Disclaimer: I don't own. xD
Word Count: 2,845 (eegad, amazed I could get even this much..)
Sorry guys! It didn't turn out to be an early update…mostly cause I started school and I've been pretty down once I get home from school, thus the darkness in this chapter I guess.
I was pretty scatter brained/extremely when I wrote this…so I apologize if it's crappy ;-;!
Oh and while I was writing this, I was listening to the song "Loneliness" from the Naruto Shippuden soundtrack. It actually fits the whole theme pretty well, but eh, I can't even think straight so what do I know? Oi.
Anyways, please review? :D
"Understanding does not cure evil, but it is a definite help, inasmuch as one can cope with a comprehensible darkness."
-Carl Jung
Chapter Ten: Denial
Haruka
Well, this cave turned out to be a really shitty idea. Pein and I had simultaneously discovered the trap that we had so easily walked into. The floors were completely smooth, no cracks or crevices, which meant…
"Shit." I huffed as I felt the floor beneath me slide apart with a deafening squeal and before I knew it, I was plummeting to Kami knows where. I flinched when I felt the harsh material of rope wrap tightly around the front of me while I was pushed back into something warm. I recognized that the chakra belonged to Pein, and that they had tied us together back to back. I attempted to contain those stupid feminine squeals as I had no idea how far I was plunging and if I would survive the fall.* I found that the only reason that I wasn't squealing my ass off was the fact that Pein was practically radiating warmth, which surprisingly comforted me.
Heh, this is almost like a sandwich, I thought, snickering at my stupidity. Pein would more than likely fit the role of the cheese. Plain, crotchety cheese. With many piercings. Mmm.
Thanks to my almost nocturnal vision, I could see most of my surroundings. I glanced up to see the floor (or ceiling- whatever-thing) slide back in place, and I could finally see the floor, which was now a few feet below us.
If I didn't just fall through the freakin ceiling then I wouldn't believe that I was even in a cave at all. The room around us looked like an average room. Instead of rock, the walls were white and made from the same material as an average wall. The tiled floors were also a pure white color. A few inches from where we were to land stood four men, all wearing the ANBU Black Ops masks. The symbol on their headbands told me that they're ANBU from the Hidden Mist Village. Behind the ANBU sat a desk with a few files scattered atop of it. I feebly attempted to read the information, but the desk was too distant. There were also a few bookcases and file cabinets present in the room.
I forced chakra into my ass (yes, if I were to crash onto the ground, the bones would probably shatter) and braced for impact, but right before we were to hit the ground, the ropes that were tightly bound around us suddenly squeezed even tighter and I found that we were dangling far enough off the ground so that our feet wouldn't touch the floor.
"This is certainly a pleasant surprise. I expected rogues, but certainly not two of the Akatsuki," The ANBU had who had spoken, his voice a satisfied purr, stepped forward, scrutinizing my face, "Haven't I seen you before?"
Dammit! Would Lady Tsunade want me to disclose what the hell I'm doing with the Akatsuki to the ANBU of the Hidden Mist? It's none of their damn business, plus Pein and I are tied together. It wouldn't end too well if he figures out what I'm doing…
"How the hell am I supposed to know with you hiding behind that damn mask?" I growled, glaring daggers at him.
…Maybe that wasn't the best approach, but hey, I'm an Akatsuki now…right?
Oh hell, I'm starting to believe that, I thought, aghast. Dammit, I'm on a mission. I'm not here to agree with Pein's plans; I'm here to try to stop them, no matter how genius I believe they are. What if peace could be attained through violence though? It does make sense, for maybe everyone could finally understand each other…but that would result in hurting those close to me. He could use the tailed beast weapon against Konoha, hell, if he attained that tailed beast weapon, then that would mean the death of…Naruto. I could never let that happen. Ever.
"That attitude, auburn hair, blue eyes…" The ANBU that had scrutinized me suddenly stepped back, and glanced over to the one standing in the middle, which I assumed is the captain of the squad. "This is...Haruka Akatsuka of the Hidden Leaf, younger sister of Daichi Akatsuka."
My eyes widened to a considerable size at the mentioning of my brother. I stared at the man who had now finished scrutinizing my face. How does he…
"Ah, Haruka, the failure of the Akatsuka family," The captain scoffed, trudging over to lean directly in front of my face, "Honestly, I'm not surprised I found you joined up with the Akatsuki."
"I swear if you don't get the hell away from my face, I'll tear your fucking head off." I snarled, struggling against the ropes, vaguely aware that Pein was still calmly tied against me.
"Now how would your brother feel about that?" The man didn't move an inch, the mask remaining only centimeters away from my face, his voice a conniving jeer. "How would your brother feel if he was aware that his dear little sister joined the ranks of the Akatsuki? He would be disgusted, repulsed!"
"Shut the hell up! You don't know a damn thing!" I shrieked, my feeble attempts at wiggling out of the ropes growing stronger.
"Oh yes I do!" The man chirped smugly. I could just feel the arrogance emanating from behind his mask. "You're angry that your village never recognizes you, that they treat you like you're an abomination because you're the poor little orphan who can't do anything right."
