It took a while for Winter's heart to calm down. Not enough to stop jumping around inside her chest, but at least from wanting to come out of her mouth at every moment.

The feeling of having Sasuke's hand in hers and his power coursing through her veins as the remaining marks on her skin and internal wounds were healed, on the other hand, remained the same.

Yes, seeing the seriousness shown by him as he focused on her well-being and ignored everything else was something she wouldn't mind experiencing forever and it created absurd expectations within her; the kind she needed to keep in check alongside certain longing.

"Twice," Winter decided to start, this being an attempt to pull herself together and satiate her endless curiosity. "That's how many times you said I helped you." Which was true, all the more so because he did the same for her too, even if he didn't know it. "But what exactly does that mean?" that was the question that remained. "What happened to leave you in that state? Does it have anything to do with that strange tattoo on your neck?" what she assumed to be a Grimm known as Nightmare at first to fill her with fear over possibilities. "Besides, what do you...eh?"

Winter stopped her rampant questioning as she felt the hand that held hers tensing to realize she had said too much.

In truth, that reaction was almost redundant when compared to the surge of emotion and feeling she'd felt when hugging him earlier at the peaks of Beacon.

If Winter almost despaired just having him in her arms, what wasn't Sasuke going through at that moment?

The answer was more than obvious and made her feel stupid for forgetting about it as she tried to bring up those memories.

"I'm sorry!" she was quick to say, once more regretting her thoughtless actions and allowing herself to ask something so insensitive like that. "Forget what I said, you don't have to answer!"

Talking about it would be the same as reopening a wound and no one should have to go through that.

As for Sasuke, he just looked at this woman for a second and saw fear in her, but not the kind he expected; this one was born of concern for him.

"It's okay." Her reaction was legitimate and Sasuke didn't want to see her like that, blaming herself for something beyond her control. "I intended to talk about it with you anyway."

Unlike a colorful girl who had been spying on them outside the door for some time now, Winter had earned the right to know more about him after stopping him from becoming a monster altogether, giving him the opportunity to see his mother again, and nearly dying by giving her all in protecting him when no one else was there to do it.

After all, how many people outside of his family had done so much and gone so far for him?

Sasuke could only think of one and it was someone influenced by fate that the reincarnation of two brothers who loved as much as they hated each other.

Meaning, without realizing it, at that moment, Winter had climbed all the way up and gained a similar weight to what Naruto had for him.

The absurdity of what that was and meant.

In that case, all Sasuke could do was be thankful that she was from a different world. That way, he wouldn't have to do anything against her, should he decide to go through with his original plans, however unlikely that might be at this point.

Sasuke was sure that he would have to redo his revolution or give up on even trying.

That was because the idea of staying in Remnant and starting over from scratch was becoming more and more tempting, and he had several reasons for that.

Winter alone had become one.

"This tattoo on my neck," Sasuke would try to explain the reason behind his emotional breakdown in a vague yet satisfying way. "It's called Six Paths Mark, but that was after it was altered to help me in a time of need." To become stronger and make his allies stronger too. "Before that, it was called Curse Mark."

Winter didn't expect him to actually talk about it and just listened intently to everything he had to say.

She wasn't the only one.

On the other side of a barely open door, Neo was doing her best to listen in on this conversation without getting caught after having successfully intimidated that doctor.

That and she wanted to get Sasuke out of this building as soon as possible, thus preventing him from finding out about Roman and Cinder... Not that she cared about that bitch, but her minions were around and that could be a problem.

However, before she had the chance and could question this bastard about some things related to her power that seemed to have leveled up once again after he healed her, Neo came across a nurse running out of the room with her face flushed to the limit.

Considering who was in there, Neo's mind ran wild with the possibilities.

What were the chances that Sasuke had given a nurse a treat while waiting for Winter to wake up?

Better yet, had he done something to both of them at the same time?

Somehow, each of those options seemed just as possible as the other. Unfortunately, unlike what she had expected, Sasuke was only having a conversation about his past.

Not that Neo wanted to see any "action" or anything like that. She was just curious about the anatomy of an alien...

Right?

As she wondered about that, the subject of that mark started to become more interesting.

"The man who created this thing was a twisted criminal on levels I cannot describe and you can count on the fingers of one hand how many similar people are out there." Orochimaru was an absurd monster like that, where Sasuke believed that not even Obito or Madara with all their madness and obsession could compare. Danzou, Black Zetsu, and Kaguya, on the other hand... Those were monsters that deserved the same title, in his opinion. And...not one of them has a more ominous Chakra than mine. What did that make him then? Sasuke didn't like to think about the answer and preferred to believe his mother's words. "He was someone obsessed with immortality and tried to obtain it in every way, where in the end he resorted to stealing other people's bodies by transferring his soul so he could live longer."

