So, I didnt get as much as I hoped for. Sigh oh well! This chapter took a long time to complete and is, therefore, equally as long! Enjoy! Oh! If you want any specific characters to appear let me know! I have plans for like oh two three right at the moment.

Sasuke stared at the brunette with suspicion. She was oddly quiet and seemed to be in a daze. Sasuke had a feeling he knew what she was planning and he already knew his answer. They were inside a plain room with white walls off set by the falling snow outside.

"No." He said suddenly making her snap out of her daze.

"Huh?" Sasuke glared at her pointedly,

"The answers no," Takara frowned, 'wait! How'd he know what I was going to ask him?' She thought,

"No for what?" She asked innocently.

"No, we are not going to that festival." Takara`s eyes widen, 'Damn it, Stupid ninja!' She clenched her jaw and regained her composure.

"And why wouldn't we? Kenshin was nice and invited us. It would be rude not." She said deciding to play it casual. She was going to get her way, even if she had to sneak out to get it. Sasuke frowned,

"It's in your best interest to stay here. You tend to make people very angry. It would be best, for all of us, if no one knew you were here." Takara grimaced,

'He got me there.' Then a smirk made its way across her face.

"Okay then, how about a bet?" She leaned in hoping he`d take the bait. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her and crossed his arms and fought the smile that threatened to cover his face.

"What kind of bet?" He asked interested in her proposal. Takara stared at him a bit startled; she didn't really expect him to fall for it.

"Uh, how about… A drinking contest!" She suggested brightly. Sasuke stared at her in utter shock,

"Come again?" He asked not sure if he heard her right.

"I said how about a drinking contest, you and me. If I win you have to take me to the festival!" She said happily, Sasuke frowned,

"And what do I get if I win?" He asked watching her carefully. He was pretty confident that he could win, 'I mean she's just a kid! I may not be a heavy drinker but I have experience.' He smirked as he watched her think,

"Uh, I didn't think about that." She mumbled her eyebrows drawing together in concentration.

"How about you have to listen to whatever I say and not kill." He said seriously. Takara sighed, great, now I HAVE to win… She thought begrudgingly then she smiled to herself,

'but, he isn't expecting me to know anything about alcohol. So, he`ll underestimate me. She then did something that she had never done before, she giggled.

"I can't wait!" She cheered her eyes turning golden. Sasuke smiled sadly, for a moment he thought he saw the girl she would have been if she wasn't caught up in this mess.

"We`ll see."

A few minutes later Sasuke set a large bottle of wine on the table and glanced at the calm girl. 'Something's up…' He frowned but took his seat across from her.

"Okay, rules are simple. Whoever passes out first losses." He said as he poured a little in each of their little bowls. He picked up his bowl as she did the same.

"Ready? Set, go!" He downed his first one with ease and slammed it down on the table. He flinched, this stuff was strong. She licked her teeth and smiled as she poured another glass for herself and him. He stared at her. 'Why isn't she gagging? I wanted to gag.' She held up her cup in a sort of cheers and downed her second one with no trouble. Sasuke was thoroughly confused. There was no way in hell that she could down that stuff so easily! It was her first time! He drank his and sat it down on and watched as she refilled them both and took another swing. He watched her sigh and smirked,

"Getting tired? Feel free to run at any time." She gave him a look and shook her head,

"No, I was just feeling a little guilty. But, you know what? I think I'm over that now."

He smirked and drank the burning liquid and watched her fill another and another and another. 'Why isn't she out yet?!' He thought dizzyingly. He was buzzed and was losing fast. He glanced at the girl and groaned,

"This isn't your first time drinking is it?" He questioned miserably trying not to slur his words.

"Nope, my foster mother drank a lot but, she hated to drink alone. So, she made me drink with her. We use to do this to pass the time." She said nonchalantly as she took another swing. Sasuke stared at her his jaw going slack.

"You have got to be kidding me." Takara smiled at him and fluttered her eyes at him.

