Chapter 2
The sun rose and light fell upon the sleeping figure. It shifted trying to escape the sunlight which was falling on its face but (unfortunately for it) it had seemed to have forgotten its choice of sleeping arrangement.
In other words it had forgotten that it had chosen to sleep on a rock overhanging a stream….
Splash.
"FUCK!"
The birds who had been sleeping in the trees surrounding the area took off at the yell.
The sound of the swearing and the spluttering and choking that came after woke the other figure who had been sleeping further away underneath a tree. Green and black eyes blinked a few times before focusing on the dripping wet figure pulling itself out of the stream.
"The hell Hidan?"
The drenched figure now known as Hidan hauled himself up back onto the rock and flicked his white hair out of his face.
"What the fuck does it look like dumbass?"
"It looks like you were stupid enough to roll into the lake." The second man pushed himself up and took a closer look at his companion. "But that couldn't be right. I could have sworn that you were meant to have been a shinobi, not an invalid."
"Fuck you Kakuzu. No one appreciates your sense of humour, especially not me and especially not now." Hidan narrowed his violet eyes at the taller (dry) man in anger. "If you've got something to say fucking say it. Don't beat around the Jashin damned bush."
Kakuzu sighed and threw a bag to Hidan. As the albino rummaged through the bag for a dry set of clothes Kakuzu began to talk.
"If there was anyone within a hundred miles of here they would have heard you yelling like a fucking bitch . We don't know who's out there and we were instructed to get back to the base without making a scene."
The newly clothed Hidan smoothed back his hair.
"Who gives a shit about the Jashin damned orders? We're strong enough to take out anyone here and if someone was here and they did hear me then we kill them.' He turned his violet gaze towards his partner. "What the fuck's got you so worried about?"
Kakuzu grunted but otherwise didn't respond. Instead he busied himself looking through his own pack for some form of food.
Rolling his eyes Hidan stretched and then joined his partner where he was sitting and began to help in the search for food leaving his cloak and wet pants on the rock in the sunlight to dry off.
XxXxX
"FUCK!"
Sakura's eyes opened as soon as the yell sounded.
Scrambling to her feet she did a quick check to make sure none of her wards had been tripped without her knowing. None were and she relaxed slightly.
Now knowing that whoever it was, was too far away for them to notice her she stopped her frantic scanning of the surrounding area and set about looking for food. Grabbing her pack from its spot beside her she pulled out the rabbit she had caught and cooked the night before. Looking at it for a few moments she shook her head setting it aside to look for something else.
Finding a bag of nuts she sat down cross-legged and began to eat them.
The soft sound of her teeth breaking the shells and eating the nut inside was the loudest sound in the clearing.
The wind moved through the trees and the faint sound of animals running through the forest and birds singing in the trees reached her ears as she ate.
"I wonder who that was earlier." Munching on a particularly hard nut she thought about it. "Whoever it was certainly has a set of lungs on them. They were fucking loud."
Tying up the bag again she put it back in her pack and picked up the canteen. After taking a drink she stood and stretched.
Feeling her bones crack and her stiff muscles relax a bit and she sighed. Yawning she took off towards the stream.
Slipping off her clothes she stepped into the water. It was freezing which wasn't that surprising considering it was early morning and the water hadn't have time to warm up in the sunlight yet.
Another five minutes later and she was stepping out and grabbing her clothes. Sakura walked back to the camp wearing nothing and dumped her clothe in a pile next to the bag. Picking up her cloak again she laid it out flat and sat down on top of it.
Quickly Sakura lit a fire and made quick work drying herself off before she caught a cold. After she was dry she put her clothes back on as well as her weapons, being mindful that there were still people out there in the forest with her.
Gathering her things she stood ready to go. When she was about to walk off a small movement caught her eye. It was a bird, a Mockingbird to be exact. It looked like the one from yesterday.
It cheeped and flew down to her landing on her shoulder.
"What are you doing here little bird? I thought you would have been long gone by now." It cocked its head to the side and warbled a few notes as she began to walk.
"It's not a good idea to come with me you know. You might get hurt." The bird flew off her shoulder and hovered in front of her until she put her hand out. It landed on her hand a looked at her, its expression annoyed.
Sakura bit back a laugh. "Is this your way of telling me that you're coming with me whether I like it or not?" The bird cheeped. "I'll take that as a yes then." It seemed to nod and then flew back to its place on her shoulder.
She kept walking, the feeling of the bird small talons holding onto her slightly comforting. Sakura twitched a little in surprise when the Mockingbird started to sing.
She didn't realise at first but her footsteps began to fall in time with the song. It was light and swift like a sparrow flying over a field catching insects as it went. She began to smile and a bounce made its way into her step.
The bird seemed to understand what its song was doing and jumped off her shoulder to fly beside her. She sped up until she was moving just as fast as the bird.
They were speeding along side by side and the bird was singing it song. It was good to be free.
Suddenly her smile disappeared and the bird stopped singing. She came to a complete stop on the branch she was on and the bird flew back to her shoulder and buried itself under her hair. They were both still and silent.
Then she felt it. Two chakra signatures, both strong and one of them felt faintly familiar. Despite that fact she flattened herself against the trunk of the tree being mindful of the small animal on her shoulder and immediately masked her chakra.
