Chapter 14: The Dance

Shadow awoke several hours later to the familiar red walls of her room at Yura's house. How did I…?

Shadow thought in confusion. She sat up in bed and looked at the clock on her nightstand. Instead of seeing the digital numbers staring back at her, a white card stood. Shadow picked it up and opened it, then read in a semi messy scrawl:

Brat,
After burdening me with the task of saving your life, I brought you back home. Be grateful. By the way, this never happened. Got it?
Sasori
P.S Thought you might need this tonight. Don't forget it.

Shadow rolled her eyes, which then widened when a familiar green and black dragonfly hair pin with chopsticks fell from the back of the note. That… That bastard! So he had it the whole time?! Why I ought a… She looked at the clock on her bed side table which read: 6:30 P.M? Uh-oh... The dance! I need to get down stairs pronto!

Shadow then jumped out of bed, shoved on her green and gold kimono, quickly brushed her hair into a presentable hairstyle, thrust on the hair accessories, black lens, and geta on her feet, then rushed down the stairs and out the door of the house. She grabbed her large paper fan to carry behind her and as she turned to slide the door shut when a tan hand appeared and stopped her. A young, unmistakably tan man grinned at Shadow.

"Ah, Miss Yumi, are you leaving for the party?" It was Li, and he was wearing a large golden hakama that was loosely tied by a black obi. He too, wore geta with gold bands. He flashed his perfectly white teeth at Shadow and asked, "May I accompany you?"

"Oh, yes. You may." Shadow said, back to the mimicked voice of an innocent girl.

They walked silently together, walking down the crowded street towards the main hall. The main hall was a large building with marble columns outside and was normally rented for parties and ceremonies. It had a high ceiling and was a large circular room with small coat rooms leading from the side.

A large chandelier hung from the ceiling, lighting every inch of the room, and people were found all over chattering enthusiastically and eating cake or soba. When they got in Shadow was overwhelmed by the vibrations given off by every person, and a small headache was forming in the back of her head.

She felt a tug on her sleeve and saw Li ahead of her, who had motioned for her to follow him. Shadow pushed and shoved as she made her way to follow the practically shining head of Li. She swore it was like a disco ball.

When Shadow finally reached him she was panting, and Li leaned on the frame of a doorway leading outside into an orchard. He extended his hand to her, and she took it, allowing him to pull her gently outside through the trail of sakura trees. Sakura petals were floating all over, and gentle glows from small candles lit the pathway. Shadow was amazed by the beauty of everything. A full moon peeked from behind a marble wall, and glinted off a small pond with koi fish swimming happily around in circles, almost as if they were chasing each other and playing some sort of game. Sakura petals floated gently on the water's surface, and high grasses grew on the banks of the pond.

Li led her to the bench that sat near the pond and they sat together quietly, watching the fish swim quietly.

"It's beautiful." Shadow said in awe. "I'm surprised I didn't come here before."

"Well, you probably wouldn't be allowed permission in here anyways, since this is only allowed for people who've paid for admission." Li laughed. "I brought you so you could see the beauty. Since this will probably be your last night…" He trailed off, staring off into the sky.

"Huh? Excuse me? What are you talking about? My last night…?"

"Oh well you see-"

Li was interrupted when a shrill shriek of joy erupted behind them; the two stood up and turned around to see Lillian and Sasori, who were walking towards them. "Yumi-Chan!" Lillian cried happily. "I didn't know you would be here!"

"Ah, Lillian-san, Sasori-San... Hello. What are you two doing here?"

"We're here because we were invited silly!"

"Cousin Lillian!" Li said happily "It's so good to see you! I haven't spoken to you in ages! So I see you've met the lovely Miss Yumi?"

"Oh yes, we've met. Actually, Sasori-san introduced us at your mother's hot springs." Lillian smiled. Shadow saw that she too was wearing an elegant kimono with sakura print but despite the elegance it was very thin and the shape of underclothes could be seen. From what she could also see in the flickering light of the candle, she was carrying a matching pink and gold umbrella, but unlike Shadow Lillian had kept her hair down and had tied it carelessly, in a loose ponytail that reached to about her hips.

She looked to her side and in surprise saw that Sasori too was wearing a very big hakama, one that almost seemed too big for him, but none the less covered. It was neat, but at one glance one could tell that Sasori hadn't taken his time to prepare it. He stood with an air of arrogance, as if the world was beneath him, and Shadow was feeling the need strangled him, and wipe that smug smirk right off his annoying face.

