Warning: This chapter is violent, and contains content not suited for younger audiences. If you are not a mature reader this chapter is not for you. If you are mature then read on at your own risk, but you have been warned. Enjoy guys. This chapter has been rewritten: 1-30-2013

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Pain nourishes courage. You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you."

-Mary Tyler Moore

Chapter 11: A Deadly Encounter

"Here's your order, Naruto!" I said happily handing the steaming bowl to the excited blonde. He took a large slurp as soon as it touched the table, sprinkling hot water droplets onto his tanned cheeks.

"Thanks, Kida!" he exclaimed with a pudgy faced smile; how he was able to say anything so clearly with a mouth full of food was beyond my understanding…

I had to admit that, much to my surprise, I had grown rather found of Ichiraku's number one costumer over the last couple of days. There was something about his unending enthusiasm that was rather catching. "So what's with the bag?" Naruto asked, taking a break from inhaling his noodles to point at the brown paper sack sitting alone on a shelf behind the counter.

"Oh, that's just a surprise for a friend I ran into the other day." I couldn't help but smile at the irony of that statement. Though I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a bit of anticipation when looking at the paper bag, filled with the ingredients for a perfect breakfast.

Earlier this afternoon, while walking along the riverbank, I had found a small tangle of blueberries, and had taken as many as I could carry back to my camp. That way when Gaara came tomorrow morning I could make us pancakes smothered in blueberries and whipped cream. The pancake mix had been relatively cheap, but the cheese and the cream…that had hurt my wallet. It hurt my wallet a lot. I had to spend almost half of what I had made in a day working for the ramen shop on that little can and tiny block. Of course the eggs had at least been cheep. I could only hope it would all be worth it.

If pancakes and eggs coated in melted cheese, first thing in the morning, doesn't put that boy in a good mood then I give up! I throw in the towel, give in, admit defeat, call it what you will but I am done!

"So, who's your friend?" Naruto asked, oblivious to the vein pulsating on my forehead.

Resisting the sudden urge to rub at my temples I said, "No one you would know, he's from out-of-town."

"But I thought you said you were from out-of-town?" he asked sounding confused.

I shrugged. "I did say that."

"So, if you're not from the Leaf and your friend's not from the Leaf, then you must have come here together so how did you run into him?" he asked tonelessly.

"Well you see-" It hadn't hit me till just now how unlikely our meeting here had been. Of all the chances that I would happen to be in the same village as Gaara, a shinobi who had to travel all over the map on missions. The odds of us being in the same place at the same time, and then for us to both be on that street. At the exact same moment when the Leaf was such a large village. It was all just so unlikely, so impossible. Yet somehow we had run into each other.

I'm still not sure how I feel about the whole mess. It's nice to see my old friend again, and I do enjoy our time together. When he doesn't act like a total Jackass, anyway. As few and far between as those moments tend to be…

"Kida…? Yo, Kida!" Naruto's agitated voice broke through my thoughts in time to see his hand still waving in front of my face.

"Huh…? What is it, Naruto?"

"You kinda blanked out after I asked you what the deal was with you and your friend," he pouted sitting back in his stool.

"Oh, sorry bout that. I guess it's just kind of complicated." I rubbed the back of my neck at my huge understatement.

"Mhh, okay." And with that he finished his ramen in one long, wet slurp. Standing up he set his money on the counter. "See ya later Kida," he said over his shoulder as he walked off and disappeared down the street. I put the coins in the register and placed his last bowl in the sink before grabbing my bag.

I swear that boy stays later every night. By now the nearly full moon hung high in the sky above the village, bathing the earth below in its cool, milky light. It had gotten so late that I would probably still be asleep in the morning by the time Gaara got to my camp. He had recently gotten into the habit of showing up while I was cooking, and just sitting on my log bench until I noticed him. The first few times it had startled me pretty badly, but by now I was used to it. I would even go as far as to say that I expected it.

Gaara sure is an odd one, but I think I'm starting to get the hang of this thing we have going on.

Smiling, I looked up from the ground to get a good look at the village, admiring how it was bathed in gentle moonlight. The town sure was a beautiful place at night. Half hidden by the surrounding ancient forest; little lights could be seen strewn across the dome-shaped city. Tree branches swayed majestically in the breeze, causing the moonlight to appear to be dancing in great, silvery, patches over the rooftops.

Taking a deep breath of the pine scented air I dropped my gaze back to the empty streets. Letting the crickets soft music carry me into a dream like state.

