Hitomi lay on the cold metal table. She knew it was cold only because she knew it ought to be so: she couldn't feel a thing. It was dark, and smelled of equally dark things, like blood and chakra and death and the ever-present scent of wood that accompanied Sasori everywhere. He stood over her, a silhouette against the only light in the room, cleaning a scalpel.

"You'll have to be conscious, just so you know. I'll numb your body, however. You won't feel a thing, except maybe a slight tug when I'm sewing you back up. Concentrate only on breathing. Stay calm. If you start panicking, this will only take longer," he said smoothly, holding the scalpel up to the light. His muddy brown eyes were on Hitomi, however. "I am not a medic-nin, so don't expect me to have much sympathy for your injury or current situation. It was your own fault. I'm only fixing you this time because I cannot stand to leave a project unfinished like this."

Hitomi would have nodded. She didn't respond, however, and just stared out into the dim workshop. She was lying on her stomach, head turned so that she could watch him move from the shadows to the light and back again. She concentrated on keeping her eyes and mind on him. She knew what shock was, and she knew what it did to a body. It'd be easier if she could avoid that.

So instead she stared at his hair, easily the brightest thing in the room. She wondered what it would have looked like longer, or shorter, or what it would have looked like faded with age. Of course, it would never be any of those things, but she occupied herself with those thoughts regardless.

"The reason why it failed the first time, in case you're curious," Sasori said casually, walking around to where she couldn't see him, "is because you were unconscious during the operation. And, I'll admit, it was a rush job. I loathe those, but sometimes, you can't help it. Do you know how the human chakra system works?"

She found it interesting that he used the word 'human' in there; it meant he really didn't consider himself human any longer. Hitomi found it more interesting, however, how talkative he was. He was merrily chatting away, even if it was mostly to himself.

"It is a lot like blood vessels. You should know that, because of the Byakugan, I suppose. But for regular shinobi, well, most don't realize that it's not evenly distributed throughout the entire body. These veins are interwoven through their skeletal structures and organs, vital and not. There is a chakra center, or heart, that keeps it circulating and controls it. It also houses your chakra reserve. That's irrelevant at this point, though." Sasori sounded thoughtful in his last statement, and she could imagine him tapping the scalpel against his jaw. "Chakra systems die when the body dies. Just like how blood stops circulating when the heart stops beating.

"The same thing happens when you are asleep or unconscious. Just like how the heart slows. You were unconscious during your last operation, so your chakra was moving slowly, and less of it was there. I had to reconnect more veins than what was strictly necessary to your spine in order to make it work again," Sasori explained smoothly. Since he wasn't reappearing in her vision, she surmised that he must have started. He had probably already cut her open, and was working on rearranging her body in order to make it work again. Although…

"So… you made a mistake," Hitomi said in a small voice. "You overcompensated."

"Oops, look at that. I accidentally lodged the scalpel in between your vertebrae. You shouldn't talk during an operation; it distracts the doctor." He commented airily. She mentally shuddered. Sasori was cruel, even if he was helping to save her. Hitomi didn't bother apologizing, however. And luckily for her, he didn't require it.

For a while after that, he was silent. She didn't know whether he was actually intent on his work or was punishing her for speaking, but she wasn't about to ask. So Hitomi took his advice--what she should have done in the first place--and concentrated on her breathing. It was easier to listen to that than to the wet, bloody sounds in his direction.

She knew why it was he who was doing the operation. It was his project to begin with, and he knew how to fix his mistake. And while he was not a medic, he undoubtedly knew the human body as well as one. Still, she wished it had been someone else standing over her. Someone who didn't know her or what had caused this injury or how she'd messed up.

Eventually, Sasori started talking again.

"…Once this is done with and your back heals, we're going to need to properly test what you can and can't do. Better now than in the battlefield…" he murmured. "You're going to have to do whatever technique that got you into this mess again to see if you can handle it. Also, basic things like the Juuken, Kawarimi or Bunshin. Maybe some basic elemental jutsus… I'd also recommend training with your father on your chakra control. The less chakra you waste on techniques, the more you can use before your spine gives up again.

"And speaking of that--for the record, you are fine. You managed not to kill yourself with whatever technique you tried. That means that all it would have taken for you to regain feeling and half your nervous system is for your chakra to replenish itself. If this happens again, you'll just have to wait it out. Of course, in a fight, that means certain death. But… Just keep that in mind. The effect is temporary. Think of it as extreme chakra exhaustion," Sasori said airily.

