Ari's POV

It didn't take long for me to realize that the bulk of the Akatsuki weren't at this particular base (wherever that was). We were stuck with Pain and Konan (who most likely wouldn't be around all that much cause they had shit to do), Kisame and Hidan (both without their partners for Kami knew why) and Sasori and Deidera. Heh. SasoDei would become a reality if I had anything to say about it.

And there was a lot I had to say about it.

Course, that'd be kinda mean to Scar, seeing as how she hadn't even chosen who her emo redhead prince would be. But if her true love was indeed gay (one of my rather strong suspicions) then she would just have to deal with it and ride off into the sunset with the other one.

This may come as a shock to you, but Scarlette smacked me upside the head each and every time I brought this up to the other members of the Akatsuki.

Their individual reactions varied.

Kisame laughed and said he'd pay me a hundred bucks if I could get Sasori and Deidera to kiss.

Hidan growled at me and threatened to sacrifice my ass to Jashin if I didn't get the f*ck away from him.

Deidera turned as red as Scarlette's namesake before whipping out one of his clay toys and detonating it. In the cloud of smoke and debris that occurred as a result, Deidera mysteriously disappeared.

Konan, whom I saw just before she and Yahi-- I mean Pain left for a mission, cracked a faint smile. She left without saying anything else.

I was too afraid to ask Pain. I thought he might kill me and make me one of his Six Paths or whatever. Or force me to clean. I'm not sure which woulda been worse.

And finally, the one I'm sure you've all been waiting for..... Sasori. He glared at me for a full five minutes. Then he sighed and locked me in a closet. I'm not even kidding. He locked me in a closet. Of all the places he coulda put me and all the things he coulda done, he chose death by fumes from expired poisons while trapped in a broom closet.

I was a bit disappointed.

Scar found me an hour later when Sasori suggested she bring him his out-of-date concoctions. By suggested I mean threatened her with quite the painful death if she refused to comply. When she tugged open the door and I came spilling out, breathing in fresh-ish oxygen like I was paid to do it, she turned around, pinched the bridge of her nose, and sighed, "Was this absolutely necessary?"

And Sasori replied with, "I found it necessary at the time."

"Sadly, I believe you."

Scar then unceremoniously kicked my ass (not hard, but not like she was trying to be gentle either). "Up, Ari," she ordered. Ooh, she had her "We're in public, feign normalcy" switch flipped. "You've breathed in worse than this when you blew up the chemistry lab last year." Her voice was soft, but I had the eerie sensation that Sasori could hear us.

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, dragging myself into a sitting position. I rubbed at my throat, offering a few coughs in hopes of getting some much-deserved pity; but nope, Scar just spun on her heel, grabbed the poisons Sasori had told her to get, and shoved them into the puppet-man's hands. She threw me a last warning look before stalking from the room.

Sasori took one look at the poison he held, then set the jars down on the closest table. Some icky green liquid dripped down the side and splashed onto the wood; it burned a whole clean through, continued on to the floor, burned another hole and kept going.

"Whoa!" I cheered, scrambling over to the still-smoking hole. I started laughing when I realized how many underground floors that shit would have to go through before it hit the middle of the freaking earth!

I was exaggerating. Sue me.

"Why is it you two brats are so different?"

"Hmm?" I looked up at Sasori. He leaned back against the smoking table, arms folded across his chest. His child-like brown eyes sparked with honest curiousity. I felt myself grinning like a fool. So he wanted to know about my somewhat sane sissy did he? Oh how Violet would have loved this. "What'd ya mean, Sasori-danna?" I asked innocently.

His eyes narrowed. "You two couldn't be more different than even my and the brat's views on art."

Snickering, I bobbed my head in agreement. Watching them bicker had become my replacement for TV. "Alright," I said when I caught my breath. "I won't deny we're different. Scar's the calm one in our family. She also keeps a tight lid on her emotions, except when she's annoyed. Like just now! And I dunno why we're different, cause I'm a lot like Vi--"

"I don't ever wish to meet her."

"--but we are," I finished. Obviously, I was ignoring his jab at Violet, or I would have stuck a kunai into his "special spot" to see if the rumors were true. Oh. That reminded me. "Hey, Sasori-danna?"

