They moved much more slowly, having devoted at least half of their days to training now. Even when they were travelling, Suzume and Haku ran as much of it as they could to strengthen their legs. It meant that they spent less time in soft beds in villages and more time collapsing onto the ground when they were too sore to walk another step, but it was worth it in their minds, because they were getting stronger.

They made it to the main island about a week after making their plan. It was another week to the Hidden Village and then one more back to the coast to find a boat. They weren't too fussed though. They strolled along cheerfully, Suzume playing her flute every now and then as she walked to keep spirits up.

They were getting close to the Hidden Mist Village, and darkness was falling around them. They had decided to camp by the road leading into town that night and in the morning get up to take a good look at the village before heading back west towards the boats.

Suzume started a fire and Haku, who'd been getting quite a bit better with his needles of ice, hunted. He brought back two rabbits, which Suzume skinned and cooked over the fire on a large rock. The two children savored the hot, juicy meat as night fell around them.

"Maybe we should go in, just to get you some real senbon," Suzume said with a small smile, eyes lingering on the canteen over Haku's hip. Water was in easy supply for him to use in the Land of Water, but they knew it might not always be, so he'd taken to carrying some of it with him.

Haku ignored her teasing comment and rubbed his fingers on the moss next to him, getting rid of the grease from their meal.

"I'll take the first watch tonight," he said, and Suzume took that as her cue to pull out her uncle's cloak, which they had taken to curling under at night for the sake of warmth.

"We're so close to Kiri I wouldn't bother," Suzume reasoned. "The only one who might sneak up on us here are shinobi and I don't think we stand a good chance of fighting one of them off if they decide to attack."

"That's true," Haku submitted.

"Come on, come to bed," Suzume said, patting the ground next to her pointedly. "Come get some sleep," she said, holding the cloak up invitingly. Haku nodded and lay down next to her, holding her tightly to his side. Suzume smiled and curled up against him, laying her head on his chest. She hummed softly as she lay there, absently toying with a strand of Haku's hair.

At first, sleeping like this had been for warmth as much as anything else in the more northern islands where the snow came heavily and the wind bit into your bones. Now that they had come south, the temperature wasn't as biting, but sleeping this way on nights when they didn't have to keep watch had become a comfort to both of them.

Suzume listened to his heartbeat and his breathing. His heart rate slowed and his breathing evened out as she hummed a lullaby. Content that Haku was asleep, Suzume stopped humming and closed her own eyes, allowing herself to sleep.


"You two. On your feet."

Suzume opened her eyes blearily. "Hmm?" she hummed. "Haku, wha-?"

But Haku wasn't the one speaking. Suzume looked up, eyes wide, as her gaze settled on the pointed tip of a weapon. Haku was still snoozing next to her. Suzume reached out, shaking his shoulder.

"Haku? Haku, wake up."

"Mmm, Suzume?"

Haku came awake slowly. Suzume shifted to sit on her rear, placing one hand on the opposite side of Haku's hip so that she covered his chest as he sat up. She felt Haku's chest press against her back and him stiffen up as he saw the blade pointed at them.

"Stand up!" said the voice again, and for the first time, Suzume allowed her eyes to slide past the weapon to the person wielding it.

He was… a boy? A boy no older than Haku, painfully pale, with long white hair and red dots over his eyebrows. He was scowling down at them, pointing his blade at them. It was an odd weapon, as white as his hair, and the hilt of it was carved to look like the end of a bone.

"We're standing up now," Suzume said soothingly, pushing the cloak off of her legs and standing up. Haku did the same next to her, shifting so that he was in front of her now. Suzume made a small sound of protest and tried to push past his restraining arm, but he held her fast.

She did not like having Haku place himself in harm's way for her. In fact, she hated it so much she was very tempted to simply flip him over her hip and take the position he'd forced her out of. The idea of that blade biting into Haku's throat or chest, any part of him really, sending red blood spilling down his clothes… It made her physically ill.

"What's your name?" Suzume asked the white-haired boy kindly, trying to keep things civil. His eyes narrowed.

"That's not important. I need to know if you're from the Village Hidden in the Mist."

"The Village Hidden in the Mist?" Suzume said blankly. "I… no, we're not."

