Okay. I saw all the questions you guys had, and really, I'm very sorry for making it all so confusing. I was hoping you guys would catch my time reference in chapter 8, when I mentioned the Kyuubi attacking Konoha. I guess I'll just come out and tell ya: The time that this story is taking place is when Itachi first joined Akatsuki. I'm taking a bit of a creative license here, messing a bit with time and plot.

If you also noticed, just to clear up the confusion, the King of Hell summon is what Akatsuki uses to extract Bijuu from their hosts. Basically, Pain wanted Saya's knowledge on the technique in order to retrieve the Bijju more successfully, and since he controls life and death, once Saya construes the jutsu, he will be able to utilize it to the fullest. So yeah, Sho is my OC, the man that was Sasori's partner before Deidara or anyone before him (I can't remember if there was).

Oh, and to that special reader who's been there since the beginning: No. Saya is not going to destroy Akatsuki. That's not what she's after. You'll see later what it is she is planning, but not quite yet. I need some way to keep you guys reading.

Thanks.

~Serb

Itachi carried a small tray filled with a chunk of bread, an apple, and a glass of water. Simple foods that the woman would be able to hold down, considering how nauseous she probably felt. It had been almost two days since he had last left her in the room, and he imagined that she must have worked up some sort of appetite by now.

The only reason Itachi was doing this was because, let's face it, no one else was going to. None of the members had left the base yet, taking this time for a momentary vacation of sorts before heading back to their missions. In fact, Itachi usually never had any time to read anymore, so he was actually making the best of the hiatus to catch up on an old novel he had once bought. However, even if just about all the members were present, none of them harbored any hospitable characteristics. If it wasn't for him, Itachi guessed that the woman would have probably starved to death before her sentence was up.

He stopped before the door, pausing for a moment before knocking on the sleek oak. Itachi waited a few seconds, but when no reply was made, he decided to knock again. Just as his knuckles were about to make contact, Saya's gruff voice called out.

"Go away." Itachi's eyes narrowed. Her voice sounded strained and pained, much different from the usual cheerful, care-free tone she had exerted before. Regardless, Itachi turned the knob and slid open the door.

The light from within was much dimmer than the hallway glow, so as the door swung open, a thick ray of light shone across the small room. Saya quickly shielded her eyes as the light poked her corner, revealing her form to the steady eyes of the Uchiha. Imatsura Sayuri was a mess.

Even in the gloom, Itachi could discern her physical state of disarray. Her turban lay listlessly on the ground some ways away, and her coat was thrown messily along the rumpled bed. This left her in her tank top and hakama, all of which were wrinkled. Her hair lay sloppily in her face and hung down by her shoulders, and as she glared from behind the ringlets of plum colored tresses, her eyes flashed a molten gold. Her crumpled form tensed as he observed her from across the room.

"What part of 'go away' didn't you understand, Uchiha?" She slowly dragged her knees to he face a draped her arms on her knees. Without bothering to answer, Itachi stepped inside and closed the door behind him. A growl erupted from Saya's throat in a gurgle as he approached her, her eyes narrowing as he stood before her. The sight of the food on the tray made her stomach lurch, and she attempted to withhold whatever it was that sloshed around.

Itachi slowly kneeled down and placed the tray before Saya, gently positioning it away so she wouldn't knock it over if she moved. As he did so, Saya tightly watched him, on edge as to why the Uchiha was doing something so gracious. It was strange, she thought, that not once had he lashed out at her as Hoshigake had. Not once had he really been anywhere near threatening, nor volatile or bloodthirsty. In fact, if it weren't that he were part of Akatsuki, Saya wouldn't have believed the story of the Uchiha genocide. This man seemed like a saint, a gloomy saint, but one none the less. Her eyes narrowed more. It was very peculiar. She was suspicious.

Itachi regarded Saya's eyes, and found a mixture of emotions in their depths. Fear, pain, apprehension, frustration. She seemed to be expecting something, but Itachi didn't know what. Saya's eyes traveled down to the food again, and as she tried not to wretch all over the Uchiha, she found that he had brought her easy, digestible foods.

And suddenly, all the apprehension, all her guards: They dropped. Her shoulders fell as she let out an exhausted sigh from her chapped lips, and she brought up her hand to cradle her forehead. Her hair fell like a veil, shielding her expression from Itachi. She let out a hoarse chuckle that shook her frame.

