Hitomi awoke with a smile. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so happy just to wake up. She didn't even remember to wiggle her fingers and toes as she jumped out of bed and clipped her barrettes into her hair.

Today is the day, she thought excitedly, grinning to herself. Today is the day that I get Kisho back. Hachi had told her to meet him in three days, and that had been three days ago.

She flew down the stairs to the kitchen, pausing only long enough to steal an apple for breakfast before racing out into the rain. Hachi had been out of the country, so he would have to come back through the gates, right? Hitomi hadn't even grabbed her jacket, but she didn't notice. She stood by one side of the gate, partially out of the pelting rain, peering out into the gloom. She hoped to see a figure before long, but after half an hour, it became obvious that she might be there awhile.

I will probably not be able to summon a fully grown cat at first, she told herself, steeling herself for the fact that the first cat she saw might not be Kisho. But whoever it was, it would have information on him. Hopefully. …Kittens are cute, though, she thought suddenly. She wouldn't mind summoning kittens for awhile, then.

Hours passed with the raindrops, and Hitomi stayed near the gates, wet kimono clinging to her equally wet skin.

Then, she saw a figure appear in the rain, walking leisurely up the path. Without thinking, Hitomi ran out to meet who she desperately hoped was Hachi.

-.-.-

"Hitomi-chan! Kakuzu said he'd finally teach us something!" Seishirou hollered, banging on the door to her room. Tomozou stood beside him, arms crossed. He'd been dragged into this. He and Hitomi were completely ignoring each other after his outburst a couple days ago, but Seishirou was still bent on getting them back to being friends. That meant spending time together, however awkward it may be.

"Hitomi-chan? Oh, she's already up." Seishirou jumped and turned around with a grin at Yukina's voice. The blue-haired kunoichi smiled at them both. "She actually woke up pretty early. I thought she was doing something with you two…"

"No, she's not. We just got up." Tomozou yawned to prove his point.

Yukina looked worried, but just for a brief moment. She brightened almost immediately afterward. "I'm sure she's not too far away. Probably still down at breakfast. Who knows? Maybe she's cooking again…" She chuckled, tugging a bit on the bottom hem of her shirt. Seishirou was instinctively drawn towards the movement, and realized that she was wearing a different outfit than what she normally wore. Her usual shirt was strapless and showed off her bellybutton. It seemed as if she'd borrowed one of Aoko's dresses, put some pants under it, and an unzipped jacket overtop. Suddenly, she seemed pretty keen on not showing too much skin.

"Why aren't you wearing your other shirt? The one that shows your stomach."

Seishirou had been quite unaware that he said this aloud until he heard Tomozou bite back a laugh. His gaze snapped back up to Yukina's, and he saw that she was staring at him with… what? Surprise? Amusement? Amazement that he just said that? He felt his face heat up and hastily left. Tomozou trotted after him, covering his mouth to prevent the laughter from leaking out. "Want me to kill you now and spare you the aftereffects of that little slip?" he offered.

"Shut up," Seishirou growled through his sleeve.

"She was really impressed with that one. I could tell."

"Shut up."

"You know, girls like it when you ask why they're not flaunting what they have--"

"Shut up, damn it!"

The rest of the day was not much better for Seishirou. Actually, it wasn't too great for anyone.

-.-.-

"Dai-sama, Yukina-chan insists that she can come back to work now. Also, she told me to tell you that the squad sent to find the eastern kunoichi is en route back home; they should arrive sometime today--" Aoko squealed in surprise as Daisuke rushed past her fast enough to mess up her long hair. She blinked as the door slammed shut behind him, papers fluttering to the ground in his wake. "…What was that about?" she asked. After receiving no reply, she tidied up what papers she could, and ran out after him.

She heard him one floor down, banging and shouting. Aoko sighed and skipped down the stairs, skidding around the corner to find a very excited Daisuke telling Neji, "Come on, come on! That one's an order, so you can't ignore me. Come on!"

"Where are we going?" Neji asked dully, deciding it was better not to argue with him. He was pulled out of his room and dragged off. Aoko did him a kindness and shut his door before chasing after them once more.

"I have been waiting and waiting for them to get back--Aoko-chan, do you know if their mission was successful?--but even if it wasn't, I can't wait to see your expression, you two will be so happy! I hope you are, anyway, 'cause we all know how that last war went, but still! You seemed happy to see Shika-kun and Ino-chan, so--"

It clicked with Aoko then. Oh, yeah, we have another Konoha-nin. It must be someone Neji-san knows, she thought, a little amused when Neji turned to glare at the back of Daisuke's head. "No, I do not know if the mission was successful or not. Sorry."

