"It has been a long time, Fuyu-chan," Orochimaru's voice made Anomie want to stab him, but unfortunately, with them both being projections that scenario was very unlikely. The rest of the Akatsuki surrounded them in a circle, making the room grow with tension that likely didn't much affect the sociopaths that resided in league with the red clouded cult.

"It has, and yet it feels like I see you everywhere. The assassination attempts have been been very funny," she clicked her tongue and raised her hand to hold up a circle of praise with her pointer finger and thumb.

"I don't believe I know what you are talking about," Orochimaru replied, and Anomie scoffed with a slowly growing smile.

"Of course. What was I thinking?" she said, hearing Kisame chuckle from next to her. He didn't look too different from last time she saw him nearly snapping Tetsuna Hyūga's neck on the bodyguard mission so many years ago. "Did the abdomen wound heal okay?"

"I lived," Kisame replied with a grin at the memory of Anomie's fist puncturing Tetsuna's chest in order to wound him. "Your comrade, however, did not. I never got a chance to say how amusing that was."

"Was that not the mission that got you suspended, Fuyu-chan?" Orochimaru's voice made Anomie's eyes narrow.

"No. Funny story. My suspension was brought about because some manipulative asshole with a scalpel and minimal medical knowledge framed me for killing quite a few children," Anomie retorted with just as much sarcasm.

"Minimal medical knowledge," Orochimaru snickered, but Anomie was able to see that she had at least offended him.

"Tobi is here and is a good boy," Tobi exclaimed as his hologram appeared in their very unhappy circle.

"Anomie is here and wishing Tobi wasn't," Anomie retorted with a roll of her eyes, having had quite enough of Tobi's playful and so obviously fake demeanor. Simply put, she trusted him less and less everyday.

"I thought we were friends, An-chan," Tobi said in a pouty voice.

"Fuyu-chan hardly can keep a friend," Orochimaru said with a raspy chuckle.

"I seem to recall that your friend has tried to kill you a couple times. Maybe you've heard of him? White hair? Likes boobs a little too much? Probably overcompensating in some shape or form. I would not insult my lack of friends, considering you can barely keep a specimen alive let alone a friend," Anomie replied, an Kisame chuckled from next to her.

"I think what you two need is a nice and friendly fight to the death," Kisame said with a sharp toothed grin.

"I'll show you something nice and friendly," Anomie promised him with a quick lash that made his sharp grin widen.

"Can you guys just cut to the point of this meeting. I have better things to do," Sasori interjected.

Pein opened his mouth to speak, but moments later, Anomie let out a gasp as a white bone stuck out of her shoulder. "Oh you have got to be kidding me." She glanced towards the smirking Orochimaru with narrowed eyes before she began to undo the Jutsu. "You are a serious dick."

She came back to consciousness with a frown as she held onto her shoulder where the bone protruded in the exact same place where she had gotten stabbed the very first time by that kodachi wielding jackass who had just gotten finished murdering Ohashi.

"Kimimaro," Anomie greeted, letting out an obvious wince as she began to pull out the sharpened bone. "Dick move, seriously. Dick move."

The blood spurted from her shoulder with no reprieve as she undid the bandage that rested around her upper thigh. She tore off her Akatsuki coat in order to reveal that pink skin with smoldering blood creeping around the edges. She quickly wrapped it in a bandage, her eyes not breaking from Kimimaro's stare.

"Kimimaro, aren't you tired of Orochimaru's endless orders by now?" she asked and he took a step forward, causing a slight forewarning shiver to run down her spine. "This kind of mission is beneath you, and yet he sent you anyway."

"You're wrong," he replied, holding out his palm as a bone shot through his wrist and became his sword. "I offered. I wanted to be the one to find you."

Anomie's eyes slightly softened at the kid, no older than 10 years old, preparing to live for a man who had no loyalty to anyone but himself. "You did tell me that you would chase me to the ends of this world."

"I did."

"But I didn't say I would make it easy," in moments her hands flew up and made a couple seals, forcing her to spin around as fire danced at her feet. As she spun, the fire soared towards Kimimaro unsuspecting figure like a barrage of needles coming from her fingertips.

