When Jiyuudo awoke she immediately regretted it. Every part of her ached and the sunlight was blinding even from behind her eyelids. When she finally did crack her eyes open she wasn't greeted by the sky as she expected, but rather a long white snout and wet black nose. The snout opened and a long pink tongue lolled out and panting breaths fanned out across her face. She grimaced at what she liked to call "Essence of Makoto" as it overloaded her olfactory system. She groaned and tried to roll over, but her strength failed her and Makoto took that as a sign that he should start licking her face.

"Go away," she moaned as she weakly tried to push him away.

Makoto just licked his black nose before continuing.

"I told you he was insufferable without you," the dragon's voice rumbled from nearby.

"Aww, you're out of your cave!" she noted as she slowly got to her feet, "I'm so proud of you!"

"Hn, cute," the dragon in human form sniffed as he slid his hands into the sleeves of his black yukata. "Careful you don't cut yourself with that sharp tongue."

"Why are you even here?" she sighed heavily, stretching her arms above her head.

"There have been some unforeseen changes."

"Like what? You got too fat for your cave?"

"Like you're not to get anywhere near the trespassers," he corrected her with a pointed look.

"Why?" she asked after a pause.

"… Ask Isamu," he said before turning away.

Jiyuudo released a frustrated breath, blowing some hair out of her eyes. Makoto barked happily as he rubbed his head against her hand, apparently oblivious to the situation. She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths as she buried her fingers in the canine's white hair.

Isamu was not expecting this when he had left to go hunting that morning. Instead of finding a deer or two he found shinobi gathered around the slowly decaying body of the snake. He sat with his back pressed against a tree trunk as he listened closely to what the shinobi were saying.

"What do you mean you 'lost him'?" a voice hissed angrily. Isamu guessed that the voice belonged to the pale, dark-haired man of the group.

"He was just… gone when I turned around," a girl explained in a shaky voice, obviously she was scared of this man.

"Well then go find him!" the man ordered, "And don't come back without him!"

Isamu shifted to get a better view of the girl and nearly jumped out of his skin. He was face to face with a young man with grey hair tied back and glasses. Isamu's first reaction was to thrust his fist out and punch the man squarely on the nose which crunched under the impact. The man stumbled backwards clutching his bleeding nose and Isamu burst from the bushes with a war cry, startling the two in the clearing.

Instead of attacking like he was clearly expected to he took a deep breath at the peak of his leap and did what he never thought he would do again. He calmed his mind and slipped into the Makaze.

"Kabuto!" Orochimaru snapped after a stunned moment, "What the Hell was that?"

"I don't know," Kabuto admitted as he tried to stem the blood streaming from his now broken nose. "Karin, was it the shinobi that killed the snake?"

"I… I can't be sure," the red head gulped, "I wasn't able to get a fix on him before he disappeared."

"Then get one now," Orochimaru ground out, his yellow eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"Ah, right!" Karin nodded as she formed a hand sign and concentrated.

The only sound in the clearing was the sickening cracking of Kabuto resetting his nose. A deafening silence fell when a small frown etched itself onto Karin's pale lips.

"What?" Orochimaru spat the question out, but he felt that he already knew the answer.

"I can't… It's just like the other one… Like he's just disappeared…" Karin tried to find the right words.

Orochimaru threw back his head and let out a howl or rage.

"What the heck was that?" Jiyuudo frowned, turning her head towards the strange howl that echoed through the trees.

Makoto whined softly and nudged her thigh.

"Yeah, yeah," she sighed as she started walking again, "can't keep Isamu waiting."

Isamu muttered to himself as he packed his few belongings into an old brown pack. He could feel the red eyed woman's gaze on him as she watched from the doorway to the small cottage they shared. He could practically hear the questions she wanted to ask even though she remained silent.

"Yes Tomoe, I'm leaving," he sighed as he closed the flap of his pack.

"I don't suppose it's a place where I can follow," the woman trailed off.

"It is," he said softly as he straightened his hunched shoulders and turned to face her, "but I've already told you—"

"And I've already told you," she cut him off, taking a step closer to him, "you wouldn't be able to get rid of me if you tried."

"And how many times did you change your mind?" he asked with a half-smile.

"That doesn't matter," Tomoe declared as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Of course," Isamu chuckled softly as he buried his nose into her two-toned hair.

"Will you wait for her?" Tomoe asked after a while, "For Jiyuudo?"

"I don't know," he admitted softly, "she might have to find her own way."

"Give her a day at least," Tomoe pleaded, pulling away a bit so she could look into his golden eyes. "Please?"

"Okay," Isamu found himself saying, "but only a day," he added before drawing Tomoe close to him again.