Scarlet Kunai

By Ginta and Hakakku Fangirl

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters

A/N: Original Character's name is Kyoko, female, only a few months older than Uchiha Sasuke, no Kekki Genkai, ANBU-ranked kinoichi, more info in story.

Rated M for violence, language, and lime.

*I may have to "rearrange" some events, in order for this fic to make sense.

A/N: Don't forget to vote in the poll on my profile! It's for my newest fic, Crimson Shuriken!

…This fic is slowly, slowly coming to a close. And now, within the next few chapters…I really don't want to, but I have to…

Anyways, I just want to give a shout out to a couple of people who have reviewed lately:

Inner-me-is-chaos -- You are so sweet!

Gabzalabza -- Don't worry, everything always gets explained!

RozenMaiden14 -- You're last review was cute!

Babychicky14 -- *blush* Thanks, I try to make my lemons as good as possible!

eloquent dreams -- Haha, don't worry, I'm updating as often as I can!!

On with the fic!

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Previously:

Shikaku, Anko, and Kakashi all stared. It seemed that Sai had been right. There was Kyoko, standing in the midst of what could only once have been a room beneath the ground, breathing hard but with barely a scratch on her.

"Let's just get out of here," Anko said at last, "and get back to Konoha."

The others nodded. Sai scooped Kyoko into his arms as they all turned to go straight back to Tsunade, after a very strange night.

xxx

"Which one are you?" Kabuto asked.

The man turned.

"Which do you think?" Sasuke asked. In an instant, Kabuto found himself face-to-face with his master, Orochimaru.

"This cannot be happening," Orochimaru hissed. "I created this deminsion. I will not die here!"

Kabuto paled, now back with Sasuke.

"Orochimaru-sama…is dead…No, it's more like…" Kabuto trailed off.

"I've taken over," Sasuke said casually, before turning and walking away. Kabuto watched him go with wide eyes.

"Again," Kakashi encouraged.

Kyoko sighed. She had just gotten out of the Hokage's office after answering every question Tsunade had fired at her about Sasuke and Orochimaru, after having spent three days in the hospital being checked over.

"Come on, Kyoko!" Sai said. "It can't be that hard."

"I'd like to see you do it!" Kyoko snapped as she crouched.

She and Kakashi were working on her taijutsu.

"Just concentrate your chakra and try it again," Kakashi said.

"Right."

"Just take a deep breath," Kakashi said.

"Right." Kyoko took a deep, deep breath. "Leaf Hurricane!

She launched herself at Kakashi, turning in midair, leg thrust out to kick him; but Kakashi shook his head, ducking, and bringing up his own leg to block her.

"Not good enough," he said, sighing. "Try again."

"Sensei!"

Sai, Kakashi, and Kyoko looked up as Sakura came running towards them.

"My master wants to see Kyoko," Sakura said as she reached the three. "I have to go get Naruto now."

"Right!" Kakashi called after her. He turned to Kyoko. "You can go for now, but be prepared for more training this afternoon."

"Hai, Sempai." Kyoko took off back towards the village.

Kakashi sighed, sitting and stretching.

Sai sat beside him.

"Sai," Kakashi said, "I think it's time you told me exactly what you meant when you said that Kyoko is doing everything she can for her mission with Akatsuki. And I particularly want to know why you thought that Itachi had come for Kyoko."

"Well…"

XXX

"You're late!" Tsunade snapped.

"I'm so sorry!" Sakura said, bowing in apology. "Naruto was eating lunch -er- breakfast, and--"

"Ero-sannin's here, too?" Naruto interrupted.

"Hey, Naruto!" Jiraya grinned from where he stood beside Tsunade, Kyoko in between them.

"What did you want to speak to us about?" Sakura asked, coming up from her bow.

Tsunade paused.

"Right," she said. "Information has been coming in from other countries. I wanted to discuss it with you."

"Info?" Sakura said.

"What is it, what is it?" Naruto demanded.

"Orochimaru is dead," Tsunade said. "And it seems Uchiha Sasuke was the one who killed him. The same night that Kyoko was kidnapped and Sasuke attempted to ra--"

Jiraya cleared his throat, jerking his head towards said raven-haired kunoichi. She had turned deathly pale at the news that her old "caregiver" was now no longer in existence, and had choked and shook her head when Tsunade had started to tell Sakura what Sasuke had done. It wasn't exactly something that Kyoko wanted anyone to know. And she particularly didn't want Sakura to know what she had already told Kakashi and Tsunade, that Sasuke had wanted to rape his pink-haired former comrade.

