Part one of a three part series. Itachi finds himself caring for a female, whom reminds him of a tale he heard during the Third Great Ninja War. He calls her Twilight, as she has no memory of what it was herself.
Part/Book 1 of Twilight Uchiha: Senya.
On hiatus until I get inspired again.
If a unicorn is put through too much stress, their horns begin to cast at random. Sometimes, it's as little as a levitation spell. This isn't one of those times. It's the worst case scenario of being teleported into another dimension, and the mind being nearly wiped clean, save for some images. Nothing solid. And guess who it happened to? None other than Twilight Sparkle.
To 'Madara, this presents an opportunity to spread the Uchiha genes elsewhere. But, he can't watch over her until Celestia arrives to pick her up. So, using his negotiation skills, he convinces Itachi to watch over her, as her big brother and student.(Because, let's face it. If Itachi was a parent at 13...) He accepts, and notices a likeness to a character in a book he read, and keeps on him, during and after the Third Great Ninja War.
To Itachi, this means he can try to have a better relationship with a sibling, and have someone to tell everything to. He knows she'll leave one day, but until that day comes, he'll watch over her like he would Sasuke.
Basically? In lay mans terms? Twilight in the Ninja World, being watched over by Itachi after Obito implanted her with a sharingan and some Uchiha DNA. Not a lot.
Twilight was stressed. Like, super stressed. She felt so stressed, she wanted to invent a new word for it. But, that wouldn’t help her.
She pranced about her room, trying to find a solution to a problem. A problem nonexistent, mind you, but still a problem. As in, a huge problem... to her anyway. If she didn’t find a way to vent the stress, it would end up casting a random spell. And that wasn’t going to be good... being the Element of Magic, and a prodigy of prodigies at magic to begin with, it could very well be a spell to summon an earth shattering meteor, that would leave her a Goddess like Celestia... That could be a friendship problem... Nah, I’d probably end up killing my friends that way... Good idea, though. Maybe I’ll try it later.
She felt a spark begin to form upon her horn, and knew that wasn’t a good sign. Not a good one at all. There were a few more sparks, and then nothing.
Hoping the crisis averted, Twilight turned, only for her entire horn to light up, and teleport her. It removed a lot of energy from the mare, and she could only get a quick glimpse of where she was, before blacking out.
A black realm, with strange rectangular prisms, each unlike the other. - - -
Later, Other Dimension...
“Now, what’s this?” ‘Madara Uchiha’ asked, finding an oddity. It was truly strange, as only his eye could get people in or out.
And yet, here it was. The nude body of a female, about the age of Sasuke. But, she wasn’t naturally human. She was transformed when she entered, more than likely. How had he known? Sharingan can see chakra, so he undoubtedly noticed the odd way her chakra flowed, and the odd coloring to it. No doubt she was there as a result of overexertion of her strange power, and, if she was a figure of importance where she’s from, search parties might very well follow into the Ninja World. Heh... Probably an Equine. He thought, remembering some of his actions, specifically his summon contract, Meaning it will be a few years before they realize she’s missing, giving me plenty of time. He slung her over his shoulder and teleported her to his lab, where he kept all the sharingan he’d collected over the years.
“Plenty of time for what, though? Implanting her is simply to prolong the Uchiha name.” He spoke to himself, mainly, “I have too much to do in preparation of Eye of the Moon...” Then, he idea hit him. Instead of holding her until they come for her, he’d do his summon a solid.
He opened her eyes, revealing a deep purple. He cast a Sharingan based illusion that would keep her out for a few days. The implantation process doesn’t take that long, but her body will need the time to get used to the Uchiha DNA in her body. And at that point, he would have a plan in motion.
He smiled under his mask, already plotting. Because of the preparations he had to oversee personally, he couldn’t watch her development.
However, he was a skilled manipulator. He could just give her to Itachi, and allow him to watch over her. Chances were on his side that they wouldn’t come for her, making his plan gloriously easy. However, she wouldn’t be pivotal to his plans; so the chance of her being taken from him was one he would be able to handle. I’d hurry up and figure out she’s missing, ‘Tia. He took her eye out, and stored it for further study, Once she leaves Itachi’s hands, she won’t be able to return home. I won’t let her. Not for free, that is.
“Itachi.” said teenager stopped his walk and turned to see ‘Madara’ warp into existence, with a girl held, bridal style, in his arms.
“Madara.” He greeted. All three were in standard Akatsuki wear-the black, high collar cloak, with red clouds scattered around it.
“Why are you here?” Itachi asked.
“I happened across this little tart in my Other Dimension. I told you about it, correct?”
“Yeah.” Itachi shrugged him off, looking interestingly at the child.
“Now, you’ve no doubt noticed how... peculiar she is. She’s from another dimension. If she didn’t pass through the Other Dimension, she would retain her original form. No doubt, it lead to some memory loss.” ‘Madara’ continued, “But, you know I’m a busy man. I cannot raise a child.”
“And that’s where I come in?” Itachi asked, and ‘Madara’ nodded.
“I figured this would be a good olive branch. I even went ahead and gave her a sharingan and a small syringe of Uchiha DNA.” He handed her over, “But, there’s a catch to this. She’s probably going to be taken from us by her ruling monarch. She was, afterall, from another dimension.”
“...I understand. To be honest with you, I’ve always wanted a sister.” Silence. “That was a joke.”
“Oh...” ‘Madara’ said, lamely. He wasn’t used to Itachi joking around like that. If anything, he was the one to play straight man. “Just... see this as an opportunity to have a real sibling relationship. If not, just keep her alive until I have use for her. Or, she’s taken back. Any of those outcomes work for me.”
“No need to worry about having a worthless foot soldier, Madara.” Itachi said, shifting her in his grasp, “I’ll... take this opportunity. Thank you.” Itachi gave a head nod, “Perhaps I misjudged you.”
“Heh... I’m still a liar. And I’m still planning for war. I just look out for my fellow Uchiha.” He began to warp out of existence, “See you later, Itachi.” Itachi stood in silence for a few moments as the girl slept peacefully.
“Perhaps having you isn’t that bad of an idea... Someone to confine to...” He gave a ghost of a smile, and he began to walk back to his shack on the borders of the Land of Fire.
He held her bridal style the entire walk, looking at her purple hair with a magenta stripe on one side. Along with her pale skin, it was a heartwarming sight. After an hour or so, his abode was in sight. It wasn’t anything magnificent, just a normal, wooden shack. A kitchen, dining area, bathroom, and a single bedroom. He’d have to add a room for her.
It may have been two months since he joined the Akatsuki, but they knew where to find him, so a letter was expected after a weekend of bounty hunting. He picked it up on his way into his house with his index and middle fingers, and sighed, thinking of where to put her.
The couch! He thought, mentally slapping himself in the face for forgetting the couch he had for those weekends he couldn’t get out, and... sleepless nights. He kept it so he could read away from the bed, and books were scattered on the tables and shelves. He kept his floor clean, though. He put her down, and opened the letter, read it, then burnt it, as per protocol. It was a normal update on the Akatsuki’s goals, and a congratulatory letter on his string of successes. All protocol for higher Akatsuki members. He looked over at the girl, and noticed she was still sound asleep.