"…You may be right about that," I muttered, my head bowed, "…But there's more to me than my failures. You may look at me and see all of the wrongs that I've done, but I've become stronger from those failures. And you can't stand there and tell me that Shinobi make no mistakes, because the whole ninja world is a mistake. So many pointless wars, so many deaths, but what for? What do we accomplish from fighting? Nothing. Death, death, and more death."
The ANBU before me backed up in surprise, and I twisted my head slightly to see that Pein was almost that of a rock beside of me; tense and bizarre eyes flashing with mixed emotions, but they were gone just as fast as they had shown. The single emotion that I could place in his eyes was sadness, intense sadness, but in that moment, I wasn't sure if I was just imagining it or not.
I felt a fresh desire to knock down all of the walls that he'd surrounded himself in. It was blatant, maybe only to me, I wasn't sure, that horrible events drove him towards such a dark path, that he was never able to move on from the pain that caused his heart to freeze over. Perhaps maybe all he needs is someone to care, someone to understand…
I held Pein's gaze, and my next statement was just for him.
"Pain…that's one thing not everybody can get past. Maybe that's why people veer off into darkness…but hey, I'm just a kid, I'll never know," I laughed darkly, noting that something sparked in Pein's eyes, but I wasn't sure what. I averted my gaze back to the ANBU in front of us. "I may not be the most perfect Shinobi, I may make tons of mistakes, but there's one thing you need to never forget."
"And what might that be?" The ANBU captain scoffed.
"…Never underestimate me." I stated dryly, my glare intensifying.
"You're much like you're brother in more ways than one," the ANBU snorted, his mask returning to its place just centimeters in front of my face again, "But, the one quality that I see the most? Arrogance. You believe that you can change the world, that everyone will one day cease fighting and there will be peace. You are just naive children believing in something as farfetched as peace. That will never become reality."
"It's people like you that disgust me! Thousands of people have lost hope because of the ones like you, the ones who just don't understand the pain of others and only scratch the surface to the root of the problem because you act like you know," I paused, swallowing to try to prevent the rising sobs. "…You act like you know how it feels when you can't even imagine the hurt, the agony, that the one in front of you is truly feeling."
Memories of my brother flashed through my mind as I fought to control the emotions that I've had locked up in my heart for so long.
Sure, people have attempted to understand. They've named off situations that aren't even close to the one I went through, acting like they truly understood the pain I felt. They didn't, and they never will.
"…Now what the hell do you want with us?" I snapped, writhing in the tight bindings.
"Answers. Everything about your monstrous organization." The ANBU captain answered, leaning back and crossing his arms.
Shit, after that display, I'm not telling him a damn thing, I thought bitterly. Besides, Pein's right beside me. Damn, we got to get out of here…but that's impossible to do without killing these ANBU.
"I'm not telling you a damn thing." I huffed, glaring daggers at the man in front of me.
"Oh really? Shall we result to torture?" The ANBU captain sneered.
"Let us go, or I'll be forced to kill you." Pein finally decided to speak and I turned my head to see that his expression was nonchalant, his gaze intense, yet deathly calm.
"I don't believe that's possible in your current situation." The ANBU captain stated dryly, triumph in his voice.
Before my brain could comprehend what just happened, my ass hit the floor and the ANBU captain appeared to have some sort of metal rod piercing right through his chest, Pein standing directly behind him.
"You bastard!" The captain grunted weakly, blood oozing out of his mouth as he coughed, "You were just…allowing…us…to…talk…" With one final cough and the removing of Pein's rod, the ANBU captain slid to the ground, dead.
Pein
Perhaps Haruka actually knows of the pain…perhaps she could understand…
I pulled my chakra rod out of the ANBU captain and glanced at the frightened girl in question, who watched him fall to the ground with wide eyes.
…What am I thinking?
The remaining ANBU present in the room gawked at their captain's body, but quickly recovered and two of them lunged forward. I released one of the rods from my arm, clashing with one ANBU in front of me that had pulled out a kunai while catching the other's fist and chucking him across the room, where he proceeded to smack against the wall.
She's felt true pain…she's been an orphan…she strives for peace in a world that twists that vision into something that seems nearly unachievable…yet she still believes…
"One of you get the girl! Now!" One of the ANBU behind me commanded, and one of them sprung on Haruka, who was now standing with a determined, yet aghast expression.
I believe she directed that statement, 'Pain…that's one thing not everybody can get past', towards me…almost like she could see right through me, all the way back to my days with Yahiko and Konan…
I smashed my chakra rod into the ANBU's kunai, which snapped in half and fell to the ground with a loud clattering noise. I quickly stabbed the ANBU through the chest and glanced at Haruka, who was now fighting off one of the ANBU with the other unconscious on the ground.
…Perhaps…
"You were one of the most loyal Hidden Leaf ninja," I heard the ANBU mutter to Haruka. He had her pinned to the wall with a kunai at her throat. "Why would you waste your talents and join the Akatsuki?"
