A/N: Blame this piece of my mind on a storyline that had been bugging me for quite some time. Yup, the pairing is indeed the crackest of crack, but I actually DO support it, so have no mistake about that.

Warning: Some spoilers ahead for those of you who don't know what happens in the manga – not many though, and very probably some (or more) AU, mild sexual references and a bit of blood. Plus, I adore Ino and couldn't help a slight Sakura-bashing.

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own them, 'cause if I did, this would actually happen…

A Mind's Perfection

They had turned into a constant, haunting chant to her by now, a spell - or rather a curse, she couldn't seem to escape, for it poisoned her very existence, killed every spark of self-esteem she had left.

Useless...weak...pitiful...

The perhaps over-used, yet still regular terms to describe her - cutting, merciless words, spoken by comrades and foes alike...She hadn't believed them at first, adamantly denying their harsh truth. For, after all, she had constantly told herself she was good, she was strong, that the wielder of the infamous mind techniques of the Yamanaka clan stood in a much more powerful position, since she controlled what others sometimes couldn't master even in themselves.

Yet, the empty self-convincing had never given her the acknowledgement she had sought, never whisked her in the spotlight, and away from the sidelines, she had been forced off to by the others - the ones, who had 'real' strength in their command. In fact, all she had been doing was deluding herself, lost in a long-lasting rivalry that had brought her nothing but misery and ridicule - as a person, but worse still, as a shinobi.

And it had had to come to the death of the only man left, who still believed in her progressively failing future in the ninja ranks, for her to finally be stripped of all her childish pretences, and thrust in front of the bitter, unforgiving reality. She hadn't even been able to aid him...let alone avenge him...

However, his demise had indeed served its purpose. It had shown her the trap of illusions she had put herself in - but it had also proved to her there was still hope to save herself. She had left behind a lot at Asuma's grave that day - her innocence, her vanity, her fantasies, paying a toll that for her had been more than agonising, yet it was just as necessary - the price of growing up...For, even she had to admit that sometimes there was nothing better than a rude awakening...

And during the next four years, the Hidden Leaf was forced to watch, as a new legend, just as deadly as the previous, was slowly yet surely forged from the ashes of the same girl once scorned as useless, weak, pitiful.

Just as the gift of womanhood had blossomed into her with time, so had her command of and skill in her art, until the name Ino Yamanaka was no longer object of mockery by her fellow shinobi. For, who would dare ridicule Konoha's top spy, the infamous successor of the notorious Ibiki; the best of the current ANBU Black Ops, with not even one failed mission.

She had made a name for herself - and she couldn't care less about everybody else's opinions anymore. After all, who were they to dare judge her, when she had given them all they could possibly ask for - lifetime service and loyalty. And she deemed that leaving her the fuck alone was a reasonable, if not actually quite low, a price to pay in return...

All she had expected was to be acknowledged for her successes, for everything she had achieved in the ninja arts. Simple recognition and respect - but not only outside of Konoha's walls...Was it really that much to ask...?

However, she had seemingly forgotten that inevitable danger - that the process could go either way. And, as she had frustratedly established already, she was often given the short end of the stick, since instead of fascination, her mastery of the mind, of jutsus far beyond her age or publicly assumed ability, had gradually started inducing fear - in the same people she had sworn to protect.

It was a pure paradox in fact, the way shinobi were pushed to their limits, encouraged to excel, to beat the impossible. But once they did, with the drive of progress burning in their veins, urging them to continue, to expand and perfect, they were forced to stop and bury that impulse, or they risked to be branded a danger to the ones they lived to defend, losing in the process what they had always strived for - what made them who they were.

However, towards her, that attitude was much more acute. Because one could defend themselves against brute strength, yet, her own command of mind techniques was another, infinitely more dangerous weapon - one, that could almost never be stopped. Still, they had no right to do this, to cage her - not when they understood nothing...about the mind...about the limitless power of her mind...

