Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 1: Midnight Blue
Losing my marbles won't stop me from playing the game.
Stonewalls. A Familiar Face. Playing with Fire.
The violin plays a soft and joyful tune in the background.
And as townsfolk chatter amongst themselves in their separated niches and corners, Sakura prefers to be alone. Around her, vendors attempt to seal their transactions while buyers try to barter for less, but amidst this calm noise, she takes a large bite out of the succulent apple with nonchalance.
Sitting atop a stack of wooden crates, she slouches her shoulders and swings her legs below her because for the first time this month, she's finally content. And so, she stuffs her mouth with another eager bite, not bothering to wipe the apple juices running down the side of her mouth. Passerby – mostly women – shoot disgusted looks at her unrefined and piggish mannerisms, but hell would freeze over once Sakura gave a damn about it.
"Enjoying your snack, aren't ye, lassie?"
Pausing midway in taking another bite, she turns to the owner of the voice – the scraggly bearded merchant who sold her the apple earlier – and lowers her hand, shooting a fabricated smile in his direction.
"What can I say? It tastes great," she remarks, attempting to be cheeky about it.
The old man nods at her compliment, a suggestive smile painted on his face. "Well, I can git' you some more, if yer' still hungry."
For a small moment, she actually considers his offer, but once her eyes find the quickly darkening orange sunset in the horizon, she realizes that she can't wait around for too long.
"Hmm. Thanks, but I think I've had my fill." With the same eagerness, Sakura finally sinks her teeth onto the last bite of the fruit before quickly discarding the skinny core. Pushing herself off her makeshift seat, she bends to pick up her sack and hauls it over her shoulder.
"So where are ye off to now, miss?"
She smiles breezily at her current companion and gestures to the street ahead. "Off to meet someone. See you around, old man."
The vendor puts on an expressive smile, lifting a hand to bid goodbye. "Have a gud' night, lass. 'Till next time."
(Later that night)
Click. Click. Click. Click.
Her footsteps resound the black and empty hallways with loud echoes, beating steadily. In the deep of night, the eerie and ghostly atmosphere of the castle ruins is especially enhanced, but she pays it no mind; this is not her first time.
As it is, the air is putrid and dank – a perfect match for the crumbling and decrepit stonewalls. It smells of musty and stale mildew, but for someone as obscure and hunted as Orochimaru, she supposes that this is a sensible meeting place, no matter how squalid.
In one hand, she holds fast to that telltale sack of a successful kill. And if anyone dares to question that she murders people for a living, she would gladly haul out her victim's bloody head out of the sack to prove it to them.
With her chin up and tired strides, she marches unerringly towards the witch's office, ready to rid of this rancid sack. At first, no doubt she was morally bothered and disgusted by this particular business: You find a bounty agent, accept a mission, kill (or fail to kill) your designated target and return it to the client for money. No strings attached. No insurance. Just a simple contract.
Her first victim was the hardest, but over time, she thinks she found something worth gaining. Not just the money, but perhaps a sadistic sense of accomplishment. And if her 20-year-old self was told that this would be her life at 26, she would be utterly repulsed.
Seeing a faint light emanating beneath the large wooden doors, she pushes the door open and peeks her head in.
"Ah Sakura, finally you've arrived. Come in," the wretched Snake greets and bids her closer. "How was your mission?"
"Fine," she answers curtly, entering the office and stopping short in front of his desk. With a careless plop, she drops the sack in front of him with an expectant look. "As requested… here I introduce Atsuko the priest, from Orian Village. Decapitated, of course."
Orochimaru smirks wickedly. Without caution or respect whatsoever, he fishes out the repugnant head from the bag and lays it on its side for inspection. As usual, its skin is drained of color, its mouth agape and the eyes lackluster in all its lifeless form. Sakura holds her nose from the foul smell of dried-up blood and remarks that Orochimaru must be immune to rotting heads by now considering how seemingly unaffected he is.
"Hmm, so it is… condition is good, cut is clean…" Orochimaru comments, turning the bounty on its other side for inspection.
Once thoroughly satisfied, he grabs the head by the hair and sticks it back into the bag, allowing her to breathe again. Lacing his fingers together, he rests them gently on the desk and looks up at her with satisfaction.
