[OP: "O Sleeper"--The Oh Hellos--Yay! new EP.]

Day 29 of quest:

It had been one month for Team Zoe, as they were calling themselves now, since they'd left Leaf or Sand Village respectively, and now they were just starting their ascent up the last real mountain before Stone Village territory started.

Shine, their female leader, had nicknamed the last mountain they climbed Mount Injury, after a mountain in a story--and because people had gotten hurt or nearly hurt so many times while they went over it. [The story is Hind's Feet On High Places by Hannah Hurnard. An excellent read.]

So, needless to say, no one was looking forward to this one, though it was slightly smaller at least.

The team had started out feeling like a ragtag band of ninja who had nothing better to do with their time and were thrown together despite massive differences in thier villages, backgrounds, and views of life.

One month in, it still felt like that to Tenten, who was not the most flexible person in the world, but at least they were a little more used to it. They still bickered over stupid things often throughout the day and got crabby when they got tired, but by now no one expected it to be easy at all times or to agree at all times. That in itself was a sharp contrast to the first few days of the trip.

Their last stop, Mist Village, had gone really well. They'd even saved an island of people, something that Naruto kept complaining he'd missed out on and begging Gaara and Shine not to leave him out of the next adventure.

Gaara said he wouldn't, but Shine would never promise anything, so Naruto was a little put out.

Sakura had not been that sorry to miss the dangerous part, deep down, but she said she hoped they wouldn't need to worry about any other big problems from this point forward--but with Naruto in the group, it didn't seem that likely.

Some of the others had expected Sakura to go home after Mist. After all, there was plenty of work for medics in Leaf Village. But Sakura didn't seem inclined to go, at least not unless her teammates went with her.

And Naruto was in no hurry to go back to studying, and Sasuke seemed, for some reasons, bent on sticking out this mission for once. He'd never tell Sakura why--he didn't even bother to acknowledge the question--so she was baffled.

Sai, whom she didn't really care about the opinion of anyway, seemed perfectly content and even to be enjoying himself as much as he enjoyed anything.

He was fast friends with Camie, and kind of with her boyfriend Bakugo, already. And the others seemed to like him too.

Ino and Shikamaru from Team 10 were still going strong and hoped that their third teammate would even join them soon.

Team Taka, as they used to be called, all seemed fine with staying with the team for now. And Hinata and Hanabi, the newest addition to the group, were happy to be anywhere they didn't have to worry about fighting people for a while.

Neji had been in the team but had decided to stay behind in Mist Village with his new friends, for personal reasons. The leaders had let him make the decision, which had caused some confusion to their more authority-fearing followers.

Gaara was not the controlling type, and Shine and Wally, the duo leaders for the hero team and co-leaders with Gaara for the ninja, never seemed to feel it was their right to demand people stay with them, which puzzled the others a lot also.

Other than that, there was just the two Todoroki brothers, Shoto and Dabi (not his real name), and Shoto's girlfriend Momo, who might have been the only person in the team who everyone else in it all liked, at least a little bit, and had proved herself to be the kindest, most attentive and most dexterous fighter out of the heroes and even out of the ninjas. If this was the show Survivor, she'd never have been voted off.

[I know that most of you will not need this recap, but in case any new readers clicked on this story, I wanted everyone to be caught up. But if you want the full deets on this, read The Way Into Mist Village story, and if you want to know why MHA characters are here, read the New Way of Ninja story.]

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Camie joked, as they started up the second mountain.

"That wasn't funny yesterday or the day before." Temari looked at her.

"🎵Let me hear you say 'hey hey hey,🎶' Camie sing-songed. "Girl, I just realized that song is so you."

"What song?" Kankuro asked.

"The one you'd better not ask her to sing," Tenten griped. "I'm tired of living in a musical with you people."

"That sounds awesome, not gonna lie," Wally said.

"I always wanted to live in a musical," Shine said. "That's basically the plot of Teen Beach Movie."

"I liked the songs," Sai said.