And she couldn't prevent the poison of frustration and disappointment from gradually sinking into her at the praises she heard left and right about others like her brainless ex-best friend, shattering bit by bit her old, idealistic visions of being a ninja. But it was all for the better, she mused, life having already forced her to realise that idealism could only get a shinobi killed...if not worse.

Yet, in the end, hadn't all of the most notorious, missing nin been amongst the best of their former villages - never acknowledged, never truly accepted…all due to ignorant fear, simply because they were singular in their skills?

She had, in fact, found her mind lately wandering increasingly towards the three, most known, Konoha S-class criminals. The Uchihas...of course, they had always been the epitome of success - the lath, against which everyone else was measured...and more often than not found lacking. But the Snake Sannin...the more she got to learn about him, the deeper she plunged into his deadly, twisted history, stealing it, without even the slightest suspicions on their part, from the only two people in the Leaf who could claim to reasonably know him, he constantly struck her as an entirely different case.

For, as members of the Konoha's most powerful clan, the two brothers had had an advantage from birth - an almost sure sign, that they would reap greatness as their future progressed. However, when it came to the hypnotic, golden-eyed shinobi, things were the entire opposite.

He had had to work for his power, labour for his greatness, actually build his legend with his own two hands...and his mind - a psyche, she wondered idly whether one day hers could perhaps rival. Though, she knew better than to chase impossible hopes...after all, these was no one like him, even the famed Uchihas didn't possess his level of perfection - the one, earned by one's own efforts.

Shame that he was now dead...slaughtered by the arrogant, youngest member of that blasted, exterminated clan - a fact, she, to her utter amazement, had found herself regretting, wondering for the millionth time how in Kami's name she had once thought Sasuke worthy of her heart...or her time and attention.

Because his deceased master may have deserved to be subjected to a lot more atrocious happenings, yet he surely didn't merit such an end - so humiliatingly unbefitting to his doubtless, though blood-stained, pain-filled glory.

And she couldn't help it...the more she contemplated him, the less she was able to fight that odd, intense feeling, creeping into the very core of her soul's gradually expanding twilight. He intrigued her - even if just by the fact, that even after his demise, his name alone infallibly brought shivers in the hearts of the strongest of Jounin. And she was powerless to not succumb to that wild, irrational wish that her conclusions about him would turn out to be reality...that there would, once again, prove to be more to the sadistic, former Otokage, than met the eye - even one, armed with the Sharingan...

If only, however, she had known that fate was about to play another round with her - that she would all too soon find out exactly how much, fatal reason there was behind that old saying 'Be careful what you wish for, 'cause it just might come true.'...She had longed to see fascination, simple admiration radiating from the eyes of those around her...

But even her, already close to brilliant, mind was unprepared for the one gaze, in which she was shortly to find that deepest yearning fulfilled...Eyes, which had been for quite some time following her every step towards perfection, the interest in their depths growing progressively aroused by her command of such fragile, yet so infinitely powerful weapon – her psyche...

It had been just a routine scouting mission - nothing, one would expect any trouble from really. But when she had accepted it fervently, longing for some fresh air out of the suffocating coils of Konoha, a certain blonde kunoichi hadn't had even the slightest idea what would be waiting for her beyond the familiar wall...or rather who...

However, the moment their searching, eager gazes had locked, each seemingly gripping the other's very essence, minds clashing in a silent, expected struggle she knew one thing for sure - she was glad she had left alone.

Because it was as if she had expected this, well, at least she had hoped for it - but now, seeing him right before her in the flesh, with not a trace of him being anywhere even remotely near death, made her gasp in awe, however, not with apprehension.

In a blink, she found him standing right behind her, his surprisingly hot breath tingling pleasantly on her neck's skin, the whole situation, despite, or because of its unintended eroticism, practically screaming danger - he was one of the Legendary Three after all.

