Sky Runs Red

By: firefly

Note: You guys are amazing. Thank you so much to everyone for their reviews and patience. This was an incredibly difficult chapter to get done, mainly because of writer's block combined with burnout. And revision. Lots and lots of revision. Because goddamn it this chapter is HUGE. Won't say anything about the fic itself, because I definitely want what comes in subsequent chapters to be a surprise. Just know that trying to learn and incorporate all the technical details of the war is pretty much equivalent to prying out your own teeth. Anyway, please enjoy chapter 3, and remember that reviews are love!

Sky Runs Red ch.3

It was a struggle to breathe with the weight of the wall crushing her chest. Her fingers were numb and dust-coated, tingles prickling down her arm beneath the broken concrete. Another breath, and a cough threatened to break loose.

She clamped her jaw closed, eyes screwing shut at the burst of pain ricocheting through her chest. Outside, screams echoed in the distance. Her black niche was hot and suffocating, slowly killing her with its crumbling walls.

A shinobi stumbled and hit the ground in the distance, his nails coming away beneath the force of the tainted nin yanking him back over the ground.

Please hold, she prayed, unaware that at some point, she'd started screaming to drown out the noise outside. Please, please, please hold.

Her features twisted, jaw clenching so hard it hurt. When the walls crumbled and she saw the hand descend towards her, she burst out of her sleep half-panicked and delirious, screaming something incomprehensible. She stalled halfway out of bed when a hand gripped her shoulder.

She froze, expression slackening when she found herself staring up into the slowly spinning tomoe of Itachi's sharingan. Her fists slackened on the blanket, heart rate dropping to a mere lull. Her eyes grew half-lidded.

Then the hand gently pushed and she fell back into bed, only half-aware of the quiet voice resounding in the dark.

"Sleep."

She closed her eyes and didn't dream the rest of the night, unaware the incident had ever happened. When she woke the next morning, she found herself staring up at the ceiling of the second room. A beam of sunlight leached through a crack in the floorboards, warming a bright spot on the mattress.

Reaching out, she put her palm in the path of it, feeling comforted by the heat.

They'd retired sometime in the night after Maru had finally fallen asleep. Itachi had recovered enough to let her have the only bed, opting to remain in the first room. She raised her eyes to the closed door, wondering what he'd been doing every night since the day of his summoning.

The thought was disquieting. She chose not to dwell on it, instead rising to her feet to brush her hair and put it back up in its pigtails.

While she brushed, the silence was broken by the sounds of whimpers. Temari paused, staring in the direction of the crib. The effects of the genjutsu had left her dumbfounded the night before, but then it hadn't taken much to put the already exhausted infant to sleep. The question was whether the effects would permeate as deep as Itachi had said they would.

Uncertain, she approached the crib, taking a moment to steel herself before looking inside.

Maru was wide awake. He gnawed on his fingers, whining through them and kicking fitfully at his blanket. When her shadow fell over him, he raised his eyes and fell silent. She hesitated, searching his features for a reaction. When there was none, she reached down to lift him out, only to freeze midway when he pulled his fingers out of his mouth and smiled.

Temari's eyes widened. The smile grew the longer he looked at her, and eventually he emitted a low, gurgling noise that sounded starkly unfamiliar. Laughter.

It left her dazed and staring wonderingly in return. A moment later, she lifted him into her arms and propped him against her hip. He smiled up at her with familiarity, hands resting against her collarbone. Then he gurgled in what was unmistakably joy and buried his head in the crook of her neck, gripping fistfuls of her shirt.

Temari stood motionless, feeling something unfamiliar stir within her chest. Gently, she brought her hand to his nape and turned her face into the warmth of his cheek. He warbled contentedly in response.

After a few minutes, she turned and carried him towards the door.

Itachi was sitting in one of the chairs when she entered the first room. He raised his head when she stopped a few metres away. They spared each other a glance before looking expectantly at Maru, who'd ceased smiling the instant his gaze fell on the man across the room.

Maru stared at him for several seconds, not reacting. Then his face split into a grin.

Temari felt her shoulders slacken in relief and smiled reflexively when she noticed his two little teeth for the first time. Itachi rose from his seat, cautiously moving closer to gauge Maru's reaction. When no cries were forthcoming, he stopped just next to them.

Maru stared up at him, still smiling. Then he lurched away from Temari, holding out his arms. Shocked, she looked up at Itachi, catching the restrained surprise flitting across his features.

Maru strained for him again and Itachi's gaze shifted to her. Silently asking permission.

Wordlessly, she offered him up, letting her hands fall away when Itachi carefully took him under the arms and held him against his chest. A peculiar expression passed over his face as Maru excitedly kicked his legs and reached up, splaying his small hand over the cold curve of his jaw.

They were uncertain how long they stood there, familiarizing themselves with what was so fallaciously familiar to the child. His happiness and excitement were those which came with seeing a loved one again, and the realization made the smile fade from Temari's face.

She looked at Itachi to ascertain his reaction, finding his expression unreadable as Maru gripped his necklace and gazed peacefully, lovingly, into his dark eyes.

She swallowed hard and turned her head.

Moving away from them, she set about preparing his feeding. A few minutes later, she turned away from the laundry sink, prepared bottle in hand. The sight of Maru resting comfortably in Itachi's arms threw her for a loop all over again. For a moment she just watched them, trying to wrap her head around the incongruous image. Itachi noticed her watching and carefully set Maru on the floor. The boy caught sight of Temari standing a few feet away and took off crawling towards her, grabbing fistfuls of her pant leg and yanking imploringly.

Temari gazed down at him, subdued. "That was some genjutsu, Uchiha."

"The illusion is only as strong as the receiver's desire to believe in it," he said, watching her scoop him up. "It didn't take much."

She took him to the cellar steps and sat down, smiling weakly in response when he beamed up at her and curled his fingers around her sleeve. He gripped the bottle alongside her hand and pulled it to his mouth, continuing to gaze up at her as he drank.

Once he was full, he dropped the bottle and squirmed in her lap. Temari set him on the floor, watching him crawl away. The change in demeanour was remarkable. He took to exploring the room with wide eyes and bright zeal, unknowingly heading once more for the dark-haired man who'd cast the philtre in the first place. Despite herself, she found herself smiling again, if only for his sudden vivacity. Illusory or not, the change was nothing less than merciful.

She rose and took the next twenty minutes to tend to herself. She ate rationed portions of the preserves and washed up. When she turned off the faucets and raised her head, the sight of her reflection in the small mirror gave her pause. Her chin and neck were marred with scratches, her black military wear darker in some spots with dried blood. Rips and scuff marks frayed the cloth near the hemline and the sleeves, and a visible seam ran the length of the midsection where she'd sewn the tear shut.

Reaching up, she traced her fingertips over it. The fleeting peace of mind gradually vanished. Her limbs grew heavy with the weight of the situation she'd found herself in.

The west coast had been lost. She'd accepted it, even if the reality made bile rise in the back of her throat. She'd believed it unfeasible based on the strength of her own denial, denial she'd fostered and clung to through the hellish thirty days she'd spent alone. It was a testament to how much she'd come to rely on it, she thought, that she'd lost her head at the mere possibility of seeing an untainted face among the first division.

She felt nothing where she should have felt hot shame for her impulsiveness. Calmly, she recognized it as a symptom of unravelling at the seams.

"Don't lose it," she murmured. "Keep it together."

She employed the same calm monotone she used to ease the nerves of her subordinates on A-rank missions.

"The first plan failed...so we'll resort to plan B."

All the denial in the world couldn't have stopped her from forming a back-up plan on the off chance the west coast was lost. She'd planned it in the first two weeks after the purge, noting it in her agenda and storing it in the back of her mind. Reflecting on it now, she realized it was still a viable mission with the extended timeframe of the new moon.

Taking another minute to think it over, she set her features into a calm mask and stepped out of the washroom.

Itachi was sitting in the corner, keeping an eye on Maru. The rips in his cloak from the night before were gone. The fabric was seamless, removing the possibility he'd fixed it sometime in the night. She didn't know whether to be impressed or disturbed by the extent of Edo Tensei's regenerative abilities.

Moving over to him, she leaned against the adjacent wall and crossed her arms. "It's the last night of the waning crescent."

He kept his gaze on Maru. "I know."

"I was waiting for the new moon to travel to the west coast. But that's obviously out of the question now." She paused, waiting for a reaction. When there was none, she uncrossed her arms and straightened.

"We can't stay here. You do know that."

"Yes."

"What's your plan?"

His expression finally flickered, eyes sliding away from Maru. "I need to find my brother."

There was a moment of silence. Part of her expected him to reply with something along those lines; another part of her was struck by its brevity. He was a closed book to her; all bound seams and smothered emotion. It was almost unsettling to hear such a simple goal from someone so otherworldly, especially when it was so similar to hers.

"And if you do," she ventured after a while, "then what?"

His response was mechanic, as though he'd rehearsed it from the beginning. "Find other survivors and retaliate."

Nothing in his expression told her he believed this possible.

Without replying, she ventured over to her pack and drew out her map. She laid it flat on the sewing table and looked at him expectantly. He rose and made his way over, stopping next to her as she pointed down at their position.

"The new moon's the only chance we've got at making an extended search," she said, running her finger towards the eastern coast. "You were heading here before I intercepted you." She uncapped her pen, circling a small spot high up on the east coast. "You probably don't know this, but that's where the Allied Forces headquarters is."

She dropped her arm back to her side. "That's where the four other kages last were."

"You propose we travel there?"

