Sakura sighed, minding her tongue about the nickname. “We both look great. You’ll do wonderfully at the interviews. Just…try to be polite.”

“I’m always polite,” Sai replied.

“Best of luck,” Sakura said, pressing up on her tiptoes and brushing a kiss across his cheek. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Bye.”

Sakura stepped outside and rounded the clinic, heading off into the underbrush. This was now a familiar path, given the number of times she’d visited the shrine. She set her pace at a comfortable trot, clutching the bag slung across her chest close. She hoped that maybe this time she could get some definitive answers.

A glint of metal was the only warning she received before a heavy suit of armor stepped into her path. Sakura careened, turning to the side and glancing off the edge of the armor before finding herself on her back, air knocked from her lungs. She blinked, glaring up at the marigold knight as she fought to recover her breath.

“Really?” she asked. For an uninhabited suit of armor, it sure looked damn smug with itself. “I’d think you’d be over this at this point. I mean, at this point, I feel like I need to get a card stamped with every visit and body check. After every tenth visit, I get one freebie where you don’t slam me to the ground when I visit.” The daffodil knight came crashing out of the woods to the left, shoving its companion aside before offering her a hand. She took it, smiling as the knight pulled her back to her feet. “Thanks.”

The daffodil knight kept hold of her hand, tucking it into the crook of its elbow. Sakura followed along in bemusement as it led her to the shrine. It gestured to a low, smooth rock that sat beside the pool of water. Sakura took the seat gratefully, pulling out a few books as she did so.

“Since we don’t really have a good way of communicating, I figured I might try consulting a few history books. You two are definitely old.” The marigold knight threw its head back. “Oh, don’t give me that sass, Mari! I just meant you’ve been around for quite some time. I have no idea how no one else has stumbled across you in the past, but it seems I’m the only one aware of your existence.” And right now, she wasn’t feeling exactly charitable to the local leaders. If they wanted to keep secrets, so could she. It was petty and more than a little childish, but Sakura didn’t much care at the moment. “I thought we could play a little game. It’s called twenty questions. I’ll ask you a bunch of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions; tap once for ‘no’ and twice for ‘yes.’” Sakura patted the stone as a display of the game. “Let’s see if we can figure out your identities.”

The marigold knight crossed its arms but the daffodil knight stepped forward and tapped its foot against the stone twice. Sakura grinned before delving into the first book. “Let’s see…do you remember the Fallout of 1659? The Hyuga and the Uchiha got into a massive fight, something about a kidnapping attempt?” The daffodil knight tapped its foot once. “Okay, so did you come here after 1659?” The knight tapped once again. “Were you…were you asleep here or something?” The knight tapped twice. “Okay, okay, we’re getting somewhere! Have you been awake for a long time?” One tap. “Less than a year?” Two taps. Sakura stopped, biting her lip as she calculated. “Were you…did you awaken near the end of August of last year?” There was no response. The knight just stood, seemingly puzzled. “Oh! August is a month of the year; it’s at the beginning of Fall, when the leaves are just starting to change colors.” Two taps.

Sakura felt a shiver run down her spine. August. It was the month she’d first arrived in Pompeii. Why on earth would these beings awaken upon her arrival? What had catalyzed the awakening? It couldn’t have been her, right?

Right?

Sakura shook her head, knowing it was a question that she couldn’t answer, not yet. Instead she turned back to the book. “Okay, well, we still need to determine when you two first arrived in Pompeii. Does the Great Fire of 1132 ring a bell? There was a major incident between Hiruzen Sarutobi and one of his students which resulted in a calamitous fire that nearly destroyed Pompeii.” The marigold knight tapped once alongside the daffodil one this time. Sakura smiled slightly, taking in their absolutely synchronous motions. “Alright, how about the Flood of 407? There was a power struggle in the Kiri sector that resulted in Yagura taking command.” One tap. “609 BCE, two covens of witches got into a major fight over territory just outside of Pompeii borders.” One tap. “2110 BCE, there was an earthquake that…raised the dead?” Sakura paused, reading it over. “Four necromancers got into an argument and they caused the earthquake while raising the dead. Wow.” One tap.

Sakura sighed, flipping through a couple of the books. “Well, there’s not much written about events before that. I guess people weren’t concerned with keeping records of what was going on. That or those books aren’t available to me.” She wished that the journal wasn’t so damn evasive on Pompeii’s history. “A lot of the rest of these are pretty obscure. Do you know anything about an active volcano?” Two taps. “Really? Were…were you involved in the founding of Pompeii?” No response.

Sakura looked up at the two knights. They stood there, motionless and for the first time they didn’t seem alive. They looked…dead; empty. Sakura swallowed, following the direction of their helmets to the shrine.

Oh.

