The whole house shook as Sasuke tore into his house, slamming the door in a frenzy, panting with rage. It was like he couldn't even control it – he was absolutely livid.

He felt so betrayed by Rinn and he just couldn't stand it. How could she say those things? She was there that night too, she saw what he did.

Stupid idiot. Itachi doesn't care about me. He's a murderer.

How DARE she?!

As his anger continued to consume him, the curse mark poisoned him further still, now reaching down to his fingertips on his left arm. Sasuke knew he needed to calm down, but he had no restraint at this point. He ran up to his bathroom and splashed his face with several rounds of cold water, helping to calm him slightly.

Realising how late it was, and that he needed to train even harder in the morning, he thought it would be a good idea to get to bed. Sasuke removed his shirt and changed into his pyjama bottoms, brushing his teeth and slipping under the covers. However, one his head hit the pillow, he began to realise that sleep would not be possible – his mind was still buzzing with discontent and his heart was racing. Rolling over with a loud huff, his eyes fell on his bedside table.

It contained a recent framed photograph of himself and Rinn, eating a meal at Hiro's restaurant. The kind old lady had snapped it whilst they were several spoons deep into a shared dish, not paying attention.

His breath steamed up the glass slightly as he brought the photo closer to him, homing in on Rinn's beaming face. Even in the photograph Sasuke looked mesmerised by her. He tutted to himself angrily, for being so weak.

He then cast his eyes further around his bedroom, taking in the many sketches and paintings that littered his walls that Rinn has produced for him whilst she was away from the village.

How could he be so stupid? Thinking how he felt before, how truly miserable he was when he was alone, he was starting to regret his behaviour. But when it came to Itachi, he just saw red. He felt very hurt that she hadn't chosen her words more carefully – she knew how affected he was by everything Itachi had done. He slammed the frame back onto his bedside table, glaring at it profusely.

Subconsciously, Sasuke's mouth pulled itself into a sneer once again, and before he knew it, his heart was starting to beat faster and faster as he grew more and more annoyed. Sasuke just could not switch his mind off, and he came to the conclusion that, at this point, sleep was futile.

Letting out a grunt of frustration, Sasuke heaved himself out of bed and sat on its side with his head in his hands. His mind continued to run in circles, the irritation that he was unable to sleep was now adding to the mix, only further increasing his building rage. He started mindlessly tapping his fingers against his head whilst his legs started to bounce up and down as he fidgeted anxiously. He struggled to keep his breathing slow and steady.

He felt a burning sting as the curse mark pulled at his neck.

"Nono NO!" he shouted in frustration as he continued to fidget, trying to calm himself. But it was no use.

"FUCK!" Sasuke yelled in anger, jumping up and kicking his table in a temper. He went to leave the bedroom but grabbed the doorframe as he was about to leave, stopping his limbs from auto-piloting him down to the kitchen. His bare chest glistened with the sweat that was already beginning to form, the burning in his neck continuing to make itself known.

Sasuke grabbed the other side of the doorframe with his free hand, letting out an exasperated sigh as he dropped his head in exhaustion.

If Rinn were here, she'd know what to do…

I can't go back there though. I can't ask her for help. She… She doesn't understand me… Not like I thought she did…

Sasuke's fingers started to tap again, making quiet sounds against the cold wood of the doorframe as he thought about what to do.

ARGH! I'm so exhausted. Why can't I just switch off?!

He balled up his right fist and slammed it against the open door, a loud rattle echoing through the house.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

His face, which had previously been contorted into an expression of desperation, suddenly became deadpan as he stood up and let his arms drop limply to his sides.

One drink won't hurt.

He walked to the top of the staircase, before stopping himself again.

Wait. Do I really want to do this? I've been sober for a while now….

He hesitated for another moment.

Pfft. It's only one. It won't do any harm.

Sasuke descended the stairs at speed, the wood creaking as he went. He must have some bottles left somewhere…

At the thought of the forbidden nectar he was about to taste, Sasuke began to search the downstairs of his house in a frenzy – he was sure he had stash somewhere – and it wasn't under the sink where Rinn thought it was.

Damn it! Where did I put that fucking box?!

Sasuke began to throw the cushions off the sofa as he desperately searched, as if a box of that size could somehow hide itself within a sofa undetected.

Once he has finished completely ransacking the lounge and kitchen, his eyes searched the room feverishly as he panted from the exertion.

