I'll warn you guys now: There may be italics where italics know they shouldn't be. Don't know why, once again, but they go where they shouldn't like pesky little children in the mall or in a slaughter house. Anyways, most of the beginning is supposed to be italics, just fyi. That's it. And thanks for the reviews guys: They're the only reason I update.

The voice that awoke the slumbering memories of the times spent so sullenly and ignorantly, blatantly received without suspicion or reproach as to when they would end. Why is that the times ahead of us look so sweet, but are snatched away without the slightest remorse by God, destiny, fate, or whatever you deem fit to name it? Why do the forces in the world oppose the happiness of so many so mercilessly? Can we fight against this ever flowing attack of misery and languid death?

Or more importantly, does it matter?

As much as Saya would love to always be as she appears, facetiously unaware to the troubles of the universe, she was actually quite the opposite.

Will those of us set up, falsely accused of unjust crimes be forever banished from the realm of peace, or shall we be acquitted before we are completely lost? Is that sanity so freshly decomposed, rotting and wafting the stench of remorse and regret to forever cling to the dear memories we treasure? Can the past be so painful?

Of course.

The past amities now rigid and austere with the strict understanding of shame and foul deeds that were never really committed. A red herring to pass the blame, and to divert the hate in order to burrow into the unsuspecting, naïve hearts of the masses?

Expected.

The truth never quite as candid as it seems, and enshrouded by secrets and lies. Instead, a plotting villain schemes and construes dynamic accusations powerful enough to belittle even the grandest of creatures. Thus, the fiend has coerced the glories of the worshipped to be swept under the moldy carpet of corruption. The hero left in destitute solitude, cast out by its own people, and unable to protect or warn them of the treachery abound to arise.

So what?

If those damned fools were stupid enough to eat out of the palms of such a being, then to Hell with them all! Let them be condemned to death and destruction, and let them rot in the confines of their own pretentious judgment!

That's what she should think, right?

But she didn't.

Saya didn't think that at all, not even for a moment. The soul-wrenching regret for not doing more constantly ate at her. It-

No. That was enough. It was time to wake up.

Saya awoke to the silent musings of the Uchiha and an empty bed, the room sans Hoshigake. As she sat up and stretched out from her corner, she retrieved another gourd and took a long swig. It wasn't often that her dreams haunted her: this dream had been vivid. The plethora of thoughts crowding her head buzzed noisily, bouncing along the confines of her throbbing skull. The rabble of the memories, screams and curses, seemed to linger in her nebulous mind. Just as soon as she thought she slammed and locked a door to prevent anymore onslaught, another opened, allowing for more to rush upon her. Saya had been fighting an internal battle with the sins of others for a very long time now, and she had always been able to circumvent the final blow to her memories. These battles were harsh and hard to withstand.

And now, Saya was losing.

Soon, she would deteriorate and no longer be a decent human being. Hell, who was she trying to kid? She wasn't decent now. The memories were formidable and she was fortuitous to have won against them for so long without breaking.

But she was reaching her limit, and it was due time for her to fall. But could it not have been at a better time? Seriously, she did not want to fall prey to her mind, lest in front of the eyes of these men. Speaking of which, she eyed the Uchiha as he took a small glance her way as well.

"How are you feeling?" It was a simple question. He had asked it innocently. There was no double meaning, no malice. In fact, it was quite gentlemanly for him to ask it. In lube of that fact, Saya hid her grimace and grinned.

"As fit as a fiddle. I'm ready for anything." She remarked with false arrogance, jabbing a thumb at herself. As she did, a door in her mind creaked open, and a particular memory jabbed behind her eyes. Hiding the pain, she gulped, in a really unfeminine manner, and threw her head back, downing the rest. It had been full.

Itachi watched as Saya attempted to hide her grimaces, but his eyes were sharp. They may not have been as sharp as they used to be, but they were keen enough to catch her jerky movements and false self-confidence.

Her eyes were dull, and wracked with pain.

Itachi would wonder what exactly it was she was so troubled by, but he could personally care less. She was a mission, and that was the only thing she was. As soon as they handed her over to Leader, they would probably see the last of her, and that would be the end of the Chapter on Imatsura Sayuri.

"Uchiha, as much as I appreciate your pitiless stare, I would like to ask you a question." She brought him from his musings as she dragged herself over to the opposite side of the table and watched him, another refilled gourd already in her palm. He waited for her to continue. "Your organization…" She paused, thoughtful. "It…it can hide things, right?" It was an odd question, but she waited for his response.

"Hn." She took that as a confirmation. Nodding, she touched the side of her nose sidetracked.

