Hey guys! This is my second Naruto fanfic, but my first Sasuke one. I'm aiming for tons of detail and a good story line, so tell me if I've done a good job so far. Anyways, just a head's up, my OC in the story was originally named Chiyo, but when I started watching the Shippuden I realized that Sasori's grandma was already named that, so I changed her name. Her name is now Noriko. If there are any parts where I mention the name Chiyo, it's because of that reason. You can tell me if I need to correct it. Anyways, enjoy!
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, would I be wasting my time writing this story? I think not.
As if being an enchanted vision imagined by the mind's eye of a young, innocent child, the darkness of evil intent was veiled by the endless fall of a buoyant, flawless blanket over the shadowed landscape. The coverlet seemed to be concealing the infamous treachery and malevolence that surrounded and tainted the land it occupied. A new season was beginning, ending the despair the old one left behind. The obscurity of the desolate forest was now glowing with illumination from the naïve sheet of untouched snow. The promise of a new age was being sealed with a pure kiss from the Moon and Stars in the form of a harmless snowstorm.
A pledge of such a secure and safe new time does not come without a price, though. To give something, another equal item must be taken as well – it is the law of Nature. This commandment has never been broken and though it can be avoided temporarily the sacrifice never escapes – parity is absolute. Balance cannot be judged without a fair trial – all things must live in one world. No one can flee, no one is an exception.
Iciness bit and nipped at faultless porcelain cheeks leaving behind a cherry blush as it rushed past. A low wind echoed in the distance and flew unwavering at the pale silhouette whose ownership belonged to such innocent cheeks. Almost unheard, a quiet gasp was muffled as the edge of the envious wind sliced across the cheeks leaving a trail of warm crimson blood flowing delicately down them. The figure cursed softly, the sound of such a petite and untainted voice showing sign that the hidden person was a young girl.
Dark blue eyes that would remind anyone of the imagined picture of a body of ocean frozen over by a frost stronger than the Sun itself flashed down at her petite legs which had turned a light tint of purple. Growling silently, the girl tried to encourage her numb legs forward – she needed to move if she wanted her life to continue. Chocolate hair swirled and whipped around her forlorn features. The sound of a crack of a whip was heard as her hair made contact with her arms – stinging pain was unavoidable. Her teeth gritted as she focused all of her concentration into her legs.
Soft sounds of crunching was heard as her foot finally budged forward – to her dismay, though, only a few inches. Another small gasp was heard as the girl suddenly felt helpless as the world around her disappeared. Her consciousness stayed unharmed; had the cold made her blind? She shivered and opened her mouth in slight panic before the desperate world she occupied appeared once more. Relief should have washed over her, but instead she only felt hopelessness grasp the core of her heart once more.
Shaking her head, she tried to rid her mind of the slow dizziness that now crept upon it. Taking a few long breaths she stayed rigid as the feeling of faintness started to consume the very cavities of her mind. How could she go on like this? The reality of failure began to devour her raw heart and she felt herself begin to sink – literally. The chakra that had once kept her feet atop the snow had started to dwindle; she was at her limit.
A soft groan lingered in the back of her throat as she felt moisture begin to sink in through the crevices in her worn shoes. Clenching her fist tightly, her knuckles began to turn white as the fingertips that dug into her palms drew blood. She could feel the thumping of her heart against its ribbed cage – this was it. All the traveling, all time spent trying to get away from it all, trying to be free, was now coming to an end. It was all in vain. The weeks she spent treading on bleeding feet, half starving from lack of nutrition meant next to nothing now. Was this really how it was going to end for her?
Quiet crunches were heard as her knees descended into the snow. The position made her appear as if she was bowing – she was at Winter's nonexistent mercy. Warm liquid spilled from the now open gates of her eyes and cascaded down her pale cheeks making her gasp slightly. Her clouded vision observed as the liquid drops seemed to melt the snow it landed in. Biting her lip, she squeezed her azure orbs closed – she shouldn't be crying.
