One Of Us (Akatsuki Fan-fiction)

Chapter 59

   Somehow, Yahiko was able to convince Nagato to continue being the leader of the Akatsuki. Hidan had climbed back up the stairs and yelled at Nagato only to get a million paper cuts on him. He had to take a dip in herbal water but other than that the meeting went by fairly well. Yahiko learned who to try to avoid angering; Hidan, Kakuzu, Sasori, and Deidara. And he learned who weren't so talkative; Itachi, and Sasori. He learned who the best to get along with were (as long as you don't get on their bad side); Kisame, Deidara, Hidan, and you. The other two, Tobi and Zetsu, he just wanted to avoid at all costs.

   Right now, you were sitting on the Face of Pain and staring down at the village. It was kinda nice with the sun shining down on it instead of rain pounding on the rooftops. A small smile came across your lips and you looked up at the sky. There were no rain clouds in sight, only the puffy, white clouds flowing by in the breeze. It was surprisingly quiet in the hideout today, considering there was a new member and several noisy ones in the same place. Your smile fell as you remembered the attack on the Hidden Leaf. It wasn't the attack that was bothering you, well not much, it was the flashback you had seen. That memory... what was it? It must have had to do with you clan, but you had no idea why. The only thing you knew, was that a lot of people had died, your entire clan at that. The woman's face was one you couldn't get out of your mind. Her long, black hair, sandy skin, honey brown eyes, and lips painted crimson... she was the image you kept on seeing over and over again.

   That day before your birthday, the mission with Hidan and Kakuzu, the attack on the Hidden Leaf... just to name a few. That woman...

   "She's my mother," you whispered and closed your eyes as a soft gust of wind blew by and pushed your hair back.

   "Who's your mother?" someone asked curiously from behind you. You heard footsteps and then someone's presence beside you. You opened your eyes and saw the orange haired male sitting beside you while glancing down at the village.

   "I keep seeing images of a black haired woman with brown eyes and I can't help but feel that she's my mother," you replied and turned your gaze back up toward the sky. 

   "Why don't you go to the Hidden Cloud?" Yahiko suggested.

   "Yeah, like Leader will let me," you muttered.

   "He should," Yahiko stated. "You're not his kid."

   "They all treat me as I was still five," you complained and rested your elbow on your knee with your chin on the palm of your hand. "They'll never learn to trust me. Except for Konan, Sasori, and Itachi, those three trust me more than the others do."

   "Well, what have you done that makes them not trust you?"

   You sighed. "I've gotten in the way of several attacks and risked my life to save the other Akatsuki members when they were near death. I don't get it, but I know that I'll never be free."

   "That's a lie," Yahiko deadpanned and leaned forward to look at your face. You frowned and turned away from him. 

   "It's true. Leader doesn't let me go anywhere without a chaperone."

   "A chaperone? Seriously?"

   "Yeah."

   "I'm gonna go talk to him," Yahiko stated as he slowly stood. You reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his cloak. 

   "Don't," you whispered. "I wanna get to know you better. Nagato spoke to Naruto about you, but I wanna get to know you. You gave your life for Konan, and I would gladly do the same. So I wanna know—"

   "That's the reason why Nagato doesn't let you do anything."

   You whipped around and stared wide-eyed at the female standing in the building. "Konan... what do you mean?"

   Konan walked out onto the Face of Pain while talking, "Yahiko sacrificed himself to save me, and Nagato didn't want that to happen. We had already lost someone precious to us before, he didn't want it to happen again. You're very similar to Yahiko, Aiko. That's why Nagato didn't let you get the freedom you deserve. He knew that if he let you run around without a chaperone, you wouldn't hesitate to risk your life to save another person. Whether it was an Akatsuki member or not."

   "Well yeah... he has a point there," you smiled mockingly. "But he didn't do such a good job at keeping an eye on me."

   "I know that," Konan replied.

   Yahiko looked at you then back at Konan. "Why?"

   "She ran off several times without anyone finding out," Konan answered casually. 

   "Seriously?" Yahiko asked and turned back to you as you stood on the edge of the Face. 

   "Yup," you nodded.

   "You were able to escape Nagato... wow!" Yahiko grinned. "That's something I gotta make fun of him for!" he turned toward Konan and they locked gazes before exchanging a nod. "Well, I'm gonna go inside see what I can help out with right now."

   Konan nodded again. "Alright then. Stay clear of Hidan right now, he's looking for something to let his anger out on."

   Yahiko laughed nervously. "Yes ma'am!" he walked off into the building. 

   Konan and you stood there, looking into each other's eyes in silence for a moment before she finally walked closer and stood beside you.

   "Aiko, I was walking by but I overheard your conversation with Yahiko," she began. You nodded. "And I heard what you told him about your mother," she searched through a pocket of her cloak and pulled out an envelope. "I infiltrated the Hidden Cloud a little while ago, shortly after the eight tails incident, and found this lying around on a counter in a house. I remembered your description of the woman you believe to be your mother, so I snuck in and took it."

   You slowly reached out and took the envelope from her. You opened it and took a picture out from within. Your eyes widened at the people in the picture. More specifically, at the the black haired woman in the picture. It was the same woman from your memory, the same woman you kept on seeing. 

   "She... she's the woman," you whispered.

   "I wasn't able to get her name, but I'm guessing the baby in the image is you, Aiko," Konan said. 

   "I have to speak to Leader," you said hurriedly and held up the picture. "Can I keep this?"

   Konan nodded. "Yes. I brought it for you."

   "Thanks Konan," you said and ran off.

~Konan~

   "No problem..." Konan murmured and trailed off as Aiko disappeared into the building. She saw the excitement in her eyes, the determination. All the longing to know more... it was all in Aiko's eyes. Konan smiled as she started to break apart into pieces of paper. I hope you find what you want to know, Aiko. 

~3rd person~

   Aiko headed toward Nagato's office while looking at the picture. There were three people; a woman, a teenage girl, and a baby girl. She had a guess about who the woman was, of course; her mother. Konan had said the baby was probably her so Aiko went with that. As for the other girl... who is she? How was she related to me? Aiko's eyes narrowed slightly before widening as she allowed her next thought to pop up; Was she my sister?