A/N: Oh right, forgot to add that thingy...Ahem... Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the characters, concepts, names and related indicia. They are copyright (c) Masashi Kishimoto. (Although I wish I did, heh)
"You're not taking me seriously, assholes! Move like you mean it!" yelled Metsuki, throwing another three kunai at a tree stump angrily. A shadow paused in the clearing, holding up it's hands and coming forward towards her.
"Please, Metsuki-sama. Houtan-sama expected us back hours ago. The sun has already set, we should head back," the figure moved into the moonlight, revealing an Akatsuki robe and an odd, slitted face.
"Shut the hell up, Kisame! Get back and do this again!" The Akatsuki flinched and retreated as another form moved forward. "Metsuki-sama, if we do not head back now, Houtan-sama will have our heads. Please listen to me."
Metsuki paused and considered for a moment before replacing her kunai and draping her Akatsuki robe across her shoulders. "Fine, Shoku-san, but only for you. Let's go," Metsuki tied a peice of black cloth over her face, completely covering her eyes. Behind her, eight other forms emerged from hiding spots, all in red and black robes. The one who had spoken with Metsuki earlier fell into step beside her. He was much older than her, around twenty, and had blonde hair and deep grey eyes. On his forhead he wore a Hidden Cloud forehead protector with a slash running through it.
"You've improved alot, Metsuki-sama. Will you be training tomorrow also?"
"No, I'm too tired, and I wanted to ask father something. If he allows it, it should be fun," she replied, kicking at the dirt as she slowly walked back to the Akatsuki's headquarters. Although Metsuki was only twelve, she was revered by all members of the Akatsuki, and regarded as the most powerful aside from her father, and the leader, Houtan. She might have just been respected so much because she was the most treasured item her father posessed.
Metsuki had raven black hair, except for a single red streak in the front, and she always wore a peice of black cloth tied over her eyes. The cloth prevented her from releasing too much chakra, and although she could still see, it did impair her eyesight a little. As she slowly walked back to the headquarters, her loose black hair reached down to her shoulders and fell messily across them. She coughed and sped up, it was getting late.
His voice echoed throughout the chamber, low and dangerous, as he adressed the eight Akatsuki. "If anything had happened, had someone attacked and harmed her in any way, I would have killed you all myself. If this happens again, then I will not-" Houtan was cut off in mid-threat as the door to the meeting room opened and Metsuki walked in.
"Give it a break, father, they don't deserve it. I was the one who wanted to stay and train anyways," she said with a dismissive wave and a small grin. Houtan sighed and dismissed the meeting, sitting down in a chair and rubbing his temples. Black hair fell in front of his pale face as he sighed again.
"What do you want, Metsuki?"
"I came to ask you something. I wanted a nice birthday present this year, so I thought up a perfect one. I just wanted to ask your opinion."
"Oh? And what do you want for your thirteenth birthday?" he asked sitting back and looking into her cloth-covered face. He already knew what the answer would be.
"I want to go and spend some time away from home in another village. I wanted to ask you which one... I need to learn some new jutsu 'cause I'm getting bored."
Houtan sighed and closed his eyes. "I guess I can't refuse this time. I suppose it would be alright to let you stay in Konoha for a little while, as long as you don't destroy it completely. There are enough people after us already, and it's such a hassle to clean up all the blood."
Metsuki celebrated a silent victory inside of her head and stood turning away. She hadn't expected her father to agree. Dashing out of the room before Houtan could change his mind, she headed upstairs to her small bedroom.
The walls and floor were covered with things she had taken from the bodies of her enemies, headbands from other villages, unusual weapons, rare jewels and jutsu scrolls. The ceiling was full of holes from kunai and shuriken and everything was a mess, except for her bed, which she flopped down on, sighing heavily and falling asleep almost instantly.
Through her bandana, she saw the red outlines of the things around her. As she hapily drifted off, the last thing she saw was the full moon outlined in deep, glowing red. A red moon, the Akatsuki. The name she had givin the group of missing-nin because it was what she saw through her own eyes.
Metsuki was awake at precisely sunrise, just as the first slivers of sunlight penetrated through her window. She stared up at the ceiling through the bandana for a moment, before slowly getting up. She felt less enthusiastic about going to Konoha now than she had the previous night, perhaps because she was definitely not a morning person.
Stumbling over to her closet, she opened it a crack and a large black thing flew out, circling the room once before landing on the ceiling, hanging upsidedown from a kunai. It was a large bat.
"Shikon, how'd you get stuck in the closet again?" she mumbled sleepily, picking out her outfit for the journey. She chose a pair of loose black pants, a dark green turtleneck and a black vest. She also removed a clean black bandana and threw it messily on top of her pile of clothing.
Grabbing the pile, she opened the door to her room and went across the hallway to the bathroom and the shower, closing the door and stepping into the shower. She removed her bandana, opening her eyes and seeing the world in colour. Her left eye was pale pink, and her right eye was a strange crystal blue. She blinked a few times before washing out her dirty hair.
Metsuki came out a few minutes later, almost fully awake, and wearing her new bandana. She leaned her head into her bedroom and called out to the bat sleeping on the ceiling. "Shikon! Let's get outta here." The large dark brown bat dropped from the ceiling and landed on her right sleeve, falling asleep again. "Freeloader," she mumbled before walking off again.
