Chapter Four: Traveling On Foot Is Overrated Anyway
.
He watched from his hiding spot in the trees as she entered the dark clearing near the warm spring, his chakra completely masked. He tried to guage her reaction to the situation but she was expectedly very calm. It would have spoken volumes about her calibur had she been obviously freaked out or nervous.
He slid out from his spot and stood next to a tree, still completely blended in with the area.
"Good evening."
The girl's reaction was instantaneous, she swung around to where he was and flung a kunai right in his direction-which he dodged but still, that was awfully rude.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" She uttered in a harsh whisper, and Zetsu stepped out of the shadows. Sakura felt her eyes become slightly wide but it had nothing to do with his appearance. Alright maybe it had a little to do with that, it's not everyday you see a walking plant. It was what he was wearing that really shocked her.
The Akatsuki cloak.
"I thought we agreed no weapons, Haruno-san. Put it away, wench. Now."
Sakura tilted her head slightly, this was by far the strangest shinobi she had ever seen. She had heard that Akatsuki liked them odd, but she never realized giant venus-fly trap men, were on top of the list. Also, did he just speak in two different voices? Sakura lowered her kunai and walked slowly up to this man. She found herself closely studying him, perplexed and intrigued by his odd appearance. Her medic mode was kicking in as she wanted nothing more than to study this creature. An entire lifetime in the shinobi field had prepared her for oddities in other people so it wasn't that she was freaked out. Just intrigued. She wasn't even really scared, it was as if...she were entranced. What a perplexing physique.
He was tall, very much so, even without the carapace adorning his torso - at least seven feet with it, about six and a half without it - and he was two toned. One side of his body was white, while the other was black, and he had odd yellow, pupil-less eyes. She noted that when he had spoke earlier, that two voices came out, not just one, so Sakura deducted that each color represented a different side, or possibly a personality.
"Where...are you from?" She asked, curiously, knowing full well that it really was none of her business, and hey shouldn't she be fighting off Akatsuki members, not getting to know them? Probably, but she really wanted to know why he had called her here, plus she had never seen anything quite like him.
"Grass Village. And I don't think that's any of your business! I am sorry about our gruffness. But we should really get on to the matter as to why you were called here. Hurry it up, we have more important business to attend to, other than weak little kunoichi."
Sakura cocked her head and gave his black side a threatening glare, but then let it go. "What do you want from me? Really, leaving notes in people's hotel rooms is not the best way to contact a person, I thought someone was watching..." A strange look of realization took her previously perplexed features and her eyes widened. He had never seen eyes that green before. They almost glowed in the darkness.
Zetsu's insides gave a little twist, why did he feel so odd being around this girl?
"You... You were the one who's been following me, aren't you? What exactly have you been watching me for?" She placed her hand near her kunai pouch just in case, this really was some kind of trap. Zetsu made a 'tsk' noise and then spoke.
"I am sure that you are familiar with The Akatsuki, seeing as you were the one who killed Sasori, so I don't have to go into that. How a little girl like you could kill Sasori, I am not aware of. Nonetheless, our Leader has been monitoring you since...your incident in Konoha and he has requested a meeting with you. For what reason we don't know. I would suggest coming with me to meet him as soon as possible. Unless you want us to eat you." Zetsu adjusted his cloak and allowed Sakura a moment to mull over what he just told her.
After a few moments of silence and not fully grasping that last part, Sakura quietly asked, "And if I refuse?"
"Then we will have no choice but to dispose of your body. Might I add you certainly do look tasty. Oh, do you never stop? It was a compliment."
Sakura stood for a moment, her hands on her hips, before - to both sides of Zetsu's surprise -bursting out into a fit of laughter. She laughed so hard that her sides were beginning to ache, and she couldn't breathe. It was just so funny! The consequence of her life was so damn funny! Here she was, standing in the middle of a strange town, kicked out of her own village, unable to return home, talking to a giant plant man, who was telling her to come with him to meet the Leader of the one organization after her best friend or else he was going to eat her. It was too much, just too much for her. Not to mention said plant man was arguing to himself!
"Eat me...Eat me? What are you, a cannibal or something? HAHA!"
"Yes. We thought that was obvious."
The giggles ceased and she looked up at him with a grim look on her face. "Wh-what?"
"I said, Yes I am. And I am incredibly hungry. So.. If we could hurry this up and be on our way, I would greatly appreciate it."
Zetsu watched as her soft features scrunched up in slight confusion, he couldn't help but note that it was cute when she did that thing with her nose.
When did I ever start noticing when things were cute?
