Things have been quiet and Sasuke finds it relieving. He's still constantly worried, but he finds comfort in all the familiar faces.

"Hey," Karin greets as she steps into the guest room Sasuke has been occupying.

"Hi," he returns from where he's lying. He sits up and reaches for the lamp, turning it on so he can see her face.

"So, we finally get a moment alone," she says, moving forward and sitting on the edge of the mattress.

"I suppose so," he responds. "What did you need?"

"I want to talk about my cousin," she starts. "I want to know what you think happened. I want to know what he did to you and I want to know why you think that he did it."

Sasuke stares down at his hands, wringing them together and gritting his teeth. "I died and he didn't care. He began changing. At first I thought he was just drunk... because I know what he's like when he has too much... but he wasn't. It was different this time. He said he felt like he was awake. He was acting cold to the point of being cruel. I was cautious, but I ended up expression my frustration."

"And he's the one who gave you these bruises?" Karin asks, pointing to her own face for reference.

"Hm, yeah." Sasuke nods his head. They're healing, but the faint marks are still visible. "Before everything went wrong, he was being kind. He... He told me he loved me. I thought he meant it. I've never heard such kind words and I found it comforting. I felt the same way. I knew that things might go wrong, but I thought I'd always at least have that much."

"But then he changed?" Karin urges gently.

"Yeah," Sasuke whispers. "Before it happened his head hurt. We were lying down. He mentioned being tested on. He said that's why he got headaches. He said he'd tell me about it, but I never got the chance to ask him because he left and someone was in the house. I panicked again and I ran but I was struck and killed."

"Orochimaru?" the redheaded girl assumes.

"Yeah," Sasuke whispers again. "He did it. He probably did something to Naruto, too. I think Naruto was afraid Danzo Shimura was going to do something with him."

"Get into his head and manipulate him, you mean?" Karin presses her thumb to her mouth thoughtfully. "Hm..."

"What is it?" Sasuke pries, hoping she has some sort of idea.

"I'm trying to think about how we can fix this," she admits, pressing her fingers to her lips. "Assassination comes to mind, but it would be really hard to get close enough to Orochimaru, especially if he's still pretending to be dead. It'll probably be just as hard to get close enough to Danzo Shimura, especially since he's still an influential person in politics. Security will be high. They're both probably keeping tabs on Naruto as well. It'd be a suicide mission..." A pause. "I'll meet up with Hidan and Kakuzu later. I'll mention this to them. They might be interested."

"Why?" Sasuke asks.

"For people like us, killing the man who inflicted so much suffering... Well, it's appealing," she explains with a laugh, "but not many people would be willing to sacrifice their life for it, y'know? However, they might. Between you and me, they're both a couple of really fucking crazy guys. Really violent and daring."

"Oh," Sasuke murmurs, hating the thought of more people dying for the cause. It's a cause people have been dying over for far too long.

"Stop worrying," Karin insists, putting a hand on his head. "I'll take care of it. We'll do something about this. You'll have Naruto back, I swear."

Sasuke lets out a bitter laugh. "Sure."

At this point, he isn't even sure whether or not he wants Naruto back.

"You're not as clairvoyant as your brother was," she points out, "but someday you will be."

"You think?" he wonders.

"What you live is outside of the boundaries of most human experiences," she says knowingly. "You'll get used to it. You'll continue to learn. You've been stifled for so long. These things will probably come naturally as long as nothing interrupts you from here on. It's not your fault that you don't have all the answers."

"If I'm constantly hiding in the homes of strangers, I'll never be able to learn what I'm supposed to," Sasuke murmurs.

"Things will get better," Karin insists.

"How can you even say that?" Sasuke asks shakily.

She shrugs. "Call me an optimist... but it has to, doesn't it? Things are bad. I think it's impossible for things to get any worse. It has to get better. If it doesn't, then the world as we know it will probably fall apart."

"Part of me thinks it's inevitable," Sasuke admits. "Things will probably fall apart completely and we'll have to start from the beginning."