He fell for the distraction, jumping backwards as Anomie turned into smoke, creeping into the trees and hiding in between the leaves. Looking through the haze of smoke at Kimimaro's frustrated face was rather amusing and it helped that she was still trying to reorganize her tolerance for pain. It was surely going to be painful to become corporeal to the feel of a wounded shoulder.

"Are you going to hide the entire time? Is the Anomie I met just a farce or have you always been such a coward?" Kimimaro asked, and Anomie wanted to scoff.

Who stabs an unconscious person, only to lecture them on being a coward?

But of course, she could not speak. She slowly crept back through the thicket of leaves and onto a bigger tree branch. She reorganized the cells in her shoulder, attempting to close the skin upon turning corporeal. Her feet descended against the tree branch, and slowly her upper body turned back into flesh. She glanced at her shoulder, finding she had at least managed to close the skin, no matter how weak that boundary was and how easily it could be broken once more.

"Anomie, hiding won't change anything," Kimimaro told her, and Anomie slowly grabbed her summoning scroll, one simple hand sign away from release the Ho'ou before her eyes narrowed.

No. I will kill all of Orochimaru's allies with the power he had bestowed upon me Anomie's thoughts were morbid, and to this very moment she had no ill will for Kimimaro. However, she was quite tired of men attempting to control her life. I always knew when men were trying to deceive me, and yet I never try and stop them.

The curse mark burned across her skin and overtook her, until it felt like her body was on fire. She squeezed her eyes shut, and let the blood lust overpower her. Her feet kicked against the branch, breaking it off as her hands made movements to draw her katana before her brain could commend her actions. Her blade connected with bone, and even her shoulder no longer bothered her.

"You're using the power he gifted against him? How low can you sink?" His voice was calm, but Anomie could see him for what he was: a child. And this child, under Orochimaru's domineering and manipulative thumb would do nothing but turn this kid into monster. After all, Orochimaru turned her into a monster.

Or perhaps Anomie had always been a monster. Perhaps it doesn't even matter, because she was a monster now. How it happened doesn't mean a thing.

"Low enough so I can meet him in hell," she answered, shoving Kimimaro back, just in time to notice a piece of bone had sliced across her cheek. It didn't make her feel a thing. It was like all her pain receptors had been turned off and she knew that it was dangerous, but everything was turned off so she couldn't find it in herself to care.

"The time for talk is over, Anomie," Kimimaro said, and in moments the ground erupted with sharp bones, forcing Anomie to jump back to avoid being impaled.

"You're really going all out," she whispered just as a bone motioned to pierce through her heart. Like a rock going into the ripples of water, the sharp and steel like bone sunk into a cloud of smoke. The next few did the same thing. "Kimimaro, you cannot beat me with taijutsu. Surely you know this?"

"You are overconfident. Weren't you the one who taught me that arrogance was a strong component in the greatest of losses," he said, forcing Anomie's lips to curl. The black lines that covered her arms must have curled around her heart as well, because while she knew that he was correct, she didn't care.

It was liberating. She didn't love anything, she didn't even hate anything. There was this emptiness that reminded her of the days when she would first put on her Anbu mask and have purpose, before that same Anbu mask became an endless joke at her expense. That was all just gone.

"When you grow up a little, you will see that everybody has ideals to spew your way before they contradict every one of them under a swift act of hypocrisy." Anomie lifted her hand, seeing the black lines had started to turn her skin blue. She felt for the Chakra in the air, cupping at her palm and in moments the air itself lit aflame as if she had dispersed a million tiny bombs, smaller than they eye can see. In the right hands, oxygen was a simple thing to turn deadly.

Kimimaru's bone acted on their own, and by the time the air ignited around him, his bones that remained in his ribcage had acted on their own to curl around his entire body and spread open, flat enough to encase him.

By the time she had a moment to move, she was greeted with his face covered in black lines, much different than her own. However, it didn't stop there and in moments they covered every part of his face until his skin was blue.

"Kimimaro," Anomie whispered as his body began to warp. "Is Orochimaru really worth this type of power?"

"You would never understand. You know nothing of loyalty or friendship," he said in return.

