A/N: To all of my loyal and non-existent readers. As anti-social tendencies overtake me I feel compelled to begin the second chapter of my story. Where the path leads from here I know not. You may or may not notice that this chapter is slightly longer than the first, I think the next maybe even longer. Let me know what you think.

Mitsukai no longer felt the need to hide from the world. Perhaps, once she entered the Land of Lightning she would adorn the hunter green cloak once more; but that would not be for a couple more weeks. She wanted Akatsuki to know she was coming, though once she entered their territory, stealth would become essential. So she now wore black pants, a blue shirt with a golden lotus flower on it and a black sword around her waist. Her white hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail.

She looked out at the water and quietly considered her current predicament. Nariya had left a little over a week ago to go to Konoha, and had insisted on going alone. Her reasoning was simple, Mitsukai was a missing-nin of the village and her welcome would most likely be far from warm. She didn't really want to return there anyways, there was far too much sadness associated with that place. But, it was also the only hidden village that would willing accept the human container of the 6-tailed tiger.

That had been the plan, but last night she realized that something must have gone terribly wrong. Before, Nariko had departed she had given her a small gift, a jade and gold pendant in the shape of a lotus flower. The flower had always been her clan's symbol. No one regarded the Nelumbo clan as being particularly talented in Konoha, though they were renowned as geniuses in ninjustsu and for being altruistic. However, altruism had eventually caught up with them and Mitsukai was now the last of her clan.

Being regarded as the last member of a weak clan had made Mitsukai's childhood particularly difficult. If the clan had ever actually revealed their kekkei genkai, then they would have received the same prestige that the names of the Hyuga and the Uchiha received. By taking any item: locket, pendant, parchment; imbued with a lotus flower they could protect the soul and thus the body from harm. Also, the symbol can only be removed by someone of the Nelumbo clan. A powerful technique known as the Hasukiyo, it was considered to dangerous for people outside of the clan to know about.

The pendant Nariko now wore would prevent her from dying or losing a body part. She just hoped that would be enough to stop Akatsuki from removing the six-tails.

She stared down intently at the Konoha headband in her hands; the blue fabric was discolored from blood.

"I wonder," she said quietly. "I wonder if things would have been different if I had stayed and—"

"Would what be different, ma'am?"

Mitsukai looked up startled by the sudden intrusion on her thoughts. Her eyes met the toothy grin of the fisherman that had agreed to take her to shore.

"Oh…nothing. Just rethinking mistakes of the past."

"You're far too young to be grieving the mistakes of the past; if it's not to bold to say, ma'am," he replied with a chuckle.

She winced at his words, she was also far too young to be called ma'am.

"The life of a shinobi is a hard one."

"I suppose so, particularly for one that doesn't wear her headband," he stared intently at the blood stained headband she clutched in her hands. Noticing his gaze she stuffed it back into her backpack. "There's no reason to hide it. No woman travels alone unless she is certain she can protect herself. The fact you don't wear your headband only shows you're even more dangerous."

A snort of laughter escaped her before she replied: "For many years I wished to be considered dangerous. Ironic isn't it? The people I sought to prove myself to are all gone now."

"If everyone is gone, then why are you leaving? You're medical abilities gained the town's trust, we would have protected you from you're village."

"Fate has given me a cruel destiny, there's at least one thing I have left to do."

"And, then what?"

"Death would be welcome, though I doubt I'll be that lucky."

"Try not to dwell on the past, you're lived here. We can turn around and go back to the village now. You know what they say; when life gives you lemons…make lemonade."

"No, there's another option, you can always rub the lemons in the eyes of the person that planted the damn tree to begin with."

"I suppose so ma'am," the fisherman chuckled realizing that there was no room for an argument, "I suppose so."

The members of Akatsuki silently took their seats at the large stone table. There were three holes that remained uncomfortably unfilled. Hidan, Kakuzua and Orochimaru had originally filled those positions; and their rings had yet to be recovered.

"Kusabana," the leader spoke with self-assured authority. "Have you discovered a way to remove the pendant yet?"

The beautiful woman with her long blue hair, alabaster skin and blue eyes looked up at him carefully; considering her words, "No, leader."

"You fail me Kusabana?"

The members shifted uncomfortably at their leader's accusations. It was unwise to be in the same room as him when he was angry. Many former comrades had died due to his anger.

"No, leader! Forgive me, but the necklace burns anyone who touches it." She looked down at her own charred hands. "I don't even understand how the girl can wear it."