She shook her head, pulling her eyes away from the target and looking lower. "It's impossible to make it there before the next waxing crescent, especially with the obstacles we have in our way. Instead..."

She pointed at a small star located northeast of their current location. "This is a military checkpoint. One of Kumo's strongholds. If there's a chance of finding survivors outside of HQ, this is it."

"It's a day's journey," he said, eyes narrowing slightly. "There's nowhere to stop in between."

"I thought so, too. But here," she tapped a dark, crescent-shaped area located just below the target. "There's a series of caves midway to the checkpoint. We can stop there."

He remained silent, looking over the map and considering her plan. Temari's expression grew grim. "There's nowhere else. If we stay here..." She didn't need to finish, knowing he understood when he straightened and looked at her.

Before he could speak, he felt a tug on the hem of his cloak and lowered his eyes to the sight of Maru on the floor next to him.

They both looked at the obliviously happy infant, sifting through the innumerable ways the plan could go awry. Temari knew he knew of the hazards. She waited for his answer, throat tight. Eventually, he averted his gaze and turned away.

"We'll leave tomorrow."

She nodded once, feeling neither relief nor gladness. If anything, her tension mounted at the thought of making her first extended journey in thirty days. Not even counting Maru, a part of her wondered if she could handle the mission.

The thought prompted her to slowly flex her fingers. She only had a day to prepare. It would take every bit of her peak strength to see her plan through.

Leaving the two in the first room, she departed into the other and closed the door. Then she dragged a chair to the centre and reached for the wooden beams overhead. When she found one that would support her weight, she grabbed onto it and hoisted herself up, kicking the chair out from beneath her.

Exhaling slowly, she started her daily regimen of pull-ups.

It was difficult to improvise forms of resistance and cardio training in such a cramped space, but she compensated through sheer repetition. By the end of the workout two and a half hours later, she was unbearably sticky and dripping sweat. The basement was comparatively cool to the scorching heat outside, but her skin burned where the beams of sunlight slithered through the cracks in the floorboards.

When she opened the door and stepped into the laundry room, she found Itachi poring over her maps again. He raised his head at her entry. In response, she looked pointedly at the laundry sink in the corner.

"I need a bath."

He wordlessly stood up and headed towards the cellar doors.

She blinked. "Where are you going?"

He spoke without turning around. "I'm going to scope the area."

She was taken aback. "But—"

He stopped on the steps, fingers curling around the door handles. "I won't be seen."

When no response was forthcoming, he lowered his head and pushed the door open.

Sunlight flooded the steps for a second and then he was gone, closing the doors behind him. Temari walked over to close the latch again, lingering there long enough to hear his footsteps fade away.

When they were gone, she tugged the sweat-stained shirt over her head and headed towards the laundry sink. Maru crawled after her, lingering about her legs as she divested herself of the rest of her clothing and waited for the bucket to fill. When she made to step inside, Maru squawked from his spot on the floor. She glanced down at him.

Slowly, a small, crooked smile came over her face. "I suppose it's time you got one, too."

He returned an hour and a half later. She didn't notice his presence, holed up in the second room and caught up in managing her fraying chakra control. She compared the struggle to tuning an old radio, verging on finding the exact point of perfect clarity but encountering static on both ends.

Her frustration resulted in a lapse of control, leaking a fair bit of chakra into the air.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath.

The soft curse was followed by the sound of a shoe scuffing the floor and she immediately opened her eyes.

Itachi stood in the doorway, watching her. Seeing the unspoken question in his face, she relaxed the hold on the swirling web of chakra and reined it in, letting the rest dissipate like smoke.

"Just something I'm working on," she explained, discomfited by her breathlessness. "Nothing big."

He didn't reply and she was somewhat humbled and a little annoyed that he could see exactly how much trouble she was having. She shifted so she was facing her pack and set about oiling her fan. Before she could uncap the bottle, she heard him take a few steps towards her.

"What is its purpose?"

She paused, holding the cap in her hand before slowly placing it back on the bottle. "To see in the dark."

He remained silent, waiting for her to elaborate. Despite her aversion to giving away the secrets of her techniques, especially before she even had a chance to perfect them, she decided there was no point in keeping it hidden.

"I'm trying to manipulate the wind current around my body," she explained. "To pick up changes in air pressure."

He was perceptive enough to understand what that implied and gazed at her thoughtfully. "To create a sixth sense, of sorts."

She nodded. "I've been trying to get it right in time for the new moon, but..." she bit her lip, "my control's not where I want it to be."

He looked at her a moment longer, eyes appraising.

"Do it again."

"My chakra's—"

"Only for a moment."

Hesitant, but mollified with the assurance that it would only be a moment, she resumed her cross-legged position and closed her eyes. Very slowly, she eased her control on her chakra, feeling it seep over the surface of her skin. Narrowing her eyes in concentration, she flattened it as thin as possible, straining to mould it over the contours of her body. Once she was coated in the gently thrumming energy, she slowly added a spin to the currents.

Eventually she managed it, feeling her hair and clothes billow gently in the gusts, still all too aware of the chakra leaking from the air currents.

Itachi watched her, taking in the turbulent swirls of wind hovering above her skin and the ineffectual efflux still evaporating into the air. He nodded after a few seconds to let her know she could stop.

She did, releasing a breath as her hair and clothes drifted back into stillness. She looked at him expectantly as he remained silent for a moment.

"What you are attempting is difficult," he said after a while. "Manifesting your chakra in individual cyclones to cover your body—the technique is similar to Naruto's rasengan."

"Only on a much smaller scale," she supplied. And before he could ask, she continued, "I chose to manifest my chakra as cyclones because it compensates for the gaps I had when I did it streamlined."

"Yet you had better control over the former."

"Yes, but a gap isn't something I can see. I can't risk it."

"The way you are attempting it now is inefficient. Focus on the streamlined form." Her lips parted to protest, but he took a step into the room. "I will help you."

She was sure the reluctance showed on her features, but he did nothing to show he noticed it. Instead, he just watched her expectantly. Somewhat sceptical, she tried again, this time stopping at the stage of flattening and thinning her chakra over her body.

This form used only one-eighth of the chakra it took to form the cyclones, and she agreed it would be the manifestation of choice if only it provided complete cover.

"Stand up."

Surprise flickered over her face but she did as he asked, slowly rising to her feet. His eyes flicked over her form and he stepped closer. She noticed the kunai in his hand and grew tense in spite of herself. Her uncertainty ebbed a little when he held it out. Curious, she took it, wondering what he was doing when he circled her and came to a stop somewhere behind her.

"The back of your left knee, your right scapula, and the occipital region of your skull are uncovered."

Her eyes widened. "You can see the gaps?"

"Yes. Cover them."

She hesitated, wondering how to go about doing so. Pouring more chakra into the barrier would probably overlap the gaps and compensate, but that method had already proved crude and inefficient. The only other option was to visualize the regions he'd mentioned and manually extend the barrier.

Concentrating, she pictured the gaps and extended the reach of her chakra. Soon, the gusts ruffled her hair and clothes more noticeably. She focused on the sensation, memorizing it, and finally spoke.

"Did I cover them?"

There was a second of silence. Then she felt the air shift behind her head and break in a burst of pressure. She instinctively whipped around with her arm raised.

The jarring clang of metal on metal pierced the silence and she stared, shocked, at the sight of her kunai grating along the edge of his. He looked at her, a hint of satisfaction on his face.

"You covered them."

It quickly became clear to her that he intended to have her perfect it before the night was over. She summoned the barrier again and again, adjusting her control until she could sustain it without concentrative effort. The forced repetition was exhausting but served its purpose. She could now differentiate the distinct feel of gaps in the barrier and quickly extended her reach to cover them. His last inspection, and subsequent silence, was enough of an indication that she'd succeeded.

Night fell.

She put Maru to bed, lighting a single candle before returning to the first room. They cleared the floor till there was enough room to move around in, then waited until complete darkness fell.

Temari sat down with the candle and looked into the flame until spots appeared in her vision. When she was ready, she leaned forward and blew it out, plunging them into darkness.

The prolonged exposure to the light left her completely blind. It was disorienting, especially when she felt the weight of her surroundings despite feeling like she was standing in some fathomless void.

Her taijutsu was mediocre, at best, and from what she'd gathered from the short altercation of their first meeting, he was leaps and bounds above her level. He was right to insist on this final test.

"Are you okay with this?" she asked.

His voice emerged from somewhere in front of her. "I've adapted to see in the dark."

Without another word, she summoned the wind barrier one more time and settled into a defensive stance. He was on her immediately, the lightest swish of fabric alerting her to his movement before she felt the air break next to her head.

She ducked. The kick skinned the top of her crown, the near-miss sending adrenaline pouring into her veins. The dark only added to the tension, a natural reaction no amount of shinobi training could drive out. The fact that he stood waiting in the dark, watching her intently for an opening, only compounded the eerie sense of vulnerability.

The air imploded in front of her chest next, prompting her to shove her arms up in front of her to block another kick. Her reaction time was barely compensating for the lethally fast assaults, and it was with a grim sort of awe she realized he wasn't using anywhere near his top speed.

Instead of letting herself be cowed by the realization, she focused harder on her surroundings, using her ears and rapidly adjusting eyes in addition to the wind barrier.

Gradually she progressed from blocking to evading, and then to deflecting and manipulating the assaults in her favour. He granted her no leeway, instead increasing the speed and force of his attacks to match her improvement.

She felt a shift in the training session when the next blow sent her stumbling to the left. She quickly righted herself, grounding her feet and readying herself for the next attack.

