Chapter 5: Acquainted

Jinkusu's POV

I was relived that Hidan had taken a small leave. Not that Kakuzu seemed much better, but he at least would call me 'girl' or by my name. He seemed annoyed by his partners presence. I couldn't have been much better, honestly speaking. I was allowed to sit in silence, which wasn't ever a good thing for me. I guess that's why I always tended to do all the things I used to say I would never do. Being alone with my thoughts was dangerous too. Not just for me, but others as well.

"It's very curious as to why someone as young as you has such a high bounty. You're no ninja." He never even glanced my direction when he spoke to me. Very nonchalant.

"I guess you could say I am self-taught." I wouldn't give up my home information to this man. That seemed particularly sketchy. There were enough issues without letting some national criminal organization think anything of value might be there. My secrets were my own.

"Show me what you know."

Was this yet another test? I hated tests, mostly because I could only barely read. I smiled, no real feeling behind it, "You want to test me? Why?"

"To determine if you will be of value."

I knew not to underestimate this man. I took any shinobi seriously, seeing as there were actually trained to fight and kill if necessary. I had only my own life experiences of combat, which hadn't failed me yet. I took an offensive stance, seeing as he was the one wanting to test me. I formed the proper hand signs and a thick fog formed around us. My chakra wasn't as well developed as any other 19 year old, so the fog concealed me pretty well. I darted towards the man, he hadn't seemed to move yet- probably awaiting my strike. My fist landed were he once stood, he had dodged at the last minute. The ground crumbled and cracked where I landed. I stood up, feeling the air for his presence. I felt something coming fast from behind me, I turned and barely had the time to bend myself backwards just enough to miss the intended fist coming-what the hell was it attached to? Some black stringy looking things. There was no time to think about it as his body came forward fast. Only seconds to think I noticed a small opening and I took it. I quickly jumped to the left and used my refined water gun jutsu. I hadn't tested it on a real person yet, but I knew it was above the normal power scale of such a simple jutsu. The force knocked him back just enough to throw off his balance and I charged quickly bobbing and weaving as I approached to make it more difficult to predict where I was actually going to strike. In a flash, I was behind him and actually landed a blow. He flew forwards, catching himself. I didn't have a wide range of jutsu like others might have, I've always relied on my hands and speed.

'Draw the arrow and shoot, quickly'

What the hell was Wolf going on about? I had no idea. My arms burned that familiar sensation and my skin hardened. I put my arms up as if I had an actual bow to shoot and was surprised to find a black bow appear. It looked to be made out of whatever covered my arms. I drew back and a white, glowing arrow appeared. I could hear a noise as if it was charging some sort of power. This had to be some kinda of chakra technique I was unfamiliar with. I let go and the arrow flew through the air at lightning speed. Kakuzu dodged it at the last minute and it went through a whole tree before exploding. It almost had an electrical sound to it. Was it a lightning technique? I hadn't learned anything but basic water jutsus so I had no knowledge in this area.

"That's enough." He sounded almost confused.

I was too though.

Kakuzu's POV

That arrow looked like something I had read in a book. Some kind of forbidden jutsu, I know. Something that was long forgotten in the times now. I couldn't remember what exactly it was, but I distinctly remember reading about this. The force it shot with could devastate entire nations if in the hands of someone with experience, which this girl lacked. She obviously would be a force to be reckoned with with the proper training and focus. Maybe that was why the bounty said she had to be alive- someone was probably going to buy her for what was inside her. If she was worth that much, maybe it was worth it to keep her with us for a while longer. It could be a good investment. I have noticed she talks to herself- a lot. Now wouldn't be a good time to ask about that, though I made a mental not to ask in the future- so long as she could stay alive. She looked confused about what she just did- how could she not know her own power? Even without formal training, she faired well. She was crafty in her fight style, almost like she was trying to outsmart me. I had no real intentions to attack her- I mostly just wanted to see what she would willingly throw at me. The growths on her arms sizzled away like they did on the night we found her. I wondered if it was painful, even though she showed no sort of reaction to it to make me think she was in pain.

"What did you do?"

She couldn't have been speaking to me. Her talking to herself like that could cause a lot of troubles during our time together. It honestly irritated me, mostly because it was the same as Hidan and his outbursts in the way of volume. She could be yelling loudly one second and speaking in a hushed whisper the next. It made no logical sense to me.

