[A/N: Sorry about the late update ya'll, been busy but hope that ya'll enjoy it and review ^^ ]
Kisame carried the load of Samehada, Lady Shimizu, and her own large sword as they jumped through the trees to find a good place to camp for the night. Finally finding a patch of dry land the Akatsuki members landed and Kisame set down the load on the ground. He took a small kunai and sliced the skin around the arrow that was embedded in her neck, pulling it out. He snapped the ammunition in two and set it aside to check for any real signs of life. He felt a faint heartbeat from her chest, though her breathing was shallow. He took his index finger and slid it inside of the gills on her cheeks, clearing out bits of algae and junk, finally getting movement from the sharklady as she snorted through her nose and turned her head, opening her eyes. She immediately rolled over on her chest and began to cough up water from her nose and throat, the liquid splashing out through all the facial openings. "What did I miss?" she groggily asked as she rested her forehead on one of her wrists, the other touching the throbbing wound on her neck.
"The arrow had a sealing curse attached to it, it kept you unconscious as long as it was in you." Kisame answered as he patted her bare back, removing his Akatsuki cloak to offer it to the soaked woman as protection from the cold as she continued to cough up water. "For once my bloodline has proved useful. Did the kid and his brother make it out?" She took the cloak around her shoulders, pushing herself up to sit on her knees. "We weren't aware of anyone else involved, though we failed to finish off that sand nin that was pestering you. But onto more important things, what will you do now that the brothel is no more?" He asked as he sat beside her, Orochimaru begrudgingly building a fire in the small clearing for the night. "The girls can find refuge in the beds of Kirigakure and other small local towns. Unfortunately the bounty on my head would prevent a similar fate for me. I suppose this means that our little protection arrangement is no longer valid, though do send my apologies to Pein for the inconvenience." She held the handle of her sword in her hand, her thumb massaging the hilt as it seemed to be her only friend in the world that had stuck by her side through thick and thin.
"I'm sorry to say that it isn't that simple. Pein has requested that you meet with him in Amegakure, it was the only reason we turned back to retrieve you, whether by free will or force."
X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X
Itachi continued to run far after his lungs burned and his legs ached. The thick mist might have made it a touch harder to navigate through the forest but it made up for it by concealing the brothers as they made their escape from the chaos. Finally the elder Uchiha found an area that was quiet and held no trace of human life. He spotted a thick, sturdy tree and landed within it, setting Sasuke down safely amongst the tall branches. He lightly tapped his ototo's cheek, trying to stir him from his sleep. Innocent, black orbs revealed themselves through tired eyelids and looked up at the former ANBU officer. "N-niisama?" Sasuke muttered, groaning and rubbing his eyes with his small closed fists.
"Sasuke, you had me so very worried. How are you feeling ototo?" he brushed some sweaty, clumped up hair out of the child's face, his thumbs rubbing the slightly chubby cheek to swipe some dirt away as well. "Aniki, I'm hungry" he whined as he looked up to his otosan, just now beginning to look around and realize that they weren't at home, that this wasn't all just a weird nightmare. "I know little brother, I know. I promise I'll find you something okay? But how about anything else? Do you feel sick or anything unusual?" Itachi asked as he held his little brother's face in his hands while his eyes manipulated his brother's eyelids to look at his eyes for signs of illness. Becoming irritated as he was being probed while he was still sleepy Sasuke tried to swat his brother's hands away from his face, letting out a small yawn.
"Let me look Sasuke, cooperate with me and I'll try and find you something to eat" he begged as he grabbed Sasuke's hands with his larger left hand and continued to inspect his vitals with his right. Satisfied that the younger Uchiha was seemingly healthy, for now, Itachi plucked him up from his spot on the tree and put him on his back, ordering him to hold on while he began jumping through the treetops in search of food on the valley floor.
The goddess of luck smiled upon the brothers as Itachi found, killed, and successfully roasted a wild boar, supplying the two with a hearty feast. The elder Uchiha sat on the forest floor with Sasuke sitting between his legs, leaning back against him as his small mouth took massive bites out of a roasted boar leg as his older brother kept watch. Finally after his appetite was satiated Sasuke leaned his head back to look up at his brother and asked the question that Itachi had been secretly dreading. "Nii-sama, where's momma and father?"
