Hello everyone out there!
Thanks for showing up and giving me a chance! I just want to make the quick remark (and hope that doesn't scare you away), that I wrote this story when SasuSaku wasn't official yet; so, it isn't about bashing Sakura or Sasuke being with Sakura. So far, I just didn't have the courage to publish it, but somehow I really want to know what people think about it ^^" So, I'll be grateful forever if one of you guys out there followed it or even told me their opinion.
Cheers,
Ribanna.

Confrontation

"Didn't you tell me, there wasn't anyone but us," Sasuke said, looking over his shoulder.

Karin, who stood only a few steps behind him, waved aside. "Relax, she's hardly anyone."

"So, you know her?," Suigetsu asked.

"Mind your own business, moron," Karin answered and threw her red hair back.

Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "That's just a question. Stop making a fuss every time I say anything!"

"Don't even dare to tell me what do!"

"I'll stop telling you what to do if you stop breathing, you fu-"

"Shut up, both of you!"

As Sasuke's voice cut through his words, Suigetsu hushed immediately, still, stuck out his tongue at Karin and used his index finger to pull down the lower lid of his right eye. His lips silently formed the word 'bitch.' She answered in a likewise silent manner 'moron'.

"So, how about it, Karin?," Sasuke continued meanwhile, without letting the girl down the hall out of his sight. "Do you know her?"

"Met her once," Karin answered. "She's just one of Orochimaru's guinea pigs, you know."

"I thought so, but what was he working on with her?"

Karin adjusted her glasses. "Nah, nothing extraordinary."

"Really?" Sasuke didn't quite believe her since extraordinary was everything his late master had ever cared about. "What drew his attention to her then?"

Karin shrugged. "Don't bother wondering about that. She was a dead end-project from the beginning on, you know. She wasn't worth his time, and neither is ours. Let's just move on and ignore her."

"I haven't asked for an opinion, have I? I asked for information."

"So, you don't trust my judgment?"

"As you know, I rather judge by myself."

Karin pursed her lips and emitted wind over her tongue in motion. "There isn't nothing about that little brat at all – no kekkeigenkai, no special justsu! Don't be stupid wasting your time on her. Come on, let's just stocking up on our victuals and move on!"

Sasuke exhaled slowly, praying to gods he didn't believe in for the patience to not kill Karin right on the spot.

"You three stay back," he told his team as he took the first few steps to approach the girl who stood against the wall, a little bit more than twenty feet ahead.

The fuss Karin made to convince him that this alien girl wasn't worth his attention, raised his suspicions. Considering the way the redhead kunoichi acted, the young Uchiha could tell that there was something she concealed about the stranger; and his instincts told him to better find out what this was. Besides, it was a matter of principle: he was the leader; therefore, he made the decisions! He wouldn't leave the least bit of control to Karin. Or any other of his teammates.

However, as he drew closer, he had to admit that the dark-haired girl seemed rather pathetic than harmful: she resembled an innocent baby rabbit that was cornered by a hungry fox.

Her eyelids fluttered, and with every step, Sasuke approached her, she seemed to shrink, albeit she was tiny anyway; presumably, only a few inches taller than one of Sasuke's arms long. And thin she was; almost reduced to a skeleton. Even in the dim light of only three simple light bulbs spread over a distance of more than 25 feet, her bones cast shadows. Collarbones, cheeks, and wrists bulged. Kneecaps and ankles looked exceedingly odd since they appeared to be far too vast to belong to their owner. In contrary, there barely seemed to be any muscles underneath her pale skin.

Her body wore marks of torture and fire that had burned deeply into her flesh; the scars still shined red, even though they seemed to be several years old. Her face and limps were covered and warped with bloodless notches of recent cuts.

Her brown hair looked like she had tried herself to cut it using a kunai or something like that; with limited success as Sasuke concluded by the misshapen layered style. Felted curls and a shiny grease film suggested that it had been a while since she had last taken a proper shower.

She wore shorts and a top, both grey and so worn and ripped, they exposed more than they covered. Thus, Sasuke could see her rips. They were individually countable.

The only thing that made her vision worthwhile at all was her face – at least for people who cared the slightest about appearance. Indeed, she had delicate features, like full, smoothly shaped lips and a button nose that, nevertheless, looked a little crooked; probably because it had been broken once. However, Sasuke wasn't one of those people.

