AN: There was some really great feedback last chapter, I was really happy to hear that you guys are enjoying where we're at with some of these relationships. We're getting to a point where I can really start to open up with some of these characters interacting off one another and I'm hoping it starts to get more interesting as we go. So thanks so much for helping me get to this point!

For a quick clarification, Sasuke is sitting right around 16 as far as age is concerned.

Hope you're all having an awesome week and as always, thanks so much for stopping by!

Chapter 11: Hurt

It was after a couple dozen that Sasuke stopped trying to count. Not as though he couldn't have kept track with the ease he cut through the attackers, but quantifying his actions felt almost counterproductive to the absolute delight it was giving him.

They had stopped trying to rally and make a move on him and had simply begun to scatter, their bows and swords dropped in their frenzy to try and escape the whirling realization of Sasuke's pent-up anger. He would have had no idea just how much he had been keeping bottled and beneath the surface, but as the world very much seemed to slow down for him as he hacked and sliced away, the relief was nearly palpable. His anger at not knowing, his anger at Katara and the others for how they had treated him, his anger with Ozai and those who had condemned his people and most heavily, his anger at himself, all of this washed out of him in a monstrous wave of carnage that traveled everywhere his blade pointed.

He would have thought that their utter lack of putting up a fight would discourage him, but it only really added a layer to how he viewed them, how he perceived the lives he was taking. They were just boxes to be checked, and without any resistance, he flew down the list; his sword flashed through a chest here, sliced off an arm there, whipped across a neck to his left and slashed open torsos on his right. He wouldn't be stopped and he couldn't be stopped, his desire became reality as he eradicated the entire hunting party that had been preparing to attack their small group.

If I had made my own camp off in the trees… would any of them have been hurt? Killed?

For some reason, this very thought redoubled his aggression and as he found that his sword was actually dulling from all of the armor, bone and flesh it was carving through, he cast a Fire Release jutsu that drove his blade near to a melting point. Now, it burned through his adversaries more than cut, as he swung his weapon and felt it pass through them as though he were swinging it against water.

He hadn't lied, not remotely, when he had told the others he was getting stronger. His power was growing and now he was finally able to put this growth to the test. And it made things all too easy.

It was only distantly that he realized he had tracks of tears streaking his cheeks.

Katara watched alongside everyone else as the glow of Sasuke's wall of fire lit the entire beach front in an orangish hue, casting strange spectral glows on the ocean just beyond. She had gathered herself to the point where all she would need do is flick her wrist to either smash the area in front of her with a cascade of water, or create a defensive barrier of the same. She hoped very badly she wouldn't have to use either, but as she watched Sasuke, she wondered if that was nothing really more than wishful thinking.

He was an unyielding force, an irrepressible demon that wove his way through the trees and natives with all the mercy of a blizzard. From what she was able to tell, their would-be attackers were indeed local inhabitants of the island, perhaps some hidden tribe that made their home amongst the trees. And while they had indeed conducted some hardly acceptable behavior in silently congregating just beyond sight of the group and fired an arrow that had nearly pierced Azula, Sasuke's handling of the situation was hardly to her liking.

Liking be damned, it was downright disturbing. Katara's gut was in excruciating pain as she witnessed what Sasuke was actually capable of. He had been holding back against Azula, there was no question; had he wanted, her neck could have been snapped in the blink of an eye.

She saw no sign of him triggering any of his impossible abilities save for the fire he had conjured behind the natives which she now realized he had done preemptively, not just to grant sight to the situation, but to keep them from running. Nonetheless, she was able to catch sight of his face in distant flashes as he swung and moved about them in a frenzy; his eyes were aglow with the scarlet light she had seen before and there was a sinister grin that stretched his mouth to the limit. She had seen Sasuke smile only a few times, and they weren't always genuine, but Katara could tell that this look was not only malicious in nature, but truly truthful as well.

Sasuke was enjoying this, and he was enjoying it immensely.

She had found herself gravitating in front of everyone to ensure that she was the nearest of them all to the carnage taking place a few dozen yards away. When he was finished, she had no way of knowing if this state he was in would end when the last of the natives were killed, his likely distorted mentality might very well decide that all denizens of the beach ought to be slain before coming to a halt. And for the most part, everyone in the group had been more than happy to stay as far from Sasuke as they could manage.

Katara had risked glances at each of them to make sure they weren't planning on trying to stop him. Suki had the most reassuring expression on her face; the look she was giving the slaughter in front of her was one of measured acceptance, the true guise of a warrior. The rest of them weren't so encouraging.

It was almost like the Agni Kai all over again, but if those emotions had been stretched and warped tenfold. Aang had dropped to his knees, but his eyes were fixed on the whole affair, his face as white as a sheet. Zuko had a hand on Mai's shoulder and the both of them looked thoroughly sickened. Ty Lee, who had always been able to adopt a wholehearted disdainful look on the behalf of Sasuke had abandoned that pretense, but her face looked to Katara to be almost in awe as much as horrified, almost as though she didn't know what emotion to feel to coincide with her amazement.

Toph had her head turned towards the ground and was rocking back and forth and though Katara couldn't tell from the black hair that shrouded her face, the shaking she was putting forth could very well have been the result of restrained sobbing. Katara knew that Toph and Sasuke had hit it off exceptionally better than anyone else, but with the display she was currently witnessing, it was impossible not to feel completely horrified that they had spent as much time together as they had; what if Sasuke had done something to her?

But of them all, Azula worried Katara the most. She had stepped up to nearly pass her in relative distance to Sasuke and the expression on her face was not one of horror, or nausea, or fear as Katara would have expected to see on anyone, including her.

