A/N: Sorry for the wait people I took a brief vacation to the west coast (contemplating moving again) last week so I was enjoying myself rather than stressing over this stories direction. But that doesn't matter anymore because this chapter is raring to go!

Opus of the Damned

The night was dark and only the moon offered light through the thick blanket of darkness and gathering rain clouds. There was a storm coming. It was the kind of storm that followed his every move for years. The SUV sat hidden under the cover of night as Sasuke and his team watched each and every light of the small manor joined them in the darkness. They were all getting restless after months of surveillance with nary an exciting event in their down time, save for the occasional night of debauchery and carnal escapades between two of their teammates. Though speaking about that openly was likely to land you in the infirmary. As if it wasn't enough that they had been scarred for life when they came to relieve them of their post only to catch them in the act.

But that was neither here or there; now was the time for action. An hour had passed and not a single person had stirred within the residence. The storm had come. They donned their dark ski masks and checked their weapons; within seconds they were within the walls of the Minister of Defenses home. It had begun to rain; the flashes of lightning guided their stealthy steps to his room. The rest was a blur. Feet shuffled against one another, shouts and curses were thrown, and pleading screams muffled. The escalating altercation ended with three bodies; the intended target, his wife, and their young son. Sasuke stood maskless above the child's lifeless body, his deep crimson essence pooling around him and mixing with his parents. Dead eyes all staring, accusing him, condemning him.

"You did what you had to. He saw your face." rationalized the woman beside him, her gloved hand gripping his shoulder reassuringly. When he turned to face her, his eyes widened in shock at what he saw. Emerald eyes smiled up at him and her unnatural grin greeting his parted lips.

"Sakura...no this-this isn't right."

He shot up from his bed with a start, his naked torso drenched in a heavy sweat. This wasn't the first time he'd been awoken by that particular dream; typically it was restricted to gunshots and bloody bodies, but this was different. He turned his head and saw the woman from his dreams shift and twist in his sheets, still heavy with sleep thanks to her drinking that evening. The sight alone would usually bring a smile to his face but not tonight. Slowly he slung his legs over the side of his bed and ran his hands through his damp hair. He didn't realize he was shaking until he reached for his pack of cigarettes only to find it was empty. Growling in frustration he flung the carton to the corner and made for his bathroom. Inside he turned the faucets on and splashed water on his face. It was close to the anniversary of that fateful night in Yotsuya, it was no surprise that his mind and body knew.

"Sasuke-kun, is everything alright?" called a groggy voice from the doorway. Sakura stood there clad in his midnight bed sheets and wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"Just a dream Sakura, nothing more." he responded, avoiding her worried orbs lest the nightmare seep deeper into his reality. Even in her tired state she was as perceptive as ever. She dragged her makeshift cotton dress off of the bed and into the bathroom as she approached him. The pinkette wrapped one arm around his waist as she rested her head on his slumped shoulder.

"You're shaking Sasuke-kun...it was a nightmare, wasn't it?" she inquired, already having a decent idea that she was correct. When he grunted she pulled herself closer to him. She might have been the only person on the planet who was so keen to the subtlety of his grunts. Sakura could tell he was still visibly shaken, so she decided not to push the issue any further, "We can talk in the morning. Come back to bed, try to get some rest."

The corners of his lips curled in a diminutive smile at her soft words and only grew when she kissed his tattooed shoulder and began tugging him back to the room. Gradually he allowed himself to be pulled back into bed and settled beneath the sheets she covered the both of them with. Sakura rested her head in the crook of his neck, enjoying the warmth he offered. He reflexively pulled her closer when she breathed in his evergreen scent deeply, smiling against the flesh and planting a small kiss upon it. Her display reeked of affection, and as comforting as it was, it unnerved him regardless.

"Sakura...what you said at the pier...did you mean it?" questioned the dark haired man, finding himself unable to rest with his mind running at a mile a minute.

"You know I've always had feelings for you Sasuke-kun." she mumbled, staving off sleep for a few more moments.

"But..."

