A/N: Just a random fact to point out, I think Konan's hair is bluey/purple. So, I call it both.

And yes, this is the last chapter, but I'm writing an Epilogue :)

Anyway, hope you like it :) x


Cold. She felt cold.

She hadn't left her room since they had returned. Konan had knocked a few times and brought her some small plates of food, none of which she had even acknowledged. The only other person who passed by was Deidara.

He would come and sit with her for a few hours each day, chattering nonsense about everything and anything that happened around the base. How Hidan had broken another piece of cutlery in his rage or, how Kisame had lost his temper with Kakuzu for taking over the living room tables to count his money. She rarely responded, but he rarely expected her to.

At one point, he had told her how Pein wanted her to know how he wished that they could have executed the plan differently, but that he still felt it was the only way to accomplish their task.

Pein… She knew pain.

After four days, her aching stomach had convinced her to shuffle into the kitchen in search of something to eat. She routed half-heartedly in the cupboard, and her hand settled on a bag of pasta. She threw it into a pan and began to boil the water. Someone entered the kitchen behind her and placed an empty glass by the sink. Her eyes never left the bubbling liquid on the stove.

She jumped out of her trance when a hand landed softly on her own, just for a second. Then it was gone. She glanced behind her slowly, just in time to see a long black ponytail disappear through the door. Itachi.

The other members seemed to leave her alone, even Hidan hadn't been to visit to drop any snide comments. It surprised her enough to be curious about where everyone had gone.

She doubted they were grieving, she remembered the way they had been told of Sasori's death when she had first arrived. Granted, she hadn't known him all that well, but he couldn't have been that bad of a person for them to act do nonchalant.

On the fifth day of her moping, she made a decision. She made her way to Pein's office, occasionally pausing to lean on each corridor wall to briefly reconsider her choice. But each time, she landed at the same conclusion. It'll never be the same here…

She lifted her hand to knock on the door, but it creaked open before she could. Konan's amber eyes peered at her from behind the wood, and she smiled sadly at the green-haired girl.

'I think we know why you're here…'

She sat down in a chair in front of the desk, with grey ringed eyes watching her intently. She didn't really know what to say to them, all she knew was that her decision was final.

'You want to leave?' He voiced her thoughts, and her head snapped up to look him straight in the eye.

She nodded slowly, still trying to decide what to say.

'I assume there will be no convincing you otherwise,' he hesitated and glanced at his companion. Konan's expression was strange, almost pained, but he continued anyway. 'I'm sure you're aware that anyone who has been associated with our organisation can become a liable target to enemies, and therefore a risk to our anonymity…'

'I know that,' She began, cutting him off. 'That's why, I'm willing to erase my memories of the Akatsuki,'

Konan gasped and Pein raised an eyebrow, regarding her curiously.

'You're taking the coward's way out?'

'Pein!' The purple-haired woman scolded him moving to kneel beside Akira, whose head had dropped as she was now staring at her hands. 'Have you really thought this through? It's a large chunk out of your life, Akira…'

'Actually, it's all I've thought about for the last few days. It's the only conclusion I can come up with that works for both the Akatsuki and myself,' She flickered her gaze back up at the orange-haired man. 'No one can interrogate me if there's nothing to get out of it, so your secrets will be safe,'

Pein sighed and nodded once. 'It's your decision.'

She stood up and turned to leave. A small tear slid down her cheek and dripped off her chin. Her hand rested on the door handle as she looked back to where the two members were hovering. 'Thank you… For everything,'

With that she left. She closed the door quietly behind her and looked up to meet a pair of pale blue eyes watching her carefully.

'You're leaving…'

It wasn't a question.

She sighed and nodded gently. Deidara's expression was a mixture of contorted grief and anger and it hurt her to think that she was the cause of that pain.

'And you want to forget. Everything. Right?'

She dropped his gaze, suddenly finding the floor very interesting.

'Why?'

She flinched at his question. She had known it was coming, but a small part of her had continued to hope this could all be avoided.

She whispered something too quiet for him to hear and he cupped his hands around her cheeks, forcing her to look at him. She tried to focus on his face, but tears had begun to blur her vision, welling up in her eyes.

'Because I don't want to remember…'

He frowned at her reply. 'So you're just running away, yeah? From his memory, from your home… From me…'

She pulled her face away and tried to duck past him to retreat to her room.

'Akira! At least tell me why, yeah! Why would you throw everything away just because of one draw back–'

'One draw back?!' She whirled on her heel and glared directly into his visible blue eye.

'I-I didn't mean it like that–'

'I don't want to remember because it hurts, Deidara! It hurts so bad that I feel like my heart has been ripped out and I'm just stuck here helplessly watching as it beats it's last few moments of life away! I'm trapped in this place, with these people… These people that are a constant reminder of what they did, of what I did!' She panted hard, the tears flowing more thoroughly and dribbling down her neck onto the floor.

'You… You blame yourself?'

She rubbed her eyes furiously, trying to stifle her violent sobs. 'I should have gone back. I should have tried harder. I could have…' Her voice trailed off.

He stood there, frozen, until eventually she tore her streaming eyes away from his and ran. She didn't stop running, even as she reached the base exit. She charged into the daylight, her bare feet skimming the fresh dew on the grass. She finally collapsed into a shivering heap when she was sure she was far enough away from the Akatsuki base and all her painful memories. And him…

She shook her head and clamped a hand over her forehead, gathering her chakra. I can give memories… And I can take them away. She closed her eyes and through her fading sniffs, began to hum a soft lullaby.

There was a blinding flash of pure white light, and then there was nothing. Just darkness.

Just a soft, gentle hum left lingering on the cool, morning breeze.

And she forgot.


A/N: Please R&R... :D x