a/n: hello again… I'm back… I thought I'll never finish this chapter. Anyway, here it is the fifth chapter.

Chapter Five: There isn't Always a Rainbow After the Rain

I cannot tell the sun to shine or the rain to stop falling. There are some things, no matter what I do, are just they way they are. I cannot change it. Some happenings are destined to happen. I cannot stop it. Sometimes, it is a planting of a seed and waiting for it to bloom into a flower, but it cannot always be expected to come out that way. There isn't always sunshine after a long dark night. Stars do not always shine after twilight. A seed does not always bloom into a plant. There is not always sunshine after rain. And similarly, there isn't always a rainbow after the rain.

Seasons passed. Spring turned to summer. Summer faded away into autumn. And autumn froze to become winter. Blood shed from the wars brought about new life. Courage became death. Death became ashes. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust; everyone is born and dies.And there is a certain time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.

The Great War was over in just a blink of an eye, or it seemed like it. Hakucho and I lived a peaceful life afterwards. We bought a small house that was not far from the faced carved mountain. I looked at it everyday dreaming that someday my face would be carved there. Even up to now, I always imagined that my face would be there; but I know that it will only be a crazy dream, a reaching for the stars in the heavens.

In our small house, we often spend our nights and hot afternoons together. We often just do nothing but enjoy the company of each other. On boring afternoons, she would sit down and make calligraphy as I stare out the clouds and eat watermelon. It was one of those I could never forget.

"Hakucho-dono," I said while slicing a watermelon. "Would you like a glass of cold Ceylon tea?"

She nodded and she paused was she was doing. It made it me wonder.

"Orochimaru-kun…ano," she said in a low and serious voice.

"Do you like me?"

I shook me head.

"Do you want me?"

I shook my head again.

"Will you cry if I go?"

"No." I said with a smile.

"Would you die for me?"

I still gave her the same answer.

"Do you value my life more than yours?"

By the time I answered 'no' to that question, she had already put down her brush and containing her tears. Her hands were trembling. Her raven eyes looked so confused. She was searching for something to say, I can tell. She took shallow breaths and stared at the ceiling. I think she was forcing back the tears that were falling. I put down the teapot and went to comfort her.

I knelt down to sit in front of her and touched the shaking hands. I gave her a soft smile.

"Listen," I said. "I don't like you because I love you. The reason I don't want you is I need you. If you go, I'd die not cry. I won't die for you. I'd live for you. I value my life because you are my life."

I can never forget the look on her face when I said those words. Tears were already falling so hard but she was smiling. She was speechless. Then, she moved closer to me and she clasped my hand that was holding her a while ago. Her face came closer and closer. Finally, our lips touched. I responded to her kiss. She hugged me. I hugged her. And though despite that it was a hot day, we hugged tighter and made each other feel how much we loved one another. It was one of the afternoons I could never forget.

Death, she walks slowly town after town, country after country, slaying people not choosing whether it was a man, a woman, or a child. If she thinks it was time, it will be already time. She kills with her Scythe of injustice and justice. She knocked on my door but I did not let her enter. I failed to realize that she did not need a door to enter to injure my weak point But, I neglected to see that death was waiting for someone close to me. I ignored death's call to her. A held her hand tight; so tight that I killed her. It was much like my pet sparrow when I was young. She was slowly dying. I loved my pet. But, my sensei said that if you loved her I'd let go.

"That sparrow, if you held that in your hand and clasp your hand so tight so that it won't fly, it would die. But, if open your hand that sparrow would live and fly away. Which would you choose?"

I knew that a human's life is short. But, I never expected that Hades would call her right away.

Her death was slow and painful. I slowly watched her death. I tried to stop it but, I am only human, not even I can stop death. Hakucho's health slowly turned from bad to worse. She first had a fever. It immediately stopped but it returned time after time. She grew weaker and weaker in just a period of a few months. Her gums bled and she became anemic within that span of time.

I searched for Tsunade hoping for her to cure Hakucho's disease but she could not do anything. I asked for the Uchiha's help but to no avail. I grew more desperate each passing day. That was when I built my own underground laboratory. I did research day and night hoping to find a cure. I knew a lot about the disease, but never a cure. Atypical white blood cells attack the other blood cells slowly killing the person. The cause of this disease came from abnormalities in her genes. I infer that this is abnormalities is caused by a similarity of chromosome in her parents. (This means that her parents were blood related.)

Finding a cure was next to impossible. Nevertheless, I tried. I did research and experimented on animals. As I found out, I need to expose Hakucho to a source of ionizing radiation in a specific amount. Too much will kill her and too little will have no effect. The radiation is from radioactive isotopes. Since Konohakagure does not have enough technology to harvest such power, I had no choice but to find a way. To be able to invent such technology, I needed time. So, I had no choice but to put Hakucho in deep sleep. It became successful. Of course, the Uchiha got worried and wondered what happened to her.

Along with that, my hopelessness grew. I knew that animals were not enough for testing because they do not give the same reaction with those of a human. With my desperate efforts, I started to capture ninjas and use them as hamsters. All failed. I knew it was just not enough, but I never gave up. Then, one day an Uchiha, her brother came knocking on my door. He was angry, fuming. I asked him what I could do for him.