Being a Shinobi meant to accept Death; to embrace it fully. To cry, to show weakness was forbidden – emotions were prohibited. Her many years of training seemed to be slowly slipping away, though, as more fluid leaked out of her closed eyes. She choked and coughed bitterly as the frosty air bit at her form. The warmth in her core that her chakra level provided had all but vanished and she felt her entire being begin to become consumed with the inevitable cold.
Her nostrils stung as she tried to suck in a ragged breath. Instead she only ended in choking again. There was no motivation for her to keep breathing anyways – the air she inhaled would soon leave her body once her soul finally decided to depart its earthly cage. Reality grasped at her heart and mind and she felt her entire being fall face first into the cold, deathly blanket of ice.
Soon…soon it would all be over. Maybe Death wouldn't be as terrible as she had imagined it to be. Her eyelids began to grow heavy and she felt them start to veil her moist eyes – a small smile played on her lips. No, her Death would not be as awful as it was illustrated to be. She would merely fall asleep and during that slumber she would let her soul escape its bonds and float freely to the heavenly abyss above, her body never waking from its icy sleep. With that last carefree thought, she felt her body finally give into her drowsiness and her eyelids veiled her vision for the last time – all thoughts escaped her mind and she entered a state where her brain seemed empty.
A wave of lucid ice toppled from atop a great branch and fell, caressed by the ground to join the ocean of snow that occupied the area above the soil. Branches whined underneath the short lived weight of an intruding object. Boughs seemed to part in a smooth trail for the traveling creature to follow. The light footfalls softly smashing the stubborn ice they landed on each time the figure pushed off a chosen branch.
The velocity and precision the form was traveling at as it darted through the trees could only mean one thing: whoever it was had some skill in being a Shinobi. Envious Winter wind grew resentful at the fact that this being seemed to not be fazed by its icy touch and so, gathering all the force it had, the wind whipped forcefully at him leaving a bright crimson slap on his ghostly pale cheek. Coal black hair whispered silent profanities towards the wind while obsidian eyes squinted against the dryness the air stream brought.
A slight shiver ran up the figure's spine – quickly the oversized shirt was wrapped more snug around burly pastel shoulders. The size of such muscles signified the creature's gender to be male. The man's face, holding the inhuman beauty of a god, was calm and held no sign of emotion. His many years of training had stripped the emotions from his face and eyes so that there were none left to show – he appeared as a hollow shell bounding from one tree to the next.
His brow was set, though, and determination was evident in the slight wrinkles that accompanied his knitted brow. He had been through this forest many times before; he knew where his feet were leading him. It wouldn't be long before he could finally rest – before he finally made it to a domain he called his own.
The silent gliding of the practiced Shinobi suddenly halted – something wasn't right. The man's eyes squinted more as his mind comprehended the familiar feeling of another being's chakra near him. At first, because the chakra level was so small, he figured it was only a forest creature. A twinge of doubt to his last theory plagued his mind as he felt the chakra level spark and then lower again. The unstable chakra level wasn't an animal – animal's chakra only stayed at one intensity no matter what circumstance the creature is in.
Obsidian orbs darted to the pure icy ground and searched the area. The short lived search ended as the chasms of his midnight black eyes registered the shape of a human half buried in the falling coverlet of snow. Curiosity consuming his demeanor, the man leaped from the security of his high branch that had only a few moments ago been occupied and landed a few feet away from the motionless body. Serenely he walked the few steps to tower over the body – the merciless ice bit at his unprotected toes.
Though the chakra level was weak, he could sense the control over it and so he assumed whoever it was that lay in the snow before him was a Shinobi. His mind suddenly grew cautious as he began to wonder what a ninja was doing out in a forest by themselves – surely this figure was on a mission. If so, though, where were the teammates? The whole situation was eerie and made the man feel a bit paranoid.
Grasping the hilt of his sword, the familiar feeling of the slick metal underneath his fingertips made the sides of his mouth twitch upwards. Unsheathing his sword he flipped it over so that the blunt of the blade was facing upwards. Warily he concentrated on using the dull end of his sword to flip the blue tinted body over. The being wasn't heavy, but the obvious fact that the person was out cold forced the man to focus enough chakra into his hand so that he had enough strength to flip the lone figure onto its back.
