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Murasaki never questioned her orders. It was not her place to. She was a weapon to be used as her Master saw fit. Weapons did not have thoughts or feelings. So they did not feel the doubts that led to questioning. At least they were not supposed to. Murasaki knew she was inferior to her fellows. She was one of the few first generation members left. Their training had been flawed. Too many had still retained emotions. Too many had felt something and questioned. Murasaki had been the best of them. But still she knew herself inferior to those who came through the now perfected system. Murasaki tried though and mostly succeeded.

She had no name. Murasaki was granted to her by her Master in order to interact with others. She had no feelings. The occasional pangs she was ashamed to admit to having were quickly buried along with the shame she shouldn't be able to feel. She had no past. There was nothing before her Master took her and trained her to be his sword, his weapon to protect. She had no future. Futures required dreams and tools did not possess those. She did not possess those. There was only the mission. And this mission was changing her.

The tool called Murasaki had spent the past twenty-nine years of her life sharpened to cut with deadly accuracy and to be able to blend among strangers so they did not know death passed close to them. Now she was meant to nurture something until it was old enough to begin its own training. Murasaki had done well thus far.

The shinobi she worked with were not her fellow agents and did not suspect her. (She had been among them for fifteen years now why would they?) The boy, Nao, had caused a few issues, treating the child as if it was not a tool they were growing in order to train. He'd become better at distancing himself, but Murasaki made sure to keep an eye on him. Ureshii was a different problem. Instead of feelings of affection, the girl allowed her anger to overrule her judgement with the child. Murasaki could not allow her alone lest she try some scheme to avenge herself on it. If there had been someone else who could be relied upon regularly to care for the child, Murasaki would have chosen them rather than deal with the girl's volatile emotions. Her superiors in the village had no one to spar though forcing her hand.

It had been going as smooth as could be expected in the beginning. The child had been developing at a regular pace, meeting the milestones when it was supposed to. A few had been reached a little early. Which pleased her superiors and her Master. It spoke of the child's future usefulness.

Then without warning the progress had come to a sudden halt when the child had its attack. Nao had not been able to identify what had happened other than the child had symptoms similar to a migraine. He'd been monitoring it ever since, but no matter how many scans or how many times he attempted to heal her nothing worked. Because nothing appeared to be physically wrong. Despite this the child had been practically catatonic for weeks. Nothing could draw it out. It barely moved, though it thankfully ate.

There were orders passed down that if the child did not start to recover within two months it was to be disposed of and they were to attempt try again. It was these orders that gave Murasaki trouble. Her Master had told her to go ahead with them if it occurred and she'd realized that she had been disappointed. Murasaki did not want to follow the orders to dispose of the child. She had wanted her Master to counter her orders and perhaps take control of the child early so that it may continue to live.

This was troubling.

Murasaki did not feel love. That was impossible, even the emotions she did feel were smothered and weak. Love, she had been told, was overwhelming and could even cause someone to disobey orders. Murasaki would fulfill her orders to dispose of the child when it became necessary. It was just she did not want to have to. For whatever reason, Murasaki hoped the child would live. It was a new feeling and not one she wanted. Both painful and inappropriate.

She could not stop it though and began to pay more attention to the child trying to make it come out of wherever it had gone. Her coaxing appeared to working, at least somewhat. The child looked at them instead of through them more and responded to touches, leaning into them as it had before.

Still though something about it had changed. If not for the boy, Murasaki wouldn't have been able to identify the strange expressions the child now made.

"It's like she's grieving." the medic-nin told her near the end of the third month, looking as perplexed by the sentiment as Murasaki felt.

"The child's emotions and mental state are not developed enough to experience grief." she'd told the strange, gentle boy calmly. The look he'd given her had resembled what she assumed to be pity.

"That may be Murasaki-san, but she has the same expression I had when my parents died. She looks like she'd lost everything."

Murasaki had frowned at those words. They made no sense. There was nothing to lose. The child had nothing. Nao had quickly moved onto working. Despite his sometimes un-shinobi like gentleness, he was very proficient and usually profesional.

