"You've kept up with your prayers?"
"Yeah." Kiba smiled softly at the immediate question, "I hope Lord Jashin has heard my every word."
The silver haired man smirked as he raised his hand to ruffle Kiba's much too long hair, "You need a haircut. You're starting to look like a girl."
If the man had said something like this a year ago, Kiba would have winced. If he had dared to touch him like this before, the teen would have flinched away and retracted within his shell once again. But a lot had changed over the years he had been in Konoha working as a double agent. He didn't allow himself to show such weaknesses anymore. He couldn't afford to show such vulnerabilities any longer.
"Says you." The Inuzuka rolled his eyes as the man's fingers snagged on the hairclip he wore on the left side of his head, but soon slapped the hand away and crossed his arms over his chest. "We've got a job to do. Where's Kakuzu?"
"Who gives a fuck?" Hidan grunted as he moved a few steps away from Kiba, giving him back his personal space. "Dead for all I care."
The gruff and borderline rude answer had Kiba internally amused. He didn't show it, more than aware that Hidan would get even more pissy if his obvious yet somehow hidden care for the older man was thrown in his face. It was clear to Kiba that Hidan was in denial about how much he cared for Kakuzu. And he wasn't about to get on the Jashinist's bad side just because he was being an idiot about it.
"Not even in your dreams, Hidan."
Kakuzu all but materialized from the darkness that enshrouded the forest in a growl that was very clearly annoyed.
For Kiba, getting accustomed once more to having Hidan and Kakuzu around had not been easy. After he had relived everything that had happened to him, it had been almost impossible to even look at his friends, much less the men that had been with him through that whole journey. But he had managed to grow past his discomfort and terror and was only affected a tiny bit by the terrifying men and woman that worked in the Akatsuki.
"Here's your uniform, kid." The man didn't even look at the teenager as he threw the cloak over in his direction, concentrated on the point he knew the group they were hunting down had been heading towards.
Kiba looked down at the dark material he now clutched in his hands for a moment before shrugging it on. It would never cease to amaze him how he had become a part of one of the strongest factions of missing-nin to ever have existed. It was just his luck that they were working for the betterment of the world, rather than to destroy or subjugate it. It was almost impossible to believe, but he deserved at least that small snatch of good luck after such a shitty chain of unfortunate events.
He zipped the cloak up until just below his collarbone, allowing for his neck and face to be seen clearly. Once that was done, Hidan threw the hitai-ite that had a slash running straight through Konoha's symbol at him. Kiba caught it without looking at it and brought it down to just in front of his chest. Instead of putting it on, the teen looked down at it in contemplation.
The members of the organization wore their own headbands as signs of them having forsaken the villages that betrayed them. They had all left their old homes for a reason known only to them in search of better pastures. Even with how violent and unstable they could be, every single member of the Akatsuki had a reason for being there... Just what was he doing being a part of them?
But just as Kiba's thoughts were to take a darker turn, Hidan cleared his throat and grabbed the boy's attention. This caused the teen to look up at him, take note of the somewhat exasperated frown, and smile apologetically. Then the Inuzuka tied the headband around his neck in a similar fashion to Hidan.
It wasn't right to wear it on his forehead, front and center for all the world to see. But he couldn't hide it completely, seeing how it was a part of the Akatsuki's uniform. So he found an unsteady neutral-ground in his neck, leaving it obscured enough to not be completely bothered by it but also leaving it visible enough for the organization to not question his true intentions.
At one point, the leader had asked him if he truly wanted to make the world a better place and save his friends from their almost unavoidable fates.
This worrisome line of questioning had come when the Inuzuka had once reported that there wasn't any kind of news around Konoha- there had been small whispers of Naruto and Jiraiya's whereabouts, but nothing substantial enough to warrant mentioning to the man or the organization. It was in this meeting that Kiba had finally noticed that, like it or not, he was a true member of the organization and was treated as such. His loyalty to them was supposed to be unshakeable but any wrong move would cause him to be scrutinized. Any kind of questionable acts from any of the members would cause them to be scrutinized. And he no longer had the luxury of being a child to excuse his novice mistakes. He had been with them for years now- he knew better.
