An eyebrow twitched.

That was the only sign of discomfort coming from the chuunin. Truly, he was feeling frustration beyond anything he had ever felt before. Not only had he been called in to work, but the work involved guarding a loudmouth prisoner. Since he had taken his post, the prisoner had not stopped talking. Hearing someone ranting and raving about Jashin-sama, whoever the hell that was, had not been how he pictured spending his Saturday night. But he wouldn't let this get to him. No way. He was training to keep his cool under pressure. He would have learned earlier, like most ninja, but his sensei's method of training focused more on 'not letting up until its dead and then asking questions.' It was a wonder how his former team survived the mere year of being under her tutelage before someone had noticed the harshness of her training and decided ten-year-old genin shouldn't be put under those circumstances. It had been too late, of course. His former teammates had decided not to pursue this career. Perhaps he should have agreed with them back then.

Then he wouldn't have to listen to this jackass screaming about bloody sacrifices all night long.

Mentally sighing, the chuunin felt his eyebrow twitch again. Screw his training. This guy was ridiculously annoying. If he wasn't immortal, which the bastard kept mentioning, surely, he would have been killed a long time ago because of his arrogant preaching. Hell, even his voice was annoying. "Shut the hell up!" He couldn't stop himself from blurting anymore. "You should save this bullshit talking for your interrogation tomorrow!" Finally, his ranting ceased. He appeared incredulous for a moment before a glare morphed onto his face.

"Fuck you, you filthy heathen!" The Akatsuki member nearly roared in outrage. Again, the chuunin mentally sighed. "I'm in here for hours and the first fucking thing you say to me is be quiet?! You rude bastard! Just wait until I'm outta these chains! I'll sacrifice you to Jashin-sama and only then your measly life will become valuable." The chuunin eyed the man. The Akatsuki member wrists were bound to the wall above his head, leaving him literally hanging. Also, he was behind bars.

"Yeah…? Sacrifice me, huh?" he replied with a shrug. "You and whose legs, torso boy?" The prisoner's face contorted into slight embarrassment before settling on rage. Screaming out his utmost displeasure at the callous remark, the prisoner actively wiggled around despite the chains. This time, the chuunin sighed out loud. Nice one, Jiro. Work the prisoner into a tizzy. He was definitely going to be reprimanded for his unprofessionalism by his superior, who was standing outside the door. Wait a minute… Why didn't she enter the room, dishing out death threats, like she should have? Ignoring the impulse to argue back, Jiro headed over to the door. A bad feeling suddenly came over him, though he didn't know why.

He opened the door to find a dark, and empty, hallway. Blinking, he stepped out, vaguely aware that his prisoner had stopped yelling obscenities. Hesitantly, he called out for his superior. She did not respond. In fact, he got no response at all. This was indeed strange because he was sure he hadn't been the only one guarding the Akatsuki member. This mission was kind of a big deal, so surely the Hokage would assign more ninja to watching over the loudmouth. Jiro called out again. This time, he got an answer. It wasn't an answer he was expecting. The sound of a kunai soaring through the air was all too familiar to him. Since it was dark, he didn't see it coming. To be on the safe side, Jiro jumped back into the room, face just barely missing the sharp end of the recognizable projectile.

Not a second later, a figure appeared in the doorway. Almost completely dressed in black, the appearance of the lone figure was eerie. Not to mention the white mask molded with a bizarre face. "Who-" he began. However, before he could get a complete question out, his torso was struck. The strike from the gloved hand had enough strength behind it to send him crashing into the opposite wall. Jiro gagged and clutched his stomach, and then he fell over. "What is—I can't move!" he thought. The intruder stood over him, completely silent. He stretched his neck, chin tilting upward. The chuunin could no longer feel his limbs. "Who are you?!" he shouted in hopes of someone hearing him. No one came running.

"I am-" she started, raising a fist. "-before the Dawn." Her fist came down, colliding with his temple. His world faded to black.

She stood at her full height, and then turned to face the smirking Jashinist. It had been harder than she had originally thought to incapacitate everyone on this floor. Perhaps she shouldn't have worn such an ominous mask. But it was done. "You're late, fuckrat," Hidan stated.

"Sorry," she replied. "Let's go, Hidan-sama."

0-0

Nose twitching, Mayu ran towards the large concentration of the enemy's blood. It was strong—so strong that it overpowered everything else. They were close to the immortal man. It was only a matter of time before they encountered. Blue eyes glanced to her right. Sasuke, staring straight ahead, moved beside her. They hadn't had time to gather allies for this, so it was just him and herself. Hopefully, that was enough for this Akatsuki member. Then again, he had been crippled by her teammate. Still, the kunoichi couldn't shake the feeling that, in the words of her surrogate mother, it was about to go down. She couldn't just rely on Sasuke this time. Not that she had before when they came across Akatsuki. The birdbrain had just charged in as soon as he had seen Naruto come under attack. Still, she wouldn't allow herself to stay on the sidelines this time. Akatsuki—the organization had been responsible for the death of her precious friend. She wouldn't forgive such an organization so easily. Even if Gaara had been revived in the end.

Narrowing her eyes, the kunoichi broke through forest and into the clearing. There, at the base of the wall, which surrounded the entire village, was a dark figure. The shadows hid the identity, but the red clouds were glaringly obvious even in the dark. So, the Akatsuki member had attempted escape. But how…? He had no legs, and yet the person had already begun to scale the wall, using their hands and feet. "STOP!" Mayu found herself shouting. Sasuke, though, moved quickly, flinging shuriken. The three projectiles imbedded mere centimeters above the rogue, causing him to halt in his advance. He flipped away from the wall to avoid more thrown shuriken.