"Fight back."

The disembodied voice emanated from somewhere to the left of her. Temari hesitated at the thought of going on the offensive, but the next set of attacks left her no choice. He was relentless, ruthlessly efficient in his strikes and completely silent. She couldn't even count on the draw of a breath to alert her to his location.

The force of the next impact sent a bolt of pain up her wrist. Wincing, she shook away the tingles in her arm and readied herself to retaliate, only to throw her arms up to block again. The blow sent her stumbling into a shelf. The collision resounded loudly in the dark, punctuated by the clatter of tools hitting the ground.

The noise was addling, driving up her hackles and spiking her heart rate. She darted away from the shelf and the rolling bolts, ducking the punch that followed. She threw a blind kick to stave him off. Her toes skimmed his cloak, and she was barely able to recover and avoid a leg sweep that would have sent her crashing to the ground.

Retreating, she felt her defensive form crumbling as he backed her into a corner. Her muscles ached from overexertion and loss of chakra, and she readied herself to take the next blow straight on because evading was out of the question.

The air rippled directly in front of her. Her eyes widened when it was followed by the soft, metallic clink of his necklace. Reacting instinctively, she reached in the direction of the noise and seized his arm, jerking him forward and intercepting the impending kick with her knee. Her hand shot out in the dark. Cold, marmoreal flesh grazed her fingers, and she realized her hand had found his throat. An instant later, she jerked back as though burnt, back colliding gracelessly with the wall behind her. For a long moment, her laboured breaths were the only sounds in the silence.

He remained motionless somewhere in front of her. Then he took a step back.

Temari blinked, squinting when the darkness vanished with the streamlined glow of flames falling from his lips. A candle came alive in his hand.

"That's enough for now," he said. "You did well."

She nodded, too out of breath to speak. He set the candle down.

"You should rest for tomorrow."

"Right," she managed to say. He turned away from her then and she departed into the next room. Closing the door, she walked forward and fell onto the mattress without changing.

Her hand tingled unpleasantly. She was struck with the urge to rub it out against her shirt and was immediately irritated with her reaction.

She'd touched him before. She'd been repulsed, then, too, but had refrained from recoiling.

Her brow furrowed and she closed her eyes. The darkness had made her forget. His willingness to help and the sound of his voice—calm, steady, and ever-patient—had let the thought slip to the back of her mind.

Shaking her head, she rolled onto her side and immediately felt her eyes grow heavy. She let her mind wander a bit before letting sleep overtake her, her last waking thoughts circling on the man in the next room.

She wondered if her reaction had bothered him.

The physical toll of training put her in a state of sleep verging on comatose. She slept through the beams of morning light splaying over her face, finally waking near noon. Sitting up, she stretched her stiff limbs and turned her head towards the crib. She froze. It was empty. A pang of fear seized at her throat and she ripped the covers off to stand up, but then a faint squeal of laughter and a softly murmuring voice crept through the cracks in the door. The tension deflated out of her.

She reached up to rub her eyes and squinted at the door. He must have come into the room while she'd been sleeping. Ignoring the disquieting feeling that came with knowing he'd seen her at her most vulnerable, she glanced at her watch and uttered a curse. She was an hour late for Maru's feeding. She got out of bed and made her way to the shelf where she kept his formula and bottle, only to stop midway. The shelf was empty.

As she stared at it, another soft gurgle of laughter seeped through the cracks. Her eyes lowered in understanding. Turning away, she moved towards the door and opened it.

She noticed Maru first, relaxing when she found him sitting contentedly on the floor. Then she glanced at the figure sitting in the chair.

"He woke early," Itachi said by way of explanation.

Temari didn't reply right away, instead dropping her gaze to the empty bottle and can of formula next to the chair.

"You fed him," she stated.

He remained silent. Then he reached down and gathered the bottle and tin. Temari watched him as he rose to his feet and approached her, holding the items out.

"You needed time to recuperate," he said when she just stared at him questioningly.

It occurred to her, then, that he expected her to be angry. She slowly reached out to take the items, then paused midway. Her hands hovered in the air a moment before pushing them back.

"He thinks you're his father," she said, brushing past him. "You might as well play the part."

If he was surprised, he didn't show it. They dropped the subject at that, concerned more with preparing for their departure. Maru crawled around them as Temari packed her necessities and stashed an arsenal of kunai, shuriken and exploding notes on her person. She went through the preparations with a calm mask, giving away nothing about the knots twisting her stomach or the sour feeling in the back of her throat.

Itachi waited by the door until she stepped into the first room and tucked her fan into its holster. Maru eagerly reached for her, holding fistfuls of her shirt as she tucked him into the sling around her shoulders. He nestled closer to her warmth and lay still, chewing the teething ring she gave him.

She wavered, then, taking a moment to look down at him. Her eyes flickered. Carefully, she pulled up the cloth to hide him from view and made her way over.

Itachi let her ascend the first step before opening the cellar doors. Sunlight spilled in, dousing them in heat and brightness. She squinted against the glare, emerging cautiously alongside Itachi.

The landscape was barren and completely silent. The only other house in the vicinity had long crumbled to ash, appearing as little more than a black smear on the horizon. Ducking her head against the light, she focused on their trajectory and started north. Itachi fell into step behind her, letting the doors fall closed behind him.

The ravine they'd taken two days before lay to the west, tapering off in the distance as they walked the razed plains. No vultures circled overhead this time, the sky clear, blue, and cloudless as far as the mountains in the west. The only sounds in the area came from the soft rustle of their footsteps in the grass, the only movement in the listless flight of dandelion seeds.

Temari observed the landscape and caught a sweet breeze, turning her head to find a tree shrouded with apple blossoms nearby.

The air was still, devoid of even the slightest hint of chakra. A closed expression slowly overtook her features. Madara was a pragmatic man. The nature of the extermination had proved to be a careful, systematic endeavour instead of a chaotic massacre.

He was following a plan, following probability and figures. The silence and serenity of this place could only mean one thing. It was now a dead zone.

Temari lowered her eyes to the mats of Thrift growing underfoot.

"You'd think it would be more desolate," she muttered.

The quiet footsteps continued behind her, giving no reply.

They continued north until the plains gave way to sloping hillsides and the cover of trees. Temari nearly came to a stop when she caught movement between the leaves, her sudden tenseness catching his attention. Seconds later, a hummingbird emerged from beneath the canopy, its wing beats surreal and loud in the silence.

Temari stared at it, steps slowing when it circled around overhead before disappearing into the leaves of another tree.

"Not everything needs to change."

The voice started her into movement. She resumed her normal pace, sparing him a side glance. He kept his gaze on the surrounding trees, skin ashen and eyes glistening like black ink. She turned back to face the horizon and didn't speak again.

Her wariness heightened as the terrain gradually changed again, drying off into shrubbery and rocky outcrops. Their shadows lengthened, growing dimmer with the dusting of pink and indigo in the sky. Maru stirred in his sleep, growing still again when she placed a hand against his back.

They were twenty minutes from the caves. She stopped next to an incline, feeling a peculiar sensation snake down her back. "There's something..."

He stopped next to her, looking over the sloped hillside.

"Chakra traces," he confirmed. "Four, at minimum."

She took a breath and drew her binoculars from her bag, bringing them to her eyes. "I can see the caves from here. If we go at a dead sprint, it'll take ten minutes."

She hesitated, fingers tightening around the binoculars as she lowered them. Maru suddenly felt heavy against her. "The terrain's no good. They're likely to ambush us."

He studied the rock formation below, weighing their options.

"Take Maru and run. I will cover you."

She tensed, throwing him an uncertain look.

"There will be more if they have time to react," he continued, looking up at the darkening sky. "You'll lose sight of the caves if you don't go now."

She didn't reply. When he lowered his eyes and looked at her, he found her staring out at the landscape with her arms wrapped firmly around the bundle against her chest. Her apprehension was understandable.

Asking for her trust in such decrepit circumstances was tantamount to blind faith, especially with the helpless life she carried in her arms. He took a step closer and she glanced up sharply, expression faltering at the look on his face.

"I will cover you," he assured quietly.

She was silent for a few seconds. Then she turned away and stood at the edge of the incline, arms tense by her sides.

"I'll call out."

He nodded, getting into place behind her. "Don't stop until you get there."

There was a pause. And then she took off sprinting down the hillside. Itachi was right on her heels, waiting in anticipation of the encroaching chakra signatures. Temari was barely able to evade in time when he suddenly leapt in front of her and intercepted a barrage of shuriken.

She just managed to catch sight of the tainted nin blending out of his surroundings in her periphery before she left them, her ears ringing from the report of shuriken on kunai. The others came out of hiding the instant the first collision rang out, aligning on the path ahead of her.

Her stomach lurched at the sight of them.

They were in terrible shape. Their clothes were torn to tatters, stab wounds and lacerations standing out at every surface. Some limbs were dark and bloated with infection. The pain must have been agonizing, but they walked with no hint of hindrance, dragging their weapons.

Once again, Itachi intercepted the two closest to her, allowing her to veer left and take the narrow gap between a boulder and cliff face. She'd hardly burst into the clearing when an axe cleaved the air inches from her head. Reeling sideways, she regained her footing in time to see the burly Konoha nin stagger back from a kick.

The man vanished in a move of stealth belying his size, appearing directly behind Itachi with his arms raised. Her blood stilled in her veins at the sight of the axe plunging through Itachi's left clavicle, severing him down the middle.