I've looked everywhere! There's nowhere else it could be!

Then his eyes caught a golden glint: the handle of the cupboard under the stairs.

Of course! Sasuke you idiot.

He rushed towards the small cupboard like a man possessed, flinging open the door. Buried underneath a dusty acoustic guitar and a pile of shuriken was a wooden trunk, wrapped in an old lilac kimono with the Uchiha crest on the back. Sasuke pushed all the other items off the top of the box with little care as to how they landed, dragging it out of the cupboard, almost falling over backward with the effort he was putting in. The box wasn't that heavy at all – he was just so desperate for a drink that he was starting to lose control.

I can almost taste it!

Halting his box-pulling just next to the sofa and crouching down, he unwrapped the kimono from the box, taking more care with this item than anything he'd touched all night.

"Sorry, mum…" he said, sighing, delicately folding the fabric of her favourite item of clothing, placing it to one side. He felt a small pang of guilt as he thought about how disappointed she would be in him right now, but he soon shook it off as he flicked open the clasps on the box and opened the lid to find his forbidden treasure inside. This trunk was truly his Pandora's Box – his one true weakness.

Just one glass, to help me sleep.

He reminded himself of this over and over as he stood up and pulled out the cork of a whisky bottle, snatching a glass he had left out from the coffee table a metre or so away. Sasuke poured himself a generous helping, however he made sure to put the bottle back inside the trunk, shutting the lid. He didn't want to tempt himself too much, after all…

As he raised the glass to his lips the boozy smell hit his nostrils first, and he inhaled the euphoric scent in ecstasy, letting out a sigh of contentment. The delicious liquid burned slightly as it trickled down his throat – the glass was empty in seconds.

God I've missed this feeling.

Sasuke swallowed loudly, as if he had gone without water for days, and didn't even wince as the whisky continued to warm his body from the inside out. Still standing, he cast his eyes down to the trunk once more.

Well the bottle is open now. Might as well finish it.

Placing the glass back down onto the coffee table, Sasuke opened the trunk once more, reaching for the whisky bottle from earlier.

I'll just finish this bottle, then go to bed. I can't let the air get to it too much, it'll ruin the flavour.

Still using his glass in a vain attempt to limit himself, Sasuke polished off the entire bottle in no time, continuing to stand awkwardly next to the sofa and coffee table. He knew if he sat down it would be game over.

He had already consumed plenty of alcohol to get him to sleep, but the raven haired boy's eyes darted back down to the treasure trove once again. Crouching down in front of it once more, he opened its lid to peer inside at its glorious contents.

I've already started now. May as well have as much as I want.

Losing his last ounce of willpower, Sasuke reached in and pulled out another bottle. He pulled the cork out with his teeth this time, spitting it out somewhere to the side of him as he started glugging down the bottle, falling backward to sit against the sofa.

As the familiar heady feeling began to consume his body, Sasuke began to forget all about his problems, a dazed smile beginning to form on his pale face.

- X -

Rinn was rudely awoken the next morning by the sound of bottles crashing in the recycling bin outside.

What the hell?!

She grumbled to herself and peeked out of the curtains, spying Sasuke stood next to the bin with a large crate under one arm.

What on earth is he doing?

Rinn scowled and got out of bed, putting her fluffy dressing gown on over her pyjamas. As the loud noises continued, she cursed under her breath, heading for her front door. It wasn't just her that the idiot Uchiha was disturbing – there were many ninja living in their block of houses. The sun had only just come up, so most of them were probably still trying to sleep.

As she walked up behind him, she noticed the shivering boy was only wearing sweatpants, having come outside with no shoes or shirt.

"Sasuke, you must be freezing, are you OK?" Rinn asked in concern, momentarily forgetting about the disagreement they had last night.

Sasuke's head snapped round as he was about to drop his next bottle in the recycling, shooting her an icy glare.

Rinn gasped a little at his haggard appearance. His obsidian eyes were bloodshot and dull-looking, and his pale skin was further accentuated by the dark circles under his eyes. He was slightly hunched, as if standing up straight was a strain in itself.

Her eyes then darted to the glass object which he was still holding in mid-air above the bin. Realising instantly that it was an empty whisky bottle she looked at him questioningly. Sasuke scowled defiantly in response, daring her to say something as he let go of the bottle, allowing it to smash into the bin as he watched her intently.