Well, might as well cook in the meantime... He thought to himself, Should take the cloak off and give her a blanket before that. And that’s what he did. The standard Akatsuki undersuit(a grey mesh under a blue v-neck tee with a sash around the waist, and the same color pants) was under the cloak, and he got out a(rather comfortable) black blanket he kept around. She seemed to enjoy the blanket, as her face let out a slight smile. That was good.
Now, Itachi was never one to cook, as he could never work a stove. So, a majority of his favorite foods were things he didn’t have to put on the house-burning demon, namely rice and cabbage. Cabbage was always nice.
He poked around his fridge, trying to remember where it was exactly he left the cabbage, and began to hum a little tune. And then, just as he found it, he heard her wake up with a sharp intake. He gave in inward sigh, and left the cabbage in the fridge, preferring to have it cold. He walked over to the couch, and sat down on the other side to the frightened child. Her eyes were large and purple, and fixated on Itachi.
“Do you remember your name?” She shook her head, “Do you remember anything?” She shook her head.
“Very little. Just... very vague images.” She replied, and he nodded.
“Just as Madara predicted.” He said, under his breath, “Very well. I am Itachi Uchiha, one of the last Uchiha. I’m part of the criminal organization, Akatsuki, but only to ensure that the Hidden Leaf is safe from harm. That is all you need to know.” Itachi said, coldly, and she nodded quickly, “Now then, you’re going to need a name, aren’t you?” He asked, getting up, and reaching for a weathered book, and flipping through the pages. Before stopping on one.
“This... is one of my favorite tales. It got me through the Third Great Shinobi War, and made me the man I am today.” She listened, “The tale of this singular pony’s adventures to unite an entire country against tyranny, using nothing more than her words and peaceful actions. It was through harmony, not war or death, that she was able to create a utopia for all to see. Evil is so minute, and happiness is all around... That is the world I want to see. The world I want to live in. I know that, despite my sacrifices, more must be made for this reality to be shared. Perhaps, if you are not taken from me by your reality... You can make that world happen. You can create the world I could not. I know that I won’t be able to see the reality alive, but...”
“What...do you mean by... ‘taken by my reality’?” Twilight asked.
“...Nothing.” He sighed, choosing not to tell her about her origins, “But, in the hopes you can create the world I can only dream of, I will name you after her.” He turned to look into her hopeful eyes, wondering just what he would name her.
It has been several days since Itachi incorporated taking care of Twilight into his daily routine. It was a difficult transition at first, but he got into the hang of things quickly. Normally, he’d wake up first, make her food, and set out for his Akatsuki duties after she woke up, so he could give her the things she needed to study before he got back at noon to make both of them lunch. Her room was coming along nicely, just needing a roof at this point. He needed to go around and do the odd jobs to ensure no one suspected the oddity. Today, however, was different. He came home, and walked through the door. Twilight was sitting on his couch, holding something in her hands.
“Hello, Itachi.” She greeted.
“Hello, Twilight.” He gave a nod of the head, and looked over at her, and noticed she had a letter in hand, “What’s that?” She smiled, and flipped it around, showing him the official Akatsuki seal on it. He calmly took it into his hand, and opened it.
Itachi Uchiha, we have a partner for you. You are to meet at the specified location tomorrow at high noon. I hope you have respect for the Hidden Swordsmen of the Mist, as Kisame Hoshigaki is the best of the best.
Signed, Akatsuki.
“I’ll never know why he signs like that...” Itachi sighed as he burnt the letter with a lesser version of the Fireball jutsu, “Twilight, I don’t suppose this letter came with a map?”
“Yup.” She smiled, “Right over here.” She handed it to him, and he looked it over. It marked his shack and the destination, which was just a walk along the coast. Not a long walk, but it wasn’t exactly ‘around the block’ either. It would be a good opportunity to bond.
“Well, I suppose I’ll be taking you on your first ‘mission’ tomorrow...” her face slowly lit up with that sentence, “I’m not expecting any trouble, but it would be good for you to get a sense of what’s out there.”
“Oh, thank you, big brother!” She shouted, jumping on him, nearly making the teenaged Uchiha stumble somewhat. But, he couldn’t help but smile slightly at her enthusiasm.
“We leave at dawn. Think you can wake up that early?” He asked, and she playfully punched his arm.
“Of course I can. I probably won’t be able to sleep at all tonight.” her obvious excitement was a testament to this.
“Well, at least try.” He patted her head, “I wouldn’t want you exhausted when we meet one of the legendary Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. He’s going to be my new partner, after all.” This seemed to further fuel her excitement.
“Oh, do you know what sword he has?” She asked.
“Better, I know who he is.” She was practically living off the excitement of knowing. Quite the little scholar, aren’t you? He chuckled inwardly.
“He is Kisame Hoshigaki, wielder of the Samehada.” He went into the kitchen, followed by Twilight, “Can you tell me about the Samehada?” He felt like testing her.
“It’s most recent wielders, not including Kisame, were Fuguki Suikazan and Mangetsu Hōzuki, the latter of the two being a master of all seven swords.” Impressive... He thought, “‘Samehada’ is most commonly called ‘Shark Skin’, and can ‘eat’ chakra. It is said that Samehada is sentient sword, but I hardly believe that. When referred to in the books, it is commonly described as ‘the most terrifying of all the Seven Swordsmen’s blades’, and earned the title of ‘Greatsword’.” She recited.
“So, you have been studying.” He smiled as he took the head of cabbage out of the fridge.
“Did you think I wasn’t?” She asked, sounding hurt.
“...Am I really that serious all the time?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as he set the vegetable on the counter.
“...Kinda.” Twilight replied, “But that’s what makes you my big brother.” She gave a smile.
“Thanks.” He couldn’t decide whether to take that as a complement or not, so he went back to preparing a meal. That night, they were able to eat over what Twilight had been studying when he was away, and Itachi was able to tell her a little about where they were going. It was a nowhere scenic pier, mostly abandoned but kept in good shape for that sort of thing. A perfect meeting place... for this sort of meeting.
“So this Kisame...” Twilight began, getting comfortable on her side of the bed, “Do you know what he’ll be like?” Itachi stopped and began to wonder himself.
“Not exactly, and that’s what bothers me the most.” He admitted, hoping he wouldn’t be like Kakuzu or Hidan.
“Not to worry, I’m sure he won’t be that bad.” She comforted, and he sighed. Maybe she was right, and he was worrying to much. It wasn’t long after that, the two fell asleep, back to back.
The following morning, the two were out on the road long before sunrise. By the time it did, they were a little less than halfway to their destination. The road they were walking was a secluded forest path, and they only had to stop for the crossing of a family of rabbits. The crashing of the waves from the ocean was present in their ears the entire walk, and both were happily content with how things were going. Their conversation had a silence, and Itachi wondered what she had on her mind.
“Itachi?” Twilight asked, getting the attention of the Uchiha.
“Yes?” He turned his gaze to her. She was wearing the cloak, which his the majority of her face, like his. It kept that cute little stripe thing he was so fond of visible, though.
