"I know it's unfair to complain...but this place is awful!"
"Hey now! A little fixing up, and it can feel like home."
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(Kotone POV)
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I moved slowly through along the path, trying my best to ignore the looks I received from the people around me. (It's the hair. It always attracted a lot of attention.)
I continued winding my way around the village until the path gave way to the streets. The streets were hot, dirty, crowded, and packed with vendors trying to pawn off their cheap and worthless little goods for far more than they were worth. I chuckled slightly at the fools, and even more at the people trying to buy them—at a reduced price, of course.
I looked up. The sky outside this dump was clear, but you couldn't tell. The crystal blue was dark—pumped full of suffocating industrial smoke—and the buildings were tall and stuck full with various gadgets, blocking out the view even further. Had it always been like this? I couldn't be bothered to remember. When we began our war, I would personally speak with Leader about this place...
My destination was coming into view now. A dilapidated old building, windows boarded and long since abandoned, was looming over me. I approached it, nearly knocking the door off its rusty old hinges as I kicked it open. The scene that rushed to great me was not a pretty one. The whole place had taken on a disgusting shade of gray. Toppled and broken furniture was strewn about. The walls were soaked in graffiti and contained holes that appeared to be harboring some kind of foul looking mold. I didn't really want to investigate that. I tried the light switch, but nothing happened.
Something scampered over my foot. Instinctively, I whipped a kunai at it, hitting the thing square in the back and pinning it to the dusty wooden floor. I sighed—it was just a rat. I watched the creature squirm, practically feeling its silent screams, before it finally went limp in a pool of its own blood. I shook my head before turning around and starting up the stairs to the left of this hell pit.
If the floor in the living room was dirty, then you don't even want to know what these stairs were like. Each step I took greeted me with a loud creak! I reached the top of the stairs and moved just in time—the step I had been occupying seconds before was rotten and fell through, leaving behind a gaping hole to God-knows-where. I scowled at it and made my way down the right half of the landing. Like the living room, the hall was also covered in that spray-painted nonsense. It was disgusting.
At the very end of the hall stood a door. I slowly shuffled towards it, surveying the damage from a distance. White flower decals still covered the aging wood. I raised an eyebrow in amazement before reaching out and turning the knob. My breath caught in my throat. What would I see? An aging wasteland like downstairs? Or maybe something I could never find anywhere else? I guessed I'd have to find out. The door was eerily silent as it swung inwards and I closed my eyes, hiding the scene that awaited me on the other side.
After a minute or so, I slowly forced them open again.
My body froze.
Blue bedspread, crayon drawings hanging on the walls, stuffed animals scattered all over. It felt...familiar.
Well, almost.
It felt familiar, but it was still weird. I took a step inside. The light in the bedroom suddenly got brighter as the boards literally flung themselves away from the window.
Click.
I whirled around, kunai in hand, expecting to see something leap out at me. What stood there, however, was a blonde woman. She opened her mouth.
"We're on our own for dinner tonight, dear."
"Alright..." I looked over my shoulder at a second figure. Short blue hair cut in a bob, green eyes, a pink T-shirt shirt decorated with those same white flowers. Why didn't I notice her before?
The woman exited the room, shutting the door behind her. Now, I was all alone with this little girl. She crossed the room, past me, and put her ear to the wall. On a whim, I copied the action.
Crying. Someone was crying.
The girl sighed and moved over to one of the stuffed animals sitting on the bed; a dirty white bear with a missing eye. Picking it up, she began to speak to it.
"Mama's always crying, Kumo-chan. Why is she still crying? She's been doing it so much since daddy went away..." She hugged the bear then brought it to her face, looking it straight in the eye.
"Everything's gonna get better though...we'll make it better..." The girl suddenly turned and her eyes began trailing towards my direction. As they landed on me, a shadow covered her features and a grin split her face.
Green eyes met green eyes as she focused on me and I could see the hidden malice reflecting off of them.
"Won't we?" Her eyes closed as she laughed.
Finally, the world around me faded to black.
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I started awake, holding my heart and panting to catch my breath.
"What was that..?" I gulped and put a hand to my forehead, feeling the cold sweat gathering at my palm.
"I need some air..." I slowly lifted myself up, being careful not to step on Tobi, who was sleeping half a foot away from me. The weather had gotten bad while we were traveling, so Leader decided to let us take shelter in a cave for the night. I glanced around before I located him sitting against the cave wall, arms crossed and hat pushed down over his eyes. The gentle rise and fall of his chest was the only thing that told me he was asleep—no, resting. Leader doesn't sleep. He just doesn't.
Leaving my cloak behind, I stepped over Deidara and nearly tripped over Kisame on the way out. (Damn over sized shark.)
He gave a loud snore and shifted his position. I made it out of our resting place and took a deep gulp of fresh air. The rain had stopped now, and the grass was soaked.
I looked out over the horizon. The stars were gone and the sky was tinged in a delicate shade of orange, indicating the coming of the dawn.
Heh, dawn.
I took a seat on the grass, letting the wind blowing the hair into my face, not caring that the water from the grass was soaking through to my legs. (We have those cloaks for a reason, you know.) I stared at the sun for what seemed like forever, trying to drown the remnants of that dream out of my mind.
"Everything's going to get better..."
Without warning, the silence was shattered.
"Hey Blue!" My left eye twitched.
"Hidan." Shit. Probably out for a morning "prayer session." I got up. If I ran real fast, then maybe he'd get the hint...
"What the are you doing out here?" I sighed and turned around, my eye still twitching.
"I came to molest you, what else?" I could practically feel the sarcasm dripping from my words. However...
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Hidan didn't get the memo. "DO IT, AND I WILL KILL YOU AND JASHIN-SAMA WILL SEND YOUR ASS STRAIGHT TO HE-"
"Hidan, shut up!" We both turned back towards the cave. Kakuzu and Itachi were standing there, looking irate. The Uchiha's eyes were blood red. He spoke first.
"Were we interrupting something..?" His voice was slow, clearly foretelling our fates should we answer this question the wrong way. I stared open mouthed at them, trying to think of an excuse.
"No?" Crap.
"YOU FUCKING WHORE! WHAT DO YOU MEAN-" Hidan was cut off again, this time by a pair of stitched hands being wrapped around his throat. I slowly backed away. Better him than me!
"Kotone, what's going on?" A chill ran down my spine as I turned around to face him. I hated it when that man just randomly appeared behind me.
"I apologize, Leader. We got into a...disagreement." He narrowed his eyes at me, but said nothing else as he walked (or would it be glided?) away to break up the fight. I have to admit, Hidan's face was turning a rather lovely shade of purple...
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Oh wow..I updated. O.o
Chapter 2 was supposed to revolve around Kotone. What did you think?
Hidan: It sucked ass.
Nobody asked you! -Slaps Deidara-
Deidara: HE SAID IT! WHY ARE YOU HITTING ME, UN?!
I said it in Chapter 1: R&R or Deidara will continue to be abused! But, you're right.
-Locks Hidan in a small room with indestructible anti-Jashin television programming-
R&R or Deidara will be abused and Hidan will never go free!
Deidara: Where's Sasori no danna when you need him?!Un!