Rinn looked at him with distaste.

"You're right, you are weak," she said bluntly, tears threatening to well up from behind her eyes.

For a split second, Sasuke looked as though he was a puppy that had been kicked, and the hurt showed in his eyes. Almost instantly, his mask was back up and his furious glare appeared once again.

Seething, he grabbed the box with both hands, and tipped its entire contents into the recycling with a deafening crash. He shot Rinn one last dirty look, then stalked back to his house, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

Rinn was still stood by the bins in her dressing gown, glued to the spot. She couldn't remember a time when she and Sasuke were on such bad terms, and it really did bother her. However, she was so disappointed that she too now felt angry. She just couldn't get her head around why he did this – being hungover all the time would only make him a weaker opponent in battle. After all his talk last night about being strong enough to kill his brother, his actions just didn't make sense.

Normally, she would go and see if he was ok, but quite frankly she was starting to get fed up with acting like his mother. She had tried to help Sasuke in the past, but too many times had her attempts to comfort the young Uchiha been rebuffed. He was stubborn, and she was tired of it.

So she walked back inside her house and left him to it.

- X -

Already two black coffees down, Sasuke stared blankly ahead of him as he sat on the sofa. He must've passed out last night, and the residual smell of alcohol inside the empty glass bottles surrounding him when he woke up only made him feel more queasy. That's why he went to get rid of them in the recycling – he wasn't expecting Rinn to come out and catch him in the act. Not that he cared.

It's none of her damn business anyway.

As usual, the whisky had been an excellent quick fix: Sasuke had certainly managed to sleep. However, in typical fashion, he was paying for it this morning. His eyes stung, and he felt hot and clammy. His head was banging, and he felt dizzy and slightly nauseated. Sasuke felt like he could drink all the water in the world and his mouth would still be drier than the Sahara desert, and he knew that sitting there feeling sorry for himself wasn't going to shift this feeling any quicker.

Dragging himself into the shower, he felt slight relief from his symptoms as the warm liquid hit his skin. Once cleaned up, he popped some pain killers that he found in his bathroom cabinet, and brushed the taste of stale whisky and coffee from his mouth with some minty toothpaste. Now feeling (and looking) a little fresher, Sasuke decided to go straight to Kakashi's to demand some higher level training for Chidori, as opposed to waiting for him at the training grounds to work on menial skills. He was tired of practicing things he already knew, and wanted to take his training to the next level.

Only then can I defeat my brother. Then she wouldn't dare call me weak.

Once fully dressed in his ninja attire, Sasuke promptly left his house, subconsciously casting one last look over his shoulder to Rinn's bedroom window as the sun crept up over the horizon.

- X -

Rinn had decided to take a day off today. She would never admit it, but she felt quite miserable about her circumstances. Not only had she fought with Sasuke, but from the number of bottles he took out this morning it looked like he'd nearly drank himself to death last night.

She felt conflicted. Rinn was furious with his attitude towards her last night, and for everything he did thereafter, yet in some ways she blamed herself.

I shouldn't have kicked him out. I know he finds it hard to sleep, and I know alcohol helps with that. And… I know he has a drinking problem. If he had stayed here last night, he wouldn't have polished off all those bottles…

Rinn frowned to herself as she lay across her sofa.

But… I don't deserve to be treated that way either. He has no right. He's supposed to be my best friend, so I should be able to talk to him about anything. Without worrying that he's going to lose his temper and hit the roof.

Sighing, she switched on the TV. She had the full intention of going to training this morning – she even managed to get showered and put on all her gear – but she just couldn't face dealing with people today.

Leaving the TV to whitter on in the background, Rinn decided to make herself a cup of tea. Once it was ready to drink, she sat herself back down on the sofa and put her feet up. She blew lightly across the top of the mug, causing the steam coming from the hot beverage to wobble aimlessly in the air. At perfect drinking temperature, she was just about to take a large swig when:

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!*

She cursed under her breath as someone knocked loudly on her front door. Sighing in annoyance she began to heave her lazy body up from the sofa once again.

*KNOCK KNOC KNOCK!*

The impatient guest knocked again, more hastily this time.

"All right ALL RIGHT! I'm coming!"

Jeez someone's eager…. She thought as she went to open the door.

Unlocking the latch and chain, she swung back the door to reveal:

"Shichiro?" she said blinking slightly in surprise. He looked a little flustered.

