Man, did I sleep good or what? Climbing out of my sleeping bag, I let out a satisfied yawn and stretch like I was at home sleeping in my own bed and not in a clearing in the middle of the forest. I was really happy; and why shouldn't I be? Training began to show some positive results by the end of yesterday. I was able to throw a kunai in a straight line with the blindfold over my eyes and I actually dropped Ayumu's chakra down pretty low - which was a sign that I was making him use more jutsus, thus more time and energy to best me. That was why he treated me to the instant ramen - to congratulate that. Not only was the training going good, but I somewhat forgot the eyes on my back and slept like a baby the entire night. No nightmares plagued my sleep and I felt like I was ready to take on anything.
Well, anything besides what ended up happening to me.
Anyway, I grabbed my water bottle and took a long drink of that until my throat was satisfied. I turned to where I thought Ayumu was still fast asleep, but ended up seeing nothing inside his sleeping bag. The fire was also out, which meant he must have woken up before me. That was unusual; Ayumu never woke up before me. It was almost a known fact of life. I ended up shrugging it off; he probably just couldn't get to sleep last night and decided to go for a walk or something.
As I set the water bottle back down again, I tried to search for the eyes again, but today I didn't feel anything. Hmm… they probably got tired of standing around; nothing that was any of my business. Though, I was secretly glad that we didn't fight with the mysterious person or else there would have been unnecessary blood especially since the person was just staying for a short amount of time. Still, I couldn't help but wonder who it was that was watching us so intently yesterday…
Well, anyway, since Ayumu wasn't around, I took the time to take a bath. The reason Ayumu and I chose this spot out of many was because there was a stream close by with fish in it and there was a lake connected to that stream just further ahead. The lake was pretty and fairly clear which told us that it was safe to enter. Algae coated one part of the lake which I found rather icky but I could hardly complain. Weeds and cattails stuck up from the bottom, but that was one of the only downsides. All in all, the lake was the best place I knew of to take a bath. Though… I would rather have a shower or a bath in civilization, but I guessed it was for the safety of others that I trained in an area unpopulated; considering I had the Nine Tailed Beast's chakra waiting to be awakened inside of me.
Before slipping off my clothes and stepping into the freezing cold water, I looked around in case anyone was watching - especially that person from yesterday. I didn't want any peeping toms hanging around when I was bathing. Just to play it safe, I only stripped down to my undergarments and made contact with the water on my bare skin. The initial shiver lasted only a moment as I steadily adjusted to the temperature.
Soon, my bath was over but there was still no sign of Ayumu or the person in the vicinity. The fact that Ayumu wasn't around worried me a little bit, but he could take care of himself and should be fine. Still, we were attacked by those outlaws before and it wasn't a good idea to be separated for long. I didn't want to find him hurt or even worse dead when I saw him next. That would be too much - even just thinking about it caused my heart to swell. I could only hope that he was OK for the time being.
Even though I had an exceedingly long bath, when I came back, Ayumu was still nowhere to be found. I looked around worriedly, but couldn't find any trace of him. That is, until I found a note stuffed in his sleeping bag. I probably didn't notice it before since I was still half-asleep. Thanks to the cold water waking me up in an instant, I now noticed it clearly; making me feel a bit silly for missing it before. I picked it up with a shaking hand. Hopefully it wasn't the last thing I was going to have of his.
Come on, Chiasa. Think positively! My conscience told me cheerfully.
Yeah, easy for you to say.
Anyway, I opened the note up, noticing that it was folded up around three times. That told me immediately that he had time to write this and wrap it up - meaning that he wasn't being chased or something while he was writing it. Anyway, when I flipped it opened all the way, I saw Ayumu's unique writing. That also told me that it actually was him who wrote the note. Mentally, I laughed at myself for being so cautious, but with that person watching us the other day, I couldn't help it. What if it was their doing - writing the note?
I shook my head and focused on reading the note; trying not to let anymore thoughts of the note belonging to the person invade my mind. The note was short, but to the point:
Chiasa, I'm going to keep a close eye on this person in the woods. Don't make it look obvious that I'm tailing them, alright? They seem to be focused more on you… you probably know why.
Silently, I tucked the note in my pocket rather than down on the ground. If the person was being extra careful today, then they would want to get a look at the note as well. Carelessness was not an option; if Ayumu was tailing this person, then he must think of them enough as a threat to do so. I had to follow along and try to keep all knowing of this hidden in case the person was still watching me without me knowing this time around.