"I...know you've done bad things." began the emerald eyed woman as her head rose to meet his dark stare. Her delicate hands swept across his chest, coming to rest against the steady beat of his heart, "but on the inside...your heart isn't as black and corrupt as you believe. That, I believe."

Every time she spoke like that he could feel the lump in his throat swell, threatening to choke him in a moment's notice. Would she be so genuine and accepting if she knew the atrocities he'd committed? Part of him wanted her to be disgusted and reject him for what he truly was, but part of him feared that all the same. He captured her hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing each digit softly, "You're too good for me Sakura."

"Don't say that." she urged, intertwining her fingers with his and returning his gesture with a kiss of her own. She pressed her naked body against his as she settled into the crook of his neck again, "Now get some sleep."

The older woman was at wits end; that, and the end of her third bottle of sake. She ran her hands through her flaxen locks and released a heavy sigh into the stale air of her dimly lit office. When she reached for the nearly empty bottle she noticed stray strands of her hair between her fingers. Gritting her teeth in anger she slapped the bottle across the room, shattering it against the adjacent wall. She cursed loudly and slammed her fist against the table; not only were those kids going to make her lose her job they were making her lose her hair! She should have known better than to trust an Uchiha. Before she could rise to her feet to retrieve another bottle from her stash, her assistant poked her head into the room.

"T-tsunade-sama? Is everything alright?" questioned the lithe dark haired woman as she entered, shutting the door behind her. It wasn't uncommon for her boss to get extremely drunk after a series of blunders, or just a long week of work. This time if seemed to be both.

"What do you think Shizune?" croaked the blonde, resting her spinning head on her desk as her assistant approached her desk, "Everything is going to shit, and the brass has called for a formal review of my unorthodox methods."

"I suppose you don't need any worse news." muttered the brunette, dropping her stack of files onto the desk with enough force to jar her half asleep boss from the passing out. The bloodshot eyed blonde stared disdainfully at the pile as she lazily flipped through it. She waved dismissively to her subordinate and began using the files as a pillow. It was Shizunes turn to sigh at her antics as she pulled a few documents from underneath her superior, "Chief Inspector Gaara sent another request for a statement regarding the events in Nagano…he claims to have DNA and witnesses linking both Naruto and Sakura to the incidents regarding Akatsuki and Taka."

"He should be more concerned about the fugitive that died under his watch, not the agents who brought him to justice." Tsunade spat, shooting a testy glare at her assistant as she rose to her shaky legs and strode over to her shelf of alcohol.

"I think…I think this has gone too far Tsunade-sama!" blurted Shizune, failing to effectively draw the blonde from focusing solely on her rice wine.

"What would you have me do Shizune?" she snapped, forcefully popping the cork on another bottle of sake. She brought said bottle to her lips and took a long harsh swallow of the alcohol, "At this rate they're liable to wind up on the front page of every major newspaper in Japan, and I'll be the one implicated for conspiracy."

"If we could just contact them we'd be able—"

"Contacting them is our worst course of action" interrupted the blonde, slamming the bottle back to its rightful place on her shelf as she peered over her shoulder at the defeated aide, "There's nothing we can do but distance ourselves from this…or face the consequences."

"Please Tsunade-sama, you can't be suggesting we…"

"If this crusade of Sasukes continues in this manner…we'll have no choice but to disavow Naruto, Sakura, and Sai." she choked out, finding the words harder than originally intended. They were the crown jewel of her tenure, the team with more closed cases and arrests than any two other squads combined; and Uchiha Sasuke seemed hell bent on destroying anything and everything they had all worked for.

"So, do you think we made the morning news?" questioned the shark toothed man in between bites of his dry cereal.

"Not likely." Sasuke answered, repeatedly tapping his index finger against the metal of the tiny galleys table. Despite his calm demeanor he was an anxious wreck on the inside. Last night was more than a minor setback, "The hunters will never speak about last night with outsiders; there's no money for them if the police find us first."

