Chapter Two:

"Now when you get there, don't forget to thank Masumi-chan for her hospitality, got it? She works hard to please guests, and I won't have anyone show disrespect towards her," Sadako huffed.

The raven-haired man declined to reply, instead keeping his eyes forward as they strolled along. Undeterred, she added, "Oh, and don't forget to take off your shoes before you enter the house. She doesn't like it when strangers are rude that way."

Still there was silence, until Sadako felt compelled to aim a kick at his leg just to get a reaction out of him. She studied him carefully from the corner of her eye, noting the way he wore the cape around his broad shoulders to keep his shape a mystery. Something tells me he would dodge it before it could land… Giving up on conversation, she instead passed the time by studying her companion in even more detail.

His hair was charcoal black with no shine whatsoever; in fact, it seemed to suck up all light that hit it, which perplexed Sadako immensely. Sure, hers was black, but it wasn't a black hole atop her head like his… Next, she noted the way he walked with total silence – as though walking on air. Just to be sure, she checked his feet to make sure they were actually meeting the ground – yep, they're touching. So then, he must be used to making as little sound as possible when he walks… Which involves the kind of extensive training only a shinobi would receive.

It all clicked into place then.

"You're Uchiha Sasuke from Konohagakure, right?"

The raven-haired man showed no outward reaction to her statement. "How can you tell?"

"From the way you hold yourself. You've got this arrogant look that really pisses me off. Plus, there's only one Sasuke I know of who is a shinobi."

"Hn."

"Mhm," she continued knowledgably."You always look up at the trees when we pass them. And you're walking really quietly – your feet never touch any twigs or dry leaves. How are you doing that, by the way? Do you use chakra to hide the sounds? Are you good at using your chakra?"

"Don't you have an off switch?"

Instead of being offended by the offhand comment like he'd expected, Sadako threw back her head and laughed aloud. "Masumi-chan always asks me that. I think she's gonna like you when she sees you."

"Hn."

They rounded a slight bend in the road before they came to a crossroads; one led to a series of farms situated among pretty green fields, while the other led away into the trees bordering the farmlands. Sadako gestured to the left, and they soon passed through the tree line and into the darker interior of the woods.

"How much further is your house?" Sasuke asked, secretly wondering how much longer he would have to spend alone with the girl.

"Not too much longer – we're nearly there."

"Hn," was all he replied.

"So you said before that I reminded you of someone. Was it your ex-girlfriend or not?"

Sasuke let out a small sigh of surrender. "No. It was a friend of mine from my village. I don't have an ex-girlfriend."

"'A friend'… your current girlfriend, then?" Suddenly Sadako grasped the significance of that statement and backed away a little. "Ugh. That's really weird, Sasuke-tan."

"Baka," he muttered, shaking his head a little. "I don't have..."

Instantly she was beside him again, staring up at him with eyes narrowed in disbelief. "You don't have a girlfriend? Why not? All the girl's must be fighting each other to have you!" A rather uncomfortable silence ensued, during which Sadako wished she could find a club to hit herself over the head with. "Uh, I don't mean… I mean that, um… you're not that good-looking, ya know! Well, not really. You're nose is kinda nice, I suppose… B-But that's not –"

She broke off and immediately faced her blazing features forward so as to avoid his black gaze. Sasuke couldn't help but be faintly amused by her flustered state. Still, he suspected that she was so red in the face because she'd driven herself into a verbal corner rather than the fact that she was actually affected by his looks. He found the awkward exchange oddly… refreshing.

"A-Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that it's odd for someone as old as you not to have a girlfriend by now, what with the shinobi life expectancy and stuff. Don't you want to settle down and have kids soon? That kinda stuff doesn't happen all at once, ya know." She nodded her head once, smartly. "You gotta work on maintaining a good relationship with someone first – I think. So you'd better hop to it before all the good ones are gone."

Sasuke glanced down at the back of her head as they walked, considering the girl. For the first time in a long, long while, he found himself fighting the beginnings of a grin. "How old do you think I am?"

She gazed up into his features for a moment. "I dunno, twenty-three maybe?"

"Hn."

"Was I right?"

