A/N: Just felt the need to say thanks again for the reviews. It's honestly the best thing when I can read someone else's thoughts on the chapter and it really makes my day. I appreciate them a lot.
The journey to Kusagakure was relatively easy. Konan had bandaged her shoulder for her, and whatever salve she used soothed the burnt flesh. She made her way out of Ame and towards the border between lands, making careful note of the river she had seen earlier on the map. By following it, she was able to spot the hideout she was supposed to kidnap this girl to. It looked like a fairly ordinary cave, the front covered in rubble. If Konan hadn't explained to her how exactly to get in and out of the hideout she would have thought it was a natural cave-in.
She paused for a second to take it in, analyzing any useful landmarks that would help her find it again on her way back. Once she had a clear picture in her head, she set off for the border between lands.
Unlike shinobi villages, the border between lands was nowhere near as well guarded. She passed through easily and soon she was nearing Kusagakure. She noticed more and more guard towers appear, and at one point she stopped in front of a barrier that would alert the village to her presence. Then she remembered that she was supposed to be causing chaos, and staying hidden wasn't a priority.
For a second she hesitated, wondering if she should barge straight in. She had passed so many interesting stops on her way here, and now that she was alone her desire to learn more about the world was growing. Even the simple little tea shops were enticing to her amnesiac mind.
However, the more pressing urge was to finish the mission as quickly as possible. Pein hadn't told her exactly how long he expected it to take her, which left Sakura feeling nervous every time she took a break. Her idea of a fast mission completion may be very different to his.
She ran straight through the barrier, feeling the thin chakra burst around her. For her to have passed the barrier meant that she was getting close to the village, which meant that it was time to start spreading panic.
She ignored the first two guard houses she passed, but when she spotted a simple little cottage nestled in a small glade Sakura knew that she had found her first target. Breaking into the cottage was easy, and even though she had no fire jutsu she had exploding tags. In the end, the effect was the same and the house went up in flames.
She heard screams coming from the house, and a young boy emerged, crying out for his parents. Judging by the screams coming from the inside, they were both trapped upstairs. The boy noticed Sakura lurking nearby, and his eyes widened in terror.
"Run." she said.
He took off towards the village as fast as he could. She watched him go; idly running through all the ways she could kill him. Not that she wanted to, she needed him to spread fear among the villagers.
She gave him a few minutes head start, and then she followed him through the trees. It took him another few minutes to reach the village gates, and she made careful note of their defences as the guards ran out to meet him. She didn't bother listening to the boy's frantic explanation; instead she used their distraction to cast a minor genjutsu over them.
She used her Shunshin to zip by them before they noticed anything was wrong. As soon as she stepped foot in the village she flung an exploding tag as far as she could in one direction, and then took off in the other. After a few seconds it exploded and she heard screams coming from her left. She continued on right, until the panic had died down.
She jumped to the top of the highest building she could see and flung another exploding tag to the left. Then she sprung off the building and raced further into the village. She repeated this a few times, scanning her surroundings for an important looking building. She had no idea what the village head and his daughter looked like, so she figured finding the central building would be a good place to start.
Her exploding tags were doing a good job as a distraction, but now that the shock had lessened shinobi were shutting them down quickly before they went off. Some still exploded, but she could sense a few shinobi closing in on her position. She used her Shunshin to get behind the first one. He turned around, surprised, and she knocked his hand away. She punched his throat and slammed his head into the wall and he went down.
The other two spotted her and charged. At a glance, she assumed that they were both chunin. She caught the first one with a solid kick to the face, and dodged the second one as he swiped at her. She thought she got away clean, until something obstructed her vision.
In front of her eyes, a few strands of pink hair floated down. She watched them fall, feeling something stirring inside her. She caught the phantom scent of a forest, and it made her blood boil. Her determination to win this fight eclipsed all of her other thoughts.
The shinobi took a step back in fear, and Sakura felt more alive than ever. With a cry of "Shannaro!" she punched him straight in the gut. She felt her strength push all of his innards further into his body, until she was sure she could feel his spine brushing against her knuckles. The force of the punch sent the unlucky shinobi flying backwards, smashing him through a wall and into a house.
