To be honest I do not know what to say, coz on the one hand I said I won't be shortening the chapters of this flashback anymore, but on the other as I wrote this down, I came to realize that the events in chapters 112 and 113 seemed really dragged. I was truly at a lost as to what should I do, so I've decided to issue a sort of compromise: I crossed out the scenes that were suppose to appear before both of these chappies (not to worry, the two were typical fillers anyway) and merged 112 & 113 into one. After that I re-arranged the scenes a bit (shortening them where I could) and ended up making a single chapter of it all. And I think it turned out for the best.

While it's true that the pace of this chapter may be fast, I do not feel that it's rushed and I haven't skipped anything that's important (the only, real difference is that Takai's training is less exposed then it originally was). This chapter is somewhat essential for the whole flashback, so I really wanted to make this right. Hopefully I did well enough, but that is for you to decide.

Also I'm somewhat disappointed with the number of reviews for last time. Naturally big thanks to those of you who did review. It helped me get inspiration and finish this a bit faster. I do hope that you'll enjoy this chapter as well and I do ask that you review it as well (naturally everyone should feel welcome to do so XD). And, as always, I wanna invite you all to try out my original works on FictionPress.

A word from our beta

Greetings to you all and I hope that you've been well. To those of you that haven't checked out my fic, Birth of a Legend: The Fox Druid, please do. I would greatly appreciate it. Other than that, I'm enjoying my Spring Break, aside from the working aspect…

And with that said, the only thing left for me to do is to get on with it:

Chapter #112: Friends – Takai's Story part VI

Title Page: the beach: Sabure and Touba are making castles from the sand

White chakra began escaping Takai's body, forming itself into a figure beside him. The darkness of the dungeon made the creation easily seen as it began taking the shape of a human, only to suddenly explode, fading into thin air. The man behind bars let out a sigh, while the crimson-eyed boy rested his palms on his knees, panting.

"At the very least you've learned to release your chakra properly," the blonde man announced in a praising tone, making Takai gaze at him. "That's a start. But it'd appear you're still incapable of materializing it outside your body. When you formed your own skeleton, I was positive your ability will be chakra materialization of sorts. You should've been able to make a skeleton with your chakra alone, but it seems that doesn't work…"

"Is that really the reason?" the boy asked between breaths, making his teacher think for a moment: "Well, that's the natural assumption, but who really knows? Back then you recreated your entire skeleton. The only natural bone that's left within your body is your skull, and everything else is just materialized chakra. Oh well, let's skip that part for now. Besides making bones, you have more abilities that I can help you uncover…"

"Before that, I want to ask you something," Takai announced, his breath returning to its normal pace. "Recently I've been wondering… do you have any children? And I don't mean myself, Tarakudo and Honemaru! I mean real children!" he added quickly, making the man raise his eyebrow in surprise.

Silence filled the dungeon for a few moments, before the prisoner decided to speak up, his voice surprisingly emotionless: "I did, back in the day. Twins, actually. They were born not long before you came to this world. However, my wife died while giving birth to the second and since I'll be stuck here until I die or get executed, I don't suppose I can count on any more, can I?" he asked, bursting out into laughter, which made Takai angry, while his eyes narrowed.

"What's so funny about that? You orphaned two children and lost someone you loved. You should feel sad. And furthermore, if your wife died, why did you still decide to go with the experiments? Was her death really that insignificant to you to not have any effect?"

"It was something to do," the man replied simply, with slight annoyance sounding in his voice. "In a shinobi world, people die everyday. I don't think mourning about my wife's death should be reason enough for me to drop the project I've been working on for so long. I don't really see that as tragedy. It just happened…"

"How can you even say that? Don't you really feel anything?"

