Tsuki Gaiden: Tsuki's Sorrow in Another World

Rain.

The gods always seemed to have an appropriate sense of atmosphere- bringing storms to set a dramatic scene, or causing drought in a village teetering on the brink.

The droplets bounce freely, colliding with the tightly woven straw of your wide-brimmed hat.

If nothing else, the crime against rational fashion sense served its purpose well. It’s companion, your red-and-black coat, did as well, keeping your body warm in the downpour- as well as working in tandem with the hat to conceal your identity.

You’d attempted to change the dress policy, of course. But all avenues of attack there had failed; the uniform was the organization’s calling card. Changing the design would reduce the impact the outfit held- and moreover, some may doubt your authenticity.

Begrudgingly, you had accepted that argument. For now, at least.

“When you’re finished lamenting the weather, we can go, Tsuki.” Your partner says, teasing you.

“Sorry. Got caught up in my own thoughts- won’t happen again. Your home’s weather certainly does leave a lot to be desired, though.” You respond, casting a sideward glance to your partner.

Only his soft brown eyes peek over the lip of his coat- but even they convey a small expression of kindness.

A facade.

“Not really my home, even if I was born nearby. Still, I understand the unease towards the heavy rainfall.” He says.

“I want to avoid coming down with a cold, that’s all. The less of Orochimaru’s remedies I need to consume, the better.” You say casually.

“They work, do they not? That is all that can be expected of a tool. Taste is secondary to that effectiveness.” He says, matter of factly.

Your glance hardens into a stare.

“You are still the most bland person I’ve had the displeasure of meeting.” You proclaim.

The insult is only met with soft laughter, as usual.

“Your barbs are best saved for the enemy. Shall we go? The rain won’t let up this close to Kirigakure- and we’ll need to deal with the mists soon.” He advises.

With a drawn out sigh, you agree.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a little over a year. You remembered the faint smell of her simple perfume- the one she always said dad had liked.

She wore it on every mission- she said it was a good luck charm.

“Uncle Snake doesn’t believe in luck. Says it’s a foolish thing to believe in.” You always said.

She would give you a forlorn look, before easing into a smile.

“Your father always said that good luck is a skill. I can only hope you inherited his, and not mine.”

As you had grown, you’d learned to let the conversation drop at that point. Even though your dad had died when you were a baby, your mother had always maintained that it was her fault.

There was little point trying to talk her out of it, either.

Shortly after that, she left on a big operation- one of Pain’s first coordinated attempts to capture the Jiinchuriki, and the Tailed Beasts dormant within them.

When everyone returned with the prisoners, mother was the only one missing.

“Killed by an Uchiha- a relative of the one that killed your father, if I’m not mistaken. She let her lust for vengeance blind her- and took off without backup. By the time I found her, it was too late. He’d near burned her to ashes.” Orochimaru had explained.

The weight of it left you speechless. Standing in silence, you had received condolences from some of the other members- not all of them, of course, but you wouldn’t ever expect it from all of them.

“She was a strong Shinobi, kid. You’ll just need to be stronger.” Hidan had said.

“Learn from this, Tsuki. Don’t lose your head and do something stupid.” Kakuzu instructed.

“Hey- don’t let it get you down too much. Real artists can use sorrow to create something amazing; and besides, at least she went out with a bang!”

You’d hit Deidara in the face after that. Sasori collected his young partner afterwards, but the puppetmaster wasn’t the type to offer any sympathy.

“When the time comes, little one- we’ll take ‘em all on. Alright?” Kisame said, ruffling your hair. You hated it when he did that; but at least he was trying to cheer you up.

Neither Pain nor Konan was forthcoming with sympathy either- but you knew that Konan at least would likely seek you out later. Pain, as ever, was emotionless; at the same time, it would be the group’s leader that would read out a eulogy for your mother among those gathered, as he did for every member of the organization that died.

The half-and-half bastard Zetsu, normally all jokes and humor, stayed mostly silent as well. But unlike the others, he came bearing a gift- your mother’s ring.

With that same ring in-hand, you had later demanded that Pain allow you to take your mother’s place in the Akatsuki; and to your surprise, the leader of the Akatsuki agreed.

“However, before can take your place among us, there is someone I would have you meet- one who has known the pain you now feel. One who has lost all sense of purpose in this world…”

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“Let us go over the plan again, Tsuki.” Your partner says suddenly, rousing you from your stupor.

“Fine. But I’ll do it- your voice annoys me.” You fire back.

This elicits nothing but soft laughter in response.

With a scowl, you begin to recite the plan.

“First, we breach the borders of the Land of Water, which we’ve already done.” You recall.

“Secondly, we secure passage to the main island that houses Kirigakure. Once there, we rendezvous with Kisame and Orochimaru, who should already be on-site.” You continue.

“I can handle securing us passage, if you can track the two of them.” Your partner offers.

“Consider it done. I basically have a direct line with the old snake, anyway.” You accept.

“Finally, once we’ve secured our route and Orochimaru does his job, we proceed with the mission’s objective: capturing the Jiinchuriki of the Three-Tails, the Mizukage Yagura.” You finish.

