Chapter 56 | The Journey's End


The waters were calm, the small boat drifted undisturbed along its smooth currents with Hashirama and Taiga propelling it forward. Mio quietly panicked, holding her bloodied hands against the wound on Madara's side, steering her focus from the blood sliding between her fingers and thinking of everything but the erratic beating against her ribcage. Saori was doing everything in her power, but there were things she did not know and knew that if she attempted them, there would be consequences. Though Madara was willing to take the risks, she was not and Mio appreciated that decision, but they were a while from reaching the harbor and she knew he would not last long.

Saori ripped a long cloth off the bottom of her sleeve and handed it to Mio. "Help me dress the wound, you hold him up," she ordered. "The best we can do is try to stop him from bleeding out."

Mio carefully followed the older girl's instruction and wound an arm behind Madara—who groaned in response—to lift his upper body enough for Saori to slide the cloth underneath his body. Soon as she tightened it around his abdomen, the cloth was soaked red. Mio bundled up the remains of his shirt and pressed them against the wound, hoping that if she applied enough pressure it might stop, but the blood, thick and warm, slithered underneath her palms, spilled between her fingers. The strong metallic stench burned in her nose and it worried her—it tormented her—because she was useless.

She felt a hand fall on her shoulder and turned her head upward. Hashirama put his hand under her elbow and helped her on her feet. "I can heal him," he told her. "Take the oar."

She nodded, stepping over Nako's unconscious body to sit beside Taiga where she took the oar in trembling hands. Taiga put his hand on her knee, startling her into realizing she had not bothered to row the boat. He reached for her oar and pulled it in simultaneously with his own, leaving them in the middle of the sea drifting as Hashirama and Saori sat crowded in the back pulling apart the cloth they had struggled to put on him.

Taiga grabbed hold of her hands and put them into the water, with his thumbs he begun to wash the blood from them. She watched the bright red dye the sea a darker shade and the subtle currents wash it away. She felt his hands, his thumbs, rubbing the blood from her shaking hands.

He pulled them from the water once clean and looked at her, his grip on them was strong.

"It's not far as far as it seems," said Taiga. "So help me the rest of the way."

He returned the oar to her and took his own. And she breathed deeply, steeling herself and rowed.


Mio could see the harbor with its wooden docks and anchored boats. She saw shallow waves rolling onto a shore of white sand and a cluster of buildings that sat behind wooden railing above a small embankment that constituted the small beachside town. Though her anxious thoughts started to ebb, she did not turn because she knew they would all come rushing back. She could hear Hashirama and Saori speaking throughout the journey, but she avoided paying close attention because she had been sitting at Madara's side feeling his blood run through her fingers. She had been trying to push past her personal feelings to keep a level head, but that only left her with a feeling of being overwhelmed.

But Hashirama was there and he said he would help. She believed him and held onto his words. Madara would be fine. He would need to rest and eat, but he would be perfectly fine because—she told herself with required insistency—he had overcome worse. There was strength in him.

Taiga jumped out of the ship when they were near the beach and guided it to the shore. Hashirama walked to the center of the boat, holding himself balanced though the boat was slanted. He cleaned his hands before putting one on her shoulder, offering her a reassuring smile.

"Everything is fine," he told her. "He needs to sleep it off."

"Thank you."

Hashirama stepped out into the wet sand and reached into the boat to pull Nako into his arms. Mio went back, grabbing hold of Madara's arms to hoist him on her back.

"Where are we going from here?" asked Saori, standing to help her.

"Another inn," Taiga responded. "But it will take a few hours to get there. How does that sound?"

Mio stood on wobbly feet and stepped over the row of benches on the boat. Taiga held his hand out for her to take, aiding her as she stepped down onto the mushy ground below. She nodded when she realized he was looking to her for a response. "Good."

Taiga took the lead, guiding them through the familiar forests within the Fire Country and further past them until they reached a ghost town she recognized from long ago. Walking down the familiar street, she remembered fighting Ito Kaname and Uchiha Katsura as Madara took on Eito before the dizzying consequence of her black water had caused her to fall from a rooftop. A tiled roof she focused her eyes on as she walked past it.

She soon stopped in the middle of a street, remembering Eito's death and the smile on his face as the knife cut through his neck. After that, she had her first encounter with Mikazuki Gouki since he had killed her parents when he murdered her aunt, Konoe. Hateful as she was, she did not deserve the end she got.

The town was alive with memories, none of them good. The difference from the town in her memories and the one before her were the people. It was swarming with people that stared and muttered. It was filled with children that cut people off in the middle of the streets and shouted joyfully. There were different smells of cooked meat and roasted fish and of wine and perfumed women.

The inn Taiga had chosen stank of tobacco, but despite its acrid scent, one could rent larger accommodations for a cheaper price. A man escorted them to the back of the main establishment. He answered the few questions Taiga had concerning utilities before going on his way. There were three bedrooms and a sitting room where they left what little of their luggage remained except the bag she still carried slung across her shoulder. Taiga accompanied Mio into one and Saori entered the one next door with Hashirama.

He set out the futon and excused himself to bring them sustenance, but she heard him ask Saori to take her water and towels. "And once you've done that, leave them be," he finished. "You two should rest. Enjoy the bathhouse meanwhile."