"Well, if I hear one more song about climbing a mountain, I'm going to jump off the trail," Tenten said.

"But there's so many songs about that," Camie protested. "It's legit."

"Once I would have asked her what 'legit' means," Shikamaru said. "But now I barely even hear the difference anymore. That's not a good sign, but it's inevitable."

"Once I would have expected you'd be lagging behind and complaining about this being too long of a walk," Shine pointed out to him. "But I'm glad we're past that."

"What's the use of complaining about it when all you ever tell me is that there's nothing you can do about it?" Shikamaru replied.

"Exactly," Shine and Temari both said.

"Ow!" Hanabi suddenly stumbled. "I got a pebble in my shoe."

She paused and pulled her left shoe off.

"That's what you get for wearing sandals every freaking day," Dabi said. "Haven't you people ever heard of combat boots? Or hiking boots?"

"Or Sketchies?" Camie said.

"Sketchers?" Shine said.

"No, Sketchies," Camie said.

"That one sounds made up," Wally said.

"So does Sketchers," Shoto pointed out.

"Sandals are just easier," Sakura said. "Do you have to complain about everything we do?"

"Do you have to do it?" Dabi replied.

Sakura glared at him. Dabi was no favorite of hers, and the feeling was mutual.

Sasuke had sprung to a higher rock on the path to look farther ahead, frowning.

"If you're wondering what the way back to Leaf is," Dabi called to him, "it's that way." He pointed backwards.

Sasuke cut his eyes at him but, as usual, didn't say anything in reply.

"What are you looking at?" Momo asked, more nicely.

Momo and Sasuke had called a sort of truce apart from the others, and while Sasuke wasn't exactly one to acknowledge it, he hadn't been particularly hostile to her since.

"I just thought I saw people," he said coolly. "But there's not no one now."

Hinata activated her Byakugan.

"No, there is someone there," she announced quietly. "But probably they're just harmless traders or perhaps shinobi on another mission."

"Or bandits," Temari said. "There's bandits out here, remember? Everyone take cover."

"Are they even coming toward us?" Shikamaru said, with a yawn.

"Not yet," Hinata said. "I don't think they will unless they have a tracker with them."

"If we wait for them to pass us, it could take hours," Gaara said. "We don't know if they're a threat, and there's more of us than them, probably. I think we should just continue on."

"You're in charge," Temari shrugged. "I guess I can just blow them away if they get close."

"So scary," Naruto shuddered. "Temari is worse than Sakura."

"What did you just say?" Sakura turned to him fiercely.

"He just said you have a bad temper and a mean swing," Dabi said. "Oh, and you're ugly."

Sakura turned to him furiously. "How about I shove you into the side of the mountain?"

"How about you lose a hand?" Dabi held up his fingers and blue flames crackled over them.

He used his power so little, they half forgot he had it most of the time, but when he chose to remind them it was always intimidating.

"Trouble back there." Wally nudged Shine.

"I'm so sick of them fighting." Shine rolled her eyes. "Do you think if we ignore it, it'll go away?"

"I'm not scared of your stupid flames," Sakura declared, beginning to get really worked up. "I can heal myself anyway."

"Can you? I've heard that burnt flesh doesn't regenerate," Dabi said.

"That's what Dad says," Shoto said.

"I'm going to pretend you did not just say that out loud." Dabi shot him a dirty look.

When he looked away, Sakura shoved him into the side of the mountain, hard.

Harder than she should have, since he wasn't a ninja, but she was used to Naruto's durability and Sai's--well, total lack of awareness to complain.

Dabi, however, gasped like she'd run him through.

"Sakura!" Shine cried angrily. "What did you just do?" She ran up to her.

"He asked for it." Sakura wasn't sorry yet. "Did you hear what he said?"

"Did I hear what he said? Is that your excuse for raising your fist against one of your own teammates, yet again?" Shine grabbed Sakura by the arm and yanked her away from Dabi hard.

"What are you talking about? And let go of me!" Sakura said, yanking away.

