Disclaimer: Though it would be a great honor to be the one to have brought about the Naruto series, I am not the one responsible for this. Thus it is logical to conclude that I do not own the characters in the following story nor will I ever own them for they belong to Masashi Kishimoto.~

~Of the Tainted: The Anathema~

In most stories, the life of a hero is translated through the pages. The often whimsical creature bounding through innumerable challenges that threaten to halt him in his final journey into the vast glory that he will surely reach. He is known to crush his enemies with a mighty fist, casting their souls out into the abyss of death as their punishment for attempting to stop him in his glorious quest. These stories are known to bring to light the imaginations of children and adults alike, making everyone believe that they will one day become this hero, and find the way into their own personal glory. If everyone is going to be the hero, then where does the villain come from? Who can say that the hero's story is any more important than that of the very being trying to stop him? It is known, that an equally vast amount of infamy will befall the villain, but who is to say that infamy to one, isn't heroism to another? Who finds themselves to be so blessed that they can claim that the tale of a sad being, falling slowly from the ranks of a hero, into the dark abyss of villainy won't make for a great round? A story defying all that is known….

The sweet hum of a decadently sad tune filled the air. The hum slowly progressed into a song, as the woman tightened her grip on her loved one's hand. Her head lay gently against his chest, as he breathed slowly. His shaky breaths rattled the two of them, as he held back the sobbing that wanted to burst through the seams of his tough exterior. The news that they had just heard held true to their worst fears, the fragile woman in his arms, would soon join the realm of the Beati. She would be nothing but a memory, something the man holding her could not bear to even consider thinking of. His grip tightened, as hers loosened; he would not allow this to happen. She would not be snatched away from him the moment he had reached the pinnacle of his happiest moment. Having lived the horrid life that the two had faced, the thought of having to live the rest of it alone, would be absolutely unbearable for him. He would surely take his own life, the second her life had ended. That was an unquestionable truth that he had kept inside of himself.

The woman tilted her head up, kissing him on his chin; the faint shadow of a smile etched itself across his lips as she did this. Their eyes met as she returned his smile, her own smile a bright star shining in the darkness. Her light shined so brightly, that it was nearly blinding him. His heart quivered from the sight. He whispered gently in her ear, with a soft, soothing voice contradicting the panic he felt inside.

"I love you, my sweet angel…." His eyes relayed the sorrow he was trying to hide as he laid his head on the top of hers, his chin sitting gently against her. His lip quivered ever so slightly as she sighed deeply, her breaths quivering from the pain she was in.

"You know my response to that…..you know how much I love you…and how much I believe in you, my sweet deity." She smiled weakly at him; the tinge of pain in her voice was like a dagger to the poor man's heart. Every bit of pain she felt, reverberated through him tenfold. His warm hand tightened on hers as his heart pleaded for a way to escape this madness; a way for the two of them to survive through this, together. He would give anything for the fulfillment of this wish; anything and everything.

It wasn't long before the doctor had asked him to leave, to allow his beloved wife to rest. The blue-haired beauty was frail and needed as much rest as possible, if she were to live out at least as long as the doctor predicted her to survive before she succumbs to her illness. Her beloved knew this, although it hurt to be separated from her, he knew he had no other choice if he wished her to keep living. As he sat outside of the hospital, he gazed up at the stars. The very heavens themselves seemed to mock him. They teased him by dangling all of his hopes and dreams in front of his face, and just as he could get his hand to wrap gently around it, it was tugged away from his grip, leaving him to mourn the loss of something that was never meant to belong to him. It angered him so much; the hatred flared inside of him like the flames of a raging forest fire, started from a simple spark, a single thought. He gripped his chest, letting his anger flow through his veins as he screamed at the heavens. He screamed about how they had cursed him; screamed how they were unjust, and most of all, he screamed about how he would be the one who destroyed them.

Just as he stopped, hearing his voice echo, he released the anger, allowing himself to mourn once again. The wrath could only hide the sorrow; it could not get rid of it. He wept for there was no reason to pretend to be strong if he didn't have someone depending on him. He cried and clawed at his chest his fingers digging passed the fabric, clawing into his flesh, plucking and peeling away at it. His white shirt was stained with droplets of red as he lay his head back, hitting the concrete with a small thud. This life was one filled with several trials and tribulations; you can either pass, or fail. Little known to him, one especially important test was about to take place, and his fate would ultimately be determined by his decision.

The man closed his eyes; his hand lay calmly on his chest. The weeping had stopped; the tears that had stained his face were beginning to dry. He breathed out softly, and as he breathed back in, he had a bitter taste in his mouth. When he opened his eyes back up, to find the source of the bitter taste, he saw another set of eyes looking back at him. He nearly jumped out of his skin as he shot up trying to avoid all physical contact with the person

The crimson pair that gazed directly into his very being sent a shiver down his spine; whatever this was, it was certainly not human. The creature kneeled down beside him, seeming to sniff the top of his head, a smirk placing itself gently on its face. The creature did look human, if one was to gaze away from the blood soaked eyes, for he had long mid-night black hair that draped over half of his face. He held a toothy smile, which seemed to hold an uneasy reassurance, as if he wished to gain the other man's trust, but he did so only for himself. He stood back up, the man soon following him in this motion.

"I have come to make a proposal….a proposal that could grant you your heart's greatest desires…" The creature's voice was very lucid, like that of a well-informed and charismatic salesperson, ready to show his product to a potential customer. "Your wishes are what called me here after all….I'd like you to know I wouldn't have come, if I didn't know how to grant them….", the creature gave a sly grin after finishing.

