We hid the world inside an egg

"We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories."
― Jonathan Gottschall, The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human

OBELISK
The Monarch Woods
Chapter 1 of 2

The Orchard was a rustic styled barn building converted into a indie fair trade bar on the outskirts of the city, right where everything became unreasonably expensive and only the rich kids hung. Their signature drink was a hard apple cider that was locally brewed and loudly touted as the best hard cider on the market. Angry Orchard, the drink, was sold on the side just as a way of spitefully comparing the two ales and see that the local stuff was truly all it claimed to be. Sakura didn't drink, but judging by Karin's vocal interest, she was willing to believe the claims.

"Well, what do you think?" Ami asked, coming up behind the two girls and hanging one arm over each of their respected shoulders. "Isn't this neat?"

Ami had a few drinks, but it was enough to loosen her up and make her giddy for the company she wasn't familiar with. Sakura had hoped that the lack of a dance floor would act as a deterrent for Ami getting so intentionally loud and friendly. It was concerning to the pink haired girl only because Ami was so averse to speaking with strangers if she was sober.

Sakura tugged on Ami's hand. "Sit with us, you're always running off."

Ami pouted but dropped into a seat by the bar and tilted over so that her head landed on Sakura's shoulder intentionally. "You're no fun. You don't have funny stories anymore. I've heard all of them before."

"I'm sorry I'm so boring," Sakura laughed, nursing her water. "Maybe you should tell me a story for a change."

Ami blew the stray bangs out of her line of vision and tried smoothing out the miniature wrinkles in her dress. "I'm going to go dancing. Join me if you're up to it. Kar?"

"One dance won't hurt," the redhead consented, setting her finished drink down on the counter before following Ami out onto the small dance floor. It was a pitifully small dance floor that circled around a modest stage where locals and drifting talent often entertained. Only a handful of couples could let loose at a time unless they spilled out over the hardwood, as they often did, into the surrounding areas.

There was a loft above the dance floor for the kids who just wanted to chill, and below there were couches and tables where the pool table used to be. Sakura always thought the Orchard reminded her of the Bronze from her favorite 90's TV show, Buffy the Vampire Hunter. The Orchard was a little mix of everything with specialty drinks, a dance floor, live music, a corner for games, and a lounge for lounging. Whatever mood you were in, the Orchard had a place for you.

Alone at the bar, Sakura caught a sliver of her reflection in the glass behind the drinks on the far wall. She was wearing her hair down in soft beachy waves that Karin claimed make her features soft. When Sakura looked down, her pale, pink locks slipped forward to cover the sides of her face like pastel tapestry. Her hair would need to be dyed again if she didn't want to go back to being a platinum blond, but for now she liked the roseate hue of her hair when the club lights shone through.

When she brushed her nails through her hair and looked up, the bartender gave her a flirty smile that would have been tempting, had the kid looked a little older than the seniors from high school. He was handling alcohol, so she didn't doubt he was of the legal age, but he had the sort of face that would be better suited once he finished growing into it.

'Ugh, since when were you such a critic,' she mentally chastised herself. Until recently, she would have never bothered to think about a guy who flirted for longer than two seconds, much less critique his physical properties.

She needed a drink, too bad she was the designated driver for the evening. It was almost an unspoken rule that if Sakura was going out to a club or a bar with Karin, that she would be the designated driver in order for Karin to booze it up without having to worry about driving while impaired. Karin was a horrible driver anyway, but Sakura had no doubt that a buzzed Karin was even worse.

And it didn't help that her favorite drink was a seasonal peach blend that was going to go off the menu once the Autumn flavors came in. Sakura still had a month or so before they ran out of peach, but still….

"Can I get you anything?" the boy bartender asked.

Sakura shook her head, smiling to be polite. "Nah, I'm driving tonight. I should be good and stay away."

"We have some non alcoholic drinks I could offer you. It's club policy to provide designated drivers with soft drinks free of charge." The kid pointed to a picture on the wall of the bar owner and a few young girls who were all wearing the uniform. "One of our own was hit and killed by a drunk driver two years ago. Never mind that said driver was boozing up at home, the boss still felt so guilty about it. We're pretty good about calling cabs and getting rides for anyone who needs it and treating DDs well so they're encouraged not to drink."

"I'm sorry about the girl," Sakura replied, frowning at the picture. "But that's a pretty cool response. I'm glad your boss is so considerate, especially as a bar owner."

The bartender looked back from the photograph to Sakura and grinned. "So, you have a type of drink?"

"If you have any sort of tea I'd be eternally grateful, but soda's good too."

"That's actually on our menu, not here, but at the meal bar." He pointed to wall behind Sakura and to her right where a second bar stood made out of apple crates. Behind the bar was a menu list of finger foods one could order and non alcoholic drinks. "But don't get up, I can make them all from here."

Sakura thanked him and ordered a green tea with pomegranate and honey. True to his word, everything needed for the drink was easily accessible from behind the counter, and within five minutes Sakura had her tea. The stage was empty, but Sakura could hear the music playing from the sound set close by when she took the first sip.

"Any good?" She looked up through her lashes and saw the bartender was still hovering close by. He seemed to be waiting for something from her. When she blinked in surprise he laughed shyly and set his hands to cleaning shot classes that had already been cleaned. "Sorry if I'm bothering. I've only seen you in here once or twice before. This aint your scene?"

Sakura didn't mind the conversation, not really. Only thing she was concerned with was possibly leading the young boy on and making him assume more was happening than it actually was. She liked talking with people, but she liked walking away from people too.

Easing into it, Sakura shrugged her shoulders and cupped both her hands around her mug. "Not really, but to be honest, I don't have a scene or anything like that. If I'm out it's because I've been dragged out."

"You didn't seem to clubbing type."

"Which is why I'm not at a the Misery Den right now. To be honest, that's probably the type of place Ami would have loved, but this is as much as I can handle right now."

"You made a good choice. The Orchard is an ideal hang out. It's been my favorite place to work for, for three years now."

Sakura hid her surprise. She had thought him younger than what he actually seemed if he had been working at a bar/club for over three years. Another employe who had been on the floor cleaning up empty tables waltzed in behind the boy and dropped an arm across the kid's shoulders before Sakura could comment.

"What are you doing, Yammy Yam oh Yam my man?" the new arrival asked, smiling around a toothpick that dangled from his lips. "Are we really that slow tonight?"

"Genma," the boy groaned, squeezing his eyes shut in an effort to fight back the rising color in his cheeks. "You're on the clock, go back to work."

"Did it, now I'm done and you looked like more fun," Genma chuckled, turning his lazy eyes over to where Sakura sat. His easy smile stretched a bit when his eyes met hers. "And you're doing a horrible job of entertaining the customers. Look how board you've got the nice lady."

Genma let his arm slip free before taking a step towards the bar and leaning over, onto his elbows. "My name's Genma, and you are?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes, lifting her mug to her lips before replying. "Sakura."

"Sakura, do you have plans for the rest of the night, or are you here to make some?"

"Oh my God, you're not allowed to hit on the customers, get out of here!" the bartender cried out in exasperation, picking up Genma by the collar of his shirt and dragging him back to the door to the bar before tossing him out. When he got back he shot Sakura a regretful expression. "I am so sorry about him. He's like that a lot, we can't get him to stop and he's been here too long to fire him."

"It's fine." Sakura waved a hand in front of her face. "It's nothing I haven't heard before and besides, I know how to act nasty when it's needed. Thanks anyway."

He smiled at the praise just as a couple approached the bar to sit. "Sure, anytime. I'm Yamato by the way. Let me know if you need anything."

Sakura merely raised her mug in farewell before finishing off its contents. Not wanting to look like she was lonely or in want of more conversation, Sakura pushed her drink forward and away from her setting before hopping off the barstool and retreating to the heart of the club to find Karin and Ami.

It didn't take long, as both were sprawled out on a couch next to each other. Karin grinned widely when she saw Sakura and Ami laughed for no other reason, causing Sakura to sigh.

"Okay, you two look done for the night, should I take you both home now?" Sakura asked.

"Saw you talking to a boy," Ami hummed before laughing at her own words. Her speech was slightly slurred, but not to the point where it was hard to understand what she was saying.

Karin looked over at Ami and winced. While Ami might not have had a lot to sip, she was a lightweight in comparison to Karin who could outdrink boys twice her size.

"Yeah," Karin hummed, reaching out to shake Ami a little. "I think you're done, sweetie. Let's get you in the car. You can crash at my place."

"That makes it easier on me," Sakura chirped, reaching for her keys in the front pocket of her mini yellow purse. Finding her keys she gave them a shake, letting all the nick nacks and metal pieces make a familiar noise. "To the station wagon my friends."

Between Karin and Sakura, Ami didn't have much trouble walking out to the car, but buckling her in and getting her to stay upright in her seat was a bit more challenging. Eventually, Ami passed out and went boneless in the back seat, making it no less difficult to strap her in. When they were done, Karin closed the door as softly as she dared while still slamming it, because Sakura's station wagon wouldn't do anything unless you were rough with it. Doors had a habit of creaking open if you were too gentle with them.

"Not too bad," Sakura said with a shrug. "I wouldn't mind coming back here again, but not so much booze next time."

"It was nice," Karin agreed, circling around to open the passenger side door and slide in. "I'm glad you decided to come out with us. You just started school and already you're having to cancel on us to finish homework assignments. I thought you were supposed to be ahead of this."

"I am, I just want to stay ahead. And besides, you and Ami go out enough to know how to have a good time without me." Sakura smiled sarcastically in the dark as she pulled out. Overhead, street lamps cast pools of light that flickered past, one right after the other as Sakura sped down the not so active road. Sakura liked the way her city looked at night. It wasn't The City, but it was her city.

"Don't be jealous. You know we miss you and it's nowhere near as fun without you. Just make an effort to come more often."

"While selectively, I'm still an introvert," Sakura grumbled. The radio went to commercial and instead of flipping it to a different station she turned it down. If Karin had something to say, Sakura wanted to make it look as much like she was willing to listen as possible.

"Fine, than just me. I like Ami enough, but you're my bestie." Karin slipped down in her seat, digging her chin into her chest and pouting. "I'm lonely."

"You're using me as a crutch. What do you think it's going to be like if either of us get a boyfriend if you're getting jealous over me now?" Sakura let the silence sit before saying more. "It's been nearly four years since then, Karin."

No one said anything, but the message implied was clear. It had been nearly four years since Karin's spirit was shattered and destroyed by a boy who worked in her father's pizza parlor. It had been nearly four years since Sakura went from Karin's number one enemy to Karin's reason for living. And it had been four years since Karin's heart started healing, but somewhere along the line, the healing process went awry. Sakura knew her role in the relationship was to be a support to Karin, to help her to grow and build up a confidence that was close to what it once was before the boy fiasco. But Sakura wasn't a support anymore, she was a crutch. And while she would never want Karin to stop or lessen their friendship, Sakura knew Karin needed to branch out from her safety zone.

"I'm really proud of you and how good a friend you've been to Ami. I know she needs it too, Kar."

The redhead looked back into the backseat where Ami snored, out cold. "She's alright. Still a bitch, but I like that about her. Nothing wrong with being a little bit of a bitch."

"Or a lot, in your case," Sakura joked.

Karin narrowed her eyes. "Hey, watch it."

Sakura switched lanes easily, chuckling to herself. "Don't worry, I like that about you."

Karin rolled her eyes and flipped a strand of mermaid red hair over her shoulder with over emphasized gestures. "Naturally." Sakura laughed, and Karin watched her through it, turning her eyes back to Ami before speaking. "Anyway, she's alright. I feel like the powerpuff girls when it's three of us. It's a good number."

"A trio," Sakura agreed.

Karin waited until they were on a road she recognized as close to home before saying something more. "I'm not trying to be clingy, but you're different."

"How so?" Sakura frowned.

"I don't know. You sometimes look off like you're thinking of something and it's like you're lost to the world. You've always been a dreamer, yeah, but sometimes recently I feel like you're living in another world part of the time. Did you start writing again?"

Sakura felt defensive all of a sudden. "I would have told you."

"Yeah, yeah, I figured that. Look, I'm not your mother, I'm not going to say it's bad for you, but if you feel you need it, go for it. Just let me know so I can keep an eye on you. Deal?"

They were close to where Karin lived, so Sakura slowed down, drifting under the sleep limit. There were weights over her heart resting in her chest she wanted to shove off. "I didn't start writing again, but there has been something bothering me."

Karin sat up, attentive as ever.

"It's just these dreams I've been having. They're not reoccurring, but they are in succession, one starts where the prior finished. And they were so lifelike I thought they were real. But I haven't dreamt like that in a month. They ended badly, and I think I died in the last one."

Karin hesitated before saying anything. "Do you think you need to go back on the medicine?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, it's not impairing my ability to work or carry on with classes, so there is no need. And besides, it's been a month since I've dreamt like that. I think it's over."

They were in front of the pizza parlor, but Sakura hadn't killed the engine. Parked outside, the two sat for a while without speaking. Karin swallowed, opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it. Sakura chuckled at the sight.

"Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it."

"No!" Karin nearly jumped. "You idiot, are you joking? I want to help, I do, but I don't know what I can do for you or if there is anything that even needs doing. I…I'm not good with stuff like this. I need something I can kick in the balls-those are the sort of problems I'm good at solving."

"I know. Hey, it's fine for now. Let's get you and Ami inside." Sakura opened her door and had a foot out when a hand on her elbow stopped her. She looked back to see Karin frowning. "What?"

"If you think it would help, write it all down and I'll read it with you. Maybe talking about it would help. I can't do much, but I can do that much."

"Read what?" Ami asked with a yawn, waking up partway. Her eyes fluttered open and then she was back to snoring right away, this time only louder.

Karin and Sakura exchanged a look before laughing into their hands.

"Fine," Sakura confessed. "We'll do it that way. Thanks, Kar."

Karin grinned wide. "No problem."

When Sakura got home the first thing she saw when she turned on the living room lights was her unfinished Halloween costume draped out over the couch.

Ami was orchestrating the night for the three of them, getting them into parties with high standards and higher budgets on the hosting side. Ami and Sakura had been unwilling to sacrifice one of their favorite nights of the year for anything other than their traditional trick or treat extravaganza and Twilight Zone marathon. But, apparently, the really fancy high class parties had gift bags that included well stocked gift cards and two hundred dollar sunglasses. Ami showed off a pair of sapphire stud earrings she received last year before throwing them back into her jewelry box on account of how 'small' and inexpensive they were.

While not poor, Sakura and Karin didn't have the spare dough to go around buying expensive, well made accessories like Ami and be picky about their size or color. With that in mind, both girls were huge suckers for freebees, no matter what they were. Sakura had actually managed to go the entire time since moving in without buying any paper napkins since she picked so many up from fast food outlets and saved them. (It was a matter of pride for her by this point.)

And aside from that, the party Ami wanted to take them too was genuinely interesting looking in and of itself. The Gramophone ball was unique in that it was a dated social event that required it's attendants to arrive in period costume and dine like the aristocrats the social elites all wish they were in spite of their worker blood. The three main families who collaborated to orchestrate the ball were all self made millionaires who held fantasies of coming from long lines of czars and French nobility and divinely inheriting their fortunes instead of working for it.

Sakura fingered the material that had been cut apart and pinned together with safety pins in anticipation of a day where actual sewing took place. She wasn't a fine seamstress, but she watched enough youtube and tailored enough cosplay outfits to know her way around a needle and thread, unlike Karin who was having help on altering an old piece of Ami's.

Sakura's dress was a deep velvet green with gold and white detail. Inspired by an Imperial Russia era Lady in waiting gown she found on Pinterest, Sakura had stayed fairly accurate to the most simple design she could find. There were a few truly lavish gowns that made her green with envy, but Sakura knew it was only a dream for her. It would take too much time for such a simple dress, anything more elaborate was out of the question.

"I'll work on it some more in the morning," Sakura said aloud, knowing she had less than two months left before she needed it. That would be enough time, especially when she already had the material cut and pinned.

She was tired when she finally made it to the bathroom in her pjs. She made an honest effort to take care of her teeth, but cut her brushing time down in half before rinsing and heading for bed. She set her alarm even though she didn't have classes or work that next day because she knew she had to keep her body on a schedule if she didn't want to end up yawning all through the first half of her morning lectures the day after.

Turning onto her side, Sakura looked over at her nightstand and saw the black Obelisk that stood against her stack of books. One entire side was bleached in mother of pearl siding, while the rest remained black with onyx. It had been that way ever since her adventure with Nageto in the hospital room.

She remembered waking from the dream convinced something was still buried in her stomach, only to find nothing less than perfectly smooth skin at the site. All the other bruises and cuts from that dream were nowhere to be found when she went looking for them as well. Even the old bruises and half healed cuts were faded and nonexistent. It was weird, but not in the unwelcome sort of way. She liked not having ugly jarring scars all over her body.

Sakura rolled over onto her opposite side, looking away from the Obelisk on her nightstand and closing her eyes. It had been a month. It wasn't worth worrying about anymore.

There was nothing to worry about.

There was nothing but empty dreams anymore. No, not anymore.

Nothing anymore.

No….

Her slumber was heavy and deep; it was deeper than it should have been. The sinking deepness struck a memory too late, a second after she tipped over the edge and was caught by gravity into the dream that wasn't a dream.

Sulfur filled her lungs and suddenly she couldn't breath. She was swimming in smoke and struggling to find a surface where she could free her lungs from their crushing weight. Somewhere she broke even and clean air filled her breasts, but not before doubling her over with great whooping coughs that echoed through her hollow body like the sound of ripped bedsheets.

"Sai," she managed to say in between gasps.

The world around her was dark, a black sand beach on the coast of a sea of smoke. Tendrils rolled in like curling waves before retreating back out to the sea where fire flickered like foam along the crests of waves. It was a frightening sight that led her to believe in an even more terrible world beyond her sea of smoke and brimstone. What swam in those smoke waters? She could only imagine.

"Is this the next gate?"

Sai smiled and shook his head in silence. He was dressed in black pants and a black shirt that covered all his arms, but it wasn't the same outfit she remembered him wearing. His shirt wasn't a turtleneck, but rather a loose tunic with a high collar that was kept tied together with leather string. Still, it was Sai. Nothing else seemed changed about him. His skin was still strikingly pale in comparison to his pitch colored hair and matching black eyes and blacker eye lashes.

"I was starting to believe…you weren't real." Sakura coughed the remnants of smoke from her lungs before continuing. "I was almost convinced this had all been a dream."

"It is a dream. You're sleeping, and I'm in your mind."

"How helpful," she chuckled dryly. "Why did you wait so long? I thought you would come back the very next day."

"I would have liked to, but the curse had to wait until your menstrual cycle finished. It's a funny loophole that existed partly because no one believed such a curse would be used on a woman to begin with." Sai took a step towards her and the black sand under his shoes left no footprints, even though it shifted when Sakura took a step back.

"Well that's not creepy at all." She shook her head at the mental image of a curse made out of smoke being scared off by a bloody tampon.

It was true she had just finished a cycle that day prior. It was one of the reasons she had agreed to go out with Karin and Ami to the Orchard in the first place, because who wouldn't want to celebrate after bleeding for a week?

"The Kingdom and her Gate will come upon you soon. I came ahead of it to speak with you in advance." Sai took another step towards her and this time Sakura didn't move. She could see the reflections in his eyes where the light hit his orbs and bounced off the glass.

"Is this Gate anything like the last one, a maze I have to navigate out of?" She remembered the feeling of Marble and shuddered.

"No, this Gate will more closely resemble the previous Kingdom. It is built to be only slightly less challenging than the last Kingdom. The second Gate is fiercer than the first, but less than the Kingdom of Man."

"Now you're just trying to confuse me." She shook her head and waved her hands in front of her face. "Don't think I'm going to keep any of this straight. Aren't I in the Gate right now?"

"It will be challenging and take long. That is all you need to know." Sai looked off at something behind Sakura and waved his hand. The sands around them shifted and Sakura felt herself stumble forward, landing against Sai's chest as he waved towards the distance where black sand and blacker smoke twisted and turned to his will. "This is the world between worlds, the bridge that goes between. Here I have greater control over the landscape and there is no true threat to your being, but it will only last for tonight. We must make the most out of it."

"What are you talking about?" Sakura tried to find her footing, but couldn't stand without supporting half her weight on Sai's shoulder. She cursed under her breath and gave up, choosing to hang off of him.

"Tonight you will chose the direction of your next world. The Gate's landscape is still undecided. You can influence it in a way that was impossible for the Marble Gardens. My gift to you."

The sand in front of Sai opened up and the smoke rolled back like a scroll and a host of animals waited on the beach, docile and inanimate.

"What is this?" Sakura asked, blinking at the sight.

There was a wolf, a bear, a hawk, a hare, and a snake, each sitting a short distance apart from its neighbor without moving.

Sai nudged her forward and she found the ground stable at last, and solid enough to walk on.

"You must choose a totem to aid you in the next world. Make your selection based on which animal most strongly resonates with your character. It will be your ally in the next world and your enemy."

At the thought of an animal enemy Sakura instantly looked to the harmless hare, but stopped when she remembered it would have to be her ally as well. The Snake was out of the question, as was the hare. Snakes weren't something she liked associating with for better or worse, and that desire for separation only grew stronger when she remembered Orochimaru and his snake eyes.

The hawk was beautiful, but she felt separated from it. Standing in front of the bear she felt dwarfed, even though the dark furred grizzly was standing on all fours. That left the wolf. Sakura walked over and stopped in front of the large dog, taking in the grey white pattern of his coat. His eyes were frozen on display, but they were a startling saffron all the same, grounding Sakura where she stood.

"It's not even a choice. I'm going to be cliche and go with the wolf," Sakura said, reaching out her hand to run her fingers through his fur. He was soft to the touch and strong with lithe muscle underneath. It reminded her of the Husky her grandmother kept until the old dog couldn't move anymore and died in the garden. She couldn't remember his name for the life of her though, no matter how much she tried to recall it.

"Then the decision is made," Sai said, and all the other animals faded away. "I hope you are comfortable with the cold, Sakura."

"See, we were never about butterflies. We've always been about burning stars. All about us is unearthly and radiant."
— Anna Akhmatova, Anna Of All The Russias: A Life Of Anna Akhmatova (2007)

Sakura blinked in surprise, pivoting on her heel. "What? Wait, what was that about the cold!?"

When Sakura woke up the taste of smoke still stuck to the back of her teeth and under her tongue. Stumbling towards the porcelain sink in the bathroom she bent over and spit. When she raised her eyes to meet her reflection in the mirror she saw the bags and redness that lined the rims around her lashes. She wanted to yawn, even though she knew she had one of the deepest sleeps in her life, because there was something exhausting about dreaming with Sai.

"Don't do this to me," she breathed out loud.

She sounded sad, heavy, and desperate, but deep beneath her breastbone in a corner of her heart she felt light. In spite of all the blood, bruises, and tears, there was a part of her that didn't fear the dreams. No, more than that, there was a part of her that welcomed the dreams, and danced when her world slipped away in favor of whatever her imagination had in store for her that evening.

Dressing for a day of cleaning around the house, Sakura flew through the hours. One after another, minute after minute evaporated under her hands. She had her homework finished, her fridge stocked, and her dress some more pinned and sewn in places before the sun set. Karin called that evening and whined until they had a skype chat set up where the two of them could talk about their costumes for Ami'sball, the cute bartender from the Orchard, work, school, and everything else. The only thing Sakura didn't mention was the dreams, and Karin didn't say anything about it either until Sakura was about to log off.

"It's too early for that," Karin complained, scrunching up her nose in distaste. "What's the rush."

"I have classes in the morning."

"Eleven isn't the morning."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Class starts at eleven, but's it is an hour and a half commute and I don't like falling asleep on the train with strangers. I have to be up early to get things ready anyway."

"You're no fun. How many classes are you taking this semester?

Sakura listed them all out in her head before replying. "Only four, but two are online classes and two are hybrids, so I actually only have to go into school one day a week, but it's all day. That's why we can't hang out on Tuesdays."

Karin frowned. "Why are you going to bed so early, Sakura. Does this have anything to do with what you talked to me about on the drive home last night?"

Sakura didn't say anything, but she pulled away from the screen and looked away, and that was as good as any answer to Karin who knew how to read her friend by now. Sakura sucked on her bottom lip before biting it, wishing she had a stick of chapstick to keep the cracks moisturized. If she remembered correctly there was a green tube of skittles flavored chapstick in the pocket of her old jeans.

"Sakura," Karin tried again. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The sound of her voice was heavy in Sakura's ears. The pink haired girl shook her head. "No, not tonight. And maybe not for a while. I…hey, look, I'm not crazy. I'm just dreaming and that's not something to be concerned about."

Karin shrugged. "Fine, be a bitch about it. I just wanted to hear a good story."

The tone was light and it made Sakura feel safer, like there was more room around her that allowed her to breath freely. No longer confined in a tight social setting. She looked at Karin and saw the annoyance and silently thanked her friend for it.

"I'll tell you about it when I'm ready," Sakura confessed.

Karin just rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed. Karin wouldn't press the issue, but Sakura knew that Karin wanted to. Before Sakura could say anything, or before Karin could say goodbye, the redhead logged off, forcefully shutting the lid on her laptop and leaving Sakura alone in her room. The screen went back to blue and the disconnected phone icon showed up once, flashes, and then faded out.

"She's angry with me," Sakura said out loud, even though the channel was cut and there was no one to listen to her and no one to talk to in the first place.

Sakura shut down skype and was about to log off, closing her own laptop, when an icon caught her eye. It was for Microsoft Word. The light under the icon let her know the program was still on, even though she didn't have a page up. With a simple click, a fresh new page popped up. In the upper left hand corner there was a blinking dash symbol staring back at her, waiting for her to type.

The keystrokes came easy, spilling out from her fingertips before she even knew what she was doing. She autosaved after only a few lines and the box asking her for the document name came down. Carefully, as if unsure of her decision, she named the document Dream World-Level 1. Scrunching up her nose, Sakura backspaced until the title option was blank again and started over. Kingdom1. Still not liking it, but not wanting to go back and input something else, Sakura kept it as a working title and went back to the actual page of her document where she had begun to write out a short description of the Marble Gardens.

"Flowers bled from stone in woven rivers. Red and black, the faces of poppies turned outwards in all directions, seeking an escape from their stony imprisonment. Why did the stone bleed such vivid red flowers in place of fragmented geodes? Why was something so alive and fleeting reside inside the body of something so dead and cold? If I had been turned to stone then, what flower would I have bled for the next man to see and pity?"

When Sakura opened her eyes again the world around her was so terribly white she was almost sure she had awoke in the wrong place. But no, the world wasn't bleached free of color, it only looked that was as she lay on her back and stared up at the sky full of pregnant clouds and tempest winds. Some bellies were darker than others, some were wider and fuller, but all were wide and swallowing. Whatever color the sky should have been, Sakura saw no trace of it as she stretched out on the ground.

"Where is this new land?" Sakura asked out loud half expecting Sai to be there when she stood up again. The world around her was just as white as the sky, if not even more white, as snow clung to the hard earth making it soft and moist.

Sakura turned around and surveyed her surroundings. She was pretty high up on the side of a mountain looking down on a snake shaped road that wound around the base of her mountain. All the world was white around her except around the road, where red bloomed out against the snow like poppies from the stone. That's when Sakura saw it, the bodies.

Jumping down from her ledge, Sakura scaled the not so steep side of her mountain, loosening rubble and rock underfoot so that the mountain slid with her as she kept her eyes fixed on the poppies in the snow. The closer she drifted the better she could see.

There were figures in the snow, half buried and partly trampled into distorted shapes to be frozen by the wind and snow until they were stiff and blue. A girl in twelve different gypsies scarfs lay on her side with one arm partly raised, her fingers bent into a claw that held nothing but the cold. Here eyes were open, searching, and her mouth hung open at an angle. Some little distance away from her lay a man in rags and scarves. His beard was full, but his mouth was choked with upturned snow and his eyes were shadowed under a cap that had sunk down over his face.

Close to the two was an overturned cart that was toppled and smashed in so that it's original shape and size were no longer evident. Shattered fragments of brightly painted wood lay scattered in the snow. From the wreckage leather reins and straps lay in pieces, torn or pulled apart. There was a great deal of blood in the snow, though, so Sakura assumed whatever had been pulling the young couple's carriage had been taken away in a badly wounded, if not lifeless state.

Finding another hand half buried in the snow, Sakura followed finger to palm, to wrist, to arm, to elbow, to nothing. The disembodied arm led to nothing but more blood in the snow and other fragments of what she believed to have been another man, if his wrist size was any indicator.

There was a small yip sound and Sakura looked up, to where the road curved around the mountain side and out of sight. It might have been the wind, it was probably the wind. There was no use jumping over it, but Sakura crouched down and picked a piece of speared wood. Grabbing the dull end, she swung once, testing its weight before gripping tighter.

The snow gave no resistance as she rounded the bend in the road. It was soft and wet under her booted foot, meaning it was melting. The world was white and cold around her, but that cold would not last long. One foot in front of the other, Sakura approached the bend and stepped around it.

There were even more bodies than before, and another site of wrecked transportation. Sakura counted quickly with her eyes, -two, three, four- the remains of at least five men sunk into the snow, staining it red. But there were other curious things sunk into the snow, Curious things such as wooden spears and broken arrows. The muzzle of a rifle stood out of the snow, and another lay half buried just inches from the hand of a fallen man.

Sakura reached for a broken shaft when the noise from before froze her in place. She stilled and strained her ears, hearing something coming from behind the wreckage. Still cautious, she angled her wood weapon with purpose and rounded the site of the overturned cart.

At first she almost didn't see it, since white and white blended so well, but buried in the snow was the half gutted body of a large female wolf with a limp tongue and bead like eyes. Against her breast nestled two dead cubs, one gray one an ashen black. Sakura felt a sickness settle inside her stomach seeing such small creatures still without life. It was only for a moment, but in a moment the death of two infant animals moved her in a way the death of the humans couldn't.

'That's because you're a heartless bitch, Sakura,' she thought to herself.

The noise from before rose up again, and this time Sakura saw movement. A snout poked out from between the two still bodies of the wolf pups. Another tiny head poked out, tasting the air with a pink tongue before burying back beneath the dead, warm bodies.

Sakura dropped to her knees and crawled over to the bodies, picking apart the deceased pup to dig out the one that still wiggled with life. It yipped in a pinched voice as she held it in her hand. It was tiny, smaller than the other two, but it still had the energy to kick out at her and whimper.

"You must choose a totem to aid you in the next world. Make your selection based on which animal most strongly resonates with your character. It will be your ally in the next world and your enemy."

Looking down at her own body, Sakura saw that she was dressed in muted colors with black pants tucked into tall brown boots. She wore a long double breasted wool coat over two layers of shirt, both of which were tucked into the high waist of her pants. Tugging open her front shirt till only the last three buttons were in place, Sakura stuffed the struggling pup inside her shirt before buttoning her coat over it. The pup soon stilled against her breast, feeling the heat from her heartbeat and nestling in closer to her chest between her divided breasts.

"I feel like I should name you, but I'm out of ideas right now," she mused out loud. Reaching down into her shirt she scratched him behind the ear and he leaned into her touch. "For now, you're just hungry. I should find food for you."

Sakura closed her eyes and imagined a pit where meat fell off the body of a pig on a roast. When she opened her eyes, the swine was peeling into pieces right in front of her. Taking a strip, she chewed it in her mouth before pulling it from her teeth and feeding a portion of the meet to her pup.

"Nice to see you have an appetite, but you wouldn't happen to know where my obelisk is, would you?"

Sakura didn't know what she expected, but the pup in her coat said nothing. Fed and warm, he buried his head between her breasts and slept.

Not knowing what else to do, Sakura began to walk, following the direction of the road the slaughtered travelers had been following. One foot in front of the other she out walked the sun and moon and stars. Without wearing, she walked until the snow was dew and the earth turned green and brown around the trail.

She felt the pull of waking and stopped to look around her and memorize the location by means of landmarks when she spotted Sai standing between two tall stones tipped against each other. Across his breast stretched a sash of twisted gold rope, connecting the scabbard that held his saber to the red shoulder pad on his left. Brilliant gold buttons mirrored each other down his chest, and his boots were polished so they shone like mirrors in their blackness. Sakura recognized the design of his uniform as Imperial Russian right away.

He nodded in her direction and the world bled like a wet painting. She fell and landed in her body, waking up to a bed full of twisted sheets and empty corners. She reached up for the heat against her chest and found her shirt empty of animal.

"Will I ever get used to that feeling?" she wondered out loud. Swinging out of bed she caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror and recognized the shadows under her eyes.

The next night she returned to the world not far from where she left it. She could see the ruins where Sai had stood, and the road was easy enough to find from the cluster of trees she had appeared among. She reached for her chest and found the pup hidden among her folds. He was still sleeping, but he had grown since last time. Feeling her hand, he stirred and stretched inside her shirt, reaching up to lick her finger tips and nip a bit in hunger.

"That's what I'll call you," Sakura hummed, imagining more meat that was red and bleeding. When she opened her eyes there was a bleeding pile at her feet. "You'll be Hungry, since you're always hungry for food. How do you like that for a name?"

He didn't answer her, but ate eagerly, even when she didn't chew it for him. She pulled him from her shirt and let him run around and do his business before heading for the road. He followed like a shadow, obediently trotting after her with minimal distraction.