Azula looked, more than anything, exhilarated.

Sasuke truly believed that he could have kept at it forever, but as the cries and bodies dwindled around him, he began to slowly become back in touch with reality, as though he were gradually pulling himself from a dream he was aware he was having. He was barely even able to register the bodies that he had strewn out all around him, unmoving and sprawled in various positions as he looked for the last remaining men who opposed him.

But as he turned to look around for his final victims, he saw only a single man, one who was wearing only a loincloth, shoulderpads and a wide-eyed expression. Sasuke could tell that he was more scared than anything, but there was a fierce determination in his eyes that almost seemed to undermine it. He began towards the man, his sword's tip dragging along the ground as he did.

To his surprise, it was the man who made the first move; howling like a banshee, he picked up a spear from a fallen comrade and exploded into a sprint towards Sasuke and kicked off the body of one of his own dead brothers in arms to try and bring a thrust rushing towards his enemy's head. Sasuke saw this all in what was essentially slow motion; his Sharingan turned the man's movements into that of a tortoise wading through mud and it was all too simple to tell what was about to be attempted. But as the man leapt through the air towards him, Sasuke's boredom with the simplicity of the attack drew him to look past the man. He saw his companions all looking on in various states of horror and he took particular pleasure at the intense unsettledness that was plastered on Katara's visage. But he closed out all else when he saw the woman next to her.

Azula's eyes were wide, but there was a fire burning in them that spoke of hunger and furor. Her mouth was slightly agape and had she closed it, it may have become a smile. Her breathing was deep and seemed to shake as her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides.

As he looked at Azula's utter elation, Sasuke couldn't help but fall out of his violent trance. Suddenly, he realized he was surrounded by dead men and was about to be attacked by the last of their number. With no real interest, he reached out and grabbed the spear, raised it and whipped it around, hurling the man from the treeline to come crashing onto the beach between him and the group. Doing his best not to look at Azula, he stalked out towards the final native, extinguishing the fire behind him with a wave of his hand; it suddenly occurred to him that he would really rather not have anyone witness what had become of the others of this man's company.

He slowed as he saw everyone collectively seem to move back, save for Azula, Katara and Toph. The first two kept their eyes on him, both with very distinctly different expressions painting their face, but Toph was another story entirely. She seemed to be trying to clench her body as tightly as she could and was trying not to shudder with the pressure she was putting on it. Her face was turned towards the ground and Sasuke couldn't tell her expression. He actually took a step in her direction to ask if she was alright, before the man at his feet rolled over and produced a knife, whipping it towards Sasuke's face.

He batted it out of the air with ease and it spiraled away to bury itself in the sand and Sasuke pulled back a foot and pressed the man to the ground on his chest. Dragging his blade through the sleeve of his elbow to clean it, he glared down at the sole survivor.

"Why did you attack us?" he asked. It was as simple a question as he could ask, and he was hoping for a simple answer. As he looked down, he realized that the man couldn't have been much older than him, a young adult but one who's eyes glowed with the maturity and damage of war. His expression was one of pure pain and hatred as he spit up at Sasuke furiously.

"You protect these people?! They've done nothing but bring pain and destruction to all nations everywhere, not just my own!"

His shaking hand directed towards Azula. "Her! She came to my village over a year ago with a war party! My people offered her peace, but she tore apart our homes, our village in pursuit of an artifact that we later learned wasn't even there in the first place! I watched her myself as she burned down my older sister who tried to stop her! And you know why they wanted that artifact?! Because it made a nice decoration in her palace!"

His hateful eyes now shone with tears.

"Her people sow destruction everywhere they go! We were to take revenge and also ensure she would never hurt anyone the same way she hurt my people ever again! And you!"

His hand turned to point at Sasuke, shaking even more violently now.

"You killed us all! Without a word! Half the men from my village, dead by your sword! Are you a demon in her employ?! Or are you just another of the Fire Nation's savage butchers?!"

Sasuke couldn't help but feel distantly impressed by the man's defiance in the face of what he had just experienced. He was utterly at his mercy, but there was no fear, no begging, just pure and continued opposition.

Regarding the man beneath his foot, Sasuke spoke plainly. "You could have approached us. Informed us of your grievances since you clearly only know her and none of us. But instead you attempted to strike from the shadows as cowards though you numbered many. You made to kill someone I know and am traveling with, and I cut you all down for it. You brought this upon yourselves."

To this, the man only screamed in ire up at him, spittle flying from his mouth. Already understanding the entirety of what had just transpired, Sasuke pulled back his sword to put down the last of the attackers, but stopped at a shout from Katara.

"Stop!"

He did so and looked to her questioningly. By the look on her face, he could tell she had much she wanted to say, or at the very least, there was much she felt towards him in that moment, but she only silently gestured to Toph. Sasuke followed her pointing and finger and let a long sigh pass through his nostrils. He looked down at the man.

"You will return to your people. You will leave us be. You will not seek further revenge."

Letting his command sink in for several ticking seconds, he then pulled his foot up and off the man. The native stared up at him, panting heavily. For a while, he stayed on the ground as though not able to believe he had been spared before finally pushing himself slowly to his feet. From there, he stared at Sasuke for several more long seconds. He then whirled on his heel and raced towards Azula, hands outstretched for her throat.

Sasuke slashed him across the back and the man collapsed without a word, the final one to the count.

With a pained cry, Toph turned and fled into the dark away from the beach. Sasuke realized the only light was once again coming from the campfire as he watched her flee; Aang raised a hand as if to call her back, but stopped and bent over, throwing up onto the sand. Looking at the kid, Sasuke grunted out a single, "Sorry."

