Katana stared up at her bedroom ceiling. She hadn't slept all night. The events of the previous day haunted her. She couldn't shake the image of Sasuke lying in that hospital bed. Would he remember what she'd done? Was he asking for her?
Thinking of Sasuke irrevocably brought Katana to the other friend she'd betrayed. Her heart twisted as she again saw Naruto's torn expression and anger before her. One second. That'd been all it took to see the damage she'd really done. To see his love for her shatter into a million pieces. Tears threatened to overtake Katana again. Funny... she thought she'd shed them all. 

At the soft tapping at her door, Katana forced herself to sit up. Her body felt heavy. Though her injuries were healing nicely, she yet hurt. She wondered if the ache in her soul made the one flaring up through her limbs as she climbed off the futon any worse. If it was... she welcomed it. 
A second rap came at the door. Katana slid it open, finding Kagami on the other side, still dressed in her nightshirt. The little brunette opened her mouth, then bit her quivering lip. She shut her eyes and sprang towards Katana, wrapping her arms around her hips. The soon-to-be geisha stood motionless, unable to return the hug. 

Footsteps thudded in the hallway. Katana released herself from Kagami's hold by pushing the crying girl away. She met Kitiara's stony expression. There lay something within her icy glare, something Katana would never have expected from the murderous young woman. She wasn't sure if it was pity or sympathy, but either way, Katana didn't care for it. 
Without a word, the teen went back inside her room and set at her dresser. Her hands moved on their own as she began the monotonous morning ritual. Kagami shuffled behind. She tremblingly reached for the hairbrush and set to work as well. Once Katana's hair was smoothed out, the girl got up and left. But Katana wasn't allowed a moment alone.

Mameha took Kagami's place, tending to her 'little sister' as was tradition. When maiko became geisha, the master prepared the student. She pinned Katana's silky black hair atop her head, a simple but beautiful flower comb the only decoration allowed. Like an artist, she painted her face purest white, her lips deep scarlet, and her eyes soft teal. And finally, Mameha dressed Katana in her blue kimono with swimming koi. 

"You're ready," she spoke solemnly. 

She waited at the door for Katana to take the lead. Katan's ocean-blue gaze traveled to the mirror. The girl she saw was no longer the one who'd been found by Itachi Uchiha and his squad during a mission near the Land of Rain. She was no longer the girl who'd been welcomed by a caring family as if she'd always been theirs. She was no longer the girl who'd befriended two orphans from the Leaf, feeling their need for love and companionship as much as her own. 
No longer was she Sayuri, a child full of hope and dreams, eager to prove the world wrong about her and her friends. She was Katana, geisha of the Land of Fire. 

***

"Is it true? Did they really go through with it?"

"Yes, an ANBU who witnessed the ceremony confirmed it."

"That poor girl. How old is she even? Twelve, thirteen?"

"Something like that, yeah. I still can't believe the Council went against the late Lord Hokage's wishes like this. That they'd even do this before appointing a new one is beyond me."

Kakashi kept quiet as the Jōnin walked past. His jaw clenched beneath his mask. His fists, hidden in the pockets of his pants, balled even more, his nails digging into his palms.
News about Katana had already spread among his peers. Many Jōnin were outraged to learn of the sudden turn of events. Outraged and shocked. Everyone knew Mameha had pushed for Katana's geisha ceremony to be brought forward by several years, but none had actually thought she'd go through with it. Especially not when the village was still mourning the loss of the Hokage. 

But that's exactly why Mameha made her move now, thought Kakashi bitterly. Hiruzen was the only one who stood in her way. And the new Hokage won't be able to undo what's been done. 

The silver-haired Jōnin had watched the ceremony from afar, hidden from sight between tree branches. ANBU had spotted him, but they'd left him in peace. He'd once been one of them, after all. And even among the elite, the care and respect he had for Katana was no secret. But while everyone believed them to be mere teacher and apprentice, their true relation ran far deeper than even Katana herself knew. 

I failed her, just like I failed Rin and Obito. The only difference is Katana yet lives to remind me of my failure. Of my shame. 

Kakashi halted. He looked up to the cliff protecting the village, to the face of the Fourth Hokage. A lump formed in Kakashi's throat when the memory of the blond man's bleeding, dead figure lying on the ground beside his beloved wife hit him. They'd died protecting the village from the Nine-Tailed Fox, from an evil none had seen since the days of Madara Uchiha. He involuntarily recalled the way Katana had bled over the shrine at the okiya, vowing to spill her own blood and that of her victims in service to the Land of Fire.  