Sakura caught her breath, the exhilaration rushing out of her body as quickly as it had come. What had she been thinking? It was only a few strands of hair; there was no need for her to have gotten so passionate. What a strange trigger for her mind to have.
She threw another few exploding tags and continued searching the village. Whatever pre-amnesia instinct had triggered that punch didn't interfere with her mind again. She brushed her worries about it to the side and focused on her search. There was one building right in the centre of the village that was bigger than all the others. It definitely looked like the kind of place the village head would be in.
She doubled back the way she came, lurking in the shadows until she saw the unconscious body of one of the chunin she had fought. Surrounding the body were two masked men wearing shinobi clothing.
ANBU, just as she had hoped. If she hadn't had the instinct trained out of her, Sakura would have grinned.
They didn't see her coming until it was too late. She had to give them credit though, their reflexes were better than those chunin. The first one she popped up behind had time to turn around properly and see her. She saw his eyes widen as she pulled her fist back, and even though it went against her training she couldn't resist the satisfaction of being so powerful.
"Surprise." she said.
She punched him hard in the chest, feeling flecks of his blood touch her face as he spiralled away from her, crashing into his comrade. His comrade staggered and went down, but not before he managed to throw some shuriken at her. Sakura substituted herself with a piece of rubble, and the shuriken embedded themselves harmlessly in the brick.
The second ANBU was stumbling to his feet so she grabbed a kunai and walked over to him. He scrambled backwards, trying to put some distance between them. As she considered the best way to interrogate him she heard a faint noise coming from above her, and had just enough time to substitute herself with another piece of rubble before two new ANBU speared the place she had been in a second before.
They were fast, these two new ones, and they had almost got the drop on her. But now their swords were embedded in the brick and Sakura had the advantage. She leaped up, kicking the first one hard in the head and she tackled the second one. Her foot made a satisfying crunching sound as it met the man's head, and the rubble she had substituted herself with crushed the second ANBU, so she knew that three out of four were down. As for the one she tackled, a swift punch to the chest followed by a kunai pressed against his neck was enough to keep him down.
"The leader of this village, where is his child?"
The ANBU remained quiet, and Sakura ripped the mask off his face to check if she'd killed him. Judging from his defiant gaze, he was still alive.
"I don't have much time, so it's in your best interest to help me. Where is the girl?"
He glared at her, and Sakura frowned. She hadn't really expected him to give up the information so easily, but it was still irritating to have to waste time like this.
"Have you ever heard of Orochimaru?"
A flicker of apprehension appeared in the man's eyes. Sakura nodded.
"So you have. I imagine you've heard of all the horrible things he has done, especially to those he captures. He's quite a creative torturer."
Her own screams rang in her ears, and she felt a phantom pain in her arm.
"As someone who has experienced his techniques first-hand, I have a certain… understanding, of how best to make people break. I'm sure you think you're tough, being an ANBU member, but let me tell you, the things he put me through? It would make you wet yourself. Whether you make this easy for both of us and just give up the location now, or you force me to torture it out of you, either way I'm going to get the information I want. So you might as well do us both a favour and comply."
Oh he was scared now, but she could see that he wasn't ready to break. She sighed, and reluctantly cracked her knuckles.
Five minutes later, she took off towards the back of the village. There was blood on her hands, which was inconvenient, but as long as none of it was hers she would manage. Getting the location had been slightly easier than she expected, but then again, these Kusagakure ANBU seemed odd to Sakura. The ANBU in Sakura's memory wore animal shaped masks and had tattoos, so perhaps the ones she remembered were a more skilled branch than the ones she had just defeated.
The information she'd gotten from the ANBU led her to a small, plain, house in an average suburb. It blended in perfectly with its surroundings, apart from the four shinobi guarding it. They were hidden so that only someone who was looking for them would have a chance at seeing them. Any random passer-by wouldn't have a clue that they were being watched, but thanks to her informant Sakura knew just what she was up against.
She could see three ANBU and one kunoichi wearing a flak jacket that she assumed was a Jonin. Two were hidden by a Henge and two hidden by a genjutsu. She could never tell how skilled a shinobi was at genjutsu, because despite the minimal amount of training she had received she had yet to find a genjutsu difficult for her to break. The Henge was a little harder to spot, but the ANBU she tortured had been helpful enough to inform her exactly what they would be disguised as. Two barrels either side of the house looked fairly inconspicuous, but by focusing her energy on sensing the chakra around her, she was able to detect the two ANBU hidden by the Henge.
