It hadn’t been long after Mikansei had broken away from Tanju and had been running through the forest that some guys who worked for Tanju had caught up with her and started a fight. None of them even mentioned the idea of her being the perfect weapon, instead merely began to battle with her for taking away their source of income. It was how Sasori had found her a little while later when she was still fighting them. She had never really imagined there would be anyone who would want to continuewhat Tanju did—it was unusual in the first place.
But she should have realised.
Sure, Tanju had been worse than these guys, but if they were willing to work for him, then clearly they weren’t exactly against his values and beliefs. They had been willing to go along with what he said, had known and agreed to his plans and had let them go on, so it shouldn’t have been so shocking to Mikansei. But she gathered it was because she had been so wrapped up in becoming friends with Sasori—getting really close to him—and had gotten this new job, working with new people and being treated in a way no one had ever done before. Her parents had been nice to her, true, but they were her parents. The Akatsuki hadn’t even known her and they still treated her with respect, and it had overwhelmed her to the point where she had forgotten the risk of anyone else coming after her—and now she was caught off guard.
She should have been more careful. Should have made sure she was always prepared. But she had let things slack, and now Mikansei was probably going to pay for it. Both she and Sasori had decided to take a break from finishing the experiment, and she had decided to take a walk. As she had walked through the hideout, Mikansei hadn’t passed anyone while doing so—or if she had, she hadn’t mentioned where she was going. She hadn’t even been paying attention when she did begin to walk, so she barely even knew where she was in the first place? And all in all, it put her at a bit of a disadvantage to her opponents.
Because she had been caught off guard.
She wasn’t entirely sure where she was.
No one else knew where she was.
And that meant help was out of the question.
So she was alone in this.
But she wasn’t about to back down, and remained staring impassively back at them. Though she hadn’t been expecting this, Mikansei wasn’t exactly helpless in the situation. She would be able to analyse the situation around her, whether the battlefield or the people she was fighting. It would take a little longer to adapt to everything considering all the things going on around her, but she’d be able to do it. There was a reason she’d been hand-picked by Tanju to be the perfect weapon—so it was time to put it to the test.
And just try and make sure her arms weren’t hurt.
She still wasn’t fully finished yet, and that was the worst thing about this battle.
“Your arms are looking better, Mikansei-chan. Have you been working on them?”
One of them suddenly questioned innocently, a malicious smirk on his face, and gritting her teeth, irritated at the idea that they instantly picked up on that fact. It was bad enough knowing she had the wounds on her arms, let along them being able to notice the changes that had been occurring to them over the time she’d been free from Tanju. Though even that question couldn’t have prepared her for the fact another one spoke up a moment later to reply slyly,
“She hasn’t—it’s Sasori that has. And apparently his skills aren’t only restricted to puppets, either—he’s done a pretty good job. Not that we mind—it’ll help with us, too.”
Widening her eyes slightly, a shiver of wrongness ran up her spine, feeling as if so much about this wasn’t right. They weren’t trying to attack straight away—especially considering they wanted her alive. They were merely talking; saying all the things she didn’t want to hear. She knew that they were trying to manipulate her, but her mind was only so-so. It had taken a lot of willpower for her to free herself before, and to fully accept and be one with the Akatsuki; it would take a bit longer before she could truly understand. Her emotions were coming out and so much was different—it wasn’t something Mikansei could just ease into in the space of a few minutes.
And these guys were taking advantage of that fact.
“But that’s another thing, Mikansei-chan. You know us—know who we are and what we do. But Sasori...the others...you don’t truly know them. This experiment is going to end up finished and you’ll be the perfect weapon either way, so why not come with the people you know when it happens? Sasori's only manipulating you into doing this—he wants you to be a weapon just as much—maybe even more—than Tanju had done in the first place. Why else would he start to finish it all off?” the ‘leader’ of the group purred when the silence was beginning to overtake the clearing.
Mikansei didn’t want to believe it, but she had been thinking over the doubts and worries in her mind for a while now, and there had always been the question of who she could really trust. She’d gotten so close to Sasori, but there was always a part of her mind that was wary of this relationship. Glancing down at her arms in shock, she froze for a second, torn as to what to do or say in return. But remembering the kind of things that had happened between her and Sasori, Mikansei shot back, shaking her head furiously,
“No—I don’t believe you. Sasori—he wouldn’t do that. I trust him!”
Worried she would respond like this, the ninjas all glanced at each other, thinking things through, but the leader soon turned back to Mikansei, ready for this. They had known from the start that fighting her wouldn’t be an overly good idea. She was very powerful, and had been before she’d worked with Tanju as a child, and with the experiments it had only made her stronger. Now she was hanging out with the Akatsuki as well, so they would be having an influence on her. All in all, she would be a fearsome opponent, and they knew that the only way they could go about it would be to talk to her. Her mind had never fully be able to develop on its own, and there were still almost child-like qualities to her way of thinking. If they used that fact to their advantage, then it would work—sure, they had been unsure about whether she would fight back like she was doing now, but he knew what he had to say, and sighing, he replied calmly,
“Mikansei...we both know all you’re good for—all you can ever truly be—is a weapon. It’s your calling. Your personality doesn’t even exist anymore—you never had the chance to develop one. So why would Sasori want a girl who doesn’t even truly know who she is; who doesn’t know her true personality?”
Now all Mikansei could do was stare down at her arms, all ideas of fighting disappearing from her head completely. She had been taught by Tanju to focus on fighting skills and analysing situations and opponents to create strategies, and that she shouldn’t have a personality. That didn’t come into account with this way of life, and she didn’t need it. At the time Mikansei had been trapped within his tyranny, and she had accepted his words. He was her master, and in his influence, it was true: she didn’t need her personality. She didn’t have one—and this fact was beginning to overwhelm her completely. Mikansei remained gazing down at her arms as they edged in closer and aimed to knock her out to take her back to their own hideout. But what did it matter? They were right.
Why would Sasori ever want to be with her?
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