Katara's eyes were as hot and burning as the fire he had summoned had been, but she didn't scream at him like he expected, didn't threaten him or demand he leave. She simply gave him a furious and, strangely enough, sad look before turning to kneel next to Aang to offer him comfort.

From there, it became just another mirrored scene that Sasuke had seen before. Everyone else looked at him with restrained fear until he looked to them and they turned their gaze away. Azula seemed to have come off whatever state she had been in and she too turned away, suddenly looking very self-conscious. Not able to stand their eyes any longer, Sasuke turned and marched after Toph. He expected to be followed or at the very least, to be stopped from following her, but no one said a word or made a movement.

Cowards, he thought angrily.

As his eyes adjusted back the dark, he saw that Toph hadn't gone very far. Near the water's edge, she had pulled herself onto a slab of a rock and was sitting on it, her face directed out towards the ocean as a slow and gentle tide lapped at her feet. And as he approached her, Sasuke realized he didn't know what quite to say.

"Are you alright?" he settled on. He tried to make out her face in the semidarkness, but to no avail. She didn't answer him; Sasuke thought about sitting next to her but figured that may not be the best idea. Opting instead to be as passive aggressively insistent as he might expect her to be had their roles been reversed, he moseyed over the rock and sat down in the sand, leaning against the rock. Above him and to the right, he heard her shift slightly on the rock before the only sound between them became the gentle roar of the tide.

It was minutes before she asked him, "If I ask you something, will you be honest with me?"

"Of course," he said and before the words had even faded into the night, she practically blurted out.

"Did you enjoy killing those people?"

Sasuke immediately regretted promising his honesty. How could he explain to Toph what it felt like to be in the midst of what he had just experienced, the thrill of the blade and the savage satisfaction he had taken in cutting down those who would have killed them all given the chance? How could he even try? This wasn't a situation he could win, and he couldn't expect her to understand.

Before he could reply, she continued on, words falling out of her mouth as though they had been held in by a dam that had just broken.

"I could feel how you were moving, how deliberate everything about that was. It wasn't like when I've felt Sokka killing people with his sword; the way he moves is tight, almost like he's hating having to put it through them. But you… it's like you're… you're…"

"Like I'm what?" Sasuke asked. He practically felt Toph shiver as she replied.

"Like you're dancing. I don't know what to think of that."

Sasuke considered this and decided to try for something like damage control. "I did what I had to do. They would have tried to kill us all and I had to deal with them before they went on the offensive, it would have been hard to protect you all if they had gone and—"

Rock erupted out of the ground on his left and right, smashing down just next to him hard enough for the ground to be smashed to dust. Cursing, Sasuke leapt to his feet and turned to see Toph standing now, hands raised and clearly levitating great missiles of rock ready to set loose.

"How much protection do you think we need, Sasuke?! You think we can't look after ourselves?!"

Realizing just how out of control this had suddenly gotten, Sasuke put up both of his hands slowly, though every part of his instincts were howling at him to prepare for attack.

"I didn't mean to imply that. I just saw the moment to defend myself and all of you and I did so."

Far from calm her down, his words only seemed to further enrage Toph, and she pointed at him accusatorily. "No, you saw a chance to vent and let out all that hate you've been biding since you showed up! Those men were nothing we couldn't deal with, they didn't have anything more than bows and swords, for shit's sake!"

The fishing boat sized rocks hovered ominously on either side of her.

"C'mon, Sasuke, let me know, how many of those men did you imagine as Katara?! As Ty Lee or me?! How many times did you wish you could just be cutting us down instead?!"

As her words rocketed loudly at him, Sasuke finally noticed what this came down to as, through her shouting, he heard her voice shake. She was definitely angry, she was definitely indignant, but more so than anything else, she was terrified.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Toph," he said as calmly as he could. He found that it strangely hurt to think that she was so sure that he might.

"I didn't… you don't…" she sputtered out and he saw her hands shake from where they were raised. He pushed onward, hoping to shut her down before this got out of hand and he had to exchange blows.

"I don't blame any of you for being frightened of me, or hating me for what I am. But while there have been those who have let that rule their thoughts towards me, don't think I haven't noticed how hard you've tried with me."

She said nothing to this and he took this as nothing short of encouraging.

"I won't deny the thrill that battle isn't something that…"

Excites me.

"…has a certain pull on me, but it will never be directed at you, or any of the others, not after Azula."

He knew that this was a lie, as he couldn't be sure that he wouldn't come to a head with any of the others, and if Toph was as smart as he thought she was, she probably figured this. But Sasuke knew he had told one absolute truth amongst his attempt at reassuring words. He had no desire to hurt Toph.

He felt a sudden urge and acted upon it almost without thinking. Within the blink of an eye, he was standing in front of Toph, reaching out towards her. He felt her tense up as she sucked in a tight and fearful breath, arms pulling back to strike him with her drawn up rocks. Sasuke put all his hope in the bet that this would work.

With this pointer and middle finger, he poked her in the forehead.

It had been almost a primal urge for him to act this way and he waited to see if Toph would strike him with the boulders regardless. But he only felt her shaky breathing and after a moment, the stone she had pulled from the ground crashed down on either side of them with earsplitting thuds and her arms fell to her side. He looked down at her as she continued to shudder gently before she slowly reached out herself and punched him weakly in the stomach.

"I hated that so much… so much. Do you know what that feels like for someone like me?"

"I don't," Sasuke said truthfully. Toph pulled in a great breath and hiccupped.

