Fracturing my ankle has to be one of the best things I've done in my life. It leaves me with more time to work on my writing skills and drawing skills :D

Although it hurts like a bitch -3- Oh well!

Disclaimer: You know how it goes!

READ ON! *p.s. This is in Tsuki's POV*

Chapter 2

Lost

Stark darkness… deep blackness that never lit up.

Why is it so cold?

There were voices. Faint, barely there voices, but voices all the same. I could almost recall a few of them… They sounded so near…They sounded so familiar…

Save me…

Metallic magenta eyes forced themselves to open quickly, as deep ragged breaths were drawn in, trying to make the tightness in my bound chest go away. I wanted to look around, check to see if anyone was there, but I was scared. It was so dark…the only source of light came from a crack in the ceiling of a …cave? Was that where I was? It was hard to tell from what little light had gathered, and I was too weak to get up.

So weak… So hungry…Why?

I tried to shake my head of any thoughts. Coherent thinking was not in my best interest as of now. I tried to reach a skinny hand to brush back my bangs, but I received no response. I couldn't move… My body was tied to some sort of makeshift bed… if it could even be called that. A sigh passed my dry cracked lips, and I allowed my tongue to pass over them. I could taste the dried blood, and knew that I was due for a bath…most definitely. Perhaps whoever had taken me hostage would provide me with water to do so? After all, if I had captured someone, I wouldn't want to be smelling their disgusting foul stench while I babysat them, making sure they didn't run off. But that was just me.

Run…

My thoughts wouldn't shut themselves up. I liked it better when I had been passed out, so as violently as I could, I resorted to smashing my head against the table, trying to receive some sort of negative reaction. Maybe it would knock me out for good? No more waking up after this one, baby. I'm out. That sounded like a pretty good plan. With just one flaw though… I couldn't move my head. Every single piece of my body was pinned with some sort of rope, I wasn't exactly sure what it was, but it was annoying me.

"You're awake." I wanted to scoff but my spunky attitude ran to hide in the deepest corners of my brain where the id monsters would gnaw a little more at it. I shut my eyes tightly, and tensed, whimpering like a scared puppy. I was a bit scared, I wouldn't lie… This guy sounded like he could kill me at any second… I shivered at the thought of the possibility. I had always wished to end it…violently

I suddenly panicked. It hadn't registered that I was in some unknown place completely until just at that moment, and I freaked. I shook with fear, tears flowed freely from my eyes and I cried out weak questions, weak pleas to set me free.

"Where am I? Please…please let me go…" I barely murmured. A cruel, heartless chuckle left the lips of some unknown being and a shiver raked my body. Good lord he…or she sounded so…malicious. I definitely wouldn't be able to tolerate that… Dammit.

Weak…scared child.

Another Malicious chuckle…only this time somewhere within the depths of my brain…

Why me?

"Tsuki Miyoko." Right…My name…

I quivered, breathing heavily, trying my hardest not to scream out in fear. That would not be a good first impression. I tried to steady myself, attempted to bring some sort of dignity upon myself, but my work was to no avail. I could taste it… The blood… It tasted so sweet… I wanted more…

The red substance started to drip from my lips, and soon, I was coughing up near quarts of the stuff. I heard a name called…Hikami maybe? Or was it Hikari?

I couldn't remember, but it seemed familiar. White hair draped over my torso as the...woman? Yeah, it was a girl... maybe her early twenties? The white hair threw me off. Her hair felt soft when I felt it tickle my exposed stomach. I wanted to touch it… but I was too scared. Too worried that she would yell at me or hit me. I didn't want to be rejected again. Something green began to glow in her fingertips, my blurred vision watching her closely as she moved over my chest—the place where it hurt the most. I thought I could make out something akin to a grimace on her face, but in this state, nothing could ever be sure. More words were whispered—although all I made out from it was 'collapsed' and 'severe'…something about a virus too perhaps.

Will you look now?

Will you save me?

Tell me I'll make it…Better yet, tell me I'll make it to heaven or hell.

"Fix her so she's coherent, Hikari." It was Hikari… why did I think I had heard that name before? Ugh. Headache. I didn't want to be coherent. I wanted to drift away into a peaceful slumber. I wanted to be in a permanent resting place, away from these people—away from the misery that was my entire being. If only I wasn't so weak. If only I wasn't so scared to speak up to people.

She undid my bindings, and god did it feel so good. Tch…that stupid song came into mind making me nearly chuckle. Reunited and it feeellls sooo good.

Stop.

Breathe.

Or not.

