Itachi's eyes fell to the body. It looked awful. He scanned their surroundings, watching as people began to look into the alley. They finished the job, so they could leave now. Deidara sighed before smirking. Okay, so this girl wasn't nearly as weak as he originally thought. This would be interesting. Kisame looked at the body then at her, a grin appearing on his face. Now that seemed like the kind of person Pain would recruit into the Akatsuki. A power that sucked out everything, it would be very useful for a group like theirs.

"We should go now," Itachi stated before jumping atop the building. The rest of them followed, watching as the moment they left, people swarmed around the body. Harumi sighed, what a mess. She preferred to be much cleaner with her kills than this, but he gave her no choice. Not only did he run, but he attacked the poor people who got in his way. Though, she couldn't help but feel guilt.

She knew she didn't have to, the man had it coming with the amount of innocent people he killed, but she still did. Her hands fisted, her actions dawning upon her. She killed somebody. She killed a man, though she told herself she would never do it again unless necessary. Everything is necessary if it's to keep Hido safe.

She loudly puffed out air, turning around and looking at Itachi.

"I killed him. Does that mean my test is over?" Harumi asked, doing her best to keep her voice steady and unrecognizable of her wave of guilt.

"Yes, welcome to the Akatsuki," said Itachi.

She didn't say anything, she didn't have to. Her actions said everything, her lack of emotion and hesitation said everything to them. Despite her rather soft look, she had the same potential as the rest of them to be a cold blooded killer. They had no idea how much killing him was affecting her at this moment. Sure, when she first ended his life, it didn't really bother her because his actions triggered her so much. But, when that hate faded away, it was replaced with the reality of what she had just done. They didn't need to know that though, she was fine hiding it.

They informed her that Pain had sent a package with her cloak and ring. Harumi nodded, moving to grab the package. She threw the cloak on, as well as the purple ring. She was officially part of a terrorist group. Her hands turned to fists. Why? Why was it always her? She shook her head, knowing there was no point in thinking about things like that. It was too late anyways, she'd already killed for them.

"Let's get a move on, Pain already assigned us our next mission. Deidara, Sasori, Pain informed me to let you know we will be going our separate ways soon. You will travel with us until the Akatsuki meet, and then we will part ways," Itachi stated, the both of them nodding. He then turned to her.

"As for you, you will also go separately after the meeting," he said. "Pain said you are to do your future missions alone until further notice of a partner for you. Is that understood?" Harumi once again only nodded, not up for or in the mood to talk. He seemed to understand though, nodding as well and jumping from building to building, the others following beside him.

Harumi looked at the sky, wondering how her dear friend was doing. He was probably still with that girl he found interest in, Akito. She hoped that girl would make him happy, he deserved that and the world. It wasn't that surprising that the two of them found each other, they were both attractive people. Hido was often asked out, and Akito also seemed like the kind of girl who would be asked out often with her beautiful, shiny, blue chocolate hair. Harumi was slightly jealous of Akito's hair, her own was simply black. Though, Hido always said he loved her hair. He said the texture was what he imagined that of a bed made of silk would feel like. One thing that always did capture people's attention about her was her eyes.

The amount of times she's heard the sentence 'I've never seen such pretty eyes' was shocking. She used to dislike her eyes, it made her feel like more of an outcast then she already was from the rest of the Uchihas. She frowned thinking about it, but her friend's words replaced it with a smile. He was fascinated with her eyes, always saying they were the prettiest he'd ever seen and that he was jealous. It made her like her eyes much more, even taking a little pride in them.

It was always so nice to be complimented by people who were so honest that you knew they wouldn't lie to you about it. Hido was one of those people. If he thought food looked bad, he'd bluntly state it loudly and always waved her off when she told him to be nice, polite, or to quiet down. She had to suppress a laugh when she thought of all the times he bluntly told her her outfits looked ugly. So, getting a compliment from him meant that he really meant it. Not to mention that he himself was quite handsome. With his dark brown hair, those chocolate eyes and sharp but smooth facial features. That was, ignoring the fact that he had grown a lot taller during their time together and gained a lot of muscle.