She barely had time to throw on a raincoat while still keeping Daisuke in sight. Neji was not so lucky; he was pulled out into the pouring rain without any warning or time to prevent it. He growled and instinctively hunched his shoulders, until finally pulling his arm out of Daisuke's grasp. "Daisuke! Stop it. Tell me what you're talking about."

"Come see. They should be here soon. Village gates, come on."

Aoko, taking pity on Neji, helpfully supplied, "There's another Konoha-nin that's living in Amegakure."

"Who?"

"Her name is--"

"Don't ruin the surprise!" Daisuke said sharply, holding a finger to his lips. "I want to see his expression."

By then, they'd reached the gates. Daisuke sighed in disappointment when he saw that three--no, four--people were already standing there. The three tallest were still in their rain gear and masks, save one. She had her cat mask tilted back and was staring down at the shortest one present, immediately recognizable as Hitomi's tiny form. The two were staring at each other.

"Father," Hitomi turned around as she heard them approach. Her face was curiously blank. "…She looks like me."

Neji, likewise, had a vacant look in his white eyes. Daisuke had to physically push him closer to the three returned shinobi. Aoko shuffled over to the sidelines, curious and wary. She had expected hugs and joyous reunions. Not this. Had something bad happened when they last saw each other? Well, the war had happened…

"…Neji-niisan," Hyuuga Hanabi said, looking up from Hitomi for the first time. She broke out into a dazzling smile. Neji didn't return it. It faltered, and then disappeared completely. "…I… hadn't been expecting to see you. Here. Again. Ever. Is this your daughter?" She said the last sentence so quickly it was amazing it was understandable at all.

"…" Neji stepped up to stand beside Hitomi, placing a protective hand on her shoulder. "…Hitomi, meet your aunt."

Hanabi knelt down in the puddle at her feet, at eye level for her niece. "It's very nice to meet you, Hitomi-chan," she said solemnly. The little girl nodded, just as solemnly.

All seriousness was lost, however, as Hitomi spotted another figure approaching the gates from the rain. The change was drastic and more than a bit surprising. She broke out into a grin, ducked out politely from her newfound aunt's attention, and ran to greet the retuning ninja. "Welcome back!" she called cheerfully, barely audible over her puddle-splashing.

Hanabi laughed, tugging her mask back down over her face. "Guess I've been stood up already. Just as well, I suppose. I still have a debriefing to get to--" She turned to walk past Neji, but he put out an arm to stop her.

"Not so fast."

Detecting the tense atmosphere, Aoko decided to leave the reunion be and go investigate who Hitomi had been so happy to see. Still, she glanced over her shoulder several times to make sure no blood was being spilt. Daisuke, who had been fully intent on keeping tabs on the two Hyuuga, was being led away by Hanabi's teammates. Aoko smiled, thinking, Good. Someone else gets to keep him in line for a few minutes. Sure, she loved Daisuke like a brother, but sometimes when he was manipulating people--and she meant that in the kindest possible way--he was pretty aggravating. He just loved getting into others' business.

"You seem to be pretty happy." Aoko was a little surprised to see that it was Hachi, of all people, that Hitomi was clinging to and excited to see. She wasn't aware they had met. Hitomi was pulling on his sleeve, grinning up at him, and Hachi was laughing at her attention. Aoko pursed her lips. Sure, Hachi was a good kid, and he was a dependable ally, but he spent too much time on his own for her to like him very much. A shady, antisocial character like him wasn't someone she wanted Hitomi to be friends with.

"Hachi-san, how was your mission? It went well, I suppose?" Aoko asked loudly, making her presence known.

Hachi's smile dimmed a few watts, but he didn't allow any other reaction. "It went well enough. Better than I hoped, actually. You're now looking at Ame's newest snake summoner."

"That's great," Aoko said with a smile. She really was happy with him, but the fact that he summoned snakes jarred her a little. Snakes were known to be some of the cruelest summons, and more often than not, turned on its master instead of its enemy. Definitely not someone Hitomi ought to be playing with. So then--why was she so happy to see him? "That's how many now? Five?"

