MEETING
DEIDARA'S POV
A glow emanates from the inner cavern of the hideout; I suspect Leader-sama and the others have already gathered to review the intelligence Sasori no Danna and I gathered from before. It's whatever, un, I think to myself, they can just fill me in on anything important I may have missed. I doubt they have had time to get into many details, anyway. Heh, Sasori no Danna is going to be pissed when he sees that I have brought this woman back with me.
My gaze shifts over my shoulder. Her breathing has calmed and she seems almost at peace. It is not as if I have done any harm to bring her here. If she spoke the truth earlier, she can be put to use in some way. If not, well, she can be put to death. I will have no qualms over them killing her if she was lying and really is a spy. Hell, I'll even do it myself if they ask it of me. But to kill off a potential ally seems pointless. If an idiot like Zetsu's subordinate, Tobi, can serve the Akatsuki, then she can, too.
The voice of that bastard Uchiha becomes clearly audible as I come upon the entrance to the main cavern.
"It was only to be expected that the intel you gathered would not reveal the identities of the jinchuuriki. None of the other villages had recorded it, either."
"Nevertheless," says another voice belonging to Leader-sama, "We still have information gathered during espionage that honed us in on people of interest. It won't be long before we make our first move against the Hidden Villages. We have copies of their Bingo books and it seems they all coincide with one another. What little information they possess on us will hardly be enough to plan an effective defense strategy."
The room is illuminated by wall torches, and I can see my associates gathered around a large, rectangular table garnished with various papers, maps, and open books. I reveal myself from the shadows of the entryway and step into the opening as Leader-sama finishes his statement. His psychedelic, violet eyes meet mine, confusion apparent as he notices the girl on my back. The rest of the Akatsuki make discreet glances in my direction. Danna spares me an unenthusiastic look, as well, but it soon evolves into a furious glare. Heh, here we go.
"I see you have returned, Deidara," Leader-sama says, "Sasori has already informed us of the reason for the delay." His eyes bore into mine, clearly asking for an explanation.
"He was supposed to be returning alone, Leader-sama," Sasori hisses, "I knew I should have dealt with it myself."
"Tch, I'm only doing us a miniscule favor, un," I say with a strained smile in Danna's direction.
"Is that girl not a spy from one of the Hidden Villages?" Konan pipes up.
"Ye-"
"We don't know anything for certain, un." Danna shoots me another irritated glare at my interruption. "I searched her belongings earlier. All she had on her is typical ninja gear, a small encased photograph, and a headband from Kirigakure. No recorded information or anything to signify she was sent to spy on us, un."
"Brings back memories," Kisame remarks mostly to himself with an evil grin.
"Exactly," Sasori no Danna interjects, "She is from Kirigakure, an enemy of Akatsuki."
"It may have slipped your mind because of your age and all, Danna, but we're all from the Hidden Villages, too, un." A steel cable projects from Danna's body and lashes out at me, but I quickly move out of the way, having been through this sort of situation with him several times before.
"Enough," Leader-sama says sternly before turning to me, "What are you suggesting?"
"We should at least question her, un. She claims she wants to serve the Akatsuki. I figured you should be the one to decide, Leader-sama, whether she is a spy or not. If she is, we may get some valuable information out of her before her death. If she isn't, we may still get some valuable information from her. Then you could put her to work with the other subordinates."
He closes his eyes in contemplation for a brief moment before reopening them. "Zetsu."
The anomalous character Zetsu steps forward and nods, understanding without needing to be ordered. He walks off to the side and removes a few tiles from the stone floor. I watch in curiosity as he unwinds shackles and thick chains from the hollows left from the tiles. So that's how it is, I think, relieved.
"Bring her here," Zetsu's friendlier voice says. Without hesitation or complaint, I deliver the girl to him and aid him in locking the manacles to both her wrists and ankles. I notice unusual markings along the outsides of them as I lay her on the floor, but I quickly dismiss it before standing and facing Leader-sama for further instructions. Everyone else remains in place and observant.
"We will wake her now," Zetsu's darker voice says. Leader-sama approaches us and the girl. When he is directly before us, he nods at Zetsu. A loud sound echoes in the cavern as Zetsu fist makes contact with the unconscious girl's face.
AYA'S POV
My body feels ancient and broken, every movement sending unbearable pain through my body. As well as it should. Did I not take a beating earlier? That on top of my chakra exhaustion. Baka, I think inwardly. Sloppy. Hotheaded. I cannot think of enough insults to sling at myself right now for how incompetent I made myself seem in battle. I am better than that, I know I am.
Through my self-chastisement, I remember that I am in the custody of the blond, Deidara. I think I lost consciousness. Well duh, of course I did. I wince from all the aches. A new pain emits from my left cheek I do not think was there before, but who knows? I begin to hear incoherent voices and gradually start to peel my eyes open against my better judgment.