After that Murasaki tried to see as the other had. She couldn't be sure if what she saw was grief. Murasaki had never felt something like that. She did recognize pain though. The expressions linked to the physical kind. Despite being healthy the child sometimes looked to be in pain. The source of it would need to be put aside if the child was to live.

Murasaki decided something must be done to ensure the success of the mission. Even if it meant finding outside assistance.

. . .

I don't actually remember the next month after my "Waking". It wouldn't have been too strange for someone else. You aren't supposed to remember your early months of life. I was in a somewhat unique position though of remembering a least somewhat since my second birth. That month though was a period of blankness for me. I suppose I might have been in shock.

Or maybe it was a numbing grief.

Or my mind fixing itself to fit in two different versions of myself.

Probably all three.

I ate, slept, and moved through this time. But there was no color, no sound, just a numbing emptiness. When I started to come out of it, started to look around myself again I found things had changed. The redhead kept trying to coax me into moving or doing anything. She was frowning nowadays. Her showing emotion would have been amusing if life hadn't been so very wrong. She seemed somehow more invested in me than before. Actually touching me when it wasn't required and speaking to me in an emotionless, serious voice. My young favorite walked around with a wrinkle in between his eyes and more and more his hands would get that extra warmth whenever he held me. His name was Nao. I'd discovered it due to the strained conversations he was having with my other caretakers. The blonde remained much the same. In fact her smiles seemed brighter. Like she'd received gift she didn't expect to.

My main three caretakers kept having long conversations I was sure revolved around me, though I never heard them say my name. If I even had one. It was hard to figure that out myself as I couldn't understand them.

I had discovered one thing though, the reason that "senpai" had stood out to me. I'd heard it from more animes than I could count. For whatever reason it seemed that I had reborn in some place where Japanese was spoken. I was assuming it was the future. At first I'd assumed it was the past due to the older style of things around me, but then I'd seen the electricity and the odd mix of newly made older styled tools and modern conveniences. Which led me to assume that maybe I was just somewhere with a more traditional lifestyle until I saw a calendar that said it was the year 58.

My best guess was everything had gone Apocalyptic and the survivors had carved out a world that was a mix of old and new. It was a bit of a crazy theory, but it seemed like it made as much sense as a second life did. Wondering exactly which Apocalypse had occurred kept me busy during my bored moments and distracted me from the dual hurt of losing my last life and the coldness of my present one. I just wished I could understand what was going on.

My emotions weren't helping. As much as I was a twenty year old I was just as much an infant. I now knew what love felt like and I wanted it desperately. I missed my family and my life and it hurt. I would get stuck in thoughts of them and when I came out it seemed as if hours had passed. I wanted something, someone to cling to.

I didn't cry. I never liked to cry in my last life and despite my harder to control emotions I reacted similarly. I was prone to letting things build and build until a small thing set me off and into tears. I'd get it all out and then I'd feel lighter and move on. Here though I never felt safe enough to let my emotions out.

To make it worse I was bored, which should have been the least of my problems. But honestly there was a reason sticking someone in a small enclosed space with nothing to stimulate their minds was considered a form of punishment and torture. It grated on my already fraying nerves.

The day things changed was on a day with my redhead caretaker only. It was the same day I realized what had really happened to me and realized where I really was.

It was the day the redhead brought the kunoichi.

. . .

Hayai had known Yotsuki Murasaki since the day she'd arrived in their village all young and freshly married. Even then the girl had been odd. Hayai would never say Murasaki was normal despite what others may say. She put on a good show, smiling and getting by, charming her husband and the other civies. Even Hayai's fellow shinobi were fooled by the act. As her best, and probably only friend, Hayai felt entitled to make the assessment that all was not as it appeared.

There were a lot of things that could drive a pretty, young civilian girl into marrying a passing shinobi, especially one as well off as Yotsuki Hidoi. So Hayai had never questioned Murasaki on what had driven her to seduce the man. Two wars and her own traumas made her well aware of how little one would want even those closest to them prying into their pasts. Instead the moment she recognized something was off behind her perfect manners and pretty smiles Hayai had set herself on the course of befriending the girl.

