Ken looked over to his younger teammate, Makoto, as they both sped through the forest.  Ken thought back to the conversation he and Makoto had with Gaara a few hours ago.  Tausha had been kidnapped by Akatsuki, Gaara had told them.  And it was their mission to bring her back alive at all costs.  He frowned and looked over to his comrade.

“Hey, Makoto?  How long do you think until we reach Akatsuki's base?”

Makoto turned his head, and was silent for a moment before speaking.  “I don't know.  If Kazekage-sama is right about the base's position, then...at least three days....What?”  He trailed off, noticing that his blond partner seemed to have gone off in a daze.

Ken grinned, and Makoto instantly knew something was up.  “Well,” the older began slyly.  “The description of the kidnappers was two females, one of them traveling with an arctic wolf.”

“And your point is?”

Ken's grin widened.  “I wonder if they'll be good looking!  Huh?”  He blinked, finally noticing the glare Makoto was sending him.

“What?!” he asked, with an innocent look on his face.  His brown-haired teammate only sighed.

“Come on, you idiot, let's make camp before it gets dark.”

--

Five minutes later found Tausha and Kohana (who had finally stopped crying) out of the stone hallways and in front of a paper, sliding door.  Kohana slid open the door and stepped inside, turning and beckoning Tausha in as well.

“Come on!  This is Kohana's room!  Does Tausha-san like it?”

Tausha cautiously stepped inside, and admired the grinning girl's room.  She had to admit, it looked more like a young teen's room, rather than a deadly criminal's.  The room smelled strongly of flowers.  The walls were a light pink, with red trimming, and there was only one window in the room.  The only pieces of furniture in the room were a dresser with a mirror, a desk, and a wardrobe, probably used for storing weapons and such, more than clothing.  In the corner of the room, there was a red backpack, with a large scroll next to it, which Tausha figured she should ignore.  There was also a pink futon lying in the corner of the room.  There were two doors, one that she had just entered in, and another that was most likely the bathroom.  On the desk, there were a few photos.  Intrigued, Tausha took a step closer to examine them, but before she could, Kohana had slammed them down so that the picture itself wasn't visible.  Tausha looked at the girl with a questioning stare, but Kohana simply walked past her and smiled, silently asking her not to mention the pictures.

“Alright Kohana, we're here.  I'm listening.  Now please tell me why I'm here,” Tausha urged, crossing her arms over her chest, loosing patience with the hyperactive girl.  

There were a few cushions in the center of the room, and Kohana giggled quietly, skipping over to one and plopping down on it.  The girl gave her guest an expectant look, and after a moment, Tausha hesitantly sat down as well.

“Tausha-san is a medic, are you not?”  

The question came as somewhat of a shock to the brunette, but she didn't show it.  “Yes, I am,” she replied.  “But, I'm not that great...not like Tsunade-hime or Haruno Sakura, or anything like that.  Why?  Are you wanting me to heal your sister?  She does look sick, after all.”

However, Kohana didn't nod as Tausha had expected, but instead shook her head vigorously before replying in a childlike voice.  “Nope!  Freya-onee-sama likes her sickness.”  Tausha sweatdropped at Kohana's rather silly response, but said nothing.

It suddenly occurred to Tausha on a random thought that Kohana was so much like a child.  Were it not obvious that she was older, Tausha could have mistaken Kohana for Freya's daughter.  An unimportant question was nagging at the back of her mind, and she couldn't keep herself from asking it.

“Kohana...if you don't mind me asking...how old are you?”

The girl in question halted her random giggle fit and looked up with a bright smile on her face.  She opened her mouth to respond, but suddenly the smile on Kohana's face vanished, and she looked somewhat surprised.  The girl didn't respond, and began counting on her fingers.

Once again, Tausha was shocked by this strange girl.  Did she not know how own age?

“She's nineteen...should be twenty soon,” came a calm voice from the doorway.  Both girls spun around to face the door frame, to see an amused Freya leaning on it, with Eclipse standing by her side.  The older woman had a slight pinkish tint to her cheeks, indicating that she had indeed been drinking.  Any other activities she had participated in as well while gone, Tausha didn't care to know.  “She's my younger sister by three years.”

Oddly, Tausha couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.  Kohana was older than her?  Judging from her short stature, lack of...development, and childish personality, Tausha would have thought she was no more than fourteen, fifteen at the most.  It annoyed her a little to be younger than such an immature woman, even if it was only a year or two.

