- Scroll IV -

- Sanguine -

"25…26…27… 28-29-30! Na, Koyuki-chan I'm coming to get you!"

Sasuke lifted away from the wooden closet and blinked into the startling darkness.
His eyes caught at the glimmers of light outside the window of the Uchiha main house, and with an exhilarated smile he took off across the room, hearing the familiar creaks of the wooden planks under his bare feet as he ran.

Turning into the dimly-lit hallway, the little boy paused, breath catching in his throat, glancing left and right.
An opened cabinet beside him told him Koyuki had considered hiding in there, but had changed her mind.
To his right was the small laundry room, and the boy reached out with his small arms, grasping at the richly-textured golden knobs.
With a grunt, he pulled the twin doors open and peered inside, eyes flashing keenly across the piles of clothes, the sashes of ceremonial robes and the grand ancestral kimono tapered to the oak wall.

His sharp eyes scanned the room.

Every nook and cranny, every dark corner and space.
No Koyuki.

With a breath, the boy had turned around, flying down the hallway with thrill dancing in his eyes.
The pantry, the kitchen, the servants quarters… all rooms furnished, and carefully attended to with blue and white candles and oil lamps.
The glows of the flickering flames cast warm shadows that leapt across the room, and the young Uchiha paused before each doorway, grinning as his eyes swept around the tight spaces.

Much too bright for Koyuki to hide here... he thought carefully to himself, and his mouth flattened out into a stubborn pout as he paused, bandaged feet planted firmly on the floor, hands spread out to his sides.
Thinking and thinking...
Where could she be?

In his mind, the small boy pictured his friend, tightly pressed against a dark corner or huddled up behind a massive clay pot, hiding up on a lean branch, concealed in one of the trees out in the garden or ducking into the cleaning storage in the backyard... traces of her soft, cheerful, smile and bright attentive eyes.

Sasuke's ears perked as he heard the light thumps against the walls, feeling the floor pulse under the soles of his feet as the tandem of sure-footed running struck out at him from the far left.

"Aha!" the giddy little boy whispered, and his short, spiky raven hair flew out across his pale skin as he whipped his head sideways towards the sliding doors leading into the family garden.

"I hear you, I hear you!" Sasuke couldn't help hollering, and he pushed the dividing doors open, flinging his body out into the cool, night air, deeply inhaling the fresh, smokiness of burnt wood and the sweetness of pine sap.
The incessant call of the crickets swept around the lawn, and as the boy ran, he looked up into the sky and saw there the vast, twinkles of the meek stars winking at him.

With an excited laugh, Sasuke tore across the small boardwalk surrounding the edges of the garden, eyeing the bushes, scanning across the far-away hedges and trees.

Was that his friend's shadow moving against the flat, gray rocks beside the pond? Was it-

Something solid slammed into his right shoulder and Sasuke doubled over with a surprised cry, backside and elbows hitting joltingly into the wood, before he had regained his breath and blinked up at the shadowy-figure.

"Sasuke!" His father's aggravated stare tempered the exhausted features of his stern face and the boy jerked, looking meekly from him to the taller, broader-shouldered man beside him.
Uh-oh.

"Oto-san…" the little boy murmured, lowering his eyes timidly, un-minding of the locks of hair slipping down into his face.

Suddenly he felt too much like his irritating three year old cousins who lived in the house next to the mansion and the young Uchiha ignored the dull pain of his elbows as he crouched low, kneeling reverently as he was taught to bow before his looming father.

"Stop your running around the house. Not at this hour, Sasuke. I will not tolerate it!"

"…to-san…" the boy's eyes blinked desolately at the ends of his father's robe, "I-I'm sorry..."

"The clan elders and heads of security are holding an important meeting in the grand hall. The hall two doors away, as I trust you should already know." Sasuke's father emphasized his last words deliberately, with a grand gesture of his blue silk komono. And the boy forced his chin up, already embarrassed for his lack of responsibility, eyes looking to the dimly-lit rooms behind the two adults.

He gave the visitor a shy, apologetic glance.
And then he heard his father again.

"You are my son, and you will not embarrass me by acting like a wild animal in this house."

Sasuke couldn't miss the quiet intolerance and tenor of his father's voice, and he felt the shame bite at his cheeks when the older companion smiled sympathetically down at him.

"Yes… Oto-san…" the little boy averted his gaze and slowly pushed his legs up. "I won't-"

"Sasuke!" A cheerful call that held more solidity than his own shaking apology sliced across the thick atmosphere, and the young Uchiha turned his head just in time to see a pale hand reach out to his forehead and poke him.

Nothing but a mild push, but still there was a slight bite of pain.