"Rinn, can I come in?" he replied, waiting outside expectantly.

"Uh yeah sure," she answered, standing aside to allow him through.

Great. I miss two hours of training and they're already coming to find me. Can't I have any time to myself?!

Shichiro walked past her to stand in the lounge, as she closed the door behind him. Before she could even ask what he wanted, he spoke.

"Sasuke's gone after Itachi," he stated simply, eyes glued to Rinn to gauge her reaction.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him.

"What do you mean?" she replied, a little confused.

"Exactly what I said. He's gone after his brother with the intention of killing him," he explained, his eyes already darting about in impatience.

"But… How? He doesn't even know where Itachi is, does he?" she said, watching as Shichiro bit his lip nervously.

"Does he, Shichiro?" she pushed after getting no response.

"Itachi and another member of the Akatsuki have been spotted in the village."

"Rubbish. If the Akatsuki were here I'm sure they'd have made their presence known by now."

"RINN. I saw them. I made the report to the Jonin. I promise you, they were here."

"And you didn't tell us?!" Rinn shouted, feeling a little betrayed.

"This isn't about Sasuke, or you. I had my duty to do and now you need to do yours," he said, trying to hurry things along.

"What are you saying?"

"I need you to come with me," Shichiro stated.

"Where?"

"To go after them."

"We're going after Sasuke?"

"Rinn. This isn't about your personal connections to Sasuke, this is a mission. Team Toru are one of the strongest in the village, and we have been sent to retrieve Naruto and provide support to Jiraiya-sensei."

"But what about Sasuke?"

"Listen to me. We have to go. Now. We're wasting time," he said, walking to the door and opening it, looking back at Rinn expectantly, a fierce look on his face. She walked towards him hesitantly.

Noticing this, he softened his face into a smile.

"I'm sure we will catch up to Sasuke on the way, don't worry," he suggested, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder comfortingly. She nodded, stepping out of the doorway.

I hope we catch up to Itachi before Sasuke does…

- X -

Sasuke braced himself on all fours as the pain from his broken arm seared through his body. He had unleashed Chidori on his brother head on, and Itachi had deflected it like it was nothing.

His body felt like it was on fire – he wanted to rip Itachi apart limb from limb. He just couldn't get close enough.

And to make matters worse, Itachi seemed more interested in Naruto, as he stood ignorantly with his back to Sasuke.

As his heartbeat pounded through his ears, Sasuke's thoughts were erratic.

Chidori is my strongest attack, how could it not have touched him?!

What's so special about Naruto.

I want to smash Itachi's face into the ground.

He must pay for what he did.

My arm is in agony. How can I fight him effectively like this?

He needs to die.

I will kill him for what he did.

How dare he ignore me like I'm nothing!

I'LL KILL YOU ITACHI!

Sasuke managed to drag himself to his feet, and went for Itachi again like a man possessed. Before anyone could blink, Itachi had already kicked Sasuke across the room where he collided painfully with the wall.

He felt the air leave his lungs and his ribs crack as the force went through his body, and the familiar coppery taste of blood bubbled up the back of his throat.

Sasuke tried to stand again, but Itachi was there in an instant, pummelling him with punches once more. He was so fast that Sasuke couldn't even defend himself – hell, he didn't even know which direction the floor was at this point, although he was sure he felt his face collide with it at least once.

Suddenly, Sasuke felt a tight grip around his throat and the cold wall against his back. As the air was squeezed from his windpipe, he didn't even have time to combat the vice-like grip surrounding his neck – he was transported somewhere else.

As he recognised the familiar site of the Uchiha compound, and the shadowy figure of his brother cutting through bodies like they were nothing, he only had one thought:

Is this… hell?

- X-

Rinn darted through the trees slightly ahead of her teammates.

"HEY! RINN! Wait up would ya?" Tatsuo called out after her, exchanging a glance with Shichiro who was moving alongside him.

"We haven't found him yet! What if he's already caught up to Itachi?!" she yelled back, not even turning her head.

"Our mission is to get Naruto out, not Sasuke!" Shichiro reminded her, causing Tatsuo to raise his eyebrows as if to say 'Behave yourself'.

"I know but… and I can't believe I'm saying this… Naruto is probably safer than Sasuke right now. He will be sensible about fighting if he has to… Sasuke will just keep charging in until they kill him!" she responded.