Yet, there were no shivers in her, no wincing, nor even the slightest tremor - physical or mental, fully befitting of her position as one of the Neo-Sannin, though the last left standing. And as their minds suddenly reached out to each other, both realised that the same thoughts had rushed through them simultaneously...that their companion had every reason to deserve their full admiration - be it grudging, as it was.

"You have caught...my eyes." his sinfully soft lips brushed her ear, while she just stood unmoving, giving off the false impression of being frozen on the spot, when in fact, all she felt was...eerie calmness. She cursed silently, careful to hide it from him - the man was truly hypnotic, his voice alone being almost able to lull her into the tantalising swirls of his dark mind's workings.

And for that, if not for anything more, she had to be on highest alert, if she wished to get out of this sane - because she knew, that he wasn't about to kill her, even though he was certainly one, who liked to play with his victims first.

No, there was certainly something in herself that interested him - or he wouldn't be wasting his time in not taunting her, as was his custom with everyone else who dared face him. But before she had any chance to speak, with a wisp of wind he had materialised in front of her, letting her finally have another, addictive glance into his eyes. Those smouldering pits of molten gold, pools that had gathered false sunlight - dimmed and reshaped to fit his black soul...and she was on the verge of falling within, almost pushed over the edge...

But she stopped at the very end, meeting his amber orbs resolutely, with the professional coldness she had developed in ANBU, which action, unbeknownst to her, only rose another, even stronger surge of admiration within him, as she crossed her arms "If you have something to say, then get to it - they'll be looking for me, if I'm too late."

A smirk spread slowly over his lips at that, her lack of even the slightest shock at witnessing him alive only cementing his conclusions on the matter - she was already intrigued by him, or by what he had come for. Either way it worked for him, seeing as to how, through that simple phrase, she had subtly told him she wished to be there just as much as himself - and didn't want any meddlesome, Konoha ninja to interfere with their 'chance' encounter.

However, he found his train of thought abruptly cut off, when he caught her, faint ardency dancing in her eyes, actually examining very closely the product of his last seven years of hard effort and research, drinking in every detail of his new body - or rather his original one restored to its former glory. His smirk grew even more satisfied, as he decided to throw in the first bait "Do you happen to see anything to your liking?"

She, however, bypassed the ruse, chastising herself for being so obvious for him to notice - not that much got past him anyway, she suspected. Which was only proved true, when, seemingly not discouraged by her swift evasion of his hints, he had apparently already caught on the unspoken query budding in her blue eyes, as he traced a long, fine finger along her jaw-line, moving it slowly over her lips "Incredible isn't it...? What the very last stage of the Sharingan can do, when fully developed - not just destroy, but also recreate..." his voice was practically a hiss, yet one of pleasure - not peril.

"Of course, I had to spend seven years researching and waiting - some of these being stuck in Kabuto's second-rate body, after that ungrateful, little brat's rather clumsy attempt on my life." she sensed another smirk stretch his lips, as he bent to whisper in her ear "However, it did pay off - I killed two birds with one stone, if you like."

And she easily caught the implications about Sasuke underlying his use of words, but to her relief found that, unlike seven years ago, this time she felt nothing. After all, the younger Uchiha more than deserved what had befallen him, having entangled himself in the Sannin's game by his own free will. "But worry not - they will all soon see how dangerous it truly is to meddle with the Snake Demon."

When she said nothing, however, he abandoned his venture of evoking her body's reactions to his touch, despite the amusement it brought him, instead slowly turning her around, so their gazes arrested each other again. And once more, though he hadn't mocked nor thrown any falsehood at her whatsoever so far, Ino was sure she had seen something in his eyes, that most probably wasn't there at all...sincerity. She chuckled mentally, berating herself - he certainly wasn't capable of any, now was he...?

"Do not underestimate me..." he said rather harshly, yet to her credit she didn't show any surprise at all at him knowing exactly what she was thinking "I am capable of much more, than anyone would probably ever find out." She crossed her arms again, raising an eyebrow, in a clear gesture of taunting "You seriously think you can entice me this way? You'll definitely have to do better."

