I apologise greatly for this taking so long.
Having passed her initiation test, Yumi was escorted back to the center of the building by an excited Deidara and content Kisame.
They seemed to be the two Akatsuki members who had taken to her straight away and without any hesitation.
Probably because she had torn Hidan to shreds in less than 5 seconds.
Yumi had noticed that he didn't seem to be the most popular of the group but rather, one of the more annoying.
Most of the Akatsuki had regarded her with mild interest and apprehension.
But then again, many of them were very reserved and introverted people, all having done horrible things that many of them probably wished to forget.
They all have their masks to hide behind, Yumi thought sadly.
And had they been shown in the right direction, they would probably have been very pleasant people.
Deidara and Kisame seemed to be the only two willing to chat in a friendly manner.
They flanked her on either side, barely giving her enough space to swing her arms as she walked.
Whether it was their habit to walk inwardly or because the hallways were a bit squishy, she wasn't sure.
Despite her dislike for the blonde, Yumi felt herself starting to accept Deidaras company, whether she wanted it or not.
Her opinion on Kisame Hoshigaki was mixed.
On one hand, he seemed friendly and quite polite, seemingly without any thought of harming her.
On the other, she had heard of him and his horrible deeds in his time spent with the Seven Swordsman of the Hidden Mist…
She shuddered when she recalled several bodies she had crossed after they had wreaked havoc upon a small fishing village in the east.
The village was in ruins.
Thatched roofs burned and the foundations of buildings crumbled under the weight they bore and the fire that tore through wood like a disease.
The jetty lay in ruins, caving in on one side and the other already under the water.
Bloodied bodies floated lifelessly on the surface of the water, their lifes blood spilling into the ocean like ink attracting sharks and warding away sea dwelling birds.
Yumi remembered pulling a fallen pillar away from a blocked doorway and gazing inside to find a mother and her three children sprawled unmoving across the floor.
Horrible things had happened that day.
Things that she would probably be forced to do herself.
Yumi shook her head to rid herself of those terrible thoughts as she considered the members of the organization she would now serve.
They were each and every one of them, enigmas in their own right.
Half of them were barely human!
After passing the test, she had been properly introduced to each of the Akatsuki as well as learning their strengths and weaknesses should she be paired with one of them for a mission.
She bypassed rooms on her way to the center of the tower where she would be assigned her first task.
The hallway was long and the rooms that branched off served to house the other members.
Yumi suspected that once she passed her first mission she would probably be assigned one as well.
As she glanced into rooms, she caught glimpses of the other Akatsuki members who had wandered off ahead of her.
Mentally she counted them down in her head, trying to remember each of them from both her introductions and the bingo book listings lest she have the misfortune to face one of them in battle.
The door to the room on her left had been torn off its hinges and lay broken in half on the floor, allowing Yumi to see the inhabitants as she stepped over it and passed by.
The silver haired man she had fought sat on a metal examination table, thick cords weaved in and out of his flesh and limbs as his body was methodically sewn back together by the tanned man in a mask.
Hidan –
Village: Yugakure (Steam)
Easily antagonized and master in the use of scythes and spears.
Immortal.
Flee on sight.
Kakuzu -
Village: Takigakure (Waterfall)
Easily antagonized, has mastered all 5 chakra types.
Needs to be killed five times to be defeated.
Flee on sight.
Hidans head growled at her from the sterilized floor as she passed the room and Yumi turned her head away from him, still getting over the idea of a man being able to survive with a severed head.
The blonde to her left nudged her arm with his knuckles to attract her attention and continued to refer back to what he was talking about earlier.
Something about the mouths on his hands, Yumi recalled.
She watched him silently.
Deidara -
Village: Iwagakure (Rocks)
Impervious to genjutsu, long and mid range fighter with devastating explosive attacks.
Can adapt to situations and has the ability to fly.
Flee on sight.
A shuffling sound captured her attention and Yumi caught sight of the large metallic scorpion-like tail hovering over the back of Hiruko, the favorite carrier puppet of Deidaras partner.
Half in the doorway of another room, he paused and turned back to the trio as they made their way down the hall.
A trickle of poison dribble down the back of the metallic tail and Yumi glanced the barely visible chakra threads that attached to the doorknob.
He glanced back at her, the bandana covering the telltale cracks where wood ruled the place a normal persons mouth would be.
Yumi shivered.
Narrowing his eyes, he turned away from them silently and entered the room.
Akasuna no Sasori -
Village: Sunagakure (Sand)
Puppet master who specializes in deadly poison.
Extremely versatile fighter.
Flee on sight.
The door to Sasoris quarters closed and Yumi glanced back ahead, having nothing else to focus on.