His scowl faded and he looked faintly surprised, almost apologetic. "I-I see," he said faintly. "Sorry for waking you."

For a moment, just a moment, he hesitated, staring at the two of them, at Haku holding Suzume back. Suzume looked into his eyes and saw the same desperation that had bound her and Haku together and in her heart she knew that this boy had suffered just like they had. He wanted what they did – to find where they belonged in this world. But Suzume and Haku had what he didn't – a plan, a companion, a purpose.

Then as fast as he had come, the boy was gone, shooting across the ground with his sleeves flying behind him.

"The eyes," Suzume said softly.

"You saw them too?" Haku asked. Suzume nodded. "So… what do you want to do, Suzume?"

The way he said it Suzume was sure he would do whatever she asked. This was the first time they had come across someone with eyes like theirs since they'd banded together. Once again, Suzume made a snap decision and trusted her judgment, the same way she had when she'd invited Haku to join her in the hotel that first night.

"Follow him!" Suzume decided, and they gave chase, quickly grabbing their gear before sprinting off in the same way the boy had gone.

He wasn't hard to trail. He left footprints without hesitation and it was easy to tell, even if he hadn't, where he was going just from the way he was running. He was on a collision course for the Mist Village, and he didn't seem to be slowing down.

The boy led them from the trees to a rocky outcropping. It was lined with a broken-down fence to keep people from falling over the edge. Ordinary people, that was, a shinobi wouldn't have hesitated. Spread below were the faint lights of the darkened Kirigakure. And standing by the fence was a man, staring down at the village.

"Stop," Suzume said softly, holding out an arm to cut Haku off in his chase. "Wait."

She settled down in a crouch among the underbrush. Haku dropped next to her and together they watched in interest as the boy charged at the man in the pale robe. He leaped, raising his odd weapon to stab the man. Without so much as flinching, the man spun, shoulder-checking the boy and sending him skidding through the dust. The boy grunted in pain, but hauled himself to his feet and ran at the man again.

"Just a moment," the man said, turning to face the boy fully. The boy drew up short at the sight of him and Suzume's breath caught.

She'd never seen a man like that. He had long, dark hair and yellow eyes with purple markings around them and down his nose. He was smirking, a smirk that dripped with superiority and malice. His very presence chilled her and made her stomach turn as some animal instinct inside of her screamed Predator! Wrong! Run away! Run away!

"That man," Suzume whispered softly. "He is wrong."

"Hasty, aren't you?" the man observed, still smirking. His voice was like a thousand snakes crawling up her spine and Suzume shivered. "But your dagger away boy, I'm not from this village. What you're seeking is just below this ridge, child." He stepped aside, gesturing to a broken portion of the fence. "Go on, have at it," he hissed.

The boy looked at him, vaguely confused, for another moment, before running forward and leaping over the edge of the ridge. The man watched him go.

"What do we do now?" Haku asked, clutching Suzume's arm. "I don't want to go near that man."

"We will continue to follow," Suzume whispered back, and stood up, stepping from the trees. Haku followed her, once more shifting so that he was slightly in front of her on the same side the man was. Suzume considered fighting him for a moment, jerking him back behind her protectively, then decided against it. Haku had made his decision to defend her, and to reject that was to reject him.

That still didn't mean she liked it.

"Well well, two more little children out of their beds after dark," the man said in amusement as they approached him, not bothering to turn. "What are you up to?"

He turned to face them and Suzume froze, feeling her body lock so hard she began to tremble. An aura of power leaked off of him, and more than that, a confidence in his abilities, and a desire to use them. This man could thrust his fist into their chests and rip out their hearts without thinking more about it than that their blood would stain the clean sleeves of his robes.

But for the sake of that lost little boy with the same eyes as them, Suzume made herself step closer to the man, made herself open her mouth, made herself answer, "We are following that boy, sir."

"Hmmm. Why?" the man asked, tilting his head slightly and raising an eyebrow. "What could two little waifs like you want with a boy like that?"

"Suzume, we should go," Haku whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder and trying to draw her back. Suzume pulled her shoulder free and mentally kicked herself until she sounded confident enough to suit her tastes as she replied.

"We are following him for I suspect the same reason you stopped him, sir," she replied. "We are curious."

"Sir, what a polite little girl," the man cooed at her. "And Suzume, a pretty name. What's your scared little friend's name, may I ask?"