"Uchiha, what are you doing?" Her tone was tired, but there was no venom in her words. Her previous sourness had dispersed, and as she looked up, he noted she had a dry smile on her lips.

"Eat." His simple command was responded with a bubble of laughter that burst forth from Saya's lips, and she attempted to control it with a limp palm. He stared her down, a cold expression. When she noticed his look, she shook her head and waved him.

"Uchiha, for a criminal, you-." Suddenly, a sharp shock of pain erupted from behind Saya's eyes, making her break off from her sentence and wince. She quickly clutched her skull and focused on not biting her tongue. She had been experiencing terrible withdrawal symptoms, and the effects had only seemed to intensify. That also included the dreams and hallucinations. They were only brief flashes of figures and faces, and they hadn't haunted her so much as of yet. But this was only the beginning, and she knew it would worsen. So far, she hadn't broken her resolve not to scream, but if things did get worse, her resolve wouldn't mean shit to her, she thought cynically.

Speak of the devil, as she decided to give the Uchiha a reassuring smirk, her vision swam, and he disappeared behind a shade of navy blue. A bright light invaded her retinas, and suddenly, she was looking at a eerily familiar scene.

The beach was far off now, close enough to hear the waves and smell the brine, but not visible. The night was heavy, and gravity almost seemed aggressive, forcing itself down upon her body. Tall grass surrounded her on either side, a large tree somewhere behind her, rattling its branches impatiently in the breeze. Said breeze was also clunking together the dozens of wooden wind chimes attached to many of the branches, creating a musical air that flushed the area in sound. Village lanterns were just barely noticeable just beyond the sea oats, and the moon was hidden behind dry clouds.

But the night was not peaceful. The night was not lovely. The night was not what it should have been. Just beyond were two figures. The chimes grew louder, and more muffled, less distinct. One shadow, impaled, sputtering apologies; the other, grinning darkly, eyes glinting with morbid mirth, and trained on Saya's very being.

She gasped, a quick intake of breath, almost tearing her hair out by the roots.

Wake up, wake up, wake up. Damn it, you fool! This isn't even how it happened!

As Saya clenched her eyes closed, Itachi watched her teeter on the verge of hysterics right before his eyes. It seemed as though she was having a fit of some sort: Just as she was about to comment on something, her eyes glazed over and she began to hyperventilate. But what grabbed Itachi's attention was the fact that she didn't seem like she was going to come out of it. Silently, he went to jab her. However, her hands instantly shielded her face, although the attempt was weak. She began to shake, her eyes rolling around behind her lids.

This somehow seemed wrong. Itachi's eyes began to spin as he delved into whatever Saya was experiencing.

He was instantly surrounded by the sounds of wood, rattling and invading the musky air. He stood in the tall grass beside a dreary scene of shadows and distorted light. Damp winds carried the smell of the ocean along his black gear, and whipped his hair around his face. The night hid most of his surroundings, but dim lighting from a nearby village gave the area a slight glow. There didn't seem to be anyone around: His gaze traveled over the fields of grass, to the direction of the sound of waves, past the glimmering lanterns, and finally rested on a large oak tree. It's trunk was wide, and the chimes that he had heard hung from various, thick branches that decorated the tree top. He was about to start towards the village when he heard a small, choked back cry. It came from behind the tree, and it was muffled by the soothingly noisy chimes, but he had heard it. He made his way to the tree, and as he walked around to the other side, he found himself looking at a trembling form.

Saya.

She sat listlessly at the tree's base, her legs sprawled out before her, and her arms hung limply in her lap. Her head was bent downwards, so he could not see her face, but she seemed different. Younger.

Rather, her hair was much shorter, the locks no longer present, but replaced with a messy short cut, and her form seemed shorter, smaller. In fact, if Itachi didn't know any better, he'd say that this was Saya in her early teenage years.

She must have felt his presence, despite how silent his footsteps were and how loud the air was, for she looked up to meet his eyes. Her cheeks were tear-stained, but the eyes were steady. Nowhere near as crazed as they were moments before, outside the dream.

"Who are you?" Her voice was different as well. It was less husky, and more youthful. No, that wasn't it. It wasn't more youthful…But more something. Regardless, it was different. Itachi then realized what this was.