“Onee-sama, what do you want?” Kohana questioned, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Freya smirked slightly, and pulled herself away from the door.  “I came to tell you...”  She paused, momentarily shifting her sightless gaze to where Tausha was sitting.  “I thought that you might like to know...that he's awake, Imouto.  This might be an opportune moment to explain Matsumoto-san...situation to her.”

Kohana's face broke out into a happy grin, but it quickly turned into a skeptical, half-teasing look.  “Wait a minute, Onee-sama... How did you know that Senpai is awake?  Were you sitting by his bedside, molesting him in his sleep again?”

A deep red blush appeared on Freya's shocked as soon as Kohana spoke, and she looked away quickly, fidgeting nervously.  “N-no, I w-w-wasn't.  I h-have more respect than that,” she defended.  Tausha couldn't help but laugh softly at Freya's obviously uncomfortable situation, and the white-haired glared dangerously at her.  She grinned and muttered an apology.  It was kind of odd, knowing cold hearted Freya from the prison cell was extremely shy, by the looks of it.

Kohana giggled softly and smiled cheerfully, and she immediately rose to her feet.  She turned to Tausha and pulled her up as well, before the younger girl had time to react.  “Kohana could explain things to you...but Kohana thinks it would be easier to show you!”  She suddenly paused, and her happy grin was replaced by a sad pleading look.  “Tausha-chan, may Kohana call you nee-chan?” she asked suddenly.

Tausha blinked, surprised at her question.  “Um, sure,” she replied uncertainly.  The grin returned to Kohana's face, and she eagerly bounded out the door, leaving her two “sisters” behind.

“Yay!  Come on, then, nee-chan!” she called.

It was Freya's turn to laugh, and she smirked at Tausha.  “Well, my imouto seems to already be attached to you, if she's already calling you nee-chan.” While Freya's tone was amused, Tausha swore she could detect a small trace of sadness in her voice at the last part.  True to her suspicions, Freya must have noticed her confusion, and affirmed her thoughts.

“She doesn't even refer to me that lovingly.”

Tausha raised an eyebrow.  “But..she calls you 'onee-sama.'  Is that not loving?”

The older woman smiled slightly and shook her head, absentmindedly stroking Ecipse's head.  “She calls me 'onee-sama' simply because it's a fact.  We're not technically biologically related, per say, but I am indeed her true sister.  And thus, she calls me sister, but it doesn't mean anything.  There's no love behind her words anymore.”

“Yet you call her 'imouto,' and you state a fact.  Does this mean there is no love in your words, either?”

Freya didn't respond.  Not that Tausha really expected an answer, of course.  The brunette looked sadly at Freya.  She was a criminal, but something about this woman intrigued her, and she wanted to learn more about her.  The relationship...or lack of one, as Freya said, between Kohana and Freya faintly reminded her of herself and Katsumi.  Unfortunately, Freya didn't seem to want to talk anymore, as she turned away and made to walk out of the room.  Honestly, Tausha was surprised Freya had told her this much.

“Come,” the woman's quite voice broke Tausha out of her thoughts.  “Since imouto ran off, I'll take you to her.”  

--

Freya had led Tausha down the hall, and had stopped in front of a door not too far from Kohana's.  Tausha was now standing in front of said door with Freya and Eclipse behind her.  Kohana's hand rested on the handle of the door, but she seemed hesitant to open it.  She turned to the brunette with a nervous look on her face.

“Nee-chan, promise you won't hate Kohana?”

Tausha's eyes widened slightly at the question.  It seemed like kind of a strange thing to ask, especially since she seemed so excited a few minutes ago.  She looked to Freya for assistance, but only received a curious look in return.  It seemed Freya also wondered what Tausha would say.

Tausha pondered on the question for a few seconds.  Kohana was a criminal, and she really hadn't known the girl that long, but there was something about the redhead that just attracted people to her.  She remembered what Freya had told her about Kohana being attached to her, and she sighed.  “No,” she replied at last, surprised at how gentle she sounded.  “I won't hate you...Kohana.”