The pair crested a hill and suddenly Sakura could see the far distance. A town sat among the hills, protected with high walls and clustered outposts around it. It was far, but at least Sakura could somewhat see it now. It was likely the Obelisk was hidden somewhere in that city. When she looked down, Hungry was panting happily.

"It's as good a bet as any," she said. He didn't seem to hear or mind her, but trotted faithfully when she moved.

It wasn't long before she heard the noise and felt the vibration. Around her were sparse scatterings of trees and brush with mostly open fields, but somewhere behind her there was a party traveling along the road making noise and shaking the earth.

"Hungry!" Sakura snapped. Thankfully, the pup responded, bounding towards her and jumping into her open arms. Sakura stuffed the growing pup inside her shirt and buttoned her coat over the bulge before moving off the road and towards the thickest patch of trees. He shivered, but she held him close, taking care to not pin him or hurt his thin legs.

They came with whoops and hollers. She heard them before she saw any of them, and had enough time to press herself against the side of a tree and slide in between shadows before the band of voices came into view. Still pressed against the bark of a tree trunk, Sakura only saw the first few bodies riding horses before she had to turn away, but she heard the hooves and the carts that rolled along from the back of the line.

Hungry yipped at something and Sakura cursed, pulling her coat tight enough to muffle the sound. The troop kept bouncing by, too loud to hear. Still, Sakura held her breath and prayed she wasn't making a mistake by hiding. In her dream, who was enemy and who was friend? Wherever she was now, she was closer to the end of the curse than in the Marble Gardens or in the Kingdom of Man, so it would make sense if this new gate level would be more challenging or difficult than the first. The stakes always went up in games the longer you play.

The bulk of the band had passed on, but Sakura stayed in the darkness, pressed between trees, holding her breath hostage in her lungs. There was only distant sounds, but she could feel the hairs on the back of her arms stand firm. Daring the danger, she leaned sideways and tried to see around the edge of the tree and caught a flash of white before pulling back. There was someone still out there.

On the wind she felt moisture from a yawning mouth and wild breath from something untamed. Sakura swallowed and tried to slide down, deeper into the shadows. There was a pause, and then she heard the rustle of someone landing in the grass, and then nothing. The shadow grew closer as the body made no sound. She bent at the knees, getting ready to run.

She felt a breeze and turned to the left and there was a face there, grinning with white fangs too close for comfort. Teeth parted and she heard the breath that came before speaking, but she never stayed long enough to hear a word.

Like a startled deer she bolted for the woods and he jerked into a chase after her. Her feet on the ground made the sound her chest echoed as her heart hammered against her ribs, wild and hurried. Her heart was so loud and so deafening, it was terrifying how she still managed to hear the strides of the boy from behind her. She was suited to long races in the dream world, thanks to her inability to grow weary, but she wasn't fast. He would overtake her soon.

There was a streak of white and a wolf big enough to ride bounded out ahead of her and reared on its front legs to face her head on. Sakura missed a step and tripped, turning head over heels and sliding sideways into the dirt so that she was on her back with a white winter wolf standing over her.

"What do we have here?" a male voice breathed in between short pants for air. Sakura felt something cold slide under her chin and was forced to look up when the boy moved the barrel of his musket. His grin was back in place. "Looks like we frightened a rabbit from its den. What reason would you have to run from us I wonder?"

Sakura pulled her arms up over her chest, protecting Hungry from crawling out like he wanted to. He was moving and whining now, but he hadn't crawled out. The large wolf leaned down and sniffed hard.

The boy leaned down and reached for her coat, pulling it roughly open even when Sakura cried out in protest. Hungry launched himself form her chest and attacked the face of her chaser, doing little damage with his tiny claws and half formed fangs. The boy cursed and stumbled backwards, dropping his gun. Still under the wolf that hadn't moved, Sakura rolled onto her stomach and grabbed for the gun before throwing it away. Grabbing a hold for herself in the dirt, she climbed to her feet and reached for Hungry who still clawed and nipped like he wasn't less than half the size of the boy's torso.

Sakura hugged Hungry to her chest and he stilled, but he continued to growl. "Who the hell are you?" Sakura hissed, reaching out for that pull that came before waking and finding it far from reach. "And what business do you have chasing me down?"

"Kiba?" a new voice called out, drawing closer. Sakura took a step back just as a woman with dark brown hair tied back and keen eyes stepped into the clearing. With the time to take notice, Sakura saw that this woman had red, inverted triangles painted on either of her cheeks under the eyes. They were the same marks that identified the boy on his face as well. If it was tattoo or paint Sakura couldn't tell.

The girl took in the scene, looking from the boy to Sakura, to Hungry, then back to Kiba. Her eyes narrowed before fixing in on the boy. She cursed low, under her breath before stalking over to the fallen boy and picking him up by the back of his neck. "What have you done?!"

Hungry growled when the boy cried out in pain at the touch of the girl's nails pinching his ear until it bleed. "Akamaru smelled something! He only acted up at the slaughter sight yesterday, I thought she was a hunter."

The girl dropped the boy named Kiba on his butt and then crossed the distance to stand in front of Sakura. Hungry growled low and Sakura bent her knees, ready to run again. The girl didn't seem phased by this.

"Did you kill those hunters or the wolf mother on the road a day and a half ago?"

"What?" Sakura's mind went back to the scene of the slaughter. "No! Why would you think something like that?"

"Then where did the pup come from?"

Sakura hugged Hungry tighter to her chest and he growled again. "You can't take him, if that's what you're after. I rescued him after his mother and brothers were killed. I found him in a mess of bodies, but that's it."

The girl shifted the weight of her body from one foot to the other. She looked down at the wolf pup and them up at Sakura's face again. "If you were lying, he wouldn't be that protective of you. Either way, it's too late to separate the both of you. You're bonded."

"Separate?"

The girl shook her head. "No, sorry. Let me start over, My name is Hana, I'm from the Inuzuka clan. We've been invited into the city by the crown Tsarevich and his council of Boyer to deal with the poachers and the wolf problem."

"I didn't know there was a wolf problem."

Hana nodded, her lips growing taunt. "The poachers made one. Wolves are typically not an issue so long as they are left alone, but recently poachers have been traveling into their territories and hunting them out of their dens and the surviving mates have taken a few lives. How did you not know this? Were you not heading towards Krepost?"

Sakura didn't know now she understood it, but the Russian that fell from Hana's lips was the name of the town. "I…I don't know. Do you know if there is a black tower in Krepost? A thin black tower with four sides and a point."

"Krepost has many towers. The one you may be looking for might be inside, but I can not say I know of it."

No, the Obelisk wasn't something you could forget about. Sakura should have known better. When she asked Naruto and Kakashi about it the both of them were just as clueless. Asking people seemed like a useless move.

Hana took a step back and grabbed for the boy again, shoving him forward with a stern, 'apologize' that wouldn't be argued with. Kiba growled at his sister but when he looked up at Sakura his anger seemed to ebb, and a dash of color spread across his face. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry for scaring you. I'm Kiba, Hana's younger brother." Sakura nodded, looking over at the large white wolf that had drawn closer with his head lowered. Kiba caught her looking and tugged on the wolf's ear. "And this is Akamaru. He's sorry too."

"My name is Sakura. I'm…just a traveler. I'm sorry for causing you suspicion."

Kiba nodded, looking back at his sister and then at Sakura. "Yeah, you…if you are heading into the city anyway, you could ride with us. We're making camp soon, but could always welcome an extra set of hands."

"You're inviting me to eat and travel with you?" Sakura asked, sounding suspicious.

"Normally we wouldn't," Hana answered.

"But," Kiba interrupted. "Your wolf pup belonged to one of our clan dogs. Usually we would have taken him back, but since he's all bonded with you now…you're more than welcome to eat with us."

Sakura saw an opportunity when there was one. Regardless of whether or not she felt safe or wanted to go with the siblings, she knew they were important to the narrative. Her totem for this gate was a Wolf, and they were a tribe of wolf breeders and trainers. She didn't need Sai present to tell her this was a good idea. If she said no, she would be making a mistake.

"Where are you guys camped?" Sakura asked, setting Hungry down and looking Kiba in the eye. He didn't grin wide to show off his fangs, but he smiled a little, and it reminded her of Naruto.

Sakura followed the siblings back to the road and down into the valley that put them half a day's trek from the old fortress city that had been rejuvenated and revitalized in the last generation as a result of the crowned Tsarevich's friendships with foreigners and their merchants. Hana was knowledgeable about anything having to do with the city, and was more than willing to talk to Sakura about it. Kiba hung back and walked alongside his wolf, even though Sakura knew he could ride Akamaru like a steed when the need for speed presented itself.

On the way when Hana began talking about the merchants from the Orient, Sakura felt the young boy's eyes on the back of her head. She turned to look back and caught him staring. He didn't look away when her eyes met his, but he did lower his face a fraction, as if in submission. If he had been louder and said more, he would have really reminded her of Naruto. Something about his face made her want to talk to him. When he wasn't grinning at her and showing off his fangs, she even felt like smiling at him.

But then she remembered how he towered over her with a smile full of fangs and set her mouth in a straight line with her lips pressed tight.

With her nose a bit in the air she turned to face forward and follow Hana. It might have been her imagination, but she thought she heard a huff behind her shoulder, coming from the boy. Hana snickered at something and said nothing, leading Sakura and her wolf pup towards the clearing where he clan had already pitched the first of the tents.

They were intricate and resembled the Mongolian yurts, but were less complex in their deign. The tents were made up of many colors and swatches of multi patterned fabric that had once been wildly vibrant, only to have dulled in vividness from travel and wear. At the front and rear of the procession were Vardos, or living wagons. But aside from the few tents and the two Vardos, Sakura saw few protective structures.

"Is this everyone?" Sakura asked Hanna, coming to stand beside the girl as Hana looked over her clan. A wild haired woman with an older face stopped to stare back. Beside her stalked a grey wolf with only one eye and a nasty snarl. The pair looked from Hana and Kiba to Sakura, and then back to the siblings before moving on.

Sakura felt her lips turn down in a subtle frown when Kiba made a breathy sound and Hana giggled. "Why do I feel like I missed out on something?" Sakura asked, bending down to scratch Hungry behind his ear.

"Don't worry about it. You can stay," Hana said easily enough. "Here, come and let me see to getting you a tent. Most of the youth sleep exposed, out under the stars until we make a more permeant camp alongside the city walls. At least, that's how Kiba and the other kids do it."

"Would you like that better?" Kiba asked, drawing up even with the two girls on the ledge. "The stars will be brightest tonight with the new moon."

"It doesn't matter to me," Sakura said. She remembered how it was impossible for her to fall asleep in a true sleep while in the dream world. "I…wouldn't want you to have to do anything extra to accommodate me. I've gotten along fine on my own so far, after all."

"Where are you from?" Kiba asked, standing closer to her as his wolf trailed behind like a negative shadow; he was a fragment of white that was always on the boy's back.

Sakura blinked, thinking long on what she could possibly say to answer such a question in such a place without having thought about it beforehand. She was in Russian before the czars fell and communism painted the world in red. This was the Russia of legends, Ivan and the wolf, Baba Yaga, the firebird, this was their world. Where did that leave her?

"I'm from a land far to the west of here. Terribly far, walk until the world becomes ocean and then swim for three months and that is my motherland," Sakura mused out loud, not knowing how else to explain America to the boy.

His eyes grew wide. "What's it called?"

Sakura shrugged. "It has many names. You wouldn't recognize any of them. America, United States, New York…" She frowned at how mundane the names sounded in comparison to all the Russian. Glancing sideways, she saw Kiba still watched her. "Where do you come from?" she finally asked.

Kiba looked about him, but his eyes came back to her fast like a magnet. "The earth, the grasslands, here? I was born on the road and raised with the wolves. Vagabonds have no home, only the grass." He raised a finger and pointed to the Vardo towards the back of the line. "I was born in that because my mother couldn't get to a river in time. I'm not even half the age of that relic."

Sakura nodded, looking from the Vardo to Kba and then back at the camp. It was then that she noticed Hana sneaking away, leaving her alone with Kiba. She would be reliant on the boy to keep her from getting kicked out once the clansmen saw an outsider they didn't recognize. Looking back over her shoulder at Kiba, Sakura caught him grinning, still staring at her with the same childish smile. She didn't like feeling dependent on the boy.

"Where can I be useful?" Sakura asked, taking a single step towards the campsite. "I'm taken care of for myself, but the camp needs to be set up. There should be a job I can help out with, even with what little I know."

"Y-yeah," Kiba nodded, looking from tent to tent. "I can find a job for you. We'll need firewood and water from the river. I'll see what my mother wants first. Come." He reached out and grabbed her around the wrist. Before Sakura could protest he was dragging her along.

A few of the older clan members paused in the middle of what they were doing to look their way, but their eyes were narrowed at Kiba's whopping laughter. With a shake of their heads a older couple whispered among themselves about how loud the youths were these days and maybe something about discipline was mentioned, but nothing about Sakura.

They all had faces.

A young boy much younger than Kiba was grumbling about how heavy his pail of water was as he dragged it past them and Kiba reached out to catch him by the scruff of his neck, stopping him in his tracks.

"Oi, Kon, who else has gone out for water?"

The boy glared up at Kiba with the kind of anger all children fostered in reserve for adult figures bossing them around. The boy, Kon, shook Kiba off and righted his bucket so nothing more would spill over the sides. "All my friends are doing water. You're supposed to be collecting firewood." The boy then shifted his glare down Kiba's arm to Sakura's hand and then up to her face. He wrinkled his nose and then looked back at Kiba. "Who are you dragging along, anyway. You know what your mother said about outsiders."

"Sakura isn't an outsider, she's one of us and she's going to help me with the firewood." Kiba was just as loud as the little boy and snarled at the end for good measure. Kon didn't seem to appreciate this since he went red in the face and stuttered.

"You're a pile of dog poop!"

"You're a pile of dog poop."

Kon said something fast in Russian that turned blubbery by the end and Kiba laughed as Kon stuttered over his messy words with red, stinging eyes.

Sighing, Sakura dropped her shoulders and whacked Kiba upside the head. Kon stopped sniffling and Kiba turned to face her with eyes wide with hurt. Sakura just raised a single brown and gave him a look that conveyed how little she cared for his injury. "Really? You're picking on a little boy?"

Kiba's eyes were still wide. "He was being rude to you!"

"I'm an adult. That means I'm old enough to not let petty things like that bother me. Say you're sorry." Sakura turned to look at Kon and narrowed her eyes. "Both of you."

Kiba turned to look down at the smaller boy but curled his look and turned his face away. His cheeks were turning pink. "Sorry," he bit out in a low guttural tone.

"Sorry," Kon replied before reaching down for his water and running off. When Sakura turned to look back at Kiba he was still staring at the ground. Was this really the same individual who chased her through the trees and grinned with a mouth full of fangs? He looked like a scolded puppy.

Hungry stalked close by and Akamaru, Kiba's dog, sniffed along the ground where Hungry walked, ignoring everyone else. Sakura waited without moving and speaking. After a moment Kiba glanced up. "His name was Kon. He's short for his age and he's only four years younger than me."

"Should I ask how old you are, now?" Sakura asked, detecting an ulterior motive for Kiba's statement.

"I'm seventeen. I'll be eighteen in the Winter, though. I'm the man of my family."

Sakura made a huff sound and turned away, heading towards the woods where she was sure to find some firewood somewhere. Hungry trotted at her feet, devoted to following her. Kiba made a sound and jogged to keep up once he noticed she wasn't going to call out to him or wait for him to catch up.

"W-wait. What about you?"

"Me?" Sakura asked without turning sideways to look at Kiba.

"Yeah, you. How old are you?"

And there it was. He wanted to see how much of an age gap there was. Sakura knew she didn't look old. She had a very youthful face that hadn't changed much since she was sixteen. She knew this because she still used photos she took of herself when she was that age for whenever her name appeared in the college paper or when she needed to show a photograph to someone.

"I am….older than you. Let's leave it at that." Sakura found a twig by her feet and picked it up, followed by another fragment of a fallen branch.

"You don't look old enough to be worried about your age."

"Does it matter?"

"…No."

Sakura smirked, not finding the energy to fight back the sarcastic bite that was beginning to eat away at her self restraint. She didn't do well with teenagers, even when she had been one the level of civil communication was pitiful. "Then we'll leave that conversation alone for now. Find your firewood."

Kiba chuckled, throwing his hands behind his head. "You're funny. Hana just yells at me whenever she gets annoyed."

"Oh, so you picked up on that?" Sakura hummed, reaching down to pull limp wood from underneath a decomposing layer of limp leaves. Winter was in the air, but the season had yet to fully turn. When she looked up Kiba was watching her with his head tilted a fraction to one side. He didn't look away but his cheeks turned pink the longer she held his gaze.

With a breath he broke off the gaze to turn and look for dropped branches. Sakura felt a stab of guilt for her bitchy tendencies and rolled her eyes at how conflicted she always ended up feeling with these sorts of situations. He didn't seem like he wanted to irritate her. He was too playful for that.

"Who's the leader of your clan, Kiba?" She asked, turning her back to him and walking a bit away so that she didn't look too eager to talk to him again.

Kiba picked up his head to follow her with his eyes, but didn't move to follow her. "We don't have a leader. My mother is the one who makes the final decisions, but we are a tight knit community family. We all have an equal voice and social standing."

"Even the elders?" Sakura asked, thinking back to the two older clans members who whispered among themselves.

"We take care of the elders and respect them for all their years, but their voice is measured just as much as mine."

That was unusual, Sakura thought. Typically with nomadic cultures there was almost always a leader of some sort and she had a hard time thinking of a time or culture where the old were held with the same regard as the young.

Hungry ran off ahead and Sakura let him, knowing he would come back to her in a minute. He never ran far from her for long. He didn't appreciate the separation. Kiba's dog followed.

She stopped when she found a long tree branch that could have been a walking stick if it was thicker. Sakura picked up one end and bent it over her knee, bending it wildly before it snapped with a harsh crunch that splintered over her hands. She snapped it once more and had three pieces to add to her pile of wood to burn. It wasn't a modest pile, but Sakura was proud of her ability to find what she could when all things were considered. And heck, her pile was larger than Kiba's, and he wasn't a stranger to these lands or way of living like she was.

Thinking of Kiba, she looked up and couldn't find his face between the trees. He had walked off in an opposite direction, likely thinking she was right beside him when she had, in actuality, veered off to the side to pick that long stick. Not being in Kiba's presence gave her mixed feelings. She was supposed to stay close to him and his people because they were likely a big part of this story line, but she didn't like being pestered so consistently.

A rustle of leaves behind her caused her to turn and her breath caught on her lips in the wave of a chill. It was always cold outside, but her face felt the sting of an icy breeze weaving through the trees. Sakura breathed again and her breath was a cloud of white beyond her lips, drifting than gone. The sun was dangerously low but she didn't expect the temperature to drop so fast.

There was a rustle of leaves again and Sakura spun once more. She dropped her wood, grabbing a single stick to brandish as a weapon. Hungry still wasn't back yet, and Kiba was out of sight, so she was alone again.

"Kiba?" she called in a low voice, wondering if this was his idea of a silly prank. She turned on her heel, scanning the spaces between the trees.

"Sai?" she called out, hoping it was him she heard moving. But she knew it even before she called out to him that it wasn't Sai. Sai would have answered her by now. Where was Sai, anyway?

Sakura felt a wave of cold so powerful her heart stopped in her chest before beating to life again. Sakura coughed with dry lungs, finding it hard to breath with all the numbness in her chest. When she looked up, the trees around here were heavy with white. There was frost and ice on each and every leaf, crawling up the sides of the trees and in between their grooves.

This wasn't natural.

"Who is this?" Sakura hissed, spinning again, even though it hurt her lungs. She could taste the frostbite under her ribs. Tiny mouths with tiny teeth bit at her insides and ate her slowly.

She felt his presence like a new wind, and when she turned back around he was there. She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Who are you?"

The boy standing among the trees was pale and still like the snow around him. His hair was a blond so light it looked white when draped along either side of his face, down to his shoulders. Sakura thought his eyes were red the first time she looked, but upon closer examination they were a glassy sea green with pin points for pupils. There was red koi paint under either of his eyes and two red dots painted above his thin eyebrows. He was dressed in a red Imperial Russian military uniform with a saber dangling at his side, one arm bent to rest across the hilt while the other was tucked under the fur trimmed cloak that draped over only one shoulder.

She didn't see him move, but the glare from his breast buttons caught her in the eye and when she blinked he was gone, but then again he wasn't. He had moved with a wind to stand in front of her, close enough for her to taste the snow in the air. That was his attribute. He was the Jack Frost nipping at her nose.

"You're dressed like Sai," Sakura said aloud, as soon as she realized it. The comparison was too similar to be coincident, and it was apparent this boy was no normal actor to the story. She swallowed her fear and tried speaking again. "Who are you?"

"The Sigh of Dejection was a fine companion throughout the first world, but this gate and this kingdom are mine. You shall not be seeing that degenerate around my company for as long as you are here."

Sakura remembered seeing Sai among the stonehedge. "What do you mean? Sai should have followed me here. He's in this world."

"No, that role has been passed. You are mistaken. I am not the guide you must concern yourself with." He took a step closer and Sakura felt her blood slug through her veins, nearly too frozen to flow. "I am the Breath of Discontent. The white born Kimimaru."

He reached for Sakura's eyes and she saw it before his fingertips could make contact. A race of ancient people who fought with bones and wore fur like clothes. Dark haired and tanned they ran from holes in the hills and slaughtered their enemies for the horror of it. This boy, the boy that walked with red painted under his eyes, lived among them, locked away when the killing was done. He made friends with bones and stone, having no one else on account of his abnormality. The albino born with white hair and eyes, like the sea churned from a storm, was an ancient creature.

He had lived on the earth too little to leave an impact, but with smoke and frost and thunder and sea foam there was a place for him. He slept in the coils of the great snake. Sakura saw the serpent in the vision shift, raise it's head and look into her. With a jolt, it seized up and sprang for her, cutting free the connection. Falling back on her butt, Sakura coughed into her chest and gasped for breath as her heart pounded like a hummingbird's.

"What the hell was that?"

"The fastest way to make you understand. I will not use words for your convenience as the other would." He circled her and stopped when he was directly behind her. When he bent down it was over her, his hair draping down like curtains around them. "You saw my master, did you not."

It really wasn't a question.

"The snake…." She remembered Snake Eyes and all the venomous serpents inside of Nageto's blood and felt a hate hot enough to warm her insides. Sai's words came back to her. "You're an ally of the Dream Killer!"

"Sometimes." The boy straightened up and circled around to stand in front of her, his arm still draped over his scabbard's hilt. "He is my master, and I am not ought to forget that for a whelp such as yourself, no matter how pretty your eyes might be."

His lazy hand trailed up to grip the hilt of his sword. A second hand peaked out from behind his cloak and Sakura knew what would happen next. The stance was too easy to read. It was lazy and relaxed enough to pick out even without the formal training. She heard the sound of metal against scabbards when Kimimaru stopped.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

A new blade appeared alongside Kimimaru's pale neck, drawing a sliver of blood. The white haired boy's unfocused eyes closed in concentration.

"You shouldn't be here. The eye forbids it."

"The eye has not been watchful in millennia. I'm willing to risk it," Sai said in an even tone before finishing it off with a plastic fake smile. "The question is, are you?"

"I will cross blades with you if I need to," Kimimaru warned.

"Maybe you will, but it won't be today. It's not worth it."

Kimimaru looked to the blade extended beyond his shoulder and then down at Sakura. With thinly pressed lips it looked like he was about to try something when Hungry barked loudly, bounding down to the clearing where they all stood. Hungry seemed bigger than last time, but that was likely due to all the hackles raised along his body as he growled low and fierce at the white haired intruder.

"Sakura?" Kiba called from not too far away.

"I'll repeat it again, it's not worth it," Sai intoned.

Sakura waited, poised in position just beyond the reach of a short sword. Even with Sai there, she didn't trust the boy with white hair enough to stand that close to him as he made his decision on whether or not he was going to fight them in the woods. Behind her she heard Kiba and his wolf looking for her.

There was the sounds of ice cracking. Kimimaru's face went transparent in parts before converting into ice and snow fragments. Before he was gone, like Sai was when he became the smoke, he turned his pretty green eyes onto her. She stilled but didn't move. "There will be other days," he said in a soft voice before he was nothing more than the ice on the wind.

Sakura stumbled backwards when the human shaped wind ghosted through her. Sai was there to catch her.

"He said you wouldn't be here." When Sai said nothing in reply Sakura continued. "And I don't think he was lying. You're really not supposed to be here."

"What would make you say that?" he calmly asked, setting her upright and taking a step back.

She couldn't put it into words so easily, but it was a feeling. With this whole new face to the obelisk being opened up, Sakura could feel a depth to the dream world that hadn't been present when dancing at the sock hop or resting in the Marble Gardens. Sai felt like the old world, in this cold Russian land, he was out of place in only a way she could feel. It no longer became something worth arguing over. Now all Sakura wanted to know was, 'what next?'

"What's going on here, Sai?" she said.

The pale boy turned to look between the trees and see the large wolf stalking closer, having followed Hungry's scent. Soon they would no longer be alone and Sakura was anxious for Sai to say something before that. His eyes slid towards her direction and there was a flicker of something Sakura couldn't read. He his his emotions too well.

"You will be waking soon," was all Sai said before becoming smoke.

Sakura cried out, stumbling forward in an attempt to grasp his figure before he became no longer solid. Her hand passed through air and she tasted the smoke like sulfur in her mouth. She didn't fall, but she wanted to on behalf of all her frustrations. He was avoiding her on purpose, watching, but not interacting with her in a way that she could feel safe with. She wanted to know what he knew and be that much better prepared for the next time she slept.

"Sakura?"

She looked up to see Kiba stepping towards her, only a few twigs clustered under his arm. He grinned when he saw her, oblivious to her anxiety.

"I think we have enough. We can start heading back to the camp together, if you want. I'll set up the fire with these since it looked like you gathered more." He laughed nervously. "Is that okay?"

Sakura reached out for the dream to be over, unimpressed with how much longer it seemed to take her to complete one dream cycle in this world. It was like, the deeper she dreamed, the longer she slept. So caught up in her own thoughts, Sakura never answered Kiba, so he took a step towards her and reached out to tap her arm with the back of his knuckles. She looked up suddenly and he blushed.

"No, um…" Sakura blinked, trying to focus. "No, I'm sorry…yeah that's okay. A fire, I can do that."

Kiba frowned. "Are you okay?"

Sakura shook her head, stalking past him to the camp. Silently, Kiba followed behind without mentioning it again.

When Sakura awoke in the morning she felt old and aged. It was as if she had slept her youth away and left her in the husk of an old woman. She took a few deep breaths into her pillow and then rolled over, facing the ceiling. There was a laced layer of ache wrapped around each bone in her back.

Closing her eyes she inhaled, filling her chest to a rise of held breath, and then exhaled, pushing out all the pain she had taken in. She repeated the action a few more times until the ache passed. While it would be normally concerning to wake up feeling so terrible, Sakura knew better than to complain or think the worst. This was normal for her during the first days of her period. Second day was usually the hardest, especially when it came late. With the changing temperatures, she was off schedule by over a week.

Thinking about it, she remembered starting her period the day before she fought with Orochimaru. There was too much chaos in her mind to really think about something so trivial, but now in this moment of clarity it was coming back to her. She thought it was weird that for a whole month the dreams had stopped. Could there possibly be some vague connection between her dreams and her monthly cycle?

Now that she thought about it, she didn't know a whole lot about the curse in the first place. She knew it was Egyptian in nature, apart from its design, the subtle themes within her dreams were clues enough. Sai once mentioned a name that sounded Egyptian when talking about the curse. A….Ape….Apep….something. It would have to be something she looked up later. It was actually surprising that she had gone this long without doing any research for herself.

Glancing sideways Sakura saw the clock and cursed under her breath. Today she had to commute into the city for classes. It was her long day and she wasn't looking forward to any of it.

A text from Karin made her phone sing from the nightstand. Sakura reached to answer it, but paused in surprise when she saw it wasn't from Karin, but from Ami. Flipping open the message Sakura skimmed the text.

Ami: Wanted to know if you and Karin wanted to go to the Root tonight.

The word Root was hi-lighted so Sakura clicked on it. Apparently there was a louder, looser, secret club underneath the Orchard that only a few invited members could get into once let in on the secret. With Ami's connections, Sakura had a feeling it hadn't taken them long to send her an invitation.

Sakura :What do you wear to that?

There was a while before Ami responded with a photo of her bed which was covered in clothing. Underneath the photo was a caption that read 'help' in slanted letters.

Sakura put her phone down to dress, but typed back as soon as her hands were free.

Sakura: I will be there around 7:00

Ami: 6:30

Sakura: That's what I said.

Ami: Don't be late.

Rolling through the motions, Sakura ate her breakfast, packed her bag, and drove to the nearest station where she hopped a train into the city. It was over an hour before she stepped onto campus and by the time she made it to class she was down to the minute. That's how it was nearly every class day with her.

By the time her last class winded down, so was no less tired then when she first walked in. Yawning wide enough so that the professor could see it beyond her hand, Sakura handed in her paper and filed out with the rest of the students. After catching the train and driving all the way over to Ami's place, it was 6:10 when she rang the doorbell.

Ami answered it. "I thought you said you were going to be late."

Sakura shrugged, stepping in. "I like to set low expectations for myself so that no one is every disappointed in me if I don't live up to their standards." Looking around Sakura noticed the quiet. "Where's your family?"

"The Hamptons? I don't know. I called Karin and she said she would come later, she's working."

Ami began walking up to her room and Sakura followed, still not used to curved staircases or open balconies. Ami's room was just as immaculate, but it was cleverly disguised as an inconspicuous teenager's with all the mess and clutter scattered about. While normally as neat as a pin, Ami was good at making messes when stressed.

Sakura dropped her book bag by the door and kicked off her shoes. Ami noticed the bag and how it bulged. "Did you bring what you were going to wear to tonight with you?" she asked with a tone of disbelief.

"Yeah, why?"

Ami looked up at Sakura and scrunched her nose. "I don't trust you. What did you bring? Show me."

Sakura shrugged before reaching for the floral skirt and loose mint top that dipped low and flowed like chiffon. It was a nice top, but not something to make Ami impressed. The young Japanese woman looked from Sakura's outfit to Sakura and then back at the outfit.

"That's it?"

Sakura felt her cheeks burn. "It's nice."

"Yeah, but not for where we're going. Root is a club Sakura, like with music and a DJ and a dance floor and lights. You're dressing for the Orchard with these pieces….plus you packed no accessories! Where's your jewelry?"

"I didn't…. It always gets in the way so I just don't wear it."

Ami rolled her eyes. "Wow, and I thought I was bad. Okay, I know what I'm wearing tonight. Now I just have to work on you. Strip, I'm dressing you up for tonight and doing your hair." Ami reached for a brush and then paused, narrowing her eyes at Sakura's face. "And your makeup by the look of it. You're way too forgiving for a place like Root. You'll have to learn from me."

"I'm not used to clubs," Sakura honestly stated, shrugging out of her loose band tee and jeans.

Ami pulled out a pair of super short shorts in black with an attached cover to make it look like a skirt that barely covered the butt. Along with the skirt/shorts Sakura was given a sleeveless gold sequin top that was made to catch the light with every movement or subtle turn of the body. Even though Ami was smaller than Sakura by a smidgen, the top fit beautifully.

"Do you like gold? Cause I'm going in silver and you can't copy."

"It's nice," Sakura confessed, looking herself over in the mirror. "What about Karin? Does she know to dress up like this?"

"I'll send her a text with a photo once we're done dressing. If she wears that dress she wore to my graduation party she'll be ok."

Sakura was given a pair of gold pumps to match out of Ami's mother's closet, because Ami was too small to share anything with Sakura. Ami was running a brush through Sakura's hair, adding volume to her already volumized hair, when Sakura's phone buzzed with a text.

Ami was standing right next to it so she picked it up and looked at the name. "It's from Karin."

"You can read it," Sakura replied, turning back to the mirror and holding up a curl to spray with hairspray hold. "What does she have to say?"

Ami frowned. "She said she couldn't get away tonight. Her dad has her working late with the boys. By the time she gets off…she doesn't want to go out."

Sakura cursed, turning away from the mirror. The idea of going clubbing was already daunting enough, but clubbing without Karin was just downright scary. What was she supposed to do without her main wing woman? She was going to have an anxiety attack and die on the dance floor without Karin.

"Can we wait for her?"

Ami looked up from the phone and tried to not make her lips turn downwards like they wanted to. "I guess…but she'll still be tired. Do you think she would come if we waited?"

"No," Sakura answered without thinking.

She knew Karin didn't want to come, and that even if they waited the redhead would find some other sort of excuse to get out of the date. For whatever reason, Karin seemed distant with Sakura. It was as if Karin was avoiding Sakura.

Ignoring the thoughtful pause, Ami pulled out an eyeliner and took Sakura face between two fingers before benign to trace an exaggerated line off the corner of said girl's eyes. Sakura didn't wear makeup, but Ami knew how to dress up a stranger enough to make up for Sakura's inadequacies. Within minutes Sakura's appearance was transformed into something foreign and confident with long black lashes and gold liquid liner traced underneath her lower lids, making her ethereal. Bright pink lips and a beauty mark strategically placed made Sakura club material.

It was amazing how only a few minutes could transform her literally into a new person. Sakura was trapped in the mirror, struggling to recognize herself in the glass. She looked like she could topple empires and leave men begging with a look. Anything she ever did with her own make up was petty in comparison.

