Author's Notes: Here it is folks, the final chapter for Family Ties! And I have a feeling a bunch of you reviewers are gonna be "WTF??" but this is only the first half. This chapter will give you a bit of inside workings of Akatsuki and what part Shiruba has in it. It is also where my favorite twist comes in.

Now, you all remember that woman that offered Sasori a position within the group in chapter 11, right? In the manga the woman is called Konan but here's the thing: long before the famous Kishimoto-san revealed who the two hidden members of Akatsuki were, an UNBELIEVABLY talented artist made his own rendition of the two we finally know as Pein and Konan (pokefreak . deviantart . com / art / Akatsuki-Whats-left-to-see-43515209). When the manga finally showed what they really looked like I found myself liking Pokefreak's drawing more and more. Pein was almost spot on and Konan looked so mature so I'll do my best to write her in justice, I hope ^^; BTW, I will not be using the name Konan and I am going to spell Pein as "Pain". This is my fanfiction and I want to write it as I like.

I will do a sequel that follows the Shippūden/Hurricane series and like this story the characters will be OOC. The poll will still continue and will not stop until the first chapter to the sequel has been posted (I have no idea when to get it out but I will try to get it out soon as I can) with the results posted for all to see. So if you haven't voted, please vote! Thanks to those who have voted (and reviewed!) and I hope you have enjoyed Family Ties and will be here for the sequel.

Disclaimer/Warnings: From now on I will only post these on the first chapter. I don't want to fill up the chapters with these things and annoy you, the readers. Sound fair?

"Family Ties"

By: Beloved Shadow of Light

+ Pain's Twilight +

Ringed eyes quietly scanned the unusual architectural structures that filled this small country village. To an outsider, it would seem completely out of place. Hundreds of cables and wires were threaded through the village, digging deep into the ground as well as being threaded through the buildings, tall antennas filling the sky. Unlike other villages which seemed to be built around their country's territory, this one seemed to stand out the most. The skies were dark, a light drizzle pouring over every part of the village, the inhabitants used to the storms but the figure tensed when he sensed something different. His eyes widen momentarily as he got to his feet and vanished with barely a sound. He reappeared in front of what appeared to be the tallest tower of the village, his slight impatience well hidden as he ignored the rain fall down around him. He watched as the ground shifted and one of his best spy in the organization appeared but why was he carrying someone with him?

Zetsu didn't appear to mind the rain though the large leaves didn't completely open, allowing just enough for his intense yellow eyes to be seen. He knew the leader had sensed something as he usually waited in the tower when he came back but he drew the hood of the coat he had stolen on the way to reveal her face. For a man who hid his emotions every second of the day he watched as his face paled.

"Shiruba... Zetsu, what happened to her?" he demanded, stepping forward to take her into his arms, hearing her hiss in pain even as she wrapped her arm around his neck, as though knowing who was holding her without having to open her eyes.

"It's a long story, Pain-sama," he said quietly.

"Tell me what you saw," he said as he turned and headed into the tower, listening as the ex-Kusa shinobi followed.

"Apparently Orochimaru sent his ninjas to bring her to him but she escaped. I lost track of her but I followed the kyūbi jinchūriki to the borders. He fought Uchiha Sasuke and lost," he summed up.

"What has this to do with Shiruba?"

"Uchiha rammed his fist into the blonde's chest but she healed him," his rough voice answered, eyes narrowing at the memory. "Looked like she had been in a fight herself with the amount of blood she lost."

Pain said nothing as they entered a large room that served as their medic ward when members returned with injuries. Gently setting the young teen on the table he removed the coat, noting the make-shift bandages that were bleeding through. Resting his hand on her forehead he concentrated and found that she had almost no chakra at all. He moved quickly yet carefully in removing the soaked clothing to better attend to her wounds when he noticed a strange mark on the curve where her neck melding into her shoulder. "What is this?"

"Present from Orochimaru..." Dull blue eyes with tarnished silver flecks cracked open, trying to focus on the face above her. "It's a Juin Jutsu... but it looks like a hickey..."

Zetsu made a slight face. "That's disturbing."

"How did you get it?" the leader asked as he continued to remove the soaked and ruined clothes, allowing Zetsu to properly treat her injuries.

"During the genin exams... disguised myself as that little shit... I fooled him good," she smirked. "He bit me there... It tries to take over, tainting my natural chakra... last time I used it, I turned into some berserker and butchered three nins with my bare hands... even now I can feel it trying to take over..."

"That would explain the strange chakra I felt on the way here," the human plant commented as he checked the temporary splint he had made for her broken shinbone. Resting his hands on her leg he focused his chakra to boost the healing.

"Yeah... baka hebi..." She sighed deeply, wincing as her abused ribs protested, making her flinch but stopped when the gray eyed man placed his hand on her chest to keep her still. "Sent his men to bring that teme to him and dragged me along, made us go into the second stage... they said I had to die..."

His entire body flinched as hearing that and gripped her hand tightly, forcing himself to stay calm. He had seen his own share of death, had taken several lives himself but to hear that she had been forced to die? "Zetsu said you escaped, though."

