Sasuke stared at Orochimaru as blood fell from the body, dripping down the hands of the skeletal covering he had summoned. In the right hand of the skeleton was Zaku's bloodied right arm, while the left held the rest of the body. The ghostly energy that surrounded Sasuke seemed to vibrate with every involuntary twitch of Zaku's body; Sasuke smirked as he heard the small gasps of pain Zaku emitted.

"Is this the best you can do," Sasuke asked, looking up at Zaku. "You were rather disappointing back there, and your minions aren't impressing us either."

Sasuke smirked, and with a flick of his wrist sent Zaku flying across the mountain to land hundreds of feet away. He watched with disinterest as he flew in an arch, blood following his trajectory; in a way, it was almost like watching a comet in the sky. His eyes fell on Dosu as he watched his teammate's fate, blood splattering on the bandages that covered his face. Pleasure furled in his stomach as he watched Dosu's body stiffen, his uncovered eye slowly lowering so that it met his stare.

"Now, don't think we've forgotten about you," Sasuke said; the black dots in his eyes began to spin rapidly. Dosu's body froze, gaze locked with Sasuke's hypnotic spell; his mouth dropped open as his body began to tremble. A few seconds later, a pained, horrified scream ripped from Dosu's mouth; his hands flew up to his head, nails digging into his scalp. Sasuke merely watched with a sickened sense of joy as Dosu clawed at his head and face, doing anything possibly to make the visions he had given him stop. After a few more minutes of this behavior, Dosu dropped to the ground, body violently twitching as the bandages around his mouth became wet with spittle.

Sasuke heard a sharp gasp behind him; turning, he regarded Sakura as she watched the events unfold with unabashed horror on her face. "Are you alright, princess," Sasuke asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Y-You…you're not Sasuke," Sakura stammered out, meeting his gaze. Despite what he had done to Dosu, she knew that showing fear in such an obvious way would only undermine please him further.

"It depends on how you define 'Sasuke'," He stated, "If you mean this vessel, then of course we are 'Sasuke'. However, if you mean the elf, well…you shouldn't worry about him right now."

"Where is he?!"

"Stubborn," He scoffed, "Just like the rest of your race. If you must know, he's safe here," To emphasize his point, he tapped his temple, "So you've no reason to worry about his wellbeing. While we would love to continue exercising control over his body, the venom that snake used will wear off eventually; he'll be returned to you promptly. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a snake to kill." He finished, going to turn away.

"No," She shouted, pushing herself up onto her feet. Sasuke stopped, turning to appraise her with a raised eyebrow.

"No," He repeated; the tone could almost be thought of as shocked, or even offended. "You'd rather let this madman live than have the problem be taken care of for you?"

"I'd rather let a thousand madmen live," Sakura said, fists clenched tightly as she began to approach him, "Rather they live than to see someone precious to me be a puppet!"

He dragged his eyes from her face, analyzing the rest of her body and her current state. He noted how despite her strong words and determined voice, her body trembled like a newborn lamb. He met her eyes again, a small smirk playing on lips as he met her fiery eyes.

"You've barely the strength to stand, yet you waste what little energy you have left on him? How pathetic," Sasuke turned his back on her, beginning to walk towards Orochimaru. "We've no time to waste with meddlesome dwarves. Go back to laying on the ground, and perhaps we'll let you live."

As he continued onwards, Sakura heard the scrape of metal as he drew his sword. From what she had seen, she didn't have to try hard to imagine a crazed smile on his face at the prospect of drawing more blood. The thought made her chest tighten; while the real Sasuke wouldn't run away from a fight, he certainly wouldn't relish it.

"No…" Sakura whispered determinedly as she stared at his back. He continued his march, either not hearing her or refusing to acknowledge her statement. Despite this, she was determined to get herself heard; with that thought, she grit her teeth and ran towards him.

"No," She shouted, tackling him into a tight embrace; he halted. Slowly, he turned his head, eyes reflecting annoyance as she stared up at him with determined eyes.

"Just stop this," She pleaded; he merely turned back around, preparing to break free from her hold. However, she tightened her hold around him, crushing him to her as she continued speaking.