"Tsuki?" I liked her voice. It was soft, gentle…caring. I didn't hold the malice of the man. Her touches—gentle butterflies that danced gracefully across my torso to heal all the ruptured organs, all the broken bones—calmed me in ways I didn't know was possible. Slowly, my eyes opened, and I looked up, searching for her eyes. The only time I willingly ever did so. I landed on her lips, noting the gentle curve of her smile when she saw I was conscious. The memory of it was imbedded there forever. I moved up to delicate orbs of a golden hue, and I wanted to smile. My eyes were locked onto hers. I didn't want to look away. She made me feel safe… "Does this hurt?" She pressed a sore spot in my stomach, causing me to hiss. I averted my gaze, shy and scared that she'd get mad at my reaction.

I wish I hadn't looked away.

Stupid, stupid girl.

Scared of rejecting gazes meant to burn holes into the very core of your soul.

Why am I scared?

Why won't this pain go away?

Eyes were everywhere. Cold calculating stares bore holes into my skin. Anxiety itched its way across my form, tempting me to claw at my skin 'til I bled. They were trying to make eye contact…or was that my imagination? I shut my own eyes tightly again. I couldn't take it anymore. They all looked so dominating.

I could still feel them staring at me.

Watching me.

Judging me. I cried. I let the tears that were forming flow out from my eyes. Hikari thought it was from pain and I let it pass as that.

"I'm sorry, Tsuki. I'm just trying to heal them the best I can." I nodded. Still terrified, still feeling helpless.

"Hikari, stop." She froze, and stepped back, the warmth she had given me fading as well. The pain came back again, and I whimpered.

Don't leave me here…

Please…save me…find me…

Flashbacks…pain…mental anguish…

"Tsuki Miyoko. You have been brought here to be recruited as a new member of the Akatsuki." I could feel the tension in his voice—he didn't sound happy that I had been chosen as a…Shit. I was chosen to join the Akatsuki…how the hell did that happen? "You will either accept this invitation or be put to death. The choice is yours."

I wanted to say, that there really wasn't much of a choice. Then I thought about it. Death. Something I had been searching for quite some time…

Didn't I want to die after I saw him for a final time? After I figured out why he left me there…

No, no, no.

You just want to die. To be sent away to that final place.

I shook my head ridding the thoughts.

"Well?" I nodded quickly. I wanted him to go away. I wanted him to disappear. I just wanted it to be done and over with. I felt a rush of heat. Anger...Hatred…Animosity…All towards me. But why? What did I do wrong? "You will speak when spoken to, now answer me." His voice raised an octave, in return, I curled in on myself, whimpering, shaking like a lost puppy that hadn't been able to find his way home and was now stuck in a dark alleyway—surrounded by the whipping cold wind and the snarling vicious bigger dogs.

That's all this was. A simple metaphor. This wasn't actually happening.

"She won't speak to you, Leader-sama." I knew that voice by heart. I'd know it anywhere. "She has a complex. She'll just nod her head at you. You shouldn't expect anything more." The man who had left me…left me without saying a proper goodbye. Left me and didn't even tell me if he'd be back to save me from myself.

Itachi Uchiha.

Cold…Distant…

Why did you go? Why did you leave me in the middle of a labyrinth of fear, regret and loathing?

Why did you leave me lost?

I cracked my eyes open when the warmth returned a bit, but shut them justas quickly. Those horrible silvery eyes…so intimidating. So…evil.

Go away…please…

"Hikari, take her to the infirmary. Make sure she is fed, and properly cared for. When she's almost fully healed, we'll send her on her first mission to retrieve a scroll with you. Understood?" I felt the vicious aura of the man disappear, and it was replaced with a more pleasant aura—albeit it was a bit tense, but it was the same as the girl from before. The girl that I could trust…Well if only partially.

My eyes peaked open of their own accord, and I caught her curt nod. She seemed as if she loathed taking orders from him—as if, provided given the opportunity, she would kill him on the spot. I could tell it was hard for her to grin and bear it.

There's no sympathy from someone who can't feel.

Don't feel hatred towards your master.

You should know better.

Stupid girl.

I wanted to rip my eyes out of my head. I wanted to rip off my ears and claw at every bit of my skin until the voices stopped. Why wouldn't they go away? I couldn't take it anymore. What the hell was wrong with me? No matter how hard I willed it away they wouldn't leave me alone. The white noise in my head got louder, ripping a scream from the back of my throat that almost made its way passed my lips. I bit down hard though, covering my ears with my hands, curling into myself as much as I could.

