The war was finally over and the village was at peace once again. Everything was back to normal.
All except for one thing... Nue was gone.
A funeral was held for her for her bravery and loyalty to the Leaf Village. Just as they were about to bury her, they heard a sound come from her casket. Everyone stared at casket as they heard the repeated pounding noise coming from inside Nue's casket.
Everyone walked up one by one, placing a flower on Nue's casket. Karin walked up and placed her flower on the casket as tears streamed down her face. "Nue..." She gritted her teeth to prevent her from sobbing and making a scene while Suigetsu placed his hand on her shoulder.
Orochimaru stared at Nue's casket as he remembered her for the ninja she is. Nue was the last of the Houjuu Clan and her dream was to be accepted for who she is. All she wanted... was to live like humans, to walk and laugh with them.
But now she can finally reach her dreams in one place where she could finally be free. Just as they were about to bury Nue, everyone either screamed or gasped when a fist broke through the casket, slowly flexing its fingers
"What the?!" Sakura yelled. The lid of the casket was pushed off as Nue sat up from the casket. "Nue-chan! You're alive!" Naruto cheered, happily. He ran over to her as she got out of the casket and hugged her.
"Thank goodness! I thought we lost you forever! I'm so happy you're back! But how is this possible? Were your wounds able to heal even after the damage?" Naruto asked. Nue gently grabbed his shoulders and pushed him away before walking past him.
"Nue-chan?" Naruto looked at her as she continued to walk away. She was dressed in a white funeral kimono while she walked on the soft grass with her bare feet. "Nue, where are you going?" Kakashi asked, stopping her as he grabbed her shoulder.
He turned her around as Nue stared straight ahead, then slowly looked up at Kakashi. Her eyes were dazed while she looked as if she was lost or tired. "We need to take her to the Tsunade immediately." Kakashi said.
"Why? What's wrong with her?" Hinata asked. Kakashi didn't respond since he didn't have the answer.
After Nue was immediately taken to Tsunade and find out about her condition. She sat in a hospital bed while Tsunade had her hand over her head as it glowed green. Everyone watched anxiously as they waited to hear what Nue's condition was.
When Tsunade was done, her hand stopped glowing and rested by her side. "Well?" Kakashi asked. "There's nothing phsyically wrong with her body, but it looks like she doesn't have any consciousness. It's likes her soul is lost." Tsunade explaiend. "Lost?" Sakura repeated.
"Nue was stabbed with a sword made from Kiragani. The substance must've traveled from her heart to her brain, creating a virus. This must've turned off her awareness." Tsunade explained. "So, Nue has... no consciousness?" Kiba asked, in which Tsunade nodded her head.
"What about Eun? She fused with Nue during the war. Do you think she could do something abotu Nue's condition?" Naruto asked. "She could if we were able to make contact with her. But with the state Nue's in, she probably lost along with Nue's soul. Tsunade said.
"So... what do we do?" Shikamaru asked. "For now, all we can do is wait. I'll have her stay here in the hospital until-"
"No," Orochimaru interupted her. "Karin and I will look after Nue. We'll take her back to her house." He offered. "Say what?!" Everyone yelled. "I won't do anything to her, and why would I? Especially with the state she's in?" Orochimaru said.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes at himTsunade didn't feel comfortable letting Orochimaru take care of Nue. For all she knew, he could end experimenting on her. But she looked into Orochimaru's eyes, it told her that he wouldn't do anything to Nue.
"Very well." Tsunade said, allowing it. "Lady Tsunade, you can't be serious!" Sakura yelled. "It'll be fine." Tsunade said before nodding to Karin, in which she nodded back. Nue was guided back to the house where she, Iri, and Maria were living the day Nue first came to the village.
Karin dressed her out of the funeral kimono and into a black kimono. Once she was dressed, Nue sat in the backyard as she stared off into space. "I'll be right back." Orochimaru informed. "Huh? Where are you going?" Karin asked.
"To retreive something." He answered before leaving the house. Karin turned her attention back to Nue as she continued to stare into the backyard. Karin held her arm as she stood behind the lost girl.
"You've always fought for us. Always made sure we stayed safe and never got hurt. You kept fighting for us. And for what? In the end, you got nothing out of it." Karin said. Nue didn't reply as she continued to stare off into space as if she couldn't even hear her.
She lowered her head slightly, noticing something on the ground. Karin followed her gaze and spotted a snake in the grass, slithering towards Nue. "A snake?" Karin looked at Nue in confusion.
