Renai grew up to be a lot of things. But being a loser was not one of them. It wasn't even an option. Win or die. Always.

For every failed experiment on her, she was punished. For every new power there was a price. She was made perfect, by hook or by crook, always bringing the perfect result. But it wasn't pretty. Nothing was ever a walk in the garden for her. Every single fibre of her being hurt, burnt. Her dark soul was always hungry. Insatiable. Even her real name was long forgotten. No one knew who Renai Hotaru was before she got sold into a whorehouse at the age of seven, or got kidnapped and experimented on by Gakuto Kizashi in some shady underground laboratory, or before she was found by Madara Uchiha and was turned into another one of his pawn. No one knew, except...

***

After a long and well executed talk, Sakura Haruno was convinced that Renai was just another poor soul who had suffered through the hands of her faith, just like Naruto. Only Naruto had people to love and who loved him. Renai wasn't so lucky, she was a survivor, and she had survived the worst. Being snatched away from her mother's arm as a babe and abused and used as a guinea-pig for almost all her life. And finally when she got out, she was hunted. Akatsuki did gave her a new life, but only if she answers to their beck and call now. What a way to survive. But who was she to judge. She too recently sold her soul to the Devil. Maybe that's why she is here now, going shopping with a psychotic, homicidal, cannibal, chakra snatching, ticking time-bomb.

"Hey!. Wanna go get drunk?" Renai suggested.

"Are you sure about that? Wouldn't we get in trouble for that sort of drink?" Sakura asked a bit hesitant.

"What are you, sixteen?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Renai said awkwardly. "Ok, so you are not drinking. But you can come with me while I do." Renai grabbed her hand and dragged her to the nearest bar.

Sakura knew from the beginning this wasn't a good idea. To make friends with someone like Renai. But what other option does she has here. They are the only two female in the organization. And besides, seeing Renai like this, its not that difficult to forget that she is a killing machine made for the destruction of Shinobis. She looks so excited, carefree and curious.

Renai told Sakura that it wasn't long ago she was kept inside a cage like an animal for almost her entire life. It is obvious she missed out on a lot of things. She wonders how Renai even knows what a bar is. How can she flirt with all those guys so effortlessly? Where exactly did she learned all of that?

Renai came back "Ok our drinks will be here in a minute. Did something interesting happen while I was gone?" she asked cheerfully.

"Not really." Sakura answered. A waiter came and set there dinks on the table as Renai settled in "Um Renai, I have been meaning to ask you..." Sakura hesitated while Renai took a sip of her drink. "Don't you think it was a bit odd, when we left the tower?"

"What about that was odd?" Renai asked like she had said the most idiotic thing ever.

"There were no guards, no Anbu hiding in the shadows. No Akatsuki member came with us either. Don't you think that's a bit odd. Is Pain really that confident about you... or me?" Sakura asked varily, repeatedly checking her back.

"You really think that the Akatsuki leader would be that stupid?" Renai gave Sakura a look of mild amusement.

The bar was mostly empty at the time. Two men in bamboo hats and the infamous cloak enters and all of a sudden, the place goes quite. Only the sound of the music in the background.

"'Deidara sama, Sarori sama. Please welcome." The barkeep runs to greet them from behind the counter.

"No need. We will show ourselves to a table. Keep working." Sasori said with a slight nod of head and everyone went back to their business, avoiding getting in the way of the two Akatsuki angles.

Sakura tensed and her blood ran cold as she heard the voice of the man who had been giving her constant nightmare for the past few years. She fought to keep from shaking as she slowly turned around to confirm her suspicion.

"Sasori." the name came out in a mere whisper from her mouth. But it caught his attention nonetheless. He turned around to find that freakishly uncommon pink hair that has been his nightmares as well (probably in a different way).

"This...is interesting." a hint of a smirk splayed across his face. He started walking to the table, catching the attention of his absent-minded partner.

"Sakura chan. What brings you to this side of the world?" Sasori spoke sitting on the chair beside the said pinkette.

Renai looks at both of them confused. What's the deal with them? Can I use it? she wondered. Deidara on the otherhand sighed tiredly taking a seat in between her and Sasori. He knows what this is about. Sasori was obsessed with Sakura Haruno for the entire first year of his revival. Something about this girl intrigued him to a point where he basically turned into a crazy creepy stalker which Deidara found repulsive. Fucking pedophile. was his thought on the present scene.

"H-How..." Inner Sakura smacked her dominant self on the head. This is not the time to show weakness. So what if the man sitting beside you is the one who almost succeeded in killing her. She won and he died in the end. Period. But he's not dead, is he? she argued. "How are you alive?"