Something in the shadows to my right seemed to move. My shoulders stiffened in sudden anxiety and I stopped walking, holding my breath in the suddenly eerie silence. Forcing myself to relax I took a closer look, peering into the shadows until my eyes ached with the strain. Finding nothing I sighed at my stupidity. After berating myself for letting my imagination get the better of me I continued on. Though I still picked up my pace to be on the safe side. One couldn't be too cautious after all.

The sound of a shoe grinding against dirt sent the hairs on the back of my neck up and a chill racing down my spine. I darted into an ally hidden deep in the shadows and walked as quickly, and quietly, as I could. Pausing only when I heard the sound of swift footsteps following not far behind me. Fear now raced through my body, growing steadily stronger with each frantic beat of my heart. A voice in the back of my head whispered, "Danger."

I picked up my pace so that I was now openly running, but slid to a stop as my horrified eyes finally adjusted to the gloom. It was a dead-end, and I had just unknowingly raced towards it. My body froze as the sound of footsteps suddenly stopped. Only to be replaced by the feel of alcohol laced breath blowing hot, heavy pants into my hair. It moistened the strands until it felt as though they were stuck to the back of my neck.

The breaths moved impossibly closer, till its stench tickled my ear. I shivered as what felt like a knife was pressed against my throat, making the sensitive skin there jump and twitch. The metal was so cold that it burned against my quickened pulse. I dropped the bag to my feet in stunned horror, my fingers convulsed in the air.

"Try to scream, and I'll make sure you never make another sound again," His voice was rough and dirty as it scratched cruelly against my ears. The rancid smell of him filled my mouth with bile. I felt his calloused fingers get caught on the fabric of my shirt as his hand came up to cup my chest. I hissed out in pain when he squeezed my right breast so hard it felt as though he intended to rip it off. Tears leaked out the corners of my eyes as his thick, jagged, nails cut deeply into the soft flesh.

"Shhh. What did I tell you about making noise, girly?" He kissed the arch of my neck with chapped and peeling lips; following the trail my tears had left down my cheek with his tongue. A lock of his greasy hair fell onto my shoulder and rubbed disgustingly against my collarbone.

Why? Why was this happening to me!? What did I do to deserve this? I don't know this man, I've never hurt him; I've never hurt anyone. So why me!?

His hand dropped from my breast to grope clumsily at the fabric of my pants, ripping at the buckle and tearing them loose. "Now, you're going to be a good girl and do as I say, and if you behave I might let you go afterward. If not…well, we'll see then, wont we?" He left his threat hanging in the air and moved on to bite at my ear. His hot, sharp, teeth dug into the tender skin so painfully that it caused the side of my cheek to burn.

I tried to pull my face away from his, but that only brought me closer to him, close enough to rub against his hips. My eyes opened wide in disgust as I felt him grind against me in response, pushing into me with a feverish intensity I hadn't thought possible.

Please no… No, no, no, no. Stop! Please…please somebody make him stop…I don't want this, it's wrong. This can't be happening, it isn't happening, I'm dreaming. This is all just some horrible dream, and I'm going to wake up now…

His rough palm pushed its way down into my jeans, and my teeth started to chatter in harmony with the waves of terror that washed through me. My knees quaked, and it wouldn't take long before they failed to support my weight. My assailants fingers curled greedily around my panties, pulling them down along with my pants. Another pang of horror laced through me when the cold, damp, air touched lower and lower down my waist. Not stopping until it reached half way past the curve of my butt

Goose-flesh raised wherever his hands trailed, soiling my clean skin and leaving a path in their wake that left me feeling cold and dirty. It was too much, it was all just too much. I could feel myself shutting down past the fear. Something in my chest was curling in on itself. Pulling me away from my body, away from what this vile man was about to do to me.

The voice in my head whispered to me again, "Just relax, it'll all be over soon. Just don't fight it." Shivering, I clung to that voice and the promise it made me.

"Now, lets have a bit of fun," the man panted into my neck, the knife pressing tighter into my exposed throat.

His words barely reached me; I had drawn so deep into myself that I almost missed them. Yet I still heard them all the same, and I still felt his cold fingers digging into my inner thigh. His broken nails left deep, half crescent, scratches in my sensitive skin.

I felt it all through some strange, dim, tunnel. As though it wasn't really happening to me, and how could it? That poor girl being touched by that evil man, with those dirty hands wasn't me. No…it couldn't be me…it couldn't be…Someone else, it had to be someone else…Not me…

AN: Please don't hurt me, tomorrow is my birthday! I swear I'll update…someday.