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Chapter 25

Juugo stood there for a moment, and his face brightened as another shrill scream came from him, this time the words unintelligible as he made to punch Sasuke again. I felt Suigetsu leave my side, and his blade collided sharply with Juugo's rocky gray arm, the two jolting sharply at the contact.

Suigetsu swung his sword, leaping in for another attack as Juugo roared his delight at a new challenger.

"Long time no see, Juugo. You aren't as strong this time…"

Juugo's face contorted in confusion, and then his face smiled maliciously as he faced Suigetsu, his head tilting to side creepily as he cooed.

"Suigetsu…I remember you…"

The two attacked once more, and Sasuke – now back to his regular human form, barked.

"We're not here to fight, Suigetsu!"

Suigetsu smirked as he blocked a blow from Juugo's rocky arm. "No can do, Captain. Juugo isn't the chatty type; you need to knock some sense into him before he'll listen."

Juugo ducked as Suigetsu swung his sword, and Juugo slammed his arm into the sword once more. They dodged around each other, the sound of metal grinding against Juugo's arm making my skin crawl.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. "Stop, both of you."

I bit my lip as Suigetsu backed up for another blow, and tried to find an opening to rush in between them.

"Suigetsu, listen to him!" I yelled, and the two continued to fight, their faces set and furious as their weapons whooshed inches from each other's skin. Suigetsu huffed as he was pushed back, and Sasuke met my gaze briefly, and murmured.

"Immobilize him."

I nodded, not having to ask who he meant, and leapt into the fray, Sasuke right behind me. Karin yelled Sasuke's name…I swear to God that if I weren't currently trying to immobilize someone, my fist would be ruining that pretty face of hers.

I ducked to avoid Juugo's arm, feeling the hair on my neck raise when I felt the warmth of his arm inches from my back, and had to twist in mid-air to avoid Suigetsu's blade. Time seemed to stop as I met Sasuke's eyes, and I felt myself flying through the space in between the two fighters. I let out a breath as the wide blade sliced off a small part of hair that had fallen loose of my bun, the hairs floating towards the ground as I continued my spin to land beside Suigetsu. All of this happened in the span of two seconds, and I was about to put Suigetsu in a headlock when Juugo's arm came flying towards us again. Sasuke was doing something with his hands, but I didn't have time to wait for him.

I quickly tripped Suigetsu forward, and pinned him to the ground with my kunai at his throat as huge snakes shot out of Sasuke's sleeve and immobilized Juugo, and the large teen was staring into Sasuke's three comma Sharingan. Sasuke's expression was cold as ice, and his voice was just as icy as he spoke into the dumfounded silence.

"Why don't I just kill you both?"

I saw Juugo flinch, the marks on his body fading back into nothing, as he seemed to come to himself. Suigetsu lay quietly under me, and I saw by the expression on his face that he was shaken by Sasuke's words. Juugo stared at his hands; sweat running down his face as he screamed.

"Put me back in! Lock the door!" He screamed, running back into his cell and curling up in the corner. Sasuke frowned in confusion as Karin sighed, and I slowly let Suigetsu up off of the ground. He glowered at me, but I ignored him as I peeked my head inside Juugo's cell.

"Why should we do that?" I asked, and I heard Karin begin to explain. I kicked her in the ankle to shut her up. "I think he can answer for himself, thank you very much."

Juugo peeked through his fingers at me, and sobbed tearlessly to himself.

"I'll hurt more people…please lock the door! I don't want to hurt anyone…please…"

I smiled, and darted inside the cell. Karin tried to stop me, but I avoided her fingers. I saw Sasuke's hands jerk, and I wondered if something had suddenly pained him. But after a moment, he settled back, looking past me into the cell.

Juugo scrambled to get as far away from me as possible. "No, get away! I'll hurt you!"

"No you wont." I stated simply, seating myself a few feet away from him. He whimpered, and hid his face. "Juugo, you're a good person, right?"

"No, I hurt people!"

"Well, I've hurt people too. I've meant to hurt people; I've wanted to see them bleed. But you…you don't want to do that. Isn't that right?"

Juugo lifted his head slightly. "Please, leave me alone! I don't…"

"You're a good person, Juugo, much better than any of us here. We're here because we need your help. You're the only person who can help."