Saori came in several minutes later carrying a bucket of lukewarm water and a handful of towels. She set the wooden pail on Mio's right and handed the towels directly to her. "Do you want me to help?"

Mio shook her head. "I can do it."

"There's tea on the table. I can bring you some."

"I'll go once I'm done."

Saori left her alone with Madara.

Mio left one towel hanging off the edge of the bucket and placed the others aside. She reached over Madara's body and quietly undressed him. She cleaned the blood and grime off him carefully, noiselessly, and with a restless heart. She inspected him for any other wounds, small as they may be, as she ran the damp cloth over the planes of his chest. She wiped his palms clean of even the slightest speck of dirt and felt his fingers twitch.

She folded her hand over his and leaned forward, her face near his, and called to him softly. She heard a quiet rumble in his throat and the tightness in her chest lessened. He had been unresponsive the entire trip and that had made her nervous that there was something wrong, though he was expected to be sleeping a bit and she was assured he would get back on his feet. She believed that, but she worried, and it was a worry that made her ill.

"Madara," she whispered, touching his face with her free hand.

His face twisted into one of pain and he gripped her hand tightly for many seconds.

However, he did not wake.

Mio sat back and sighed. He would wake in time, she told herself, despite her anxiety. She pushed back the loose strands of hair that fell over her face and stood. She threw the small towel into the bucket and searched the closets for the linen pinstripe robe provided by the inn. She dressed him in it before leaving the room, taking the wooden pail with her, to give him the peace and quiet necessary to see to a quick recovery.

Saori offered her tea a second time and this time she accepted, tugging the bag from across her shoulder and setting it beside her. She drank deep of the warm liquid after receiving the mug, allowing it to heat her body.

"How is he?" asked Saori.

"Sleeping," she answered, quietly scouring through her bag and drawing out the Time Sphere. At Hashirama and Saori's quizzical stares, she said, "I wanted to wait for him to wake, but it would be a waste of time."

"What do you intend to do with that?" Hashirama questioned, pointing at the shelled sphere.

"I am going to take it back from Madara," she said, which would be the easiest part. She was not Shugosha since she handed the artifact and all its responsibilities to Madara, but she had not severed its connection to her completely. "The artifacts won't be strong for some time, but will be as I recover the chakra I've spent."

She dug a kunai from her bag because the last time she had clawed apart the black shell, her fingers had been left bloody and aching. The dull pain came and went since the time as the throbbing in the ankle Gouki had stabbed.

"You should wait until you've recovered it completely," Hashirama suggested. "It won't be any use if the sphere drains you clean and kills you."

"It won't," she said confidently, recalling a memory from seemingly long ago of her great-grandfather schooling her on what he called her birthright. She positioned the kunai above the coated sphere.

Musashi had taught her of Kiyohime—her origins, her legends, her dangerous heists, her laws, and her reasons. He had warned her that the spheres depleted chakra as that was how they drew power and had informed her that as Shugosha, she would be the keystone of the other nine artifacts, her chakra divided into ten equal parts to keep the others alive. She had worried she did not possess enough for that type of work, sure that as soon as she beheld the sphere and claimed it as her own that she would be drained until it killed her.

And in a calming tone, he had told her, "Every Shugosha before you did not die from being drained, they have died because of the betrayals. The people we seem to trust most are those that somehow find a way to see to our deaths."

Mio stabbed into the outer layer of the black shell with all her strength, hearing it crackle as thin, jagged lines spread across the center of impact. Musashi's words still reached her.

"In a way, they are right to say we are cursed. We are given a burden that is both a curse and a blessing and a duty that is neither here nor there," he had continued, his rose eyes glittering in merriment. He had loved the stories, confessed it had been his favorite part of being a Shugosha—learning its origins. She shared his sentiment, remembered the warm feeling that bloomed in her chest when she listened to it all unfold, though she did not always like the meaning of it all. Like whenever someone called her a curse, she knew she was, but she did not like it. "We must accept that we are a plague and that as long as the artifacts exist, war will rage to possess them."

She brought the kunai harder against the surface, sharp black shards bounced across the tatami and slid along the sleek table with a quiet scrape, until the shine slipped through the darkness and she sensed the surge of Madara's chakra flowing back into her earrings. She tore the rest of it with trembling fingers, the two times she stabbed the shell the force of it had vibrated back to her hand in waves of pain, which had led to the surprising realization that had not fainted from the exhaustion. She had literally driven her body to its very limits and the Kuronuma techniques she had used, helped propel her to that point. And she knew, she might need to go past them.

Mio released the Time Sphere from its shell, the pieces sitting on her lap and all around her, and sucked in a breath. She pressed the orb to her forehead, closing her eyes and cradled it in her hands, as she had when she had given it to Madara and willed it. Through contact, she could see into its inner workings and tinker with them because she knew the sphere became what it needed to become for its Shugosha—a fact she was certain Nishiki knew all too well—and it needed to become hers. She grappled at the connection she weaved between it and Madara seemingly forever ago and severed it, quick as a snap.

The artifact returned to her, as if it knew its place, and it transferred all its reigning powers to her as swiftly and strongly as a punch to the gut, leaving her near breathless when the gasp escaped her. It alarmed the two in her company, but they settled as quickly as the wildly spinning mist within the orb had, her chakra no doubt flowing through their own spheres.

