Sleeping wasn't difficult for me which was surprising. When I awoke, I felt somewhat refreshed and the pit in my stomach had dissolved overnight. The wet spot on the floor had dried, erased of all evidence that anything had even happened there. I was hoping that would be an indication that everyone had just forgotten about the whole thing.
No chance.
"Hey Ralph, what's cookin'?" Kisame entered the kitchen and rested his elbow on the top of my head as he peered into the frying pans that sizzled on the stove.
"Very funny Kisame," I said as I ducked out from under his arm and continued to move the bacon around the pan.
"Aw come on Izumi, you know I'm kidding," he grinned at me while ruffling my hair. I stuck my tongue out through smirking lips while shoveling the bacon onto a giant plate and cracking eggs into the greased pan.
"So are you excited?" He asked while wiping his top lip of coffee.
"Excited for what?"
"Itachi didn't tell you? We have a mission and Pain wants us to bring you."
My eyes suddenly grew bright, it would be my first time outdoors in weeks.
"Seriously?" I questioned excitedly, part of me waiting for him to say, "No, not really," and burst out laughing at my misfortune.
"You know I can't tell a lie," He smiled.
I scoffed at his comment with a disbelieving smirk before questioning, "But wait, I thought Itachi was supposed to meet with me?"
Kisame shrugged, "Well sure, guess we're hitting the road right after."
"Works for me," I agreed while scooping eggs and bacon onto his plate. "You want toast with that, Kisame?" I asked.
"Yeah, sausage too, and some fucking hash browns," Hidan called from down the hall, strutting toward the kitchen wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.
"I wasn't talking to you," I glowered at Hidan while setting Kisame's plate in front of him. He looked delighted by the array of steaming hot breakfast. Not even paying attention to the silver-haired man swaggering in, Kisame began to chow down.
"Does it really fucking matter? Just do it, and don't get any puke in my food." Hidan laughed under his breath at his own joke.
"Oh," I began, feigning disappointment apologetically, "I'm not sure I'll be able to manage that, I'm suddenly feeling nauseous for some reason." He glanced at me with disdain and I shot him a pointed glare in return. "I guess you'll just have to get it yourself," I shoved an empty plate into his stomach and dropped the fake-nice voice.
He ripped it out of my fingers and quickly turned very ominous, the darkness in his face spreading as he loomed over me. I flinched at the abrupt shatter of the plate against the wall. He didn't even look at where he was throwing it, his eyes staying locked on mine the entire time. The rock was cold and rough against my skin as my body pressed back against it, trying to get further away from him but having nowhere else to go. Hidan's palm crashed against the wall next to my face and he lowered his, our eyes tied together by this invisible force. I considered trying to phase through the stone...
"Hidan…" I heard Kisame warn in the background.
"Nah, give us a second, Kisame-chan, we're just working something out," he responded in a jeering tone before returning his attention to me, his mood instantly shifting to that of a predator honing in on its prey. His face moved uncomfortably close to mine with his lips just inches from my ear as he spoke with a low, growling timbre.
"You better fucking learn how to speak to me, bitch. Learn, and learn quickly." His mysteriously purple eyes glinted from behind the shadows of his sunken and shadow-immersed face. I swallowed hard as his hot breath whispered against my face. I knew the fear could be seen in my eyes, but I just couldn't look away. "Jashin forbids me from not killing anyone I end up fighting so just keep that in mind." Hidan said, seemingly getting some enjoyment out of my fearful reaction.
I was startled by the sudden appearance of a hand on Hidan's arm.
"Sit down, Hidan," Itachi said boldly as he pulled Hidan's arm away from the wall, allowing me to slip out from in front of him and tend to the nearly burnt eggs popping in the pan. I gave Itachi a quick grateful look as he sat at the table.
The rest of breakfast went smoothly enough and before I knew it, I found myself sitting in Leader's office with Itachi and Kisame.
"During the mission it would be wise to acquire some clothes for the girl, although she must always wear this in public." Pain pushed an article of clothing across the desk towards me. I grabbed it hesitantly and inspected it—a long black cloak devoid of any red clouds. I looked at Pain curiously.
"We don't need to announce to the world that you are now in our possession, it would be best for you to keep a low profile for the time being."
I hated that… our possession. But despite that, I nodded and gripped the hooded cloak in my lap.