After this terrifying meeting, Kiba did his best to make sure that all members of the organization knew how much he wanted to help in making the world a better place. there had never been any person Kiba had ever met in his life that scared him as much as the leader of the Akatsuki and having him question his loyalty had left the boy shaken even though no actions had been taken against him.
Kiba wanted to avoid ever coming across another situation like that ever again. And one of the simplest ways to do that was to wear the uniform they gave him.
"Get to work, kid. You know who we're after."
A frown pulled at the corner of the Inuzuka's lips at being reminded just who it was that he was supposed to track down, but the teen quickly got to work and turned his nose up to try and catch her scent.
Having seen the girl again during the Chunin Exams had been a welcome sight. They had not been able to speak or even cross paths, but just seeing her had been enough to assure Kiba that she was still safe and still as hyperactive and friendly as ever.
After a few seconds, Kiba caught a whiff of the person he wanted to help most in the world, aside from Naruto and Gaara. Once he was sure of where it was going and that it was accompanied by both of the boys that had been with her during the Exams, the Inuzuka turned to look back at both Kakuzu and Hidan. Then he nodded and jumped up onto a tree branch.
"Follow me."
With this he took off running without waiting for either of the man, more than sure that they knew to not question him and just follow. After a few missions in which they all worked to track down a bounty, both older males knew better than to doubt him.
Following after his old friend wasn't difficult. Her team wasn't trying to cover up their tracks- they most probably thought that they were safe from any kind of danger. And, really, they didn't have to worry at all. The Akatsuki were not after her to harm her. On the contrary, they were hoping to be able to help her.
"Remember to zip up your collar, kid." Kakuzu grunted after a few minutes of pursuit, making the Inuzuka turn his head just slightly to look at him with a quirked eyebrow. "Clan tattoos." Was his only grunted answer.
Kakuzu was the one that always reminded Kiba of having the dangerous clan markings on his face whenever on missions. And for good reason, too. If a member of the Inuzuka Clan was seen working along with the Akatsuki, it would not be too hard to deduce who it might be. And while, until now, all of their missions had been completed without any witnesses being able to tell any tales, there was always the small possibility that something went wrong and someone was left alive. Which would spell big trouble for the youngest member of the organization if word got back to Konoha.
With a nod towards the man, Kiba moved his hands to pull up the rest of his collar. And once it was closed, he couldn't help but feel somewhat awkward with the garment bumping against his nose as he ran. He could still follow his target's scent with relative ease, but it was annoying to be running around with something knocking against his face with every step.
The darkened sky they were using for cover was heavily obscured by the trees they were running on. And the forest's sounds were loud enough to cover up their silent footsteps, making their mission that much easier. If the group they were hunting down couldn't see or hear them coming, they wouldn't take any defensive measure to stop them before they understood what they were there to offer.
If not for his pounding heart, Kiba could have lost himself in the scenery.
He knew that they had a time limit for this mission. A very small window of opportunity for everything to be successful. So they had to be fast unless they wanted for his team to wake up and find out that the Kiba they were sleeping around wasn't the real human.
"We're close." The Inuzuka informed his teammates once their target's scent became even more tangible, growing heavier with proximity. "We have to be quick about this."
"We're aware, kid. Don't want you getting into any trouble with your village, right?" Hidan taunted with mirth clear in his voice, which made Kiba merely roll his eyes.
For some reason, the Jashinist found it hilarious how Kiba had to keep up a double life. But he at least knew when to back off, the teen had to concede.
When they were close enough to their target that Kiba was able to see the faintest traces of a fire, he began to slow down. Soon enough he came to a full stop, far enough to not see the fire clearly, but close enough that they were able to see the faded glow of it.
Hidan and Kakuzu stopped on the branches beside him, looking over in the direction he pointed at.
"And that's where we'll find our girl."
"Alright!" Hidan smirked, moving to brandish his scythe. "Let's get to kicking some ass!"
