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Chapter 3

Fallen angels at my feet
Whispered voices at my ear
Death before my eyes
Lying next to me I fear
She beckons me
Shall I give in
Upon my end shall I begin
Forsaking all I've fallen for
I rise to meet the end- Whisper, Evanescence

Ari sat deep in concentration, the sun rising at her back and the sound of waking birds at her ear. Slowly she exhaled and pushed Anna out of her mind, to sit in front of her.

"So, you're ready to face me at last? Why don't we make this easy, if I win I get to be in control and you get forced in the shadows like I was." Anna smiled evilly at Ari.

"And if I win?" Ari asked calmly.

"Ha! IF you win, I will fuse with you and we shall become one again. Fair enough?" Anna laughed at the thought of Ari beating her.

"Deal." Ari said simply and raised her sword to strike Anna, but Anna blocked with her sword.

Anna lounged forward, pressing all her weight on her blade, making Ari strain. Ari held her ground and pushed her back, jumping as Anna tried to trip her with her foot. On and on they fought until Ari was soaking wet with sweat.

"Whats the matter Ari? Cant keep up?" Anna laughed.

"All my life, you were the strong one, the one I leaned on if things got tough. Now I know that it wasn't you at all, it was me. You ARE me!" Ari shouted and pushed Anna back with a sudden burst of strength, knocking Anna to the ground with Ari's blade at her throat.

"I win" Ari growled. Anna looked angry, she had never lost to Ari before.

"Fine." Anna said and then fizzled into Ari, becoming part of her.

Ari dropped to the ground in exhaustion. She grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around herself and drifted off to sleep.

"Leader, I have made contact with Ari, she is still battling her personality, I gave her three days to defeat her." Itachi reported to The Leader in his flickering meditative state.

"Itachi, bring her back here immediately. There is a new problem arising that is challenging our main goal. I will make an address in person to all Akatsuki tomorrow. Make sure she is there." Leader commanded, with a hint of worry in his voice. Itachi bowed and disappeared.

He ran through the trees to Ari's campsite. When he got there he saw her lying on the ground. Her hair was a few shades darker than before and her chakra was so drained she didn't wake up when his chakra flared around her.

"Ari, wake up." He commanded. She stirred a little, opening her eyes.

"Itachi? Please don't tell me ive been lying here for three days." She whispered softly, and began to try and sit up.

"Leader wants us all at the base." He explained. "Have to completed your mission?"

"Yes, we are now one. Although I don't know what that's going to do to my personality." She laughed slightly. Itachi reached a hand down to her and she accepted it. She felt a wave of dizziness come over her as she stood and was still unsteady on her feet. She moved around her camp, packing up her things and placing them in her back pack.

"Okay, I'm ready." She said shakily. Itachi jumped into the nearest tree and led the way back to the base. Ari was able to keep up for a couple miles, but her exhaustion took over around the third mile. Her foot slipped and she fell. She closed her eyes waiting for the impact, but it never came. Itachi had grabbed her before she hit the ground and was jumping from tree to tree towards home. She blushed at the thought of him holding her, but then got mad for thinking she needed to be carried. She tried to raise her voice in protest but Itachi beat her to it.

"You are drained. Rest now and you can defend your honor later." He said, sounding slightly sarcastic. She glared at him before realizing that he was right. She closed her eyes and enjoyed all the work he was doing getting her back to base.

"Is she okay, yeah?" Deidara's voice woke her from a strange dream involving a hippo and a duck. She opened her eyes and yawned.

"Hi Deidara." She smiled. Itachi then dropped her on the grass outside of the base.

"Oww! Whatcha do that for?" she asked angrily, rubbing her sore butt.

"That was for snoring the entire way back." He responded and climbed the stairs to the base. Deidara helped her up and laughed.

"Snoring?"

"Oh shut up blondie." She smacked him lightly on the arm and they headed up the stairs after Itachi.

"So what did I miss?" Ari asked with a smile. Deidara frowned slightly.

"Well, we apparently have a new enemy, although Leader wont tell us whats going on until we are all here, yeah." Deidara said with a pout.

"Oh great, all we need is more people who want to kill us. What is with this dimension? Is every one really that hell bent on mayhem and murder?" she ranted to a now smiling Deidara.

"Down girl." He joked and she couldn't help but crack a smile.

He walked her to her room and told her that he would walk with her to the Leader's room tomorrow. She smiled and wished him a good night.

After a long hot shower and a good fifteen minute teeth brushing, she climbed into her warm bed and drifted off to sleep.

"I have asked you all here because we now face a threat to our goal of collecting all of the demons. There is a new organization, a doomsday cult that is relasing demons from their containers and setting them loose in villages." The Leader's voice was grave as he spoke to his followers. "Three villages have been completely destroyed and the three demons are now loose. I have information that the Kyuubi vessel is next."

Itachi narrowed his eyes and Kisame growled slightly.

"What is the Kyuubi vessel?" Ari whispered to Deidara.

"Naruto Uzumaki, he is Itachi's brother's best friend. He is a shinobi of Leaf." Deidara clarified.

"The Order, that is what they call themselves, are scheduled to attack Leaf in two days. Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, Sasori, and Ari, you five will be going to Leaf to warn them, and try to prevent the extraction. If possible, bring Uzumaki here. We want to rule the world, not see it destroyed. Do you understand your mission?" Leader asked the team.

"Yes Leader." The five chorused.

"Good. Everyone else, get to the villages of the other known vessles and warn them as well. This is not the time for Akatsuki to fight the hidden villages, we must destroy this threat first, am I clear?"

"Yes Leader." The whole assembly responded.

"Dismissed."

They all headed out the door and to their respective rooms to pack for their journeys.

"Well, good thing I didn't unpack." Ari grumbed quietly to Deidara on her way to her room. Deidara chuckled half heartedly. He was nervous, and that made Ari very nervous.

"What exactly is a Kyuubi?" Ari asked.

"A demon, a very ridiculously strong fox demon. He is Itachi and Kisame's demon to capture, yeah. They have had some major problems though, because that kid has a lot of strong friends, yeah." Deidara turned the corner and opened his bedroom door. "I'll come get you when I'm done, yeah." He smiled and she started walking down to her room.

A/N: Okay didn't want to rush the Order's entrance. I will hopefully get another chapter up today! Please read and Review!!!!

p.s- It took FOREVER to upload this. Fanfiction wouldnt let me for the last six hours so I will be getting you another chapter probably tomorrow.