There have been countless times in the past when Sasuke has felt helpless in certain situations, most of them involving his brother, and unfortunately, this one was no different.
Except that this time it wasn't for lack of skill or power, to a certain extent, but compatibility.
After waking up from what could be considered the best dream he ever had in his cursed life and seeing his mother one last time, regardless of the possibility that it was nothing more than a memory, and coming to certain decisions that until then were nothing more than conflicting echoes in his mind, Sasuke found himself reliving a moment very similar to the one that changed his life forever.
A disturbing scene with fallen bodies, blood, and the moonlight above him that represented his trip from heaven to hell.
Soon, however, none of that seemed to matter, for there was one difference:
No one was dead... yet.
Besides, it was enough to see who was passed out on his lap; in her collapsed state for his focus to change completely and wake up to reality for good.
"Winter?" Sasuke opened his eyes wide as he muttered this girl's name, clearly in confusion and then in realization. "So it was you..." While he was stuck in that dream, Sasuke had several different theories in mind about what was possibly happening outside and unexpectedly, Weiss was nowhere to be seen, only one of the people he assumed was a threat to his life along with Ozpin and Ironwood. The small girl who hates me.
Her appearance might be different, but not only could his eyes see and easily identify the Aura of anyone he had ever seen before, as her physical proportions hadn't changed at all; someone whose size failed to measure her malice and took full advantage of this moment of vulnerability.
The best possible opportunity for anyone to try to get rid of him, Sasuke would know, having done just that with Orochimaru.
The difference, however, was that not only did his psychotic mentor have no one to protect him, for obvious reasons, but he also arrogantly believed he didn't need help, even more so when he could simply use other people to his advantage... just like Sasuke used to do.
A hateful trait that he ended up keeping from his time with Orochimaru, even if unconsciously.
At least, until he was surprised on this day.
Still, of all the people who could have risked their lives for him, unexpectedly, someone he seriously considered to be one of the possible attackers, was Winter who protected him to the point of being left in this state.
In fact, she did much more than that.
Slowly, Sasuke put together the pieces of everything that happened with flashes of memories to be sure that Winter was also the one to help him when the Corrupted Six Paths Mark was trying to drive him insane and consume him completely.
She was the white rose with blue petals present in his dream.
This girl, someone he didn't even have a real conversation with and in his eyes was nothing more than a means to an end... No, before, maybe she was even less than that.
After he left Konoha and joined Orochimaru, every girl that Sasuke met and showed affection for him and could be useful in one way or another, was used as objects and discarded without hesitation after fulfilling their purpose.
Just like he did with Karin.
With Winter, however, after he found out about her affection in the main hall during that Headmaster's speech, he could only see her as a replacement for Weiss; someone he could use in case of emergency.
Still, not only did she almost die to protect him, but she also prevented Sasuke from becoming a monster completely and destroying this world with his own hands.
The situation earlier was dangerous like that and it made him feel even worse, for remembering her loving touch that was able to create a spark of light inside him and bring that dream from before to life.
While he was enjoying that paradise, this girl was fighting for his life to the point of having the pure snow-white of her name stained by the red of her own blood.
All because of his arrogance and complacency in believing that no one but Naruto and Kaguya could be a threat to his current self.
How wrong he was.
In the end, Sasuke, regardless of him having the power of a god, was still just a flawed human being who wasn't much different from his mentor and almost made one more person sacrifice herself for him.
For a moment, hatred for more reasons than could be understood inflated within him, and Sasuke almost made black flames surge over the unconscious body of this multicolored girl.
However, the stirring of the mark on his neck made him stop right there.
Not only would doing this be nothing more than him venting his anger and frustration without actually solving anything, but he would be repeating the same mistake as before by getting carried away by his emotions.
That couldn't happen anymore, especially without solving this cursed problem in his neck.
Besides, as much as he hated to admit it, Sasuke wasn't sure if he could just get rid of this girl, regardless of everything that happened.
After all, he still didn't know the motive behind her actions and he intended to find out more about it.
But first, saving Winter was the priority.
Taking a deep breath to calm down, he circulated his Chakra only to be surprised by it.
Not only did the response of his power seem to be faster and freer than before, where his Chakra passages and points were widened, but he also felt lighter and stronger; surely the result of having had another emotional episode capable of awakening a Mangekyou and desperately trying to contain that power within him by force.
In fact, it was amazing that his Chakra channels and body could handle suppressing enough power to manifest his perfect Susano'o more than once without blowing himself up.
Thanks to that, Sasuke grew stronger.
A reward not worth the price paid, but one that would have its uses later.