Suzume opened her mouth once and closed it. "It's his name, sir, I can't hand it out for him. But may I ask yours?"

The man's eyes narrowed, and he looked vaguely intrigued by her. Suzume wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She suspected it might be good, if only in the sense that a vague interest on his part would keep them alive.

"My name?" the man repeated. "Very well. My name is Orochimaru."

"Orochimaru-sama," Suzume said. She knew that when dealing with someone who carried themselves with the confidence this Orochimaru had, being respectful was best. "If you do not mind, we would like to continue following the boy."

"Of course," the man said, stepping aside and gesturing invitingly towards the gap in the fence. "I wouldn't dream of taking up your time. Go on."

"Come on," Suzume said, tugging Haku forwards into a run before the man changed his mind. Together they ran for the ridge, Haku leaping down slightly ahead of her. Suzume hesitated slightly at the edge, casting one last glance back at Orochimaru. He was watching her with an eerily wide smile on his face. Suzume felt a sudden, violent urge to seize her sword and lop his head off just so that that smile was no longer there.

Instead she leaped over the edge of the ridge and into the trees, following Haku. She shuddered as the memory of the man lingered in her mind, but Suzume quickly pushed him aside when they reached the trees looming over the walls of Kirigakure.

"Kami," Suzume breathed weakly.

All around the city, fires burned and bodies lay. Some of them were shinobi, of course, mostly younger ones who didn't have the experience to stand against a raid. But more than three-quarters of the corpses were huge men with the same red marks over their eyebrows as that boy had.

The battle was by no means over. Bodies still thrashed. From what Suzume could see, the remaining invaders, the ones with the red dots, were trying to form up their ranks and make a last stand against the shinobi who now poured down on them from all sides. One went down, his head neatly severed by a katana. Another grinned and screamed in challenge as a half-dozen kunai slammed into his chest. He staggered towards his attacker, only to have another shinobi fly out of nowhere and hamstring him, dropping him.

"There he is," Haku said, pointing down into the fray.

The white-haired boy was in the thick of it. He was surrounded by flames and tearing through his enemies, jumping and weaving and ducking around weapons as his almost comically small dagger stabbed into the attackers. The boy landed after a spinning kick and paused as a sword came flying towards his chest.

Bones burst from within his rib cage, catching the blade and pulling it up short of his chest. The boy looked up at the man who had attacked him dispassionately and stabbed him in the throat, ripping the blade to the side and severing an artery. He leaped back to avoid the spray, the bones sliding back into his chest and letting the sword drop harmlessly to his feet.

That's why his dagger looked like a bone, Suzume realized. It was a bone.

"He's like a demon," Haku breathed as the boy ducked around another enemy, swinging up behind him and slitting his throat before dropping back to the ground and darting to the knot of his clansmen.

Suzume paused at that. The villagers called her demon, but Noriko-sama loved them anyway.

"No," Suzume said softly, shaking her head. "He's like us. When this is over, we'll go to him."

'When it was over' was no more than half an hour later. The clan broke ranks to make a final stand as the shinobi washed over them from all sides. The boy was a line of destruction through their ranks as he cut and hacked his way through enemies, catching blades on bones and generally terrifying everyone who came near him.

Finally, as dawn broke, he was the only one left alive, and he seemed to realize that. He dispatched his closest opponent and fled down an alleyway, taking to the rooftops and leaping out of the village into the trees not too far from where Haku and Suzume rested.

"Do we go now?" Haku asked.

"Wait, he's settled in," Suzume said, observing the bundle of fabric resting against a tree branch that was the boy. "I want to know… what he does."

The boy didn't do anything terribly interesting. He just sat on the tree branch and watched as the shinobi dragged the corpses of his clan from streets and rooftops. They were tossed roughly into a pile on the ground in the middle of the village and Suzume remembered doing the very same thing to the shinobi who had attacked her camp. She knew what came next.

"They're going to burn them," Suzume said softly. "Come on, let's get closer."

Haku nodded, giving the village one last worried look as another small fire sparked on the corpses. They moved through the trees carefully, drawing closer and closer to the boy until they were barely three yards away. He was still just… sitting there, watching with the strangest expression on his face as he watched the bodies of his clan go up in smoke.