"What's the matter, Sasuke? Tired already? Feel free to run." She stated mocking him with a grin on her face. Sasuke grunted and drank his and shook his head hard, trying to rid of the constant buzzing in his head. 'Damn it…' Sasuke was no heavy drinker, he was more of a lightweight. He couldn't hold his liquor well, 'I`ll be damned before I let her know that.' He thought as she took another swing not even buzzed. She smirked as she watched him sway slightly, 'got ya.' Suddenly the door opened wide revealing a flustered Yukimura,

"Sasuke I was wonder- Hey! You told me you didn't like to drink!" Yukimura yelled as he watched his shadow force another drink down. Yukimura frowned as Takara filled another and drank it.

"Are you trying to get him drunk?" He questioned, the poor young cub was lost.

"Bet… Could… Drink…. More." Sasuke muttered trying to form coherent words.

"Whichever one passes out first loses." Takara said perfectly clear. Sasuke stared at her and groaned as Yukimura smiled,

"Can I join?" He asked excitedly Sasuke shot him a glare.

"No," he mumbled as Takara shooed him out.

"What the hell? You're not even stumbling!" He slurred as Yukimura left the room. Takara shrugged,

"Like I said, practice. And I would say that you, my dear friend, are drunk." Sasuke`s jaw clenched and he grumbled incoherent curses as black dots started to appear at the edge of his vision. Takara smiled softly, she was a bit buzzed herself but not nearly as bad. She placed the bowl down and watched him carefully as his eyes began to shut and he started to sway. 'One more…' She poured and downed it swiftly and watched Sasuke carefully swallow it. He then fell over with a thump, passed out drunk.

"Looks like I win." She smiled happily as she crawled to his side. He was breathing softly with a soft blush on his cheeks. Takara felt a little guilty for not telling him that this wasn't the first time she had drank. She sighed and wrapped the shinobis arm over her shoulders as she held his waist. She grunted as she started to drag him out of the lounge room. She struggled to pull him across the threshold,

"Ugh, come on wake up! You're heavy!" She grumbled as she continued to struggle. He answered by snuggling his face in the crook of her neck. Takara fought a shiver that ran down her spine as he breathed down her neck. She finally pulled him into the room they all shared and sighed in relief. Suddenly the world titled violently, throwing the brunette off balance. She leaned against the wall and huffed as she tried to catch her breath. Then, suddenly, she found her wrist pinned above her head and the smell of alcohol fanned her face.

"Wha- Sasuke! Let me go!" She protested trying to break away from his grip. His eyes glanced up lazily at her and he smiled drunkenly.

"So pretty…" He mumbled as he freed one hand and caressed her cheek. Takara blushed and felt herself, unwillingly, lean into his touch. Then, before she could register what was happening, his lips softly touched her own. Takara`s eyes widen in shock. Her first reaction was to push him off. But, she didn't. She kissed him back and let her eyes shut. For once, just this once, she would let go. Sasuke released his grip on her wrist and placed one on her hip as the other started to stroke her cheek lovingly. She wrapped her own arms around his neck and pulled him closer. She couldn't feel, couldn't think, all she could do was live in the moment. Eventually, she broke away and gasped for breath. Sasuke kissed her cheek, her fore head, and her collar bone. Takara sighed as her eyes glazed over,

"Kara…" He murmured against her heated skin as she shivered. She didn't like being called that name. She saw it as a sign of laziness, but coming from Sasuke? It sounded right to be called that.

"Oh, my…" Takara jumped and her gaze snapped over to where Kasuga and Yukimura stood, both gaping at the two. Takara`s face flushed bright as she pushed Sasuke away from her.

"U-Uh," She stuttered and yelped as Sasuke pinned her once again.

"S-Sasuke! Stop!" She squeaked, he then choose that moment to pass out again and drag her to the floor with him.

"Ugh, Sasuke?" She asked cautiously, he didn't react. She sighed in relief before she glanced at Yukimura,

"Help me get him off of me!" She whispered harshly, as she tried to roll the man off of her. Kasuga smirked,

"I don't know, seemed like you guys were having fun." She laughed as Takara`s blush darkened,

"Whatever just help me." Yukimura go the drunken shinobi off of her and she let out a sigh, 'that was my first kiss…' She realized as she walked out of the room.