"Oh really? I see." Faint music could be heard being played inside and Li took Shadow's hand and asked, "Why don't we go inside and dance? It'll be fun."

Without Shadow's consent he began to lead her back inside, and the other two followed, Lillian chattering happily.

Inside swift, upbeat music was playing and couples were dancing happily. People laughed and sang and danced along to the music having a grand old time without a care in the world. Nothing could hurt them at that moment, and nothing could dampen their moods.

After what seemed a life time of dancing with Li, Shadow had been able to escape his clutches by lying and telling him that she had to use the ladies' room. Instead, once Li was out of sight Shadow wandered around the edges of the enormous room. She counted the huge windows lining the ceiling; the portraits of rich sponsors, how many ladies wore kimonos with print, anything that kept her preoccupied from joining "His-Royal-Haughtiness" as Shadow's inner side put it.

Just as Shadow was wondering what to count next, she passed a coat room and just barely got passed it when a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her inside.

"What the-!" A hand covered her mouth and a voice whispered in her ear,

"Shh! Be quiet!" a light overhead was turned on and the hand let go of Shadow's mouth. She turned to see Sasori.

"Yes, Your Majesty? What is it you wish?" she asked sarcastically.

"I was able to get some extra information out of Lillian, and it turns out that her family had been holding onto some important scrolls. While she was away I was able to read a few, and it turns out that they've figured out a jutsu that can bring back the dead for a short period of time. An apparition of the dead soul."

"Interesting." Shadow said, though in reality, she wasn't interested with eternal life. All her life all she ever wanted to do was rest in peace for eternity. It was obvious that Sasori wanted the opposite, because to him eternal life meant eternal beauty. Life was short, but with something like these jutsus mixed with his own, shinobi would be able to expand it and with special care, live for an eternity.

"You seem uninterested. Wouldn't you like to live forever?" Sasori asked interested.

"I am. Uninterested, that is. Life is full of horrors, too many for one to handle. And that's just in a lifetime, with an extended life, it would only bring more."

"But with an extended life, things could change, even when you're on the brink of death, you'll be able to escape it. And that's the beauty of it." Sasori argued.

"You can't escape the inevitable." Shadow said monotonously.

Suddenly the door was flung open, and Shadow and Sasori came crashing out.

"Eh? Yumi-chan? Sasori-san? What are you two doing?" Lillian asked, her sickly sweet voice high and almost timid.

"Oh w-well you see-" Shadow began nervously, blushing because she had been caught. In a closet. With Sasori.

"Nothing really, just talking," Sasori said coolly, brushing off dust.

"Well, I need to speak with Yumi-chan." Lillian said, pulling Shadow to her feet and guiding her through the crowd. They stood in the line for refreshments, holding small china cups of tea, Shadow waited for Lillian's nasty speech of how she should stay away.

"And what were you two do-"

"We were talking. Just as Sasori said." Shadow said in a flat voice.

"And? Do you really think I'll be naïve enough just to take that? I mean, come on, a young woman with a guy in a closet for gods' sake." Lillian said.

Shadow began to giggle uncontrollably when she realized something. Silent peals of laughter turned to loud laughing that began to attract many peoples' attention.

"What's so funny?" Lillian asked suspiciously.

Shadow calmed herself down a little when she said, "Is… It me… Or am I beginning to sense something nasty arising from the lovely Lillian-chan?"

"Like what?"

"I'm beginning to suspect…"

"Yes?"

"That you're jealous. But honestly there's nothing to be jealous-"

Gasps emanated from the crowd when they heard the sick sound of a slap of skin from the refreshment table. They all turned to see Shadow and Lillian standing together in dramatic silence. Shadow's face was turned to the right, looking somewhat amused at the crowd, her left cheek stinging bitterly. She smiled as she felt anger rise from Lillian.

"How dare you accuse me of such a thing." Lillian said in a low voice. It was thick with anger and a deep resentment.

Shadow laughed out loud, unafraid to hide the self-satisfaction in her voice she said, "I believe you just proved it yourself."