It wasn't that Suzume couldn't tell what he was feeling, it was more that there were no real feelings on his face to read. He seemed to be cycling through them so fast it was like he wasn't really feeling any of them, just trying them on and attempting to figure out what he should be feeling.

"It's terrible, isn't it?" Suzume said gently, standing up and putting herself in full view of the boy.

"Suzume!" Haku hissed, catching her sleeve and trying to drag her down next to him. He was much warier of the boy after seeing him cut through ranks of trained shinobi, and he didn't want Suzume anywhere near him. She was precious to him.

Suzume pulled her sleeve free of his grip though. "You have lost everything you once knew in one night of blood and fire," Suzume continued, keeping her voice quiet as she walked along the branches of the trees towards the boy. She could hear Haku's footsteps coming after her, but her focus was on the boy.

Faint recognition lit his face. He knew they were the couple he'd woken up hours ago. But beyond that little spark, his entire being was consumed with emotion. He seemed to have finally settled on one: loneliness.

"My home was attacked once, just like your clan attacked that village," Suzume continued, picking her way along the branches. "The difference is, my family, my band… they were the ones that lost. I was the only one left alive at the end of the fight."

Something like desperate hope lit the boy's face and he leaned towards her, utterly enraptured by the possibility that she understood him, that he was not, in fact, as alone as he had dreaded. Suzume's kind smile widened slightly, pleased that he was so fascinated by her words.

"I didn't know what to do. I knew I could go anywhere, pick any new life to start, and it was wonderful, but also terrifying, because for the first time in my life I had options and I didn't know what to do with them. But then I found meaning, I found a purpose in my life, and I found my dear Haku."

Haku came to Suzume's side then. He slid his hand into hers and Suzume looked up at him, smiling. She leaned her head on his shoulder. The boy watched them with fascination on his face, as if he was witnessing something rare and wonderful in the way Haku took her hand, the way Suzume leaned on him trustingly. In his world, it was, and Suzume hated that.

"We joined together. I shared my purpose with him, because we shared the same eyes you have now: eyes of loneliness, eyes of despair, and eyes of want. Wanting someone to see us, wanting someone to remember us, wanting to rise from the ashes of our old lives and prove that we are still here, that we were bent, but not broken.

"I am willing to share my purpose with you as well, if you're willing," Suzume offered. "You could come with Haku and I. You wouldn't have to be alone. You could come with us, as our friend and companion, and join us in fulfilling our purpose, in proving our existence."

Suzume stepped forwards, away from Haku, and let her hand slide free. She crouched before the boy and offered the same hand to him, smiling brightly. "Do you want to come with us?"

The boy hesitated for a long while, but Suzume didn't let her arm drop or her smile falter. She just stood there, waiting for him to make his decision as his eyes roamed over her and Haku.

"I-" he finally said, and then licked his lips. "You don't…" He was struggling. "You aren't afraid of me."

He said it in frustrated confusion, like he couldn't fathom the idea of someone not being.

Suzume shook her head. "No, I'm not."

"Did you see what I did?" he demanded, suddenly furious, jerking his arm towards the village and the dead shinobi bodies that were being slowly collected by their fellows. Haku stepped forwards, but Suzume's hand flashed out, warning him back. Haku scowled, not happy with Suzume's request to stay back, but heeding it.

"I killed them! I could kill you! You won't lock me up for that?" the boy ranted. "You won't keep me in the dark and ignore me? I didn't do anything wrong! I didn't deserve it!" He clutched his head and buried his face in his knees, like he was trying to avoid some truth.

Suzume looked at the boy sadly. Someone had really done a number on him, and right then and there, she made it her mission to undo every wrong that had ever been done to the poor boy as well as she was able.

Suzume dropped to her knees and slowly crawled forwards. She moved slowly, not wanting to frighten him and send that dangerous dagger slicing into her flesh. She curled herself against his side and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, drawing the boy to her chest like she had done for Haku.

"I won't let you be locked up ever again!" she swore vehemently. "I won't do it, and I won't let anyone else do it either so long as I have strength left in my body. I won't let you go back to that cage. I won't lock you up and ignore you. I will hold you when you are sad and sing you to sleep when nightmares keep you awake. I will take care of you just like I take care of Haku, and in return, you and Haku take care of me. Does that sound good?"