But a tendril shot out of Kakuzu's sleeve and wrapped around the man's wrist, stopping him in his tracks. "We're going to try the diplomatic way first. Kid."
Kiba breathed in deeply before letting it out, then looked over at Kakuzu. "You sure about this?"
The green eyed man nodded, "There's no need to fight if she believes her old friend… You just have to make sure she listens."
Upon being reminded of his past with the girl, Kiba couldn't help but wince. It still hurt to have lied to her all those years ago. Just like it would hurt to keep the lie up now that he would try and convince her to listen to them.
But it was for her own good. That's all Kiba needed to remember. She was in danger of being destroyed from the inside out and dumped by her careless and cruel village. And there was no way in hell that he would allow her to face such an unfair fate if he was able to help her in any way.
"Got it." Kiba nodded, then told them, "Stay behind me and stay quiet... Hidan."
"You getting lippy, sidekick?" The Jashinist snarled, only to have Kiba smirk at him.
"Only a little."
Banter with Hidan was nice. It was comfortable. It was normal... Well... As normal as Kiba's life could get.
After giving both men one final nod, Kiba jumped off of his tree branch and proceeded to walk towards Fū and her team on the ground. A few seconds after he had began to walk he heard Kakuzu and Hidan land, then the soft footfalls of two people walking.
The forest was alight with the melody of nature, a beautiful and comforting sound that helped calm Kiba down a bit.
He could do this. He knew he could. He could talk to Fū and get her to go along with the Akatsuki.
There wasn't much to it; all he had to do was be the good friend he had once been and offer the help he knew was needed if he wanted to keep her alive.
When he entered the clearing that was being used by Fū's team as their stop for the night, he was greeted by three genin with kunai in their hands. Both males that were accompanying the mint green haired girl were glaring threateningly, as if trying to tell those that had dared walked up to their campsite to get away, all the while Fū looked as if she was struggling to glare.
The struggle, though, ended as soon as her eyes registered the half of Kiba's face that was visible. From partly narrowed they widened immensely. And then her lips followed, forming a large smile that only seemed right on her face.
"Koji!"
In the span of only a few seconds, Kiba found himself trapped in a tight hug from the shorter girl. And for a few seconds, he allowed himself to hug her back and just rejoice in the feeling of being close to her again and being able to see with his own eyes that she was fine. Rejoice in the feeling that she would be fine once they were able to extract the monster that was slowly killing her from the inside.
"I had a promise to keep." He commented with a happy chuckle, feeling Fū's hand groping at the hair clip he wore on the left side of his face to keep his hair from bothering him too much.
After a few months had passed since he had returned to Konoha, he had still worn it. Shikamaru did not like the idea of him wearing such a thing and had told him so a few times over the years; "It's a constant reminder of what you survived. Why would you bother wearing it?". But Kiba wore it to remember those he had sworn to protect. Just like he kept the necklace he had bought all that time ago wrapped around his neck, no matter what. They were both reminders of the best things that were to come and helped keep him sane. There was no reason to not wear them.
"I can't believe it's actually you!" The dark skinned girl gasped, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I thought I'd never see you again! And then you stopped writing..." Looking down at the floor, Fū's smile turned into a small pout, "Why'd you stop writing?"
"Life became much too difficult." The teen answered honestly and abruptly, effectively finishing up with that specific subject, "But let's not talk about that now. I've got something important to tell you."
"Fū? Who are these guys?"
Upon hearing her teammate talking to her, Fū unwrapped her arms from around Kiba and blinked back at the boy... No... Now that Kiba got a good look at him, this wasn't a kid his age. It was a man. And now that he got a good, solid whiff of his scent, he could tell that the blood levels in it were much higher than one would find in someone that was just a chūnin. Tokubetsu Jōnin was what the blood in his smell made the Inuzuka think of. Too bloody for chūnin, but not bloody enough for Jōnin.
He had spiky hair and dark eyes that were narrowed in distrust. And his body was tensed, ready to attack the moment Kiba moved in a manner he deemed dangerous.
"What do you mean? There's only Koji."
