It was a nice sunday afternoon, the birds were singing and the sun was shining but I walked away from the park, feeling as though my whole world turned upside down. Why am I shocked? I knew this would happen, her and Sai are meant to be together after all. "I'm pathetic." I mumbled, heading to Ichiraku, "But I guess that's good. This way, the Akatsuki won't be able to hurt her to taunt me." I sat down on a stool and ordered the same thing I always did. Just as I was about to take a bite, Tenzo appeared next to me, 'I'll be over as soon as I finish my food." I mumbled, eating slowly, the man in the cat mask sat down next to me, "You seem depressed."

I nodded, "It's not everyday you're getting framed for murder." I joked while Tenzo laughed, "That's how you guys decided to justify me leaving the village right?" The man nodded, "I already told the people that matter it wasn't true so I couldn't really care less." I muttered, drinking the broth, "Thanks Teuchi. Have a nice day!" I said enthusiastically. I want his most likely last memory of me to be a happy one. "Bye Aelia-chan, I'll see you tomorrow." he smiled while mine faltered ever so slightly. "Yeah. Bye!"

I headed to Tsunade's office, Tenzo at my side, "Are you ready?" asked the woman as she got the handcuffs out of her drawer, "Nope but the faster this is done, the less time I'll have to think it over so… pop those cuffs on my wrists and let get this show on the road." The woman chuckled before putting the cuffs on me and drawing a seal onto my wrist, "This seal will keep you from feeling some of the pain when we burn the sigil to keep you from telling anything irrelevant to the Akatsuki. I talked to the other Kage, they're fine with forming an alliance but they don't want to be involved in this particular operation."

I chuckled and nodded, "Naturally." the woman tightened the cuffs and put me in an interrogation room, "Oh~ It's an actual interrogation! This is fun!" I said with a small smile and a terrified look on my face. Anko entered the room, red in fury, ready to strike to get any information she wanted out of me while Ibiki just stood there, a disappointed look on his face, "Hello there." I greeted them with a smile. Anko immediately slammed her palm on the table, "Before you ask… or hit me in the face… I did it… I confess." I shrugged without a care in the world, "Why?" asked the woman, you had no motive. Why would you want to kill a complete stranger without even having a reason?"

"I had a reason alright. I just enjoy killing. You understand don't you? Watching as life gets drained from the eyes of your victim. The terrified screams of said person as they know their end is approaching. I love it. I love all of it." Anko punched me in the face, causing my nose to bleed. Fuck. This is painful. "You're sick." she commented which caused me to chuckle, "And you're not? I've seen the way you look at the enemy." I looked around the room, seeming bored even though I was panicking inside. "You got the confession out of me. Can I leave now?" Ibiki nodded as he opened the door.

Anko glared at me the whole time we were walking, "This is partly your fault you know? I got a taste for it the day you let me inside that interrogation room." I shot her a smile before entering the Hokage's office. A frown came to her face as she saw my bloody nose, "I remember saying I didn't want her harmed." Ibiki shrugged, "Anko got mad." was all he said as he handed me a tissue to clean the blood running down my nose. "Uzumaki Aelia. Do you have a valid reason as to why you murdered Sarutobi Asuma last night around eight pm?" My eyes widened ever so slightly. So they're framing me for Asuma's murder… I didn't even know he was dead yet. "I wanted to hear him scream." I replied with a sadistic smile on my face, "I wanted to see the blood gush out of his neck as he begged for mercy."

Shikamaru is probably off killing Hidan right now along with the rest of Team Seven. "You're no longer a Konoha shinobi." I chuckled, "I never was in the first place." the woman glared at me, "You have thirty minutes to leave Konoha. If you're spotted here ever again, you'll be killed on sight." she declared, making me want to wince. Stay in character. "I killed a jonin even though I'm still a genin. You really think I won't be able to handle you weaklings?!" The woman sighed as she banged her wrist on the table, "Bring the seal." she ordered. Tenzo appeared before her, a piece of iron with the tip glowing white in his hand. I gulped. This was going to hurt. "This seal will keep you from selling information about Konoha for as long as you are alive."

I winced as the man pressed the burning iron against my flesh, making me gasp in pain. "Ugh…" I tried to hold in my screams by biting my lips, causing blood to run down my jaw. "You deserve every bit of this pain." snickered Anko. The scent of my burning flesh filled my nostrils as Tenzo finally pulled the iron away, making me pant in relief. I started at my arm, bits of flesh were missing and it was all bloodied but other than that, it was fine. My hand glowed a minty green as I tried to heal it as best as I could, when nothing happened, I shot a glance at Tsunade only to meet her cold gaze. "The wound will heal naturally. No medical jutsu will fix it." I let out a sigh, "Diabolical woman." I mumbled, heading for the door.

"Can I leave now?" the woman nodded and Tenzo opened the door, escorting me home. "Can't take all these nasty looks people are throwing at me." my stomach churned in guilt as I met Kurenai's gaze, she shot me a pitiful look. She, of course, knew of her husband's true reason for death but she didn't say anything, she just glared at me like everyone else. I met the gazes of her team, they shot me confused glances and tried to make the people insulting me shut up. "How victorian… Why don't they start throwing tomatoes too while they're at it." I joked, taking my bag and filling it with my necessities. "Kunai, check… Shinsetsu, check… clothes, pads, toothbrush, check… I'm ready to go." I said with a small smile, heading out of the house. "Oh wait." I went back in and wrote a small note to Naruto and the rest of my friends, "I'll see you guys later, I love you all." I wrote on the paper, I had studied for days just to be able to write that correctly.