"Damn it Sasuke, I know you can hear me! I don't know what happened in that cave, but I know you're stronger than this; you can stop this madness!" She felt tears begin to burn the corner of her eyes; she buried her face into his back, attempting to hide the fact. "If you really think I'm meddlesome or pathetic, that's fine! All I know is that this isn't the real you. It's that…that thing you've got inside you that's controlling you. And if you let it continue controlling you, then we'll lose you, and damn it I don't want that!"

"Such a pest," They thought, "We hate wasting energy on such useless things, but if it can't be helped…"

"No."

She felt Sasuke stiffen in her arms; she continued pleading, pulling her face slightly away from his back. "So please…just…stop…"

"But Sasuke, if we let him live, it will be far more troublesome later."

"Doesn't matter; if the way you want to do it involves hurting her, or any of them, then we aren't doing it. Do you understand?"

"…Understood."

For a moment, everything was still; it was almost like the world was holding it sbreath, awaiting the outcome. Then, slowly, he began to relax in her embrace, body slumping towards the ground. She followed him down, knees hitting the ground hard as she kept her tight hold on him; as she felt him move, she merely tightened her hold. After all, it could be a ploy, that entity trying to lull her into a false sense of security.

"Sakura."

Sakura's head jerked upwards at the sound of her name; glistening emerald met the familiar gaze of onyx. Relief blossomed in her chest at the sight, her arms dropping from around Sasuke as she pulled back. "Sasuke…you're back."

"Aa."

"My, what an interesssting development," Orochimaru spoke, interrupting the moment between the two. The two of them glared at him; the great snake merely smirked. "While I would love to continue to play and sssee what happensss, I will take my leave for now. Until the next time, children."

The white snake suddenly grasped its tail in its mouth, slowly eating itself. Sasuke drew his bow and arrow, notching an arrow as he aimed at the head of the snake. He let the arrow fly, yet it was already too late; by the time the arrow reached its destination, the snake had disappeared within itself, vanishing into the air.

"…So this Zaku guy, he's getting really pissed, right? He's calling me all sorts of names, not a single one of them nice mind you, and so what do I do? Why, I rush right in there to teach him a lesson!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto entertained the younger dwarves of the mountain with his regaling tale of bravery from his fight on the mountain. Currently, Oonoki was holding a feast in their honor, for while they weren't able to save Son Goku, they did get rid of a menacing threat on his mountain as well as clear up the dragon's fate. Although he hadn't been there, given the atmosphere of their current situation and their past experiences in the taverns he could be quite sure that Naruto was exacerbating his heroism.

"Of course, he decided to play dirty and throw me into the side of the mountain." Naruto said, pointing to the bandages wrapped around his head. "Guess he figured the only way to defeat me was to knock me out! Cowardly way to do it, eh Sasuke?"

"The only thing cowardly around here is your aversion to the truth," Sasuke stated; a few of the dwarves roared in laughter as Naruto flushed in embarrassment.

"What would you know, huh," Naruto shouted, pointing a finger at him, "You ran off into a cave; granted, it was to give us a fighting chance, but still!"

"Still what?"

"Why, the fact that you weren't there to witness any of my bravery or heroism is 'still what'! You can't go around, denouncing people's tales without having ever witnessed them! It's rude, ya know?"

"Aye, but don't ya know lad," One of the dwarves spoke up, "That's what best friends are for! They make sure you don't go around getting too large of a noggin, because they certainly won't be carrying it for ya!"

"Hmph, if anyone has a big head around here, it's this bastard!" Naruto said, wrapping his arm around Sasuke's shoulders; Sasuke shot him an annoyed glare. "He's always swooping in, being the big damn hero with his fancy elf magic! When I woke up, I saw him and Sakura sitting rather close together; guess you saved her, huh ya bastard?"

"Hn, as if," Sasuke grunted, "She didn't need any saving when I got there. And as we've told you multiple times now, you moron, she was merely checking me for any wounds. We can't all take a nice little nap like you did."