"Don't assume I do not know loyalty just because I have no one left to be loyal to," she answered, her eyes blank as the power of her curse seal began to retreat.

"Are you giving up? Running away?" Kimimaro dashed forward, but just as he went to strike her, her smoke body went through him and she walked away behind him. "What happened to that bloodlust?"

"It's in here," she pointed to her heart, and he noticed that her kimono was ripped. If he looked hard enough, he could even see the bags under her eyes. "It is my choice if I make it known."

"You think I will let you escape?" His speed was astounding, and bones leapt from his arms to rip her in half. She let them all pass right through her and she could see that her own kekkei genkai was beginning to make him angry.

"I don't want to fight you," she said, and his teeth clenched together.

"You have no choice. There's no going back. Die Iburi Anomie," he said, and in moments his speed increased tenfold, making it difficult for her to dodge the bones that came her way. She twisted her waist, finding that she wouldn't be able to keep going from incorporeal to flesh fast enough to dodge every one of his attacks.

If she stayed as smoke completely, his bones would decimate her into a barrage and there would be nothing to keep her together. With his curse mark, it would take too long to wait for his Chakra to give out. She couldn't stay on defense forever, but she also didn't want to kill him. So what did she want? She never knew the answer to that question.

His finger tips pointed straight at her, and in moments the bones in his fingers became stronger than steel, flying right at her. If she used her curse mark, she knew she would end up killing him. She no time to summon the ho'ou. If she turned completely into smoke, upon becoming flesh her body's movements would slow, just enough to give him the chance to take her life. All her options left her dead or killing him, and of course, she held no regard for her own life.

Everyone would be better off if she died here. Kakashi could move on and get away from the memory of their kiss. He always deserved better than everything she offered. It would be better this way. Maybe she'd even see Rin again. Maybe Rin would forgive her.

"No," she murmured moments before wood rose from the ground, taking the blow and simultaneously knocking her back. "The fuck?" The wood covered her like a cocoon, as if she was going to spring out like a butterfly. She raised her hand and rubbed it against the bark, feeling the concentrated Chakra underneath the surface. It reminded her of something Sarutobi Hiruzen had told her that night so many years ago, just before the day she murdered the Anbu pursuit force, all for Orochimaru. She told herself she did to gain his trust, and perhaps that was true, but perhaps there had always been some part in her that hated Konoha. "What did you do to me, Orochimaru?"

Kimimaro's arm looked like a spear when he tore through her wooden barricade.

"You are full of surprises," he said, his eyes blazing as he raised his hand to end her life.

"And you are so predictable," she whispered, her body erupting into smoke as she took advantage of his arrogance to fill his lungs. He buckled back, and her Chakra filled his body. "I told you. Arrogance is a downfall. Your attacks are still too predictable. You're fast, but you're too direct. Fighting is a dance, treat it as such."

"Why are you giving me advice? Kill me already if you are going to spend this entire time talking me to death," he said, but her Chakra was already working its way up his bloodstream, fighting off his curse seal and forcing him back to normal. His knees buckled as the strength the earth seal had given him, vanished.

She escaped his body, catching him by the shoulders before he could fall. "I don't want to kill you, Kimimaro." He attempted to shove her away, but she was stronger. For now at least. His strength doubled everyday, and someday in the future, he too would surpass her. However, currently he was only a child and she had time to prepare.

"Let me go," his hiss was strained, and his eyes were cold.

"Run away with me, Kimimaro," she whispered, leaning down and meeting his gaze. "Find your own purpose. Orochimaru will use you until he takes every last thing that makes you strong. He will suck the life out from you, so...run away with me."

"Orochimaru is my only purpose," he replied, and Anomie's eyes squeezed shut. Maybe if Orochimaru had gotten to her earlier, she might have ended up just like this boy. "Come back with me. This ability you have...wood control, he would covet that. He would accept you back and forgive you, so come back."

Her eyes widened, but she knew she could never do that. The thing inside her that told her to live for Orochimaru, that had just been a farce, a way to find a place to belong. Orochimaru was not her salvation, and she hated him. She hated him for isolating her in Konoha. She hated Danzo for sending her on so many missions that made her kill so many people.

