Chapter 12

It was mid-winter when Anomie was assigned to dispose of a child's mangled body. It didn't snow in Konoha, but the streets were covered in frost and breath turned misty when it protruded through open lips.

Anomie had been minding her own business, jumping roof to roof in attempts to get back to her shower and escape the cold air that pierced her skin. Her muscles were sore and her eyes were sagging, likely fixed with dark bags, as she felt ready to collapse at any given second.

Any other time, she might have just slept on the roof like a cat, but the cold weather and the glimpse of blood on a dirt road caught her attention. She still found herself tempted to leave, but she held her ground and jumped next to the corpse. The blood made it almost difficult to guess the gender, but judging by the height, the kid couldn't be more than 6 years old.

She shut her eyes and looked up towards the sky, wondering what grand injustice she committed to saddle her up with every tragic and controversial murder in Konoha.

She ignore her lamenting as she knelt down and placed two fingers on the mangled neck, already knowing that the chance of finding a pulse was slim to none. However, she refused to let it be known that she didn't at least try. As expected, there was no movement and her fingers were bloody by the time she pulled away.

Twice that night, she contemplated just leaving and taking a shower. She even got ready to hop away and let the next unlucky jerk deal with the intense amount of paperwork that came with a report on a child's demise in the boundaries of Konoha's borders.

But, knowing her luck, she'd be the one assigned to clean up duty in the end. Dirty jobs always got passed to the 'monster' of Anbu.

By the time the first scream rumbled in the street, Anomie physically shuddered at the civilian child's shout of "Help" as if doing so would bring the mangled corpse back to life. Anomie truly hated children sometimes, and as a crowd began to form, all chances to just leave faded in some forgotten corner that she couldn't reach.

"What happened?" The whispering began and Anomie had no experience on how to calm it down. Would it be insensitive to just toss a blanket over the corpse and drag its bleeding form to the dumpster?

Anomie finally turned towards the crowd that had begun to gather in a disorganized mess of fear and horror. She raised her hands up, her eyes narrowing as her voice lowered to represent authority. "Step back." No one seemed to listen to her for a moment, but when she raised her killing intent they all took a step back while she let out a sigh of relief.

The panic of murmurs didn't dissipate as Anomie turned back towards the body and took out a small sealing scroll from her holster. Sealing the living was nearly impossible, but sealing the dead should do the trick.

She got ready to make the arrangements when four Anbu landed near her feet. "Report." The bear masked man ordered and Anomie stood up straight, noticing the noise from the crowd was what most likely brought their attention. Anomie did find it strange that the Uchiha police force weren't the first on the scene, but she found little care in the politics and feuds of Uchiha and Konoha.

"Time of death approximately," Anomie took a closer look at the corpse while the scent of rot invaded her nose. "Yesterday...around 15:30."

The boar sighed, examining the body before holding out his hand for the sealing scroll. Anomie handed the scroll over without a single hesitation. She stood up straight while the other Anbu dispersed the crowd. Kakashi appeared not long after next to her with Pakkun on his shoulder.

"It's a little difficult to track with the rotting smell interfering," Pakkun said as Kakashi knelt next to the corpse, both of his masks probably aiding the process.

"Get what you can," the Anbu in the boar mask ordered and Kakashi nodded.

"Antiseptic..." Pakkun said, and Anomie watched his pug nose scrunch up.

"So the killer dabbled in the medical arts?" Stated the boar, and Kakashi shrugged.

"The scent doesn't lead anywhere. Whoever placed the body here did it in a way that it couldn't be traced," Pakkun said, circling the body. Anomie back away from the dog as her lips grimaced in disgust.

"So it was some sort of body flicker?" Anomie asked, keeping her voice blank.

"Appears so," Kakashi replied.

"Someone wanted the body to be found..." Anomie tilted her head to the side, walking on the opposite side of Pakkun. "There are no signs of the body being dragged and no signs of struggle. It's either this kid was very willing for its new surgery or it was put under."

"It appears to be a she," Boar stated, obviously not approving of the girl's word choice. She only shrugged, grabbing the girl gently and flipping her on her stomach.