"Before you leave, we will examine the girl for traces of what I suspect is a memory seal." Pain went on to explain to Itachi and Kisame. He then looked directly at me and gestured for me to sit on the floor. I quickly obliged.
Kisame sat back as Itachi and Pain both made a hand sign before circling around me as if they were looking for something that I couldn't see. I could hear Itachi's footfalls stop directly behind me and I soon felt the brush of his fingers against the nape of my neck, causing me to jump slightly in a tense motion.
"You can relax," he said quietly before calling Pain over.
"Here," Itachi's voice was calm and his touch was surprisingly gentle as he combed his fingers through my hair in a fluid motion to move it aside. He pushed lightly on the back of my head, tilting it forward so I was looking straight down at the floor. His hand brushed over the back of my neck as if feeling for something invisible and I tried to hide the shiver it sent down my spine.
"Hmm," I could hear Pain from behind now as well. "It looks rather complex…"
Itachi made a quiet noise of agreement.
"I am curious about one thing," Pain trailed off, leaving briefly before returning with Sasori who immediately approached me from behind, leaning down to examine the nape of my neck thoughtfully.
"Hello Izumi," he greeted softly before speaking to the others, "Any number of ninja could have done this but… I'll admit it does seem reminiscent of his style." Sasori pondered. I wondered who they were talking about and what they were seeing but I knew better than to ask.
"Izumi," Pain addressed me. "You had mentioned there was a man your parents were in contact with, someone they were going to transfer you to. Did you ever see this man or hear his name?"
Without looking up I answered. "No, I… I only heard him. His voice alone scared me if I'm being honest. They were basically begging him to take me, like they'd been watching after me for him and it was time for him to collect or something."
"But he said no?" Pain inquired.
"Not exactly. He said… soon."
"And that's when you left?" Itachi asked.
I nodded.
The three shinobi stepped away from me for a moment to convene with Kisame. They all spoke in hushed tones before Pain called me over.
"As suspected, there is a memory seal within you. Itachi and Kisame will begin working on breaking this seal on your journey. It will be a rather long process if we are looking to keep your mind intact. At the moment, we are. You will accompany them on a mission, I trust you will follow their orders." Pain's eyes drilled into me.
"Yes," I nodded vigorously, just happy to be leaving the complex.
After taking a few moments to pack some food while Itachi and Kisame gathered their things, we set off on our journey.
"It's been so long!" I cried out with my arms in the air, looking up towards the brilliant blue sky. It was the end of winter, still a chill breeze clinging to the air, but the sun shone as a warning to the cold that it must leave soon.
Kisame glanced around, unimpressed by the beautiful weather. "Whatever floats your boat, kid."
"I resent that," I glared at him. He raised an eyebrow in questioning.
"I'm no kid, just cause I'm small doesn't make me a kid."
"Really? You coulda fooled me, you're a little weakling like a kid," he grinned, I knew exactly what game he was playing, and I was buying right into it.
"I am not!" I cried out defensively with my hands at hips, struggling to keep up with their fast pace.
"Prove it," he smirked as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.
"Hey, that's not fair!" I yelled as I beat my fists against his back, doing more harm to my hands than him.
"You can't even get down, what a little baby. Maybe I was too generous with 'kid', huh?" he laughed boisterously at my pathetic attempt to inflict any pain on him.
"Stop, that tickles!" He yelled while laughing, clearly just messing with me at that point.
"Alright, you win," I huffed in defeat, letting my body go limp. He chuckled under his breath as he let me back down. I noticed Itachi glance at us from the corner of my eye. He didn't look amused, but not annoyed either which I guessed was a good thing.
I now knew why these guys were all so fit—so much walking. It was starting to take a toll on me, my feet pulsed with every step, begging me to stop and rest. But I didn't want to be a nuisance, so I pushed through it. I was content with the scenery at least. The many greens of the forest were stunning as the sounds of the trees swaying sung softly in my ears. A couple frogs cried out to each other in the distance, merry chatter for such a lovely day.
"Izumi," Itachi's voice brought me out of my mystified stupor.
"What? Oh, sorry." I shook my head, realizing that I had stopped in my tracks. I ran to catch up to Kisame and Itachi.
"Let's break here," Itachi said as he took a seat on a large exposed tree root that twisted beneath him.
"Good idea, especially for this one," Kisame teased while pointing at me with his thumb.
"Hey, I didn't ask for a break, I'm just not opposed to one is all," I retorted with my arms crossed.
