Deadication: For Miss Dany, a wonderful encourager and godsend, at your request, here are those Kiri boys. :)

Sakura could hear the voices in the steel long before she knew what this meant. Years later she's nearly killed for this reason and is sent running out of the Land of Fire and into the neighboring country of Water for refuge. But her life is still not safe and very well never will be considering that's she's one of the only Sages alive, a person with the power to animate the nonliving as human soldiers. In her hands blades become warriors more fantastically loyal than any human born legion. She's a dangerous player in the world of warring shoguns, but all she wants to do is dirty her hands and make beautiful blade sin the forge.

In order to stay alive Sakura animates several Kiri treasured blades and is a little surprised with what happens next.

Touken Revolution
刀剣 -革命

刀
Tou = a word for swords/knives/bladed weapons

剣
Ken = usually refer to swords/katanas
刀剣

Touken = (multiple) swords/bladed weapons and katanas

revolution : [rev-uh-loo-shuh n]

noun

1. an overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed.

2. Sociology. a radical and pervasive change in society and the social structure, especially one made suddenly and often accompanied by violence.

3. a sudden, complete or marked change in something: the present revolution in church architecture.

Part 2

Review: "Did you think you could raise the dead? No even sages have authority over the deceased. You can't bring back what's already been broken no matter how hard you try and wish and pray. Dead is dead."

She felt him hover close.

"It's almost a shame to see you lose your will like this over such a trivial matter. I'm afraid of what will happen to you when we come to kill off the rest of your petty little swords. You know we have armies, right? You know that a handful of blades won't be able to survive. Maybe one or two might, but you'll have to bury a lot more blades before this is over."

If she closed her eyes she was sure she would see some manifestation of him in her mind. She was too weak to will him away, unlike any other time.

"Sweet child, don't think this is anywhere near finished. This is only the beginning of your suffering. I will come for you like the thief in the night. I will steal away all your happiness before you can even recognize it. And hope? Ah, hope will hurt the worst of all. There will be no relief from me."

Sakura imagined her brain on fire and burned away his form inside her mind, finally angry enough to muster the will to push him back. She spit a mouthful of blood from a bit lip out onto a handkerchief.

"Then come at me you snake," she hissed to the silver highlighted darkness. "I'll make you taste this grief ten times over."

Fugaku sat ahead of his two sons, far closer to the hanging rice screen and the shadow that shifted just beyond it. Danzo was older for a Shogun, but Fugaku knew better than to believe the old man was too old to be spry or that there weren't half a dozen hidden figures ready to strike in an instant.

"We've taken some losses as it is," Fugaku said, "but it is not something we need to be relocated for. Our numbers will quickly swell once more."

"It's been enough years since that wild toad sage made a mess of your district and restoration has yet to satisfy me."

Fugaku kept his anger hidden deep in his throat. "We are a noble clan."

"I have need of useful clans, Uchiha."

"In the many years of our faithful service, we have never been a useless clan. We have provided services while the Hyuga-"

"Do not presume to make your efforts more than they are by belittling others!" Danzo's voice boomed in the hall. "They have not withheld their treasures from me when asked."

Behind him Fugaku could feel Sasuke's agitation as he shifted. Itachi was as cool as stone, but his youngest was not used to the intensity of a volatile personality like Danzo's.

Some days Fugaku and the Uchiha were in the favor of their aging leader, other days they were the subject of his ire. The flip of a coin had a better chance of predicting the moods of their Shogun.

"Apologies, we meant no offense." Fugaku bowed low and jerked with his elbow for his sons to do the same. Itachi was quick and Sasuke followed along just as well, much to their father's relief.

Danzo huffed loudly and seemed to settle in complacency behind the hanging screen. His ire often abated after such displays.

"You are a loyal people, but the citizens are a dull bread that do not know this as well as I. They clamor for the lands that sit unused. I might feel differently if I knew you were not holding out on me. I have asked you for the blades of your ancestors but you insist on keeping these from me. I can not permit you to waste the land I've blessed you with. The empty home will be ceased unless proper compensation is paid."

Fugaku held his breath and listened, knowing that the Snake sage Orochimaru had to be somewhere near, listening in. For years he had been badgering the Uchiha and Danzo alike for access to the blades of their ancestors, the ones they buried in silk in secret places. To the Uchiha who's heroes put so much of their soul, sweat, and blood into their blades in the age of warfare, Fugaku was afraid of what Otochimaru would be able to do if he had access to those weapons.

Letting that snake have their ancestral swords was not an option.

"We will let the widows know they are to vacate the properties. Please give us a week's time to make arrangements for their families."

Danzo huffed in agreement. "You have one week and then the lands will be seized. Go and do as you must, we are done here."

Fugaku bowed low once more, and behind him Itachi and Sasuke did the same. When Fugaku stood to leave he silenced the question from young Sasuke with a hard look. Itachi understood at once and took Sasuke's hand to tug close.

"We will have much work to do tonight."

"The widows and their children will have to be moved into a new property," Itachi mused aloud. "It is unfortunate that we were not able to lobby for the preservation of their land, but I think I understood why it went the way it did."

Fugaku glanced to the side at his eldest son, who was now only eighteen and well on his way to being a shrewd clan head, if only his health were better.

"You may share your thoughts once we are home. I will have special tasks for you and your brother."

Once they were safely back on Uchiha grounds Fugaku would need Sasuke and Itachi to collected the ancestral blades and hide them again. He had a sickening suspicion that with the upcoming chaos Orochimaru, who had once been shy about overstepping such boundaries, would come out in force for what he wanted. But now with Hiruzen Sarutobi dead and the rumors of the Wave country having their own Maker type Sage, there was no telling how bold the snake would grow.

"Whatever you need of us, father," said Itachi, dutiful as ever.

Sakura tied the knot that kept her robe shut tighter and slid the door back, spotting Kisame on the edge of the porch. He looked up at the sound and stood when he saw her there. She wasn't trying to sneak out this time.

"The Kaguya swords that went limp, where are they?" she asked.

"Ah, we took them and kept them in a chest. You wanna see one of them?"

She spoke like a war general and there was no waver in her voice or in her heart when she opened her mouth.

"I want to see all of them. I'm getting information from them. Depending on what they know we might just have to move."

Kisame ran to bring the chest with the swords into her room and then called Shizuma down to send him off with the message to spread to the rest of the house. Kisame didn't seem willing to leave her for long and Sakura suspected he had always been close, even when she had been in the forge attempting the impossible.

Sakura pulled the swords out, one by one and inspected them each with a critical eye. She recognized the Kaguya bone swords easily and could see which ones were Danzo's animal masked swords. There was a single Kaguya sword that seemed different from the others, bleached and made from whalebone in particular.