"Six--no, I guess it is just five." He caught himself too quickly for it to be an actual accident. Aoko respected secrets (after all, they were both ninja), but summoning animals was a different story. A couple of the larger animals could easily level a village. It was the law that all A-rank jutsus--or the equivalent of--had to be reported when learned, just so they didn't have to worry about wars within the walls. Summoning always had to be reported, even if it was technically a D-rank one. "So, yeah. Could you tell Daisuke-sama for me? I probably won't be able to get anything bigger than a garter snake for awhile, but I'll work on it."

"Can you teach me how to summon now?" Hitomi asked, ever polite, but her own eagerness betraying her by the way she was shifting from foot to foot.

"Is that how you know him?" Aoko asked mildly. The little girl nodded in response.

"He is teaching me to summon cats, so that I may get Kisho back. Kisho was my cat in Kirigakure," she explained.

Well, if Kakuzu-sama is teaching them his ninjutsu, I suppose they kids are allowed to be learning right now, Aoko thought. "That's nice of him. Thank you, Hachi-san." She even bowed, just to make sure that he wasn't angry with her for her tiny suspicions. She was only looking out for Amegakure, after all; he couldn't blame her for that. Though she might have to tell Yukina or Daisuke about the possibility of him keeping a summoning-related secret from them…

"No problem." Hachi grinned, and then was led away by Hitomi. She seemed keen on getting her lesson done quickly to get her pet back. Not that Aoko could blame her.

"…They learn so quickly these days," she sighed to herself once they were out of earshot. Then, "…I wonder how Hanabi-san and Neji-san are faring. I hope they don't kill each other."

-.-.-

"Where is she? I can't believe she's not here."

"Chill out. Are you that dependent on your sister?"

"You only don't care because she's still pissed at you."

"So? I think that's a valid reason not to care," Tomozou replied dryly. He laced his fingers behind his head, closing his eyes. "Don't forget, I'm pissed at her, too. This isn't just a one-sided thing anymore."

"Why are you pissed at her?" Seishirou asked grumpily.

"Because she's been a brat lately. She needs to grow up."

"She's nine! She's still a little girl!"

"Aww, how cute. You're still protective of your baby sister," Tomozou cooed, then laughed. With Seishirou glaring at him, however, he soon became serious again. "Look, everyone pampers her. She's even got Sasori-sensei wrapped around her finger. Someone needs to get over the fact that she's a cute little girl and start treating her like a real kunoichi."

Seishirou's smirk threw him for a loop. Tomozou had been expecting more glares, another chewing-out, but not a smirk. "…You called her cute. You like her," he said smugly.

"What? Is that why you're grinning like an idiot? I do not like her." Tomozou closed his eyes again and resumed his nonchalant pose. "Everyone else calls her cute and who knows what else. I was merely referencing them."

"So you don't think she's cute?"

"I don't know. She's too fixated on her appearance. It's annoying."

"You didn't answer my question," Seishirou pointed out triumphantly. "You're in denial. You're--"

"I am not! I don't like her, I don't think she's cute, okay?" Tomozou snarled, dropping his arms as he turned to glare at him. "She's a brat. That's all I think of her."

"Then why are you blushing?"

"Oh, go gawk at your Yukina-chan. I don't have time for your stupidity," he growled, turning away to hide his supposed blush. If his face was red, then it was because he was angry, nothing else. Seishirou didn't take his advice, however, and stuck around to pester him more.

"Why are you so defensive if it's not true?" he asked innocently.

"Because you won't drop it!"

"Then why did you kiss her?"

Tomozou flinched at the question; he had been hoping dearly that Seishirou wouldn't have brought it up. "I was trying to get rid of her, so I could talk to you about your parents."

"You kissed her… to get rid of her. Uh-huh."

"I'm serious!"

"Uh-huh. I'm sure. Look, I'm not going to be mad if you just admit it now--"

"I do not like her! I hate her, okay? She's whiny, she's bratty, she can't fight, she doesn't even use those freaky eyes of hers, she's just stupid, so drop it!" With that outburst, Tomozou stormed off. He hadn't gone five steps before Seishirou was walking beside him again, much to his irritation. "I will punch you if you say one more word about this," he warned.

"You don't hate her. If you hated her, you wouldn't care if she was mad at you," Seishirou pointed out, a lot more gently than earlier. Tomozou glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, and then resumed his angry stomping. "Stop it! You're going to get someone mad at us, and then Kakuzu-san won't teach us anything."

"…Fine. Let's go see him, now, then."

"But Hitomi-chan--"

"She can learn on her own time. She's not here, so she lost out. Too bad for her."

