Author's Note:

PLEASE READ!

This fanfic has been tagged with hurt/angst and tragedy. This story is primarily one of suffering and overcoming obstacles; it is going to get heavy and very dark at some points. Consider this your warning. If you are easily bothered by character deaths than I suggest you back away slowly and pretend you never saw this fanfic. However, please know that everything I write happens for a reason. I don't just insert disturbing content for kicks.

That being said, I hope you do read and enjoy this fic. Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a review. Happy (or not so happy) reading!

Note: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters.

Chapter One

It was a beautiful day in the Land of Rivers, the sun shining merrily upon the land dotted with an abundance of wildlife and modest cottages alike. All across the region farmers were busily preparing crop for the coming winter, which was rumoured to be one of the coldest ever felt in these parts. Passing travellers couldn't fail to notice the exceptionally green pastures that decorated the countryside, nor the bright smiles and waves that greeted them each time they passed through a small town. The Land of Rivers was a thriving community; ever since the beginning of the Fourth Shinobi World War they had played a major role in food supply, and hence had become the number one export of crop in the world.

Such strenuous demands from neighbouring nations should have crippled the small community quickly, but oddly, the pastures were denser than ever with vegetables. Upon inquiry, citizens laughingly brushed off strangers' qualms, claiming they were simply a resilient country. Their excuses were not lost on more than one traveller, however, who could have sworn they saw a sprouting vegetable grow before their very eyes. Even the weather seemed to be aiding the country's plight, with the wind blowing in bizarre, conflicting directions, and small pockets of rain falling here and there at certain points across the land.

It was small factors such as these that labelled the Land of Rivers as a mysterious nation, full of strange wonders and sights. Hence the country was often caught beneath the eye of a greedy tradesman and, in a few instances, more than one audacious Kage.

This story takes place in the Village Hidden in Valleys where, in the midst of the morning hustle and bustle, a small girl no older than the age of eleven stood gazing around at the vast arrangement of shops in wonder. Amari Sadako sighed as she beheld the sight – mind clouded by childlike delight, she was abruptly shoved from her stupor by a man carrying a crate laden with vegetables.

"Hey, watch yourself, girl! People are walking here." He huffed, glowering down at her before he realised exactly who he'd bumped into. The man snickered once, contemptuously, and continued on his way.

Sadako wanted to kick the man for his rude intrusion on her brief moment of happiness, but upon noticing the bulging muscles in his arms, wisely decided against the action. Instead she threw a glare at his back, muttering to herself about thoughtless grown-ups, and made her way through the crowd to a shop stocking the items that her parents had specifically instructed her to buy.

'Well,' she thought to herself as she loaded her arms with potatoes and rice, 'Not really my parents… More like guardians.'

Instantly there was an image of Masumi's retaliation, making her wince as though she'd actually felt the blow from the evil wooden contraption that barely passed for a cooking utensil. As a result of repetitive trialling, Sadako had quickly learned to keep such thoughts to herself. Masumi hated it when she tactlessly pointed out the one glaring flaw in their relationship, and at one point had even attempted to redefine the meaning of 'mother' to better suit their circumstances. Secretly, Sadako loved her all the more for her stubborn denial of the truth. It somehow made the illusion of 'family' she lived under seem almost real.

The girl took her supplies to the counter and paid for them, shifting from one foot to the other impatiently, already debating in her head what to buy for herself. It was that time of the month – the one where she was permitted to buy one gift as a reward for all her hard work on the farm – and hence she was eager to see what the town had to offer before everything shut for the day.

Gathering her supplies, she headed out of the food store and immediately began shooting from one shop to the next like a hyperactive canine. At first it was shoes, then she happened to catch sight of a pretty watercolour painting of a fish, and then a bouquet of cherry blossoms snatched her attention. As she made her way down the streets of Tanigakure, the many other citizens repeatedly jostled her on all sides, and at one point the only thing that kept her from kicking the shins of a particularly ignorant teenage boy was the warning her parents had extended to her earlier that morning.

"Sadako-chan, try to keep to yourself today, alright? Don't do anything that might… cause you to stand out. Overly much." The strange tone of Hiroki's voice coupled with Masumi's concerned expression had surprised her, further cementing the request in Sadako's mind.

Still, the warning wasn't enough to deter the girl from enjoying herself immensely; she couldn't remember the last time the couple had asked her to go into town by herself. Concerned onlookers could almost see a wagging tail attached to the small girl who had her nose pressed up against the glass of a shop, which was stocking an assortment of elixirs. After successfully placing name to face, mother's none-too-discreetly pulled their children closer to their sides, chiding them quietly when they tried to sneak a peak at the girl.

