Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; too bad, right?
A/N: I see a lot of Akatsuki-based fanfictions out there but most of them follow the same plot line - they kidnap some perfect woman, she develops a relationship with one of them, etc. Don't get me wrong, most of these are really good but they do get tiresome after a while so I've decided to put a new twist on it.
First - the main character is a man; second - he subjugates himself of his own free will; third - there are no explicit pairings but I am thinking about experimenting with Sasori x Itachi. [Let me know if you'd like to see that, and if you would, who do you think should initiate it?]
Anyway, please enjoy and be lovely by groping the 'Review' button to let me know how I'm doing!
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CONDOLENCES TO GOOD - dark aspirations
A man of twenty trekked through the heavyset forests of the Land of Fire. Moonlight filtered between the trees, casting a faint glow that made him look pale as a corpse. His face was masked by a cobalt cloak that was drawn tight against his slender form; it served to prevent the chills brought by the persistent rain.
Kaori Sato could not have picked a worse day to travel.
He had chosen not to stay in Konoha because only hours earlier the sky had been friendly, unlike its current state of dismay. The charcoal clouds trudged lazily through the night, carrying with them his last remaining hope of a short storm. Not that the torrent of water droplets didn't do a good enough job on its own, because it certainly did.
The man groaned, then stiffened to listen as the muffled sound reverberated through the trees. Not the best decision he had made that night - but not the worst either. A muted rustle sounded from the dense vegetation a few feet ahead of him. Okay, maybe the worst.
Animals don't normally cushion their movements that way, Kaori chagrinned.
He reached one hand to his belt where it came to rest on his sword. The texture of the bandaged hilt at his fingertips eased his rigid body, if only by a fraction. He took a cautious step forward, ashen eyes plastered to the - now fidgeting - brush. Someone was doing a rather bad job hiding their presence. A sadistic grin snaked its way across Kaori's lips as he noted the inexperienced fuss.
There would be a swift ending for whoever smuggled themselves amidst those trees.
Ceasing his approach, Kaori peered down to see the huddled figure of a young woman; her knees were drawn into her chest and her hands were clasped across them in something resembling the fetal position. His grin widened slightly as he watched her shake, wet and shivering from the weather.
"Now, what is a lady like yourself doing out here?"
He lowered his slim body to get a closer look at her, his hood catching on a low branch and falling back in the process. The cowering civilian met his eyes, staring into their ashen depths. Kaori could hear the beginnings of a scream stifle in her throat - her gaze seized on his pointed teeth, now glittering dangerously in the shadows.
"Please, don't - don't hurt me!" she cried, raising her delicate arms to shield herself.
Kaori straightened himself, silver eyes boring into her from his towering six foot stance. A frown slowly smothered his face. He offered her his hand and she gaped at him with dull copper orbs before finally taking it. Kaori relished the fleeting touch of soft skin against his callused palms. When the woman stood he tossed his cloak around her.
"I am one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist - but I do not murder civilians without cause."
His voice was melodic as he spoke, graced with a smooth tenor. The words were true, Kaori avoided killing innocents, he would not hesitate to eliminate fellow shinobi though. Of course, he felt that was somewhat irrelevant in this situation and so he chose to withhold this particular bit of information.
The woman smiled at him graciously, the expression brightening her lovely face. Kaori kept tabs on her as she retrieved a wicker basket from the brush and began to walk back to the main road, her long dress skimming the ground as she went. When she vanished from his view, he continued on his way as well.
Without his shawl for cover, Kaori had only the clothing on his back - which unfortunately, did a poor job of warding off the cold.
He was dressed in the standard swordsman attire: a sleeveless black shirt and matching pants; he also donned the striped wrist and leg-guards popular in Kirigakure. Bandages were wrapped around his neck to symbolize his affiliation with the swordsmen, they drew to an end at his strong jaw line.
Steel blue hair framed face, sweeping across his right eye. Normally the wispy tendrils defied gravity, spiking up in an appealingly messy way. Now they hung around him in waterlogged clumps. Another groan threatened to make itself known to the world but Kaori held it back.
The man realized then that he'd been unintentionally squeezing the hilt of his sword. The weapon, hanging from the waist-guard at his side, brushed against the leg of his pants reassuringly. Kaori's hand dropped away from it and he clenched his fists instead.
Anxiety was slowly gathering inside his heart, a telltale sign that he was approaching the Amegakure border. He crossed into the country and noticed drastic differences. The tempestuous sky seemed to darken here as if this place hadn't seen the sun's caress in years. The winter was more obvious as well - gnarled trees stood, their gray branches intertwining like dead fingers. A last frozen embrace.
Kaori prided himself as a man not easily frightened - so, he noted the chills raking his spine with scorn. They would choose this place as their hideout, wouldn't they? It was so storybook - and the monsters lived in a ghoulish land far away from civilization.
The atmosphere enveloped him, accepting him as a natural part of it. He understood; he was another pawn that had just returned home, another monster. Kaori knew he didn't seem the part but amidst the turmoil of his morals was a demon he wished to harness. Since youth, Kaori had always felt his fate was predetermined - he would become one of the swordsmen, the best.
