Hello everybody, thanks for the reviews..:) I really appreciate it, I'm sorry the prologue was very short and I think this one is quite a short chapter too.. gomen ne I'm trying to make it long and I will keep trying
Thanks again..ja ne!! I hope you enjoy this too..
Oh and I forgot to say.. I also don't own Naruto
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19 months ago…
The room was quite small but the light coming from the lone candle placed on top of the circular table still wasn't enough to illuminate it. The looming walls reflected tiny movements of shadow caused by the flickers of the flame.
Beside the table was a man sitting on a chair. The man had long ebony locks that greatly contrasted to his ghostly pale complexion. His face had snake-like eyes, thin pointed nose and a Cheshire grin that did nothing to improve his already sickly appearance.
A few feet away was another man standing in front of him. This man had gray hair tied in a short pony tail. His face was partly concealed by his bangs and eyeglasses that seemed to glow due to the reflection of the flame.
"It seems that you are doubtful of my intentions Kabuto." The man sitting on the chair said.
"Nothing of that sort Orochimaru-sama." The man named Kabuto answered and uncertainly continued, "I'm just not quite sure if he is suited for this job."
"Consider it a test Kabuto" Orochimaru answered while chuckling amusedly.
"A test?"
"Yes. A test to prove that he is worthy and ready for the kind of power he is asking to attain." Orochimaru continued, seeing the confusion still clouding his assistant's face, "In order for Sasuke-kun to be able to personally carry out his older brother's demise, he has to be.." Orochimaru paused, as if searching for the right word to say, "…merciless."
"And the girl?"
"She is the tool to trigger it."
"Ah." replied Kabuto, a smile evident on his face, as he continued, "and of course I presume Sasuke-kun would not know any detail about this, hmm?"
"Why, why Kabuto? It's as if you don't like our Sasuke-kun?"
"He's just got to learn some manners"
"Well then, I think it's about time anyway. Would you be a dear and fetch Sasuke-kun?'
"Hai Orochimaru-sama" and with that Kabuto slightly bowed his head and went out the door in order to accomplish his task.
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Sasuke can't help it, but the winding dark hallways that were lighted only by some torches a few feet away from each other made him miss Konoha. Even if the Leaf country had dark hidden passage ways, still, it was quite friendlier than this, and he was sure it wasn't just because the hideout was located underground, no; it was as if the real reason was the murky and mysterious atmosphere of Oto itself, like there was something sinister brewing in every corner, reminding you to be always cautious. Sure the seventeen year old prodigy had a great knack of masking his emotions, but he was certainly not heartless, and years of training had taught the Uchiha when to be wary and when to be complacent, and during his 5 years of stay here, Sasuke was always wary. This time however, he knew he has to be more than wary, rather, he has to be on his guard, for he knew that something was up, he can just tell it from the smug expression the man walking slightly ahead of him wore on his face. Kabuto. Sasuke despised the man, it was as if he has no identity at all, as if he existed just for the purpose of following Orochimaru's orders and making him pleased.
"A penny for your thoughts Sasuke-kun?" said Kabuto, as if sensing the other man's pondering.
"Quit the crap Kabuto and just tell me what that snake wants."
"You know, Orochimaru-sama is actually going out of his way just to help you. So why don't you just return the favor and be a little polite. Just a little would do though, after all, I doubt you have the capacity to exceed our expectations." Replied Kabuto with a wicked smile on his lips, as if he was actually pleased with himself for coming up with that remark.
"Hn, whatever"
Kabuto grimaced, obviously not pleased with the younger boy's lack of interest. Silently wishing this mission would indeed be a lesson to him.
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"Orochimaru" Sasuke said, announcing his presence.
"Ah Sasuke-kun you're here, Kabuto would you please leave us alone for a moment?"
"Hai Orochimaru-sama", the said man replied before complying to leave the two alone.
"You sent for me" Sasuke said again
"Indeed, you see I have…a package waiting for me at the country of mist. Would you be so kind to pick it up and have it delivered here?" Orochimaru said, feigning sweetness.
"I came here to train Orochimaru and not run errands." Sasuke replied, annoyance clearly evident in his voice, and with that he turned to leave.
"My apologies Sasuke-kun, it seems you misunderstood me."