Quietly, Mio dispelled a long breath as she opened her eyes to face Hashirama and Saori, though her vision blurred and her eyelids felt as though they weighed a ton. She smiled reassuringly to them as they might have been able to sense that she was weakening, which was true, the Time Sphere had taken a long draw of her chakra leading her through the threshold of exhaustion. However, she did not lose her concentration as she was not done with her maneuvering with the sphere's inner workings.

It took everything out of her to sever the Time Sphere's connection to the three artifacts in Nishiki's possession—of quarantining the dose of his chakra she recognized mingling among her own and those before her—and sealed the channels that delivered her chakra to power them. She hoped that would be enough to stop him from attempting to steal her right to the artifacts as he had before. She did not want to feel that pain again, like he was ripping something from inside her very slowly—a crippling ache that had forced her to the ground.

She fashioned herself another cord made from molding her blood and black water and hung the sphere around her neck where it made her feel safe.

Taiga returned as she stood to return to Madara's room. "The food is coming in a few minutes. You should eat something."

"I'll wait for dinner," she said, though it might be prudent to find another inn to hole up in since there had been ample time for Nishiki to track them through the Reflective Sphere. She paused at the threshold. "Is there another place we can go?"

"Yes."

"We should consider moving before nightfall."

"More of a reason as to why you should stay and eat," he stated.

Mio gestured to the three of them. "There are three of you and three of us, you can carry us there," she deadpanned, taking in their wide-eyed expressions. "I call Hashirama."

"You're joking," Taiga bit out.

"I am," she admitted with a small laugh. "I'll eat something before we go."

"We can make lunches with the leftovers," Hashirama suggested.

"We can!" Saori chimed in, excited by the thought. "You are a genius, Hashirama."

"I'll wake you when the time is right," Taiga said with a huff. "Sleep well."

Mio nodded, sliding the door shut behind her.

"You are so doting, Taiga," Saori commented. "All this time I thought you wanted to bed with Mio."

Hashirama made a sputtering sound. "What?"

Even Mio was surprised to hear that come out of Saori's mouth.

Taiga snorted, probably folding his arms over his chest. "As if it never crossed any of your minds."

"I would never think to betray Mito!"

"I think she'd be warm."

"S-Saori!" Hashirama stammered.

"She is warm," Saori emphasized in a simple tone. There was a lengthy pause before she added, "What? I was only making an observation."

Mio covered her reddened ears as she dropped down into a seat beside Madara once more.

She stayed upright for several minutes before dropping down to her side as the voices in the other room lowered to whispers after the food had been delivered. She stared at Madara's profile, allowing her heavy lids to fall over her eyes repeatedly until finally, sleep had taken hold of her.

She did not sleep more than an hour, though she tried to will herself to steal away another thirty minutes at the least, but she opened her eyes. Blearily she stared ahead of her, directly before her were familiar pinstripes and dark blue cloth. Slowly the blurred veil before her eyes disappeared with every slow blink. She recognized a faint smell, one she loved, and buried her face close where she could almost taste the faint sandalwood and sunlight that clung to his skin. Underneath her head was his arm, muscled but surprisingly comfortable.

And she realized she wanted to sleep longer because of the comforting heat shared between them under the thick blanket.

Mio moved and her muscles wailed in pain. She flinched, forcing her body to turn over on its back. She hit the tatami beside the futon and groaned. She imagined to have crawled under his blanket and wondered if that was her conscious' way of telling her she wanted to have done it from the start, only she was too busy overanalyzing if it was proper in their current situation.

She stretched her tired arms high above her head and sat up, feeling the Time Sphere fall across her chest, bouncing slightly on the cord.

Mio left the room to take advantage of the bathhouse, finding Hashirama alone reading one of Taiga's scrolls. "Where are the others?"

"Nako is still asleep," he answered. "Saori decided to rest as well and Taiga went to the bathhouse last I heard."

"You should rest too," she suggested. "I can stay here."

He smiled. "I didn't exhaust myself as you all have. I'll rest when we arrive to the next inn," he told her. "We need someone at full power after all."

"I leave it to you then."

Mio made a quick trip to the bathhouse. She sat in the warm bath water for a little over ten minutes before returning to their lodgings to eat leftovers, though she did not eat much. She didn't need to in order to fill her stomach. She and Hashirama spoke about their travels ahead.

"Taiga and I have progressively worked on a plan for the Earth Country, though nothing is concrete," she admitted. "Considering this is Nishiki and Ayuka's world, they are prepared to defend against us, and they have the Fate Sphere from which they can draw all our pathways and the possibilities they create."

"We'll think of something," said Hashirama in a reassuring tone.

She nodded. "There's no use giving up when we're this close, is there?"

"Exactly."

Nevertheless, she was nervous and that normally bred anxiety, which led to impulses. She resisted.


They took advantage of nightfall to put some distance between their previous location to their last where they would finalize the plans on taking on Nishiki and Ayuka. The mere thought was surreal. Mio traveled feeling as if she were in a dream, fully convinced this wasn't reality because so much time had passed since she first woke up in a field of bloody snow surrounded by death.

