A/N: Hello everyone! I know it has been a while since I last updated but that's only because I just started Term 2, and the teachers are already bombarding us with assignments :) I know that's no excuse and so I present to you the next chapter of Innocent Evil (This chapter is dedicated to my first reviewers and Sutakane, thank you for the advice :) )
Chapter 4
What Really Happened
Melody was never one to sit still and relax. For her entire life she had always been moving, need to get here at this time, need to be there 5 minutes after that, move, move, move. Pushing to move faster, to get everything done, if people thought that she would stop moving even after her child's supposed 'Death' then they were all wrong. Stopping the movement was impossible now, she had gotten so used to it that without it, she would be lost.
Not that she wanted to, she had to find her child, she had to know what happened to her little Lucy.
It had barely been a month since it happened, the funeral was toned down to only close family and friends. Melody had attended but refused to let even one tear escape her eyes, it would be weakness and it would also lead her one step closer to believing her baby was gone for good, and she couldn't, no she wouldn't believe that.
Every day after the funeral her and Jack would be at the library, on the computers compiling information that was even remotely connected to what happened. It wasn't much so far, but at least they had a little bit of an idea of what they were dealing with.
"Look here Jack, I found another article about it"
Jack pushed his chair away from the computer desk and rolled his way over to his wife. On the computer screen was an article, with big bold letters spread across the parchment that read 'Terrorists Destroy Office Building'. Melody had quickly scanned through the article and pointed out a highlighted section to her husband.
Victims and witnesses say that through the explosion they had seen a demon fox that was covered in the fire from the explosion. One of the witnesses said 'It didn't even look like fire, more like an orange energy that almost seemed to be a part of it', later after the explosion all witnesses and victims were found dead with the same cause of death, a foreign substance had entered their body, most likely from the explosion, and their body had rejected it effectively killing them from the inside out.
"Jack it can't just be a coincidence, this is the seventh article we've found that has mentioned a demon fox" Melody's eyes had lit up in excitement. She was one step closer to finding her baby.
"So now that we've established that you are not crazy," "Jack!" Melody leaned over and whacked her husband in the shoulder "What are we looking for next"
Melody hadn't thought of that.
Akumu was exhausted. Her fight with the Sound Ninja had left her completely drained and boarder line unconscious, in fact the only reason she was still able to move was because Ashi's chakra was able to regenerate quickly. The entire trip so far had been in silence, no one said anything or tried to talk to her, it made her feel like she didn't belong.
The loss of her family and her entire world was now just a dull ache shoved to the back of her mind, every day she forgot a little more, she couldn't even remember their faces anymore, and she couldn't remember why her world was so different from this one. The only place she felt at home now is wherever Ashi is and Ashi is always with her so she's always at home. Slowly her existence in that world was becoming nothing, and the little girl didn't feel anything for it.
She had Ashi now, and maybe even Mr Pale Snake Sir if he wanted to be her friend.
"Um, Mr, how long left do we have to go?" Akumu questioned innocently, her voice barely above a whisper from her previous exertion.
No one turned around, or even so much as twitched at the little girl's question. She didn't let herself get disheartened though, Ashi was like this all the time. She'd ask a question and he wouldn't reply, she'd keep on asking at minute intervals until he did. It was like a game to her.
'I wouldn't do that if I were you girly' Ashi's voice broke through the jumping thoughts in her mind, startling her enough to make her jump slightly.
The people she was travelling with glanced at her curiously, she quickly composed herself and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
'Since when can you hear my thoughts Ashi?' The girl jumped a second time when she realised that she just talked back to Ashi, without opening her mouth.
'I don't know when it happened but apparently we can speak through thoughts now'
'What does that mean Ashi?'
The fox demon sighed 'It means girly, that you don't have to say things out loud anymore to speak to me'
A knowing look went over Akumu's face and she nodded vigorously to herself. Now there would be less chance of anyone finding Ashi and taking him away from her. The little girls eyes once again focused on the back in front of her, she decided that she'd ask one more time before stopping.
"Excuse me Oroki Orochima maru, but will we be there soon, I'm sore" The girl's voice was barely above a croaky whisper and non-ninja's would've had to strain to hear it. Orochimaru's head turned slightly to look back at her.
"Soon" He said and turned back to face the road.
"Soon?"
"Yes"
And with that the group continued to move along the road at a more relaxed pace. Although the girl's curiosity was not satisfied, she understood that she wouldn't get any more information out of him.
"I don't know! Find out more about this supposed fox demon! Argh sometimes you make the most annoying points" Melody threw her arms up in the air and walked into the kitchen, a chuckling Jack following close behind.
She reached up into a cupboard and pulled out hot chocolate powder, accidently causing a jar of coffee beans and a jar of sugar to fall. Both jars collided with each other and shattered making the sugar and coffee mix with each other.
Suddenly Melody had an epiphany.
"Jack! I have an idea of what happened to our baby girl!"
"What?"
