Pink Haired Fox

by OfPaintAndOil

Sakura is a half-breed kitsune. She has made peace with the full-blooded spirits from the deepest parts of the woods, though she still has to be clever enough to not fall for the trickery they use to try to lure her into the spirit woods, to finally make her theirs. But something has changed, and they are no longer content to wait for her to make that final choice. COMPLETE.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor anything related to Naruto.

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Sakura woke in a field of wheat, blinking dazedly at the sun and wincing at the sound of the chirping cicadas. It was too hot and too much like summer, even though it should still only be early spring.

Her pink ears flicked in irritation. She was having such a nice nap, too.

How she was—lying all the way on her back, her knees drawn up just a bit under the skirts of her day kimono, one hand splayed out by her head and the other draped over her eyes—made her hidden. Which was how she wanted to be, at times like this.

Sakura sighed. There was movement out of the corner of her eye, even with them half covered by her hand, but she knew who it was immediately. She didn't bother to open her eyes to flick her equally pink tail at it, one quick snap of air.

An animal whine. Sakura bit back the twitch of her lips.

He was right next to her ear. "Nee, nee, Sakura-chan. If you stay out here all day you'll get heat stroke."

Sakura just grunted, curling the hand by her head around some of the wheat in the field she was lying in. She really shouldn't be out there. She knew better—really, she did. She had been lectured and taught and coerced into believing that this part of the land was dangerous, it was forbidden territory her kind shouldn't mess with. She had listened to the wise old women of the village tell the tales of monsters and goblins and fairies and spirits and the other thousands of names humans enjoyed calling things that were not like them. Things that were other and had magic run so deep in their blood it could turn it silver. Those old women were wise, surely, but they were also long dead, and things always changed with death, and Sakura was no longer so inclined to heed their sharp and crass words, their damnings of creatures not like them and only somewhat like Sakura.

It wasn't like she wasn't one of those creatures herself, anyways.

And every time Sakura had been pinched and probed into being a proper lady of her land, letting the old women smooth down her tail into the folds of her colorful kimonos, holding in her wince as they tied her ears along with her hair into decorative buns that served no other purpose than to hide what she was to everyone else, making her go even more lightheaded than one of those blasted corsets could, and every time the old women taught her new ways to hide her teeth and eyes, the proper way for her to still smile at a gentleman without showing her animal fangs and the ways to keep her eyes downcast—in ways that could be considered shy and seductive no less—so none would be the wiser about her cat-slit eyes surrounded by such a vibrant green no one in their right mind would ever believe she was anything but human, Sakura had the thought that their argument was too weak, since she herself was something forbidden.

The world was coming to a close on the spirit world. No one wanted to believe in the invisible brownies that would clean your home if you left out a bit of a sweet snack and honey or the long-fingered and sharp-toothed fae which dwelled in the forest and would bargain in life years if a human was so foolish. And no one wanted to think more deeply into myths and legends and tall-tales told by ranting old women who smoked grass and believed in futures foretold in stars and fortunes in tea leaves or the fact that everything ever told had an origin that was true.

Sakura's kind already had come to a close, really. She was the last of her kind: a half-breed.

Sure, there were still the full-blooded myths and tall-tales come to life. There were kitsunes and tengus and inugamis and selkies and brownies and even the odd dragon or two, if you cared enough to look for them. But they . . . more or less kept to themselves now.

Humans do as human does, and they loved nothing more than building and snooping in places they really had no right to. Forbidden places. Really. They should know better.

Modernization had come to Sakura's land. Odd clothing and strange ways of talking and behaving, and, frankly, it was beginning to weigh on Sakura whether or not she could do all this forever.

She had no doubt to what had woken her. Her tall fox ears were twitching and her tail was flicking around with the breeze. Something had caught her scent, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Half-breeds had been hunted over the centuries. They could appear human if they chose to, by hiding their distinguished characteristics of what they were exactly half of, but there would always be something . . . off about them to humans. Something not quite right.

Over the centuries, many half-breeds had chosen to die out on their own, choosing a mortal life where they might stand a chance of having a life and a family and wrinkles as they aged. Others might have chosen to stay in eternal youth, as was the choice granted to any half-breed. Due to this and no time limit, most would choose eternal life . . . until they didn't anymore. Whether this was due to boredom or something worth dying for, Sakura really couldn't say.

Other times, in more drastic periods of humans' reign, half-breeds were hunted. They did not dwell in the spirit world . . . they could not, not unless a full-blooded spirit took them there, stole them there. And no half-breed would ever want that. They may never quite fit in with mortals, but they would find themselves complete strangers in the spirit world.

And so because they were different and odd to look at, half-breeds like herself were hunted and killed. That, however, was quite a few decades ago, and since then, wrongs had been made right and hunting and harming half-breeds was illegal and punishable by death.

Though it hadn't made any difference, Sakura thought. Because all the half-breeds were long dead, and those not killed during that time had mostly chosen to become mortal in the hopes the hunters would turn a blind eye to the odd old woman or man in a small village. Half-breeds became incognito with wrinkles and grey hair until which time if they were not killed by the human hunters, they would die from old age instead.

Sakura was around during this time, but she was a hunter herself. And while the idea of becoming mortal and aging and dying did not repulse her as it did some of her kindred, she had an intense loathing for the idea of losing her choice based on the methods and violent whims of humans.

So Sakura was the last of her kind, replacing wrinkles with blood, slaughtering any human who dared hunt her down.

To be fair, most never made it far enough to find her. Her land was on the edge of the sea, at the brink of the enchanted woods that were said to be a gate to the spirit world, and not even the most bloodthirsty of humans would dare hunt there.

By the time more than the few dozen men would wander upon her and attempt to slay her, the new law had taken hold, and murder in these ways was forbidden. Over time, hardly any knew of what that time was like.

And Sakura had not heard nor seen any of her kind for quite a few decades now.

But that did not mean humans were as . . . accepting of what she was. The village near her land knew of what she was, because she refused to hide it, but over time her story would fade with the present humans, and she would become something new, something other, a bedtime story from grandparents to their grandchildren of the pink haired fox, smart as a whip and clever as a fox, who dwelled near the village, protecting it from unseen dangers. Sometimes she was the hero, sometimes she was the villain, and sometimes she was neither, but an oddity all the same.

At first, the old women of the village who remembered her—remembered what she was and how she had protected the village during that time of the murder of half-breeds, bringing the worst of the worst kinds of human men to their village doorstep that not only put Sakura in danger, but all human villagers in danger, Sakura had slaughtered them, preventing thugs and mortal vermin and rapist and swindlers into her home's door—had tried to hide her, protect her in their own way. Thus ensued the primping and teaching and scolding only old women like them were so good at.

But eventually, like all mortals do, the old women's numbers dwindled until there were none at all. And so Sakura was alone once more.

Sakura was a kitsune half-breed. Part red fox, which had spirited away her mother when she was still in the womb all those decades ago. Once a woman was spirited away for exactly a month, she would return as suddenly as she disappeared. And when she gave birth to the child, that child would have tall fox ears on the top of their head, sharp canines, a tail, and kitsune skills.

Sakura's mother had been albino, a rare genetic trait that made her lose all color and have strange red eyes. While the spirits were more well-known and the humans more friendly to them, they were still something other and terrifying, and while her mother was not something magical, she was something different, which might have well been the same thing.

And because of her mother's albino genetics and the red fox's powers, so was made a little girl with hair and ears and a tail the color of cherry blossoms.

Her mother was shunned by the people of her village. Her husband—Sakura's father, though it was difficult to think of him as such—had died during the month she had been spirited away, gone to the war of that time in grief and killed shortly after. A suicide soldier if there ever was one.

The village people blamed her mother for his death, believing her odd coloring due to nothing more than a genetic trait made her unlucky and ominous. That it brought the kitsune to her doorstep and enticed the spirit to take her.

Her mother, shunned, took Sakura and a handful of handmaidens to the edge of the land and sea and made a home there, where Sakura had stayed since then.

Her father had held a title of some sort—it had never been explained to Sakura in so many words—and so there was not a problem of money. And by the time all those original handmaidens and her mother had passed away, Sakura had found ways to keep expanding her wealth by herself.

At first, it was simply something she did on her own. If there was a troubling spirit killing humans, Sakura would take care of it. Over time, when the villagers had realized what was going on, they began to hire her for odd jobs in keeping away spirits and the like. Sometimes it was a shadow spirit doing nothing but playing pranks on young children and other times it was a lightening beast attacking random park-goers on the nights of full moons.

Sakura tried to not kill or maim any of the beasts if she could help it. She had too much spirit and mortal blood on her hands as it was. But sometimes it just had to be done.

But now, after all these decades with all the people she had known and loved come and passed and being—what she assumed—as one of the last of her kind, if not the last of her kind, Sakura was beginning to question if she wanted to continue ever unchanging through the centuries as the people and places around her never stopped growing.

She hadn't realized she had a choice to becoming mortal when her mother was still alive. It was only after her death that another half-breed had come across her, when she was so young and naïve, and explained what she was and how to use her skills.

The half-breed's name had been Tsunade, and she had never wanted to tell Sakura what she was half of, as none of her features told Sakura for sure what she was—though Sakura had highly suspected she was part of a greed and gambling spirit—and her only noticeable physical feature being the tiny black horns atop her head, small enough to pass off as some kind of new, radical hairpiece or decoration.

Tsunade had been one of the oldest half-breeds alive back then, and one of the wisest. She explained Sakura's physical abilities, and taught her how to fight and defend herself. She taught her how to summon her dagger through her namesake—a cherry blossom branch. She taught her how to center herself in what she was and let the kitsune part of her take over. She taught her how to be a monster of the night and day.

Tsunade had stayed with Sakura for over a decade, teaching her and speaking with her and living with her, while Sakura in return gave her a place to stay and gamble during this time.

Eventually, Tsunade had decided to become mortal herself, before the time when the humans turned on half-breeds. She had fallen in love with a mortal man, a dead-beat writer of some sort—Tsunade would never let Sakura read any of his manuscripts nor would she explain what it was he wrote about—but that was how she lived her mortal life and died. They never had any children, as was the ways of half-breeds. Even when turned mortal, they were never able to produce children.

Her husband had died before Tsunade, and upon news of this, Sakura had made a visit to Tsunade's home and pleaded with her to return to her immortal state, though it was no use.

At first, Sakura had thought Tsunade's refusal to prolong her death was due to vanity, and the fact that those past years had aged Tsunade—her previously golden blonde hair was gray and her skin papery and wrinkled. But it had been because now that she knew what being a mortal was like, she could never want to be immortal again. Especially since her husband was dead and gone and immortality would ruin the only chance she had of seeing him ever again.

Sakura didn't fight her on it. She was older and wiser by that time, even if she was nothing more than a babe in years compared to Tsunade. And that was how Sakura spent her last days with Tsunade, gambling away the last of her and her late husband's fortune for no other purpose than to make sure "that damned snake of a brother-in-law couldn't touch a cent of it."

Tsunade was buried next to her husband's coffin. Sakura stayed upon Tsunade's land for all of three days after her death to take care of the last few things of hers before returning to her own home at the edge of the forest and the sea, wherein she had stayed since then.

It was there during those three days after Tsunade's death that she found the letter.

It was nothing fancy or obvious, and Sakura sometimes wondered if Tsunade ever actually meant for Sakura to read it, as it was hidden in a dresser drawer of hers under colored cloth and loose beads.

And it was there that Tsunade confessed to not being a half-breed, but a full-blooded kitsune. In particular, the kitsune who had spirited away her mother and made Sakura a half-breed.

Sakura had not known until then that it was possible for a full-blooded spirit to take the form of a human or to become mortal, but Tsunade explained in her letter that while a spirit could take the form of a human and become mortal, they would always have an imprint on them from the spirit realm. For her, it was the black horns, which was a distinguishing feature on only the most powerful and oldest of her kind. And while half-breeds could lose their spirit-half's physical characteristics once they became mortal, a full-blooded spirit could never do that, making it all the more dangerous for them.

Oddly, Sakura did not feel angry or betrayed upon finding and reading such a letter. In some ways, it didn't affect her or her feelings towards Tsunade at all.

Tsunade and her mother had known each other before Tsunade had spirited her away. Her mother had always been intrigued by the spirits in the forest and Tsunade had been taken by her mother's unique looks and strength despite what the village people whispered about her.

They knew each other well for many years, her mother spending more and more time with Tsunade and sneaking out to the woods after dark, which was never a particularly smart thing to do unless one wished to be eaten alive by the creatures that lurked there.

But Tsunade had been fond of her, and fox-spirits were very protective and obsessive of what they enjoyed. And Tsunade loved her mother.

When her mother had become pregnant, Tsunade could not help herself or prevent the pull that would occasionally call for a spirit to steal a pregnant woman. And so that was how her mother spent a month in the spirit world with Tsunade.

Once her mother returned and Tsunade saw the grief brought upon her mother at the news of Sakura's father's death, Tsunade fled, blaming herself for how things had happened, only returning upon news of her mother's death and taking Sakura under her wing.

And those brutal lessons paid off well in the coming years and the bloodshed of her kind. It was only thanks to those skills she had learned that Sakura was still alive.

She was alone now, living in her too-large home at the edge of the sea and spirit forest, doing nothing but sleeping and eating and wandering in places she probably shouldn't be, wondering if it was time to become mortal and end her boredom before some smart, evil human discovered what she was and came to finish the job of all those half-breed murderers decades ago.

Full-blooded spirits still dwelled in her spirit forest. Many, in fact. But she owned the land there and had for some time, so that changed the rules a bit. Sakura could not stop spirits from living on her land, but she had the power to keep her lands safe, and that was exactly what she did.

This, however, did not prevent harm from coming upon herself. And her body was a well-trained detector at sensing other beings around her, even in her sleep.

And that was no doubt why she was awoken from her nap.

Another, larger and orange tail swept over her face, and Sakura tried to bite it, but only got a mouthful of fox-tail hair instead.

She sat up and glared at the full-blooded kitsune called Naruto, who was grinned broadly at her and had gotten tired at waiting for her to wake up and play with him.

Sakura flashed him her sharp teeth, not so much in a threatening manner but not a playful one either. "What?" she snapped. Even after all these decades she still could not always control her temper. Personally, she blamed it on Tsunade and the traits she had inherited from the blonde kitsune.

All kitsune were red in their true forms, but for whatever reason, in human forms they were blonde-haired, as was the case with both Tsunade and Naruto.

Naruto continued to grin down at her, sitting too close to her with the soles of his feet pressed together and his hands covering them. "Did you wake me for a purpose or were you just bored?" she asked, blinking into the sunlight.

Unlike most spirits, kitsune's could come out during the daylight. Most spirits such as tengus or inugamis were not comfortable in the sunlight and would sleep during the day and only venture out at night.

It was one of the reasons Sakura allowed herself to take naps out in the open like this, so close to the forest's edge. She was much safer out during the daylight. Most of the things living in the forest that wished to kill, maim, or eat her only awoke at twilight.

Naruto pouted. "Aren't you glad to see me, Sakura-chan?" He tilted his head at her. "I hadn't realized you would be out here when I came out of my den earlier today! But then I saw something pink in the field and, well—" he reached out a sharp-nailed hand and tenderly brushed a hand through her long pink tresses, which were free from any constraining knot the old women had at one point been so fond of twisting her hair and ears into. "—there's only one person that could be. So here I am!"

Sakura hummed at this under her breath, not really a reply. "I was napping so peacefully, too," she sighed.

Naruto flicked his orange tail and entwined it with her own smaller pink tail. "You still have trouble sleeping at night?"

"How could I not?" she replied, her lips twitching in amusement. "There are far too many creatures waiting to eat and kill me during the nighttime."

Naruto frowned at this. "I would never eat you, Sakura-chan! And I'd beat up any nasty spirits who would ever try!"

Sakura closed her eyes again. "Thanks, Naruto. But I can take pretty good care of myself."

A pause. "Does that mean you'll come with me tonight?" Naruto asked hopefully, like this was what this conversation was always leading to. And maybe for him, it had been.

She tensed and her eyes flew open, openly glaring at the full-blooded kitsune now. "No, Naruto. Never. We've been over this."

"But Sakura-chan!" he whined. "It would just be for tonight! I'd return you straight away in the morning, promise!"

She sighed. This was a common argument between the two of them. Naruto wanted to take her into the woods, into the spirit world, and Sakura was adamantly against it.