She blinked and looked at the spy as his moved his hands to her side, healing her ribs. "Why didn't you help?" she asked.

"Looked like you could take them on yourself," he said gruffly but he had literally been at war with himself at wanting to rip their hearts from their chests and force them to watch as he devoured the blood-filled organs. "Lost ya after that."

"Curse was trying to take over, but I fought it off... then I felt the chakra and went to the falls... I don't care what the hell Itachi says, his brother will suffer for nearly killing Naruto."

"You used your chakra to heal him." She nodded and her could see the way her eyes were drooping. "How is she, Zetsu?"

"I've managed to heal her bones as well as her other injuries, both internally and externally. The blood loss will take time but she'll live," his lighter side commented.

"When can we go after him?" the darker side demanded angrily, wanting to taste his blood despite how tainted it was. "It's his fault!"

"Soon but our plan comes first." Making sure the blanket was wrapped around Shiruba snugly he slid his hands under her body and once more took her into his arms. "Go and gather the others. Tell them to return so we may begin the first stage in our plan."

Hai." He bowed and quietly left to gather the other members. But on the inside, he was glad their hime had returned to them. Now their master plan could begin and when it was over, no one would stop them.

Pain traveled up the many floors of the tower, making sure not to jar the young lady but as he climbed the steps he thought back to what had brought her and two other war orphans together.

The small country of Ame was a landlocked place, borders touching three of the great shinobi nations as well as two smaller countries but sadly, when the wars broke out between each other they were caught in the heart of it. Countless battles ravaged the lands, many lives were lost, and even with the wars over Rain Country was not the same. The former leader, Hanzo, was a tyrant with the power to back up his success. He had developed many enemies but there was no one to take him down. Before he knew it, civil war broke out but this time it was Ame's own children fighting each other. It had taken him years to get strong enough to make a difference and now that things were falling into place he was not going to let it fail.

He arrived at Shiruba's room and pushed the door open. It was similar to the others with a full bed, wardrobe, desk and chair and bookcase but hers had a window that overlooked the village. Moving to the bed he laid her down and made sure she was covered before moving to leave but her voice stopped him.

"You should get some rest," he said quietly.

"I will but later." Slowly sitting against the pillows she watched as the rain fell, striking the window pane. She felt the bed dip as he sat down but neither of them said anything for several long moments. "Nothing's changed since I left," she said quietly.

"Iie, but now that you're back I don't feel so alone," he admitted softly. "Shiruba-"

"She died the second those assholes forced the pill down her throat," she quickly interrupted, still staring out at the rain.

"... You know what we have to do. Do you still want to stay here and help me?" He felt her hand reach out to cover his and squeeze it tightly.

"We both made a promise to avenge our friends and make Ame great," she began softly, tears slowly falling even as her face twisted into that of suppressed anger. "But we also swore to make the other nations suffer for not helping us when we needed them the most. And I, can never forgive them for their past actions. They deserve to feel the true meaning of pain."

"And they will. Until they have known the true pain that we ourselves have felt, they will never understand what it means." Squeezing her hand tightly he slowly stood. "Get some rest. When the others arrive, I'll let you know."

"Arigato..." Watching him leave she sighed deeply and settled into the crimson and ebony sheets, pulling them around her body. Thankfully the tower was always kept warm so the bed was a soothing feeling as it seethed into her cold body. Within mere moments she was deep in slumber, dreaming of a secret past she could never really forget.

--

Pain quickly scanned his city for any troubles but everything was fine. The skies had turned darker even with the heavy clouds in the skies but now and then he would catch glimpses of lightning, hear the thunder rumble angrily. It would take time for the rest of the organization to arrive but that gave him time to think and ponder.

The tiny country had come a long way since he was a child, and while those bore the slashed hitachi of the shinobi they were forever loyal to the man they have come to call a god. His lips twitched at that. A god called Pain? Ridiculous but better than that former tyrant. He still remembered when Hanzo had killed a small group of rebels that had hoped to overthrow him but in the process he destroyed a great deal of the area and killed many innocent lives. And he didn't seem the least bit sorry for such an action. To him, shinobi were expendable as nothing more than mindless tools of war. The line had been crossed when one of his best friends had been killed for going against his orders, and another taken for his harem of unwilling women. To have lost both of them and running the risk of losing another he couldn't take it anymore.

No one knew how he had done it but it had taken days and in the end, he walked out of Hanzo's home with his served head in his iron-grip. That's when he revealed that he had also killed every single person that had continued to remain loyal to the now-dead tyrant despite his numerous crimes. The people were shocked but rather than fear him or demand his own head, they began to praise him for doing what all had wished they could have done. And through it all the last member of his family, and his best friend, remained at his side.

He sighed and closed his eyes as he leaned his head back against the wall. Sometimes he wondered how his life would have turned out if his mentor had continued to stay here in Ame rather than return home with his two cold-hearted teammates. Would he had been please with him or would he have tuned his back on him? Regardless peace was never a permanent solution in such a tiny country but fighting among each other just made things worse. It was time for those selfish bastards that left them to die to experience the same pain he himself suffered and to steal away a priceless treasure then never realized they had until it was too late.

