Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did I'd be rich, ne?

Selene P.O.V.

Screaming echoed down the dim corridor mixing in with my own quick reverberating footsteps. I could only cringe at the sound. Kyouji-sama had not taken the news well. Though both I and Seth escaped the ordeal unscathed, the guards stationed at the entrance of his study did not…

Flashback

Walking in to headquarters was a momentous task in its self. My skin was coated in a fine layer of cold sweat and my breathing much too shallow to be considered normal. Curling my stiff fingers in to tight fists I felt the icy temperature of my hands. Risking a peek at my deathly silent partner I wasn't relived at the sight of him. Instead I felt even worse; his skin had lost its sun kissed glow and now had a dull pallor to it. His forehead was slightly creased in anxiety and there were faint stress induced lines around the grim set of his mouth. But his eyes…his eyes were the worst, gone was the subtle warmth that always emanated from them, it was now replaced with a cold dull look. I longed for his dark brown eyes to smolder like they frequently did when we teased each other but to no avail, they remained as cold and hard as the deep unforgiving winter earth.

Averting my gaze and sucking in a shaky breath I continued to place one foot in front of the other. I was scared, terrified of the fate that awaited me behind the closed mahogany door at the end of the hall. Never in my life had I felt this type of mind numbing, body freezing fear. Out of all the dangerous missions I ever went on, completed or failed none were as important as this one. Shutting my eyes; my steps faltered for a moment when my mind played back the images of a platoon of soldiers brutally slaughtered for their incompetency to watch the last two captives we had. Shaking my head I kept my eyes shut and continued forward, my body automatically knowing where to go seeing as how I've walked this path so many times in the past.

Coming to a stop I opened my eyes and flickered my eyes over the four men standing guard over the studies entrance. Dressed in black vests, dark grey pants and matching long sleeved shirt underneath they looked like any other ninja, except the only thing missing was a hidden village's hitai-ate to indicate their origin. Instead they wore a band of black cloth with a crimson sheen to it and a blank metal plate attached to the cloth. Kyouji-sama always liked the way black cloth looked soaked in blood, I guess the specially made cloth came as close to the real thing as possible without having to do battle.

Taking a deep calming breath I nodded to both pairs of the guards on each side of the door. They simultaneously gave a fraction of a nod to each other and gave me and Seth a half bow before silently opening the door for us.

Walking in to the well lit study we stood in front of the large maple desk. The room was light and airy looking, with light hard wood floors and bamboo colored walls. A large dark green rug sat in front of a small fire place which had a slowly dimming fire within and comfortable looking lounge chair near it. Off to the side of the fire place was a large book case that held numerous tomes, scrolls and volumes of books. Not a sign of clutter, stain or anything out of place. Behind the desk was a light leather brown chair and beyond that a large window that gave a view of the surrounding land. Though it was winter the land was starting to warm and the ice melt leaving newly blooming vegetation in its wake. The desk chair pivoted just a fraction to allow the mornings light to filter in and shed light on a lithe silhouette.

In the chair behind the desk sat the only dark thing in the room, as equally as pristine as his surroundings sat a tall, lean man garbed in fine clothing. Dressed in a dark blue button up shirt with black slacks kyouji-sama sat with his legs crossed and his face towards the landscape out the window. Taking note of his body's posture; crossed legs, slightly bent over, with one arm resting at his side while the other gently curved upwards toward his face to let his chin rest on his loosely fisted hand. I watched as two fingers on that hand gently touched his lips before dropping in to his lap. Righting his bent figure he turned to face us. He had been contemplating.

"Well." That was all that was uttered from the man in the chair. I flinched at the arctic tone of the words. His voice was deceptively smooth and silky and had hidden jagged pieces of ice that cut in to my body and mind.

I felt a lump form in my throat as my body begins to tremble. Steeling myself I tried to force myself to swallow whatever was blocking my vocal chords but found I couldn't make any saliva to swallow. My mouth had gone completely dry in fear. It seemed my partner was more collected than I was at the moment and answered.

"We couldn't locate the girl…" He said quietly with the slightest tremble in his voice. It frightened me to see my steadfast partner so unsettled.

"Really?" Kyouji-sama asked coolly, he lifted a slender eyebrow in question.