"No, I think things will be better before it gets that far," she says.

||XxXx||

That night, Kisame returns with bad news long after Karin has left. With him, he has Sasori and Deidara trailing behind him.

"Kakashi was captured."

"How!" Sasuke exclaims angrily.

"He's hard to kill," Kisame reminds the younger male. "They'll try to torture him for information. It's not the first time. He won't give us up. Everyone managed to escape. He offered himself up as a decoy."

Sasuke puts his hands over his face. He feels guilty. "This is my fault," he mumbles into his palms. "They probably knew he helped me escape... They have security videos. They probably saw him walk right in and grab me."

"Don't think like that," Kisame says impatiently. "You'll drive yourself insane with that kind of talk."

"Fine," Sasuke relents weakly, not wanting to fight about it – not wanting to fight about anything.

Kisame puts a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, steering him a few feet away where they converse in whispers.

Gaara watches with mild curiosity, nonetheless he brushes it off. He sits on the sofa, examining everyone in the room at a distance. He can't even recall the last time he had this many people in his house. However, this isn't social hour. These people are criminals and some of them are violent. Gaara knows that, but somehow he's hoping that they'll help him get what he wants.

Sasori and Deidara move about Gaara's house, causing him to grow wary.

"Don't steal anything," he warns them, visibly irritated.

They pay him little mind in response.

Ino, on the other hand, is a much more pleasant houseguest. To be polite, she asks him about certain works of art in the room. He answers her dully, with little interest.

"So, how long have you been in love with Sasuke?" Gaara asks when she finally quiets.

She smiles. "I'm not."

"You are."

"I was," she corrects, "but I think those feelings are beginning to wane." She pauses before cautiously asking, "What about you, then?"

Gaara raises an eyebrow. "What about me?"

"You were in love with someone," she says, half guessing. "That's why you look so wounded all the time."

He smiles, though it's void of emotion. "Watch it."

She smiles in return and it's just as flat as the man sitting next to her. "Did I strike a nerve?"

"Maybe," he admits in a murmur.

"So, tell me about her," she says out of curiosity.

"It was a he," Gaara starts.

"Did he leave or did he die?" Ino asks.

"That's a tactless question," Gaara points out.

She chuckles. "I didn't think you'd mind. You don't seem like you want to be on the receiving end of pity and you certainly don't want to be coddled."

"Wow, it's almost like you know me," Gaara says cynically. "Well, all right, then. His name was Neji Hyuga. Funnily enough, Naruto introduced me to him..."

Ino pauses, frowning at the name. "I was friends with a girl named Hinata Hyuga when I was a child."

Gaara makes a humming sound before telling the blonde girl, "They were cousins."

"Small world," Ino murmurs. "Anyway, I'm sorry. Continue."

Gaara glances down at his hands as they lie folded on his lap. "He worked for Orochimaru. He did a lot of dirty work. Eventually, it killed him... No, Orochimaru killed him. He saw Neji as troublesome. So he had him taken care of." He grits his teeth, growing angry all over again.

"I'm sorry," Ino says sincerely. "I don't know what it's like to lose a person you're in love with, but I know what it's like to lose a person you love."

It makes her think about her parents – people she lost long ago. There are times when she has to struggle to remember their names, their voices, the way they looked. Sometimes she doesn't mind it. These things always hurt to remember, but would it hurt even more to forget?

"There probably isn't much of a difference," Gaara admits.

||XxXx||

Karin makes her way to the forest, travelling fast on quiet feet. When she sees two hooded figures, she calls out to them in a loud whisper. When they turn her way, she sees the two familiar men – one with slick, blond hair and another with messy brown. She explains the mission to them in depth, telling them what her plan is.

"You'll likely die," she finishes simply, not bothering to sugar coat the truth. She wants them to see it for what it is - a suicide mission.

Kakuzu crosses his arms, glancing at Hidan. "I'll do it," he says, challenging the other man with his gaze.