"That's right. You always loved snakes. Even when we were kids, you were always really fond of them. You just couldn't stay away from them," Karin said, smiling softly. "Please... let me see that side of you again. Let me see you again... Nue."
Nue gave a soft smile as the snake slithered onto her lap. She lifted her hand and petted the snake's skin. Tears filled the brim of Karin's eyes as she watched her. "Please... come back, Nue. Please look at me." Karin pleaded, but Nue refused as she continued to pet the snake's skin.
"Please come back!" Karin tightly hugged Nue from behind as tears ran down her cheeks. "Please don't leave me all alone again! I don't want to be alone! Please! I need you!" Karin cried. Nue's smile faded as her gentle strokes on the snake desist.
"Please... look at me. Please..." Karin trailed off, noticing Nue wasn't paying any attention to her. Frustrated and sad, Karin pinned Nue to the ground, making the snake on her lap slither away. "Look at me! Say something! Anything!" Karin yelled, angrily.
But Nue ignored her as she looked off to the side, watching the snake slither away. "Please... Please, look at me. Please recognize me, Nue. It's me, Karin. Your little sister... I need you, Nue. I'm all alone without you." Karin said.
Her tears dripped onto Nue's face until she leaned down, hiding her face in Nue's neck. She began to cry helplessly as all she wanted was her sister back. Nue's hand slowly moved until it rested on the back of Karin's head.
Karin gasped, feeling her hand on her head and lifted her head. "Nue?" She said, feeling that Nue's senses have returned. But she got her hopes up too quickly. Nue only softly smiled at her, but her eyes were still dazed.
Karin felt disappointed, but smiled softly. "You will come back... I just... have to be patient."
When it was time for dinner, Nue wasn't interested in food as she continued to sit there, watching the view in front of her. "Nue, you need to eat something." Orochimaru said, holding a bowl of rice in front of her.
Nue paid him no attention as she remained silent. Orochimaru sighed and stood up, thinking she'd eat later, but she didn't. The whole day, Nue didn't do anything. Karin tried feeding Nue all her favorite foods, but Nue wasn't interested.
The next day, Nue was found in the backyard, laying in the grass as she stared up at the sky. She watched the clouds slowly past by, making her smile softly and reach up at the clouds. "She's definitely not the same." Karin mumbled as she watched her.
Nue didn't eat lunch like Orochimaru and Karin expected as she continued to lay there in the grass. Orochimaru watched her, then looked up at the sky, noticing it was going to rain soon. He walked over to Nue and stood beside her.
"Nue, you need to come inside. If you stay out here when it rains, you'll catch a cold." Orochimaru said. Nue didn't reply as she sat there, watching the dark clouds. "It's like you can't even hear me,"
Nue's hand reached up towards the sky like she did before and Orochimaru gently took her hand. "Come, let's go back inside." He said. That time, Orochimaru was surprised that Nue did as he said when she sat up and stood to her feet.
"Come on." Orochimaru repeated, leading her inside the house.
He, Karin, and Nue sat at the small table as they were having dinner. "Itadakimasu."
Karin went to eat her bowl of rice until she noticed Nue wasn't picking up her chopsticks. "Nue, you have to eat something. You'll starve yourself." She said. "There's no point in reasoning with her, Karin. She probably can't even hear you." Orochimaru said.
He glanced at Nue when he noticed she looked down at the bowl of rice. Hesitantly, she picked up the bowl of rice and chopsticks, and took a bite of the rice.
A small smile appeared on her face and continued to eat her food. "At least she's eating." Karin said with a bit of relief. "Looks like we'll have to feed her rice from now on," Orochimaru said as Nue continued to eat.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Days turned into weeks while weeks turned into months. Every day, Orochimaru would go to Tsunade to inform her of Nue's status, but the results were always the same. "Maybe if you show her around the village, it might bring her back, or at least trigger her memories." Tsunade suggested.
"Maybe. Okay, I'll try that." Orochimaru said, seeing how Nue's been stuck in the house for four months. Once he was dismissed, he went back to the house and found Nue at her usual spot as she sat on the back deck, watching the backyard.
"She's goes to that spot everyday. It's like she's waiting for something." Karin informed. "Did she eat at least?" Orochimaru asked.
"She had rice for lunch and I found her eating some berries from the backyard earlier for a snack. But it's strange though. The berries she was eating looked fresh, like they've been growing for a while." Karin informed.