"Tag. You're it!"

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed slightly and he looked up just in time to see Koyuki smile at him.

"Koyuki-chan…" he whispered, aware that his father was at pause, waiting for a cordial greeting from her.

"Come on, you're it." Koyuki repeated, ignoring Fugaku altogether.
Her vibrate, violet irises glinted in the darkness as she continued to stare at Sasuke.

"Koyuki-" his father started, but the girl was running off, feet pounding lightly into the floorboards, bright silver and ebony whipping at the clan symbol on her back.
"This is training too… just like hide-and-seek." The girl said evenly.
Her steps were lithe and graceful, a slow teasing dance, and the younger boy could only watch with dread as his best friend lingered in front of the dividing doors to the grand hall.

Warily, Sasuke looked up at his father, who now had his jaw clenched and his attention no longer directed at him.

"Come on, Sasuke."
The small boy looked up at the coax of his name, catching the patient look in his friend's shining eyes and the bare traces of a smile lingering from the tips of her mouth.

And Sasuke saw his father look away, mustering dignity as a cold counter to the girl's ignorance.
The man beside him laughed, shaking his head as he gave the stern Uchiha a consoling pat to the back.
And then, with a final disapproving grunt from his father, the two men started walking away.

"Here…" the younger Uchiha saw Koyuki slowly stretch out her open palm, pale against the glow of the moon, the tips of her fingers touching at the shadows and the light.

"I'll give you a chance to tag me…" Koyuki offered with a gentle smile, and the smaller boy's eyes widened with delight, before he ducked low and gave a playfully menacing grin, forgetting all about his father and the disapproval.

Only hearing Koyuki's voice now.

"Come get me."
"Sasuke…"

Catch me.

The bedsheets rustled and Sasuke's obsidian eyes opened slowly, eyelashes lifting against the strands of his raven bangs.

For a moment he watched the shadows stretching forlornly along the walls of the room, and in the darkness he heard the echoes of that voice, clear in his mind one moment, and then fading slowly, back into the past.

The painful sadness shook him and his head buried limply into the white sheets.

Another dream. Another memory.

It wasn't the first time the past had come to him in his sleep.
It was only one of so very many instances.
But that didn't ever matter, because every time it was just as painful.

The overwhelming sadness of seeing her, his father, alive, feeling the brief joy.
Why... Why...

Those days...
...had been...
The thought trailed off.

Sasuke blinked into the white sheets and felt the emptiness. Felt the hollow beat of his heart and the cold pinprickling sensation choking at his breath.
He felt the familiar agony of being alone.

Then he pulled away from the pillow, past the tangled sheets, sitting up at the edge of the bed. He thought about her, and the moments they shared before it all happened. It was all starting to flood back to him.

He felt the corners of his lips tugging into a subtle smirk.

He had stumbled upon hope, dreams, love. Things he had thrown away for the pursuit of his goddamn revenge. Emotions he had dismissed in training himself to be the perfect avenger.

And now he was remembering, what warmth felt like, what bonds of friendship meant. He didn't want his old world back.

She could see the rocky monument - the Hokage's mountain - framing the brown shingled roofs in front of her, and a little way to the right of it, the Konoha Ninja Academy.

Koyuki gathered some chakra under the soles of her feet and leaped up and went over the wires of the chain link fence surrounding the rooftop, before touching lightly to the wood planks on the bridge.

The wind rustled in the trees, and the branches and leaves wove moving cut-out patterns for the sunlight to display across the ground.

Koyuki decided to take a chakra-consuming jog to the academy. She passed the opening stalls and gazed at the dimly-lit paper lanterns swaying in the wind. Nothing but a silent blur traveling at the speed of sound.

At the sight of the red building, she slowed her speed and the amount of chakra flowing to her feet, until it was completely diminished. Upon entering the building she heard a high-pitched scream pierce the building.

For a moment, Koyuki froze. That was Sakura!

She broke into a run and stormed into the room.

The first sight that caught her attention was Naruto's nose bumped painfully against Sasuke's, lips forced together, and Koyuki inwardly cringed. They immediately separated, and a ruckus ensuing is the only reasonable reaction from those guys, both gagging dramatically.

Koyuki's shoulders shook with mirth, trying to stifle the laughter slowly creeping out.

Sasuke was holding the urge to punch a hole into the blonde boy's socket, he uttered deadly under his breath, "Naruto, you piece of crap! You are dead!"

"Poison! My mouth is ruined!" Naruto screamed idiotically as he furiously wiped his mouth on his orange sleeve. After gaining his composure, Naruto sensed an air of malevolence in the room, and he slowly turned his attention to the girls, mainly Sakura.

