This one's pretty corny, but oh well, I'm inexperienced and the characters are in need of emotional development! On with the story!

Her dance was a maelstrom of madness.

Sasuke stood outside the village. It was an ancient looking village; desolate. The houses were all crude uncoloured wooden huts; roofs were either grass thatched or held down by stones. He stood stationary, dazed. It was dream like. The moon was full; his face was illuminated from the fire burning. The village was alight with vibrant amethyst flames. Yet silent; as if underwater, no noise penetrated Sasuke's ears; no heat touched his skin. He stood outside the village, mystified.

And there, with gentle motions of her arm, on her toes, striding gracefully; dancing about the houses. She was in a lose white under kimono, her skin like shifting beams of ivory light, her hair like ebony ribbons trailing behind her. Where her feet touched, the grass ignited; where her arms waved, fire sprang fourth.

And quietly, echoing in the silence came her voice. She was singing.
"Your time has come
Sweet crocus of autumn
When all is done
Only you shall remain
And you wait
Sweet crocus
You wait for the rains
And among all the carnage
You are all that remains
In the blackest of nights
In the forests
On the mountains
Sweet crocus
Now you've grown strong
And your time has come
Your love has been forgotten
Your hatred holds reign
And of you your poison
Is all that remains
From an innocents lost
From a lifetime of pain
When you've razed all before you
You alone shall remain."

The village was ablaze. Through the mist clouding his mind, Sasuke felt a tear fall from his eye.

She stood. She turned to him. Her dancing ceased.

With a pivot on her toes, she was running to him.

Sasuke was running to her.

Her arm outstretched, he threw out his own arm to her. He was smiling. He was crying.

She was close enough for him to see her eyes. Two golden disks under red. No whites; reds. The red rolled down her cheeks. Her smile was pained. Her lips moved, but he heard no words. He heard nothing.

The fingers of their outstretched arms touched; She closed her eyes, more red leaked. Her face held the most agonised expression; her smile was joyous.

Their fingers touched and they came no closer to each other. They ran into each other. When they touched Sasuke's finger instantly caught flame; his body suddenly engulfed by amethyst fire. When they touched she burst into petals. From her finger; then the rest of her, purple flower petals spiraled; she was blown away.

Sasuke screamed, he fell face forward to the ground, his body alight; the field; the village; the air; the sky alight. Purple.

Her words,

'I chose wrong.'

or perhaps even,

'Save me.'

WHAT DID SHE SAY!?

It hurt.

He screamed her name.

"Kirika!" Sasuke's eyes shot open. It was morning. He bolted upwards, clutching his chest. He was panting "Where am I...?"

"Ssshhh." A hand on his shoulder. "You're in the hospital."

Sasuke's head shot to the sound of her voice, Kirika was sitting next to the bed. His eyes were wide.

"Sorry. Did I startle you?" Kirika snapped her watch shut. Only when it stopped playing did Sasuke realise he was awake.

"It's nothing." He breathed.

She smiled and brushed a piece of hair from his forehead. "Liar. What did you dream of?"

Sasuke pushed away from her with lazy effort. He thought for a moment, the sensation of memorable dream bit at his mind, but he couldn't place it.

She rolled her eyes. "I came to comfort you, so don't pull away. You ought to be a little more appreciative, it's rude to keep a lady waiting."

"What does that mean?"

"You've been asleep for almost a week. Quite inconsiderate of you."

Sasuke stiffened. "What!?" His body was sore and he winced from the sudden motion.

"Don't worry," She admitted with a sigh, "With your ordeal, I'm surprised you're up so soon." She put a hand on his chest and pushed him, back into the bed. "Lay back down, you'll hurt yourself."

Sasuke gave her a look. "Were you here for the past week?"

"Of course not. I had to eat and bathe sometime." She lifted his hand up. "You can't expect me to spend every waking moment holding your hand." Sasuke suddenly realised she had his hand. His cheeks burned. Her eyes were alight with amusement. "Your welcome."