Under the light of the crescent moon, the person was more visible. It was definitely the dark-haired Hidan of Akatsuki. However, his height didn't match his body. Well, it seemed like something was a bit off. Then it hit her. Those weren't his legs. The Akatsuki member was being carried on someone else's back. Sasuke must have realized this as well. Both ninja of the Leaf village came to a halt. "Who are you?" The Uchiha's question was met by silence. Then the loud familiar voice of Hidan shouted his obvious discontentment.

"Why the fuck aren't you moving?! We were almost there!" The person turned around, seemingly ignoring their passenger. Dressed in all black and a white mask, the person didn't move again. Hidan had been held in place with a sturdy rope. His hands were on his helper's shoulder. Mayu squinted. Though black was the color choice for attire, she could see curves on the figure. A female. She rolled her shoulders. "Oh, fuck no! I know what you're doing! I know what the hell that means, fuckrat! Don't you fucking dare!"

Mayu's eyebrows shot up. Almost instantly, she had recognized the insult. Besides, fuckrat is what he affectionately calls me. The kunoichi almost shook her head in denial, though the words echoed in her mind. It couldn't be her! She knew Akatsuki—knew exactly who and what the criminal organization was. She wouldn't aide them. She wouldn't. She couldn't! Still, now that the doubts were there, they wouldn't go away. Her left fist clenched at her side. "You better show me your face right now," Mayu ordered. She couldn't help the bit of anger that seeped into her voice. At her side, Sasuke stiffened. Had he noticed? "If you're who I think you are-"

"Then what?" Her familiar voice interrupted. Mayu inhaled sharply. That light voice, that playful lively way of speaking—muffled as it was—she had only heard it from one person. No… No way. "What are you going to do about it, Mary-sama?" Her right hand reached up and took off the mask while her left hand gripped the top of the hood and pulled it down, letting thick brown hair fall across her shoulders. Hidan indignant sputtering of 'nappy-ass hair' was ignored. "So, it seems I've been discovered. If Kakuzu-sama were alive, he would most definitely not like this because this means I can no longer make them money."

"The idol…?!" Sasuke frowned. "You're a part of Akatsuki?"

"No."

"Then why the hell are you helping a member of Akatsuki to escape?" The Uchiha was not going to fall for her innocent voice and expression. Though he demanded answers, in his mind, she was the enemy. And she would be taken out like an enemy. He took a glance in Mayu's direction. She only stood there, frozen. Why was she so-? Then it hit him. Something must have happened between his teammate and the idol—something important. At the moment, Mayu had the same expression she wore back when she had believed that he had not considered her as his friend. Different face, different situation, but the same distraught reaction.

"Actually, I would rather be helping Kakuzu-sama," Yasmine replied with a shrug.

"What the fucking hell is that supposed to mean?!" Hidan screamed. "You'd rather I be that bastard?!"

"Yes. Out of all members of Akatsuki, you are the least-" Her explanation was interrupted by a smack upside the head and angrier shouting from the religious man. "I was just saying—jeez! Besides, who's the idiot who got his legs cut off? Kakuzu-sama wouldn't have let something like that happened to him! As you are, you're just excess baggage, Hidan-sama." Again, the foreign girl was smacked.

"I still have my arms, asshole!"

"Hey!" Before the two, obviously immature, comrades could continue their banter, Sasuke interrupted, glaring hard. "If you're not a part of the organization, then give me a good reason why I should not run you through with my sword." Mayu flinched, hopefully coming back to reality. The foreign idol blinked. She opened her mouth to say something but seemingly decided against it. She tugged at the rope that was around her right shoulder and torso before lifting it over her head. Then she did the same for the rope around her left shoulder. However, she held on to the rope, ignoring protests and complaints from her 'excess baggage.'

Without a word, she tossed Hidan away from her. His severed body slammed against the wall behind her. "Calm down," she called back to him. "You're immortal." Her focus returned to Sasuke, paying no heed to the 'it still fucking hurts, you ugly bitch!' from Hidan. The shinobi's eyes narrowed as he watched a smirk slowly stretch on her face. Also, it was as though her facial features grew… hard. "Run me through with your sword?" Her voice seemed to have changed as well. It was harsh. The foreigner had completely lost her innocent look. "I'd to see you try," she drawled. "I'm willing to bet my life that you're nowhere near as good as your brother."

At the mention of Uchiha Itachi, something inside of Sasuke snapped. Anger bubbled up and he could not control it. He gripped his hilt and suddenly he was in front of the foreigner, preparing to do exactly what he had threatened. The smirk never left her face even as she disappeared from his line of vision. Sasuke's feet touched the ground on the same spot where the foreigner had been standing. "She's fast…" he thought. Sensing the girl right behind him, he twisted his body, only to discover that she was more than twenty meters away, standing in between himself and Mayu. She paid no attention to the kunoichi though. Her fierce brown eyes were on him.

"Impressive speed, dude," she complimented. "I bet you'd be even faster if you were still taking those pills." Sasuke clenched his teeth. His body tensed her at remark. How did she know he had been taking drugs to enhance his abilities? Better yet, how did she know he had stopped? The difference in strength was only slight, but in the back of his mind, he had questioned whether to keep using them. "Unfortunately for you, my former sensei is five times faster." She shot forward, decreasing the distance between them within a second. Then her expression changed again—from insanely fierce to sickeningly sweet. She reared her fists back in preparation. Sasuke saw all this happening, but he could not prevent her strikes from landing. He fell to the ground, not able to feel anything anymore.