What she didn't know was he trained mercilessly to make sure he could protect her from anything that tried to hurt her. Despite his rather childish behavior most of the time, he was very protective and serious when it came to Harumi. He was in the anbu after all, he was actually very strong. That first encounter with Harumi didn't show any of his potential, not to mention how strong he'd gotten over the years.

Her smile got bigger before it fell again. She hoped he wouldn't look for her for long; but knowing him and how much they loved each other, she knew he'd stop at nothing to find her. She would have to find some time to send him a message and explain the situation but instead of letting him know it was his life on the line, she'd lie and say it was hers.

She didn't have the heart to tell her life line a lie like she didn't care or love him anymore, it would shatter his soul and she'd rather die than do that to him. All she wanted to do was run into his arms and cry, she wanted to let him brush his fingers through her hair while patting her head, hugging her tightly as well. He was amazing at calming her down, if she had to trust one person in the world with her life, it would be him.

When they first started traveling together, she never imagined she could love someone so much after all that had happened to her. Still, he managed to break her walls down and build a house for her instead, a roof over her head to keep the rain of trauma away from soaking her body and soul once more. She went from wanting to die more than anything else to wanting to live the rest of her life with Hido.

She suddenly felt a lump forming in her throat, knowing he'd never be able to say good morning or good night to her ever again. She suddenly stopped running as she looked back. She wanted to run and find him more than anything else, but his life was on the line. She gritted her teeth, knowing he'd never truly be safe unless Pain or…she was dead. Her eyes pricked with tears, she didn't want this. She really, really didn't want this. His name was piling up at the back of her throat, the urge to scream it and hope that he would hear her was overwhelming. She looked in the distance, opening her mouth before closing it. Hido, I love you so much.

A hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder, causing her to flinch and turn to the owner of it. Itachi stood there, eyes rather soft. Almost like he knew what she was struggling with. He knew he ripped her away from a chance at true happiness once again, he knew that she was tearing herself apart on the inside, and he knew more than anything else that she didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to be taken advantage of, hurt, and broken for a power she didn't even want. A power that had been haunting her since the day she was born, both physically and mentally.

He had been informed that she was traveling with the man named Hido Aito. A former anbu who was MIA in the Hidden Leaf village and was presumed to have been killed by Harumi. Obviously, that wasn't the case, but it didn't matter in the eyes of the leaf's Hokage. He had learned quite a bit about him. Hido Aito, he had been training to be in the Anbu for seven years, and was sent on a mission to retrieve Harumi at the age of thirteen.

He didn't succeed, despite being known as one of the children with potential to do great things. Beyond that, he only knew the boy's parents died when he was three during the war and that's why he was placed in the care of others who shipped him off to the Anbu as quickly as they could. Itachi had seen him a few times during his time in the anbu, but they never spoke.

"Sorry, let's go," Harumi's voice broke his train of thought, walking past him before catching up with the rest, Itachi following close behind. He watched as her eyes had been engulfed in a hidden sadness. He shut his eyes for a moment before opening them once again and looking ahead of him. He didn't want to witness the pure girl's sadness re-surfacing as she realized nothing would ever be the same again.

"Hey, where exactly are we going?" Deidara piped up.

"We are to stay in a motel for tonight. We will continue our travels tomorrow," replied Itachi.

"It better not be a dump! The art around here is awful," Deidara argued, causing Harumi to stare at him blankly.

He lifted a brow, so she spoke up saying, "That's up to artists, no?"

"Hm, I am an artist!" he boasted, causing her to snort. He glared at her, causing her to give him a look.

"That's really nice and all, but I mean real artists," she said with a shrug, breaking eye contact with him and looking ahead.

"What's that supposed to mean?! My art is better than anyone else's!" Deidara stated, offended that she dared insult his beautiful art. His art was like no one else's, one of a kind. No one could even come close!

Harumi sighed, no point in arguing with the boy anyways. She then turned to Sasori, surprised that a man with his age and posture could keep up with them. Then she wondered, why was such an old man part of their group? She didn't know anything about him, that much was true, but still. It also dawned upon her how weird these people were. One of them had mouths on his hands, one of them was a shark man, one of them had arthritis, and the other was anti-social. And her? Well, she had a beast in her and eyes different than anyone else's in her clan. Ah yes, and then there was their boss who was filled with piercings.

