A/N: Greetings! Welcome back to another chapter of Loyalty. So, I've been playing around with the idea of having a secondary series related to this that contains little side stories about Sazuko and Kurogaine, but that'll be a little while yet. I still don't know how many chapters I want to write for this though but I'm going to try and do it for as long as I have the muse for it. I just noticed that the Akatsuki doesn't yet have the red clouds on their coats, instead they are solid black with a red stripe, I will be going back and correcting this in earlier chapters.
After what seemed like hours of running, the trio converged in a secluded location that was surrounded by trees. Doubling over with her hands on her knees as she struggled to bring air back into her burning lungs. One of her hands was pressed firmly into her stomach as she forced her body to slow her breathing, her throat sore from the ragged gasps that left her mouth. Nothing seemed to be broken, a deft prod of her fingers confirmed this, but having a full force water jutsu to the gut wasn't a pleasant experience, added to the sudden and reckless dash from the battlefield while she had been struggling to regain her breath? Well, it wasn't an experience Sazuko wanted to repeat any time soon. Her lungs were still burning from the exertion of having to run while out of breath. With one last raspy drag of air into her sorley oxygen deprived lungs, she forced herself to straighten up despite the twinge of pain in her right calf. Sazuko eyed the entrance to the large cavern that was halfway sunken into the earth warily. If there was one thing she had in common with her clan, it was that none of them liked to be underground for any length of time. But given the situation Sazuko didn't see much of a choice to get around it.
"Down here." Their impromptu savior barked as he- Sazuko could barely make out the masculine structure of his face, and he sounded male- began the descent into the dimly lit interior of what she would later come to learn was one of many Akatsuki hideouts. Sazuko's eyes darted over to Kurogaine briefly, scanning the man for any injuries and seeing him no worse for ware, hesitated only for a moment before following after the cloaked member. Subconsciously she had moved partially behind Kurogaine, as much as to cover their backs, and to hide how uncomfortable the descent made her. "What took you so long?" She hissed at him as her breathing finally evened out, her fingertips reaching out to brush along the stone cavern wall as they descended deeper into the earth. Kurogaine reach behind him to quickly grab and squeeze the fingers of her free hand, partly to reassure her, and to signal to her they would speak about it later. Sazuko's lips pressed into a thin line, and she almost wanted to argue with him about it but relented easily. Now really wasn't the time to get into an argument, given their company. Sazuko's attention soon turned back to their steady descent, eyeballing the smoothly carved walls of the cavern, it looked more like a hallway, and she theorized the whole hide out had been carved into the earth with some kind of jutsu, given the abundance of natural stone. Torches lined the hallway they were currently walking down and Sazuko glanced at the spattering of halls they passed by with curiosity before turning her attention back to their guide. The mans short cropped brown hair was about the only thing she could make out over the rim of his red and black cloak, and he didn't seem to be one for conversation given his prolonged silence.
Kurogaine himself was unusually silent, which caused a twinge of worry to flutter in her gut before she dismissed it. Given their situation she didn't blame the man for his apprehension- causing a skirmish this close to Ame wasn't really in their best interests and could drastically hurt their chances of joining up with the group of peace fighters- but given the gossip she had picked up on in the bar, it seemed like Ame's leader Hanzo had it out for the group itself, and if the attack had been anything to go by, he was determined to prevent the Akatsuki from recruiting more members. So maybe their chances hadn't been hurt too badly after all. Sazuko's musing was cut short as they stopped before a rather large set of doors at the back of the hallway they had been traversing down. The guide before them rapped sharply before pushing them open so the companions could step into the cavernous room. A spattering of wooden tables and chairs were scattered around the large room, and what seemed to be a raised stone platform was situated along the far back wall. Torches lined the wall, one of several sources of light in the room. Several crates and carious boxes of weapons and supplies were scattered along the walls, but what drew Sazuko's attention were the three figures relaxing around one of the more central tables in what was obviously the meeting hall. Sazuko paused to observe the trio as their guide walked towards them, probably to notify the group that they had guests.
