destiny calls | *. naruto fanfic

34.

Kaito walked through the dark halls, his gaze downcast as he absent-mindedly wrapped bandges around his wounds. Despite Akari's obvious weakening since they last saw each other, she was still a force to be reckoned with. But that wasn't what scared him. He had something far more scary to deal with now. With a deep breath, the blond opened the door in front of him, nodding to the guards posted before kneeling down in respect to the figure before him. "Sir," He began softly. "I've found Akari. She was hiding within the Leaf village." The man motioned for him to continue his report, his eyes cold as they bore into Kaito. "She... she refused to come back peacefully. I had to take her by force. She's currently in the underground cell, sir."

As much as Kaito didn't want to betray his old friend, she had already betrayed him. His loyalty was to the village and its people, and because of that, he knew there was no hope for Akari. She had left them, betrayed them and broke every rule in the book; and now, she would have to suffer the consequences. "She is no longer loyal to us, instead she has aligned herself with Konohagakure. She rejected her destiny multiple times when I attempted to convince her otherwise. However, I don't believe she ever told anyone of our existence sir." The boy finished his report, keeping his gaze downcast. He knew he would likely never see Akari again, but it was time he moved on from a past that no longer meant anything to those around him.

"Kaito." Looking up at the commanding tone, Kaito resigned himself to hear what he had to say. His thoughts on the whole matter could wait. "I'm sure you realize what her betrayal means. If you show any signs of personal attachment to this case again I will not hesitate to punish you as well." Lowering his head, Kaito nodded mutely. Of course he would notice. "You know what you need to do. Dismissed." The boy quickly left the room, letting out a sigh of relief once he was clear. At the very least, he could understand why Akari hated that man's guts.

But nonetheless, he now had a new task. And as long as no one found out, he didn't have to go about it the traditional way, right? It didn't take the boy long to grab what he needed, and he quickly made his way down a set of steep stairs to a hidden doorway. Walking down the hall, he stopped before yet another hidden door, breathing deeply. After a moment, he opened it and stepped inside. "Here." He set down a plate of food, not looking the newly captured prisoner in the eye.

"You're still trying to win me over?" The condescending tone filled with pure resentment reached Kaito, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"Just eat it. You won't get another chance." He glanced over at Akari, taking in the sorry state she was in. Her face was streaked with dried blood, and her hands and clothes were stained with red. He knew that she knew all the ins and outs of this place, so he was forced to chain her up in this hidden cell.

"Just tell me what you want and get out," She growled after a moment, clearly more than unhappy to be in Kaito's presence. He knew deep down that she would act this way, Akari's always had a stubborn streak. But still, it hurt to hear his childhood friend so angry with him. Sighing, he sat down against the opposite wall, making it clear he had no intention of going anywhere anytime soon.

"I need to know what you did during your stay at Konoha... and who you told."

Narrowing her eyes, Akari seemed to be thinking something over. And after a moment she spoke again. "I'll tell you what you want if you tell me something first."

"This isn't how this works Akari," Kaito snarled, his own anger bursting. "If you don't tell me what your father wants to know he'll send in someone else and they won't be as nice about it!"

"And? You think I'm scared? If you won't tell me then I won't tell you, or anyone else, anything."

Grumbling to himself, Kaito thought it over. He didn't want to put Akari through more pain just to get answers. But if he was caught giving information to her he was just as screwed. Well, now that he thought about, he was already done for if he was discovered. He might as well hear her out. "What do you want to know?"