Astonished onyx eyes widened a smidge as the flushed face of an evident female faced upwards towards the bitter man. Her eyes were dropped closed and a tint of cherry adorned her cheeks and the tip of her nose. Her mouth was twitched open and oddly the sides of her mouth were positioned upwards in a small smile. Chocolate hair haloed her porcelain skin and dripped with the melted ice that still clung to the silky tendrils. His eyes slowly left her face and noted that her clothes, tattered and dirty, were not ones suited for the cold and he immediately assumed she was not from around the area.
Warning signals blared in the man's mind and he noted that the chakra level had started to dwindle yet again – it wouldn't be much longer before the girl's heart stopped and her body would only a be a hollow shell left to litter the earth. The man knelt forwards towards the dying girl observing her face once more. Though flushed and pale at the same time, he noticed that she held an earthly beauty about her and her looks could most likely make any man take a second glance. Judging by her rounder cheeks the man guessed she was still in her teens and not much younger, if not the same age as himself.
His hand, which hung limply at his side, twitched in anticipation, waiting to reach forward and scoop the frozen girl up. The man's eyes darted angrily to his hand and he quickly clenched his fist – why should he help her? It was suspicious enough that she was out in the middle of a blizzard alone in a forest without the rest of her team. The whole circumstance made the man anxious to get out of the area and yet he felt his body wouldn't comply. Glancing at his legs he urged the muscles to straighten but they stayed in their stubborn position, bent next to the unconscious girl.
Growling, the man's eyes flashed a deep shade of crimson as he became more frustrated. He had no logical reason to help this girl. He didn't know her identity and he owed her no act of chivalry. When has he ever shown gratitude anyways? All his life he built his purpose around himself and his brother – training and leaving Konoha to become more powerful wasn't for anyone but himself. He was the only one that mattered. A wicked smirk glided across the man's lips as these thoughts ran through his mind. The future of others mattered next to nothing to him.
Keeping these thoughts pasted into his brain, the man tried once more to move his leg muscles. His eyes squinted in growing anger as they refused to budge once more – he was starting to become quite annoyed. With an aggravated sigh the man sheathed his sword and let his hands glide forward towards the girl. Her chakra level had become almost undetectable and he knew she wouldn't last more than a few minutes. In his mind, though, he couldn't care less – if she lived because of him then so be it and if she died it was a burden off his shoulders.
Skillfully his hands locked around her slim waist and he noted how icy her demeanor felt against the palms of his hands and length of his arms. Using little strength he pulled her lifeless form from the ground and laid her body against his chest – cold emanated from her entire being and caused him to shiver involuntarily. Once she was secured in his arms, he tried once again to move his leg muscles and to his utter annoyance he found himself standing with the petite girl leaning against his chest.
With a tiny huff he expertly threw her limp body over his shoulder, holding her in place with one of his hands against the small of her back. In one smooth movement he leaped from the icy ground and back into the welcoming arms of the massive trees. Gently pushing off the slippery branch he was standing on, the man made his way through the trees. His small domain was only a little ways off.
The weight of his unwanted load made the trip a bit slower, but he reached his hideout in sufficient time. Pouncing from the tree, he landed gracefully on the earth once more – the snow underneath his hard feet crunched in protest. Silently he walked the few feet to the wooden door of the small abode and easily pushed it open – where was the lock he had put on it only a few days ago when he had checked up on it? His obsidian orbs scanned the area of the room as he shut the door so that the intruding cold would not feel as though it were a guest.
Scattered clothes lay sprawled across the floor and on the cabinets. The only dresser in the one room house was tipped over and lay almost smashed on the ground. The bed, just made nice and neat the other day, was torn apart while shattered plates and cups adorned the messy clothes on the wood floorboards. Groaning in irritation the man dropped the limp girl's form on the bed roughly, not caring that her head made contact with the wooden frame. Snaps were heard as the man strode across the messy floor to effortlessly pick up the fallen dresser.