He laughed at my horrible attempt to hide how tired I really was. "Sure, sure. I'm going to find us some fresh water, be back soon."
I stood awkwardly for a moment, watching Kisame become smaller in the distance before being engulfed completely by the dense forest. When I turned to Itachi, he was unwrapping a rice ball.
"You must be hungry," he held it out to me. I didn't hesitate to take it, my stomach would have been angry if I had.
"Thank you," I said quietly while taking a seat beside him. I ate the rice ball slowly while taking in my surroundings. I noticed Itachi wasn't eating.
"What about you?" I asked somewhat sheepishly, suddenly uncomfortable that I was the only one eating. A silence settled before he dared to disturb it.
"I'm not hungry," he stated. I didn't believe him, we had been walking all day.
"You can have the rest of mine if you'd like," I offered, holding it out to him.
He didn't even look at it, he looked at me. Blank as slate and cold as snow, I stared into his eyes to try to understand what he was thinking. Moments passed like this, and although my mind was scrambling a million miles per hour, I was going nowhere. He broke the gaze, looking towards the sky, where just a few sun rays penetrated the forest's canopy. They shimmered down in dusty trails, setting spotlights upon the ground.
"No, thank you," he finally said. I continued to stare at him, he didn't belong there—in the Akatsuki. I couldn't help but wonder what happened to make him end up in a group like that.
"Itachi…" I trailed off as I looked away. I saw from my peripheral vision that he turned to look at me.
"Why did you kill your clan?" I didn't dare look at him. I clutched my hands together and played with the hem of the cloak between my fingers. That silence spoke more than the others. It was like a gust of wind carried hidden messages between the leaves. I could feel them but I couldn't understand what they were trying to say.
"It had to be done," he finally ended up saying, a lingering sigh clung to every word. I left it at that.
It was minutes later when Kisame returned. "Well aren't you guys just a couple of chatter boxes," he exclaimed sarcastically while handing us our freshly filled canteens. It was time to walk again.
It was nearly dark and the temperature had dropped considerably since we first left. My skin felt cold and sticky thanks to the thick blanket of fog that wrapped our bodies. I could barely see Kisame and Itachi in front of me but I followed them well enough by listening to their footsteps. Itachi's were quiet but palpable, like murmurs against the ground every time he took a step. Kisame's were less elegant and more casual, a loud trudge rather than a gentle glide.
Despite my very scientific internal analysis of their footfalls, I managed to not even notice when they faded out. I spun in a circle, desperately trying to see anything, outreaching my arms in every direction.
Shit. How long have the footsteps been gone?
"Hello?" I called out quietly. It was eerily hushed, only drips of cold rain hitting against the ground sounded in my ears. The fog was too thick for me to see anything, so I decided to try something. I stretched my arms out in front of me and concentrated on making a path. Slowly, little wisps of fog began blowing to the sides, creating a narrow path of vision before me. I concentrated harder and faced my palms out. A thick layer settled on the ground, but waist up I could see perfectly quite a way in front of me.
"Izumi?" Kisame's voice sounded distantly from my right. Turning towards the voice, I dissipated the fog to the point where I could see them faintly in the distance. I saw him point towards me before calling out, "What are you doing? Come over here."
"Coming!" I called back as I began running towards them, feeling slightly high from getting to use my abilities.
I was running just fine towards the dark figures shrouded in fog until I felt myself falling. I let out a shocked gasp as the ground fell out from beneath me and I plunged into water so cold my body froze on impact, tensing to the point that I couldn't even make it move. I slowly sank, screaming in my mind to move, to do something. Nothing stayed warm, not even my bones.
Snap out of it Izumi.
I grasped my head violently as I sank even further, the freezing bitterness penetrating my skull, causing it to buzz in upheaval. I gritted my teeth and forced my legs to kick. It was slow at first but it didn't take long before they were flailing wildly, making my way towards the surface desperately. Or at least I hoped I was heading towards the surface. My lungs began to tighten and fill with gasoline, it was only a matter of time before someone would light the match.
Everything around me was dark, I realized with horror that I no longer knew which way was up. I hadn't imagined my death like this to be quite honest. I stopped struggling and let myself float there, almost serenely. Tiny bubbles squeezed their way from my lips and fled the sinking vessel, dancing sporadically as they climbed upwards.
Thanks for reading!