I was oddly drawn in to the small gesture, as if everything else was pushed aside for a small moment in time. It was then I realized why, the man before me was beautiful. Not in the way Seth was though. Whereas Seth was handsome with just a touch of femininity, fiery passion and dark sensuality meant to tease the senses and leave you wanting more, kyouji-sama was cold beauty, icy affection and cool disinterest that pushed away yet drew you in all the same. He had a slender delicate type of face, a straight nose, high cheek bones, a finely sculpted mouth and a lean body with broad shoulders. His eyes were a stormy blue grey color with all the warmth of a block of ice. His hair was cut short and a silvery color. The monochrome strands gave off a flawless gleam in the light of the window. And yet he was young, in his late twenties possibly, but despite all that he was frozen, a barren person with no warmth to give and unable to take warmth either. I got a distinct feeling of frost bite when I was near him…

Seth cleared his throat quietly, "Yes…it seems we were too late to track her." he said slowly.

"Hmm, is that all?" He leaned back in to his chair and raked frosty eyes over the both of us. I felt a trickle of my carefully controlled fear break free and race down my spine.

We said nothing unsure of what he wanted from us. Giving the smallest of sighs he said, "There's more isn't there?" He paused briefly, "What are you hiding from your master?" He gave an accusing frown.

I glanced at Seth and saw his body stiffen as if he had been physically struck but remained silent. Gathering what little courage I had, I pushed the words from my mouth with much difficulty as if trying to talk while asleep.

"There is more Kyouji-sama." I said carefully.

"And." His eyes narrowed the slightest bit but it was enough to make me choose my words very carefully for the next statement I voiced.

"It seems that along with the girl, another came with her." I said it slowly to let the reality sink in better and perhaps to let him adjust to the information without too much anger.

"I…see." His voice had dropped a few octaves and had gotten even frostier if that was possible. His expression betrayed not a flicker of emotion but I knew instinctively he was enraged and he was taking that rage and turning it towards something productive. Possibly the planning of mine and Seth's untimely demise.

I felt the rare prick of tears at the back of my eyes and rapidly blinked to keep them at bay. I was too proud to snivel and plead for my life; I glanced in my partner's direction. I felt glowing warmth replace the cold that was previously filling my chest; though I would not cry and beg for my own life…I was not above pleading for his.

Kyouji-sama stood up from his seat and walked around the desk towards the fire place, I flinched as he brushed a hairs breath by me. He walked to the hearth and gently picked up the fire poker placed against the wall and prodded the dying embers. We watched silently while he placed more logs on to the ashes and lit them until the logs had become a brilliant vermillion blaze. Once again he prodded the wood then stabbed the poker into a log; keeping my eyes warily on the rapidly heating metal I shifted my gaze to the man who had yet to give us punishment.

A small inhalation from him had me flinching and I stepped back a bit. He gently rolled his head then rested it on top of the arm on the fireplace. He said nothing and we stayed silent, the only sounds made were the crackling of the fire. Finally almost seeming as if it were an eternity he spoke.

"I've thought about what to do with the both of you." His voice was like frozen glass now, "It seems I can't come up with a punishment suitable enough for a failure as horrendous as this." He gently fingered the red hot poker that was getting hotter by the second.

He gave a mirthless laugh, "You'll live to see another day, but seeing as how you're worth twenty…"

"Twenty...?" Seth ventured.

"You're worth to me." He said it so possessively, like he owned our very beings but passively like we weren't worth the dirt beneath his feet. Stopping his absentminded caressing of the hot brand he turned to us.

"And what exactly are we worth?" I asked timidly afraid to hear the answer to that question.

"Why lives of course." He said it as if he were talking to a child, softly and filled with obviousness.

"Lives…" Did he mean human lives? Were we worth twenty human lives? If that's true, then what was he planning to do?

"Yes, lives. You, my dear and my handsome Seth are responsible for twenty human lives each. I've decided that in order for you to learn to never fail me again I've appraised you." He gave some twisted form of a smile that marred his beauty.

"What do you mean?" Seth's voice was hoarse.

"It's quite simple really, each time one of you fail me I will kill twenty people…weather they are man, woman or child it makes no difference to me. I'll kill anyone I come across."

Guilt and fear assaulted my senses. He wouldn't differentiate his kills? He would murder without a qualm? I wished for the courage to open my mouth to speak against this man, only to be reminded of the stains on my own soul. Had I not killed for this man? Did I not torture and use treachery and betrayal to further his achievements? Did I not feel nothing when I murdered for his sake? No, that wasn't right I did feel. Every life I took was another black stain on my already shadowed soul. When the nightmares of those kills kept me from the sleep I so desperately needed was it not Seth who held me through the night. I may have murdered for the gain of others and I knew absolutely that I would murder again, but now for not only mine and Seth's sake but for the lives of others would I kill. It seems I would have to make a choice between two evils. And choosing the lesser of the two at the price of my own soul seemed little price to pay.

"Leave me." Kyouji-sama dismissed us with a wave of his hand and turned to face the window. Perhaps we were forgiven for now and was giving our one and only warning.

