Beautiful Demise

Bhairavi hated her room. Even though the room included a bed, dresser and even a bathroom, it felt as if the walls were closing in and all the light had been effectively shut out. The dark and drab appearance crushed down on Bhairavi and weighted down her soul like a new form of heavy chains. While it seemed she had earned a little amount of freedom, a new sense of imprisonment crashed down upon her with merciless force.

"Sit." Pein commanded nearly making Bhairavi flinch. Not wanting to upset her captors more than they already were Bhairavi did as she was told and took her seat on the neatly made bed shifting around uncomfortably.

Pein's eyes seemed to pierce Bhairavi's soul and its force alone forced her to be still. "Itachi, you may enter." He commanded just before the knock was heard. Slowly the door creaked open allowing a man in is twenties to step in. His long black hair was swept back into a fasionable pony tail and his red and black cloack flowed around him with an air of such confidence and purpose. His skin was pale and his lips were drawn into a tight line as if he never smiled. Exhaustion lines etched his face just beneath his eyes which led Bhairavi to believe that he had been forced to mature faster than he should have. What frightened her most about the man however and held her in place with pure terror and uncertainty was his eyes. They glowed in the dim lighting a vibrant crimson and seemed to gaze unflinchingly into the depths of her soul and unconver all of her most private secrets.

"Leader-sama." Itatchi acknowledged coldly giving a polite slight bow. Pein silently stepped aside letting Itatchi have full view of the girl. When his eyes connected with Bhairavi she forced herself to keep his gaze.

He took a few steps towards her until he was standing directly infront of her. He closed his eyes and she vaguley wondered what he was doing before they snapped open again freezing her in place. In a heartbeat she was in the depths of her worst nightmare come to life losing sight of what was relaity and what wasn't.

Everything was bathed in cruel red light and the objects of her fright were black shadows. Her heart pounded a mile a minute in her chest, partly in confusion but mostly in panic.
"Sing!" a strong cold voice commanded echoing around in her alternate reality. She clamped her hands around her ears and screamed. She suddenly remembered the day Angelick died and how that same cruel voice had commanded her to do exactly what this new voice was telling her to do now.

"Sing." the voice chanted over and over again making Bhairavi sink to her knees in desperation.

"NOOO!" She screamed in a fit of new found rage. Angelick's face crossed her mind making her stiffen once more as the childs ghost fingers traced the tears of blood trailing down Bhairavi's cheeks. Her golden curls gleamed unaffected by the cruel red hues of the alternate reality and her vibrant blue eyes seemed to smile as they gazed into Bhairavi's terrified golden ones.

"Just let it out." She whispered and somehow Bhairavi knew the Angelick she saw was not apart of Itatchi's cruel trick. Suddenly the voice seemed less real, less commanding and the red of the new world seemed less intense, less vibrant. Even when Angelick dissappeared the golden light that basked her seemed to cut a hole in the darkness Bhairavi was drenched in and she saw the world for what it was. She saw what she had to do.

Opening her mouth she seemed to inhale the gold shimmering light left in the dark endless void and bellowed out the first notes of her heart's song. She filled with it the memory of Angelick and the love and passion she had felt for the small child letting it fill her soul. Even if the sound was filled with pain and longing. Even if the sound seemed godly and unreal as well as just plain inhuman, it was her sound. It was her voice filling that awful hole in her heart and repairing the tear of her soul. It was her voice that caused Itatchi to lose his grip on her mind and release her from the alternate reality. No one had ever done that.

In a strange way Bhairavi had not succumbed to the Akatsuki's demands. In her own small way she had defied them and Pein and the others very well knew it. She even stopped singing immediately the moment Itatchi lost his iron grip on her and in response she was aware of four very interested, intense gazes.

She returned each of their looks unflinchingly, well until her eyes locked with Pein's that is. There was such longing in those strange unusual eyes and something else Bhairavi couldn't identify. Whatever the look, it sent warning bells in Bhairavi's mind and caused her to take a step back.

"it appears you have quite the unusual gift don't you?" Pein asked a twisted smile appearing on his pierced face.

"Lock her room and make sure she doesn't go anywhere unsupervised. Her gift is no one elses but mine." He said turning his back to her and exiting the room. Bhairavi felt despair weiging her down as she watched the rest of the members exit the room. Itatchi was the last to leave and as his eyes glanced back at her curiously she found herself saying without thinking, "Alot of people here aren't who they appear to be huh?"

Itatchi paused and then gave her his full attention. "No, they aren't."

"Like you. You aren't evil. I know you aren't. In a way, you and I are both prisoners aren't we? Only I fear your situation is a lot more complictated than mine isn't it? At least I know who my enemies are. I hope...I hope he understands. I hope one day he'll know you aren't evil Itatchi."

