Chapter 37 - Defining Trait

Ekyt had failed the test, and done so spectacularly. The test, as it turned out, was all common-sense. It was granted that ‘common sense’ varied from person to person, so this was a difficult test to standardize. That aside, Ekyt asked to look over the test and answers- the test would change the next time he took it, so it didn’t matter if he wrote down the answers.

With a ‘schunk’ sound, Ekyt closed his blinds, then lit some candles to see by. He sat down, two brushes in hand. One was red, the other was black. The red one was the one Ekyt used to write out the correct responses to the questions he got wrong. The black one was to make side notes to himself. So, through all the questions, Ekyt made a note of something. There had to be a pattern to these questions- standardized testing was like that. After two hours, Ekyt didn’t see any patterns, other than he didn’t seem to have any common sense. One question confused him:

39. A teacher’s primary responsibility is to guide and protect his/her students. In which order should these responsibilities come in, from least importance to most importance.

a. Physical health, mental health, mental growth
b. Mental health, mental growth, physical health
c. Physical health, mental growth, mental health
d. Mental growth, physical health, mental health
e. Mental health, physical health, mental growth

In Ekyt’s mind, none of the answers were correct.

Why would one take priority over another? Assuming the situation is a normal classroom setting, shouldn’t all three be equal? If you’re talking exam proctoring, then you go by the situation- if the attack is genjutsu, you watch for mental problems. If it’s taijutsu or ninjutsu, you look for physical problems. So why would they ask us to pick? Do they have one preference more than the other? What was my answer again?

Ekyt noticed he hadn’t answered. Also to his surprise, he had gotten this question correct. He hadn’t noticed it, but that was it. The pattern he was looking for. The question wasn’t really multiple choice. It was common sense, and nothing else. To pass, you would have to leave the majority of the answers blank. Because common sense isn’t ‘common’ to any situation. Even if the situations had been stated, it wouldn’t have mattered. The answer was the same for every question.

I didn’t see this before…because some of the answers made sense. And that’s why this test has such a high failure rate. It’s seems hypocritical, but really it makes sense. If you’re proctoring an exam, then of course you have to look at the situation. You have to follow your gut, not some handbook.

Ekyt put the brushes down and leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

Well, at least it stopped me from thinking about Orochimaru…I suppose I’d better check in with Lady Tsunade now, to see about missions. I’m not well just yet, but I need to get out and clear my head.

Ekyt felt a pain in his leg, but dismissed it from sitting in teteheiza for too long.

--

“Okay Sakura, you’re free to go for today. Good job.” Tsunade dismissed Sakura, who bowed.

“Thank you, Lady Tsunade!” Sakura almost skipped out of the room. Shizune and Tsunade exchanged knowing smiles.

“Nothing beats the feeling of knowing you have someone special waiting for you, eh Shizune,” Tsunade said dreamily, remembering skipping off to meet Dan the same way.

“…I wouldn’t really know, My Lady…” Shizune muttered, almost silently. Tsunade’s trained ears heard her, however.

“I suppose that’s my fault,” Tsunade murmured, trying to seem relaxed. “I’ve barely given you enough time for yourself, let alone time enough for a boyfriend.”

That took Shizune completely by surprise. “Oh, no, M’lady, that wasn’t what-” her voice trailed off, and soon she and Tsunade were silent. A knock at the window broke them from their trance. Upon seeing it was Ekyt, both kind of smirked- what a perfect discussion to have just before this guy gets here. Shizune opened the window for him, and Ekyt dropped into the room.

“Ekyt, good. I’ve been hoping to hear how you did on that test.” Tsunade leaned forward, hands on her desk. She winced inwardly. But Ekyt just shrugged with that small, fake smile on his face. At least he wasn’t completely silent anymore- being a shojo star for a few days had cured that.

“Oh, I failed that. But I see what I did wrong, so I’m not too upset about it. I’ll figure it out next time, no big deal. Anyway, I came to see if I had any missions today.”

Tsunade had been worried about something like this. “Well, to be honest, your behavior recently has been worrisome. I can’t give you any missions before you take a drug test.” Tsunade waited for Ekyt to protest.

“That’s fair, I haven’t been myself lately, I know. Okay. Urine sample?”

“Yup. But, um, someone will have to watch.”

“Absolutely not,” Ekyt replied, frowning. “Sorry, but if you don’t trust me enough to let me pee into a cup on my own, we’ve got a problem. Just have a little faith in me.”