Why thieves would have any desire to rob and then litter his tiny hide out was beyond the man and he wondered if something else had occurred. Forest creatures didn't do that much destruction on purpose and the way the room was trashed the man could tell it had been done with a reason and not on accident. His mind brushed against the idea of them having the knowledge about his unexpected escape and hidden hide out and he wildly wondered if they had trashed his abode to warn him of his appending doom.
Growling the man threw the dresser back up against the wall. What did it matter? In time they would find him anyways and would undoubtedly seek revenge on him for his traitorous actions. If it was a warning they were trying to message to him, he decided to ignore it. Their threats meant little to him. Yanking one of the drawers open, he swiftly pulled out an ancient wool blanket. Slamming the drawer shut he glided back over to the bed where the girl lay slumped over the mattress – her position looked extremely uncomfortable.
The male felt emotionless to her painful position and so unfolded the dusty blanket and tossed it over her before turning away to tend to his own wounds. Carefully he slid his large shirt off his right shoulder and removed his arm from his sleeve. Soaking in blood, the bandages around the what seemed to be fresh shuriken wound were hastily and poorly wrapped and caused the man to wince when undoing the ties around his cut.
Pursing his brutal lips together in a straight line, he quickly searched for a bottle of alcohol to clean the bloody cut with. His coal eyes, still void of any emotion, widened in victory as he found a rusty bottle of alcohol inside one of the cabinets above the stove. Quickly he ripped a chunk of his shirt off – he had more – and used it to dab in the alcohol before applying the soaking material to his throbbing wound. A sharp hiss erupted from the man's lips as the wet cloth made contact with his opened skin and the man quickly bit the inside of his cheek, willing himself to keep from letting the scream that welled inside his throat emerge.
The torn skin became enflamed and burned under the pressure of the alcohol soaked cloth and the man had to bite his cheek once more so as to not cry out in anguish. Iron tasted in his mouth and he figured his sharp canines must have punctured the skin of his cheek. Taking a shaky breath he dabbed the cut a few more times before ripping another shred off his shirt and, using it as a makeshift bandage, wrapping it around the open wound. His eyes searched the length of his arm and he noted that there were many bruises and welts – nothing too severe.
As for any other open wounds, if his memory served him correctly, there was only that one. He was lucky he didn't have any more rigorous ones – in fact, he was lucky to even be breathing. Snarling, the man tore off his shirt as he let his anger rise towards the people who had given him the shuriken wound and the many bruises and welts that adorned his arms. Aggressively, he shook open another dresser drawer and snatched out a clean shirt. Ruthlessly, he threw it over his head before folding it across and tucking it into the top of his loose pants.
Jerking his katana off his back he gripped it close to his chest as he made his way to a shadowed corner of the room – since the bed was occupied, he inwardly growled yet again, he would have to sleep sitting against the wall. Crouching down, he let himself fall back first into the wall before leaning his head back against it and bringing his knees up to his chest, still gripping the katana tightly. Midnight black eyes scrutinized the form of the sleeping girl who occupied his bed. Her face was slightly less pale and her breathing was deeper and louder than before causing the man to believe she would make it through the night.
Relief should have washed over his demeanor, but instead he only felt an overwhelming amount of stress. Silently he vowed that once he was sure she would live, he would drop her off in the unforgiving forest far away from this place and leave her there. If she dies out there after that, it would be no business of his. His grip on his katana tightened more causing his knuckles to become a piercing white. His trust of the girl was growing slimmer and slimmer as her health started to return. His eyes ran over her form and he suddenly noted that a headband was not apparent on her at all – which village did she belong to? His suspicions of her grew to new heights and he felt his whole body become more rigid.
As the night grew older, the man could almost hear his muscles screaming for him to relax and give into sleep. Denying their requests, he stayed in his stiff position, his eyes had never left the form of the sleeping girl. Throughout the night any twitch or sigh she would make would put more paranoia in the man's mind. Sleep beckoned with a scandalous hand for him to give in, but the man refused yet again. He would not sleep until the morning came and that was final.
