The whole journey back to the Uchiha estate was sheer torture for Asuka, who kept her eyes on the floor of the car than the powerful figure seated beside her. The silence was killing her but she kept quiet. It wasn't her fault that she had to run away. It was the cold bastards fault! Him and…

" Asuka."

Asuka, who was fidgeting with the hem of her apron, flinched. Seeing that, Sasuke frowned and his hand shot out. Wrapping his hand around Asuka's thin wrist, he said," You will be punished, you know that, right?"

Remembering what happened the last time she escaped and keeping her eyes on her lap, Asuka merely nodded her response. Disobedience and second chances is punishable by death in the Crimson Syndicate. Although, it was a different story when it comes down to Asuka. Countless escape attempts have been made but never once had she succeeded.

Sasuke had made it clear the first time she had tried that all disobediences will be suitably punished. He had originally planned to restrain her but his heart was aching with emptiness. There was no love from Asuka. Thinking that way only made him angry as he yearned for Asuka's love, her trust, everything but… Fighting down his anger at her lack of response, he said," However… I will not punish you if, and I mean if, you tell me why you never returned from your mission?"

" I… I…"

" Yes?"

" I… I rather take my punishment," she said, tugging her hand away.

" Why? Why do you persist on disobeying me, Asuka? Tell me, damn it?"

Flinching away, she said," I am but a tool to be used and discarded, Sasuke-sama. You shouldn't worry yourself over a useless tool such as myself, instead you should focus on yourself and your happiness. You said so yourself, did you not? All those years ago."

Hearing that, Sasuke gasped. When he had said that, he had been angry at finding out about his fiancée's unfaithfulness and had taken it out on her when she returned from a particularly hard mission. He didn't realize...

Adverting her gaze outside, Asuka gasped upon seeing the mansion. The beautiful Uchiha mansion was built sturdy and untarnished by so many expert craftsmen and architects. Lush green gardens colored by various roses and rare endangered plants surrounded the mansion, cared for by dozens of gardeners. The mansion had once belonged to Sasuke's mother, a wedding gift from his father. Now, it belonged to Sasuke, who added cherry blossom trees to the mansion's gardens the first time she had visited.

The mansion was also built on land that stretched for miles. It was so wide that one can barely see any other building nearby. Such luxury was thought of as a sanctuary but to Asuka, it was a prison. Security was even tighter here than the mansion that belonged to Itachi, on the far side of town, with hound dogs and alarms set to go off should an intruder foolishly dares to enter the forbidden land uninvited. As if escaping his brother's mansion wasn't hard enough, this one is even more complicated as she wasn't familiar with the landscape, as it was her second time seeing the mansion.

Forcing himself to relax, he sighed and stepped out of the limo, once it had come to a stop in front of the mansion. As soon as he did, he was greeted by his servants. Turning, he held out his hand to Asuka. Taking his hand, Asuka let him help her out. The moment she stepped out of the limo, she tugged her hand away as a pink haired girl with emerald eyes and wearing a tight fitting red dress came running out of the mansion. Throwing her arms around his neck, she said," Okaeri, Sasuke."

" Sakura, what are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, removing her arms from around his neck.

" I came to see you, Sasuke," Sakura said, pouting," is it…"

She trailed off when she finally noticed Asuka standing beside Sasuke. Frowning, she said," Good grief, Asuka, where have you been? You smell like alcohol. Also, why are you dressed like that?"

" I… was on an undercover mission, that's all," Asuka said, not daring to look at her or Sasuke.

" Oh. Well… go get changed then. Naruto and the others are also waiting inside."

At that, Asuka looked up at her and then at Sasuke. At his nod, she bowed and hurried inside. Just as she ran past the living room, a voice cried," Asuka-chan!" Stopping, she turned around just as her friends ran up and hugged her. Pulling back, Naruto said," Okaeri, Asuka-chan."

" Ta-tadaima, minna-san."

" Where have you been all these months, Asuka-chan?" a girl with short blue-black hair and white eyes asked.

" Everywhere and nowhere, Hinata-chan," she said, glancing at the door where Sasuke and Sakura still stood. Following her gaze, a boy with long black hair and white eyes said," He won't hurt you, Asuka-chan. So don't worry so much."

" I'd believe you, Neji-kun, had I not said that I rather take my punishment then tell him what he wanted to know."

" Which is?"

" Why I ran away."

" Are you crazy, Asuka-chan? You should've just told him the truth."

" I can't and I won't, Naruto-kun. Besides, it's forbidden for me to even have these feelings, anyways."

" No matter what your status is, Asuka-chan, you're still only human. Itachi-san knows that and he respects you for it. After all, you're more like a little sister to him then a tool."

" And he's like an older brother to me, Neji-kun, but I was only kidding myself when I realized my feelings for Sasuke. After all, he won't be able to return my feelings, anyways."

