The Secrets We Keep *COMPLETE* (Sasori x OC? / Itachi x OC?)

Tension

  When Maeme, Sasori, and Orochimaru return to the base, she slips away while they report to the leader. She gathers a bundle of clothing and takes a quick shower, braiding her blonde locks back from her face afterward. She passes Sasori in the hall as she searches the base in search of the person she needs. Kisame is sitting at the table in the kitchen talking to Itachi when she enters. Her looks down at her with an annoyed glare while Itachi nods a greeting.

"I need your help Kisame." She mumbles, avoiding his gaze.

His laughter echoes through the room, making her instantly regret saying it.

"Why do you want my help?"

"Your water jutsu cancels out my earth so I can't rely on it with training. I need more training in alternate forms. You hate me so you can enjoy trying to kick my ass. It's a win, win situation."

She stares intently at the swordsman while feeling Itachi's gaze burning into the side of her face.

"Let's go." He answers finally, getting to his feet and swinging his sword over his shoulder.

The pair head toward the training room where they stop near the center of the room.

"I never thought I'd see the day you'd ask me to beat you up, Brat." Kisame chuckles.

"I never said that I wanted you to beat me, as that would be impossible. I just require help heightening my skills."

"And what exactly brought this on?" He asks, staring at her curiously.

She bites her lip before smirking. "Enough talking."

Three hours later, Maeme and Kisame emerge from the training room, their clothing drenched in a mix of water, sweat, and blood. Maeme struggled at first, relying only on and to hand combat and kunai, but eventually caught on to the fighting styles and was able to hold her own against Kisame using water jutsu and his sword. She nods a thank you to the swordsman before heading back to the room to clean up. Sasori glances at her as she enters but doesn't say anything. When she returns from the bathroom, Sasori is still seated at his desk diligently working on his puppets. Maeme settles down on her bed and pulls her book out of her travel bag. She scowls at the senbon as she carefully removes it, tossing it at the wall across from her. It sinks into the surface with a quiet thud. After opening the book, she discovers that the pages would still be legible even with the hole running through it, if it weren't for the extensive water damage. She lets out a growl of frustration and tosses the book at the wall as well.

"Who was that man?" Sasori asks without turning around.

"I don't know."

"Did he say anything to you?" He presses.

"Does it matter? He's dead now." She snaps, regretting it instantly but doesn't offer an apology.

He sighs but stays silent. Maeme gets to her feet and leaves the room in search of Itachi, the only other Akatsuki member that owned books.

Several months pass with Maeme secretly training with Kisame and Itachi to strengthen her abilities. Sasori had asked a few more times about the man that attacked her, but she refused to reveal anything further. She feared that if she talked about it, she'd admit that she hated herself for being unable to protect herself since it meant that she couldn't protect him like she needed to. That was something she couldn't bear to admit, not even to herself. Maeme had gone on a few more missions with Sasori and Orochimaru but they were all uneventful in terms of danger. Her main complaint was Orochimaru's ever increasing interest in her.

Maeme looks up from peeling the orange in front of her to direct a harsh glare at Orochimaru, her steel grey eyes narrowing dangerously. The men settled around the room notice the tension rolling off of her and watch with mild interest to see what might happen. Orochimaru meets her glare with a sickening smile. She takes a deep breath and exhales through her nose before returning to the orange. Sasori glances over from his book on poisonous herbs as her leg starts to twitch in agitation, a tell he had picked up over the years. Orochimaru is still staring at her, so Sasori silently counts down from three. At one, he watches Maeme seemingly disappear from her spot beside him, reappearing in front of Orochimaru, a kunai trained in front of his eye.

"If you don't stop staring at me, I will gouge your eyes out." She growls lowly.

Behind her she can her Kisame snickering. The dark haired man chuckles in response and her hand twitches, aiming to drive the knife into his skull. He knocks her hand aside, the kunai leaving her grasp, loudly clattering to the floor.

"You're an interesting specimen. Lots of potential wasted on that boy. It's too bad you were too weak to protect yourself and he had to save you. I could help you, you know."

The room falls silent again as Maeme tenses.

"Shut up."

"How could you ever hope to protect your dear Master if you can't even defend yourself?" He asks condescendingly, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"I said shut up!" She snaps, her body trembling with pent up rage.

"It's to be expected though. Your parents couldn't protect themselves either."

Sasori looks up at that comment, his eyes drilling into Orochimaru.

"Maeme."

Maeme twitches at the sound of his voice but doesn't turn to him. All of her thoughts are swirling with ways to make the snakelike man suffer. Sasori calls her name again, trying to break her focus. His eyes drift to the floor as he notices dirt swirling around her feet. It definitely wasn't something he'd seen her do before and that worried him more.

"What did you say about my parents?" She asks through gritted teeth.

Orochimaru smirks as he leans back in his chair.

"Your parents weren't able to defend themselves, they weren't strong enough. You poor little orphan. I could make sure that it doesn't happen to you."

"Orochimaru, leave her alone." Itachi interrupts, his harsh tone cutting through the tension.

"I'm not doing any harm, simply offering advice."

"You brought my parents into this you sick son of a bitch!"

Maeme lunges at him in a swift motion.

"Maeme, enough."

She withdraws, her hands by her sides as she takes a deep calming breath. Orochimaru relaxes until she quickly draws a kunai and launches herself at him. The chair clatters to the ground as Maeme straddles him, slicing and stabbing at him violently. He dodges her flurry of attacks, laughing in amusement. Sasori watches a moment longer before sighing and flicking his fingers, chakra strings wrapping around Maeme's limbs. He gently lifts her up and away from his partner who gets to his feet and fixes the chair.

"Let me go Sasori." She commands lowly, her eyes never leaving her target. "I'm going to make him regret the day he came crawling out of his mother's-"

"I said enough." Sasori repeats.

She jerks her arms free of the strings so Sasori releases her ankles. Maeme leaves the room, moving so quickly that the only signs of her departure are the single cut stretching across Orochimaru's face and the absence of her orange.

The room falls into a brief silence before Kisame starts roaring with laughter. Sasori and Itachi simultaneously cut him a glare as Orochimaru settles back in the chair, wiping the blood from his face with a smug smirk. Sasori closes his book and gets to his feet. Before leaving the room, he stops beside Orochimaru's chair and without looking at him, issues a quiet threat.

"I don't care to understand your fascination with my subordinate, but if you continue to harass her, I will end you myself."