"Well what if there were other universes or worlds out there and they're all floating in this space minding their own business, but occasionally some collide" Melody gestured to the broken jars "And when they do a crack forms in both that allows some things to escape into the other world" Then Melody moved her hand to gesture to the sugar and coffee that were smashed together on the floor.
"That," Jack moved around the shattered glass to stand beside his wife "is ingenious"
He leant down and captured her lips with his own in a passionate kiss.
Akumu's body and mind had both had it, they had been walking for most of the afternoon now and she hadn't even had lunch yet. Her eyes drooped shut, and her limbs sluggishly slowed until she was barely moving at all, and then she lost consciousness.
Orochimaru and his henchmen secretly watched on as the girl lost consciousness. Before her head could hit the floor Tayuya scooped the girl up in her arms.
The group silently made the decision that it was finally safe to go to the base as the girl was definitely not faking her unconsciousness. They all leapt off the road in sync and sped through the tree's at an alarming rate, so fast that their surroundings were blurred to colours.
After a few minutes they stopped in front of a secret rock entrance covered in seals, a few hand signs later and the group was descending underground into one of Orochimaru's many bases. The halls were long and littered with lanterns and earthy doors. Screams echoed continuously and the smell of iron, dirt and dust seemed to be permanently imprinted in the halls. The group proceeded to go their different ways, Kabuto and Orochimaru heading deeper into the base while Sakon and Tayuya dropped Akumu off in one of the many rooms before heading back to their own.
Akumu's chest slowly lifted and fell, as she stayed within her dreams.
'Wake up girly' Akumu's head felt light and her body felt like it could float. Her eyes slowly opened to see a man with long flowing orange hair with black streaks, his eyes were narrow and red with slitted pupils, his hair fell long past his shoulders and pooled around his feet. White, red and black robes fell around his shoulders and over his lithe frame.
'Who are you?' Akumu questioned, her voice ringing out clearly in the absent space, bouncing off non-existent walls and rebounding back to her.
'I'm hurt, surely you would remember the voice of your dear older brother'
Akumu leapt from the floor and wrapped her short arms around the much clearly taller Ashi. He placed one of his arms hesitantly around the small girl as she clutched him tight.
'I'm sorry Ashi I've just never seen you before, I didn't know I'm sorry' she sobbed into his robes as his arm awkwardly held her. A few minutes later her sniffles finally died out and she looked up to her brother.
'Listen Akumu, you're at Orochimaru's base now, I won't be able to speak to as often, except in your dreams, just remember that I'm always here'
'Why did it take so long Ashi?'
'They were waiting for you to pass out, it seems they don't quite trust you yet, especially changing your mind so quickly back there'
'When I fought them and then told them I'd come with them? I guess that is kinda confuzzling'
'When in this base I want you to be careful, think about what everyone says, observe instead of blurting the first thing to come to mind, say things carefully, you're on the edge of a very sharp knife at the moment, ok girly?'
Akumu nodded her head once 'Ok big brother, I'll be careful they won't know a thing!' Her face broke into a smile like the sun, it was then that Ashi realised that he actually cared for the little girl that was only meant to be a temporary vessel, that somehow when he wasn't looking she managed to worm her way into his black heart.
She was the sun and he was the moon, two opposites that were never meant to be together but still work in harmony anyway. With a shock his concentration shattered and the little girl disappeared from his realm. He would have to spend a very long time re-thinking everything that he had planned thus far. Ashi stood to his full height and walked through the white misty space towards a single desk cluttered with scrolls, ink and brushes.
"Orochimaru-sama excuse me for saying this but, she didn't look much like a child of the Kyuubi" Kabuto stated walking beside his master.
"She has to be acting"
"But have you ever considered that maybe she's innocent"
Orochimaru stopped and turned to face his subordinate.
"Please Kabuto, have you ever heard of an innocent demon? I certainly haven't"
"Of course Orochimaru-sama" They continued walking down the dark and damp hallway, their backs slowly disappearing into the distance.
"Pein-sama" A beautiful blue haired kunoichi stepped into the dim light of the room.
A man covered in shadows nodded his head "Konan"
"Orochimaru has accepted our offer, when should we collect him and his subordinates?"
The shadowed man stood from his chair and paced to a shelf filled with papers "Tell him to meet us at our old base in half a year"
"Yes Pein-sama" Konan bowed her head and gracefully exited the room in a swirl of paper butterfly's.
The man covered in shadows sat back down in his seat and flipped opened a folder that he had picked up from the shelf.
OROCHIMARU
AGE: 50
RANK: SANIN
SPECIALTYS: SEALS, CURSES
HOBBYS: SCIENTIST
SUBBORDINATES: KABUTO, TAYUYA, SAKON, UKON, UNKNOWN
"Hm, what are you hiding?"
He shut the folder and carefully placed it back on the shelf.
"Zetsu, gather all the members, I'm calling a group meeting"
Yellow eyes appeared on the far wall and there was a quiet 'yes sir' before they disappeared again, travelling at speeds that not even a ninja could compete with.