What she found was even worse than she suspected. Murasaki was cold under her cover, calculating, and almost completely unfeeling. She didn't even seem to be able to truly comprehend the feelings of others even if she would use them in her best interests.

She was a bit of a psychopath.

But a harmless one. After the initial assessment Hayai had kept a careful eye on her to make sure she wasn't a threat to the village. Murasaki was as Hayai discovered a deeply neurologically different civilian, but one who was more interested in her own survival and comfort than damaging the village she now resided in. Sure there was a possibility that she could take advantage of her position as wife to a clan member, but Hidoi wasn't very high ranking and in the grand scheme of things unimportant.

So, Hayai had left well enough alone, but hadn't been able to abandon her interest in the girl. She'd met plenty of shinobi with similar mindsets and honestly Hayai was probably a bit different herself. Besides it was always funny seeing Murasaki break her cover and try to understand feelings and such. She got this adorably perplexed frown that Hayai enjoyed more than she probably should.

Murasaki was wearing that same frown when she'd returned from her almost four month long visit to her family only to request Hayai accompany her back. Hayai wasn't an idiot. She knew Murasaki was lying, but she was intrigued. Murasaki looked almost worried. An emotion Hayai wasn't used to seeing on her friend's face. Besides she would never deny her adorable friend anything when her actually requesting something was so rare.

A child though was not what she expected.

Hayai couldn't help but grin at the easy way Murasaki held the baby, despite how clearly uneasy her friend was.

"I didn't know you'd reproduced." Hayai teased, though it was obvious that the baby was not her friend's.

The child's skin was incredibly fair, while Murasaki's was only a few shades lighter than Hayai's own dark brown color. It had messy silver hair that was completely unlike Murasaki's dark red coloring. Bright green eyes looked up at Hayai from her friend's arms while Murasaki's light brown looked down at the child with a frustrated look that made Hayai want to laugh. Emotions looked good on Murasaki. The only this child was her friend's was if it took its entire appearance from its father.

Murasaki responded with an emotionless tone she only used when relaxed, not bothering with her friendly mask. "The child is not mine. It has been assigned to me."

"Assigned?" Hayai asked and waggled her brow at her friend. "Assigned sounds suspiciously like a mission Saki-chan. Civilians don't get missions."

Murasaki gave her a careful assessing look that Hayai greeted with a smile.

"I believe the Shinobigashira spoke to you before he departed to Konoha."

Interesting.

"You mean before he fucked up and got himself killed in Konoha." Hayai said dryly, but quickly realized what Murasaki meant and her grin widened. "Oh, Saki-chan of all people to be involved in an intrigue. You were the last on my list!"

Murasaki ignored the comment and kept going. "I know he invited you to join. He made sure to address my husband and I on the matter, hoping I would be able to persuade you. You have not yet told anyone else of the mechanics of our group and I believe I could trust you with this information."

The redhead took a slight pause and spoke again. "This child is one of the other plans the Shinobigashira had made if the Hyuga was not able to be acquired. It has been manufactured with the genetics of a superior shinobi from a well known line and is to be raised in the utmost secrecy for the good of the village. I was trusted with its care along with a few others. Recently though there have been some difficulties and I felt forced to seek advice elsewhere. As you have had several children in your care I believed you the best to approach. I also know you would not betray my trust."

"No, Saki-chan, you I would never betray."

Hayai assured her speaking the words softly and feeling a bit of wonder at the obvious belief in her friend's face. Murasaki did not often bother with direct lies to Hayai and she spoke that with the conviction of it being an absolute truth. The fact that Murasaki realized the strange devotion that Hayai felt for her was both worrying and oddly invigorating. She would think on that later.