"Rinn this is a mission! We mustn't let our emotions get in the way of our objective!" Shichiro shouted.

"Oh will you both lighten up! Rather than being so negative why don't you look at it like this: Naruto and Sasuke are probably both at our destination. Two birds, one stone," Tatsuo said, trying to make light of the situation.

Neither of his teammates responded.

"I'm surprised Sasuke managed to escape without you noticing anyway Rinn, he follows you around like a puppy usually – OUCH!" Tatsuo exclaimed as Shichiro launched a twig at him whilst shaking his head, indicating to him to shut up.

After a moment of silence, Rinn finally responded.

"We actually fell out last night," she said, slowing down slightly so her teammates could catch up. Rinn hadn't thought about it until now, but she felt if she shared her feelings with her comrades, she might feel better. After all, she couldn't talk to Sasuke about it…

Tatsuo and Shichiro exchanged glances, Shichiro looking a little irritated at the prospect that Sasuke might have upset Rinn.

"Aw that sucks Rinn, what happened?" Tastuo asked, as they continued to dart through the trees. Shichiro was also listening intently, keen to hear what she had to say.

"We were talking about his brother… I remembered that Itachi said something to me the day he became rogue, and I made the mistake of telling Sasuke. Needless to say, he lost his shit big time," she admitted.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Shichiro asked worriedly, landing on the branch next to Rinn as they moved onward.

"No… Sasuke would never lay a finger on me," she responded, causing Shichiro to look at her skeptically.

"What? He wouldn't. He did smash one of my mixing bowls though…" she said. Shichiro scowled in response.

"Why did he freak out so much?" Tastuo pressed. He was a nosy young boy, but also cared about Rinn like a sister. He wanted to make sure she was OK – they hadn't had conversations like this for a long time. Ever since they returned to the village, she had been spending most of her free time with Sasuke. He understood of course, but he was getting fed up with hanging out with Mr serious Shichiro, and missed her company very much.

"I dunno… he had some crazy idea that I've been in cahoots with Itachi and the Akatsuki this entire time, and that I was only out to betray him," she replied, her brows furrowing.

"You're kidding?" Tatsuo said in disbelief.

"Nope. Clearly we were all plotting with the Akatsuki the entire time we were in the mountains, rather than doing that awful training day in, day out," Rinn sarcastically responded.

Tatsuo scoffed.

"Frankly, I'm a little offended," he said, shaking his head.

"Yup. Something has made him go all loopy. I swear that curse mark has made his temper ten times worse…" she mused.

"I'm not surprised, that Orochimaru is a sick son of a bitch…" Tatsuo said.

Shichiro instantly appeared next to him, whacking him in the arm, again indicating that he should shut the hell up.

Luckily, Rinn didn't make the connection.

"Well… You know what they say…" Tatsuo began, "Paranoia will annoy her!"

He smiled cheekily at Rinn, secretly quite impressed with his little rhyming joke. Surprisingly, it also caused Rinn to crack a small smile.

"Well, make sure you tell him that when we catch up with him!" she said, giggling a little.

Tatsuo saluted her in acknowledgement, winking mischievously.

"Shichiro, how far ahead are they now?" Rinn enquired, eyes forward once more.

Shichiro's eyes started to glow with a hypnotic minty glow as he left their sides momentarily to stand atop a nearby tree, giving him further range. Ten or so seconds later, he landed next to Rinn effortlessly.

"I think they're only a couple of miles ahead now. They aren't advancing any further – looks like they have congregated in a town up ahead – I can be more specific on their exact location once we are closer," he said, his eyes reverting to their usual ocean blue.

"You say they've stopped… does it look like they have become involved in an altercation?" Rinn asked, concerned.

He didn't respond, earning him looks from both Rinn and Tatsuo as they jumped to the next tree branch.

"Shichiro," Rinn pushed, convinced he was hiding something.

"I can't say for sure," he mumbled.

Rinn eyed him sceptically, not convinced he was being truthful.

"Shichiro, did you sense Itachi nearby?" Rinn asked him directly.

"…yes…" he confessed. He couldn't lie to her.

"Right," she stated, a new look of determination on her face.

Before the two boys could even blink, she had disappeared from their sides and was tearing off ahead of them, at a speed that neither of them had seen her achieve before. Shichiro and Tatsuo looked at each other with worry on their faces. At the rate she was tearing off, they would have some difficulty catching up with her.