"Stealing bodies?!" Winter couldn't help but interrupt as she let her disbelief speak louder. "Is something like that even possible?"

She knew about Ozpin and his reincarnation which had a similar effect, but it definitely wasn't the same...that she knew of.

The truth was that everything related to that man had always been shrouded in mystery and the General's distrust was starting to become less unfounded.

Now, Winter found herself doubting what she knew and how much of it was actually true.

Inevitably, the idea that Ozpin's interest in Sasuke was similar to that of this body-snatching man was there to leave a bad taste in her mouth.

"Winter, where I come from, basically anything is possible." Sasuke himself was an example of that, being the reincarnation of a demigod who literally experienced death a few days ago, but she didn't need to know that. "And that's where this mark comes in, being used as a means of selecting suitable hosts, as the chances of adapting and surviving the mark were extremely low."

Hopefully, something that didn't apply to the new version.

Sasuke would be sure of that.

"So that means you..." Winter didn't like to think about what he must have gone through being targeted by someone like that, let alone the possibility that the person making her heart dance like this was possibly someone else. Of course not, don't be stupid!

A body-snatching monster would have no love in him!

"Yes, I was marked by him four years ago, when I was thirteen." Ironically, Sasuke didn't hate Orochimaru for that. "Sure, he gave me a hard time because of it and almost managed to steal my body, but thanks to that, I got stronger; much stronger."

While yes, he even made use of drugs to help gain that strength, courtesy of Kabuto, as a result, Sasuke made Naruto and his little fox look like a joke in front of him during their reunion.

That and Sasuke could have killed that friend of his without even trying, which was sadly no longer the case, either because of how strong Naruto had become or his own change of heart.

But Regardless of all that and the second agenda Orochimaru had, that treacherous snake helped him in what Konoha refused to do to finally get his revenge.

Sure, Sasuke regretted killing his brother, however, illness had been the thing to really deal the final blow to Itachi, and the power gained from that loss was what was helping him fight gods to save worlds and that couldn't be overlooked.

In other words, despite everything that happened, Sasuke was grateful to that psychopath of a mentor who even now was probably dreaming that he managed to steal his body inside the Mugen Tsukuyomi.

On the other side of that limited revelation, Winter couldn't doubt anything that was said. The power Sasuke displayed was absurd like that and going through this situation where the outcome could have been worse than death strengthened him to levels beyond comprehension.

However, one doubt remained.

"But why you?" Winter knew why, or at least wanted to believe she did, but asked anyway. It can't just be because he's perfect.

Even more so when he was thirteen years old at the time and she couldn't help but imagine how cute a younger Sasuke was.

Suddenly Winter was hoping he had some family photos and might have a chance to see them someday.

Too bad that didn't seem to be an option, considering what he had to say.

"My eyes, in my world, are extremely coveted and...feared." Sasuke wasn't really in the mood to talk about it, but he would anyway...to a point. "Which is why my family was nearly wiped out when I was seven years old."

A half-truth that didn't encompass anything behind the reason for it happening in the first place.

Still, it was enough to have two girls choking on that revelation.

Sasuke lost his family when he was but a small child!

It wasn't for nothing that his aura was so dark and yet filled with love for his mother, someone who was no longer around but remained in his heart to this day.

Knowing that made Winter regret more and more her past choices and decisions.

Her mother was alive and well, relatively speaking, which meant she still had a chance to make things right, much unlike Sasuke.

If it wasn't for him showing up in her life, Winter was sure she would only have this kind of mindset when she stood in front of her mother's coffin and the words kept echoing through her mind: "I wish I wouldn't have..."

As for Neo, on the one hand, she wanted to say that Sasuke was lucky, but on the other...there were remnants of memories about her mother taking care of her before everything went to shit and it messed with her in a bad way.

That woman, if only she hadn't let herself be consumed by that man and his obsession with control, maybe she could have been...

No, it doesn't matter! Neo could no longer hold on to the past, especially when nothing could be changed. Yes, eyes on the future.

For that was all she still had.