Sakura summoned a Kaguya blade with darker wrappings and recognized one of the fighters from that night. His eyes were wide and hungry but he didn't lunge to attack at the sight of her.

'Kill her.'

"I wouldn't try it, buddy," Kisame growled from behind Sakura, drawing his own blade.

"He won't. I'd make him come undone before that could happen," Sakura hummed. She crossed her arms and looked the man over. "You know who I am. How did you find this place?"

'Kill her. She is the enemy of the one who gave us form. But she is the one who gave us form.'

Sakura felt her lips tug down in displeasure. His thoughts were fragmented from being a weak spirit and the general confusion. She wouldn't be able to trust anything he said in such a state.

Sakura dismissed his form and reached for the sword that clattered down in place. His voice was muffled and far off, but still split. She sorted through the others swords and was frustrated by their crude language. Some were more intelligent than others, but most of them were just savage blades with little more to their personalities than their brutality…except the scrimshaw blade.

Sakura turned it over once before summoning a body for it and feeling the magic drain out of her. She wouldn't have enough juice for another body if she had to forcefully dismiss him. Still, his voice was elegant and unfractured. There was a calm in him that was lost on the others.

Sakura made her choice and let the magic drain out of her.

He was tall and pale with hanging ash blond hair that set him apart from all the other Kaguya blades she had seen so far. Red makeup around his eyes made him look almost regal when he turned his gaze on her.

"How did you know about this place?" Sakura asked.

"Orochimaru is my sage. I will not answer you. Kill me if you must."

"Cute, kid. Talk or I'll pop you back into a sword and hang you up to be admired, high up enough that no one will ever touch you again. You want to end up like that?" Sakura cooed playfully, knowing only too well what fed the fear in the heart of most swords.

Predictably, the boy flinched.

"That snake might have been your sage before, but he's got no power over you now. If I wanted to I could use you, or toss you aside, but you want to be needed. You were made to be used and I have a need of you." Sakura stepped close enough to the boy that she could reach out and touch him if she wanted to. "You think he cared about you? He didn't care about anything and he never will, least of all his legacy."

"You are mistaken…I do not believe he cares for me. I know better," he answered. "That is beside the point. I am a blade that was made to be used and he is owed my loyalty."

Sakura leaned into the boy's personal space, arms crossed. "No he doesn't. I've won that from him when I bested you in that fight. He is owed nothing because he lost."

"Then will you weild me?" he asked. His voice made it sound so simple.

"Who gave you the body you're in right now?" Sakura reached out to touch his collarbone, left exposed by a robe left too widely open. He flinched at the touch, but didn't draw away. She could see the hairs on his skin stand up and the pupils of his eyes twist and shrink. It made her chuckle.

"That's my power, boy. Now I've summoned you to be useful to me." She dropped her arms to her sides and stood back away enough for him to look down and see her hand extended in an offering.

He didn't speak, but Sakura could feel his thoughts humming with a low current of want.

"Now, will you let me use you in this?" When he hesitated she added. "Tell me what Orochimaru knows about me and this place."

The boy didn't talk on the first day, or the second day. Each time he refused she let his body fade away. She would return him to his sword state only to try again the next day. But Sakura didn't try on the third day, instead she cleaned his blade and practiced stances with him, sweating into the leather around his grip. She finished the week this way and then tried once more to give him a mouth and body to speak with.

Then….

"He doesn't know where this place is, but he pays a member of Gato's runners to lead his troops. He'll make another payment at the end of the month. It'll be double the number of force members and most of them won't be swords now that he knows what you can do."

Sakura ran a wet cloth over her face and the back of her neck when she heard the knock on the wood of the doorframe. There wasn't a door, but she glanced back to see Kisame standing in the doorway, watching the floor as she cooled her face.

"How is it going?" she asked, straightening. Her hair was in a messy bun with several lose strands still swaying while others stuck to her face.

Kisame shrugged. "The boys are getting it done. We'll be packed up soon but Yagura is concerned about missing enemy scouts. He killed one last night and now he's paranoid there's one in every tree now. Brat is getting on my nerves with his high and mighty doctoral ways. He really likes to boss us around."

Sakura cursed and rubbed the back of her neck. "We should probably hurry. What's most important is moving you guys out into Mei's compound. If we need to we can leave stuff behind and come back for it much later."

Kisame snorted. "You don't have to worry about the rest of us. We're made out of sturdy stuff. We're all more worried about you. Are you sure you're feeling fine? I want to say you're burning the candle at both ends like this but I'm afraid you'll just ignore me."

"Fine is a good enough word to describe this feeling, I think. I'm not great, but I'm not terrible. I'm fine. It doesn't hurt anymore…just feels like a bruise."

Kisame's grin was lopsided. "You have a horrible habit of playing with yours, so bruises are actually pretty painful when they're on your body, Sakura."

Her frown turned into a pout that was less angry and more annoyed. "I'm pretty sure that's a bad habit plenty of people have. Was there anything else?"

His grin fell away and hung oddly on his face. It was a sad sort of smile that was left in place. "I'm just a little worried about you is all. I'm not worried because I don't think you can't handle yourself, I know you can but I know you well enough to know you're still in pain, and that just makes me want to do something…anything I can, to help ease what you're feeling."

Sakura reached up and pat the side of his face, cupping his cheek with her palm in affection before letting her hand fall back down to her side. He was tall enough that it was an actual stretch for her.

"You're sweet," she hummed in tired appreciation.

Kisame's sad smile fell into a frown and he stepped into the room, moving closer to be in front of her. "I'm allowed to care about you. I have that choice now."

She didn't pull away when he reached for her around the shoulders to pull into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his head into her hair, caching her in his hold. She let him, neither pushing him off or curling into his arms like she was supposed to. She heard his heart in his chest, pump slow steady rhythms, twice as slow as the average heart except when she was close. With her ear against his chest she couldn't tell the difference between his heart and anyone else's.

"You're allowed to do whatever you want. Just don't die on me," said Sakura.

"The same could be said for you. I don't want to think about having to live without you. Don't overexert yourself. Depend on us a little more." One of his hands drifted to rest right above where she had been shot several days ago. The bandages were still there under the fabric and easy enough to feel.

"I'm fine." It came out sounding like a whisper and she knew she sounded the complete opposite of fine.

"It's okay if you're not. We miss him too, but what we feel is probably nothing compared to what you're feeling right now." One of his hands moved so that his thumb could brush strands of her messy hair out of her eyes even though she never looked up. "I heard you in the forge."

Sakura's heart pinched. It felt as if someone had run a needle and thread through it and the knot at the end of the thread caught, but the needle kept pulling, forcing her heart to wrinkly up at the base of that knot that couldn't be undone.

