A/N: First chapter of 2016! Let's clarify this: Shikamaru showed up 2 hours after the SH interaction, not before and thus, this chapter will start with the content that occurred in-between that Shikamaru-absent time. It will help explain why he was so surprised when he first appeared.

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Chapter 17:

Frost

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"I'm the snow on your lips

The freezing taste, the silvery sip

I'm the breath on your hair

The endless nightmare, devil's lair.

Only so many times

I can say I long for you,

The lily among the thorns

The prey among the wolves."

-Feel For You by Nightwish

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XXXX

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December

She was thinking deeply, he could tell.

The set of her mouth, the distracted flexing of her fingers, the slightly spaced intake of her breaths; they were all subdued signs to her preoccupied state, signs he'd seen too often in her hospital room.

Despite her inner focus, her head would move every once in a while in response to movement and sound, her covered eyes following suit in mindless habit. Sasuke had chosen the cavern for its well-fortified structure, but some echoes would still make it through the sturdy rock formation, sometimes in hollow resonance, sometimes in harsh whispers as the storm he'd postulated raged outside like a bloodhound in a mid-winter hunt.

He sat by her side, a silent and firm sediment himself, although a warm and comforting one in Hinata's perspective. Contrary to popular belief, Uchiha Sasuke was a living furnace and Hinata was slowly but surely taking advantage. His long coat had yet to be discharged and it continued to mantle her cozily like a thick quilt. Hadn't she slept for quite so long already, the possibility of curling up by his side and staying there would've been high.

Though the thought was tempting, her brain found itself in constant disarray, succeeding in keeping her wide awake.

That and the fact that she hadn't said a word for the past hour made him restless, and if there existed something Sasuke just didn't do was to fidget. Which was what he came close to doing every time he glanced at her face full of serious contemplation. He could swear he'd looked away for a few moments, only to return to a Hinata struck by thunder.

Figuratively speaking, of course.

Some kind of idea had popped into her mind out of nowhere and she'd been in a trance ever since, the head that had rested comfortably on his shoulder straight like a rod as she looked directly ahead.

Sasuke wasn't one for interrupting inward conflicts, but the frown marring her face became more distressed by the minute. Against his better judgment, it was driving him mad. The worst part, he had to admit, was that he had no idea how to broach the subject without sounding like a pathetic sap.

If it was the Team's whereabouts that weighed on her train of thought, and if she asked about them, then Sasuke was ready to just tell her and get rid of this unnecessary atmosphere.

Finally, and with a contained sigh that ached to be released, he decided that being direct couldn't possibly hurt.

"…What is it this time?"

The way she stiffened told Sasuke that behind the white of her gauze, she was blinking those long lashes she possessed, gradually but surely coming to. "Pardon?"

Eye twitching in the most insignificant of movements, Sasuke turned his onyx eyes (which had wandered) back to her face. "You've been thinking hard for a while, and whatever is roaming through that little head of yours is becoming a nuisance to you." And me, he mentally added.

Her how-do-you-know face was an amusing sight to behold, but amused was far from what Sasuke felt at the moment.

"You're not exactly difficult to read," he informed her. The fact that light was faint and that his dojutsu had to be turned on in order for him to notice her giveaways was avoided.

"Ah." He detected the trace of mortification but didn't press on it.

For now.

"It's just that I've been thinking –"

"Have you now."

A mere glance his way shut him up. "...I was just thinking that this is strange."

Lifting a questioning dark brow wasn't enough to make her continue. So he asked, "What is?"

Pulling the thick garment closer to her, the Hyuuga failed to reply right away, still seemingly pondering on the foreign matter.

Placing her index finger underneath her chin, she abruptly realized who she was talking to and what exactly she'd been about to say.

"U-um, never mind. It's...not very important."

If she thought that was enough to satisfy him, she needed to think again. She had stammered, thus unveiled her nervousness.

He hadn't watched over her and not learned nothing, especially when he suspected the start of a blush faintly but steadily bleeding on her cheeks.

His eyes narrowed. "Hinata."

There it was. The drawl of her name in that tone of voice was a weapon she needed a good counter-attack for. But such a thing lacked existence and she may as well be without armor as she tried to make herself smaller. Just what exactly was it about him that gave her strength but bared her very being at the same time?