Being a half-breed made her both crave the spirit realm and made her repulsed by it. It was something she could never have, not fully, not without a full-blooded spirit guide like Naruto at her side.

Unfortunately, Naruto's desire to take her there was also a side-effect of her being a half-breed and giving Naruto the same desire to spirit her away as a pregnant woman would. She was like him, but not. She was other, something nearly extinct now, and spirits desired nothing more than to be collectors of beautiful, rare things. Whether alive or inanimate, it didn't make all that much of a difference.

Sakura also theorized it had something to do with her ownership of these lands. She was bonded to this land, including a part of the spirit forest, and that was something the spirits in her domain responded to, even though most of them had been there much longer than she'd owned the land. Longer than she'd been alive, even.

Spirits were intrigued by other beings with power, whether half-breed or human or something else, and Sakura was both rare and powerful, especially for a half-breed. It was common knowledge in the spirit world that she was the protégée of one of the most powerful kitsune's to ever exist, and Tsunade's tutelage in her strength and wisdom was something to both fear and admire. It was a game spirits liked to play with her now—who could lure the pink haired half-breed to the spirit world and claim her as their own.

And Naruto, however kind and unthreatening, was still a full-blooded kitsune, and was not immune to this allure and desire. He may say it would only be for one night, to appease her want to see the spirit world at least once, and he might even mean it too, but by the time they arrived in the spirit world and Sakura was in his domain as his, Sakura knew very well he would never let her go.

And almost no one ever came back from being spirited away without the spirit allowing it.

Naruto was one thing . . . If she ever did go to the spirit world, Sakura knew she'd want it to be with him, as she trusted him the most. But there were other, darker spirits who wanted her just as much, if not more than the full-blooded kitsune. And once in the spirit world, none of them would want to let her go.

Oddly enough, Naruto accepted this, only pouting slightly. His skin was tan and healthy in the sunlight, and more than once Sakura wondered how such a spirit could dwell so easily in the dark when he was this vibrant in the sunlight. His whiskered face was flushed slightly, and his tall orange ears flicked at a flying bug.

"Fine," he grumbled, turning his face away slightly, but not enough to let her out of his sight. If he could find her, it was likely the others could find her as well, and part of that also meant there was a good chance that they were being watched, even then, from the shadows of the forest. "But will you at least come back out to play tonight?"

It was a risk—it was always a risk to do that. But Sakura did it anyways. It was part of her curse of living on these lands, the undeniable desire to be around these spirits like Naruto. Times like this, with both of them lying in the sunlight when full-blooded spirits were at their weakest, were so much safer and calmer. But once night came, it would be very different.

Naruto would still be the same, though he would be much more active and powerful. The draw to lure her into the depths of the forest would be much greater.

But Sakura couldn't help herself. It was almost necessary to spend time with the full-blooded spirits, no matter how dangerous it might become. It was part of her curse to own these lands, part of the curse to want to be among her kind, and the full-blooded spirits of these lands was the closest she could get to that.

This was the kind of thing that would have those old women rolling in their graves, but Sakura was just as forbidden as full-blooded spirits, and denying the call of blood-to-blood was nearly impossible. Forbidden things attract other forbidden things. Light to dark, dark to light. It was as much her curse as it was theirs.

There had been a short period of time a few years ago when Sakura had forced herself to stay home, like the old women had always told her to do, and not venture out anywhere near the forest's edge. When she went outside, she stayed impossibly close to her own home, not even daring to go to the sea's edge in fear of the selkies and sirens. She wanted to know if she could do it, to stay away from her own kind for a long period of time. She wanted to prove to herself that she was stronger than having to need the spirit woods.

And it had worked . . . for a time. She spent years like that, completely isolated from both humans and spirits.

It had been absolute hell.

But she forced herself to push it out, feeling sick to her stomach and cold to the touch and empty, oh-so empty all the time. She was like a ghost, wandering through the motions of surviving, forgetting to eat and wake up at normal times, pushing her more closely to the edge of death than thought possible for an immortal.

It wasn't until she was sure she'd perish that she finally sucked up her pride and wandered to the edge of the spirit's woods one twilight, knowing full well it wouldn't be difficult for some spirit to spirit her away or even eat her.

But that wasn't what happened. Instead, she awoke to Naruto leaning over her, his tail wrapped around her own, a surprisingly intimate gesture for a kitsune, who valued their tails more than anything else. And he didn't talk. He just sat there, her head in his lap, him occasionally murmuring incoherent things into her fox ears.

Sakura still wasn't sure how long they sat like that. It had to be a few days, at the very least. Other spirits came and went, but none would dare infringe on Naruto and what he had claimed as his . . . at least during that time. He was too powerful, too old. Not to the level of Tsunade, not enough to give him little black stubs near the base of his fox ears, but close. In another century, he'd likely grow horns.

Besides, most truly powerful spirits dwelled only near the center of the forest, rarely moving outwards. Sakura still got the occasional powerful and ancient spirit at her doorstep, but mostly they were smaller, less powerful creatures that quickly learned she was not to be underestimated, especially with her legendary temper said to be inherited from Tsunade. And every spirit—from the ancient to the newly awoken—knew of Tsunade's temper.

During that time, sometimes Sakura would awaken, her head still in his lap, Naruto cooing at her like a hurt lamb and coercing her to drink water or eat a little of something. And each time, she would whisper and plead with him not to take her, not yet. And she never ate anything he offered her either, knowing full well that eating the food of the spirit world was as good as being spirited away to it.

Naruto always looked so sad every time she would awaken and whisper that, like he thought her coming to the edge of the woods after all that time away was a submission on her part, an understanding and acceptance of leaving with him. But it wasn't that. Never that. It was just her pride.

But he never took her. Never spirited her away even though he really could have, with her there with him, right at the edge of the woods with her head in his lap as his, completely unable to fight him off and reject him.

It was later, after days of being in his presence healed her of her self-inflicted spiritual wounds that she asked him why he hadn't taken her then. And he had just given her that mega-watt grin of his that showed off his canines and told her, "I'll only take you when you're ready and willing, Sakura-chan. That's a promise!"

Sakura had thanked him and smiled, even though both he and she knew very well that that was a lie, that there were times he would lose himself in her presence and try every trick in the book to get her to take that last leap with him into the spirit forest.

And so these playdates, these times Sakura would come out of the safety of her home and venture out to the edge of the woods at the most dangerous of times for beautiful half-breeds, to dance and play with spirits like Naruto, were a guilty pleasure of hers needed to keep her healthy and keep her sanity in check.

So now, Sakura nodded her consent, and Naruto turned back at her, stretching that same lovely grin. Even though he grinned at her like that every time she saw him, it still always blinded her, just for a moment. She had never met another spirit or human with a grin quite as bright as Naruto's.

He fiddled with some of the wheat around them, twisting and knotting the wheat in what Sakura already knew was a crown for her. So she let her eyes drift close again and didn't flinch when she felt Naruto's gentle hands on her head, moving stray pink locks out of her face so her hair flowed around her head in a halo and placing the wheat crown atop her head.

It was such a sick curse, this need to be around spirits to be healthy and good, but knowing that you'd never, ever belong with them.

---

Sakura always dressed the same when she knew she was going to be with the spirits at twilight. While she had been trained by Tsunade to be able to fight in anything, including some of her heavy kimonos, Sakura had learned to be more comfortable in some of her gypsy wears. For that night, she was dressed all in dark colors – all the better to blend in with the night and not draw attention to herself. Though it was mostly a moot point, since spirits could smell a half-breed a mile away.

Sakura adorned a dark navy shirt that had sleeves that flowed below her elbows and a small V-neck, which was wrapped around her small frame and below her hips, tied together with a red sash. Unlike her usual, traditional clothes, that night she wore loose fitting pants the same color of her shirt, long enough it nearly covered her feet and the plain black small shoes she wore there. Her hair, which she almost always wore down, was tied back in one long loose brain, wisps of her pink hair coming free and flying around her face.

It would be foolish to go into the dark unharmed, no matter how much she might like and trust Naruto. There would be other, darker spirits there, many whom she knew and others she did not. So she had small daggers hidden in the folds of her clothes and some sharp pins hidden away in her braid under the pretense to keep her hair in place.

But her greatest weapon was the long dagger she could summon from her cherry blossom branch, though it was not something she could so easily carry on her person. Instead, it was only something she could wield when she gave over to her kitsune half, where she was more beast and spirit than human. Then, she could sing to the earth and summon her cherry blossom branch that was her birthright, and with one quick swish of her hand, it could become a dagger.

It was not dark quite yet, and too early for her to arrive. She did not ever want to be one of the first to arrive at such gatherings, and would prefer to show herself after the spirits were drunk on their wine and vises, drinking in their own power over the land and woods. Hopefully by that point not many spirits would notice her presence, and if they did, would not care enough to attempt to lure her farther into the woods.

Naruto, however, would always notice her. There were a few choice others, of course, she knew well enough. A clan of tengu, red-eyed and dark winged who were more prone to attempt to seduce and cajole her into their realm. They wanted something light to their darkness.

There was the occasional inugami she knew well, dog spirits with fangs and tails and pointed ears, being lazier then kitsunes despite the similar appearances. They were not as bad as attempting to seduce her into the woods, but would try nonetheless.

Kitsunes and inugamis were not typically the type to spirit away people, neither being as vicious or cruel to humans or half-breeds as other monsters could be. However, there were times—such as between Tsunade and her late mother—where the circumstances were just right and they could not help themselves.

For Naruto, it had to do with her being a half-breed of another powerful kitsune. That right there was enough for him to have a reason to want her for his own. Kindred souls and the like. It was always Naruto who wanted Sakura to give way to the kitsune part of her on these nights, where her green eyes would glow in the dark and her teeth would get longer and sharper, and there wouldn't be much human about her at all. She would be all spiked lashes and fanged teeth and laughter—oh, the wicked laughter she could speak.

The sun had not yet gone down, though Sakura knew Naruto and the others would already be there, around a fire made out of magic and power, sparkled drinks of all colors of the rainbow, waiting for her to slip and fall. But she wasn't ready to leave, not quite yet.

A sound drew her attention to her front porch, and Sakura was there in an instant, her reflexes kicking in before she thought about it as she pressed her back up against a wall right next to her doorway. Scuffling feet.

Had this been happening a few decades ago, Sakura would have already given over to her kitsune side and would have summoned her cherry blossom branch.

But these were more peaceful times, and Sakura would sometimes get visitors, whether passing fishermen or sometimes friendly village locals who didn't mind so much that she had pink hair and fox ears and that when she smiled her fangs winked at them.

More scuffling feet. One person, human. Male, by the creaking of his weight on the porch. Sakura got a sniff of sandalwood and paint and dust. Ah.

Sakura hummed in satisfaction under her breath and turned on her heel, climbing up the wall easily enough and escaping though the hatch in the ceiling she had built for herself years ago as a means of escape and . . . other things.

She maybe got bored one summer day.

Quieter than a mouse in winter, Sakura landed down behind her visitor, him none the wiser. He still faced the doorway, shifting from foot-to-foot, as awkward as always.

Unlike how Sakura was used to dressing in more traditional clothing, her visitor had taken on more modern, western clothing. He had on a black vest over a white collared long sleeved shirt, despite the heat. His tailored slacks fit him perfectly and showed off his slim figure. His hat was in his hands, and Sakura noticed in the quick way that she could that he was twirling it around in his paint splattered hands, a nervous fidget of his.

His slicked back black hair was darker than midnight, and despite his efforts, stray strands fell around his face. Sakura always had to bite back the impulse to smooth her own long-fingered, sharp-nailed hands over his hair for him, especially when it was in his face and he failed to notice, too encompassed in his art and beauty only he could really see.

Sakura let out a dark chuckle, making Sai jump about a foot in the air and whirl on her, dark eyes wide and shocked. Sakura blinked innocently at him. Teasing the human was just too much fun.

Maybe it was part of her kitsune heritage that made her have a small desire to also collect beautiful things. Or at least look upon them. And Sai was one of those things.

He was so fragile compared to her. Born in a middle class family with no real prospects coming in for his artistic desires frowned upon by the family, Sakura had been on one of her rare voyages into the village when she found a small shop with a painting in the window.

It had been of her woods. Of a field of wheat on one side and the dark spirit forest on the other side, a distinct change in the atmosphere between the two sides. One, all light and simple and bright; the other, dark and wicked and forbidden.

Sakura had inquired to the store owner who the painter was, and after he did the appropriate amount of staring and gaping at her unconcealed fox ears and tail, stuttered out a name and an address. Sakura had flipped a single silver coin onto his counter with perfect accuracy on her way out.

She had found a small boy, in the awkward stages between manhood and boyhood, with limbs too gangly and awkward on his body, his inky black hair tossed messily over his forehead and face, and Sakura—for the first time in quite a while during her long life—had found herself curious.

And there was nothing more mythical or dangerous than a curious pink haired fox.

The boy had been on a tire swing during that time, not actually swinging but folded over a large notebook, black pen in hand and furiously sketching something, and after a moment, she really believed he was going to snap his notebook in half.

Sakura blinked and hummed curiously under her breath at the boy, who having heard her, looked up and . . . stared. But not in the way the shop owner stared or the other villagers stared. He stared in the way that was not fear and not curiosity at her mythical heritage, too stupid for a human to comprehend the kind of pain and misery her kind and spirits could bring onto mortals.

No, he stared at her like he was memorizing her. Like he wanted to move her arms and legs a certain way and place her in a spot of both shadow and light and trace the outline of her jawline and bones.

Sakura had lowered her eyelids at him, tilting her head. "Hello," she said politely, ignored his stare as she did all others. "Do you know what I am?"

The gangly half-man, half-boy nodded slowly. "A half-breed." She found his voice to be nearly devoid of all emotion, and she found that uncomprehendingly sad. No human with such short a life should be that . . . dull, empty. That emotion should be solely reserved for immortal beings like herself who would grow bored and tired at even some of the most breathtaking of beauties.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, I am. My name is Sakura." She took hesitant steps in his direction, looking for the slightest sign of him running or pulling a weapon on her. She knew there were still a few underground black market dealings that would pay a high price for kitsune tails, and a half-breed's was just as valuable. "I saw your painting in a shop window. What are you drawing?"

The half-man, half-boy looked down at his hands, as though he had completely forgotten he had been doing something before she appeared in his backyard. "I don't know," he said, and Sakura believed him.

"I'd like to know when you figure it out," she teased, because that was something she would always enjoy—teasing humans.

The half-man, half-boy nodded distractedly, and Sakura knew what she was going to do. "Would you like to come with me?" she asked, and smiled. Smiled in a way that went against all the old women's teachings an how to hide her sharp teeth. "I think your art is lovely, and because I'm not in the practice of letting lovely thinks go to waste, I'd like to make sure yours is seen by many more people than a little shop window could ever allot it."

The half-man, half-boy blinked at her, slowly, like he didn't understand. "I'm Sai," the half-man, half-boy—Sai, she corrected herself—suddenly said, and it was so awkward that Sakura laughed.

"Yes," she agreed, like she already knew that. Which she did, really, since the shop owner had told her his name. Though in her mind it was inappropriate to think of someone with a name attached unless they introduced themselves as such. Names could hold quite a bit of power, really. "It's a lovely name, much like your art."

"I-I love your name," Sai stuttered, as if just realizing that this was, in fact, not a dream nor was it a hallucination brought on by the insanity that came naturally with being mortal and artistic. "Would . . . would you l-let me . . . I mean, if it's alright with you, I'd—"

"You wish to paint me," Sakura finished, a little surprised. She'd never been painted before. It had always been too much of a risk. If there was ever proof of her existence, if someone were ever to see a painting of a pink haired girl with fox ears and a fluffy tail and they were the wrong kind of person . . .

But the human boy with inky hair was looking at her so simply, like he was really expecting her to say no, that Sakura found that she didn't care all that much if an army of human men appeared on her doorstep the next day with the intent to cut off her tail, because she would gladly slaughter them all if it meant surprising this odd little human boy, lovely as he was to her eyes.

So Sakura agreed to be painted by this ink stained boy, and that was how he became hers.

She took him away from his family and made good on her promise to make his works of art seen by all. It wasn't long after Sakura used some of her connections to set a single work of his in an art gallery, which promptly caught the eye of an art dealer, who was ecstatic at the idea of a young protégée of art.

It had been years since then, and Sai rarely visited Sakura anymore. He traveled a good deal now, going to odd and beautiful places to paint and draw and sell more and more of his work.