She had known he wouldn't harm her for her daring move, even though she was aware that toying with him was never safe, despite any interest he might have in her. Yet, what she didn't expect, was to find herself suddenly with her back pinned to a nearby tree, golden eyes scorching her very soul, his hands holding her firmly in place.

And he let out the only words that could ever hit right home with her - but which fact, she would never admit, least of all to him "Do you not feel even now as if you're trapped...? A mind too great, too horribly powerful for the predicament, fate so greedily locked you in...Cursed to never reach what your essence itself demands...what I can give you..."

His fingers were again tracing the lines of her face almost gently "For, even in this moment, you long for that forbidden, enrapturing sensation, that your shackles would never let you feel...to hold the world in your delicate, deadly hands...as you will, if you come with me..."

She didn't need to answer, nor to say anything at all, and neither did he - they had understood each other well enough even without words. And as she felt her body slump down the tree trunk, after he had vanished with one last glance from his amber gaze, in the swirls of the wind brushing her shivering flesh she caught his whispered parting...I will be waiting...

The illustration of what he had only implied to her, however, had come just a couple of weeks later, when her Black Ops team, had raided a small village on the outskirts of Water Country, hot on Sasuke's trail. Thankfully, Tsunade had managed to keep the operation secret from Naruto and his group, or they would have just got into her hands while they retrieved his former team-mate.

He had lain low for quite some time actually, keeping himself in hiding, apparently with some of his former comrades from the Sound – a fact, that had come as a real surprise to everyone, since all had expected him to at least chase again after his brother, whose 'death' three and a half years ago had already turned out to have been nothing more than another trick up the older Uchiha's sleeve. However, when her team had finally got their hands on the missing nin, Ino had the chance to see exactly why he hadn't. For, one glance at the young man, combined with her advanced mind techniques, had shown her all she needed to know.

And she had been unable to stop the predatory grin twisting her features at the true masterpiece, which had come from within the pale Sannin's sick mind. Orochimaru had not only taken the missing part of his essence back from Sasuke, but had literally ripped the Sharingan out of the Uchiha's eyes, using a special imprisoning jutsu that had left the the younger man with nothing, but shamefully normal vision.

He had been stripped of everything he cherished above all else - his pride, his legacy, his whole self…even of the possibility of fulfilling the only purpose, that kept him going. After all, that was where playing with the Snake Demon got him - and the arrogant prick was finally dealt exactly the hand he deserved…

She had only been supposed to 'question' the young traitor, of course, Naruto and that loud nuisance Sakura having protested more than deafeningly against any torture of the man they still considered friend and team-mate. But Ino had been unable to resist the temptation, instead executing her judgement for everything Sasuke had caused - the deaths, the scars, the ache, the lost years of fruitless effort...all that could never return, or be. And secretly also for what he had done to his former master…

She had made sure all traces of her interference were gone afterwards, yet not before he had used his last ounce of strength to whisper brokenly "You've...become...so cruel...You...of all...people...?" Needless to say, that the erasing jutsu had been 'a tad' harsher, than was necessary.

Yet, no matter how much she tortured their former comrade, how much pain she made him go through, she couldn't escape the truth that glared back at her from that simple, disjoined phrase. She had indeed become cruel, cold, even bloodthirsty - after all, it was just her job. And a job had to be done, never mind that she had long since begun to enjoy it, to bask in the power it gave her...to actually feel what he more than certainly did, every time he brought someone to their knees…elation – and it was definitely addictive.

However, it only intensified the whispered words of distrust, the half-spoken accusations, the appalled stares brimming with coldness, even from people she considered close, once her back was turned. She had given her life in service of these people, or shared every trial there could be with them, yet was now turning progressively from a friend to a necessary evil, they had to put up with, from an asset to a burden, they all claimed they didn't recognise anymore. All because she had wished to be stronger, to finally conquer her own gifts and learn more, to show them the unbridled force of her mind...

