Keep running, she screamed at herself. For the love of god, keep running!
She could only go so far. She was still another hour away from Konoha, her home. Her family, husband and son, were probably waiting for her in the garden, her young child chasing after butterflies and such. She couldn't wait to see them, but she had to get into the village gates before she could rest.
Her entire body was coated with sweat. Deep brown eyes scanned the area around her, but she could hardly focus. Her black hair highlighted red was damp and dirty. It was falling out of its ponytail to run down to her waist, but she didn't care.
The person who had been chasing her for three days straight was now hot on her heels. Her chakra was almost gone, and her entire body burned with exhaustion. She had wounds from his attacks in attempt to stun her, and she felt that they were becoming infected. She hadn't had time to heal them yet.
You can do this, she tried to concentrate. If you can get away from him before, you know you can get away from him now.
She felt him hovering above her. She dodged a kunai only to have another slice through her Jounin vest and into her shoulder blade. The impact sent her falling to the ground. Her attacker leapt onto her back, shoving her face into the dirt.
She felt him tug at her hair. Her eyes closed to hide her tears. Her exhausted body burned in agony.
"Did you really think that dying your hair would hide you from me?" he hissed. Familiar black tresses fell on either side of her. "I know you better than anyone, my Haru."
She growled into the dirt. Nothing disgusted her more than her name on his lips. Haru lifted her head weakly. She heard him chuckle as her body shook as she moved.
"You have no chakra left, my dear," he cooed. "You used it all trying to escape from me."
"Shut up," she barked. The new wound on her shoulder was in no pain compared to the pain in her old, infected ones. Three days, and she still couldn't escape, losing most of her chakra in the process. She was ashamed. How could she call herself a Shinobi when she couldn't even escape properly?
She felt a sensation run from her shoulder to her skull; she shrieked out in pain.
"Are you really so weak now?" her captor asked. "Under my care, you were getting so strong."
"I'm stronger than I've ever been!" she spat, feebly struggling against the man's weight.
He gingerly turned Haru over on her back. Her eyes, under the curtain of his hair, met his excited golden orbs. His thin lips were curled into almost a happy grin, and his pale skin shown even in the darkness that his hair surrounded them with.
"You don't look happy to see me," he growled.
Haru scoffed, "I was really, really hoping you were dead."
Chills ran down her spine as he laughed. She grimaced. "I'm immortal, my Ha-ru," he purred. Her stomach twisted as he emphasized the syllables in her name.
"You should treat me with more respect," he continued. "Without me, after all, you would be dead."
"You used me for my Kekkei Genkai, you monster!"
He scowled at the word. "Haru, you know it wasn't like that for you. You were something much, much more."
Haru struggled with all her might. She tried pushing him off with her legs, with little success. He hardly even moved.
Her shirt rose up to her naval, revealing her toned stomach to the cool autumn air. The pale, golden-eyed man looked down and noticed faint stretch marks that stopped at her hips. He stared curiously for a moment, before leaning down, holding her wrists with a tight grip.
"Where did these come from?" he asked, his hot breath on her stomach. "Don't tell me you've gained some weight in these past years."
His long fingers intertwined in hers, and he stopped. Haru's heart skipped a beat. She felt his fingers twitching against her wedding band.
She thought of Sasuke, and their son, Ichirou (meaning "first son"). She knew that her son was waiting for her at home, and maybe Sasuke was home from his mission as well. If not, Haru knew that the nanny would be wanting a large tip when they arrived. She almost smiled. Now, if she could just get home to them alive, she would be content. She wasn't sure what the snake-shinobi wanted with her, but there was no way that it could be good.
"What the hell is this?" he hissed coldly. He sat up, taking her left hand in his with much force. Haru pulled away from him, only to have her hand caught again. He glared at her, focusing on her face as he removed her fingerless gloves, revealing the silver band, holding a single light-blue stone. Like water. After all, she was originally from the Village of Waves.
As his face twisted in anger, she saw his white and very sharp fangs. She gulped. This wasn't going to end well on her part. His grip relaxed on her. She used this to her advantage; she turned back over and quickly crawled out from under him, her muscles once again screaming.