"Shit…!" Mayu ran while pulling a kunai from her weapon's pouch. She flung the sharp projectile at the foreigner. Yasmine only performed multiple cartwheels to dodge and move away. Quickly, the kunoichi lifted the Uchiha, slinging his arm around her shoulders. "Sasuke…?" He didn't answer her. "He's paralyzed…" She glared in Yasmine direction. "What's your problem?! Why are you doing this?!" The idol smiled and shrugged.

"It's his own fault for taking me lightly. Honestly, if you have the Sharingan, then you should use it," she replied. "It's not like I killed him, though, so why don't you drop him somewhere and we can get this show started, Mary-sama." Mayu furrowed her brow in confusion. That wasn't the first time she had been called out of her name by the foreigner. She glanced at her comrade. There was no telling how long he was going to be out of commission. Things would get dangerous like this. Slowly, Mayu rose to her full height, bringing Sasuke up with her. She didn't have the confidence to retreat with him and defend. So, her only option was to fight. Mayu grit her teeth grasped the dropped sword, and then jumped backwards. She landed near a tree. Removing her excess baggage, she sat him upright against the base of the tree. His head fell limply. Mayu scowled at the sight before setting his useless sword beside him. "That's right. Leave him there. Come at me, bro!"

"Why are you even doing this?" The kunoichi turned and walked towards the foreigner. "Helping Akatsuki try to kidnap and kill Naruto isn't something I'd expect you to do." She stopped, noticing the frown.

"You don't need to understand me, so don't even try, Mary-sama," Yasmine advised.

"Mary-sama! Mary-sama! Why are you calling me that?! You know my name is-" A thought occurred to her. She was talking to a Narutard. A Narutard that had extensive knowledge, which probably came from fandom only. Oh no… "You think I'm Mary-sue?!" Mayu couldn't stop herself from screeching, feeling just a bit insulted. "What the actual hell?!"

"Is it so shocking to hear, Mary-sama?" Yasmine questioned. She extended her hand, palm towards Mayu. "Let's count down the top five factors. You have a clan who was tragically slaughtered, leaving you alone in the world. Just like a main character." A pinkie went down. "Your powers are bullshit that gives you an advantage over a main character. You literal copy their genetic makeup so you can use their powers!" The ring finger went down. "You have endeared yourself to the main characters around you." The pointer finger went down. "A main character is clearly crushing on you. But let me guess, you have no clue about it." Mayu furrowed her brow as the thumb curled in. "And the biggest factor, and my personal favorite, you have the ability to change the color of your hair and eyes. Not to mention your skin." The foreigner grinned, swaying her middle finger back and forth. "You are most definitely Mary-Sue!"

"None of those things make me perfect!" Mayu snapped. "There's more to me than those things!"

"Girl. Even your name sounds like it," Yasmine retorted, dropping her arm. "Face the facts, Mary-sama! You're flawless and unrelatable."

"Well, what-the-fuck-about you?! At least, I was born here! You come from a different place all together!" Mayu held up her pointer finger. "You've endeared yourself to several, if not all, the major villains so they trust you enough to carry out whatever mission this is!" She raised her middle finger. "You have a psychological disorder but it doesn't seem to hinder you in any way. In fact, it seems to make you stronger than the average opponent!" The ring finger lifted. "You're a goddamn celebrity!" She displayed her pinkie. "You're probably clumsy as hell but it doesn't effect your fighting skillset or your career at all." All five appendages were shown but Mayu did not falter. "And let me guess... Your parents are dead and you lived with an abusive guardian. An uncle perhaps?"

"... Huh." The idol blinked, and then looked down at the ground. "Pot meet kettle." Then Yasmine shrugged, returning her gaze. "Well, I don't care if you label me Sue. I have a purpose in my actions and I intend to fill it."

"Are you insane?!" the kunoichi snarled, more insulted than before.

Yasmine stared blankly for a moment, and then she blinked again. "Yes," she stated, sounding exasperated. "What, with the whole split personality thing, you'd think it'd be implied. Yes, I'm insane! My parental unit had me tested." She pointed a finger. "But that doesn't matter… You are not a character that Kishimoto-sama thought up. You were probably created by a twelve-year-old that only watched a couple of episodes of the show before deciding to stick you here!" The delusional girl curled her pointed finger into a fist and bent her knees. "As Kishimoto-sama as my witness, I will put an end to anyone that would dare ruin his plot!" After such a passionate statement, Mayu could only stare, lips parted, in disbelief. "In hindsight, I was probably created by a fourteen-year-old who thought I needed an edgy backstory." She giggled. "Go figure."

"So… this whole time, you were just pretending to be my friend?" she asked, line of sight lowering to the ground below.

"Yes. Friendship is something I do not desire," Yasmine murmured. She smiled then as if an image of Neji didn't appear in her mind. "But enough about trivial things, Mary-sama. I have to get rid of you." Mayu's lip twitched as her fists clenched.

"Fine… But don't go crying like a bitch when you feel the pain!"