But fate seemingly loved laughing at her, taunting her with impossibility, or prices often too high to pay, tossing her into a nightmare of its sick designs' making. And despite her nearly inhumanly strong psyche, she had slowly started to crumble.

For, none of them actually stopped to consider the fact, that nothing had come to her for free, since in the process, she had had to lose just as much as she had gained...if not more. She had become someone to behold, grown into a dream. But it was a vision bathed in blood and madness, as she had been forced to just watch what she was powerless to stop – the sacrifice of her own heart...

Three graves – two brushed by withering leaves, one buried in the harsh sands of the desert, and a once great mind now shattered beyond repair…Those were her legacy, the testament of what she had been forced to give up, to become a worthy protector of her village…and she was willing to traverse even the boundaries of the conceivable to leave it behind.

Only in the end, despite her best efforts, it wasn't by her own free will, having been declared an S-rank criminal because of what, even they, who had chased after her without hesitation, knew deep down, she couldn't have done. But her past record was firmly against her, her name having till then become a symbol of death in more ways than one. And of course, they needed a scapegoat...or perhaps, someone still considered her important enough, to actually bother framing her for four more deaths.

Yet, she didn't care, not anymore...not when she still had one last straw left to grasp - even if it meant turning herself willingly into his tool. Though, then again, she had always been one, so the only change was going to be that of scenery...except, if one didn't count the possibility, that he'd appreciate, instead of shun her, for what her mind had become. Especially now, that he was finally, permanently free of that obsessive burden of finding himself the next suitable body...

He had been somehow privy that she was forced to run – whether it was his impeccable spy network, one of his secret jutsus, or some unearthly power, like the ones he so loved toying with, she never knew, but nor did it matter. For, the sole thought running through her chaotic mind was that he was there…alone on Oto's highest wall, his raven mane flying behind him like a wave of darkness, despite the lack of any wind, giving off the ironic impression that he'd always been there, waiting…waiting for her.

A sarcastic smile had curved her chipped lips – she had abandoned those fantasies a long time ago…and he of all was the last, who she had envisaged in that role. But one never picked their lot – only just how deeply the blade of slow misery would plunge…and she was denied even that right.

From then on, life just swept them both, once more twirling their fates in its silent mockery called present. She couldn't deny that her reasons for accepting his offer had been part curiosity – a demented desire to see for herself whether the truth matched up to the rumours. Because, even after her torture of Sasuke, she couldn't believe that, aside from his twisted experiments and equally perverse outlook on life, the notorious Snake Sannin was otherwise frighteningly normal. Which fact she learned for herself during her very first days in the Sound, yet one, she kept on denying as fervently, as she embraced every single piece of cold determination he sent her way.

For, after four years training as Konoha's future Head of Interrogation, she had long realised that there was nothing more terrifying than a rational madman. Especially one, who was so inwardly desperate to share his curse of insanity, with whoever was despondent enough to see it as a way out of reality. And as it usually happened in her life, she was the one chosen by doom – or was it death?

No…he was too creative, too refined for an atrocity as simple and tasteless as mere death – or even death with some flavour. No, he loved the spice in life, the inner rapture that torturing a mind into utter, despicable lunacy brought him – a taste of heaven, the demon that he was craved more than anything.

Perhaps, because this was the ultimate embodiment of the power he yearned for…Or he simply liked spinning out of the raw material sick creations, that were so much like himself…yet at the same time so infinitely different…Still, she wasn't about to pry, having learned to respect others' privacy - after all, whatever the reasons, they were ultimately his own.

On the other hand, his plans for his, maybe unexpected, but certainly not unwanted 'guest', were quite simple. And the predatory smirk gracing his thin lips, on seeing her slim figure emerge through the forest of Otogakure like a delirious vision, had signified those quite clearly.