To make it seem like I was passing the time or waiting for Ayumu to come back, I practiced tossing shruiken stars and kunais at trees with my blindfold on - trying to perfect my throwing skills. I didn't want to use jutsus in fear that I would run out of chakra and become vulnerable in such a state. After awhile, I went on to practicing my taijutsu; just anything as long as I wasn't using chakra. Did the fact that I wasn't using any jutsus make it too obvious? Paranoia took my mind once more, but I tried to not let it bother me. Who knows what the person would have thought, watching me train? I could be saving my chakra for sparring with Ayumu when he came back. I could also be trying to just focus on taijutsu since I rarely used that kind of fighting style compared to the other types. I could be angry and taking it out on a tree for all they knew. I just wished I knew what they were thinking if they were still around.
After a long time of keeping up my facade, rustling could be heard in the bushes near me. Startled, I grabbed for a kunai and called Ayumu's name for a response. Instead, though, Ayumu was thrown into the clearing, wounds marring his body. He was also tightly tied up. The rope was binding his arms behind his back. I gasped and ran up to him, but he weakly called out to me before I could make it to his side.
"No! It's… it's a trap! Run!" He yelled at me. I backtracked, but before I could go anywhere, a silhouette appeared from behind Ayumu. My blood ran cold in my veins as I stared at the person, paralyzed with fear. I didn't even see this person's face and already I was getting cold feet. Obviously, though, if they did that much damage to Ayumu, there was no way I could take on this person. Not without the Nine Tailed Beast's help… but I didn't want to resort to that until I tamed the thing!
Finally, the person's features were revealed to me. The first thing I noticed was the jet black cloak with the red clouds scattered on it like blood. Akatsuki… Then when I looked at the person's face, I was disappointed when I noticed that they were wearing a rice hat with streams of paper rolling down from the rim of the hat which totally covered their face. Soon, a person in the same attire strolled in like they owned the place. They were also wearing the hat, to hide their face as well. From what I could tell, they were both men.
"Are you… are you the ones who were spying on us the other day?" I asked warily, hoping I wasn't speaking out of turn to upset them. My heart was beating faster than a cheetah's paws beating against the ground. Ayumu was injured and I was facing two people from the Akatsuki. There was no way I could ever plan on escaping this alive unless I listened to why they were in this very clearing.
One of them lifted their hat to reveal a swirly-looking orange mask as he said, "She's a sharp biscuit as well! I thought we were hiding pretty well. I guess you're beginning to slip already, Senpai!" I took that answer as a yes - looking at the two of them intently. My hands were shaking like I was deficient, but I tried to stay calm enough to evaluate the situation. Considering they left Ayumu alive, they must need something of ours in exchange or something. Or more likely, they were interested in the Nine Tailed Beast inside of me.
"If she noticed anyone of us, it would have been you, Tobi." The other replied. I could tell that he wanted to murder his partner just by his clenched fists and the fact that his voice seemed really tense, "And it's 'sharp cookie', not 'sharp biscuit'." While they were sort of bickering amongst themselves, I turned to face Ayumu who was struggling against his binds. The wounds covering his body weren't deep in a lot of areas, but it would be significantly weakening his strength to get out of the rope. If that was the case, then my earlier judgement must have been correct; they wanted to make a deal with us.
"What are you doing here? Surely the Akatsuki have much better things to be doing rather than spying on us of all people." I asked next. I had the right to ask these questions since Ayumu's life was on the line. If I didn't hurry and give them what they wanted, Ayumu could be killed right before my very eyes. As I asked this as well, Ayumu gave me an apologetic glance that I ignored. This wasn't the time to be apologizing; it was the time to be trying to get out of this situation alive.
The one without the orange mask faced me again, "As you said, we've been watching you. Our leader had caught wind that the Baaten clan had a secret weapon with the Nine Tailed Beast's chakra, un. He thought that someone like that would make a great asset to the Akatsuki." I pondered over his words for a moment, until something else that he said caught my attention more than anything. 'Un'? Did he just say that?
