All Naruto Characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. All OCS belong to. Don't forget to review! Thanks all who have read this! I know it's not the most interesting thing but I have enjoyed it thoroughly! Here is a link to my other ItachixPayton fanmanga that is still ongoing if you want to see more of my work with Naruto. art/Prom-Night-Cover-357387909/
To say Payton disappeared for a while, would be an understatement. She had spent the last few years perfecting her disappearing skills, being invisible, and just plain pretending she does exist. Currently, her father and step-mother were sitting in the Uchiha Police Station, her older brothers helping console their mother. Fugaku stared at the man, schooling his face to keep the emotion out of this. Knowing what he did, it was rather hard. How would she trick a seasoned, and very well-known in this part of the world, psychiatrist while under an Uchiha's hypnosis? It's impossible...but bringing this up would mean that they had to find her again...she had to testify...but this would mean she would go into the system for the last few months of her young life. His eye twitched slightly, an idea forming for a second before the mother brought him from the paperwork he was signing. Of course they had to pretend to search for them...after all the Uchiha Police weren't exempt from corruption.
"I don't understand," Linda sobbed, "Why would she run from us like that? I told you she hated me. I tried to be good to her, but she always met me with malice...I'm so sorry John..."
He turned and put his hand in hers, nodding at her, "It's ok. She doesn't hate you. She adores you. She just wants this attention so we will give it to her."
"Attention is probably the last thing she wants," Fugaku informed them, straining slightly as he hadn't spoken their dialect much, at least with Payton she had taken time to somewhat learn their own, "She has been here for weeks without bringing any attention to herself. I think she just wanted to stay in school until she turned 18 and could become a dependent."
"What about all of our ads looking for her," John growled, "How can you not see those?"
"We don't get involved in affairs that aren't our jurisdiction," Fugaku explained, "She didn't draw attention, so we didn't notice anything."
"W-where would she even be staying," Linda asked, still sobbing, "Where would she get the money?"
"She had been staying with a group of my son's friends, paying rent with house chores, school-work study, and eventually got a job working with one of my cousins," he leaned back, watching them, "She did nothing of suspicion, a lot of kids her age in this country do things like that to prepare for their life after high school."
"You said she stayed with your son," John questioned, and here is where Fugaku noticed hints of rage in his eyes.
He nodded, "Itachi and his group of friends named the Akatsuki. They help us regulate the student body. I can assure you the only use she had for them was a place to hide away."
He could see the other man trying to not get angrier. He could see how he was trying to not yell.
"Sir...," Fugaku decided to try after a while, "if I may, it seems like she just wants to move on in her life. Her birthday is in three months. In my experience with runaways her age, they just want to...'rebel' and in her case she so close to becoming 18 that we would consider not doing anything. Rebels like her will always come back to their families eventually, she has spoken little of you, but nothing short of what a normal teenage thinks is unfair of their parents."
"I want her home," He said through gritted teeth as if tearing up as well, "I thought she was dead until I noticed someone had pulled a little money from the money her mother left for her. It wasn't much, but it was tracked here. I just want my baby back."
"We are trying to locate her," he tried to sound more reassuring than he wanted to, they weren't the ones looking for her, "It's better for all of you to get this settled. My 'uncle' is a well known therapist-"
"No," he cut him off, rather quickly at that, "I don't believe in that hocus pocus mind stuff. Whatever problems we have, we solve as a family ourselves."
Fugaku really decided he hated this guy even more than he already did. It was obvious the step-mother was milking this for all she could, the brothers were too silent, not able to look his way, and the father was hostile. He took a moment to pretend to type something into his laptop, but really he was sending a message to Itachi.
'Check the abandoned house'
[x]
Itachi heard his phone go off and could have hit himself. Of course they didn't think to check where he had first found her! He told Pein where to go and he made a sharp U-turn and then sped towards the house. Most of them didn't even wait for the car to come to a full stop before they bolted out. Of course they were worried, mainly because they knew she would go through with any plans. Sure enough Payton was in there, huddled in a corner. Konan darted over to her and Itachi watched as the brunette held onto the older woman tightly.
"He found me...please don't let him take me back...please...," she whimpered out, staring her in the eyes.
"We will do everything we can to make sure you don't...but right now you need to come with us," she said, helping her stand or at least she tried to.
Payton stayed rooted to the spot on the floor, shaking her head. It didn't look like she wanted to move at all. Itachi walked over and knelt in front of her.
"Payton," he said softly, "Dad isn't going to let him find you. Worst case scenario, you have to testify and go into the system."