Nako had woken on the second day of their stay, but she had preferred the stillness of the room and the shield of her blankets. And they had time, so everyone unanimously agreed to let her have it to adjust. Explanations would come later.

With Madara awake, they convened around a square table in the sitting room. The rooms in this inn were a little more lavish than the last and a tad bit expensive, but Taiga said that they might as well enjoy a warm bed and food before they abandoned the luxury before setting out to do what needed to be done.

"How are you paying for this?" asked Madara, a question that they each at one point had wondered.

Everyone stared at Taiga, awaiting a response he gave with a slight shrug of his shoulder. "I stole it."

"From?" Madara pressed.

"Will you believe me if I said I woke up with all the money?" Taiga asked with a smile.

"No," came everyone's immediate response.

"I stand by my first answer," he stated. "Now that we've been informed of my thievery, can we move on?"

Taiga laid out the map across the table for everyone to see. It took him some time, but he procured a record of the Earth Country that depicted the Emperor's castle down to its last inner and surrounding detail. When he set it down, Mio could see he had already started to play out different entryways for infiltration and had marked them accordingly.

"Mio and I have been in talks about infiltrating the Earth Country," Taiga began, "as a compromise, of course, to spare us the misery of having to rescue her a—what time are we on now?"

"That is not the least bit important," Mio interjected. "We have decided it would be best to infiltrate."

She was happy to have been able to return the conversation to where it had begun.

"We are at an advantage," Taiga said. "With the new decree, we can at least be leisure about our time."

"A new decree?" asked Saori.

"The hunter clans have been asked to stand down," answered Taiga. "They are not to act unless we engage them first. Rumor has it he has asked this of them before we even reached the Whirlpool Country."

"It makes perfect sense that we did not encounter the Hyuuga clan," Saori said wondrously, looking at them all. "I did not want to fight one of them. Not at all."

"And if you noticed, we have only been chased by hunter clans that had absolutely no intention to see us captured, except that one in the Lightning Country," Taiga continued.

"But that's because Mio is expecting," Saori stated. "I remember, you told me about that one."

Hashirama looked to Mio and then Madara with a smile. "You're expecting? Congratulations."

"Why are you looking at me?" Madara snapped, sputtering.

"Well I'm not blind," Hashirama offered casually.

"That is but a misunderstanding," Mio interrupted, though her ears were bright red with her embarrassment. "And none of that is relevant."

"Nishiki was probably expecting to see us as soon as we reunited," Madara added, quick to see the subject changed. "Why else would he ask the hunter clans to stand down? He is clearing a path for us. An easy one. And if we take it, we fall into his trap."

"He has already allowed us to make it this far," Mio added. "Takuto was captured for his Reflective Sphere and I do not think Nishiki would be too daft not to use it. The mere fact that he called back the hunter clans is proof that he has been watching us." She sucked in a breath. "But I have put an end to that. We have the advantage."

"Yes, but that does not stop him from trying to take the spheres from you," said Taiga.

"It isn't that he's trying to show me that he can take the artifacts, but that he can kill us all at a whim's notice," Mio responded, drawing everyone's attention to her, in silence asking that she elaborate. "He could have made himself Shugosha if he had had the strength and if it he had no use for me. But he did not have the strength and he has use for me. However, because he lacked the means to see to all the things that he could have had, he is, instead, exerting his control over us. Our lives are in his hands." She paused and swallowed the lump in her throat because speaking about it made it real. "He had enough power to infuse enough chakra in every sphere to give him a boost if he fought us for them."

Recognition dawned in Saori's face. "The one with the strongest connection lives," she uttered.

Mio nodded. "And he would kill himself ten times if it brought him the artifacts."

"Can nothing be done?" Hashirama asked.

"I will see that it is done."

The conversation steered with Taiga leading the discussion on modes of infiltration. "We can confirm this when we are near," he said, pointing to a side of the castle. "But this is the weakest defense. Ignore it. It's a blatant trap." He started pointing out other potential openings. "Everything is a trap. The castle is impenetrable and we have to enter with that mentality. There is no way we are going to get in without getting captured because that is exactly what Nishiki and Ayuka are planning."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Hashirama asked.

"We enter from all sides."

Everyone listened intently until Taiga saw fit to continue discussing tactics after he returned from finding any useful information around the town.

"How much longer do we need to make plans?" asked Madara. "Nishiki is already expecting us. Why make him wait any longer?"

"How long will it take to reach the Earth Country?" asked Mio, curiously gauging at the amount of time she had to spare. It had taken several days to rework the sphere into making it easier to manifest its shield, she would need time to recalibrate every other sphere in their possession and that could stretch out into months—years if she wished it to be perfect.

"Around four days at our current pace," Taiga answered, and surprised her by looking to her and saying, "Do you need more time?"

"More time?" she repeated distantly, asking herself. Could I manage in four days' time? All that needed accomplishing, she wondered, but her imprisoned guardians came to mind. "Four days will do."

It would have to be enough.

"We leave tomorrow night, then," Madara stated.

"Ah, therein lies the problem," Taiga said, all eyes on him. His own eyes went to the shoji across the room where a hallway led them to their rooms. "You see, someone is going to have to get that one out of her room and willing to travel."

"I'll talk to her," said Saori. "I think it might be best."

