Burned And Bled
Chapter One-Too Bad
The air was thick with the chalky dust picked up on the wind. The ground dark with the grim shadows dancing across it in the light of the setting sun. In the distance, a large rock formation seemed at home yet somehow extremely unnatural on the landscape, with it's crumbling cliff-like appearance from the front dotted with sparkling bits of metal peeking out in the dimming sunshine. And then the size! It was enormous. Emotionless dark eyes raked the horizon as the raven haired boy sighed lightly and turned away from it. As he did, his small platoon followed him obediently like a small pack of whipped dogs. They were done with the Northern Base now, and the last piece had come together it seemed. Though, there was one thing that still drew his attention. The one he had to erase from his plans...maybe there wasn't a need to. Maybe she-
Karin was staring at the back of Sasuke's head, wondering...what was he thinking about all the time? She told herself that maybe it was her, and a flush creeped onto her pale face. That was when she tripped, falling forward onto the bluish-white haired boy who was walking just in front of her. They both toppled over in the sudden action, and Suigetsu cursed as he pulled himself up, pushing her on the ground and off of him in the process. With a grunt of annoyance, he grabbed up his large sword from the ground, making a tsking sound. "Damnit, Karin! Every 5 minutes you run into me! If you didn't stare at the back of Sasuke's head daydreaming about him, you would notice where your fucking feet were going!"
The crimson haired woman scoffed, the line of blush running across her face growing darker as she pushed her glasses up hastily with her index and middle finger. In her haste to come up with something smart to say back, she stuttered slightly. "T-That's a lie! How would you know what I was looking at, your back is to me! Besides, if anyone should be yelled at it's you for making us stop every half-mile to rest and drink! Are you a ninja or a fish?"
Suigetsu's lips curled in an amused smile, his pointed teeth bared as he did so, while realigning the sword strapped over his back once again. This made Karin even more flustered that the comment had little effect and that the raven haired boy didn't care to say anything about it. The man only smiled wider. The dark blonde who had been on the other side of Sasuke looked back over his shoulder, the corner of his mouth twitched into an aggravated frown at the constant fighting. Sighing, Juugo shrugged and looked at Sasuke as he began to walk again. He silently wondered why he let them fight so much, and then wondered if it ever even bothered him. It took the others a few moments to realize they were being left behind by their leader. Therefore, they shouted at each other as they walked.
The dark haired boy closed his eyes against the stinging dirt in the sudden wind blowing angrily against them, and let his mind go back to his original thoughts. As he opened his dark eyes to the sky, the memory seemed to play like a scene from a movie. Watching from the outside, looking in.
...:*:...
It was like he could feel the anger, the pain, and the darkness through the thick metal of the iron door. Orochimaru had sent Kabuto along with him in an attempt to allow Sasuke to concentrate on his task alone and let Kabuto do all the talking. This would not be the first time he met the woman, but his 'Keepers' didn't know that, and Orochimaru had told him it was a form of training. He just thought it was a waste of time he could have spent doing some real training. The medic smirked at him as he put his hand on the door, pushing it open with a sound of rasping metal on metal. There was seemingly nothing but darkness in the room…until he walked in with Kabuto in the lead. Instantly, dull lights flickered to life from the off-white ceiling that was speckled with layers upon layers of dark crusty splatters. He unconsciously wondered how many people's DNA was on the ceiling alone.
A small figure was suspended halfway in chains that stretched over her wrists, ankles, midsection, and even her neck. They were imbedded in the grey iron wall dotted with small signs of rust and the same dark crusty stains as the ceiling. Red weeping sores and blood leaked from jagged circles on her wrists beneath thick shackles burned with some Fuuinjutsu he didn't know. The only thing covering her body were thin soiled rags that might have been white and intricately made at some point long ago. Her head hung towards the floor as if defeat; A halo of silver white hair hiding the face of the woman, but it shone even though it was caked and matted with what he assumed to be dried blood. The sight of it disgusted him without question, and the things that had been done to her. And for what? From the things he heard from the other lackeys, she had no reason to keep fighting for her life. It would be easy to kill herself…..though he wondered if it was her pride or stupidity that made her believe there was a way out that didn't include dying? Wouldn't he be doing her a favor if he just killed her himself and called it an accident? Kabuto interrupted his thoughts as he muttered something and smiled at the woman, bringing his face too close to the woman then Sasuke was comfortable with.