"That's not going to work, you know," he told her dryly.

Didn't stop her from trying...

Deciding to save herself from further remarks, she finally admitted quietly, "Us."

It took him a second to catch and process that. "Us," he repeated slowly, the syllable lingering in his tongue. "You were thinking that we were odd?"

Well, he couldn't technically blame her if that was the case. They weren't regular people with regular lives and regular clans.

"I-In general, yes. Specifically, though, you said something to me, months ago."

Unsure whether or not this admission surprised him, he idly waited for more, his curiosity aroused. What had his past self said to her that could suddenly steal her attention away?

"That first time you took me inside my mind, I was surprised," slowly Hinata unraveled, trying to start from the beginning in an attempt to make sense.

There was so much hanging in her mind it was hard to find a concrete order.

"I'd never encountered anything like it, and I was startled. Of all the meditation rituals taught to me since I was a child, nothing could compare to what Uchiha-kun made me experience. However, what astounded me the most was that I could see. The sight I had lost was back, and I was in disbelief. It can't be this simple, I remember thinking, and yet, it was. I could see you, I could see myself reflected in the water, I could see again." She gave a frail smile, her gaze downwards, absentmindedly brushing a lock of wavy indigo behind her ear.

Sasuke watched her motions with steady eyes, though his mind was somewhere else, redirected to the last persisting days of October in which Hinata's life was so dark it was hard to watch.

Now, at the end of December, her stage of pandemonium was not over, and yet, she could now speak to him in hushed voices and mumbled words and place chase, tender kisses on his welcoming mouth without much reserve.

Now, two months later, he could approach her without wanting her to hurt or fear him. Now he could lightly trace his fingertips over her flushed skin and pull her close without her recoiling or immediately remembering the physical abuse she'd gone through.

He could still feel her immense apprehension for the unknown through her mindscape and its icy state, could still observe her physical wounds, her lowered pride, her constant pain; but her mouth tasted unmistakably of courage and her scarred flesh of vigor even when the unmerciful forces of fate assembled against her.

"When I awoke that same night to find you gone, a part of me was disappointed to see nothing but blackness spreading in front of me. I was back to where I started and I didn't know what to make of it. It was then that I remembered your warning. A warning that said not to trust anything, to not believe, to not expect truth."

"I asked you if you trusted me..." Sasuke fell into step, snaking his arms around her to bring her close, his eyes far away, his chin on top of her head.

"...and I said no," Hinata finished, burying her face in his chest. I'm sorry.

Sasuke huffed. "You did good," he assured her quietly. "You had no reason to have faith in me. I never came to you with good intentions in the first place." And he hadn't. He really hadn't; the memories of wanting to break her, to end her himself and only him were fresh in his train of thought.

It disturbed him, the fact that he would have hurt her so deeply had he been given the chance.

Still, he wondered if her answer to that old question had changed, if the way she turned to him with gentle smiles and red-dusted cheeks meant her perspective of him differed from before.

"Ne, Uchiha-kun?"

"Hm?"

Swallowing the imaginary lump of sand in her throat, she curled her trembling fingers in fists, readying herself to ask something that had occupied her mind for the past hour. "That warning was part of what I was thinking about, but there's something...else"

With his face half-buried in her messy hair, he was keen to present her with whatever she wanted. "What?"

"Do you...?

"Do I?"

"D-Do you still hate me?" came her muffled question a moment later, her face turned away from his.

A pause.

Then a set of gloved hands forced her to face his way.

He was aware that she had known he despised her; he not once had kept his distaste for people at bay, but with her, he'd overexerted and he knew it just as she did. With her situation and his change in disposition, it hadn't occurred to him that she might have doubts about their standing.

He wasn't completely confident in his position as a love interest, for although he didn't talk to Naruto a lot these days, he was constantly reminded that the idiot had once held the heart of his doll. Because no girl had ever held his notice, he'd believed Hinata knew of his views on her. All along, he'd thought of her as his, but also of him as hers. Completely and utterly hers.

He now understood that wasn't the case, and that some things needed addressing as well as assurance.

Albeit he was straight-forward in his manner of approaching any subjects of importance, he was better at acting first and discussing later. So assurance it is, then.