Ignoring her response, the leader turned his attention to the young Uchiha that sat towards the other end of the table. "Itachi, do you know who this 'Mitsukai' is that the girl continuously speaks of?"

"I have only known of one person by that name, and I know for a fact that that girl died 7 years ago."

"Are you sure of this?" The leader leaned forward placing both elbows on the table. "I've seen people take a kunai to the heart and live to tell the tale."

"I am certain leader…Misukai died in my arms; she was a member of my team when I was an ANBU captain," an uncharacteristic bitterness filled the normally cold demeanor.

"Hmph, it would appear our soulless comrade has a heart after all," Deidara's voice inferred the statement was a joke. But, his eye was calculating, storing the information away for another time.

"Our dear Itachi, caring about anything but his own survival?" Kusabana let out a dark laugh, "Don't be ridiculous Deidara."

"Hmph."

"Deidara-senpai is right, everyone cares about something beyond their own survival. Even a heartless bastard," Tobi spoke in a confident voice.

There was silence as Itachi looked up at Tobi; his eyes flashing the mangeko sharingan for a split second, causing him to squirm slightly over the terrible possibilities those eye held.

Kisame broke into laughter at the sight, "Don't be so sure of that."

"Enough!" the leader roared. "Itachi, I need to know….How did this girl die?"

"You have no reason to doubt my words, leader. I said she is dead, she was weak just like the rest of her clan….She was such a pathetic creature, she deserved death."

In his anger Itachi stood and began to walk towards the door, Kisame barred his teeth in a wolfish smirk as he stood and followed his partner. Just as they had reached the door the leader spoke again.

"Are you sure she didn't meet the girl and create that ninjutsu before her death? "

Still holding onto the handle Itachi paused as if he were considering the possibility. He flashed back to when they were genin with her perfect chakra control. Next he remembered how she could perform ninjutsus as a chunin only ANBU should have been able to use. But, then he remembered her carefree attitude; her philosophy that there should be no secrets among friends. She would have told them if she had such a powerful technique. Though…she never had been willing to talk about her clan, what if this was one of their secrets? No her clan was weak, she was weak.

"It's impossible…."

Nariko looked at the chains binding her wrists in disdain. There had to be a way to break them. Carefully she studied each link, looking for a weakness in either the metal or the chakra that coursed through it. All too quickly though she grew angry, they hadn't underestimated her, there was no way to escape her bindings.

"You really should give up, there wasn't a weakness in the chains the first time you checked…or the second…or the third and there won't be the next time either," Kisame chuckled.

Her eyes narrowed for a moment before she went back to studying the chains.

"You're a stubborn one, I'll give you that, too bad that will only get you killed faster around here,"

Not bothering to look up this time, Nariko whispered, though her voice was filled with confidence, "I suppose it doesn't matter you'll kill me eventually anyways to get out my other half. But, you can't do that until you figure out how to remove the necklace; so for right now my life is safer than it has ever been."

"Your other half?" Itachi asked as he stepped out from the shadows.

"Nariko."

"That is your name, not the demon's."

"No, I was born with the name Kasara. Nariko is the name of the demon and the name we have agreed this body will go by."

"Ah, now I understand, you've gone insane from the presence of the demon inside of you."

Itachi unlocked the gate and walked inside of the small prison, while Kisame watched behind the bars.

"At one time….we were close to that. But, Mitsukai helped us, showed us we could live together in harmony. She tried to help you once too, didn't she?" Nariko mused as she continued to fiddle with the chains, refusing to meet either of them in the eye.

"Who is this Mitsukai?" he asked, crouching down so he was at her height.

"She's the same person that she's always been."

Itachi found that his patience had reached its limit. He grabbed Nariko's chin and forced her to look him in the eyes. She flinched under the touch and abruptly shut her eyes as soon as they made contact with his.

"How do you know that name!" he snarled.

"She…she told me." Nariko stuttered as she tried to jerk her head out of his grasp.

"When did you meet this girl?"

"Two years ago….I was about to die, if she wasn't a trained medic I would have died that night."

"I see…" Itachi threw her head back, so that it hit the hard stone wall behind it. "Kisame, go and tell Leader that this is not the same Mitsukai."

Kisame grinned maliciously, "You sure?"

"Yes."

Suddenly everything made sense to Itachi. The Mitsukai he knew was a skilled ninjustsu user with perfect chakra control. However, she had never been interested in any type of medical jutsu, though it would have suited her. Perhaps, he pondered, perhaps if she had been trained as a medic she would still be among the living today.