Sakura stared at the girl that had the nerve of calling herself an Uchiha. It wasn't possible, there was no way. She looked at Sasuke and studied his face, at the girl's words it had went even paler and his pupils contracted.
"Where did you get that necklace?" He asked, forgetting about his companions and the questioning looks they were sending him.
"This?" She picked the necklace off her chest and looked down at it a moment before looking back up at him, "I've had this as far back as I can remember. Of course I can't remember anything past eight years ago."
Rio let the necklace drop back into place and went to her stuff. She didn't quite understand the reaction of the others to her last name; it was the one thing she'd remembered when she'd woken up at the brothel. Her eyes narrowed at the guy she'd been speaking to; he was injured and hadn't said a word.
"That's impossible!" Sakura said suddenly, wanting to break the silence. "The Uchiha clan was wiped out eight years ago."
"Well then that would explain a lot wouldn't it?" Rio replied going to her bag digging through her bag to find the right herbs and salve. She straightened when she couldn't find them. "It looks like you'll have to come back to the village with me. I don't have the right medicine to help you."
Help us, Sakura thought, yeah right. This girl was obviously demented about everything in her life. There was no way that any of them believed her story. What a minute who was hurt? She should be able to sense it.
Rustling from the bushes had the three ninjas readying themselves for another battle. Suddenly a small boy raced forward, followed quickly by two guards. Fear evident in his darting black eyes, they'd been dead, the men he'd seen had been dead. When his gaze landed on her he ran to her, throwing his arms around her waist.
She returned the hug and then pulled back, "What are you doing back here? I just told you to send someone to help."
"Nope, you said to get help. Are you okay?" He asked, his gaze never leaving her face.
"I'm fine." She turned to the two that had accompanied him, "Thank you Shizuki. Thank you Hokuto. May I introduce you to Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke? This is Shizuki and Hokuto; they are the afternoon guards of our village and you remember Yuki from this morning."
The red-haired guard moved closer to her, as if showing his possession. He'd be damned if any one of the trio in front of him came any closer to her.
Yuki found himself pushed behind Rio as Shizuki came forward. He found himself staring at the odd design on her back; gently he reached forward and brushed his hand against it.
"You are hurt." Yuki accused, pulling his hand away from her back.
She swore under her breath, "Ignore it. It's not important."
"Not important? This is why you didn't want to swim." He continued, "Why did she do it?"
"Yuki, enough." She said sharply, "Now isn't the time. Let's go home."
"It was because of me," realization dawned on him, "You left your duties to make sure I was okay."
She closed her eyes and prayed for more patience. It was unusual for her to lose it with the boy; after all he was only a child, a genius trapped in a child's body. Yet there were times when he could be an idiot. She turned toward him and opened her mouth but changed her words when she saw the tears falling freely down his cheeks.
"It wasn't you. Madam was just in a bad mood." She watched him reach up and swipe at his tears. "I'll be fine, besides it's my job to watch out for you."
Sasuke jerked forward when Shizuki roughly grabbed her arm and gave it a painful squeeze. He saw the quick flash of pain across her face before it grew neutral.
"Please follow us and we'll get you the antidote," Rio said looking at Sasuke.
Shizuki squeezed her arm so hard she thought it would snap in two. In a low voice said, "If you do anything with him, you won't be nearly as pretty tomorrow as you are now. Understand?"
She clenched her jaw against the pain shooting down her arm, "Perfectly now let go."
He shoved her away and could only smirk when she stumbled a few steps before righting herself, "Have everything?"
Sakura and Naruto nodded. Sasuke just glared at the warrior. Something about the guy just didn't seem right.
Rio secured her bag to her back and turned to Yuki, whose tears had stopped. Without a word she picked the little boy up. His legs wrapped around her waist and his head dropped to her shoulder automatically.
Sasuke swore the boy's eyes flashed red before they drifted shut.
"Please wait here," Rio asked when they came to the doors of the orphanage. "Mrs. Zhang hasn't done bed check and having strangers will alert her to Yuki being late."
The group stared at each other when she quietly entered the house.
Naruto was the first one to speak, "She's done this before."
"The little brat is always late. Once she's mine, she'll never be near him." Shizuki stated coldly.
"Why is that?" Sakura asked, her eyes flashing over to where Sasuke stood, his dark eyes focused on the door the young girl had slipped through moments before.
"Because he's nothing but a penniless nobody that deserves whatever he gets. Hell there were times his own mother hated him."
