True Lightning

Chapter 1

This is not what she had intended.

She had only tried her best, with the best of intentions.

She found herself wandering the empty streets of her home. Stone walls loomed over her, though their height only brought her comfort, a warm sensation of security like a mother's embrace. She traced her hand along the smooth rock only to find cracks spreading along the familiar buildings. Cracks she had never noticed before.

'Where did things go wrong?' She lamented, not truly accepting the severity of the situation.

'This corruption has been here longer than you,' the answer was tucked neatly behind her attachment to the village.

Attachment? Or obligation? They are much the same.

'No, of course not, they are not synonymous,' she thought distractedly, batting away at the arguing voices in her head. Besides, Kirigakure is her home, it's natural to want to serve the people of your village.

"But the people of the village don't want you here." Maiko spun around attempting to pinpoint the voice to no avail. The words bounced between the cold, stone walls, echoing all around her. She felt herself being pushed towards the wall.

"Why would we want a foreigner like you as our 'protector'?"

"And she wanted to be Mizukage."

"It's not like she's truly a part of this village."

"How did you expect the protege of that monster to turn out? Should've died with him if you ask me."

Maiko cried out as cold hands began to press her into the wall. The street was loud, too loud. The voices had risen, shouting now, the echoes only increasing the pressure.

They screamed, and she screamed back.

Their screams echoed for generations.

Her screams died away.

A pained hiss escaped Maiko's lips as fresh wounds met water. Her face contorted as she gently lowered herself into the mildly scalding bath house water, her rigid form relaxing as the pain subsided. A sigh escaped her cracked lips as the soothing water began to remove the dirt and blood that stained her pale skin. She gave a few violent tugs on the hair tie that held her knotted, filthy ebony strands in a ponytail before the tie snapped. Slipping beneath the water's surface, she ran her fingers through her hair to remove the grease and blood that it held.

She examined a rather painful wound that decorated her abdomen. Now that the water had cleared away the dried blood she could see that is would definitely need stitches. She gave a frustrated groan, annoyed at her foolish lack of medical skills.

She thought of last night's dream, recalling the nightmarish scene left her with a strong feeling of anxiety, or maybe misery, but her mind couldn't leave it behind. She had briefly entertained the idea that it could mean something, but she was amused by her own mild acceptance of such superstitious nonsense.

After several more minutes of lounging in the water, Maiko arose, her skin red from the hot water. She quickly dried off before wrapping herself in a plush, white robe.

"Hope they don't mind pink robes," she mused, grimacing at the dark stains that were already spreading across the torso of the gown. She dumped her clothes in the laundry for the maid before retreating to her room.

Perched upon the edge of the bed, needle in hand, she began the tedious job of stitching. A large kunai cut stretched horizontally across her torso, not deep enough to be fatal, but blood loss was a risk Maiko wasn't willing to take. Wincing, she held the cut together before inserting the needle and tugging the thread through to the other side. She tied the thread into a knot, then began the process again.

Maiko tied the final 12th stitch, her fingers and stomach covered in fresh blood. She stared dazily down at her handiwork, her vision caving in around her. Closing her eyes, she laid back before she gave in to unconsciousness.

Maiko awoke to the sound of an opening door and a terrified feminine gasp. The blinding afternoon light began to subside, and she recognized her surroundings as a hotel room. Rubbing her eyes she looked up to see a young maid rapidly drop her neatly folded clothes on the table beside the wardrobe before giving a curious glance, a slight squeal and running out of the room. Lifting an eyebrow, Maiko looked down to see that her midsection was surrounded by dark blood. Understandably a horrifying sight for a civilian.

With a pained groan, Maiko heaved herself off the sticky surface of the bed and limped over to her medical pack on the table. She shuffled the items around before pulling out a roll of bandage. Holding the end of the cloth to the side of her torso, she began to wind the bandage around her stomach, covering the wound. The bleeding had ceased shortly after she stitched the cut, but would need at least a few days to heal, not to mention her chakra depletion.

