Disclaimer: The Akatsuki and Neji and everything belonging to Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Claimer: Ayako, Katsutoshi and Nyu belong to me.

Author's Note: Chapter TwentyFour.

One last bottle

Are you ready for the last twist?

It was quiet at first, but soon vicious screams returned to their master who was tied to a chair. His wrists were tied on his back, his ankles on the two fore feet of the chair.

"Oi, Oi." Hidan rose his voice. "Stay shut or I cut out your fucking tongue."

Katsutoshi dropped his scream and picked up a smirk. "So I now have the pleasure to be here? How nice." Hidan scoffed. "Well, well, what fascinating eyes you have. Such a pretty colour . . . do you want to join my circle?"

Slightly annoyed and yet cloyed by him, he narrowed his eyes. "Your little fucking circle of eagles?" Despite the fact of Ayako's case being treated with care, Tobi had found a way to get Kisame to spill what had happened, and immediately he had spread the message around the hideout.

"You have the eyes to join," Katsutoshi said, his smirk growing.

"Great," Hidan said with fake excitement, "I've never wanted anything more than that." Then he knocked on the door, and left, saying loudly, "The fucking mad-head is up."

Katsutoshi grinned, watching Pain enter the room. "May your Highness be so kind to release me?" he asked, his grin growing.

Pain kept his expression serene; another Pain came into the room. It was the Human Path*; he had long, orange hair, and piercings stabbed through his skin as well. Without a word he came closer and laid a hand on his head. Before Katsutoshi could let his tongue slender, his eyes turned in and his jaw dropped. A few seconds later, he released him, and let his soul dwell in the demon. Immediately the Deva Path knew what was going on as they shared the same thoughts.

"You are a disgrace."

The mad man grinned, the corner of his lips almost touching his ears. "You are not the first to tell me that, Leader of the numbskulls. Now, if you Majesty may be so kind to release me and give me Ayako back-"

"Silence."

Katsutoshi was astonished for a moment, but as usual, his lips were haunted by a smirk. Without another word, and with Katsutoshi's words dying in his throat, the Human Path soaked the dirty soul of blasphemy from him.

Disposing of the disgusting soul, both paths watched the man. His head had lost balance and squashed back on his neck. His grey hair covered a gentle amount of his shoulders. The purple eyes were open, in death still seeking to destroy and lick one's innocence into his nasty lungs.

A shriek arose from a certain room as Pain had expected it. She had been an eagle, yet he had known that the spell would break if the summoner deceased. Even if she had stayed an eagle, he would have expected her cry. Even if she hadn't yet seen the result of the old, familiar face dead, he expected it. The shriek could not be mistaken - as there were no other female dwellers bedsides Konan, and he knew she'd never squeal.

High-pitched words neared, screaming, sobbing, choking. When he turned, he found the small girl before him, her purple eyes wide and shining with sadness. She was back in her human form with few Akatsuki members behind her like puppies on her mother.

He looked down on her; on her arms laid her pet, her fluffy white cat, motionless. Gasping for air underneath all her sobs, she brought out, "Leader-sama . . . ! Nyu-" Her eyes tore apart as Pain stepped aside and she beheld the man who she had known since childhood.

His mouth was open, a grin plastered across his face.

She did not believe, could not believe. It must have been an illusion, a trick on her eyes, a play on her mind. Katsutoshi could not have left the living. It was impossible. A bother all these years, and her Leader got rid of it so quickly, without effort? A problem of anxious feelings over years had disappeared within seconds.

Before she knew it, tears streamed down her face and she broke to her knees. The floor grated her skin, but she was immune to the pain.

She was weak, useless. She let everyone die. What would she be without her kekkei genkei? She would be nothing. She would be a simple girl, working at her parent's restaurant, smiling, over-bringing her merry mood to hungry guests.

Deidara reached a hand for her, but Pain's stare scared him off, and so the rest went their ways. Pain extended an arm towards the girl. "Ayako." His voice was dark and mighty. A few tears jumped from her chin and jaw as she faced the dead one. "You must bring sacrifices. Life is not always smiling down on you."

"But, Leader-sama, I-" She choked on her words, hanging her head. She knew she sounded like an ignorant child, begging to live a little bit longer in an innocent world of fog, separated from the real one of harsh lessons.

Not knowing why she didn't blame Pain, she kept on freeing her emotions into a puddle of misery as her Leader stepped out of the room, his cloak brushing her shoulder and arm. In a distance, she felt it and even that barely. Her body felt numb. She was left alone, with nothing but death surrounding her.

On the ground before her, Nyu stared with blank eyes ahead, into the light of a hopefully better place.

For hours she remained on the spot, sobbing, swallowing and digesting what had occurred. Life was cruel, and so was she for failing. She let everyone die.

When one more tear dropped from her jaw, she rose and stepped over Nyu to the man who tortured her with a grin. Those proud, purple eyes mocked her, laughing that she was caught. He wanted her, but what for? She wasn't worth all the trouble everyone had been through. She wasn't worth dying for, and she definitely wasn't worth being kept a hostage for.

Neji! She had to free him. She had to heal him! She had to . . . injure her leader and everyone getting in her path. She had to- no, she must do it. She had no choice. This was the least she could do to fix what had been broken because of her superfluous tears.

She got up and left her past behind. She made way for Neji's little dungeon, until a familiar face with blonde hair blocked her path.

