Stage Seventeen: Danger

Sasuke walked in clad in what I was used to Orochimaru wearing when ever he was away from home, as well as the sound Five. Seeing him reminded me greatly of Kimimaro; when I had first arrived in Otogakure. He would have been the same age as Sasuke then.

Sasuke glanced at me, and the glare I received startled me at first. I then remembered his avoidance of me and looked away.

"You summoned me, Orochimaru-sama?"

"I had," Orochimaru replied.

Sasuke's gaze had not softened when he looked at Orochimaru. He took his chair beside me without acknowledging my presence further.

Sasuke, I remembered the times he would smile at me, confide in me. All the memories we shared, were under false pretences and lies, doomed to fail because of what we knew we had to do. Avenging was his destiny; mine was to be a tool used by Orochimaru. I knew he was hurt because of this, because of what he told me so long ago. It had been a handful of months, but even so, he looked years older sitting next to me.

"I will need a sample of blood from both of you."

"May I ask what for?" Sasuke inquired.

"An ongoing plan regarding Tsuki," Orochimaru answered.

Sasuke looked at me with curiosity. "Why do you need my blood?" he asked. "There was no mention of me being a part of a plan involving her." There was venom in his voice. I couldn't wait for Orochimaru to dismiss us.

"You weren't originally a part of this plan," Orochimaru explained. "Her counterpart was killed in action retrieving you."

"So, because it's my fault he died, I'm replacing him?"

"No, she and I have already ruled you out as a possible candidate. However, we think that your blood will be beneficial."

"What would my blood benefit?" he asked. He was getting angry, which was a quick mistake in the presence of Orochimaru.

"Sasuke," I whispered softly.

"What?" he asked.

"Don't be angry," I cooed. I could feel Orochimaru's gaze on me, questioning why I was addressing him this way, warning him when anyone else I would allow to be put in their respective place.

"You lied to me," he growled. "You expect me to not be angry, when, after all you said and did, you only deceive me?"

"I didn't lie to you about anything," I whispered. "I understand that you're angry with me. Don't extend that to Orochimaru-sensei."

"Sensei?" he asked, quizzically. "He's your sensei? That makes more sense to me; why you showed up when you did, why you befriended me, why you left."

Orochimaru had enough. "She did not extend a hand of friendship on my behalf," he growled. "I will not have you berate her under false pretences. She is your superior, be sure you do not forget that."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama; it will not happen again." He looked to me. "You never had any intention to hand me over to Orochimaru, did you?"

"No, I hadn't. Orochimaru didn't even tell me he had plans for you. When he found out that you and I had become close, all he told me was that it fit well into his desires, and that I had done more than he expected."

"You have trailed from the topic at hand. The purpose I will need your blood for, Sasuke, is to be sure that it is compatible with Tsuki's. She is to be the mother of the next generation of Shinobi. Her genetic perfection will lend to theirs, and in turn, their children. I am going to play with the two of your genetics until I can find a means to instil your Kekkei Genkai in her during her conception."

Sasuke looked at me with questions in his eyes. "Wait, one of the Five was to be the father, wasn't he?"

Orochimaru nodded.

"He is dead now?"

I nodded.

He looked back at Orochimaru. "Why couldn't you just use me as the second half? If you're set on having the Sharingan in your gene pool, why bother with tampering with our blood?"

"This is what we had discussed. Tsuki had the same idea. However, you were not brought up with the same ideals she was, so I do not expect you to know this already. I firmly believe that love is weakness, child." There was no endearment in his voice, only berating arrogance directed toward Sasuke. "I will not put you in the position to allow this love you have developed for her to grow farther." Orochimaru then dismissed us, telling us that we had to be in the medical wing tomorrow at nine for the drawing of blood.

"Why does Orochimaru see love that way?" Sasuke asked when we left.

"He doesn't like to talk about it, but he did tell me once, a long time ago. His father died protecting his mother, who was killed without him knowing. Orochimaru felt that if his father saw love in the same light he did, then perhaps he would have lived. It was then that sensei vowed to never be so foolish."

Sasuke's brow furrowed. "When did he tell you this?"

"I was eight," I answered. "He thought that if he instilled in me the lesson he learned at a young age, I would be sparred from its pain."

"Were you?" Sasuke asked.