"I can't see what's happening. But when people die… I know. I feel the bodies fall to the ground, totally still except the ones that twitch or try to hang on for a few seconds. But they all eventually stop moving, and I feel that. And all I can know is that someone else is dead, some other life was just snuffed out. Do you know how many you killed back there?"

Not sure, Sasuke tilted his head slightly as he thought back, trying to estimate a number. "I'm not sure, probably something like four dozen maybe…"

"Sixty-seven. That's how many people you killed just now."

Sixty-seven.

She had given a number to his crime, labeled his failure. For he knew that was what it was. He could have just as easily immobilized the entire lot of them with minimal effort, but he had indulged and allowed his own frustration to move him forward. And he had enjoyed it. Oh, how he had enjoyed it.

"I don't suppose you can promise me not to kill any more people," Toph muttered with a massive sniff as she wiped what must have been a tear from her cheek.

"No, I cannot."

She nodded in miserable resignation and he moved a hand to her shoulder.

"But I can promise to be more controlled going forward. For you."

Liar.

He couldn't tell if Toph thought the same, but she didn't address it.

"Okay, Sasuke," was all she said.

Feeling satisfied that he had at least calmed her down and she had been able to speak her peace, Sasuke turned to leave her, before one of her small hands grabbed one of his.

"Can you stay? Just for a bit?"

He looked back to see her continuing to look mildly distressed. Turning his gaze back towards the campfire in the distance, he could see several forms pointed his way, surely trying to decide if they should find out what was happening between him and Toph.

"Sure."

Almost with the air of a toddler with an attitude, she pulled him down to sit next to her on the rock and leaned her head on his shoulder aggressively enough that it was almost like she was worried he would leave if she didn't. He was reminded of her resting her head on his legs days ago on the airship as he tried with every bit of his will to let the bloodlust flow out of him.

He found shortly that even despite the drastically different situations, it was just as easy to relax when it was just the two of them.

Under the veil of stars above, Obito did his best to remain attentive. But as his tired eyes dictated, dozing off on the back of his mount was nothing if not easy.

When they had awoken the previous morning, they had gotten an early start and made it through the day riding with minimal breaks, but as evening fell, Iroh began to fret.

"The wind is worrying," he had said. "When it blows this way, it's always a sign of a hot and arid day following. If we want to ease our travels, we should travel through as much of the night as we can."

Obito had initially been perfectly fine with this idea, but as he neared his twenty four hours of nearly nonstop riding, the wear was beginning to set in. And though the last thing he wanted to do was complain, it wasn't difficult to air at least some of his complaints.

"Weren't we supposed to have least been able to see the city walls by now?" he grunted irritably. Ever the composed soul, Iroh looked back with a smile that was just visible under starlight.

"I imagine by the rising of the sun, we will see the city. From there, we should reach its limits by early afternoon."

Sighing, Obito hiked up his travel cloak slightly further to warm him against the cool, swirling breeze of the night. "You can't tell me you're not even a little tired, old man."

Iroh laughed, "Even if I were, a tired body means a healthy mind."

Staring flatly at the old man, Obito muttered, "Always with the words of wisdom. Anything in that mental library about not wanting to drop kick traveling companions who suggest riding for twenty four straight hours?"

Seeming to spend a moment thinking about this, Iron finally shrugged as he looked back.

"Respect your elders?"

They continued riding for another hour and Obito found that despite the discomfort of being rocked back and forth while riding, he was tired enough that he was actually able to doze off. Or at least he was trying to, before a massive chill raced up his spine. He snapped his gaze up and flinched in pain as his eyes ached suddenly; he brought his hands up and clutched temples, wincing audibly at the discomfort. Ahead of him, Iron heard his distress and brought his mount to a stop.

"Obito? Are you well?"

Blinking away the pain, he looked about. "I… don't know. I just had the feeling that we're about to be… I think we're I'm danger."

He shook his head and put a hand over this right eye. "Either that or I'm just going crazy in some kind of delirious state."

Iroh seemed to think quite the opposite and he began to scan the dunes around them.

"I don't think so, my young friend," he intoned, his gaze scanning around swiftly. "Premonitions or just sudden, intense feelings are not something to be so easily brushed aside. Did you feel anything else?"

Collecting himself, Obito tried to think. "No, nothing. Just that feeling, and then my eyes began to hurt."

He joined Iroh in the silence of the desert, scanning the black horizon for any signs of life or danger. He didn't know what they might expect to see but after a minute of not being able to detect any movement other than the wisping of sand against the starlight, he shook his head.

"Sorry, Iroh, it's probably just my exhaustion getting to me."

His companion didn't look convinced and turned to him. "You're very sure there was nothing else?"

Once more, Obito wracked his mental processes but came up with nothing yet again. "No, there's nothing, just—"

But even as he spoke it, there was a sudden memory that he didn't feel belonged to him. He was in the night sky, soaring high above the dunes, feeling practically high enough to scrape the stars above. But as he looked down, he could see two forms moving slowly through the desert. They were close, too close and this very consideration was enough to make him very angry.

Grimacing, Obito came back to reality an saw only Iroh looking at him worriedly.

"Are you alright? You saw something else, didn't you?"

Trying to shake off that monstrous feeling that he was someone else, Obito did his best to control his breathing, pulling in gasps of the night air to do so. "I'm not sure, it was more like I was a part of something else rather than remembering or feeling anything, like whatever it was, it didn't—"

He got only that far before there was a great shadow that raised itself behind Iroh. Obito felt his eyes blaze with pain once again; he was moving before he knew it and he leapt towards the old man, tackling him off his mount. As they both fell heavily to the sand, there was a great rush in Obito's gut as he felt a huge shape pass over him, kicking up a gust of wind that roared in his ears. Rolling away, he turned towards the shadow as he drew his sword, but he never would have been able to guess at what he was facing.