Kohana smiled in appreciation, and her hand tightened on the door handle.  Tausha suddenly got a bad feeling about this whole situation.  She was almost certain that there was a criminal behind that door, and she didn't really want to have to face someone like that.  She was also sure that whoever was behind that door, Kohana wanted her to heal.  However, the kunoichi didn't know if she could willingly do that.  But...what if this was all a trick, and she was going to be thrown into a torture room and interrogated for information?  

Tausha'a heartbeat quickened, as well as her breathing, and she trembled nervously.  Freya leaned in closer to her from behind, and whispered something to her.  “Matsumoto-san, before Imouto opens the door, I want you to be aware of what you are about to get yourself into.  I'm sure you've realized this, but yes, there is a dangerous man in that room, though he is very precious to Kohana.  He won't hurt you as long as you're with her, but don't do anything...unnecessary.”

The sand ninja nodded her thanks at what she assumed was Freya's attempt at comforting words.  “Open the door, Imouto,” Freya urged, to which Kohana nodded slowly before flashing the brunette a comforting smile.

“Don't worry, nee-chan!” she giggled.  “Senpai won't hurt you!”  Tausha nodded nervously, and the question of her capture rose to her mind again.  Kohana leaned forward and made a motion as if to reach for the handle, but right before she did, the door was slid open rather forcefully.  Both Kohana and Taushsa screamed, and Kohana fell forward as Tausha jumped back.  Freya gave an amused smirk and Kohana made a surprised noise as she fell against a hard object.  The object itself gasped softly, having the wind knocked out of it.

“What are you doing in front of my door, you foolish girl?” a male, monotone voice asked bluntly.

Kohana squealed, delighted, and threw her arms around the person, nuzzling her face into the man's chest.  “Itachi-senpai!”  Dango-chan also squealed happily and floated up to plop comfortably on the person's head, making said person scowl slightly.

“Senpai, Senpai!” she squeaked, mimicking Kohana.

Tausha's eyes widened.  'I...Itachi?!  She can't mean...!'  With a new-found fear gripping at her, she slowly looked up, and her ocean blue eyes locked with blood red ones.  She gasped and quickly averted her gaze.  There was no mistaking it.  Even in Sand, Tausha had heard the story of the cold, ruthless Uchiha clan murderer.  This was Uchiha Itachi.  A true killer.  And Kohana was snuggling up to him as if it was no big deal!  And he was allowing it, too!

Kohana glanced up and fearlessly looked him in the eye, as if she did this kind of thing everyday.  A small voice in the back of Tausha's mind told her that she probably did.  “Itachi-senpai, you shouldn't be out of bed wandering around!” Kohana scolded, a small frown on her face.

Itachi frowned and gently pushed the girl off of him.  He was pale, and he looked tired, but nevertheless, he looked no less threatening.  If anything, with the dark bags under his narrowed eyes, he looked more threatening.  That is, until Tausha noticed the little pinkish-white mechanical hamster sitting happily on top of the Uchiha's head.  For some reason, she found it oddly amusing, and a small snicker escaped from her lips at the thought of Uchiha Itachi walking around killing people with a cute little hamster on his head.  She had a feeling he'd be laughed right out of Akatsuki.  

Horrified, she realized what she had just done, and she slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide.  Kohana glanced over her shoulder and shot a worried look at the girl.  Itachi's eyes instantly darted to her, and his eyes narrowed.  Tausha made a quiet 'eep' sound and backed up slowly.

In less than a second, Itachi was gone, and he reappeared directly in front of the frightened kunoichi.  Just as quickly, he had grabbed her by the neck and slammed her forcefully into the stone wall.  Tausha winced in pain, and her hands immediately flew to her neck, trying to pry Itachi's hand off, but to no avail, as he only tightened his grip.

“Well, what do we have here?  Hm, kunoichi?” Itachi's low voice sent shivers down her spine.  Tausha looked down to avoid making eye contact with him, and he smirked.  Using his free hand, he gripped her chin and forced her to look up at him.  Tausha immediately snapped her eyes shut.  She had heard of the deadly Mangekyou Sharingan, and she certainly didn't want to find out first hand what it could do.

“Look at me, kunoichi,” he growled in a warning voice.  Slowly, the girl lifted her eyelids, in fear of her life, and did as he asked.  To her relief, there was no Mangekyou spinning in the Uchiha's eyes.  At least, not yet.  He did look very angry, though, and he once again tightened his grip around her neck, making it hard for the poor kunoichi to breath.  Itachi leaned forward until their faces were only inches apart, and he spoke softly in a menacing voice.