Just because she knew one of them didn't mean that they were her friends. She knew plenty of people who had tried to kill her.
Straining her ears she heard it; two voices in the distance, two male voices. She felt the bird press itself further into her neck.
"Shh, don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you." Softly Sakura stroked its neck and it tweeted softly.
She moved so she was hidden by the branches and leaves of the tree. She settled down on a higher branch and waited.
Before too long the voices got clearer and more distinct. She recognised one of the voices as the one who yelled earlier that morning.
Who the fuck are these guys?
Narrowing her eyes Sakura looked in the direction that the sounds were coming from and waited. Two shapes began to get clearer as they moved closer revealing two men in cloaks. Black cloaks with red clouds on them.
What the hell are the Akatsuki doing all the way out here? Slowly she began to draw her Katana and gently took the bird off her shoulder, placing it on the branch next to hers. With her other hand now free she grabbed a scroll and a vial out of one of her pockets. They can't be here for me. There's no way that Konoha would let the information get out that I've defected, at least not so soon.
The two Akatsuki were close enough now that she could see the face of one of them. The other had his face turned at an angle so she couldn't see it. One had white hair and violet eyes giving himself away as an albino. His handsome face was twisted into a snarl as he snapped something to his partner.
"You're telling me that we could have slept in a damn hotel last night you Jashin damned miser?"
So he's a Jashinist. I haven't heard anything about them in years. I thought that cult had died out….
His partner gave a grunt but otherwise ignored him. "Don't ignore me you bastard!"
"Shut up. I don't want to hear you're complaining and besides I'm the one in control of the Akatsuki's finances. I have to keep the spending down and we don't need to sleep in a god damned hotel." By the end of his speech his voice was gruff and his eyes narrowed.
At some point during everything they had both managed to stop directly underneath the tree she was hiding in.
Now she managed to catch a glimpse of the other missing nin and she suddenly realised why his chakra felt so familiar. Memories of a time long past flashed through her mind and for a second, because of her loss of concentration, her control on her chakra slipped.
Instantly both men below her stilled and then moved. Swearing silently Sakura grabbed the bird with one hand, shielding it against her body as she jumped from the tree just as the branch she was on was engulfed in a rain of kunai.
Landing on another branch of the tree next to the one she was on she turned around to look at her opponents. The Jashinist had his weapon in his hand, a huge three bladed scythe. He was standing in a crouch grinning at her.
It wasn't him she was interested in.
"What do we have here Kakuzu? A little lost kitten." Yes. That was his name; Kakuzu. How could I have forgotten?
Kakuzu was standing next to the crouching Hidan. He had his cloak off so you could see his arms and the black stitches running up them. Some of the stitches were writhing around him as he stood there with his arms crossed.
His eyes were narrowed as he stared at her. Their eyes met and a smirk briefly formed on her face.
He doesn't remember….oh well, she thought as she shooed the mockingbird off her shoulder and away. Either way I'm not holding back and this might be the perfect way to get their attention...
Sakura gave a grin that rivalled Hidan's in madness and cracked the vial, readied the scroll and raised her weapon...
XxXxX
Who was this girl? She looked vaguely familiar and her chakra...it was like he had felt it before. Kakuzu narrowed his eyes as he watched the girl dodge Hidan's scythe again. They way she moved and that cocky smirk on her face, it was almost like he had seen it before.
He was knocked out of his reverie literally as Hidan was thrown back into him. Kakuzu got one of his arms around Hidan's waist and the other went under himself to break the fall. Before he could take in what had happened his idiot of a partner was already up on his feel and running towards the girl.
He watched as his partner ran towards her and swung his scythe in a wide arc. She ducked underneath it and before he could stop and come in for another swing she was right up against him thrusting her sword between his ribs.
"Damn it!" The girl drew her katana back and sprang away before Hidan could recover.
Holding his bleeding chest Hidan frowned. "You're annoying you know that. Like a fucking bee." He took his hand away and grabbed his scythe from where he had imbedded it into the ground. Growling he shot forward and swung. She jumped away and just as she was about to land on the branch of a tree Hidan threw the kunai he had been holding with his other hand. It hit the branch as her foot touched it and, when she looked down at it, she swore.
The explosive tag went off and she was sent hurtling into another tree snapping a few of the branches. Before she could pick herself up Hidan was standing above her bringing his foot down onto her stomach.
She snarled when the foot connected with her stomach and she grabbed his foot twisting it. He rolled with the twist and landed a few feet away. The girl picked herself up and moved away keeping her eyes on his partner.
Yes there was defiantly something familiar about her. The girl sighed and sheathed her katana.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"What?"
Kakuzu and Hidan asked the questions simultaneously.
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed again as he regarded the girl. What was she playing at? While he hadn't joined the fight he had been watching her and he hadn't seen anything to be incredibly impressed with.
"What are you doing? You're in no position to put your weapon away." His voice came out slightly muffled due to the cloth covering most of his face.
"You don't get it? I won this fight ten minutes ago."
Kakuzu and Hidan froze and both thought back to the fight replaying everything over and over again trying to figure out what she was talking about. She hadn't used any jutsu's in the fight nor had he noticed her use any genju-...wait. Kakuzu looked at the girl and her smile widened as their eyes met.
