.: This was a fast update. I was supposed to do homework this weekend but I couldn't get this last part of Akuma's backstory out of my head, so I wrote it all in one go. Now I'll have to regroup and read back what is happening with Dolia and the others so we can get back on track. But the next update might not come for awhile (I have a lot of homework and studying to catch up on.) I hope you have enjoyed Akuma's story and that it has changed your perspective of him. I also hope these revealing connections have been received well. And Thomas, I'm happy you've liked the journey so far. I just felt very guilty writing about such gruesome deaths so it was hard to not take breaks. I promise I'm not crazy haha :.

The Archangel of the Hidden Leaf

Chapter 28:

The Chance - Origins of Project Archangel, Part 7

There was silence around the destroyed cave. Long gone were the screeches and cries of dying archangels. Long gone were the Hidden Stone ninjas who walked past Akuma with rightfully judgmental stares. Not even locusts made their presence known in the trees. The explosions scared everything away, making the location a barren wasteland.

The only living creature was a man who thought of himself more similar to a breathing corpse than a human. He laid curled in a fetal position against the cold ground. His eyes were crusty with dried-up tears, clothes sticky with regurgitation, and hands stained with darkening blood. In his limp arms laid the stiffening body of the infant slain in front of him and surrounding him were archangels who shared the same fate. So much blood…So much suffering.

A numb hollowness filled his entire body. It was as if the gruesome deaths of Tenshi and Deidara had caused somebody to take a scalpel and excavate his chest and abdominal cavities of their organs. He could not feel his own heart beating; all of his blood seemed to have run dry in all his veins and arteries. The only reminder that he was still alive was the repetitive inhalation and exhalation through his mouth. His will to do anything else vaporized. Lying still with a dead infant receiving his final cradle was all he could muster. Nothing else could be considered.

Little did he know that someone was approaching the area at the same moment. A visitor of the Land of Earth, he was exploring in secret. Rumors were floating, and he was wanting to investigate a little bit. Coming around the side of the mountain, he focused chakra in the soles of his feet to help him traverse the terrain that was steep to climb upward. Long hair swayed behind him, and after a flip, he landed in a kneel on the flat ground. Finding both feet, he stood up and saw how the cave was just like the rest of them: closed off by boulders blown off the mountainside. But before he could utter disappointment, he noticed how bodies littered the area. They were white but splashed with blood, and their extra pair of appendages confirmed to him that archangels were indeed real. It was just unfortunate that he would be unable to use one to experiment on. He was too late.

Among the dead was one clothed body that caught the stranger's attention. An unlucky casualty?

A shadow cast over Akuma, causing his eyes to shift visibly. The stranger's silhouette against the moon outlined a man with long straight hair and a green flak jacket. The most striking feature Akuma made out was the symbol of the Hidden Leaf Village carved into the headband on his forehead.

The stranger was surprised to see that it was no casualty after all. This man was very much alive. But it was obvious to him that he was emotionally drained. There was no light in his gaze, no sense of drive or purpose. Especially with the dead infant in his arms, this stranger knew that possibly all the death that surrounded them both was the cause of his broken state.

"Tell me, why do you weep for these creatures?" he questioned, his voice illusive and swirly.

Realizing that he was being spoken to, Akuma averted his gaze and pulled Deidara closer to his chest. "They're…human beings," he corrected the man.

The quiet response surprised the Hidden Leaf shinobi, but also witnessing him protectively hold the child made him sympathetic. If he viewed these creatures as human beings, and he continued to comfort a child despite being deceased, then it was only logical to assume that the child was his. To be so devastated over the loss of the archangels was something he never imagined happening.

"Are there any left?" the stranger continued. There might have been undiscovered caves, and after noticing the Hidden Stone Village symbol on his headband, he knew that this broken man could have the answers he was looking for.

He did not respond straight away. There was definitely an opening for archangels to escape, and many did, but most of them perished. His comrades had even thrown kunai with lit paper bombs tied to their handles inside the cave to take out what all were left alive inside. Everything in this location was dead, but outside of the location, the escaped ones could be anywhere.

Sitting up slowly, he adjusted the baby as if he were only asleep. It was his favorite thing to do when he visited. "Some flew away," he admitted. "I don't know where to."

The small chance of hope intrigued the stranger. He squatted in front of the medical shinobi. When Akuma met his beady golden eyes, he noticed how pale his complexion was like the archangels, but also the sharp purple outline around his eyes. He was looking in the face of a person who resembled a serpent. "Tell me your name," he imperatively said.

"…A-Akuma."

"My name is Orochimaru. How would you like to accompany me in finding the remaining archangels?"

The request had to be absorbed for a moment, but he found himself angry by it. "I won't let you hurt them," he avowed, not caring if he had no clue of their whereabouts.

"I'm not here to hurt them. I want to help them."

"I don't believe you."

Orochimaru paused. This shinobi had passion in his words. Despite losing so much, he still had a reason to fight on. The archangels had been expelled from their wrongly claimed territory, but they were not extinct. Having his help would be a large advantage, but he had to show him that he would be no threat to the creatures. Experimenting with them would not be the right move at this moment. He would have to change tactics.