"Then so will I," Hidan vows.

Karin smiles. "Then it's settled. Now, come back with me."

||XxXx||

It's late in the night when Karin returns to Gaara's house with two more criminals, much to the homeowner's chagrin.

"Hidan and Kakuzu are up for a possible suicide mission," Karin explains to everyone in the room. "I was thinking... to make it easier we should get disguises. Then at least we'll be able to get in easier. There's no way in hell they'd let to convicts near the building. I mean, everyone knows Hidan and Kakuzu's faces. I'm sure the cops have memorized their eye colors, hair colors, skin colors, heights, body types... No one knows mine and I want to keep it that way. In case we get caught on camera, I don't want to look like myself. We just need to make sure that we actually get into the building. We need to look like we belong."

"Smart," Kisame says with a nod before glancing at Gaara. "Can you grab us a few things?"

The redhead lets out an impatient sigh. "What am I, your donkey?"

"If that's what you want to call it," Kisame snorts.

"Fine," Gaara relents carelessly. "Just give me another list and I'll fetch everything in the morning."

"You're sure it won't look too suspicious?" Karin asks, not wanting to put him in too much danger.

"Not if I go to a costume shop that specializes in this," Gaara says. "I won't look out of the ordinary. I'll just get hair dyes, make up, prosthetics. They'll be enough to throw the cameras off."

"I can't apply make up for shit," Karin confesses.

"Me, neither," Kisame adds with a humoured look.

Gaara lets out another sigh. "I know how," he admits begrudgingly. "I was a theater kid back in school."

Kisame chortles at that, unable to picture it.

||XxXx||

Come morning, Gaara makes his way into the heart of the city with yet another shopping list. He parks his car on the side of the road and stands on the sidewalk, shielding his eyes from the sun. The streets are busy – he can't help but wonder if this means he'll remain unseen, or if it simply means he'll be seen by everyone. Hoping to remain unseen, he can't help but sigh when a familiar voice calls his name.

He turns around, spotting a familiar young woman with long, dark hair and straight bangs. "Hinata," he greets the cousin of his late fiancé.

"What are you doing?" she pries knowingly.

"Nothing," he says.

"Is that code for 'something I shouldn't be doing'?" she asks with a smile.

"Want to tag along?" he offers.

She nods and the two of them walk side-by-side down the busy city streets. Hinata tags along with him as he buys strange supplies, not asking or judging. Deep down, she already knows the answers – he's once again doing things he ought not to be doing.

"I have a favour to ask," Gaara says out of the blue as they leave the shop.

||XxXx||

Upon returning home, Gaara hands the new clothing to the three vigilantes. He can't help but wonder how different the three of them will look once he's finished with them.

"Where'd you get the pantsuit jumper?" Karin asks, holding it up. She stares at the tag and adds, "It looks fancy. Do you have a secret fetish for feminine clothes?"

Gaara gives her a dull stare. "No, it belongs to a girl I know," he says vaguely. "Put it on."

"Whose was it?" she pries, unceremoniously undressing and slipping into the black outfit. Hidan and Kakuzu follow, putting on their business suits.

Instead of answering directly, he glances at Sasuke and says, "Remember how I told you there was one other person who knew I was looking into my fiance's death?"

Sasuke nods his head slowly. "Yeah, I remember..."

"Her name is Hinata Hyuga," he starts, looking back at Karin. "I knew she'd help me and she wouldn't ask too many questions. She never does."

"I know the name Hyuga," Karin says out of the blue.

"Everyone does," Gaara murmurs.

"More socialites?" Sasuke wonders. Names aren't something he is good with and not many of them stuck while he was living in the brothel.

"Yeah," Gaara answers. "Anyway, we should get started on this stuff if we want to get it over with."

"You can do our make-up while I tell everyone the plan," Karin says.

"The plan sucks," Kisame mutters.

"Yeah, it does, but it's as good as it's gonna get, buddy," Karin mutters.

