Himeka's dark brown eyes glared over the complex that she was supposed to be infiltrating. Firmly securing her long brown hair in a tight knot, her eyes slid over to view her partner. Tobi was, in almost all senses of the word, catnapping. His vibrant mask was still attached to his face, but he was so still anyone else would have thought he was resting. The female ninja knew better.
"Tobi. Get up. I don't care how lazy you are." Or that you're my superior. The lazy bum rose to his feet, quietly and yet loudly announcing that he was tiiiiiiired, that he didn't waaaaant to do this silly mission. Himeka rubbed her forehead, then tapped the side of her partner's face as the window she had been staring at for the past three hours dimmed. Finally.
"It's about flipping time. Tobi, shut up. We have work to do, and so help me God if you run away this time I am pickling your face." She almost had a rush every time she reprimanded the insolent man, knowing that he would never be weak enough for her to truly harm, and knowing that if she changed her behavior patterns that he would kill her. The brunette wasn't about to let Tobi know that she knew; information was dangerous. It was a miracle that she had been allowed to join the Akatsuki, given her... condition.
"Hime-chaaaaan, we're here." The woman rolled her eyes, nerves making her sweat. Sneaking into the room with Tobi outside as the watchdog, Himeka quickly sifted through the paperwork scattered across the room. Jesus, the place was a pigsty. The brown-eyed woman had prayed for a quick infiltration, but obviously whatever god wasn't smiling on her decided to disregard that wish.
The brunette was so focused on her work that she didn't notice when her partner snuck in and closed the door. "Hime-chan? We should get going." The ninja shook her head.
"I haven't found the papers yet. No, wait, yes I have. Let's get out of here." But her uneasiness from earlier had caught up with her, and she felt her disease creep back into her system. Shivering, she ignored her nausea and climbed out the window after her dark-haired partner.
"So. Why were we sent on this mission, anyway? Couldn't Leader have sent Zetsu?" Keeping her peripheral vision on Tobi, her brown eyes focused on the path below her feet. Clumsiness now meant severe pain. The soles of her feet were already hypersensitive, and it took a lot of concentration to keep from limping.
"Tobi isn't sure. Maybe Zetsu-Senpai might be on another mission. Hime-chan, are you alright? You seem to be limping." Damn. Apparently that took more concentration than she had. Opening her mouth to give him a not witty retort, the brunette lost her footing. Silently cursing herself as she went down, Himeka caught herself on hands and knees. Tears welled up in the corners of her brown eyes, and she clenched her teeth to keep from crying out. Showing signs of weakness in front of their true leader would end badly, she was sure.
"Hime-chan, are you okay? Can you walk? Oh no! You aren't injured, are you!" Reaching a pale hand out, the female ninja shoved her partner onto his ass.
"I'm fine, dimwit. Just...sick." Shoot, she hadn't meant to tell him that. But he knew already. Ugh, this was not the most ideal situation. She felt the pain prickle up her arms and thighs, threatening to grab hold of her organs before they got back to base. Shakily standing up, the brunette continued walking, not bothering to see if her partner had recovered.
"That's no fair, Hime-chan! You're too pretty to be sick!" Himeka rubbed her forehead again, ignoring the pinpricks of pain stabbing her skin and muscle. The attacks were becoming more frequent, and the female ninja had no possible cure yet. All she could do was siphon it off on others- as if she would. Is he messing with me? Does he think I know the truth? She sighed.
"Tobi, I'm not pretty." A palm caught her elbow, and she whirled around, only to find that it was just her partner. Her eyes locked onto the hole in his mask where his eye should have been. He has got to be messing with me. Her elbow protested his gentle grip, knives of pain stabbing all available points of contact.
"Himeka is pretty." His voice took on a new tone, less childish in sound only. The pain increased slightly, and she twitched without meaning to.
"Tobi. I don't care about things like that. You and I have to return to the compound and get this gods-damned mission over with. Okay? I just want to get home. Now let go." She turned and tried to stalk away, but the gloved hand remained, and the brunette was stuck standing where she was. Losing patience and becoming more scared with every moment that ticked by, Himeka felt her breathing start to go uneven, a sure sign that nothing good was about to happen.
"Tobi let go. I have to-" She felt her legs give way before her jaw locked. Her partner held her up, and she curled into a ball, trying to stem the pain. Tobi swept her up as Himeka whimpered. I will fricking kill this man. I swear, this is the last time he sees me like this!