“Who are you kunoichi?”

Tausha vaguely heard Kohana calling 'Nee-chan,' but she couldn't respond.  White spots danced across her vision and her life began to flash before her eyes.  The brunette was sure that she was going to die, and her eyes began to sting with tears, but she managed to hold them back.  She thought back to her family and her friends that she would never see again...to Gaara....and how they would never be able to get married and live happily, and she was once again forced to hold back her tears.

“Itachi-senpai, please stop!”  Tausha looked to her side and saw the red-headed girl run up to Itachi and grip his arm, trying to pry it away from her.  “She's Kohana's prisoner, please don't hurt Nee-chan!”  The elder Uchiha shifted his glare to Kohana, and after a short pause, effortlessly lifted his arm and violently flung the girl away.  She squeaked, flying back a few meters, before hitting the wall with a painful thud, and then was still.

“Ko...hana...” Tausha breathed, concerned for the girl.  However, she heard Itachi chuckle and turned her attention back to him.

“You don't belong here, kunoichi...” he said in a voice that told Tausha that he probably planned on killing her.  Tausha closed her eyes again, not wanting to die by the horrible Mangekyou-induced torture.  But instead of forcing her to make eye contact, Itachi laughed again.

“Foolish kunoichi, are you afraid of me?  I'm not going to use the Mangekyou on you.  It would be a waste on someone as pathetic as you.”

Had it been anyone else saying that, Tausha would have kicked the hell out of them, but this was Uchiha Itachi, so simply gulped and waited for her impending doom.  Itachi opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped suddenly.  The Sharingan user's eyes widened slightly and his grip on Tausha's neck lessened considerably.  Tausha took the chance to open her eyes and examine what was going on, wondering why she wasn't dead yet.

Itachi released his hold on her neck and took a step back.  He put his hand over his mouth and began to cough harshly.  Tausha's eyes widened when she noticed that there was blood dripping out from between his fingers, cascading down to make a small puddle on the floor.  Then, without warning, the Uchiha stumbled forward, collapsing onto the unsuspecting kunoichi.

Tausha squeaked her hands on the man's shoulders and pushed, holding him an arm's length away.  She suddenly remembered Kohana, and she glanced in the direction Kohana had been thrown.  Sure enough, the girl was there, and was now sitting up.

“Owie...” she muttered, rubbing her head and wincing.  “Senpai hits hard...”

“Um, Kohana,” Tausha called, gesturing to the unconscious criminal that she was supporting.  She almost wanted to let the man fall to the ground, but continued to hold him up, more out of respect for Kohana.  

The childlike criminal looked up at the sound of her name, and smiled.  “Nee-chan!  You're okay!”  But her eyes widened when she noticed the unmoving figure.  “Itachi-kun!” she cried, running towards the two.  When she reached them, Tausha wasted no time in passing the Uchiha over to Kohana, and then proceeded to thoroughly wipe her hands on her skirt.  Kohana gently took Itachi and sat down on the floor, gently lowering him down with her.

Freya, who until now had been staying out of the way, walked up behind the two girls.  “I'm sure you're now quite aware of what's going on here, Matsumoto-san.”  Tausha nodded and glanced at Kohana, who was lovingly cradling Itachi's body.  She wondered how Kohana could still show so much affection towards the man, even though he had lashed out at her and flung the poor girl across the hall.

“I can't...” she muttered, shaking her head.  “I can't betray my village...”

Kohana smiled sadly and spoke up, voice laced with sadness.  “Itachi-senpai....he...there was something wrong with him, but Senpai wouldn't tell me what was wrong.  He was sick, I knew it.  And he'd been getting worse.  Kohana got him to admit there was something wrong when she caught him during one of his spells.  He told me he was 'out of medicine,' so...Kohana did the only thing she could think of.  Kohana decided to help Itachi.  Kohana wanted to help Itachi.  Kohana went out to find a healer that could get him more of this medicine he had talked about.  But now...”  Kohana paused, and sniffed, wiping at her eye.  “Now...once again, Kohana failed.  Kohana has always failed.  Itachi-kun is going to die, and I can't do anything.  I can't even help the person I care most about!”  