"I'll hurt people!"

"No, you won't! You see what happened when Sasuke used his Sharingan on you? Your other side went away, like it was never there. If you come with us, you'll be able to live without fear of hurting people. Do you understand, Juugo?"

Juugo's head slowly lifted, and his soft amber eyes stared into mine. "Sasuke…Uchiha?"

"Yes. Do you know him?" I asked, scooting closer. Juugo seemed distracted enough not to flinch, and he stared out at Sasuke, who had come so that he stood in the doorway.

"Kinimaru…he told me about him before he died. He told me that…he was important, that he would die for him."

I smiled at him, and Juugo slowly turned his gaze back to me, his eyes thoughtful in the dim light of the cell.

"I wont have to hurt anyone?"

"Nope!" I said, grinning. Juugo stared for a moment, and then slowly, slowly smiled back. It was a small smile, but so hesitant, as if his face was unused to the action. I stood, and reached out my hand to him.

Juugo stared up at me as if scared I was going to hit him. But when my hand stopped a few feet away, he frowned.

"It's okay…I'm just trying to help you. I'm Hikari, by the way." I said softly, and Juugo's large fingers enveloped mine as he gently took my hand. I leaned back, and pulled the teen to his feet. He towered over me, and slowly made his way to the door. I came out first, Sasuke backing up to give us room.

"Kinimaru died for you. I too, will fight for your cause, Sasuke Uchiha."

I smiled as Suigetsu moved to stand slightly behind me as Juugo slowly exited the cell, Karin shrinking into Sasuke's side as he passed. I rolled my eyes, and turned to raise an eyebrow at Suigetsu.

"What's with the hiding behind me, Suigetsu? Too scared?"

Juugo's face flashed with uncertainty as Karin sniffed scornfully, and Suigetsu glared at me, his sharpened teeth glinting in the unnaturally bright light of the bulbs hung above our heads. I snorted, and darted out towards Juugo. I passed Sasuke as I went, and forced myself not to look in his direction as I reached the tall orange haired teen.

"Just ignore them, Juugo, they're what I like to call idiots…"

Juugo smiled slightly, and accepted my proffered hand with a furrowed brow. He was so gentle and innocent…it was hard to believe that just minutes ago, he had been out to kill every one of us. It made my blood boil when I thought of what Orochimaru had done to him, what that snake had done to all of these poor ninja in this base.

Karin snarled, and jeered. "You're one to talk, Blondie!"

I leaned in to whisper into Juugo's ear – the ninja had to bend over so I could reach up on tiptoe.

"You see? It took her a full five hours to realize that my hair is blonde. Sure signs of an idiot…"

Suigetsu laughed loudly at Karin's blush of fury, and he and I exchanged grins. Oh dear, it was just too easy to wind Karin up…and now that we had started, it was incredibly hard to stop. But what the heck…she deserved it. If I couldn't beat the crap out of her for what she had done in Orochimaru's service, I could at least make her life a living hell. It was actually more fun this way, anyway.

I smiled up at Juugo as I pulled him towards the entrance, and he smiled back, more widely this time.

"You better watch out Sasuke…Juugo might be making a move on your gal."

Sasuke didn't respond, and his face remained as cold and intractable as stone as he walked. His dark eyes didn't flicker towards me as I turned to glare at Suigetsu.

"I am not anyone's gal! If anyone's his gal, it's Karin. Sure, he didn't ask for it or attempt to make her his gal, but with Sasuke, willing girls just…appear!"

Karin was caught between trying to look angry and sending mushy looks over in Sasuke's direction. Bleh…

Suigetsu snorted as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"If Karin was my gal, I think I'd shoot myself…"

"Hey!" Karin shrieked.

"What, the truth too much for you?" Suigetsu taunted, dodging her fist as it swung towards his head. I frowned, tapping my chin with my free hand as I thought about that.

"But Suigetsu, wouldn't the bullet just pass through you? You're made of water, remember?"

Suigetsu frowned, and snapped his fingers in disappointment. "Damn, you're right."

"Will you two please shut up?"

I perked up at Karin's desperate plea. I smirked, and looked at Suigetsu. "Hey, she used the magic word for once…should we humor her?"

"Nope."

I shrugged my shoulders at Karin. "Sorry, Red. No can do."