She didn't bother trying to surprise them, as she had a feeling these guys would be a little harder to sneak up on. Instead, she jumped to the highest house in the suburb, scanning the area around her for any other opponents waiting in the shadows. Her chakra sensing skills were decent but not great. However, her control was good enough for her to sense when she was under a genjutsu, and the area around her seemed clear, for the most part.
She leapt down, landing directly in front of the house. She waited, wondering if they would attack her now, and when nothing happened she began running towards the front door. The two ANBU closest to her released the Henge and charged. The first one to reach her used his Shunshin, but she had expected that and batted his sword thrust away. He attempted to kick her as he fell, but she dodged and swiped his other leg out from under him. Channelling her chakra into her foot, she kicked him hard in the ribs and sent him flying into the neighbouring house. He crashed through three walls and didn't get back up.
There was no sign of the Jonin, but the other ANBU had caught up with his comrade, and together they attacked. She had been expecting them to use their swords, but instead they aimed a kick at her from either side. Perhaps they had been hoping to surprise her, and they did, but unfortunately for them taijutsu was her specialty. She caught both legs with ease and flung them away. They flew upwards and crashed into a house on the other side of the street. She heard shocked screams coming from inside, but she had a feeling those two weren't dead. Hopefully they were unconscious or injured, because she didn't actually want to kill any of them.
The Jonin appeared in front of her, her fist swinging towards Sakura's head. Sakura dodged upwards, which she knew would catch the woman off guard. With her height it was the least sensible option, but it would give Sakura the element of surprise.
The Jonin paused to see where she went, and Sakura aimed a kick at her head from behind. She ducked, but it gave Sakura time to form two clones. She sent them charging at the woman, who rapidly made hand-seals.
"Katon: Karyūdan!"
Her clones were destroyed by a barrage of fire, but Sakura ignored that and focused on aiming a second kick. This time, the Jonin wasn't fast enough to dodge, and Sakura caught her straight in the jaw, sending her flying. She was fairly certain she heard the crunching sound of bone breaking, which meant that unless the woman knew medical jutsu Sakura could count her out. The pain of a broken jaw made it very difficult to fight, and Sakura knew that her opponents weren't suicidal. Unlike her, they wouldn't be disposed of if they failed their mission.
She ran into the house, but paused when she sensed a familiar figure coming towards her. It appeared that one of the ANBU had survived being thrown into a house, and was back for more. His mask was shattered, and his uniform was torn. Sakura saw that he had blood-red eyes, and for some reason they looked almost familiar. For a second she thought she saw black flecks in his eyes, but it passed and she saw that they were merely red.
She felt a genjutsu being cast over her, and broke it immediately. The ANBU didn't seem to notice, or else was too confident in his genjutsu abilities, because he charged straight at her. She caught him with a kick to the chin and heard a shocked gasp coming from behind her. She glanced behind her and saw a small scared face.
That would be the child I'm supposed to kidnap.
They must have gotten too loud, and the girl had come running to see what was wrong. Sakura didn't have time to fully look at the girl, because the ANBU wasn't down yet. He was crouched with one knee on the ground, but she knew she needed to knock him out before he recovered properly.
He dodged her first kick and got to his feet, using his arm to block hers. Apparently he'd learnt to avoid her fists and feet, but even her arms and legs carried considerable amounts of power in them, and she could see that every block made him struggle. He dodged three of her attacks, so she faked a punch and then elbowed him in the stomach when he tried to dodge.
This time, when she kicked him in the jaw and sent him flying, he didn't get back up.
She turned around and observed the terrified child properly. To Sakura's surprise, they were almost the same height. She was used to being surrounded by taller, bigger, people, so this was really the first time she'd seen a girl her age. The girl had light blue eyes and short dark hair, and her whole body was trembling as she slowly inched away from Sakura. Was this what Sakura had looked like when she woke up for the first time? Had she looked this pathetic and weak?
No, she had been strong even at the beginning. She and this girl were nothing alike.