She stood slowly, placing a hand on their vambraces. There was a creak as they turned their helms her way. “I’m so sorry,” she said softly. “The Maiden…you knew her.”

There was no response. Sakura stood there with them in silence, just watching over the worn but still beautiful shrine. The bluebells danced in the breeze, water rippling softly. This, right here, was her final resting ground. Well, at least her spirit. Sakura didn’t think her body survived the heat of the volcano. The daffodil knight shifted its vambrace, placing its hand in hers. While it didn’t move, Sakura moved her hand down the marigold knight’s arm and took hold of its hand. She smiled when the marigold knight actually let her.

“This place…it’s peaceful,” Sakura said. “Thank you for sharing it with me.”

Both hands squeezed around hers.

“You should really be more careful.”

Sakura jumped, hand going to the knife at her belt. She groaned as she realized who it was. “Kakashi? What the hell are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question,” he replied, slouching forward off the tree he was leaning against to fall into step beside her. “You need to be more careful about traipsing around the forest.”

Sakura looked up at him as she walked on, a slight smile quirking her lips. “You should heed your own advice too, don’t you think?”

“Not many traverse the forest unscathed these days. As doctor, I’m sure you’ve seen quite a few allergy and fatigue cases recently.”

“Yes, how did you-”

“You should be careful about who sees your comings and goings in the forest. They’re bound to draw attention if you don’t tread lightly.”

“Whose attention would I be drawing?” Sakura asked.

“You’ve met them then, whatever it is at the shrine?” Kakashi said, circumventing Sakura’s question.

Sakura stilled. “You know about the shrine?”

Kakashi shrugged, making the gesture look like an effort. He looked so tired, as if he were carrying the burden of the world upon his shoulders. But he wasn’t Atlas and Sakura was no Hercules to shoulder the weight. “I know of it. I’ve never been allowed close enough to examine it or even see it really.”

“Not allowed? What do you mean?”

“How’s Yamato?” Kakashi asked abruptly, derailing Sakura’s line of questioning. “I heard he’s turned his back on the Senju.”

“The Senju turned their backs first,” Sakura replied, lip curling in disgust. “They’ve never treated him well.”

“And you do?”

Sakura’s mouth firmed at his tone, knowing exactly what he was implying. “Yamato is my friend; I am not his master or liege lord. We’re equals.”

“Really,” Kakashi said. “And does he know that?”

Sakura whirled on him, exasperated. “Yes. Yamato is my friend, my family. I have never and would never subject him to the treatment he received at the hands of the Senju.”

“The Senju are his family,” Kakashi pointed out. “They even have a stronger claim with genetics and all that.”

“No, they are not his family,” Sakura said fiercely. “They treated him like cannon fodder, a tool whose value only comes from how well he served them. That isn’t who he is and that isn’t what family is.”

Kakashi was silent for a long moment. Sakura watched him, knowing that he was processing her words. “How’d he do it?” he asked finally, voice low and fervent. Sakura blinked, surprised at the change. Kakashi was usually distant and cryptic but now…well, he seemed desperate. “How did you free him?”

“What? I didn’t-”

“Kakashi!” a voice barked.

Sakura turned, hand at the hilt of her knife. At her side, Kakashi slumped and all that energy, that vivacity, drained away until he was once more that remote individual. In the shadows of the trees, a man stood. The darkness mostly hid the scarring, but his eye glowed red in that distinctly Uchiha way. He was dressed resplendently in dark, heavy clothing, covered from neck to toe in fabric. It was an outfit better suited to winter, rather than the sweltering heat of summer.

“Obito,” Sakura greeted, nodding to him slightly. “It has been a while.”

“It is good to see you well, Dr. Haruno,” he replied with a wide smile. He stared at her in a frank, unnerving way. “Quite good indeed.” Then his attention turned to Kakashi and the smile fell away, even as his single eye began to spin. “Kakashi, come.”

Sakura bit her tongue as Kakashi moved the distance between herself and Obito, every inch the recalcitrant dog. He stopped at Obito’s shoulder, turning to face Sakura once more. His expression was blank and lifeless, the exact opposite of the passion there only moments ago. What on earth was going on?

“I apologize for my colleague’s countenance,” Obito said, seemingly ignoring Kakashi now. His attention was solely upon Sakura. “Kakashi has always been a gloomy individual. Never good at keeping friends around. Was he bothering you?”

“No, not at all!” Sakura hastened to say, wary of the stormy look on Obito’s face. He was different from the other Uchiha somehow and Sakura was beginning to see why Itachi and Shisui seemed to fear him, skirting around even the mention of him. Obito was terrifying in a wild, unpredictable sort of way. “Kakashi has been quite kind.”

