"So, this is the girl you wish to obtain, Pein-sama?"
"Yes…she will be a very useful tool for the Akatsuki. Capture her, Itachi. You know the Leaf Village like the back of your hand. I expect you to be back by tomorrow morning."
Amethyst eyes met crimson ones as the two men regarded each other. Then the dark-haired man nodded and closed his eyes, dissipating into a flurry of ravens.
I perched on one of the branches, observing the busy villagers passing below who were unaware of the girl hidden among the leaves. I saw a mother wiping frosting off her child's face. I saw two boys push each other playfully as they ran down the streets. I saw an old woman telling her granddaughter stories; the little girl seeming utterly fascinated by them.
I wondered what it would feel like to have a loving family and caring friends. I wondered what it would be like to have people who supported you unconditionally, to have someone to share secrets with, to have someone who fussed over you day and night.
A true shinobi would not long for things he could never have, would he? He would not pretend to be part of something he was not, and he would not dream about having something that never belonged to him in the first place. Furthermore, a shinobi would never steal from his comrades.
Yet I clung to those things, for that was the only way I could survive in this world. I disgusted myself.
The afternoon passed peacefully and I napped in the cool shade of the trees, concealing myself with my camouflage technique, the chameleon jutsu.
Often, when I could not find an unoccupied house to steal from, I activated that jutsu and blended with my surroundings to go in and out undetected. I have perfected the chameleon jutsu over the years so that it not only concealed my physical body, but my scent and chakra as well. Not even the byakugan could detect my presence.
But even without that jutsu, I was many times stealthier than a typical ninja, due to years of thieving.
Not that it was anything to be proud of. In fact, I hated it. I hated being a thief, and I hated stealing. But it was the only way for me to survive here…because dreaming alone would not bring you anything.
When I opened my eyes, the sky was black and shimmered with stars. Somehow, the sky seemed darker than usual and had a slightly ominous feeling. I lied on the tree branch for a few more seconds before I rolled off and landed lightly on the ground. My long hair flowed freely in the wind, for I did not pin it up today.
I turned and dashed toward the Nara household, staying close to the shadows. They were supposedly out on a mission near the Hidden Village of Sand. It would probably take them a while to get back.
After double checking the front and back, I slid in through the window and proceeded toward the bedrooms. Before I could take more than a few steps, though, I sensed someone behind me. How did I not notice him earlier–––?!
The person attacked before I even had the chance to turn around. The heavy blow felt like it split my skull in half. I dropped to the ground on my knees and fell forward, my vision going black. I was so stunned that no sound came out of my mouth. This had never happened to me before. I had always managed to escape before anyone caught me.
I looked up hazily as I felt the assailant walk toward my unmoving body. He must have suppressed my movements with some sort of seal when he struck me on the head. The last thing I saw before I passed out was a pair of emotionless, vivid red eyes.
Later I would wonder…had I called for help then, would anyone have come?
I did not know what to expect when I woke up. It took me a moment to remember what had happened.
I slowly sat up and winced when my head throbbed painfully. I realized that I was on a bed, to my surprise. A single candle burned on the table at the far side of the room, illuminating the small chamber with warm yellow light.
Before I could take in anything more, a door to my left slammed open and I scrambled off the bed in a flash, my hand searching for a kunai to defend myself. I cursed when I found my pouches empty. They must have taken my weapons away while I was out.
I closed my eyes and took in a shaking breath, trying to calm myself. When I blinked open, I found myself facing a tall, muscular man with spiky blue hair and–––I widened my eyes in surprise–––blue skin as well. He had gills, too, and dark, piercing black eyes. Was he even…human? He reminded me more of a shark, honestly.
"So you're the girl that Pein wanted, huh? You don't look like much, do you?" The man commented, taking me in.
I shifted uneasily under his gaze, having absolutely no idea what he was talking about. All I wanted was to get out of here and return to Konoha.
The blue-skinned man almost blocked the entire doorway with his enormous build, and the huge sword on his back brought no comfort either. How will I get past him? If only I could disappear…wait. How could I be so stupid? My chameleon jutsu, of course!
As if reading my thoughts, the shark-like man reached an arm back casually and grasped the hilt of his sword, his eyes never leaving my face.
"I wouldn't try that if I were you. Pein suppressed all your chakra the moment Itachi brought you here. You will not be able to form any seals until Pein decides to unbind you."
My face paled with fear and I clenched my hands to stop the shaking.
"W-what do you want with me?" My quivering voice betrayed my fears. "I-I have nothing that I can give you." The words stabbed my heart as I realized how true they were. I really had…nothing. Nothing at all.