Orochimaru raised a brow at her. "What? I wasn't the one who was planting them." She said. "Well, it couldn't have been Nue herself. She has no mobility to do pretty much anything. Has anyone been coming here other than her friends?" Orochimaru asked.
Karin shook her head. "Strange... Oh, well." Orochimaru said. He walked over to Nue and helped her stand to her feet. "What are you doing?" Karin asked.
"Tsunade suggested that if we show Nue around the village, she might recognize something and her soul will return. Look after the house while we're gone, Karin." Orochimaru said.
He and Nue walked around the village as Orochimaru hoped Nue would recognize something, but nothing happened.
"I had a feeling this wouldn't work," Orochimaru sighed. "Let's go home, Nue."
He took a step forward until Nue gently grabbed his hand. He looked back at her as she stared down at their held hands. "What is it?" Orochimaru asked her, but she didn't answer as she continued to look down.
"Must be a instinct or something." He mumbled before leading Nue back to the house. When they got back, Karin gave Nue a bath.
The room was dead silent as the only sounds that were heard was the swishing of the water every time Karin dipped the scrubber into the water to wash Nue's body. Karin scrubbed her shoulders until she stopped suddenly when Nue gently placed her hand over hers.
"Nue?"
The subconscious girl looked back at Karin and smiled softly. Karin blinked her red eyes before smiling back at her. "Come on, let's finish your bath." She said. She went to scrub Nue's back until she noticed something growing on the skin.
"Are those... wings?" Karin whispered. It weren't the wings Nue had before. They were feathered wings that were at the beginning of growth.
After Nue's bath, they had dinner, then went to bed. Normally, Nue would stay up until morning, seeing how she's nocturnal. But due to her soul being lost, she sleeps during the night now, like a human does; It almost as if Nue was acting like a human, or at least trying to.
Somewhere in the middle of the night, Orochimaru woke up to the sound of glass shattering from the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes, got out of bed, then went to the kitchen to see what had happened. He found Nue by the sink while glass surrounded her feet.
"Got thirsty, did you? If you needed help, you could've just woken me or Karin up," Orochimaru said as he walked over to Nue. He carefully cleaned up the shattered glass and threw them in the trash.
"Then again, seeing how you can't speak, I guess you couldn't have. You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" He asked. Orochimaru wasn't expecting her to answer as she shook her head to his question. 'Does that mean her senses are coming back? Maybe' He thought.
Nue walked past him and went to the backyard. He followed her and noticed she had kneeled down in the grass, gently placing her hand down in the dirt. When she did that, a pattern formed beneath her palm and a horse emerged from the ground.
"A summoning?" Orochimaru questioned as he watched Nue stand to her feet. The horse lowered its head, giving Nue permission to pet its snout. Orochimaru watched Nue as she tried to climb onto the horse's back.
"You want to ride the horse tonight?" He asked, walking over to her. She managed to get on the horse's back as she faced him with her legs resting against the horse's side. "Why don't you ride the horse in the morning, Nue? It's really late." Orochimaru mentioned.
He sweat dropped when the horse began walking circling the backyard with Nue on its back. "I had a feeling she'd ignore me. It's like talking to a child," Orochimaru mumbled to himself.
"She's not even acting herself. She'd do everything a human would do like sleep during night hours instead of the daylight hours. It's almost as if she's trying to be human. Hmm..."
He stayed up as he watched Nue to make sure she wouldn't hurt herself. She rode the horse for a good two hours until she made it disappear. When Nue was finished riding with the horse, she walked back over to Orochimaru who had fallen asleep on the deck while sitting up.
His head was tilting down as he breathed steadily. Nue gave a soft smile and sat beside him before gently bringing Orochimaru's head down to her lap. She gently petted his head as she stared up at the night sky.
When morning arrived, Orochimaru woke up and found himself in Nue's lap. He sat up and rubbed his head, then looked at Nue when she placed her hand over his. "What's wrong?" Orochimaru asked.
Nue looked up at him, but didn't say anything. "You look like you wanna say something. What is it?" He asked. Nue gave a worried look and slowly moved her lips, like she was trying to speak. Luckily for Orochimaru, he was able to read her lips. "You... are... kind..."
"You naïve little girl. After ruining your life, you think I'm kind? That's funny," Orochimaru chuckled. "Looks like Pein wasn't kidding. You really are a child."
Later that day, Karin and Orochimaru were going to go shopping for food while leaving Nue at the house. "Are you sure it's okay to have Nue here by herself?" Karin asked, worried.