The boy shifted in her grip, lifting his hand. The dagger slid from his hand to thunk into the wood by his feet. He looked at her sideways, confused, eyes trailing along her arms.

"What's that?" he asked. "What are you doing to me?"

Suzume smiled even as her heart ached that he had to ask what a hug was. "I'm hugging you," she explained gently. "Do you mind?"

"No, I… Please don't stop," he begged, his voice breaking. "Can I… Can I try?"

Suzume chuckled slightly. "Yes, of course."

His arms came up, wrapping around her torso hesitantly, his hands just barely ghosting against her back. Suzume squeezed him gently, encouraging him. His arms snapped closed around her with enough desperate force that it was almost painful, but Suzume didn't complain. She just shifted her grip, drawing him closer to his chest and raising one hand to stroke his long hair.

Over the top of the boy's head, Suzume looked at Haku. He was watching them, the stiffness having faded from his form. Suzume was suddenly worried – she had invited this boy to join him without ever asking Haku if he minded.

Haku must have seen the worry rising in her eyes, because he smiled and shook his head. He didn't mind. Suzume smiled back, feeling tears spring to her eyes. She was so lucky to have Haku, and the moment with this boy was so tender. A tear rolled down her cheek as she began to rock gently, making gentle cooing noises to the boy as she stroked his hair.

For nearly an hour they lingered there, the boy curled in Suzume's arms and Haku standing over them. Suzume would periodically flick her eyes up from the boy to Haku, and he would smile and nod at her encouragingly. But time lingered on and the shinobi were starting to spread out, searching for stragglers. Finally they had no choice. They needed to move. Haku tapped his wrist at Suzume, who nodded.

"What's your name?" she asked the boy gently. He shifted for the first time, loosening his grip on her slightly.

"My name is Kimimaro Kaguya," he replied.

"I'm Suzume Kugeki. That's Haku Yuki," Suzume said, releasing him and pointing to Haku. "Are you ready to join us, Kimimaro?" she asked gently.

Slowly, the boy released her. There was still the faintest hint of distrust on his face as his eyes combed her face. Suzume just smiled at him encouragingly until, slowly, he nodded.

"Good," she said, and stood up. She reached down, offering her hand to Kimimaro. He took it this time and allowed her to pull him to his feet.

"Welcome, Kimimaro," Haku greeted warmly. His initial fear of the boy was gone now that he had seen him curled up in Suzume's arms. He was like them, after all.

He turned to Suzume. "I think we should find a hotel for the night. I think this warrants a little celebration."

Suzume smiled at Kimimaro, taking his hand and squeezing. "I agree. Come on Kimimaro, let's go."

She tugged him after her as she leaped down from the tree branches and landed on the ground in a crouch. The boys followed her down and they started walking in the direction of the coast.

"Where are we going?" Kimimaro asked curiously.

"We decided to go to the Land of Fire," Suzume explained.

"Why?"

Haku laughed slightly. "Because it's warmer!"

Kimimaro looked vaguely amused by that reason. "And what… what is our purpose?"

Haku looked at Suzume, gesturing for her to explain. So Suzume took a deep breath and began to recite the story of her ancestor. Kimimaro listened with fascination to the whole story, seeming eager once he realized that Suzume possessed an ability like he did, even more so when Suzume explained that Haku did too.

When the story was finished, Suzume finally said, "Our purpose is the same as Noriko-sama. To become strong. To defend the people we care about. To help those that can't help themselves. That's our purpose."

"To help others and defend those we love," Kimimaro repeated slowly, turning the words over in his mind as he said them. "That sounds… like a good purpose."

Suzume smiled at him. "We thought so too."

Kimimaro's stomach suddenly gave a loud growl. He clutched it, looking faintly surprised and embarrassed. Suzume laughed and Haku grinned.

"We didn't think… you must be starving after all that activity last night!" Haku said.

"Come on, let's find a place to settle down and have some lunch," Suzume said. Haku pointed a little to the left.

"There's a little pond there. We can refill our canteens." Aside from his ice needles, he could sense bodies of water around him. They'd even begun experimenting with forming ice into mirrored shields in front of him.