"Where does that leave us? We can't stay in this tin can forever." Naruto remarked, clearly taking the current situation seriously, seeing as he took a break from stuffing his face.

For once the usually clueless man was correct. Their supplies were running low and if they didn't find any leads or restock on necessities this mission would be dead in the water in the most dangerous place they could possibly be. That blue haired woman knew they were in the city, and by now the rest of Akatsuki's network was most likely alerted as well. This was a leap of faith Sasuke had taken, coming to Tokyo in search of his brother with barely anything to go on other than the ramblings of a dying man and now he was in freefall. It wouldn't be long until he hit the ground if he didn't do something fast. Thankfully, he worked best with his back against the wall.

"We can't leave now. If we do, all that will happen is we'll become the hunted." declared the stoic man adamantly, he interlaced his fingers thoughtfully as he stared off into space.

"Indeed. But with no leads any actions we take could be our last." Sai added, solemnly sipping his morning tea. The pale man was right and Sasuke hated to admit it. Though he hated what he'd have to do to get the information he needed even more.

"First things first. We'll need supplies." began the Uchiha, rising to his feet as he surveyed the faces of those that had followed him. They trusted him with their lives; he would not give up on them now, "Karin, get in touch with Nekobaa and get whatever aid and contacts she has in Tokyo to supply us. Sai and Sakura will scout the city; we need to know what is going on outside these walls."

"What about me Sasuke?" inquired Naruto eagerly.

"You'll stay in the warehouse with Suigetsu, Jugo and I." responded the raven haired man, noting how the blondes face contorted in disappointment, "We can't risk having someone remembering your face after the bombing of Zenko-ji."

"What will you do, Sasuke?" questioned Sakura from across the table. He could see the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, she was still uneasy about what happened the previous night. If he told her the whole truth about what he was going to do, it would only strain their already fragile relationship. He loathed lying to her, to her cunning emerald eyes, her trusting face.

"I'll be doing what I can to plan our next move" he answered simply, leaving the galley in a relative haste. Naruto was the first and only one to chase after him. The blonde haired man caught up to him easily just outside the control room of the docked patrol boat. When he didn't respond to his calls, the man roughly grabbed his companion by the shoulder, effectively garnering his attention.

"What the hell's going on Sasuke? What are you really planning?" interrogated Naruto, his azure eyes narrowed suspiciously at the blank stare the other man gave him. Sasuke loved his secrets, always had; it was the biggest thing that they had fought about since their years in the academy.

Doing what I can to keep us alive; is what he wanted to say, but that wouldn't inspire much confidence in his ability to keep his composure under the looming doom. Sasuke shrugged from the stocky mans hold and took a seat at the control panel as he fiddled with them, seemingly uninterested in his persistent inquiry.

"Contacting the last person I wanted to." Sasuke finally responded grabbing the headset on the center console and placing it on his head.

"…It's that Tayuya woman isn't it?" he questioned after a short pause.

"Lucky guess." jeered the dark eyed man, twisting dials in search of the correct frequency. It was true, he was going to have to speak to her again; if he was fortunate he'd have to deal with her more pleasant counterpart. They were the last people he could trust and also the only other vigilantes with a vested interest in Akatsuki. Sasuke could hear a low growl behind him and had to turn and see that Naruto's teeth were bared and eyes bright with anger.

"Is that what you didn't want to tell Sakura-chan!?" exclaimed the furious agent, his fists balled as if prepared to knock some sense into the Uchiha, "Are you trying to two time her or something?"

Sasuke couldn't help but frown at the accusation. Now that the nature of their relationship was known, he shouldn't have been surprised that it was a topic of discussion and some concern. But to suggest that he was making a booty call in such a dire situation was almost comical, "Don't be stupid. This is strictly business."

"Is Sakura-chan considered "business" as well?" Narutos presumptuous tone was beginning to piss Sasuke off, no easy feat, but the blonde always had a knack for getting under his skin, "What makes you think you can keep secrets from her…don't you love her?"

