Chapter One: Adopted Into The Akatsuki?

HEEEEEEEY! I haven't been on in forever, I know. Scold me all you want, but times get tough, ya know? And you don't have the time to do things. Well, I'm back on now, and I'll make sure to update as much as I can! I'll give you my best material, and I hope you guys will love it! Thank you soooooo much for understanding, and again, I do apologize for my sudden disappearance. Now, here is Chapter 1 of Dark Chrysanthemum! I REEEAAALLLLLLY hope you enjoy it, I put a lot of effort into it, since I haven't been on in around a year. Don't forget to R&R, thanks!

-H. . . .

Previously on Dark Chrysanthemum...

"What's your name, young child?", the woman asked more.

"I'm Kiku Kobayashi. I'm five years old.", the younger replied.

"Would you like to come with me, Kiku? I will give you a home at the Akatsuki. I will take care of you, and treat the wound on your eye.", the woman proposed.

"Akatsuki?", Kiku questioned.

"An orginization to bring peace to this world.", the woman answered. Kiku nodded.

"Okay.", was all Kiku said. The woman picked the small girl up, and started jumping from tree to tree in the direction of Amegakure. Kiku looked up at her savior. "What's your name? I told you mine.", she said in a soft voice.

"My name is Konan.", Konan answered.

"Arigato, Konan, for saving me.", she yawned. The younger rested her head on Konan's shoulder and started dozing off to sleep. Konan was a bit startled at the action but quickly dismissed it. She would give this child a home, and nothing will stop her from doing so. As she leapt from tree to tree, a small smile graced her lips.

That was a couple of hours ago. It was still nighttime when Konan finally reached the Akatsuki Base, around midnight to be exact. Kiku was still in her arms, fast asleep. She looked in the direction of Pein's office, and back at Kiku. Oh my, this was going to take a lot of convincing to a get a child to stay here. Pein was a hard man to convince into doing things, since he was the one who made the decisions, usually without anyone's input. She took in a deep breath, and made her way to Pein's office. She reached it, facing the door, and lifted up a hand to knock. It stopped before it hit the door, a slim moment of hesitation. After a quick mental argument, she knocked the door. A 'come in' was heard, and Konan entered Pein's office. He looked up from his work and his ringed eyes widened. "Konan, you're back. With a child..", he said, trailing off in slight anger and confusion. She nodded.

"Yes, I've returned with a child. That doesn't mean I haven't done my job.", she told him, setting Kiku down on a chair. She looked back at Pein with a serious face. "I didn't find any jinchuuriki in Kusagakure. I just happened to stumble across this girl, who was about to be killed by a man. Her family was slaughtered.", Konan added, glancing over at the girl. Pein glanced over at her as well.

"Her name?", he asked, still looking at her. He was looking at her chakra signature, studying it carefully.

"Kiku Kobayashi. If I remember correctly, the Kobayashi Clan was one of the best ninja clans in Kusagakure, the first member of the clan being Nao Kobayashi. They're said to have a Eye Kekkei Genkai, like the Uchiha and Hyuuga, called the Morogan. It enhances the use of their Earth Release. There are three stages. Morogan, Rukio Morogan, and Taiyumi Morogan. Only the Rukio and Taiyumi show in the eye.", Konan replied, also explaining what she knew of the child's background. The leader nodded, taking in the information. She could be a valuable member when she's older, with that kind of power inside her he noted in his mind. Yes, a valuable member indeed..but Konan seems to be attached to this child in a..motherly sort of way. We'll raise her here, I guess, until she is ready to learn the true intentions he thought. He glanced at Konan, then at Kiku, then back at Konan. He cleared his throat, gaining her attention. "Yes?", she questioned.

"We'll raise her here, until she is old enough to learn of the true intentions of this orginization. I believe she will become a valuable ally in the future with that power of hers.", he told her with a serious expression. Konan's eyes widened a fraction.

"You mean to raise her like us?", she asked, in slight shock. He nodded, a smirk slowly forming a way onto his face.

"Exactly what I mean. Do you what else the Kobayashi Clan can do besides use the Morogan?", he questioned, his smirk at its devioust. Konan shook her head, raising a slim eyebrow in question. "They have a natural ability of charm speaking.", he replied. Konan frowned slightly. Even though she was his right hand man, and usually supported his ideas, she was not sitting well with this one.

"Pein-", she started, but was cut-off.

"No. That is the course of action that will be taken, and you can't object. Understand, Konan?", he spoke, an angry tone in his voice. She sighed, nodding. "Good. Before I send you out, what happened to her eye? There's blood spewing out from it.", he questioned.

"Her eye was ripped out of its socket by that man.", she answered.

"Take her to Sasori, he's the closest thing we have to a medic.", he ordered. She nodded, picking up Kiku and leaving his office. She closed the door, and that's when the young girl awoke. Konan looked down at her.

"You're awake?", she asked, surprised. She slept through their conversation, but a door closing managed to wake her up?