She grabbed the girl and used her Shunshin to get them out of the house. On the roof, she paused for a second to set up a genjutsu, and then she left. She had no idea when the reinforcements would arrive but she didn't quite feel like facing an entire shinobi village today.
The back of the village was protected by a high wall that Sakura easily ran up. She saw two figures guarding the top so she flung the girl up at them. One of them attempted to catch the girl and that distraction was all Sakura needed to knock him off the wall. The girl landed on top of the wall and scrabbled for purchase while the second guard swiped at Sakura. She ducked and elbowed him in the gut, pushing her whole weight behind the strike so that they both fell over. So far, her small stature had come in handy when fighting taller opponents. It seemed that not many shinobi were used to a challenging fight from someone as young as her.
As they rolled around on top of the wall she wrestled his chokuto from his grip. They both scrambled to their feet and he charged at her. She slashed at him with the sword and he fell down with a cry, his flak jacket torn and dripping blood. Sakura could see that she'd scored a large bloody gash that cut into his stomach. One last kick knocked him off the wall and down into the village.
She grabbed the girl just as she was about to slip and they took off, running away from the village as fast as Sakura could with the girl under her arm. She headed north, towards Tsuchi no Kuni. The grasslands that surrounded Kusagakure made her easy to track, so she needed to find a river quickly. Luckily, after a few minutes the land dipped down and she found herself in a valley, with a fast flowing river running through it.
So far, the girl hadn't tried to fight back. She remained docile and quiet in Sakura's arms, and only her trembling body betrayed how scared she was. She obediently let Sakura search her for seals or trackers of any sort. Once she had confirmed that they couldn't track her, Sakura slung her hostage over one shoulder and stepped into the river. Using chakra to walk on the water could leave traces for the shinobi to follow, so she let the water flow over her sandals. After all the running and traveling she had done, the water was pleasantly cool for her tired feet. The river seemed to lead south back to Ame, which was perfect for Sakura.
As she made her way downstream, she let her eyes close and focused on the genjutsu she had made. This was her first time doing a long distance genjutsu, and considering her lack of training it was a fairly basic one. However, the purpose of the genjutsu wasn't to trap the shinobi, it was merely a way for Sakura to communicate with the village leader. If he wanted to get his daughter back, he wouldn't break it.
After a few minutes of running she felt someone enter the genjutsu. Concentrating, she could see it was a middle-aged man with grey hair and a beard. He stared at the illusion Sakura had left, of herself holding a knife to the girl's throat. The mixture of fear and raw anger in his expression convinced Sakura that this was the man she was looking for.
"You're the village leader, I assume?" It wasn't really a question, but the man gave a curt nod anyway.
"You owe the Akatsuki a debt," Sakura said calmly "one that has yet to be repaid. I was sent to give you some incentive, to show you that they are not an organization you can dismiss so easily."
"My ANBU say they were attacked by a girl, so I'm assuming this genjutsu shows your true form." Sakura didn't say anything to dispute that theory, merely watching as he struggled to find the right words. "You're just a… a child. What business does the Akatsuki have with you? Give me my daughter back and we can help you."
She had just kidnapped his daughter and he was trying to rescue her from the Akatsuki. It was remarkable how deceiving pink hair and an innocent childlike face could be.
"I'm not a child, I'm a weapon, and I'm a fairly insignificant one compared to the true might of the Akatsuki. But if you would prefer to treat me like one, then I'll put this in terms even children can understand."
She smiled at him. It was a big, tooth filled grin, and it was utterly insincere.
"We're going to play hide-and-seek. I'm going to hide, and you and your village are going to seek. You have two days to find us, or your daughter dies. If you want to give up and stop playing, just give the Akatsuki the payment you owe them, and I'll let the girl go."
"I understand." The man replied, all sympathy gone from his voice. "I hope you do too. You have an entire village of shinobi against you now, and this is your last chance to return my daughter. Whatever the Akatsuki did to you, if you surrender you can walk away from this."
"Technically I'm running away from this right now. You're the one that's still in my genjutsu. And why would I want to surrender, to be a child like your daughter? Did you see how easily I captured her? Unlike your precious child, I'm strong, and if you don't stop underestimating me you'll get her killed. I'm going to win this game, so the sooner you give the Akatsuki what they want the better."