"I know, at least I like to think I know, what your people are aiming for. I know what you're after, in the very least." Itachi's gaze hardened. She knew she shouldn't be talking anymore, revealing any part of her intelligence to this man. It could very well lead to her demise, if they figured out how much she knew. Which wasn't much, but enough to lose one's pretty little head. Her eyes were closed, her thoughts intensifying.

But…

The chakra signature, and the aura's voice….

"Assuming your leader wants me alive, and to be alive for an extended period of time, I want to know if…. What I'm asking is if Akatsuki can bind a person's aura." Her eyes snapped open, and shined with a foreign flare of life. Itachi regarded her for a moment before standing and walking out of the room. Saya watched as the door closed, bewildered.

What had his panties in a twist?

The migraine long forgotten, Saya was in a convivial mood, and as the three walked along the soggy road, she happily noted the strange weather had dissipated and all that was left was a big blue sky and a bright, warm sun! She swung her arms and hummed a tune, taking the occasional sip from her drink.

Kisame looked back at her, and couldn't decide if he was amused or annoyed with her bright attitude.

"What's got you so happy, onna?" Saya paused in mid-sip and regarded Kisame with a shine in her eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey. I think it's about time we refer to each other by our names, ne?" She trotted in front of the two men, making them stop in their tracks. With a very serious face, she stuck out her hand. "My name is Imatsura Sayuri, but you can call me Saya!" Her face broke out in a grin as she waited for Kisame's response.

"It's been five days now, and you just now decide to do this?" He asked, scowling.

"Hey! At least I'm trying to be nice, yeah? It's better than me being a bad hostage!" She argued.

" And what makes you think you're a good hostage?" Her grin never faltered as Itachi walked past her, ignoring their conversation. "Oi! I thought we were going to introduce ourselves!" She exclaimed. Kisame chuckled at her reaction and followed Itachi.

"You already know our names, don't you?"

"Yeah, but if you guys don't give me your names, then it's like I'm not allowed to use them!" She stopped a moment, a watery look in her eyes. "Don't you want to be friends?" He barked a dry, sarcastic laugh.

"Friends? Onna, you're whacked. What makes you think we want to be your friends?" As she skipped to catch up with him, she swiped her nose, an even brighter shine in her eyes.

"Because one day, when you're in a tight spot, you're gonna need my help, and if we're not friends, why would I help ya?"

"Tch. Do you know who you're talking about, onna?" He scowled again at her, his patience wearing thin. For some reason, the very presence of this woman annoyed him.

"And I thought I said to call me by my name! It's S-A-Y-A!" She snapped at him.

"I'll call you whatever I feel like calling you, O-N-N-A!" An electric current crackled between them.

"Bastard."

"GakI."

"Snaggle-tooth."

"Dumb Drunk."

"Son of a-!" Saya was interrupted by Itachi's quiet but commanding voice.

"Silence is golden." Both she and Kisame watched the retreating back of the Uchiha as he continued walking. She glanced back up at Kisame. She had never had a chance to really inspect the blue man, but now that she was so close, she could see that his skin was actually very pretty. It was an ocean blue, almost like the color of the level of water just below the surface, and it was clear of almost any blemish, surprisingly. Of course, she would never tell him that, unless she wanted her head lopped off.

And curiously enough, his hair was blue as well, but a navy blue rather than the tone of his skin. Sensing her inspecting gaze, he looked back down to her, a scowl still present.

"What are you looking at, gakI?" Smiling slyly as though she knew something he didn't, she began walking and ignored his question. Shrugging, he followed behind her as they neared their destination, where Kisame was sure he would see the last of the strange, annoying woman.

Man was he wrong.

But I'll save that for the next chapter.

Not.

I know this chapter was short, so I'll add a little something-something for your delight.

The sun was setting, the end of yet another day of traveling. Besides the mornings rabbles, there hadn't been any serious source of conflict between neither Kisame nor Saya, but minor tufts had arisen. An argument over the best beach in the Mist, a debate over the quality of Sothern fruit, etc., etc. Nothing of any real importance. So when they settled down for the night, a steady flare from a fire alight and the sun barely visible, Saya decided to pop the question.

"Are we there yet?" Of course, she wasn't anxious to arrive at Akatsuki, after all, she didn't know if she'd live to tell the encounter. However, she was really hoping they didn't go anymore south than they already were. They were just a few miles away from Omashu….

"Once we reach the coast, we will be at our destination." Itachi answered in a soft voice. Instantly, and without meaning to, Saya frowned. If they neared the coast, then they might run the risk of bumping into some of her old accomplices. And it would be bad enough that they would see her period, never mind see her with two S-class criminals. Her frown deepened, but she said nothing. She retrieved her gourd and drank.

