Like the Cloud, Like the Wind.

-Tite Kubo

Funny how our own misguidance can lead us to our own demise.

Funnier still, how we blame others for that suicide.

Saya stepped lightly as she covered the distance between the two mysterious, or not so mysterious, men. The Akatsuki was not new to her, she had long known of them because of their infamy among ninja. However, she had limited information on the actual profiles of each of the members.

She could only recollect the names of the two she had met because of their particular infamy. A famous swordsman, and a famous murderer. It wasn't hard to shift through her dusty memory to remember their names, even the name of Hoshigaki's sword, Samehada. She could remember that the Uchiha, obviously, had the Sharringan, and that the genjutsu he could create was great. She could even remember which bounty hunters had been smitten by the prices on their heads, and how one in particular had hit on her once when he had been passing through.

She had gotten her revenge: a little hole in the ground hidden by fall leaves had put a dampen on his ego.

However, she could not remember Akatsuki's purpose, nor their fighting styles. The obvious was the obvious: Hoshigaki probably relied on Herculean strength and sword fighting, while the Uchiha probably relied on that inscrutable genjutsu (Saya had never been a fan of illusions) in order to render his enemies helpless.

Still, Saya hadn't really wanted to fight. She had given that up a long time ago. She preferred the smart, or what some would call sneaky, way out:

Running away.

She didn't really care what people thought of her, so she did this as often as possible when in a catch 22. What's more, she really didn't want to put the villagers in any danger. That was the last thing she needed on her list of regrets.

And still growing higher, she thought to herself as she dashed around a corner. What she figured was she needed to tell Bo about the officers on the beach. It wouldn't be right to just leave them there, and she doubted the two Akatsuki would do anything with them either. It would suck if they had to wake up, sandy and sore from a night in the cold. And as plebian as he was, Bo was still about as trustworthy as anyone could get.

He would see to their safety.

After she told the old man, she figured she would snatch a shot and be on her way. She had been in this village for far too long as it was.

She sighed.

I really liked this town, too. She hadn't felt at home in a very long time, but when she stumbled, quite literally, upon the village, it was like a beacon of hope. It wasn't home, nothing ever would be, but it came pretty damn close.

She almost paused.

Did she really have to leave? She could just deceive the men with another clone, or maybe even fight them. She instantly shook those naïve thoughts away. She hadn't been in a real fight in far too long to even entertain such an idea, and even if she had, she doubted she could take them without causing casualties. She might even die herself. And she was sure the Uchiha wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.

She sighed, again.

It was time to leave, and she knew it. She just needed to get to Bo's as soon as possible, give him a heads up, and high tail it to the North-Western region. Or perhaps the North-Eastern? She wondered which way for a moment, but then decided it didn't matter. Either way would suffice. The lanterns above head seemed like flashes from firefly's as she flash-stepped to the bar. It was far too late for anyone to be about, so the streets were hauntingly empty. She hoped Bo wasn't asleep yet: It had only been about an hour or so since she had left him, so her hopes were quite high.

Finally, she stopped before the tavern and quickly slid open the door. She silently thanked whatever force was helping her that it was still open.

As she made her way into the bar, she immediately noticed that the number of people had actually doubled since she had taken her leave. She rolled her eyes.

Figures, the one night I wish no one's at the bar and there's a whole shindig going on, she thought to herself scornfully.

The loquacious banter filled the musky room, almost to the point of being overwhelming. A querulous group argued in the corner over whether the trade had been declining or not, one of them was blaringly loud as he cussed up a storm. Bo looked up as she entered, he had been talking with an old man, and gave her a hard look. She glided over to him and sat down next the geezer, holding a hand over the side of her face as if to shield her words from anyone who might be eavesdropping. But before she could utter her warning, Bo interrupted.

"What happened to those men?" She was stricken with surprise for a moment. She was astounded he had noticed them, not to mention Bo was usually laconic and taciturn, barely uttering a word unless spoken to first. That's why she had liked him: He didn't pester her about her motives nor her past. He had simply accepted her the way she was. Regaining herself, she quickly replied with a grin.

"Not to worry, once I leave they won't bother you. I just stopped by to tell you that Ichi-san and his Ichi buddies are out cold on the beach, and that someone might want to collect 'em." She nodded as she said this, agreeing wit herself. Bo blinked at her for a moment, then, a look of understanding settled in and he nodded solemnly. Her grin softened as she sat back.

"It was nice knowin ya, Bo-san." She muttered softly. The old man next to them watched Saya's eyes clear, as if she weren't muddled in drink. He had seen her around the village often enough, and she had never really caused much trouble. But she had always been skunk drunk, morning, noon, and night. This was the first time, he thought to himself, that she didn't seem like she was incapacitated. And for the first time, he noticed how she was quite beautiful.

Bo's eyes didn't soften, but he nodded all the same, and went back to cleaning a cup. There were no words that needed to be spoken. He understood, and she thanked him for that. As she neared the door, he suddenly called out to her. As she looked back to him, she saw an object nearing her. Catching it in a faultless swipe, she looked at what he had thrown to her.

It was a travel bottle of sake. She grinned, ruthlessly, and looked up to him in thanks. With that, she was gone, leaving few to see her leave.

…

…

….

As implacable as Itachi seemed, he was actually not given to fighting, never mind killing. Kisame knew this, even in the short time he had become acquainted with him, and as his partner finished the tracking jutsu, he grinned inwardly. He grinned, and he grinned even wider as he thought this, because Itachi, as of the moment, looked positively rabid.

In Itachi standards, anyways.

To anyone else, he would seem cool, level-headed. Very collected. But really, Kisame had been working far to long with the Uchiha kid, and he could tell when he was pissed about something.

And man, was he pissed.

