Warning: Minor character death. A bit gory. More angsty moments (I'll make up for them later, cross my heart)

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Chapter Forty Three: On the Horizon

Sasuke felt like he was a hair breadth away from breaking something. And it didn't help that a few of them kept on bothering him. Satoshi nudged him but he shoved the boy's hand away so hard that the green haired boy flinched and took a step back. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Satoshi exchanged looks with Suigetsu.

"Hey, Sasuke. You wanna come spar with us?" Suigetsu asked sheepishly, trying to talk to him but the Uchiha remained as cold as ice. The two boys turned back to each other again, before following his gaze. But they still didn't understand what made Sasuke a ticking time bomb.

The targets of his venomous glaring were Orochimaru and his newest pet.

They watched the Sannin as he sat on his large wooden throne and Mononoke in front of him. He was brushing her hair and weaved flowers into the pale strands, all the while talking to her endlessly. She sat there obediently, her eyes staring off into the distance.

The two boys never saw her before but they knew that she creep them out the moment they laid eyes on her a few days ago. Her black and gold eyes were blank and unblinking. Satoshi said he saw frost on her skin when she followed Orochimaru around the large base. She never spoke aloud before either so they assumed that she was mute.

But Sasuke was already angry before Orochimaru introduced her to his other subordinates. His sudden change in mood unhinged the two.

It was obvious that the others want nothing to do with her. They're pleased that the Sannin was going to be busy fawning over his latest success. Instead of throwing terrible jokes at them.

Finally, Suigetsu sighed and placed a hand on Satoshi's shoulder. The green haired boy looked at him and he shook his head. They gave Sasuke a final glance before leaving him to his own devices. Perhaps if they gave him time, he'd go back to being less grumpy.

"Do you think Sasuke's actually jealous that Orochimaru is giving all his attention to the new kid?" Satoshi asked the moment Sasuke was out of earshot. Suigetsu hummed thoughtfully, before shrugging, "Most likely not. Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Satoshi grinned, folding his hands behind his head and quipped, "I don't have a death wish." His friend sniggered, "No kidding." Then Suigetsu sobered up and looked forwards, his eyebrows knitting together. "Actually… Do you know where they picked her up from?" Satoshi raised an eyebrow, confused, "No, why? Are you interested in her or something?"

Suigetsu snorted before giving him a punch on the head, "No, you idiot!" The painful yelp coming from Satoshi gave him a sense of satisfaction. The boy hurriedly explained, " Well, she looks our age. Maybe Sasuke knows her?" The green haired boy turned to him with a curious look. But before he could ask, Suigetsu shrugged and walked away, "It's probably nothing. Come on, we have work to do."

Sasuke thumbed the necklace on his chest out of habit. He stared at the misshapen body on the ground, his mind elsewhere.

The ninja had tried to ambush him when he came out into the forest to have a walk. Unfortunately for the poor sod, he underestimated the boy. It took the Uchiha just a few minutes to utterly destroy him, coupled with the fact that he wasn't in a pleasant mood.

But even as he killed the man, Sasuke felt he was still not strong enough. At least, not strong enough to fight his brother. A flash of memory reminded him of his mistake.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke threw his kunai on the ground before stalking away.

He returned to his walk, losing himself in the shadowy terrain. When he first came here, he always got lost. Now it's familiar enough for him to navigate his way around without thinking too hard. Soon, he reached a river. The current rushed through with happy, gurgling noises and it soothed him somehow. Maybe it's because it reminds him of Mononoke, the way she runs across the trees and her carefree laughter.

His hand went to his chest again, holding the crystal as the water rushed past cheerily. It's become a source of comfort to him now, since it's the only thing that is linking him back to home. Sasuke looked at the ground. It looked extremely welcoming to lie down and take a short break. Sasuke took a moment before deciding to sit down against the soft grass.

The river relaxed him, and slowly his mind wandered off. As he watched the river flow, memories trickled along the water, and back into his mind from where it all began.

The day Orochimaru had returned quietly to finish what he had started.

Mononoke was still missing then, right after the attack on Konoha. The moment Sasuke recovered, he went on to training. He still practiced with Kakashi most days. But he doesn't remember why he decided to train alone that particular day.

