A Hatred That Will Never Bloom Into Friendship

A hand emerges from the pile of rocks and pebbles, a few of the fingers going in odd directions. The man eventually pulls himself out of the rubble, gasping for air. His long purple hair falls over his shoulder and face as he lays his forehead down on the brittle earth. "How am I...? Huh?" He senses a presence in front of him.

The man achingly raises his head and sees a tall dark shadow standing a few feet from the debris he was sprawled upon. A deep demonic laugh laugh emits from the shadow's mouth, sending shivers down the man's spine.

"Who...who are you?" asks the man tentatively.

The demon's lips pull up into a evil sneer and his black-slitted pupils bore into the man's blue ones. "I have given you back your life. Now, go and take the lives of those who murdered your brothers and who also tried to kill you."

"My...brothers..." The man glances beside him, at the place where his brother Toshio was crushed at under the pile of boulders. Hatred boils up inside him. He looks back at the demon, a wicked smile plastered on his face.

The demon smiles back, closes his eyes, and turns away from him; his long black hair whipping behind him in the breeze.

"Wait. Who are you?" Yasu asks quickly, before the demonic figure disappeared. But it was too late. The demon vanishes into thin air in the blinding sunlight. "Damn..."

A forceful wind suddenly blows around Yasu, and it whispers to him in the same voice as the demon's. It said...Orochimaru.

~~*~~

Lloyd's P.O.V

"Where...am I?"

"Your in the same place where you passed out," Naria sensei answers pleasantly.

"Huh?" I open my eyes to a a mixture of green and yellow light. The yellow I knew was the sun, but what was the green streaming around me? I look beside me and see Naria sensei, but she didn't seem to be the source of the odd phenomenon flowing about me. I then look to the other side of me at Kimina. She was clutching my arm because I felt her warm hands on my skin there. She was...? She was the source of where all this green...'chakra' was coming from. I could feel it, very faintly though. But how? "What is this...? What are you...?"

"Shh," she interrupts me. "It's almost done."

I frown at herm but turn my attention back to the chakra darting over my body. The stuff felt cool against my skin, but it didn't bother me. Actually, I felt really, really good. The ;ast thing I remembered was losing conciousness was that my chest and head was in throbbing pain, but now I felt none of that. I felt really well, better than I did leaving from the Sand village, and my strength was back.

Finally, the green chakra disappears and Kimina lets go of my arm.

End of Lloyd's P.O.V

The chakra evaporates and leaves my hands. I scoot a few inches away from Lloyd, to give him some room to sit up, which he does. He stares questioningly at me, wanting some answers.

"I don't know much about it, Lloyd. All I know is that, well I think it's chakra, but it heals a person's wounds and renews their power and stamina. I don't know anything else about it."

"When were you able to do this?" Lloyd asks meekly.

"When I...after you fell," I reply, my voice hesitant. "Lloyd?"

"Hmm? I heard ya, I heard ya," he repeats impassively. He was unfastening his sling and taking off his bandages off of his arm, not paying attention in the least. When his arm was free of the cast, he flexes it involuntarily. "Whoa. This is really cool."

""Yeah, your telling me," I mutter, without a hint of sarcasm. "I just wish I knew why Im able to do this."

"Humph. I wouldn't care. This healing thing is awesome! When you learn how to control it, we'll be the toughest genin squad in the village." He snorts. "We already are though, but still..."

I roll my eyes and stand to my feet, not at all enthused about all this as Lloyd was. There was just something about this chakra that scared me, but it also made my heart race with sheer anticipation of what I was capable of. Because Lloyd was right in a way. I could heal anything and everyone and when I learned to control it there would nothing to stop any of us. I stop there. I was ding nothing but babbling about things to myself that I really didn't know.

I look down at my hands, and clench them into fists. I did feel different ever since this power came to me, I felt stronger in a way. I didn't like to admit it, because it simply wasn't me, but I liked it.

"Kimina," Rakuyo calls my name. I smile up at him innocently. The one thing I learned about Rakuyo was that you couldn't hide anything from him. He caught every little detail but didn't judge or fret about it, he only wanted to be helpful and sincere. Which I admired.

Lloyd was still chattering on about my new 'gift', until finally Naria sensei intervenes. "Alright, you guys, meaning you Lloyd, enough chit-chat. If we still want to make it to Konaha by nightfall, then we should keep moving." There was something about Naria sensei's tone that put me on edge. It wasn't her same huge grin and bubbly personality, but guarded and non-bubbly. "Come on."

The rest of the trip didn't take as long as I thought it would. Nighttime did fall, but only halfway. Over the Leaf village the sky was dark with moonlight, and behind us the sky was a soft grayish-blue from the still setting sun.

I smile appreciatively as the tall gate Konaha gate pulls into view down the trail. We were finally home...