~~A few months later~~

As always, she stuck to precision and quickness. 'One senbon should be enough.' The wanted person had no time to realize what happened to him. Death had him, the moment the poisoned senbon hit him. 'Quick and precise', she thought satisfied. She removed the senbon from the corpse, cleaned and put it back into her pockets. Without hesitating, she pulled out a scroll and sealed the corpse in it. Although, she wasn't too weak to carry a corpse, she didn't like the thought of carrying a corpse over her shoulder for the whole day. And after all, she didn't have to provoke being attacked by her rivals. The corpse would be as clear as a sign: 'Please, take my collected bounty!' A few hours later, she happily recognized the energy pattern of the inconspicuous office of the bounty-hunter guild. She had to admit that the office in Amegakure was really well chosen. When she overheard people describing it, the wood façade had an absolute harmless impression on civilians. Above the entrance of the small tea shop stood in a baroque signs "Peace of Heaven". 'What macabre irony, the peace of heaven…' Tiara thought as always when approaching the office. Since she didn't want to stand outside in the never ending rain for a second longer, she opened the slightly creaky door and entered the tea store. Silently, she nodded at the old lady behind the counter and quickly walked through the room. Of course, the lady did know of the secret office. 'She will probably die soon anyway…' The certainty came to her as she felt the exhaustion and the slower getting thoughts of the old lady. Without wasting time, she moved one of the tea pots and immediately the hidden door opened and led her into the corpse office.

Not even half an hour later, she stepped outside, back into the rain. The young woman had given up on protection from the cold moistness. There was no way to stop it from creeping into every bit of clothing. Accepting was the only way to get over it. Although her corpse had been nothing more than a small spy, the exchanger had given her a fair amount and a bonus on top because the corpse had been in a very good shape. Unlike others, who brought their corpses in little bits and pieces to the office. While wondering who would even accept a single arm and exchange it for the bounty, the thoughts and emotions of the people around swept over her, without really touching her though. There and now she picked up some interesting things. Suddenly, she was hit by a giant load of lust to kill. Abruptly, she stopped and looked for the source. The thoughts of the civilians described two masked figures, walking a few meters in front of her. The lust to kill seemed to radiate from the bigger one of the two. She quickly decided that it would be best for her to blend out his bloody thoughts. Although she was blind and her eyes of no use, she was able to perceive her surroundings by the lines of thoughts of the people. It allowed her to create a map and an image before her inner eye. Her attention, however, belonged to the other guy now. No matter how much she concentrated on him… nothing. There was nothing. Only infinite emptiness. While she already knew about the appearance of the big guy with the disgusting thoughts, there was nothing to say about the figure or the look of the other man. And of course even less about his abilities. Except that he had to be very strong, since he was able to completely hide his thoughts and emotions from her. Irritated by her own weakness, she paid closer attention to the big guy, who apparently was called Hidan, and began to extract the more important information from the bloody massacres in his head. He seemed… upset was an understatement but still appropriate. It was followed by a long series of curses. Tiara feared that it would never end. Only now did she notice that the two guys were approaching her. While she had stopped, surprised by the lust to kill, the men had kept walking. In order to not seem suspicious, she pulled out a piece of paper and pretended to be very busy writing something down. Inside, she couldn't stop grinning. 'If only they knew that the paper is nothing but camouflage and that I can't even see it.' As her eyes were dark blue since her birth and had not turned white like the eyes of blind people usually did, most people didn't notice her weakness. And she preferred to keep it that way. The less people knew about it the better.

Suddenly, she and the two men were on the same line. And there it was. A slight pull reached her sixth sense. That had to be the only trace of thoughts or emotions- probably less of the last one- of the second man. She reopened her mind to that guy, Hidan: 'Oh f***, damn sh***, I don't wanna spend one more second with that a**h*** Kakuzu! That money-grubbing, old son of a b**** is dragging me to one of those disgusting corpse offices to bring them one of his m*****f****** corpses! So that he can get his damn money!' She had heard enough. Kakuzu it was then… And apparently, he also was a bounty-hunter. While the two of them strode away, the tingle in her body lost intensity and eventually disappeared completely. At least, she had been able to feel a little bit of his thoughts, although she wasn't able to 'listen' to them. She never read the thoughts of people actively. For her it was normality that she 'heard' them. Because of her blindness it was essential to her. She learned very quickly that she could not always listen to all thoughts and mostly did not want to know everything. Sighing, she put the paper back into her pocket and went on. Her mind focused on the list of bounties which the attendant at the office was so friendly to read out to her. His name was Daichi and unlike with most people, she actually got along well with him. He didn't talk too much and always came to the point right away. Also, he was one of the few people that knew about her blindness. Instead of reading the list out loud, he trusted her to a point where he would go through the list in his mind, leaving it up to her to filter out the important information. Since she was sick of the eternal rain in Amegakure anyway, she chose a bounty in Takigakure. Before departing, she refilled her supplies and closely checked her stack of weapons. The two strange men were quickly forgotten as the anticipation rose. Finally, she could visit her home again. Not wanting to waste any more time, she hit the road with a smile on her face. After all, the love for her family was almost the only feeling she allowed herself. The rest of the world didn't really bother her jack squat.