Obito hummed, striding close enough that she could feel his body heat. A gloved hand pressed beneath Sakura’s chin, lifting it for his perusal. Sakura glared into his single visible eye, refusing to be distracted by his scars or the pattern of hippogriffs on his eyepatch. A flash of movement caught her attention as Kakashi made an aborted gesture, reaching out to her before drawing back into himself.

Sakura frowned.

Kakashi was afraid.

He clicked his tongue. “I just don’t understand the family’s interest in you. You’re such a scrawny, wiry thing. Not much personality either.”

Sakura smiled at him, holding steady eye contact. She refused to back down from him. She knew his type all too well, the sort who got mean and nasty because they were so hurt and broken themselves that they just had to propitiate those feelings onto others. If they couldn’t be happy, no one could. “Didn’t realize I was giving a performance,” she said, hand on the hilt of the knife. It wouldn’t do much, but it’d at least sting a bit if Obito chose to pull any stunts. “Would’ve performed better if I knew I had an audience.”

Obito grinned, the smile cutting just as well as any blade. He drew closer to her, until his breath touched her lips. “Well, color me surprised. Seems you’ve got a bit of fire in you yet.” He released her, pushing her away as he turned back to Kakashi. His strides were strong and sure as he walked past Kakashi, snapping his fingers. “Come. I look forward to seeing how you weather the coming storm, Dr. Haruno.”

Obito didn’t look back as he strode off further into the woods.

Kakashi, however, did.

Sakura saw two feelings warring in his expression. The first was a deep-set, heart-wrenching pain.

The second?

Sakura frowned, ignoring the way the hairs at the back of her neck stood on end.

The second was pity.

“D-Dr. Haruno?”

Sakura glanced up from her history book, surprised to have been interrupted. She’d thought she was the only one who came to this little park. It was situated between two of the downtown buildings, only accessible through a seemingly empty and dingy alley. Apparently, she was mistaken. She squinted, unable to make out the interloper as his considerable mass blocked the light of the street lamps. “Yes?” she asked, placing the book in her lap.

“It is you!” he replied, sounding relieved. “Good, I was worried. I-we’ve never met before. I mean, I’ve heard of you but that’s a bit different than actually meeting you.”

Sakura stood, shifting slightly so she could see his features. He was tall, taller even than Kisame. She wondered if he had any giant’s blood in his family as the heritage certainly seemed to fit. “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage then, Mr…”

“Juugo,” he said, shaking her hand. “Just Juugo.” He looked around and Sakura caught the shifty nervousness that fairly emanated from him. “Look, is there somewhere we can go? I…I have an injury that needs treating.”

“Of course,” Sakura said, shoving the book down into her bag. Her eyes flitted over him, assessing. She couldn’t see any immediate concerns. “Would you like to go back to my clinic?”

“No,” he said, looking around furtively. “Look, I…I can’t be seen with you. I can’t be admitted officially. I’ll get in trouble.”

“Who would get you into trouble?” Sakura asked. “You will be safe at the clinic. And there are…policies in place that will protect you from getting into trouble with me if you don’t have…certain information.” She’d seen this skittishness before and each and every time it broke her heart. “Hey.” She waited until he looked her in the eyes. He had kind eyes, gentle. Haunted. Her smile was soft as she continued, “This is my private practice; I make the rules. You will be safe with me. What do you say?” Sakura stuck out her hand again.

Juugo hesitated before taking her hand. “Okay. How will we get to the clinic though?”

“Leave that to me,” Sakura replied, rifling through her bag. She pulled out a little charm, passing it to Juugo. “This is a notice-me-not charm. It isn’t powerful enough to register on people’s magic sensors, but it should last us long enough to get to the clinic. No one else will be at the clinic at this time of night.”

“You carry distraction charms with you to read in the park?” he asked, looping the cord around his neck.

Immediately, Sakura’s eyes slid away from him, unable to focus on his presence. “Never hurts to be prepared,” Sakura said, thinking of Kakashi’s cryptic warning.

She heard Juugo hum in agreement as they left the alley and made their way toward the clinic. There were very few people out at this time and a few waved in Sakura’s direction. Thankfully, none seemed to notice Juugo beside her.

The made it to the clinic without incident and Sakura took him back to one of the rooms, flicking on the lights as she went.

“So, what seems to be the problem today, Juugo?” she asked.

“It’s probably best if I show you,” he said, pulling off his shirt and turning his back to her.

Sakura’s eyes went wide as she took in the set of gashes that marred his shoulder. They were no longer bleeding, but the wounds were deep and raw. “Sit down!” Sakura said, drawing closer to examine the wound. She was more than slightly surprised that he’d managed to behave so normally with a wound like this. The edges of it were discolored, green with either infection or magic or a mix of both. “On a scale of one to ten, how much pain are you feeling right now?”

