Author's Notes: I was gently nudged about posting and so here I am, ready to deliver! It seems everyone was a little squicked by Orochimaru in the last chapter and I must say I am devilishly pleased. I find him a little squicky myself. It's the tongue. Don't expect him to get any better in the near future. :D

THE FORTUNETELLER
Chapter Ten

The day passed in a blur, filled with discussions and planning and arguments about timing. Sakura did little talking but played peacemaker between Neji and everyone else. The former Commander had focused now that they had a goal, but he was sharp around the edges, his cold demeanor abrasive to Naruto which resulted in a few stand-offs. Sakura was sure Neji's attitude was due to Tenten's absence and his worry over her, so she did her best to keep everyone moving forward.

Neji and Lee had worked out most of the details, their minds already accustomed to seeing strategies and using people's strengths. From just listening to them, Sakura could already see how it was all going to fall and for the first time since she'd entered the Sound, Sakura felt hope again.

There was only one small hiccup in their plans and, surprisingly, it was Lee who had the most objections to it. Naruto and Neji were not thrilled about it either, but Neji was much too occupied with his other concerns, and Naruto was just being difficult. Sakura put her foot down.

"You are all doing your part in this," she said, looking at them each in turn. "Let me do mine. You know we need someone on the inside and this is the best way."

"Sakura, do you understand how dangerous this will be?" Lee asked, leaning forward, elbows on his knees. "There is tension between Sasuke and Orochimaru now, but Orochimaru seems to need Sasuke for whatever reason. If he uses you against your friend, it could actually make things worse, not easier."

She nodded seriously. "I understand." She caught Naruto's eye. "And I will be careful. Orochimaru cannot risk angering Sasuke too much, or he'll lose his heir." Her voice dropped a little. "Besides, I don't want Tenten to be alone. If I can help her—"

Neji's cut her off. "My cousin will look after Tenten. If you're going in, you'd better focus on keeping yourself alive. It will take everything you have, I assure you."

Sakura felt a brief chill travel down her spine, but she knew he was right.

"Okay," she said, and the matter was decided. Well, as decided as it could be with Naruto grumbling under his breath. She let him be. She knew him well enough to know he would come around.

They left Gai's house that afternoon, Lee and Neji planning on returning to the barracks to see how many would follow the former Commander. Naruto was charged with escorting Sakura, while Gai assured them he would keep Kiba out of sight. Lee's father gave them all teary-eyed hugs as they departed, even Neji who bore his stiffly, arms lax at his sides. Then they were in the street and parting ways. Neji gave her a brief nod while Lee clasped her hand.

"Take care of yourself, Sakura. I hope we meet again, at the end of all this."

She squeezed his fingers and watched them both go before turning to follow Naruto towards the temple.

It was guarded as tightly as it had been the day she'd observed it with Neji but that fact now worked to their advantage. Somewhere inside was Sasuke, and if he could not come out to her, she would go to him.

"Sakura, are you sure about this?" Naruto asked, his face scrunched in apparent dislike for their plan. She patted his shoulder.

"It will all work out. You'll see."

He nodded once and then flashed her his usual big grin. "Alright then! Tell that bastard I'm going to kick his ass the next time I see him!"

She didn't get to reply as Naruto's booming voice had already drawn attention. Taking a breath, Sakura leapt into motion, running up the temple steps straight at the guards at the top. For a moment they were dumbfounded at her irresponsible charge before they realized she was going to break past them and stumbled into action. Spears came out, men yelled, and Naruto disappeared into the watching crowd. Sakura did not see him go. She was too busy kicking and hitting where she could, putting up a very dramatic fight.

In the end a rock solid punch to her stomach sent her crashing to the floor, and in a blink of an eye her hands and feet were bound and the guards were calling half-dragging her down the hallway, shouting for their superior.

Sakura smiled to herself around an aching jaw.

Perfect.

Sasuke sat cross-legged on the floor, black eyes focused on the figure kneeling across from him. The Fortuneteller was dressed in all of her regalia, her head bent and eyes closed. She wasn't seeing, simply resting in the absence of Orochimaru's overbearing presence. The War Lord had been called away a moment ago by the soldier, Shikamaru, leaving his heir alone with the oracle. There was a contingent of guards outside the door, of course, ready and willing to stop him should he do anything reckless.