Meanwhile Sadako was clutching her head in confusion, wracked with indecision on what to buy, when her dark eyes fell upon a small store that was selling shinobi weaponry. Her already large eyes widened even more, and unconsciously her feet moved to take her across the busy street. Something, some hidden instinct, was pulling her closer, a movement she didn't even try to stop and identify. It was pulling… pulling her… closer…

– WHAM! –

The sudden impact from her left side sent the girl flying at least three feet before her bottom met the ground harshly. "Oof!" She rubbed at her throbbing hip and glared up at the stranger who was staring down at her with a mildly surprised expression.

Sadako had time to briefly entertain the fact that this stranger was probably what older girls would consider 'sooooooo handsome', before her eyes fell to the terrible, messy scene at her feet.

"Oh, no…" she groaned despondently and quickly sat up, attempting in vain to salvage what she could from the wasted rice that was scattered across the dusty ground. But the entire bag had spilled out from the impact of the man colliding with her, and dust coated almost every grain. That rice had not been cheap – nearly her entire earnings for the month.

Ah, Masumi-chan's gonna kill me…!

"Are you all right?"

The stranger's low, hypnotic voice was what pulled her from her mental turmoil – and not in a good way. She'd officially had it with people being in such haste to get where they were supposedly needed, that they spared no consideration for others on their own paths. Springing to her feet, she snatched up the untouched potatoes and pointed an accusing finger up at him, aiming it right at his patrician-like nose.

"Clueless bastard! This is your fault! That rice was our only food supply for a month; now because of you, my family and I are all going to starve to death! What do you have to say for yourself, huh?" When he just stared down at her with that same mildly perplexed face, as though she was a fly that had learned to speak, Sadako scowled and spat at his feet. "I hate people like you, who never bother to think before they act! You don't stop to consider the consequences of your actions, or how they impact other people besides yourself, do you? Why do you people have to exist? Selfish ass!"

It wasn't until then that Sadako began to notice the small crowd that had paused their activities to witness the heated exchange that was happening between them. Some people, quickly recognising Sadako, bent to whisper to their companions whilst flicking wary glances her way.

Suddenly a voice reached her ears; it was quiet, but unfortunately not quiet enough. "Hey, isn't that the girl who set the windmill a small ways out of town on fire?"

"Yeah," another masculine voice replied. "Burned the whole thing down in less then a minute."

Hearing the barely-whispered words, Sadako's spine went ramrod stiff. Not this again…

"Whoa, seriously? I never knew that. Is that even possible?"

"Some troublesome technique passed down through her family, no doubt." Other voices joined in, until the whole area was a cacophony of hushed voices blurring together in Sadako's head and dulling each one of her senses.

"– Wasn't she also responsible for the bushfire on old Matsumoto's farm –"

"– The one that burned nearly half of their crops to ash –"

"– Whoa, didn't they have to pay for that?"

"What a terrible thing to do!"

"Lordknows we don't got the time or resources to go cleanin' up after her mess…"

Sadako could feel her hands trembling slightly; not with fear, but an all-consuming anger. Dimly she could feel a welling sensation in her gut, and knew it was coming. The terrible rage that seized her and caused the unnatural fires to happen – she could feel the tingling in her palms – once again it was going to take control of her.

"Don't do anything that might… cause you to stand out."

No! she internally shouted. They'd asked only that of her. There could be no more accidents, not when her parent's reputation was on the line!

Sadako fought against the sensations, gritting her teeth against the pain that flared. "Go to hell!" she shouted at no one in particular, and spun on her heel to dash away into the crowd. The people parted before her as though she was diseased, and in some ways, that wasn't far from the truth.

The only difference between her condition and a disease was that the people around her died, not she.

Sasuke Uchiha was not one prone to surprise; the last truly shocking thing that had happened to him had been two years ago, when Naruto handed him his thought-lost forehead protector to take with him on his journey. Since then the only encounters he'd had with other people – not counting those he disposed of – were to buy food and other supplies, or enduring a string of insults from people who recognised him as the infamous shinobi he was. But after this incident, he believed he could successfully cross 'clueless bastard' off the list of insults regularly flung at him.

The raven-haired Uchiha sighed a little as the girl sprinted away, her wild black hair blowing behind her. What a strange kid… Suddenly he noticed that the majority of people gathered were also staring after her retreating form, only they were doing so with a look in their eyes far different from his. While his held mild curiosity, they seemed to be all-out glaring, some even shaking their heads in disgust.

