Edited!
Consciousness brushed the edges of sleep. Small details fluttered across her weary mind, too out of focus to fully grasp. Images of falling, lightning, and jumping through branches skimmed around her memory, not lingering more than a split second before disappearing. She tried to focus on other things around her instead.
There was soft heat warming her skin. Cool air that was starting to get heavier as the sun rose. Her head lay across something firm but soft, with a damp stench of loam.
As she became more aware of her surroundings, the dull comfort her body was in seemed to melt away, bringing with it pain across her abdomen and arm. It took a little while for the memories to return more clearly, but when they did, she found it unsurprising that she was sore.
Opening her eyes to see dark fur, she blinked the sleep away. Aki lay behind her, allowing her to rest across his ribs. His own noble head rested over his paws, though he was alert with his attention pointed out across the horizon of golden sands. Hearing her shift, his ears twitched, and he lifted his head to look back at her. The sands under her were still cool from the evening and a strong wind washed over the kunoichi while she cleared her rough throat. Her lips burned, chapped from the dry climate and she resisted chewing on them.
"Have you rested enough?" Aki asked.
His voice was deep and direct, but to her ears it was comforting. With a nod, she tried to sit up, but a hot pain struck through her body. Grimacing, she leaned back against him to release a held breath. Aki didn't say anything as he waited patiently. After a moment, the woman sat up slower and winced as an ache stretched through her abdomen despite the careful movements. Looking to her stomach and arm, she saw her skin stretched over muscle that had been lacerated and penetrated. The injury from Kakashi's last attack resembled a divot, almost crater-like under her ribs nearly five inches in diameter. Redness and swelling still lingered and at the heart of it was signs of burn scars that would not heal completely. Around it was a spider web of burns from the lightning crackling over, and the center of the attack was still scabbed with crusty blood, not fully closed over. Her shirt was in tatters, stained with crimson, soot, and dirt.
She was grateful her chakra took care of healing injuries even when she had no idea how to perform restorative techniques. It was part of the strange characteristics her chakra had that she lacked understanding or control over. Thinking on the pain of her abdomen she began to ponder her circumstances.
If her organs were severely ruined, then it could take days before she would wake up…but that wasn't right. That attack should have been intense enough to keep her organs from repairing within the week. Did Hatake not put enough force behind it to kill her?
"How long was I out?" she questioned as she managed to plant her feet under her. In an attempt to stretch, she lifted her arms over her head but stopped when the skin felt too tight, and the scabs threatened to open.
"Only through the night. I think that's your record."
"Hmm," she hummed distantly. Still in thought, she stopped mid-stretch and turned to Aki. "Glad to see that I can still heal… How long has it been since I was last wounded?"
The wolf pondered. "A few months since it was serious…unless you've been getting into more trouble when I'm not around. Which isn't out of the ordinary, now that I think about it."
"Don't badger me," she replied dully, sensing his teasing. A hand reached to her lower back to pull out a scroll but only met an empty pouch causing her brows to knit.
"I have them here," Aki announced while lifting his paw to reveal two scrolls.
He rolled one open with his nose and placed his foot over a seal. The writing lit up to reveal energy meals, jerky, and water. She reached down, ignoring the pain the action created, and opened the jerky for her summoning. Aki chewed on it while she helped herself to the energy bars.
Taking a mouthful of the bar, she picked up the second scroll unsealing another grey shirt and a fresh set of kunai and shuriken.
"How are your wounds, Aki?" she asked as she started to change and restock her supplies.
"I'll heal eventually. Nothing's serious."
She frowned at his short responses. Was he angry with her?
Knowing that pestering the old wolf would get her nowhere, she set to pulling more of her items together, unsealing a single short sword and making a mental note that she didn't have a spare mask. She really had been shirking on keeping the back-up inventory stocked. She would need to make it to a town soon to purchase more supplies.
Sighing, hands came to rest on her hips and her attention drifted back to Aki. He was still chewing on the last of the jerky, his white teeth flashing and crushing the dried meat. But it was his ears that she was watching. The one closest to her didn't have anything to focus on as the movement with his chewing vibrated to the relaxed ear, each bite he took causing it to quiver slightly. The other one was alert, twitching like a satellite toward the open sands ahead of them.
Turning to face the rolling dunes more fully, she reached out her chakra, searching for any foreign signatures in the area. She wasn't naturally a sensory-type kunoichi, but if she focused, her reach could extend far enough to substitute her lack of natural skills. However, she felt nothing out of the ordinary.
Frowning, she glanced back to her summoning, ear still facing the distance. He sensed something. It must not have been close by for him not to mention anything to her.
"How far are they?" she broke the silence. Aki finished his jerky and looked at her fully with his pale eyes. "Is it the leaf-nin from yesterday?"
He didn't seem surprised that she discovered the source of his distraction. Instead of answering immediately, he pinned both ears forward, determining what information he had and what to share.
"Not the Konoha team. A pair of shinobi who aren't afraid of being found. Their chakra is strong," he met her eyes, "but they're not heading in this direction."
"A pair?" she echoed.
"I wouldn't worry about them."
"But you were. Worried that is."
Her summon wagged his tail lazily but his gaze was serious. "You're still wounded, pup. And I need to go home to rest. Don't go searching out trouble."
Her eyes widened and she pointed knowingly at him. "Wait…. You know who they are…. Who? Tell me."
"No."
"If you don't, I'll just go find out for myself."
"If you don't leave it, I'll just deliver you back to the Copy-nin."
She laughed lightly, unbothered by the threat. "Nah, they'll just execute me. And then you'll be bored with nothing to do, and it wouldn't be long before you're filled with regret for getting me killed."
"That's ridiculous. I could finally retire and live out my days lounging rather than watching out for you."
"You're not the retiring type," she deflected. "Just tell me."
Knowing that her threat of seeking the strangers out was not hollow, he reluctantly conceded.
"If I had to guess, Akatsuki. Which only means to stay clear." Getting to his feet, he shook the sand from his coat. "I mean it. You're in no condition to seek them out."
"Alright, alright. Fine." She put her hands up in surrender, before her expression turned to concern. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"I've had worse injuries before. This is a minor nuisance." He wagged his tail lazily again as she rolled the scrolls back and put them in their pouches. Closing the distance, he poked his wet nose to her cheek playfully, causing his ward to smile with a laugh. "If you need me, pup, you know where I'll be."
