Chapter 1: The mission
Second chapter revised , hope it's better now.
Don't own Naruto ...or Sakura or Sasuke or ... oh you get it.
We're leaving here tonight
There's no need to tell anyone
They'd only hold us down
So by the morning light
We'll be half way to anywhere
Where love is more than just your name
Evanescence- Anywhere
Konoha, Hidden Village in the Leaf
6 years ago, November 3rd, Sunday (Dana is 15)
Hokage's Tower
"Sarutobi-sama, you called?"
"Yes, come in, Dana. Take a seat."
Dana walked into the room, already in her ANBU gear, ready for whatever her leader ordered her to do. Or, at least, that's what she thought. She stood in front of him, long black hair loose, emerald eyes sparkling in anticipation. It had been too long a wait.
"Dana," the Hokage began, "if you accept this mission, you might have to do some horrible things and will be away from Konoha a long period of time."
She restrained a frown, her weight shifting to the other foot—she'd chosen to stand. "What rank is the mission, Hokage-sama?"
"S-ranked. That is why I must ask you to take your time in deciding upon
whether to take it or not. It might also open some emotional scars, so choose
carefully."
"I will," she answered, though a little unsure herself after what she'd heard so far. Her hands clenched and unclenched, an annoying habit she'd discovered that appeared whenever she was deep in thought
"Then, I expect your decision by the end of the day."
"Hai, Hokage-sama. Am I dismissed?"
"Yes, you may go."
Leaving through the door, Dana started walking toward her house. She arrived not five minutes later, dropped her bag, and turned on the TV. She didn't pay much attention to it, however, as the Hokage's words echoed in her head.
It might also open some emotional scars.
"What the hell is he talking about?" she asked herself. "Emotional scars?
Lovely! And what am I going to do?" Head bowing forward so it rests on her small coffee table she decided to go over everything she knows so far, then come up with an answer.
"What do we know? What do we know?"a small frown settles on her young face "Well, for starters, the mission is S-ranked. That means it's dangerous and extremely important. Then, I think he said something about doing horrible things. That usually means that I have to go undercover, but what's with the emotional scars reopening? What emotional scars?" She sighs. "Oh well. We'll just have to wait and see... Damn, I hate waiting!" After her deduction, our little vampire decides to find herself a snack. She opens the fridge and takes out a bottle of red liquid and some tomatoes. Taking a sip of her "juice", she licks her lips.
I almost forgot how good blood tastes, she thought to herself. The rest of the day was spent practicing medical jutsu and upgrading her powers.
All vampires had powers, but each one had at least one special power. Hers was a doujutsu technique, as the Hokage told her — an eye technique similar to the Sharingan or Byakugan. Using this, she could see the Keirakukei (Chakra
Network) like the Byakugan, but it was mostly used to copy another's
techniques. However, unlike the normal Sharingan, hers could copy even a Kekkei
Genkai.
The backyard was small, but it was more than enough for the training she had in mind, you don't need a large space to heal people after all. Sitting in a meditating position she began by allowing the chakra to flow naturally through her, being a vampire had it's perks sometimes, like now, since she could literally sense her flow of chakra as well as blood. Hours went by fast and it was already 5 pm when she decides to take a shower and dinner. Dana then left a note on the coffee table for her house mate and best friend, Midori Haruno, stating that she's leaving tonight , or better said early tomorrow morning, and that she will be away for a few years at least, but that she shouldn't worry because she'll be fine, just another undercover mission. How she was!
Finally, the time for her decision came. She made her way through the night at full speed, her glowing red eyes the only visible things in the shallow hours
of darkness. Arriving at the mansion, Dana knocked on the big wooden double
doors.
"Come in," an unfamiliar voice said. She slowly walked inside, discovering the person to be a butler. He led the way to the study where Sarutobi sat, finishing some of the paperwork he had yet to complete during the day.
Dana was the first to speak. "Hokage-sama, I have reached my decision."
"And what would that be, my darling Dana?" the Third asked in return, lifting his head to look at her, a small smile on his aging face.
"I will accept the mission, only if you promise to take care of little Sasuke
for me," Dana replied, clenching her long canines as a flashback made her relive one day in particular. Her expression was one of unfathomable anger, hidden by her cat mask, as if she was ready to tear her leader's head off if he hesitated even a second regarding his verdict, he was the one who stopped her repeatedly from adopting the child after all.