Hitomi swallowed a lump in her throat. She was more grateful than anything else; it isn't permanent, she thought. It never was.

"After this is done, you'll have to sleep a minimum of twenty-four hours. I'll give you a drug for that. If you wake up and still feel tired, go back to sleep. Only get up when you have complete feeling in your extremities. Be careful stretching and bathing, and if you rip your stitches, I'm getting Kakuzu to fix you next time."

She would have nodded, had her body allowed her to.

-.-.-

"…Are you done yet?" Kakuzu asked, bored, chin in hand. Tomozou sent him a glare and repeated the jutsu. The signs were flawless--as they were the last ten times.

"I want to be sure I get this right!"

"…I really, really wonder how you're going to be satisfied it works when it's already raining," Kakuzu deadpanned. He got another glare in response. He rolled his eyes and stood up, wringing out the bottom hem of his uniform. He was soaked, annoyed, losing patience, and didn't want to be anywhere near when the kid figured out what happened to Hitomi. His real self was already at the tower, doing who knows what. Probably damage control. He, the Kage Bunshin, not-so-patiently waited for Tomozou to get a grasp on the rain jutsu as a distraction. They didn't need another kid underfoot while the rest of the adults all flipped a shit.

I'm so glad I never spawned any children, he couldn't help but think. The three he'd been forced not to harm did nothing to encourage him otherwise. They were all bratty and selfish, not to mention hopelessly naïve and ignorant. He'd be honestly surprised if any of them reached twenty.

Though, if he had to make any bets, he'd guess that Tomozou would survive the longest. He didn't depend on anyone like the other two, and he had more experience as well. Not to mention the fact that he was already fairly skilled with a sword--if his annoyingly familiar white stick counted as one--and probably had enough genetic mutations for who knew how many different quirks and powers.

"Say, kid," Kakuzu spoke up, catching Tomozou's attention, "I never really got to ask… Do you take more after your father or mother?"

"Father, obviously," he said guardedly, narrowing his eyes. "You even said I looked like him."

"No, not that. I meant… Well, you've had to realize by now that both your parents are fucking freaks. Do you sense chakra like your mother or turn into a puddle like your father?" he asked.

"Neither," Tomozou replied flippantly, turning his nose up at him and returning to practicing his hand signs. "I can sense chakra as well as any regular shinobi, but it's more of a…feeling, rather than any actual sensing like mom."

"What about the whole puddle thing? If I hit you, are you going to turn into blood and organs or water?"

"Blood and organs. And bones, since I'm pretty sure I have those, too." He glared at him. The Akatsuki member gave him a wry smile in return.

"So you're not a freak in the least? How damn tame. And here I was surprised that you even exist stably."

"If you must know, I'm not exactly completely stable," Tomozou admitted quietly. His hands were halfway to the rat sign and he was staring at them rather than at Kakuzu. "I'm just different."

"Different?" It took a surprising amount of willpower to stop himself from reaching over and bashing his head against the nearest tree, just to find out what this difference was.

"What are you stalling for?" the boy asked instead, looking at Kakuzu sideways.

"What?" While Kakuzu was stalling, part of him was genuinely curious to see what kind of genetic mutations would appear in Orochimaru's second generation. He had always been a little intrigued by the Sannin's experimentations--though he'd rather gouge out his own eyes than admit that to anyone--and not even Sasori, who knew his ex-partner best, could have figured out what that second generation might contain. Plus, if Kakuzu figured out Tomozou's genetics first, he'd get to rub it in that smug puppeteer's face.

"You never talk to anyone unless you're stalling."

"I'm not stalling."

"Yes you are."

"I'm not fucking stalling," Kakuzu deadpanned. "I'm not a patient enough man to stall anyone."

"No, you are. Sasori-sensei says that, too. Sure, you yell a lot and get violent when you don't get immediate results, but I know you're patient. You couldn't be this strong of a ninja if you weren't. Besides, if you weren't patient, how could you have put up with waiting this long for a proper plan and better situation before storming off to take your partner back from the Bijuu?" Tomozou asked curiously. He seemed perfectly innocent, and that grated against Kakuzu all the more.

"You… are really annoying. Shut the fuck up now and practice your rain shit."

Tomozou grinned triumphantly and went back to repeating the signs. Overhead, thunder rumbled and the rain poured down harder than ever.

-.-.-

Hanabi sat between the two, chin in her hands and elbows on her knees. It was hardly a comfortable pose, but it allowed her the biggest form to block them from one another. On her right was a veritable mass of murderous intent, but hidden underneath, she could sense his tension and concern. On her left was a shell-shocked, still-trembling boy who'd just had a too-close brush with death.