"Her clothes are creased on her back, showing that much pressure had been placed for a long period of time where she laid flat on her back," Anomie flipped the girl back over and lifted a bloody arm. "There are injections wounds and major bruising from needles all over her more visible veins."

"So, we're dealing with some kind of mad scientist?" Boar asked and Anomie glanced up with a blank expression.

"Seems to be the case," Anomie replied.

"She seems to be a civilian," Kakashi murmured and Anomie only shrugged as she glanced towards Kakashi's masked eyes. One eye shined red with his Sharingan as his gaze darted over the girl's body. "Her Chakra reserves are still apparent and small."

Anomie was slightly relieved that the kid hadn't been from a clan. The amount of trouble that would show up if a Hyūga got murdered would surely affect the village. Although, more important than that, she'd be sent on reconnaissance missions for months just because one Hyūga decided to get skewered.

"Lets move the body," boar ordered and Kakashi and Anomie shared a glance and nodded.

From the corner of her eye she caught sight of golden eyes and dark black hair. The moment she turned to inspect what she saw from her peripheral, the area of shadow was gone.

A part of her instinct told her the sight had been significant, and as she walked towards the shadows of the buildings she felt a sense of apprehension cloud her senses. It was early morning, and the sun had barely risen so the shadows were dark as she approached.

"What are you doing?" Kakashi asked, completely shutting down all her curiosity on the yellow eyes that tore through her.

"Nothing," she slowly turned towards him, her cat mask concealing that flicker of emotion that crossed her face. "The body is taken care of?"

"Only a mild report left," Kakashi replied and Anomie nodded.

"Well...I'm going to train," she murmured, all previous thought of sleep gone. She noticed Pakkun on Kakashi's shoulder and tried to slyly back away.

"What are you doing?" Kakashi asked and Anomie flinched as the dog hopped down next to her feet.

"I think she's afraid of me," Pakkun said, oddly amused despite the previous sight of a mangled corpse earlier. Kakashi obviously wanted a distraction.

Anomie's eye twitched and she jumped onto the roof, leaving the dog and Kakashi behind.

»»⎯⎯⎯¤⎯⎯⎯««

It was midnight of July by the time Anomie saw those yellow eyes again. This time she did not hesitate to approach the man who watched her from the shadows. The streets were all empty in the area she walked, so she knew that if something happened, she'd likely be forced into confrontation. She didn't really care and her body moved towards the shadows just as a man with long black hair walked towards her.

"Who..." Anomie couldn't finish her sentence.

"Your seal has been removed," the man's voice was deep and raspy and it made Anomie's form twitch.

"I know you..." She said it so slowly and so softly that she wondered if he heard it at all.

The man circled around her, like a predator and oncoming towards its prey. She had never felt so hunted, and yet fear was nowhere to be found. His eyes were hypnotic that her defenses dropped.

"I should...know you," her voice came out in a murmur, so soft that she thought her voice might crack.

"I am pleased to see how you've grown."

Anomie's lips parted and closed, but when she went to reply, the words died on her tongue. "You know who I am?"

"You're my one and only, Fuyu-chan," his voice only grew deeper and the name made her eyes widen. There weren't any people alive who knew that name and she had even began to wonder if those who she allowed to know it would end up dying. "You changed your name, but you can't change your Chakra...your unique Chakra."

"That..." Anomie found her brows scrunching together and wished that she wore her cat mask to cover her emotions. She didn't trust the emotions that erupted over her. "I..." She gripped her head and in mere moments the man's palm rested on her cheek. He was much taller than her and she was forced to look up to meet his gaze.

"What a failure I had passed you off as, but you're so much more now," his voice sounded prideful in the tone of someone who discovered a new project.

"Who are you?" She asked slowly.

"Orochimaru," his voice sounded prideful and yet calm in a way that made her press her palm against his hand that remained on her cheek.

"I can't..." She regained control over her fleeting emotions and took a step back, away from his hand. "You said you thought I was a failure...what did you mean?"

"Your name is Iburi Fuyu," he said simply and her brows furrowed. "You were brought to me when you were young. You can say you were like my daughter." She fought back a shiver that ran through her spine.