He broke the genjutsu then, and Sakura focused all of her attention on running. She was almost at the border between lands and she had yet to sense a single shinobi chasing her. They were probably running north to Iwa, or searching along the riverbank for a trail to follow.
She increased her pace, just to be cautious. She had enough stamina to manage, and she could rest once they made it to the hideout. The girl was still slung across her shoulder, and she was so quiet that Sakura thought she had fallen asleep. The compliance was slightly unsettling, but it meant that Sakura didn't have to knock the girl unconscious, so she didn't mind.
They crossed the border, but Sakura still didn't leave the river. She had gotten used to the sogginess in her shoes, and it was safer this way. The hideout was too near to the border for Sakura to feel comfortable leaving a trail.
After another while she spotted the hideout. It looked like a natural cave, with a large pile of rubble blocking the front of it. Digging through the rubble, she found the seal she was looking for. She smeared a little bit of her blood on it and the entire pile of rubble lifted off the ground. It hung in the air, just above the entrance to the cave. Sakura hurried inside, and after a few seconds the entire pile of rocks gently settled back in front of the cave.
Once they were inside, Sakura set the girl down and found herself a high enough rock to sit on. The hard part of the mission was over. Now she just had to wait for Pein's orders.
She was prepared to rest and replenish her chakra and energy levels, but apparently someone had other ideas.
"Are you going to kill me?"
So the girl was awake after all. For a second Sakura considered knocking her out, but then she would be alone with her thoughts, and after the hair incident she couldn't risk her memory interfering with her mission.
"No, I'm not going to kill you. I don't like killing people."
That was half a lie. Sakura loved the thrill of taking down adults twice her size with a single punch. She loved the adrenaline and the feeling of power when she fought someone and knew she would win. She loved the sense of purpose and satisfaction fighting enemies gave her, and if they happened to die while trying to kill her it didn't bother her that much. What Sakura didn't like was killing defenceless innocents like this girl. She would do it if she had to, but she never enjoyed it like she did an honest fight. Killing people outside of fights, especially harmless ones like this girl, just made her feel emptier than usual.
The cave was silent, and Sakura wondered if the girl had really fallen asleep this time. She didn't want to talk, but she had nothing else to do and if she stayed idle for too long she was worried her memory would start glitching again. She hated feeling like her head was fragile, but she couldn't ignore how her amnesia affected her from time to time either.
"Who are you?"
She looked over at the girl, who looked nervous. It was as if she thought Sakura would reach over and snap her neck for daring to talk.
"No one."
A blurry photograph flashed through her mind, followed by the Konoha symbol. She pushed those thoughts firmly away.
"Then what do people call you?"
She sighed. Apparently this girl's curiosity was winning over her fear.
"That's not something I'm willing to tell you. When I send you back to your village, I'd rather you didn't know my name."
The girl relaxed a little at that. Sakura hoped she finally understood that Sakura wouldn't kill her. She had seen how upset the girl's father had been, there was no way he would choose money over her life.
"My name is Ryoko."
"I don't care."
The girl seemed almost hurt by that, which was ridiculous. Sakura had kidnapped her so the Akatsuki could use her as a bargaining piece, why would she think Sakura cared about her as a person?
The cave was silent again, but this time Sakura didn't mind. Her mind was silent, and she was too busy focusing on the girl to bother worrying about her memory. She'd never actually spent time around anyone her age. The closest she got was the Daimyo's son, and the only interaction they'd had was her killing his father in front of him. This girl, she was what a normal girl Sakura's age looked like. It made Sakura understand a bit better why people underestimated her. The girl-Ryoko-was the daughter of the village leader, but she didn't even seem capable of throwing a good punch. If Ryoko was what Sakura was supposed to be like at this age, then no wonder Pein had spared her life.
"What happened to you?"
It was spoken so timidly Sakura almost missed it. Apparently she wasn't the only one reflecting on how different they were.
"I don't know." Sakura replied. "As far as I know I was always like this."
"But how did you end up doing this? Kidnapping people for the Akatsuki?"
"They found me and gave me a purpose."
"What about your home?"