“Are there... any other Uchiha’s out there?” She asked. He sighed, and began to think. How did he not see that was on her mind sooner?
I can’t just tell her the truth. he reminded himself, Even I see myself as a monster for what I did. He opted to tell her later, if the partner didn’t say anything. But, his luck? He would.
“I’ll tell you when I start believing what I what I did...” He let out, and Twilight gave a thoughtful frown, but didn’t press the matter. He hoped she’d forget the inquiry altogether, but the large amount of skepticism in him made him dismiss that as wishful thinking. But it was that skepticism that allowed him to consider Kisame saying anything revolving around the massacre.
“When we meet Kisame, try to stay quiet, unless he speaks to you.” He told her, and she looked over at him, wondering what he meant, “I’d like to keep this meeting professional. He’ll be living with us, so you’ll get plenty of time to get to know him later.”
“Oh... Okay, I guess that’s sensible.” He inwardly thanked the Sage that she accepted that deceit. It was good enough for now, and that was all that mattered. Buying time. Once again, the walk was spent in silence but it was more deafening for Itachi. He kept his calm exterior, but he felt anxious. He knew she’d hear about it eventually, no matter what safe guards he put up, he just hadn’t expected it to be this soon.
They got to the location on time, but Kisame was late, so they sat on the edge of the pier, and Twilight fell asleep on his lap, her skin bathed in the light of the sun. That worked out for him, in the end. Her sleepiness made her sleep through a majority of the conversation that Itachi didn’t want her to hear.
After an hour of waiting after Twilight fell asleep, Itachi heard footsteps on the pier. When they finally stopped next to him, the owner of the footfalls spoke.
“I’ll be your partner from now on.” Itachi turned his head and acknowledged the presence of his new partner. Kisame had light blue skin, with small, black eyes, which had gill-like markings under them. His hair was also done up in a fin-like shape.
“I’m Kisame Hoshigaki, formerly from the Hidden Mist, and one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. And you’re Itachi Uchiha, formerly from the Hidden Leaf. I’ve heard the rumours about you, Itachi. About... how you killed your entire clan.” Itachi turned his head back forward and grimaced at the memories brought up by the mention, “I understand you well. That’s why I wanted you as my partner, out of everyone else in the Akatsuki... The feeling of killing your comrades can’t be put into words, can it, Itachi?”
Itachi waited a moment, then began to speak as Twilight stirred, “You sure do talk a lot. You claim to understand me, but what of yourself? You wandered through the mist to get here, but you’re nothing but a rogue who can’t decide on his own destination.... Am I wrong?” Kisame put his blade next to his neck, and Twilight flinched. A good reaction, as a fighting reaction would make the meeting go south quickly.
“Let me tell you something... Sharks lay eggs, but the eggs hatch within the mother before they are born. However, the number of eggs the mother lays and the number of babies isn’t the same. Why do you think that is?” Kisame paused, to allow Itachi and Twilight to make mental guesses, “Cannibalism.” Twilight visibly paled at this revelation, “As soon as the eggs hatch in the mother’s womb, they start eating each other. They begin killing the moment they’re born... Everyone is nothing but food to the other. We may be partners in the Akatsuki, but I’d watch out... for me.” In the end, Kisame’s speech on shark-based cannibalism helped Itachi gauge how Twilight felt about death. Sufficient to say, she didn’t like the sound of it.
“I could say the same.” Itachi activated the Mangekyou Sharingan, to show off mainly. Kisame gave off a little chuckle.
“Well then, let’s try to get along.” He slung his sword on his shoulder, pointing it upward, “And hope we’re not each other’s last foes.” Itachi motioned for Twilight to get up, which she did, and he slowly rose.
“Once you’ve killed all your friends, you’ll never have a good death. Be prepared.” Kisame let off a chuckle, and Twilight seemed to be soaking up the battle of beliefs.
“Then we’re both good-for-nothings.”
“No. We are human, not fish.” Itachi began walking away, “No matter what you’ve done in life, you don’t know what kind of person you are until the end. The moment death comes for you, that is when you know what you are. That’s what death is, don’t you think?” Twilight thought about it, and began to catch up to Itachi. Kisame, however, smiled wider at it.
“Heh... maybe you’re right, maybe you’re wrong. Either way, I’m going to enjoy working with you, Uchiha. Now that that’s out of the way, who's this little tart?” He asked, referring to Twilight, as he began to walk on the other side of Itachi, but he still had a good enough view of Twilight. It was a little funny, because it went from Kisame’s towering height, to Itachi’s smaller height, to Twilight’s smallest height, from left to right.
“Twilight. I found her and took her in. Is there a problem with that?” Itachi asked, and Kisame shook his head.
“Not at all. I just never expected someone with your history would have the kindness to do something like that.” True to her word, Twilight didn’t wonder what Kisame meant out loud, thank the Sage, “Certainly adds a little color to the organization, don’t you think?”
“I suppose so...” Itachi brushed him off. The three began the trek back to the house, but as soon as they entered the woods, Kisame reached for his sword, and it made a weird sound.
“Gigigiiii...” Twilight jumped at the sudden sound. Itachi showed no visual surprise, though.
“What... was that?” Itachi asked, and Kisame smiled.
“Shark Skin saying good morning. It smelt a rather exotic chakra signature emanating from nearby, and wants to taste it.” He stopped, and his eyes started to dart around, before fixating on the shrinking form of Twilight.
“GI!Gigigigi” Came the noise again.
“Are you serious, Samehada? I can’t just cut my partners protege.” Itachi’s cold exterior showed surprise, and Twilight backed away from the blue skinned man. Itachi stepped in front of her, and protected her with his arm.
“I’m hoping that sword of yours isn’t going to be a problem, Kisame.” He activated his Sharingan, but couldn’t believe what he saw. The Swordsman had a near identical chakra signature as the sword. It was so alike, that-unless you knew what to look for-you’d never figure that they were two separate beings, unless you knew what to look for.
“Nah. Samehada’ll keep quiet about it, but I wouldn’t let her near him without me to watch over him. ‘Sides, she’s so young. Samehada doesn’t like cutting up children, unless he really has too, or they have that... pizzazz to their chakra signature. One of my earlier missions in the Akatsuki proved that much.” Kisame explained, and they kept walking down the path, Twilight trying to keep away from the large, bandaged sword.
“How long have you been in the Akatsuki, then?” Itachi asked, still acting as a guard to his little sister.
“I wouldn’t say from the beginning, but I joined shortly after it was founded.” Kisame explained, “But, enough about me, what about your little shadow?”
“Not much to her story. I found her on my way back from a mission, and she has no memory of anything before waking up in my home. So, I had to name her, and I named her Twilight.”
“Ah, something told me you were one of those guys.” Kisame joked, and Itachi brushed the comment off.
“I was three and at war. What did you expect I’d come out to be?”
“Ah, that explains it then. Welp, I suppose I’ll tell you about an upcoming operation they’re planning, thanks to Kakuzu's golden tongue.” Itachi seemed interested at that point, but Twilight had to ask a question.
