Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. However, Ana, Tsubakikan, Kina, Tsubakiri, and all of Kina's children (including their demons) are all products of my own mind.
Chapter 12: Unexpected
"What do you want, nii-san?" Temeki asked. She was irritated and embarrassed.
"I just wanted to know what was bothering you," he replied.
They sat at the kitchen table while Kisame made them a late breakfast. It was the day after Itachi showed her the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan and she learned that Ana was not only a demon vessel, but Kina's blood relative as well. Her head hurt from the new information and the pressure of hiding yet another secret from the men in front of her.
Not to mention a certain new development that heightened her uncomfortable position.
"Well?" the man asked, waiting.
"You really want to know?"
"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know," was the calm answer.
"I don't think you want to know," she said.
"I want to know."
"I mean, you have Ana here so I though that you'd have that covered. But it turns out that you don't. Inconsiderate bastards," she rambled.
"Temeki," Itachi sighed. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"What does she do then? She's been your prisoner for six years," she muttered to herself. "Don't you guys notice? Or are you too busy kicking her ass to think for more than two seconds?"
"Temeki!" Itachi shouted.
The woman finally looked over at the man and saw that he had an eyebrow raised arrogantly over his left eye. Behind him, Kisame held a frying pan over the stove and stared. She wanted to bash both of their brains in with the sizzling skillet.
"I STARTED MY PERIOD LAST NIGHT AND YOU DON'T HAVE A SINGLE TAMPON OR MAXI-PAD IN THE ENTIRE CAVE!"
Itachi's eyebrows immediately lowered over his eyes as he settled into a glower. Kisame jaw fell and he dropped the pan onto his foot.
"What do you want to do about it?" he asked.
"Go get me some!" she demanded.
"Kisame, go get Temeki some maxi-pads," Itachi ordered.
"What?" the taller man yelled. "I'm not going to some store and buy pads! You do it! Better yet, why doesn't she do it?"
"She can't do it because she doesn't want to walk around with toilet paper in her underwear!" Temeki shouted. She saw the men cringe at the description, but was too angry to be embarrassed by her over-share. "Besides, I can't leave this place anyway!"
"And that's why I can't go," Itachi said, calmly grabbing onto the excuse Temeki conveniently handed him. "I have to add Temeki-chan's blood and name to the transportation wall so that she can come and go as she pleases."
"But—"
"If you value your life, you will go to the nearest market and buy me some tampons!" Temeki interrupted.
"I thought you wanted pads," Kisame whimpered.
"Tampons are better for movement," Temeki ground out between clenched teeth. "Now do it or you find thimbles in uncomfortable places for the next twenty years."
At the threat to his thimble collection, Kisame ran out of the room.
Once his chakra was no longer in the house, she turned to Itachi. "Did you really mean it when you said you'd add me to the transportation wall or did you just say it to get out of the shopping trip?"
"Can't it be both?" he asked. He stood up and walked into the living room. Temeki followed. He stopped at the blank wall where she'd seen both Akatsuki members pass through on their way out of the house. When she tried, Temeki just got a sore forehead from banging it against the stone wall.
"Here. Cut your thumb and place your thumbprint in this corner," Itachi handed a silver blade to Temeki and watched as she did as he ordered. She placed her thumbprint next to two others and waited.
"That's it?" she asked.
"That's it," Itachi answered as he placed a thin line of his blood over her thumbprint. "To get back in, just enter the cave and place your palm on the stone that is shaped like a kunai."
"How will I know which one that is?"
"Use your Sharingan."
She nodded and then looked down at the ground. "I'm gonna take a shower," she said. "Call me when the idiot gets back."
Itachi nodded and smirked as the woman made her way to her room.
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Sakura let herself into her apartment and was about to go into the kitchen when she heard the sound of her shower turn off. Instantly on guard, she crept along the wall with a kunai in her hand. When a figure came out of the bathroom with a towel on his head, she pressed the tip against his back.
"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" she asked.
"Taking a shower?" he replied. The man pulled the towel off of his head and turned around.
"Sasuke!" Sakura said, dropping the kunai. "But what about Plan B?"
"They trust me now so they let me out," he answered, looking over Sakura's clothes. "Not to mention the fact that it's that time of the month for Temeki. They didn't want her around. Why are you dressed in a mini-skirt and halter top?"
"Do you get periods when you're Temeki?" Sakura asked in wonder. When he nodded, she got a far away look in her eyes. "That's amazing. I knew that Tsunade-sama came up with the transformation jutsu that was used on you, but I didn't know that the change was so complete. From a medical standpoint alone, it's a breakthrough. I wonder if that means that same sex couples could finally have children using their own bodies and genetic material?"