"I don't have one."
"Everyone has a home! Who raised you?"
"Don't remember."
"Really?"
The leaf symbol flashed in Sakura's mind and she closed her eyes.
"I don't know."
"What does that mean? Either you remember or you don't. And even if you don't aren't you curious? Why don't you try and find out?"
She thought of the Konoha symbol, and then she thought of what Baiu had told her about her origins. Pein had found her alone in the middle of nowhere, with no sign of any struggle or any proper reason for her to be unconscious. Sakura wasn't sure if she completely believed this, but she also wasn't sure why Baiu would lie to her about it. Perhaps she just didn't want to believe she may have been abandoned.
"Maybe one day. But I can't just yet."
"Why not?"
Because she was a weapon of the Akatsuki and if she tried to leave she had nothing else. They would hunt her down and kill her while she was still wandering around using her flimsy, unclear memories to try and guide her home. At least with the Akatsuki, she had an identity and the security of knowing that there was a place for her in the world.
She didn't have a clue what her connection to Konoha meant, and for all she knew they had deliberately left her to die, or maybe tried to kill her. Despite the small part of her that imagined that there was someone out in the world looking for her, it would be foolish of her to flee the Akatsuki for a village that may not even welcome her.
Of course, she wasn't willing to tell any of this to her hostage, who was looking at her with innocent, inquisitive eyes.
"Because I'm busy kidnapping people for the Akatsuki."
Ryoko sighed in frustration and flopped back against a boulder. Sakura wasn't sure what exactly the girl had expected. She was fairly certain weapons weren't known for being conversational. The girl seemed to have a fairly intelligent mind and a good grasp of language which Sakura assumed was due to her being the daughter of the village head. Add that to her childlike curiosity and Sakura could sense that one way or another, this girl wasn't going to drop this conversation easily.
"But if you don't have a home, then where to you get food and clothes? Where do you sleep?"
"I have a place to stay when I'm not on missions, and there's a places for me to get food and drink. As for clothes… there's a woman who brings them to me. She also gives me medical aid sometimes when I can't just heal myself. She did break my fingers when we first met, and I'm pretty sure she would kill me if the leader ordered her to, but she's probably the kindest person I know."
Ryoko looked at her sadly, and Sakura thought she saw a trace of pity. That was ridiculous, because she wasn't the pitiful one here. She was the one who'd kidnapped this girl, so while she understood Ryoko's fear of her, pity was not something she would accept.
"I just don't get it." Ryoko said softly "Why would you choose this kind of life?"
Sakura had thought the Akatsuki conditioning had ridden her of anger, but now she felt it flare. She hadn't gotten to choose a single thing, but she'd been strong enough to make the best of the hand life dealt her. Ryoko may be an intelligent child in some aspects, but she was also ignorant, sheltered, and weak. No wonder she didn't understand what it was like to be Sakura.
"Don't you want to be a shinobi?" she snapped. "Why would I want to be like you when I could be this strong and powerful? I'm already working and improving, beating people with years more experience. Why would I choose instead to be helpless and used as leverage? Just because you're weak doesn't mean we all need to have cushy childhoods and be eased into the shinobi life."
The girl was still staring sadly at her, and it made Sakura more and more agitated. Where did Ryoko get off pitying her? The girl was weak enough to be kidnapped, and Sakura could have killed her anytime she wanted to. Ryoko had to rely on her family and her village to save her. Sakura relied on no one but herself. She was stronger and better than Ryoko in every way possible and yet…
And yet if their roles were reversed, if Sakura was the one kidnapped, would anyone come to find her the way the entire village were hunting for Ryoko?
She was strong, but nowhere near invincible, and if she got in over her head no one would be there to help her out. Meanwhile, Ryoko probably had someone who fussed over her every time she scraped her knees. She remembered the anger and desperation in the village leader's eyes. She was a hundred times stronger and more valuable than Ryoko, but she couldn't imagine a single person being so desperate to save her.
The realisation drained the anger from her, and she slumped back against the cave wall. Maybe in the past she would have felt sad or hurt, maybe she would have even shed a few tears, but after everything she'd been through she wasn't sure if she could still feel negative emotions like that. Instead she just felt hollow, like the usual empty feeling inside her had grown bigger, chasing out the last remaining feelings from her heart.
