Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of their characters. But I do own my OC, Tsukiko.


'Die...'

The lights of the hallways flickered on and off... A single drop hit the ground, it's echo vibrated off the walls for yards and yards in all locations. A puddle started to form on the cold, stone ground.

'Die.'

A thick stench of iron hung in the atmosphere. The liquid that dripped into the puddle wasn't water, but blood...

"Die!"

Her eyes met the darkness once again, like every day. After a moment of silence, she emerged from her futon, unwillingly. She hadn't thought about her mother in a while, she hadn't even met her mother in person before either. She died...

Tsukiko dragged herself over to the water basin, dunking a cloth into the cold liquid, before patting down her burning face. Directly in front of her was a mirror. Although dark, she could outline her face with little effort. But sometimes she saw her mother's image as her own.

Hollow eyes adorned with pale skin. Liquid pitch hair with thin lips, forever set in a stone line. Her face was gaunter, as compared to her daughter, yet her age was no more than a year or two older. They were alike more than what met the eye.

Yet, as Tsukiko stared at her reflection deeper, she remembered that the few things she actually knew about her mother were from visions.

She could sometimes see her mother collecting herbs. Sometimes she could her hear scream in the hallways, and sometimes her sobs in dark corners when no one was listening.

Tsukiko knew of a vile of a strong poison, it had been her mother's, grandmother's, and even great grandmother's possession. She remembered that, at one point, there was a time where she, herself, debated on taking the drug. But her mother's hand held her back, needing her to endure the pain that was her life. Her great grandmother's hand held her back, needing her to fulfill her unrequited love for a sick man.

Now, she wondered, if she held the small vile in her hand, once again, who's hand would be holding her back?

A knock on her screen door broke Tsukiko out of her stupor. She set the cold cloth down, back on the edge of the basin before moving to the door, cracking it open just enough to see who had been up at this hour.

"Sasuke?"

His brows transformed from flat to slightly creased, "You're not even dressed yet. Come, you're needed." It was unlike him to run such belittling tasks as to fetch someone like a dog, but he'd rather do it than have Kabuto or some other mistrusting individual to walk along side her.

"Right, just a moment please..." Her voice was as quiet as ever. Without much delay she closed the screen door, separating herself from him, once more. Leaving herself in the darkness.

It had been two days since the incident at night with the ghost butterflies and the sunset and the... kiss...

After, they both returned to the hideout, unnoticed by anyone. They hadn't acted differently towards one another, except for the tense silence that seemed to settle upon them when alone. No real conversation sprung up between them since then.

Tsukiko took a few breaths before deciding to get dressed as to not keep Sasuke waiting anymore. She pulled on her black yukata, over her white one before securing her sash. As to save time, she left her hair down, but quickly tangled out possible knots with a brush.

She wasn't hurrying for Orochimaru's sake, she wouldn't even stand for his wishes, but troubling Sasuke is another matter.

By the time Tsukiko reopened the door, Sasuke was in the middle of the aisle of shouji screens, looking up at the dead tree trunk that had overtaken the neighboring rooms.

"It's a wonder," she commented, closing the door and walking to his side, "that something could grow so great, only to die and leave a shell."

His eyes sharply looked at Tsukiko. She continued, "This tree used to be so grand and full of life, bearing great blossoms."

"What happened?"

Tsukiko looked at him, meeting his gaze. She realized this was the most that they have spoken since a few nights before. She only wished it was on a different subject.

"Orochimaru..."

There was no surprise in his eyes. Everything was always destroyed by something or someone, Orochimaru was just something that caused death wherever he set foot.

Another tense silence set between them. Orochimaru had succeeded in killing their conversation.

"Let's go."

Tsukiko complied, following him out of the lower dwellings. She stayed to his left, but once step behind his stride. Every fifth step, Sasuke's gaze would eye her form for a mere second before resuming forward.

She kept her eyes low, yet she felt every time his gaze set upon her.

They reached the door to Orochimaru's room too soon for either of them. Sasuke pushed the door opening without knocking. He stood, looking into the room. Tsukiko curiously poked her head from beside Sasuke, her eyes widened visibly.

Blood dripped down into a puddle. Each sound echoing through the room and into the halls.

"Tsukiko, right on time. He was about to die," Kabuto grew a smirk, "not that it would matter."

Sasuke glanced from Kabuto to Tsukiko, suspicion rising.

A man was being held up by two men under Orochimaru's command. Blood war running down his head, dripping from his nose and hands. He was breathing hard and barely clinging to life. Wounds marked every surface of his exposed body. He kneeled in his own blood.

"Tsukiko," Orochimaru spoke for the first time.

Sasuke heard Tsukiko finally take a breath. She walked past him, into the room and bowed slightly out of routine, not respect.

"Find out where he was hiding out before he was captured. He won't talk, even with 'persuasion.'"

Tsukiko looked at the man, her feet didn't want to move any closer to him. She knew his destiny; but that doesn't mean she liked it.