"I'm leaving Itachi...Please just help me leave."
Pein shook his head, "Absolutely not. Now get up and come on. We are going to take you to a friend's place."
At his nod, Itachi picked her up and began to walk towards the car. She was shaking like a leaf, even crying. He wanted to say something but was at a loss for words. What could he say right now? He set her in the back of the van and buckled her in.
Deidara and Sasori sat beside her and started to put a wig on her, doing her make up differently as well. Their goal was to make her look like a boy, so decency was thrown out the window as they removed her shirt and placed a binder on her. Now wasn't the time to gawk at her after all. Itachi held up the light for them, Hidan started to snicker.
"It's like you guys are performing surgery."
Deidara smirked and winked at Payton, "I'm the handsome doctor,un."
Sasori rolled his eyes, but he was trying to smile as well. It would benefit her to relax slightly. He leaned down and helped her change into a pair of pants before sliding her skirt off of her. She was being compliant, trying to calm down. Payton didn't know how they knew to do this, or why they were doing it for her, but she would take any help she could get. She couldn't believe it...she was trusting someone for once.
Deidara started to fix the blonde wig on her head, using gel to style it. Sasori waited for him to be done before he put the button up shirt on her, then a vest. Next he motioned her to take out her contacts and she did so, putting them in the case Itachi held. She slowly put in the green contacts and then the two got to work on her face. While Deidara worked on putting slight sideburns on her, Sasori began to contour her face to make it look more masculine. He had to work around the random tear here and there, but soon they were done. Itachi stashed her things in a bag and stuffed it under the seat.
Pein got in after getting off the phone and began to drive. Itachi handed Payton a water and made sure she took the medicine. Kakuzu changed spots with Konan and began talking.
"Your name is Michael, you're a senior in our class. Soon we will have credentials to be able to prove this."
"Wait...," she said softly, "Am I going to be...hiding in plain sight? It's not like my voice can pass for anything."
"Don't worry," Kisame stated, "The guy we are going to see will help you with everything. For as long as we need to we will do this until you are able to solve this."
"Where...are we going? Who is this guy?"
Pein interrupted, "Don't worry about it right now. Just know that he may seem rather off and look rather surprising. Though you handled Kisame rather well."
She sighed softly and stared down at the bottle in her hands. Things got really quiet as Pein drove. She remembered them saying the radio was busted on account of Hidan fighting with Kakuzu on what station they listened to. She opted for closing her eyes and leaning on Deidara. He blushed softly and looked away. Itachi pulled out the dock and started playing her playlist on it. She listened to the various conversations going on, ranging from everything but the situation at hand. Soon she dozed off.
(A few minutes later)
Payton felt herself being shaken by Sasori saying that they were close. She opened her eyes and found that somewhere along the way, she had moved to lay her head in Deidara's lap, her feet on Sasori. She sat up and stretched before getting out with them. She got out her eyedrops and put a few in her eyes, righting the contacts.
"AH! I hate that car ride here every damn time," Hidan said, stretching with great exaggeration, "I was surprised you slept all the way here! You looked so fucking peaceful I'm jealous!"
Payton let herself smile a little as he dropped his arm around her shoulders, poking her cheek.
"Maybe if you didn't spend so much time complaining, you would have gotten sleep too," she returned to him in a soft voice.
Hidan pouted at her, but she could tell he really wasn't offended. For whatever reason, he never tended to really yell at her like he did the others, and if he did, she would find a small hand-made trinket in her room. Whenever confronted he just called her crazy.
Payton shook her head and looked up at the house in front of her. It wasn't big, just a little cottage surrounded by gardens and trees. Whoever lived here was obviously a botanist. She watched Pein walk up to the door and it cracked open. While she couldn't hear what was being said, she watched the door slowly open wider and she tried to step back into the van. If it hadn't have been for Hidan, she probably would have hid. Whether it be body paint or not, the man in front of her had two color skin, like he passed out in the sun and only half of him burned to a crisp. She had gotten used to Kisame, who had spent money on cosmetic surgery due to his rather unhealthy obsession with sharks, but this other man didn't look like someone she wanted to be around.
"Haha," Hidan laughed, "Another girl wants to run at the sight of your ugly ass, Zetsu!"
Payton frowned at Hidan and elbowed him, giving him a look that tells him to shut up, though it only made him laugh harder.
"She is only surprised. She will have to suck it up."
She recognized what was going on and she felt her shoulders loose their tension. It was obvious he had a more severe case of MPD, more severe than hers.
"I-I'm sorry," she said softly as he came to stop in front of her.