"Sakura," Sasuke said, a pained look on his handsome features. "Can we not talk about this? It's embarrassing enough."
"Why?" she asked bluntly. "You didn't mind when you were Temeki."
"I did mind," he corrected. "I just couldn't say anything about it. I know more about the female body and its problems than Tsunade and Jiraiya combined thanks to you guys. Personally, I rather would have gathered the information the way Ero-sennin does than hear you girls talk about everything."
"Oh. That explains why you were so red at Tenten and Temari's bachelorette parties," Sakura said, failing to keep a smirk off of her face. "Do you need to report to Tsunade-sama or Gaara?"
"That can wait until morning," he answered. Sasuke leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Now tell me why you're wearing a halter top and a skirt short enough that I can see your black lace panties the second you bend over."
"Hinata decided it was time to seduce Naruto," Sakura said, looping her arms around Sasuke's neck. He pressed her against him and she felt the cotton of her top become damp from the water still on his chest.
"You went with her to give her moral support, right?" he asked, nibbling her collarbone.
Sakura arched her neck and sighed. "Yeah. Me and Ino brought Hinata. Lee and Kiba brought Naruto. He was already wasted enough that Hinata felt comfortable hitting on him. But not so much that his performance would be affected. I let her borrow my Boots."
Sasuke stilled and looked into Sakura's emerald green eyes. He could practically see the capital 'B' she used to describe the footwear.
"Your Boots?" he asked. "The ones with the buckles and the ice-pick heels? The thigh-high ones? Those Boots?"
"Uh-huh," she said, kissing the side of his neck. When he sighed, she did it again and began moving him toward her bedroom. "Ino lent Hinata a pair of shorts that were too small for her and we convinced her to wear her mesh top without her bindings or an overshirt. She insisted on wearing at least ten different necklaces so that her nipples were covered, though. Mostly."
"Naruto is so getting laid tonight," Sasuke chuckled.
"He's not the only one," Sakura laughed and pushed him down onto her bed. The Uchiha didn't have a problem letting her call the shots for the moment.
When she proceeded to dance a small striptease for him, he smirked.
Nope, he thought as he caught the top she threw at him. I have no problem with this at all.
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Kotetsu and Izumo sat in front of the Hokage's office. It was around six in the morning and already the pile of paperwork they had to shuffle through was up to their knees. Kotetsu was about to suggest a short nap when two ANBU appeared before them.
The pink-haired ANBU was easily recognizable and was becoming well known in the village as one of the more ruthless warriors of the group. With peers such as Kakashi, Genma, and the recent additions of Naruto and Neji, that was really saying something.
Although they weren't supposed to know which person stood behind which mask, certain members of the elite ninja class were recognized by their hair or mannerisms alone.
Ikasu was one such member.
The other figure was a new one to the assistants of the Hokage. New, but not unknown. The Godaime described this man to the smallest detail with the orders to comply with his wishes, no matter how odd they sounded.
The man stood next to Ikasu in the usual ANBU outfit given to Konoha shinobi. However, on his armguards lay at least ten shuriken each. His mask was smooth and had the symbol of Konoha painted in bold, thick strokes across it.
This confused the Hokage's assistants for many reasons, but the main one was the fact that almost all Konoha ANBU had masks that resembled animals and had beaks or muzzles worked into the white porcelain. Smooth, plain masks were more common for shinobi from Suna or Kirigakure, the Hidden Village of Mist.
"Naiou-san," Izumo said, breaking the silence. "Ikasu-san, what can we do for you?"
Naiou held up a scroll and tossed it to Kotetsu. The man caught it and felt a slight charge from the binding seal placed across the flap.
"You can take that into the Hokage's office and hop on one foot while making noises like a gerbil," Naiou replied in a deep voice. "Then you can throw the scroll into her wastebasket and set it on fire with a fire justu."
Kotetsu stared at the man and nodded. The Godaime had told them that Naiou's orders would be strange. He turned to do as ordered and noticed that the two ANBU disappeared.
Ikasu and Naiou landed on the ledge near Tsunade's office window in time to hear Kotetsu's gerbil-like gurgles and Tsunade yell out, "What the fuck are you doing, you maniac?"
They waited for the sound of the scroll hitting the wastebasket and the sound of flames burning the paper within it. The sudden silence from the blonde woman was all the confirmation the two ANBU needed to know their message was accepted. They disappeared again and headed for the Hokage Monument.
"The gerbil dance wasn't part of the code," Ikasu commented as they jumped up the mountain.
