Ochre

I see your shadow on the street now

Sasuke woke to find his body in the first level of the Curse Seal. The more aggressive half of his brain had taken control along with the spread of the inky marks and his consciousness was trapped, watching as the scenery whipped by. Night had fallen around him, but the passage of days meant little to him. He was unsure how long he'd spent in the white room, anyway.

As the height and width of the trees began to grow to monstrous size, he realized with a sinking certainty that he was in Fire Country. The gates of Konoha were fast approaching.

His rational mind could only hope that his more impulsive nature would be wise enough not to kill any Leaf-nin. If it did, he'd most likely be put to death upon his return to Konoha. Last Uchiha or no. As it stood now, he'd done nothing to directly injure or impede his home Village other than go missing-nin.

He still clung to the fragile hope that he would one day return to Konoha and rebuild his Clan. An image of the pregnant Sakura he'd created floated into focus.

He could only wait and watch as the Curse decided his future.

I hear you push through the rusty gate

The generally bustling streets of Konoha were full to bursting. Brightly colored paper lanterns were strewn everywhere and citizens and ninja alike paraded in elaborate kimono. Excitement and music filled the air as the festival hit full swing around midnight.

Team Seven was clustered around a booth, watching as Naruto ate festive pastry after festive pastry. Sai's dry humor made Sakura laugh until her cheeks burned red and Kakashi lounged against a nearby wall, explicit book in hand. His smirk at his team's antics was not quite concealed by his dark mask.

The night waned on and Sakura danced with her teammates and sensei as well as a few males courageous enough to brave the protectiveness of her precious people to ask for company. As she spun across the lantern-lit dancefloor, the often stressed medic-nin allowed herself to relax and enjoy the joyous atmosphere.

By two o'clock A.M. Sakura returned to her team to let them know that she was heading home. At Naruto's loud protests, she calmly explained that she had the early shift at the hospital the next day. Once the partially inebriated blond came to terms with her leaving, he tried to insist that he walk her to her apartment.

A few scathing remarks quelled that attempt. After all, Sakura would be taking her Jounin exams along with Naruto and Sai next month. She could more than look after herself. Honestly, she hadn't even had anything to drink.

As she made her way home and away from the center of the village, the sounds of the festival steadily dimmed. Soon she was pacing her way down an empty street, thinking quietly to herself about the upcoming day. The only sound was the click of her traditional sandals on the pavement.

She was so concentrated on her thoughts, she nearly passed her doorstep. Chuckling a little at her own foolishness, Sakura fished around in her obi for the small pocket she'd sewn in to hold her key. When her fingers found the little pouch, she slipped the key out and unlocked her door.

Pausing for a moment to toe off her lacquered geta, Sakura padded softly through her foyer and into the kitchen, switching on the lights.

Click of your heels on the concrete

She bustled around the small space, filling a kettle with water and setting it on to boil. As the water warmed, she stood on tiptoe to grab a box of teabags from the shelf above the stove. Setting it on the counter, she picked out a cup and saucer then headed to the living room to sit and wait.

Humming one of the songs she'd danced to softly to herself, Sakura wriggled her toes into the soft carpet of her front room. Just as she reached her couch, she noticed that one of her picture frames had toppled. The fallen display seemed sorely out of place in the neat little row of memories.

Frowning, she walked cautiously over to the sidetable against the wall beneath the window. She skimmed her fingertips slowly over the wooden surface until she reached the frame. Working her fingers under it, she slowly righted it.

A slightly faded picture of Team Seven starred back at her from behind the cracked glass.

In a flash of movement, she drew a folded windmill shuriken from her obi. As she spun to face the ceiling above her front door, she flicked her wrist. The steel blades of the circular weapon snapped into place.

I know there's something in the air

A low chuckle sounded from the shadowy space. Red eyes watched the little female settle into a defensive stance, holding the weapon horizontally behind her and extending the other to her side. She was ready to fling the bladed wheel at any moment.

Dropping silently to the floor, Sasuke's cursed form watched with sinister amusement as the pinkette's blank face disappeared. Mixed shock and fear replaced it instead.

Seal-infected skin slid back to reveal sharp canines as he hissed, "Miss me?"

Before she could respond, he moved with unreal speed to knock the weapon from her hand and pin her to the sidetable behind her. As he pressed tightly against her front, he twisted her right arm behind her to trap it between her body and the wooden furniture. This left both his hands free to knot the first in her elaborate hair and the other to catch her left wrist in a bruising grip.

Green eyes, the ones he couldn't get out of his head, glare up at him. "Uchiha."

