Animal Instincts

Prologue: Akatsuki Ambush

Takara breathed hard as she stood in the clearing. There was a wooden pole in the middle of the clearing, which she was using to practice her taijutsu. The covering over the log had marks on it where she had hit it. Takara bent over and put her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

Think you over did it?

Takara looked at her hawk Kin who was sitting on top of the pole. She peered at Takara through her yellow eyes at she tilted her head to the side. Takara smiled and looked at Kin through her bangs with her own pair of yellow eyes.

"Of course not," she said. "I'm just getting warmed up."

Takara stood up and got into a fighting stance. She began to kick the pole in recession with her right leg. Kin continued to watch and would occasionally look off somewhere else.

Takara's leg was beginning to burn from th exertion of repeatedly kicking the pole. She gave one last kick and held her leg in that position before slowly putting it back on the ground.

She looked around the clearing, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach and was about to begin the exercise again when Takara saw the smallest flicker of metal in the trees. She narrowed her eyes, tiny veins stretching across her temples, as she activated her Hirakengan. She could now see the object clearly.

It was a headband. The ninja wearing it had blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and bangs that covered the left side of his face. It was hard to tell, but the headband showed he was from the Village Hidden in the Rocks. Takara also noticed the slash mark through the headband; this shinobi was a missing nin.

Takara turned around; hoping that if she casually just left that the shinobi wouldn't follow her.

"Kin," she said quietly, gathering her belongings. "There is a missing nin in the brush over there, can you see him?"

Kin turned her head slightly to where Takara had indicated.

Yes, I see him, she said.

"I think it would be wise if we left," said Takara.

I agree.

Takara picked up her cloak and threw it over her shoulders. She lifted the hood over her head and began walking away from the missing nin to the other side of the clearing. She kept her Hirakengan activated to keep an eye on the shinobi.

Suddenly, there came a barrage of kunai from where the missing nin was hiding. Takara took her own kunai and used it to block the others from hitting her, all of them falling to the ground.

Run!

Takara turned around and quickly sped out of the clearing into the the forest. She ran through the trees, the wind blowing passed her making her clothes stick tightly to her body and the hood on her cloak to fall onto her shoulders. Her long, smoky black hair fanned out behind her and her cloak rippled in the air.

She was running as hard as she could trying to escape the missing nin with the black cloak with red clouds on it. She had no idea who he was, but she knew the meaning of that cloak. He was an Akatsuki member. Why was he chasing her? She never had anything to do with the Akatsuki before and she wasn't too keen on having relations with them now.

A second person came from nowhere to join the first. He wasn't wearing the Akatsuki cloak, but instead had on a black suit and was wearing an orange mask.

Takara ducked under a branch and jumped down to a lower branch trying to shake off the two men behind her. She looked over her shoulder, her yellow, hawk-like eyes gleaming. She saw the blonde man and the man in the orange mask coming after her, the blonde on coming closer and closer, a maniacal grin on his face.

'What are they after?' she thought.

Takara!

Takara looked to her right and saw Kin flying next to her.

What's going on? Kin asked. Why are these men chasing you?

"I'm not sure," said Takara."I've never seen them before."

That's an Akatsuki cloak the blonde one has one, isn't it?

Takara nodded as she ran through the trees trying to shake off the two men.

Takara look out!

Takara turned around and saw the blonde man send throwing stars at her. Takara jumped between branches trying to dodge the stars. One sliced through her right arm, a trail of blood rolling down her bicep. Takara barely noticed as she threw her own throwing stars their way.

She turned back around to see where she was going. A tree branch was dangerously close to her and she didn't have time to move out of the way.

She grabbed the branch with her hands and used her momentum to swing herself high into the next tree. She landed gracefully on the branch and sprinted across it to the center of the tree. She sent chakra down to her feet and used it to sprint down the trunk of the tree. She pushed off the tree and landed on the branch of another. She began jumping from branch to branch again as fast as she could.

Takara looked over her shoulder to see if the two men were still there. She didn't see anyone coming through the trees. She squinted her eyes, trying to see farther when she heard a voice in her ear.

"Looking for me, un?"

Takara felt an arm grab her around the waist and slam her against a tree. The man with blonde hair in a ponytail had her pinned against the tree by her throat and was looking at her with one eye, the other was covered by his hair.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?!" shouted Takara.

The man's eye got bigger and so did his grin. Takara struggled against his grip but he held tighter to her throat. She sent him a glare, squinting her hawk eyes and staring at him through her long bangs.

"My name is Deidara, un. "I only want something that you have and then I'll let you go, simple, right?" he said.