Standing up straight, he maintained his stance. "There is another clan that I have been helping in the Land of Fire. They possess a kekkei genkai that makes them unable to live life in the open air. My goal is to teach them to how to control their abilities so that they can survive outside. You said the archangels are human beings, correct? Well, surely that means their monstrous appearance is the product of a kekkei genkai also."

Akuma lifted his eyes toward the first person who seemed to understand exactly what he had studied. Instead of verbally confirming Orochimaru's inference, he just nodded.

"The Iburi Clan cannot adapt to the rest of the world because their abilities are unstable. I would say that the same reasoning is why the archangels have been decimated. One way I can help them is by growing their numbers once more and rehabilitating them. Considering they lived in the wild, it is safe to say that their knowledge about people like us is quite limited."

Akuma nodded again, amazed that his perspective was mirroring the stranger's.

"Accomplishing this goal will be difficult if I am alone. You know more about them than I do. Having you come with me would be the most beneficial for myself and them."

He dropped his gaze, unsure what to do. If he denied the invitation and returned to the village, he would be met with comrades gossiping about him, isolating him from everything. He would quickly become known as the Hidden Stone shinobi who betrayed his village for the monsters that killed friends and families. After being exposed a few hours ago, he knew that the life he once had would never be the same. The Tsuchikage would learn about his sins and probably express disappointment, maybe even punish him. Hikari would be the only person who would pity him. Other than her, there was nobody else for him to turn to.

But was that enough to abandon it all? To join a complete stranger from the Hidden Leaf? He pulled Deidara from his chest. With the archangels loose, there might be more babies born with no clear direction or guidance. They could be helpless without intervention. Innocent people may die as a result. Would he abandon his current life for that cause?

…Yes.

Akuma wanted to end suffering between archangels and humans. No more senseless bloodshed, elimination, and villainizing. He wanted them to live together as equals. He achieved that with Tenshi, so it could happen with others. He fiercely believed in that.

"Okay," he finally agreed. "But can I say goodbye to my sister first?"

"Very well. We leave at dawn. Don't be late."

Akuma covered Deidara's body in rocks to bury him. Tenshi's remains were underneath the avalanche, so he tried to put their son as close to her as he could. It hurt to forever be separated, but he had to pay a final farewell to the only family he had left.

He snuck back into the village so that no gatekeeper would know of his arrival. The moon was slipping closer to the horizon but had yet to exchange the blackness for purple. Hikari would be deep in sleep, and he hated to wake her, but he would rather inform her of what was happening than leave her living the rest of her life without closure.

Finding her bedroom window, he peered inside to find her lying in bed by herself. Haruk was with the Explosion Corps more than likely. It was better that way for this. He knocked on the glass and watched as she rolled over to see what the noise was. The moment she realized it was him, she slipped out from under the blankets and came to open the window for him. "Akuma?" she said with a hint of worry. He had come so unexpectedly and then left before she could figure out what was wrong. Now he was back, and something about him was different.

Akuma slipped inside and took a seat on the sill of the window. "I need to talk to you."

"What's happened?"

"Haruk is fine, don't worry…" he trailed, thinking about how he murdered Tenshi and Deidara.

"I'm not worried about Haruk. I'm worried about you. You scared me last night."

"I know. I'm sorry," he said, his eyes growing misty.

She noticed and knew that something bad had happened. She did not ever recall seeing her brother in such a state. Even as he worked hard to become a chunin and jonin, and then pursued training in medicine, the hurt and stress she was reading in his face now surmounted those past experiences.

"It's just…I have to leave the village," he confessed.

"For what? Another mission?"

"No…I mean I'm leaving and going rogue."

Hikari's arms went slack at her sides. She saw him tense up as he avoided meeting her gaze. The hope she had for the future was suddenly shattered. Her whole life up until now had her big brother in it, and suddenly it was going to be as if he never existed?

"Does it have something to do with the archangels?" she asked, not understanding the connection herself.

"Yes," he admitted hesitantly. "I understand why the village had to exterminate them, but I've come to realize that they deserve to survive, too. They're human beings just like us. And I…I foolishly fell in love…"

Sympathetic sorrow made Hikari's lips part. Haruk had told her where he was going this past week and what was happening. She knew Akuma was joining him. But seeing him like this and hearing what he had done, she could see why he was so distraught and breathing with an aching heartbeat. Something precious to him was gone as of tonight.

"Was she beautiful?" she asked.

Her words made his hardened emotions crack open. Memories of his first encounter with Tenshi up until she swooped down with Deidara in her arms found their way in his conscious. The knowledge that he would never touch her or hear her lisped voice again was a hard feat to accept. A film of tears brimmed in his eyes and his bottom lip curled with grief. "So beautiful," he choked.