The dwarves laughed again while Naruto made obscene gestures towards Sasuke. Again, he rolled his eyes, a slight smirk playing on his lips at Naruto's over the top behavior. While he wouldn't admit it out loud, a part of him did enjoy the festivities after such a hard battle at the top of the mountain. However, as he let his eyes rove over the rest of the dining hall, his gaze landed on where Oonoki sat, and how there was an obviously empty spot at the table by his side.

While Sasuke and Naruto had been allowed to join the feast, Kakashi and Sakura had been confined to their rooms for recovery. After the battle, Kakashi was barely able to stand up without the help of someone else, much less on his own; his confinement was understandable. However, the confinement of Sakura was a different issue, as she hadn't been severely injured like Kakashi. In fact, she had refused to treat her own wounds until she had treated them, constantly brushing off their concerns by saying it wasn't anything she couldn't handle.

"Oonoki doesn't want them to see me weakened," She explained when Naruto had burst into her room after hearing the news, Sasuke trailing after. "It's nothing personal, just that the people should always see their leader as strong and invincible, rather than injured and beaten down."

When Naruto confronted Kakashi about the situation, the mage had merely said it wasn't their place to interfere as he leaned back against the pillows. While none of them had been pleased, they couldn't help but concede to the fact. After all, while they may have protected the mountain from the likes of Orochimaru, they held no status in Oonoki's realm; the dwarf king could do as he pleased. Still, Sasuke reasoned as he kept his eyes on the king's table, it wasn't fair that he and Naruto were allowed to tell their tales while Sakura's were kept hidden from the other dwarves.

"Perhaps we could convince him to change his stance?" The voice danced at the edge of Sasuke's mind; he narrowed his eyes, mentally swatting it away.

"You're not welcome at the moment."

"Why? Because of how that dwarf acted on the mountain," They chuckled, "Silly boy, we've told you; she misunderstood. She thought something was wrong with us protecting you."

"Still...her eyes…" Sasuke's thoughts trailed off, the moment he regained control of his body floating to the forefront of his mind. When she had looked up at him, he saw fear laying at the bottom of the gathering tears; the relief on her face when he called her name was palpable. He remembered how she had held onto him so tightly, almost as if she was afraid to let him go. From her reaction, and the carnage spread around them, he could only begin to guess what the shadows had done in what they deemed 'protection'; his hand balled into a fist as the possibility of them injuring his comrades arose.

A hand grasping his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts enough to tear his gaze away from Oonoki's table and to question whoever dared to disturb him. His piercing gaze was met with the concerned eyes of Naruto; slowly, he realized that the table had gone suspiciously quiet. He turned to look at the dwarves surrounding them as they stared, his ears picking up a few murmurs between them.

"Must not be enough air up there…"

"Seems rather fishy, being so solemn like that…"

"Perhaps he should've been kept up in his room too…?"

"Hey, come on mates," Naruto said, bringing their attention back to him, "Sasuke here gets a little spacey when he's had too much ale! The poor bastard's clan doesn't believe in drinking, or even really celebrating; isn't that right Sasuke?"

Sasuke could see that Naruto was offering him an excuse to ward off any suspicions towards him. While he knew it was nothing but crock, he decided it was easier to go with it than to come up with something else. "Ah," Sasuke nodded, "The ale here is much stronger than anything the taverns have served."

"Well of course it is," One of the dwarves piped up, sounding almost offended, "This here is some of the best ale you'll get up around here! And while we sell do sell it to the local taverns sometimes, those skinflints probably water it down 'til it's unrecognizable!"

"I heard the Haruno's get the same problem during the spring!" Another said after taking a swig of his brew. "The sweetest brew you can find anywhere in the land, and those innkeepers somehow manage to make it taste like mule piss!"

"Sakura mentioned that one year! We went to celebrate a good harvest for the village, and she practically tore the place down!" Naruto grinned at the memory, staring down into his pint. "Took me to the mountain next spring, and made me drink the freshest brew until I passed out," A dreamy smile formed on Naruto's face as he rested his chin in his hands. The other dwarves seemed to mimic his expression, each recalling their own experiences with the famous Haruno brew.

