Hierarchical Complexity: Part Deux

by IceHaze2

Part two of the chronicles of Usagi and Itachi and how their different lifestyles affect their uneasy relationship.

2. X Systematic

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, Naruto or its characters.
Warnings: Language and trigger for sexual violence.

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Chapter 12: Systematic

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She stood as still as stone within the formation.

It was supposed to be a fairly simple mission. Go in, distract the guards, get the scroll, get out. All without being seen...at a small post, in a remote area. The reports regarding the hideout indicated no more than thirty-five people. The members themselves were nothing more than petty thugs or a small group of hoodlums out to pilfer from weaker villages. But as she glanced to her left and then to her right, it became difficult to stop a small bead of sweat from sliding down her right cheek. There had to have been at least three hundred on the field alone. There was not enough time to check out the remainder of the base which, in itself, stretched for several kilometers. How such a small group could garner enough power, resources and interest to attract as many people as she saw was quite the mystery. And with the sudden turn of events, things were not looking well for her team's mission, for Anbu had gotten everything completely wrong—the number of people involved, the involvement of the group in their affairs. All information save for the terrain was now useless to them. And it worried her greatly.

"Everyone, silence! Your general speaks!"

This was no longer a small gang hideout from which they had to steal back their scroll. Something inside alerted her to the fact that this was so much more.

"Ah, thanks."

The sound of a thump thump stretched across the field as a man appeared atop the wooden porch of an old traditional style hut. He towered over the group and observed with pride the numbers that had gathered. Eyes narrowed in at the red-haired general come to greet them. He was clad in heavy boots, vest and camouflage pants. A confident smile graced his features.

"I first welcome you all. For joining our clan, for lending your strength, for taking interest in our cause...I assure you, our Soudaishou shall embrace you all with open arms."

The crowd roared in excitement. She kept her composure in spite of the trembling in her body as several feet stomped and caused a tremor from their festive mood.

"I myself shall assign you into various squads and positions. These groups will be your new family. It is with them that you will carry out your missions. Soudaishou has entrusted me with your fates. What you do from now on, who you are from here on out...will be up to me; therefore, I expect you all to show me your full potential later today. That will determine the measure of your life."

Haruka's stoic expression remained as the man paced about the deck of the ancient hut.

"No longer will you worry about when your next meal is. No longer will you worry about watching your back for enemy attacks. The clan will ensure your safety and survival. And so in return, you will give yourself completely over to us. You will do as we command. You will live for our Soudaishou. He is your new family now, as am I. Do this, and never will any harm come to you. Fight for me, and I will most certainly lay my life for you. Am I understood?!"

The people in the crowd gave their firm resolution as their stance strengthened.

"Ah! " was the roaring response.

"Good. Until the trials take part later today, wait to be called upon. We will commence your inauguration with the proper tributes for our great leader. Gather the valuables you have brought with you. When summoned you will bring your treasures for the offering. For those waiting to be summoned, feel free to use this field as you wish. Dismissed."

Haruka relaxed minimally after the general long departed. She listened in as the various new recruits gathered around and began to initiate relaxed conversations. Some eager for food, others clothing. There were several marked with deep wounds, some even gravely sick. And it was then she realized how easy it was for them to quickly increase their numbers. The promise of paradise was much too enticing for anyone to pass.

"Psst, Haruka-sensei..."

Haruka glared at her young student.

"I told you not to call me by that name here."

"Y-yes, I'm sorry. But I just thought..." she clung closely to her sensei as she whispered her next words. "I thought you might want to know that I lost track of Seijuuro and Usagi."

"What?"

"They're out of range for my tracking capabilities. I can't pinpoint the traces of their chakra. And...well...with the number of people...it's difficult to...I mean...what I'm trying to say is..." the young dark-haired girl took a deep sigh before regaining her composure. "Sensei, this isn't at all what we expected."

"I know. I feel the same as you."

"How did Anbu get it all wrong?"

"It's hard to say. I heard rumors of the clan even before the intel but..."

"Rumors?"

"Yes."

Both Haruka and Hotaru watched carefully as lines began to follow a young woman with braided hair the color of snow and eyes a steely blue.

"They were originally a small group of nobodies. People that were cast out by their former villages. Some fleeing from the Third Ninja War, others, miscreants...vagabonds. They came together to form a small gang. Even then though, it was only about thirty or so. Never did I think they would recruit this many people, enough to start forming a clan of their own. They even have peasants joining in. If all these people were to gain military experience..."

"At the rate in which they are recruiting people, they'll have enough to form a formal village in the near future."

"Ah."

"Is sensei worried?"

"A bit, yes."

"And all the planning we did...it was only to retrieve the scroll."

Haruka stood in silence momentarily as her student glanced worriedly about the campus.

"Sensei, I-I...I think this mission is beyond our ranks. I'm not even sure if S-class is a suitable classification."

"Hmm."

"O-of course, I'm ready to keep going if sensei is! But well..."

"You're worried about your teammates, aren't you?"

"Yes. If I can't even track them here, what happens if they get sent off to different areas. What if we get relocated, then what? I'm sorry, I just don't know if we're prepared for this."

"Ah, I've thought about that too. Unfortunately, we don't have much of a choice right now. Not with this many people. It would be too tricky to move."

"And we don't know where the scroll is or how many ninjas they have here and what their experience is."

"No, but we are still knowledgeable of the terrain. Our escape plans will still come through if nothing else."

"What are you suggesting?"

"We continue with the plan. Gain more information, figure out the scroll's location and retrieve it if we can. If not, we'll find an opening, give the signal and escape. We can relay this new information to Anbu and they can go from there."

"And the others?"

"Seijuuro is well aware of his task. He was originally assigned with discreetly gaining intelligence and distracting the guards when the time came. Usagi was tasked with laying low and blending in until we found the right opportunity to steal the scroll. Until the time comes, they know their roles."

She nodded in approval.

"And until we get the chance to get them to speed, we too will have to acclimate ourselves as best we can to the clan."

"Yes ma'am."

The woman from earlier came closer to their small group.

"All right! Everyone gather your items!"

Hotaru held her breath momentarily as they now formed in lines.

Her sensei whispered closely to her ear. "The necklace I gave you for your birthday. Just use that."

"But..."

She winked at her. "I'll just get you another one. And as for me..."

Haruka held the small ring close to the setting sun.

"That's...!"

"My life or the ring. Even she would know the answer to that." Her soft smile grew into a stern glare. "Keep your wits about you. Stay alert and speak to as few people as possible."

"Ah."

Haruka took one last surveillance over the field, hoping that her other two students would somehow be okay. And it was several groups down that a blonde worriedly trudged about the grass as her comrade watched her tiredly.

"Presents? Presents? No one told me we had to bring presents!" she whispered harshly.

"Calm down," snapped Seijuuro. "Look, don't you have anything at all? A bracelet, necklace or...?"

"If I had something, I wouldn't be so...ugh! Why me?" Usagi buried her head in her hands. It was always her dumb luck that brought her into such situations.

"Well, you don't have your choker...but what about some other type of jewelry?"

"Like what? I don't...Ooh! I can give him my watch!"

"Yeah! There you go!"

Usagi took off her watch and dangled it proudly from her fingers. Seijuuro's shoulders sunk low.

"You're going to give him that?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, it's nice. It has these little moon designs for a chain and the face is even like those old watches without numbers. Plus it's silver!"

"It's just silver painted, not actual silver. Look, I really doubt this Soudaishou fellow is going to be impressed with your offering."

"What?! But it's from the Tasogare Senshi collection! I had to buy like six cereals and mail in my box thingies to get it!"

Seijuuro rolled his eyes. "By valuables, they meant something with monetary value, not sentimental. Think of something else."

"Ugh! But seriously, I don't have anything!"

He glanced about the floor.

"There's gotta be something nearby."

Usagi too now scrambled on the floor, weaving in and out of people to find something. "I'll take anything right now: gold, silver, diamond, platinum, hell even a fossil...oh! Oh!"

"What? Did you find something?"

Usagi held up her small dagger and a piece of a wooden block.

"Great...what is it?" He stared curiously, begging Usagi to explain why it was she was holding a dirty old slab of wood in her hand proudly.

"I'm going to make something!"

"...what?"

"People always say the best gifts are the ones made not bought. So I'm going to make the leader guy something."

"Usagi," he hissed.

Ignoring her teammate's remarks and protests, she happily began to cut away pieces of the wood. In and out her dagger worked. She made tiny holes, shaved off smooth areas and finally managed to mold the base. When she was certain the body looked satisfactory she began to work on the layers for the final part. Another few scrapes later and she was certain the piece was recognizable. And after inspecting the wood and giving its shaved pieces a final blow of air, she smiled happily. Her hands then rubbed all over the dusty remains of old charcoal and brick. With careful fingers, she painted over the entire piece.

A rough elbow jabbed her on the side; she grunted and hastily pushed the hand away.

"Hurry up! We're next."

"Hang on," her fingers smoothed out the coloring a little more. "I'm almost done."

Seijuuro shielded Usagi immediately when the lady from earlier returned with an enthusiastic smile.

"Next group, please form a single line and follow me."

Usagi pushed Seijuuro aside as she held onto her small art piece protectively. She smiled widely and giggled, much to the confusion of the snow-haired woman. They walked through the darkened hallways until they reached a large foyer with piles upon piles of glittering gold, jewels and other trinkets. Usagi and Seijuuro both stared in awe at the sight before them.

"Yes, please, put them...yes right there! Come along now, we mustn't keep the lines waiting."

The duo watched as a dark haired woman with buns on her head directed the traffic of people along.

"Hey, since when were you in charge of the offerings?"

The dark-haired woman powdered her nose lightly as she waited for the next assortment of treasures to come by. "Don't be jealous, sis. The general personally put me in charge of this task."

"Hmph! A woman like you couldn't possibly understand fine art." She threw her braided hair past her shoulders before ignoring the woman beside her. "Next!"

Usagi eagerly pushed her way past the small group. "Ooh! Ooh! Me! Pick me!"

"You girl, stop waving your hands like a crazed maniac! Just come up here!"

"Yay!" she bounced happily to the two women.

"Well with that much excitement you must have a very..."

Both women frowned as the enthusiasm was drained upon the sight of the small wooden animal.

"What is that?"

"I made it!"

"We can see that," muttered the taller woman.

"It's a peacock! I used the brick dirt from outside your buildings to make the feathers red and glittery, and I used the charcoal to get the rest of the patterns and lining down. Isn't it pretty?" She placed her masterpiece in the braided woman's hands.

"I...uh..." the younger woman stared at her sister in confusion and then back as if waiting for the punchline to this joke to be delivered. When the blonde continued to bounce around in happiness and anticipation to an art critique, she realized the girl was very serious about her offering.

"Don't you like it?"

"Well, I mean, it's just that, I uh...didn't anyone tell you that the gifts are supposed to...well..." her face scrunched in confusion as she looked again to her sister for guidance.

The bun-haired woman sighed tiredly. "The tributes are supposed to be valuable."

Usagi pouted. "This is valuable. You won't find another one like it."

"Yeah, we know that. What we mean is that it has to bring in revenue. We need something that's worth a lot of money."

"Oh well, I bet you could probably get like fifty Ryo or more out of it in an auction."

"I..." she smashed her hand against her face in frustration. "Listen, kid..."

The petite sister immediately cut through. "Look, this is insufficient. You can't expect us to accept this um...thing."

"Hey that's uncalled for! And here I thought you said you had a taste for fine art!"

"This doesn't constitute fine art, little girl!"

"Well you didn't exactly give me a good palette to work with! Honestly, people expect artists to work under the craziest circumstances. Look fine, here, why don't we put some jewels or stuff on it to make it more valuable or whatever."

Despite the girls' protests, Usagi grabbed a handful of red jewels and tried to stick them in the small holes of the peacock. One ruby went flying through the air, hitting the older sister square on the forehead while the other knocked away the foundation from the younger sister's hand. The results were two women throwing a coughing fit as the cloud of powder settled around them.

"Oops, sorry! I just...uh..."

The smaller sister angrily grabbed the peacock and pointed at a hallway down past her left with the very little patience she had remaining. "Look...just...go. Okay? GO! Welcome to the clan. Geez."

"Hey, thanks!" Usagi skipped away to the hallway the woman pointed at, barely catching the voice of her comrade as he gave away some trinket from his grandfather. "Okay, so I just turn left here, then right...then...uh...hmm, I don't remember a plant here."

She decided to backtrack to the foyer to ask for specific directions only to realize she must have taken a wrong turn back. Mild panic spread through her as she lightly jogged about the ceramic tiled flooring of the estate. Honestly, it was so much different from the outside. Whereas old huts and farming fields and stone walls outlined the exterior, this building was anything but humble. Whoever set base here, must have had some financial backing.

After going in circles and through all sorts of routes, Usagi turned around and around, looking for any signs of life. "Hello?" After another three minutes of running through maze-like corridors, she eventually came across two large doors. "Someone has to be in there." She decided if there were people there, then it only made sense to ask them for directions instead of remaining lost.

The sounds of creaking wood echoed in the hallways. She carefully shut the door behind her.

"Um, excuse me! I um, kinda got lost and...well...that is...if you could just help me get back outside, I would really appreciate it." No response came forth and Usagi cringed at how cold, dark and eerie the entire room felt. In spite of how still and desolate her surroundings were, she felt the creepy sensation of being among company. Glancing to and fro through darkness in vain to try to locate the source, it wasn't until she caught a glowing light far off into an adjacent room that she completely ignored her former fear. And just like a moth to a flame, she allowed her feet to guide her closer and closer to this enticing light.

Once her hands pushed through another set of doors, she marveled at the beauty it had to behold.

"Whoa!" There were beautiful paintings hanging on the wall of the ancient gardens in Kirigakure, glittering jewels of amethyst decorating white lacquer dressers, exquisite tapestries of mythical birds all lined with deep fiery borders, flawless floral silver dishware and an extravagant set of fine wine held by a cherrywood glass case. Whoever dwelled in this room had to have been royalty. There was just no way around that.

"Wow, what is that?" She came closer to a cup-like item atop the lacquer dresser. It was gold and crimson, adorned by a crown and crescent moon on the top and wings on the side. With careful fingers, she traced the outline of the tiny jewels on the face. "It's so pretty..."

"What are you doing here!"

In shock of the voice, Usagi flailed crazily and knocked the cup down. She cringed at the sound of fracturing glass echoing throughout the whole room.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry about that, it's just that..."

There was no time to apologize as the blue-haired man closed the distance and attempted to back her up against the wineglass case.

"Who are you?"

Usagi tried her best to never show her back to him as he began to pace towards her. "M-my name is..."

"Speak up girl!"

"I-I'm...that is..."

"Out with it!"

"I'm trying...if you would just calm down and maybe not..."

Usagi continued to pace backwards around the room as the man before her continued to discern her next move. Per her request, he stopped circling her and instead pinned her to her spot with his eyes alone.

"Give me your soldier identification number."

"I haven't been given my ID yet, sir."

"Hmm, then why are you here of all places?" he asked with a hint of suspicion to his voice.

"I was just coming back from giving my tribute, then I got lost and...heh heh..."

Usagi cringed as the man's eyes narrowed even more.

"What squad are you from?"

"Oh, I haven't been given a squad either, actually..." she shrank back when his fingers tapped impatiently on his crossed arms.

"Then...just what village were you from originally?"

"Oh, Iwagakure, sir!" She smiled back, knowing full well that wasn't a lie at all.

The smile disappeared as his eyes traveled from her feet to her hair then back to her eyes.

"There's...something off about you, soldier."

"Off? What do you...I mean," She cleared her throat. "What do you mean, sir?"

"Hmm. I don't know. You're just...strange. Very very strange."

Usagi tried her best to hold his gaze. Did he suspect who she was? Did he know she was a spy? Was he aware what village she was truly sent from? Attempting to stay calm, the two rekindled their rhythmless dance as he continued to back her up, once again—angrily, to intimidate her. She began to grow more nervous, sweat falling from her face as a result.

"Saphir!"

The two immediately turned their attention to the new voice. And as the man slowly strolled over to them with a casual confidence, she took note of some basic features. He was an older man, most likely mid thirties. His hair was pale and eyes a matching soft lavender. Unlike the blue-haired man, this pale-haired stranger had absolutely no quarrel with her. He approached them with a smirk on his face and a relaxed tone to his voice. His confident stride matched his cool demeanor.

"Nii-san?"

Usagi quickly gave the younger male a tilted owl face.

"That will be enough Saphir. I will handle the young girl myself."

"But sir! We can't trust her!" he finished with wary eyes. "What if she's..."

He raised a hand to silence his younger brother and Usagi watched in earnest as to why this man was so relaxed about an intruder.

"Be still. Your lord commands it, Saphir."

He sighed in resignation. "Yes, sir."

"She's hesitant, jittery and chatty. She stutters and is unsure about her surroundings. Clearly from her stance even now you can see this was completely an accident. If you want to unleash your anger on someone, do so on the guards who failed to keep their posts."

"Yes, sir."

"Now then, you mentioned something about a tribute, young one?"

"Y-yes! I just paid my tribute to you, sir, and then took a wrong turn. That's all! Then I saw your room and...well I was just curious...I mean...you do have nice things." She played shyly with her hair as she glanced away from the two. "I guess, I just got distracted. I'm sorry."

"Very well, solider. I see no harm done."

The younger brother's fiery stance faltered in disbelief. "Nii-san!"

Usagi tilted her head in confusion when the man she knew to be Saphir locked eyes with her nervously then immediately looked away. There was something off about the way he was glancing between his brother and her.

"You always let your guard down around them."

The man threw his head back in amusement and gave his younger brother a large pat on the back. "Will you relax? I have everything under control. It's perfectly safe. Besides we should be grateful to this girl. It's not everyday anyone can just enter my master quarters without being detected by my soldiers."

Usagi's eyes widened minimally. It couldn't be.

"You girl, you've got quite a talent for stealth."

"That's what worries me, Nii-san."

"Saphir," he lightly reprimanded. "This girl's ability is something to celebrate, not admonish. It's a wonderful opportunity. She could be a great asset to our clan. And with those legs of hers, I bet she has great speed as well. I most certainly could use someone like her as a scouter...or even more so, a personal assistant."

Usagi's hairs stood on end, and without knowing full well why, she wanted so desperately to hide the skin of her legs behind dark cloth.

"But Nii-san, we can't afford to be reckless," he whispered harshly. "I know how you li—"

Usagi's right eyebrow arched as Saphir was stilled by this man's deathly glare to whatever it was he was about to say.

The younger man sighed before relenting to his older brother's request to be silent once more. "I just don't think it wise to allow just anyone to gallivant about the estate unchaperoned."

"As I said, she could be useful to us, Otouto. And furthermore..."

She really couldn't explain it. She didn't know why, but of their own will, her legs moved and she stepped away ever so slightly from the click of his tongue as he finished that last statement. Those damn eyes of his. There was something unsettling about them. She shyly looked down at her shoes when he held her gaze. The exchanges and looks the two brothers were giving each other, the looks he was giving her...it was all off-putting. Saphir looked to her with uncertainty and then back at his brother who carried a small smirk on his face. That worried her more than anything else and yet she couldn't decipher why it did.

"That will be all for now, Saphir. Leave us."

"Yes, sir."

"Us?" she whispered to herself. She watched with confusion as the blue-haired man disappeared, closing the doors to the throne-like room behind him. She backed away to the corner voluntarily as a result. It was only when the sounds of wine were poured into a glass that she braved to look back at him.

"I don't believe I have formally introduced myself to you, little one. I'm your new master, Dimande."

"S-Soudaishou, ne?"

"Ah. I've recently earned the title. And naturally with that new role, there's a lot to square away for my clan."

"Oh, like picking your army people, choosing your knights, finding the royal chef and stuff like that right?"

