Kisame and Itachi stood outside by a nearby tree watching as the golden sun washed the land with a faint dusted glow. The breeze blew by mingling warm air with the humid breath of the night air that still clung around them. It was barely eleven and the others had gathered outside for a practice and sparing sessions. Konan was inside. She was inside working diligently on Taki as Itachi had asked of her the other night. It had not gone well but it had not been as bad as it could have. She had agreed to the medical treatments if Pein was informed of the girl's presence by the end of the day. She'd actually been impressed that he'd been able to sneak her in to begin with. He was nervous now, actually nervous this morning to discuss the matter with Pein. He grunted leaning back against a tree crossing his arms over his chest watching as some of the others ran about making a nuisance of themselves. Pein seemed just as annoyed but did not openly express his frustrations as the Uchiha. Kisame glanced sideways at his partner noting the tense set of his arms and shoulders. It wasn't like the Uchiha to grow taunt with worry. He smirked chuckling low to himself. The boy was positively a puzzle. Pein stepped forward about to begin the days exercises meant to challenge the young men around him but was stunned into silence as the door to the base slammed open. Well…maybe Itachi wouldn't have to introduce her now…
Taki slammed the front door open her eyes blazing dangerously red half turning to face Konan. Her hair was down around her shoulders softly swinging with the force of movement in which she made. Her muscles and body were tense, her shoulders set in a line with anger. Itachi could barely imagine what was going through Pein's head at that moment. The others had turned to stare in disbelief seeing the Sharingan that the other girl clearly had. Konan had promised Itachi to keep Taki sedated while working on her but apparently that plan had not worked out so well. Konan froze in the doorway biting her lip her eyes sliding towards Pein's face which was still nothing but impassive. Taki took several calming breaths and her hands unclenched from the fists at her sides as she turned to see all the men staring at her. She allowed her eyes to change back to their onyx state controlling her temper only a slight bit more.
"And just who might you be?" Pein asked before giving Itachi a slight glance.
"She's…" Itachi began but Taki beat him to it.
"I don't know who I am. The name I go by is Taki." She answered with an impassive tone which Kisame thought Pein could appreciate.
"I see." He drawled out shifting the weight on one foot to another crossing his arms over his chest causing his robe to rustle with the wind.
"Fuck." Hiden growled narrowing his eyes at her. "You'd be good to use for an offering." To which a kunai imbedded itself within the tree trunk beside his head. Taki had thrown it with a swift agility that he hadn't had time to react.
"I wouldn't try it." Konan said sighing before smiling gently. "Seeing the anger she just came out here with from my trying to give her a needle full of medicine." Taki and Konan locked eyes for a moment before Taki spoke sighing heavily closing her eyes.
"I've spent a lot of my life being poked and prodded with needles and being used for medical experiments." She opened her eyes when she heard someone walking towards her. Itachi moved closely to her side carefully standing beside her as Konan moved around them to make a switch towards Pein.
"I think the questions should be at a minimum. She still isn't entirely well." Itachi spoke his voice a strange low calm tone as if challenging someone to contradict him.
"If you wish her to stay here I will need answers. However…" Pein eyed both Kisame and Itachi before finishing his sentence with a form of finality, "I will grant these questions in private rather than here and now." Itachi grabbed Taki's arm forcing her inside before glaring down at her evenly.
"What the hell are you doing?" he snapped.
"I woke up to a needle being forced into my arm. Sorry if that means I freaked out a bit!" She hurled the words back at him in a sour tone. She turned to walk away from him which only served to infuriate him more. He grabbed her arm again twirling her slender frame easily pushing her against the wall. He mentally winced realizing exactly how hard he had slammed her back into the wall. He was used to dealing with men not women and he'd forgotten to ease up slightly. Too bad he also forgot this girl was a spitfire. She made a small grunt when her head hit the wall agitated before swiftly stomping her foot over his digging her heel into the center of his where the bones were thinnest. He growled in the back of his throat bringing his face as close to hers as he could without touching her.
"You had better think twice before you speak to me the way you're speaking to me." He warned her.
"You had better get out of my face before I rip those eyes out of your skull." She glared dangerously back up at him. Their eyes were in a deadlock before Itachi realized just how heated she was. Her eyes were dilated more than they should have been, her pale cheeks were flushed warm with fever again, and her breath was coming out in short pants soft against his face.
"Did you even let Konan work on anything for you?" he asked sighing he let go of her arm and reached up to brush stray hairs back from her eyes. She slapped his hand away sinking back against the wall as her eyes slid to the floor. She was stiff and guarded against him now.
"I do not like people with medical abilities." She almost forced out through gritted teeth. "I do not trust them." Well there was always that. He huffed raising an eyebrow looking down at her with question and confusion. For a while he wasn't sure that he was going to get a response as he watched her shift uncomfortably trying to move like she could evade his gaze.
"Why do you hate them so much?" he asked taking his hands off her taking a step back to give her space. His hands slid from her skin causing a feeling of insecurity. She didn't like when he let go of her.
"I hate them because I have lived in cages with people like that hovering around me." She said glancing up at him.
"That's fair enough but you need medical attention. You will go blind and die if you don't let her help you." She snorted crossing her arms over her chest.
"Believe me…Danzo wouldn't let me die if his life depended on it. I'm too valuable of an asset."
Itachi felt floored by that one piece of information. Danzo had been the one keeping hold of this girl? How had she ended up in the Mist if she was working for Danzo and how was she able to say his name? The ANBU ops were not able to talk about Danzo and the Root core had markings to prevent them from sharing any information at all. He looked down at her as a slight panic and worry rose within his chest looking down at her. He grabbed her arm first checking to look for the ANBU mark. Nothing. He sighed taking a breath and against her grunting protests grabbed her jaw forcing her mouth open. Again…nothing. There was no marking on her tongue. If she had had one then that meant…She shoved him off herself angrily the tips of her ears turning a bright shade of red.
"He's already dead. You idiot brother took care of that for me…and my ANBU mark isn't on my shoulder. I wasn't born in Konoha. I'm an operative based in another village to feed information back to Konoha." She glared at him rubbing her jaw.
"Where is it then?" he asked his voice icy. She stiffened for a moment before sighing and her fingers brushed against the hem of her shirt. She flipped up the edge of the right just above her hip. He slowly tried to ignore the burning in the lower part of his stomach as she did this. It was torture. He couldn't stand it. Those delicate fingers only gave him a shred of her skin; a thin pale line of the vast area of her stomach he wanted to unclothe. He saw the dark black tip of the spiral just jutting over the waist of her shorts that Konan had given her. His hand reached forward stilling hers at the wrist. His eyes warily glanced up meeting hers and over her face there was a light blush.
"Get in my room…now" his voice was low and husky.