So she couldn't go back to Orochimaru because if she did, there would be no redeeming herself. She would never be able to face Rin for as long as her hands were still dyed red.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her eyes closing just as she disappeared before his eyes. His Chakra was depleted after she forced his curse mark into retreat, so he could only watch her disappear.

It was during the night of the Uchiha massacre, where Kakashi stood, motionless and without action at the damage that Anomie had wrecked in havoc. He began to wonder what stupidity and deranged judgement that could ever keep him thinking of this woman. It was foolish and irrational and yet he couldn't stop. Even now, there those feeling were, but he knew they could become nothing.

They were meaningless, but she was right about one thing. "There's no going back." He glanced up at the grey sky, filling with the aftermath of smoke. The black that had lit the clouds in ash was only just started to depart by the time the Anbu ninja had brought the last body. It was of a man that Kakashi could just barely recognize. Uchiha Fugaku.

Kakashi watched Itachi Uchiha stagger to his father, his eyes unreadable but his fists were clenched at his sides by the time a little boy came rushing forwards. "Father!"

"Sasuke get back," Itachi's voice was calm, and in moments he had covered Sasuke's eyes with a speed that not many could possess so quickly after seeing both their parents had been killed.

Kakashi felt a guilt like no other, knowing that this could have been avoided if he had only done his duty. He should have killed off his heart and shoved his blade through Anomie's heart the moment had the chance. She had given him so many chances to do just that, almost as if she wanted him to end her life.

Or perhaps she was mocking him because she knew he never could.

"This one's still alive," Kakashi heard Tenzo said, holding up the unconscious body of a black haired woman. Itachi Uchiha had frozen at the sight of his mother, resting almost peacefully in the the arms of an Anbu ninja. The only sign of the tragedy was the ash that covered her face.

"How is that possible? Every inch of that room was scorched," another Anbu whispered, just as Kakashi had been wondering the same thing.

More than that, Anomie was the most thorough assassin he had ever met. She got the job done, no matter how brutal her methods were, she wasn't sloppy. He had known her almost eleven years, and her attention to detail was her most admirable trait all those years. If someone lived, it was by design.

Itachi had frozen, and it nearly seemed like any move would cause him to break, but Sasuke's arms around his waist kept him strong.

Kakashi shook his head. If Anomie had done this and let someone live, this wasn't some random massacre. He didn't know what it was, but he almost felt he needed a reason not to hate her. That wasn't right. He'd never move on at this rate.

He just had to forget about her entirely.

That was the only way he could live, because he knew she'd never be honest and sometimes, people weren't meant to know the truth.

"Please, just keep them coming," Anomie ordered, taking another drink from the bartender of the land of keys.

"Bad day?" said the voice of a stranger that caused her lips to quirk.

"I am so annoyed, I can scarcely breathe," she replied, feeling the alcohol slide down her throat in a timid burn.

"Is this anyway to treat your body after I spent all that time trying to fix it?" Tsunade asked and Anomie turned her head towards her direction with a slowly forming smile.

"Lady Tsunade, if that is your mindset on this, I do wish you would drink less," Shizune's voice echoed from behind.

"Nonsense. I'm fully sober right now," Tsunade plopped down on the seat next to the white haired girl and smiled. "Three bottles of your finest port." At the sound of the order, Shizune let out an annoyed sigh as she sat down, the small pig in her hands nuzzling into her chest.

"I'll pay for it," Anomie announced, taking out a fat wad of coins that may or maybe not have belonged to the man that had once sat in Tsunade's very seat.

"Three bottles, are you serious?" Shizune muttered.

"Ah yes, you do owe me a fair sum of compensation," Tsunade said with a smile as the bartender handed them the bottles of wine.

"That I do," Anomie said, pouring them the wine.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have the mannerisms of a a geisha?" Tsunade asked and Anomie lips curled up as she glanced at Tsunade through the lashes that blanketed her eyes.

"I was a prostitute most of my life," came Anomie's casual reply. "I guess some things just stick."

"Hmm, that sucks," Tsunade said with a shrug as she took a sip from the wine. Anomie followed suit before wrinkling her nose at the sweet taste of the wine.