He shrugged indifferently at my question and replied, "I don't want anything with you. Pein does. In fact, you're going to see him right now." With that he dragged me out of the room, ignoring my futile resistance and protests. His firm grip was crushing my arm. I could only imagine what kind of strength and power he had when he fought in battle.
"Who are you? Where am I? Why am I here?" I stocked up the courage to ask more questions.
The tall man grinned but it never reached his eyes. He had some pretty sharp teeth, I noticed.
"I'm Kisame Hoshigaki, and you are in the Akatsuki hideout. The rest you will find out when you see Pein."
I wondered just who this "Pein" was. And the name "Akatsuki" also held no familiarity.
The rest of the walk was in silence. I wanted to ask Kisame to let go of my arm, but I was preoccupied with trying to memorize all the hallways and corners and rooms. I was determined to escape this place.
But by the time we stopped in front of a huge set of doors, I had lost track of the number of hallways we went down and the countless corners we've turned. I had a feeling Kisame purposely took the longest possible route to get here so I would not be able to remember it.
"Pein, the girl is here." Kisame stood in front of the doors, his fingers still tight around my arm.
As if an unseen signal had passed between them, Kisame opened the door and pushed me in.
The room was pitch black and a rush of cold air escaped from the door crack, stirring my hair and clothes. Involuntarily, I stepped back, resisting Kisame's push. I squinted, trying to make out what was in there. I was startled when I saw a pair of violet eyes staring at me from inside the room. The rest of that person was hidden completely in the shadows. That must be Pein, then.
I felt a cold chill go down my spine as I stared into those emotionless eyes, and at that moment I wanted nothing than to get out of there. I did not want to step into that room and face that man.
Turning around, I slammed into the rock hard wall that was Kisame and tried to twist around him. He sidestepped to block me and tightened his grip on my arm, pulling me roughly back into the room.
I yelped as I heard a faint snap and felt a jolt of pain shoot up my right arm. I bit my lip so I would not start some pathetic whimpering. The pain radiated from where he was holding me and my arm felt like it was on fire.
"Kisame, looks like you broke the girl's arm," A deep voice said from the shadows. It sent another shiver up my spine.
I heard Kisame curse as he realized that indeed, he had fractured my bone by accident. What brute strength.
"She shouldn't have tried to escape," Kisame said gruffly. "I'll ask Kakuzu to fix her up later." With that he left and closed the door, leaving me alone with the man in the dark room.
My heart hammered in my chest as I turned to face Pein. I had never been so genuinely afraid of someone in my life.
Having nowhere else to look, I stared once again into the unblinking purple eyes straight ahead of me. When I took a closer look at them, I realized that they had a ripple pattern. How strange.
"What is your name?" Pein didn't waste any time.
I blinked, unsure of how to answer that question. I thought they would have known, since they had brought me here.
"I…I don't know," I answered truthfully.
The amethyst eyes scrutinized me for a long moment, then closed slowly.
"I doubt you are lying. Your name will be Akane, then, until you somehow remember your past. A fitting name for one who belongs in the Akatsuki."
"What exactly is the Akatsuki? Why am I here? What do you want with me? When can I go…home?" My voice softened uncertainly on the last word. Home, huh? What is home?
The forbidding eyes opened again.
"You ask too many questions. However, since you will be joining the Akatsuki, I will disclose our information to you. The Akatsuki is an organization of S-ranked missing-nins from various villages, and all of the members are powerful in their own ways. Our goal is to collect all of the tailed beasts and use them to control the shinobi world."
I was stunned by this massive plan of world domination. The tailed beasts? All nine of them? How in the world will they capture them all?
"Then…aren't you guys just a bunch of…S-ranked criminals in the shinobi world?"
The purple eyes narrowed menacingly.
"I want to bring true peace to the world," Pein stated simply.
I couldn't see how that was related to the tailed beasts, but I decided to keep my mouth shut.
"As to why you are here," Pein continued, "I believe that you have an unusual power that will be very useful in reaching our goal."
"But I don't have any–––"
"You have hidden powers that you do not even recognize yourself," He went on as if he hadn't been interrupted. "I will put that power to good use. You will cooperate with the Akatsuki, do you understand?"
I wondered how he knew of this "power" that I did not even know of myself. But that was beside the point. How dare these missing-nins capture me here and expect me to help them dominate the world?
"The ninjas will not let you have your way. I will not let you have your way. You will never be able to use me for your despicable purposes. The shinobis of Konoha will find me and bring me back home," I shot back defiantly, trying to hide my fear with anger. But even as I said those words, I did not believe in them. Was there anyone, anyone at all, who was missing me right now? They probably did not even realize I was gone.
Pein looked indifferent at my empty threats. After a while, he closed his eyes again and his deep voice held a tinge of amusement.
"Who will come for you, Akane?"