OMG

BAD BAD BAD BADBADBADBADBAD ASHLEY! BAD SLACKING!

-scolds self-

gah! im so sorry D: I didn't mean for it to take this long

-megaly stressed-

but I got the next six-ish chapters 'sides this one done

and every week or so I'll have one up from now on

I hope... cuz idk what's gunna happen after I get the other six up

agh no worries, calm ashley calm... no killing something...

anyways... TO EVERYONE WHO STILL LOVES ME AND WON'T KILL ME

-gives you all mega hugs and a cute stuffed animal (you chose) and points to the akatsuki characters- you may hug anyone you wish

-also gives you your favorite cookie and some chocolate brownies because I feel horrible-

ok now ON TO CHAPTER 8

~Enjoi~

~Ashley

Ashley's POV:

I couldn't help but become skid-ish as I watched my friends participate in the action of semi learning how to control their chakra, it was unlike anything I'd seen back in our world, even when I was watching the show. I mean, if you thought about it, who ever's potentionally reading my mind right now (lol no I am not crazy, I swear. I hope... o.o) if you were to watch the show Naruto, and see how the different characters exerted their chakra, you would only see the drawn form, and something that couldn't possibly happen in our usual world.

But then put yourself here, watching each one of your friends kneel next to a clay figure, and basically spew blue energy from their palms, then slowly push it to it's boundary and learn, in less than a few minutes, how to control it. To make it flow easily, or as easily as they could get it to now, considering this was our first time doing this.

In the back of my mind, I knew that this wouldn't be the only time of testing us like this, either.

So now, here I was, finally relenting to the fact that this was out of my range of knowledge in this particular thing, it was just... really different, and I hadn't even stepped up to begin my own session of trying to control what amount of power in me I had. I gulped silently when Alice stood, giving a sly smile at Catie, teasing her mentally, I knew. I found myself smiling a bit when she glanced at me, then m smile slipped as we both sobered and she nodded slightly to the figure, me understanding the message clearly: Your turn, be careful.

Not waiting for Itachi or Kisame to motion me forward, I stepped out and tried to relax my nerves, gently lulling myself into the calm state I'd known for years. I ignored the persporation forming on my palms, keeping to that calm, the one thing that might just make this a good thing for me. (if you guys think I'm not making sense, I'm really sorry and I'll go bak and edit xD it's... 2:06 in the morning right now, I had an inspiration come to me and I couldn't stop from righting xD sorry D:)

Gently, standing on the right side of the figure, I first cast a glance to Pein, then Konan, both of them giving me soft nods of encouragement, I didn't look towards Itachi, I could already detect his eyes training themselves on me again, watching my every move, calculating as always. I bent towards the concrete tiled surface, noting the fact of how cold it was through my pants, then discarding it as I reminded myself to focus now. (Focus! O.O)

I place my palms on the clay figure's chest lightly, slightly surprised at how clammy it felt, I figured from it's original appearance that it'd feel pretty hard, not to mention hot after all the chakra that flowed through it. I shifted to a more comfortable position on my knees, letting my feet fold under my lower parts (idk why but it felt weird to say 'butt' and offensive to say as* xD tell me if you giggled cuz ik I did ;D) I ended up lifting my hands about an inch above the clay mold, steadying them from shaking because of my nerves, I really didn't want to screw this up.

I felt fabric brushing against my shoulder and became a little startled as Itachi took his place next to me, standing as he watched. When I glanced up at him, I found his eyes staring down at me expectantly, but behind those onyx orbs I detected the faint trace of wariness. I took a slow breath, knowing I had to begin now, and I tried to focus on the clay mold under my hands first, finding my focal point for where I figured I'd transport the chakra first, it was where every one else had-the heart cavity.

As I focused, I began feeling something inside me stirring, shifting... lapping. I felt it start in my gut, and I admit it felt odd, it's almost like when you run a lot and your stomach cramps and then relaxes. (I hope you understand what I just said.. xD) Then add a sense of power to it, and a lot of energy, and basically you have what I'm feeling now, what we've all now experienced.

Just one more step to go, I thought, and slowly closed off my vision, making my mind go blank as I focused completely on my hands first. Slowly, when I was comfortable and couldn't detect anyone else's presence anymore (I put myself in my own world...) I mentally took hold of that power surging in my gut and tugged, very gently at first, waiting.