Everyone echoed their support in her volunteering.

As everyone stood to go about their own preparations, Mio spoke up, "I want all of your artifacts."

They stopped moving, turning back to face her quizzically.

"I want to make sure they protect you as the Time Sphere protects me."

Mio collected the spheres from her guardians—even Madara's broken Nature Sphere to his astonishment—and gathered them into a ceramic bowl. She had taken it off the table in the main room, stealing it away to her room where a shroud of darkness greeted her. She did not linger at the entrance. There was no time for over analyzing or second thoughts.

She took a seat before them, taking each into her hands. Her chakra flowed through them, as did that of the guardian that possessed them. She would borrow that bit of chakra to her advantage and promised herself as she removed her earrings that nobody would die in Nishiki's castle. She took her Time Sphere off as well, setting it atop the others and watched the mist within it start to propagate, spreading like fog and unfurling in bulbous shapes around the object it kept hidden behind its mist.

"Kiyohime made the artifacts from her blood," Musashi whispered in her head. "She created a technique so dangerous to give birth to these artifacts. A forbidden technique. One that puts the life in jeopardy."

But what did she care for her life here? If she survived on the little that remained, she would be alive in her own world—gravely injured, but alive.

"Will I have to learn this technique?" Mio had remembered asking. She had been afraid of the word "forbidden."

"Absolutely." His words echoed clearly in her mind as if he were sitting across her, guiding her through the motions of said technique. "Change needs to be made. No matter what kind of change that may be, whether it be for the best or for the worst. Each generation of Shugosha awakens something new within the Time Sphere. We carry different strengths and they blossom here." She closed her eyes and saw the image of him—the memory of the older man with the white beard—jutting his thumb at his chest, over his heart. "The Time Sphere becomes what a Shugosha needs it to become. It is a mystical orb. They are all mystical artifacts—ten, created from the blood of our ancestor, blood that runs through our veins. And in the Kuronuma clan, blood is power."

She brought her thumb to her mouth, piercing it with her canine, and opened her eyes to draw the Kuronuma crest atop the glowing orb. She clapped her hands together, activating the technique. The black water in her blood sizzled, gave off a stream of white mist that drew her attention to the ceiling before she followed it back down to the orb to see that it was empty. No fog. And in the center was a flower fruit, large and slightly resembling a peach.

She stared at it strangely, sensing it overflowing with chakra that did not belong to anyone, and looking deeper, she saw what needed to be done.


"Mio."

Mio stirred, hearing voices drawing nearer.

"She's responding." Hashirama.

Saori responded with a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness."

"Mio." Madara shook her as he spoke.

She forced her eyes open. Everyone was crowded around her, staring down at her with worrisome expressions.

"What did you do?" Taiga snapped, hoisting her up to a seat atop the futon.

Something wet trickled across her mouth from her nose. She tasted the blood as a smidgen of it fell between her lips. The blood flowing from her nose was an indication that what she had finished doing had taken a toll on her. That alone was not the only sign. Her body was tremulous and weak.

"Well?" Taiga pressed.

Hashirama handed her a handkerchief and she held it to her nose, staring at all of them blankly, mirroring their confusion.

"What?" she uttered.

"What did you do?" Madara repeated.

"Why? Do you feel any different?" she asked, expectant.

The four guardians exchanged quizzical looks and directed them back to her, each simultaneously asking, "What?"

Mio scrambled between Saori and Hashirama to find the ceramic bowl that held the artifacts. She brought it to them asking them to take their respective sphere; even Madara took the two pieces of his broken Nature Sphere at her insistence. They looked upon them, perplexed.

"Activate them."

"This one is still broken," Madara pointed out.

"Activate it."

"You said you couldn't fix it, that it would kill you."

"It would have," she said in elucidation. "I'm not strong enough to do it on my own, as you can see it is still broken in two, but I found a way to repair it temporarily. The Nature Sphere is as good as gone after a few uses, so use it wisely."

Madara frowned and she could almost read his thoughts from the look on his face. She glared at him, which provoked him into a grimace he directed at her.

"Mio, I don't know how to activate the sphere," said Saori, holding the little black gem pinched between her forefinger and thumb. "You said it was always active."

"Do you think it's smart to activate this in here?" asked Taiga, waving the dagger around.

"You infuse your chakra into the gem like you would with your string," Mio said to Saori, then turned to Taiga. "Feel free, we are now protected against the Vision Sphere."

Taiga turned the dagger over, his disappointment reflected on it. "That's a shame."

"Activate it!"

"Relax, I'll do it."

"Is it supposed to feel different?" asked Hashirama.

"Does it?" she asked, curious.

The Senju blinked up at her. "Maybe you have to do more than activate it? Like use it?"

Madara grabbed hold of the nearest object, which happened to be a cup, and drew the kanji for ice before tossing it across the room. It shattered upon contact, leaving the point of impact covered with frost.

"What do you know? It works."

Mio felt the activation of the Life Sphere as soon as it was done when the pulse of every one of her guardians came blaring into her mind. She teetered, dropping the bloodied cloth to the ground, her hand coming to her head as another wave hit her. She wobbled to Saori's side and took the gem from her, terminating its activation.

"I need to fix that," she mumbled to herself, and regarded Madara. "The Nature Sphere looks like it works well. We can try the others later."