Naruto and Sakura were stunned,

"R..R-really?" Naruto stammered.

"It's definitely true," Jiraya said. "My most reliable sources confirmed it."

"That's…then…" Sakura didn't seem to know what to say, but Naruto laughed.

"I KNEW that freak wouldn't be able to take Sasuke down!" he laughed. "So Sasuke's coming back to the Leaf Village now, right?" he asked eagerly. "Right?"

Tsunade was sad and silent.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Doesn't look like it," Jiraya said.

"What the Hell do you mean?!?" Naruto roared. "Why not??"

"Naruto-kun," Kyoko started, but he ignored her.

"How could he not come back now that Orochimaru is gone?!" Naruto demanded, furious.

"Sasuke is obsessed with revenge," Tsunade said simply.

"He'll try to find Akatsuki so he can kill his brother Itachi," Jiraya said.

Kyoko nodded.

"And Itachi will fight back," she said.

"That bastard again," Naruto growled. "Damn him…SHIT!" he yelled.

Sakura bit her lip; Tsunade and Jiraya both glanced over at Kyoko, but her face was smooth and blank.

XXX

Far outside the Hidden Leaf Village, Sasuke turned away from a girl with neon red hair and a purple jacket who watched him with lusty eyes, a tall boy with bright hair who watched him nervously, and a second boy with pointed teeth, a lazy grin, and a huge sword.

"From now on," Sasuke said slowly, "we four move as one. And our group will be known as 'Hebi.'" (A/N: Hebi means Snake.)

XXX

"We need to form a platoon and move out right now!" Naruto said. "The mission to hunt down Akatsuki is still going on, right?"

"Yeah…" Tsunade put a hand on her hip, frowning.

"To get to Sasuke, we need to go after the member of Akatsuki we've got the best chance of finding!" Naruto said.

XXX

"'Hebi has only one purpose…" Sasuke said.

XXX

"In other words," Naruto said, "we need to find…"

XXX

"Uchiha Itachi!"

XXX

XXX

"It's about to rain," Kisame commented.

"It looks like a big storm is coming in," Itachi agreed with a sigh; Kisame glanced at him.

"You still thinking about that bitch and Orochimaru?" he asked.

Itachi nodded.

"My little brother," he said softly.

"What about him?"

"Kakashi and the young man who was carrying Kyoko--Sai, I believe is his name--trailed a bit behind the others," Itachi said. "Zetsu and I followed, Zetsu because he wanted to see if Kyoko could get away long enough to report to him."

"And?"

"She wasn't able to," Itachi said. "But I overheard her telling Kakashi and Sai just why Orochimaru had had her kidnapped," he said, betraying feelings of disgust in his voice.

"Oh?"

"He planned for Sasuke to rape and impregnate her," Itachi said bitterly. "Apparently power and forbidden jutsu aren't the only things Orochimaru has been teaching Sasuke."

"You sound upset."

"Not particularly," Itachi said. "I'm not worried about Kyoko. She quite literally blew apart quite a bit of Orochimaru's east base."

"Then what?"

Itachi frowned.

"I may not want to have anything to do with my old clan or my little brother," he said slowly. "But rape…That's just unforgivable."

Kisame nodded. Even those of the Akatsuki, the S-class thieves and murders that they were, wouldn't dream of such a thing.

"Well…Orochimaru is dead now," the blue man said. "Maybe--"

"Iie." Itachi shook his head. "He's now gathered a platoon. Three others besides him." He shook his head. "It doesn't bode well."

"For you or the brat?" Kisame asked.

"Either of us," Itachi said.

"Whadda ya mean?"

"If Kyoko hears about Sasuke's team…you know her, Kisame. She's strong, but not strong enough to beat Sasuke and his team, not on her own. And think what would happen were Tsunade to order her to go after him."

"She'd go after him," Kisame shrugged. "She's got nothing to do with your brother, why'd she ever pause to kill him?"

"Possibly because her friends want him back," Itachi said. "Tsunade wouldn't order her to kill him. Even with Orochimaru dead, Konoha will still want information on him."

Kisame nodded.

"I see…Well, let's get under the trees," he said. "Don't want the body to get cold." He lifted his sword lightly, where the half-dead body of a Jinchuurichi was splayed carelessly across the top of the wrapped blade.

Itachi nodded.

They would be gathering again soon. Besides, he knew it wouldn't be a good idea to be in the rain too long. It was growing colder. And with these eyes of his making him sick more and more frequently…He just couldn't afford the risk of a cold.