With the speed of a cheetah, she ran through the forest. Each contact with the ground allowed her senses to construct her surroundings before her inner eye. That was the only way to avoid running right into one tree after another. It had been a long time since she last visited her parents. The relation to her family was… well… let's go with complicated. Back then, she had been more or less kidnapped by an organization, forcing her to leave her home. Her parents were left to believe that she had died in a tragic accident, which was to keep them from searching for her. Eight years had passed since then. Eight long years. It hadn't even taken her a few days to understand that the special unit she had been assigned to was so not her case. Mostly, their missions consisted of assassinations which were non-essential, imprecise and needlessly brutal. She preferred a clean and quick work that wouldn't leave a huge mess behind. However, it took her two years to get rid of their leash on her. The cost had been high but at least they didn't bother her anymore. As she had been riding solo again and master of her own actions, she had then and again paid her family a visit, enjoying their simple worries while doing garden work or while shopping in the city. Sometimes, she used the time to check in on her brother's training. Like her, his hair was dark violet. His eyes, however, were from their dad. 'Such nice pieces of chocolate' she used to call them as a kid. All that was long ago. Before she had completely lost her vision… She decided to visit her parents first. As always, she chose a safe tree close to the clearing and focused with her whole being on her surrounding to have a clear image of what it looked like. She recognized her parents, who were relaxing on the balcony, enjoying the warm sun. While her father seemed to read the newspaper (concluding from his thoughts), her mother devoted her time to art. Tiara couldn't hide a smile when she picked up some of her mother's stray thoughts: 'Oh, I guess my top needed some more paint anyway, aye? I will just leave it for now. Let's see the ocean there needs some more azure and here…' Back then, they had used to paint together quite often. Her attention turned away from her parents and wandered to the third in the family. Somebody seemed to chop wood. 'That has to be Takeo' Tiara thought. She examined his energy pattern, in case he had been injured in any late fights. With an uneasy feeling, she noticed the changes. Not only had he grown up but his chackra flow seemed unregulated and disrupted. She hesitated before listening closer to his thoughts. 'Good, those two don't have a clue about anything at all. If they find out about it, I will have to kill them, too. Well, the last murder actually was an accident. Too bad for the little girl. Out of all things, she had to interrupt me during the bloody part of my work.' Tiara had a hard time believing what she heard. Her usually caring and calm brother had murdered?! And if their parents ever found out about it, he would kill them, too?! What the hell had happened to him? In her dark world, he had always been a spark of light. And now? Now, that she was living in a world of total darkness… Had she taken him down with her? Anxious, she actively searched through his memories. The result left her agitated for a few minutes. It really was her fault. Her fake death had dumped her parents into deep despair. For months, they had not been talking to anybody and even neglected their little son. He, too, would have needed somebody to care for him, explained the situation and comforted him, not leaving him alone like his big sister had. The isolation and the grief scarred and were replaced by hatred and violence. That was the point where he became interesting for the very same organization that had taken her away in the first place, which he of course was not aware of. How could she not have noticed this?! And then, he had begun to murder. At first, it was more or less righteous murders. Child abusers, murderers, thieves. But soon, he didn't care anymore and went on killing innocent people, young women that resembled Tiara in height and figure. Didn't he see that he was only a tool?! Angry, she bit her lip to not yell out her fury. Suddenly her eyes widened. The pictures of his victims came to her mind and raised an alarm bell somewhere. Strained, she went through her memories to look for references. Then, comprehension hit her. Her bounty. He was… her bounty. His murders were identical to the pictures Daichi had shown her. Her bounty… She was hunting her own brother…

