"Saya…" Saya looked up from her book, the sun shining down from a gap in the cloudy sky. The tree above her gently swayed as a breeze whispered by as Jin was watching her from a rock among the sea oats, his once boyish looks and lanky body had filled out to battle-hardened muscles and a handsome face.

"You're worse than a horsefly, Jin. Can't you see I'm tryin to read?" She held a mock frown as she shook her book in emphasis.

"Yeah, but you're just as bad when I'm trying to train." He countered with a grin. "All you ever want to do is read anyway. Let's play a game of tag."

"Fine." She sighed, snapping her book shut with a flick of her wrist. She stood, and in an instant, was crouching beside him, watching the opposite way: Her speed never ceased to amaze him. "But tell me, Jin, can you keep up?" With that, she flashed away, a ghost of a giggle the only thing for him to chase. He smiled and stood as well.

Let the chase begin.

"So this is your awesome secret hideout?" Saya and the two men stood before a giant tree that was laced with a weird looking fruit. It sort of reminded Saya of plums, or a mix between eggplant and grape. But that was it. The surrounding area consisted of few other tree's, a few bushes, and then this, thing. The tree was at least twenty Hoshigake's wide, and the tip top of the branches were not visible to her from the ground. But really, other than that, it was a normal tree. "You're kidding me right?"

"No, this isn't a joke, you fool." Kisame grumbled, ready to ditch the woman. He threw Itachi a glance, and with a nod, he made a hand signal. Saya watched him, and for a moment nothing happened. But then, a slight tremor shook the ground beneath her feet, and only for a second. She didn't know what to expect, but she assumed some sort of cool jutsu would rip a giant hole in the tree or a magic door would appear. What she didn't expect, however, was something large, furry, and something equipped with sharpened nails to land right on her face. She shrieked and began to flail her arms wildly, attempting to get whatever it was off of her. But the thing had latched onto her face with those pointy nails, and began to scratch her face violently. Kisame began laughing, he couldn't keep it in, and Itachi sighed as the woman made circles around them.

Finally, she chucked the thing off of her and huffed animatedly, glaring with tears pricking her eyes as she looked at what had invaded her personal bubble and mauled her face. The thing bounced to the grassy terrain and thumped against the trunk of the tree.

It was furry.

It was brown.

And it look suspiciously like an overgrown rodent.

"…A squirrel?" Saya rubbed her aching face and glared pointedly at the fuzzy thing, which was actually quite large for a normal squirrel. But that's when she noticed that it was, in fact not a normal squirrel. As it straightened itself out, it reached up to at least Saya's knees and was….was that a skull on its face? The thing wore a feline-looking skull piece as a partial mask over most of its head and left side of its face. More than that, as it brushed itself off, she also realized its ears were larger than she would have thought, even for its abnormal size. What really threw her off, though, was when it stood on just two legs, like a human being would. It looked to Saya with twitching eyes.

"What's the big idea, twirling around like some ballerina? I could've gotten whiplash, ya know?" It's voice was a little squeaky, and sounded a little bit like chirping. But it had indeed talked.

"A talking rat!" Saya pointed at the thing with wide eyes. It bristled.

"I am no rat, you overgrown ape! I'm a boneified Shacklebone Squirrel, and don't you forget it!" It crossed its little arms and watched Saya curiously before looking over to the Itachi. "Boy, you're late."

"We were troubled by some bad weather." Itachi said quietly, giving the squirrel barely a glance. It waved him away and turned to the tree.

"It matters not. The important thing is that you're here." He looked over his shoulder at Saya. "I'm guessing that's the mission? Or is she a prisoner?"

"She's a load of trouble is what she is." Kisame said. "Let's just get inside already, I'm tired of seeing her face."

"Yeah, well it's not like your ugly mug is much to look at." She said.

"It's better than your rancid breath."

"Better than your chainsaw teeth."

"Stupid woman."

"Stupid fish."

"Why don't you go crawl under a rock and-."

"If the two of you would stop flirting, we could get this show on the road, ya know?" The squirrel tsked as he hopped onto the tree with all four limbs. Both Kisame and Saya instantly glared at the thing and shouted in unison.

"We are NOT flirting!"

"He's a beast!"

"She's a bum." Man, did she bring out the childish side in Kisame. He felt like he was a kid again, fighting with all of the children who used to agitate him over his appearance. The squirrel shrugged and knocked on the trunks wood, three hollow echoes sounded in reply.

