Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and not me.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoy this one. I have some notes down the bottom this time.


Chapter 7: A Smile Unmasked

The girl's eyes glanced back at the door, waiting for the footsteps to fade away. Bara had finally gone. She fiddled with the edge of her dress for a moment before walking over to the other side of the bed and leaning against the window to look outside. The courtyard outside was full of patients getting fresh air and stretching. Dark clouds loomed over the mountain ridge, the wind picking up and swirling leaves in the courtyard. She hummed quietly to herself, a melancholy tune Hissori had never heard before. He glanced at the girl.

"What's that song?" he asked.

"They used to sing this song when warriors died," she replied. Her voice was a mixture of nostalgia and sadness as she stared out the window. "That was a long time ago. But even though the bodies have rotted away, the song lives in the soil itself. If you concentrate, you can hear it in the ground of battlefields."

"I see…" A cold wave prickled down Hissori's spine. So this was it, huh? The second that girl had asked to speak alone with him, he knew it was over. The illusion of 'Kita' had ceased to exist. "You're not Alice today then."

"Nor the White Rabbit," she added. "I don't intend to lead you down any rabbit holes of madness, Hissori. Perhaps the better phrase to have used would be 'Alice or Malice?', however."

The girl breathed on the cool glass, leaving a fog behind that quickly dissipated in the sunlight. Hissori was startled when she turned around. That empty smile he'd once seen had changed to something more. It was conflicting to finally see that mouth actually seeming to show some ounce of emotion. It was a terrible smile though, something too full of different emotions to pinpoint. Was it happiness? Sadness? It almost felt like the smile was a whisker away from twisting into something darker and truly terrifying. A smile of death…

"Why are you here?" he asked slowly. There was a fear here; he had to be careful in the face of this unmasked creature until he knew her motives. "Was it because I destroyed your plans when I stabbed you?"

She put a hand gingerly to her chest as he mentioned it. "As much as it pained me, no…"

Hissori stared blankly at her as she used the pun. "Oh…"

The girl rocked back and forth on her heels. She was facing the window again, swirling a finger against the glass as the dark clouds in the distance came ever closer. "I could have gone right on pretending to be Kita."

She had him – it was a good point. "I don't think I understand why you're here still," he said.

"There was a time when the bijuu were all simpler creatures," she explained in a quieter tone. "We still are in a way, we have our instincts. But we do not bend so easily as you humans. Before we knew it, our time had come and gone and you were still here with your wars and your unrelenting anger. Even we bijuu do not thirst for power the way you humans do. And then we were gobbled up by your desires. I suppose we were destined to be, as it was you who created us. But despite this we still try to protect that which our duties dictate… Did you know I used to have an owner?"

Hissori frowned from confusion. He'd heard so many stories over the years about the bijuu, but even though one itself was telling him it had an owner…? That the feared Nibi had once been a tame little pussycat? He couldn't see the expression on her face with her back turned to him, if there was one at all. He just wished it wasn't that deathly smile again.

The girl hummed a few bars of that tune again, as though taking the time to summon up the oldest of memories. The tune even sounded more downhearted than before. "My owner was a beautiful woman destined to misfortune simply because she took pity on me. A bodyguard that served her father had fallen madly in love with her, to the point of obsession. Days after she'd rescued me her father died in mysterious circumstances. The bodyguard took her to his house under the guise of protecting her and hid her away in a secret room under his house. He gave her the most exquisite food and the most elegant clothes – only the best for my poor, naïve owner who didn't suspect she'd been kidnapped until it was too late. The man had made her his pet, and built her a cage to keep her in for his own entertainment. But soon the man's kindness turned to rage and his entertainment was nothing more than beating and raping her.

I became her last glimmer of happiness in her tiny enclosed world, and I chose to stay by her side even as I hid and watched that man rain blows down upon her. Although she was weak herself, she placed all her hope into me that one day I would be strong enough to escape. She would feed me from her bowl each day, even though she herself was withering away behind those bars, until one day I awoke next to her faded corpse. She'd placed too much hope in me and had died for it. When the man buried my owner's body under the cage, I tried to scratch him. I was simply looking for some sort of payback for that beautiful woman, even if it was something pathetic like that. I should have run, but instead I let myself get caught. And then…"

She turned her head to him, her expression completely void. Hissori felt himself shudder involuntarily. The girl pointed a finger to the side of her head limply.

"He placed my head under his sandal… and… crunch. Such a fragile thing is life. But killing me was that man's mistake. 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'. That's my favourite little saying you humans have come up with. My owner was a woman scorned, and like the good pet I was I did as was requested of me. She gave me her spirit so she could find vengeance."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Hissori as she took a breath. "I'm supposed to feel sorry for you? Sorry for that woman?"