Like their guide, the trio wore the high collared Akatsuki robes that hid most of their bodies, but unlike the guide their faces were primarily exposed. The first one her eyes landed on was rather tall and sickly looking, his blood red hair sparking a light of recognition at the color but Sazuko dismissed it, eyeing his purple banded eyes warily. His eyes were narrow, almost girlish, and his pale complexion only reinforced the idea that he might have some kind of illness. He was sitting next to what appeared to be a woman, her hair was a deep blue that contrasted sharply with her orange eyes. The blue origami flower nearly blended in with her hair, and made the small bun holding it in place look like part of the decoration. Her mouth was pulled into a drawn line as her eyes flicked up to their guests with what seemed to be hesitance, if not guarded hostility. The third member, apparently the leader of this little group of rebels, given the protective posture the other two unconsciously shifted towards as Sazuko and Kurogaines presence became known, had bright orange hair and dull brown eyes that were glancing in their direction with something akin to curiosity. The man radiated charisma as easily as a fish swimming through water, and his very aura exuded peace and the feeling of calm. It only served to put Sazuko further on edge.
The three were quietly speaking to their guide, and Sazuko was sure she could easily sharpen her hearing but she felt it rather rude to intrude on the hushed conversation, she was sure it was none of her business what they were discussing. Soon enough their guide bowed to the trio before hastily making his way out of the room, whatever he had spoken to them about had Sazuko's hackles rising further as three pairs of eyes were solidly trained on her. Sazuko hadn't even realized she had begun to slip into a defensive posture at the sound of chairs scraping backwards until suddenly Kurogaines hand was firmly pressing on her shoulder, and he was leaning over to whisper in her ear. "Settle, Saz. It won't do to start a fight here." Immediately she relaxed her posture, releasing the kunai rings she had slipped her fingers into her sleeves to grab. Sazuko mused that she was still coming down from the adrenaline high from the earlier fight, and might have been a little more hostile then she had intended. The though was only reinforced at the hard, but wary stare the female of the group had leveled at her, and the way she was standing protectively closer to the orange haired male.
Sazuko released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and felt the tension drip from her shoulders as she forced her body to relax. The breath came out as more of a hiss between clenched teeth- she hadn't even realized she'd been baring her fangs at them until Kurogaine had spoken up. Shaking the tingling from her hands, Sazuko slipped back into a far more relaxed posture, seemingly leaning back with her hands folded into her sleeves, arms crossed over her chest. "Don't mind my partner here, she tends to be a little...high strung..."
Kurogaine chirped, easily falling into the chirpy ray of sunshine she had grown so used to. Although he had muttered the last part, causing Sazuko to narrow her eyes at him with an indignant sniff. Still, the quip had the intended effect and the trio seemed to visibly relax, although the woman still watched Sazuko rather warily. Sazuko would have snorted at the distrust if she were younger, instead she met the womans eyes squarely, an eyebrow arched as if to say 'What? I'm not apologizing.' Probably not the best way to make friends, but that the woman kept their gazes locked for longer then a few seconds before turning her attention back to Kurogaine had Sazuko begrudgingly impressed. Not many dared to stare an Inuzuka in the eyes for long, as the clan generally found it disrespectful, giving their lupine inclination, and most found it a challenge to their authority. Sazuko didn't take it to that extreme, but she did respect those who dared to meet her eyes far more then those who ducked their heads in cowerdace. The Inuzuka didn't command the same respect as those with, say, the sharingan, and people didn't always avoid their eyes like the plague. But there was definitely something unnerving enough about starting into a human beings eyes only to see an animal gazing back at you. Probably had something to do with prey instincts most humans relied on for survival, but Sazuko wasn't going to question it too deeply.
"I can understand the sentiment. We have several members that tend to display the same...uhm...mentality?" The woman spoke first as the trio came to a stop before them, although her words weren't an insult, it came out as more of a question then a statement. Her hands were clasped loosely before her, and she seemed to radiate the same calm and reserved aura as the orange haired man, although the latter was positively beaming. Sazuko glanced briefly between the two as she cocked her head lightly in Kurogaines direction. She was chewing on the inside of her lower lip lightly for all she appeared to be relaxed. She decided to let him handle this part of the meeting for now, reserving her judgement for later.
"So I heard you ran into some trouble getting here? Looks like you're no worse for ware though." The orange haired man spoke, motioning the group over to one of the empty tables nearby so they could all sit. "Something like that." Kurogaine laughed, scratching the back of his head sheepishly ad Sazuko gratefully took the proffered seat. Her calve was starting to scream at her alarmingly, and the woman dropped down into the seat with all the grace of a wet cat as she began to inspect the cut in her hakuma pants, rolling them up slightly to see what the problem was. "We weren't expecting to get ambushed when we did. Tho, Saz here lead them away before the fight could really break out. Wouldn't do for civilians to get involved and all." Kurogaine explained as he flipped the chair around and sat, resting his folded arms along the back and leaning into the chairs back with ease. Sazuko didn't spare so much as a glance as she poked the small raised red dot on her leg. The area was starting to turn purple, and she suspected she had gotten hit with a Senbon at some point during the fight. Given the burning sensation, Sazuko would wager it had been poisoned or the thin metal needle had broken off in the tissue of her leg and she would have to dig it out later. Satisfied with the assessment, she moved on to check over the other small nicks and cuts she had gained during the impromptu battle.
