Little by little, after drying her tears and pulling herself together as best she could, Winter had her energy returning to her quickly as her body was healed by Sasuke in a way that seemed to strengthen her beyond belief.
She couldn't explain how exactly, only that having the power of a god coursing through her veins definitely had a part in this and she wasn't complaining.
No matter how she looked at it, Sasuke's ability to heal injuries that should scar her for life at previously unknown speeds was frightening in a way that reflected in his powers with no apparent end.
Winter would know about it, given her father's almost unknown obsession with Semblances that could ensure the family's well-being and possible longevity.
Which was ironic since that man was almost obsessed with having an heir molded in his image to continue his legacy while fearing death above all else.
Perhaps, deep down, he understood how ridiculous the idea of trying to create a copy of himself was; that no matter who he put in his place, that person could never be an exact representation of his ideals; that person would preserve his legacy, whether it be Winter, Weiss, or now, probably, Whitley.
The most neglected member of the family who grew up with the greatest absence of their parents, especially of any real form of affection, and someone she intended to help alongside their mother, Winter was sure of it.
No matter if he wants to or not. Considering that the boy deliberately submitted to their father's wishes, probably in a desperate attempt to get some kind of attention, Winter would have to be the big sister and family he never had. Just another mistake I need to correct. She would be sure of that and the determination inside her seemed to burn stronger and stronger as it was fueled by this boy's power. That and merely being around him makes me feel as if everything is possible.
Inevitably, there was one question that wouldn't shut up with Weiss in mind; if that girl had the same feelings she did for Sasuke.
The two would need to have a conversation about that later after everything was put in order.
Which was a lot.
Until then, however, she could only remain silent reflecting as she enjoyed every second of this unique moment in her life.
Holding the hand of a handsome, gentle boy while stealing a few glances at him until he did the same to have her look away.
Over and over again.
In a way, it was almost as if she were a normal teenager, something that was no longer the case for more than two years now, and it amused her as much as it saddened her.
The things she hadn't lived through...
Fortunately, looking at Sasuke once again, feeling the warmth of his power and the comfort it was to be in his presence, made her regret fade.
Otherwise, her first love would have been wasted on someone else.
Love... her face heated up as this almost unknown term echoed in her mind and her heart responded accordingly. Do I really love him?
Winter had never felt anything like that before, for anyone, at least romantically speaking, so how could she be sure what she really felt for him?
The fact that she had almost died for him certainly screamed volumes about it, but it didn't seem to be enough.
It didn't take long for her eyes to fall on Sasuke's lips to have her heart fluttering even more.
A kiss... If she kissed him, wouldn't she get a definite answer on that? Better yet, can I do that?
Not only was she no longer in the heat of the moment from last time and overwhelmed with the emotion of having remembered her mother's love, where she had almost kissed this boy in a moment of vulnerability, but she regretted trying.
Sasuke had fainted for reasons she still didn't fully understand and taking advantage of him to do something like that without consent was wrong, bringing up mixed feelings that she didn't understand and hated; almost as if she was betraying Weiss.
What should she do then?
Before she could formulate an answer, there was another sudden question to bring her out of her reveries and conflicts; one that made her heart flutter by the tone of concern present.
"Are you okay?" Sasuke had her attention this time, where this shy, fully smiling woman was no longer trying to avoid his gaze. "Your heart rate and temperature have changed."
A change too big and too fast to be considered normal.
It even looked like she was sick and that made him worried. After all, he was using a power that could only be described as divine to feed the copied Semblance and heal her.
My Chakra mutated by the Yin Chakra of the Six Paths. Sasuke had no option but to use this power since he no longer had Chakra that could be considered normal in his body, which resulted in more than just healing, but also strengthening Winter by changing the natural properties of her Aura. Well, at least that way it made it easier to try something different later.
The same also happened with Neo.
Even when using only the spiritual side of his Chakra, which was also the predominant side of his power, that girl had become stronger than she was before at her peak without even being fully recovered.
This raised higher and higher expectations about how far they could go.
What had been nothing but a theory had become reality.
He could make these girls stronger without even having to give them real Chakra or the Six Path Mark, but he would still do it to have each of them reach at least the level of a minor Kage.
Obviously, he would have to put some restrictions on Neo. Before that, however, he preferred to give that colorful girl a chance to prove herself trustworthy.
She is still close by. Sasuke could easily sense and locate where she was, a few rooms away, especially now that some of his spiritual energy was inside her, which was why he let her loose like that. Walking the line.
Probably.