With that he left it a black vapor before it dissolved in the wind.
"Hmph." She grinned and pulled her kunai pouch around her thigh before looking back to the dunes of Suna.
It felt slightly different knowing that she was once again alone. With Benjiro going home to Tea and the other two idiots going off to jail, that left her with no more responsibility. Though, it wasn't like she was always around the team. Half the time she was off running around, causing trouble, finishing a few things on her own…the usual. She never stayed too long with them. If she did, it was to travel to a different area for a new mission where she taught Benjiro how to hide from enemies and avoid run-ins with potential threats.
What was she going to do with herself now?
Well, she had the mission to complete still, however not having a team to finish it was a major problem she couldn't ignore. As much as she didn't want to abandon her mission, she couldn't take her targets on by herself.
On the other hand, she could investigate who the two travelers were in the area, though going after the foreign chakras was not a wise choice for a lone kunoichi.
She smirked mischievously.
But she couldn't help the urge to find out…
8-8-8-8-8-8
In the heart of Suna, the Kazekage's office stood overlooking the village. Inside one particular office was a group of four that stood expectantly in front of the Kage with sun-fire red locks and calm seawater green eyes; eyes that continued to stray ever so noticeably towards the pink haired kunoichi who stood next to the rambling blonde and quiet pale artist. Standing between the group and the Kage, was the famous Copy-cat with one hand stuffed in his pocket and the other holding something at his side.
Hearing the many stories from Naruto, he had initially assumed it was the famous orange book that he kept on his person at all times, but this object was neither orange nor small enough to hide. Tilting his head slightly to see, he noted the brightness of porcelain with paintings of black and red. He recognized the style and had caught sight of an eye hole, meaning it had to be a mask. But why would Hatake Kakashi need two masks? Wasn't the black fabric enough? According to Naruto, it was more than persistent at staying in place.
Speaking of the blond, Gaara decided that he better listen to Naruto's fight, seeing as he missed the largest part of it. Who could blame him? After less than a week, they had come back when his own teams had been out nearly three weeks with no success except for one battle before coming back wounded. Neither of the group in front of him were bleeding or bruised, though that could have very well been the work of the pink haired kunoichi…
"So, we dropped the two guys off with an ANBU team on our way here," Naruto explained, who finally finished his re-cap of the fight.
"I didn't catch the part about who they were," Gaara admitted.
Naruto opened his mouth to answer but Sakura beat him to it. "Well, the two men were identified as Naoti and Yoi…The leader isn't in any of our bingo books."
"Is Naoti the one from Konoha?"
Sakura furrowed her brows. He wasn't listening at all, was he? "No. It was the leader…she died."
Gaara stared at her for a moment and let it sink in. The leader was dead? And it was a woman? It wasn't very common to see women take charge over missing-nin. There were many raunchy and vulgar men out there that wouldn't blink an eye to torture a woman… In order for her to take leadership role then she must've been strong.
"So, we won't have to worry about them any longer. Had I known it would be handled so quickly, I would've called sooner."
"We may have just gotten lucky on our location along the border," Kakashi explained. "Your country is expansive and having limited teams understandably left more openings for that group to sneak through."
Gaara recognized the explanation as valid. "You also know ideal access points over borders due to your many missions across countries. I wouldn't put down your intelligence." He turned back to a paper in hand and studied it before setting it down. He couldn't help but ask. "What is that in your hand, Hatake? If you don't mind me asking, that is."
Kakashi lifted the mask by his side and let his dark eye wander over it before he handed it to Gaara. Taking it, a small auburn stone fell to the tabletop with a clatter and Gaara blinked before lifting it up.
"This was the woman's?"
"The mask we recovered before her body was taken away and I pulled the pendant from her shortly after the last attack."
Gaara twisted the mask in his hand and examined the wolf muzzle and ears with dried blood staining the porcelain cheeks. He set it down and moved to the small orange pendant that shimmered brightly and in the shape of a tear drop, hanging from a thin silver chain.
"Does this…. does this have chakra in it?" Gaara glanced up to see confusion in the tilt of Kakashi's head.
"Chakra?" He stepped forward and took the necklace Gaara handed to him and let the cool stone sit carefully in between his fingers. He twisted and rolled it until the familiar spark of a small, nearly undetectable chakra made itself known. Blinking, he looked to Gaara.
"How were you able to tell?"
"Shukaku's chakra started to grow agitated." He turned his seawater green eyes to Naruto who stared strangely at the stone.
"I didn't feel anything when I touched it," he said slowly.
"Perhaps it was because your demon is more powerful," Sai suggested.
"That would make sense."
"I suppose it could have been this that gave her the power to take control over Naruto and Sai," Kakashi mused as he turned towards Sakura and tossed the stone to her that she caught. "What do you think?"
Sakura held it up to the light and let her chakra melt into it slowly.
"It's strange…." After a while she lowered it. "I suppose it could have given her the power, but it's hard to tell. The chakra is rejecting mine."
She tossed it back to Kakashi who looked to it before stuffing it into his pocket.
"Are you going to be heading back tonight?" Gaara asked monotone as he stood to his feet and walked around to the front. "I can have a hotel for your team, and you can stay as long as you would like."
"Yeah! Let's do that! Then Gaara and I can catch up from the past two years!" Naruto cheered.
"Can we Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked with big shining eyes.
Kakashi scratched the back of his head with an eye crinkle. "What did I say about calling me that?"
"Come on! Pleeeaaaase?"
Kakashi looked to Sakura then to Gaara and couldn't help the small mischievous smirk curl his lips. "We'll stay the night."
"Two." She bargained.
Kakashi chuckled. "We'll see."
"Thank you!" Both her and Naruto exchanged an excited grin. Sai watched the two carefully, wondering what it was that they were so thrilled about.
Suddenly the doors burst open and Kankuro rushed in before tackling Naruto. "Aaaaahhhh!"
"Gotcha! Hahaaa!" The painted shinobi laughed as he got to his feet and stared down at the dazed Naruto. He turned around, losing interest in Naruto quickly and looked to see Sai, who he had never seen before, and Sakura. "Hey pinky!"
Sakura's eyebrow twitched at her nickname.
"Still wearing make-up I see," she backfired while crossing her arms. She got the desired reaction as his face fell.
"Still hanging with that Ino bitch? She's rubbing off on you."
"That's not a bad thing. Still getting beat up by Temari?"
This time his eyebrow twitched.