He could feel his eyes widen slightly and she winked at him knowing that he had figured it out. Meanwhile Hidan was looking between his partner and the strange girl.
"What the fuck? Would you two stop making eyes at each other already." Hidan could feel his temper rise and made to swing his weapon at the girls but stopped. He stared at his hand as it went lax and the scythe slipped from between his fingers. He could feel his whole body slowing down and becoming heavy.
"What the hell have you done to me you bitch!" Hidan's eyes were wide with panic as his legs gave out.
"Poison." Kakuzu's voice was quiet as he stared at the girl- no woman in front of him. "You poisoned him."
"Yes. I had coated the blade of my sword with poison just before the fight. As soon as I stabbed you with it your body has been slowly going to sleep."
Hidan's eye twitched as he hissed, "Well then undo it Jashin damn it!"
"So you can what? Attack me again? No thank you, you can stay like that for a bit until you've thought about what you've done. I'll just talk to your partner for a bit"
Ignoring Hidan's yelling from where he was laying Kakuzu and the girl faced each other.
"You just want to talk?" The thought seemed a bit strange to him. If anyone attacked him he wouldn't just sit down to have a chat.
She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Is there a problem that I don't know about?"
He relaxed his stance slightly and shook his head.
"Good. I guess it would be more polite to talk face to face though..."
He stiffened. "What?..."
She grinned and suddenly the skin of her face cracked and began crumble. Hidan's voice stopped in the background and Kakuzu stared as the last of the skin fell away revealing a grinning wooden face.
XxXxX
Staring eyes looked into theirs, dull and glassy and the wide mouth revealed sharp teeth.
All was silent for a while until the wooden figure creaked and came to life. In a flurry of movement it sprang back to one of the shadowed trees.
Underneath, hidden by most of the tree, was a figure sitting on the ground between the roots. The puppet disappeared in a cloud of smoke once it reached its target and the figure stood. The figure stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight revealing a young woman. She looked older than the face the puppet had possessed and her features were sharper and more feral. Almost canine.
Her hair was different too. Instead of the red it was a pastel pink colour which set off her green eyes nicely.
The two Akatsuki could only stare in shock as the woman walked towards them, seemingly without a care in the world. It was only their training as shinobi that allowed them to see the way that she kept her muscles taunt, ready to move at a moment's notice.
She stopped in front of them first looking at the incapacitated Hidan and then moving her haze to Kakuzu. With the puppet he had felt a vague sense of familiarity but now looking at this woman, that feeling intensified. Try as he might he just couldn't place her face.
"Well what do you want to say?" She looked at him after he spoke and took a while before answering.
"Do you know who I am?"
Kakuzu turned his head to the side; was she talking about her name or was she referring to something else?
"What the fuck do you mean bitch." Hidan answered before he could reply.
She yawned before replying. "I mean do either of you know who I am? What village I came?"
This time Kakuzu spoke before Hidan could say anything. "No. Should we?"
"No I guess you shouldn't…" She paused and a look of concentration came onto her face. It cleared and she looked at them again. "For now...just call me Shiriki." Sakura look at the two men in front of her waiting for the questions to start like she knew they would. Hidan looked at her and snickered.
"What kind of Jashin damned name is that?"
Sakura had the decency to blush. She glared at Hidan and let out a string of insults that had Hidan struggling to fling something (preferably something sharp or hard or both) at her. Meanwhile Kakuzu was getting frustrated again.
Trickster. The word popped up unbidden in Kakuzu's mind and for all intents and purposes he couldn't figure out why.
"Enough of you're arguing. It's beginning to grate on my nerves." Kakuzu shifted and swatted away a moth that had flown by him.
Hidan and Sakura blinked.
"Your right. I apologise for getting off track." Sakura paused after saying that and then shook her head sighing. "Look that really doesn't matter. What really matters is the proposition I'm offering."
This caught Kakuzu's interest. "And what proposition is that?"
"I want to join the Akatsuki," Hidan started to laugh again, this time breaking down into coughing fits every now and then as blood started to pool in his lungs. "I have information on Konoha and its shinobi that might prove useful to you."
"And how do you have that?"
She paused for a moment. In reality she hadn't thought this whole thing through properly. She didn't know what story to tell them. She couldn't say she was Sakura Haruno because, while they shared certain features such as the pink hair and green eyes she looked older and there were many other, more subtle, differences between them.
"I...came from Konoha..."
Hidan spoke this time. "What makes you think we believe you? We haven't heard about anyone defecting from that village since little red-eyes brother."
Sasuke. The name sprang into her mind and she frowned.
"Besides what would make you think that we would want a bitch like you working with us, and-"
"We accept your offer." Hidan stared at Kakuzu, not believing what he was hearing.
"Damn it Kakuzu what the fuck do you think you're doing? Have you gone nuts?" His voice rose as he spoke, just about yelling at the end of it.
Kakuzu continued ignoring Hidan as he yelled. "You will come with us to the nearest base where you will be put into a holding area. We will then contact our leader and he will decide your fate. If he accepts we'll let you out and if he doesn't….." He looked at her. "If he doesn't accept your offer you will most likely be killed."
