(Book the Second) In the Eye of the Snake ~Crimson Light in the Uchiha

The Deal and the Reflection in the Blood

Rin's POV

This hurts so much.....

OH CRAP!

I bolt upright and I find myself on my back, looking at the sun hiding behind leaves. The light warms me and deep inside, I could feel a little bit of my chakra coming back. Another wave of pain shoots from my neck and I gripit tightly. Ignore the pain, ignore the stupid pain. Even if I screamed, how would that help? I would still be stranded here, and Sasuke would still be miles away, all alone.

Slowly, I get a little accustomed to the pain and I bend one knee, shaking as I slowly start to stand. I pant and my hand slowly leaves my neck. There....that's better....

"Quite impressive...." And my body jerks suddenly as if it remembers the voice. A man approaches and I narrow my eyes. I search my memories and I'm hit by another wave of pain. The memory is so blurry, but I swear I met this person before.

Purple out lined reptile eyes survey my face and his thin lips curve into a smile. "Hehe, you haven't changed at all, Rin-chan."

"What are you doing here?" I say slowly.

"Why...it was my hideout that you escaped from, Rin-chan." Five people emerge from behind the man and I recognize them as my pursuers. "These," the man gestures around him, "are the Sound's Five. My henchmen, in other words."

"What...do you want with me?"

"It's obvious isn't it? You showed such a burst of power, the last time we met. I would like to....harness it." The man steps closer and I hastily scramble backwards. Then I feel something on my back and I twitch. It's smooth and it feels disgusting. I feel a distant hissing by my ear. Kami....a snake, how the heck did a snake wind up on me?! I start shaking and I can feel sweat slip down my neck. Afraid...I'm afraid....I never liked snakes...and I still don't.

"What's with this behavior, Rin-chan?" Chuckles the man, "Perhaps....do you not like snakes?"

The snake curled tighter around me and I close my eyes. Don't show any weakness in front of him, he'll just mock you further. My eyes are open with fright and I breath heavily, tue snake won't kill you, calm the heck down....

The man grins, "I'm impressed that you are able to withstand the pain of the Heavenly Seal," what Heavenly Seal? I've never heard of it... The man walks quickly over to me until we're almost nose to nose. "But that pain is just the beginning....can you even stand, this?" His hand shoots forward and grasps my neck, his fingers touch a certain point and there is a dead silence.

Then I start screaming.

Orochimaru's POV

I let my finger touch her HeavenlySeal and Rin explodes into a fit of screaming, exactly like that day when I first gave her the seal. She falls on the ground on one knee and covers her face. When she stops screaming, she just kneels on the soil. I notice that the black marks from the seal have spread all the way across her face. But they are different. They are the same shape but their color is a deeper black, a black that had a touch of crimson in it. Interesting...

Rin-chan's eyes are horrified as she looks at her hands, and her eyes are no longer yellow reptile pupils, but a deep golden red.

Kimimaro steps forward, "Should we bring her back, Orochimaru-sama?"

"If you can," I smirk, observing the Sound's Five as they start to approach Rin.

"No.." She moans, "just go away, GO AWAY!" Chakra explodes from her and knocks the Sound's Five back. She is curled into a ball with her head burries into her arms, but her chakra moves around as if it is a desperate living thing.