"All right, we ready!" Jiraiya cheered excitedly as he and the small group reached the outer limits of Konoha.
"Eh." Anko sighed, scratching her back tiredly.
Itachi and Ryik had their backs turned to each other, their dismay for one another keeping them energized.
Jiraiya sighed. "Maybe this was a bad idea…"
"Let's get this over with." Anko sighed again, leading the way. Of course, Ryik and Itachi followed, but for once, they followed in silence.
Jiraiya stared at the three retreating figures in dismay. This mission would crash and burn at this rate; his sanity would do the same if Ryik and Itachi started up again. But his heart would go first if he didn't get into Anko's head and find out why she had broken down when she went back to her apartment the night before.
He shook his head and caught up with the rest, his eyes on Anko's downcast expression as they walked.
/\/././
After an hour of traveling, the group stopped by a waterfall to rest. Anko took to cleaning up in a private area while Jiraiya decided to amuse the two boys with…lessons…on how to interact with women. It was really just a way to get them to get along, but it actually seemed to be working. They were sitting next to each other, and Ryik was even taking notes.
"…And always make sure the girl you want isn't with someone else. That includes working girls. You get mixed up with one of their guys, teeth are going to go flying…"
Itachi sighed in boredom. He stole a peek at the writings on Ryik's notepad. Turns out he was just drawing a picture of Jiraiya getting chased by a giant snake/frog thing.
"I'm going to check on Anko." Itachi said as he jumped up.
Jiraiya tried to stop him, "But I was just about to-"
"Your information sucks," Itachi said, "And it's almost completely useless for a nine and almost ten year old."
Jiraiya glared at the youth's retreating form. "Well, fine!"
He turned back to Ryik to finish his pointers but was disappointed to see him getting up as well.
"I hate to say it, but Uchiha's got a point. Besides," he scowled, "I just don't trust him alone with Anko-girl. See ya!"
Jiraiya watched him run after Itachi. He flopped down on a rock and stared out into the waterfall. "This was definitely a bad idea."
/\/././
Ryik stumbled through a series of shrubbery before landing beside a puzzled Itachi. They were at a small clearing in front of the lake, an area usually used for camping.
"I could have sworn I saw her go this way before." Itachi mused.
Ryik stood and brushed himself off. "Wouldn't be the first time you made a stupid mistake."
Itachi glared at him but said nothing. He deserved Ryik's sass, if just for a little while.
"Maybe she's just walking around." Ryik suggested. "She's been acting like a zombie all damn day, mumbling to herself and not paying attention to anything."
"Or she went ahead…" Itachi mused as he stared at the lake. He closed his eyes for a moment and re-opened then, his Sharingan activated. He saw hints of her chakra in the spot he and Ryik was standing as well as in the water.
"Guess you just ain't as sharp as we all thought you was." Ryik scoffed.
Itachi's eyes flared and he shot back around and grabbed Ryik's shirt. "Listen, you little-"
The sound of something huge hitting the water cut him off. They both turned to the lake to see ripples heading towards the shallow end of the pond.
"What was…?"
Anko shot out of the water, throwing her hair back and patting it down.
Ryik and Itachi gawked at the beautiful, naked girl washing herself in the lake.
"Oh…my…" Ryik fainted before he could finish his sentence.
Itachi didn't even notice. He was too mesmerized by the way Anko's body moved as she cleansed herself. How often did Orochimaru get to see this? The lucky bastard…Itachi wished he could have been him just once. His head started to spin. If he weren't so headstrong, he would have probably ended up next to Ryik. His little moment of sight pleasure was foiled however when Anko shot around and saw him.
"Itachi!" she screamed, shielding herself as best as she could in the water.
Itachi's face turned bright red and he turned everywhere to escape Anko's image. However, it was in his mind now. He ended up tripping over Ryik and falling face-first in the dirt.
Anko slapped her forehead. "Great, now I'm responsible for ruining their childhoods."
/\/././
After a while, Ryik and Itachi were awake and waiting for Anko to finish dressing in the clump of trees where her clothes had been hanging. They were both still red-faced, but now they were more scared about what Anko was going to do to them when she came back.
"This is your fault," Ryik hissed.
"Good." Itachi said absently.
Anko emerged from the trees and stared at the backs that were to her. If she felt more like herself, she probably would have yelled at them, hit them, or embarrassed them more than they already were. However, Anko did not feel like herself, so there was no point in making an effort.
She ruffled their hairs and headed back towards camp.
"…That's it?" exclaimed Ryik.
"Yeah," Anko answered. "So what?"
Ryik looked at Itachi and then back at Anko. "Anko-girl, we stared at you when you were… in the nude. Ain't you gonna…do something bad to us?"
"Not in the mood today Ryik." Anko growled.