Cue the irriatated sigh. "What is it?"

"How do you take potty breaks?"

That was how I ended up being thrown (literally) from Sasori's room, skidded into the kitchen, and promptly fell on my ass.

"Ow!" I yowled, teeth clamping shut a moment later. Nearly bit off my damn tongue...

The room I landed in was empty apart from Scar. She sat in the corner, hidden in shadows, hugging her knees. Her hair was loose from its usually ponytail and hung limply around her shoulders. Her bangs, which had grown a lot in the short amount of time we'd been in this world, covered her face from view.

But I caught the muffled sniffling.

"Scar?"

She raised her head, eyes wide like a damn deer caught in the headlights. Her cheeks were rosy and raw, her eyes slightly bloodshot from crying. Tears slipped from her eyes.

It'd been a week, and she hadn't stopped crying.

"Scar, I...." I didn't know what to say. My playful, excited mood dissipated instantly, replaced with something a lot heavier, darker. Rage, pure, unbridled rage. That's what I was feeling right then. How dare they make my sister cry?!

"This isn't..." Scar, too, seemed like she couldn't figure out which words sounded right in this situation. She shook her head and wiped the back of her sleeve under her nose and across her cheeks. She only looked slightly less pathetic. "I'm sorry, Ari," she said quietly, voice tight. "I didn't mean for you to see me like this."

"To hell with my feelings, Scarlette!" I exclaimed. She jumped. "I don't exactly give a damn right now how I'm feeling. So do me a favor and quit it! You don't have to act tough for me! I don't need your stupid false reassurance!"

She blinked slowly and pulled her knees tighter to her chest.

I took a ragged breath, settling my nerves. Exploding isn't exactly fun. Not really sure why DeiDei seemed so fond of it, but whatever. 

Scar watched me warily, her red eyes never leaving mine. She didn't look like she was planning on moving anytime soon, so I took the initiative and started walking towards her.

That's when it all went to hell.

I heard excited footsteps just outside the door, pounding down the hall. Just when I turned to snap at whoever was trying to ruin my family moment of sisterly glory, my jaw dropped.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh--

"TOBI FINALLY GETS TO MEET YOU!!"

Violet's POV

I was freaking out.

My sisters had been kidnapped! By Scarlette's puppet crush and Ari's gay blonde bomber!

A week had passed and nothing was going good. Kiba was no help. He was trying to convince his mom (a really bad idea in my opinion) to help us look for them, but she refused. Something about us being "just like that nasty Gaara punk". 

Gaara had been within earshot. He was gone with the wind before I could comfort him in Scar's place.

The Siblings were restless, but not more than I was. Though they had to worry about the final round of the Chunin Exams and their role in the plan to take down Konoha. I wasn't a part of it, obviously. And they did everything they could to keep it a secret from me. It was a little pointless, but they didn't have to know that.

But knowing I had a week until the Exams reminded me of something. The Siblings wouldn't be able to help at all. They couldn't do squat. Because wherever my sisters were, I was sure they were more than a few days away, and the trio couldn't leave under any circumstances. I could ask Kiba to come with me, but that seemed selfish. He had to be there for Hinata.

 So it was just me.

Of course, I needed to find out where they were keeping my sisters first!

Which is how I ended up begging Kiba to tell me where the prostitute lived.

Oh. Hehe. I meant Suki.

He was a little wary at first, because he knew nada about Suki's relationship with my Tobi-kun. Eventually, though, I won out with my cute little pout and teary eyes, and he led me around the Village until we stopped a tiny little apartment.

Right. Next. To. Naruto's.

"Cliche," I mumbled as I followed Kiba up the stairs to the second story of the complex. He stopped at the door beside Naruto's and raised his fist to knock. But it just as quickly fell back to his side. He bit his lip, eyes dark and stormy.

Ah. Suki must've been a meanie again.

I gently pushed Kiba away and pounded on the door myself. No one answered.

Five minutes later?

Still nothing.

I tapped a finger against my lips, foot beating against the ground. Hmmm, what can I do? Maybe.... YES! That idea is better than Lee's haircut!

My fingers twisted into a Sign and in a poof of smoke, a different blonde Kunoichi stood in my place.