He threw kunais at his target with quick succession. Following the tempo, he whirled around throwing shurikens into the trees above. He did a somersault, a calculated leap, then a steady landing. Once he was stable, he threw weapons in all directions, hitting his targets right in the bullseye.

Sasuke looked around to check his results. Suddenly he tensed as a presence emerged from the shadows, clapping slowly.

"My, my… Good show, Sasuke-kun. In fact, you're very good indeed." Sasuke could see the slow, feral grin that began to spread across the intruder's face as they moved closer.

But they stopped dead as a kunai zipped across the air towards them, slicing away a few strands of hair.

"Who are you?" Sasuke demanded. Something about his sudden visitor already made his hairs stand on end and the ominous questions reeling in his mind. How did he not sense their presence until seconds ago? How long have they been there? What was their purpose?

"What if I told you, I can offer you power beyond your wildest dreams?" They asked as the person regained their composure. Sasuke stiffened as they stepped into the light. He tensed up as golden eyes regarded him hungrily. "What if I told you, I could give you the strength to kill Uchiha Itachi?"

Sasuke said nothing as he stared the man down. "Why are you here?" He asked, glad that he managed to keep his voice steady at the sight of the man. Even though he never saw his true form before, he'd noticed those piercing golden eyes anywhere.

Orochimaru tilted his head to a side, and pressed a finger to his cheek, "Hmm... Is that a yes or a no?"

When the boy didn't reply, Orochimaru sighed before waving his hand, "No matter. You will seek me out soon enough." For a moment, Sasuke thought he was going to up and go right then and there. Until Orochimaru lowered his eyes at Sasuke, leering , "But, before I leave…"

Before Sasuke could react, snakes shot up from the ground . They wrapped around his limbs, immobilizing him . He grunted in surprise and tried to free himself by pulling against the reptiles but they hung fast. A whistling sound zipped towards him, reminding him that there were other things to worry about.

As he looked up, Orochimaru's head had already stretched towards him, his mouth gaping wide. Sasuke's eyes could only widened at the sight. The snake then sunk his teeth into Sasuke's fair neck, piercing through the skin like a predator to a prey.

Sasuke cried out in pain, the searing heat of the venom spreading through his blood. He gasped as he felt it pierce through him like a thousand needles. Sasuke felt his blood boil with so much hatred and anger than he thought he could feel. He couldn't think, he couldn't feel anything else but pain, and desperation.

As he was blinded by the overwhelming emotions, Orochimaru stood over him. He chuckled with smug amusement as the boy writhed at his feet. "Think of it as a little parting gift. Until the next time we meet, little boy."

When he had came to, his body was still heating up like a dreadful fever. Kakashi found him much later, when he noticed the curse mark. The Jonin had tried his best to contain it, and Sasuke was grateful for it. The curse mark stings like a virus, eating away any positive emotion he had. It was torturous, but he managed to repressed it some and it was getting better.

Until he came face to face with Itachi again.

Sasuke almost broke the crystal in half at the memory. Those horrid eyes still haunt him, even in his waking moments. He was definitely not strong enough. Weak and worthless. Pathetic. All kinds of self deprecating words speared into his mind as he remembered the look in his brother's eyes.

"Enough." Sasuke growled to himself and stood up abruptly, clenching his fists. He won't improve by sitting down here wallowing in self loathe and pity.

The Uchiha stalked back into the forest, getting ready to train.

As the days passed, Sasuke tried his best to get close to Mononoke. But she either ignored him or hiss at him if he lingers too near. She doesn't appear to speak nor think as she follows Orochimaru around. She allowed him to croon and coddle her like a pet. Sasuke felt nauseous every time he sees those pale hands brush her, causing the guilt to weigh him down more.

Fortunately, he managed to tone down some to talk to Satoshi and Suigetsu at least. They seemed pleased to be able to chat with him again, even though he's mostly grunting. But their company does nothing to comfort him.

To compensate his frustration, Sasuke trains harder. With more fury and anger than ever before, destroying everything in his wake.