Sasuke groaned as the sunlight hit his face. 'Damned sun,' He turned over hoping to get away from the light and his pounding head.

"You awake yet?" A male voice asked poking Sasuke on the cheek. The ninja growled and smacked the man's hand away. They sat in silence, before Sasuke grumbled and sat up. He glanced to his right to see Yukimura smiling at him brightly.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty! Hey, Kasuga! One of them is up!" Sasuke flinched at his loud voice,

"Dana, keep it down will you?" He grumbled, he had a serious hang over. Then he glanced over and saw a mesh of brown tangled hair set up. Takara blinked a few times before yawning. She stretched and glanced over at him, the ninja groaned,

'"Why do I have to be the one with a hang over?" He wondered as he rubbed his eyes. Takara stared at him wide eyed and blushed. Sasuke frowned at her,

"What?"

"N-Nothing!" He gave Yukimura a questioning look. The young cub smirked at him,

"Oh, she's just embarrassed about- MPH!" He was cut off by Takara tackling him and covering his mouth with her hand.

"Embarrassed about what?" He asked ignoring the struggling cub to look at Takara. She laughed nervously and looked everywhere except his gaze.

"Nothing! Who`s embarrassed? Not me! I'm not the lightweight!" She said quickly changing the subject. Sasuke glared at her before scowling,

"I can't believe you beat me so easily." He groaned, great now he had to go to the festival. Takara smiled at him,

"Me neither, I mean, I beat the great and powerful Sasuke Sarutobi. I'm pretty ecstatic." He shook his head and grunted as he found the movement hurt him.

"Yeah, well done Kara, you can finally beat me at something." He mumbled, and then frowned, 'Wait, did I just call her Kara?' The said girl blushed and whispered something harshly in Yukimura`s ear and dashed out of the room.

'What's her problem?' He wondered before his head hit the pillow and he tried to sleep away his hangover.

Eventually, Sasuke got up around noon. The pain wasn't as bad and he figured he`d be fine.

"Ugh, shut up, Kasuga! I get okay?! He was drunk and I wasn't so well off myself! Now drop it! And whatever you do, do NOT mention it to him or I swear i`ll make you regret it!" Takara yelled annoyance evident in her voice.

"Why not? It might turn out for the better! I mean, come on! You can't tell me you didn't feel anything." The blonde ninja teased. Sasuke frowned, 'what are they talking about?' He wondered as he stopped at a corner, hiding himself from the two females view.

"That doesn't matter! Face it, Kasuga. You are just hoping to get him to stop pestering you and to mess with me! I don't have time for this! Sasuke, made it clear that he harbors no feelings for me since day one! And I honestly don't care for him! So drop it!" Takara growled as she stomped off. Kasuga watched the younger girl march off with dislike. Now he was worried, 'What the hell did I do?!' He wonder, he couldn't remember anything from last night after he passed out. He entered the clearing, the snow had finally let up and there was fresh snow on the ground. The trees were bare and had ice hanging off the limbs making the tree seem to weep. Sasuke`s feet crunched against the snow as he approached Kasuga.

"Okay, I'm stumped what did I do?" He asked deciding to skip pleasantries. The blonde ninja frowned at him,

"You shouldn't be eaves dropping it's considered rude." She said as she started to walk away from the male ninja.

"How can I not? I am a ninja. Now, what the hell did I do?" He asked worriedly as he followed the female ninja who laughed bitterly.

"Why don't you ask her yourself? This is your guy`s problem, not mine." She pointed out as she left the confused ninja behind. Sasuke sighed and put his palm to his forehead. This was going to be a long day. Sasuke left the area, if Kasuga wouldn't tell him maybe Yukimura would? He soon found the energetic samurai practicing with his spear in a court yard. By the looks of it he had been at it for a while.

"Hey, Dana can I talk to you?" Sasuke asked as the young lord turned to his shadow in surprise. He shrugged and walked up to Sasuke and sat down on a nearby step. Sasuke left and returned with some water and gave it to Yukimura who drank it greedily.

