"Ahh! I'm so relieved that I'm not the 'newbie' anymore!" declared Tobi, stretching his arms over his head.
Tobi and Nibuiko walked side by side towards the bike racks, after the final bell had rung. He'd been the only one out of Akatsuki that had elected to walk with her. It wasn't that Nibuiko had asked. She'd been about to leave her final class when he'd shown up in the doorway and dragged her out, insisting that they go home together.
Glancing over, Nibuiko couldn't lie and pretend she wasn't completely exhilarated about it. Her face had been plastered in a smile ever since Nagato had officially announced her membership. Her classmates had stared at her oddly, making remarks like. . .
"Ne, Nibuiko- You have a really weird look on your face, you know?" Tobi waved in front of her face, snapping her out of her daze.
"Huh?" she breathed, a confused look on her face, "Oh—I do?"
Tobi laughed, patting her shoulder and teasing, "It's okay. Even if you look like a complete air-head, we'll still be friends. Oh!" In front of them, the bike racks appeared. Instead of bicycles, there were only motorcycles. Half of them were crammed on one end, and on the other half was space for nine that were given plenty of room. It was as if the other bikes avoided that area, and Nibuiko understood why when she saw that Tobi's bike was one of the bikes in nine spaces.
"That's right," Nibuiko muttered, "You guys all ride bikes, don't you?"
"Of course!" Tobi shouted, swinging his leg over his motorcycle, a bright orange and black one. Pulling the keys from his pocket, he turned it on and revved the engine. He pulled his hygiene mask down and lowered his goggles from on top of his head to over his eyes. "Come on, Nibuiko-chan! Let's go!"
"You mean- You want me to ride that, with you?" Nibuiko questioned, staring at the bike that had no helmets uncertainly.
Giving her the thumbs up, Tobi laughed and remarked, "Yep! Of course! I'll give you the ultimate first-timers experience, so hold on tight!"
"I- I don't know," Nibuiko wavered, swallowing dryly, "Those things can go pretty fast, can't they? I—"
"Hey, Nibuiko," Tobi huffed, crossing his arms and leaning over the handle bars, "Didn't you announce to everyone that you want to be just like us? Well—For us, our bikes are our other halves; through their modifications, we express ourselves. We ride into our battles on them, and we're going to keep riding until we die, or so that's how the saying goes. Bikes are part of the lifestyle, so you can't be scared now."
Nibuiko turned red. Tobi was right. It was Nibuiko that had sworned to change herself and Nibuiko that had asked to be a part of their gang. She felt ashamed and looked down at her feet. She couldn't back down now, but it was such a step for her to make. It was one thing to talk the talk, but another thing to walk the walk. "I-I know Tobi, but I'm—They're fast, and I'm scared, I've never ridden be-"
"Nibuiko, look at me."
Nibuiko obeyed immediately and looked up, meeting his gaze. He gave her a warm smile, full of reassurance and patience. "Trust me," he told her. When Nibuiko didn't reply, he continued, "Just climb on the back, and hold on to my waist tightly. You can close your eyes if you want. I won't let anything bad happen to you, so trust me. I'll show you what it feels like when the wind blows through your hair."
"To-. . . bi. . ." Her gaze softened, her resistance melted by that gentleness he gave her. Tobi extended his hand and said, "Come on, Nibuiko. I'll show you what it feels like to fly."
She took his hand, and climbed onto the back. Doing what he told her, she put her arms around his waist and buried her face in his back. Tobi kicked off the kickstand and took off slowly for her. He turned off onto the road, and gathered speed.
Beneath her, Nibuiko felt the road rolling quickly beneath their feet. She felt vulnerable and exposed out in the open, their bodies moving at a high rate of speed. She tightened her grip around his waist and shut her eyes tightly, yelping. Tobi smiled.
"You're cute, Nibuiko," he teased her, "Just like a little kid."
"What?!" shouted Nibuiko, unable to hear him over the wind.
"Just hold on tight!" he shouted back, leaning forward and twising the accelarator, "I'm going to go faster!"
"What?!" Nibuiko exclaimed fearfully, "No! Tobi, don't, not yet- Ahhhhh!" In a burst of speed, Tobi took off, weaving past the cars in front of him.
"Oh my god, oh my god," panted Nibuiko, her entire body as stiff as a rock, "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die!"
He continued around twists and turns until the sounds of the city began to fade away. He started to cruise at a steadier speed, and then looked over his shoulder at Nibuiko. She had her eyes closed so tightly that crinkles had appeared.
"Hey," he said loudly, in an attempt to get her attention. When she didn't answer, he shouted, "Nibuiko!"
"Y-Yes, Tobi?" asked Nibuiko, but her body didn't budge an inch.
Turning his head back around, Tobi sighed loudly and said, "Open your eyes."
"What?! No way!"
"Please! You said you'd trust me!" Tobi reminded her.
Swallowing her nerves, the butterflies dancing in her stomach, she did as he asked, albeit slowly. Centimeter by centimeter she reopened her eyelids, and when she did, the sun blasted into them. She squinted, and slowly was able to take in the hues of green.