He chuckled softly to her response. "Yes, 'stuff like that'."

Her inquisitive eyes searched him as he smiled softly at her. "Um...heh heh." She nervously pushed back small strands of hair as he pulled a chair opposite of his bed.

"Sit."

"Oh no, I don't want to waste your time. I should probably get back to..."

"Sit."

"Okay..." Unsure as to whether or not she did want to comply, she waited for his lead. When he settled with a plop onto the bed, she gently guided her body down onto the seat. And when a wineglass was handed to her, she smiled halfheartedly and proceeded to blow bubbles into the liquid instead, not at all liking the bitter taste.

"Do you not like your wine?"

"Oh no! I love it."

His mischievous eyes challenged her and so she slowly took a small gulp, nodding at him in confirmation to the taste before a chill went down her spine from the aftermath, causing her to visibly shake. "Blah. Blaaah." Her tongue hung from her mouth and her face began to make weird faces as she tried desperately to let the air carry away the taste of the wine.

His deep laugh filled the room.

"Sorry, I'm just...not much of a drinker."

"So I see."

A small bit of silence ensued as she glanced about his treasures. It was then she noted several more trinkets. Perhaps these were at once tributes from new recruits as well. Perhaps one day her small ornament would rest on the white lacquer.

"I don't believe I caught your name."

"Excuse me?"

"Your name. I introduced myself first; it's only proper I get yours in return."

"Oh! I haven't been assigned a number yet by the general so..."

He fought back a smile as he chuckled into his glass.

"I meant your given name, not soldier identification."

She had not accounted for this. In Haruka's briefing, they never took into account that she would be face to face with none other than the great leader himself. And thus they never bothered with formal aliases aside from mission codenames. She had to think of something fast. And it was at the sight of the broken moon cup on the floor next to the wineglasses that an idea popped into her head.

"Serenity."

"Hmm?"

"My name is Serenity, sir."

"Serenity..." he whispered, letting the soft consonant roll off his wet tongue smoothly. "Yes, that's a beautiful name indeed."

"Oh...well...thank you."

"And how old are you Serenity?"

"Oh, um, sixteen, sir."

"Sixteen? Strange, you look much younger than that."

"Oh, is that a problem?"

"I suppose not."

"Okay. And why do you ask?"

"Curiosity."

"Oh, and how old are you?"

He chuckled as he took another swig of his wine. "Older." He stopped mid-drink and followed her nervous gaze over to the shattered remains of his cup.

"Oh! About that cup, well, I k-kinda...broke it." She played with her index fingers for a little while as she tried to decipher his eyes. "B-But I promise to pay you back for it! So like if you want to, you know...we could...um...set up a down payment or deposit...maybe just a monthly repayment plan?"

He swirled his glass before setting it on the coaster and leaning back on his bed with an amused smile outlining his face.

"How keen are you to pay me back?"

His soft velvet voice caused her blush to grow.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm asking if you truly want to pay me back."

"Of course! It's my fault that..."

She stilled as soon as he stood up. After a few seconds and a small nod from his head, she stood up as well. And those eyes of his, she couldn't stop staring. Unsure why and how, her feet began to move on their own once again. After one second, she began to walk slowly, after two seconds her surroundings began to blur altogether, and after three seconds she no longer had any conscious thought running through her mind. Her only instinct now was to reach him.

Fingers gently clenched his sleeves, head tilted back. Her eyes weighed down as a soft breath hung so very close to hers.

"Nii-san!"

Thunderous knocking interrupted the two.

"What is it?" came the frustrated response of the man.

As he opened the doors to talk to a worried Saphir, Usagi shook her head to and fro.

Her surroundings returned slowly to her. Little by little she could make out the tiny details of the room once again. The broken cup, the wineglass case, the tapestries...

She let out a wind of air she had not realized she held. Her breathing was erratic, and so she tried every trick in the book to calm her nerves but found she could not shake this uneasy and queasy feeling inside her.

"Now then..."

She regarded him with an unfocused stare.

"Unfortunately little one, I have some business to attend. In the meantime, please join the ranks. Should I require your assistance, believe me, I will send for you. My guards here will show you out."

She rubbed her temple gently, not at all liking how light-headed she felt. With uneasy steps, she staggered over to the door.

"Are you feeling well?"

Her mind couldn't register the subtle smirk he carried as he asked her that.

"I-I-I'm okay."

"Good. Until then, farewell."

She nodded numbly and followed a soldier out the front doors of his room.

"Goodbye."

More sweat began to drip down her face. Her eyes were much too heavy and fought against a desperately needed sleep. Though her steps began to falter less, she was still falling quickly to fatigue. It took every ounce of strength to keep close stride with the guard. And as they exited the palace and returned back to the field, she realized one very eerie fact as the muffled words of the soldier went in and out of focus.

"You are to wait until instructions come forth. We will be testing the skills and capabilities of each clan member. If our Soudaishou demands your audience, one of us shall escort you. For the moment, you are dismissed."

She could not remember a single thing from the last few minutes.

---

It was just too much to think of, and a part of her was conflicted over what these feelings entailed.

On the one hand, she desperately wanted to support her friend who had long since been suffering. At each passing day, she could tell Usagi was only getting further and further sucked into her feelings of despair—the loss of weight, the dark circles under her eyes she occasionally hid behind light makeup and the lack of enthusiasm she normally carried. It wasn't as if her friend was always in such a mood, but even she could see the very subtle difference in the way she carried herself since that day they found her huddled on the floor near her bed. Her face, a tear-stained red.

And it was only natural to want to be there. She and the others made it an extra effort to include her in everything. Anything to get her out of the house, to get her to enjoy some fresh air. And although Usagi turned their efforts down at first, she eventually came around. A few weeks later, she began to laugh again.

Minako sighed as her hands selected a color of paint absentmindedly. It was a bright red color. And at that glance of the hue, she recalled another person who was also being burdened from this incident.

She recalled the ugly looks, the whispers and accusations. Usagi wasn't the only one hurting from this. There was just something unfair and unjust about the way Rei was coming out of it as well. She had not returned to the compound since that day she helped the priestess, but she wondered if they still continued their treatment. If they still continued to whisper those nasty rumors. And because Usagi and Rei weren't exactly seeing eye to eye, Minako couldn't help the slight twinge of betrayal for wanting to seek out the raven-haired girl. Perhaps she too was suffering from it all.

After grumbling angrily under her breath about the Uchiha that caused all this, she gently put down the red nail polish and searched for the next one. After not finding one she liked, she dropped her head in defeat. She didn't know which was worse, the conflicted feelings, the sense of impending betrayal for having interacted with 'the enemy', or the smelly unbathed foot that was now smashed against the left side of her face.

"Kwaan swaome chell mwea whuay hweez hwear?"

"What was that? I don't think we understood you, Mina."

She growled and slapped the poorly hygienic foot away from her face.

"I said, can someone tell me why he's here?! It's a girl's night. Whose bright idea was it to bring this guy?"

Minako glared at Makoto who was casually painting one toe a bright emerald color.

"Oh cut it out Mina. No one said this was going to be strictly a girl's night. I invited him along because Usagi wasn't able to come. It rounds us out very well. Plus he was the only one available."

Minako ignored the toothy grin of the Uchiha male and cursed under her breath.

"But that's not right! We can't do all the things we normally do!"

"Such as?"

She frowned at Shisui's smug face.

"Like, like...talk about boys!" She responded proudly at the snap of a finger.

"Oh my god!" Shisui scooted closer in fake enthusiasm. "What about that cute blond at the ice cream shop? Wasn't he just dreamy?"

Minako glared at the way the last word was drawled out. "Stop that."

"Oh, oh! And I heard from this girl who heard it from this guy who has it on good word from a nin-ken that someone's got a crush on that Shisui guy," he batted his eyelashes quickly to top the falsetto.

"That dog is a fucking liar! And shut up! We do not talk like that!"

"Oh come on, you guys always gush over men."

"No we don't! We...discuss. Observe and examine."

"Right, that's how it is."

"Ugh! Can't we just do our normal hang out? All in favor of kicking Shisui out, say Aye."

Minako's eyelid twitched as she was the only one of the four to raise her hand.

"Mako?"

"Sorry, the Uchiha stays."

"Mako!"

"Come on, Mina! He contributed to our dinner after all."

"Ami-chan was the one who made the fried rice!"

"Well he brought the drinks."

"Those were MY drinks. See? Nothing! No contribution whatsoever."

"Not true, I did bring the cups."

"Those were mine too!"

"Yeah, but I brought them into the room. See? Con-tri-bu-tion."

She slapped his poking finger away. "Ugh! Ami-chan, please tell me you're on my side!"

Her facial features became lazy when her friend continued to flip through her book.

"These biology books Shisui brought me are quite fascinating. I don't believe I have a book detailing the anatomy of the Stenella coeruleoalba. This should come quite handy in my marine biology personal studies."

"Blah! Traitors, all of you."

"Calm down, Mina. Why don't you just chill and enjoy the sleepover?"

"Fine, whatever." Confused eyes glanced over at Shisui who was busy away at painting nails. "What's a grown man like you doing painting his toenails, anyway?"

"Hey, I'm confident with my sexuality. Now pass me the yellow. I'm gonna put stars on this shit. It's gonna look amazing."

She rolled her eyes as she tossed his desired item and scooted closer towards Makoto.

"You know, it's a good thing we decided to meet up now. The dojo hasn't been as busy with all this cold weather settling in."

"Then you should come to the hospital in your free time," Ami replied to Makoto as she casually flipped through her book. "The cold weather means more flu and fevers. We could use an extra hand."

"Uh, Ami-chan, Makoto doesn't exactly have a degree in doctor or whatever..."

Ami giggled softly at Minako's confusion. Not bothering to lecture her blonde friend over the higher educational path necessary to become a doctor, she instead gently put her book down and reached for her glass of water.

"Volunteers come to the hospital all the time to help with the smaller stuff. Getting blankets for patients, taking temperatures, directing them around the facility...there's all kinds of things you can do there. I think you could benefit from some experience in this field. It really is good real world..."

"Ami, this is Minako we're talking about."

"Hey what's that supposed to mean?!"

"Remember when Usagi caught a fever and had to stay in bed for two days?"

"Yeah?"

"And do you remember when you came over to 'help' her?"

"Uh..." Minako flinched under Makoto's glare and Shisui's inquisitive stare. "So I just thought maybe she could use a little fresh air while she was stuck in bed."

"It was negative one Celsius, not including wind chill."

"I just...cracked the window open a bit."

"No Mina, you actually cracked the window. Glass was everywhere."

"It wouldn't budge! Besides, I did make her that soup."

"Yeah, she had to take an extra few days to get over the food poisoning."

"How was I supposed to know those vegetables went bad?"

"By checking them."

Minako pouted at Makoto's dry humor.

"The point is, you need to stay far away from that hospital as possible. Promise?"

"Yeah, whatever. I can't deal with kids anyway."

After tossing a few more shrimp crackers into her mouth, Ami smiled softly at the pouting girl. "How is Usagi anyway? It's been awhile since I've seen her."

"She's on a mission. Not sure how long she'll be gone though. But I heard it shouldn't take more than a few weeks."

Makoto wiggled her toes before punching her hand. "Yeah, a good tough mission is what that girl needs right now, you know? Something to hammer on so she can vent out all the frustration of them not answering your letters, not keeping in contact after the one-sided amicable breakup...I mean who cares if his new girlfriend gets jealous. I mean, that bitch needs to toughen up and deal with the fact that you still have a good friendship, you know? Besides it's not like it's anything intimate anymore or like it could be. It's way past all that."

Makoto blinked when everyone in the room blankly stared at her.

"What?"

"We're still talking about Usagi here, right?"

"Of course I am..." she blushed at Minako's suggestive question.

The unanimous 'yeah' was subsequently ignored by Makoto.

"Well I think Usagi could use some therapy sessions." The curious eyebrows caused Ami to blush profusely. "I mean, it's not like I'm diagnosing her with anything! It's just that given the circumstances..."

"You girls talk about this as if it's that serious. I had not realized that Usagi was this bad."

"Well, not bad per se. I mean, she has picked up a little bit over the last few months but I still feel as if some therapy sessions or an extra hobby, even, will help the process along."

"I see."

"By the way Shisui-san, how exactly is Itachi-san in all this?"

He lifted his gaze to Makoto and then slowly panned around the room to the others.

"Itachi, that guy," he chuckled derisively before giving a tired sigh. "He's not the type to talk about these things. And as of now, he's busy away with missions. But there are a few peculiarities I suppose you could say. His tolerance for my humor seems to be minimal at best. His answers or responses are always rather short and curt, even among his closest clan members. He rarely eats with anyone and keeps interaction to a minimal. But most of all..."

"Yes?"

He smiled softly at Minako who even now had given up her distaste for his presence.

"When he first ordered her never to return, she didn't bother to listen. I don't know if she was confused by what he meant or what. But she kept coming to find him. And so he placed guards outside to keep her at bay. But it didn't stop her from trying. For a little while, everyday, she would try to find some weakness in their formation, trying to find a way in. Asking to talk to him. But everyday, she would fail. Until one day she just stopped trying. Days became weeks and then months. And even now, every time we walk back from a mission or practice, I always catch him looking back before going home. Like he's waiting...for something...I don't know. And in spite of what he ordered her to do, in spite of setting up all the guards...I can't help but think he didn't want her to stop trying. Seeing her everyday try to get in, it was the only chance he had to see her. I feel like, he wanted to keep just that one moment to himself. To make an excuse to see her again. And when she stopped trying, even though it was what he asked of her, I could tell it..."

He swallowed a lump he didn't even realize he had.

"Well, he's quiet again."

"Shisui-san, do you think that maybe they'll ever get together again?"

He ran a hand through his hair before collapsing backwards against the dresser for back support.

"Those two. They're quite stubborn. Usagi is one thing. She's fairly forgiving. But Itachi, I don't know. It's not like him to initiate a move. Itachi is the type to walk away, move forward and never look back."

Their disheartened faces and fallen heads caused his heart to swell.

"But hey! What do I know? Maybe things will all work out for the better?"

Makoto spat an angry reply at those words. "You know this wouldn't have been a problem if it hadn't been for that damn Rei."

Ears twitched at the name.

"But Makoto, we don't know at all if Rei-san even..."

"That woman knew exactly what the hell she was doing! Don't be so damn naive Ami. And she was so desperate to get Itachi's attention, she had no problem stepping all over Usagi just so she could get her own fucking wa—"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"

Makoto whipped her head angrily, Ami had abruptly dropped her book and Shisui's eyes remained unreadable as he watched his companion slowly regret her outburst.

"What the hell is wrong with you Mina?"

"Nothing," she quickly spat out.

"Are you defending that woman?"

"Yes! No! I-I don't know. I just agree with Ami-chan that..."

Shisui slyly scooted closer to the flustered girl. "I thought you hated her?"

"I do! I just...well, I'm just...tired. I don't know what I'm saying. I've got a lot on my mind now with Usagi, my upcoming missions, the Chuunin Exams and..."

He smiled softly. "I see. Well that's the whole point of this get-together, you know?" He popped a small chip in his mouth. "Have fun, talk about boys, paint our nails, put nasty green blobs of goo on our faces while wasting precious fruits that could be eaten to instead beautify our..." he paused when Minako had long since shut off the world around her. And when he looked back at the other two girls who simply shrugged their shoulders, he ventured a new approach.

"Mi-na-kooo,"

She dodged the impending foot as it neared her.

"Mi-na-koo..."

Her eyes closed to drown out the image of his chubby toes.

"Mina!"

"WHAT?" She yelled as he smashed his foot against her face once again.

"Worship my foot woman! In all it's star-heart glory.

"Ugh! You annoying...stupid man!" With firm resolution she stalked away towards the front door.

"Oi, Mina, where are you going?"

She didn't even bother to look back at Makoto.

"I don't know. Out for some fresh air. I'll be back later." Her hand stopped on the doorknob as Makoto stared in dismay at her empty food basket.

"If you're that keen on going out, why not bring back some snacks? Like oh! Bring back some mochi cakes!"

Ami took the opportunity to break free from her book's spell. "If it's not too much trouble, will you please bring me back some vitamin water?"

"Fine, whatever." She glanced lazily at Shisui, waiting for him to request food as well.

"Seasoned wild rice cooked by a mountain family, garnished with cilantro that was blessed by a Buddhist monk."

"What the hell is wrong with you? Ugh! You know what, I'm leaving. Eat whatever I bring back!"

As she slammed the door shut, everyone in the room flinched at the loud sound and jingling picture frames as they settled from the shaking.

"Makoto, do you think it was right letting her go?"

"That girl's got something on her mind, Ami. I think some fresh air will do her good." She smoothed away lotion on her leg before smiling back. "Don't worry," she winked at her blue-haired friend. "You'll see; she'll be back to normal when she gets back. Minako just sometimes gets a bit stuffy when she's locked inside for so long."

"But she's particularly edgy today. Especially when we brought up Rei."

"Yeah, actually that was a bit weird, I guess."

"Maybe she's feeling a little ill? The season has changed and it does have an effect on people. Maybe allergies or headaches?"

"Maybe. I guess if she doesn't make it back within an hour I'll go ahead after her. In the meantime, check out this new lotion I got! It's from the pharmacy actually and really helps with..."

As Ami and Makoto continued to observe the ingredients of their product, Shisui stared at the place where Minako once stood. After drowning out the chattering of girls squealing and noises from outside the balcony doors, he let loose a simple, lazy smile and continued his painting.

Minako, on the other hand, ignored the many vendors she passed. Needing much more than a ten-minute outing to clear her thoughts, she ventured into the busiest district in the village. And although peace and quiet were probably much more suitable for a busy mind, she couldn't help but enjoy getting lost in the crowd, drowning out her worries as merely a spec on the busy map.

At the sound of a few chimes ringing from an open door, she raised her head and watched several smiling people walk out of a store with grocery bags in tow. Knowing the group would indeed expect snacks in return, she walked lazily over to the glass doors and pushed hard. When the door wouldn't budge, she furrowed her brows and pushed harder.

"Stupid door! Ugh!" Her whole weight was on it now and she gave her rear end a good wiggle as she tossed about in every angle, trying every ounce of energy to push the door open.

"To-hell-with-this-door! Ugghhhh!" she groaned out a frustrated cry.

"Pull not push, that's why it has a handle."

"I knew that!" she bit back in embarrassment to the voice and yanked on the handle, not once relieving the previous strength she used.

"Oww!"

Minako flinched as the glass door hit the person square in the head.

"I'm so sorry! I...!"

She had not bothered to pay attention before, not even cared to recognize the voice as she was so lost in her thoughts. But now she regretted it deeply as an angry woman stared at her with the utmost patience.

"Rei! I didn't...uh that is..."

"It's fine. Forget it. No long-term damage."

Minako tucked back her hair nervously as she glanced at the door's handle.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

Rei sighed impatiently. "Weren't you going into the store?"

"Oh yeah, I was actually."

"Well then, I'll bid you farewell."

She didn't know why, but suddenly her hand grabbed Rei's and the raven-haired woman looked back in astonishment to the intrusive move.

"Actually, I uh, I was kind of wondering if you wanted to come shopping with me. I was just out getting snacks for our group's sleepover. I wouldn't mind the company, really."

"It's rather la—"

"It won't take long! I mean, unless you have to get home right away."

Rei sighed softly, deliberating whether or not there were imperative tasks. After analyzing the night's routine she hesitantly looked back at Minako.

"I suppose, I could use some more red bean snacks at home."

She felt uncomfortable at the giant smile that greeted her response.

"Great! Come on! This store has got a pretty good selection. I always buy my green tea ice cream from here too!"

"Hey w-wait!" Rei sputtered as her hand was now locked in another and her body dragged further into the store.

"So what kinds of snacks do you like?"

