Aimi was lying down with Itachi standing over her, a knife in his hand. "What the heck are you gonna do?" Aimi asked, eyeing the knife. "Its… schooling, your studies, things of that sort. Its your tutoring for becoming an Akatsuki member," he replied. Aimi glanced up at the knife again. "Uh… how is this going to- OW!" Itachi had taken the knife and slit her hand. "Do not concentrate on the pain. Look past the pain. Focus on breathing," he said. Aimi glared at him, but tried doing as he said. She sighed. "It isn't working," she said, frustrated. She flinched from the pain as Itachi slit another cut into her hand. "Ow," she said quietly. "Breathe, Aimi. Breathe," Itachi said. "It… hurts," Aimi replied. "Breathe," he said in a low voice. "I cant breathe when your cutting my- OW!" He had done it again. "That is your punishment for not listening the first times. Now, cooperate. Breathe," he said. Aimi did as he said. "Its still not working," she said. "If it helps, think of something to relax you. Something, someone that makes you calm. Like a lullaby, a flower, my brother- something!" Itachi said. "Your WHAT?" Aimi asked, glaring at him. "…breathe," Itachi said. "Did you say your brother? As in Sasuke? That's the last thing that would relax me-" SLICE. She now had another cut. "Forget I mentioned it. Just think of something!" Itachi said, frustrated. Aimi flinched as Itachi cut her yet again. Then she took deep breaths. As she did so, everything around her went quiet, it was just her breathing. And she sang.

"Tiger, tiger burning bright…"

Itachi leaned in closer to hear her.

"In the forests of the night.

Tiger, tiger in the tree,

Are you looking down at me?

Where you wander where you roam,

I don't know but there you go.

Tiger, tiger, burning bright

In the forests of the night."

Aimi sighed. The pain had gone, and she didn't feel anything. "It doesn't hurt anymore!" she said happily. Itachi helped her up. "End of lesson one. Ah, yes… where did you hear that song?" Aimi looked over at him. "Uh… my mother, when she was alive, sang it to me as a lullaby," she said. Itachi nodded. "How did your parents die?" he asked. "They were killed in a war. I was so young, I barely even remember them anymore. All I remember are a few things here and there. One of them being when they died," Aimi said sadly. "Tell me," Itachi ordered. "I remember hearing them yelling that the battle had begun to an army. Then I remember my mother leaning down and telling me everything was going to be alright. Then my father leaning down and saying that if they were to die, I should still be happy. Then they tell someone to take Chika and me- all I remember is that it was a young boy- and they run off to battle. The boy tells us everything is gonna be alright and that we're safe with him and he wont let anything happen to us. Then he takes us inside. We wait there for what seems to be forever until a soldier comes in and tells us that our parents died in battle. Then the boy takes us home to where his family is so we can stay with him until someone comes to look after us. I remember another boy around my age- nothing about him, just that he was there- coming out and hugging each of us, saying that if anyone tries anything with us like they did to our parents, they'd have him to deal with. We make friends with the whole family, especially those two boys, and stay with them until out aunt comes to claim us. After a while, we leave our aunt because she is downright terrible. Then we start our new life, which leads up to now," Aimi said. Itachi was staring at Aimi with a dazed look on his face.