"I'm sorry." Ryoko sounded scared again. "I shouldn't have said that. I don't know anything about you."
"No you don't." Sakura agreed "But neither do I so it's fine."
The leaf symbol flashed in front of her eyes, and instead of pushing it away she closed her eyes and let the image grow bigger.
"You say you can't imagine my life, so tell me about yours." She was calm, the leaf symbol big and bright in her mind. "What exactly am I missing out on?"
For a minute Ryoko didn't say anything, but then hesitantly she began to talk.
"Family, I guess. I have aunties and uncles and cousins and grandparents, but best of all I have a mommy and a daddy and they both love me a lot."
The leaf symbol flashed, and suddenly Sakura felt phantom arms wrap gently around her, while a deep, comforting voice laughed faintly in her ears. A second later and they were both gone.
"And, uh, I have friends. My family are cool but there's some stuff that they just don't get, and that's why I love my friends. We have fun together too."
Two pairs of blue eyes and two heads of blond hair. One was lighter than the other, and somehow Sakura knew that the darker eyes and hair belonged to a boy. A second later the image vanished, and she couldn't even remember the shades of blue their eyes had been.
"But I think what you really need is a home. Somewhere you know you belong. It doesn't have to be a place or a house. My daddy says it can be a single person, if they're special to you."
She recognized the photograph that flashed through her mind. It seemed so long ago since she had been lying on the brink of death and seen this image, and now she couldn't remember who exactly had been in it. Looking at the hazy picture, all she remembered was that it had been enough to convince her to keep going. Even now, when the image was so blurry that she couldn't see where one person ended and another began, it was enough to give her hope. She felt calmness settle over her mind, and suddenly she was focused again.
She opened her eyes and looked at Ryoko, who was staring straight at her.
"It doesn't sound all that great." she said, watching Ryoko's face fall. "I mean, at the end of the day none of them stopped me kidnapping you, and if I wanted to kill you right now I could. What good would your home do then?"
Ryoko was silent, which satisfied Sakura. It was dumb of her to have gotten engaged in this conversation in the first place. Ryoko was a civilian girl and Sakura was a weapon.
For now. She was a weapon for now.
If there were truly anyone out there who cared for Sakura the way people loved Ryoko, then surely they would understand that her need to survive each day was more urgent than her need to find them. She would be the Akatsuki's weapon, let that identity consume her, and do whatever she needed to until she came face to face with this 'home' that right now seemed like a distant memory of another life.
This was the second time her memories had given her strength and peace, but part of Sakura feared that it couldn't last. If all she had to rely on were these faint images, how long could they keep motivating her to survive? It had been weeks since the last time she had remembered something from her past, and even now the images were becoming more and more faded, the significance of the leaf symbol lessening. Who knew if it would come back for a third time?
But it was all she had of her past, of the person she had been before the Akatsuki, so despite all her training and her own common sense warning her otherwise, she made a place for the Konoha symbol in the back of her mind. It was stored next to the blurry photo, carefully tucked away somewhere all the cruelties she had witnessed and carried out couldn't touch. When she needed the strength to carry on, she'd rely on those images, but right now she had to complete this mission properly. That meant she needed to be alert and ready just in case anyone actually found their location.
Ryoko was staring down at the floor of the cave, so Sakura assumed the conversation was over. They sat in silence for a while, and Sakura wished she had some way to keep track of the time. She lay back against the wall of the cave, keeping her eyes open. She had food and water with her if either of them got hungry, but so far Ryoko hadn't complained. She seemed to be contemplating something, staring hard at the floor.
Sakura didn't particularly care what was on the child's mind. Instead, she focused on healing the small cuts and bruises she'd got while infiltrating the village. Ryoko watched her silently as she used her healing chakra, but made no comment.
Sakura was so focused on assessing her wounds that when the girl spoke again it nearly surprised her.
"They would cry for me."
Sakura frowned, wondering where that statement had come from.
"If you killed me, the people I love would mourn me. They would miss me."
Oh. So that's what she was talking about.
"You would still be dead." Sakura replied, uninterested in continuing the discussion.
Ryoko stared at her in disbelief, and Sakura stared flatly back at her.
