Disclaimer: Refer to chapters1 and 2

Chapter 8: A Nightmare and the Beginning

I shoved the key roughly inside of the lock and opened it. Instead of the comforting, familiar air inside the apartment, it felt rough and dark.

I stepped in. There were no lights on either. That was strange. Even though Mom worked at the bakery from six AM to noon, she'd usually leave the curtains open, letting the sun through. Plus, she was in no condition to go to work since this morning.

I took another cautious step forward. "Mom?" I asked.

Nothing, not even a rustle.

I took another step inside, now I was fully in our apartment and not at all outside. "Mom?" I asked, a little louder.

A wind blew from nowhere and slammed the door shut behind me. I jumped, thinking it was just the wind. But, then again, none of the windows and curtains were open. The swamp cooler wasn't on either; it was in the middle of spring. Also, the weather outside was bright and sunny.

I began to sweat. I reached my pant leg and pulled out a kunai from my kunai holder. "Mom?!"

Suddenly, a light turned on. It was the reading lamp that was placed near the arm chair. "Nervous, are we, Zeni?" said the all too familiar voice.

I gasped when I saw Itachi sitting in the armchair with an insane smile stretched across his pale face. "What-what are you-you-" I stammered. I let go of the kunai. It clattered to the ground.

Itachi got up and glided over to me. He placed his hands on my shoulders. I would've moved, but fear did not allow me to do so. He shook his head. "Zeni, Zeni, don't be afraid. This was all for your own good."

I looked at him puzzled. I had no idea what was going on, but all the same, a chill ran down my spine.

"Now, Zeni, you must understand," he said in his silky voice. "Everything has consequences, and this morning you were not a good girl." He heaved a sigh, as though this was hard for him to tell me this. "When you do something wrong, you should be punished, right?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, sir," I said meekly.

"Then you agree with your punishment."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, do not say anything of this again. Even if you slightly say something about us, you will be in jeopardy. We don't want you to get into anymore trouble, now do we? Remember our promise: do not tell anyone the truth."

Sasuke. That was it. I was about to tell him, but Kakashi and Sakura stopped me. I felt like a child, being told off for breaking a window or something. "I will."

Itachi frowned. "Be glad that we spared your life and took another's."

Another's? Who did he kill in my place? I mentally shook myself. It didn't matter now. All that mattered was to keep me and Mom safe.

Itachi led me over to the couch and sat me down. He, however, didn't make a move to sit down. His eyes shone brightly. "Remember Zeni, I-no, we are always watching you. We take care of you. All we ask in return is for you to sacrifice a little of your time to become a ninja. You aren't trying hard enough. You need to keep on trying. I don't care how much this exhausts you but you need to do what we ask you. It's for your own good," he repeated.

I looked away from him. How dare he try to comfort me? How dare he try and act as though he has protected me? He didn't even raise his voice.

He seemed to know exactly what was on my mind. "Your father was a traitor. He did not love you. He never did. If he really did, then do you think he would go against the Akatsuki and leave your Mom and you like this?"

"N-no, sir."

"Good. Now let me here you say that he was a traitor. I need to hear it from you."

Without hesitation, I said, "My father was a traitor."

He patted my head. "Good girl. Now, enjoy the gift that I left you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must meet Kisame," he bowed. "We will meet again. And it will be sooner than you think. Farewell."

With a swish of his cloak he vanished. I sat there for a few minutes, trying to absorb all that had happened. He had come to my house again...and then there was this punishment he kept on ranting on about...who could he have kill- "MOM!" I yelled.

I jumped up from the couch and ran down the hall to her bedroom. The door was still closed. I furrowed my eyebrows and opened the door. A gasp escaped from me. There was Mom, facing upwards on her bed. I rushed to her and wrapped my arms around her. "Mom...Mom..." I pleaded. "Don't leave me! Please...don't!" I cried through my tears. I forced myself to look in her eyes. They were open and seemed to be screaming. How did Itachi kill her? There was no blood. Maybe it had to do something with those eyes of his.

I sat there, sobbing for I don't know how long. But, after awhile, I picked myself up and as hard as it was, headed to my bedroom.

My hands shook as I got my backpack out and began to load extra clothes and food in it. This was quickly done within a minute. I quickly threw it on. But, before I headed downstairs, I grabbed Sasuke's peppermints and the necklace that Sakura gave me (I take my jewelry off every night, before I get to bed.).

I went back into Mom's room, my eyes downcast. I kneeled beside the bed and began to quietly sob again. "Mom?" I asked. "What am I doing here? I'm no ninja. I'm weak. I have no courage. You were the one that pushed me along. Now, where do I go? What do I do?"