The reaction was instant.

First, the flame within me ignited, and I could sense it... then, I really, truly, felt it. It was unlike anything I'd ever felt before, it was... it was bliss. I could hear everything, I could sense everything around me, and the power within me surged forward, up into my heart, and it hurt for a second as I held all of that in one spot, warming to the feeling. My heart beat faster, my blood was mixed with this... this energy I'd never known I'd had, and probably never would have if they hadn't taken us.

When I was warmed up to the energy, I slowly pushed it up a little, adjusting it slowly, and then I focused solely on pushing half of it down my arms and to my palms. The feeling was stranger than the first, it was almost like my arms had been frozen, and now the blood was warm enough to thaw and flow down my arms again, reaching my numb hands.

The energy itself I found was hard to contain in my hands, I still hadn't even reached the point where I transfer it to the figure below me... and I was scared.

Really, really scared.

But as I honed in on trying to form the ball of chakra I'd seen my friends do, I calmed a little, willing the chakra to slip out, and I blinks a little when it did, I hadn't thought it'd be that quick. In the end, though, I ended up concentrating harder than I had on any test I'd ever taken (LOL xDD this is a very different type of test... O.o do U have what it takes to pass with an A? do U... DO U sorry gah xDDD) and I watched as the chakra started bending, flowing in a small orb beneath my fingertip, the touch was feather light, and it tickled slightly.

Once I was ready and willing, I slowly pressed down on the clay chest, watching as the chakra-my chakra-seeped into the clay mold and swirled softly in the chest cavity, I hadn't seen the true color of it yet, I'd been so focused on the feel of it. It was... undescribable.

Slowly-I was taking everything slower than my friends had, I was being so cautious under Itachi's eyes-I pushed at the chakra as it was somehow still connected to me, I could feel it so clearly! I actually felt it start to bubble under my hands, and as the churning increased rapidly, I felt it explode.

No, it didn't explode out of the clay and burn everyone (Though it would be funny to see Tobi running around on fire, I'd laugh... i'm sorry! I swear I'd put him out! xD) it just... moved, basically, into all the tubes, reaching the limits of the figure faster than I'd seen my friend's, and as I watched, I saw how... blue the figure had become, it was basically just... glowing an electric blue under my fingertips. It was so much brighter than Ray's, it was almost... beautiful.

In a twisted, weird sense.

I tugged slightly, pulling some back to dim the color, and I found myself smiling as it listened to my mental call.

But it was then that I felt an urgent hand press against my left one, and I immediately zoned out of my blackened world that had been so focused in my chakra and making it flow that I hadn't realized just how much I had pushed into the figure.

And when I came to and found Itachi mumbling urgent words in Japanese at me, I was confused. That is, until I felt the heat around my arms and chest, and looked down, and gasped...

Blue flames of chakra were slinking and lapping up my arms and around my waist. It was then that I tried not to panic, but it didn't stop me from looking up at Itachi with wide, frantic eyes. He gazed back with his Sharingan, and I tried desperately not to get caught in it now of all times. Way to go Ashley!

My hair cascaded over my shoulder, hiding half of my face as I watched Itachi's mouth moving, not understand anything he was saying. I think he got the message, and he quickly grabbed his translator out, speaking in a hustled voice,"You must pull it back! If you don't the clay will explode!" His eyes were so serious, and I nodded, my eyes still frantic as I desperately searched for that black place, trying to pull it all back.

It felt like forever-but was probably only a few seconds-before I zeroed in on that dark place, where the power lurked, where I myself had conjured it. Slowly, trying seriously hard not to get swept up in the blissful feeling again, I tugged and tugged against the ripples of chakra, and slowly, I felt it pulling back.

I felt my breathing then, and my heart-both were so fast!-, I knew I needed to calm down before going into shock. So I closed my eyes, relaxed my shoulders, and pulled the energy back. When I opened my eyes and zoned out of that space, I was surprised to find that my chakra was actually still flowing through the figure, but it wasn't just flowing randomly, it was mending the spaces it had burned and flowed out of.

