Disclaimer: I do not, nor shall I ever, own Naruto. I wish I did, but I don't. So there.
Author's Note: Okay, so this is my totally non-humor, non-one-shot Akatsuki story. No, the main character is not based off of anyone I know, especially me. In my other stories, however, it is most definitely me. So… yeah. Read and review!
Story Summary: When the Akatsuki gets wind of an assassin with unrivaled speed and efficiency, Itachi and Kisame are sent to go capture the assassin. When a girl is told to spy on the Akatsuki, she prepares for the worst. What neither party realized was how much of a family they would become.
Prologue
Bloody Hands
The silver sword flashed, disappeared momentarily, then reappeared on the other side. Torso and legs separated and fell.
Quick as lightning, three more ninjas were down. The remaining two attempted to take up proper battle stances. Their attacker stopped momentarily and watched them, standing over the bodies of their fallen comrades.
One of the ninjas, a young woman, bent down to check the pulse of one of her comrades. Dead. She didn't cry; she wasn't supposed to.
The assassin didn't move. Blood dripped from the murderous sword. No one moved for some time. A spell seemed to have descended over the room, stopping the violent deaths.
A breeze blew in through the open window. It blew aside the hood that kept the assassin's identity a secret. The eyes of the ambushed ninjas widened.
"My God, she can't be more than sixteen!"
The spell was broken. Sword in hand, the assassin silenced one ninja and then the other in quick succession. The bodies fell to the floor with a dull thud.
The breeze had stopped now. Pulling off the cloak completely, the young assassin stepped over the remaining bodies to the bundle huddled in a corner of the room. It was shivering.
As if sensing the presence of the girl, the child looked up. He was dressed in finery, the assassin noted dully. Probably a noble's child. Probably worth a lot of money if he was put up for ransom.
She raised her sword, her eyes blank. The child's eyes widened as she thrust down. There was no cry; she was too quick.
None of my business…
She wiped her sword on her leg, smearing blood across the tight material. She turned, facing the room at large, and surveyed her work. Messier than usual.
Her brow furrowed. She hadn't meant to cut through two of them. She had put too much strength into her swing. It irritated her to know that she was still rough enough to mess up. Now there was a huge mess…
She sighed, bending down and pulling the bodies to the window. Once they were all there, she began to toss them out without regard.
Get in, clean up, and get out…
Two days later…
"Nice work, as always."
The young woman, sitting on a small cushion, bowed. The white kimono she wore was utterly deceiving with its pink pattern of cherry blossoms. Her ash blonde hair, pulled neatly back into a bun, coupled with her translucent-white skin made her look fragile.
The three men sitting before her were talking quietly amongst themselves. She watched them quietly, her eyes blank and dull, hands settled in her lap delicately.
They turned back to her, avoiding her eyes. This was usual; it was to be expected. She no longer minded this. Not anymore.
"We have another assignment for you. It will take a long time, even despite your skill."
The speaker, obviously the leader of the three, coughed and made a show of straightening his shirt. The girl waited patiently, quietly.
"You will be infiltrating a certain organization. A world-renowned organization, actually. This mission will be highly dangerous and if you are caught, you will die quickly and painfully. Do you understand? We cannot afford for you to be caught!"
"Yes."
He met her eyes then, immediately regretting it. Those strange, mesmerizing, repulsive eyes that could see into the depths of the human soul.
The girl shut her eyes. "Yes," she repeated.
"You see, despite your subtlety, there have obviously been rumors. Rumors of a ghostly assassin who kills without remorse and leaves without a trace. This organization has hear and if our sources are correct, then they want you to join them."
Interest flared in the silent girl. Despite herself and what she had been taught, she closed her left eye, an odd purple color, and widened the right one, an equally odd blue color.
The man flinched and, in a rage, slapped the girl sharply across the face. She fell sideways, but caught herself easily. Sitting up, she opened both eyes, her cheek already turning red.
"I've told you before, you are never to read us! If you ever do that again, I'll have you killed on the spot. Do you understand me!?"
She was quiet a moment. "Yes."
The three men settled themselves once again. The girl stayed silent, both of her eyes closed. Her cheek was stinging, but she'd had worse. Worse even from them.
Memories flared inside her. Her eyes shot open and she bit the inside of her cheek to stay silent. The temporary rage receded from her eyes and they were once again blank.
"What is the group's name?" then she added, "My lords."
A ghost of a smile flitted across the men's faces. Almost sadistic, the girl noted with suspicion.
None of my business…
"Their name is well-known, though their nature is ambiguous. You will most likely have heard of them."
She raised an eyebrow, becoming impatient once again. If only they would let her use her eyes… It would save them all much time, and it was at least three times as efficient. But, she had to obey orders…
"They are called Akatsuki."