"Tell me I'll be fine. I have to believe in that. If I keep telling myself it's okay then maybe I'll wake up one day and it will all be true. Maybe my believing in something will make it come true."

His thumb was still on her forehead, now brushing lazy circles across her skin almost absently. "I've seen you do impossible things. If anyone's belief had the power to change fate than I think it would be yours."

"I've tried that." She closed her eyes and remembered her efforts on the anvil and how she hadn't been able to go back into the forge since. When she opened her eyes again he was still watching her. "It didn't work out so well."

Sakura stepped back away from Kisame and pat his arm before passing him on her way out. He turned to watch her go but didn't try to stop her.

Konan was beautiful when she came into her body, dressed in a kimono as dark as her midnight-blue hair and painted with cranes. She looked like she suited court life more than the battlefield, but Sakura had thought that about Haku once too, and he was more than capable of holding his own in a fight. He was actually one of the stronger swords, so there was no reason Konan's extraordinary beauty would mean anything negative for her.

Sakura felt almost bad she hadn't dressed up for the summoning and blushed heavily when the woman's attention landed on Sakura. Konan's eyes lit up and her smile stretched wide.

"You're adorable," she gushed, falling easily into Sakura's lap to embrace the smaller and slighter girl. Konan laughed as she pulled Sakura into a tight hug. "Oh, I could just eat you up."

"Please don't," interrupted a voice from the doorway.

Konan hung off Sakura but kept her wrists locked around the younger girl's neck as she stretched back to see who stood in the doorway with a dower expression. "Another girl? No…oh, I remember you. You're Zabuza's bitch."

"Konan," Sakura lightly chastised. "Haku is one of my precious people. Please show him kindness."

The beauty pouted and looked back over at Haku. "Sorry my dear, I don't mean to offend, of course. I'm new to this whole human thing so I'll be making some mistakes."

"Like your hands?" Haku prompted, gesturing with his chin to where she still hung around Sakura's neck. "Don't be a bother to Sakura. She's too nice to tell an old hag like you to lay off."

Konan's eyes flashed dangerously as her smile stretched and thinned. Sakura felt the older woman's arms go stiff for a moment before Konan forced them to relax. "Old hag you say? Ah well, I see I'm not the only one making mistakes here tonight."

"Please be kind to each other. It's bad enough that most of the boys are biting with each other. I'd like you to try and get along a bit better. We're going to be living in smaller spaces soon."

Haku switched his gaze from Konan to Sakura and addressed her. "Then why give a body to a brand new sword? It's not like she needed it."

"What a brat you are. I should have known that pretty face was there for something. With such a rotten personality it's a wonder you've not been killed by decent people for such terrible jokes," Konan smoothly interjected, leaning forward so that she was draped over Sakura. She squeezed Sakura once more and then pulled away enough to back up and stand.

Sakura sighed, feeling her whole body deflate. "Please don't make this into a habit. I'm sure the two of you have plenty in common you could talk about to see eye to eye on. You are both such elegant blades."

Konan laughed and blushed, reaching up to cover the bottom part of her face with the back of her hand. Over her fingers Sakura could see her eyes crease with mirth. In the doorway, Haku just looked down and let his long hair fall in front of his face to hide the color there, though Sakura could still see the tips of his ears turning red.

"Sakura, you are too kind to your humble vessels," Konan purred, eyes downcast as she lowered her head down to her knees. "I am not worthy."

Sakura rushed forward to force Konan out of her bow and back onto her folded heels. "Don't do that. I'm not like that with anyone. I'm not your master or your wielder. You're human, you can do as you please and make your own choices."

From outside there were voices and Haku turned to look back over his shoulder and frown. He stepped aside a moment later to allow Rin into the room on crutches with Kakashi close behind her.

Rin was ecstatic to finally meet Konan in the flesh and gushed to the beautiful woman all about the praise she had gotten when Konan was still a sword on Rin's hip. Sakura watched on as Kakashi fondly supported Rin and Konan melted under the praise she obviously seemed inclined towards.

Sakura looked back and saw haku still in the doorway, head down and eyes downcast. His long chocolate brown hair was hanging in his face, but moved when he looked up and caught her eye. Sakura didn't move. His gaze felt like it was meant to keep her there. And it was in that moment she remembered the last time they were in her room together and what he had done.

It was her turn to go pink at the edges, burning inside from the memory. Haku must have noticed too since he smirked and crossed the threshold into her room a step. He stopped when he was still too far to touch her, but not too far to reach if he really tried.

"You're quite fetching when you're unsettled."

Sakura looked up and glared, forcing the blush away. "I won't give you the pleasure of thinking that's because of you."

Haku hummed and then crossed his hands into the long sleeves of his kimono. His smile was back in place and he looked as lovely as a girl made for court once more. The transformation was immediate and filled Sakura with envy. She would never be beautiful like Haku or Konan, but the fact that they could just transform their own person with just a few changes in a few seconds, was worthy of her envy.

"You were the one who told us we were the ones with free will. You never said you were our boss, only that we're free to make our own decisions on our own, so don't blame me if I do just what you say." He inclined his head as one would to their betters. "I'll do as I please," he said cheerily before turning and leaving.

Sakura was able to tune into Rin's comments in time to contribute but for the rest of the night, the words would echo again and again, ringing empty in her brain.

Rin insisted that the girls have some alone time together, and it was Tsunade who suggested they hike up to the hot springs Kakashi had mentioned, and rest there for the evening. The boys paroled enough that it would be fine for one night.

"I don't like it," Kisame grumbled as he watched the gaggle of girls assemble in the courtyard.

"Which part?" Zabuza asked. "The fact that it's still dangerous out there, or the fact that you're not invited?"

"Both. It makes me uneasy when she goes places I can not follow."

"You're not the only one," a new voice interrupted. Kisame turned but Zabuza didn't have to. He would have recognized Haku's voice anywhere.

"I'm surprised they didn't invite you. I thought all the girls were going," Kisame teased lightly.

He knew well enough that Haku was sensitive about his appearance. Kisame also knew that the younger boy's sensitivity only heightened because of the feelings he had for Sakura. It pissed Kisame off to know how Haku felt about their master, but he tried to take it in stride. They all had their own personal freedom. Who was he to crush Haku's?

"She's already seen me naked, that wouldn't have worked, asshole," Haku hissed, folding his arms over his chest.

Zabuza looked back over his shoulder, eyes narrowed. Kisame turned all the way around, hands handing at his side and swinging with the momentum.

"What?" the taller male bellowed.

Zabuza leaned in and added, "When did this happen?"

