Disclaimer: OH BABY. I DO NOTT OWN NARUTO. Anyway. Uh, read and review. Hope you enjoy it, cos uh. I do. o.o there is …(gasp!) Another time skip, but this is the last one taking place any time soon, I believe.

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Sachi licked the blood off her kunai. She had only had to make one clean cut to kill this one- simple prey. It was a man, about 5'11, with brown hair and green eyes- though they were opened wide and fading in death right now. He had a slash across his throat, courtesy of Sachi, and a shocked look on his face.

Sachi had been assigned this man by Orochimaru. He was supposedly "a training subject"- just another random individual Orochimaru thought might be challenging. But he underestimated her. This work, this "training" he assigned her was child's play. And besides, what was she training for? She had gone on her first mission to the Forest Of Death just weeks or less ago. What else was there Orochimaru wanted her to do?

He still hadn't let Sachi see Dai or Gaara, but she remained hopeful. She would see them soon- she could feel it. So this was how the weeks had passed. Sachi had been killing someone for "training" almost every day since her first mission with Orochimaru. People began to watch for her, fear her- just like that girl, Sakura, had. They thought she felt no emotions, no feelings.

Which wasn't true. Sachi had more emotions then any of these pitiful people would know. She felt pain, sadness, fear, guilt- all of it. She was a normal kid, except for the fact she was basically a rogue ninja who only let one emotion show when she killed- Happiness. That was mainly why people feared her. She began to laugh when she saw someone die. This was all the world's fault, it was all their fault Sachi's family had been torn apart. It was all their fault…

Sachi continued to believe this. It fueled her, along with the thought she would be reunited with her loved ones soon. It was all that got her by. That- and, she hated to admit it, but killing those people. She was beginning to look forward to it. She never tortured them- always straight to the point. It was a quick death, she made sure. But she still enjoyed it. She had become a monster.

Sachi began to think of how she had become this way. It had started the day she met Orochimaru- she might want to say. But that wouldn't be true. She had wanted people that hurt her too be hurt just as much (or more) for a long time. But that was human nature, right? Except few humans actually acted on this wish. They kept it inside, which Sachi used to be very good at- until now.

With Orochimaru, he encouraged her to hate. She thought this meant she could open up, but she found out that she had actually been closing up. She was a numb assassin, except for the joy she got when she killed someone. Killing was her only way to feel, so she did it constantly, just like Orochimaru wished.

Sachi was finishing up her daily training. She had left the man, dead in pool of his own blood, and headed back to her "room" Orochimaru had not come to train with her today- she assumed he wanted her too be more independent. Or maybe he was just busy? With what, though? Sachi had always wondered what he did. What was his purpose for her? It couldn't really be all this killing. They were random people- or at least that's what Orochimaru told her. Besides, Orochimaru was no stranger to killing- you could tell that by looking at him. Why didn't he do it himself?

Maybe he didn't want people to think it was him. But, Sachi could also tell (just by looking at him, once again!) that he was not the type to have a solid gold reputation. She spent her days pondering this when there was no training to be done- which was rare. Sachi trained and trained, but she had never been able to beat Orochimaru! Maybe it was impossible. Maybe he was like, a god or something. Or, rather, a demon.

And he certainly did look the part. Those horrible slitted eyes that could scare even the best of heroes with just a glance, that wicked purple tongue that often peeked out from behind his lips, as if it had a mind of it's own. She had known him for quite some time- in her opinion- and it still startled her too look at him.

One hundred fifty, one hundred fifty one. Sachi counted mentally in her head each time she threw a punch. Her knuckles were bleeding now, but she had to keep going! It was key that she improved. Not just for herself, but for the ones she loved.

"Sachi? Sachi…?" Came a voice from behind the door. It was Kabuto- thank God. Sachi didn't reply though. She just kept punching. She realized now tears were streaming down her face. Why? What was with this sudden weakness? Maybe she was losing it. "Sachi!" Kabuto spoke, his voice raised, showing his authority "Orochimaru requests your presence once again. This is why you've been training. Your time here is finally going to be put too use." Sachi stopped punching. Screw training- she was ready to kill.

She barreled towards the door, opening it swiftly- almost knocking over Kabuto. He pushed up his glasses maturely, gave Sachi a nod, and sped off. Sachi returned the nod, but Kabuto was long gone, so she continued through the room. She did not see Orochimaru at first. But then, there he was, standing in the middle of the plain room.

"Ahh. So glad you decided to join me." Orochimaru said placidly, sending chills up Sachi's spine. "I think we all agree you've been training for some time, right?" He spoke once more, taking a few steps toward Sachi. Sachi dare not respond. Was this a trick? "I see, I see. This is no trick." Orochimaru replied… replied? Had she said her thoughts out loud on accident? "This is the real thing. A mission. And if you mess it up…" he paused "You die."

Sachi gulped. Death? She was not ready to die. But what was there worth living for? She was sure she wouldn't ever see Gaara or Dai. She hadn't thought of them in so long, and Orochimaru's words seemed to confirm her fears- she had lost sight of why she was here. She no longer seemed to care about Gaara or Dai- she just wanted to kill. But it couldn't be! Sachi loved Gaara so very much, and she missed Dai, with all her heart. What if they were both dead by now?

Sachi nodded to Orochimaru. If death was the penalty for messing up, she might just mess up on purpose. For the hell she had put everyone through- Gaara, her family, all those people… she deserved to die.

"All right then." Orochimaru said, accepting her nod. "Let's discuss the plan…"

Enter: Gaara

It had been over a year since he had seen her. He was planning that someday they would get married. They would be a beautiful couple, live in a splendid house, and enjoy each other's company until the day they both died.

But he was sure she didn't want that. Why else would she have left him? Why else would she have gone without saying goodbye? No note, no parting words-nothing. She hated him, but he still loved her. At least- he thought he did. But he was hurt. Why did she go? She was the only thing keeping him alive, the only thing worth breathing for. Did she really have to go?

Gaara had often wondered if she had been kidnapped. He heard stories of an assassin, who fit the description of Sachi perfectly. They say her eyes would change to pure yellow before she killed them, then red- then she would laugh, and the person was dead. Just like that.

Gaara sometimes hoped this assassin was Sachi, and other times, he hoped it wasn't. He wished he knew where she was, how she was doing… if she loved him. He hoped Sachi hadn't been killing all those people. She was the one who had so many times stopped him from killing people, so why would she be doing it now? Unless someone was forcing her to kill? If Sachi was the assassin, he really hoped it wasn't of her own will.

He would devote his life to finding her, just as soon as he finished off this… Sasuke... who was following him. They hadn't finished their match, and Sasuke was pursuing him and his brother and sister, Kankuro and Temari, at an almost increasing speed. Why couldn't he shake him?

Then he felt it. A feeling deep, past his ribcage- in his heart. For a moment, he was sure his heart skipped a beat. He could sense her. He could almost hear her breathing, feel her skin pressed against his. Maybe she was really here, right there, beside him? No, there was no one to be seen. But still, his heart was racing at the very thought- Sachi was coming.