Note: Zetsu's black half speaks in bold.

--Conflicted--

Conflicted; adjective—full of conflicting emotions or impulses

I don't know why they call it heartbreak—the word 'break' implies that there is a clean divide; that the damage is fixable.

At the moment, it felt like my heart had shattered into a million sharp little pieces, each doing its damned best to rupture my internal organs.

I hoped that would happen soon so that this wouldn't hurt so fucking much.

Every time I closed my eyes, I got a tantalizing little glimpse of the girl that had done this to me and I wondered briefly if I was a mental masochist or something.

"Hey… how you holding up?"

I opened a single eye to regard Kidomaru. Normally, I would have brushed him off and told him to get the Hell out of my (our) room. As it was, I just sighed—a sound that would have been inaudible to a normal person—and closed my eyes.

"That bad, huh?"

Despite my intentions, he had seen me cry and had dragged my pansy ass back to the base. It was weird to have the three-eyed male sit next to my bed and talk to me about nothing in particular—his way of comforting me.

It worked, surprisingly, and my quiet sobs had halted. I had dozed off and, when I had awoken, he was gone.

"I brought you some grub," he offered after enduring my silence for a moment.

I rolled over, effectively putting my back to him. "I'm not hungry."

He was frowning, I could tell. "You're not just sayin' that to get rid of me, are you?"

"'Course not," I deadpanned.

There was a pause. "Tayuya… You can't sulk here all day, you know."

I can and I will. I felt bad for thinking it—it was so incredibly childish. "Yeah, yeah… I'll get up."

Eventually. The word went unspoken, but I think Kidomaru caught it in my tone.

"Tayuya…" There was a warning in his tone.

I heaved a sigh. "Okay, okay! I'm getting up."

I sat up slowly, swinging my feet over the edge of the bed. Kidomaru was looking at me expectantly; he held out his hand, pulling me up. "C'mon."

"Where?"

I had taken a shower upon finding him gone, feeling the need to wash away the entire evening. My face had felt stiff—the aftermath of the salty tears that had streamed so freely down my cheeks—and my entire body ached for reasons I couldn't name. I felt exhausted—mentally and physically.

Truthfully, I was disgusted with myself for breaking down like that.

"We're going out; get something to eat, walk around a little. You look like you could use some fresh air."

"Ah, there you are." Kimimaro appeared in the doorway, back to his normal (seriously: could he put on a shirt that actually covered his pasty-ass chest!?) way of dress. "And I see you've stopped sulking." I bristled—the kid always knew how to charm people. "Kabuto wishes to see you. He wants to begin interrogating our blue-skinned prisoner and needs the Four there."

"He can wait," I spat. "Tell him I need a fucking break from this hole and the rats that infest it."

With that, I grabbed Kido by the wrist and stormed out.


I made it a few miles before I started to feel sick.

The bike that I was straddling—a sleek red beauty of a machine with shiny chrome parts and giant tires—swerved as I shook my head, trying to clear the haze that settled over my gaze.

"You okay, Tayuya?" Kidomaru yelled from his own four-wheeler—he had built the camo monster and my own ride, naming them respectively Tager and Litchi after his favourite videogame, himself—, revving the engine so that he could keep pace with me.

"Peachy." I wasn't wearing a helmet; my hair whipped around me as I made a sharp turn. We were approaching civilization, the vehicles we were riding specially outfitted for the desert sands. "We'd better hurry up before the wind kicks up."

We didn't have to worry as long as we were indoors by the time the early-morning sandstorms really picked up.

"Right."

Gunning my engine, I launched over a dune, landing with only a slight bounce. Despite myself, I couldn't help but feel elation at the wind on my face and the speed at which I was travelling.

"C'mon, Kido, I'll race you!" I called over my shoulder.

"Winner buys loser a drink?"

My response was to increase my speed, creating some distance between us.


"Beat you again!"

The dark-skinned teen groaned, killing his engine as he drew even with me. "Yeah, I know… How the Hell do you keep—"

"Kicking your ass?" I leapt clear of the leather seat of my ride, smirking. "Well, you know, it takes skill and—"

I stopped dead, a pain in my temple causing me to swear and grip my skull. It felt like my fuckin' head was splitting down the center.

"You all right?" Kidomaru asked.

I shook my head, the intensity of my sudden headache driving me to my knees. I felt my Mark writhe and heard Kidomaru gasp. "Umm... Tayuya? Your Mark's moving outwards."

