☽ＩＴ ＨＡＰＰＥＮＥＤ ＯＮＥ ＮＩＧＨＴ☾ (Crimmy)

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

The night was calm, the desert cold and silent. Kaito had come out alone, knowing that Kiba and his jackal friend couldn't have gone far. He would bring the rogue back to the village to face justice. He knew he wouldn't be able to capture him and haul him back, though, so instead he captured Jakkaru while the boy was out on his own. It was fairly simple: grab him from behind, cover his mouth so he couldn't scream, and used a sleep ninjutsu on him. The boy went limp in his arms.

He knew Kiba would know exactly what had happened, so he returned to the village, leaving no indication of his presence. Kiba would come to the village, and that would be the end of that.

[CrimsonMoon]

The Jackals that made up the boy's family on the other hand didn't let him leave without a few ugly bites. Afterwards, the whole pack spiraled into madness, barking and howling endlessly. The whole dessert was turned upside down in a matter of minutes...

The Jackal Shinobi was in a cage.

--

Jakkaru remained still under all the prayer slips that chained him to the floor of the shrine, anger boiling inside him, Shukaku clawing at his soul, wantjng out, wanting revenge. But the boy wouldn't let him. He would not be his father.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

When Kiba woke up alone... well, he knew something was wrong. He'd thought for a few days that the Sand Shinobi had stopped pursuing them, but clearly he'd been wrong. Kato had been right--he knew exactly what had happened. Call it intuition or intelligence or whatever you want, but there was only one reason Jakkaru would have vanished without a trace. So Kiba set off toward Sunagakure, knowing it was exactly what they wanted... and not caring one bit.

[CrimsonMoon]

The jackal pack followed their pack mate, clearly upset teir alpha had been taken on unfair terms. The larger jackals scouted ahead, in a frenzy of pure instinctual fury.

--

Jakkaru shifts in the shrine, his dead brown eyes turning toward the moonlight that filtered into the shrine. He missed his back so much... The boy forces himself to sit up against the power of the prayer slips... The Sand Shinobi were idiots if they thought they could keep the blood of Gaara caged... But Cato was even stupider if he thought he'd get to fight alone against Kiba.

You don't mess with a pack mate of Jakkaru's and get him out of the way. Because Jakkaru was the desert. And deserts only grow.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

It only took five hours to Kiba to reach the village. He'd traveled non-stop, knowing that the jackals were following him. They would be his allies in rescuing Jakkaru. Kato was indeed a fool. Kiba was dangerous in the best of times, but make him angry? He was unbeatable, even for a prodigy. And then... there was something more. Something more than anger that Jakkaru's capture had stirred up in Kiba's long-dead heart.

He lay in wait on the outskirts of the village, watching the patrols and shinobi on guard. Not much had changed since he'd gone rogue. The idiots were still using the same patterns. He recognized most of the guards, too, which made a twisted smile rise to his lips. Knowing the person you fought only made them easier to beat, and Kiba had no qualms about destroying his former people. They weren't his anymore.

[CrimsonMoon]

Jakkaru sits up, forcing himself to lean against a pillar as he fought the power o the prayer slips... He was only a kid... It was like they wanted Shukaku to destroy thei village again.

--

The jackals paced behind Kiba, waiting for his signal for attack, they wanted blood now. Hate was the most powerful emotion shared by all creatures...

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Kiba moved in. He took out the first line of guards quickly and silently. He hoped the jackals wouldn't join in yet, but he didn't have any way of telling them to hang back.

[CrimsonMoon]

The jackals seemed to sense his will and paced excitedly, they began to howl loudly

---

Jakkaru shivers and pushes himself up on the pillar, feeling the grains of sand wedged into the floor, he'd tear that Kato apart...

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Kiba continued down the narrow canyon that led into the village, taking out guards along the way. In the darkness that blanketed the night, none of them saw him coming. Once he reached the opening into the village, he looked back and called to the jackals, mimicking a sound he'd heard a few times. He thought it meant 'come.'

[CrimsonMoon]

The jackals appeared next to him, most of them nearly frothing at the mouth for a chance to attack...

--

Jakkaru closes his eyes, the pressure of the prayer slips slowly driving him mad... He hisses and mumbles in monotone,"... Come and get me, b*stard,"

There was an explosion from the middle of the village, the shring being ripped apart by sand grains

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"Time to come out and play," Kiba murmured. He took off down the street toward the village's prison, where he hoped they were keeping Jakkaru. The explosion had woken the entire village, turning the streets into chaos, so he took to the roofs. None of the shinobi even noticed him... none but the ones who'd been specifically told to look for him. Most of them were ANBU, with a jonin or two mixed in. Before long, a group darted in front of Kiba, forcing him to skid to a stop.

[CrimsonMoon]

But a roar shatters the air, the huge sandy brown pelt with blue runes rising from oppisite the prison. Shukaku. He lets out a high pitched roar, the prayer slips forcing Jakkaru's mind to collapse and allowing Shukaku the freedom to take over...

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Kiba's eyes rose, putting him in a vulnerable situation, but it didn't matter. The ANBU had turned to stare at the giant rising above their city. "Gods," Kiba whispered. "Shukaku." What on earth was going on?

[CrimsonMoon]

Shukaku screams its fury, slashing an enormous claw across the buildings in front of it," LET ME DESTROY THEM!!!" It shrieks as if talking to someone... Jakkaru probably. It writhed as if something was pushing out from inside

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

A shudder ran down Kiba's spine. "Impossible," he whispered. "Jakkaru?" This wasn't good. He hated the Suna shinobi, but he didn't wanted to see the entire village destroyed. The innocents... he had to stop this, even if it meant going up against the one person he cared about. A person who had just transformed into one of the tail beasts from legend.

[CrimsonMoon]

Shukaku screams again, leaning back on its haunches and covering its forehead as several ANBU attack. The great heaps of sand making up its body beginning to slide away. Maybe Jakkaru was winning-!

" KATO-!!" It roars suddenly," KATOOOOO-!!!"

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

The young man stared up at the sky. Half of the people around him were doing the same, the other half running and screaming. He didn't say anything, but for the first time ever, fear showed on his face. Kaito was terrified.

[CrimsonMoon]

Shukaku roars and shrieks its rage, the beast already starting to fall apart, sand dropping in great clouds... Jakkaru tearing Shukaku apart with all his might... The prayer slips on his skin making it incredibly difficult...

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Reika jogged up to Kaito, her eyes wide. "What's going on? Why is Shukaku attacking the village and shouting your name?"

"We took in a boy earlier," Kaito said quietly. "I think he's a jinchuriki."

[CrimsonMoon]

Shukaku screams it's annoyance and the sand streaming of it like a building falling to ruins. Jakkaru's figure tumbled off its forehead making the huge creature disappear in a cloud of dust.

Jakkaru lay half buried under a huge pile sand