Hanabi pushed her face into her hands, sighing. This day had contained far too much for her to be any sort of happy.

She and Neji had just gotten to Daisuke's room for debriefing when the white cat had appeared. Hanabi was used to animal summons carrying messages, so she had been a little surprised when Neji visibly flinched back from the cat. "Whose are you?" he'd asked, instead of asking directly for the message.

"I suppose he calls himself Hachi now, doesn't he?" the fluffy feline had asked in response. It then turned and paused to lick itself before asking casually, "Are you Hyuuga Neji? The father of the little girl?"

"…What's happened to Hitomi?" His voice had dropped low, barely above a whisper. Hanabi swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry; something had happened to her newfound niece?

"Meet Hachi by the eastern gate. He'll lead you to her. She had a, ah, accident." The cat tensed up, preparing to depart, but Neji had hauled it up by the scruff of its fluffy neck before it got the chance. "Yowch! Let me go--!"

"What. Happened."

"I don't know! I wasn't there!" it had snarled, taking swings at his hand and arm with its sharp claws. Then, it had managed to detach itself with a vicious slash across his wrist, and subsequently vanished.

That had been almost an hour ago. Hanabi looked sideways at Neji, trying to figure out how much he'd calmed down. Not much, she decided. He wasn't pacing anymore, though, so she took that as a good sign. The fact that she had all but made him stop pacing didn't count.

His body was as tense as it could possibly be, jaw set and eyes staring hard at the floor. If anything, it looked as if he had just shut down. His white eyes were blank and the only movement was the slow, steady rise and fall of his chest that showed he was still breathing. She knew he wasn't nearly as oblivious as he seemed, however. It would only take one tiny thing to set him off again.

When they had found Hachi at the eastern gate, Hanabi had to restrain Neji from torturing him for the information. Hachi was more than willing to help them anyway, frantic with worry and nearly incoherent, but at least he was a worried rabbit; even they could barely keep up with his darting through the trees and brush.

When they came upon Hitomi, however, there was no restraining Neji. He took one look at his daughter and turned on Hachi. He seized the boy by the shirtfront, lifting him off of his feet, faces inches apart. Before he could ask, however, Hachi started babbling, "It-It wasn't me! She just--the Kuchiyose jutsu--she summoned a kitten--just fell over! She says she has no feeling--paralyzed--"

"You taught a nine-year-old girl who hasn't even achieved a genin rank yet the Kuchiyose?" Neji snarled. He dropped Hachi to the ground but kept one hand on his shirt collar, the other hovering just above his forehead, glowing with chakra. "Tell me right now why I should not microwave your insides for doing this to my daughter."

"Da-Dad?" A pathetic voice broke into the one-sided argument, and Neji's anger vanished immediately. Hitomi opened her eyes, staring up at the three of them with the biggest, saddest doe eyes Hanabi had ever seen. "Daddy?" she repeated in a whisper, sounding even smaller and sadder than she already was.

That was that. Neji scooped her up and disappeared with a Shunshin, leaving Hanabi to escort Hachi back to the tower. He hadn't spoken since then, at least not to her knowledge. She didn't know who had the little girl now, but someone had her, and hopefully that someone could fix whatever befell her niece.

Hachi was obviously just waiting for death at that point. His gaze was hollow and he was as white as a ghost. His sandy hair hung in wet locks, probably from a mixture of sweat and rain, and his eyes were too bright. Bright and hollow; Hanabi knew what that meant. She had last seen those eyes in her sister. Hanabi lolled her head to the side, resting it on one shoulder, as she closed her own eyes. That had been years and years ago, when Hinata had been some scared girl locked in the Konoha prison. Before half the Akatsuki broke her and Itachi out.

She didn't like thinking about that and unconsciously wrinkled her nose at the last memory she had of her sister. Instead, she tried to focus on seeing her again. Soon. They knew the Bijuu's whereabouts now, so all that needed to be done was storm the place and rescue Hinata. Simple, even for post-war Ame.

The ticking of the clock was starting to wear on her ears. Tick-tock, tick-tock. Too loud and too regular. She wasn't the only one noticing it, either, based on the reactions on both sides of her. Before Neji snapped or Hachi disintegrated into a puddle, Hanabi stood up, marched across the hall, and stood on her tiptoes to reach the clock. She gave the devise a jolt of chakra, short-circuiting it and stopping it forever at 3:42 in the afternoon. Satisfied, she allowed herself a smile as she marched back to her chair, plopping down like she had only been up stretching her legs.