"Psh! No!" he confirmed it with a snort and crossing his own arms over his chest.
"Why are you lying?" Gaara asked quietly with his face still impassive.
"W-what? I'm not lying!" Kankuro shot back while tossing his arms in the air and hitting Naruto in the face, sending him falling back once again. "Oh-sorry man."
Instead of helping him back up he turned to Sai. "Who are you?"
"Sai."
"Sai, huh?"
"Yeah, he's our new teammate," Sakura explained.
"Oh, yeah? That's cool." He turned to the door and waved over his shoulder. "If your meeting is finished, I'll show you around. You can come too, Hatake."
Sakura grinned and rushed past him as he turned out of the Kage's office. Sai followed slowly with Naruto climbing back to his feet.
"You really are clumsy, dickless," he grinned.
"Oi! Stop calling me that!" Naruto ran after the others before popping his head back in to see Gaara. "You're coming aren't you?"
"I'll be there after I finish my paperwork," he assured.
Kakashi watched the exchange briefly and was impressed at how much Gaara had changed over the two years. Perhaps it was because the village accepted him now. It must feel like a new life to Gaara after everything he had been through. Any resentment he may have held towards the people was washed away and replaced with fairness and protection. Him and Naruto would make strong changes in the world once the latter became Hokage.
"Have you heard anything about the Akatsuki?" Kakashi questioned once the others were out of ear shot.
Gaara sat back in his desk chair and started shuffling through paperwork before answering. "There haven't been any more sightings or encounters lately. I believe they may be laying low until they feel it's safe to attack Suna again."
"So, you should have everything under control with the borders now?"
"That's what I'm hoping for. A little control always made things easier." Seafoam irises looked to Kakashi. "How's the search for Uchiha?"
Kakashi couldn't say that he hadn't expected the question to come up at some point. That would be a lie. Though he couldn't help but wonder if it was business reasons or personal that Gaara asked. It was obvious that Gaara didn't like Sasuke. Perhaps 'disliking him with a passion' was a better term to explain their level. Neji was very much the same as well, now that he thought about it. But he wasn't worried about the Hyuga.
Was Gaara wondering because he was interested in Sakura and Naruto's well-being? They were some of his first friends, after all.
"We've kept an ear out, and Naruto is still determined to bring him back. They fought a lot with each other, but they were like brothers…" He sighed. "I don't know if Naruto will ever be able to come to terms with it or if Sasuke will return."
"I see…." He turned back to the last of his papers while signing a few, though his mind was drifting away to other thoughts.
Sasuke had suffered a lot when his family was murdered. The betrayal, the lies, the heartache. But the Uchiha never moved past it. He had friends that looked out for him and was there, but instead of forgetting about revenge, he turned his back on everyone that had tried to help. Gaara and Naruto had been through their own tragedies.
They were shunned by all the villagers because of what they had in them. Hell-even his father tried to kill him! Where was the line that says you've been through too much in a lifetime?
The one thing, though, that made them different was that Naruto and Gaara made something of themselves. Sure, Gaara had stayed blind and decided to kill, giving into his hate at first; but after the Chunin exams, he changed for his sister, his brother, Naruto, and the village. Now, he was the Kazekage with the village standing behind him 100%. Naruto and Sakura had turned to him as friends, not holding a grudge from when he desperately tried to kill them along with Konoha.
"How does Sakura feel about him?"
The sudden change of subject caught him off guard, as well as Kakashi. Gaara hadn't even thought of it when he blurted it out. Must have been Shukaku's doing, he mused darkly and it was only confirmed by the chuckle in the recesses of his mind.
"I'm not exactly sure. I know that she has grown out of her crush if that helps," Kakashi grinned knowingly, but Gaara ignored his attempt at teasing. "She wants to get him back, but I think it's for Naruto, not her. As sad as it is, I know she would die to bring him back just so Naruto wouldn't be alone."
Gaara stared blankly at the paper with his pen inches away from the paper; only hovering lightly. The lines and words sprawling across the page didn't register in his mind.
Suddenly, the door rasped open violently and a man stumbled in receiving a dark glare for the lack of a decent knock to alert Gaara.
"I-Im sorry, Kaze-sama! But th-there was two Akatsuki…just outside the…village boundaries!" the shinobi panted.
"What?" Gaara asked in a low tone and stood to his feet. He hadn't expected them to return so soon. "Get me a team in here now-"
"Er, which team, Kaze-sama?"
Gaara wracked his mind before a name came to him. "Call for Team Ikeda."
"Hai… It may be a little while to reach them from their posts. I'll go right away."
Before the man could turn to leave, Kakashi raised a hand to get their attention.
"Sir, if I may," Kakashi interrupted. Gaara glared at him, but both knew it wasn't meant for him, rather at the situation. "I'll go confront the Akatsuki until a team arrives."
"I'll not send you out alone, Hatake."
"I can hold my own and keep them distracted if they are set on getting here. It'll buy you some time."
Gaara opened his mouth to retort, but the strange white-haired shinobi disappeared leaving a pissed Kaze and a now terrified shinobi.
"W-what would you like me to do?"
"Leave it to Hatake. Get the other team here so I can send them as backup…"
"Hai-understood."
8-8-8-8-8-8-
The wind shuffled the sands and wrapped the dark cloaks that billowed around two figures' legs. Each moved casually across that land, not worrying about the small waves of chakra. If there were teams or any other shinobi in the area, then these two men welcomed those who thought they could oppose the pair and live.
The temperatures were warming from the watching sun and the bright rays casted shadows around their feet. The first of the two, with a signature ponytail, halted in mid step and looked to his left where he sensed a signature heading towards them hastily. It was coming from the Suna gates, no doubt sprinting to meet them before they could progress further.
The second figure stopped beside the first and turned his attention to the same chakra that now made itself present.
"It seems that Hatake, Kakashi is in the area and coming to give us his regards," the first man said dispassionately and continued walking, ignoring the twisted grin of the second. It would only be a matter of time before Kakashi arrived. It wasn't any of their concern, however. They were sent on a mission of their own that Hatake would not be able to mess up.
It was only three minutes later that another chakra source made itself known and once again the first man came to a stop. This time it was closer and didn't seem to carry the same kind of hostility as Hatake's.
Deciding that they were obviously going to have a conflict, he stayed where he was with his partner stopping besides him; already catching on and staying quiet. Shortly after, the second chakra presence arrived in a gust of wind that shook past them. The taller man raised an arm to block the gust from his eyes.