It was a memory.

The woman was stuck in her past.

And this before him was fragment of that past, ignorant to the present which included himself.

"Uchiha Itachi." He replied slowly. Her eyes unfocused for a second before she regarded him suspiciously.

"And what are you doing here, Itachi? Ninja aren't supposed to be around Kurai (Dark) Village." Her tone held authority, leading Itachi to believe that she was indeed a leader of some sort. However, the tone wasn't unkind, but merely questioning. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"I'm looking for someone." At his reply, she raised a brow.

"Oh? And who is it you're looking for?" She grinned, wiping away the remnants of the wetness on her face. "A friend?" She seemed unconcerned with him, like the thought of him being dangerous hadn't even crossed her mind.

"Something like that." He was about to say something else when she interrupted him.

"Hey, wanna sit down with me for a bit? I've had a really crappy day, and I sort of feel like being near someone right now." She paused, sighing. Itachi hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should just simply release the memory with his Sharringan or go along with the moment. Curiosity at its finest, he stood beside Saya, leaning against the trunk. She looked up to him. "Oh come on, don't be such a stiff, Uchiha-san. Sit. It's really nice out tonight, and in the middle of storm season too!" Grudgingly, he heeded her demand and took a seat next to her, at least four feet away from her sprawled form.

They sat there like that for minutes before Saya broke the silence.

"Uchiha-san, can I ask you a question?" Well, the younger Saya was a bit more polite than her older self. He didn't reply, and she took that as a yes.

"Have you ever done something that was good, but regretted doing it?" Itachi looked over to her to find her face decrypt of any emotion, save a tight line that was her lips. He wondered whether or not he wanted to answer her question. He left her with silence. She couldn't help but smile at it.

"To tell you the truth, I never thought I would regret any of my actions. I really believed that no matter what, I would always make the right choice. But…I never realized how hard that could be." She looked up to the moon, finally revealed from behind the curtains of dark clouds. "Uchiha-san." She looked to him. "I think I've done….something regrettably terrible." Itachi regarded the girl, a tug at his usually stoic heart reminded him of his soiled recent past. A quick flash of falling corpses and spattered blood filled his gaze before he met the girls sad smile.

"What did you do?" He asked. She twisted her hands together, the smile never faltering.

"I-."

"Uchiha, get out. Now." The scene around Itachi froze. The wind was no more, the chimes were deadly silent, and all movement was paused. Even the young Saya was frozen, the sentence still reminiscent on her lips. Itachi closed his eyes.

He opened them again to see the older Saya once again, her hair still mussed and her eyes dulled. Back in the room.

"And who said you could dig around my head like that?" Her tone was playful, but held a threatening edge somewhere beneath the sweetness. He inclined his head slightly.

"Eat. It will help curb the headaches." He swiftly stood and turned to the door. Just as he was about to open it, Saya called out to him.

"Uchiha." He opened the door without hesitation, without waiting for her to continue. She did so anyway. "The difference between right and wrong, good and bad. Is that line between righteous and evil really so distinct? Or is it just as broad as it's proclaimed to be?" Itachi closed the door behind him, but just before clicking it shut, he replied.

"Who knows." With that, he was gone. Saya shuddered as another pang ran through her head, but her grip was less urgent this time, and somewhere beneath her ribs, somewhere deep inside her body, something fluttered.

Relief.

The Uchiha had stumbled upon a secret memory of hers, and she had almost allowed him to learn something about her past. Thankfully, she had caught him in time.

"Tch, what a bother." She mumbled, throwing a glare at the food. Her stomach turned again, and she found that her appetite was still lost, and probably not gonna find its way home for a while. Whatever, it's not like she cared if she was rude, not eating the food.

Curling up, she rested her forehead on her arms, attempting to hold back her dry heaves. A cool, clammy sweat began to form along her body, and she felt as though she were in a sauna. Damn.

This really sucked.

As Itachi closed the door, leaving Saya with his parting words, he heard footsteps approach from his left. It was Kisame, sans Samehada and cloak, simply dressed in his arm warmers and uniform.

"Leader-sama briefed me on our next mission." He came to a stop in front of Itachi. "In two weeks time, we're to travel south of here to Piyo village. Apparently, some wanna-be samurai assassin took out some gang leaders girlfriend, and they want him. Alive." Kisame shrugged. "He sounds like a wimp, though. Barely classified."