She entered her father's meeting room, where he was still at the desk looking over scrolls and maps. "I'm gonna go get Shoku to take me to Konoha. See ya in a while," she said casually, leaving. But Houtan spoke up before she left, "Plese try not to destroy the village this time, Metsuki. I'm getting the Akatsuki to follow you this time. And don't give too many of your secrets away either, that caused alot of trouble last time and took a long time to clean up."
Metsuki snorted and left, walking slowly towards Shoku's room. She opened the door without knocking, as she usually did, but found no Shoku. Grunting in frustration, she turned to leave and look for him, almost knocking over Itachi.
"Watch it, baka! Hey, have you seen Shoku-san?" she said, looking fearlessly into his red sharingan eyes and almost smiling. Although Itachi was the third strongest in the organization, his sharingan had no effect on her due to the fact that her eyes were always covered.
Itachi paused for a moment, shifting slightly before answering, "I believe he is patrolling at the moment, Metsuki-sama. You should find him around the eastern wall."
"Okay then, thanks," she dashed out of the building, her previous night's excitement returning. Jumping easily onto the rooftops, she slipped across the top of the building towards the east wall, where sure enough, she found Shoku sitting alone with his feet dangling off the edge of the wall, fifty feet up.
"Hey, Shoku-san! I need a ride!" called Metsuki as she jumped onto the ledge beside him.
"Metsuki-sama! A ride to Konoha? You're leaving already? But your birthday is tomorrow," said Shoku, turning his head and adressing her. She grinned, and leaped at him, catching him off guard and tipping him off the edge of the wall.
"It's an early birthday present from father! Hurry up, let's go!"
There was no thud as he hit the ground from fifty feet up, but instead a soft whoosh of air as he appeared in front of her, riding on the back of a gigantic eagle. The bat, Shikon, shifted slightly on her shoulder as he woke up.
"Alright then, let's get going," said Shoku as Metsuki leapt onto the bird's back. Shikon took flight, stretching her wings to their three-foot wingspan. The large eagle screeched once before bringing its wings down hard and veering off.
Metsuki fell back into the soft feathers as Shoku stood on the eagle's head with a pair of reins gripped tightly in his hands. Shikon flew ahead of them, leathery wings making a soft snapping noise as she brought her wings down over and over. Metsuki sunk deeper into the downy feathers; she had always loved flying with Shoku.
Her silent endulgement lasted only an hour, when they were a little past half way to the Hidden Leaf.
"Shoku-san, can I drive for awhile? I'm bored," she said, sitting up. She noticed the landscape below had changed dramatically. The canyons and rocks that surrounded and concealed the Akatsuki's headquarters had been replaced with dense forests and a few ponds here and there. Metsuki leaned over the edge of the bird summon's back, loosing her balance in awe of the scenery.
Before she fell though, a black and red robed arm snatched her back as the bird gave a sudden jerk. "Please be careful, Metsuki-sama. You can steer for a little while, but then I'll land it. You'll have to walk for awhile once we land though, a large bird heading towards the Hidden Leaf would look pretty suspicious."
Metsuki stood up, balancing carefully, and walked onto the head of the giant bird, taking the reins and plopping down. It would be a challenge to fly with only being able to see the red and blue outlines of the landscape, but Metsuki enjoyed challenges. She grinned as Shoku relaxed. Mistake, she thought.
Jerking the reins, she brought the bird up, flying through the layers clouds higher and higher until the air began to thin. She noticed Shoku on his back behind her, grabbing handfuls of feather for support as she veered left and right. She suddenly forced the bird into a freefall, causing Shoku to fall off and into the air, spinning. She smiled and pulled up as Shoku neared the forest floor.
About twenty feet from the ground, however, he pulled off the Akatsuki robe and held it in his left hand, before ripping off the shirt underneath and casting it away. Two dark blue wings erupted from his shoulders and he pulled up just in time, right before the tips of the trees impaled him. He glided back up towards Metsuki, frowning slightly.
"Was that really neccesary, Metsuki-sama?"
"Heh, of course it was."
Her grin faded though, as Shoku landed expertly beside her in a crouch, wings vanishing as he took back the reins, resuming control.
"We're almost within sight of Konoha, so we should land soon."
Shoku still held onto his red and black robe as he made a few one-handed seals.
"I can't land this giant summon in a thick forest, so be ready, Metsuki-sama," said Shoku. The bird beneath her vanished, and she held her arms out on either side as she pitched forward into a freefall. In a matter of seconds, however, two strong arms wrapped around her waist as Shoku caught her lightly, still grasping his robe.
The blonde-haired Akatsuki carried her slowly towards the forest, landing softly on the mossy ground.
"I'll be okay from here on, so you can go now or whatever," said Metsuki, re-adjusting her bandana and coughing once.
"Alright, Metsuki-sama. Goodbye," Shoku vanished in a puff of smoke, reappearing overhead, flying back west where he would fly the rest of the Akatsuki to Konoha. They were to watch over her as she stayed there, making sure she didn't do anything stupid and that she was not killed.
Metsuki looked up, the hot sun beating down on her. "Damn it's hot," she muttered to herself. She removed her bandana, exposing her pink and blue eyes and looking up once more. The temperature suddenly began dropping as clouds covered the sun and nice breeze started up. "Much better," she sighed before heading east. It was a half-hour walk to Konoha, but she could make it in fifteen.
Looking forward, a large gust of wind started up, and as her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, the trees and branches bent in a straight path before her about three feet in front of her face as she dashed forward with the wind pushing her along. Advanced bloodelines were extremely useful.