The man-possessed threw his head back and laughed. Tilting his face down to hover uncomfortably close to hers, he asked, "What? No Sasuke-kun?"

Anger rushed over Sakura's pale features. She spat, "No. No Sasuke-kun. He's dead."

Glee filled the beast's ink-blotched face. "You're right. He is."

At the reluctant fear that bled into her expression, he grinned. Rather than say more, he adjusted his hold on her wrist. He pulled it so that it was level with his face.

Sakura watched with confusion as he pressed his thumb into her palm, forcing her fingers to splay wide.

He studied each finger in turn until he reached her fourth finger. Her ring finger.

Something strange filled his features as he released her hair from his grip to pull the ring there less-than-gently from her finger.

Sasuke turned the emerald and silver band over in his hand. Locking his red eyes with Sakura's he asked mockingly, "Promised to someone?"

The kunoichi just glared defiantly back at him, saying nothing.

Snarling, he swept down to look directly into her face. "It doesn't matter." He slammed his lips against hers, forcing his tongue past her lips and against her gritted teeth. When she refused to open her mouth to his seeking, he pressed his thumb into the henge of her jaw until she gasped in pain. He surged into her cavern, slithering over every surface before drawing back.

How can I do this to you right now?

He peered thorough half-lidded eyes at the darkly erotic picture she made. Her pink lips were kiss swollen and a thin line of blood trickled from one corner from his rough handling. The once pristine style of her hair had come loose and was spilling unevenly over her shoulders. Moist beryl eyes glowered at him resentfully.

Licking his lips crudely, he rasped, "You're as sweet as you look."

At her disgusted look, he laughed. For the first time since he'd arrived, he spoke her name.

"Sakura."

He dragged the syllables out, almost teasing in his manner.

Sure that he had her attention, he activated his Sharingan, rendering her unconscious. Catching her before she slumped to the ground, he tossed her onto his shoulder.

He flipped his deft fingers through a series of seals, activating a henge. In a flash of smoke, the image of Naruto stood with Sakura draped over his shoulder.

Without another moment's hesitation, the disguised Sound-nin walked calmly through the front door and toward the Konoha Gates.

If it ever starts sinking in

Sakura woke later to find her world inverted. Foggy memories of the festival, walking home and preparing her usual evening tea slipped into her confused mind.

Then she saw the cracked picture frame and blood red eyes.

Sasuke.

Holding as still as possible, she assessed the situation. As far as she could tell, she was on the nukenin's back, being carried to an unknown location. Most likely Sound.

Her green eyes sharpened as she planned out what she would do next. She drew in a slow breath and regulated her chakra to conceal the fact she was awake.

Sasuke's sudden appearance had stunned her at her apartment, but now she was ready. Tsunade's training was whirling in her mind as she settled on a plan.

Gathering a little chakra into the first two fingers of her right hand, she jabbed them into his spine before he could register her movement. The blow rendered his right arm completely useless.

As she pulled her hand back, ready to do the same to the other side, Sasuke stopped abruptly. She was tossed from him as her momentum continued forward.

Twisting her body mid-fall, Sakura landed agilely on her feet. As she raised her head, she came face to face with Sasuke in the second level of the curse.

It seems an age since I've seen you

Enormous purplish grey hands reached from his back and a black slash ran across the bridge of his nose. His once dark hair was now a glaring white that contrasted with his deeper complexion and spilled in sharp formations down his bare back. A low growl tumbled from his lips as he looked from his limp arm to the medic-nin.

Shoving the belled sleeve of her kimono up her arm, Sakura revealed a delicately twisting seal tattooed onto her wrist. Smearing a line of blood over the mark, she drew the resulting senbon with a slow smile. He'd been gone too long if he thought she was going anywhere she didn't want to without one hell of a fight.

A roar echoed through the forest around them as both opponents shoved off the earth with enough force to rip open the ground they'd been standing on. In a flurry of metal, the pinkette released a rain of needles. Each was on a direct course for vital points of her combatant's body.

Drawing his katana in his remaining hand, Sasuke spun his blade in a tight circle. Most senbon were neutralized entirely, the ones remaining thrown off course. As four or five impacted and sank into his skin, he turned red eyes toward his former teammate. She'd grown stronger, then. A sick smirk lit his face. Maybe now she'd pose a challenge.

Sakura watched with no real surprise as her first barrage was defeated. Regrouping, she kicked off a tree trunk and swung up into its higher branches to wait.

As he landed under the tree Sakura had retreated to, the man-possessed watched, amused as the kunoichi flipped out of his sight. Adjusting his grip on the hilt of his blade, he called in the same sing-song voice as before, "Sakura...Come out and play."

