"..." means talking

'...' means thinking

... means Ryoko is explaining stuff.

Morning

There was a loud pounding at my door. I shot up out of bed, tripping as I put on my zori. The pounding came again, "I'm coming, I'm coming! Jeez, gimme a sec! I gotta get Kimichi!" I grabbed the one hundred and twenty-something pound sword with ease, swinging it over one shoulder.

"Please try to hurry! I want to get going to the training field so we can laugh when Corwin falls off the balance posts!" That's Kimiko for you. Loves to make fun of my boyfriend before a mission.

I walked into the hall, "Gomen nasai, Kimiko-san. I was…uh…"

She snickered, "Taking a cat nap?"

I nodded as I put my hitai-ate around my waist. I stood strait and, to Kimiko's disapproval, twisted so my entire body made a cracking sound.

Kimiko shuddered, "That was so wrong, Ryoko-chan."

I strapped my shuriken holster to my hip while shrugging, put Kimichi in her holder on my back, and zipped up my zori. My usual cocky smile was plastered to my face, "Let's go!"

My name is Shonen Ryoko. I recently turned eighteen and I've been in the ANBU black oops of Kagegakarue for the past four years. I'm looking for my younger sister, Dok. She was kidnapped by an S-classed criminal named Orochimaru almost eight years ago. Right now, she would be fourteen years old.

Training Field

I was walking with my hands behind my head and my eyes closed. I sniffed the air, smelling Corwin's sweat. My nose wrinkled up, making Kimiko laugh.

"You look funny," she giggled.

Corwin turned at the sound of her laughter. He waved as his black hair fell in his eyes. His shirt was drenched with sweat and his green eyes were dancing. "You okay, Ryoko-chan? You look weird, as usual," he said, laughing.

I rolled my eyes, "You stink."

There was a puff of smoke where he had been standing in the middle of the field. Seconds later, he appeared right in front of me. His scent overwhelmed me, making my stomach lurch. He snickered as I held my nose. "You know you like it," he teased.

I ran to the nearest bush, empting the contents of my stomach. I stood up, wiped my mouth, and pulled out Kimichi, pointing her at him. "If you come near me, I'll kill you," I warned.

He shrugged as he walked over to his bag. He pulled off his current T-shirt. At the same time, Kimiko and I covered each other's eyes. There were several thumps as two more scents reached my nose. Kimiko and I moved our hands. In front of us, two men in black coats with red swirl clouds stood, one of their scents seeming familiar.

My eyes traveled to where Corwin was. Blood was pouring from and open wound in his back. His tanned skin was now pale, making him look unreal. I wanted to scream but swallowed the urge. My hand worked it's way towards Kimichi's handle. The shorter of the two men turned, resting his red eyes on me. I froze, mesmerized by his peculiar eye pattern. My entire body went numb. 'Those eyes…,' I thought.

The taller of the men turned as well and I could have sworn I smelled fish. "Is that a fish?" I asked, turning to Kimiko.

She shrugged. She walked up to him and poked him in the stomach. He looked down at her like, 'WTF?' She walked back to me, "He's a shark."

I shrugged, "All fish taste good in my book."

Fish-man walked over, "So this is the girl? She looks too short to be a Hanyou."

He moved his hand as if to grab my face. I bit down as hard as I could. He screamed and began waving his arm like a mad man. "On't all e ort!" (Don't call me short) He was running around in circles, still trying to shake me off, and still failing horribly.

He pulled out a huge sword, slightly taller than Kimichi. I finally let go and looked at Kimiko. She looked to the other man, "We don't know the, kay?" He nodded and she stuck out her hand, "My name is Suni Kimiko. That's-"

I cut her off, "Shonen Ryoko. Kimiko-san, I need to heal Corwin-kun! He's like, besides Tatsu-kun, the only person who is a worthy opponent!"

She patted my head, scratching behind my right ear, "My short tempered friend, he's gone. We'll have to find you a new boyfriend."

"Don't tell me what the hell I can and can't do! He's –."

The man she had been talking to scoffed, "You should listen to her. He's dead."

I jumped back at least a foot, finally realizing how I knew this guy, "Oh crap! It's you!" Kimiko looked confused. "A missing ninja from Konoha who slaughtered his entire clan in only an hour, leaving his little brother alive so he could torture him. Uchiha Itachi!"

He took off his hat, "Shonen Ryoko. A Hanyou, originally from Konoha. Entire clan dead, except for one, an eight year old girl, and she went missing."

I picked Kimichi off the ground, "Dok would be fourteen now. So what does Akatsuki want with a Hanyou like me?"

"You know of us?" Fish man asked.

Fish-man walked over and stood next to Itachi. "Ryoko, our leader told us to recruit you because of your origins."

"My mother? The two-tails?"

Itachi gave a slight nod, "Yes. We must leave for the hideout immediately."

I looked at Kimiko, "What about her?"

Itachi activate his Mangokyou sharingan and looked directly at her. "She can be disposed of."

She looked into his blood red eyes and let out a gasp. She fell to the ground.

I rolled my eyes, "Damn it, Itachi, why can't you kill like normal-?"

Before I could finish my sentence, he grabbed me and practically dragged me near a bush. "Ryo-chan," he mumbled. My heart started to beat a million miles per hour, hearing him use that nickname again. "We need to leave."

Of course, not seeing Itachi for the past seven years, I decided he needed a good annoying, "So, do I have to wear that big ass coat? How many people are in this organization? Are there any other girls? Can they help me find Dok-chan? Why do we have to leave so suddenly? Is Kisame really a shark, or-?"

Itachi put his hand over my mouth, "If I answer some of there questions, will you promise not to do that again?" I nodded, his hand still covering my mouth. "I don't know about the coat. In Akatsuki, including you, eleven people, only one other girl. We already found Dok-chan, and that's the reason we have to leave."

My eyes lit up, "You found Dok-chan?! Where?!"

"Ever heard of Orochimaru?" Fish-man asked.

I turned to Fish-man as Itachi began to drag me again, "He's more than just an S-ranked criminal, he's also responsible for the recent death of the third Hokage in Konoha. He's in my Bingo Book, along with Itachi-san and you, Hoshigaki Kisame."

Itachi looked back at me, "Bingo Book?"

I smiled, "I'm part of the ANBU black oops of Kagegakaru. See?" Itachi stopped to see my arm. I pulled the sleeve of my shirt up to show the tattoo.

Kisame looked alarmed, "What if she's-?"

Itachi shot Kisame a look, "She wouldn't betray us. I know her well enough."

"Yeah, I'm not even really a big fan of this place. I like Konoha better, but ever since Orochimaru- Wait, Dok-chan!"

Itachi's grip tightened on my wrist. "Orochimaru kidnapped her six years ago, thinking she was more powerful than you. He wiped her memory and she thought Orochimaru had always taken care of her. Now my brother has gone to Orochimaru and it's quite possible she has her memory back."

I ripped my arm from his grasp, "Then why isn't she here?! Two Hanyou are better than one! I mean, what the f-?"

A man with an orange and black mask, red and black Akatsuki cloak, and armor showing beneath it sat on a tree stump.