He would have chuckled if he weren't cautious to the Uchiha's wrath.

What wrath? He asked himself with a hint of sarcasm. There wasn't a wrathful bone in the boys body. None the less, he left it be and waited patiently for Itachi to continue. Speak of the devil, at that moment, a thin, pale strip of gold light, which almost seemed to spark, lifted into the air. It traveled towards the village and into its depths. So that's where she had run off to. He shouldered Samehada and grunted.

"We going after her?" Itachi watched the pulsating ribbon.

"She won't stay in the village, not when she knows we're here. She'll leave tonight." He paused. Kisame finished for him.

"And we'll be waiting for her, right?" He moved his head, signaling agreement.

…

…

…

Saya strode out of town the same way she entered it: Wobbly, disorientated, and barely awake. She downed what bottle of sake she had and all that was left was her travel bottle. As she dragged herself past the final settlement of houses, she came to a dense forest. It surround the entire northern boarder of the village and stretched on about ten or twelve miles before it became a vast expanse of roads and villages scattered around the major greenery.

"I wonder what I'll do now…?" She wondered aloud as she followed the empty road out of the village. The dark of midnight clung to the air, along with the soft sounds of crickets and cooing of night pigeons. Dirt clumps beneath her sandals left her faint footprints behind as she walked deeper into the foliage.

Another reason to run. Another reason for fun. When will this game ever end? She thought to herself. It's almost as if life has nothing better to do than play with the strings of my destiny. Intertwining them and tangling them so much that, after so much playing, all that is left is a knotted mess. Sooner or later, I won't be able to move at all, and then life will have had its fun. Bored and ready for a new toy, it's sure to drop me, and let me fall to the depths of shadowed death, used and unable to function, my soul will collect dust and forever be handicapped. She looked up to the hidden sky and grinned. I guess I'll just have to win the game then, ne?

The men's presence surfaced along the edge of her conscience. Well, she expected them sooner or later, figuring that it was only a matter of time before they caught up with her. She hadn't really anticipated to get too much farther without having to trick them, again. But what she wasn't expecting was the rope beneath her foot that suddenly tightened around her ankle and swung her up into the air, upside down.

"Kyaa!" She yelped as she swung back and forth, waving her arms in attempt to settle the huge vertigo that hit her like a bolder. As the her pendulum-like swing slowed, she heard the soft footsteps of someone approaching. Her dizzied vision shook, and for a moment, she thought she might empty her stomach of all its contents. But she kept it down, or rather up, and attempted to straighten her vision as the world swayed and turned every-which way, as if vibrating very fast. The expected blue of Hoshigake and the red and black cloaked figure of the Uchiha came into her vision, and halted before her denigrating position. Kisame chuckled at the sight while Itachi held back a smirk.

"What are you two lookin at?" She demanded, a ferocious blush covering her from head to toe.

"I'm still trying to figure that out." Kisame chortled, crossing his arms. She scowled, completely embarrassed but still she grinned at the figures.

"You think you're so smart, springing such a simple-minded trap." Saya accused, closing her eyes critically.

"Actually, we didn't set this up. It's a bear trap." He commented lightly, on the verge of laughing at her outright. Her eyes snapped open, which she immediately regretted as a another pounding hit of dizziness swung at her.

"Figures." She mumbled. Rubbing her pounding skull, she twisted in the ropes grip. "Care to help a poor woman out?"

"Yes, if you come with us, willingly." Itachi replied.

"Why the hell do you want me anyway?" She paused for a moment. "But I suppose you don't know." Sighing, she cradled her skull.

"We could just leave you here until you comply." Kisame said.

"I can get outta here myself, fool. I was only asking for some polite assistance." She snapped. As she began to swing back and forth, trying to reach the knot around her ankle, the lightheadedness finally got to her, her dehydration putting her to sleep. She fell limply back to a stand-still and limply hung from the cord. Kisame looked to his partner.

"Are we really sure this is who we're looking for?" He asked, just to make sure. Itachi turned his back to the woman.

"Cut her down and bind her. We've got what we came for." Kisame snorted and sliced the rope with Samehada, efficiently and quietly. She was just about to hit the ground when he swiftly caught her and heaved her across his shoulder. He was surprised to find that the woman weighed next to nothing, and even felt the slight press of her rib cage against his back. He had expected her to bear some sort of gut, considering the amount of liquor she seemed to intake; however, it was the complete opposite. This woman was thin, very thin, whether it be because of lack of food or her usual metabolism. Shrugging, he followed after Itachi and headed off to the west, where their base was currently located.

At least it wouldn't be tiring to carry her.

Itachi was a few steps ahead of him, almost blended with the darkness. Kisame was a little disappointed, he had been hoping that the woman would put up a fight, and then perhaps he would see just what Leader wanted her for. But once again, she escaped a battle, and he was left with the dull, throbbing excitement of bloodlust to ebb away, unsatisfied and unquenched.

But they had completed their mission, and had apprehended one drunk woman, ready for whatever it was that Leader wanted. As he thought this, he heard her mumble in her sleep.

"I didn't kill 'em…." He felt a slight dampness bloom across his cloak, where her face was. It took him a moment to realize that she was crying.

"That blood isn't mine…" She hiccupped, then grew quiet. She fell back to a silent slumber as her head lolled with every step he took.

Her words confused him.

Was it some drunken stupor, a dream induced by the sake, or was what she said true to some part of herself? But if it was, it didn't make any sense. Whatever, either way, they had a long way to travel, and it was till early in the morning.

Thank you for reading thus far, I really hope the plot is interesting enough to hold your attention. Regardless, the chapters will get longer later on, because at the moment I'm still learning what writing style suits me best.

Thanks, and please, some feedback.

~Serb