"No, I wasn't," I answered truthfully. "I wouldn't tell sensei that, though. He's always been right, I've found."

"Surely love isn't that bad," Sasuke whispered.

"Love is a distraction, one I don't need. I know my place. There isn't room for love in my destiny."

"Is this why you told Gaara you weren't destined for love?"

I should have been surprised he was eaves dropping on our conversations, but I wasn't. "Yes, that's the truth of it."

"May I ask who you loved?"

"It wouldn't be wise for you to know," I answered. I trusted Sasuke more than anyone else, because he was there for me at one time, but I didn't know how much Orochimaru's words had eased him. At any rate, I wouldn't trust anyone under Orochimaru's command with the knowledge that I was in love with him. I didn't even trust myself.

"Do you know who he's going to get to-" Sasuke couldn't finish the sentence.

"No, I don't." There wasn't anyone in the village or the arena that he would approve of, no one that he deemed perfect. It would either be Sasuke or-

My eyes widened.

"Tsuki, are you alright?" Sasuke asked.

My stomach decided to clench itself, seeming to devour its own flesh. Orochimaru was going to use his own genetics, forcing me to endure a loveless act when I myself feel so strongly toward him. He wasn't doing this because Sasuke loved me, he was going to do this because Gaara had some reason to believe I loved Orochimaru, and I did. He was going to destroy me. There was no chance I could hide my feelings when we would be so intimately intertwined.

"Yeah," I answered. I wouldn't have Sasuke know this bothered me. "I'm just tired. I should go lie down."

"I thought you didn't sleep?" he stated.

"I don't, this is just the aftermath of another experiment that Orochimaru had done before I departed again. Don't worry about it," I added, seeing his alarm. "I'm fine; I just need to see him about sleeping again."

I turned back down the corridor and entered once more into Orochimaru's study. He looked up from the paperwork he was doing and smiled, cold and heartless as always. "What bothers you, my Child?" He spoke with endearment again when he said the word Child. He could see my anticipation.

"I was just wondering who you had in mind," I answered honestly.

He looked into my eyes, confirming what I had already thought. "Don't worry your mind about it, my Child. Things will surface eventually, and a suitor will be found. Is this all that bothers you?"

"No. My head hurts, and I'm feeling tired," I lied. "I've been like this for the last week. I think I'm suffering withdraws."

He felt my forehead with the back of his hand, studied my eyes, and tested my reflexes. After being kicked rather hard in the chest, he decided that he had no choice but to wean me off his venom gradually, and that it had indeed acted like a drug.

"It is time for sleeping, Child. Your circadian rhythm has become accustomed to our schedule," he noted. He dug in another drawer for a scroll that she knew was the notes from the three month study he had conducted on me.

"I thought the experiment was ruined because of my discontinuation of the dosing?" I asked.

"In one aspect, yes, but it also gives me insight as to what would happen in case you got addicted, which you seemingly did."

"I protested the drug the entire time!"

"Watch your tone," he reminded me. "Your mind protested, but your body took it and adjusted. Also, completing the experiment will give me time to play with your genetic coding as I try to piece together this puzzle of how your genetics will react to Sasuke. My venom alters a normal human's genetic structure, but it is completely erased from yours in a matter of hours. My theory is that you will react to Sasuke's blood in a similar manor."

"I agree," I answered. I still didn't see why he refused to use Sasuke's genetics for the entire reconstruction of the Shinobi, instead of his own with mine, infused with Sasuke's blood. I suppose the only answer was that Orochimaru never did anything the easy way, especially when there was information to be gained.

Information that may end my life before the next generation could be created.

I entered Orochimaru's bedchamber alongside him. He walked behind one of the partisans that had been placed in respect for my privacy. I stepped behind another, where my night robe still hung on the corner. It had been washed and pressed in my absence. It felt cold and smooth on my skin. Even though it was clean, the left sleeve still smelled like Orochimaru, as it was the arm that had been kept bound to his, never allowing me the freedom to kill his beloved Kabuto.

He was waiting for me when I stepped from behind the screen. I extended my left hand, expecting him to bind me to him. He took it and pulled me to him, pressing my chest against his. One arm was around my neck, the other at my waist as I could feel his breath on his skin.

I had to remember why he was doing this. He was testing me, making sure Gaara was wrong. I can't drop my guard. I couldn't let him down. I had to remember my hatred for his views, my hatred for him as well.