"After what happened, there was only my older brother and I left of our family in the world." There was Obito pretending to be Madara, but not even Orochimaru knew that at the time and he wasn't exactly family to begin with, so it didn't make sense for Sasuke to talk about him. "My brother was really strong; one of the most powerful people in my world, but he had an important mission that kept him away, so there was only me, who was alone and unprotected left to be the perfect target, and...?"

Before he could say anything else, this woman had locked him in a hug again, demonstrating even more speed and strength than before.

"Winter?" Sasuke tried to look at her and his heart sank as he felt tears falling onto his exposed shoulder, just above his mark that she believed to be cursed and a source of pain. "What's wrong?"

This time, he couldn't understand why she had become emotional like that, only that it was his fault.

"It must have been hard," was all she had to say in the form of a tearful whisper and her hug meant so much more than that. "Growing up alone in the world and being chased like that just for being special."

Sasuke had to take a deep breath as he understood that Winter was feeling sorry for him and it resulted in a mix of emotions.

On the one hand, he hated being seen that way by someone else, no matter who it was. On the other hand, there was the fact that no one had done what Winter was doing for him now back in the time when the massacre happened, to the point where Sasuke sought comfort in watching Naruto from afar and the way he dealt with the pain of loneliness.

They both just wanted attention and the kind that no one in the village was willing to give to two living weapons.

Most of all, Sasuke was afraid to suffer again.

While he felt relief knowing there was someone else like him, at the same time it was a weakness that diverted his mind from what he really cared about.

Defeating Itachi.

But what if someone had done what Winter was doing for him now?

What would have changed?

Sasuke didn't know the answer, only that he appreciated her for it; her compassion.

Winter was a woman whose touch could bring up memories of his mother and calm his heart.

Maybe... he would have even remembered the repressed memories about his brother that night.

That's right, Winter was special.

Her sympathy was real and devoid of ulterior motives, very different from those who came before.

Besides, she knew practically nothing about what happened to him and yet she was reacting like this.

She was suffering because of him.

With that in mind, Sasuke was sure that Winter and not one of the other girls should know much more than this about him; ever.

"It's okay, I was alone, but not abandoned," he said as he did the same for this woman and comforted her, even if it was just another half-truth. "My brother did what he could to protect me and even sacrificed himself to remove that mark from my neck, preventing my body from being stolen in the process, as well as dealing with that man."

Again, another truth twisted on levels that no one needed to know about.

"Your older brother, he was an amazing person," Winter couldn't say more than that as she squeezed Sasuke in her arms, suddenly realizing that he had no one else from his family alive back in his home world. Thankfully, he remains alive thanks to someone who shares the same role as an older sibling and has endured far more for Sasuke than I have for Weiss.

Would Winter be able to do the same? To go to the extreme of giving her life for her little sister?

While she wanted to believe she had done just that by sacrificing years fighting for Weiss' freedom, it wasn't the same.

Hopefully, the day she would have to answer that question would never come.

For now, Winter would only be grateful for the choices that had been made.

Otherwise, if not for Sasuke's older brother, what wouldn't have happened to this boy who stole her heart? Winter didn't know, only that she admired and was grateful for this person she had never met, and would certainly try to be a much better big sister.

Starting with not stealing Sasuke from Weiss, where she had something not exactly orthodox in mind, but which was more common than one could imagine and could be the perfect solution to this dilemma.

"You have no idea how much." Sasuke might not agree with the decisions his brother made, but he respected how strong he was to withstand everything while suffering alone; which was why his revolution involved putting himself in the same kind of situation. "Itachi lived and died as a hero, always fighting to protect me while keeping the peace of my world."

To the point where he literally revived as a weapon, broke free, and kept fighting until he changed the course of the war before returning to the pure world.

Who the hell does such a thing after suffering so much?

His brother was just too good for that cursed world.

"Itachi..." Winter repeated that person's name and would be sure to keep it in her memory forever. "I hope I can be that good of a sister."

Quite a goal, Sasuke would say.

"You can be." For her to have that kind of mentality already said a lot about her love for Weiss and he admired that in her, just like he did in Yang. "Only, please don't lie to her," that was the advice he had for Winter; similar to the one he gave Yang before. "If Itachi hadn't hidden certain things from me and lied about others under the pretense of protecting me, he might have been alive today."

His brother made several questionable choices during his life and the biggest one was lying until the end, where the truth was only fully revealed after his death.

Something that could have been avoided.

But then again, Itachi was just a kid pressured with expectations back then and who was put against the wall by that Danzou trash.

There was simply no telling what Sasuke would have done in his place, only that it would have been much worse.

