"Looks like we have extracted everything we could my Lord" Kabuto's eerie voice echoed around the dimly lit labratory. The work bench was drenched in scarlett. "I supose so..." Orochimaru mused, his tounge danced quietly outside his lips, his golden eyes brimmed with a desire to learn more. More about why the blood that dripped from the ashen body of his subordinate was so special and how he could unlock its secrets for himself. "Stich her up then, what she doesn't know won't kill her." Orochimaru poofed away leaving nothing but smoke and a hollow cackle. Kabuto flexed his hands and grinned at the state of their subject. "Perhaps I could accidentally put her back together wrong..." He laughed and edged towards her but his facial expression suddenly changed with the atmosphere. "You will do no such thing." a cold emotionless voice vibrated from the shadows, Sasuke emerged. Kabuto turned to him with blood soaked hands. "Or what?" he started but Sasuke's icy stare got the better of him. "I would never displease Orochimaru. Then again, why do you care?" The ebony haired boy folded his arms. "Hn. You think I'm here because I want to be? I'm carrying out orders. Now clean this mess up before anyone sees." Sasuke turned to leave and vanished in response to Kabuto's final remark "Before precious Uren sees." His laugher was trapped behind the closed door. Uren's eyes were suddenly upon Sasuke's as he had just exited the room. They were so full of pain and despiration, he was reminded of Naruto once again. The thought almost made its way onto his face. He continued to block the girl's path into the lab, she went to raise her voice but he spoke first. "You can't go in there." his voice was firm, cold. "What's he done? Tell me what he's done to her!" Uren was almost hysterical, she didn't care it was Sasuke who was blocking her path all she cared about was making sure her friend was ok. She went to push Sasuke away but instead he clasped at her shoulders and held her rigidly in place. "Please don't fight me. She is alright. I promise." Uren gritted her teeth. "She's alright? She's obviously not alright! And YOU promise? Who are you yo promise anything to me?"
Sasuke didn't reply, but his head dipped slightly. Uren immediately regretted what she had said, feeling that perhaps she had been unecassarily unkind to him, but she was stressed! Not to mention worried. Her best friend was in a lab with a mad man who was doing who knew what with her.
"Sasuke,"
Something in her tone made the Uchiha meet her eyes. Uren stared into the black depths and saw a flicker of emotion...something so rare to see when it came to Sasuke. Something rare to see in general in Orochimaru's base. Everyone was so heartless, so cruel. Ai was one of the few who Uren had seen show compassion, even if it was only to her. The thought of the most ninja being hurt was unbearable. "Please," Sasuke watched the words drip from her lips and then, without a word, he slammed the lab door open, disappearing inside. Uren stood stock still, confused as to what to do. The girl didn't have much time to move anyway, as Sasuke reappeared in front of her, holding Ai in his arms. He watched the girl in front of him. She stared at him, she looked so vunerable right now, her mouth curved into a perfect 'o', moisture staining her eyelashes making them spiky. Then she tore her eyes away from Sasuke and looked to Ai. The crystal ninja let out a shriek of something akin to either horror of anger and rushed to be close to her best friend. Ai lay limp in Sasuke's arms, her eyes closed, her hair damp against her forehead, sweat trickled down her pale face and even further down her ashy coloured neck, making its way along her decimated body. The smell of blood hung over her, though there was no sign of it upon her. "I'll take her back to her room," Sasuke decided, he felt uncomfortable seeing Uren look so shocked. The girl stepped back, her hair swaying, and she nodded numbly, her hands pressed to her mouth. Sasuke disappeared in a poof of smoke and Uren blinked. There was a moment of silence as Uren processed all that had just happened and then she looked up at the lab door, her gaze hardened.
There was nothing but an empty blackness. Ai felt cold, but strangely comfortable. She then gained awarness of her body, she moved her arms, her legs, her hands, then her fingers. On the premis of wondering where she was a subtle hiss sounded in her ear. She searched the darkness but found nothing. Still nothing; then suddenly the dimension became that little bit brighter - large serpants, or perhaps it was just the one, encircled the space that was visual. Ai became nervous and bit at her lip, where was she? 'Don't be afraid...' came a familiar whisper. Ai closed her eyes in an effort to block out the ominous serpants body that seemed to be growing; expanding in her direction. 'Its just you and me here.' the familiar voice sounded closer, like the person it belonged to was standing not half a metre away. Ai's eyes opened 'Then where are you?' she asked quitetly - the scales looked bigger. 'I am here.' The voice was louder, clearer. Ai blinked and all of a sudden the space where the darkness was - was filled with the all to well known golden glow of her mster's eyes. Ai gasped at his sudden presence - the sudden feeling of his grip on her upper arm, the warmth he brought to the darkness which he seemed to own. 'I am here.' he said again, the serenity of his voice soothed Ai who now belived she was dreaming, fluttered her eyelids closed as she felt Orochiaru's lips press gentley to hers. 'Now, tell me all your secrets...'
*
Uren searched the filthy lab with her tear filled eyes; as if searching for the reason for the atrocity. She ran her fingers over blood drenched surgical instruments, viles of toxic chemicals and used needles. She was devistated, why did these things happen? She felt hollow and vaunerable, she couldn't bare to loose her friend, not like this. Her eyes lifted from the floor to see Sasuke, in his alabaster perfection standing close to her. Her eyes where dead, this evoked a shimmer of emotion in the ebony depths of the Uchiha's eyes. 'We need to leave.' he said firmly, and held her by the arms before she could decline. She looked at the floor and whispered; 'Ok.'
She and Sasuke made their way back slowly to her room. Sasuke walked slow simply to stay in step with his companion. Uren walked slowly because she wasn't sure she could face the idea of seeing Ai again, not hurt and broken...
Uren kept her head down, her eyes fixated on her feet. She couldn't even be pleased that the Uchiha was next to her, walking alongside her, not while her poor, innocent best friend lay, almost upon the cusp of death. Eventually the pair reached the crystal ninja's door, they both came to a stop. There was a silence and then Uren spoke.
"I'll probably go and check on Ai later," she murmured, her head still down, her hair obscuring Sasuke's view of her face.
"Don't," Sasuke said, his voice almost soft. "I'll check on her; if she is well I'll come and inform you."
Uren didn't reply, though she knew that was probably the better plan; if she had to see Ai looking so...DESTROYED again...the older girl wasn't sure she'd be able to take it. "Well..." she trailed off and her hand slowly slipped out. Her warm hand slowly, gently, loosely, interlocked with Sasuke's, her thumb stroked his slightly. "Thank you Sasuke," she murmured. His skin was cool and smooth under her, she breathed in deeply, holding in a shudder.
Sasuke made no movement to either talk nor move and so Uren stepped back. She paused before the door, her head pressed against it and then she entered her room, leaving Sasuke outside, his facial expression unknown to her.
