The bloody handprint on the wall glistened sickeningly in the dim light. The little girl stared blankly up at the ceiling, gasping out in pain. Breathe deep even breaths. She felt blood soaked into her clothes. Breathe… She shut her eyes tightly. Just stay awake… Her vision began to blur…
…
Itachi sat on the couch staring absentmindedly at the TV. The more he tried to think, the more confused he felt. Who was Martel? Why was the Akatsuki ordered to kidnap her? He sighed. If Konan didn't even know…
"Itachi-san," Kisame said, walking over. "About that Martel girl…"
"I don't get it." Itachi muttered. He looked up at Kisame. "Who is she? Is she some sort of princess or…a public official…?" He shook his head. "And even if that were the case, why would we need her in the first place? I don't get it. Do you?"
"Um, no," Kisame replied. "I just wanted to tell you she fell asleep on the pancakes and wouldn't wake up."
Itachi looked at him. Then he stood up. "Oh good. Is that why you came to get me?" He muttered. He walked into the kitchen to find Martel asleep at the small cluttered table, with her face against a pancake and a beer. He shook her shoulder. "Hey, are you dead?"
She sat up abruptly. She looked at him, her eyes bleary. Itachi smirked at her. "You have a pancake on your face." He told her. "I thought you 'slept good.'"
She pulled the pancake off her face. "Hey, I'm concussed." She retorted. "Not my fault, weasel-brain."
Itachi sat down next to her. She looked to be about his age. She didn't resemble any famous people he knew about. Maybe he could do some snooping. "So, Martel," he began.
She looked over at him, looking tired. "What do you want?" She growled angrily.
"Well, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" He said.
She blinked. Then she glanced down. Her hand absentmindedly drifted to her head. "Well…I don't really have much to tell you," She said. "I woke up in a field. I think I hit my head at some point."
Itachi stared at her. "So you don't know anything? About yourself, or anything?" He asked.
"Well, no." She said. "I mean, I kind of remember some things if I think about it hard enough." She closed her eyes. "I remember my name is Martel. I remember I ran away from somewhere. It's always the specifics that escape me."
She held out her arm. There was a faint white scar stretching across her wrist. "I tried to kill myself once, but I don't remember why." Itachi stared blankly at the scar. Martel took a swig of beer. "Let's see, I was arrested once… I think I'm 17…"
Itachi reached over and yanked the beer out of her hand. "In that case, you shouldn't be drinking alcohol."
"What the fuck!" She protested. "I was drinking that!" She stood up. "Asshole."
She walked out of the room. Itachi stayed in the seat. After that talk, he was even more confused. They'd kidnapped a 17-year-old amnesiac? Why? Who the hell was she? She stood up and followed her out. "Wait," he called out to Martel.
She glared at him. "Quit stalking me, you freak."
"Alright, first off it's my job to watch you. And anyway, that can't be all you remember, is it?" He asked. "I mean…" He froze. Then he said, "Your head is bleeding."
"Huh?" She asked. She reached up and felt the warm slick blood on her head. "Shit, not again." She muttered unhappily. Then she shrugged. "Oh well, I've had worse." She strode off. "Probably."
Itachi rolled his eyes and walked after her. "But you really don't remember anything at all?"
"Nah," she replied. "My brain is completely empty. I can't remember a thing." She yawned and walked over to a door. "So whose room is this?"
Before Itachi could answer, she was inside. "Oh, this is Kisame's room, right?"
"Yeah, but he really doesn't like it when—" He froze. "Wait, how could you tell?"
She glanced around. "Let's see, he has a fish tank/pool thing instead of most of the floor, his bed is a water bed and—wow, why does he have so many pinups of Kaname Kuran?"
"WHAT THE FUCK?" Kisame screamed, running down the hallway. He ran inside and shoved her out. "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" He yelled and slammed the door.
She stuck her tongue out at him. Itachi just blinked. "Who's Kaname—?"
"NOBODY!" Kisame yelled from inside his room.
Itachi shook his head. "I really don't care, actually." He said. He looked back at Martel. "Anyway, you lost your memories from head trauma?" He asked.
"Jeez, you're, like, obsessing with this," she told him. Then she thought. "Wait, are you just trying to get in my pants?"
"Not if your life depended on it." Itachi answered.
Martel frowned and walked over to another room. She opened it and looked around. "This one I'm gonna have to go with the creepy plant thing that wanted to eat me."
"Zetsu," Itachi told her. "The creepy plant thing that wants to eat you is Zetsu." He stood there, resisting the urge to look over her shoulder. "How could you tell?"
"Let's see…dirt, potted plants, and a tons of gardening magazines under the bed."
Itachi shrugged. "Makes sense if he's part plant, I guess." He answered. He thought for a second. "But I wonder why does he need so many gardening magazines?"
"Don't think too hard about it," she answered.
Itachi just blinked. "Um…eww…?"
She smirked at him. Then she crossed her arms. "Oh, and yeah, it's likely I lost my memories from head trauma." She rubbed the dry blood on her forehead. "Why do you want to know so badly?"
He looked at her. "Just curious." He crossed his arm and closed his eyes. "I heard with head trauma, jogging one's memories with events from the past can—" He opened his eyes, to realize Martel was walking away. "…can… and I'm now talking to myself," he muttered unhappily, walking after her. "By the way, I'm sleeping in my bed tonight."
She stopped and glanced at him. Then she smirked. "Jeez, at least take me out to dinner first."
Itachi stumbled slightly. "Not like that…!" He protested.
She laughed a little bit. "Wow, you really need to get laid," she said. Then she shrugged and kept walking. "I'm sure that Kisame guy wouldn't mind all that much."
"Eww."
She kept walking, rubbing the gash on her forehead.
(Meanwhile)
Kakuzu angrily yanked another knife out of Hidan's back. "Be more careful next time, 'cause next time I'm not helping you out."
Hidan glared at him. "But I found a nunnery! Do you realize how many fucking virgins are in a nunnery? I'd be set for years!"
"You do realize that fuck means 'sex', right?" Kakuzu looked around at the small village, now devoid of life. "So wonder what this was about?"
"Who the fuck cares?" Hidan replied. "We got orders to take out an entire village! It's the funnest order we've had in weeks! Hell of a lot better than babysitting. And no complaining; I saw you taking all those people's wallets."
Kakuzu kept walking. "Still, it just seems kind of out of place," he said. "No major imports or exports, out of the way… this town barely has any contact with the other villages." He thought for a second. "And that Martel kid. What do you make of her?"
"Dunno," Hidan answered, pulling another knife from his leg. "I like her though."
Kakuzu just looked at him. Finally he said, "You are a moron. Let's go."
The both headed off, leaving behind the bloody desolate village.