the spark of comprehension that Tora had hoped he would get. "Uh...you do know about me right?" Tora asked, her paw tentatively touching her chin in concern. Kagimaru shook his head while Tora blinked, "Tao hasn't mentioned me...even once?" Kagimaru shook his head again causing Tora to drop her head in defeat, her sigh loud and frustrated as she mumbled to herself, "Tao...I thought you would at least make a mention of me. I mean I..."

Kagimaru couldn't help but stare, this Kaka was so very similar to Tao but at the same time, she wasn't. She was very similar to Tao in her ranting, her frustration and emotions being presented very close to the surface. However, by her hushed voice and attempt at restraint it was obvious that this Tora was much more mentally mature than Tao. Her way of speech was much more elegant than Tao's, and intelligence in her voice that Kagimaru found to be incredibly charming. Coupling that with Tora's subtle physical differences as well as similarities with the younger Kaka, he had to wonder about how close Tao and this Tora really were.

Kagimaru coughed softly, catching Tora's attention as he spoke, "Are you really Tao's older sister?" Tora ceased her rant of Tao, instead facing Kagimaru with a sigh and her paws on her cocked hips, "In a way I suppose that I am an older sister to all of the Kaka kittens in the village. I was the protector before Tao and for a short while I was the one who mentored her in the art of battle. I also protect the little ones to make sure they do not get lost or are killed." Suddenly a sad smile broke across Tora's face, a sorrowful smirk as she continued, "Tao is the guardian who took my place after I removed myself from the position. Even though she was just a kitten, I taught her what I knew before the Cat Person requested to teach her personally."

"Wait," Kagimaru interrupted, his head cocking to the side as he thought for a moment, "I thought Fukaka was supposed to be the next in line for guardian." Tora shrugged, "Oh she was but...for some reason the Elder wanted Tao to pick up the mantle. I'm not sure why really but when Tao's mother first showed off Tao to the Elder she wanted Tao to be the guardian right then and there...if I remember right the Elder said something about there being something different about Tao than the rest of the Kaka." Kagimaru couldn't help but chuckle slight, gazing off to the side and out the window by the bed, "Tao is certainly different alright, I've never met anyone who can make a hyperactive kid look lazy until I met her." For a moment there was only silence between the two, Kagimaru looking out the window as Tora seemed to stare off into no where, her tail gently flickering behind her as thoughts raced through her head.

"Tao wasn't always like this you know," Tora spoke, her voice smooth and relaxed despite the gravity of the statement. Kagimaru nodded, he had always had a feeling that Tao wasn't always the hyperactive and bouncy Kaka that he had known. It was especially evident in the moments leading up to her fight with Fukaka, Tao seemed so much sadder...so full of worry and pain that it made Kagimaru think there was much more to Taokaka than he could see on the surface. Kagimaru slowly turned back to Tora, is eyes full of curiosity and to a small level worry as he asked, "What...was Tao like?" Tora's eyes betrayed no emotion, only her tail gave off a sense of trepidation as she started to speak, "Tao was...really sad."

Kagimaru's face went directly to confused, Tora continuing her speech as her body language showed her discomfort with every passing second, "For a while Tao was lonely, like most of the Kaka here she only had a mother and no father and since her mother was part of the hunting parties Tao was left alone a lot of the time. But...after the Ikaruga War Tao went off with her training with Cat Person and she grew further and further apart from the rest of the Kaka around here." From the darkness of her hood Tora's gleaming frown was evident, her tail slightly slumped as she continued her thoughts, "Tao was still training when Arakune started to appear and abduct the Kaka from the village. As the previous village guardian I tried my best but not even our strongest warriors were able to stop it. Many warriors died in sneak attacks the black creature launched on us, one of them being...well Tao's mother."

Kagimaru felt his heart jump into his throat, his breath taken away by this sudden revelation. Tora however was unfazed by this information, instead ignoring Kagimaru's surprised reaction in favor of continuing her tale, "Tao only found out a few weeks later when she took a break from training to visit the village...I think the elder was as heart broken to tell her as Tao was to hear it." It was at that tense moment that Kagimaru broke his silence, softly speaking up, "What happened to Tao?"

"Tao, for lack of a better term, shut down for a while after that, merely living without really feeling anything," Tora responded with a forlorn sigh as she shifted her weight back and forth on her angled boots, "for a very long time Tao just stayed away from the village as well, training with Jubei and Fukaka without seeing anyone in the village. She even continued to learn under Cat Person's tutoring even long after Fukaka had completed her own training."

"But how did Tao-" Kagimaru began but Tora gave him a short shrug, "No one is really sure about that. Fu left before Tao finished her training and even then Tao was still acting like a Kaka with a dead soul. I'm guessing Cat Person is the only one alive who knows what happened with Tao but whatever did happen, when Tao came back she was the happy and hyperactive kitten that she is now."

