"When the Bough Breaks; A Sasuke Story-Chapter 1"

A tremor ran through my body and passed through my lips as an unheard sigh. My onyx eyes could not seem to rip themselves from the ridiculously beautiful face below, no matter how much I willed them to move. She knew I was looking at her, too, and I reveled in the feeling her gaze brought me. It had been so long since I had felt anything, everything, even nothing, that the strength of this emotion nearly overwhelmed me. She wore a smile on her face but her eyes were empty, uncomprehending yet somehow holding more wisdom than I could begin to imagine.

I sat in my hiding place, if I could still call it that, contemplating whether or not I should go down to get a closer look. My keen eyes scanned the boulder on which she perched, conveniently placed in the middle of a placid stream. Beside it was an assortment of smaller rocks, their tips peeking just enough above the water's surface for me to walk on without getting wet. I crouched, ready to spring in an instant and fully aware of the katana strapped to my back, just in case.

As I prepared to jump, I paused, rethinking my decision. The girl staring up at me, with her feet tickling the water, wasn't any ordinary person. I wondered vaguely why the thought hadn't occurred to me before that she was so obviously different. Her pale hair was the color of spun gold and her azure eyes put the sky to shame with their brilliance. From my position on a high up branch, almost directly above the boulder, her ivory skin appeared silky, flawless. As pure as her features were, that wasn't the difference I should have first observed.

This girl did not have ears like mine, and I could easily make out the bushy tail swishing contentedly behind her. Sitting atop her head were two large, furry ears, which twitched at every little rustle of the forest or splash of a fish in the stream. Why, I wondered, was my attention not drawn to these features sooner? Was I so caught in that face of unparalleled beauty that my eyes passed over the fact that she was anything but human? The thought unsettled me and I inhaled sharply to clear my mind.

I reminded myself that my one ambition in life was to kill my brother and avenge my clan, and that comfort broke me from a momentary trance. I turned, having made up my mind to leave, when a loud crack resounded through the trees and I felt myself falling. I twisted in midair, landing lightly on my feet with my face only inches from the strange girl's. My breath caught and a strange sense of panic choked my senses, making me aware of nothing but how close I was to this...creature.

I tensed visibly as she moved, and relaxed only slightly when I realized she was just scrambling backwards, startled by my sudden appearance. She stood abruptly and lithely bounded to the shore, leaving me dazed and slightly hunched over on the boulder. I raised my eyes slightly, studying her expression rather blatantly. Instead of appearing disgusted or wary, that curious smile lit her lips naturally, without a thought. What gives her the right to smile so easily, I wondered, once again caught in indecision. She beckoned me over with a wave of one elegant, slender hand, and I found it was an invitation I could not refuse.

I was by her side in a flash, forcing my face to remain expressionless, rather than quirking an eyebrow and voicing my curiosity.

"Hello," she said with a voice smoother than honey and lighter than air. I marveled inwardly at the melody ringing in that single word, and leaned toward the source involuntarily. She blinked at my silence and her eyes widened in anticipation. I didn't have time to think of a response before I answered her greeting.

"Hi." My voice had no sweet ring, only a flat, empty tone that refused to betray my true emotions to a complete stranger. I noted how her strange ears twitched and she frowned for a split second before grinning more enthusiastically than before.

"I was wondering if you would come down," she said, her eyes glittering in the light filtering through the trees. "You were in that tree for quite some time, sitting so still that I almost felt I should come see if you were still living. It was quite frightening, really."

I blinked stupidly, not sure how to respond to her blunt statement. "I was thinking," I said absently, trying to push her comment aside.

"Ah, I see. That's quite understandable, ne? I often get lost in thought on bright days like these and become completely unaware of the world around me. Oh!" the girl clapped her hands together once like an excited child. "I haven't yet introduced myself! You must think me exceptionally rude by now!"

I might have choked back a laugh at that, if only I was the same person I had been nearly three years ago. A brief image of my former teammates flashed in my mind's eye before I pushed it away with a disgusted grimace. It was best not to dwell on those days. "Not really," was my flat response.