"Stop it Shizuki. Don't you ever say that again," Rio said from the porch, "He's a good kid that needs guidance and acceptance."
"Well if his mother wasn't a whore and his father a murderer then maybe he'd be accepted easier." It was so easy to goad her. She was too emotional but that would change soon, he'd break the temper that resided in her.
The look in her dark eyes changed drastically at Shizuki's statement. Sasuke could clearly see it from his position and there was no doubt in his mind that if she had the resources, she would've tried killing him.
"Mizuki was a good person. She didn't like her work but after he was born she didn't have much of a choice but to continue in order to feed the baby." She turned to the three that were watching them, "I forgot about the festival."
"What festival?" Naruto asked as they began to walk.
"It's an odd festival. People come from the towns around us and meet the orphans. Some will find homes where they are loved but others won't be so lucky. This year Madam will be gone for two days and so the young girls will be spared from working for her." She replied.
She kept in step with the blonde and his raven-haired friend. For some reason she felt safer with them than she ever had with anyone in town. She couldn't help but feel that she'd seen Sasuke somewhere before.
"Yes and then this town will lose some of its greatest potential," Shizuki commented.
"Shizuki," Rio said forcing her voice to remain happy, "if you don't shut up and quit thinking about young girls I will kill you in your sleep. Now if you'll please leave I need to get the antidote into them soon."
Them, Sasuke thought and then thought about the smoke they'd come through before the fight. Why hadn't he thought about it sooner, the smoke had been poisonous. His next question was how had she known?
"Remember what I said," Shizuki whispered when he walked by her. There was no reason to say farewell to the others because he'd never need to remember them after that night.
They watched as the two guards disappeared down the street and when he was out of sight she breathed a sigh of relief. She hated the way he made her feel and could only think of what was coming when he visited her again.
"So what's made you think of the festival?" Naruto asked as they kept walking.
She jumped a bit at his voice and continued with her story, "The chances of your group finding a hotel room are next to none. You may sleep in my room; it's not very big but should be able to accommodate you."
"Where you gonna sleep?" Naruto questioned again.
"I'll find someplace." She stopped in front of a building and for a moment just stared at the bane of her existence. A minute later she climbed up the stairs and turned to look at the trio, "Come on, I'll make some tea."
The sun was beginning to set behind them so as the group followed her steps, she flipped the porch light on. Ever since the night of Yuki's conception, even the idea of darkness terrified her.
When they stepped into the building, Rio expected Madam to come out ready to scold her and punish her for being late; instead, they were greeted by an elderly lady with a kind smile.
"Rio," She said, "You're late."
"Sorry Grandmother. A few things happened while I was out with Yuki and the others." Rio gestured to Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura, "They helped me out. I told them they could sleep in my room."
"You're lucky," Grandmother said, "My daughter is gone for the next few days so it won't be a problem. There's tea in the kitchen, Rio show them the way and then come on down. You four must be hungry."
"Yes ma'am," Rio murmured and ascended a stairwell to their right. She ignored the curious glances that the other girls were sending from outside their doors and she hated the sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach.
A blonde haired girl slammed her hand in front of Rio, blocking her way, "You're moving up in the world Uchiha, taking on two very good looking boys and a woman all at the same time. What would Madam say if she knew what you were up to?"
"She'd tell me what a good job I'm doing bringing in customers. They prefer my attitude to yours, that's why Shizuki always comes to visit me. Now if you'll excuse me Kaida." Rio retorted, short-temperedly, knowing full well the consequences of her words.
She felt Kaida's sharp nails slice her cheek and closed her eyes. The only good that would come out of it was knowing one day she'd leave the place and never look back. With a steadying breath she turned toward the blonde, "That's not nice Kaida. What would Madam say if she knew you were abusing the good one? After all isn't that the kind of game you like to play with Shizuki, you play the bad girl and after awhile I get to play the good girl? Now why don't you act that way for awhile and see what all happens."
Kaida threw her hair over her shoulder and glared at the small woman. How dare she, how dare she? The little bitch knew nothing, absolutely nothing. She thought she was so great, always smiling no matter what life threw her way. With a hissing breath in Rio's ear she said, "Watch your back. Don't forget who exactly Madam's favorite is."
"I don't," She said softly before pushing her way by the blonde and continuing on her way. Her vision wavered but she pushed on, forcing one foot in front of another.