To their surprise she nodded. "That sounds fair. Would you like to head off now or would you prefer to set up camp somewhere near here? We've been here for quite a while and we are losing daylight."
Both Akatsuki looked up and realised she was right. With everything going on neither of them had realised how much time had passed and that it was almost night.
"We'll set up camp for the night a bit further ahead." She nodded her consent and listened as he continued. "But for now would you mind fixing Hidan? As much as I enjoy the peace it will be a pain if I have to carry him to our next campsite."
Hidan started to grin at this and nod his head but stopped when he saw the smirk cross her lips.
"Or we could leave him like this and get one of my puppets to carry him for us."
Hidan started to curse at this and pray that at some point both of them are eaten by hungry wolves.
XxXxX
Sakura and Kakuzu got ready in silence, or as much silence as could be achieved with Hidan raging on in the background.
They were going around the clearing picking up any weapons that had been thrown in the fight; in general they were erasing any and all evidence that a battle took place there. They moved with the quick efficiency of people well practiced and where finished in around fifteen minutes.
Giving the area another once over they were finally satisfied with their work. Kakuzu started to speak while he packed Hidan's bag for him.
"So were you serious about getting the puppet to carry Hidan," In the background Hidan let out an indignant yell, "Or do I have to carry him?"
Hearing no response he stopped packing the bag and turned towards where he had seen Sakura walk off to. She was crouching on a branch halfway up the tree; her lips were moving but he was too far away to hear what she was saying.
Sakura was kneeling on the branch looking at the little bird in front of her.
"You don't have to come with me if you don't want to. We're going to be going far away and you might get hurt if you stay with me."
It didn't really occur to her that it was strange that she was talking to an animal and even if it did it wouldn't bother her enough to make her stop.
The Mockingbird looked at her and ruffled it feathers. Hopping for a moment it chirped and then flew to its place on her shoulder.
"I guess that this means you're coming with us."
"What the hell took you so Jashin damned long?" Hidan spoke from his place lying on the ground. Sakura looked at him and rolled her eyes.
"Why the fuck should you care old man?"
"The hell? I'm not fucking old you bitch." Hidan's tone was one of outrage.
"Your hair says differently." she retorted.
"My hair in naturally this colour!" Ignoring Hidan as he continued to rant Sakura turned to Kakuzu.
"If you really don't want to carry him I'll get one of my puppets to carry him for us. All I ask is that if he doesn't shut up within the next five minutes could you sew his mouth shut."
Hidan let out an embarrassing "eep" sound and closed his mouth. While he may have shut up he didn't stop glaring at Sakura and she could practically feel the holes forming in her clothes.
"I guess that's your answer." Sakura grunted in agreement with Kakuzu's statement and returned the glare.
Cheep.
Kakuzu and Hidan looked at her at the sound.
"Okay what the fuck was that?"
She felt her hair move as the bird poked its head out from the curtain of her hair.
Sakura stroked the head of the bird, smiling at it before looking up. Both men were staring at her with stupefied look on their faces as they watched the little bird nuzzle her neck.
"A friend."
Kakuzu raised an eyebrow. "And is this friend of yours coming with us?"
"Yeah he is."
The stitched man sighed. "Look I think you know as well as I do that the Akatsuki, hell even travelling with shinobi, is no place for animals unless their summons. It'll most likely be killed at some point on the journey there."
"Damn it Kakuzu, if the bitch wants to bring her birdie along let her." An evil grin came onto Hidan's face. "At least we'll know that if we get hungry and there are no rabbits to hunt we won't go hungry…."
Sakura's face snapped up to glare at Hidan. "No one. Is eating. The bird."
Just as Hidan was about to retort Kakuzu stepped up between them both. "Enough. We've wasted enough time here already and we still need to get moving and find a place to make camp."
Hidan looked at his partner and gave him a disgruntled look. "Well we could always go to that hotel just outside th-…."
"No."
"No."
Kakuzu and Sakura objected against that idea at the same time. Hidan looked at them both suspiciously. "Okay now that was fucking creepy….what are the two of you? Twins?"
Sakura folded her arms in front of her (ample) chest. "No. Both of us just don't see why we should have to waste money just to accommodate you're needs."
"Because I'm fucking special bitch and don't you forget it."
The smug look was taken off Hidan's face when the wooden face of the puppet was suddenly hovering over his. He let out a quiet yelp and managed to get his body to respond to his commands long enough to throw himself back a few centre metres.
Kakuzu was blinked and turned his head to look from Hidan to Sakura. The open scroll was in her left hand, smoke slowly dissipating.
She's quick that's for sure...
Sakura rolled up her scroll with a satisfied look on her face and slipped it back in its place in one of her top pockets.
She turned to her puppet and moved her fingers making the puppet bend down; it limbs creaking, and pick Hidan and his scythe up. He tried to thrash around a bit but soon gave up.
Nodding to Sakura Kakuzu picked up his and Hidan's bags and took off in the general direction of the base with Sakura, her puppet and Hidan following behind.
XxXxX
The three of them travelled for another hour trying to get as far in the direction of the base before they stopped to make camp.
There was a strange silence between the three of them; Sakura and Kakuzu were lost in their own thoughts and Hidan….well the poison had knocked him out so he couldn't speak even if he wanted to.