Sasuke's lips parted slightly and his eyed widened. Stupid dobe, always sticking his nose in things that didn't concern him. Always trying to pry into his business or shame him for his actions. Surviving the next few days should have been the only thing on his mind, yet here he was delving into the more delicate nature of Sasuke and Sakuras intimate relationship, "Our…relationship is none of your concern."

"Like hell it isn't! I swear if you—!"

"Did Sakura ever tell you about how I tried to get her and the rest of you to leave after our run in with Sasori?" interjected the raven haired man, his voice as steely and cold as his gaze. He rose to his feet and confronted the blonde, "I knew this mission would only get more dangerous and I didn't want to ever see her in that condition ever again. But she insisted…she refused to leave me to do this alone."

"I didn't—"

"So don't you insinuate that I feel nothing for her or don't care for her wellbeing again, Naruto." he spat, forcefully poking the man in his chest making him take a step back. Before Naruto could retaliate, Sasuke turned back to the center console and took his seat once again, "We're done talking about this. Go speak to Jugo, make yourself useful."

Naruto stifled his violent response and made his exit, peering over his shoulder as the other man went about his business, "Don't fuck this up Sasuke."

Outside the control room Naruto was shocked to be stopped by the topic of their little argument. Judging from the look on her face she had clearly heard the bulk of it as well.

"Sakura I—"

"It's ok Naruto" she whispered, smiling weakly as she wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged him tight. He returned the gesture in kind, "Sasuke-kun…can be difficult but, I—I trust him. So please try to bear with him."

"I trust him with this mission. It's you I don't trust him with." countered Naruto, pulling her at arms length to look her in the eyes.

"He promised me we'd be in this together. All of us." she asserted slowly backing away from and moving down the hallways, "And like someone I know, he always keeps his promises."

The two disappeared down the corridors, both off to do their delegated tasks; after all, who knew how long they'd be in Tokyo. That was what Sasuke was working on currently. Finally finding the proper frequency on the long range radio, he keyed his headset several times to indicate he had hailed the compound.

"This is a restricted frequency. State your name and business." demanded a modulated voice at the other end.

"I need to speak to your superior."

"Sa-Sasuke? Shit I'd know that voice anywhere. Gimme a few." responded the voice, leaving the line silent for several minutes until shuffling could be heard on the other end.

"I knew you'd—goddamnit. Kidoumaru fix this stupid voice…there, better. Now, what fire do I need to pull your ass out of this time? That bar fight at The Station?" questioned the voice, changing from its previous robotic one to that which he wished to speak to.

"I see you've had Kin keep tabs on me." he droned, uninterested with how informative she was.

"Hey, you damn near wrecked one of my cars and stole one of my SUVs asshole. The least you could've done was call a girl." teased the redhead, he could practically hear the smirk over the headset.

"Enough small talk, I'm in a bind and need your help." he admitted, ignoring her discouraged huff, "I need any information you have; this fucking city is infested with Akatsuki."

"Love it when you talk dirty." she quipped, "I've got an informant that works out of Advocates in the Ni-chōme district, one of Kin's girls, Kotohime."

"Why there of all place?"

"What better place to hide a female spy than somewhere where men only look at other men?" she defended boastfully, obvious quite proud of her ingenuity.

"What's she know?"

"Whatever I know, she knows first. Just give me a day or so to fill her in." Tayuya assured.

"Fine. I'll contact you once you have something for me." Sasuke toned finally, pinching the bridge of his nose at how little he'd actually accomplished as he began removing his headset.

"Hey!" she shouted loud enough to hurt his ears even without the device on his head.

"What?"

"Don't…don't fucking get yourself killed out there, ok?" her voice was soft, as if her crass words were intended to underline her concern.

"Hn."

He could hear the threatening growl on the other end at his inattentiveness, and before she could begin her barrage of insults he turned off the radio and released a heavy sigh. So it was the waiting game then. And wait they did. For three days they bided their time; collecting food stuffs, miscellaneous gear, and gauging the general climate of Tokyo in the wake of their arrival. The lives of the average civilians hadn't changed much, and the unfortunate incidents in Nagano had fallen from headlines and slipped between the sports and entertainment sections.

