"Touch her again and it will be the last thing you ever do."
Cautiously Masayu opens her eyes to see Sasuke standing behind him, kunai located on the jugular. "I'm not playing Kabuto. Just give me an excuse. I've been waiting for one"
Kabuto lets a low chuckle escape his lips as he raises his hands and backs away from Masayu slowly. As the jutsu was released she fell to her knees, panting as she tried to catch her breath, heart almost beating through her chest. Unchecked tears roll down her cheeks as she tried to wipe them with the back of her hand.
"I never thought you cared. I was only going to have some fun..." Kabuto now back against a wall himself turned to Sasuke and smirked. Sasuke in return lowers his weapon and waves his hand dismissively." I don't care about her, I care about the mission and I care about getting my revenge. She's just a pawn I need to get there."
While there was no love lost between the two of them, hearing herself being reduced to a pawn hit a nerve. She never asked for any of this, the power, the threats, none of it. All she wanted was to make herself useful, serve her village and make up for her families mistakes . Suddenly it all became too much and the tears increased until they were uncontrollable sobs, shaking her chest and convulsing her entire body. She felt eyes on her and knew how weak she looked but now there was no need to care. Not even her abilities could save her, she can't find her way out and danger seems to be around every bend. Cold, vulnerable and alone she brings her knees to her chest and hugs them, trying to be as small as possible. There was no escape.
'No' a voice from within cries. 'You can make things difficult for them. If they succeed then it could spell the end of the world. Don't let them win.'
She relaxes the grip on her knees and tries to regain some composure when she feels someone touch her shoulder. Then the world went dark.
The gentle flicker of light flickered through her closed eyes, she could feel a breeze on her skin and felt thankful for it. Her skin prickled all over, and somewhere she thought she could hear someone calling her name. She could imagine the sun piercing the curtains as the sun rose over her village. Could hear her friends calling her to come out and train... Slowly her eyes open to see the flickering torch by her bedside. Sitting upright she was still trapped down here. The room was smaller than the others she had seen, with a few commodities scattered around – a dressing table, drawers and a mirror namely. It was the first indication she had seen that someone has been living down here. Looking around there was no-one there, the single torch lit the entire room and she could see on a chair near the bed a pile of folded clothes. A sudden fear hit her and she checked under the covers – no it was ok. She was still in the clothes she had been taken in, but they were now charred and tattered from the battles so far. She cautiously placed her feet on the floor beside the bed and when she was sure no-one was there she walked to the dressing table. There sat a brush and some cloths and soap to freshen up, the clothes were a simple black robe that fastened round the waist and a black band for her hair. "I'm not here to impress anyone" she muttered as she turned away from the items only to catch her reflection in the mirror. Her auburn hair was matted and her cheeks tear-stained. Her face was gaunt and her eyes dull. All this in a day? Or was it? How long had she been asleep? Who put her to sleep? So many questions. She looked to the far end of the room and saw a tub, steam rising softly from it. She smirked to herself. No matter how bad the situation, a warm bath always seems to be the answer – even in the middle of what feels like hell. Checking one last time that no-one else was in the room the wandered over to the tub, discarded her tattered clothes and slipped into the warm water, letting the liquid flood her body and eventually her face as she let herself be entirely submerged.
Once she had dressed and brushed her hair she looked in the mirror again. It was a different person staring back. The back offsetting her pale skin, her hair plaited and hanging over one shoulder, the robe hanging from her hips and coming open slightly at the thigh. It seemed to suit the sombre atmosphere here, and the sadness in her heart. Not knowing how long she had been staring a knock at the door brought her back to reality. "Excuse me Ms Choumi, I have been ordered to escort you to the dining hall." She turned and saw a ninja dressed in black standing in the entrance to her room, head bowed. "I'm not going anywhere and I'm certainly not in the mood to eat." The ninja didn't even flinch "I've also been advised to tell you that you will be dining alone. Under orders of Lord Orochimaru no-one is to disturb you." She stood, determined not to become a part of this game but her growling stomach was becoming hard to argue with, and she would need her strength if she was to find a way out of here. "Fine." She said and followed him down the corridor, taking note of anything recognisable on the way.
The hall was just that, a room only slightly smaller than the one she had first been in, torches illuminating the walls and filtering to the middle. In the centre of the room a table was laid out with just one space, a spread of noodles, rice and pork looked tantalising and a container in the centre of the table containing a red liquid. Unable to hold herself back she sped over to the table and gorged on the offering. Once her appetite was sated she sat back in the chair and took stock of all that had happened. The battle at the village seemed an age ago, then again everything prior to being down here seemed like another lifetime. How long had it been? The sad reality was that since she had awoken she already felt more accustomed to life in the darkness.
The sound of someone entering the room broke her train of thought, she turned to see her kidnapper entering the room. She jumped to her feet and turned to face the door ready to defend herself. "I'm glad to see you're awake. Sorry for putting you to sleep, it was the only way to calm you down. You feeling better?" She stood, speechless at this sign of warmth from the previously ice cold persona. Sasuke was moving towards her, slowly and cautiously so as not to startle her hands out by his sides in a position of submissiveness. "And the clothes fit, that's good. You look, err, lovely by the way." He shrugged his shoulders at this last statement, almost as if unsure this was the right thing to say. He actually looked more uncomfortable than she did. Still moving toward her she was rooted to the spot. Transfixed by this change of character, his softer side making him more endearing, almost caring. He was now practically in front of her, hands by his side, gaze fixed solidly on hers. She could see his sharingan clearly for the first time now, it was almost hypnotic and she could feel her guard slipping. His dark hair falling over his face, his eyes filled with hurt and despair, his lips soft and welcoming. He slowly moved his hands to take hold of hers and she felt a shot of electricity pass between them, so strong it caused her lips to soften and part slightly. All she could imagine was the feeling of his lips on hers. The feeling almost driving her crazy. She closed her eyes slowly and felt her body move towards him against her will...
Opening her eyes she could see the torch lighting the room. She sat up in her bed and looked around. The dresser with the brush, the clothes on the chair - they were all there. She looked to the corner of the room and saw the warm bath as before. Then there was a knock at the door. ""Excuse me Ms Choumi, I have been ordered to escort you to the dining hall." She looked up to see a ninja dressed in black standing in the entrance to her room, head bowed.