Then the hands that had hung limp suddenly clenched into tight fists, and her knuckles were white with the strain as she pushed forward and swiped a hand tipped with sharp curved claws at the man's face. The screeching of the chains as they protested against this action was deafening for half a moment before she grew still again. The medical ninja's face showed a sliver of bright blood as it welled where a nail had raked his face. He was surprised she still had that much energy left in her. A voice rung out, echoing off the close walls with a sort of sarcastic coolness to it's tone; She spoke as if they were sitting casually and having a chat about the weather.. Slowly, she raised her head and pulled her lips back over her teeth in a crude sort of smile. She had fangs, but they were unnatural; There were two on the top and bottom of both sides of her mouth, one smaller then the other, and "I've been waiting to meet you for so long, Sasuke-kun, I thought you'd never come…Forgive me, I didn't think to clean my room before your arrival..."
Laughter met her words, a sound that was laid back and easy going. Then her gaze locked on his, and his eyes would widen ever so slightly. He was staring into a red like freshly spilled blood on snow, burning with a fire that seemed to make her whole body glow in an unearthly light. Or maybe she was actually giving off some sort of aura, or chakra, but it was nothing he could actually grasp the concept of. He never had been able to determine the source. Her head cocked to the side like a dog hearing a strange new sound, her face contorted with the smile and mock confusion. Even though she had caught on to
the charade, he still had to do what Orochochimaru had ordered, whether he liked it or not. Kabuto stared at him impatiently
"What's this? You hesitate, Sasuke-kun? Don't you have orders to-" Her voice stopped abruptly, the crimson eyes going slightly wider before her head fell forward again, her mind giving away to the genjutsu that had hit her instantly. Sasuke stared at her intently, the Sharingan already activated, as Kabuto walked towards the woman again. One of his steps kicked up what appeared to be a rock that hit the wall and made a metallic echo bounce off the walls. He bent forward and whispered in the apparently unconscious woman's ear. This made him sick. He knew Kabuto offered her a way out of the pain, of the suffering, if only she told Orochimaru what he wanted to know. "N-Never….." The sound made him blink, and the man's face took on something like a look of worry.
The woman laughed weakly, her fangs glittering in the dull light as she lifted her head to the white haired man. He looked at her in slight shock. She shouldn't have been strong enough to resist Sasuke's genjutsu. What went wrong? Sasuke himself wondered what went wrong. This wasn't an intentional mishap. Though, before he could put her under another genjutsu, her clawed hand pulled tight on one of the thick chains. Now she was pushing forward against both chains as they ripped and tore at her flesh, blood dripping down her arms. His lips parted for a brief moment to tell her to stop her foolishness, but then the links exploded apart from the iron wall completely. Her fingers wrapped around Kabuto's throat in an instant and, lifting him high into the air, she threw him head first at the wall behind her. He was either going to wake up with a very bad headache, or not wake-up at all. With another step forward, all the other chains snapped as easily as toothpicks. The woman's gaze was alight like some insane wild fire, and the crackling of the dim red light that surrounded her was suddenly bright, trailing down her arms and fists, curling down her legs and disappearing in smoky tendrils like fog. Her voice was low, the smile gone to reveal the sudden coldness that resembled ice despite the inferno.
"Such potential...wasted. If only I could tell you the truth, Sasuke-kun..." Then his own world went dark, falling into something that seemed similar to what he had put her under, though there was no pain. And...he couldn't release it. Only her voice spoke in his head. She said something else to him, but by the time he woke up he only had the memory she had spoken, but not what was said. It was unknown as to how long he had been there, but he was left alone with a groaning Kabuto. One glance at the broken chains, then the open door, made it clear she was long gone. He decided to leave the man on the floor to gather himself and report to the snake about what had happened.
Though, Orochimaru claimed he had already taken care of it.
...::*::...