The brush of a cold nose surprised her as his head bowed and leaned close to hers. Positioning his thumbs on either side of her neck in search of a good hold, he pushed her head back until she found herself completely facing upwards.

Huh? "Uchi—"

A second later, a pair of masculine lips flattened completely against her own, chapped and rough but so very warm. A bolt of lightning sprinted through her veins, raising goosebumps on her skin, and leaving her utterly breathless. His movements were done swiftly and precisely, not one motion wasted or lacking purpose, leaving Hinata railing and at a dazed loss.

She gasped gently when his mouth parted at a tortuously slow speed, unable to respond any differently at the sensuous movements of his lips consuming her.

But Sasuke wouldn't have any of that. Demanding, he cradled the back of her skull in one hand and used his index finger to gently grasp the dip of chin and prompt her lips apart for him.

"If this is considered hate," he murmured darkly, "then I must despise you very much."

Catching her bottom lip between his teeth, he gave a tender bite.

The air in her throat hitched, but it didn't stop a sound of utter pleasure from exiting. Startled and completely flushed at the noise, she tried to pull back.

Sasuke was adamant to continue. "...No, you don't." Amusement and wickedness colored his voice, and she found that if he didn't stop, her heart would be paying a mighty prize, if its wild palpitations had anything to go by.

Eying the area below her chin, he traced and suckled the line of her jaw until he could feel her chest rise and fall rapidly against his own. Placing a secure hand around her waist, he hoisted her on his lap, and the legs at each side of his hips caused the fire in the pit of his stomach to roar more than ever before.

Muffling a groan that sounded primitive even to his ears, he settled for resting one of his hands under her thigh. He absently noted that his gloves were still on, and with impatience, he shook them off. His fingertips ached for her flesh, and he wasn't about to let a pair of gloves get in his way.

"If this is hate," he whispered with difficulty against her collarbone, the white of her skin tight against bone, "then I've hated you for a while."

"How long?" she insisted to know because 'a while' wasn't enough to satisfy her and because she had no idea when she'd started to want him this way and she wanted answers.

Pulling on the strands of his hair, trying to tug him closer as he covered her neck with kisses that tingled and burned, burned, burned her, she stumbled upon the realization that what she felt wasn't mere attraction nor simple need, but that this was as true as the sky was blue and as the sun rose from the east every morning.

The coat that provided her with warmth pooled on their laps, forgotten and replaced by the fire only two people could lit.

"...do you want to know?" he asked in her ear, something obscure and passionate swimming in the smoldering depths of his eyes. It was something she could feel dancing on every inch of her body, and the electricity that charged between them was rich and pure and everything she'd never felt. This surely had to be some kind of sorcery. Either that or he just wasn't human.

He took her resounding whimper as an assertion, his fingertips trailing the side of her ribcage under her shirt.

A small palm firmly fell over his, stopping him on the exploration of her body. He was a mere millimeter away from her brassiere, the cloth that protected one of her greatest intimacies.

Not feeling dejected, but understanding despite the rush of adrenaline and the need of feeling more, he instead outlined the scars that tore at her side lightly, each finger careful in caressing each past wound with such reverence he made her feel sacred.

His respect for her limits made her want him so much more she could cry.

"Do you really want to know?" he repeated, hushed and yet with the same, if not more, of the intensity he's applied the first time.

She nodded her head, her mouth opening as he touched the delicate dip of her waist. "Yes..."

Brushing over the goose-bumps he'd caused, he leaned forward, capturing her bruised lips in another kiss, this time so deep she doubted her very name, yet all she could think was Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke...

"I've hated and wanted you from the very first time we met." And as he said the words, he knew they were the ultimate truth and that he was desperately crazy over her and that there were no more lies or excuses he could feed the void that made up his heart.

It didn't matter if she was too much trouble or that her family would oppose him from courting her (because Sasuke knew with certainty that they would) or that some kind of psycho was after her.

All he cared about was that she was here, warm and alive. She was still gentle but jaded around the edges; she could smile again and she greeted him like a woman would welcome her beau. The more he knew of her, the more he wished to know, and the more he wanted her.

He was screwed. Irrevocably so.