The underworld however, was abuzz with the return of the infamous Uchiha Sasuke and as such, it was increasingly dangerous to be seen outside, especially at night. Tayuya had been true to her word and had her informant meet with Karin several times to keep them abreast of the underworlds whispers and murmurs. Not only had the bounty on the Uchiha risen substantially, there was also a rumor that Akatsukis own headhunters had taken an interest as well. According to Kotohime, they had as many names as they had bodies on their resume. The Gruesome Twosome, the Undead Duo, The Zombie Combo, the list went on and on; though none of the names mentioned who they really were. Apparently they were unkillable and had never lost a target, ever. Suigetsu seemed to be the only one eager to put their numerous nicknames to the test, if it ever came to that.

Sasuke was beginning to get a little stir crazy once a week had rolled around and passed. He had all the information he could want about the countless men and women seeking his head in exchange for a fortune, but nearly nothing on his intended target. His brother was a ghost, and was quickly slipping from his grasp. Then suddenly the information stopped one day. No one responded to his hails; not Tayuyas agents, not Kin, not Kidoumaru, nor had the redhead herself. The static and silence that accompanied was foreboding indeed, so much so that he personally sought answers. Under the cover of darkness Naruto, Sakura, and himself left their base of operations and sought out their informant.

The city streets were alive and filled with people, apparently tonight was some sort of parade. All of the revelers were dressed extravagantly and colorfully, waving rainbow colored flags. The three of them standing out so blatantly amongst the throng of people in their contrasting dark colored attire was the last thing they wanted. As they pushed their way through the crowd it became increasingly obvious that it was indeed easier for a woman to get lost amongst all the men, seeing as she wasn't the one being groped or hit on by nearly every man they bumped into. The handsy men were getting on Sasuke's last nerve and he almost regretted subjecting himself to this all for the sake of curiosity. Finally they reached the bar, finding that this was the center attraction of the evening judging by how many people were waiting in line to get inside. Though it only took the bouncer one look at Sasuke and Naruto for him to usher them inside, much to the other patrons displeasure.

"You two sure do have a lot of admirers tonight." Sakura chimed grinning from ear to ear as her teammates scoffed and blushed behind their dark sunglasses. The trio approached the bar and flagged down the dark haired woman working tirelessly for the thirsty masses.

"What can I get you guys tonight?" she questioned, wiping the beading sweat into her bangs.

"Information." Sasuke spoke softly. The woman blinked at him several times before laughing curtly in his face.

"I only serve drinks around here honey you'll have to find someone else."

"You're exactly who I'm looking for, hime." retorted the Uchiha, removing his glasses to give her a glimpse of his pitch black pools. At this her lips parted in surprise and she flushed in embarrassment.

"S-s-Sasuke-sama…my apologies. I hadn't expected…" she stammered, unconsciously running her hands through her slightly disheveled hair calling back to her fellow bartender as she led her three patrons to a private booth, "Ryoko! I'm taking my break!"

The small cadre made their way to the back of the bar, far away from the boisterous music and voice and took their seats in the booth; all eyes turning to Sasuke to begin his inquiry.

"Have you heard anything from Nagano lately?"

"Ano…It's odd actually now that you mention it." she began, resting her head in her hands as her brows furrowed in thought, "I attempted to make contact earlier as well, but got nothing. There wasn't even anything on the back up frequencies but static."

"Could it be the authorities found them? Is it Gaara?" questioned Naruto

"Not entirely improbable but, Tayuya-sama would've told me if she believed Chief Inspector Gaara was onto her. Maybe she's moved to another facility." deduced the woman, finding the situation quite perplexing.

"But the other frequencies, you said they were dead as well." contested Sakura, turning her attention to the small frown on Sasukes face. He had a bad feeling about this entire thing, she could tell, "Sasuke-kun…do you think she's in trouble?"