He sent her the occasional piece of artwork, all of which were hanging in one of the larger rooms of Sakura's home that had basically turned into an art viewing room.

But now, as he stood on her front doorstep, no longer the half-man, half-boy she'd met years ago, he was still as awkward as ever. And he was nervous.

Sakura raised a delicate pink eyebrow at him, knowing how she looked with her hair twisted back in an intricate braid and no longer in her traditional wear. She could see him memorizing her to draw later when he could not sleep. Sai could almost never sleep, much like Sakura.

"Sakura," he whispered, and grinned. It was lopsided, but one that was true. Nothing like the fake one he was so good at adorning when in the presence of art dealers and critiques who wanted to tell the too-young painter how to do something that came so naturally to him already. "I have missed you."

At that, Sakura gave him a crooked grin. "Well, it's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon," she chuckled.

Sai's eyes lowered, and Sakura understood that this was not simply a casual visit.

So she waited patiently, in the way only an immortal could. She was very, very good at waiting, she knew.

Sai took a moment to compose and calm himself, then he looked right at her, intensely. "Sakura," he said again, and Sakura remembered why it was names held such power. "Sakura, I've come to ask you a question."

She blinked and gestured to her front door. "Come in, then."

He shook his head. "No, I'd . . . I'd like to speak out here, if that's alright."

She hummed and twisted on her heel, knowing he would follow her to her porch chairs, and sat down.

She waited some more.

"I've," Sai started, looked at her, looked away, swallowed, looked at her again. Took a breath. "I'd heard something about you . . . something about you thinking about giving up your immortality."

It wasn't really a question.

Sakura wasn't all that surprised—with her being one of the last half-breeds alive, rumors would always spread about whether her existence was real or not, whether she would choose to live out her days in isolation or if she would give up her immortality and live among humans. Sometimes, Sakura highly suspected the villagers who still remembered her wanted her to do just that.

Sakura tilted her head and looked out at the field of wheat. It was almost dark now, and she'd need to get Sai off this land before then.

Near the edge of the woods, so far away that only Sakura's advanced fox sight could recognize it, was a slow ember of light, a movement in the rising shadows.

Yes. She would need to him to leave very soon.

"Sakura." Sai placed a hand over her knee, surprising her. He was not a toucher, and neither was she. She could count on one hand the number of times they'd touched, hugged each other. "Is it true? Or just a stupid rumor?"

She huffed softly, under her breath. "It is neither true nor untrue," she said, unhelpfully, and she knew it. She waved a distracted hand in the air, watching her sharp nails that were not quite claws cut the air. "It is not a matter if I am planning to become mortal, because I have always considered doing just that. Half-breeds can only stand immortality for so long. But I do not know if mortality would be any different. We are not human, nor are we spirit. We are not quite right for either world, and that is our curse." She stopped, and then corrected herself. "My curse."

Sai did not say anything for a moment, nor did he look at her. Sakura was gifted at reading people and spirits alike, but in that moment she could not see what Sai was thinking. He was good at confusing her like that.
"Then," he began, and swallowed thickly. "Would you consider becoming mortal for me?"

Sakura blinked, and Sai dug out a small black velvet box from his blazer pocket, wrapping Sakura's hand around it, so small in comparison to his much larger, smoother hand, and she found it insufferably hilarious at that moment at how no one would ever expect hers to be the hands that had torn the life right out of countless mortal men and spirits alike.

She did not look up at him as she opened the box, simply staring at the simple golden band sitting there. On some level, she was too ancient and unmovable to be surprised.

"Sakura," Sai said, grabbing one of her hands, and she let him. "Will you marry me?"

She looked out at the field of wheat she enjoyed so much and saw the ember of light grow larger by the second in the darkness. A small flare went up at his words and Sakura closed her eyes for a moment.

"You do not want to marry me," Sakura said, turning back to Sai, this man who she had watched grow over the years into a beautiful man. A beautiful, enticing human who appealed to the most animalistic part of Sakura, her desire to gather and own beautiful things. She clawed it back. "You think you do, because of my ears and tail and other-ness, but you do not. You are enticed by my oddness, my uniqueness and strangeness as all other humans are. But that is not love—that is not something that will keep you happy for the rest of your short years in this world."

Sai was now looking at her with a look that could be accommodated with pure, unadulterated panic. He gripped her hand harder, his own hands shaking with fear and . . . something else. Something Sakura didn't want to think about. "You're wrong," he gasped out. "You're wrong—I want you. I-I've wanted you for so long now, you don't—you don't understand!"

Sakura just shook her head, refusing to pity him—or at least block out the pity in her gaze so he couldn't see it. But whether she pitied him or herself or both, she wasn't completely sure. "I can't make you happy, Sai," she whispered.

"But you already do!" He dropped her hand suddenly, going from squeezing it so tight it hurt to flinging it away like a fly, and Sakura almost reeled back from the action. Almost. "I've loved you since you appeared next to my tire swing that day all those years ago! I loved you from the moment you looked at me like I was the most curious thing in the world, e-even though you're the one that has the magic in your blood a-and the most vivid green eyes that—that I can't do a damn thing to properly capture on paper! I loved you even when I was traveling all over the world, painting landscapes because I couldn't bear to paint anyone's portrait after I painted yours! I loved you . . ." He was whispering now, so low only Sakura's heightened fox hearing could pick it up. "I loved you even though I knew it is the most selfish thing to do, to ask you to give up something like immortality for a short and pathetic life with me."

Oh, Sakura thought, because that seemed to sum up the situation perfectly.

Oh.

Despite everything, Sakura was so, so glad to see usual stoic and unemotional Sai like this, all worked up and bright and perfect and beautiful. And Sakura wanted nothing more than to pluck him up as a treasure hunter would with a golden crown and make him hers, steal him away. But she couldn't do that. She was an animal, yes, but she was not this cruel.

Because Sai was one of the few humans that she cared for deeply. She had lived such a long life and had met good and bad and unique humans, but there were only a handful that she actually cared for. The rest were just quick blurs of life passing through her eternal one. Maybe it was cruel, but for her, who had lived so long and would live so much longer if she so wished, mortals were nothing more than brief, shiny beings that shone brightly for but a moment, then flickered out, sometimes all at once, in a very sudden manner, and other times, gently. Like the sun going down gradually until before you noticed, it was pitch dark.

Maybe she even loved him. But the problem was that when her kind loved, they were all consuming. They would be possessive and jealous, and that would move over to their mortal life as well. They wouldn't be as bad as a full-blooded spirit, but they were still an extreme compared to humans.

If a half-breed chose to become mortal for the love of a human, it would be a one-time deal. There would be no changing her mind, no second chances. She would love to the point of madness and revel in her own insanity, dragging him down with her.

That was something he would never understand. She could explain it, but he would never understand because his emotions and love would never be on the same plane as hers. It was simply impossible, because he was human and she was not.

And that was why Sakura closed the black velvet box and pushed it back into his hands, keeping her head down. Sai flinched violently.

"No," he whispered, and it sounded like a prayer, a plea. "No. You love me too. I know you do."

Sakura saw it coming a mile away. She saw it coming, saw the blow it would give her, but still didn't raise a damn hand to stop it.

Sai gripped the back of her head, knotted his hands through the pink braid, and forcefully moved her lips to meet his. It might have been considered rough to another human, but not to Sakura. She was so much stronger than Sai, stronger than most other half-breeds even would be and could rival that of a full-blooded spirit.

And so she let Sai kiss her. And she could smell him this close, of paint and oil and sawdust and it was just a wonderful smell, such a Sai smell.

His hands were gripping both of hers, the black velvet box pressed into her palm like a promise. Like a vow. Like a curse.

When he pulled away, Sakura blinked. She had kept her eyes open during the kiss, watching his inky black hair move with the breeze, wanting to run her hands through it, but didn't dare.

Sai swallowed, gazing at her. "If this is because you don't want to give up your immortality, I'll understand that. I realize what I'm asking is not easy."

She shook her head before she thought about it. "No, it's not that."

Sai's eyes hardened, his mouth pressed into a firm line. He nodded, once, quick and sharp. "Then I won't stop trying. Understand this Sakura—I will spend every day of my short human life trying to convince you to be with me, in whatever way I can."

His eyes softened suddenly, and he gave her a half-smile, so soft and playful that it surprised Sakura. He closed her fingers over the black velvet box. "Until then," he continued, "keep this. Think about it, for as long as you wish. But," he paused, and it was so heavy Sakura could cut through it with her sharp nails. "But while I want you in any way I can get you, also understand that I want you in every way as well. I want your arms wrapped around my neck, I want you to look at me, only me, and I want you to want me as much as I want you. I want to be your best friend. I want to be the first person you think about every day that you wake up in the morning and I want to be the one to hover over you protectively every night you close your eyes, because you deserve someone to look over you for once in your very long life, and I want nothing more in my short life than to be the person to do that."

A pause. A gasp. Sakura was heavy with the feeling of his pitch black eyes in her own. "I want your legs wrapped around my waist and your nails scrapping into my back and I want to know the feel of your shiver when I touch your soft, tender spots and the way you arch into me, so perfectly, and I even—" he laughed suddenly, a quick, short snort that wracked his whole body, but it was abundantly clear this was anything but funny, "—and I even want your teeth in my neck, my shoulder, because I'm not afraid of what you are compared to me. I'm not afraid of you hurting me, so you shouldn't be afraid of me hurting you. Because, Sakura, that will never happen."

Sakura blinked.

Sai gasped for breath, and then suddenly stood up. He paused, like he hadn't planned what to do at this point, even though he stood so abruptly, and then looked back down at her. She was frozen.

Spirits above, she wanted his goddamn spark.

Then Sai turned on his heel, somewhat clumsily, and walked away, leaving her with nothing but her breath and the little black velvet box in her palm that felt like a hot coal.

Sakura sat there for a long while. She wasn't sure how long, except that after she watched his back disappear into the distance, making sure that nothing magic or spirit grabbed him for their own until he was past the danger limits of her land, seeing the tiny black fleck with her enhanced fox eyes disappear under the shadow of the town and civilization where no spirit could easily dwell, still she sat there, long after it was past dusk and twilight and was now pitch black, the color of Sai's eyes.

When the glow of what was once an ember on the edge of the forest caught her attention, Sakura went back inside her house and placed the velvet box in the art viewing room, in one of the drawers of a desk, and slipped back outside to feed her animalistic half.

---

It was late. Later than when she would usually arrive, even.

Sakura wasn't bothering to suppress some of her more spirit-half tendencies right then and let herself jump from branch to branch on the outer layer of the forest. Here, she was still safe. It was only when you ventured deep enough into the forest that you couldn't find your way back or catch sight of the wheat field that you entered the spirit's domain.

She was as silent as a fox, her ears pressed back and her tail fluttering behind her. She highly suspected her greens eyes were glowing.

Sakura was still a little ways away from the gathered spirits, but she could already feel the rush of magic in the air, could taste the sweet pungency of wicked creatures that were like her and not at the same time. It was forbidden and addicting, and it was such an irony that she could not literally live without any of it.

When she was close enough to have a decent view of the proceedings below her, Sakura paused on the highest branch. She took a moment to gather her breathing, even though she wasn't winded from the running and jumping, and watched the now drunk and boisterous spirits below her.

Wings, spiked tails, animal masks in the place of human faces, rainbow colored skin and long, pointed nails. Glitter and spice and nothing nice. The spirits were loud and chaotic, the only way to pass their immortal lives. A large bonfire danced in the middle of the party, the flames painting patterns and stories as a tiny blue winged fae threw grains of salt into it, changing to colors more vas than just orange and yellow and white and blue. At one point as Sakura watched, one of the larger handfuls of salt swung into the fire brought forth a blue dragon, roaring over the sound of laughter and the crackle of flames and swung out of the fire, soaring over the moving spirits, many of which looked curiously at the dragon before blinking and going back to their activities. Sakura did not so much as flinch as the dragon flew by her, and she idly wondered if the sparks it was emitting could catch her clothes on fire.

There were many spirits she was familiar with, and Sakura idly wondered how many knew she was there, hiding up in the leaves and branches. Or maybe they knew and just didn't care, too preoccupied with their faerie and magic wine—one of the few things no monster would ever grow bored of.

Sakura scanned the spirits and creatures below for another moment, trying to gauge which ones she should keep a distance from and which ones would attempt to lure her into the woods that night. Or attempt to eat her. There was always at least one.

It was on nights like this, when all her senses were overflowed with magic and power that Sakura sometimes forgot just why she always said no to Naruto and the other spirits who wanted to spirit her away. It would be so easy to let go, to give in and have to feel like falling asleep with her eyes wide open.

But if there was one thing Sakura was known for, even in comparison to Tsunade, was that she had a will of iron. A will of fire, and she was not a pushover and she would never give in.

Sakura felt the presence a split second before she saw the movement out of the corner of her eye, and by that time she was already up and out of the way, dropping to a lower branch and baring her teeth, undecided to if she should reach for one of her smaller hidden daggers or just use her nails. Either would split open a jugular.

Eyes bluer than the morning sky looked down at her, a wide grin splitting his whiskered face and showing Sakura a flare of white teeth that shown in the darkness. Emerald matched cobalt.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto bellowed, squatting down to get closer to her. He took no mind to the way she had been about to cut out his throat. Sakura only relaxed slightly, being able to smell the faeries wine on him already. "It got so late I didn't think you would come!"

Sakura shrugged one shoulder. "Well, here I am."

His grin widened, and this time when he appeared besides her, clutching her hand and dragging her down to the bonfire below, she let him. "Come on then!"

Her feet touched the ground before her mind caught up with her. Sometimes she was still in awe of the powers of a full-blooded spirit. Sometimes her awe showed itself on her face, when she was taken off-kilter and wasn't paying attention. Sometimes her mind wandered when it really shouldn't. This was one of those times, but also not. Yes, her mind was wandering, and Naruto was sure to notice, as well as some of the other spirits, and that should worry Sakura—them noticing things she'd prefer to keep hidden—but right then she was leaving this up to her decades of practice and fortitude to hide what she was feeling, because that night she wanted nothing more than to drink her weight in faerie wine, even though she knew she would never, ever touch a drop of it. She wanted a lot of things right then, things she could never have.

She wanted in a way that was a pinnacle moment in her existence—or at least it felt like it. She had always been somewhere in the middle, a half-way point in the existence of humans and spirits, not belonging to either, but also belonging to both. And now she felt so damn alone.

Sakura had been very good at not thinking about it. Thinking about what being the last of her kind meant. How the humans she cared for would always live and die, nothing more than a slip in her existence, while the spirits around her would always be there to tempt and torment her. And she hated it, loathed it.

It was times like this that she missed when she was at war with the humans in the fight for her life. Because even though she lived, even though she was still fucking breaking this toxic air, she had lost that war. Because she was the last of her kind. She felt it in her bones, in the magic in her blood that made her half kitsune. And she missed the distraction that could be found in bloodlust and the animalistic side of her. Because it never hurt this much before, when her mind was taken over by the drive to live, to survive. Because it had never really occurred to her before that she would be the last to stay standing.

And there was Sai, offering her a perfect deal. She could trade her half-spirit side to become mortal, and she would be loved and worshipped by the man who loved her more than life itself, and she would get a nice little mortal life, and then she could finally, finally die.

But it wasn't perfect. Because while a part of her—the human side of her—wanted that more than anything else the other part of her, the half-kitsune part of her wanted to revel in the madness that was her existence.

And neither side would ever really win. They were both powerful and equal in her soul, and it would all come down to her decision.

There was a slight tremor in her hands, and Sakura was sure Naruto noticed. But he made no comment of it, and his grin never wavered. What would that be like? To never waver throughout the centuries? To still desire mortality for its oddness, its differentness, but be content and still in your immortality?

She would know if she ever traveled to the spirit world.

They were nearing the fire now, and Sakura watched, dazed, as more pictures danced across the flames, licking the embers below, twirling exotic dancers and nymph creatures tracing the lines between the forest and her wheat field.

What would happen to these spirits and creatures if she became mortal? It was something that had plagued her. She knew the answer already, and it was that this land would lose its owner, and the spirits would run wild. Sakura had established rules without ever saying them, hunting down any malicious spirits who traveled into town or lured human children too far into the forest. No incident like that had occurred in over a century, if Sakura remembered correctly. Which she did.

If she was gone, if she became mortal and died, all that hard work would be in vain. The spirits who dwelled on her land would have no keeper, and they could do as they pleased. It wasn't that Sakura owned them or even controlled them, but because she had a blood right to this land, if they chose to live here, they must abide by her rule. And most did. Mostly.