"Ah, we appreciate that. Hanzo has been making it rather difficult on keeping casualties to a minimum." Sazuko could hear the sympathy in his voice, causing her to glance up at the man, before she gave a gruff "You should see the other guy." which earned her a snort of amusement from Kurogaine, and a somewhat feral grin from the orange haired man. "I bet." Was his rather dry reply before he turned his sunny disposition back to Kurogaine. "So, down to business then. Why do you want to join the Akatsuki? Despite our recruiting regimen, we don't allow people to just waltz in willy nilly." Suddenly the atmosphere turned serious, and Sazuko, finished with assessing her wounds, sat up in her chair, paying rapt attention to the conversation. Kurogaine stayed in his relaxed posture, letting his arms dangle over the back of the chair as he gave the trio a blinding smile. "Why, to help change the world of course!" Sunshine and flowers seemed to literally emanate from Kurogaines very essence as he gave his jovial answer. Sazuko found her eye twitching sharply before she reach over with blinding speed and knocked him upside the back of his head. The trio seemed stunned for a second before she continued in the most deadpan voice and expression she could manage, while Kurogaine seemed to sulk from the repimand.
"What my idiot of a companion here means to say," She paused, as she shot Kurogaine a rather withering glare, she really didn't want to have to speak up at all, but it was best to nip his idiocy in the bud before he got on a roll- really, it was better for everyone that way. "Is that we wish to assist in the Akatuski's goal of bringing peace to the elemental nations and help stop this ridiculous war from spreading even further. The people are suffering more and more as this pissing contest continues and frankly I'm getting sick of seeing all the children being used as weapons for the games of dying old men." The last part was snarled rather violently, her fingers digging into her wrists roughly at the reminder. It was also a discreet jab at the Third Hokage, but Kurogaine would probably be the only one to get the reference. The reminder caused Kurogaine to drop his happy act, and adapt a more somber attitude.
"I won't lie to you. There are worse options for us as Missing Nin, but neither Sazuko nor I are particularly inclined to that brand of violence. As long as our status doesn't pose a problem, we would happily assist the Akatuski in achieving their goals. The quicker this war can be brought to an end, the better off everyone will be in the long run." He paused for a moment, one of his hands coming up to run through his unruly brown hair as he shot Sazuko a side glance. "While my main reasons for wanting to join are...somewhat more personally driven then Saz's, our end goal is the same in that we want to help bring an end to the fighting." The trio seemed to ponder this information for a moment, Sazuko shooting a questioning glance towards Kurogaine before returning her attention to the redhead currently staring her down. His brow was furrowed, and having those purple eyes trained on her so intently unnerved Sazuko more then she cared to admit. "Would you care to elaborate on these...personal reasons?" The orange haired man prodded gently. Kurogaine pursed his lips before giving a sharp shake of his head no. Sazuko didn't really blame him, everyone had their demons and it wasn't Sazuko's place to air the skeletons in his closet. "I would rather not." The soft reply was very much unlike the usually cheerful man, and the undertone of morose sadness seemed to satisfy the trio, if the sympathetic wince from the blue haired woman was any indication. "And you? What are your reasons?" Suddenly finding herself the center of attention of the trio, Sazuko couldn't help but stiffen slightly.
"My intentions are nowhere near as noble I'm afraid. I'm just tired of all the fighting, and I find these constant squabbles between old men both foolish and wasteful. We are Shinobi, fighting and bloodshed are our way of life, something that is unlikely to change even in times of peace, and I can grudgingly respect that aspect- for the necessity of protecting our comrades and coming home alive, protecting and completing our mission objectives and what not but..." Sazuko paused here, biting her lip as her face screwed up in contemplation as she struggled to articulate what she was trying to say correctly. "I can't agree with the concept or the need for war. I understand protecting our assets, hell even our own borders, but I do not agree with the sheer disregard for the amount of life lost, the disregard for innocent life chalked up as some kind of unfortunate casualty or accident when it could clearly be avoided. Especially when most of these petty squabbles could easily be solved with diplomacy and an ounce of tact."