"I really -ngh!- friggin' hate you right now." The brunette knew she was shaking, and had nothing to focus on except how much pain her insides were in. She had hated telling her employer about this illness. She hated how Tobi, of all people, had found her out. And the ninja could do nothing about anything because she knew that he could wipe her off the face of the planet in a second or less.
"Don't worry, Tobi will take care of Hime-chan!" Closing her brown eyes, the woman let her head thump onto her partner's shoulder.
"I wasn't worried about that."
"No?"
"Do you listen when I talk to you?"
"Hime-chan's voice is pretty~!" Himeka rolled her eyes. He's messing with me.
"Tobi, I don't give a crap about being pretty."
"The more you deny it, the more I know it's true~!" She blinked. The brunette shuddered as another wave of pain swept over her.
"Just... take me home so I can suffer in peace."
"But Hime-chan isn't allowed to suffer! At least not by herself! Besides, we're still a ways off."
"Put me down."
"Tobi doesn't want to."
"Oh? Let me rephrase that then. Put me down or I'm cutting your face off."
"Psht, you can't even move right now. What makes Hime-chan think that she'd be able to to that?"
"Watch me." Struggling like a fish out of water (and causing herself eighteen times more pain), the brunette was able to wriggle out of his grasp. Which Tobi let her do. He knows that I know he let me do that. Now that she was safely on the mildly muddy ground and they were no longer moving, the female ninja was able to lay down and try to regain control of her body.
"Hime-chan is being stupid. Tobi should just carry you back." Prickles went up her spine as her vision went slightly foggy.
"Tobi, why the hell do you talk like that?"
"Like what? Tobi is just talking."
"In the third person like that. It's really annoying." Great, now she was questioning the habits of an idiot who also happened to be a damn mastermind. Why did she bother?
"Tobi just does. Now can I pick you up and carry Hime-chan back to the compound~?"
"... No." There was a rustling noise as his blindingly orange mask came into focus.
"But whyyyyyyyy?" Himeka's mouth turned to a frown, and she glared at him.
"I'm staying here until I am no longer in excruciating-" Clamping her mouth shut as the pain returned with a vengeance.
"Oh no! Is Hime-chan ok? Tobi will carry you to-"
"Godammit, I said no!" He's my boss, this is so wrong. She batted his hands away from her shoulders, lungs regaining normal breathing patterns.
"I can breathe again, so I should be fine soon."
"Hime-chan, do you like Tobi?"
"Dear God, I will be so happy to be rid of you when I die." Tobi's mask turned towards the ground, and she knew that the stupid man was trying to make her feel bad, which was stupid.
"You don't give two shits about me, be honest. Besides, you're an idiot." There was only a small pause before he picked her up again and continued walking to the compound.
"Hime-chan is so mean! There must be something really wrong with her! Tobi will take Hime-chan to the compound and get Kakuzu-Senpai to see what's wrong!" I swear, if it's the last thing I do this moron is going six feet under.
"Tobi, you unfathomable dumbass, put me the frick down and let me be! The only thing wrong is that whenever you frigging touch me it's like a crap ton of knives stabbing me! Put me down and just-" Tobi had let her fall to the ground.
"Well, if all Hime-chan is going to do is complain and whine, then Tobi is just going to leave you here."
"Tobi, you are so-"
"All Hime-chan thinks is that Tobi is stupid! But I know better. I know that you were eavesdropping that day. When I was having a talk with Pein. Goodness, you think I'm that dull? No one gets to be as old as I and then not be aware of everything that goes on. Especially in my line of work. But there is one thing that I can't really get out of my head." Himeka unconsciously scooted backwards.
"Might I ask what that thing is?" The pain was beginning to drain away, and the brunette was left with a feeling of fatigue.
"Certainly. I cannot for the life of me figure out how old you are. You were quite obviously lying when you told Pein that you were twenty-two. Trying to join the league of youngsters, are we?" She smirked; clearly, she had been played.
"It's rude to ask that of a lady, anyway. But you won't get rid of me because it would inconvenience you. Much more handy to keep the diseased wench so she can do your work for you, am I right?" Himeka could tell that he was smirking, regardless of the mask. It was in the way that he held himself. The brunette carefully stood up, avoiding Tobi's outstretched hand.
"Aw, Tobi is upset. Do you not like Tobi?" The female ninja glared at him, resuming her usual 'affections' toward her partner.
"Tobi, I don't give a crap. Let's just go fill out the damn papers and give them to Leader so we can be finished with this mission already."