"W-wait! It was an accident! I swear!" Naruto stuttered with a nervous smile, frantically waving his hands in denial.

A glint of malice flickered in her slit emerald eyes, "Naruto..."

Beads of sweat trickled down Naruto's timorous face, he ensued a yelp before scurrying over the table top and ducked behind Koyuki, both hands placed firmly on her shoulders, he peaked his head over her right shoulder, depending on her to save him from the love-struck mob.

With fists clenched, the group inched towards Koyuki, one shouted, "Move out of the way Koyuki!"

Koyuki let out a annoyed sigh. Naruto causes more trouble than most people can in a life time. Then she formed a conceited smile, curtly playing along with them, "Now why would I do that?"

"Because he stole Sasuke-kun's first kiss! That was meant for me!"

"Nu-uh! For me!"

"In your dreams!"

Koyuki's lips spread out into a playful grin, she loved teasing with them!

She let out a gasp, turning her attention to Naruto, "Why would you do such a thing Naruto? That's not nice!" Koyuki teasingly disapproved of his actions.

"N-nani? B-but the guy in front of me bumped me towards Sasuke! I didn't do it on purpose!" Naruto retorted with disgust.

"Now I know it's hard Naruto-kun, Sasuke is ever so handsome! Is he not?" Koyuki cooed with hands clasped together, purposely misleading everyone.

Koyuki nearly lost her composure when she gazed at Sasuke's deadly glare.

... No, he was not amused.

A faint rosy hue spread out over his cheeks. Koyuki pushed her mouth down against her knuckles, trying to cut out the threatening sound of laughter.

Naruto abruptly released his grip on her shoulders and stumbled backwards, "What the hell Koyuki! That's not funny!"

"Oh come on," She said, and her smile blossomed, "-I mean, just look at him!"

In a rustle, Koyuki quickly appeared beside Sasuke. With her arm hooking over his shoulder, she pressed herself against his back, pinching his cheek with her other hand.

"Who could resist such a gorgeous face?" The girl emphasized teasingly. His eyes widened and just as quickly he glowered, his face becoming flushed.

Koyuki lowered her quaking head, and she gave her first low round of laughter, startling him. And his face lifted to her, his hair spilling between his slightly bewildered eyes, and she gave him a delighted grin.

"I'm just teasing Sasuke." He heard the sweet octaves of her voice.

The softness of her lingering hand triggered the shock that leapt around his stomach. She pulled away from him and, in fact, he stared at her, a transfixed gaze softening his obsidian eyes as he watched her giggle, he discovered he could listen to that melodious tickle forever.

His mind thought a million different thoughts that for once, had nothing to do with his brother. There was a small battle taking place in his mind, the very kind that annoyed Sasuke. And he briefly labeled himself ridiculous before turning one side of his face and eye hesitantly at her until the tinkering faded into an acceptable silence.

"From this day forward, you are no longer mere students of ninjutsu, but full-fledged shinobi. But, among the ranks of shinobi, you are mere novices, lowest of the low. Your greatest challenges all lie ahead."

Iruka's eyes averted to all the students in the class, continuing, "The next step is the assignment of official duties to you all on behalf of our village. We will begin by dividing you into three-man squads, with the exception of one, which will obtain four. Each of which will be mentored by a jonin, a more senior ninja... who will guide and coach you as you become familiar with various assignments."

Koyuki's gaze narrowed slightly, a five-man squad would definitely be a nuisance. Missions are usually carried out by a four-man squad to ensure mobility, to stay coordinated and move swiftly with no loss of discipline. Groups larger than four are easier for the enemy to detect and actually more at risk. But since there was a even number of graduating students this year, it would have to do.

"I made the selection so that each squad's abilities would be approximately equal."

With closed eyelids, Koyuki anxiously waited for her name to be announced. Iruka-sensei stated the first six squads, none of which of her circle of friends were assigned to, she was quite thankful.

"Next, Squad Seven... Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto..."

"Yatta!" Beside her, a high, scratchy voice let out a whoop. Sakura let out a unsatisfied sigh, clearly not happy being assigned with Naruto for the rest of her genin years.

"Uchiha Sasuke..."

"Oh, yeah!" Now it was Sakura's turn, and Koyuki's heart thudded dully in her chest. One more position...

"And Mikoto Koyuki."

Then she sighed with relief, she wouldn't want to be in a squad with anyone else. She quickly glanced at the Uchiha, and the girl watched with fascination as the curl of his mouth broke out into a hidden smile, one she had not seen in five years. He turned the side of his face, looking at the Mikoto's expression, she'd never recalled seeing such a open emotive in the depths of those black eyes.