Sasuke scoffed quietly. He needed only three seconds to kill the woman in front of him. The guards would not even make it inside the room in that amount of time. Ineffective, powerless – none of them would be able to stop him when the time came.

But Sasuke had no intention of harming the woman before him. Her visions could be useful to him, if only because Orochimaru depended on them so much.

The War Lord had done something to the woman after she had returned from her brief flirtation with freedom. Sasuke was unable to discern exactly what it was but it made the black seal on his shoulder itch.

"So, he thinks to keep us both," he commented quietly, watching the passive face. The Fortuneteller didn't move. He hadn't really expected her to. "But you've seen something, haven't you." And that's why he's afraid of us.

The girl remained kneeling, eyes closed. Only Orochimaru could order her now.

"Not for long," Sasuke murmured to his docile companion. "Not for long."

A brief commotion in the hallway drew his attention and Sasuke turned his head just as the door opened to re-admit the Warlord, along with Shikamaru and two other guards who bore a struggling captive between them, bound and gagged. A flash of pink hair and the smug look on Orochimaru's face made Sasuke's blood run cold. He got to his feet calmly, however, keeping his features smooth.

"What is going on?" he asked, his tone implying that he didn't really care.

Orochimaru knew better. "It seems you still have friends outside the Sound, Sasuke. This girl attacked our guards at the main entrance. She says she's been looking for you."

Sasuke allowed his gaze to flicker over Sakura briefly. She looked harassed and there was a bruise beginning on the right side of her face, but her green eyes were as bright as ever. She was alright. Foolish, but alright.

He turned his head in casual dismissal. "I don't know her."

Orochimaru's eyebrows rose and Sakura started struggling again, mumbling something through the gag in her mouth.

"Are you sure? She seems very convinced," the War Lord responded, eyeing Sakura thoughtfully. Sasuke's voice was as cold as ice.

"She is mistaken."

Sakura stilled, eyes wide. He looked into them unflinchingly, as immovable as a mountain. Orochimaru tilted his head idly.

"Well then, what to do with her?" He reached out, slid a finger down Sakura's cheek. Sasuke's jaw tightened but he did not move. He knew the ways of Orochimaru's games. The War Lord already suspected that Sasuke was lying. The Uchiha was not about to give him the satisfaction of confirming it.

He crossed his arms, affecting a bored look. "Whatever you want. She is nothing to me." He turned his back on them both, willing his shoulders to relax, his body to move easily, unhurried. He could feel the War Lord watching him, considering.

"Lock her up below," Orochimaru ordered finally. "I will have the truth from her later." Shikamaru bowed shortly and motioned to his guards to remove Sakura from the room. They took her, using force when she refused to go quietly. Sasuke didn't watch. He kept his back to her, letting his gaze roam restlessly until it caught on a small movement in front of him. He paused, focusing.

The Fortuneteller opened her eyes.

Her gaze was distant, almost unseeing except for the fact that he had the uncanny impression that she was looking right at him. "Three," she said, her voice clear and low. "Forsake another and your path will be set.

Choose wisely, Uchiha Sasuke."

By nightfall everyone in the temple knew that the Fortuneteller had given Orochimaru's heir another foretelling. Orochimaru, himself, was furious over it but only Hinata – and perhaps Sasuke – saw his anger as a brittle mask for his fear. If Tenten had been able to speak to others, it was possible that the War Lord's grip on her was not as tight as he had thought. If she managed to break free from his control completely, what force in the Sound could hold her from taking her revenge on her captor?

These thoughts plagued Orochimaru and Hinata was pleased. She served her lady that evening with a lighter step, humming a little as she drew the Fortuneteller a bath, sprinkling the water with rose petals and lavender. She helped Tenten undress, laying the heavy ceremonial robes aside, and directed her into the bath. Hinata spoke to her as she lathered up Tenten's hair, rinsing it clean with a pitcher of warm water. The Fortuneteller was incapable of washing herself. If Hinata had let her, she would have sat in the water limply without the will to move. That night, however, that fact was not as tragic as it usually was. Tenten had spoken to Sasuke.