“Erm... what’s that?” she asked, and Itachi reacted first. He looked ahead, and noticed a group of Sound Ninja surrounding the group, both on the road and in the brush.
“Sound, eh?” Kisame said, putting his back to Itachi, and pulling out his sword, “Think they’re after the bounty we have? Last I checked, I had thirty mil on my head, seventy five mil for me alive.”
“Unlikely. Orochimaru has been looking for a new vessel. Whether he’s after you or me, that remains to be seen.” Itachi examined, as Twilight backed into the space between the two missing-nin, “And that’s all you have on your head? I’ve got seventy five for me dead, and three thousand mil for me alive.”
“Well, we can’t all have Sharingan.” Kisame chuckled, “That would make it possible for me to have all seven swords, and use them at the same time.”
“I don’t think that’s the Sharingan you’re thinking of.”
“Really? Guess I mixed up the Sharingan and the Rinnegan again.”
“Stand down.” A Sound Ninja said, “We’re here for Itachi Uchiha.”
“Aww, and here I was hoping you were here for me.” Kisame joked, “Wanna make a bet, Itachi?”
“I’m not a betting man.” Itachi dismissed.
“I bet you I can take out at least half of these no talent punks.”
“Oh, so it’ll be 50:50 between us?” Itachi asked, a katana slipping out of his cloak.
“That’s the way I’m planning it... Hey, your kid hasn’t said anything.”
“Don’t call her that.”
“Your sister, whatever. Twi, how much do you wanna clober?” Kisame asked.
“I, uh... don’t really know how to....” Twilight trailed off.
“What? Itachi, is that how much of a slacker you are?”
“I was thinking of training her today. I’ve only had her a few days, so I didn’t want to force training down her throat, while she gets accustomed to her environment.”
“Sensible, but I’d-”
“This is your last warning. Stand down, and hand Itachi over to us.”
“Hey! I was talking!” Kisame sent a kunai into the brush, and hit the ‘rude’ Sound Ninja between the eyes, “Anyway, I guess we’ll continue this conversation some other time. This’ll be a good opportunity to see how the other fights, and for me to practice being a good escort. I, personally, hate escort missions.”
“No fan of them myself. I’ll take the right, you take the left. On three?” Itachi asked, activating the standard Sharingan.
“On three.” Kisame confirmed, putting his sword back in front of him, having moved it to throw the kunai.
“One.” Itachi said, gripping the katana that he used to kill his parents.
“Two.” Kisame smiled, moving a foot forward.
“Three.” Both jumped into the fray, Kisame using the blunt of Samehada to kill a Sound jonin, and Itachi using his speed to take out an entire three man squad with swift, painless, impales. Twilight watched, unsure if she was amazed or scared at how deadly her older brother and his partner were in battle.
“Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?” Kisame asked, sheathing his partly revealed sword, “Shame Shark Skin couldn’t get too into it.” There was a deafening silence between the two, causing Twilight to become uneasy... or more so than before. Those two just took out an entire platoon of ninja using a mix of skill, swordsmanship, and jutsu. Primarily Water-style and Fire-style, she noticed.
“Itachi?” Twilight asked, looking around. Soon enough, the man in question came out of the brush, looking grim.
“Say Itachi, I’m just going to ask you something that was bothering me... Did you do something to Orochimaru to get him this angry? I mean, I know he’s the kind of guy to send others after someone with more power than him, but...”
“He tried to take my body as a vessel. I denied him, and took his left hand. If he is that desperate to escape death, then he can find another vessel, like the coward he is.” Itachi brushed the question off, “And it seems he’s setting his sights on the biju was well.”
“Oh? That’s an interesting bit of information. Any say why?”
“If I had to guess, the same reason he needs the Sharingan; to learn all the techniques in the world, and become immortal. These foot soldiers had little information aside from the goal they all shared.”
“Interesting...” Kisame mused, putting the sword on his back.
“You know...” Itachi began, “I don’t know why we need the biju exactly. If it’s not too much to ask, may I know why we need them?” Kisame gave a wild grin to this.
“You wanna know, eh? Fair enough, now that we’re going to catch a few, minor jinchuuriki that their countries want out of their way, even if their villages don’t agree.” Kisame began, “The Akatsuki’s goal, as you know, is world domination. We plan to achieve it by using the Tailed Beasts to create wars, then quell them immediately, making us seem like the good guys. With such power, we’d easily crush the villages, and take over the world, using the same technique to quell any wars that happen during our rule. That, my dear Uchiha and girl, is the Akatsuki’s goal: peace through domination.”
“Is that so...?” Itachi asked, closing his eyes. As he did so, his eyes went back to the pitch black Twilight knew.
“Yes. Now, I believe we were discussing a new venue of business...” Kisame said, giving a sigh of thought as Itachi nodded, motioning Twilight to follow. The three then continued, and the crashing of waves filled their ears.
“Yes. I believe you said a jinchuuriki could be acquired.” Itachi reminded.
“Ah, yes! Thanks to Kakuzu, and the fact Iwagakure relies on us so much, we’re able to get two jinchuuriki for the price of one.” Kisame said, smiling, “The Seven and the Five Tails.”
“Han of Iwagakure?” Twilight asked, and Kisame nodded, “The Iwagakure?” Kisame nodded again, “The Iwagakure that is known for obeying the Tsuchikage, no matter what?” Kisame nodded, chuckling slightly, “How’d they get them to agree to that?”
“I don’t believe the Third Tsuchikage is aware, but the diamou said they can’t afford the Five Tails anymore. Too many casualties. So, to pay us for removing the potential threat of the Takigakure’s Seven Tails (a threat we were already removing at the behest of the Village’s elder anyway). So, as you can imagine, our leader is feeling pretty happy with our zombie comrade.” Twilight’s eyes widdened.
“Z-z-z-z-zombie?” she asked, and Kisame gave a chuckle to her reaction.
“Just a nickname I gave him and Hidan. They’re practically impossible to kill.” Kisame joked, “Well, not immortal impossible, just really hard to kill. You take things too literally, my friend. You need to loosen up a bit.” Kisame looked down at the purple haired girl, who shrunk slightly under his gaze. After a few moments, Kisame’s facial expressions turned from friendly to worried.
“Is my skin that weird...?”
“Don’t fret... she can’t see when I’m joking either...” Twilight giggled at the way the two hardened ninjas were so easily offended. That seemed to strike the right cords, as Kisame smiled, and Itachi sighed.
“Well, we’d better hurry and get back. Boss’ll be getting the orders done before long. I’d give him a week to give a full plan.”
Orochimaru’s Hideout...
“Are you sure you wish to proceed with this, Lord Orochimaru?” Kimimaro asked, standing slightly behind the said scientist. Kimimaro, the last of the Kaguya clan, was a pale man, but not as pale as the scientist he was talking to. His vivid green eyes were easy to make out, thanks to(not only his aforementioned pale skin) his shoulder length silver hair. He sported the Kaguya marking on his forehead-two red dots, mere centimeters apart.