"Tobi, where are we?" she asked him, to which he replied, "Look for yourself!"
Reluctantly, Nibuiko obeyed. She leaned back slowly and raised her head. Her face was blasted with the wind as they drove against it, and her eyes grew wide in awe. In front of them was rolling stretches of highway, and surrounding that was rolling hills of green. She spotted cattle grazing and could look up into the sky and, instead of the tops of skyscrapers, saw the magnificently blue sky.
Her caution began to fall off her shoulders; cast aside and forgotten. She'd never driven this way before, and even if she had, she'd never been able to take the time and remark over it as she was in this moment. On the back of a bike, exposed to the world, she could smell the grass and fresh air. She could feel the wind tousling her hair into tangles, but she didn't care.
"Tobi. . . It's beautiful. . .!"
"I told you so! See what happens when you trust Tobi?! Good things!"
"It feels amazing. . . It really feels like we're flying!"
"You feel that, too? That's freedom, Nibuiko! Nobody else understands, but we feel this every single day. Take a deep breath, and tell me you don't feel brand new!"
Taking his advice, Nibuiko inhaled deeply. "I feel like somebody else!" she shouted.
"Don't think that we are just about fighting and breaking the law, Nibuiko. We, too, believe in the Will of Fire!"
"What's that?!"
"I'll explain it to you another time!" he told her, "For now, hold on, we're headed back to the city!" Slamming on the brakes, he turned harshly, and u-turned into the opposite lane, headed back for Tokyo.
The next day, the group met on the rooftop like normal.
Fidgeting, Nibuiko asked, "Is it really alright to be skipping class?" Her response was a look of laziness and, 'uh, duh' from the group.
"You don't have to join us, Nibuiko," Konan told her, holding a cigarette to her lips that Nagato lit for her.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, "But I want to. Besides. . . Tobi said there was something important going on. . .?"
Konan exchanged a calm glance with Nagato, who pulled out his cell phone and unlocked the screen. "We just received the date for the next battle," he told them, lighting up a cigarette of his own with his free hand.
"Oh?" Deidara asked, his face in the palm of his hand as he leaned against the railing, "Where is it this time?"
"It's behind the movie theater, downtown," he replied, and locked his phone again, pocketing it.
"Isn't that their own fuckin' turf?" Hidan scoffed, leaning against the wall next to Deidara, "Pussies. Can't they even pick neutral territory for once?"
"You know how they play, but we won't show them fear," Nagato replied, "If they think we're afraid just because it is in their territory, they're sadly mistaken."
"Excuse me, but what are you guys talking about?" Nibuiko piped up.
"Mind your own business," Deidara hissed, and Hidan seconded, "You don't need to involve yourself in big kid matters, kiddo. We can handle our shit."
"Deidara, Hidan," Nagato warned, sending them a warning glance.
"I'm sorry they're such bullies to you, Nibuiko," Kisame commented, sending her a smile, "You have to forgive them. They're insecure."
"What was that, you fuckin' punk?!"
"Hidan!" snapped Kakuzu, and Hidan hushed down, mumbling obscenities beneath his breath.
"Between Jonin and us, we take turns arranging official 'battle royales' that are broadcasted over the school's social networks. I'm surprised you haven't heard of them yet. Lots of the other students come to watch," Kisame elaborated, and Nibuiko raised a brow.
"Really?" she asked, "No, I've never heard of it."
"She must've been really unpopular," whispered Hidan to Deidara, who elbowed him playfully in agreement as the two snickered together.
"It'll be bloody," he continued, a sly smirk slowly appearing on his face, "Some bruises, bloodied noses, broken bones, even."
"O-Oh. . .?"
"Of course," he chuckled, "I said it was a battle royale, didn't I?"
"Kisame!" Tobi scolded, covering Nibuiko's ears. He had been sitting beside her the entire time. "You're just trying to scare her!"
"Fufufu. . . You caught me."
"I don't think Nibuiko should go to this one," Tobi told Nagato, "I don't think she's ready for that type of stuff."
"Hmm. . . But if she's going to be one of us, she's got to ride with us," Nagato reminded, to which Tobi cried, "But she's too much of an air-head!"
"Tobi," Konan warned, "Nibuiko made the decision to join our ranks willingly." Looking Nibuiko in the eyes directly, she raised her chin and asked, "Right, Nibuiko?"
Feeling little beneath her intimidating gaze that was dissecting her, she lowered her gaze and replied, "Yeah. I want to go."
Flustered, Tobi was about to protest again, when Itachi's sudden movement alarmed him. He stood up and brushed himself off, pulling his hoodie off the ground and tugging it over his shirt. "Itachi?" Kisame questioned, looking up at his friend, "Leaving so soon?"
"I'm going somewhere with less idiots," he replied coldly, stepping past the lot of them. He didn't even look at Nibuiko as he walked past.
"He's not taking it well at all, is he, Kisame?" Deidara asked, and Kisame shook his head. "You know he doesn't like extra baggage. He barely tolerated it when Tobi joined."
"Tell me about it," grumbled Deidara, rolling his eyes and shuddering with disgust.