"Ah, Mio, your nose is still bleeding," Saori said, alarmed.

She pinched it as she went around collecting the spheres from everyone again and set the bowl with them inside where she found them. She heard them whispering behind her back, drilling Madara about her actions as if he had any knowledge and whether or not they should allow them, and when she turned to face them, they quieted down as if they had not spoken a word. The suspicious smiles gave them away.

Taiga pointed to his nose. "You've got a lot of blood coming out of that."

"It'll stop."

Mio picked up the handkerchief and put it back to her nose.

"You should eat something," Saori suggested.

"Maybe you should go on a walk," said Hashirama. "I can go with you."

"How long was I asleep?" Mio asked.

"A couple hours," three guardians echoed.

"Two days," Madara said, earning looks from the others. He glared at them. "She needs to know." He faced her. "Two days. How long did you intend to sleep?"

"Not two days," she admitted. I'm not strong enough then, she thought sadly, but did not let it deter her from trying again. She took in her surroundings. They were as she remembered them. "We haven't moved."

"We would have," Hashirama began, "but you see, Nako, she isn't recovering well."

"Oh."

She needed to do something after she stopped her nosebleed.

Seeing Mio was standing and seemingly full of energy, the others exited with the exception of Madara, who offered her tea. She refused it.

"What are you doing?" he asked, bothered by the fact that he didn't know. "You said fixing the Nature Sphere or making a new one would kill you, and yet, you've gone and fixed it."

"Temporarily," she emphasized. "Only temporarily and I did it using the chakra you left in it as well as the portion I could siphon from Nishiki's. I barely did anything at all."

"It doesn't show," he said firmly. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

And she heard something in the edge of his voice that made her heart squeeze. She swallowed thickly. "No," she said, "but I am doing everything in my power to make sure Nishiki does not have the option of killing any one of us on a whim. I have been strengthening the spheres with the technique Kiyohime used to create them—it is taking its toll on my body, yes, but it won't matter what happens to it here because this isn't our world." She started to pace and decided to lie, confidently. "I know my limits. I will not cross them."

"Do not deny you won't if it guaranteed our victory," he snapped.

"I would," she said honestly, carefully dabbing away at the blood to see it was not flowing freely. "But I won't die. I can keep myself alive for as long as it takes to activate the Universe Sphere."

The possibility hung between them, heavy and imminent like a shroud.

She planned to see an end to the conversation as she settled back atop a cushion, but she spoke regardless, "But if I do die, I want you to take the sphere as my successor."

"No," he said snappishly. "You leave that damned sphere to one of your Kuronumas. Don't you dare leave it with me."

"It can't be anyone else," she said, referring to the living. "You'll have to marry a Kuronuma, however. I could introduce you to someo—"

Madara grabbed hold of her, startling her, and dragged her onto his lap, her back flat against his chest. His free hand snaked its way up her chest before grabbing hold of her chin. Every muscle in her body tightened when she felt his face upon her neck, his lips brushing against her flushed skin leisurely venturing up to her ear. His breath danced across her flesh, like a ghostly, teasing touch.

With his proximity she feared he might be conscious of her heart's loud beating and grew anxious.

"I am not interested in marrying a Kuronuma," he murmured at her ear, low and deep. Her body shuddered involuntarily and she knew if he touched any part of her, she feared she might melt. "Or any other for that matter."

And then he did, his other hand abandoned her arm, roaming her body over the thin layer of clothing separating it from her flesh. He cupped her breast, kneading it gently, the palm of his hand caressing her sensitive nipple, eliciting a gasp. He moved his other hand from her chin to her mouth, silencing further sound.

He pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses along the curve of her neck. "Quiet now," he whispered, removing his hand from her mouth to tug her kimono top off one shoulder.

Heat pooled in the pit of her stomach and she felt delirious.

She reached for his hands, taking them off her body, reluctant to allow things to escalate further out of sheer embarrassment. But she did turn her head and pull his face to hers, pressing her lips to his. He slanted his mouth to deepen it, teasing the seam of her lips with his tongue. She opened her mouth to him and the searing kiss stole all functionality from her. If he pressed her, she would not deny him, but he did not.

Mio pulled away from him breathless.

"I'll marry you," he said, meeting her eyes and he was serious. "If you asked."

She opened her mouth to say something only to remember she had forgotten how to speak.


Saori exited the room with a tray of cold food. She set it at the table with a glum expression and looked to Mio for help. "She isn't eating," she whispered. "She isn't sleeping either. All she does is cry."

"Let me speak to her," Mio said, walking up to Nako's door, though she doubted in her ability to do so reasonably.

"She doesn't seem to want to talk, either," Saori confessed. "I tried speaking to her multiple times, but she does not answer me."

"Leave it to me," Mio said quietly, attempting to sound more confident than she felt. It fooled Saori as she smiled and nodded, reassured. Mio slid the door apart. "I am sorry for disturbing you, Nako, but I need to speak to you."

She entered the dark room, sealing the door shut behind her. Nako was lying on the futon, buried under the thick coverlets. And if it were possible for her to burrow further than the blankets, she would have and would have chosen to stay.

