Bound to You (Naruto)

Chapter Twenty One

Tsuki woke with a start as she slipped beneath the water's surface of her soothing warm bath. She resurfaced coughing and sputtering as she desperately tried to refill her lungs with oxygen and expel the water from them. Her fatigue was starting to become a detriment to her health. Shakily, she climbed from the tub and dried her soaking body with a fluffy white towel. The door to the bedroom opened.

"Orochimaru-sama?" She called curiously wondering why he'd be attempting to keep silent, her senses were still off. Slipping a simple black silk kimono over her now slightly damp body she poked her head out of the bathroom door, only to jump as a large beam of wood shot toward her.

Panicked she fell back into the bathroom to avoid the beam of wood only to let out a scream as it followed her into the bathroom before winding around her waist, pinning her arms at her sides before hardening.

The bathroom door opened the rest of the way and Tsuki strained to see the man framed in the doorway. He was a leaf Shinobi, a few years her senior, wearing the traditional leaf Shinobi garb, his hair was a dark brown and stood up atop his head in an unruly fashion, and he had dark blank eyes and a stoic expression frozen on his face.

Before she could question the intruder, she heard a familiar voice, "Captain Yamato is everything alright, I thought I heard a sc-." Sakura appeared in the doorway but cut off with a gasp as she noticed the pale starlight woman now being held captive. The pink haired girl had grown up over the years, she was taller now and had the figure of a young woman instead of a child. Her pale jade eyes no longer held uncertainty and fear as they had before they were filled with strength and determination, "Tsuki! Ah! Captain Yamato, please let her go, she's not one of Orochimaru's henchmen."

"What?!" The man looked hesitant, "If you try anything-." He attempted to warn the pale young woman but Sakura cut him off.

"She's my friend."

Reluctantly the leaf shinobi released the starlight girl from her bonds. Once free Tsuki shakily got to her feet and shot a wary look in the man's direction. Sakura stepped forward and wrapped the pale woman in a hug.

"You look all grown up, Sakura-chan." Tsuki smiled as she hugged the girl back. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for Sasuke, do you know where he-?"

"This looks like it would be Orochimaru's private quarters." Yamato cut off the pink-haired teen as he looked around the enormous regal bedchamber with intricate snake like accents and statues. He threw a suspicious look to the pale young woman as she and Sakura broke from their hug.

"It is." Tsuki replied simply in a dismissive tone before turning to Sakura, "My senses are a little off at the moment so I can't detect his presence, he and Orochimaru-sama were going to train...if they're finished then he'd probably have gone back to his room. I can show you the way if you like."

Sakura hugged the pale woman once more, "Yes, please. Thank you, Tsuki!"

"May I possibly get changed first?" Tsuki inquired not liking how the silk material molded to her damp torso clinging sinfully to every delicate curve in her body.

"I'm not sure I trust you entirely and don't really want to let you out of my sight." Yamato replied his tone even.

Tsuki shrugged at this and led the way out of the room. Sakura fell in step beside her happy to see the pale young woman who'd saved her before and happy to see she seemed, for the most part, okay. There was a sickly pallor to her skin and dark circles beneath her colorless eyes, but she seemed stronger than before.

They didn't make it more than a few steps away from Tsuki and Orochimaru's private quarters before Sakura suddenly winced as if in pain and gripped her left arm. Tsuki struggled to catch the pink-haired teen as she swayed on her feet.