Okay, so I know it's been a bit slow but I foresee that this supposed love story will actually turn into that by chapter 5. Long set up I know, but bear with me dear readers, I will get the hang of this! And I would like to give thanks to Princess Mononoke for the inspiration of part of this chapter. I think it's kinda obvious, so yeah. Chapter 5 should be out by next week. I've been going thru some personal issues that might slow me up before next Monday, however the semester is slowing down and hopefully that will speed the story writing right up! In any case, please read and review!! I really love all of your comments and look forward to what your opinions are. And of course, I do not own Naruto or anything affilited with said creation, no matter how much fun that would be. ^_^

CHAPTER 4: Painful Confessions

As we walked towards the outskirts of town, my thoughts wandered to my bracelet. That rat bastard couldn't even take it off me when he held me prisoner, but it does seem to have a mind of its own. I guess it knew that here, we'd be reunited eventually. If it refused to be removed by the Hokage, that definitely would have stirred up too much suspicion and attention. Good job bracelet, you've been so useful to me in everyway. Despite the fear it used to bring with its form when I was forced to work for him. My eyes grew dark with the very thought of those terrible deeds.

"Umm, Sanria? Are you okay? We're here." Kakashi was waving his hand in front of my face.

"Huh, what? Oh, sorry I was just lost in thought I guess." I looked around the open field. I wonder why I'm so off guard when I'm around this guy. It's becoming a little unnerving.

I got another one of Kakashi's shrewd looks. "Okay then, what do you know?"

"Umm," lie like you've never lied before girl, damsel in distress that's what you are! "Not much, if any I'm afraid." I flapped my hand in front of me like one of those silly-nillies.

"Okay, then we'll start from the bottom," he pulled his hands out of his pockets, "What do you do if someone grabs you by the wrist, like this." He proceeded to take hold of my right wrist with his right hand.

"Oh," I paused trying to think of something stupid, "let's see yell 'fire' at the top of my lungs?"

"What?"

"Well you know, people tend to pay attention to that rather than 'help.' A fire could affect them too." I smiled, trying to look unsure, "Why, is that the wrong thing to do?"

"Hmm, well, that could work too, I guess. But to actually break away, you'd want to twist into me," he then demonstrated by pulling me against him so my back was against his strong chest, "then grab hold of my arm with you free hand, set your right leg forward and your left one between my legs." He positioned my limbs into the proper places with his free hand, I could feel my cheeks begin to warm with his every touch. "Then you lean forward with all your strength and try to pull me with you, so you can fl….!"

I took my chance to flip him before he could prepare for it, I couldn't resist the opportunity. "Oh haha, look at that! It actually worked!" I bent over his slightly stunned face as I was laughing.

We kept up the 'training' until dusk began to settle on the horizon. I made sure to have trouble with most of the other moves to avoid his suspicion. I couldn't tell if it was working or not, having that mask covering half his face prevented me from clearly reading his emotions.

"Well," Kakashi said as he strolled next to me, "you did pretty well for your first time. Some more practice and you'll be able to escape petty thieves with no trouble."

"Oh, well thanks for showing me." I smiled up at him. I suppose he's pretty nice, when he wants to be.

Then he let it drop like a small bomb, "We'll see Tsunade-sama tomorrow about why you're really here and why you're lying about not being able to fight."

"What?" I was blindsided by his comment, I thought I was masking myself so well!

We had just reached the top of the bridge when Kakashi pinned me against the railing and held my arms down to keep me from struggling free. "What is your mission?! I, nor anyone else in Konoha will let you destroy this village!"

I gawked at him, "What? Why would I want to do that?"

I could hear a growl emitting from his throat as his grip tightened on my arms. I winced, "It's not like I came here on purpose, you know!" I could feel my anger rising, trying to match his. "I'm just trying to keep a low profile."

"Why?" he growled.

"Ex-husband." I tried to wriggle a smile through the pain. Kakashi leaned closer as his grip tightened even more, this man's trying to knock me off the bridge! "Hey!" I tried pushing back in vain, "it was an arranged thing and it ended badly. Really badly." Despite my angry flare, my mind trailed off to the horrors of those three years. I felt my soul shrivel a little inside me. "I honestly didn't intend on ending up in Konoha." My anger drifted away with the thought, I couldn't look at him anymore. "I can fight, that's true, but I'm no shinobi. I'm no one really."

Kakashi's grip loosened, "We need to see the Hokage right now."

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"What the hell is the meaning of this?!" Tsunade shrieked, "I was just about to go drinking!"

She slammed her fist on her desk, looking expectantly between the two of us. "You shouldn't make me wait."

"It's her, Hokage-sama. Sanria confirmed it herself just a few moments ago." Kakashi said gravely.

"What? It's me?" I felt pale, "What….what are you talking about?" I sputtered, feeling the fear begin to burn in my stomach.

"We had a suspicion you were the woman that Dr. Maderi was searching for." Kakashi answered.

That name! Are they working together? I'm still not strong enough, especially against the leader of a Shinobi Village and one of her Jounin. What am I going to do?