Bhairavi nearly misssed the shock that registered on his face before being replaced by an emotionless mask.

"Who do you hope understands?" He asked coldly. Bhairavi blinked in confusion. She suddenly couldn't remember what her last two sentences were. How strange. She did remember how sure of herself she felt though.

"I...I dont remember. What did I say?" She blinked up at him through long lashes and Itatchi frowned.

"Hnn." He then turned to leave deciding to let the conversation drop. He knew he shouldn't be talking to her yet something about her innocence even in the depths of the Akatsuki base intrigued him.

"I'm so unsure. I just hope that im right when I feel that your soul is untainted by the darkness even when imprisoned by it." Behairavi whispered before it was she who turned her back to him and retreated to the hard matress in the corner. She heard the door slowly creak shut and the lock click in place and bit her lip hard as the darkness engulfed her.

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Itatchi crept down the corridor deep in thought. It was wrong. He knew it was wrong. Those wild golden eyes haunted him as he stalked down the corridor. She was right though. They both were prisoners. After all prisoners hated their situations didn't they? What better emotion to describe his? Hate, a perfect word. Only the look on the girl's face was not of hatred. He suddenly doubted the girl could ever hate anything. Which led him back to the thought that imprisoning her was wrong. Very wrong.

He thought of his own predicament and how all of his own horrible deeds had been done out of fear and love and suddenly thought that maybe the path he had taken wasn't the right one. Maybe he had doomed the one he cared about most in the world rather than save him. Could he have extinguished that brilliant innocent light in his little brother's eyes simply before another darker more formidable foe had? Suddenly, his decisions seemed so clouded and just plain wrong.

There was only one name rolling around in Itatchi Uchiha's head that day. It was a name he had managed to push aside for a long time thinking it better that way. He knew his brother hated him for obvious reasons but still his name circled in his head as he silently apologized for robbing his brothers childhood from him. Yes, Sasuke might not have known it, but his brother regretted what he did more than anything. The road to hell was indeed paved with good intentions.

Sadly enough, Itatchi never thought of Bhairavi's name. He never cared to ask. No one had. she wasn't human to them. She wasn't a person. It was easier for Itatchi that way. It might have crossed his mind to ask at one point, but he dismissed it immediately, even if he was truely a good person who just had a bad fate dealt to him, he knew that knowing her name would be the final shove he needed to go against his plans and free the girl he knew needed to be freed. At that moment, Bhairavi wasn't a person to him either.

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Bhairavi couldn't remember a single happy moment in her life. Even her time with Angelick had been drab and hopeless making her believe there was nothing worth living for. Was misery all that life was? or was it simply all that she was allowed?

Not wanting to spend another moment in the darkness Bhairavi scurried around the room desperately searching for some means of light. Anything to chase away the pressing darkness. In the top drawer of her dresser she discovered a few candle sticks and some matches. Carefully, she lit a candle and cradled the flame as she moved across the room to her bed.

Silently she stared at the dancing flame knowing exactly what it was like to be contained. To be used.

Right now I feel like a bird Bhairavi began softly letting the words go and suddenly feeling stronger for doing so.
caged without a key.
everyone comes to stare at me
so much joy and rivarly
they don't know how I feel inside
through my smile, I cry
they dont know what their doin' to me
keepin me from flying
thats why I say that
I know why the caged bird sings
only joy comes from song
shes so rare and beautiful to others
why not just set her free
so she can fly, fly, fly
spreading her wings and her song
let her fly, fly, fly
for the whole world to see

She was so focused on her singing and the comforting little flame on her candle that she didn't notice the door creak open or the curious intruder inch closer. It was only when she stopped that she discovered him.

"Keep singing." The cold voice commanded making her jump and the candle to fall out of her hand and onto the floor. She dived down after it desperate to save the flame that lit the darkness but her attempts were futile and it tumbled to the floor and the flame was extinguished plunging her into darkness. She groped around on her hands and knees until she found the candle stick and gripped it tightly in her hands now staring fearfully in the direction the commanding voice had come from.

"Who are you?" Bhairavi whispered afraid that if she spoke any louder her voice whould shake.

Suddenly a light flared in front of her as another one of her precious candles was lit and she could make out the intruder. Shaggy red hair fell into chocolate brown eyes that held no warmth. His pale complexion made Bhairavi remember her own dark skin and suddenly felt self concious in the presence of the beautiful stranger.

"So your the new toy." He said curiously leaning closer catching sight of her frightened gold eyes.

