Orichimaru and Sakura - My Hollow Soul
written by smile-ookii

Yay, chapter 2! This is a really feel-good story, you know? I had to throw in a little bit of BL, I consider it a spice in the mix So here we are, in front of the Yuruba town gates. What will happen now...? Naruto has killed a close friend, Sakura is cold, and Sasuke is indifferent. What could happen...?

Chapter Two - Guzen Deai ( Chance Meeting )

Sakura watched Naruto as he stared at his hands. How much did Kohi's death affect him? She continued to watch as his eyes went from hand to hand, and finally to the sky. "Naruto.."

"No, Sakura." Sasuke walked to her side, and glanced at Naruto. "He's...in pain, right now. You do know about the two of them, don't you?" Sakura bowed her head and nodded.

"Yeah. I saw them once, shopping together. Naruto kept blushing as Kohi kept embracing him, whispering in his ears. I didn't know just how close they were. Sasuke, what were they to each other?" Sasuke turned his head, and his cold, dark eyes made her feel as though they were penetrating her soul. She shivered, wondering if these were his eyes in the heat of passion, or did they smolder and burn...? She shook her head lightly, focusing on a point a little above his eyes.

"They were lovers." Sakura twitched a bit, then closed her eyes and took a heavy breath. Turning back to Naruto, she called out to him.

"Naruto! We have to get moving. I'm...sorry." Naruto just barely inclined his head, and without saying a word, he tossed his team mates their "blending-in" clothes.

"We're going to the Sadawa Inn, in the centre of the town. We're to stay there until further signs of Orichimaru appear. Head out." Naruto raggedly threw on his clothes, and left quickly, seemingly forgetting his friends as he nearly ran to the town. Sakura and Sasuke watched him as he left, then silently got dressed.

- - - -

Sakura woke up to bright sunshine, filling up the corners in her eyes. She blinked hard at the harsh light, yawned, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Stretching, she went to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. Even though she didn't get much sleep, her translucent skin was still flawless. They had been at Yuruba for nearly two weeks now, and Sakura had only catched glimpses of Orichimaru's shadow clones. Every day she woke up feeling hopeful, but by the time she went to sleep at night, her spirits had fallen. And so this had gone on for two weeks, and all she had gotten were glimpses!

"CHE!" Sakura threw her kutsu at the wall, then picked it up sadly, sliding it onto her foot. "What else can I do? When will he appear..?" She went into the main room, and hung out the window, watching the passerby. She was nearly asleep when she saw it. Long, blonde hair strolled behind a tall and rigid man, and his ghostly skin stood out among the brown hues of the villagers. Orichimaru's shadow clone paused, as though he could feel her intense gaze. He slowly rose his head, and then his eyes to hers. Sakura stared into his dark golden eyes for a long time, and he stared back, steadily. He betrayed no emotion on his handsome face, but inside, he was reeling.

Sakura is here...that must mean Naruto and Sasuke are as well... Orichimaru continued to stare into those overly coloured eyes, the ones that had always reminded him of a dangerous woman, one that he...No! She reminds me of nothing but a bothersome woman in my way. Orichimaru smirked at Sakura, and lifted a hand in greeting. To his utter surprise, she waved back, a smile on her face. "She looks...almost happy to see me," he said, and began to walk away.

Even a monster like himself could never understand a woman's emotions.

- - - -

Sakura let her hand fall, shocked. "Oh, no...I was actually happy to see that monster's face!" She covered her face, her eyes wide and jittery. What was wrong with her? She needed to forget about this and chase after him, see where he was headed! Sakura regained some composure as she searched for her other kutsu and a clean kimono. Walking quickly, she left the inn and headed in the same direction of Orichimaru, heavily distracted. "Hm..maybe I was just glad to actually see more that just a piece of one of those. Yeah...yeah, that's all it was. But what was with that wave...?" Not noticing where she was going, she turned into a small alley, and then into another one. By the time she had realized that she had no idea what she was doing, she was lost. "Shit!" She mumbled, and turned around. Nothing but bricks ahead and behind her, and to each side. Orichimaru may have persuaded my mind here while I was preoccupied, she thought, and grew stiff as she heard a gentle laugh.

"Yes, dear Sakura..you s-seemed...quite preoccupied. Is there anything I can do to assist you?" Orichimaru mentally kicked himself for stuttering, and told himself it was just a slip of the tongue. He did have a bit of a tongue. Sakura turned around sharply, her eyes narrowed.