"Damn," she breathed aloud.

A minute later Ami walked out equally radiant in soft white and silver detail. She looked like she walked off a moonbeam and into a disco globe. "Ready?"

Sakura didn't answer, but she nodded and followed the shorter Asian girl from room to car to road to club.

They had to enter through the Orchard via a back room that was marked off as Employee Only. Beyond a velvet red drape there were two men in front of a second door they held open for Karin when she nodded. Once the door cracked open the thumping bass hit Sakura and the sound of a mad DJ in control of the sounds met her ears.

Noticing her hesitation, Ami grabbed Sakura's hand and let the pale girl down to the dance floor. The floor was a sort of see through glass that shot up beams of multi colored lights every other second only to be redirected and caught in the mirrors of a floating disco ball. It wasn't crowded, but the room was large enough for the dance floor and surrounding booths for reclining and relaxation.

Sakura was tempted to go off and find somewhere to sit down but Ami had her hand and was tugging. The song was something electric and pumped with energy that Sakura couldn't hear clear enough to know if she liked it or not.

Ami mouthed something that looked like 'just dance' before spinning Sakura across the glass floor pieces. And it was dark enough that Sakura doubted there was anyone paying too much attention to her so she did just that.

Closing her eyes, Sakura moved a little and then a lot, keeping herself confined to one square as Ami moved around her. Hands above her head, she folded wrist under wrist and swiveled her hips in time as she shook her head from side to side.

There was something therapeutic about dancing without a partner. Raw and unplanned without a set of steps she had to follow, she freed up her body and let herself go until the stress had melted down to her fingertips to roll off like rain droplets. Karin avoiding her, the stupid dream, the new semester, the commute, her mother, the house, the job, her future, her sleep, her lack of a love life, all of it rolled off until she was nothing but a thumping beat.

When she eventually stepped off the floor her body ached and she was tired, but in the good way. She laughed as she tumbled against Ami and the two fell into a booth laughing and giggling.

"Better?" Ami asked, lowing her lashes and gazing across the room for a figure who appealed to her standards.

Sakura threw her head back and sighed. She did feel better, or at least better equipped to fight whatever would come next to stress her out.

Blinking, she looked up to the balcony across the room and saw a figure watching her. She sat up and turned to look at him better and he flinched, bowing his head and running off.

"See something you like?" Ami asked with a low chuckle.

Sakura shrugged, closing her eyes again. "No, it was just the bartender from the last time we were here. He must be working tonight."

When she woke she was still wrapped in woven blankets atop a wrap of fur. She blinked, stretching her arms out in front of her before climbing to her knees and turning to take in her surroundings. It was just barely dawn and the campsite was all but silent. The children and the elderly were still sleeping out of sight. A few adults were up and climbing out of their tents, but most still slept, including the dogs.

Sakura unfolded her legs and stretched them out in front of her before rolling her neck and standing. A body of dirty fur rose up from across the campfire and Hungry bounded over the obstacles to tackle her onto her back. It had only been a day, but already he was too large to fit into her shirt, but only just barely. If she tried, his hind legs would poke out from underneath the hem of her jacket.

Hungry whined and licked her face, nipping at her ear when she tried pushing him away.

"Fine, fine," she hissed, pulling out a bandana and waving it in front of his face. He grabbed onto it right away and tugged with a low snarl and a playful wag of his tail. Grumbling about how sore she felt, Sakura rose to her feet and began tugging Hungry away from the campsite towards the tree line so that they wouldn't be a disturbance.

Once they got to a safe distance Sakura dropped the rag and picked up a short stuck that was fairly thick and stubbly. Hungry's eyes lit up and his ears lifted till they were straight in the air. Sakura waved the stick and then she chucked it as far as she could. Hungry took off after it like wildfire on gas. He was fast, but he was also messy, ripping up the earth and stumbling through the dirt to get to what he wanted. Sakura picked up a few more sticks and chucked them whenever Hungry got close enough to return the previous branch, and for a good ten minutes that's how they played with each other.

Chuck and return, chuck and run, chuck and return, chuck and run.

Sakura put her whole shoulder into it and tossed the tree branch high. Hungry tripped over his feet a bit but took off running, only to slam to a halt when Kiba's pure white wolf hound intercepted the toss, catching it between his teeth and snapping it in his jaws. Hungry was stunned for a minute before he took off with angry barks to attack the larger wolf in the hind legs. Sakura cursed, thinking her dog would get pulverized, but Akamaru didn't even flinch when the pup landed on his leg with teeth and fang.

"Akamaru, come!" Kiba shouted, not caring if he was loud enough to wake anyone back at camp.

Sakura turned to watch the younger boy approach. He was smiling cheekily in a sleeveless white knit top and bunched up fabric pants that were tucked into his boots. In spite of the chill, he didn't bother covering up his chiseled features. Under the fabric of his shirt she saw the beginnings of a black, tribal tattoo with a shape covered and out of view. Whatever it was, it was painted over his heart.

"You're up early," she commented.

Kiba yawned. "I could say the same to you. We don't usually get up so early. We like to sleep in and run with the moon. I guess you're not like that."

"I saw people up," Sakura replied with a shrug, turning away to look down at Hungry as he pawed at the two broken halves of his stick.

"Someone should always be awake, in case of attack. But because of where we're going, we're not in a hurry to rush out. The city won't let us inside, so we'll have to pitch in the shadow of the great wall for as long as we're invited to stay."

At the blank look on Sakura face Kiba smiled a wide toothy grin.

"They don't appreciate the uncivilized ruffians who sleep on the same earth as their animals. They might let you in though. You're neat and tidy enough. Hells, you might even pass of as a fancy lady mistress with the right furs."

Sakura frowned, not knowing if she had just been complimented or called a prostitute. Either way, it wasn't worth an immediate reply. She let her emotions simmer for a bit before saying anything more.

"Hn, so they hired you without a willingness to even look at your faces. I'm having a hard time understanding why you ever agreed to such a transaction."

"You too?! Man, I thought I was the only one going crazy over this whole thing. Mom and the elders said it had to do with serving the greater good and bring balance back into the state of being and some other cliche excuse that never makes sense. Regardless, the Merchants from the Orient will be the ones who actually come out to talk to us. They are foreigners too, but they're clean and fancy looking foreigners that have deep pockets and table manners."

Kiba's voice trailed off towards the end and he scratched the side of his cheek. "There is one that's nice to us. She's the heir to her family clan or whatever, but she's a lamb's winter wool pillow. Soft through and through. Her cousin will take over the family if things continue as they do."

Sakura grinned. "You like her?"

There was a shadow of color on his cheeks, but he stuck his nose up in the air and narrowed his eyes in her direction. "As if. She's just terribly fun to tease. No, she wouldn't last a day without her pampered paupers there to feed her every step of the way."

Sakura hummed and nodded her head, pretending to agree with him. In her head she silently commented with a simple, 'I ship it,' before he could say anything more. "Will I get to see this princess?"

"Depends." His smile grew wider. "Do you plan on staying with us? Normally we wouldn't bother offering, but your kin is one of ours so it's like you're already family."

Regardless of what she wanted or didn't want to do, Sakura knew that the story would progress if she stayed close to the clan of her chosen totem. It was painfully obvious that the place she was meant to be was with the people of Kiba's tribe. Whatever it took to get out of this world, it would likely involve the wolves and the people who lived among them.

"What would I have to do?" Sakura turned away from looking out across the woodland and set her eyes on Kiba. "I doubt you abide by those who don't pull their own weight and I'm used to traveling on my own."

"Can you cook?"

Sakura wrinkled her nose. "Enough."

"You watch kids?"

"Right over the edge of a cliff."

"Babies?"

"Never."

Kiba's smile settled into a more serious line as he closed his eyes and ran his thumb across the edge of his jaw, patting down the stubble that darkened his features. "There are always…odd jobs. Or," his eyes lit up. "There is the hunting. Can you hunt game?"

Sakura technically couldn't, but she was nervous about being stuck in an odd job slot or watching babies the entire time she slept so she decided it was a safer bet to say she could do something she planned on learning herself. Thinking quickly, she remembered the musket Kiba carried.

"Yes, but not like you. I happen to be handy with traps, but since I've been traveling there hasn't been much time for that and it's not convenient. Would you be willing to show me how you hunt alongside your wolf companion? I think it would be important for me to train Hungry in the same way."

From the way Kiba lit up, Sakura thought she had just offered him a city fill with smoked meat, and not asked for a favor. "Defiantly! Of course I can do that." He reigned in his voice, but couldn't stop smiling. "It's practically my obligation. You're one of us now and really, it won't be hard. He already loves you and would follow you into a fight, so the hard part's already over."

Sakura remembered the way Hungry stood between her and the pale boy when Sai showed up to save her. She knew enough to know that Hungry was meant to protect her. He would be her ally. Among the bear and the hawk and the snake she had chosen him out of a cast of guardians for better or for worse, and even though she sometimes worried she chose the cliche or made a mistake by passing over the bear and hawk, she knew that those fangs and claws would be her salvation.

The sun was already high in the sky and Hungry pawed at her boots, trying to tug her laces free and bite them for entertainment. Sakura reached down and grabbed him around the neck and he rolled over onto her hand, trying to bite her wrist but Sakura scooped him up and squeaked him to her chest until he stopped squirming. With his face so close to hers he reached out and licked her lips, causing Sakura to pull back a bit.

"Don't worry about that, it's his way of submitting to you. Wolves lick the muzzles of the ones they respect and will follow. Just…don't try licking him back."

Sakura made a face. "I wasn't planning on it." Letting him go to run off and then dash back, Sakura straightened her back and felt her ribs pop with just an extra twist. "Should we head back to the campsite yet?"

Without answering, Kiba smiled and began walking back. Akamaru took his cue and bounded off ahead of them in the right direction. Less than a full minute later, they were back among the tents in the clearing where more members of the clan were waking up. Among those up and preparing food was Kiba's sister Hana. The neat, well mannered girl grinning around the mouth of their cast iron pot.

"You weren't trying to scare off the new family member, were you, my brother?"

An elderly woman sitting close to the fire chuckled into her hand at Hana's words. Kiba's cheeks took on color, but he didn't pout like Sakura expected him to.

"As if. I was talking to her about what she could do here if she wanted to stay around. But I wasn't being mean about it and I wasn't scary either. You can knock it off."

Hana stirred some more before replacing a lid and sliding the ladle through a side handle till it caught at the hook and hung. Wiping her hands down the sides of her pants she walked over to the two and reached for Sakura's face. Sakura didn't resist as Hana turned her head this way and then, tracing the curves of her face with the soft pads of her finger tips. After a moment Hana released Sakura with a sigh.

"If you want the tattoos, there is a process you must go through to get them, but you look too pretty without them for me to encourage it. Please know that you're more than welcome among our people and that we don't need you to do anything for us to 'get in,' whatever that means."

"I'm not a slacker. I can pull my own weight." Sakura tried to ignore the fact that Kiba was still staring at her.

"Obviously, or else you wouldn't have made it this far. But don't be in a hurry to sell your services. Soup is almost done. Once it cools, you should talk with me. I want to know where you have come from and where you are going as well as answer any question you might have."

Unintentionally, Hana ended up reminding Sakura of Konan from the last Kingdom she left behind. Both were older sisters who cared about their family and were women who knew how to carry themselves and handle their persons in dangerous situations. It was a nice feeling, being around someone like that.

"That would be great and all," a new voice cut in. "But there's been a change in plans." Sakura turned to look back and saw the ruffled woman with a patch over one eye standing a short ways off with her arms folded across chest. Her mouth was thin and set in a deep scowl.

"What is it, mom?" Kiba asked, getting a glare for his informal way of addressing his mother and one of the wisest members of their tribe's council.

The ragged woman nodded back towards the road that was just beyond another tree line. Sakura could see horses through the gaps in between tree trunks. Kiba's mother sneered. "That's cause we have company, boy. Wake the others. They should be at least present for this if this is what I think it is."

"Who is it?" Hana asked, following her mother towards the trees. Sakura thought Hana's tone wasn't entirely curious. Hana had an idea of who it was that was visiting them and it didn't sound like they were well thought of. Sakura turned to look at Kiba who had stayed quiet through the ordeal. He glanced between Sakura and his mother who led Hana out beyond the trees. There was a strained look on the boy's face.

"You want to follow them," she guessed.

"I should know."

Sakura nodded to a natural trail in between the trees. "No one especially forbid you from following them."

Then, without waiting for his reaction, Sakura stalked in between the trees and hugged the shadows. Kiba was quick to follow in her footsteps, just as quiet as her.

Up ahead Hana and her mother stood on the edge of the dirt paved road where a small procession of light colored horse in golden bridles stood with riders equally ornate in their uniforms and cleanly waxed mustaches. Sakura's eyes widened when she recognized the design of the uniform. It was the same type of uniform the boy Kimimaro had been wearing when he attacked her. That must be the uniform of the city guards.

There was a man in the middle whose uniform was customized slightly different, and it was enough to draw Sakura's attention to his face. He was Asian, not like the other men who were all caucasian looking. His eyes were pale and half lidded, but his chestnut hair curtained past his shoulders in perfectly straight plates that moved like liquid copper when he turned his head.

Kiba followed her stare and growled. "That's the princess's cousin, you know the one I was talking about, the pushover. She's the heir to the main house, but her cousin is from the branch house and he's the one that is line to take everything if she or her younger sister fail to sway their political allies. He's a stiff laced bastard that's always been hard on our people. We don't like him."

"You have a name for the stiff then?" Sakura asked, feeling like this boy stood apart from the other guards. They all had faces she could see, unlike the way some people appeared to her in the last kingdom. It would be harder this time around to see and recognize the players, but Sakura had a gut feeling about the boy with pale eyes and perfect hair.

"Neji. His family is the Hyuga clan and they're a main family in control of the merchants of the city and the roads. If you want something transported safely those are the guys you need to be in good with."

"Why is he in uniform then, if he's a clan member?" Sakura asked, sliding down the rough side of the tree until bush obscured her crouching figure.

Kiba frowned, but followed her down. "You're asking a lot of questions about the cousin. Do you think he's handsome?"

"Maybe, but he's wearing a uniform that's unlike the others and I've seen it somewhere before on a different person." She didn't press the issue as to why Kiba wanted to know if she thought he was handsome. She had a feeling, an inkling, that being the young naive boy that he was, he didn't get to speak with very many females in such a manner. It made sense for a boy in his position to grow a little crush. It wasn't anything worth getting flustered over.

Kiba leaned closer. "Someone you know? Who was it?"

"Just someone who tried killing me once, that's all." Sakura glanced sideways to watch for Kiba's reaction, hiding a grin when she saw the flash of shock pass behind his eyes. "It's not a very important matter anymore. Don't dwell on it." Kiba opened his mouth to say something but Sakura shushed him before leaning in closer to the group and straining to pick up their conversation. The boy Neji was talking.

"There has been a plot of land reserved for your caravan outside the city against the great wall. It has been marked with the sigil of your wolf head. Look for it and do not camp anywhere else."

"We didn't agree to any of that," Hana's mother hissed before spitting on the ground at the horse's hooves. Neji made a disgusted face but didn't say anything in reply. "We've never had to be told where to set down, before? Is there a reason you're herding us like sheep, now?"

Neji's tone was dry, if not as soft and fluid as his appearance led Sakura to believe it would be. "I assure you, it is to properly utilize the land around the city to its upmost. If you find the land unsuitable or ill sized, seek it up with an official of the city."

"How?" Hana asked, stepping up. "We are not allowed inside, and most of the tribe can not write formal complaints."

A new guard stepped up to answer Hana's question. "Guards will be patrolling the outer perimeter of the city. They are also there to ensure trappers and the homeless stay to their designated area."

Hana's mother barked a harsh laugh and Sakura felt it cut through her like a physical force. It was icy and sharp and cynical all the way through. The wild, one eyed woman looked from her daughter to the boy named Neji with a low lidded glare. "That's not going to fly, princess. We are not your dogs to be told what and where to go at your leisure. We both know your patrol aren't there to help or take complaints, they're out there to keep the rabble in line and they'll be damned if there is one that needs help. You've just insulted my whole tribe, boy."

"Regardless," Neji began to answer. "That is how the city does its business. We only came as a courtesy to you so that you might be prepared going to the city. Follow it or don't follow it. That is always your choice. My men have their orders."

Before Kiba's mother could say anything more the boy Neji dug his heels into the sides of his steed and the horse surged forward into a canter away from the site, his men trailing behind and following alongside him towards the fortress city. As they passed Sakura's eyes tracked the boy Neji and just as he turned past their hiding position she felt their eyes meet. It was physical and it lit up the base of her neck with a shock of electrical signals. Neji turned his head to hold their star over his shoulder, but in another second he was too far away to look back and broke off to face forward.

"Damn it, I should have known they would have been trouble," Kiba growled under his breath. "For saints' sake, they can't just leave well enough alone. Power hungry dicks."

Keeping herself from laughing, she tugged on Kiba's arm and then dragged him partway back to camp before he followed on his own. They made it back in time to make it look like they had been waiting in the campsite when Hana and her mother returned, one fuming more vocally than the others.

Hana came over to them and explained what she had heard from Neji while the mother ranted and raged to the elders who were far more calm about it all. Sakura was surprised to see how many just shrugged and went with the flow of it, not minding or caring either way if they had just been disrespected or taken for granted. This didn't seem to help the older woman's mood. Surrounding by so much apathy she barked orders until everyone was in their tents, packed up, and mobil.

Sakura followed Kiba and did what he did, shadowing him all the way until they were ready to travel. They had horses, but since they were so close, many chose to walk and lead their steeds on foot then ride them hard and fast like last time.

Sakura lagged behind at the back of the line and Kiba hung back to keep even with her. Their dogs were running along on the side, never far from their sides. He stuffed his hands deep into the pockets of his coat and flapped his elbows a bit for entertainment. He peeked up from under his lashes when she stepped ahead of him. He back was to him, but she could feel his gaze well enough.

"In a rush?" he asked in a suggestive tone.

Sakura smiled to herself, slowing her pace so that they drew even. She eyed him with slitted eyes and he grinned cheekily before turning pink at the tips of his ears and turning his face away. "I don't know if I appreciate that tone you're taking with me," she said.

He scratched the side of his nose, looking away. "If you've never been in the city before I can take you on a short tour when the other's aren't looking." He reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a small page folded up twice. With care he unfolded it to show off the signatures and the passport information that had been stamped with a seal that resembled a winged crest inlaid with jewels.

"I thought your people weren't welcome inside the city. That's why they are making you stay outside."

"Some of us can go in for food and stuff, but I had this forgery made at the end of our last winter so that I could sneak in." He folded it up and stuffed it back into his pocket with a secret smile. "Don't let my sister or any of the others know, though, and especially not my mother. She wouldn't understand and would just flip out."

Sakura thought of a passport that was like the one Kiba carried and reached into the inner pocket of her own coat. There was a small leather book with the papers tucked neatly inside. She pulled it out and unfolded it in front of Kiba so he could see her own papers. His eyebrows shot up a bit. "Your's is real."

He reached out to finger the pages inside the leather booklet behind her Russian passport. One had a ornate British embellishment of a shield guarded on either side by a lion and unicorn. There was one for Hong Kong and another for the colonies in India. There were a few others in other languages she didn't recognize or didn't care to pull out to see better.

"I travel a good deal," she said out loud, not knowing if she believed her own words. Yes, she did travel a great deal, commuting from dream to dream, world to world, train to train, and city to city, but that wasn't what Kiba was thinking about when she said she traveled a lot.

"Always?" he asked.

She shrugged.

"Why?" he pressed.

"It's a curse?" She didn't know how to answer him without lying in some way. "I don't know how to stop."

"It's not to hard." He paused, looking as if he was thinking his words over extra before speaking them. " You just need to find something worth stopping for."

They passed under the shadow of an overreaching tree and Sakura stared up through the leaves to see fragments of a brilliant blue sky. It was only bits and pieces, but it was enough to remind her it was there. "That's what they say," she finally answered with. She didn't wait for Kiba to reply, she just walked ahead of him and kept even with the covered cart at the back of the line.

Half a day on the road and they were already on the outskirts of the city. Krepost meant fortress, and it was a fitting name for a city walled all the way around twice. There was an outer ring where the poor and the merchants lived, and then there was an exclusive inner ring in the center of the city where only the most wealthy could afford to live. But even with these distinctions, the caravan was not allowed inside the first layer of walls to the outer ring.

Instead they were quickly spotted by a patrol officer in uniform and ushered off to a plot of land against the great stone wall. There were tents and booths belonging to other merchants on either side of them, leaving Kiba and his family less room to spread out than what they wanted. But aside from his mother, most of Kiba's relatives were chill enough to manage with what they had been given and not complain.

The sky was dim, and nightfall was not far off by the time Sakura had finished setting up the last of their yurts. Kiba was being lectured to by his older sister about something he rushed through and did improperly. Taking the opportunity, Sakura ducked under the hangings of a gypsy's clothes line and scampered off towards the city gates with Hungry close to her heels. A few families she passed picked up their young ones or backed away when they saw Hungry, but they were moving too fast through the campsite to cause a ruckus.

The mouth to the city was varnished in brass with angles falling gracefully down its semi opened doors. The doors glistened brightly in the last lights of the day as travelers and merchants filed through. Half that approached were held back or turned away and it was becoming obvious why. In addition to having the proper documentation the guards only turned away the dirtiest and the sickly.

"Krepost means fortress, however, the city is sometimes known for its other name."

Sakura turned slowly to see Sai standing with his arms folded politely. Hungry didn't bark or welcome him, but stood weary beside Sakura. Cracking open a single eye, he took in her guarded expression.

"Do you wish to know what the people call Krepost? You should. It is the city of one thousand and one souls. For every thousand citizens that live within the outermost ring, there is one who lives in the innermost."

"Where have you been?" Sakura asked, ignoring his words and taking a defensive stance with shoulders raised.

"Absent." Sai looked away. "This is not my gate, nor is it my kingdom. I should not be here."

"I'm calling bull on that one. You're supposed to be my guide, or my escort, or whatever. And you're here now, so that should count for something." She took a measured step towards him and Hungry followed, but Sai still looked away. "What is the albino to you?"

Even without naming him, Sakura knew the description was enough for Sai to know who she was speaking of. There was no movement across his face, but Sakura saw a vein in his neck bob. "Has he approached you since your last encounter?"

She shook her head so he would have to look at her to get an answer. Out of the corner of his eye he caught the swish of her hair brushing against her face and nodded.

"Good, he is not eager for obedience this round. To others, he was a zealot in his devotion to the snake. After years of slumber he has grown lazy and uncaring."

The knife wound from Orochimaru's severed hand still rang in her body, reminding her of the pain. Her flesh would not soon forget its undoing. "Does he want to kill me?"

"It's likely, yes. He has killed dreamers in the past. But it has been so long since the last dreamer died I don't know if he's remembered how terrible it felt when the world faded back to sand and desert. We lost our kingdoms and castles and all the wonderful worlds were wiped away with every dead dream." Sai closed his eyes and then opened them slowly, so only half his lids shadows from his lashes played across his high cheekbones. "He won't touch you…not yet. But beware his Slay Vala. The water vipers, or the white women will come for you sooner or later."

Sakura made a mental note to look up slay vala later on in the real world or ask Sai about it later. "Will he follow me into the kingdom?"

"Yes. His powers will be no less diminished, but he is forbidden from directly interfering in your affairs. Kingdoms are no less safer than gates, but they are larger. I will teach you how to hide yourself and maybe he will not find you."

Sakura remembered the long road she had to walk when she first fell asleep in the second gate. "This dream is rather expensive as well, don't you think? How much bigger is the kingdom?"

"Bigger." Something caught his eye and his posture changed suddenly. Sai reached out and touched her shoulders lightly before turning them so she spun around. He pointed to the gates and his wrist knocked against her neck. "Look there and tell me if you see the woman cloaked in blue."

There was indeed a woman who sported a long velvet blue cloak that she drew about her shoulders as the hood sank further down her face. Sakura could see a scattering of brightly colored beads sewn into the neckline of the dress just as the woman turned back to the guard and produced her passport. The armored male took her papers and scanned them briefly before looking up with wide eyes. Nodding, he turned the pamphlet over and bowed from the waist.

The girl made a sound like a startled mouse before waving her hands and looking around to check and see if anyone saw the exchange. She didn't see Sai or Sakura starting from a distance. Whispering something to the man, the girl ducked inside the city and the guard hurried to cut off the line and begin to close the doors with the help of a second guard. Peasants complained, but dispersed quickly enough once they heard the metal bars being slid into place. The city was closed to outsiders for the night.

"What did I just see?" Sakura asked, not understanding how the exchange was relevant.

"That was your wolf boy's princess. Pay her and her family extra mind. They are your actors this time around."

Sakura woke gradually.

Then all at once she was awake and aware of her wakefulness.

Following a routine she dressed, packed, and left for work. When she got home in the evening she spent her last few hours away toiling over the dress spread across her couch. She had a test coming up next week over the last four chapters, which was great since it was one chapter less than what the professor originally had planned, but never the less it was still something Sakura needed to study for.

At ten thirty, she put the dress away and took out her class notes to review for fifteen minutes before it became too dull and had to get up and walk away from. There were a few drugs she repeated over and over to herself out loud in an effort to remember them, but it was too late to bother reading anything.

Taking a break, she left for the bedroom upstairs that used to be her grandmother's. There was an old gramophone in the corner that had been in working order the last time Sakura turned it on, so she slipped on a record by Ilya Shatrovand, a military musician who served in the Russo-Japanese War, and walked away. On The Hills Of Manchuria filled the room in faded notes that still seemed to breath with as much force and life as the original orchestra.

Sakura stopped in front of her grandmother's dresser and looked into the mirror, seeing the bed in the reflection where the older woman passed on in her sleep. Swallowing her breath, Sakura reached down and unhooked the latch to a long flat wooden box with a dying eagle carved into the surface. A single arrow sprung from his breast as banners and stalks of wheat encircled his body. Inside the box there was a layer of velvet, and then a second lower layer of velvet. Between these two sheets of velvet lining lay an assortment of stars, strung through with veins of gold. A pair of diamond drop earrings in soft gold and matching diamond tennis bracelet and choker. Above it all sat an antique rose-cut diamond cluster ring that was marquise shaped and mounted in 18Kt pale gold, circa 1880.

"A gift from one of my many lovers," the old woman once cackled while showing off her shinny things to a child who couldn't understand their value.

Sakura's grandmother kept the dying eagle box locked and fitted between her dresser and the wall, disguised as a stopper for the semi attached swivel mirror. If Sakura's mother had known about it, there would have never been any chance of it staying in the house. There had once been two other jewelry chests on grandmother's dresser, but only one was left behind because it was full of costume jewelry. The other was full of honest gems and precious metals. Sakura's mother got away with selling a lot of it before the other relatives complained and for now it all was at with her uncle, who kept it safe for sentimental value.

Sakura fingered the accessories and wondered about the men who had gifted the articles to her grandmother. Did they ever exist? While it was true, that far back in their family there was some old money that had all but dried up, but some of the stories she heard as a child seemed to wild to be true.

Sakura fingered an emerald pendant and heard her mother's voice. "A gift, from when I danced in the ballet at Kiev."

The phone from her bedroom rang and Sakura heard Iggy Azalea over the orchestra. When she picked it up she saw that she had one missed call from Karin, even though she had gotten to it before it rang long enough to go to voicemail. Sliding it open, Sakura tried calling her friend back.

Karin answered after the second ring. "Sorry, I pocket dialed you. I wasn't interrupting anything, right?"

"No, just finished studying for the night, I think." Sakura frowned looking out her window while straining to hear. "Are you out? It's so noisy."

"Yeah." There was a moment without speaking as Karin adjusted her phone and Sakura listened to the muffled rustling. "I decided to go out with the guys after we closed up shop."

There were noises and sounds, but no music. "Where are you?"

Sakura grumbled something and there was more shifting of the phone. "The Crown Arcade. It's always open till midnight on the weekends."

Sakura couldn't pinpoint it exactly, but there was something more subtle under Karin's tone that made Sakura anxious. "Are you okay, Kar? You sound annoyed."

"Yeah, cause I just died and I'm nearly out of quarters. What, do you think I'm mad or something?"

"Well if you're dead that would certainly explain it," Sakura smoothly countered, knowing it wouldn't be wise to confront Karin about whatever the redhead was really annoyed about over the phone. "I'm free tomorrow night. Want to hang out at the Orchard?"

"Ami won't be able to make it, she's going to an art show with her parents."

"It can be just the two of us. We can just hang in the rafters and chill, maybe bring a card game." Sakura waited a heartbeat before adding. "I'll drive so you can drink."

"…Tomorrow night?"

"Yes. Saturday."

Sakura heard a crash and then a very clear 'game over' from Karin's end of the line but no guttural cursing. A few seconds later the noises all dulled and Karin was talking. "Fine, I can do that. But I'm not dressing up to go clubbing or anything like that and you have to bring the cards. I'm getting a Smirnoff Screwdriver."

"I can do that."

"Fine, you can pick me up at seven." The line went out and Sakura felt a little disoriented without the noise and sounds to fill up her ear. The record was done, and all that she could hear was silence.

"Wolves have a basic aversion to fighting and will do much to avoid any aggressive encounters. It has been observed that a socialized wolf had become frantically upset upon witnessing its first dog fight. The distressed wolf intervened and eventually broke up the fight by pulling the aggressor off by the tail."
— David Mech and Luigi Boitani,
"Wolves: Behavior, ecology, and conservation", 2003

When Sakura woke up she was among the trees, not far from the city. She was close enough that she could run to it in a minute's time if she needed to, but far away enough that she wasn't dwarfed by it. Kiba was running up after her, Akamaru far behind him.

"You found me," Sakura commented in an even tone, not knowing how exactly she felt about being approached so quickly by the boy who wouldn't leave her alone. Did she want space, did she need space, or did she need him?

Her thoughts were cut short when she noticed something different about him, or more specifically, something different about his dress. She reached for the lapel of his outermost jacket as he stopped to catch his breath. He didn't move to stop her, but let her push the layer away. Underneath his tattered peasant garb was something a bit more sleek. It wasn't a uniform, but it did look an awful lot like what the tsarist court would have the men wearing. Also, the tattoos on his face were hidden under a power or cream.

"Where did you get that?"

Kiba hid half his smile, trying to look sneaky. "A gift, and it's what I need to help me into the city. Your papers are authentic so they probably won't toss you out, but I need to look the part."

Sakura clicked her tongue, taking in his face and hair. "You can dress up, but someone will have to do something with that hair of yours. Do you have a comb?"

Kiba looked a little taken aback and Sakura knew it was stupid to have expected so much of the boy. Thinking of one, she pulled a thin tooth comb from within the folds of her own overcoat and then tugged him forward before running her fingers through his hair.

It was thick and full, but only mildly knotted given his circumstances. She tugged him down to the ground and had him sit while she knelt over him and parted his hair into a sleek style that liked resisting too much to stay in place the way Sakura wanted it to. She spread her hand out over his hair and washed it with her oils again and again and again, microscopic drops every time, but gradually the strands learned obedience and Sakura found a happy medium between wild child and controlled Tsarist.

Sitting back on her heels, Sakura crawled around till she was in front of him and could enjoy her handiwork. It was much better, but Kiba looked frozen stiff. It was enough to make her chuckle. "What, never had to take care of your hair before? You're shaggier than you dog, Kiba."

His face heated up a bit and he ducked his head down to avoid eye contact. "I don't want to see it."

Sakura rolled her eyes, climbing to her feet. Such a child. "Fine, but it looks better. You'll blend in this way. Stand up, we should get going if we want to pass through the gates at all. I'm fairly certain they only let inside a certain number every day to manage the crowds."

"It's…still early. It will be fine," Kiba mumbled, keeping his head down as he rose to his feet following Sakura.

Akamaru and Hungry paced back and forth between the trees and the campsite and Sakura took notice of how much her wolf had grown overnight. Kiba made a signal with his hand and Akamaru took off into the trees with Hungry on his heels. "They'll hunt until we return. My family won't know I'm gone."

"Is it so bad for them to know you've gone into the city?" Sakura asked, glancing backwards to watch the two dogs dash in between the trunks of trees.

Kiba never answered. Before Sakura realized it, they were in a line of travelers waiting to get their papers checked. Kiba unfolded his and held it between his gloved fingers, swallowing a hard lump in his throat. Sakura pulled forth her own booklet and fingered through the papers till she found the right one.

Tracing the edges of her overcoat, she imagined fur, soft rabbit fur growing along the collar. Her boots were fine and polished leather. Instead of rough travelers pants her slim trousers were white with blue stripes running down the sides before disappearing inside her knee high boots. A matching fur cap encircled her head and she reached up to check her ears for the gold star studs she dreamed up. They were hard and cold under her gloved fingers.

Kiba turned to glance back over his shoulder and almost tripped when he saw her in furs. Gaping he caught himself as he stumbled forward in line, waiting for her to draw up even with him. "When…?"

"Hush," she whispered over him, stepping up and approaching the guard ahead of him. The look in the officer's eyes when he looked her persons over was satisfying until it settled on her face and stayed stuck there. He hardly glanced at the papers she handed him, keeping his eyes on her face as much as possible.

"What…is your business in Krepost?" he asked in a tone that sounded like he had asked the same question a thousand times since morning.

"Pleasure mostly, no business."

"A-and how long are you staying?"