Then his body disintegrated into a writhing, black mass, the air breaking with the caws and wing beats of ravens. Before the nin could recover from the downward strike, a hand burst out of the ground behind him and snared his ankle. The roar of rage that followed was abruptly cut short when the man disappeared beneath the earth.

Recovering, she leapt down the slope of bedrock, adrenaline pouring into her veins at the sound of footfalls giving chase. Reaching into her thigh holster, she drew out a kunai and spun around, slashing for the throat.

It found home, cutting deeply into an Iwa nin's neck, only to snag midway as his form crumbled into dirt. The real one burst out of the ground an instant later, kunai aimed directly for her face. She threw herself out of the way, bracing a hand against Maru's back. By the time she raised her head, a kage bunshin cut off the Iwa nin bearing down on her, the collision of kunai on kunai ricocheting through the area with a loud crack. Itachi glanced at her over his shoulder, voice urgent. "Go."

She held his gaze for a moment, then turned around and fled.

The dark, sloping outline of the caves soon became visible. She raced along the edge of it, running her hand along the surface for a gap. When her hand finally slipped from grainy stone and met air, she immediately undid the strap on the sling and pushed through.

The gap was frighteningly narrow. She held Maru up near her neck, sucking in her breath to slither through the claustrophobic opening. She was halfway in when she saw a flash of flames in the distance. Leaning out, she shouted as loud as she could.

"North face, Uchiha!"

Then she ducked back inside, squeezing and gingerly manoeuvring her way through with the bundle pressed tightly against her neck.

Itachi found the opening a minute later, instantly layering it with a genjutsu before disappearing inside. Just to be certain, he formed a seal and slammed his palm flat against the cave wall. The overhang jutting above the entrance crumbled, showering it with boulders and dust until the gap was sealed and the last beams of light choked out.

In the black pitch, Temari's gasping breaths and Maru's cries were disconcertingly loud, echoing off their surroundings as he emerged into the cave and turned to the source of the noise.

"Are you hurt?"

"No," she managed to get out, leaning against the wall for support. "We're okay."

The cries gradually tapered off as Temari soothingly rubbed his back. The gentle sounds of water dripping and lapping against stone permeated the silence. There was a faint rustle of cloth and then a few clicks, followed by the soft spark of her lighter igniting. They were standing next to a subterranean river.

Itachi turned to the entrance, resting a hand against the piled rocks.

"Others may come. We can't leave from here."

Temari straightened from against the wall, lighting one of the candles in her pack before venturing forward. He turned around, following her gaze as it travelled the cave walls for a possible opening. The wall was smooth and solid until it tapered down into the river.

Her shoulders sagged. "There's no other way out."

As if sensing her disconcertment, Maru burst into shrill, agitated cries and squirmed within the sling. Temari turned back to the wall, setting the candle on the floor and undoing the knot. Itachi remained by the entrance, watching as she placed Maru on the ground and sat next to him.

Maru gradually quieted, relieved at being back on solid ground, and took to exploring the cave floor near the candlelight. Temari took the opportunity to prepare his feeding, partially out of need to distract herself from the daunting circumstances.

Itachi finally moved away from the cave entrance and settled onto the floor just outside the reach of the candlelight. "Rest for a few hours."

He didn't need to tell her. After travelling the better part of the day, she intended to. Snaring Maru around the middle, she plopped him into her lap and held the bottle to his mouth. Her head dropped back against the wall as he drank, eyes aimlessly searching the ceiling.

They'd made good time, all things considered. It was nearing 9:30 PM and the sky would stay black with the advent of the new moon. If they played their cards right, they could make it to the checkpoint before the night was over. And if worst came to worst, there would be enough time to make a trip back before the next night fell.

The only problem now was getting out of the cave.

She felt a nudge and glanced down to see that Maru had finished. Setting him down, she fished in her bag for a diaper, brows knitted in thought. Itachi remained silent by the entrance, his eyes on them but his gaze distant. Maru was blissfully unaware of their concerns, mumbling through his fingers and batting at the stones on the cave floor. One of them went rolling over the ground and fell into the water with a gentle splash.

At the sound, Temari glanced at the dark, rippling surface, reminded to wash her hands. Reaching into her bag, she drew out a disenfectant wipe to clean her hands, then dunked them into the water.

In the dim candlelight, her reflection was dark but discernible in the black depths, staring back at her with pensive eyes. The image was broken when Maru sent another rock tumbling into the water, and raising her head, she watched the ripple reach to the end of the cave wall.

Her eyes suddenly widened.

Itachi blinked, brought out of his reverie when she drew her hands out of the water with a splash and hurriedly dried them on her pants. He watched as she searched through her bag and withdrew a stack of folded papers.

Unfurling one, she set it on her lap and brought the candle closer.

"Look at this."

He got up and made his way over, settling against the wall next to her as she laid the paper flat on the cave floor. It was a topographic map, one of the few he hadn't perused. Wordlessly, Temari leaned down and traced her fingertips over the blue line of the Kumo River. It travelled northeast from the border and through the caves in a subterranean inlet, passing out the other end and continuing northeast towards their destination.

Understanding washed over them as he raised his head and looked at the dark water glistening nearby. The feeling devolved into apprehension when he finally spoke.

"How long can you hold your breath?"

Maru fell asleep a few hours later, curled up in the soft folds of the sling and her travel pack. The candle had dwindled down to a nub and she'd staved off her exhaustion with a chakra pill, hoping it would see her through to the next morning.

She would have preferred sleeping, but the cover of night would be her only shelter against the possibility of the checkpoint being overrun. The thought made her stomach turn, so she focused on preparing herself instead.

The clinks of her weapons echoed loudly in the cave as she set them aside on the floor. The iron weight of her fan would no doubt weigh her down in the water. She could only afford to take her underwater flares and keep her kunai and shuriken arsenal to a minimum.

As she clipped the last flare into place, the still surface of the water rippled. Temari raised her head, gaze falling on the dark head that broke the surface. Itachi planted his hands on the cave floor and hoisted himself out, trailing a stream behind him as he walked towards her.

"The water exits the cave at the other end. It should rejoin the Kumo River in the northeast direction."

Temari aimed an uncertain look at the murky depths behind him. "Can I make it through?"

"Not in one breath. But there are air pockets midway."

They were quiet, then, dwelling on the final loose end. The gentle rattling of Maru's teething ring broke the silence as he shifted in his slumber.

Slowly, Itachi moved over to him and lifted him into his arms. Temari watched from the side, heart wringing when Itachi murmured his name and touched cold fingers to his cheek. Maru stirred, whimpering at the disturbance, and cracked open his watering eyes to look up into the Sharingan.

It seemed unfathomable to leave him behind, but it was the only choice. Even if she could somehow take him with her, there was no way she could fend off the enemy should the checkpoint be overrun. Not with him on her hands.

But that still didn't stop her from feeling sick at what they were doing.

After a while, Itachi turned around and carried him back. Temari was minutely relieved to see him fast asleep again.

"He won't wake," he said quietly, lowering the sleeping bundle onto the surface of her bag. "Not until I release it."

She was somewhat comforted by that. It would have been inconceivably cruel to let him wake alone in the dark without his parents again. And if they didn't come back, she thought, brushing her fingers over his cheek, then sleeping unto oblivion was the most merciful fate she could think of.

After making sure Maru was well hidden behind an occlusion away from the water, Temari rose to her feet and followed Itachi over to the water's edge. They stood there, looking at their reflections as she reached into the first pocket of her flak jacket and withdrew a flare.

"Stay close," he said. "Watch the ceiling for air pockets."

She nodded and uncapped the flare, watching the sparks rain down into the depths. Without another moment's hesitation, she took a deep breath and stepped off the ledge with him into the water.

There was no time to adjust to the change in temperature or the disorienting blackness around her. The flares had a limited lifespan and she only had four of them. Kicking off the wall behind her, she plunged after him.

The first minute and a half was nothing less than terrifying. Her surroundings were nothing but solid rock, only exacerbating her need to breathe. Her gaze flitted sporadically between the ceiling for a sign of an air pocket and the dark fabric billowing a few feet ahead of her. She couldn't afford to lose sight of either.

Just as the first wisps of panic were beginning to settle in, he came to a stop in front of her and lifted his head towards the surface. Temari followed his gaze, moving her arms and legs as fast as she could to propel herself to the dark, irregular shape overhead.

She broke the surface, gasping for breath in the black, cavernous space. She gave herself ten seconds to swallow as much air as she could before drawing another breath and plunging back in. The calcium flare flickered, growing faint, and she wasted no time in withdrawing another and continuing after the dark, indistinct shape moving ahead of her.

She lost count of how many times she surfaced for breath after that, focusing instead on the increasing burn in her muscles and her dwindling number of flares. It was for that reason she couldn't react with anything but blind horror when her third flare suddenly sputtered and died thirty seconds after she'd lit it.

The water instantly became pitch black around her. She lost sight of Itachi and her proximity to the surface. Spinning around, she looked left and right for the opening she'd glimpsed moments ago, only to have panic seize at her chest as she floundered aimlessly in the dark. Her hands flew up to her pockets, scrabbling over the flaps for her last flare. The cold numbed her fingers. She groped clumsily for the small tube.

Her chest burned and tightened, legs turning to lead. She kicked hard when she realized the weight of her fan was dragging her down, movements growing frantic at the rising impulse to inhale a lung's worth of water.

Just as her fingers encircled the cylindrical tube of the flare, a vice-like grip seized her wrist and yanked her upward. She gave into the urge to breathe the instant she felt her head break the surface and drew huge, choking gasps when she emerged into a tiny air pocket nestled near the cave ceiling.