"How I deal with my life is my own business. I don't even know why you asked me a question like that all of a sudden, so be glad I bothered to answer. I won't allow you, who haven't lost a thing, to judge me! Shinobi are alone. Things like love, friendship or companionship are just illusions that hold us back. Sooner or later you'll understand that in this world you can count on yourself and yourself only…"

Some time later, at the Shinobi Academy:

"Man, Aizawa-sensei's lessons sure are boring," Takai announced as he stretched himself. Touba, who was walking beside him, only chuckled at the comment and gazed at his friend, a smirk appearing on his face. Noticing no one around could hear the two, he spoke up loud enough only for his friend to hear: "Seems to me you could use some fun, so I may have a suggestion on how to make this day a bit more interesting…"

"What did you had in mind?" the crimson-eyed boy asked intrigued.

"Why don't you try asking Aoru out?" Touba proposed with a cocky smile, making a deep blush appear on Takai's face as the other boy quickly replied: "Why would I do that? What the hell is this, you coming up with such an idea out of the blue! We're only eight, you pinhead! And furthermore: why do you even care?"

"Well, even from the short time you saw each other, it seemed pretty obvious she liked you," the redhead replied, still smiling as he kept on walking. "And you shouldn't use your age as an excuse. Do not forget: we are shinobi. Our lives can end at any time. During a war your age, gender or sentiments play no part and just because you're still young won't even make your opponent do as much as hesitate before killing you. Thus, my advice is you use every minute of your life that you have left. And as for your last question… isn't it only natural for one wanting his friends to be happy?" And at those words, Takai's eyes widened in shock as he observed the Kazekage son's back, while he walked away.

Later that day:

Touba was sitting on a bench in the park, as the white clouds slowly sailed through the blue skies above. The sound of footsteps made him gaze to his right, only to noticed Aoru coming his way: "Well, she's punctual," he thought to himself as the girl came closer and sat down next to him: "So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked immediately the moment her butt rested. "It must be something big, since you went through all the trouble of placing that note in my locker to meet you here…"

"Straight to the point?" she replied with a forced smile, while her body shook nervously. "And I was hoping I'll get some time to get mentally prepared," she added, making the boy raise his eyebrow in confusion. Being engaged in the conversation, the two didn't even realize that Takai appeared nearby, deep in his own thoughts: "Aoru likes me? Nah, that's ridiculous. Who in their right mind could like me? It's…" he began, but the sudden noise of Touba's voice reaching his ears made him freeze instantly to look in the direction the voice came: "You want me to arrange a blind date?"

For reasons unknown to himself, Takai quickly jumped behind a nearby wall. He recognized the other redhead that his friend was talking with. It was that girl from the other day that he tried to save. It was Aoru: "What in the world could she be doing here at a place like this? And did he just say… a blind date?" he thought, as sudden sadness filled his heart. He gazed at the ground with resignation: "Of course, what was I thinking anyway? I let Touba's statement cloud my mind and think what he said was true. I wonder who she's talking about: Karame or Dekai…"

"Why would you want me to arrange you a meeting with Takai?" Touba's words found their way into the crimson-eyed boy's ears, making shock freeze his face, while his heart started pounding. As Aoru began a shy 'well, I' speech, the other redhead stood up and walked slightly forward, his back turned towards the girl.

"This is important, Aoru," he announced seriously, still his face hidden from her view. "Why do you want me to do this? Do you have a crush on him or something? Why are you attracted to Takai?"

"Well, he may seem scary at first," she began as a blush appeared on her face, which she tried to hide by looking to the ground. "But I have a feeling that deep down, he's much more then he lets others to see," she finished, making Takai smile under his nose at these words. However, what he heard next instantly turned that expression in disbelief: "No… actually, he's not, unless you're referring to him not being human."

It was Touba speaking in the most serious tone the crimson-eyed boy had ever heard. The sudden shock made him look over the corner at his 'friend', whose face was rid of emotion, while thousands of thoughts and emotions ran through both his mind and body. The son of Gaara went on, not even bothering to look at the girl: "How can he be? Even putting the fact he was manufactured aside, he doesn't bleed. From what I know he doesn't even have a skeleton. How can someone like that be human?"

