Pretty Little Devil

Chapter One. The Mouse Ran Up the Clock Tower.

Word count: 3k

Warnings: (!) This is under the "Horror" category, so please be weary of the descriptive gore in future chapters. I ask you to forgive me if you find the material offensive. That was not my intention.

Pretty Little Devil

"The Mouse Ran Up the Clock Tower."

~\~Chapter One Start.~/~

They say curiosity killed the cat and satisfaction brought it back, but wouldn't that mean that the cat had a taste of what death was like? Wouldn't that mean that it walked with the dead –even for just a moment- and played with hell's fire?

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All was quiet in the dry, ghostly forest. The uncanny physical silence hung like a rapidly choking fog in the dead of night. Leaping from branch to branch, so closely resembling gliding black widows with their cloaks of black and red, two figures made way, using the darkness as their cover. Save for the nonexistent tap of their sandal-clad feet pushing off each desiccated limb, there was no hint of life. One might have believed that only death lingered within the area.

They would have been right.

The scent of death was so strong; a trail of blood and loss left a tangible wake. It was always the same. In a repetitive pattern, like the crimson clouds stitched into their wear, a slaughterer's life never changed. Once a murderer, always a murderer, until the day reality catches up. The beginning was trivial, yet crucial.

An order.

The pawn could not be moved without the guidance of the King. An army without a leader was just a bunch of misfits with weapons. It could have been simple: kill a certain someone. Those were always the easiest missions. An assassin could be completely invisible and barely put a name to the face of their prey. It was quick, immediate, and thorough, but sometimes those orders were difficult: get close, so betrayal was easier. These were the complicated assignments. Most might have said that the Infiltrators were the most heartless, the most powerful. To stop the beating of one's heart was effortless, but to break that heart into pieces was an intricate process. One can't pick a rose without getting cut on its thorns. The next step was vital.

A murder.

There were even more steps included in this facet. One had to take into account the type of order first, but the finale was always cyclical: stab them in the heart, or stab them in the back. Either way, the executioner's hands would become a bit more stained with that red, red substance that flowed in all humans –no matter what they had done. There could be no evidence, so the disposing of the body came next. Some took the straightforward route and just plain buried them in the middle of nondescript woodland. Others were more creative, using many different, artistic means –feeding the corpse to some rabid animal seemed to be the most enjoyed. Once through, the slayer would commence homeward –or toward the residence at which they lived. Most could not say they had a home, for they did not have a heart, and that was consequential in the making of such things. A majority of these hooded killers could go home and sleep after an extermination, letting the black, black, black of the dream world soothe them with its mournful lullaby. The dawn would not only bring the sun, but another order, and that was how the cookie crumbled. Track. Dirty. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Now, these two were no different. The second step was commencing as their objective was just beyond the break of the woods through which they made haste. The larger of the duo turned toward his partner, voice as rough as the blue-tinted skin hidden beneath his wrap, "Itachi."

The other man, Itachi, as he was notoriously-known as, gave no indication that his partner's voicing had been heard, but there was a silent understanding that they both achieved. His red eyes never strayed from his path, literally and mentally. Suddenly, their feet maneuvered off the final bough and they planted themselves gracefully onto the ground. The clearing they were currently in was no larger than several meters round. It looked rather commonplace, like any other naturally made space in a forest. Other less-experienced shinobi would have passed right through, but the pair was certainly not untried.

In the center, a patch of grass was slightly tarnished, the surrounding green fading into a light olive hue. With Sharingan-enhanced eyes, Itachi peered down at the plot of land, scrutinizing it with barely recognizable aversion. "Kisame."

Kisame bent down, pushing through the thin layer of grass along the edge of the ring. His fingers gripped the edge of something hard and metallic and with a brutal tug the discoloration was no more, leaving a set of freshly trodden stairs for all to see. Without a second thought, they made way into the hidden passageway.

It was soundless for several moments, until the first scream rang through the air.

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"Leader-sama said ta' take all a' the scrolls. But this stuff is junk. There's nothin' here worth takin'." Kisame drawled, hands relentlessly tossing scroll after scroll from the extensive shelving on the dry earthen wall. The parchment spools flew over his shoulder, creating soft tap, tap, taps as they fell none-too-gently to the floor. Beady black eyes narrowed in irritation, finding the current mission of which they were embarked on to be completely fruitless in worth. Receiving no response from the stoic Uchiha, as-per-usual, he proceeded to throw the mantelpiece vehemently to the floor. The crashing sound echoed about the enclosed room, rattling half empty beakers on the lab tables in the center.

