Sasuke's P.O.V
I wake up groggily, I must have slept in. The sunlight was already seeping trough the trees and lighting up the forest. I usually try to wake up before sunrise but it looks like I didn't make it today. Standing up I take in my surroundings, I stand by a fast moving river, giant koi swim and dodge all the small boulders.
It's been nearly a week since I had set out to find Winter, with no luck so far I have every reason to believe she is on the Akatsuki's side. She is going to kill Orochimaru. Sometimes I question myself on why I don't want Orochimaru dead just yet, after all, I have been planning to have someone kill him for a while now. I come to the conclusion that I need more training, it always comes to the training. I feel powerful yet I still want to be stronger.
A picture of Naruto flashes in my mind and my hand makes a fist. Him, always him. Some would describe my obsession with him as love, but that is not the case. I don't idolize him, I despise him. He was the runt of the pack, struggling to survive and then he became better than me. Making me the runt of the pack. Never again, I will push him back down to where he belongs, I will rise above him.
I curse, I've been standing here like an idiot lost in my thoughts. I roll my bed up and check to make sure all my weapons are in the right position and that I haven't lost any on the way. I figure I have been chasing after Winter in the wrong direction, I turn back the way I came and take off. I can't keep going the way I was running, I would be way too far from Orochimaru, I need to stay in the general area.
Leaping from branch to branch two thoughts occurred in my mind. Naruto, and Winter.
Winter's P.O.V
I've been sitting against the wall for a while now contemplating on whether I should go to Haku tonight or stay safe and try to get some sleep. Every time I think about staying a thought pierces my mind. Haku told me he would answer my question, he would tell me about him, why the Akatsuki want him so badly.
But then when I think about going to Haku, Itachi flashes across my mind. He knows.
I shiver and bite my lip. What do I do? Strangely, my thoughts drift toward Sasuke. How is he doing? I shake my head, he hates me, remember? ...And I hate him. Do I? Do I really hate him? I question my feelings about him, I was impressed he could fight me so well, I lost some, he lost some. He was a worthy opponent. I start to realize, maybe I didn't hate him, perhaps it was because he reminded me so much of myself that I wanted to avoid him.
I decide that it would be stupid to run after Haku tonight, he would understand if I don't come tonight. I will go tomorrow night just to be safe from Itachi.
Third P.O.V
Itachi paced back and forth. "She's a smart girl, she won't go to Haku tonight, she would want to be safe."
Kisame spoke up, "So what do we do then? We want to catch her in the act tonight, don't we? Pein is only giving us tonight."
Itachi was talking privately to Kisame about his worries. Kisame and he were on different levels and didn't exactly see eye to eye, but they were a team in the Akatsuki and so when Itachi ever had a problem, it was Kisame that he would go to.
Itachi thought for a while. "We have to make her go to Haku, force her."
"How would we do that? She would..." Kisame drifted off.
"She would what? What are you thinking?" Itachi demanded.
"Not thinking my good man Itachi, remembering." It was Kisame's turn to pace back and forth. "The first time she met Haku he was crying, she went straight to him."
"So you're saying we need Haku to cry and then she will go to him?" Itachi questioned.
"Great idea Itachi, but that would annoy everybody and she could definitely see through that. I was thinking more like, subtly putting him in danger." Kisame smiled.
"Subtly? What do you mean?" Itachi said, not being on the same page with Kisame for the first time ever.
"What if we were to freeze Haku, make him so cold that he starts to get Hypothermia." Kisame smiled.
Itachi slapped Kisame at the back of his head. "You idiot, we're not trying to kill the boy."
"He won't die because Winter would go to protect him before he died." Kisame pointed out.
Itachi stopped in his tracks and Kisame stopped pacing, "That, might have been the best idea you have ever had Kisame."
"Thanks. I think."
"We just have to go to Pain and ask him to turn down the temperature in Haku's room. We would have to do it in Winter's prison cell and everywhere else but our room and the kitchen." Itachi thought out loud.
"Why? And why not the kitchen?" Kisame questioned.