"It's not like she's going to go anywhere, considering how she sits near the backyard everyday. She'll be fine." Orochimaru assured her. Karin looked back at Nue as the girl stared into the backyard before leaving with Orochimaru.
Twenty minutes after their departure, Gaara appeared in front of Nue. She didn't really do anything as she just sat there as if he wasn't standing there. "Nue..." Gaara said, softly. He took a step forward towards her and stared at her while placing his hand on her cheek.
"So, Tsunade was right. You really have lost your awareness." Gaara said, slowly taking his hand off her cheek. He glanced back at the bushes filled with the berries Nue's been eating. "Looks like you've been eating the berries I've planted for you." He said.
How was Gaara getting into the backyard without anyone noticing? Nobody knows. He just wanted to take care of Nue, but couldn't because of his responsibility as Kazekage.
Gaara looked back at Nue and gave a worried look before leaning his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. "Please come back soon. I miss you." He whispered as he opened his eyes.
Gaara gently kissed Nue's lips before leaving the property with sand surrounding him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A year had passed and Nue still wasn't back to her old self. Worried, Nue was taken to the hospital. "I don't get it. Nue should've come to her senses by now. Why hasn't her soul returned?" Tsuande said. "Perhaps something is hindering it from coming back." Orochimaru guessed.
"We need to get inside her head and find out what's going on." Tsuande said. "How? The only person who's able to get inside her head is her other half, Eun. And without Nue's senses, she's basically trapped inside her body." Karin explained.
"We could have someone from the Yamanaka Clan help, but will they be able handle Nue's mind? Ino mentioned that she was able to get inside Nue's head, but she was forcefully thrown out from her body by Eun." Tsunade said.
"Ma..." The three of them looked at Nue when she spoke softly. "Ma... da... ra..."
"Madara?" Karin translated. "Don't tell me he has something to do with this." Orochimaru complained. "I don't think so." Karin shook her head. "Ka... rin..." Nue said, slowly.
"I'm here, Nue," Karin said, taking her hands in hers. "We're all here. Talk to us. What are you trying to say?" Karin asked. But Nue's lips sealed shut as she went back to staring straight ahead. "I'm calling in Ino." Tsunade informed.
Once Ino arrived, she performed her jutsu and entered through Nue's mind, but she was forcefully thrown out. "What happened?" Tsuande asked. "She's not letting me in." Ino informed.
"Maybe if we send someone who she really wants to see." Orochimaru said before glancing at Karin. "Me? But I can't get into her head! It's impossible!" Karin said. "Maybe not. I might be able to connect you into her mind." Ino said.
She walked over to them and touched Nue's shoulder as Karin went behind her. "Now, you might feel a little sting." Ino informed. Karin gave a nod and Ino performed the jutsu, allowing Karin to enter Nue's mind.
(*Inside Nue's Mind*)
"Ow..." Karin moaned in pain as she rubbed her head. "That definitely did not feel like a sting." She said. She found herself sitting in a solid white room as she looked around. Her eyes wandered the room until they landed on a figure who was sitting across the room.
It was Nue herself as she was dressed a white kimono. She sat against the white wall as her knees were pulled to her chest with her face hiding in her knees. "Nue!" Karin called before running over to her.
She got down on her knees and hugged Nue tightly. "Madara... Maria... Madara... Maria..." Nue mumbled into her knees as she repeated those names over and over slowly. "Nue? Can you hear me?" Karin asked as she gently shook her shoulders.
Nue stopped her mumbling and slowly lifted her head to look at Karin. "What are you... doing here?" Nue asked, slowly. "I'm here to take you back, Nue." Karin answered with a smile. "Take me back?" Nue repeated, her eyes dazed and tired. "To where?"
"Back home, Nue. Where everyone's waiting for you." Karin said. "There's no one... waiting for me. Everyone... is dead." Nue replied, slowly. "That's not true, Nue. Naruto and your friends are waiting for you. They're all missing you." Ino tried to reason.
"Heh... You're very... funny, Karin. Why would I wanna... go back to a place where... everyone hates me?" Nue asked. Before Karin could reply, Nue said, "Ne... You said everyone's waiting for me, right? Then, is my mother waiting for me?"
"Is my father waiting for me? Or my cousin? Maria? Itachi? ...Or Deidara?" Nue asked. Karin didn't say anything. No... They're not waiting for me, because they're all dead. Looks like I was right; It doesn't matter how many people I lose because in the end, I'm all alone. That's why... I'm going to stay here."
