For the past hour I'd been completely silent, lying on my back in a cold sweat. Kakashi hadn't reacted to the silence as of yet, but I knew it was only a matter of time. And when he opened the door to investigate, he'd be horrified by what he saw.

My dead body.

Well, he'd think I'm dead. After all, I would be deathly cold, completely limp and unresponsive, and would have no heartbeat.

That was the clincher.

No heartbeat.

I took a measured breath in, chest barely moving as the air gradually enters my lungs. In...and out... My breathing slowed dramatically, to the point where I was barely even taking a breath every minute.

Baboom. Baboom. Baboom.

I listened to my heart beat, listened as it slowed, listened as I slowed it to the point where it was nearly nonexistent.

Baboom... Ba... boom... ba... boom... It was barely a flutter, as slight and slow as possible.

"Cashile, the silent treatment isn't going to work on me," I heard Kakashi's clone call out. I didn't respond, simply lying on the floor in my self induced stupor. "Cashile?"

I sensed the spike in chakra as he activated his sharingan in order to look inside without opening the door. "Dammit," he gasped, immediately thrusting the door open. He fell to his knees next to me, putting a hand on my head. "Oh God," he muttered as he felt my cold forehead. He placed two fingers on my neck, searching for a pulse. "Shit!"

I heard the clone disappear, which would relay the information to Kakashi, and allowed a trickle of air to enter my lungs, not moving from my position. Kakashi would be here far too quickly for me to move and make my escape.

I heard Kakashi's footsteps before his shadow fell over my body. "Fuck," he breathed, before running into the room. He gathered me up in his arms and sprinted out of the cellar

"Sasuke, take her. We need to find the nearest hospital, now," Kakashi ordered, panicked.

I felt a shift in weight underneath me and for a moment I'm tempted to blow my act to avoid being held by the Uchiha. My reconsideration is only a moment before I decide otherwise. Getting my hands on more Zetaphorin was worth it. I needed to feel the effects of the drug just once more.

Curiosity burned through my mind as I remembered the dizziness, the nausea and sensitivity to light. How was it so that these 'drugs' cause such bodily effects ? Some chemical imbalance, perhaps? Because that's all emotions are, in the end: chemicals. Perhaps these chemicals somehow translated into more physical symptoms...?

"Dammit," I heard Kakashi mutter.

"I'm so sorry, the best we can do is make a house call. The land of waves doesn't have enough money to support a hospital. Not one within easy travelling distance, at least," Tazuna's daughter said.

"No, no. We need to get Cashile back to Konoha, then. Medical ninja's can heal her," Kakashi decided.

No hospital? Then I couldn't get Zetaphorin here. It was no use. Unless, there was one person...

I stiffened my body and coughed, drawing attention back to me. I took very subtle deep breaths, and allowed my heart rate to pick up, slowly opening my eyes for the world to see.

I had to make this quick, while I was still in the Uchiha's arms.

Time: 3:02 pm

Location: A few steps right of the door.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. He gave off an attitude of nonchalance, but I could sense the curiosity. Kakashi wouldn't have told the three genin the reason of my lock up. So Sasuke would not be expecting...

I heard Kakashi's footsteps running swiftly, shaking the wooden floors.

"Sorry, Sasuke," I muttered unsympathetically, bringing two fingers to a sensitive area just above the spine. In .342 seconds Sasuke was temporarily paralyzed on the floor and 2. 3 seconds later, I was out of the door at my top speed.

"Cashile!"

Are you kidding? I roughly estimated Kakashi to be 1.2 meters behind me, and gaining. I would not be outrunning him anytime soon. Instead I stopped abruptly and turned around, irritation flickering across my face. "What?" I demanded, mind working furiously to decide the best course of action.

He stopped in front of me and approached cautiously. I eyed his movements warily, knowingly. I knew how this was going to turn out. I knew the end results, and he knew that I knew, so why did he even bother? I had the clear advantage here: Kakashi was hesitant to harm me, while I couldn't care less about his well being. A million attack sequences form in my brain and I choose the most efficient. A quick temporary paralyzing move.

I feigned a staggering step back as though dizziness had overcome me, predicting Kakashi's swift move forward, and instantly jumped to meet him, correctly executing my plan.

He fell back and a look of worry and anger crossed his face. I knelt down beside him, wiping all emotion from my face. "I don't know why you worry and I don't care. Don't look for me, I don't want to be found."

He narrowed his eyes at me and I felt him staring through me as I took off towards the town, towards a certain alley. I knew exactly what I was going to do.

