A/N: Yea umm, i do not own Naruto(i do own my OC Rei though,) Please give this story a chance, i'm begging you people! Enjoy.

Ever Tense

Chapter One:

Rei walked down the hall clenching and un-clenching her fists. Her high-healed shoes clicking the stone floor in a steady pattern, an angry pattern, Rei was pissed.

She didn't even stop to think before she barged into the room on the opposite side of the door.

"Kabuto!" she hissed as the door banged harshly off the wall. "What is the meaning of this?" She demanded as she stomped over to him.

"Rei?" He swiveled in the chair to face her, dropping the papers to the desk. "What are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" She raged.

Kabuto stood and walked toward her hesitantly placing a hand on her shoulder. He could see just under her anger that she was near tears.

"I will not do this," she murmured firmly.

"You must." That's all he was going to offer her.

"Like hell I do," she spat, her fury taking hold again; she swiped his hand from her shoulder and stepped back defensively.

"Shhh, such words aren't fit for your lips," He whispered as he placed a finger to them.

She took another step back and without any warning decked him square in the jaw.

"I hate you." She said as she turned to leave.

"I know," he murmured rubbing his jaw, pushing healing chakra into it, fighting back the bruise.

She could have killed him with that punch and probably should have but she decided better of it at the last second, with Kabuto gone Sasuke would kill her, or worse.

Besides she had more urgent matters to take care of. How to get out of the mess she'd now found her self in. Why did Akatsuki need to be involved? Yes, she did leave them, she left Itachi, but that didn't mean she didn't care about them anymore. She would not be the cause of their downfall. No.

She punched the wall in beside her to control her anger. Even if she had every reason to let them all die, she wouldn't bring herself to do it.

"Hn. temper, temper." Sasuke mused from the other side of the hall.

"Go crawl back into your hole, snake." Her voice was sharp as knives, yet it hardly scathed the younger Uchiha.

"Come now, Rei. Tell me what's gotten you so riled up,"

She couldn't help but flinch back when she noticed how much Sasuke sounded like Orochimaru.

"Do I scare you Rei?" He was Sasuke again, cocky and arrogant.

"About as much as a mouse." she replied straightening up.

"A mouse can sometimes scare a lion. Just remember that." He had her pinned to the wall suddenly, and she was scared, very scared.

"S-sasuke...?" Rei pushed on his chest trying to move him. Failing to.

"Hn," He smirked, that damn god awful smirk. "Told you," He breathed leaning closer than he needed to just scare her.

She pushed his chest harder and he only pushed on her with twice the strength in return. He ran his hand across her cheek and back through her hair smirking still. She couldn't flinch away, she could barely move, she clenched her teeth and tensed her entire body.

"Uchiha Sasuke!" She took an assertive tone, "Get off me you disgusting snake!"

He grinned and pushed harder, rubbing against her slightly. She tried to sink back and finding she couldn't, closed her eyes tight and whined, "Stop,"

"You like it," He accused.

"I-"

"Sasuke!" Kabuto's voice echoed around them. "Let go of her." He ordered.

After a moment Rei felt his body leave hers and she sprang away from the wall, realizing she would have hid behind Kabuto in the past. Now, though, she stood her ground keeping her distance from Sasuke, but not hiding. Her eyes raged at the Uchiha and he only smirked.

"Rei go back to your room." Kabuto ordered her now. She looked at him in disbelief then in defiance. "Rei." he said her name more strongly and she knew there was no arguing, she slunk away down the hallway. Turning her back on Sasuke didn't feel right but it felt good as she added a resilient flick of her hair in his face. Only after did it occur to her that he probably took it sexually. Damn. She cursed inwardly.

Her bed was soft and warm thanks to the added pillows and blankets she'd received, tokens from Kabuto. Even her room was exceptional, in size, in condition, and the addition of a bathroom. Kabuto had a hand in getting her this room, surely. Orochimaru still despised her, even if he did want her for his own use.

Seeing as Kabuto had swayed her over to Sound when no one else could, he must be getting some more luxuries than normal even if he was that snake's right hand man. She also supposed anything that kept her semi happy was important to discourage any ideas of her leaving.

Rei buried her face in the cotton stuffed pillow and took a deep breath. Sasuke was getting more careless in his attempts, both for her and for her death. Kabuto at least was catching on to it fast enough to keep her breathing, for the moment if nothing less. She would have to be more careful about being alone from now on.

The door clicked shut just then and she turned her face to the wall burying only half of it in the pillow. "What do you want?"

She heard him sigh. Intrigued she shifted to her forearms and knees before plopping down on her butt. She stared at the wall where the headboard was pressed up against it. Her hair tickled her legs on either side of her bottom, and she cast a side long glance to Kabuto, "What is it?" She pushed her fingertips into the mattress between her knees and she turned her gaze on the grayish stones again.

"Are you alright, Rei?" He asked after a moment of hesitation.