The girl's eyes flickered to the courtyard below again, where patients and their nurses were retreating from the oncoming rain – retreating from the inevitable. "Perhaps I'm trying to give you some justification that you weren't just looking after some thing, Hissori. Because not all monsters are born as one, nor had any intention of becoming one. I certainly never did. But it was a monster that created me, and that monster was human. Who's to blame though? The man for what he did to my owner; or my owner for pushing her rage-filled spirit upon me? Perhaps even I am to blame though? I suppose a human will always point the accusing finger at whatever scares it the most. However, if you are to feel sorry for anyone, feel sorry for your kind, Hissori. The duty I protect is one that shows humans life is precious. How easily they throw it away… When the bijuu ravaged this world, war against your own kind was unheard of. You fought only to protect your lives, not march on other countries to decimate each other in such immature power struggles."

They stayed silent for a long time. The girl stared out of window, watching the pouring rain drift in a curtain towards them. Raindrops pattered rhythmically against the pane. She tapped at them, seemingly amused when the drops gathered to become big enough and slide down into tiny vertical streams.

"I was supposed to play a part in all this, wasn't I?" asked Hissori, eyes on the beads of water sparkling on the glass.

"You would have only had to put up with me for sixteen-seventeen years," she replied without looking back at him. "I'd have made some respectable rank, enough to get me onto solo missions. Then I'd have faked my death while I was away in some remote location that would be too hard to investigate. None would be the wiser. After all, the death of a shinobi in battle is perfectly natural… right, Hissori?"

A small noise of protest rose in his throat. She shrugged him off.

"I am no so oblivious to your "injuries", Hissori. How many times did you stare death in the face only to back out at the last second?"

He couldn't answer. And likely she knew that too. He was a coward. He'd been so since Minami's death – he couldn't even admit out loud to her grave he'd been seeing another woman. The girl tapped on the glass again, disrupting him. The feeling of shadows surrounding him dissipated with it.

"But really, it's rude of me to ask a question when I haven't answered the one already before me. It was 'why am I here', wasn't it?" Hissori could see her frown from the reflection in the glass as the sun was blotted out. There was something in her voice that suggested it would be hard to say. "I had my plans. I'm not so dumb an animal as to get myself caught a second time. I'd never come near a village again. However…"

He watched as she turned and crossed her arms. She leant against the glass speckled with raindrops. Something had suddenly changed in her demeanour. The true meaning of this meeting was about to be spoken, he was sure of it. "There's something wrong in this village you fear will interfere with your plans," he said with as much surety as he could manage.

She smiled at him, praising him for how quickly he'd caught on. "An X factor, as it seems. And no matter how many plans I try to think of, this body and timeframe can only lead me to failure. My plans slowly crumbled around me as I researched more and more. I almost wish I could have taken more attention of the humans in this village from my last host, or else I may have realised all this was doomed from the beginning."

So that was why he had found her in the study rooms all those times. He thought over what he'd deduced, saying them out loud to keep track. "There is something in this village that may be… no, it will catch you out before you are able to go ahead with your own plans. You realise you can't run away because you will be caught, if only for the fact you are existing in a body that carries my bloodline."

"And if I were brought back and questioned, I would be caught out – immediately. And the only outcome that can come of that is having myself put back in that disgusting dustbowl." Her nose crinkled at the mention of the word 'dustbowl'.

Questioned… that one thing stuck out to him. "The Kigaino clan?"

She nodded at him. "Since coming into contact with that young one of their's at the academy it has become plainly obvious to me. His face often contorts to confusion like he is searching for something but only hits a wall in the end. But he can't hear what doesn't think for itself."

"What doesn't think for itself?" repeated Hissori questioningly.

"It's a difficult situation, Hissori," she replied. "It took me four years to create this proxy from the spark that was shoved in my face. The thing that moves this body is like a puppet to my thoughts. If it had a consciousness this situation would never exist and all would be as you humans suppose a Jinchuuriki should exist, but as it is now, no good can come of it."

Hissori listened with a reserved quiet. He wasn't quite sure what this was leading towards any longer. She wanted help, but what could he do? He couldn't protect her from coming into eventual contact with the other members of the Kigaino clan. Nor could he help her run, they would send the hunters after him as well. And likely an even worse situation would arise if it involved the two of them going in for questioning. He knew how difficult it was to hide from the interrogation squad. But something else was niggling at him. "This 'proxy'…"

The girl unfolded her arms awkwardly. She avoided his gaze for a moment before speaking, knowing it would cause something. "I guess you could say it's "our" daughter."

His stomach churned. He couldn't find the words to describe the feeling that arose in his gut, but the bitter taste of the bile he held back was probably the only thing that could describe it. The girl before him looked on blankly, seemingly expectant of this sort of reaction. She took a few steps towards the bed to lean over him.

"It's just as I was before that woman forced her spirit on me, a simple creature ready to open its eyes to the world." Her eyes bore into him as he stared up at her. "I've given up trying to make things work by myself. I'm willing to be patient for another opportunity and give this body its own destiny – as long as you can help me."