"Kisame. That is enough." Itachi emotionlessly commanded, continuing his search on the opposite side of the room, although he too had found nothing worth bringing back to Leader. It might not have been perceived by any within a close distance of the man, but the slight tick in his jaw betrayed his calm demeanor, showing his loss of patience. (!) He glided over the decapitated body of one of the Sound Base's scientists, idly noting the squelch of pooled blood beneath his feet. Several feet away, the man's head lay inert, an expression of pure fear and horror forever etched on his face. The color had drained, leaving the normally tan skin of the Sound ninja a pale, unhealthy pallor. Flesh hung misshapen from his gruesomely carved neck, lying like pieces of sliced meat across the dirt floor. Maggots had already begun the sluggish process of chewing through the pasty tissue of his widened brown eyes. The small white larvae crawled through the ninja's open lips, spilling from his ears and nose to the soupy blood and brain matter surrounding the cranium.

Making sure not to stray too far from the maggot-less patches of walkway, Itachi glanced toward the last door they had yet to check. It was unlikely that any living being was inside, for the screeching of the others was deafening and the brooding man was glad that the atrocious racket had long since quieted. Kisame's bickering ceased and all that dared utter a sound in the unsavory base was the constant drip, drip, drips of the cruor oozing from the severed limps that had been chucked atop various tables in the heat of battle –'slaughter', rather. Perhaps they would find something they could deem 'worthwhile' to the entire task behind that one last door. Kisame stood behind Itachi as he opened the granite door, having to use a bit more strength than normal to pull its weight. The pair found it fairly odd that this was the only door that had been granite in the entire facility. After all, granite was one of the most fundamentally used aides when creating chakra-resistant buildings –one of the reasons it was used in construction of the Akatsuki base, but that was long before their time. (1)

The door opened, divulging a long dark hallway with only the light leaking out of the laboratory to guide the way. It was quite narrow and the men had to walk one behind the other rather than side by side through the gloom. Leading with his Heaven's Eyes, Itachi continued to walk for several long minutes, until he and his partner began to feel an intense chakra signal. It seemed new, only several weeks old, but both recognized that it was unmistakably the feeling of a powerful seal, possibly several.

Soon enough, they reached another granite slab, marking an end to the extensive one-way tunnel. Tomoe spun faster and faster, ominously glowing as Itachi studied the hidden seal within the door. It was extremely complex and at that close of a distance, he could sense the familiarity of the chakra used. It was slippery and oily, like the smooth scales on the underside of a snake. Only one person could have had that chakra: Orochimaru. Thoughts of the snake-sannin easily intensified his dislike for his existing predicament.

Kisame, also identifying the proverbial signature, clenched his jaw, sharp teeth fitting perfectly within one another like that of pieces of a puzzle. "Whatdya' thinks in there?" His tone cut through the tangible hush, breathing raspy from the arid heat.

Itachi began to perform multiple hand seals, blurring the appendages into an unrecognizable, insipid smudge. Pushing onto the door, sparks flew in every direction, scattering like mice in the presence of a cat. The seal faded as he fed a sizeable amount of chakra into the door. "Perhaps it would be best to enter cautiously. Whatever is buried in this room must be of considerable importance to Orochimaru. It would benefit Leader."

"Got it. Don't screw up, right?" The tall man joked, pulling Samehada from his back.

"Hn." Itachi answered, grunting in amusement and affirmative.

The room behind the entrance was wide, but not long and surrounded by glowing crystals in the middle, was a scroll. The stones were bright green, lighter than emeralds, but darker than jade. They were flat against the ground and about the size of a small shuriken. Kisame made to go forward, but a hand shooting out from Itachi cloak stopped him. The smaller man pulled a kunai from one of the concealed pockets lined in his wrap and threw it with practiced ease and accuracy at the scroll. The moment it went past the gems, the kunai stopped mid-air and sizzled, dropping down, down, down to the Earth in a small pond of liquid metal.