"I guess it depends on my mood. The green tea ice cream you mentioned earlier is something I get pretty often, though. I don't like overly sweet things."

"Really? I love sweets! The sweeter the better. Though I am picky with caramel. It gets stuck in my teeth and then I have to go the dentist like that one time when..."

When Rei stared blankly, she quieted down

"Sorry, you're probably not interested in that story."

"Probably not."

"So...we don't have to get caramel. We can get...oh oh! Look Rei! Over there!"

Rei ignored the tug of her sleeve that felt as if a child was dragging her weary mother along.

"What?"

"They're giving away free samples on that booth! Come on!"

She rolled her eyes but nonetheless followed.

"Hello there, young ladies. Would you care for a sample?"

Minako's eyes widened with curiosity. "Ooh, what do you have today?"

"This is a sample of our newest line of cheeses. Imported straight from the western provinces. You won't find it anywhere else."

"Mmm, oh my gosh, Rei. Seriously you need to try this." Minako didn't bother to remove the toothpick now nestled between her lips. "This is the cheese stuff I was telling you about. You can put it in sandwiches, bread, cook it with..."

"I'm quite aware of what this food substance is, Minako."

"Oh, well then try this one!"

"No thank you. I try to avoid eating after—"

A small piece of cheese got shoved in her mouth in spite of her protests.

"See, good right?"

She chewed the food slowly.

"Oh and you ladies should try the biscuits as well. They go very well with the cheese and make a wonderful light lunch or snack."

"Rei! Rei! These biscuits are buttery and light and pure amazing!"

Rei finished swallowing her cheese just as three tiny cookies were shoveled in one by one.

"See?"

Tiny wet pieces of food stuck to the top of her mouth and she flicked her tongue every which way to knock it down. After a few more smacking sounds, Rei took a long slow gulp to down the food.

"Ooh ooh! Try this white cheese, it's..."

A sharp hand immediately stopped her movements.

"Why is it that you're always fascinated with putting things in my mouth?"

The reaction from the woman behind her stand was enough to silence her tongue. She didn't bother to glance at Minako.

"I didn't mean to say it like...oh never mind." She huffed away towards the cookie aisle, oblivious to the people around her.

"Hey are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just going to grab my snacks and go."

"Really? Because I thought we could hang out a little bit. I mean, I'm not in any particular hurry to get back."

Rei's hand stilled on the packaged bean treat when Minako began to dally about by the chocolate-covered biscuits. "Didn't you say you were having a sleepover?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So, are your friends not expecting you to return sometime soon?"

She shrugged and grabbed a few boxes of chocolate snacks. "I don't know. Maybe I just needed some fresh air. I guess I was just feeling a bit crowded, you know?"

"Yeah, I do."

Rei's tight smile was returned with a sincere one from Minako. When she didn't catch on to subtle hints, Rei simply blew back a strand of hair.

"I usually take walks at night to clear my head when I get too stressed. What about you?"

"The same, I suppose. I always take a walk in the evening. It's part of my duty anyway."

Minako followed Rei around the store. Every once in awhile, she would make a remark about the treats she liked only to have Rei point out the empty calories, groan at the high sugar or simply scowl to her distaste of processed cold cuts.

"Lunch meat is not that bad."

"No thank you."

"Then what about gyouza? Everybody likes gyouza. There's not a moment you don't crave it or think about it."

"What are you, an advertisement?"

"Seriously, they're pretty good if you heat them up in the oven."

"They're too soggy if they're not fresh."

"You're too picky! But fine! What about shumai?"

"You do realize you can cook all these things yourself, and they'll taste much better," she grimaced at the price before adding "and end up cheaper as well."

"Convenience."

"Lazy."

Minako smiled and glanced sideways as her companion began to load her items onto the belt for checkout.

"You need to assert yourself more, become a better you. Laziness is a terrible attribute to hold. How do you expect to progress in soci..?" Rei's face fell in disbelief when the girl had since ignored her and instead began to shuffle through her pockets. "You forgot your wallet, didn't you?"

Watery eyes followed the simple nod of her head.

"Oh for crying out loud. Fine, whatever. I'll get it this time. But I expect you to repay me...with interest."

"Sure! Next time we hang out, I'll buy your food."

It was sheer luck that the cashier chose that moment to interrupt their conversation and thank them for having shopped. She had not meant for that statement to come out as a formal invitation for a reunion.

After a loud unnecessary noise from Minako's stretching, the two passed through the glass doors—with Rei making it a point to remind Minako she could push this time. And though she probably should have excused herself right then and there, she decided instead to sit on a small bench right outside the store. Her mind drifted in and out as the breeze carried her hair effortlessly. Eyes were lazily taking small peeks at a hand gently massaging painted toes.

"I really should consider going to a spa. I haven't been to one in at least a year. Hey! Why don't we go to one together?"

"What?"

"A spa day. You know, like a girl's day out."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Haven't you ever done that with the other girls in your clan?"

"No."

"Oh, well...we can do that, if you want."

"Do what?"

"Well, sometimes the girls and I will go out to eat, then head to the park and after that we might visit some tea shops. Whatever the case is, it usually ends with a sleepover. Lately, we've all been getting busy so it's harder to do, but we try to make time for it once in awhile."

Rei's confusion was still plastered on her face and so Minako tried in vain to stop the blush from reappearing on her cheeks.

"It was just an idea. I think you would like hanging out with the gi—"

"No," Rei aggressively responded. The sudden image of a particular girl in mind left a bad aftertaste in her mouth.

"Oh. Well, it could be just us if you...wanted to..." thumbs began to play with the shopping bag handles in an attempt to drown the awkward conversation.

"Hmm."

"So...?"

Rei sighed tiredly after a lengthy pause. "I don't know."

Minako smiled. It was much better than a no. "Cool."

The two continued to watch the busy streets die slowly over the course of a few minutes. Families were rushing home, some businesses had begun to shut down, and all the while neither had made a move to leave the comforts of their bench.

"Hey, Rei?"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering, how is work for you now?"

"At headquarters? Busy, per usual. But that's to be expected."

"Chuunin exams?"

"Yes."

"Same. My clan is having me do a lot more this go around."

"Oh? Are you also involved in overseeing your clan members' training? Or are they stationing you as an exam proctor?"

Minako fidgeted the longer the woman spoke. "Uh, actually...I wouldn't quite say I was put as an exam proctor. Maybe more like...er...uh...well, food proctor? If that's a real title anyway."

She blinked twice passively before recollecting her thoughts. "F-food...proctor?"

Her blonde head bowed miserably as she realized her title was probably not as glamorous as anyone else's. "Yeah, I'm the one in charge of the food at the banquet hall. I have to like, get a list of snacks and stuff, get the food on the tables or whatever...so...I mean it's not as important as what you're doing but, well, it's what they have me doing at the moment."

She didn't know why she did what she did. And it was probably the best time to boast her skills, to show off her success and rank. But instead of throwing her titles and duties around in the girl's face as a means of showing off superiority, Rei simply leaned back on the bench and stared at the starry sky. "Well, being a banquet catering director is a lot more difficult than you imagine."

"Is...is that what I am?"

"It requires a lot of management and communication skills. On top of that you're in charge of making sure the food meets quality standards and health codes. There are many common allergies, plus you have to work with security to make sure the food is not contaminated. You never know what people will try in such a situation against such a prestigious group of ninja gathering in one place. Not to mention, making sure the food is always presentable and that staff for up-keeping the banquet hall is adequate so, when you think about it, it's actually a pretty busy job." She paused uncomfortably at Minako's wide smile. "I guess your clan must trust you with it."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"It's going to be a busy time here soon."

"Yeah. And not to mention all the new chuunin we might get."

"Yes."

"You know, my cousin Ino is going to be in these exams."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I wonder if she'll get promoted."

"Well, I wish you and your clan the best of luck then."

"Hey, thanks. Sasuke is going to be in these exams, right? I wish him luck too!"

"Mmm," she nodded as a means of acceptance to her gesture.

Rei wiggled her toes and stretched her legs. After not knowing what to focus on, her eyes settled on the newspaper thrown carelessly into the bin. She made personal remarks on the incorrect grammar of the trashed paper before her eyes were drawn to Minako's finger tapping. Her attention was once again redirected from her current distraction. There was something heavy about what was going to be asked next and she braced herself for it.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask, and sorry if it's too personal...I mean you don't have to answer it either if you don't want to but..."

She sighed in irritation to the lengthy prologue. "Just say it."

"How...how are things with the guys at headquarters. I mean, do they...well have they..."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Well, last time, they were all...saying things..."

She bit her lip subtly after realizing what it was Minako was trying to ask. After pensively thinking about her question and whether or not she should answer in earnest, she let out a small breath.

"Things are more calm now, I suppose."

"That's good. I was kind of worried that..."

"Worried?"

"Well, they were acting like jerks, so I was just wondering if they were still treating you like that."

Rei said nothing as the street lights began to illuminate the now darkened streets.

"You don't deserve that treatment."

"I can handle myself. I'm a big girl."

"But they!"

"Minako, really. It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Like I said. It's died down a bit. No one really brings it up anymore."

"Yeah okay. But it's been a little hard though, since the whole incident."

"How so?"

"Well, not for me. But you, I mean look what you've gone through. And especially Usagi because of..." Minako gasped loudly and quickly shut her mouth, all the while looking away from Rei immediately.

After a quick snort Rei deliberated just walking away from it all. She never liked it when anyone brought the girl up. Itachi had since stopped but on occasion, the name would circle around the station and gossip chain. Even Mikoto had accidentally blurted it out on the spot. And she recalled then, something very peculiar about what Mikoto had once said. Something she confirmed in passing as well.

"Hey, about that brat..."

"Brat? You mean Usagi? Hey now, just remember she's my friend, so I don't appre..."

"She lost some weight, I noticed."

The bags dangling from her fingers fell further down.

"I mean, it's not like I'm saying she was ever overweight or anything but..well when I was walking to the market the other day, I did see her, just a brief glance mind you."

"Yeah?"

"She was, well, she lost some weight. She was also a bit pale, I think."

"Yeah, Usagi, is...well..."

"Malnourished?"

Minako flicked away a strand of loose hair nervously. "I guess you could say that. She's not taking this well at all. Between you and me, I almost feel like she's in a..." she hesitated finishing the thought when Rei's head leaned down to observe her facial cues. "Well, she's really sad a lot of the times. That much I can say."

"Hmm."

"Because of..."

"Yeah, I figured that much."

"She doesn't really talk about it with us. Not anymore anyway. She hates it when we bring it up so we just don't bother. But I can tell she misses him."

"I see."

"It's hard for Usagi to lose friendships."

"In my experience, it's always best to look forward, never back. You should tell your friend to get over it."

"But it's not easy for Usagi!"

Rei flinched when Minako leaned further into her from the outburst.

"All of us, even you, have people to fall back on. Your clan, your family, Itachi...I mean Usagi has us but at the end of the day, she always goes home to an empty house. There's no one...well, there's no one waiting for her when she gets home."

A quick image of her short and lecherous grandfather flashed through her mind. Yet in spite of some of his antics and shortcomings, the girl was right. At the end of the day, he indeed was waiting for her to come home safely.

"I didn't realize she didn't..."

"She doesn't have anyone. Her parents had humble backgrounds. They didn't really have extended family, and they died before she was even really conscious of their existence."

Dark eyes scanned over the worried girl's profile.

"She's been alone since she was little. So for her, every friendship means something to her. And losing it, well, it's hard for her because there is so little that she has as it is. We're all very precious to her. It's almost like losing family."

A memory from months ago resurfaced. She recalled an enthusiastic blonde waltzing into her shrine, demanding attention. At first, thinking nothing of it, she shrugged it away. It was common for women to scout competition. Having Itachi at her side, it was only natural for Usagi to react on another woman's sudden appearance, especially a childhood friend. She brushed it off as the young girl exhibiting jealousy and territorial instincts. It was the only reason she could ever want to get to know her more. But now, thinking back to it, she realized that perhaps it was something much more.

"Family, huh?"

"Usagi has always been really close to us all. Me, Makoto, Ami...we've known each other for so long now. And from everyone I ever met, I don't think I've ever had a friend quite like her."

"What do you mean?"

"Usagi is always there for us. She's the most loyal friend I've ever had. I mean sure she can be annoying and cry and whine a lot, but hey, I'm like that too. Who doesn't have their quirks or pet peeves? But no matter what, in spite of it all, I can always depend on her. I know at the end of the day she will always be there for me. Like I would for her."

"Whatever."

"I mean it. Maybe, Usagi can be there for you too. Maybe, you could see her as family someday."

"I hope you're not suggesting I arrange something for her in my clan."

"That's not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean?" dark eyes narrowed in on blue.

"I just meant that you could try to let her in. Give her a chance. Rei, family isn't always the people you're born with, you know? Sometimes, you really can choose who your family is. Sometimes, family can be the people you grow up with, the ones who stay beside you all along."

Her face became taut as her jaw clenched. She blinked away a sour memory she tried hard to fight throughout the conversation. Memories of a suit-clad man as he walked out a door without so much as a backwards glance, completely deaf to the sounds of a grieving child.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. But yeah, I guess that's true. In more ways than one."

"What do you mean?"

"Like you said. Having the title of a family member doesn't always carry meaning. Sometimes the ones you're born with are the ones who fail to follow through in the end."

"Fail to follow through? I don't think I get what you're talking about."

"It's nothing. But I should go now; it's getting rather late. My grandfather will be concerned of my whereabouts."

"Oh okay."

Rei smirked as she stood up, trying hard to erase the last five minutes from her own memory. "Besides, don't you have a sleepover to get to?" The smirk grew as wide eyes resembled more and more to that of scared kitten.

"They're going to kill me, aren't they?"

"Probably."

She hopped between both feet before voicing her grievances to the great gods above and taking off in a hurry.

"Bye, Rei! I promise I'll pay you back next time."

Once again, the raven-haired woman merely shook her head. She waved into the empty streets as Minako's form disappeared...

A genuine smile stretched across her face.

---

Eyes blinked on occasion, sensitive to the sights and sounds of motion nearby. After pacing about their posts in clockwork pattern, they surveyed the surrounding area carefully before reverting back to their former positions.

Once again the wind carried away the sounds of quick movements and light footsteps.

The guards remained oblivious to them all.

After verifying several checkpoints and bypassing much security, Haruka steered clear away from any form of attention and assimilated herself back into the ranks. One by one they marched onward. And as she closed in on a familiar stone wall, her eyes caught the briefest color of chestnut hair disappear behind trees. She took one last glance around and when her shift change came, she took the opportunity to disappear.

It was at the bottom of the lookout and behind three trees smushed together that she found one of her students waiting for her to return.

He gave her a quick nod and the two hurried through brush and around a courtyard until they stealthily entered a small cottage. Once inside, they relaxed and settled on crates as their third member appeared out of a kitchen, clad in a bonnet and apron.

"Oh, it's you guys. I thought the men were coming in to deliver beans."

Seijuuro tossed her a blank look as he rested among the crates of vegetables. "You're getting a little too comfortable with that roleplay aren't you?"

Hotaru's wide smile bore a small blush on her cheeks. "It's part of the job after all."

"Meh."

The group rested casually even as some female workers moved in and out the cottage with various tasks to perform. They paid no mind to the seemingly lazy pair and passed it off as workers trying to catch their breath.

Once they disappeared, Seijuuro whispered ever so softly to Haruka.

"Did you see her at all?"

"Negative. She's not anywhere near the northern wall."

"Yeah? And Hotaru and I checked the other walls; we didn't see her in any of the groups at all either."

Haruka's eyes fell on the young girl who bowed in defeat to her futile attempts at recon, and her hand settled on her chin as she evaluated the situation. Feigning a nonchalant mood, she tossed a carrot casually between hands as a group of delivery men came and went with more food.

"This is really weird. Usagi-san is nowhere to be found. What are we supposed to do now? Even if we found the scroll, we can't just leave without her."

"Calm down, Hotaru. She has to be here somewhere."

"Hey, do you guys think she's being interrogated in some kind of chamber?"

Haruka's brows furrowed at the image of the young girl undergoing such torture.

"What if he's right? And Usagi is..."

"Enough, both of you. We'll continue to scout around until we find some kind of lead."

"Yeah, we're probably worrying for nothing. That damn Odango is probably goofing off or having a klutz attack now as we speak."

"Odango...goofing off?"

The three turned hastily to the sound of a young male voice. It was a boy bearing a small maroon robe and gray undergarments. Jade eyes blinked in curiosity at the trio.

"I'm sorry, but, do dango goof off? Is that even possible?"

They all watched the newest delivery boy carefully as he plopped his sack of rice at the entrance of the cottage. After he brushed some dirt off his robes, Haruka's head motioned for the group to play along to whatever it was she was about to do. With a sincere smile she had long memorized, she walked over to the boy and bent down to eye level.

"Odango is actually the nickname we have for our friend. We were just talking about her that's all."

"Odango, odango. Why does that ring a bell in my head?" He snapped his fingers at the sight of hay, the color having triggered a memory in his head. "Hey, are you talking about that girl with blond odango hair and blue eyes?"

"Yes, do you know of her?"

"Not personally. I've never spoken to her myself. I just remember she had a really weird hairstyle. I noticed her one day when I delivered a crate of beans to the merchants near the entrance. She's the one that accidentally spilled tea all over one of the captain's pants."

Although all three deadpanned lazily, it was only Haruka who responded. "Yes, that's our girl."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about her. She's really well off you know?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, when I was helping plow near the first gates, I noticed the doors to the interior walls opening. You know, they say only the highest of the elite are allowed to live there. It's the place where we gave our tributes."

"I see."

"I saw our Soudaishou on a horse and with him were the closest clan members to him, high tier people, really. They all have some weird crest on their clothes. When someone wears that, it means they're of really high status. Not people you should mess with."

"And did you see our friend there?"

"That's the weird thing. She was walking alongside the leader and his comrades. On top of that, she was wearing that crest too!"

All three held back their surprised remarks.

"I'm not sure what happened, but whatever it was, your friend must have impressed the leader a lot for her to have been promoted so quickly!"

"Hmm."

"But really, I wouldn't worry too much about her. Now that she's in good with the leader, he'll take really good care of her. She'll have the best of everything! They get the best clothing, best food and even get a free room inside the main hall! She's going to be okay, really."

"Ah. Well, thank you for letting us know..."

"Shingo!"

"Yes, thank you very much, Shingo. We appreciate the information. Now we can rest easy knowing our friend is in a good place."

He smiled and nodded before running off to a group of people rolling barrels towards a big pile under a tent. They waved politely as he disappeared, far away from the cottage.

"Okay, am I like the only one weirded out that out of all of us, Odango was the one that got promoted? Really, seriously, anyone else shocked?"

"Not that I'm doubting Usagi-san's abilities but, well, Seijuuro has a point. Why her?"

For once, their captain could think of nothing to explain the situation. With no contact from their teammate for two weeks now, it was anyone's guess what the girl did to gain such attention. Haruka's befuddled face reflected her team's own confusion.

"I'm...not sure. I suppose we'll have to get more information out of her the next time we see her."

"Yeah but who knows when Odango will show up again? You heard him; she's with the upper crust. We're already taking longer on this mission as it is. We only got clearance for like three weeks tops and it's already going to creep into a month. This is way beyond..."

"Shh..."

They played the part of lowly, lazy peasants as the guards began to make their rounds near their area.

Haruka's narrowed eyes watched their every movements from behind curtains.

"What then?" whispered Seijuuro.

"You two, continue your labor. Hotaru, when you return to the main hall kitchens, see what gossip you can find about new recruits from the cooks and maids."

"Yes ma'am."

"Seijuuro, during the next relay for supplies, talk to merchants and mountain folk about recent passerbys. Figure out if the general or leader has made a move and for what purpose."