"Aye, and it's only grown better now that the princess has taken been allowed to work with the recipe." One of the dwarves said, recalling Kizashi's praise of Sakura's work, "If every woman who studied plants was as proficient as she was in the art of brewing ale, I'd almost be willing for them to dabble in such a silly pastime."

Sasuke felt Naruto chuckle uncomfortably; they both knew that her 'silly pastime' had saved them from many times. Still, neither spoke up as another dwarf spoke, slamming his pint on the table in agreement.

"A woman that can brew like that can surely create a meal better than the rat poison those wives of ours call food." He grumbled; he suddenly jerked his head up at Naruto and Sasuke, looking at them expectantly. "Oi, laddies, you've eaten her food during your trip, right?"

Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other, brows raised in question. "Uh…yeah, we have," Naruto answered uncertainly.

"What was it like? Clearly it didn't kill any of you, so it's not poisonous."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, looking up at the ceiling. "Uh…well, I mean, it wasn't spectacular." He replied, face scrunching up in thought. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he met their gaze, waving his hands defensively in front of him, "Not to say that it wasn't great either! It was tasty enough, probably a bit better than some of the tavern food we've gotten, but, I mean…uh…"

Sasuke snorted at Naruto's floundering; he could tell that he was trying to downplay Sakura's skills to keep the hopeful bachelors at bay. However, his intrinsic kindness and a latent fear of Sakura's reaction at him insulting her cooking was breaking through in his speech. In truth, after hearing jokes on how the meals that dwarves' wives prepared were used in assassinations, he had been pleasantly surprised at the first meal Sakura had prepared. It seemed her medicinal knowledge was extensive enough that it overflowed into the culinary realm. That wasn't to say, however, that the food was always cooked to perfection; many times they had feasted on perfectly seasoned charcoal that was once a fish or rabbit.

"…So, uh, yeah, her food isn't really bad at all once you get to the actual meat." Naruto finished awkwardly, fingers coming through his hair. The dwarves sighed as he finished his story, stars practically shining in their eyes as they fantasized about her cooking.

"I wish I could be so lucky…"

"Ah, if only I hadn't found me wife first!"

"As if you would've stood a chance either way," Another spoke, clasping the forlorn dwarf's shoulder. "Anyone with a half a brain can tell ya that she'll be marrying Oonoki's personal guard! Not only will their children be a sight to see, but she'll be kept so close under the king's watch that she won't be able to sneeze without him knowing!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, directing his gaze at the dwarf that spoke. "You're saying he doesn't trust her," He stated; Naruto looked at him in confusion, either too naïve to understand how he came to that conclusion, or far too drunk. The dwarf merely met his gaze, feeling the ice from his stare seep into his bones.

"Well, it's nothing personal against her I'm sure," He began, "The king has always been a cautious man, something that has helped us thrive for centuries. After this entire mess is cleared up, the last thing he would want is some form of revolt just because her marriage is disappointing. After all, she is half-human; better safe than sorry, eh?"

Sasuke felt his blood boil slightly at the insinuation, while the shadows merely clucked disapprovingly in his mind. "My, what disgusting little creatures…Are you sure you don't want us to change their minds?"

Images flashed through his mind; dwarves splayed throughout the hall, some breathing while others weren't, faces twisted in terror. That royal guard of the king would have such a terrifying illusion cast upon him that he would claw his own eyes out just to make it stop, leaving that frail old dwarf ripe for the taking. Sasuke could almost hear his footsteps echoing throughout the halls; could almost see the maniacal grin on his face as he stopped before the king, the light of the fireball in his hands casting shadows across Oonoki's face. He could feel the power thrumming through his veins as he saw himself taking aim at the cowering king, the gentle seductive whispers of the magic begging for it to be released on such a filthy creature. Before he could begin to feel the satisfaction at watching the king burn alive though, he felt a hand firmly grasp his shoulder and begin to shake him.

"Come on now," Naruto said, bringing his slightly flushed face into Sasuke's line of sight. "Don't tell me you can't even handle half a pint!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in annoyance, the stench of ale heavy on Naruto's breath. Despite his slightly tipsy behavior though, he noted the concern hidden in his gaze. Behind the boisterous jester he was acting as in front of the dwarves, from his previous inquiry on his aloof behavior Sasuke could recognize that Naruto was trying to gauge his current mood. At the thought, Sasuke smirked slightly as he grunted, shoving Naruto back into his seat.