After about another minute, the figure looked as if nothing has changed or happened, my chakra was just flowing through the tubes calmly, steadily. I looked up and found Kisame's eyes, he was smiling approvingly, though under it I saw how much I'd shaken him, too. I felt myself hunch over apologetically, and he nodded at me, his gaze softening. I didn't even want to look at Itachi, who was still kneeling next to me with his hand over mine.

From the corner of my eye, I found he was watching the chakra that was flowing through the figure slowly, lazily, his mouth was hinting at a smile-of relief, or pride, I wasn't sure- but I felt better. I caught the sight of my chakra's color-this time, it was more of a faded blue, though it was still bright enough to be seen very clearly, a little more clear than Ray's had, and I felt a tinge of pride.

Slowly, after mentally scolding myself for being pride ridden after nearly killing myself and possibly others, I withdrew my chakra, feeling it slowly flow back up my arms and into my core, where it stilled. Then, with a sense of disappointment, the flame extinguished, and I was normal again. Well, as normal as you could get after being kidnapped by the Akatsuki, crushing on one, then nearly killing yourself and possibly others by your own chakra.

I placed a hand over my heart and I calmed myself down, everything was ok, I didn't hurt anyone, and I was glad for that, really glad. I stood shakily, glancing over at Pein and Konan, Pein was hinting at a smile, and Konan looked a bit astonished, still watching the figure. Looking to Deidara, he was doing the same, only a bit puzzled. Everyone else looked like they'd just been scared shitless (excuseeee my language xD u swearer Ashley you... ~scolds~) and then filled with relief.

Raylin raised an eyebrow at me and nodded, grinning at me. I returned the grin sheepishly, and tried to steady myself as Itachi stood in front of me, leading me back to the wall. His hand brushed against mine softly, and I felt a shock go up my spine, remembered the look he gave me when the flames of my own chakra were lapping at me.

I looked down at my arms, and found one burn mark on my forearm, but other than that, I was fine. I looked up at him, finding him watching me from the corner of his eye, and I gave him a soft, apologetic look. He nodded and gave me a rare small smile of his as I stood between him and Kisame, and I returned the smile. Kisame placed a hand on my shoulder, and when I looked up at his eyes, they were tinged with concern, I nodded to let him know I was fine, and he nodded in return again.

I sighed silently, everything was ok.

Itachi's POV:

(OHOHOH btw this is likee.. when they're heading back to the living room, so a couple mins later) "I still can't believe she fucking did that!" Hidan was ranting behind us as we lead our apprentices back to the living room, this was the third time in the past five minutes he'd exclaimed that. I tried not to chuckle as a soft flow of pride over took me, and probably Kisame as well, Ashley had scared us, true, but when she pulled everything back and we saw how she could control her chakra, and hone it, it was astounding.

Not to exclude Raylin or the others, they were holding back the hole time, we all saw it, but at least we did get a pretty good look at what they possessed. It was rather satisfying to know that our apprentices were probably a lot more advanced than the average genin right now, even without the knowledge of Jutsu! To say the least, we were all very satisfied, in our own way.

"Did you see what she did to my art, un? She almost destroyed it,un! Then she healed it... and if you look now, there's not a scratch on it!" Deidara exclaimed as we filed through the arch, me motioning for Ashley to go where she wanted, just not out the door, but I figured she knew, they all knew to stay within our boundaries. She took a seat on the couch on the right, curling up; I could tell she was wiped, more emotionally than physically though, and as I looked at the other girls, I found that Mary Ruth's eyes were drooping, Kamiah's feet were dragging, and Raylin's shoulders were slumped slightly as she flopped down next to Ashley on the couch.

"I know, it was... really different," I heard Konan reply as she followed Pein to his recliner, Alice and Catie were the only two that looked wide awake, which didn't surprise me. When Pein was seated, he spoke softly, yet semi-raspily,"You have the rest of the day off.""Fuck yes!" Hidan replied happily. We all snickered slightly, and then moved to our own places. Before we could let our guards down slightly, Pein spoke up once more,"And... from now on, it's your decision what to do in training those girls. I'd suggest training them in what you know, since it's easier since you've done it before and worked for it yourself. I want updates on progress as frequently as you can-since I'm going to use that information to decide who passes and who fails." His word was final. It always was.