XXX

Only a week later, Kyoko stood on the top of the wall surrounding Konoha beside Kakashi as he spoke to the eight-man squad going in pursuit of Sasuke. Hinata, Yamato, Sakura, Naruto, Sai, Kiba and Akamaru, Shino, and Kakashi, along with Paa-kun and the others of the Eight Ninja Hounds.

"Alright, let's go," Kakashi said.

"Wait!" Sai said suddenly before running up to Kyoko. He planted wrapped his arms around her and firmly planted kiss on her lips.

Kiba scowled, looking away and glaring at Shino, who had raised an eyebrow.

But Sai was really only talking to Kyoko. Using the kiss as an excuse, he turned her so that his back was to the others.

"If I see Itachi," he muttered to her, "I'll try not to let the others find out he's near. I promise."

"Thanks, Sai," Kyoko whispered, hugging the boy tightly and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I'll hold you to it."

Sai nodded. He still wasn't sure why, but he felt the most emotion when he was around Kyoko. She really was his best friend. From how Sakura had tried to help him understand, Sai found that the names for what he felt towards the girl with the black hair were loyalty and the want to protect her. And it was more than true that he didn't sleep well without Kyoko in his bed. But as far as affection that was anything beyond friendship? Sai didn't even feel aroused when around Kyoko, and he had always thought that she was sexy. Well, whenever she was naked. But he had already walked in on her in the bath plenty of times…No, Kyoko was only a friend. Sakura, however…Well, Sai didn't think she was quite as ugly as he once had. Ino…no, she was far too shrill. And he really was beginning to feel small twinges of what could only be annoyance anytime she was around, particularly if Sai happened to be with Kyoko. Yes, it was definitely annoyance.

Sai stepped away and Kakashi clapped a hand on Kyoko's shoulder.

"Good luck with your own mission," he said.

Kyoko nodded.

"Be safe, Sempai," she said.

Kakashi nodded. "I'll talk to you when you get back," he said, tilting his head meaningfully.

Kyoko sighed.

"I understand," she said. "Don't overuse your Sharingan, Sempai."

"Right." Kakashi turned to the others. "Scatter!"

"Right!"

Kyoko sighed as she watched them leave. Tsunade, who had been watching from the ground, nodded to her in dismissal. Kyoko nodded as well, turned, and left in the direction the others had for her own mission with the Akatsuki, but thinking back to her conversation with Sai when she had gotten out of the Hokage's office after having been abducted and then threatened with rape.

xxx

"So…" Sai sat beside Kyoko on their shared futon. "I think there's more to your mission with Akatsuki than you're telling me. Or even the Hokage."

"How did you catch on?" she asked.

"Kakashi and Yamato told me about Itachi," Sai said. "I know that he was once your teacher. And now you're fucking him."

"No," Kyoko whispered, "I'm not 'fucking' him."

"Yeah you are."

"Iie." Kyoko sighed. "Sai, there's a difference between what you do on a mission and what you do with someone you share a bond with."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that…well, when it's just for the sake of a mission, then it's sex," Kyoko said. "When it's meaningless or with someone you don't know or care about on a mission, then it's fucking. When it's with someone you care about…"

"What?" Sai asked as Kyoko trailed off.

"When it's someone you care about or have a deep bond with," Kyoko said, "it's different."

"Different how?" Sai asked.

"It's hard to explain," Kyoko said. "It's…When you have a bond like that with someone, you have sex with them by choice…and not because it's fun, but because you can say so much to that person without any words at all."

Sai looked confused.

"How do you talk without words?" he asked.

In answer, Kyoko placed a hand on his hand.

"If we were on a mission and you were hurt," she said, "I might put my hand on yours, to show you that I'm here and won't leave you." She then pressed her hand to her cheek. "I might do this if you were ill," she said, "to show you that I want to help you feel well again."

"Oh," Sai said. He stood and when to the bookcase, running a finger over the spines of the books. He pulled on from the shelves.

"Like it says in this book?" he asked.

"What?"

"It says that when you have bonds with your friends, you can talk to each other through gestures and facial expressions, like a smile or putting your arm around their shoulder when they're scared or worried."

Kyoko nodded.

"Hai, it's a lot like that."

"So…if we were to have sex right now," Sai asked, "would it be a way of strenghting our friendship even further?"

"Hai," Kyoko said.

Sai thought a moment.

"What about with Sakura?" he asked. "I've not slept with her. Would that strengthen my bond with her?"

"Only if you were close to her already," Kyoko laughed. "And I told you already, I don't know that Naruto-kun would really like it if you were to try anything with Sakura." She paused. "Why did you ask that about Sakura-chan?" she asked.