-.-.-

At that moment, however, Hitomi actually was learning something; she was not happy with it. "Why am I not allowed to learn it today?" she practically wailed. Hachi grimaced, either at the accompanying expression or the volume. "I know how to treat summons! I have had one before!"

"I just don't want to rush this. Summoning is a tricky business, and you need to know how to--"

"I know everything except the summoning technique itself!" Hitomi insisted. "I can get along with the cats, and I really--really only want Kisho back." She hadn't meant for her voice to break just then, but it seemed to be a blessing rather than a humiliation; Hachi gave in.

"…Fine. I'll go get the contract. You just have to sign and put a handprint in… in blood…" That didn't perturb her at all. She had done worse, after all. "After you sign it, then I'll summon a cat, and then I'll teach you the signs."

Hachi trotted off, leaving the excited girl alone. She crouched down under a tree, drawing her knees up to her chest, grinning. If he had still been there, he probably would have been more than a bit alarmed by her grin, but as it was, no one was there to witness it. They were about a kilometer from Amegakure, so she was guaranteed a few minutes to herself.

Kisho will come back to me was all she thought. She may have lost nearly everyone, but at least she could get one of them back. I will never have to worry about losing him again. Kisho will come back to me.

Miki and Ryo and her mother and Kirigakure and most everyone might've been gone, but baby steps were required here. First, she would get Kisho. Then, her mother. Then, they could go back to Kiri and rebuild it with any other survivors. Miki and Ryo--I cannot do anything more for them. A mercy angel must do what she can to help those that she can save. She must not mourn unnecessarily over the ones she cannot or could not.

Before she knew it, Hachi was back, carrying a huge scroll on his shoulders. He stood in the clearing, however, and set it down without moving to the rainless space under the trees. Hitomi stood back up, wringing water out of her kimono. "What are you--"

"Watch," Hachi interrupted calmly, making a few seals. Then, he put both hands, palm up, into the air. It was like a giant bubble had been formed. No more rain fell on the clearing, but rather halted a few yards over their heads and drizzled down to the ground on either side of them. He smiled brightly at her. "Water ninjutsu is the only thing I have talent for. And showing off a bit now can save me the hassle of having to explain to the cat elders why a contract scroll is soaked."

"The ink would run, anyway," Hitomi said with a matching smile. Hachi laughed and beckoned her over. "Where is your name?"

"Oh, it's the last one. Well, second to last, since you insist on doing this today… Most of them prior to that had been signed decades and decades ago, and were only open to a select few clans," Hachi explained, gesturing to the few handprints and signatures she could see. "Okay, now prick your thumb and smear it all over your palm. Here--like this--"

He took out a kunai and held it out to her hilt first, holding her other hand in his. Hands shaking ever so slightly--and hoping he didn't notice--Hitomi make a long, thin cut along her thumb. Hachi placed her hands together and moved them, covering both palms with her blood. It stung a little, but she didn't mind it. "I thought you only said one hand."

"What were you gonna smear it around with if not your other hand?" he asked in reply, amused. She blushed and frowned, not having thought of that little detail. "Okay, now place it here." Heart beating madly in her chest, she let Hachi move her hand and place it on the paper. "From now on, use this hand to summon with. You'll also need a bit of blood to do so; most people bite their thumb or use some they already lost during battle."

"I know," she murmured. She was currently fighting between yanking her hand out of his grip and hiding in embarrassment and just letting him do what he wanted to her hands.

Hachi let go of her hands, looking completely oblivious to the state she was in. Hitomi leaned back, face red, trying to keep from passing out. Did that count as holding hands? She wasn't sure. She rarely--if ever, come to think of it--did it with non-family members, at any rate. "And here are the signs," he said, showing her each in turn. It brought back memories of trying to learn them before, and she tried her hardest to remember them this time.

"Ri-Right." Each symbol seemed like the last, and Hitomi knew she would have to relearn it all the second he finished. There was no way she could remember all of them.

"Now, this'll be your first time, and you are pretty young and small… You might feel a bit tired after the chakra drain, but I think you'll be fine. Yeah, you'll be fine," he repeated, to reassure them both. She just smiled at him, watching happily as he tapped his temple in thought.

"Right."

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" All of a sudden, he placed one hand against the ground, and then there was a cat. It was a plump, fluffy, white creature, looking very annoyed and disgruntled as it got its pristine paws muddy. "Oh. It's you, Miku."

"What is that supposed to mean?" the long-haired cat asked in a high, screeching voice. It was obviously female, and it was just as obviously one of those prissy, snarky girls. "You're the one who summoned me here, Hachi. You might as well be happy to see me."

