Tall reeds swayed in the wind brushing against Taki's thighs as she hunched down in the muddy bog water. Her sleek black hair was pulled tightly away from her face to prevent obscuring her view. She could smell the disgusting putrid water as she sank further into it, her padded ninja gear growing damp. The night air was settling the wind dying down making her itchy and restless. She was waiting for a specific target to pass through the banks of the Mist to try and gain access into their village. Well, it wasn't her village, it never was her village, they would never let her become a part of the village. However, she had no desire to destroy her current workings with the Mizukage to seek freedom. Her eyes were trained on the darkness that bent out in front of her boring her patience. The Kage was always giving her something stupid to take care of, tying up loose ends, or plotting some way for her to take down Konoha. The problem was that Taki had no intent on helping the Kage defeat her enemies. In fact she was becoming rather fond of the idea of coming out to Konoha or going to the Akatsuki seeking refuge. The very thought of exposing the Mizukage as a traitor was a treasured one. Konoha would surely destroy the Mist when they found out the she'd been secretly harboring an Uchiha that no one knew about. Of course, she could go to the Akatsuki and join forces with Itachi. Either one would benefit her assuming neither one would kill her. However she didn't even know who she was born too or how she'd come to existence.
Itachi sighed heavily as he passed through the forest with Kisame growing ever near the renowned Mist village. Kisame was becoming bothersome as he cracked joke after joke about his old home town giving Itachi that half lipped smirk. He touted his sword on his back delicately. As they came closer to the village it wriggled more and more unnerving him to an end point.
"Will you tame that thing…talk to it, something…make it stay still." He muttered glancing sideways at Kisame annoyed. Kisame rose an eyebrow chuckling reaching behind himself to stroke the blade he carried. It quivered before settling staying silent as they entered the bog banks of the river. He trudged through the muddy water his cloak sagging around his knees. Kisame seemed eager to enter his famed village with an evil glint in the corner of his eyes.
"Why are you so agitated this evening?" he asked the raven in a much kinder tone than he used around anyone else. Over the years he'd grown to see the punk as more of a younger sibling than comrade.
"Because you won't shut up." He stated blandly continuing to walk forward with no purpose but to enter the village.
"Aren't you a ray of sunshi…" Itachi stopped moving putting a hand up to signal Kisame's halt. Having become partially blind from time to time he'd learned to hone his hearing to a delicate form. He'd heard a movement about eight feet away to his left in the water.
"Come on out kid. I already heard you. Your position's given." He said in a dead tone waiting patiently to see the gennin he assumed was hiding.
Taki panicked. Out. Right. Panicked. The Kage had set her up. These two members of the Akatsuki would be her worst enemies. She couldn't fight Itachi without giving herself away and she couldn't fight Kisame without him realizing her style of battle. Either one would be a dead giveaway to her heritage. She froze hearing the elder Uchiha speak towards her general vicinity. Her skin crawled with nerves like a thousand tiny bugs prickling their way over her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as a cold breeze blew across the water's surface. She held her breath shifting her weight in the water. She would only have about five seconds to run for it, three if she were lucky. What would happen if she ran though? The Kage would surely try her for treason. Her family member was a murderer and she'd not stopped him from entering the village. That would be enough for treason. If she stayed who knew what would happen to her, or how Itachi would react to her existence. He took a step forward calling out for her to reveal herself again. It was like a light went off in sheer panic in the back of her head. Afraid to run and afraid to hide her brain chose for her. She sucked in a deep breath standing up in the still waters.
Kisame let out a slow deep breath watching the porcelain female rise from the water. She was pale as the moon that hung over the sky above reflecting into the water. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail; it was as black as the shadows surrounding her, as black as her eyes. She was tall and lithe, delicate for a kunoichi. However, he saw the gentle promise of sinewy muscles hiding just below the surface of her skin that would no doubt burst with life when she was in battle. Her face was lean and oval the only thing that marred the girl's physical presence was a long scar starting just below where her left ear met her neck, running down the side of her neck, and continued underneath the shell of her fighting gear. It wasn't unlike the ANBU gear worn by Konoha and by Itachi when he'd first come to the Akatsuki. In fact, if he didn't know any better, it was almost like looking into a mirror of that memory. Only differences were the gentle curves that barely rose on her chest. They weren't much to look at he thought. It was just enough to albeit him that she was indeed a female. Itachi stood stark still as his eyes met the girl's in front of them.
"Who are you?" he asked in a shallow voice. The dank air now felt like ice covering the fog rising off the banks of the river cutting through his chest. She was most definitely an Uchiha. There was no denying the skin, eyes, and hair. It was a distinct amount of traits that tingled his senses. She stood motionless staring back at him. Her shoulders were set tense as her chest slightly rose and fell with anxiousness. The silence was beginning to drag a thickness against the night like a shroud.
"I said, who are you?" He declared in a much louder and authoritative natured voice. How would she answer? How could she answer…she didn't know who she really was let alone who she was born too…She caught movement from the corner of her eyes just in time. Kisame attacked like a flash of lightening. It was a game of course, rousing her attention as a response, but she was quick enough to deflect him.
Her right arm swung up as he threw his sword down in an arc aimed at her shoulder meaning to slice her in half. She caught his infamous blade against her shield on her arm locking the wrist with her other hand curled around her forearm. She successfully made a rectangular block of which Kisame recognized and grinned. He forced her about a foot back on the water and into the mud on the bank watching her grit her teeth against the weight and force he was applying.
"You've been trained by the Mizukage herself." He said pushing down with even more force. She let heavy breath through her nose narrowing her eyes. He was strong but not enough to yield her to her knees. It was only a moment before she smirked her eyes flicking up to meet his.
"And you obviously never finished yours sharkman." She quickly twisted her waist and back towards him. She let the weight fall off her arms sliding past her with the force he was applying. He couldn't correct his falling weight as it shifted forward. She threw her elbows deep into his stomach clutching her fists together giving it a harder swing. He doubled over coughing in surprise as she slammed her head up, the back of hers colliding with the front of his face. The sheer magnitude of it threw him partially backwards making him stumble before he fell on his butt in the shallow water. His nose dripped bright red blood and his vision blurred before refocusing. Itachi rose an eyebrow as she stood up glancing down at him across from the two feet of space she'd put between them. Her head had to be splitting from the broadside of Kisame's face and the thickness of his stubborn skull. It was then that they both saw it. Through the fog of the sullen night there was a cutting luminous shock. Two red eyes glanced up and towards Itachi's direction before the girl darted. Bolted really. She turned and took off into the night. The last thing he saw was the gentle sway of her hair as the breeze caught the silken strands and the glistening ruby eyes disappeared into the night.