She pointed out the bathroom, Grandmother's room and her room. She slid the door open and stepped inside. Without a word she went to her closet, behind her she heard the falling of packs and negotiation of who received the bed. With a steadying breath she pressed a button and watched as a small door slid open.
Sasuke had long since given up on the idea of sleeping on the bed, so he resigned himself to watching the girl. The blood that soaked through her shirt had created a pattern of sorts; it looked like it hurt like hell. He saw her hand trembled as she pulled a bottle out of the hidden cupboard and turn toward them.
"Please make yourself comfortable and when you're ready come down to the kitchen, it's the room to the left when you come in the front door. I'll have your tea ready," She said politely before disappearing out the door.
"That was pleasant," Sakura said, taking a seat on the bed she vaguely wondered what sorts of diseases were spread across it. "Are we sure this is a good idea? I mean we should be looking for Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, "Oh about him, he left a note a couple days of go saying he was going back to Konoha since it seemed that the three of us could handle this mission."
Sakura's face darkened, "When did you plan on telling us?"
"After I found the note?"
Sasuke glared, they'd been running around in circles trying to find their pervert of a teacher. Suddenly Naruto remembers that he just up and left them because he trusted him. Not wanting to see Sakura try and beat up their friend, he left the room.
He ignored the girls that stood outside their rooms, all flirting and offering themselves. It really was quite pathetic that women thought that was attractive. He descended the stairs softly. He was preparing to open the door when he heard it, her voiced confession.
"I thought I saw him today," Rio said, pouring tea into the cups. Something, anything to keep her hands busy and not shaking, carefully she measured the antidote and put it in the cups.
"Who?"
"Yuki's father. I thought I saw Itachi today, but it wasn't. In fact, Sasuke's eyes are really dark, so I don't know why I thought that it was Itachi." She contemplated and then swore viciously when she dropped one of the cups. "Why is it I can remember Itachi from my past but I can't remember anyone else? I mean there's always someone else in my dreams but I can never get a clear picture."
"Maybe you are pushing yourself too hard?" Grandmother said walking to the door. Silently she stared at Sasuke through the door before mouthing, 'meet me here tonight.' She opened the door and jerked him into the kitchen, "We had fried rice and chicken for dinner. Would you care for some?"
Rio's gaze swung over to the door as she bent to clean up the broken cup. From lowered eyelashes she studied him, she knew why she'd mistaken him for Itachi because he truly resembled him, Sasuke's features were a bit finer and he didn't have the bags under his eyes.
"Sure," Sasuke replied, taking a seat at the table. Once again he was struck by how familiar the way she moved seemed. His gaze was drawn to her hands as they made signs. His eyes widened as he recognized the order, only two people he knew used it to heal, one was dead and the other was alive.
"I taught her almost everything she knows," Grandmother said placing a plate and his tea in front of him, "Some stuff she already knew. Like her hand signs, sometimes I have to wonder if even realizes she makes them. She's quiet that way and when she moves around the house."
He turned his attention to his food, forcing all thoughts out of his mind but eating. So he fell into the repetitive motions of eating and all was going well until the old woman whispered in his ear, "They used to call her Amaya."
He waited until he heard the deep even breathing of his teammates before stealing downstairs. The kitchen light was soft and he could clearly see the old woman sitting at the table, her face peaceful.
"Thank you for coming. There are a few things I wish to get out of the way, I love Rio. She's a good person and quite honestly is too soft-hearted for this kind of work. The only person that has ever benefited from her being here is Yuki. It makes me sad to think of her leaving because it'll tear a few of us apart."
"Why would she be leaving?"
"I was told before her parents died that if anything ever happened to them what I was to do. I was to take her and make her strong, teach her that which her Aunt and mother had already begun. Healing is something that is in her blood and she always had a knack for it. Unfortunately I was injured and my daughter took over my business. She thought she destroyed it but in all realities it was nothing more than a copy. The original was still with me."
She slid the paper across the table to him, "She'll be leaving because you'll take her. You, Sasuke, because the contract says she belongs to you."
Sasuke stared down at his parents' signatures and his own chicken scratch. At six years old he hadn't imagined a life without his best friend, so when his parents explained to him what happened, he'd happily accepted. After all what was better than marrying your best friend. Now no one would hold him to that promise, if he wanted to walk away he could. So why was he finding it so damn hard to do?
"She'll leave with us in the morning," he found himself saying before standing up and escaping back to his room.