Lowering his arm, they saw a woman with a long sleeve light grey shirt, and a charcoal fabric draped over the shoulders with slits moving from each hip to her mid-thigh, held together with a blood red sash. Black pants clung to her legs, only reaching halfway down her calf and leather sandals with laces stopped at her ankles. Sable hair and gun-metal grey shined brightly with one hand resting on her hip.
"I thought I was mistaken when I saw you from a distance. But no. It really is you, Uchiha Itachi," she greeted with a small hint of derision.
The Uchiha narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "And you are?"
"Ah, we haven't been properly introduced before, have we? I guess it's been a while since we were last around one another." Her chapped lips curled up at the corners, but humor was not present. Blood seeped through the cracked skin of her bottom lip making Kisame watch her curiously.
Itachi stayed silent and pondered for a moment before the wind rushed past them, waving her hair around her shoulders. Her appearance did little to jog his memory.
"No. Even if we had, you clearly weren't worth remembering."
"Ouch. Are you always so impolite to acquaintances?"
Kisame shifted his giant sword on his shoulder, not sure why this woman showed up out of nowhere to talk to Itachi. They hadn't even met officially before, and she thought it was smart to just confront him? She wasn't that stupid, was she?
The Mist-nin decided to voice his confusion. "Oi, you know who we are, right?"
Her attention lifted to meet his gaze. He expected her to flinch at the sight of him and offered a toothy grin to urge a reaction from her. But she merely scanned his cloak before her eyes landed on Samehada.
"You must be Hoshigaki Kisame…" she answered coolly.
She got a widened grin in reply, and he teetered Samehada over his shoulder. "The one and only."
She smirked and looked him over from where she stood. "You're a lot bigger in person than I thought."
"Meh," his grin turned mischievous. "If you ever want to see something that's really big then-"
"Kisame," Itachi warned with narrowed eyes.
Kisame was normally an opinionated man but kept his vulgar comments to himself. It was obvious that he still had alcohol in his system, and the hours talking to Deidara and Hidan weren't keeping his mind in check either.
"I was just joking," Kisame scowled before his signature grin returned. "But seriously, if you're ever interested…"
"Yeah-I'll keep that in mind," she retorted dryly. Glancing between the two, she couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious in that moment.
After she left Konoha, she dedicated her efforts to surviving, carving a life out on the run. Going from having an apartment provided, to being alone as a teenager with no village loyalties was daunting. Hard lessons were learned. Death tried to claim her multiple times. It was a difficult process but after a few years, she became strong enough to do what she set out the morning she left Konoha.
Confront Uchiha Itachi for confirmation of what happened that night.
Unfortunately, she had no idea where he was. Rumors of an elite criminal organization circled through the hushed conversations at smoky bars and inns, but nothing was certain. Locations of the group was a mystery. She was forced to tread carefully, keeping her search a secret so as not to attract unwanted attention.
It wasn't easy. In fact, once she started to get answers, which were not provided in Bingo Books about Akatsuki, she set out to find him. Whenever she heard an S-class team was around, she would go check it out, usually finding other members of the organization instead of the elusive Uchiha. The kunoichi never bothered to confront the other teams. She had no business to discuss with them. Once their identity was made, she left.
Until now. Finally, after 8 years of being on the run, she found him.
She would get her answers.
"Why are you here?" Itachi questioned, finding her lack of defensive stance and casual approach concerning.
"I wanted to talk to you about Konoha. Specifically, the leadership when you were still an active member of the village."
The response was unexpected. Both her and Kisame could see it clearly in the Uchiha's scarlet eyes. But Itachi covered it expertly, placing a blank mask over his features. She decided to meet his gaze head-on, a dangerous move but the only way to gauge his reaction.
"Eh? So, you do know her?" Kisame grunted, scanning her up and down.
"Still up for debate."
"My name is Nori, Akane," she introduced, hiding any nervousness behind faux boldness and another grin.
The name tickled something in the back of Itachi's mind. It was one he had heard a long time ago, and it had an invisible link to the Hokage tower in his memories. Somehow, a glimpse at her forehead protector over her bicep told him all he needed to know.
"Ah, I see… So, how did the apprentice of the Sandaime become a missing-nin?"
Her grin fell a little, taking on a forced tension. "Apprentice is a little generous for what it was, but that's not important. I actually left right after you murdered your clan."
A friction was forming between them now. Itachi used the lull in conversation to pull up information he had on the woman before him. There was a stigma against her that she was dangerous and lacked control. The word among ranks was a jutsu of hers had gotten out of hand and slaughtered a team of Genin during the Chunin exams. As a result, she was transferred to train under Hiruzen before being integrated back to a team. But that was all he could recall.
"…. What do you want, Nori?"
"I want answers. I want to know why you killed your clan… and who else was aware of it."
Crimson eyes narrowed. Instinct told her to look away or risk falling under a genjutsu, but she only furrowed her brows.
"You're interrupting a mission, kunoichi. You should leave."
It was a promise that most would know not to push. Common sense said to leave it and come back another time to discuss it with the Uchiha.
But Akane treated it like an empty threat.
"Oh, you're not getting rid of me that easily. You see, I'm aware of some of the details regarding that night. The pieces that are missing just happen to be the ones you have. I didn't come to create conflict between us, just find out the truth of who else was aware."
"And what will you do with that information?"
"Take action, of course."
"Against whom?"
"Is that really your concern?"
Itachi didn't answer right away. He wasn't sure how much she knew about that night, why she left, or even how she came across the events in the first place. Hiruzen wouldn't have openly shared anything to a subordinate. He was a secretive man and knew the dangers that would happen if the truth got out.
But this woman knew something that she shouldn't, that was obvious.
Something that could get him into trouble with Akatsuki if details leaked.
If that wasn't enough, the lingering threat in the back of his mind was approaching, and soon Hatake would arrive to the confrontation. He decided to guide the topic away from the center of that forsaken night.
"Just the same, you shouldn't put so much weight into personal suspicions and instead, take what you hear at face value. If you're wanting revenge against me, you'll have to get in line."
It did little to dissuade her. "I'm more interested in the leadership of Konoha during that time rather than you… and that's just based off what I heard between two men whispering in a maintenance hall…"
The sentence trailed and she tilted her head with a raised brow. It was then that he realized she knew more than he expected.
She knew he was a spy.