She then wondered if they all had to join under the same circumstances as her. That thought left almost as soon as it came. Kisame seemed to really enjoy cutting her, Deidara enjoyed tormenting her, Sasori enjoyed throwing her around, and she couldn't even get into the issues with Itachi. So, was she really the only one they forced to join them? Hm, she hadn't met the other members so she couldn't say for certain, nor did she know the backstory of any of them except Itachi. Should she ask?

No.

'Sorry, I know I haven't used your power in a while. Feeling okay?' Harumi thought with a sigh, deciding to start up a conversation in her head. She didn't expect an answer, but was shocked to get one.

I'm fine. What about you? That move seemed to hurt your body.

'Wow, you're talking to me. That's great! And, I'm fine too! Did it hurt you too?' Harumi thought, just trying to keep the conversation going at this point.

No. My power does not hurt me.

'Oh yeah, obviously. Sorry, I'm just so happy you're talking with me!' she replied, a smile on her face.

My ability to communicate with you once more with longer sentences is because you used my power. Our bond has weakened because you refuse to use it.

Her eyes saddened, she had a feeling it was something like that. Back when she was forced to use her power, she communicated with Panther a lot. Actually, his name wasn't actually Panther. It was Kurayami, but when she was a kid, she didn't want to call him that. So, she called him what she saw, 'Panther'.

He didn't mind the name, he quite liked it actually. It felt much more innocent, kind. He also didn't like others knowing his real name, so when she asked him to nullify things, it was a relief that she didn't use his true title. Others would immediately understand that her power meant death. He didn't want that for her. 'Panther' sounded much less intimidating while still having a fear factor to it. He wasn't mad that she didn't use his power, he hated that she risked her life every time she did.

He was a being that humans should have never gotten possession of. Still, Panther was glad that he ended up awakening in Harumi's hold. She didn't hate him or blame him, most of the time anyways. She instead treated him with as much kindness as she could. She was such a pure child, he hated to see how constantly she was being thrown into situation after situation. She just had terrible luck.

'I know, I'm really sorry about that,' Harumi apologized in her head, 'I know it must be lonely to not talk to anyone in there. Forgive me?'.

There's nothing to forgive, you haven't done anything wrong.

She smiled, he was such a softie! Suddenly, they all jumped down, arriving at their motel. She cringed slightly at the smell of alcohol coming from nearby, turning to see a bar close by. Her eyes widened, almost tempted to go in there.

"It's hideous," Deidara stated.

"We shouldn't complain, it was very nice of Pain to arrange this for us after all," said Kisame, grinning as usual. They all went in, getting the keys to their rooms. When they found their rooms, they had to go in pairs once more. Kisame was glad to take a room to himself, seeing as how Pain wanted Harumi still somewhat under supervision, but no one but Itachi knew that. She didn't mind all that much, it was only a bedroom. Not to mention that she already had a plan for the night.

Itachi only took off his cloak as usual, but she did the same. She wasn't in the mood nor did she have the resources to change into pajamas. She looked at Itachi who sat on the bed in silence, a silence that said a little too much.

"Is this…really what you want?" Harumi couldn't help but ask.

Itachi turned to her, taking her question into consideration. He could just ignore her as per usual, but he could see she was in a very delicate mental state, one that would crumble if she was isolated with the terrors of her memories and thoughts. So, he spoke up with a, "Yes."

Harumi looked at him expressionless. She didn't know what she was expecting, or why she was clinging to the fact that he might confide in her due to their past. She nodded, laying her head down.

Night had fallen, and she waited until Itachi was sound asleep to put her plan into motion. She quickly but very quietly left their room. She let out a sigh of relief as she did, before she ran out of the place. Her eyes darted around the busy streets, her eyes landing on what she had been looking for. The bar. She never drank, it was just something she wasn't interested in, but with all that was going on, she decided that she needed something to drown it all out. She walked into the bar, sitting on one of the stools and ordering a drink.