Around dusk they stopped. Sakura ordered the puppet to dump Hidan's body and weapon underneath a tree and then she set it against the tree where she had put her bag against. While she was doing this Kakuzu had gone off to find wood for a fire.
He joined Sakura ten minutes later and made the fire. They both settled down and ate the second rabbit that Sakura had caught the day before and the bird fluttered over to the puppet and rested on its leg.
"So…are you going to heal him or are you going to carry him the whole way to the base?" Kakuzu looked up from his food.
"I'll give him the antidote after we've eaten. He should be better by the morning."
Kakuzu nodded and finished eating his rabbit. Throwing away the bones he looked across the fire at Sakura. The fire light payed with the shadows and they danced across her face. There was something familiar about this; about the way the shadows danced.
The light made her eyes glow, they were almost like an animals. In this light her pink hair looked almost red and her skin was like milk. Creamy, pale and smooth.
In a second her eyes looked up from the fire and into his. She raised one of her eyebrows and gave him a look.
"See something you like?" Her tone was almost amused.
Kakuzu snorted. "What could I possibly see in a girl as young as you?"
"I'm sure I could come up with a list but I wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of your friend over there." She tilted her head towards the edge of their campsite and he followed with his gaze.
Hidan was slowly pushing himself to his elbows looking decidedly dazed.
"Wha-? Where the hell are we? Is the bitch still with us?" He opened his mouth to say something else but was cut off when a leg bone flew through the air to hit him in the side of the head. He blinked for a few seconds before looking at the person who threw it. He groaned and slumped back to the ground.
Sakura continued to pick the meat off the remainder of the rabbit she had let, not even looking in Hidan's direction.
"You know you shouldn't say things like that. It's not nice."
Hidan was on his feet in an instant profanities spilling from his mouth. This time he was silenced by black threads which sprang from Kakuzu's arm.
"Behave yourself of you won't get to eat." Hidan immediately stopped tugging on the stitches on his mouth and glared.
He walked over to the others and sat down at the fire and crossed his arms. The threads retracted themselves and went back to Kakuzu.
Before anyone could stop him Hidan grabbed the last of the rabbit and started to tear into it. Sakura looked at Kakuzu and shrugged and finished eating her own bit of rabbit.
Hidan finally stopped stuffing his face having striped the bone bare and threw it behind him. He crossed his arms again and his gaze switched from his partner to Sakura.
"So….what's a little kitten like you doing out here anyway? You told us your first name and that you've come from Konoha but nothing else."
Kakuzu spoke up as well. "Why haven't we heard of you before? Someone like you, I would have thought, would have been more well-known."
Sakura raised her hand and both of them stopped themselves from asking anything else.
"I personally don't see a reason why I would tell you my last name even if I had one. I was only ever given a first."
She turned to Kakuzu. "As for why I'm not more well-known..." She paused and thought about how word her answer. "Let's just say that I was overshadowed by others. No one saw what I was doing because there were always others to take up their attention." She shrugged. "I was mostly content with that but I guess you could say that I was getting bored of it."
Hidan and Kakuzu looked at her, each with a look on their face which she couldn't quite describe. The peace of the moment was disrupted when crashing sound resounded throughout the part of the forest they were in and a slight flare of chakra.
In an instant all three of them were up on their feet with Sakura grabbing her Katana, Hidan hoisting his scythe up and Kakuzu letting his skin darken showing that it was hardening.
The silence was only broken by the sound of the fire crackling. Unconsciously all three of them had moved so they were back to back staring out at the surrounding forest. For a moment the thought passed through Sakura's mind that it was a good thing that she had given Hidan the antidote earlier and had not just let him lie there like she had wished.
The silence was stifling and Sakura was reminded about how much she hated silence. She loved the quiet but hated silence. She had always been questioned about that as most people couldn't tell the difference between the two.
She would always tell them that she described quiet as there being no loud noises to distract or irritate. The sound of the wind blowing through the leaves of the trees or the grass, the sound of running water or the sound of animals. These were peaceful and quiet.
Silence on the other hand has always put her on edge. In the days she had lived by herself amongst the plants and animals of the forest she had learnt that when the sounds stopped it usually meant danger was coming. It was never a good sign.
"Come on already. Where the fuck are they." Hidan's impatient griping brought Sakura out of her daze and she grunted in response.
She heard Hidan shift his stance and get a better grip on his scythe and Kakuzu shifted to cover the opening Hidan had made.
Sakura drove her Katana into the ground next to her and brought her hands together and made some hand seals. Un-noticed by anyone due to a small genjutsu, Sakura brought her puppet over to her.
She set the small half-asleep bird which had been sleeping on the shoulder of the puppet in one of the pockets in her coat and performed a variation of the Head-hunter jutsu. As she felt herself sink into the puppet itself she kept a constant flow of chakra around her body to make sure that she could control the movements of the puppet.
There was a feeling of the wood shifting around her as it adopted her features to a fault. Now anyone looking at her would see...well her and not the wooden face that was really there.
Hidden safely inside the puppet she let her mind become quiet and listened. Everything around her was quiet but then she began to hear things like the shifting of the two Akatsuki members around her as well as the creaking of the puppet. She sent her chakra out like small roots through the earth and began to weave it so it surrounded the campsite.