"Okay," Suzume said, and the corrected their course to find the pond. It was lovely, with mist weaving gently over the top and soft green grass running up to the very edge.

Haku and Suzume sat down, dropping their packs and rustling through them for food.

"Hey, Kimimaro," Suzume called to the boy by the pond. "Will you fill up the canteens, please?"

Kimimaro nodded and caught the canteens that were tossed to him, kneeling down to refill them. He let the water pour into the canteens, eyes wandering aimlessly.

Behind him, Suzume and Haku talked.

"Our money is running low," Suzume explained worriedly, reaching into her pack and prodding the coin purse inside of it. It was alarmingly flat. "We probably have enough for tonight at a hotel, but after that all of our money will have to go to supplies and passage on a boat."

"We could stop and do some odd jobs," Haku suggested. "There's got to be a few villages where we could do simple things, like weeding gardens or painting fences. It may not make much but it would make things easier."

Suzume shook her head. "I don't think so. It would be fine just you and me but…" Her eyes lingered on Kimimaro. "I don't think he's quite ready for a lot of people yet."

Haku let his eyes drift towards Kimimaro, who had abandoned the filled canteens beside the water and was now crouching by a flower, observing it with his head tilted. Suzume turned to watch him, waiting to see what he would do.

"Why are you blooming in a place like this?" Kimimaro asked the flower. He seemed to be waiting for a response, and scowled when he didn't receive it. "Oh, so you're going to ignore me too, huh? Well who cares, it's not like anyone will see you here!"

Kimimaro raised his dagger to hack at the flower. Suzume stretched out a hand. "Kimimaro, sto-"

"That will do."

Where a moment ago there had been nothing but empty space, now there stood the man in the pale robe, Orochimaru. The three children whipped around to face him, rising to their feet. He watched them move, that amused smirk still on his face.

"Maybe," he said thoughtfully, "just maybe there is no purpose on this earth. But if you linger long enough in this world, you might discover something of value in it, like you discovered each other, or how I discovered you three one fateful night."

He laughed, stretching out his hand to cup Suzume's cheek. Her eyes widened. It was a paternal sort of gesture, the kind she hadn't felt since that night. The gesture itself and the meaning it inherently applied made her want to melt against the man's touch, to hold his palm to her cheek and never let go of the contact and the memories it held.

But the emotion behind the touch was wrong, all wrong. It was a twisted mockery of what it should have been and it made Suzume's skin crawl. The man's flesh was cold and clammy, not warm and dry like Toshiyuki-oji's had been. His flesh reminded her of dead things rotted in water, slimy and wrong.

"Suzume Kugeki," the man whispered to her. Suzume's eyes widened further. He had never heard her full name when they met by the ridge, and that meant that he had been watching them all since then. "The girl with the pretty name and the polite manners. What say you?" he asked invitingly. "Will you bring you little family with you and come to me?"

Suzume's eyes widened abruptly and then narrowed. He said she had a pretty name, had lingered over the words. Her name, not her first name, but her surname, came with a kekkei genkai attached. In fact, all three of them had surnames that came with powers. Orochimaru had shown no interest in her or Haku until he knew their surnames, only in Kimimaro, and she wouldn't be surprised to know that he had already planned for the boy to be there that night.

Suzume took a quick step back from Orochimaru and bowed her head politely. "Thank you Orochimaru-sama, for your kind offer. But we three are content simply being we three for now. Please, do not be insulted that we do not want to take you up on your offer."

There was a flash of rage in his eyes that chilled Suzume and made her want to drop to her knees and beg forgiveness, but Orochimaru simply inclined his head.

"Very well. Perhaps at some point you will change your mind. I will find you then."

The last words sounded less like a promise and more like a threat, and Orochimaru vanished in a puff of smoke, gone from the clearing. Suzume swayed and dropped to her knees, trembling.

"Suzume!"

Instantly Kimimaro was at her left and Haku was at her right, the pair of them hovering over her worriedly.

"Did he do something to you?" Haku fretted. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, no," Suzume said, shaking her head slightly. Her hands groped wildly, taking one of Haku's and one of Kimimaro's and squeezing them tightly. "He didn't hurt me. Just… he makes my skin crawl."

"He better not come back," Haku said, staring venomously at the place where Orochimaru had stood. "I don't want him near my precious people."