Sakura made a show of shrugging her shoulders and seeming nonchalant. "Until I'm bored I suppose. Oh, that's usually anywhere from a week to a month at the very most."

"Will you be leaving before the winter settles, then?" he asked, trying to tell if she should be counted among the residents or not.

"Yes, I shall never vacation so long in one place," Sakura replied, taking her papers out of his hands and folding them back into her booklet before walking off through the gates as if she didn't need his permission, because in truth she didn't.

She stopped after a few steps and turned to look back behind her were Kiba was being interviewed by the same guard. Both were looking to her discreetly.

"Business?" the guard asked, still sounding like a robot.

"Escort," Sakura called out before Kiba could say anything. "And he is with me, come along now."

Without waiting for his reply or his clearance, Sakura began to walk away. A moment later she heard Kiba on her heels. He was grinning so tightly she knew he was trying his utmost to keep the smile from spreading clear across his face.

"I've never gotten in so fast before. Gah! You should have seen his face."

Sakura grinned, but her eyes were wide and searching the skyline for shocks of obsidian. "Yes, well, that's enough now. Don't you think it's time for you to show me this city?" If the Obelisk was in the city, she would have to find it when she had the freedom to wander.

The city was a labyrinth, built in such a way that men in siege would have to labor again and again to bring down the walls that looped back and forth with storefront and homes built right into the stonework. Back and forth, Kiba dragged her up and down the city, showing off all he could while Sakura still searched for the Obelisk.

Krepost was a gate world just like the Marble Gardens. It had only taken her one night, one sleep cycle, to get through the garden maze and into the kingdom. Why was this gate taking her so long. It felt more like a kingdom than the marble gardens. She should be done with this by now.

They were in the middle of a street that arched upwards, closer to the center of the city, when a flash of white caught Sakura's eye. There was a woman dressed in ghostly colors with long white blond hair that reached all the way down to her knees. She was pale and her eyes were a frigid shade of ice blue that reminded Sakura of the lakes that froze over in the winter. The woman turned to stare across the road and their eyes met. Sakura felt a chill run down her spine, snapping and biting all the way down.

The woman's hair was dripping wet.

"Kiba-" Sakura didn't have time to finish her sentence as the woman sprang forward with the speed of a wraith. It was all Sakura could do to summon a saber to block the attack before she was thrown back into a store's shop front. She tumbled over a display of nuts and rolled onto her heels before standing and bracing again.

The white woman tore at the body of a boy and sent him flying into a window of glass he didn't rise from. A man raced forward to stop her, shouting and reaching for her arms as if she were a simple woman wild with anger, but she threw him like a twig into the crowd where other men caught him.

Sakura saw the white woman tear through another older woman in a flour stained apron before moving. The saber slid from it's sheath cleanly and swung out just as fast.

"Dreamer," the wet woman hissed, her shock blue eyes glowing neon. "I devour."

Sakura caught the claw attack and kicked the woman back when she tried swiping with her free hand. Kiba screamed in the distance but Sakura paid it no mind as she twisted her sword about to free it from the clawed hand. She breathed out in time with a lunge that landed in the woman's chest, but it was stuck between two lungs and hadn't hit anything vital. The woman grinned madly, pulling on the sword and then grabbing at Sakura's wrist to fling her back into the same shop as before. This time the tables she knocked over were too broken to diminish her impact. Sakura landed in a mess and cried out in pain. The world swam for a moment as darkness ate at the corner of her eyesight.

Seven swans, a golden ball dropped into a lake, A diamond encrusted egg opening to reveal a world spinning in darkness. A bird on fire shot out from the barrel of an ivory bone musket and blazed to death in the darkness.

Sakura gasped and the visions swam back, pushing into the recesses of her mind.

The woman was still in the street, but she hadn't moved. Another saber stuck out from her chest, but this one tore through her heard. Tears ran down her face like heavy rivers and then she collapsed onto the cobblestone. Sakura blinked and the figures still standing came into focus. It was the boy from the orient, the one with moons for eyes and hair worthy of a thousand girl's envy. Neji, that was his name.

She tried sitting up, but it was too painful, so she slumped back into the pile of debris that had once been a table set with expensive china and treats for a ladies' tea. She could feel something like a shard of the porcelain buried in her back.

'Good thing I'm not going dancing with Karin tomorrow,' she thought to herself, dropping her head back and closing her eyes. It hurt less when she tried to breath even.

"Sakura!" Kiba was screaming as another woman wailed over the body of her dead son. The smell of blood was in the air.

Kiba came bounding in, a line of blood running across his face. Part of the cover up he used to hide his tattoos was smeared away. He dropped down beside her, dragging the rubble away from all around her before trying to lift her so that she could sit propped against his knee. She heard him curse.

"She didn't mark my face up did she?" Sakura asked with her eyes closed.

Kiba chuckled bitterly and she could feel his fingers trailing down her back, looking for the blood soaked patches. "No, your face is fine."

"Not that it would have diminished your beauty in the slightest, I dare to say," a new voice interjected. Both Sakura and Kiba turned to see the Chinese boy standing in the opening to the shop. He carried her bloodied sword and discarded sheath together in one hand. "However, I've not yet been graced with an audience face to face. Your radiance has only attracted me from afar until now." He knelt down at her feet and placed her sword and scabbard beside her ankles. "Please, I must have your name."

"Are you insane," Kiba growled, his hackles rising with barely contained fury. "Can't you see she's bleeding out? Stop flirting for two seconds and make yourself useful enough to find a doctor or some bandages."

Neji's eyes narrowed, and he turned his head slightly to glare at Kiba. "I know you. You're the wolf kid my cousin dotes on. What are you doing in the city? You were not permitted."

"Why, cause I'm subhuman?"

Sakura was surprised by the bitterness that ran like acid over the young boy's words. She didn't know Kiba could be so…cold.

"Enough," Sakura coughed, tasking the first sunburst of pain when her body squeezed her lungs. Something was for sure imbedded in her back. "Aren't either of you more worried about who that was? She went wild in the middle of the street without provocation."

Sakura shifted her elbows under her to help her sit up and felt her shirt and coat stick a bit to the ground as blood stained her whole backside. Kiba cursed again and Neji was stiff.

She breathed deeply again and imagined her skin pushing out the broken bits enough to pull free and her skin knotting back up, of her blood flowing backwards and her wounds sealing closed. There was no change, of course, but she could better feel the pieces in her back after thinking about it. Discarding her coat, Sakura shrugged out of it and yelped a bit when a fragment got caught and pulled at her skin.

"Hold it," Kiba barked, reaching forward to disentangle the fabric from the shard. "You need a doctor. If you don't see one soon, you'll bleed out. It looks bad. Can you walk?"

Sakura didn't think the wound was as bad as Kiba made it sound, but she nodded and stood up, nearly crying out again with the pain that laced through her. She wanted to laugh and cry all at once it was so painful for a dream. Too painful for a dream.

"My family has a doctor. You should go to her. You will ride my horse."

"Yeah, no, that's okay and thanks, but it's not really that bad," Sakura grumbled, feeling the throb dull in contrast to her remembrance of Orochimaru's knife sticking out of her stomach. It would be hard to top that one. She had the bits of a teapot in her back, it wasn't that big a deal. "There should be someone back at the came who can look at this."

"That does nothing for the blood you have already lost," Neji interjected, taking a step back so he was blocking her exit. "You'll be as cold as the stones before you make it out of the city on your own."

Sakura looked back at Kiba who was still hanging onto her torn overcoat with the fur running down the collar. Around the rips in the fabric she could see dark stains were blood had been spilt. She didn't think she had lost enough to put her in danger, but this was a dream…what constituted death in the dream world? Could she really bleed herself dry and die long before she was emptied? Was it worth it to risk it.

"I can't leave my companion. We came here together and he's my guide," Sakura lamely replied, looking anywhere but at either of the two boys. It was a lame excuse that wouldn't hold up, but it needed to be said so that Neji wouldn't separate her from Kiba.

"Yeah," Kiba chimed in quickly. "She's staying with my tribe, we're responsible for her so I have to stay with Sakura no matter where you take her."

Outside a simple box carriage drew up even with the shop window and a young gentleman with eyes like Neji's hopped down, poised and ready to open the carriage for his master's guests. Similar carriages were being ushered in to pick up the emotionally traumatized richer individuals while the serfs washed the streets clean of blood.

"Then you will come?" Neji asked hesitantly, eyeing Kiba only briefly.

Kiba took a step closer to Sakura and if he wanted to, he could reach out and touch her, but he didn't, though she could feel he wanted to. He was ready to step in front of her if she asked him to. He was ready to fight for her if she felt like it, too.

"We'll come, but only to see your doctor. I wouldn't dream of taking advantage of your hospitality. I never gave you my name, but it's Sakura."

Neji smiled politely. "I know the meaning of your name. I would say it's a suitable title."

Kiba looked quickly back and forth between the two, squinting. "What does it mean? Sakura?"

Neji waved his hand before Sakura could answer and ushered them out. Kiba whined about being ignored, but Neji didn't pay him any mind as he helped Sakura out onto the street. Instead of a horse, a simple carriage waited to transport them from the upper edge of the outer ring into the inner ring. Sakura climbed in first, followed by Neji and a scrambling Kiba. The driver was the one who closed the door on them and then jogged around to reign the horses back onto the cobblestone path.

It was bumpy and with ever jostle, Sakura felt the shape of the shards in her back, and the bruises were starting to surface along her arms and legs. She poked at one atop her hand and winced when it pushed back. In the morning when she woke, she would have to wear some long sleeves if she didn't want to have to explain her markings. Enough people thought she was abused thanks to her escapades with the greasers last month. Karin worried that Sakura was hurting herself, and it was going to get harder to convince her otherwise.

Sakura looked up when she felt Kiba nudge her knees with his own. Glancing sideways she saw that his expression was partly muted in an effort to appear indifferent. "What does Sakura mean?" he asked.

"It's not a meaning, it's a thing. A Sakura is a tree that flowers in the spring time. I was born in the spring and my hair is the same color as the petals. At least that's what most people pick up on."

"Is the tree very beautiful" Kiba asked.

Sakura hummed, nodding her head and thinking back to the large, far reaching branches sagging under blooms of pink, white, and lighter shades of red in the rarest of cases. "I think so."

"I like it. If you ever see a Sakura tree you must show it to me."

Sakura grinned at the idea of it. "If I see one in Russia, I'll let you know."

Across from them Neji covered over his snarky grin with the back of his hand, but the condescending huff was less easy to disguise. Kiba turned to glare, hiding nothing. "Something you want to share?"

"No particularly. When we arrive, you'll have to lie and claim your clothing got damaged in the fire." Neji jerked his chin over at Kiba's jacket. "Those are petty things our servants wear to the parties we throw."

Sakura reached out to grab Kiba;s shoulder when he made a move to stand up in the tight carriage. Pulling him back down into his seat. "Shh," she whispered, hating how the world throbbed around her in and out of focus every time the box hit a bump and sent a jolt through her body. "We're inside the ring, look."

While a Russian city, the original design had been for a fortress meant to withstand siege and war, so there were no grand palaces with onion domes or spiraled towers, but there were brightly colored buildings with ornate details that showed a devotion to design. A garden had been built up around the main building, and Sakura noticed a small greenery pocketed around the side of a smaller building. There were many, and the inner ring was large, but it was nothing compared to the outer ring. There was too much open space and not enough people.

The carriage pulled up alongside the drive that ran in front of the smaller building and Kiba was the first to step out. To the foot boy he whispered instruction and the lad ran off. Turning, he offered Sakura his hand when she bent to climb down via the door. Neji pointed to the green path beside the house. "I've asked for the doctor to be summoned outside. This way we might avoid unwanted attention from the other residents."

"You just don't want us inside embarrassing you," Kiba complained, drawing up even with Sakura as she followed Neji down to path to a small curtained gazebo. Sakura saw a figure was already waiting inside.

"I don't care, Kiba. I just want these pieces out."

As she approached the figure became more clear. It was a young woman with short black hair and blacker eyes. Her skin was clear and her hands were freshly washed and held close to the chest to avoid touching the bodies that passed her by. A small belt of leather lay unrolled on a short table nearby and Sakura caught the glint of silver that told her there were surgical tools.

"Let me see the entry site," she said with a steady voice. Sakura stopped beside a long, bare table and turned to show off her back. The woman made a sound and then nodded to the two boys. "I will have to cut away the fabric, you two will wait outside. And you, the one with the blood on his face. Don't go far, I want to have a look at that cut before you leave."

Sakura thought it would be funny for her to look up and find Kiba missing. If that really did happen, it wouldn't be because Kiba left of his own free will. It would be a challenge to get him to vacate on his own, the dark haired woman didn't have anything to worry about him running away.

Once the two boys were gone Sakura laid down face first on the table and let the doctor cut away the fabric on her back. A bit of the blood had dried and scabbed right over the fabric. When the doctor pulled it away Sakura felt the sting. Underneath the table, her hands were folded into fists that held her pain captive. It was a dream. She didn't have to feel it if she didn't want to, she told herself, even as the first shard was slid free. The flesh throbbed in a dangerous heat around the opening and it felt like losing a tooth. Sakura braced as a second and third shard were removed. On the third one, the dark haired doctor had to thread a hot needle and sew up the exit sight.

"The others will heal on their own," she said when Sakura turned her head to watch the thread and needle be put away. "I must work on the largest one now. Here, bite."

Sakura bit down on a stick of wood laced thrust between her teeth. She could smell the alcohol and braced for the sting.

It came like a thief, robbing her of all that she stood on until she was falling into a pain so deep it drowned her. She was deep in the pain, choking on it. The world was gone and all that remained was white. An ocean of white lilies not yet in bloom floated atop the waves of an ocean. The sun touched their petals and they began to curl open, letting loose their own illumination till it was too bright to see by.

Sakura awoke with a gasp.

The faded wood of her grandmother's ceiling took up the whole of her wide eyed sight. A moment later the other details of the room came into focus. She could see the lines and notches in the natural wood and count the grains if she wanted to. Taking a deep breath she turned over in bed and sat up, wincing as she stretched her back.

Cursing, Sakura slipped a hand under her cami and felt for the sewed up lines of her injuries. Her bruises were easy enough to see, but with a bit of foundation expertly spaced she could take care of it. There were humble ridges that were tender to the touch. Lifting her shirt up Sakura walked into the bathroom and checked to see how noticeable the marks were. From what she saw, it looked like she wouldn't be wearing anything backless for a while.

"No clubbing this week," she said out loud, dropping the edges of her sleeping tank and turning around to grab a brush for her teeth. Her breath wasn't bad, but she could taste the bile on her tongue from her nightmares and the pain of imaginary night terrors.

It was her free day, Saturdays were always the days she could sleep in a little more than the others and take everything slow. Grabbing her phone and plugging it in, Sakura rolled back into bed under the covers and pulled open a game and some social media sites to wast the morning on before her stomach forced her to go down for food.

There was a message from Ami about how bored she was, being with her parents the entire day, and Sakura responded by sending off a sympathetic note.

A handful of errands, a hour of studying, and two hours spent on seamstress work later, Sakura was ready to dress up and go. They were going to the Orchard, but not as club hoppers, so it would be appropriate to ditch the glitter heels and sequined tops that liked to hold hostage stray beams of light off the dance floor. No, when Karin and her hung out it was usually with a deck of Cards Against Humanity Cards or Taboo game set. They were games best suited to groups of three and up, but that was always part of the fun, finding friendly strangers to come join you.

Sakura packed her deck of CAH cards and began pulling articles of clothing from their hangers. It was a night time adventure, so dressing warmer wasn't a bad idea, but it was still only early September. She had to take into consideration what Karin wanted to go for and she knew her friend liked wearing less until november because apparently there weren't enough warm days in New York like there should be.

In the end, Sakura rolled up the ends of a distressed pair of jeans that hung loose enough to give her breathing room while still being honest about her feminine curves. She paired it with brown point toe flats and an off the shoulder sweater with the word LOVE printed in pink floral letters across her chest.

She stared at herself in the mirror looking for the bruises and seeing none of the worst ones. Grateful, she hugged herself and smiled at her reflection, ignoring the way her damaged skin protested underneath her sweater.

Half an hour later Sakura strolled into the old fashioned Italian pizzeria and sidestepped the tables meant for customers. Juugo and Suigetsu were making pizza, but Sui had his cap on and looked ready to make a delivery run. Flipping the bar back, Sakura let herself upstairs, waving to the two boys once they noticed her. And even though she didn't hear him, Sakura thought she heard Karin's dad in the back working on something.

Karin's music was loud, but not loud enough that she didn't hear Sakura knocking at the door. A minute later, without turning down the tunes, Karin answered her bedroom door and frowned. "I'm still not ready."

"You look fine," Sakura sighed, breezing past her friend to sit on the edge of the bed. "What do you still need to work on?"

Karin was wearing high waisted shorts, fishnets, and doc martins. Her long sleeve shirt was skin tight and plunged deep down her back, showing off her supple bones. Her fire engine red hair was teased and clipped off to the side with a skull and bones hair clip that was colored the same shade of pink as her nails.

Karin picked up two tubes of lipstick from her vanity and held them out for Sakura to see. They were both pink, but one was softer and the other was brighter. "Which one?" karin asked, sounding like she didn't care either way.

Sakura picked up the lighter pink shade and waved it, liking how it matched her skull clip and nails. "I like this one. Mind sharing, I forgot mine."

Karin didn't say anything, but she twisted the stiletto of pink up and grabbed Sakura's face before tracing Sakura's lips. Once she was done with Sakura, Karin finished the rest of her make up and looked herself over in the mirror one last time. Sakura leaned in so that both their faces fit on the glass. Karin's apathy broke for a moment when she saw their matching lips. It was enough to make her smile and laugh.

"Come on," she said, picking up her phone from the wall charger. "We're going to be late."

Sakura frowned, but followed her redhead friend out and down and then out again. Like Sakura had coming up, Karin merely waved to the boys working and spared her absent father nothing but a backwards flick of the wrist before heading for the old station wagon outside. Sakura made a 'what the hell' sort of face at both Sui and Ju as she backed out. Both boys hiked their shoulders and gave her the universal sign of 'I don't understand women,' with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. Huffing, Sakura turned on her heel and followed Karin out.

Neither said anything much on the drive over. Sakura asked Karin what games she played at the Crown Arcade and Karin replied with the classic list of shooter, fighter, and racing games. Karin liked the more violent games and while Sakura enjoyed them fine enough, she really preferred the puzzle suited games like Pacman.

Sakura followed Karin in once they parked and she followed her friend all the way up to the loft where there were couches and low tables for board games. Sakura sat her purse down and reached for the deck of cards inside next to her purse and lip gloss but stopped when she saw her friend's face. Karin was settled deep into the cushion of her recliner and Sakura recognized that stance.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"What makes you think there is something wrong?"

Sakura shook her head. "Your tone speaks for itself."

Karin glared over at Sakura and Sakura met her glare with a 'take no shit' level stare until Karin bit her lip and looked away. "Fine. Get me some of that Smirnoff green apple and I'll talk."

Sakura got up from her seat with a smile, slipping her wallet out of her purse in one fluid motion before kicking Karin's knee good naturally. The redhead rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath before settling back down into the cushions of her seat.

Sakura yawned and rubbed her left with the heel of her hand, feeling tired even after a lazy day of doing little of anything. She approached the bar and scanned it for non alcoholic drinks. Maybe a tea like last time would help keep her up. One of the boys behind the bar spotted her and quickly paced over to take her order.

Sakura smiled when she recognized the bartender. "You're back," he said, nodding at her pink hair. "Drinks for you and your friends?"

She held up one finger. "Friend, just the one. She said she would like a green apple Smirnoff and I'm thinking I'll go for a tea…just something to keep me awake."

"Any particular tea you had in mind?"

Sakura shrugged. "Earl Gray?"

"We have a lighter Lady Earl Gray that might be better unless you want to spend the entire night awake. Our Lady tea is pretty good. Where are you guys sitting?"

Sakura pointed up to the corner of the loft where Karin was sunk deep into cushions of her couch seat. Yamato smiled and nodded, making a mental note.

"I'll ring you up down here and then bring the drinks up to you both."

He moved behind a digital register that looked like an oversized i-pad with steps and options he flew through with expert fingers. He asked for ID, Sakura showed him her driver's license and then handed off her credit credit for him to swipe through the machine. While they waited for it to clear and spit out a short receipt he glanced up through his bangs.

"So, how are your classes going?"

Sakura took her card back just as the register beeped. "I never told you I was in college."

"So you are in college. I suspected as much. What are you studying?"

Sakura reached over and ripped the freshly printed receipt free and folded it between her fingers with a sly smile. "Drugs," was all she said before heading back to her seat.

Karin's mood hadn't improved since Sakura had left. If anything, the time Karin had to herself had given her the opportunity to stew in her sour thoughts.

"Okay, that's enough. Is it something I did? I know you think or that you felt at one point that I wasn't making enough of an effort to hang out with you but this isn't like you to simmer so long without trying to kill or brutally maim me or someone else. Frankly, you're starting to scare me."

Karin ran her hands through her hair, nails dragging down her scalp. "Sakura…."

"You think I wouldn't notice, or that I wouldn't call you out on it. Sui might be too scared and Ju might be too nice or too dense to say something about it, but you're just a ripe peach. Who do you have it out for?"

Karin's voice was low and gravelly. The way it got when she cried hard and didn't recover. "No one. God, you sound like my priest! Just chill."

But Sakura didn't sit down, she stood her ground and didn't move an inch. Mumford and Sons played in the background, fading out to something by the Killers for the patrons downstairs. Sakura heard the music and the voices and the noises but she didn't blink.

A minute passed and then another. Karin glanced up, glaring at Sakura, and Sakura stared back, watching as dampness crept into her friend's tired eyes. They were already starting to turn red.

"Sakura, he came back."

"Give me that dark moment I will carry it everywhere like a mouthful of rain."
— Mary Oliver, Blue Pastures

Sakura awoke angry. Fierce hatred burned through her thoughts and circulated throughout her body, warming her from within with flush hate. Her anger made the chill sitting at the end of her bed all the more noticeable.

"Are you angry at me?"

Sakura looked up and narrowed her already slit eyes at the pale haired boy sitting at the edge of her bed. "Hope and pray to whatever it is you worship I never feel this way about you." She pushed herself up in bed and scooted back. "Are you here to make trouble again, or check in on the handy work of your white woman?"

Kimimaro sat at the end of her bed, one leg dangling off and the other folded under his knee. His face was pale and almost as expressionless as Sai's. He turned his head a bit to the side to study her better. "Maybe a bit of both. Who is your anger for?"

"Not you, not anyone you would know anyway. If I am lucky it will abate in time. There is nothing I can do about it here anyway." Sakura paused to look around and take in her surroundings. "Where is 'here' exactly?"

"The woman doctor and another servant took you to this room to rest when you fainted from the surgery. You have been sleeping ever since, and for this world, that means more than one day. There was poison in her blood, poison from the white snakes. Sadly, you have a tolerance for poison." He held up a stack of papers Sakura recognized as her passport and transport papers. One of them came unfolded in his hand and Sakura saw a symbol on the corner of a cross shaped staff with a snake draped around it. "You are a person of medical knowledge in the waking world, I take it."

"Does that make you sad?" Sakura growled, still feeling the hot tickling of anger simmer in her gut. "Is that why you came here yourself, to finish me off with your own two hands?"

Kimimaro moved his hand and from his wrist grew a white slender sword of bone. It glistened in parts like an icicle would. Sakura tensed, ready to imagine a knife or short sword she could bury into his face. The boy with frost in his veins regarded her again from a different angle and then dropped his sword, letting to fade back to frost on her bedsheets.

"If I wished to take up arms against you I would have by now. But, you came into this world so full of anger. Why are you angry?"

Sakura felt irritated by his words. It was too much to hold in, the spiteful words tumbled from her lips like they were too hot to hold in her mouth. "Shove it. Don't think I won't kill you the way you are now. What the hell does it matter to you if I'm angry or not? It has nothing to do with you, absolutely nothing!"

Something in the way she spoke must have been off putting, since the boy with white hair leaned back, away from her and clenched his fist in her bed sheets, as if startled. "I didn't mean to unjustly….antagonize you," he spoke with measured words. "My women will not attack again until I tell them to. It seems I have rushed things along more so than was necessary. Your own narrative is of greater importance."

He stood up to leave, bowing once and then turning and heading for the door. Sakura felt a pop of anger dying out and the cold from where he once sat reached her. Growling at the conflict inside her Sakura made a fist of her hands. "Wait!"

Kimimaro stopped walking, but he didn't turn around to ace her. Still, she knew he was listening. "What did you want? You're my enemy, aren't you? You work for the snake."

"Yes, I do, but I don't remember the last time I saw eyes like yours." He turned around enough so that he could see her over his shoulder. Sakura felt the skin down her arm and on the back of her neck pick up. Ever strand of hair stood on end. "I will wait before killing you, and see if I can find what it is that has captivated the Sigh of Dejection to such a degree. His presence in this gate, your eyes, this era…it is all too much to rush. I will take my time in killing you. Until then…" He began to turn white like diamond. "Find yourself a princess."

He breathed out a breath as large as his body and evaporated into snow shards. Crystallized flakes of white floated on the wind before evaporating and leaving Sakura alone with her thoughts and anticipations.

For all she knew, his words could have been nothing more than an attempt to lower her guard in preparation of the next attack he had in mind. Or… he could have been telling the truth. Sai had mentioned before that the curse was different because of Sakura's exposure and the modern era. Did figments of a curse feel age and longing the same way a person would?

A noise from outside broke Sakura free from her thoughts. She cursed under her breath, feeling her intuition kick and warn her that there was something outside worth investigating. She slid free of the bed and padded on bare toes across the cold morning floor. She was dressed in a white cotton gown that hung loosely around her body, leaving her wounds room to breath. She didn't bother looking for a robe as she stepped out into the hallway where light from the windows showed off her outline underneath her gown.

At first she saw nothing, but then she turned to the right and saw down the hall a collection of dead bodies. A single figure stood hunched above them all with a bundle under his arm. The bundle kicked and Sakura realized right away that the object was a young girl, no older than Sakura.

The man dressed in blood not his own turned and started heading down the hallway. A lone guard struggled to stand and greet him with his last bit of strength, but the assassin dropped a knife into the dying man's face, piercing the brain and rendering the poor guard dead.

"No," the young woman cried with a whimper as soft as a dove's.

Sakura stepped out into the hall so that she became visible and the intruder stiffened, but didn't falter. He took one look up and down her figure and made a smirk of his lips. He was older than Sakura by maybe a decade, and had sun leathered skin and creases to show for it. He looked healthy and strong, though. Experience showed in each of his steps.

"Oi," Sakura called out, imagining a knife behind her wrist.

The man raised a hand, his knuckles laced with silver throwing stars, and Sakura pivoted, harnessing the momentum the hurtle her knife at the man's face. It was enough to force him to dodge and enough for Sakura to all but close the distance. He nicked the corner of her ear, but missed enough that only a small cut opened up on the side of her face.

Her wounds strained and protested at each movement, but Sakura lowered herself into a spin that landed her elbow in his gut. It was enough for him to drop the girl, but not enough to knock him over. He caught her elbow and threw her back. Sakura didn't stop to feel the pain she knew was racing through her veins like angry vinegar. It was bitter though and through, but she didn't pay her wounds any mind. Her mind was entirely devoted to the nightmare in front of her.

In her imagination a curved blade fit in her hand like an extension of her arm. It was harder to move and less familiar than a knife, which was something Sakura was used to wielding, but the sudden appearance was enough to catch the assassin off guard.

And Sakura got lucky. That's all it was. Luck was abundant enough for her arm to be long enough and his body to be close enough. There was a sick, wet, sound as her sword tore his stomach open. He was stunned at the lethal blow and Sakura didn't hesitate to finish him off with another to the neck. Blood sprayed and suddenly Sakura's clean white nightgown was cotton soaked with red. He fell limp at her feet and the blood pooled out into the grooves between the marble tiles.

"Ow," she whispered to herself, remembering her newly opened wounds. Holding herself around the stomach Sakura sank to her knees and tipped over to lie propped up against the wall. She had been stupid to engage like that. Next time she was imagining a gun.

The girl climbed up from her spot on the floor and looked across to see the dead body and gasped. She had been dropped and was only now just waking up again.

"Did you do this?" she asked, looking from the body to Sakura.

"My apologies for the mess," Sakura mumbled with her eyes closed. She breathed heavy against the wall and felt the sweat collect around the crown of her head. "It wasn't… my intention to be so…. violent so early in the morning. And you are?"

The girl blinked in surprise. "Wait, you don't know me? How can that be? You are in my house and everyone here knows my clan."

Sakura recognized the girl, she was the one who was sneaking into the city in fine velvet two nights ago. She also had the same pale, moon colored eyes as Neji. Sakura knew enough to be able to add two and two together.

"I'm Sakura, by the way. It's Hinata, right?" Sakura coughed, wincing as the force racked her body. Her cough turned into a laugh as she tried to play it off and not worry the heiress. "Tell me I'm right."

The shy girl nodded, seemingly mute. Sakura grimaced but forced a smile. Huffing once, she pushed off the wall and staggered over to the girl, lightly grabbing at the white silk collar of her dress. Hinata rose without protest. Sakura jerked her chin back at her room and the two of them stumbled in. Sakura closed and locked the door as best she could without an actual key or lock. A simple chain in front of the door was all they could rely on.

"What now?" Hinata asked.

Sakura glanced around the room and saw the antique medicine cabinet against the far wall, around the second bed made up and empty. She reached up to touch the wound on her ear and felt a jolt when her fingers made contact with her own blood. There were vipers in her blood. 'Poisson,' she thought to herself, remembering her last fight in the past kingdom.

Not knowing what else to do, Sakura hobbled over to the medicine cabinet and opened the glass door. Her deft fingers flickered over the caps of glass bottled, pulling out a few to sniff and replace. With each smell she saw the source of the drug, she saw herbs and roots and wet things that were dried out for the sake of medicine. There was even a jar with rabbit foot inside it.

Her fingers stopped over a leather pouch. Pulling it out she opened it and looked inside. There were unmixed leaves on a step dotted with bloated berries. Sakura touched the berries and saw a plant drying up and withering away until it was dust. These would be her cure. The berries and the leaves.

"What are you doing?" Hinata asked, sounding curious.

"Don't worry, I'm a doctor…of sorts," Sakura answered, thinking back to her pharmacy training. "I think I know what I'm doing." She popped the berries, one after another, not knowing how many it would take. They were bitter and she wanted to spit them out, but she choked them down, tearing off a leaf with her teeth to suck on until the bitterness passed.

"You're a doctor?" Hinata's eyes were still wide. "But you fought so well. He killed my entire company on his own. I've never heard of a doctor being able to do something like that."

Sakura hummed, backing up to lean against the bed, feeling less dizzy than before but a little numb to the pain in her back. "And I've been unaccustomed to heiresses sneaking off into the wilds beyond her gates. I saw you come back into the city two days ago. Was it to see Kiba?"

Sakura closed her eyes, not minding to see the young girl's reaction. It was easy enough to read just from the sound of her little gasp and the stutter that followed. "H-how did you kn-know that?"

"I camp with the wolf tribe, and Kiba's told me of you plenty enough." Sakura opened her eyes to look at Hinata as they spoke. The young girl had neat black hair braided down her back, but after the scuffle, loose strands hung freely around her face in a messy state. "How did the two of you meet?"

Hinata looked down at her hands shyly. "Before my father was head of the clan, my uncle was in line to succeed. I was not so closely guarded. But when my uncle died, my father became the head and I inherited the position as heir. I….K-kiba was…he left, but when he came back, his family were not allowed inside the gates again. Still, he was my best friend."

Sakura nodded, feeling like a third party the more and more she shipped the Kiba/Hinata coupling. But her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of scratching at her door. She jumped up and readied herself in front of Hinata, legs bend and arm extended with a slender knife in hand. A moment later there were voices and then a shove at the door. Another shove and the chair gave way and palace guards fell inwards.

"Hinata!" A loud voice bellowed.

Sakura relaxed once she saw Neji. But then from behind Neji bounded a large white dog with his tongue hanging and wet. Sakura caught Hungry as he crashed into her arms, larger than the last time she saw him. He wouldn't fit in her shirt anymore, but she could still pick him up if she tried. He reached up on his back legs and Sakura hugged him close to her chest, muffling something happy sounding when he tried to lick her face clean off.

"You're safe," she heard Neji say to Hinata as she trotted over to join him and the guards around him. "He didn't cut you, did he? They were all using poison on their blades."

"No," Hinata shook her head, blushing lightly. "Sakura kept me safe, but she was injured in defending me."

The many eyes of the room looked over at said girl and suddenly Sakura felt self conscious about being dressed in blood and a nightgown. Her teeth were probably red too from the berries. She sucked on them real quick. Neji's eyes narrowed in on something on her face.

"You were cut."

She reached up to touch the cut along her earlobe. It was still bleeding, but had mostly clotted. It wasn't deep. Wordless Sakura held up the pouch of herbs in her hand and then nodded to the medical cabinet. "Sorry, I borrowed some," she spoke in a light voice, trying to keep her stained teeth hidden.

"A medic," one whispered, eyeing her carefully.

Sakura felt like avoiding eye contact and when she glanced away, she thought she caught sight of Sai's figure retreating down the hallway. Although, to be fair, it could have been anyone in a Russian imperial uniform.