"Oh. Well I suppose that's a good thing, ne? Allow me to introduce myself properly," she said, bowing. "I am Ryuujin Saiyame, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

Once again I responded smoothly, not thinking about the possible consequences for my behavior. "Uchiha Sasuke."

"Uchiha-sama." Saiyame nodded her head in my general direction, and I noticed how her eyes failed to make direct contact with mine. I studied those empty orbs briefly before the reason dawned on me.

"You--" I stopped and silently cursed myself for hesitating. "You are blind?" Saiyame waved off the comment and nodded stiffly. I cringed at the displeasure that flickered across her face before mentally berating myself again. What the hell was wrong with me?

"More or less, anyway. The eyes are only one of five senses, after all." I opened my mouth to speak when a far off shout interrupted me. I rolled my eyes and flitted away, not giving Saiyame a second glance, though her image continued to cloud my mind.

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I stood behind Orochimaru's little throne and listened as one of his minions informed him that a group of shinobi were headed toward the hideout. If they weren't intercepted and dealt with soon, there would be a need to change location. A grin snaked its way across the Sannin's face, completing his overall serpentine appearance nicely. That grin, which had once made my breath catch in fear, now did nothing but alert me to the fact that my master was scheming.

"This is a most unexpected pleasure," he hissed, turning slightly to face me. "Sasuke-kun, I would like for you to...deter our pursuers, by any means necessary." I stiffened for only a moment before nodding and disappearing from his side.

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From my place on the rocky cliff I gazed impassively at the Konoha pursuers. Two of them I recognized immediately as my former teammates. Sakura's pink hair and Naruto's ridiculous orange jumpsuit were all too easy to spot. Their companions, I noted, were an unfamiliar Jounin and a boy about my age. So, I thought, they've replaced me.

"Sasuke!" Naruto blurted, causing me roll my eyes. After two and a half years he was still as loud and obnoxious as ever. Sakura gazed longingly at me with a lingering sadness that I found hard to shrug off. After all, she had been the only one to stand in my way the night I left - the only one who knew me well enough to know what I was planning. She had even gone so far as to offer to come with me, which would mean leaving behind her family and betraying the entire village. I had to admire her for being so bold.

"Naruto," I said. I owed him enough to at least acknowledge his presence. The blonde ninja had been my greatest rival and my best friend, and he fought the hardest physically to bring me home to Konoha. His determination had pushed me further beyond my limits than I had ever ventured. And he could have won, I thought, remembering my so-called victory. I remembered standing over his unconscious body and just staring, unable to make the final blow. I was so weak back then.

Naruto shouted something else that I missed, lost in my reverie. Next came the inevitable introductions of the newcomers, who were named Yamato and Sai. It seemed Yamato was filling in for Kakashi as team leader while he was indisposed, and Sai was my replacement until I decided to come home like a good little shinobi. "They can keep him," I muttered.

I relaxed my posture as Naruto flew into a lengthy rant about how stupid I was for leaving and how superior he was to me. Back when I was still a genin of Konoha exchanging witty banter had been a favorite pastime of Naruto's and mine, but now I just found it annoying. Finally, amidst the insults and empty death threats came a question that caught me off guard and almost caused me to lose my composure.

"Sasuke," Naruto asked, "why? Why didn't you kill me back then? Is that what you call severing bonds?"

I almost allowed myself the pleasure of a scornful sneer, but my cold demeanor was not so easily abandoned. "The reason is simple, and it isn't that I wasn't able to sever my bonds with you...I simply didn't want to give him the pleasure of seeing me attain power by submitting to his plans. Still, the one thing I can say to you is that I chose to spare your life at nothing more than a whim of mine. If you have the time to chase me around you would have been better off training, don't you think, Naruto?"

My mocking aloofness hit Naruto hard and he visibly flinched. With no more than a flutter of the wind I was beside him, one arm draped casually over the front of his shoulder and the other slowly tugging at the hilt of my katana. "You will lose your life today, all on a whim of mine."