After wiping her slightly bloodied hands on the already stained robe, she picked up the newly cleaned clothes the maid left. Maiko examined the stain-free jounin outfit, a look of grief washing over her features as she studied the articles of clothing. She cautiously dressed herself, careful not to put too much strain on the weak stitches.

'If only I was a medical nin,' she thought regretfully, shuddering as she reached outwards to pull her vest over her shoulders.

She turned to pack her medical bag before a glint of light caught her eye. Staring back down at the table her eyes fell upon the reflective surface; the metal plate of her Kirigakure forehead protector. An uncomfortable feeling settled in her stomach as she placed the hitai-ate on her hand before reaching into her thigh pouch and pulling out a kunai.

Loyalty had always meant a lot to Maiko, loyalty to the village in particular. Despite their spiteful attitudes, she had wanted to repay the people of Kirigakure, she owed them that much. They were good people, easily influenced but they had good-intentions. It was impossible to blame them for the political warfare that ultimately led her here. And that fact alone made her defection difficult.

Maiko held the blade at the edge of the symbol carved into the metal plate. 'You are a rogue ninja now after all, these theatrics are customary.' The blade pierced the hitai-ate, and her arm tensed as she prepared to strike the symbol. Maiko paused before replacing her kunai into her pouch. 'It would be wasteful to blunt a kunai,' she convinced herself hastily, as she stared at the slight indent in the metal. 'Besides, my forehead protector can serve as a memento of sorts, a reminder of my debt to Kirigakure. And despite this...inconvenience, I cannot let that debt go unpaid.'

"You know everyone else is finding creative ways to tie their hitai-ate.." Saizo urged with a quick glance around the classroom filled with freshly graduated genin.

"So?" Maiko replied, rolling her eyes as she continued to knot the material behind her head.

"Maybe we should do the same."

"Why? It's more practical this way, it keeps my bangs away from my face. Besides, it's not a forehead protector if it's not on my forehead."

"Yeah, I guess…" Saizo sighed, but tied his hitai-ate around his neck nevertheless.

It wasn't that she didn't want to make friends, it was simply that she couldn't see why where you tied your hitai-ate was so important. It seemed shallow and superficial to make such a deal about it.

"Wow, how creative Maiko-Chan," teased a sarcastic feminine voice. Maiko glared up at the young kunoichi towering above her desk. "You must be the only one wearing it like that"

"Who cares," she sighed, attempting to stay as nonchalant about the situation as possible. But Maiko had never been blessed with virtue of patience or tolerance, and annoyance was visible in her eyes.

"Hmph, whatever Maiko-Hime," the girl replied, tossing head around dramatically as she turned to walk away, causing her hitai-ate which had been tied around the base of her ponytail to be flung out of her hair and onto the floor. Maiko let out an amused chuckle as the girl scrambled to pick up the forehead protector.

None of the other students laughed. Maiko's chuckles quickly diminished as she briefly looked around to observe the hateful stares that weighed down upon her. It wasn't a new experience, she was two years younger than the others in the graduating class yet she still excelled, earning herself the title of 'Rookie of the year'.

Ignoring the whispers she held her head high, staring boredly towards the front of the classroom. The students soon returned to their usual chatter and Maiko let out a tiny breath of relief as the attention was drawn away from her.

Perhaps it was the age gap, maybe her proficiency, or most probably her lack of social skills, but from the moment she moved into the class she was met with constant loathing. And underneath her facade of bored glares, hid an envious little girl. Her classmates would leave at the end of the day to play with their friends and go home to meals cooked by loving mothers, and Maiko would return from long hours of training to an empty house.

A gentle nudge stole her attention and she turned to face a grinning Saito. She took solace in his comforting smile and remembered she was not completely alone.

"Who is she? hm," A voice called. Rinnegan eyes turned towards the source of the voice. A blond strolled casually into the dark alcove. A violently flickering flame threw warm light from a fire pit in the middle of the niche, briefly illuminating the cave walls with strange, random patterns.

"A defector from the Village Hidden in the Mist. She will be our next recruit."

"And only Sasori and I are going to retrieve her? It took three people to get me to join, hm."