"So that when Winter gets cold she will wonder if there's a problem, thus leaving her prison cell and then realizing it is cold everywhere else she will go straight to Haku to make sure he is okay. We drop the temperature in Haku's room more than everywhere else so that he starts to get Hypothermia, enter Winter, and she goes and protects him. We heat the place up immediately after that so neither of them dies and we lock the door to Haku's room so that we can go wake Pain up and prove to him that she is up and about at night time." Itachi took a deep breath and looked exasperatedly at Kisame, holding his hands out like he was waiting for applause.
"And the kitchen?"
Itachi sweat-dropped. "Because I am on cooking tomorrow and having dramatic temperatures will kill the food.
Kisame sweat-dropped.
The men laughed and went straight to Pein with their plan.
~Later that night~
Winter's P.O.V
I shivered for the fifth time that night, what is going on? The temperature felt below zero and I had little clothes to cover up. As it got colder the goosebumps on my legs seemed to be permanently frozen. A thought occurred to me, what about Haku? Was he okay? His room was always much colder than mine and if I couldn't feel my feet than what was he feeling?
I discarded all my thoughts earlier in the day about staying to be safe from Itachi and I thumped my back against the wall hearing the click. Using the wall to support myself, I managed to stand up and walk towards the staircase. Moving slower than a tortoise I took the stairs one step at a time, my body feeling like lead. My lips turned blue and frost started to form at the corners of my mouth. My saliva was freezing?!
I have to get to Haku.
It was the only thing keeping me from curling up and dying of Hypothermia. My eyes were half closed and I managed to open the door to Haku's room. He was curled up in a ball, he looked like a frozen statue.
"Haku!" I croaked, making my way over to him. "Haku, are you okay?"
He didn't respond so I pulled off my shirt and tore it in two. I used it like a blanket and I wrapped Haku in it, pressing my body against his to keep him warm.
"Stay with me Haku, everything's going to be alright."
I vaguely heard the door to Haku's room locking before everything went black.
Third P.O.V
"How could you let this happen? For all that we know Winter is dying!" Pein screeched at Itachi and Kisame. "Do you know how important she is to us?"
Kisame tried to reason with him, "Pein, we lost control of the temperature, and we didn't take into context about how long she would take to get to Haku-"
"-Give the girl your coat, she's half naked." Pein cut him off. Kisame grunted and took off his Akatsuki cloak. He wrapped it around the comatose Winter and set her down on a bed.
Haku was slowly starting to wake, if Winter hadn't protected him he would be dead. "Winter..." Haku muttered in his sleep.
"Huh, would you look at that - Winter really got through to the kid." Kisame mentioned out loud. Pein turned around and watched Haku sleeping. Itachi left the room and Kisame spoke up, "Maybe we should push the deadline for Orochimaru's death further away and focus on getting through to Haku. Haku holds the key to our future."
Pein thought it over and walked out of the room, "Meeting in ten minutes."
Kisame sighed, "So do I lock the door... do I just leave them? Anybody? Pein?" Kisame walked out of the room and locked the door behind them. "Nobody ever listens to me," Kisame muttered under his breath.
Pein's P.O.V
I went to Deidara and Sasori who I had put on lookout duty ever since we captured Winter and Haku. Deidara's hair hung over his one eye and his forehead crinkled with aggravation. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"Sasuke Uchiha. He's coming here and fast, my guess is he's after Winter." Deidara wiped the sweat off his forehead, "I give him a week - maximum. He's going to find us Pein."
"Well if isn't Orochimaru's own lapdog. Would a Genjutsu buy us more time?" I asked Sasori.
"Perhaps, but I don't know how good a Genjutsu would be against an Uchiha." He replied.
"What if it was Itachi who were to put him under it?"
"That could work. But only for a little while." Deidara admitted.
"I'll ask him, there's a meeting in five minutes." I headed towards the Akatsuki headquarters and waited for everyone to gather.
Winter's P.O.V
I'm in a darkness, it's cold... so so cold and I'm all alone. Where am I?
"Winter."
What was that? Where did it come from? I notice the darkness is lifting, in the new light, I can see the figure of a boy my age. His eyes. His eyes can see through me, they hold power.
Do I know this boy? Yes, I remember.