She looked at Lillian with mockery and Lillian raised her hand again to slap her, when cold water splashed upon her head. Everyone looked to see that a young man with red hair had poured a cold pitcher of water on the young lady's head. Lemon wedges sopped onto her hair and Shadow couldn't hold back a laugh when she saw Sasori calmly placing the empty pitcher on the table, and inspected his nails.

"S-Sasori-san." Lillian said, awestruck at his behavior.

"It seemed you needed to cool down." He said sarcastically, a self-satisfied smirk gracing his lips.

"B-but, why?" Lillian asked, small tears bubbling in the corners of her eyes.

"My dear," he said calmly, standing above her and tucking in a wet strand of purple hair behind her ears then wiping tears away. "I'm afraid you are no longer in need of my services, no one is out to harm you, it's more like my partner is the one in need of a body guard." He laughed, and Lillian slapped his hand away as she ran through the crowd. Her kimono was soaked at the top, and because it was so thin it was almost see through.

Sasori smiled charmingly at the crowd as he said coolly, "You may continue through the activities ladies and gentleman, I believe it's all over." He held out a hand to Shadow, taking hers without an answer, and began to pull her through the crowd to the door.

The crowd went back to a steady murmur, then grew into the happy chatters again as Shadow and Sasori walked down the cobblestone road towards Shadow's temporary home.

The two were silent for a long way down the road until Sasori asked, "Are you okay? It sounded like she hit you pretty hard."

"I'm fine. I'm more worried for Lillian than myself, I don't mind if I'm looked down upon in this stupid village, unlike her…"

Sasori laughed and they walked in a comfortable silence until they reached the doors of the client's home.

"Sasori, why did you-"

"Because I felt like it." Sasori interrupted, shrugging his shoulders carelessly. In the soft glow of light shining through the paper folds of the window in the house, Shadow could see Sasori smiling faintly.

"Well, I believe I'll take my leave now." Shadow said warily, looking towards the house to see if Yura were spying on them. She hadn't gone to the dance like everyone else because she hadn't been feeling well, though Shadow suspected it was because she wanted to leave her alone with Li.

Shadow began to break away when Sasori held her back. She looked up as Sasori who cupped her chin and turned her face to look at the cheek that had been slapped. It still stung, but not as badly as it had before. He leaned down and gently placed smooth lips on it, as if he could heal it instantly. Shadow blushed as he patted her shoulder silently, and began to walk down the road again.

The doors of the house slid open, revealing Yura as she said, "Oh, Yumi-chan! Where's Li?"

"He's back at-"

"Oh my goodness! My dear, what happened to your cheek? There's a giant welt!"

"Oh, um, well-"

"Come on in dear, I'll put some ointment on it." Yura dragged Shadow into the house and began to talk nonstop as she smeared on greenish oil onto Shadow's left cheek.

But Shadow didn't hear a word of it, because her mind was still thinking about how Sasori had said good-bye. Her heart fluttered with something unusual, something Shadow hadn't felt in a long time.

Shadow was in love.

The faint sounds of a little girl singing out the tune of a song came to Shadow's ears echoing and bouncing off the walls that suddenly surrounded her. She stood up, curious.

"That song…" She murmured to herself. "It's so… Familiar…"

She stood alone in a dark hallway; there was no light at all. Shadow reached to her side and felt the cold smoothness of a wall. It was damp, and the passage smelled musty, almost as if it were over hundreds of years old. But something inside the kunoichi told her that it wasn't any older than a few years.

She walked forward, as she trailed her hand along the wall, unknowing of where it leads. She heard the haunting song again, this time closer, and up ahead she could see the faint flickering of a flame inside a room with its door only half open. The strong smell of cleaning supplies and chlorine reached her nose, and with the other hand Shadow pinched it, for it was overbearing.

When she got to the oak door she hesitated, listening again to the hauntingly familiar song. Each la was sung at higher note, and then started over again. The second time through near the end it got lower and ended with almost a despairing note. Even without words, Shadow could feel the overwhelming sadness of the singer. It was depressing, and Shadow's heart ached.

She reached out and pushed the door open. From inside the doorway, she saw a young girl sitting in a corner, her back turned, and she was drawing on the walls with what looked eerily like blood. Without a face Shadow couldn't understand who it was, but she felt a familiarity with the young girl. There was a chain locked around her right ankle, chaining her to the wall across the room, and the girl wore nothing but tattered rags that barley covered her pale back. Her skin looked clammy and irritated, and there were cuts all over her back as if she had been whipped senselessly and mercilessly. She was sitting in seiza, the traditional form of sitting in Japan, and her feet supported her bottom were covered in grime and blisters. Her black hair was oily and had a ragged look to it, as if someone had cut it clean through without care.

