Dulcet: Hey all! This first chapter is probably my longest of all my chapters in any of my other stories. I'm not sure if this will be standard length or what… but here it is!

And if you know me well, you know that I love reviews!

Part One

Chapter One: A Fate Worse Than Failure

The still silence of the dark castle halls should have made any sound seem as loud as an alarm in itself, and yet a single figure was able to race through them undetected, moving with footsteps so skilled that their lack of noise was enough to rival a passing of the Grim Death. Not a single tap, tap, tap, or a thump, thump, thump. Only silence as the person raced along, dressed entirely in black like a shadow creeping through your mind, filling it with uneasiness and fear. The figure paused at a corner, their blue starry eyes glancing about through the slit in the ninja mask that covered their face. The pause was only momentary though, as they saw they were soon coming upon their destination, nearly ending their mission. But it wasn't long until they stopped again, blinking as they could feel the irritation of the black face make-up that covered what little of their face still showed.

'Okay,' she thought, 'Once this is over, I definitely need to talk to someone about finding a different way to mask my face. This shadowing is killing me!'

What annoyed her all the more was that she couldn't take it off yet. She had to wait who knew how much longer for the mission to be complete, which might not be for a while, depending on how it all progressed. But then, finally she saw it: the door that withheld her target, guarded by only two men. This was where one of her special talents came in. From one of her pouches, she extracted two specialized darts with cone like appearances, a single sharp tip at the end. Then, she rested one in each hand on the side of her gloved fingers, poised to be fired with a simple flick of her thumb. It only took a moment for her to take aim, but once she did, she felt no hesitation to fire, hitting each guard squarely in the neck, their only sounds being that of their bodies falling unconsciously to the floor from the poison that had been introduced to their system. From there it was an easy business to tie them up, gag, and hide them away as to prolong the time between now and the sound of the alarm. After all, it was better to have too much time to escape than too little.

And so finally Mizuki closed the door on the closet they were put in, reaching up to wipe the sweat from her brow. Now… back to business. Mizuki turned her attention to the door and went over to it. Carefully she tried to slide it aside but there was resistance as she did so: Locked. 'Great….' Mizuki thought as she crouched down and began to work at the lock, a skill picked up from days separate from her ninja training, 'This is just what I need.'

It wasn't much longer until she was able to open it though, and when she did she had to check herself to not let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't time to relax yet. Instead, she had to stay focused. The task wasn't complete yet. And so she tried the door again, easing it open inch by inch. But once it was open, Mizuki was surprised to find that there was no extra alarm rigged to the door; nothing to be triggered as it opened. That almost seemed suspicious… But when she looked into the room, she could tell that there actually was indeed an extra precaution of sorts: strings and strings of bells suspended on invisible wire hung everywhere! A single slip and the multiple little instruments would sound, breaking the silence of this place and alerting whoever was nearby. It might have sounded threatening to someone else to evade them, but not Mizuki. This might have been another reason why she was chosen for this particular mission, her being as flexible as a cat and as acrobatic as monkey. No, Mizuki only found this obstacle to be another pestering annoyance and one that she could easily conquer.

So, after securing her long black braid into her shirt, she began her work, deftly slinking, stepping, and sliding her way around the trap with as little as effort as she would put into walking. It took her a matter of minutes to reach the center of the room where the object that she wanted awaited her: a scroll containing the secrets of one of the many rivals that her tribe had collected throughout its existence. But as she lifted it, she was brought to realize that it had been weighing down several streams of bells, which were now released and beginning to ring.

"Oh no…" she muttered as the strings set off a chain reaction and completely rearranged the pattern of the maze of bells, setting the entire room ringing. And then she saw it: her escape! She tucked the scroll away and then made her way to the window, not even bothering with stealth now as she went to the curtains, praying that there was actually a window behind it instead of merely being a decoy. And just like that, she threw the curtains back to see her prayers were answered. However, what lay beyond the glass pane on the other side of the window worried her. As she opened the coverings, she found herself looking into two red and black eyes, which were staring right back at her. She had no time to consider them though. And instead of turning around and heading back to the door, where guards would probably be flooding the halls by now, she drew back her fist and sent it crashing through the glass on a collision course towards the face of the man crouching on the window sill. It was stopped though, as her blow was caught, her hand being restrained as it was enclosed in his just as it had come in contact with his palm.

Mizuki wasn't surprised for a moment though. Instead, she let her left hand reach into her dart pouch to shoot one off before the opponent could think… or at least she thought he hadn't time to think. For in that one moment in between Mizuki's preparation and her actually firing it off, her other hand was seized and she was pulled right off of her feet and out through the window. The next thing she knew, she was being flung through the air and towards the roofs below.