Haku waved the pair of them off, rolling his eyes. "It happened maybe over a week ago, after that big dinner with all the wine. I got drunk and wandered into her room and, being a sloppy drunk, I slipped out of my clothes a bit too easily. She got mad and kicked me out."

"She saw your dick?" Kisame bellowed.

Zabuza winced and Haku grimaced at the volume of Kisame's outburst,

"More than just that, but yes," said Haku.

There was an almost sadistic gleam of glee in the curling corners of his budding grin as he watched Kisame sputter. The tallest of the trio was having a hard time finding the rest of his oral functions as he sputtered and spewed, his cheeks turning purple with heat and embarrassment.

"Haku," Zabuza chastised the moment he saw that gleam. "We talked about this."

"And I listened. You can't expect me to be so accountable during my drunkenness though. It wasn't like I planned any of it. If I had I would have been far more eloquent and maybe even successful."

"Zabuza, the shit is talking shit again," Kisame growled, looking to Zabuza like an angry adult would look to the parent of a sassy child. And when it came down to Haku, he might not have any parent, but Zabuza was the next best thing.

"If it was when he was drunk there's nothing more to say. It's not like there's anything we can do about it now." Zabuza closed his eyes and rubbed the skin around them with his thumb and middle finger, splaying his palm across the front of his face. "Besides, it's not like Haku is the only one to do stupid things when drunk. If he could see straight, I think Yagura would have tried just as much."

"Yagura is a lush," Kisame grumbled.

He eyed Haku critically, not completely sold on the notion that the younger boy was as innocent as he professed to be. They had both been there that night and Kisame had noticed 'Hime Haku' being a snood about the booze selection. Kisame hadn't suspected Zabuza's kid to get sloshed enough to drunkenly wander around the manor in the nude.

"Don't do it again," Kisame barked at Haku, willing to let it drop.

Haku ducked his chin and glared through his lashes. "Not unless I'm asked."

Zabuza closed his eyes again and just shook his head slightly, bracing for the onslaught of words between the two other swords he was closest to. Haku was being an antagonistic little bitch again.

"Shit, we talked to you about this," Kisame growled.

"You told me you both were doing a great job as monks and keeping it in check for how you felt about Sakura but I don't have to be like that. So what if you think it's not proper, only Sakura can decide that and I-she should at least know she has options. I like her, and I don't think I should have to hide it."

"Did you stop to consider what she might be dealing with or going through right now?" Kisame asked, voice low and dangerous. The sputtering from before was gone and his eyes were narrowed slits of dark pitch. "She's lost someone precious to her, she's blaming herself for it, she's dealing with being tormented by a sick, creepy snake of a man from another country, she's fearing for her life among others, and she's still mourning the loss of her home and mentor. Do you understand that?"

Kisame took a step towards Haku and the younger boy stood still, letting the distance between them shrink. Whereas before Haku's stance and expression had been snide and provoking, he now looked off to the side and kept his mouth shut.

"Haku," Zabuza called, earning the boy's attention.

There was a moment of pause before the young boy's mentor found the right words to say. Kisame took a step back and crossed his arms, watching the exchange. Zabuza took a breath and found his hips to settle his hands there before speaking.

"I think I can see where you are coming from. You respect Sakura's ability to chose for herself and think you should be free to pursue her. If the situation was different you would be right. It's ultimately Sakura's choice who and when she decides to move on with someone. But right now she's fragile, more than you know. Her survival and her well being come first."

"She should have the right to know that I-"

"That you what, Haku?" Zabuza interrupted, tone sharp. "That you care for her, love her, desire her? That you want to hold her, make love to her, have her mother your children, grow old in a shared home together? Don't forget we don't know how much of that's even possible. Don't unsettle her with thoughts and feelings you can't see the source of! She's our Sage and our master. We all love her." Zabuza took a half step back and turned his face away. "We're going to keep her safe no matter what. Whatever comes after that is for another day."

Haku didn't say anything more and neither did Kisame.

Sakura bit her lip to hold back the sound as she slipped into the hot water. Rin was already leaning against the side of the pool with a sloppy grin on her face. Konan reached up and helped Sakura enter the pool by holding her hand while the sage stepped down.

"Careful, it can be slippery on the rocks here."

Sakura didn't bother being quiet as she let a satisfied sigh that ended as a moan escape her lips. "This is so nice," Sakura said, moving towards the same side where Rin sat. "I'm so glad someone found out about this and told us. I'll miss it when we have to leave."

"Yeah, but there are places like this in the capital that you can pay to go visit. It can get expensive though," said Rin.

"I've not been to the capital in this country yet," Sakura mused. "I wonder how different the Fire Country's capital could be from the one here. I'm sure it's nothing too drastic."

"Not at all," Rin laughed. "It's just another city filled with busy people. The biggest difference is the climate and the temperature I think. It was always so warm in Konoha. Here you'll see rain far more frequently."

"I've already noticed," Sakura said with her hands in her hair, knotting it high up on her head so that it wouldn't get wet as she waded further into the water.

Pale pink stands were slipping free so Konan came over to redo the whole thing for Sakura with a chiding click of her tongue behind her teeth. The end result was much nicer than anything Sakura could have managed on her own.

"You're really good at that," Sakura said. She could see her reflection in the still of the waters.

"I've not had a body for very long, but I've spent too many years in the presences of lady dressing rooms to not know a thing or two. This much is no big deal to me, my dear. Your hair is very healthy though, which is good. You don't dress it up special or oil it so I was wondering if it would be coarse like a man's, but I should have known better."

Sakura blushed and reached up to finger a stray strand that curled ver her ear. "That's not entirely true. I used to use some oils on my hair back when I could be petty enough to splurge on such things. I've just not had the motivation to preen since narrowly escaping death these many occasions."

Her words made both Konan and Rin laugh. Behind them Tsunade and Shizune had both slipped into the waters and were wading over to where the stones naturally shelved under the water. Beyond the pools there was a dull gold glitter that twinkled in and out of sight.

Tsunade caught Sakura's stare and grinned. "That's a protection barrier. It's pretty crude, but it should be good enough for an area this small for only a few hours. I can't do ones much larger than that, and they don't last very long. You might be able to do something like this too. Orochimaru was able at least."

"I thought you were both different types of sages. I can't heal like you can."

Tsunade lifted one hand up out of the water and the liquid trapped in the cup of her palm glimmered with gold light. "Sages are mysterious things with limits that are discovered and destroyed every day. I don't know exactly what you're capable of. I was surprised you were able to burn the alcohol in your body since only healers can alter their bodies like that. Ah, but Orochimaru can't do some of the things you can do, either."

"You talk about him like you know the guy," Sakura said.