Gaara listens to their back and forth silently as he readies his supplies. Kisame brings a chair from the kitchen as Hidan, Karin and Kakuzu all retreat to the bathroom to dye their hair.

"We'll probably lose someone today no matter what," Kisame murmurs.

"Can you live with it?" Ino asks.

"I can live with it," he decides, rarely one to show signs of guilt or remorse regardless of whether or not he feels it.

Everyone is silent – even Deidara, who Sasuke has learned can rarely shut up. He's the opposite of Sasori, though they're always seen side by side.

Many long minutes later, Hidan, Karin and Kakuzu return with their newly colored hair. Karin is now a platinum blonde, Hidan has hair as red as Gaara's and Kakuzu's brown hair is now black.

"All right," Gaara says. "Let's get started."

Hidan takes the seat first, wanting to get it over with. He'd never admit it out loud, but he's nervous.

Ino and Sakura watch quietly from their seats on the sofa. They both look tired and young. They're perhaps the youngest faces in the room – far too young for the lives they've been leading.

"I've been thinking," Hidan starts as Gaara attaches his fake nose and coloured contacts, "and I want to make sure this is successful, even if I'm dead."

"What do you have in mind?" Karin asks, happy to tweak the plans if it means a greater possibility of achieving their goal.

"I don't want to plant the bomb... I want to wear it. If we get close enough, we can set ourselves off and take out his office. There will be minimal damage and probably less lives lost. It'll be more precise. Getting past security will be the only difficult part. We'll just need to look like we belong there."

Karin lets out a breath. "You're right... That way we can be precise. We can make sure he dies instead of taking an entire building full of people down with him."

||XxXx||

Towards early evening, Gaara finishes with Karin's make up. "I'll drive you three to a side street and drop you off," he says, "but you need to make it back on your own."

"It'll likely just be me," Karin reminds him.

"Right," he mutters, trailing off.

"Come on," she says softly, nodding. "Let's go. It's now or never."

As the four of them leave, Gaara is very much aware that all of this makes him far more than an accessory to a crime. He's broken a lot of laws in the past few days, yet he feels nothing even remotely close to regret or guilt or fear. There's a rush – one he hasn't felt in a long time. It makes him eager to get deeper. It makes him eager to see how it will all turn out. It makes him want to live long enough to see it for himself.

||XxXx||

Gaara drops them off near an alleyway before speeding off without a word.

Karin, Kakuzu and Hidan stand on the sidewalk looking like three wealthy businesspeople. "All right," Kakuzu murmurs, tightening his grip on his briefcase. "Are we ready?"

"We're ready," Hidan decides.

Karin plays with a strand of her newly blonde hair. "You know what?" she asks before answering, "I like this. I like being able to walk around freely."

"Is that why you wanted to come?" Kakuzu asks with a snort. "Well, don't get used to it."

"Yeah, yeah," she dismisses, putting on a pair of jumbo sunglasses to help further distort her appearance. "Let's go, boys."

The three of them walk down the street, towards the heart of the city. They're quiet, but they're all thinking the exact same thing – this has to work. For Hidan and Kakuzu, it's going to take everything they have. It's going to take their lives.

Soon enough, they're in front of a large, stone building.

"This is where the president is?" Hidan asks, glancing at Karin.

She nods. "His office is in this building. He hasn't traded off with Naruto yet, but he'll probably be packing up his shit. Naruto will be sworn in soon, though." She claps them both on the shoulder as she stands between them. "All right, I won't get sentimental because we all know that there isn't time for any of it... but I'll say thank you." She pushes Kakuzu forward. "You go in first."

He nods, walking off. Karin watches, knowing it's the last time she'll see him.

"Scared?" Karin asks.

"Nah," Hidan insists.

She smiles a small smile. "All right," she says, pushing him forward. "Your turn."

With a business-like nod, Hidan turns away and heads into the building. He's patted down at the door after walking through a scanner, but they don't bother to check what is inside of his briefcase. He slips into a bathroom to meet Kakuzu, who had arrived minutes before him. Silently, they prepare themselves for one final bang.