She jerked Shine forward by doing that, since she was much stronger than her.

Shine didn't seem scared though. She just caught herself and then straightened, towering over Sakura naturally.

"Back. Off," she said thinly.

Sakura was scared of Shine, so she did back up a little.

"Are you okay?" Momo was trying to help Dabi stand straight.

"Do I look okay?" Dabi wheezed breathlessly. "That b---- broke my ribs."

"Well, you did provoke her," Shoto pointed out.

"Why didn't you set her on fire?" Bakugo asked, like that was a normal question.

"Oh, gee, I was gonna before she broke my back!" Dabi coughed.

Then they heard rumbling and rocks sliding.

"I...think that blow started a tremor up the mountain," Sai said, glancing upward.

"I'd be dead," Dabi said. "Right?"

"Not if it just took a little shove," Temari said. "Crap! We're not having another avalanche after before!"

"Do we get a choice about it?" Shikamaru peered upward. "Everyone, run."

The team began to bolt up the path at once. Wally had to grab Dabi, who couldn't run yet, and drag him along.

Hanabi began to fall behind because of her short legs, though she was nimble and tried to scramble over the rocks, but she had twisted her ankle a little not that long ago, and perhaps it wasn't completely back to normal, because she winced like it was giving her twinges.

"Hinata!" she called.

Hinata turned back and reached for her hand.

The rocks began to tumble down the side of the mountain and onto the path. Not a lot, they thought, but then a bigger chunk of dirt dislodged and sent much more raining down on them.

Most of them were too small to cause much damage, even if they hit you right in the face, but some were big.

Hinata swatted away some stones from her face and Hanabi's.

Shine saw their problem.

"Naruto." She grabbed him as he ran past her. "Clones."

Naruto looked back and nodded.

Clones were safer to use here; if they got hit, it wouldn't matter.

Shine held out her sword, and some of the larger rocks fell through a hole in the air and off the side of the road.

"Whoa...that is so freaking cool." Camie looked back. "I didn't know she could do that."

"She's getting more dexterous with that power," Bakugo noted. "I guess even hers can evolve. 'Bout dang time she decided to level up."

"She levels up anymore and she'll be unstoppable," Kankuro said.

"Anyone is stoppable," Bakugo said. "Move faster, Bear Boy."

"It's a cat!" Kankuro snapped, as he ran.

"Shine, watch out!" Momo called as one rock pinged overhead.

Shine looked up and slashed her sword through the air, and the rock deflected off it, but a different one hit her in the chest.

Thankfully, it was only the size of a golf ball, but she fell over anyway.

"Shine!" Momo was alarmed.

Naruto had made a host of clones by now, and they rushed to pluck Hinata and Hanabi up, while the others blocked the rocks from hitting them, and one picked Shine up before she could get pelted by more stones and carried her up the path.

The clones were pretty strong, for a few minutes at least.

The avalanche didn't last long, just 3 minutes, but that was too many close calls for 3 minutes.

Thankfully, the path wasn't blocked behind them. That would have been bad for the next travelers that came this way.

"Are you okay?" Ino asked Hinata and Hanabi.

"I'm fine," Hinata said. The clone put her down gently.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Hanabi made a thumbs up.

"Shine!" Momo and Shoto and Camie surrounded her. "Are you okay?"

Shine nodded, rubbing her chest. "Just hit my clavicle, but I'm okay. I'll just have a nasty bruise there later. Oh...maybe a cut. Those rocks are jagged."

"I'll get out my first aid kit," Momo said, pulling it from her backpack.

Wally ran up to Shine and looked her over.

"Well, good save, Naruto," he said, sighing with relief. "Clones--who knew, right? Not that many people I know can do the clone thing. I guess it is pretty OP."

"Totes," Camie said. "Nice save, Naruto."

"Well, there you see? I can do stuff." Naruto let the clones disappear.

To his shock, Shine hugged him with one arm. "Thank you, Naruto. You did good."