Sensei, please forgive me. You entrusted the girl to me with your dying breath. You made me promise I wouldn't let the past repeat itself. But it has. And all because the Uchiha just couldn't let matters rest. 

Kakashi turned his head toward the hospital. He'd asked Sakura to stay away and let him break the news to Sasuke. Hopefully, she had. The last thing he wanted right now was to deal with teen drama. 
But just as Kakashi was about to enter the hospital, the raven-haired Uchiha heir came out. A nurse followed Sasuke, but he gave her a dismissive wave. Kakashi sighed and shook his head. Stubborn kid. 

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked as he approached his student.

"What does it look like?" retorted Sasuke. "I'm going home." 

"Are you feeling better?"

"I'm fine."

Kakashi regarded Sasuke closely. Though his complexion was still pale, he certainly looked better than a few hours ago. The antidote Mameha gave him had done its work. Then Kakashi looked beyond the physical. He slowly nodded at seeing silent fury blazing in the teen's onyx eyes. "You know."

"That Katana poisoned me because she was ordered to do so? Yes, I know."

"Who told you?"

"Nobody," said Sasuke. "I knew something was wrong when she came to me in her kimono. She took me off guard when she..."

The words fell away. Kakashi tilted his head at Sasuke. The way his shoulders tensed, his lips pinches, and his fists clenched told the Jōnin more than enough. Despite his rough exterior and the insensitive remarks he often made, Sasuke's heart brimmed with love. A love he would only ever hold for one person. 

If I can't stop the past from repeating itself... I'll just have to make sure nothing or no one stands in the way this time.

"Join me for lunch later today," said Kakashi. "My treat. There are some things we should discuss."

Sasuke huffed, his reluctance evident. "Are the others coming as well?"

"I'm pretty sure Sakura is running some errands around the village, and Naruto left on a mission."

"A mission?" Sasuke raised a brow. "On his own? What sort of mission?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Meet me at one o'clock at my place. We'll talk about things then."

Kakashi turned around, ready to walk away, when Sasuke suddenly called to him. "Kakashi, wait! Is Katana...?"

The unspoken question lay between the pair. More than anything, Kakashi wanted to reassure Sasuke. Alas, he couldn't. 

"The ceremony was this morning," he said. "I'm sorry."

Without looking back, the Jōnin left the Genin, only now truly understanding that more than one life had been ruined by the actions of a few. But he was done watching idly from the sidelines. The time had come for action. Consequences be damned. 

***

"Here's our room key. Go up to the room and practice manipulating your chakra."

"What? You can't drag me here and then just leave me!"

"Kid, relax. It's only for an hour or two. Besides, it's not like you're not used to being on your own."

Naruto was fuming. Pervy Sage had him all worked up for this super top-secret mission that only they could complete, yet he was ditching him the first chance he got for his 'novel research'. They were barely a few hours from the Leaf!

"Why can't we keep going?" demanded Naruto. "I'm not tired yet, and I don't mind camping, if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm not," said Jiraiya. "I just have an urgent matter to attend to."

"Urgent matter, my ass! You just wanna go after that lady that walked by a minute ago!"

The inn-keeper behind Jiraiya could barely hold it together and snorted as Naruto called his new teacher out. The white-haired sage quickly ushered the blond teen away. "Do you mind? I'm your sensei and I won't have you talking to me in that way, young man. Besides, from what Kakashi told me, the two of you will probably want to talk in private."

"I don't care if you're my sensei, I — wait, the two of us?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "Who are you talking about?"

When Jiraiya pointed behind him, Naruto whirled on heels. The moment his eyes landed on Katana's lithe figure walking into the inn, he froze. She looked as beautiful as ever, with her black hair in a side-braid, and dressed in gray and green traveler clothes. Yet for once, Naruto didn't feel the joy he usually had when they met. 

"What's she doing here?" he scowled. 

"Katana is joining us," explained Jiraiya. "She's on her first official mission as a geisha of the Hidden Leaf, and I offered she could travel with us until the border."

"You did what? I don't want her with us!"

"Good thing you don't have a say in the matter, then. Now, you two go up to the room and talk while I go on my errand."