"Fuck…!" My palms met the sandy ground and I heard exclamations from the people who had left their homes to check out who was making such a ruckus so damned early. "Get me outta sight, Kido."

He obeyed, lifting me and carrying my bridal style towards a large building on the outskirts of the little town.

"You're burning up," he said when he set me down in what appeared to be a barn.

I winced, raising a hand to knead the back of my neck. "You mind getting me some water?" He hesitated and I smiled slightly, reassuringly. "I'll be fine."

"…I'm on it."

He hustled out, presumably to find some water and I allowed my façade to drop, slumping against the wooden wall and whimpering in pain.

I closed my eyes—

/Anko was lying on our bed back home, staring up at the ceiling. The clock on the nightstand read the current time—somewhere around 3AM.

She raised a hand, pressing it to her eyes. "Tayuya…"

The raw pain in her voice made me flinch. /

—and shuddered, feeling the Chakra well up in my body.

This isn't good…!

Heat spread from my chest, out towards my extremities; I clenched my hands into fists and, suddenly, a ring of Chakra exploded outwards, away from my body in a circular shape.

Something was burning—I could smell it. I knew I should get the fuck away from here, but I couldn't find it in me to move.

"Anko…" I murmured.

Everything went black.


…Something cold and wet was nudging my cheek.

"Five…more minutes…" I grumbled, swatting at whoever (whatever?) it was. When a small, warm, wet tongue swept over my face, my eyes shot open. "The fuck?!"

A dog—a black and white ball of what appeared to be electrified fur—wagged its tail merrily, bright blue eyes peering at me from the depths of fluffiness. It yapped, its entire lower half wriggling as it wagged its tail. And, since it was crouched on my stomach, I shook too.

"Umm… hi?" I said, utterly confused. I reached out a hand to pet it and it shook even harder.

Where the Hell was I?

What had happened?

…What was up with the mutt?

Said mutt yapped again, leaping off of me, landing solidly, and darting off.

Maybe I should move…

It was then that I noticed my surroundings: I was lying on cot; the room around me was a pale blue with sparse decorations. Across from where I was resting, there was a window, opened slightly to allow fresh air in.

There were quiet, deep voices coming from the other side of the wall.

I found myself unarmed—an icy feeling shot down my spine. Hauling myself out of bed, I staggered towards a simple wooden door with a metal handle. Wrapping my hand around the cool material, I twisted it, the door swinging outwards into a narrow hall.

I didn't recognize this place at all.

Following the corridor, I stayed near the wall. It led into a room; the voices were coming from it.

"Tayuya? Are you alright?" a voice asked near my ear.

My instant reaction was to lash out, pinning whoever it was to a wall covered in cheap wallpaper.

"Hey!! I'm not the enemy!" the male yelped.

Which halted my fist mere centimeters from his face.

I eyed him suspiciously: he was taller than me, lanky with blonde hair falling into dark-brown eyes. Wait a minute—I'd seen this kid before. His name was… um…

"Katsu, was it?" He nodded eagerly, as though hoping me recognizing him would keep me from whaling on him. I lowered my fist, but didn't release my grip on him. "Where are we?"

"S-some abandoned house outside of a nameless village. We're scouts; Kidomaru asked us to watch after you."

I frowned thoughtfully at that. "Where is he now?"

"He went back to the village; said you'd made a mess."

The frown deepened. What the Hell had happened back there? All I could remember were brief flashes of pain and smelling smoke.

I released the teen, backing off of him. "Alright, Katsu… You mind getting me something to eat?" My stomach rumbled as if in agreement and he brightened.

"Sure! Right this way." He headed the way I had been going, pushing open one of those old west saloon-style swinging doors. There were two other guys sitting in what appeared to be a kitchen as well as a haze that smelled distinctly of pot.

I tried not to gag.

"She lives," one of them—a brunette in ripped jeans and a wife beater—grinned crookedly at me. Green eyes were vague, unfocused.

The second one–a brunette as well wearing under armour and surfboard shorts (… weren't we really far from the ocean?)—laughed as though that statement had been one of the funniest things he had ever heard, a joint clenched between his lips. His hazel eyes were in the same condition as the first guy. "'Sup, pretty lady?"

I bristled and Katsu gave them a disapproving look. "Could you quit smoking in here, Yuki? Jiro?"

The first teen—Yuki, apparently—blinked owlishly. "C'mon, Jiro, we'll light up outside.