Kabuto shifted as he watched Sasuke swipe blood from his face. The scene before him and his master gory as bodies lay about the ground in halves.

Today's training was against some of the older experiments. Kabuto was miffed that some of the prospective ones were killed off. Well, they were prospective. Not anymore if they managed to get terminated by a child.

The Uchiha's Sharingan swept through the arena, looking for survivors. "Don't you think Sasuke is getting slightly... Bloody with his training?" Kabuto muttered into Orochimaru's ear, flinching when Sasuke's eyes hovered closer to him.

But the Sannin chuckled, looking every bit like a smug cat who caught its elusive prey.

"No worries, Kabuto. It's all going according to plan," His grin grew wider as Sasuke watched him, his rage clear in those blood red eyes. "We can move on to the next step soon."

He smiled as he turned his attention back to his lovely success. Orochimaru played with the silver earrings on Mononoke's ear, before moving to the headpiece on her head. The small decorative wind chimes tinkling. His hand went to her neck, but she didn't even wince. Orochimaru crept his fingers around it, almost playfully choking her. The beautiful emerald earring on her left ear reflected the shadows. The light reflects the earring and touches his golden eyes as Orochimaru smiled .

"Of course, we would need you in it, my dear."

Sasuke entered the large hall, fuming. An early morning call from Orochimaru after he woke up on the wrong side of the bed is not ideal in theory. Or in reality. Either way, it's a recipe for disaster.

At the end of the hall, he could see Orochimaru petting Mononoke lovingly. But he noticed that this time, Mononoke was wearing clothes that were the same as her old ninja gear. It was unlike the beautiful light kimonos Orochimaru had been dressing her with.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun. How lovely for you to join us at such impeccable timing." Orochimaru said, a secretive smile playing on his lips. Sasuke could almost see the snake's fangs. What ever could he be planning now?

"Make it quick. I need to train." Sasuke growled, not looking at Mononoke. She was uncharacteristically standing beside Kabuto on the right of Orochimaru's throne. The grey haired man was smirking at him. Sasuke knew something was going to happen and he won't like it in the least.

Orochimaru waved his hand airily, "Oh, I know. I know how hard you've been working since you got here! But it's because I know, that all those training dummies were extremely easy for you. I had the liberty to get you something else more difficult to train with." The certain gleam in his eyes already signal what was to come. Sasuke crossed his fingers, hoping that it wouldn't come to it.

"Mononoke, sweetheart. Why don't you play with Sasuke for a while?" Orochimaru was watching him as he commanded the girl. Sasuke could see the Sannin waiting for his response.

It was so obvious, Sasuke didn't know why he had hoped for something else. It was probably a good thing his neutral mask was over his face, betraying no emotion. At least, that's what he hopes that's what he looked like. Mononoke stepped forward, and dipped her head respectfully. At least one of them had an expression that was as blank as a brand new canvas.

Sasuke nodded and turned. He moved the the side of the hall, his heart thumping with betrayal with every step he took. He could hear her footsteps across the stone floor to the opposite side. The rhythmic tapping were unfamiliar to his ears. Sasuke felt his brows furrowed slightly at this new revelation. Her footsteps sound like nothing like the ones he associated her with. It seemed different, in a way that he can't exactly tell. It seemed more hollow, and clipped, like a machine whirring.

As he looked over to his opponent, Sasuke felt another pang of regret. Her eyes used to be so brilliant, the turquoise eyes revealing every emotion she had. Mononoke was never able to keep her feelings hidden. But the one who stood before him was so devastatingly empty.

Orochimaru's voice cuts through the heavy silence, "Now, there is only one rule. Don't kill each other." He savored the tension, drinking in the silence, before calling out sharply, "Now begin!"

Mononoke didn't even gave him a second to ready himself. Sasuke barely avoided the knife handed jab aimed for his eyes. He leaped away a few steps, pulling out his kunais. But she was relentless. She twisted around tightly, before pouncing at him. Ice kunais formed from her hands in midair. The shrill sounds of weapons sliding across each other echoed through the hall.