She forced herself in front of the man. Standing in his blood. Tsukiko's hand found his face and she moved to look at his face, beneath his hair. She brought his face up, blood ran down her hand. He spit a solution of blood and saliva at her. It hit her in the cheek, making her turn her face away and release his.

Sasuke caught himself from moving; but Kabuto noticed his struggle.

Tsukiko released a breath, hair masking her face. The scene seemed like a pause in time before she slowly turned back to the strong willed man. Not a hint of anger was in her eyes; instead, a calmness.

Gently she took hold of his face once more.

"Please," she whispered evenly, "don't make this harder on yourself than it has to be."

Everyone in the room watched with anticipation.

The man stared into Tsukiko's eyes, seemingly hypnotized by them. It was the calmest he has been since he first set eyes on 'these' men.

The man closed his eyes, as did Tsukiko. She moved closer to the man, his breathing evening out to match her rhythm.

Sasuke's eyes slightly widened as Tsukiko's lips made contact with the rouge man's temple. It didn't seem so much as a kiss than a transference, contact. But it didn't settle the ambers burning inside him, silently.

Tsukiko's mind broadened, extended out into the man's. No more struggle, no more fighting... She saw a cave, east of the hideout. A great mountain in the distance shadowed the small cave with a broken boulder in front. Deep inside a dark cave, a woman sat in on the cold ground. She held a bundle close to her heart, eyes wide. Clinging to her sleeve, a young boy with wide, dark eyes stared at the bundle as well, a newborn girl.

Tsukiko heard the mother whispering to the children, but the boy's hard expression showed no difference, it stayed hard and strong. He was like his father... She saw their eyes, dark and broken. They consumed her until she found herself breathing hard in the cold room once more, surrounded by 'humans.'

A dead man's head sat in her hands. Fresh blood nauseated her senses. She needed to get out...

"They're in a small cave, east of here. It's in the shadow of a large mountain."

Orochimaru nodded, then ordered a group of three men on a 'mission' to the mountain. Tsukiko dropped the man's head, letting it hang from the body like a doll. Her eyes seemed dead.

"Tsukiko," Orochimaru spoke, but she kept her gaze on the corpse. He repeated himself in a calm tone, but with an underlying meaning of the next one would not be so nice.

Slowly, he gaze moved to his, his lips curled upward. How he enjoyed her dead eyes.

"Dismissed..."

She stared a moment longer before walking out the door, a trail of red followed her footprints. Eyes followed her departure, into the dark halls before the door closed behind her.

"Excuse me, Orochimaru-Sama, but I should attend to Tsukiko," Kabuto took a low bow before taking his leave, opening up the dark halls once more. Without another breath, he – too – disappeared into the darkness.

Sasuke's eyes rested on the thick, oak door in which they disappeared into.

"Sasuke..." The elder called back his attention. He pulled his dark gaze back with an edge of annoyance.

"Sasuke, I warn you to not become attached to anything. It could result in... undesirable consequences..."

The teen crossed his arms with a glare, resolved to say nothing. "Instances have happened before, of a bond forming in this darkness. I assure you, Sasuke-Kun..."

Orochimaru's pupils shrank as he stared as Sasuke, "...for your own welfare, break the bond!"

There was a moment of tense silence, both staring at one another in contempt before an arrogant smirk played on Sasuke's lips. His head slightly tilted, he made no visible effort to mask the expression.

It seemed as if Orochimaru became tired of gazing at such an arrogant face, "Dismissed..."

Sasuke stayed, rooted, to his position for a moment longer, just to spite the Sannin. He glared a moment longer, before disappearing out into the dark hallways as well.

Tsukiko slumped up against a stone wall. The room in which she entered seemed to keep spinning around her. Her mind kept replaying that man's face, even with everything becoming vivid, that image was clear. She felt nauseated and the stale air did not help.

She clutched the wall, hoping for her breathing to calm. Someone entered the room, the person knelt in front of her pathetic figure. She heard a chuckle omit from Kabuto.

"You look so scared. I wonder what of?"

He moved to grasp her face, but she nudge his hand away, and in the process hit his face as well. Blood speared on his glasses. That man's blood was still on her hands...

Kabuto removed his glasses, tucking them away. His hand moved to her face once more, thing time a rougher action. His fingers would around her throat. His cold eyes stared at her.

The room around Tsukiko was no longer visible, just a blur of darkness. She closed her eyes, head dizzying.

Slowly, Kabuto lifted Tsukiko off the cold ground by her throat and raised her to the point where she couldn't touch the ground. His eyes were still hard, but also held an amusement and expectance to see her in pain.

With each gasp, his grip tightened. Her bloodied hands pried at his in a weak attempt to loosen it. Kabuto felt her pulse against his palm.

"Don't you dare hit me again." He released pressure on her neck for a mere second before pressing twice as much force as before. A chocking gage omitted from her lips. She shut her eyes tighter; feeling unconsciousness begin to greet her with such a welcoming smile.

'Die...'


Thank you for reading! I am very sorry for not updating in quite a while, but I am back! Special thank you to Princesa de la Luna, AustralianGypsy, and Darth Lelouch for reviewing. I hope to hear form more of you next time.

-Sin