Karin grumbled under her breath as I led Juugo through the halls, feeling his large fingers curl around mine hesitantly. Suigetsu continued his speculations of how best to kill himself if found to be romantically involved with Karin. Sasuke…well…he kept being Sasuke.

I guess with the Uchiha, I couldn't ask for anything more.

Our five-man team stood outside the base, Juugo standing on one side of me and Suigetsu standing on the other. Karin was somewhat separate from us, staring at Sasuke as if he was the only thing in the world. I snorted, and her red eyes glared at me from behind thick glasses.

Sasuke stared at each of us, and then spoke quietly into the silence, the only sound being the whistling of the wind across the dry rocky ground.

"All of you are now apart of this team, which shall be known as Team Hebi. As Hebi, we only have one purpose."

I shivered at the focused gleam in Sasuke's eye, and felt Juugo's innocent stare on me as I rubbed my arms. I knew what this goal of Team Hebi was…but up until now it had all seemed like a hazy mirage of sorts. It hadn't seemed real until those five words were spoken clearly into the air.

"Find and kill Itachi Uchiha."

I sighed as I leaned against the edge of the doors made of glass; moonlight streaming into the room Karin and I were sharing. Team Hebi had rented out a room in an inconspicuous inn that resided in a small town just outside the desert, and the boys had one room while the girls took the one next door. Both of the rooms shared a bathroom, and had balconies that joined to form one long wooden balcony. I was sitting on the dark wooden floor, staring out at the rising moon in the sky. Seeing it hang there in the sky brought back so many memories of sitting in Sasuke's room back at Sound, only back then I wasn't staring at the moon. I was staring at Sasuke's face in the moonlight…marveling at how peaceful it was…

Karin had immediately commandeered the single tiny bed in the room – I didn't fight her for it, seeing as after six months of sleeping on the floor of Sasuke's room, I was pretty comfortable sleeping on anything – and was already fast asleep.

I asked the lady for blankets, only to find that they were out. Some inn this was…running out of blankets. The lady was incredibly embarrassed, and offered to give me the large bathing towels instead. I had accepted them, and smiled, telling her that they would more than adequate. Ugh. In a time like this, I wish I had Karin's ability to stomp mercilessly on people, not even thinking once about whom I hurt in the process. But I didn't have that ability, and I felt guilty for even thinking such thoughts.

I lay two towels out as a barrier between the cold wood and me. The other one I used as a pillow, deciding that one night without a blanket wouldn't kill me. I needed a pillow to survive…it was a necessity for any chance at sleep.

I sighed, rubbing my arms as I silently rose to my feet. The door creaked as I slowly opened it, and with a glance back at the still slumbering Karin, I slipped out onto the smoothly polished balcony. The wood was sturdy and bereft of splinters under my bare feet, and I let out a sigh as I slowly walked over to the railing that looked over the entire city. It was a beautiful place, but I felt a melancholy feeling settle in my chest as I leapt lightly onto the wide wood railing, perching there like a cat as I stared silently out into the dimming lights of the shops and the glittering sparkle of the river in the light of the full moon.

The sky was scattered with bright stars, and was painted a rich and vivid shade of purple-blue, with streaks of deepest black. I stared up at the sky, wondering numbly if Naruto was staring out the window of his apartment at the same beautiful sky. I wonder…did he see the same constellations I did? Or were our positions in the world so different that there was no chance that our paths could ever be so similar?

I heard an almost silent figure materialize beside me, sitting on the railing a few feet away from my crouched form. I smiled slightly, not even having to look to know who it was.

Sasuke Uchiha sat beside me, his dark eyes glancing at me before following my gaze to the open sky, sparkling with bright stars. The moon hung, glorious and cold before us, and the skin of his face and neck seemed to glow faintly in the light.

It wasn't a tense silence; it wasn't awkward in any way. Instead, this silence reminded me of those long days spent training out in the rain, mediating silently to focus my chakra to certain points in my body while Sasuke sat nearby, neither of us speaking, not even breathing loudly.

It was in those long hours that I discovered the true meaning of peace.

Peace was often considered the goal of all nations, something that armies and soldiers strived to establish in their countries. But all of that was foolish, for true peace could never really be established. It was like that term I explained to Sasuke all those months ago. Utopia was a perfect plan to work towards, but did it really exist?