By now, the young girl had started crying, and she buried her face into Itachi's chest, sobbing loudly.  Once again, Tausha felt the sting of tears, and this time she did nothing to stop them.  She was reminded of the way she had felt when she thought Gaara had died.  The brunette wasn't sure when she had stopped hating Kohana and even Freya, but she didn't know if she could go through with healing a dangerous S-ranked criminal and not feel like she'd betrayed her village.  Of course, she wasn't sure if she could stand seeing Kohana like this, either.  She closed her eyes, deep in thought.  

'What should I do?'  She felt the guilt tug at her heart, and she opened her mouth to speak, the words flowing out without her control.

“Kohana-chan...I'll help you.  Just...please...don't cry like that...”

The girl slowly inhaled sharply and lifted her head to stare questioningly at the brunette.  Slowly, a trademark grin broke out on the girl's face, and Tausha suddenly found Kohana's arms wrapped around her, hugging her tightly.

“Thank you, Nee-chan,” she whispered.

Tausha heard someone clear their throat, and both girls looked up to the embarrassed face of Freya.  Her eyes were closed, and she was blushing lightly.  Since Kohana had left Itachi's side to glomp the heck out of her new friend, Freya had the Uchiha's head sitting on her lap.  One of her hands was resting on Itachi's head, and she was leaning against an amused Eclipse, who was lying comfortably behind her.

“I hate to interrupt you lovely ladies...however...do keep in mind...that we are sitting in the middle of the hallway...and we have more important things to be doing.”

Kohana grinned sheepishly and pulled away from the Suna nin.  “Sorry, Nee-chan!”

--

The next day, Tausha sat with Kohana at a small table in Itachi's room, while Freya sat at said Uchiha's bedside.  Last night, she had given Itachi a basic examination and was able to to figure out what exactly was wrong with him.  Currently, she was sitting with a curious Kohana trying to make a medicine to help the Uchiha's disease.  The Uchiha himself was, at the moment, awake, making Tausha more than slightly nervous.  But Freya had assured her that he wouldn't attack her.  He seemed more interested in just observing the two girl with an amused look.

The door slid open behind them, and Eclipse came in with a rather large case in her teeth.  She padded over and set the case down by Tausha.  “These are some of the most useful herbs that Freya-chan has.  If you need more, I'm sure I can probably find something else in that room of hers.”

Tausha smiled slightly at the wolf.  “I think this will be fine.  Thank you, Eclipse.”  The wolf nodded her head, and promptly went to sit by Freya.  Tausha sighed and turned her attention to the case of medicines, observing all the different plants Freya had.  She thought back to the previous day.  In her day and a half at the Akatsuki base, the girl had managed to learn quite a bit about Kohana, and even a little about Freya as well.  It pained her a little to admit it, but she was growing attached to the two, especially Kohana.  Freya was like an older sister she never really had, and despite the blind woman's personality, Tausha got along well with her.  And Kohana was like a little sister to her, despite the fact that Kohana was indeed older.  

While making medicine wasn't exactly her forte, she tried hard.  While Tausha worked, she talked with Kohana about random things, and somehow the topic turned to her own upcoming wedding.

“Ah, Nee-chan is so lucky to be getting married!” Kohana cooed dreamily.  “Kohana wishes that she could get married to Itachi-kun!”

Tausha laughed softly at the girl's antics.  “I'm sure you'd make an...interesting wife, Kohana-chan.”

Kohana grinned.  “Kohana has never actually been to a wedding before.  What are they like, Nee-chan?”

The brunette was surprised.  “Really?  Well, I suppose it would be alright if you came.  As long as you're not causing trouble, then I don't see the problem of you being there.  You probably wouldn't be recognized.  Freya can come too, if she wants.  There'd be sake, of course.”

Kohana's eye lit up instantly.  “Nee-chan is serious?!  Kohana would love to come to Nee-chan's wedding!” she squealed in delight.  “And then,” she continued, “when Kohana gets married to Senpai, Nee-chan can come!”

“Hn.  Highly unlikely, Kohana,” the Uchiha reminded her, and Kohana pouted.  

“You're no fun, Senpai!”

Tausha smiled nervously.  “Itachi doesn't seem like the type of person to go with a commitment like that.  But...if that were to happen, I would love to come,” she said.  “But, Kohana-chan, if you don't mind me asking, why do you love Itachi so much anyway?  You seem too innocent to hang around with a bunch of criminals like him.”  She spoke quietly so that only Kohana could hear.