"You're trying to make me feel guilty at denying something the chance at life." He glared back at the eyes that people had said so many times were like his own. The politeness the Nibi had brought into the room with her was slowly evaporating. Kindness turned into rage… The words from her story rang in his head.

"I may be comfortable living with skeletons, Hissori, but I am quite sure you are not," she hissed. Her hands gripped the collar of his shirt tightly. "I don't wish to threaten you, but my options are growing thin. I don't dare run to the government and give them my word in a deal for my life. They would only plunge this country into a war upon itself as they realise the Tsuchikage had betrayed them. And I know if they forced me into such a bloody war, I wouldn't be able to help myself but cause destruction. I don't want to put myself into a situation like that. I need you to take care of me, more than ever now."

Silence… The rain continued to pour outside interrupted by the rumble of thunder above. Hissori held back a chuckle, but soon burst into laughter. "The feared Nibi doesn't want to get itself caught up in a war? You've been going to war with humans since you were born, and suddenly you want peace?"

She let go of his shirt, pushing him back hard against the pillows before slapping him across the cheek. Hissori's laughter cut short. The girl before him had never looked more human. "I create my own wars in my own time. I told you how much I despise human wars. I will not make myself into a tool to be used while I still have a choice! A dog might be happy serving its owners, but I am no dog of war."

"I don't see why I should do anything for you," he replied flatly. "You've been the one thing in my life this whole time driving me mad. You ruined everything for me."

"You ruined everything for yourself, Hissori," she retorted back bitterly. "I've been right here willing to pretend to be happy for your sake. Instead you gave into your weak delusions believing I was out to ruin you. Why would I want to do that when it would only bring ruin on me as well? I made mistakes, I know that, but I'm not human. I'm a demon and I have instincts, yet I still tried. I brought up the issue of your relationship with that woman in the hopes that perhaps if I said I knew of it you'd no longer try to be so secretive. When she thought she sent me to bed, she would cry constantly. She was lonely. You never seemed to see that, and that you were the one who caused it."

The girl held a hand to her chest again, the place where he'd stabbed her. Her anger had subsided, leaving Hissori feeling like he'd been hollowed out.

"I guess you did end something that night though…" she said quietly. "I couldn't depend on the charade any longer, or for you to stay alive. I'm sure if I hadn't come here today, I'd be all alone next time. I hate to admit, but for a human I'm rather fond of you."

The man breathed a sigh. He'd have to ask. "…What would you have me do?"

She smiled at him, that smile he'd once seen as empty now full. "It would need a catalyst to awake it. If I can get a soul from someone that has just died, I'm sure that would work. Anyone would do."

"And that is all you need?"

She nodded at him. "That is all."

Thunder echoed through the hospital. The girl thanked him, as simply as that, and left. He could hear her footsteps as she skipped down that lonely corridor. Hissori stared out the window once more to the darkly clouded sky. The hollow feeling from before wouldn't leave.

All this time… that thing hadn't just been some emotionless monster. It had been trying hard to integrate, even if it was to save its own skin. And all along he'd been separating himself from life. How far he'd fallen from the pedestal his family had been placed upon by this village. He was supposed to be some sort of legend to these people, a hero. But really… had he ever been heroic? Just how would they react knowing what sort of man he'd become – cowardly, paranoid, he'd even stabbed his own daughter.

Hissori glanced down at the bandages on his arms. This pain was so much more than the injuries people could see, and he'd caused far too many of the same sorts of injuries to other people as well. Poor Bara… poor, naïve Bara… he'd put her in a cage as well, all the while looking at him with such hope it was overwhelming. Those eyes full of faith were beautiful and terrible, and for all that she had done for him he'd crushed that little heart of hers with a no-hope relationship. He had done this so many times before to those close to him. He'd broken bonds and shut people out one by one.

And it hadn't been because of Minami's death. It hadn't been because of the Nibi.

He had done this all himself – his fault, nobody else's. He had become the man in that story where once his kindness had turned into something deadly. He had become the cage Bara couldn't escape from – oh how much he wanted her to be able to fly away from this.

Because even the demon had admitted it had made mistakes. That creature was more human than he was.

He could remember that day he'd held her in his arms and made that pinky promise he'd never leave her. A deal with the devil, he'd thought. But all this time, the devil had been him.

The thunder roared overhead as lightning struck the mountains above the village. Hissori covered his face, not wanting his tears to be shown to the world he'd shunned outside.


A/N: I just had to include a bit of an Alice in Wonderland reference somewhere along the line. More importantly though is the Nekomata's tale of its former owner. It is based off a wonderful anime called Mononoke (no, not the Studio Ghibli film) which is about Japanese demons, including the Bakeneko. If you are able to, I fully recommend watching the series.