When I was born, my brother had disappeared. Though 9 years apart, our birthdays are exactly the same. This terrified the villagers. I heard stories about his demon spirit, how he killed hundreds by himself when he was young. I heard stories about how he had killed our parents after I was born. I never wanted to be like him, because I was living in his mutilated shadow. Then, we met each other for the first time.

That day was a strange one, but I remember it as clear as glass. It was my birthday. I turned thirteen, and my brother returned. The whole town was in tyranny. They were hiding the children and the women, and the men were preparing to fight. My brother wasn't trying to hurt them, but he was trying to see me. I had never met him, and I hated him. I loathed the unnecessary pain he had caused me, forcing me to grow up without parents and detested by the village. The villagers were trying to get me to go inside, but I broke away and ran to him. I started screaming.

Why? Why was he a demon? Why did he kill our parents? Why did he kill?

My life had been so lonely. Since I was born, I was despised. The meaning of my name, Amaya, or Night Rain, signified to everyone else that darkness had come to the Hidden Mist Village. Every day of my existence was a reminder of that. I wasn't allowed into the academy because they thought I would grow to be like him. I knew I had potential, and his actions had caused my dreams to be crushed. That's why I was screaming at him.

"Exactly what I expected," Zabuza said. "A worthless brat."

"You did take everything she ever had away from her…" I heard Haku reply softly.

"Amaya," Zabuza began, "This is the way it had to be. Look at me Amaya."

I stared up at him with tears and hatred in my eyes.

"I'm here to save you from the consequences of my actions. I'm here to give you a chance, but only if you want it."

"What?" I demanded.

"You have two options. I know I've wronged you, but I'm giving you a way out. Come with me, and you'll become strong. You'll escape from this village and the hatred concentrated about you. Think of it as a new beginning. Your other option is to stay here in this living hell until you decided to escape, and even then, at best, you'll be hunted and killed."

"Please, Amaya, you don't want to live here anymore, do you?" asked Haku.

I turned and looked at the village. The streets were empty, but angry eyes watched from windows. Eyes belonging to people who had shunned me my entire life. I looked back at Zabuza and his apprentice.

"If I go with you…it doesn't mean that I forgive you."

Then, my brother turned around and walked away. Haku motioned to me, and I followed them on a boat as we left the island that had caged me my entire life.

As we traveled, Zabuza told me about our family. Our parents had been cursed. He and I were different from everyone else. He killed them after I was born, because he wanted to prevent any other offspring that would end up like us.

"Why didn't you kill me?" I asked.

"I couldn't. Not with what's inside of you."

"And what's that?" I demanded.

"A demon…just like me."

"I'm not like you," I whispered. "My life will be different."

"You're not as different from me as you think," he said. "I'm a demon. And you are too. One day, you will be able to tap into that power and control it. The demon that lies inside of you is a killer, like me. What its power is, I don't know. What I do know is that once controlled, you will be one of the most powerful ninjas in the world."

"And you'll be the one training me?" I scoffed at him.

"No!" He turned on me. "I told you I was giving you what I deprived you of. I deprived you of a life. If I train you, you won't have that. A demon can't train a demon. I'm taking you to one far stronger than I, who has both the ability and the desire to fashion you into a powerful ninja. From there, you'll go to the Hidden Leaf Village, where you'll have a new start, where no one knows you, and where the people that hate you only hate you because of who you are. Not because of me."

"So, the only reason you're doing this is out of guilt!" I shouted. "You're trying to make your own actions right, but they never will be. You can't change what you did!"

And with that, my brother slapped me across the face so hard that I fell.

"He knows that," Haku said, suddenly by my side. "But he doesn't regret what he did, or who he is."

Then quietly, so Zabuza couldn't hear, Haku added, "He did this because he loves you."

"My brother isn't capable of love," I replied harshly.

"You'll learn in time that what is hidden will surprise you most of all." I looked up. Those words came from Zabuza. He stared at me for a second, picked me up off the ground, and then turned his back and kept walking. I had no choice but to follow.

When we reached our destination, I saw a boy about my age step out of a small hut. Zabuza introduced him as Uchiha Itachi. He would be the one training me.

"You're young," I commented.

"Hmph. I've had more experience than ninjas twice my age," he responded. Then he turned around and went back into the hut.

"This is where we leave you," Zabuza said. I looked at him, nodded, and then he and Haku were gone.

I entered the dwelling to find Itachi unrolling some bedding on the ground.

"You'll sleep here tonight, and we begin training in the morning," he said.

I quickly found out that while Itachi was young, he was powerful. After the first day, I collapsed, and welcomed sleep like a child welcomes his mother's arms. The next day, we were back at it.

Throughout my training, he helped me in all basic areas of ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. I soon became powerful, and we began tapping into the power of the beast inside of me. I learned that I housed a demon of the elements, and controlling her power would give me access to fire, wind, water, and earth.

When I began to master these, Itachi introduced me to the organization he was a part of: the Akatsuki. They welcomed me, but I couldn't help feeling mistrust for some of the members. However, I resided with them for the rest of the time I was training with Itachi.

One day, while Itachi and Hoshigaki, Itachi's partner, were training me, Itachi told me I was powerful enough to learn a special jutsu.

"This is powerful, but also draining. Only those with immense amounts of chakra are able to learn it, and the demon you carry will allow you that strength."

It was a mindreading jutsu.

"Are you sure about this?" Hoshigaki asked Itachi. "If she lacks control you know what this could mean."

"Yes," Itachi replied. Then to me, "It has limitations. While you can speak to others in their minds and hear their thoughts, this jutsu will not allow you to search through their minds and into their past. Doing so will cause you so much chakra loss that even with your demon, you might die."

"Well, death is always a limitation," I said to myself. "Yeah. I want to learn it."

It took me three days to even begin to understand what Itachi wanted me to do.

"You have to tap into the power of the beast!" Itachi told me sternly.

"I'm trying!"

"Well then try harder!"

I focused all of my energy to my center, determined to show him that I could do it. I suddenly felt a boost of chakra within me. I opened my eyes to see Itachi staring straight at me with his Sharingan, and I sent all of the power mentally towards him. Neither of us were prepared for what happened next.

I saw Itachi's eyes go wide, and suddenly he was on the ground holding his head. Memories started pouring through my mind, but they weren't mine. They were his. That was when I blacked out.