"Yes! He was exactly that type of person! Except maybe he'd go, 'Just back off next time, un!'" Kurotsuchi had said to me before when I was at Iwagakure. I stared incredulously at the person who had just spoken and felt my heart beat even faster and my fingertips become like ice. That was Deidara's catchphrase… he was also in the Akatsuki and there were two Akatsuki members in front of me… that meant… the person in front of me was…
"Dei-Dei…," I whispered softly so only my own ears could barely catch it. I brought my freezing fingers up to my lips with shock. If only I could see his face. If only he was the one who recognized me. Though, it had been such a long time ago, he probably forgot who I was. Not only that but years have passed since we last saw each other and I probably looked a lot different than how I used to. Even if that was the case, I still recognized him but something inside of me just couldn't call out to him; just couldn't tell him who I was.
"Are you even listening?" Dei-Dei asked, sounding annoyed. Startled, I broke out of my daydream and put my hands back to my sides. Right. I had to focus on the present situation at the moment and get us out of harm's way.
"Y-yeah, I am…," I replied, taking a deep breath and readjusting my mind to begin thinking of how to respond to what he had told me. The Akatsuki were interested in me in the fact that I had the Nine Tailed Beast's chakra. Though, why they would need someone who was only at chuunin rank I had no idea. Usually, you had to have a bit of skill to back up your power. At present time, my skills weren't polished enough. Instead of just thinking of why they would want an inexperienced ninja, I decided to ask them, "Why would your leader want to have me in your group? I mean, I haven't even tamed the Nine Tailed Beast's chakra yet and my Kekkai Genkai has been sealed up - making even my healing useless to you."
"Leader-sama recognized how much potential you had!" The orange masked guy - Tobi, I think he was called - said enthusiastically for some reason, "He even knew that you were going to ask that question - ooh how mysterious!"
Dei-Dei punched Tobi in the head, "I thought I told you to let me do the talking." Tobi held his head as he sniffled animatedly to make it seem like he was crying. No one paid particular attention to him, "Anyway, in response to your question, he was even willing to train you when you joined in order to use the Nine Tailed Beast's chakra inside of you and unseal your Kekkai Genkai." At this, I pondered for a moment. The offer was tempting, I had to admit. What better teachers where there than a bunch of S-ranked ninjas? Still, that's forgetting to mention the 'criminal' part of it. There was no way that I could be taken under a bunch of criminal's wings; even if Dei-Dei - my best friend in the past - was a part of that.
I didn't forget the 'when you joined' part of his reply as I said, "There's no way I would join the Akatsuki. I am still bound to my clan." At this, Dei-Dei walked over to Ayumu and forced him to his feet which made me remember Ayumu was their hostage at the moment. I couldn't make any real rash decisions without it being fatal to Ayumu. I shut my mouth to let them know I was reconsidering. Ayumu did everything in his power to escape from his grasp, but being weakened like that, he barely even put up a fight.
"Your mission is to unseal your Kekkai Genkai and tame the Nine Tailed Beast, right? Did they happen to mention the means of how to achieve that, un?" He asked me, almost pressing at the fact that I should join them. I stopped in my tracks; he was right, in a way. Leader didn't go in specifics to what lengths I could take in order to fulfill the mission. I could go to the Akatsuki and train there to do it for all he cared, most likely. As long as it got done. Still, I didn't quite like the idea of going to a bunch of criminals - it was like cheating in a race or something. Not only that, but they may get me to do things I wouldn't otherwise do.
"Don't listen to them, Chiasa! Get out of here!" Ayumu called to me despite his situation. I bit my lip roughly, nearly chewing on it. I was torn. They had Ayumu held captive and were giving me an offer I really couldn't refuse. I also couldn't just abandon him right now, even if he was the one who told me to make a run for it. So, I listed all the pros and cons I could at the moment before making a definite decision.
The pros were that I could become much stronger and fulfill the mission to the upmost for my clan. Not only that, but my Kekkai Genkai could be unsealed for my purposes and allow me to finally become a real member of the Baaten clan. If I joined the Akatsuki, I would be able to get more memories back since Dei-Dei was also there. If I could just convince him that I was the Chiasa that he was friends with way back when, then it would be simple. Also… I really didn't have a side that I was truly on when it came to Iwagakure and the Baaten clan. I just wanted peace and joining the Akatsuki would take me away from that decision. As terrible as it sounded, it was true. The Akatsuki had no real part in the whole situation. Lastly, my potential would be discovered and I would be so incredibly strong even I wouldn't know what I was capable of.