Six-ringed eyes slowly opened as he felt several different patterns in the rain. He knew who it was and knew that two of them would be very happy to know that their precious hime had come home. Giving himself a few more minutes to himself he silently stood from the window seat and walked out of his room, walking down the halls to the large meeting room. Like the other rooms it was warmed via the multiple heating coils that extended through the floors and walls, the candles around the walls silently lit up one by one, revealing a large round table a deep mahogany wood with ten high backed chains surround it, each one bearing a different blood-red kanji burned into the back. Standing at his spot he waited, watching as the door opened and two figures stepped in.

"Itachi, Kisame."

"Leader-sama," came the cool reply as they quietly stood at their posts.

"What's with the new weather changes?" the ex-Kiri nin asked, leaning his massive sword against his seat.

"One of our members has finally come home."

Itachi nodded but watched as the door opened and watched as Zetsu silently walked to his side of the table. Moments later two figures entered and also stood beside their seats.

"When did we get lightning with rain, un?" the slightly irate blonde asked, his slashed hitachi of Iwa partly visible through his long bangs.

"It will explained later. I trust neither of you were detected during your mission?" Pain asked.

"No one noticed a thing but he is planning something immense," Sasori said softly as was his nature. They waited a bit longer until the final two members arrived. Though several of the members could have done without them.

"What in the name of Jashin is the big deal, calling us back now?!" Hidan demanded angrily as he stormed up to the table, his pendant and slashed Yuga headband glinting in the candlelight. "We're been all over the place thanks to that greedy ass, and you decide now to call us back?!"

"Keep insulting me and I'll see how long you can survive without your head," Kakuzu threaten as he wiped the rest of the rain from his face and Taki band.

"You and what pathetic god?!" he snapped, holding his blood-red scythe ready.

"Pain-sama should have done us a favor and left you two out there," Kisame grunted in annoyance.

"Stay out of this, sushi!!"

"What did you call me, freak?" he growled angrily.

"You heard me!! Or are you deaf as you are fucking ugly?!" Unfortunately this began an argument among the members but before they could use the meeting room as their personal fighting arena a wave of killing intent was released, making them freeze before the two were slammed into the solid walls by a powerful force, forcing them to drop their weapons. Pain's eyes narrowed dangerously, watching as they slowly got to their feet and made their ways back to their seats.

"I have called you here for an important reason. One of our members who has been gone for a long time has finally returned home and she has some very important information to share with us." At that the door opened and their final member entered.

Dressed in the same long cloak of midnight embodied with bloody clouds, her hair that was the color of a blue jay's feather was combed to the left side of her face, nearly hiding one of her deep blue eyes from view. A white rose was pinned after her right ear, holding the longer strands away. She said nothing as she silently entered the room, walking to her seat which was to the right of Pain and gave the briefest of nods.

"I wish we could have meet under better circumstances," she said in a cool tone.

"Yugure-hime, it is good to see you again," Sasori said with a polite nod. Moving almost as one the group sat, all of the chairs save for the one that read "sora" now filled.

"Where have you been this whole time, hime?" Hidan sneered.

"I have picked up some valuable information pertaining to Orochimaru and two of the jinchūrikis." She told them what she had learned which Zetsu verified. This caused some commotion but Itachi was the one to ask what was on their minds.

"What about our plans?" he asked in a solemn tone.

"That is why I have called you all here." Everyone turned to Pain as he looked at them each in turn. "It is time for us to put the first stage of my plan to order. Soon the elemental nations and the world will learn the true meaning of pain."

Author's Notes: And so this chapter brings an end to 'Family Ties'. This chapter is shorter compared to the others and I'm sorry but a new reviewer yet a very talented writer herself pointed out that we have read or seen the manga up-to-date. Okay I can accept that so I decided not to do a flashback on this chapter as I want to try and focus more on Akatsuki than her since she already had her chapter.

Here is the quick update of my personal life and why I may be gone from the internet for a while. I'm moving back to my hometown and sadly the area where I will be living is apparently unable to get inter of any kind. Pathetic right? Well today is to be my last day of internet where I am now hence why the chapter is a bit on the short side. I'm still trying to get the internet but I don't know how long it will take. So please, bear in mind that I do have a personal life and at times it can and will get in the way of my writings but I have not abandoned this or any other stories I have written. I'll still have my email account so you can send emails if you want it'll just be a while for me to get to them.

I hope you have enjoyed this and I hope you will enjoy the sequel for this will I have decided to call "Family Bonds" (unless you guys can think of a better title). See you when I can and remember, the poll is still up so vote vote vote!! :-D

Yuga: Hot Spring (in case no one knows Hidan is from Yugakure no sato which translates into Hidden Hot Springs Village. Wanna guess how and why they were wiped out?)

Taki: Waterfall

Yugure: twilight