He wished to break her, claim every piece left of her slipping sanity, only to toss her into the eternal whirlpool of his hellish world, and make her one of the pillars of his empire – and she found herself actually waiting for it almost eagerly. Yet, he had soon realised that he was too late, having been inadvertently deprived of that hungrily-anticipated satisfaction. Because she was broken already…and ironically enough, all he could possibly do now was rebuild her devastated essence. And to her shock, let alone his own, he did exactly that…

For, to him she was worth it, as her mind might not have completely matched his in genius, but it certainly did in strength. Like him, she had already defeated the limits of her body, having turned her mental potential into a destructive weapon, which didn't need a physical manifestation to wield it. She was the sole out there, whose psyche's perfection fit this faultlessly with his own…

A meeting of minds indeed – one, where he had unwittingly found his equal. And all that remained to be done now, was form her flesh to match her mental flawlessness – just like he had done with himself.

So he pushed her relentlessly, even beyond the limits of her indomitable will, taking what was left of her and letting his dexterous hands shape it into a creation, that fast surpassed anything that had ever come out beneath them. She would always fight back, never submit to anything he dished out at her, and he couldn't help being amazed how she was no stranger at all to neither pain nor anguish of the most torturous kind. How, in fact, she embraced them readily, letting them seep within her very soul, only to give her strength beyond all he had thought possible. For, ache and torment were much more than mere sensations – to her they were proof…the harsh, agonising evidence she needed to know that, despite everything, she was still real, living, there in the same world that seemingly no longer needed her.

And with each day, each victory she achieved, however small, in the endless struggle against each other that was his training, he had found himself powerless to suppress the unbearably-addictive raw pride that the end-result made burn like wildfire in his every cell. Nor was he able to stop his long fingers from trailing sensuously over her bloodied lips, as she licked clean her katana from her latest kill, her deft tongue sliding over it in movements so reminiscent of his own. Only for him to mirror her gesture, as he leisurely lapped the crimson liquid off his skin, amber eyes catching darkened stormy-blue – an unknown, inexperienced before, dim light glistening in both of their looks.

And he could do nothing, but simply admire her – his creation…the deadliest assassin the Five Countries had had the misfortune to see. Because Ino Yamanaka was long gone, destroyed in the flames of Konoha, as she had ran for her life, and away from her sins and the cold mercilessness of the people, who she had once considered friends. This woman only shared her name and looks, and even her spirit, yet were she to glance in a mirror, she would be entirely unrecognisable.

In fact, to the world, she was now simply the Viper - irreparably flawed, tainted beyond salvation, as insane and twisted as himself. But to him…she was perfection…and as such, she belonged to her creator – a rule, which that same night, while for the first time letting himself torture her with pleasure instead of pain, he burned on the depths of her very soul.

To his utter satisfaction, she had proven to not be astounded in the least with this latest move, his antics having long since become normality to her. Nor was she surprised that, after that first occasion of tasting the addictive venom of his inhumanly demanding passion, she soon began to crave him like air. That he slowly bound her to himself stronger than any other way he had employed so far. For, she had had full knowledge of what she was getting into – and she had accepted him without hesitation. Yet, it hadn't stopped her from gradually growing scared - not of him, but of herself, as the part of her that could still feel wasn't as dead she had wished it to be.

A now almost permanent, ironic smirk graced her features – even after three graves and a lunatic left in her wake, she still hadn't learned. Though, in her present case, neither danger was of any consequence for the pale demon, whose bed she shared, seeing as to how he had defeated one and embraced the other. No, this time the whole damage was risking to be born only by herself – and she was nowhere willing to do so, not when he would never show any interest in her, beside that in her abilities.