“I am certain, Kimimaro.” came the reply, “You read this scroll, didn’t you? Even if I cannot harness the immortality from this Yoru no ōjo, it can still provide with interesting information, do you not agree? According to legend, Madara himself used this creature in his campaign against the Hidden Leaf. So, even if she proves useless to my quest for immortality, she’ll prove instrumental to helping me destroy the Hidden Leaf, and take any secrets left behind by the original Hokage. It’ll also help distract me while I am forced to wait for Sasuke to mature.” Orochimaru had a frown on his face after thinking of his encounter with the Uchiha prodigy he was so happy to claim as his own. Orochimaru’s skin was as white as snow, with waist-length black hair. His eyes were amber, with cat-like irises in them, and had purple slits emerging from the corner of each eyeball. At the moment, he was looking over a summoning scroll he had ‘proclaimed’ from a traveling salesman.
“Ah, yes. I recall you came back to me without a left arm when you attempted to take Itachi’s body. Such a shame, Itachi’s body is naturally more endurable than any other host we may search for. But, I suppose it’s your fault for underestimating Itachi Uchiha.” came a cheeky reply from his left hand man, Kabuto. Of the three in the dimly lit room(with a massive snake in the back), Kabuto looked the most like a normal, no clan, ninja. He had circular glasses, black eyes, and silver hair that he kept in a ponytail that reached his upper back.
“How dare you mock Lord Orochimaru!” Kimimaro defended his God. To this, he got a chuckle from Orochimaru.
“No need to be so defensive, Kimimaro. He is right, though. It was my own fault for ignoring the dangers of using genjutsu against a fully developed Sharingan user. That’s why I keep him around, he keeps me... relatively level headed, but knows how far I’m going to let him go before he oversteps his boundaries.” Orochimaru clarified to both his subordinates, “And you are my sword, Kimimaro. He is my armor, you are my sword. Now, allow me to begin casting the jutsu. Kimimaro, be ready to subdue it. Kabuto, be ready to heal it, should it have any injuries.” after both gave their own versions of ‘yes, my lord’, Orochimaru began the summoning.
As he finished, he pressed his hands into the ground.
“Summoning Jutsu: Yoru no Fumetsu Ōjo!” then, a cloud of smoke engulfed the room. Kimimaro got ready to fight, while Kabuto remained passive. When the smoke receded, Orochimaru was standing parallel to a strange, horse-like creature. It was half the size of Orochimaru, but held a much better grace. It’s body was sleek and aerodynamic, with a glowing, night sky-ish mane, greenish-blue eyes, black crown, and indigo fur.
“Welcome... Princess of the Night...”
One week later, in Itachi’s shack...
Twilight woke up early the next morning, partly because she feared Samehada would be floating over her(as it had the first few nights, but after Itachi finished building her room, it left her alone), but mostly because she wanted to see Itachi and Kisame off. To her relief, the massive sword wasn’t floating over her, but staying near its blue master, who was sitting on the couch, reading an unmarked book. She quickly got dressed and walked outside to see Kisame and Itachi off.
Just yesterday they received a letter from him, stating that he had a plan to instil the greatness of the Akatsuki into the minds of everyone in Takigakure, just as we have with Iwagakure. To quote Kisame’s reasoning, “Our mission tomorrow is to make people see that, whatever they can’t handle with their ninjas or alliances, they can throw to us, the Akatsuki. Or, if something top secret needs to be done, like disposing of a turncoat, they pay hefty fines for us to do it and keep quiet.” Her plan was to see her two mentors(Itachi had begun teaching her ninjutsu, genjutsu, and shurikenjutsu, while Kisame taught her taijutsu, survival stuff, and whatever Itachi couldn’t the day after they met), until she saw a third figure in the room. A hunched figure, low to the ground. It was wearing the same cloak as Itachi(who was absent from the room) and Kisame, so she assumed it was another member of the Akatsuki. She also thought it was Hidan or Kakuzu, but she didn’t want to assume it was someone it wasn’t. It had dark skin, and a bandana covered its mouth.
“Oh?” he asked(his voice being too deep to be female in origin), “This is Itachi’s ‘sister’? A very sweet face, if I do say so myself.” he approached her, and bowed his head, “I am Sasori, of the Red Sand. I’m here to pick up these two. My previous partner quit the Akatsuki, and we have found a replacement. Itachi said he would help win him over.”
“And, to bring new orders.” Twilight bowed to greet her older brother, who was walking in from outside, “The leader wants all available Akatsuki members to capture these two jinchuuriki, to show off all the Akatsuki has to offer, as you know. However, and Sasori hasn’t told me why, but he especially wants to see you in action. I just got back from trying to get Konan(our only link to the Leader, as I’m sure I’ve told you) to tell me why, but she merely responded with, ‘He wants to see how good you are at teaching’, and brushed the rest of my questions off.”
“All the way to Amegakure? Itachi, you have someone to fight.” Kisame said, a worried tone to his voice, “Don’t you think that’s being a bit overconfident in your abilities?”
“I agree with Kisame on this one, Itachi.” Twilight said, looking worried, “What if he’s really strong?”
“Not to worry, Twilight.” Itachi put his hand on her head, “Your big brother is more than capable of handling a hasbeen from Iwagakure.” he gave her a reassuring smile.
“Sure are a softy, Itachi.” Kisame interrupted the heartwarming moment.
“I’d think not. Simply a sibling bond showing before us. Truly a work of art, if I do say so myself.” Itachi sighed in annoyance as Twilight giggled.
Maybe this won’t be too bad... Itachi thought, half joking. Of course it was going to be bad, they had hardly any info on the target. I suppose everything can’t have a life story attached.... He thought, looking at Twilight. She had an old Uchiha shirt he found on under an oversized Akatsuki cloak. Seriously, it was a miracle if she didn’t trip. - - - Orochimaru’s Hideout, same time...
Luna awoke in her dimly lit room in the strange location. Her ‘captors’ hadn’t disclosed where she was yet, but she didn’t very much care. From her initial briefing with Orochimaru’s hideout, he had more use for her than the ponies of Equestria ever did. That’s why she didn’t try to escape; here she had purpose. If something gets that bad, Celestia can get off her throne and fight for herself... Luna bitterly thought. She removed herself from her bed(which wasn’t as hard as it looked), and neatly made it, using her telekinesis. Just as she went to sit down, a knock was heard at the door.
“Miss Luna, are you awake?” she heard a voice call out. She couldn’t quite remember whose voice it was, so she just went with a ‘yes’.
To her surprise, it wasn’t Kabuto or Orochimaru who came into her room. It was Kimimaro, someone she hadn’t said more than three words to.
“I know we do not get a chance to speak often, but I’d very much like to know one of Orochimaru’s newest assets.” he spoke, simply.
“Very well, Sir Kimimaro. Truth be told, I wished to know more about you as well.” she said with a bow of the head, “If you do not mind.”
“Only if you go first.” he spoke from the doorway, “But, more over, I’d like to hear about Madara Uchiha the most. It was said that you assisted him, after all.” Footsteps were heard approaching behind Kimimaro, and Kabuto appeared behind him.