What was left unsaid hung between them; heavy, thick, and cold.
Itachi noted that she was restrained with the information in front of the Mist-nin, but that didn't mean it would continue. Ignoring her to carry on the mission was not a strategy now. The conversation and actions to follow were suddenly a delicate matter.
"How exactly do you guys know each other?" Kisame asked with an amused chuckle, confused about the interaction, but finding it interesting, nonetheless. It was clear that there was something hidden between the lines of their discussion, but he couldn't piece it together. One thing was certain, Itachi was not comfortable with her presence.
"Just in passing," she explained briefly.
It was then that Kakashi made his appearance on the dune with the others. His offensive stance melted instantly when his attention moved from the two cloaked shinobi and landed on Akane in disbelief. Mismatched eyes widened at the last person he expected to encounter.
"You-I thought you were dead…"
"Hey, look who decided to join! It's Sparky!" Her previous intense mood was replaced with a bright grin. Itachi quickly caught on that she was playing off the cheerfulness.
Kakashi sweat dropped at his nickname. "You know my name. Why not just call me by it?"
"Sure." She answered randomly, not paying attention to his question.
"Wait! Am I the only one that's not getting this?" Kisame grunted and tossed his arm in the air with a deep scowl now marring his features.
"Did you by chance get her name?" Kakashi inquired to the blue man.
"Nori, Akane or something. Why?"
"Well, that's more then what I'd gotten so far." Kakashi sent a glare at the woman, but she didn't seem bothered by it.
"Congratulations, Sparky… Listen," she said as she stepped forward with her grin in place, gaze hard despite the curve of her smile. "If you're here to take me away, then screw your mission and keep pretending I'm dead…I'm sure you're plenty capable of that."
Itachi couldn't help but smirk. Whoever this woman was, he felt just a little amused that she was telling Hatake to leave instead of pointing her stubborn attention at him, though it would only be a matter of time. This looked to be entertaining…
"Still a little demanding, are we?" Kakashi said, un-phased by her rudeness.
Akane didn't reply to the baiting question, but her smile fell. "You really are a pain in the ass and your timing is shit, I hope you know that."
He just gave her an eye crinkle, if only to get under her skin a little more. "It's a skill."
"Why are you here, Hatake?" Itachi asked stoically.
Akane looked to Itachi and then to Kisame who looked irritated at being left out of the whole ordeal. It was understandable. After all, who would easily ignore the big blue Mist-nin?
"I'm an ally shinobi to Suna," Kakashi said simply to Itachi as if that explained it all; in a way it did. Still, he added, "You, on the other hand, are wanted criminals. What's your purpose here?"
"As usual, a mission."
"One that I won't be allowing you to complete."
"Oh?" A crooked smirk curled at the challenge. "You are alone, Kakashi. There's two Akatsuki against you and," he looked to Akane, "a missing-nin who is a third party. I don't see how you think you could successfully interfere this time."
Kakashi frowned.
The Uchiha turned and look expectantly to Akane before addressing Kakashi once more. "Are you here to stop us, or are you actually here for Nori?"
For the first time, the woman lost her boldness. The sideways glance towards Kakashi didn't escape his attention and Itachi was immediately interested in the story between them. Especially, when the shinobi didn't know her name until a minute ago.
"If you're here to move against Sunagakure, you'll be stopped," Kakashi stated, not answering the Uchiha's question.
"And if we're only passing through?"
"Well, I'm not a gate greeter, so you'll still be stopped."
"That's bold talk coming from a man with no current allies. You're not usually one to jump into a fight without some sort of plan up your sleeve. Unless you're expecting Nori to be coming to your aid if we start to fight?"
Akane felt an indignation at the implications the Uchiha strung between them. Scoffing, she crossed her arms and looked off to the side.
"Don't include me in that. I'm not risking my neck for him." Not after he nearly killed her no more than 12 hours prior.
Kakashi wasn't expecting much of a response from her. Nothing that would call for a rally by his side with a promise of mutual interests being met. Yet, it still stung to be rejected so openly.
"Well, that's unfortunate, Hatake," Itachi's smirk was now firmly in place. "Should we continue the inevitable then?"
The white-haired shinobi frowned, his center of gravity lowered to bent knees, ready for conflict. Kisame picked out the movement and a sickening grin spread, showing rows of jagged teeth. His grip on Samehada tightened.
"Hey-whoa! No, no, no," Akane interrupted with an arm up, alarmed that they would launch at each other within that very second. She wasn't sure if that would lead to her being attacked too or just not getting her answers. Neither was an option for her.
All eyes zeroed in on the kunoichi simultaneously. The attention from three dangerous shinobi-none of which were on her side-nearly made her take a step back, but she resisted. She never felt so exposed then she did without her mask in that moment. Steeling her nerves, Akane took a bold step forward, ignoring instincts to retreat.
"Sorry, Sparky, but you arrived at the party late. I've waited too long for this moment to have you interrupt my meeting with Uchiha, so I'm not letting you ruin this. And you," she spun on Itachi with a finger pointed to prove her frustrations. "You need to answer my questions instead of brushing them off!"
Kisame chuckled, causing heat to rise to her cheeks from being laughed at. Biting her the inside of her cheek, she tried to ignore the Mist-nin.
"What's got you convinced we won't just kill you," Kisame asked, trying to understand the woman. "You come here and act like we'll just have a conversation willingly like old friends. You couldn't honestly think that was going to work."
"Why wouldn't it?" she challenged haughtily. "I'm not causing you trouble and vice versa. Are you telling me that you're incapable of having a conversation with someone without fighting them?"
"I'm capable of a lot of things, girlie. Doesn't mean it's what you expect."
Kakashi was struggling to understand the situation presented to him. So many questions of how she survived, why she was there, and just what she meant by wanting to talk to Itachi circled his mind. Kisame didn't know the woman prior to that day. Itachi…. Well, Kakashi wasn't sure what Itachi knew about her.
"So, you want to know about that night," Itachi started, breaking the tension from rising further. "But you can't expect that information to come freely."
"I didn't figure it would come without cost…"
"Then what do you offer in return?"
Akane pondered on what she had or what the Uchiha would have interest in. Not much came to mind.
"I'll owe you a favor in the future. Anything, no questions asked."
"Why would you think I would call on you for a favor when I could just do it myself?"
"Geez, that hurt my feelings," she replied bitterly. "I would like to think I have some unique skills that would be worth a favor."