They fled, taking their cloud with them (though the smell lingered) and Katsu moved to the small fridge crammed into a corner of the room, right next to the stove. "You a picky eater?"

"Nah." I plopped down into one of the seats that had just been vacated. "As long as it's edible I'll eat it."

Katsu was just setting a steaming plate of fried rice—shrimp and random veggies—in front of me when Kidomaru came in. He shot me a look before falling into the chair opposite of me.

"Do you have any idea what kind of mess you made?" he demanded. The blonde quickly scrambled out of the room.

I calmly lifted a forkful of food to my mouth, chewing slowly before saying, "I don't remember much of anything, actually."

He blinked, pausing in the middle of what was sure to be him complaining about how hard it was to cover up whatever it was I had done. "Seriously?"

"Yup."

He released a sigh. "Well… I'm not entirely sure myself. All I know is that you left quite a bit of damage and I had to use transportation Jutsu to get you out of that fire alive."

I arched an eyebrow. "… Fire?"


I whistled, kind of impressed.

What had once been a huge barn was now a singed skeleton: the thickest of the support beams were still standing while everything else lay in a crispy pile around it.

"… I did this?" I really hoped there hadn't been any animals in there before.

"Apparently."

I took a step forward, then another. "Geez… I—"

There was a split second in which my Mark went cold, prompting me to react.

Quickly.

I wasn't sure what exactly I should be running from, but I grabbed Kidomaru's arm and hauled him towards a nearby silo.

We were just ducking out of sight when black-clad forms arrived at the edge of the town, appearing as silently and suddenly as apparitions.

As though the entire thing had been choreographed, shutters slammed shut one by one, locks clicking into place. Then, the line of cloaked figures moved forward, fanning out.

As though they were looking for something.

"I could have sworn I sensed it somewhere around here…" a dark voice said.

"Yes… I could too," said another.

Cautiously, I peeked around the concrete building, stifling a gasp as what looked like a giant Venus flytrap—dressed in the same red and black cloak the people who had attacked us at the Halloween party earlier that morning had been wearing—passed by. There was a head amongst those jaws, one half of the face black and the other white.

It took me a moment to realize that both voices were coming from the… thing.

"Itachi will not be pleased if we do not find that girl."

"We will find her. Patience."

Kidomaru nudged me, making faux hand signs to signify that we should haul ass out of here. I had no doubt, however, that that thing would follow us if we did so.

Sure, I absolutely hated Four-eyes, but part of me didn't want to needlessly end so many lives. I blamed Anko for that.

I shook my head, mouthing, Too dangerous.

What should we do? he asked silently.

I considered our position: we were outnumbered and probably outgunned. I had fought some of these people before and knew that they were quite strong—goodness knew how strong the rest this mysterious group of misfits were.

All at once, there was an ominous 'clap'! as though lightning had just struck the spot right next to us. Before either of us could move, the silo shook, a crack spidering from its base to its center.

Then, chunks of concrete exploded in every direction.

That's going to bruise, I thought grimly as a piece grazed my upper arm. My hands glowed (no sense in being stealthy now) white-blue as I tried my best to eradicate other projectiles—an attempt to prevent death by stoning.

When, at last, the barrage stopped, a hulking figure was standing in the ruined remains of the building, a cloud of dust obscuring whoever it was from view.

"We fo~und her," the plant-creature sing-songed.

Even though he was speaking at a normal volume, his friends seemed to have heard him because they instantly flocked to his side.

There were seven in all, six of them being the guys I had seen the night before plus the freaky plant one.

I was surrounded.

"You have something I want," the black-haired one said quietly—"Itachi", Sas-gay had called him. "Or, rather, your leader does. I know from Zetsu's reconnaissance that he won't protest a trade."

I knew him from somewhere, I was sure of it.

It took me a moment to figure out what—who, actually—he was talking about. "Oh, the guy with the skin problem?" The air became charged with tension, but I forged onward. "We were thinking of maybe cutting him up into pieces and leaving him around town as a warning to you people. You shouldn't mess with—"

I dodged the fist that came at me, but not the swift kick that followed; the force sent me straight into the arms of the blonde guy.

I swear to God one of my ribs cracked.

He was smiling at me, pity in his eyes as he kept me upright. "Just give in, yeah?" he murmured. "It'll be easier on you."

Before I could tell him where to stuff his advice, blue eyes widened and he released me, quickly whirling away. A knife jutted from the spot he had just been standing in.

Kidomaru. My hero.