"Ah."

"I will continue to make my way into the interior building. Someone has to know something about Usagi."

"And what about the scroll? What do we do about that?"

"As of this point I'm making it an official order to abandon the scroll. It's become too dangerous for our group. It's hard enough finding Usagi let alone the scroll and an opening to escape."

"Even if we find Odango, how do we go about leaving? Security is pretty tight here and there's a lot of people and ground to cover. We would need to find a way to escape this fortress."

As she exited the cottage, Haruka clung to the neck of her hood and held it tighter around her head as a shield from the oncoming gust. Eyes trailed over the size of the fields and lack of sufficient trees as a means of protection from prying eyes high on the walls.

"According to the farmers, a cold wind is beginning to settle from the north. After that, the temperatures will be just optimal for snow. If their calculations are correct, than by this coming weekend we'll have a full front blizzard on our hands. That's going to be our only chance to escape."

"And Usagi-san?"

"That's why we have to be more aggressive in our search. Seijuuro, you could pass off as Usagi's brother. Demand you want to speak to your sister if nothing else. Tell them you have a message to pass along to her. Remember the codes if you have to write."

"Ah."

"Don't worry. We'll find her soon. Once the blizzard hits, I suspect all royalty will be waiting out the storm in the interior walls and main hall. We can make our move then."

Seijuuro glanced at Hotaru who nodded in return. "That does sound like a reasonable plan."

"In the meantime, we'll go over the escape plan from within the fortress. After that, we follow our original plans as outlined by our mission. The terrain will slow them down while we make a break for it. We meet up at the rendezvous point after that. Got it?"

They gave a small nod of confirmation.

"Now, let's split up. We'll look too suspicious. I will check up on you later."

She disappeared immediately, leaving her two students to fend for themselves. After another round of weaving in and out of crowds, she began to make notes of the best possible escape plans, memorizing guard post schedules and rotations as well as predicting the landscape changes as the weather set in. After making best of her notes for the day, she whispered into the eerie evening wind.

"Usagi, please be careful."

The gusts carried her soft pleas hazardously across the meadows, through several forests and over several mountains. It was many kilometers away that ears twitched at the sound of howling noises emitted by the movement of the wind as it eased its way in and out of bare trees. Crackling twigs snapped as men marched carefully through the desolate path.

"Halt!"

A raised hand stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Serenity, what is it?"

"I'm not sure," Usagi's eyes immediately scanned the misty area. She tried in vain to discern what it was that caught her attention before climbing a tall tree and peering out into the woods.

"Do you see anything?"

"Yes, there's an old house in a clearing not too far from here."

"Good, then we're at the right place. The others will be expecting us soon. Best not be late."

Usagi shyly looked away from her leader's smile after she hopped down from the branch.

"See Saphir, I told you she would come in handy. If it wasn't for her keen eyesight and sharp senses we wouldn't be able to navigate through this mist."

"Hmm. Hey soldier! Stay where I can see you; make no sudden movements."

"Um, sure. Okay." With a deep breath, Usagi carefully lifted one foot after the other, flinching when her foot accidentally skidded over a pile of small rocks and fallen twigs. Little by little, one large step at a time she paced forward ahead of a very confused group.

"What are you doing exactly?"

"You told me to make no sudden movements. So I changed my pace."

"I...just...I didn't mean to walk like that!"

"Oh. Then how?"

"Just walk normally! Only stay in front of the group so I can keep an eye on you."

"Oh, okay," she happily skipped ahead of the group, bumping into a couple of people along the way.

He groaned as he probably should have rephrased 'normally' in regards to his standards. He grumbled lowly at his elder brother's soft chuckles.

"This little one has you so worried, doesn't she?"

"I stand by what I said. Nii-san, there are a lot of people on the lookout for us, considering what we're doing and what we have accomplished. There's no telling who they sent in after us."

"And of all the people, you're concerned about her?"

They both observed the blonde girl in question as she began to sing basic lyrics to a song she insisted would be part of her musical spectacle and how a gang wasn't a gang without their own theme song as a formal introduction, much to the dismay of her fellow comrades.

"You never know. She's...weird is all I'm saying."

"Just leave her to me."

"You're pretty confident she isn't a liability."

He smiled secretly to which his own brother couldn't decipher himself.

"We're here."

All stood still upon inspecting the old house. They waited patiently as their leader gave the open area a quick inspection.

"Serenity!"

"Yes, Dimande-sama!"

"Go around the house and survey it. Lure enemy ninja out that lurk in the shadows."

"Oh...uh..."

"Sir, I don't mind going in her stead..."

He quickly stilled the tan skinned man's concern for the girl's safety.

"This is the job of all newcomers. No exceptions. Furthermore, Serenity is light and quick on her feet. If there are enemy ninja, she has the highest success rate in maneuvering inside that old house. We can't be too sure what they're going to try."

"Y-yes," Usagi nodded and quietly crept through the tall grass. Listening in on the sounds of any footsteps tiptoeing on nearby trees, Usagi carefully walked around the old house. Left, then right she inspected. All was calm as she crept slowly through the front doors.

The creaking sound of an unoiled door hinge caused all rodents to scatter as it slowly inched open. Her nose picked up the scent of rotted wood, rusty metal and quite possibly a dead animal somewhere nearby. Feeling unsure as to whether or not these were good signs, she walked further into the house, quick to react to sudden changes of wind or unusual sounds.

"Well, so far...nothing..."

But just as she was about to relax her form, a quick flash of metal caught her attention and her head swished backwards just in time to dodge the shuriken. Several more followed suit and she flipped backwards, bounced off the wall and hopped onto the second floor in time to catch the culprit's eyes. That being the only thing visible behind his dark clothing. She raised an eyebrow at his now off guard state.

"Relax! It's just one of Dimande's peons."

More men surfaced from the shadows upon that cue.

"You girl, I take it Dimande is outside waiting for us?"

"Yes," she pouted at the informal way of which she was addressed, in spite of how often she was used to hearing it.

"Well don't waste our boss's time. Go get him!"

"Y-yes,sir!"

After retracing her steps back to the front door, she signaled the clearing for her own group to enter the house.

She followed closely as Dimande commanded. And the further they went into the house, the deeper they walked down the basement, the more and more she fought to hide the shaking and coloration of her skin as goosebumps began to settle. Here she was, in the middle of nowhere, with a group of people she didn't know with intentions probably less than amicable, in a darkened basement barely illuminated by an old light and some candles. A silent prayer was sent, hoping she would be able to make it out in one piece.

"Dimande! Long time no see," came the jolly cry of a large gruff looking man. He held a large cigar in his mouth and lit it casually. His men offered a small seat by a table, the only area within light. His large hands motioned for Dimande to take the offered seat across from his.

"Dotou, I suspect there's a good reason why you asked me out to such a place in such weather?"

Usagi listened in carefully on the conversation. She couldn't recall the face of the man, Dotou, at all. Then again, she had not memorized every man in the bingo book.

"Always straight to the point. Very well. I take it you kept your end of the bargain?"

"Ah," a quick snap of his fingers and a medium sized brown bag was brought by a lady with jade hair. She set it on the table and retreated back beside Saphir.

The man, Dotou, inspected the contents of the bag. Several gems glimmered in the darkness, each a unique color and shape. After analyzing each behind his small glass lenses, he made a few more tests before being satisfied with his haul and handing it over to his own lackey.

"It will do."

Another man came forth upon Dotou's summoning, carrying with him a variety of things from large straw bags. Usagi's eyes zoomed in on the items as they were presented on the table and handed over to her side of the group to the same woman from earlier. There were a number of things, mostly documents, books and several agricultural goods. After dismissing several of the items as nothing more than goods for trade to return back to his fortress, a collection of scrolls regained her interest. And among the pile of rolled papers was an emblem that she instantly recognized.

Her heart stopped as a Konoha sealed scroll was passed between the two men. She tried her best to still her shaking hands and excited state of mind. That was it. The item they had been sent to retrieve. The very reason their mission was handed down to them. And it was just within meters away. Had it not been for the circumstances of her location and being surrounded by so many, she would have easily been able to create a diversion and run off with it. But perhaps it was best to bide her time until she could relay the information back to her sensei and the others. After all, now that she knew the item was returning back with them, they could easily find an opportunity to take it and call their mission a success.

She held her breath and regained her composure. It was imperative she remained disinterested as she knew somewhere within the darkness was a suspicious Saphir who no doubt was more concerned with her than with the group of thugs with whom Dimande was conversing.

Usagi sighed wondering what it was that gave her away to Saphir.

"I will have my men bring forth the supplies you requested on our next meeting. I expect you to return with more of those tributes you're getting."

"Rest assured, you will get the best of my batch."

"Good, in return we'll continue scouting out potential candidates for you. We've already got several lined up. On top of that, we think we've found a suitable place for you to conduct your...business."

"Oh?"

"Ah. The place I'm thinking of is a good location. You'll be able to do as you please while under a veil so as not to incite suspicion. Once it's all cleared with my men, I'll discuss the details with you later."

"It sounds promising. I look forward to it."

"Yes, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. However..."

Dimande eyes went immediately back to his. "However?"

"There is a matter I wish to discuss with you."

"And that would be?"

"Anbu."

She silently thanked Haruka for the extra breathing training sessions they had. It was that very exercise that caused her to retain her neutral posture.

"You have my attention Dotou."

He leaned further into the table after releasing several puffs of his cigar. "Just two months ago, my men caught a group of masked ninjas snooping around our operations in Kirigakure. We later confirmed them to be Anbu operatives."

"What village?"

"That, we don't know yet. We suspect they've trailed some of the items we've been trading. If that's the case, you need to be on the lookout. If they're after anything from our market, they'll be on to you too. It wouldn't surprise me if they've already sent someone undercover."

Usagi shifted minimally from one foot to the other.

"I see. Well thank you for the information. I guarantee that my team will act accordingly."

He waved a stern finger at Dimande.

"Don't let your guard down."

"Ah. I understand."

Usagi endured the next few hours in complete silence. As the men chattered, laughed and boasted about their gains, territory, recruits and future endeavors, she sighed heavily into the darkness. Once the two groups bid their farewells and established commitments to reconvene, she trudged tiredly alongside Dimande when he hailed for her.

"You seem bored."

"Sorry, it's just, well honestly I..."

"I apologize if the work here isn't as exciting."

"No! Well that is...um, yeah okay it is a little boring," her face scrunched in anticipation of a scolding that never came.

"I promise to find something much more exciting for you in the future."

"Like what?" she held her breath as he laughed her blush away.

"Everyone, our business is done here! Let's move on out!"

"Ah!" responded the chorus.

Usagi walked slowly alongside her comrades as they tiredly trekked onwards. When a small drop of precipitation; however, landed flat on her nose, she scratched away the tickling feel of cold droplets.

"Huh?"

Her hand came out and caught several flakes as they glided down carefully through the cold wind.

"Snow?"

She didn't have time to react to the new weather phenomenon as she was roughly pushed forward.

"Remember what I said, girl. Stay in front."

Risking a rigorous exercise routine as punishment, she rolled her eyes at Saphir and heeded his stern request. And though it was probably best not to push her luck, she couldn't help but put him in his place as she ran up ahead of the group and began to sing her theme song lyrics work in progress.

Everyone turned around to admonish Saphir who made a mental note to make the girl run laps later. His glare was returned by Usagi's tongue.

"Is that the best use you have for that?"

Usagi immediately put her tongue away at Dimande's voice.

"You and my little brother aren't exactly seeing eye-to-eye now, are you?"

"I don't know what's his problem. I didn't do anything to him."

"You'll have to forgive Saphir. He's quite overprotective of me."

She timidly looked up at her faux leader as he continued to walk alongside her on his horse. Despite the fact that this was nothing more than another mission to retrieve a simple object that just happened to have ended up in his array of goods, she couldn't help but want to know more about their clan. Why did he start this movement? Why were there so many people believing in his cause? Why did Saphir dislike her, or girls like her? Why did Dimande give her such weird looks? What were they all planning? What was this venue they were talking about?

She knew it was probably way out of her jurisdiction, but the curiosity stuck with her nonetheless.

"It's fine. I gue—"

She tried to fight it. She really tried. But before she knew it, a long loud yawn had escaped her mouth. After catching her wits, she profusely apologized to Dimande who did nothing but chuckle at her weary eyes.

"Tired, are we?"

"No, not at all. It's just with the snow and cold weather coming in..."

"Hop on."

"Eh?" She blinked at the horse who had come to a stop and then back at its master as he held onto the reigns.

"Hop on," he repeated slowly.

"O-oh, okay."

"Nii-san!."

Usagi backed away from Saphir who had physically put himself between her and Dimande.

"She can walk just fine like the rest of the group. I see no reason for her to get any special treatment. She's a newcomer and besides, I insist that she..."

But Dimande was having none of it as a flat hand waved through the air as a means for Saphir to stand aside.

"But, I...yes, sir. I understand."

After ignoring his brother's barely suppressed scowl, Dimande helped Usagi onto his horse. She flinched when he held the reigns just a breath away from her shoulders.

"Better?"

"Y-yes."

"I need you in tip top shape. I can't have you wearing your body out at such a young age."

"Right," eyes remained glued to the saddle as they rode slowly through the forest, the group keeping pace with the trudging horses. She relaxed momentarily, that was until, hands wound through hers. "U-um...I uh..."

"Try it."

"Huh?"

"Take the reigns. See how it feels."

"O-okay," Her eyelids lowered at the awkward feeling of his hands resting just at her hips. She stiffened when they gently moved up to her shoulders.

"U-um, sir I..." as if the horse was sensing his new rider's uncertainty, he began to go off course and whinny loudly. As soon as her skin tickled from the prickly feeling of rough fingers, she immediately flailed and backed her head up fast. It resulted in one cursing leader, one screeching blonde and a spooked out horse.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you, honestly! It's just that...well..."

He eyed her with uncertainty.

"I'm just not that great with horses, I guess."

Deciding to pass her antics off as nothing more than shyness, he nodded and regained control.

She shivered from the aftermath of what had transpired. And it appeared that her leader had mistook her shivering for being cold when he wrapped them both up in his cloak.

Ignoring the queasy feeling of her stomach building up as Dimande had once again placed his arms around her body, Usagi distracted herself with the environment. The tiny twigs from earlier were beginning to hide beneath the snow as it started to fall down at a more rapid pace. Various animals had begun to burrow underneath the ground. The horses had also started to bray and snort as the cold wind stung their nostrils. And when a rider's call to steady his horse came from the front of the pack, she immediately turned her eyes to the cart he was pulling. Hidden underneath a white bonnet were the supplies the group had to relay back to site. As she looked quickly from the wheels of the wagon, to the hidden treasures that lay just out of reach, her heart stopped once again and the cogs in her brain began to spin full throttle.

For once, she didn't think of the sickening feeling she got whenever Dimande accidentally made contact with her skin, or the death glares Saphir gave her or even the bitter cold sting of the oncoming wind. No, for once her mind had drifted to her mission because somewhere in that cart was her scroll. She just knew it.

And sometime between now and the time they all got back to base, she had to come up with a way to get it back.

---

Anyway he looked at it, it just wasn't fair. Nothing he did seemed to do the trick.

Upon hearing that his father was heading off to a mission, he would oil his tools, prepare his medicine packs and even use his entire last paycheck to buy specially crafted stamina pills. Or when his father's feet would begin to ache, he would go out of his way to bring home herbal remedies and salts to soak them. At times when his favorite coffee would run out, he would make the trek to the next post station over to retrieve a bag of fresh beans. And yet, in spite of all those efforts, his father would grab his gear without inquiring anything about it, mutter about the coffee being too sweet or offer a half-hearted thank you to Mikoto for the salts and herbs as he walked off without so much as even a goodbye to him. Those incidents and the negligence were becoming more and more common as the months went by. He couldn't recall if this change was something recent or if he had just simply begun to take notice of a habit that had always existed. Regardless, with a tired sigh, his fingers poked at the holes he was making in the ground as his mother's chattering resounded somewhere very far from him. He tapped the small hole with his index finger several more times as his mind drifted further and further into subconscious.

"Make sure to get the soaked bulbs and put them back in the soil, Sasuke."

He shook his head to regain his composure, quickly dispelling the previous daydream.

"Sweetie?"

"Oh, right." The small dish in his hand held four tiny sprouts. After a few inches of digging with his fingers, he planted the tiny bulb, root first into the ground.

"Are you sure you're alright? You don't usually space out this much, Sasuke."

"Ah."

He paid little mind to his mother who had piled a few fresh vegetables in her basket. Instead he continued on with the task of planting his small scallions.

"So let's see, the broth is almost at a boil, vegetables almost picked and then of course I have to gather the meat. We should probably collect eggs for tomorrow's breakfast as well. There's still quite a bit left of preparation before setting the table so after we get done with herbs, why don't we start rinsing out the...Sasuke?"

"Huh? W-what?"

Mikoto sighed before placing the basket down and rubbing the top of her son's head. "Come on now. Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong."

His mother blankly stared at him, waving off that response as if it was a formal introduction to his problems. He sighed as she continued to wait.

"I'm just tired, that's all."

"I want a real answer, Sasuke."

He released a heavy breath before gently covering up the rest of his tiny scallion bulb in dirt. "Tou-san is pretty busy nowadays isn't he?"

"Well, he does have a very important role in our family. On top of that, it's a very busy season with all that's coming up, yes."

"Um, it's just that lately, well, I mean, he hasn't. Like the other day when at the academy...he didn't. And he always...with Nii-san, and..."

She giggled before a gentle hand found its way to Sasuke's cheek. "Do you mind forming coherent sentences I can relate to, sweetie?"

"I just, well, he doesn't really have any time for me anymore. Lately, especially after you know what, I noticed he started to ignore me a lot more."

"Sasuke, your father doesn't ignore you."

"But really he does! He sends his underlings to do the stuff he was supposed to do with me. He even told Shisui to take up training me for a little bit. Before, he used to at least take me down to the field so we can practice my katon techniques. Now, he barely even whispers my name. And when he does acknowledge me, it's usually so I can get out of his way in the hallway."

"Oh...he doesn't ever...I mean, it's just his mind is preoccupied."

"Sometimes I wonder if he even..."

"Don't you dare finish that thought! Your father loves you." She placed the basket down and ran her hand through his bangs as a means to soothe him. "He just forgets to show it sometimes. But I promise you, he does think about you. Just the other day, he was talking about how you needed new gear for your missions. And he even asked if you were feeling unwell when you excused yourself early from the dinner table and asked me to get you some cold tablets."

"Yeah but..." He didn't know whether to believe her or not. Half the time, he felt that his mother would plant these little white lies in his head to make him more complacent about his father's supposed love for him.

She smiled sweetly as she let her hand glide through his hair. "Talk to him."

"What?"

"Next chance you get, try talking to him. Let him know what's going through your head."

"I don't think I should. Maybe you're right. And this is all just in my..."

She held his head hostage between both her hands as she planted a soft kiss on his forehead. "Just talk to him, okay? For me?"

"I, uh..." he blushed minimally at his mother's soft smile knowing he could never say no to any of her requests. "Okay."

"Good, so why don't we..."

The two turned immediately to the sound of shouji doors opening and shutting.

"Mikoto? Mikoto! Come here!"

"Well speak of the devil." She cupped her hand near her mouth as she shouted back her response. "I'll be right there, Fugaku!" The basket was set down harshly in annoyance to his hasty calls. "Sweetie, why don't you finish up here and take these to the kitchen when you're done? Remember to rinse them out and peel the outer skin of the scallions. I'll go tend to your father for now." She walked off with a small wink to which Sasuke nodded.

"A-ah," he furrowed his eyebrows at his annoyed mother muttering to herself about not being some dog to be summoned at will.

As she left her son to be, Mikoto continued to whisper to herself as she mustered all the patience she could to calm her nerves upon the light knocks on her husband's study room.