Scrambling for purchase in the disorienting blackness, she lit the flare with one hand while blindly reaching out with the other. Her fingers seized cold, wet fabric, holding tightly as she squeezed her eyes shut to the influx of bright, hissing light.

When she cracked her eyes open, she found herself in a niche no more than two feet high and four feet wide, its surfaces slick and glistening with the orange glare. She found Itachi just across from her, holding to her wrist as she kept a white-knuckled grip on the front of his cloak.

"Are you all right?" he questioned.

It took her a moment to get enough air into her lungs to respond, a part of her unsettled by his calm disposition and lack of breathlessness. But then she realized he wasn't breathing at all and squeezed her eyes shut again.

"Let's not do that again," she said hoarsely.

He released his hold on her wrist, bracing his hands against the slick rock surface instead to let her catch her breath. When she'd recovered enough to open her eyes again, he looked pointedly at the sputtering flare.

"How many do you have left?"

She grimaced. "This is it."

He nodded, looking down at the surface of the water. "We're almost there."

His eyes moved to the sputtering flare, then, narrowing at its dwindling light. "It won't last until then."

Her throat tightened at that, dread bearing down on her at the thought of navigating the water in the dark again. He noticed her expression and took the flare from her hand, manoeuvring around in the tight space till his back was to her.

"Hold on and don't let go. The current is strong from here."

Clenching her jaw to ward off her misgivings, she seized the fabric of his hood and wound it tight in her fist. He gave her just enough time to take a deep breath and then plunged back into the water. She followed, holding tight and kicking hard to keep up as he navigated towards the opening.

The flare extinguished a minute later, plunging them into blackness again. Temari felt that familiar foreboding press down on her chest and held tighter to his hood, grip tightening that much more when she felt the pull of the current.

The force of the water nearly squeezed the air from her lungs. She held on and screwed her eyes shut, bracing herself when she felt herself pulled violently upwards.

They burst out of the cave opening and into open water. She let go of him, then, needing both arms to swim to the surface and propel herself towards the riverbank. The current receded, giving way to calm water farther down the river. She let herself be carried out to it before swimming over to the bank.

Dragging herself over the edge, she felt the soil crumble beneath her fingers and the grass sink beneath her weight. Relieved, she flopped onto it stomach-first, fighting to catch her breath.

A few seconds later, she heard the grass rustle beneath approaching footsteps and lifted her head. Itachi stood over her, looking comparatively unruffled. She did not wait for him to offer her a hand and dragged herself to her feet. Squeezing as much water out of her clothes as she could, she fell into step beside him as they turned away from the bank and started towards the checkpoint.

They walked without speaking for the first thirty minutes. It felt surreal to be out in the open night again. She half-expected to catch a glimpse of the red moon between the gusting clouds, but the sky remained clear and black. For the first time in a long time, she openly gazed up at the sky, relishing the feel of starlight on her eyes.

Next to her, Itachi walked silently, looking straight ahead. She could gauge nothing from his expression, nor anticipate the sorts of thoughts going through his head.

Guilt scored her chest as she thought of Maru, nestled safely in the cave in a void of wakeless sleep. Her resolve buckled, steps slowing slightly as the gravity of what they'd done sank in.

"He will be fine."

Temari glanced up at the voice. Itachi didn't acknowledge the look, saying nothing else to supplement his cursory statement. He didn't have to.

The careful way he'd held him and the soft touch of his fingers to Maru's face had betrayed his detachment.

They continued on in silence, following the river and keeping alert for hints of chakra. The path remained undisturbed the entire way. She didn't hold to groundless hope, well aware it would only hurt her more if she expected anything less than disappointment.

An hour and a half later, they both came to an abrupt stop at the sight of something glowing on the horizon. Temari drew her binoculars out of her flak jacket, peering out at the dark as Itachi looked on. After a few seconds, she lowered them.

"It's the checkpoint," she said, voice tight. "The lights are on."

Itachi said nothing, gazing out at it with narrowed eyes.

"I don't feel any chakra," she said a moment later. "Do you?"

"No."

Her unease intensified even before she heard his answer. They started forward again, steps soundless in the undergrowth.

Twenty minutes later, they stopped a short distance away from the dome-shaped building. The source of bright light became apparent. The emergency floodlights had been switched on. Across the brick expanse, the windows were boarded over. Shattered glass and splintered wood littered the ground. Holes gouged the soil in the surrounding perimeter, evidence of doton users attempting to tunnel their way inside. At the entrance, planks of wood and broken chains littered the ground. The door stood ajar.

Lowering her eyes, Temari felt herself grow numb at the sight of fresh footprints in the surrounding dirt. She moved closer, eyes scoping the perimeter. There were haphazard footprints moving off in every direction away from the building. A sign of a frantic escape.

Her voice came out smothered. "We're too late."

There was still no trace of chakra. Itachi lingered by the front door a little while, head lowered as though listening for something. When he finally looked up, she caught his glance and moved to follow as he stepped over the chains and disappeared inside.

Flickering, fluorescent lights illumed the hallways, humming loudly in the silence. Temari stepped over the glass littering the floors, glancing past every open door for a sign of life.

The first floor was completely devoid of it. She followed as Itachi opened the door to the stairwell and started to the second floor. On the second flight, they found muddy footprints and a discarded kunai, following the trail until they emerged onto the floor.

They stepped past the doorway and stopped short. At the end of the hallway, Temari caught sight of twin blood smears in the shapes of hands running the length of the floor and disappearing behind the corner. A limp arm lay stretched out past the threshold of the nearest door.

They didn't move or speak for several seconds. Then Itachi slowly moved over to the door and stepped inside. Temari was quick to follow when no sounds were forthcoming, stepping past the body and into what was probably a meeting room. The place was in complete disarray, looking as though it had been ransacked.

The windows had been shattered, exposing the night sky and filling the room with the sweet scent of nearby wildflowers.

It made her want to throw up.

An inspection of the rest of the rooms on the floor yielded the same result. There had been an obvious break-in; judging by the number of footprints, at least sixty shinobi had been involved. The fact that the bloodstains were still wet meant that up until a few hours ago, the place had been a shelter for the untainted.

A few hours, she thought repeatedly, masking her disbelief as her gaze swept the destroyed room. A few hours.

The thought was instantly followed by a realization.

"They didn't burn it," she said aloud.

Itachi glanced up from where he'd been examining a bloodstain. Temari moved over to the window, looking out at the tracks beneath the floodlights.

"The survivors outnumbered the enemy. That's why they didn't burn this place yet—they went after them."

"Meaning they will be back," he surmised. "We should leave."

She turned away from the window and strode over to the drawers. "Hold on."

He lingered by the door as she swept around the room opening drawers and cabinets, grabbing whatever she thought useful. Several charts and maps tacked the walls, marked with X's and blacked-out zones eerily reminiscent of her own findings. Those went into her pockets last before she joined him by the door.

Within a minute, they were back outside, trailing the footsteps surrounding the building.

"They move off in all directions," Itachi observed, raising his head and peering into the darkness. "Some southwest."

Temari stiffened at that, following his gaze and noting several tracks taking off down the route back to the caves.

"It took us two hours to get here by the river," she said, following the footprints away from the building. "Our best guess is they escaped by the same margin. If some of them went this way—"

She looked pointedly at the path they had to take back. "They'll have reached the caves by now. If enemy backup showed up after you got rid of the ambushers..."

She trailed off. There was a stretch of silence. Then they looked at each other, sharing a brief moment of realization before immediately breaking into a run.

If a melee took place near the caves, there would undoubtedly be a massacre. On the off-chance the battle was still going, they'd be forced to engage to get Maru back.

But more than any of that, Temari thought, feeling sick, the scale of the fight could have already breached the caves. Gritting her teeth, she ran faster. The fear only heightened forty minutes into their route when the first body came into sight. It lay pale and still in the tall weeds, sprawled facedown.

Temari spared it a look before forcing her gaze back on the horizon, knowing there was no point in stopping and checking for vital signs. The feel of the grass squelching wetly beneath their feet made it clear there wouldn't be.

Several more corpses crossed their path before they spotted the caves in the distance. The rock face was barely visible, made discernible only by its sheer blackness against the already inky backdrop. They slowed to a stop, then, tensing for a feel of chakra.

The air was still and devoid of sound. They remained motionless for several seconds, listening. When no noise was forthcoming, they slowly ventured forward, stopping when they made it into the clearing.

The surrounding rocks shone faintly with streaks of blood, torn asunder by the force of violence that had taken place. Weapons littered the ground and at least a dozen bodies lay scattered before them, some hunched over and leaning against boulders.

"They've gone ahead."

Temari turned away from the carnage, finding Itachi looking out at the hills. She followed his gaze, seeing nothing to imply the survivors and enemy had made it over the incline. But then her eyes caught on a flicker in the star-speckled backdrop. She squinted.

In the distance, a thin stream of smoke curled into the night sky.

Her fleeting relief instantly gave way to foreboding. "Maru—"

Without another word, she took off running into the clearing. Itachi was right behind her, his pace faltering only slightly at the deep holes gouging the earth and the scorch marks blackening the stones. The body count mounted just outside of the caves. Large sections had crumbled away and a charred corpse still glowed faint with embers a few metres from the entrance.

Temari skidded to a stop near it, eyes aimlessly searching the illusory wall as Itachi came to a stop next to her. The solid rock melted away, revealing a landslide of boulders barring the gap. Clapping her hands over her ears, she turned away as he formed a seal and slammed his hand onto the barrier.