Ekyt took the cup Tsunade had on her desk and walked down the hall to the bathroom. Tsunade called for Kotetsu.

“Watch him,” she ordered. Kotetsu did. Seconds later- BAM! Exchanging glances, Tsunade and Shizune ran from the room, down the hallway. It didn’t take them long to see what had happened.

“…you come near me again, I’ll piss in your mouth, and you can run THAT to Lady Tsunade!” Ekyt snarled. Apparently, he had grabbed Kotetsu’s head and jammed it through the bathroom door. Tsunade nodded, satisfied.

“Shizune, please write down that he’s exhibiting normal behavior.”

Ekyt glared at Tsunade for that- it was a cheap trick she had just pulled. Tsunade never needed a urine sample- she just wanted to make sure Ekyt’s temperament was the same. Poor Kotetsu was just an innocent bystander who became a casualty. Ekyt shook his head, and turned to walk down the hallway. He felt the pain in his leg again, causing him to limp.

“Hold still!” Tsunade barked, rushing forward. She knelt down and lifted his pant leg. Eyes wide, Tsunade told Shizune to make sure the hospital was ready.

“What for? What’s going on?” Ekyt twisted around to look.

“Kid,” Tsunade said, “Your leg is full of poison.”

--

Sakura stretched out, ready to meet Naruto for their date. It was a wonderful thing, being in love. And it had helped their training. Both of them had accomplished what they set out to do- bring Sasuke back. Now, Naruto was ready to be Hokage, and Sakura was ready to become Lady Tsunade’s replacement in the medical corps. Well, that is to say, they were both ready to train to get there.

“How’s it going kiddo?” Temari called over, walking by with Kimimaro.

“Oh, hi Temari! Great, how are you?” Sakura called back, waving.

“I’m doing fine, getting used to this place. Boneman’s been a big help. So, where you off to?” Temari was more relaxed these days, so she could hold a normal conversation with almost anyone.

“I’m just off to meet Naruto for some food. Then we’ve got training. They’re probably going to split our team up again,” Sakura mentioned, this issue making her think a little.

It must be Naruto…the demon fox that only Captain Yamato can seal…so maybe we’re switching senseis? I know Sai was on a team for a while…Yuushi is back, and he’s going to be paired with Okkuu…so maybe Sai is with them now? Ah, whatever, I’ll worry about it later.

“I’ve got to get going, see you later!”

--

Tsunade sighed, seeing Ekyt in a hospital bed. Not even he was getting out of this one. Thankfully, she had caught this early.

“It’s what Hayate has…catching it this early was a stroke of luck. Shizune, keep an eye on him. I’m going to get the ingredients for the medication myself. Hayate’s road to recovery will be longer than Ekyt’s, since we caught Ekyt’s condition so early….well, I’m off.” Tsunade had paused, as if to say something else, but apparently chose not to.

Shizune looked at Hayate and Ekyt- two great warriors, neither of which got the recognition they deserved. Now, here they were- Hayate recovering from near-death, and Ekyt waiting for treatment. Hayate’s lover (her name was kept quiet after the hostage situation) soon stopped in. She was shocked to see Ekyt lying in a hospital bed. Eventually, mercifully, he passed out.

“They both are going to recover…aren’t they?” the purple-haired ANBU agent asked Shizune.

“Yes, they’ll be fine. Ekyt’s case was caught early, and Hayate has gotten better every day. It won’t be long now. …”

Shizune thought about what Tsunade had said earlier. About never leaving Shizune time to have a boyfriend. Shizune’s eyes slid toward the out-cold Ekyt. His lips were slightly parted, and his hair was tussled, but almost stylishly slow. His headband was hung around his neck. The sterile room was such a depressing atmosphere. It was brightly lit, but that didn’t help. If anything, it reminded the patients about their conditions.

Shizune walked toward Ekyt, not sure what she was going to do. Their ages weren’t too far apart, and Shizune had always thought of Ekyt as kind of attractive. With his lips parted, would it really hurt to kiss him? They were both single, both really into their work, and Ekyt saw Shizune a lot…maybe they could be together?

Shizune smiled sadly, knowing that couldn’t happen. Her duty was to the Hidden Leaf, and to Lady Tsunade, not herself.

Besides, Ekyt would probably prefer someone close to his own age…oh well. Best of luck to both of us, Ekyt.