We walked towards the gates of the village, the nasty glares of the people following me until the very last second. "Will you be fine on your own?" asked Tenzo. "Yeah. Don't worry about me… I'll find a way to manage." I shot him a smile and turned my back, walking away and slowly disappearing as thirty minutes were almost up. "This'll become a literal manhunt unless I get out of here as fast as I can…" I mumbled to myself as I charged my legs with chakra and ran as fast as I could, "I'm a rogue now… well… I never really was a shinobi to begin with." I chuckled as I sat down under a tree.

"Man, even Itachi hadn't become the fruit of a manhunt… but I guess that's because he left immediately after committing his crime…" I let out a heavy sigh, "I don't even have a headband to scratch…" I scratched the top of my head, "Now I'll just have to annoy the Akatsuki until they recruit me…. Or just go notice me senpai on them… which will require me to either have a really creepy crush on one of the members or to become a stalker… Now… which way will I lose my dignity…" I asked myself, scratching my chin.

My ears perked up at the sound of snapping sticks, "Well, well, what have we got here." it was Anko, standing a few feet away from me, "I'm out of Konoha territory. You can't hurt me." I smirked at her as the woman scowled, "Really wish you didn't know our borders." she muttered, standing on the thin invisible line that separated us, "Too bad I do then… I'll be taking my leave… I'll miss eating ramen with you." and with those words said, I shunshinned away to the first place that came to mind: Hideout number sixty nine. I let out a small sigh as I appeared in front of the cave, "If Sasuke wants to talk to me, he knows to find me here I guess." I walked around the place, taking some of my old notebooks with me.

"I'll need to memorize these, really engrave them into my mind…" I clutched my bag with a firm hand and opened it, sighing in relief as I saw the thick dark green notebook inside. The one Orochimaru gave me. "Funny how he cared enough to learn the latin alphabet." I smiled, "Maybe he wasn't so bad after all." I let out a small chuckle, "Whatever… he'll be coming back in a few years anyways…" I walked around the hideout, looking inside my closet and sighing in relief at the sight of clothes. "I guess I could stay here for a while. No one other than Sasuke, Orochimaru, Kabuto and I know of this place anyway." I placed my bag on my bed and emptied it out. "I'll need to find a way to the Akatsuki soon. Since… I'll become untouchable the moment I wear that cloak."

I woke up in the morning and went outside, looking at the sun, "I guess it's around six am or something…" I let out a small sigh and walked towards the direction of Kirigakure. "If I remember correctly, the Akatsuki base is near Amegakure, I'll need to be walking for about two to three days nonstop to get there and that is if I don't get caught by Mei and her shinobi first.

"I doubt anyone from Kiri will hurt me unless I attack them first…" I scratched my cheek, "When is the bingo book getting updated again? In a week or two? Chances are they'll still think I'm an ally or something…" I reassured myself before going back inside the cave to fix myself a quick breakfast and grabbing Orochimaru's copy of the bingo book on the way out. "I doubt much has changed since the last edition so I might as well keep this." I breathed out, immediately leaving the cave after making sure it would be impossible to trace this place back to me.

"I'll need to act quickly from now on. Besides, there's no guarantee the Akatsuki will want me anyway… I'll need to find a way to convince Nagato somehow… or perhaps I could get Konan on my side. Being the only girl must've been lonely and annoying after all." I walked into the misty forest within twelve hours of walking and immediately tried to find shelter. "I'll need to be careful avoiding Kirigakure shinobi. This is their territory and they know how to navigate it better than anyone…"

I noticed a small cave in the distance and immediately took shelter inside of it, "The nights are cold here. Who knew." I mumbled, hugging myself. "I can't fall asleep. I don't know where I am…" I murmured as I started at the stars above me for the rest of the night, trying not to succumb to the need of sleep. "Come on Aelia, this isn't the first time you pulled an all-nighter. Remember that time you had to study for your GCSEs for entire nights because your dumbass didn't bother studying for them the moment they were announced." I slapped myself, trying to stay awake.

In the end, I dozed off for what seemed like five minutes and woke up to a rising sun. I patted myself and went through my stuff to see if anything was stolen or if I had gotten injured, luckily, I didn't wake up in a jail cell or in a place different than when I had fallen asleep so I guess I'm good. "Alright, let's continue walking." I mumbled, getting up and walking south. "Amegakure is only said to be close to the Akatsuki base…" I mumbled to myself, looking at the map that Orochimaru had drawn for me inside of my notebook. My eyes widened as I noticed a ring attached to the string that doubled as a bookmark.

"No way…" I breathed out, "That fucker knew this would happen!" I snickered, holding on to the ring. "I won't wear you yet…" I snickered, shoving the ring inside my pocket. "Man that old man really knew me, huh." I fiddled with the ring inside my pocket and continued walking, speculating about the village as I went, "Amegakure would be pretty hard to infiltrate for a regular shinobi but thankfully, I'm a dumbass and will probably get found by them either way. All I need is to look smart, be confident and speak like an asshole. Basically I'll just need to be like Hidan… but he's most likely buried now so I guess there isn't really a need to bring that up."

"They'll probably ask me to retrieve him as my first mission though… Gods I really hate having to live like this…" After countless hours of complaining, I finally reached Amegakure, immediately getting drenched in the process. "I hate this." I mumbled, letting rain wash over me as I walked through the village, concealing my chakra to the point where I was almost unnoticeable. As I was wearing casual attire instead of my usual shinobi attire, I took the liberty of approaching a man that stood behind a fruit stand, "Hello sir, how much for two apples?" I asked, digging into my pockets to get out a few ryo, "Oh these ones are on the house. It's not everyday a pretty lady such as yourself brightens the day of a dull old man."

