Serena- Hehe, I actually updated on time! Oh, and I've chucked the GaaraOc story out the window because it wasn't up to my expections. Instead, last night at like 2:00 a.m. I got a wonderful idea for another SasukeOc one, so I'm going with that one! It should be good… very anguist-y and slightly gory. I like it!

Disclaimer- I own nothing except my Original Characters, but even then- they have a mind of their own.

Boundless

By: Serena

Chapter 8

Homeward Bound

February 17th

The date on my rainbow calendar stared back at me, almost mockingly. Today, twelve years ago, my younger sister Kirinonai was born. Today, two months ago I promised that I would leave this dreaded place should no new reason to stay present itself.

I looked around my small hut, at the couple of bags that held the few things I owned. I also had a separate bag for all my inventions-including a Kowakuteki-ningen-kuchini seed. I sighed, the only thing to do now was to leave. The question was, would Master Orochimaru let me just walk right out of here?

"Rui? Are you going somewhere?" I spun around, and bowed my head, ashamed that I had yet to tell my only friend that I was leaving.

"Yes… I have no reason to stay anymore… she's gone, and I've accepted that… there is nothing I can do…" I lifted my gaze, out of curiosity and met Sasukes cold glare.

"Will Orochimaru let you?" I shrugged, once again lowering my gaze.

"I don't really know what Master Orochimaru will do… He can't keep me here any-"

"Yes he can." I looked up, surprised. "He can keep you here as his prisoner, use physical abuse like he did before." My surprise only grew as he ended his sentence. I had never told him that I had occasionally been disobedient and that Master Orochimaru had hit me.

Sasuke seemed to read my gaze, because he explained, "It's obvious that you have been physically abused." I nodded, turning away. "Here." I looked over my shoulder, to see Sasuke place Forest Sanctuary on the nearest bag. "It was a good book."

I felt tears well up as Sasuke turned around and walked away without saying goodbye. I suppose he knew that we would meet again…

The thick underbrush clawed at my skirt as I trekked through the forest. I really hadn't decided where I would make my new life, so I had closed my eyes, spun around in a circle and when I opened my eyes again, I had been facing south. And so, for the past hour I had been slowly making my way south.

I continued at the same slow pace for another half hour, when the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand on end. Something isn't right… I concluded, and was proved so, as Master Orochimaru and Kabuto appeared in front of me, in a puff of smoke.

"Did you think you could just leave?" Master Orochimaru sneered. It took all of my selfcontrol not to bow my head and beg forgiveness. As it was, I could bearly keep from stuttering as I replied,

"You can't keep me here. Kirinonai is dead. You have no hold over me." He and Kabuto both snickered before Master Orochimaru asked,

"Is she?"

"Yes. She is dead and she is never coming back." It sounded false, even to my ears. I was saying it to convince myself…

"We'll see about that." I was so confused by his words I didn't even realize the kunai knife coming at me.

And, being who I, and being petrified that I was about to die, I did the only thing I knew to do- I let Shatto Umou take over.

When I awoke again to meet the setting sun, I was surprised. No only because I had woken up, but that everything was calm and there was no sign of Master Orochimaru.

Orochimaru. Just Orochimaru. He's no longer my master.

I sighed, I lifted myself up into a sitting position. I was in the sleeping bag I had brought, in the middle of a small clearing and a small fire was burning. A sickly smell met my nose and I realized it was blood. I checked over myself, and saw that I was fine. It also seem like none of my internal organs had shut down along with my mind, but I still did a mental check.

Heart…seems to be working fine,…lungs…breathing normally,…

I was pushed out of my thoughts as I heard some rustling in the bushes. Grabbing the closest thing to me- which just so happened to be a stick- I raised it in defence as a dark head bobbed out from behind a large oak tree.

I sighed in relief as Sasuke walked into the small camp. I flung the stick back into the forest and looked back at Sasuke. "What are you doing here?"

He glared at me with such hate, I flinched. "Saving your weak ass."

I looked down, cringing. He hadn't talked to me like that since… ever. He was just cold…never blatantly mean.

"What do you mean?" I asked, gaze still focused on the forest floor.

"Hmph." I glanced back up to see his hand holding his stomach. His shirt was ripped, and a large brown stain had formed around the rip. I gasped in realization. The kunai knife that Mast- Orochimaru had shot at me… Sasuke had taken the blow instead…

"Why?" I asked, still looking at the wound. He never answered me, he just sat down, next to the fire and stared into it. I dragged my exhausted body up and limped over to my bag with all my inventions. Within it, I had also added a first aid kit.

"Can I- um… take a look at your wound?"

He replied with his normal, "Hmph." But lifted his shirt in obediance. He had covered the gruesome injury with ripped fabric from an old shirt of mine. Part of me was mad at him for destroying something of mine without my say, part of me was embarrassed that he had gone through my things, and part of me was just happy to see him.

I dressed to wound with disinfectant, and Sasuke didn't even flinch. Getting real bandages from my kit, I wound them around his stomache, and blushed madly each time I had to wind them around his back because my body got so close to his.

When I was done, I put everything away, and sat across from him. A certain question nagged at my mind and I finally voiced it, "When are you going back to Mas- Orochimaru's?"

He didn't look at me as he said, "Never." I was slightly taken aback, and slightly happy that he would be traveling with me- or alteast that was what I thought.

"Are you going to stay with me?" He didn't reply vocally, but instead nodded. I could barely conseal my enthusasim, but then I realized that he wasn't happy about leaving Ma- Orochimaru. "You wanted to stay, so you could become more powerful, didn't you?"

Once again he nodded. "Then why did you save me?" He didn't answered. He just said,

"Go to sleep. We need to be moving by dawn."

I obeyed, and laid down asking, "Where are we going?"

Sasuke whispered it so softly, I barely heard it.

"Home."

Serena- Just because I'm soooo excited about my new story, I've decided to give you a sneak-peak!

As the chaos insued further, the death count rose and rose to the point that only two men were left standing. Both were beaten bloody and both were swaying with exhaustion. In unison the two took up a battle cry and plunged their knives into each other.

Both fell limp to the floor, life gone the instant they had walked through the door. Snake-man looked slightly upset at first- the obvious disappointment of lossing a test subject was evident on his face. But as she stepped from the shadows, he gained a small smirk.

"Ah. So you survived?" She looked down at herself- all in one piece. She looked around at the carnage, at all the lives wasted- and for what? Entertaintment? Tests? It was all pointless, and the only reason she had survived was through her cowardice.

It was only then that she grabbed a kunai knife. She brought it to her finger and gently pricked the end. A crimson rose bloomed, and she suddenly realized she wanted a garden. Without hesitation her mind was made up, the need for freedom possessing her sullied body.

A small garden of crimson roses bloomed in a tidy row across her wrist. While once, such an action would have caused her pain, she was too numb to feel it.

Serena- I hope you liked it…. I've only written the first three chapters, but I have high hopes for it!