"Unlike you, some of us actually know our limits," Sasuke chided; Naruto merely pouted, face puckered slightly as if the statement left a sour taste in his mouth. Before he could retort though, Sasuke had begun to stand, causing the sour expression to be erased from his face.

"Oi, where do you think you're going?"

"I told you," Sasuke said, glancing over his shoulder, "Some of us actually know our limits."

With that, he left the table; Naruto merely watched his retreating back, an uneasy feeling not associated with the amount of ale he consumed settling in his gut at the sight of Sasuke entering the dimly lit stairwell.

"So he's unobtainable you say," Kaguya hummed after listening to Orochimaru's account of his experience on the mountain. She sighed, running her fingers gently along the top of Gedou's head. "Such a pity…He would have been a valuable aspect. Now he's nothing more than another obstacle for me to remove."

"I offer my condolencesss to your lossst plansss."

Kaguya smiled slightly though, directing a motherly gaze towards the dragon resting by her side. "However, the interactions between him and the dwarf princess are…fascinating."

Orochimaru smirked, observing how the wheels turned in Kaguya's mind despite her peaceful exterior. "Yesss, I never thought I'd live to sssee a living perssson be turned into a talisssman."

"Yes; it will be quite interesting to see what happens when we destroy her."

The faint sounds of the feast could be heard echoing throughout the hallway, despite the corridors significant distance from the dining hall. Yet another reason Sasuke could add to his dislike of staying inside the mountain; people could listen in whenever they pleased and be privy to his own private thoughts. The elves always valued silence and solitude, and at the moment he considered it to be a top priority. Although while that may be the case, a part of him traitorously whispered, then why was he in the corridor containing Sakura's chambers?

He mentally scoffed at its vain attempts at trying to find a deeper meaning; he had merely decided wandering would be a better remedy for his troubled mind than staying locked in his room. The stairwells and corridors he was allowed in were rather limited, so naturally he would eventually end up nearing Sakura's chambers; nothing more, and nothing less. Any arguments made by that nagging corner of his mind that he found more control in her presence, and thus sought her for comfort were promptly ignored by the majority of his mind.

The sound of a door opening quickly brought him out of his musings; his eyes zeroed in on the source of the noise, suddenly feeling the blood boil in his veins. There, at the end of the hall, was a young dwarf sneaking out of Sakura's chambers, thin face dusted with a red blush and his black hair seemingly disheveled. Unconsciously Sasuke's nails dug into his palms, the worst thoughts coming unbidden to his mind at the sight.

"Such disgusting, vile creatures," The shadows whispered; Sasuke couldn't find it in himself to disagree. Before he could stop himself, he was silently striding towards the dwarf, not at all missing the pleased smile on his face.

"What are you doing here," Sasuke asked; the dwarf jumped, black eyes widening in surprise as he met Sasuke's piercing gaze. He audibly gulped and seemed to shrink in on himself, eliciting a small smirk from Sasuke.

"Ah, g-good evening dekhel dorniti," He stammered out, hands wringing together. "Is the feast not to your liking?"

"That doesn't answer my question," Sasuke growled out, "What are you doing here? As a matter of fact, who are you?"

"He is Morio, part of Oonoki's guard."

Both heads whipped up towards the source of the new voice, Morio's face expressing relief at the sight before them. Against the doorway Sakura leaned, arms crossed over her chest as she studied Sasuke's expression. She was dressed in a simple red vest with a white shirt underneath, a black skirt flowing past her knees and the red ribbon holding her hair back. Her arms were covered in bandages, and a small plaster was applied to a cut above her eyebrow. She frowned, pushing herself off from the door and exiting her room as she continued speaking.

"Whenever my family and I come to visit, Morio is always assigned to protect my father and me from any dangers that may arise," She smiled as she came to stand beside Morio; Sasuke couldn't help but to notice that they were of similar height. "Since I am not allowed to feast with the others tonight, Morio was kind enough to bring me some of the more delectable dishes that were offered."