I shot the old man a dashing smile, "Thanks sir, have a nice day!" I walked away, waving at the kind old man while biting into his apple. "It's so sweet!" I exclaimed in awe, taking bite after bite. A few more hours passed and I now found myself at Pain's Tower, a wince on my face. "This is where Jiraiya will get killed." I mumbled, walking towards the infamous Nagato and Yahiko's Shrine.

"May you be resting in peace." I whispered, giving the second apple I bought as an offering. I felt a presence behind me before soon enough, a paper kunai was pressed against my throat. "Can't even pay my respects in peace…" I mumbled, "What are you doing here?" asked a feminine voice, "Um… offering an apple to the dead?" I suggested, pointing at the apple that sat on the shrine. The kunai didn't falter. This is probably the worst way my first meeting with an Akatsuki member would have gone. "Could you drop the kunai? I really just want to pay my respects and leave. It's not like I'm strong enough to even stand a chance against you anyways."

The woman removed her kunai from my throat. I immediately let out a small sigh of relief, grabbing my neck out of reflex to make sure that it wasn't hurt. "Why do you carry a ring?" asked Konan. My hand immediately went to my pocket, the ring was still there so how did she know I was carrying it? "We can feel when someone carrying a ring is close. Why do you have one?" she asked, her voice demanding. "Right. Because you guys wouldn't be dumb enough to give people rings without putting trackers inside." I told myself, before facing the woman.

"I just noticed I was carrying it. It had been part of my bookmark all along and I never noticed." the woman shot me a glare. "Why would I be lying? I won't be gaining anything from it." I stated matter-of-factly. "Why did you keep it? You seem smart enough to know what it represents." I shrugged, "My sensei wanted me to find it. So I kept it. I didn't wear it or anything, I know those get stuck permanently if you do." the woman nodded, "Who's your sensei?" she asked, not really caring much. I took the ring out and showed the "Void" symbol to her, "Orochimaru." I mumbled, slightly embarrassed.

"I… really need a place to stay since Orochimaru-sensei died a few months back… He told me to come here in case I ever needed anything." the woman shot me a glare. "Don't lie to me. I know who you are. Uzumaki Aelia." I paled, "I really thought I had burned all records even slightly mentioning I existed." I mumbled before my eyes widened, "Oh that son of a bitch kept a file." I exclaimed in realisation.

"Are these going to be my last moments alive because I have a few things that might change your mind." the woman signaled at me to go on, "If you know about me, then you also know that I'm an informant. I know everything about everyone so I can be very useful. I want to join the Akatsuki basically." the woman chuckled slightly, "If you think those are the only qualifications, you are gravely mistaken." she stated, "Besides, why would you want to betray your village." I smirked, "I never was a part of that village to begin with. They branded, tortured, then threw me out. I didn't even have a headband during my stay! It was so belittling! Imagine being the one person people pay to dig up dirt on people and then not getting anything in return? I mean granted they paid me but they all looked at me as though I was trash!"

I finished my rant with a small pout and an annoyed look in my eyes. "I want to get back at the world for what it has done to me and to do that, I need powerful people on my side. People I can count on. I'll give you information and you give me a place to stay… not that bad of a deal. Also…" I tried my last card right then and there, "Aren't you bored of being the only female Akatsuki member? I mean you have to deal with all those pervs by yourself!" Konan seemed to consider it. She shot me an apologetic smile before something blunt landed on my head and everything went blank.

I woke up in a prison cell with my arms shackled to the wall. "Great. I'm probably going to get raped." I mumbled, looking around the tiny room, starting to hyperventilate. "Um… anyone?" I called, panic shooting through my system, "I'm extremely claustrophobic! Could you please make the room bigger? Or take me to another room?" the room started to feel as though it was getting smaller and smaller, making me feel as though I was choking. "A-Anyone? I'll be useless if I'm dead you know!" I continued calling out to random people until finally, someone answered. "Will you please shut the fuck up?" I recognized the voice to be Kakuzu's and let out a sigh of relief.

"At least I'm at the Akatsuki base." I told myself, "Wait no. This is worse. I'm shackled to a fucking wall." I wiggled around in the shackled, the metal occasionally brushing against the burn mark that was on my wrist. "FUCKING SHIT!" I screamed as I immediately stopped moving. "Stupid she-devil putting that seal on me…" I murmured, wincing in pain as I waited for the agony to slowly but surely fade away. "You brought a kid here?" I heard someone say, "Oh stop acting like I'm the first one!" I called out to the stranger, "Unshackle me will ya. You guys are like S-rank shinobi, I don't see the point of having me in shackles since you guys could kill me in the blink of an eye." the people in the room seemed to discuss it before telling me their decision.

"You're staying on the wall, un." Deidara, I assumed, "But…" I gulped, this is going to be embarrassing. "I need to go to the bathroom." everyone on the other side of the gate chuckled, "That's an old trick come on! If you really need to go, Kakuzu will accompany you." said someone, probably Deidara, I couldn't tell at this point. "The fuck?! Why can't Konan-san come? She's a girl and so am I!" I couldn't hear what the boy said but I'm pretty sure he shrugged at the end, "Come on… please… I really need to go… I need to disinfect my wound." I nodded towards the burned sigil on my wrist.

"Use medical ninjutsu." deadpanned one of the members, "Wow I wonder why I didn't think of that before. Oh wait. I did. It doesn't fucking work, I'm in unspeakable pain and I need to disinfect this shit or I'll lose my hand and I won't stop complaining!" I whined, "I'll be a real pain in the ass and you know it. Also… pun intended." I heard several slaps from the other side of the door and assumed it was people facepalming. "You do realise you're in a room with people who can easily kill you."

