Drowning in Freedom

Chapter 10: Weeping Dragons

A/N: Sorry for the delay on this chapter, just didn't feel like writing last weekend and had some bad writer's block.

thebeezekneeze: Thank you! I am so happy that you liked it! Yeah Tenzo is a really fun character, I have always liked him a lot. And don't worry, I have quite the reunion planned for the two of them... all in good time my friend. All in good time.

DaddysLiitleGirl: I'm sorry! But at least I gave you the feels over the chapter! Hehe you're welcome for that :P I am having a lot of people question their ship after that last chapter so you are not alone! I'm sorry for making you so sad! But the next few chapters should be better! I mean more exposition until, per usual, shit hits the fan :P

PrismRootStarlight: Oh yeah, I wanted to make sure that Amaya knew that there were people still out there, having her back. I thought it would be best if Tenzo was the person to do so since he had made her that promise back in DWA. Hehe I'm happy I gave you all the feels then!

phoenixx313: Thank you! And don't worry, the pain arc will be fun because there are more than a few things that go down in dramaland there.

moonlight46: Thank you for the compliment! Yeah, it was a nice release for Amaya to be able to do that. She doesn't trust many people, but you can see that she at least can let her guard down for a vulnerable moment with her best friend. Oh yeah, it was a great breakthrough moment for Amaya because she is really battling with trying to be human again.

Spongebear: Thank you! I am so happy to hear that you liked it so much! All the feels!

Diana: Well I am happy to please, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter just as much! ANd no worries, I do it for fun and to practice my writing skillz. Yes skills with a "z" :P So it is more of a thank you from me to you for reading this fic in the first place... so thanks!

A Sharp inhale. A jolt to the system. Bolting upright as sweat streamed down her back. Hands thrust into hair. Breaths cutting through the air in short bursts. Amaya leaned forward and pushed her hair out of her face, trying to get cool as she felt the bile in her stomach threaten to come up. She quickly pushed her covers off of her and shifted so her legs were dangling off the side of the bed. Even though she could feel a slight breeze now, it was taking everything for her not to vomit all over the bedroom. She tried to stead her breathing, letting herself focus on the chakra signatures that were outside of her apartment. It had been about two days since Tenzo and her had a heart to heart, but still, the security was just as strong as ever.

All Amaya seemed to do in the apartment was sleep or meditate on the kitchen floor. She only got up to cook rice once, and that was yesterday. The kunoichi wondered if the Anbu watching her wondered why she didn't eat, or simply if they didn't care. No one besides Tenzo had come into the apartment while she was here, and it was probably for the best. With her having been gone as long as she was, she couldn't blame them. It was safer for everyone involved. Taking a deep breath, Amaya was surprised that none of the Anbu members outside seemed concerned with her. It was probably because she didn't do much of anything. With her seated on her bed for a while, Amaya let her thoughts escape her as the chakra of the security outside indicated that they went back to doing whatever they were doing before. If Amaya had to guess, they were probably playing a card game of some sort.

Amaya let her hands drag down her face and out of her hair. Her hair fell in front of her eyes, obstructing her view. Sighing, Amaya lifted her hair up and off of the back of her next, the slick shine of sweat present on her skin, making her hair stick to her. She knew that she should put it up and out of her face, but a ponytail—the style she used to wear her hair in, seemed as if it was making her act like the past never happened, and she could erase what she had been training for. So, down it went, and Amaya always guessed that it fit her personality and style now. Disheveled and unruly, never making up its mind or giving one an ability to predict what is going to happen with it. Maybe, in the future it would chance, maybe even cut it short, but right now, down and messy was going to stay.

The kunoichi didn't have much longer to think about her hair when an itching sensation started in her head. She turned her neck from side to side, hoping to stretch it out and ignore the sensation, knowing nothing good was going to come from it. Words started to form in her brain, but she wasn't the one speaking them. They almost seem to come to her in a different language, the tongue speaking was raspy. So raspy that it was almost like the voice smoked a pack a day. However, with no answers, the voice started to get louder, and change its frequency so she could understand and hear the voice clearly. The voice boomed in her head, the tone deep, dark and unforgiving. Amaya tried everything to push the voice away, to ignore the conversation that she knew was about to start.

"You can't get away from me, you know this. You should be happy that I have been this silent for so long. I even retreated when you told me off as you got tortured—

"I really don't need your pestering right now, Mizuchi."

"Is that any way to talk to your summoning, without any respect?"

"Yes, quite frankly it is. I could have had a number of summoning's that couldn't talk—"

"And yet, here you are. Stuck with me, a—"

"A cold-blooded lizard that can barely stand on four legs—"

"How dare you… How dare you, you vile woman!" The voice in Amaya's head roared, causing her to flinch.

The loud sound in her head making her uncomfortable, to say the least. The worst part being was that there was no way to filter Mizuchi's voice. She had to deal with him getting offended and trying to take it out on her.

"I am the legendary water deity dragon that your clan has been working with for centuries. I understand you may be the last one of your kind… but that is no way to treat me."