"And only one of them to subdue you," a new voice mocked boredly. The blond lowered his head in frustration at the new comer's comment, opening his mouth comically to retort. The leader raised his hand, effectively silencing the blond.

"You two will bring her to the Akatsuki base on the border of the Land of Fire and Amegakure. I will meet you there to complete the orientation. Zetsu has some useful information that should aid in her compliance."

"And her location?" the third voice inquired from the shadows.

"Zetsu has tracked her to a small, coastal village just across the border of the Land of Water. She was injured during her escape and has taken refuge in a hotel. You will begin your mission as soon as possible. She will be much easier to deal with whilst incapacitated," the leader replied facing the wooden figure.

"Hai," the puppet and blond pair answered giving slight nods.

The two cloaked figures walked side by side along a well trodden road through the Land of Fire towards the border of the Land of Water.

The two walked in silence, a certain anticipation radiating as they approached a small fishing village close to the coast.

"What do you think she's like Sasori-danna?" The taller of the two asked, a smirk firmly placed on his face.

"Abrasive most likely, Deidara. Mist ninja are people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use" a hoarse voice replied. Deidara nodded, slightly confused, thinking for a moment before letting his curiosity get the better of him.

"What did Zetsu say?" He waited for a reply patiently. Several moments passed and he twitched in annoyance as he still received no reply. "Danna?"

The puppet growled in frustration and began violently waving the scroll he had been holding out to blond. A look of embarrassed realisation briefly washed over Deidara's face before he reached to take the scroll. He scanned the lengthy document with glazed eyes, almost amused by the amount of information Zetsu had recovered. "What kind of S-rank shinobi lets this much information out? Hm."

"Read the final paragraph."

Deidara raised an eyebrow at his partner as he opened the scroll further. He let out a low whistle as he examined the last and longest paragraph. "That explains why there's so much information then, hm." He closed the scroll and passed it back to his partner absently, his thoughts occupied by the report.

"It seems that Pein had planned this a long time ago," Sasori concluded.

They proceeded towards a weather-worn arch, coastal winds had eroded the wood to near breaking point. The main street was lined with market stalls surrounded by groups of shopping civilians. As evening approached the crowds disbanded, allowing the pair of travellers to make their way through the streets with ease.

"Room 14? hm," Deidara casually asked with a gentle smirk.

"Umm...I'm really not supposed to hand out keys…" the receptionist giggled, reaching for the box of spare keys nevertheless. Bashfully she kept her eyes firmly planted on the key between her fingers as she reached towards his outstretched hand, a blush creeping up her slim cheeks. Moments later, a gasp escaped her painted lips as she dropped the key onto the mouth on Deidara's palm. The young employee quickly returned to a normal seated position, eyes lowered, as she began rapidly reciting directions and rules.

"Thanks, hm," Deidara muttered, with a slight look of annoyance due to the girl's haste to retreat. Deidara began his walk down the hallway followed closely by Sasori.

The receptionist glanced up from her bench to see the blond man leave, a strange dragging noise following him. Peering over the desk, she saw a short figure follow him down the hall; a metal tail sticking out from the hem of the creature's cloak.

"Maybe I'm not cut out for being a receptionist" she whispered as she returned to her seat, her hand held over her chest to calm her rapidly beating heart.

Lifting the hem of her shirt, Maiko stared down at the slowly healing wound that decorated the pale skin of her torso. Her lack of medical nin abilities had left the the cut in a terrible state, surrounded by a painfully purple bruise that had spread around her stomach. She needed a medic, but finding a chakra user so close to Hidden Mist territory was a dangerous game.

She had indulged for far too long. Reminiscing was not a useful way to spend valuable time. Remaining in the same place for such a long time was surrounded by countless risks.

'Where to go? What to do?' Maiko thought grimly. Her defection had been rushed, badly thought through. Not that she had many options at the time.

'Become a mercenary nin?' She needed money and it seemed a logical path to take. 'If only I knew how to do that,' she thought as she began to flick through her knowledge of mercenaries. Kirigakure had a long history of supplying missing ninja and until recently, Maiko had often led teams to track down rogue nins.