The rocks and most of the cave wall imploded inwards, clattering over the floor and splashing into the river. They clambered through the opening, kicking aside the remaining boulders until they made it inside. Itachi disappeared somewhere ahead of her and Temari clicked her lighter until it finally came to life. She almost dropped it in relief at the sight of him carrying Maru back to the entrance.

Moving closer, Temari quickly glanced over him. He was still and serene, breathing deeply and looking as though he hadn't stirred even once. Reassured, she sped past them and grabbed her bag and remaining weapons. When she made to turn back, she stopped short.

Itachi stood by the entrance, his arm outstretched. The strap of the sling dangled from his hand.

She wavered, staring at it a moment. Then she looked up at him. "You take him."

He did not object and she turned away to stash her weapons and don her bag. By the time she turned around, he'd already draped the sling around his shoulder and tucked Maru out of sight within his cloak. Temari glanced out the cave entrance, chest rising and falling rapidly. Her brows knit low at the unspoken question now weighing the air.

Would it be better to cut their losses and run, she wondered, or pursue the tainted and survivors in the hopes of gaining more allies?

She momentarily closed her eyes. Not only had the west coast been lost, but the Kumo stronghold was gone, too. She would not see another new moon for another month. If she were to take on the tainted now, it would be her best chance to procure more allies.

The thought was immediately tempered by the number of bodies they'd encountered scattered along their trail. Temari opened her eyes, her gaze settling on the small lump nestled beneath Itachi's cloak. To take something so defenceless out into the front lines was unthinkable.

And him, she thought, raising her eyes to the red ones gazing impassively back at her. Even someone as inhumanly powerful as he could be brought down by the sheer brutality and unyielding force of the enemy. The west coast had been enough proof of that. It had been her mistake. She would not make it again.

"We won't engage," she said, voice low. "We'll go back to the bunker. Any objections?"

He made no reply at first, looking at her as though he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"No," he said eventually.

Dropping her head, she brushed past him and paused at the cave opening. "Let's go."

He moved to follow and she stepped out into the night air, stomach roiling at the stench of burnt flesh. Covering her nose, she started past the rubble of the cave wall, bypassing the smouldering corpse. Raising her head, she scoped the horizon for an alternate route back to the border when a voice burst out screaming.

She gasped at the sheer volume and suddenness of it, instinctively reaching for her fan. Then she realized it was coming from directly behind her and whipped around. Her lips parted in horror.

The charred corpse next to them had raised its head up to the night sky, its mouth open in the most unearthly, bloodcurdling scream she'd ever heard. The sight wasn't nearly as shocking as that of its nearly skeletal hand gripping the end of Itachi's cloak.

His eyes had widened in unconcealed shock. There was no chakra emanating from the thing next to them—it was running on its last heartbeats alone. Despite that, and despite the burnt, mutilated remains of its face, the twisted expression of mad fury still shone through.

The fabric of the cloak tore as Itachi jerked away from its grip. Before it could recover enough for another swipe, Temari raised her fan and brought it down hard on top of its head. Blood sprayed the cave wall and the loud crack of the skull splintering echoed throughout the clearing.

Then there was silence. Heart racing, Temari turned away from the corpse and threw an incredulous look at Itachi. He said nothing, regarding the thing with a clear air of disquiet. The expression put Temari on edge and she moved over to his side, throwing a hasty look over her shoulder at the burnt body.

"Let's get out of here."

Wordlessly, he looked away from the corpse and moved to follow as she broke into a run. As the caves dwindled in the distance and they left the disturbing incident behind them, Temari felt herself grow restless.

The tainted didn't talk. That much she was certain of after more than a month observing them. But therein was the problem. She'd gotten the inkling they communicated through some form of telepathy. That thing had gotten a clear look at Itachi before she'd killed it, with more than enough time to relay a message.

The fact that it had bypassed her when she'd walked right past it and aimed instead for him had to mean something.

Something prickled on the back of Temari's neck. Despite herself, she turned her head to glance over her shoulder as they ran up the incline. Nothing but the dark expanse of the land looked back at her. Lowering her eyes, she caught Itachi sparing a similar look behind them.

Swallowing, she forced herself to look forward and leapt up over the edge of the rock. Her eyes swept the ground for footprints, finding none. Instead, she caught sight of the smoke again and gritted her teeth when she realized it intersected their route back.

"We'll have to go the long way around," she said between laboured breaths, "Eastward, through another dead zone. No stops."

"Are you able?" he said from behind her.

Temari counted the hours since she'd last taken a chakra pill. Slowly, she nodded. "I can do it."

This time he stepped ahead of her to take the lead, glancing at her over his shoulder. "Watch the back."

At the words, Temari recalled the wary look he'd thrown to the north and felt the back of her neck prickle again. She nodded. He leapt up over the boulders then and she moved to follow, keeping her wind barrier in place.

Smoke continued to billow in the west, growing thicker in the night sky. They travelled the first three hours without incidence, picking up only on fleeting traces of chakra in the distance. It wasn't a cause for concern until the blips grew denser in formation and less intermittent. They were still far off enough to void the possibility of immediate danger, but the frequency was unsettling.

Temari glanced over her shoulder again. "Can you—?"

"I feel it," he affirmed.

"It's almost crescent-shaped," she muttered in bewilderment, visualizing the formation. "Farther east."

Itachi glanced in that direction before veering west to create some distance. They'd passed the ominous trail of smoke hours before. Gradually, the feel of chakra traces dwindled into a vague, faraway hum.

Temari continued to wonder about the peculiar, crescent-shaped formation in the east, not realizing what it meant until another hour passed and they discovered another plume of smoke rising into the sky, bigger than the last and steadily growing larger. At the same instant, the creeping surge of chakra charged the air again, this time emanating from the west.

Itachi came to a sudden stop, shoulders tense. Temari halted next to him, her suspicions confirmed when she caught the look on his face.

"Shit," she breathed, realizing what was happening. "They're closing in on us."

Confounded, she turned away, eyes skimming aimlessly over the endless horizon. "That nin must have sent out a message. But it's never been like this. It's never been this big."

"We have to go."

Temari turned around. Itachi was gazing out at the billowing smoke, eyes hard. Before she could ask, he took off running towards it. Temari blinked in disbelief before moving to follow.

"What are you doing?"

"The formation to the east is a separate group," he said without slowing down, "they're less likely to have suffered losses and injuries." He glanced in their direction. "The ones in the west have been pursuing the survivors all night."

Temari understood what he was implying and looked apprehensively to the trail of smoke. "Then we'll have to fight our way out of there."

"That is the best chance for survival," he replied, "and the shortest route."

Temari fell silent, realizing he was right. She spared a look at him and the bundle beneath his cloak, biting her lip. Despite all her misgivings, she'd seen enough of his prowess to know he was better off protecting Maru than she was. He'd already proven himself trustworthy enough.

"Take care of him," she found herself saying.

Itachi looked at her.

No other words were spoken between them as they closed the gap between themselves and the column of smoke. At least now, if she did meet her end out here like so many others, she would die with a degree of peace knowing Maru was in good hands.

Slowly, echoes of breaking stone and distant shouts came to bear. Frenetic chakra bursts climbed and dipped. The scent of burning grass permeated the air, along with a sickly sweet smell reminiscent of burnt flesh.

Small fires became visible on the surrounding grassland. Finally, Temari was able to recognize where they were. The location was two hours from the bunker, situated on grassland devoid of rock or tree cover. Several metres down, the faint susurrations of the Kumo River softened the clang of weapons. Shouts and roars carried over the breeze. Temari bit the inside of her mouth, tasting blood.

"Cut a path through them as fast as you can," Itachi said next to her. "We have approximately twenty minutes until the enemies in the east arrive."

Temari released a breath and nodded. "When you're ready."

She counted the seconds as he listened intently to the encroaching battle. When he tensed and leaned forward, she tightened her grip on the fan and ground her heels into the dirt.

"Now."

They burst into the clearing, instantly breaking into a sprint. Almost immediately, Temari found herself having to slow her stride to dodge the myriad of corpses littering the ground. The clash of weapons and raised voices were disorienting in the dark, loud enough to smother the steps of the Kumo nin bearing down on her from behind. It wasn't until the draw of his sword disrupted the air flow by her neck that she was able to react.

She leapt away from the swing, hearing the blade whistle through the air inches above her head. Unfurling her fan, she spun around and slashed out in front of her, hoping to throw him off. The sharp edge caught him in the stomach, doing nothing to dissuade him as he continued forward and struck again. The next sword strike collided violently off the edge of her fan, the impact reverberating all the way to her jaw.

Recognizing there was no point in aiming for non-lethal strikes, Temari booted him in the chest to knock him back and brought her fan up by her shoulder to sever his head from his body. Before she could gather momentum for the swing, he reeled back, raised his head, and suddenly leapt past her.

Her eyes widened in astonishment. Without dropping her guard, she whirled around lest he strike her from behind, only to catch sight of him running away. She stared after him, features slackening in shock. Slowly, she lowered her fan and gazed around the field.

The clash of the tainted fighting the survivors had abruptly fallen silent. In the light of the massive fire burning in the centre of the field, she caught sight of staggering shinobi running away, suddenly abandoned by their adversaries in the midst of battle.

Her lips parted, nearly giving in to the urge to call out to them. Instead, when the distant sound of fighting broke through the roar of flames, Temari tore her attention away from the escaping survivors and forced herself to start forward in search of Itachi.