Sasuke pushed her back with all his strength and she stumbled back, rolling off. He was almost relieved that she is still not as physically strong as he is. But what she lacked in strength, she makes up with speed and tricks. Her fighting style is vastly different from the ones he had with her back in Konoha. Back then, they fought to improve; Now, she fought to kill. No remorse, no mercy.

Sasuke threw his head back, evading the knife as it swung across to cut his neck clean off. He aimed a kick upwards, and threw Mononoke across the room. She flipped back, aiming a kick at his face before feinting and stabbing his side with a shuriken. He bit back a cry of pain, and almost swung his kunai down to her back but when she looked up, he froze. Turquoise eyes gleamed in his memory and her laughter rang in his ears. He couldn't attack her.

Before his brain could keep up with him, she darted away and landed on all four, anticipating his next move.

Sasuke took a deep breath before wincing. The shuriken in his side brought him back into the present. The sharp pain pierced into his conscience.

No.

This wasn't Mononoke. This is a puppet, a virus that is taking over his friend. If he didn't fight back against this puppet, he might die. And if he does, he won't be able to save Mononoke or avenge his clan.

Gritting his teeth, he ignored the pain and pressed his hands together into a tiger sign. Now with all that emotional clutter gone, Sasuke can think clearly now and he'll give all that he's got.

"Alright," Orochimaru clapped his hands, getting off the stage. "That would be enough."

Sasuke was panting heavily on his knees, wounds riddled his body. An ice shard stuck out from his shoulder, the clear crystal splattered with red. His arm hung uselessly at his side, and he winced as he tried to assess the damage. He managed to counter back without mercy. But Mononoke was already a good fighter before, but now her strength is amplified a few times in her viral state.

He looked over to her, and he had mixed feelings. Mononoke definitely wasn't that better off from him. Her arm was scorched with ugly burns. A part of her shirt was burned off, with the skin beneath badly brand by his fire jutsus. A kunai was stuck deep into her thigh, and a shuriken was embedded into her calf. When she coughed, blood dribbled from her mouth. He managed to injured her badly enough, but he still felt guilty for doing so. Her eyes and features is still blank.

"Tsk tsk, you two," Orochimaru chided as he looked at the two. Kabuto was watching them with a mix of amusement and concern from his side as he continued nagging. "I told you to play fight, not fight to the death. Mononoke, you almost killed my most important vessel." Her expression remains blank. Orochimaru turned to the Uchiha. "And Sasuke-kun, you almost eliminated my most successful experiment." He sighed, sounding almost like a disappointed father. He turned to his right hand man, who dipped his head, "Well, Kabuto. I trust you can send them over to the infirmary. Make sure both of them live, will you?"

"Consider it done, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto affirmed, before turning to the other two. "Let's get you two patched up."

Medics appeared and placed them on stretchers, before rushing off to the infirmary. The whole journey was painful. The medics were moving rapidly and clumsily, causing him to jolt as they moved. The cool air of the infirmary made him shiver a little as they entered the room. He spotted Mononoke being placed on the bed beside him. Although Sasuke could only groan as the medics moved him from the stretcher to bed.

Their bloodied clothes were removed, and replaced with hospital scrubs. Thankfully, Mononoke's underclothes were changed out of his field of sight, shielding Sasuke from seeing her private parts. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't given a change of boxers so he was bare as a baby underneath the lime green scrubs. It made him uncomfortable but he couldn't be bothered to complain. One of the medics reached towards him. But Sasuke slapped her hand away from the necklace defensively. "Don't touch it," he growled and snatched the string closer to his body, glaring at her. But she blinked and turned away, busying herself with something else.

Sasuke felt a prickle to his left and turned. Mononoke was staring motionlessly at the sparkling ice crystal hanging from his hand. He felt his breath hitch when her eyes suddenly sparked slightly, focused right into the heart of the pendant. Then the medics began surrounding them, blocking their view of each other. Sasuke was pushed back to lie down on and slowly, his eyes drooped as the sedative began to work its magic.