She gasped as he grabbed her and brought her away from Hidan and closer to him, having her look up at him. A blush settled on her cheeks, nervous of the way he stared at her, and the longer he did it, she noticed how others started to seem more nervous as well. Itachi pulled her away from him, narrowing his eyes. This made Zetsu chuckle.
"Pathetic...all of you. She has you all wrapped around her pretty little finger."
She looked away.
He led them all inside and for the next few hours, she was forced to keep close to him as he aided in her. He was the one that set up her fake identity. He even had a way to deepen her voice without having to use a lot technology. This man was confusing to figure out. When he was speaking in a harsher tone his hold on her was possessive, but when he was speaking lighter, it was gentle. She also found he was rather touchy, though no one seemed to see this as a threat. She realized why after he did it to everyone. He left to prepare more of the herb that deepened her voice and she turned to Pein.
"Before you ask..," he said, "He touches because he can barely see. His eyes are naturally like that after all of the herbs and 'remedies' he tried. Besides Konan, you're the first woman he has been around so he is nervous of how you will react in the long run."
She frowned and looked down, "I don't find anything wrong with him...I am certainly in no room to judge."
She jumped hearing something clatter and drop and they turned to see Zetsu blushing and scrambling to pick up the bowl he had just dropped. She smiled softly and walked over, helping him do so. She couldn't see behind her, but Pein was smiling as well. He knew that they were too close to the girl, but he could see how they bettered his group...the group he was given by Madara to better and hopefully put back into society. She was their fortune in this way. Speaking of Madara, he heard the door open and saw him walk in. Payton slowly stood up, blinking.
"You did a good job with her," he said, smirking once again at the girl, "Her parents are still at the station. Fugaku is running out of ways to keep them occupied...Payton. Do you think if you went with them, you could play your part as Michael and act as if you have been helping search for yourself?"
She tensed up and her hands started to shake lightly. After some thought, she slowly nodded, "I've been searching for myself long enough...shouldn't be..."
As she grew quiet, he walked over to her and helped her up. Zetsu scurried away quickly, as if he didn't like to be around the psychiatrist. Madara checked her pulse before pulling out a syringe and some medicine.
"I've...already took my medicine today...," she said, frowning at him.
"This is just something that will ensure that you won't end up freaking out once you see your dad. He has been yelling nonstop by the time I left. I don't trust you are ready for this so I need to be sure."
She backed up slowly. "Maybe I shouldn't go...I don't want to take that."
"I apologize then."
Pein caught her and held her to him, allowing Madara to push the drug into her. She whimpered and struggled lightly before she felt herself grow relaxed. If Pein hadn't have been there, she would have fallen. He legs began to give out, in fact she couldn't feel them much at all. Payton was lowered to the floor. Looking around, no one looked surprised by this at all. What the hell was going on?! At her look Madara smiled at her.
"I guess it's about time you understand what the Akatsuki is. Pein move her to the couch and elevate her legs."
Pein picked her up and did as he was told. Itachi was scowling at his uncle, pushing his way to sit beside her. Madara just chuckled at him, as he sat in one of the chairs.
"Don't give me that look, Itachi," he started, "You know that's the best thing to do. Now. Listen to what I am going to say because I don't like to repeat this story. Konoha has a long and dark past in dealing with things. I helped Fugaku create the Uchiha Police for one reason alone: to keep a control on the thugs we allow to run free. No no, don't get up. Let everyone introduce themselves..."
Payton shook slightly as Itachi was the one who started, "I was convicted of mass homicide, rape, and theft."
Pein went next, "Konan and I were serial killers out in Rain county. We made slaves out of people to do our bidding through hypnosis then ridded them once it wore off."
"I was in the black market for years. I took what I wanted when I felt weak, and sold what I didn't. I also embezzled and stole money." Kakuzu.
"I was a terrorist bomber. I went about my business making beautiful art from clay, un." Deidara.
"I have a fascination with the limits of the human body, post-mortis. I wanted to perfect a way to keep their actual essences alive through puppetry...it was going to be the next frontier...like human taxidermy." Sasori.
"My family is a secret cult. We only wish for death and destruction and pain for everyone, no matter what...if someone disagreed, then we showed them to our Lord Jashin personally." Hidan.
"I illegally bred sharks towards the Mist county. Fed them by any means necessary." Kisame.
"After my love died I went and killed and raped any woman who looked like her. I've seen you with shorter hair...it almost relapsed me." Obito, who had taken off his mask.
"Cannabalism. I can't help myself sometimes..." Zetsu.