"Violet," Kiba groaned. His tiny Ninken let out an indignant yip to back him up.

I giggled and cocked my hip to the side, hands on my hips flirtatiously. "Sorry, Flea-bag," I said haughtily, getting into my "Ino" mood. Hehe, Ari and I actually liked her, but she was too easy to make fun of! "I just needed something to get her attention!'

He scowled and looked away, arms folded across his chest. 

I shrugged and turned back to the door.

"Oh, Suki-chan!" I squealed, mimicking Ino in the anime whenever Sasuke was around. "You've just got to come outside! I have the cutest flower bouquet to show you! It'll look great with your eyes!"

Not two seconds later, the door was thrown open and I was glomped by a silver-haired she-demon.

"Arigato, Ino-chan!" she squealed, her voice pitching up a few octaves. Ari was right! Her voice made my ears scream at me!

"Suki, you're really pathetic!" I giggled. She stiffened and leaped back, successfully managing to ram her shoulder into her now-closed door. I giggled again. "That's twice you've fallen for my jutsu! Are you sure Kakashi Hatake is your Sensei? This seems more like Guy Sensei's training!"

"You," she growled. Her hands fisted at her sides. She looked kinda angry, with her cheeks flushed red and eyes already glowing. Too bad for her there weren't any plants around. I doubted Naruto had a green thumb,

"You aren't very creative, are you?" I asked innocently, blinking as I tilted my head to the side.

Steam practically exploded from her ears!

"Shut it, Pinky!" she snapped, shaking a fist at me. Actually, she wasn't shaking it at me, it was just shaking. Maybe she was afraid of me?

Well poo. That stunk. Oh well, at least it wasn't Kankuro anymore.

"That insult doesn't really work well when I still look like Ino," I pointed out. "Actually, it doesn't work in the first place. Cause I like pink! A lot! It's a really happy color, don't ya think? And I'm a happy person!"

"You're insane!" Suki countered, throwing her arms wide for emphasis. "You and all your bitchy family!! How do people stand you three?! I mean, you're all dumbasses! You have like ten I.Q. points between the three of you and--"

"Enough, bitch." Kiba's snarl sliced through Suki's rant like Roronoa Zoro's katana through steel. (That guy was AMAZING!! He cut through STEEL!! With a SWORD!!)

"Kiba...?"

Suki was at a loss for words, but Kiba definitely wasn't.

He stepped up beside me and flung an arm around my shoulders, which almost threw me on the ground. But I held my ground and smiled sweetly at him when he gave me a worried look. Then he threw all his anger and bitterness at Suki.

It was just a look, but it said so much, it took even my breath away. He was done. With Suki, with her antics, her love heptagon. Done with everything. And it affected Suki.

Basically, it made her mad.

So before the she-demon could attack Kiba with her sick kitty-claws, I shoved him away and pointed towards the stairs. He looked at me, dumbfounded. I smiled. "Thank you, Kiba," I said. "You can go now. Weren't you going to check on Hinata? You said she wasn't feeling well yesterday."

He blinked, and his feral eyes softened. "Yeah," he agreed softly. "Yeah, I did say that. Alright. I'll catch up with you later, Vi." He spun around and, hands shoved deep into his hoodie's pockets, started walking away. Akamaru trotted along at his side. Kiba looked back over his shoulder just before reaching the stairs. "We're gonna find them. Me and Akamaru won't quit till we do. Got it?"

I smiled, a very bitter-sweet smile. "Got it."

He grinned and walked away.

"Find who? That goth girl kill herself or something?"

I didn't answer; I just leaped at Suki and pinned her to the ground, trapping her with one knee digging into her stomach. She gurgled a gasp and clawed at my arms in an attempt to get away. I didn't move.

"Mind telling me where the Akatsuki are?" I asked, sweet venom dripping off my bright words. Her eyes glowed a pretty pink but nothing happened. They dimmed a moment later as she struggled to recover her breath. "Now would be great for me, Meredith."

Still, she refused to talk.

Aww! She's gonna make me get mean?! Stupid evil skank.

I flipped a kunai from the holster on my thigh and pressed it to Suki's throat. Would I ever seriously consider killing her? Weeks ago, the thought would have set an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach, would have seemed too extreme no matter the circumstances. But now....