She was aware of organisations dedicated to hiring S-rank ninja, but gaining entry into such an organisation would be near impossible without a spy network to locate them. If she still intended to protect Kiri, perhaps working on her own was best.

"She's a threat Mei. You are aware of how close she was to Yagura are you not? And we both know what happened to him. She is probably being controlled as well!"

"That's enough Denka, she was just following orders."

"Ha! so was Yagura. He single-handedly started the 'Reign of Ferity', anyone else under their control could do the same."

Maiko held her breath. From behind the wall of the Mizukage's office she could hear every word.

"She was just as terrified by Yagura's rule as any other member of the village."

"Believe what you wish Mei, but Maiko isn't that innocent. Besides she's not even truly a member of this village is she! Think of her origins Mei, perhaps she isn't under their control, but she could be quite easily under his."

"Maiko only has the best in mind for the village, she has long since proved her worth, Denka."

Silence followed and Maiko realised that the conversation was coming to an end. Swiftly, she stepped away from the door and silently moved down the hall. 'His? My origins?' She thought, confusion only trumped by the underlying threat of imprisonment. It was no secret that the people of the village didn't trust her, and she had one person to blame for that.

Moments later the door opened and out stepped a tall golden haired woman.

"Maiko!" she called after the kunoichi's retreating figure. Maiko quietly sighed before turning to face the woman.

"Denka," she acknowledged bitterly, bowing her head slightly to the Mizukage's advisor.

"How long have you been here?" Denka asked, taking a quick glance back at the door to the office."...I would hate to think that you've been waiting."

"Not long," Maiko lied, a bored facade hiding her distress with ease.

It had been impossible for her to stay in the Mist village, she was being targeted. The orders that she had carried out during the 'Reign of Ferity' had made the people uneasy. All it took was a rumour here and there and that uneasiness became loathing. She was a 'monster' that Denka could vanquish.

"Self-pity will not help me," Maiko reprimanded, irritated by her own unproductive state. She had her purpose, and what mattered now was her plan. "This whole incident is just a...slight...complication. I will recover-" Maiko froze suddenly. Footsteps had stopped outside her door followed by the faint rattling of a key in a lock. She frowned at the door, 'do the maids not understand what knocking is?' Her scowl deepened as the rattling became more violent.

"Argh, this stupid lock! hm," yelled a frustrated voice.

"What are you doing you brat, hurry up and open the door." Maiko cautiously reached into her pouch for a kunai, suspiciously eyeing the door. 'These people aren't maids.'

"Oh! I'll open the door...Katsu!" A momentary silence hung in the air before a white flash illuminated the room, accompanied by a deafening bang.

Maiko brought her arms in front of her face as shards of the door showered around her.

"There, who needs keys when you have art, hm," the bomber exclaimed smugly as he peered through the space which previously harboured a door.

Maiko glared in shocked distaste, 'what kind of imbecile-'

"Yes, Deidara, very impressive defeating a door," the shorter of the two sarcastically slurred as he walked passed the irritated blonde and into the smoke-filled hotel room. Shards of wood were scattered across the floorboards and furniture and the room had filled with the smoky result of explosives.

Maiko stared at the short, obviously weaponised, puppet that had entered her room and it's companion. They were clearly not Hidden Mist ANBU, but their attire suggested that they belonged to some sort of organisation. Both were adorned with conical straw hats with tassels that hung in front of their faces, and wore long, dark cloaks, decorated with red clouds. Aside from the identical wardrobe, the pair shared no physical traits. One was of average human build with long blond hair that showed from beneath the tassels before disappearing beneath the collar of the cloak. The other was incredibly short and quite wide. A majority of his face was hidden behind the adornments of the hat, but ugly, sculpted features could be distinguished from beneath the material.

"What do you think you're doing?" She inquired, enunciating each word slowly. Her eyes narrowed as the explosive partner casually strolled into the room to join the puppet.

"We have come to discuss your employment" the puppet replied, his voice was gravelly but professional.

"I was talking about my door," Maiko retorted, rolling her eyes.

"OH MY GOD!" a screaming feminine voice echoed from the lobby.