Sasuke tried to pull his hand away, but she gripped it firmly.

"Sasuke." He looked her in the face, she was completely serious. "I'm... sorry I wasn't there to help you in the forest. Really." She rubbed her own neck. "What happened to you, I wish you hadn't gone through it alone."

He was taken aback. He took a let out a slow breath and regained his composure, and made himself sneer. "What's with the personality change. Did you suffer brain damage or something?" He frowned and tensed, his own fingers drifted to the mark on his neck. "How are you here? How... do you know I have this?"

Intrigued, Kirika noted every flicker of his eyes, most certainly scanning irregulars, the twitches that might give away sudden lunges, escape routes. "You think I'd just die in the forest... or go uninformed. Surely, you know me better than that." Kirika let out a soft chuckle. "Proctors. Sakura. Your fight."

He was unimpressed and unconvinced.

"This isn't a trick. I'm real. Anko saved me."

"How?"

Kirika regarded him with calculating eyes.

"How was... how was she strong enough. That ninja... was on a whole other level."

"Ah, well. I was never his objective." She lowered her head. "The mark. It's horrible, I know. I understand how it feels." She gathered her hair over her left shoulder, there was a bandage patch taped to her neck. It came off with a rip in one quick motion. "That pain is... awful."

"No way..." Sasuke reached his hand out, he almost reached his hand out, nails digging into his own shoulder. "Kirika! Who the hell are you?"

She put one hand over his. "Do you see? Until you die you're stuck to me for good now. No one else can understand this pain that we've been through. Every scream, every body, every hurt... It's a reminder, you can never forget." Her grip on her own hair tightened. "Every time I see this mark on my neck, I remember..." She offered a smile. "And you will too."

Sasuke sucked in a shaky breath. "Okay," He rubbed his face with his palm. "Tell me how you got this. How long have you had it?"

"It was a long time ago. I was about four."

"That's insane. You're insane." Sasuke's eyes narrowed, palm flat over a mouth. "Let's say I believe you. How did you live? How did it happen?"

It took her a moment to think of it. With a brush her hair fell back over her shoulder. She gazed at Sasuke lazily. Blank eyes. "I grew up outside the village."

They paused for a few moments.

"...My father."

"What?"

She slouched with her forearms rested on her knees. How odd it was, seeing her sit in such a casual position. Kirika always sat up straight.

"My father did it too me. I lived with him until I was ten. Then I came here. When I was four he gave me a mission to hunt some... liabilities in a forest. I took care of almost all of them. The last one was absolutely vehement about escape. And so I slashed her neck with a scalple."

"...I don't follow."

"When I was four." She had a thoughtful look. "She was an older woman, maybe in her thirties and she had long dark hair. She wasn't particularly pretty, but you could tell she had been once. I think she thought I was escaping, too. Or maybe she thought I was lost. She grabbed me and started running. She told me everything would be alright. As she was running with me in her arms I slashed her throat. She was dead before she hit the ground. It's funny. She was my first kill," Kirika was musing now. "she told me her name, but hard as I try, I can't remember it. I have a bad habit of that." She sighed. "After that... my father commemorated me for a job well done. And then," She opened her arms in a mock curtsy. "and then this. No warning. But if you think about it, a warning may have been counter productive. When I fully recovered from the delirium I had a watch and a new tattoo."

"I don't understand. Your father gave it to you. Your father told you to hunt Liabilities? Enemy ninja? You told me your father was dead."

"That was an obvious lie." She looked at him critically. Piercingly. Imploring him to understand. Sasuke thought. He realised that she was being gentle with him...

"I don't understand. You don't think you could give me a bit more context?"

"Anything I say can and will be used against me." She sighed, thoughtfully. Thoughtfully; not at all ashamed, or even solemn.

Sasuke palmed his eyes, frustrated.

Kirika admitted. "The man who gave you your mark... he's my father."