"Well how was I supposed to know that?!" She sounded stressed. Who the hell did she talk to? I wondered if she just heard voices or if she actually seen shit too. I don't need another mental case following me around. If she thought these 'voices' were real, that would be a major problem. I'm not sure why, but this girl had my interest. Not because of any physical appearance-but from the raw, untapped power. And this dog looking thing, 'Wolf' she called him, was a whole other intriguing thing. I wondered what the hell that was. She was pacing around slowly, flailing her arms as she talked. Erratic.

Hidan had walked into the edge of the clearing, spotting the massive destruction to the area surrounding where the arrow landed. "What the absolute FUCK?!"

I sighed, already knowing I was going to get fed up soon with the current company.

"Kakuzu wanted to 'test' my abilities." She sounded upbeat once more. She had turned to face Hidan as they spoke. He glanced over at me and I nodded my head at him to confirm what she had said. I was left with more questions than what I thought I originally had for this girl.

Jinkusu's POV

My arms burned more than normal after using a power I had no clue about. I wished now that I had paid more attention to Varus' droning lectures. I just couldn't ever bring myself to pay attention because I just couldn't seem to learn as well that way. I just had to do it to learn it better. Words bounced around a lot and sometimes made me confused or frustrated. My thoughts were interrupted by my stomach. It had been a few days since I had actually eaten anything. I put my hand behind my head and scratched in nervousness, my smile trying to conceal it. "Haha sorry."

Kakuzu paid no mind to me, while Hidan snickered, "When's the last time you ate, runt?" I guess that was a step up from being called a bitch.

"Three days ago."

We hadn't ate yesterday, Kakuzu made it clear we had to get to this bounty of his before anyone else. We had only stopped to sleep.

"When we make it into town, we will figure it out." Kakuzu seemed displeased at the thought. I knew I was rough around the edges, but I wasn't that much of a jerk. According to him, we were only an hour or so from our destination. The walk there wasn't silent though. Hidan had begun to explain his 'religion' to me, which only irritated Kakuzu more as the two of them started to bicker. I couldn't help but grin-it seemed so stupid how much they argued in such a short time. I had only known the pair for a couple of days and they fought more than Mitsuki and I. The thought of my sister brought a pain to my chest, one only rivaled by the pain of my dead brothers. Although there was never a body found, Varus had assured me she had long since passed. I wondered what happened to her, my mind drifting into thoughts I tried pushing away. I had too much time on my hands now, and I hated it. I was in my head enough when I was busy constantly back at home, but now that I seem t have little to no freedom my mind constantly wandered. My thoughts abruptly crashed to a halt when I ran into Hidan's back. Apparently they had stopped.

"Watch your fuckin' step, bitch" When I got the chance, I wanted to hurt this man. Badly.

"We are approaching the village. Don't draw attention to yourself or us for that matter." Kakuzu completly dismissed Hidan's scolding towards me as he spoke in a monotone voice. He seemed to lack much of any kind of emotion whereas his partnr was fueled by it. Odd pair, but maybe it balances out in the long run. "First we find a room, then we will eat." he further instructed. Who made this guy the shotcaller? I guess he was more levelheaded than the other option though. I was more worried about someone possibly reconizing me. There were rice fields that seemed to stretch forever on either side of the dirt road we traveled on, heading into town. I assumed this must be the Land of Rice, I mean it had to be right? I don't know considering I have never strayed too far from home. Maybe leaving Varus to deal with problems I caused and ending up in Konoha was another foolish mistake. I had no extra protection from harm here and I knew I had to keep my guard up at all times. I had one goal as of right now and I would accomplish it, even if it was the last thing I did. I wouldn't care. The smells of the stall and vendors we walked by caught my attention. Maybe it was lack of food, but everything looked and smelled so good. I very rarely got to eat in any sort of place as I was unwelcomed almost everywhere back home aside from one noodle shop. I think Varus controlled that though so I wouldn't go hungry. We approached a worn looking motel- as long as I could be out of the elements for a night I didn't care where we stayed. The cheap bastard only paid for one room. One room for three people? Absurd. Maybe that worked for them, but I AM a woman after all. The room we got was fairly run down too. Nothing special about this place for sure. It wasn't exactly the cleanest room I've been in, not by a long stretch. But it was shelter for one night. There was only one bed, a single person sleeper, and if I had to guess- Kakuzu was probably going to be the one to use it. He did pay for it after all.

