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Chapter 1- The Art Shop

The day was clear and beustiful. Everyone in the town was busy doing something. People were working or shopping, children were playing, and somewhere, a ninja was sure to be lurking.

Akane had woken up that day to the sun beating on her face. She stood up and streched, letting her long red hair fall down her back. She quickly dressed and walked out onto the balcony of her house. She looked down on the street and saw the people of the Konoha smiling and laughing with each other. It disgusted her.

"Must all people be so happy?" she said to herself. She leaned against the railing of her balcony and looked at the citizens and ninja of one of the strongest hidden villages in the land.

As she was looking down, a small girl looked up at her. Akane simply stared back, not smiling yet not frowning either. The girls mother quickly lead her away. Akane could hear what she said to the girl.

"Don't look, sweetie. She's not a nice lady."

"Stupid b***h," Akane said to herself. She turned around and walked back into her bedroom. She walked down her stairwell and into her living room. Set up was an easel with a canvas on it and paint scattered about. She picked up her brush and the can of red paint. As she dipped the brush in, she realized the can was almost empty.

"Damn. Now I have to go into the town..."

Akane grabbed her wallet and walked out the door. As she walked down the street, people would grab their children and pull them away. Other ninja would scowl and taunt her. This was a normal occurence.

Akane walked into the art supply store. The owner was an old woman with terrible eye sight. She never treated Akane wrong, probably because she couldn't see her that well.

"I need a can of red paint, please," Akane said to the clerk. The old woman searched for it. After ten mintues, the old woman turned back to Akane.

"We seem to be out...I think?" the old woman said. She picked up a bell and rang it once. A young man came out of the back.

"What is it grandma?" the young man asked. He looked at Akane and scowled.

"Are we out of red paint, dearie? I can't see a damned thing anymore!"

"We are. Fresh out." The young man went back to the back of the store. Akane folded her arms acrossed her chest.

The old woman turned back to Akane. "Don't fret now, sweetie. There's another art store outside the village. It's in a tiny town about ten miles past the gates. It's pretty much a resort town but my sister owns an art store there. Tell her that Stella sent ya."

Akane nodded her head. She left the store and headed toward the gate. As she approached the entrance, the gurads stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going?" they asked her. They weren't interested in where she was going. They were interested in whether or not she was going to kill again.

"I'm off to an art supply store outside the village. I need paint," she said. She was hoping the guards were going to just let her go.

"Paint, huh? Sounds like a really crappy cover story to me. Think we otta get Lady Tsunade?"

Akane was getting frustrated. "JUST LET ME GO!" she shouted. The guards gave her a disapproving look. They stared down at her hands.

"Fine. You can go." They opened the gates and Akane walked out. She headed towards the art supply store. As she walked, she thought about how great it would be if she could just leave that cursed village. Thoughts were spinning through her head and in no time, she was at the store. She looked up at it and saw the giant art store sign. Next to it was a casino and on the other said was a bath house.

"This is definetly a resort town," Akane thought. She walked in and looked around. An old woman was snoozing in a chiar behind the counter. There was a young girl looking at markers and a tall, blonde man was looking at clay. He turned and looked at Akane when she walked in the door. One eye was covered by blonde hair. He wore a fishnet shirt and off white pants. Purple sandals protected his feet. Akane could tell he was an off duty ninja.

Akane walked over to the paint and found a can of red. She grabbed two just to have an extra and walked over to the counter.

"Excuse me," Akane said. The old woman continued to sleep.

"Excuse me!" Akane said again. The old woman still didn't budge. Akane was getting frustrated but kept her anger in check. Akane was about to yell in the old womans face when the blonde haired man walked over to her.

"Let me try, hmm." he said. Akane nodded at him. He picked up a piece of clay and molded it in his hand a bit. He shaped it into a small bird. He sat it on the counter. In an instance, it exploded! The old woman jumped in her seat.

" I TOLD YA YOU COULD NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!" the old woman shouted. The man laughed a little and Akane did as well. It was the first time someone had helped her in as long as she could remember. Not only that, he helped in a way that she didn't think anyone would help anyone!

"Thank you," Akane said. She never thought she would utter those words again and yet here she was.

The man nodded at her.

"So what do you want?" the old woman asked. Akane handed her the money for the paint and the man handed her the money for his clay. They both walked out of the store. Akane turned to go back toward the village when he stopped her.

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