Ryik jumped up and ran after her, Itachi hanged back and watched them.
"Anko, if this is about taking …" He looked around to make sure there weren't any eavesdroppers. "Orochimaru out, then—"
"Shh!" Anko hissed violently. She looked around to make sure Jiraiya wasn't around before grabbing the boys and pulling them back into the private place. "Keep it down, will you?"
"Sorry."
Itachi took over. "Anko, you have got to let him go, okay?"
Anko rolled her eyes. "What do you think I'm trying to do?"
"I think your letting the things that happened between the two of you cloud your judgment. The guy fucked you once, but he's an enemy again. You have to forefill your shinobi duties and take him out."
"Fucked!" Ryik exclaimed, fear twisting in his voice. "Anko-girl, What is this fool talking about?"
Anko jumped up and walked a few feet away. "Three times, actually." She muttered to herself. "Nothing Ryik." Anko called back. She thought the kid would have known.
Ryik shot to Itachi for a clearer answer, but Itachi was already heading towards Anko.
"It doesn't matter." he said, coming in a closed distance so Ryik couldn't hear him. "He was probably just using you, anyway."
Anko shot back around. "That's not true!"
"Then why did he leave, Anko?"
Anko froze for a second. Orochimaru had given her an answer, but even she was beginning to become skeptical. "He…got sick."
"Sick?" Itachi scoffed. "The guy spent two years tearing innocent people apart in our village, Anko, he should have an immune system of steel by now!"
"Would one of you please tell me what the heck's you're talking about?" Ryik yelled as he tried to break them apart.
Itachi pushed Anko along, ignoring Ryik completely. "He deserves to die, Anko. He's just a murderous, sadistic pimp who wasn't going to give you a second thought when he got through with you."
Anko's hand shot up and rammed him in the cheek. She gasped at her own action, but inside, she was warm with satisfaction.
Ryik bit his fist to keep from making a sound or stepping in.
Itachi slowly turned back to Anko; his face stung, but his heart hurt even more. He wanted to hit her back, or at least yell at her to drench the fire that burned his stomach. However, he couldn't find the will to cause any more pain than he already had.
"Fine then." He walked back towards camp, keeping his head down.
Ryik reached out for him, but Itachi stormed away. He turned back to Anko. "Anko, what was he talking about with you and Orochimaru?"
Anko turned her back to him. "Get out of here, Ryik."
The youth sighed and marched after Itachi, peeking back every now and again to make sure Anko didn't throw a rock at him or something. Anko stormed off to the lake and squatted down by the shore.
"They're wrong." she hissed. "They've got to be wrong! Orochimaru is so many things but…he wouldn't do all of this to me just to mess me up!"
She saw him, for God's sake! He was practically chocking on his own blood the last time she saw him; no way he could have faked that! Besides, why would he lie to her? He was Orochimaru, one of the most powerful people in the world. He could have just wiped her mind and leave her, but he chose a different bit with her.
Anko forced a smile. "Maybe there really is a soul behind that shell of a man…"
But her mind wandered to Itachi's words. He was right; Orochimaru had hurt a lot of people and done even more inexcusable things. However, perhaps his time with her had changed him. Even monsters could change.
Although, she would never know unless she faced him again...
She gripped her knees tightly. Ryik was too oblivious about her and Orochimaru to use, and no way Itachi would come back to her after what she just did.
She had to confront him, to beat him, yet had to save him on her own…this was going to be difficult.
"Anko?"
Anko jumped up and spun around, sighing in relief as Jiraiya walked towards her. "Everything okay? The boys jump came back and looked mad as hell."
Anko cleared her throat. "Yeah, let's get going, okay?"
Jiraiya gently grabbed her shoulder before she could take another step. "Are you okay?" he inquired, "You've been kind of distance since I told you about this mission."
Anko shot around and forced a smile. "I'm fine, just nervous. It's not every day I'm sent to slaughter my ex-sensei."
Jiraiya draped a fatherly arm around her. "You're really an amazing person, Anko, going through this and all."
Anko's eyes fell. "Yeah…"
He patted her shoulders. "Let's get a move on."
Anko stayed behind for another few minutes reminiscing on Jiraiya's words. She wasn't an amazing person, not in the least. She was a liar, and a snake's fuck—toy as far as she was concerned. Still, she was Anko Mitarashi, and she would find a way to make everything fall into place.
She took in a deep breath and then ran back to her men.
A knock on the door pulled Orochimaru from his deep slumber. "Come in!" He growled as he sat up.
Kabuto hesitated before opening the door; he was slowly learning his master's temper. "Um…sir…there's—"
"Kabuto, I am sick!" Orochimaru's tainted voice shouted. "I just took over another man's body, you have no idea how exhausting that is!"