When he woke up, his body was wrapped up in bandages. Sasuke could still feel the numbness left behind by the ice shard from before. He sat up and tried to roll his shoulders, before earning himself a shot of pain. He winced at the sting before scowling. That hurt like a son of a-

A sound to his left immediately grabbed his attention. Mononoke was stirring beside him, as her eyelids shifted slightly. Sasuke froze as she turned her head towards him slowly. Blood rushed into his ears as adrenaline rushed through his bloodstream, anticipating the worst.

Mononoke's eyes snapped open, a frightening blank look in them as she stared into the void. Without thinking, his hand flew to his necklace and her eyes followed simultaneously. She stared at it for a few moments, leaving Sasuke breathless as her concentration was narrowed down into the shining crystal. She moved slowly, flinching a little as the movements lead to pain. Until she managed to sit up fully, mirroring him. Her head tilted to the side curiously.

Without warning, she leaped from her bed to Sasuke's, landing into his lap neatly. Almost scaring the living daylights out of the boy. He bit back a yelp as pain shot through his body once she pounced on him. Mononoke edged closer, her eyes never leaving the crystal. Sasuke couldn't do anything else but stay where he was as her elegant fingers reached for his throat. He felt her traced the black string. Her fingertips brushed against his skin as she moved down to the end, where the twinkling jewel hung.

Like a curious pup, she studied the crystal before taking it between her fingers. She stared at the shard with a hard gaze. Sasuke realized that, up close, there were a few freckles that dusted across her cheekbone, almost like a faint constellation. As his eyes roam to hers, almost able to imagine her own turquoise eyes again.

That's when he saw the glimmer of recognition in her eyes. Her lips parted and formed a single word, so soft he almost missed it.

"Home.."

The door opened and Mononoke's face closed off. She whipped her head around and from where he sat, Sasuke saw the medics staring in disbelief at the girl on his lap. One of them snapped back into reality and exclaimed, "What are you doing?!"

Mononoke snarled at him before diving back into her own bed, and throwing the covers over herself. Two of them began to edge closer to her, and Sasuke saw the small bundle flinch at the sound of their footsteps.

"Leave her be. Unless you want your limbs to freeze and fall off." Sasuke interjected, stopping the medics in their tracks. They took one look at him, then to her, to each other before shrugging. They began to fuss over him instead, probing needles and equipment to check for god knows what. At least they will leave Mononoke for a moment.

Sasuke couldn't stop his gaze from wandering to her time and again. He was trying to convince himself whether he saw that small flicker of turquoise in the sea of black and gold.

Once they were pronounced healthy again, Mononoke seemed to take more interest in Sasuke. Soon, she starts to follow him whenever he was within a three metre radius. Sasuke was slightly concerned when she followed him for the first time.

He was just coming back after a daily report to Orochimaru. The moment she saw him, Mononoke got up from her usual seat from the Sannin's feet. Without a second glance to Orochimaru, she just stood in front of Sasuke and wouldn't move until he took a step back. She had followed his movements, but he thought nothing of it, as he continued relaying the report. Orochimaru had been watching Mononoke curiously the whole time but said nothing more. Once Sasuke excused himself from his mentor's presence, Mononoke started following him. Her sudden change made Sasuke steal a wary glance at Orochimaru. But the Sannin smiled and said he was glad to see them playing nice. All in all, the Sannin doesn't seem to mind. After all, if Mononoke sees him again, she would follow the legendary ninja instead.

Satoshi and Suigetsu were wary of her at first. They were barely able to get a word in with the Uchiha without her staring at them until they leave. But soon enough, Mononoke got used to their presence and could manage to salvage some curiosity to play with Suigetsu's hair sometimes.

On a fine sunny day, underneath the shade, the four ninjas were resting after a quick sparring session. Mononoke was staring into the void as usual. But she would not stay still unless someone was petting her head, a habit no doubt created by the Sannin.

"Wow, so she was your teammate from Konoha, huh?" Satoshi whistled in awe as he took over Suigetsu to scratch the back of her ear. Sasuke was telling them the whole story, because Suigetsu managed to convince him to. Mononoke was sitting in the middle of the trio, who were taking turns calming her. Although her face remain neutral, her body angled closer to Satoshi. "This feels like I'm petting an overgrown puppy." He joked, as he gently scraped her hair back. She tilted her head in his favour and they heard a soft hum come from the girl. Suigetsu and Satoshi burst out in laughter as she nonchalantly sat back straight.