As soon as the bartender brought it, she felt nervous. She had sipped alcohol before, very few times in her life, but Hido was always there to supervise just in case as she was a lightweight. She had once gotten accidentally drunk as she drank more than a few sips and Hido to this day wouldn't tell her what happened, though he seemed to laugh every time it was brought up. She hated the taste, and didn't like the idea of being vulnerable as she was drunk.

Screw vulnerable. She quickly chugged down the drink before ordering another, and then another. She was determined to quiet down the unbearable sorrow in her stomach. She drank, and drank. Slowly, the feelings began toning down, satisfying her. She felt a rumbling of disapproval in her stomach from her little monster, but she only giggled, ignoring it. She needed the overwhelming urge to cry to leave. The alcohol was truly helping as well. She felt giddy, unlike when she first entered the bar.

A man then sat down next to her, ordering a drink as well. Then, he turned and noticed Harumi. He smirked, looking her up and down. His eyes connected with hers, widening slightly at the color. Such a dark yet bright shade of purple stared back at him, making him all the more excited. Her hair was tied up neatly into a bun, while the clothing she wore showed off her curves nicely. They were loose yet tight, and he wondered if she was an uptight girl trying to loosen up.

"Hey there girl, what's your name?" he asked. Harumi looked at him in confusion before pointing to herself questioningly. He nodded, causing her to giggle again.

"I'm Harumi," she said, turning her full attention to the stranger across from her.

"I'm Baki. Tell me, can I buy you a drink?" he asked.

(A/N: Remember him from the anime?)

"Are you sure? I don't wanna overdo it," Harumi said, trying to think, but her brain was too hazy.

"Of course. Trust me, if I know anything, it's alcohol," he replied.

Baki then quickly told the bartender his order, though the bartender looked at him suspiciously. When Baki raised a brow, the bartender just shook his head and began making the order. Harumi laughed, looking at him. The drink was placed in front of her by the somewhat worried looking bartender. Baki glared at him, making sure Harumi drank her drink before pulling her to the dance floor. She laughed, moving her hips and swaying them to the music. He placed his hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him. She giggled, but felt slightly odd when his hands kept moving up. She couldn't really understand what was happening until she felt his hand brush up past her chest and hold her shoulders.

She was still a little out of it when his hands slid down her back, but she thought it might just be the alcohol making her feel a little uncomfortable. The music was loud, so she kept moving her hips and feeling her worries leave her body. She pushed away from him, dancing her heart out. She was happy again, if only for a few seconds. Baki suddenly pulled her back into him, causing her to let out a little laugh as she held onto him for balance.

"Hey, you wanna come back to my place?" he asked.

She giggled and shook her head. "Thank you, but no thank you," Harumi wobbly replied. So, they continued to dance, and he continued to get more bold. Nothing too much, but even through the alcohol, she just wanted to dance alone at this point. She began to pull away a bit, but he kept in her place as he helped sway her hips. Maybe this was normal, not wanting to leave your dance partner.

"Let's go Harumi," a voice suddenly cut through the air. She looked to the side to see Itachi standing there, looking at her both softly and in frustration. Did he wake up and look for her? She laughed, shaking her head.

"I don't wanna," Harumi replied, pouting as Baki's grip on her tightened.

"Come on, it's time to leave," Itachi said once more, gently gripping her wrist.

"She said no. Go," Baki defended, but Itachi didn't even look at him, causing him to grow angry.

"We need to wake up early tomorrow, you need to rest," Itachi told her. She giggled once more, nodding her head as she began walking with him, but was pulled back. She looked to see Baki holding her arm, and she felt Itachi's grip tighten.

"Is there a problem?" Itachi asked, and even though she was drunk, she could hear the warning in it.

"There shouldn't be. You, get out. That girl is obviously too drunk to be doing anything with you. Leave," the bartender spoke up, talking to Baki.

He glared, but let Harumi go. He then stormed out of the bar, obviously looking unhappy. Harumi sat down on a stool after telling Itachi she was feeling dizzy. He sat down next to her, waiting until she regained her balance.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Harumi asked. Itachi nodded, believing she was going to ask something irrelevant.

"Did you ever love me?"