"Fine. I will make sure the child is taken care of, but I can't promise that
he will be happy. I don't think he'll ever be happy again." the last sentence he murmurs to himself.
Instant relief struck her and she let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. "Thank you, lord Hokage. Now, back to my mission — What is it, exactly, that I have to do?"
"The mission is of great importance. You are to infiltrate the criminal
organization known as Akatsuki."
"Akatsuki, dawn? I've heard of it, but what are they after?" she asked,
confused.
"They're after the bijuu, the tailed demons," Sarutobi explained.
"Tailed beasts, huh? Like the one in Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Yes, Naruto-kun is indeed the vessel of the Kyuubi — the nine-tailed fox.
The Akatsuki wishes to obtain all nine demons by extracting them from their
human vessels. However they seem to be laying low for the moment, they haven't extracted one demon so far." he explains.
"But then the person will die due to the fact that the creature's chakra is
directly connected to their own. " She frowned. Naruto, of all people, didn't deserve to die because of something put in him by the Fourth Hokage. The poor kid had been unlucky enough to be born at that particular time when the fox attacked, not to mention how the villagers treated him now.
"Yes, Dana; the vessel will die during the procedure, it has happened before, in Suna. Your mission is to become a member of the Akatsuki, gain their trust and report any movement whatsoever. For you to be able to do that, you have to become a missing-nin. I prepared this scroll containing secretes regarding the Byakugan's weaknesses; you will pretend to have wanted to steal it, but I
stopped you. Anything unclear?"
"No, sir." Dana replied, sliding on her ANBU mask, mask she had taken off after the reassurance for Sasuke's safety, ready for the moment the alarm would sound and she would have to leave her home.
"Good. I'll hear from you soon. Good luck and farewell, ANBU Captain Dana
Yoshiko."
That being said, the Hokage sounded the alarm and Dana ran from the mansion, heading toward the village's exit. She made sure to cover her tracks. Stopping a couple of miles away from her now former home, she checked to see if anyone was following her. The rain had began pouring sometime during the escape.
Standing there in her ANBU gear, soaking wet, away from her home and friends, the information finally sank in. She was now a missing-nin to be added in the Bingo Book.
She looked back one more time to the place she had called home all this time and continued her journey to who-knows-where without even the knowledge of how the Akatsuki would contact her. She had a feeling it wouldn't be too long. Transforming back into human, she stormed off. Careful not to leave any traces behind.
Do you remember me?
Lost for so long
Will you be on the other side
Or will you forget me?
I'm dying, praying, bleeding and screaming
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?
My God my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
Evanescence - Tourniquet
Chirping of birds and the smell of the sea were the only clue that she needed. She'd gotten in Tea Country. Saying hello to the gate keeper, Dana made her way through the crowd. The old lady waving behind caused Dana to think back to home, on how Izumo and Kotetsu would always greet her and her team after a long mission. They had always been the first sign that she was home.
Pushing the hair back, Dana took off her headband, knowing that she shouldn't be discovered so soon. The mask came next, just as she entered a tea-house somewhere in the back of the village. Then she waited...
Meanwhile, two Akatsuki members were headed towards Fire Country — and this particular time, it wasn't for the Kyuubi no Yoko. Their leader had sent them to retrieve yet another new member.
"You are to find and invite this person into the organization. If, due to any reasons, she does not comply, kill her. She's far too powerful to be left alive. She has long black hair, is in the ANBU Black Ops, around fifteen years old and is very skilled in healing. Now go!."
Arriving in Konoha, the two decided to split up thus covering more ground. Several hours later, worn out and annoyed, they met up again. Just before exiting the village, they decide to spread out to other villages close by. However, they hear some shinobi talking, from their conversation it was clear that it was about their target.
"Yes, so have I. Such a sweet girl she was."one of them exclaims, around his mid-forties by the sound of his voice.
"She was. Latest rumor has it she's heading towards Tea Country..." said the second person.
"But if she's going full speed, she could already be on the next continent." another intervened.
"Doubt it; I think she stayed close cuz of…" Whatever the man wanted to say will remain unknown, because the Akatsuki were already heading to Tea.
Arriving in the same village,by accident because the Akatsuki don't believe in fate, the team was greeted by the gatekeeper.
"Hello. Are you looking for something?" asked the rather elderly woman.
"Someone rather than something," one of them replied. "We think she's in this village. She has long black hair and a Konoha ANBU uniform. Have you seen her?"
"Yes; last night — or this morning. Depends how you take it. A young girl by that description came into the village."