"Shiru no Ekika. (2) I have not seen this seal used in several years. It will take some time, but it can be broken. I advise you not to get within two feet of the green jewels. They are the magnifiers of the seal and provide for a larger area in which the effect takes place." Itachi closed his eyes, expanding his chakra aura, causing the room's temperature to drop several degrees. Holding his hands in the tiger sign, he concentrated on the formation and genetic make-up of the seal. It was like a complicated safe, each pieces needing to be manually set in the correct order for the lock to unlatch. The process was not difficult, just taxing and cumbersome. It was only a couple minutes later when the stones ceased to shine, the room fading into the black.

Kisame grabbed the scroll and stuffed it into his cloak, following Itachi out of the room. Several kunai flew past his ear, the paper-tags hanging from the loops at the bottoms of the handles coming close enough to hiss as they made way. In a flash, they teleported into the laboratory once again, another few kunai were lodged into the wall. The other rooms had already been rigged from their searches before.

A shark-like grin spread across Kisame's face, lips upturned more so on one side than on the other. Taking chakra from the massive chakra stores he held within his system, he loudly proclaimed, "Hakka suru!" (3)

Loud explosions shook the Earth as they turned and dashed away, heading South towards their base.

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"Enter." Pein's voice drifted past the two Akatsuki member's ears, not at all muffled by the looming double doors situated before them. The room was dark, save for the gleaming ringed eyes peering at the open doorway. As their sight adjusted to the dimness, they could make out his predatory hunched position behind the cluttered desk by the far wall. "Begin."

Itachi immediately followed the command, "The location indeed held a Sound Base, but the research and undergoing experiments were no more advanced than the last. The Curse Marks have not progressed since the last 'successfully labeled' trial. There was only one scroll that seemed significant enough to bring back. We have yet to analyze it."

Pein narrowed his eyes a fraction, speaking through his clasped hands in front of him, "Where is this scroll?"
Kisame instantly pulled out the thickly-rolled item, stepping forward to place it on a pile of scattered books atop his leader's desk, before shuffling back to stand side-by-side with Itachi. The Uchiha continued his report, "The scroll was in a broad room, farthest away from the entrance, behind a sealed granite door. Inside, another powerful seal protected it, with six enhancing jewels. The chakra used to form the seals was Orochimaru's himself."

Pein gave the slightest of nods, before he said, "You will have a day's rest. Tomorrow, be prepared to leave by daybreak. Another Base's whereabouts has been located."

They both nodded once and left the room.

And so the process continued.

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Several hours had passed in relative silence for Akatsuki's leader. Long, graceful fingers continued to scribble senseless affirmatives and negations on the incessant number of pending requests. As Rain's kage, the paperwork was grueling, but the feeling of having the power over so many was euphoric. A man with weak willpower might have become too intoxicated from the supremacy, but Pein was not just simply a 'man'. No, he was a God-the God. Finally, finally, he was in control of his life.

There was order in their chaos.

With a quiet sigh, Pein looked up from his current document, mind straying from the toneless drabble about the need for better irrigation systems in one of the smaller parts of his village. It was something so incredibly simple that he felt that it should not have even had the grace of being addressed by God. Every year, each district was financed with a certain amount of money to go towards repairs and other public affairs. It was of no concern to him if they had wasted their funds on something less important. Common knowledge showed that flooding was the number one natural cause of death in Rain. They would simply have to wait until next year. His people needed to know that their lives could depend on the choices they made.

He found that out the hard way.

There was a knock on the door, and, knowing who stood just beyond the barrier, Pein acknowledged them swiftly. "Enter." A woman, the soft radiance provided by forever-burning torches in the hallway radiating on her paper-white skin, stood in the entryway. Not a hair fell from the flawless bun at the base of her head. The delicate origami rose brushed into her blue hair was faultlessly creased, but the magnificence of a rose would pale in comparison to her beauty.

Her lips were moving, the single ring on her bottom lip catching the light with each word. "Leader-sama," her soft, yet strong voice greeted.

"Konan, what is the progress of tracking Five-Tails?" Pein addressed her directly, the most infinitesimal tilt of his rinnegan on his face.

Konan's mouth tilted into a minor frown, her substantial empathetic abilities towards her longtime partner noting his fatigue. "The Gobi's jinchuuriki, Han, has been sighted on the border of the Land of Fire."