The fire had grown massive. Smoke curled thick in the air, obscuring what little she could see in the dark. Raising her fan to cover her face, she held her breath and dashed through the smoke screen, feeling the heat tingle across her cheek and scalp.

The fresh air was like ice on her skin once she passed the fire's reach. Squinting, she finally lowered her fan and looked towards the source of the noise. The air left her lungs.

Dozens of the tainted—bleeding, dismembered, previously engaged—had all started towards a single target thirty metres ahead. When she caught the flash of flames and the caws of ravens carrying over the clamour, she suddenly understood.

Her legs burst into movement and she swung her fan open, leaping upon it to get there faster. As she hurtled towards the centre of the throng, the message of the burnt nin, the impending threat from the east, and the enemy's abrupt focus on Itachi suddenly made sense. The sight of a sealing scroll held amongst the group confirmed it.

The disposal of Uchiha Itachi had taken priority over the purge.

Temari plummeted through the sky till she was directly over the shinobi carrying the scroll. Snapping her fan closed, she lunged at him. The man collapsed face-first into the ground when she slammed into his back, hardly able to lift his head before she brought her fan down on the back of his skull.

When it caved beneath the blow, she snapped the fan back open and bit her thumb, streaking it across the canvas as several nin leapt for the scroll. Kamatari burst from the cloud of smoke and hurtled towards the group closest to her, immediately mowing them down.

Without waiting to see the extent of damage, she spun towards the others and blew them off their feet long enough for her to snatch up the scroll. Before she could touch it, the air warped at the back of her head and she threw herself out of the way. A kunoichi lunged for the scroll, stabbing viciously at Temari with a sai when she attempted to kick her off.

Staggering back, Temari raised her fan and lunged at the woman. She was stopped midway when the prongs of the sais snared into the fan's folds and stopped its descent. Temari grit her teeth and shoved against them, trying to topple her over. The woman snarled in response, froth building in the corners of her mouth, eyes wide and livid.

Temari shoved again. When it didn't budge and her gaze settled on the sight of a Konoha nin racing for the discarded scroll, she dropped all pretences and released the fan.

Seizing the kunoichi by the shoulders, she squeezed her eyes shut and slammed her head forward. The head butt caught the woman straight in the nose. It broke on impact, spraying blood as she fell back. Temari stumbled back and snatched up her fan again, spinning around in time to swing it upwards and catch the Konoha nin in the jaw.

He fell back and she finally seized it. Turning, she hurled it into the burning grass before taking off in search for another. It didn't take long. Standing a mere twenty feet from his target, a shinobi held a scroll ready in the crook of his arm. His hands were raised in a seal.

Temari caught the familiar symbol on the back of his flak jacket and froze. He was a member of the Nara clan. She knew what the jutsu was before she even saw the shadow stretch past his feet. Without wasting a second, she vaulted over the bodies and sprinted towards him, heart jumping into her throat at the speed of the shadow racing towards Itachi's feet.

Raising the fan up by her shoulder, she swung around and slammed the blunt end of it into his leg. It snapped his tibia, crumpling his leg beneath him. He collapsed with a guttural cry, losing the jutsu midway. She couldn't even bring herself to feel relief when she saw he wasn't who she thought he was. Instead, she lacerated the scroll to ribbons with a swing of her fan and took off running again.

In the ensuing chaos, she managed to kill another three before they could add to the group already battling Itachi. A part of her knew the only reason her berserker tactic was working was because they were too intent on their target to reciprocate blows. One of them finally caught her in the back with a vicious kick, the blow doing as intended and knocking her aside. She collapsed onto the grass, needing a moment to catch her breath as she lifted her head to look over the field.

A few metres ahead of her, Itachi was fending off six others on his own, keeping his distance to protect the bundle against his chest. Alarm spilled into her features when she noticed the enormous shinobi charging him with the sealing scroll from behind.

Even if Itachi did notice him in time, the size and force of chakra radiating off the man's frame was reminiscent of the sort supplied by specialized chakra pills. The only thing he could possibly do to fend him off was use that enormous, skeletal technique she'd seen him use against the first division.

But he wouldn't, she realized, her eyes widening. He couldn't use it now. Not with Maru there.

In front of her, black flames erupted from the ground in an effort to impede the horde. It was as brutally effective as last time, burning them alive as they ran through it. The sight of the sealing scroll closing in on him startled her into getting to her feet again.

Sprinting through the small bonfires dotting the grass, she leapt into the giant shinobi's path with her fan raised as a shield and thrust her other arm out behind her. The wind barrier disappeared, streaking down the length of her arm in a condensed torrent of chakra until it burst out of her hand. The turbulence was terrifying, half-threatening to rip her arm off, but she held to it, screwing her eyes shut and clenching her teeth in preparation. The shinobi smashed headlong into her, nearly snapping her arm.

The torrent of chakra gouged the earth behind her, spraying up rocks and debris. It took all her effort to keep from toppling backwards beneath his weight, feet dragging through the ground beneath his relentless assault.

When he realized her feeble attempt at stopping him was actually slowing him down, he stopped long enough to raise a fist and smash her aside. She seized her chance the moment he lifted his arm. The torrent of chakra condensed into a fine stream, growing as flat and thin as possible in that one second before she blindly swung her arm out in front of her. Blood sprayed her face when the wind found its target, severing his throat.

He staggered backwards, grip loosening on the scroll just enough for her to tear it out of his hands. Without wasting a second, she plunged her hand into her bag and drew out her exploding notes, slapping all twelve of them onto it and activating them simultaneously.

Her legs wobbled beneath her, hands cold and clammy from chakra depletion. Gasping for breath, she stumbled away from him and turned around, managing to shout loud enough for her voice to carry over the clamour.

"Take cover!"

Itachi heard her the same moment three more of the tainted ran through the flames. He glanced at her in time to see her swing her fan and ducked the slice of wind she sent flying over his head. It caught the closest shinobi in the midsection, slicing deep enough to knock them off balance and exacerbate the flames into a massive fireball. Itachi took that fraction of a second to break into a run when she spun around and flung the sealing scroll in their direction.

Her head whirled with the effort, hardly registering that she was standing too close to the impending explosion. She was spared the need to move when he knocked her to the ground, throwing them down into a crater. The earthen wall slammed up against her back and she instinctively gripped his sleeves when he draped his arms over her head.

The explosion was deafening, reverberating through the ground and uprooting massive chunks of earth. For what felt like a minute, mud and bloody debris rained over the clearing, impacting off their huddled frames. Several seconds later, when the last of the pattering tapered off, she finally shifted. He drew away, leaning back as she managed to sit up and focus blearily on him in the dark.

"Is he...?"

Itachi reached up and pulled back the front of his cloak. Maru lay curled up inside, nestled safely against his chest. His cheeks were smooth and untouched next to the muddy, blood stained material of the cloak. Relieved, Temari collapsed back against the dirt wall to catch her breath.

He sat next to her, enshrouding Maru in the cloak again as papery slips of skin resealed his wounds. For a long moment, they didn't speak, listening to the silence and staring sightlessly up at the night sky.

Her nerves were completely shot, numbing her to her surroundings. But the complete and utter absence of sound and chakra removed the possibility that any of them had survived. Her relief was short-lived, though, as Itachi soon got to his feet and looked down at her.

"We need to leave."

She nodded, closing her eyes momentarily before dragging herself to her feet. They climbed out of the hole, finding the clearing empty. A thick haze covered the ground, the black flames still smouldering a few meters away. She turned to look at him in the light. A thin stream of blood ran from his right eye down to his chin, still dripping.

"Which way back?" she questioned wearily, looking out at their route. "We're right out in the open."

"The Kumo River," he replied, glancing behind her. He moved past, steps quickening, and she did not miss the sharpness in his voice. "They're masking their chakra."

Temari quickly moved to follow, breaking into a run despite her exhaustion. "How far are they?"

He said nothing until they'd made it past the burning grasslands and the river came into view. She tried to feel for the chakra herself and realized why he'd never replied. She couldn't feel anything.

Her eyes narrowed in bewilderment. How could such a large group hide their chakra so seamlessly, and all at once? As though hearing her thoughts, he turned his head to speak. She never heard past the first word, though, because his eyes suddenly flashed and he abruptly came to a stop.

Before she could react, there was a muffled thump, followed by a hoarse cry. She whipped around, eyes widening in disbelief when a body dropped twenty feet behind her. She'd hardly taken in the sight of the kunai protruding from his neck before she heard another smothered cry and looked farther ahead. The flash of a katana lit the air and slashed down, cutting off the source of the noise.

"Keep moving."

Temari started at the voice, turning and finding Itachi by her side. In the distance, another cry was cut short. And then another.

Without asking further questions, she moved to follow as they broke into a run again.

"They sent spotters," he said in the midst of their sprint, "the kage bunshin won't last long against them."

Understanding dawned on her. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing nothing in the landscape streaking by. The peace would be fleeting. They only had as long as the kage bunshin could give them to get out of range and back to the bunker.

To their credit, the clones held them off longer than they anticipated. It wasn't until forty minutes later and the flatlands returned to rocky outcrops that the others emerged. Temari vaulted out of the way when a kunoichi lunged into their path from behind a rock cover.

Itachi intercepted her instantly, manipulating the kunai out of her hands and through her heart as another bunshin appeared and engaged the second shinobi that followed.