Sasuke snorted at this, before getting up and brushing his pants. They've wasted enough time. "We've rested enough. Come on, Mononoke." He told the preening girl.

She stood up without hesitation, and moved her body to face him. Satoshi whined and lay back on his hands, "Aww, that's a shame. Leaving so soon?" Sasuke shot him a look and he shrugged before waving, " Bye, Mono-chan!"

When the duo left, Satoshi turned to Suigetsu, smiling, "So you wanna spar?"

Sasuke opened the door to his room, entering with a loud snort. "Satoshi better learn to keep his mouth shut the next time round." He muttered as he closed the door once Mononoke entered after him. She made a beeline to his bed before curling into ball in the middle of it, her back facing him. Sasuke removed his weapon bags and placed them on the dresser, before changing into more comfortable clothes. He'd already grew accustomed to Mononoke, and already has no shame in changing in front of her. After all, she's barely feeling anything now.

Besides, her back was turned to him, so it's not exactly in front of her.

Once he was done, he grabbed a book he was reading from the bedside table and joined Mononoke. He adjusted himself so he was lying against the headboard. Once he was satisfied, he began to read.

A chapter later, he felt the bed moved this way and that, but he was too absorbed in his reading to bother about it. Suddenly there was a ball of warmth pressing against his side. Sasuke looked down to see blank gold eyes staring right back at him. He raised an eyebrow and tried to nudge Mononoke away but she snorted at him. He blinked at the sudden attitude. He was so taken aback that he didn't realize Mononoke buried her head into his side before resting against his ribcage. She curled up comfortably beside him without a word and laid still.

Sasuke kept staring at her but she didn't seemed to move. He looked from his book to the girl before sighing. It's going to be a pain holding his book up like this. Slowly, he tried lowering his arm down to press against Mononoke's back. Although she flinched at first, she quickly relaxed and Sasuke heard a soft thrumming from the girl. She snuggled closer and he felt her hands clutched onto his shirt. Sasuke relaxed against the pillows, and slowed his breathing. The cool familiar scent from Mononoke reminded him of home, coupled with the sharp smell of the forest still clinging on to her hair. Cautiously, he began to stroke her hair, earning himself more soft purring.

It's improvement, now that she's finally warming up to him. His eyes drifted over as he played with the white strands of hair. Even so, he had no idea how he was going to take her back without curing the virus, or escaping from the snake's wrath unscathed, should Orochimaru finds out. The feared Sannin has no tolerance to traitors.

A sudden knock on the door jolted the both of them to alertness. Mononoke stiffened and curled over Sasuke's body protectively within a blink as the door creaked open.

A head of grey slithered in, and dark eyes widen at the sight before him. "So, there you are, Mononoke-chan. Orochimaru-sama is calling for you." Kabuto smiled softly, although his eyes were narrowed into wary slits. "You don't want to stay with Sasuke-kun for too long. You might distract him from his training."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Am I lacking from my training? Is there not enough blood?" Kabuto gave him a cold smile as he stepped into the room, "Hardly." The Uchiha snorted with disbelief but Kabuto barely glanced his way as he stepped closer, reaching a beckoning hand to Mononoke.

"Come now, Mono-chan." Kabuto tried again, trying his hardest to smile pleasantly. "It's time to leave."

But Mononoke wasn't having any of it. She immediately snarled at him, baring her teeth. A cold rush of air blew at Kabuto's face, causing frost to coalesce on his glasses. Sasuke just smirked, hiding his amusement effectively, "I wouldn't want to tell her that again."

Kabuto just snorted at this but hastily took a few steps back when Mononoke's body began to turn to face him. He took off his glasses and wiped away the frost. When he placed it on again, his dark eyes glowered deeply. "Orochimaru-sama is still wanting her presence, so you'd best be on your way." He turned to leave before pausing and looked back at the Uchiha.

"Oh, and Sasuke-kun?" Kabuto sneered at him, "Don't get too attached to that dangerous experiment. You never know when the virus decides to take her life." Without another backward glance, he left the room.