My sisters' lives could be at stake.

Nothing was too extreme if it meant getting them back alive.

"Suki-chan." My voice was as close to a growl as it had ever been, and it vibrated thickly in the back of my throat, sounding low and dangerous to my pricked ears. "Tell me where the f*ck I can find Tobi-kun!"

Scarlette's POV

I snapped from my burst of melancholy at the sound of that infuriatingly childish voice. It came from the doorway, where the tall man-child, dressed in the agonizingly familiar robe and orange mask, stood. His hands were on his knees, and pants sounded from behind his loud mask. He must have run through all the base to find us.

I was on him in an instant.

A kunai was poised to slit his throat as I forced him up against a wall, glaring up at his one eye-hole with every ounce of hatred and anger and angst I had in me at that point in time. I was filled to the brim with dark emotions, and I couldn't wait to unleash them on the delusional man-child of the Akatsuki.

"Wahh!! Scar-chan! W-What're you doing to Tobi?!" he wailed, his high voice shattering my eardrums.

"What does it look like, you infuriating excuse for a Ninja?" I growled, pressing the kunai further against his neck. "You bastard! Why did you bring us here?!"

Tobi squealed again in terror.

Ari hitched a breath.

Silence fell over the room.

I could faintly hear Deidera complaining down the hall, saying something to Sasori. The Puppet Master did not sound particularly pleased. I caught only snippets of what they said, but it obviously had to do with Tobi's sudden arrival.

My attention somewhat divided, I nearly missed it when Tobi let out an unexpected chuckle. Not the school girl giggle I'd been expecting. A deep, slow chuckle that sent shivers down my spine.

"Well, well, well, it seems we can skip the formalities." He disappeared from beneath my kunai and I stumbled into the wall. Ari was at my side instantly. She grabbed my arm to steady me; I was shaking with rage and surprise. And if I must admit it? Fear.

"I've been waiting quite a long time to meet the two of you. A shame your sister isn't here."

Ari and I turned to see that Tobi was now lounging on our bed, hands held casually behind his head, legs stretched out and crossed. Despite the mask, I had the distinct feeling he was smirking at us.

"Dammit man!" Ari hissed. Her nails dug into my arm as she attempted to keep from quaking. "Answer Scar! What the hell did you bring us here for?!"

Tobi sighed, shaking his head. He tsked. "You're very impatient," he said. 

"ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!"

"I might as well tell you," he responded, shrugging. My urge to ram a kunai through his heart grew stronger with every passing moment. He acted as though nothing was wrong, as though he'd done nothing wrong. He cared not for our well being or our situation. Just what purpose were we brought here to fulfill? 

"I'll admit I am new to the ways of your world," he said after an especially dramatic pause that set my already punished teeth on edge. "Though I know enough to figure out that we--" he indicated the space around him with a wave of his hand, most likely trying to include all Ninja in the gesture--"don't exist where you come from. As you don't in this world. So I understand that, because we're merely a story to you, you have quite a lot of knowledge about us. About me. Am I wrong?"

Neither Ari nor I spoke a word.

Another tired sigh. "You don't have to respond," he said, "but it would makes things go more smoothly. However, I guess it's your choice. Anyway, I'll assume you know what my real intentions in this world are."

"We don't," Ari and I said in unison.

I imagined Tobi cocked a brow. "Really?" He sounded as though he was frowning. "Well, that makes things a little more complicated."

"We'd probably know if you took off that stupid mask," Ari mumbled. Her eyes were narrowed to dangerous slits, her mouth set in a harsh, unforgiving line. She looked ready for war.

He chuckled once more. "Oh I see. That wasn't revealed to you. Alright then." He swept up a hand and grasped the edges of his mask.

My heart slowed to a crawl as he yanked up the mask and settled it atop his head. 

Ari gasped; my eyes widened. 

"So you do recognize me, huh?" 

"Tobi" looked no older than Kakashi Sensei. His spiky dark brown hair fell only just above his eyes, one of which he held closed. He was lightly tanned, with a complexion similar to Naruto's. But.... but the right side of his face looked as though he'd been in a tragic accident. Skin that looked a shade light than his own sagged around his eye, wrinkled and pulled to fit his features. The open eye, miraculously undamaged despite it's precarious position, blazed a bloody red. Three black tomoe spun lazily around his pupil.