"Ah, there you are. I'll be going through our bills here shortly. Did you have the receipts and invoices? I want to make sure I'm not forgetting anything."

She walked over to his shelf and gently handed him a small yellow booklet. "It should all be in here. You'll find the printout of our property taxes for the year as well."

"Good."

"And also..."

Fugaku reached over to his desk and pulled out a thin-framed pair of glasses. He adjusted them carefully as he worried about the way his wife was suddenly fidgeting with her apron. "Yes...?"

"I was just talking to Sasuke, actually."

"Oh?"

"Well, your son is feeling a little...apprehensive, if you may."

"About?"

"See that's the funny thing, he was actually a bit worried about you."

His confused face gave Mikoto the cue to continue.

"Well, you see, lately you have been rather preoccupied with your work. And granted, I'm not saying that what you do is entirely trivial..."

"Entirely?"

She rolled her eyes at her husband's smirk. "Oh you, I'm just trying to say that regardless of your busy schedule, you should take a little time off once in awhile."

"Mikoto, I..."

"An hour a day won't kill you Fugaku. You could take that time to unwind, regain focus, take your mind off of the workload. It would most certainly help ease your stress."

He plopped down on his swivel chair and leaned back, eyes peering through glasses as he counted the number of patterns on his wooden ceiling. "I suppose that would help bring my blood pressure down and let me recollect my thoughts."

"Exactly!"

"Instead of staying in my office there, I could just bring my work here. An hour away from that building would most certainly ease my mind."

"No! Now you're missing the point. Don't stop work to do more work. You could go fishing, enjoy a nice walk or how about...f-fly a kite? The wind now is actually very good for that sort of thing! And when was the last time you flew a kite. Come on, when?"

"Fly...a kite?"

She cleared her throat and raised her chin, not once giving in to her silly suggestion. "Y-yes. And by the way, while you're at it...maybe you can takeSasukewithyouandgivehimmoreofyourattentionbecausehe'sfeelingneglected..."

"Care to repeat that again?"

She released a heavy breath she had long been withholding. "Fugaku, your son is feeling a little...well, left out."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, every once in awhile, it's a good thing to reassure your son."

"Reassure him with what? What are you going on about?"

"I'm just saying you could do things together with him, just the two of you. Help him train a little more, if nothing else. The chuunin exams are coming up after all."

"Mikoto, you know I can't give Sasuke any insight to the exams. That's illegal."

"I'm not saying to do that, but you can at least overlook his techniques and form."

"Sasuke has been attending our clan's preparatory classes for the exams. I've observed his progress and am confident he will do well. There's no need for me to give him extra practice. I've done all I can for him."

"Ugh! You stubborn man. Don't you get the point?"

"And what would that be?"

"It's not about training, it's about letting your son know you still care about him! The whole point is that you spend time with Sasuke to let him know you still love him!"

"That I still love him? He's my own son. What the hell has gotten into you?"

"Calm down! I just talked to the boy and he is feeling a bit neglected, that's all. I mean, you do spend so much time with Itachi."

"That's because..."

"And then you spend a lot of time at work."

"I have to..."

"Sweetie, I know. I know you're busy. But just please, can't you do something special for the boy? Maybe take him out to a tea shop, weapons shopping, something to let our son know you still think about him often. It doesn't have to be much."

"I think you're overreacting about this. Sasuke is perfectly..."

"Please. Just anything. I think in this one case it's okay to give him a little special treatment. Do something for him you don't do for Itachi. Just to reassure him."

"Like what?"

"Anything really. I'm sure you'll think of something."

A light knock stirred them both from their thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Uh, it's me. Sasuke."

She reached over to her husband and planted a small peck on his nose.

"There's your chance."

After his small nod to her encouragement, Mikoto excused herself from the study room, giving Sasuke a small thumbs up as a measure of good luck on her way out.

"Ah, come in."

Sasuke exhaled a deep breath before finally opening the door. Before him was his father sitting on a chair with bookkeeping records splayed all over his work desk. The dim lighting, creaking door as it shut on its own, and the scribbling of text caused a small droplet of sweat to slowly creep down his forehead. He cleared his throat as he regained confidence and walked closer to his father's desk.

"Yes?"

"I would like to speak with you, just for a minute."

His father brought a finger to his tongue before quickly flipping through various kinds of receipts.

"About?"

"It's just that, well, you see...I've been thinking now, for a bit. And I just wondered, well, I think I'm...that is..."

"It's not like you to stutter."

He groaned internally at his own lack of eloquence to dictation, something he was repeating from his earlier encounter with his mother. But anything regarding his father always left him with few choice words. Still, he had to try.

"I wanted to talk to you about Itachi."

"What about him?"

He clenched his fists before finally blurting it out in a steady voice. "I want you to treat me with the same respect you treat him."

"Excuse me?"

"It's just that when Ni...when Itachi was my age, you both did all sorts of things...together. You taught him the Goukakyuu no Jutsu, you went to his assemblies and then later on, helped him elevate to a higher position and, I just feel..." he shook his head to amend his words "No, I know I'm ready for more. I can join the Uchiha police, start more training. I can pull my weight around more to help the clan."

He stopped when his father was no longer looking at the receipts in his hands.

"So..."

"Your brother's responsibilities are very different from yours, Sasuke. Aside from that, your chuunin exams will be coming up. You need to be able to concentrate. Furthermore, until you reach adolescence, you are not allowed a role in the police..."

"I'm thirteen now, Tou-san."

Fugaku's eyes glanced slowly over to the spiky mess of hair on his son. They traveled from there, down to his feet and back up to meet his eyes, an unreadable emotion hidden behind them. He had not realized how tall his son had gotten. "Thirteen?"

"You were off on a mission on my last birthday."

Sasuke sighed when his father rose an eyebrow.

"Mom baked green tea cake. She saved some in the fridge. She put it in your lunch for work. Remember?"

"Oh, I see..."

"Look, whatever; it's not important. But I am old enough now. So..."

Fugaku sighed before binding several papers with a paperclip. "Even so, it's best you concentrate on your exams. There's no urgent need for your assistance; therefore, there's no rush to get you in. Why don't you...um..."

Sasuke was uneasy as his father rubbed the back of his neck, not at all used to the awkward gesture and pauses he was giving him.

"Why don't you...just take the time to play with your friends?" Fugaku groaned at the childish way in which his wording came out. It was so much easier when his son was but a wee boy.

"Uh, play with my friends?"

He cleared his throat and held his chest up proudly. "Yes."

A sharp breath of air escaped from Sasuke. He withheld his snide remark about being treated like a child.

Mikoto's smiling face resurfaced in Fugaku's head and he cleared his throat once before giving his son the calmest face he could conjure, although he was fairly sure it came out more of a tight smile. "In fact, you...don't have to worry about joining the police period. I'm sure you could find more adequate things to do with your time. Consider it an official relieve from those duties."

"Relieve?"

Fugaku's small smile tightened more and he clenched his fist at the possibility of losing what could have been a very good officer in the near future. Damn his wife to hell.

"Y-yes..."

"To do more adequate things? Like what?"

"Well, you could pick up a hobby, or, uh...train with your friends or..." he groaned internally at the lack of preparations for this conversation, thinking back only to his wife's words as a lifeline to grasp. "...fly a kite."

"Fly...a kite?"

"It's just a suggestion. I'm not sure what it is people your age do on their down time."

"Right. I could do that, yeah, but well, Nii-san was Anbu at my age and he also joined..."

"Don't worry about what your brother did or is doing. Just focus on yourself. Take the time to do as you please. Am I understood?" He hadn't meant it to come out so formally, but it was a habit he couldn't shake off from years in the police force.

All the while, Sasuke continued to play with a small pencil on his father's desk and averted his gaze to the small window just beyond the bookshelf, not at all liking how this conversation had gone from trying to prove his worth to his father, straight to kites. It was just bizarre.

"Sasuke?"

Fingers playing at his father desk, he flicked a writing utensil away. "Yeah, whatever."

"Good, now why don't you go help your mother finish dinner. I'll be there shortly."

"Yes, sir."

Just as he turned heel and placed his hand on the doorknob, his father began shuffling through documents once more, content with the idea that solitude would again be granted to him. Sasuke turned his head slightly to the left to look back. Maybe there were other ways to gain his attention.

"Is there something else?"

"Actually, I was wondering, if you wouldn't mind me bringing a friend over for dinner one night."

"A friend? Well, I suppose there would be no harm in that."

"...a girl..."

Fugaku immediately stopped looking at his accounts. He had a very strong suspicion who that girl was. And it was one thing to give Sasuke more leisure time, but to allow him to break an unspoken rule about girls outside the clan was another. No one was exempt, not even his elder brother. But with a very deep reluctance, he kept Mikoto's words in mind and begrudgingly kept his distaste in control with a clenched jaw. His son waited in anticipation as he lifted his head once again to peer with careful scrutiny. The sounds of meowing cats in the alleys were heard as was the ticking sound of an old clock while the seconds dragged slowly.

"Ah."

Sasuke's face fell at the casual reply. He wasn't sure what he was expecting but a simple response certainly wasn't it. He paused again at the doorknob when the scribbling ensued.

"She's...not from our clan."

"Ah."

His eyebrows furrowed as his father dismissively tossed aside his response.

"Actually, she isn't from any prestigious clan at all."

"Ah."

"Her parents aren't even ninja."

Fugaku sighed after taking a small gulp of water. He carefully set the glass aside. "Sasuke, I'm quite aware of your teammate's biography."

"Oh. Okay. You mean, you're not ups...I mean, it's okay with you?"

He chose not to take the bait and nodded curtly. "Just let your mother know ahead of time so she can properly recalculate the portions."

"So...that's it?"

"Unless you have something else you would like to discuss."

"But you wouldn't even let..." He sighed in defeat instead of raising the argument. "No, sir. Never mind. There's nothing else."

"In that case, I'll see you at dinner."

"Yes, sir."

The incessant scribbling noise returned as did the late afternoon ambiance. He could hear the wind gently sway branches in the distance, and he picked up the scent of upcoming rain. His grip on the doorknob grew tighter at each crackling sound of branches that fell carelessly onto the hard rocks below. It was silly to stay; it was wrong to get upset. But as soon as the creaking sound of a door opening reached his ears, he immediately slammed it back shut. The loud bang reflected his own internal fury.

"What on...?"

"Why!?"

"Why what?"

"Why won't you get angry?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why don't you care?"

"Lower your voice, young man!"

"I-I mean would it kill you to look my way just once?! What is it about me? What makes me so different from him?" He glared at his father now, not bothering to stop and worry about whether or not his arguments were coherent or intelligible.

"Sasuke!"

"When I do good things, you don't notice me. When I do bad things you don't notice me. I just don't exist. Everything is about my brother. I mean, nothing I have is even my own. Even the things you give me are just hand me downs from Itachi. The room I'm in was Itachi's baby bedroom. The weapons I use were once Itachi's. The clothes, the books, the supplies...all of it is his. There's nothing you do for me that's just for me. Just tell me what I need to do to get you to..."

"Enough, Sasuke. You're being emotional."

"But it's not fucking fair! I work my ass off too!"

"I already told you to watch that tongue," Fugaku bit back slowly.

"Or you'll what? Notice me? Actually do something? Do I have to fucking talk like this just to get you to acknowledge me?"

"I won't hear of this tone. You're overreacting. You should..."

"What? Act more like my brother. Yeah, right. A lot of shit that would do."

At this point Fugaku could only sigh as his son paced about his room.

"So what? I had to be born first in order to get your attention? I mean, how fair is that? How do you compete with that?"

Fugaku began to rub his temple, irritation becoming evident.

"Tell me something, Tou-san. When is my birthday?"

He sighed before answering tiredly. "It's June ninth."

"That's Itachi's birthday."

Fugaku slowly looked over to his son who had begun to make a point to fist his hands and glare angrily at him. His eyes remained glued to the record books on his desk when he tried everything in his mind to rack up a proper date. But in spite of all his thinking, he truly could not remember his own son's birthday. His continued silence only seemed to fuel Sasuke's anger as his nostrils slightly flared.

"What's my favorite color, Tou-san?"

His mouth opened only to release a very weak sound as the answer seemed to have lodged in his throat.

"What's my favorite food? What's my shoe size? What blood type am I? I bet you can't name any of those can you? What do you even know about me?"

Fugaku's grip on his pencil loosened as he avoided his son's upset glare. What did he know about him?

"You know, just the other day, I had a parent teacher conference. You promised me you would show up and what do you do instead? You send Tekka in your place. Tekka? Well you know what? He gave more of a shit than you do about it. Bet you didn't know I'm at the top of my class either. But how could you, huh?"

Sasuke took in slow breaths to calm the rage inside.

"Oh hey, by the way. Just thought you might want to know, we ran into some S-ranked nin on a recent mission. Nearly died. But hey, not that that's important right? Besides I got my sharingan out of it. Oh, but you knew that right?"

"Sasuke..."

"That's what it would take, wouldn't it? Show up dead, stray from the clan. Sleep with U—"

Sasuke flinched when his father slammed both hands down on his desk, papers falling everywhere.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! I don't want to hear any more of this crap coming out of you! You are NOT your brother! You will never BE your brother! So stop trying!"

"Then what do I do to..."

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO! DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!"

Sasuke's eyes softened as he shied away from his father. He immediately bit down on his jaw and stared at the wooden flooring. He would not yield. He would not show his father that weakness. And so with a final whisper of 'fine' he ran off. He ignored his father's frustrated calls. He ignored his mother's worried expression. He ignored the shadowy figure lurking in the hallways, blinking back at him with tired crimson eyes.

He stopped for nothing and no one.

And he didn't care how far his feet took him. No matter what, he had to get away from it all. His father, his family, his clan, everything. After several minutes of aimlessly running underneath the gray skies, he stopped to catch his breath underneath a tree. There was just so much anger pent up inside and he wasn't even sure whether it was from his father's indifference to him, his lack of restraint over his own emotions or the oncoming mist dampening his clothes. After a loud growl of frustration he kicked a small can against the tree. Not even two seconds later, he regretted the action when it slammed against his forehead. With a fit of fury, he fell harshly against the small tree and buried his head between his knees.

It was quiet for some time. Only the tiny droplets of water falling onto the trees kept him company from complete isolation from the world. Before he could fall into a light nap from his mentally tired state, the echoes of people moving about in his secluded retreat rang in his ears.

"...so then she said the ceremony wasn't much but the reception was great."

"Ugh, Papa, honestly..."

"Because they were antennae, get it?"

"Y-yes Papa, I-I got the joke."

"Ah! Kids these days don't appreciate a good pun when they hear one."

Sasuke's ears twitched involuntarily at the sound of two voices. He paid little mind to them as they walked casually by him.

"Oh look, someone's down on their luck today. Well, a ryo for a ryokan. Take it easy there fella! Sweetie, pay your respects to the local bum." The man dropped a few coins into the small tin can that mockingly had rolled up beside him.

"But Papa, Mama always said not to..."

"Respect the bum, Sakura!"

"Okay, okay!" She began to reprimand her father as he walked away about giving away coins to a man more than likely going to waste it on alcohol and drugs, until a messy pile of dampened dark hair caught her attention.

Sasuke's eyes widened in recognition at the sound of her voice and the call of her name. He quickly looked up to meet her viridian eyes as she stopped midway from tossing a few coins into the small can.

"S-Sasuke-kun? Is that you?!"

"Sakura? What are you doing here?"

"I could say the same about you! What are you doing on the ground?"

"I...I was...just...I got tired I guess."

"It's going to be raining pretty bad soon; you shouldn't dally outside too long."

She urged him to move to his feet with a harsh tug of his hand. Once Sasuke was up, the two were caught off guard by the calls of the older, gruff looking man with a unique hairstyle, jumping from foot to foot.

"Sakura? What are you doing? We have to get inside. The rain's coming soon! And you know what they say about rain..." The older man ceased whatever bad joke he was about to make and walked over to the two. He quickly glanced back and forth between the his daughter and the strange boy she was helping. "Sakura, coins are one thing, but you know Mama doesn't like it when we bring homeless people back home with us."

Sasuke's eyebrow arched significantly to which Sakura blushed.

"U-uh, Papa! Don't you remember him? This is Sasuke-kun. He's my teammate and a friend of mine. Sasuke-kun, this is Pa, uh well my father."

"Ah." Sasuke nodded his greeting to which a loud slap on his back caused him to grasp onto the tree for support.

"Ha ha! Your teammate right? It has been awhile and say, you look different. Didn't you have blonde hair at one point?"

"Papa, that's Naruto. This is Sasuke-kun." She rolled her eyes at his blank stare. "From the Uchiha clan?"

"Uchihwa clan? Well I've never been a big fan of that frou-frou clan stuff. Get it Sakura!" He elbowed his daughter on her shoulder as he boasted about his own excellence in comedic timing. "Fan because...

"Papa, please no! I have one brain and it's about to explode."

Sasuke nervously kept to himself as Sakura's father had waved her off in frustration before bending over slightly to meet him face to face.

"Well hey there, little fella! A pleasure to meet you!"

Sasuke frowned. "I'm thirteen."

"Already a man, huh? Well, then, why don't we men go out and enjoy our youth with drinks?"

"Papa, you're hardly a youth. And Sasuke isn't old enough to drink alcohol yet."

"Suya suya, Sakura. You're lack of enthusiasm is making me sleepy. And besides, su is the only thing between Sasuke and Sake..." he threw his head back as Sakura hid her face behind her hands.

"Papa, your jokes are embarrassing!"

A thunderous sound echoed in the neighborhood and both Sakura and Sasuke were thrown off balance when two strong hands wrapped around their necks.

"A storm approaches! Onwards and upwards you too! We don't have much time! Mama is making something perfect for this weather." He winked at his daughter to continue the charade, who rolled her eyes in response to what it was her father wanted from her.

"Geez, Papa. What is she making today?" Sakura responded with little to no enthusiasm.

"Soup of course. Soup for a rainy day. And do you know why it's so great?" He elbowed his daughter energetically. "Eh? Eh?"

"Papa..."

"Come on, say it..."

"I don't want to."

"Sakura..."

"No, Papa. Not in front of..."

"Sakura..."

"Leave me alone..."

"Say it..." came the slow ominous whisper.

Sasuke looked over to a pouting Sakura curiously as she continued to interact with her father while they walked down the streets. He too awaited her response.

Sakura wound her hand and lightly punched the air as she gritted her teeth in a fake smile.

"Because it's 'souper', Papa."

Sasuke grimaced when his head was once again buried underneath an armpit, muffling the loud boisterous laughs of his friend's father. He fought hard to escape as his body was dragged down the stone path.

"That's my girl!"

Upon hearing those words; however, his fighting ceased. And he allowed Sakura's father to drag him all the way to their final destination.

"We're here!" came the sing-song cry of the man.

Sasuke awkwardly looked around as he was pushed forwards, right in front of his teammate. She too blushed back as they both looked away shyly. "Uh, I don't...I mean, I sh-should probably..."

Another slap on his back and he was pushed into the building.

"What? Speak up, Sake!"

"I'm trying to..."he grumbled and debated against correcting the man, not sure if he had truly forgotten his name or if he simply just acquired a new nickname. And at each slap on his back and loud booming laugh, he delved further and further into the building before them. He frowned when he found himself inside a small apartment and a door abruptly shut behind him.

"Sweetie! We're home! Don't get mad, but we brought another bum home."

Sasuke shyly shrank back as he heard a woman call back.

"Again? Sweetie, I know you mean well, but you can't keep making friends with every homeless man you come across. How many times have I told you guys? You never know what they..." She paused at the sight of a boy in a black Uchiha shirt. "O-oh..."

"Mama, this is Sasuke-kun. He's my classmate."