"Winter." He repeats it again.
"I'm here, where am I? Why are you here with me? Did you find me?" The questions come out so fast.
"No, I am not here with you. Winter, listen to me. I will be with you soon, do not do what the Akatsuki tell you to do."
What did the Akatsuki tell me to do? Yes, that's right, they want me to kill Orochimaru.
The boy put his hands on my shoulders. "I'm coming. Do not do what the Akatsuki tell you to do, or I will have to kill you."
The light faded with his figure and then I was left there, in the cold darkness.
I gasp and sit up clutching the clothing around me. Shivering from the cold I turn to Haku who is asleep. "Thank goodness you're okay," I exhale and lay back down in relief.
Taking in my surroundings I notice I'm still in Haku's room. Looking down I see that I am wrapped in and Akatsuki cloak. It is completely black except for red cloud shapes every now and then.
Stroking Haku's hair I remember the odd dream I had had. Sasuke had appeared to me and told me that if I do what the Akatsuki tell me to do he would kill me. Don't see how that's possible since I'll be already dead.
Pein's P.O.V
I watch as everyone huddles into the headquarters. Itachi and Kisame stand against the wall whereas Deidara and Sasori are standing in the middle. Hidan and Kakazu are sitting on the floor and Zetsu is standing in the corner. Tobi has yet to make an appearance.
"Thank you for all being on time, Itachi, I need to speak with you after the meeting." I was going to talk to him about Sasuke and the Genjutsu defense. "The real reason for this meeting is to talk about the issue of Haku. None of us could get him to talk except one person. And she isn't in the Akatsuki."
I see everyone nod their heads, they all know about Winter's friendship with Haku.
"We need her to get the boy to talk, but the deadline for our Orochimaru plan is getting nearer and nearer. So I need you all to make a decision on whether we should push the deadline back so Winter can work with Haku for us or, we go ahead and do the Orochimaru plan so we can move forward with the bigger picture plan." I watched everybody turn what I said over in their heads and we all turned as Deidara spoke.
"I say we go through with the Orochimaru plan and forget about Haku. There are other things to worry about." He motioned to Itachi and then back at me.
"We can't just forget about Haku!" Hidan jumped up and shouted at Deidara. "After all the trouble we went through to get the kid! And plus, Haku holds the key to our future." Hidan crossed his hands in front of his chest and sat back down.
"Anyone else?" I spoke into the silence.
"Put the Orochimaru plan forward." I flinched hearing Madara's voice. He had appeared right behind me and as I looked around, no one but me had heard him speak. His voice changed to the usual high pitched Tobi voice, "We should put the Orochimaru plan forward! After all, it's for the bigger picture!" He said playfully.
"Tobi, we can't. Not just yet, Winter is important if she can get through to Haku." Itachi replied.
"Can we not just torture the kid?" Kakazu asked.
"No, he doesn't work that way," I replied. I heard Kakazu mutter a 'We can make him work' under his breath.
"If we're voting, I vote for the Orochimaru plan to be put back. We need Winter alive a little longer." Sasori said and Deidara looked frantic.
"You can't be serious." He said exasperatedly.
"But I am."
Those three little words seemed to ignite a fire in everybody and they all muttered, 'I agree' or 'I second that'.
"So it's been decided. We shall push the Orochimaru plan back and focus on Winter getting Haku to talk." I finalized. Everybody agreed but Tobi, who had mysteriously disappeared again.
Winter's P.O.V
Haku started to wake and he looked in my eyes. I felt the same uneasy feeling as though he knew more than he seemed to know.
"Winter, I'm so sorry you've been dragged into the Akatsuki like this!" He cried.
"Shh no, I'm just glad you're okay." I calmed him down. He leaned into my touch and spoke the words I had been waiting to hear.
"I'm going to tell you everything."
"Take your time," I smiled and laid down next to him.
"There's so much to say... I'll start with this. Just, don't freak out."
I promised him I wouldn't freak out and he continued.
"Winter... I'm not a human."
******
If Haku's not human, what do you think he is? 10 points to whoever gets the closest guess!
Love, Books4_Ever xx