I hoped to get this finished earlier, but bah… School sucks.
Thanks to my two reviewers! I really appreciate it!
Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto (wish I did) but I do own my OC, Kaiyou.
It had taken her a moment to realize that he was leaving, and soon Kaiyou stood and stumbled after the blonde haired man. He glanced back in her direction, blue eyes shining with mischief. He said nothing—but instead simply motioned with his hand for her to follow.
She made a strange observation of him, noticing the extra mouths that opened and closed precariously on the palms of his hand. His headband had a small streak through the symbol that was carved into the metal, and his black coat was adorned with finely sewn red and white clouds.
She followed at a safe distance, never once hesitating to reach for her katana when he turned his head as if to verify she was still there. She never once said a word.
-------
The sun appeared far in the distance, combing the land with orange and yellow rays of light that made the ice capped mountains glow with a hint of gold. Delicate wisps of clouds were stained with a bloody light. On this particular morning, the sun brought an ominous sense of dread that lingered above the trees and kept all morning birds silent.
The morning dew let off on Kaiyou's feet, creating a sticky layer of wetness on her skin that allotted twigs and grass to cling to her in an exceedingly uncomfortable manner. There was barely a path to follow through the trees; it was so unused and uncared for that the vines and grass had taken over the little bit of vulnerable dirt a long time ago.
It reminded her of home. The sound ninja had slowly trickled in as time went on, destroying the village from the inside out.
The sudden 'cawing' of a crow made her wake from her thoughts and realize that she was no longer walking. Her eyes had drifted into the bloody stillness of the sunrise.
Deidara, whose name she'd learned the previous day, was far ahead of her now, walking calmly with a strange, impish gait. It bothered her to see him walking with such confidence, when all she could manage was to shuffle her feet lazily on the ground. Her gaze drifted up to his straw colored hair and she wondered for the briefest moment, what he looked like without his ponytail. Perhaps less threatening?
Her eyes turned back to the ground, and she once again began to follow him silently, like she had been doing for the past two days or so. Time passed quickly when your mind was in a monotonous state of oblivion.
It wasn't long before the golden landscape became recognizable to her weary eyes. Previous shinobi missions had been conducted in this area; she just never realized this path even existed. It never once occurred to her that something so indifferent could exist in the world. A frown slowly spread across her face. She was indifferent. She was alive. And yet, it was still possible for her to exist… How was it…?
Kaiyou collided with a warm object and blundered backwards, realizing that Deidara had ceased walking. He was looking at her from the corner of his eye, a small smirk visible on his face. She instinctively reached for the hilt of her katana, revealing the beginning of the sharp blade. She had reason to be suspicious of him. She wasn't scared, but felt rather uneasy of his calm attitude.
"Relax, un," he said, holding up his hands for her to see he was holding nothing. The mouths on his palms made awkward chewing noises on their own will. She eased her katana back into place, and resolved to be more cautious when she follow him warily down the path.
"Wh…" she started, but glanced sadly back at the trail behind her. "Why… me…?" she finally managed to sputter out. A guise of sympathy appeared on Deidara's face and she noticed a small sigh escape his mouth, leaving her with an air of suspicion hovering around her head.
He remained silent for a moment, allowing her simple question to sink in slowly. He glanced back at her motionless body, and turned back to face the sun, which had risen a fair amount above the horizon of the distant mountains.
"Because," he finally answered vaguely. "Just because."
---------
The small flames danced up and down delicately on the thick logs of wood, illuminating Kaiyou's pale features and casting an eerie orange glow off her hair and skin. It barely lit their makeshift campsite, but the waning light was just enough to keep them both awake.
Her knees were tucked up under her chin and she gazed aimlessly into the fire. Deidara sat somewhere to her left, fiddling with something that caught her eyes once or twice, but it was unexciting watching him shape little grey blobs into various shapes and figures. The fire was a far more interesting subject.
She'd been in denial. She'd been pushed into it. She'd been hurt. That was what she decided once the weight of her transgressions came crashing down upon her shoulders. It hurt like nothing she'd ever felt in her life.
No…
Kaiyou must have killed dozens. The number could have huge by now, and it made her want to throw up because she was only fifteen. Most normal girls didn't kill mercilessly without thinking. But she wasn't like any normal girl. She was a shinobi. She was a killer. It was in her blood.
The birds…
It was that realization that made her bawl like a newborn baby.
The trees…
There was no comfort for her either. Deidara merely glanced back at her with a look of concern, but he was no mother. He couldn't offer her the warmth and lovingness of a family that she needed. She had no mother to protect her; her parents were long gone, lost in the war that had claimed so many from their clan. Kaiyou was forlorn and lost in the world, and there was no one that could even begin to understand the pain that was tearing away at her young heart.
All so peaceful…
It wasn't long before she finally managed cried herself to sleep.
I hope that was at least halfway decent… I can't really tell since it's like one in the morning…
Zzz…