Sasuke shook his head lightly, wondering why he could remember everything else in clear detail, except her words spoken in his head. He wondered how her strength had returned while under Kabuto's vigilant gaze. Surely, he knew how to make and keep someone indisposed. Though, what grave error could Kabuto possibly make that would allow her to get enough strength to deflect and hold him under his own genjutsu? It was possibly something to do with that fire like cloak of chakra that had appeared, and her glowing crimson eyes.
He tilted his head to look over his shoulder, stopping so suddenly that the others behind him were caught off guard. Suigetsu had been in the middle of another heated argument with Karin, and he was winning. The flustered red head ran into the back of Juugo, who made a startled sound in his throat and almost fell face first into the dirt because of it. The smaller man began to laugh hysterically, bending slightly at the waist as he held his stomach as if it hurt to laugh so hard. It probably did. Sasuke shot him a glance as Juugo steadied himself and helped Karin, who had slid off him and onto the ground in the process. "What? It wasn't my fault she was too busy bitching to see where she was going!"
There was a small pause where Sasuke and Suigetsu locked eyes, and the white haired man looked away with a tsking sound and a small pout. By now the woman was on her feet again and brushing dust off her knees with a bit of ferocity. Her eyes turned to the small platoon's leader as Suigetsu spoke up again. "And when are you going to tell us what your plan is, Sasuke? We've got everyone here now, so c'mon and tell us already!" Instead of replying immediately, he instead turned fully around to face them. The other two had gone quiet, wanting to hear him as well. Though, his words didn't even come close to answering his companion's question. Instead, his eyes looked at each of them before resting on Karin.
"Karin, do you know who Nibaishikon Nenshouhana is? Have you heard anything about her?" The crimson haired woman paused, the corner of her eye twitching ever so slightly. She remembered her alright. Suigetsu raised an eyebrow questioningly, his toothy grin showing yet again, wondering why he wanted to know about such a dangerous woman all of a sudden. The expression on the woman's face made him chuckle slightly. Even he knew who she was, and he'd been in a giant test tube for years.
"The…Red Maiden?"
Juugo asked, looked from Karin to Sasuke with questioning eyes, but his leader still stared intently. It seemed even Juugo knew. Sighing, the woman pushed up her glasses to mask the slight shiver she gave at the memory that came to sudden attention at the old nickname being mentioned."Of course I do. Almost anyone under Orochimaru knew of Hana. And I'll never forget that chakra; It was like it was burning me from the inside, as if I'd swallowed a cup of acid. Orochimaru told everyone he 'took care of her' when he couldn't get the information out of her he wanted. But I found out there are still rumors of the 'Red Maiden' floating around."
Taking a breath, she looked down at the ground. Knowing full well everyone was watching her and listening closely to every word she spoke. Even Juugo looked eager to know what they were. She wondered how he found out, of all people... "They say she was in Akatsuki, and some say she only works for one person in the organization. As a private assassin in the underground when they don't want to get their hands dirty and have it done in a cleaner fashion then Akatsuki itself would handle it."
She chuckled slightly to herself, and then wondered why Sasuke wanted to know about her. Hana had left nearly a year after Sasuke joined Orochimaru. And she spent all of that time, to Karin's knowledge, locked up like the animal she was. When Sasuke didn't stop looking at her intently, she
sighed, once again, and continued. "Most of the rumors originated near the Moon country. The most recent ones, anyway- H-Hey!"
Even as she was still talking, Sasuke turned away and began walking again. They all watched him go, but Karin mumbled to herself and walked in front of the raven-haired boy in her anger at being ignored. Her crimson eyes searching his emotionless face for any clue as to what he was thinking. "Your not thinking of recruiting that monster into our group, are you? She's impossible to work with!" His eyes stared her down, seemingly getting darker as he walked towards her. She fought herself to not step back. Though, he walked right past her without skipping a beat. His voice dismissive and cold. "Actually, I am. So you should get used to the idea of her."
Suigetsu stared at Karin as she stood there, her mouth hanging slightly open, looking as if she had been slapped in the face. Juugo looked at her a moment longer before turning and walking faster to catch up with the raven haired man. The crimson haired woman still stood there, mouth agape, as Suigetsu walked past her. He snickered to himself as if he were a kid who had just seen someone get their pants pulled down in public.
"Oh shit…"