Yes, the fourth great ninja war probably would have happened much sooner and that alone served to show the difference between brothers and their priorities.

"I...will keep that in mind." Winter had to stop herself from questioning further about the motive behind this advice, knowing that it was extremely personal, as it may have led to the death of Sasuke's brother. The truth...

There were many things she knew that were not public knowledge thanks to her position and that addressed the safety of every individual in Remnant, including Weiss and Sasuke.

Salem, Ozpin, the maidens, the Fragments of Darkness, the relics, and the dangers behind the upcoming initiation.

Should she talk about it now?

"Winter?"

Surely Sasuke could deal with all these problems in what? A month? Less?

"Winter?"

But then what? Would he go back to his world?

"Oi, are you listening?"

The thought of that happening didn't please her one bit, something that was reflected in the tightening of her arms around him, so as not to let him go.

"You're pretending you don't hear me, right?" Sasuke was sure of it.

"Maybe..." Winter could neither confirm nor deny that. The force of habit.

"Hmph," Sasuke snorted lightly, knowing that right now she was just taking advantage of the situation. "You're not going to let me go, are you?"

"Should I?" Winter asked in the form of a whisper close to his ear and could feel him stiffening in her arms and blush. So cute!

Even though he was so powerful and had been through so many things that must have scarred him forever, in the end, he was still a teenager in the prime of his age like any other, and that made her happy; to know that he could still have a normal, happy life.

As for Sasuke, he found himself fighting his instincts once again because of this woman's boldness.

Unfortunately for her, two could play this game.

"Is that so?" Sasuke grinned in his own half-twisted way, which thankfully Winter couldn't see in full, as he rested his hands on her waist and had her shuddering. "Just don't blame me if I end up doing something."

Winter blushed and her heart raced.

"L-like what?" she brought her lips close to his ear, her voice containing desire beyond her control. "I'm...really curious about it."

Sasuke lost his smile and swallowed dryly as he realized that his plan hadn't worked. Quite the contrary, it only served to put Winter in the mood and that could be dangerous as his hands seemed to have gained a life of their own and were beginning to slide below the waist level of this perfection of a woman.

Before they could realize it, their lips were already touching again, their breaths colliding with heat.

There was anticipation for more and as the kiss began to deepen, the door opened again and a familiar voice made both Winter and Sasuke jump in fright as they abruptly broke apart.

"Winter?!" Weiss stood there, looking at them in shock. "What's the meaning of this!?"

It took Sasuke a second to understand what was going on and be in doubt about thanking or killing this girl for her meddling, especially because of the way she decided to do it.

"Weiss?!" Winter, on the other hand, nearly fainted at the sight of her little sister, who she didn't want to hurt for nothing in this world, catching her in the arms of the man she loved! This was almost adultery! "Th-this...this is not what it looks like!"

The oldest excuse in the book!

Winter was so panicked that she couldn't even think of something better than that!

Just as she was about to collapse at the thought of being the worst person in the world, a strong and more than familiar hand rested on her shoulder to reassure her.

His words, on the other hand, brought a revelation that was anything but comforting.

"Neo, stop it." Sasuke sighed as he realized that the trouble had only just begun. Seeing this girl, who was taking the form of Weiss, grin from ear to ear as she changed the color of her blue eyes to brown and pink only confirmed it. She couldn't have chosen a worse way to make this encounter happen.

Inevitable, he would say.

While Sasuke wanted them to work together for the sake of this world, the fact that they had almost killed each other remained and Neo didn't give a damn about any of it.

At least, not yet.

Now that Sasuke had made a discovery or two inside the building, Neo would walk the line whether she wanted to or not.

For now, he would have to make these two get along, and considering the hatred in Winter's eyes, Sasuke was sure he would have had an easier time fighting against Kaguya.

Women were proving to be complicated like that.

I'm alive, thanks for asking (Contains sarcasm).

But seriously, some things have been happening that prevented me from writing as much as I wanted and it's wearing me out to the point of being concerning. And to make things worse, last month I was supposed to go on vacation from my work for fifteen days but even that was postponed indefinitely.

Even so, I'm still writing what I can, mainly because of the P t r & on, otherwise, I think I would have stopped writing altogether(Yeah, It's that bad).

Anyway, that's all I have to say. I'm going to keep writing, even if less than usual until I get my head around it.

I'm not going to give a date for the next chapter, but if it's not this month it will be in the next one. Other than that, I'll update my other fics too, even the DxD one by tomorrow.

That's all for now, so until next time.