Don't Call Me Kitten Book 1 Of 3 *Naruto* COMPLETE

Lost and Found

                     It's been two days since I was freed from the room and no one has come back. I haven't left my spot even once, cross legged in front of the entrance. As the sun sets the second day, I carefully unfold myself despite the stiffness of my limbs and make my way inside. My eyes take in every detail of the rooms as I pass, noting all of the old blood splatters, stains, and holes in the walls. I feel a faint smile trying to come forward but it fades before it reaches my face. Tears well up despite my efforts once I reach the main room. I expect to find the guys lounging around, Itachi reading a book, Deidara playing with clay, or even Kakuzu counting money, but the room is painfully empty. My apartment felt like this, painfully empty and alone. The Akatsuki base had always felt alive, even when most of us were gone on missions. There were always explosions, arguments, fights, and laughter. It felt like a home even though we were all very different. We were a family. I didn't really have a family growing up and I found myself relying on the Akatsuki to be the family I'd so desperately craved. Now, they're gone. The base will never feel alive again, there won't be anything here again. I'm completely and utterly alone.
               I walk down the hall containing the bedrooms, my feet driving me forward though my mind is reeling backward. I open the doors one by one, taking in the sight of their 'lives' frozen in time. Beds were messy and unmade, dirty clothes on the floor, clay left out, weapons scattered across dressers. I can see Deidara hunched over at his desk with a lump of clay, Kakuzu surrounded by stacks of money, Hidan covered in blood, praying to his lord. It's like ghosts had taken up residence in their absence.
                      An idea forms in my head and I enter each room in search of one item. Throughout my time in the base, I'd sketched a picture of each Akatsuki member and given it to them. I find each one and carefully tape it to their doors and shut them behind me. After each picture, I grab another paper and write their names and brief descriptions of them. I stop in Hidan's room last and find the picture hanging on the wall above his desk. It was a sketch of Hidan that I did the first night I hid out in Sasori's room. I had tucked it back into my pouch before I left the room, but I'd ended up in Hidan's room later and fell asleep there. Somehow it had fallen out of my pocket and he'd found it that next morning. I smile lightly at it before gingerly pulling it down and taping it to his door like I'd done with the others.
"Hidan. Age 22. S-Rank nin from Yugakure. Jashinist and immortal. The most foul-mouthed, obnoxious man in the history of the world. Completely stubborn and headstrong. Also one of the most loyal and amazing men I'd ever met. Despite his abrasive nature, he treated me as a close friend and protected me at all costs. He saved my life many times over and he will never be forgotten."
I finish writing and wipe away a few tears trailing down my cheeks before taping it up on the door. My eyes linger on the word 'immortal' and I literally smack myself for being so stupid. I can go dig him up and put him back together. I'll just have to infiltrate the leaf at night, get to the Nara property, and hopefully find him and dig him up before sunrise, all without getting caught. Sounds easy, huh? After a shower and a change of clothing, I gather my weapons and head out into the night. I should be there by tomorrow evening if I don't get stopped.
                        I arrive in front of the gates of the Leaf Village and find it in better shape than I thought it'd be. Pein had attacked the Leaf a while back and decimated a good chunk of the village. They rebuild quickly I suppose. My eyes go to the guard post and find it empty. I wonder just how many ninja were killed... They never leave the gate unsupervised. I shrug and enter the village, clinging to the darkest shadows. Being in Konoha again is a bit strange, I'd only been here maybe two or three times since I joined the Akatsuki and I'd gone in and out within an hour. Even in the darkness, I can see the differences in the new and older construction as I pass through the village toward the Nara household. I know that Hidan's burial site will likely guarded at least for a while, so I'm going have to incapacitate them before I can start to dig. Knowing Shikamaru, he's probably been buried in the forest behind his home. It would've been too troublesome to have to drag him anywhere further. My suspicions are confirmed as I sneak past the home and enter the woods and Hidan's chakra signature is felt. I follow the signature to a clearing with a large patch of disturbed ground. I step into the clearing and stand perfectly still, waiting for someone to attack me. Nothing happens so I sink to my knees and try to pinpoint his chakra. A small chuckle escapes me as I begin to hear muffled curses to my left. I pat my hand on the ground above the voice and it cuts off before beginning again. I get back to my feet and pull a shovel from the scroll I'd packed away and start to dig.
                   Several hours later, I uncover a head. I slap my hand over his mouth to cut off his string of curses before he can rat out my position. He stops and I notice his eyes widen when he realizes that it's me. I grin and giggle before carefully pulling his head from the ground and setting it beside me.
"You know, I always heard that the earth was alive with the sounds of music, but I never imagined the music would be dismembered immortals screaming curses." I mutter, holding back a laugh.
"What are you doing here Short Stack?" He asks sounding surprised.
"I couldn't let my best friend rot away underground, could I?"
"Where's everyone else?"
I bite my lip and look away before starting to dig again.
"The war is over, the Akatsuki is no more. I don't know what happened in the end. Kisame sealed me in my room so I couldn't fight. It was released upon his death. I sat outside the base for two days and two nights waiting for someone to return... No one came back."
He stays silent as I dig, slowly uncovering one of his arms.
"Shikamaru really did a number on you, didn't he?"
"Shut up."
                        Just before dawn, I've uncovered the rest of Hidan's body and set upon the task of stitching him back together and healing him. Once I've exhausted my chakra supply and Hidan's limbs are fully reattached to his body, I throw myself onto him, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. He tenses up as usual but I feel his hand run through my hair as I start to cry. I'd missed everyone so dearly, unable to say the things I'd wanted before they left and couldn't return. To have Hidan here in front of me, living and breathing, it's almost like a dream. I pull my head away from his neck and peek at him through my tears to make sure that he is truly there.
"What is it?" He asks.
"Just- nothing. We need to get out of here. Where's your scythe?"
I get to my feet and survey the area in hopes of finding the weapon and hiding my embarrassment.
"That fucking pineapple-haired kid took it. I don't know what he did with it though."
I sigh and run a hand through my hair, grimacing at the dirt caked into the strands.
"Go wait in the village, I'm going to retrieve your scythe. I'll meet you there."
He starts to object but I flick him in the forehead and tell him to get moving.