He let out a small scoff. "Not even close."

"Huh? Well, how old are you, then?" she demanded. When he refused to grace her question with a reply, she let out a frustrated breath. "Come on, you can't just tag me along and then leave me hanging like that. What are you, a sadist?"

Sasuke was about to reprimand her for her choice of words when he felt it. He halted in his tracks so suddenly that Sadako had actually walked a few paces in front before she even noticed he's stopped. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, frowning at him.

Sasuke was gazing off somewhere to their right, and his face hardened imperceptibly. "Something's wrong."

Just as the words escaped his mouth, a piercing, all-too-familiar scream shattered the silence around them. The colour drained from Sadako's face, and expression horrified, she whispered, "Reiko-chan." Then she bolted away into the trees in the direction the scream had come from.

Muttering a quiet curse, Sasuke immediately gave chase, taking to the treetops and overtaking Sadako in a matter of seconds. Chakra coursed through his system, seeping its way into his left eye to awaken his Sharingan. Immediately the three tomoe whirled to life and Sasuke set to searching for flares in chakra energy.

Almost straight ahead he detected five different chakra energies, one possessing a specific chakra nature. 'Earth. Good, this shouldn't take long.' Increasing his pace, Sasuke veered to the right and overtook the people below before dropping down to the ground a ways away. Carefully, should one of them be a sensory ninja, he cloaked his presence by diminishing his own chakra energy, watching them as they hurried into view.

Three men were dragging a struggling girl, who looked no older than nine, through the trees; one had his hands over her mouth and waist while the other two held her arms and legs. The fourth man was hiding in the trees above, keeping watch for anyone pursuing them. Sasuke recognised him as the one with the Earth-type chakra.

"Ow!" the man holding her face suddenly exclaimed. "The bitch bit me again!"

Immediately the girl seized their lapse in attention to let out another piercing scream. "Just shut her up, Takao!" 'Takao' grimaced and swiftly delivered a punch to the girl's head, which succeeded in knocking her unconscious. The men let out a relieved breath and continued on their way.

Sasuke had originally planned to wait and see if they revealed any information on the whereabouts of other possible parties, but he decided there were other, quicker ways of obtaining the information he wanted. Stepping out of his hiding place, he stood in the path of the startled men and slowly unveiled his chakra, watching with bitter amusement as their expressions changed from challenging to terrified the longer they comprehended the true extent of his strength.

"I believe that girl belongs to a family not far from here. You should return her to them immediately." His voice was calm, not a single inflection to betray the darkness that was rapidly boiling up inside him.

Silence met his request, before the man holding the girl's legs stepped forward to confront him. "W-We found this girl passed out near a boulder not far from here, so we're gonna take her to Tanigakure to see a doctor." When Sasuke merely stared at the man, he swallowed nervously. "We need to hurry, she could be dying."

For the first time a flicker of emotion passed over Sasuke's face in the form of a smile, but it did nothing to alleviate the concerns of the men. The smirk was that of a predator who had found its prey. "Are the rest of your men waiting for you in Tanigakure?"

The two men behind him exchanged a small glance, which told Sasuke all he needed to know. Chuckling once, he reached behind him to grasp the hilt of his Katana, and then slowly, methodically began to unsheathe the blade.

The man backed up a few steps, holding his hands before him beseechingly. "H-Hey, there's no need for –"

"This will be the last little girl you kidnap. Unfortunately, you're all going to die here like the pathetic insects that you are. Prepare yourselves."

It was the only warning he gave as he called upon the lightning from the clouds that he had steadily been massing over their oblivious heads. Forming hand signs with one hand, his charka flared and the clouds thundered in response, a bolt of lightning striking the tree housing the earth-user almost quicker than the eye could see. With a flash and a short scream of agony the man was dead, the pungent smell of burned meat the only evidence of his existence.

Horrified by the display, the three men dropped the girl haphazardly and sprinted away, but they were not fast enough. Sasuke quickly caught up to the first, dispatching him with a clean slice through the neck, decapitating him quickly and quietly. One of the others looked back in time to see the head topple to the ground, and he let out a piercing scream of terror, which in another circumstance might have been quite hilarious. However, his scream was cut short when Sasuke's blade found its way through his jugular.