“Yes, it would be good to learn more about one of the greatest ninjas who ever lived. The tales I’ve heard about him are quite fascinating, and I wish to know if they’re true.” Kabuto spoke, with enthusiasm to learn, but with an ulterior motive. Luna couldn’t think of what, so she brushed it off.
“Very well. Will we be exchanging life stories in my bedroom, or shall we find a better place to speak?” she asked.
“I know just the place.” Kabuto said, leading them out. Luna followed behind Kimimaro, and began memorizing the floor plan of the base. It wasn’t too hard to, but if you didn’t know where you were going, you’d be lost in minutes upon entering. She looked at both of the Sound Ninjas in front of her, and closed her eyes, silently playing with different back stories for each.
It was in one of the border towns where we decided to wait for the new member to replace Orochimaru, someone who Twilight(despite knowing better than to judge people on their past actions until she knew their motives) didn’t like very much. Sasori felt similarly, but he was the man’s partner. For ages, by the way Sasori was describing it.
“Orochimaru, as great as he was a ninja, had one critical flaw, one that’ll probably kill him one day.” the hunched man said on the way here, describing Orochimaru to her, “It was that he had a one track mind, and a rather selfish one at that. If he wanted something, he’d go to any lengths to get it. If what he wants is out of his reach, something he sees after he’s been humiliated, he goes for the weaker link. However, should he... how should I word this?... ‘cheat death’? That sounds about right... Should he ‘cheat death’ too soon, I have a pretty good idea what he’d do. He’d mature the body to the point it’s on par with the one he has now. However, that has a drawback, as the jutsu he uses to ‘cheat death’ only keeps him alive for another three years.”
What Twilight couldn’t understand is why Orochimaru wished to prolong his life as long as he had. Was it unfinished business, or an overwhelming fear of death? Either way, she thought she’d never get the chance to ask him herself, so she simply assumed the man was too afraid to die.
Then, interrupting her from further thinking about the ex-Akatsuki member, a young man with long, blonde hair, a green shirt with a grey mesh under it, and black pants. Around his waist were two bags of some sort. On his hands, Twilight would’ve sworn that she saw hands but...that’d be impossible, wouldn’t it?
“Huh? Who are you four?” the young man asked.
“We’re the Akatsuki.” Itachi answered, coldly.
“‘Akatsuki’? What the hell is that? You know what, don’t answer. Just... piss off, I’m trying to take in the art here!” He shouted. It was obvious to everyone he got annoyed rather easily.
“Why do I have to be stuck with such a loud mouthed brat? He’s got spunk, I’ll give him that much, but he looks like the kind of guy who dies young.” Sasori sighed, taking an additional gaze at the younger man. Twilight didn’t have to be psychic to know what was running through Sasori’s head right then and there. But, with the mission being later today, they didn’t have much choice when it came to S-rank missing nin, did they?
“Leader’s orders, Sasori. His talents will prove useful.” Itachi answered Sasori’s question with a cold gaze at the man, who looked surprised.
“You all know about me?!” Twilight couldn’t tell if it was angered shock or happy shock, “Who are you people?”
“You’ve been cooperating with insurgents in the surrounding countries, acting as a terrorist and causing damaging explosions.” Twilight was impressed. Such a young boy, and he could cause explosions? Well,(among other things) Iwagakure was known for its explosion corp. So, an escapee from there would know more than a few ways to blow things up.
“What purpose are you trying to achieve, now that you’ve left your village?” Kisame asked a simple question, but Twilight had a gut feeling it would have a long winded response, one that Itachi shared.
“Purpose? Don’t have one.” Twilight gave an internal sigh of relief. Maybe he’d leave it at that? “People pay for commissions, and I fill them out, with my sculptures.” Twilight rose an eyebrow at this, along with Kisame.
“Sculptures?” she asked, getting that feeling again. The young man turned his attention to her, and gave a smile. In his mind, he thought she was interested in becoming his student. He reached into his bags, and pulled out an inflated spider-like thing. It looked weird, but Twilight would call it art of the abstract variety.
“Behold! This is the result of combining highly detailed linework and two dimensional deformations!” Oh, Sage, she set him off for a long winded speech with words that made no sense to her, “This is true art, hmm! But that’s just the beginning! Though they start out as models, my art is alive! My art breaths, hmm!” Twilight tried her best to remain a neutral expression during this speech of his, but internally she was getting a little annoyed, “My art explodes! And, in that short moment of an explosion, it fulfills its vision of greatness that inspired me to create it!” the ‘artist’ raised his left hand to reveal a mouth on his hand, which stuck its tongue out.
Gross... Twilight couldn’t help but think. But, he seems to enjoy what he does. I suppose he can’t be all bad, if that’s all he can do.
“That explosive moment,” the artist continued, “is the only point where I consider it to be true art! Because art is an explosion!” There was silence between the five at that point. The artist must have thought he left us wordless with his ‘philosophy’, but in actuality, no one really agreed with him. But, Twilight’s thoughts were the most sympathetic toward the poor, deluded man.
“Man... he is annoying.” Sasori sighed, most likely mentally facepalming(being an artist himself).
“Is he finished? I can’t tell.” Kisame cheekily said, looking at Itachi.
“It could be worse, I suppose...” Twilight muttered to herself. This rattled the artist, but Itachi stepped in before he could say anything.
“Enough stalling. I’ll fight him.” Itachi said, coldly, walking forward. Twilight had to agree, they needed to get to the Hidden Rain Village soon. Sasori turned to Itachi for a moment,
“Would you, Itachi? I wouldn’t want to poison the poor guy, nor start off on the wrong foot.” Sasori turned to the man, “He looks like the kind of guy who makes his life’s goal revenge if you so much as poke at his ego.” The man shuddered, and Twilight gave the softest smile. Though she’d only seen Itachi in full on combat once, a few weeks ago, she knew how everyone reacted to her big brother’s power. They all feared the power of the Sharingan.
“You... you wanna fight?” the man tried to hide his fear.
“If I win, you must join the Akatsuki.” Itachi bargained.
“D...Don’t you... Don’t you ever underestimate my art! My ninjutsu is the very essence of creativity, hmm!!” the man threw the spider at Itachi, who jumped back. It exploded, and the smoke lingered. Then, from the floor, a white centipede-like creature ventured, wrapping the man up. It didn’t take Twilight long to figure out Itachi had place him under a genjutsu.
“That all you got, hmm?” he confidently smirked.
“You’d better take a good look at yourself first.” Itachi said from within the smoke. Twilight gave off a giggle at the artist’s reaction to being within his own trap.
“It’s a good thing you stopped. Another second, and you would’ve gone from an ‘artist’ to a ‘suicide bomber’.” Kisame jested.
“Told you he’d die an early death.” Sasori shook his head.
“Genjutsu?! But, since when...?” he asked.
“Since the beginning.” Twilight told him, with a tinge of sympathy, “The moment you looked into his eyes.” Then the smoke cleared. The sight was... beautiful. Twilight’s eyes were wide, and her mouth open. In front of the large, rising sun, Itachi stood, completely unfazed by the explosion, in between two statues with, what looked to be, sharingan behind them.
“This... is true art.” Twilight whispered, unknowing she was mirroring the thoughts of the defeated artist. However, his shocked expression turned from superstitious awe to disgust in a matter of seconds.