Despite being a hero of the village, Naruto hardly ever got positive reinforcement directly and was very taken aback by it.

"Oh, uh..." He blushed. "Well, it was nothing..."

"Really, thank you," Hinata said. "You saved us--again."

"Ugh, this is making me sick," Dabi said.

"Yeah, he's not the only one who saved people," Suigetsu said. "Starting to feel like Naruto gets a little too much credit."

"Jealousy is not a good look on you, bro." Camie waved her hand. "We all know you've saved people a crap ton of times too. Let him have his moment."

Sasuke was frowning a little.

After Shine had a bandage for her scrape, she was all business--and that didn't bode well for Sakura.

"Do you want to explain yourself?" she said in a stern voice that was just short of yelling at her.

"I...didn't mean to cause that," Sakura said, nervously now. "How was I supposed to know?"

"Maybe the fact that we're in avalanche land?" Wally said, also irately.

Shine knew he didn't like to talk to the young people sarcastically (adults were another story), but Sakura had pushed both of their limits of patience.

"He's not wrong," Temari said. "What was that?" She crossed her arms.

"Well, why was he mouthing off?" Sakura pointed at Dabi.

"Does that make it okay?" Shine said. "Granted, Touya probably did deserve a good smack in the head, but that doesn't mean you get to hit him so hard you crack his ribs."

"Which still hurt, by the way," Dabi said.

"I got it." Ino went up to him, hand glowing with chakra.

"And you could have gotten someone killed there," Shine added. "Somehow, I'm not hearing an apology right now, and that's shocking."

Her tone was cutting.

"I'm...I'm sorry." Sakura never apologized ever, but Shine was freaking her out. "I didn't mean to..."

"Maybe you should send this b---h home," Bakugo suggested, to her chagrin. "She's a hazard to our health."

"Which is ironic," Shoto said, without really meaning to be savage. "Since she's a medical ninja."

Sakura glared at both of them. "You can't just send me home!"

"Well, you did break at least two rules," Shine said. "So it's a fair question."

"What? Hey, he broke the rules about hitting people too!" Sakura pointed at Shoto.

"I shoved someone," Shoto said

It had been Sasuke.

"That was under a much more stressful situation than this," Shine said. "And with more provocation, I might add. Not that that makes it okay, but it's hardly the same thing. And none of us felt it was bad enough to warrant being sent home. But I guess we should confer." She looked at Wally and Gaara.

"Sure," Wally said. "We have to wait for Dabi to get patched up anyway."

They walked away to discuss it.

"Nice going there, Sakura," Ino said. "You should have controlled your temper."

"Oh, you're one to talk!" Sakura said. "You would have done the same thing, Ino-Pig!"

"Not when I knew they were so strict about it," Ino replied, chafing under the insult. "Billboard--"

"Can you not start that?" Momo cut in. "A serious thing could have just gone wrong. Sakura, aren't you even sorry? People got hurt because of you."

"I already said sorry. What else do you want from me?" Sakura said.

"How about an attitude adjustment?" Camie suggested, smiling impishly.

Sakura glared at her.

"I'm not really surprised that this happened," Sai remarked. "Sakura does use her fists a lot when she's angry. But I thought she knew we're not allowed to do that."

"What else am I supposed to do then? If he won't shut up?" Sakura said.

"You could just walk away," Shoto said, as if it was that easy.

Which it was, for him.

Sasuke smirked, but then remembered it was Shoto talking and he didn't like him.

"And you tried to get me kicked out?!" Sakura pointed at Bakugo. "What did I ever do to you?"

"I just think you're a crappy teammate," Bakugo said.

"I tried to help when you got kidnapped!" Sakura said.

"Didn't see you on the island, Mean Chick," Bakugo retorted.

"I was working on the antidote for the poison!" Sakura said shrilly. "What is wrong with you anyway? Did I do something to offend you before we even met?"

Sai flinched. She was making him nervous.

"Please stop," Momo begged.