The cons were that I would deeply disappoint family and my clan by joining a group of criminals. Not to mention that I would soon get an unwanted name for myself and have several ninjas sent to assassinate anyone belonging to the Akatsuki breathing down my neck. The fact that I still belonged to my clan made it harder to leave it. Although… after all they had done to me in contrast with forcing the Nine Tailed Beast's chakra inside of me… I really didn't have a certain respect for them either. Also, would joining the Akatsuki disrupt my mission that I was still fulfilling for my clan? Would they let me finish my last mission before making me a permanent member?
I groaned inwardly at myself. I was making pros with my cons as I went. I kept going around in circles until I found that joining the Akatsuki to be the best course of action. Turning to Ayumu, I gave him a weary smile; there was only one thing I could do in a situation like this. I had said before that to get out of this I had to give them what they wanted. He furrowed his eyebrows at my facial expression, but then his eyebrows shot up again, probably realizing what it was that I had decided.
"OK… I'll—," I began.
"No! Don't do it, Chiasa! They're fooling you! They're only backing you up in a corner! Run—!" Before Ayumu could say anymore, Dei-Dei threw him into a tree to silence him. I gasped as Ayumu collapsed on the ground, unable to help himself due to the rope binding him. He let out a pained groan, but nothing more. The only thing I could do was hope he was all right. I gave them a dirty glare for doing that to Ayumu.
"You were saying?" Dei-Dei asked me casually. I took a deep breath. If I just got it over with and let them have what they wanted, Ayumu wouldn't be hurt anymore. I was only a burden to him. To make his suffering lessened, I nodded my head, trying to not let the threatening tears fall. Sorry, Ayumu… you've done a lot for me and yet, this is how I repay you…
"Yes… I'll join you; I'll join the Akatsuki." I replied stiffly. I couldn't believe my own ears. How could I agree to something like this? I thought I was a lot more stubborn than this. Turning to Ayumu who was struggling to get up again, I felt my heart shatter. When it came to helping Ayumu, I guessed I was just about ready to do anything. I was somewhat taken over by the Nine Tailed Beast's chakra in order to save him from the outlaws. Now, I was joining the Akatsuki to release him from their clutches.
I couldn't see it, but I knew there was a smirk on Dei-Dei's face, "Great, un. Get your stuff ready and we'll leave immediately." My heart constricted, how could Dei-Dei go from being a care-free kid to such a criminal? What happened to him when I left Iwagakure?
Even still, I turned around to gather my stuff as he said. I picked up my kitbag that was a little less weighty than when I first packed it. I noticed other things that belonged to me lying around on the ground. The first thing was Momma's lily hairpin. I held it in my hand for a little while, clutching onto it as if it was going to disappear if I didn't. I'm so sorry Momma… I clipped the hairpin in my hair, brushing some of the hair out of my eyes. With it now in my hair, I felt as if Momma was with me. That maybe I could get through this somehow, someway, someday. Then I grabbed for my shuriken stars and kunai that I used before. After all that, I faced Ayumu who looked deeply hurt.
I couldn't bring myself to actually say goodbye to him, as it was too difficult to bring those words to my throat; so what I did say was, "In exchange for me coming along without complaint… could you not hurt Ayumu?"
Tobi looked like he was about to say something, but Dei-Dei interrupted him, "We weren't planning to; he was only used to get you over to Akatsuki." Although I was seething with anger out through my eyes in the fact that he was used like that, I nodded slowly. At least Ayumu wasn't going to be 'disposed of' after fulfilling his use.
Before leaving with the Akatsuki, I cut Ayumu's bonds and immediately he grabbed my wrist to drag me away from them, but I just put a hand on his. His blood was boiling, I could tell. I had never seen him so infuriated in my life - with his clenched teeth and strong grip on my wrist making it clear to me. Dei-Dei and Tobi - well, mostly Dei-Dei since Tobi was dancing around singing a nursery rhyme - were watching us closely, probably evaluating whether or not we were going to try to escape but made no move to stop us, yet. Ayumu noticed this as well and released my wrist with frustration.
"Don't go, Chiasa…," Ayumu pleaded silently.
I wrapped my arms around him in a hug, the threatening tears falling down my eyes despite my attempts to hold them back, "I have to. It's for your safety." When I pulled away from the hug, I saw fresh tears in his eyes as well.