"Yeah. That was literally the first thing I said when I realised you shackled me to a fucking wall." I shrugged, rubbing my wrists as Kakuzu uncuffed me, "I just have nothing to live for and it's obvious. Now then, where is the bathroom?" Konan shot me a kind smile and escorted me to the room, "Do you happen to know if they searched my bag? I had some… sensitive items in there." the girl nodded, "They thought they were stickers." I facepalmed and cried for the pads I had lost that day. "I really need some though…" the woman chuckled, "I have a hidden stash in the bathroom, I'll show it to you."

I shot the woman a thankful smile and entered the bathroom with her. "When you said they, you only meant Tobi-san right?" the woman shook her head, "I wish. They all thought they were stickers." I paled, "We live in a world that is so ignorant it's terrifying." the woman left the bathroom and stood in front of the door. I did what I had to do then washed my hands and left the bathroom. "Are you going to shackle me to a wall again?" I asked, a little annoyed. "Leader-sama wants to speak to you… so no I guess." replied Deidara. "I don't remember asking you Goldie Locks." I deadpanned turning to Konan, "So… are you going to shackle me to a wall?" the girl shook her head, "Leader-sama wants to speak to you." I nodded and headed towards where I assumed was Pain's office.

"Hello, hello," I mumbled, letting myself in without even knocking. "Heard you wanted to speak to me?" Pain's face was stoic as he asked me to sit. "Knock next time." he ordered. So there'll be a next time. This is good news for me. "Noted." I mumbled, a faint blush on my face. "I hear you want to join the Akatsuki. Why is that?" I shrugged, "I want to get back at the world. It hasn't treated me well so I want to… return the favor." the man nodded, whispering something to Konan's ear. Meanwhile, I thought about how funny it would be if I brought this dude near a magnet.

"So you're Uzumaki Aelia." said Pain after staring at me, "You do give off the same… energy as you brother." he said, "Just tell me I look like a dumbass man, I know that's what you're thinking." I tried to joke to lighten up the mood but it seems it wasn't registered, "At least you're observant." he deadpanned, shuffling his papers. "I'm told you're an informant. A good one at that too. Tell me the outline of your knowledge." I shrugged, "I know some top secret information about every hidden village including secret weapons, I know a thing or two about the Akatsuki though I had to work my ass off to even acquire it and... my prices are pretty cheap?"

"We won't pay you for information if you join. It's the only thing you'd be useful for so why give you extra money?" deadpanned the man, I sighed, "Seems fair." I mumbled, pouting. "Well… do you think I could be useful to you though? Oh and… that thing Deidara stole… I know some ways to make it into a bombass weapon." Pain cocked a brow at that, "Tell me why I shouldn't just torture the information out of you." I let out yet another sigh, "I can't give you a reason for that. You may torture me but I won't speak unless you give me back Orochimaru's ring and a cloak. I think you know that by now. Other Kage have tried to make me speak but they couldn't. Why would you be able to do what they couldn't?" I just spewed pure nonsense out of my mouth but he seemed to buy it so it was cool.

"I guess I can give you credit for that." shrugged the leader. I gulped, wondering if I would be allowed in. "Is it too late to play the family card?" I asked. Pain immediately whipped his head towards me, "The Family card? Whatever do you mean?" I gulped, this was extremely risky after all, "U-Um… what I mean is that… even if it's distant… you're an Uzumaki… and I'm an Uzumaki… so…" Pain and Konan shared a look before said man let out a sigh.

"Your cloak will be given to you by the end of the day. You may take Orochimaru's ring with you. It goes on the left pinky." I nodded and caught the ring as Konan threw it. "You'll be sharing a room with Konan, I'm assuming that's alright?" the woman nodded, "Better than staying with any of the pervs out there." I shrugged, heading for the door, "See you around, Boss." I left the room, Konan walking behind me, already regretting bringing me here, "I have a feeling this'll be a pain." she mumbled, "Oh yeah it will be. I am extremely immature, like you have no idea." Konan chuckled a little before sitting down in the lobby.

I just stood around, waiting for other people to arrive. "Is the midget dead?" asked Deidara, purposefully ignoring me, "Who're you calling a midget Goldie Locks?!" I exclaimed, already getting heated. I hate it when people make fun of my height. "Eh~ So he kept you alive? Never thought we'd have a bimbo in the group." I grit my teeth, "The only bimbo here is you. Couldn't even properly clean up your crime scene. There was clay all over that school. And maybe, next time you try to steal a power plant, try not to leave a huge chunk of blonde hair behind. Fucking Rapunzel." I mumbled, crossing my arms over my chest. "Say that again I dare ya!"

Deidara and I continued bickering until I got bored and sat down next to Konan, taking out one of Orochimaru's notebooks that he had specifically translated for me and reading it. "Is that some type of ancient language?" asked Tobi as he peered over my shoulder, "Um… sure you could call it that." I mumbled with a smile, "Would you like a lollipop? Tobi likes to give lollipops to his new friends!" I smiled but scowled right after I heard Deidara scoff, "As if any girl would like to be your friend, idiot." laughed the blonde.

"Oh please just shut up and do your weird pottery, Rapunzel. I'd much rather talk to Tobi-san than hear you boast about your "art" which is very messy by the way." I popped the lollipop Tobi handed to me into my mouth and smiled, "It tastes like strawberries!" I exclaimed, "It's Tobi's favorite flavor!" said the boy, "It's Aelia's favorite too!" I exclaimed in the same enthusiastic tone as him. "One Tobi was enough… why did we need another one?" whined Deidara as he slumped down next to Kakuzu. A creak was heard and a certain blue skinned shinobi walked in.