I fully unsheathed my katana and swung my blade at Naruto, only to be blocked by Sai. I caught the sound of a rustling underground and quickly jumped back, narrowly dodging a cluster of vines that had been slithering stealthily toward me. Naruto shook off his confusion and charged me, while the Jounin recalled his plants and Sakura hesitated in the background, not wanting to fight against a former teammate. Sai had backed away and was studying my moves intently from a corner of the rocky valley so as not to get caught in the crossfire. Smart. The kunoichi would be the easiest target to take out, so I darted past Naruto's onslaught and set course for Sakura.

I swung my katana straight down only to cut air as Sakura jumped back with more speed and grace than I would have thought possible from her. However, I hoped she didn't expect one good dodge to deter me from targeting her. I swung again, and again she dodged, this time thrusting her fist into the ground and smashing through solid rock, creating a storm of rubble. From behind, Naruto prepared his rasengan to attack, and Yamato's vines were speeding towards me again. I smirked humorlessly, and with a few rapid hand signs lightning burst from my whole body, knocking back all of their attacks effortlessly.

I turned now on Naruto, preparing an attack for the Kyuubi's vessel, when a soft whisper reached my ears. I turned to the source and there was Saiyame, staring down at me disapprovingly and shaking her head for me to stop. Why should I listen to someone I know next to nothing about, I wondered, pausing all the same. Naruto took that chance to attack and by the time I regained my senses it was too late to block. I held up my katana as if it could protect me from that menacing energy and almost flinched when his attack grazed harmlessly off of a barrier of crackling light that wasn't coming from me. Before Naruto could pull himself together enough to rebound, I was gone.

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"What the hell do you think you were doing?!" I hissed, my brows knitted in fury. Today has been the worst day of my life with Orochimaru, all because this demon had to come and stir up emotions that had long lain dormant. Even now my heart ached as I observed her features, which were even more blank and emotionless than anything I had ever managed to look. The amusement was gone and so was that dancing smile she had shown me only hours earlier.

"Relax," Saiyame commanded firmly. "I didn't want you to make a mistake you would regret for the rest of your life." My temper flared at her words and I glared darkly at her, wishing she could see it.

"You didn't want me to make a mistake? You don't even know me! You don't know who I am, or what I've been through and you certainly dont know what is or isn't a mistake!" I was nearly shouting now, but I didn't care. My fingers gripped my katana so tightly my knuckles turned white and, it took all of my willpower not to strike her where she stood.

"It may be true that I do not know you, but if you really wanted to kill your friends then you would not have allowed me to stop you with one little word. Perhaps we should take a walk and get to know each other better," Saiyame suggested, lightening her tone and turning her back on me. I fought inwardly, not bothering to mask each emotion that crossed my face. After all, she couldn't see them.

"No," I breathed shakily, eyeing my katana and then Saiyame. "I cannot allow myself to form new bonds, especially not with someone like you, who has such a profound effect on me." I darted forward, targeting Saiyame with reluctant determination and narrowing my eyes as I waited for impact. The impact didn't come.

"I know you didn't really want to do that either," Saiyame said, staring straight through me with a glare that would make Orochimaru recoil. I was dumbfounded, suspended in midair with my katana only centimeters from the tip of Saiyame's nose.

"H-how?" I stuttered the question, cursing myself for being so surprised.

"Just because I am blind does not mean I am weak. Telekinesis is quite a useful ability to have, especially when people try to attack me from behind." Saiyame raised her hand and my body followed, slamming into a tree as she flung her arm forward. The impact knocked the wind out of me and I slumped forward onto the ground, clutching my ribs and gasping for breath.

"Now would you like to take a walk?" she asked, offering her hand for me to take.

I took Saiyame's hand immediately, allowing her to pull me up. I admit, I hated how she made me feel so weak, so submissive, like a small, helpless child. I hated her but I was also intrigued by her. I wondered briefly if she knew any techniques that could help me defeat my brother, and why her aura drew me toward her against my will.