One of the most loyal? I thought, pausing and staring at dispute before me. One characteristic that I'd noticed about Haruka was, in fact, how she easily attached to anybody or anything.
…Particularly my left arm.
It was also surprising that she could so easily hold my gaze without faltering. Most people are intimidated by my rinnegan, typically the people who aren't insane, but she seems to find it fascinating, oddly enough. For all she knows, I'm just the criminal mastermind behind the Akatsuki seeking only world domination and destruction, when truly, peace is my main priority. With pain comes understanding, and when everyone is forced to endure true pain, this is the only time when people will truly understand one another.
The ANBU began to apply pressure to the kunai at her throat. I activated my rinnegan, repelling the man away from Haruka. Her eyes tripled in size as she watched the ANBU smash into the wall opposite from her, her gaze slowly travelling from the ANBU to me, a questioning look in her eyes. I tore my gaze from hers and glanced at the ANBU that I had smashed into the wall. He was lying limp on the ground, his attempts at standing upright feeble.
"W-What the hell did you do?" The ANBU gasped as I stepped over the dead bodies of his comrades strewn around the room. I stopped in front of the man, my chakra rod ready to pierce his flesh.
"Tell me where the six tails jinchuuriki host is residing." I asked calmly, staring down at the defeated man before me.
"N-Never!" The man gasped, pressing closer to the wall.
"Very well." I answered, ending the man's life by jabbing my chakra rod through his chest. After yanking the chakra rod out of the deceased ANBU, I walked over to the messy desk and glanced down at the files atop of it, digging through the large stacks until I found the one labeled 'Utakata'.
So he murdered his sensei and fled the village…interesting...
I turned to Haruka, who was still staring at the ANBU with a horrified expression. I watched her face take on about a dozen different expressions, finally deciding to remain on a painfully sorrowful frown.
Before I could ponder over how Madara recruited someone who couldn't handle death, my eyes wandered from her face to her side, the fabric of her shirt drenched in her own blood.
"Pein?" She inquired. Her voice was perfectly normal aside from a miniscule twinge of sadness that was barely conspicuous.
"…What."
"Can we get ice cream again?" She offered a small, genuine smile.
"You're bleeding." I stated bluntly, a tiny spark of emotion that I hadn't felt for so long ignited in the pit of my stomach. I attempted to disregard the strong feeling, but that only seemed to worsen the issue. I found myself willing her to answer, to act as she normally does and irritate the hell out of me.
"It's nothin'," she smiled brightly, albeit the glazed expression in her eyes that were filled with pain. No doubt she's lost a good amount of blood. "We should probably get out of here…"
She attempted to stand, but collapsed, scowling at herself. I sighed heavily and trudged over to her, grabbing her wrist and yanking her to her feet. She wobbled weakly, seeming to nearly collapse a second time until she slung her arm around my shoulders, leaning heavily against me. Her warmth was oddly comforting, but I pushed that fact aside as I glared at her and she smiled weakly at me.
"Shit Pein, lighten up. You really should let me call you crotch…" She muttered.
"No." I growled, activating my rinnegan and forcing the ceiling to slide apart yet again.
"How the hell did you do that?" Haruka exclaimed, bobbing slightly, but grimaced as the wound on her side was hit with another burst of pain due to her sudden movement.
I disregarded her inquiry, reluctantly wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her in place, and began ascending through the opening left by the ceiling's absence through my rinnegan.
"Holy shit!" Haruka shouted, her eyes tripling in size as we landed in the cave entrance. "We're dead aren't we? Cause I swear, if you can do that if you're not dead, then you're like a fucking god."
"We're not dead." I muttered absentmindedly, pondering over the fact that the ANBU captain had indeed mentioned that her brother is now deceased. For the first time since we embarked on this journey, I allowed my curiosity to take over me.
"The ANBU captain mentioned that your brother is now deceased. What was the cause of his death?" I inquired. I felt her immediately tense against me after the word 'brother'. I glanced down at her, discovering that she was now looking away and staring at the ground.
"If I tell you about my brother…then will you tell me your real name?" She asked, glancing up at me with bright eyes and a small smile. I fought back the urge to offer a small smirk for the small deal she had just created. I suppose it won't do any harm to inform her of my real name…
…She could save me.
"Deal."
There you have it, my scatter brained fail. ;w;
Please review! It would make me feel so much better, since I started school and all, I would love to come home to see new reviews :) or new reviewers..I need more of those xD But I do love you regular reviewers. YOU MAKE ME BLEED RAINBOWS :D!
If you have any suggestions for any romance or junk you wanna see in the future with Haruka and such, just PM me or something. I'll try to make it happen if it's not too far from the basic plot or ending I've intended for the story~
Reeevviieewww please c:
A HUUGGE thank you to all my reviewers:
Dorkfish Hipsterframe, Lacry91, Vegan Vampy, 0Kuro Tenshi0, Princess thieves of heart,DuckAnimePerson, Frozen Paint, Origanum Vulgare, Sekaiichihatsukoilov3r, any anonymous reader who reviews :), KoriryuVEX, and Cetacea-of-Time!