Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Meggie-Moo is my sister's OC she uses for everything, but the plot is mine.
Warning: Hidan needs his own warning in this chapter. Actually, he probably needs his own warning in every chapter.
Chapter 22: Because We Are Human
"You are the leaves bathing in the sun, I... am the roots that grow in the dark."
~Shimura Danzo~
"Hey, money-whore, what do you use those tentacles for?" Hidan asked brashly.
Kakuzu glared at the white haired Jashinist, and efficiently beheaded him with his 'tentacles'.
"You are insufferable," Kakuzu stated as he continued walking towards the dining room, where Pain was cooking.
Megan glanced up as they walked in, and stood. "Can you guys tell the others that I had some business to do?" she asked, causing the worried Itachi to glance up.
He's heard about the Chunin Exams…
He is a smart ninja. He most likely guessed that Sasuke's ambitions would make him enter as soon as he could. You know, I wonder if he has guessed that you are Caitlin's sister.
It's very likely. There aren't that many freckled green eyed blondes anywhere.
x~x~x
Great, so the pedo-snake has already shown up. Just fucking fantastic!
You know, it'd be quite ironic if you went to all this trouble just for your sister to die.
She is not going to fucking die! And if she does, first I'll painfully kill Orochimaru and then I'll bring her back to life using Edo Tensei.
You don't even know Edo Tensei!
Megan jumped along the trees in the gated Forest of Death, searching for her sister. She had already found her chakra signature, now it was only a matter of getting there.
She heard the blood curdling scream before she saw them. "Caitlin!"
Shit! Jashin damn Orochimaru!
Then, she saw them. She almost went Juubi mode right then. Caitlin was lying on the tree limb, clutching her neck, and Orochimaru stood on a different tree, and suddenly looked very scared when he realized who had arrived. She sensed Itachi land behind him, his protective older brother instincts getting the best of him and causing him to trail after her.
"Curse mark," he murmured, and she suddenly remembered that he knew Caitlin too, and was probably just as worried.
Everything passed quickly for Megan once she was out of the trees, and it finally slowed down when Itachi came out.
"Itachi…" Sasuke whispered, staring at him.
"Hello, Otouto," the older brother murmured.
"You!" Sasuke shook, slightly with fear, and slightly with suppressed anger. "Why!?"
"Otouto, you must choose: your teammates, or the truth."
That's fucked up. It's like trying to make me choose between Obito and Caitlin. I just can't. It's impossible!
Humans. You should just choose the one most useful to you.
That's sad, that you don't understand love or the need for truth. It sounds like a horrible life.
You don't know anything, human!
If you say so…
"I- I," Sasuke stuttered with shock. "The- no, my teammates," he said straightening his spine, glaring defiantly at his elder brother.
Good choice, kiddo.
Itachi nodded, and then silently picked Caitlin up, causing Sasuke to slightly flinch. Megan suddenly swung Sasuke onto her back, where he hung upside down like Naruto.
"Is this really-" the boy began.
"Very," Megan replied as she and Itachi took off at speeds that the untrained eye couldn't see. She could hear the youngest Uchiha yelp with alarm, which made her laugh. She knew he wouldn't be this helpless forever, so she'd take as much advantage of it as she could.
"Hey, weasel-kun, do ya wanna go faster?" Megan asked, grinning as she looked at her companion.
"Hn," he replied, a slight smirk on his face. He never was one to turn down a challenge after all.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," Sasuke muttered from on her back.
"You're not gonna be sick on me, or I'm gonna permanently make your hair pink," Megan stated.
Itachi looked at her, eyebrows raised.
"I'll tell you later," Megan said, snickering.
"Oh, God, no!" Sasuke groaned with horror, causing Megan to throw her head back and laugh.
"Oh, you poor, poor child. I am so regaling him with tales of your team's craziness later," Megan said.
Sasuke groaned, totally embarrassed. She sort of had that effect on most people.
"There, that's a good place," Megan stated, pointing towards a place where the roots formed a little hidey-hole.
Itachi nodded, and the two easily dropped to the forest floor. She casually tossed Naruto to the ground, along with Sasuke, who barely managed to land on his feet, and then began puking.
"Ew, that's gross," Megan said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
Itachi gently set Caitlin on the ground inside of the nook made by the roots. Then, after she was alright and settled comfortably, and picked Naruto up and sat him beside her, also making sure he was all cozy before blinking at the two that were staring at him.
"You are such a mother hen, Itachi," Megan said shaking her head and smiling. "That's what your name should mean instead of weasel."
Sasuke face-palmed and Itachi gave her the famous Uchiha Glare of Death. And yes, it is deserving of capital letters.
"You are ridiculous," Itachi stated as he inaudibly stepped out of the root house.
"I know, but you love me," Megan sang as she danced out of the hideout after him.
Itachi rolled his eyes, neither denying nor confirming it.
"Good luck, kiddy," Megan said as she and Itachi shunshined away.
x~x~x
Megan stared at Pain, as they discussed various ways to catch Shukaku. This seems too soon…
They are planning ahead. Be happy you were forewarned of this event, and their methods.
Still… Never mind.
Worrywart.
Can't help it.
Megan listened carefully after that. She refused to let it come to that. She would save all the Jinchuurikis, and all the Akatsuki would be safe and happy too.
You do realize Zetsu is an object of Kaguya's will?
