Hello everyone! This story is a request from HikariHime93. As always, feel free to let me know what you think! Enjoy and happy reading~

Note: OC, Hikari, belongs to HikariHime93

The air was still and saturated by an intense tension as the two opposing groups of shinobi faced one another. Though the blond hero that stood before her was speaking, all Hikari could hear was the rush of blood in her ears as her heart pounded. Her eyes were focused on one person and one person only, though that individual refused to look her way.

'Look at me…' she urged mentally, her fists clenching. She hadn't seen him since he left Konoha over two years prior. 'Look at me.' The pain she had felt at first had been nearly unbearable. 'Look at me.' The many sleepless nights she had spent, her mind running with all of the awful things that could have befallen him. 'Look at me.' Now he wouldn't give her the time of day. A mournful frustration welled within her, until it erupted from her. "Damnit, look at me Sasuke!" she demanded, fighting back tears. All eyes were suddenly on her, shocked by the outburst from the usually quiet kunoichi. Most important were his eyes. When she looked up to meet his gaze, her dark eyes widened and she let a small gasp escape her lips. They were nothing like she remembered. He had never been the warmest of people, but when he used to look at her, there had always been something there. Now the eyes that were fixed on her were cold and ruthless. Suddenly, her confidence was fading. She shrunk back under his stare.

"Hikari…" Naruto murmured sadly. He returned his blue eyed glare to his old friend, sweeping his arm dramatically in Hikari's direction. "Do you see what you've Sasuke? To me, to Kari-chan, to the village!" Sasuke's attention returned to Naruto, a sneer spreading across his lips.

"I've already told you, I don't care. I've cut those ties. I want the Leaf destroyed. Your pathetic attempt to guilt me won't change anything," he explained, each word like a shard of ice through Hikari's heart.

"That's why…" Naruto started. "That's why I've decided that the next time we fight, I won't hold back, even if it means we both die!" he declared, his eyes burning with determination. Sasuke's lips twitched, but his confident expression didn't falter.

"As if you could bring me down," he taunted. Before things could go any farther, the masked man behind him spoke up.

"Sasuke, let's go." The Uchiha glanced at the mask man, then gave one last sweeping glance over the group before him, his gaze seeming to linger on Hikari, before he vanished. Hikari sank to her knees, old emotional wounds now reopened, feeling as raw as the day he had left.

"Kari-Chan!" Naruto rushed to her side, concerned for his friend. She looked up at him, feeling guilty. She knew he was hurting as well. Slowly, she returned to her feet.

"I'm fine," she reassured.

"Are you sure?" She turned her attention to her grey haired sensei. She could see the exhaustion from his earlier fight clearly on his features. This was taking a toll on him as well.

"Kakashi sensei…" She nodded decisively. "I'm fine. We should go. The others are still vulnerable in the woods." As she spoke, she shot a glance at the pink haired kunoichi responsible for knocking out their allies. Sakura's green eyes betrayed her defeat as she nodded in agreement.

"You're right…" she muttered. Kakashi nodded.

"Very well, let us be on our way. It's important that we report all that's transpired to the village." Everyone nodded and started on their way, aside from Hikari. She hesitated, looking back at where the sharingan user had been standing moments earlier.

"Sasuke…"

"Hikari, come on!" Naruto's voice pulled her focus back to her allies.

"Coming!" she called, running after them.

The hideout was damp and dimly lit, but the shinobi that resided there cared little about comfort. The cavern was ideal for them to hunker down as their schemes came into fruition.

"That girl…" Madara began. Sasuke glanced at the masked man, an eyebrow raised.

"What about her?" he responded, his tone guarded.

"You reacted to her. What happened to the ruthless man that skewered his own ally?" Sasuke scoffed.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"What is she to you?" he pressed, not for a moment buying the Uchiha's indifferent act.

"Nothing," he growled.

"Then why does the mere mention of her get under your skin?" Sasuke scowled.

"What is it to you?" he demanded. Madara gave a low chuckle. The young man's irritation amused him.

"I need to be sure that she's not a weakness. If she could possibly hinder our plans, she must be eliminated," he explained.

"She won't, just leave her alone!" he snapped, turning to glare at his partner. Madara held his furious stare with his own steady gaze.

"Who is she?" he asked once more. His tone was calm, but there was an underlying sense that he was losing his patience. Sasuke sighed.

"Her name is Hikari Yukimura," he finally stated, looking away from Madara. "She was...an ally to me when we were young." Madara's interest was peaked at the sound of her name.

"Yukimura, you say?" Sasuke nodded. "The women of the Yukimura clan are known for their prowess in medical ninjutsu."

"You don't think I know that, what's your point?"

"Have you forgotten that you just rid us of a medical ninja?"

"She ceased to be of any use to us," Sasuke replied bitterly. Madara nodded.

"Perhaps, but medical ninjutsu is still vital part of a war, do you disagree?" Sasuke was silent for a moment.

"Not her," he finally muttered.

"Oh? And here I thought she meant nothing to you, unless...you're lying?"Sasuke slammed his fist into the nearby wall as his frustration overwhelmed him.

"Shut the hell up!" he snarled. Madara let out another chuckle. He had never seen the boy quite so riled up.

"Very well, I'll drop the subject. Just be sure to keep in mind what I said, Sasuke," he said with an air of warning. Sasuke didn't reply. Madara watched him brood for a moment, before leaving him to his tormented thoughts. He had plans to enact elsewhere.