"Nue..." Karin said, sadly. She stood up and took Nue's hand, wanting her to stand up, but Nue refused and stayed where she was. "I won't go." She said. "Just forget it, Karin," Eun said as she leaned against the white wall.
"She's completely out of it. Nothing you say will make her leave this place."
"You're her. The one that lives inside Nue. Eun." Karin realized. "Yep... that's me," Eun confirmed, looking a bit sad.
"Do you have any idea what a month can do to someone in a place like this? It makes you lose the mobility to do... pretty much anything. You probably wouldn't know since you're human. It's only common for people who are like Nue and I."
"A year." Karin corrected her.
"Come again?"
"You and Nue have been stuck in here for a year."
"Really? Wow. It feels shorter."
"Eun, maybe you could reason with Nue. If she listens to you-"
"You think I haven't tried that? I did everything I could to make her come to her senses. But I think losing her wings and tails really did a number on her. I'm gonna be honest with you, Karin. Even I don't feel that motivated to leave this place." Eun explained.
"What?" Karin asked, confused. "Nue and I are linked, you see. She is me and I am she. Everything she feels, I feel. Right now, Nue is feeling helpless, pain, and sadness. You might as well leave without her. It's over." Eun said, helplessly.
"No way..." Karin looked back at Nue as she stared off into space. "You're joking. This has to be a joke. I can't leave without her. I don't want to leave her here in this place." Karin said, falling back on her knees.
She hugged Nue tightly as she began to cry. "Just... forget me. Leave me be." Nue said, slowly, as her chin rested on Karin's shoulder.
"No... I don't want to leave you here. Please, Nue... I can't lose you. You're everything to me. You're the only family I have left. I don't wanna be alone again. Please, Nue... I love you. I need you." Karin said, closing her eyes tightly while tears streamed down her cheeks.
Nue blinked her emotionless eyes until tears swelled up in her eyes. "I love you, too, Karin." Nue said, placing her hand on the back of the redhead's head. Karin gasped and looked at Nue.
Nue smiled at her while closing her eyes, happily. "Nue, you're back!" Karin cheered, hugging her again.
"I'm sorry for abandoning you, Karin. I just thought if I'd stayed here... things would be better for everyone and for the rest of the village. I thought without me, everyone would finally live in peace. I was being selfish and didn't think about my family; You. It wouldn't have been fair and I'm sorry." Nue apologized, hugging her tightly.
"It's okay now. Everything's going to be okay from now on." Karin said, smiling at her. The two of them stood up and hugged each other again.
"That's just great. You get to leave while I'm still stuck in your body. While you live however you want, I still have to be imprisoned in this place and keep giving you power like I'm your personal slave." Eun said with a bit of jealousy.
"You're right," Nue walking over to her. "If I leave you here, it wouldn't be fair. You've been helping me for so long and not once, did I say 'thank you', and I'm sorry for that. Eun, I want you to know that I've never thought of you as a slave or a servant. I've always thought of you as my friend, my sister," Nue said before hugging her.
"Thank you for everything Eun. Thank you for fighting with me and being by my side every step of the way." Nue thanked. She gently took the sides of Eun's head and kissed her forehead. When she did that, Eun's body began to glow a golden color as her body slowly began to fade.
Eun looked at her hand, noticing the effects from Nue's kiss. "What did you do?" Eun asked as she looked at her other half.
"You deserve freedom. You don't need to follow me anymore. You can do whatever you want. The moment you disappear from this place, you'll become whole and we'll no longer be connected or share the same body. You'll be able to go out into the world and do everything you wanted to do. You're free, Eun." Nue said with a smile.
Eun's eyes widened at the information before smiling a closed-eye smile at Nue. "Eun, you're crying." Nue noticed. "I know that, idiot!" Eun said, wiping her eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm happy and sad because I never thought this day would come. I never knew... you would free me."
"Think of it as an act of kindness." Nue smiled. Eun stopped wiping her eyes and hugged Nue. "I'll never forget you, kid. Remember what you are and who you are. Never change a thing about yourself," Eun broke the hug and smiled at Nue as her body was almost invisible.
"Farewell, my friend." Eun said before disappearing. Nue smiled as her friend disappeared before giving a sad smile.
"Nue..." Karin said, looking at Nue as she noticed her head had lowered. "It's fine. I know that one day... we'll see each other again," Nue said, looking at Karin.
"Let's go home, Karin."
"Yeah."