"I'm not giving you anything!" Takara cried.

Deidara narrowed his one eye, his face becoming more serious. Takara didn't waver. She stared at him with nor fear even though her legs trembled slightly.

"Un, alright, I'll take it then," said Deidara.

He reached out and Takara saw that he was going to grab the necklace she had found while on a mission for the Hokage. Takara smacked his hand away and kicked him in the chest. Deidara skidded across the branch as Takara stood still trying to catch her breath.

"You'll have to kill me if you want to take it," she said.

Deidara stood up, his grin back in place.

"That shouldn't be too hard," he said putting his hands in the pouches at his waist.

Takara had no idea what he was planning, but she wasn't going to act like a sitting duck and let him walk all over her. She got into a fighting stance and focused her chakra. When Deidara sent two clay birds towards her, Takara jumped up on a branch and threw more stars at Deidara. The birds exploded, throwing all the stars off course and Takara scanned the area for signs of the blonde man.

Takara, he's behind you and to your left.

Takara turned that way and saw more clay birds coming at her. Her eyes focused on the birds as she sent throwing stars at them. The birds exploded in the middle of her and Deidara. Her hair whipped passed her face from the force and she put her arms up to shield her face from the blast.

"Where is he now, Kin?" Takara asked.

"Right here, un."

Before Takara had time to move, Deidara shoved a kunai into her back. Takara's body arched backward from the force of the blow as Deidara's maniacal smile reappeared. It didn't stay for long when Takara's body disappeared in a cloud of smoke and exposed a log in its place.

'Un, Substitution Jutsu!' Deidara thought.

The log fell on the branch and rolled a little to expose a slip of paper with writing on it. It started to smoke at the edges. Deidara's eye widened as the log exploded in front of him. He put his arms up to shield himself. The blast sent him back as he collided with the trunk of the tree.

"Are you ready?" shouted Takara as she leapt down in front of Deidara and swung at his head.

Deidara moved out of the way of the punch and sent one flying at Takara. They blocked and swung repeated throws until Deidara caught Takara in the side, then in the chin and last he kneed her in the stomach. Takara bent over slightly from the impact, the wind being knocked out of her. Deidara grabbed her by the throat again and lifted her off her feet.

"I told you I would take what I need, yeah," said Deidara.

"No, you won't," said Takara.

Deidara looked up at her as Takara's eyes widened and a tiny black pupil appeared in the shape of a diamond. Deidara's face froze as his whole body began to move very slowly, then completely stopped. His pupils slowly turned into a diamond shape as he stood still.

Takara freed herself from his grip as the other man, the one in the orange mask, came over.

"Deidara-senpai, did you get the shard?" he said.

Deidara remained silent and motionless.

"Deidara?"

Takara knew the paralysis would only last for several minutes. She needed more then that in order to get away and she couldn't have this guy on her tail either. Deidara put her hands on Deidara's side and pushed him hard. His body tilted before beginning to plummet to the ground.

"Deidara-senpai!" shouted the man in the orange mask as he jumped down to help his comrade.

Takara quickly made her escape through the trees and continued toward Konoha with Kin flying by her side.

Hinata sat on a bench outside the ninja academy waiting for Kiba and Shino to meet her. They had just finished training and were heading back to town. She played with the ends of her long hair, becoming impatient with them. Hinata was about to get up when there was a blur of material and a thud on the ground in front of her.

"Takara!" she cried.

Hinata got off the bench and ran to Takara's side. She checked all her vitals and saw she was fine, but Takara needed immediate care for the gash in her arm and the numerous cuts and scrapes and bruises.

Hinata looked around wildly for someone when she caught sight of Kiba walking towards her his hands in his pockets and his head down slightly. Akamaru was walking by his side.

"Kiba!"

His head snapped up and he stopped at the sight of Hinata kneeling next to an unconscious Takara. Kiba sprinted over to the two girls and knelt next to Hinata.

"What happened?" he asked Hinata.

"I-I don't k-know," she said somewhat shaken.

Kiba looked down at Takara.

'She looks pretty bad,' he thought.

"Hinata, we have to take her to get help."

Hinata nodded.

Kiba picked up Takara bridal style, her body falling limply over his arms. He stared down into her face, which was all smeared with dirt and scraps. Takara and him might not get along all the time, but he still hated to see her like this.

There was a screech overhead and Kiba and Hinata looked up. Kin was flying overhead; she swooped down and landed on top of Akamaru's head, which he didn't seem to mind her being there.

Kiba nodded and said, "Let's go!"