Slowly backing out of the room we opened the door and stepped out into the dim corridor, keeping my eyes averted from the curious looks of the guards I started towards my chambers. I felt I vise like grip on my hand suddenly and nearly screamed out in horror. I had thought perhaps kyoui-sama changed his mind when I realized the grip on my hand though strong was very gentle almost cradling my smaller appendage. Seth's hand was cold as ice and slightly slick with cooling sweat. Intertwining my fingers with his I gave his hand a equally gentle squeeze before slipping back out of his hold and walking much more confidently down the hallway.

It wasn't long before the screaming started. I was mistaken Kyouji-sama had not forgiven us. He had made us believe he had only to make his vengeance on our mistake so much sweeter…

End Flash back

I choked back any sob that might have escaped my mouth and continued my trek to my room. Seth had parted ways with me soon after the tortured screaming began and had run for the nearest escape. Seth though insensitive and demeaning towards others at times did not possess the heartless outlook like many of the others here.

Perhaps the only people who could relate to me and Seth's insistence on compassion, affection and ties of companion ship were probably the only other three people in our group of misfits.

I had been taken in by Kyouji-sama at the age of three, I do not know where I come from nor who I came from, all I knew was my name. Kyouji-sama had said he found me abandoned in the woods and had always wanted a female child to raise. He already had three older sons the eldest being eight and the youngest five. Seth had come along two years later; though older than me by a year he hardly knew how to defend himself from the harsher aspects of this world. He knew nothing of the dangers of ninja and let alone bandits in the wilderness.

I had been wandering kyouji-sama's large estate one day when I happened to be able to sneak past the many guards and out in to the surrounding forest when I had felt a brief flash of…of something and a young boy had landed smack right on top of me. I thought at first he had fallen out of the tree but his clothes were immaculate, not a tear or sign of dirt anywhere. Though the clothes were some what strange they weren't that unfamiliar, I recognized a shirt and pants ensemble when I saw it but they were thinner and much more comfortable looking than any outfits my adopted brothers wore. The strange boy had called them a t-shirt and jeans. We had then introduced ourselves and found that we had become instant friends. We played all that day until Kyouji-sama himself had come looking for me, it was well into the night when he found us. Looking back I remembered how I had offered to see my new friend home only to find he did not know where it was. He said the last thing he remembered was kissing his mom good bye while she left with his dad out someplace and they left him with a new babysitter. I found this odd seeing as no mother would leave her child in the hands of a stranger when the realization dawned on me that he had been abandoned too, much like I was.

It angered me to this day that any parent would deliberately play with their child's emotions making them believe they were loved when in truth they were waiting for the opportune moment to discard them. It disgusted me, I could still hear six year old Seth's cries for a mother who could no longer hear them nor care enough to answer them.

Clenching my fists in directionless anger, I walked in to my lavish room to find a dirty blonde haired girl resting on my bed.

I smiled. "Violet."

The girl turned her face to me, like always I was ensnared in her amethyst gaze from which her name was possibly derived. She had medium length light brown hair that she always wore up in a style akin to grown up pigtails. And she had a childish, innocent kind of face, she reminded me of what I imagined a cherub would look like. But I knew she was anything but. Petite, fair skinned and thin with the curves of a woman she often used her womanly wiles to get what she wanted from men. Weather that be information or just a fun time out on the town, which was probably why she was great for seduction and assassination missions.

She gave a wan smile and patted the satin ceil colored covers of my canopy bed. My room was light colored with cream colored walls, thick midnight blue carpet and silk powder blue curtains covering the casement windows. A delicate white armoire stood in the corner of the room near the door and an equally elegant white desk was pushed up against the wall in the middle of the room. A silver three paneled mirror stood near the window with a small cream colored vanity next to it and next to the bed a deep blue settee sat.

Making my way over to the settee I plopped down and pulled my feet up underneath me waiting patiently for Violet to begin her tale.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I think you can guess…" I answered dully.

"Ah. That I can, I'm sorry." She gave me a sympathetic smile.

I shook my head, there was no way to prevent Kyouji-sama's killing rage and if had I tried to interfere that would have only made him more angry. Sighing, I turned to face my best and only female friend.

"Why are you here?"

Violet gave me a dubious look, "Well, you see Selene, when two people decide they are in love they choose to have something called se-"

"Not that you wierdo!" My face flamed from embarrassment at the topic.

"Oh? Then what else could you possibly mean?" She tilted her head on its side innocently.

"You do know what I mean!" I frowned, the blush fading from my cheeks.

"I do. But I like teasing you! It's so much fun to watch your face go from this," she made a very serious business like face, "to this!" She changed her expression into one of shock and humiliation. She burst out in laughter when my eye twitched with annoyance.