"I only summoned you here to show the newest cat summoner what cats are like. I see I should have summoned a different one--" Hachi made a grab for Miku, but the feline vanished completely from where she had just been. Hachi looked around, but Hitomi saw immediately that the cat had reappeared lightly on his back. Either cats could teleport, or they were very fast.

"She's the newest summoner? Ha! She's a scrawny little stick. Does she have enough chakra in her entire body to summon a kitten?" she meowed with a laugh.

"I do too have enough chakra!" Hitomi bristled. "Hachi, show me the signs again, please."

"Okay, first boar, then dog, bird, monkey, and then ram, and then--" He had to walk her through it several times before she could successfully complete it without messing up. Each time, she felt a stronger pull at the base of her neck, like there were strings tied to her spine and someone was tugging on them. She didn't really consciously realize it had happened at all until the last time, however.

In fact, by the time she realized what it happened and what it meant, she was slamming her palm to the ground and shouting, "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" just to spite a cat.

The smallest kitten Hitomi had ever seen appeared at her fingertips. She only had a moment to notice that its ears were still curled and its eyes shut tight before Miku yowled and jumped down to rescue the mewling thing. Hitomi stared at the kitten. She felt a surge of pride; that small creature had come from her. She felt like a mother.

While her pride and admiration of her deed felt like it ought to have taken hours of exertion and a standing ovation from Hachi when she was done, in reality, it took just a moment. And after that brief moment passed, the chakra drain promptly caught up with Hitomi's body. It felt as if an electric shock went up her spine, and almost instantaneously, she lost feeling in almost all of her body.

As Miku was picking up the kitten in her mouth and as Hachi was just about to speak, Hitomi collapsed.

-.-.-

"What are you doing here?" Neji asked quietly. He stood impatiently to one side, arms crossed, foot tapping as Hanabi took her time shedding her rain gear. His younger cousin looked over her shoulder at him, narrowing her eyes a little at him. It was a look she'd often gave him when they were younger.

"Well, right now, I'm taking off all of these wet clothes. Then I assume I'll go to debriefing, and then--"

"In Amegakure. Alive."

"Don't sound so thrilled," she mumbled, looking away from him. Neji sighed and took a moment to recollect his dignity.

"It's not that, I am just… surprised. No, shocked," he amended cautiously, watching her for any sort of reaction. It was hard to do when she was dead set on keeping her back to him.

"Why? Some Konoha-nin weren't killed."

"So far, of those that were in Konohagakure at that… time… I only knew of two that survived. They mentioned being on a mission during that. You wouldn't have been on the same mission. How did you get out?" Neji pressed.

"Father wouldn't have let the new heiress die, would he have? He sent me to live in a politically irrelevant village for awhile. Of course, I hardly knew that he knew what would happen to Konoha. I thought I was just going to live there until the political animosity died down." Hanabi talked quickly: it told him that these were bad memories he was bringing up. Still, he needed to know. "Danzou-sama tried doing the same thing, sending dozens out on missions. Not many left, though. It ended up that he had to start ordering people to leave, lest he kill them himself."

"How did Ino and Shikamaru end up on that list?"

"Shikamaru-kun's a genius, remember? He knew that some had to get out, and grudgingly left, on the condition that he was allowed to take his teammates with him."

"Chouji--?"

"No," Hanabi said softly. "He made a new team, all of his surviving friends, and insisted on getting them out of the village. None of them wanted to go, but eventually, they were practically banished from the village."

Neji saw Shikamaru in a new light. True, he had always known that the lazy shinobi was a smart man, but he was just now appreciating what situations his IQ might've gotten him into during the war. He would have had to have made many difficult decisions. Neji looked down momentarily, feeling a stab of remorse. Am I a coward, then? For taking the easy way out and siding with the victors…? He knew it to be silly, but he couldn't help but feeling uneasy and guilty. Survivor's guilt, he told himself, trying to catch his cousin's eye once more. "…Tell me who was on that team. Please."

Hanabi turned fully to him, surprising him. She looked serious, and in a tone that matched, she asked, "…Daisuke-sama really didn't tell you, did he? This was all a surprise to you."

The brunette suddenly had a bad feeling about where this was going. "Yes… This was all a surprise…"

"Hm." Hanabi looked away, feigning casualness. "Well… Oh! Niisan, where's Hinata? I thought she'd still be with you. You two were together, weren't you?" She looked back at him intently. The changed subject was not lost on him, however. He nodded shortly. Hanabi smiled brightly, then, "Well? Where is she? Can't I see my sister after all of these years?"