"Sakura can't get sent home," Naruto said. "That's not fair."

"She doesn't listen very well," Shoto pointed out. "They can send her home if they want. But I think they'll be merciful. Shine doesn't like to punish people too much, and Wally never punishes them at all. Except Mineta..."

"Gaara probably wouldn't care, if it wasn't that you hurt someone," Kankuro observed. "If I were you, Haruno, I'd be acting a bit more contrite right now."

Sakura looked like she would burst a blood vessel.

However, the three leaders came back and nodded at all of them reassuringly.

"We decided that it's okay if she stays for now," Wally announced. "Since this was the first time something this serious happened--but only as long as you don't do this again."

"Which part?" Sakura said warily.

"The next time you hit any of us, you're out," Shine said firmly. "And that goes for Sai and Naruto too. No exceptions, I've decided. Enough is enough. Does that work for you? Because if not, just go now."

Sakura opened her mouth to argue--and then looked at Gaara. He was looking serious, like he agreed.

If it was Tsunade, it would have been brushed aside like nothing, since Tsunade did the same thing without a second thought, and Sakura was not ready for a kage that didn't just laugh this kind of thing off.

But seeing that he didn't (and, after all, Gaara never raised his hand against his underlings since he'd stopped being a murderous psycho years ago), she swallowed her protests.

She was humiliated though, being called out like that.

And by Shine!

But they were all watching her, waiting for her to say something.

"Fine," she said testily. "If that's what it takes... It's ridiculous, though, that kind of rule."

"Thanks for your opinion," Wally said dryly. "Dabi, are you ready to move?"

"I guess." Dabi winced as he shrugged. "At least as close as I'm going to get."

"I tried, but it's still going to be sore." Ino threw her hands up. "We can't really heal soreness, just damage."

"I guess I'm used to it," Dabi said. "Dad hits almost as hard as Sakura does."

"I don't think so," Shoto said. "Even he couldn't level a mountain."

Rather than sound impressed by that, he more of sounded as if he thought Sakura was foolish for trying.

Sakura frowned.

"Well, I guess that's okay then." Naruto put the whole thing behind him. "I knew it would work out."

"Missed your chance, huh, Explosion Boy?" Temari said to Bakugo as she passed him.

"Eh, she'll get herself kicked out for something else," Bakugo said. "Or she'll shape up. One or the other. I win either way."

"Salt, Bae," Camie commented, not concerned. "But I guess that's the only two options."

"They'd like me to get kicked out," Sakura said to Sasuke and Naruto, as the others had walked on.

Sasuke was only lingering just to hear if she'd get mad, as he had kind of a morbid enjoyment of that.

"Can you blame them?" he said aloud.

Sakura gaped at him.

"Sasuke!" Naruto said. "Gosh, that's mean. They're really hard on Sakura for some reason--and you. I just don't get why."

Sasuke was reminded of what he'd realized a couple days ago--namely that Naruto and Sakura's willing ignorance of his actions' real meaning pissed him off.

"You really don't, huh?" he said aloud darkly and walked away.

"What did that mean?" Naruto asked Sakura.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "He's acting so weird lately."

"One more thing." Shine walked by Sakura. "Apologize to Dabi."

"What? No, not unless he apologizes to me!" Sakura said.

"He didn't do anything to you, physically," Shine said. "And he wouldn't, if you didn't start it."

"He threatened to."

"That's all talk. Didn't he say only if you hit him? And he didn't retaliate. Unlike you, he seems to respect that he could kill someone if he's reckless." Shine walked onward.

"I won't apologize to that guy," Sakura declared.

"Have fun in Leaf Village then," Shoto said, walking away from that direction also.

Momo sighed but shrugged at Sakura like "It's true."

Sakura gritted her teeth.

* * *

Farther up the walk, Sasuke joined Shine as she was trying to get a better view to see if the other people had come any closer to them. But she couldn't see them at all; so far only the Hyugas could.

"Did you want something?" Shine asked him, not very much like she wanted to talk.