Saori being the most adequate person to speak to the Uzumaki, Mio did not believe she could make a difference. Sometimes one needed to heal. The silence was welcome company. It did not question you. It did not ask if you were okay. It kept you company, but it never pitied you. But it was deceptively kind and she did not believe secluding one's self helped in any way.

"You don't have to say anything to me," Mio began. "I only want you to listen." For all she knew, Nako was sleeping and all her talking was for naught, but this conversation felt long overdue. It was informative and relevant to their experiences in Nishiki's world. "You must have been so scared when you woke. Alone in the Whirlpool Country. Everyone different." She sat atop the cushion beside the futon. "I apologize that you were dragged into the Artifact War without real knowledge of what that entailed. I am even sorrier that I am asking you to remain my guardian for the remainder of the journey." She dropped her eyes to her hands sitting atop her lap, feeling awkward. Situations like these where comfort and tact was required were difficult for her. "I don't know what horrors you faced. I can only imagine them if the artifact was driven into activation."

Changing the subject to something she understood better lessened the tension that rendered her body rigid. "The artifacts protect their host," she said. "They do so in a way to keep you out of direct harm. I saw the bruises however and I know they must ache even now. Even after they are gone, they are a dull ache." She paused. "I hope you understand that what was done to you there, in your country, was Nishiki's doing. It is the effect of this world and Nishiki's influence over them." The clans within the Whirlpool Country were known for their good-naturedness towards one another, only lashing out at the shinobi clans that bore them ill will. "Nobody controls the changes made within their psyche here. They have become pawns, greedy for power only the Emperor can provide, and their actions in obeying them should not be held against them." She saw the Uzumaki girl stir, lifting herself onto her haunches, the blankets sliding off her slouched form. And her eyes bore into Mio's, red-rimmed and glistening green, and she recognized the resentment. Tasted it. "You cannot hold this against them. They had no—"

"How would you feel if your entire family treated you the way mine have treated me?" Nako snapped, giving Mio no time to speak up. She scoffed, speaking harshly, "What would you know? You don't have no family to speak of. You do not under—"

Mio grabbed her by the collar in a burst of fury. "You are not the judge of what I understand or not."

Having heard the shouts, Saori appeared at the entrance. "Mio?"

"What you are asking me to do is incomprehensible," Nako continued loudly, baring her pain for the two of them to see. Anger made it easy for her. "You are asking me to forget, to forgive them! But you do not know what it feels like to be treated like a thief, a pariah, a monster! I was not even human! I was shame!"

Mio's grip tightened because it was not fair to either party, but Nako refused to understand that the Uzumaki clan had become another set for Nishiki and Ayuka to toy with and that their actions did not reflect who they truly were. The people she loved and respected, those she grew up alongside, they would be the same people when they returned to their world. "If I can look into the eyes of my enemies and forgive every vile thing they have done to me, then you can forgive the people that you love because none of this is their fault." She released her with a shove and stood. "And I have a family. I have Takuto, I have Sako and Minako, I have the Kuronuma clan, and I have my guardians. And if I they had put me through hell and back in this world, I would forgive them because none of it would be their fault."

"They were going to kill me!" the Uzumaki shouted, a desperate, crying edge in her voice made Mio shudder. "They would have killed me!"

Mio stormed out of the room, blood boiling.

Hashirama intercepted her path in the hallway, caught one glimpse at her and knew she was upset. She figured anyone would be able to tell. "What's wrong?"

She reminded herself to breathe.

"I heard shouting." Taiga appeared to join them.

Again, breathe in, then out.

She needed to keep a cool head and be understanding. Not everyone could forget something so vicious and she could only imagine what she had gone through. She found herself fighting off frustrated tears. "I was too cruel," she whispered. "I said some very cruel things to her."

Hashirama reached for her arm. "It'll be okay," he said. "All you can do now is apologize and Nako will forgive you."

"I don't want to apologize to her, she is being completely illogical," she replied, and when Hashirama made a move to walk in, she snapped, "Nobody goes in there."

She stormed down the hall with a huff, the two men following after her.

"Where are you going?" asked Taiga.

"I'm going to buy something," she replied and put out her hand for money he reluctantly put inside it. "Thank you."

"Should I go with you?" Hashirama asked, exchanging glances with Taiga.

"No, I can go on my own."

Mio returned to the inn after a lengthy walk in the afternoon air. She walked towards Nako's room where she found Saori waiting in the small sitting room separating hers and Nako's room.

"Welcome back," Saori said politely. "Would you like a meat bun? They're still warm."

She took one, thanking her, and walked straight into Nako's room before Saori could ask any questions. The Uzumaki girl was buried under the covers again and sniffling, but she peered up with reddened eyes to see who entered, only to groan with exasperation.

Mio sat at her bedside, setting the meat bun beside her. She pulled out the hanafude deck she purchased during her walk. She did not expect her words to reach Nako, nor did she expect to have one conversation capable of changing her opinion of her. No, she wanted to talk about stupid, insignificant things and take her mind off the bad for even an instant.

"Would you like to play hanafude, Nako?" she asked, shuffling the deck.

Nako ignored her as expected.

"My mother and father never taught me any games," she started. "I had no need for them. I grew up learning skills that would be necessary in my line of work. Hanafude was not one of them. I always wanted to know how to play something. Hanafude. Shogi. Go. Anything." She paused. "But I needed to accept that they were useless to me, thus unimportant—unnecessary."