"Oh. It's you." he mumbled as our eyes met. "So were you taken prisoner or…" I shook my head, "I was kidnapped at first…. Then I became a member." Kisame nodded and sat down on the sofa, ignoring the stares everyone was throwing at the two of us. "You two know each other?" We shook our heads, "Nope. We both knew Itachi. That's all there is to it." I mumbled, memories of the day Sasuke came back all bloody resurfacing in my mind. "Itachi kept talking about how the two dating disrupted his plans." I choked on my lollipop. "We were never dating, the fuck?!" I exclaimed, a blush on my face, "We were just friends… That's it." Deidara started snickering, "You sound pretty upset about that, midget."

I shot the boy a glare, "Oh please. At least I'm not out here looking like Rapunzel. Don't you have to paint on walls and sing about how lonely you are?" Kisame snickered at my comment, "Well I see your attitude hasn't changed." I stared at him, my face blank, "The two of you were stalking us weren't you?" I deadpanned. The man immediately denied that claim, "Itachi was watching his brother. I just happened to be forced to watch." I let out a small chuckle, "I guess Itachi was an overprotective brother then." the man nodded before perking up, "You talked to him a few days before he died." he declared.

"Yeah. He asked me how Sasuke was doing… I told him to go check himself." I shrugged while Kisame nodded, I stared at the sword for a while. "She's pretty." I commented. Samehada grumbled while Kisame nodded, "She's extremely useful too." I let out a small chuckle, "Is the size compensating for the size of your dick?" Konan immediately covered Tobi's ears while Kisame let out an "OKAY YOU WANNA GO?!" I immediately jumped back and hid behind Konan, "Don't try to kill me on my first day here, damn!" I exclaimed from behind the woman.

"Calm down, both of you." ordered the purple haired woman, I did as I was told and sat down next to her, going back to reading my book. "Isn't that one of Orochimaru's notebooks?" asked Deidara as he looked closely at the cover, "The title is coded." he mumbled mesmerized. I hit his hand away, "It's not coded, it's in a different language now please get your dirty hands off it." irritated, I shut the book, "Konan-san, is there a library here?" the woman nodded and asked Kakuzu to take me there.

"First door to the right." was all that Kakuzu said as he didn't bother looking up from his How To Save Money book. I let out a small sigh and looked at the two corridors before me, "I guess I'll just trust my gut and go to the left…" I mumbled, walking into the dark hallway and opening the first door on the right. Instant regret flooded through me as I opened the door to reveal a half decaying corpse. "You guys should really clean up." I called, my voice void of any emotion, "Maybe you can get to it. Isn't that the only thing women are good for these days?" snickered Deidara.

Within the blink of an eye, I had punched the boy in the face, "Say that again I dare you," I said in a honey sweet tone and menacing smile, "Cat got your tongue?" the boy blushed out of embarrassment and looked away, "Whatever" he mumbled, still looking away, "I won't be underestimated because of my gender. I'm not asking for your respect since I didn't do anything to earn it but I will not have you belittle me for not having a dick. Is that understood?" I asked, my scowl deepening.

"Come on now you two…" sighed Konan, exasperated, "You can't possibly be alright with this!" I exclaimed pointing at the poor excuse of a man that sat in front of me, "I'm not but you can't teach a fish to climb a tree so you might as well let it swim." I shot her a puzzled look, "What?" I asked, raising a brow, "A fish… climbing a tree… swimming…" I repeated, trying to understand what she meant. "Either I'm too dumb to understand or the quote is too complicated…" Konan chuckled and offered to give me directions to the real library, "It's on the left corridor, first door to the right." I thanked her with a curt nod before taking my bag and book with me and walking in the direction of the library, sitting down on one of the chairs and grabbing a random book.

"No Longer Human by Dazai Osamu… I've heard of this!" I exclaimed, immediately devouring the book. In Bungou Stray Dogs, my favorite character was named after this author, I might as well read a book he's written. I read through the book within an hour, "No~ I wanted it to be longer~" I whined, putting the book back on the shelf. I went outside the library after what felt like mere minutes to find that the sun had set. "The hell… how long have I been in the library for?" I asked myself, heading towards the lobby. I froze as I remembered that I didn't know where I was staying. "Shit…" I mumbled as I headed towards Pain's office. Not wanting to piss off the man, I knocked on the door.

"Come in." he spoke, his voice tired. "I'm sorry if I woke you up. I was in the library the entire time and it seems I don't know where Konan-san's room is." I said sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck. "It's fine. I'll give you a map." I memorised the drawings on the piece of paper and thanked him. "Why did you give me the map though? I mean, I just joined and it has all the secret exits, labs and stuff like that." The man shrugged, the look on his face softening just a little.

"I just decided to. Was I wrong?" I shrugged, "We never know what may happen in the future. I just find it weird that you trusted me so easily. If you'll excuse me." I bowed and reached for the door. "One last thing." called Pain, I turned around and faced him, "Yes, Boss?" the man cleared his throat, "I heard your outburst about not expecting respect since you didn't earn it yet. I'm assuming this means you won't show us respect until we earn it as well. Now then, why did you bow to me just now?" a small chuckle escaped my lips, "You managed to live with Deidara without killing him. Seeing how annoying he is, it must've been hard."

I shrugged while the head of the Akatsuki stared at me, his face blank. "Goodnight, Boss." I mumbled, leaving the man's office and heading straight to Konan and my room. "Hello…" I greeted silently, the woman was on her bed, reading a book. She shot me a curt nod then nodded towards the bed on the other side of the room. "The bed over there is yours. Your cloak and pajamas are on the bed." I cocked my brow, "Pajamas? I don't remember having any in my bag…"

"You didn't." the woman confirmed my thoughts, "These are clothes I picked out for you after going through your bag and checking your size." I nodded, "Thanks." I smiled at her and put my stuff on the empty side of the closet. "Why were you thrown out of Konoha?" asked Konan. I shrugged, "I wasn't ever a Konoha shinobi to begin with. I was thrown out because I sold information to another village." the woman nodded, "You didn't have a headband?" I shook my head, "They never gave me one. I told you, I was nothing more than some kid they thought they could exploit." the woman let out a sigh, "Then isn't it unfair? You were thrown out for doing your job." I shot her a smile, "Exactly." I said, pointing finger guns at her.

