A/N: Sasuke always speaks in his main language, Japanese, so when he speaks English it will be in Italics to show you he is speaking in a different and foreign language to him.
Sasuke's P.O.V
"Hold up," Orochimaru spoke from behind me, his voice amused. "It seems we have come across a young girl..."
We were standing in a deep, green forest so thick you couldn't see the sky. It was getting close to night so we all had our torches lighting our path, we were about to set up camp for the day. Orochimaru points his finger at a clearing in the forest where a group of Ninjas has made a semicircle. Craning my head I see that lying in the middle of the Ninjas is a girl, of about the same age as me.
Her dark blonde hair tumbled down the side of her head into messy waves and her face held a fierce expression, she was almost like a cat that was ready to pounce at any moment. She was wearing three-quartered leather pants with a belt that held a knife, one of two. In her right hand, she was holding the other knife, her fingers clenched tightly around the handle in what could be interpreted as nervous, or eager. Her top was made of the same material as her pants, revealing her midriff. She looked like she had been rolling in mud as everywhere you could see her skin she was covered in dirt reminding me of an amazonian warrior.
"Do you want me to see if she is any trouble?" I say in monotone. I absolutely hate running stupid errands like this, but I have to please Orochimaru. Secretly I hope that this girl gives me something of a challenge, I haven't had a real challenge in ages... since I fought Naruto Uzumaki.
"Mmm," he hums behind me. "I don't think so, my Ninjas can take care of it."
Greatly doubtful, I turn my head back around to the Ninjas who are in a semicircle around the girl. "Hey! She is of no use to us, kill her and make it quick, we need to set up camp for the night."
I turn to meet Orochimaru's nod of approval, "Sasuke, check our provisions and make sure our prisoners aren't getting bored."
With a sadistic smile, I turn to head towards the back of the very large Ninja group we are traveling with. We're moving to a new hideout, to keep our location under the radar.
"Hey! Leave me alone or I'll kill all of you stupid people!"
Usually, I wouldn't have stopped, but I hadn't heard that language in a long time. My mother taught this language to me, English. The girl lying in the semicircle was yelling in English. I figured with a sigh, looking around the group, that I was the only one here who could speak and understand English.
I turned around casually and looked at the girl who was now holding both of her knives about the size of her elbow to her to the top of her palm in each hand. "And how do you think you could kill all of us?" I yelled back at her in my almost-perfect English. I could see the bottom of her ribs poking out under her skin where her midriff was showing, she hasn't eaten in days from what I could determine. Someone as weak looking as her couldn't fight off an angry fly.
The girl turned towards me and gave me an icy glare, her eyes were a startling greeny-blue with a yellow ring around her pupils. I've never seen any eyes like that before. "Come any closer and you will find out!" She yelled back, her voice cracking as she saw the Ninja closing in on her.
Everyone was staring at us now, not understanding a word we were saying. Orochimaru gave me an inquisitive look and I yelled to the girl again, "I suppose we will," Rolling my eyes, I hope she's said her prayers.
Taking up a fighting stance, determination growing on her face, I see her eyes focus on the closest Ninja to her. The closest Ninja, a man, ran at her and did a fire style Jutsu. As the flames ignited they surrounded her almost immediately. The smoke rose into the sky and we all waited in silence. Was she dead that easy? I snorted and turned back to Orochimaru.
"Try again, idiot!" She yelled at me, making me lose my calm facade. I glared at her so hard she flinched.
On that note, she raised her sharp daggers again and launched herself at the man who had failed at setting her on fire. Without a single burn on her, she ducked under his kunai and stabbed him in the chest. Her quick movements surprised me as before she had looked like she was too exhausted to lift a finger.
Flipping backward into a bend back and then kicking him in the chest with her feet, I watched as she used the momentum to flip herself again so she was standing back on her two feet. Unable to contain my excitement I used my Sharingan to watch her every move. Finally, a challenge for me.
She didn't miss a single beat. Ducking under the next kunai that had been thrown by one of the Ninja women, she swung her dagger behind her cutting the woman's chest open. The woman screamed and fell back, clutching herself. I smirked at the girl, carefully not trying to laugh in amusement.
Two Ninja men threw themselves at her and she spun around and kicked the guy on her left, as he was thrown back she swung at the other guy's neck. He caught her hand so with quick thinking she kneed him in his stomach. Red liquid burst out of his mouth and she grabbed his arm and twisted it around so we could all hear the sickening crunch. She punched him in the face and as he fell back, the Ninja on her left got up again, ready for round two.
I was really getting into it, this girl was good. But no longer had I gotten into it, Orochimaru held up his hand. "Enough!" He called to his Ninja. Unfortunately, the girl probably couldn't understand Japanese, so she kept on fighting and stabbed the guy on her left in his chest. So I quickly shouted, "Enough! The fight is over!" And the girl stopped, somehow she had managed not to kill any of the Ninja.
When the girl cleaned her knives in the grass and hooked them through her belt, she got down on her knees in front of the wounded Ninja and started nursing them, much to their protest. I even heard her muttering, "Sorry," to them. It was the weirdest sight I had ever seen. Unable to wrap my head around it, I shook my head and turned to Orochimaru.
"Should I grab the girl?" I asked him in my monotone voice because devoid of emotion is how he liked to speak to me, he always says that emotion is a weakness.
"What language were you speaking Sasuke?" He asked me quietly, not wanting anyone else to hear.
"English, Lord Orochimaru." He slowly nodded, not really understanding, and looked at the girl who was still muttering apologies to the wounded and almost dead Ninja.