Sasuke turned again to face the snake sannin, an eyebrow cocked in question. The statement was enough to stimulate interest in him, and after all, it wasn't everyday you hear the great Orochimaru-sama apologizing.
"Think of it as a mission"
"…"
"The package is quite delicate and important. The person who'll deliver it to me, is someone must I say… I greatly trust." As Orochimaru said this, Sasuke noticed the mischievous glint in the pedophile's eye, increasing his interest and annoyance at the same time.
"And if I accomplish it?" he asked
Orochimaru chuckled "I am known to be a man who repays a good deed Sasuke-kun, if you finish the job well, then I will give you the power you need to kill Itachi. Kabuto will be the one to give you the details you need."
"Fine." Sasuke said one more time before leaving.
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Sasuke was definitely pissed, after a day and a half long of travel, he was of course tired. But to find out that he was lost and his journey might have all been a waste is what really pisses him. Sure he was in the Mist Village, but his destination couldn't be this, after all what would Orochimaru want from a brothel?
'Kabuto' he thought. This might be his idea of a sick joke.
"Fuck" he cursed
And then as if on cue, a woman that looked like in her late thirties emerged. Her hazelnut brown hair was tied in a tight bun with bangs framing her face, she had lilac eyes and fair skin. She was wearing a white kimono and red obi and was quite voluptuous. She could have been pretty, save for the make up that was too thick on her face.
'Definitely geisha' he thought again, he was just about to leave when the woman spoke "You must be Sasuke, please come in we were just waiting for you."
Sasuke was confused, but entered nonetheless. The house was kind of old, composed of rickety floors, chairs and tables. The first floor was some sort of diner, and as the Uchiha prodigy entered he just can't help but inwardly groan, for the geishas immediately started flirting with him, giving him winks and throwing kisses at his way. Some even managed to latch their arms to him and gave him invites for the night. It wasn't their fault though, for it wasn't everyday that a man as handsome as Sasuke would walk in their house. His ebony locks, piercing obsidian eyes, pointed nose, pale complexion, tall and muscled figure hidden beneath the white yukata and black hakama tied by a purple rope would surely have girls at his feet. Sasuke glared however, not wanting to be the center of unwanted attention. Some girls scampered away, some however still wanted to attach themselves to the prodigy, oblivious to the dangerous aura he was emitting.
"Girls please, he is not here for that. He's only here for business." The woman from before said, and to Sasuke's relief, the other geishas released him with a sigh and only followed his retreating back with longing stares.
"I'm sorry for their behavior, my name is Reika by the way" the woman said as they made their way up the stairs and turned to the left once they reached the third floor.
"Hn" Sasuke noticed that this part may be reserved for important guests and transactions, for the rooms were bigger and had more privacy, aside from that only few people were allowed to come up here. Not like the ones in the second floor, where moans and groans were easily heard from each room. As they reached the fourth door Reika stopped and turned to him "Well here we are I just hope that we meet Orochimaru-sama's expectations, young, beautiful and untouched." Sasuke raised his eyebrows for he was caught off guard by her statement.
'Young, beautiful and untouched? She can't mean…' his thoughts were interrupted though, for Reika already opened the door. And for the first time in his entire life, Sasuke Uchiha gaped at a woman.
There sitting on the bed was a young woman of about his age. Her long pink locks dropped to her waist. Her face was void of make up, save for some powder and lip gloss exposing the creamy porcelain skin of her face, she had a huge forehead, but oddly enough, it suited her. Her sparkling emerald eyes depicted innocence. She had a pointy nose and her lips were full and pouty. She was donned in a silky black kimono that had embroidered pink sakura petals at the bottom, hugging her curves perfectly. She wasn't as curvy as Reika and the other geishas, but still Sasuke could tell that she had a perfect figure. The obi that was tied at her small waist was also pink and her feet were encased in a pair of simple black slippers.
Sasuke wasn't even sure if she is actually a human or a goddess, for her beauty was beyond compare.
'How can someone so innocent looking be connected with Orochimaru?' Sasuke's brows creased in confusion after realization dawned on him.
"Ahem" both heads turned to look at Reika who cleared her throat, gathering their attention, for oblivious to the two, they were already eyeing each other.
"Sakura, please stand up" Sasuke's head turned once again to the pinkette, as she stood up, noticing that she was about seven inches shorter than his 6'1 figure.