"There's no way of knowing for sure." he responded stoically, rising to his feet in the booth and moving to leave. His churning stomach told him that there wasn't anything normal about this situation, and all signs pointed to something sinister but, he couldn't let his own thoughts on the situation weigh so heavily on his team, not at a time like this, "Whatever it is, I'm sure she can handle it. She's a fighter."

The informant offered what little she could, and when that failed she offered them a drink on the house which they politely turned down. Alcohol couldn't drown the creeping feeling of dread inside all of them. When they emerged back onto the street the crowd hadn't thinned a bit and only made the trek back to their vehicle a frustrating cherry on top of the fruitless evening.

"I'm sure she's fine…" Naruto piped, breaking the awkward silence that filled the sedan as it drudged through the tedious stop and go traffic on this particular Tokyo night. The blonde agent could see the sour look on his friends face through the rear view mirror and couldn't help but feel for him in this predicament seeing as he'd felt the same before. It wasn't so different from when Sasuke disappeared off the face of the planet after the botched raid on that warehouse years ago. The grief and concern lasted for months, and only doubled once news of their now rogue comrade surfaced.

"Yeah, maybe she's just throwing another wild party." Sakura added somewhat cheerfully, it didn't do much other than draw out a small grunt from Sasuke, one not even she could translate.

His frustration with the lack of answers he obtained was only amplified by the traffic. He had even began honking himself once they came to a full stop for almost five minutes at a large intersection. Eventually the people around him started emerging from their cars and were gawking at something in the wards center square. They too followed suit and searched for what was so enthralling that it stopped traffic dead in its tracks. The trio pushed their way to the forefront of the crowd and stared up at the massive monitors mounted on the surrounding buildings. A suited man standing far to close to the recording device, seeing as only his arms and part of his torso were visible. When he bent to eye level with the camera, drawing a few murmurs and gasps at his striking amethyst eyes and slicked back silver-grey hair.

"Is this thing on…? Hehe good. Let's get started then. Good evening Tokyo!" he greeted, grinning widely at the reflective lens as he slowly back away revealing several other figures bound to chairs, gagged, and their faces covered by sacks behind him. They'd been badly beaten, their blazers and shirts stained with the deep maroon of old blood; clearly they'd been tortured as well. Sasukes blood ran cold at the scene as the sight drew gasps from the surrounding crowd.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am—what? Why not…? Tch, fine." the man seemed to be arguing with whoever was with him in the dimly lit room that resembled a dungeon, "On to the main attraction then."

The man approached the camera once again, producing two photos from his pocket and held one of them up to the camera, "This is Tanaka Ryukse; former Minister of Defense, his wife Jian, and their son Kisuke. Nearly a year ago today the three of them were brutally murdered in their home."

"Your government has done a great disservice to all of you in not bringing the monsters responsible to justice. You've feared that if such a fate could fall upon a man as powerful as your minister in his own home, the same could happen to any of you." the man's lackadaisical tone had disappeared and was now ominous and serious. Sasuke watched the spectacle with cold eyes, the faces of the departed had plagued him in his dreams, and now his reality, "These are the monsters that have terrorized Japan. From Tokyo to Nagano."

"Tonight my associate and I have brought these wretches to face justice. They are the dregs of society that would bleed you dry." he proclaimed, briefly holding up the second photo. It was the photo they had all taken so long ago in the old master Nobu's studio years ago. Sasuke grit his teeth at the sight, knowing all too well what would come next. The man produced a large hunting knife and approached his first captive, "What fate do these rabid dogs deserve?"

The crowd was silent, but soon the grumbles grew and those brash enough to speak did so; igniting a spark of cries, cries for death. Sakura grabbed Sasukes sleeve, fearing the crowd would descend upon him at a moment's notice if they even caught a glimpse of him. The executioner used the tip of his blade to remove the sack from his first victims head, "Kidoumaru, the sentence is death."

