Broken
All she could do is keep a blank stare, all through their escape through the portal.
Even though she had been revived, she still felt dead.
The last thing she remembered was going through the portal, then fainting.
She awoke in a bed inside what felt like a hotel.
She walked to the window and looked out.
It was an old western town in the desert.
Children below ran around, playing make-believe cowboy vs. indians or other cowboys.
A little girl fell and scraped her knee.
Her grandmother came, picked her up, kissed her wound, and made the little girl smile again.
Bara winced; she wished her grandma was here to kiss her wound and make her feel better.
She retreated to a corner of her room, crying softly.
Sasuke entered the room, and spotted her in the corner.
He came over and stood in front of her.
She didn't look at him, her mind lost in her despair, her head turned to one side.
Sasuke didn't want to say anything; he was no stranger to the ravages of losing a loved one.
He took her in his arms and hugged her.
She didn't return it, her body, to him, was dead with grief.
He could feel her tears running down his stomach.
He stayed there, hugging her for a long time.
Eventually they both sunk to the floor, never releasing his embrace on her.
She moved closer to him, her source of protection, not uttering a word.
Eventually she stopped crying.
He looked at her eyes; they no longer had that inner smile.
He wanted to help, he and everyone else.
As he held her, it felt as though without her grandmother she had literally given up.
He looked at her again...she was asleep.
He picked her up and put her on the bed.
XXXXXXXXXX
Down in the bar "Hey! Can we get some Ramen!" Naruto called out.
"Naruto, they don't have Ramen here." Sakura said.
"What kinda place is this then?" Naruto asked.
"It's a bar genius, you order drinks." Kiba said.
"Oh, in that case, I still want Ramen."
"You're not getting any got damn Ramen!" Sakura yelled.
"Boy, that girl is more pissed than a rattlesnake in a coffee house." One guy said.
"Why is there a rattlesnake in a coffee house?" Sarah asked.
"I don't want to go in that coffee house." Shawn said.
"Wait...there's a rattlesnake in here?!" Sarah yelled jumping on the table.
"Shawn! Byakugan! Now! Look for it!"
"It's just a saying." Neji said.
Sasuke took a seat.
"How's she doing?" Sakura asked.
"She acts like there's nothing left for her to live for."
"Yeah she-" Shawn stood up, byakugan on, looking up the stairs.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked.
"Someone's got Bara." Shawn said.
Everyone ran up the stairs.
They burst through the door to see Orochimaru holding her.
"Ah, Sasuke, how are you my dear boy?" he said, Bara's head resting on her lap.
"Let go of her." Naruto warned.
"Or what? You attack? Especially when she's right here beside me? Naruto," he said chuckling, "how could you harm this beautiful, frail creature?" he removed a bang from her forehead.
Sasuke's grip on his sword tightened.
"Give her back." he warned.
"How much do you know of this little girl, Sasuke?" he askes smiling.
"Enough."
"Really, by the sound of it, none of you know her real name."
Everyone froze.
"What?"
"That's right. Her name is Bara, it's Taiyounami. Bara is the nickname her grandmother gave her, a codename to protect her from her sister, Hanone."
He smiled and kissed her forhead.
Sasuke could feel his anger reaching its boiling point.
"What do you want?" Sasuke asked.
Orochimaru asked, "Sasuke...you know what I want. Then again," he said caressing her hair.
Naruto felt the nine tails chakra flowing through him.
"she is also an Uchiha, a strong one, just like you. But now," he said rising with her in his arms, "it's time for both of us to get acquainted. I'll see you around Sasuke."
He leapt out the window.
Everyone gave chase.
They chased him through the deser and saw a gorge coming up.
"Looks like we got him trapped." Kiba said.
Orochimaru, however, didn't stop running.
He ran off the edge, turned, and waved at them.
Everyone jumped over as well.
He fell in a hole at the bottom, but when they tried to follow, an invisible barrier blocked their path.
"No!" Naruto yelled pounding at the barrier, "Not again!"
"How do we get through this one?" Sakura asked.
"Hey! What's that?" Ino asked pointing at a rock behind the hole.
A barrier seal sat in front of it.
"Hey! It's just like that barrier we found at the akatsuki hideout!" Tenten exclaimed.
"Which means there's more around here." Neji concluded activating his byakugan.
"Just as I thought; there are four more, straight ahead in the gorge."
"What about what's in the hole?" Naruto asked.
"It looks like he's putting her in some-kind of cage. She's still out cold."
"Then let's not waste anytime!" Lee said.
"Ino, Choji, and myself will stay at this one when we all take it off. If someone comes, we'll hold them and ask some questions." Shikamaru said.