"Sakura, this is Sasuke. Sasuke this is Sakura" continued Reika.
"Hello, nice to meet you." Sakura said for the first time with a blush adorning her face.
"Hn" was all Sasuke said, despite finding her voice quite beautiful and refused the urge to smirk at the cute blush on her face.
"Sakura is an apprentice geisha, she's still undergoing training, but don't worry, like I said before she's still untouched."
"Aa" it was the Uchiha's turn to blush, now being able recognize the meaning behind the words.
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They left the Mist early yesterday afternoon, and judging by the speed they were going, they were due to arrive at Oto just before nightfall, about three hours earlier than his original expected time of arrival. Even though he was silent the whole time, he was actually quite impressed with the young woman, aside from being pretty she was able to catch up to him even if she was still in a kimono, and not even once did she utter a single complaint. But what got his attention most was that even if he was sure that she found him attractive (because every time he glanced her way she would turn red), she didn't behave like his fangirls though, which earned his respect. Yet, even if she wasn't complaining he knew, that after eight hours of straight travel, she needed some break, he was after all, quite out of breath too.
However, even if he admired her, Sasuke can't help but still feel cautious of the girl that was sitting across from him. For he knew that anyone associated with Orochimaru can't be trusted. They were temporarily seeking refuge in some part of the forest that would later on lead them straight to the base. Sasuke, while sharpening his katana, eyed the girl who was busy observing her surroundings, accidentally cutting his finger in the process.
"Fuck" Sasuke cursed. He was used to pain; but he just didn't like the mess that blood produced. But what irked him the most was losing his focus just because of a girl.
"Here let me"
Sasuke was surprised to see Sakura right in front of him and took his finger. He was just about to snap at her when he noticed that her thumb and forefinger that was holding his own finger in between, glowed a faint green chakra, healing the wound quickly and leaving no traces of it behind. As she finished, she stood up and went to where she was originally seated.
"Thanks"
She looked quite taken aback, clearly not expecting him to say anything, but recovered nonetheless and muttered "your welcome" while slightly nodding her head.
"You're a medic" he said, not as a question but as a statement.
"I want to be but no"
Seeing that Sasuke was urging her to go on, she continued "Since fights naturally occur at the brothel, we were required to learn basic medical techniques and ninjutsus to be able to defend and heal ourselves incase trouble breaks out."
"You said you wanted to be a medic"
"I do, But Reika, well she was the one who took care of me and she wanted me to become a geisha. I think it was the only way I'd be able to repay her."
"No mother?"
Sakura found the question a bit rude, but answered nonetheless since she was the one who sort of initiated the conversation anyway. "According to Reika, my mother was traveling the night she was about to give birth to me. She stumbled upon the brothel, Reika was the one who helped her during labor and after giving birth, she died."
Sasuke noticed that Sakura was trying to keep a straight face and voice. But he sensed the pain and sadness that she was trying to hide. Out of respect that he gained for the girl during the short time of their encounter, and the guilt that he felt for the blunt question earlier, he kept his mouth shut.
"Erm, how are you related to Orochimaru-sama?" Sakura asked suddenly, whose attention was again fully directed to him, surprising him. Her elbows were resting at her knees and her hands held her face, her eyes showing curiosity. To him, the sight resembled that of a child listening to a bedtime story, and he found it simply…adorable. And Sasuke Uchiha never found anything adorable.
"Sorry, I just wan…"Sakura was about to continue, seeing that Sasuke was not going to answer her question, but got cut off.
"He's training me." Sasuke answered, lowering his eyes on his sword, intending to finish what he started. He still didn't trust the girl, but he knew that he had better luck of finding the truth from her than Kabuto or Orochimaru.
"Oh, so what..uhm what is he like?"
Sasuke eyed her, raising his eyebrows in question.
"Uhm, could you just tell me…please?" Sakura asked again, her cheeks reddening again.
"Sadist, crazy, powerful"
"Oh" the pink haired girl said, not sure how to react.
"You're interested in Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked, trying to hide his curiosity
"I-I just wanted to get to know him better"
Sasuke still wanted to ask her some more questions but he knew that they already had to continue their journey. He stood up and was just about to motion for Sakura to do the same, but the next words that left her mouth made him freeze.
"I am supposed to marry him after all."