He had accomplished the first of his goals with ease, but the second part was not won so simply. The classification required the complete mastery of kenjutsu, this on its own was an incredible feat. Being able to defeat the other swordsmen - well, that was Kaori's dream. His foremost desire was to be elite.
That insatiable craving for power was what lured him down the muddy path he now walked. Ashen eyes observed as each raindrop leapt to its death. Kaori wondered slightly if he was doing the same. By pursuing Kisame Hoshigaki, was he also committing suicide? Possibly. Was it worth it? Definitely.
He plodded through the sludge feeling it ooze around his shinobi sandals. With every step, the lavender material of his leg-guards grew dirtier. Despite a disinterest in fashion, Kaori was disgusted by the condition of his uniform from the long journey on foot: drenched and covered in leaves and dirt.
Kaori shifted directions, stomping out of the mud and into the lush grass that lined it. He scraped the bottoms of his shoes against the ground to knock off any material still clinging to them before settling himself on a large rock by the trail. A miniscule sigh escaped his lips and his slim blue eyebrows knit together as he conducted a quick inventory check.
He would be there within the next few minutes, he could see the gargantuan boulder on the horizon. Better to make sure he had everything he needed now rather than later. He sifted through the pouch at his hip, it seemed to be fully stocked with his ninja tools; shuriken, kunai, and paper bombs lined the insides. Sheathed at his other hip rested the longsword Nuibari.
He admired the thin blade, running a finger along its bandaged hilt. It was in the shape of a large sewing needle; the eye, located just atop the hilt, was threaded with strong wire. Kaori recalled the first time he had beheld the sword. It had been in the hands of Kushimaru Kuriare - the swordsmen whom Kaori had replaced upon the former's death.
Interestingly enough, he had managed to create a strong bond between himself and the weapon over numerous years of training with it. The longsword seemed to accept only him as its wielder, a trait that made it similar to Samehada. In unfamiliar hands, the wire would constrict whoever dared to touch it.
A strange camaraderie perhaps, but Kaori welcomed the friendship - one bound in blood and steel.
Clasping the button on his utility pouch, Kaori rose to his feet, blue hair shimmering beneath a stain of moonlight. He contemplated his options, weighing them in his mind. He knew the shark-nin would be returning to base from a mission in the Land of Fire. He had obtained detailed specs of the assignment.
Should he attempt to ambush the elder man? Catching him unvigilant would definitely be to Kaori's advantage but somehow he doubted it would be as simple as that. This man had far more experience than Kaori - at least ten years more, in fact. Stealth would be a nearly impossible approach.
After consideration, he finally came to the conclusion that a direct confrontation would be best.
He would be able to explain his intentions without initiating battle immediately. Kaori ground two rows of canine teeth together in anticipation. He aspired to prove his worth to Kisame; the Monster of the Hidden Mist was legendary, his strength and swordsmanship were widely renowned. Kaori hoped the man would take him on as an apprentice and for this, he would lend his skill to the Akatsuki.
He recognized the oddity of the transaction. Not many people threw themselves at convicts of the Akatsuki caliber but Kaori needed the training, his fantasies were all he had. If he couldn't materialize them into some kind of reality his life would be void.
Kaori felt his fingernails dig into his palms. He was headstrong, but not nearly enough to think he would be able to take down Kisame. The admission made him clench his jaw with frustration; he hated the idea of being subjugated to someone, his pride was too great for that. But the shark-nin was on another level, he was by far the greatest shinobi Kirigakure had ever produced - if Kaori could learn beneath him, he would become far better than anyone else in his native country.
Kaori knew the criminal organization would force him to cut ties with Kirigakure, one of his hands snaked to the forehead protector tied loosely around his neck. The cool metal bit at his fingertips as if it knew of his betrayal. He let the hand fall back to his side - I'll do anything to become better.
Afterwards, maybe he could return to the hidden village of his birth, it was his home after all. It'd be lying to say he wouldn't miss the misty land. They would not readily accept a fugitive but he would have valuable information on the Akatsuki by then, and that was probably enough to gain him citizenship once again. All will be forgiven with a bit of bribery, Kaori smirked.
The idea was legitimate, it seemed that information on threats, both real and imagined, made the world go around. People became a lot friendlier after their curiosity had been sated, Kaori found that the villages in each land were no different. Loosen your lips and they'd loosen their gates. The real issue he faced would be in escaping the organization after embedding himself in it.
He doubted they took kindly to defectors, especially ones that planned to use their secrets as currency. The smirk on Kaori's face strengthened slightly at the torture they would commence should they discover his plans. He would need to be very meticulous about the way he executed his idea.
Kaori's speculating was drawn to an end as he sensed an enormous chakra signal nearing his location. There was no doubt in his mind as to who that could belong to. The man instantly stilled, straining himself to listen for sounds of movement.
Hearing the distinct sound of footprints only meters away, Kaori drew Nuibari and held the longsword in his right hand. The wire cascaded to the ground, ready should he need it. A devilish grin spread across the man's handsome face, silver eyes filled anew with ambition as Kaori watched the path stretching ahead of him for humanoid shadows.
He felt as though he had been waiting forever. Now that ended. What lie in store for him would be determined by this crucial moment - this moment in which he would finally meet the fabled swordsman Kisame Hoshigaki.