It was dark in my room; my breaths came out in white puffs. The thin blanket I had wrapped around my shoulders was useless. I sighed as I heard my door being unlocked. The light was harsh, foreign. My eyes instinctively closed to thin slits.

"Get up. You have work to do. You better not screw up this time." Kabuto snapped at me. I glared up at him, not that he could see it though the mask I was wearing. His glasses were perched on the edge of his nose as he looked down at me. I could see the disgust in his black eyes. He thought that I was just one of Orochimaru's numerous experiments.

He didn't know that I had been kidnapped when I was six. Or that I was a girl. Orochimaru forced me to wear a mask and to keep my hair pinned back. He didn't want anyone knowing my identity. I stopped asking questions long ago.

I got up slowly to piss Kabuto off and made my way out the door. He shoved me into the wall.

"Move faster." He hissed passing me. I walked behind him wanting more than anything to just yank on that gray ponytail and shove him into the wall.

The hallway was dimly lit with candles. I could see the walls fused with chakra. Kabuto brought me to this wide room that almost looked like a cavern. Orochimaru was in the middle leaning over a body on the floor. It was a boy. He had raven blue hair and his eyes were closed. His blue shirt and white khaki shorts were practically torn to shreds. If it wasn't for the slight rise and fall of his chest I would have thought that he was dead.

I knelt next to Orochimaru who glanced at me out of the side of his eye.

"He was greatly wounded I need you to heal him." I nodded my head and went to get to work but he stopped me. "Wait." I watched as Orochimaru reached up and removed the mask from my face. He reached up and let my hair down out of its clasp. "There, such a pretty face."

I blinked and despite myself blushed a little at his words. I heard a sharp intake of breath behind me. I reached out my hand a bright green glow encircling it. Orochimaru grabbed my hand. I turned to him.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly. Kabuto let out a humorless chuckle. He had never heard me talk before. As far as he knew I was mute. I had to resist the urge to stick out my tongue at him.

"Sasuke is too far gone for that to work. I need you to go into his mind and bring him back to us." Orochimaru said. He stood up giving me space. I made the correct hand symbols and placed my hand on Sasuke's head, closing my eyes

Sasuke's Point of View:

I made it to Orochimaru's hide out but the strain of the battle, physical and mental, was too much for me to handle and I passed out soon after.

Right now I didn't care if I died. I deserved to. Somehow Naruto had become my best friend. I had let him and then I single handedly almost killed him for it. The pain that racked through me was almost as bad as the night that Itachi killed our parents and clan.

Anger soared through me at the thought of Itachi. Naruto's pain would not be in vain. I was barely holding on to my minds conscious. I could feel the blackness pushing in, just begging me to give up.

"Sasuke Uchiha. Do not give up. You are destined for much greatness." I started at the sound of a voice and all of a sudden, I was facing a girl.

She had flowing long silver hair and sea green eyes. Her heart shaped face was perfectly clear and her skin was the color of porcelain. Her voice was like crystal bells.

"Who are you?" I asked her.

"My name is Nalia. I am..." She hesitated looking for the right words. "I'm one of Orochimaru's minions." I was immediately suspicious. How could anything so innocent looking be involved with someone so evil and vile?

"Orochimaru kidnapped me from my village." The girl said. It was as if she had read my mind. The corners of her mouth twitched like she was fighting a smile. "I can read your mind Sasuke. It's a part of my jutsu."

"Why are you in my mind?" I snapped at her. She didn't have the right to be intruding. "Get out. Now."

"I came because you are on the brink of destruction. I came to bring you back." Then she added more to herself than me. "It almost didn't work. His mind is definitely strong."

She held out her hands to me. Her voice was soothing when she spoke again. "Come back with me, Sasuke. Prove to Itachi you are stronger. Show to Naruto how much his friendship means." When I didn't grab her hands she snatched mine instead, her glare equaling my own.

My eyelids fluttered and when they focused again I was staring up into sea green eyes. Silver hair created a curtain between us and whatever was behind it. It was the girl from inside my mind. She leaned down and whispered in my ear "Welcome back."

I opened my mouth to speak but all that came out was a groan. She looked at me sympathetically. "Let's move him back to my room please." She asked someone over her shoulder.

I was picked up roughly. It felt like it was forever before whoever was holding me stopped. I was dropped on a bed. I couldn't contain the gasp of pain that escaped me.

"Kabuto I expect you to treat him with respect." I recognized Orochimaru's voice. It was the last thing I heard before I lost consciousness.

Nalia's Point of View:

I was exhausted. Making my through Sasuke's mind was one the hardest things I've ever had to do. I have never seen so much hurt and hate in one person before. It took all I had just to push down on that hate to even find Sasuke.

When I finally got him to come back, I wanted to collapse on the ground right there and sleep but I knew I had to heal his physical wounds now. Kabuto walked into my room and dumped Sasuke on my bed.