She rubbed her eyes on occasion and squinted, her vision becoming cloudy with lack of sleep and proper food.
They weaved around a small bend and continued onwards.
At times she was sure she caught glimpses of something humanoid with green growths and black and white skin but the second she saw it, it had disappeared again.
A few times, she caught herself questioning her sanity.
Stress does things to your mind, Yumi reasoned.
What kind of human has black and white skin?
None that she had met.
Although…
Yumi slowly glanced to her right.
Hoshigaki Kisame -
Village: Kirigakure (Mist)
One of the Seven Swordsman of the Hidden Mist who wields the legendary Samehada.
Incredible chakra reserves.
Flee on sight.
She had never met someone who was blue either.
This was the Akatsuki though, it was best she not expect normal things.
She should focus on the facts and her own safety and disregard her own curious impulses.
After all, danger was everywhere, no one and nowhere was safe.
She couldn't befriend anyone in the Akatsuki because if ordered too, they may turn their back on her.
Arm yourself Yumi, she whispered in her mind, because no one else here will save you.
She counted down the members she had so far encountered in her mind.
She had missed someone, she knew it.
Barely anything was known about Pein and she couldn't really rely on her memory of Konans power.
She had counted Sasori and Deidara, the resident artists as well as Hidan and Kakuzu the resident zombies (as Kisame put it)
Who else…
Kisame and…
She opened her eyes.
Uchiha Itachi -
Village – Konohagakure (Leaf)
Possessor of the Mangekyou Sharingan.
Murdered his entir-
Yumi caught herself as she stumbled over a pipeline that jutted out and crossed her path along the ground.
The men on either side of her grasped an arm to steady her but their rhythmic pace wasn't altered and they spoke nothing of it.
Yumi realized what drew her attention as she glanced back at the door they had just passed.
The room to her right had drifted away before she got a proper look inside but a fleeting glimpse was enough.
All she saw was darkness.
And in the darkness, red orbs glowing back at her.
Itachi…
She sighed and watched out of the corner of her eye as Deidara continued his mindless chatterings and Kisame listened half heartedly.
Who was she to talk?
Misery loves company…
Yumi knew deep down that at some point, she would have to talk to and associate with the Akatsuki and she hated herself for it.
Before she knew it, Kisame, Deidara and herself passed through a door and into the large hallway that held the Demonic Statue.
Yumi cringed upon seeing it.
No matter how many times she entered this room, she knew the statue would scare her.
Atop one of its outstretched fingers sat Pein.
His back was turned to them and he seemed to be gazing at the giant grotesque face deep in thought.
Kisame and Deidara halted halfway into the room and gazed up and their leader silently.
Several seconds ticked by and Yumi crossed her arms and glared at them.
She supposed it was respectful to stand silently and wait for their leader to speak, but it was also annoying.
Pein clearly knew they were there and seemed to be doing absolutely nothing productive.
If she didn't know any better, Yumi could have sworn he was doing it on purpose.
Scowling, she made up her mind.
She was in the Akatsuki by chance, not by choice and so she would do what needs to be done and nothing more.
Other than that, she would do as she pleased.
Right now what would please her was having her jerk of a leader say something.
Deidara and Kisame reached out to grasp her arms in shock as she stormed forward in the direction of the statue.
Sitting atop the Demonic Statue was cold.
But it was silent and it was calm and in order to meditate properly, Pein was willing to brave the chill to find peace.
It was a different kind of peace he felt to when he was at the top of the tower.
The rain brought about a kind of melancholy nostalgic feeling and brought out the colors of the city.
This kind of peace allowed him to reconnected and remember the goal of the Akatsuki.
The instant Yumi had passed her initiation test, he had left the stadium and perched himself comfortably upon the fingers.
For some reason, the owl had followed him and rested on his shoulder.
Normally he would have brushed it off but for some reason, it wasn't bothering him as much as it usually would.
Possibly because it was almost like a part of Yumi dwelled with him in the darkness.
He shook his head.
After all these years he still had feelings for her.
Well that would have to change, because any one of them could die at any second.
He would have to show no hesitation in replacing her should such an event occur.
Yet…
It tugged at his heartstrings to consider such a possibility.
He was so caught up in thought that he didn't notice the presence of three of his members until the newest one was yelling in his face.
"Hey! Pein! Yeah, that's right, I'm talking to you!"
He sighed.
Same old Yumi…
Hibiki flew off of his shoulder and perched upon Yumis as she stood before him in anger.
Oh of course…
He was giving her the mission that would have her ties with Konoha severed forever.
Pity and regret briefly welled in the back of his mind before he pulled the plug and drained away all emotion.
In a way, he wished their paths had never crossed.
For both their sakes.