It would be a long wait, especially with nothing but an internal clock now to tell how much time had passed.

Hanabi knew it would be an even longer wait when an orange-haired kid skidded into the room, soaked, panting, and demanding, "Where's Hitomi-chan?!"

"Who are you?" Hanabi asked in reply, standing up. Loud brats weren't needed in waiting rooms, especially one she had been working so hard to keep calm. If this was one of her little friends, then he could wait. Away from Neji and Hachi, preferably.

"Who are you?" he asked in surprise, turning his eyes on her and noticing her for the first time.

All of the blood promptly drained out of Hanabi's face. The orange hair had jarred her, yes, but it hadn't clicked in her mind. The grey, ringed eyes did it for her. She had only ever seen Pein once in person, during Ame's retreat, but she would never forget him. Instinctively, her eyes sought Neji's, but he was just now looking up. He was looking at the kid.

"You look like--" Next thing she knew, he was in front of her, up on his tiptoes to peer up at her. "You're like my--parents." She missed the pause before the last word, but Neji didn't. He looked momentarily at the door, then back at the orange-haired boy.

"Wh-Who are you?" Hanabi asked, backing up until her back met the wall. She pressed her palms flat against its surface, gathering chakra in them. Just in case. She may have lived in Amegakure now, but this was the post-war Ame. Pein was dead. The Akatsuki were no longer in control. So why was this kid here, looking like the leader? "Why do you look like--"

"Hanabi, calm down. This is Seishirou." Neji interceded before either she or this Seishirou boy did anything hasty. He glanced back once at the younger boy, who in turn had his glare locked on Hachi, before returning his gaze to Hanabi. He was fully aware of the situation now, unlike before. "This is my son. I'll explain the details later. But just calm down for now."

"Son," she repeated, dumbfounded. Son. Son. How had that happened?! Did her sister know of this? Did the kid know? Who else knew? Was it a secret--no, it couldn't be. Not with his looks. Anyone who knew anything about the Akatsuki would recognize him.

Still, she decided to trust Neji. If he wasn't panicking, then she shouldn't, either. Daisuke, too, must have known Seishirou was in the village, so she trusted his judgment on the issue as well. He wouldn't endanger Ame. Reluctantly, Hanabi nodded, just as Neji repeated, "I'll explain later."

"Who are you?" Seishirou had yet to be pacified, however. He was still glaring daggers at Hachi, but his words were obviously directed at his supposed aunt. She swallowed; not only had she found a niece today, but apparently a nephew as well. The day was certainly full of surprises.

Neji turned his back on Hanabi and placed both hands on the boy's shoulders. He nodded back towards her, saying, "Seishirou, this is your aunt. Hyuuga Hanabi. She returned from her mission today, which is why you're just now meeting her."

"Oh. …So where's Hitomi-chan?! There was a cat, and it was looking for you, and--" Hanabi tuned him out, reading his body language instead of listening. He didn't seem like a threat. He just seemed like an excited kid. He shifted from foot to foot nervously and alternated between tugging on his long sleeves and messing with his long hair.

He would have to be about twelve or thirteen, if he really is Pein's son… Probably a genin or a chuunin, then. But still just a child, she surmised, writing Seishirou off just like that.

-.-.-

Nineteen hours after the surgery was completed, Hitomi woke up. She didn't dare attempt to wiggle either her fingers or her toes, afraid of what the outcome of such an endeavor might be. Instead, she struggled to raise her head. She could only lift it an inch or two, but it allowed her to spot what had been weighing down the bed near her feet--her father. He was dozing lightly, using his arms as a pillow, the top of his head lightly touching her ankle, though the sheets separated them. Hitomi couldn't help but think that he was very warm.

She opened her mouth to speak, but decided better. He needed sleep, and so did she. She still felt tired, and hadn't Sasori said something about resting a full day before doing anything?

With that, Hitomi closed her eyes and drifted back off to sleep.

-.-.-

Tomozou awoke in his room. He had gone to bed alone, so was surprised to find Seishirou sleeping in his own bed. Never mind the fact that Seishirou hadn't woken him up to update him on the situation--how had he snuck in? Tomozou scowled to himself and slithered out of bed, trying his best to be quiet, though it was unnecessary. Seishirou didn't move an inch, even when his roommate accidentally hit his shin against the corner of his bed and subsequently fell over, swearing.