"Moving along, just follow the stairs. You should know the rest by now, ya know?" He told Itachi. As if a genjutsu had lifted, and just as Saya had expected before, a hollow spot formed at the tree's base. It was about six feet high, and just wide enough for one person to go through: Darkness awaited beyond.

"Move." Itachi's voice commanded Saya forward, which she surprisingly complied without retort. She carefully stepped through the wood threshold, and was met with a glowing twilight. A flight of spiral stairs met her view, squished between two walls that consisted of the trees outer layer. Along the walls seemed to be glowing mushrooms, and Saya offhandedly wondered if they had some sort of jutsu cast on them. Excited, she quickly began her descent, and not far behind she heard the men follow suit.

It seemed to take forever and a day, but finally Saya reached an end. Figuring with how long it had taken, she guessed that wherever they were was at least a few hundred feet below the surface. The air was dry and warm, almost suffocating, but taking slow breaths helped ease the difficulty. She couldn't help but grin broadly, after all, this was a pretty cool hideout. She wouldn't ever admit it aloud, especially around Hoshigake, but Akatsuki was creative, to say the least. As she stepped from the stairs, she was met with a long hallway. On either sides were several doors, all seemingly carved from the earth. Roots from the tree ran along the ceiling, and small fungi glowed softly, lighting the way. At the end of the hall was a set of very tall, and very large doors.

"Star struck, onna?" Saya's grin dropped as she passed a glance over her shoulder at Hoshigake, a smirk visible in the dim blue light. She trudged forward and waited for them to pass her and lead the way. Curiosity was eating away at her, and she couldn't help but break under their scrutiny.

"Oi, how did you guys build this place?" Her voice seemed muffled against the earthy walls, but it reached the boys ears perfectly.

"Magic." Saya scoffed at Kisame's sarcastic reply and folded her hands.

"This place…It is magical. It's almost like something from a fairytale." She mumbled. Her earrings clinked in the silence that followed as they neared the large doors, and at their sound, Kisame glanced back at Saya, about to give her a sly remark. But as he turned his eyes to her, he couldn't help but catch his words. The blue light provided from the roots gave about a shimmering glow that enshrouded the woman. For the first time since they had confronted her, he took a moment to observe her appearance.

The blue glow accented her plum colored hair, which was messily tied back and mostly covered by a cloth turban, its color undistinguishable in the low lighting. Amber eyes wandered the walls, and were decorated by long, feminine lashes, and along with her tanned skin, made Saya look very much the islander she had been. Kisame stopped as he noticed something along her neck. Squinting, he tried to get a better look, but it was just impossible to see clearly.

"I once met a man not of my land, and asked from where he came. He whispered words not of my own, but I listened all the same. And when he had finished, he gripped his chest, and breathed his very last breath. Funny how a thing like homesickness and lead a man to death." Eerie words fell from Sayas lips, her tone much more serious compared to her usual teasing voice. They had just reached the doors, and her words made them turn back and face her. The ceiling held her gaze, and her eyes appeared glassy. She was watching the ceiling but not seeing it. But then, just as quickly as she had become solemn, she looked back down to them with a lopsided grin and motioned towards the doors. "Ladies first!" Kisame didn't know what to say to that, her strange act had put him off, so he simply threw open the doors, and both he, Itachi, and the creepy woman stepped into the core of the base.

Saya had known Jin for her entire life. They had been childhood friends, and had grown up side by side. When they were still too young to understand status, they played together just as children should, and without differentiation between their standings. Then, as they progressed into puberty, Jin had begun to refer to Saya by her family's honored name. She had resented that, and constantly reminded him that it didn't matter what her family was, they were friends, and so they should act like friends. Besides, she was definitely not the princess he made her out to be. Thankfully, she had whipped him out of the habit, and as they reached their later teens, they established closer and familiar ties.

"Jin." Saya popped her head around the corner of the training room, where she had guessed Jin had been all day. And she was right: He was standing in mid position with a practice katana in his palms. A slight sheen of perspiration covered his forehead, and as his serious face softened when he saw her, he straightened and swung the sword over his shoulder.

"Yo, Saya. What's up?" His voice had matured as well by now.