While she thought of a way to ensure that it was really him, two more players entered the field. Two tall grown men stepped out of the forest and straight towards her family house. As she concentrated fully on her search for matching data, she did not notice the two upcoming rivals. Only when she felt anxiety rising in Takeo, her senses spread. Confused, she also noticed that Takeo definitely saw two enemies approaching, but she could only feel one of them while the other one was merely a hazy tingle. Suddenly she understood. The lust to kill and the slight tingle were the trigger. Apparently, she was dealing with Kakuzu and Hidan. After the awkward situation in Amegakure, Tiara had done some research. The result: both of them were members of Akatsuki and were known as the 'Zombie-Duo'. Hidan, devoted Jashinist (which explained his lust to kill), was thanks to his religion immortal. Since he just loved to hear himself talk, there was a lot of data about him. Well… not enough about his strange abilities or jutsus but at least something. Kakuzu, on the other hand, was like a blank page of paper. It was said that he seemed to be kind of immortal, too. His abilities, however, were completely unknown. Tiara knew one thing for sure, though. Since Kakuzu was known as one of the most fearsome bounty-hunters, he wouldn't be here accidentally. They seemed to have the same target. Her brother, Takeo. 'That makes the search for matching data irrelevant. He really is my bounty, then…' She thought. She had no pity to spend on him. Not only had he shown a weak mind but he had also murdered innocent girls! She would not help him. No, he was her bounty no matter what obstacle would come in between.

Jumping out of her hiding spot, she took out special senbons, dipped in poison. The men hadn't started to fight yet but, considering their thoughts and the conversation, it could only be by a matter of seconds. Without really thinking about the consequences (after all she would be the absolute minority in a moment), she threw two small smoke-bombs. Not a second later, she let the senbons follow. Contently, she felt their impact on Hidan's and Takeo's body. Unfortunately, she didn't only have to listen to Hidan's curses in her mind but now even through her ears. He really knew how to strain one's patience… Despite her effort, to locate Kakuzu, he was able to hide his thoughts and feelings so well, making him practically invisible for her. Sharpening her senses to the max, she concentrated on her surroundings. There! A draft right behind her! On the right side! No matter how much she tried to predict his next move, he was always a heartbeat ahead. Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet opened and a hand grabbed her right ankle. Trying to free herself, she struggled and fell. Now it was her, cursing out loud. It irritated her that he was able to breach her defense that easily. Instinctively, a kunai had come to her hand and she stabbed the hand. The grip around her ankle untightened for a mere moment. Promptly, she pushed herself up and jumped as far away from the hand as possible. The second, she straightened her legs she already felt the jerk going through her left foot. A yelp escaped her lips as her ankle popped out. All at once, thoughts and memories of somebody else twitched through her body. It had to be Kakuzu's. Her landing was not really elegant. Since she couldn't cushion her fall (it wasn't really a jump anymore), she hit the ground with full impact. Moving was almost impossible now. Painfully, she pulled herself as far away from Kakuzu's energy pattern as possible, hoping to be out of his reach. She pulled out two more senbons and threw them into the direction she suspected Kakuzu. Although she felt at least one of them hitting its target, she also knew that one single senbon would certainly not stop him. Takeo and Hidan had fallen onto their knees. Her senbons were tipped in one of the fastest affecting poisons of the world. Some of Kakuzu's thoughts entered her mind. She didn't understand why she could hear him now, of all things, and not before. 'What is happening here? Who is that girl? And most importantly, what does she want? Dammit, the poison of those senbons affects even me faster than I had expected. Best thing will be to leave, right away and come back at some other time. The boy won't run away. And the girl, in her current state, won't leave here anymore either. What's up with that weird look on her face?' Tiara couldn't help snorting irritated. 'That look on my face?! I don't look at all, ass! Sometimes, it would be a lot easier to have eyes that actually see something…' Due to her former habit, she skillfully rolled her eyes. Immediately, she sensed a very annoyed tingle coming from Kakuzu's direction. Again, she listened more closely. 'Who does she think she is anyway? Messing up my mission. Perhaps, it would be best if I just quickly caught my bounty now, leave Hidan here to play with her and the problem would be solved.' This time, Tiara couldn't stop a sharp remark: "Hey, over there! This is my bounty, alright? Nobody is leaving with my bounty! Best thing would be if you and your friend over there would just fuck off!" Amusement rose in him. "You shouldn't be talking so big, little one. Perhaps you should just go back to your mum and help her with the chores. Oh no, wait, I forgot. You cannot walk anymore." Tiara growled at him. "Don't you dare to involve my parents!" "Takeo? Takeo, what is happening?" Speaking of the devil… Startled, Tiara directed her senses at her mother, who seemed to be looking down from the balcony. "Oh my, what did happen here? I didn't know that you would have visitors today, my dear. You should really talk to me more about those things." She softly reproved him. It hurt Tiara deep down to feel her mother's innocence and naivety. What if she found out about the betrayal of her own son? What if she found out, that her missing daughter was about to kill her own brother? Would that change something about her innocence? No… it wouldn't… Sadness gripped Tiara's heart. How could she have left her mother without any protection? Why couldn't her brother take care of the two? Why had everything, that was about to happen now, to be her fault and hers only? Takeo's thoughts were, against her expectation, totally calm. 'Now, I will have to kill them after all. What a shame… From now on, I will have to cook my own dinners.' Tiara wasn't able to fully realize just how cold-blooded and emotionless her brother really was. Suddenly, she felt a light draft. It was all thanks to her well-trained senses that she was able to react just in time. Ignoring the pain, her body moved automatically between the attacker and her mother. It took the young woman a split second, to understand that the blood splattering around was neither her own nor her mothers. While still trying to sort through the now chaotic thoughts of her enemy, she dodged another attack aimed at herself. 'How is this even possible? Why isn't she dead? Didn't she die in the accident back then? This is impossible!' Takeo! She heard him coughing roughly and more of the warm liquid sprinkled on her face. He knew that he was going to die. Without even an ounce of hesitation, her hand had pushed the kunai all the way through the heart of her sudden attacker.