Once his footsteps were out of earshot, Mononoke relaxed and turned to Sasuke. She blinked slowly, before looking down at his necklace. For a second, a soft turquoise light broke through the golden irises, causing Sasuke's heart to stutter from bewilderment. But it quickly disappeared in the next moment, although her eyes were still locked onto the necklace. Mononoke turned back to him and slim fingers started toying with the ice crystal. Sasuke stared into her distracted eyes for a while more, hoping to see another flash of light, but they remained dull.

Finally, he sighed and went back to his book, with Mononoke curled up into him again, her hands never leaving the necklace.

Mononoke continued to play with Sasuke's necklace from time to time as she slowly grew more accustomed to him. Sometimes, if Sasuke was paying closer attention to her, her eyes loses the golden tint and turn turquoise but it turns back as quickly as it came. Maybe the virus was getting weaker. Once, Mononoke even raised an eyebrow at him when he was so frustrated, he had to kick a dummy and it flew across the room. There was so much sass in that tiny gesture that belonged to the old Mononoke, it filled him with hope.

Maybe there is a way out of this.

Another house call from Orochimaru in the morning is something Sasuke dislike. After all, the last time it happened, it left a terrible mark of self hatred within him. While he changed, Mononoke was lying on her stomach, flipping through his book. She stared at the words like they were alien to her.

"Mononoke."

The sound of her name made her jolt her head up, and her eyes shone slightly. Mononoke was lucid enough to speak short sentences now. But Orochimaru does not know of this, to Sasuke's knowledge. She only opened her mouth when they were alone. Seeing her this alive in months, Sasuke almost didn't have the heart to leave the room, but duty calls. Even if duty means abiding commands from a treacherous Sannin.

"Go?" She asked, tilting her head. Sasuke nodded, a small smile escaping his lips, "Yeah, it's time to go." She scrambled off and pounce in front of him. She mirrored his smile woodenly, "Go." He opened the room door, and they left their small corner of comfort to meet the snake.

To his surprise, Satoshi and Suigetsu were in the hall as well. They stood a few paces away from the wooden throne of throw pillow. Orochimaru sat gaudily in the middle of it all. Sasuke exchanged silent looks with the other two but it was obvious they did not know what was going on.

"Ahh, you're finally here, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru purred, smiling sweetly at his favourite toys. He beckoned a finger to Mononoke, "I haven't seen you in awhile, Mono-chan. You're always with Sasuke now." Serpentine eyes glittered as he studied them, "One might think you're hiding something."

Sasuke glowered, moody as usual, with his arms at his sides and Mononoke stared back blankly. Orochimaru sighed and waved his hand, "Anyways. I haven't seen you two spar in a while. Now that you know each other better, some training is in order?"

Orochimaru lowered his eyes to Mononoke, his smile curling. "You can even go all out now, Mono-chan."

Without thinking, Mononoke turned her head away haughtily, her canines bared. The swift refusal caused a sharp silence to fall into the hall. To Sasuke's suspicion, Orochimaru seemed excited and amused at this turn of events.

"Oh?" Orochimaru hummed, "What's with this new attitude, pray tell? Perhaps you've spent too much time with Sasuke-kun?" The Sannin stood from his wooden throne, his eyes glimmering with such an intense emotion Sasuke couldn't place a finger on. He walked down calmly, before raising a hand to Mononoke again, smiling, "Mononoke. I command you to fight Sasuke-kun."

Without thinking, Sasuke glanced to his friend and he didn't know what to believe. One of her eyes was clearly turquoise as she looked dead on at Orochimaru. Her glare hardened as she snarled, "No." In a flash, Mononoke changed her stance, her hands shaped into claws, and charged at Orochimaru with blind fury. Frost followed her fingers as she aimed her shot at her abductor, who was grinning. Sasuke felt his heart flew to his throat as Mononoke was about to throw a finishing blow.

Kabuto swooped in behind her. Sasuke could hardly see it as Kabuto stuck a syringe filled with gold liquid into her neck. Sasuke felt dread as he watched the liquid enter his friend once again. The sudden ambush resulted in a ear-piercing cry and Mononoke crumpled to the ground, writhing. She scratched at her throat, trying to thaw the pain from her body, yelling and crying as she fought back.