"Fine," she replied with no such pause. "You do not need to concern yourself with me, Yakushi Kabuto."

"That's where you're wrong." He was crouching on the bed in front of her, staring into her eyes, in that next instant.

"Am I?"

"Yes," He fell gently forward onto his knees, which brushed hers where they fell. His right hand caressed her cheek. It pleased him when she close her eyes and tilted into his touch. A light pink spreading over her pale cheeks.

"I still hate you," She murmured without opening her eyes.

"I know," He sighed before taking her lips.

Rei opened her eyes in shock at the suddenness of his kiss, and then she pulled away, with a sickening empty feeling in her stomach.

"I'm sorry...Rei...I..."

"Nuh-uh," She mumbled and shook her head. He only caught "Not your fault" from her murmurs.

She stared at the wall even though she knew Kabuto was hoping for a better answer. She didn't have one. Rei sighed and turned to kiss him softly, but quickly. "Not now," she breathed.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and shifted to pull her down to the bed with him. Rei snuggled next to him. "Kabuto?" She whispered after a long while of silence.

"Hm?" He prompted her.

"Do I have to fight?"

"It's what Orochimaru wants, I'm afraid I have no say in this matter."

She buried her face in his shoulder making her voice muffled, "I see..."

Kabuto wanted to run his hand through her hair but that wasn't allowed. Only Itachi could do that. So he settled for rubbing her shoulder. She clutched his opposite shoulder and tried to sink into the other one further. She shifted suddenly and crawled over him.

She went to her dresser and rummaged through it until she pulled out a ball of black fabric. Rei set it down on the top and with her back already turned pulled off her black tank-top. Kabuto caught a glimpse of her bindings and mesh shirt before he looked away.

She pulled on an over sized black T. It hung almost level with the red mini she was wearing. She slipped on a pair of black fabric and mesh shorts under the skirt. She grabbed something off the dresser top and bit it between her teeth as she grabbed up her long raven hair and tied it up fast and skillfully, before facing him again.

"I'm going to train." She told him before suddenly leaving.

Rei was doubled over, breathing heavily, sweat dripped from her forehead to the ground. Grabbing the training post for support she tried to stand straight and get her breathing back to a normal rate. Stray hair clung to her face and she brushed it back. Maybe I did over do it a bit… No one but her was left in the huge training room.

"Rei," Kabuto's voice was soft, yet laced with concern. He'd come to find her in the training hall when he'd decided she'd been gone to long. Now he was worried she'd drop from exhaustion. It didn't look like she would be able to stand straight, let alone walk out of the great hall.

"I'm fine, just tired." She breathed out. "I'm going for a shower; I'll see you when I'm done." She sighed as she passed him.

She let her hair fall loose once she was in the bathroom and she ran her brush through it. Her head felt clear, like after every time she trained. She still didn't have a set plan, her plan almost was nonexistent. Rei would see how it all played out and make split second decisions. Not a great idea, but at least it was something.

The water ran through her hair soaking it along with the rest of her. It couldn't have felt better on her body.

Once she was clean and clothed she left her room with still dripping hair. Carefully checking the hall for Sasuke's presence, and finding not a trace, she walked quickly to Kabuto's room. This time she managed to knock, waiting for him to let her in.

She pressed herself to his chest as soon as the door opened and pushed them both inside. He wrapped his arms around her back and pushed the door shut with his finger tips. She buried her face in his shirt and felt him kiss the top of her hair.

She pulled away and looked up at him, "I'm tired," She sighed. Rei pulled away from him the rest of the way and walked over to his king sized bed.

His room was by far better than her own. A large bathroom, about twice the size of hers, a huge amount of room in the living area though, he didn't put it to use. All he had was one dresser, a desk and chair, a table and two chairs (the second added for her sake), and his bed with a simple night stand. The bed was the most extravagant thing, obviously the man liked to sleep comfortably. Several pillows sat on the bed in the same burgundy colored satin as the sheets and comforter. She sat down on the end of it and flopped on to her back, her wet hair splaying around her.

The bed was in the corner pressed to the back wall and the nightstand was between it and the wall, a few books scattered on the wood surface. The desk was also pressed to the back wall directly in line with the door into the room. The table was on the far wall; it was small and really only fit one person nicely. A small kitchen area was just off to the side of that. His dresser was on the front wall of the room a few feet from the door and directly in front of the bed. The rest was just open space, save for the fire place. Rei thought he needed a couch or something in the middle of the room.

Kabuto sat on the side of the bed where it was only feet from the wall. "Rei what are you thinking?" he asked suddenly breaking the sound quiet.

"Not much that you'd like to hear." She stared at the ceiling.

"Them, I see..."

He seemed to be talking to himself, but she replied anyway. "What do you 'see'?"

She sat up and stared at him waiting for an answer.

"That I'll always be second,"

End Chapter One:

So Chapter Two should be up tomorrow, and possibly three. The story is complete, i just need to get it all up here, kthankx! AngelFire Rei.