She heard the sobbing of her mother. "No! Please! Stop it! Takeo, you cannot die!" Tiara was being pushed aside and once again made rough contact with the ground, as her ankle couldn't carry her weight anymore. Her mind was searching for the presence of her father but apparently he had gone down to the basement, looking for something. She heard Takeo's body sinking to the floor and felt her mother caressing him gently. The pain and grief about the death of her beloved son, that her mother felt, was more Tiara could bear. Although she wished to be far, far away, her body didn't move one bit. Not until Kakuzu approached, was she awakened from her rigor. With a blink, he appeared beside her mother. 'Very nice, I won't even have to dirty my hands.' He thought when reaching for the still warm corpse. At lightning speed, she took out a script and sealed the body. With a quiet *puff* the corpse disappeared. She felt the horror of her mother. "No, you cannot do that! Give me back my son! Who are you anyway?! I want him back! You have no right! He didn't harm anybody!" Sobbing interrupted her devastated speech. Quickly, Tiara let the script slide into her bag and turned to jump from the balcony. She hadn't expected Kakuzu to reach for her again. His hand painfully closed around her throat. Jerking her back, he brutally shoved her against the wall of the house. Her mother staggered back a few steps and ran into the house, right into her husband, who had been alarmed by her crying. Tiara had to force herself to concentrate on her own dilemma. "Hand over the script." Kakuzu said with an unmistakable threat. She gasped as he increased the pressure on her vulnerable neck. Again, she only growled. Needless to say, that she neither had the air to actually talk nor the space to move her head. Hoping to steadily return his look, she tried to stare at his eyes, which she could feel staring back at her but not see. 'Interesting eyes… I wonder where she is staring at.' Tiara cursed inside. Apparently, her eyes had that absent look in them. 'Doesn't matter, I want my corpse.' "I don't like to repeat myself, little one. Hand over the corpse and you shall go your way." Involuntarily, her hands wandered to his, clenching over them in the miserable try to free herself. Suddenly, a few thousand memories shot through her, all at once. She didn't even get the opportunity to get a closer look so fast did the pictures, emotions and other impressions pass by. Overwhelmed, by the sheer load she panted for air, in vain. Her hands clenched for a few heartbeats longer before letting go and eventually sliding down to her side. As soon as her hands had released their grip on his, he rapidly pulled back his arm. Incomprehension and confusion marked his mind. His look became more suspicious and she sensed how he strengthened the walls around his mind a little more. All those impressions made her abilities to process go to their limits. Her hands went up to her temples, slightly applying pressure to ease the upcoming headache. Not really effective, as she notice quickly. She sank down to the ground. Due to the fact that her senses were still kind of numb, she first noticed the approaching hand when it had already grabbed her arm and dragged her away. Far away, she heard the lamentation of her mother and her father's comforting words; then the loudly swearing Hidan and now and then a quiet snort from Kakuzu. Neither did she feel that they were moving, nor what was happening around her. The only thing she was aware of was the approaching darkness, which soon would have taken her in completely. Then, she fell.