For now, however, he needed to focus on the task at hand and make use of the First Hokage's cells for more than just strengthening himself, aiding in the creation of a medical Jutsu with the principles he learned from Karin.
Something he could have easily mastered if he wasn't so stubborn in wanting to focus on getting stronger and ignoring everything else because he believed it was a waste of time.
Just another of several aspects of himself that needed to be changed.
That aside, it wasn't long before he had a green light exuding vitality in his hands, probably being much better than many medical ninja could do, and it was ready for use, but only until he remembered something else and stopped.
The last time he had used Chakra on someone else in this world had not ended well.
In fact, the result of his Genjutsu attempt was not unlike a torture session that resulted in a slow and painful death.
In that case, if Sasuke used his Chakra on Winter, wouldn't the same thing happen?
That doubt was what kept him from continuing.
Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said about the bleeding from Winter's open wounds.
She didn't have much time left, he could tell just by looking at her Aura that was weakening by the second.
While there was no time to hesitate, if he went head-on and risked using his Chakra on her, any adverse effects resulting from that could even end up killing her.
Only one option then, Sasuke made quick work of manifesting white snakes to trap that girl who tried to kill him; someone he intended to interrogate later, and then take Winter into his arms with all the care in the world. "Don't worry," he assured her as he brought her closer. "Just like you did for me, I will save you." His eyes focused on the city of Vale that still glowed in endless festivity. "No matter what."
An electric spark circled his body and Sasuke disappeared like lightning along with those two girls, heading toward the only safe option he knew of to get help.
In a dark room where the only light source was the broken moonlight, Doctor Argento found himself in a dilemma that pressed him as much as the guilt of his choices.
What should I do? was the constant doubt that haunted him ever since he met the young Uchiha. To not make another mistake?
His trembling hands, for more than one reason, had a drinking glass firmly clenched in his fingers after being emptied onto his lips; something he should have dropped completely decades ago but couldn't help but pour another glass after half a bottle didn't prove enough.
Having handed over everything about Uchiha Sasuke to more than one person, Argento couldn't help but question his ethics as a human being and a doctor.
While the boy was definitely dangerous and had a dark nature to his power that boiled like a toxic miasma capable of killing anything, there was also a loving side like a mother's touch used to fight the darkness and change the future of this kingdom and the world entirely.
The new viral video of him showing his kindness to a crying little girl only added weight to the good side that surely existed in his heart.
Still, Argento doesn't exactly regret handing over all the information he obtained about this boy and the woman who was able to hurt him to his old friend Pietro and, as a consequence, General Ironwood.
Both were good and reasonable men who cared about the welfare and order of this world, and they would only act against Uchiha Sasuke if necessary.
Nothing bad would come from having trusted them, Argento was sure of that.
That criminal, however...was a very different story.
Doctor Argento felt like crap for having helped her in her clear quest for revenge without even hesitating.
The phantom sensation of having a cold, sharp blade at his neck returned to send shivers down his spine that could only be suppressed with another glass of liquor.
It had been a long time since he had last feared for his own life in this way instead of someone else's.
Only natural, even more so considering the kind of childhood he had growing up outside the Kingdoms, where he was forced to watch people around him dying one after the other without being able to do anything about it; such was the trauma given life to his Semblance and the decision to become a doctor.
An attempt at redemption for his inability to save his friends and prevent others from going through the same.
After that, everything changed.
His Semblance, an extremely rare healing-oriented support type, was always seen as a coveted blessing around the world, and no one coveted it more than a Schnee.
Because of that, Argento never had to risk himself again, always being protected with every step he took... or so it used to be.
Recently, after another younger person proved to be as effective as he was, and the endless cold of Atlas was beginning to affect his health, Argento was transferred to Vale.
Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Vale was a nice place, even if it was considered less safe due to the lack of an army like the one led by General Ironwood and Argento was in charge of the largest hospital in the kingdom, so what were the chances of something bad happening?
Despite one's age, it seems that the naivety tied to one's optimism couldn't be easily changed.
Even being inside a heavily guarded building, even more so now with the extra security that came with having a notorious criminal under treatment, that colorful girl managed to get to him without the slightest difficulty.
Argento could be dead now if she so wished and that was what gave life to his fear and made him put all his attention on Roman, someone who hardly deserved it, and neglect other patients who really needed it.
He not only betrayed the young Uchiha out of fear of this criminal but all his promises and ideals as well.
But what else could he have done in this situation?!
Everything was chaos outside, where most people kept partying non-stop as if they were drunk with happiness and completely forgot about their responsibilities, without taking into account that this girl had a Semblance that allowed her to freely change her appearance to pass for other people or maybe even objects.