"I take it you are the only one here who can communicate with her?" He thought out loud. When I nodded he muttered, "Grab the girl and bring her to me," and much louder, "We set up camp here!"
All the Ninjas grunted in unison and started to organize sleeping spaces and a large tent for Orochimaru. The girl looked up and saw everyone unpacking. Already guessing her next move I started towards her as she ducked out of view and started running back into the dark forest.
"Oh no you don't," I muttered under my breath as I leaped over the trees and bounced off the branches. Watching with my Sharingan, I see her stumbling through the forest in an ungraceful manner. Is she not a Ninja?
Catching her in a few seconds, she tries to shove me and so I tackle her to the ground, the force of my action sending us both tumbling down a hill. Screaming in frustration and blatant anger as I clung to her, she tried to hit me but I pinned her arms.
"Let go of me, you idiot!" She screamed again as we came to a rest at the bottom of the hill, thumping into a tree.
"Calm down!" Pinning her arms and sitting on her stomach, she struggled to breathe. When she calmed down she growled.
"Get off me you creep!" She freed one of her hands and she smacked me in the face. Hard.
Grabbing her hand I held it back down with more strength than I needed. "Lord Orochimaru wants to speak with you, and you will speak to him willingly or unwillingly."
She rolled her eyes at my words. "Lord Orochimaru? Really? What are you? His lapdog?"
I let go her one hand again and slapped her in the face. She gasped in pain as my red handprint began to disappear on her cream skin. "You will not speak to me like that."
Making the smart move to come willingly, I led her back to camp. Much to my dislike, she was muttering unladylike things the entire way. The entire way.
When we reached camp everyone was lying on their sleeping bags. Night had come and there was a chill in the air, I noticed the girl clutching her midriff and her teeth chattered. I led her to Lord Orochimaru's tent where three guards stood outside the entrance. Telling the girl to wait, I entered the tent, nodding to the guards to keep the girl there and make sure she didn't run off again.
As I entered, ducking my head, my eyes had to adjust to the very low lighting because the tent was only lit by candles. Lord Orochimaru was sitting in a chair, a snake slithering behind him.
"Ah, Sasuke-Kun, did you bring the girl?" He asked, a sly grin on his face.
"Yes my Lord, she is waiting outside." I nodded to him and then gestured towards where I walked in.
"Let her come in... I am eager for this." He chuckled to himself.
Walking back towards the entrance I stuck my head out and nodded to the guards. Shoving the girl inside the tent she gave them a cold stare. "Rude." I snickered at her side comment.
"So this is the infamous girl..." Orochimaru gave her a once over and she twitched, uncomfortable beneath his eyes.
"What did he say?" She asked, turning to me. Orochimaru nodded for me to translate.
"He said, 'So this is the infamous pig'." Her eyes flashed and she calmly looked at Orochimaru, sizing him up. She had no idea who she was dealing with.
"Tell him the feelings mutual." She returned her glare to me.
"She says she thinks you are a pig," I told Orochimaru. He laughed and his eyes danced in amusement as he stood up from his chair. Walking over to her, he lifted her chin to look at her face and he circled her, looking her up and down.
"What is your name girl?" He asked her to which she lifted an eyebrow at me.
"What is your name girl?" I translated, my fun over now that she was a hairbreadth away from Lord Orochimaru.
"Winter, no last name." She spoke. She lifted her chin high as she talked and I saw the mounds of dirt on her face. She looked like she had come from a long way away so I decided to ask the next question.
"Where are you from?"
Glancing at me she stated factually, "A small island near the Land of Fire. All on the island were immune to Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. I am immune. When the island was annihilated I managed to get out before it happened."
"How did you manage to get out?" I questioned her again.
"I knew they were coming from an old friend of mine, so I quickly stowed away on a trading ship. When we got to the other side the murderers came after us, they killed the ship's crew and when they came after me I killed them all."
She was trouble indeed, a challenge she may be but a handful as well. Annoyed, I relayed everything to Orochimaru. Much to my dislike, he was impressed.
"Tell her to get cleaned up and she will have dinner with us," Orochimaru announced.
Before I was eager to have her here, but as I thought about it, inside I was quite aggravated, she had an immunity that Orochimaru would definitely want to test, his attention would be drawn to her and I won't get the training I need.
"Get cleaned up and you will have dinner with us." Stone-faced, I walked off my anger heating with every step.
"Where will I stay?" She called out to me.
"With all of us of course. Welcome to Lord Orochimaru's Winter." I spat out, not slowing my pace.
Just before I left through the back entrance I stopped and looked back at Orochimaru.
"Is this really a good idea Lord Orochimaru? She is more dangerous than she appears." He wasn't paying attention, though, he seemed to be lost in his thoughts, staring off into space.
The candles illuminated his face as he spoke. "She is as dangerous as you, Sasuke-Kun. Who knows? Maybe she is as equally matched in sword fighting as you are." He said, not blinking. Rage surged through me, she couldn't possibly be as good as me.
I growled. "Equally matched?!"
"Easy Sasuke-Kun, do not get so jealous." Dismissing me with a wave of his hand I ducked out of the tent, disliking Winter more and more with every step I took.
The word 'jealous' echoed in my head as I walked. I need to show Orochimaru that I am more important than Winter is. If I don't, I won't get enough training to achieve my goal. I'm an Avenger, and I don't need some girl to come waltzing in and steal the spotlight.
******
What do you think of Winter? She has quite a mouth on her. Sasuke has some big mood swings in this chapter, thoughts? Eugh, Orochimaru irks me, anyone else?
Love, Books4_Ever xx