It took Suigetsu about five minutes to realise that she was gone and gone for good if he didn't do something. When the thought rocketed into his head, he cast around for his sword and strapped it to his back. After quickly checking through the guardhouse to make sure she wasn't in any of the rooms, he charged outside and stopped. It was snowing.

He started panicking. He looked around and found her robe lying on the ground nearby. His heart skipped a beat. If she had dressed herself, then put the robe back on for warmth, then she wasn't in as much danger as he thought she was. But if she just got up and wrapped the robe around herself and took off, she was in big trouble.

He pushed all lecherous thoughts out of his head and focused on the problem at hand. Assuming she was still weak and possibly naked, he had to find her as soon as possible. It was cold and getting colder as the snow fell.

Karin continued running. She'd left the robe behind and kept going in her old uniform. Her energy was fading and crying didn't help. It took away precious breath that she needed in order to escape and she couldn't go as far as she needed. She finally stopped, leaning against a tree, panting. She turned and almost sighed with relief; she couldn't see the guardhouse anymore.

A twig snapped behind her and she whirled around. Three men were standing behind her, and she recognised one of them as the friend of the guy who stabbed her. Her breath caught.

"We've been looking for you, redheaded bitch."

She couldn't move as the other two circled around behind her. The man in front continued talking.

"Last night, a murder was committed."

She started hyperventilating.

"It was-"

"Don't say it!"

He stopped and looked at her. She struggled to keep herself upright.

"Well, well, well. It seems you know who died. No wonder. The man who did it scrawled out a message on his wall. Do you know what it said?"

The men behind her grabbed her arms, roughly pulling them behind her. The man in front continued speaking, ignoring her captors.

"It said, 'Revenge for Karin'. That's you, isn't it?"

Dread filled her. Suigetsu must have snuck out during the night and killed her tormenter. She dropped to her knees. Because of him, she was done for. The man started speaking again, his voice filled with satisfaction.

"It seems that you know your fate. But you're making it too easy. Far, far too easy."

He pulled a knife from his boot, throwing it from hand to hand as he stepped closer. She hung her head, her long hair falling around her face like a curtain. He gripped it and yanked her head up. She muffled her sound of pain as he sneered in her face.

"You seem to like your long hair. Allow me to show my appreciation for it."

He gripped a strand of her hair with his left hand and swung the knife. It cut through her hair so quickly that the weight of it disappearing made her head lean to the right and his knife slashed across the side of her neck. She ripped her hands from the men behind her and held them to her neck. As she pulled her hand away, the blood flowed freely. The men were standing around her in disbelief.

She stared at her hands, covered in blood as she started to go numb from shock. Tears fell down her face as she lifted her head and screamed.

Suigetsu stopped dead when he heard it. He morphed before he realised and was speeding as fast as he could towards her voice.

Karin held her hands to her neck as she cried, trying to stop the blood from pumping out. The blade had missed her windpipe and her spinal cord, but it had cut deep and blood was soaking her clothes. The man who cut her stepped forward.

"Shut up, bitch!"

He backhanded her across the face and she went sprawling, hands still gripping her neck. They looked at each other and he raised the knife.

"Time to end this."

He raised the knife high and Karin squeezed her eyes shut, still sobbing from the wound as it made itself known. After a few seconds, nothing happened and she opened her eyes and tried to focus on the dim figures in front of her. She blinked a few times and her vision cleared slightly. Someone tall, with long silver hair was standing in front of her with her stabber in the air.

She closed her eyes, struggling to open them again. Someone was in front of her, tapping her face. He was saying her name, she realised. It was Suigetsu. She smiled up at him, lifted her bloodied hand onto his face and pulled it down, kissing him as hard as she could while she was still able. His hand came up to grip hers and she fell back, hitting the ground. She tried as hard as she could to focus on him, and tried to speak, but her voice sounded so far away.

"I... couldn't stop... thinking... about you... all this time..."

Suigetsu watched in disbelief and detached shock as her eyes closed and her smile faded, leaving him staring at a deathly pale redhead. He felt almost empty as he lifted his hand shakily and tapped her face again.

"No... Karin. Please, don't leave. I came back for you, please don't leave. I love you! You can't just leave me!"

He bent over her, tears falling from his blue-green eyes. He almost couldn't imagine life without her; even through three years, he had always known that she was alive, at least. He lifted his head. They were in the middle of the clearing with three dead bodies lying spreadeagled across the ground. He wiped his eyes, and slowly picked Karin up. She was limp, and he almost collapsed with the pain of loss. He took a step forward and stopped, hearing something. He turned his head and it became clearer. The river.

He moved as quickly as he could through the trees, trying to get to the water as fast as he could. The sound of water running became louder and louder as he neared and he hurtled through the trees, dodging and pounding through so he could get there quicker.

When he reached the water, Suigetsu gently lowered Karin to the ground. Her clothes were almost entirely covered in blood. He glanced at the water and made up his mind. There was a chance she would survive, he had only a few minutes at most before she faded completely and he needed to act fast.

He quickly peeled her shirt off, pulling her shoes and shorts off, throwing them all to the side. He didn't worry about his clothes, only his sword and her robe did he throw aside. Then he picked her up and walked into the water. The river was almost two metres wide and a metre deep. He moved into the deepest part and sat down, holding Karin's prone form to his chest.

He started to concentrate, a silver glow appearing around them both. He became slightly transparent as he moved his chakra outside his body, holding it above him in a glowing sphere. The water around him solidified, and the still running water around it crept up over the ice and slid up his arms, grounding him. A tendril of the sphere leaked out and he directed it towards Karin, letting it touch her lightly on the forehead. Another tendril spun out, hurtling down towards her neck, disappearing inside the wound. Karin slowly started breathing and her eyelids were fluttering.

"Sui...getsu?"

"Shh. Don't move."

She tried to sit up, but he tightened his grip on her, water still moving up his arms to his shoulders.

"Don't move. I almost lost you, I'm not losing you again. You move, and my concentration will disappear."

She settled for putting her head on his shoulder. He continued to heal her, speaking softly.

"Thank you. For holding on."

She only had the strength to nod her head. He slowly moved his chakra to her stomach, pushing deep inside her old wound. He found the remnants of scar tissue and healed it, and she breathed a small sigh of relief. He slowly pulled the chakra sphere back into himself; it was half what it was when he first pulled it out. As soon as it re-entered his body, he exhaled and almost fell backwards in the water as the water wrapping itself around his arms dropped and the ice thawed and flowed away. He stopped himself in time, still holding Karin close. She had fallen asleep, completely exhausted.

Hand shaking, he carefully brushed her short hair away from her face. It was only short on one side, and the end was jagged. He sighed, lifting her out of the icy water. It was starting to snow heavier, and he needed to get her back into the warmth. She stirred slightly and he glanced down at her.

"Karin? If you can hear me, I need to take you back. Nod once if that's alright."

To his relief, she nodded once.

"Ok. I need to put you down for a few seconds. I have your robe; you dropped it. Nod again if it's alright."

She nodded once again and he placed her gently on the ground, letting her cling to him. She wasn't focusing properly, her gaze bleary as he slowly reached down and picked up her robe, throwing it around her shoulders. He picked her up again, bridal style, glancing down at her as her eyes closed.

The last thing she noticed was trees flashing past, and strong arms holding her close.