Reporting to the few authorities in charge would hardly have a positive effect much less an immediate one, even more so if it ended up resulting in Roman being removed from the hospital; something that could result in this man's death, given his precarious condition.
In that case, even if Argento fled to another kingdom, he would not be safe. At least, not against a girl who was crazy enough to go after Uchiha Sasuke even after knowing what he was more than capable of doing with his endless power.
It wasn't for nothing that he was so paranoid and full of remorse that he locked himself in his office alone the first chance he got and dipped himself in a damn bottle of liquor to maybe finally fall asleep for the first time in days.
Too bad that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.
His window suddenly opened and a gale sent the papers from his desk flying around his office to mingle with green leaves that looked dangerously familiar. Only, this abrupt and frightening change was nothing compared to what appeared followed by the sound of something hitting the floor next to him and caught his attention immediately, where his eyes widened and his heart sank.
The criminal girl with the colorful hair; the reason for his endless worry lay there, unconscious and bound with what looked like ropes at first but which soon turned out to be something else and completely disturbing.
White snakes, a bunch of them looked directly at him with glowing yellow eyes before hissing to finish terrifying him.
"Ahhh!" Argento jumped to his feet knocking over his chair and the drinking glass in hand to make it shatter across the floor around his feet. "W-what in the world is that?!"
Was he imagining things?!
He really shouldn't have drunk that much!
Unfortunately, this was not the case at all, and his attempt to rub his eyes to regain his senses failed to make any of this madness go away.
In fact, it got worse, much worse, when the familiar voice of the second person who had caused him to be in this state sounded to have his heart sink for good and be sure that this was a nightmare; his punishment.
"I didn't mean to break in like that, old man," Sasuke said in a more apologetic tone than he intended to and quickly gained the attention of this man who seemed to have seen better days if the smell of alcohol permeating the place meant that much. "I need your help."
Or rather, Winter did, and urgently.
Contrary to his request, however, the Doctor was paralyzed as if he had seen a ghost; one with a more than familiar pair of eyes, glowing red and purple amidst the darkness of his room.
"U-Uchiha Sasuke..." Argento was trembling with fear, dangerously close to having a heart attack if his sensed symptoms were correct and perhaps this was a less painful way out than the fate he believed was waiting for him. He's going to kill me!
It could only be it, or why else would this god in human form come to him?!
Sure enough, that criminal had failed in her attempt against Sasuke's life, and by using these evil snakes to torture her, he had wrested information from her; about how she knew his location and everything else!
In the end, it seems that Argento was right to be afraid because of this girl, even if the final blow wouldn't come from her hand.
He would indeed die, all because of his weakness.
The failure I have become, he let a dull and almost sad laugh escape his lips, reluctantly accepting his fate. I just hope I have done enough.
For his life to have been worth living.
All that remained now was to wait for the end that strangely never came, only strong words to wake him up to the life that still needed him to fulfill his purpose.
"Doctor!" Sasuke pulled this old man out of his reveries, almost annoyed at being ignored at such a moment. "Are you deaf?!" He came closer, close enough for the moonlight to fully illuminate him next to Winter's collapsed body in his arms. "She's going to die if you don't do something!"
And that couldn't happen, otherwise, Sasuke would be sure to send this stupid old man to hell with his bare hands!
"W-what?" Argento didn't immediately understand the reason for this change in tone, but only until his eyes fell on the young woman in Sasuke's arms, and felt his blood run cold for another reason. "Lady Schnee?!" His fear of Sasuke vanished as his instinct as a doctor screamed louder. "Q-quickly put her on the couch!"
So Sasuke did, being as careful as possible.
"W-What happened to her?!" There were so many cuts it was almost a miracle she was still alive, and Argento could only cogitate one culprit as he began to heal her. "W-Was it you who did this?"
After all, who else in this world was capable of leaving someone as strong as Winter Schnee in this state?
Besides, the disapproval behind his relationship with Miss Schnee seemed to be a strong enough reason for them to fight in case something even more serious had happened with the Atlas army that was stationed at Beacon.
If the dangerous narrowing of this boy's eyes served as an answer, Argento could only pray he was wrong.
Being the target of such an accusation ended up bothering Sasuke more than he expected, for the mere thought of him doing anything that could hurt this girl was infuriating.
Luckily, he was in control and didn't let himself be affected.
"Not me," he gave a reluctant answer and looked at the girl trapped by his snakes who was yet to wake up. "She did, trying to get to me."
So, technically speaking, he had some blame for this and could only curse everything that happened; his carelessness and weakness.
Doctor Argento wasn't sure he believed that, even more so because of the state this boy was in, half-naked and all bloodied, even more so than last time when he had faced a woman even more powerful than himself.
