Author's Notes:
Okay, this is the rewritten version of the first chapter. I thought it was kind of… Eccentric, odd, and not completely understandable, so… Here it is again. Let's hope it turns out better.
Disclaimer: Nothing in the wonderful series that is Naruto belongs to me. This is just a fanfiction where I change everything in that series according to my own views.
She awoke to her alarm clock, as she did every day during the week. Throwing back the heavy black comforter, she rose ungracefully from the mess of blankets. Trudging across the thick black carpet, she closed herself in the bathroom to shower.
Damp and towel-wrapped, she retrieved her usual jeans, T-shirt, and underclothes from the red dresser before returning to the steamy refuge.
After changing, she dried her shoulder length black hair with a towel and brushed her teeth. Regarding her reflection slightly disdainfully in the mirror, she scanned over the golden tanned skin, skinny but curvy body, and pretty, heart shaped face adorned with full lips, amber eyes with flecks of gray, and her personal favorite (not); her x-shaped scar stretching across her left cheek.
Finished in the bathroom, she slid down the railing of the spiral staircase that led up to her attic room, the only warm room in the airy and dull mansion that belonged to her rich ass of an uncle.
You see, this girl, once called Reena Hayes, lives alone. For her whole life, up until three years ago, when she was sixteen, she lived in a trashy one-story house in the middle of a gang neighborhood in Seattle with her two parents.
Ah, her parents. Drunks, who always seemed to have an amazing array of foreign weapons nearby, always taking out their anger, frustration, and boredom on their poor daughter. Once, after a particularly and oddly light session, she asked, "Why?"
She had been six, and knew no better. This had gotten the two of them extremely angry, and while they lashed her again they answered calmly, "Because we need to tame you. You are a bad little girl, and we need to punish you." She still didn't understand, even today.
But she was saved one day. Her parents, low on funds, had gone to do what they did best; steal. And they were very good at it, too. Their speed was exceptional, their power and skill unbeatable, and they used it to get whatever they wanted for free.
But they got sloppy. After killing a store clerk, they stole the money and ran, too fast for security cameras to see. But instead of using their own weapons, they used a new one; a gun. And with forensics coming along nicely, they were tracked down, taken to court, tried and found guilty for a very long list of murders and robberies, and sentenced to death. At least, that was what she had been told.
Taken to her "Uncle", who was really just some rich guy social services had dumped her on, she was told that she could stay in his mountain mansion in Washington. The man already had five teens, and he didn't want to deal with another, and so she was shipped off. He paid the bills and sent her monthly checks to sustain life.
Public school had always been a terror. Her parents had taken her out once the school nurse started having suspicions in the third grade, claiming that she was going to be homeschooled. That lasted about five minutes. So she had gone to the library as much as she could to escape her home, and taught herself everything she needed to know.
So when she had to be put into high school in her junior year, things didn't go so great. She was either ignored or bullied. But she never really seemed to care. All she wanted was to get through each day so that she could go home and be alone.
Life had been pretty bleak. But there was one thing she was determined to do; go to college. Defy everything her parents had said about being stupid. They had told her she was stupid and crazy, because she would talk to herself. They knew the voices in her head were real, but they never told her.
And so, when she graduated at the top of her class, she did exactly that.
She had always planned on being a writer. Of fantasy, fiction, fairy tales, where she was completely in control of everything that happened. So college it was.
She thought about those things, as she did every morning, as she went about her routine. Once finished, she shouldered her pack and slipped on her Converse, grabbing her favorite trench coat as she left.
The day went by as normal as it always was. She still never talked much, and no one ever talked much to her, so it was always quiet and studious at her little desk.
Finishing her last class of the day, avoiding the groups of hulking football players and the clumps of giggling girls wearing too much of too little, she cut through the buildings to the back of the campus, were she started on the narrow trail up the mountains that hid "her" large home.
Shrugging her trench coat over her shoulders as it started to rain, she slowed down to enjoy the sight of a raining forest. Taking the long path that skirted a ravine to her home, she relished in the sound of the little drops hitting the leaves, making a delightful sound that she adored. Walking precariously close to the edge of the ravine, the water below rushing in a wild roar almost drowned out the short clap of thunder.
She was startled for only a moment, but the sound wasn't anything new and she waited patiently for the next eruption of the bass harmony.
It came again, two sounding within seconds of each other. Soon it became rapid, like the staccato of a drum, which, unlike normal rolls of thunder, was not something she was used to. Glancing up at the sky, she saw that the bright flashes of light that accompanied the deep crackle of power were not to be seen, even as the "thunderclaps" became even more frequent.
She started to doubt if it was thunder at all.
Now it sounded more like…
Footsteps.
Not a moment after her deduction, two black shapes shot out of the dark green foliage, one shoving her viciously to the side of the ravine.