A few months ago, she probably would have landed with a hard impact, but that had been then, and this was now. So, instead she was able maneuver herself to land on her feet like the cat she was, poised and ready for the opponent's next move. However, spying her enemy again, she noticed that he had the one thing that determined the success of her mission: the scroll that she had come here to steal. Seeing it there, she checked where she had tucked it away, only to find it missing from its spot.

Then, without a word the other ninja bolted off along the other rooftop, eager to escape the authorities that were in search of what he possessed. Mizuki's eyes narrowed as she went after the other figure dressed in black, knowing that she would have to get that scroll back by any means necessary. Of course, this was easier said than done, especially for Mizuki. This girl had been mildly trained from a young age, only having received further instruction recently for this particular mission. She hadn't been prepared for this, though, and she especially lacked in reacting to enemy ninja, which was why it was so difficult for her to keep up with this man. He was an elusive one indeed. On top of that, she not only had to keep her eye on him, but also she had to keep an eye for anyone that might try to stop her. In fact, it didn't take long for archers to begin shoot off arrows at her, and for other warriors to commence throwing other dangerous objects. 'This sucks…' she thought to herself as she dodged projectile after projectile in her chase, 'I don't even have the scroll! Are these Tsubasa people that stupid?'

Luckily, however, the two opposing thieves were able to make it out of that palace and back into the forest that surrounded it. But once a good way into the trees, Mizuki saw that there was a horse before them, saddled and ready to go. 'No… no… NO!' she thought, knowing exactly what was going to happen before she watched it being played out before her. The man quickly mounted the beast and bolted off, far into the trees and out of sight.

At this, Mizuki finally removed her mask to better watch him go, glaring after him. "Uchiha!" she cursed the red and black eyed man as she threw the mask down into the dirt. There was no catching him now. She would be at it all night trying to find him. But she sighed, then picked up the discarded cloth and began to remove her make-up, revealing a moonlight complexion with the exception of three stars tattooed above her right brow, the first being the largest and black, the second being a bit smaller and red, the last being the smallest and blue. It was because of these markings that she even had to wear the make-up anyway. If she were ever to be seen with or without her mask, then she would easily be able to be identified, just by looking at her eyes and those stars. So, knowing this, taking off her mask was a foolish thing, but she didn't care.

This hunt would require her full senses, and the restraining feel of that mask would definitely not help. And so she ran after the ninja, following the faint hoof prints of the horse that he had escaped on. But as she went along, she could sense something bad was going to happen. That was always the case when it came to dealing with enemy ninja, especially if they were someone as skilled as an Uchiha.

Unfortunately, she was proven right when she came to the end of the trail at a riverbed of gravel, where a path would have been impossible to find. That's when she put her hands on her hips and looked up to the stars, searching and praying for the patience that she so desperately needed. And that's when she saw it. Far above the trees' canopies, there was a stream of smoke coming from the far right. But it couldn't be him! Uchihas were masters of deception and misleading, and they were well known for their fair turnout of elite ninjas. It was impossible that he would be so stupid as to give away his position!

Unless it wasn't accidental at all… it must have been a trap! That would be the only explanation of such an action! But why? Why would the Uchiha ninja want to lure her? Well… if she did go, she would be doing exactly what he wanted. Then again, if she didn't go, there would be no chance for her to ever retrieve the scroll, and that was not acceptable! So, she replaced her mask and let her braid out of her shirt as she rushed towards the smoke, as if it was a signal that was urging her to come.

It didn't take long for her to get there, but what she found surprised her beyond all reason. There was no Uchiha man. Instead, there was a strange creature-like person sitting at the campfire… And that was no understatement. In all of her years, Mizuki had never seen anything like it. He was like a shark man with blue skin, beady eyes, sharp teeth, and gills! It was horrifying really. But just as she was about to turn and go to finish her pursuit, she heard a thundering of hooves approaching the campsite… and there he was. The other ninja quickly dismounted and looked around. "What do you think you're doing with that fire?" he questioned, "We could be found out!"

"Please," the unnamed companion returned, "Those idiots at the Tsubasa Castle wouldn't be able to track you to the spot where you assumed the horse, let alone here."

"It's not the Tsubasa that I'm worried about…" the man said as he pulled off his mask to reveal his identity to Mizuki. Uchiha Itachi… the eldest of the last two Uchiha members. "There was another ninja there," he explained, "I was easily able to take the scroll from him, but he pursued. I am not sure how far he will be able to track me, but judging by the fact that he had set off an alarm in the first place gives me the idea that he's not too bright and that he will not get far. But still you never know… I don't think that we should take chances."

'That's right you shouldn't take chances…' Mizuki thought smugly, 'Because here I am.'