"They even branded me too." I pouted, "Hurt like a bitch…" I shuddered, remembering the iron staff almost mending with my skin right before getting ripped out. "That looks bad." declared the woman, examining my burn mark. "That seal… what is it for?" she asked, her voice demanding yet caring at the same time, "It's so that I become unable to move the moment a Konoha-nin spots me… They sort of started a manhunt there. If I'm seen on Konoha territory, I'm dead." I shrugged nonchalantly and went back to organizing my clothes.

"So you really have nowhere to go, huh?" said the woman in a pensive manner, "I would be there instead of here if I did." I mumbled, the look in my eyes darkening significantly, "I guess you wouldn't have, but it really isn't as bad as it sounds. People here won't judge you for whatever bad things you may have done since what they've done is significantly worse." I chuckled at that, "I guess that is a relief." I got into bed and took out the same notebook Orochimaru had written for me, "Orochimaru is a creep. Why keep that book?" I froze, "He… taught me how to read and write. I guess this is just my way of paying respect."

Konan cocked a brow, "I thought you were from Konoha… did you get adopted by him or something?" I shook my head, "It wasn't seen as important to teach girls how to read where I'm originally from. Since I wasn't born in Konoha but in some conservative village, it was judged useless to teach me ways to acquire knowledge that "the men of this village need" to "protect" us." I let out a sigh, I hated how well I could lie, "Orochimaru saw past that and invited me to join him. I refused at first and escaped to Konoha. After being mistreated there though, I decided to leave. That was around the chunin exams. Sasuke came with me." The woman nodded, "If you're as good of an informant as you claim, I'm guessing there's no need for you to hear my story."

"You would be correct." I smiled and went back to reading the book, "Molecular biology," I mumbled as I started to absorb the information that was given to me in the book. I flipped over the pages, my eyes widening as I choked on my cup of tea. Konan rubbed my back as she took the book from me, "I think this is enough of a lecture for tonight." she declared, putting the notebook inside of my bag. "Geez, what did you see that was so shocking?" she mumbled, turning the lights off and getting in bed. "Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning." I nodded, unable to say anything due to sheer shock I was feeling. I got in bed and tried to fall asleep, but of course, nothing came out of it.

Thoughts of the last sentences that I read kept swirling in my head. He created a reanimation jutsu, he created it to help me… I sighed as I remembered the last sentences of that chapter, "This jutsu can only be used once so use it wisely, we both know the importance of equivalent exchange so you'll die the moment you use this jutsu, that is unless you find a way to beat Death. Use it on yourself at the gates of death. This jutsu will help you to turn back time in exchange for your life. You'll be able to save many lives but the cost isn't cheap. Use it wisely." I chuckled at that. Orochimaru wasn't someone that made many jokes so when he said something even remotely funny it was a moment to savor.

Morning came soon after with me not having slept a blink. "Good morning." Konan said, her voice void of any emotion, "What… morning? I thought…. Someone was… putting a flashlight against my eyes…" I said groggily. "You didn't sleep at all, did you?" asked the woman, letting out a sigh, "Nope…" I answered, getting out of bed and going towards the bathroom, "I'm going to take an icy shower and I'll be with you in a second." the woman nodded and waited for me to let out a scream. "Cold!" I exclaimed, forcing myself to stay in, "This is to wake me up…" I groaned, finally out of the five minute long torture and getting dressed.

"It's so comfy!" I exclaimed, wearing the cloak. The woman nodded and handed me Shinsetsu, "Kisame borrowed it to examine it yesterday, he made some adjustments so that you could use it better." I looked at the katana in amazement, it was so much easier to wield now, "I'll need to thank him later." I smiled, getting out of the room.

We reached the common dining room, I waited for everyone to be seated before plopping down next to Deidara since it was the only place available other than the very obvious spot that was dedicated to Pain. "What are you doing here, midget?" asked Deidara, quite literally looking down on me, "Regretting ever coming close enough to hear your voice, Goldie Locks." the two of us continued our bickering until Pain joined the table, silencing the both of us almost immediately. "Aelia. As the newest member here, you'll need to go out on your first mission soon."

I nodded, already knowing that, "You'll do anything I ask?" I scoffed and said without thinking, "Within reason." the people around me silenced, "What?" I asked, oblivious to what just came out of my mouth, "Oh… well I already said it so I might as well stand by my word." I shrugged and looked the leader dead in the eye, trying to hide the fear that was in my eyes, "You're going to ask me to bring Hidan back, right?" the man cocked a brow, "Oh… you didn't know?" the man shook his head, "Whoops. What were you going to say?" I asked, trying to change the subject. There is no way I'm freeing the guy who killed the man who's murder I'm being framed for.

"Nevermind that. Bring Hidan back." I let out a sigh, "Probably should've waited before speaking." I mumbled, "I want Deidara to come with me. I'm too lazy to dig so I'll need him to act like a human bomb. Is that okay?" Deidara shook his head and grumbled out a "No." but Pain ignored him, "Do as you wish with him." I nodded and finished my breakfast. "We're leaving in a few minutes. Get ready Goldie Locks."

The boy shot me a glare and grumbled something along the lines of "Who's Goldie Locks?" I immediately facepalmed and threw the book at him. "Use your brain and read." I ordered, "This is literally a classic." the boy looked at the cover and immediately glared at me, "Two things: one, this is written in a different language and two, I DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT, UN!" I choked on a laugh, "What do you mean? You guys are identical." the boy balled his fists but didn't dare touch me, a wise choice in my opinion.