Yet he wouldn't have it any other way.

Grasping his face in her hands as it was her way, she breathed deeply and shook her head. "Y-you don't make sense at all, Uchiha Sasuke-kun, do you know that?"

He did. Damnit, he did.

"You abhorred me from the moment you saw me on that training ground, and now, now you k-kiss me like your life depends on it and I..." She exhaled shakily. "And I don't even know how that's possible. You could have anybody out there, but instead... you're here."

Was that all? "That's because I don't want anyone else."

"And I can't understand why. I'm a m-mess, I'm not the most exceptional of kunoichis, and neither am I pretty."

He pushed her bangs away from her face and replied. "You don't see you like I do. That's all there is to it; there's nothing to understand."

"B-but I'm a–"

"I'm quite aware of that," he interrupted smoothly. "But listen to this, and listen well because I'll only say it once, do you understand?"

He waited for her to nod, and she did, reluctantly.

"I'm as imperfect as any human. I have weaknesses and strengths. Despite the Shinobi Alliance agreeing to my release, I'm still seen as an international criminal. We're living in the present, but my past still defines me. I don't usually sleep, my diet has to be the worst there is, and I'm a social inept. I haven't shaved in a week, my hair's an utter disaster and I'm sure I don't smell like heaven right now." Overall, he could pass for some homeless vulgar. "You think you're the only mess here?" He tapped her temple. "Rethink that thought."

He grazed her lips lightly before closing her parted mouth.

"Understand?"

"Aa. But..."

"But what?"

Smiling shyly, but with a touch of mischief, she mentioned innocently, "I still think Uchiha-kun is cuter than I am."

It took a moment for him to ingest the words, and when that happened, he almost reached out to clean his ears just to make sure he was hearing right.

When he was sure he hadn't heard wrong, he proceeded to stare at her in complete disbelief. Had she just called him...cute? Had she somehow hit her head when he wasn't looking?

It was one thing to call her cousin pretty, but him, cute?

No.

"Oh! Your cheeks are getting warm."

He frowned.

This woman. She had some nerve.

"...Is that so?" he asked with an air of nonchalance.

"Yes," she said cheekily.

"Hmm," he hummed, retrieving his touch, though she was still sitting on him. "By the way," he added as an afterthought. "One more thing, Hinata."

"Yes?"

He smirked, eying her from his peripheral before glancing away. "If it makes any difference, I think you're very beautiful."

It was obviously something she hadn't imagined he would confer because she was so caught off guard her mouth popped open soundly and a color of vivid red like never seen invaded her pale cheeks in a matter of seconds.

Sensing his smugness, she tried to regain her dignity. She attempted to say something witty but it was futile; she just didn't have a response to that.

"And no, I'm not mocking you," he said before she could even think of it and bring it up. "I mean it, doll." As soon as the words were out, he wanted to facepalm.

She literally had to stop herself from falling at the unusual nickname as another wave of color crashed against her, her blush so pronounced it by far surpassed the line of health.

Uchiha-kun...was daring. And sly. Very sly. He'd turned the tables with a single sentence and she didn't know how to feel about that.

She never told him that she wanted him, but Sasuke thought she didn't need to. Her actions bared her soul, and for Sasuke, that counted much more than evanescent words the wind could steal with ease.

It was a good thing she got embarrassed so easily, otherwise, he couldn't avoid but think that it'd be him and not her feeling the humiliation.

This was his cue to change the subject to less dangerous waters.

He was about to say something when Hinata's body went rigid. She turned sharply to the left as if stung and her sudden change of demeanor made him follow warily.

"Something's coming."

He slid his attention to her for a second before grabbing his discharged katana from his side. "Stay behind me," he murmured as he felt her weight disappear and he stood, but Hinata was already settling in that style of fighting so unique of the Hyuuga.

He had yet to feel anything, but he trusted her instincts. It turned out to be the right choice, because seconds later, he, too, felt the new presences coming.

One of them was familiar, and with a jolt, he realized who, and what, it was.

"Wait," he said, taking a hold of the outstretched palm of her hand. Ignoring the violent prick of her chakra cutting through his flesh despite being a mere rose, he lowered it to her side. "They aren't enemies."