"Since when did she get so fast?!" Tatsuo said to Shichiro in exasperation, earning a mere shrug in response.

We have got to stay on her tail!, Shichiro thought, She's strong, but she can't take on two Akatsuki on her own. Especially not an Uchicha…

Growing ever more concerned about her safety, Rinn's teammates pushed even harder to move quickly, desperate to avoid any unnecessary injuries.

Shichiro activated his sensory technique once more, eyes glowing,

Screw Sasuke. If Itachi touches a hair on Rinn's head, I'll kill the bastard myself!

- X -

One she had reached the town, Rinn managed to track Sasuke and Naruto down to a hotel. Realising from Shichiro's earlier information that the Akatsuki may also be nearby, she approached with caution.

Floor by floor, she stealthily peered inside various windows, desperately trying to locate the two leaf ninja. Eventually she found them.

Through a window at the end of the hallway, she saw Itachi and another blue skinned man, clothed in the easily identifiable Akatsuki robes. They seemed to be facing off against Naruto and his sensei, Jiraiya.

But where is Sasuke?

Rinn scanned the area, looking for a safe opening to enter, as well as trying to locate Sasuke.

Maybe he hasn't made it here yet?

She hoped against hope that he was still roaming the town, trying to find his brother. That was when she saw him. He was slumped against a wall at the other end of the corridor, completely catatonic.

A sensible, mature ninja would've assessed the situation and planned a best route of attack, but Rinn's feet moved on their own once they saw him on that vulnerable state. In an instant, she had entered the building, so quickly that Itachi and his companion had no time to react as she flew past them to Sasuke's side.

Itachi recognised her fiery hair immediately, eyes widening slightly in realisation.

Rinn dropped to her knees in front of Sasuke's limp body, searching his dead eyes. He was completely comatose.

"Sasuke! SASUKE!" She said, shaking him by the shoulders, desperately trying to get a response out of him.

Rinn heard movement behind her as Itachi began to approach them, and quickly turned around to face her opponent. She took an unusual stance, crouched on all fours in front of Sasuke, in an attempt to shield him to the best of her ability.

"Don't come a step closer!" Rinn snarled at Itachi, immediately throwing up her protective shield. As her emotions ran wild, so did her forcefield. It was volatile, with electricity snapping dangerously at the nearby surroundings as it span around her and Sasuke threateningly.

Itachi raised his eyebrows, recognising this technique from the night of the Uchiha massacre when she had used it to protect Sasuke once before, all those years ago. It had certainly come along nicely since he had last seen it – he chuckled sarcastically at history's constant need to repeat itself.

The energy surrounding Rinn and Sasuke span faster still, creating a vortex around them, the plaster on the wall behind them starting to chip away. As Itachi took another step forward, Rinn took an offensive stance, her eyes turning white. Amazingly, her protective field stayed put.

At this moment, Shichiro and Tatsuo arrived at the other end of the hallway. Rinn didn't even notice – she was watching Itachi too intensively.

He took another step towards Rinn and Sasuke, and, before she could even control what she was doing, several blood red sparks of chakra left her body and hit Itachi – one even hitting him square in the heart.

She'd got him.

"If you take another step further Itachi, I'll snap your neck like a twig," she said threateningly, now standing up.

"I don't doubt it," he said, amused, activating his sharingan once more as he still approached.

Once he got close enough that only he and Rinn could hear, he said something to her quietly:

"I have no quarrel with you, Rinn. Stay out of this."

Rinn's eyes narrowed angrily. She had all but decided that she was going to break one of his bones, when Itachi disappeared from in front of her, reappearing by his fellow Akatsuki's side. They looked like they were about to engage in a fight with Tatsuo and Shichiro, the latter of which was looking past them directly at Rinn, desperate to make sure she was safe.

Angry at Itachi's dismissal of her, she was about to chase after him when the whole floor of the hotel started to become enveloped in a strange spongy pink flesh. As Rinn looked around in confusion, she noticed the culprit – Jiraiya had cast one of his special jutsu, and by the looks of things it was sending the Akatsuki running.

Feeling both relief and frustration, she calmed herself and released her protective jutsu, turning her attention back to Sasuke, who was still unresponsive. Her teammates ran over to her, keen to ensure that she was OK.

"I can't believe you ran off like that!" Shichiro scolded.