"Another shit hole? Really Kakuzu? This isn't even enough to accommodate our-" SMACK

Hidan had a knot well up on his head, curtesy of Kakuzu. I couldn't help but laugh. I mean, the man did complain a lot. Part of me felt sorry for him. I ran my mouth too. I had been trying hard to bite my tongue since they had forced me into a corner so to speak.

"He isn't wrong though. I guess this means I get to lay on this nasty ass floor?" I huffed, crossing my arms across my chest.

"You two are complaining too much to contribute nothing to this trip of ours." He was definitely pissed off.

Hidan threw a glance my way, and for the first time he didn't have any negative emotion towards me- for the time being anyway. That would more than likely change in the next thirty minutes though. As if a broken record were in the room, my stomach made more sounds of hungry. I felt like I could be sweating bullets right now with how uncomfortable I truly was in the moment. Under constant supervision was NOT something I was comfortable with at all. I always prefered the life of near solitude I had before I started making bad choices- although I seemed to always make bad choices. Kakuzu sighed a heavy breath. If I was being honest, I would prefer to be properly cleaned before I did anything else. Even though I felt like my stomach was consuming itself.

"I'm going to get a shower before we grab a bite to eat." I had excused myself to the bathroom. It was kind of cramped, honestly. I couldn't bring myself to look in another mirror. Not right now- there was jut too much at stake right now for me. I had to try keeping myself level headed. I laughed at the thought. I was far from that. I had undressed and let my hair out of its braids once more. The water was warm, but the pressure coming out sucked. I smiled as it reminded me of home. The soap and shampoo smelled of fresh linen, a rare smell from where I was from. I stepped out from the shower, twisting all the excess water out of my hair and I noticed my clothes were gone. What a sick fucking joke. I wrapped the towel around my body and opened the door.

Hidan's POV

I was shocked that the miser had made it a point to get new clothes for this girl. Her clothes were old and tattered. There was no telling just how long she had them. They say in the corner in an unneat pile. He had gotten her a two piece outfit. It wasn't a high priced fabric but it was cute I guess. Maybe she would be easier on the eyes if she didn't look so rough. It was A plain brown crop top, a yellow color lined the bottom with brown pants, the outer thighs cut out from them, with a single yellow pinstripe down each leg. It wasn't nothing fancy by a long shot, but she would at least blend in with the normal civilians.

"Are these even the right size Kakuzu?" I eyes the small looking clothes once more before glancing in his direction.

"They'll fit."

The door to the bathroom swung open. Had she really came in her fucking nude? Has she lost it? The water dripped from the tips of her hair, making puddles on the floor. Her face was clean of dirt smudges that she seemed to get one way or another. She wasn't uptight like the other women I had been around. The steam rolled out of the bathroom along with her. She looked livid.

"Which one of you fucking pricks stole my clothes?! Goddamned pervert!" Oh yeah, she was pissed.

"I took the liberty to get you something other than the tattered shit you've been walking around in. You owe me." Kakuzu eyed her for a brief moment before he pulled out his bingo book.

I took the liberty to bring the new clothes to her, hoping to cool her down even slightly.

"I hope you didn't get rid of my stuff...it's all I had left of my life." She almost looked pained by the thought of her not having those old shitty rags she called clothes.

"Your shit is piled in the corner over there." I pointed to the left most side of the room behind me. She slowly walked to the corner and crouched down, digging through her things. She grabbed the fishnets that went from her shoulders down her legs. Without a words, she came back into my vision and held her hands out towards me. I couldn't see any emotion in her eyes as she looked at me. I put the clothes in her arms, my hands lightly brushing her skin-it was oddly soft. From what I could tell, she was probably some sort of street rat. Without a word, she went back into the bathroom to put her clothes on. Her eyes may have held no emotion, but I knew that had to be some sort of façade. Her emotions were completely unfiltered from what I could tell. I sat in the only chair in the room and laid my head back, resting it against the wall while we waited. As usual, Kakuzu had taken claim of the one bed-I hoped it was lumpy and uncomfortable. The girl would just have to sleep on the floor because there was no way in hell I would willingly give up the chair, even though it wasn't exactly comfortable either. She came back out of the bathroom and Kakuzu looked up, casting me a snarky look. The clothes fit her fairly well. She started putting her hair in one large braid, her bangs still hanging over the right side of her face. Her hair reminded me of the deep parts of the ocean. Her eyes like ice. Suddenly her stomach made unhappy noises once more. She acted like it was normal for her. This was for sure a street rat.