"Not really. I have excellent manners," said Anomie just before Tsunade and Shizune scoffed. "I wish you two could have excellent manners. What brings you to the land of keys."

"A Konoha ninja tracked me here, now we're just trying to ditch him," Tsunade explained, and Shizune let out a large sigh.

"Which is a little hard to do if you are sitting here conversing and drinking," snapped Shizune as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Lighten up, Shizune," Tsunade retorted.

"What does Konoha want with you?" Anomie asked, and the Sannin sighed.

"They do this every couple of months when they have an overload of patients for me to treat. I don't think they understand when I say I am retired," said Tsunade, taking another swing of the drink. "I just want to spend my remaining years in peace."

Anomie and Shizune's eyes rested on the wine that sat comfortably on the table. Both of the women's eyebrows raised in response. "Peace?"

"Obviously my idea of peace is different than Shizune," Tsunade commented, causing Shizune to let out another sigh.

"This much alcohol is not good for your liver, especially at your age," explained Shizune.

"First of all, my age is of no concern. I am at the ripe young age of 26," began Tsunade, causing Anomie's lips to quirk. "Second of all, I am a doctor, and as a doctor I say this is healthy."

"26? How long have you been 26," Anomie asked and Tsunade's lips quirked.

"Too long," Shizune said with a sigh.

"I don't know why you tried so hard to run away, only to sit down and drink with a stranger," the voice behind her made Anomie want to bash her head into a wall.

"Beat it kid, I'm with a friend," Tsunade replied and Kakashi sighed, his eyes not even focusing on Anomie and she didn't know which was worse: seeing him and still wanting him, or him seeing her and pretending that she doesn't exist.

"Why don't you have a seat and drink with us?" Anomie asked, immediately reprimanding herself for making conversation with him. Of course, she wanted to hear his voice more and more. Maybe it would be enough and if she could see just how much he now disliked her, she could let go.

His eyes darted to hers for the first time, not missing a single beat of his composure as his deadpan hurt far more than hatred. Of course, she played along, scooting her chair for a place for him to sit in between her and Tsunade.

"No. I'm fine as it is," he said, turning his gaze back towards Tsunade. He pulled out a scroll from his weapons bag, tossing it at Tsunade's back, not surprised when her hand snaked behind her and caught it without so much as turning around. "It's a message from the Third Hokage, as I'm sure you already know. Despite what you might say, you are still a Konoha ninja. You have responsibilities."

"Kid when you get to be my age," Tsunade said with a sigh.

"I thought you were 26?" Anomie asked with a slight smile as she took an uncaring sip of her drink.

"Shut your mouth," Tsunade retorted.

"I didn't come here for a lecture. There is a survivor of the Uchiha massacre. We need you to help wake her up." Kakashi's words were obviously said out loud in order for Anomie to hear, and maybe he wanted her to show some reaction.

However, all she did was take a sip from her wine with a glance towards that scroll that now rested in between her and Tsunade. Of course, Kakashi should have known she would keep that perfect composure. He almost wanted to know what rested beneath the mask that she tried so hard to protect.

At this point, he doubted there was anything more beneath the surface. She was empty inside and he couldn't stand looking at her any longer.

Author's Note

Anomie...why you do this? I swear, Kakashi is like a saint or something. After everything, and he still loves her? Like bro. But I'm proud of him, and he's slowly moving on from her. Still, that loyalty is a dog's loyalty. I do really like Anomie and Kimimaro's relationship though, it's like brother/sister of the sort. Pretty sweet.

Ivy (Tsuta) 蔦 - means Friendship, continuity

One more announcement, I released a new Anomie/Kakashi video on youtube. The link to it is on my about me page .

ALSO, someone drew me fanart, thank you so much ch3rie! I will have links to that on my about me as well.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me. I know, there hasn't been a whole lot of Kakashi in this story. For that I am truly sorry. I try to focus on pacing for times when he's necessary to show up.

And yes, it looks like Anomie was experimented quite a bit, able to use Hashirama's wood kekkei genkai. Shame she kind of sucks at using it though :)