"Mmhmm.", she yawned. She looked up at Konan tiredly, left eye closed. Konan saw that she was still tired, so she told Kiku to go back to sleep. Kiku nodded, resting her head on her shoulder, and falling asleep once again. Konan walked to Sasori's room. She opened the door, and the red-haired man looked up.

"Konan? What are you doing here at this hour? With a child?", he asked, looking away from his work. He was working on another puppet.

"I just came back from a mission and I recused this girl from her death. Her eye was ripped out, and Pein said you should check it.", she replied. He gestured her over with a wave of his hand, and she complied. He moved the puppet off of the table and told Konan to put Kiku there. She did so, setting down the young girl gently. He looked at her left eye, and put his fingers on the eyelids. He pulled open the eyelids gently, and examined it. It was vacant, with pink flesh barely visible in the inside, with some blood starting to drip out again. He looked at Konan.

"I can't really do anything. I can clean around the eye and sew it closed, or just give her an eyepatch to wear.", he told her, removing his hands from her eye. He got a rag and dried his fingers from the blood. "You can't do much to heal a ripped out eye. The organ you can heal is already gone.", he added, putting a hand over her left eye, it glowing with a green chakra, healing the small cuts on the eyelids from Taro's nails. He opened a cabinet next to him and rummaged around, then taking out a white, medical eyepatch. "She can wear this.", he said, putting her up in a sitting position, moving some hair out of the way, and tying the eyepatch on. "This is really all I can do.", Sasori shrugged. Konan picked her up, and he placed his puppet back on the table.

"Arigato, Sasori.", she called as she left his room with Kiku. He nodded, concentrated on finishing his puppet. She exited the room, closing the door behind her and walking to her room. She entered it, and placed Kiku on her bed. Kiku's breathing was soft and steady, with some harsh intakes of breath once in a while. Konan changed into her nightwear, and got in the bed with the child. Placing the blanket over herself and Kiku, she turned off the lamp, which was the only light source in the room. She stroked Kiku's hair, smiling a bit. "Goodnight, Kiku.", she whispered, and closed her eyes, soon falling asleep.

Sunlight poured into the windows, shining onto the face of a sleeping Kiku. Feeling the light hit her face, she groggily opened her eye. As her eye adjusted to the light, she sat up in the bed, stretching. When her sight was good, the young girl looked around the room. She remembered what happened yesterday, even though she didn't want to remember the sights of her dead family. Sliding out of the bed, she saw a note lying on the desk in the corner. She picked it up, and read it.

Kiku,

Sorry I couldn't be here, Leader-san gave me another mission. I'm guessing you noticed your eyepatch, right? There wasn't much that Sasori, the closest person we have to a medic, could do. Anyways, I left you some clean clothing and shoes on the desk chair. After you change into them, meet up with Leader-san. His office is in the left hallway, the door all the way at the end. I'll see you in a few days.

-Konan

Kiku smiled slightly as she read the note. How kind of her to leave me some fresh clothing she thought. Placing the note back on the desk, she grabbed the clothes and shoes and went into the bathroom connected to the room. Taking off her dirty dress frpm yesterday, she put on the long-sleeved, red chinese styled top with gold trim, black pants, and black sandals that Konan gave her. She found a red ribbon in one of the drawers in the sink, and used that to put her hair in a ponytail. Smiling at herself in the mirror, the five-year old girl made her way to Pein's office. Reaching the door ant the end of the left hallway, Kiku knocked hesitantly on the door. She heard a 'come in' from the other side. Slowly, she grabbed the door knob, and opened the door, walking into Pein's office. Said man looked from his paperwork, looking at Kiku. Nervously, she spoke. "Konan told me you wanted to see me?", she asked quietly. Nodding, he gestured for her to take a seat, which she did.

"So, your name is Kiku Kobayashi, correct?", he asked, starting out simple and clean. She nodded, looking at him warily. "I am Pein, Leader of the Akatsuki. Konan told me about what happened yesterday, I give you my condolences.", he replied, shuffling some papers, setting them down, and folding his hands as he looked at her. "I have decided that you will be raised here, until you are old enough to be on your own. Does that sound good to you?", he asked, looking into her earthy brown orb pointedly. Not sure if she was allowed to talk, she nodded again. Pein noticed her silence, and chuckled a bit. "You're allowed to speak.", he told her. She smiled a bit.

"Y-Yeah, it is good with me.", she said in a timid voice. He nodded. Now looking at her with complete seriousness, he spoke again.

"Good. If you want to be able to take care of yourself and be successful, you'll need to learn the shinobi way. Your training starts today. You need to develop your abilities and other things if you want to be strong in the future.", he told her getting up, and walking out of his office. Seeing Kiku not follow, he turned around halfway, giving a side glance. "Aren't you coming? We have to start your training.", he said. She got up and followed him to a vast forest area not to far from the base. He stopped, and turned to face Kiku. "Get ready, for these next seven years are going to be brutal and stressful."