"It isn't my fault that you wanted, practically forced me, to sign this deal. I wasn't the one who wanted it."

"No you're not, that's why I have to lecture you about this. It is your duty as the last remaining—"

Amaya swiftly got up from the bed, making her way to the kitchen, momentarily breaking her connection with Mizuchi. She knew that the action wouldn't be enough to block him out completely, but for a brief second, she was happy not to have another voice, besides her own, nag at her from the back of her mind. However, that second was brief, very brief.

"Stop doing that… And stop trying to ignore me. You know you can't. You honestly should be happy that I am willing to share my wisdom with you," the dragon said in a huff.

If he was human, he probably would have crossed his arms over his chest. Amaya stopped in the middle of her kitchen, knowing that if she sat down on the ground now, she wouldn't be able to meditate and focus because Mizuchi would be screaming at her, trying to get her attention, and honestly, Amaya just didn't want to deal with the headache right now.

"What wisdom would that be?" Amaya responded, humoring the dragon.

"You really need to let go of the past, Amaya. Nothing good comes from holding onto something so dark."

"How do you know that? What part of me allowed you to know that, are you spying inside of my head now?"

"Regardless of the fact that when you signed your oath to me, and me to you, we opened up to each other."

"No, no we haven't. You just like to root around in my memories, and try to nag me about shit that I don't want to think about anymore or talk about. Why do you get to be the one trying act like the superior one in our agreement?"

"Do you really want me to answer that? Or should I just point out a recent example?"

"I—"

"I mean I could point out to you that you are still having nightmare induced panic attacks over trying to kill your ex-lover… or the ones about leaving the village, the hard training you had to deal with, the death of your family… do you want me to go on?"

Amaya stayed quiet, knowing that nothing good would come from arguing with this creature. If she did, she already knew what the answer was going to be, and even if she did end up winning the argument the dragon would find a way just to throw it back at her. With her training, Kisame had pushed her so far that a few times she had blacked out while fighting. Her brain shutting off, not comprehending what was going on, and resorting to every muscle in her body being used for the sole purpose of staying alive. The first few times it happened, Amaya couldn't remember anything, but then, when she started to get pushed back into a corner again, that was when she was first greeted with a presence that was both foreign and familiar all at the same time.

She didn't know why, but she reached out for the white dragon, with piercing a piercing blue mane and underbelly, the same exact shade of her hair. The dragon approached cautiously, but nuzzled against her hand, and it was the first time in about a year since Amaya had attacked Kakashi that she had felt any sort of warmth stem from her heart. Since that action took place, both of them signed an invisible contact, only to be later signed with blood when Amaya had used Mizuchi's power to stop Kisame's blade from cracking her skull into two pieces. Amaya, after her long twenty-four years on this planet, finally figured out what her kekkei genkai was all about. Granted now, at twenty-six, she wished she never reached her hand out for help.

Mizuchi was the physical component to her kekkei genkai, the last stage that, through rigorous, life threatening training, she was able to achieve. Amaya knew that only a select few females in her bloodline held the opportunity to be paired with Mizuchi, and she should think of it as an honor, but over the years, he really just had become a pain in her ass. In the two and a half years she worked and mastered her final stage of her kekkei genkai, she came to the realization that her kekkei genkai stemmed from the dragon itself. It was his powers that she was using. The affinity for water jutsus, the quick speeds, being able to sense chakra from others even when masked… it all came from the dragon deity.

Yes, Amaya had to practice her skills to get to the point where she could be on the same level as her summons, but a part of her felt almost like a fraud. She put in the hard work and countless long hours, but at the same time, it wasn't really her that was strong. It was just something that her chakra was attached to, that made her that way. Without her kekkei genkai, Amaya knew, or at least felt like, she would be less of a shinobi, a much weaker one at that. Not only that, but if she died in the line of duty without passing on her bloodline to another female, Mizuchi would die with her. He had lived for generations, and Amaya knew that he wasn't happy with her attitude about life. The one thing that they could agree on, was at least they wouldn't die alone.

They would die in agony watching the other pass onto the next life. Amaya knew that the same hand she had extended out for help would be the same one she would extend to try to ease the creature's suffering when their fateful day came. That was her curse as the last of her clan. Those who ended up possessing the power of the dragon never got to pass alone. Their peace was taken from them the moment they achieved the bond between man and beast. Amaya knew that the two of them shared an unbreakable bond, one where if she would allow it, would be closer than any human relationship she would ever had. Mizuchi wasn't inside of her, but he was connected to her mind. What she thought, he could hear it, and vice versa.

Over time, Amaya was able to get good at ignoring the dragon deity. A part of her soul was inside of him and vice versa. He was a normal summoning, all she had to do was draw blood and wipe it on her palm, slamming it into the earth. Just like every other summoning. However, Mizuchi was different. They were linked on a mental and spiritual level. That's why she had to distance herself from him. He knew her thoughts and feelings and what she was going through. All because of a simple contract that she made. He knew everything about her, and she never got the chance to explain anything, or could choose if she wanted to tell him anything. He saw everything through her own memories. All because she reached out for help inside of her head.