"Where is my sister!" He yelled at me frantically.

I told him to enter my apartment and gave him a cup of tea. We sat down. It surprised me that he told me how happy his sister was ever since I came to her life. Nevertheless, I did not fail to tell him the current state of his One-san. He was speechless when I said 'almost incurable'. His face grew pale; his hands trembled.

Then, I heard some knocks on the door. I stood up and opened it. I did not expect what was behind that door. I was not prepared, I swear…

Four people were at the door, Hokage-sensei, Hakucho's parents, and Hakucho. She was being carried by her Oto-san. I fell to my knees and begged them to return her back into my laboratory. They refused. I begged but to no avail. I kept asking why. Why? Why did they take her away from me? Why did they want her to die? I used again the Kanashibari no Jutsuthe body freezing skill. But this time, it back fired on me.

"You are psychotic man, Orochimaru." My father-in-lay said. "I don't know what my daughter saw in you."

The man who I was having to with earlier stood and kicked my behind my back while murmuring. "You snake! How dare you!"

Then he whispered to my ear, "Now, I have to be the head of this damned clan. I will not be with the one I love."

I lied motionless in my apartment for that entire night. My heart had grown almost cold that night. Hakucho's near death, caused by her family, it gave me only one idea in my mind; revenge. My heart was already filled with anger, hate, and after sometime, suffering. That same night I already planned my revenge, not only for Hakucho's parents but for the entire Uchiha clan as well.

I woke up the following day feeling a hole in my heart. I knew that she would die that day and there was nothing I could do about it. I begged to see Hakucho one last time. They were reluctant at first but in the end they agreed. They led me to the room in which Hakucho's almost lifeless body laid.

"Hakucho-dono," I whispered. "I'm sorry I was not to cure you. I tried everything but-"

She smiled weakly at me and reached for my hand. I held it tightly.

"Gomenasai…" I murmured. "gomen…na…sai…"

Tears were flowing down my cheeks. I was crying. She looked into my water-soaked eyes.

"Oro…chi..maru…kun" she said weakly. "I don't want to remember a sad face before I die…"

I let out a soft smile. "Hakucho…" I touched her soft cheeks and caught her tear. "You're right."

She took a deep breath and said. "At least, I get to see you one last time."

And with that word, she closed her eyes forever. I let my tears fall constantly. I did not care if anybody saw me. I went out her room and told the maid about it. I left that house and went to the laboratory. I never attended her funeral because for me, she did not die; she will always be alive in my heart.

I recall the moments in my life, the times we were together; when we shared our laughter and happiness. I remember the nights when we exchanged thoughts and dreams. I remember her smile, her sweet soft smile that makes dimples on her face. Her eyes would also curve up and I would smile back as well. Sadly, I will never see her smile again because the only time she will smile again is in my cheerless memories.

Every moment of my life, her love is wants keep telling me to go. And my promise to Kami-sama is that she will belong to me. And I will belong to her. I will always be waiting for her even if it will be in vain. I always think of her. She is my light in a cold and dark starless night. I will do anything just to see her again; her smile.

I wasted my days in my lab. I began to create techniques. These techniques will bring a dead person back to life or something similar to that. None of the techniques I invented came close to want I truly wanted. I needed more ninjas for my experiments. I killed but it was all for her.

One day, while I was in the outskirts of Konoha harvesting herbs, I came across a wanderer.

"Good day, young man." He greeted me but I ignored him. "Shiva and Vishnu must be in good terms today, according to the weather…that is."

"Go and bug someone else old geezer…" I said annoyed. "Leave me alone."

"It seems that you are burdened with a heavy problem."

I looked away from the man. "It is none of your concern." I decided to leave that old man.

"You were afraid to lose her…I think."

I stopped my walking shocked to hear what the man said. How did he know? Who the heck was he?

"That got your attention." He smiled. "You know boy, humans possess a soul and a body. And in time, the body slowly breaks down. The soul has to find a new place to leave in. If the soul was good during a life he has lived, he moves on to a higher caste. Your caste is your standing in society. If the man was good, he would live his next life better than his previous. If he was bad, he would be reborn a lower caste. This is called reincarnation. Now, this process continues until the man has reached his highest state, Brahman."

"What are you trying to convey to me, oji-san?"

"She will return in our world. When? I do not know."

I thank him and left. His words vibrated in my head. I will meet her again. I have to meet her again. When? I do not know, just like what the old man told me. But, I vowed to myself that I will see her again. I promise myself that even if it will take a million lifetimes. I will see her again. I swear on her grave. I will wait for her every single day that seems to be in this lonely world that is continuously raining.

I am not stupid. That is why I will not finish myself. I will live-for her. I promised her that. I know that she might not come back though it is hard to accept that fact. I have no idea where she is. I don't care. I have nothing to lose anyway. She left me alone in the cold darkness and in the pouring rain.

And all I can do right now is that every time it rains, I will remember our moments together. But, haven't you been told that it is always raining inside by wounded heart?

a/n: hehe that was the fifth chapter. Sorry for the typos or grammatical errors… hey…can you guess her disease?