'I don't fucking know, but we need to get this show on the road. I'm hungry, and the longer we stand here the more appealing this girl is becoming...to the palate I mean..'
Mmhmm.
"Well, Haruno-san? Are you going to come along or must we fight?"
"..."
Well it seemed as if she really had no choice, did it? She could either go with this guy, to meet the Akatsuki leader or she could fight, most likely lose - he was an S-classed criminal afterall - and become a midnight snack for some crazy multicolored, schizo, photosynthesizer. She narrowed her eyes.
"What's your name?"
He sighed in obvious irritation. They didn't have the time for formalities but what harm would it do telling her his name when she would find out anyway? Couldn't hurt to be congenial just this once, right?
"Zetsu."
"And uhh...does that include uh...both of you?" Almost immediately she wanted to slap herself. Why the hell would she ask him that? What if he wasn't even aware that he appeared to be two different people fused together? What if he was really sensitive or something and what if he decided to eat her for being rude? Hesitantly she looked up at him, his face contorted in confusion.
"Ahh- Nevermind. Let me get my things, and then we can go."
After taking Sakura back to the inn to retrieve her things, and dodging her questions about how he could disappear into trees, Zetsu began the short travel back to the base. They walked for nearly two hours before he stopped and turned to her.
"Haruno-san, I usually don't travel this way. Do you mind if we travel..my way?"
Sakura stopped for a moment, and before she could give it a thought, a simple, "Okay" slipped from her mouth and before she knew it, The strange carapace on his torso opened and she was pulled into his chest, the plant closing in around them.
Her cheeks were alight in a furious blush from the close contact. She looked up at him and he merely shifted his eyes until the two connected. They slipped down, and Sakura asked in an uncharacteristically shaky voice. What the hell was wrong with her? Shouldn't be plummeting this jerk into dust for just grabbing her like that? Inner Sakura seemed to disagree and appeared to be having quite the heyday, jumping about and squealing about how muscled his chest was. Desperate for something to say she squeaked out - though she had really tried not to squeak - , "Are we going underground?"
Zetsu merely nodded, "Yes, but there are all sorts of poisonous animals and rocks and it can be quite dangerous without the protection." Sakura gave a demure nod, not wanting to move too much. For protection of course, not at all for the fact that she was all but smushed against a hard and warm body. Not at all. She hadn't even noticed really...
After a few moments, she felt his warm breath on her ear, his voice husky and low, "I am sorry if I surprised you."
The back of her neck tingled and her blush grew down her chest. What the hell was going on? Her body was betraying her! Damn useless body.
"It's okay...Just wasn't expecting it I suppose. No worries." She felt him shift as he nodded in return. He was awfully warm, alot warmer than most humans, but she had to remember that most of him wasn't human. Or was it? Oh how she wished she could do a little poking and prodding for science. Still, plants weren't warm. Maybe she could find out one day.
Wait, what was she talking about, one day? He was supposed to be the enemy right? All Akatsuki were..right?
Well...no. Not really. If anything you are closer to them then anyone you knew in Konoha right now, because your situation dictates it as such. If anything maybe they can offer some kind of protection to you, it's a lot easier being a missing-nin in a group than as a single.
'Are you suggesting that you think I should possibly join the Akatsuki so I can be around other criminals? For safety purposes?'
Yes, that's exactly what I am saying. What do you think?
'I think I should really be committed.'
It's not that bad of an idea! What if the Leader wants you to join them? Wouldn't that be kind of...neat? Being part of a criminal organization? Hmm?
'...'
Or you know...not.
'Being with anyone from Akatsuki is way more dangerous than going back to Konoha or staying on my own.'
If that's so, why are we currently wrapped in a cocoon pressed against a dangerous S-Class criminal, heading there now?
'I didn't want to get eaten. And we are not pressed against eachother! We're just slightly closer than normal.'
Inner Sakura rolled her eyes, which in turn caused Outer Sakura to roll her eyes back, which in turn made Zetsu roll his eyes, thus leading to the beginning of a chain reaction eye rolling...thing.