And she was human enough to care about things like that, no matter what some of the villagers said about her. It was the deciding factor whenever she was overcome in one of her more . . . deadly moods. When she truly considered becoming mortal and ending it all. She had lived, and lived well. She was a protector and benefactor. She had done everything she wished to with her life, and it was as if she had overstayed her welcome sometimes.

But then she would remember that there were still so many things she could still do to protect the humans, the villagers who sometimes despised and who would never, ever accept her as she was—fox ears and all—and that wasn't nothing. There would always be little boys like Sai, so consumed with talent and dreams and hopes Sakura could no longer understand, but envy all the same, and that made her eternity a little more bearable. Bearable to continue on.

As if Naruto understood her thoughts, his grip on her hands tightened, bordering on painful. An amused smile twitched at her lips. Oh, how ironic this was, that she would need and desire spirits like Naruto to continue on with her eternity, but need humans like Sai just as much. But she could never have either, never completely.

This was her curse.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto started, coming to a halt near the flames of the fire, so close she could feel the heat lick her right cheek and arm. A part of her wondered if she got too close, would she actually catch on fire? Would it burn her skin red? Or was the magic preventing the flames from doing what they were intended for? "What are you thinking about?"

A light passed through Naruto's sea blue eyes, and Sakura never twitched. Her hands stopped trembling, and she was so calm in that instant it could be argued she was never anything but perfect before.

She let a small smile tilt her pink lips up. It hurt. She shrugged. "Who knows?" she answered, teasing like she was so good at.

Naruto's orange tail whipped out suddenly, entangling itself in her own pink tail before she had time to react, and Sakura both hated and loved when he would do that. A kitsune's tail was their most prized and intimate part of them. For kitsune's to entwine tails was to show the deepest friendship, the deepest kind of kindred souls and love. Sakura never initiated it, but she never rejected it either.

Sometimes, Sakura wasn't sure if she loved Naruto or hated him.

He diverted his eyes from her. "Liar," Naruto whispered, so low that at first Sakura mistook it as a growl or whimper. He looked up suddenly, his normally blue, tranquil eyes slitted with tints of red leaking into the iris. Sakura did not flinch, but kept very, very still. She calculated how fast she could reach her dagger and put enough space between the two of them. She could see his nails beginning to extend.

Her own eyes narrowed and gleamed in the night. "Naruto," she growled, and it was a warning. "Careful."

He growled in response, and his tail tightened around her own. She wanted to snap it out of his grasp, but knew that would only make things worse right then.

"Let go," she whispered, and it was an order.

But he didn't. His eyes narrowed on her, taking in her ruffled clothes and the dark circles under her eyes. Another growl escaped him. "That human boy," he said, and it was no longer Naruto's voice. "That weak human boy has made you an offer."

Sakura did not answer. It was not a question.

Another deep-throated growl. "Are you considering it?" he asked.

Sakura did not answer.

"Are you?" he snapped.

It did not surprise her that he knew. Powerful spirits like Naruto had a way of knowing things they shouldn't, especially when it came to things that interested them. And Naruto had always been very interested in everything Sakura was.

"And if I was?" she whispered back. Suddenly, she no longer heard the festivities around them, and her whisper carried. Naruto might be a powerful full-blooded spirit, but Sakura was the last and most powerful half-spirit this world had ever seen, and she knew it.

"I would not allow it!" Naruto bellowed, and Sakura snapped.

In no less than a second, Sakura had her hand wrapped around his throat and had thrown him into a tree across the way. Before he could move, Sakura was there, curved dagger to his throat, her ears pressed back and her sharp teeth flashing in the darkness. Her body was pressed close to his, making it impossible for him to so much as flinch without her feeling it, her other arm keeping his arms at his sides, immobile and completely useless.

Naruto might have all the power allotted to a full-blooded kitsune, but Sakura had the experience and the blood on her hands from hunting down both humans and spirits alike.

"This is my land," Sakura said, and her words were barely a whisper, her voice level and still in the wind. Naruto did not growl, but glared at her through half-hooded red eyes – eyes that could never make anyone mistake him as being anything other than full-blooded spirit. "And this is my life. You have no claim over me."

The tension in the air lasted for no longer than a moment in time, but for immortal beings like them, it was a terse and pinnacle moment. Moments like this could sway their delicate balance, this friendship between full-blooded spirt and half-breed. If Naruto attacked her or forced her hand, there would never be a way to climb back up that cliff.

And he knew it.

So when the red seeped away from his iris, when his nails went back to their normal length and the malice bleed out of him like an open wound, Sakura did not know if it was because he heeded and agreed with her words or if it was simply an act to stay in her good favor. Pushing her right then could lead her on a direct path to mortality, and Naruto was far too old and wise to risk it.

He grinned crookedly at her, like she didn't have a dagger pressed to his gut, and it would only take one flick of her wrist to end his immortal existence. A hand dropped down on her shoulder from behind, and Sakura did not allow herself to flinch. The one thing she wanted to do was not draw attention to herself, but that was a moot point now, it seemed. Not only because she'd just slammed one of the most powerful full-blooded spirits here into a tree like he was a rag doll, but because if Naruto knew of Sai's offer to her, then all the spirits here did as well.

She needed to leave. Now.

Sakura didn't bother to turn her head or divert her eyes towards the newly arrived spirt next to her, a flare of her nostrils already alerting her to who it was. Neither did she lower her guard or her hands from her dagger or Naruto's throat.

"Maa, maa, Sakura-chan," a deep, hooded voice said into her ear. "Let the poor boy go, ay? You know better than most what that protective streak in kitsunes can lead them to do. Or say." The grip on her shoulder tightened, and Sakura knew him well enough to recognize it not as a threat, but as a grounding of sorts, one that was supposed to tell her that Naruto would behave now.

Sakura blinked and lowered her arms. Naruto slumped into the tree, still grinning and gazing dazedly up at her. She turned to the new arrival. "Kakashi," she greeted through lowered eyelids, taking in his white hair and his grey dog ears and tail. A black scarf covered the lower part of his face, hiding what Sakura knew were sharp wolf teeth. His normal black eyes leaked red, but it did not have the same kind of malice Naruto's did when his turned red.

Kakashi was an inugami—a dog spirit. He was lazy and ancient for his kind, one of the originals. Older than Naruto, even. But if he had the little black horns atop his head, Sakura didn't know, as his white hair was chaotic and covered anything that could be there.

Like Naruto, Sakura had known Kakashi for some time. He was one of the friendlier spirits that she knew, and definitely one of the laziest, but also one of the cleverest. He would not attempt to lure her into the spirit world as much as some of the others, such as Naruto, but when he did, it was through tricks and seduction and ways that Sakura barely dodged through the skin of her teeth. He was not to ever be underestimated, and she had learned that lesson a long time ago.

Tsunade had once told Sakura he was "The laziest yet most cut-throat mutt I've ever seen. Never turn your back to the likes of him. Friendly and joking one minute, dragging you to hell the next."

Sakura believed it.

Kakashi was wearing clothes much like Sakura—two-piece, modern, all black with pockets for him to slip his clawed hands into. His shoulders dropped in fake nonchalance and amusement. Sakura didn't trust him as far as she could throw him.

He gave her a friendly eye crinkle, and Sakura found herself giving him a small smile back. It was the most she could drag up right then, and Kakashi was one of the few spirits who could make her want to make it real, even though she knew perfectly well not to trust him.

"Care for a drink?" he asked her, conversationally, as he placed one clawed hand on the small of her back to lead her away from Naruto and the tree and closer to the fire. It was not cold out—not at that time of year—but she appreciated the gesture.

Sakura grunted in amusement. "You know me too well for that, Kakashi."

He hummed under his breath and chuckled. "It would be impolite for me not to ask."

Yes, that's the only reason, Sakura thought sarcastically, darkly. Now it was just a matter of playing word games with the inugami while they danced around the truth in what Naruto had just accused her of. If she was smart, Sakura knew she would already be out of that field and as far away from the woods as possible, bolting up her home and staying in for the rest of the night. Because there was no way only Naruto knew about Sai's proposal to her, and many of these spirits were too possessive of her for their—or her—own good. They would not take lightly to the fact that she received this proposal from Sai—from a human—and would likely lash out at her because of it.

And Kakashi was not exempt from that.

But Sakura needed this time. She needed to get her head on straight, and she couldn't do that if she was kneeled over in her own home from the lack of time spent with the spirits. And if she was truthful with herself, Sakura could admit that she also just wanted this night to last, this night of magic and wickedness and danger. She wanted to toe the line between spirit and human and walk scot-free of it, because she was immortal and she was so very, very bored and tired.

Kakashi suddenly had a drink of his own in his hand, and Sakura was not entirely sure when it got there. It was a dark blue and small bubbles were coming up from the bottom of the long glass, wading up to the surface until they impossibly came out of the liquid and spilled over the rim and around Kakashi's clawed, pale hand. The small bubbles reached a little more than a foot off the ground before they dissolved into thin air. Faerie wine—no mistaking it or the magic surrounding it.

Kakashi watched her as he took a long sip, never breaking eye-contact with her. He did not need to pull down his scarf to do so—the magic in him and the faerie wine made the impossible possible, and Sakura no longer questioned it. Nor did she fidget under his dark and red gaze, even though some of the most ancient spirits would.

It was said that the one lone red eye of his was given to him by a dead tengu, one of his friends centuries ago. During that time, spirits had free domain over the mortal world, and it wasn't uncommon for there to be small wars and fights between the different kinds of spirits.

Which was another reason why the most ancient spirits were to be feared and admired: They were some of the most deadly and revered warriors in any world. Kakashi in particular was known for his vast and widely changing fighting skills.

The tale went that Kakashi had fought along the tengu for a time, and at some point his face was injured, along with it his eye. As a reward for his loyalty and friendship, the dying tengu had gifted Kakashi with his one good red eye in his last moments, eyes that were said to peer into human souls and see all their fears and desires and loves and hates. It was a crown among prizes.

While it was never proven that the power of those red eyes could see into the souls of spirits or half-breeds—as it was never understood whether or not spirits or half-breeds even had souls to begin with, not until they choose a mortal form—many spirits still feared them and their powerful gazes.

Sakura, however, had come face-to-face with most of all her fears and desires and loves and hates, and was no longer afraid of any of them.

And if she was wrong, if those red eyes could see all of that and Kakashi or the other tengu were just lying in wait to use them against her, they were welcome to try. It would at the very least cure her of her boredom for a little while.

Unlike the full-blooded spirits around her, Sakura had never ventured into the spirit world, where they could be safe from the hate of humans, and she was never safe in the human world either, what with the humans who would like nothing more than to cut off her fox tail and sell it to the highest bidder and the spirits just beyond the outer layer of the forest constantly hunting her, coercing her into their clawed grasps. So, no, Sakura wasn't all that afraid of anything anymore, because there wasn't much else that was worse than what she'd already endured.

Sakura looked away then, impatient with this waiting game, and refusing to be the one to bring up what was the elephant in the air between the two of them. If he wanted to comment about it, she wasn't going to encourage him.

Ten more minutes, she promised herself. She'd stay for ten more minutes to satisfy enough of her desire to be around full-blooded spirits and then would slink away from the dancing fire and faerie wine.

A clawed finger traced down her shoulder, and Sakura darted her eyes back up to Kakashi, who was gazing down at her. "It was foolish of you to come here tonight," he said, simply, and Sakura almost bit that finger off.

She pulled her lips back from her teeth, enough to show off her sharp canines. It wasn't quite a smile, too full of wickedness and bloodlust to be that. "It's foolish of me to come here on any night. But you know as well as I do that I will lose my mind if I don't, and I'm not quite bored enough to let myself fall into insanity. Not yet."

Kakashi gave her an eye crinkle at that, appraising her. "I suppose that's true, isn't it?" He turned his face away from her, looking at something beyond what she could see in the darkness of the center of the woods, into the area that was no longer the domain of humans . . . that was no longer her domain. Sakura wondered what it was he saw.

Then he was back, looking at her as if he'd not seen her in some time, like that glimpse into the deeper part of the woods aged him. There was a reason Sakura avoided ever looking directly at the forest. Kakashi blinked a few times, too slowly. "Be careful tonight, Sakura-hime." He plucked a stray strand of her cherry pink hair and twisted it around his finger. "Word had already spread among the spirits, and dark and ancient creatures have ventured out of the darkest part of the forest for your sake tonight."

"My sake?" she hissed, low in her throat. She chuckled darkly. "Anything that takes place tonight is not for my sake, but for the desires of spirits and the like. We are not so selfless."

Kakashi hummed under his breath, and it sounded like approval. "We will see if we cannot change your opinion before the night is done, then." And he was gone, disappearing into the embers and smoke of the fire behind him. Sakura cursed under her breath.

He'd all but told her that the tengu were here. She knew them all, and some of the younger ones ventured out of the forest on these nights more often than their elders, but even those times were scarce.

While Naruto might try to lure her into the spirit realm with childish pleas and sudden blights of anger and forcefulness and Kakashi would attempt to lure her with uncommon tricks of the mind and word-twisting until she was so tangled in his words and lies that she couldn't see straight, the tengu were the ones she feared the most.

The tengu were some of the most ancient of the spirits, their lineage as ancient as ancient got, and all the more feared for it. They viewed themselves as kin to royalty, and acted like it. They were some of the most well-known fighters and warriors of their time as well, legend saying that when humans were just beginning to exist beyond the need for food and fire and discovered the desire for war and violence, the tengu were the ones to teach the arts of war to them, even going to far as to lend their experience to the humans they favored. For a price, of course. Prices that usually lead humans to death and suicides and madness and wars and plagues. Prices that were greater than dealing in life years or first born babes, but in slavery and sanity and hopes and dreams.

They dealt in souls.

They were red-eyed demons brought to life, and Sakura had faced against more than one tengu in her lifetime, and all times had been long and ruthless and were times when Sakura had never hated herself more, had never felt such a greater need to win against such a creature, to defeat them and prove to herself that she was stronger than their prejudiced doctrines would ever allot a half-breed.

And every time she'd faced against a tengu, she'd won and slaughtered them.

But that was long ago, and since then Sakura had come into contact with more than one tengu, unfortunately, and none had yet tried to kill her in revenge or simply because it fancied them at the moment. No, instead they'd appraised her as something more valuable for having been able to slaughter their own kind when they were at their height of power. Some even congratulated her, splaying compliments onto her like blood dipped cherry blossom flowers falling onto her shoulders.

They were without a doubt the last kind of spirits she wanted to be cornered by.

Kakashi had as good as warned her. They were coming for her. Tonight. And while Sakura could hold her own against one or two, possibly three, of the tengu, there was no way she'd be able to escape a clan of them.

So Sakura didn't think. The now red as blood fire swam across her vision, images of dancing and prancing pixies and fae and one green skinned elf shot out of focus as she turned on her heel and kicked back hard against the ground. She could outrun almost any of the full-blooded spirits, a result of her kitsune heritage and decades of outrunning spirits who wanted to eat her and humans who wanted to steal her tail. To survive, she learned to be quick on her feet, quicker than any other being who may mean her harm. She could keep up with even Naruto, and as a kistune he was one of the quickest spirits there were.

Her instincts told her that leaping from branch to branch on the forest's edge wouldn't be smart, but she didn't have much of a choice anymore. She couldn't be so out in the open and vulnerable by cutting across the wheat field, and at the very least the edge of the forest would allot her some kind of invisibility. But it also put her closer to the spirits' domain.

Cursing in more than one language inside her head, Sakura pushed her pink ears back and forced herself to think, to think like a flying tengu with their black leather wings and how they would spot their prey. She'd done this before, had even hunted the tengu before, and she'd won. Sakura forced herself to believe she could do it again, because she had to.

The flicker of the fire dropped out behind her and the darkness surrounded her. Sakura wasn't sure if this was better or worse.

Her eyes darted from side-to-side, looking for the gleaming red eyes that would always give them away. She was halfway back to her home when she cursed viciously under her breath, realizing what Kakashi had just done.

He'd scared her, made her jittery and made her run.

He made her act like the prey.

And she fell for it.

A fool's mistake, she knew. Sakura had wondered, briefly, why she hadn't been stopped by at least one of the spirits when she tried to leave, why she hadn't been stopped by Naruto, who never let her leave these gatherings easily. Now she had her answer.

They were all in on it.