"C'mon…" the blue man said disbelievingly, "If he does come, we'll be able to take care of-"

However, he was cut off as he fell over, put into a state of unconsciousness as he received one of Mizuki's poison darts in his throat. The Itachi fellow instantly became aware that someone was near and stood poised, looking around for the attacker. But once he could not find him, he disappeared out of sight. He would not be a sitting duck!

Then, the next thing that Mizuki knew, she was being pulled from her crouching position and then having a blade put to her throat as she was also being urged into the clearing and out of hiding. "Who are you?" the man demanded, "And what have you done to him?"

"Your friend?" Mizuki asked as she tried to hide the fear in her voice, "Nothing. I only poisoned him."

"Poison?" he repeated as his impending wrath began to creep out, the blade's cold steel acquiring a harsher pressure on her neck, "What sort?"

"My special concoction," Mizuki smiled as she realized that she could have some fun with this, "If it isn't treated soon, he will die."

"Then give me the remedy!" the man demanded.

"You wouldn't honestly think that I would be carrying a cure for a poison that I use against my enemies, would you?"

"Listen!" he demanded as he spun her about and tore off her mask, spotting her face for the first time. He didn't go on right away though. "You're… a girl," he commented in confusion.

Mizuki didn't blame him for the mistake. Uniforms were designed specifically so that there could be no distinction between genders and with their masks on, a woman's voice would be muffled enough to sound like a male's. "Very good, Uchiha," Mizuki bit back, "Now can you tell me what sound a cow makes?"

"Silence!" Itachi barked as he regained himself, "Now tell me how to save him."

"What will I get in return?"

"A trade," Itachi answered as he returned the kunai blade to her throat, "Give me the antidote, and you will be spared."

"But if you do kill me, he will die," Mizuki pointed out, knowing this old trick and just how to play it out to her advantage.

"And what else do you suggest that I trade you?"

"What else indeed? The Tsubasa Scroll, of course."

"His life is not worth the loss of the scroll."

Mizuki was appalled to hear these words. Tales of Uchiha Itachi's ruthlessness had circulated well throughout her clan since he was affiliated in not one, but two of their enemy groups, one being the Uchihas, the other being the Akatsuki. But she would never have believed him to do such a thing as surrender his comrade's life for a mission, regardless that she was bluffing the fact that his life was in any danger at all. Wait… yes he would have. This was Uchiha Itachi she was talking about after all! Of course he would do something like this! And this being the fact, Mizuki knew that she was out of bargaining chips. "Fine," she surrendered, "That seems fair… But I will need a few things to make the potion."

"Name it and I will go retrieve whatever you need," Itachi agreed as he pulled the kunai away and placed it back on his belt.

"You trust me to stay here?" Mizuki questioned as she began to take a step away from him.

Itachi caught her wrist though, and stopped her from moving any further. "Of course not," he answered, "That is why you will let me tie you up to assure that you will not escape."

"Out of the question!" Mizuki objected, "I will not let you, of all people, do such a thing to me!"

"It is either that or I kill you now," Itachi pointed out as he reached for his weapons again and pulled out the small throwing knife.

"Fine!" Mizuki uselessly finally gave in, "Fine!"

"Oh… and one last thing," he began as he scratched his jaw line with the blade, "To assure that you won't try and escape from the rope as well, I am going to have to ask you to remove all articles of your clothing so that I know you don't have any tricks hidden away that would aid you in your flight."

For a moment, Mizuki just stared blankly at him. "You must be joking?" she told him, "As if tying me up isn't enough… you're making me remove all of my clothes?"

"Only until I am convinced that you don't have any more devices on your person," he assured her, "Then I will give you some of my own clothes to wear until my comrade is better."

"You're a manipulative jerk," Mizuki told him as she tried to wrench her wrist free from his grasp, finding it futile.

"You can't blame me for being cautious," he pointed out before finally relinquishing his grip on her.

"No…" she answered taking that much needed step back as she massaged her wrist, "I can't."

"Then let's get this over with," he suggested as he turned to go to his bag and started digging through his things.

Mizuki thought about running… but if she did, then she knew that Itachi would easily be able to catch her, and once he did he would only bring her back and insist on his demands. And she couldn't tell him that making an antidote was pointless in the end because then he would simply kill her anyway. After all, it was obvious who would win in a fight, him being the infamous Uchiha Itachi and Mizuki being… well… more crafty than she was strong. She had to do this, no matter how much she hated it. And so she began to hesitantly remove her clothing, starting with her belts and other accessories. It felt so strange to her to be stripping her attire out in the open like this, especially with someone else present. And that went doubly since said person was both a man AND her enemy. This… was so wrong. And as if things couldn't get any worse, once Itachi had found a cable to bind her with, plus some of his clothes, he began to watch her, probably to make sure that the female for sure had no more tricks. And of course this bothered Mizuki, so as she stood with all of her weaponry and equipment removed, down to just her clothes, she put her hands on her hips. "So do you want me to go slowly while I do this, or fast so you can get to the good part?" she questioned as she shot a glare at him, "Or could you just not watch while I undress?"