Suddenly, he gripped her hair and pulled hard, she bent backwards, seeing him upside down. Her spine popped in a few places; her eyes brimmed with tears. She was on her knees, shaking, being held tight by the hair she felt ripping from her scalp under the man's grip. "O-O-Orochimaru," she breathed. "Let me go, this isn't your business."
He glared daggers at her. "Who is he, Haru?" he roared. "Who have you given yourself to?"
Haru closed her eyes. If she told him, it would only endanger Sasuke and Ichirou. She bit her lip.
"Tell me." His eyes were burning into her. She began to sob uncontrollably from the fear. She was so weak. She still feared him, after almost seven years after her escape. His eyes didn't soften from her tears. He pulled tighter, and her back popped again. The muscles in her stomach began to burn uncontrollably.
"Your protégée."
The words were barely a whisper. Orochimaru's eyes widened. He loosened his grip on her again, and he let her go. She bent back forward, panting heavily. If she didn't get home soon, she could die here. And deep inside, she knew that the snake-nin would let her die.
"How long have you been married?" he whispered.
"Three years," she answered quietly, crawling rather slowly toward the shadows. "We had a son; he's almost one now. After we got away from you, Konoha opened their arms to me. They've given me everything I've ever wanted."
Orochimaru screamed in agony and rage; he pulled out a kunai and threw it toward her, hitting her dead in the center of her hand. It didn't go all the way through, but it was enough to stop the kunuoichi dead in her tracks. Tears hit the grass below her. She bit her lip til she drew blood, keeping the sobs at bay.
"How dare you," he growled. "You were supposed to be saving yourself for me."
Her eyes widened. She turned to stare at the man, to see that he almost looked hurt. She could see the emotions on his face, contorted with confusion and anger. He seemed to have never had his feelings hurt before.
"I'm not like my brother," she snapped. "I won't throw my life away for some dick to use my powers to protect himself."
She hated speaking of Haku, her beautiful twin brother, in that way. But it was true, Zabuza had used him and didn't even realize he loved the boy until he was dead. Haru had loved her brother very much, but she had been kidnapped by Orochimaru at an early age, only allowing herself to see her brother every so often. She had been on her way to visit him to discover he was dead; she felt the dread in her heart that usually meant that Haku was in deep distress. Their twin telepathy had been very strong.
Orochimaru kicked her onto her side. She spat up blood, the impact had been so strong. Tears fell down her cheeks, blurring her vision. "You belong to me, you little bitch!" he shouted. "No one else can have you! Here I've been waiting for twenty goddamn years for you to be ready, and yet you've given yourself to another man! And what's worse, the Uchiha boy!"
"I'm twenty five, goddamn it!" she shouted back. Her voice cracked. Somehow, it felt wrong to yell at him. Like she was committing blasphemy. "You kidnapped me when I was a child! There was no way that you were waiting that long for me! I have my whole life ahead of me!"
That's how she had felt when she escaped from him, and she convinced Sasuke to run with her when he led the Akatsuki. They both were under the impression that Orochimaru was gone forever. There wasn't a trace of his existence left when they came back to Konoha, to be greeted with open arms. Four years later, they were engaged. And then married. Last year her son was born, and everything was so peaceful. Up until this point.
He picked her up by the throat and threw her hard against a tree. She fell onto the ground, her entire body on fire. There was no adrenaline to fight back against him; she knew that he had won.
He hauled her up by her arms and stood her up. He still looked angry, but managed to smirk. "The only thing I want to do is take you with me," he whispered. "And I have the right mind to do so; they've turned you into something else here."
Her eyes narrowed. "They'll come for me," she spat at him. "I know that they will. I'm a Jounin. They won't just accept my disappearance. And they know I won't run; I'm too loyal for that."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as well. He knew it, too, and was going to go by impulses anyway.
Instead, he made Haru take a hard punch to the face, one that knocked her out almost instantly.
He'd thought of taking her right there, showing her what a real man was like, but he wouldn't do it. He had to be more in control of his emotions. She would willingly come to him eventually, but the only way she would was if he gave a very good reason to. He refused to use Genjutsu, as that would be no better than rape. He had more respect. He left her there; she would live, and when she got comfortable again, he would take her for himself, as he would have a plan by then.