"No," Naiou admitted. "But it was funny, eh?"
"You've been hanging around Kina too much, baka," she murmured.
"You know you love me."
"Doesn't make you any less of a baka, you baka. Let's hurry," she said. "The others are probably waiting."
"Yes, dear," Naiou answered in a meek tone of voice that didn't fool his mate in the least.
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When they entered the dark room, the other three people in their team already occupied it. The two ANBU removed their masks and placed them on the empty pegs next to three other masks. They were all allies and friends here—disguises weren't needed.
"Sasuke!" Naruto said, clapping the raven-haired man on the back. "How've you been?"
"You're bright and cheery this morning, Naruto," Sasuke smirked. "Did you have a good night?" If it was his intention to embarrass the blonde, then Sasuke's plan backfired. Instead of a blush, the blonde demon vessel simply smiled and nodded.
"The best night of my life!" he answered.
"What happened?" Kina asked from her seat on a large fluffy chair.
"I let myself be seduced by the most flexible woman on the planet is what happened," Naruto replied.
"Hinata?" Kina guessed.
"Let?" Sakura repeated.
"Seduced?" Gaara whispered.
"Flexible?" Sasuke echoed.
Since all four questions came at about the same time, Naruto answered them in the order he heard them.
"Yes, it was Hinata. Alcohol doesn't affect me the way it does you and I'm not that dense. What else do you call it when a woman in an incredibly hot outfit gives you a lap dance or ten? And holy hell in a handbag, she's flexible!" Naruto tried to mimic what the Hyuuga Heiress had done but only managed to crack his back. "I mean, Sasuke, she is flex-i-ble!"
Quiet laughter filled the room for a moment before they all remembered their purpose in meeting today.
"So have you gained their trust?" Gaara asked the Uchiha.
"I wouldn't be here if they didn't," he answered. "The entrance to their home is right here." He marked the location on the large map that hung from one wall.
"What protection jutsus do they have in place?" Kina asked.
"Perimeter jutsus, traps, and the actual home is only accessible through a transportation wall," he said.
"Like the one we have here?" Naruto asked frowning. It had taken him and Jiraiya months to come up with the archway system they used. The transportation jutsu was almost instantaneous and was capable of covering the distance between Konoha and the Country of Wave without the traveler suffering from chakra depletion.
"Nowhere near as powerful, so don't worry, dobe," Sasuke murmured, adding the 'dobe' purely out of habit. "As far as I can tell, it only takes a person ten meters into the mountain the cave is in."
"As long as they don't copy me, teme," Naruto growled, inwardly glad that Sasuke was back to call him a 'dobe' once more.
"Who else lives in the mountain?" Kina wondered.
"All of the Akatsuki members live there," Sasuke supplied. "They live on different levels and have different 'homes.' Each apartment is shielded so that we can't sense each other's chakra unless we're in the tunnels that connect them to each other. Our apartment is near the entrance, I think. We hardly ever see any of the other members. But they all share their training grounds and equipment."
The others noticed the slight emphasis on the last word, but only Sakura looked at him and raised an eyebrow in question.
"They already have at least one demon vessel in their possession," he admitted. "They've had her for six years and use her as target practice."
"Oh, my god," Kina gasped. "That poor woman."
"There's more," Sasuke walked over to his foster sister and pulled two flat, folded pieces of paper from his pocket. "She told me to give this to you, Kina. I can't read the writing, but she said that you could."
Kina took the paper and started to cry when she recognized the script on it.
Gaara strode over to his wife and held her in his arms. "What the hell does it say?" he asked.
Kina was blubbering so much that no one understood what she said. They only caught bits and pieces as she continued to cry.
"…Ateh…can't believe…all this time…so sorry…should have known…can't…oh my god!"
Shukaku, Gaara asked his demon. Can you find out what's happening from Tsubakiri?
I'll try, the raccoon-dog demon said. He returned to Gaara's consciousness a few moments later. During those moments, Kina's wails grew in volume as Tsubakiri voiced her sorrow along with her vessel as she read the letter.
Tsubakiri is as distraught as Kina, he admitted. Something about her sister and Kina's cousin.
Gaara turned to Sasuke with accusing eyes. "You know what this is about, so spit it out!"
"The woman they have is called Ana," he began. "They just call her that because she doesn't speak our language and they don't know her real name. She's a demon vessel like I said, but her demon is Tsubakikan, Tsubakiri's sister."
The other three stood in shock. Kina's crying continued, but started to die down.
"Ana also claims to be Kina's cousin," Sasuke whispered.