Still frowning but compliant if slightly dubious, Hinata asked, "Who are they?"

"One of my summons, and the Nara."

Her surprise was evident in her voice. "Shikamaru-kun? He's here?"

"Hn. I left him with one of my summons so it could lead him to us once he was done with his business," he informed her.

"Business?" she repeated. "Is he part of your ANBU squad?"

"He wasn't until now, though it'll be temporary," he said and sheathed his sword with a satisfying click.

"And the rest?" she wondered.

Sasuke didn't have the answer she sought, for he didn't know and fabricating theories or lies just wasn't worth the effort. So he had to be honest. "I'm not sure."

Intertwining his fingers with her own, he gave a gentle squeeze.

"When we were on our way to meet up with the back-up team, we were ambushed. You were still in the scroll, and we couldn't put you in danger. I was ordered to take you away and protect you, along with the Nara, but he wanted to stay to see if he could figure out something about our enemy." He spoke faster when he saw the expression of pure panic on her face. A sound of fear escaped her gritted teeth and the light-hearten Hinata from minutes ago seemed to crumble before his eyes. "Hush, Hinata. Listen, they'll be fine. We're shinobi."

"Ino—she's with the back-up team. Shizune-san told me she would be!" she rasped faintly but urgently. "And if he ambushed them—if he touched her—"

He cupped her face the way she always did to appease him. He hoped the gesture had the same effect on her. "If Nara is here, then it means they made it out."

"Sasuke." She shook her head, and the sound of his first name coming from her rosy lips firmly prevented him from saying more. "Sasuke, hear my words," she begged him, gazing up at him from her short height. "He's dangerous. He's a monster; he knows nothing of mercy. If he –"

"It wasn't him."

The conviction and darkness he emitted made the anxiety in her body freeze.

Seizing her more tightly, he repeated, enunciating every letter as slowly as he could, "He wasn't there."

Had the bastard dare show his bastardy face, Sasuke would have known. He was sure of it.

"If he ever comes near you again, I will give him a sentence worse than death. Do you hear me? Worse than death itself, Hinata. If he thinks he's going to get away from what he did to your clan, from what he did to you...he can't be farther from the truth."

Warm thumbs wiped her tears, tears that had come so simply, and warm lips kissed her cheeks so tenderly her lids grew heavy and closed.

God, was this love? It had to be. She felt like her chest would burst; it was so filled with waning frost that evaporated when he was with her. He, a being rumored to belong to the darkness, had gifted her with sunlight and solace.

"No harm will come to you if I'm here."

Hinata felt the sincerity that radiated from him, and a sense of unfathomable gratitude pierced her.

"I don't want you to be hurt because of me, you know," she whispered but took a step forward and held onto him.

He scoffed.

Naïve girl.

"Don't underestimate me," he reproached her, grumbling. "I'm not one of Konoha's average ninjas." He definitely could take care of himself.

Besides, he thought grimly, a sinister red glint of menace entering his orbs. I'm not the one he's after.

It was surrounded by his arms the way Shikamaru was greeted when he finally made it to their location.

His expression, seen only by Sasuke, was a poem.

The guy looked scandalized. His dumbfounded features were almost enough to send Sasuke into cold, plain laughter.

Hinata sensed the Nara's presence a second later and reacted by taking a step back and out of the circle of Sasuke's protection.

For someone who noticed things from great distances even without sight, he mused, she certainly knew how to be consumed by him.

If her goal was to make sure the Nara didn't get to witness anything, then it was a goal lacking fruition for the brunet's eyes were slowly darting from her to him in quiet disorientation, as if he wasn't sure he was seeing what his eyes showed him.

Shikamaru wasn't stupid enough to not notice the bruised lips and flushed cheekbones. He'd had his own share of encounters with a certain Sand kunoichi and he could distinguish the aftermath of a kiss when he saw it.

The surrealism of the individuals carrying said actions was the most surprising thing of all.

Had the hawk's claws not been sharp enough, he was sure he's scrub at his eyes until they bleed just to rest assured he wasn't going insane.

Sasuke lifted his brows when the other man came short of words. "Nara," he finally acknowledged.

The so-called shinobi gave a slight nod of his head, not quite coherent. "Uchiha...Hinata-san."