Maiko breathing quickened, she narrowed her eyes and began to formulate an escape. 'Two minutes maximum, the window, the forest...But these two...' she turned to look at the pair before her.

"Ugh, village shinobi incoming," the blond groaned.

"What is this? You are the one's that brought this attention here," Maiko responded, glaring at him in disbelief. The shinobi frowned at her hostility.

Maiko's tough facade began to fade as more voices gathered in the lobby, and she quickly went about gathering her belongings. Maiko had hoped to remain in the shadows at least until her wounds had healed, she was in no state for round two with the Kirigakure Black-ops.

"The situation is not ideal, but it seems my partner's reckless decisions -"

"Hey! It's not my fault the door failed at it's job, un!" the blond defended with a smirk, clearly satisfied at the result of his explosives.

"- has alerted surrounding nin, a mutual problem of the three of us," the puppet continued with a frustrated sigh as he watched the her pace around the room.

'A mutual problem? Employment?' Maiko ran the words again in her head as she turned to face them. They clearly meant business; a weaponised puppet and a rash, explosive shinobi. Slowly she raised her head to examine the shinobi. He was tall, with long blond hair and a single visible eye, vibrant blue. The glinting strip of metal on his forehead caught her gaze; the typical symbol that represented Iwagakure scarred with a single, rough horizontal line carved across the metallic surface. A single, horizontal line. 'So they are rogue shinobi…part of an organisation no less,' she thought with a small smile as a plan started to form. These two were the perfect opportunity.

Maiko may not have actually committed treason, but this pair must know how to survive if you have. Despite her loyalties, Maiko knew that she couldn't achieve anything if she was dead at the hands of the people she is trying to protect. 'And besides, talking is all I really need from these two right now anyway.'

"We continue this conversation in the forest," Maiko finally declared, turning to the puppet who met her gaze with a slow nod, suspicious of her new found interest.

"Please calm down, miss. Please tell us what happened." Voices and footsteps began to fill the hallway. Not a word passed between the three as they silently began to move. Maiko quickly dashed to the table; latching her kunai pouch over her thigh and swinging her katana over shoulder into the holster on her back, before leaping through the now open window. With a gentle push, she closed the window before running to join the two nin who were already making for the village gates.

The room was empty, the bloodstained sheets were the only sign that the room had been occupied. With a sigh, he turned to face the obliterated doorway. The detonation had caused the door to shatter whilst also destroying the surrounding wall.

There had been rumours of her presence here, but Maiko had never been fond of explosives; much too destructive and irrational for common use.

"Saito sir!" a familiar voice called as a young kiri-kunoichi cautiously stepped through the deteriorating gap in the wall.

"Akira, did the receptionist have any information?"

"Yes, I was given a full description of the girl occupying this room. She gave an account of a teenage kunoichi with black hair in a Hidden Mist jounin uniform with a particularly...er...impatient personality," Akira reported, glancing around the room quickly to evaluate the situation herself.

"Anything else?"

"Er, yes. She also described two particularly strange characters that had entered minutes before the explosion. Black cloaks, with red clouds," she answered obliviously.

"Interesting," he replied, as he turned his attention to window on the opposing wall. "It seems Kiri-nin are no longer the only group hunting Maiko."

They had barely passed the village walls when Maiko caught up to the pair, the heavy, wooden body of the puppet slowing the duo. Together they ran in silence towards the upcoming forest of the Land of Fire. Their pace was hardly respectable, resulting in Maiko's unshakable anxiety.

"Do you have a top speed higher than that of a snail?" She snarked with annoyance, accompanied by another anxious glance over her shoulder. A low growl emitted from the wooden creature as laughter erupted from his companion.

"We hardly have to worry about mere village shinobi," the puppet explained coldly. Trees began to surround the trio as they ventured further into the woodland. After moving through the forest for several more minutes, the puppet came to a sudden halt, the other two shinobi following suit shortly after. The Akatsuki pair turned to face the young rogue kunoichi.

"I guess you deserve some answers, un."

Published: 9/16

Revised: 1/17

MissLightningStrike