Mayu darted forward. She wasn't stupid. Though she had been in a daze, she had seen the confrontation between her opponent and Sasuke. She had to agree that the Uchiha had underestimated her due to her status, which is why he was in his current predicament. But she could berate him later for that. Now, she needed to focus on the idol. From what she had seen, Yasmine most likely relied on brute strength and those paralyzing abilities. However, her tactics had suddenly switched to relying on speed. Mayu would need to be cautious with this enemy. The kunoichi bit the inside of her mouth at the thought. Yasmine was now an enemy.

The girls' left and right fists collided with an almost thundering crack. Mayu twisted her body as she lifted her right leg, intending to strike her head. Yasmine blocked the kick with her left forearm. She then tried to punch her opponent's torso. Even one hit from the idol might prove to be fatal. Hastily, the kunoichi moved her arm down, deflecting the strike. She then moved closer, knocking her elbow against Yasmine's chin. The foreigner staggered back, wincing. She gingerly rubbed her jaw. Then went at Mayu again. The two teens moved back and forth, trying to hit the other. It was hard. The kunoichi found herself on the defensive, trying to keep Yasmine from hitting her. "This isn't good." Going at it like this wouldn't get them anywhere. Something needed to change. Mayu grabbed both of Yasmine's wrists and yanked her arms down. The movement caused their foreheads to smash together.

They practically bounced off each other, exclaiming in pain. Both hissing, they reached up to clutch their throbbing heads. Rubbing furiously at her skin, Mayu glared at her opponent, who was glaring right back. Out of all the times she had done a head butt, it had been the first time she had experienced recoiling pain from it. "You stupid bitch!" Yasmine nearly snarled as she dropped her arms. Mayu reared back, frowning. A change had happened in the foreigner's demeanor and voice. Her choice was words had changed, too. "I'm about to go straight up ghetto on your ass!" That confirmed it. This must have been the harsh alter ego. She, without warning, appeared in front of Mayu, crouched low. The kunoichi could only gasp before Yasume viciously kicked her with her left leg. The speed and strength behind her flurry of kicks lifted her off the ground. Grinning, Yasume turned her body and rapidly kicked Mayu with her other leg.

The flurry of kicks ended with a hard strike to the abdomen. Blood and saliva spewed from Mayu's mouth as her body hurtled backwards. Her back slammed into the wall, and then she collapsed. What the hell…? No wonder Sasuke had a hard time with the alter ego. She was much faster than anything Mayu had ever seen. If she were as strong as she was fast, the kunoichi doubted that she would still be conscious after such an assault. "I can't… beat such a fast opponent—there's no way…" Chuckling enter her ears. Slowly, Mayu pushed herself from the ground and turned her head. She had ended up near the Akatsuki member.

"You might as well lie there," Hidan advised. "You won't be able to keep up with that brutal bitch." Panting, Mayu glared that the man. He merely continued to laugh. Annoyed, the kunoichi backhanded him. "OW! Fucking hell!" Ignoring him, she stood up, holding her stomach. He had been right, though. In their current states, Mayu would end up losing. Inside her mouth, her teeth clenched. Hell, if she was going to let that happen. Her blue eyes glanced in the direction she had left Sasuke. He hadn't moved. She moved forward, and then broke out into a run. She could see the arrogant smirk of her enemy from here. Once she was close enough, Mayu veered to the right.

Yasume wanted to laugh her at attempt to be elusive. No matter what she did, the ninja wouldn't be able to match her speed. After all, she hadn't even used her full speed yet. Her narrowed hazel eyes followed Mayu. The darker-haired teen abruptly stopped and headed for her again. Yasume turned to meet the girl head on. She snorted. What a stupid girl. The foreign teen slid her foot forward, ready to kick the ever-loving shit out of Mayu as soon as she was in range. It took her by surprise when the girl's hands performed multiple hand seals. "Ishikari Style!"

"Like hell that's gonna work!" Yasume quickly moved to the side as Mayu finished shouting 'Mind Transfer Jutsu!' She had seen the effects of that jutsu in the girl's fight with Haruno Sakura. The ability to switch bodies and take on that person's characteristics and powers—she had seen it clearly behind Yasmine's eyes. The actual transfer seemed to be faster than the Yamanaka style, too, because Sakura hadn't avoided it—probably due to shock. However, Yasume was faster. The kunoichi had missed her target. Mayu dropped to her knees, head tilted downward. Failing the jutsu, her spirit must be floating around somewhere, trying to move back into her body. "Dumb bitch." Yasume moved towards the fallen ninja. She swiftly brought back her leg before kicking Mayu in the face. Well, she would have kicked her in the face if it had not been for the arm that came up. Brown fingers wrapped around her ankle and squeezed hard.

"Dumb bitch…?" she repeated. "Look who's talking!" The kunoichi roughly pushed Yasmine's leg while the ankle was still captive. Her head and back hit the ground. The kunoichi moved on top of her, forcing her leg near her head where it pinned down her right arm. She was flexible due to training with her former samurai teacher, but the strain still hurt. Not to mention, Mayu dug her knee, painfully, into her abdomen. It hurt to breathe. Still, Yasume tried to punch with her free arm. Mayu swatted the attempt and held down the clenched fist as well.

"Fuck…!" She glared up at the kunoichi, trying to suppress her panicked feelings. Like this, she couldn't use her speed. Hell, she couldn't do anything with Mayu on top of her. Yasume couldn't believe she had been tricked so easily. Ino had done the same thing in her fight with Sakura. As a fellow fan, she should have known Mayu was going to bit off one of the fights. Speaking of which, her stare had turned cold, expression completely frosty. Her lip twitched.