--ITACHI FLASHBACK--

Moon and Shinokimaru run to Itachi with their two young daughters. Moon plants her hands on his shoulders and says, "Itachi, look after these two. I trust you. We trust you. We know we might not make it in this battle. Protect them." She sounds urgent. Itachi takes the two girls in hand. Shinokimaru whispers, "You know Aimi is the tigress and Chika would protect her with her whole heart. Make sure Aimi does not find out. Not yet. And make sure Chika doesn't either. For their safety." Itachi looks up at the man. "You are acting as if you are going to die. You might live," he says. Moon bows her head. "It is about time for you to stop believing in us so much," she says. The two parents lean down and bid their daughters goodbye, running into battle. The two girls looks scared. Itachi is too, but must not show it. He leans down to the girls. "Hey you two. You cant worry. Straighten up, little soldiers. Everything is gonna be alright. I know you barely know me, but you are safe with me, ok? I wont let anything happen to you. Uh-uh, no way," he says. He takes the girls away from the battlefield. They must not see. He takes them to a safe place to wait with everyone else. After a few hours, a soldier comes in and walks to Itachi and the girls. "They have died," he says. Itachi and the girls do not need to hear who 'they' are. They already know it's the girls' parents. Itachi nods. "They will stay with me and my family until a family member or someone comes to claim them," he says. "And who are you, anyway?" the soldier asks. "Uchiha Itachi. My family is very close friends with theirs. It is our right, our duty, to keep them safe. You cant stop me," Itachi replied, taking the girls and bringing them out of the waiting room. He says to the girls, "Your gonna come and stay with my family for a while, ok?" The girls nod. Chika says in a small, cute voice, "Thanks boy." Itachi smiles. The quieter girl, Aimi, whispers, "Yah, thanks." The two girls hug him as they walk to his home. As they walk into a gate, the whole family of Itachi comes out. Sasuke, Itachi's younger brother, pushes through the crowd and runs to the girls, giving them both hugs. "Hi," he says. The girls say hi sadly and quietly. "Don't you worry, if any of those warriors mess with you like they did to your parents, they'll have me to deal with!" Sasuke says, puffing his chest out. The girls giggle. Itachi hears them whisper to each other. All he catches is, "Funny boy" and "I like him already". They meet the rest of the family and make friends with them. They stay with the family for a while. Itachi smiles as he watches Sasuke get chased all around their home by the girls until their parents scold them. The girls stay with them for almost a year, until a strange lady comes and takes them away, leaving the girls to cry and reach out their small hands as Sasuke chases them, trying to grab their hands. Their parents stop him and hold him back as he struggles. Itachi wishes he was the one to be chasing them. He knows he might've even caught them and brought them back.

Either way, its all over now.

--END FLASHBACK--

"Itachi?" Aimi waved her hand in frontof Itachi's face. "Hm? What? Ah. Oh. Sorry," he said . "You OK?" Aimi asked. Itachi nodded. "I have to go, Aimi, I'm sorry," Itachi said. "No problem," she said, eyeing him oddly. He ran off to get the other members together. They all ran into a room. "What is up now?!" Aimi asked aloud.

()()()()

"I have called this meeting because I have just found out very important information about Aimi… she is the Tigress," Itachi said to the other members. "The Tigress?! The powerful warrior Tigress? She doesn't look it! How?" someone asked. "I knew her parents. Moon and Shinokimaru. They told me before they died in battle. Aimi told me what happened to her as a younger girl… that's exactly what happened to the Aimi, who is the Tigress, when I was watching after her," Itachi replied. Everyone was silent. "Do you understand how much power we have now?" the leader asked. "She is the Tigress! This changes everything!" Itachi nodded. "Her training… must be kicked up. A lot," he said, "Its time to get us some POWER."

()()()()

Three months into six months. The wait was half over for the ones Aimi left behind in Konoha, and Aimi had increased her power by far. They had told her she was the tigress, but no one told her about the history. Therefore, she still didn't know who the kind boy and his family was. That's when the rest of the Akatsuki played dumb. She had made good friends with the rest of the group, especially Deidara and Itachi. She called them her brothers. She had gotten a lot of power in those three months. She had two tigers that she had kind of as pets. She had made herself a different type of Akatsuki uniform: a cape with a hood with the same pattern of the black background and red clouds. It came in handy a lot. Her whole life had changed, but she was still Aimi.