No.

Did true peace in the world ever have a chance of being accomplished?

No.

But in my time with Sasuke, I had discovered that peace wasn't something that you could force on others, it wasn't something that could be achieved by signing alliances and forging peace treaties. It was something that people had to discover for themselves. It was the sense of quiet, the sense of calm that filled the air after a cool rain. Peace was the inner quiet of oneself, the inner acceptance of ones situation no matter how unpleasant. Peace was being able to set aside ones troubles and simply be. Simply breathing, in and out…in and out, without a worry or a care.

And it was in those hours that I realized that Sasuke was in turmoil. His sense of peace had been fractured years ago, when his brother killed his clan, and had never fully put itself back together again. He was therefore in limbo, not able to find peace, but unable to fall into total darkness.

It made me sad, but I knew that trying to force peace on him would only result in him rejecting any sense of tranquility; it would turn him off immediately. I had to just be there for him, and take whatever may come.

I sighed as I glanced over at the silent Uchiha. I smiled, tilting my head back as I remembered Orochimaru's telling of my arrival into this world.

"Why are you smiling?" Sasuke asked, his voice so soft it was almost a part of the darkness.

"Oh, just thinking about how I came into this world. I mean, I can just imagine…seeing a girl just fall out of the sky! It must have been so strange to you…but you still caught me. I never even thanked you…"

"I think you were too busy throwing your fists at me to try and show any gratitude." Sasuke murmured, and I laughed lightly at the memory.

"I really was, wasn't I? I was so shocked at being woken up by this strangely dressed, but at the same time strangely attractive boy that I just…felt so scared, I guess. I was used to being in control, and when I wasn't, I just…snapped." I fiddled with my shorts, embarrassed that I had admitted my emotions so suddenly like that.

The silence was calm after my statement, and Sasuke sighed softly as he let his hands press against the wooden railing. I watched him silently for a moment, and then stared out at the village.

"We're going to search for him separately, aren't we?" I whispered, and Sasuke nodded. I had sensed that this was going to happen, because it was simply more logical to split up and gather as much information as possible.

"I see. You know…I've been thinking about what you asked me that night when I returned from Konoha."

Sasuke turned to look at me, and his dark eyes were focused as they stared into mine. I smiled slightly, and turned to face him, letting my legs swing on either side of the railing.

"You know, the whole–"

"I remember, Hikari." Sasuke spoke curtly, and he returned his eyes to the sky. I stared at him for a moment before continuing.

"Well, I still am having trouble wrapping my head around it all. My thoughts are all muddled up where you're concerned, and it'll take me some time to sort through them all. But I want you to know before we all split up to search…"

I swallowed hard, and looked him straight in the eye. "…I'll always stay beside you. Don't take it the wrong way, all right? I'm just saying that I…I…uh…I don't care what you've done or what you're planning to do. What I'm trying to say is…I like you. Just the way you are."

I felt a blush creeping into my face at the sight of Sasuke's cold and intense onyx eyes, and quickly turned away.

"Don't get me wrong, this isn't anything romantic or something idiotic like that…this is just as teammates, got it? Now I feel incredibly awkward…you should've stopped me before I made a fool of myself."

"You're not a fool."

I was about to answer, but I found that the words were stuck in my throat. I stared at him, and found that he was still staring at me. There was no heat or lust between us, no sense of urgency or awkwardness.

I smiled slowly, feeling the lightness in my chest as I turned back towards the moon.

"Thanks, Sasuke. For everything."

Sasuke didn't answer, but I was glad that he chose to remain silent. It would've shifted the peaceful air that surrounded that moment. It would've changed the path that our relationship was on.

I smiled up at the moon, thoughtful as I stared at its icy beauty.

I had wished for many things in my life, some petty and superficial, some more influential. So many dreams crushed, like the one that was destroyed when I dislocated my shoulder trying to fly off the highest monkey bars. But so much learned from those dreams, so much life found from within their dusty pages.

But now, in that moment, I wished for only thing. I wanted only one thing in the world, and as I stared up at the sky I knew that this was the dream I had been meant to dream. This dream made up everything.

I hoped that someday, Sasuke would find that peace within his soul that had been destroyed all those years ago.