As their mounts scattered in a panic, Obito stared a dozen meters away to see what appeared to be an owl, its feet planted in the sand as it stared with massive eyes at him ominously. When traveling from the beach he had awoken on to this point, he had seen a fair few owls, smaller ones, larger ones, but never had he seen or would he have expected to see an owl the size of a small elephant. Its great dark shape was a black shape against the starry horizon as it seemed to size him up and shift its enormous talons in the wispy sand beneath them.

Then, it spoke.

"I can see that you still haven't learned your lesson," it drawled at him with a pounding, deep voice. "This is not your world, nor yours to do with as you wish. There are no secrets for you here, no mysteries that will lead you to victory where you come from. Though this time you have actually succeeded in passing from your world to ours. And it must be my burden to erase you from it."

It took seconds for the shock of hearing an abnormally large owl speak for Obito to even think to reply. He turned slightly to see Iroh several feet away, still lying in the sand and looking dazed. Not wanting to put him in harm's way, he eased himself slowly to the right as he played for time, though his inquiry was as genuine as one could be.

"You've seen me before?"

The owl seemed to twitch its head in irritation. "You insult me with feigned ignorance? Your breach of the spirit world was a travesty unlike anything those like I have yet experienced. We were able to expunge you with effort and now you have managed to pass not from yours to the spirit world, but from yours to this world with ease."

Its talons slices at the sand as curved and sharp as any scimitar. "If you have any final words, I will record them for posterity."

Trying to rationalize that he may very well be about to battle a giant owl, Obito spoke slowly, hoping that his voice reflected the honesty he was answering with.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I don't think I am who you think I am. I'm just a traveler trying to get to Ba Sing Se."

At once, the owl spread its great wings and the voice now seemed to bellow all around him in a fury. "Enough of your lies! Face the punishment for your interference!"

Fast as an arrow loosed from a bow, the huge winged shape propelled itself directly at him, sweeping across the sand. Upset it had to come to this, but also unsure of how else he could benefit from this situation, Obito bent his knees and prepared. At once, he felt a gentle soreness from his eyes, not the pain he had been feeling before but a different sense that he realized always came when he was in peril or about to engage in combat.

The owl seemed to slow down immeasurably as it approached him as though it had just entered an invisible pillar of water. Gratified that his unknown abilities seemed to work just fine on monstrous creatures as well as humans, Obito leapt towards the owl and arched over its wing, swinging his sword as he did. It lanced through several feet of the owl's left wing and the massive animal gave a rumbling howl of pain as it crashed to the ground, sliding as a result of its momentum. Obito landed nimbly several feet from where he had left, feeling strength now wash through his veins as though his adrenaline had just juiced him with a miracle drug that made him invincible. The owl didn't seem like such a frightening obstacle now; rather, it was like those soldiers back at the port market. It was just an oversized bully sticking its nose into other people's business.

And as Obito reminded himself of Iroh who still lay barely stirring, he let himself get a little mad.

The owl righted itself and seemed to test the soundness of its wing before glaring back his direction, pearly black eyes glistening in the light of the stars. Obito readied himself for another rush, picking out the places he imagined would be the most damaging to strike at.

It was then that his head lit up with pain, and the world suddenly seemed to glow very bright, but it was as though this light was coming from behind his own eyes. He felt the distant feeling of dropping to the ground, very utterly helpless as the pain screamed through his brain, scrambling his senses and putting him in an entirely vulnerable state. In a blur, he saw the shape of the owl bearing down on him and he could barely raise his sword.

Through the foggy veil that had become his vision, he saw the orange glow of fire erupt in front of him and the owl broke off in its charge, flapping its wings in surprise at the incursion. From there, Obito's eyes fell shut and the last thing he heard before he lapsed into unconsciousness were distant voices, mumbling a conversation that his ringing ears couldn't hope to hear.

The next thing he knew, he was wide awake, sitting up from where he had been lying with a gasp. His first immediate instincts were to look around in a frenzy for both his sword and the owl. The first of these he found sheathed just to his side but as he looked for the owl, he found that the area around him and the sky above was now completely devoid of a humongous winged attacker.

Iroh was sitting a distance away, eyes looking at Obito in relief. "Thank goodness. I feared you might be many hours yet."

Did I… dream that?

Iroh seemed entirely relaxed considering what Obito believed had just happened and as he felt absolutely no pain like the hurt that had just so badly debilitated him in the middle of combat, Obito began to wonder if he had dreamt up the entire encounter.

He decided that one question should be able to clear up that wonder.

"The owl?" he asked. Iroh looked at him blankly.

"Pardon?"

Looking away, Obito breathed out. So it had just been his imagination dreaming up some insane fantasy to trick his tired brain. He rubbed his eyes; though it had had seemed to very real…

As though just remembering, Iroh's eyes lit up in the semidarkness and he raised a finger, "Ah, you mean the spirit?"

Staring at the old man dubiously and feeling a sinking feeling in his gut, Obito asked, "The what?"

"He is the guardian of knowledge," Iroh explained, spreading his arms. "All that there is to know in this world, he documents and collects, storing it in his archives buried here in the desert, away from the prying eyes of man."

Obito waited a long moment. "And he's an owl."

Noncommittal in nature, Iroh tilted his head back and forth. "He can take any form that he would like, but the owl is his referred form in legend and how he chose to appear to us this evening."

Pushing himself to his feet, Obito looked around and Iroh waved him down. "He's gone, don't fret."