Shadow looked up at the wall to see what the girl was drawing, hearing the melancholic notes exit from her mouth again.

What she saw disturbed her and Shadow thought she was about to be sick. The blood was part of the problem, because it dripped and slid slowly to the ground, staining the washed walls but it was of who it was that really disturbed her.

A picture of a woman with striking red eyes and slits for pupils was forming in the picture that was currently being worked on. Along the other walls were the same pictures and the words, "Who is she?" was written, also with blood. There were other pictures as well, pictures of a young man, another young woman, and a woman that Shadow could just barely make out as her mother. Nearer to the top there was a picture of a girl with a sword being thrust into her stomach, blood was illustrated to be spurting out and something was drawn on the sword, making it look as if it were coated in poison. How morbid. Shadow thought, clutching her heart, who is she?!

She took a few steps closer to the small, fragile looking body, and reached her hand out. Almost afraid of what she would see. She placed the hand on the girl's shoulder and held it there hesitatingly. The girl did nothing, and continued on as if she felt nothing.

"Gomi," came a deep voice behind them. Shadow whipped around to see a tall man with rich red and black robes standing in the door way. Gold piercing eyes gazed at the small girl in disgust and Shadow's eyes widened as she recognized him.

Ryumaru. That bastard. Now I remember, that's the name he always called me when Mother wasn't around. Trash. That's what he meant. The girl stopped drawing on the wall and Shadow could feel hate emanate from the small body. Hate flowed throughout the entire room, and Shadow was afraid that the room would burst from containing so much hatred.

"Yes, Father." The girl said, her voice was weak and sounded cracked, but defiance hung on every syllable.

"Stand up girl." The man commanded, his hand were hidden in his large sleeves, and Shadow shuddered, remembering the pain he had done to her. "And stand against the wall."

It all makes sense now. Shadow thought bitterly. I'm seeing myself as a little girl and dear old "papa" is here to slap some "sense" into me. That bastard. Shadow cringed, unconsciously rubbing her arms, remembering how she had tried hard to heal herself, but the damage was already past help. It had taken years for her to get a rid of all the scars visible, and she still hosted many of them on her back. Thankfully though, Sakura was a stronger healer and was able to finish the job.

"No." Came the defiant reply. Hatred filled the room, and it was mixed with sadness and pain and despair as well. "I am not your puppet."

"Excuse me?"

"I said, I am not your puppet. And I never shall be. Soon I will become strong enough and take you down. You lowlife scum." The younger Shadow spit at the man's feet and her eyes mocked him, anger and rebelliousness taking over her entire form.

Ryumaru was silent, then slowly advanced to her. At this Shadow stepped between them and held her arms out wide, as if protecting her younger self.

"Stay back." She hissed.

But Ryumaru walked through her as if she weren't there and Shadow's heart leapt with fear as she heard the sickening sounds of skin being slapped and beaten up. Shadow turned and felt helpless as she felt her younger self's pain of being whipped. The rebellious feeling had faded away and was replaced with fear as she felt the stinging pains of a chakra whip slashing her. Anger was strengthening and the present Shadow shut her eyes tightly and covered her ears.

"Stop." She said weakly, as if just by saying it, the torment would cease. "Stop it!" she said again, this time louder. She snapped her eyes open, feeling the hate consume her, as she shouted with rage, "STOP IT."

She threw the covers off her and sat up quickly, a cold sweat pouring down her forehead. Shadow looked around in confusion when she saw a dark room around her. She looked out the window to see a quarter moon pouring its silvery light into the room.

Just… A dream… She thought, relief filling her. It's no longer like that anymore. Because if that... That bastard! Ever comes near me, I'll kill him. Yes. I'm stronger now… Stronger than before… She reassured herself, taking deep breaths to calm her beating heart.

The echoing of Shadow's younger self singing brokenly seemed to be bouncing in her ears. She took another deep breath, and in a shaky voice she repeated the song, finishing the second part. Replacing the la's with something like ha, the song truly made a depressing impact on the silent room. As if answering her, the song continued to play in her mind.

Edited: August 7, 2012