***...*.*.

I stood in the alleyway, watching the sun rise. It was time to go, I decided. He wasn't coming here, not tonight. But according to my calculations... He should have been there. But he was also a person who needed to feel in control... He wouldn't allow me to dictate our relationship. He wanted to overthrow my sense of control, my judgment.

I sighed in disappointment. I was really looking forward to the Zetaphorin; after Kakashi had taken my supply away, I had constantly been craving more. Luckily, the worst of the withdrawal symptoms had gone, though I was often left with a pounding headache.

I needed something. Something that would give me the same feeling as zetaphorin. Some new data I could discover.

Oh, the human body was so fascinating.

I walked out of the alleyway and wander the quiet streets, imagining the wonders of a new drug, one similar to Zetaphorin without the negative effects and withdrawal symptoms. If I could create that...

I suddenly was alert, sensing that I was being followed. My steps didn't falter as I played it out, continuing to walk. Male, around my age judging by his footsteps. Not too far behind. It was him. It could only be him. I turned into the nearest corner and waited patiently until the one and only appeared in front of me, wearing a smirk on his face.

"Was wondering when you'd come back," he drawled, a cigarette hanging from his lips in a practiced movement.

I stared at him, unimpressed. "I waited in the alley all night."

He shrugged. "Sucks for you. You don't find me. Ever. I find you."

I smirked: I was correct. Control freak. "Whatever, I could care less. I need more Zetaphorin. You have any?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow but did not question my request. "Look, I don't have Zetaphorin, but I have this other stuff that you'll like better. I'll give you a free sample this time around. Sound fair?"

I stared suspiciously. "Free sample my ass," I muttered, wondering what sort of fool he took me for. But all the same I nodded, and he quickly turned and walked further down the darkened alley. Itrailed after him, and soon he'd prepared a syringe of some drug, holding the needle out to me. "Enjoy," he laughed, amused by my neediness.

I snarled slightly and took the needle, holding it over a vein. I glanced at him with an eyebrow raised, continuing when I saw his nod of approval. Without wincing I slid the needle under my skin, depositing the contents into my body.

I removed the needle and dropped it carelessly on the ground, waiting for the effects. The boy took my arm and massaged the injection site, and I allowed him to do so after a second of hesitation. "How long until-" I'm hit by the feeling, and it's much stronger than any time I took Zetaphorin. "Woah," I mumbled, taken by surprise.

"Weren't expecting that, huh?" He grinned as I shook my head maybe a little too fast or too long.

"And it's not often that I'm taken by surprise," I informed him smartly.

He shook his head with a snort. "I bet not," he agreed.

"What's your name?" I asked, staring up at the sky, "I can't very well keep calling you "Random-Alley-Dude-Who-Helped-Out", can I?"

He laughed out loud, seeming surprised at the genuine amusement he'd expressed. "That's what you've been calling me?"

"Well, yeah," I shrugged.

He shook his head, taking a step back to gather all his supplies. "I'll come get you tonight to collect my debt. Nothing serious; I'm sure you'll actually find it incredibly boring. But I need someone to do it all the same."

"Alright," I agreed easily.

He handed me a small package. "There's enough there for another dose: it should easily last you the rest of the day. I'm sure you watched and learned how to prepare it."

I nodded, taking the drug and needle. I looked up as he began to walk away. "Name?" I questioned again.

"What do names matter?" He replied, raising a hand as he walked away.

"Blake?" I called after him, "Daiko? Reiki?"

He laughed in reply and ducked out of the alleyway.

***...*.*.

I became addicted to the new drug almost immediately. "Interesting," I murmured as I leaned against a wall, waiting for the boy, "It took me much longer to become dependent on Zetaphorin. Perhaps it being a stronger drug, or my body's weakness from Zetaphorin..."

But this new drug had its own downfalls: the depression, anger and agitation, the crave I couldn't deny. My body's weakness disgusted me, though I accepted the symptoms as a necessary side effect. Until I created my own drug, I would have to experiment and make do.

The boy appeared next to me just as I predicted. "Hello," I greeted casually. He nodded back, not about to lose our subtle battle of who could surprise whom.

"C'mon," he beckoned, pushing himself off the wall. I followed him out of the main part of town, watching as the streets narrow and the houses shrink. The area we were travelling to was even more desolate than the main part of town.

"Stay close," the boy warned lowly, eyes flashing dangerously in the direction of two men in the shadows.

"You don't have to worry about me," I scoffed. "I can hold my own against any thug out here."

"Just listen to me, sweetheart. You don't know the half of what you're getting into."