Then, to Mizuki's surprise, Itachi turned around, leaning against the nearby tree to face the opposite direction in order to give her privacy. "Don't you even dare try anything," he told her from where he stood, waiting for her to finish.

The girl could only stand there for a moment in shock. The first compromise of the night! Finally! With that, Mizuki disrobed, thankful for the bandages that she had adorned around her entire torso as well as the cotton shorts that you couldn't hide even a needle in, leaving only her limbs and head naked. "Okay," she called as she stood trying to cover herself all the same, feeling exposed and naked, which she nearly was technically, "I'm ready."

With that, Itachi turned and looked the girl up and down. She couldn't have been more than… well… his age. She was perhaps sixteen or seventeen, even though this should have already been easy to guess judging by the way she acted towards him, so dishonorable and rebellious like any average teenager. But now he was approaching her, circling around her to make sure that there was absolutely nothing on her. Then he went to her and pulled out that stupid little kunai again. Then glancing from the knife to the bandages then to Mizuki he asked, "May I?"

"What?" she asked in shock, "What could I possibly have on my person still?"

But without waiting for proper permission, he began to cut away the bandages at her stomach, leaving only the necessary remnants barely around her chest. "Clear," he finally announced as he handed her the clothes, which she eagerly accepted. 'Kill me now, gods…' she begged,'Just kill me now…'

Of course, that would have been preferable over having to go through this embarrassment. In fact, Mizuki was seriously considering taking Itachi's offer of death as it was becoming all the more tempting as time went on. But she knew that if she was going to fail in her mission tonight, she would have to live to bring back any information she could for her clan, and that included the fact that Uchiha Itachi of the Akatsuki now had the Tsubasa Scroll.'They had better appreciate this…' she thought to herself as she dressed again, pulling on the clothes that had been given her in record time. Since Itachi was of a taller, stronger, and broader build than Mizuki's smaller size, the clothes hung drastically on her. The shirt's collar threatened to slip every second and she was practically stepping on the hem of the pants. "Now give me your wrists," Itachi demanded once she was dressed again.

And so Mizuki stuck out her wrists, ready to be tied, which the Uchiha immediately did with skill and speed. Then, he pulled her over to a tree to which one of its branches he tied the other end of the rope. He then took another cord and bound Mizuki's feet together. "Yeah… that'll hold me," she commended irritably as she felt the firm hold they had on her.

Itachi said nothing though as he placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around so that her chest was pressed against the trunk of the tree as Itachi began to undo her braid. Gods! This guy was thorough! Itachi slowly inspected Mizuki's black silk as he undid the braid and unleashed her hair that now had a few waves that were not natural to her. Then, once most it was completely undone, Mizuki could feel the calloused texture of his hands as his fingers ran through her hair once more, now near her scalp.

As he searched the thick locks of soft hair, though, Itachi noticed a strange and soothing scent being released. It reminded him of… of… nighttime. Like dew on cool grass, or the smell of flowers in serene dark meadow. It was so calming that it actually began to reduce his temper with her. It reminded him of something... A far off memory, lingering on the edge of his mind. After finishing with that, though, he turned her around again and stared at her for a moment, noticing a significant transformation in her appearance now that her hair had been taken down. She no longer looked like the ninja that he had captured. Instead she reminded him more of a broken moon nymph, depressed and saddened that she had been trapped, restrained in human grasps. Memories began to slowly slip back into his mind... This thought was dismissed though as Mizuki spoke again, her defeat apparent in her voice. "Satisfied?" she asked him.

"Almost," he answered as he ran a hand through her hair again, much slower this time as he was being careful not to miss anything that could have been caught or hidden there.

"If there was anything to find, I'm sure that you would have found it by now," Mizuki insisted as she reached for his hand with her bound ones and drew it away, growing tired and disgusted of his touching her as he was.

And so Itachi stopped and pulled his hand back, allowing Mizuki to carefully ease herself down, the length of the rope that tied her to the tree by her wrists being so short that her arms had to hang above her head as she sat.

Following her down, Itachi crouched to look Mizuki in the eye as he questioned, "Now, what do I need?"

So Mizuki began to list useless or near useless plants that he could throw together such as flowers, leaves, weeds, and other herbaceous organisms. Itachi nodded his head, surprisingly seeming to take it all in and recognize each sort of plant. And then he was off on a useless search, leaving Mizuki tied up and hopeless. This truly was a fate worse than failure.