Sasuke hadn't really talked to her in days--and he had noticed by now that Shine never approached him first unless it was about life or death.

Strange that she left him alone most of the time after how much she'd done to get him to come on this...but then Shine never did anything the way anyone else did that they could see.

"You know you give me a hard time," Sasuke said.

"Is this supposed to concern me?" Shine asked.

"You could not be sarcastic for 2 minutes," Sasuke said grumpily.

Shine raised an eyebrow. "You could try opening a conversation with something other than a complaint. Like, 'Hey, Shine, are you okay after earlier? I was worried, etc.'"

"Do you really think I'd worry about you?"

Actually, he had been a little on edge, but he hadn't put it down to concern.

"No." Shine always managed to answer the opposite of the way anyone else did. "I was making fun of you. Can't you tell that by now?"

"I can actually," Sasuke said flatly. "But the point is, you're not any more flexible than I am."

"Maybe not," Shine agreed. "What did you want? Just to complain?"

"I just have a question," Sasuke said, as if it was a class--which it was in a way. "Why is that? You don't treat anyone else the same way, no matter what 'sins', as you call it, they've done in the past. Except for Sakura."

"So you notice that, huh?" Shine said.

"It would be hard to miss it when you make such a point of it," Sasuke said. "I think you like making Sakura angry."

"Just her?"

"No...me also," Sasuke said. "Both of those things are bad ideas."

"Oh, I don't know," Shine said. "You try to make Sakura angry all the time, and you're alive still."

"That's because Sakura treats me differently than anyone else," Sasuke said, not without irritation, though he didn't intend it to be.

"And you hate that," Shine observed.

"Why would I care?" Sasuke replied.

"Don't lie to me--on purpose, anyway. I know you do," Shine said. "It's a shame, really. She should just treat you the same as everyone else. That would be better for everyone involved."

"You're avoiding my question."

"Why do you care? You're supposed to be indifferent to how any of us treat you, remember?"

"I can still wonder."

"Then you're not indifferent."

"Does everything have to be a battle?" Sasuke retorted coldly. "You can't just give a straight answer?"

"Oh, that's hilarious coming from you, young man," Shine said, snorting a laugh. "Everything has to be a battle because you can't not make it one anymore than I can't...though I do like a good fight, but you're hardly competition for me. This is just the only way you communicate. I hope you've realized that."

"I don't think that's true."

"No? Do you have an instant where you've had a normal conversation with someone?" Shine asked. "I bet you don't even know what that is."

A pause.

"The point is--" Sasuke ignored it. "--I think it's intentional. You could at least explain why. Or do you just have favorites?"

"If I had favorites, why would you or Sakura be at the top of the list?" Shine asked. "Or on it at all? Neither of you have had a nice thing to say to me since I've known you. But no matter. I treat everyone the same way, Sasuke. You just can't see it that way because you imagine that the same way means doing a cookie cutter routine of politeness or rudeness, whatever your flavor happens to be. But that's not me."

"You're nicer to Gaara," Sasuke said. "But he and Jugo both have bloody pasts. They don't get any trouble for that."

"Why would they?" Shine asked. "They didn't want to be that way. Why should I not pity them? Don't you?"

"No."

"I know you don't," Shine said. "That was always what was wrong about you--you couldn't pity anyone else. Even if you liked them, which is rare enough. You have no compassion. Do you know, when I found out about Gaara's past, I didn't feel repulsed by him? I felt heartbroken. And for Jugo too, poor kid. There are two kinds of people in the world, you know--those who pity others for suffering and those who don't care. There's actually maybe a third--those who take pleasure in it, but they start off by not caring, generally."

"That's not an answer," Sasuke said.

"Oh, you do harp on the same thing over and over again," Shine said. "That's so boring. But I suppose you won't go away until I answer, so I might as well just get it over with. But walk faster, for crying out loud. The injured people are moving faster than you."

Sasuke never walked that fast anyway outside of mission running, but he was still annoyed by her insulting it.