Kohana seemed to ponder the question for a moment.  “Itachi-kun acts mean, but he is sometimes nice to Kohana.  And once you get to know him, he's really a big softy!” she giggled, ignoring Itachi's death glare.  “And, he gave me this flower too!” she replied, pointing to the white flower in her hair.

After a while, Tausha had managed to mix up a medicine for the Uchiha.  Proud of herself, she handed Kohana a mug filled with the herbal mix, along with a list of ingredients so that they could make it themselves later on.  

“I've treated him with my chakra as best I could, but he'll need to drink that mixture once a day.  That piece of paper should tell you everything else you need to know,” the medic explained.  Kohana nodded dumbly and hopped happily over to Itachi.  Tausha sighed as she heard Kohana offer to give Itachi medicine through the mouth.

She thought back to what she had just done.  Basically, she's betrayed her village, and Gaara too.  Strangely though, she didn't feel as guilty as she should have.  She didn't have time to ponder more on the subject, for Kohana glomped her from behind, tackling her to the ground.

“Kohana-chan!” she squeaked.  Kohana giggled and rolled off of the brunette, who rolled her eyes and sat up.  It seemed like the redhead had finally given up on trying to mouth-feed Itachi.  Either that, or he'd gotten tired of her and shoved her away.  She sighed.  The later was more likely.

A sudden realization came into Tausha's mind, and she glanced at the red-head.  “Kohana-chan?” she asked.  At Kohana's curious look, Tausha continued.  She felt a little odd asking this in front of Itachi, but the man seemed to insist upon watching her.  “I've heard rumors that Uchiha Itachi had taken on an apprentice.  Would that happen to be you?”

Kohana giggled, but surprisingly, it was Itachi who answered, albeit in a monotone voice.  “Unfortunately, yes, she is my foolish apprentice.”  Itachi eyed the mug he was holding suspiciously before finally draining it of its contents.

“Girl, you are aware of the possible consequences of your actions, aren't you?”

Tausha nodded sadly.  “Yes, I am.  I don't know what exactly it was that caused me to agree to help Kohana-chan...but...I don't regret it.”

Itachi narrowed his eyes and studied her for a moment.  “You would ordinarily be killed for even setting foot into this base.”

Tausha stared blankly ahead of her.  Somehow, she wasn't surprised.  

“Itachi-kun!  Please don't kill her!” Kohana begged, giving Itachi a pleading look.  “Nee-chan is Kohana's friend!  And she doesn't know anything important!  Please...”  She sniffed, tears forming in her eye.

Itachi was silent for a moment, before shifting his gaze back to Tausha.  “Girl, if you want to stay alive, you will leave here now.  If our leader were to find you, you would be killed instantly.”

Tausha was mildly startled by the Uchiha's...er...generosity.  But for some reason, her heart sank at the idea of leaving her new friend saddened her.  She turned to see that Kohana also looked a bit disappointed.

This time it was Freya who spoke up.  “Your friends are coming for you, Matsumoto-san.  We'll have to escort you out now to avoid them locating this base.”

Itachi rose from his seat and walked to the door.  “Come, girl.”

Kohana flashed Tausha a grin before following Itachi and Freya out the door.  Tausha frowned slightly before following behind Kohana.

Five minutes later, all of them were standing in the forest and Kohana was latched onto Tausha.  “Nee-chan, I never properly thanked you!  Kohana is forever in your debt!  And...Kohana will miss Nee-chan!”

Freya nodded her gratitude, but said nothing.

Tausha smiled and returned the hug Kohana was giving her.  “It's strange,” she told the girl.  “I never thought I'd become friends with an Akatsuki member.  What a strange way to meet.  But...I'm glad I met you, Kohana.  And besides, I'm still expecting you at my wedding, remember?”  She grinned at the girl.

Kohana grinned back.  “Yep!  Kohana will definitely come!”

Freya smirked at the blue-eyed girl.  “Put this behind you, if you wish, and go on living your life.  And don't worry, you won't be hunted down by our organization.  We will make sure of that.”

Itachi made a quiet noise that showed he was annoyed at having to wait.  “Are you ready now, kunoichi?”