For now she had something more interesting to consider. It was well-known that the Shinobigashira had been chafing under the rule of their Kage for years. The Shinobigashira had been obedient, or at least gave the illusion of obedience under the Sandaime, but when he'd chosen his son as his successor over the Shishigashira the relationship had soured. It hadn't helped that the son was seven years his junior and had never gotten on with him. The Shinobigashira for all the respect his position entitled him and the strength he possessed had always been an arrogant braggart who reached beyond his capabilities.

When he'd approached Hayai about joining his coup against the Yondaime she had only just resisted laughing in his face. She'd been fully prepared to let the coup run its course and laugh if as they burned. On the off chance they had succeeded she'd been interested in seeing exactly how long it would take the arrogant man to doom them all.

With Murasaki involved though she wasn't able to just watch it run its course.

Well for now she'd help out Murasaki, but Hayai would have to start making plans for them to run when this inevitably failed. Being a missing-nin would be fun though. Especially with Murasaki there to entertain her.

"So what's wrong then?" Hayai asked cheerfully as she mentally ran through the closest places she could start to hide supplies in.

Murasaki went instantly into her 'report mode', becoming more professional than most chunin in the village.

"The child was developing normally until its third month during which it had an attack. It began to shriek in pain and quickly became unconscious. Since then it has not responded well and has appeared to be in an almost catatonic state at times. It does not move and does not react to stimulus."

Hayai considered the child thoughtfully, noting how despite Murasaki's claims it seemed pretty focused right now, staring at Hayai with huge green eyes. Hayai leaned closer to see what it would do and found its eyes quickly focused on her headband, fingers twitching and hand clenching and relaxing. Hayai untied the cloth securing it and placed it in the hands of the child. It startled, but after staring at her a little longer focused on the foreign object it held. Its small hands carefully inspected it, tracing the etching on the metal.

Hayai looked away to begin assessing the room. Small, but perfect for a child. Plain and empty of almost all furniture beyond the child's bed, a dresser and table, and a blanket folded neatly on top. The spartan ness of it reminded her of her brief stint in ANBU. No color, no attachments, no humanity.

"No toys?" she asked already knowing the answer.

Murasaki frowned. "The orders were to not treat it as a child, but instead as a weapon. Toys are for children not tools."

Hayai nodded and looked back down at the child who was still gripping the headband.

"Well there's your problem Saki-chan, even baby's get bored. You have to stimulate them like me and you. Talk to it, read to it, give it some games. It will help distract it. Right now this isn't giving its little brain anything to focus on. You need to start introducing it to new things."

Murasaki looked down at the child considering, obviously noting the way it was responding to the new toy.

"Also is it a girl or boy?"

"Female." she responded easily.

"Then call her, a her." Hayai told her cheerfully. "Even if she's getting trained to be a good little weapon she needs to form some connections. A tool with no loyalty isn't very useful."

Just look at her. Hayai would happily burn down her village if she was ever bored enough.

"Distancing yourself can be done when she's old enough to realize what she is."

Murasaki nodded and Hayai grinned at the expression on her face. Thoughtful and determined. Looking more like she was planning a war strategy than childcare.

For a moment Hayai considered whether or not to take the child with them when they fled if it was able to make Murasaki emote so much. She decided against it almost instantly. Whatever her eye color maybe, Hayai would be an idiot not to recognize the distinct messy silver hair of the Hatake clan. Especially considering how fascinated the Shinobigashira had always been with the Copy-Cat's strong lightning affinity and sharingan. The girl would probably only get more recognizable as it grew. If Hayai was going to have to flee her village because of a failed coup while dragging Murasaki with her, she did not needed the added pressure of Konoha and Sharingan no Kakashi's wrath on them.

Author's Note: I became very fond of Murasaki and Hayai while writing this and I kind of want to write a side story focusing on the development of their friendship.

Shinobigashira: Head Ninja. It's a unique rank. The databook mention he was arrogant and didn't like to take orders so I figured it wouldn't be out of line for him to be planning his own coup which would lead to destabilization which a certain eye thief would approve of.

I've almost settled on a name, but remember:

Midori, Hitomi, Botan, or Kama

Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favs! All ya'll make me happy