Mom's body stayed still. I bowed my head and kissed her cheek. "Forgive me. I thought it was for the best. I didn't think."

I got up and looked at her. Her brown hair was messy and untidy as though she had put up a struggle. Her mouth was still agape, as if she had been screaming.

Now, there was nothing more Itachi could take away from me. Nothing mattered anymore.

But-what about Team 7? The voice within my head asked softly.

I slowly nodded. How could I have been so stupid? Though I have only known them for about a week, I still thought of them as my friends.

That was when I decided. I need to protect those I love from this same fate. With a determined face, I untied my hitai-ate from my neck and put it on my forehead. I tied it there, securely.

I grabbed a kunai from its pouch and with the other hand, I put my hair up in a ponytail. Closing my eyes, I slashed the kunai through it. Weight lifted from my head. I put my hair down.

I slowly walked over to the mirror that Mom always kept in her bedroom and stared into it. My twin had now, short, messy hair that went a little bit further down than her ears. Her eyes weren't dull anymore, now they had a new life in them, anger and hate. And her hitai-ate was shown, tied around her forehead, not fearing to show the world what she has become: a ninja.

And turned from the mirror and to Mom. "Goodbye," I said quietly. I walked out of her room, but left the door ajar.

I walked to the front door and went outside. I quietly closed the door behind me and locked it

I didn't fret about Mom's body. A maid comes by every few days to clean the apartment. She has her own key, and I am pretty sure that she will have no trouble finding Mom.

"There you are! Where've you been?!" Naruto asked loudly as I walked onto the training grounds. Sakura and Sasuke were already there. Kakashi wasn't there. He was probably showing the old man a bathroom. Hooray for hangovers.

"Nowhere!" I yelled back.

Naruto bounded up to me. "Whoa! You cut your hair! Why'd you do that?"

"Because I felt like it," I said coldly.

Naruto began to look concerned. "Ne, why are your eyes red? Have you been crying?"

I turned away from him. "I have allergies."

He stared at me curiously. "Are you sure?" he prodded.

"Yes, I'm sure!" I snapped.

Naruto looked a little hurt. "What's with you?"

I faced him. "Nothing. I guess I'm just nervous about going out of the village," I lied. "This will be my first time, you know."

Naruto flashed a smile. "I know what you mean! This will be my first time going out of Konoha too!"

I smiled too, even though it was a little strained. "Good. Now I don't feel like an idiot."

"Ano, Zeni-chan, guess what?"

I blinked. "What?"

"I brought ramen!"

"Really? So did I!"

"What flavors did you bring?"

"Chicken. It's my favorite flavor."

"I brought miso pork!"

"That's good. Now we won't starve with Kakashi-sensei's cooking."

We both laughed.

"Is my cooking really that bad?" a voice said behind us.

I laughed, but didn't answer back.

Naruto, however, began to bounce on the balls of his feet. "Do we leave now, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi smiled. "Yes!"

Reviewer Responses:

swt-angel-babi3: It was a long update. But when you take a lot of time doing it and perfecting your stories, it comes out worthwhile. Thanks for the happy compliments!

Neogem: I like SasukexOC fanfics too! You gotta love em! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Kausi: Yeah, I did, didn't I? Oh well, at least I tried my best. Thanks for the happy compliments!

Cookie6: Thanks for the happy compliments! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

krn-kimbap: Yep! You guessed right!

kie-san: Thanks for the happy compliments! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

lukeluke: Nu-uh! Are you kidding? That would be so boring if I followed the whole story line! But, I will have to for a little while...but, no. Not gonna be following it the whole story. That would be boring. Anyways, thanks for the happy compliments!

Akari Kametsura: I'm glad you like it! Thanks for the happy compliments! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

emma-chan: Yeah, it is a bit short, I agree. I try to stretch these out as long as I can. But, hey...at least it was a bit longer than usual. It was 500 words more than usual! Yay! Thanks for the happy compliments!

EternalMidnight: Wow! You really liked it that much? LOL! Thanks for the happy compliments! And I can't wait for your update!

Monkey Shoes: You think so? I think that was my first cliffy. Hmm...::begins to plot even more evil cliffys in the future:: Thanks for the happy compliments!

Demoneyes14: Don't worry, I still have your Neji/Saku idea in mind! Do you not like Neji/Ten pairings? Thanks for the happy compliments!

Yay! Chapters are now getting progressivley longer! Hooray for me! Man, poor Zeni...I'm making life too hard for her, aren't I?

Next update? Um...::ponders in thought:: I don't know. Probably after I update on 'Life'. Hopefully it'll be soon!

Remember, the more reviews I get, that faster I update.

Ja ne!