Jinkusu's POV

I had finished braiding my hair and looked expectantly and the two men I had to share a room with tonight. The new clothes fit very well. They were actually very comfortable, and from what I could tell Kakuzu cared very little about wanting to spend money. Maybe he knew more than he let on. He said I owed him. It couldn't have been too much, but I was broke as could be anyway. I never had much to my name. Only a few yen. Barely enough to even get a snack. I always had to be careful with money as it was hard to come by in my hometown. "Hidan. Jinkusu. Let's go." Kakuzu walked towards the door and Hidan quickly followed. I trailed behind. We must be going to eat. My mouth watered at the thought of food. Anything would be good right now. Three days with no food really gets to a person. Kakuzu had took us to a quaint little sit down restaurant. It wasn't crowded like some of the other places in the town. But I was fine with that. The closer to solitude I am, the better. We sat down and the waitress brought us three cups and a hot tea kettle. It's been so long since I have tasted anything but tainted water. Undercity was full of pollution, drugs, and other things considered low by the Uppercity people. Rich, vain pricks. I looked at the menu before scrunching my nose up in frustration. I only knew some of these words.

"What the fuck is that look for? Ungrateful bitch." Hidan had been pushing his luck with me lately. Maybe at a later time I can discus being tested by him and MAYBE I'll be able to shut his foul mouth for even a second.

"I can't read well." I sighed, feeling something akin to embarrassment.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Kakuzu seemed more sympathetic than his partner, which was a big change in my eyes. I didn't need pity. "Just order something for me. I'm not picky."

We had all been ordered Onigiri and Miso soup.

"Where are you really from?" Kakuzu indulged into his curiosity.

"A village in the Hidden Mist. Nowhere really."

"That isn't exactly what I was asking. I knew that much. But I can't say I know of this place called 'Undercity'"

"It's slums. Nothing but homelessness, drugs, pollution, and just disaster around every corner. It's not a well known place. It certainly isn't visited by anyone. It's like the bottom of the bottom." The talk of home made me sad.

He just grunted at my change of attitude.

"So you're saying you're a fuckin street rat?" Hidan chimed in.

"Yes."

The conversation seemed to end after that and we all quietly ate. It was the best meal I had in a while even though it was light. Kakuzu paid the bill and we headed back to the room. Kakuzu settled in the bed, Hidan in the chair, and I laid on the floor. Everyone went to sleep fairly quickly.

I got up not surprised to see I was not in the same dreary motel. When I looked down, I had my old clothes on. Odd. This couldn't be real. It had to be a memory of some sort. I was in my old home in the Undercity. I had Yone's goggles still on my face. I was at my workbench, crafting bombs of all sorts. The music box Suki, Milo and Yone had given me on one of my birthdays still in decent shape. It was strange to be here in a way. I missed this so much. It wasn't much to some people, but this is what my drab life consisted of. I cackled at the thought of my life being drab in the first place. I had a notorious habit of blowing shit up, and I loved it. Something about it gave me a rush. My door flew open, hitting the wall in the process. He was mad, Again. Shit.

"Jinkusu!" The fire in Varus' eyes was nothing to play with. "Do you know anything about the 20 slaughtered guards in the Uppercity?" He knew it was me, he just wanted to hear it.

"Haha yeeeeah." I laid my head down on the workbench for a moment before he was at my side.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?! This could be what pushed another war between them and us. You know that they will want you on a silver platter."

I rolled my eyes and pulled the goggles up so they were sitting on top of my head. I stood to meet the irate man, while fiddling with something in my pocket before pulling it out. It was a glowing white orb, smaller than the palm of my hand. These things were hard to come by- it's what I used to make my first bomb and we had seen just how much damage it could truly do, even with someone as unskilled as I was back then. Now, this could be huge. I placed it in his hand and hugged him. "I got you something special." He had wrapped his left arm around my shoulders and held the orb up for inspection with his right hand. Not another word was spoken between us in that moment. He must have been happy with my little excursion. That made me smile, a real smile.