A sinking feeling pushed Kakashi's stomach lower in his belly, almost as if he swallowed a ball of lead. "What are you doing? Are you willing to sign yourself over in servitude to Akatsuki for some information?"
Akane ignored his protests, too focused on the miniscule progress she received from the Uchiha. The dark-haired shinobi kept his full attention on her, never looking to the Konoha-nin on his left. At the mention of her unique skills, a bargaining chip came to mind.
"In exchange for information, show me your jutsu."
Not sure what he referenced to specifically, Akane cocked a brow.
"My jutsu?" Did all Sharingan users collect people's jutsus to use in the future? How could they even keep so many attacks organized in their head? "Which jutsu are you wanting? Elemental? I do have some nice wind jutus…"
Crimson eyes bore into her, dark lashes framing the searing irises. "I'm thinking something a little more…. individualized."
"…What? Like one of the few I created?"
"How about the one used in your Chunin exam?"
As the words settled over the dune, Akane flinched.
He knew. Then again, he was ANBU and only a couple years younger than her. Of course, he would remember the significance of her Chunin exam.
She tried to school her features, pretend that she wasn't affected by his implications. But the voice in her head screamed that her façade was slipping. Heart pounding, stomach twisting, it took all her focus to remain unmoved by his hinting.
A negotiation. A trade.
But it wasn't so simple.
Akane was beginning to feel claustrophobic in the desert, as if all the attention was suffocating her by their heavy gazes and busy minds trying to pick apart Itachi's words. She tried to swallow, but her throat felt parched and dry like the sands beneath her sandals.
As if all the stress hit her at once and pushed her mind into realizing her situation, Akane took note of how stupid her decision to come was. It was far from being the right time to confront Itachi. She was injured, alone, and her chakra reserves were not yet full. Painstakingly, she was in over her head. What was she thinking?
And what Itachi asked in exchange was an impossible transaction. Even if it wasn't, she would refuse to share the monstrous attack she was capable of.
"I'll agree to a favor," she started, feeling her voice strong despite her wariness, "in exchange for information. I can give you time to consider the deal if you'd like."
Itachi's smirk melted away at her refusal. The effort to hide her own actions in the past stirred his curiosity. As she took a step back, followed by another, he realized that she was retreating.
"I think that's fair," she added "We can negotiate further if you decide against it, but I've waited this long so what's another week-"
Suddenly, everything happened quicker than her thoughts could follow, as if the fast-forward switch turned on for the world around her.
Itachi disappeared; a wisp of sand spinning up from the ground was all that remained of where he stood milliseconds prior.
Akane instinctively ducked, her body moving on its own as if knowing he would appear behind her. As a brush of wind went over her head, she realized that she was correct as he sent a kick to her, just missing. In a fluid motion, she swept her leg behind her, hoping to catch her attacker by surprise. Itachi leapt a few feet to avoid it, using the movement to deliver another kick to the kunoichi. She had no way of dodging in time. His leg connected hard against her shoulder, sending her flying across the surface of the sands in a rolling heap.
Kakashi made a move to join in the fight but hesitated. His main objective started off as stopping Akatsuki, not knowing that the woman had survived his attack, let alone was present before arriving. The relief he wanted to feel that he hadn't wrongfully killed another person was overpowered by his current dilemma.
Was he to apprehend her or deter Akatsuki; the latter were not even after Suna. Or if he watched the fight instead, would he get more answers? Whose side would he even be on? Likely hers, if the hungry gaze of Kisame was anything to go by.
Tossing a sideways glance at the Mist-nin, he saw the brawny man grinning widely, Samehada out to his side and elevated slightly from the ground.
"We going to fight, Hatake? Or just watch what happens?"
So, he wouldn't move unless Kakashi did first. They were both interested to see what would come out of the fight between the Uchiha and Nori.
"It's a toss-up right now, haven't decided," Kakashi admitted off-handedly. When Kisame made no move to attack, he returned half his attention to the fight.
Across the sands, Akane coughed, getting air back into her lungs. Pain raked through her abdomen, but she tried to mask it. Any announcement of prior injury would attract further strikes to the area by her opponent, which would end the fight quicker than she wanted. Her movements were slow, regardless, even as she felt Itachi appear above her.
A hand lunged for her kunia pouch, but Itachi kicked her arm away before hauling her up by her throat. Both of her hands gripped his forearm as she came up eye level, and she sent a wicked glare directly into his crimson.
"Are you trusting that I'll not use a genjutsu on you?" Itachi questioned, wondering if she was foolish or brave to look directly at his Sharingan.
"I was hoping that showing some vulnerability would get you to see I'm not here to fight," she retorted smartly, thankful his grip wasn't too tight to restrict her breathing. She stood on the tips of her toes, half supporting her weight, half being held up at the mercy of the Uchiha.
"That's a risky play. You had to of known a fight was likely. Especially, when you clearly know more than you should."
Akane felt a wry smirk curl. "I never said I was unprepared for one."
Two fingers lifted from his arm into a release sign, and he saw her eyes flit to the ground, hintingly, before returning to his crimson.
As he followed her tease downward, he saw what she was referring to. A paper seal sitting unassumingly between their sandals.
Instantly he released her and flickered away, just as an explosion rocketed sand and soot into the air. Wind from the blast hit the three men and on the backside of the dune, sand shifted and slid in its own avalanche.
"Damn, not another Deidara—" Kakashi heard Kisame mutter.
As Itachi glared at the veil of smoke, Akane appeared through it with kunai in hand, sprinting straight at him.
Both missing-nin entered into an intense taijutsu battle. She swung horizontally, then vertically in a series of combo attacks, keeping her left hand up and ready to deflect anything sent her way. Itachi dodged from the blade, his footwork fluid and sure across the shifting sands.
Kakashi noticed the speed the missing-nin were exchanging blows at and wondered if they were that fast the night before. He realized after their own battle that she was a forceful opponent, clearly skilled, but seeing her against Itachi made him realize just how practiced she was.
She started to close the distance between her and the Uchiha until she swung her kunai across, aiming for his head. Itachi grabbed her by the elbow and brought his other arm to block her wrist, preventing her from fully extending it. She tried to pull free, but his grip was unyielding. Growling, she sent a kick at him, forcing him to release and jump back. But she followed, fully aware that he was doing little to strike back at her.