Kabuto breathed uneasily, "I know, sir, but…a scout has reported…several people nearing-"
Orochimaru shot up and glared at the meek child with the temporary brown eyes he possessed. "Damn you, boy, GET TO THE POINT!"
Kabuto backed up into a wall. "I-I-It's Anko, sir! She's pr-practically at your doorstep sir!"
Orochimaru stared at him. Kabuto knew better than to pull stunts like that with him, so there was no way he could be lying. So Anko had decided to pay him a little visit? Well then, he just couldn't sit in bed and declined her could he?
Kabuto opened his eyes to see Orochimaru trying to get out of bed. "Lord Orochimaru…what are you doing?"
Orochimaru slowly unwrapped the bloodstained bandages from his face. Soon, his familiar, starch white evil snare was revealed.
"Lord…Orochimaru?"
Orochimaru threw his hair behind his shoulder. "Here's a lesson for you when you become an adult, Kabuto: Never leave your lady waiting."
"He's close!" Itachi hissed as him and the rest of the group flew through the trees. It was nighttime now, and other than the bright; Waxing Gibbous above them, Itachi was their only light.
Well, with exception of Ryik who had to run on the ground below them considering he knew nothing about chakra control, thus kept falling and hurting himself each time he tried to jump from tree to tree. That, and he still felt uneasy about the Orochimaru and Anko thing. Itachi had mentioned something about them before…he felt it in the back of his skull…but everything got so messed up after the explosion. His memory was fried.
"How you holding up, Ryik?" Jiraiya shouted back excitedly.
Ryik got off his train of thought, "Quit mocking me, you little terd-toad. Seriously, I meant toad!"
Anko pressed forward while the two fought. She ended up by Itachi, who didn't even glance at her. The place where she hit him earlier was still bulging.
"Itachi," Anko whispered. She cleared her throat; she really hated apologizing for things she didn't feel responsible for. "Look, I'm…sorry…about earlier."
"Don't worry about it." Itachi answered quickly.
Anko knew by the strain of emotion in his voice that he didn't mean it. "Itachi, I—"
"Anko please." Itachi hissed. "I can't concentrate my Sharingan with you—"
Suddenly he came to a stop, signaling the others to do also.
"What is it?" Jiraiya whispered, receiving no immediate answer.
Anko followed Itachi's confused gaze. There was nothing but shadows ahead, but there was something darker than those shadows, something eviler.
"What's going on up there?" Ryik yelled from below.
Anko didn't have the time to yell at him to be quiet before Itachi grabbed her and the two of them jumped off the trees before they burst into flames.
Anko didn't know what happened between the darkness, but Itachi's grasp disappeared and was replaced by a stronger one, Jiraiya. She was in his arms when he hit the ground, and could barely hear see through the darkness when she opened her eyes.
"What's happening?" she whispered. She wiggled from Jiraiya's grip and heard the sound of an explosion right above them.
"He was expecting us." Jiraiya said, but not necessarily to answer her question.
"Where are the boys?" Anko asked. Suddenly, a yelp broke through the darkness. "That sounded like—"
Jiraiya got out a kunai and signaled Anko ahead, into the darkness.
"Where are they, Jiraiya?" Anko hissed.
He stopped without answering her question and pointed ahead.
Itachi was bathed in moonlight, and several corpses were around him. He looked in her direction, but dropped to his knees before a connection was made. He held onto his side for dear life, and Anko cold see something dark oozing from it. Ryik suddenly appeared beside him and helped him stay on his feet.
"You idiot!" he cursed. "You should of let me take one or two! Damn, Itachi, you're so stupid!"
Jiraiya ran up to them, leaving Anko to stare. Were those Orochimaru's men that had attacked them, or just some rouge ninJA looking for a quick steal?
Anko was about to join the boys when the sound of leaves rustling caught her attention. She spun around and hurled a snake from her sleeve, successfully hitting something. It wasn't until the snake went limp against her arm that a wave of déjà vu hit her.
She stepped forward and noticed the white haired boy, glaring at her while the shards of bone in her serpent resided back into his arm.
"Kimimaro?" Anko gasped.
He ran away.
"Wait!" she called after him. Her "common sense" told him to signal her team, but her "Hell Yeah" side told her to follow the child.
Wherever he went, Orochimaru was sure to be there waiting.
/\/././
"Where's Anko?" Itachi whispered as Ryik lowered him to the ground, clutching a bloody wound on his side.
"Don't worry man," Ryik shakily reassured. "She's right behind us, right toad-man?" Ryik wasn't given an answer. "Toad-man?"
Jiraiya was smirking at him, but it wasn't his smile at all.
"…Oh shit."
Jiraiya kicked Ryik square in the face, knocking him out instantly.
