Author's Note -
Now as a rule, I don't like writing Ocs into stories. This was actually a story I was writing for a contest over on Livejournal, where contestants had to write a "Canon Character x Oc" story, without making the Oc a MarySue/GarySue [i. perfect]. Funnily enough I missed the deadline. But I've decided to post it up here. Let me know how I do ok? This fic is slightly AU, because the Akatsuki DO NOT live all together in one cave or what have you. For this fic though, its what's going on.

Also a note to any potential sporkers who think that Asuka Tanaka is a Sue. Please, spork it, but message me first ok? XD I won't be offended, in fact I'd be thanking you for pointing any sueness this character may have.

And after that annoyingly looong a/n...Enjoy =D

Disclaimer- The only thing that belongs to me here is Asuka. The rest belongs to Kishimoto-san.

"Fine art is something wonderful that's left long into the future ... eternal beauty"
-Sasori Akasuna

"You bastard."

The woman smiled ruefully, betraying nothing of what was going on inside. The blood before didn't bother her. She didn't mind the body parts that lay scattered around her.

Ninjas don't mind that sort of thing.

Ninjas shouldn't mind that sort of thing.

"Yagami Mugen, Saito Yuudai, Ikeda Ryuu and Tanaka Asuka."

The Leader of the Akatsuki looked down at the four profiles before him. Over days of spying and espionage a list of over twenty-five hopefuls had been brought down to the four before him.

Now he had to decide.

"Konan-san. Which one do you think would be the best ?"

Konan passively looked down at the profiles. All four were powerful ninja. All four were worthy of becoming the newest Akatsuki member, but only one could be chosen.

"If they must become the new partner of Tobi, then they must be stable. I would choose Tanaka. She is strong in her particular field of Elemental Ninjutsu and her intelligence level is high enough to be able to cope with the Akatsuki. She has no bonds that may lead her to be disloyal to the Akatsuki, and her past is uneventful enough, so no problems should arise with her in the future."

Pein nodded.

"I agree. It is decided then. According to Zetsu she can be located within Amegakure at this moment. Bring her to me."

18 year old Asuka Tanaka was curled up under a shop awning in the middle of a deserted street. She hated this village, hated Amegakure. She been told that if one wanted to make money as an assassin this was the place to go. And they were right, in the past few days Asuka had come across more job offers than ever before.

But the rain was a bitch.

"I mean honestly," she muttered to herself. "I know its Amegakure, but does it seriously have to rain all freaking day?" She adjusted the cloak wrapped around her and frowned at the outside.

A soft sound caught her attention. She quickly slid a kunai from the belt wrapped around her waist, up into her sleeve. It could just have been a drunk or a stray animal. But in such an environment there was no such thing as being 'too safe'.

Out of the corner of her eye she something fluttering. Setting her mouth in a straight line, Asuka slowly stood up. She turned to face the movement, a foolish action she would admit later on, for the moment she did so, the entire left side of her body was pinned to the wall behind her. Asuka grunted and tried to pry herself from against the wall, but whatever had pinned her stuck fast, and a host of other fluttering objects maneuvered their way towards her and pinned the right side of her body to the wall. It was only then that Asuka realized that it was paper.

'You have to be kidding me,' she thought. She had met a number of strange ninja over the years. But paper was the icing on the cake.

"Ok. You have me. Now come out and fight like a man," she called out, hoping that her attacker would be stupid enough to do just that.

"Tanaka Asuka-san?"

Asuka's head whipped to face her front as another gust of papers blew before her and began forming themselves into the shape of a figure. The person stepped out of the shadows and into the dim pyramid of light, being cast by a street lamp. Asuka's eyes widened as she beheld the figure of a blue haired woman who looked perfectly normal…even though she had just materialized from a bunch of paper. She walked towards Asuka, still pinned to the wall.

"Are you Tanaka Asuka?" she repeated. The girl blew a bang out of her face and frowned at her opponent.

"Who wants to know?"

"The God of Amegakure."

Asuka felt herself go weak at the knees and silently thanked the paper, or whatever it was, holding her up. This was God's Angel. And she had been stupid enough to smart mouth her.

"Yes. I'm Tanaka Asuka."

A series of fwoosh sounds were heard as the paper holding her to the wall fell and returned to the kunoichi before her. The moment she was free, Asuka tensed, and brought a set of fans, her weapons, in her hands. She eyed the woman before her, wondering what was going to happen next, expecting sheets of paper to surround her and begin asphyxiating her. The woman cast a critical eye over Asuka, then looked her straight in the eye.

"The God of Amegakure requests your presence." Asuka kept staring at her. This wasn't happening. She was going to die she just knew it.

The fucking God of Amegakure was requesting her presence, and she had no choice but to go to him.

One look at the powers that God's Angel had was enough to convince her that there was no way she could escape her. Stamina to run was not a strong point of Asuka's and what use would it be, if all that Konan needed to do was disperse herself into thousands of fluttering papers and pin her to the nearest wall again ?

Asuka slid the fans back into the belt at her waist and nodded at Konan. She stepped towards her.

"Give me your hand and close your eyes."

Asuka did as instructed, and immediately felt herself being lifted off of the ground. She did not dare open her eyes, being uncomfortable as she was around heights. The wind rushed past her, blowing her hair out, and Asuka clung to Konan, in what she thought was a pretty ironic twist. It was only when, a few minutes later she felt solid ground beneath her feet, that she let go of Konan.

Gingerly she opened her eyes, expecting to be struck down by something at any moment, but the only thing she saw was Konan's back as she walked away from her, and her voice carried over to Asuka, instructing to follow her.

She quickly got to her feet and walked behind Konan, having to almost jog to match the much taller woman's stride. They walked on in silence, deeper into the building that Konan had brought Asuka to.

Miserably, Asuka looked around at the gloom, wondering what was going to happen to her. A cold feeling that had nothing to do with the weather, had settled all over her body, and she rubbed her fingers to try and get some feeling back into them. It was so dark inside, that Asuka could barely see anything, and in fact, when Konan stopped before a door, she almost ran into her. Asuka paused and watched Konan knock softly on the door.

"Yes?"

Konan opened the door, entered the room, then turned to look back at Asuka who was still on the other side of the threshold. Impatiently, she motioned to the girl to get inside. Apprehensive, Asuka slipped into the room. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she caught sight of a shadowy figure with piercings.

The God of Amegakure.

Asuka lowered her eyes and waited for whatever was about to happen.

"Tanaka Asuka, 18 years old, originally from Hoshigakure?"

"Yes," she replied simply, not sure of how to address the figure before her. Pein blinked and looked steadily at Asuka who felt herself withering under his glance.

Pein scrutinized the girl before him. She looked just like any other ninja, but the papers before him, explained an individual with exceptional control of ninjutsu, specialized in elemental ninjutsu, and still even more specialized in Wind Jutsu. He tapped the desk surface before him.

"Do you know anything about the Akatsuki?"

Asuka frowned. The fact that she was still alive was good, but she didn't think that she would particularly like where this conversation was going.

"A group of S-ranked criminals, with bases and spies in almost all villages in Akamaru."

"Yes. We would like you to join Akatsuki."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement, and the tone of voice it was said in, left no room for contest.

Still, Asuka couldn't help herself.

"What?"

People didn't just jump up on you and ask you to join the Akatsuki.

Did they?

"Tanaka-san?" She looked up and met they eyes of the God of Amegakure. And right then and right there she knew she didn't have a choice.

"If the God of Amegakure just asked me, do I really have a choice?"

"Yes. You accept. Or you die."

And Asuka swore she could detect a hint of humor in his voice at that moment.

~Seken