Frustrated, she quickened her pace further, closing the distance and making him work to dodge her attacks. She must have been getting too close to the Uchiha because he then decided to counter properly. A hand came up, perfectly in the crook between her wrist and the kunai during one swing and dislodged the weapon from her grip. He then started to strike back, kicks and twists forcing her to go on the defensive. She spun around, leapt into the air, and attempted to deliver her own, but he shifted and ducked, picking out the hole in the attack.
Akane sent a punch to his head, but he blocked just before dropping his weight and sweeping her legs from under her. She fell with a grunt but rolled away from a punch. With a careful twist, she got her feet under her just as another kick came to land on her. She used her own leg to counter, her calf catching the back of his attack and forcing it down. The extra momentum caused Itachi's eyes to widen slightly as his balance shifted, nearly making him fall to the sand. Fortunately, Akane was more concerned with putting space between them rather than following with another attack.
She leapt back, hoping to allow a natural lull in the fight to occur.
Itachi did not.
Hand coming up in a final sign, he blew his chakra creating a massive fireball to come roaring across the sands. Blistering hot air almost suffocated her but she sent her own jutsu to counter. A vortex of wind extended from her hand, as it tried to swallow the fireball, but the wind only fanned the flames, causing the fire to swelter and rise from the sphere.
Eyes widening, she hauled her arm holding the vortex behind her, the force causing her to struggle as if a tug-of-war was at the other end. The flames began to spread through the vortex towards her, but she was already spinning in a circle, gathering momentum until having enough to release the vortex back at Itachi.
The mess of jutsus had morphed to a wave of fire, towering over the Uchiha. Instead of a shadow swallowing him from the jutsu blocking the sun, the light from the flames made everything around him brighter. Pulling chakra to his arms, he activated another jutsu that pulled the sand to its own wave, smothering the fires and causing the wind to disperse in a loud crack.
Between him and Akane, smoke and sand fell in a sheet as both opponents sized the other up through the steam.
Not wanting to give him the opportunity to attack first, Akane flickered from her spot and appeared in front of him, but Itachi already saw it all with his Sharingan. He dodged a punch and twisted with masterful feet work around her before knocking her forward in a stumble. She blinked and caught herself before she fell and looked over her shoulder to see the smug smirk firmly in place. Was he enjoying this?
Angry, but only showing it in her narrowed eyes, she sent an explosive note at his feet that he jumped away from before she appeared behind him, tossing a handful of weapons. Itachi again twisted and flipped in midair, catching a kunai and sending it back to her that she blocked. Both landed but Itachi had to leap back when his foot settled in a chakra string snare. Kakashi saw how close her trap was to actually working, and the disappointment was evident on her face.
Itachi was impressed by her ability to sneak in traps without him knowing and even more that she was able to guess where he would land with the right attacks. She took note and modified her attacks as she learned the opponents' movements.
Again, she lunged, this time using her chakra to add speed. Itachi ducked under a close kick and blocked a few punches before sending his fist into her stomach where she faltered and took a few steps away.
He charged forward, but she tossed a handful of shuriken to keep him away, which he dodged and continued onward, making a look of panic flash over her face. She tried to jump out of his reach, but he merely grabbed her ankle and pulled, sending her falling to the ground.
Kakashi watched as Itachi stood over her and he felt himself tense, part of him wanting to interfere in the fight. But the heavy pressure of Kisami nearby reminded him that things would escalate if he made a move.
On the ground, Akane tried to swallow the pain and hide it behind a glare. Concealing her injury was becoming difficult and she had a sneaking suspicion that Itachi was catching on. To make it worse, the wound had opened, and blood was starting to dampen the fabric of the shirt. Grateful for the near black material over the grey shirt that hid the scarlet liquid, she rolled to her stomach while pushing to her hands and knees.
"Why don't you use your bloodline?" Itachi questioned.
At the sound of bloodline, Kakashi blinked.
Akane slowly straightened so she was sitting on her knees. The position made her feel vulnerable but in her current state she couldn't bring herself to care. If Itachi wanted to kill her, he wouldn't be carrying on a conversation.
"What are you talking about?"
Itachi said nothing but watched her with the same cold stare.
"You better answer, girlie," Kisame warned from across the sands.
Akane tossed an impatient look his way but the blue-nin only found it amusing.
"I don't have a bloodline-"
She was cut off when Itachi punched her in the stomach again, making her fall to her hands, gasping.
"Then you have a jutsu that's powerful. Show it to me."
"You've got to be joking," she grunted in a hoarse voice.
"He never jokes." Kisame commented.
Growling, she aimed her temper at the Mist-nin.
"Shut up from the peanut gallery!" Turning back to Itachi, she addressed the impatient shinobi. "I don't have a bloodline. You shouldn't believe everything you hear or jump to conclusions yourself-whichever it was that made you think I did."
She stood back to her feet and Kakashi saw how pale she was. Something was wrong. Mismatched eyes dropped to her side, and he wondered if she wasn't fully healed after all.
Itachi studied her scowl and could only come to the conclusion that she was telling the truth, though that wouldn't make sense. If he remembered anything about the woman from Konoha it was the fact that many feared her because of a power that she possessed. If she was telling the truth, and it wasn't a bloodline, was it a jutsu or a curse?
Before he could ponder it further, Akane sent her hands into a single seal of Horse and summoned chakra. Before Itachi could identify the jutsu, the sand beneath his feet started to shift; within seconds grains of sand started to elevate in the air, hovering. He jumped back, putting more space between them as she finished her second jutsu. Monkey, Bird…
"Wind Release: Dust Cloud!" she said under her breath.
Akane brought her hands in front of her mouth and exhaled. A stream of high velocity wind containing the granules shot through the air at Itachi. In an effort to deter the attack, he shot a series of fireballs at the stream, but the wind sliced effortlessly through the first two before slowing down. By the time the sixth fireball hit, both jutsus extinguished between the users.
He had to admit she was skilled; unexpectedly so for her name to not register among the missing-nin world. He decided to take down a mental note of the woman. He wouldn't mind seeing how strong she would be in a few months.
Looking back to the kunoichi, he saw her color drained from her face and sweat beaded across her brow as she panted. Was she already injured when she arrived? He very well could've broken her ribs when he hit her, but she seemed to have been hurting before that.