“You lose, Deidara. You are now a part of the Akatsuki.” Itachi’s expression was cold and almost dead, like how people described angels in tales of old.
“Grr.... fine! I’ll join your organization. I take it I’m the slug’s partner?!” he shouted, impulsively.
“‘Slug’?” Sasori seemed to ask to himself, looking down.
“Show some respect.” Itachi jumped down onto the floor next to Twilight, “He is your superior. I am your superior. You are to obey us at all times, am I clear?” Twilight was slightly concerned at her brother’s change of tone, but thought nothing much of it.
“...Fine. I apologize...?” Deidara asked his partner his name.
“Sasori. Sasori, of the Red Sand. I hope we won’t have a problem, I don’t think you’ll make a very good puppet.” Twilight gulped at what Sasori just implied.
“Puppet? You mean those almost-art toys?” Deidara went to say something else, but stopped himself when he looked at Itachi.
“I think my puppets are art, you little brat. However, unlike you, I accept all forms of art, and have seen many. Yours is by far the most... interesting, but you could call almost anything and everything art.” Sasori explained. It was obvious Deidara didn’t agree, but saved his complaints for a later date.
“We have work to do. Let’s go back to Amegakure.” Kisame suggested. And, of course, they all dashed off in the direction of the village Twilight had never seen before, but had heard so much about. She had to admit, she was more than a little interested in the location she was headed to. A land that always rains...
Doesn’t sound like a whole lot... makes one wonder why its so important... Why someone would fight wars over it... Twilight thought as they reached the treeline. It wouldn’t be long before they were at Amegakure, she wagered.
In the forest, few hours later.
The sun had reached its peak when Itachi said they were almost there, much to the relief of Twilight. More to Deidara, who mouthed off a complaint under his breath. They hadn’t stopped to take a break, as they had a lot of ground to cover before they could even consider it. The Leader wouldn’t wait for long, but they were a little ahead of schedule. Itachi was always one to be early, though. Jumping off a tree branch, she noticed she was next to the blonde haired artist, who seemed interested in her form. It was then she noticed she was stuck between Sasori and Deidara, who were looking at her weirdly. They hadn’t been there too long, but long enough for her to be concerned. Itachi was in front, and Kisame was in back, trying to repress a laugh.
“Uhm... is something the matter?” she asked, finally.
“Huh? Oh, nothing. Just looking at how perfect your body is.” Sasori responded.
“Nothing, hmm. Just thinking about how wonderful you would be in your explosive final moments.” Deidara said at the same time, before adding, “That, and you seemed interested in my art. Not a lot of people are. Can’t say I blame them too much, it just hasn’t caught on yet.”
“You know, I could make you the perfect work of art.” both artists said at the same time. This caused both of them to glare at each other menacingly.
“What do you mean, you crazy old coot?! You’d turn her into a rusty old puppet! What person in their right mind would admire a puppet?” Deidara shouted, “The youth of today is looking for a spark, a spark that comes in the final moments of another’s life! It is the explosion of absolute beauty that drives the people of today to reach the top of their game!”
“You ignorant little brat, puppets are what people adore! They’re absolute beauty, yet powerful attacks make people long for another stage of life, where all creatures are beautiful, immortal, and powerful!” Sasori shouted back.
“That slug is beautiful? I could make a better slug with my clay, and it would look 20% cooler when it explodes!” Twilight felt a little light headed, and could’ve sworn she saw two horses in the place of her brother’s comrades. Deidara was replaced by a blue one with a rainbow colored mane, and Sasori was replaced by a white one with a purple mane. Twilight couldn’t make out any finer details, as her brother’s voice shattered her thoughts.
“Enough!” his voice commanded. They returned to normal in her vision, and they both looked ahead at Itachi, “You all need to keep focused! Continue lollygagging and looking at things you shouldn’t, and I might as well carry you.” Twilight gulped, nervously. Her brother really wanted to get to Amegakure early. Deidara sped up a bit to see why. Twilight, however, was on a completely different thought process than the one she had been on a few moments ago.
What were those horses I saw? she thought to herself, eyes downcast as she searched her limited memory, why did I see them instead of Deidara and Sasori?
Filler: Interview with the Missing Pegasus: Rainbow Dash Part I: Meeting a Demon and Loyal Assassin
A/N: I have exams the next two weeks, so I won’t be able to update as frequently, or work on them at all. So, in light of this development(I wasn’t aware until last week of the testing dates), I decided to take a spin on the idea that really gave birth to this in the first place(and also so I don’t think about it during the exams); and that’s Haku, Zabuza Momochi, and Rainbow Dash(Primarily because Haku displayed a lot more undying loyalty than Rainbow, but I digress.), and then the idea that spawned alongside it of the Alicorn’s having Rinnegans... which wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility, but I’m not going to emphasize it here.
So, the following will be done in a sort of her recollection format, and I’ll see if this proves okay with any of you.
Come to think of it, chapters revolving around her would have to be independant anyway, but I felt honor bound to at least acknowledge the origins of this story. So, enjoy the recollections of a rainbow pegasus pony trained in the ways of the Bloody Mist.
“So, you want to know where I was for those few weeks? Heh... curiosity killed the cat, you know? Of course you do...” the cyan furred pegasus let out a sigh as she closed her eyes, trying to recall the first thing that happened.
A few weeks ago, she had vanished without so much as a word in a snowstorm. When she returned, she was put under house arrest by Princess Celestia, who knew full well what she went through, and feared her for it. Her coat grew a lighter color, and she obtained a scar over her left eye.
Taking another moment to make sure the single pony audience was listening, she began her tale, “It all began that night, during the snowstorm. You remember, the stray one that we kinda had to just bunker down and deal with? Well, I had to fly home from the weather factory that night, and... Well, I don’t really know how, but I got knocked out. I woke up in cold waters, and staring straight up at a calm, snowy sky. I was never that good a swimmer, but I knew enough to not panic. Calling upon what little swimming skills I had, I tried to stay afloat long enough to find a place to dry my wings off long enough to take off. At the time, I thought the storm blew me away to a lake or ocean. Sadly, as I swam, I figured out that either the storm blew me all the way to the ocean beyond Las Pegasus, or the storm had some level of magical energy that would’ve teleported me elsewhere.
“Biggest hint to the latter? Lack of Pegasi flying across the sky. They’d have to really work their wings to make sure this wasn’t just a momentary calm in that storm from last night.
“Anyway, I soon saw a little patch of land in the distance, and quickened my paddling pace. Unfortunately, I hadn’t accounted natural predators. Like sharks. Sharks were never good.” she gave a chuckle, before feeling the need to describe something, “Something interesting about the sharks that stood out right away for me. They looked... weird. As in, they came from the Everfree Forest. But, in the film of the snow that was natural to this world, they looked like... natural. As in, ponies didn’t need to take care of them. At first, I wondered if that would kick Fluttershy out of a job, but then quickly dismissed the thought as, well...