From his right a woman suddenly noticed him, taking in his athletic form and classically handsome features. A few moments later she was before him, bowing a little and smiling apologetically.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that, sir. You're not from around here, are you?" When he just gazed down at her neutrally, she cleared her throat. "I can usually tell a Tanigakure visitor from its citizens, and I take it upon myself to welcome them to the village. But first, I feel I should warn you, that girl… See, she's what one might call a – menace. Please, don't pay any mind to her thoughtless words."

"What makes you think that?" he inquired softly.

The woman swayed a little at the sound of his smooth, rhythmic tone. He waited impatiently for her to gather her wits again. "Oh, you see, the girl brings naught but bad luck to the farmer's around here. It's best if you don't associate yourself with her."

Sasuke couldn't deny that his interest was piqued, if only a little. "Did she do something?"

"Well, a few months ago there was a large fire that burned down a windmill on a nearby farm, and we found her at the scene. And before that," she continued on eagerly, "Another fire that burned through farmer Matsumoto's vegetables. Again she was there, trying to put the fire out before anyone noticed." The woman shook her head at the memory.

"And you're sure this wasn't just an accident? Perhaps the girl was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

She shook her head emphatically, and then leaned closer as though to impart to him a secret. Sasuke fought the urge to lean away. "You see, when she was found at the windmill, witnesses say that her arms were on fire. But when the fire burned out, there wasn't a single scorch mark on her! Isn't that strange? Too strange, if you ask me. Best to keep away from that sort of thing."

Sasuke's eyes lifted to try and spot the girl again, but she was long gone from his sight. "And she's still allowed to live in the village?"

"Oh no," the woman laughingly denied, waving her hands dismissively. "She lives on a farm a ways from the village. We make sure to point it out to newcomers so they know not to venture too near; it's bad for the business, if you know what I mean."

As the woman glared in disgust at the mess that had been left in wake of the incident, Sasuke studied her profile silently, and quickly recognised the glint of hostility that entered her eye.

"Thank you for your advice. I must be going now."

Just as he turned away, she said, "Wait! One more thing."

"Yes?" he asked, barely sparing her a glance over his shoulder.

"I feel I should warn you… There have been sightings of outlaws in the area, intercepting travellers on the roads and robbing them of their possessions. There have… even been cases of missing girls after they passed through a small town. Please be careful on your journey, lest you be made a victim of their savagery." This time her eyes were filled with genuine concern, pleading with him to heed her words.

He nodded once and strolled away, while in his mind he turned the information over and over. But his musings were soon replaced by the incident from this morning, a similar scene which had played out in his own village over and over again. He'd seen the same look in the eyes of his own people many times.

"Go away," it said. "Why are you even here?"

Under the slight coolness of the late-afternoon sun, a desolate Sadako dragged her feet. In a few more kilometres she would finally arrive home, where she would hesitantly begin to explain the events of this morning to Masumi and accept the consequences that followed. More than likely her mother-figure would be more disappointed than angry, which somehow made her feel worse than if she dashed her over the head with that evil wooden spoon. Still, Sadako found herself more disheartened by the fact that she hadn't managed to buy her present in town.

"Damn that stupid bastard," she muttered to herself, scuffing at a rock on the path. "He ruined everything. I should've chewed him out more, made him pay for the rice." But as Sadako recalled the exact words she'd imparted to the stranger, a small blush stained her cheeks. "Well, maybe I over-exaggerated about the whole starving-to-death thing…"

"How reassuring," a smooth voice said from her right. Her eyes whipped to the shadow that was leaning casually under a tree holding a straw bag in his hand.

Sadako quickly recognised him as the stranger from earlier this morning, and had to swallow back her squeak of surprise. "I-It's you…"

When there was no reply, she glanced around uneasily. "Are you following me?" She abruptly shifted into a fighting stance, holding her tiny fists up in front of her face. "Do you mean me harm?" Perhaps he'd taken her earlier words a little too seriously.

The man merely stared down at her with one eye peaking through his long black bangs until she straightened, tilting her head at him. "What do you want?"

When the stranger spoke, his voice was soft, yet there was a slight inflection in his tone that suggested arrogance. Sadako realised that this man was probably quite used to getting his way.

"From your words earlier, you suggested that rice was important to your family. You might be punished for something that wasn't your fault."