"I'll be waiting at the exit. You have three minutes." the boy grit his teeth and growled, "Oi, you don't get to boss me around. I'm older than you." I laughed at that, "Really now, you're seventeen. That's not much. You're only about two years older than me." I walked away and as promised, waited in front of the exit. Three minutes passed and there was no sign of the blonde. "Welp. I'm a woman of my word."

I turned around and started walking away from the Akatsuki hideout, making sure to memorize my route. After about an hour of walking, I heard the obnoxious voice of Deidara make its way near me. "You left without me!" he accused, "I did that because you were late. I'm a woman of my word, you made me wait for more than three minutes so I left. Don't know why you're so shocked about it." I shrugged, continuing to walk. "Where are we headed to anyways?" asked the blonde, walking next to me.

"We're headed to the Nara forest. That's where Hidan is buried." the man nodded, "Isn't it told that you can't get out of there without the permission of a Nara?" I nodded, "Yes that is what is told. But I think I may have found a loophole. I was granted permission once so technically, I can still enter the forest and not get lost forever." Deidara growled, "So this entire mission is based on a single theory that you have." I nodded, "Yup. Also, can you make our explosions… quieter? I don't like catching attention," the boy shook his head, "The whole point of art is to be seen."

I let out a sigh and charged my legs with chakra, "We can get to Konoha in under four hours if we run." I declared, already ahead of him. "We'll need to go by unnoticed though… There's a manhunt going on." I sheepishly smiled and went back to focusing on running. "What do you mean a manhunt?" the boy suddenly realized what I meant and smirked, "Looks like we'll need to get inside the forest quickly then." My eyes widened as I noticed Tenzo at the gates of the village. Please don't notice us. We sped past the man and immediately ran around the village and into the forest, panting by the time we were deep enough not to get caught.

"Never coming back here again!" I exclaimed, resting my palms on my knees and taking a deep breath. "I'm surprised we managed to get in…" I mumbled to myself, searching for the place where Shikamaru had "buried" Hidan. We walked for a while until Deidara claimed he felt Hidan's chakra. I heard a faint neighing sound behind me and turned around, my eyes widening at the sight of Rikumaru.

"Hey there Riku." I said with a sad smile, "It's good to see you again buddy." The deer stood in front of the stone protecting it. "I promised to keep this place safe" spoke his eyes. "I can just kill him if you want." I hit Deidara on the arm, "We aren't going to kill unless our lives are at stake. Is that understood?" the boy let out a sigh, "Life would be so much easier if you dropped the morals and just did whatever you wanted." I ignored the rude comment and tried to move Rikumaru. "Come on, boy." I said with a slight smile. The deer wouldn't budge.

"I'm getting annoyed…" declared the boy, fiddling around with his kunai, "Just let me end him. One quick slash and it's over." the deer seemed to understand what Deidara said as it stomped his foot. "No." I declared firmly. "I don't want him harmed." Deidara sighed. Since Pain had declared me as leader for this mission, he had to listen to what I said. I noticed a patch of black out of the corner of my eye, "You know what…" I turned to Deidara, "I really want some coffee. Get me some. Henge into an old woman for all I care."

The blonde turned to me, eyes wide and an annoyed look on his face, "Huh?! You really think I'll do that?" I nodded, "I'm the leader for the moment and I want some coffee. Now chop chop." I pointed to the outside of the forest. "If I leave I won't be able to come back." stated Deidara matter-of-factly. I shrugged. "Then stay outside of the forest and keep my drink warm. Go." the boy left, grumbling to himself about how much of a bitch I was.

After making sure that he was out of earshot, Shikamaru entered the scene, "What are you doing here?! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to be here right now?! There's a literal manhunt for you!" I shrugged. "I need Hidan's body." I declared hesitantly. Shikamaru chuckled, "No you don't." I nodded, "I do so!" the boy saw that I was telling the truth, "Why? Tsunade-sama told us you were the enemy now but I know you didn't kill Hidan. What's going on?"

I cocked a brow, why did he care? We weren't close. I would hardly consider us friends. "Things happened." I mumbled, already feeling an insane amount of pain radiating from the seal, I exhaled sharply and it seems as though Shikamaru noticed. "Have you been branded?!" he exclaimed, grabbing my arm, I pulled it back. "I'm not your ally anymore. Just move aside and let me take the stupid body!"

I knew that what I was asking from the boy was impossible. Shikamaru stood in front of the site, using himself as some sort of makeshift shield. "Either you tell me the truth about this whole Akatsuki thing or you kill me to get to the body." I growled, did he know I would come back from the start? "Fine. I'll tell you as much as this thing allows me." the boy nodded, "Thank you." he said, sitting down on the floor and patting the ground next to him. "This is a secret operation, really… I'm supposed to steal…" I tried to hold in my screams of pain.

"You need to steal something?" I nodded, not being able to speak and just waiting for the pain to leave. "What does that have to do with Hidan?" he asked, skeptical, "T-Trust…" I managed to groan out as quietly as I could, scared that Hidan could hear me from six feet under the ground. "You need them to trust you?" I nodded, trying to hold in my screams. It seems that even agreeing with statements is making me wallow in pain… curse you Tsunade. "Why?" asked Shikamaru, ignoring my pain, "W-wa-Argh!" I couldn't finish the word but it seems Shikamaru got the gist of it.

"I swore my clan would protect his corpse for all eternity." I nodded, sighing in relief as I felt the pain fade away, "I know but I need to… you know why…" I stopped myself from saying anything that would cause me even more pain. "Ask Tsunade for the details. She'll tell you after you let her know that you saw me… I really need it… please…" Shikamaru let out a long sigh and moved aside. "I'll kill you if this goes wrong." I nodded, "Deal." we shook on it then I got to digging, not looking back for a second as Shikamaru walked out of the forest, Rikumaru following him.