Turning sharply, Obito stared down at his companion. "And how pray tell did you manage to drive it away by yourself?"

Iroh, still smiling, looked up at him. "I talked to him."

Feeling more bewildered yet, Obito rolled his eyes and dropped to the sand next to Iroh as the cool breeze of the night stirred over the dunes. "Of course you did. And how ever did you get him to keep him from killing me when I had my spell? He seemed rather intent on ripping me to pieces with those talons."

This seemed to be enough to slowly pull the upbeat expression from Iroh's face and he looked down. Not willing to let that sit, Obito leaned his way inquiring further, "What?"

"He…" Iroh started, still looking very hesitant. "He was very certain you were someone else. Spirits who traverse the world of man are remarkably in tune with the chi of we humans and yours is very similar to someone he appears to have history with. Someone who he, and other, have battled and forced out of the spirit world."

Scratching the back of his head, Obito muttered, "Well since I've never been to a spirit world, not entirely sure how that could have been me…"

Iroh stared at him, entirely straight-faced. "Can you be so sure? Without your memories, can you be certain that your path hasn't taken you there?"

For this, Obito couldn't feasibly say anything in response, but Iroh waved it off. "Regardless, he left in peace when he gave you a closer look and determined you were not this same offender."

Giving a brief, disbelieving laugh, Obito shook his head. "And that was that. Spirit shows up, says 'Time to kill you, oh wait, wrong person, my bad' and leaves?"

This was enough to give Iroh a chuckle as well. "When you put it like that, I suppose that simplifies the whole encounter."

He looks skyward, looking distantly in awe. "I never thought I would be granted the chance to encounter another spirit, and such a spirit at that."

"You've spoken with spirits before?" Obito asked and Iroh gave him a look.

"I've met my share."

Realizing there was a great deal more to learn about this world that he previously had thought and he sat next to Iroh in silence for a while, pondering what he might have said if he had told his past self a few hours ago that he was going to be shortly attacked by a giant, talking owl. But as the stars twinkled brightly above, something occurred to him and he turned to Iroh.

"One more thing for now: this person the owl… er, spirit thought I was. Did he mention this person's name?"

Iroh sighed.

"No one I've ever heard of, but if he's so intent on interfering with the dealings of spirits then he is as foolish as anyone could be."

Obito was unable to say exactly why what Iroh said next sent an uncomfortable feeling down his spine.

"Someone named Madara."

When Toph awoke, she looked around immediately as though she knew she had forgotten something. It took the hammering of her heart, to the heat of the fire, to the weight of all those bodies being dumped to the ground for her to remember exactly what had happened last night, and she curled up under her blanket, trying to keep herself from crying. It was still hard to collect her feelings, but she knew that it was going to take some time to sort them out. After several minutes of her trying not to feel too badly for herself, she sniffed and exited her covers.

She could feel Katara and Suki just there by the fire and others dozens of feet away.

"What time is it?" she asked, trying to sound more groggy than in a state of mental duress.

"Just past midday," Suki said. Based on her movements, she was putting some things together.

"As soon as Sasuke is finished, we're going to move at least a few miles down the coast," said Katara. She seemed to be sitting still, but Toph could feel how tense she was by the way she was barely moving. "In case others from this group come looking, we want to be a good distance away. Another run in would hardly be beneficial for anyone, I think."

"As soon as Sasuke's finished what?" Toph asked. She couldn't feel his measured, stoic pacing in anyone nearby, indicating he was once again off doing his own thing. There was an uncomfortable pause before Katara said quietly.

"He's moving the bodies of the tribesmen. He got up early this morning and when I went to check on him, he had dug a pit big enough for all of them. Mentioned something about giving them a proper pyre, or as best that he could."

Toph was surprised. She wouldn't have expected Sasuke to have felt any sort of responsibility towards the fallen natives, but it gave her heart a strange sense of warmth to know he did. She started to turn, hoping to ask where this was taking place so she could lend a hand, but she had scarcely opened her mouth before Katara cut her off.

"He also said he… doesn't want any help. Feels he needs to do it himself. By hand."

"Wait…" Toph muttered. "He's moving all those bodies by himself and without bending or jutsu or whatever? He's carrying them all himself?"

Suki's voice was low, almost reverent.

"He said it was his duty."

Toph stood there a while longer before finally shaking off her disbelief at his actions and saying, "Well, thanks for telling me. I'm betting I missed breakfast."

She heard the smile in Katara's voice. "Zuko said to call him over when you want your food warmed up. He's over with Mai now, but I can go and…"

"No, no thanks," Toph said quickly. "I… think I'd like to take a walk if I could, first. Just by myself."

It was impossible to phrase that request in a way that didn't directly suggest that she was doing this for an emotional purpose, and she could tell Katara was deciding whether or not to tail her. She hoped that the older girl wasn't going to do so; Toph could sense someone following her from a fair distance and she wasn't in the mood to have her privacy pushed upon.

"Alright," Katara finally sighed. "Don't be too long."

"I won't."

Toph turned perhaps a might too quickly and started off down the beach. She picked the direction she sensed only the movement of the water towards and when she was far enough along the water's edge, she let tears run down her face. It had been foolish to think that she could keep herself from crying, it was something she had to let out. Her feelings were dismally confusing, and the tears seemed to aid her ability to try and cope with them.

Sasuke was dangerous, he was arrogant, he was rude and conceitful, he might very well have been sadistic above all else. But his allure was something Toph couldn't find herself able to find distance from. He was interesting and a comforting presence in a very certain degree. She knew Katara and others likely found just the opposite to be true, but when she was with him, Toph felt as safe as she had ever been. It was fair knowledge that she could protect herself and was no slouch on the field of battle, but Sasuke… he made her feel protected in a way that she couldn't quite describe.