She stretched it out as far as she could without it becoming noticeable. So far she couldn't feel anything other than herself, the two men with her and the slight energy given off by various animals running throughout the forest.
Other than that there was nothing, at least not anything that was a threat. So what was that sound? Sakura took a deep breath and looked again. Still nothing.
Suddenly from the very edge of her awareness she felt it. A slight pulse of chakra that was too strong to be an animal or a civilian. It was strong and familiar and it put her on edge. Whoever it was Sakura wasn't in a hurry to confront them.
Pushing these thoughts aside for the moment she concentrated on it and was slightly bewildered as she felt it moving...away from them. Soon it was out of her range and she couldn't feel it anymore.
What the hell was that?
XxXxX
Slowly she opened her eyes again and the campsite sprang into focus. Hidan and Kakuzu were still standing in their defensive positions and it seems neither one of them had noticed that she had done anything at all.
She could hear Hidan muttering and cursing under his breath. "Where the fuck are they? Come on and show yourselves." None of what he said was loud enough to be heard by anyone other than Kakuzu or herself.
Kakuzu was still standing stiff as a board. His skin was still darker than usual meaning that he hadn't let his jutsu go yet.
Sakura sighed and relaxed her stance, turning a bit to look at the other two from her peripheral vision. Both Hidan and Kakuzu turned to look at her as soon as she started to move their gazes becoming more and more confused as the moments went by.
"What the hell are you doing?" Hidan was the first to speak in his ever so eloquent manner.
She turned completely to look at them letting the puppet fall from her as she did so. The dull think of the wood hitting the ground was accompanied by the; "The fuck?" from Hidan and the small grunt of surprise from Kakuzu.
"Whoever it was they've already left. Headed back the way they came when they realised that they had given their position away most likely." Sakura ran a hand through her hair with one hand while the other busied itself with moving the puppet back to its place against the tree.
"How do you know that?" Kakuzu had let his skin go back to its normal colour but he still hadn't relaxed from his position completely. His green and black eyes were narrowed as he regarded her.
She grabbed her katana from where she had driven it into the ground earlier and sheathed it before turning around and answering the Taki nin. "While the two of you were standing there I was checking the area to see if I could spot them. I felt them going back the way they came, whoever they were..."
An uneasy silence fell over the strange group at this statement. By this time the sounds of other wildlife had returned but it didn't bring the same amount of comfort as it usually did.
Suddenly Kakuzu moved and began to walk toward the packs. Picking his up he slung it over his shoulder and then walked over to the fire and kicked earth over it effectively smothering it.
Hidan snapped out of his staring and looked at Kakuzu. "What the fuck do you think you're doing dumbass?"
"Shut up and grab your pack. We obviously can't stay here when someone knows we're here. Despite the fact that we can take care of ourselves in a fight I would prefer not getting into one in the first place so we're moving." Kakuzu stopped checking to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything and looked at the other two.
He raised an eyebrow (even though you couldn't see it) and Sakura and Hidan we're suddenly very busy packing their things.
Sakura sealed her puppet back into its scroll and placed it back in her coat checking on the sleeping bird as she did so. Putting everything back in her pack she listened to Hidan as he scrambled around shoving things in his pack while swearing about how annoying the situation was getting. She was inclined to agree with him though she'd never admit it.
Finishing packing a thought occurred to her.
"Exactly where did you plan of taking us Kakuzu?" Hidan stopped as well and looked at his partner, eyes narrowing.
"Yeah o' great leader where did you plan on us going after this?"
...They both looked at Kakuzu on amusement as he struggled to come up with an answer to that question. A minute or two later and his shoulders slumped ever so slightly. Well that was their answer to that question.
Holding in her snickering Sakura spoke because Hidan was too busy trying to hold in his laughter as to not piss off Kakuzu. "We can't stay in this forest. If they found us once then they could do it again. There is a town-" Hidan interrupted her.
"We're going to sleep in a town? In an actual bed? Fuck yeah!" With lightening speed Hidan finished packing and was standing ready to leave in an instant.
Sakura and Kakuzu were looking at him with shock evident in their gazes. Huh well at least now we know how to get him to move quickly. A similar thought ran through the stitched man's mind at seeing this.
Kakuzu shook his head and turned to Sakura.
"You were saying? What's this town we're going to?"
"It's a small town at the edge of the eastern side of the forest. It should only take us twenty minutes to get there." Sakura started walking in the direction that they needed to go with the other two following her.
"Is there somewhere cheap we can stay." Kakuzu made a point of ignoring Hidan as he began to complain again.
At that question Sakura smirked. "I know a place that isn't just cheep, it'll be free."
This really got Kakuzu's attention. "Free." His tone was one of awe.
Sakura laughed outright at this. "Yeah completely free. The owner knows me and lets me stay there whenever I need to. He even keeps a room free for me."
This time she made it a point to (noticeably) ignore Hidan's exclamation of "I told you she was a whore." Instead she (subtly) threw a small rock that had (mysteriously) made its way into her hand.
Keeping her back turned from them she smiled when she heard Kakuzu snort in amusement. The smile quickly faded and she turned her concentration towards getting to the village.
The little bird moved around in its place in her pocked and tweeted.
It's gonna be a long night.