Witnessing his sin pain him brought the same reaction out of her. Akuma had always been a positive influence in her life, always looking for the good in things and hardships. She may not be able to comprehend why he would develop feelings for something that was supposed to be his enemy, but he was a smart man who was suffering the consequences of his own actions. Hikari, with her blonde strands somewhat messy from sleeping with her head on a pillow, leaned forward to press her forehead into his shoulder.

His arms encased her body as he tried to find composure. "I'm not defecting because I want revenge," he promised, sniffing. "I just…have a different path I want to follow now."

Hikari melted into him, trying to create a memory that would never forget what it felt like to have a close bond with a sibling. "Follow your path," she encouraged. "Whatever makes you happy, you have to chase it. I'm just sad that the path can't include your niece or nephew…"

A pang of bittersweetness palpitated in his chest. He had a child for less than a week, but she would have hers for the rest of her life. Through his grief, a smile formed on his lips. "I'll introduce myself one day. I promise," he said, pulling back from the hug. He then sighed and reached for his brown headband, untying it and offering it to her. "When the kid graduates from the academy, give him this."

She looked down at it, remembering how Akuma came home with it proudly as a mere preteen. It was no longer of use to him if he was going rogue, so it would remain as a memento until it could be used again. "Okay. And I'll tell him all about his Uncle Akuma," she agreed, taking it from him.

He smiled bigger, reaching forward to touch a couple of fingers to her flat stomach. This was where their bloodline continued. There was no guarantee what his future would bring to him, but a family was something that would not happen again. The grief from his loss today would alleviate with time, but the discomfort of replacing Tenshi and Deidara would not. So, he would instead put his focus on finding the archangels.

But Hikari's child would be a special one. Since Haruk was the father, he or she would carry a kekkei genkai.

Funny how that works, Akuma thought, remembering the baby he buried. But perhaps it was this way for a reason.

"Make sure you mention how I named him, too," he added.

"Depends on the name."

"Name him Deidara for me."

"Deidara…" she repeated, intrigued by its uniqueness. "And if it's a girl?"

"It could work for a girl, too, I'm sure."

Hikari returned his smile back to him. It hurt her to know he was going to be grieving and going through dark mental challenges over his loss, but yet he still managed to make her feel better. This was not the end. Instead, this was a new beginning.

After a quick trip home and to the hospital without being seen, Akuma changed clothes and grabbed everything he had regarding the archangels. If he was going to join Orochimaru, he would appreciate seeing the research conducted on the clan.

The sun was just touching the horizon when he returned to the cave. The Leaf ninja stood among piles of rocks that were covering dead bodies. He had busied himself with burials while he was alone. "Right on time," he commented, noticing the difference in the look and the items in his hand.

Akuma looked around. "You buried them," he exhaled in surprise.

"You insisted they were humans. Besides, they'll decay soon."

With that being said, Akuma went ahead and offered the journal and medical file to be taken.

"What's this?" he asked while accepting it all.

"My research. I was assigned the mission of finding out anything and everything I could about them."

He opened the file to find sketches of the dissection performed and notes of observation. Impressed, he closed it up and tucked it under his arm securely. "Thank you. It will be of great use. Now, let's go." With that, the two of them set off for the Land of Fire. It would be the first time Orochimaru brought a subordinate back with him for experiments. It was very likely that the former Stone shinobi would be in charge of this project since he knew and cared so much. And if that was the case, then he most likely did extra things besides research. "Say, Akuma, what clan name did you designate to the archangels?" Orochimaru inquired out of curiosity.

He let a couple of heartbeats pass before answering: "The Tenshi Clan."

Yes, the Tenshi Clan, a monstrous population that never regained their numbers as hoped. Many events happened within the last twenty years. Archangels found refused to cooperate with efforts to help them, so it was decided to not let their kekkei genkai go to waste. Things changed, but Akuma kept his loyalty to Orochimaru and did not blame him for pulling the plug on Project Archangel. This girl they were after was the very last one alive; the survival of her kind depended on her. Although she was barren, there were other ways to go about it. He was sure of it.

All he had to do was return her to Orochimaru. If he did that, then he could climb the ranks and gain the freedom to continue work for the project by himself. Archangels did not have to lose their wings any longer. There was still a chance to save them.

Akuma picked up his chopsticks and began to eat the food delivered to their table. Just like how he was unwilling to give up on this assignment, he was unwilling to give up on the possibility of having that young man join them. A side plan was already in motion.

Deidara stopped walking to sneeze. It caught him off guard since nothing, in particular, caused it. Rubbing a finger under his dry nostrils, he continued, but Tobi just had to speak up.

"Oooh! Deidara! Do you know what that means? Somebody must be talking about you!" he cheerily exclaimed, catching up to him to walk next to him. "Is there a lady you haven't mentioned? Tell me!"

"Shut up, you buffoon."

"Awww!"

The Akatsuki member, with a breeze blowing his golden strands and sun reflecting off the metal plate of his hand-me-down headband, gazed up at the blue sky above. Tobi was an idiot, but he made a point. There was just one person in this entire world who could be talking about him.

Uncle Akuma? he thought.