"Wanna go to the scroll room with me? I found this cool piece on demon swords the other night, and I thought you'd might like to check it out." She drummed her fingers along the wall, waiting for his answer. Saya had grown as well, however, unlike Jin, she had never been plain. Just like her mother had been, she had been exquisite, even as a child. She had always reminded Jin of a cat, and her shining gold eyes and almost pointed pupils only helped make her seem more feline than human.

"I thought you had work to do. Didn't you just finish that Datanashi assignment the other day?" Of course Jin wanted to go with her, he would grab at any chance he could have with her. But he knew she had her duties as commander, and as just another one of the corps, he didn't want to be a distraction. It was bad enough that the elders had been nagging her about their 'too close' relationship. Jin's family was an honorable one, and his father had been a lieutenant for Saya's father before he passed away. However, the Imatsura clan was tedious in their dealings with work, and so any distractions, whether they be a person or thing, were strictly limited. As if reading his thoughts, Saya gave him a mischievous grin.

"Forget those old geezers, I'll do what I want. Besides, I command them, they're only advisers." She hopped from the corner and put her hands on her hips. Her commanders haori was a long white coat that reached her knees, and was lined with black stitching. Beneath she wore simple padded armor and pocketed, loose pants that was supported by a compartment belt littered with who knew what. She had recently chopped her hair off, and it now was cut in a boyish, pixie style that hung messily in her face.

"Besides, we gotta pay Katsutoshi-chan a visit. He's been way too reclusive since Misa died." Towards the end of her sentence, Saya's eyes filled with regret, pain, and sadness, her grin a mask for what she felt, but her eyes were as open as a book. As if he had simply appeared, Jin suddenly held Saya in his arms, hugging her gently.

"You need to stop blaming yourself for it." The words rang through Saya, and so did the hurt, but she didn't cry. She never cried. It wasn't that she wanted to seem tough or anything, she just simply never shed a tear. Not when her mother died from illness, not when a similar sickness came to claim her fathers life as well, and not when her elder sister…

"Yeah, yeah." She shoved Jin back a bit and turned on her heel. "You coming or what?" He grinned and followed.

The room they entered was much larger than what Saya would have ever imagined. The ceiling seemed to rise a quarter mile high, and the circular width must have taken up quite a bit of the surrounding forest. The roots of the trees dangled above, but did not glow like the roots of the giant tree. Instead, small torches along the wall lit the room in a yellow-orange hue, and flickered, creating shadows. Among the shadows, Saya noted, were four men with similar cloaks as Hoshigake and the Uchiha's, and as she entered the room, they turned their gazes towards her. Beyond them, sitting on a boulder embedded in the ground, was a man, and beside him stood a woman. The shadows made their features hard to make out, but Saya knew these to be the rest of Akatsuki. Kisame and Itachi strode over to the other four men, Itachi on the right, Kisame on the left, leaving Saya to the mercy of their stares.

Well, here goes nothing. A small smile formed her lips as she sauntered forward, wondering what to expect from the men, and woman, among her. While she walked, her gaze traveled along the walls, and across the room. The figure clad in the shadows on the rock watched her dangerously as she nonchalantly stepped towards the middle of the men.

"Who the hell is this fuckin bitch?" One of the figures exclaimed, hand clenching what looked like a scythe. Saya cringed at the nasty words that dripped from his tongue, and halted in her approach.

"Hey, hey, didn't your mother ever tell ya to watch your language?" Her arms went up to her sides a mock shrug. The figure tensed and pointed his weapon at her.

"Watch what you say or I'll fucking sacrifice you to Jashin-sama!" An agitated cough brought Saya's attention towards the pair in front of her, and instead of messing around with the foul-mouthed man, she decided to keep her head rather than lose it. The smile was ever present, but it did not reach her eyes.

"Imatsura Sayuri." The mans eyes narrowed, and glowed a furious orange from the darkness, akin to a demon in a nightmare. "You know who we are, do you not?"

"Without doubt, Akatsuki Leader-sama." She said fearlessly.

"Good." His deep voice carried throughout the cave. "You were once the commander of the southern correction unit, correct?" The emotionless tone in his voice gave no hint to his thoughts, nor what he was planning. But once again, Saya didn't need to figure out his plans: She already knew them. She closed her eyes in thought as she mulled over some memories.