"Wha-"

"He's an S-rank criminal, he fled the village with me when I was three, and sent me back when I was ten. That's all you need to know."

When he tried to speak again she pressed a finger to his lips. "Most ninja above us think they know the circumstanced surrounding him and myself. But they won't tell you anymore than I will, and what they do will tell you will be inaccurate. They like their rumors and gossip. You have a past, so you understand, right?" She took her hand away.

He shot her an inquisitive look. "I want answers, Kirika."

Kirika shot him a venomous look. "Why don't you describe the Uchiha clan slaughter?"

Sasuke balked.

"That's what I thought. Please... just leave it at that." She offered a gentler look, with not a trace of insincerity or cruelty. "Be patient with me. I'll be able to same more soon... I'm practically making a confession now, and doesn't that always come back to haunt me? I have a good thing going and I'd like to keep it that way."

Sasuke sighed "I get it."

"And this stays between us."

"Naturally."

"..."

"..."

"...Does that mean you were faking it in the forest? When you were trying to defend us."

"I... certainly didn't expect what happened."

"Does it bother you?"

"I was caught off guard, that's for sure. It doesn't help that I'm flagged and under surveillance now."

"By the village, you mean?"

"Who else?"

Sasuke's response was a short huffing breath of a laugh. "Well... he explains the snakes."

Kirika smiled.

"..."

"..."

"I'm in, Kirika."

She propped her elbow on the bed and rested her head on her hand. Her eyebrow raised. "Hmm?"

"I accept your deal." Sasuke's eyes were determined; fortified. "Lend me your power. Make me strong. Be the sword I drive through my brother's heart. And my eyes are yours." Sasuke held out his hand. "Your offer still stands, right?"

Excitement shone in Kirika's eyes. Yes, she wanted to dissect him. But her father had laid his claim... She wanted to dissect him, when was irrelevant. She'd do it after Orochimaru discarded him if she had too. She would have him. Kirika smiled. A sinister smile. "But of course." She took his hand. "Until the corpse of Itachi Uchiha lays at your feet, I am yours."

Kirika was the one to pull her hand away first, she pressed it to his chest and pushed him back to lay down. "But now you're weak. Rest. We have all the time in the world."

Sasuke laid back and nodded. "Kirika."

She sat back in her chair and waited for him to continue.

"Since we have time, Tell me more about your life outside the village."

She raised an eyebrow, but smiled. She pressed a finger to her lips. "It stays between us."

Sasuke smiled and scoffed. "Obviously."

She tapped a finger to her chin. "Let's see..."

Sasuke listened in silence. He glanced out the window, the sun was beginning to set.

"Hey, Kirika? Can I ask you something?"

"Ask away."

"Have you ever liked a boy?"

Kirika's eyes dripped with amusement. "Why do you ask? Oh let me guess; you want to confess your love to me, but you want to know if my heart belong to someone else? And that's why you agreed to my deal, too? Am I right?"

Sasuke scoffed and turned his head away. "Like that would ever happen. Never mind. forget it."

"I guess we're not counting Haku..." She chuckled. "Of course I've liked someone... I almost thought it was love. It wasn't, of course." She sighed. "I never confessed my feelings to him, though. It was dangerous. And he was never interested in me."

"That's too bad."

"No... We were kids, and it wasn't love. He was just the first boy my age to talk to me. Half the time I wanted him around, and the other half I hoped he'd just die." She glanced out the window, the sun was beginning to set. "It's getting late. You should try to sleep."

"Are you going home?"

"I'll stay for a while longer."

Sasuke closed his eyes. "Just don't leave until I fall asleep."

Kirika took out her pocket watch and clicked it open.

Sasuke opened his eyes lazily. "What was that flower, again?"

"An autumn crocus."

"Have you ever seen one?"

Kirika gazed through the window. "No."

"That's too bad."

She chuckled and Sasuke smiled. He relaxed, a smiling still pursed on his lips. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.