For, he had shared with her his power, his self, even his past, but the void that swallowed him inside remained his own – an emptiness, he kept telling himself was impossible for anyone to fill. So he didn't even try proving himself wrong, instead pretending with all his might that it didn't exist. Still, it was a convenient arrangement for them both – nothing less, yet nothing more either – their deathly spars or breathtaking missions, afterwards reflected in equally fervent, nocturnal battles of desire and wills. Never mind, that in the increasingly longer, breathing gaps between these, each had discovered in the other the confidant, they had always needed – one, that wouldn't judge, but would try to comprehend…

However, immersed in coming to know the other so well, lost in their mutual understanding, it blinded them to a single, inescapable truth. Because, even the powerful minds and lustful flesh could neglect only for so long that the comprehension, the yearning to ease the loneliness, the raw need, were a potent combination - one, whose effects even they couldn't evade forever.

And as a year rolled by, neither of them noticed the small, subtle changes that had begun to creep undesired into their shared glances, sinking themselves in each touch and gesture, in every single exchange. Only to make the lust, understanding and need grow into something deeper, more powerful, and much more frightening than anything either had faced so far. But old habits died extremely hard, especially for two, who had always defied the world so stubbornly, even against the greatest odds.

Just as they did now – denying themselves, gradually coming to hang onto the last desperate hope left, that this was all an illusion, one that would quickly melt back into the bitter, familiar reality of their unstable minds. Yet, while she met it unflinchingly, having resigned herself to the fate of being a mere tool, he was powerless to stiffen an inward, sardonic laughter at the irony of things. For, in the end, even the cold cruelty of his unmatched genius proved unable to save him from becoming prey to that despised, merciless power, he had always looked down on with contempt.

Perhaps, however, that was why it had finally seen fit to make him pay just as ruthlessly, as he had regarded and toyed with it, subjecting him to torment that made all else he'd ever endured seem almost pleasurable. Because, despite all his power, it had still started to unstoppably make sure that he learned that age-old truth – payback was a bitch, as it was already high time that karma came back and bit him…even if not in the ass. Though, at least, to his most sadistic satisfaction, he met his own inner agony flashing back at him, even of only for rare split seconds, from within the depths of her cold, sapphire eyes.

But when, after her latest success he had taken off one of his earrings, putting it deftly on a string of chakra, only to then turn it in another coil that bound her to him, as it scorched her skin, she knew…he had finally reached a compromise with his supposedly inexistent heart. An uneasy peace, which she prayed would last long enough for her own barren one to be able to cope with it – a hope, she didn't even dare believe in…

Yet that same night, as his skilful tongue traced her ANBU tattoo's lines, long since changed into those of a serpent, sending shivers of rapture through her every fragment while for the first time they made love, she finally did…

And to her silent, complete acceptance he had responded in kind, showing his own in the only way he knew, lowering for her the last of his walls, only to let them back up - though this time encasing them both, bringing creation and creator together in that climatic, deepest of unions. He had found the one able to fill his void, the one who gave him peace…and in return, he had given her what she had sought so desperately by coming to him, seemingly ages ago…a home – in the infinite comfort of his murderous arms' morbid tenderness. A smile stretched his pale lips, as he ran his fingers gently through her golden strands, unable to believe that for once in his life luck had truly been on his side. Because he finally let himself realise that through all rebirths and trials he had indeed been waiting…waiting for his counterpart…waiting for her.

Only to endow her with eternity at his side, as a mark, much more powerful than a curse seal, now adorned the curve of her slender shoulder, the purple patterns that garnished his left forearm's skin – already indelibly woven onto her own as well. They belonged to each other…body, heart, mind and soul, on a level that mere mortals could never even hope to comprehend.

Then again, great minds weren't meant to be understood by the weak – only by each other…and feared by the rest. And the snake demon and his mate knew that even this, otherwise most pure of sentiments, after having been reshaped in their dark cores, would make anyone tremble in fright.