I glanced at him, viewed the switchblade that was half a second away from leaping into his hand, and nodded, pressing slightly closer to him. "By the way... can I have some more?"

"Tch, now's not the time to be thinking about that," he snapped quietly, "And I'm not just going to give you some. You need to start paying, or I won't be able to get you more. It's not cheap, either."

"Of course," I muttered lowly. I would pay, of course. I would allow him to manipulate me for the time being. "What's your name?"

"Names don't matter in this world. Now shut up," he ordered as we drew up to a house. Well, it looked more like a shack, but it constituted as a shelter. He knocked four times in quick succession, paused slightly, and rapped four more times.

"What is this, a girl scout meeting? Do you have secret handshakes, too?" I asked scathingly. He shot me a look and I smirked, falling silent as the door opens.

A burly looking man opened the door, giving us an 'intimidating' glare. I looked him up and down, smirking; I would be able to take him down in about five and a half seconds. "You can come in, but your slut girlfriend can't."

I bristled at his assumption that I was his girlfriend, dismissing the 'slut' insult. "Wait out here," the boy ordered, then leaned forward and whispered in my ear, "Don't let anyone else in, knock on the door if anyone else comes by, and under no circumstances do you come inside." He leaned back and looks down into my eyes. "Understand?"

Staring into his eyes, I nodded slightly, conveying that he could trust me for this. "Alright."

The man opened the door further, allowing the boy entrance. "You sure you want to leave your little whore all alone? Never know what might happen..." He taunted.

The door closed, muffling their voices, though I still catch the boy's scathing laughter, clearly conveying, "They can try."

The boy was right. Other than him walking inside, absolutely nothing was happening. The street was silent, abandoned. I stood in boredom for ten minutes and seventeen seconds before I heard a crash inside. I perked up; this could get interesting. Pressing an ear against the door, I quieted myself so I'd be able to hear them.

"Let him go," I heard the boy warn lowly. "Now."

"There's nothing you can do," someone laughed. "We've found your weakness. Why make a deal when you can blackmail?"

"This is your only warning. You do not want to cross me. Let. Him. Go."

I heard a little boy cry out in pain, and the boy who helped me gasped in response. I pulled away from the door. Now, this just wouldn't do; this deal or whatever needed to go well for my debt to be repaid. The only course of action was...

I knock four times, then four more times, and the door opened to reveal the burly man. He was on the ground in 3.2 seconds with a few well placed knife hand strikes-better than I'd anticipated. I casually ascended the stairs and turned a corner, walking straight into the tension filled room.

Ten men filled half the room, the leader holding the knife against a young boy's neck making eleven. The boy who helped me was to the right of me while the men were to the left, a clear divide between the two parties. I assesed the situation quickly before deciding I needed a little more information.

"Baby, what's going on?" I asked, putting an idiotic tone into my voice and clueless expression on my face.

His eyes flashed to me. "I told you to wait outside," he muttered through gritted teeth.

"But I heard someone yell and wanted to know if you were okay," I pouted, slinking up to him and hugging him. My mouth was right next to his ear. "What do you want me to do?" I whispered quickly before pulling away. "You alright babe?"

"Just go outside. Let me handle this," he ordered, playing along even though his eyes glared at me.

"Nii-san..." The small boy whimpered, only to be struck quickly to shut him up. I watched the boy who helped me twitch, clench his fists and glare, and all the pieces fell together.

What to do... what to do..."That's so mean!" I continued with my charade.

"Get the stupid bitch out of here," the man holding the kunai ordered. Everyone turned and glared at me.

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" I whined. I turned away, only to bump into a table and knock over a vase that, by my calculations, was filled with drugs. Everyone's eyes followed the vase's descent, and in that moment of distraction I made my move.

A kunai was sent handle first towards the man's hand, knocking the knife out of it. In an instant I moved towards the young boy and jumped away, placing him behind his older brother before drawing out two kunai, holding them in a way so the handle protruded from my fists before jumping back towards the men. I was a whirlwind, slashing and slamming the pommels into people, not pausing until every man had been destroyed. I turn back to the older brother, who had taken down one person who'd dared to go after the young boy.

The older brother stared at me and I at him. The moment was broken when his brother sobbed slightly, and he went to comfort him, kneeling down and hugging him, hiding him from the scene. I turned and kicked a man in the head as he stirred slightly, then walked back towards the boy who had helped me, the boy whom I had helped. He glanced up, eyes full of clashing emotion. Silence rang around the house, then,

"Aiden," He spoke finally.

"My name is Aiden."