XxXxX
The moon and forest animals were the only witnesses to the lone figure which emerged from the edge of the forest. It moved quickly and quietly across the field without leaving a trace.
Just as it was about to enter another group of trees the moonlight was reflected off wire and glass. In an instant the flash was gone and the figure disappeared back amongst the trees and headed onwards to its destination.
It had finally found what it had been looking for.
XxXxX
"Are we fucking there yet?" Hidan's speech was slightly slurred due to lack of sleep. Kakuzu twitch next to Sakura as he restrained himself from taking off the man's head.
Sakura rubbed her temples in an effort to lessen the headache which was forming there. They had been walking through back alleys for at least ten minutes and they still hadn't found the place where they could sleep.
"I told you; finding this place isn't exactly easy." Sakura kept her eyes on the signs hanging off the walls telling you the names of the buildings.
For the first time since they started looking Kakuzu spoke up. "I know I'm going to regret saying this but Hidan's right. Do you know where this place is or don't you?"
Now Sakura stopped and she turned around to face them.
"I told you. It's not easy finding this place." Just as she was about to turn around again Kakuzu's voice stopped her.
"Why is it so hard to find it? You said you've been there before so shouldn't you know where it is? Instead of walking around here we could have just found another place to camp."
Sakura stared her two companions and with a slight huff, closed her eyes. She turned back the way she had been heading and, still with her eyes closed, headed off down another alley.
Exchanging looks Hidan and Kakuzu followed after her.
She led them down three different streets before stopping. She opened her eyes and a smile split her face wide enough to show her sharp teeth. She took off at a slow jog down one alley and then another before stopping the beginning of a third.
The two Akatsuki members came up to flank her on either side and looked at the alley.
"Is this it finally?" Hidan squinted down the dark alley before turning to look at the woman beside him and raising an eye brow.
She turned towards him the smile still on her face and just said, "Yup."
She began to walk down the street and Kakuzu spoke up. "Why was it so hard to find this place?"
Sakura thought for a second trying to figure out how to word her answer. "It's complicated. This street isn't...always here. It moves."
"What the fuck does that mean; 'it moves'?" Hidan stared regarding the walls of the buildings surrounding them with suspicion, as if suspecting them to disappear with them still in it.
"I meant exactly what I said. That was why it was so hard to find this place. Sometimes it's here and sometimes it's just...not."
"How do you find it then?" Kakuzu was looking at the walls too.
"Practice."
Kakuzu grunted at the sparse answer and asked another question. "How does it work?"
"A place like the one we're going to...well you can't have too many people knowing it exists. So when it was made it was made to move." She looked back at the taller man. "That's really all I can say. Despite how many times I've come here even I'm not sure how it's done. I think the only person who would have a clue would be the owner."
Suddenly she stopped and Hidan almost ran into her back because he was too busy looking around. They were standing below a sign which was swinging despite there being no breeze. It was an innocent enough looking sign with nothing particularly interesting about it; almost as if it was made to avoid being noticed.
The words written on the sign were Strangefellows. As Hidan looked at the sign the letters seemed to be fuzzy as if looking through a dirty window. The letters seemed to distort and then snap back into focus. Shrugging he dismissed it as lack of sleep.
Sakura stepped up onto the step, opened the door and stepped inside. The two men followed her inside and their senses were instantly assaulted by cigarette smoke and the smell of alcohol.
The three stood in the doorway letting their eyes adjust to the dim light. Tables were scattered around the room, most against the walls and hidden by the shadows which seemed to be everywhere.
"Well well well, if it isn't the Coyote. Is someone trying to kill you again or are you just here for a drink?" The dry, sarcastic voice reached them and Sakura snorted.
"Well either way I'm defiantly not here to see you." She turned and began to make her way towards the back of room. Hidan and Kakuzu looked at each other and turned and followed her. As they made their way across the room, following Sakura, the let their eyes wander and look at the other patrons of the bar.
The two men let their hand slide closer to their weapons as they saw a few of them. One, a young man, was sewing his arm back on using what looked like fishing wire. As they passed him he looked up at them, tipped the hat on his head in greeting and gave them a friendly smile. Sakura nodded back and kept walking.
They passed another table and another man was sitting there. One of his hands was tapping the table top in time with a song only he seemed to hear and the other hand was holding a bottle. As they passed him he looked up and, while Sakura seemed unconcerned, both Kakuzu and Hidan were slightly startled to see snake-like eyes look back at them.
Both Akatsuki members instantly thought of the same person; Orochimaru.
The man with snake eyes blinked at them but soon his attention was focused on the bottle again.
In another corner of the room two women were sitting side by side. They looked almost inhumanly beautiful with pale skin and lush red lips. Unconsciously both men had stopped walking towards Sakura and had started walking towards the two women.
They were stopped, however, when Sakura moved in front of them. She was semi-crouched with her back slightly arched. Her lips were pulled back over her teeth showing off her sharp teeth and fangs. In response the other women stood from their seats and bared their teeth as well showing off mouths full of jagged and serrated teeth.
As soon as they saw this Kakuzu and Hidan snapped out of the trance they had been in.
The two female creatures started hissing, the sound almost painful to hear and Sakura retaliated with a snarl which made her sound like a wild animal. The three of them looked like they were about to go for each other's throats.