Her eyes flicked to the bag he was now holding aloft; for a moment, she was tempted to take it, leaning forward slightly, before rocking back on her heels and sighing once. "Thanks, but… I can't accept it. We aren't really gonna starve to death because of a bag of rice," she muttered. "Besides, I wasn't looking where I was going, so I suppose it's my fault, too..."

He shrugged once. "Suit yourself."

Suddenly an image of Masumi's unhappy face popped into her head, and her nerves overcame any inhibitions she might have had. "Hey, wait! M-Maybe I could pay you for it?"

"Why don't you just take it?" he asked, tone becoming slightly impatient.

Sadako glowered up at him. "Because I don't take charity! And that's what this is."

The man sighed. "Fine, pay me for it, then."

Sadako couldn't help her small grin as she dug around in her shorts, but it quickly melted away into a frown when she found no distinct lumps lining her pant pockets. Turning slightly panicky she patted all the way down her legs before reluctantly admitting defeat.

"Uh, gomen, I think I lost my purse…"

He gave her a strange look. "You really are quite slow."

"I probably lost it when you walked into me!" Sadako exclaimed heatedly. When he just stared at her, she sighed and rubbed her neck. "All my savings were in there, too…"

Sadako chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment, debating her options as he simply stared at her, waiting for a response. Slowly, an idea formed in her mind and, much as she disliked the plan, she reluctantly said, "Uh, how about… Would… you like to join my family and I for dinner tonight?"

"No," the man replied.

Sadako blinked; she hadn't expected his rejection to be so swift. "Why not?"

"I have things to do tonight."

"Oh yeah?" she questioned, eying him suspiciously. "Like what? Trample over someone else's child?"

A pale hand lifted to massage the bridge of his nose. "You're being annoying."

"What's so hard? Just say yes and you can experience the most delicious curry you've ever had!" A sly grin decorated her innocent features. "Masumi-chan makes the best in the village."

When he just stared at her, Sadako turned pleading. "Come on, what have you got to lose? You can count this as your apology for knocking an innocent kid to the ground, humiliating her in front of everyone…" She pouted for effect.

A perfectly formed black brow lifted in response. "I thought you were accepting part of the blame?"

Sadako waved her hand in the air dismissively. "Let's not agonise over the finer details, alright?"

The raven-haired man considered her for a moment, and then shrugged away from the tree to stand before her. "Fine. I'll stay for one meal."

She nodded in agreement to his proposal. "Good idea, it's probably best that way."

Again the man appraised her, this time with that same vaguely perplexed expression he'd worn this morning. "You're… a strange girl, aren't you?"

Her expression quickly morphed into an irritated scowl. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," he replied. "It's just… you remind me of someone."

"So long as it's not an ex-girlfriend or something equally creepy, it's fine." Sadako gestured to the road ahead. "Home's this way."

Once again Sasuke was temporarily thrown by her unhindered speech, but as she set off before him with an awkward lumbering stride, he was once again reminded of his… friend… back in Konoha.

"Oh," she piped up suddenly, turning to appraise him with large dark eyes. "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't," was all he supplied.

The girl glared at him. "Fine. Boke it is, then. Mine's Sadako."

"Do you completely lack any and all forms of respect?" he demanded, voice hard.

She snorted. "That's rich, coming from the guy who'll be dining at my table tonight and won't even tell me his name."

A moment of silence passed as they walked. Then – "It's Sasuke."

"Sasuke, huh? Pretty uncommon name. You're not from around here, are you?" He shook his head. "Where do you come from?"

Sasuke briefly debated how much he should reveal before murmuring "The east."

Sadako nodded thoughtfully, and then smirked. "I bet the villager's told you to stay away from me. Why did you even bother with the rice?"

A black orb flicked down to her just as the wind blew, and as his silky black hair billowed around his face, Sadako thought she saw a glimmer of silver in the place where his other eye should have been. "If you hadn't run into me earlier, you would have had a full bag of rice to bring back to your parents. I dislike the idea of owing debts, and from what I heard, you need it more than I do."

When he glanced down at her again she was smirking up at him and rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Yeah… sorry about that. I didn't mean to get so carried away with what I was saying." She faced forward again as she considered what he'd revealed. "You don't like owing people… I bet you probably don't accept charity either." Sadako giggled and kicked at a large leaf. "I think we're gonna get along great, Sasuke-sama!"

He glanced down at her in surprise. 'Sama?' It was an honorific he hadn't heard in a long time.

As she darted forward to catch a butterfly that had wandered onto their path, Sasuke was beginning to think that perhaps he might have made a bad decision agreeing to this. And bad decisions were not a common habit for the last surviving member of the Uchiha.