Cerulean eyes blinked themselves open and squinted as beams of light caused them to dilate. A soft groan was heard and a petite, pale hand was raised to protect a round face from the overwhelming rays of the Sun. Sighing, the girl closed her eyes tight and heaved herself up. Surprised orbs snapped open when she found that her lower half sat upon a soft mattress – where was the cold, merciless snow? Looking to her ankles, she found them tangled ungracefully in a tattered wool blanket. Quickly she snatched up the blanket and clutched it to her chest. Where was she?
Biting her lower lip she risked a glance around the room and found that she was in a small house – only one room occupied everything from the stove to the bed. Her eyes seemed to capture the whole room in one glance, but she felt her gaze glance back to a small, still shadowed corner she had almost overlooked. Sitting, rigid and seemingly uncomfortably, sat a young man about her age. His long coal black bangs fell messily into his face and floated at every breath he exhaled. An oversized shirt protected his body heat while baggy black pants covered his bent legs. A purple belt was wrapped neatly around his waste and the extra ends pooled onto the floor.
The girl found herself glancing back at his face which, to her surprise, held an inhuman beauty she had never seen another man possess. The attractiveness of his features, though, seemed to be haunted by ghosts of terrible things the girl did not comprehend or wish to understand. Her eyes darted to the weapon still grasped in his hands. Fear consumed her body and she found herself begin to tremble. This man obviously had rescued her, but for what purpose? She knew not who he was and the overpowering fact that he had a weapon made the girl feel inferior and altogether completely vulnerable.
Feeling her throat begin to shake the girl let out the engulfing scream she had been holding back. As soon as the small yelp had left her lips, she quickly squeezed them shut – that had been a mistake. Her eyes widened in realization as the stunning, mysterious man's eyes shot open – obsidian orbs glared her direction. She found herself begin to shudder involuntarily and she began to bite her lip again. In a mere second the man had crossed the room and was now towering over her, while standing next to the bed.
His eyes seemed to be scrutinizing her form and she found herself shy away from his gaze – he definitely intimidated her. Her fingers drummed against the fabric of the blanket she help firmly in her hands as she waited nervously for his next move.
Her eyes watched as he lips pursed before opening to ask, "Who are you?" The musical voice that he possessed rendered the girl helpless for a moment.
Gathering her composure she felt herself unable to answer at first. It seemed as though her voice was taunting her as it hid somewhere she couldn't grasp it. Finally finding her it, she replied in a meek tone, "I…I'm Noriko Oshiro." Taking a shaky breath she asked, "Who are you?"
The man tensed for a moment before replying, "Does it matter?"
Noriko raised a small, brown eyebrow in response before answering, "Well, I would like to know the name of my rescuer that way I can thank you properly."
The man inwardly groaned – although this girl was evidently frightened by his very presence, she wanted to thank him? Confusion fogged his mind and he found himself begin to grow frustrated. "There's no need for that. My identity is not important because your inhabitance here will be nonexistent in a few moments."
Noriko's brows knitted and a few stray chocolate tendrils fell and tickled her cheeks. "What do you mean?"
The man scoffed and replied, "Did you actually think I would let you stay here?"
"Well, yes," She offered timidly. "You saved me so I believe, even though you won't accept my thanks anyways, that's not enough. I owe you my life."
The man's coal eyes narrowed and he stared suspiciously at the girl. She would give up her life to a man who intimidates her and she knows nothing about? There had to be something wrong with her – what kind of kunoichi was she? "What were you doing out in the woods alone during a blizzard? Shouldn't you have been with your team?"
"Team?" Noriko asked perplexed. Realization hit her and she replied, "Oh, no, I wasn't on a mission."
The man's mistrust of her grew more and he continued, "Then why were you out there alone?"
Noriko's answer was so extremely quiet that the man had to strain to hear her response. "I was running away."
This answer did nothing to sooth the man's suspicions he quickly countered, "Then where was the ANBU Black Ops sent out to search for you? If you are a Missing-nin there should have been a whole squad of them."