"I am from a clan?"

"Yes."

"Are they still alive?" She found herself asked, and watched as Orochimaru's face turned completely impassive.

"No."

Anomie nodded, finding herself oddly affected by the loss of a clan she knew nothing about. It was a tiny prickling of pain that stole her expression for a mere instant. She noticed the golden-eyed man was staring at her intently and she slowly nodded her head. "It makes sense...are they just particles in the wind?"

"Poetic..." He mused with a slowly forming grin that caused her to shrug, "Yes," he said simply and she blinked. "I had expected the same to happen to you once it became clear I could not help them. I sealed your Chakra instead."

"You placed the curse mark?"

"Yes. I didn't expect to see you ever again and I am quite impressed you've lasted so long without it."

"That's what they all tell me...I suppose I'm just too stubborn to die," Anomie's brows furrowed as she caught the snake-eyed man studying her as if she were a specimen in a lab. "Why are you coming to me now? I've been in the village for years."

Orochimaru looked amused as he leaned his shoulder against the wall with an odd gleam in his eyes. "With a completely different name and matured face. Believe it or not, I did not intentionally seek you out."

Anomie tilted her head to the side, "Why did my mother take me to Kemuri? Why not stay here?"

Orochimaru looked amused, but Anomie caught the brief glimpse of rage in his eyes for a split second before it dissipated. "After your clan went up in smoke and disappeared, she grew fearful you would have the same fate. She wasn't an Iburi. I suppose the death of your father drove her over the edge and she feared you would share a similar fate. She took you and ran. I know not why."

Anomie had seen many men lie, and caught the glimpse of deception in his eyes. Under normal circumstances, Anomie would have cared, but the longer she stayed with him, the more her once chaotic heart felt a moment of peace. Her body physically couldn't reject him. It was a strange emotion that she found odd, but she didn't fight it. There was no desire to fight it.

He was a man who knew her name. He was a man who knew her mother. And ultimately, she believed he saved her life.

"What do you want?" She asked slowly. Anomie wasn't stupid and could recognize the greed in his eyes without having to look too hard.

"Believe it or not," Orochimaru took a step forward, his head tilting to the side as his palm rested on her head. "I only want to see you grow. I want to see your abilities first hand. Wind does not effect you like it had effected your kin."

"It did...I thought it was going to tear me apart...but my Chakra..."

"Is greater than I could have pictured."

"I feel like I know you..." Anomie's head burned and Orochimaru's entire expression disappeared into some dark void. For a brief second, she saw the tiniest bit of emotion in his eyes before in disappeared completely.

His voice was light as he walked past her. "Anbu has done you well, but I can help you become great...powerful."

"There is no price?" She asked, turning her head and glancing at him from behind her.

"There's a price for everything, but it isn't always you who will pay the debt," Orochimaru's glint of greed caught her eye and as he held out his hand, she began to wonder if he was the devil. His temptations of power and acceptance wasn't something she knew well, but as she caught his eyes again her body was pulled by some invisible force that turned her form around to face him completely.

She didn't hesitate or tremble when she placed her palm in his hand. She didn't blink or wince or think. It was all instinct. Her mind had drifted away from her and ran into some dark corner in the far end of her head. Every doubt she ever had disappeared when she stared into his eyes.

"I will help you become powerful, Fuyu-chan."

She couldn't even be bothered to correct him in her name. More than anything, she didn't actually care what he called her.

A part of her was hesitating, but she couldn't hear that toneless tremor. She simply didn't care about it.

She only wanted the power this man had to offer.

She only wanted to hear her name on his lips.

She didn't know why.

She didn't care why.

»»⎯⎯⎯¤⎯⎯⎯««

It was at the end of August that another body was found, and it seemed that each corpse was haunting her and following her every move. It was like the killer was stuck in her shadow, but every time she would turn around, she would see nothing but the haunting blackness. The body wasn't far from her apartment, causing the whispers to erupt at the possibility that she was the killer.

She wanted to laugh until she cried. If she killed someone, why would she do it so close to where she lived? Did they all think she was a fool? The saying goes, 'don't shit where you eat', and oddly enough applies in this instance.