Okay, she thought. Then stop running.

So she did.

She couldn't be the prey if she refused to run, to play their sick game.

Sakura was on one of the middle branches of a large tree, and if she looked hard enough, she could see her home across the distance. Though the flames of the gathering were long gone behind her.

She could keep running, she knew. She was almost there, and her joints and bones assured her she could be fast enough to make it there, where she was at her safest, her own territory that had runes and magic diagrams painted along the walls, enough to protect her and forbid any spirit from entering it, even at night during a full moon.

But her mind told her it was a trap. Now that she was still and silent at the edge of the woods, she realized it was too quiet. There were no sounds of insects or lone birds. Not even the wind rustled through her loose pink braid. Her mind shut down her fight or flight instincts, and forced her to be smarter than the full-blooded spirits. It was why she'd survived for as long as she had.

So she waited. Sakura pushed her back against the body of the large tree, planting her feet on either side of her, ready to push off if need be. Sakura wasn't completely sure when she'd done it, but her long dagger, the one that she had to summon through a cherry blossom branch, was now in the palm of her hand, it's weight familiar to her. It had always felt like an extension of her own hand.

It didn't take long, really. Not even a few moments after she stopped and leaned back against the tree did she hear the laugh.

It was dark and as wicked as wicked got. It was what children's nightmare were about, the monster under the bed and the branches scrapping against the window during a thunder storm. And had Sakura not had her decades of experience dealing in such matters, it would have been enough to override her fight or flight reflexes and make her scream her head off.

Instead, she waited, not reacting to the sound. She couldn't see the red eyes yet, but it was only a matter of time, and she could feel the pressure of gazes on her from all angles.

It only surprised her slightly when a yellow blur crossed her vision and landed not even a foot in front of her, taking up too much space on her branch.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto greeted, his face split in his typical grin and all traces of his red gaze and malice completely gone. This was the Naruto she knew and was friendly with. It was almost enough to set her fears to rest, his natural peaceful and calming aura affecting her, but she knew better than that.

He held a hand out to her, and Sakura noted that the long and too sharp claws he had the last time she saw him were gone and back to their original length. That didn't mean they still weren't deadly, though. "Sakura-chan. Come back to the gathering."

She glared at the outstretched hand until Naruto grew uncomfortable and retracted it. He laughed uneasily. "Don't trust me now, Sakura-chan?" Sakura didn't answer right away, and Naruto's voice gave way to panic. "You can't be afraid of me, Sakura-chan! I would never, ever hurt you!"

Sakura considered showing him the little scars she had along her shoulder blades and back from the other few times Naruto had lost his temper around her and no one like Kakashi had been there to interfere and she had been too young and inexperienced to read the signs and protect herself fast enough.

She didn't need to though, since her facial expression must have given her away. Naruto's ears flicked back, guiltily, and his tail tucked between his legs. "I can control myself, I swear," he grumbled, holding the end of his tail. He looked back up at her, his sea blue eyes glowing in the darkness. "You just took me off guard tonight, Sakura-chan. That news . . . about that human—" he growled the word, shaking his head. "It won't happen again; I swear it, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura's expression softened, just the slightest bit. Because she understood Naruto and his possessive desires too much, because she also had the same desires from time to time, and hers weren't even as chaotic as his since she was only a half-breed.

She did not, however, relax her stance. "I believe you, Naruto. But I'm still not going back to the gathering. It's best if I just go home."

Something flickered in his gaze at her words, and Sakura's heart leaped up to her throat at the look that crossed his face for just a moment. She was in so much danger right then, she could taste it. It was like standing on the edge of the cliff leading to the sea, and Sakura was either going to have to let herself fall or pull herself back up.

Naruto smiled at her, and it looked so wrong that it was what gave him away.

Sakura's eyes widened as she spun around in one quick blur and thrust her long dagger out. It hit nothing but air as the creature flung itself backwards at the last moment.

The tengu smiled at her, his too sharp fangs prominent and too white in the darkness. His red eyes spun, and Sakura met his eyes unflinchingly, challenging.

It was difficult, keeping both Naruto and the tengu in her line of vision at the same time. The tengu was in the air, flapping his wings lazily while staying adrift. Naruto never blinked an eye at her act of almost decapitating the tengu and his longtime friend.

"Sakura," the tengu purred, his eyes narrowing. "It's been a while."

Sakura moved her feet, getting a better grip and balance on the branch. "Sasuke," she said, emotionless. "What brings you out of the deepest parts of the forest?"

He blinked at her, nonplussed by her dagger and her fighting stance, speaking to her like they were old friends chatting over a cup of tea. But it wasn't Sasuke who answered her.

"You, of course, precious," Itachi said, coming out of the darkness behind his younger brother, his black wings just slightly larger than Sasuke's.

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Oh?" she said, tilting her head to the side just the tiniest bit. "And why's that?"

Itachi came closer and attempted to reach out a clawed hand and brush it along her cheek. Sakura leaned out of his reach, and even though he could have just flown closer to her, leaving no room for her to back up on the thin branch she was balanced so precariously on, he didn't. Instead he stayed where he was, too close for Sakura's liking but not so close she felt suffocated. She blinked at him.

His hand hovered there, in the space between them, until he curled his hand and gracefully brought it back to his body. He lowered his eyelids at her, his own deep blood red eyes shining. Sakura saw that while both he and Sasuke had the same red eyes all tengu did, they were slightly different, the black parts in them different shapes and moving just slightly different, tracing different patterns. She'd only been this close to a tengu a handful of times before, and during those few times it was either to deliver a killing blow or—less likely—she was too busy trying to escape Sasuke, Itachi, or another of their clan from spiriting her away. Sakura was careful about not letting them get too close, especially the tengu . . . once they had you in their grasp, it was that much harder to get free.

Her grip on the dagger tightened. "Mind explaining to me why you are all here?" There was little patience in her voice, and Sakura knew that was a mistake. She forced herself to take three calming breaths before she snapped and lunged at one of them.

Sakura could smell the intent in the air. If she lost her head now, she would lose. It was that simple.

Another voice behind her. From her left side, so she was cornered by spirits and the body of the tree, a tight little square she was packed into.

Sakura was not a fan of small spaces.

It was a chuckle at first. Light and flowy, like they were all sitting in the wheat field in the middle of a too hot, humid summer day, just sitting and talking and drinking cold green tea with a dash of honey like they had all the time in the world and nothing at all to do but spend time with each other. It made Sakura nauseous. "Waiting for you, baby," Shisui whispered. Teeth scrapped along her ear, and Sakura forced her spine to stay rigid. Not even a shiver passed through her body—where would she jump to anyways? Any way she moved, she would just fall into one of the full-blooded spirits.

Sakura closed her eyes. "So that's it then? This is your choice? Force your hand and in return, force mine? All because of one human boy's proposal to me?"

Back out, she prayed. Back off. Change your minds. See my body language and understand this will not end in how you hope. This is your last chance, before everything is ruined.

There was a growl from in front of her, but Sakura still did not open her eyes. "That human filth was just the catalyst, Sakura," Sasuke purred. A hand grazed her cheek, her lips, and still Sakura did not move. "This was always going to happen, one way or another."

She didn't disagree with that. She supposed something like this always was going to happen. She was forever hovering between these two worlds: the mortal and immortal, the mundane and magical, the human and spirit.

"Give in," Shisui whispered, so close into her ear that she felt his breath tickle the inner parts of it, his too sharp teeth and sharp canines grazing her skin. He was so quiet behind her, so still and quick that had he not have been speaking to her, Sakura could convince herself he wasn't there at all, that it was simply the wind and the night that belonged to the forest playing tricks on her mind. "Come with us, Sakura-chan. Make this easy on yourself."

Long fingers intertwined with her own, bringing her hand up to the mouth of Itachi, who kissed the back of it, light as a feather and soft as a piece of wheat tickling her skin while she slept. "We'll take excellent care of you, of course," he assured her. "You will want for nothing, desire nothing we cannot give you. We will breathe and live around you. You'll never have to question your existence again, of whether you belong in this world or another, because you will always be ours."

Sakura opened her eyes.

And she smiled.

And then she jumped.

---

They weren't quick enough.

There was just a sliver of space behind her, between Shisui and the body of the tree. And they obviously weren't expecting her to do that from a branch so high up. She didn't have wings like them and her reflexes could only serve her so well when breaking her fall and catching the odd branch on her way down.

The message was clear: She'd rather take her chances of dying before she gave into them.

Itachi was the first of his brethren to react. In some ways, he was glad she was running. He was a predator, and always had been, and he enjoyed nothing more than a good chase.

And Sakura had always been such a good chase, too.

---

Sakura fell.

It was around the time when she fell past the fifth or so branch without so much as being able to graze one that she idly thought this might not have been her best idea.

She looked down, thinking about possibly stabbing her dagger into the tree to slow her fall. She didn't have to worry about it breaking since it was laced with magic, and while she was inhumanly strong as a half-breed, she was still a little worried about ripping her arm out of her shoulder socket.

Last resort, then. Okay. Then she just needed to make sure she caught the next branch.

But she was falling so fast now. The tree was very tall, and Sakura calculated that she had a few more seconds before she met the ground. Branches lined her way down, so this shouldn't be that difficult, really.

Sakura took a risk and kicked at the body of the tree, pushing her through the air to the branch she was aiming at. She was going to reach it.

Then something large flew into her side.

Sakura slammed into a branch, her shoulder and arm taking most of the impact. She grunted in surprise and pain.

She kicked out at the body on top of her, arms and legs flying, fighting in chaos, and then they were falling again.

This time they hit the ground rolling. It nearly knocked the air out of Sakura, and her eyes widened in shock. The body on top of her lost his grip and rolled off her, leaving behind sounds of pain and whimpers.

Sakura sucked in a breath and was on her feet.

They were deeper in the forest, the body of Naruto—who was only a few feet away, still on the ground—having moved her in the one direction she didn't want to go. She could still see the outline of the wheat field, though. She was still safe.

Her dagger. It was still in her hand, and thankfully the magic in it that tied it to her blood prevented it from ever harming her; otherwise it probably would have impaled her on the fall down.

She eyed Naruto, who was starting to get to his hands and knees, groaning. It was a miracle it hadn't impaled him, either.

There was a part of her—a part of her she was struggling to ignore, struggling to breathe through and banish from her mind—that felt betrayed. Not so much by the tengu clan, because she had never really trusted them to begin with. But betrayed by Naruto, by this full-blooded, orange fox boy whom she had come to care for, who she had trusted, and now look what that had gotten her.

She had tried so, so hard to not let herself to get to this point again with another being. Where she could feel this kind of betrayal if they ever turned on her. This was not the first time, and she did not think this would be the last, either. She had befriended other comrades and humans before, and some had betrayed her, two had even tried to sell her out to the half-spirit hunters and the black market. And every time, she felt this, this gnawing in her pit of her stomach, like they had reached a hand into her intestines and decided it needed to be cleaned out.

But she couldn't help herself. Like all creatures, she craved the presence of another warm body next to hers. Like all fools, she let herself hope, because even though she had been betrayed by those she cared for and those she did not, Sakura still let herself hope for the day when it would stop. When she could go forever with someone without this happening.

In some ways, this was worse. Because Naruto had never hidden from her what be desired, what he wanted her consent to. But Sakura had thought—foolishly—that he would forever heed her rejections with a grain of salt. She thought she could keep the little, fluffy, kind, bright-eyed fox boy and balance on the line between spirit and human, and such a fool she was for it.

Hell, she even felt betrayed by Kakashi, who she had never been as close to as Naruto, but who she had looked up to, in a way, and who she least expected something like this from. True, he was not in the forest with her at that moment, and he had even warned her in his own way about the impeding danger, but he had done nothing to stop it. Instead, his warning had sent her running through the woods like a bat shot out of hell and became the unwilling prey to their predator.

She was going to change that.

She had fallen asleep next to Naruto's side countless times in the wheat field when the sun was beating down on her and when a thin layer of ice had covered the surface and even when sprinkles of rain kissed her face. And she had always been weary, yes, but she had never fully thought that he was capable to force her hand like this. No, she expected him to attempt to trick and cajole her, but never like this. Never with his red eyes and sharp teeth and snarling mouth.

Her face was impassibly blank, and like the fool she was, Sakura didn't move for a moment, watching Naruto struggle on the ground. "Why?" she whispered. Even as she said it, Sakura berated herself. Run, she screamed in her head, but even to her it sounded weak and tired and so very, very broken. Run. Forget. Don't look back. Survive.

Surviving wasn't all it was cracked up to be, honestly. Sakura would much rather live.

Something in her stoic face cracked, and her bottom lip might have trembled, just the slighted bit. Or maybe it was a flinch. Or maybe it was a twitch. Really, she didn't care anymore. "Why would you . . . ?" But it was a foolish question.

"You know why," Naruto croaked, and Sakura's eyes jumped to his blonde head, which was rising steadily until his bright blue eyes were boring into her emerald green eyes.

Yes, she supposed she did know why.

It just didn't make this any easier.

"Do you really hate me so much that you would do this?" she asked, and her voice was that of the dying. "Have I really pushed you so far to betray me in such a way? To maybe steal away my only hope of happiness?"

Naruto chuckled then, and Sakura flinched. That was not the laugh she knew from the happy, carefree Naruto. This sound was dark and bitter, and Sakura wondered if she had pushed him to this point. "I'm sorry, Sakura," he said, though he didn't sound in the least bit sorry, "but I'm just too selfish to give you up so easily."

So that was that.

Sakura nodded, one curt move of her neck. She braced herself, even going so far to give the blonde haired kitsune a small smile that didn't really feel like a smile at all. "You're going to have to catch me, then," she said, simply, like her fate was nothing more than the current of weather, ever changing.

"But know this," she continued, "I will never go willingly, and so you will never fully have me. Even if one day you catch me, and drag me into the spirit world, I will never forgive you. I will fight you until the day I die. Because, Naruto," she whispered, though she knew he could hear her clearly, "I'm just too selfish to let you win me so easily."

He laughed, and this time it was a little bit brighter.

And Sakura ran.

---

Sakura first ran in the direction of her home, but decided that wouldn't be a smart idea, since that was the one place they would look for her first. Hell, she bet they had even found a way past her wards and protection. This was not something that was decided on last minute.

So she ran to the cliff. Maybe it was a bad idea, since she could not, in fact, fly like the tengu, who could scale the rim of the cliff easily, but that was the beauty of it. It wasn't somewhere Sakura went often, and it was somewhere they wouldn't expect.

All she had to do was climb down the side of the cliff, find herself one of the caves in the side of it, and hide out until morning. The tengu would for sure be gone, having retreated back into the safety of the woods by that time, and Sakura knew she could deal with Naruto more easily by then. He would be weaker in the daylight.

And then . . . and then she would leave. She had no choice now. She would need to abandon her home and her woods and wheat field, find Sai, and run.

Sakura wasn't sure yet if she was going to take Sai up on his offer, but one thing she did know was that she needed to get him far, far away from these part of the woods and this little town, set him up nicely in some modern city far away, and then . . .

And then leave. Again. If she didn't take up his offer, she would leave him in safety. Maybe one day she would come back here, taking up residence in her mother's ancient home, and deal out her immortal life in the same ways she always had. Maybe one day her immortality would just run out or maybe one of those half-breed hunters—if they were still around—would get lucky and end her existence. Maybe she would let them.

But those were all thoughts for another day. Now, she had to make plans, and make sure Sai was safe for the rest of his mortal life.

Finding a cave wasn't difficult. There were plenty to choose from, and so Sakura made her way halfway down until she picked one deep enough to feel some measure of safety. She sat down on the rough ground, pulling her knees up to her chest. Now it was a waiting game.

If she had been younger, Sakura may have cried at her predicament. Maybe given at least a sniffle or two, letting this betrayal eat her alive if for nothing but a moment or two.

But now nothing but an empty gnawing filled her. On one hand, she wasn't all that surprised. There would always be a piece of her that simply expected to be betrayed and used as some new, shiny, powerful thing. Whether it was for her kitsune tail or her life or because she's something other, it was all really the same. Sakura wasn't sure if she'd rather be hunted and killed by humans for being a half-breed or being hunted and stolen by spirits for being a half-breed.

---

It was around pre-dawn, she thought. Sakura had lost track of time as she had sat there in the damp cave, filled with nothing but her memories. But she could smell the salt in the air and the dew on the ground left in the peaking sunlight of mornings. Somewhere nearby, a bird chirped.