When the last man, Takao, spun around and took up a fighting stance, Sasuke let out a disembodied, ominous chuckle that seemed to echo all around the man. "Finally, one of you shows some balls. I was beginning to think I had been wrong in assuming you belonged to the bandits terrorising this nation."

"P-P-Please," the man, Takao, stuttered pathetically, his lower lip quivering. "Don't k-kill me. I'll d-d-do anything you w-want!"

"Is that so… Tell me where the rest of your friends are hiding and I won't kill you."

Takao froze. "What… are you talking about? There are no others –"

"Do you want to die?"

He shuddered at the terrible thought. "P-Please, if I tell you, they'll kill me instead!"

"Before the day is over, they will be dead or you will be. Choose quickly."

The man began shaking his head back and forth in denial, clutching his kunai desperately until his hand began to shake. Sasuke let out a small sigh of impatience and channelled his chakra again, abruptly prompting the man from his indecision.

"W-Wait! All right! All right! They're staying at a hotel in the south of Tanigakure! That's all I know, I swear!" The last word broke off on a whimper.

"I believe you," Sasuke reassured softly as he approached.

He stopped before the man and allowed him to see both his Sharingan and Rinnegan, gazing purposefully into his eyes as the chakra began to flow through them. The man's eyes gradually started to change, and when they completely reflected his Sharingan, he turned and strolled away without another word. Sasuke watched him go without a shred of emotion decorating his features, ensuring the man was thoroughly under a thrall before he left the bloody scene.

He made his way back to the unconscious girl, and before he'd even arrived the panicked tone of Sadako's voice could be heard. "Reiko-chan! Come on, open your eyes." When Sasuke finally reached them she was shaking the girl like a ragdoll."I'm right here! Hey, you're safe, stupid!"

He grabbed her shoulder firmly, stilling her frantic movements, and caught the fist that came flying at him when she spun around. Holding her gaze, he shook his head once, but it was enough to somewhat still her nerves. "Did you find them?" Sadako asked. He simply nodded. "Are they alive?" When he just stared at her with that black orb-like eye, she pulled her hand from his and turned her attention back to the girl. "Can you do something?"

In response he gathered the unconscious girl's head in his palm, and once again called upon his reserves of chakra. Sadako's eyes widened when a green glow erupted all around Reiko's head, and she gazed up at him in surprise. "You know medical ninjutsu, Sasuke-tan?"

"Only a little; enough to heal minor injuries."

"Like broken bones and stuff?" She leaned forward eagerly.

He shook his head. "No, too difficult; only cuts and bruises. Now stop talking, I'm trying to concentrate."

Sadako huffed in annoyance but did as she was told, watching closely as he continued to heal Reiko's injured head. After a few minutes of this Sasuke broke off the supply of chakra, sitting back on his heel and sighing. He couldn't fathom how Sakura had the patience needed to do the things she did; merely healing minor injuries took a large amount of concentration.

"Is she gonna be okay?"

"Yes, but she'll be sore when she wakes, so it's probably best for me to carry her." Sasuke didn't like the idea at all, but knew Sadako was likely to start another argument if he asked her to do it instead.

So he quickly deposited the girl on his back and set off toward the path again, Sadako trailing behind him loudly. When she didn't immediately begin bombarding him with questions, he looked down, taking in her slightly pale complexion and grim expression, and sighed a little. "You recognised the girl's scream before. Do you two know each other?"

Suddenly she began to smirk. "Yeah," she snickered, "I know her. You're carrying my –"

"I'M SADAKO-CHAN'S IMOUTO!" a high-pitched voice screamed in Sasuke's ear. He stumbled a little and gritted his teeth as the little girl on his back suddenly came to life, wriggling and throwing herself all around amidst a chorus of squealing giggles.

"Reiko-chan! You're awake!" Sadako exclaimed, rushing over to the girl and circling her tiny ankle with her hand. "How do you feel?"

"'Course I'm awake! I'm soooo happy! Nee-chan is home, and she brought a Mister, too! Hey, Mister," she said, propelling herself forward with his shoulders, "Are you Nee-chan's boyfriend?"