"I could not be killed in the first place." was his nonchalant answer. He signaled the barkeep to bring their usual which was answered with a nod of head and quick working on the order. "You didn't answer my question. You know that's not how it works Sakura."

Sakura got tongue tied at such personal use of her name. There were so many questions in her head right now. They were overwhelming her. She felt sick. She quickly got up and ran to washroom, stumbling on her foot like a drunkard.

"Excuse me." Renai said getting up and going after her.

"That went well." Sasori said looking at both the girl disappear in the dark corner.

Deidara wanted to gag at that comment, but washing it down with alcohol seemed a much better idea.

***

Renai found Sakura throwimg up in one of the stalls. She grabbed some paper towels and handed it to her. "What was all that about? Do you know that guy?" she asked.

"Yeah. We share a history." Sakura said wiping her mouth, "Not a very good one."

"About?" she asked curiously but Sakura was too engrossed in her own dread to notice.

"He almost killed me. But then let himself be killed instead." Sakura grimaced "Now I know that was a lie as well. He tricked us into thinking that."

"Us?"

"Me, his grandmother who killed him. The entire world." Sakura sneers angrily. "He's a nothing but a hollow, deceitful, sadistic little prick." she felt disgusted.

"The little prick sounds a handful. By the way he behaved, I can tell he enjoyed you miserable reaction." Renai commented.

"I joined this organization for a second chance. Sasuke told me it was a way to avenge Naruto. To bring down Danzo and the disgusting reign he built on the blood of all those..." Sakura couldn't finish the sentence without breaking down. She cannot break down among these people. "I don't know if I can do it. Not with him here."

"One bad guy and you are already breaking down. Maybe you are right. You cannot do this. Avenge Naruto, or whomever it was." Renai said sitting up on the parchment. "You are weak." the tone of her voice was neutral, but the intended implication was much more grim.

But it served its purpose nonetheless.

"I am not a weak women." Sakura's face was covered in the shadow of her fringes, but her voice held an edge as sharp as a fresh katana. "I will not have you or that sick puppet fuck tell me otherwise. I am Sakura Haruno, a kunoichi of the Leaf. Apprentice of the copy ninja Kakashi and the fifth-hokage. I am not some meek women." she lifted her head with a look of offence and determination.

"Then why are behaving like one? Sitting in a bathroom stall, crying like a baby over a bully who once tormented you. Is that how a strong women acts? Is that how you are going to stand up against some of the strongest people who built an empire over an ocean of blood for the rest of your time in Akatsuki? Everytime something happens, are you going to run away crying and thinking you are too weak hoping someone will come to save you? Or will you face the damn problem until it gives up or you are dead?" Renai looked at her dead in the eyes. Her eyes were hollow, but it said so much more. She meant every word she said.

And as I said before. Her words did served their purpose.

***

"That's too many drinks for a little girl." Deidara said reaching for the seat next to Renai on the bar.

"It takes a lot more than this to get me drunk." Renai said with a smirk gulping down another drink and gesturing the bartender for more. "So, what's their story?" she asked gesturing to the pair on the booth not too far away. Sasori was having a pissing contest with Sakura. Sakura was successfully ignoring it.

"Creeps and their obsession." give it to a young but perfectly seasoned shinobi to give nothing away.

"Wow. That's a lot of information." Renai eyerolled chuckling finishing the eighth vodka shot.

"Yup. So...who's asking for it?" Deidara crooked an eyebrow having his still second chardonnay of the day. This punk has taste.

"Why would you say that? Can't a girl just be curious of her newly acquired friend?" Renai asked appalled.

"You offend me Hotaru." Deidara gave her a dramatic sad reaction. "You know I have been out in the world long enough to know that a girl like you don't make friends without reasons."

"What exactly do you mean by "a girl like me"?" Renai asked air quoting.

"I have seen Madara going to your room last night." Deidara's face was passive and his eyes fixed on his empty glass. "So who wants to know about Sakura? Him or Obito?"

"Wow, you have the eyes of an eagle." Renai turned to face the bar as well, her fingers tracing the rim of the glass in front of her. "Its confidential. Even girls like me has some codes." All pretense of a playful conversation were dropped.

"I'm not judging." Deidara said getting up from the bar to go fetch his partner. He left paying for both of them.

Even if he said he wasn't, Renai did felt judged. What baffled her was how it affected her. That's something new. She didn't understand why, but she hated that tone of his voice. The look in his eyes. Or rather the way he avoided it. She has faced worse than that. But those azure orbs, they imprinted itself in her mind. A fucking nobody. She tch-ed getting up when Sakura came to get her.