"In a perfect world, war wouldn't even be considered an option, not when better results could easily be achieved by coming to an agreement that benefits both countries. But the main problem seems to be greedy old men left with far too much power who tend to forget that without the backing of his people, he is just as powerless as the rest of us. When people are viewed as little more than tools to be used and discarded, well. Then the loss of life is easy to dismiss, and they don't have to lose a wink of sleep at night, because they think of the dead like numbers- not human beings. Lord forbid they lose someone they care about, but if the rest of us do, its just another 'unfortunate accident' or 'a necessary evil'." Sazuko's voice had grown cold and bitter in the time she had spoken, her eyes glowing with malice. She didn't even realize she'd been gripping her wrists so hard they had bled, her claws digging into the soft flesh and making crimson rivulets down her hands left to drip on the floor. Well, not until Kurogaine had gently pried her hands away from her arms, running soothing fingers over her palms to try and coax her to calm down. Her killing intent had begun to spike, and the cloying smell finally settled on her tongue. Wincing slightly, she shot the trio and apologetic grimace.
"I don't like war. If peace...true peace, can somehow be achieved and put an end to all of this pointless suffering caused by decades of selfish greed? Count me in. But don't get me wrong. The path to peace will not be easy, and the cost for such a thing will demand? Well..." 'Lets just hope it's worth it.' went unsaid, as Sazuko gave a slight shrug of her shoulders before dropping her head and burying her face in her palms with a groan. Rubbing her hands over her eyes in exhaustion she absentmindedly patted Kurogaines thigh in reassurance. She hadn't meant to get so emotionally worked up about the whole thing, and she blamed the sheer mental exhaustion the day had brought on her for her outburst, although the Trio didn't seem to be offended in the slightest given their contemplative looks.
"I can respect that. As you know, the Akatsuki is dedicated to bring peace to the world, and while we prefer to do so with as little bloodshed as possible we understand that the Cycle of Hatred is not so easily broken. I won't question why you've both chosen to betray your villages, given the state of the nation, but I do demand absolute loyalty to the cause. Usually we don't accept missing nin into our organization, since, well..." The orange haired man paused for a moment before continuing, choosing his words carefully. "Given that most missing nin betray the loyalty of their villages, and aren't guaranteed to be trustworthy, by your answers given, I think...we can make an exception for you. Thank you for being honest."
Sazuko didn't look up, so she missed the inclination of the mans head to his comrades, but she noticed when their chairs scraped backwards and they began filing out of the room. The woman paused beside Sazuko, laying her hand against her shoulder, whether from some kind of attempt at comfort, or acknowledgement she couldn't say- it was gone as soon as it had appeared. "You can rest here for the night. I'll let you know my decision in the morning. I'll send someone to show you to the bunkroom you can use, as well as some medical supplies." And then they were gone, leaving Kurogaine and Sazuko alone in the large meeting hall.
Sazuko released a groan of frustration as she rubbed her face furiously with her hands. "I think I fucked up Kuro. I didn't mean to get so upset." Kurogaine simply laughed, reaching over to ruffle her long brown hair as he settled once more into his chair. "I dunno, I think it went rather well, all things considered." He chirped at her easily, dodging the swipe she made at him for messing up her hair. "Your optimism is astounding." She replied dryly, dropping her hands to narrow her eyes at him as she tugged the cloth tie that held most of her long hair back, letting the slightly curling tresses pool over her shoulders as she used her fingers to comb through the still slightly damp locks. "Well, someone has to make up for your grumpy disposition. It may as well be me~" He teased her lightly, dodging another swipe aimed at him and laughing when it was followed by a huffy growl. Sazuko lightly rolled her eyes as she tucked the hair tie into her pocket, leaning back in her seat with a tired groan of irritation, her hair sweeping inches from the floor. Frowning, Sazuko tugged on a rather tangled lock. She really needed to cut it soon, it was getting far too long for her liking. But Kurogaine would likely throw a fit about it. He liked her long hair, said it made her far more approachable and offset her surly attitude. Her lips twitched as she fought off a grin. Surly or not, Sazuko didn't think it mattered all too much how beautiful her hair looked when she was coated in blood and dancing around a battlefield. Plus the blood and bits of flesh were a nightmare to get out of her tresses if she was being particularly vicious that day.