Ari was the first to voice his identity.

"Obito.... Obito Uchiha."

Obito's mouth twisted into a scowl. The tomoe spun faster. "Obito died years ago," he said lowly. "Until the day comes when I no longer need the mask, I go by Madara Uchiha. You will not mention the young Uchiha's name."

I swallowed thickly, unable to fully comprehend what was going on. We'd speculated before that Obito might really be Tobi, as many Naruto fans had done before us, but for some reason, I never truly considered it to be a very viable option. And yet, I was staring the dead man in the eye. 

I had to get past this. I had to. For Ari's sake, and for my own as well. It wouldn't do to have to Hayes sisters paralyzed with fear.

"Have you guessed my real reasons for aiding the Akatsuki yet?" Obito asked curiously.

"You've convinced Pain that you want what he strives for," I answered in monotone. Ari gave me quite the incredulous look. I ignored it. "Peace. But that seems unlikely, given the circumstances."

"Pain is only a pawn," Obito said off-handedly, without any care at all. A passive look overtook his face, and his gaze rested on a point past both Ari and I, slightly glazed over as he thought. "My real reason has nothing to do with peace. It's a selfish desire of mine, but also something necessary. Care to guess what it is?"

"No," I replied flatly.

His eye drifted to me for only a moment before he returned to staring off into nothingness. "You don't like to play games, it seems," he noted. "In any case, the reason I've come to assist the Akatsuki is simple. I desire to create a world where the person most precious to me is still alive."

"Rin."

The name escaped me before I was even aware I had anything to say. A deep, terrible pain shot through Obito's Sharingan eye, and he closed it to keep off our prying eyes. His features softened with sadness, before hardening with the aid of a bitter anger, deep-rooted and powerful. It charged the air around us with lightning.

"Yes." His voice was sharp, a way to disguise his inner tumult. "Rin Nohara. My teammate. She was cruelly ripped away from me, by the person who had promised to protect her in my place. It should have been him that died, not Rin...."

"He... he means Kakashi, right?" Ari whispered, her lips pressed almost fully against my ear to hide her words. I nodded as subtly as I could manage. Unfortunately, Ari, Violet and I were not fully caught up on the manga, for I was sure this would have been explained later on. I wished I had prior knowledge of this. Kakashi had killed Rin? I had always wondered what had happened to her, after watching the episode in which Obito sacrificed his life to save Kakashi's, giving him his Sharingan in the process. Rin was not a Jonin, was not present in Konoha in the current timeline. And Kakashi was always visiting the Memorial Stone, etched with the names of those who had been killed in action. Perhaps had hadn't always gone for Obito.

"I'd like to know what this perfect world of your has to do with us," I managed. Obito tilted his head a bit, enough to lock eyes with me. It was then that he blinked open his left eye, revealing yet another blazing Sharingan.

I stupidly wondered where he'd obtained it from.

"Yes, we've strayed a bit off topic," Obito muttered. He shook his head, as if to clear troubling thoughts. "To be honest, there are two ways to obtain what I desire most," he went on. "The first will take years, and much preparation. And while I would wait an eternity if it meant being reunited with Rin, I've stumbled across a second way to bring her back. This is where the three of you--Scarlette, Arianna, and Violet Hayes--come in."

Ari fitted her fingers with mine. I tightened my grip on the glinting kunai still clutched in my hand.

"I'm not sure whether you know enough to be aware of this," he said, "but my Sharingan is powerful enough to allow me to shift between dimmensions. One of which is yours. However, it was in this world that I discovered a lost jutsu, so powerful, so dangerous, it was forbidden to ever be used. Not even in times of extreme crisis. It was created, they say, by the Sage of the Six Paths himself."

This was not comforting by any means.

"This particular jutsu requires sacrifice, something the user cannot give up himself. It's a ritual, if you will, though not nearly as demonic as that Hidan's ridiculous Jashinist ways. Simply put, I need the chakra of three who are not one. In other words...."

"...fraternal triplets...." I finished in a breath.