"Hn." Itachi closed his eyes in acknowledgement, turned, and began making his way to his own room.

"Oi, what were you doing in the woman's room?" He asked, placing a hand on his hip.

"Bringing her food." Itachi quietly disappeared down the hall. Kisame raised a brow, but decided not to pursue the younger man. Instead, he grinned and reached for the door knob, intending to see how the pitiful creature was handling her sober confinement, but just as he touched it, her voice screamed from the other side.

"If you so much as think about coming in this room Hoshigake, I swear by all that is holy I'll drop kick your ass all the way back to Mist Country!" Kisame chuckled, standing closer to the door.

"And what makes you think you could even lay a finger on me, onna? Remember, I'm an S-classed criminal, one of the seven swordsmen of the mist, and a member of Akatsuki. How could you hold a candle to that?" He could practically hear her gnawing her teeth down to dust, and he barely held back his laughter.

Oh, so he thought he was smart, did he? Saya smiled.

"Oh, Hoshigake, I could hold more than a candle. In fact, I think I could hold a blow torch."

"And what makes you think that, onna?" He scoffed.

"Why, because Hoshigake. Let me make this clear. I may be a homeless drunk, rusty on her fighting skills, and stuck underground with a hoard of naughty men without a lick of alcohol in sight. However, I am also of Tokubetsu Jonin rank, the founder of two highly classified and forbidden justu techniques, master of taijustu. And, I was once the Captain Commander of an elite squad of disciplinary ninja that even the Kage's revered. Plus," She added with a smirk, "I could out drink you any day ten fold." Kisame scowled.

"You talk big for someone who's barfing their brains out." He managed.

"Oh, like you would know. Speaking of brains, how's the search going?" Kisame quirked a brow.

"Search?"

"Yeah, you know, the search for your brain. I heard it went missing a long while ago, and you haven't seen it since." Kisame grunted, and went to throw open the door, but her voice once again halted his action.

"Hoshigake, I meant it when I asked you not to open that door." Her voice sounded firm, firmer than usual.

"And why would I listen to you?" He asked, frowning. There was a long pause, a very tense pause before Saya replied. And when she did, Kisame had thought he'd heard wrong.

"…Please. Do not open the door, Hoshigake." Her voice suddenly sounded exhausted. Like she hadn't slept in months. Slowly, Kisame let his hand drop from the knob and he looked straight at the door.

"Fine." He grumbled, turning away. "But don't let it go to your head. I just don't feel like dealing with some cranky woman right now."

Saya couldn't help, even with the ringing in her ears, but smile.

"You're not such a bad guy after all, Hoshigake."

"Tch." Kisame trudged back to his room, Saya finally left in peace.

No.

It wasn't peace.

Not at all.

"There's a leaf upon the windowsill, and all it does is watch. Watch the seasons come and go, and the ticking of the clock. But sooner or later the time will crumble, even the preserved will rot. And all that remains are the memories vain, it's all of nothing and naught." Fuu pranced along the riverbed, her cold friend not far behind her.

"Yin! Do you think Saya-onee chan is excited to see us?" She asked cheerfully.

"Probably not." Was the dull reply. The snowy girls half-lidded eyes could make even the most energized person feel sleepy.

"Aw, that's no fun. I'm sure she'll be tickled pink to see us again! I mean, just think of how much fun we had the last time we were together, ne?"

"If that is what you think." Fuu pouted and threw her hands on her hips dramatically.

"Ja ne, Yin-chan. You're always so negative! You have to think on the pos-it-ive! And besides, even if Saya-chan isn't happy, then at least our master will be! It'll be such a dramatic and destructive reunion, full of heartache and revenge! HAHA!" She twirled around, but as she did, she accidentally tripped over a rock and found herself in the knee-deep, chilly water. Yin continued to walk forward, ignoring the yellow girls whines. However, she quietly stated to the wind, a silent premonition.

"It will end in despair."

Ah, so I wanted to add something now that I've read all these amazing reviews. I've decided who Saya will be paired with.

You will just have to figure it out along the way. But it should be pretty obvious.

Anyway, thanks for the motivation. I did this chapter instead of practicing SAT.

~Serb