It was then that both Kakuzu and Hidan decided to move into the clearing, standing a few feet away from Kiba and Fū. Even though Kiba didn't see them, he knew how they were standing after months of working with them. Hidan would be smirking at those that might give him an excuse to give Lord Jashin offerings all the while Kakuzu would just be standing there, giving off an aura of danger. Neither men were tactful enough to deal with mediation unless they really needed to and had been instructed this by the Leader himself.
"Oh..." Fū's eyes widened when she saw both men that wore cloaks that matched Kiba's own, then asked, "Koji... Who are these guys?"
"Fū, these are my friends, Kakuzu and Hidan." He motioned to them both without turning to look back, aware of where each man stood from their scents. "We're here to help you."
"Help... Me?" The girl repeated in confusion, but soon looked over both men to size them up.
A few seconds later, her eyes were growing wide once more, "You're Kakuzu! You're really famous!"
After finding out that Kakuzu had been a villager of Takigakure, Kiba had wondered why it was that he had left. Even though the shinobi seemed to have had sticks up their asses, they had been mostly nice. And for a man as serious as him, Kiba really didn't see what might have happened to have made him forsake his home country. But, considering all of the secrets that even Konoha kept, there was no telling what might have happened.
Whatever had shaken Kakuzu enough to make him betray his Village, though... It must have been bad. Kakuzu didn't give up.
"Fū. Be careful. You know why that man is dangerous." Fū's other teammate warned, taking one step forward to try and... Stop her, maybe. He didn't move close enough to be able to grab her, though.
Predictable, Kiba remarked in his mind. Of course they would be worried about her, but not worried enough to put themselves in danger.
Neither of these two were genin. The blood that coated both of their scents spoke of a shinobi career much too bloody to be genin. And this led Kiba to wonder just why they had been Fū's team for the Chūnin Exams.
"Yeah, but... You gotta admit, the Village was pretty messed up back then." Fū smiled back at the brown haired man, then looked back over at Kakuzu. "Wanna be friends?"
Kiba was left stunned by Fū's words. Even though she knew she was overly friendly, he would have thought that she'd at least have a even the tiniest hint of a self-preservation instinct and be wary of a man as dangerous as Kakuzu.
Apparently, this was going to be easier than he would have expected.
"I'm not the kind you want to be friends with, kid."
"Doesn't matter. I want to make all the friends I can!" Fū smiled broadly at Kakuzu, then looked back at Kiba. "What is it you're here to tell me, Koji? Are you going back to the Village with me? And... What's up with having half your face covered? It's not like it doesn't look good- it's mysterious and cool- but it's kind of weird."
She had always been the kind to jump from one topic to another...
With a soft smile hidden behind the collar of the Akatsuki's cloak, Kiba answered, "Fū, you're in danger. Kakuzu, Hidan, and I are here so we can help you."
"Danger?" The girl parroted, head cocked to the side as she looked back at her friend. "What are you talking about, Koji?"
"Yeah. Danger." Kiba nodded, then moved to placed his hands on her shoulders.
In that very moment, everything went to hell.
Fū leaned in to be touched by her old friend, more than eager to be able to speak with the person she had missed the most over the years.
Both of her teammates, apparently distrustful of the two that were with the traitor Kakuzu, lunged to try and intercept him.
This course of action prompted Hidan and Kakuzu to move, seeking to stop them from hurting the Inuzuka.
And a new scent Kiba had not noticed before suddenly made itself known, but the boy was not able to try and figure out if he knew the person it belonged to or not before his nose was burning and he was screaming in pure agony.
The smell that entered his nose was torturous. It burned from his nostrils all the way to his very lungs, filling them with fire. Tears sprung up in his eyes as his knees buckled and he fell to the ground, struggling to breathe through the excruciating inferno.
It was as if fire and brimstones had been forced down his nose at the same time. There was no smell- there was just a burning inferno that refused to lower in intensity.
"Koji!?"
Wheezing gasps were all he managed to make as his lungs heaved to work through the flames that had engulfed his chest.