"She's coming to," a hair-raising voice says.
"Good," says another unfamiliar voice, "You two may step back."
As my eyes open, I can see a blurry figure looking down on me. My mind registers the past twenty-four hours in an instant, and fear begins to whittle its way back into my system. I instinctively sit up, temporarily ignoring my pain. I do not go far when I feel cold steel yank against the flesh on my wrists.
"It is no use to struggle, onna. Those are special restraints that will nullify any chakra you may have left, and you are physically in no condition to escape as it were. Do you know where you are?" How the hell would I know where I'm at, I think?
All temptation to spurt the sarcastic remark fade as my vision clears and I get a good look at the man before me. Wicked purple eyes adorn a face with multiple piercings and fiery orange hair. His attire is the same as the Akatsuki's, so he must be one of them. I shake my head at his question, speechless.
"You are at the Akatsuki base. I am Pein, leader of the Akatsuki. Do you understand your situation?" I nod feebly. Yeah, I have some serious dumb luck to be alive right now and it is about to run out. My eyes at long last regain total focus and I take note of several others a short distance behind the man before me. All of them wear Akatsuki cloaks. I am so fucked. I will not escape. What was I thinking? They will never believe any fabricated story I make up to get them to trust me. Too smart for that. "Your life has been spared momentarily to allow you a chance to say your purpose. You were discovered following two of our own. Tell me why. Speak quickly."
I hesitate and his stare bores into me like a thousand kunai knives. I force my eyes away from his, but they have nowhere else to land except for the other members. My eyes find Deidara, the one who I fought with before, the one who supposedly brought me here to help me, then…it's him. Hoshigaki Kisame. I found him. My heart pounds with joy? Uncertainty? I don't know. But he's here. He stares back at me with unreadable emotion before I snap back to reality.
"To find the Akatsuki," I say, not meaning to sound mocking.
"You here this bitch, Kakuzu?" One of the Akatsuki members says, laughing, to the one standing next to him, "'To find the Akatsuki.' That much we can gather, bitch."
The one known as Pein glances back and silences him before returning that deadly stare to me. "You're going to have to be more specific. Were you sent here to spy?"
"No."
"Then why are you here?"
"I-I am a rogue. I came to pledge my loyalty unto the Akatsuki."
"Why should I believe you?"
'I, because it's the truth."
"And if I think you are lying?"
"I d-don't have any proof of what you ask. I bring only myself to you." He is silent for a moment, looking at me with interrogative eyes. My heart fights against its restraints in my chest.
"You are from Kirigakure, yes? A shinobi; we have gathered your belongings along with your headband. What are you called?"
"Aya, Matsura Aya. Yes, I was a kinoichi from Kirigakure, but I turned rogue six months ago." He seems to consider this for a bit.
"Zetsu." The strangest man suddenly appears before Pein with a book in hand. He hands it off to him and returns to his former location. "We will see, Matsura Aya."
Pein proceeds to flip through the pages and stops upon one of them. His eyes meet mine. I attempt to swallow the lump in my throat, but it seems it will not budge no matter how I try.
"Hear this:" he begins, addressing everyone in the room, "Matsura Aya, age seventeen, jonin of Kirigakure, turns rogue on April 4th of this year after killing four fellow shinobi during an altercation. She fled the scene shortly thereafter, disobeying the command of her superior to stay and face justice. Specializes in medium range ninjutsu, particularly water and wind style techniques. Current intentions and whereabouts unknown. A-rank criminal."
Bitterness brews in the pit of my stomach. They make it sound simple, but it was anything but simple. I am no murderer. No, the murderers were the four that met their end that night. Not that the Akatsuki would care. Hell, that would probably make things easier for me right now if I was a cold-blooded killer. All I can do is manage a weak nod to confirm what he has read. The ghost of tears catch in my throat, but I hold them back with all my strength. These are the last people I need to see my weaknesses.
"So you mean to submit your loyalties to the Akatsuki after fleeing your village?"
"Yes."
"Why?" Why? Why? What else can I possibly say to him? I search for the right words to appease him. "Rogues do not generally leave the authority of one force just to go directly and submit themselves to another unless they have a specific reason for doing so. What is yours? Power? Money? Protection? What is it you seek from the Akatsuki?"
I wrack my brain for answers, anything that might satisfy his interrogation. I keep my eyes fixed to the ground. Then the reason comes to me. "To have a purpose," I say quietly.
"'A purpose?'" I nod.
"My life was meaningless just wandering aimlessly after leaving Kirigakure, ya know. Even if my life there was based on lies, it gave me a goal and motivation. After I left, I needed to find a purpose as a rogue, something meaningful. There was another rogue from my village who did this before my time, who found an institution to build his new life around. I came to idolize him from the tales of his great skills, though I had never met him in person. I came here to find him, to learn from him, and in doing so, serve the Akatsuki, because this is the institution he became a part of."