"What happened yesterday that has Takara so flustered?" He questioned, He jumped when Yukimura started to choke on his water. After catching his breath he glanced around wearily. He then beckoned Sasuke closer.

"Takara will kill me if I tell you, but-." He was interrupted by the sound of pounding feet. Takara rushed around the corner and stopped and she pointed a finger at Sasuke.

"You! You promised to take me to the festival if I won! It's time to pay up!" She said with a smile as she walked over and started to drag the shinobi away. She shot Yukimura a warning glare as he shivered, 'That was close…' He thought as he finished off his water. He felt sorry for Sasuke but figured he was bound to find out sooner or later.

"This is so cool! I can't believe you didn't want to go!" Takara said excitement brimming in her golden eyes. Sasuke rolled his eyes as the girl stared around in amazement. The usually abandoned streets were bustling people. There were vendors everywhere selling a wide range of items. The snow festival was under way. The event was called, the Falling Snow festival, it was a tribute to the beautiful snowflakes. The best place to view these beautiful crystallized particles of water was on Kenshin`s land.

"I never said that I didn't want to go." He pointed out as he casually threaded his finger behind his head and let out a yawn. Takara brushed off his comment and ran to the next booth excitedly. He smiled at how childish she was acting. He was kind of glad that he had lost the bet, he would've missed out seeing this side of her.

"This is so great! I've never been to a festival before!" Takara exclaimed as she greeted the vendor. Sasuke frowned at her,

"You mean to tell me, you have never been to a festival?" He asked her incredulously. She moved on to the next booth humming to herself.

"Nope! I didn't get those kind of liberties. I was raised away from everything. My parents ditched me with some servants and they never really cared about me and often left me at home." She said as she skipped to another vendor. Sasuke frowned, no wonder she was so odd. She was raised with a family that didn't want her. He felt sympathy for the poor girl, maybe he had misjudged her? 'No, this is just a façade.' He sighed sadly to himself as he continued to follow her through the crowds. She was so happy over something so trivial.

"Oh, how pretty!" She exclaimed as she arrived at a jeweler. She gazed at an aqua blue pendent. It was in the shape of a large tear and had a bird made of rubies in the center with a twig in its mouth, the outer side of the pendent was lined with solid emerald. It was held by a silver chain. She gazed at it in adoration. She smiled sadly as she moved on to the next booth. She had no money and even if she did she could never pull something like that off. Sasuke frowned as the pony tailed girl walked off. He glanced at the pendent. Sasuke sighed, he was going to regret this, he didn't even know what he was doing until he held then pendent in his hand. He glanced at the vendor and sighed as he paid the price. The vendor grinned and waved at the ninja,

"I'm sure your beloved will love it!" Sasuke grimaced, 'Shes not my anything…' He sighed and pocketed the necklace and scanned the crowed. He had lost her in the crowd. Sasuke groaned, 'I should have figured as much.'

Takara smiled as she made small talk with a vendor before turning and leaving. Then her eyes caught sight of a bright round plastic thing.

"Hey, Sasuke, what's that?" She asked excitedly pointing to the strange sweet. She frowned at his lack of response and turned to realize that he was gone. 'Uh oh, where did he go?!' Takara sighed, 'great, now he won't let me go anywhere ever again.' She scanned the crowed looking for the shinobi. When suddenly, a white hat caught her eye. She frowned and ran after the odd accessory into the bustling crowd. She caught a glimpse of the hat owner's face and gasped. The world seem to sway slightly before coming back into focus. She shook her head and chased after him out of the crowd and frowned,

"I could have sworn he went this way…" She mumbled as she walked past a gray building.

"That's because he did." Takara yelped as a man roughly grabbed her by the waist and jerked her back to his chest and he then removed his hand from her side and placed it over her mouth and the other held a round looking weapon with a knife point to her neck.

"Normally i`d be flattered to have such a pretty girl chase after me. But, when I know she came with another man it's kind of a turn off." Takara struggled against his grip,

"Takara! Where are you?" Takara`s eyes widen and she struggled more. 'Sasuke!'