Itachi watched her impassively to see her next move and she didn't disappoint, even if it wasn't what he expected. She started to cough violently and fell to her knees. One hand covered her mouth and the other on her abdomen as she coughed up blood that seeped through fingers and down her chin. Shortly after, she stopped and took deep breaths before pausing. Another breath led to her vomiting across the sand with a splash of garnet fluid before another coughing fit racked her body.
Akane's organs and muscles were still healing, not nearly as repaired as she expected. Aki was going to kill her once he found out.
Looking up, she saw all eyes on her and she couldn't keep from smiling deliriously while wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, causing the blood to smear. Her vision was out of focus, the world starting to tilt one way and the other. She knew what came next. As much as she wanted to rage and not allow it to happen, she knew it was inevitable.
"I think…" she said slowly, still on her knees. Her eyes felt so heavy. "I'm going- to call... it a day…"
Suddenly, her body fell to the side as she passed out and Kakashi rushed to her side to make sure she was still alive. Relief filled him when he felt a soft, yet rapid pulse. Her skin felt feverish, perhaps from the warming temperatures, fighting Itachi, and the stress on her body. He hoped it wasn't an actual fever.
Remembering that there was a threat across from him, Kakashi turned to see Itachi unmoving from his location. Crimson eyes examined the woman unconscious on the sands before dragging his gaze to meet Kakashi's.
"I assume you're the one responsible for her injury."
It wasn't exactly a question but left room for an answer. Nonetheless, Kakashi didn't offer a response, not wanting to explain the situation to either of the Akatsuki members. Just because they haven't fought each other yet didn't mean they were on friendly terms.
"I guess she won't be getting that information after all," Kisame chuckled as he stepped closer to his teammate. "But no one can say she didn't have the guts to try."
"What information was she wanting?" Kakashi queried, still kneeled next to the kunoichi. His gaze was locked on the Uchiha who seemed distracted, unusually deep in thought.
After drawing out the silence, Itachi refocused on the Konoha-nin. "What are you going to do with her?"
The question caught the white-haired shinobi off guard, and he found himself stumbling for a reasonable response. He initially wondered why Itachi would even care what happened to the woman. It was unexpected. Then again, everything about that day's encounter was bizarre and throwing him off kilter. Not only that, but now he had reason to believe that Itachi would react if Kakashi's answer was unfavorable to him. The question left unsaid that Itachi was invested to her… to some degree. Perhaps, invested was a strong word, but he had some stake seeing as they were in the middle of negotiations.
"I'm going to take her back to Konoha," Kakashi responded reluctantly. He allowed the sentence to hang, waiting to see if that pushed the Uchiha into action. When the stoic shinobi remained unmoved, Kakashi decided to pry with his original inquiry. "What information did she want from you?"
Again, Itachi ignored the question and settled for silent mulling. While it was years since Kakashi worked with Itachi, he never recalled feeling so impatient with the younger man. For once, he wished the Uchiha would just answer his question already, instead of stringing it out. Not that he was doing it intentionally. It appeared that Itachi was weighing options out, trying to distinguish the results of different choices. Being at the mercy of Itachi's decision didn't set well with him, but he didn't have much of a say in the matter. It seemed Itachi knew the most about the clandestine situation besides the unconscious kunoichi.
"…As you know, I don't give advice lightly, Hatake," Itachi finally said, coming to terms with his thoughts, "but taking Nori back to Konoha would create some internal conflict."
The sentence was left hanging as Itachi turned and started walking away with Kisame in tow. Before the pair of Akatsuki got too far, Itachi added over his shoulder, "If you choose to do that, I hope your conscious is ready for the outcome."
After saying his piece, both shinobi flickered away, leaving Kakashi staring at the whirling sands kicked up from the chakra use.
Now that wasn't cryptic, at all, Kakashi mused sarcastically. What was that even supposed to mean?
The entire situation was odd, from Itachi fighting the woman while ignoring him, to giving advice about turning her in. What exactly was their connection? How did the woman fit between the Uchiha and Konoha?
Kakashi looked back and forth across the sands for any sign of the Akatsuki team. He wasn't sure what Itachi and Kisame were doing in the area. By the direction they were going, they weren't interested in Suna, meaning that the fight with them could wait until next time. That was convenient seeing as he had more important things to worry about.
Picking up Akane, he started to make his way back to Suna with a heavy mind. A team would arrive soon, unfortunately missing all the action. Too bad for them. Or maybe it was too bad for Kakashi. Either way, he needed to make a decision about his route back. If he chose the most direct, he would intercept the team coming out to aid him. But politics dictated that they would gain jurisdiction over Akane. If Gaara allowed it, Kakashi could turn her into Konoha, but that wouldn't happen until Team 7 actually left Suna.
Something about having to hand Akane over to a Suna team didn't set right, even if it was for a short time until his own team left to go home. Thinking on his options, Kakashi preferred to take her to Konoha himself and avoid the politics of being in an allied country. Not that Suna would be any help with the woman to begin with. As far as he knew, there weren't any records of her in any villages if she wasn't in the Bingo books. If he took her back to Konoha then she likely would end up going to the ANBU prison until the got answers.
And after Itachi's rather unhelpful advice, Kakashi wasn't entirely certain turning her in was a smart choice. Seeing the interaction with her and the Akatsuki team reinforced his desire to not turn her in until he knew more of her story. God-forbid he triggered events that he would ultimately be responsible for.
With that being settled… he had to make one more arrangement…
8-8-8—8-
"You're going back to Konoha?" Gaara asked, clearly caught off guard with the news. They were discussing how the Akatsuki had gotten away when this man just bluntly told him he was leaving… Now. "Is there something wrong?"
"No," Kakashi assured with an eye crinkle. "I just have a few things I need to take care of, is all."
"I see. Would you like me to send a messenger to get Naruto and Sakura?"
Kakashi resisted the urge to remind Gaara about Sai and instead shook his head. "No. They can come back after two days."
Kakashi turned to leave the office, eager to get back to Akane whose unconscious body lay hidden outside the gates among the sands under a genjutsu. He was certain by the extent of her injuries that she wouldn't wake. Maybe certain was being generous. He was… hopeful.
No need to test his luck if he didn't have to.
"Is there something you aren't telling me?" Gaara questioned, suspicion creeping in his tone as Kakashi reached the door.
He turned back and grinned. "If there was something important, then you'd be told. It's a personal errand, I assure you."
8-8-8-8—8-8
Some big changes were made in this chapter which will reflect in the next couple. Soon, we will be on a new adventure-never treaded through before! Until next time, hope you enjoyed!