"I loved him once."

Konan hid her shock better than Sakura who sputtered and choked on her own breath. "What?"

"We were children together. I was infatuated with a pretty boy that I thought understood the world in a way only I could. I thought we were special, but I was foolish and young and didn't see his greed. Sarutobi looked after all three of us legendary sages at one point or other, but we all drifted apart as soon as we could. Orochimaru was Sarutobi's favorite because of his ability to hear the voices in the swords that Sarutobi made. Orochimaru was a talented sword wielder, but was shit at making anything."

Shizune chuckled from beside Tsunade and shook her head. "He still is. None of the swords he gives bodies to have any personality. The ones he sends out are so easy to tell apart from other humans because they're all dull as a box of rocks."

"Maybe that is something to be grateful for," Konan suggested, running one hand down her arm to watch the water roll off her skin. "I very much like how I turned out."

"Orochimaru could never stand when others were better than him," Tsunade said, eyes landing on Sakura. "It was after a long separation when I first heard the rumors that my one time friend had begun hunting and killing possible young sages across the land. Jirarya took a young boy under his wing and ran off to hide with the tyke a few years ago. I hadn't heard Sarutobi had one of his own."

Sakura lowered her eyes and thought about the old man who bled out too quickly on the floor in front of her. He had died too quickly but his memory still haunted her when she least expected it. She hadn't expected to miss him as much as she had. He was rough with her, often ignoring her for days at a time to leave her to her work while he focused on his smithing. He had not been a father like man, but he was probably the closest thing she had to a father.

"Well, I hadn't known I was a sage at all until recently. Being able to hear voices is generally not a good thing for living in a superstitious village."

"You did well to lower your head. Orochimaru was ruthless," said Tsunade.

"He still is if he's reaching out this far to try and end your life," Konan interrupted, looking to Sakura. "I've heard stories about the Snake Sage of Konoha. He is not one I would want for your enemy."

Sakura sank into the water until they came up to her chin, then she ducked that under the surface too. "Thanks," she muttered through bubbles.

Konan's expression softened and she reached forward to brush the back of her knuckles down the side of Sakura's face. "I did not mean to antagonize you, my dear. Evil does not lessen for the good in others, it simply exists on its own through no fault of our own. For better or worse, we're here now and that snake won't be able to touch you. I swear this as your sword and your precious person."

Sakura flushed and pulled her chin up out of the water to rest atop her clasped hands. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this. It's a war you never signed up for."

"What else were swords made for?" Konan asked softly. "No one has ever stopped to consider the feeling or soul of a sword before, not that they should. We are weapons, tools, devices for the wielder and nothing more."

"You're not just swords anymore," Sakura huffed. She was proud of how her voice didn't waver when she remembered Sai's body, cleaved open and red for the earth to soak up. If Konan was cut open Sakura wouldn't be able to fix her.

Konan's dark eyes softened. "No, I suppose we are not, are we? You've made us something more. Now I can speak my heart's thoughts and do as I please. Still, nothing would please me more than being able to protect the person most precious to me. I want to be used still, but this time I will chose my own master."

The taler woman reached across the water to Sakura and tugged at Sakura's clasped hands resting under her chin. "You heard me when no one else could. I want to be useful to you. May I?"

Sai's body was just as red as Sarutobi's. Sakura tried her best to swallow the memory down, least it unnerve her voice. "I don't want you to get hurt. It'll be dangerous."

"That's why I want to stay here by your side," Konan laughed. "You think I want to live with myself knowing that someone important to me, someone I owe my will to, was hurt when I could have done something to stop it. You know that's how almost everyone here feels, right? We all want to protect you. It's what we want."

Tsunade watched the sword made woman hold Sakura's hand and thought to herself how odd this was. She was used to seeing seals and wards and hexes in black ink that made Orochimaru's creations bend their will to his. Many of the swords he summoned were obedient on their own because they had the same feelings all swords were made with: a desire to be used and found useful.

But often Orochimaru was forced to break and bend wills when a sword decided they didn't want to slaughter a family for the Shogun just because they couldn't afford to pay taxes. That's when the hexes came into play. Seals burned into their new fleshy bodies made up for the loyalty he could not naturally inspire.

Sakura would never need to use such curse seals. She valued the swords she gave bodies to far too much to ever need to manipulate their feelings. Konan was just the tip of the iceberg.

They were getting ready to go down the mountain, when the next wave hit. Sakura had been standing beside Kimimaro when she heard the first far off voices and when she looked up his face was ashen from shock and then horror as something dawned on his face.

"He knew I told," he whispered to her with regret clear across his pretty features.

"Not your fault. Get up, we're going to repeal them and I need cover. Some of them are swords at least."

"They'll be guarded by humans. You won't be able to get close enough to disrupt the magic that holds them together," Kimimaro interjected. "Please don't go out. The others will fight for you."

Sakura felt hot as she spoke. "I know and that's exactly the reason I have to be out there. I'm not about to let some of the most amazing people I've ever had the good fortune to know end up broken on my lands ever again."

Sakura stood from the low table and grabbed for the sword that would one day have a body that she could call Gaara. He was still a blade and she felt like he would stay a blade for a while until she felt confident in unleashing him upon the world. He would be the only blade she made that had a body with Sai dead-that thought alone made her blood go cold.

Konan was in the doorway before Sakura could reach it, features pulled together in annoyance. "Where do you think you're going, darling?" she asked, stretching her arms out to brace on either side of the door frame and lean into the room, blocking the exit effectively.

"Konan, at the borders, there's-"

Konan's slender finger on her lips stopped Sakura and she bit back her words when she saw that Konan's flirty smile was now gone. She dropped her arms to her sides and pulled herself up to her full height. "I know what you're going to say. Yagura saw them and he's already called the others out to meet them. You're to stay here."

Sakura felt sick in her stomach. Her boys were already out where she couldn't see them, fighting enemies that could leave them looking like Sai, bloody and broken in different shards of metal. Who had run out with Yagura? Who did she have to pray for?

Sakura took a step towards the door and Konan sidestepped to block that section of the exit with her body. She reached for Sakura's shoulder and gripped it loosely. "Stay here. You're more precious than you realize. If they reach you this whole family is unbound."

Her heart was hammering so bad it was painful. Sakura thought it needed to be ripped right out from between the edges of her ribcage and be set free like all the other caged birds. "You don't understand, I have to go to them. I have to be with them. If I can't see them they'll get hurt and it's all because of me. Please let me go to them at least."

"They'll be just fine. You've taken good care of each of them and our numbers are not as bad as you might think."

Konan's lips were painted a dark red that made her look like a polished antique, restored to its pristine condition. Her lips were drawn thin as she watched Sakura with worry in her eyes.

