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Though Blanche had declined the boy's request to hold him as he desired, her kneeling to be more on level with him sufficed. Small, slender arms wrapped around all that they could, vanishing into her mass of golden hair, until she situated him back far enough to gaze into his glistening blue eyes as she spoke. Of course, he could understand simply from her tone how serious the matter was. Yuuchiro wasn't neither a prodigy nor genius, but his connection to both his mother and father was borderline unnatural. It was almost as if he could feel their moods, and decipher all that they wished to share with him before they could even finish their sentences. He knew Blanche was worried from the moment she called his name, and as she went on to explain-- and show --the kunai in his hand, he understood why.

"I promise, mommy." He said it with a smile, true and genuine, and a gentle nod of his head. Still, his mind hadn't completely drifted from the topic of his father, even after the situation had been explained to him. Kouketsu had been relatively busy as of late, and while Yuuchiro did understand the concept, he wasn't in the least bit pleased. Far from being starved for attention, it just felt like he hadn't spent enough time with his father (even though they spent the previous day, from sunrise to sunset, outside together). A slight frown creased Yuuchiro's lips, but it quickly vanished. He'd have his story read to him tonight, and that was all that mattered.

Yuuchiro's smile widened. "Really?" The boy could barely contain the smile that stretched across his face from ear to ear. "You can come with us tomorrow?" There weren't many times that Blanche could afford to bask in the sunshine with her husband and son. Of course, the boy's earliest years were smothered with constant interaction from both. But as he aged, the needs of the Village had come once again. Like any parent with a job, it was moreso an alteration of who the boy spent his time with -- of course, until the sun fell and both were home. But, the prospect of both parents taking him to the park was beyond mention.

"Yes, yes, yes!" he chanted, almost squealing with excitement. Pulling away, he clamped his tiny hands around Blanche's palm and tugged her forward with all the strength he didn't have. "Can I help make the sandwiches too, mommy? I know how daddy's like his peanut butter and jelly!"

Every moment after Soratsu pulled away from me unfolded like a nightmare, stabbing me with a dagger of anxiety and fear over and over again. I knew that no matter how much I wanted to stop him, there was nothing I could do; no amount of begging, pleading, or action I could muster would be able to change the course of this collision. All I could do was stand there, watch, and pray that I still had my husband when it was all said and done.

It all happened so fast -- Sora vanished, Blanche stumbled back, and suddenly Kouketsu was standing between them. How the older Uchiha managed to move so quickly was beyond me (to rival my husband's speed), but that wasn't what surprised me. The fact that he sacrificed himself for Blanche - it was so very unlike the man I once knew.

The Kouketsu I knew would have simply let her perish, and found another to go through with whatever plans (I'm assuming a proper heir) he had. Yet, for Blanche, he. . .

I simply stood there, slack jawed as the blood rushed from his gaping wound. Sora had struck true, though not the intended target, and it was by no means a light injury. Yet, Kouketsu didn't show so much as an inkling of pain; his expression was void of any emotion, and his voice just as lifeless. I watched as my husband retreated from his injured sibling, only to fall to his knees and speak the terrible truth. If anyone knew how dangerous Soratsu's mind was, it was me; I'd seen the horrific things he'd done, and see the penalty his body paid when the "voices" tortured him to certain degrees.

But, was death truly the answer? It couldn't be, and my resolve was simply bolstered by Kouketsu's confirmation. I wasn't entirely sure what was happening when he knelt down, took Sora's head in his palm and pressed their foreheads together, but I could hear them clearly. No matter what travesties beset them, or how much time was put between their conversations, Kouketsu loved Soratsu -- and I know that Soratsu loved him, as well.

And just like that, two changes occurred. First, my husband's chakra signature became odd and irregular, unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Immediately, I understood it to be Genjutsu; however, a illusory technique of this caliber. . . I didn't even know such a potent technique existed! But then I noticed a change in Kouketsu, as well. The veins of chakra surging into his left eye became non-existent; dead and gone. He was blind in that eye, I knew, and immediately connected the two as he spoke to me, confirming my suspicions.

"I understand," I said before I even realized I spoke. Honestly, I was simply relieved that my husband was still alive. Again, I have never doubted Sora's strength. However, it was never a secret that Kouketsu's level of power was simply inhuman. I was honestly still mesmerized at the fact he could be injured, let alone bleed like any normal red-blooded human does. "And thank you, Kouketsu."

Deactivating my Byakugan, I meandered to Sora's side and crouched down, looping his arm over my shoulder. "It's time to go, my love." I wasn't sure if he could hear me, but I hoped that he did. I liked to think that he knew I would always be there, and when he conquered the demons of his past and subconscious like I knew he would, that I would be waiting. My legs found strength in our love, and I easily supported the full weight of his body as I stood.

I looked to Kouketsu as he moved to Blanche, and then to Blanche. "Thank you for your hospitality, Blanche. I hope that the next time we meet, it will be over lunch and not our bickering husbands. I hope that you will send me a picture of your child; I'm sure he or she will be beautiful." Perhaps they were not married as Soratsu and I were, but only a husband's love would throw a man before a fatal technique to save a woman. Turning, I made my way to the door I knew to be the exit of the compound.

I paused as I opened the door, glancing over my shoulder one final time. "It's odd, isn't? How women like you and I come to love such beasts. Take care of him, Blanche --" I truly hoped she would heed my warning. Whether my words stung his pride or not, I cared little. "Something tells me that you will be the deciding factor. . . of whether he becomes a man of redemption, or the devil he once was. I hope that I never live to see that Kouketsu again."