All of a sudden the movement stopped and the fly-trap opened, Sakura gingerly took a slow step away from Zetsu and began to survey her surroundings, all the while fighting dizziness. They were currently in an incredibly large, industrial city, covered in large buildings and lights shining through the heavy mist. Dark grey - nearly black - clouds loomed overhead, looking about ready to burst open and throw forth a heavy rainfall on the large city. Sakura felt a tug on her arm, and she turned to face Zetsu, but was stopped in her tracks by an enormous black granite tower. It was so beautiful, the whole thing covered in dark shiny stone and peppered liberally with reinforced black glass. There was a huge stairway, made entirely out of dark rain stained concrete. The two statues standing outside of the opening appeared as if they were guarding the place. The one on the right side was male, dressed in a long cloak and had strange bumps on the facial features. His eyes, Sakura noticed, had odd hypnotic rings inside the irises. The statue on the other side was female and had the same odd bump on her underside of her bottom lip, her hair was chin length and spiked in the back, a granite flower adorning her tresses. She was holding what seemed to be an origami swan in one hand. The dark clouds loomed heavy over this building, heavier than the rest, as if a warning was prevelent telling any intruder not to go into that building without permission first or else one would face serious consequences.
Sakura turned to Zetsu and he motioned for her to follow him up the stairs.
"Welcome Sakura Haruno, to The Akatsuki Headquarters."
The walk up the seemingly endless stairway wasn't nearly as tiring as she thought it would be, granted it took forever, but she wasn't out of breath or anything when she and Zetsu finally reached the top. Together they stood before the huge double doors - they had no doorknobs or handles or anything making Sakura wonder how they were supposed to enter -and Zetsu put his hand on her shoulder and turned her around until she was facing away from the doors, "A precaution, in case things go badly. In case you fuck something up, and Leader has to give you the boot. Just keep your eyes averted from me until I have the doors successfully opened." Sakura gave a small nod and before she knew it, she heard the distinct sound of very large doors opening, and Zetsu grabbing her hand in a very weak grasp and leading her in. Once safely - haha, safely - inside, a very loud slam alerted Sakura of both doors closing behind them and she couldn't help but flinch a little.
She might have thrown up she was so nervous. Luckily for her - and her 'companion' who was in direct puking distance - what was inside was enough of a distraction to quell the vomiting for now.
Her eyes widened at the inside of the foyer. It was huge, with black laquered walls and black marble floors, there was a giant elaborate chandelier encrusted with onyx stones and uncut garnet.
Black and red seems to be the theme here, who would have guessed? Sakura thought dryly. She looked to her left were there was a large black, stone door and on the right was the exact same door. Sakura turned to Zetsu, who was staring straight ahead, where a seemingly lightless hallway led to another set of smaller double doors.
"This way." He turned towards the hallway. Sakura followed intently, and watched with amazement as the hallway lit up as they walked along the cold marble, the 'clack, clack, clack' of her boots seeming to calm her a bit. When they reached the double doors Zetsu took a deep breath and turned to Sakura.
"Listen to me and listen closely because this is the most important thing to know if you wish to stay alive. Beyond those doors is the office of our Leader and his partner Konan. Only speak when you are spoken to and try not to get too lost. This information is vital. You will address him as Leader-sama and Leader-sama only. You will address Konan as Konan-san. Am I clear?" He looked into her eyes, his odd golden eyes burning straight into hers, his gentle voice nearly hypnotic. Half gentleman and half madman, Sakura almost sighed at that. She nodded and he gave a small nod in return before opening the door and ushering her in.
The first thing she noticed was that the room was completely dark, making her unsure of how big it was, the only light was the faint moonlight glaring from a very large window in the very back of the room. She could faintly see two figures sitting at a large desk.
"Is this her, Zetsu-san?" Came a female voice, soft and endearing, and Sakura found her body instantly relaxing, something that made her tense more inwardly. Her demeanor was calm as was her chakra, not friendly exactly, but not threatening. She seemed like the type of woman who never became angry. That kind of worried her.
"Indeed it is, Konan-san. Haruno Sakura." He gave her a slight push, and she stepped forward slightly just as the woman who spoke before seeming to glide into Sakura's view. She recognized this woman from outside, as she was the one who the statue was of. She had very soft white skin and striking blue hair, a delicate white paper flower set on top of her head. She had a stud decorating the bottom of her lip and was dressed in a black, skin tight, long sleeved hooded shirt, and a pair of tight leather pants, complete with a pair of eye-catching maroon knee high boots.
She held out her hand and with a soft smile said, "Hello Sakura-san, my name is Konan. Welcome to The Akatsuki Organization. I assure you, we have not brought you here to bring you harm."
Despite all the reservations fighting for control, Sakura gave a soft smile in return and took Konan's hand, "Haruno Sakura. A pleasure to meet you ...if I may ask one question?"
Konan nodded and noted that Zetsu seemed a little tense, she wondered why this was. Again she turned to Sakura.
"Why exactly did you call me here?"
Before Konan could open her mouth to reply a shadow appeared out of the darkness, a deep silken voice echoed from it's surroundings.