Just like Konoha already did, squirming in terror at the power two of their once best now demonstrated, while together they brought the Hidden Leaf to ruins for sheer pleasure. A disturbing lack of any regret marred her ice-blue orbs, as she employed everything he had taught her, basking in the psychotically wild torrent of pride glimmering in his ever-piercing, golden eyes.

But unlike their former comrades, neither of the pair was surprised at her change - she had long ceased to care for such petty things as homeland, friendship, and loyalty to Hokage and country. Because, all she and her Sannin lover longed for, all they had was power, their minds' flawlessness…and each other...

For the two years they had spent together, she had never once heard a normal endearment leave his thin, skilful lips, since he knew these now sounded disgusting to her – things that only the feeble said, words that repulsed them both. No…he called her his Lethal, his poisonous Mind, his Doom, expressing in his own perverse way what, despite all odds, had consumed him whole.

Because in his amber eyes, she saw she had become all he needed, the sole who fulfilled him – his perfection, his crimson blade, his only…She had given him what he had always subconsciously searched for - a sense of belonging...

So, she drank these in eagerly, supreme bliss shattering her every time he compared her to something deadly. For, it showed who they really were – minds that had transcended the constraints of flesh, sanity and society, the undefeated ones, who lived by their own rules.

Strong arms drew her deeper into his tall form, her fingers tangling in his soft, ebony locks, as hypnotising triumph coursed through their veins at even just the sight of their latest masterpiece, so beautifully bathed in the blood of the unworthy.

"Akatsuki won't be pleased at all with us destroying one of their main bases." the all-professional coldness and indifference in her tone made a smile form on his lips, as he took in her flawless, twilight beauty. His hands were running up and down her bare arms, basking in the feel of her silken skin beneath his calloused fingers - she was irresistible, even in the middle of a charred battlefield.

"Doubtlessly," was his just as nonchalant reply, his smirk only growing "but I bet Pein and that walking corpse that calls himself Madara Uchiha will think twice next time they try to pull anything like that last assault on the Sound." his golden orbs never leaving her pools of sapphire, while he murmured soothingly "And by the time we're done with his lot, no one will dare oppose us again, my Viper…" Her suddenly somewhat distant look, however, made alarm for her dash through his every fibre, yet, in an instant, she focused on him again.

"Orochimaru…?" the mere way his name slithered on her tongue sent him even deeper into the pits of fiery ecstasy, their gazes perpetually locked, words having long ceased to be necessary for them to understand each other. How she had bound him to herself just as unbreakably...it was astounding really, but still brilliantly amazing...perilous - like everything to do with her...and he couldn't help surrendering...

"Do you think there'll ever be others like us – or the true masters of a mind's perfection are meant to be just two…?" He, however, gazed at her for a long time, as if trying to decipher her anew, yet in fact, all he was attempting was to confirm his suspicions of something, his lover still remained ignorant to - but which would prove to be the answer to her query.

And before she had any chance to comment on his odd actions, he could no longer hold himself back, his lips crashing onto hers, devouring them so avidly, like their lives depended on it, their entwined essences once more drowning into the bottomless pool of that emotion that bound them together.

Only the urgent need for air, screaming from within their aching lungs, made them break their kiss, yet his lips simply moved upwards, nibbling at her ear, fangs grazing her sensitive skin. "No, Ino, my cruel, dark venom…We're not alone." he murmured, while his right hand slid down from her small waist to gently rest on her still flat abdomen, a mental smile of demented happiness consuming his psyche, as his demonic senses felt easily the new life growing within her "Not anymore…"

However, too lost in the crushing intoxication that was her - a drug, he was by now wholly unable to live without, he missed the slight upturned curve her lips had formed, at what underlay his deceptively plain phrase. Because hers had been a legend in-the-making, while he had already built up his own. But now, after everything, both knew that the one that truly counted was that, which they had created by discovering the real beauty of their minds' perfection...the legend, they had begun to form together...

A/N: Yeah, I know, it was horribly insane and pointless, but feedback's always welcome.