"I didn't see what exactly you did, but I heard," Mayu murmured. "And when I can move again, I will pay you back for hurting her." What was she-? Wait…

"Sasuke…?!" Fuck. She had forgotten about the location of the Uchiha's body. Mayu had purposefully moved that way before, wanting her to dodge her jutsu so that she could switch with the Sharingan user. Fuck. She was screwed when the kunoichi came back to her rightful body. Sasuke, in the body of his teammate leaned forward, causing more strain on her leg. Yasume resisted screaming. She could feel her lips right next to her ear. Oh God… Yasmine was going to feel this in the morning.

"That's right, and I hate when dumb bitches hurt the people I care about."

"Go sit on your middle finger, douche bag," Yasume retorted. For her remark, Sasuke was kind enough to shift Mayu's entire body weight on the foreigner. This time, the alter ego could not stop the scream.

Meanwhile, under the safety of the tree, Mayu tried desperately to move any part of her current body. It wouldn't budge at all. She couldn't even get the head to move or finger to twitch. Yasmine sure did have a horrifying ability. But right now, she needed to take care of her alter ego's ability. Her speed had been too troublesome to deal with. Might as well nip it in the bud then. Once again, Mayu tried to move the limp body. Nothing. "Oh well," she thought. "I just hope Sasuke didn't put me in a compromising position." Mentally, the kunoichi breathed deeply and closed her eyes. The light feeling that came with switching bodies washed over her. She opened her eyes to find herself hovering over the foreigner. "… Sasuke, you ass…"

Yasume felt the grip on her loosen and she took full advantage of that. She brought up her other leg, hooking it around Mayu's neck. With a grunt, she pulled the kunoichi off her before Mayu could react. The alter ego rolled over, suppressing the urge to rub her sore leg. After a moment, she leapt to her feet—Mayu had done the same—and then hurriedly distanced herself from the dark ninja. She knew her limits. Close-range, her speed met nothing. She used her speed to attack. The momentum of it all was the sole reason why she was threat in battle—as she had been taught. Yasume frowned. She had always hated disadvantages. Hazel eyes watched as her opponent's skin slid into a pale tone. Even under the night sky, she could see the kunoichi's hair gain a raven tint, the color of Sasuke's locks. Her eyes slowly opened, revealing red Sharingan eyes. Well, it was time to step things up a notch. "Shukuchi! Step Two!"

Mayu's eyes widened. "What the hell happened to step one?!" she thought as she dodged to the side. At least now, she could see Yasume's footwork. She had moved faster than she had before, appearing as a blur with Mayu's borrowed set of eyes. Lurching forward to avoid the sweeping kick, her legs thrust behind her. Her sudden attack actually hit the foreigner. The soles of her boots had struck Yasume's torso. "Just try that again! With these eyes, your speed is useless!"

"Is just seeing enough?" she questioned with a smirk. "Let me answer that for you with Step Four. Shukuchijutsu!" She completely disappeared, only to reappear right behind Mayu. She could attack and she couldn't do a thing about it. Or so Yasume thought. The kunoichi twisted, elbowing her right between the eyes. The surge of pain she felt from the attack was enough send her to the ground, quavering.

"Admittedly, seeing isn't enough," Mayu replied, standing over her fallen opponent. "Sometimes, you've got to rely on your instincts. Unfortunately for you, I not only have ninja instincts, but I've got that animal instinct as well."

"Fuck your animal instinct!" Yasume blurted. Obviously, she was being a sore loser about this. Enough talking, though. She needed to subdue the foreigner and the Akatsuki member in order to take them back. "It is shit compared to the beast inside this one." Mayu raised a curious brow, genuinely wanting to know what the alter ego had meant. She had been laughing as if it were just a big joke, after all. Then her hands fell from her face. Her expression had morphed again. Yasmine was back.

"It's over, Yasmine," Mayu told her. "Just come quietly and just maybe I can convince the Hokage that you were being forced to do all this."

"… Hm…" The girl scrunched her face up, seemingly in thought. "Naah!" She rolled backwards on her shoulders and into a standing position before she charged. And the fighting began again. It was easier evading her blows this time around with the added help from the Sharingan. Yasmine wasn't nearly as fast as her other personality. Mayu had to wonder why she was still doing this, knowing that her opponent could overwhelm her at him moment. She frowned, blocking a strike to her back. Yasmine didn't make sense. Then again, she was crazy. After another failed attempt at paralyzing her, the foreigner back flipped away. She raised her left arm, closed hand. She did the same with her right hand, but it was held lower than the left. Her stance looked like Maneki-neko—the beckoning cat. Her surrogate mother had a fondness for the figurine and as a result, the house had been decorated full of the lucky cat. Hell, even her cell phone had a small beckoning cat key chain attached. Mayu almost shook her head. She really needed to stop reminiscing about her life in the other world.

"What are you doing?"

"Something my parental unit made me learn," Yasmine answered. "Being in this world helped me to perfect it—Nekoken."

"Cat Fist…? You can't be serious?"

"Bitch, you just jealous of my super kitty swagger."

Mayu stared flatly.

"I was watching Ranma ½ one day and my parental unit saw it and got intrigued," Yasmine shrugged. "If you ask me, she was a bit nuts, too, always trying to make me learn stuff. She called me her little sponge, you know." The foreigner dropped down on all fours. "But psychosis has nothing to do with this. I'm fully aware of what's going on. For years, I studied cats under the guidance of my parental unit, and then I came here… That is when I decided to imitate what I've learned and incorporate it into a fighting style."