Tausha hesitated, then nodded slightly.  “Yes.”  She was once again forced to look into Itachi's eyes, and she flinched.

“Calm down, I'm just going to put you to sleep.”

This time, Tausha did meet his gaze, and his spinning Sharingan lulled her into a deep sleep.  “Bye...Kohana,” she whispered before loosing consciousness.

“...Bye Nee-chan...”

--

Ken and Makoto raced through the forest, speeding up their pace.  They could sense five chakras, and one of them was definitely Tausha.

“We're almost there!” Ken panted.  “We'll kick their asses, get Tausha back, and that way, the kazekage won't kick ours.”

Makoto simply rolled his eyes at his blond partner.  His eyes then widened, and they both ducked out of the way just as an over-sized boomerang came spinning out of nowhere.  They ducked it a second time as it came spinning back and was caught by its owner, who also came out of nowhere.

“Hi!” the girl greeted cheerfully.  “Kohana is Kohana!  And this is my Onee-sama!” she said, gesturing to the tall white-haired girl beside her.  

Makoto noticed the Akatsuki cloaks and got into a fighting stance, but Ken seemed to be distracted.  Freya stepped forward.  “Calm down, we're not here to fight you.  But first, where did your friend go?”

Makoto looked to the empty space beside him and sighed inwardly.  They heard a high-pitched squeal and both Makoto and Freya instantly turned to Kohana.

“Well, hello there, cutie,” he cooed, grinning at Kohana.  Freya twitched visibly.

“You...” she growled.  Ken turned to face Freya, and the woman was in front of him in less than a second.  She placed her hand on his cheek, and quickly kissed him on the lips.  Ken grinned happily, stunned, and Freya's eyes narrowed dangerously.  With a flick of her wrist, he was sent flying backwards, nearly crashing into Makoto.  

“Leave my imouto alone.  We are simply here to return your lost teammate to you.”  

Makoto narrowed his eyes as well.  “What do you mean?”

Freya shrugged, and Eclipse appeared from behind Freya.  Both of the Suna shinobi's eyes widened at who was riding on the wolf.  Eclipse stopped in front of Kohana, and the girl gently lifted her friend off of the wolf, before slowly making her way towards the two enemy nins.

The brown haired ninja stepped forward, not trusting Ken, and Kohana passed the sleeping Tausha to him, with a sad look on her face.

“Farewell, Nee-chan...”

Ken and Makoto blinked, and the two Akatsukis were gone.

“Well...that was odd...”

Makoto silently nodded his agreement, and the two turned and made their way back to Suna.

--

Six months later, Tausha and Gaara were happily wed.  At the reception, Tausha laughed happily with her friends as they congratulated her.  Still, she hadn't seen Kohana yet.  Slightly disappointed, she allowed her new husband to embrace her, and she smiled.  Then, she heard a familiar mechanical squeak and she spun around with a hopeful look in her eye.

There, on the table, was Dango-chan, looking expectantly at her.  She glanced at Gaara, who was giving her a look akin to “What the hell is that?”  She gently pulled out of the embrace, and dashed off, shouting an “I'll be right back!”

Tausha followed the little robot out of the building an into an alleyway, where she saw two figures, wearings black cloaks with red clouds.  She recognized Eclipse standing next to one of the figures, and the wolf barked happily in greeting.  The now married woman stared at the figures with a confused look.  

The Akatsuki members stepped into the moonlight, and Tausha gasped.  Freya was standing before her, and she recognized Itachi standing next to her.  Dango-chan squeaked from her position on Tausha's shoulder, and happily floated over to Itachi, landing comfortably on his head, earning an annoyed grunt from the stoic Uchiha.  Freya was holding a white flower in her hand, and after a moment, Tausha recognized it to be Kohana's flower.

It was silent for a moment, before Freya finally spoke up.

“Kohana is dead.  Uchiha Sasuke killed her.”

The brunette's eyes widened, and she scanned Freya's face for any sign of lying, but found only a small trace of despair.

“She wanted me to tell you thank you.  She apologized, and said congratulations.”  This time it was Itachi's emotionless voice.  But even his voice seemed a little less cold than usual.  “Foolish girl.”

A single tear fell from Tausha's eye, and she looked to the sky, with a sad smile on her face.

'Kurayami Kohana...you really were too innocent for this cruel shinobi world...Thank you...Kohana-chan...'