Itachi remained silent for a moment, unsure of how to word this as to not upset his little brother. His larger hands enclosed Sasuke's and held him a little tighter as his tongue became numb at the thought of revealing their fate. "I'm sorry Sasuke, but it's just you and me now. Mother and father are no longer able to help you grow up, but I promise ototo, I'll do my best to see that their work with you is finished." The large black orbs that were the boy's eyes looked up at him questioningly before looking back down at their hands, his young mind trying to process the information. "Okay aniki, I promise to do good too." A huge weight lifted off of Itachi's shoulders as Sasuke hadn't gone into hysterics, maybe in a few years he would realize what the true meaning of his words were. The little Uchiha turned over onto his side in his brother's lap and nestled his head against the fabric of Itachi's shorts.
The fire reflected in his eyes, softly crackling and licking the wind as the wood slowly turned to white ash and the full moon shone in the ebony sky above the mist.
X.x.x..x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X
Kisame and Orochimaru steadily walked through the beaten paths through the thick of the forest, between them was Lady Shimizu with her arms bound behind her in shackles that connected to chains behind held by each of the robed men and her sword resting on Kisame's shoulder. A clean piece of linen was wrapped around her neck along with some herbs to treat the arrow wound, but the Akatsuki stayed true to their reputation of being impatient and cruel and made her walk bare through the forest behind them. "I vote that the next town we come across we find some clothes, a fresh linen for my wounds, and some decent ale for the trip ahead" the sharklady stated rather cheerfully, despite her current condition. "You're a captive, you don't get a vote you oversized fishstick." Orochimaru sneered without missing a beat. "And besides, I can't say that we don't like the view." Kisame joked as he tugged one of the chains holding her in bondage, jerking her forward.
It was only a few hours of walking before darkness fell upon the land and a small trading village came into their sights. Soon the stench of livestock and booze became evident as they entered, looking for the shadiest inn to find shelter for the night and some reagents for their captive as Pein wouldn't appreciate damaged goods. High above any of the buildings standing tall in the center of the village was a tower covered in holy carvings and the symbol of the goddess perched atop the stone structure. Lady Shimizu hung her head as realized that this was a town protected by the disciples of the goddess and that if she was spotted by anyone that recognized her, she could be punished severely for the lifestyle she had lived since abandoning the order years ago.
The trio received many stares and whispers as villagers and traders enjoying the nightlife stopped to look at the odd group. They made their way through the bazaar and finally into the courtyard where the inns were located as well as temple. Before they even made it halfway across the cobblestones, a group of seven women came out of the temple and walked down the front steps towards them. They wore red, black, or white robes that had the markings of the goddess on the arms, edges, and back. Orochimaru and Kisame stopped as the group approached. The leader wore a headdress that marked her as the head priestess of this chapter, she held folded white cloth over her arm and had eyes that couldn't be unnerved. Undaunted by the armed men the priestess walked right between them and straight up to Shimizu who was unable to look her former teacher in the face. "My daughter, it is unfortunate that we have been reunited under these circumstances and in this company." Her pale fingers touched Shimizu's large arms and the metal shackles fell right off as if not even fastened in the first place. Orochimaru raised his hand to attack but his companion was quick to signal him to stop, dropping the chain to the ground.
The head priestess muttered a few lines in an ancient tongue as she removed the white cloth from her arm and unfolded it, revealing it to be a robe worn by the higher ranking healers of the order. She wrapped it around Shimizu's shoulders, pulling the lofty hood over her head and touching her fingers to her gilled cheek. "You never strayed my daughter, the goddess has plans for you. You must complete your task at all costs, but please do be safe, for me" she whispered into her ear quietly as she fingertips brushed across the wound of her neck, restoring it completely. The high priestess backed away from her former star pupil and walked back to the group of disciples that hadn't moved an inch from the path of the Akatsuki crones. "You'll find shelter here for the night, but we ask that you leave by dawn tomorrow morning,." She addressed the two men before she and her group turned and left, the whispers of the village people stirring back up as soon as she was out of earshot.
"What the hell was that all about?" Orochimaru barked as he held the loose chains, eyes on the sharklady who seemed to be in a state of shock as her hand touched her freshly healed neck. "Some old friends. I suggest we accept their generous offer, we should be well rested for the trip to your headquarters." Lady Shimizu commented as she looked at the two, not showing any resistance to their plans for her. She looked up at the full moon through the thick mist, wondering what was this 'task' the goddess had for her.