"I suppose that's another completed bounty for you, my dear…" he says in a low tone. "I must say, your track record is only getting better. It implies much about how you've changed over these years."
She rolls her eyes at the statement because she despises when he pokes at her past like that, especially when she spends each tiring day trying to forget it. Even so, she's uncertain whether these 'accomplishments' are worth any sort of boast. Quickly dismissing the thought, she redirects the conversation. "Where's my money?"
"Well, aren't you an eager one?" he tantalizes as he gently places the bag in the corner of the room.
Being impudent and shameless as she is, Sakura doesn't answer; his treacherous and deceptive nature no longer a novelty at this point. She just crosses her arms, shifts her weight on her other foot and raises an eyebrow at him, silently communicating that she prefers if he skips the small talk.
Thankfully, he obliges with her this time round and reaches his hand into one his coat pockets. He pulls out four gold coins and one-by-one, flicks them in her direction.
"Fine. As promised, Sakura. Eighty-percent of the reward."
She nods her head stiffly and stuffs the dull metals in her pouch. Considering that Orochimaru is the liaison between her and the clients, he reasoned that he should earn a portion of the reward. And because she's not personally interested in keeping track of the clients herself, the loss of income has never bothered her.
She sighs with exhaustion. "Alright then, I'm off. I'll find you again in two days for another assignment," Sakura prompts, turning around to leave.
"Wait, before you go…" he pipes up before she can reach the door. She stops in her tracks and remains unturned, lingering a while longer to listen to his parting words. "Sakura. I'm aware that you like your breaks, but should you change your mind, know that I have…" He pauses briefly, as if carefully phrasing his next words. "…an interesting mission that might appeal to you."
She turns her head over her shoulder, not at all surprised to see the cunning smile drawn on his face.
For Orochimaru to lure her into another job right away is intriguing. She knows that she's mentally skewed, but this occupation has done a good of job of blurring the lines between good and bad. With each successful mission, she knows that she tears people apart. She knows she distorts relationships and families. She knows that her actions hurt more people than she cares to think. Not only that, days of constant concentration, scheming, living in the shadows and sleeping with one eye open is exhausting in itself. Her job being illegal and taxing as it is, it's not something she can do everyday. But curious as she is, she remains still and looks pointedly at the Snake.
"Who's the target?"
He chuckles in such a dishonest matter that she wonders how exactly this man came to embody a deceitful nature in everything he does. Curiously, she watches as he pulls out a wrinkled and worn-out news page from his pocket.
"This," he says, tossing the page at her. "…contains everything you need to know."
A momentary silence stretches between them as Sakura unrolls the document and skims through its contents. Truth be told, she's actually read this before. In fact, this news spread like wildfire as soon as it was announced.
As the gears in her head start turning, Orochimaru grins when he spots her inquisitive green eyes peeking above the parchment paper.
She comes to a conclusion soon enough. "Hinata Hyuuga?"
Orochimaru licks his lips with his snake-like tongue. "Precisely. Though, I don't think that comes as a surprise to you."
Sakura shakes her head. "It doesn't. But I'm just wondering… why?"
Orochimaru's grin disappears, quickly replaced with a scowl. He straightens up and leans forward to face her more squarely. "Are you refusing?"
Sakura contemplates the situation carefully. A bounty request for the Hyuuga Princess requires a skilled and expert hunter at the very least. No doubt she would be wanted alive – her worth is found only in her title and prestige – but the Princess is protected within a secure compound, surrounded by guards that watch her every move. Not only that, her newly betrothed is surely something of a hindrance.
Naruto Uzumaki.
You'd have to live under a rock not to have heard his name. Truth is, he defeated the Demon Fox that terrorized their country for so long. And with that sort of reputation, Sakura would rather not cross paths with him.
Sighing loudly, she removes the distasteful expression on her face. "So the Hyuuga heir, then?"
Orochimaru, satisfied once again, nods his head. "Indeed. Now, considering the… fragility of the task, I expect your return in two fortnights time. Think you can manage that?"
She quickly adds up the numbers in her head. A week for travel, another week for infiltration and scope, one night to abduct the Hyuuga target, perhaps another week allowed for return…
After a full minute, she nods her head. "Fine. One month it is, give or take a couple of days."
