Lost. Both within the world and her mind. For many years now all she had known was the world of darkness. Not knowing who she was, or where she was from, Fukuko moved on with her life - trying to look upon the bright sides despite her continuous bad luck. But now her life has changed into a new direction. Would this be for the better? Or would it change her completely into yet another person she'd never know?

So… that's how it had happened… I could barely remember the strong aroma of smoke when I finally awakened. Heat was burned itself onto my skin and the hungry animals that had scented my blood was moving in around me. I was too weak move, or even scream for help… But I could remember the first time I realised I had fallen into that permanent darkness.

My eyes were burning with intense pain when tears trailed down my cheeks. I didn't know how long I had been unconscious for, but when I felt that warm hand resting upon my forehead and that hoarse voice whisper to me, the relief and joy of being saved was incredible. They had picked me up, or rather summoned a creature with rather slimy skin, and carried me to safety.

To this day, I couldn't tell you who it was that saved me from being devoured alive. With numbed senses and pure blindness, I had very little clues. It was a male… He asked me repeatedly on why I was there, and who I was, and I told him… I didn't know. He offered to take me to a brilliant medical ninja he knew, an old friend of his, who might be able to help. But I refused…

Why? Because it felt like a huge burden had been lifted from my shoulders. Just then, I didn't want to know who I was or what I had done. After all, would you if you find yourself in a pool of your own blood while in the middle of nowhere? I was almost free in a way, the offer that I couldn't refuse. That's when my days as a free rogue begun. And how I missed it…

I pulled my legs closer to my chest, my arms wrapped securely around. Though I was still within my dress from the festival, I knew that wherever I was now, it would have been just as pitch dark as my sight. There was no warm flicker of a torch tickling my skin, nor the strange smell of incense that sometimes came with it. With my memory now complete, I knew exactly where I was.

It was the same as the last time I had been here. There were faint groans and heavy wheezing from the other prisoners, as when my hand had dared to drop to the ground. So many textures and smells were mixing up my working senses. The ground felt damp, and there was a faint sound of squeaking from the corner. Yet it wasn't moss or even rats that I could smell, but something so strong and vile that I doubled over.

My stomach knotted painfully causing the bitter taste of vomit to climb along my oesophagus. I tried to hold it in by covering my mouth, but the realization of what was creating the foul aroma emptied my stomach fluids all over the ground in front of me. It wasn't stone I had felt, and it was Death that I could smell….

Rotten corpses laid alongside me within the dungeon cage.

I couldn't bare to think what would happen to the rats once they grew tired of eating decaying flesh. I had no weapons upon me for defence and even the headband that hid my blind eyes from the world was missing.

Tears ran freely down my cheeks. Why could I remember all these horrible happenings in my past and yet the ninja within me still wouldn't rise up in my time of need? I didn't need to ask myself…. Since that tragic event any hope and longing I had in the shinobi world had died.

I shuffled away from the squeaks till I found a corner to huddle in. The side of my face rested against the cool metal bars of my prison, my hands wrapped around them. I truly was the 'Lucky Child'. I had never known anyone to have such bad luck as I did. Was this where I was to spend the last days of my life? Trapped in a world of darkness with torturing around me till I'd finally snap into insanity? Was this how Hina had felt…?

"Hina…"

My head lifted from the bars. I listened out for the coughing and wheezing around me. I wasn't the only living soul here. Maybe…. I knew it sounded crazy, but if there was even a slightest chance…. It would make all this trouble worth it.

Soft breathing was forming behind me. I shifted on the spot, trying to use my hands to see once more. They barely fitted through the gaps in the bars, but my fingers just brushed against something. Something prickly, and rather itchy.

"Hina…." I whispered softly, trying not to alert any guards that may be around. "Do you know Hina…?"

The cloth beneath my fingers pulled away sharply. The deep voice of a male merely grunted back at me. I wondered just how dark it must have been for a male not to notice a young maiden like me in a dress! Would have been a foolish thought to believe courteous behaviour could even exist in Hell.

"Please." I tried again, my voice cracked with the strained emotions. "Please, he's my brother. I need to know what happened to him."

This was one of those rare moments where I would have given anything to have my sight back. I needed to know what reaction the man was given, whether he was ignoring me or thinking something over. He was too quiet, a heart-breaking quiet. Especially when he used a sly tone to reply back that sent shivers down my spine.

"Your brother…?"

I nodded. The fragment reply was only thickening the tension of panic for there was no tense word to let me know if he was still alive or not. My voice was choked from it all, barely any sound getting through except a faint broken whine that was meant to be a plead.

"Hina… The name rings a bell."