"There's no 'claiming' involved!" Kina spat, recovered from her emotions. "Ateh is my cousin. My older, blood cousin to be exact."
"Is that her name, Kina?" Sasuke asked. "Ateh?"
"Her name means 'aim' or 'hopes' doesn't it?" Sakura added. "It's nice."
Kina shook her head at the questions. "No, her name isn't Ateh. I just call her that."
"Why?"
"It means 'older sister' in my father's language," Kina admitted. "It's the same as calling her 'nee-chan.'"
"What does the letter say?" Naruto asked.
"Mari," Kina read, her voice shaking as she read the foreign script.
"I know what's going on. When you disappeared, your brother tried everything to find you. You're dad tried, too. But it was like you just vanished. Then about four months after you left, I started getting dreams. They were like watching an episode of 'Naruto' only this time it didn't center on the blonde ninja. Instead it was about Gaara and his life in Suna."
Everyone frowned at the mention of Naruto. Kina told them that she was from the continent across the eastern ocean. How could they know about Naruto?
"When I saw a purple-eyed girl talk to the emo redhead, I knew it was you. I kept on dreaming about you and your new life. I didn't know if it was just my imagination or what, but it helped me deal with your disappearance. On the anniversary of the day you vanished, I went over to your spot. Remember the place you would go to sketch? When I sat there I found your sketchbook. I don't know how it survived a whole year, but it was clean and the pages inside it were in perfect condition. Then a bright light surrounded the area and the next thing I know, I'm being attacked by Sasori, Deidara, and Kisame."
"What's 'emo'?" Gaara asked. The others shushed him and motioned for Kina to continue reading.
"I heard a loud scream in my head and knew that I was a demon vessel like you. My demon introduced herself as the hawk demoness Tsubakikan. She said that she'd protect me and she has…mostly. I'm a prisoner of Akatsuki, but I'm sane and relatively safe. After I got here, the dreams I had of you stopped. But just knowing that we're in the same dimension again is enough for me to keep hoping that you'll come."
"Seeing Sasuke with Itachi here in the caves was a shock. I don't have the paper to explain everything, but Tsubakikan is able to see through the toughest disguises. I can turn it off and on, but it's easier to just keep it on when dealing with the sadistic bastards here. Anyway, Tsubakikan told me to try talking to Sasuke using ASL. I thought it was weird, but worth a shot."
"He understood me! And he said that he learned it from his foster sister, Kinabuhi. I knew that was the name you gave yourself here, but I had to ask for your real name to be sure. Mari, when he spelled your name, I wanted to jump him and hug him to death. But Shark Face and Bright Eyes were there, so I couldn't."
Naruto stifled a laugh at the description of Kisame and Itachi, but remained otherwise silent. Sakura had a similar reaction, while Gaara and Sasuke just smirked in amusement.
"Now pay attention to the next part, I'm a bigger 'Naruto' fan/freak than you and I have a clue about what Akatsuki wants. They need the chakra of nine demons to create a mega-demon of some sort. (Don't laugh at the mega-demon thing, I can't think of a better way to say it! I know you're smirking, Mari!) Apparently, this boss demon can open portals into different dimensions. I didn't get too far in the manga 'cuz my mom took my book money from me 'cuz my grades were dropping."
"Anyway, they need to gather everyone before the Winter Solstice…THIS YEAR! So be extra careful. I also overheard Bright Eyes talking (they still haven't figured out that I can understand Japanese, the tontos) and it seems that they need EVERY SINGLE ONE of the nine Akatsuki members to go through with the plan. Something about the rings that were given to each of them. Sasori and Deidara were sent to get Orochimaru's. They already have someone in mind to wear that ring and I think it's going to be your foster sister, Yawa Temeki."
Kina stopped reading for a moment and stared at her husband and her friends. She knew she'd have to explain everything from the 'different dimension' thing to the 'Naruto manga' thing. But first, she had to finish the letter.
"Great choice in naming that one, coz. Demon asshole power. Ha! (1) Anyway, counting myself and your friends, Akatsuki knows the locations of at least four of the nine demon vessels. I stress the 'at least' part. I've only seen my cell, the training area, and the hallways that connect them so I don't know if they have others hidden here. Just know that I love you and trust that you'll get me outta here."
"With all my love, Ateh Jocelyn."
Kina finished and folded the papers back into their squares. She looked up at the expectant faces of Gaara, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto. She sighed at them and started her explanations.
A/N:
Well? What'dya think? Good, bad? Review please!
(1) Temeki is from teme (asshole) and ki (power) in Japanese…Yawa (demon) is Cebuano.