"Shikamaru-kun," Hinata replied in earnest.

"Are you feeling better, Hinata-san?" he asked politely, for his frightening mother hadn't spent his entire childhood trying to nail manners into him to turn up with no results.

Hinata gave him a tiny smile. "Yes, thank you for asking."

"I'm glad." And he was. During Kurenai's pregnancy and Mirai's birth, Team 8 and Team 10 had grown closer to each other than to Team 7. There was a kind of mutual companionship, duty, and affection that connected the integrands of both teams. Therefore it was not unusual for Shikamaru to step up on his troublesome lack of manners and just be pleasant to someone he appreciated.

"Yes, much better, right, Hinata?" Sasuke butted in subtly, giving his summon a nod of approval before said hawk vanished into thin air.

Shikamaru blinked, surprised at the implication the Uchiha hinted at as he eyed the kunoichi's face with an alien softness that made the Nara queasy.

Hinata didn't seem to notice and her smile brightened a notch as it was redirected to the tall man in front of her. "Mhm."

Well, Shikamaru thought, at least her personality had yet to be corrupted.

"Shikamaru-kun, how's the rest of the team? Uchiha-kun told me about what happened earlier."

The weight that had deposited on his shoulders made its unreal appearance that had left with the shock that came with the most polar-opposite people on the planet having some kind of secret affair.

Tasting more than seeing the severity of the matter, Hinata pursed her lips. Sasuke watched her from the corner of his eyes with veiled hopelessness.

He glanced at the Nara, awaiting, more for his benefit than hers, for passable news.

Shikamaru wasn't ignorant enough not to notice. Running a hand through his spiky ponytail, he said, "The fight was...difficult, but everyone should be alright, with some treatment. Thankfully only the first stage of frostbite managed to get through layers of cloth. Otherwise, they should be fine. I came here with the Uchiha's hawk to let you know about the situation, and the recent developments." He paused, looking at Sasuke with hardened eyes. "And we captured one, you know. One of those shadows," he disclosed, flickering his gaze to Hinata resolutely. "We were bloody lucky."

Hinata's feet were rooted to the ground and never before had her head felt like it weighed tons.

Had Shikamaru-san said shadows?...Frostbite?

"Yamato-taichou and Sai-san are setting up a seal strong enough to contain it so we can investigate it more." He pressed his tanned lips together, and that small hesitation told Sasuke there was something more coming.

Something he was sure he wouldn't like.

"The Captains want Hinata-san to come along and see how it reacts to her presence."

XXX

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A sloppy wet sound cut through the room.

A head of what had once been platinum hair broke the surface, the now dark strands mattered with thick blood and blue flowers.

Bronze arms reached out for the edge of the crimson-stained tub in an effort to help their owner pull through the heavy liquid. They shook with strain, and after debating whether to stay and regain more strength or struggle and possibly lose her balance, Jivu unhooked her grip and simply allowed herself to sit back.

With her knees close to her chest, she threw her head back and sighed, dark painted lips once again full and well-formed.

The smell of metal and the intoxicating fragrance of flowers invaded her nose. Lifting a finger to her eye-level, she regarded the dripping sight before absently placing it into her mouth. The taste of copper invaded her taste-buds immediately and all she could do was sigh in ecstasy.

Oh, how rich and warm was blood.

"Such an addicting taste," she marveled, licking the last drop on her fingertips with genuine pleasure. "Don't you agree?" she called out to the lone figure made out of wisps of smoke that stood at the entrance of her secluded room.

The shape stared in her direction with non-seeing eyes but said nothing. If not for the lagged nod of silent agreement, Jivu would've thought she'd been ignored. Not that it was of much concern if the Shade answered; they usually never did. They were a silent race of creatures that blended into the shadows, forever hiding but never truly out of sight.

Especially when blood was present.

Shades liked the perfume and flavor of red, thick blood. To them, it was an alluring substance to be sought and craved. If they could get drunk on it, they would.

Jivu could understand them to that extent. She, too, enjoyed the satisfaction that blood could bring. It was sad news that no one else seemed to share this particular opinion.

A shiver ran through her naked body, and she sank further into her cryptic bath, eyes closed, hair whispering on the surface before yielding to gravity and be dragged to the bottom.