"Honey," Konan said. "You can't worry like that. It's not your fault what happens here. I can't let you go where it's dangerous. You're not weak but you're too precious to lose." Konan's lips quivered slightly. "So stop looking at me like that. I'm not going to let you go."

Sakura looked back at Kimimaro and then again at Konan. "At least tell me how many and where they are now? What about Rin and Kakashi?"

Sakura knew that Tsunade and Shizune had gone down ahead of them to prepare a place for them, but the human couple were still at the manor and Sakura knew that Kakashi's reason for living was that girl, so she doubted he would dare leave her side. On his own he would be in danger.

"They're safe. They took Inari and are hiding out in the cellar where no one would bother to look for them."

"Inari's not trying to fight, is he?" Sometimes the kid wanted too much and thought he could do what was beyond the abilities of a crude fishing knife. He wanted to be one of the big boys but he was still just a kid.

"He's safe. He's in charge of keeping Rin protected, Kakashi said."

The responsibility would be what kept him safe, but Sakura didn't say that out loud.

She looked back and saw Kimimaro watching her with brows drawn together and creased with worry. He was looking to her for direction. Somehow that only made it harder for her to say anything. She didn't know what to do because her blood wanted her to move, to run to her found family and be beside them even if she was pathetic with a sword. But she knew better. She knew Konan was right.

"Where do you want us?" Sakura asked, looking back at the taller woman. "You have something in mind, I'll guess."

"I do. We're going to stay inside Utakata's room. The room is well protected and it has the disguised door. It'll be safer for you if we can make it there before we're spotted." Konan held out her hand and gestured to the hallway. "This way."

Sakura took the offered hand, grabbing for Kimimaro behind her racing after Konan who kept to the shadows too well to be completely human. She knew how to move unnoticed and guided them to the opposite end of the manor in such a way. She ushered the pair in and then started to roll the wall painted door shut between them, trapping them inside and her outside.

"Koana!"

"Don't open this door until you hear out knock and our voices. Keep it secret and we'll keep it safe." She swallowed and then shut the door before speaking through it to Sakura and Kimimaro. "I'm going to go help the others. I promise we'll all come home to you though. I promise."

Sakura listened as the footsteps added and then sank to the floor. "Idiot. No one can promise that."

She crawled to a corner and sat down, crossing her legs under her and forcing her back straight. She adjusted the weight of her body so her legs wouldn't fall asleep on her, but the agitation in her heart wasn't prepared to leave her just yet. There were butterflies and bats in her stomach and they were tearing at the insides of her, trying to break free.

Kimimaro was looking around the room and found a rack of swords by the far wall. He picked one up and frowned at the blade reflecting his image back at him. "All these blades are dead. Why did he keep them?"

Sakura didn't have an answer, but she did have an idea.

"Bring one of those to me, please." She held out her hand and he passed one of the the short swords over to her. She turned it over and saw her reflection in the blade and closed her eyes to it. Like he said, there was no voice because it was a dead blade, but inside there was room for her spirit and so that's where she went. She pulled herself out other her body and fit it into the blade. She fell into it the same way she knew she needed to in order to be safe about it.

One blade led to another, and then to another. She fell and guided herself towards a point until eventually she looked out from the dead blade and saw Kisame. The attackers were using dead blades Sakura wouldn't be able to turn into humans to fight with.

Kisame roared and then drew his blade back until it came free from the body of another bandit, dripping wet blood and gore. He brought the blade back around and another body fell under it's swing, just as dead as the first. There was blood all over his body, but none of it looked like it came from him. He was dressed in the gore of his fallen enemies and not far behind him Shizuma was following in the footsteps of his older brother.

Kisame laughed at the mess he made and then shouted back at Zabuza something before charging the man with the dead sword Sakura's was looking out from. The world turned over and Sakura felt the sword fall into the ground, sticking into the dirt like a stick left upright.

Sakura shifted her awareness from one angle of the blade to another, seeing behind her the world. Zabuza and Haku fought with their backs to each other. Zabuza had such an impressive range that was slow and left openings that would have been fatal if Haku wasn't there filling them in with thrown knives and senbon of his own. The pair flowed over each other like two branches of water, moving so fast it was hard to tell one apart from the other. No wonder the two liked to work together. Between the pair of them it was an impossible fight. She couldn't imagine them losing.

Mangetsu and Suigetsu were runners, darting in to do damage and then melting away before the ignored could retaliate. It worked well with Kisame and Shizuma who would then charge in, unbreakable as the angry ocean, to sweep the remaining enemies into death.

She couldn't see where the Karachi swords were, but she suspected both Yagura and Kagura were close to each other since they worked so well with each other. Maybe they were with Utakata who was also missing from the fray.

Utakata was a longer range fighter that worked just as well in close combat, but often kept to the ranged attacks since all the others were up close and personal with their enemies. An arrow whizzed by and Sakura thought it might belong to Utakata, but couldn't be sure because that was something the enemy was just as capable of utilizing.

She rotated around once more inside the unmoving blade to try and see behind her, but there was no one there. There was plenty of action she couldn't see well, and she hoped that meant her boys were all safe and doing fine, but her heart refused to abandon its worry. She wanted to see Kagura and Yagura and make sure they were in one piece. She wanted to see Utakata's smile and know he was still breathing.

Mangetsu and Suigetsu drew back together behind the Hoshigaki fighters who were harder to hit. Sakura saw red on the ground, and some of it belonged to her boys, but most of it didn't. They were fine, they were stronger than their enemies, but they were outnumbered almost two to one.

Orochimaru made his army with numbers in mind, not skill.

The boys worked well together, even the ones who weren't from the same set in time or from the same swordsmith. Somehow, over time, the group of them had changed from split streams to one powerful, roaring river, too broad to cross and too rapid to survive. Her boys would be okay. They would survive this and they would all come home to her. None of them were going to shatter like-

Sakura felt herself break from the sword and rush back into her body on a choke.

'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry I didn't want to!'

She was back in her body looking up at Kimimaro. He was shaking and crying while holding his sword with both hands. The end of his blade disappeared into her chest and the front of her yukata started to stain with a dark red color.

"Sakura," he cried. "I'm sorry-he-he made me do it, I'm sorry, I didn't want to!"

Sakura tried and when she looked for it she saw the curse burned under the leather wrappings of his hilt. It had been a trap from the beginning. No wonder the fight outside was going so well. None of that mattered.

She looked up at Kimimaro and tried to smile. He looked so miserable as more and more tears stained his face. His nose and eyes were red with irritation and she believed he really meant it.