"T-Touba-san, I… I don't understand," Aoru announced uncertain, her voice a little shaky. "W-weren't you his friend?" she asked, finally making the other redhead turn towards her, his face now twisted with something that could be considered anger as his jade eyes drilled onto her: "Friend? Befriending a demon such as him? That's a nice joke. Tell me, would you really become friends with a monster, something as unnatural as Takai is? Don't make me laugh! No one would want to have him as a friend, much less develop deeper feelings for such as him. Why you are interested in him is completely beyond me…"

Those words hit Takai like thunder. Sweat began covering his body as it shook, while his heart did its best to jump out of his chest. Without a word he sped down the road without looking back, while water gathered in his eyes. The conversation between the redheads however was not yet done: "If… if that is really how you think, then you're a bigger monster than Takai, Touba-san! I don't care if you're Kazekage-sama's child or not, even you don't have the right to betray people like that! It doesn't matter what you think, Takai-kun saved me back then! There's no way I'll believe someone like that can be a monster! And furthermore, you have no right to tell who to like and who not to!"

"Is that so?" the boy asked with a warm smile, making Aoru completely confused. The sudden change of her speaker's expression and the softness his voice instantly gained left her unable to say another word, allowing Touba to continue: "That's good then, it means you're serious about your feelings. I'm relieved I wasn't wrong about you. I'll talk to Takai about what you asked the next time I'll see him…"

"Huh?" the girl only managed to let out, still clueless to no end. "But just now, you…"

"You may treat that as a test of sorts," the other redhead simply replied with a smile still decorating his face. Noticing that explanation was not enough for his speaker, he went on with his face becoming slightly grimer then earlier: "You must understand, Aoru, that it's not as simple as you think. I do not know if Takai likes you or not, but that's beside the point right now. What matters is whether you like him. And I don't just mean 'like'. I needed to make sure this is something more then a simple crush. For Takai's sake…"

"I… I'm afraid I'm not following you, Touba-san…"

"Takai's world is darker then you might think," the boy explained, looking deep into her eyes. "All his life he's been treated like a monster, a freak. He was pushed away, always on the outside. Since the day he was born, he was always in contact with the darkest side of human nature. I do not know what pain such treatment brings, but my father faced similar demons in his early days, so I can at least grasp the horror of it. People want someone to share their lives with, be it a lover, friend or just someone they can talk to. It doesn't matter whether they admit it or not, but they all do. It's our nature. But for Takai it's not easy to trust someone. I noticed it when I introduced him to my friends. He's expecting a betrayal, because never before was there someone to show him kindness. Knowing this, tell me what you think would've happened if you'd told him you liked him and some time later just walked away, coz you wouldn't be attracted to him anymore? You think that'd be something he would be able to handle?"

The girl didn't reply. She just looked down on the floor, speechless. Touba's eyes narrowed as he observed her for a while, and then spoke up again: "Since the day they are born, shinobi are thrown into a cruel world. Certainly, although being young, we have a mentality of an adult. It's not our choice, it is a necessity. It is the result of a fact that we know that everyday may be our last. That is why I believe that even while being eight, there's a possibility for people like us to develop deeper feelings for one another. The problem is we're still kids at heart. What we think we feel can easily change and we lack the experience to know how to handle it when our hearts get broken. That is why, if it can be avoided, I prefer to spare Takai pain like that. He already suffered enough and should he suffer a loss like that, he may fall into darkness completely. Sorry for being harsh, but as his friend, I'll do everything that's in my power, to keep him safe…"

"I see," Aoru announced, sending the boy a warm smile: "So you didn't mean any of it, did you? But there's no need for you to worry: while I may still be a kid, I think I understand my feelings. And I truly believe Takai-kun is special. Not because he's different… but because he is different," she stated, making a smile return to Touba's face as well.

"Now I know that as well," he replied, winking at her. "And I do wish you both best of luck."

But alas, Takai did not hear that part. By the time he was far away, finally coming to a stop as he tried desperately to catch his breath. Tarakudo's words rang in his head anew, with Honemaru's statement echoing in the back: "They will never accept me," he said out loud, his face pale froze in shock. "They'll never accept me…" The repeat of those words made him clench his fists, while anger suppressed every other emotion that tried to take over him. His crimson eyes seemed to gain an even deeper shade of red as his expression twisted into fury. It was decided. He will not go back: "You want a monster? I'll give you something much, much worse!"

