Prologue…

It was cold, to say the least. Water trickled into the strangest places, lichen grew matted in corners – really, if one were to touch it, one would have recoiled and bounded down the corridor because something slimy and cold was there.

Of course, that never happened. This was not the home of any ordinary person – no, the Akatsuki lived here.

But we can suppose that even the Akatsuki – tough, cruel, sadistic mercenaries – liked the comfort of sunlight and not being constantly damp.

Guess that was the downside of living in a freakin' cave.

And, for heaven's sake, there was only one girl in the whole base. And even she was taken.

Life really, really sucked.

"Is everyone present?"

"Yes, Leader-sama," Came the cold drawl of Uchiha Itachi. Really, no-one had yet topped him for coldness – apart from Akasuna no Sasori, maybe, but that was accounting for the fact that he was a puppet.

"Very well. As you know, Orochimaru is growing ever stronger" Leader-sama called out, voice echoing off the wet, grey walls. He nodded towards Sasori. "We cannot allow that. So, I propose we do something about it."

"And what is that, hm?" Spoke a blonde male (though one who really could pass for a girl), fiddling with something strong-smelling.

A red-head spoke up – a mere boy, no more than fifteen. "Simple. We take one of his test subjects and gather information."

"Oh yeah, Danna? You say that like breaking into Orochimaru's hideout is nothing, hm. How are we going to get this slaving little 'test subject'?"

"See, brat, I would explain to you, but I'm not sure your tiny mind could cope with the information." Was the smooth reply. The group sunk into a few minutes of silence, until a severely pissed-off looking man with slicked-back hair spoke up.

"We lure her in, Goddammit!"

"Hidan, how did you ever become a ninja? You really wanna seduce a guy?"

Hidan scowled. "Shut the hell up. If it's a chick, I can do it. If it's a guy, we have Konan, y'know."

Leader-sama scowled. Blue-haired Konan shifted slightly in her seat – 'seducing' was not part of the job.

A fishy looking man (literally) piped up. "Wait; is it a girl, or a guy?"

Leader-sama sighed. "Quiet, everyone. To settle this matter, yes, it is a girl. Test number 37. She has special abilities – possibly the result of Orochimaru's fiddling, or a Kekkei Genkai. Itachi – I want you to get her. Leave tomorrow."

Itachi nodded, slinking back into the nearest shadow. He would receive the full instructions in private – the less people who knew about missions, the better.

Hidan leered. "I hope the chick's hot."

Sasori smirked. "If she has a Kekkei Genkai… oh, the art that could be made…" He wandered back to his room, mind full of plans and ideas for a new puppet.

Kakuzu – "She better be good with the cards."

Kisame sighed in anticipation. "Man, we definitely need a chick round here. Damn."

Deidara stopped before leaving the room. "Hm, so, what's her name?"

Leader-sama looked up in mild surprise. "Test Number 37? She has no name."

Itachi let his shoulders relax a little as Deidara left the room.

He cleared his throat. "My mission, Leader-sama?"

"Ah. You must obtain and return with Test Number 37. Do not harm her – we need her total co-operation if we want knowledge that could provide superiority in battle."

"Explain."

Leader-sama allowed himself the tiniest secret smile. "I mentioned special abilities before, no? This girl can hear chakra – not manipulate it, like Sound nin, but sense, determine and place chakra with sound, smell and taste. There is no limit to this ability – one could block her senses and she could still use it. A powerful ability, no doubt. Sasori's subordinates have assured us that she has never once been wrong in her judgement. Whatever Orochimaru is doing – it's working."

Itachi frowned. "I suppose. It could certainly be useful in many missions. But the girl – she has no battle experience whatsoever, does she?"

Leader-sama chuckled darkly. "That is the thing. Her skill – it is not a jutsu. It can be learnt. Once we have mastered it, Test Number 37 can easily be disposed of."

Miles away, one girl stretched her toes to the crowing of a rooster. The cold, grey dawn light glanced off the translucent skin of her eyelids; making her wince, coil her rather large body unto itself. Around her was the rustle of blankets, of voices, yet she refused to get up just now, savouring the last few moments of scant warmth, of lingering sleep.

Someone pulled the sheets from around her with a sharp jerk – the girl's eyes flew open, all sleepiness gone.

Test Number 37 was awake.

Here's chapter one of The Test Subject… and seriously, it will get slightly more entertaining from hereon. Emphasis on the 'slightly', but I hope you give this story a chance XD

Reviews would be stared at in awe :D

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