He felt as if Shine was always making him feel like he couldn't keep up in one way or the other.

"I guess what you're really asking is if I really dislike you and Sakura," Shine said, cutting to the heart of this faster than he could have. "And if she can be just as bad as you and that's why I'm provoking her. But the crux of the matter is that it's much simpler than that. I think neither of you have ever had anyone stand up to you over your bad behaviors. You're both entitled and self willed and self absorbed. You're so much alike it's amazing how your personalities can be so different outwardly. "

"Like her?" Sasuke normally avoided showing his anger enough to look weak, but that put him over the edge.

"Don't like that, do you?" Shine said. "Why so much contempt for Sakura anyway? Just because she loves you?"

"That's besides the point," Sasuke said.

"Well, if it helps, I don't really call what she has love," Shine shrugged. "But she thinks it's love...and it's closer than anything you've ever seemed to understand about it, so what can we do?"

"It's not important," Sasuke said. "And I don't hold her in contempt (that often), I just don't care. There's a difference."

"What is the difference?"

"Lack of feeling."

"Contempt isn't that strong of a feeling, Sasuke," Shine pointed out. "I've found your actions contemptible many times. Do I act that bothered over it?"

Sasuke frowned at her. "You like to make me feel small if you can."

"And you make her feel small. But does it make you feel any happier? Not that you care about happiness. I'm sure you'd love it if she just punched you for it instead of taking that crap, but she won't do it."

"I wouldn't love that! Why would I?"

"It's better than the alternative. But either option kind of sucks. I answered your question. Now why don't you leave me alone."

"For someone who wanted me to come on this so badly, you sure ask to be left alone a lot."

"For someone who wants to be left alone so badly, you sure start it up with me a lot," Shine replied. "Do you think I'll run out of retorts? I could never. You're too good material for it."

"Always have a quick insult, but that doesn't make you right."

"Your disregard for my or other people's feelings doesn't make you right, just makes you an ass," Shine replied, not daunted.

"What does caring about other people's feelings ever get you?" Sasuke said. "You act like it's so great to have these bonds with people. But they don't do a thing for anyone. They hold them back mostly."

"You don't believe that," Shine said. "Didn't you say that the 'bond of hatred' is stronger than friendship (which is bullcrap, by the way, but a bond nonetheless). Love and hatred are two horns on the same goat, actually. You hate the most when you've loved the most. Isn't that how your Uchiha curse works?"

Sasuke stopped short.

"Did...Tobirama tell you that?" he asked.

"I didn't speak to him," Shine said. "He's fun and all, but the whole zombie thing freaks me out. I didn't like speaking to the other ones that much either--but not much choice there."

"You had plenty to say to Itachi," Sasuke said darkly.

"Are you still mad about that?" Shine asked. "You must know we had no choice but to stop him. He didn't care for us either, I might add. To be honest, I really thought you'd never join us after that. I'm surprised you've not brought it up before now."

"There was no point--you're not really sorry for it. What could I say to make you change your mind?"

"Nothing at all," Shine said. "But I'm not incapable of sympathy."

"You don't sympathize with me," Sasuke said.

Shine ignored that remark--it was blatantly untrue, if he'd thought back to even a few minutes ago, but she saw no reason to push it.

"Anyway, I heard it from a different source," she went on. "Was it a secret?"

It wasn't exactly something Sasuke wanted everyone to know...but he was pretty resigned to Shine knowing a lot of things he didn't want by now.

"The curse does work something like that," he admitted sullenly. "That's why we get power from hatred. It's really inevitable that we turn to the dark side, if you look at it that way."

"So that makes it not your fault?" Shine asked.

That hit a nerve--for some reason.

"What choice did I have?" Sasuke said.

"We all have darkness inside us," Shine said. "Some of us choose to feed it, others don't. You're not the only cursed one... But betraying love is what makes most of us cursed... You've done that too. So it all amounts to the same thing in the end, Sasuke." She shrugged.

A pause ensued.