"Hey...Kuro. That boy..." She started, looking up at the stone ceiling. "Which one?"
"The redhead. Do you think he's an Uzumaki?" She questioned softly, not wanting to be overheard in her speculation. A light tug on one of her curls had her turning her head to Kurogaines direction, meeting his questioning gaze. "It's possible, but why the interest?" She gave a light shrug of her shoulders in response, "He unnerves me. He kept staring at me throughout the whole thing. Something about him sets my teeth on edge." Kurogaine gave her a deadpan stare. "A rock could stare at you too long and you'd be on edge." He replied dryly as Sazuko huffed out a quite laugh. "You got me there. Still, what do you think about this whole..." She gestured with her hands, indicating the situation as a whole before dropping her hands to rest against her stomach.
"The Ame ninja were an unexpected complication. If we don't get accepted we'll have to leave quickly to avoid drawing more attention to ourselves." 'To you in particular' went unsaid. Sazuko's lip curled slightly as she exhaled sharply through her nose. "Damned clan marks. I'm going to have to find a mask to hide them if I'm getting that recognizable." Kurogaine tipped his head to her in agreement. "So what happened at the bar?"
"I was listening in to the gossip, trying to see if I could find anything that could help us. I didn't realize we'd been spotted until they started to move. I don't know if it was because they recognized us or..." Sazuko gave a light shrug as she spoke, closing her eyes as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "After that I figured the best course of action was to lead them away and well. It worked but I was expecting you to be right behind me." At this she opened one eye to give him a pointed stare. Kurogaine sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he grinned at her, ducking his head in apology.
"Well, I was right behind you, but I guess our Contact was waiting for us, and he sent for backup. I reckon Hanzo's been targeting Akatsuki recruits here lately so it could have to do with that. I'm glad we found you when we did though. If they hadn't started using Jutsu's we may not have. Their sensor couldn't pick up your chakra signature." Sazuko was so used to keeping her chakra contained and hidden, she forgot that it might have even been a problem. Months of hiding in plain sight, moving from place to place and running from bounty hunters had made the Inuzuka more then a little cautious. "I see how that could have been a problem. I'm sorry."
Kurogaine waved off her apology easily, "Well, we found you in the end. That's what matters. How are you feeling...?" He was asking about her mental state, she realized a moment later. Sazuko lightly lifted her shoulder, as if to say 'so-so', it was getting easier to deal with the bouts of madness that threatened to over take her senses in moments of high stress. Didn't mean the pounding headaches that came with it got any better though. "I'll live. The training helped, but I need to find a solution to my ninjutsu soon, or next time I may not be as lucky." Sazuko admitted quietly, locking her fingers togeather against her stomach. "Well, we have to figure out your nature first. If they approve us, we can work on finding you a teacher." Kurogaine conceded. The Inuzuka didn't train it's children in chakra natures, they studied their clan jutus which relied heavily on their ninken partners, and beyond clan training they didn't see a need to introduce chakra natures in their children. It left partnerless Inuzuka, like Sazuko at a massive disadvantage. One she hoped to rectify soon. Sazuko groaned inwardly at the training that would have to entail, it was like being back at the academy all over again.
The pair continued on in quiet conversation, talking about their recent trip to Ame and the resulting fight when they were interrupted by a soft knock on the door, signaling their guide had arrived. With a wince and a huff, Sazuko pushed herself up out of the chair and silently trailed behind the Akatsuki member as he led them to their room for the night. Their room was primarily barren save for a clothes chest, and two cot like beds with a blanket and pillows. A medical kit was resting on one of the cots, and Sazuko hobbled over to it and promptly dropped herself into the cot with a groan of irritation. Their guide left with a promise to return with dinner as Sazuko waved the man off, and rolled up her hakuma leg once more. "That looks nasty." Kurogaine muttered as he bent down to inspect the wound while Sazuko opened the med kit, hissing with fury as the man prodded the needle sized pinprick. It had discolored further and had a nice bright red ring among the purpling flesh. "It feels it too. Maybe infection, but I think the senbon broke off in there." Humming his agreement, the pair set about cleaning the wound. After it was properly cared for, Sazuko packed the med kit back up, laid down and promptly rolled over to sleep. The day had been long and exhausting, not just physically but mentally for the woman. She didn't even wake up to eat the gruel their guide had brought back, and Kurogaine was more of the opinion to let his companion sleep. Settling into his own cot for the night, he briefly mused at what tomorrow would bring, before letting sleep claim him.