"No." She whispered, "Im their new prisoner." Ignoring the statement the boy said cooly

"I told you to keep singing." Jutting out her chin in defiance Bhairavi said in a strong clear voice, "I will not sing for you." Even with his commanding arrogant voice and cold eyes Bhairavi for some reason, seemed drawn to the stranger in a way she could not explain. So it was she softened her voice and said before he could interrupt and say something rude, "But if you actually ask me if I'd like to, I might consider it."

Shifting her eyes away Bhairavi took notice of the shadows flickering across the wall and over her dresser. The Akatsuki member seemed stunned for a moment. He had never asked anyone for anything 'nicely' before. What difference did it make anyway? Deciding he'd like to see the girl's reaction he asked as 'nicely' as he possibly could, "would you please sing again girl?"

Her golden eyes locked with his brown ones and she held his steady gaze before saying, "yes. I'll sing because you asked." There was something exhilerating about having the option. About having a choice and that alone made Bhairavi's voice that much more pleasant to listen too.

The Akatsuki member couldn't take his eyes off of her. He'd never heard or seen such beauty in one place before. When she sang, it changed something in him. It might have been his imagination but his heart seemed....warmer somehow. Less frigid around the edges.

"Why do you think evil exists?" Bhairavi suddenly asked breaking the heavy silence that had settled over them when she had stopped singing. The red headed Akatsuki member had no idea how to react. Normally he would be irritated by the nature of the question and more than annoyed at how useless it was. Some reason however, he found himself answering without irritation seeping through his voice.

"I believe that it has no reason. It just is. Just like people." When he looked into Bhairavi's eyes the candle light made her golden orbs seem like they held more depth. He suddenly found that he couldn't look away. Not from the pure innocence that shone brightly within.

"Everything has a reason. I believe everyone and everything has its purpose. Without purpose the world would just be a junkyard and I know that people's hearts aren't junk even if the people here treat it as such." Bhairavi said quietly.

"You're too naive." The Akatsuki member said gruffly sitting back a little to observe her reaction.

"If that's the price you have to pay to have a heart so be it." She said inching a little closer to the dancing candle flame.

"Have....have you ever killed anyone?" Bhairavi asked afraid to know the answer. She had no idea why she was making conversation with one of her captors and he had no idea why he was even talking to her, still he answered her hesitant question, "Yes. I've killed many people. Im apart of the Akatsuki aren't I?" Bhairavi expected as much.

"Do you see them? When you sleep that is? Do you ever regret killing them and stealing their life away from them?" The Akatsuki member had never been asked such a question. No one ever thought too much about it. They always just assumed monsters didn't need a reason to kill or ever regretted doing it but here this imprisoned girl was, actually treating him like a person. Not even judging him even though she had every right too.

"I regret nothing. You can't change the choices you've made. I do see them sometimes though. The first ones I've killed. After the first few it just got easier I supose. Like taking care of pests."

"I dont like to think of them as 'killed' or 'dead'." Bhairavi whispered. "I like to believe that they live on in us so that you're never alone. That we carry a piece of them every where we go." Bhairavi said touching her aching heart and thinking of Angelick. "For as long as they're in my heart, they will never be 'dead'. Thats someone you can never take away from me."

"Then why not trap their soul and keep them with you forever. Wouldn't that be easier?" At this Bhairavi looked deep into his eyes almost mournfully before replying,

"Because that would be selfish. In a world so hate filled and cruel, you'd be denying them their chance at freedom. You'd be keeping something that isn't yours."

The Akatsuki member had no idea how to reply to that so he stayed silent, content with just staring at her across the dancing flame. He watched the candle light reflect off her small soft features and wondered why he never grew impatient or angry at this girl. Such a strange feeling he felt coil in the pit of his stomach when she looked into his eyes.

Deciding he did not like the unidentified feeling rolling around in his gut the red headed stranger stood up and moved towards the door intent on leaving the girl with the innocent golden eyes behind. Even as his hands grasped the door knob and twisted the handle ready to leave behind the girl that made him so nervous, a part of him called out for him to stay. While that part of him did not win, the part asking him the same question over and over again did. What was her name?

"What is your name?" He asked just before he closed the door behind him. Bhairavi didn't know what shocked her more, the fact that he had asked her or the part of him that was treating her like a human being.

"Bhairavi." She whispered. "It means melody." she didn't know why she felt the need to say it but her tongue seemed so lose around this stranger. Like she could say anything she wanted to him. "And yours?" She no longer wanted to refer to him as 'stranger' or 'akatsuki member.'

The door creaked and she almost didn't hear his soft reply as the door clicked shut but she caught it. "Sasori." He had whispered.