Kisame narrowed his eyes at the woman. The southern correction unit, eh? That was top notch, from what he heard. Of course, he had never actually faced anyone from the unit, so he couldn't really tell what was true and what wasn't, but for the most part, many criminals feared or at least were weary of the squad. So how could this flimsy woman be a leader, never mind a commander of such a group? Impossible. Itachi, as well, narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Yeah, that was a long time ago." She replied, folding her arms into either sleeve. Then, she peeked one eye open with a grin. "But I'm sure that's not why you've summoned me, Leader-sama?" She was playing with fire, Saya knew that, but she had dealt with similar criminals in the past. It wasn't anything new, and she knew how to handle such a situation. With confidence. Said leader narrowed his eyes.

"You know why I have summoned you?" He asked.

"I have an idea."

"If that is the case, what is your answer?" Saya's eye closed again, pondering her choice one last time before she sealed the deal.

"I have a question of my own before I reply." She said quietly. The orange-eyed man waited patiently for her to continue while the foul-mouthed figure shifted impatiently. Next to him was another man, who crossed his arms as he inspected the curious woman. She didn't seem like much, but then again, you should never judge a book by its cover. An eerily still figure across the room stood without movement or any human-like jitter. He only awaited further action. However, beside him was a shorter figure, one whom tapped his foot in irritation for having to be cooped up in such a depressing and boring base.

"If I happen to accept your request, I want something in return." The man stood silently still, while his violet-haired counterpart rolled her eyes from the woman to her partner.

"And that would be?"

"I want to join Akatsuki." Her eyes snapped open, a sinister glint reflected in her golden orbs. Kisame grunted, while the others held mild reactions. She lifted her hand and softened her grin. "Temporarily, of course. Besides, there are consequences to the seal you want me to accomplish. Ones that will bind not only your members together, but also to me as well. In taking you up on your demand, I place myself to the mercy of your organization, and your organization, as long as the seal applies, will be connected to me." She paused casually, bending her fingers. "To be truthful, you'd be getting the better deal." Shrugging she lowered her arms and awaited his reply, hoping he'd take the bait.

"Akatsuki is not a babysitting service." Came his stern reply.

"And I am not a baby." She countered. Sighing, she released the tension in her shoulders. This man, whoever he was, was not nearly as bad as she thought he'd be. Unlike many S-class criminals, he seemed to have some sense of logic to where he thought before he spoke. "Besides, if you do not want the seal to be broken, my life will have to be preserved until you have had your fill of the jutsu. I'm assuming you intend to use it on the bijuu, am I correct?"

"Your knowledge is admirable." He spat. She shrugged again at his response.

"Rumors and gossip travel fast in a bar. And I've been in many a bar." She said. "And concluding what you had wanted wasn't all that difficult. Akatsuki wants the bijju's, and there are only two known techniques for manipulating them successfully. One is by extraction through a certain ore only found in the northern mountains. It's very rare and very fragile, and requires several jutsu that are hard to come by this day and age. The other is through the Berserker technique, which has only been recorded among the Devil Scrolls." She paused, as if miffed by a memory, and then continued. "And the Devil Scrolls had been kept in the Imatsura household since their original owners sought to rid himself of them years ago. And considering the Imatsura clan's library was off limits to civilians and most ranking officers, and considering nobody ever took the time to sit down and read them, other than myself, the only possibility of you wanting me would be for my knowledge concerning the matter." She smirked. "That and I have a damn good memory." Silence took hold of the room as the seconds ticked by, and for a moment, Saya wondered if she had overstepped the line, and had gotten the man angry.

"I accept your proposal." Saya beamed at his statement. "However, I have come to understand that you are a heavy drinker, Imatsura Sayuri. If you intend to situate yourself among Akatsuki's fraction, you must sober up." Saya couldn't help but chuckle nervously, sweat forming on her forhead.

"N-Nani?" She stuttered. Kisame laughed at her predicament, and a couple of others chuckled in response. "Why's that?"

"It is bad enough that you will be among our ranks. Akatsuki will not tolerate such sloth." Saya was about to protest, but he interrupted her. "That is final. Do we have an accord?" It took her a moment, her inner demons pulling her this way and that, but finally she dropped her arms and head in defeat.

"Yeah, we got a deal."

So right. I hoped I cleared up a bit of the confusion concerning Jin's age compared to Saya's. Also, I haven't said where Saya's from yet, but it will be revealed shortly. I'm trying to build at least some anticipation towards her mysterious past. Anyway, this was fun. I'll try to get started on the next chapter soon.