The gravity of Tao's past seemed the add a layer to the tense atmosphere, an invisible sediment of miasma that bore down upon Kagimaru with an oppressive pressure. However, just as the gravity seemed to be too much Tora began to laugh, a quiet chuckle breaking past her suddenly grinning lips. Kagimaru's gaze snapped up to face the older Kaka, confusion and a vague sense of anger in his gaze. Just she had since the beginning of their conversation Tora seemed to read Kagimaru's mind, her grin growing brighter as she spoke, "But I think that Tao's been getting better lately."

Kagimaru blinked, "Better? She seems like the same Tao I've known since I've met her." Tora giggled and shook her head, "It's true that Tao is still a kitten yet, she has started to act with a bit more thought. Tao has actually started to think things through before she does them, she's starting to turn into the old Tao I knew before Arakune...but happier." In flashes Kagimaru thought back to the battles he took part in with Tao by his side. She was always fast, an instinctual use of unorthodox and unique maneuvers causing the opponent to question every move she made. Yet, as time went on she was much more fluid, sure, and cunning in her battle plans. Every spar they had she was more clever, with each race she was more intelligent in her tactics, every conversation was a little less stream of consciousness and a bit more interesting.

Kagimaru would have expressed some sort of joy, a relieved sigh or something of that nature that would show his sudden revelation about Tao's behavior. That was what would have happened had Tora not suddenly pounced on him and started to give him a massive paw noogie, "And I wonder who's fault that is nya!" If Kagimaru's head wasn't swallowed by Tora's jacket he would have contemplated how Tora sounded so much like Tao at that moment, even her use of 'nya' was reminiscent of Tao. However, that was all drowned out while his head was rubbed unmercifully by Tora's massive paw, "You little charmer you! You must be one very special guy to get Tao to act like that."

Like that Tora was off, her chattering almost as bad as Tao at her very worst. Meanwhile, Kagimaru stewed in his aggrivated concern, every so often wondering what happened to Tao inbetween fighting for breath and trying to beg Tora to stop...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Spacial Rend~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I was wondering where you went Tao, it's not nice to run off like that you know."

"I don't care, nya!"

"If you ask me, I think you care plenty little lady."

The voice was soft but deep, a fatherly tone gently dragged against sandpaper before floating into the open air. The body of the speaker was short and stout, a bright yellow jacket covering nearly every bit of skin, or in this case fur, while a cloak of silent strength surrounded the lone creature. Along it's back was a pair of blades, two handles sprouting from two ends of the same sheath, both with a muted sense of power, of an incredible and unspeakable past. The speaker was none other than the legendary One-eyed Lotus Jubei, his calmly smiling face watching his target, Taokaka the guardian of Kaka village, as she huffed and slouched even further into her seat at the Lost Villages one and only meat bun stand.

"I don't care about Heart Guy at all," Tao pouted, viciously biting into a meat bun as if it were a miniature Kagimaru in her paw. Jubei flinched for a moment but simply shrugged off the imagery. Instead Jubei calmly entered the establishment and hopped up onto the stool next to Taokaka, his body far shorter than hers despite the even sitting surface, "Okay kid, I'm not gonna argue with you about whether or not you care about the fella back in the infirmary...but I am gonna bother you about why you suddenly decided to up and run out like yah did." This time it was Tao's turn to flinch at the others words, her ravenous appetite being interrupted by the fresh memories.

Tao suddenly began to growl, her paw clenching over a perfectly edible meat bun without enough force to pop it, it's steaming center splattering across the polished wooden counter as Tao hissed, "Heart Guy is meow-ean, that's why." At this admittance Jubei was more than slightly confused, a single eyebrow raising with his expressed emotion, "Meow-en...mean? Tao, the kid looks like he's anythin' but mean. Not to mention that when I got there yah were willin to go toe to toe with me over protecting him." Tao gave Jubei a dismissive snort, her head turning away from him as she picked up another meat bun and savagely devoured it. "So tell me kid, what happened between when I got there to when you stormed out that twisted yer tail in a knot?"

"Cause..." Tao muttered, her mouth full of meat bun and preparing to shove another into it, "Heart Guy's been playing with someone else."

Jubei was caught off guard, nearly thrown for a loop in a comical fashion, before he responded, "playin' with someone else? What do yah mean kid?" Tao turned her head indignantly as she swallowed her mouthful of meat bun, "Cat Person said it himself. He's been "treatin' a pretty young thing to plenty of good times," right?" For a while Jubei only stared at Tao, his single visible eye giving her a look of confusion and to a point disbelief as she continued to swirl with malevolent energy. Yet, with a sudden snort Jubei burst out in a peal of laughter, his mouth open wide as his paws clutched his stomach in pain. His voice was loud and clear, a deep throaty laughter echoing off nearby buildings with an almost unstoppable force that caused several Kaka to perk their ears in his direction.