Obito nodded approvingly. "The Sage was never sure himself, but something about the chakra of fraternal triplets is different from most. Powerful, but dormant. It can't be awakended through any normal means. But in this ritual, all of your power is unleashed, and it fuels the jutsu. So you see, it wasn't important that I bring you three here. I only needed triplets. You are nothing, unimporant lesser pawns."

"But you can't kill us!" Ari snapped suddenly. It surpised both Obito and I. 

Ari was red from anger, snarling at Obito. "You can't," she repeated more forcefully, "because it would ruin Pain's plan of capturing Gaara. Without us, he'd never come."

"So naive," Obito chuckled. "Didn't Pain tell you you'd die as soon as Gaara delivered himself to our doorstep? Did he ever mention how you would die? Or who would kill you? It only matters that you die."

"But Violet's not...."

"She'll come," he broke in, waving a hand dismissively. "Her sense of loyalty to you two is strong. She'll be here with the One Taill's host. And then Pain will have his jinchuriki to continue on with his own quest for peace, and I'll have the three of you."

The blood drained from my face; sweat broke out on my forehead. This couldn't be happening. Ari, Violet and I were nothing more than cattle. He claimed us to be powerful, but useless without being awakened by a ritual that would kill us in the end. Our lives were ticking down like a clock set too fast.

We were going to die, for something as selfish as bringing back a person who was better left alone to rest in peace.

A pounding cracked against my skull: The result of so much unbelievable information bombarding me from all sides, all at once. I felt faint. Ari, beside me, was as white as the freshest winter snow. Her amber eyes were dim with fear, wide with shock. She couldn't believe what had just transpired any more than I could.

Obito studied our reaction without interest. As we watched him, his bloody eyes melted into black pools of empty despair, the same eyes of one Sasuke Uchiha. He pulled down his mask, straightened his robe, and suddenly leaped at me.

We crashed tot he ground, breaking my hold on Ari's hand. Obito landed on top of me, his knees on either side of my waist. He burst out with a high-pitched giggle. "Scar-chan!" he laughed, reverting back into the manic Tobi I now truly missed. "Let's play, let's play, let's play!!" he chanted. "Tobi wants to play hide and seek!"

"Brat."

"Tobi" and I both looked to the open door. Sasori stood in the frame, raising a disinterested brow at the position I now found myself in. 

"Sasori-sama!" Obito squealed delightedly. "Tobi met Scar-chan and Ari-chan! They're really pretty!! Prettier than even your art!"

Sasori said nothing. He walked over from his spot and plucked Tobi up by the collar, dragging him off my chest. I sat up slowly while Sasori proceeded to throw Obito against a wall. He went without serious complaint, yelling like a frightened child as he did so. I knew he could kill Sasori without even half his incredible power.

"OW OW OW!!" Obito yelled, rubbing his head with both gloved hands. "Tobi didn't do anything wrong, Sasori-sama!" he insisted. "Tobi was just--"

"Leaving," Sasori finished shortly. "Go annoy the blonde brat if you have nothing better to do."

"Hai, Sasori-sama!" Obito jumped to his feet and saluted Sasori dramatically. "Tobi will go see if he can help Sempai with anything! Sempai's clumsy!" he added, looking to my sister and I. He held a finger to his mask, over the portion that covered his lips. "But don't tell Sempai Tobi said that! He'll blow Tobi up!"

WIth that, the Uchiha dashed from the room and went off down the hall. I quickly lost track of his footsteps.

I still had yet to move. Ari dropped to her knees beside me, looking worn and haggard. The weight og everything had finally crashed onto her slim shoulders, it seemed.

Sasori looked down at us, eyes hooded. "Ignore the idiot," he said after a moment of desperate silence. "He isn't even a true member of out organization. He doesn't require your attention."

I would never be able to tell Sasori just how terrifyingly wrong he was in saying that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok. This is really late. I'm terribly sorry, but school's been a bit of a bitch lately, and I've been too tired at night to really work on anything. But I hope you like this. I finally revealed why the girls were brought to the Naruto world! I'm really sorry if anything's confusion, like the ritual or Tobi's reasons for their being there. PM me or comment if you have questions!

Anyway, that's it! Merci beaucoup for reading this!

(I had a French test today. I'm sorry if that sounded lame)