Pein nodded once, gazing at the S-class Kunoichi. "Thank you, Konan. We will continue the search in two days. Please alert Deidara and Sasori of their next task. They will deploy by noon tomorrow."

Konan tilted her mouth into a serene smile, "Yes, Leader-sama." Swiftly, she made her way back to the door, a porcelain hand stopping to rest on the knob. Looking over her shoulder, barely audible to Pein's ears, she whispered, "Please get some rest, Pein-sama." And with that, Konan was gone, scattering like a loose paper in the wind.

His eyes softened just a fraction, thinking of his angel. One day, he promised, one day she would be able to laugh like before their betrayal. She only had to withstand the cruel world for a little while longer. For her, only her, would he continue to strive for peace. An angel belonged in a world full of light, like those flowers she adored so much.

In order for this vision to pass that distorted line between dreams and reality, he needed power. The organization already held one beast in their hands, the Seven-Tails. Nanabi had been captured not too long ago by the Immortal Brothers, Hidan and Kakuzu.

Pein rolled his neck, clenching his jaw at the loud crack of his spine releasing from the tension of being hunched over his desk all day. His eyes caught sight of a forgotten item.

The scroll that Itachi and Kisame had brought back from their recently-concluded mission sat precariously close to rolling off the stack of sheets it rested on. The paper was slightly tinted grey with washed out patches of white smothered in no particular pattern on the sheet. A fool would have noticed the obvious wear from age clearly shown.

How had the snake managed to hide this from prying eyes, without any inclination that he wanted it protected? Moreover, exactly what secrets were contained within the ancient-looking scroll?

Curious, Pein reached over and plucked it from the stack, running a finger over the smooth, yet rough surface. He unfurled the edge, noticing the fainted calligraphy upon doing so. Darting across the page, his sphere-rimmed eyes widened.

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Somewhere in the distance, a bell chimed, ring, ring, ringing through a deserted home. Mice, once enjoying their meals of decaying food left to rot in the pantry, fled towards the clock tower. Its swinging pendulum rocked back and forth in a smooth cadence of twelve carillons. The poor souls were too naïve to realize that they had run right to the source of which they had been trying to escape.

Ring, ring, ring.

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~\~Chapter One End.~/~

For the purpose of my story, I made granite a type of chakra suppressor. This is never mentioned in Naruto or Naruto Shippuden.

Shiru no Ekika- Seal of Liquidizing. It is a seal that functions as a barrier of two feet around a certain object in which it is a place that melts anything that enters the area at a temperature opposite of absolute zero.

Hakka Suru- This basically had nothing to do with the paper bombs that Itachi and Kisame placed, but since Kisame's chakra was used to set off all of them –in other words, 'ignite' them, which is what this translates to in Japanese- it is basically akin to Deidara screaming 'Katsu' when his clay bombs activate. The shark-like grin spread over Kisame's face because it is well known that Deidara is a bit eccentric and since Itachi has close relations with the bomb-expert, it is something of an ongoing joke between the two.

A/N: I'm sorry, I lied. I've decided to make this pre-Shippuden for the benefit of this story, although it is towards the end of that two-year time skip. I'd like to keep as little contact with Naruto and the Konoha ninja as possible. This is not to say that they will be left out of this story –because they certainly will play a part. The summary does say 'MultiSaku' as well as 'Akasaku'. *wink, wink* Anyway~ I have a poll up on my profile page for Sakura's lover! I'm letting YOU decide because you guys deserve it…okay, I admit that's not the reason I put it up there. That doesn't mean you DON'T deserve it, but the real reason is because I love all my kitties too much.

*IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT!*

I'm going to try and update periodically. I already have about thirteen chapters outlined. If my attention span allows it, I PROMISE to actually finish this story. God only knows how many pending stories I have on my computer. And I wanted to know, is this chapter length long enough? One last thing, I'm going to be taking requests for Akasaku moments! Just send me a name and whoever gets the most before the next update will have a special moment with Sakura!

Please review!

Oh! And a special thanks to those who reviewed the prologue!

Yuuki-Hime 2097

Rawrgoesdadino

Kireicomplex

Gin-Senpai

Ellenloveforever

DemonCry

Sakuraloveblosom

Kodaimori no Hitmitsu

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Love. Love. Love.

Kiss. Kiss.

~Alice