I started backing towards the door, I know I don't have a chance, but I have try something! Before I could even formulate an inkling of a plan, Kakashi grabbed both of my wrists in one hand and dragged me back towards the desk. "I won't go back!" I hissed and struggled to free myself from his grip, "I'll kill myself before he ever looks at me again!" My fear grew the more I failed to struggle free.

"Stop it," Tsunade growled, "We're not going to send you back to him. I know what kind of a bastard he is. What I don't know is what you mean to him. I have no information on you whatsoever. That shouldn't be possible."

I felt a mix of relief trickle into my distrust. "How do I know…"

Tsunade jumped up and hit her desk and it groaned under the force, "how dare you question my integrity, little girl! If I were really going to turn you in to that man I would've sent for him the day you arrived." I gulped nervously and inched behind Kakashi instinctively, despite the fact that he still held me by the wrists.

"I am willing to grant you asylum on one condition, I want your whole story. Now sit down and spill it." Kakashi released his hold and I sat down nervously in the chair. Kakashi leaned next to the window and crossed his arms.

I began, or tried to at least.

"I..I….I'm sorry, I don't know exactly where to start." I looked nervously down at my hands.

"The very beginning. Where do you come from?" Tsunade-sama replied calmly.

"Oh. Well I don't really know. I was only five when my family died and then I went to live with my adopted mother. It was a very secluded area somewhere in a forest." I haven't thought about my past for a long time. "My adopted mother had been a close friend of the family for a long time. It was tradition for the children, when they reached the age of five, to live with her for two years… training." I paused, unsure on how well I should elaborate.

"Training for what?" Tsunade-sama leaned forward and laced her fingers in front of her face.

"On how to use our abilities," the Hokage arched an eyebrow as I continued, "Well, according to Mother, my adopted mother that is, my lineage contains the blood of some ancient race. She wouldn't tell me the details, but I think she still remembered those people. She's quite old." I got a confused look from the both of them. "heh, well my Mother isn't exactly…well, she isn't….human."

"What?!" the two shinobi gawked in unison.

"She's a forest spirit, a tiger spirit to be exact." I felt my cheeks grow warm. "I know it sounds a little crazy," they were still gawking, "okay, completely crazy, but it's true! She has three sons that protected the forest we lived in. The forest is in the Southern part of your Fire Country, I don't know what name you have for it but we called it, Shoenhaikan. I think it translates to Ancient Springs or something along those lines." I waved it off, trying to keep moving with the story.

"In any case, she accepted me as her charge and raised me as her own for ten years. At fifteen, my mother decided I should return to the human realm. She had managed to locate an elderly uncle whom she felt would help reintegrate me into your society. He was very kind to me but very old fashioned. As a result, my uncle felt that because of my age I should be married and taken care of. Along came Dr. Maderi, with all his grandeur, good looks, and want for a bride." I said this last sentence bitterly.

"The arrangement was settled fairly quickly and he seemed nice, at the time." I fidgeted a little in my chair, "after the wedding, he told me he wanted to show me off to his friends. They just happened to be on the way to our honeymoon destination. I blindly agreed." I felt my face grow hot with anger at the memory, "a few hours later, our carriage arrived at a large, secluded mansion. When we entered, I felt a hand come from behind me with a cloth doused in some chemical. That's when my imprisonment began…" I trailed off, unable to continue. Why can't I get through this, it's in the past isn't it? I felt the tears starting to well up behind my eyes.

"You have to tell me what he did to you," Tsunade pushed gently.

I took a deep breath to calm myself, it didn't help much, "He experimented on me, he knew about my abilities somehow, and he tested what I could do. That man," I paused for another breath, "had a device that was a combination of machinery and a curse jutsu. It allowed him to control whoever was injected with the device unconditionally, while maintaining full consciousness in the subject. All of us, who were subjected to this, were forced to be apart of his personal league of assassins. I could only watch myself commit so many horrible crimes." I felt the tears begin to roll freely down my face. I couldn't move, my fists were clenched on my thighs and my only focus went to not visually shaking. As I gasped for air between stifling sobs I felt a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

I looked up to find Kakashi staring down at me, "Take your time Sanria."

I huffed out a rough laugh, "I can't, I won't get through it if I'm to slow about it. You need to see." Tsunade-sama and Kakashi exchanged glances as I stood up, "I think you have heard of me, Hokage-sama, at least what the Doctor made me into." I brushed away my tears and then traced my bracelet's design, concentration on what I wanted it to do. I saw the Hokage stand as she gasped at what my bracelet was changing into. The white metal began to loosen into a more organic form as it grew and spread up my arm. It continued to stretch and grow over my entire body melding to me like a second skin. I felt the final part of my suit stretch over my face and block out my features completely. My suit was completely white and covered every inch of my body. Even though my mask blocked my eyesight, I could tell where Kakashi and Tsunade-sama were located with the vibrations they emitted throughout the room by the slightest movement and even the beat of their hearts.

"You recognize it don't you." I felt Kakashi tense next to me as I spoke.

"The Reaper," the Hokage breathed.