A/N: Okay, so this idea's been lurking around in my head for a while now. A couple of the OCs you'll see in here are from an original story I'm currently writing called Mourning Dove. Forgive me for any possible OOCness. I'll warn you now: I may not update as quickly as I'd like to, but I will. I've already got a couple chapters written, so they'll probably be out once a week on Fridays. Credit for helping me come up with the title and summary (still makes me lul) as well as an overall thanks, goes to my friends Jocie and Befy, who gladly put up with my arbitrary ranting about things that aren't really real. What a shame.

Sadly, I do not own Naruto. ): That honor goes to Masashi Kishimoto. I do, however, own Asaki, so no stealing her, mkay?

Hope you enjoy! Reviews make my day, hint hint. ;)

X

The morning sun peeked over the faraway tree line. Asaki crouched in a clearing amongst large boulders poking out of the still chilled ground. She turned her back to the sunrise, rolling up her sleeping mat and tying it to her pack. She swung it over her shoulders and, glancing one more time at the flurry of oranges behind her, started walking.

Father's going to kill me. If he ever finds me, that is, Asaki thought for the hundredth time in the last week. She had already seen the posters. Her father was giving away practically half his fortune for the safe return of his precious runaway daughter. She shook her head. If he wanted a perfect daughter, he should have another child and hope for a girl.

The sun rose slowly over the mountain as she hiked through the outcropping. After about ten minutes of walking, Asaki hit the small stream she had been traveling along. Toes stepped straight into the icy water, not flinching. She'd been journeying like that since she left home. It kept the dogs from tracking her scent, as far as she could tell.

She shook out her arms, stretching the stiffness of sleep still lingering. Her gray-purple shirt hung loosely from her frame, her left shoulder exposed. A much darker purple, skin-tight long sleeved undershirt was below that, covering her midriff and forearms where the larger shirt didn't reach. She wore plain tan pants that stopped just past her knees and her usual sandals.

Asaki stopped, the water coursing around her ankles, and looked to the sky. The rising sun reflected off her gray eyes. Back home, she mused, they must be searching like somebody actually important had gone missing.

-x-

"Will you hurry up, Hidan?" Kakuzu said, annoyed. "Go faster or I'll kill you."

"Oh shut up! I'll be done in a minute," Hidan snapped back. He reached to the sky and plunged the metal spike into his black skin, and the man before him crumbled to his knees, grabbing at his chest. Laughter spilled from the Akatsuki's mouth, relishing the pain and the thrill of living through it. He grinned and screamed to the dying man in front of him, "You feel that? You feel the pain? Enjoy it, every last second of it!" The smile faded from his lips as the man dropped to the ground, lifeless. His own body tumbled as well, smearing the diagram of blood on the rock below him. His black and white skin faded back into his normal pink. Kakuzu kicked the ground, sending a pebble into Hidan's silver hair. A moment later, the Akatsuki on the ground jerked and reached up, dislodged the spike from his chest with a grunt, collapsed it, and hid it back in his clouded robe.

Kakuzu stepped toward the man still lying dead on the ground and heaved him up over one shoulder. This one's worth quite a bit. The bounty's going to be a good one, he thought. Hidan stood and dusted off his robe. "Was that fast enough for you?"

"No," Kakuzu deadpanned. "If you could just finish them off without making such a display every time, that would be much better."

Hidan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and miss out on all the fun? Sure," he said, the statement dripping with sarcasm. "I wouldn't have to do this if you weren't so fucking greedy. Jashin won't have mercy on you with that mindset."

"I don't care about your God. Money is what makes this world turn," Kakuzu droned.

The bickering proceeded as the pair turned toward the nearest bounty exchange point, as well as toward a pair of eyes staring dead ahead at the scene that had just played out.