Sakura hadn't moved an inch since she took up residence in the cave. It was still so dark out. Maybe an few hours away from dawn.

She breathed deeply out of her nose. She needed to move, to stretch her muscles. But she didn't trust this time of day. She may be safe in the morning light, but the time right before was the most dangerous—the spirits would only be that much more frenzied in their search for her.

Sakura tried to think about where the spirits would be waiting for her right then. But it was hard to imagine. Maybe that was because it was still so fresh that Naruto was even hunting her to begin with. Or maybe it was simply due to the fact that even though Sakura knew Naruto and the tengu, they were still ancient and deadly and so very, very cunning. They could be anywhere.

But she couldn't stay in her positon forever. So Sakura slowly, so slowly, got up from her position on the rocky ground, taking care not to scuff the floor with her movements. Her bones creaked, but there was nothing she could do about that. There was just enough room for her to stand up all the way.

"My, my," a voice purred from the entrance of the cave. Before she could think, her dagger was in her hand, "you've certainly made it difficult to find you."

"I imagine you know perfectly well that that was entirely the point," Sakura replied, turning slowly around to take in the appearance of white hair and black, black clothing and a tightly wrapped scarf covering half a face. She narrowed her eyes at him, making no attempt to hide the gleaming dagger in her hand. "Though if you've found me, I must not have done a very good job of it."

Kakashi chuckled good-naturedly. "Considering I've been looking for you since you disappeared from the festivities all those hours ago, I would say you've done an impressive job of it," he said. "I nearly gave up on finding you."

"Pity," she growled.

"Now, now, Sakura, don't be like that. I'm here to help you."

"Somehow I sincerely doubt that."

"And why's that?" he asked, and there was true curiosity in his voice, surprising Sakura.

She blinked at him. "You knew perfectly well what Naruto and the tengu were planning," she answered instead.

"Maa," he said, nodding. "I gave you fair warning."

"You sent me running," Sakura growled. "Which is exactly what they wanted me to do, I know."

Kakashi cocked his head at her, and Sakura had to stop herself from mimicking the gesture. "Hmm," he supplemented, and Sakura took it as a victory. Then he shrugged and pushed his hands deeper into his pockets. "But it matters not. I am now here to help you."

"And why would you do that?" she questioned. "If I remember correctly, you've attempted to lure me into the spirit world quite a few times as well."

"Ah, but's just it," he said, "I lured you, tempted you. I have never tried to outright force you. That just takes the sport out of the game."

Game. How fitting an analysis. Sakura found herself sneering at the word, even though she'd thought it herself more than a few times over the years.

"Think of me as you will, Sakura, but I am a gentleman at the very least. And I do not . . . ," he paused, thinking carefully about his next choice of word, "I do not condemn what Naruto and that tengu clan are trying to do. Which was why I warned you back at the fire."

Lot of good it's done me, Sakura thought bitterly. I wonder what Kakashi would look like bleeding.

The thought surprised her, but not enough for her to lower her guard. Sakura has been bloodthirsty in the past. Sometimes she still was. Having to slaughter countless humans and have to literally hunt down evil spirits took its toll on her. She had lost count of the many years she had had to live like that, feeling humid breath on the back of her neck wherever she went, feeling eyes on her in the darkness. It was terrifying and electric and cruel and damning.

And then it was over. In what felt like a blink in time, all those years and years of turning herself into a monster to simply survive were gone and done with. She didn't need to still fear every shadow and jump of movement.

But it wasn't as simple as that. Those instincts, that training of her body and mind didn't go away. So she shoved them back into the recesses of her mind in an attempt to don a mask of a functioning being.

Now she was being hunted again.

And she felt the bloodlust rising up again.

Something must have shown on her face—whether that was disgust or surprise or something else entirely, she didn't know—because whatever it was, Kakashi took note of it with a widening of eyes and a small step backwards.

Huh. How awful was it that here she stood, being hunted by spirits that only yesterday she'd fallen asleep in a wheat field next to, standing in front of an ancient and powerful full-blooded spirit warrior, and he was the one showing fear.

Sakura wanted to scream.

As soon as the look flickered over Kakashi's face, it was gone, replaced with the cool indifference that he always donned.

There was a rumble of stone above her, and Kakashi's eyes darted to the ceiling of the cave. Hers did not. It was just the stone settling, Sakura knew. Over the past few hours she'd heard similar noises; now, it was something that only registered in the back of her mind. Sakura heard the crashing of waves below the cave, vicious and a death sentence to anyone unlucky or stupid enough to tumble down, and Sakura wondered how much time Kakashi had spent climbing along this cliff, looking impossibly for the one small nook in the cliff she may or may not have taken up residence in.

And then she had the horrid thought that he had not only found her, but given her position away to any tengu who may have seen a streak of white hair climbing along the cliff's edge. But she quickly dismissed that thought. Kakashi was too old and too clever a warrior to be so easily spotted, even by a tengu. If he did not want to be seen, he wouldn't be.

Sakura sighed, bringing Kakashi's attention back to her. "How can you be so calm?" he asked suddenly, and Sakura heard a mix of awe and confusion in his voice. "You are being hunted by not only one of the most powerful spirit clans in the spirit world, but by a kitsune, who knows your scent as well as his own. It would be impossibly foolish to lower your guard."

She smiled at him, though it was not pleasant. Had Kakashi been anyone else, he likely would have flinched. "You mistakenly assume seeing me like this means that I am not taking this situation seriously. But I am, I assure you." She rotated her neck, working out the cramps. "Now, mind telling me your amazing plan on smuggling me out of here? I assume you did not come all this way and searched all this time simply to have an idle chat with me."

Kakashi chuckled. "You assume incorrectly, Sakura, dearest. I would happily have idle conversation with you until the world turns to nothing but dust and ashes."

"As lovely as that sounds," Sakura deadpanned, rolling her eyes and ignoring the way Kakashi's eyebrows jumped suggestively, "I'll have to refuse. Get to your point."

Kakashi looked around the damp cave in uncovered distaste. "Would you mind if we continued this conversation somewhere a little less . . . cold?"

"Yes," Sakura said, "I would. So far, I've not been found by anyone besides you. And until I have a very good reason to move from this spot, I think I'd much rather stay put." She pushed her back against the wall as if to prove her point.

Kakashi sighed and shifted his weight to his other foot. "As I'm sure you've already guessed, neither the tengus nor Naruto will stop hunting you until you are taken to the spirit world. You may not be found this night, but there will be others. You will have to run halfway around the world, and even then they will not stop hunting you."

Sakura nodded. That was all obvious.

"But if they cannot find you and grow impatient," Kakashi continued, "they will likely set their sights on something else. Your human friend." The way he said that was laced with poison and distaste, not surprising Sakura one bit. "And they will either use your human to lure you into the spirit world or they will simply kill him." He sighed again, long and winded. "Frankly, if it is Naruto who gets his hands on the human, he will kill him. It's the members of the tengu clan who are the wild cards."

It was true. Naruto didn't have the temper to not kill Sai the minute he found him. As for the tengu, Sasuke and Shisui would likely kill Sai as well, depending on how irritated they were, while Itachi might use Sai as bait to lure Sakura. Either way, she and Sai were screwed.

"And you?" Sakura asked. Kakashi cocked his head at her. "What would you do if you were to find Sai, Kakashi?"

He blinked lazily at her, and if Sakura hadn't had years of reading the postures and tempers of spirits, she wouldn't have noticed the slight tensing of Kakashi's muscles and the lock of his jaw. It was answer enough.

He broke eye-contact with her first. "Full-blooded spirits have tempers. You know that very well. Even if I thought holding your human hostage would get you to come into the spirit world with me, I would have a very difficult time not killing that human where he stood." He looked back at her suddenly, and this time Sakura wanted to be the one to break eye-contact. "It is even worse when the human is what stands in the way of the one thing a spirit wants."

Sakura looked away then. "What do you propose I do, then?"

"There are two options. First, you could do as I said before and run away from this place, and have to keep running until either your human dies of old age or because one of the spirits finally caught up with him, which is a likelier option. And even then the others would never stop tracking you.

"The other option would be to come with me into the spirit world."

Sakura whipped her head in his direction so quickly that she almost gave herself whiplash, her face already twisted into a snarl. Kakashi held up a hand to halt her. "Let me finish. You come into the spirit world with me and I give you my blood oath that I will return you safety to the human world. Once we are in the spirit world, I give you my mark for your protection. That way no other spirit can ever drag you into the spirit world."

"Besides you," Sakura said. "You could drag me into the spirit world whenever you want. I would just be your plaything. It's no better than what the tengus and Naruto want to do with me."

"The blood oath I would swear to you would include that I will not take you into the spirit world with me like that. And you are no mere plaything, Sakura." His dark eye bore into her green ones, and Sakura ignored the nervousness in her stomach. "I want you—I've never lied about that. I would treat you like a queen. And if it is still your wish after spending a month with me in the spirit world, then I will swear to return you to this world. However," he continued, "part of this bargain would include that in return, you spend three months out of each and every year with me, as mine, in the spirit world."

Sakura glared at him. "You just said you wouldn't take me into the spirit world whenever it fit your fancy."

"And I won't. Besides those three months out of every year, I will not touch you. You will not hear from me unless you come looking for me. But during those three months, you are mine."

The taste of iron and salt was on her tongue, and Sakura realized she'd bit through the side of her cheek. She swallowed painfully.

The blood oath Kakashi spoke of would bind him to her in every way. She would be his, and he would be hers. It was a vow between them where everything they said during the oath would be law, and neither could ever break the blood oath without death as the consequence.

Sakura took a deep breath. "So," she began, "we make the oath, then I spend a month with you in the spirit world until . . . what? Until Naruto and the tengu clan forget about me? They are not so easily swayed."

Kakashi shrugged, nonchalant. "It doesn't matter if they are swayed or not. There is no reversing a blood oath. By law you would be under my protection as mine, and so they could not ever touch you."

Sakura was getting real pissed off with how he kept saying "as mine." Bastard.

She shrugged. "So I stay with you for one month, and then you take me back to the mortal world—"

"If that is what you still want," Kakashi interjected.

"—and then for the rest of my life I have to give you three months out of every year with you in the spirit world." She paused. "But that still doesn't fix the problem of Sai."

"He is a problem, isn't he," Kakashi mused, lowly.

Sakura shot him a dark look. "Shut up. You know what I mean. Naruto and the tengu clan could still kill him, and probably would."

Kakashi hummed. "We could always throw him to some other spirit and make them take another blood oath so he is under the protection of a spirit. They could not touch him then."

Sakura was already shaking her head. "No. Sai is not to be tied down by a spirit." And then a thought hit her. She perked up and stood straighter. "I could bind him to me."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at her. Normally, spirits and humans could only bind themselves to one other person during their lives, but since Sakura was a half-breed, those rules didn't apply to her. She could bind herself to both a spirit and a human at the same time.

Apparently Kakashi didn't like this idea much. "No," he said. "Not happening."

"And why not?" she shot back, irritated. "If I am bound to you, and Sai is bound to me, then he is also under your protection. He would be safe."

But Sakura knew exactly why Kakashi didn't like this idea. He was a full-blooded spirit, and he was possessive. The idea that she would not only be bound to him was rubbing him the wrong way.

"Are you agreeing to my bargain?" Kakashi asked instead, sideswiping her question. He took a step towards her and Sakura shifted her weight.

"No," she said. "I'm not. I'm considering it, and if Sai is just going to get killed for something he shouldn't even be involved in, then your bargain does nothing for me." She couldn't quite keep the spite out of her voice.

"This . . . human," Kakashi began, and Sakura couldn't quite tell if he was disgusted at the word or amused, "he means that much to you?"

Sakura didn't answer right away. It was complicated, but that was expected. She was a half-breed, he was a human. She had taken him away from his unappreciated human family when he was but a boy, too gangly and just coming into his skin and talent, and Sakura had come along in a similar fashion to a full-blooded spirit to take him away. She carved the path for Sai to succeed in life, and then let him take the reins from there. She may have given him the opening into this kind of life where his talents would be appreciated and criticized and loved and hated, but he had ultimately chosen what to do from there, how far to take it all. Sakura would not be the one to steal anything else from him.

She had watched him grow up from that lost little boy on the tire swing in ragged clothes to the man who showed up on her doorstep in a clean-cut vest and top hat, black hair slicked back and ring box in hand.

There was a part of her that said this was wrong. She had watched him grow up. She was not his sister or mother or blood family. Sakura still appeared the same age as when she found him all those years ago, and while Sai's slicked back hair would dull to a grey and while his skin would lose its snugness on his body, Sakura would never change. She was not touched physically by time. It was her curse and blessing, and she'd accepted that long ago.

So she supposed the answer to Kakashi's question was as obvious as her hair was pink. "Yes," she said, simply. "He does."

Kakashi was unreadable, looking at her, searching. Then he turned away. "If you agree to the terms I've set out and stay with me for the three months out of every year, then you may bond with your human." Kakashi reached up and tugged down part of his black scarf, revealing his one red eye.

Sakura had only seen Kakashi's red eye on a handful of occasions. And every time, it unsettled her. Not because it was a tengu's eye, but because there was something about it in Kakashi was that just . . . wrong.

"But if you do this, if you go through with this bond with your human, our terms will have to change," Kakashi continued, his voice mellow and soft, like he was trying to lessen the blow. "A bond is everlasting, and if one party of the bond dies, the other member will die as well. Your human will die long before you ever will, and when he does, you will suffer for it. However, because of your bond with me, you can survive. But this comes with a price.

"Your body will not be strong enough to survive in the mortal world after your human dies. That bond will be severed—in a way, the human part of you will die. But your spirit part will survive so long as you have the bond with me. Because of this, you will no longer be able to live in the mortal world once your human dies, and once that happens, you will have to stay in the spirit world with me. Forever, as mine."

How cruel, Sakura thought idly to herself. She was damned either way.

Kakashi's soothing and calm voice didn't fool her for one second. He was enjoying this, enjoying twisting her demands only to show her how she'd still end up with him in the spirit world as his. He was getting exactly what he wanted.

"So I would be giving you three months of all the years I have left in the mortal world, only to join you for good in the spirit world after Sai dies," Sakura clarified, her voice oddly emotionless.

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, that is correct."

He had been moving towards her during his explanation, taking miniscule steps while she stared at his face, into his red eye. Now he was almost chest-to-chest with her, so close that if his scarf had not been in the way, she could have felt his breath.

Kakashi reached out a hand to touch her cheek, and she let him. "That hardly seems fair," Sakura said, her voice lower and softer with his closeness. But she never lost eye-contact with him, never looked down or showed him weakness. He may have the kind of protection she needed, but that didn't mean she was going to let him run this show.

He shrugged. "You don't have to bond with the human," he whispered.

Yes, she did. And he knew that.

Sakura swallowed. "No deal," she whispered right back, and then she was gone.

---

Kakashi lowered his hand, the hand that had brushed her flushed cheek only moments before. Under his scarf, he smiled. It always amazed him how quickly she could move when she wanted. How aware of everything she was even when he was sure she was distracted by his hand on her cheek, on his proposition that would give him everything he had wanted in the end.

He let his head hang back, looking up at the ragged and curved ceiling of the small nook in the cliff. It had taken him hours to find the right one, not even able to smell Sakura over the scent of the ocean water and salt in the air. Exactly the reason Sakura had picked this spot to hide out in, he knew.

The half-breed kitsune was clever, he'd give her that. Kakashi had always known that, even when she was nothing but a young little fox with pink ears far too large. He could always see the swirling mass of emotion and thoughts and plans behind her too green eyes. At first, it had put him on edge; that this tiny creature could look at an ancient warrior like him like that.

Then, it had been the defining factor that began his obsession with her.

It didn't surprise him that she had rejected his offer. He hadn't expected her to agree to it so quickly, and there was a part of him that was proud that she had. She was too smart to take up an offer that would always be there so soon in the game. Kakashi had made it clear that he would take her in whatever way he could, and Sakura was clever enough to understand that she could change her mind at any time and he'd still be here with his proposition.

Kakashi knelt down and put his weight on his calves, sighing. It was only a matter of time before one of the other tengu or that fox brat found Sakura. She was clever, but there were too many clan members and Sakura could only disguise her scent from Naruto for so long.

And when that happened, he needed to be there.

---

It was still dark out, and Sakura was kicking herself for running. Again.