"As you can see, my dear, the work we are doing is vital. The school, while a regular one, holds some of the rehabilitated ones, some under my hypnosis and work, and regular students who have no idea. The Akatsuki are there to make sure they stay in line. Orochimaru was part of the Akatsuki for a while, but my work ensured he would stop enslaving younger kids to do his dirty work for him. Now he teaches, hasn't had any relapses in years. The Akatsuki slips through the cracks and watches for anyone who might come our way."
Payton was crying by this point, obviously scared out of her mind. She had been around these people for months now, and it all started to make sense. Everything. She tried to stand but of course her legs wouldn't work. Itachi bent to help her up, his face schooled into one of a blank stare. He didn't wish for her to know this about him. He wanted her to trust him...now though it looked like she wouldn't stick to reason. She slapped his hands away, but he stayed knelt beside her.
"Is...," she said softly, "That why..."
"Yes," Madara nodded, "You struck our attention immediately when you came out of nowhere. You were a threat until proven otherwise...but it turns out you were the antidote I needed to be able to further their progress. That's why we have kept you close, taken care of you-"
"So all of you lied to me!"
"We had to do it, Payton..," Pein said softly, "Otherwise you would have tried to tell everyone who we really were."
"I'm not talking about that!"
This made Madara frown.
"Whatever is your agenda I have no say in it, whoever you were in the past is in the past...but you told me everything was because you cared...but of course..." She couldn't finish, as she stared down. She probably would have started to cry, but whatever she had been given made her complacent.
Things got very quiet. No one could look at her, and those who could, their eyes were saddened. Madara didn't say anything, he had to let them do it. He knew what she said wasn't the case, but hearing it from him she would know he was trying do damage control. He caught eyes with Itachi, but the boy narrowed his eyes. Uchiha's had special powers...though it wasn't anything really like that. Hypnosis was something that went around in their genes. That's usually why they did things like business, therapy, even law. He looked over at Pein, but even the orange-haired man didn't look like he wanted to do that to her. So It was up to them to do it through words. Finally someone spoke; Deidara.
"You're wrong, yeah," the blonde said softly, "It may have started out as a job, but I haven't had the urge to blow anything up since I met you...I...like that feeling, un. I like being around you and when you jumped from that window..."
"It was the first time most of us had ever been afraid to lose anyone," Kakuzu finished, surprising just about everyone.
She looked up at them, staring at them with saddened eyes.
"Payton," Itachi finally spoke, "We don't know how to care about someone, we still aren't well...in but a few weeks...you were able to awaken sides of us that haven't been in there in a long time. Please understand that..."
She looked at him, "I'm sorry...but I don't think I can now..."
"Then...I'm sorry..."
Itachi leaned in and kissed her softly. Payton felt overwhelmed with sudden feelings, it was so shocking that she couldn't even find the strength to pull away. The Akatsuki stood and gathered around them, Itachi slowly pulled away, laying her back on the couch once he lifted her up there. Madara knelt in front of her, smiling.
"Don't worry...all he did was show you that what they say is true. This will be temporary...make you more..reasonable."
She stared at him, eyes slowly starting to cloud over. "I...hate you all..."
[x]
"The herb is done. There's enough to last a month. If she stays that long...asshole," Zetsu handed it to Madara, who frowned at him.
"We aren't controlling her," He reminded him, "She still has her mind, she still is in control of everything she does. Itachi just has final say of it."
"This is going too far," Konan growled.
"I don't want to be hated by her...," Obito whispered, staring at his mask.
"She won't hate you," Madara reassured him, "I explained everything to her about what Itachi did. Until we are certain she won't do anything hazardous, to herself or us, it has to be this way. She is angry that is for certain, but she finally figured it was for the best until she did come to terms with it. Itachi won't do anything to her, he just had to be the one to do it."
Itachi sighed softly, "I have talked to her. I don't think that she is as mad about it, but she isn't happy with us. She is outside getting some air right now. I asked her what she wanted to do now, but she just sat there quietly."
Pein ran a hand over his face, "Maybe it would be better to break this now before she gets too angry about it. It's a real bother when she gets mad."
"No," Madara shook his head again, "This was what Itachi and I planned if this happened. This will not only help keep her around while we help her, but when we go to the station, he will be able to keep her emotions in check."
"I think that's why she thanked me," Itachi sighed softly, "The shock of everything I showed her probably had her overreacting. But as far as I know her, she will probably be stubborn about it afterwards."
"Let's go," Pein said, "The faster we can do this the-"
"Our hypnosis doesn't work the same as yours, Nagato," Madara looked over at him, "While yours allows you to control the body from your hospital bed, eventually enslaving the person forever, like Yahiko, ours doesn't have a limit."