Vanishing into the light of the day, the door closed behind us. "Lets go home, Sora."

Sora's sudden outburst was startling, but not entirely surprising. When Blanche and Kouketsu entered the room, I had a feeling that the tension was going to reach a breaking point. These two lions of men -- they'd reached a point where, like in nature, they needed to create their own prides. There could only be one alpha, and knowing my husband, he would not settle for any other option than it being him.

Adjusting so that I could have the two Kusa-lovers in my sight, and be at Sora's side, I stood by the table. What my husband said next was... confusing, though. What was he seeing that I could not? What did he see in her?

Curiously, my eyes focused -- the veins on either side of my face began engorged on chakra, and my pupils visible as my Byakugan activated. That's when I saw it. "Oh god... " I whispered, surprised -- and terrified -- by what I could see. "Blanche... you're.... ?"

"There's no need to apologize," I said breathlessly as I cradled him in my arms. "Kouketsu was able to get me out safe. You were busy defending the village. If anything, you should be apologizing for not letting me assist you -- I'm not just your wife, Soratsu. . . Sunagakure is equally as much my responsibility as it is yours."

It took everything that I had no to burst into tears. I was so relieved that he was alright; I was overflowing with joy. But, his inquiry about our beloved village was a dagger to my happiness. It stabbed into my chest, causing me to inhale somewhat sharply.

"It's gone," I whisper. "After you were forced to flee, Iwagakure wasted no time eliminating the remainder of our forces. Sunagakure belongs to Iwagakure."

I shook the thought from my head. "But never mind that - it will be ours again. How are you?" I give his body a thorough glance, unable to believe all of his wounds vanished so quickly. "Are you hurt? Do you feel anything?"

My nerves were a wreck.

Honestly, half of me wished that Kouketsu would have just left me in Sunagakure to fight alongside Soratasu. Waiting here with Blanche-- though she was nothing short of wonderful company --was absolute torture for me. I couldn't stand worrying about him; worrying about whether or not he would return to me, as Kouketsu promised he would. While I didn't doubt the mysterious Uchiha's power, I did doubt how valuable he proclaimed my husband was to him.

Where was he for Soratsu after the war they'd started? Where was he, and all of his power, when the only man I'd ever loved was nothing more than a vegetable gazing out of a window?

I'd been the one to take care of him every morning and night - me. And when he needed me most-- no, when our village needed me most, I was forced into hiding.

I watched Blanche and Kouketsu embrace each other much like I wished to embrace my husband, fidgeting with my hands and biting my lip anxiously. Sora wasn't with him-- but, he didn't seem bothered. Doubt crept into my mind, but only for a moment, before I dashed the thoughts to nothingness; I had to believe he would be alright. But, sometimes your emotions get the best out of you.

"Where is he?" I blurted before I even realized my mouth was moving. "Where is Soratsu?!"

It can't be. . .

I'd heard the voice from upstairs, and though it was muffled, I recognized who it was almost immediately. It'd been seven long years since I'd heard it, yet it sounded like only an hour had passed.

As I made my way out of Sora and I's bedroom, my heart was racing. I'd never moved toward something this slow in my entire life; it felt as if I was being frozen in time, until my body paused at the banister. I leaned over, casting a hesitant gaze down at the person in my house--

-- it was him.

"Sora?" I was baffled, but so overwhelmed with joy that I couldn't keep composure. "Sora!" I screamed, not bothering to run down the stairs -- with an effortless hop, I cleaned the banister and several scores of feet drop, sloppily landing at his feet. Instinctively, my arms wrapped around him, pulling my face into his chest.

The scent -- the feel. It was him. "Sora," I sobbed. "I've missed you terribly."

I must admit, the boy's abilities were impressive. While I had expected the assassin's to be somewhat skilled, his elusive counter to my assault had proven to be a bit more than what I credited them for. It made very little difference in the grand scheme of things, because even with the guidance of his Sharingan - which I had noticed was not fully evolved - there would be very little he could do to trump my eyes.

While his grip of my right wrist was successful, he would find his attempt to pin my foot to the ground moot. Simply moving my foot forward in a short, quick burst would bring it parallel to his own encroaching appendage, so that they would effectively pass each other. Unfortunately for him, my leg would be on the inside of his proximity, giving me all the leverage I would need to complete my makeshift follow-up.

My left hand, free to act upon its own accord, would thrust forward at the center of his chest. Of course, I'd factored in his own soaring right hand, and even if he managed to stop a connection from forming, there would be nothing he could do to stop the true attack. The physical motion merely facilitated the invisible wave of chakra coagulating in my palm, and the moment it came to a halt, the maelstrom would erupt from my being and crash directly into the boy's figure. It carried with it a force that would easily burrow him into my home, crashing through the wall and into the living room.

Needless to say, the cloud of debris and smoke would be more than enough to obscure the girl's line of sight (which would've came into existence mid-way through her sealing), making whatever technique she'd prepared more than likely useless. Even if it hadn't, I wouldn't have been there anyways. The moment I had the cover, I relocated to the roof of my house.

"Your partner is dead, assassin." My voice was unusually cruel, my pulsing Byakugan focused and sharp. "Leave here, and never return-- and I will spare your life."