A few more of the guards filed out, but most lingered around the doorway, waiting for Hinata to walk with them back to her room. She fussed quietly when Neji tried to turn her face and look her over for marks, but other than that she was as quiet as a ghost.

Hinata paused just before crossing the threshold and turned, looking back at where Sakura knelt with Hungry in her arms. Sakura recognized the look on the young woman's face. There was something she wanted to say, but before she could find the courage to form the words, she was encouraged out the door by Neji and another guard with the same moon like eyes.

Neji remained behind. Once the others were gone he turned back. "I apologize for your treatment here. We meant to take care of you and yet we allowed rabbits under our doors."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Rabbits?"

"They are a clan of assassins, quick and silent. They have contracted out their services in the past for kidnapping attempts, but until today they were mostly all handled at the source."

Sakura remembered the beginning of the dream when she first entered the gate after the Kingdom of Man. Sai asked her to chose a totem to represent her in the dream world and a rabbit or a hare had been one of the options she ended up not choosing. Sai never said about them not being options as enemies later on. It only made sense. It wasn't right for things to be too easy.

"Mostly?" She hadn't missed his particular wording.

Neji looked up at met her eyes without wavering or blinking. "My father, the former patriarch, but that was many years ago and the scum was put out of his misery soon enough."

Sakura felt shamed into movement, breaking off eye contact and looking down at Hungry who was still woven in between her legs and leaning like he wanted attention. Neji followed her gaze and blinked at the tamed wolf that was no longer a pup.

"You have a dog, but you are not of the dogs. That boy, Kiba, he is different than you. He was raised into that world, but you're not like him." Neji raised his face upwards a millimeter, staring down his nose at her, reserved but calculating. "You're educated. Your hands are bloody but soft. How did you become part of that crowd?"

She reached down and scratched a patch behind Hungry's ear and the dog nearly tilted over in an effort to get the most out of his scratches. "I'm a…type of doctor. I just deal with the medicine and drugs. But Kiba's clan took me in when the found me traveling the same road with one of their dogs. His mother and pack had been killed and left to rot when I pulled him from the litter. He's been mine ever since."

"They didn't try to take the pup away?"

Sakura grinned. "I'm sure they would have tried if they thought it was possible, but Hungry is mine." As if in reply Hungry whined loudly to complain about the lack of scratching he was getting behind his ears. Sakura raked her nails down and Hungry leaned into the touch. Bending down was starting to be painful as the drugs bottomed out and settled in her system.

With her free hand she reached around her stomach and held herself, feeling like she might be sick soon considering she was on empty and medicine almost always went down better with food.

"I should get going. Kiba's not here so he's probably worrying until he's no good to anyone until I make it back. I've imposed upon you for too long as it is."

Sakura made a move towards the door and Neji flinched, looking offended. "But you're not healed. Aren't you planning on staying another day?"

Sakura didn't respond right away but moved to the end of the bed were a table of wood held some clothes she could borrow in place of the ones they cut away. She could always dream up some new outfit, but she would have to wait until no one was looking. Neji shifted the weight of his body from one foot to the other, not looking like he was intending to move. Sakura swiveled her eyes to the side and then glared.

"You have to watch me change?"

To his credit, he didn't blush or stutter the way she thought Kiba would. "You do know the clan has been moved. After reconsidering the situation the wolf clan has been reassigned a larger plot for them and their animals. You will need someone to guide you there. Especially now considering we had two break ins toady."

Sakura thought of Sai in the hallways and doubted she would be able to meet him again if Neji was with her. She slipped a hand under the fabric of her robe, checking to see what was left under it. She felt the subtle scars through her skin, the ones from her greaser adventures in the Kingdom of Man. When she was waking they were absent from her skin after a day or two, but in the dreams, she carried her scars.

Neji coughed and Sakura turned to look back and see he was still standing there. This time, he was looking anywhere but at her. Sakura waited for him to speak up, and when he did, his eyes wouldn't meet hers. "I'll wait outside, but…we can't let you leave without an escort."

Recognition hit her and showed in her eyes. "Ah."

It was less about making sure she found the right place and more about keeping an eye on the outside they let inside. If she thought about it, the situation was a bit suspicious. They conveniently take in a stranger for treatment and the next day there's an assassination attack utilizing poison she just happens to be able to combat. Even her saving of Hinata was suspicious. The young girl seemed gullible and easily manipulated. If she was Neji, she would be suspicious too.

She heard the door close and turned to see she was truly alone apart from Hungry who waited in the middle of the room resting on his back legs. He looked at her with a little tilt of his head, but didn't seem anxious.

Sighing, she pulled apart her robe and let the silk pool around her ankles, leaving her in her bandages and scars. Ignoring the fabric left for her, Sakura arched her back and closed her eyes, weaving an outfit of black that fit her frame well enough to show the world she was a woman. Over her outer layers she wove a Kafka of black and gold with long sleeves embellished with coiled detail. When she opened her eyes again, she saw her figure in the mirror barely resembling the girl dressed in blood from before. She looked back at the bed and saw a hat and muffler made of rabbit fur that would easily separate her from the lesser dressed citizens in the outer ring. She left them there, preferring to let her hair frame her face unhindered.

Hungry bumped the back of her leg and she reached down to grab his ears, scratching rough enough to make him happy. He leaned into her and whined a happy sort of sound. At least he was pleased to see her.

"Ready to go?"she whispered, pulling her hand away and heading towards the door. When she opened it Neji was there waiting against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked up right away and didn't look away until she met his eyes.

"You don't need more time to rest?" he asked, sounding hesitant. She watched his eyes scan over her body, imagining the wounds she had covered.

"I probably do, but I doubt I will find rest here." She looked down the hall where there was still blood staining the grooves between tiles. "I should go."

She moved in front of her and he caught her by the elbow. In response she turned on her heel, ready to pull away but his grip wasn't harsh. He was staring at the design over her breast where a gold snake was coiled around the arms of a staff. She hadn't noticed it at first, but it was woven into the detail and would be missed unless you knew to look for it or recognized the sign.

"It's mine. I didn't think it prudent to borrow your clothes as well."

He let her go and she stepped away, outside of his reach. He nodded his head in apology and then turned to guide her out of the oriental palace among a city of onion domed palaces. Neither had to spare the guard anything more than a nod when exiting, but Sakura knew that to get back in there would have to be paperwork and an air of entitlement drawn close like a robe. If she had to get back into the inner city, it would be a challenge.

Fortunately, there was no sign of the black tower anywhere she turned. What was up with that? Wasn't the Gate supposed to be easier to exit than the Kingdom? It had taken her one night to get through the Marble Gardens. Of course it was going to get harder, but this seemed a bit unreasonable.

The closed cover carriage took them from doorstep the gateway quickly enough. In what seemed like a matter of minutes, they were stopped and pulling up alongside the gate leading out. Neji climbed down first and looked like he was waiting for her to follow him to the campsite, but Sakura climbed down on her own. Hungry jumped out after her, and Sakura didn't miss the frown on Neji's lips, or the way he fisted his rejected hand alongside the side of his trousers.

"I think Hungry can lead me the rest of the way from here. You should get back to the main house," Sakura said with a measured smile.

He might have had something more to say, But Sakura had the excuse of keeping up with Hungry who trotted out ahead of her at at happy didn't bother looking back over her shoulder to see if he followed her with his eyes or if he packed up and left without a flicker of suspicious.

Sakura didn't think, she was outside the city and it suddenly became painfully apartness how different of a world she was in when there were trees in place of buildings and grass patches where cobblestone should be.

Neji was right, the patch where Kiba and his family camped at was a good deal larger, but it was closer to the edge of the woods and practically as far away from the gate as could be. It struck Sakura as dangerous, but as she expected, no one from Kiba's tribe seemed willing to complain over something like that.

Sakura took her time walking to and then through the campsite, watching as the larger yurts were pitched and family members lined the walls with skins and furs for extra protection. The cold winds were growing long and harsher with every day.

She stopped when she saw Kiba laying with his hands folded behind his head on the ground. Akamaru, his horse sized dog, lay curled around him sleeping just as lightly while the rest of his tribe worked.

Sakura stopped with her toes not quite touching the top of his head. Bending down, she lowered her face enough so that it would be the only thing he saw once he woke up.

Grinning mischievously, Sakura lightly tapped with her toe and waited.

A day passed and then two. Sakura didn't, not once, touch her phone when she thought of Karin. The messages sat in her inbox, unread, while she grappled with her anger.

Another day passed and the messages stopped Sakura read them all and wrestled with her anger again, this time, in a new way. Her anger was for herself and not for Karin.

More days passed.

Hungry was large. If she didn't know better, she would say his size rivaled that of a Great Dane's in just a few days. Every time she took her eyes off of him he seemed to grow bigger and bigger. Soon he would be large enough to ride the way Kiba rode Akamaru.

Thinking of Kiba, Sakura turned to look over her shoulder and see that she was truly alone in the woods. Kiba seemed like a clingy person by nature when he wanted to be. Today she had given him the slip in hopes of drawing out either Sai or the white haired Kimimaro boy from before.

It had been so long since she last saw anything that could be considered interesting or noteworthy. After coming back to the camp, Kiba had scarcely left her side and made sure he stayed with her when they went out to hunt birds and other small game that wouldn't be missed.

The woods were called The Monarch Woods, because they and everything in them belong to his sovereignty the Czar, king of this country. Hunting for personal gain or business was strictly forbidden and punishable under the stipulations of the law as they stood. If one were caught hunting, they would have to share his game with everyone other than himself, because that was fair. It wasn't fair when there ended up not being enough to go around and the hunter ended up in jail for his crimes, but that was the way this world worked.

No one from Neji's family had come to see her, and Kiba never mentioned meeting Hinata again, not that Sakura thought he could since he was always stuck to her side. They had a scuffle with another clan that was upset about their new neighbors last night, and Sakura doubted the next conflict wouldn't end with spiteful words the way this one had. The other plot residents took care to give the Wolf Tribe a wide breath in dealings. People like Neji and Hinata likely wouldn't want anything to do with her or Kiba for a while, if at all.

Feeling distracted, Sakura sat up and began to pace back to camp, wondering what she was supposed to be doing when no one came looking for her. Unless something happened, she didn't know what to do in the dream world. Where was her Obelisk?

She stopped when she saw the lanky figure of the Hyuga's doctor stumbling through the brush. Shizune, Sakura remembered hearing them call her.

"Oh," the dark haired woman exclaimed, seeing Sakura standing in her way. "My dear, you startled me. I didn't see you there." She frowned, her eyes trailing over Sakura's body, looking for signs of the wounds.

"No, I suppose it would be an odd place to run into someone. What are you doing out here? Hopefully not to check up on me." Behind her, Sakura felt Hungry pace close to the back of her legs. Shizuna didn't seem concerned with the large wolf.

"I'm coming out to examine the remains."

Sakura blinked, taken aback. "Excuse me?" She dumbly asked. Remains? What did the woman mean when she said that?

"A body was reported by someone living along the outer wall. I'm to examine it and determine if there is a obvious cause of death since this has been the third body reported since the cold winds started blowing."

"Since Autumn started," Sakura whispered to herself, mentally calculating the time. It was around three weeks since? That meant one body every week.

Smelling opportunity when it was present, Sakura drew herself up. "Do you mind if I go with you, Shizune. I want to see the body as well if it is something that happened so close to where I live."

The woman seemed to consider it for a moment, and Sakura took the opportunity to look the lady doctor over. She was dressed in a fur lined Kafka, not unlike the one Sakura still dawned since her exit from the medic bay, but it was loose enough that it would be easy to move around in. And in addition to the Kafka, over her shoulder the lady doctor sported a polished rifle for protection. Shizune reached up to finger the strap. "Very well. Come if you like, but please don't hinder my efforts."

Sakura nodded wordlessly and fell into step behind the older woman, keeping her lips pressed closed as they ventured deeper and deeper into the woods. Ten minutes later Hungry went tense behind her, and a little while later she noticed why. T

here was a natural alcove where rain water had pooled and dried over time, making an overpass out of dirt and rock. At the base, hidden in the shade, lay a young girl shredded to pieces. Shizune turned sharply to look away and see if Sakura was sick, but the younger girl only winced, not sickened enough to look away. It was a scene from her own imagination, after all. And besides, she'd seen worse in some movies.

"You're going to examine it, right?" Sakura asked in a calm tone.

Mutely nodding, Shizuna stepped down and crept closer, sliding her gun off her shoulder. It looked like it took more effort for the older medic to poke at the pieces of the body with a gloved finger. Maybe it was hard to look at, but Sakura was more interested in hearing what had made it.

The dark haired doctor stood up and turned on her heel, walking away quickly. She stopped by a tree to catch her breath. "This was recent."

"Yeah, the body's decomposition isn't that advanced, but there's rigor mortis by the look of things from here." Sakura's mind hummed with information and words from both school and CSI TV shows. "She was torn up after death. It looks like an animal's work."

"But….she wasn't eaten." Shizuna attempted to compose herself. "There aren't any signs of an animal attacking her for…food. She's still all here…in pieces….but still all here."

"Then it's possible you're dealing with something frightened or sick. Animals can kill for less." Sakura coxed her head to the side and studied the position of the body and the earth around it. It had been moved, or dragged more importantly. But the marks didn't look typical of a simple dragging, no, this poor girl was thrashed and waved about across the dirt floor. Something strong had to do it.

"We would appreciate if you could keep this matter quiet," Shizune whispered turned to approach the girl again. "We need to keep a panic from breaking out. Help me bury her."

Sakura frowned. "What about her family? Wouldn't they like to know and say goodbye?"

"No, she isn't fit to be seen in such a state, especially by loved ones." The lady doctor picked up her rifle and turned it over she that she was digging at the ground with the barrel end. She paused to look up at Sakura again. "You will help me, won't you?"

Sakura didn't move for while. Shizune could see the thoughts swirling about in a storm of conflict behind her tinted green eyes. Then, with a flick of her wrist she sent Hungry forward to do the digging for her. Her hand curled into a paw, she scratched the ground and her furry friend followed through. Once the hole was deep enough the two women carried the victim to in and began to throw dirt back on the body. They were patting it down when Sakura asked.

"A wolf did that, didn't it?"

Shizune stiffened, but then continued patting down the dirt. "Most likely. Either a Bear or a Great Wolf, and neither is a welcomed presence here with the Tsarevich so close."

Sakura ended up walking Shizune to the gates, but then was invited in after the woman to the outer ring. It was just as busy, if not more so as it was the first time Sakura remembered visiting. She thought Shizune would lead her to a carriage that would take them up to the palaces located inside the inner ring, but instead the dark haired woman kept walking and walking and walking until Sakura and Hungry came to a stop outside a shop with a snake draped over a staff was painted.

"A clinic," Sakura breathed, stepping in and seeing the makeshift hospital's interiors. A few cots were set up with shivering men and woman. A boy slept as well, but Sakura guessed he was just as cold. "Is this your home, Shizune?"

"Sometimes, yes. But this is where they let me work." She pulled out a journal and turned to one of the newest pages. "Here, these are my notes on the last two attacks, both suspected of either a wolf or a bear." She handed the journal over and Sakura studied the sketches, not having the ability to decipher the writings. In a dream they meant nothing.

"What are you going to do about it?" Sakura asked.

When Shizune didn't answer right away Sakura looked up. The dark haired doctor sighed deeply glancing towards her sick patients. "The authorities will be notified and your tribe will be contracted to hunt down the wolves doing this before winter. I'm telling you this now instead of later because if it gets out there will be more than just your tiny tribe scurrying through the forest looking for an easy wolf kill."

That wasn't what Sakura wanted to hear. "No, it's not just any wolf, you said it yourself that she wasn't eaten from. This wolf…or wolves, they….they're sick and mad. It might even be a form of rabies gone wrong. Killing any old wolf won't make you safer. The sick one needs to be found, though."

"Lady Hinata thinks so as well, which is why she had me investigate on my own." Shizune took the journal back and clasped it firmly. "There was no missing body today, Sakura. You never saw it, understand?"

Heavy with the new information, Sakura nodded and stepped back. Shizune saw the posture and recognized it right away. "Go to them. Tell your tribe at least. They need to do something together about it."

"How long do we have?"

Shizune looked towards the window and frowned. "No much longer after the Tsarevich arrives. Two weeks is what you have."

When Sakura turned to leave she caught a flap of velvet blue out of the corner of her eye and turned to see the slender frame duck behind a doorway and into darkness.

Another day passed.

When Sakura woke up in the dream she was wrapped in furs and laid across the ground on her side. She sat up a bit and noted the other bodies huddled close around her, as a stone pit for fire marked their center. Hungry was close, but the nearest body belong to Kiba, who orbited around her like a crescent moon. Sakura saw that his eyes were open and that he was awake, but he didn't move.

She rolled over and scooted closer to him. When he didn't react she poked his nose and then his cheek. He turned his face to the ground and hid it under his arm.

"You're pouting," Sakura huffed, not used to seeing Kiba in such a funk. "What's the matter?"

When he didn't move or try to answer Sakura poked his stomach and he twitched away, more shaken by that then her pokes to his face. "Hey!" he hissed in his efforts to wriggle away. Sakura just shot him a look and waited for him to reply. It was a strained sort of reply, but one that came more or less willingly. "I couldn't find you yesterday."

"I was in the city. I caught sight of Shizune and we got talking about medicine and stuff."

"I heard," he grumbled, burying his head back in his arms and rolling away.

"So why are you so moody?"

"No reason."

Sakura rolled her eyes, suspecting she wasn't going to get much more out of him. If he wanted to talk about it he could, but she wouldn't force him. God knows how much she hated it when people did that to her.

Rolling over, Sakura climbed to her feet and whistled to Hungry. An off white Scrimshaw rifle lay next to her things, and she draped it across her back before collecting up a few things. She bent to look through her sack for a few more items she thought she might need, and when she looked up, Kiba was already stalking towards her with his rifle over his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" she asked, frowning.

The question seemed to upset Kiba. The look he gave was of thinly veiled irritation. "With you, of course."

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

Kiba just shook his head and wouldn't meet her eyes. She took that to mean he wasn't willing to argue his point, and that he was coming whether she liked it or not.

Sakura reached out to ruffle his hair a bit and he cried out in protest, swatting her hand away. Sakura laughed at his flushed cheeks and turned towards the forest, ready to look for the wolves who were mad enough to kill. A part of her was extra grateful Kiba was with her, since he was more skilled with tracking and all around useful on these sort of expeditions.

Together they set off and though Kiba never asked what she wanted or what she was doing, he caught on quickly enough to realize she was looking for something with a sort of purpose he never saw in her before. She finally had something she wanted to find instead of leisurely exploring the woods.

"Have you heard anything about the deaths close to the wall?" she asked after a while of travel in silence. She looked back when he didn't answer.

"Rumors."

"I think it was a wolf, but not the ordinary kind. I think this wolf was sick, mad with sickness."

Kiba seemed to forget how he was mad at her for running off without him yesterday since he crouched down to meet her at eye level and spoke. "What kind of sickness could do something like that? And how do you know?"

"Experience and a basic understanding of medicine tell me it's possible. Have you never heard of a dog or animal going man and needing to be put down?"

Kiba shook his head.

"One thing it could be called is rabies, but I'm not a vet so I don't know how it would work or how to undo it."

"Would you want to?" Kiba asked, causing her to look up. "It's already killed and tasted human blood. It will have to be put down, wolf or not."

The youth then turned to the woodlands around him with a renewed sight. When he began to trot away with Akamaru at his heels, Sakura and Hungry obediently followed, making sure to stay close behind. He whispered to them that he was heading for a den he saw signs of a few days ago. Soon they would be on the wolves' territories.

The trecked deeper and further and the brush became dense. The trees grew tall and wide around them, choking out fragments of the sky with a zealous greed, until the forest was more shadow than light. The canopy of leaves above their heads was without mercy when it came to the light. Sakura could see how many people could come to fear the woods when they looked like this. There were too many places for monsters to hide.

Hungry and Akamaru tensed behind her and Sakura stopped to turn and see that they were grounded in place with their hackles up. Hungry looked like he was shivering or scared, but Akamaru had eyes ready for a fight.

"What the-"A hand over her mouth cut her words off. She turned with eyes wide to see Kiba press a finger to his lips before lowering his hand.

His voice was low and gruff. Gone was the jealous boy pouting for attention. Sakura almost didn't recognize Kiba when he spoke, his resolve hardened the child out of his features and solidified his masculinity. For a second Sakura almost lost her breath. There was something in his posture, in the air around him, that made her want to gravitate towards his side. When he spoke his voice was husky and low.

"We're on their territory." He inhaled. "It's all marked, I can smell it."

'Ew.' Sakura was thankful she couldn't smell that well.

The pair eased on a pace more and then something dark caught Sakura's eye. She bent down to brush away the dirt and see it better. It was a thin line of Onyx growing out of the earth in skinny lightning streaks before disappearing underground.

Onyx. Her Obelisk was made out of the same stuff. What if…

Akamaru snarled and lunged at a shadow. A gray brown wolf tumbled into the leaves and foliage and Hungry chased after them, nipping at their heels. Sakura caught her breath when she saw their size. They were modest ponies in size with thick haunches and thicker jaws.

Kiba slipped off his gun and took aim before dropping it in favor of his knives when he couldn't get a clear shot. Sakura cried out, worried for him, but she didn't need to, since the wolf drew back away from Akamaru and Hungry. Hungry barked, having done nothing but growl, but didn't advance like Akamaru did until the new wolf took off. Kiba called out for him, but Akamaru gave chase, not willing to let his wounded prey get away.

Kiba jogged after his wolf pet, and Sakura tried to keep up, but something froze her in place. Left behind, she turned to see the figure of what could have been a draft horse. 'Seventeen hands, easy,' she thought. The wolf raised its snout and Sakura saw the foam and the patches of nakedness where sickness had made him bald.

It looked like rabies, but rabies would kill after the symptoms manifest three to five days later. How much longer did this animal have to live if it was suffering form something else.

The creature staggered at her and Sakura backed up, already knowing she was alone. Slowly she shifted her gun off her shoulder and rolled it onto her arm, ready to shoot. She couldn't level it properly without bringing it up, but she tried the best she could, pulling back and firing once it took another step. She saw when her bullet hit its shoulder, throwing a corner of its body back in recoil. But it didn't seem to feel any of the pain as it continued to stalk.

Sakura cursed her single shot rifle and dropped it in favor of her knives. Another gun wouldn't come to her mind, no matter how hard she tried to dream one up. It was always harder when she was stressed, but it looked like she couldn't call into existence devices or inventions that predated a certain time period. And that sucked, because something semi automatic would have been nice.

Too close, the wolf sprang for her. It was the size of a horse with foaming fangs and mad white eyes. It was enough to freeze her to the spot, but Sakura managed to duck and roll away. Her idea to attack wasn't looking very plausible. Looking back she saw it run into a tree, fall and spray about in the dirt, trying to right itself. She flipped a dagger in mid air and then threw it at the beast. It sunk into its breast flesh with a sick smack, but the wolf didn't notice.

Sakura cursed again.

Angry and mad, it charged again in near blindness. Sakura screamed and ducked for cover, rolling away again. She threw a knife over her back, but this one went wide. She tried dreaming up more weapons to throw, but they wouldn't come to her hands. She had two left.

She screamed for Sai in her mind as she ran around a tree and slipped between the spaces between two. She was small so she could go where it couldn't. She thought that was an advantage, but on top of being big, this wolf was mad and crazy strong, downing trees more ancient than her country in just a single swipe.

Forget horse, this thing was an elephant.

And then the worst possible thing happened. Sakura tripped, catching her ankle in a hole and pitching forward so that her foot twisted into the snake hole and stuck there. She screamed shrilly, trying to pull her leg free before the wolf rounded on her. Looking up she saw it turning around, looking for her. It saw her and Sakura threw another dagger straight into his eye. It didn't sink far enough to hit brain, so it charged again, unfazed.

It seemed to run forever at her, and she should have been able to loose her last knife at it, but her body stopped working and nothing she did in her head would translate to her hands or legs. She screamed for Sai, and even for Sasori, not knowing how long she had left. There were tears on her face and she knew she wasn't in the Kingdom of Man anymore. This land was for beasts, and she was flesh and gristle on bone.

Screwing shut her eyes and praying she wouldn't be mutilated to death, she shut the world out and tried to wake. But when she opened her eyes again, she was still in the dream. There was no Sai, no Sasori, and no salvation she could see at first. Her mad wolf was spinning and twirling after its own tail, and at first she thought it was distracted, but then she saw Kiba with his knife buried deep into its side. He rode the wolf like a wild stallion and his gun was thrown off in the process, landing a hair's breadth away from Sakura's furthest reach.

"Kiba!" she screamed, but her lips didn't move and no sound came from her mouth.

She couldn't move, she was petrified in place and that burned her with shame. She had crossed blades with monsters disguised as men and suffered the taste of their steel more than once. She wasn't this person that hid and froze in a fight.

It was a beast, but she was a killer.

Stretching, her body began to return to her and the gun was nearly hers, but she was pinned and couldn't reach it. She heard Kiba scream and her heart dropped. Wrenching her ankle out with a fistful of dirt and certain bruising, Sakura fell on his unfired gun and turned to aim. A Berdan single shot rifle was all she needed.

Kiba was thrown against a tree and bleeding from his chest, but the wolf looked worse. Even from across the clearing, Sakura could see the fire in Kiba's eyes shining and she knew he was a man, a warrior, a fighter. She whistled to the wolf and it turned its head. Sakura threw her last dagger into it's neck and it rounded on her, swerving only slightly.

She breathed out and leveled the gun. It charged and she breathed out again. It drew closer and she inhaled. Closer still and she held her breath until she could smell its. She saw the veins of blood running through it's wide white eyes and exhaled with her trigger finger. Her lead landed right between it's eyes and the wolf reeled, no longer in madness as it crashed to the ground.

The forest around her held it's breath as the rabid wolf struggled to to exhale it's last. Sakura watched as it's ribs stretched against the skin, growing more defined, darker, deeper. The wolf held that breath high, lungs stretched as far as its ribs would allow, and then as her heart finally beat, those ribs came crashing down like the rafters of an imploded cathedral.

She heard a groan and she bolted up, running to his side as Kiba struggled against the base of the tree. Even before she collapsed at his feet she knew something was wrong. He had landed at a weird angle he should have sat up from but sat still without moving. Sakura called his name and cursed when he wouldn't move. She slipped a hand under his head and pulled him away from the tree to rest his head on her lap. He was breathing, so that much was good news.

"Kiba," she sobbed, tasting her tears in the back of her throat before they spilled over from her eyes. "God."

He opened his eyes, blinking a few times. He saw her face hovering over his and smiled a toothy grin. "Hey," he exhaled.

"Where does it hurt?" Sakura asked, trying to stay calm. It was like watching Sasori fall all over again.

Kiba tried to move and she saw the blood from his chest. She pulled apart his shirt, tearing it, and saw the bite wound. It was gushing and unforgiving and terribly infected.

"Is it bad?"

Sakura forced a smile. "No, I'll patch it up."

Kiba tried chuckling. "You're really pretty even when you're lying." His words sounded faint.

"I'm not letting you go," she said with solid determination manifesting alongside her in the form of bandages and damp cloth for cleaning. She put one into his hand and placed it over the wounds.

"Pressure," was all she said. The blood didn't take long to stop flowing.

Wasting no time, she reached down to clean his wounds as best she could and found them to be more shallow than she first suspected. It didn't look like they had punctured anything vital, but she wasn't sure. Cleaning him again and again, she cleared the site of blood and foam from the wolf's mad mouth.

With a needle and thread, pretending his flesh was fabric, she knitted him back together, one wound after the other. There was one puncture for every fang, and it took too long for her liking. She didn't like how Kiba stayed awake either. He should have passed out by now. Also, he was warm, sweating and flushed all over.

"Sakura," he breathed with fluttering eyes. "So pretty." He tried reaching for her face with his bloody hand but couldn't. It fell down next to his side, limp. "The prettiest."

"Kiba, save your breath. You need to."

"But…have to know…the prettiest. My favorite." He wasn't making sense, but Sakura knew what he was trying to say. It made it all the more difficult to stay calm. "So...pretty."

His wounds weren't as bad as they looked at first, but he was in fever and the madness was in his blood. When she saw it, bullet like capsules of a nasty virus swimming in his blood. She could see it, but she couldn't pull it away, she couldn't pull it out. How long until it killed him?

"Sakura, stay with me."

"I'm not going anywhere," Sakura huffed, trying to stitch the last bite wound up.

"Never." He closed his eyes and nodded a bit but stayed awake. "Can you brush my hair again, please."

Her fingers were dark and her palms were red. She didn't want to run them through his hair, but couldn't find it in his heart to tell him no. Wiping them on the side of her legs, she reached towards his crown and began to pet his hair back. His eyelids fluttered and his grin grew dreamy. She thought she heard him whispering under his breath things like, 'the prettiest' or 'forever' and 'with me,' but couldn't be sure.

Tasting bile, Sakura swallowed hard and looked up, stretching her throat like a pole. She could see up through the trees, that there was a bright moon and plenty of stars out. When did it become night?

She tried again to reach into his blood and pull out the virus but it wouldn't come loose. It had worked with Pein's brother Nageto at the end of her adventure in the Kingdom of Man. Why wasn't it working now?

Then there was the pull in the back of her mind. The end of her dream cycle was coming for her. Soon she would be waking up and Kiba would be left alone to God knows what.

"No!" she cried aloud, leaning over Kiba as if to shield him. Her eyes searched the trees frantically for Sai to come and slow down time or keep her grounded. She couldn't leave now. She didn't know what would happen to Kiba like this. Akamaru was here, but what if another wolf came or a pack? No one from his clan had found them yet, or even knew they were missing. She couldn't leave now.

She whispered prayers under her breath and dug her nails into the earth alongside her, trying to ground herself there. Her lips moved in reverent whispers, slipping in and out of the latin from her Catholic upbringing. Everything inside of her ached with this need. She couldn't watch someone die again. She couldn't do it. She couldn't say goodbye to someone like Sasori again.

Hearing the movement of footsteps on leaves, she looked up and caught her breath on a gasp. It wasn't Sai standing in front of her. The white haired boy shifted closer before kneeling down in front of her, staring at her face curiously.

"Your face is so damp," Kimimaro murmured in childish awe. He reached out to touch a drop and bring it to his lips. "Like the Rusalka, but not like the Rusalka. These are true tears….real tears."

"Please," Sakura felt the earth pounding in her head. "I can't leave him yet. He'll die."

"He's been dead for years. He isn't real," Kimimaro commented, lifting his chin. "Why are you crying."

Sakura couldn't make it work in her head. He was right, but Kiba was still dying in her hands and it hurt her all over. She couldn't live through this again. "Please, save him."

"Why?"

"Because I can't."

The pale boy nodded, keeping his eyes fixed on her. For what seemed like the longest time he watched her, studying her like a artists studies their work. He seemed to stare forever, but Sakura knew it wasn't long, because the pull didn't become any greater during that time.

Finally he reached out and grabbed her arm, folding it flat with its palm up. From his own wrist a slender pick of bone grew, hollow on the inside. He pulled it free and in his hand it became a syringe. Not bothering to say anything or explain himself, he slid it into her arm and drew her blood. Sakura saw her red life leaving her and in it she saw all the sacrificed snakes on poles as vaccines and shots and tolerances built up over time. Kimimaro took this from her blood and shot it into Kiba's arm.

"You're helping him," Sakura breathed, feeling hope hurt her heart in a good way. She wanted to ask him why he would do something like that, why he would help her when he should be trying to kill her, but the words didn't come out. "Thank you," she said instead.

He looked up at her and watched her eyes. "You're still crying."

"They're good tears now."

"Such a wonder," the boy mused.

He waved his hand over Kiba and a wall of dirt rose up, shielding him. There were more leaves too, hiding it from detection. "He will be here when you come back. I can not extend your time." He reached out to touch her forehead. "You must go now."

"You were so near death that ghosts crowded around you, weeping silver tears, waiting for you with such smiles"
— Cathrynne M. Valente

Her waking came like a bang. She had been fighting it for so long, that when she finally gave in, it was like a rush of newly released water held back by a dam for so long.

Sakura sat up and breathed deeply, still shaken and damp with tears.

She passed through the day in a blur, in a haze.

When she got home again she didn't even wait for dinner, she went straight for bed.

She awoke circled around his head, her own head bend down between his neck and shoulder while the rest of her body snaked around his skull and past his opposite shoulder. With her eyes fluttering open, she reached out and touched his skin. He was warm, but not with fever. No, there were pockets of warm under his skin, but the rest of his was growing cold. She brushed the pads of her fingertips across his collarbone and he shivered at the touch. He was too cold. He had lost too much blood and was struggling to recover. He needed more blood.

Not bothering to care what blood type he was, Sakura set up a tube between her arm and his, knowing that she was a type O and universally transferable. The needle pinched, and she flinched more than he did, but as soon as the tube turned completely red she could see Kiba's breath level out. In addition to being blood he needed, she also had the vaccine he needed to beat the madness virus.

She could feel waves beating at the back of her skull as the blood left her body and reminded her how frail a human could be. Hoping to distract herself, Sakura looked around and grimaced at the sight not too far away. The husk of the mad wolf still lay where it died, but it had already begun to stink and look like something half rotten. As awful as it was to see, Sakura was grateful for it, since the smell was what likely kept the other wild wolves away. She hadn't forgotten that she and Kiba were still on wolf territory.

