Fire Will Survive -ILYBD AU-

Meeting Strange People... and Fish

Chapter 4

Her ears were ringing, her vision still obscured by the damn sack. Whoever had been the one to knock her out was seriously going to get it later. She almost felt sick, except she didn't, it was just with her ears out and eyesight blocked the world was rocking under her.

"-You to bring her in, not knock her out like some bounty."

As her ears cleared, she was able to estimate the number of people in the room. Based on the different sets of breathing she was guessing at least four. Two being Deidara and Sasori, from their smell, the others all unfamiliar to her nose.

"First off, you said nothing about them being a girl, un! Second, you told us to put a bag over her head, why wouldn't we knock her-"

She grimaced at the volume, her ears folding back against her head. Someone should really teach that blonde to use inside voices. Would it kill him to talk with a normal inside voice?

"Would it kill you to talk like a normal girl!?"

Her body tensed, her mind wanting to ignore the memory her thoughts had called to surface. Now was not the time for the past. She should be focused on the now, and what these mortals were discussing.

"Well for goodness sake take the bag off her!"

She winced at the sudden light, her eyes taking a few moments to readjust themselves to the highlighting. Not at all what the kyuubi had expected the Akatsuki to have in their hideout, but perhaps this was an interrogation room? The rest of the hideout was probably just as low-lit as she'd imagined, it must be just this one room.

Her ears fell back as she could finally take in the new space and unfamiliar faces around her. Before her, front and center, stood a man, like no one she had ever seen. His eyes portrayed a kenki genki she was somehow familiar with, though she was sure this was the first time she'd even seen it. His skin was littered with piercings, she had never understood the reason for such decorations to be put on one's body, but didn't think it would be right for her to question his choice. Perhaps they served some higher purpose? She knew immediately from his chakra and stance that he was the man in charge, the leader Sasori and Deidara had spoken of, the air about him screamed control.

Yuna's gaze shifted to the woman beside him, she had a single piercing under her bottom lip, with a white origami flower pinned up in her hair. It must be a passion, the scent of paper was strong on her, and if the nine-tails wasn't mistaken, so was the Ginger's smell.

"My apologies." The voice of the leader pulled her from her observations before she could analyze anymore of the room's occupants. "I do hope these fools did not make you change your mind about joining us."

"Who are you calling a fool?!"

Her tails twitched with mild amusement, but she did not allow such an emotion to cross her face. She merely shook her head, taking in the small glimpses of another stranger standing off to the side. She couldn't quite see them with the way the light was angled, as though purposefully to keep their identity hidden. Their chakra confused her, it was the exact same chakra running through the leader of Akatsuki.

"It would take more than that to change this Kyuubi's mind." She responded to the leader's words, still trying to determine why the chakra matched his own. It wasn't a clone, there was no reason for him to have a clone active in this situation. Yet why did it's chakra match his completely?

She couldn't be sure, but she was almost positive she saw a small smile grace the leader's lips, if only for a moment. Though she could sense his amusement from a mile away, he thought her diction humorous. The kyuubi fought to keep her expression cool, she would not give him a reason to start comparing her speech to that of an adolescent child. Or in turn comparing her to a child. She could not let that happen.