He grins at her quick acceptance and sudden change of heart and rises from his seat. Beckoning her to follow him, he leads her to another desk where a map of the entire continent is spread out. He places a marker on a particular area. "As you know, the Hyuuga residence is located in the city of Prath."
Sakura pauses to cringe at the mere mention of the name because she abhors everything about this damned city.
"…I'm sure you are well aware, but you will have to devise a plan that raises no suspicion. I've no care how you do it, or when you do it, but I want her back alive. If you must know, she will come at a hefty price tag," Orochimaru explains.
Sakura rolls her eyes.
"Lastly, my dear, I know you're questioning why I've selected you for this mission. First of all, you grew up in Prath, so I entrust that your familiarity with the city will serve you well… However, since you were also previously exiled-"
"Orochimaru, quit it. I thought we agreed to forgo that. Can we just act as if it didn't happen?" Sakura cuts him off icily and defensively.
He smiles faintly at the girl. "Ah, yes. I'm aware. However, since I don't want to risk failure, I am assigning someone to aid and check on you periodically."
At this, her eyes widen. "What! I don't need that!"
She's not usually one to shout, but this time she really means it. So far, she's only been on two collaborative missions, but both times, she was planning both the deaths of her target and partner. Previously, she thought that she was screwed up, but that changed when she met them. One of them spent the entire mission trying to convert her to believe in some bizarre and ridiculous god named 'Jashin' and the other one boasted loudly about 'becoming his art' and was too preoccupied having one-sided conversations with his puppets to even help.
"Now now, Sakura. Don't be so hasty. You never worked with this one before," he tries to reason. "However, I must warn you that he is a little bit of a recluse…"
She rolls her eyes, and holds fast to her presumption.
"He won't accompany you all throughout. Rather, he'll just drop on occasion since he has another task of his own," Orochimaru explains, retiring back to the chair behind the desk. "… As for meeting this individual, you are to make a stop at Menesfield where he will provide you with identification so you can enter Prath without ruckus."
"Can I have this person's name in advance?"
He dismisses her concern with a hand. "Sakura, that is unimportant. What is important is that you focus. There is no room for failure, no room for mistake and certainly no need for distraction. You have to understand that this needs to be done. Believe me, there are others trying to get to her first," he goes off, tone almost reprimanding in nature.
Sakura narrows her eyes at the witch and crosses her arms. "Okay, so why bother to do it at all? I mean, you're not really one to take such competitive bargains. Is the client offering a large wad of cash? Is that what's pulling your tail? Or are you trying to make an impression on somebody?"
Orochimaru shakes his head. "You're misconstrued, little girl. The client who demands this is like none other. Trust me."
"Then who is it? Who's this earnest patron you speak of?" she asks, hinting at irritation because Orochimaru is rarely ever this vague.
Unexpectedly, when he bows his head and gazes up at her this time round, his smile is so sinister and illusive that even she backs up at the sight of it.
"Me."
Oddly enough, the simple response invokes an unwelcome small shudder down her spine, enough to keep her mouth shut and leave her hanging. For a brief moment, she thinks that the stakes have been heightened and suddenly, she's at odds with her decision.
Thinking more clearly though, she knows she can't let herself be perturbed by the mere fact. Orochimaru or not, the buyer is never her concern. Recovering quickly from her momentary lapse, she straightens up again, attempting to appear unruffled by the statement. Sensing no more purpose in this conversation, she exchanges one final nod at Orochimaru and turns on her heel to make for the door.
"Two fortnights, Sakura! Don't forget."
"I know! Hard to disappoint a pretty face like yours, right?" she jests insolently, shooting him a sarcastic smile behind her shoulder.
Orochimaru scoffs loudly behind her. "It's never stopped you before."
"Ha. See you in a month, witch."
And with that, she exits with another objective, target and deadline in mind. Sakura knows she's playing with fire here, but just like every other day in this damned world, the plan remains the same: she'll try her best not to get burned.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it :) As a note, I've posted this story onto AO3 as well, if that's your preference. And for any confusion, Sakura is a bounty hunter. She receives missions for Orochimaru and carries them out accordingly for monetary awards. Also, Prath is a variation of Konoha. - MT