Pein looked away, as did Konan. When Nagato got ill and bed-ridden, Yahiko let him use his body to go out when he felt like it. One traffic jam later and he was gone forever.
The front door opened and Payton walked in, leaning against the doorframe. "Can we get this over with...I'm starting to feel sick."
"Not yet, Payton," Madara said, making her roll her eyes before running down the hall to the bathroom. "Hmm...that's an odd reaction."
"You did give her that medicine before," Kakuzu pointed out, "She does tend to be allergic to things like Hidan is allergic to shirts."
"Fuck you old man," Hidan sneered.
Sasori walked back from the bathroom after following to help her out. "She said 'screw medicine'," he said with a small smirk.
"No," she came up behind him, leaning against the wall, "I said fuck medicine. If you're going to quote me, do it right."
Madara studied her. For sure this wasn't how she normally acted, it had everything to do with how relaxed she was. He stood up and nodded. Soon everyone was in their cars, save for Zetsu, and they left. Payton sat beside Itachi this time, staring out the window with her earphones in. After a few minutes she leaned against the window and dozed off again. It was probably just the medicine in her system. Itachi put a jacket under her head, but otherwise he left her alone.
"What did you show her," Konan asked softly.
Itachi closed his eyes, "I showed her who we were without her."
[x]
'Sir, the Akatsuki are here.'
"Send them in," he said before standing, "Let's move into a bigger room. If they are here then they would have looked everywhere they knew she would be."
Payton stood beside Itachi and Madara, fidgeting. Itachi leaned down and whispered something to her and it stopped. She hated this. Hated that Itachi could tell her to do anything he wanted...but realized that was the first time he had. Maybe...this was for the better. She glanced up at him and he smiled slightly at her, making her look away with a soft blush. He raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing. She watched as her family walked into the room and they all sat down. Payton leaned against the armrest of the chair, assuming to role of the bored teenage boy.
"John, Linda, this is the Akatsuki as well as the psychiatrist I told you about," he started.
"Why was he helping," John spat out, not bothering to hide his disgust for the mostly male group that his daughter had been rooming with.
"Sir," Madara bowed slightly before continuing, "It is custom for new students to go through screenings before entering Konoha High School. I went with them to help them figure out what might be her next move based on what I knew about her. Never pinned her for a runaway. You have a very intelligent young woman."
He noted the slight roll of the step-mother's eyes, and the irritation in the father's when he said this. John eyed the group and when he got to her, she met his gaze with a bored one, as if he wasn't really her problem. Though they lingered on her for a bit longer, he didn't seem to put two and two together. Well...maybe she got her smarts from her mother. Shouldn't a parent just...know?
"We looked everywhere, dad," Itachi answered, "The school, the house, her little hideout, even the art studio she works in. I think she hightailed it without even picking up anything from her room."
"John," Linda turned and sobbed into him, but Madara confirmed with a small nod to Fugaku that she was indeed faking it.
"What is this," he snapped, "Having a bunch of kids do the work that the police should be doing!"
"They are a branch of the police," Fugaku explained, "I don't have the man power right now with the riots on the other side of town."
"She hung out with Michael the most," Pein said, "If even he couldn't find her then she doesn't want to be found."
John turned to glare at her so she decided to add to it.
"I don't know. Maybe she was running from you or something else."
Madara saw what she was doing and it was working. John bristled at this. "What the hell did she tell you?"
"Hm," she pretended to think, Itachi silently pushed her to be calm so she could continue. This wasn't part of the plan, but it was working, "Just that she missed her mom. That's all who she talked about in major parts. Otherwise she only said...there's a reason I'm running from home."
John shot up at that. "She's a fucking liar! She always has been!"
"Sir please calm down...If she said that we have to investigate any reason she might have, other than rebelling."
John growled and turned away, trying to get a hold of himself. Fugaku nodded at Payton as if saying 'good job'. She sighed softly and put a hand on her stomach. "Excuse me..." She darted out of the room with Itachi following.
"I apologize," Pein said, "Michael has been feeling under the weather as of late."
Itachi frowned at her as she walked out of the bathroom. "You ok?"
"I just...needed out of there. That and I feel like crap..."
He reached over and cupped her cheek. "You just have to hold on for a little longer. We have them where we want now. Can you hold out for a little while longer?"
"Don't I have to?"
His frown deepened, "You know it's not like that Payton.-"
"I know," she smiled a little, "That's not how I meant it."
He smiled at her now. "Let's go get them."