"Big whoop! You still won't be able to touch me."

"We'll see about that, Mary-sama. Even seeing and instinct won't be enough."

Yasmine dashed forward, using her legs as well as her arms and hands to move. Mayu felt herself scowl. For some reason, she didn't like the sight of her enemy moving like that. She was getting tired of just defending. Sometimes offense proved to be the best defense, anyway. The kunoichi slid her foot back, preparing to attack. Her right fist was launched, but her punched didn't hit. Yasmine had leapt up, performed a cartwheel in midair and lightly landed on her outstretched arm with her left hand. Her nails dug deep into her skin. Mayu was surprised to feel pain. Too much pain. It felt as though needles had pierced her flesh and sank down to her bones. This excruciating feeling generated high-pitched screaming. However, Yasmine wasn't done yet. Her right hand gripped Mayu's left shoulder, legs flipping over the kunoichi. As her body descended, her fingers slid down. Again, a scream erupted from Mayu's lips. It hurt… It felt like she had been cut open.

"You like that?" Yasmine stood behind her and moved her hand around the kunoichi's neck. "This kitty's got claws." Mayu barely heard her. She felt numb. But something was strange. That attack should have drawn blood, and lots of it. "Itachi-sama was the only one who had enough patience to teach me how to utilize chakra." The kunoichi sharply turned her head at the mention of the rogue Uchiha. "It's not thin or sharp enough to cut skin, but the damage it does on the inside is quite horrifying. The first person I did this to didn't even realize it… until he choked on his own blood." Her index finger lightly rubbed against Mayu's throat. "What to do…? Should I kill you now or strike you so that you die in three hours? I can go either way. Maybe I should have killed you back when you were unconscious with Ino. I'm sure that would have salvaged the rest of the story."

Shivering, Mayu came to an understanding. She lowered her gaze to the swaying grass beneath her. "Why are you doing this…?" she whispered. "You keep saying my very existence is ruining everything, but… you must realize that you aren't supposed to be here either. By bringing Akatsuki to the Leaf village, you either sped things up or slowed things down considerably. Either way, you had to have changed something, too. What did you really intend to do by doing all this?"

"Not that it's any of your business… But I had three reasons for coming to the Leaf. Two out of three ain't so bad," Yasmine began. "Also, even the most hardcore Narutard wishes for…" She stopped, and then released a heavy sigh. "Even I realize that Kishimoto-sama is human and he makes mistakes just like everyone else. To save a life, sacrifices are needed. You understand, right?" She focused on Mayu again, pushing her own thoughts to the back of her mind. "That whole equivalent exchange thing…" Yasmine trailed off, noticing the way the girl's color scheme was changing again. It went back to its original settings.

"Release me," Mayu commanded. The foreigner would have scoffed if her heart didn't skip a beat. Eyes expanding, she felt the sudden urge to do as her enemy demanded. "Release me this instant." No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't ignore the powerful voice echoing in her mind. And as a result, her hands fell away from Mayu's body. "Now, don't move anymore." Yasmine stood stalk still as ordered. Inside her mind, Yasume yelled at her, wondering why the hell she was 'listening to this bitch.' The kunoichi turned slowly and faced the foreigner. "You're not the only one with special abilities…" She trailed off, frown gracing her features. "I don't understand you. Why did you choose this life? Why do all of this? Answer me!"

"You've got your family, and I've got mine… Also, they had cookies and ice cream," Yasmine said. The nonchalance in her voice only proved to confuse the kunoichi. Family…? What did that mean? Before she could ponder such a phrase, or order the foreigner to clarify, a white object, about the size of a basketball, fell in between them. Mayu gasped, recognizing the item made of clay. Her body instantly reacted by jumping backwards. But the clay vulture did not explode as she had expected it to. Instead, it floated harmlessly towards the foreigner's shoulder. Blue eyes looked upward. There, hovering in the night sky was Deidara of Akatsuki on one of his huge creations. His blue eyes glared down in return.

"You…!" Mayu exclaimed. In one moment, her fight with the arsonist flashed in her mind. "You're here?!"

"Deidara-sama…!" Yasmine exclaimed as well, having broken free from the mind control due to the kunoichi's loss of concentration. Deidara turned his glare in her direction. He even pointed a menacing finger.

"What did I say about doing unnecessary things, un?!" he shouted. "You were supposed to wait, quietly and patiently, on top of the wall for me to pick you up! Not lollygag with some stupid ninja!" The blond teen waved his hand in Mayu's general direction, prompting an offended look from the girl. Hidan's shout of 'I told her! I fucking told the bitch!' was ignored. Mayu, though, glanced back in his direction. She had forgotten about him. Yasmine began to protest. "No! No talking! Just get up here, un!" The vulture flapped its wings, and then lifted the flailing girl from the ground. She dropped beside Deidara, who had interrupted her before she could start complaining. "No buts! We're leaving now!"

Mayu had to leap out of the way in order to dodge the overly large clay bird that soared past her. By the time she recovered from the massive gust of wind, she could only watch as Deidara, along with Yasmine and Hidan, flew away. She couldn't stop them. They were too high up. Her body tensed until she could no longer see the white speck in the dark sky. Then her shoulders sank. "What the hell just happened…?" she murmured. Sighing, she reached up and held her shoulder. Her arm and shoulder still hurt. Most likely, she would need medical attention. "Sasuke…!" Ignoring the pain for now, Mayu hastily made her way over to the paralyzed Uchiha. She dropped to her knees beside him. "Can you move?" she asked.