He pulled my hair over my shoulder softly, exposing my neck. He was being meticulously slow, allowing his lips to linger on my skin before he inserted his eye teeth into my skin. I could feel the venom drip into my veins, as well as the subtle suction he was administering to my tender flesh.

"Orochimaru," I whispered softly, "Let go of me. Please, stop." Whispering those words had been torture, but it had to be done.

His chuckle was so warm to the unknowing mind who listened, but I knew he was being cold. He pulled me to his chest, and the last thought I remembered thinking was of Gaara telling me that I talk in my sleep, expressing my love for Orochimaru. Had he heard these thoughts?

I subconsciously must have known Orochimaru was torturing me in my sleep. I couldn't stop the fluid waves of dreams that bombarded my mind. Reoccurring dreams from the experiment, where he was leading me into the dangers of seduction were predominant.

I willed my eyes to open. He still held onto me, forcing me against him. I wondered if I could break away from his bind without stirring him. In the end, I did. I sat up, feeling the venom inside of me. I realized this was getting too dangerous for me to continue doing. Orochimaru stirred in reaction to my movements, but he didn't wake up.

My right hand fumbled around the nightstand as I looked for the glass of water I kept there. At some point, Orochimaru retrieved a vessel and filled it, because it wasn't long before I felt the water-streaked glass and lifted it to my lips awkwardly. My right hand wasn't used to such things. However, the water seemed to take the edge off the venomous effects. My eyesight was focusing.

I lay back against his plush pillows. I couldn't lay awake all night and wait for him to awaken. He would ask me how long I'd been awake, and he can always tell when I lie about the little things. Why he can't tell that I'm lying about the biggest betrayal I could possibly commit is beyond me. Either he already knows, and is wondering how long I will last under this pressure, or his mind refuses to see what he doesn't want it too. After all, it was his admonitions that were drilled into me. Love is weakness. Pain is strength. Heartache; what is heartache?

Heartache, he would say, is healing.

I didn't think I was healing by laying there next to him, longing to rest my head against his chest and knowing I couldn't. I think I was getting worse. After all, wasn't it human nature to want what you cannot have? Does this apply to me, because I was never human? No, I rather thought not. Orochimaru has always held me to higher standards because of whom and what I was. If I wasn't a Dentsu, he would have never taken me as his own protégé.

I wondered if he regretted it. Taking me in was a dangerous endeavour. After all he did to control me; I remain the only one who is here on their own terms. No curse mark binds my body to return to him. I don't really owe him anything anymore. That debt has been paid for already, perhaps years ago, by all the information I have given him.

My attention shifted to his sleeping form. He was so vulnerable before me. It took a lot of trust for him to lie next to me. I could kill him, it wouldn't be hard.

No, I couldn't kill him. My hatred wasn't that strong. I cared about him too much; I loved him too much.

I let my eyes flutter closed. A sigh escaped my lips. If I just lay here and tried to clear my mind, perhaps I would be safe. Could Orochimaru-Sensei tell the difference between sleep and meditation? I hoped not.

I heard him roll over. He was now brushing against my left arm again, lying on his side. I could tell from his breathing that he was awake. I felt the weight of his arm across my stomach, capturing me once more in his testing grip. He pulled me closer; I longed to go to him, and to resist, all at once. I couldn't do either. I was supposedly asleep. However, I shifted slightly because the way his unchained arm rested under me caused a nerve to be pinched.

His breath fluttered over my neck and ear. I tried not to focus on it. His warmth was sending shivers down my nervous system.

At some point in time, I feel back asleep, because I woke up to Orochimaru stroking my hair. For a sadistic bastard, he could be pretty sensual at times, if only to be more of a sadistic bastard than he already was. He ran his fingers through a tendril, watching the maroon strands separate and flow away from his touch. "You're awake," He merely whispered.

"What the hell are you doing?" I nearly shouted, scooting away from him. I succeeded in falling out of bed with enough momentum to pull Orochimaru on top of me.

"That got you nowhere, Child." He looked down at me, framing my face with his dark hair. He was supporting his body weight with his forearms, mere inches away from my body.

Without thinking I kicked him off me. This succeeded in pissing him off and dislocating my wrist.

The pain in my arm was blotted out by the pain of him pulling me into a stand by my hair. "What were you thinking, Child?" he growled.