He had dismissed himself and honestly, he probably took it to Sevika in the lab. I couldn't stand her. She was like his go to. She was physically stronger than me, but I could have out maneuvered her in a real fight easily. She had lost her left arm because of the explosion I caused as a child, but Varus had gifted her a new arm. It was mechanical and very sturdy. I had seen her punch through walls with that thing. I had gathered up some supplies and decided to take a small stroll to the bridge that connected the Upper and Under parts of the city-if you could call where we lived an actual city. I had climber to the top of one of the towers on the bridge and pulled out a scope. There wasn't much traffic on this bridge so it was easy to find the target I was looking for. Except he had company with him. Two women. That was odd. My heart stopped. Suki? No, it couldn't be. She was supposed to be dead. There was a brown haired woman with shoulder length straight hair beside her. Too close, in my opinion.

I heard Milo behind me, making fun of me in a sense. Was it jealousy that was doing this? "Shut up. It's just a hug.." I trailed off. Although Suki seemed to be holding this mysterious woman too long for my comfort. Kassadin, the original target, had a bag, probably with the other white orb I had lost during our previous fight. Ignorant fucking man. Did he not realize that these could be the thing that turned our fortune around in the Undercity? The power they held could make those in the Uppercity cower in fear of us. I had no idea what they were saying, I can't read lips for shit. I focused back on Suki, she looked upset. Like she was arguing with the other two parties with her at this point. Her short pink hair still as vibrant as I remembered. She was still looking good as ever. She had two gauntlets on, different from her old ones. These looked much bigger suggesting she had built up her strength. She had stepped between the two others at this point. What the hell was going on down there? I had too many questions that I had determined needed answers. I made my way down the tower by balancing on the nearest cable and walking down. As I got closer, I could hear them speaking- I was thankful for the thick fog that covered parts of the bridge keeping me hidden for just a minute longer.

"I can't abandon her. Not again. You have to understand." Suki had sounded determined.

"She's not your sister anymore. She's different now. She willingly works for Varus." Kassadin's white curly locks fell in front of parts of his face.

"Ahri needs my help. I can make it right, I know it." She argued back. Stubborn as ever.

I made my appearance known as I walked slowly from the fog. My pink eyes glowing and a wicked smile on my face. "Thought ya were dead."

"Ahri!" She started towards me but the other two grabbed an arm a piece to hold her back.

"Your sister is Jinkusu?" The brown haired woman had an odd accent, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Her name is Ahri. Let me go!" She jerked away from their grips and started running my way. Oh if only she knew, her dear sister she remembered was long gone.

She grabbed my arm and pulled me into a strong embrace. "I promise I will never abandon you again. Please come with me and leave this life behind." She was trying to plead with me? Pathetic, really. I was content where I was. I was finally free to do as I pleased. I pushed off of her to put distance between us.

"She is dangerous, Suki. Get back." Kassadin came our way, the other woman staying behind.

"She is a wanted criminal, Suki. We have to get this orb away from her. We have to go to the Mizukage immediately." This woman was some type of enforcer. She seemed like she thought she was above me. That sparked a flame inside me. I reached in my pouch and pulled out a scroll. I summoned the sword that Varus had gifted me. I wasn't the best swordsman, but I had had enough of this banter. It was making my head hurt. I charged at Kassadin, he had grabbed his kiba. The set was still in good shape to my surprise. He threw both up in a defensive stance to block my attack. We shared a glare between each other as the power in the air intensified. Suki had jumped back and landed in front of this mystery woman, like she was protecting her. That further drove me into a rage. Where was she when I needed to be protected? The force between our swords sent us both flying back in opposite directions. In a flash he threw the bag at the two women, Suki being the one to catch it. She shot me one sad look before picking up this other woman and running towards the Uppercity. That bitch would pay. No no no, I couldn't kill her. She was my sister and I needed her. My thoughts fighting itself left an opening for Kassadin and he darted, dropping his weapons. He had no intentions to kill me I'd guessed right as his fist connected to my nose, sending me back flat on my back. Blood rushed from my nose, he must have broken it. Before I had the time to react, He was on top of me, a small wind staff across my neck. He held it in place with one hand as the other started throwing punches and I felt fear for the first time in a long time. My pink eyes had turned to blue once more and he stopped. I gasped and tried moving but it was useless. The look in his eyes was one of deep regret and possibly something else.

"Ahir...I miss you." He nearly choked out.

I moved my hand to my hip carefully so I raised no suspicion. A click sounded as the makeshift bomb rolled to the right of our bodies.

"FUCK!" That was the last thing I heard before everything went black.

AN: Alright this concludes chapter 5 guys! This story has a long way to go. There will be more interesting chapters to come, I promise! It has been mellow so far, but it won't last. I hope you all enjoy! As always, thank you guys for reading my fic! :)