Sasuke's arms abruptly went limp and, completely without support, Reiko toppled noisily to the ground. "Oww!" she whimpered, rubbing the spot on her bottom that had taken the brunt of the blow.

"Reiko-chan!" Sadako suddenly turned and glared up at Sasuke accusingly. "You're such an ass!You can't just go throwing people around, ya know!"

"I won't be made a fool of by a mere child. I saved her life already."

Sadako rolled her eyes at his cold logic. "A bit late for that. You've got pretty rusty shinobi skills if you can't tell the difference between someone who's unconscious or faking it. I thought you were supposed to be all-powerful or something?"

His lip lifted slightly in a slight scowl. "This coming from the girl who'd be in the clutches of kidnappers by this point if it weren't for me?"

"Please," Sadako scoffed indignantly, rising to face him head on. "Those guys were just bandits – barely worth wasting my time over. I could've handled them myself, dummy!"

"One of them was an earth-style ninja," he calmly pointed out. "He could've crushed you."

That brought her up short for a moment – but her confidence soon returned, leaving a bittersweet taste in her mouth. "Trust me, I would've been fine."

"Yeah!" Reiko suddenly exclaimed, jumping up from her perch on the ground. "Nee-chan's really strong, dontcha know?! She would've burned those creeps to a crisp –!"

Sadako cut off the rest of the girl's sentence by quickly slapping a hand over her big mouth, but she needn't have bothered. Sasuke suddenly turned to face something coming from behind them with an alert stance. "Someone's coming."

Immediately Sadako released Reiko and thrust her behind her back, eyes peeling the trees for signs of movement. It was silent for a while, but then she could hear someone picking their way through the brush. A curse sounded, and she jerked at the familiar voice. Is that…?

"REIKO-CHAAAAN!"

Yep, that's him. She struggled to keep the irritation from her tone as she called,"Himuro! Over here!"

A figure began clumsily sprinting towards them, and Himuro, a boy from a neighbouring farm, skidded to a halt when he reached them. "Ah…! There… you are!" He bent over and braced his hands on his knees, struggling for breath. "I… was so worried! I heard… Reiko scream, and… I came… as fast… as I could…"

Sadako rolled her eyes at the boy. "Well, calm down; we had a friend help us, so even if you weren't fast enough it doesn't matter."

Himuro – who was two years older than her at thirteen – glanced between her and Sasuke with a frown. "Who's… your friend?"

"He's not my friend," Sadako barked and crossed her arms.

The lanky boy gaped at her. "B-But you just said –"

Sadako help up a hand. "Forget what I said. Just shut up for a second."

"Which way?" Sasuke interrupted impatiently.

"Uh…" She cast about around her for a familiar tree, rock, stone – anything. But she soon realised with a sinking feeling that she was, in fact, completely and utterly lost. "I-It seems I lost the trail…" She went red in the face when the raven-haired prodigy gave her a contemptuous look. "It's not my fault!"

"I-I think I might know the way!" Himuro piped up. He glanced around him – adopting the exact strategy she had just executed – and appeared crestfallen at the lack of results. "Oh, um… J-Just give me a moment…"

Sadako's brow twitched in annoyance. "Himuro, sit down before you hurt yourself."

While Himuro blushed furiously and stared at the ground, Reiko spoke up from behind Sadako. "It's alright! I have a friend who can help us!"

She grinned reassuringly at them and then turned, letting loose a strange vocal call from her throat. There were a few minutes of silence while they waited, and then from the sky, a small bird fluttered towards them. Reiko beamed as its tiny feet settled on her forearm, and from her pocket she withdrew a dead insect and offered it to the little creature – Sadako grimaced at that. I hate insects…

The small bird gobbled it up and let loose a call almost identical to the one Reiko had just given. Sadako stared with fascination, taking in the beautiful colours decorating its head, chest and body. Greens, violets and indigos shone with iridescence in a dazzling display.

Sasuke was also studying the bird with something remarkably close to surprise. "Is that… a Woodnymph?"