"Xan giving you the cold shoulder again, huh?" I smirked with satisfaction as her laughter cut off with a startled choke and she glared at me.

"Noooo…" she stated impetuously.

"Oh reeeally?" I smiled when it was her turn for her eye to twitch.

She jumped upright to stand on the bed and yelled, "I just don't understand that human Popsicle! Everything I've done to get his attention so far has failed me! I even went as far as showing up in a towel in the middle of the night at his bedroom door to "barrow" some body wash!" Her chest heaved in frustration and her sudden outburst.

I sweat dropped, "Um, perhaps your going about this the wrong way…"

"What wrong way?! He's a healthy, living, breathing, red-blooded male in the best time of his young life and he refuses to acknowledge me! Me! ME! For crying out loud! A healthy, young, beautiful, talented assassin! Strength and beauty combined! What is wrong with me?! Am I not pretty enough? Am I too strong? Does he like someone else?!" She fell face first on to the bed sulking.

"I'm sure he likes you…he just hasn't noticed it yet?" I guessed trying to reassure her.

She lifted her face to glower at me, "You don't know how I feel…you have Seth so how could you possibly understand!"

I nodded automatically, learning from long ago to agree with an emotionally frustrated Violet…Wait, wha? "What?! What about me and Seth!"

She lifted her face to give me a disbelieving look, "What do you mean what? It's obvious you two are made for each other."

My face flushed red again, "Nuh uh." I shook my head in denial.

"Chyeah right. You two'll end up together one way or another, just wait and see I'm never wrong about these kinds of things."

"Except when it comes to Xan." I deadpanned.

Violet face faulted off the bed in shock that I would say something so cruel. While she nursed a sore cheek and grumbled about men and their idiocy and couples to blind to see love in front of them I reminded myself that I would need to be even more careful with my actions around Seth and Violet…especially Violet.

Leaning back against the settee I unfurled my legs from underneath me and stretched them out along the length of it. "Violet?"

"Hmm?" She paused rubbing her cheek and climbed back on to the bed. "What's up?"

"Can I ask you a personal question?" I looked at her face for a reaction.

She frowned for a second before warily answering, "Depends on what kind of question it is."

"It's just; well I want to know why you like Xan in the first place? I mean why even bother liking him if he doesn't even acknowledge you or your feelings…"

"Well, that's easy. For one, he's the most beautiful man I've ever laid eyes on!"

Xan, short for Alexander was tall, lean and lithe like most ninjas were. He had long black hair with bangs that fell into his face and that came down to the backs of his thighs. He had a feminine yet masculine face all at once and was long and delicately limbed, lightly tanned and had a geisha's flawless grace. I know this man sounds like he plays for the other team especially since he brushes off all female advances but the way he fights and how he behaves leaves no doubt that he is indeed a straight "red-blooded" man. Sometimes he comes back from missions painted red and I doubt even the strongest of manly men could stomach half of the things he does for kyouji-sama. Plus there is the odd rumor of him being seen going into a brothel…I simply think his hermit like tendencies extend from his desire to train and become one of the best ninja's that ever existed and the pressure of being one of Kyouji-sama's best warriors.

"Secondly, he's the strongest, kindest, and most intelligent man I know. "She bit her lip, "Besides Seth of course…" She was afraid of offending me, I just waved her off letting her continue her rant, "And Thirdly, I just love him…" she gave a dreamy smile and sighed.

*sigh* Poor Violet, in love with a man who may never return her affection…"You've got it bad." I stated.

She just giggled, "You're one to talk!"

I face palmed myself.

Thank you Melody Kari Starlight for your review!

Okay, I want to address a few things. One, I apologize in advance if I made gay people seem weaker than straight men and I believe that strength is never based on romantic gender preference. It's just that my Character Xan seemed too feminine and I didn't want him coming across as gay. I would've re written his character but I liked him just the way he is. I'm sure as fellow authors and readers you can understand not wanting to destroy one of your characters that you put precious thought and time into. So, once again I apologize to anyone who might've been offended by that bit of my chapter.

Secondly, I know this chapter has no Kairi or Akatsuki in it but I promise you chapters like these are important to the plot. And I wanted to show a deeper depth to my antagonists, I wanted to give them layers…wow, that sounded like Shrek for a second there. Anyways, I didn't want them to seem like there only purpose was to __________ the ninja world. No, my villains will have their own agendas and back stories to develop them in to the characters I want them to be.

Lastly please review more I really love hearing your thoughts and opinions on this story! It motivates me to keep writing! Oh, and if you want to check out the cover art for this story just click the link in my profile!

So until next time! (^_^)