But now was not the time for that, where healing the eldest daughter of the controversial family that had taken him in for a lifetime was his only priority.
At least, this way, Argento could save one more life and pay his debt before facing his trial at the hands of this god that Uchiha Sasuke was.
As for the supposed god in question, Sasuke followed this strangely frightened doctor in his sudden silence and could only hope for the best.
It's been a while, he couldn't help but think as he looked at his hand covered in blood that didn't belong to him or some enemy. The last time, I felt like this.
Consumed by anxiety.
Which was odd, since Winter was the reason behind this; someone he barely knew, but whose well-being seemed to be all that mattered at the moment.
It wasn't for nothing that it only took him a few seconds to get to Vale after literally throwing himself off that Beacon cliff and across part of the ocean without even a second thought.
That and his inability to heal her on his own.
With that in mind, Sasuke made a point of analyzing this doctor's Semblance a second time, something he failed to understand last time because he was more interested in the technology of this world and disregarded it as something useful given the inferiority when compared to what a true Medical Ninjutsu could do.
How wrong he was.
Not even his Rinnegan and the Path of Truth and Restoration could be used without the risk of killing rather than saving the people of this world.
Theoretically speaking.
Sasuke needed to do some tests, maybe look for more criminals like he did last time, but without making the same mistakes that scared the hell out of this entire kingdom.
Or use the one I already have at hand. His eyes fell on the unconscious girl, hostility being inevitably present. Something to be decided later.
As was her fate.
For now, focusing on learning and replicating the principles behind this Semblance might be a good addition to his arsenal, especially since the basis of any and every ability in this world was powered by pure spiritual energy, which was simply the dominant side of his Yin Six Paths Chakra.
It didn't take long for first aid to be done and for Sasuke to memorize the entire process used without fail.
"I-I stabilized her condition," Argento said as he tried to get up but fell over from weakness, where he didn't expect to be helped by the hand that was supposed to take his life. Don't be foolish, he needs you and nothing else. With difficulty, he managed to stand and keep his pride. "But she has lost a lot of blood, so she will need a transfusion, be cleaned, and some medicine."
Sasuke couldn't do much but agree, as he couldn't go against a real doctor's opinion.
"She...she'll be fine, right?" he asked just to make sure, stepping closer to do the unthinkable any other day and holding her pale hand. "No sequelae or anything like that?"
Argento had not expected this; this display of affection and concern from someone considered evil incarnate by many around the world.
Even by him, even if only at first.
At least that would eliminate Sasuke as the cause behind Lady Schnee's condition.
"I believe so," Argento was sincere about that, as he had done his best to ensure it. "After she is treated and rested properly, she will be one hundred percent."
That was all Sasuke needed to hear.
"Hn," he nodded and sighed with relief as he felt an absurd weight leave his back. "Start right away."
To make sure nothing would go wrong.
"Yes..." Argento could only say this much since this situation wasn't going as his pessimism expected. "Uchiha Sasuke..." he began, needing to get something off his chest and at least have a chance to explain himself before apologizing. "About everything that happened, I..."
He didn't finish, being interrupted by a familiar shiver running up his spine, and looking back there was a second pair of mismatched eyes glowing in his office, but this one dripping with murderous intent and blood from one of the snakes that this hate-filled girl had trapped between her teeth.
The criminal girl had woken up and was killing the snakes one by one to try to escape!
"Get someone to take Winter to her room and be sure to take good care of her," Sasuke said as he wiped a bloodstain on this girl's face with evident affection. "I'll be right back," he promised with a rare smile before releasing this her hand more reluctantly than expected and getting up. "I have other business to attend to."
With that, two pairs of hostile eyes sharing more than the state of heterochromia met for a second, and in the next, they disappeared where only leaves remained and Doctor Argento couldn't help but swallow dryly before deciding to follow through with the orders he received.
"Sasuke..." was the only thing that sounded in the room soon after, coming from the lips of the girl who even unconscious was calling out the name of her beloved.
What would the young Miss Schnee think about this? Argento couldn't help but consider. The irony.
Young Sasuke had entered this building twice, both times to get medical help and each time accompanied, however differently, by one of the Schnee sisters.
Argento could only hope that this wouldn't result in an enmity between them.
No matter. It was not his place to pry...not anymore. "I have work to do."
This would be another night in which he wouldn't sleep, but that was okay since this would probably be his last anyway.
At least Argento would be able to do what he loved until the end and that was more than enough for him.
Here is the chapter, a little late, but delivered as promised.
Not much to say, as usual, so review, and if you want to support me and read ahead, take a look at my P t r & on (slash) Bertoti
The next one comes out on the 15th.