A rustle told her that Akamaru and Hungry were just off to the side. They had stayed close protecting them through the night. She couldn't help but smile knowing she hadn't left Kiba truly alone.

Not thinking she could stand if she lost anymore blood, Sakura slid the tube out of her arm and folded a cloth over the puncture site on the inside of her elbow. She let the rest of her blood drain into Kiba before sliding his tube off and folding his arm in the same manner.

Next she resolved to get them moved. Sakura moved to stand, but the minute she got her feet under her and tried to lift her head up, the world tilted and she felt the weight of the ocean in the back of her head swirl angrily.

Cursing, she dropped back onto her butt and held her head. It was worse than a bad hangover. She had given blood once and the nurses had warned her not to stand up too quickly afterwards. Sakura hated it sometimes when the dreams made sense.

She reached up and unclipped the buckles of her heavy duty kaftan and shrugged it off, taking her time to do it. It had been torn in a few places and was dirty, but when she spread it out, it was large enough to lie on. Little by little, she tucked it under Kiba's body, until he rested on it like a blanket. By the end, that little task left her winded and dizzy. It was minutes later before she could move again.

She took the straps to both their guns and loosened them to make them as long as possible. She wanted to imagine up something new entirely, but her mind kicked and protested when she tried, so Sakura used what was left behind. Typing both straps together, she hooked them onto her coat and clipped the other end onto a strand of rope Sakura fitted around Akamaru's neck. The wolf bristled at the touch, but complied all the same, somehow knowing it was for Kiba.

"Take us home," Sakura whispered into the wolf's ears and let him go. Akamaru began to pull, dragging Kiba along with ease. Sakura stumbled and fell after them, too dizzy to keep up. Hungry whined and stopped beside her, so that she could crawl with him as a crutch, but even that made her want to retch.

Pausing she looked up to see if Akamaru was still in sight, but she saw no sign of the big white dog. She felt the bile itching upwards. "He wasn't supposed to leave me," she chuckled before leaning over and retching.

She was cold without her coat, and bruised as well. She wasn't supposed to have come back so weak. She wasn't supposed to feel so low after just a little bit of blood. It wasn't even real blood. It was her dream blood. Couldn't she just dream up some more plasma for her veins?

She slipped off of Hungry's back and flopped onto her side. They were likely closer to the city of Krepost, but they still had hours and hours, and even more hours to go. At this pace, it would take them days.

"Sai?"

She called out but there was no answer. She felt her body spasm quietly. It echoed through her bones and rang dull. Sakura cursed at the feeling and readhead up to grab onto Hungry. All she had was the fabric that clung to her and her boots. Pulling up her shirt, out of her pants, she tore at the bottom of it and freed a long strip to tie around her hands. It was long work, but when she was done her wrists were bound together tight enough to last. She laced her circle of arms over Hungry's head and then kissed the side of his face.

"Take me home," she whispered.

The world shrunk all around her until it was thin enough to roll up like a scroll and hide inside a decorated egg with diamonds and gold trim. There was a crest too, a crest with a two faced bird on it, and behind the crest people burned their stories until the fire and the smoke danced with the bodies of Baba Yaga and her chicken legged home, of the deathless one, of the firebird, or rivers. There were women weeping into the rivers and then melting into rivers again and again and again. A firebird cried out and burned the egg to a hardened stone.

She felt the world unroll like a scroll, with all the sounds returning first. There were words spoken all around her, manly tenors, the voices of guards and soldiers. It felt like only seconds, but when she forced her eyelids back, the sun was cloaked in an afternoon glow that set the rest of the forest on fire. Looking around, she was deposited on the side of a well worn road and nowhere she recognized.

She tried to move her head to see better, but there were still stars dancing across her vision, blurring the looming faces who peered intently. Waxed mustaches curled at the edges and short ginger beards came into focus first. The bodies around her were those of men, but they had the eyes of boys. They were young, but tried not to be.

She took in their appearance past their facial hair and saw the uniforms they wore. All were clean cut, crisp, and bright enough to be new or well preserved. In spite of her condition, she couldn't help but admire the smart looking buttons across their chest or the braiding on their shoulders. Russian Imperial soldiers in uniform…there were worse ways to wake up.

"Ah, the devushka is awake," one of the soldiers chuckled in a warm way. Sakura didn't know how she understood the foreign word for 'girl,' but somehow she had.

Another soldier murmured something, but there was an ocean in her head and the waves of discomfort rolled against her ears, drowning out the specifics of the words spoken. She took another breath and the waters receded, but she could still feel the weight and knew if she tried pushing herself she would go under once again.

"Who are you?" she managed, struggling to sit up.

One of the boys helped her gently into a sitting position, his hand flat against her back to keep her steady should she tip again or wobble to the side. Another deep breath.

"Hungry!" her eyes snapped open and she looked around her before spotting him tied to a tree not too far from where she sat. There was a bandage around one ear and he looked grumpy, if not still somehow perfectly healthy and safe. Hearing his name, he perked up and strained against his leash, whining.

One of the boy soldiers murmured something to his neighbor as a third left to untie the wolf. Hungry bounded across the clearing to her side and licked her fiercely, whining all the while, as if it were his fault she was on her but in the dirt feeling like a piece of shit.

"Good boy," she whispered into his fur, ignoring the murmuring voices around her. She recognized more Russian words. 'Wolf,' was the most common word spoken.

"You speak with the pup?" One boy asked her. She looked up over Hungry's back, through his fur with her dark hooded eyes and that was all she needed to do for the boy to gulp nervously and look away, his question answered. Sakura buried her face in his fur and breathed out, relieved.

When she looked up she took in her surroundings. There was a carriage ornately decorated surrounded by horses, and further back was another couple of carriages that were pulled off to the side and emptied of passengers. There was a twin headed griffon on the door of the ornate carriage, and though it was large enough to fit six to seven bodies easily, Sakura suspected it was only meant for one or two luxury riders.

Ah yes, all the boys around her were in uniform. It made sense if they were traveling with the czar family. Thinking about it, Sakura was surprised they were letting her this close to the carriage, even if it was empty. She must look like a mess. Wouldn't it have been suspicious for her to turn up and just so happen to cross their path on the day they're traveling to Krepost?

And on the thought train to Krepost…how far was she from the walled city? Where had Hungry taken her? She didn't recognize this part of the woods, but all the woods looked more or less the same.

"How far to Krepost?" she asked the nearest boy in uniform.

"Not half a day by horse." He pointed off down the winding train in the direction they had been heading. "That is also our destination."

"Then why have you stopped? Don't you know these woods can be dangerous?" Sakura asked, not caring if she sounded too nosy. She glanced back into the trees, looking for signs of the wolves who stalked with other strains of rabies in their blood. If there was one, there was a good chance of there being more mad wolves out in the wilds.

She tried to stand but then there were violent waves in her head again, so she bit her bottom lip between her teeth and sank back down to her rest on her heels. She needed to be slower. It didn't seem that the waters in her brain were going to subside until her next dream cycle, and that was probably fair, but it didn't feel fair at the moment.

"Have you still not given the devushka a water?" An older voice rang out. Sakura looked up and there was another boy in uniform that probably was a man. He knelt down in front of her, ignoring Hungry, and lifted a canteen of water to her lips. Sakura tasted the crisp freshness from the water as it hit the back of her throat and felt light all of a sudden. She must have swayed since he reached out to catch the back of her head and hold it while she drank from his hand.

Behind him, a few of the males watched anxiously. Her savior was a rank above them.

"Better?" he asked when she pulled away.

Sakura nodded, reaching up and wiping the water off her lips before sucking her forefinger dry. He was tall with dark hair, thick with curls that framed his face. In addition to his uniform he wore a cowl of fur around his shoulders and his cap was slightly tilted in a stylish way. His eyes were so dark, they reminded her of Uchiha eyes, of Shisui and Itachi. She winced and almost looked away, before reminding herself this was a new world and he wasn't an Uchiha.

"My name is Kagami," he spoke with a rich timber, watching her knuckles and fingers before his eyes flittered back up to hers. "Are you an artist or a musician?"

"Pardon?" She blinked.

He took her hand and turned it over, palm face up and then palm face down. "Too delicate, even for a ladies' hands. You are skilled here. So…artist or musician?"

Before she could answer someone beat her to it. "She is neither." A new hand reached down from behind and took her hand out of Kagami's. Sakura looked up and saw Neji Hyuga looking cool and official in his smart colors and uniform. "Sakura is a healer. And if I had to guess, that's what you were doing out here so close to the wolves in the first place."

"Neji," Sakura said, watching as he walked around to stand and then kneel in front of her. "I didn't think I would see you here.

"You haven't seen much of me lately, but I heard from Shizune you were helping her with certain…duties of a sensitive nature." Ah yes, the bodies. "Forgive me for not seeing you sooner."

"You were under no obligation," she tried to dismiss him, but Neji was anything if not steadfast.

"I apologize for treating you with unjust swiftness. Our last meeting was in the midst of unfortunate circumstances. You should not have been treated so casually."

It seemed to actually bother Neji to some degree, even though Sakura understood and didn't care if she was practically thrown out on an air of suspicion. Still, it didn't look like Neji was going to drop it anytime soon and there were people watching.

"You're forgiven, Neji. All was well. I'm sorry you were in such a uncomfortable situation," she replied, not missing the mildly peeved expression on Kagami's face as he watched the closed conversation right in front of him. He caught her eye and interjected.

"You know the Hyuga family, devushka?" He glanced sideways at Neji whose face was a mask of impassivity. "And here I came expecting Krepost to be of little interest this year. Will you be at the tanets held in our esteem Tsarevich's honor?"

"Not…likely." Sakura wasn't sure what tanets meant, since it didn't echo a translation in her head, but she thought it meant party or dance. The Tsarevich was having a ball. "I am more of a doctor than a dancer, and there are people who need me," she answered in only partial truth.

Her mind went back to the wolves, their territory, and the obsidian vein she found in the ground. She would need Kiba to show her how to get back there so she could try and follow the vein to its source. She was close to the end of this gate, she could feel it.

Neji glanced between the dark haired Russian and Sakura before touching her shoulders lightly for attention. "I should escort you back to the settlements. You are weak."

"Nonsense, you can not leave the Tsarevich and his company when you represent the dedication of your whole family. You pay more the role of ambassador than solider here." Kagami shook his head and then beckoned a younger boy over with dark hair and the same dark eyes. "No, Tobi will take her ahead of us or she shall ride in the extra carriage."

"I don't need an escort," Sakura tried to say before the looks shot down her attempts at refusal. She must look horrible. She clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Fine, I'll go with the escort, but I should really get back to check in on Kiba. He was attacked and I was responsible for putting him back together."

"Attack?" Kagami asked, looking to Neji and then to the empty carriage with the royal crest on its side. "What sort of attack?"

"The kind we warned you about," Neji interjected in a stony tone. Sakura glanced nervously between the two males. "That was the original intent in hiring the vagabonds for their unique services, since the problem was not deemed worthy of noted resources."

The boy Tobi had since walked over and looked like he wanted to ask why he had been summoned when the older Kagami rested a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry for calling you over, but I don't think I feel comfortable with my suggestion from earlier." He turned to look at Sakura. "If the woods are as unsafe as you suggest, one of my own isn't enough to ensure protection and I'm not willing to risk more. Please consider traveling with us in the cargo carriage."

Sakura wanted to argue and insist she wasn't a weak maiden that needed protection, but kept her mouth shut. She had a feeling it was better to just follow his suggestions until she could walk on her own without tipping over. just for one dream cycle only. After she woke up again she was on her own.

"Only as long as it's not a bother," she said lowering her eyes and bowing her head slightly in thanks.

"Not at all," Kagami said. He smiled at her and Sakura heard a few of his officers make disappointed and or frustrated comments from behind him. Looking up, she caught one rolling his eyes.

Kagami then bent down to tell the boy Tobi something before sending him off towards the group that stood closest to the royal carriage. Sakura was helped up by Neji, and on his arm, she walked with him towards the dully colored carriage outfitted with trunks and supplies. There was enough room inside for Sakura to find a seat and get off her feet. Neji looked around first, finding a blanket and bed roll to stuff around her so that she could rest against them for comfort once they started moving.

"Some ladies have motion sickness first time in a carriage. There is a awful jostle depending on the road. With a hurt head….it would be best not to rattle it any more than it already is. Are you comfortable?"

The blankets were soft and almost warm to the touch. Sakura felt herself melting at the touch. "Yes, I'm perfectly content. Hungry will do better outside next to the carriage."

"As would most hounds."

As if hearing them speaking about him, the large wolf dog turned his head and stared up at them from his spot next to the door. There was a short flattening of his ears before they swiveled back into place and adjusted to hear the sounds around him.

Sakura looked up and saw the beginnings of a large procession coming back from the darker parts of the woods where a stream poured out of stone since being blessed by a half dead saint. At least that is according to story. Sakura wasn't sure where the information came from, since it had always been Karin who was obsessed with the saints, tattooing her skin in their image more than once. The redhead's forearm and ribcage both bore testimony to the world of her love of martyred relics.

The procession was rather large, considering how many men were left behind and the fact that there was only one other carriage for two or three people to fit in, not including the royal carriage. Sakura didn't feel like moving very much, but she managed to lift her head enough to see Kagami say something to the man in the middle, the one with furs so thick around his neck she thought it must be concealing armor. His face was bent as he listened to Kagami but Sakura thought she saw the dark color of his hair and maybe part of his face before the Tsarevich nodded and waved Kagami away.

Neji was close enough to her carriage to see her gaze. "The Tsarevich will not approach you, but should he at any time, do not raise your eyes too high. He has a view of himself that does not allow him to see others as equal, not even his father. Watch yourself around him."

"I try," Sakura said into the bed roll.

She didn't see it, but she heard Neji walk away, heard the gravel and dirt shift under his feet when he passed the road in front of the carriage. Sakura inhaled the scent from the blankets and felt the woven fibers under her fingertips, sensitive to a touch she hadn't noticed before. There was a slight jostle as the carriage eased forward, pulled up into the procession some distance behind the other two carriages and surrounded on either side by guards. Hungry panted alongside the carriage, keeping up easily.

There were voices all around her and she knew she was surrounded by men in arms, but somehow she tricked herself into thinking she was alone. That she was by herself in that carriage. When she opened her eyes, she knew better.

A thin sword of bone sat across his legs as his posture sunk against the back wall of the carriage. He seemed depleted and tired. A thin line of red crossed his face and dripped slowly. Parts of him were still ice, melting into flesh atom by atom until he was a whole man.

"Kimimaro," Sakura breathed, beholding the white haired boy. She blinked once, sat up and felt her heart lurch. "Where's Sai?"

Kimimaro spared her a private smile before schooling his features back into place. "Not here, of course." He shifted in his seat. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You would have to be perceptive to have made it so far. The only thing I can count against your intelligence is your supposed concern over the Sight of Dejection."

Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Should I be concerned for you?"

"Not at all. You shouldn't be concerned for anyone you meet here. We are a part of the curse because we deserve it, and I have tried to always be honest about my intentions and self interests. I won't lie and claim to help you, claim that I'm your guide or an appointed advocate to the dreamer. No, I am a piece just like every other figure you meet here. I have my own agenda, as does he."

Sakura tried to keep her face even and void of expression, but judging by the way Kimimaro curled his lip, she guessed she wasn't doing so great of a job. Sakura narrowed her eyes. "What?" she asked with limited venom.

"You think he is your friend?"

"Sai warned me to not trust you, and you said it yourself, you're not someone I can trust. You might decided to try and kill me one of these days."

He turned his head to the side and looked at her. "Yes, I may kill you. But I will be honest with you when my intentions become so. I'm not trustworthy, but I'm honest."

"And Sai isn't?"

His voice was as cold as his expression when he spoke. "There is no guide or appointed advocate for any dreamer who falls into the curse. The realm is just that, a curse, built for thieves and sinners to endure until madness strikes them dead. This is no game. One day you will die from this place. There never was any hope to begin with and he was a selfish fool to connivence you otherwise."

"Why would he do that?"

"Your knowledge is like wine to him. He wants you only for your words and the knowledge you possess. He is kind for no other end. Do not think you are privy to all his secrets."

Sakura had been subconsciously leaning into the conversation, stretching to be closer to Kimimaro, and once she noticed this, she eased back into her roll of blankets. She closed her eyes, inhaled the cotton and spice smells subtly imprinted onto the things around her, and stopped. When she opened her eyes again she could see more.

"He must have scared you."

A cross look came over his features. She saw his eyes flash with immaturity. "You think I'm lying."

"I think you're baiting me. You may be telling the truth or maybe you aren't. There isn't a way for me to be sure or check that, but the outcome you wanted was for me to avoid Sai, to lose my trust in him." She closed her eyes and nodded. When she looked up he was watching her. "What did he do to you?"

He held himself tense like a drawn bowstring. If he could, Sakura thought he would cave in on himself and compress into a black hole or some other singularity that is subtracted to a single point. He was dangerous, ready to lash out and consume everything into void. Sakura should have stopped, should have held her tongue, should have remembered how to hold silence in her mouth and keep it behind her teeth. She shouldn't have poked.

"What did he do to you, Kimimaro?"

His hand was on her throat, fingers splayed and nails dug in. Sakura jerked up and he held her from shooting for the door or banging on the roof. She should have kept her voice to herself and remembered her mother's warning about dogs that sleep. She shouldn't have provoked him and she knew. She knew she shouldn't have said that. But she also knew that she would have not done it differently if she had gone back and had the opportunity to do it again. Maybe that was why she didn't try to scream or look away when his eyes burned into hers. Not knowing she had done it, she saw herself smiling in her reflection in his eyes. If she could have she would have laughed too.

"I was right," she breathed, not being able to make any more breath pass through her throat.

His grip tightened but then went slack enough for her to breath. He wouldn't snap her neck, he didn't intend to kill her like this. If he wanted her death, his bone spear would have gone clean through her or Hungry would have sounded off. As far as she knew he was still following outside, unaware of what happened inside the carriage. Was she really in danger? Something told her no.

"You don't know who you're dealing with," he bit out so low and icy she barely heard it.

Her eyes were unflinching. "What did he do?"

He flinched and she saw it, the reason she didn't have to be afraid. She had seen it before in people like Karin and Ami and that boy from Hoboken who stressed out in math class and forgot to do the assignments. He was scared, but beyond that revelation was another. He was alone and that was what fed his fear.

She reached out and touched his arm, but the one that wasn't holding her. He didn't flinch but she felt the vibration in his arm that ran through his body.

"What did he say?"

He lunged for her and she felt the chill and bite of ice as it slammed against her. She fell backwards but not before her face went red and then white from the frost that clung to her like death. She squeezed her eyes shut, too taken aback to keep them open, but once she did, she found herself alone.

A drop of water fell from her lashes onto her cheek before running off her chin. The snowflakes had begun to melt. Reaching up she wiped her face clean and had to sneeze. She was cold all the way through and doubted that would change anytime soon, no matter how many coats she dreamed up.

.

Until she reached the city gates, nothing else of incident occurred, even though she called for Sai and thought of him enough to let him know she wanted to meet with him. He never showed, even though she suspected it was because he was avoiding her and not because something had happened to him. Something might have happened to him, it was a perfectly logical conclusion once she considered Kimimaro's state of appearance, but somehow that didn't seem right. She would have known if he left the world.

Leaving Neji and the procession behind, Sakura found Hana and through the frantic sister, was led to Kiba who was patched up and sleeping in one of the tents. There were so many furs dumped around him and over him she had trouble removing them all to get to the cuts on his chest. She eventually got to one and pulled back the bandage just enough to see. With a finger to the wound she reached out for a mental image of what existed in his blood. She searched for the bullet shaped virus, but saw only her own blood, shimmering and luminescent with a faint undertone of pale green coloring. No, there was some of the virus still left, but it was being eaten away and was nearly purged. Kiba would be fine.

"How is he?" Hana asked, fearing the worst.

Sakura smiled up reassuringly. "Just wounded. There is not sickness in his blood. He now needs only rest." The fear drained away from all the others listening and Sakura watched as Hana fell to her knees and thanked a Christian saint in spite of their pagan roots.

Sakura stood up and then slipped back into reality.

The next two days passed by with little event. Kiba still slept, fitfully at times, but well enough that Sakura didn't have any reason to fear for his condition. Neither Sai or Kimimaro came to visit her, no matter how much she called out with her mind for someone to answer her. However, one both days a rushlk woman attacked her while in the camp. Neither attempt on her life was worth getting worked up over, since Hungry was always with her in addition to the other clan wolves and members. The white women were pulled apart in moments.

On the outside, Sakura's relationship with Karin became faded and thin. Karin went out a lot on her own and no one in her family seemed to know anything about it when Sakura asked. Everyone thought it was Sakura Karin went out to see. But with Karin not texting or calling, Sakura suspected she was one of the last people on the planet the tattooed Italian wanted to see.

SAkura caught sight of Karin once from across the street coming out of the cinema. She was wearing soft white and pink. Instead of her usual edgy style, her shoes were strappy heels, and her band tee was a floral spring dress. Beside her walked a slouched male with expensive shoes and a bored expression.

Sakura felt sucker punched and that's how she woke up on the third day.

She slept on a bed of furs next to Kiba's bed. Hungry lay curled around her, larger than before. She had seen great danes, but Hungry was larger now. In a few days she would be able to ride him. Until then, he was the best blanket and friend she could possibly ask for.

Rolling over, she reached for the knife under her bed furs and checked it for dirt before slipping it into her boot. She slept with her shoes on, same as everyone else in the clan. If you weren't wearing your shoes you were sick or expected to be in bed for a long time. Kiba didn't sleep with his shoes on anymore.

Sakura stood and moved to the flat dish with a pitcher of water set next to it. She poured a bowl for herself and washed her face, watching her reflection bob and weave on the surface until it stilled with the waters. She looked better, less pale, and the circles that hung like dark shadows under her eyes were gone. Her blood was full in her veins again.

"Like it should be," she said to Hungry, scratching him behind the ear.

Hana came in just then to check in on Kiba. She grimaced, but tried to smile for Sakura. "I heard him talking in his sleep last night. Is that a good thing?"

"He's not comatose, just exhausted. I wouldn't be surprised if he's woken up already but fallen back to sleep right after. Physical wounds are one thing, but he was fighting a virus. That's a bit more serious, but he will be fine." Sakura crossed back over to his bed and sat down on the end. "He'll be up soon."

Hana nodded, glancing back towards the entrance to the tent and then back at her brother. "I thought he might have woken up last night. He said your name, so I thought you were talking."

Sakura blinked. "Kiba did?"

Hana nodded.

"Ah, I must not have heard it. I slept too soundly for a good doctor. Regardless, take it as a good sign. He'll be up soon."

Hana glanced towards the flap once more before speaking. "Were you planning on going into the city today, Sakura?"

"I wasn't planning on it, why?" Sakura asked.

Hana lifted and dropped her shoulders in a shrug. "Ah, no reason. You've just been so close to him this entire time. But…it's because he's your patient, isn't it? You would treat anyone the same way, wouldn't you?"

"Is that a bad thing?" Sakura picked up on the odd shadow of meaning to Hana's words, but didn't understand them. Of course she would take care of Kiba just as well as anyone else. What did his sister think of her? Did she doubt Sakura's ability to take care of a person just because she knew them?

"No, you have been nothing but kind to my brother and my people, but if I might be frank with you," Hana said as she sat down next to Sakura on the edge of Kiba's bed. "You don't plan to live with us forever, do you?"

"I hadn't…"

"You are not one to stay with anyone for too long. You have the scent of a wander on your soul. One day you will have to wander away from us and that's your prerogative and your choice. We can't say no and we can't hold you back."

"Hana," Sakura said, frowning. "What is it you're trying to say?"

Kiba's older sister squared her shoulders and looked Sakura dead in the eye, unflinching, unblinking. "He cares for you too much. He's like our clan kin in the sense that Kiba is dedicated. Wolves take one mate for themselves and once they've chosen that's it. I'm afraid he's grown too attached to you, not knowing better. Maybe it's just a crush, and that's what I hope it is. But if he truly does love you, you're still going to leave and it will crush his heart." She took a deep breath before saying more. "I don't want to see him go through that."

She did, but Sakura still felt lost. She hadn't thought there to be any harm in Kiba's puppy love or his obvious attraction. She tried to think back, but she couldn't say without a doubt she had never led him on. She never meant to, but what did that look like to him?

"I've never meant to entangle myself in such a way," Sakura said with her eyes downcast. She looked up and saw Hana's face pinched a bit, as if in pain. "Hana?"

"I… I don't want him to hate me either, but I had to warn you. If you're not aware of it than I'm just as to blame. If you have no intentions of pursuing my brothers, please distance yourself."

Sakura remembered back to when she saw Karin and felt the knife in her gut turn. "You're asking me to leave if I don't want anything relationship wise with Kiba."

Hana didn't say anything this time.

Sakura breathed out once and then turned to look Kiba over. He would wake up soon. It would be better if she wasn't around for it. Better for him to believe she left him behind or something.

Her things were easy to collect, and easier to forget, so she took what she could remember to pack and set off for the gates, knowing she would have a place in the rafters of the church where saints were adorned in gold and halos. She started to leave but stopped and turned to walk back into the tent. She didn't cross the threshold, but she got close enough so that Hana could see her standing there.

"If his condition gets worse for any reason, I will be with the other doctors inside the city. There is a church you can find me at. You shouldn't need to but…"

Hana didn't say anything and Sakura didn't feel like forcing anything else out of her mouth so she nodded to the tattooed woman and turned on her heel to finish exiting the camp. It didn't take long to get inside the city, even though it was substantially more busy than the last time she visited. More people flooded the streets and it was harder trying to get around with a dog. But eventually she found the church with the snake draped over a cross painted onto the door and let herself in.

The church was the main building attached to Shizune's tiny clinic. In the back was a privet section for the truly sick, but most of the bodies lay in the main scantuary in front of icons with prayer beads spilling out from between their fingers. Only the sickest rested on beds in the back.

Everyone inside was too busy to notice her, so she tucked her things away in a pew up above the rest and then walked back down to where the sick were being kept. No one approached her, no one vetted her, no one tried talking to her, and no one seemed to notice her. A nun looked up and noted her presence after a while, but didn't do or say anything more after that.

Frowning to herself, Sakura stopped beside the first patient with fever and wiped a hand across their brow. There was a dormant madness in his veins, not active like the madness that wrecked Kiba's blood, but a madness all the same. It would be many days, maybe even weeks before this person died if he didn't get the cure.

Pulling a thought out of mid air, Sakura produced tube and needle that she could use to transfuse blood from her veins into his. He didn't need much, so she didn't spare him much. Unlike Kiba, this patient wasn't suffering form blood loss and extensive external injuries. When she was done, she didn't even feel light headed.

There were five other patients who were suffering from the same illness and Sakura treated all of them before she was caught by Shizune. When she turned to face the older woman there was a low sun sending light through the stained glass windows.

"One of the sisters told me there was a suspicious doctor treating their patients. I thought it might be you when they said they were too afraid to approach you with that wolf hunkering in the shadows." Shizune swept into the church only to be greeted with smiles and grateful nods. The older woman pulled the gloves off her fingers and nodded back before looking over at Sakura. "What have you been doing to these people."

"Fixing them," Sakura replied while sweeping her arm back to show off the tube filled with blood that connected her to a young maid with copper red hair. "They're the ones the nuns are all avoiding."

"They have the mad sickness. That's why they are avoided." Shizune reached over and pulled out the leather straps that hung loose and unused over the sides of the bed. "And that is why they sleep next to straps. What are you treating them with?"

"My own blood. I have a version of the anti virus since I'm immune to the disease. The strain I was vaccinated against was called rabies, however the two are similar enough that the same cure works for both." Sakura unplugged herself from the tube and let the last of her blood seep into the young girl before rolling the tube up again.

"You're quite cunning to test out such a theory on the left for dead," Shizune said in a tonal voice matched only by her dead gaze. Sakura almost flinched.

"You think I'm really that much of a jerk, do you? This isn't a test. The only reason Kiba is alive is because I emptied half of my blood count into him. He was bit by a mad wolf and because of my blood he's still alive and not foaming at the mouth over another poor dead body." Sakura smiled sarcastically. "I'm real popular with his family right now."

Shizune made a face like she didn't understand so Sakura shook her head and waved it away. "Never mind, it was a bad joke. Speaking of which, do you think the people here would mind if I stayed overnight. I can't imagine there are a lot of spare rooms to be had in the city when people litter the outer walls."

"This place is for the sick, but you are welcome to it as a fellow doctor." Shizune's expression darkened. "Why do you not have a place to stay anymore. I thought the Wolf tribe was making you a part of their band."

"Ah, and that's where things got tricky. Ha-eh, some of the members didn't like the fact that I had a life outside of the tribe and wanted to go off after the winters passed and do my own thing. They didn't like my lack of commitment and made it clear I was one of them for life or I was destined for the hills." She shrugged. "And as a medic I'm too much of a wander to stay with family for too long. Plus, I have plans." She thought of the vein of obsidian growing through the earth within the mad wolf's territory. Yes, she had plans.

"You don't have anywhere else to stay. What about the Hyuga? I'm sure they would be willing to put you up considering they owe you one. Hinata wouldn't mind."

Upon hearing Shizune's words, Sakura remembered something about the last time she visited this place. "Speaking of the young lady heir, how often does she come to visit?"

Shizune stiffened, and Sakura watched as the internal struggle surged behind the older woman's eyes. She was debating whether or not to confess what she knew, or play ignorance. Sakura smiled slowly, and Shizune realized ignorance wouldn't get her anywhere.

Letting out a deep sigh she nodded to the back and led Sakura to a curtained off section. Beyond the fabric was a bed, bigger than the others, and draped heavily in furs. The body on the bed was thin, pale, and close to death, but his clothing was fine enough to lessen his grim appearance.

"The old suffer longer than the young with the madness," Shizune said.

Sakura curled her lip. "He's one of you Boyer, a noble. What is he doing here? Shouldn't he be put up in his house?"

"Not if it's the madness curse. Not even a title like the Monkey King could persuade his family to keep him at home, not when young ones wander the halls now." Shizuna tried to mask the pain seeping into her expression. "He was a mentor to Hinata, but now he is just one of the dying leapers. Don't waste your blood on him."

Sakura looked the old man over and saw wrinkles and laugh lines sag heavy on his face. He reminded her of her own grandmother, and wondered if there were others like Hinata who missed him. Without listening to her advice, Sakura produced her tube and drew blood from her arm before funneling it straight into his veins. He was old and sick, but health once stripped of his strain of madness. By the end Sakura started to feel light in the head. She turned and saw Shizune grimacing at her. Sakura grinned more to herself than the older woman.

"Sorry, I was never good at doing what I was told."

The next day Sakura felt it when Kiba awoke. She waited for him to seek her out, but he didn't come.

"Sakura?" the man on the bed asked in a questioning tone. Looking back down at her patient Sakura checked his face for signs of distress and found only confusion.

"I'm sorry, was I making an odd expression?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi huffed and shook his head, trying to get comfortable in his bed among all the furs and plush covers that had been sent from his home. He was an older man with leathery, sun colored skin and deep wrinkles. He was slightly malnourished from his brush with death, but he still had the impressive carriage of a ruler and never seemed to forget how to hold himself like a king.

That's what the others called him, the monkey king. Famous for his pet monkeys while in power, the ancient Boyer noble managed to inspire reverence even from the threshold of death. Already friends and family were sending him gifts and congratulations on his recovery. They were empty congratulations, and they both knew it.

"Something has you distracted, or else you've overextended yourself again. A personal medic should be coming to see to my needs now that I'm not contagious. You shouldn't be bothering with me now."

She hummed around a smile as she looked back to the windows and the colored lights streaming through. "Ah, they told me that about you once, but aren't you glad I didn't listen? What makes you think I'll obey someone's orders now?"

"Then you should come back with me and leave the rest of these patients to the nuns." He reached for his pipe but Sakura made a grab for it first, holding it just out beyond his reach with a knowing smile. His sour expression darkened. "But then again, you're a nasty spit of fire that's better left unprovoked. Demon."

"I told you it wasn't good for your lungs."

"Let a dying man have his pleasures."

"You're not dying anymore."

He was as gruff as ever with his reply as he made a second swipe for his pipe. "And no one cares."

Sakura leaned back and tapped the pipe against her lips, teasingly before finding a match from inside her kaftan and striking it. She gripped the pipe between her lips and blew, stoking the fire. The monkey king's glower darkened further.

"I thought you said it wasn't good for your lungs," he bit back.

Sakura blew a small cloud like a content dragon and watched it twist away from her lips. "No one cares."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and settled back into his bed. "You're an imp. Never has a thorn in my side tormented me so. Dry out your lungs then, see if I care."

Sakura shrugged and blew another stream of smoke through her teeth. It came out flat but fattened up a short distance from her face. She blew again, but this time through her pinched lips, and a ring swirled out. From out of the corner of her eye she caught Hiruzen Sarutobi watching her intently, if not mildly impressed with her smoke blowing skills. When she turned to look him in the eye and smile he turned away with a huff.

Sakura wanted to laugh but her heart sat heavy in her chest. "I'll return this then. Burn up the last of your life if that's what you truly wish. I'm not going anywhere, it seems."

The monkey king took his pipe back with a loud huff of displeasure, but didn't smoke from it. Instead he began to wipe the spit clean. "That doesn't sound like a good thing to these old ears of mine. I've seen plenty of children, enough to know when they're something wrong with them. Something must be terribly wrong with you if you're here and not out with someone of a halfway decent company."

