Experiment

Kanaye had seen Sasuke once in the two weeks since the incident. He had acted like nothing was different, and she had followed his example. //Maybe it was just a fluke...// she had thought hopefully. But it was still extremely awkward around him, considering she had no idea why he had kissed her in the first place.

“Mmhmmmmf.” she responded to a question she hadn't heard. “Wait...what?” she asked, looking at Shikamaru. “I said, the festival starts in about two hours at noon, shouldn't you get ready?” he said, looking impatient.

“Yeah, are you going?”

“Eh, maybe, but it seems troublesome.” he responded, closing his eyes, that was Shikamaru for you. “Ok, well I'll see you there.” She said, sitting up in the grass. They had been watching the sky together, as they usually did when things in the village got to noisy. She yawned and rose all the way, stretching, looking down to see that he had already fallen asleep.

They were a fair way away from the village, in a meadow that they kept secret from others. Who wanted little kids running around trampling the soft grass, or other ninja taking it as a training spot? And since no one new about it, they could watch the sky for hours undisturbed. However, it did mean a long walk there and back. As she walked, lyrics floated into her head, and as there was no one around, she started to sing.

I am a question to the world
Not an answer to be heard
Or a moment that's held in your arms

And what do you think you'd ever say
I won't listen anyway
You don't know me
And I'll never be what you want
Me to be

And what
Do you think you'd understand
I'm boy, no, I'm a man
You can't take me
And throw me away

And how
Can you learn what's never shown
Yeah, you stand here on your own
They don't know me
'Cause I'm not here

And I want a moment to be real
Want to touch things I don't feel
Wanna hold on and feel I belong

And how can the world want me to change
They're the ones that stay the same
They don't know me
'Cause I'm not here

And you see the things they never see
All you wanted - I could be
Now you know me
And I'm not afraid

And I want to tell you who I am
Can you help me be a man
They can't break me
As long as I know who I am

And I want a moment to be real
Want to touch things I don't feel
Wanna hold on and feel I belong

And how can the world want me to change
They're the ones that stay the same
They can't see me
But I'm still here

They can't tell me who to be
'Cause I'm not what they see
Yeah, the world is still sleepin' while I keep on dreaming for me
And their words are just whispers and lies that I'll never believe

And I want a moment to be real
Want to touch things I don't feel
Wanna hold on and feel I belong

And how can you say I'll never change
They're the ones that stay the same
I'm the one now
'Cause I'm still here

I'm the one
'Cause I'm still here
I'm still here
I'm still here
I'm still here!

She finished the song with a last resounding note. She loved to sing, but hated her voice, and had serious stage fright, so she never sang around others. Her head snapped around, and she immediately went on guard at the sound of clapping. Blushing furiously, she tried to see who had heard her singing through the foliage. “Aww, she's embarrassed!” came a gruff voice, followed by an annoying snicker.

“Kisame, we were told to capture her, not tease her.” came an emotionless voice from behind her. Only this one was slightly familiar.

She turned on her heel, and gasped, eyes turning light violet. Her eyes met other sharingan, and her immediate thought was it was Sasuke, and no way did she want him that near to her. Leaping back, she caught her breath, and glaring at the ground with embarrassment snapped. “Oh fuck off Uchiha! And take whoever is in the trees with you.” she yelled.

“I think not.” came the emotionless voice again. //That's not Sasuke's voice...// she thought, and looked up. The man standing before her was indeed a Uchiha, he had the sharingan, but it was not Sasuke. He wore a long black coat that had red clouds in random places with fishnet just visible under the open fabric. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail, leaving chin long bangs in front, that fell over a Konoha headband. A Konoha headband, with a slash through it.

Judging by the coat and slash in the headband, this man was from the Akatsuki, and other than Sasuke, only one known Uchiha lived, the one who had killed almost the entire clan. “Itachi Uchiha?” her mouth formed the words, but they didn't come out, and the man didn't react. //Wait... capture me?// her mind registered. //Then just to be safe...// “Byakugan!” Kanaye whispered. She still had to utter the word for that, sharingan came without her having to make a sound.

“Oh, so she's a Hyuga?” came the other voice again. “Is that why Orochimaru wants her? Does he now prefer the byakugan to the sharingan?” her eyes quickly detected the speaker, but she already knew who it was, Kisame... half-shark swordsman from the village hidden in the mist, and Itachi's Akatsuki partner.

Gathering her wits, and leaping back again, she positioned herself so she'd be facing them both. Sure enough, Kisame came out, standing next to Itachi. “Why would you want me?” she sneered “Tiered of running away from Sasuke?”

“We want you, because Orochimaru wants you, and he's been giving us grief.” Kisame snorted. “So we need a little leverage.”

She took a step back. “Orochimaru?” she asked, voice trembling. “Hai.” Itachi answered “So let's get this over with.”

“Gōkakyū no Jutsu.” He said, making the signs and raising his hand to his lips. As the fire came, thick and fast, she easily dove down into the dirt. As the smoke cleared [dramatically ofcoarse] She stood still just where she had been before, glaring at the pair. “You'll have to do better than that.” she said steadily.

A little bit away in the woods, A shadow clone Kanaye heaved it's self out of the ground. She couldn't have replaced herself with one, they would have easily noticed, but she could do something. “Summoning technique.” she said scraping her finger against her tooth, and pressing it to the ground. Instently three squirrels appeared. “Hai!” they said as one, looking at her.
Giving them each a spoken message, (one to Tsunade, one to Shikamaru, and one to Kiba) she let Rai, Rei, and Rui scamper off to give them the message.