Growing Pains

Chapter 5

"Your sister was in danger!" Kakashi said sharply, glaring at Kane as he still held his kunai in his gloved hand.

"She should have protected herself! She doesn't need an old man like you to protect her from a little threat," Kane shouted back, turning his blazing gold eyes towards the Jonin.

"It wasn't a little threat! She was almost molested!" Kakashi snapped back.

At this statement, Kane's head snapped to Araile's direction, eyes narrowing furiously.

"Is this true, Araile?" he asked, his voice a low murmur.

Alarm bells rang inside her head at her brother's tone. Nodding slowly, she observed Kane's reaction as she bit her lip. Strangely there was a mix of concern, anger, and disgust in his eyes. Confused, Araile blinked and cocked her head to the side. She had never seen those emotions all at once in her brother.

"I see..." Kane said softly, before turning his back and walking towards the path that led to the cottage.

"Wha-Kane! Where are you going?!" she exclaimed, looking back and forth between Kakashi and Kane.

"Go on, Araile. Your brother needs your company right now," Kakashi said gently.

"But..." she started, but Kakashi interrupted.

"Go on. We'll see each other soon," he said, before reaching over and ruffling her hair before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Sighing, Araile fixed her hair and jogged to her brother's side, looking up at his face.

Blank.

"Kane...?" she asked softly.

Kane stopped suddenly and swept her up in his arms, crushing Araile to his frame. Shocked, she stood there, eyes widened. A small smile crossed her lips as her brother continued to hug her. He cared for her!

"I almost lost you," he muttered, and released Araile from his hug.

"But you didn't! I'm right here, in front of you! Kane, I survived because Kakashi saved me. I would have been dead if it wasn't for him," she said, taking a step back.

Grunting, Kane ruffled her hair, to which she protested loudly. First Kakashi and now Kane! What was it with people and her hair?

"Let's go," he said, back to his high-and-mighty self.

Smiling, Araile skipped ahead of Kane as her hair bounced in its ponytail in the sunshine. Her brother got on her nerves at times, but now she knew that he cared and loved her.

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Finally the path that led to the cottage appeared and Araile happily ran along it, kicking stones out of her way and into the bushes. The birds chirped loudly and the wind rustled through the leafy foliage, creating intricate patterns on the ground below. She had run ahead of Kane, and she could no longer see him behind her.

As she stopped to study the different patterns, a shadow loomed over her suddenly and before she knew what was happening, a force knocked her onto her stomach. Gravel and dirt was scattered everywhere as she landed, and she felt the rocks cutting into her face and neck. The smell of alcohol and body odour invaded her nose as her assailant chuckled darkly.

Yelping, Araile struggled furiously as her fingers scrabbled along the ground. A heavy weight pressed onto her back, squeezing the breath out of her lungs.

"T'ought you could git 'way from me?" the man said, huffing and puffing his alcoholic breath into her ear and hair.

"Get off of me!" she gritted out as the man grabbed a hold of her ponytail, yanking the hair back.

Biting back a cry, Araile squeezed her eyes shut. She wouldn't give this nasty man the satisfaction of seeing her tears or hearing her cry in pain. A ninja never cried. Kakashi told her that many times when she was little and crying over something.

Gritting her teeth, Araile squirmed enough to get her foot free. She then kicked her foot out, and felt a small surge of victory as she heard a grunt of pain. As the man rolled off her to hold onto his precious treasure, she scrambled onto her feet and took off towards the cottage.

'Almost there! Almost there! Keep going!' she chanted in her mind as her legs pumped back and forth furiously.

She could hear the man roaring and thundering behind her. Fear began to close in around her mind, and she forced her legs to go faster.