"Are you serious? Can you honestly tell me that you wouldn't trade lives with me if you could, that you'd rather be a weapon than a child like me?"
That outburst made Sakura stop and think. She thought of Pein and his cold dead stare, of Sasori, Orochimaru and those cloaks that had caused so much fear in her and still made her wary, of Konan and her unpredictable moments of half-hearted caring that never lasted. She thought of how she trusted none of them fully, how part of her was always waiting for them to lash out and kill her. She thought of the concern she'd seen in the eyes of Ryoko's father, how the shinobi had fought to defend this girl, and how the entire village was worried and searching for her. She thought of the loving way Ryoko spoke of her friends and family.
"Yes." she lied.
Ryoko seemed to believe her, which was good. If she was getting more convincing, maybe one day she'd fully convince herself.
The next few hours passed quietly. Ryoko didn't seem interested in conversing anymore, which was fine with Sakura. She gave the girl some water and a little bit of her rations to keep her going. Her fingers kept absently touching her branded shoulder. She couldn't help but anticipate the pain that would come when it was time for Pein to contact her.
To her surprise, it never came.
In the cave, it was impossible to tell whether the sun was still shining which meant that Sakura had no idea how much time had passed. It felt like hours, but it could have only been one. Ryoko had long since fallen asleep, and her slow breathing was the only sound Sakura could hear in the cave.
Sakura.
Her eyes snapped wide open, and she scanned the cave, tense and ready to move. However, the cave was as still as before, and after a few seconds Sakura recognized the voice. She made the ram hand-seal and closed her eyes.
Pein-sama.
That was a relief. She had expected her shoulder to burn every time he contacted her, but now that she thought about it this made more sense. It would interfere with her stealth if her shoulder started burning at random.
We have the money. Let the girl go.
Yes, sir.
She dropped her hands and pushed herself up, walking over to the sleeping child. She shook her gently, and Ryoko's eyes snapped open. For a second Sakura saw pure fear in her eyes, but then she seemed to remember where she was and she relaxed slightly.
"What's wrong?" she mumbled, still half asleep.
"Nothing's wrong. Your father paid the Akatsuki. You're free to go."
"Oh."
They made their way to the cave entrance, and Sakura activated the seal that would let them out. Ryoko seemed nervous, like she expected Sakura to announce this was all a cruel joke and kill her on the spot. Honestly, Sakura was slightly worried herself that Pein would suddenly order her to do so, but thankfully her head remained silent.
They walked out into the light, both squinting a little. Sakura fished around in her pockets and pulled out a seal. It was the last instruction Konan had given her.
"Hold on a second." she said. "First I need to wipe your memory of this place."
Sakura had been curious when Konan had shown her the seal; wondering if perhaps something like that had been used on her. Konan had explained exactly how the seal worked, and from what Sakura understood erasing a year of life from someone's memory would require a massive seal and a very skilled shinobi. Erasing all of Sakura's memory with a seal like this was impossible, which raised more questions than it gave answers. If it wasn't a memory seal that had given her amnesia, then what had?
She had all these questions and very few answers. One good thing about this mission was that Sakura actually felt satisfied at getting something done. Her mission was complete, with no loose ends left hanging. It felt good.
Before Ryoko could protest, Sakura slapped the seal on her forehead. It glowed for a few seconds, and then it faded. Sakura tore the paper up and threw it in the river, while Ryoko stared at her, looking both dizzy and puzzled.
"I still remember everything. You're standing right in front of me."
She ignored the confused girl and pointed back the way they came.
"Follow the river that way, and eventually you'll meet one of your father's shinobi."
Ryoko hesitated, clearly unsure.
"Just go." Sakura said. "My people have what they want, so chances are we'll never meet again. Go home."
That seemed to be enough to convince her. Sakura watched the girl leave, stumbling slowly along the riverbank. By the time Ryoko reached the border she would have forgotten how she'd gotten there. By the time she reached her village she would have forgotten most of their conversation.
She waited until the girl faded out of her line of sight. Considering how close they were to the border Ryoko would be home within a matter of hours. She'd be safe and warm and surrounded by people who loved her.
Sakura turned the other way and headed for Ame.