She was scared of him, but she felt drawn to him like a bird to the air. He was unpredictable enough to be dangerous, but she couldn't imagine him leaving now.

Damn it all.

It was a tight jam, it truly was.

Continuing to walk her way down the beach, she felt several rocks on her right, one a fair bit heavier than the rest and she moved ankle-deep into the tide to keep herself out of their way. It would have been just as easy to move them, but she had trouble feeling she could even summon the energy to bend.

"So, you're finally awake," the heavier rock said and Toph grit her teeth, jumping at the sudden voice. Of course, it hadn't been the rock talking at all, but rather the person who had been perched on it which explained its greater weight in regards to the other, similarly sized boulders.

Azula's voice was a cold wind that cut right into Toph's musings; she froze where she had been walking as she felt the Fire Nation princess hop down from where she had been waiting. Even with the sand that made it difficult to tell particulars, Toph could feel the telltale pretentious strides of Azula even still.

"What do you want, Azula?" Toph asked the question bluntly. She quite frankly wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, but Azula of all people was hardly someone she would consider worthy of a good conversation anyway.

The princess's voice was nothing less than ostentatious as she sneered back, "Oh, going to be like that, are we? Fine, I'll get right to the point, little earthbender."

Her condescending nature was enough to bring Toph's blood to a solid boil almost immediately and she clenched her fists as Azula's tone dipped into a less mocking and more menacing octave.

"You were with Sasuke last night. Alone."

"Yeah, I'm aware," Toph said flatly. She could feel Azula tighten up at her equally dismissive attitude and felt some satisfaction at that.

"What transpired between the two of you?"

The sudden and personal question shouldn't have caught Toph off guard, but her mental musings were still keeping her slightly held hostage. At this however, she was more than able to fully devote herself to the matter at hand.

"Sasuke proposed, and we'll be getting married at the end of next month. I was hoping you would be willing to be a bridesmaid. Or a flower girl if that suits you better," Toph replied sarcastically.

"Don't play games with me," Azula fairly snarled. Her shift in tone had come quickly enough to assure Toph that the princess had a great deal of mental stock invested in this line of thought. Toph gave a shrug.

"What makes you so sure that it's any of your business?"

"Because I make it my business. Sasuke's doings are something I want to be constantly aware of, and as of recently, his only mystery is whatever words he shared with you."

Azula began to prod then, "Let me guess, you spilled how much his massacre of those savages bothered you? And he pretended to be sympathetic and cared how you felt?"

Toph balled her hands into fists. "You really don't know the first thing about him, do you?"

A rolling chuckle passed Azula's lips.

"Let me ask this then, Toph, if you're so certain that you have a better read on his person than I do. Because I know you've both spent a fair bit of time alone together outside of last evening. How much do you think Sasuke really cares about you? You don't think the time he spends trying to appease you is any different from everyone else? That his end goal is all that drives him, enough to fake affection and camaraderie?"

Though Azula's words were enough to plant knives of doubt in Toph's spine she gave a mocking laugh, one that might have sounded a touch too manic.

"Oh, like you, your highness? It's funny that you think you can be a judge of other people when you are yourself just an emotionally broken victim of your father. You don't even know what to look for in a person to tell what they're really thinking."

She pushed on, relishing the way she felt Azula clench up even further. "Because I can tell you why you just said all that. You're trying to guess at what you think he might be feeling, what you hope he's feeling. You want him to be just like you, and you're hoping I'll admit something that confirms it."

"Well, news flash, Azula, Sasuke is nothing like you! You can stand there and act like you're still some high and mighty bitch who thinks the world still owes her everything, but you're going to have to realize pretty soon that you're still living a fiction!"

Azula gave a slow labored breath that Toph could hear hiss from her nostrils like steam.

"And what about you, Toph? What's got you so worked up about this? You seem to think that you know him better than someone like I, so come on, enlighten me. What does Sasuke think about you?"

Toph froze up against her will, but she had nothing she could refute Azula with; a myriad of comebacks raged in her head, but none of them seemed to be able to find her tongue. She didn't want to hear what Azula was going to say, though she had already steeled herself to deny it.

"I'll tell you what I think," Azula said, her voice a cold smirk. "He knows that you're the strongest bender in the group. He knows that before this comes to an end, he'll have to go against Katara and the Avatar and that will result in violence."

"Stop it." Toph said, suddenly feeling very scared. The possibility of what Azula was hinting at was enough to cause a wave of pain to seep through her gut, and flash with panic. Of course, the princess drove on, surely loving the discomfort she was eliciting.

"He'll want you on his side when that day comes. So he's more than happy to pretend to be nice to you, to act like he cares, to indulge a stupid little girl's crush because in the end, he'll get what he wants when you quietly move to his side."

"I said, stop it!" Toph suddenly found herself screaming, her voice cracking almost hysterically. As though a cork had been pulled in her head, a hundred outcomes swarmed to the front of her mental processes, Azula's suggestion being only one of many. Sasuke would never use her. He was a certifiable asshole, but he wasn't evil. He wouldn't go try and hurt Aang or anyone either, he would just leave, wouldn't he? What reason would he have to fight?

"I'm terribly sorry, am I giving you too much to think about?" Azula asked, the mocking in her voice excessive now. "Or am I just plain wrong? Go on then, correct me."

Trying to stop the now overwhelming shaking in her hands, Toph clutched them to her chest, taking in gulps of air. Azula's prodding had done enough to nearly break her, but she remembered one thing that had happened the previous night that prompted her into realizing the fair amount of ammunition she had herself.