Few weeks later:

"I haven't seen Takai-kun at all lately," Torune stated worried as she sat with her friends at the table in the Academy cafeteria: "You think something happened to him?" she asked, making Dekai merely shrug as a 'dunno', while a troubled expression crossed Hari's face. The one to answer verbally was Touba: "You're worrying too much. I'm sure Takai's perfectly fine. Probably he just doesn't feel like attending classes, that's all. With his skills, I don't suppose he'll require classes to pass the final exam anyway…"

"Sabaku no Touba," a sudden voice interrupted his trail of thoughts, making everyone gathered to gaze at the entrance, where Takai was slowly moving towards the table the redhead sat at, while a large scythe was carried in one of his hands.

Honemaru observed his 'brother' with an emotionless face, while a victorious smile appeared behind Tarakudo's bandages. Horamaru's eyes narrowed at the sight of one of the creatures he hated most, but no one moved until the crimson-eyed boy reached his destination, now standing right behind Touba. Karame was first to break the silence that filled the wide hall: "Takai, where have you been? We were getting…" he began, but the other boy did not pay attention to this. With a cold voice he spoke up, the tone of his voice enough to quiet the mummy instantly: "Sabaku no Touba… lets fight."

"What?" the redhead replied confusedly as he raised his eyebrow while turning around to look at his friend. Quickly he chuckled slightly, turning away again: "I haven't seen you in weeks and you start off with a joke like that? That's not very funny, Takai. Now, sit down, I have an important manner to discuss with you and I wanted to do so ages ago…" But at that point his sand suddenly rose, making the words freeze in his mouth.

Sabure only managed as much as to widen her eyes as Takai's scythe flew through the air with a ripping sound, blocked merely inches before her brother's neck by the sand. The son of the Kazekage got stiffed for a moment. This was something he truly did not expect. With the silence still engulfing the room, he turned his head towards the crimson-eyed boy again, not believing he actually spoke the words that came out of his mouth a second later: "You're serious?" he more stated then asked, seeing his friend's face remained emotionless.

Takai simply retreated his scythe and headed towards the exit, leaving the redhead confused. After a moment of hesitation, Touba stood up and followed the other boy without a word spoken. "Wait, Touba…" Hari began, a terrified expression making its way to her face. "Are you guys really gonna…?"

"Regardless to what happens…" the sand user interrupted her without even blessing her with a glance. "Do not interfere. You must not interfere, not matter what occurs!" As the blonde began her 'but', the redhead raised his voice, taking an ordering tone: "No! Do not interfere," he repeated and then left the cafeteria. It took a while before everyone got out of their shock and followed the two to the backyard, where Takai and Touba already stood before each other, their faces rid of emotions.

"Why are you doing this?" the sand user asked simply, but his friend didn't reply. Instead, the crimson-eyed boy pointed the tip of his scythe at him, announcing loud enough for everyone to hear: "Make no mistake, Touba. This is not a joke or something I did on a whim. You said it yourself: during shinobi battle age and gender don't play a part. This is not a sparring match. I have every intention… to end your life!"

---the final showdown has begun! ---

And so this chapter is finished. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done reading. With this, Takai's story is coming to its end and quite soon at that. I actually find the irony of this chapter as cruel as one can be (especially since, while before I never really cared much about Touba, as I began writing this flashback, he became one of my favorite characters thus far XD). The 'long-awaited' showdown between Takai and Touba is upon us and with it the conclusion of the back-story. But I assure you, before this flashback ends, there are still things that need to be told, so don't think that the closing chapters (coz I doubt I'll manage to squeeze the fight into just one) of this arc are just about the battle.

With that said, I believe there's nothing left for me to do then to ask you to review this piece, invite you to my stories on FictionPress and to drop by with the next update. Take care and until next time!