"I think that question would be better suited for me, Sakura-san,"
Before she could blink a man with orange spiked hair and a dozen peircings in his face stood before her. The man from the statue. He had the strange ringed eyes and a frighteningly strong chakra, quite the opposite of Konan, the only thing the two really shared was that the volume of their voices was the same. Both soft, only Konan's was a sweet, soothing kind of soft but this man, well this man's degree of volume was deadly and toxic to the ears. Frightening. Sakura repressed a shiver that ran down her spine and straightened to face him. It would do no good to show fear in this place. It was like being thrown into a pack of wolves or shark, if you showed them you were afraid they would jump at the first opportunity to attack.
"I am the leader of this Organization. I have been...observing your skills for quite some time, Sakura-san and I have to say, I am very impressed. You are one of the best medics in the world, if not the best, possibly even surpassing that of your mentor, hmm? Graduated from genin at 13, trained under Hatake Kakashi, the infamous Copy-nin, took apprenticeship under the Godaime Hokage, Princess Tsunade at 14, became a jounin at 17, and then stopped the active shinobi lifestyle to become a full time medical shinobi." Pein's words flowed seamlessly, as if he had been watching her for years. Another shiver ran down her spine and she wished that she were somewhere else.
"Might I ask how you know all of this, Leader-sama?" She said, her words barely above a whisper. She tried for the words to not sound, disrespectful but honestly she was quite afraid. She hadn't been this scared since the Forest of Death Exam, even when she had fought Sasori she wasn't this afraid.
"You could say I have done my homework," A soft, menacing chuckle flowed from him and he continued, "But...something confuses me, Sakura-san. You quit being an active shinobi to become a full time medic-nin, why is that?" He walked around her, just like a shark would circle it's prey. Sakura looked over to see Konan and Zetsu standing side by side, both appearing a little apprehensive.
Sakura took in a deep breath, "I saw so many terrible injuries on a day to day basis that I didn't want to be the one causing them." It probably wasn't the answer that Leader wanted, but it was the truth. The truth was all she had anymore and it seemed as if it wouldn't be good enough for too much longer. Pein made a soft 'hn' sound, and then replied.
"So you have a problem with killing?"
"No. I don't have a problem with killing when the need arises. I don't like to kill for no reason."
"Oh. What about the current crime you are being convicted of? Are you saying that you didn't kill all of those civilians?"
Sakura felt her temper begin to flare, this man was incredibly infuriating. Then the thought arose, why shouldn't she play pretend in front of these people? She could easily just say that, yes she did in fact kill those people. She could do that, so why didn't she?
Because she wasn't like these people, she couldn't kill in cold blood, and she couldn't lie like that either.
"No, Leader-sama, I didn't. I was set up, by who I am not sure, but I have a hunch it was Uchiha Sasuke."
Apparently she said something funny, because Pein let out a ground shaking laugh, cold and bone chilling. She wanted to go home. "Ahhh, yes. The youngest living Uchiha boy, I had heard he had recently reentered Konoha. You say he set you up?"
"I don't know that for sure, but yes, I am almost positive it was him."
"He killed his brother you know. My subordinate. Troublesome, you know, trying to find replacements at such short notice. Doesn't it make you angry, Haruno Sakura, knowing that you have possibly been framed by this..." He brought his face close to her ear before continuing, "criminal? And that right after commiting such terrible crimes himself he was allowed back into your village, while here you are running, fearing for your life as a missing nin because you know that they would believe him over you any day?" he continued to circle her.
Yes, she was angry. She was fucking pissed off! She felt her face grow hot at the sheer anger she felt, and she felt her eyes drift to the ground, as he continued his little speech.
"I can help you, Sakura, I can help you get what's yours. I can help you get revenge on...Sasuke. All you have to do, is pledge your allegiance to me. Join us, Sakura-san, and I ensure you that your indignance will not go unnoticed much longer. One little test stands between you and that right." He said, his chakra coming off of him in rolling waves.
Sakura stood, feet glued to the floor, her mind running circles around itself. She sighed, and wondered what it was she was becoming, did all missing nin go through this period? Did she want revenge on Sasuke? And even if she did, was it worth all this? And why was she even considering it?
"Join you. In the Akatsuki." She repeated, her voice dead. This was the same terrible organization that had been hunting her best friend for nearly his entire life, and now they were asking her to join them? It was crazy. It was ludicrous. It was insane. Sakura sighed and tilted her head up, her beryl eyes looking dead into his ringed ones.
"What do I have to do?"
.