"Just my fingers." She was surprised that he could finally speak. "What happened?"

"I'll… I'll explain on the way," Mayu told him. "But… they all got away."

0-0

"… His appearance made me think that she had all this planned before she even reached the village."

Shoulders hunched, Mayu finished her oral report to the Hokage. She was sitting on a stool while the village's leader stood behind her, hand softly touching her shoulder blade. Now, the two were in the middle of a hospital room—Naruto's room to be more specific. As the matter concerned him, this is where the kunoichi gave her report. Tsunade healed her as well. From his place on the bed, Sasuke frowned, outwardly showing his displeasure with the whole affair. That foreigner had had them all fooled. Mere minutes before they had met with the Hokage, Hyuga Neji had been discovered in the same condition as himself in some alley. Upon further investigation, more incapacitated ninja had been found, paralyzed, including the two whom had been assigned to watch her. They had been hidden in the hotel room's closet. An entire floor of ninja, assigned in guarding the Akatsuki member, had been taken out as well.

"I can't believe it," Naruto shook his head. He had surprisingly been silent during the report. "Even Sasuke got his ass handed to him." The Uchiha glared at him, but the blond ninja only snickered and pointed a finger. If his right arm had not been in a cast, due to the jutsu he had used on Kakuzu, Sasuke would have attacked him.

"Knock it off, Naruto!" Mayu chided. The injured shinobi flinched. "With your open way of attacking, she would have taken you out quickly. You would have underestimated her just like Sasuke did." She shut her eyes. "We all were tricked." Sasuke turned his gaze back to his female teammate. As she gave her report, her indifferent voice had not changed. However, her last sentence had been filled with suppressed emotion. What could she have been feeling? The Uchiha narrowed his eyes. "Anyway, like I said, she told me that 'Two outta three ain't bad.' I can't shake the feeling that she actually accomplished two other things. The unsuccessful thing was more likely Naruto not being captured, so then what else did she come here to do?"

"Files were taken," Tsunade replied. All three genin sharply looked towards their leader, disbelief evident in their eyes. "Two files, actually."

"Why do you seem so calm about this?" Mayu questioned. "That girl is affiliated with Akatsuki! The village's important docu-"

"That's just it," the leader cut in. "The files that were taken weren't that important. They were copies of what Mayu found in Orochimaru's lab—Uchiha Sasuke's medical history while he was spying for the Leaf."

"That explains how she knew about the enhancing drugs," Sasuke thought. "And the other file…?" he asked aloud.

"The other file isn't really a file. It was a list composed of ninja that I was going to assign a special mission to," Tsunade stated. "This task force was meant to search the Land of Fire for Akatsuki members and bring them in if they could. If not, they were meant to eliminate. The list had nothing but their photos and names, so their reasoning for wanting something like that is unclear."

"Who else knew about this list?" Mayu asked.

"No one other than myself and Shizune. I hadn't assigned the mission yet, after all."

"Then how did she know about it?" Naruto scratched his head in confusion.

"As there isn't a clear intention, I've decided to disband the squad for now. It won't do us any good if Akatsuki knows who to watch out for," Tsunade said as she removed her hand from Mayu's back. "For now, you two just focus on recuperating. This team won't be doing any missions for at least a week. Your nerves were severely damaged, Mayu. I'm surprised you were able to carry your teammate here. It will take some time before they become fully operational again, so take it easy in these next couple of days." The kunoichi nodded her head, but Sasuke could tell it was begrudgingly. "I'll check in on you in the morning." The woman left then, most likely to mobilize her other subordinates.

Seconds went by, and then Mayu stood from the stool. Muttering 'bed' under her breath, she moved past them towards the bed next to the window. It was right beside Naruto's, separated by a curtain. The blond ninja blinked, and then turned questioning eyes towards Sasuke. However, the Uchiha was just as lost. After all, this was not normal Mayu behavior. Furrowing his brow, he followed the kunoichi, motioning for Naruto to go to sleep, to which the blond replied with his middle finger. Mayu sat on the edge of her bed, facing the window. But her chin was tilted downward. "Hey." He sat down next to her. She did not verbally respond to him, but the slight turn of her head in his direction indicated that she acknowledged his presence. "Are you going to do this again?"

"… Do what again?" came her hesitant question.

"Close yourself off when something's bothering you."

A humorless chuckle came from her mouth. "Yeah, Ishikari Sheena would scold me about that, too." Against her thighs, her fists clenched. Mayu grimaced and averted her stare. Sasuke recognized the foreign name. As a child, he had had trouble pronouncing it. "It's just…" she trailed. "She tried to kill me." He had not understood why that had caused her to behave this way. She was a ninja. Every mission, she knew that her life might be on the line. Sasuke chose to remain silent, waiting for her to explain. "Out of all the people she paralyzed, I was the only one she fought and tried to kill. I think her… condition had something to do with the way she processed things. But that fact doesn't stop me from feeling angry and confused… and hurt." She shut her eyes and frowned.

"Did something happen between you two?" Sasuke inquired. She slowly revealed her eyes and bit her lower lip.