"What's wrong!? Hey, what's going on?! Who are-"
He'd been so preoccupied with struggling to breathe that Kiba had not been able to keep track of Fū. One minute she had been standing in front of him, her legs nothing more than a blurred blot through his teary eyes. But suddenly they were gone and there was no one where she had stood. There was only the fuzzy sight of the ground- nothing and no one else.
He wanted to scream out and call for Fū. He wanted to reach out and find her. But the words weren't able to form in his mouth and no breath was able to leave him. He couldn't say a single thing as tears streamed down his face. He could barely even move.
What in the hell had just entered his nose? Was he going to die? He could barely breathe. His gasps were becoming even quicker, much more desperate. He felt his throat tightening, barely allowing him to get any oxygen into his system.
Around him, he could faintly make out what sounded like more than two people struggling. But he couldn't focus on them. He was much too terrified of dying from an unseen force to try and make sense of what was happening around him.
Was this really how he was going to die? Strangled by an invisible fire that scorched its way through his lungs?
He hadn't put much thought into his death since he had joined the Akatsuki. Not after he had been forced into a despicable situation in which he had done horrible things… For some reason, his mortality had not been at the forefront of his mind for quite some time. But this... This certainly wasn't a way he wanted to go.
Tears streamed freely down his face. His throat refused to work- refused to suck in a single breath. The band around his neck was not helping and only got caught as something tugged on it.
He didn't even register how his nails were clawing viciously at his neck, drawing blood and leaving destruction in their wake in their desperation. He was so focused on his breath and lack of breathing that he had no true register of the rest of his body.
He didn't want to die... Not like this... Not struggling to breathe from a cowardly attack...
A harsh slap to his mid-back had him taking a giant deep breath, even through all of the burning that consumed and burned him.
"Breathe, you dumbass! You have to fucking breathe!"
Suddenly large, pale hands were grabbing onto his own. In the blink of an eye, Hidan's face was in front of him, eyes wide as they scrutinized Kiba, terror and fear shining clearly within them... When had he closed his eyes?
But even with the breath of air that he had managed to make, the pain was still there... He was still wheezing and he was still freaking out. Fuck, what if this was it? The final breath before he kicked the-
"Hit him again, Kakuzu!"
Once more, there was a heavy handed slap to his back. This time, though, it was much harsher. And this time it did what it needed to do. With an even deeper breath, Kiba felt the fire begin to cool down, even though it continued to burn him. Luckily, though, instead of the roaring inferno it had been, it was now a steadily cooling flame.
"What..." Kiba struggled through his breaths, then looked up through watery eyes to find the world around him blurred. "The hell... Was that?"
Hidan's eyes were now narrowed, anger clear inside of them. And when Kiba turned to look behind him, over at Kakuzu, he found that his oddly colored eyes were narrowed with silent rage festering within them.
"We were ambushed." The large man growled as he straightened up, then looked around their surroundings. "Someone knew you were here with us. They threw smoke bombs with something that really affected you."
"Almost killed him, Kakuzu." Hidan's voice was growled and pissed off, but there was a tiny tremor that he couldn't hide, one that let Kiba know how truly worried he had been. "Bastards knew you were with us. So they incapacitated you so they could get away with our target."
It took a second, but Hidan eventually released Kiba's hands, allowing the teenager to see the state they had been left in after he had almost died. His stomach churned at the sight of blood.
"W-what?" Kiba gasped, then struggled to stop himself from rubbing at his eyes to clear them of his tears.
It still hurt to breathe. His eyes and throat stung with every breath he took. But this bit of information was a bit too terrifying to ignore. "N-no one's supposed to know."
"We know." Both men hissed at the same time, managing to make him wince.
They were pissed.
"Fū's gone. Just like her teammates." Kakuzu's voice was as harsh as gravel, low and angered. "Who the hell managed to ambush us?"
~..~..~
I have finally delivered the first chapter!
I am going to try a monthly-update schedule for this story to not leave it completely abandoned midway. Luckily, I've got myself consultants for this story, so this one will (hopefully) be easier to write for.
Really hope you liked this! Please remember to review and tell me what you thought (your reviews help fuel my creativity)!