The body was in the same shape as the rest when she found them, and once more she was tempted to toss it in a dumpster and go get some barbecue. The alternative did sound far more pleasant. Instead, she shook her head and sullied her name with a new controversy.

»»⎯⎯⎯¤⎯⎯⎯««

Orochimaru was far more serious about Anomie's training than she had originally thought, and his attacks were nearly impossible to dodge. He ripped holes and found mistakes in her bloodline ability at every angle. It had been months since she'd been so much as scratched, but he managed to break her leg in two days worth of training.

"You...You're crazy," Anomie stated, trying to move her broken leg as she glanced towards the pale man who stood with his arms crossed. She was slightly embarrassed that she had allowed herself to become so arrogant, and was slightly thankful that Orochimaru had, quite literally, beat that arrogance from her mind.

"Your skills are better than I thought," Orochimaru said simply, a tiny chuckle escaping his lips. Anomie didn't want it to, but a sense of pride filled her chest at his compliment. She had been complimented many times, but never before had one compliment filled her with so much emotion. She almost lost her balance, but swiftly regained her calm.

"You broke my leg," was the words she finally decided to mutter, and heard a chuckle from Orochimaru in return.

So Orochimaru was in fact sadistic. Somehow, I couldn't be completely surprised.

"Only one. Hop to the hospital if you want," Orochimaru's amusement didn't fuel any anger or hatred. Anomie was beginning to think she couldn't be annoyed with a single thing he did, but she was annoyed at herself because she didn't know why she gave out so much unadulterated devotion. It wasn't natural.

Instead of commenting, Anomie stood on one leg, ignoring the pain. She gave Orochimaru a side ways glance. "Do you want me to hop?"

"Surely you can figure out a better method," Orochimaru gave the girl a knowing smirk and Anomie shrugged, her body up in smoke. She didn't get very far when Orochimaru shoved his fist into the cloud.

The feeling of her Chakra being absorbed filled her with a sudden sense of alarm as she felt her Chakra become compressed until she experienced a sensation she had never had while in her other form. She couldn't breathe. It was a pain so abrupt that she found that her control shifted away from her.

Her body went spiraling to the ground at Orochimaru's feet, naked and bruised.

And yet, when she looked up to his amused face, she couldn't be angry at the attack. "It seems like upsetting your Chakra balance will upset your abilities."

"Is there a way around it?" She asked, and he knelt down next to her as she covered her breasts with her hair, her clothes were bloodied underneath her. She noticed that he didn't appear interested in her body at all, and that made her feel something akin to contentment.

The idea that a man could stand in her presence and not sexualize her was an experience she had never gotten.

"Chakra control and training," his raspy voice sounded amused as he placed his palm against her cheek. The way he touched her was the way one would touch a specimen in a lab. Anomie knew that it was creepy, but his eyes captured her respect and she couldn't stop herself from nodding.

"Orochimaru-sama," her voice was filled with obvious admiration that she found herself unable to keep out. "Why are you training me? Something tells me you don't take students lightly."

His eyes were sharp, and pierced into hers like blades. "Your abilities...I want to see them grow to their highest level."

"Why? Is there something you can gain from that?"

She saw his eyes flicker in an almost unreadable manner, and even though she knew that it was probably suspicious...even though her mind was telling her this man wasn't trustworthy, she didn't care.

"What does any mentor get out of watching a student grow?" He said with a light chuckle as he stood up. She knew he dodged the question, but wasn't certain she cared what he had to gain regardless.

She knew that her body remembered him, even if her mind was reluctant to sift through her memories. The way he absorbed her Chakra felt so potent, much like her own similar ability.

The physical resemblance in Chakra was one of the first things she noticed as he stood.

She wasn't the greatest sensor, but their Chakra was nearly identical.

And she knew he could see that too.

But that was odd...not even siblings had the same Chakra. Not even parents and their children.

Something like this was impossible.

»»⎯⎯⎯¤⎯⎯⎯««

It wasn't until mid winter, when all the trees lost their green hue, that another body was found underneath a dried plum tree. It looked much like the last one with its disfigured arms and bruises from the pressure of thick needs decorated the mangled child's form.