I turned to face Itachi; presently, Kidomaru's back was against mine and, when I reached back, my Glock was pressed into my hand.

"Sorry I'm late. Had to go back and get your shit since, as usual, you lack any and all forethought."

I grinned despite the situation. "Thanks, dad."

The ring had begun to close in, but Itachi raised a hand and they halted.

Like well-trained dogs.

"You can stop any harm from befalling you and your companion," the male offered, voice flat, "If you come quietly."

Itachi… Itachi…

Suddenly, the light bulb shattered.

I gasped. "Hold up! You're Itachi! Uchiha Itachi!"

He arched an eyebrow. "Yes."

"You were part of the Otogakure at some point, weren't you?" Slowly, he nodded. "They just keep popping out of the woodwork," I muttered. "How many people are going to escape the supposedly inescapable Otogakure?!"

Itachi tilted his head just a bit. "Excuse me?"

Louder, I said, "I thought Orochimaru killed you."

"He tried." The ring was closing in again. This time, he didn't stop it. I felt Kido tense. "And failed. Now, I'm going to kill him."

"The Snake's dead." His eyes widened infinitesimally and I nudged Kidomaru with my heel.

Three taps: get out.

A low grunt: get help.

He got the message, pressing against me a little more. Are you sure?

I turned my attention back to Itachi. "Four-eyes took over not too long ago. Sorry to disappoint."

One…

Itachi paused. "So the rumors are true…"

"Rumors?"

Two…

"I suppose I'll just have to get Kisame back, kill the new leader, and take things from there."

Three!

I darted forward, the circle losing shape as the cloaked men dodged Kidomaru's remaining knives. I was throwing my first punch when he disappeared, calling, "Don't you die on me!"

I didn't plan on it.

There was something I needed to do—someone I needed to make things right with first.

I focused, causing my Mark to writhe, my skin tingling as I felt every jagged outshoot spread outwards.

There was no way I could defeat all of them without going full on Level Two, I knew, but I could at least hold them off until backup arrived.

'So this is a suicide mission.'

You've been silent all this time and that's all the insight you're going to give me?

'Hmph.'

I crouched, my sudden burst in speed seeming to startle the red-eyed man because he actually stumbled.

Stupid bastard.

Anko… You'd better wait for me.

Whirling, I waved my hand, Chakra forming a split-second barrier that deflected the knives that came at me. My Glock sang as I ducked and rolled, the fuckers around me dancing in their attempt to avoid being made to look like Swiss cheese.

I couldn't help but laugh, a truly sinister sound. I was high on power.

There was a sickening crunch as my heel came into contact with the red-head's solar plexus—he grunted in pain as he staggered back—and a gasp of pain as I fired off another round to maintain the distance between myself and my enemies.

Everything was working pretty well so, naturally, it had to come to an end.

My head was splitting again; I blinked through the pain, knocking aside blond-guy's arms and sweeping his feet from under him with a roundhouse.

/Anko was flying through the air, arching her spine like a cat so that she landed feet first, standing parallel to the ground on a tree trunk./

I faltered, swearing as a blow connect with my stomach.

The images just kept flowing.

/Anko was grinning at Temari, coming at her with a series of quick punches and kicks. /

Another strike connected with my side, sending my rolling across the sandy ground.

/The others looking amazed as they looked on. The exhilaration Anko was feeling—the unburdened happiness she was getting from being able to do this kind of thing without being judged or exploited. /

I bit back a yelp of pain as I came to a rest at Itachi's feet. He looked down at me, expression unreadable.

/Anko falling to her knees, her skin on fire. Temari reaching for her. The explosion of heat and Chakra. /

I was losing consciousness fast, my vision blurring around the edges.

"Take her away," I heard Itachi order.

/"It happens when two Chakra users… feel strongly for one another and remain in close proximity for a set period of time," a gravelly voice was saying. /

"And I want one of you to deliver a message to the Otogakure: tell them that we have their precious fighter."

/Bound to her. Bound to Tayuya, she was thinking.

Then, she paled, her stomach churning uncomfortably. /

Why would she react like that… Maybe…

I suppose she's done with me then…?

'Yes…'

I felt a pain even greater than the sum of every injury that I had recently acquired lance through my heart as I sank into blissful unconsciousness.

'…I suppose so.'

--End Chapter--

Hehe. Don't hate! Things will get better… eventually. I do so enjoy toying with these ladies—perhaps too much? Dango says I'm sadistic… Ah well! See you guys next chapter~