While he regretted not leaving a snake with her, Sasuke was too worried about Winter to remember that at the time, he could at least tell that Neo wasn't hurting anyone or trying to escape.
It wasn't like she could or would get away from him anyway, but it was good to know that she knew that too.
"I-I..." Winter couldn't answer right away, feeling her heart sink and her face redden from getting carried away in her teenage daydreams of being in love when she wasn't even a teenager anymore! What should I say to him?! Anything but what she was thinking just now! "I-I'm okay, I'm just surprised by that ability." Yes, Winter rejoiced as she thought of an alternative! "That looks a lot like Doctor Argento's Semblance."
Which was an absurd thought for comparison when the difference in efficiency was so big.
The problem was that Winter had forgotten that the person or entity she was talking to was a little box of surprises with no apparent limits.
"That's because it is," Sasuke saw no point in denying that. I already intended to reveal some information about myself to her anyway.
This question of hers just paved the way for this conversation to happen more naturally.
"What exactly do you mean?" Winter was confused for a second, considering the implications behind what was said, and soon her eyes opened wide at the thought of something frightening. "Y-You...didn't steal his Semblance, right?"
Because if he did, that would explain so much!
Especially when he kept denying he wasn't some kind of god.
If he could steal Semblances, becoming powerful like that was more than possible!
Again, the implications behind this were countless, and in the worst-case scenario...
Winter felt scared to consider more than that.
Luckily, she and her imagination were mistaken, to some extent.
"I copied it, actually," Sasuke corrected that little misconception that wasn't completely wrong. "My eyes are...special, so to speak." In a way she couldn't even imagine and certainly wanted to learn more about, considering her curiosity and attention. "My right eye is called the Sharingan, which stands for Copy Wheel Eye, and it allows me to analyze abilities in general in addition to replicating them if I have enough understanding and capability."
One of the most basic characteristics of his bloodline and yet it was enough to leave this woman almost speechless.
Imagining her reaction should he explain the absurdity that was his Rinnegan made Sasuke tempted to do so.
Another time, who knows?
"That..." Winter didn't know what to say, only that any fear and worry at having believed he was walking around stealing other people's power became completely unfounded, but that didn't do much about the countless doubts that kept popping up. "Is that why you are so strong?"
At least, that partly explained the wide variety of abilities he had.
Except for his vast amount of Aura. Copying and replicating couldn't be enough to explain that, and she didn't want to think he was lying. But what if he is?
Could she blame him for that?
In the end, Winter was the General's lieutenant who didn't make the slightest effort in trying to hide his hostility toward this boy.
While she saved his life, he could well believe that she did it to gain his trust and again she couldn't blame him for that.
A little mistrust was the least to be expected, especially when she found herself doubting him.
Unfortunately, that was far from making what he had to say next any more acceptable, as it sounded more like a joke than anything.
"I'm strong like that because I'm not from this world," Sasuke made her look at him as if he had grown a second head and that was amusing, just as expected and reminiscent of the other girls' reaction. "Crazy, right? I could hardly believe it either when I got here and found that it had life in a way that was extremely similar to my home world."
Even now he wondered how many other worlds there were out there.
With my Rinnegan, could I visit these other realities? The idea was tempting, especially if he didn't already have a life to live and new people to protect. Immortality could be useful like that.
If he chose to live forever, something he wasn't sure he still wanted, it might be interesting to try to take a look at what else was out there one day.
Until then, however, he needed to fight to save two worlds and live to at least have a chance to choose what to do.
"So...you're saying there are other worlds?" Winter repeated as she sat up on the stretcher, her condition had already improved that much, to question what could only be a joke and start to believe that Sasuke was pulling a prank on her. "You're kidding, right?"
He had to be.
Otherwise, didn't that mean she had fallen in love with an alien?!
"The irony," Sasuke had an amused smile that almost confirmed her suspicions. "You don't believe that there are other worlds with life out there, but at the same time you were convinced that I am some kind of deity."
If that wasn't irony then he didn't know what was.
Winter blushed a little in response.
Now he was definitely making fun of her, even if it was in a harmless way.
After all, he wasn't wrong.
Believing in gods, especially when this world had so many legends and stories about the brothers of light and dark, and how vast the universe was, it was stupid to believe that Remnant was the only inhabited world.
The problem was that agreeing with him didn't make this situation any less absurd.
"Let's suppose it's true." Considering all the crazy things that had been going on, continuing to doubt could almost be some kind of madness on its own. "Is it okay for you to divulge that kind of information to me?"