In Konoha, her friends counted the days until they could go and find her. They had changed so much. Naruto was basically the same, but when it came to Aimi, he was protective and serious. For example, one time he was in a fight with someone and they brought up, "Where's your precious Aimi? Oh yeah, she got kidnapped! Good riddance!" It was then he REALLY got mad in beat that kid to kingdom come… and got himself in trouble. Ichirou had become more quiet, thoughtful, and serious since Aimi had gone. He was always the kid other kids looked up to for advice or help. Ichirou never let anything get in the way of hoping. That was something he believed in a lot because of Aimi. Hoping she was alive. Hoping she was ok. Hoping. Chika was less open to everyone. She focused on school. No one really knew- or was allowed to know-about her personal life anymore. Miko was the one trying to keep everything together. She had the hardest job. She tried to act normal, but everyone well knew it was hard. And Sasuke…. He had gotten distant and unhappy. All the time.

One day, while Sasuke was sitting alone, Naruto and Miko were watching him and talking. "Its half over. How do you think he's doing?" Miko asked. Naruto looked over at him. "Does it look good to you?" he asked. "Yah. I think this has been the hardest on him. He really loved her. Like, a lot. Now…" Miko trailed off. Naruto nodded. "Cant we go now?" he asked. "No. we cant," Miko said sadly. "Lets go talk to him," she added to get off subject. She ran ahead of Naruto, and he chased her. Miko slowed down and sat next to Sasuke. "Hey, Sasuke," she said gently. He glanced at her. "Hn," he replied. "You okay?" Naruto asked. Sasuke glared at him and got up to leave. Naruto and Miko shared a look. Miko grabbed his arm. "Come on, you cant hide from us forever," she said. Sasuke glared at her now. "Sure I can," he said, trying pry Miko off of him. "No you cant," she replied, "what's the matter anyway? Three more months and we can get her back!" Sasuke shook his head. "No," he said. "What?" Naruto asked. "Don't you guys get it? She's dead. They would've killed her by now," Sasuke said. "Have faith. She might still be alive," Miko said. "Or she might not be. When you guys go to find her, count me out. I don't want to see her dead body," Sasuke said, trying to escape Miko's grasp. "Sasuke! Help! You have to help!" Naruto whined. "Oh, you're coming with us, Sasuke. Even if I have to shove you in my backpack, you are coming with us!" Miko growled. Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "Feisty," Naruto said. Miko hit him.

()()()()

Aimi ran to the top of the mountain, the high rock where you could look down and see… everything. She sighed happily and sadly at the same time as she looked down upon everything. She glanced at her old hometown and wondered if everything was alright there. She could only hope.

"AIMI!" a yell came from inside the woods. She turned to see Deidara, out of breath, behind her. "Don't run so fast, hmm? Especially uphill," he said. Aimi laughed. "What'd ya want?" she asked. "You have to go down on a spy mission, hmm. Down to Konoha, hmm. Right now," he said. "Can I have a few more minutes?" Aimi asked. "Only a few, and I'll have to be here, hmm." Deidara replied. "Aw, you ruin all my fun!" Aimi said playfully. Deidara smiled and sat down next to Aimi. Aimi leaned her head on his shoulder, something she did with all the members. Like I said, they were like her brothers. They sat there for a few minutes before Deidara said, "Oh, our times up, hmm. You gotta go." Aimi nodded and stood. She lifted her hood on her cloak and put it over her head, hiding her face. "I got work to do."

()()()()

Aimi silently walked through the brush in the forest. I'm back after 3 months… and it feels very different. She thought as she stepped in all the places where no one could see or hear her. She remembered all the times she had been in this forest, weather it was alone or with friends. Archery practicing. Thinking. Fist-fighting. Just to be alone. Normal fighting. Talking. Just hanging out. Everything was so different even though she knew nothing had changed, it was just her state of mind.