I take a deep breath after finishing. It is not far from the truth, and I can only pray he believes me. The more I think of it, the more I know it is true.
"This bitch really thinks we want to hear her sob story?" The silver haired man gripes loudly.
"Shut up, Hidan," the masked man next to him says in a threatening manner. This guy really dislikes me for some reason and it isn't making my situation any better. I lower my eyes and grit my teeth. I came here to find my father. Did I really get this far to just give up and die?
A set of footsteps approach from behind Pein, but I cannot see who it is from the angle I am at.
"Well, well. This is interesting. So you must have came here looking for me." A tall, bluish man steps out from behind Pein and stares me directly in the eyes. He grimaces, seeming to be battling some form of mixed emotions. An overwhelming emotion overtakes me, as well, but I do not know what it is. I have never felt this type of feeling before. I do not know if I can describe it as happiness or uncertainty. Pein takes his eyes from me to look at my father. He clears his expression when he feels Pein's eyes on him. "You mean to say you came here in hopes that I would take you under my wing?"
"T-that is my one desire now that I am rogue. Being rogue meant I was free to choose my path. I chose to follow you." I hope I sound more confident than I feel. I doubt it. He gives me a sinister smile.
"That's nice; she has a fish fetish. Whatever floats your boat. Can we move this thing along now?" Silver Hair interrupts again.
"The report in the Bingo book could be a fake, an elaborate plot set by Kirigakure to take out their black sheep. In other words, you Kisame. We shouldn't just assume we can trust this girl," the Zetsu person says in that chilling voice. I do a double take when I hear him continue in a completely different voice. "Yes, she is either truly what she says, a frightened outcast kinoichi in over her head, or a rather good actress going along with a clever scheme."
"A viable point," Pein says. I bite my lip in defeat. I cannot prove anything to them. All they have to go on is a book report. Before today, I did not exist in their minds. Nothing I say can argue against what they have already swimming about in their heads.
"Listen," Silver Hair says, "if we're not keeping the bitch, can you hurry up and kill her so we can get on with our lives." What is with that bastard? Easy for him to talk about ending a life when it isn't his. The others are unusually silent. Are they always this way? Perhaps it is best they don't say anything if they are going to have opinions like that one does.
"I believe the girl speaks the truth about not being a spy," Pein says at last. I nearly heave a sigh of relief but then think better of it. "However, I do think you have something to hide though I cannot say for sure. Secrets kept from the Akatsuki by its members or associates can lead to fatal consequences no matter how trivial they seem."
The bit of hope I had building fades quickly. An air of finality lingers around his every word. It does not bode well for me. I watch him discreetly as he walks towards my father and whispers something in his ear. Hours seem to pass in those brief moments. Is this it?
Pein turns and looks at me blankly. "I can not verify your reliability nor can I tolerate any set backs due to your not being who you say you are, and I will not put the Akatsuki at risk based on a hunch. A swift death is all I can offer you. Kisame here will be the one to do it as it is only fitting seeming how you hold him so highly."
This is it. Dread fills me like disease. My only condolence is that I had the opportunity to at least see my father in person. Now he is going to kill me. Ironic. I temper my body and my emotions; I will not let anything keep me from my dignity in this moment. Nobody will take that from me ever again. Pein hands off what I notice as my headband to my father and walks away to join the rest of the group.
"I will release your bonds and allow you to put this on," he says, approaching me. He avoids eye contact with me as he bends over and works on the bonds around my wrists and ankles. The headband clinks to the floor precariously, and I find myself drawn to it. This is a symbol of my life. It is appropriate I wear it in the time of my death. I suppose even criminals have some sentimental values they uphold, as well.
He finishes and stands up, taking a few steps back from me. My fingers fumble for the headpiece, and when I finally grasp it, I waste no time securing it on my forehead.
"Stand." I do as he says without hesitation, almost mechanical. It seems strange now that death is certain, my body obeys easily and without wavering. I never had the chance to truly reveal myself to him or to prove to him that I could be a great shinobi, that he fathered such a child. But this is no time for regrets. I stare him directly in the eyes, awaiting the inevitable. His eyes and emotions are unreadable, but I don't think I want to know what he is thinking as he ends my life. It makes things simple…yes, simple.
Then it happens. He draws a kunai from his cloak, deadly fast. He swoops in, inches from me. The only sound I hear is the thump of my heart and the dragging of air in and out of my lungs. I dare not move. I refuse to be a coward. I bar any consequential thoughts from entering my mind, anything that will make my passing anything but alright. I have nothing to lose by my death. Nothing to regret. Nothing left undone. The quicker this ends, the better. It means less time to doubt myself. Part of me knew death was the other possibility if I were to come to the Akatsuki. I was and still am prepared for that outcome. Then the swing of a blade…