Even then, a sense of relief flooded me-I'll admit, I'd been wary after Ashley's stunt, figuring Pein hadn't taken kindly to it. Then again, he saw everything differently than me-so I couldn't outright judge his soul purpose, not yet. I was just thankful he'd decided to spare her, and let me see what she could really do.

Hidan left Mary Ruth with Kakuzu, going to his room to probably perform a Jashin ritual, while Kakuzu took pity on the tired girl and motioned for her to follow him back to his room. Deidara shooed Kamiah with him to his room, explaining that he'd be working on some new clay molds while he let her regain herself.

We all knew they were drained mostly because they'd never done that before, and when they released that energy, it took a toll on their strength. Then, add the emotional things, such as trying to control the chakra and keep it within the bounds of the figure, and if you put it together, it made sense.

Sasori let Catie and Alice roam, while Raylin ended up going back to Zetsu's room to take a nap, too, and I watched Ashley nod at her as she left, her eyes drooping a little. As I started to head towards the couch to accompany her, Kisame laid a hand on my shoulder, I let my gaze move up to his face, and he asked,"Want to go have some sake?"

I didn't miss the real statement behind his word: we need to talk.

So I nodded and glanced at Ashley, and then I decided it'd be best if I let her sleep in my room while Kisame and I talked outside. I moved towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder, earning her glance, and I gestured for her to follow me. She caught the look in my eyes, and even if I didn't exactly know what that was, it was enough for her to nod and slowly rise from her seat,stumbling along after me as I turned towards our bedroom. Kisame watched silently from the side-lines for a second before turning towards Pein, probably informing him that we would be going out for the rest of the day and possibly part of the night.

Passing through the doorway and into the hall, I swiftly opened the door and ushered her in, trying not to smile at the tired look on her face, she was so innocent sometimes.. with those... lips that... GAH get it together man! I scolded myself as she passed me, trying not to growl, hell, that was close.

I took out my translator, and her head lolled to the side, he eyes flitting up to mine and her gaze becoming soft. "Kisame and I are going out for a bit, you may rest in here until we are back," I spoke gentler than I had originally planned. But it was a tiny bit worth it when she nodded her head and gave me a soft smile of gratitude, before she replied,"I'll be right here when you get back." It was almost as if she was reassuring me, which was odd... but I brushed the thought away before any Why's could stray into my thoughts again as she turned and moved to the bed.

When I was shutting the door to our room, I caught the sight of her just settling down under the covers and closing her eyes, and I had to hide the smile as I finally closed the door, sealing her off from the rest of the base. Not bothering to grab my cloak, since it'd be better to look like a traveler at this hour at a sake bar than to be easily spotted by our Akatsuki trade-marks. Not that Kisame wasn't that hard to spot, but still, not many people looked twice if you were dressed in simple clothes like we were for today. (I am sorry if that doesn't make sense either T.T if it doesn;t just tell me and I'll explain it better 0.o or try to... haha xD OHOHOHOH AND AND I LOVEEEEEE THE JASHINISTGIRL1 PERSON, SHE MAKES AWESOME FUDGE. ….. AWESOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE but but D: THE SQUIRRELS D: T-THEY TRY TO STEAL MY... MY FUDGE! IT'S HORRIBLE! T.T)

Somehow, I knew Ashley would keep her word, and with that thought I turned and strode back into the living room, catching Pein's nod and Konan's measured look as I followed Kisame out into the cave, walking beside each other languidly and silently, and I found Kisame to be staring off, thoughtful, as we walked. The closest sake bar wasn't that far from the Akatsuki base, which was nice, and it let us be able to take things slow.

Instead of walking towards the clear back and cutting through the meadow we'd let the girls roam in on the second day they were here, we went to the front of the cave where we'd ushered them in the afternoon we'd transported them to our world.

had to do another cliffy... or else I woulda just posted everything i've got written xD

in a few more days i'll have chapter nine up ^^

and whoever reviews gets a gift basket filled with whatever you want (cept me... ik you guys all love me but I'm Itachi's hehe)

Itachi: what?

Me: hmm... NOTHING o.o (hehehehe)

UNTIL NEXT TIMEEEEE

oh and you all have permission to yell at me for being late... I deserves it...

-scolds self again as I disappear for the week-