"…You...came because of my…..?" The man's icy gaze had seemed to be consumed by confusion, something even more powerful than the cold that usually dwelled there. The creature placed his hand underneath the man's chin, pulling him forward as he whispered in his ear.

"To save the one you hold dear….your heart screamed that it would do anything in the world, to make that come true…don't lie to yourself….you know that is what you want more than anything else.." the creature murmured, his silver tongue quick to find its way into the man's mind. The man's thoughts began to wander, as he placed a hand on his chest. What would he give up…to grant the one he loved more time to live? Would he give up a year of his own life, for a mere second of hers? Would he die altogether, just for her to have one more breath in this cursed world? The man balled his hands into fists, quickly glaring back up at the creature, extreme determination now filling the void in his eyes.

"I would do anything to accomplish that dream….that wish….I would give up all that I have, and all I will ever have, just to see that it becomes a reality." That spark was once again lit aflame inside of that man's eyes. The creature held his hand out carefully, waiting for the man to grab it, as a sign that they both agreed to the contract.

"Well now, my sweet Anathema…we shall get along wonderfully…if things keep going this well…." The creature's grin widened into a wicked and twisted smile as the man took his hand. Darkness swirled around the two of them, and before long, they were completely consumed.

~POV Pein~

Darkness swirled behind my eyelids. The spiraling, twisting waves seemed to dance before me. I opened my eyes and even when they were open I continued to see nothing but this desolate world of shadows. I felt an unimaginable calm come over me, as I floated through the barren space of this world. Where I was, what I was doing, and even who I was didn't seem as though it was important; just as long as I kept drifting smoothly along this waterless sea, I didn't care for anything. My mind didn't seem as though it existed anymore. My soul, my very being, had seemed as though it never existed. I was nothing, but another wave in this darkness.

This fulfilling emptiness didn't last long, as the memories found their way back to me. I balled my hands into fists, as the pain and emotion reunited soon after. One thought continued in an endless loop in my head, the thought of my love, my sweet angel; the very same frail angel that I was doing this for. I made a deal with something, a creature with bright red eyes. I remember now. He pulled me into this darkness and now….

I felt a sharp pain engulf my wrist and I couldn't help but hold my breath. It felt as if someone took a smooth blade and carved the flesh from the bone of my wrist, leading down to the palm of my hand. I could feel warm liquid ooze from this new wound; I suppose this liquid had to be blood. I bit down on my lower lip and felt something else, some effervescent feeling, begin to build inside of me. It hurt, but I could also feel a bit of pleasure from it. What it was was completely a mystery to me, and how it got there was an even greater one.

This feeling became so great, that I could not stand it anymore, and I gasped for breath. As the impure air filled my lungs I felt a great illness come over me, and I thrashed about. It stung. It hurt. It felt as though I could delay it no longer. Just as all seemed hopeless, I heard the sound of some inhuman yowl. My entire body quivered from the sound; the origin of this noise had to be nearby. The first odd sign was that the bubbling feeling had left me the moment this sound had resonated into the air. Another odd sign was the fact that my throat now burned, as if I had been yelling. When I brought my hand up to my throat, I knew. The yowl had to have come from me but, what had caused me to bring it about? What was that feeling that birthed this unusual wail that broke through the barrier of constant silence?

I closed my eyes focusing now on what was important. I needed to get back. She needs me there by her side, not in this world of desolate darkness. No, I did not belong here, my place was by her side, and her side alone. The determination that had led me to make a deal with whatever "devil" I had met back there was now driving me forward. I couldn't let something so pointless and fragile control me; emotions are nothing but a burden to my goal. If I am to save her from this destruction, then I should press on no matter what ailment, what disaster, or what pain befalls me. This is all that is important, all that ever was important; the life of my angel, and my own bittersweet love for her. That is what I had decided, to burn everything else keeping me in the realm of weakness, the realm of humanity. All would be just, all will be righteous, and all will be resolved by me; by the man who has elevated himself from the restraints of humanity.

The feeling I had felt earlier, I hadn't even noticed that it had become more and more pleasurable as I let myself think such anomalous thoughts. Was it rewarding me, perhaps? Was I bringing about its growth through throwing away my own humanity? The questions that were buzzing through my brain quickly disappeared as I opened my new eyes; these eyes that saw the world clearly for the first time in what had been my life up until this moment. The world of darkness had vanished and I simply gazed down at my arm, seeing my own deep red blood drip down onto the concrete below. A mark had been carved there, a symbol chaining me to the creature who I had "sold my soul" to with a symbolical chain that wrapped around my wrist and had led to the center of my palm. I felt a frown tugging on the corner of my mouth as I looked down at it. Just the sight of this mark gave me a sickening pang in the middle of my gut. I blinked and looked forward. It's all worth it, it's all for her, for her, for her….for us.

A/N: Well...I'm sorry for how Out of Character Pein is in this story..but he has yet to become the Pein we all know and love...I wanted to start it out with him being a rather...normal human...with typical thoughts and dreams..so..please don't get mad at me about that...it's just part of the story ^: :^"...I'll try to work on chapter two..though I'm not promising a specific date that I will publish it..because, if I do, I'll be too stressed out about meeting the deadline..to actually think and develop the story...anyways..I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of "Of the Tainted: The Anathema"...Have a Nice day~ (Don't forget to leave a review~ and to check out anxo da noite's "Of the Tainted: The Saligia" The Gakuen Alice story~ .net/s/7533217/1/Of_The_bTainted_b_bSaligia_b)