"ENOUGH!"
At this yell everyone froze. Sakura let her stance relax as did the other women. The Akatsuki members looked to the source of the voice. Now that they were closer to the back of the room they could see the person who had spoken.
He was a young man wearing pure white robes. His features were beautiful, almost feminine though there was something about him which was defiantly male. The interesting thing about him was the bandages wrapped around his eyes. Like his robe they were pristine and white.
Despite the bandages he was staring directly at them. If he was blind he gave no indication of it.
"I won't have fighting in my bar." His 'gaze' was fixed firmly on the two women. "If you want to fight go back to where you came from and find someone there stupid enough to do it." His 'gaze' turned onto Hidan and Kakuzu.
"And if you're hungry for something other than what I can serve you here then you can leave as well."
The two women reluctantly settled back down into their chairs and went back to talking to each other.
Letting another growl escape her lips Sakura turned away from them and walked over to the young man. Her companions followed her, still somewhat dazed by what had happened. They reached the bar and she set herself down in one of the bar stools. Following her lead Hidan took a seat on her right side and Kakuzu took a seat on her left.
"You always do create a bit of a scene whenever you come here." His voice had gone down to its normal level and his hands were busy washing a glass bottle.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "This time it wasn't me who started it but those two piranhas. I just stepped in to make sure no one got eaten."
The man snorted. "Yeah cuz you're a god damnned saint you are."
This time Sakura snickered. "Fuck yeah. Now shut up and give me a bottle of something strong Dres." Sakura felt movement coming from one of her pockets which reminded her of what they came here for in the first place.
"Oh and we'll be staying for the night so I really hope that you haven't tried to renovate my room again. You have no eye for colour...or furniture for that matter. "
Placing the bottle in front of her Hidan and Kakuzu watched as he leaned over the counter and slapped her in the back of the head.
"I thought I told you never to bring that up again." He looked at the other two. "Do either of you want drinks?"
"Fuck yeah-" Hidan was interrupted by Kakuzu.
"No thank you." Kakuzu ignored the sharp kick in the leg from Hidan and kept his eyes on Dres. Dres smiled at this and so did Sakura. They shared a knowing look and Dres gave a small nod.
"You don't have to pay."
...
"Fine, go ahead."
"Yes! One of whatever the bitch is having."
XxXxX
It was around 12 pm when they finally went to Sakura's room. Hidan was staggering slightly as he walked and Kakuzu senses felt slightly dulled. After the offer of free alcohol both Hidan and Kakuzu had joined Sakura in her drinking and (as they soon found out) the drink was much stronger than anything the two had been used to.
Sakura walked a bit ahead of them seemingly unaffected by the alcohol she had consumed earlier. Walking to a room at the end of a corridor (if Kakuzu had been sober he would have wondered about where all the space in this building came from) Sakura brought out a key from one of her pockets and unlocked the door.
She paused for a moment in the door way before walking inside. Hidan and Kakuzu staggered into the room after her and took in the sight.
Sakura walked around the room dumping her bag on a desk. Sakura reached into one of her larger pockets and took out the small bird which chirped sleepily at her. She then took her coat off and wrapped it into a ball before placing it next to her bag. Then she put the bird into the makeshift nest and watched as the bird settled back down to sleep.
Opening a door in the far wall Sakura walked into the bathroom and left the other two by themselves in the room. They placed their bags and weapons on the desk next to Sakura's being mindful of the bird.
Hidan looked around and a thought occurred to him. Wait a Jashin damned minute. There's only one fucking bed...
Apparently this thought had also occurred to Kakuzu as he was glaring at the bed. It was a large bed though with more than enough room to fit three people in it. And it looked warm and soft...
Without another thought Hidan and Kakuzu stripped down to their pants and slipped under the covers. They both stayed on opposite sides of the bed in an attempt to keep as much distance between the two.
If they had been sober they wouldn't have been as comfortable to fall asleep in the company of a stranger but with the alcohol in their system, giving both of them a warm feeling they were both asleep within ten minutes.
A few minutes after they fell asleep the door to the bathroom opened and Sakura walked out, hair dripping with water and wearing only her pants and the dark purple undershirt. Dumping her over-shirt next to her coat and taking notice of the other weapons which now joined her she looked over at the bed.
A frown settled on her face and she sighed while shaking her head. Bloody hell.
Not bothering to set up her wards (she knew they would be safe at Strangefellows) she walked over to the only couch in the room and grabbed a blanket which was on the floor next to it. Sakura laid down, pulling the warm blanket over her shoulders and closed her eyes.
Soon she was asleep and her last conscious thought was...I wonder how this is all going to end?...
I'm on the highway to Hell
No stop signs, speed limit
Nobody's gonna slow me down
Like a wheel, gonna spin it
Nobody's gonna mess me round
Hey Satan, payed my dues
Playing in a rocking band
Hey Momma, look at me
I'm on my way to the promised land
I'm on the highway to Hell
(Don't stop me)
And I'm going down, all the way down
I'm on the highway to Hell
XxXxX
I can't write fight scenes. Don't judge me about it. If anyone notices any spelling mistakes or something like that tell me so I can fix it.
Oh and I don't own Naruto or Strangefellows (It's from the series Tales from the Nightside by Simon R Green)