For a moment of pure terror, the woman teetered on the ledge, and while this was happening the two black figures stopped, and she got a brief but good look at them.
Two tall men, one masked and one with silver hair and a large scythe, wearing black cloaks emblazoned with red clouds.
Akatsuki clouds.
That contorted her face into a look more surprised than it was before, but it was soon replaced by a look of fear as she lost the small bit of balance she had left and fell towards the sharp rocks and roiling water.
She reached out towards the pair of men in vain, her hand flailing uselessly in a desperate attempt to save herself. Black hair whipping around her face, she plummeted towards certain demise, and she squinted her eyes shut, accepting her fate.
Then, with a jolt, she was stopped in midair, thick arms wrapping around her torso and the fold of her legs, pulling her towards a barrier- a chest.
She did not open her eyes, instead hoping her savior didn't decide to drop her. The two of them continued to sail down towards the rocks, and she braced herself once again for impact.
Whoever this man was, he was like her parents; landing precisely on the tip of one rock and jumping to the next with inhuman speed, bringing her safely-more or less- to the bank of the stream.
Gently, the man released her, and, with eyes still clenched shut, she stood shakily, taking deep breaths to calm herself down and to prepare herself to face her rescuer… and hoping it wasn't another Akatsuki.
Why, you might ask, would a Naruto fan not want to be saved by one from the series? It is simply because if this was another Akatsuki member, then they would have to have a very good reason to have saved her life, for this group of characters were cold-blooded murderers. And she really didn't want anything to do with them, or know why they were here. She was still trying to convince herself that she was hallucinating. Maybe some idiot spiked her water at break?
"Open your eyes," came a deep, demanding voice that resonated in her bones. A voice that made her want to follow his orders.
Cracking one golden eye open, taking in the sight before her, she couldn't help but gape. There, standing right before her, was the Akatsuki leader, the owner of the Sage of Six Paths' eyes, the thoroughly pierced Pein.
"Who are you?" he said, his monotone voice sounding curious, annoyed, and suspicious.
"F-Fallyn," she stuttered in disbelief, unable to keep herself from gaping slightly.
"'Fallyn', hm? Interesting name. Look at me," he commanded, and she snapped her head up to face him, hair abandoning its post of guarding her face, revealing her scar. The orange haired man didn't look surprised at all; in fact, his expression remained passive even as he hit one of the girl's pressure points, causing her to collapse in a jumbled heap on the ground. As he slung her over his shoulder, the other two Akatsuki members landed with a light thump next to him.
Almost abruptly after the pair took in the scene, the tan one hit the silver haired one quite forcefully on the back of his head, glaring at him while insulting the miniscule intelligent capacity in his brain.
"Hidan, you idiot, you could have killed her. Good thing your leader was there to save the whole mission before you could screw it up, as you usually do," he growled in a voice even deeper and more menacing than Pein's.
"What the fuck, Kakuzu? That fucking hurt, you cock-sucking bastard!" yelled Hidan, rubbing the back of his head and scowling at the other man with his purple eyes.
"Enough," said the leader tiredly, having dealt with countless of these kinds of arguments, "It's time to gather the other members. We've found our target."
"That chick?" came Hidan's rude response. Kakuzu's luminescent green and red eyes were staring daggers into the immortal's brain, wishing with all his being that looks could kill.
"Yes, Hidan, this girl is our target. Now, move your ass," sneered Kakuzu, and he and Pein took off simultaneously. Hidan stood for a few more moments in confusion before snapping to attention and taking off yelling after the others.
Dropping the girl onto a couch in the large house Deidara and Tobi had found a while earlier, Pein gathered the rest of the Akatsuki, who were wandering around poking at the interesting and alien contraptions in the kitchen and living room.
"Alright, everyone, in here," he called, and his voice echoed through the high-ceilinged halls. The murderers filed through the doorway and took seats, some leaning against walls around the couch where the woman was still unconscious.
"The hell is this?" said Deidara, staring incredulously at the heap of skinny bones and thin muscle (though, surprisingly, still averagely curvy) that folded into jutting angles of human flesh. "This can't be the all powerful Eleven Tails, un? This little scrap of meat?" There were several murmurs and glances of agreement to his comment.
"Yes, this girl is the Eleven Tails Jinchuuriki," sighed Pein, slightly disappointed as well.
"You're kidding."
"Deidara, you believe I would 'kid'?" said Pein patiently, but still with a warning undertone. The bomb artist wisely chose that moment to shut up.
"Is she gonna wake up any time soon, Leader-sama?" questioned Kisame cautiously, not wanting to provoke his leader as Deidara had already done.
Regarding her with probing gray-purple eyes, he said absentmindedly, "Within the next few moments. We do not know how she has been trained in this odd world, so be prepared." All members tensed, now wary of the seemingly harmless form on the cushions.