Soft fingertips brushed back matted, stringy hair from pained eyes, and a soft coo left pale pink lips. "Tsuki-chan, I'm gunna take you to the infirmary, that way we can fix you up more, okay?" Half of a nod was all that I could muster, I was so scared. "Can you walk hun?" Hikari watched carefully as I struggled to lift myself from the makeshift table, pain etched onto my features. Everything felt so tense…Everything hurt as if a thousand katanas were being shoved through every single muscle in my body. My lip began to bleed from my biting to hard on it, but I couldn't feel it. That was nothing compared to the searing pain coursing through every fiber of my being.

Quickly I shook my head and fell weakly down, holding back tears, and cries of agony. "That's okay, don't force yourself." She glanced around, her eyes making contact with everyone around us. How did she do that without feeling anxious, or intimidated by all those calculating glares?

She's not weak.

She's not rejected.

She's not stupid

She's not you.

I closed my eyes again after realizing that I had opened them, and waited—willing away those voices. "Deidara," did I know him? He sounded as if I had known him…"Will you carry her to the infirmary for me?" I could feel the sweet smile she gave him when he scoffed. Her entire being screamed kindness and appreciation when he walked towards us.

I couldn't detect anything with him…he just seemed…a bit tense…torn between something maybe? I couldn't place it, and I doubted I really wanted to anyways. One eye cracked open a bit, revealing flowing blonde hair.

Explosions…

Hasty attacks, directed to do severe harm to you.

Airbourne…Clay…Birds.

He had been the one to attack me. The one who had approached me first, kindly, but then turned the entire ordeal into a fight of warm colours and sadistic grins. It wasn't as if I could fight against him now anyway…I was too far gone at this point. Once he had picked me up, my conscious drifted away—something that I was glad for. I hadn't gone so far into limbo that I didn't hear what they were saying, though. I probably ignored most of it, simply because I was too tired to care.

"Thank you, Dei-kun." Hikari murmured considerately, her gaze upon my sleeping form as she led the blonde down a long corridor. "I wouldn't trust anyone else carrying her, and I would have done it myself, if it wasn't for this." Her arm raised a bit revealing a gnarly wound that was bandaged, but bleeding profusely through its bindings. I felt the male's body tense considerably and he made a grunt that seemed worried.

"Where'd that come from, hmm?" He inquired, his focus set solely on her. He was concerned—so much so to the point that I wouldn't doubt if he thought her arm might fall off.

All she did was nod her head at me before opening the door to an austere, white room, laden with necessary medical tools, cabinets filled with jars of herbal mixtures, medicines, and other such medical supplies, and a few hospital beds. Deidara set me down on the first bad rather roughly, earning a curt glare from the white haired kunoichi.

"Careful with her, Dei-kun." She scolded, picking out the different items she would need to fix me up right and proper. "She's fragile." He scoffed again, and I could feel the end of my hospital bed dip with his weight.

"Why should I be careful with someone who hurt you, hmm?" He stopped her when she came to my side, holding her injured arm delicately in his hands. Both he and I noticed her tensing muscles when he held just under the wound on her wrist—he could only imagine the pain on the actual injury itself. "You should worry about this first, yeah. It'll get infected if you don't, hmm." She sighed, a sweet sigh, of slight annoyance, but it seemed as if it was meant more as a brush off.

"I'm fine Deidara. It's just a little…" He was standing now, his body felt really close to hers, and I could hear her breath hitch in her throat. Whether it was from close proximity, or shock, or both, I couldn't tell.

"A little scratch doesn't bleed like that, hmm. Nor does it cause you pain down here, yeah." He squeezed her hand tenderly, making her grimace. I did that to her?

You destroy everything.

You hurt everyone around you.

You're a monster.

"Let me fix it if you're not going to, hmm. I may not be a medic nin like you, but I can at least rewrap it for you before you tend to her, hmm." He sounded so genuinely concerned for her well being—I stirred on the bed a bit. I wasn't used to hearing such caring words, nor was I used to feeling the amount of compassion he held for her, and yet, I questioned if she realized it.

With a defeated pout, Hikari nodded, holding out her arm to him. "Fine, but only this time, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah Hikari. Whatever you…"

My earsplitting scream interrupted him, and I sat up abruptly, eyes wide, crazed, and scared.

Where am I?

Why do I feel so misplaced?

So that was chapter 2!

I hope ya'll enjoyed it… I'm not very happy with how I ended it, but I knew if I didn't, then I'd spoil pretty much all of chapter 3 for you, so I had to.

I apologize if you didn't like that D:

Please Review :D

Love always~

Luna-chan