Watching his back disappear, Nibuiko frowned. She could tell Itachi, out of all of them, disliked her the most. Deidara and Hidan talked big, but she felt that they were only teasing. Even Deidara, who hadn't said a single nice thing to her yet. Hidan had at least freely preached to her about Jashin. Itachi, on the other hand, was the only one that had said nothing. He wouldn't even look at her.
"Is he always like that, Tobi?" she asked quietly, looking over at to him. "Yep," he replied, "Just ignore him. He'll always be that way."
Thump!
Itachi ran right into the wall beside the door and stumbled back. "Ugh," he groaned, rubbing his forehead. He glared at the door and reached for the handle, swinging it open so hard it slammed against the outside and then stepped through.
Deidara burst out laughing.
"I-Is he okay?!" Nibuiko asked worriedly. The others were chuckling, too.
"Oh, he's fine," Kisame replied, "He just has really bad vision, but he's too stubborn to wear glasses."
"Why?"
"Well. . . It would ruin his 'image'."
The group continued to chuckle at Itachi's misfortune, while Nibuiko continued to worry. Would he be okay walking down all those stairs after hitting his head so hard? She closed her bento and slipped it into her bag and then stood. Tobi grabbed onto her sock.
"Where are you going?" he asked, "Want me to come with?"
"I'm going to check on Itachi-senpai," she replied, to which Tobi's jaw dropped and he exclaimed, "What?! Why?!"
"What if he gets a dizzy spell from that?" she scolded, a hand on her hip. Her concern was motherlike.
"Awww, don't worry about that ass!" Hidan waved him off, "He can take care of himself, and he'll only get pissed if you go around babying him."
"Well- He can get pissed all he wants," Nibuiko huffed, "But I'm going."
She pulled free of Tobi's hold and hurried to catch up to him. Tobi fell onto his back and rolled over, reaching after her dramatically.
"Nibuiko! No!" he shouted.
Running, eventually Nibuiko was able to catch up to Itachi before he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Itachi!" she called, and when he didn't stop, "Itachi-senpai!"
He came to a halt and looked over his shoulder at her. His expression hadn't changed at all: a complete poker face that was absolutely apathetic. He didn't greet her, and Nibuiko came to stand beside him.
"Are you okay?" she asked, pointing to his forehead, "Your forehead is red."
"What. . .?" Itachi's expression hadn't changed, but his tone was . . . disturbed? He wasn't used to this sort of attention. How come she was fretting over him?
"If you can't see, you should really wear glasses," she chastised, "Or at least contacts."
"I can't wear contacts," he replied, "I have a stigmatism."
"Oh. . . Well, then stop being so vain! There's no wonder you have lines beneath your eyes. You have to squint all the time, don't you?"
"What are you?"
Taken-aback, Nibuiko questioned, "Excuse me?"
"I mean, what kind of pest are you that you poke your nose where it doesn't belong?"
Blinking, Nibuiko wondered if she'd offended him. "I—I hadn't meant-"
"I can't tell if you're really a hot-air balloon full of air up there, or if your stupidity is an act."
"I. . ." Nibuiko frowned and then, seriously, asked, "How come you don't like me so much, Itachi? I know I'm new, but, I sincerely idolize you all!"
"That's what is annoying," he said, looking directly down at her in a manner that chilled her to the bone, "I can't stand people like you. I don't care what lies Konan and the others believe, but to me, you're just a nuisance. You're just a normal kid that's never broken a rule in their life, right?"
She shifted beneath his gaze, uncomfortable that he knew the truth. Before she could defend herself, he continued.
"Like Deidara said before: you don't belong here. You're running away from your old life, jumping headstrong into the polar opposite, because you lack confidence. You don't know who you really are, so you're desperately searching for the thing that is easiest to hold onto to give you courage. If you think that becoming something you're not will solve your problems. . ."
Itachi scoffed and looked away, as if disgusted. He shoved his hands into his pockets and turned, continuing down the stairs. He didn't even finish what he was saying. Nibuiko wasn't even worth that, or so she felt.
His words stung, because they were true. She was running away. She did lack confidence, and she didn't know who she really was. He made her doubt herself, and everything she was doing to make herself a better person. Was it all for the wrong reasons?
No! She'd surely felt the happiest she ever had on the back of Tobi's motorcycle last night. She'd believed she could be reborn for real.
When she'd first seen them, the sense of euphoria she had experienced hadn't been an illusion. It wasn't that she wanted to play pretend and then leave when the novelty fell off; she wanted to feel freedom like Tobi and the others. She wanted to have the courage to be who she was, and to exude confidence like them who shined as brightly as the sun.
Besides: was it really so wrong to be searching for who she was at their age? How come it was suddenly such a bad thing to want to be a better person? She was sure everyone had something they wanted to change about themselves!
But how come she couldn't speak up to defend herself? Clenching her fists and biting her tongue, Itachi disappeared around the corner and she was left alone in the hall.
Yes, she knew,
She still wasn't even remotely strong enough.
Afterword:
I'm so thankful for the few reviews I've gotten so far! : D I hope you all like this new chapter. Jonin will be introduced in the next chapter! Look forward to it!