Sasuke bowed politely. "I'm very happy to meet you."

"Oh, well, nice to meet you as well. I wasn't expecting...oh dear!" The mother rushed inside the apartment and held a firm hand up in the air. "J-just let me get this place cleaned up a bit. Wait right there!"

"Honestly, sweetie, you're being modest. Sake's a man. He doesn't mind filth."

Sasuke wasn't even sure why he was removing his shoes as he entered the small house. He looked over to Sakura who smiled at him sympathetically.

"I'm sorry my father dragged you here. It's just he can be a little...pushy."

"No kidding."

"If you need to go, don't mind us. I'll let my family know..."

The large plop of rain drops began to pick up in speed, gaining both their attention.

"It's...starting to rain. But I could lend you my umbrella if you want. I mean, it's pink but..."

"It's fine."

"You're okay with pink?"

"No, I mean, I don't mind waiting it out here. If that's okay with you anyway."

"What about your family? Won't they be worried?"

Sakura grew more worried at the angry smirk that accompanied his bitter words.

"Hardly."

"Sasuke-kun..."

"Sakura! Sake! Come in here. It's time for the Souper Soup!"

"There he goes again with those bad puns. Come on Sasuke-kun, we should probably eat something, ne?"

"A-ah..." Anything was better than returning home.

And unsure as to where he should be and what he should do, he clumsily followed Sakura's cues and took a seat next to her. He watched as small bowls of various vegetables and meats were set on the table. A small basket of bread was set on the side, and he continued to watch in curiosity at the foods presented. Some very similar to his mother's dishes and some very foreign, including a dish of potato noodles he had never experienced before.

He smiled gratefully to the blonde woman as she finished setting the table.

"I always make plenty of food so don't worry about portions. Eat as much as you want."

"Ah, thank you."

He did as Sakura did and took a small sip of hot tea as he waited for his meal.

"Oi, Mebuki, can you believe this? They actually arrested old Hiro's father the other night."

Mebuki scowled at her husband's lack of manners in front of guests as he continued his daily routine of propping his feet on the empty chair while sitting back and reading his paper.

"Kizashi, that old geezer was intoxicated while walking public streets."

"Like they've never seen a drunk man before."

"He tried throwing toilet paper all over the Hyuuga's gardens."

"It's just paper..."

"And caught his bamboo on fire."

Kizashi pursed his lips in irritation as he grumbled about how the fire was very well contained.

"Honey, seriously, get your feet off the chair. We have a visitor!"

"Sake doesn't mind. Isn't that right, Sake?"

"Papa, it's Sasuke."

"Speaking of sauce..."

"Gods no, please Papa..."

Sasuke looked at his friend in mild amusement. He was already used to the pattern of interaction between father and daughter. And maybe it was because he needed a change of pace, or because his family was much more tame and less lively that he decided to do something he rarely did with Sakura.

"What about sauce, Haruno-san?"

Sakura pouted at her friend who simply smirked back. She mouthed a sarcastic 'thank you' to which a sarcastic 'you're welcome' was volleyed back.

"Okay, okay, get this one. What did the hot dog do when he won the race?"

The younger two blinked at each other, then stared back at Kizashi with wide-eyes.

"Relished the victory!"

A loud bang erupted as Sakura's head collapsed onto the table. "Oi..."

Between Kizashi's genuine enthusiasm as he raised a foot triumphantly on a chair to some alleged victory, Sakura's crestfallen face as it attempted to slice the table in two and Mebuki's continued nagging at her husband's lack of manners and reassurance that his current pose was unnecessary, Sasuke didn't even bother to stop the small chuckle that was dying to burst. And maybe it was Kizashi's high and infectious energy and the bittersweet joy of Sakura's suffering, but he couldn't stop what came out of his mouth next.

"He also mustard known the hamburger couldn't ketchup!"

Dead silence ensued for a few seconds as Kizashi stopped mid-cheer on his chair, Sakura's jaw dropped and Mebuki's stare intensified in bewilderment. Before he could apologize, he was shaken furiously by the older man.

"That's a good one! I have to write this down for next time!" Dust was left in their wake as an anxious man ran off to scribble away much needed jokes.

He stopped a red hue from appearing on his cheeks just in time for Sakura to now do the elbow jab dance on him.

"What?"

"You're punny, you know that?"

"This moment never happened," he grumbled as his head dropped in defeat to what could possibly be the least suave moment in Uchiha history.

"Aww, come on. You were just caught up in the moment that's all."

"Seriously. Not a word to anyone, especially that dobe."

"Fine, fine. I won't tell anyone..."

"Thank you."

"...that you're secretly a lover of puns."

"Sakura," he admonished.

"Not a soul, okay?"

"Good."

Their truce was cut short when Mebuki set a few more dishes on the table. Sasuke blinked between the very familiar reddish fruit and his friend's mother.

"Here's another appetizer for you. I picked it up from a foreign foods market."

Eyes zoomed in and inspected the freshly diced tomatoes mixed in with an assortment of fresh vegetables, some he couldn't quite identify.

"Ooh! Sasuke-kun, put these chips in the bowl and scoop up the veggies. It's so good!"

He watched Sakura with interest as she wasted no time and immediately dumped said food into the bowl. A giant scoop of fruits and vegetables went straight into her mouth and the sounds of her soft moans and sighs gave him the clue that this dish was something else that was relished. He had never had tomatoes in this form before. He had never even heard of this dish before. But considering that it carried one of his favorite foods of all time and that both Mebuki and Sakura were casually enjoying this treat as the main course came in, it couldn't hurt to try it. And so with a small chip in hand, he took one more whiff before diving in.

His jaw dropped, eyes widened and a giant tsunami of euphoria crashed down on him as a plethora of flavors washed all over. His body tingled in delight; his toes squirmed in response to the array of tastes that played around with his palate. A tiny part of his lip began to rise upward and before he could muster the strength to compose himself, he went in for a second, third and fourth scoop in seconds flat.

"What is this stuff?"

"Hmm, don't remember. Mama said it was something like Sasa, Sosa...not sure. But it's a dish from the western provinces. So do you like...?"

Sasuke didn't even bother to hide his blush when Sakura caught him with two chipmunk cheeks full of the tomatoey treat.

"I'm going to take that as a yes?"

He quickly gulped down the tomatoes before wiping the small red juice from his lips. "Um, yeah...it's not that bad."

She shook her head and stifled her giggle to save him from more embarrassment. "Right..."

"THERE!"

The two nearly choked on their food as a loud hand slapped a small notebook onto the table.

"Kizashi, calm down!" Mebuki grumbled even as she set the last few dishes on the table.

"But I wanted Sake to know I got the joke down and everything. See? I even credited it to him."

When Sasuke tilted his head in confusion, Sakura leaned carefully over to whisper. "That's dad's Quote Book. He writes down funny things, quotes and expressions that he either comes up with or hears from other people and writes it down in his notebook."

"Oh," Sasuke replied and gave a brief glance at the old tattered book with loose papers. For something as simple as quotes, his book seemed to have collected quite a few expressions. It had to be at least one hundred pages long.

"Now then, we can all enjoy Mama's cooking, everyone."

After thanks had been given, Sasuke waited patiently in his seat before eating. Usually at his dinner table, his father would initiate the beginning of the meal with the first bite and thus signal for the rest to go forward with it. He would also gently take a hold of his chopsticks and mix his seasonings in the small sauce tray for dipping. His mother would occasionally make a remark about him sitting up straighter. His father would remain silent only offering a few words of recognition to dialogue. And if his brother was present, he would remain silent through it all.

But this was much different. For one, Kizashi was still leaning casually against the back of his chair as both feet remained propped on the chair adjacent as he made notes in his booklet and insisted to make puns about every headline in the paper. Mebuki made comments of her dishes and possible changes to seasonings as she groaned at her husband's continual lack of restraint. And Sakura hastily ate away some type of umeboshi treat as her feet swayed playfully back and forth. So to test the waters as to whether or not he was displaying the right etiquette, he relaxed his body and began to eat from several dishes without care as to how fast he was gobbling food down. When no one contested his actions, he let his feet dangle like Sakura did, even bumping into hers from time to time. His actions were rewarded with Kizashi using his finger to pick at his teeth and Mebuki mumbling about crossword puzzles and asking everyone often about whether they liked the food or not.

After a few more minutes, he completely let go of his anxiety and even picked up light conversation with his teammate about their training regimen for the next meeting. And upon finishing up his main dish, he even began to help her with Mebuki's crossword puzzle.

"Sakura, sweetie. Can you help me with some of these questions?"

"Sure."

"This tiny microscopic animal is capable of surviving in extreme conditions."

"How many characters?"

"Four."

"Hmm. Try Tardigrade."

"Yes, that seems to fit nicely. Which means this next one is..."

He listened keenly to her small mumbling about famous authors from ancient times.

"Okay," smiled Mebuki. "Now see if you can help me with this one. A short sabre like weapon common out at sea."

Sasuke responded instinctively to the question, confident even without knowledge to the number of spaces. "Cutlass."

"Hey now, looks like you fancy trivia as well. Then how about With a specific gravity of about two point six, this reddish-brown mineral was used to make engraved gems for seal rings."

"Carnelian!" was the unanimous response from the two.

Mebuki's smile widened. "Well, Sakura, looks like you have a little rival in the field of trivia."

She smirked at Sasuke's challenging eyes. "We'll see."

It went on like that a little while longer. They would occasionally talk, occasionally help Mebuki with her puzzle and occasionally suffer horrible puns from Kizashi. It was so much different from his own home. It felt...real. Alive. Fun even. And before he knew it, their table was already being cleared away.

As Sasuke helped Sakura deliver the final dishes to the sink, he realized that this little excursion was possibly coming to an end. He dreaded going back home. He hesitated as to how to segue into his escape only to witness Sakura's eyes close slowly as the voices of her parents disappeared into the background. He too listened in on the sound of rain lightly plopping onto her roof.

"Hey, do you want to go sit on the balcony and watch the rain?"

"What?"

"I love sitting outside and watching the rain. Sometimes I read a book; sometimes I take a nap. But I don't know, it's just always so peaceful."

"Sure."

Once outside and seated, he understood exactly what Sakura meant.

Rain meant fewer people outside, which in turn meant more tranquility. It was almost as if the entire neighborhood had evacuated. The plop plop sounds of droplets falling around them were like a metronome, steady and consistently paced. The gentle breeze brought forth a light cool air. Off in the distance, he could pick up the tiniest hint of soaked grass and flowers. After a few minutes of amicable silence, he allowed a peaceful smile to grace his features.

"See? Peaceful, huh?"

"Yeah...it is actually."

Sakura bit her right inner cheek as she contemplated dispelling his peace. "Um, Sasuke-kun...I don't mean to be break up your good mood, but...may I ask you something?"

"Huh? Sure, whatever," was his casual reply as a tiny droplet fell onto his left brow.

"Why were you on the ground earlier?"

So lost in his peace, he almost didn't register her words. "Ground?"

"When my dad and I found you, you were sitting on the ground. You looked...not well."

"Oh."

"Is everything okay?"

"I guess so."

"Mmm, 'kay..."

He half smiled at her crestfallen face. "It's just not worth talking about. It's kind of silly actually. But just the same...I..."

"What is it?"

He lounged back around her balcony ring, letting his head fall back over the railing as he stared into the cloudy sky.

It was just so peaceful here. No worries about his mother scolding his behaviors, his father admonishing him for his emotional outbreaks, his brother being an asshole to his superiority. Here he could just be Sasuke. No one knew anything otherwise and Sakura wouldn't have cared if he so much as burped, picked the food out of his teeth with a finger or even propped his feet on the balcony seating. Here he could simply be free from it all. And it was at that sudden realization that the clouds began to disperse, reintroducing the sun back into the late afternoon once more before its final departure for the evening.

He knew now why Usagi was so important to Itachi and just how painful and difficult it was for his brother to sever those ties. And before his teammate could even question the soft smile on his face, the two peeked over the balcony's stone railing to catch that very man in question staring up at them with a half smile.

"I thought I might find you here."

"Itachi-san! What are you doing here?"

"Just making sure my little brother here was okay. The way you stormed out of the house, Sasuke, I was a bit concerned. Now I know it was just a carnal desires. What? It couldn't have waited until later this evening?"

"Your brother really is a jerk," she whispered behind the balcony ledge.

"Tell me about it," he muttered back.

"So, Sasuke, should we head back now? Mother is worried about you..."

He shrank further into the balcony, wishing that his brother had not found him at all and dreading the reunion with his father.

"...or should I let our parents know that you will be staying the night over with a friend?"

Sasuke's head poked back out and stared down at his brother in disbelief. "You mean, you're not going to drag me home?"

"You have a life outside of the clan. I believe you're entitled to that."

"But..." he glanced back at a beet red Sakura who shyly stole glances back into her home.

"Uh, I don't think my mom will mind. I can set up a sleeping bag in my room or you can sleep on the couch. Whichever you prefer."

"Oh...I..."

"Well, it looks like it's settled then. Sakura-san, I will entrust my little brother to you for tonight. See to it though that he gets home by lunch tomorrow, otherwise my mother will be cross with us both."

"Yeah, sure. But I'm not exactly certain what's going on here...that is..."

"Ah, well, you have all night for that. Sasuke wouldn't mind. I'm sure it will give him peace of mind to have somebody lend an ear to his problems." He winked at Sasuke who merely shrugged.

"Yeah, whatever." He bit the inside of his cheek lightly as his eyes carefully looked to his brother than back at the tomato plants dangling from the roof. "So, what are you going to tell mother exactly?"

"That you are having an affair, that you joined the yakuza, that you're secretly planning to leak information to enemy nations...I'm sure I'll think of something."

Sasuke offered a genuine laugh at that last bit, much to the confusion of Sakura who was patiently hanging over the balcony alongside him as she stared between the two brothers in perplexity to their inside jokes and subtle body language exchanges.

"Well, thanks for that. I guess."

His brother smiled softly and bid a final wave of farewell before walking off with his small umbrella in tow.

"That's okay with you right, Sakura?"

"Oh, of course. I don't think my parents will mind. Plus my dad already loves you. Just be prepared for more puns and my mom constantly trying to shove food in your mouth."

"Hey, if it's more of that tomato stuff, I'll take it."

"Sure! We can bring some into my room and you can tell me all about...oh...er...well I mean, we d—"

"Sounds good," was his sharp interruption. He stared down at his wiggling toes in an attempt to hide his suddenly timid behavior. "I mean, it wouldn't hurt to talk is what I meant." The wiggling continued when her face bore a wide smile.

"I'll go let my mom know you decided to stay. Be right back."

At the sound of a sliding balcony door, he huddled into a ball on the ring seating and rested his head against the stone railing. The sounds of rain were beginning to die for good, but the ambiance had remained as people in the area must have retired for the night.

Come next showers, he would definitely bring a book to Sakura's house.

---

"Finish up over here! We need to make room for the rest of today's batch."

"Yes sir!"

"And make sure you bring those smaller gems on next week's load! We need to get these carts filled up and stored away in the back before the storm!"

"Will do general!"

Just like the rest of the group, Usagi merely nodded and agreed with every order, complying without question. Something big was happening. Everyone seemed frantic and almost scared. Like they were waiting for some type of storm to hit. She wondered if the rumors were true and whether or not that meant big trouble for them. But it was her teammates that really worried her. Were they being taken care of as well?

"Rubeus, make sure all our higher ranks are within the inner gates within the next two hours. I don't want them out in this weather."

"Of course, Soudaishou."

Usagi blushed and continued hauling away jewels when her leader gave her a sly smile. But as soon as he disappeared, she focused discreetly on a crate being carried away into another room. With a tongue stuck out in determination, she ignored her instructed path and carried her load straight through the same hallway. She followed the brunette carefully into a small room adorned with a peregrine like crest on the door. It almost looked like the postal courier's door in the Uchiha Police Headquarters.

The squeaky door giving way to her and three other people snapped her back into sneak mode. And once inside, she pretended to marvel at the jewels like the other girls, although, not once did she remove her attention from the girl carrying the green crate. And as the others played away with their watches and golden fans and talked of dreams of being princesses, she crept slowly and slowly over to her desired place. There it was. The Konoha scroll just waiting to be nabbed.

Slowly...carefully...fingers just tickling the streams hanging from its seal. Finally, they could all go home and call their mission a succ...

"You there!"

Her hand quickly retreated back to holding her load before being spotted for suspicious activity.

"Yes?"

"What are you doing here? Your boxes have red stickers on them."

She blinked back at his question. This time, she really wasn't playing dumb. "Red...stickers?"

"You do remember your instructions right?"

"I thought all the loot goes in this room."

"What are you stupid? Can't you follow simple instructions?"

She grumbled to herself as the other females laughed at her. But it seemed to have helped lift any suspicion nonetheless as the man with a weird pink do simply shook his head.

"Look, your boxes go over there. See the red tape on top of the entrance down there? That's where boxes with red tape go."

Usagi smiled tightly and bit back a snappy remark. "Oh sorry! How stupid of me. It's just this place is so big and I still haven't gotten used to it..."

"Tch. Women. Anyway, come on! We need to get moving!"

"Okay, okay."

Bidding a reluctant farewell to the scroll, Usagi grimaced as it disappeared behind closed doors. She delivered her items tiredly and strolled slowly over to the foyer to collect more. But upon reaching the main entrance, a soft male voice stopped her from pursuing any other ventures.

"I'm telling you, I demand to see my sister!"

Spiked weapons now hung closely to the man's neck.

"How the hell do we know you're not just some swindler trying to get your hands on some jewels, huh?"

"Jewels?"

The other guard took out his frustration over the tongue slip by lashing out at his comrade with the back end of his sword.

"Look, really I don't care about any of that. I just want to see my sister. Someone told me she was here! I need to make sure she's okay. It won't take that long, really!"

"Well then, if that's the case, why not give us your sister's name?"

"Yeah, we'll be more than happy to pass along a message."

Usagi tiptoed over near some pillars and hid behind them as she tried to sneak a glance at this young male. And as soon as her sapphire eyes surfaced from behind her hiding spot, she slapped a hand to her mouth as she held back a gasp.

"Go on now, then. Tell us your sister's name. We'll let you know if she's here."

She grabbed at her pigtails, pulled hard and prayed to the gods that he got this right. They never really did discuss aliases. But what were the chances he could guess the right name? All her worrying, though, seemed to be in vain as her 'brother' responded without any hesitation and with the utmost confidence.

"Serenity."

The guards had all but dropped their weapons and as if to take her cue, she giggled and ran over to the entrance with a happy wave. God was she ever happy she forced Seijuuro to listen to her squeal about her favorite fandom.

"Nii-chan! Nii-chan!"

The guards did a double-take as they stared in awe between the two. Satisfied with there being a possibility of genetic connections, they bowed and allowed her to exit the inner gates alongside her beloved brother. Once out of reach, Seijuuro ushered her behind trees and vines.

"Where the hell have you been?!"

"Ow!" she rubbed her forehead after he gave it a good flick. "It's not my fault! That Soudaishou guy has been putting me to work. Day in and day out he makes me stay in the inner gates. That is of course, unless I'm on a mission with him. He won't get off my back and I've been trying hard to find you guys too, so don't get mad at me."

Seijuuro relented and shook his head. "Seriously, Usagi. You had us worried."

She flinched from his scrutiny. "Is sensei mad at me?"

"Hmm. Never mind that. I'm glad I found you. We need to discuss our escape plans."

"Escape?"

"Yes! Come on! I'll take you back to Haruka and Hotaru. There we can begin our escape."

"No, Seijuuro.." she tried to yank back her hand as he dragged her through the grass.

"A storm will be hitting soon. That will give us plenty of time to find an opening. Once we're out, we don't look back."

"B-But the scroll!"