Feeling the Shade getting closer and sensing its curiosity, she observed it from beneath her pale lashes, amused at its hesitancy to approach too close.

It thinks I'm inside a protective circle, she mused, a glimmer in her green orbs. This Shade was cautious, unlike the ones that showed up in her other rites.

This...was convenient.

Well, at the very least she sure hoped this Shade was different. Jivu, after all, knew that Shades barely, if ever, appeared when the moon was black. Since only a single Shade had shown, she assumed this one to be powerful.

Hmm, powerful was what she needed. The hunt for her precious Byakugan Hime had drained her. The body that had once been filled with vital energy had turned frail and old, full of wrinkles and weak muscles in less than an hour.

Now, however, a day later and after soaking for blissful hours, the youth that had at some point in time belonged to her had returned.

But she needed more.

So much more.

"Come," she voiced soothingly, her tone a balm to the Shade's ears. "Fret not, for I have not lured you here to trap you in runes tonight." At least, not this time. Runes could only take her so far. This time, she had a different strategy.

The Shade did pause again after that, but came close, so close Jivu could smell its putrid smell and feel its sharp icy breath on her lips.

She smiled.

That was better.

"You desire blood, don't you?" she whispered, raising her arms in order to capture the figure's face. Seeking the warmth that Shades could not feel, the creature willingly granted its permission for her touch to reach it.

Jivu ignored the sensation of frostbite burning her skin.

"You like that, don't you?" she whispered, bringing the creature nearer and nearer until her entire flesh weighed with the pressure of black smoke. "You can have blood and warmth, you know," she told it, her eyes fluttering open. "I can give that and more to you. With a condition, of course."

The featureless face came nearer at her words. Jivu sank further into her bath in response, luring it in.

"I can give you all, if you lend me your strength...your power."

Silence.

"S...trength," it hissed quietly, "f...or b...lood."

Jivu bit back a smirk. Now they were getting somewhere.

Perfect.

"All of it, all of it! I can give you all the things you cannot have. Trust me."

The Shade eyed her and Jivu made sure to look earnest. It wasn't difficult. Her green eyes faded to warm emerald, her stolen beauty reflectively alluring and able to ease people into finding her trustworthy.

Shades, so detached from human emotions such as love, happiness, and lies, weren't stupid, but Jivu was too clever and too good at acting. She had to be in order to hide the chaotic madness and hate that thirsted after her every second of the day.

"Come," she repeated in its ear, expecting it to fall to her whim.

The Shade did not disappoint her; it didn't hesitate. Instead, it followed her lead, and soon, both Shade and Jivu disappeared into the scarlet liquid dotted with innocent blue flowers.

XXXX

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A/N: You know those times in which the story runs ahead of you and you gotta catch up? That's me. I took longer than expected due to certain factors, such as eye infection, college, broken glasses, and work. Also, I lost the document's draft like 3 times. That was deeply frustrating.

Thanks to just-a-secret-helper, straight-to-county & sogoygoy in Tumblr and to my beautiful reviewers NanamiYatsumaki, umnia, R-daisy, SahelTheWaltzingDinosaur, mangetsy, Megnigjoro, kl, SasuHina4evr, SigAnGelHeArt, 00Misty, TangoLimaCharlie, Uchiha-Dani-Uzumaki, luvhinata, OriSweatshirt, forgetmenotlovely, Guest101 (as for your question, Hinata's situation varies in that her chakra pathway was burned in the optic nerve area, so it's tough), TwilightZone, Guest, Saki-Hime, kibagaaralover18, Choco07, TIMN'DALLYS GURL, KaoriAyako, TAYYABALARAIB, mariawalker112, alwaysNaruHina, nottrustworthy, Akumakisses, CurryForMe, Lisonette, Guest, Yuki no Ai, 21me21, paranoidbychoice, Kaboozam, Black White And Inbetween, Lotusxdoll(you're a sweetheart), Guest (dang, 15 times? Yo, become my betta!), hyuuga-nala, Guest, Megingjoro, 13eyondx, Darth Lelouch, Anonymous, hime23, & dragonwing1780.

-5.21.16

Revised 3.13.20