Shizune, without realizing it, was bent over him. She had meant to kiss him full on the lips. Instead, she checked his head for a fever, and settled for kissing his forehead instead. With Hayate’s wife-to-be watching, it was better that way. She knew better.

“One woman to another…they’re both pretty attractive. I thought about Ekyt when Lady Tsunade told me Hayate had died. But I couldn’t tell if it was love…or pity…or desperation. I hope he finds someone…Ekyt just seems like the type who would be incomplete without a girl.”

Shizune silently nodded her agreement. Somehow, it DID seem that way. Ekyt was a loner, but maybe the right person could change him. Change wasn’t always bad. In Ekyt’s case, change could be a good thing. But someone like Ekyt also didn’t change his ways easily. People with something to prove never do. Naruto…Sasuke…Orochimaru…Tsunade…Ekyt. That all had something to prove, and none of them had changed their way of thinking.

“I just hope that he recovers quickly- Ekyt being Ekyt, he won’t sit still for long,” Shizune commented, ending the conversation.

Oh well. Maybe things can work out for him yet. You don’t have to have someone to be happy. Sometimes, you just need a purpose. With Ekyt, one is as likely as the other.

--

Ekyt, even when he woke up, laid still. He just kept his eyes closed, hoping no one would bother to talk to him. He let his mind wander, thinking about how things could have been. Eventually, of course, things all led to Orochimaru’s haunting words.

“You train to fill a void…but you know, that won’t fill that void.” Maybe not word for word, but he definitely said that sort of thing. But is he correct? I don’t even no how to try to test that theory. The void…I know what it is, but yet I don’t. It’s deep, and it’s confusing. Am I part of this ‘void’, or is this void who I am? Does it define me? CAN it define me? Does something that’s missing define a person? I guess it could…I mean, I remember ‘that guy doesn’t have manners’, or ‘Lee doesn’t have the ability to do anything but use taijutsu’, so it’s possible, then. But what is it that’s defining me? Is it…is it my inability to kill? Or is there more missing? Would I have been complete if I had killed Orochimaru? COULD I have killed him? Better yet…if I HAD, I wouldn’t be having these haunting thoughts.

--

Hayate looked over at Ekyt. He had been aware that the boy had been brought in, and was curious if he was awake. Hayate could tell he was, but he could also tell he didn’t want to be bothered at the moment. If he did, he would have opened his eyes, or spoken up by now. So Hayate settled back down, finding his strength had returned, at least a little more. Soon, he could leave and go out and be himself again. It would be a second chance- something few people got. That made Hayate want to make the most of that second chance more than anything.

--

Sakura and Naruto, incidentally, ran into Sasuke and Ino. There was no real bad blood, just a rivalry. The four didn’t exchange words, except with the person they were dating. But the tension was still there. It was kept in check, though- no one wanted to be distracted from their date. It was best that way.

--

Yuushi and Okkuu. What a story. They hated each other, no doubt. Now they were forced to live together, and even more so, share a room. They learned they would also be on the same team. It, in a word, sucked. But when a nurse informed Yuushi that Ekyt had been hospitalized, neither boy said anything. They just went to check on Ekyt.

-

Upon arriving, Yuushi and Okkuu found Ekyt already had a visitor. Sai was sitting across the room from Ekyt, sketching.

“Has he woken up yet, Sai?” Yuushi asked, looking at Ekyt’s ‘sleeping’ form.

“If he has, he has chosen not to speak,” Sai replied. “I don’t think I’ve met you…” Sai looked toward Okkuu.

“Okkuu. That’s my name,” he said snottily. Sai being Sai didn’t care in the least. He just gave a fake smile, said ‘nice to meet you’, and went back to drawing. Yuushi and Sai got along, especially after Sai risked his life to save Yuushi. So Yuushi wandered over and say next to Sai, watching him draw. That’s when it occurred to Yuushi that most samurai were well-versed in some kind of art. Maybe drawing was Yuushi’s thing?

“Sai-sempai, will you teach me how to draw?”

--

Ekyt, still unmoving, smiled inside at that. Yuushi wouldn’t have asked that question when he first came to the village. Ekyt hoped that, in some way, he had influenced Yuushi to be a better person. He was certainly more friendly. In Ekyt’s mind, it was a small success that he couldn’t completely take credit for, but it still felt good.

It always felt good to accomplish something.

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