Finally, she stilled. Sasuke watched as her eyes turned back into black and gold. But this time, there were intricate red lines covering her golden irises. Like it was a seal, locking the darkness within.

Mononoke stood up, her body swaying and shuddering. Orochimaru steepled his hands as he came closer, the look of satisfaction on his face shining. "There's a good pet." He reached over to pat her head, but she whirled around.

Her icy cold hands struck flesh.

Sasuke watched in muted horror, as Satoshi coughed blood. It was as if the fear in him sucked out all sound from Sasuke's ears as he watched his friend. The boy looked down at his spilling guts, as blood flowed from his mouth. Small icicles stuck out of his gut, and Sasuke could see parts of his internal organs from where Mononoke plunged her hand into. She pulled her hand out of Satoshi, and more blood gushed out. He fell back but Suigetsu

Her bloodied hand swung to her side, the blood dripping like a tarnished brand. From where he stood, Sasuke saw a single tear fell from her eye, the one that had returned turquoise for a few moments. But they remained blank as they look down at a dying Satoshi, who stared back with no hatred. His mouth moved, but nothing came out.

Orochimaru suddenly started laughing, sounding almost close to maniacal, "Ahhh, finally!" He grinned widely as he clapped his hands together. "Now, Mononoke has finally taken her first blood. Finally... We can sow our fruits of labour."

"What are you talking about?!" Suigetsu yelled angrily, his arms still around his dead friend. "Why did you make her kill Satoshi?" Orochimaru turned to him, giddy with anticipation. He wagged a finger mockingly, "Ah, ah. You see, Mononoke has something very special inside of her. The virus we had developed to attack her was overcome by it. But," He gestured to Kabuto, "In order for the virus to work to its full potential, she must kill something, and feed that special thing with blood. It doesn't matter who it was that's killed." He walked towards Mononoke, who remained where she was at the dead boy's feet.

"Now, nothing can stop me." Orochimaru whispered. He smiled as he comb her blood splattered hair gently, "We leave in three days time."

Autumn was finally settling comfortably in Konoha. The reparations were coming along smoothly, and the village was almost back to it's former glory. At least, that's what people say. There are still many things that were lost from the attack.

Like his own heart.

Kakashi almost snorted out loud to himself at the poetry in his mind. He wound his scarf tighter around his neck, feeling the worn wool calming his nerves. Sakura has officially started her training with the Fifth, while Naruto had went off with Jiraiya on a quick mission for Tsunade. If he remembers correctly, they won't be back until the next day.

He sighed as he looked down at the memorial stone. His whole team is separated. Again, he felt his chest ache for the ones he lost. "I have failed somehow... as a sensei." Kakashi muttered to himself. A beautiful auburn leaf fell onto his scarf, clinging onto the wool. He plucked it out and stared at it. "And yet. Autumn is her favourite season."

Kakashi inspected the leaf, out of curiosity. That's when he saw it. The Copy Ninja sucked in a sharp breath as he spotted the small glimmer of white at the heart of the leaf.

A small snowflake sparkled innocently at him as Kakashi felt every bone in his body froze over with dread.

Hello, it's me... I'M BACK Y'ALL. Lots of mixed feelings, this chapter. heh. Also I added the part where lots of readers were confused because HOW HECK SASUKE WENT TO ORO BOI WHEN HE DIDN'T HAVE A CURSE MARK. (and i forgotten all about it to be realllyyy honesstt hahaha i'm a mess)

I understand that many of you left because of what happened to Momo. NOW BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING TO ME, lemme explain real quick, ye? DONT LOSE FAITH IN MOMO. DON'T LOSE FAITH IN ME. (don't lose faith in yourself, because i just had to) Behind every storm, there is always a rainbow. You just gotta hold on till then. THIS IS THE END OF MY PSA.

So yea, I'm back for a little bit. ALSO I'LL BE FINISHING A-LEVELS SOON SO MAYBE I CAN ACTUALLY FINISH THIS. HOORAY.