“A two,” Juugo replied. “It doesn’t really hurt; I’ve had worse. I was just going to let it heal on its own but when the wound changed colors, I thought it best to get help.”

“You did the right thing, Juugo,” Sakura said. “I’m going to check your vitals before I treat the wound, is that alright?”

Juugo shrugged, the heavy muscles of his arms and back rippling with the motion. The wound stretched with the movement, but Juugo truly didn’t seem to feel it.

Sakura quickly and efficiently ran through the tests of his vitals, finding all within a normal threshold. She looked at the gashes on his shoulder blade again, pondering. “How did you get these wounds?” Juugo remained silent. “Juugo, I’m not asking out of some desire to condemn you; I need to know so that I make sure I give you the best possible treatment.” Still, he stayed quiet. Sakura sighed. “Alright. Well can you at least tell me if the attack was magical or not?”

“…magic was involved,” Juugo said.

Sakura nodded, though he couldn’t see it. “It looks like the flesh was cursed during the attack. Are you allergic to holy water?” Juugo shook his head. “Wonderful. I’ll start by cleaning your wound with holy water before applying a poultice. Two of these gashes will need stitches, I can nearly see the bone.”

“Okay,” Juugo said.

“It will be painful,” Sakura said. “The holy water will eat away the curse and it will feel like a burning sensation to you.”

“I don’t mind,” he replied. “Do what you need to do.”

“Would you like me to numb the area first?”

“No!” Juugo said, turning to look at her. He coughed and said again, more sedately, “No thank you.”

Sakura nodded, pulling on gloves before she grabbed a few vials of holy water. She poured the first bottle along the edges of the highest gash, grimacing as the flesh immediately began to sizzle. Juugo didn’t so much as groan, sitting as still as stone as Sakura began the painstaking task of cleaning out the wound. As she surveyed the skin, Sakura noticed a bandage applied against Juugo’s neck.

“Juugo,” Sakura said, continuing with the treatment. “Did your wound extend further up?”

“No,” he replied.

“Then why do you have a bandage at your neck?” Sakura reached out, grazing her fingers along the bandage. “Whatever it is, I could treat-”

“No!” Juugo shot to his feet, upending Sakura’s table of surgical equipment. The remaining vials of holy water hit the ground, shattering. He turned to her, eyes wild as his hand clamped down over the bandage. He clutched so hard and Sakura could see the rivets of blood streaming out from beneath the bandage. “Don’t touch me!”

Sakura placed the holy water down, holding up her empty hands. She was intimately aware of the fact that Juugo was more than twice her size and that they were alone. “Juugo, I am so sorry,” she said, keeping her voice steady and calm. “I didn’t mean to upset you, truly. I shouldn’t have touched you there without your permission. I won’t do so again. Will you please allow me to continue treating your shoulder?”

Juugo watched her and Sakura was alarmed to see his flesh start to turn gray under his hand. He began to grin and Sakura backed up slowly, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“Sorry?” he asked and his voice was pitched differently, higher, more lively. “You’re sorry?”

“Juugo,” Sakura said cautiously.

“I’ll show you sorry!”

He pounced just as Sakura slammed the door shut and ran for the front door, cursing herself for leaving her bag and her phone in the operating room. Stupid, stupid, stupid! There was a thunderous crash behind her as she flung open the door to the clinic and ran outside, not really knowing what her plan was. She just knew she had to get him away from the clinic, from her family.

“Sakura!” came the call from above and behind her, but Sakura didn’t have the luxury of turning around and seeing who it was. “Juugo!”

There was a thump beside her and suddenly Kimimaro was there, staring up at Juugo, completely calm. Sakura whirled, ready to pull Kimimaro out of the way. Juugo’s skin was now fully gray and his once soft eyes were changed, schlera black and irises poison yellow.

“Juugo,” Kimimaro repeated and there was a melodic, hypnotic quality to his voice. “Be still. Calm your rage.”

Juugo slowed to a stop, irises expanding as he stared at Kimimaro. The gray of his skin receded and suddenly his eyes were that warm gold that they once were. Juugo looked around wildly, deflating with relief when he saw Sakura. He began to fold in on himself, looking small and bereft despite his stature.

“Juugo,” Sakura said, stepping forward. She wasn’t sure what just happened, but seeing him now…all she knew was that he hadn’t been in control. “Juugo.”

Kimimaro shook his head, stepping in front of her. “Come, Juugo. I’ll take you home.” Kimimaro slipped Juugo’s arm across his shoulders, strength belying his slight frame. His eyes were piercing as he walked past her and out into the dark of night. “It’s late. Nothing good comes in the dark hours of the night. Goodnight, Dr. Haruno.”