The blade bit deep into the center of his chest, piercing his heart and almost silencing his last struggles instantly. His eyes bulged and his teeth dug into his cloth gag as blood escaped from the corners of his mouth. It wasn't long before he slumped over in his seat; his head hung low as life left him. The silver haired man pulled the crimson knife out, taking a brief moment to marvel at the viscous fluid before sauntering over to the muffled voices of the remaining captives. He tore the bags from the heads of the next two, grinning maniacally at the smoldering glares the brothers sent him. He produced a matching hunting knife as he stepped between the two and pressed the razor sharp edge tips against their thundering hearts.

"Sakon and Ukon. The Demon Twins. You're both sentenced to death."

The duo endured the pain as the knives pierced their flesh; they fought against the pain as long as they could before their killer twisted the blades. The brothers exchanged one last bloody grin before their heads lulled to the side and their struggles ceased. Sasuke watched with a hardened gaze, even as some cheered or shied away from the gruesome spectacle.

"Sasuke-kun please…you don't need to see this." whispered the pinkette, trying to pull him away from the televised executions, only to have him jerk away from her grip.

"But I do, Sakura." he responded, his voice distant; even for him. He was the cause of this, and he wasn't there for them. The least he could do was witness their last moments, and use that rage to avenge them. The next was Jirobo, he had been as badly beaten as the woman beside him if not more so. His captors had even foregone the rope restraints of his comrades and used heavy duty chains instead. Clearly he hadn't gone quietly. As the silver haired man removed his bag he didn't flinch, he didn't fight, he only stared; his gaze hard on the camera. Even as the sentence was delivered he remained as stone faced as he had when life still coursed through his veins. Slowly his eyes shut as the blood pooled to the floor and joined his brothers in arms'.

"And finally, the bitch of the pack. One with a foul mouth to match her foul heart." he pontificated, circling the last of his prey with wild eyes. Sasuke couldn't suppress the deep growl that rumbled in his chest when the man removed her hood and revealed her battered and bruised face. It was hard to believe it was truly her, "Tayuya…you know your crimes. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Muf mhm mif unf fif!"

"What was that, I couldn't quite hear you?" he teased, leaning closer and using his blood coated blade to slice her gag.

"Suck my dick you godless bastard…" she snapped weakly, her voice hoarse and diminutive. She raised her head with what strength she could muster and spit into his face bloodying him in the process.

"Defiant wench!" he barked, backhanding her across her already bruised cheek. Roughly he grabbed her face and raised it to face the camera again, "Confess to your crimes and perhaps Jashin will spare you the hell prepared for your kind."

Go fuck you—!" before she could incense him any further he captured her throat in a firm choke.

"Last chance bitch. Pick your words wisely." he warned, slowly releasing her from his grip. Silence fell upon the crowd as they waited with baited breath as the redhead prepared to address the camera again. Sasuke could see the look in her eyes; glazed over and glassy as if ready to shed tears. She knew she was going to die. She managed to flash a bloody grin through her pain, her head held high and proudly. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak her name one last time while she was among the living, but the words only caught in his dry throat.

"I—If you're watching this…make these fuckers pay Sasuke."

Those were the last words she spoke, before her assailant violently pulled her matted hair and slit her throat. The entire scene was surreal; not even the bloodthirsty crowd found pleasure in her demise. If they had, Sasuke wouldn't have heard it; he was frozen in place and dead to the world. He watched from outside his own body as Naruto and Sakura dragged him through the crowd and towards their abandoned vehicle.

"You're welcome to try Uchiha. It doesn't matter. We're coming for you next…"

…Yeah. I did that. It happened and not even I know how I feel about it. I've never killed off characters in my stories much less so many and so quickly. But I'm sure you can see that the tale gets darker from here on out. Regardless, thanks for reading even if it might have left you feeling like Sasuke for the moment I appreciate it all the same. I'm going to try and keep the chapters a bit shorter than usual as well; don't want to tax those who've read thus far with my long winded self. That and I should be able to pump them out a bit faster as well. That and I'd like to reach the conclusion of this before life gets in the way. As always reviews and PMs are appreciated constructive or otherwise.

Next Chapter: Requiem for the Fallen

Until next time! Sayonara!