Sakura didn't say anything and didn't move for a while. Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, setting his pipe down. "Ah, no rebuttal? If you're reduced to spending time with this old fossil you must be in dire need of friends. When was the last time you were invited to a party?"

There was talk of the Tsarevich throwing a grand ball for the closing of the gates, but smaller parties happened nearly every week, if not day, somewhere in the inner ring. Sakura hadn't been invited to anything, and saw no problem with that since her true goal existed outside the city walls. Her Obelisk was with the mad wolves.

Hungry stirred underneath her legs as if he sensed her train of thoughts. She reached down to scratch him behind the ears. "I have errands to run today, no time for parties."

His expression soured further. "What errands? For work or pleasure?"

"I won't be gone for long," Sakura lied, having every intention of leaving that dream cycle, no matter how much Sai ignored her or how much Kimimaro stalked outside her church without coming in or letting himself be seen. He had been lurking out in the shadows since the attacks from his white women stopped. Sakura had a feeling he hadn't been behind the first few assaults and was taking measures now to prevent them. She didn't know why, but she couldn't bring herself to care at this rate.

She dressed at the door, ignoring the glares from Hiruzen Sarutobi, and pinned her heavy black Kafka closed with a dozen tiny mother of pearl buttons. Even though it was within a dream, the days were seeming colder and colder to Sakura and she wondered if that had anything to do with the seasons changing in the real world outside of her dreams. Halloween was in a few weeks and she was nearly done with her dress, but she didn't know if she wanted to go anymore with Karin going AWOL on her so often.

Sakura and Hungry left together and made it through the outer ring in little to no time before speeding out of the gates towards the Monarch Woods. It was near noon, but Sakura was determined to be a memory before that sun started to descend too far. Hungry was like the wind on her heels and with a body made up of dreams and empty of limitations, Sakura ran without stopping. She ran faster with her body bent low to the ground, clawing, digging, leaping, flying over brush and under branch. The woods were a watercolored blur around her as shapes lost their definition.

North. She didn't know exactly where she was going, but she knew she needed to head north from the gates. Keep running towards the north, where the cold winds come from.

The running became something she did without thinking, and her mind became blissfully empty. Run, her body was a primal machine that needed no explaining. All she had to do was run.

A flash of Onyx told her she was close and she felt it when she passed over into the territories of the mad wolves, but she felt something else too, or a lack of something. She slid to a halt, digging her heel and spinning on it to face backwards and see where Hungry hunched down.

"Hungry." She waved and called to him, slapping her side. But her oversized wolf companion wouldn't budge. He growled at the line where the territory begun, but wouldn't go to her side. She tried calling again, tried being sweet, tried growling, tried threatening. He wouldn't budge.

Sakura felt like crying. This wasn't what she needed right now. After being chased out by Hana, abandoned by Karin, separated from Sasori, ignored by Sai… rejected by her mother. Her throat felt like closing. The sun was high and dipping, but so deep in the woods it was dark and she was cold and now she was alone.

"Not you too," Sakura growled, staring over at her companion. "You're not allowed to leave me too."

But Hungry did. Her wolf turned and ran away, bounding like a bolt of silver light through the shadows in between trees. Sakura felt the nonliteral fist bury deep in her gut and she dropped to her knees. She cried for Sai, she cried for Sasori and Pein, she even tried reaching out for Kimimaro. She called for Kiba and knew that when she stopped screaming there would be no one there to greet her.

The sun dipped lower and her tears dried up. In her heart there was only anger. Alone, that was what she was, no amount of anguish would change that. Fine. Things would be different soon. She would make things different.

Sakura turned and pivoted off her knees onto the balls of her feet. Across her back were twin single shot Berdan rifles carved out of scrimshaw. Before the fear made her sloppy, she weighed herself down with Damascus steel. She would not be empty handed when she approached the Obelisk.

She could feel it like a thrum in her chest the closer she ran. Veins of shimmering black poked through the earth more and more. She heard the rustling of leaves and felt the dank from too many mouths. They were all around her and by now they were behind her too. No going back.

Shit, what was she doing?

All of a sudden the trees dropped away and then so did the earth. She stopped suddenly on the edge of a narrow chasm cut by rouge onyx. There were deep veins left empty all throughout the clearing. She couldn't run anymore, she had to be more careful.

Her eyes were drawn up and she saw a large stone structure that looked like the the backside of a mountain, but a mountain that had been pulled apart and then smashed back together in the dark. It was ugly, monstrously ugly. And that was where the veins all ran down from. Her obelisk was deep inside that mountain, in the heart of it, she knew without a shadow of doubt.

She took a step and the first wolf leapt from the left. Sakura whirled and rolled one of the guns off her back before leveling it and taking the shot. She didn't shake this time and her lead landed right between the wolf's yellowed eyes. It's body fell with a echoing thud, shaking the ground beneath her.

A second wolf stepped out of the shadows and then another. Sakura circled around counting off the pairs of eyes she saw and made the mental calculations in her head. Half a dozen wolves stepped out into the light, but she knew there were a dozen more sulking in the shadows. They were all sick to some extent, but most of them were sane. Soon the madness would start to show and Sakura knew they wouldn't hesitate so much then.

She took the time to open up her rifle and slide in another round before locking it into the chamber and thrusting it forward. It took too many steps, and she doubted they would let her reload again. She righted her gun just in time to track a large male wolf darting into her sights. He went down fast, but his mate came at her faster. Sakura dropped her gun and reached for the second one, leveling it up in time to tear a hole through the female wolf's throat. She went down without suffering, her spinal column blasted through.

Sakura didn't have time to drop her gun when the third wolf game, instead she swung it around and caught the wolf in the mouth with the but of it before sending him into the dirt beside her. She flipped to grab the barrel in her hands and pounded the wolf's face in until something tore through her back. She dropped her bloodied gun and drew a short dagger that cut air fast enough to cut the skin off the muzzle of the wolf that attacked her. She screamed and it shied away before lunging again.

Sakura lost herself in the fight. Her movements were fragments of a memory as she danced through the stances and the injuries. They tore at her, clawed at her, bit at her. She was cut open and the evidence of their mouths told a story all up and down her body. Her shoulder was chewed open, her arm near limp. Half moons of angry red wounds dotted her body from the places where their jaws took hold and ripped at flesh.

There was sweat on her face and tears too. Her arm was limp from the shoulder down and she was starting to see double vision. There were more and more wolves coming out from between the trees and not all of them seemed in control of their minds like the first wave. The crazies were coming from farther away.

Sakura felt something new take purchase in her chest. She choked on it as blood coated her teeth from wounds internal. Hopelessness. This time, there was no hope. Sai was gone, Hungry had left hr. She was alone and there was no hope in her loneliness. This time, she was going to die.

'I don't want to go like this!' she mentally screamed, staggering back towards a mound of rocks she could lean against. She saw herself being buried in a too thin coffin in a grave plot surrounded by dead leaves and the occasional crow, abandoned and forgotten.

'She died in her sleep,' the priest would tell the visitors to other dead men and women.

From deep inside her she pulled out the strength she didn't know she had and screamed loud enough to rip the world in two. It was a desperate cry and the wolves knew it well. Seeing an opening Sakura took I, dashing for the woods where she could run away and try to live another day.

She stumbled only once, and when she rose again, it was to look back over her shoulder and see a wolf the size of a modest elephant stand lurking in the mouth of the obelisk cave. Her muzzle was dripping with blood.

Sakura cried again and ran faster. Into the darkness over the brush, she was fading and soon she wouldn't have the blood to stand, but she needed to clear the line where territories started and ended. If she could get out she could wake and everything would be managed. Her wounds in the real world were not ever as bad as the ones in the dream, close, but not as bad. She just needed to make it.

Poppies were blooming behind her eyes and the darkness crept into her vision. She fell to her knees and crawled, reaching and grabbing with her broken nails for a hold she could pull herself up from. A shock of Obsidian ran under her hand before she felt it fall away. She was atop a vein, but it was a vein that opened up to a chasm. One wrong step and she would be sent falling.

The wolves howled behind her and Sakura turned to see their colors flashing through the trees, growing larger and larger. They would be on her soon.

"God help me," she whispered before limping forward and diving into the chasm left by obsidian just as the wolves sailed over her.

Sakura woke up screaming. Screaming…and covered in her own blood. Tangled around her bedsheets, everything was stained red as her body burned in agony. While the damage was not as extensive as it was when in the dream world, she forgot about how much more it hurt. She was real again, and these wounds were real too. Her shoulder was a mess and her heart was a hammer in her chest as panic set in.

Her mind started cutting out. One minute she was in her bed, the next she's on the tile floor of her bathroom, climbing into the tub. Somehow she found her phone and hit something on speed dial. Someone called out her name a lot and the words that came from Sakura's lips made no sense, but it was clear they were panicked words. She was crying a lot and laying limp in the tub. She needed to clean her wounds, she needed to bind them. She needed to apply pressure and to stop the bleeding.

But she was cold and she couldn't remember how to move.

It was a long while later before she heard anything again, and she knew because the blood on her face was cracking. Someone was downstairs screaming for her and seconds later Karin stormed up the stairs and stopped in her room. Maybe she screamed, maybe she didn't. Sakura opened her eyes and her friend was there, cursing and swearing, and crying. Someone else was there too, calling 911. Sakura turned her head to look and saw Karin's dad. Ah, that was who drove her.

"What the hell happened?" Karin screamed, more angry than anything.

"Wild dogs," Sakura whispered, not having the strength to lie. They would know soon enough. The teeth marks still marked her like a calling card. She tried breathing and it was so much harder.

"You're a fucking idiot," Karin hissed. Her father didn't reprimand her for the language, and Sakura knew she must look bad for her father to not say anything.

"Sorry." Sakura closed her eyes, feeling lost in her own body. She managed to lift her lids enough to see Karin some more and smiled. "I missed you. Thanks for… coming."

"This isn't how I wanted to see you."

"Naturally." Sakura tried rolling her eyes, but couldn't lift her lids. "Ah… lost too much blood. Sorry."

"Don't apologize you stupid idiot." Karin's voice cracked and she tried to hide it with an angry growl. "You're so annoying. Just, damn it, worry about yourself for once and forget about apologizing to people….to me! You're such an idiot, always an idiot!"

Sakura just smiled, her eyes still closed. "Missed you."

Karin was crying loud and her father knelt down beside the pair to hold his daughter and cover Sakura's hand with his own. He was whispering prayers and Karin whispered some too. It was enough to make Sakura think she was dreaming again because Karin never prayed…or if she did it wasn't out loud or in front of other people. She sounded scared.

Sakura wanted to keep her eyes open but they were too heavy, and soon her mind followed.

She was back in the chasm, but not in her body, the one she dressed while in the dream world. She was ethereal, a ghost or spirit without wounds of solidity. She could see where she landed, and see that the crack in the earth stretched father down then she first believed.

Down, deeper into the darkness she drifted, following the spiderweb of veins where black shimmered like an exposed shard of night sky. She began to see the ruins before long and knew she was now directly under the cliff face where her obelisk hid. She was below the clearing, but this cavern was anything but clear.

Ancient and trimmed in detail, the onion domed roofs topped a handful of towers while other disappeared into the stone ceiling overhead. Once upon a time it had been pained with colors bright and plentiful, but now the exterior of the castle walls were dull and scraped clean by stone. Parts of the castle were cracked and separated from the main building, and other had crumbled all together. A sunken castle, buried by time and stone.

Sakura was a ghost in the cavern, so she did what ghosts did best. She floated down and passed through the main gates to haunt the abandoned walls. In the back of her mind she could hear Karin and her father speaking and new voices too, but then it faded out of mind and she was alone again.

She stopped and looked around to see where she was. She hadn't realized she had walked in since she picked up on the echo of Karin's voice. The halls were full of dust and shadows, but in the shadows, covered in dust were ornate side tables decorated with ming vases and halls covered in life-sized portraits of Czars and their families. Some were young, some were old, but all were decadent and powerful in their posture, even the women.

Sakura was staring at a Czar with an impressively thick mustache when she heard the sound of slicing metal. She turned and looked down, noting a rough direction for the source of the sound. Following the hallway up to the grand staircase that wound upwards, she drifted closer and closer until she was on the threshold of a ballroom, left to collect dust and dirt as parts of the rocks spilled in through the self made windows.

She caught herself and held back when she saw the bone white sword twirl beyond Kimimaro's reach before the pale boy drew it back to his side and angled it again for a second strike. Sai circled his opponent, a saber in his hand and a red line cut across the left cheek of his face. His eyes were hard stones of darkness that did not waver.

"Should I be impressed?" Kimimaro asked in a bored tone, turning his sword over in hand once more. "You've lasted long in this world than anyone believed you would, but it's time you returned to your own kingdom. Build yourself a castle out of that library of yours and mark it with a clock tower."

"Unlikely," Sai replied in monotone. "Force me out if you think you can, snake child."

"The names are not necessary. In case you haven't noticed, I haven't killed our precious dreamer and have made no move to do so since that first, misguided campaign. Do you really think I would still be willing to extinguish the only life in this accursed place after so many eons?"

They were talking about her. She was the dreamer. They must not have noticed her hiding behind the door, or maybe they couldn't see her because she wasn't really asleep, just knocked out. Clearing her head of thoughts, Sakura leaned down and pressed herself flat against the door, intent on listening for as much as she could.

"You are not to be trusted." Sai's face was blank.

"She said you told her that." Kimimaro tilted his head back and stared at Sai down the length of his nose. He almost sneered,but Sakura thought she might have imagined that part. "Have you been able to tell the dreamer anything more, or should I speak on your behalf? Should I tell her of your trustworthiness?"

Something flashed in Sai's face, the briefest of emotions before he swung again, buttons flashing as his torso turned into the assault. Kimimaro parred easily, showing his skill in footwork alone. Sai recovered quickly and backtracked to a safe distance before replying. "Let me leave and I would gladly spill my words."

"It took me to much effort to manage trapping you here, even after I caught you tampering with the makeup of this gate world." The pale boy paused in his stalking and then reversed his feet, backwards. "Was that something you told her about yet, or could I be the bearer of such news?"

Sai hunched and gripped his sword tighter, mouth pressed into a thin line. "I will be the one to leave here this time," he whispered into this blade before rushing at Kimimaro.

There was a wild show of steel and bone as the two fought, but Sakura could tell, and it was painfully clear after the first few exchanges, that Sai was outmatched. Kimimaro looked like he hardly put in the effort to deflect blows and counter strikes. It was an uneven fight.

Suddenly Kimimaro was a blur of swordplay and Sai was pushed back. In a flurry, Kimimaro pressed forward and a moment later, Sai's saber was knocked straight up into the air and back a ways. Sai stumbled, his hands free, and Kimimaro pressed his advantage. The pale boy surged forward and slashed Sai across the chest. Sakura felt her heart stop as Kimimaro cut Sai clean through, spraying the room with blood as Sai fell to the floor in pieces.

Kimimaro shrugged, staring down at Sai as the boy began to break down into smoke that writhed in apparent anger before being scattered throughout the castle. "That should keep him busy for a few more hours…at least until she dreams again. I can't imagine it would take him very long to pull a body back together after having done it so many times. Maybe I should be worried."

He turned and left, never noticing the petrified ghost lingering in the hallway.

"I have a few more questions for you before we can dismiss you. There were trace amounts of a strain of rabies in your blood, so this is information we have to share with the police. First off, how many were there?"

"Just two," Sakura lied.

"When did the incident take place?"

"Last night."

"And where?"

"Behind my house in the woods. I live in Highland Creek."

"What were you doing outside after dark?"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, making a show of looking around the room before answering. "I get stressed sometimes and taking a walk outside helps alleviate anxiety. I've never had an incident before." The lie felt so easy on her tongue and it just got easier the more she spoke. It didn't even phase her to look into the woman's eyes as she spilled half truths. Her lies were that easy.

It was late afternoon by the time Sakura was escorted out of the Urgent Care. Karin sat in the backseat with her while her dad drove them back to the pizza parlor. They had called Sakura's work and canceled her shifts for the next two days and tried picking up books they thought she would need for school, but she assured them all she needed to do was email her professor, something she did on her iphone while waiting for more shots at the UC.

It was much later when Sakura finally got up to move on her own and felt the bruises. By some miracle there were no fractures or broken bones in her body, but there were too many sore patches to make walking an easy task. Her left knee had been busted up pretty bad too, and had been put in one of those black velcro braces for added support. The brace belonged to Karin from back when she used to get beat up doing roller derby on an all girl team from Queens. Sakura's left ankle was pretty swollen too, but that was bandaged by the nurse.

Karin's mom was in the shop rolling out pizzas with the boys when the trio tried sneaking in. Kushina was far too vigilant to let her chosen family sneak by without her honorary fussing. The pretty red head stopped short when she saw the sight of Sakura and stayed frozen for a good half a minute before breathing again.

"Please," Sakura tried joking in a dry laugh. "I'm not too ugly, am I?"

The mother was still shell shocked when she spoke. "You said a dog did this?"

"Dogs, as in, more than one. And it looks worse than it really is. Give it a week and I'll be perfect again."

"Have you called your mother, does she know?"

Karin had been holding Sakura up from the left side, and at the mention of her mother, Sakura felt Karin twitch. Even when they were mad at each other, Karin never liked Sakura's mom.

"I called and left a message. I think she's busy, but it's not like she could have done anything about it now. I just need rest."

Karin's mother took a few steps forward and hesitantly pulled the pair of girls into a soft hug that was considerate of the wounds and bruises. Sakura felt the mother's shoulders shiver as she fought back tears. "You will always have a place here. Go upstairs and have Karin make you a bed. We'll keep an eye on you."

Sakura didn't cry, but she felt the back of her eyes sting with unshed tears. She smiled and squeezed her eyes shut to hide the growing redness, and limped with Karin up the stairs and into the bedroom. Karin was mindful of Sakura and took her time on the stairs and leading her into the bedroom.

Instead of making a bed, Karin pulled her mattress off the bed, onto the floor, and laid pillows up and down the sides so it looked larger than a queen size. Somehow, Karin seemed to find pillows everywhere and kept pulling throws and down pillows out of the most unusual places until there was a nice place set up for Sakura to recline but not lie down.

"It's just like old times. When was the last time we put so much effort into a sleepover?" Sakura asked, trying to remember a sleepover when they didn't just pass out on the bed or couch without making up anything special. When Karin didn't say anything, and refused to turn around Sakura frowned. "I don't know if I said this yet, but thank you. I didn't know if you would come."

Karin turned around and her eyes were red and narrowed. She looked pissed. "Don't you dare," she hissed.

Sakura stilled, watching her friend with a forced, languid expression. Karin could be a real witch sometimes, but she could also be a volcano.

"Don't you dare think I wouldn't come," Karin whispered, turning away again and bowing her head into her knees as she sat on the edge of the mattress. "You should have never had to doubt me in the first place."

"Karin."

"I was so mad at you! I really hated you for a while. I tried talking to you and you didn't understand and you left me and wouldn't talk to me and then you nearly die," she babbled. "I… I thought someone had sliced you to pieces when I saw the bed sheets! I thought you were dead in the tub. Why the hell were you alone for so long? What about Ami?"

"She's been in France with her dad," Sakura quietly supplied, not knowing if Karin actually wanted an answer or someone to yell at. It was better to let her erupt and get it all out. "Sorry."

Karin growled in the way teenagers growled in front of their unfair parents and smashed her fist down on the edge of the bed. "Don't you dare! You don't get to be sorry. That's on me. I own that. You don't get to have those feelings when you don't deserve them. I'm the one that's a sorry mess, you bitch. I'm the stupid one who chose a guy over my best friend." Karin's voice broke and Sakura heard the tears.

Even though it hurt to move, Sakura shifted and crawled over to her friend before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her to her side. Karin's face was wet and she tried to fight back the tears that fell even more. Karin was muttering things like 'stupid' and 'boy' under her breath and Sakura understood that this was about more than just her. He was gone again, but this time he didn't shatter her.

"We're going to be okay," Sakura whispered into Karin's hair, holding her friend close as she cried. "You're going to be fine."

"Bitch," Karin choked. "You're the one….who….(hic)who's hurt."

Sakura didn't say anything more, but she stayed close to her friend and remembered how much she needed a companion when she was being devoured by wolves.

Sakura crawled her way out of that hole and staggered back to the church where she rested for another four days under the watchful eyes of Shizune and the other nuns while Hungry stalkingly protected her from the shadows. It was part due to her condition and part due to her fame that there was an added level of caution in regarding her.

Somehow, word had gotten out about a living saint who healed the sick and nearly dead with her blood. Mothers were already carrying icons in her image and candles were being lighted in her name. They sang songs of her, invented a mythology around her. A wanderer who was abandoned as a child and raised by wolves appointed by God for a holy purpose. Like the way the almighty shut the mouths of the lions in Daniel's den, He appointed a feral beast to protect the divine woman.

"Quite a likeness, isn't it?" Hiruzen Sarutobi, the monkey king asked as he produced a piece of paper for her to take.

Sakura grimaced as she reached down from her perch in the rafters to take the drawing he had picked up on the streets. It was a black and white ink drawing of a woman clothed in a black dressed tied with beggar's rope. In her hands she held a goblet, the elixir of life, and in the other she curled two fingers and lifted the other tree in a gesture that was considered the mark of the archangel Gabriel. Around her body stalked a deadly looking wolf and behind her head was a halo of gold. The only part of the ink drawing that was colored was the halo.

"It looks expensive," Sakura duly commented.

"She's a real beauty in all the icons I buy," the old man teased her fondly. "I'm quite proud that my saint is fairest of them all."

"I'm not a saint," Sakura said while rolling her eyes. She knew what saints meant to people and couldn't possibly imagine impersonating one.

"Not yet, you still have to die horribly at the hands of some cruel fate, but once you do there's no arguing it. The people are desperate for something to believe in. There are too many beasts in those woods to make anyone feel safe for long."

Sakura remembered the marks on Karin's body, the tattoos she endured and the meaning behind those lady saints and shook her head. This was just a dream. It wasn't worth getting worked up over religion.

"You didn't strike me as the God fearing kind of man, Hiruzen Sarutobi. What are you doing bothering with me?"

The old man pocketed the picture and pulled out his pipe. Sakura glared but he just laughed and lit it anyway. "With or without a sainthood, I am here for you because you saved my life and you're the only person worth my time at the moment. My terrible family is plotting a way to kill me as we speak, but you knew that, didn't you?"

"I knew someone deliberately infected you with the madness, yes, but I didn't know it was your family. I'm sorry."

The old man deflated a little bit and Sakura saw his age. "My son is blind by love. He married a woman who was both worried and cruel, but she was bred for that. Her family is the one that has poisoned by progeny against me. Not even my grandson will weep for my passing."

Sakura turned and looked out the window into the city, feeling guilty and foolish for being as moody as she , they were both distracted by the sound of a startled crowd and angry hoofbeats. The royal hunting party was in the streets again, heading for the Monarch Woods with whoops and laughter. Sakura grimaced.

"They have a guide now, one who shows them the safe way between trees and wolves," Hiruzen Sarutobi commented before blowing out a trail of smoke. "They've been at it for days like this. The crazy Tsarevich doesn't think himself mortal, or wants to kill himself before the ball."

When Sakura looked back at the old man he was watching her. She stiffened. "What?"

"Hinata said you were close with the boy. I thought you would show more of a reaction."

She narrowed her eyes. "He'll be fine. He's a kid, but he can handle himself in the woods."

The Monkey King took another pull from his pipe before exhaling. "I wasn't referring to the wolves in fur, but rather the wolves in robes. The politics have stuck to him it seems. He's become a favorite of the guard and they're inviting him into the palace to work in uniform."

"And that is bad because…?"

The monkey King shook his head and blew more smoke, not intending to explain it for her. Sakura huffed and turned back to the window, tapping her fingers against the glass. She was used to odd riddles and cryptic, misleading answers thanks to Sai.

Her fingers stilled against the glass. "Hey," she spoke up, earning the old man's attention. "Did there used to be a castle under the woods or somewhere close by that was destroyed a while ago?"

"You're not talking about that legend, are you? That is why they are called the Monarch Woods, or so claimed my father. Hundreds of years ago an old bloodline perished there, but no one can prove that since it's overrun with wolves and other hostile beasts."

Sakura said nothing for a while and the two stood together in that silence, comforted by it until a new figure walked in on them. Sakura blinked and straightened up when Hinata removed her hood and smiled politely at the pair before bowing slightly.

"I was hoping I would find you here again," she said looking at Sakura. "I was looking for you."

Beside her Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed into his smoke. Sakura glared at him out of the corner of her eye but didn't say anything to admonish him. She turned back to look at Hinata. "You were looking for me?"

The pretty pale girl nodded. "Actually, it's other people, but I would like to talk to you too. Um, first my cousin wanted to know where he could find you, but wouldn't tell me why. May I tell him where he can find you?"

Sakura shrugged. "Sure, why not? Anything else?"

"Kiba wanted to know why you ran away."

Sakura stiffened and fought back the glare. "Ah, I suppose he would. He didn't try tracking me down himself so I thought he forgot. There was…no reason in particular. It was just time to move on for me. I was needed elsewhere."

Hinata nodded. "I will tell him that, but only if you tell me the real reason." She smiled knowingly. "You're not the type of person to leave friends on their sick beds. Something else made you leave."

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled before taking a step away. He was still close enough to listen, but not in an intruding manner.

"How do I know you won't tell Kida yourself? You don't seem like the type that keeps too many secrets."

Hinata only smiled. "Than that is fortunate." She let her smile slide away before speaking again. "It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with his older sister, would it?"

Sakura shrugged, not willing to say anything. Hinata giggled quietly into her hand. It seemed like Sakura's silence was answer enough.

"Ah, I never got the talk from her, but she's given it to others. Kiba never liked me in that sort of manner so I wasn't a threat, but her protectiveness is legendary. I couldn't see her approving of someone who didn't worship the ground he walks on."

"That's healthy," Sakura muttered under her breath, being clearly sarcastic. Hanata chuckled again, and Sakura noted how cute it sounded.

"I won't tell him the truth then, but he will come for you sooner or later looking for the truth himself."

And there was honesty in her voice. She knew that Kiba would come on his own and Sakura was left with no other option but to believe the pale eyed girl. Sakura couldn't help but respect that assurance.

"He hasn't tried looking for me so far, what makes you think he'll try coming for me at all?"

"Because I know Kiba…he's as loyal as a dog. He would never abandon a friend. If I had to guess, he thinks you abandoned him."

Sakura closed her eyes, hating the words on her lips. "I kind of did."

"Because you thought you were protecting him."

Sakura opened her eyes and smirked at the heiress. "You are terribly perceptive for such a mousy girl who no one believes in."

Hinata didn't flinch at the comment, but smiled honestly. "No one thinks to suspect the quiet ones," she giggled. "You're quite amazing yourself. I would have never assumed you were a saint when we first met. Avenging angel, maybe, but healer and miracle worker? What a marvel you must be." Hinata's eyes took on a thoughtful softness before she shook her head and laughed at something in her own mind. "That's it, I can't take it anymore. You have to come."

"Pardon?" Sakura didn't follow.

"I lied a little bit." Hinata stepped forward and grabbed Sakura's hands and held them in her own. "I think my cousin wanted to ask you to the ball as his date, but I'm going to beat him to it. I would very much appreciate it if you could accompany me as my friend to the ball. I won't be nearly as petrified of all the other women if you're there."

"I have a hard time believing you could ever be so humbled," Sakura murmured, feeling her cheeks flush from the praise. "You're quite forward enough on your own, and substantially brave."

Hinata's eyes were pleading and Sakura turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi for help but the only man was smiling and in the honest sort of way that old people smiled when looking at things the genuinely cared about. He caught her eye and chuckled.

"And here I thought," he breathed, expelling a soft tendril of smoke. "That my savior would be on my arm that evening. Sakura, you already promised you would be this old man's strength."

Sakura made a face that looked like a cross between a wince and a smile. "Sorry," she apologized. "I was just barely talked into it too."

Hinata's shoulders fell in disappointment. "Ah, I see. I was too late." She looked up with a spark of hope left. "Will you at least prepare for the ball with me? You can have your dress run over and my maids will do your hair. Hiruzen Sarutobi is a friend to our house, he can pick you up when you are done."

Sarutobi gave her a look like he wondered if she even had a dress, but Sakura waved it away. All she had to do was dream one up. It sounded like Hinata really wanted a friend, and if there was one thing Sakura was weak against, it was lonely people. That had always been something she caved to, especially with girls like Karin and Ami. She knew it was a scary thing to be alone, to feel like you were abandoned. Something like guilt settled in Sakura's stomach when she thought of Sai and Kimimaro.

Turning back to Hinata she patted the girl's hands before dropping them. "I think I can do that, but there are other things I must see to before that date, and you'll have to tell Neji. I wouldn't want him wasting the trip."

Sakura decided she liked the company of Hinata. Unlike Karin and Ami, Hinata was a sweet, soft girl who cowered easily. And while she had a dedicated mind that most people overlooked when they saw her, Hinata was not like Hana or Konan in the realms of authority. She wielded power quietly, least she alert someone to it and lose it.

Catching Sakura staring at her, Hinata smiled brightly.

Later, Hungry trotted on the heels of her shadow as she climbed across the beams and off the balconies onto the roof of the church. Her wolf companion whined when she made like a spider up the turrets and onto the roof where he couldn't follow. It was late and her cycle was nearly through. She didn't have much time left before she woke up again.

"Kimimaro."

She had never tried summoning him so boldly. This wasn't a cry of panic or desperation. She didn't need him, but she wanted him. She looked to the skies, straining to see a breeze of ice or flurry of snow, but when she turned to look back he was already there, waiting.

"You called me."

She didn't miss the note of wonder in his tone. "I wanted to speak with you. Is that so unbelievable?"

"I did not…expect it," he murmured, taking a hesitant step closer, toes balanced in line with the spine of the church roof. "What do you need of me?"

Sakura paused for a moment to consider their predicament. He seemed little to no different from the last time she saw him and the last time she spoke with him. There was little change to him as a person. He still wore the imperial era uniform with the polished knee high boots and dueling trousers tucked under the braided jacket with two dozen gleaming buttons traced across his breast. She had seen so many men in uniform it was getting hard to tell them apart in spite of their altercations to the uniform, but Kimimaro never carried a saber with him and that stood out. His body was a saber, poised and lethal and primal. It was an old weapon, older than steel and bronze. How long had he carried a sword made of bone? How long since he didn't need to.

There was a breeze and it was cold against Sakura's face, tossing her hair into her eyes and turning her cheeks red. She brushed the simple strands away, back against her skull and behind her ear with the rest of her hair. Though Kimimaro's hair fell just past his shoulders in bleached white curtains, it didn't move when the wind passed through him.

Sakura felt her lips tug with the words in her throat.

"Are you lonely?"

He blinked, not having expected the question. His face contorted mildly with confusion before settling back into a mask. "I…what?"

"Are you lonely? It's a question I'm asking because I want to know. You're fighting with Sai, and I saw what you did to him…what you do to him every time he pulls himself back together out of smoke." He stiffened, eyes frosting over and narrowing. "I should have been mad, I should have tried to fight you, but I didn't want to. I…couldn't be angry with you for what you did because I understood it to an extent. You're lonely aren't you?"

"How could you have known about the Sigh of Dejection? Do you know where he slumbers?"

Sakura ignored the question and advanced a step. "Sai was lonely too, are you?"

Kimimaro didn't move as Sakura took another step, and then another. She was a yard away when he drew his bone sword and waved it in front of him. Sakura stopped, but only for a moment before she took that last two steps to stop in front of him. She could see the red paint under his lashes and the pale hairs of his eyebrows. Every inch of his was in start detail. His eyes narrowed, but she didn't look away.

"It's okay, you know."

She didn't say anything more, and she didn't move after that. He wasn't like Karin, he wouldn't cry or explode on her, but he was suffering the same wounds. She could see it in the way his shoulders sagged, the way his jaw clenched, the way his hands tensed into hard knuckles. Sai showed it in different ways, but Sakura was sure of it. They were abandoned for too long to not be lonely. When was the last time someone came into their world? When was the last time they spoke to someone new? This curse torment more than just her.

She reached for his hand and he didn't pull away so she just held it. He looked down at where her skin touched his and she ran a thumb over his knuckle, reassuring him of her presence. He didn't look her in the face again, and the sun set, pulling down the heavens and throwing out a blanket of stars across the sky. He watched her hand and she waited, knowing it was a lot for him.

Down below Hungry howled and Sakura suppressed a smile at the way Kimimaro jolted out of a self induced stupor. His eyes found hers and she watched his mouth turn down. She still smiled.

"You…" he began. His voice was unsure, unsteady, testing. "When this gate ends will you take the Sigh of Dejection with you into the next world, the next Kingdom, the next Gate, the next bridge?"

"Yes. If that is something I can do I will." She paused, allowing him time to digest her words. "And…you too, if you promise not to kill me."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to be dead and you did start out as my enemy."

Kimimaro leaned down and his face was marble as he glared at her. "Why me?"

She knew what he was asking and didn't dare play another joke on him. Instead she just shrugged her shoulders. "Why not? If you were willing, I would want to be your friend, same with Sai. I don't know what it means or if I can, but I'll take you both with me if that's what you want."

He grabbed her wrist hard enough that it hurt. Sakura wince but didn't fight back when he yanked her closer. "Why?" he asked again, this time with greater emphasis.