"But… the very reason I'm here is to protect you. How can I do that when you're willingly putting yourself in danger?" Ayumu asked, his voice quaking.
"There's no other way." I replied.
"There has to be. Chiasa… these are criminals. They won't give you a spa treatment."
"You don't think I don't know that?! Come on, give me a little credit here!" With that, I stood up and didn't face nor talk to Ayumu for a little while. Then, I took in a quick breath to murmur, "Please… don't make this decision any harder than it has to be…," As soon as I said it, I ran over toward Dei-Dei and Tobi who were waiting patiently for me to be finished saying my long goodbye. Even though I was given time, I couldn't find it in me to say those two words to him without feeling the need to throw up.
I didn't notice it probably due to the fact I was so focused on parting with Ayumu, but they had a white bird large enough for us to board. They were already on it when I got to them. Tobi was the one who offered his hand to help onto it to which I took reluctantly. As soon as I stepped onto it, the bird immediately began to flap its wings to bring us into the air. I wasn't used to the sudden jerking so I clutched onto the back of Tobi's cloak so I didn't slip off.
Looking back down at the ground that was beginning to get further and further away, I saw Ayumu down there, looking up at us - not saying a word of protest. I knew he would have said a lot of things if I wasn't the one who decided to join. Still, I could hear the amount of unspoken words inside of my head. They echoed which made it all the more harder to leave him. Shutting my eyes closed, I turned away from him - still not able to find the words 'goodbye' that were lingering on my tongue.
"I think she's warming up to me a bit, Senpai!" Tobi exclaimed as I turned my attention away from Ayumu back down in the clearing. I didn't say anything in reply to what Tobi said; not in the mood to really do anything at the moment. Though, to be honest, I wanted to so badly shut him up. He didn't understand the real reason why I was latched so desperately onto him - which was just to avoid falling off the bird. Dei-Dei didn't reply either which made Tobi scratch his head, "Everyone is so tense. How about a game of Tic-Tac-Tobi?!"
"Shut up, Tobi! Nobody's going to be playing your stupid games!" Dei-Dei shouted out my unspoken words. Silently, I appreciated the gesture, even if it was for his own benefit. I didn't really feel like talking or doing any sort of activity. At this, Tobi flinched at Dei-Dei's harsh tone but recovered quickly and wiped some nonexistent sweat off his forehead.
"Wow… Senpai's real angry all of a sudden…," Tobi speculated the obvious. Once again, no one replied to Tobi, but he seemed to be used to it, seeing as he kept talking about random things no one really cared about as if we were giving him our full attention.
Still clutching onto Tobi, I peeked out passed his shoulder to look at Dei-Dei. His back was facing me, but I could now clearly see his long blonde hair that was flowing in the breeze. His hair was blonde… with crystal blue eyes. He was a really short guy - even I was taller than him. Everyone used to make fun of him for his size… Kurotsuchi's description of Dei-Dei rang inside my head. He certainly fit all those aspects - looking at his blonde hair poking out from under his hat. I couldn't see his eyes quite yet, but he was pretty short. Tobi - when they both entered the clearing - was obviously taller than him and Tobi was the one who acted like a five year old.
Dei-Dei must have felt me staring at him seeing as he turned around and asked, "What are you looking at?" Feeling embarrassed for accidentally gazing at his back for so long, I avoided eye contact by hiding my face behind Tobi's shoulder.
"N-nothing…," I murmured back, loud enough for him to hear. I guessed he let the subject slide since he didn't press further as he took off his straw hat. As soon as I saw him, I nearly gasped and fell backwards - he looked almost exactly as the boy from the dream I had. The only differences being that his hair was much longer and he was a bit taller than what I remembered. Other than that, he was pretty much the same. Bangs covering one side of his face, the crystal blue eyes… the similarities shocked me.
"So… your name is Chiasa? Chiasa what?" he then asked, seeming to not notice the fact that I was practically gaping at him. Though, with those features, I wouldn't doubt he got that look a lot from women. He certainly was handsome, I had to admit.
I choked out my reply, "…Y-Yamaguchi…," No recognition shone in his eyes; either he didn't remember my name or he just hid it well. Though, I went with the first thought. Usually when you remembered someone or something, it was almost impossible to hide the shock that goes through you when your brain registers the nearly forgotten memory.
In response he just nodded, but turned around again to face the wind, "Welcome to the Akatsuki, Chiasa Yamaguchi."