"Kabuto I expect you to treat him with respect," Orochimaru said having followed Kabuto. His long black hair and yellow snake eyes were all too familiar. His voice had a hiss to it and an undertone of arrogance.

"I'll heal him now. It should be easy." I gazed down at Sasuke. Just what was he doing here at the hideout?

"Nalia, I'll be out in the hall talking to Kabuto," Orochimaru said sharply, the way he does when he's annoyed. I nodded my head without looking at them. When the door closed I got to work.

I dampened a cloth and wiped off the blood and dirt from Sasuke's face. He was cute; no doubt the heartbreaker of his village. Carefully, I plied his shirt off. I put my hand on his chest above his heart. The green glow around my hand appeared again. The good thing about my jutsu is that it heals everything completely. I could even bring someone back from the dead if I really needed to. It's not something I like to think about. Nor a power I'm particularly fond of.

When I finished healing all of his injuries I went to my sink and dampened the cloth again. I went to lay it across his forehead but his hand shot out and grabbed my arm in a bone crushing grip.

I slowly brought my gaze to his. Serious, cutting, onyx eyes bore into mine. "What the heck do you think you're doing?" I flinched at his sharp tone and tried to pry my arm away but he wouldn't let go.

"I was just healing your injuries; now let go."

He released my arm and I could already see the bruise forming. He began stretching back and forth trying to find any sore points. His eyes fell on my arm where the outline of his fingers stood. I covered the spot with my hand feeling self-conscious.

"Aren't you going to heal yourself?" he asked.

"I can't. My jutsu doesn't work on me," I replied quietly. A thud from outside my room made me jump. It sounded like someone had punched the wall.

"But why didn't you tell me that she was a girl! Or about what she could do?" Kabuto screamed. I glanced at my door startled to hear Kabuto's voice. He never lost his composure.

"Because I know for a fact that she's more powerful than you and that you'd do anything in your power to kill her. I need her. She's a powerful asset to me." Orochimaru's cool reply made my heart start beating faster by the second.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted.

Sliding off my bed, he pulled out a kunai from the pouch strapped to his leg and grabbed me, holding it to my neck. "You might just be the bargaining chip I need."

I laughed. Sasuke didn't know what he was in for. He pressed the kunai against my neck letting the point poke into my throat, not having expected me to laugh. When the door opened he pulled it away slightly. Surprising, I have no doubt he would hurt me if needed. Kabuto stormed into my room followed by Orochimaru. Kabuto looked enraged but his expression quickly went from anger to amusement when he saw the scene in my bedroom. Orochimaru surveyed the scene, his expression blank.

"Ah Sasuke it's so good to see you awake. You gave us quite a scare for a minute. Thankfully Nalia is a skilled medical ninja."

"Hn."

Although his grip around my waist was firm, I could feel the way his heart raced against my back. Sasuke wasn't as confident as he seemed, but what was it that was throwing him off? It was tense for a few seconds before Orochimaru started laughing; it was a hollow, dead sound.

"What are you doing Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru eyed the kunai at my throat. I felt more than saw Sasuke shrug.

"I couldn't remember where I was," Sasuke said.

He was lying. Sasuke had only been awake for a few minutes yet I was already confused about his actions. He let the kunai drop from my neck and more or less pushed me down. I landed on my bed slightly embarrassed when I bounced a few times.

"So what is she?" Sasuke asked pointing to me "Another one of your experiments?" He sounded bitter but resigned as if he had accepted something long ago.

"No, no. She's something much more interesting. I rescued her from her village brought her up here. You could say that I'm a father figure to her." I snorted at that but covered it with a cough.

"Is she really more powerful than Kabuto?" The doubt was clear in Sasuke's voice. He raised one eyebrow at Orochimaru. I'll admit, I was curious of the answer.

"Ah, so you heard that part of our conversation. All will be explained in due time," Orochimaru said. He flashed us a pointed smile before leaving with Kabuto.

I heard the sound of a lock being clicked into place and sighed dropping my head into my hands. How long would it be this time before I was let out this time? To make matters worse it looked like I was stuck rooming with Sasuke. My room was dingy enough as it was. I didn't need a roommate nor did I want this one. Sasuke didn't say a word but I could feel his eyes boring into my head. Finally I raised my head and looked at him. He was leaning against the wall arms folded across his chest.

"Might as well make yourself comfortable. I have no idea when they are coming back." I moved from my bed to my tiny dresser in the corner and pulled out a night gown. I headed into the bathroom and changed quickly before heading back out.

Sasuke hadn't moved from his spot on the wall. "What are you doing?" he asked me sounding bored but I saw him eyeing my night gown.

"Going to bed." I replied simply. "I don't care what time it is healing you all but killed me and I need my sleep." I exaggerated. I crawled into bed and snuggled down into the covers, sleep overtaking me in seconds.