"You sat next to him at dinner."

Her voice was just above a whisper, but as Azula snapped back at her, voice now angrily confused, she felt a spark in her gut mixed with all the ceaseless anxiety.

"I felt it. You went out of your way to be close to him. What did he say to that?"

Imagining the angry snarl that was surely working at Azula's face made her feel all the more confident. "And back at the temple. You saved him from being fired on by those archers. What did he say to that?"

"I'm sure you think you're awfully clever…" Azula growled, and Toph heard the weakness in her tone then and pounced.

"You know what he thinks of me so well, let me tell you what he thinks about you. Or rather, what he doesn't. Because he doesn't care about you, Azula. You aren't even worth his time to mention. You think that Mai and Ty Lee were the only ones who knew you had a conversation a couple nights back on the airship? Except I got to hear the whole thing, cuz my hearing's a little better than most. I heard what he said to you, how much you disgust him. You tried to open up to someone for the first time ever and he treated you like the self-indulgent little shit you are! You're nothing to him!"

Every word she hurled felt like it was building her up higher and higher until she was towering over the princess. Azula had nothing to say in response to this and Toph took that as more than a victory. Feeling another wave of tears coming on, she jabbed a finger in Azula's direction.

"So next time you want to come after me telling me what Sasuke thinks, just remember how little you mean to any of us, especially him!"

She stormed off further down the beach and was relieved when she felt no presence coming after her. Toph let her anger take her as far as it could before it broke down and the wave of despair it had been hiding brought her to her knees several hundred feet further down the coast.

As water splashed over her legs and tears rolled down her face, she tried with every bit of will she had to deny that Azula's words had any truth to them.

Even standing a dozen yards from the burning mass of bodies, Sasuke still felt the heat as though he were standing in front of an open furnace. The others could think that this was some kind of act of compassion towards the lives he had taken, but he had already come to terms with that himself and this wasn't that. They would be moving from this place shortly, but removing any signs that there had been a fight at all could prove beneficial. The scorched trees, Sasuke had taken to with jutsu and made it look as though they had never been there at all. The weapons had been taken with the bodies to be burned and any blood was buried beneath sand. He was grateful that no one had offered to help his work, lest his pretense be discovered and the truth to his actions cause further unrest amongst his companions.

Katara, who he was surprised hadn't approached him, would likely have the best idea that he was acting out of necessity rather than kindness, but it was likely the promise between them would keep her from confronting him, at least where others could see. But as long as he could keep the rest of them from rebelling on him for the time being, it was fine.

He had indulged last night, badly. And Sasuke was very fortunate it hadn't cost him more than some fearful looks and a near emotional breakdown from Toph. He would have to watch himself, at least until he could leave them behind and finally pursue his own path in peace. If they turned against him, he very much didn't want to have to use force to attain the information he needed. It was stupid, but he had the faintest idea that he might be developing feelings for some of them, feelings of companionship, camaraderie and even…

"It's nice, what you're doing. Not leaving them out to rot I mean."

Aang's voice was careful and stuttering and Sasuke half-turned to face him. The kid still looked a wreck as though he hadn't made much progress recovering from what he had seen the previous night. Sasuke didn't suppose he could blame him, but he wasn't in the mood for some kind of heart to heart right then.

Looking away, he inquired, "Katara okay with you being that close to me?"

It was good to hear some indignation then in his tone, indicating he wasn't entirely still in shock from the whole thing. "She's not my mom, you know."

"Could have fooled me." Sasuke remarked as he looked at the smoke roiling into the air. He would have to speed things along shortly.

"I just… I just wanted to tell you…" Aang started to say, sounding like he was trying to choose his words with extreme caution.

"If you're going to give me some monk garbage about the importance of not killing, don't waste your breath. I don't regret what I did, and I would do it again."

"No, no, I know. It's just… I know you have to be hurting right now. And I wanted to tell you that you can talk to me if you want. If there's anything you need to say."

Sasuke stood still in relative bewilderment. He didn't know what was more bizarre, the fact that despite everything Aang knew Sasuke to be capable of and all the acts he had witnessed Sasuke perform, he was still willing to be open with him and offer some level of compassion that probably wasn't deserved.

Or that, he realized, Aang might be right about the hurt.

"I'm fine, thanks."

Aang gave a brief, sad laugh. "Yeah, I thought you might say that. But I'll be around if you change your mind. I…"

He cut off as though he was about to be sick as Sasuke heard a gentle retching noise.

"I will never be able to condone this, or anything like it. I should despise you for what you are and what you've done. But I know you're still a person and I have to be willing to look at things from everyone's perspective. That's my ninja way."

Sasuke nearly bit off his own tongue as his brain brought his whole body to a moment of temporary paralysis. He spun, glaring at Aang who looked back at him with sudden fright.

"What did you just say?!"

"Nothing, I just said that I have to be willing to view things from more than one—"

"No, after that! What did you say?!"

Aang only shook his head. "Sasuke, I didn't say anything after that…. I didn't."

Sasuke continued to stare at him furiously for several long, uncomfortable seconds, breathing very hard before Aang gave him a last look of pain and jogged back towards the camp.

For a while, Sasuke started after him before he turned his attention slowly back to the fire in front of him, burning from the pit below. He knew what he had heard.

But he knew it wasn't Aang that had said it.

Blood teared down his face as he brought Amaterasu to life. The orange flames erupted in black and within moments, there was nothing left of the bodies but a smoking pit on the beach by the treeline. A few hand seals later and the sand rushed over and around with great sweeping swirls to cover the pit and look as though there had never been any fire at all.