"Shh…" He whispered and waited. Sasuke called for her a few more times before moving on.

"Alright, if you promise not to scream, I'll let you go." Takara slowly nodded and gasped as he finally released her. He looked to be around her own age and had dark black hair and brown eyes. He wore mostly white and blue but he had a few splotches of color here and there. He wore a funny looking hat that tilted on the side of his heard, it made Takara want to reach out and fix it. His hair seemed to pop and stick out in the white setting. It was meshed almost like he had recently slept on it and didn't bother to brush it.

"W-Who are you?" She asked as she took in his profile. 'He fits the guy from the dream perfectly! But, am I expose to kill him?' She wondered. The red bird didn't appear. She frowned in confusion.

"Hm," He said as he looked her up and down,

"That's a weird name." She stated slightly unnerved by his stare. The man smirked at her,

"Clever, my name is Hanbei Takenaka, and yours?" He asked impressed by the girl. She glared slightly,

"Takara." She said uneasily, Hanbei nodded to her.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Takara. Now why were you following me?" He questioned as he leaned against the wall the building beside her.

"Uh, I'm not really sure. You looked interesting?" She offered as Hanbei smiled at her.

"Never heard that one before. Well, Takara, sadly I must take my leave. Listen carefully if you don't want to get in trouble with that ninja. See that lady over there struggling with the boxes? Help her, by the time he finds you tell him that you were helping the old lady and you'll be fine. Later, oh and don't mention my name to him. It won't go well for you." With that he walked off leaving Takara staring at his back. 'Just who is he?' She wondered as she took his advice and helped the elderly lady. By the time Sasuke found her he wasn't too happy.

"Where were you?!" He asked angrily as she sat down the last box.

"I was helping this lady…" She mumbled quietly as a yawn escaped her lips. Sasuke sighed and shook his head and dragged her off.

"Come on, let's head back." Takara nodded tiredly as she followed him. She caught up with him and leaned against him as they walked,

"Sasuke, thanks for taking me…" She muttered as she snuggled her face into his arm. Sasuke sighed and messed her hair with his hand,

"No problem," He whispered softly, he then stopped and picked the tired girl up and carried her.

"Oh, and by the way. You shouldn't keep secrets from me, i`m bound to find out." He breathed in her ear as he walked. She stiffened and fought the blush that threatened to cover her face.

"Who's keeping secrets?" She muttered sleepily, Sasuke smirked,

"You are my little Kara…" Takara blushed profoundly and grunted,

"So, you remember?" She questioned uncertainly, she didn't know what to say or do, and she was embarrassed that he had found out.

"Hm, bits and pieces." He smirked, he had found a good way to make her blush now.

"Is that so…" She mumbled not really caring anymore. He nodded at the girl who was drifting off to sleep. He glanced at the setting clouded setting sun and smiled to himself. He was still remembering and from what he had gathered so far? Didn't seem too bad to him. He tore his gaze away from the scene and whispered softly,

"I remember the taste of your lips and skin. I remember the heat. But, most importantly, I remember you giving in…" She was fast asleep; his words fell on death ears. He smiled as he continued to walk in the heavy snow. He smiled sadly as snow began to drift down and the sky darkened. He glanced at her and shook his head. 'It's too late to turn back now,' He thought as his footsteps echoed around him. 'I'm already in too deep and I don't think I'll be able to get back out this time…'

Kya, I love that line~ Anyways, if there is some confusion about Hanbei, I`m putting him in this story because a brilliant idea hit me that could make or break the story. This Hanbei looks NOTHING like the old one in Basara. This one is off of Samurai warriors 3. Much cuter, or at least in my opion that and there is no Sasuke! I was heartbroken! They changed him into a GIRL F IT! And Masamune is a little kid! He is no longer smexy, ugh. So, yeah new obsession. I might make this a love triangle of sorts. I think im going to make the choice painfully obvious. I think he will just cause friction. So, let me know if you want a love triangle or no. Its up to you! I`ll go either way. But, in all honesty... Probably not. Please, Reveiw!