" Let us…"

" I appreciate your help, Naruto-kun, but I'll be fine."

" But…"

" I really need to go change, Naruto-kun. So I'll see you guys later, ok?"

If I'm still alive, that is, she thought, as she turned and ran up the stairs to her room. Her room was connected to Sasuke's room with a door separating her from him. Reaching her room, she opened the door and stopped. Her room, her only safe haven in the spiral that was her life, was no longer hers.

The walls were painted pink, when they were once white, and her pictures were all gone. The white drapes now had a pink tinge to them and her bed was covered with pink and white bed sheets while her pillows now sported frills. Her white canopy was replaced by a lacey pink one with cherry blossoms on it. Just then, a maid walked by and said," Excuse me, miss, but are you Asuka?"

" Yes, I am."

" Oh, good. Kabuto-san told me to come tell you that your room is down the hallway to the right and that this room now belongs to Mistress Sakura."

" Oh, ok. Thanks."

" No problem, Miss Asuka," the maid said, smiling," and if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask. By the way, I'm Moegi."

" I'll keep that in mind, Moegi-chan."

With that, Asuka turned and went down the hallway while Moegi closed Sakura's bedroom door before going about her duties. Finding her new room, Asuka went in and closed the door behind her. Leaning against it, she closed her eyes and sighed. Calming her racing heart, she opened her eyes and walked over to her closet to change. Changing into a simple white kimono, she walked over to the window and glanced out at the beautiful gardens.

At least, they gave me the room overlooking the gardens, she thought, leaning against the side of the window. Looking at the peaceful scenery, she was slowly falling asleep when her bedroom door burst opened. Whirling around, she gasped when she found an angry Sasuke standing in the doorway. Walking into the room and slamming the door closed behind him, Sasuke said," Who told you that you could sleep in this room?"

" Apparently, your fiancée did. She had my things moved into this room while she took the one beside you."

" Then, sleep in mines!"

" What? N…"

!SLAP!

Asuka fell heavily onto her back and winced. Her right cheek throbbed a little before the pain became more intense. No doubt she had deserved that one. Sasuke was used to being obeyed and her defiance only added to his anger. Slowly, she stood up and said," Surely, you…"

!SLAP!

The impact was harder this time as she was sent crashing through the balcony windows and onto the balcony outside. Lying there, among broken shards of glass with some lodged into her back, Asuka could only look at him. She didn't dare stand or say anything else. Sasuke would just hit her again or… Stepping onto the balcony, he said," Do you still want to run away now, Asuka?"
The pain in her back soon became unbearable and she merely looked away. Growling and picking her up by the front of her kimono, Sasuke said," Answer me, damn it!" When she still refused to answer, he threw her back inside. Landing on her stomach, she coughed up blood and glanced up at him. Weakly, she stood up and said," I-I won't… I promise. However, I-I'm sorry, Sasuke."

With that, she rushed past him and jumped over the balcony rail. Gasping, Sasuke whirled around and grabbed onto her hand. Pulling her up, he looked her over and cursed, before rushing to his room.

Asuka awoke to find herself in a darkened room. Her whole body was hurting all over and she was very weak. Slowly, she sat up and leaned against the headrest. From the feel of the bed sheets, she had a sneaky suspicion as to where she was. As if on cue, the door opened and who else but Sasuke walked in, dressed in only his black pajama pants with a towel around his neck.

Smiling, he walked over and sat beside her. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her cheek and said," How do you feel, Asuka?"

" Tired and weak but otherwise, I'm fine," Asuka said, sighing and leaning into his embrace.

" Are you hungry?"

" Very."

" I'll go get you something to eat, so you stay put."

Overjoyed at her response to his affections, even though she might not know it, Sasuke stood up and went out. When he was gone, she glanced down at her hand to find a shackle on her wrist. Following the chain, she could only sigh when she realized that he had chained her to the bed… again. He had only chained her to the bed once and that was years ago. Sighing, she laid her head back on the head rest and waited for Sasuke to return.

She didn't have to wait long before Sasuke walked in, carrying a tray. Setting the tray on the nightstand, he leaned her against him and picked up the bowl of soup on the tray. As he fed her, she could do or say nothing but eat silently. When she finished, Sasuke set the bowl back on the tray before wrapping his arms around her. Kissing her temple, he said," Promise me you won't scare me like that ever again, Asuka. I won't be able to survive it if you do."

" I… I can't do that, Sasuke."

" Why? Is living with me really that bad that you'd do anything just to escape?" Hesitating, she said," You wouldn't understand, Sasuke."

" What wouldn't I understand, Asuka? Tell me."

" Maybe later, Sasuke. Right now, I'm tired and I just want to sleep."

" All right," Sasuke said, as he laid her down and got under the bedcovers. Turning off the lights, he reached for her and said," Good night, Asuka."

" Good night, Sasuke," she said, too tired to do anything.