But she couldn't stay in that cave with Kakashi anymore. She couldn't trust him enough to leave her be if she rejected his offer; in fact, she highly suspected he would do the exact opposite.

His offer.

Sakura stopped her running near the woods long enough to punched one of the thicker tree trunks, leaving a large dent in the middle of it, letting it splinter out into the oak. The tree groaned, but her knuckles didn't ache. Even if they could from such a small display of her strength, Sakura doubted she would be able to feel anything right then.

Out of all the spirits over the years who had tempted her and coerced her into going into the spirit world, Kakashi had always been one of the most dangerous.

While Naruto was all bright light and the tengu clan was all dark shadows, Kakashi was neither and both. He was cleverer than the eldest tengu, more determined than even Naruto. And that made him so much more dangerous to Sakura.

He was laying out a plan to force her into giving into his bargain, and she wasn't quite sure what step to take next.

Surely he had known she wouldn't accept his offer so readily. And she knew him well enough by then to know that her offer about bonding with Sai was not something he had accounted for. He had truly been surprised and angry.

The one thing Sakura knew now, though, was that she needed to get to Sai.

Which was a problem in and of itself. Because it was still dark out, still another hour or two out from daybreak, and while Sakura could hide herself by staying near the tree line, it was also the best place one of the tengu or Naruto could jump out from and drag her back into her darker parts of the forest.

If only Kakashi hadn't driven her out of the cave so soon. But Sakura had no misgivings that that was exactly what Kakashi had planned to do from the very beginning. And now he wasn't even chasing her, which was proof by itself.

Sakura picked up her pace again. Her thumb slid over the blade of her dagger, pressing hard enough for her to feel the sharpness of it and knowing that it was incapable of actually cutting her.

It was about a half hour run to the village nearby, where Sai was staying. If she let her kitsune half take over, she could probably cut that time in half.

But she needed to appear human when she found Sai. She needed to appear unthreatening and human when she reached the village. The last thing she needed was some long half-breed hunter getting wind of a crazed pink haired fox running through a village near the spirit forest. And appearing on Sai's doorstep with glowing green eyes and fangs and nails twice their normal length wouldn't be doing her any favors.

Sakura huffed and narrowed her eyes, straining her ears.

But all that might be the least of her worries. If she was caught by the tengu clan or Naruto because she wasn't quick enough—or, worse, they got to Sai before she did—her appearance wouldn't matter all that much then.

So she swallowed back her misgivings and took herself to the time before the dissolution of the major half-breed hunter groups. When she was forced to carry daggers and needle hairpins and poisons in every available place on her person, when there were rumors circling around about the pink haired fox adorned in nothing but red—stained from her many kills. Or hearing about how she was "Sakura the half-breed. A cherry blossom who grows stronger when sprinkled in blood."

A time when the world moved slower, when the earth was dirt and dust and blood, and her hands were stained with everything in between.

It wasn't difficult. Almost immediately her heartbeat slowed down, her fangs grew longer, sharper. Her skin felt tighter. Her vision widened, sharpened. She could see perfectly in the dark now. Going back into her old habits was as easy as slipping on an old pair of boots, she found. And there was something terrifying about that.

Almost immediately she saw the shadow out of the corner of her eye.

A slice of wind came down where she had been running, not even a second after Sakura had kicked hard to her left, swerving away. If that had touched her, it would have hurt like hell.

There was only one kind of spirit chasing after her that night who could control the air like that. And only one spirit she knew who could move so quickly as to almost escape her notice until the last second.

"Shisui," Sakura greeted, her voice blank.

"Sakura," he purred from his position on the ground, having landing moments after his attack on the earth where she'd been running. She hadn't even seen him land—he was simply there when a moment ago he was not. "Where have you been hiding all this time, baby? We've been looking for you all night." He pouted, only covering one of his too long fangs with the gesture. "But no matter; I've found you now."

Sakura placed one foot behind her, got grounded. "How do you see this ending, Shisui? I've been alive this long without ever being killed or taken by a spirit. What makes you think I'd let you now?"

Shisui cocked his head at her and blinked, puzzled. "We'd all much prefer it if you would just come with us," he said gently. "But there are four of us and one of you, baby. And we are very dedicated. So why don't you just make this easy on all of us and come with me now?" His eyes darkened. "I promise not to let the others see you immediately, since I'm the one who found you first."

Sakura sighed. "And how do you see that working out? Like you said, there are four of you. And last time I checked you're all ridiculously territorial. You'd all end up tearing each other apart if I was in the spirit world."

Shrugging one shoulder, Shisui said, "We made a pact to share you once we caught you." He paused, a slow smile stretching his face, a lock of his black curly hair falling into one red eye. "But I am the one who found you first, and if you're not comfortable with being shared, then I guess it's all right if I just keep you then, right?"

He took a step towards her, and that was all the initiative Sakura needed.

But this time, instead of running, Sakura threw an uppercut into his jaw.

She hit. There was a loud crack at the impact, but just as Sakura was about to thrust her dagger into Shisui's shoulder, his hand came up and locked around her wrist. Immediately she twisted her arm around, grabbing hold of his own wrist so they were both locked to each other. With her left hand, Sakura punched Shisui in the stomach, but he flung himself to the side enough that she only grazed his ribcage.

He tried to let go of her wrist, but Sakura kept a tight hold on his, limiting his movement. She heard Shisui's breath catch—whether because of her hit near his ribcage or because of her proxy to him, she wasn't sure.

A low growl bubbled up in her throat, and Sakura narrowed her eyes. She flung her leg out and up, making contact with her knee on his chest; his position hunched just enough by her grip on his arm and his own efforts to put space between them. His speed didn't do him much good if he couldn't sneak up on her.

There was something she had learned from Tsunade all those years ago: surprise will always be her best friend.

Sakura could see by the widening of his eyes that Shisui hadn't been expecting her to fight him so outright. He had expected her to run again, to try to put off confrontation for as long as possible. It was why he had risked landing instead of staying in the air, where he had the advantage. He was overly cocky about what she would do.

And maybe if she hadn't given into her kitsune half already she would have. Maybe. But now her heartbeat was too slow and her body too flexible, and the only thing on her mind was how to make him bleed.

She wasn't even thinking about if she was going to kill him or not—Sakura figured that she'd know when the time came, just like with all the rest of her fights in the past. She was no stranger to killing.

Seeing what she was doing, Shisui tried to regain control of the situation. Instead of continuing to fight to put enough distance between them so he could get in the air, Shisui flicked his wrist and tugged her against his chest, shooting them both into the air.

A breath in.

Sakura brought both her knees up between her and Shisui's bodies. One of her hands was locked in Shisui's hold; the other pressed against her chest.

She slipped her free hand into the front of her shirt, tugging loose the vial she had stored inside. Flicking off the small top if it, Sakura held her breath and flung the contents of the vial at Shisui.

Immediately he began coughing, loosening his grip on her. Sakura looked down and seeing that the fall wouldn't kill her, kicked Shisui off of her, who in return held both of his hands up to his face and flapped his black wings to get away from the cloud of black dust hovering in the air.

Once Sakura fell, letting out a heavy breath at the impact, she heard Shisui roar in pain and rage. The contents of the vial would hold him off for a while, making him temporarily blind and making it impossible for him to pick up her scent.

Sakura didn't wait; she took off, not holding back on her speed.

---

She made it into the village in half the time.

Sakura made sure to stick to the shadows of the village, even though there were very few people out among the streets. It was not yet dawn, and even the earliest risers were still in their beds.

Even so, Sakura nicked a black hooded cloak from a lines clothe, drawing up the hood to hide her pink braid and furry ears. She hopped from rooftop to rooftop, passing by the little shop Sakura had once seen Sai's painting hanging in. She passed by a church, a bakery, where she could smell pastries and bread.

Sai's apartment was in the center of the village, in one of the nicer neighborhoods. The payments he had received for his various landscape paintings had served him well.

Deciding the knocking wouldn't help her in any way, Sakura easily slipped through a window, using one of her claws to lift it up. She had done this before, knowing exactly how to open locked windows without making a sound.

Her shoes didn't so much as whisper as she lowered herself onto the floor. Carefully closing the window behind her, Sakura took in the dark drawing room, furnished with untouched and unused couches and vibrant chairs, decorative flower vases and paintings, many of which were not Sai's, but other fellow artists'. Sakura found she agreed with his tastes.

The room—and she highly suspected the rest of the house as well—screamed uninhabited. This could have been chalked up to the fact Sai had only moved in recently, but Sakura knew better. Sai loved beautiful things, but for the sole purpose of looking, never touching.

Sakura wondered what had changed. He told her he loved her, told her she was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen, that he could no longer sketch another portrait after doing hers . . . and yet he wanted her. Wanted to touch her.

Sakura felt her lips stretch into a grim smile. Her boy was such a conundrum.

But she supposed that she was the same way. She collected beautiful things—it was the very reason why she had first approached Sai all those years ago, after all. But unlike Sai, she collected beautiful things just so she could hold them, so she could call them her own. Some of the few things she could hold onto without worry throughout the centuries.

Sakura moved through the drawing room, using the ends of her toes to move around the grand piano and the cushioned pastel colored chairs. The large rug under all the furniture helped her movements.

Her kitsune vision helped her see in the dark. Sakura pranced down the unused home in the dark until she reached the outside of a closed doorway, pressing her fox ear to it, listening for the steady breaths only sleep could offer.

Sai was not a snorer, she noticed. But she couldn't really imagine him being one, what with his calm and silent persona. A fond smile softened Sakura's features.

Turning the doorknob slowly, Sakura creaked open the door. The first thing she made out in the even darker room was a large bed, stark white sheets covering a body. The lone window in the room was covered by dark curtains, masking any possible moonlight streaking through the glass.

Sakura made her way to Sai's bedside slowly, softly. She took him in, his once slicked back hair now splayed around the white pillow like a dark halo. His small mouth was open only enough to take in small breaths, dark eyelashes twitching against his high cheekbones every second or so. His already pale skin almost blended into the white bedding, and Sakura had the fleeting thought that he resembled a porcelain doll, oh-so breakable and fragile. The thought broke something in her.

Swallowing, Sakura leaned down and touched his shoulder. Almost immediately Sai's eyes flew open in panic, black eyes wide and full of the daze that post-sleep offers. Sakura whispered his name.

Sai sat up quickly, still staring at her in awe and surprise. She wasn't used to so much emotion so clearly splayed across his features, and Sakura wondered if he was always so vulnerable and open when he first wakes up in the morning. Or maybe it was just because a pink haired half-breed so obviously had broken into his home in the middle of the night and was now trying to rouse him from bed. That could very well be it as well.

"Sakura," Sai mumbled, blinking rapidly at her. He fumbled his hands around on the bedsheets like he was looking for something. He looked down as if to reassure himself that he was, indeed, still in bed and only in a plan white shift. Nothing about this was appropriate, but Sakura couldn't find it in herself to care—hadn't really cared about humans' ever changing standards for what was proper or not—and Sai had picked up on her tendencies long ago, also not caring about propriety but still hyperaware that he was less than half-dressed in front of the girl he'd proposed to not even a day before. If the situation had not been so dire, Sakura would have laughed.

Sai reached up a lone hand to touch her cheek, but Sakura caught his hand without thinking, holding it between them like a prayer. "Get dressed," she said. And then she explained everything.

---

Sai was not amused.

In fact, as he pulled up his trousers, viciously shoving one leg in after another, Sakura thought very much that had one of the full-blooded spirits blasted down a wall right then Sai would have simply thrown one of her daggers at the kitsune or tengu's head.

Sakura smiled. She had taught him how to aim.

It was also improper for her to watch him dress, but it was far too amusing to turn away from. Sai was sulking, crossed between angry and tired and confused and just wanting to go back to bed. His inky black hair was tousled; Sai ran his hands through it every few seconds, irritated, pausing in getting himself dressed and throwing things into the trunk he'd pulled out from underneath his bed and set on top of his wrinkled sheets.

At one point he almost tripped over himself as he tried to finish pulling his trousers on while simultaneously buttoning his vest. Sakura just watch him from her leaning position by his bed, Sai's nightstand digging into her hip, amused and hiding her smile poorly behind one hand.

Sai scowled at her, flustered and embarrassed, and she almost cooed at him. Sakura remembered when she had first found him and dressed him in clean and new clothes. He always scowled when putting on clothes, she remembered. One of his many oddities, she knew.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Sai grumbled, looking down and trying to understand why his trousers were simply not cooperating with him that morning. He didn't expect an answer and Sakura didn't give him one—the answer was already too obvious.

Another tie and brown vest were thrown in the trunk hastily, lopsided and messily. Sakura leaned towards the bed to properly fold them into place. Throwing another look Sai's way, Sakura decided to take pity on the boy and finish adding items to his trunk, opening drawers and leaving the bedroom to go into the washroom attached to it. By the time Sakura had packed all the necessary items, Sai was finished dressing, still pushing a hand through his tousled hair. Sakura smirked, knowing he wanted some of his newly acquired gel to slick it back, but Sakura had already buried it within the trunk, and she was not unbuckling it in the fear of the whole thing exploding knickers and dress shirts. She had already had to sit on the thing to close it the first time.

"So," Sai began, taking a deep breath and fiddling with his cuff. Sakura was glad to see that Sai had chosen to adorn loose fitting clothes—all the better to run for his life in from vindictive spirits. "Where are you taking me?"

"Well," Sakura began, picking up Sai's trunk easily enough, her half-breed strength making it easy despite its size and contents. She brushed some flyaway pink strands out of her face. It was miracle her braid was still holding up after all this time. "That will depend on you. Where would you like to live out the rest of your life, Sai?"

No point in coddling the boy now—it was likely the full-blooded spirits would never stop tracking Sai if they couldn't get to Sakura, and while Sakura knew she could always force Sai to travel from town to town, desolate village to desolate village, she much rather liked the idea of finding one location as far away from the forest as possible and protecting him from there. She could set up infinite amounts of runes and protection barriers she'd learn over the years.

It was true that the full-blooded spirits would likely eventually find her no matter where she ran to. But so long as she was far enough away from the woods to make it difficult for them to travel long distances and so long as she masked their trail well enough, that time would likely be long after Sai's own mortal death.

It was no different than what she had had to do all those years before, with the half-breed hunters who were everywhere and who would always seem to somehow find the most incognito of half-breeds. Sakura had learned quite a few useful spells and tricks to keep the hunters away.

And even after that time, Sakura had taken her tricks to use on the spirits she was tasked with hunting down in recent years. It was all the same really—human hunters and full-blooded spirits weren't so very different to trick, despite how much both would be loath to hear it.

So Sakura was confident in this plan. It was better than Kakashi's deal, at the very least.

Sai froze, looking at her. Sakura blinked at him, giving him a moment to understand how dire the situation.

He took a breath. "And you?" he asked. "What will you do?"

"Protect you, of course," Sakura said simply, even though she knew very well that was not what he was referring to.

His hands tightened into fists at his sides. Sakura saw the signs of his jaw locking, the flicker of muscle in his cheek. But he swallowed back his pride, knowing all too well that he would not survive the wrath of the full-blooded spirits without her.

It was one of the things Sakura admired the most in Sai: his ability to block out his feelings when they were not logical. He could bit down on his pride and see reason.

How odd it was that an artist as talented as he could block out his emotions so easily. A conundrum if there ever was one.

Sai just shook his head at her, worrying his lower lip. Sakura lowered her eyelids, peering out at him through her lashes. She sighed. "I will go with you to wherever you choose. It must be far enough away from the woods, and I will set up enough protection for you there so it will take many, many years for the spirits to ever track you there."

"And then?" Sai questioned. "Will you leave me there to live out my mortal, insignificant life with only my blank canvases and paints to keep me company?"

Sakura did not move, did not let her body betray her. She understood far too well how unfair, how unreasonable this was for Sai. Naruto and the tengu clan would never have given him a fleeting thought had he not shown . . . interest in Sakura in such a manner. If looked at a certain way, this could be considered Sakura's fault, for bringing this upon Sai. Or it could be looked at as being Sai's own fault, for playing with fire, for wanting Sakura. Or it could just be those damnable spirits' fault for being so bloody obsessive and untrustworthy.

Either way, none of that mattered. Sakura could blame herself or Sai or the spirits until the world was reduced to ash and dust, and that would not do her or Sai any damn good.

"I do not know yet," she answered instead, truthfully.

And Sai simply nodded, being far too wise and mature than his years allotted him.

There had been times over the years Sakura had known Sai where he would say or do something that would make her think that he was a half-breed or spirit in disguise. His soul was far too old for his body.