"But —"

But Jiraiya was already out the door, leaving the two teens behind in a tense and awkward silence. Naruto glared at his 'friend', while Katana did her utmost not to meet his furious expression. With an annoyed grumbling scoff, he hoisted his backpack up again and traipsed up the stairs. He didn't bother to wait for Katana, nor did he check if she was following. He knew perfectly well she was right behind him. 
Once Naruto found the room Jiraiya had rented, he jammed the key in the lock and nearly threw the damn door off its hinges. His backpack skidded onto the floor beside the bed with a clattering bang as he threw it too hard to aim properly. He gave it a hard kick and then walked to the window. One hand clenched the sill until his knuckles turned white. More than anything, he wanted to just jump out and run. It didn't matter where to, as long as it was away from her!

"Don't," Naruto heard Katana say. "You'll get in trouble."

Her warning angered the Genin further. He usually found the way Katana somehow always knew what he was thinking a sign of how good their friendship was. Now, it just reminded him she was better at observation and he didn't really know her at all. 

"Naruto," Katana almost spoke his name in a whisper, "talk to me."

"I've got nothing to say to you," he retorted through gritted teeth.

"Yes, you do. You never stay silent when you're angry."

A quaint yet all-to-familiar heat bubbled inside Naruto. Power surged through him, tingling through his limbs. His toes and fingers itched. When this normally happened, he was up against a really strong opponent in a fight for his life. Now, his foe was the girl who'd always claimed to be his best friend.

"Naruto, I'm sorry," said Katana then. "I wish things could've been different, but... I had no choice."

He spun around, the whirlwind running amok inside him growing more erratic with every word Katana dared to say. "No choice? You had every choice! You could've chosen not to lie to me, Katana!"

"I didn't lie."

"The hell you didn't!"

Naruto's anger was getting the better of him. Merely looking at Katana was making his blood boil. She just sat on the other bed with her hands folded in her lap, and was looking at him with her lips pinched in a disapproving manner as if he was being dramatic for no reason. The nerve of her!

"Why?" he blurted then. 

"Why what?" she rebuffed. 

"Why did you do what you did?"

Katana heaved a sigh. "Killing the thief was my mission, Naruto. I knew Kakashi would have to report back to Mameha, so —"

"I'm not talking about the thief or stupid Kakashi-sensei!" screamed Naruto. "Why Sasuke?"

Finally, Katana's stoic expression fell. She averted and wrung her hands together. Naruto clearly read the guilt and shame in her eyes. For the briefest moment, he wanted to run to her, take her in his arms, and forgive her for everything. But his pride wouldn't let him. Nor would the beast growling inside him. 

"Katana, answer me. Why Sasuke? Did Mameha specifically order you to go after him?"

"No," said Katana. "She told me my target was my best friend."

"Okay, so why not me?"

"Are you seriously asking me why I didn't poison you?"

"No, dammit, that's not what this is about!"

"Then what is it about, Naruto?" Katana leaped to her feet, a sudden disdainful icy gaze in her ocean eyes. "Why are you making such a big deal out of me not putting you in the hospital?"

"You always say I'm your best friend, so it should've been me! Why wasn't it? Why Sasuke?"

"Because I didn't want it to be you!" 

Naruto's heart shattered. He stumbled back, eyes wide in disbelief, as Katana swung her bag over her shoulder before shooting a deadening glare at him. 

"I planned to poison you first," she said crudely, "but only because you were the easy target. I've warned you before that my relation with Sasuke is different. You'll never be what he is to me."

"Katana..."

"No, Naruto. I told you plenty of times to accept what can't be changed. If you can't do that, then this is where we say goodbye. For good." 

Every bit of rage that had fueled Naruto until then instantly evaporated, leaving nothing but indescribable pain. He fell to his knees, crushed by Katana's harsh words. The soft thud of her footsteps was followed by the creaking door opening.

"Tell Jiraiya I reconsidered his offer," said Katana then. "I'll go my own way. Good luck with the mission. Make sure you don't screw it up."

The door fell shut. Naruto's vision blurred. His breathing became labored as he fought for air. He snatched at his chest, wanting to claw his heart right out. When his tears finally rolled over his cheeks, he uttered a guttural, heart-rending cry that echoed through the room and into the corridor outside. But the geisha didn't return. She'd made her choice.