Not that she was complaining, but if General Ironwood didn't want to dissect him before, now she was sure of it.
Obviously, she didn't intend to divulge any of this, and remotely imagining that he trusted, and maybe even liked her, was enough for her, but that didn't change the fact that his stay in this world would be even more dangerous.
The answer he had for her disregarded her fears and confirmed more of her expectations than she ever expected.
"Winter, after what you have done for me and this world; after you almost died to protect and save me," Sasuke took a step closer to this woman whose hand he refused to leave and use his other hand to caress her reddened, and fully surprised face as he expressed a rare smile that reflected more than just his gratitude. "Satisfying your doubts is the least I can do."
In truth, she could ask anything she wanted and he would hardly say no.
The debt Sasuke owed her was that big.
That must be why what happened soon after was something beyond expected and yet only found acceptance on his part.
Winter was awestruck by this clear and open display of affection, the kind she had never received before, to the point where she felt like her heart was going to come out of her throat. Before she knew it, her vision clouded with salt-water glints, and her mind boiled over as she allowed herself to do the unthinkable, but which deep down was what she wanted the most.
It was quick, much more than Sasuke believed this girl should be remotely capable of based on what he knew after watching Weiss fight Blake and that proved Winter had actually gotten stronger after receiving his spirit energy.
The problem lay in the reason behind this little show of increased power, where she had leaped to her feet and taken his lips without hesitation in less than a blink of an eye.
Though surprised to levels he didn't like to admit, Sasuke almost lost his balance but stood and just closed his eyes after a moment to return the affection he had received in a completely different way than it had been with Yang.
There was no apparent lust and the mark on his neck was calm despite his troubled heart.
But none of this seemed to matter.
Rejecting this woman wasn't an option and accepting her was what Sasuke did.
Likewise, Winter could finally confirm everything she felt for this boy and more.
Any and all doubt, her duty, and her fear of failure ceased to exist when this boy had become her world.
Suddenly, everything was possible, and Winter loved it/him!
Unfortunately, as usual, all good things were short-lived.
"Time to change the blood bag..." a nurse entered the room to check on the most important patient in the hospital and almost dropped everything in her hands upon seeing the scene before her. "M-Miss Schnee?! Forgive me for interrupting!"
The door slammed soon after as the blushing woman practically fled the scene and that was more than enough to bring Winter back to reality; one that she preferred to believe was a dream...or a nightmare.
The way she had her body glued to Sasuke while her hands were amidst his hair and over his face to hold him in place and steal his lips nonstop...
As quickly as Winter had grabbed Sasuke, she recoiled as she understood the gravity of her thoughtless actions.
"I'm sorry!" she had her hands covering her face in pure horror, not being able to believe what she had just done! He's never going to speak to me again!
Even worse, he would begin to think that she was some kind of whore with no self-control who only thought of him as a piece of meat; only as it was with almost every woman who set her eyes on him!
The truth, however, couldn't be more different, where his reaction was anything but what she expected and served to remind her of the reason she liked him in the first place.
The innocence and shyness that this traveler from another world, possible deity and supposed greatest enemy of Remnant since Salem, was displaying made all her regret fade and long for more; much more.
His words didn't help to diminish that desire that burned almost uncontrollably within her.
"It's...okay," Sasuke said after catching his breath, but not without looking away slightly, embarrassed in a way that reflected in the reddened color of his cheeks. "I...don't dislike that."
After all, not only was this woman in front of him one of the most beautiful there was, and this coming from someone who had seen two worlds, but she had a reserved and more than deserved place in his heart.
The only problem in all of this was the feeling of guilt for believing that he had betrayed the other girls who had also marked his heart...again.
Slowly, Sasuke was becoming some kind of womanizing trash and he cursed his younger self and this world for that; for planting absurd ideas and desires in his head, and leaving his mind in such chaos.
Nothing different from normal, then, he would admit that much while resigning himself to the fate he found himself in. Much better than the alternative.
Succumb to the darkness for good and live there for eternity, whether as a heartless monster or something more...Uchiha.
Either way, what was done was done and there was no turning back.
Let's just try to keep it under control from here on out, Sasuke needed it or what was all his training under Orochimaru worth if he wasn't able to do just that? Something that almost proved to be a complete waste of time.
As much as he could wear a mask and stay calm most of the time, in the end, a Uchiha and emotions are two sides of the same coin, so he couldn't expect much when dealing with something that came straight from the heart.