Shut up!
Again, just saying something you might need to hear.
Well, I don't want to hear it, okay? So just shut the hell up!
The Juubi stayed silent after that, and she slipped out of the room. She already knew the plan, having memorized it the first time.
Hearing a strange noise, she turned towards it, and froze. Itachi was leaning onto the wall, coughing sickly into his hand. When he pulled it away, it was stained with red.
Megan stared at him with horror. She had known that he was dying, but it was one thing to know and another thing to see.
The man- no boy, slid down the wall, panting as he tried to catch his breath. Megan silently put his arm around her shoulder and led him to his room. She realized then that he was also without the Sharigan, so he was practically blind.
"Damn it, Itachi. You just can't hide sickness like that. Something needs to be done!" Megan snapped at him as they entered his room.
The teenager shook his head. "There is nothing that can be done about it. I am dying and that is that. Should I die before Sasuke knows the truth, I assume you can tell him?" he asked, sightlessly gazing upwards.
"How?" Megan whispered with surprise.
"Your reactions to things. You seem to know what's going to happen before it does. Do you come from the future?" Itachi asked.
"No, not the future. A different world, where this world was just an anime and manga. Caitlin and I, along with others, aren't supposed to be here," Megan answered, not truly all that surprised that the genius of all geniuses had realized something like that.
"Caitlin does not remember," Itachi stated, not truly as a question, but the blonde girl still answered.
"She doesn't. Neither do the others, except my dad, who calls himself Hemlox here," the freckled girl replied.
"I wonder why…" Itachi mused, getting lost in his thoughts.
"Age is one of the factors, I think. Another part of it- well, are these door silenced and sealed so Zetsu can't get in?" Megan suddenly demanded, alarmed.
"Yes, they are sealed. Continue, please."
"I'm the Jinchuuriki for the Juubi, which is a strange story, that I don't even know the half of," Megan explained. "Another part might be because I have a dojutsu, or the dojutsu that I have."
"Which do you have?" Itachi asked, fascinated.
"The Rinnegan," Megan said, pulling her hair back and opening her eye. Itachi turned on his Sharigan, analyzing the strange eye. He finally nodded, and the woman closed it and put her hair over it again.
"How interesting," Itachi murmured, Sharigan turned off.
"Seriously, though Itachi, Sasuke's going to need you later. Hell, I'm gonna need the help later, which means that you have to get through this funk, alright?" Megan said.
"I cannot guarantee anything, but I will try to survive for as long as I can," Itachi said, smiling sadly at her.
"Oh, you'll survive even if I have to drag Tsunade herself here kicking and screaming!" Megan snarled.
He chuckled then. "Strangely, I can picture you doing exactly that."
Megan rolled her eyes as she stood and exited the room. I am so setting him up with Caitlin. I want a bunch of Caitlin and Itachi babies running around-Just not right now, of course.
Catching sight of a flash of green, Megan giggled evil, and slowly snuck into the room. A nervous Zetsu stood there, reporting to their leader.
Megan lunged at him, successfully glomping the poor man. "Megan-san!" his white side yelped, alarmed.
"Damn it, I'm gonna fucking eat you!" his darker side snarled as she jumped away, laughing.
"Please, don't eat her Zetsu-kun. She doesn't know any better," Konan explained.
Zetsu glared at Megan. She smiled and waved, and then ran from the room laughing. Almost breaking her nose, she bumped right into Hidan.
She perked up, happy. "Make me a real Jashinist, now!"
"Alright, bitch. I was waiting for this. You always get so fucking distracted," Hidan said, smirking bloodthirstily. He gestured for her to follow, which she did gleefully. He led her into the basement, where he drew his usual symbol and the floor, and gestured for her to enter it.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" he demanded.
Megan smiled, and stepped into the symbol. Instantly, her body felt strange, and she watched inquisitively as her skin turned black and her bones became visible through the skin. Cool…
"There, that's it! Hidan declared as he stepped out of the circle, Megan following after him and still watching as her skin turned back to normal. That was awesome. I wonder if you could still see my eye stripes…
"Hey Hidan, could you still see my eye stripes?" Megan inquired.
"Yeah, but they turned red," he answered. "It was actually fucking cool."
She smirked at him. "That's because I'm so much awesomer than you."
"Awesomer is not a word," Sasori stated as he passed them in the hall, his arms filled with wood.
"Making some new puppets?" Megan asked.
"Just adding new things to old ones. I came up with this new device to shoot boiling water out," Sasori stated, slightly proud of his accomplishment.
"Without fungus and stuff screwing with the wood?" Megan asked, surprised.
"Of course. It took a while, but I figured out what would keep mold and fungus from destroying my puppets should they be in prolonged contact with it," the red head responded.
"What?" Megan asked when she noticed Hidan glaring at her.
"I am so the awesomer one out of us two," he stated.
Megan laughed. "Keep telling yourself that."
Hidan shook his fist at her as Sasori restrained him with chakra strings.
"Love you, Sasori!" the blonde girl shouted as she ran away, laughing.
She sighed when she saw her room. "Tobi repainted my room. Again," Megan muttered as she saw the even pinker walls now.
Yet you still love him. I really don't understand humans.
I don't understand me either.
Question: What's your favorite song?
My answer: The Trapeze Swinger by Iron and Wine. I doubt anyone else will like it though, since my sister hates the song.