She was still in there, somewhere. There was hope.

"T..they brought in a woman today," Hinata said, rinsing her hands. "I heard the guards talking about it. The Lord had her imprisoned for trying to break into the temple." She shook her head. "I can't imagine why anyone would want to break in when so many of us are trying to get o..out."

She held open a silk robe for her lady and Tenten rose from the bath, stepping into it obediently. Hinata tied it securely and toweled the Fortuneteller's hair until it was no longer dripping. She had lifted a comb and was just about to start detangling it when there was a loud pounding at the door to the bathing area.

Hinata jerked, surprised, before moving towards the door hesitantly, wondering what the problem could be. Whoever it was pounded again before she could reach it and the door opened about an inch. Hinata halted in her tracks, eyes wide as a dark voice spoke to her.

"Hyuuga Hinata?"

"Y..yes?" she squeaked, gripping the comb in her hand desperately. No men were allowed in the women's baths. The guards down the hall should have prevented a male from entering so how had—?

The door swung open all the way. "So you're here," Sasuke said irritably, glancing briefly at the Fortuneteller behind her. "I've been looking for you."

Hinata was shocked. She'd been certain that Sasuke saw her as nothing more than a nuisance, a person barely worthy of remembrance. "Me? W..why?"

He gave her a cool glare, as if the question was ridiculous. "You're to come with me to the prisons. I am not allowed there, but you are." He motioned to the dull-eyed Fortuneteller. "Do something with her and we'll go."

"T..the prisons? B..but why do you want to—?"

Sasuke cut her off impatiently. "I don't have much time. Are you a Hyuuga or not?"

Hinata felt the air catch in her chest at the reference to her family. The Hyuugas were a proud clan, regal and defiant in the face of their enemies – fearless. Hinata had never been any of those things. Her cousin was, her sister was, but not Hinata. She was a disappointment to her family. Almost she could laugh. Didn't Sasuke know that?

From the look in his eyes, she thought he did, but still he was asking her. The powerful heir to the Sound was asking her for help. Was it possible…? Could she…?

"What do you want me to do?" she asked.

It was only later that she realized she hadn't stuttered.

Sakura had gotten her wish.

She was inside the temple, she had seen Sasuke – and even Tenten. Sasuke had denied any knowledge of her but that was alright. She understood that he didn't want Orochimaru to know their connection and thereby gain another hold on him. Unfortunately, Sakura's objective counted on Orochimaru knowing that very thing. She would be of no use to Orochimaru otherwise and she had to stay within the temple. Only her link to Sasuke could keep her there.

As Neji had warned her, it was a dangerous situation.

Not to mention not at all comfortable.

The temple was not a castle or a fortress. It wasn't designed for war or government so it's "prison" was barely more than two cells of iron bars in what Sakura was sure had been a storage space at some point. It was cold down there and she sat on the floor, her back to an icy stone wall, her body curled up for warmth.

The guards had left a single lantern for light before positioning themselves outside of the heavy, wooden – wooden – door. The place didn't even deserve the name "prison", really. If she had been any sort of warrior, she could have broken down that door in a second.

It was really too bad that she didn't want to escape.

She sighed quietly and hugged her knees, wondering just how cold it was going to get before morning.

A sound outside the door made her still and she turned her head towards it, straining to listen. Someone was speaking, the guards were answering, and she could hear the barricade being lifted away, the door creaking open loudly. Despite herself, her heart sped up and her body leaned towards the sound. She couldn't believe Sasuke had come to her so soon. This could be her chance to persuade him, to make him see that—

"Hello, my girl," a voice hissed in the darkness, curling around her like snake coils.

It wasn't Sasuke.

Orochimaru stepped into the dim lantern light, his eyes glowing a murky amber.

"I thought we might have a chat," he told her, showing her the skeleton key to her cell. His eyes traveled up and down her form and he smiled slowly. "Just you and me."

TO BE CONTINUED.