The lighting in the room was a lot dimmer than the corridors, and it took a moment before Mikansei's eyes fully adjusted to the change in light intensity. Once they had gotten used to it, she looked over the room to find it was mostly empty apart from one large table--with a few piles of documents on it--and a man standing behind it. Hearing all of them enter, the man turned around to face them, and it was at this that Mikansei gathered he was their leader. With bright orange hair, the Rinnegan, and numerous piercings dotted over his face, he certainly looked the part of the leader of an S-class criminal organization. How he would react to her presence, however, she didn't know, instead following Sasori and Deidara's lead and staying silent for the moment.
Narrowing his eyes at Mikansei, not having a clue as to what she was doing there, Pein flicked his gaze up to Sasori and Deidara, questioning bluntly,
"What is she doing here?"
Bowing deeply a moment later, Mikansei remained that way while Sasori stepped forward, explaining simply,
"This is the girl that killed Tanju."
His eyes becoming even more narrowed, Pein turned his stare back to Mikansei, thinking things over for a moment, before he eventually called out to her, stating she didn't need to remain bowed the entire time they conversed. Frowning slightly in confusion, she obeyed, straightening up slightly; though she never once met his eyes. He might be just enough to treat those who worked for him fairly, but he was still her leader now--there would be no way she would make eye contact with him with his position of authority. The Rinnegan was proof enough of his strength, and Mikansei didn't want to force that out into the open.
Noting that fact, Pein kept his gaze on her for a little while longer, wondering why, when she clearly had power, she acted so submissive in the presence of other people. Bowing, never making eye contact...he couldn't help but feel slightly sympathetic towards her; especially with how young she looked. What had happened in order for her to be the way she was now? He didn't know. But it made the tone of his voice soften significantly as he continued,
"What's you name?"
"Mikansei Doku, heika." She said quietly, but firmly, in return.
At this everyone in the room frowned. They had considered the bowing enough; let alone calling him heika (it means your majesty). There was no reason for her to call him that--they had only just met, they knew nothing of each other, and she had done nothing wrong to make him angry at her. If anything she had performed a mission for him, killing Tanju when it was needed! But Mikansei still seemed so withdrawn, and finding himself swallowing harder than he had done in years through emotion, Pein questioned, even softer than the first time,
"There's no need to call me heika. How old are you?"
Whatever he had been expecting, however, it hadn't been for Mikansei to glance up and back down again before answering simply,
"32. I know it doesn't seem like it, Leader-danna...but I am."
Pein's eyebrow rose in interest at her answer--she looked no more than fifteen at the most, with Deidara's mouth falling open slightly in surprise. She was almost double his age, and yet looked almost half it! Sasori merely narrowed his eyes as he gazed in her direction, hiding a smirk that threatened to pop up onto his face. He had known something was different about Mikansei from the beginning. It was something to do with the strange joints she possessed on her body--that connected her to him. What exactly it was, he had no idea, but he knew it was linked together somehow...and he wanted to find out.
If there was one thing Pein had learnt, it was that it's always the special ones you should look out for--it was how he had gathered the Akatsuki members he had today. And as he ran Mikansei's name over in his head again, it suddenly occurred to him that it was familiar. Doku. The clan was famous for not only its knowledge of poisons, but what they could do with them. There had been stories of merely touching them and absorbing a poison into their body; their eyes changing in the same way it could with the Sharingan to reveal they were activated. To have killed Tanju was something that had impressed him--but knowing she was from the Doku clan...that merely emphasised her abilities.
And doing missions in the area would be easier with information from someone who knew...
There was no doubt in his mind she would work hard if she joined them, and that whatever Akatsuki member he put her with Mikansei would get on with them fine and adapt her abilities to suit theirs. She'd be a fantastic asset to the group--and the decision was made. Even if things had been different, Pein would still have felt guilty if he had let her go. So she was 32? A fragility hung about her person like she really was fifteen, and Pein felt almost worried about her being alone in the world. She had power, true, but what about someone being there to guide her? To watch her back? There were too many on the roads out there looking for a pretty girl like Mikansei...
"I know of your clan--and that merely cements the idea of your abilities being strong enough to join. I'm fine with you joining our group."
A wave of relief and happiness shot through Mikansei's body at this, so glad he had accepted her into the Akatsuki. She had been worrying about what she would do once the battle was over with no one to work for, only to have them come to her--if they agreed. But now they had, it felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, and clenching her fists to curb her emotions, she responded softly,
"Thank you danna. I'll do whatever you want, if you take me on--"
But shaking his head with a smirk, affected by Mikansei's enthusiasm--though he would never let that fact surface through his emotions--he thought over the circumstances, and glancing at both Deidara and Sasori, he replied, explaining the situation,
"As you've only just joined, having not met any of the other members, I think it best that for the moment, you remain with Deidara and Sasori on your missions. Once you have gotten used to how our organization works, then I will consider letting you work with another group. But for now, meet the others and get settled into the hideout. Sasori--show her to her room."
Grinning at his words, Deidara agreed completely with having Mikansei working with them both, finding her really sweet already. Sasori had to smother the urge to do the same, especially as he had been allowed to take charge of her. There was something inside of him that was so happy to know Pein had accepted her into the Akatsuki, to know that she would be working with him for the foreseeable future. That way he could keep an eye on her; he could keep her safe. He didn't even know why he felt this way, but as she bowed to Deidara and Sasori as well as Pein, he didn't care, gesturing the direction they needed to go in and watching her expressions as Deidara began to describe the rest of the Akatsuki.
But they didn't matter.
Not while he was the one looking after her.
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