She set out the cards between them for a game, knowing she was listening and that she would not play.

"I was taught to play hanafude recently," she continued. "I did it because I wanted to annoy Ayuka—she's the Motou priestess we're fighting. It worked by the way. Honestly, I never thought I would enjoy it as much as I do." Lifting her eyes to the bit of red hair sticking out from under the blankets, she asked, "Have you ever played hanafude?"

Again, there was no response.

Undeterred, Mio continued to speak. She talked about anything that came to mind, particularly those that were of interest to her because those subject came with ease. She offered to her ears her desires for the future and her own fears about them because they were fighting to come out, clawing their way. It was liberating.

Until finally, after hours of speaking more than she had in weeks, Nako spoke, "I know what you are trying to do. You want to go fight your war. All of you."

"Only because we are all desperate to go home," Mio answered truthfully, "and because there are people we care for that are at stake. Takuto, Yayoi, and Tobirama are being held prisoners and will be executed if they have not been already." She severed her connection to the spheres in Nishiki's possession so she did not know what awaited them up ahead. "If there is a chance they are alive, I want to see them well."

"And if they are not?"

Mio lifted her eyes to the ceiling. "I don't know what I'll do," she admitted, "but I want this to be over. I'm exhausted of all this fighting."

Nako slowly rose into a seat, uncovering her puffy face, and wrapped the blankets over her body.

"I apologize," Mio said, staring into the Uzumaki's bloodshot eyes. "I was cruel earlier and I apologize for it. I do not know how you were hurt and I will not pretend I do. And yes, I am here because I need your help, but I will not force you to offer it when you are unwilling. I do not want to rush you and I would have given you all the time in the world to help me if there was a time in the world in which you would." She felt dreadful for having spoken so harshly, even going so far as saying in her fit of anger that she would not apologize. She sank down into a deep, respectful bow. "I am so sorry."

Mio stared at the tatami underneath her face, the silence spreading between them.

"I came for a different reason this time," Mio admitted honestly. "Because I'm stubborn and because I want to tell you something. When we return to our world, when we are all together again, come with me. You can come with Takuto and I to our home—though we are not sure where that may be, there are many roads up ahead and many adventures to find one suitable for us. A little exploring might do us good after this is over, so stay with us. You do not need to go back to the Whirlpool Country; you do not have to face what you went through in this world, not until you are ready. I'll take care of you."

She lifted herself, unable to gauge at Nako's reaction. The redhead only stared at her blankly.

Mio quietly set the untouched meat bun in front of her and left the hanafude cards spread all around her before standing, excusing herself. At the sliding screen she turned to seal it shut and saw as Nako reached for the food, bringing it to her mouth. She smiled behind the closed door, her heart a little at ease.


It had taken another day before Nako left the comforting darkness, which had kept her company for so long, and had handed Mio the hanafude deck asking if she would teach her to play. Mio had felt a swell of excitement at the thought and had assured her that she would not find a better teacher.

Nako had convened with them later for one final talk about their plan and appointed herself the same task the others had and thanked them for bearing with her for the last couple of days. That same night, they had left the inn behind them and made the grueling trip to the Earth Country.

Standing in the outskirts of Nishiki's territory, they saw where the hunter clans had absconded. They stood all around, within the castle and around it, atop the giant stones surrounding it, hidden and watching, though they remained unnoticed.

Mio stared on ahead as Madara tried to hide his excitement for the upcoming battle while he spoke with the others over the final details. There were watchtowers along the tall, black gates and clutters of interconnected buildings within the castle surrounding a hexagon shaped courtyard covered in dried blood. If she closed her eyes and concentrated, she was able to pinpoint the pulse of the artifacts inside and knew that finding them would mean facing off Nishiki or Ayuka, or worse, both.

"Do you remember your position?" asked Taiga, distracting her mind from manifesting fears.

"Yes," she said, taking hold of her Time Sphere and bringing it to her face. The cool glass relaxed her, reassuring her that she had done all that she could with the artifacts. All she hoped for now was that they protected her guardians.

"Let's go," Madara said, the first to jump down from the giant stone from where they were perched.

Everyone else went in a different direction, splitting up until they could come together into pairs.

Be safe.

The end of the road had arrived, so quickly Mio could taste the outcome.


xl note: Before anything, I want to thank Loteva for suggesting hanafude because I was desperately stuck in that particular area and it helped me finish the chapter earlier than I thought possible! The alternative was not as adorable. Sorry, I love Mio wanting to play hanafude...even if it is to annoy others. :X But honestly, I always write out of order, but this chapter takes the cake on that. I wrote the second to last scene first, then the first, etc...it was insane keeping things linear (but I hope I caught everything while editing).

Secondly, the story won't end on a disgusting odd number, so you have two more chapters to go after this one and that is officially the end. So, story ends on 58. AND I will be posting weekly since that was the more popular response, every Friday.

Thirdly, I want to thank: Loteva, Kettobase, and HushedFable for reviewing! :)

And lastly, for anyone curious, Mio totally ran away from Madara after he said what he said.

I'll post a preview for the next chapter in a day or two.

Thank you for reading! :D