"Please," she said, her emotions fading, "step out of the way, Deidara-senpai. I do not wish to injure you."

"I know you won't, yeah," he responded, and she closed her eyes to stop herself from crying like a baby.

"Please, Deidara-senpai."

"I won't-" His words turned into a scream; he threw a hand about his wrist. "My finger!" With disbelief he stared at the innocent girl. "Ayako?!"

Her expression was sad when she met his confused and hurt one. "I broke only a bone in your finger so you'd believe me. I need to see Neji-kun. I need to heal him; do you understand?" She was sobbing and choking again. What a child she was. She was pathetic.

Wordlessly Deidara stepped aside, watching her go. Thanking him, she put a finger on his, healing the major injury, then went along and soon found herself before the iron doors. She pushed the door with effort open, then asked, "Neji-kun-" Choking, she fell to her knees before him. He looked horrible. What had she put him through? His hair, sticky and unhealthy. Loosely clothes hung about him like a sack on bones. His cheeks were dirtied, and she sobbed.

"Hey," he said. His voice was croaky from lack of fluid, and despite the environment, he managed a smile. "I'm fine."

"Don't try to be a hero," she screamed, surprising herself. Tears flowed as she shot her face at him. "All this is my fault!"

"Ayako-"

"Don't try to comfort me," she begged, pressing more tears into release. With weak limbs, tired from crying and the burden from her past, she crawled to him. Neji flinched as she rested a glowing palm on his cheek. Lavender eyes reflected in violet ones, hurt and overflowing with agony. Slowly, she moved her hand to his injuries. He hissed at her touch, and she bit her lip. Mumbling an apology, she continued, and felt him relax as much as the situation gave him permission to.

In comfortable silence she slid her hands about his body to fix what she had broken. She let all of this happen and refused to do so again. She was a healer, not born to cause agony.

When she spoke again, her voice was but a timid whisper. "I'm . . ." Swallowing thick tears, she looked up at his grime-smeared face. "I'm sorry, Neji-kun. I'm so sorry."

He smiled at her face of sorrow. She meant it, and that was enough of an apology for him.

The light green healing glow on her hands shadowed features he showed. The smile came out visible, and for her nerves, too placid.

With a choking gasp she threw her arms about him, allowing her tears to fall. Neji steadied himself. The chains rattled. She couldn't hold it in anymore. Just what could she do to make it all better? When she went back to her parents, would the Akatsuki still attack and continue to kill? Why couldn't they live in peace with each other?

"Ayako?" She sucked a few gasps in by the poor sound of Neji's voice. To give him her full intention, she slumped back on her feet.

Weakly she raised her eyebrows at him to signal her alert ears.

"Ayako . . ." For a brief moment his eyes slipped hers. He looked nervous. No. Not nervous. He wanted to avoid whatever it was he had to say. "As . . ." Heaving in a deep breath, Neji forced determined eyes at her. "Katsutoshi was behind all of it with the bottles. When we exited the cave, he told me one last secret that would activate once he died."

Worry and confusion painted her eyes. She felt her heart beat against her ribcage.

He fixed her eyes. "He planted one last bottle inside of me."

Her eyes widened. Disbelief punched her in the face. What . . . ?

"The rules are simple," he said, collected. Too calm. "The bottle can be removed, but when you do, I die. If you don't remove it, I still die." Before she bombed him with questions, he said, "There is acid in the bottle that will unlock itself in six hours. He died three hours ago, so I have three left."

"But- no- why-?!" Her eyes flooded with liquid and too many questions. "We can remove it and then I can heal you."

He shook his head, a gentle smile on his lips. "When he died the acid began to spread. He said he created it himself. A substance that you cannot heal."

She shook her head repeatedly. "No . . . no . . . it can't be true."

"It's okay." She noted his eyes were drawn, tired and ready pass into another world. "The acid began to spread since his heart stopped to beat." A corner of his lip quirked in what she saw as sadness. "It's fine. We all have to die eventually."

"But not now!" Jolting to her knees she threw her arms in a tight embrace. "You can't die!" Without control her tears raced one after another, trickling down his dirty neck. "Everyone I love is dead. You can't do the same. You're all I have left."

The acid began to take his body. He was unable to command his legs. It tickled and crawled under his skin. His arms hung on the chains, listless. Had he miscalculated? Or did Katsutoshi lie? With little strength he had left, he leaned his head on hers. She was clean and smelled so sweet. He lifted his lips with a last ounce of power before he closed his eyes forever.

Author's Note: *The Human Path (人間道, Ningendō) grants the user the ability to remove the soul of any target they touched as well as read their mind. This power was channelled into one of Nagato's Six Paths of Pain. (Information from NARUTOPEDIA. Rights to whoever wrote that.)

I finally finished this chapter! If anyone is still interested in this story, I will try to finish it. Although, it did have a hard time killing Katsutoshi; I liked him. And that probably was why I didn't continue to write. I didn't want him to die, but, oh well, sacrifices must be given to the Gods of Writing.

To all who are sad/ mad: No, I do not hate Neji. He's one of my favourite characters. It's just that I love to kill characters I like. Or love to put them through a lot of pain. Hehe, Pain . . . get it? Nevermind.

And, you may have noticed, my writing style improved, so the last part of this chapter sounds a bit different.

Also! A very huuuge, huuuuuuge thank you to all who favourited, commented or alerted (or just read)! Without you, I don't know if I would have been able to finish this chapter. So, thank you very much.