Itachi scrambled back, his Sharingan stinging and coming close to shutting down as he tried to find out what Jiraiya was all about. But, Jiraiya wouldn't have attacked him, would he?
"Who are you?" Itachi hissed.
The Jiraiya imposer smirked. "Forget names." A puff of smoke revealed a boy with silver hair and a wicked glare off the glasses on his eyes. He pulled out a syring filled with a glowing substance.
"It's not like you're going to live long enough to remember it."
"Kimimaro!"
Anko watched the white-haired youth run farther ahead. She knew that she could be heading into danger, but she had to find Orochimaru. Jiraiya would look after Ryik, and Itachi could look after himself, they'd be fine without her.
"Kimimaro, wait!"
Suddenly, the boy came to a stop and turned towards her, glaring and panting.
Anko stopped as well, locking her sight on him while she regained her breath.
"Why did you come back?" Kimimaro hissed.
Anko stared at him in confusion. She had yet to see the amount of hate that was in his eyes right then. He really didn't want her to be there.
"I'm here for Orochimaru."
Kimimaro's pupils turned into slits of rage and he screamed before slinging a shard of bone at her.
Anko dodged it, despite barely being able to see. "Kimimaro, I'm not trying to hurt him."
Kimimaro charged at her.
She out maneuvered him, but couldn't prevent the cuts he gave her. She managed to grab one of his wrists and sling him into a tree. He froze, which gave Anko enough time to pry the bone out of his hand.
"What is with you?" she demanded.
"Why do you keep doing this to me!" Kimimaro screamed.
"…What—"
"Why do you have to take him away from me! You have your precious friends! Why is it so important that you take the only family I have!"
Anko watched the childish tears flow down his icy cheeks. She didn't have to restrain him anymore for he dropped onto the ground in a tight ball.
"What do you mean?" Anko whispered.
"Lord Orochimaru was the first person to look at me as something other than a monster!" Kimimaro sobbed. "He's treated me like a son, something my own father didn't do. Everything was perfect." He went quiet for a moment, but soon his flushed face rose and stared at Anko."And then you showed up."
A violent wind ripped through them, but Anko barely felt it. She was paralyzed by the boy's eyes…the eyes that were hers over four years ago.
Kimimaro stood, his fists clenched, and the rest of his body language portraying that he really wanted to hurt her. "The second you showed up here, was the second my life was turned into a living hell. You made Lord Orochimaru so agitated…so angry…that he couldn't even look at him without slapping me."
Anko thought back to the morning after their almost drunken intercourse and remembered the way Orochimaru reacted when he saw Kimimaro wasn't in the apartment. If he acted that way when she was around, she wondered what he was like when they were in the privacy of their own apartment.
"I should have killed you." Kimimaro spat. "I should have killed you the first time I saw you."
Anko stepped a forward a little, despite the danger. "Kimimaro, I know what you're going through, but it is entirely unfair to blame me for it."
"Unfair!" Kimimaro screamed. "It's all your fault! How is there anything unfair about it? And how would you understand what I'm going through!"
"I never wanted any of this!" Anko yelled back, her rage slipping out. "One month ago, all I wanted was to become a great ninja, to prove to Orochimaru that he made a mistake when he left me behind…" Her hand gripped her curse seal. "Orochimaru ruined my life. I thought I didn't want anything to do with him because of that, but…" She hid a smile. "I'm starting to think otherwise." She looked back at Kimimaro, his eyes glued on her. "You can have him, but only after I see him one last time."
Kimimaro flinched. "Why?"
Anko smirked. "Grown up stuff, kid, you'll understand when you're older."
Another cool breeze hit them, but this time, it was directly behind Anko.
"How kind of you to pay me a visit..."
Anko jumped forward and spun around. Her body froze when she saw it was Orochimaru who had caught her off guard, but it was the substance on his clothes that took her breath away.
He was covered in blood.
As the images of Itachi, Ryik, and Jiraiya lying dead somewhere hit her mind, she fell into the dirt, darkness quickly followed.
Orochimaru stared down at her, an amused grin on his face. "I guess she's just too happy to see me." He looked up a frowned at the scowling Kimimaro. He bent down and slung Anko over his shoulder and walked back towards the base.
"If you ever attack her again," Orochimaru growled as he passed him, "I'll kill you."
Kimimaro stood his ground for a moment more. He had just recently learned what love was, but now he was learning heartbreak, which hurt more than anything he could possible imagine. He looked up at the bright moon, his only friend. But even the stars forsake their followers.
With this on his mind, he fell to his knees and cried for hundredth time in the last two months.
UGH! I am a total screw up. I'm very disapointed with this chapter, but it's the best I could do. Next one will be better, I promise!
And to the two people who responded before Draco Oblivion: What up? Who are you and what were you talking about?