"Hoshigake, Uchiha." She called. Both men looked to Saya. "What made you join Akatsuki?" Little did she know how bad a question that was, at least for Itachi. Regardless, she awaited their reply. Looking to his partner, Kisame was about to tell her it was none of her business, but Itachi surprised him by answering.

"To save someone." Cryptic as his answer was, Saya didn't delve into an elaboration, and accepted his answer. She nodded understandingly, and turned to Kisame, awaiting for him to answer as well. He figured what the hell, and grinned at her.

"I love to fight." It was simple, sweet, and to the point, but he added, "It's the only thing I know how to do."

"Why?" She asked. Shrugging, he relaxed into the tree behind him. They had situated themselves amongst a few small trees, all of which were leafy and strung with some kind of berry. The rice patties had long since vanished, leaving only open terrain. It would usually be a bad choice to be so out in the open, but Itachi had cast a small genjutsu in case of intruders, and so they were comfortably rested for the night.

"Why not?" Kisame countered. That struck a chord in Saya. She had always been very passionate about life, and a heat began to fluster inside her breast, spreading throughout the rest of her limbs.

"Because!" She argued, "Killing, while occasionally considered an art form, is senseless. It takes love, devotion, and usually two forms of life to create just one, and even after any life has been sired, it takes a great amount of energy and effort to sustain that life. Whether a plant or a human being, life needs water, nutrients, love. And any simple factor can come along and destroy life! An ignorant man who happens to squash a flower on the way to work, or some creep who gets a kick out of watching children cry before they utter their last scream. It is so much harder to give life than take it." She paused for a breath. Realizing how heated her tone had gotten, she blushed a bit and looked off to the side. This was just like the old days, before all of the lies and deceit. Shrugging it off, she looked back at Kisame, a pointed stare. "So why not preserve life so easily taken, ne?" She quickly decided to cover up her devotion towards her old beliefs, and gave an arrogant smirk at the man. This is what she used to believe in. This is what used to drive her. This is what resolved her to take the lives of so many criminals.

Not anymore, She reminded herself. Not anymore.

Kisame regarded her for a moment. The life which flared up, and the heated tone of her voice surprised him. It was unexpected that a woman such as herself, always hiding from the world and the life in it with liquor, would dictate something like this to anyone. He knew what it took to take a life, and he enjoyed every second of it. But what Saya hadn't grasped was the fact that Kisame didn't go around murdering innocent men, women and children, at least, for the most part. Akatsuki was an organization for hire, of course, but for hire to assassinate someone that had something to do with corruption.

Regardless, she was being a complete hypocrite saying all of this, and he was about to call her out on it until he saw the look on Itachi's face.

"Tch, whatever you say, onna." Saya held back a chuckle. She knew what her little speech made her look like: A complete and utter charlatan. And he was right, she was being hypocritical. But she had her reasons for being the way she was, and she was glad the Uchiha had sent that glare at Hoshigake, keeping him silent.

"I thought I said my name was Saya." She murmured languidly.

The chakra she had sensed the day before seemed to have disappeared. Poof. No trace of it was around, and neither was that weather. The air was humid and hot, characteristic of the south, and the foliage wasn't as dense as the north, but soon they would be upon tropical plants and flowers. Her thoughts began to wander, her drink making it easier to face these thoughts, and ironically she noticed a certain bush to her left, at the foot of a tree. The tree was small, just beginning to truly grow, and the bush was petite. Thin vines ran from its base up along the trunk and to the frail arms of the tree. Only a single flower bloomed from one of the vines, and it was ghostly. The veins could be seen beneath the white petals, and were a pale pink, like the veins of a naked animal. In the middle of the flower was a growth, and took a shape that reminded Saya of a tear drop. She stroked one of the petals. What a nostalgic plant.

"Do you know why they call this flower Rabasabishii?" She asked them softly. Itachi watched her blank face as she touched the petals with such caution that it looked like she was afraid they would rip in her grasp. Kisame grunted. He could care less. He was still a little ticked off that he couldn't shove the woman's words back in her face.

"They are native to my homeland, here in the south. The Lonely Lover. It is called this because it mostly grows on the cliffs on the ocean. The vines root them into the rocks, allowing them to endure the gales from the sea." She dropped her hand back into her lap. "They resemble the woman, pure and strong, enduring her wait for her lover to come home from the ocean." She paused and switched her gaze to the fire. "They are also the last thing a woman will see before falling to her death, tired of waiting for his return."