After about an hour of digging, I got tired and summoned three clones. "Help me dig." I ordered. It took us about two hours to get to Hidan's body after that. "Jashin has saved me!" I dropped the head, "Oh please! I wish Jashin had dug you out of here, that way, I wouldn't have had to waste three hours of my life!" The man glared at me, clearly annoyed.

"Who are you, kid?!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing through the forest. I clasped my hand on his mouth, "Hush! Are you trying to get us caught?! I came here to save you. Now shut up and reattach your head to your body!" I whisper-shouted. The man scowled but did as he was told, which, given his record, was quite shocking… "Where are we going?" asked the man, his voice demanding, "The Akatsuki base." I answered, henge-ing into a five year old child. "Go on. Turn into a grandma." I pointed, already in character. "The man let out an annoyed sigh and transformed. "I took his hand and dragged him out of the forest, meeting Deidara on the way. I extended my hand for my drink but the boy handed me an empty cup instead. "Don't boss me around, un!"

"Is this your girlfriend Deidara-chan?" teased Hidan. The two of us glared at him, "I would rather date a troll than go out with Goldie Locks over here. Now let's just head back to the base. I'm tired." The men agreed and thus our five hour run started. "What happened to the deer? Did you kill him?" asked Deidara. I immediately shook my head. "I told you. I'd rather not resort to violence unless I have to… or want to." the blonde let out a small sigh and continued running, in silence this time. Soon enough , the sun set and we were now near the gates of the hideout.

"Why did the kid join?" asked Hidan, nodding towards me, "Because the kid had some unfinished business. You can just ask me you know, Goldie Locks over there doesn't know shit about me." Hidan nodded, "Didn't think you'd answer." I shrugged. "Why wouldn't I?" After I saw the look in his eyes, I decided I'd rather not know. "You know what? I don't want to know."

"Good choice." decided Hidan. After a few hours, we finally reached the Akatsuki hideout. "I'm back!" I exclaimed with a smile on my face, "And~ I brought someone with me!" Tobi immediately greeted me at the door, "Lia-chan! I missed you!" he exclaimed, hugging me, "L-Lia?" I asked, looking at others for an explanation, "He thought the first part of your name was too hard to pronounce." said Kisame. I let out a small "Oh." and decided to own the new nickname. "So the new kid's name is Lia?" asked Hidan, scratching his head in confusion. "Aelia." I corrected, "Pleasure to meet you Hidan-san. Now then… Since I finished this mission in less than a day-" I never got to finish my sentence because I stubbed my toe. "Putain de merde je vais te niquer ta mère sale putain de table!" I exclaimed in french while the people around me just kinda stared at me.

"Ahem… I have a short temper. I'm fine now." Tobi leaned to Deidara's ear, "Is it because she's short Deidara-senpai?" the man nodded, "Short people are closer to hell so they get angry quicker." Tobi shook his head, "But Lia-chan is so sweet! She's like an angel!" I shot Tobi a smile and glared at Deidara, "More like a demon sent straight from hell." shuddered the boy as he watched me head to the fridge. "What to eat, what to eat…" I mumbled, browsing through the stacks of food. I let out a sigh, "Yaaa…. Bir bok yok burada!" (there isn't anything in this fridge in turkish but you know… with bad words.) I exclaimed, glaring at each of the men one by one. "Who ate all the food?"

"Are we going to speed past the fact that you just spoke gibberish?" asked Hidan, pointing at me, "Gibberish?! This is- why do I even bother?" I let out a sigh and closed the fridge, deciding to starve for the night. "You should go to the Boss's office. Let your presence be known and shit." The man let out a sigh and walked to Pain's office. "I'm hungry…" I mumbled, checking the fridge once again as though food was going to appear out of the blue. "Lia-chan." I turned around to Tobi, "Yeah Tobi, what's up?" I asked, a smile on my face, "Do you want a lollipop?" I shook my head, "They're yours Tobi. I'll find my own food."

I said with a smile, "But Tobi thinks that sharing is caring and Tobi cares for Lia-chan!" I felt my heart melt as I accepted the lollipop. "Aw! Tobi you're so precious!" I exclaimed, patting his head. "What in Jashin's name am I witnessing?" asked Hidan. I turned around to see him walking in front of Pain. Right… I do remember something about him saying he wanted to kill the man once so of course he'd be walking in front.

"What?" I asked, not knowing what he was talking about, "You're patting Tobi's head." he pointed out, I shrugged. "So? He's so precious!" I resumed my patting of the boy's head and sat down on the floor, enjoying my poor excuse of a dinner. "That's your dinner?" asked Pain, cocking a brow. "There was nothing in the fridge." Hidan cleared his throat, "Well then cook. Aren't you supposed to be good at that?"

I smiled at Hidan, "You know what, you're right! Can I offer you a sandwich? What kind of things would you like inside? Cyanide or rat poison?" Konan shot Hidan a glare as he snickered at my comments. "Oh come on, sweetheart. No need to get mad, I was trying to compliment you." I threw the kitchen knife at him. Sadly, he dodged it. "Блядь! I missed." (fuck I missed.) I exclaimed, plopping down next to Pain. "So many idiots in here, damn…" I mumbled, continuing to eat my lollipop. "That can't possibly be good for you." sighed the man as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Oh I know it isn't but at this point, I'm too lazy to care." the room was silent for a few moments until I decided to ruin it all. "I have a question." I declared, looking at him, "But don't get mad." Pain cocked a brow, seemingly interested, "We'll see." he said, waiting for my question.

"What happens if I bring a magnet close to your face?"