"Orichimaru! Are you for real, or a shadow clone?"

"I'm real. Well, as real as I can get, anyways." They stood there, glaring at each other, eyes flashing.

"What happened...to your hair?" Sakura ran her eyes over Orichimaru's thin body, wondering what else had changed.

"It's a rather nice disguise, isn't it? All the ninjas are out there, looking for my silky black hair, my black kimono, my purple stripes. If they saw me now, they'd think I was the shadow clone. Oh, but to make sure it was safe, I sent a clone that looked like I do now...but that wasn't the one that you saw. You saw me, as I am right this moment. Of course, no one attacked me; I am just a clone, after all." Sakura relaxed her body, and she looked at Orichimaru more closely. His hair didn't seem so silky; it seemed more coarse and thick. His purple stripes had vanished off his face completely, and he seemed almost a normal person, with his pale skin and golden eyes. His kimono was a light yellow, and was tied with a bright red sash.

"Ori...chimaru...you almost look like...a woman..." Sakura's mouth fell open at this revelation, and took a few steps back. "Why would you do that?"

"Well...I look almost pretty, don't you think?" Orichimaru began to laugh, and it wasn't a chilled one; it was real. Still laughing, he balled his hands up like a timid young girl, and softened his harsh voice. "Oh, Sakura..forgive me for being so blunt..but I...I wish I had your beauty!" Nearly crying, Orichimaru fell against the wall, coughing and choking. Sakura stared, aghast, and finally, she began laughing as well, until both were on the ground, tears streaming down their faces. Finally, Sakura stood, and wiped her eyes. She looked down at Orichimaru with a smile twisting her lips, but stopped, midway. He was looking at her like she had murdered his entire family; it wasn't hate, but it was confusion mixed in with something else. He stood up, and began backing away.

"Orichimaru...what's wrong?" He stopped, and the slits in his eyes turned a deep black, like a black hole swallowing the stars of the sky.

"What do you think is wrong! I am Orichimaru, the most wanted ninja of this day, and you are Sakura, a kunoichi supposed to be hunting me! And here we stand, laughing as though we have been friends since infancy, as though we were past lovers made up!" Orichimaru bowed his head, hooding his eyes so Sakura couldn't see the sadness in them. "I will take my leave, and you will take yours. Tell Naruto and Sasuke I am here, and what I look like. Tell them that since I have not been able to find the scroll, I have concured that it is in your possession. Tell them I will come for them, and I will take it...and I will kill them, like I have countless others."

"But do not tell them of this. Do not tell them of my laughter, or I will cause you such misery and ache as have never been seen on this world before. Do...not..." Orichimaru vanished with his last words, and Sakura stood there, silenced.

"Oh, what have I done..." She turned, and now there was a street behind her, and she ran to it, and to the Sadawa Inn as fast as she could go.

- - - -

"He's here? In a yellow kimono, red sash, no stripes? Are you certain?" Naruto paced the floor in Sakura's room while Sasuke sat silently in a chair.

"Yes, Naruto, as I've already told you. I was so concentrated on finding him, he led me into a controlled area, told me to tell you about the scroll, and left me. That was all."

"Are you sure that's it, Sakura?" Sakura shifted her eyes over to Sasuke, and nodded.

"Yes. I'm positive. He told me about his shadow clones, the scroll, and that was all." Sasuke stared into her eyes a moment longer, then closed them and leaned back.

"Naruto, stop pacing. Are you up for going to him tonight, or should we get some rest and let the extra energy die down?" Naruto stopped, and leaning against a wall, he crossed his arms. He looked at Sakura, and then at Sasuke, and then the floor.

"Sure. Let's get some sleep. First thing tomorrow night, we're there, and we're gonna get him!" Naruto banged his hand into the wall, making a small dent. "That bastard's not going anywhere," he growled, and tore open the door, treading heavily down the hall to his room. Sasuke stood and walked out the door, pausing to glance back at Sakura.

"Sakura-chan...I really do hope that was all." He gently closed the door, and Sakura turned to look out her window.

"Why...do you care so much about your laughter, Orichimaru?" she whispered, and turned out her light.

- - - - - - -

che - damn

kutsu - shoe

I spelled "centre" like that on purpose.