"She said we were friends. She said we were best friends, and I believed her," Mayu explained. "We had so much in common. In this entire world, she is the only one who shares and understands the knowledge I have. She's the only one who… who's just like me. I thought I had finally found a-" A choked sob cut her off. It was at that moment that Sasuke realized that the kunoichi had been trying to hold back tears. Now, she could no longer do that. The liquid fell from her eyes, splashing against her knuckles. His eyes widened. He had only seen Mayu cry once. Like before, she had cried because she thought she lost a friend. And like before, it torn at his insides to see. "But she tricked me, probably so she'd have an advantage, knowing I wouldn't fight with everything I had against her. And now she's my enemy. One day, our paths will cross again, and I will have to kill her. I can't-" Her head lowered. "I just can't accept it. Yasmine, she-" In hindsight, it had not been the smartest thing he had ever done. In the end, though, it was well worth it.

He kissed her.

His hand had touched her cheek and turned her face towards him. Mayu had let out a squeak of surprise when his lips brushed against hers. It was a short kiss, which spread tingling warmth throughout his body, yet it had done the trick. Her tears stopped flowing. Sasuke reared back, thumb wiping the wetness from her right cheek. With a stunned expression, she stared back at him. The Uchiha leaned towards her again, dropping his arm. He moved to kiss her again—just because—but her hand shot up, fingers and thumb pressing against his cheeks. She did not need to speak in order to convey that she wanted to know why he had done such a thing without prompt. "As my precious person, I don't like seeing your tears," he told her. Her eyes expanded in realization.

"Oh," Mayu's grip loosened before her hand dropped. Her upper body moved away from him, causing Sasuke to frown. "Thanks…" She wiped the rest of her tears away. "Crying like this—I'm sorry." She sniffled. "Although, I'm fairly sure that kissing like that is…"

"Don't apologize," Sasuke hastily cut in. "You lost someone you viewed as a friend. It's a normal reaction." A faded image of a dark-skinned Hinata entered his mind. It was the memory of Mayu crying. "You act tough, but you're actually sensitive when it comes to your friends."

"Yeah." She turned to face him again. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. "Thank you, Sasuke." The Uchiha blinked. Her physical affection had always baffled him. Mayu was the only one he knew that would hug or kiss someone she liked in public. Puzzling as it was, he was not going to push her affections away. Hell, he was definitely going to embrace them. Allowing a small smile, Sasuke returned the hug.

"Oh, get a room, you two!" Naruto admonished from the other side of the curtain.

0-0

Mayu had not been the only one astounded by the news of the foreign idol's affiliation. The village's leader had just informed him about Yasmine after she had made the paralysis in his body disappear. His former friend had been working with Akatsuki the entire time. Hyuga Neji had kept his neutral expression only until Tsunade left the room. Once she was gone, he shook his head in disbelief. He lowered his gaze to his hands. Her previous words echoed in his head. The past does not matter to me anymore… because I've already chosen my future, she had said. Now he understood. He now realized that she had chosen a dark path. She truly believed that there was no way to diverge from that path. Ultimately, her association with the band of criminals had been the reason for her hesitance to rekindle their friendship.

A sense of guilt fell over him. Neji did not know how Yasmine came to know of Akatsuki or why she had chosen that way of life, but he did know that she would not have chosen such a life if he had not pushed her away. Despite the years, he still blamed himself somewhat for her disappearance. She had not warranted the harsh words he had spoken. Neji shook his head. He could not let this be. He would not. Yasmine needed him, now more than ever. He would save her. Even though he had forgotten at one point, he could not let go of the fact that she had been his best friend—that he had cared for her. "Father…" He looked up, staring at the ceiling of the hospital room. He had lost his parents. He refused to lose her as well. "I promise I will return her to this place." And he realized where he must start.

Sawatari Jano.

0-0

"Well done."

Yasmine had to stop herself from smiling widely at being praised. Instead, she stared expectedly at the aloof man. She could now tell that the twitching of his left eyebrow was his way of rolling his eyes. Deciphering his cool demeanor had gotten relatively easy in the time she had known him. Conceding to her silent demand, he lifted his arm. His hand patted her head twice before returning to his side. He turned to go, but she called out to him. "Itachi-sama…!" He halted. "Why did you want Sasuke's information? Well, that type of information isn't really a big deal. It's kinda strange."

"… Why is it that you wanted that list of ninja?"

"…" Yasmine pursed her lips. "That is a secret."

"Then you should also respect my decision to not tell you."

"Very well, Itachi-sama."

The older Uchiha left the room. As far as Leader was concerned, her mission had ended in failure. Good thing it hadn't been the only thing she set out to accomplish or she would have felt like a failure as well. True, Naruto was not captured, Hidan lost his legs, and Kakuzu perished, but she had succeeded with Itachi's assignment and her own. The foreigner smiled as she sat down on the floor. She pulled a folder from under her shirt. Inside the folder were pages with names and photos. Flipping through the papers, she saw names that she recognized, but she had been looking for one name in particular. Sarutobi Asuma. She breathed out a sigh as she came to a stop on his page. Since she had been a young child, she had always felt a certain admiration for the smoker. He had reminded her greatly of her father, not in looks but in personality. She had not choice but to go against Kishimoto's grand design. Because a child needed their father figure. She had succeeded in saving Asuma's life. Her reasons, however selfish, weren't wrong. And that is what she told herself to help her sleep. Unfortunately, she would not realize the grave error of her decision until it was too late.

Because equivalent exchange meant a life for a life.

And she had, essentially, saved more than one.

0-0