"I can't believe you couldn't keep up with me," Rinn teased, Tatsuo scoffing in amusement.

"I must admit you're becoming quite scary, Rinn! Not only can you now outrun Shichiro, but you just used your defensive and offensive jutsu at the same time!" Tatsuo said excitedly.

Rinn blinked.

"Yeah… I guess I did," she replied, not really realising or remembering how it had happened.

"That's really awesome, Rinn! You've been working on that for ages, and you did it!" Tatsuo congratulated, throwing an arm around her shoulders.

"Thanks… I just wish Sasuke could've seen it," she said, crouching down so she was right in front of him. It seemed as though his eyes were looking right through her as he remained slumped against the wall. She gently brushed his hair from out of his eyes, staring at him intently.

Itachi must have used some sort of genjutsu on him.

Tatsuo motioned to Shichiro to give Rinn and Sasuke some space, and they left the two to themselves to reconvene with Naruto and Jiraiya. Naruto was looking over Jiraiya's shoulder at Sasuke anxiously, but after a few words from Shichiro, the four of them (plus Jiraiya's date for the evening who was also unconscious) moved into one of the nearby hotel rooms to give the two ninja some privacy.

Rinn sighed, moving slightly closer to Sasuke.

"What has he done to you?" she said to him, softly placing her palm onto his cheek.

Nothing.

Rinn started to become tearful.

"Sasuke, I'm so sorry for what I said. You were right – he is a monster. How could he do this to his own brother?"

She placed her free hand onto the other side of his face, desperate to illicit some response from him.

"Sasuke please say something!" Rinn pleaded, pushing his bangs out of his face once again, as his head started to drop forward, unable to hold itself up.

"Sasuke?" she pressed once more, this time squeezing his hand relatively tightly.

Still nothing.

"Guys, I think I need some help!" She called out, keeping Sasuke's hand held tightly in hers and planting a soft kiss onto it as she started to cry.

As Shichiro ran out of the hotel room to help (followed closely by Tatsuo), Rinn let go of Sasuke's hand, trying to take a step back to allow the boys to get closer and pick Sasuke up. There was no way she could get him to come round from Itachi's jutsu.

As she moved out of the way, Sasuke reached out to grab her forearm, weakly pulling her towards him. Eyes widening, she instantly kneeled down to face him again.

"Sasuke?!" she said optimistically, yet as she looked more closely his face was still vacant. He still wasn't back with them.

Despite this, as she tried to pull away again, she felt another weak tug on her arm. Deciding that wherever his mind was, he probably needed some comfort, she carefully wrapped her arms around him.

"It's OK Sasuke, I'm here," she said, holding him tightly.

To her surprise, she felt Sasuke's arms attach themselves to her waist, as he gripped her as hard as he could muster in his weakened state. Something in him, his subconscious perhaps, recognised Rinn's voice through the abyss, and even though he was still trapped in his torment, feeling her presence somehow brought him some solace.

And so, he clung onto her for dear life.

Rinn rubbed his back soothingly as Guy-sensei also appeared on the scene. She heard them mumbling about getting Sasuke back to the village. As Guy came closer, she knew she had to get Sasuke to him, to get him back home for the medical treatment he needed.

"Sasuke, I need you to let go of me now OK? Guy-sensei is here, he's going to take you home so we can make you well again," she explained gently, not expecting a response. She tried to wiggle free from his grip, but was not successful.

"I'll be right there the whole time, I promise," she said, gently caressing his cheek with the back of her hand. Slowly, he released his hold on her. Rinn wondered if somewhere inside that tortured head of his, he could still hear her, but she knew that was ridiculous.

Stepping away from him to stand with her teammates, she watched as Guy picked up Sasuke's limp form and placed him on his back. Both Shichiro and Tatsuo placed a comforting hand on Rinn's shoulders, one on each side, as they too were able to feel the concern radiating from her. Sasuke was more rag doll than living person at that point, and all the ninja were extremely worried about his mental state.

Guy looked back to Rinn, indicating that he was ready to go. Letting out a small sniffle, she moved to stand alongside him, before they both took off at breakneck speed, her teammates following slowly behind.

Rinn watched as the friendship bracelets she had made Sasuke moved up and down his drooping wrist in the breeze as they travelled through the air hastily.

Please, let my Snapdragon be OK.

*A/N: Thank you again for the reviews, I really appreciate it :)*