The only thing he incidentally noticed were her eyes; not because of their unusual golden colour, which he couldn't even figure out due to the bad light conditions, but because of that sheen within them that told tales about utter despair and old agony.

Tales, he knew too well himself.

Back then, as a child, he had seen the same kind of sheen in his own eyes so many times, whenever he had looked into the mirror.

That's probably why he felt a sudden sting of hot hate hitting his heart, as he continued drawing closer to the strange girl. For a few heartbeats, he was overwhelmed by the sensation that she embodied everything he hated about himself. Something within himself wanted to kill her to make that damn sheen in her eyes vanish forever!

It was just in his head; however, it felt like his hand was close to seizing the hilt of his Kusanagi, when she suddenly raised her right hand, and shouted, "Stop!"

Sasuke did stop, indeed, as in the same moment, one of the light bulbs above his head burst. Shattered glass rained down on his head, as the hallway darkened a little more.

For a few seconds, time seemed to stand still: What has just happened?

"I will do the same to your head if you get one step closer!," the alien girl said in a trembling voice that sounded like one octave too high.

Sasuke stood about ten feet away from her, trying to make sense of the events of the last few seconds. As odd as it may sound, he was confused and, that's what really bothered him, somehow impressed. And being impressed by anyone else but himself was something he couldn't stand at all.

He frowned and shook off the shattered glass off his black hair, as he laid his hand on the hilt of his Kusanagi, starring at the girl that huddled on the wet, cold ground. Her hand shook, and the larynx was twitching under the skin of her throat.

I will do the same to your head, Sasuke repeated in thoughts. I will do the same to your head...

"I see," he finally said, raising his eyebrows. "You're one of those people, aren't you?"

She gulped. "Wha-what people are you're talking about?"

"I'm pretty sure you know that." Sasuke got closer, however, only one step to avoid provoking her since he liked his skull better in one piece than burst into shivers. Anyway, the girl's hand only flinched as tears filled her eyes. "People who can influence physical systems or control matter by the sheer force of their will."

Throughout the years Sasuke had spent under wing's of Orochimaru, he occasionally had heard about this project with oddly gifted subjects the nukenin was reputed to run. Yet, so far, the Uchiha had assumed that this was only rumours among Orochimaru's bored subordinates. Now, as he stood in front of a girl, who had just made a light bulb explode, he could put one and one together.

So much for 'not' extraordinary, right Karin? "I didn't believe someone like you really existed."

"What do you want from me?"

He drew another step closer. "Nothing... For now, at least. I just want to find out whether you're a threat to me and my team, or not."

"I am not!," she hurried to say. "I swear!"

Sasuke washed her assertion away with a swift move with his left hand. "Oh, please, allow me to decide this on my own. First of all, who are you?"

She cleared her throat. "Michiru."

"Michiru." Sasuke nodded his head. "My name is Sasuke. Hello, then. Now, tell me, since this hideout seems to be abandoned, I assume the news of Orochimaru's death has already spread." She didn't answer; however, he took her silence for a yes. "If that is so, why didn't you escape when you had the chance like, obviously, everyone else did? Why did you stay?"

She remained in silence once again.

"Look, you better play along," Sasuke suggested as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You know, the one who killed Orochimaru, that was me." Her eyes widened, as she started to sweat and shivered even more. "Yeah, I thought so: you know how strong Orochimaru was, right? Therefore, you probably can imagine vividly how strong I must be if I was able to kill him." Blood ran down from her lips. "Still, you have nothing to fear. Answer my questions, and I will leave you be. Let's try again, shall we?" She nodded. "So, why did you stay?"

"I didn't know where to go," Michiru whispered with a tear running over her cheek.

"No family you'd like to see again?"

She shrugged. "I don't remember. Guess, I spent to much time here."

"I see." Sasuke nodded his head. "So, you decided to stay here and wait for death?"

Instead of answering, she pulled her knees towards her chest and by the small twitch in her jaw, Sasuke could tell that she clenched her teeth.

He sighed. "Well, not the best plan if you ask me."

"But I haven't asked you, have I? So, why do you care?"

"Oh, I don't. However, you should. It's your life, after all."

"And?"

"And, maybe I can offer you a way out..."