Sai reached her in four long strides, quick and light on the tips of his toes—just the way Sakura had taught him to walk if he ever had the need to be silent, to be quick and sneak up on someone.

He wrapped his arms around her, and Sakura found herself going rigid. The last time someone had been this close to her it had been Naruto. It was this kind of closeness where you could crack someone's neck or slip a dagger through a ribcage. This kind of closeness was accumulated with death.

It took her longer than a breath to come back to her senses and wrap her arms up and around his neck, letting him show her his strength, letting him pull her towards and against him so tightly and firmly that he almost lifted her off her own two feet.

It had been a good long while since she was hugged in such a way. Sakura didn't even allow Naruto to hug her like this. Her hugs with Naruto were always forced, something she let happen because of his temperament, something she didn't mind so long as his hands never wandered to forbidden places.

Sakura remembered something the old women of her village had once said to her, when they were high off some herb or another that they always had burning in their huts, when they were in one of their moods to talk about husbands and lovers long past, when they warned Sakura against the touches of men. Against the grinding in her gut of wants and desires.

But Sakura had already broken every one of the old women's other rules, so one more was nothing all that special.

The ends of his inky black hair tickled her fingers, and Sakura tugged on a lock of it. Sai grunted into the crook of her shoulder and neck before she pushed him away, showing him her own strength in that she could break his grasp on her anytime she wished.

Sakura turned away from him, heaving his trunk over one shoulder and walking towards the door. "We need to hurry," she said without looking back.

Sai followed her, as she knew he would. She heard the falling of his footsteps a few moments after her words, when he heaved a heavy sigh and caught up to her until he was so close to her back Sakura could practically feel his breath on her neck.

This was likely going to be the most difficult part. Traveling took longer than Sakura liked, and while she could travel twice as quickly by herself, Sai was not so lucky. They would have to take carriages and other means of transport.

There was a river that cut through a large portion of the valley around these parts, snaking through villages until it buckled off into the ocean. And her village was no exception, the last stop before the river kissed the ocean.

Sakura planned to take Sai to the farthest part of the river as possible. The river was wide and vast, and many ships of the rich and wealthy, the travelers and modernizers occupied its waters.

Sakura was not a fan of ships. There was something about not having solid ground underneath her feet that set her teeth on edge and flattened her ears. But it was quicker than a carriage, and that was all that mattered.

She'd already made the preparations to be on the next available ship. Sakura still had contacts throughout the land, ones who she had kept and found throughout the years, starting as early as when the half-breed hunters had made their appearances. Underground contacts went a long way in hiding her identity. And while there had been more than one occurrence when one of her contacts had double-crossed her, when they had been slipped more than a few coins for the information of her whereabouts and other little details, Sakura had found that the payoff for knowing the right people far outweighed the consequences.

All of her original contacts were long dead, whether from time or a backstabber or a cracked neck and lost body, it didn't matter. But those who took up their places came to know Sakura through their predecessors or through reputation alone. They, too, came to understand that knowing her far outweighed the possible consequences. In return for their help if she should ever need it, they called upon her for spirit help, when they needed a pesky spirit dealt with. Sometimes, they even called upon her for her presence alone during a shady dealing or two. Her appearance and her reputation as being the last half-breed who cut down hundreds of half-breed hunters and full-blooded spirits alike could be quite the intimidation factor. There were many, many underground contacts who owed Sakura quite a few favors.

She had called upon one such favor to acquire two last minute tickets aboard one of the more luxurious ships along the river. Her contact, a human by the name of Yamato, also gave her the use of a handful of his men, all having been trained in hunting and warding off full-blooded spirits.

Sakura had paused in her travel to get to Sai earlier that night to send a letter to Yamato's in-between man. He had taken one look at Sakura with her glowing green eyes and sharpened teeth and stuttered out that he'd hand her letter to Yamato right away.

While her letter had been asking for his help in this matter, Sakura knew he would do it regardless. It was not so much of a question of if he'd help her as simply telling him what she planned to do and what she needed from him. He'd give her the rest.

True to his ways, Yamato met Sakura and Sai on the dock of the river, a dozen or so of his men hidden in the shadows and throughout the buildings nearby. They were good at what they did, Sakura having told and shown Yamato ways to hunt down spirits and deal with them in the smartest manner. Had she not been looking for his men and not having the heightened senses that she did, Sakura would have missed the black-clad men wearing animal masks around the area.

Yamato was easy enough to spot, wearing a weathered brown coat with a collar that almost reached to his ears. Sakura had refused to give up Sai's trunk to him, despite his many protests and attempts to swipe it out of her hand on the way over. Whether he liked it or not and whether it bruised his ego or not, Sakura was simply stronger than Sai—or any human—was. He had a better chance of keeping up with her if he was not bogged down by the weight of his trunk, and Sakura figured if they ran into one of the tengu or Naruto on the way over, Sakura could always lug the trunk at the spirit to slow them down.

To Sakura's surprise and amusement, Sai and Yamato already knew each other. Though they were not overly friendly with each other and did not say as much as having met previously, Sakura saw the tell-tale widening of Yamato's eyes and catch in Sai's breath when they saw each other. After a few well-placed questions Sakura determined that Yamato had been to a few of Sai's art shows, had even purchased a painting or two.

Either way, it was clear to Sakura that Sai was on Yamato's good side, and that would work in her favor. Before, Yamato's help was due out of a handful of favors he owed her, but now Yamato was involved and he had seen exactly who the spirits were after.

Sakura also got a feeling from the shifting of Sai's feet that he knew Yamato not only from his art shows. This made her both annoyed and proud, simply because it meant that Sai was smart enough to see the benefits of having underground contacts, but also making her wonder when he had ever needed to have such contacts. Sakura wasn't all too concerned about Sai falling into trouble with this kind of dark network—he was far too clever for that—but it didn't alleviate the heavy feeling in her chest when she thought about it. Sai could take care of himself, she knew.

"Come," Yamato said, waving them towards the three story boat on the river. He eyed Sakura with her still glowing green eyes and sharpened teeth and how she tried to hide her face under her hood. It was a lost cause, she knew. If the person knew what to look for, they could see the bulge in the fabric where her tail wanted to peek through and the way her hood twitched every few moments, an involuntary reaction from her pink ears from having them flattened back on her head for too long. "They know to expect you, and will let you on without tickets. My men will be right behind you."

Sakura nodded and said her thanks, handing over the trunk to Sai. She told him to go on ahead to the ship, that she'd be right behind him. Sai hesitated, torn between staying with her and leaving, but nodded only after a moment and headed that way.

Sakura watched him until he was through the walkway and aboard the ship, seeing Yamato tip his head towards a few of his men, who immediately boarded the ship through other means.

Satisfied, Sakura turned back to Yamato. "You understand the situation?" she asked.

Yamato nodded. "I'll protect the boy. What do you plan to do?"

"Take him north, as far away from the woods as possible. I'll set up as much protection for him there as I can manage, and then I'll either stay there or go after the spirits myself."

Yamato gapped at her. "You'd go looking for the spirits who want to drag you into the woods?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "They'll find me eventually, no matter where I go. I'd prefer to face them on my terms, personally."

"And the boy?" Yamato questioned. "What about him?"

"He'll be safe," Sakura said simply, softly. "That's as much as I can hope for right now."

Yamato studied her, and Sakura wondered what he saw. After a moment he looked away, towards the boat. "I will go with you, then. My men and I can help you kill those spirits."

Sakura was shaking her head even before he was done speaking. "No. I'll face them alone. I would prefer not to kill them, if I can help it. Right now I plan to just make them trail after me until they forget about Sai." Or until Sai dies, she added silently. "I would prefer you and your men watch after Sai, since I will likely have my hands full with the spirits."

"You think they'll be here soon?" he asked, eyes roaming subtly around the river. "My men have been posted all around the area. We would have seen them."

Sakura smiled, and it was not pretty. "They're already here, I'm sure."

---

And they were.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Sakura hadn't been meant to get this far, to be able to find that bastard human boy and get him on a ship like this. They were supposed to catch her long before this, when she was still high on faerie fumes and the lull that was being around so many full-blooded spirits so close to the woods. Sakura was supposed to struggle, surely, at the beginning, but be so overcome with their magic and otherness that she eventually caved and no longer resisted their advances. After all, what kind of person—human or half-breed or otherwise—could resist a clan of tengu and one powerful kitsune like this? When all they wanted was her, with them, in the woods?

The full-blooded spirits were sitting in the trees, watching Sakura and the wide-eyed human friend of hers converse, saw her hidden pink ears twitch at even the lightest of their movement under that horrid cloak of hers. And a part of them were so very glad that Sakura had gotten to this point, that she had been clever and strong enough to evade them for so long. It had been so long since they had had such a good, long chase. It only made it sweeter that they wanted her as much as they did, had wanted her for ages, waiting for her to be the one to take that final leap with them into the woods, only to have the amazed and baffling realization that no, she truly wouldn't ever get to that point on her own. That they needed to give her that final push . . . whether she wanted it or not.

It didn't matter what she wanted now, they told themselves, convinced themselves of. It wouldn't matter once they got her into the deepest parts of the woods, where the deep rooted magic was, the kind that sang so strongly to all their kind. Once Sakura was there, and she'd eaten of their land and drank from their streams, nothing human or mundane would take up even the smallest nook in her mind. She would be theirs, completely and utterly.

They were so taken in their thoughts, however, that none of them noticed when a slight breeze tickled the length of their velvety wings or brushed through their furry ears. They didn't notice, that was, until a clawed hand was embedded into Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke gave a howl of fury and pain and rage, twisting away and nearly falling off his tree branch in the process. He whirled on his attacker, holding one hand up to his open wound and a snarl on his face, showing his sharp fangs. His brother and cousin both reared up at his cry of pain and were now hovering in the air, red eyes gleaming. Naruto, however, had not even bothered to turn his head in the direction of the attack, never taking his shining blue eyes away from the boat that now held that pesky human boy in it.

"My, my," a voice drawled, and there was the sound of wind whispering through the tree branches and leaves, "getting impatient, are we? You're going to make some pretty stupid mistakes this way, you know."

"Kakashi," Itachi greeting, kindly, like the full-blooded inugami hadn't just severely wounded his little brother. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

Kakashi blinked at the three tengu, two hovering in the air and one swaying from blood loss and pain. The hand that had impaled itself into the youngest tengu was at his side, casually dripping blood, his nails sharp and elongated. Underneath his black mask, he smiled, kindly. "Oh, you know me. Just out for a casual stroll before the sun comes up."

Shisui stiffened, his eyes darting through the trees to where the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon. They were running out of time, and they knew it. Blast Kakashi for pointing it out. They did not need the reminder.

Itachi, however, was unfazed, as always. "I see," he said. "And am I to assume that you are to interfere with our goal before the sun comes up?"

Kakashi tilted his head, like he was giving it thought when they all knew very well that this had been planned out from the beginning, from warning Sakura to run and likely directing Sakura to the bastard human boy. It was times like this that they were all reminded of how ancient Kakashi was, and how deadly. To stand there with blood dripping off his hand, getting it on his clothes like it was nothing, like wounding a member of one of the most revered spirit clans was a daily occurrence before his afternoon tea. Something worth less than a passing thought to.

"I will benefit from this," Kakashi finally stated, not as a question and not as a mussing, but as something sure and true, like the fates had already decided this factor. "One way or another, this will come out in my favor."

"And how do you figure that?" Shisui snarled.

"Why, don't you know, Shisui?" Kakashi drawled, long and languid, like he had all the time in the world, like the sun wasn't peaking its dreaded head over the horizon. "You all damned yourselves the moment you decided to take away Sakura's choice. She will never forgive you, you know," he continued. "Even if you do succeed in taking her into the woods, she will never love you; never desire any of you in the way you want."

"But you will not have her," Sasuke growled, the blood flow nearly stopped now from his quick healing capabilities, letting his own bloodied hand drop form his shoulder. "We will have her and you will not. We still win."

Kakashi chuckled under his breath, and it set all of the tengus' on edge. "You still see this as a game, Sasuke? Someone who loses; someone who wins." Kakashi spared a glance down at the ground, where the waterline was and where the boat still sat docked. "And what about Sakura? When will she win?"

It was a question, but Kakashi didn't wait for an answer. "I may not have her, but she will never want any of you, and you will be forced to forever sleep with one eye open lest she slit all your throats whist you sleep. And don't believe for a second that the lull of the woods will make her love you, because we all know it does not affect her as much as others, nor is she as susceptible to its call. Even if she was, her own stubbornness would forever prevent her from succumbing.

"And so, yes, Sasuke, I will win, no matter what. Because she will never love any of you, and while she may not love me, I am selfish enough to take pleasure in knowing that none of you will receive her love either."

"You don't know that," Naruto whispered, finally joining the conversation, turning his head to look over at Kakashi. And he looked so desperate, so lost in that moment. "You don't know what will happen. Sakura-chan isn't cruel like that. And she cares," he went on, his voice cracking. "I've seen it. She wants the woods. Even if she does not want us right now . . . She feels the call, still. We're friends . . ." Naruto shakes his head slowly, thinking. "I've given her time; so much more than I thought I was capable of. She'll forgive me this; I know it. She has to."

Kakashi looked at Naruto, really looked at him. This boy, so powerful and kind by spirit standards, so typically loving and brutal all at once, a chaos of emotions. It would only make sense that Sakura would befriend such a creature as him. And—Kami above—wasn't he just so pathetic and desperate for that attention. Wasn't he just so loyal to her, and this was the only way he knew to show it. It was no excuse, but it was something, and it mattered.

And so as Sakura sat a few trees away, enough distance between the full-blooded spirits to still hear their conversation but still far enough away that they could not get wind of her scent, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the tree, digging her nails into the bark underneath her hands.

It was times like this that she wondered what was to become of her, no matter what she choose. Because sometimes it felt that no matter what choice she made, fate had already been decided, and it was not kind, nor fair. Not fair to her, not fair to the full-blooded spirits, who reminded her at times that immortality was both a blessing and curse, and who was to dictate was an acceptable way to behave when you live that long, have seen the things they have seen?

Sakura had pulled out her dagger before approaching the spirits, and it now resting in the palm of her hand. She looked down at it, her cherry blossom dagger, so pretty looking to her, especially when it has been covered in blood of the men who would harm her and other beings like her, and even other mortals weaker and more fragile than them. She ran her thumb over the blade, pushing hard enough to cut, except the blood magic in it prevented any such thing.

She had been ready for the spirits, ready to end it all right then, before it progressed any further.

But . . .

But she wouldn't. Not then. Even though nothing had changed, Sakura would not take her chance and run her dagger through Naruto or any of the tengu or even Kakashi, who was no better than any of them.

It was time for her to go.

She would run, as she always had. She would leave with Sai and travel across oceans if she had to. She would keep him safe. If she ever did choose to become mortal, whether it be for Sai or for herself or in another time completely, it would be her choice.

Or maybe she would let the spirits catch her. Maybe she would not bind herself to Kakashi or any other spirit, but just let herself go into the woods and see what happens.

Either way, it would be her choice, and that was all that really mattered. Not who she loved or didn't love, but what would curve her appetite for something new, something different that would make her immortal existence worth it all.

A boat horn bellowed below her, signaling it was about to depart, and Sakura stood up. She sighed, and with a flick of her wrist dispersed of her cherry blossom dagger.

It was time to go.

And as she was leaving, as she jumped down from her tree, she felt the eyes on her, the eyes she knew so well, and risked a glance behind her.

Blue eyes met emerald green, and a wheat field and rainy days and dancing flames sparked between them, so close and yet so far away.

Sakura gave a salute and wink—

—and then she let herself fall.

---

Author's Note: Well, I hope you guys liked that! I feel like I've been working on this forever, but now it's done (thank goodness). I feel okay with it. I've had this idea for a long while now, so I just went with it.

This is complete, BTW. I don't plan to do a sequel or anything like that for this story. I wanted the ending to be open, so you can figure out for yourself what you think Sakura would do, or what you might do in her situation. I really, really love those endings. ;P

Please leave me a comment telling me what you thought of this and if you'd maybe like more of these fantasy type stories with Sakura and her harem of men, LOL. I like every type of setting for Sakura, to be honest, but I'd appreciate to hear back from all of you.

Thank you guys for all your support as I figure out what I like writing best and what works for me. Your comments and favorites/follows are noticed and very much appreciated. ;P

Until the next update~