"What's up with him, I wonder…" Tomozou muttered to himself through grit teeth, holding his shin. Narrowing his watery eyes, he thought, He would have woken me if something serious had happened, right…?

He gingerly crept back up and over to the door, keeping his gaze locked on the sleeping Seishirou at all times. The older boy didn't move. Tomozou might've thought he was dead, if it wasn't for the obvious lack of blood (he firmly believed that things needed to be killed bloodily) and the occasional snore.

Closing the door behind him, Tomozou breathed a sigh of relief. Mission: sneak out without waking Seishirou--success.

"Is Seishirou-kun awake?"

Tomozou bit down on his lip to stop himself from shouting. Yukina looked at him in amusement, smiling uncertainly. After calming his heartbeat, he regarded the kunoichi coolly. She was best friends with Aoko, who was Daisuke's assistant. She would have to know if something serious was going on, and as she wasn't panicking, he took it as a good sign. "No, he's not. He was sleeping pretty hard, and I went to bed at about midnight, so he came in after me…" he trailed off vaguely, continuing watching her for any sort of reaction.

"So he had a late night. That makes sense, poor guy…" Yukina sighed sadly, shaking her head. "Well, when he wakes up, could you tell him I'd like to talk to him? It's not important, but, you know, if he'd like to talk about it, then I'm here for him. Oh--you too, Tomozou-kun!" she added hastily, reaching out to embrace him. Tomozou took the rather tight, awkward hug mutely, wondering what Seishirou would want to talk about. He'd probably be too busy staring at Yukina to do much talking.

"Yeah… I'll tell him," he mumbled into her shoulder.

Yukina held him out at arm's length, smiling weakly. "Good. I was going to invite him to breakfast with me, but since he's asleep and you're awake, would you like to come instead? I'll just treat him to lunch, if he wakes up in time for that… Or, if Hitomi-chan's feeling better by that time, we could all go together! How does that sound?"

Tomozou tensed at Hitomi's name. So--it has to deal with her. That makes sense. Did she get injured, or fall ill? Curious, he asked casually, "Do you know if she's feeling better yet…? Or when she will?"

"Hmm… Didn't Sasori-sama say sometime this afternoon? That's when she'll probably wake up, and we won't know anything, really, until then." She frowned in thought, but brightened. It was obvious she was only being cheerful for his sake, even if he still had no idea what was going on. "That'll be soon enough! I'm sure she'll be completely fine. And anyway, she'll be under the care of you two boys during--uhh, nevermind, actually."

"During what?" Really curious now, Tomozou plastered a disarming smile on his face as he leaned in. Yukina had slip that Hitomi would be under their care--which really was the norm, but she didn't realize it, which meant that something would be out of the norm. Which meant that the adults, or at the very least, Neji and probably the two Akatsuki-nin, would be gone. And what was the main reason ninja left their families? "A mission?" he asked brightly.

"Um, yes." Yukina looked down at her feet awkwardly, casting about for something else to say. Tomozou felt momentarily sorry for her, since he was pressing, and relented. Now that he had some basic information, he could find out the rest on his own. He was a ninja, after all.

"We'll do our best to protect her, then." Tomozou saluted smartly, grinning. Yukina visibly relaxed. "I'll tell Seishirou about your offer, but I'm sorry; I can't come with you to breakfast. Maybe some other time, okay?"

"Oh, okay. No worries, then." She returned the grin and allowed him to leave.

Once his back was turned on her, Tomozou's grin darkened. It would be entertaining to find out the rest of the information he needed. There were two parts: what had happened to Hitomi, and what the upcoming mission was. He had a few guesses as to either one, but left them as guesses instead of hypothesizing to himself.

First, to find out about Hitomi. Seishirou's out cold and I'm not going to ask Neji-san about something as delicate as that, so… That leaves either of the Akatsuki-nin. It was time for him to learn something else from his supposed sensei.

He just had to track them down first.

-.-.-

Next Chapter: Hitomi's recovery, or attempt at it. Scars will remain, and not just the physical ones. Tomozou's on a hunt for information, leaving Seishirou behind. Neji tries to deal with the fact that he really can't protect everyone and must focus on those he can. And finally--evil rears its ugly head. Who is it, and what are the monsters really?

(Updating Note: White Knight's updates have been moved from every friday to every other friday. This way, yeah, less updates, but hopefully they will be updates on schedule! This will not be a permanent schedule (I hope), but just a temporary one until I get my inspiration/support system back working. As always, reviews are loved and supporting!)