Sakura swallowed, searching for the words he would understand. "Because, you shouldn't have to be alone. That's not something anyone should have to endure forever."

His grip was still tight.

"Because I don't want you to be alone."

"You're lucky you have such a nice figure. With all the bandages and braces you have to cover up," Ami sighed, stalking ahead of the trio with her camera bag and tripod tucked under her shoulder. The tiny Japanese girl glanced back over at her pink haired friend and then muttered something about unfair genetics before picking up her pace.

"She's just jealous because you're sexy," Karin supplied dryly, walking alongside Sakura.

Sakura didn't need crutches or a brace anymore, but after three minutes of straight walking a limp started to develop on her left side, so she had to slow her pace and take it easy when she went exploring with her friends. The three of them were headed to an old abandoned apple orchard that wasn't too far from where Sakura's property ran out. It was secluded and out of the way, so they didn't have to worry about people walking in on them during their shoot. Still, Sakura's grandmother owned close to thirty acres, making it a decent hour long walk at the pace she was setting.

"I'm sorry," Sakura breathed, feeling a crown of sweat break out along her hairline in spite of the crisp air. It was October and most people needed jackets. "But I need to take a break again."

Karin was quick to lead Sakura over to a tree stump but Ami grumbled about stopping again.

"Ease up," Karin drawled. "We have plenty of daylight, and she is one of your models, so take care of her."

"You're one of the models, too," Sakura said, looking up at Karin. "If the pair of you want to go on ahead and set up, I'll be right behind you. I know where to go."

Ami opened her mouth to agree but Karin bit in with a testy refusal before the shorter girl could get a word out. "No way! If you pass out or faint no one would know. You look like a ghost as it is. I'm not leaving you!"

Sakura spared Ami a sympathetic look.

"Fine," Ami said. "You two stay together, I'm going to go set up. I need to find the right setting with this light anyway. Catch up when you can."

The pair nodded as Ami turned and picked her way over to the orchard on her own. Once she was out of earshot Karin wheeled on Sakura. "You look like shit."

"Thanks," she dryly commented. "And I put so much effort into this outfit too."

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it." Karin rolled her eyes.

The pair of them were dressed up as witches for a photo shoot on Ami's budding fashion blog. Karin had her hair up in high victory curls and rocked a curve hugging black and silver wiggle dress with spider jewelry. She looked like a cross between a 1950's housewife and a vampire vixen with a witch hat and broom as props.

Sakura's get up was a bit more traditional with a slimming black, high collar long sleeve tucked into a full skirt of black tool that hid her shoes. Her nails had been painted the same shade of plum red as her lips. Paired against her pale skin, the look was dark and sultry.

Picking up her witch hat, Sakura stood and breathed out. "Okay, I'm ready again. No more shit feeling."

Karin hummed low under her breath. "That's good because there's no place to take a shit out here that's sanitary."

Sakura tried not to laugh as she hobbled out after her friend.

An hour later the pair were posing under the withered apple trees in the abandoned orchard. The trees were a sickly black color with twisted branches that reached like dead fingers for the earth. A few years back a fungus killed off the whole orchard and no one had bothered to touch it since, even though there were a handful of trees that still bore perfectly good fruit. Sakura stood under one of them with her hands reaching for an apple colored as red as sin. Slowly she reached for it with her mouth and Ami captured the shot.

Another forty five minutes later and the pair were tired enough to pull out a blanket and sit down for lunch. The only thing Karin didn't want to talk about was boys, or rather, one boy in particular, so that was what Ami decided to pick up the topic with.

"No one, I swear," Sakura laughed before biting into her apple. Juice ran down her chin as strong as cider and she couldn't help but moan a little bit in pleasure. This was the best time for apples in New York.

Karin just rolled over on to her back and tossed her fruit up in the air, catching it like a ball.

"In thought there were new guys working at the pizza joint. Doesn't that make Suigetsu and Juugo more free?"

"Dad hired a pair of twins and some fat high-schooler dude to help out, but that's because we've been understaffed for a while now and the boys need to be able to rotate more with school and stuff. They're both part time students but that doesn't make them…a topic."

"What about that guy at the Orchard?" Ami asked, eyeing Sakura. Karin sat up fast with a wicked gleam in her eye.

"Yeah, Sakura, that guy…" the redhead drawled. "What's up with that? Last time I was there he totally asked for you."

Ami gasped like they had made some huge discovery and this time it was Sakura's turn to roll her eyes. "Still nothing, girls. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not…" She thought of Sasori and felt a pinch in her chest. "I'm not interested right now. I just want to be my own for a while."

"When was the last time you had a friendly-menly on your arm?" Ami asked.

The question stung more than it should. To hide the tearing in her chest cavity, Sakura reached for her water bottle and swallowed down the contents along with her anguish before breathing deep and fastening on a smile. "Not since my dreams, ladies, not since my dreams."

Sakura broke the surface of the bath and slipped out of the waters in a single, unbroken motion that left her on the high steps surrounded by steam. She blinked a few times, scattering the drops that clung to her lashes. She was in a large marble bath with no one else and nothing but the water on her skin to keep her modest.

Sakura raked her nails through her hair and looked around for a robe or towel. She found both close by, draped over a stone bench. Patting herself down, she made herself modest and headed to the closest door. It led to a room decorated in a dated, oriental style that tipped her off to her current location.

"I'm in the Hyuga house," Sakura mused aloud, twisting her hair up into a bun she knotted and let slouch against her neck.

She turned to look towards the windows and saw one was dimmed by a cloud of gray and black. No, not a cloud. It was smoke outside her window, rolling and tumbling in place. Sakura hurried to the window to open it and let the appertain enter.

Sai manifested a moment later, dressed impeccably well in his uniform regalia with a saber strapped to his side. His posture seemed tired at first, but once he collected himself into a solid body, he filled out and turned to acknowledge her with a deep dipping of the head.

"Sakura. I have finally made it." When he rose his head his bangs caught in his lashes but he didn't brush them away. Instead he lowered his lids a fraction and continued speaking. "And I believe it is to you that I have to thank."

"He really let you go then. I'm glad." She pulled the collar of her robe tighter, hiding her neck. "Did he tell you why?"

"You intend to take him into the next kingdom along with myself, in spite of my warnings." Sai closed his eyes and Sakura could tell he was trying to school his features into stone before speaking again. "It is a mistake to trust the hand of a snake."

"Snakes don't have hands."

"Which is why you shouldn't trust them when you run into them."

"It doesn't look like it's anything to worry about just yet. I tried getting to the obelisk and was nearly torn to shreds. I almost died and I know I won't have any more luck the next time I try."

From the look that crossed Sai's face he remembered her cries for help, the ones he couldn't get to. Sakura didn't want to linger on it so she crossed her arms over her chest and turned towards the vanity where a line of combs and brushes were laid out in front of the face paints caught in tiny metal boxes. She sat down and pulled out a comb to run through her hair till the knots were free and her tips mostly dry. Sai lingered still.

"Have a lot of people died inside the Obelisk?" she asked at last.

"Yes."

"How many?"

She couldn't see him, but he still turned away from her. "All but two and they are the actors you meet. Both survivors were women and they did not beat this curse, but rather escaped it."

Sakura stopped brushing. "How?" Was such a thing possible?

"Do you remember the lapse of time between the last kingdom and this gate?" When she nodded he continued. "That is not typical of the curse, but rather a side effect of the menstrual cycle of women. It is a sacred time where the dark god must bow his head and let the maybe mother have her peace."

In addition to be mildly grossed out, Sakura was confused. "But it was for a whole month."

Sai paced behind her. "Yes, the curse is cautious in between transitions when it comes to women. The two women who escaped the curse did so because they became pregnant and gave birth to children. It is an ancient magic that predates even the darkness, and not even the serpent god can stand against it. This has only happened twice, but on both occasions the women were freed from the curse as it moved on to their offspring."

Sakura felt a sickness grow inside of her. "And what happened to the babies?"

"Naturally, they both died."

The sickness popped like a balloon and coated the entirety of her insides. "Naturally," she echoed dully.

If she wanted to, she could escape this death trap by sacrificing her first born. Maybe it was better that Sai kept this secret from her because selfishly she wanted a way out, or a piece of her did at least. A part of her didn't want to be torn apart by dogs in her sleep. But to offer up a child, knowingly?

She set the brush down and stared at herself in the mirror and imagined the gold pins that coiled her hair into a tight bun and held it her fingers a subtle tiara of obsidian rose up along the trail of pins, accenting the pins nicely. The woman that stared back at her in the mirror was a queen who had declawed a serpent, crushed a kingdom, and outran the devil's dogs with the blood of a saint rushing through her veins. She was everything she believed to be and she would be more. She would be the warmonger, the conqueror, and the nightmare that devoured this curse at the end and the beginning.

There was a knock at the door and Sai startled. "It's just the maid here to help me dress. Go find Kimimaro for me and tell him we, the three of us, are going to storm the Obelisk together, tonight." Sakura stood and turned to face Sai fully, her head held high. "I will not run from this thing. I will find its heart and obliterate it."

He was fleeting smoke as the maid let herself in, bowing lowly before shutting the door behind her. Sakura thought briefly about dismissing the maid and running straight for the Obelisk, but thought of Hinata and the beautiful ballroom with antique chandelier and delicate Russian waltzes and her resolve melted. After the dancing.

"Let us decorate your face and style your hair, first," the maid meekly stated with her eyes still downcast. "To avoid dirtying the dress."

"You can leave my hair as it is, but please…"

Sakura gestured to the vanity and sat. The maid came over and dipped her brush in the deep red paint that was as dark as wine. Sakura lifted her chin and accepted the color on her lips until it was evenly applied. The maid pinched a bit of red between her fingers and then smeared it into the skin above her cheekbones.

"No your eyes. Please close them."

Sakura did as she was told and didn't even flinch as the black paint was drawn across her lids. The maid blew them dry and then reached for a different brush. Probably to paint the eyeshadow on after the liner-

Sakura's eyes snapped open just in time to see the dagger sail down to her face. Thinking fast she rolled out of the way and kicked off the floor and into a fighting stance as the maid tumbled. The lightning in her heart cavity was still screaming 'danger,' to her.

That's why Sakura noticed the pale hair and paler complexion. This maid was familiar. "You're from the tribe that tried to kidnap Hinata." Figures that the one animal totem she ruled out as a threat was the one she was dealing with the most.

"How perceptive, whore saint," the woman bit, swinging her dagger around.

"No need to get nasty," Sakura hummed, pulling a dagger out of thin air from behind her back. Hers was longer and would be stronger. She forged her dream blades in Damascus steel. "You think I'm a treat now?"

"You plan to eliminate the madness and the wolves we've worked so hard to infect. We can't allow that so close to the Tsarevich's birthday celebration. Tonight should have been a test round, but…" She smiled wickedly. "But you needed to be taken care of first."

"How flattering," Sakura growled, swinging her blade back and circling the woman. "When I'm done with you I'll eliminate the mad wolves."

The pause in their circling, eyes still locked. "You can't, not on your own."

Sakura leapt first, swinging aggressively and following with a second knife that came from nowhere. The hare woman didn't see it coming and caught it with her forearm, painting it red. Sakura didn't relent and pressed the advantage, swinging swipe after swipe without pause, because she didn't need to. She didn't tire in this dream world.

The woman jumped back and Sakura threw one of her knives, watching as it imbedded deep in the wall next to the maid's head. Sakura shook her remaining knife and several smaller knives slipped free. She wasn't scared this time. She wasn't frozen and she intended to use every advantage available to her. She tossed one after the other, hitting close but not close enough.

The maid ran behind the bed and Sakura gave chase. Leaping over the sheets Sakura sailed clear and landed too close to the woman with two new knives. Sakura barely managed to twist out of the way and avoid the swipes before drawing her own dagger up. And just like in the movies, it slowed down as her mind processed things at hyper speed, seeing all the details of her stroke across the chest and into the right shoulder. The hare woman stumbled in pain and that's when Sakura moved.

Too quick to see, the woman was gone from this world, a collar of red around her neck, seeping and staining as she fell. A handful of spray reached her, but it wasn't enough to make her wince or even turn away. It had been too easy. The fight was one thing, but the kill came too naturally.

As if waking from a dream, Sakura gasped and staggered back. The floor was liberally stained and her hand shook. She dropped her dagger and turned away, sitting down at her vanity, unable to look at the conquering queen she had named herself earlier. Damn if she still wasn't human.

Closing her eyes she replayed the fight in her head and rolled over the maid's mindless words. The wolves were infested because of the hare tribe…and somehow they wanted to use them to attack the capitol. There were more of them and they were coming for the city because Sakura couldn't stop the wolves on her own.

She looked up when she heard running and scratching outside her door. There was shouting and then a scuffle. Sakura pulled out the dagger from before, not minding how it was still stained with cold blood, and held it level with her eyes.

The door burst open and Hungry bolted in, falling at her feet and laying down on her feet while kicking his legs in the air, wanting pets. Kiba was in the doorway with Neji and both looked like they just forgot about whatever they had been fighting about. Both were in uniform, but while this was normal for Neji, Sakura had never seen Kiba dressed in black and red regalia of the Krepost guard.

"I told you she was in trouble. Hungry wasn't skittish for nothing!" Kiba shouted, glaring at Neji who looked just as sullen.

"Who was it?" the Hyuga asked, stepping forward to see around her bed. He didn't even wince when he saw the pale hair and lifeless eyes. "Ah, she's not one of ours. Assassin?"

"From the same people who tried kidnapping Hinata," Sakura supplied, letting her dagger drop to her side, limp in her hand. She bent down to rub Hungry's belly and then looked up at Kiba, noticing how he looked like he was in silent pain. "She said it was her tribe, the hare tribe that spread the madness to the wolves. They plan on using the wolves to attack the city people."

"But they can't get in a walled city," Kiba said, still not meeting her eyes but looking at her.

"They don't need to. They just need to kill enough for the people to start an uprising. The wolf tribe will be martyred first, and then the people will riot. That is all the Tsarevich needs right now that we're sealed in."

"We can't let that happen then," Sakura guessed, knowing what Neji was imagining. This wasn't how she imagined things going, but it looked like the party was officially crossed off her things to do. This wolf situation needed to be dealt with ASAP.

Without another word Sakura disappeared behind the changing screen at the end of the room and threw her bloodstained rob over the top of the fold. She heard Neji's breathy gasp and felt the one Neji held between his teeth. She dreamed up a pair of black tights tucked into blacker boots and a black long sleeve to match. Under her fingers she spun the gold detail design across her chest and when she opened her eyes the matching cloak was there. Knee length and black, it was heavy with the gold embroidery that made it extraordinary.

When she stepped out she was tugging on the dark gloves with windows cut into the back for lace to peek through. "This will end tonight. I have two associates I'm heading out with in the hour. Rally what you can and meet me if you wish to."

She crossed the room to the door but was stopped when Kiba latched on her arm. She turned to look at him sharply but his look was just as firm. "I have to talk to you first."

"Kiba."

"It can't wait," he stressed tugging her closer as Neji moved to find his men, glaring at the Wolf tribesman over his shoulder. Kiba didn't seem concerned with the Hyuga's opinion of him. As soon as Neji was out of earshot Kiba pressed on. "Why did you leave me?"

It wasn't even subtle, the way he phrased it made his intentions clear. "Because it was time to move on. You were becoming too attached and I was bound to go my own way eventually."

"But you didn't even say goodbye. I woke up and Hana said you took off as soon as Akamaru dragged me back, but I know that's not true because you were the one who bandaged me and gave me the same transfusion as the people in the church." He grabbed her wrists and it was almost painful when he tugged her closer. "You weren't there when I woke up and I couldn't reach you. What's the real reason and don't feed me more lies."

Sakura tried to keep her tone casual. "So I fixed you up, but I still didn't feel like staying and that's not a lie. And you were too attached, that's not a lie either."

He didn't let her finish, slamming her lips against hers and pressing her up against the wall until every angle of him knew every angle of her. He took all her breath into himself and when he parted they were both panting like weary dogs for air.

"Not…too…attached," he breathed bending his face down into her neck. He nipped at the exposed skin just below her ear and Sakura pulled away. "I love you, Sakura."

"Kiba," she protested, feeling tired. "Don't do it." It was just like how Hana said and nothing like what it felt like when Sasori kissed her. Sasori had never been so forceful or even so physically passionate, but there was a heat there that she lacked between herself and Kiba. She looked up and shook her head subtly. "Don't fall in love with me. I'll be gone for good soon."

"You could stay with me forever, though. I'll make a space for you in this world. I'll travel with you wherever you want to go and keep you safe for ever. It can't be anyone else and I can't change this. I…I don't know how to stop it anymore. Please," he gasped. She could feel his hands tremble. "Don't leave."

And as unspoken as it was she heard what he didn't say.

'I don't want to be alone.'

What a beautiful, royal mess. She reached out to pat the top of head and he grabbed her wrist and kissed her palm, crying silently into it and washing her hand with his salt. "I'll follow you. No matter where," he whispered into her hand.

"I can't love you."

"I don't care. I can't leave you. Don't…go where I can't follow anymore, and I'll be your loyal hound."

He was taller than her, a man with broad shoulders and lean muscles earned by experience, but in front of her now, he was just a boy too afraid of being left alone to look up. She curled a stray hair behind his ear and he leaned into the touch like a child would. She cared for him, but it wasn't the same. "I loved a man once, and I don't think I ever properly told him that before he died." Kiba stilled under her touch. "I held him as he died, and kissed him as a last request and since then I haven't kissed a man since. I can't return your feelings. You're following a shadow into the darkness."

She slipped out of his hold and followed after Neji, swinging her cloak up around her shoulders and slipping her arms through the slits.

This dream would last twice as long, Sakura knew. She was so much deeper into it that she guessed she could spend another twenty hours inside and not need to wake. Still, she wanted this to be over as soon as possible. Her heart was bleeding with every step she took carrying Kiba's confession. She prayed what Hana said about forever wasn't true, that Kiba wasn't set on her as a mate for eternity or until death like the wolves of their tribe.

Kiba followed close behind, joined by Akamaru and Hungry. Together the pair approached the gates leading to the outer ring where Neji stood with half a dozen armed men and Shizune.

Sakura looked to the woman with a confused expression but the lady doctor just smiled and held up the knives strapped to her forearm. "I will do my part. These men have already been vaccinated with the blood you donated to the church. Even if they are bit they will not go mad."

"Excellent," Sakura breathed, looking over the guard. One winked back at her and she recognized it as the guard from the time she rode back in the Tsarevich's carriage. Kagami was his name. He was grinning at her while the rest of his men looked away or blushed or did both. "Are we waiting on someone?"

"Not anymore," a grouchy old voice cut in from behind her. Sakura spun in surprise and gasped at the sight of the old man. Hiruzen Sarutobi wore battle gauntlets and shin guards of silver, and across his leathered hide was etched a howling monkey. His armor looked exotic and dated, but she could tell it was well worn and had proven him well in a fight before.

"What are you doing here? It's going to be dangerous," Sakura countered.

"And I'm immune to the bite, same as those men. I figured it would be best to die a hero than an old man who's hated by his family. At his side he carried a Chinese pole arm that he picked up and twirled expertly. The halberd sang as it cut the air and Akamaru and Hungry barked in excitement. The old man was still lethal.

"Ah, then will you lead us now, Krasivaya?" The dark haired guard asked in a laugh. Krasivaya was Russian for beauty. Kiba growled low in his chest but didn't glare or utter his grievance to her, so she ignored him and mounted the steed that waited for her. The rest of them mounted as well and turned to face her. It was nearly dusk, they had only a few hours of sun left before the darkness gave the advantage to the wolves.

Without another word, Sakura lead her small army out of the inner city, into the outer ring, and past the gates to Krepost with frightening ease. There were no slackers in her troop. She could feel it like truth ringing in her bones. This time, things would be different. This time, they would win.

They ran their horses into the forest between trees, even when it got dense they never slowed to a walk, only a trot, and that was until things cleared up, and then it was a canter again. It was no use trying to conserve their energy. The horses would not be crossing over into the wolf territory with them. If Hungry wouldn't go with her last time, the horses wouldn't this time. They planned not to even bother trying.

Sakura felt the dream world around her swirl and pulse in agitation. It knew it was being deepened and slowed and somehow it knew that things were going to end tonight, one way or the other.

"Hold," Neji called, feeling his mount resist beneath him. He grappled with the reigns and Kiba took this as a sign to dismount. Sarutobi and Sakura did the same, followed by Shizune. Kagami and Neji's men all dismounted as a single unit, no one before the other.

Beside them Akamaru and Hungry had their hackles up and were braced low against the earth with narrowed eyes set in the direction of the den. Hungry was still smaller than Akamaru, but he had grown so much and now outweighed the heaviest of Great Danes. Being as small as she was, he was now large enough to mount.

She reached out and curled her fingers into his fur and he leaned in closer to her, but didn't take his eyes off the territory line.

"We go together."

Beneath her cloak she felt the hard scrimshaw of her guns strapped across her back. There were plenty of knives too, decorating the inside of cloak and weighing it down, even though she guessed she could now conjure during the heat of a fight with all the courage in her veins.

Kiba moved first, and Sakura was the one who followed. Everyone else fell into line behind them.

Things were different from the last time Sakura visited. The madness had taken deep root and the whole woods stank with it. There were wolves heaving on their sides, seeing nothing and frothing at the mouth while others stalked them behind the tree line. It made some of the soldiers choke and Shizune was at Sakura's side, needle thin daggers between her knuckles.

"It's worse."

Sakura stopped and narrowed her eyes at a figure off to the side. She pointed to it and Shizune grimaced. Kiba growled when he recognized it as well.

"And it looks like things could go to hell fast." Sarutobi readjusted his pole weapon. "They've been feasting on hand delivered man flesh. The Hare tribe was thinking this through. Mad wolves with a taste for human…of course that would bring chaos."

"Then it must truly end tonight," Kiba whispered in a voice so low Sakura didn't know if she heard it.

The first wolf came snarking from between the trees, shoulders hunched and muzzle stained. Kagami didn't waste any time and quickly took aim and shot the beast between the eyes, earning a chorus of appreciative whistles from his men as he quickly reloaded his single shot. Sakura eyed his movements and counted to ten and then twelve until he was done reloading. Too long. No one would get that chance again.

More wolves came out, and two of them attacked the fallen dog with hungry mouths, blind to their own cannibalism. They didn't even notice when Sarutobi raised his halberd, and didn't even flinch when he brought it down upon their necks.

Sakura pressed the group onwards, closer to the clearing where the rest of the wolves waited around the stone den. Nothing else attacked them, but she could feel the eyes, tracking, (stalking), them. The veins of Obsidian grew thicker and more common until the trees stopped, leaving them on the edge of the heart of their den. Hungry shook with the same fear that made Akamaru shiver. Sakura reached out to reassure her furry friend. He leaned into her touch, less frightened now.

"We will bring them all down," she said out loud.

Then at once the fur and fangs came out from the trees towards them. Sakura watched as the first wave fell like dead weight as each soldier unloaded his gun into the fray. Some stopped to reload while their partners took up defensive stances with their sabers. More came and Sakura cursed, knowing they would have to meet them head on when a pair of wolves dropped at the sound of guns. Sakura whirled and looked up to see Sai and Kimimaro in the trees, picking off the wolves with sniper honed skill. They nodded to her and she grinned wide.

Rolling off her own gun she took another wolf down with lead shot through the eye socket straight to the brain. She tossed her gun behind her and a soldier under Kagami picked it up and began to reload it as she took aim with her second. There was more chaos this time around as mad dogs tore at the flesh of their own fallen and ran in zigzag patterns without direction. They were wild and frightening, but if you weren't afraid, they were easier to pick off.

Empty of ammunition Sakura dropped her last gun and ran out alongside Sarutobi with her own saber drawn. She didn't have the same reach as him, but she vaulted and kicked at the air before landing behind a wolf and slashing at it's back haunches. It buckled and Sarutobi took out its howling head. She threw a volley of knives and half of them found their purchase in a vital bundle of wolf flesh.

Together, Akamaru and Hungry downed a single wolf and Kiba wasn't far behind with the claws in his hands tearing wolf flesh without prejudice. More shots rang out, but a single wolf managed to break into Kagami's line of shooters and bite down on the shoulder of a guard until Kagami and two other guards turned him into a pincushion. Shizune held her own, moving and tossing her knives with practiced ease, too fast to be caught.

"Sakura," Kiba shouted over the noise. She looked up and saw that he was pointing to the stone den where a hulking black monster perched. His face was scarred but his body was the size of a small elephant. Larger than Akamaru by a deal, Sakura recognized the grandfather wolf who didn't age. His muzzle was dripping with flesh and blood. From his jaws dangled the skin of a human arm and Sakura wanted to retch at the sight.

"No peace until that one is dead," Sarutobi yelled, sounding like he was almost enjoying himself.

Sakura growled out a curse, yanking her saber free from the husk of another dead wolf. So many were fallen, only a handful could possibly remain.

"Neji," She shouted, turning and sprinting backwards until she was beside the youth who had stained his uniform with blood. He looked up at her with wide eyes paler than the rising moon. Somehow he didn't seem frightened, but steeled and hardened into focus. He drank in the sight of her.

"You will take the dog brat with you, and you will come back."

"Of course," she easily lied.

Maybe he didn't believe her because he stopped and turned to face her, his eyes narrowed. "You still owe me a dance when all of this is over. Don't die." She caught the freshly reloaded scrimshaw rifle he tossed at her with ease.

Sakura just nodded before sprinting off towards Kiba. Akamaru and Hungry followed on her heels. Together the four of them scaled the side of the den with ease, finding purchase in the stone places where wolves had walked before them. Sakura pulled ahead, but it was Kiba who scaled the wall first and leapt atop and began the charge. Akamaru was right beside him and somewhere across the way, Kiba mounted his beast and together they raged against the monster.

This wolf, in spite of all the madness in him, was smarter than the rest. It reeled and shook his head out of reach, clawing out in retaliation before snapping his jaws at the air just behind their necks. He had a neck thicker than tired and coated in fur heavy enough to sink ships with. The first dagger Sakura threw at him caught in his fur, but found no purchase in his hide.

"Damn," she breathed, hating how her heart was racing faster and faster.

Kiba was shook off and thrown back towards her, rotating in mid air and landing on his feet. He laughed mirthlessly and wiped the bottom half of his lip with his thumb. A thin trail of blood smeared across his jaw. "What, did you think this was going to be easy?"

The wolf growled at them, digging his claws into the stone and marring them like dried clay. Sakura groaned at the show of power. She felt like the village girl who stared down a dragon all on her own. No, in that story it hadn't been a dragon, but rather a long serpent…a snake. Her mind triggered memories of Orochimaru and their fight in the dance hall and she felt the dull burning in her gut that was her hate for him. She remembered how he buried a knife into Sasori's chest and that ember roared to life. Before it could die away, Sakura harnessed that anger and squeezed it into energy that blinded her to the fear.

She dropped her gun and turned her saber over to grab it with both hands. She screamed, charging with Hungry right on her side. Hungry leapt first, skirting just out of reach and distracting the large wolf for long enough for Sakura to get behind it and tear at its hind quarters where the hairless skin was thinnest. She drew blood, and she knew it hurt him, but his agitated cry was brief and not nearly as rewarding as she would have hoped. The wolf turned on her and snapped. Sakura rolled by was caught as she leapt for the second time and knocked down onto the stone. She squeezed the anger in her tighter and extracted the energy to roll out of the way and underneath the wolf, where it couldn't reach her.

Kiba and Akamaru attacked from the side, relentless and exhausting. Again and again, Sakura watched as their attempts feel to nought. She cursed too often and soon lost the ability to conjure, the stress was so bad. From the heights a bullet whizzed and struck the wolf just above his eye. The elephant wolf reeled and howled at the blood that spilled into his eye, blinding him partway.

Sakura saluted the trees, knowing Sai would get it. Kimimaro was busy spreading ice over the earth to trip up the wolves and freeze their paws to the stone until one of the guards could cut the hounds down. They were doing well down below, but this elephant wolf was another matter altogether.

"What do we do?" Sakura asked, feeling weak from something other than exhaustion. Kiba looked ready to pass out and sleep for the next few years. His face was read and he was breathing heavy.

"I don't know," he confessed wearily. "Nothing is working like it should, but I've never tried killing anything so large. His head is too well protected."

Sakura reached down and felt the whale bone exterior of her single shot Berdan rifle. She had one chance and the wolf had one good eye she could sink her lead into. But, like Kiba said, the monster wolf was too keen about protecting his eye. He was old and he was smarter than the others, even if he was a little mad with the sickness.

From the way things looked, she needed a distraction, something to keep his head down. Kiba and Akamaru were too tired to keep running. It would have to be here and Hungry. A pistol would have been nice, but nothing came to her empty hand when she dreamed it up. She cursed quietly to herself once again, feeling like the shameful words were becoming too common in her mouth.

"Do you have any rope or wire we could use?" she asked Kiba.

He shook his head but then paused. "Neji does, or one of his men does…but it's thin wire, how would you use it?"

They were crouched behind a cluster of rocks and the elephant wolf didn't look like he was eager to flush them out for a fight again, so he just stalked. "I need to hold his head down so I can get a clear shot at his brain. He moves too much."

Kiba nodded in understanding. "Got it, I'll be back with the wire." He took off and Akamaru followed after him. The sight of the two of them racing off must have triggered something, since the elephant wolf lunged at Sakura's cluster of rocks and broke half of them apart with just his paws. Sakura screamed as she felt the hot breath on her back. Sakura cried out as the debris crashed over her, some catching her legs till they gave out. She was pinned. The rubbled was in her way and the wolf was over her. Looming, ready to drop his jaws on her.

Sakura thought of Karin and her family, how they had been so nice to her. She thought of Ami, who she was just starting to get to know. She thought of her own mother, who although absent, was still her mother. She thought of a lot of things in a single second as the reality of her death crashed over her.

She was going to die. This was a nightmare and it was going to kill her just like how it killed everyone else before her. She was going to die.

The wolf snarled and snapped his jaws down into flesh that cracked and bled like a punctured juice box. Rivers of blood came cascading out of his mouth as his jaw tightened and crushed the bones between his teeth. Sakura heard ribs snap and cried.

Her screams were screams of horror and not of pain, because the wolf hadn't gotten her. In his mouth hung the limp body of Hungry, who darted out to save her at the last minute. His eyes were dull and glassy. His happy tongue hung limp and there was nothing in him that would ever be alive again.

Sakura felt Sick as the wolf readjusted Hungry in his mouth and crunched down again, sending more blood onto Sakura's face.

She saw red.

There was bone in her hand and she screamed, shooting off a gold tipped round from her modernized repeating rifle. One after the other, six shots, all rapidly pumped and reloaded, sank into the elephant wolf's face. His eyes were blasted away and Sakura heard how his brain sunk under the piercing of her lead. She didn't know how she got the gun, or how it even existed in a time before it's invention, but nothing registered in her brain as the last mad wolf fell with Hungry still in his mouth.

She remembered little else.

Sai came up behind her and pulled her away from the mangled body. Kimimaro followed close behind, covering the scene in ice that blocked her vision. The others would be coming for her soon, they were close to the cliff face. She heard Sai say something to Kimimaro before she was lifted up between the both of them and dragged away, deeper into the den.

She saw the bodies and the bones but couldn't care any more or less for them.

They stopped at the base of the Obelisk as it hummed with life.

Sakura heard more words from either of them, but they didn't make sense. She was either too traumatized or too close to the power source to hear anything clearly.

Without waiting for clarification, she grabbed their two wrists and dragged them into the black tower and out of the Gate.

People were screaming for her and she heard her name, even as she passed over the glowing threshold into the next realm.

"Sakura!"

"Do not look for my heart any more; the beasts have eaten it."
— Charles Baudelaire, Flowers of Evil

Her body was a new creation when she awoke. The flesh that had been marred in the fight was perfectly smooth, and even the old, aged bruises and delicate pink scars down her back were all gone. If they had been from anywhere else they would have lingered on for the rest of her life, she summarized. But these were special wounds from a special place.

Sakura stood in front of her mirror and beheld her body, hating how her skin was perfect. All her scars, all the testimonies to her bravery and the sacrifice of others...gone. One day, would they also be forgotten?

So ends the story of the Monarch Woods
Enter the Kingdom of Beasts

AN:
Okay, this isn't funny. This was supposed to be like a 10-15K ish long story at the most and I was going to publish it a month ago but then I was like, 'Oh, I wanna add in Kimmy kun and Shizune and build up the world a bit more.' And all of a sudden I have another novel on my hands and it's not even half over, because she hasn't entered the Kingdom yet, there is still that whole adventure and I don't know if I can write it all in two months like I originally planned! Aggh, why did this have to happen? It's a bigger deal to me because of who she meets in the next Kingdom. Some readers have already guess, but there will be a reappearance of a fan favorite. XD I'm looking forward to it.

Um, so yeah, this was a lot to write and it took a bunch of time, but it seriously kept me sane. Senior year is sort of like hell and knowing I could come home at night and write a little before bed to de-stress was a Godsend. Some weeks I didn't write at all and other weeks I skipped out on other things to crank out words. I don't think I'll ever be able to stop writing, one way or the other.

I really hope you enjoy it. I don't know it's just me or because I wrote it, but I was super nervous about publishing it. I hope you find it enjoyable, I hope it makes a hard day less hard, I hope it makes you feel things, I hope you find it worth your time. It's a chunk, I know. Let me know in a review if you can. *Fingers crossed*

Vesper chan