"Ready?" he asks, opening the briefcase and taking out the bombs.

"Ready," the other man responds. With a slight, mocking smile he adds, "Deidara would be proud."

With the bombs secure under their suit jackets, they leave the bathroom and walk with confidence to the president's office. Kakuzu shoves the security guard out of the way, flinging him across the hallway before opening the door.

Danzo stands up at his desk, visibly perturbed. "And just who the hell are you?"

Hidan and Kakuzu don't respond. Instead, they approach the man's desk. When they're close enough, they open their dress coats to reveal a waist full of explosives, pressing the button and preparing to detonate.

Bang.

||XxXx||

Karin is at the end of the street when she hears the explosion. She doesn't bother turning around. She shoves her hands on her pockets and continues walking like she was never there.

Soon enough, all the journalists in the city will be at the scene. Soon enough, the news will be reporting it. They'll throw around words like assassination and terrorism.

||XxXx||

At the Sabaku residence, everyone is silent until the door finally creaks open and Karin appears. For a moment, no one says anything. Jugo and Suigetsu stand in the center of the room, eying their saviour as she hovers in the doorway. Kisame leans against the wall with his arms crossed alongside Deidara and Sasori. Ino reaches for one of his hands, holding it tightly.

"Hey," Karin finally says. "I guess all we do now is wait."

Gaara nods his head, turning the radio on. "If they have cameras set up, they might've caught you. They'll be looking for a blonde girl, so you should wash the dye out tonight."

"Scooch over," Karin says as she squeezes onto the sofa between Ino and Sasuke, who are still glued to the cushions. "Ah, what a day... I'll rinse my hair out in a bit," she murmurs.

"So... what about Orochimaru?" Sasuke asks out of the blue.

Karin's expression falters. "That's the tricky part... He can't exactly die."

Sasuke frowns at that. "What do you mean?"

"Clearly he can regenerate or something if he managed to put himself back together after being completely wrecked," Karin says with a look of distaste. "Now... I have an idea, but it's pretty grim. We're going to have to kill him and make sure he isn't able to put himself back together. How? We'll have to kill him and keep his body parts separated."

"Cut him up...?" Sasuke asks, grimacing as gruesome and bloody images force their way into his head.

"Hell..." Ino whispers. "That's grim."

"Gotta do whatcha gotta do," Karin says simply.

Gaara's attention is sparked at the mention of it, but he remains silent, simply soaking in the information and storing it for later.

Sasuke asks the question that's on everyone's mind: "Where will you find him?"

Karin wrinkles her nose. "Not sure. Without Danzo hiding him, he could be anywhere. Hell, he could've even been in that building... and if he was, I'm assuming he'll need at least a couple days to recuperate and regenerate."

"Let's hope," Sasuke murmurs.

"Me, Deidara, Sasori and Jugo will patrol tonight," Kisame volunteers.

"I can go, too," Karin says.

"Take it easy," he responds, dismissing her.

She holds up a hand, relenting. "Fine, fine."

With that, they're gone.

"I'll go shower now," Karin says, standing up and glancing at Gaara.

"Upstairs to the left," he says.

She nods her thanks before disappearing.

"And then there were four," Ino chimes in as she sits alone in the room with Sasuke, Suigetsu and Gaara. None of the men are people-persons.

||XxXx||

Late in the night, Gaara and Suigetsu are still waiting in the living room for everyone to return. Ino and Sasuke are upstairs in the guest room, sitting silently on the mattress that Sasuke has been sleeping on.

"I can't stop thinking about how drastically my life has changed over the past little while," Ino says.

"Me, too," Sasuke whispers.

"Want to talk about him?" she invites out of the blue.

Sasuke doesn't have to ask who she's referring to. She's referring to Naruto. So, he forces a smile. "Not really."

It's all anyone ever wants to talk about and Sasuke is getting sick of the questions.