"Awesome, dattebyou! You hear that Koyuki-chan!" Naruto said happily, throwing an arm around her shoulders. Surprisingly, she seemed comfortable when a smile spread over her cheeks.

Iruka-sensei proceeded with the rest of the squads. Squad Eight consisted of Hyuga Hinata, Inuzaka Kiba and Aburame Shino, and Squad Ten consisted of Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji.

Koyuki's attention wandered over to a pouting Naruto. The blonde ninja's eyes were narrowed once again into tiny inquisitive slits and his mouth was pulled out in a thin, flat disapproving line. He stood up and then pointed one grand finger at the Uchiha.

"Ne, sensei! What were you thinking of, saddling a most excellent shinobi like myself... with that loser!?"

Koyuki heard a low growl of the pink-haired girl sitting on the opposite side of Sasuke, annoyed at his derogatory remark towards her Sasuke-kun.

Iruka-sensei said simply, "... Of the twenty-eight of you, Koyuki has the best grade, Sasuke following shortly behind, Naruto. You would be at the bottom of the class. The idea is to balance your different strengths... that's why you ended up together!"

The class erupted with laughter as the orange-clad ninja stood there, listening to everything...
Taking the blow for everything...

Naruto was plagued once again with thoughts that the damn Uchiha-rookie would always be better than him.

Always.

"Hnn... just try not to drag me down, usuratonkashi."

"Raahhh, what'd you call me!?"

"Just knock it off, Naruto!"

Iruka-sensei just signed as the two quarreled, then smiled, "Okay, everyone. I'll be introducing your jonin instructor this afternoon. Until then, you're dismissed!"

Koyuki walked out of the academy.

Right now, her body was just protesting for a midday snack. There was a small canteen near the academy, she would go there.

She'd already crossed paths with Asuma Sarutobi, who as usual, had a toothpick poking incessantly at the atmosphere from his mouth, and a slightly distorted cigarette stick protruding from one ear.

Either that, or it was a reversal of roles with the cigarette held clamped between his lips, and the toothpick jutting out from his bandana.

Asuma raised a hand to wave at her.

"Oi, Koyuki..." Asuma's voice trailed off as he caught sight of the leaf forehead protector, and his smile erupted into a full-forced grin.

"Ah... it's about time Koyuki-san."

The girl smiled in affirmation up at the jonin, "Arigatou Asuma-sensei, but please, no formalities, I get plenty of those all the time."

"Nonsense, you deserve it kiddo. I heard from Kakashi, your skills are quiet admirable, frankly I'm surprised you didn't graduate years ago."

His hand plucked the cigarette stick from his ear and he disposed of the toothpick still in his mouth. Absent-mindedly he stuck the cigarette into his mouth, and his triangular goatee dipped upwards as he rolled the stick around his parted lips.

"Yes, well, I have my reasons." Koyuki retorted, her mouth twitched to the side.

"...Hmm, Uchiha Sasuke I presume." Asuma said after a moment, giving the girl a slight wink.

"It's not like that - I do care about Sasuke, but there's more to it than that, you should know. " Koyuki said.

The grizzly teacher's hand landed on the girl's head, startling her, and Asuma rolled his eyes comically as the stick in his mouth lifted. His eyes studied Koyuki and the kunoichi looked at him, fixedly and unwavering.

"I do know, and I understand, If I was in your shoes I'd probably make the same decision. I saw you two grew up together, the boy always had a nice little mischievous grin when he was around you..." He focused his stare at Koyuki. The girl said nothing.

"Of course, most people have forgotten what an Uchiha grin looks like. Since that boy barely even cracks a smile now." Sarutobi said conversationally, then proceeded with a grin and then cracked a match to the end of his cigarette. The butt glowed orange and his eyes traveled towards Koyuki from behind the first puffs of tobacco smoke.

She felt the weight of his hand lifted from her head as Asuma spoke, "By the way, does he know about your other kekkei genkai?"

Koyuki's head jerked slightly towards the man, she narrowed her eyes, "No, he doesn't."

"Huh? Why not? Surely if he knew about it..."

Without even knowing it, Koyuki's fist started to clench tightly.

The man gave a resigned grunt and sensing the end to that, "Ah, jia Koyuki-san." And with that, Asuma turned away from her and continued walking towards the academy.

Her jaws ached from the way her teeth were clamped together so tightly and she could feel the familiar rage, accompanied by heightened sensations creeping up to her temples.

She knew that her violet irises now appeared to others, stained in a deep, menacing red. Flashing with a steady, spinning whirl of black that begun to settle in dots of two.