"Do you know if she left?" he inquires .
"No, sorry. If she did, she must've left during the afternoon shift, because I haven't seen her again."
"Thank you, anyhow," he said and motioned for his partner to follow. "Good day."
Feeling the telltale signs of fatigue, the two Akatsuki members take a detour to a tea house. The moment they stepped in, they feel some sort of chakra, but it was too low to determine who it belongs to, the place was crowded as was to be expected.
They headed towards the table in front of Dana, the only one empty it seemed, slowly taking hold of her kunai, she prepared for the fight that was sure to come. A couple of steps and they would've sit down had they not become aware of her presence. Taking their own weapons, they order her to get up. She immediately adopts a defensive stance, identifying them as Itachi Uchiha, whom she had had as a teammate, and Hoshigaki Kisame, one of the seven swordsmen of Kirigakure no Sato. The manager spots them in only a few seconds.
"If you want to fight, do it outside! I won't have you ruining my business!"
Dana, not wanting to cause a scene, walked right past her enemies — heading outside. Said enemies followed. Reaching the backyard,a large one at that, Kisame attacked. Dana, having already activated her ocular power, dodged. It had four different forms: red, used to see the Keirakukei( Chakra network); red with black design, used for seeing a person's next moves; black with red design, used for copying a technique; and completely black, designed for mental torture. Each of these forms had a name, if only she could remember it that is. It would make things much easier!
After some time, Kisame decided to catch her rather than injure her, his orders were to persuade her to join which she couldn't do if he maimed her now, could she? He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled, momentarily immobilizing her. Itachi took advantage of this to make his move. He launched forward, but Dana sensed him and took out another kunai. At the last moment, she cut her hair, throwing off his attack. Itachi missed her neck and cut her mask instead, she knew there was a reason why she put it back on. Surprised, she disengaged her power, her mask falling off turning her head to look at him. Then she rotated, kunai in hand, weapons clashing together. He recognized her and their eyes met, emerald to crimson, clashing like their weapons.
Flashback
Team four was relaxing on the shore of a small river when, suddenly, Dana was pushed accidentally into the water, Shisui should really watch where he's going. The current was far too strong and she couldn't get out, her small hands moving, fanatically trying to grab onto something to pull herself back up. She screamed.
Mina, their sensei, instructed Shisui to make three Bushin and create a human ladder. She then grabbed Itachi's ankles and Shisui lowered them down, intending for the younger male to catch Dana. When they finally got her on dry land, Itachi was holding her bridal-style.
"You should be more careful, idiot," he said harshly. "You could've been killed ."
"Oh, so you do care for me, huh?" asked nine year old Dana before losing consciousness, unaware of the blush on her teammate's face. Wet, the children make their way towards the Uchiha District, a hot cup of cocoa made by Itachi's mom sounded great right about now, not even Shisui could deny that!
End flashback
Dana and Itachi were still fighting, but the girl's fatigue was rapidly catching up to her, decreasing her speed and strength since she couldn't yet reveal the vampire part of herself.
"Come on, Itachi," she said maliciously, trying to make him lose focus. "I thought you were stronger."
"But I am," he replied, smirking, not at all fazed by her comment. "I can already see you weakening by the second."
Flashback
Ten-year-old Dana and Itachi were again fighting over some pointless thing, this time it was about ramen.
"I'm telling you ramen is not good for long-term health. You can't live off of ramen," said Dana, matter-of-factly.
"Then tell me, you smartass, how can I do it ?" replied Itachi sarcastically.
"You're some kind of alien for all I know, you baka," she retorted.
"How am I a baka? I was top of the Academy."he replied smirking.
"Maybe your dad bribed the teachers?"she argued, Shisui was slowly nodding in the background, Mina was trying to hide her ever present grin.
"Hn. Shut up, idiot ," he said, already annoyed.
"Hey!" Dana yelled, chasing the young Uchiha. "Stop running away, Itachi no Baka! Nobody tells me to shut up!"
After finally stopping and letting their teammates catch up, Itachi had a tiny smile on his face. He was sure that his new nickname would remain... His thoughts were cut short, however, by a female's voice.
"Hey, Itachi no Baka — move it if you don't wanna be left behind again!"
His smile expanded.
As I thought. It will remain my nickname. Annoying girl, he ran to his team.