"Haruka has officially stated that we are to abandon that mission. Usagi, this is way too dangerous. And with all the changes that happened and incorrect information, it would be suicide to stay longer. Besides, we have no idea where that scroll would be."

"That's not true! I know exactly where it is!"

"What?"

She squeezed her hand out of his and put some distance between them. "The scroll! I know where it is!"

"Usagi..."

"It's in the same room they're using as a postal service. I think they're planning on mailing it off somewhere by falcon."

"But..."

"Seijuuro! There's no telling what information is in there. It could be something that could break Konoha. And if it leaves this area right now, we may never get this chance again! Who knows where it will end up after here? Especially if they get suspicious of us."

"I...I don't know."

"Please? You have to trust me on this."

She waited for him to reply, instead getting nothing but his scratched head.

"She's not gonna be happy with me."

"Just tell her I disobeyed."

"She entrusted me with bringing you back."

"Tell her I ran off!"

"Usagi..."

"Please?"

He growled when she whimpered softly and held her lips out in a little pout.

"You're despicable when you do that. You know that, right?"

She smiled at his surrender. "I promise, I'll get the scroll back. Just tell sensei that I'll meet you guys here by nightfall. We can all escape then."

"Why don't we get it together?"

"No, the leader will be super suspicious of you there. Trust me, it will just be easier if I go on my own."

"Fine. After you get it, make sure you meet us at the house being used to cook for the soldiers. It's got a little windmill next to it and a wind vane of a duck on top of it."

"Wind vane of a duck and windmill, got it."

"Ask for Ali when you get there."

"Who?"

"Uh, hello, me?"

"That's not your...ohh!"

"Yeah..."

"Pfft. Ali, though? Ha! What a weird name!"

He raised his left eyebrow. "Oh? You have a problem with my name, Serenity?" He let the syllables drag as he mocked her choice of name.

"What's wrong with Serenity?"

She hid a smile as a mocking smirk accompanied his languid expressions.

"So cliché."

"Just for that, I'm making you listen to all my original stories regarding Tasogare Senshi."

The two shared a secret laugh before parting ways.

"Get out of here and get our scroll."

"Yes, sir!"

With one final grunt of admonishment, Seijuuro ignored his teammate's retreat and sauntered over to the kitchens and landed with a loud plop on the wooden chair. It earned him a tsk from the chambermaid busy away at stirring her soup.

"Your lack of manners is a reflection on your parents. So why not show them some respect?"

He reserved his usual tongue lash of 'bite me' and instead nodded sweetly and replayed the last few seconds albeit with a slight more elegance to seating.

"Much better, child."

Seijuuro loitered nonchalantly, as if he was simply skipping chores. And although it required getting a lecture from the cook, it was worth it after she left—to be replaced by his sensei and Hotaru.

"Well?"

"Uh, okay. Don't get mad."

Haruka's glare even made him shrink and cower.

"I found her but she wouldn't come back with me."

"Why not?" bit back Haruka.

"She said she found the scroll." When his sensei didn't respond and instead kept a steady gaze, he thought maybe they could get away without punishment upon returning to the village. "She said it wouldn't be long before they start sending the scrolls they found away. If that's the case, who knows when we'll see them again. I mean, this is the best time to get it. And if she knows where it is..."

Seijuuro and Hotaru waited before Haruka ran a tired hand through her hair and collapsed at the table.

"That girl, I swear." She let her head fall back on the chair's rest. "What else did she say?"

"As soon as she nabs it, she'll meet us back here. We just have to wait. I'm guessing by how confident she sounded, it wouldn't be long now. And after that, just plan our escape as normal."

"Fine."

"What are you three going on about now?" came the chambermaid's response as she returned with several younger raven-haired girls in tow. One laid out the dough she needed for their next dish, the other prepared seasonings in small bowls and the third began to get together materials for drinks. "I swear I see you three always lounging around. You know, Soudaishou could use some more help around."

"Hey, you guys tend to kitchens while we have to haul heavy loads of produce around all day. Wanna switch?"

The elder woman cringed and withheld a disgusted snort for Haruka before going back to her dish. It was only when she saw the three girls glance out the window that she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Now what are you three up to? Don't tell me you're going to play hooky in here like the others?"

"No, it's just that..."

"They're pulling the drawbridge to the inner gates!"

"Mama, look! It's true! Maybe because of the storm?"

"It figures. The higher tier gets to be all cozy and snug inside their palace while we have to board up and hide in the hay."

Seijuuro's worried glances garnered Haruka and Hotaru's attention. Perhaps Usagi's escape wouldn't come so easily.

"On the other hand, you girls would do best to stay away from those inner gates."

"Yes, ma'am," came their meek replies.

"And stay away from the leader! Don't want you grabbing his attention now."

"Mmm!"

Normally she would let it go. Something so trivial was just unwarranted of conversation. But there was a nagging suspicion, almost instinct, that wouldn't silence itself. Haruka continued to watch the four busy away at cooking as she pondered as to whether or not she should initiate conversation...because something inside gave her a very unsettling feeling about the way she said those last words.

"What did you mean by that?"

"Mean by what?" was the grumpy response as the woman chopped carrots into a pot.

"By 'not grabbing his attention'?"

"I wouldn't want my daughters anywhere near that philanderer." She tested the broth of her soup in a loud slurp. "Would you?"

"I don't..." she looked back at the other two worriedly. "I don't think I understand."

The more sympathetic of the girls shyly cut in. "Haven't you heard of the rumors at all?"

"What rumors?" asked Seijuuro who now stood with complete unease as he glanced between the closing gates and the others in the kitchen.

"Where have you guys been all this time, seriously?" The bulky old woman rolled her eyes. "Look, take it with a grain of salt, but I overheard some of the women talk about our Soudaishou. And the word on the street is that he has a bit of a soft spot for ladies."

"Oh..."

"Young ladies, if you catch my drift."

"Young?"

The girl with the shortest hair grunted as she kneaded her dough. "Mmm hmm, according to Mama, the younger the better."

Hotaru blinked at the new information, her heart racing uncomfortably. "That's...I mean, it's just a rumor right? Surely it can't be true."

The sound of a whisk adding in water to ingredients drew their attention to the ponytail girl.

"I don't know. No matter who we talked to, the story was always the same."

"First his eyes catch a girl of interest..."

"Then he invites her over to his chambers..."

"Takes her in and pampers her something nice..."

"Gives her high status..."

The elderly woman laid her pot hard on the table. "Then before you know it, he's already made claim."

"Made claim?"

She smiled suggestively at Haruka. "Surely I don't need to explain that."

"But..."

"And it's so weird. But he always goes after the same type."

Haruka shut her eyes tightly before reluctantly responding.

"What type is that?"

"Blondes! Seriously. They say every single girl he lands is always a blonde!"

"Dirty blonde."

"Sandy blonde."

"Golden blonde."

"It's like he's obsessed!"

"Yeah, no kidding!"

"Oh and blue eyes!"

"Yeah! He has a thing for eyes too apparently!"

The team huddled closer to the window as their pulses seemed to spiral out of control.

"It's a pretty sick fetish actually. I've tried everything to make sure my girls don't attract his attention. Luckily they're all dark-haired. And much older too."

"Older?" whispered Hotaru.

"Yeah see, that's the thing. All the girls also share something else in common. They're all...young, to say the least. I'm not sure why, though."

Haruka frowned as she heard the final shutting of the inner gates.

"A girl like that is sure to attract his attention. And believe me, you don't want to know the things he does to those types of girls."

"Things...?"

In spite of her outer tough appearance, the woman now was crumbling to this story. She let out a tired sigh. "The last girl, she was only fourteen. Not even the age of consent. And he...well...that's the rumor anyway"

"It must be true though..." came the quiet whisper of one of her girls. "After all, she came back bearing a child."

A bile rose up in Haruka's mouth.

"It wouldn't surprise me if half these kids here were sired by him, honestly."

Her breathing was slightly irregular and she looked over to Seijuuro and Hotaru who were equally horrified and disgusted.

"Don't ever find yourself alone with that guy. He's bad news. Just don't attract any attention and you'll be...are you okay?"

"Yes well...I think I'm feeling a bit fatigue."

"It's probably because of the cold weather. You should probably all go get your medication before the storm hits. Who knows how long we'll be trapped."

"Yes, that would be wise. Would you excuse us then for the moment?"

"Of course, hurry up though!"

After the three left the building they huddled in a corner just around an orchard.

"Usagi is in there right now with that fucking psycho!"

"I know, I know!"

"Sensei?"

"Look, Seijuuro, you and Hotaru take cover in the snow. Wait for my signal," she hastily wrapped a paper tag around her concealed hand. "When this thing goes off, that's your cue. Create a diversion. Send every soldier in the opposite direction; confuse them. And when there's just enough chaos, run straight to the rendezvous point. Under no circumstance are you to wait for me. Am I understood?"

"Yeah but, what will you be doing?"

Haruka wasted no time as she ignored the two and made a run for her destination.

---

She was careful not to attract attention.

Saphir was lurking around somewhere, keeping an eye on her. General Rubeus was busy yelling final instructions of preparation, the four sisters who tended to the jewels were on and off yelling at people mishandling gems while a woman in green gave her a once-over every few minutes and scoffed.

This clan was just weird.

Usagi waited until the sisters hauled loads away before presenting herself in the right place at the right time.

"You! Pigtail girl!"

"Me?" she faked an innocent face.

"Yes! Don't just stare! Hurry up and help us with these boxes!"

One box was shoved in her hand by the ice-haired girl.

"Yeah seriously, rude!"

Another was stacked on top by her bun-head sister.

"While you're at it, take these amulets."

"Don't forget the necklaces!"

The brunette and jade-head both hung things from her hands and neck. Usagi pouted as they all stretched their muscles and left her to finish their chores. But what did it matter? It left her to scope out the place on her own. Even Saphir seemed to have lost track of her behind the tower of boxes as she swayed in and out the traffic of workers.

Once she entered the hallway, it was all she could do to hide the glee as there was no one around to stop her from entering the PO room. After shaking away the anticipation, Usagi casually entered the room with a crestfallen face upon realizing she wasn't alone.

"General Rubeus?"

"Huh? What are you doing here?"

She eased her stress by ignoring his unwarranted attitude. "The four sisters asked me to drop these in here. Is there anywhere you want them in particular?"

"What? No! Just put them anywhere."

"Okay."

Since he had no preference, perhaps he wouldn't mind if she traveled further inside? And when he continued to play away at maps and schematics, she did just that. Once the boxes were successfully put away, Usagi's left eye caught sight of her coveted scroll. It hadn't been delivered yet.

"Well?"

He was getting suspicious. Either that or curious.

"I'm sorry, I just space out a lot."

"So I hear."

She giggled fakely as he must have gotten wind from Dimande that she was a bit scatterbrained, or alerted by Saphir to be on guard around her. But despite the problems that could arise, she just couldn't leave without the item. This could possibly be her last chance before they all had to escape. And after a few seconds of deliberating, she decided what the hell. Maybe it was a bit farfetched, maybe it was a long shot, but it was worth a try nonetheless. And so with another fake cute smile, she skipped along back to the entrance, much to his curiosity and after a few steps, her foot skid over a fallen rod. Slowly, she fell backwards into a pile of boxes and crates. Okay, maybe that was genuine pain she was feeling but the plan was certainly executed well.

"What the hell?!"

"Sorry, I tripped on that thingy." Her foot pointed over to the golden rod rolling away.

He sighed loudly. "If you want to stay in my army, you're going to have to be more attentive. Come on!"

She happily accepted his hand as he hoisted her up.

"Why don't you go to the fields and help get the last bit of food in here? We don't have much time left before the storm hits."

"Yes sir!" She watched as he glanced around the area, no doubt looking to see if anything was missing. But when he was satisfied, he went back to his mapping and Usagi withheld a much deserved chuckle to her genius mind as she patted down her jacket in an attempt to shake off excess dirt and ensure her item was tucked away. It was only a brief second she had, but her hands were quick enough to accomplish the task. And once she was out of earshot, she walked faster to her next mission.

It couldn't be real. It just had to be a sick prank or a powerful genjutsu. But here she was, on her way to the fields to meet her friends with the scroll they originally came to retrieve tucked safely away in her jacket. It was just miraculous. And so in haste, she picked up her jogging and passed the foyer into the main hall leading to the entrance. She saw the open doors and smiled at the sight of a very dull sunlight that entered the hall. The storm must have been ready to hit.

Usagi smiled and bowed at the guards in the entrance. Just as she was close to setting one foot out the doors, she cringed upon the call of her name.

"Serenity!"

Usagi sighed softly before regaining her composure and turning about. The doors leading to her freedom shut abruptly behind her. The sunlight was stripped away from the hallway.

"Soudaishou! How may I help you?"

"May I inquire as to where it was you were going?"

"General Rubeus has ordered me to retrieve more food for us."

"No need for that. I'll send some men to finish off that task. Now come. The storm will be hitting soon. We need to take shelter inside."

She panicked when he grabbed her hand.

"Oh! Actually, I was wondering..."

"Yes?"

"My brother came to see me earlier and I just wanted to check up on him. You know, before the weather got worse?"

"Brother? I didn't realize you had a brother."

"Yes, well, he and I got separated for a little while, but I just learned he also joined your clan."

"If that's the case, then I should wish to meet him someday. But for now, leave him be."

"Well, you see..."

"I'm sure he can wait a few more days to see you."

"Yeah, but..."

"Miss?"

Usagi barely acknowledged the iron clad soldier standing next to the entrance.

"If your brother is the tall young man from earlier, I wouldn't mind checking up on him when my shift changes. I'm sure I've seen him at the kitchens. I'll just pass along your message."

"Now then, see? He'll make sure your brother is well taken care of. You soldier, let the boy know his sister is in good hands and that she wishes him wellness in this upcoming storm."

"Of course, Soudaishou! I will pass it along within the hour!"

"Um, thanks."

Dimande's laughter echoed in the hallway. "Come now, Serenity. There will be plenty of time for you and your brother later. At the moment, why don't we find a way to pass up the storm?"

Knowing full well he was commanding her presence next to his, she tagged alongside him slowly. "Sir? Is there a mission for me?"

"Why don't we call it a personal request."

"Sir?"

"I simply seek your audience in my quarters."

"The surveillance room? Sir, I'm not exactly the best tactician. Perhaps someone of more exp..."

"I meant my personal quarters."

She almost tripped mid-step. And at the way Dimande was staring at her just then, she almost ran. Did he figure her out? Did he know that she stole the scroll? Was this an interrogation he was leading or even worse, a trap to capture her? So many questions swam in her brain as she fought to run away right then and there. But before she could even try to figure out an escape plan, she was already being led into a familiar room and another adjacent to it. She hadn't been in his room since that first inevitable encounter. And just like before, her heart raced as the doors closed behind her, leaving just her and Dimande in his room. The worst part was, there was probably no Saphir waiting behind those doors to interrupt the two.

"It's getting pretty cold outside, isn't it?"

"Y-yes." She side-stepped out of the way as he began to go about his room, undoing the buttons of his coat and tossing his tie aside carelessly.

"At the least, we're safe here. I'll make sure to have them keep the furnaces warm for you."

"Thank you."

"Now, is there anything I can get for you?"

"Um, actually, I was getting a little tired."

"Of course. It's been a long day. Perhaps it is best we both retire for the night?"

Thinking he was finally going to allow her to leave, she nodded happily. That happy smile faltered, however, when he locked the doors to his room and went straight for his liquor case.

"A good glass of sherry and some dark chocolate bon bons are the best way to end a weary day. Wouldn't you say so...Serenity?"

It was almost as if he was mocking her. Could it be he knew that wasn't her real name?

"Wine?"

Her quick refusals were pointless as he gently placed the glass in her hands again, allowing the contact to linger just a tad longer than necessary. Instead of the polite shy sips she offered last time, however, she instead opted to set the drink on the fresh lacquer of the dresser. This seemed to have caught Dimande's attention for he questioningly looked her over.

"I insist."

"I rather not."

Wanting to dispel any ill mood, Dimande casually waved it off and invited her over to sit next to him. The invitation, though, was immediately discarded for Usagi did not once move from her spot.

"Are you not feeling well today? You're acting quite peculiar."

There was just something not quite right about this man. More and more, she was becoming sure of it.

"I will retire for the night. In my quarters." She made sure that information sunk. It wasn't as if she was trying to be rude. But the thought of her friends waiting on her made her much too impatient. She really didn't have time for this.

"You...will?"

"Yes." She took in a deep breath at the risk she was taking. "I am." Her eyes remained firm and only dispelled mildly when his eyebrow arched. Perhaps it came out a little too aggressive. "It's just that maybe with the weather..."

"You do look a little flush. Very well."

Thinking he was leading her over to the exit, Usagi relaxed for a few brief seconds. The anxiety returned when he helped her out of her jacket and pushed her further into his room.

"That should help you cool down."

She kept one eye on Dimande, the other on her jacket's new location. "I...I really think I should..."

"Sit."

"I would rather..."

"Sit."

She remembered before. She recalled how unsure she was and thus settled on the chair immediately like the scared puppy she was. She recalled how she took the sips of wine, how fatigue she became, how she forgot it all. And not wanting to reintroduce such a dangerous circumstance in a time she was unsure as to his intentions and when her team needed her the most, she shook her head quickly as he held the glass of wine before her lips and stood face to face with her. In spite of stirring potential trouble, Usagi held her breath as she gently pushed away his hands.

"I think I better go. My brother needs me. And the storm is about to hit. So if you don't mind..."

"Your brother can wait."

She glared fiercely as he grabbed her shoulder roughly. "No," she quickly pushed away "...he can't."

When all he did was let out an exasperated sigh, she grabbed her jacket as if that was his resignation. But before she could even put one foot out the door, Dimande's hand slammed it right back shut.

"You've grown rather bold with me."

"No, it's just that I..."

"Maybe Saphir was right."

Usagi stiffened as several horrible images flashed through her mind, all at once. Did he know? Was he following her this whole time? Did he play her up? Try to pretend to be a good ally only to throw it back in her face? Was everything just one huge setup for her entire team? She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Maybe I have grown too lax with you..."

Her breathing picked up as he circled behind her and placed a smooth hand underneath her chin to raise it.

"Too gentle..."

His hand went straight into her jacket and she shut her eyes tightly. He knew! He knew who she was! And he was headed straight for the scroll he knew she took! There was no turning back from this. Her secret was out. Saphir probably had been following her all along! Their team's secret was discovered. They found the connection and one by one they would all be killed, because of her.

Thinking he would snatch the scroll back and simply put an end to her right then and there, she braced for the piercing sensation of a sharp blade on her back. One that never came. Instead, his lips and breath lingered close to her ears. And all at once, everything changed. Her eyes went wide. Her heavy breathing lost its pattern. A whimper threatened to come out. And a rough hand caused a small gasp to escape her mouth as her jaw extended, leaving her completely without words to the sudden change in atmosphere.

He had not clue of the scroll. Of that she was now beyond certain. This was altogether something different. Something much darker. And quite dangerous.

She tore away from his hold and wrapped her arms around her chest as a means to shield herself from him. Her large doe, terrified eyes searched his. There was no regret to what he had done to her or was going to do. And so without warning, she ran like a madman towards the door.

A sharp right hook knocked her clear across the room. She lost her balance and fell flat against a glass case, the sound of it breaking distant as she tried to regain focus on the things around her. When she finally came to her feet, she staggered sideways, his powerful hit having affected her equilibrium. She grimaced when he swiped her ankles and twisted her arms behind her back. In a few seconds, she was flat on her stomach with her right cheek smashed firmly against the rug.

"I'm through with gentle," he whispered menacingly. He stabbed her back with his knee as he landed hard on her.