“Indeed. Though with the skills of the two of them working together, we hardly seem necessary.” Your partner observes.

“It’s a precautionary measure- as a Jiinchuriki, not to mention a Kage, he isn’t to be underestimated. Although…. You already knew that, right?” You say, prodding him.

Again, the soft laughter; although there is a barely discernible edge to it.

“Yes, the Mizukage is unbelievably strong. He has fought off many assassination attempts over the years- and his control over Kirigakure is absolute. By removing him, we’ll be doing the entire world a favor.” He explains.

“Akatsuki stands for eternal peace in this world. Men like Yagura won’t be needed in that world- even if he wasn’t housing a demon within him.” You add.

Your partner’s soft laughter trails off- before his eyes meet your own.

There it is- that look.

“I really don’t care about any of that, Tsuki. I just want him dead- to finish the job my master started. The chance to repay him for the purpose he gave to me- one of many. It’s a debt I’ll never be able to repay.” He says, his voice slightly elevated.

Because, of course, his master was dead. Killed by some punk kid from Konoha, if what Orochimaru told you was true. When they’d partnered you with him, you were warned to avoid mentioning his master’s name- or the name of the kid. Fresh nerves, you were told.

Of course, that was an understatement. Below the demure exterior he wore, your partner was just as insane as Hidan. He was a homicidal maniac- a timebomb ticking ever closer to detonating.

“It is a matter of handling him properly.” Orochimaru had said when you had expressed concern about the partnership.

“He is a tool to be used- and disposed of, when the time comes. Just make sure you aren’t caught in the blast, and everything will be fine. For the time being, he is useful- and his skills complement yours perfectly.”

Arguing with Uncle Snake was pointless, but in this matter, he was right. Few people naturally possessed Kekkei Genkai, the powerful techniques born of the combination of two elements. Yours, dubbed the Stellar Release, was one- and his, the Ice Release, was another. His release excelled in entrapping, holding, and otherwise containing foes; this worked well with your own abilities, which were very powerful innately, but had issues hitting fast moving or evasive targets.
In addition, he knew several techniques that benefitted yours directly, allowing you to trick and outmatch enemies stronger than yourselves. The partnership was beneficial- you just wish he wasn’t a total loon, always going on about “being a tool to be used” and his “lack of purpose”.

Haku Yuki was indeed a powerful shinobi, and an asset to the Akatsuki. Unfortunately even his “normal” personality was something you found incredibly irritating. The day that this tool could be disposed of couldn’t come soon enough.

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Haku was able to book passage on a small fishing boat easily enough- he seems to have a way of convincing people to do things for him that differs from yours. While you’ve always been quite glib, it’s obvious it has something to do with his looks.

He is quite pretty, for a guy. Some men might actually think he was female- if they weren’t looking too closely. Then again, some women have a thing for pretty boys like him. If he wasn’t crazy, you might’ve entertained some thoughts- but no, you’ve had enough firsthand experiences with him to deter such things. Besides, he’s your co-worker. Better not to let anything get inappropriate or out of hand- more of Mother’s wisdom.

The trip itself was short- and thankfully uneventful. By the time your boat made landfall, the mist had rolled in quite heavily; visibility inland wasn’t likely to be much better.

“Thank you for the passage, Oji-san.” You hear Haku say from somewhere behind you, back towards the boat.

“Oh- it was my pleasure, young lady. Please be careful poking around these parts- the shinobi of Kirigakure are known to-”

The man sputters and coughs.

Turning on your heel, you see that Haku has pierced the man’s throat with a blade of ice, flash frozen from the moisture.

The man’s eyes are wide with surprise- he clutches at his throat, but you know it’s far too late.

“Can’t leave a trail- right, Tsuki-chan?”

Gods above, you hated his voice.

“Finish it quickly, and let’s go. We don’t have time to waste here.” You spit.

“Ah- of course. I apologize for delaying the mission.”

His statement is accentuated by another gurgle- and two distinct thuds. The fisherman was dead, you knew- just another of Haku’s victims. You’d stopped counting, after a while, but you knew when the time came, you would avenge them.

Not out of a sense of justice, or anything so high-minded. Hidan took even more reverence in the slaughter of innocents, you knew. You’d only seen him do it a handful of times, but Kakuzu had told you many stories.

Hidan, however, was straightforward. He’d declare his intent openly, boldly. What Haku did- killing for killings sake in such a cowardly way? It made your stomach turn. Mom’s stories of Kumogakure’s warrior culture had bred a respect for strength in you- and being surrounded by exceedingly strong people didn’t hurt either.

Haku, though- Haku was fragile. Unstable. And when he was no longer useful?

You’d rid yourself of him. Cleanse the Akatsuki of someone who would never be able to live in Pain’s world of eternal peace.

Just another favor, unsung by the masses. For now, anyway. You looked forward to the future, where these cloaks could be worn openly, with pride. The cloak your mother once wore.

The cloaks of the heroes who would save this broken world.

TO BE CONTINUED IN TSUKI: GAIDEN TWO!!