"She's… not with us right now." It hurt him to say those words; it made her absence that much more acute.

Hanabi looked as if she'd been stabbed. "Oh… Oh my god, no, she couldn't have--"

"She's not dead!" Neji interrupted hastily. "I apologize. I should have been more specific." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, wondering just how much she knew--and how much she ought to know. He distinctly remembered her as an excitable girl, all too eager to get into the last war. Then again, it wasn't as if he could keep much a secret; all of Amegakure knew about the Akatsuki and their Bijuu predicament right then. "She's been captured. We're currently leads as to where she may be held."

Hanabi surprised him greatly by the next thing she said. She tilted her head to one side, black hair falling in front of her white eyes, and asked, "Is that why we were told halfway through our mission to scout out Bijuu locations?"

"…Yes, probably," he replied with a blink, unsure of what else to say.

Hanabi broke out into the brightest smile he'd seen yet. She even giggled, which really knocked him off balance. The final thing that completely threw him out of his comfort zone was that she rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "I don't care how wet we got and how much we complained and how dangerous it was! It was worth it."

"Can you let go--?"

"Niisan, we found it. We found where the Bijuu were. We might've failed our primary mission, but if it means I'm getting Hinata back with that failure, it was worth it. Wasn't it?" Hanabi tilted her head back and grinned up at him. And, for the first time since her appearance, Neji grinned, too.

It was short-lived, however. Hyuuga Neji was not known for grinning senselessly, after all. He placed Hanabi at arm's length and resumed his stoic half-glare, and told her, "Debriefing, now. Daisuke needs to know that just as much as I did, and I think you two need to tell me just who--and what--else you're hiding."

-.-.-

Hitomi was momentarily stunned when she first hit the ground. Most of it was just the impact; she surmised that she didn't feel any pain.

But then, she realized that she didn't feel anything. She desperately tried to wiggle her fingers and her toes. Nothing. Eyes wide, struggling to keep her breathing regular, everything she'd ever learned about spinal injuries came back to her. Paralysis, useless, death, I am something that deserves a killing blow. I can't move, I can't move-- "Hitomi-san? Are you alright?" She blinked, trying to turn to see Hachi. She barely managed to tilt her head upward. That, alone, set her to panicking again.

"I-I--" she croaked, "I ca-cannot m-move." Her voice broke after that, and she had to start blinking rapidly to try to keep back the tears. I have overdone it; they told me not to use jutsu… I am paralyzed, and now I will be useless, and I can't move, I can't move-- "I can't move!" she repeated aloud, voice an octave higher than usual.

"What? Hold on, it's not that bad, probably just chakra exhaustion--" Hitomi knew Hachi must be checking over her, but she could only feel ghosts of his touch.

"Hachi! I need to take care of this kitten," Miku meowed loudly, her bushy tail at the edge of Hitomi's vision. "That's why I don't like child summoners; they summon such small kittens, and then they can get sick or die because of it!"

The kitten… it will die? That was something she hadn't thought of. Now, she hadn't only ruined her life, but just killed a kitten. "I-I'm sorry--!" she said, sniffling miserably.

"No, Miku, you need to go get help. Go get someone from Ame. I'm not sure I can move her, so--"

"I was just leaving!" Miku yowled around the kitten.

"Look, the kitten isn't wet or cold--it will be fine for five damn minutes, Miku! Just set it down here next to Hitomi-san--she'll keep it warm--and go to Ame! Find her father, and tell him to come here. If you can't find him, ask someone in Akatsuki uniform," Hachi instructed curtly. He then turned back to Hitomi, and said, "I will be right back, I promise."

"No!" she practically screamed.

Hachi remained impassive, though a more experienced ninja would've seen his wince. "Miku will go ahead to get help, and then she will be back to get the kitten. I'll go lead your dad here. He'll know what's wrong."

"I-I know what's wrong!" Hitomi said wildly, desperate for him to stay there. "It-It's my spine, I had a spinal injury ea-earlier this year, and--"

"I know nothing about spinal injuries. I don't even know if you can be moved, Hitomi-san." This time, he was clearly torn over the subject of leaving a nine-year-old girl, injured and hysterical, alone in a forest. The only reassuring fact in this situation was that sunset was still several hours away. "I need to get someone who knows what's wrong and who can help. Just stay here--" He cut himself off, aware of how stupid it sounded.