She heard a rustling and was startled. She dove behind a tree with a thud and prayed that no one heard her. She peeked out from behind the tree… and there was Sasuke, angrily pacing. Aimi clamped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from saying anything. She swung back behind the tree as he looked up, but not without blowing her cover by hitting the tree and making a thud. "Ow," she whispered, rubbing her head. "Who's there?" Sasuke asked. Aimi was surprised at how his voice had changed. It had gotten deeper and more powerful and intimidating sounding. She stayed quiet. "I heard you. Who's there? Show yourself!" She shut her eyes tight and pulled her hood over her face some more. She was going to be seen, she just knew it, but at least he wouldn't know who it was. "I'm serious, whoever you are, come out now!" Sasuke growled. Aimi couldn't help herself. "Is that any tone to greet a visitor?" she asked from behind the tree. She heard footsteps coming over to her tree. She kept her eyes shut. He seemed to swing out of nowhere and pin her to the tree. "Gotcha," she heard him say.

She felt his eyes inspecting her. "You're a member of the Akatsuki… but that's a different uniform," she heard him say. "Hn. I made it for myself. This design suits my needs better," she replied. "And what exactly are your needs?" he asked, pushing her harder into the tree. "I guess its only one need. No one can see my face," she said calmly. And now he's going to… He was about to pull the hood off her face when she caught his wrist. "Nice try." He reached up again with his other wrist. She caught that one, too. "Sir, cant you respect what a young woman wants?" she asked. "Young woman?" she heard him ask. "Did you really think I was a boy?" she asked. "Well-" "Nevermind, just answer the question." Sasuke was silent for a moment. "It depends on who the young woman is," he said, pushing her harder into the tree. "While we're on that subject…" his voice grew very threatening, "What did you do with her?!" Aimi was quiet for a moment before she said, "Whatever do you mean?" She was shoved into the tree even harder. "What have you done with Aimi?" he asked. Aimi felt a pang of fear. She cant let this blow her cover. She cant. She knew what she was going to do. And she knew what she was going to do would hurt Sasuke very, very bad… but she had to.

"She was very easy to kill," she said evilly. She opened her eyes and pulled up her hood just enough to where he could see one of her eyes. She saw the shocked, hurt, angered expression on his face. It was enough to kill her. She pulled the hood back down. Then he yelled and hit her. Hard. She fell onto the ground. She was standing up, but he shoved her back down. "You'll pay. You'll pay for whatever you did to her!" he yelled. Aimi sighed. "Must I call them?" she asked. "Who?" Sasuke asked. "My brothers," she said.

Sasuke began to hiss something in another language. Aimi could only guess… "How much more Latin must I hear?" she asked. "What?" Sasuke asked. Realizing what she said, she panicked. "You know Latin?" he asked. "Uh. Maybe," Aimi said. "Hm. Who are you?" he asked. Aimi sighed. "Do you expect to get an answer?" she asked. "Not really." Aimi nodded at his response. Then she begun to relax a little, almost forgetting that she WASN'T supposed to be comfortable at her old home, she was a member of the Akatsuki now. Seeing her relax, Sasuke slowly reached for the hood. He was about to pull it off when Aimi grabbed his wrist. "Don't."

He glared at her, but obeyed, not sure why. "Now get off me," Aimi ordered. He slowly did so. "Thank you," she said sweetly. She got up. "Now if you don't mind, we have to keep this meeting secret. They cannot know I was here. Not at all," she said. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You think I'm NOT going to tell anyone that the Akatsuki are spying on us? You must be fairly new at this," he said. "True that," Aimi replied, "but if you tell anyone about this, I have some very good punishments that would whip some sense into you."

"You don't scare me."

"Just you wait."

"Right."

"Well, my brothers are probably waiting for me."

"Your brothers. Who are they anyway?"

"The rest of the Akatsuki."

"Alright."

"Remember. Tell anyone… and you're a dead man."

With that, Aimi ran into the forest. Sasuke had the smallest urge to follow her. To find out who she was. But he held himself back. Instead, he turned and ran back to the village. People had to receive warning about this. Like he had said, she didn't scare him.