"Yep," Reiko chirped happily, offering the bird another insect. "A violet-crowned male Woodnymph, dontcha know! See the indigo colour near his beak? And the green underneath? That means he's male." She giggled as the little bird hopped on her shoulder and began combing through her hair – for lice. "Isn't he cute?"

"Sorry," Sadako interrupted impatiently. "But what's a violet-crowned Woodnymph?"

"Ah…! I think I remember, it's like a… um –"

"Himuro," Sadako growled warningly. "If you open your mouth one more time I'm going to knock you unconscious and leave you here."

"Uh, o-okay…"

Sasuke's tone was calm as ever despite the obvious interest in his eyes. "It's a species of hummingbird. I thought they didn't exist on this part of the country?"

"That's right," Reiko nodded. "But they're migrating for the mating season. They're here around this time every year." Her eyes became wistful as she said, "My Daddy used to take me to some nesting grounds not far from where we lived… There were so many, it was like a living rainbow! He even taught me how to ask them for help. They're so nice!" She giggled again and murmured something to the bird.

Sasuke studied the small girl before him with mounting interest. "Your parents are shinobi?"

"Were," she corrected cheerily. "They died during the Fourth Shinobi World War, dontcha know."

Beside her, Sadako stiffened. Suddenly aware of the tension, he decided it was best to let the subject drop. "I'm sorry."

Reiko turned and gazed at him with piercing blue eyes. "It's okay. They went on their own; it's not like they were forced or anything… They died for a noble cause."

Sadako ground her teeth in frustration. "Because leaving their only daughter all alone in the world is such a noble thing to do."

Silence accompanied her statement; Reiko refused to look at anyone and instead occupied herself with stroking the bird's soft head. "Nee-chan, I know what you think about them… But I understand why they did it. I'm not angry."

"No," she growled, "But you should be! Aren't you mad that they left you in this cruel, stupid world all on your own –?!"

"Sadako," Sasuke interrupted softly. "Enough. It's getting dark, we should find shelter soon."

She huffed once, indignantly, but didn't pursue the issue. "Whatever. Let's just go."

Reiko whistled to the little bird again, and it took off before them – but not so far ahead that they couldn't keep up. Sadako allowed the smaller girl to take the lead, but kept a vigilant eye on her figure as light slowly left the land. Sasuke strolled along beside her, silent and vigilant, while Himuro gave up any semblance of conversation he thought of having to with Sadako and instead chose to walk with Reiko. When she glanced up at Sasuke, she noted with surprise that he was studying Reiko's bouncing form with more than a little interest.

She felt her brow twitch in annoyance, and aimed a kick at his long leg. "Oi, keep your eyes to yourself, creep."

The larger boy easily dodged the movement. "Baka. You come up with some disturbing ideas."

"You're the one checking out a seven-year-old. What's your deal?"

For a moment, she thought he wouldn't reply – she was getting ready to kick him for real when he said softly, "I find it odd that she can control an animal with just a few vocal commands."

"What does that mean?" she asked impatiently.

He sighed condescendingly, making her want to hit him again. "I mean that she has obviously inherited a store of chakra from her former shinobi parents. If this is true, then you should seek assistance from your village; letting chakra build up in such a young body without an outlet can be dangerous."

Sadako frowned at the sudden revelation. Dammit, why hadn't I thought of that before…? She studied Reiko with a frown as another, more disturbing thought occurred to her. Why haven't Masumi-chan and Hiroki-chan said anything about it? Surely they were aware of the issue.

Just as it was beginning to get dark, a light through the trees came into view. Sadako sighed in relief as they stepped through a break in the trees to reveal a large farm surrounded by gardens and produce. In the distance, hills rolled for about five miles before the trees caught up with them again. Sadako had always thought of it as a type of private safe-haven.

Not far from them, Sadako saw the door to their house open to emit the form of Masumi, who was glancing up at the sky in obvious concern. Man, that woman worries too much. Still, she grinned at the familiar feeling of arriving home, and she let loose an exultant shout in the woman's direction. However, instead of responding in kind, Masumi's hands fisted themselves to her hips forebodingly. Sadako instantly sobered at the look. Oh, damn… I'm so dead…