"I don't like this," Miku said darkly, setting the tiny, mewing kitten down near Hitomi's neck. She felt its warmth, and wished this hadn't happened. If only she'd been stronger, if only she hadn't been injured, if only, if only. "I don't like this idea at all, Hachi."

"Just go!" he snapped. The white cat disappeared instantly. Hachi then turned back to Hitomi. "I will be right back. With help. Your dad and Dai-sama and half the Akatsuki if need be."

"Pl-Please don't leave me." She was flat out sobbing at that point. The kitten mewed under her chin, adding to the noise. "Please, Hachi, please, please."

"I'll be right back. I promise."

And then, Hitomi was alone. She stared furiously at the spot where he'd just vanished from. Overhead, the rain beat against his barrier like a low drum, keeping time to her tears. Hachi had just left her. She was alone, save a minute kitten, in a forest of Amegakure and she couldn't move.

Even if I was able to move, I couldn't do much in the way of defense, she thought ruefully, shutting her eyes tightly to try to stop herself from crying any longer. Useless, useless, useless and stupid! Why did I have to learn the summoning jutsu?! Deep down, however, she knew that it wasn't the summoning jutsu specifically. Any jutsu with enough of a chakra drain probably would have erased whatever Sasori had done to fix her. It was her own stupidity to blame. Stupidity and blind eagerness.

Just to add insult to an old injury, Hitomi realized that she still hadn't gotten Kisho back.

It felt like hours before she saw Miku's white fur again. The cat appeared daintily and padded over on her tiny paws, stooped to pick up the kitten, and didn't say a single word to her. This time her departure was marked by a puff of smoke, but that was all.

Hitomi continued crying.

-.-.-

"First off, to summon rain, there needs to be moisture in the air. If you try it in a desert, not only will it consume an enormous amount of chakra and die from the effort, you'd probably only get a light sprinkle, and only for a moment or two."

Both boys nodded eagerly, leaning forward on the tree branch, though Kakuzu insisted only Tomozou would learn this technique. Seishirou was going to absorb as much of the lesson as he could; Tomozou agreed to teach him the rest later. This way, they'd both learn each other's techniques and have a total of two new ones to add to their repertoire. It was a sound plan, except for the fact that Kakuzu knew they'd try it.

"So in a wet place, this would be a very easy technique to use. In a dry one, you're better off slitting your throat yourself."

"It's just chakra exhaustion," Tomozou made the mistake of saying.

Kakuzu sent him a vicious glare. "You two are hopelessly naïve if you think that's all that happens. I don't teach hopelessly naïve brats, either." Before he could turn and storm off like he'd intended, both boys jumped down from the tree to tug him back towards them.

"We're not hopelessly naïve!" Tomozou insisted.

"Just he is! I know you can die of it, I swear! Teach me, at least!" Seishirou rather selfishly added.

His disloyalty went right over his friend's head, however. Instead, Tomozou turned to him, in mid-yank of Kakuzu's sleeve, and asked, "You can?"

"You're not helping," Seishirou hissed.

"Get off." Kakuzu finally succeeded in shaking them off. "Yes, you can die of chakra exhaustion. It's somewhat rare, and usually ninja are smart enough not to try it. In fact, only higher-leveled shinobi can do it. You have to train up your reserves, strengthen them."

"And it takes a really, really big technique. Basically, it has to sap your chakra in a single use. It's pretty hard to kill yourself with lack of chakra with a bunch of different jutsus," Seishirou, keen to prove his knowledge, explained. Kakuzu nodded in agreement, so he took that as a sign to continue. "You have to be of a high enough level to have your chakra tightly interwoven with your body. That's usually about a jounin rank. So when you use up all your chakra in a flash, it completely shuts down your vital organs and you die."

"How can you use up chakra that quickly?" Tomozou asked skeptically, raising both eyebrows. "Don't you use some of it preparing the jutsu? That's the reasons for hand signs, isn't it?"

"No, it's not," Kakuzu snapped, hitting him on the head. The pink-haired boy glared at him and backed up a few steps, but stayed within hearing range to listen to the proper explanation. Seishirou took a few precautionary steps back, just in case. Kakuzu sighed. "Hand signs are to prepare the chakra. They actually use very little of it, unless you're incredibly sloppy, in which case, you ought to die a horrible death anyway." Seishirou sent Tomozou a triumphant grin, which earned him a smack on the head as well. Glaring at him, Kakuzu added, "That's not to say that you're right, you little punk. When it comes to chakra-related death, the hand signs do have a significant part in it."

