As the months passed by, I learned about Akatsuki. I also got to know of its objectives and goals. It was just like Orochimaru. I joined in, and met the other members. Hidan and Kakuzu were secretive, but they helped me a lot in their training. Oftentimes, I would hear Hidan murmuring some weird stuff in his room. Kakuzu said that it was Hidan's rituals for Jashin. Sasori was really quiet, but I found him cute. Deidara is his partner and Dei-chan treats Sasori-nee like a god. They were always together, whether in training or missions. Konan was like a big sister to me. She answered all of my questions about the organization, and mostly about Pein. She told me that Itachi and I looked alike. We both had jet black hair and the Sharingan. Itachi was like a big brother to me. He would always assist me in my training, and helped me to explore the features of the Sharingan. His expression was difficult to read and I never saw his lips curve to a smile. Konan told me that he never smiled, ever. Pein was... sort of weird. He watched my training carefully, but he never said a word about it. He was always wandering around, training or missing. Whenever he was gone, I felt a surge of relief that he won't watch me training. "Aki?" My head snapped up. "Aki? What are you doing?" Itachi asked. "Uhm.. drawing.." I said. He sat beside me under my favourite Sakura tree and looked intently at my drawing. It was the scenery that was before us. "Impressive," he commented, and I smiled slightly. "Itachi-nee, didn't you say that Sasuke is your brother?" I asked as we watched the leaves dance in the wind. "Our brother," he corrected. I sighed. I forgot that I was created from Sasuke's genes, and ended up looking like Itachi. What a mess. "Uh, Onii-chan, tell me about Pein," I asked. "Pein's a quiet guy. He's our leader," he started. "No one defies him. Not even I, for he is more powerful than all of us put together." He explained. "And... Konan?" I asked. "Konan's his ex-girlfriend." He explained abruptly. Oh, I see. That's why she was sort of distant from him, although we can consider her as Pein's second in command. Itachi kept on looking intently far away, squinting his eyes a bit. "You want to run?" I offered. He said nothing, but he stood up. His black cloak waved in the breeze, giving a glimpse of the Anbu uniform he wore underneath. His long black hair, which was tied to low ponytail, waved in his face. He gently tucked it behind his ear. He offered me a hand and helped me as I stood up. In a second, our muscles tensed. We flew through the forest in blistering speed. I listened to the now familiar sounds of this place. The pounding of our feet, the raging wind, the rustling leaves... It was truly different from Orochimaru's training grounds. I heard Itachi pull to a stop, and I immediately stopped also. He stood a few feet away from me, his eyes focused. I stared at him. Why did he stop? I suddenly felt another presence. I spun around, only to see Pein standing in the shadow of a tree. "Itachi," he called out icily. Itachi took a defensive step back. "I'll take it from here," Pein continued. Itachi nodded defensively, spun around and ran towards the base. My eyes focused on Pein. What did he mean? I saw him as he motioned me with his finger to come closer. No one defies him. Not even I, for he is more powerful than all of us put together. Itachi's words echoed in my ears. I dragged my feet as I stepped closer. I looked down to avoid his piercing gaze. I felt his eyes scan every single inch of my slim, pale figure. "The cloak looks good on you," he commented. "T-thank you..." I replied. I knew that he only said that to start up a conversation. This wasn't his topic. "Do you like it here? Or would you rather go back?" he asked. Memories flooded my mind. "I don't want to go back." I answered, emphasizing the hatred that I felt for that godforsaken place. "Good," he said in a low whisper, almost inaudible. Before I could bring myself to think of what he meant, I felt his hand on my wrist. He raised my hand up, face-level. He gently pressed his palm against mine, our fingers outstretched. I stared in confusion. His gray eyes stared into my ice blue eyes. Not a word was spoken, but I could feel mixed emotions stirring in my heart. My heart suddenly raced, and there was this feeling that I couldn't explain. "Do you feel it?" he asked. I nodded weakly, too confused to understand what was going on. He smiled bitterly. He was about to step back, but my fingers interlaced with his, pulling him a bit closer. "Don't go," I said. For a while, I stopped. Did I really say that? I couldn't think straight. He gently pulled his hand back as he spun around. "You'll see me tonight," he promised. "Wait—"It's too late. He was already gone. I sighed. I ran back to the base. Itachi was waiting at the entrance of the cave. He gave me a nod and we both walked inside. "What did he say?" he asked. "Nothing much," I said. He'll be back tonight, I thought. I wasn't able to eat dinner at all. I dragged myself to my room, troubled. I took off my long, black Akatsuki cloak—revealing my black sleeveless tank top that exposed my belly button and cargo capris. I hated taking the cloak off when I'm around people. I hated the black snake tattoo that circled my arm. [AN: This is Medusa's tattoo from soul Eater.] I hated the light-colored scars all over my pale body. I was weak and spiteful. I sighed as these thoughts drowned my mind. I was about to enter the bathroom when I heard a soft breeze. I blinked. The presence was familiar. I slowly turned around. The gray eyes... Pein. "I told you I'd be back tonight." He murmured. My heard pounded. "W-what do you want?" I asked. My breath hitched in fear. I can't understand anything anymore. I felt his hand on my waist. I didn't push him away... 'cause I sort of liked the feel of his touch. His mouth hovered near my ear, sending me goose bumps as he spoke. "You can feel it too, right? My love," he whispered. I couldn't believe it. Does that mean he was in love with me? I couldn't think straight, and the world suddenly became hazy. My legs turned to jelly and I felt myself collapse backward. I felt a pair of arms catch me. Pein carried me and lay me down gently on my bed. His finger traced my snake tattoo. I pulled him down, and he lay down beside me. i wanted to feel more of his skin.
I wasn't satisfied at all.