Sakura touched the sword sticking out of her and defused the bonds that kept his human body intact. He dissolved into sea foam and lily petals at her feet. She heard the sigh and believe he was at some sort of peace now. Good. She didn't want to see him cry anymore.

With her nails she ripped the leather back enough to see the black curse mark that had compelled him even when he was human. It was a dark kind of evil magic that made her angry to see, since for so many of her boys having their own will was the most important thing about being human.

"I can do this much."

She pushed her magic into the seal and watched it burn. Orochimaru let her cleanse the curse from the blade, laughing at her efforts because it was already too late.

She was locked away behind hidden doors and even if most of her vitals had been missed, largely in part to Kimimaro's hesitation she suspected, she would bleed out before someone found her. She didn't have bandages and she didn't have rags to stop the bleeding. She needed to dislodge the sword too.

Her eyes hurt so she closed them and let the front of her yukata go wet.

Maybe it wouldn't be the end of her. She had been in terrible scrapes before. When Sai pulled her from the river she had been half dead that time too.

'Maybe this is my punishment for Sai. Maybe his death really was my fault and this is how I'm to pay for it.'

When she opened her eyes again the room was gone and Sai was there beside her. He was older, as if he had aged a couple of years. He didn't look like so much a youth, but had the definition of a man in his jaw and face. His hair was cut differently too.

"Still beautiful," she heard herself say.

Sai looked up at her, seeing her for maybe the first time and his voice was there, she could hear it, but she couldn't understand it. Her brain couldn't comprehend it, as if they were in a place where language wasn't supposed to exist. Still, she thought she got an idea of what he was saying.

"No, I don't think I'll making it through this one either, but maybe that's fine. I did what I needed to do." She reached for his face and it was such a beautiful feeling. His skin was soft like a peach's. "You truly are the most beautiful tantou."

He screamed at her and the white world around them burned away. Blackness took its place and she settled into it.

A long time ago a woman came to their village and everyone crowded to her because they said she was a wise woman, or a fortune teller. Such women were respected above the shanty seers who peddled fortunes that were always good and almost always lies.

Sakura's mother took her to the woman and paid for a fortune.

"You have a red thread unlike any I've ever seen," the old woman began.

The red thread that was tied around the pinky finger from one soul to another meant the pair were destined as lovers. There were other types of threads too, the gold, silver, white, and black threads that meant other things. Rarely did the woman see threads of any other color, but there were mentions of the purple, the blue, and even the emerald green.

Sakura's mother only wanted to know about the red one. Wealth, fame, and success could be thought about later.

"You have a red thread, there is one there," the woman began.

"Who is it tied to?" Sakura asked, reciting the words her mother taught her to say.

"It's not tied to anyone. It disappears into the darkness and becomes the tassel of a sword."

The woman sighed as if the effort to see such a fate was too much for her. Sakura waited patiently, knowing better than to be rude to such an important person.

"You ever hear the name Sarutobi, girl?" When Sakura nodded the woman went on. "If you fall into great trouble you should seek him out. He'll be what you need for as long as he lives. After that, I can not say."

Sakura woke up in a bed far nicer than the one she was used to sleeping in. The sheets were pure white to match the canopy overhead. She had never slept in a bed fancy enough for a canopy. She turned to the side and saw a modest sized room with some pieces of superfluous furniture, like a lady's vanity. It was the head a of dark hair at the foot of her bed that made her stare.

Sakura tried to sit up and it jostled her wound, making her catch her breath between her teeth and hiss in pain. The movement of her legs under the covers and her voice made him stir and Sai looked up, eyes wide at the sight of her.

"Am I dead?" she breathed. She sounded so rough in her own ears.

"You stupid idiot! You should have known better. What were you thinking taking such a stupid risk like that?" He reached for her and took her face into his hands. "Stupid!"

Her voice was little better than a whisper. "Sai?"

Sakura reached up and poked the side of his face and he flinched, frowning. "Stop that," he complained.

"Am I really not dead? You're really here? I saw you broken, I saw your body in all that blood. They said you were gone." She touched him again, tracing the edge of his jaw. "You look different…older."

"You made me like that. When you reforged me I changed so of course I would look different." Sai pulled away and huffed. "Haku said I'm not as pretty but what does he know. He looks like a girl. At least you can tell I'm a man now."

"I made you like this?" Sakura echoed. "I can't remember doing such a thing. I just wanted you to come back. I just wanted you to return to me. I thought I failed. You didn't come back when I called." She remembered the words and the mocking laughter in her mind. "He said it was impossible."

Sai frowned and grabbed her hand. "It was a long way back, but I always heard you. I came back when I heard you, or I started to at least. I heard your song and was afraid I might not make it, but the way was always open and it was warm, slipping back into the blade and into this new body. I could tell you made me anew with love. That's not something the other sage could ever do, so of course he would think it's impossible. But still, I think it was special because you made me and then you made me anew. I don't know if the others would be able to come back if something terrible happened to them."

Sai's gaze dropped to the front of her chest where the bandages poked out from underneath the layers of her sleeping robe. She saw his gaze narrow as the skin around his eyes drew tight.

"Where are the others?" Sakura asked before he could say anything about the state he had found her in. She could see the reprimand building in his eyes. "No, where are we? How did I get here? I don't remember that."

"You were out of it for pretty much the whole time. You woke up once or twice but I'm not surprised you don't remember that since you were little better than unconscious. We're at the compound Mei had set up for us. Everyone is here, even Tsunade and Shizune who did the actual treating. The rest of the swords are refusing to follow her orders until you wake up though and she's sorta pissed at all of them. I think she was banking on an army she could use."

Sakura swallowed as a new thought entered her brain. "Kimimaro…is he still in one piece."

Sai snorted and pulled away to cross his arms over his chest. "Just barely. Kisame nearly snapped him in half when he saw your blood still on his blade. I swear those guys would have turned the whole country over if it would have stabilized you for how frantic they were."

Now it was Sakura's turn to snort. She hadn't remembered much of anything, but she remembered Sai in a white room screaming at her. "Like you wouldn't do the same? Isn't this the pot calling the kettle black?"

"I'm your blade, the only one you've made and given form to, I'm allowed to be like this. Wouldn't any child worry half this much if their mother or father were dying? Why not a sword worry for their master? You're much more than either a mother or father could ever be to a child."

Sakura remembered Sai from before, and how frantic and angry he had been when it came to her. He had been so upset about Gaara, so upset about having to share her time and attentions with the other blades. He had been an emotional child with too much fear in him, but now he looked, felt, and even sounded older.

Somehow he had grown up on her.

"I'm sorry about the last thing I said to you. I don't even remember exactly what it was, but I remember regretting letting you go with hurt feelings. I should have raced after you and not let you go until you knew how much I cared for you. Sai, you're precious to me and having another blade or sword crafted won't change that. I'll always care for you no matter what."