The only difference was this child wasn't a citizen. He wasn't a child who wouldn't really cause a ripple affect throughout the village.

Uchiha Aoba was found, covered in dried leaves from winter's breeze. His skin was frozen and clammy, barely holding onto the small details of humanity. His eyes were open wide and his fingers were stiff at his sides.

If Anomie wasn't so used to dead bodies, she might of felt disgust or pity or remorse.

But as she knelt down by his shriveled corpse, activating her sealing scroll, she only felt the cool chill of the morning dew that bounced against her skin. Her Anbu mask tilted to the side with her head as she body flickered away after carefully tucking the scroll in her weapon's bag.

Konoha's citizens could scarcely handle the sight of another child victim, and she knew that an Uchiha if anyone, wouldn't do well for the possible panic. But mostly, she didn't want the village to associate her with the dead child. She already got enough contempt to last a lifetime, and had no desire to add the cruel death of a eight year old to her list.

By the time she turned around, Kakashi was standing stone still. His Anbu mask was nowhere to be seen, but it wasn't too odd to see him in casual clothing since she did live just below him. His one eye was visible, and was narrowed on her weapon's bag and then to her hands that were covered in specs of dry blood.

"There's been another murder," he murmured it so casually, but Anomie could practically feel the tension from his disturbed gaze.

"Uchiha..." she muttered, and they both knew what kind of chaos such information was likely to create.

"How do you know?" He asked, and Anomie shook her head.

"His clothes...held the crest," she muttered, walking past him. She meant to end the conversation, but his fingers wrapped around her wrist before she could escape.

He didn't speak for a long moment, before she heard the soft murmur of his sigh. "Don't put yourself in a position to cause more trouble." That didn't sound like what he wanted to say, and she found herself oddly curious as to what he had omitted from his words.

"Kakashi...you've been kind to me," she whispered it, so lowly that she wasn't certain if he could hear. "But..." The words she wanted to say wouldn't pass the barricade of her lips. She didn't know why she was having so much trouble uttering out her next sentence. I'm like a poison. I am not your friend. I am not your ally. I am a disease that burns away those who get to close. She couldn't find the words and settled for turning her frame to him, her head tilting to the side as her cat mask covered her expression.

"I haven't been kind to you for selfless reasons," Kakashi interrupted, his voice piercing through her ears with a hollow ring and a swift and cold chill. "I'm using you."

To anyone else, these words would have been harsh and blunt and heartless, but Anomie let out a tiny sigh of relief.

"Is that so?" She said it so lightly that she wasn't certain he understood her. Or maybe he did and knew that none of his responses would have gotten them anywhere. "I'm using you too." Her words were slightly louder this time, just enough for him to hear her. Their bond together was weak and running thin, and they both knew that one wrong move could ultimately sever it. She sighed, releasing the built up tension in her shoulders. "The weather has been getting colder...almost like the beginning of snow." It had never snowed in Konoha, so her comment was ominous, and Kakashi took it in strides. "Things are changing."

"Don't be stupid..." Once again, anyone else could have taken his words as harsh, but it made Anomie almost smile when his fingers finally dropped her wrist.

She only nodded her head and continued to walk away, but before she disappeared from sight, she turned around to see Kakashi glancing towards the spot where the body had previously lay. "See you at home."

Her last parting words came out like that of a promise, and she saw his back stiffen at her unexpected voice. She was slightly happy to see she could obtain such reactions from him. Their bond was brittle, but it coiled around her neck like a noose. If she pulled away, she was afraid it would choke her and cut into her skin.

In a world where everyone she cared about was gone, departing with Rin's last smile, she needed Kakashi's thin bond.

He was necessary.

But he whether or not he was anything else, she didn't know.

»»⎯⎯⎯¤⎯⎯⎯««

The Uchiha death caused a tremor of chaos to span out from the already weary clan. Many things could have sparked the distrust and bud of disillusion to blossom amongst the Sharingan clan, but a death of one of their own had been the final straw to erupt in the village.