For her part, Tao was instantly angry at the laughing. Cat person was the one who suggested that Heart Guy was playing with someone else so surely he would understand why Tao was so angry. "Cat Person!" Tao shouted in anger, the fur on her tail standing on end with aggravation, "This isn't funny, nya!" Despite the angered hiss in Tao's voice Jubei continued to laugh, his pearly teeth clenched shut as he attempted to stifle his howling. Gradually Jubei's laughter slowed, his mirth slowing to a soft chuckle and a gentle wipe of his teary eye. When his focus finally came upon Tao once more he found himself at the end of a rather potent death glare, Tao's crimson eyes shimmering with dark thoughts from beneath the shadow of her hood. This silent threat went wholly ignored by Jubei, instead smiling in response, "ah kid, yah still don't know a thing do you?" Tao's glare remained but her voice held a tone of confusion in it, her hiss combined with her natural curiosity as she spoke, "Nya? What does Cat Person mean?"

Jubei chuckled quietly, "I was talkin about you kid."

Tao's glare instantly vanished, her expression becoming a clueless blank as she responded, "Huh?" Jubei nodded and crossed his arms, "I've been talkin to the Elder and she's been tellin me you've been as happy as a clam kid, happiest she's seen you in years, and she thinks it's been because of that Kagimaru who you've been hangin around." "S-so..." Tao softly muttered, a single paw coming up to her chin as she spoke, "Heart Guy's been spending his time with Tao? Not Fukaka...not Boobie-lady...only Tao?" Jubei responded with a slow nod, his smile so wide his eyes were mere slits over his furry cheeks, "Yep, that's what I meant back at the infirmary Tao." Instantly Tao was back on her feet, her body primed for an all out sprint back to where Kagimaru was resting...

Yet, just as she prepared to spring off with the speed of light a sudden force pulled her back, drawing her into the stand and placing her back onto her seat roughly. Tao, her senses drenched in confusion, turned to find Jubei with his paw on her hood, his eye no longer full of mirth but rather a serious strength behind the slit stare, "Whoa now Tao, you and I still need to talk." Tao's face must have been the essence of confusion, her simple look bringing Jubei to sigh and release Tao with the words, "We need to talk about why yeh acted the way you did."

Tao blinked in confusion, her oblivious nature completely missing the serious nature of the conversation as well as Jubei's firm tone, "What do you meow-ean Cat Person?" "I know you pretty well by now Taokaka," Jubei spoke with a gentle tone, an almost fatherly voice that he had rarely remembered using in his long life, "You learned how tah be a top notch guardian from Torakaka and myself, that's a lot of time don't yah think?" Tao's confusion was obvious as Jubei sat her back in her seat with a single paw. Yet, Jubei continued in his slow drawl, keeping his eye trained on Tao with a subdued concern, "I remember what happens when people close to you go off and never come back..."

With those words Tao stiffened, her body feeling a powerful shock travel from the tips of her ears to her shivering tail. Her deep crimson eyes seemed to glaze over, their luminance stare reaching far off into an unknown horizon as she thought back to the years before, to a time she hadn't ever given a second thought. As her thoughts began to travel, oh so rarely visiting a long lost past, Jubei caught her attention with a slight sigh. "I don't think I'll ever want to see that Taokaka ever again," Jubei chuckled deeply, his unease meshed with a nervous amusement, "I just want to make sure yer okay..."

Suddenly Tao jumped up with a smile, her sudden rise knocking down her stool as her teeth gleaming brightly with paws clenched tight. Tao seemed to gleam with the same light that had surrounded her for days, a nearly glowing energy as she spoke with concrete confidence, "Tao has no idea what Cat Person is talking about!" Jubei's forehead instantly developed a sharp tic, Tao's ridiculous declaration grating his nerves in more ways than one. Yet, just as he felt the urge to cover his head in shame become too much Tao continued, "But Tao would never think that about Heart Guy, nya! He's always been there for Tao and Tao will always be there for him! Tao promises this, and Tao never forgets this kind of promise!"

This caused Jubei's lips to pull up into a small smile, his single slit-pupiled eye watching as Tao vanished in a blur of hyperactive speed, "...God help that boy, he's never gonna shake her off his tail now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~END~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So what do you think? I know it's short, it's what I could do in my short time limit here, but it's the best I've got. I hope you liked the little spin I gave to Tora, she always struck me as a clever and serious character with a funny side that is hidden for a great amount of the time. In any case, I hope you enjoyed both the story and my interpretation of Taokaka's back story! Please review and have a nice day.