“The sharks began to give chase. Another really bad thing to happen with wet wings and no teleportation magic. Well, the story goes that you hafta punch the sharks in the snout to let em know who’s in charge. Apparently five to one odds changed that rule. Taking that in stride, I began swimming toward land even faster than before. Most pegasi stay away from swimming, but I think its interesting to note that-if the right timing is used-flapping your wings can, in fact, make you go faster... but not fast enough to outrun a natural born swimmer with three rows of teeth.
“Had to get bitten to figure that out. Hurt like a mother-bucker. Mind my Griffin.
“Well, I got to shore and passed out immediately. Hey-you try outswimming five sharks with next to no swimming experience! I was forced to take a swimming course in Flight School, and didn’t really keep up with my training in that field. Not even the Wonderbolts use that class. So, its only really used for life preservation if your wings cramp up over a river or lake. Not swimming to shore in the middle of the ocean. Anyway, I woke up in a shack of some sort, most of my injuries having bandages over them. They were white, which meant I was out for awhile. Enough for the bleeding to stop and somepony to change the bandages.
“Well, someone, mind you. I didn’t find that out until later, though. So, I guess I shouldn’t get ahead of myself on this issue. The shack was one room, and hastily built. It looked more like a barn than a shack, but I couldn’t complain. Being a common helping hoof at Sweet Apple Acres, I was used to Earth Pony hospitality. Besides the weird sharks and odd snowflakes, I honestly still thought I was still in Equestria at that point. Then, they came in.
“At first, I was shocked. What are these things? was my first question, before noticing one had a massive sword on its back. My eyes went wide in shock, but I couldn’t move. A good thing, I guess. They knew I was awake, and they also knew I couldn’t move. If they wanted to kill me; why wait until after I woke up?
“‘Hey, what’s this thing?’ the one with the sword asked, browless eye raised in curiousity. There went that idea. He was tall, easily taller than Celestia, and had spiky black hair. I knew from his first word that he was a he, as his voice was so deep, it made me shudder slightly. His eyes were small and had a deadly feel to them. As in, I didn’t feel comfortable pissing him off. He was also fully clothed, and boy were those weird. Some sort of striped cloth and flak jacket. He was still intimidating, but I felt insecure about being threatened by him.
“‘A pegasus, Master Zabuza.’ the shorter one responded, sounding slightly happy at the sight of me. This one was undoubtedly shorter, probably more than myself, and had ash black hair. However, unlike ‘Zabuza’, he was less threatening, and more feminine than I am masculine. I admit it, yes. You can put that in the headlines. He had bigger brown eyes that projected a hidden sadness, and a very warming face. He was dressed similarly to ‘Zabuza’, but without the flak jacket. ‘Zabuza’ examined me from the doorway, before walking closer, a knife in his hand. Never a good sign.
“‘Tell me, pegasus,’ he glared down at me, now standing over the bed, ‘Do you know where you are?’ I said no, and he closed his eyes in consideration, before looking to his associate, ‘Tell me, Haku, do you think it’ll be helpful, or better off dead?’ he asked the kid. I was shaking. Anypony in their right mind would be, I think. But, the kid looked to me, and seemed to read my soul. After a few moments of intense silence, the kid responded with something... strange.
“‘She’d be a good spy, if anything. Her body is very aerodynamic, and she clearly has eyes for the sky. I cannot vouch for her personally, Zabuza sensei, but she is also recovering from several wounds and bruises, no doubt accumulated on a long journey here.’ I was baffled. The kid had an eye for detail, I’ll tell ya what. With a satisfied chuckle, ‘Zabuza’ reached behind him. At first, I thought he was going to bring that sword of his out, but in actuality, he pulled out a vial of pills. He explained to me what they would do-subdue the pain until they could get back to his headquarters in this region. Seeing no alternative, I took the small pill in my hoof as he helped me up. After swallowing the pill, I noticed he had a headband on his head. It was slanted, and had a wave-like insignia on it. When he noticed me taking too long swallowing, he gave an aggravated grunt, and asked if I needed water.
“Shaking my head, I swallowed the pill. After it hit the bottom of my stomach, I began feeling dizzy. A few moments after that, I passed out.
“Anyway, that’s how I met a Demon and a Loyal Shinobi. After that, I was kept in the dark about a lot of things. I knew they saved me, but I didn’t know from what. A week after, I discovered what. A group of Shinobi Bandits, looking to get a quick one. I was petrified, but felt a debt to the swordsman. Probably why I stayed so long. After I fully healed, Zabuza began training me in the ways of the shinobi. That was probably the hardest training of my life. I learnt how to climb trees without grabbing them, increase my ground and aerial speed exponentially, even use my Sonic Rainboom in small, fast paced, teleportation-esque bursts. I also slowly got used to the idea I wasn’t getting home. After all, I was pretty much the pet of the two. Never would call me that, though.
“Anyway, I was with them for five years.” a question was asked, a rather simple one, “Heh... Time flows different in different dimensions, I guess. Eventually, Zabuza gave Haku and I twin headbands, from the same Shinobi group from when he found me. It was the same as his. By then, I knew exactly what he was. A criminal. I was working for a criminal without just cause. But, I owed him. And, as the Element of Loyalty, I always gotta pay my debts. And then there was Haku.
“Despite original thinking him to be a girl(don’t laugh, you didn’t see him!), I warmed up to him as one would any other stranger they were living with. After getting to know him, I realised something. Something I would’ve never seen hadn’t I met him.
“Though it was to the wrong crowd with the right reason to be, he was more loyal than I was. Me, the Element of Loyalty, being outshined in her own Element by a kid who didn’t even know what Friendship was. But there was nothing he wasn’t willing to do to please Zabuza. I looked at their relationship in terms of the loyalty they had, and then I looked at the one I have with Twilight and the gals.” she looked somewhat shaken, and displeased with herself, “Of our little coven, I was probably the worst. A loyal friend is someone who will always be there for you, no matter what. Even if the friend doesn’t want your help, you still need to try your darndest to get them the help they deserve. Then there was the whole Mare-Do-Well incident. That was a stab in the back for me. But this kid helped me see what I was lacking.
“Or so I thought, anyway. I met someone later on that helped correct that, right quick. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. I haven’t even told you what happened to them that led to me meeting God and his Arch-Angel.” she took a breath, collecting her thoughts, before beginning again.
“All good things cannot last. I understand that better than anypony, now. You see, Zabuza needed money to stage a Coup d'état against his home village. And, with a reputation like ours, there were mobsters and lesser villages pleading for us to assist them. And then, we were hired by some of the worst scum in the entire multiverse... or at least that I’ve met.
“Gatō, founder of Gatō Company. Underneath, he was a scum who traded illegal drugs and tried to take over an entire country. Of course, none of us really enjoyed working for this trash, especially Haku and myself. But, with the need for money, we swallowed our pride and accepted the job. It was to kill a bridge builder, who was under the protection of a single three man squad.
“Should’ve been easy. Needless to say, it didn’t go the way we planned at all.” She visibly cringed as she fought back the tears of the painful memories, “That was the day I swore vengeance against the Hidden Leaf Village. The day the two who mattered to me were killed before my eyes, by the heartless Leaf Village.”