After the Kyuubi attack, the village had deployed many Anbu on mission to watch over the clan. Whether or not the Uchiha were aware of this, Anomie wasn't too certain, but she did her duty and stayed out of sight from the Uchiha's watchful eye.

Maybe her extensive knowledge with the clan's linage and characteristics was what made recognizing the surname of the dead child so simple.

The Third Hokage, upon recognizing the distrust growing between the village and the Uchiha, issued an order than Anbu weren't able to brush over. Surveillance was then increased to stage four and soon enough, every angle of the Uchiha complex was surveyed in secret through many cameras and 24/7 watch.

Many of the village elders still believed the mask man to have been an Uchiha, and had little trust in Anomie's statement that there had only been one attacker.

»»⎯⎯⎯¤⎯⎯⎯««

Kakashi had been shifting through the motions, and watching the Uchiha clan had become a full time job, leaving little room for much else. His new team was an oddly nostalgic one, and a recent change besides his new rise to Anbu captain. Chikanori and Ageha were an odd bunch that Kakashi oddly wished would disappear forever.

He wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because of Chikanori's bright smile.

He didn't care the reason. Maybe it was how Ageha always tried to one up him.

He didn't care the reason. Maybe it was Chikanori's annoying crush on him.

He didn't care the reason. Maybe it was the dreams of blood stained hands and rocks smeared with red.

He cared...too much and he wished he didn't.

That was around the time the third body turned up. It was a harsh reality. A blood smeared corpse of a Uchiha boy. Another Uchiha boy. His eyes had been gorged out in such a professional way that Kakashi found his blood run cold.

Reality seemed to truly hate the white haired girl who found the third corpse.

Despite this chaos surrounding her name, Anomie's face was blank when she knelt over the bloody child's body. It was blank when she shoved a cloth over his face. And it was blank when she glanced over to Kakashi's figure. It was silent, apart from Anomie's steady breaths in the winter air.

"Look at that. This village is running through my nine lives," she murmured in a slow, yet oddly amused tone of voice. "Pretty soon I'll be down to one."

"Leave." His voice came out in a quiver before he could help himself. "I'll say I found the body." It seemed to slightly surprise Anomie, but other than that tiny glance his way, her surprise became masked as well.

Out of all responses, he never expected Anomie to laugh. It was an unamused, bitter laugh, but her shoulders shook with its tremor. She looked up into the sky, still laughing when the first anbu ninja showed up. She looked taken back by Anomie's laughter, but her appearance made Anomie's shoulders shake even more.

"Is this funny to you?" The Anbu ninja's voice was hoarse, riddled with accusation.

"It's really not," Anomie said mid laugh, her eyes dancing with mirth that looked to be broke to Kakashi's eyes.

"I'll handle this, you and Anomie report to the Hokage," Kakashi ordered, and being on a higher superiority made the Anbu Crow nod, albeit she saved a hesitant glance towards Anomie.

Anomie's face was blank, as if her lips hadn't as much cracked a smile. From beginning to end, Anomie hadn't so much as met his eye, when he knelt down next to the body he grew tense when he felt her delicate hand rest on his shoulder.

Her lips neared his ear in a motion so opposite of intimate that he had to suppress a shiver.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Koinu."

She disappeared moments later, as if she had never stood behind him. He was left alone with a corpse on an empty street at four in the morning.

He wasn't quite so sure who was cursed: him or Anomie.


Author's Note

This chapter is called Kurokkasu (クロッカス). In English called Crocus. I felt it signifies Anomie's changing character. It is also a perennial flowering plant that you would likely see as the first flower poking out of the snow. The crocus is a poisonous plant. All parts of it are actually toxic.

Anyway this chapter took a while, cause work and the fact I had to edit and split this chapter into two cause I didn't like how the ending and middle flowed together.

So, Anomie and Orochimaru finally met. I think anyone who actually watched the Naruto ark for the Iburi clan would know this was gonna happen. I didn't make up Anomie's kekkei Genkai, as that is an actual one in the show shown during the Kakashi saga. Episode 352.

But yeah, the next chapter will be a bit...racey cause I've been planning it for a while.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

Also, thank you to everyone who commented last time for me to update. I can't tell you how much those prompts make me wanna write.