The girl's unintentional tremors did not cease but her eyes flashed and became fierce and she retorted back, "You ask for so much information from me and yet I still have not heard your name."
The man was slightly taken aback by her response and he quickly concluded that Noriko was seemingly unpredictable. "If you must know," He drawled, not really caring if he gave out his identity anymore. Like he said before, she would be gone in mere minutes. "I am Sasuke Uchiha."
The girl stifled a gasp at the infamous name of her savior. She had only barely heard of his history and appalling childhood, but from what she had heard, he was no longer the patriotic Shinobi he once was – he was a traitor and a dangerous Missing-nin. Sasuke smirked as he observed her clutch the old wool blanket tighter in her small, pale hands. By just mentioning his own name, he had caused fear to grow inside her.
Shockingly, though, her eyes were still fierce and unwavering – how could there be such a difference in those azure orbs than her shaken up character? It didn't make sense to Sasuke and he found himself growing irritated at Noriko's impulsive demeanor. "Where were the ANBU Black Ops?" He found himself asking again.
"There were none and there won't be any," The girl replied calmly. "My village thinks I am going to train in the mountains with a legendary sage, but that's only what I told them I would be doing. In reality my plans were to run away from that god forsaken place and never return. My plan almost fell through before you saved me. For that act of kindness I must repay you."
Sasuke frowned in a light disgust at how polite Noriko was being – it made him feel sick. Reaching forward in an instant, he gripped her wrist in his hand and yanked her off the bed. Turning, he forcefully dragged her behind him as he made his way to the door – it was her time to go. "What are you doing?" Her heard her shrill voice demand.
"I told you that you would not be staying here any longer," Grasping her wrist with even more bruising force he continued, "It's time for you to go."
"No," Noriko's stubborn, short reply caused Sasuke to freeze in his footsteps as he was rendered absolutely baffled. "I will not leave."
In an instant Sasuke regained his composure and almost leaped backwards as he purposefully towered over her – he saw a moment's hesitation flash in her azure orbs. "It is not your choice to stay here or not. I make the decisions around here and it has been decided that you are no longer welcome in this house – now get out."
Noriko felt herself begin to shrink in fright at his calmly stern words. Piping up she countered, "I must repay you – I am in debt."
Sasuke shook his head and glared at her – crimson dotted the inner regions of his coal black eyes. Noriko pursed her lips and offered, "There must be something I can do…"
The glare Sasuke's orbs held grew more menacing and he felt himself bellow, "No," before slamming the door open, letting the air nip and bite at Noriko's flushed face.
He made a gesture towards the door and he smirked as Noriko timidly stepped forward – defeat laced her features. Sasuke turned away from her then to grab his katana he had left abandoned on the floor. His movements, though, where halted as he heard Noriko's small voice call, "Wait!"
Growling, he turned around aggressively, hoping to scare her off. Instead he was met with a determined grin – confusion was growing to be a popular character in his demeanor. "What is it?" He asked nonchalantly.
"Since you won't accept my apology I offered a while ago," Her blue eyes sparkled like the pure ocean. "I've thought of another way I can repay you."
Sasuke was about to retort that if she stayed any longer she would find her limbs severed off, but was interrupted by her voice once more.
"You're a classified Missing-nin who most everyone recognizes," His eyes squinted as he tried to decipher what she was getting at. "Meaning you won't be able to go into town for supplies without being recognized. ANBU squads would be all over you in mere seconds."
Noriko glanced around as Sasuke remained quiet and rigid, "And from the looks of this place, I'd say you need supplies urgently. Unlike you, though, I am not as well known and my sudden appearance in a town would go undetected."
The white in Sasuke's eyes grew more prudent as her little plan unfolded itself in his mind. He felt himself glower at her as she went on, "My life is yours and so I offer you my services in repayment for saving me from the blizzard."
Sasuke's frown didn't diminish as he observed the humble girl in front of him. His mind fingered the offer she made and he found that there was not one logical reason why he shouldn't take her up on it. She had made it clear that no one was looking for her and her presence and services could make his stressful life a bit easier.