End flashback
Itachi was on top of Dana, holding her hand behind her back, immobilizing her. He bent down to her ear and whispered "Dana, our Leader has invited you to join our organization. If you wish to do so, come to the western exit tonight at midnight. We'll wait there." And with that, they left. Dana returned to the tea house, paid for her tea, and asked the owner if there was an inn nearby.
"Well, you can stay here, but for how long?" he asked the battered (former) ANBU Captain.
"Only for a few hours," she said. "I'll leave tonight at eleven. And thank you."
Receiving a key she went upstairs to her room. How ironic; it's room number 4. she thought, then entered. The room was small, but not overly so and had an adjourned bathroom as well as a nice comfortable bed.
Taking her ANBU vest off as well as her weapons, she grabbed a red blouse and some dark-colored pants and went to take a shower. After that, she took a clean kunai and arranged her hair so it would look presentable. She threw herself on the bed, trying to comprehend what was happening. Turning to her side, she saw the old photo of Team Four sticking out of the backpack which had been previously thrown on the bed. Mina-sensei was smiling, Shisui had a very annoyed look, to which Dana laughed. Then, her eyes landed on her and Itachi. Her hands were around his neck in a vice-like grip, trying to strangle him, while he was pulling at her hair with one hand while the other was prying her hands off of his neck. She remembered that day as if it was yesterday.
Flashback
Mina was standing in front of her team with a smile; she always seemed to smile for one reason or another, her Jounin vest accentuating her curves more then usual, her shoulder-length black hair was tied in a knot thus giving her a mature look.
"Now, kids — I have called you here on our day off 'cause we have to take our team photo, as I mentioned the other day" she said waiting for the outburst that was sure to come.
"Yahoo! Photos, photos, we're taking photos!" chanted Shisui and Dana.
"State the obvious, why don't you?" Itachi said, ruffling Dana's hair .
"U-chi-ha I-ta-chiiiiiiiiiiii! I'm gonna murder you! Do you have any idea how long it took to arrange my hair? ! Huh? ! Well, it took five fucking hours!" yelled the angered ten-year-old. They needed these photos for the upcoming Chunin exam.
"Language, Dana." he chastised , though the flicker in his eyes showed amusement.
After doing her hair again, but not before chasing the young Uchiha around for a while, they finally got to the photographer — Mina in the back, Shisui on the right, Itachi on the left, and Dana in between the boys. All of them were smiling softly, Dana was almost beaming! Then Itachi ruffled her hair. In that moment ll hell broke loose, Shisui snapped when Dana started strangling Itachi, his younger cousin pulling her hair and hands in self-defense, he started yelling for them to stop it, but of course no one listened.
"You two, look here!" yelled the photographer.
That moment said two turned with glares, the man was so scared that he accidentally pushed the button and taking the photo because of it. A hour later, they were looking at the it when Itachi turned and said to the girl, smirking: "Look at the bright side — you can't see how messy your hair is because your face is uglier."
"Why you… GET BACK HERE!" She ran after him.
"There they go again," said Mina, laughing, Shisui just shook his head, knowing by now to not stand in their way, they fought more than a married couple... Maybe I shoud use this to my advantage he thought, yelling he says "You two fight like an elderly couple, I swear you do!"
Big mistake Shisui, big mistake! Cause in the next moment the ganged up on him and the chase issued again...
End flashback
Dana was asleep, smiling at the happy memory when a tear made its way through her black eyelashes and slid down her cheek. The itching sensation of that one droplet woke her up and she immediately wiped the trail of black mascara. Looking at the clock on the opposite wall she panicked. She was late! Dana took her bag, and put her belongings in it before proceeding towards the exit. Downstairs, she paid the owner what she owed and left the tea house, changing into her vampire form the fifteen year old ran full speed towards the meeting point. She had wasted enough time getting her things, so she couldn't afford to lose any more. Reaching her destination, she was greeted by Kisame and Itachi. The first to speak was her.
"So, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Dana — well, actually, Daniela — Yoshiko. I like many things and..." Itachi grunted thus gaining her attention "…and I think we should get going, right?" she quickly ended the rambling.
"Hn. Kisame, I'll go ahead and report to Leader-sama " Before Kisame or even Dana could say anything, he took off, leaving the two alone. They spent the night in Fire Country, in Tanzaku Gai. By the morning, they were already heading towards Amegakure, the Hidden Village in Rain, where the main Akatsuki base was situated, all the while Dana was thinking how was she going to survive this mission when she didn't even know if she wanted to kill or hug the Uchiha-bastard! Life sucks! She sighs and follows Kisame through the night.