Hope. Faint, but it was there with a leap of my sore heart. He knew my brother! There was a chance! In that fleeting moment I was almost too excited to realise that it could be bad news that I would hear. "Tell me! Tell me everything!" I yelled out, forgetting about any guards nearby.

"Come closer and I'll tell you." The man wheezed. "I'll whisper into your pretty ear."

Obeying, I leant closer so my forehead was against the bars. I could smell his breath, and immediately wanted to pull back. How long must he have been locked up for his hygiene to hit rock bottom? I almost felt pity for him until -

My eyes shot open and my hands banged against the bars as I tried to pull myself free out of his hold. He had got his hands through the bars and clutched the back of my head with his thin bony fingers. His lips had smashed themselves upon mine and I could feel his dry tongue trying to claim my mouth.

I squealed and fought back till I broke free. I could hear his laughter as I dragged myself away while wiping my mouth with the back of the dress's sleeve. The scar across my eyes was bleeding from the sudden shock of my eyes movement, and the metallic taste was trailing into the corner of my mouth. I felt sickened again as I fell back into one of the corpses.

Hina must have died that night. There was no chance anyone could have survived down here…. But would luck finally come back to me and help me out once more? I doubt it…. Those previous escapes were nothing more than chances I had dared to take. But the last chance I took to escape this place left me with no memory or sight…. What would it take from me if I dared to try again?

…. It was unlike me to think like that. Hadn't I, only a few moments ago, been thinking how lucky I was and felt so happy it now felt like a dream? How quickly life can change…

The sliding of metal got me to tilt my head back up. Footsteps were coming from the exit and steadily approaching closer and closer. The man in the cell next to me fell silent, and I immediately shrunk back amongst the corpses and rats. I didn't want to be taken out of here…. I had learnt too well of the horrors that took place else where.

But once more luck just wasn't with me. My heart was racing faster and my hands were growing sweaty from nerves as I heard the footsteps pause outside my cell. I prayed I had taken shelter in the darkest part of the cell. The cell's lock was opened….

Without thinking I tried towards the corpses. The rats' fur was brushing against my arms and their teeth were biting at me but I continued to toss them aside to reach their meal. Squelch. That was the only word I could use to describe the remaining meat upon the bone that I picked up. Sharply, I turned and held the bone up in a defence pose.

"I see you're awake."

I blinked and clung tighter to the bone. That voice…. How it made me freeze. I couldn't think straight, and right then, I didn't want to. I glared as darkly as I could manage, trying to control myself. "Come near me and I'll bash out your brains." My voice had never sounded more… icy before.

"Come now. We need your information."

"… My information?" I could have laughed at him. How stupid, how truly foolish. "What's the matter? Little bit rusty?" In my mind, I could see him smiling. But it wasn't the smile that was from happiness…. I tried to back away when I heard him step closer. "Don't move!" I yelled, holding the bone closer to myself. "If you do then…. Then…. I'd bash out my own brains!"

He must have called my bluff, for I only heard a small chuckle. But I was stubborn. I had lived without my memory before, who was to say that I couldn't do it again? I tried to maintain a serious expression despite my growing fear.

"I mean it." I said with the panic growing with every step closer he got. "I'll forget everything again! I'll bash out my brains, I'll bash my head against the wall, I'll… I'll…." The words were lost as I felt his breath upon my strained cheek.

"You'd what?" He whispered with the eerie amusement till in his voice. "Try to run away again? You are alone in this world and no one will help you…. But that doesn't mean you can't make yourself useful to others." His hand clasped around mine, pulling the bone out of my hold. "Now, we can do this the hard way, or the harder way."

I couldn't fight back. But I wasn't going to come quietly. I screamed, bellowed, kicked, bit, and punched but he didn't release me as I was dragged out of my cell by my own hair. My desperation only made him chuckle again.

"I'LL BITE MY OWN TONGUE OFF BEFORE YOU GET ANY INFORMATION OUT OF ME!"

Author's Note: Okay, I can't believe it took me this friggin long to work out but this is what's happening. The 'new and improved' story is done separate now so you'll have to go onto my page and find it there if you wish to read the 'better' chapters - that way I can keep doing the proper updates on this one. (Only… this one is more gloom and doom compared to the others =/').

I'm running thin on ideas for what could happen here, which is yet another reason why it's taken so long to update. (The main reason being; I'm lazy). So please, if you do have any small ideas on what I could toss in - share! Also…. I would like to stick in a copy of other Ocs. Meaning, yours. Yes yours ~ The reader's Ocs. BUT it will only be for a second, and it can only really be used if its one of Orochimaru's guys. If it's a Mary-Sue, you stand no chance ~.

P.S. Cookie for anyone who can name her saviour mentioned at the start ~ ;3 and a SUPER BIG cookie for anyone who can guess her guard at the end ;]