Glaring threateningly at her once more he replied, "Do what you wish," In one swift motion he slammed her against a wall and lowered his unforgiving mouth to her ear while whispering venomously, "But if you grow to become a nuisance, I'll have no regrets throwing you back into Winter's intolerant clutches."
Noriko felt trapped underneath his unwavering and crushing grip as she weakly nodded her head. As soon as she had moved her head in a nod, he let go of her. She felt herself gasp as air filled her lungs properly once more and she fell embarrassingly onto her knees. Glancing up, she noticed he had turned away from her once more – finally grasping his discarded katana. Taking a few more deep breaths, she stood slowly while feeling a shiver course through her whole body.
Her gaze was directed at the source of her shudders – the door was still inviting the Winter air in with it's open hinge. Softly, she reached towards the wooden door and helped it close itself. Sapphire orbs observed the door handle. Not turning from the door she asked, "Why is there no lock on the door?"
Sasuke paused his silent ministrations of unsheathing and sheathing his katana as her voice sounded across the room – this early and she was already wriggling her pesky little self into his head to irritate him. His mouth grew into a pursed line and he remained silent while fastening his weapon to his violet belt.
Noriko's rigid body relaxed as her mind registered the reality of no answer emanating from the man standing across the room from her. Sighing she turned slowly and her eyes began to take in and discover the sight of the messy room around her – the observation of no lock suddenly granted her its answer to the unrequited question. The small little abode had either been robbed or just trashed by local hooligans who found enjoyment in ruining someone's settlement.
Her cobalt eyes took in the area of the room once more and she suddenly found her legs itching to move forward. Obeying their wishes, she moved towards the shattered plates that laid in broken piles at the bottom of the stove. Gently falling to her knees, and minding the location of the shattered porcelain, she reached forward towards a huge cracked piece of ceramic – the appearance of it was stunningly polished and there was no dirt or dust on it. The only fault it had was the missing chunks scattered about the floor.
Noriko stared into the shiny piece of ceramic – her eyes made out her own reflection. She almost smiled as she realized the plate mirrored her almost perfectly; both where broken and shattered. Gazing innocently around she began to gather up the smaller pieces. Would the pottery be able to be fixed – remade?
"What are you doing?" Jerking a little, Noriko was pulled out of her thoughts as she found herself cloaked in a shadow. Glancing up at the source of such a large shadow, she found Sasuke's obsidian eyes boring down upon her.
Her gaze was naïve and almost too innocent as Sasuke searched her face for answers. He had sensed her movement when she had made her way over to the mess on the floor and he had silently observed her careful actions – her mind was too lost in its own chasms of memory and heartache to comprehend the glare of his curious gaze.
"I…I'm cleaning up," She answered softly while focusing her attention back onto the pile of smashed plates. Noriko felt his glower on her for a bit longer before the burning of his midnight black eyes became absent. She felt herself breath out deeply, silently wondering why his eyes had been scrutinizing her in the first place.
"Tomorrow, you will go into town," Sasuke stated lazily as he made his way to the door. "I'm in need of some food and water along with more spare clothes."
Noriko nodded, her eyes still transfixed with the seen of the massacre of the porcelain in front of her – she almost felt afraid to acknowledge her 'master's' presence and demands.
"The money for those items will be left on the counter," The musical voice she had already began to surrender her services to ended on that note. She felt the flow of his extremely powerful chakra begin to move further away as he made his way out the door into the clutches of Winter.
She briefly wondered why he would surrender himself to the frosty atmosphere outside, but her mind registered the all to familiar fact that he was Sasuke Uchiha – a trained Shinobi. Like any other ninja, he had to train and inside a one room building was not the way to go about it. Sighing, Noriko felt his hungry chakra flow spark up in excitement and she idly pondered the reality that he would most likely be training for the rest of the day leaving her all alone to clean the entirety of the abode. Noriko smirked – thank goodness it was only one room.
There you go. Hope you like it!