Her scream shot out and bounced back only to her ears. She squirmed in vain as his grip on her only tightened in response to her flails and writhing. Tears began to fall as she witnessed her hair being pulled apart from its odango, falling carelessly onto the floor. The sounds of fabric shredding only intensified her anxiety. And as she bit her lip in distaste to his ministration, it was then she remembered her encounter with the Uchiha girls.

Usagi slammed her head back hard on his face. She didn't have time to relish in his curses and bloody nose as she raced back to her only means of escape. But upon opening the door, her eyes widened as a large growl resonated in the room. It was too late when she looked back to see a giant boar of a man charging right at her. And she was thrown once again when Dimande's full body tackled her right through the door. She flinched at the impact and flying debris.

The two slid along the marble floor.

And when they back flipped off the ground, there were no words exchanged in the dark silent adjacent room. He glared her down; she held her own stance, unwavering. One twitch became two, one foot in front of the other became several and suddenly she was kicking off against walls and chandeliers as Dimande dove right for her again and again. There was no stopping this man. It didn't matter what speeches she could give to him at the moment. He wouldn't stop until he captured her.

"Hold still!"

But Usagi dodged left and right as his hand came smashing down at each chance he felt he had against her.

Vase after vase exploded, table after table decimated. She ran along the wall and kicked off his punch only to get pushed back by another blow. He retaliated by offering her a flying roundhouse which sent her flying through the air and smack into a marble pillar. Usagi shook her head and recovered just in time to miss his flying somersault land a downwards kick on the nightstand right next to her. It was as if he couldn't see anymore. Nothing else mattered to him. He simply had to get to her, in anyway he could.

Their struggle to dominate their battle continued. She kicked, he punched. She jumped off the wall only to have him rip apart ceiling tiles soon after. Dodge by dodge, hit by hit, the two remained fairly square. But it had to give in sooner or later. With the missions and labor he had her on, she was beginning to get worn out from all the running. He seemed to sense this too, and seized the right opportunity as soon as it presented itself.

Just like with the Uchiha girls, her foot caught on a small rise in the floor. And in no time at all, she found herself on her back, looking back at her attacker and something new within the grasp of his right hand. In two seconds flat, a chain was wrapped around her right leg. He hauled her closer like a hooked fish and despite her flailing, she knew her capture was inevitable. She was too tired to fight back.

"I don't care if I have to chain you to my bed for the rest of your life."

He reeled her in further.

"I don't care if I have to threaten your brother's life to get you to stay. "

Her bite on his hand was stopped by a slap on her cheek.

"I don't care if I have to break every damn bone in your body to make you stop moving."

He seized her neck and hoisted her up in the air to eye level.

"I'm not letting you leave..."

Her heart shook at the deep proclamation. There was no bluff. He really would have her anyway he could. And she winced when his mouth hovered close to hers.

"You belong to me now..."

He cupped her chin and squeezed her jaws. Her lips quivered at feel of his cold fingers.

"...Serenity..."

And then suddenly, the ground shook around them. Ceiling tiles began to fall one after another and quite suddenly, the entire roof of his room began to fall apart. Even the pillars that once stood proudly fell like domino pieces one after the other.

She didn't need an instructor to tell her what to do. With quick hands, she took advantage of the distraction and Dimande's bewildered face as his room began to fall apart piece by piece. And quite suddenly, he caught on to her line of thinking. Unfortunately for him, much too late.

Usagi grabbed the chain and yanked as hard as she could, looped it around his legs and put every ounce of power into her upper body as she swung him smash against a stone statue. As soon as she unbound herself from the metal link, she dove right out of his chambers. Quick reflexes allowed her to dodge the oncoming barrage of falling debris. Adrenaline pumping her blood to move! And it wasn't just his room either; the entire building seemed to be collapsing all around her. All at once, people began to scream as they raced passed her.

"Move, GIRL!"

"GET OUT OF THE DAMN WAY!"

Usagi followed them as best she could in the thick smoke. What the hell was going on? She and Dimande surely couldn't have been fighting with such intensity as to take down the entire inner palace.

Sputtering and coughing followed the chaotic screams of terrified individuals. She began to gag at the taste of the clouds of dust now settling around her. In spite of it, she ran and ran until suddenly, the silhouette of a familiar tall woman came into view. And the next thing she knew, tears fell freely from her eyes as she lodged herself onto the arm of her beloved sensei.

"Usa...?"

"Sensei, I missed you so much!" She cried into her arm and rubbed her cheek to smear the wet mess all over. But the reunion was cut short as Haruka grabbed her student's arm and rushed off.

"We don't have time, Usa. We have to move now!"

She nodded firmly and kicked immediately into kunoichi mode. Feet followed her sensei in pace clear out the inner gates and through a very peculiar path. Once outside, she was not prepared for the large gusts of wind and bitter sting of winter cold as it collided with her face. After only a few minutes, her cheeks burned into a deep red.

"Sensei..."

"I know. But bear with it. We have to get the hell out of here. Seijuuro and Hotaru are already on their way to the rendezvous point. I told them I would meet them there as soon as I got you."

She huffed and puffed through cold air as they scaled the walls amid the confused soldiers, heavy snowfall, and collapsing structures.

"The snow is strong, which means scents and tracks will be covered. The wind is strong which means large numbers of people will be slowed down. We won't need to worry about soldiers coming after us. And besides, they'll be busy with that explosion."

"You really planned this all, didn't you sensei?"

"To be honest, I should be apologizing. I shouldn't have pushed for..."

"Sensei?"

She took a deep breath as the two jumped over the final gate hurdle and made a clear break for the forest.

"Did he...hurt you?"

"Did who...oh..." She frowned at what must have been a pretty disheveled appearance on her behalf. And not bothering to waste time with questions as to how her sensei found her, knew about the situation and concocted their getaway, she simply smiled sadly.

"Usagi?"

"No sensei."

Eyes narrowed at the ripped back end of her jacket.

"Not much, anyway," she quickly amended.

"Good. And it's all my fault anyway. I should have realized it sooner that we were in way over our heads, with that many people. Considering that the information was wrong, I knew it was risky. But I just couldn't find a way to..."

And with that, Usagi offered a small smile and popped the scroll right out of her inner pocket. Her proud smile grew when her sensei's eyes widened at the coveted Konoha logo and seal.

"How did you ever...?"

"Oh, actually I found it with the other tributes. See when we were traveling to this area in the forest, we found a..."

And then she was dragged away by her sensei onto a branch obscured by foliage.

"Sensei?"

"Shh!"

Usagi tried to listen in on noise but could only make what sounded like trees falling from a very far distance, the faint cries of confused citizens probably anticipating enemy invasion and the occasional howling of winter winds. But obviously, her sensei's sensitive hearing was picking up something much more threatening.

When Haruka's eyes finally opened from her concentration, she gave the cue to follow once more; although this time, there was a significant change in speed.

"Whats...going...on...?" Usagi tried to let out between breaths and jumps.

"We're being followed."

"What?!"

"Shh! Keep it down. I don't think whoever is following quite knows where we are. They're taking a guess."

"What do we do now sensei?"

"We have to split up. There's a chance that someone in the inner gates saw me. If so, they know my identity and are most likely looking for me. If that's the case, I'm not about to drag you into that mess."

"Should I go ahead and take my route into the canyons then? I can meet you guys at the rendezvous point after I go my way."

"Ah. That's probably the best. I'll lure them further into the forest and up the frozen river. There, I can get a look at who's following or at the least, lose them in the valley. The winds will be stronger there and I heard the snow is hitting it the hardest as well. It will be easy for me."

"Hai!"

"But just the same, Usagi. Go ahead and hand me the scroll. In the event you are found, you can simply make the excuse that you ran off in the confusion in the inner gates. They won't think anything of it."

"Are you sure? It was originally my job to..."

"You have done more than enough...Koneko-chan."

She blushed at the childhood nickname and nodded in confirmation.

"Hang tough, the storm's about to hit hard. Keep on your toes and keep moving."

"Hai!"

And just like that the two sharply parted in opposite directions.

She did as her sensei instructed and continued her lightning streak. Even as the wind began to pick up and her skin numb from exposure, she steeled her feet and trudged forward. Clumsily, but steadily. And once she made it into a large clearing, it was then she barely noticed the small canyon; the heavy snow bombardment had made it difficult to see even the palms of her hands.

Any other time, she would have loved to sketched the area. Even amidst the blizzard, it was a spectacular sight to behold. The entire canyon was coated in white, rivers frozen over and an empty wasteland now looked like cake icing over chocolate brownies. She would have giggled even had it not been for the dropping temperatures. It must have been getting close to nightfall if that was the case. And with sleepy eyes, she paced slowly about the canyon in an attempt to make hide and hair of her path. Images of her racing sensei coming to mind.

"Sensei, I hope you're okay..."

Ears twitched at the sound of broken twigs.

"Just as I expected..."

Her back straightened. She knew that voice all too well. And when her wide eyed face turned to face the intruder, she felt a sickly brew in her stomach begin to settle.

"...you were a spy all along."

It wasn't a question.

"S-Saphir?"

She looked to and fro but found no traces of any other comrades. He had come alone. And as if he sensed her confusion, he smirked back in response.

"I noticed a peculiar looking woman in the inner gates. She seemed to fit in rather well. Nobody questioned her. But there was something off. The way she moved. It was as if she was studying that place. On top of that, she seemed to be quite familiar with the shift changes of officers. Now then, why would somebody want to know guard schedules, unless they needed to get in somewhere? At first I thought she was simply a thief. But she completely passed by the tribute room and ignored the treasures. Then that explosion appeared. I know it was her. A paper tag probably. Which would make you all ninjas. And now I see. That woman is your sensei. So tell me, what exactly was your mission?"

He drew out a peculiar crescent sickle that made her stand on guard.

"What exactly were you two spying on? Or perhaps there are more? Yes, that would make sense. Most teams operate in a three-cell formation with a captain governing over the execution. In that case you must hail from one of the major villages as those as of now are the only ones that orchestrate full-fledged paid missions on this kind of scale. And judging by your knowledge of the terrain, it would have to be from a village with Anbu operatives."

She knew from his focus on her form that he was trying to find anything on her that was stolen. Anything that could have been of importance. Something that once belonged to them. Good thing her sensei had called the right shot on that move.

She could also see the flashbacks forwarding quickly through his mind. He remembered Dotou's information.

"Yes, that all makes sense now. They were scouting it out for you guys. Tch. We were careless then."

Reflexes put her body into fighting mode at the sound of chains rattling.

"You damn wench. My brother fucking trusted you."

"Your brother is evil and sick."

"Because of women like you. I'm not letting you go alive. I don't care if he's pissed at me. I refuse to let women like you drive him mad again!"

She didn't even want to know the story behind that. Instead her body rolled out of the way as a flying sickle flew right past her temple. She barely flipped over it as it made its return to its owners hand by the chain. With great dexterity, he twisted the blade around a tiny bit and lunged it in a curve. He was trying to force her into close range combat. Something she was not quite good at, a fact he must have picked up along the way.

She dodged just in time the second round. Saphir was relentless as only his hands began to make quick work with his weapon. They were graceful in carriage and calculative. It was as if he understood every move she was trying to make, every maneuver she tried to accomplish. In just a few seconds, he already had her dodging patterns down to a precise science.

But how?

The chained sickles continued to move in a curve; it was almost rainbow like in pattern. She wondered if they were even capable of going in a straight line. Perhaps just going straight into him would have been the best option. She had to test that theory out, somehow.

But try as she might, it was damn near impossible to go plunging straight into him. The wind was now as reckless as Saphir's brother. It was as if it was trying to zigzag its way into them. And if she tried to go straight, it would mean fighting against mother nature. Which meant there was only one way she could maneuver. And Saphir knew. He knew all along. She played right into his game straight from the beginning. To top things off, she was still in pain and tired from her previous running and confrontation with Dimande. And so she did whatever any scared rabbit would do.

"You seem a bit tired. If you surrender now, I promise to make it quick and painless. Of that I can assure you."

She burrowed deep into the snow.

Saphir's sickle barely missed contact as it collided with a thick layer of snow.

"Stop fucking around with me!"

But when he went to her hiding spot to grab her, he came up with only a tiny hare caught by the ears. In frustration, Saphir, growled and tossed the dreaded rabbit aside.

"Where are you kunoichi?!"

His voice was carried far by the wind.

"I know your name isn't Serenity. So who are you exactly?"

He swung hard to the left at the sudden movement but found it was nothing but tricks of the wind.

"What village are you from? Who sent you?"

A few more swings and a tree was now tumbling forward and sliding down the canyon.

"Why are you here?"

She steadied her breaths evenly to pace with the wind, afraid of giving her location away. But as soon as Saphir turned his back to her, she sprung from the snow and in a streak of flash, she disappeared again, leaving behind a small cut on his right cheek.

Saphir's sickle left a deep slash on the snow Usagi had just emerged from; but by the time he circled the small field once, he knew she had already burrowed again. Coupled with the ferocity of the blizzard, it was becoming a hazard just to keep his eyes open. He clumsily trailed down a path toward the valley, cursing and yelling at her to show her cowardly face.

His eyes widened as the wind suddenly changed direction in a fierce and brutal howl. Striving to keep himself upright, he planted his weapon down and gripped the handle to hold his balance. But it was too late when a flying kick landed straight on his chest, the wind providing a good force behind it. Blood spewed forward as he flew back and hit the edge of a hill's brae.

"You little..."

Usagi giggled as he fought to regain his composure. Who said comics were pointless? She had read volume seventeen, chapter six long ago but still remembered Serenity in a similar situation. Never did she think she could pull it off so well. And after waiting less time this go around, she lunged forward and kicked off Saphir's back to toss him forward. Just in time for her to dive into the snow again.

"Enough you rotten brat!"

His fingers were just shy of her boots as she gave his face a light butterfly twist and disappeared again.

"Damn woman..."

He listened carefully this time as his eyes shut tight from the stinging ice of her heel. As soon as a soft whistle rang, he immediately ducked down. He smirked when she was caught off guard. And this time, he spared no time as he dashed after her, straight into a narrow path surrounded by steep hills.

She won't be able to use that stupid technique so long as I chase her like this.

Knowing the girl had long caught up with his line of thinking he zig-zagged in an attempt to seize her, missing just barely each time.

Usagi had only a brief glance to gauge the distance between her and Saphir. And not having time to calculate whether or not the technique would actually work, she ran forward and right into the brae. And after barely dodging the crescent blade as it zoomed right past her, she kicked off the side of the hill with her right foot, spun quickly, and landed straight on the chain. This immediately threw Saphir forward once more. Her next move: charge straight for him.

Ten seconds and Saphir would finally be back on his feet.

Seven seconds and he was already pulling the chain back to him.

Five seconds and he was winding for another.

Three seconds and she was already kicking high off the ground.

And before Saphir could try his hand at piercing her spine once more, she twisted quickly mid-air and decided to try his brother's move with the wind as her extra force. A forwards somersault and downward kick later, his weapon was dropped and the soft flakes around him were drenched in deep red.

She didn't wait to check on his status. No. She ran, as far as her feet could take her. Ignoring the cold, the falling trees, and taking what little protection she could from the wind in the enclosed path, her feet moved in autopilot one after the other—carrying her as gracefully as a stallion across the meadow.

But she should have known better. Nothing ever went easy for her. Nothing could ever just simply go her way. And of all the times for her stupid clumsy nature to take place.

It happened before her eyes in a slow torturing pace. First she landed on a pile of snow that was clearly not connected to any ground, then her body fell head first down a steep cliff and before she knew it, everything was a spinning disaster as she rolled out of control all the way down. When the spinning finally ceased, she wobbled around and aimlessly tried to find a tree for support. Instead, she received a powerful right elbow to her temple. And try as she might, she couldn't find the strength to even get to her knees.

"I'm not letting you live."

Droopy eyes made contact with angry lavender, now splashed with a dreaded hint of crimson. Her breathing picked up as his out of breath chuckles were accompanied by a dangerous gleam in his gaze. His hands played with the length of his chain as he slowly approached her.

"No! Stop! If you don't, I'll..."

But eyes widened painfully as a ball of iced snow now lodged itself deep in her mouth.

"I've had enough of your disgusting voice."

She kicked and screamed internally as he detached his sickle and used the chain to tie her up completely.

"Hmm, that should do it."

And without warning or last minute partings, he hauled her off the edge of a cliff. And down she went, rolling some and carelessly falling at other times. The last thing she saw before the blizzard finally took over was the satisfied smirk of a retreating man. And before she was able to even twist out of the chains, the ball of ice was knocked clear out of her mouth when the shattering pierce of her scream was blanketed by the shattering of a thousand pieces of ice as her body collided with the frozen river.

Kick and pull, twist and swirl.

No matter how she went about doing it, these chains were not coming off. And little by little, as she sank further into darkness, she couldn't help but not fight back anymore.

Bubbles escaped her as they trailed upwards and out. Tiny pieces of snowflakes had now frozen completely into her hair. And she smiled at the irony of it all. She loved water. She loved bubbles. She loved snow. Here she was surrounded by the things that brought her joy, now bringing her to the brink of death.

Fluid had begun to fill up and she gagged and gagged as if it could take away the painful burn in her lungs. Her body shivered uncontrollably and her legs wiggled to and fro. But all that ceased in a matter of minutes. And after that, she no longer had the will to struggle. Little by little, whatever light the surface had to offer seemed to drift further away. And then it was all she could think about. Them. Those dearest to her. As if they mattered more than survival.

I wonder what they're doing right now?

It was fall. They were probably gathered in their cozy homes right now. Or loitering over at Makoto's as her house was filled with the aromas of spiced pumpkin, apple cider and caramel candles. Or maybe they all stopped by the soba shop to get some hot noodles for the cold weather?

Were they thinking about her? Would they miss her? How she wished she were there right now. Settling inside her white comforters and potpourri filled room. Cuddling up to her warm plush toys and enjoying the night with just a manga in one hand and a cup of hot cocoa in the other. She would give anything to be there. Instead...

She coughed and spewed as the last remaining breaths of air escaped her. Eyes slowly closing for good as the images of her home flashed slowly before her.

Everyone...

Her friends, her team, her comrades.

I'm sorry...

The village, the villagers.

...I couldn't make it...

The tiny senbei shop, the dumpling house, the ice cream parlor, all of it would be no more. But how she wished she could see it all right now. Bright lights and happy faces...

Eyes focused weakly on a shadow above growing larger and larger. And she fell limp at one final silent regret.

Itachi...

---

End Chapter.

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Author's Notes:

Dang, looks like this chapter also took long to get here. But it is here nonetheless.

I want to thank everyone who is still with me and supporting this story. I know it's a little confusing with the new account and some people were lucky enough to find it anyway so thanks guys for being there for me. It means the world to me. I'm also currently working on chapter 13 and it's this one where I think the fun kind of starts. As to what that means, well, I guess you'll see eventually.

I've decided that new stories will be posted here as well as my wordpress. I did have a tumblr set up where I would like to put updates for HC but you guys let me know if you want that and/or a twitter. If you leave a review, mention if that interests you. If it's popular, I'll focus on it and put links in my profile.

Also, please be very patient with me. Fanfiction doesn't pay the bills so it isn't a priority to write this, unfortunately. I will try to update when I can. I would really like to shoot for two or three a year but it may not work out with my real life workload. We'll see.

Anyway, thanks everyone for reading!

Replies:

Infinite: Yes, Itachi is actually going to be going through some struggles ha! You will see soon enough. Next chapter foreshadows some...issues
Avoided Island: I would love some cookies!
The Shadow Flower Ninja: I have many characters in store! I can't say who though, sorry.
Teetertotter: Thank you for your flattering review! I am very happy to hear you are enjoying this story. I have more ItaUsa in store. No worries!
Amanda: I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it! I hope you continue to love this story.
lalala: aww, glad you enjoyed it
Moonchild: I'm happy you are happy :3

To everyone else, feel free to follow this story for updates!

~Icehaze