That and the people around him didn't help, where Blake tried to have him every time she got the chance, Yang almost succeeded, even if that was the result of his own carelessness with the mark on his neck. Now, there was Winter who looked ready to strike again, and that couldn't happen or Sasuke would end up getting carried away where the soft feeling of having such a beautiful woman in his arms was still there to whet certain suppressed desires that Yang had undeniably awoken earlier.
Sasuke was starting to get sexually frustrated and admitting it made him even more self-conscious of his situation...and the opportunities that surrounded him.
No. He refused to think of them like that, especially Ruby and Weiss who had a much more pure and innocent kind of love for him. I hope.
Something to think about later. For now, he had to deal with this situation at hand.
Winter had her eyes glazed over on Sasuke, analyzing every reaction and gesture he made to have her heart dancing in agreement.
He wasn't rejecting her.
Even after what she did, Sasuke remained composed within the limit of his shyness which was part of what made her fall for him in the first place.
More than that, there were his words as well.
"I...don't dislike that."
Her kiss, her touch and affection, he accepted it all in his own way and it warmed her heart to the point where she wanted to repeat the dose more times than Winter would like to admit.
Except she couldn't.
Once might be acceptable, but what if she got carried away completely? Winter didn't want to risk getting on his bad side or being seen as that kind of woman, especially now that she had a definitive answer about her own feelings towards this enigmatic boy and what she wanted to do from then on.
Yes, Winter wanted to be able to walk beside him.
"Hmm, is everything okay?" Sasuke tried, not knowing what else to say as to the way she remained silent and clearly thoughtful. At least she's not trying anything else.
While he thanked her for that, there was a kind of disappointment forming that she wasn't trying at all and he hated himself for having that kind of twisted expectation inside of him.
"Y-yes, I suppose," she said but not without blushing and starting to play with the ends of her hair, being unable to maintain eye contact with him. By the gods, this got even worse!
Her shyness and the feeling of butterflies in her belly, to the point where she wanted to run off and find a room in which she could hide under blankets to scream like a little girl!
Loving was so good and inconvenient that she didn't even know what to do about it!
"If that's the case, can I finish healing you?" Sasuke asked cautiously, for the first time getting worried about the possible answer. Please don't do like Blake and try to kiss me again.
For if she did, he wouldn't be responsible for what happened next.
Luckily for him, Winter had exactly the same thing in mind, where she was afraid of what would happen if she lost control.
Holding his hand could be all it took for her to lose herself once again.
No, Winter! She took a deep breath and hardened her resolve as best she could. No more acting like a hormonal teenager! For she was a grown woman and a soldier with years of training behind her back; with the title of a Specialist! "I-if you don't mind, then..." she looked away as she held out her hand to him, blushing, "Please?"
A lieutenant whose voice was so weak and timid it made her face heat up with embarrassment!
But above all, was the fact that she was still a woman experiencing love for the first time; one who unknowingly managed to make the heart of the target of her feelings skip a beat.
Cute... Sasuke found himself admiring the beauty of a woman for the third time since he set foot in this world. First Weiss, then Ruby, and now Winter...
Not that Blake and Yang hadn't had a similar effect on him, but not like this, to the point of almost rendering him speechless.
Another defeat for me, it seems. Sasuke almost sighed as he expressed a shallow smile at the situation he kept finding himself in since he had arrived in this world. Well, after so many victories against them, it's not so bad.
Winter's own behavior was evidence of that, where she had her hand outstretched while trying to avoid looking at him.
Besides, I'm not the only one struggling to keep myself in check. It made his respect for this woman increase significantly. "If I mind?" Showing a smile as he took Winter's hand once more was inevitable and tested the limit of her resolve. "After what you've done for me, this is the least I can do."
Winter felt goosebumps all over her body and almost melted.
Who could blame her for that?!
This boy was too much!
Is he doing this on purpose? A part of her wanted to believe that she was being teased, but the other that this was all just a reflection of what made all those girls fall for him. Including Weiss...
More and more, Winter was sure she would have to confront her little sister about it.
Yes, confront, for the matter at hand was unlikely to be resolved with a mere conversation, for the last time they had been together, Winter had promised that she had no interest in stealing her little sister's romantic interest.
The truth now couldn't be more different and she had no idea how to solve this situation.
Luckily, there was still time until then and Winter would focus on this moment that belonged to her and no one else; on the happiness she had never been able to experience before.
That and quenching a few doubts.
Luckily, Sasuke didn't seem to be in a hurry and was more than willing to answer the questions she had.
Time to learn more about this otherworldly divine enigma that stole her heart.
Nothing to say today.
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The next one will be out by the end of the month.