The previous reluctance to take lives was gone. He killed quickly and ruthlessly, silencing their screams and whatever message they hoped to relay back to the others. Temari was no exception; lethal slices of wind passed rapid and invisible from the swings of her fan, finding the stragglers behind them. The repeated assaults were taking their toll, though, and she fell farther back to fend them off as their numbers mounted.

A kunoichi collapsed at her feet, gurgling blood as Temari wrenched the kunai out of her chest. The same kunai found home in a shinobi's throat and he stumbled past her, collapsing face-first into the river. Temari staggered away from the riverbank, glancing over her shoulder long enough to see Itachi throwing aside a faceless, haemorrhaging corpse. Breathing hard, she mustered the strength needed to run back to him and hopefully sprint the rest of the way to the bunker. She didn't think her body could withstand anymore chakra loss.

She'd only managed to run forward a few steps before she heard a metallic click behind her. Cursing, she leapt out of the way, feeling the point of some sharp projectile graze the skin of her calf. Reeling around, she raised her arms to muster one final blow to throw them off and make a run for it.

The sight in front of her made the swing falter midway.

From the distance, the rumble of footsteps reverberated through the ground. Plumes of dust rose up on the horizon. The air that had been so fallaciously still curdled with killing intent.

She felt none of it.

The only thing she could focus on was the hunched silhouette thirty feet away from her. He raised his arm. Another hollow, clicking sound filled the air.

"No," she whispered, voice cracking. "Please, no."

She recognized the mop of hair. The tattered cloth. The whirs and clicks of gears she'd seen him fix lovingly at the dining table. He moved closer and her insides turned to ice. Her fan slackened in her grip.

When the gusts of wind abruptly died behind him and the distant roars redoubled in volume, Itachi immediately whipped around, eyes sweeping the landscape for the sand kunoichi. What he saw momentarily left him dumbfounded.

She was running straight at one of them, screaming something that drowned in the approaching discord. His eyes darted to the figure charging her with equal vehemence and something seized in his chest.

A beat. And then his feet were pounding over the dirt before he even registered the command to run.

She blew him back repeatedly, shouting over the clash of wind and rattling puppet parts, begging him to get a hold of himself. When the bursts of wind began cutting into his flesh and he started to bleed, her vision became blurred and the strength left her limbs. Undeterred by his injuries, he turned red, wild eyes on her and bared his teeth, charging her again. Lifting her fan, she tried to swing it and found herself incapable.

She should have been running away. She should have been attacking because she knew the futility of doing otherwise. Yet she stood there, not knowing what she was doing and acknowledging that he would kill her as soon as she was within striking distance. She didn't know what she hoped to accomplish screaming a constant refrain of his name and the commands to stop, please stop, it's me. But she still did it.

He saw and heard none of it. Sasori hurtled towards her, the sounds of whirring blades overriding the surrounding noise. She saw the blades coming, saw them cutting her in half within the next six seconds, and could do nothing but hold his gaze with anguished eyes.

The humming whir was interrupted an instant from meeting her waist by the clang of her fan catching the blades. There was a jamming, tearing noise as the blades caught on the reinforced steel and warped beyond repair, sending the puppet spiralling out of control and crashing into the ground.

The next moment, her brother and the multitude of tainted were swept away by a sudden surge of water, the deluge rising from the river next to her. Her lips parted in shock, head turning towards the sight of Itachi holding his hands in a seal behind her. A second later, she lunged forward and snatched up her fan, about to break into another sprint to go after her brother when an arm seized around her waist. She lurched against his hold, shrieking as he yanked her back and pinned her fan to her chest.

Her screams fell on deaf ears. He turned them in the opposite direction and ran, running till the land streaked by in a blur and the glittering sea of river water disappeared in the distance. At some point she stopped screaming; stopped fighting. He did nothing to acknowledge it and kept running.

The tainted didn't follow. They made it back an hour later, with her strangely silent and almost docile in the way she stepped down into the cellar. She went into the corner and sat down. She didn't look at him, nor did she speak.

He stood in the centre of the room staring at her for a few seconds. Then he moved away to tend to the child.

Hours later, after he'd put Maru to bed and secured the doors, he ventured over to her and laid a candle on the table by her side. She didn't acknowledge him, staring blankly into the darkness.

Itachi simply stood there, watching her. There was nothing he could say. But he had to speak, if only to comfort her as much as he could comfort himself.

"He's still alive," he said.

She blinked.

"Yes," she said eventually, sounding oddly composed. "He is."

There was a brief pause before she continued. "I shouldn't have lost my head back there. You were right to do what you did."

Itachi lingered behind her and said nothing. He felt compelled to walk away, then, to take his place in the opposite corner and resume another night's thinking on how to reverse an already hopeless situation. Instead, he took one of the chairs and sat next to her.

She didn't move. Her face remained calm, her breaths soft and even. She blinked every now and then. It was disheartening to look at.

She was still holding to the ideals drilled into her from childhood, tenuous and meaningless as they were. He looked at her and began to understand her feelings towards him when she'd talked about clan honour. There was a sense of bitterness overtaking him that he hadn't felt in a long time.

There were no shinobi anymore. There was no code of conduct. There was only him, her, and a sleeping infant lying blissfully unaware of the tumult overhead. A shinobi's life; a shinobi's honour; it meant nothing now. Adherence to such archaic notions was a way of blindly grasping for control in the dark.

He knew how pointless it was. The disease that had killed him when he'd been alive had been hastened by the torment he'd kept hidden inside. It had festered, taking away his sleep and leaving him weak and vulnerable to his affliction. Sitting by her and watching her make the same mistake was finally enough for him to break his silence, and tell her what he'd denied himself his entire life.

"You can cry."

Temari slowly turned her head to look at him. A twisted smile spread over her face.

"That's kind of presumptuous of you, don't you think?"

He didn't answer.

She stared at him and fervently willed him to resume his blank expression, to get up and walk away. But he held her gaze, the slight downturn of his brow speaking volumes.

Her eyes hardened even though her lower lip trembled and her face grew hot. Don't do this to me, she thought vehemently. Don't you dare do this to me.

But he didn't relent and her features curled into a sneer, a weak attempt to stave off the inevitable. "Save your sympathy, Uchiha. You don't even know me."

She swallowed hard, trying to choke back the lump. "Saying something like that to me..."

Even as she said the next words, she knew it was too late. Her voice broke, tears spilling down her face. "...who do you think you are?"

Itachi didn't reply. He merely looked at her, gaze painful in its depth of empathy. It knocked the foundations out from under her. She turned her head away from him, wrapping her arms around her middle as she struggled to contain the noise threatening to rip from her throat. She failed. A quiet sob slipped past her lips.

Folding into herself, she dropped her head and wept.

He got up a minute later and left, returning with a linen sheet he found on the clothesline. Reaching out, he pried her clenched fingers apart and pressed the cloth into her palm. She gripped it weakly, drawing it towards her face.

He hung by her shoulder for a minute before sitting back down. She cried till her eyes burned and chest heaved. She thought of his face, his grin, his name, until they blurred into each other and she slumped, spent, against the cushions.

The room remained silent for a long time. Slowly, the darkness dissipated, cracks of dawn light seeping through the floorboards. She lowered her eyes to her clothes, taking in the emerging blood and dirt. She finally spoke, voice hollow.

"What's it like to die?"

"Merciful," he said after a moment, "because you don't remember it."

"What's it like...after?"

He was quiet for much longer this time.

"For those who find clemency...whatever you'd like it to be."

She wanted to know more, but thought it too personal to ask. To her faint surprise, he answered the unspoken question a few seconds later, voice quiet.

"It was like finally finding sleep. After a very long, tiring journey."

Temari raised her head. She looked at the way he kept his face carefully blank; looked at how his eyes were trained with forced stillness on the wall. She looked at him, and could see the full scope of why Edo Tensei was forbidden.

He'd tasted peace fleetingly, then had been jarred awake and forcibly thrust back into the nightmare life he'd only just found reprieve from. He could not rest. He could not sleep. He didn't even have the liberty to curl up in a corner and die.

Slowly, she felt something like respect burgeon up inside of her. Respect and fear. Fear for the time it would inevitably catch up to him, for the day even Uchiha Itachi succumbed to the weight of human weakness and broke beneath it all.

She released a slow breath, pondering his words. She wondered how much he missed it.

"It sounds nice," she murmured eventually. "Makes you wonder why you'd bother living at all."

He lowered his eyes to her. "So you have something to look forward to when you get there."

She stared at him for a long moment, searching his features for a hint of deceit. Finally, she spoke, voice listless.

"Is it worth it?"

He didn't look away this time. "Yes."

There was a long stretch of silence. Temari watched him for a while, waiting for that one flicker of doubt that never came. Her eyelids grew heavy.

"Go to sleep, Temari-san."

It was the first time she'd heard her name in thirty-five days. It sounded strange and foreign to her ears, so unlike the playfully familiar way she'd heard it spoken last. Her throat constricted but she had no tears left. Instead, she looked at him in the softening daylight, imagining the inky blackness of his eyes to hold the same blithe ease as Kankuro's, his voice the same slow drawl.

She closed her eyes.

"Temari," she whispered. "Just Temari."

He didn't speak for several seconds. When he finally did, his voice had softened. "Go to sleep, Temari."

She did, leaning her head into the soft cushion and letting sleep overtake her. The sun rose shortly after, steadily spilling light into the room. He stood and moved over to her side, reaching for the linen sheet in her hand. It slipped out of her grip and she didn't stir when it settled over her shoulders.

A chair creaked as he sat back down. The sun slowly ascended into the sky. She slept through it, unaware that he stayed by her until it sank out of sight again.