Sai shrugged.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But if I were to have sex with any of our comrades, I'd rather it be Sakura than Ino. She's annoying."

Kyoko raised an eyebrow.

"What about Hinata-chan or Tenten-chan?" she asked.

"I never thought about them," Sai said honestly. "I only ever thought about Sakura."

"Hmm…" Kyoko looked thoughtful.

"Nani?"

"Nothing."

"…So you still have a bond with Uchiha Itachi?" Sai asked.

Kyoko nodded.

"I thought I didn't," she said. "I thought that I had let it all go, that I was only acting as though I still had a bond with him to keep him from thinking that I would betray Akatsuki. But the truth is, I've been withholding any information I have that might hurt Itachi. I know that I shouldn't, I even know that it's pointless; Itachi is more than capable of taking care of himself. But he's also ill, and I worry about him. The Hokage already knows this, because Kakashi told her, but truth is, the more Itachi uses the Sharingan, the less he can see. And I don't want that to happen," she said, tears softly falling. "I want my old sensei to be able to see the world for its beauty again," she said. "He only sees the hatred in the world. I know that he's far from the young boy who was once my ANBU captain. But I also know that that can't be helped. He was only a little boy when the Great Ninja Wars finally ended; you and I weren't even born at the time. I want Itachi to be able to see the world the way we can see it, as a safe place again."
"Sai," Kyoko said, eyes blazing, "I haven't told the Hokage this, and you can't either. Promise me, Sai!"

"Hai, I promise," the black-eyed boy said.

"You can't go back on this," Kyoko said. "This is a promise from you to me, best friend to best friend. That's the bond we share, Sai, you can't break this promise or that bond will be broken."

"I promise," Sai said again, taking Kyoko's hands in his.

Kyoko sighed.

"Sai, I don't think Itachi ever wanted to leave Konoha," she said. "And I don't think that he killed the Uchiha clan on his own. I don't think it was even his idea in the first place. But I don't have proof, and until I can, no one can know my suspicions. It will take a lot to get Uchiha Itachi to open up to me like he once did before the massacre. But I'm getting close, I can feel it! Sai, if I can get the truth out of Itachi, I might be able to get Tsunade-hime to have him brought back to the Leaf Village for questioning and find out who was behind it in the first place!"

Sai nodded. Kyoko's eyes were burning and she had a wild look about her. She smiled at him.

"Sai?"

"Nani?"

"You're holding my hands."

"Oh, gomen."

"Iie, iie." Kyoko shook her head. "That's what I meant about speaking without words. By taking my hands in yours when I asked you to make me a promise, you were telling me, without words, that you were hear for me, that you would never betray my confidence, and you were showing me that it was safe to tell you."

"Really?" Sai asked. He smiled. "I think I'm finally getting the hang of this emotions thing."

Kyoko smiled, nodding.

"I think so, too," she agreed.

xxx

Kyoko shook her head, wiping away a few tears, made by the stinging cold winds in her eyes.

Sai's birthday had come and gone; it was now December, and freezing rains had taken the place of the snow that had covered the ground only weeks ago. Sai and Kyoko now didn't bother to put away the blankets and futon, instead leaving them out and letting the heat from their bodies stay trapped beneath the layers. If it got any colder, they would have to stay somewhere else.

Ino had already offered her place, but it had been Sai who had been the first to refuse her.

Shaking his head, he had replied to Ino's shrill "Why not?!?" with, "Iie, you said that Kyoko and I would have separate rooms. I can't sleep without Kyoko in bed with me. Besides, wouldn't it have made more sense for you to say that my room would be on the opposite side of the house and Kyoko's room beside yours, instead of the other way around?"

Ino had pouted until Sakura had rolled her eyes and nudged her in the side.

"The Hokage's mansion has a few empty offices," the pink-haired girl said. "Tsunade will let you stay there."

Kyoko smirked at the memory.

But she was so confused.

Konoha was home to her, where Sai and Kakashi were, always waiting for her. But Akatsuki felt right, too. If it weren't for her loyalty to the Leaf Village…Iie. The Leaf Village had to come first. If it weren't for this mission, she would never have gone after Itachi. At least…not while she was on a mission…Right? It was all just so confusing…

And to make matters worse, Kyoko's stomach had begun to feel strange. Her headaches were returning. She hoped it wasn't the poisons coming back…

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Shortness, especially compared to the last chapter, but it's a part one of two, second part should be up in a few days.

Love ya!