Sai's lips quirked and turned up at the corners. "Yeah, I know that now. I don't think I'll ever doubt it again. If you hadn't loved me I would have never made it back, after all. So now that we know all that, I think I'm ready to be a big brother."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh. It hurt her stitches, but she laughed until there were tears in the corners of her eyes he had to reach over and wipe away.

Outside there was the sound of footsteps and Sai let out an annoyed sigh before drawing back. "The others are going to bother you now."

The words left his mouth and not a second later the door rolled back and there was Yagura, pink eyes blown wide, followed by Zabuza, Kisame, and Utakata. The last one in hung back and smiled from the corner of the room, content to watch the other three men crowd around Sakura's bed.

"Shit you're awake!" Kisame roared with a warble to his normally powerful voice. Sai stepped aside as the largest male dropped onto his knees and grabbed her around the waist, laying his head against her stomach and shaking.

"Be careful you ignorant ass," Yagura hissed as he climbed onto the bed behind Sakura and sat beside her. He glared over her shoulder at Kisame. "She's got stitches there."

Zabuza pulled Kisame off Sakura but knelt beside her bed as well, looking her over carefully. "You okay, girl. How are you feeling?"

Her cheeks hurt from grinning so much but there was no stopping the smile on her face. "I'm fine, perfectly fine. I'm so glad you're okay too."

Yagura snorted from over her shoulder. "Of course we would be okay. None of us had a rogue sword stuck in our chest. Seriously, woman, you should know better."

"We should have known better," Zabuza cut in curtly, glaring subtly at Yagura. "It was our fault. We made the mistake of separating and trusting that sword."

"No, Yagura's right. It was my fault too because I didn't see the curse seal Orochimaru left on Kimimaro. He didn't want to, but he was compelled and it's something I should have seen, but didn't. I can't blame anyone but myself. Kimimaro couldn't help himself."

"We're going to kill that snake," Kisame growled, still loosely hugging her waist but laying his chin on her knees to stare up at her. "I'll swear that to you right now, I'm going to gut him personally."

"You'll have to get in line," Zabuza interjected. "I've got first dibs."

Yagura snorted. "You wish."

Kisame looked like he was ready to retort something rudely when Sakura reached out to comb her fingers through his hair. He stilled at the touch and then melted under her ministrations. He became as docile as a house cat and almost purred for her touch. Behind her, Yagura pouted in jealousy.

"I'm really glad you're all okay. I tried watching the fight from a dead sword but couldn't see everything. I was worried about you." Sakura looked from one male to the next, landing on Utakata finally. "All of you."

"I think you are failing to see how vastly more important you are in this situation," Utakata sighed through a tired smile. "You're the one in the most danger and the one our enemy sage wants to see dead. Are bodies may be remade, and our souls, once forfeit, are not as irredeemable as you might believe. You love well enough that I'm confident that if any of us were to fall, your call would be enough to find our way back to you like the oldest stories say."

"I've not heard such stories," Zabuza muttered.

"I have, but I hadn't believed in them before," Yagura interjected.

"I've said it before," Kisame interjected, looking up. "The person who I believe to be capable of doing the impossible is only you, Sakura."

Sakura felt her heart sweet. For as painful as Sai's death had been, the love and peace she felt surrounded by her found family made her believe and understand that the possibility of pain was worth the price of a heart. She was near euphoric with delight to be alive and surrounded by such precious people.

It almost made her understand the prophecy of the wise woman so long ago.

Almost.

The door rolled back once more and in its way stood Haku, looking just as finely dressed as ever with his hair tied up into a half bun and dark blue paint around the rims of his eyes. His kimono was nicer than she'd ever seen and she didn't doubt it was because someone saw him and decided he deserved only the best. That, or Haku bullied his way into nice things. Sakura chuckled at the thought.

"You look like you're doing well," Sakura laughed.

Haku didn't say anything but stomped stiffly across the room and stopped at the edge of her bed. Sakura looked up into his face but didn't have time to move away before he grabbed her and fit his lips over her's, kissing her body in front of everyone else in the room. It wasn't a chaste kiss either, but one just as fierce and just as needy as the one he stole from her all those nights ago. When he pulled away his hands were still there holding her face. His eyes demanded she not look away from him.

"I told you I meant it!" he exclaimed with the utmost fervor.

"You little-Zabuza get off me!" Kisame roared as he tried to lunge for the younger sword. Haku coolly took a step to the side and glared over his shoulder at the tallest member of their party. He ignored Yagura's stunned outrage and Utakata's whole existence, sparing neither male so much as a side glance.

Sakura had the feeling in her heart that whatever existed between the swords and her, whatever their relationship was, it was only the beginning of something more.

After all, her thread of fate was a tassel on the hilt of a sword.

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Touken Revolution
刀剣 -革命

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Fin

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And Done.

Man, so many readers were upset about poor Sai and I felt a little bad, considering that this is a habit now. In three different stories he has nearly died: Pompeii, this one, and Obelisk. I'm sorry that this is a habit of mine. I'll do my best to break it and hopefully spare you all the sorrow.
Though I would like to say that I never actually killed Sai. He's always survived in the end (spoiler?). I'm a sucker for the happy endings in stories and I know it's not as edgy and mature, but I'm here to feel good and to entertain more than anything else, so I'm going to give my characters fucking happy endings if I want. Real life is hard enough and fanfiction has always been a place I could come to and unwind and destress.
That's my MO by now. Badass Sakura. Reverse harems. Happy Endings. AU's. ? I don't know what else, but that all sounds like me.

I'm considering writing a 'season two' part to this story if I get the traction in writing for it. I mean, this was written as a huge oneshot, broken up, expanded upon, and released in chapters and I think it went well. Better than expected. I'll put this away for a while and see if I can come up with a plot for the second part and maybe... I don't know...find the time to make something again. I've been so slow and lazy since coming off of break and I think I've written only a coupe new chapters for things this January. Ugh, there aren't enough hours in the day for all the things I want to do. :(

Why yes, I did in fact get the idea for this lovely fic from the video game/anime franchise Touken Ranbu and Katsugeki/Touken Ranbu. No, I have not played the game. I just admire it fondly from afar and let my brain fill in the gaps and holes of lore that isn't explained. In the game you play as a character-a sage- who brings to life different historic swords to fight for you and protect history and it's so pretty and easy and fun to get interested in, but I wanted to explore the dynamic between a sword made man and the maker or master. And you know me, I love Sakura reverse harem style fics. Plus, the Kiri nin and all the swordsmen of the mist were just too perfect to pass up the opportunity to.