"How?" Seishirou asked, glaring at his abusive teacher with watery eyes. Tomozou snickered at his expense. "Hand signs are there to mold the chakra, not much else."

"Indoctrinated little…" Kakuzu muttered the rest under his breath, lest the two boys learn more language he'd get in trouble for later. "Hand signs are only there to mold chakra because you think they do. Your body affiliates certain moves, for want of a better word, with certain signs."

The two stared at him cluelessly.

The black-haired Akatsuki member clenched his fists, trying to stop himself from either ripping his hair out or killing the both of them. "…Look, say you create a new jutsu." They nodded. "How do you know which signs to use?"

"Um… You decide?" Seishirou ventured.

"Only a little. Most deaths because of extreme chakra exhaustion are because stupid people try to create their own techniques. Ninjutsu and genjutsu ninja use nowadays have been whittled down, sign by sign, until they're at their most basic level. Ever notice that the easiest ones like Kawarimi and Bunshin only require one or two signs?"

It was sort of comical the way the realization came over them. Kakuzu allowed himself a small snort.

"The most common are the easiest, because they are useful and use the least amount of chakra. That's because they require the least hand signs. Jutsus that require a lot, on the other hand, sap your chakra like nothing else will."

"So… People die because they use too many hand signs?"

"No. It's when they try to use the jutsu that uses too many hand signs that they die." Yet again, he was met with rather blank looks. Kakuzu rolled his eyes. "Have either of you used a lot of fire jutsus?"

"I have!" Seishirou volunteered with a grin. Tomozou just shook his head.

"Well, do you know how fire jutsus work?"

"Yeah. Sasuke-san uses them all the time."

"Well, fire burns oxygen, right?" Two nods. "If there's a normal supply of oxygen, the fire burns steadily and for awhile. If there's a surplus, however, it burns it all up in a flash and then is gone, right?"

"Oh… yeah, I guess so," Tomozou said wonderingly. "…Can you do that?"

"Huh?" Kakuzu was caught off guard by the request.

Tomozou grinned up at him. "Can you pour a bunch of oxygen into an area and then use a fire jutsu to ignite it?"

"Yes. Shinobi that deal with fire techniques often do it as a sort of quick explosion, if they need it. It's a very good way to distract your enemies or draw their attention away from you."

"Teach us that!"

"Wasn't I teaching you the rain jutsu?"

"I want to know both."

"If he learns it, I want to know it!" Seishirou chimed in.

Kakuzu grit his teeth and created a Kage Bunshin, his original plan. He picked up Seishirou by the back of the shirt, while the other picked up Tomozou the same way and marched off. He would teach them both at the same time, saving time, and annoying them as well. They couldn't learn each other's jutsus if they didn't see the demonstration, and he doubted a couple of kids could effectively teach one another. Truthfully, he just wanted to see them mad.

"Origami," he said before Seishirou could protest, "is completely unlike the rain jutsu and has a constant chakra drain. It is dependent, however, on the amount of paper you have."

"That sounds really, really stupid," Seishirou remarked darkly, grumpy over his sudden lack of the rain jutsu.

"It was your mother's signature jutsu and it killed more people than you'll meet in your entire lifetime," Kakuzu retorted easily. That shut Seishirou up real fast. "Honestly though, your feelings about it are a little relieving. There's no way you could properly pull it off, at least not to her standard."

"Why the hell not?!"

"Konan relied almost solely on her origami. She built her fighting style and lifestyle around it. You will never be able to use it as she did--"

"Excuse me."

Both Kakuzu and Seishirou looked around for the interruption's source, but it wasn't until Seishirou looked down that he saw who it was. It was a plump, long-haired, white cat. It was looking up at Kakuzu with what could only be feline disgust, nose wrinkled and ears laid back. "…What?" Kakuzu asked, unsure of how to address the cat.

"My god, you are back." The cat stuck out its tongue and turned away. "Tell me, do you know where Hyuuga Hitomi's father is? I have to find it, and I suppose it's rather urgent."

"He should be at the tower--"

"What happened?!" Seishirou broke in. The cat spared him a look of pure contempt before disappearing, leaving nothing but tiny paw prints in the mud.

-.-.-

Next Chapter: What will happen to Hitomi?! What will the others think of Hachi for this mistake of his? Sasori explains to a less-than-patient father just how messed up Hitomi's chakra system is after the last-ditch effort to save her; Hanabi seemed to stumble back into the family at the wrong time. And who are these other Konoha-nin that survived...?