He didn't have to wait long. With a chorus of snapping branches and rushing wind, a fuuma shuriken ripped down from her perch.

Dancing aside just in time, he watched as the enormous weapon carved into the forest floor. His eyes narrowed. "Now where did you get that?"

The fluttering of paper was heard as a spent summoning seal floated down from the canopy. Sasuke watched the long scroll with something like grudging admiration. He hadn't noticed that on her earlier.

Taking advantage of the diversion, Sakura body flickered and reappeared behind her opponent. As she drove a chakra-loaded fist into the joint that attached his wing to his back, she trilled, "I'm just full of new tricks."

Sasuke lurched forward with the blow, grimacing as he felt the bone snap. Whipping around to face her, he brought his sword up in a brutal upswing.

Unprepared for his quick recovery, Sakura couldn't avoid the entire swipe. A rip sounded as the blade bit through the silk encasing her left leg, leaving a deep gash that ran from knee to almost her ankle.

A wordless shout of pain and anger was torn from her lips as she staggered back. Blood gushed from the serious wound as she forced the injured limb to move.

Sasuke grinned. Even if she could heal that, it would use up a considerable amount of her chakra. Muscle damage was difficult to repair, and he'd nearly lamed her calf.

I hope that time hasn't changed you

Green light pooled in the cut, glowing bright for a moment before fading. As she settled her weight back onto her leg, Sakura tore the ruined silk away. It only hindered her movement at this point. Now the once splendid kimono only fell to a little above her knees and was blood-soaked at the hem.

Returning her gaze to the nukenin, Sakura reached placidly behind her, tugging the windmill shuriken free of its landing place. She worked her wrist, building up momentum and spinning the circular weapon until it resembled a solid disk. With a shrill battlecry, she flung the bladed fan with all her monstrous strength.

Sasuke's red eyes flashed as he leaped clear of the fuuma shuriken only to catch the chakra-loaded fist of the kage buushin attacking from his left. Calmly snapping the doppelganger's neck, he grasped the fist of his true opponent as she descended on him from above.

He jerked savagely, driving her into the forest floor without mercy. The fist in his hand turned strangely as her arm popped from its socket and her body smashed into the unrelenting ground.

Sakura choked on a wail as her arm bent sickeningly at her shoulder. Before she could recover from that pain, her captor began to squeeze the hand in his grasp. This time she couldn't bite back the scream that rose from her as her fingers snapped, one by one.

Tightening his grip until the thin bones of her hand began to creak with strain, Sasuke quipped, "You aren't going to cry, are you Sakura?"

A crunch sounded as he applied even more pressure. He tisked and mocked, "I thought you'd gotten stronger." He lowered his voice to a harsh whisper, "But you're just the same weak little girl."

Sakura screamed as she kicked out viciously, impacting his knee and ripping her hand free of his grasp. His loud curse was cut off as she swung her good fist into his jaw, sending him flying.

You're over there when I need you here

Clutching her shattered hand and wrist to her waist, Sakura stumbled after Sasuke. She was breathing raggedly through her teeth when she reached him, collapsed inside a half-felled tree. A proud feeling welled up in her chest when she counted four trees that he'd passed completely through to get there.

Raising one tabi-cover foot and setting it onto his chest, she pushed until he opened his eyes to look at her. Tears of pain coursed down her dirty face as she spat, "I'm not weak anymore, you bastard."

Red eyes bored into her green ones before he blurred and disappeared from her sight. A sharp tug at her elbow-length hair wretched her head back to see his face snarling down at her from behind. Sliding his hand from her head to her neck, he began to cut off her air supply.

Sakura closed her eyes and let herself collapse back into his bare chest, her head lolling onto his shoulder. As her eyes began to loose focus, she squinted to see the ugly black ring that was the Curse Seal only inches from her face. Half-delirious with pain and lack of oxygen, she pressed her lips against it.

Red eyes widened as the seal's power began to recede. Soon, Sasuke's rational mind took control and was left with the battered form of his former teammate draped over his chest.

Releasing her throat, he cursed. "Fuck."

His mind spun with possible solutions. He had to get Sakura back to the Village. Now. Scooping her limp body up into his arms, he prepared to set off the way he'd come.

Before he could push off, several forms clad in white and purple dropped from the surrounding trees. Sound-nin.

Pulling her closer to his chest, he realized it was too late. Sakura was coming to Sound with him.

All I really want is for you to stay...

This is the second installment of this four to five chaptered fic. It's beginning to look like it's going to be longer than that though. Typical BGA, I'm so wordy:3

As always, thank you for reading and please review!

Note: lyrics from My Happiness by Powderfinger NOT MINE