A few apprehensive moments later, true to Pein's prediction, she snapped awake, shot straight up into a sitting position, and-
Screamed.
Not because of them; she hadn't even noticed them yet. She screamed because she believed she had had a horrible nightmare where characters from an anime had shoved her over the side of a ravine, then saved her and knocked her out.
Ah, how the mind plays such cruel games.
When she screamed, every tension-coiled member nearly jumped out of his/her skin, and several threw kunai, out of pure instinct. Luckily, at that moment, she laid eyes upon the member in front of her- Zetsu- and promptly fell off the couch in her surprise, avoiding every sharp object that had been hurled at her with the intent of ending her life.
Needless to say, the pillow she had been laying on became a pincushion. Or rather, a knifecushion.
Ha-ha.
"Everyone, STOP!" roared Pein, exactly a moment before a second round of metal weapons were flung in the girl's direction. Everyone paused mid-throw, and stared at their leader with questioning eyes, the hands holding the blades quivering with adrenaline.
"Girl, get up," he commanded, using his normal tone of voice to show her who was in charge.
Looking up at the orange haired man with amber eyes like saucers, she stayed put.
Several of the more emotional members looked worried.
Staring at the girl oddly, their leader repeated, "Get up."
She made no indication of following his order. In fact, her eyes glazed over as if ignoring him.
Seconds away from flinging his own kunai at her, he said again, "Get. Up."
She snapped out of whatever daze she had been in, and everything looked a bit more normal- until her eyes lengthened into reptilian slits.
Grinning impishly, she sneered in a voice not quite her own, "But of course, Leader-sama."
Rising gracefully off the floor, the girl dawned an aura that made her seem taller than her 5'7".
It was an aura of authority.
And it pissed Pein off.
"Whoa there, the fuck is this?" interrupted Hidan before Pein could deliver 'divine judgment'. "The bitch is getting a cloak."
Sure enough, a smoky, thin, barely noticeable layer of moving energy had settled around her curvy figure like a cloud. As the shade of the cloak got darker, her golden eyes started to glow, and one could vaguely see her smirking.
As it got increasingly thicker (most of the Akatsuki were standing slightly dumbstruck, and not interfering with her… episode), a voice that seemed to echo out of the smoky mist said, "I've been waiting for you, Akatsuki Pein. Waiting for a very long time. Nineteen years, to be exact. Took your leisurely time, hm?" The voice, smooth and yet sharp at the same time, like obsidian, was laced with bitter poison.
Pein, who hadn't seemed to have lost his composure for one moment, regarded the living black mass before him. "Eleven Tails?"
"Who else could it possibly be?" hissed the smoke, the girl's eyes glowing like honey-colored coals.
"Speaking through your Jinchuuriki, hmm? Interesting." His face, as well as his tone, was completely devoid of emotions.
The golden eyes narrowed. "Interesting? Do you try to be aggravating? I've waited years to go back to that dimension, out of this filthy world. And you come here, and insult me? I'll kill you."
A slight flicker of amusement flitted across his face, but it was soon gone. "No."
A low growl emitted from the cloud. The rest of the Akatsuki, free of their frozen stances, glanced at Pein, and then left their leader to do the business alone.
"Do not insult me again, insolent human."
"I am no human. I am God."
An exasperated sigh sent a puff of chakra out, where it dissipated into the air.
"I will not argue about such trivial things as a god-complex. I want to go back. You'll take me, yes?"
"Excuse me, but the Akatsuki is not here to rescue you for your own personal interests. We came here for you, yes, but we're not convenient transportation." His tone had a dark edge to it.
The black cloud began to ebb, pulling back into its center like a kind of implosion. The last words that were said were "Took too much time out. Deal with her until I can speak again." Then the remainder of thick black smoke disappeared into the girl's skin, and she collapsed, like a demon had been exorcised into her.
Pein sighed heavily. That conversation hadn't really gotten him far.
His glance swept the room filled with all its oddities, and wavered over the crumpled form of the Jinchuuriki.
No one was remotely near the room, all trying to avoid an aggravated demon. Feeling it was safe, he knelt down next to her and brushed the hair from the scar-adorned cheek, tracing the angry white tissues.
"Such a burden you hold, Eleven Tails Jinchuuriki. Such a burden you have held, for so long, alone. You will soon be free from this horrible life that you have endured for so long," he said softly, painted fingernails lingering on the disfigured mark.
She stirred in her unconsciousness, a troubled expression plastered on her features.
In a moment of pure pity, he lifted her back onto the couch and exited the room.
Ending Notes:
I put that last scene in on impulse. It just seemed… Necessary. And it fit. He was acting like a god, yes?
Anyways, chapter one is finished, and I have to say… I much prefer this one over the first.