"I apologize for my comrade's behavior," She said, turning to Morio, "Elves are a rather prickly bunch, and can come off quite harsh in the wrong setting. Relatively speaking though, they are harmless."

"No need to apologize dornessiti! I will admit, I must have seemed rather suspicious when everyone else should be dining; if anything, I owe you an apology for troubling you and your comrade." Morio said, smiling gratefully, "I'm glad that you have friends that care so deeply about your wellbeing."

Sakura nodded. "And I am very grateful for that. Now, you should hurry, else before you know it all the food and ale will be gone."

Morio nodded, giving a quick bow to both Sakura and Sasuke before taking his leave. Sakura watched him leave, a small smile gracing her lips; as soon as he was out of hearing distance though, she snapped.

"What the hell was that," Sakura turned on Sasuke, hands placed firmly on her hips. Sasuke merely grunted, meeting her glare with his own calm gaze. "Well?"

"I thought he did something vile."

"And why, pray tell, would you even entertain that thought?"

"…It's nothing," Sasuke stated after a moment. Sakura openly gaped at him, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Nothing? You looked like you were about to tear his head off, and yet you tell me it's nothing," Sakura asked in disbelief, "Sasuke, we are amongst friends here, and I would like to leave with that friendship intact."

Sasuke contemplated her words, slowly wondering why he had even acted so rashly; like she had stated, they were among friends. Even if someone were to do a heinous act against her, since she was a princess that person would most likely be charged with treason and death for doing so. With that thought in mind, he grunted, deciding to leave before he lost anymore dignity in her presence. As he turned to leave though, he felt a soft grip on his wrist; he looked over his shoulder, meeting the concerned gaze of Sakura.

"Is this…does this have something to do with what happened on the mountain?"

Sasuke tensed, the question spoken so gently he wondered if another person had asked it. He jerked his wrist from her grip, turning his gaze away from her. "It doesn't concern you."

"Doesn't concern…damn it Sasuke, it does concern me! What I saw up there…that wasn't you, no matter how much it tried to tell me that as long as it had the body it was."

"You spoke to it," Sasuke asked, interest suddenly piqued; suddenly the shadows decided to make themselves not as present in his mind.

Sakura nodded, looking down at her hands as she recounted the tale. "They had your voice, and your body…hell, maybe even some your mannerisms, but it just wasn't you, Sasuke. You….you ripped a man apart with some ghastly looking creature, and you made a man catatonic just by looking at him! I thought…I thought I'd lost you…" She whispered the last part, feeling the tears begin to well up in her eyes at the memory. "I couldn't stand the thought. For a moment…not even consciously really, but for a fleeting moment…I thought I'd have to kill you in order to save you."

The statement hung heavily in the air as Sasuke stared ahead, hands furling and unfurling in anger. What the hell had he said up there that had sparked such an idea into her mind? He released a heavy sigh, feeling his shoulders slump slightly as he realized that remembering would be a fruitless effort; the shadows would easily hide the memories from him. At the moment though, he could give her some small comfort to ease her troubled mind.

"It's over," He said, an air of finality to his tone. Sakura's head jerked up, hands clenched in front of her.

"Is it over for good, or just for now," She asked. When Sasuke didn't respond, she pressed further. "Will I never have worry again about how to protect you and Naruto from something that I can't even see, something that I barely even understand? Will I never have to worry about whether I will have the strength to kill you?"

Minutes passed between them, and just as Sakura was about to prod him again, he spoke.

"You don't need to worry about your strength; you'd be able to do it."

With that, he walked away, leaving her to stand in the corridor alone. Sakura felt her heart ache as she watched his retreating back, hands clasped tightly against her chest. Silently, she moved back to her room, not even noticing how the tears began to stream down her face. She took one last glance out the corridor, watching as Sasuke disappeared from sight into the stairwell.

"You were a fool for giving me options, Lady Chiyo," Sakura thought to herself as she closed the door. "But I was a bigger fool for believing that I stood a chance."

A/N: HAPPY SASUSAKU MONTH EVERYONE! (Yup, let's just ignore the emotional rollercoaster I think I started)