That is why, after he looked through her memories, she knew that he would push her back to the village, hoping that she would be able to reconcile her old relationships, but Amaya knew better. The dragon may have many years on her, but she knew that what she did wasn't an excusable offense. She knew how people acted. Once they were betrayed they would never have trust again. But, she had this conversation with Mizuchi before. His only remark after a long argument being that she couldn't expect anyone to forgive her if she didn't forgive herself first.

After that, the two kept to themselves. Mizuchi stopped talking to her unless it was to nag at her like he was now. Sometimes when he was angry he would yell and throw a tantrum to keep her from sleeping. It was petty, but she did the same thing. It went both ways. They were linked and how she was feeling, Mizuchi couldn't help but feel the same way. The dragon could get under Amaya's skin and she could feel the hair on her arms bristle with rage, but at the same time, she could shut him out. If she kept him at a distance, not letting him in any more than she needed to, she could make this work. That was, at least what she told herself. If she didn't, she knew that she would develop a dependency on the deity, one that wasn't about power and more of something to talk to instead of dealing with her own issues.

Taking a deep breath, Amaya turned her head towards the kitchen window. She was far enough away that the moon light that peaked through the cloudy night sky couldn't touch her skin. She reached her hand out so it was enveloped in light, and then spoke out loud to the voice in her head.

"It was just a bad dream."

"You know it was more than that," the dragon sighed.

"No, it wasn't—" Amaya said, her voice lined with a hint of annoyance.

"Then why do you keep replaying his death in your mind? You didn't even kill him."

"You just… you wouldn't understand."

"Perhaps, but you forget that I know you almost as well as I know myself. What may be hard for you to comprehend is just child's play to me."

"How is it fair that I had to open my mind up to you, but I can't go digging around in your memories?"

"Humans deal with more trivial shit than we do."

"That is just a dumb excuse."

"Our emotions are more primal than yours, I have more years of coping with my problems—"

"Then why do you always like bitching at me?"

"Very funny," Mizuchi said with a dry, humorless, laugh.

Amaya licked her lips and ran a hand through her hair. She didn't know if it was, but it sure felt like the longest conversation the deity and her have had in a long time. It felt nice, knowing that whatever she said was safe, it was all in her own mind anyway.

"I really am fine, Mizuchi. It was just a bad dream…"

Amaya tapered off her words, fully expecting the creature to fight with her again, but to her surprise, she didn't hear a thing. She turned her head to the side, her hair falling over her shoulder, as she tried to listen for Mizuchi. Just as she was about to give up and think he left her, she could hear him sigh, a brief pause before he spoke again.

"They are getting close again, you can feel it, right?"

Amaya nodded her head, knowing that the dragon couldn't see her perform the action, but he could feel it. Due to Mizuchi, she was keenly aware of the world around her, and the chakra stemming from nature, and the aura of the people around her. It was especially significant when one of the tailed beasts were agitated, especially in inside of a jinchuriki.

"Be safe, Amaya."

"I know, because my life is yours and if I die, you die."

"No… I mean it. Stay safe. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Thanks, but where is this sudden sympathy coming from? You're unusually caring and nice to me instead of biting my head off. You know something I don't?"

"It's not really knowledge, more like a gut feeling. A big storm is coming."

"Care to elaborate?"

However, the kunoichi never received an answer to her question because Mizuchi faded from her mind as she was startled by the front door opening. Amaya took a fighting stance and raised her hands, making them into fists to block an attack that never came.

"Hey Amaya, I'm back with some food—" Tenzo voiced his arrival, carrying in a brown paper bag filled with groceries.

He stopped abruptly, seeing Amaya ready to fight him. She quickly dropped her hands and the two of them stared at each other for a minute, her heart pumping with adrenaline. Mizuchi's voice finally fading away with one last remark, leaving her and Tenzo alone together.

"Be careful, Amaya. I can protect you physically, but only you can protect you heart."

"You okay there? You looked a little bewildered when I came through the door," Tenzo questioned.

Amaya knew that Tenzo was hesitant after seeing her ready for an assault, but he took it in stride. Now he was putting some of the groceries on the counter, so Amaya could help him put the items away. The two of them worked in silence, and the kunoichi only offered up a simply explanation.

"I was just caught off guard. Lost in my own thoughts I guess."

Tenzo looked over at Amaya's tense figure and knew that it wasn't just him catching her off guard, or her being lost in her own thoughts. It was something more, but he knew that he wasn't in the position to push her for more information than what she was willing to give. He knew that they had a touching moment two days ago, but still, he didn't want to push his friend into speaking about something that she wasn't comfortable in telling him directly. As the two finished putting the items away, Amaya gestured for Tenzo to take a seat as she pulled out some of the food to start to make dinner. She opened the rice cooker and placed in water and the rice before setting the machine. She then got some eggs out of the refrigerator and started to scramble them.

The shinobi elected to stand over to Amaya's side, not taking a seat and instead, leaning up against the counter to watch her work. Amaya knew that Tenzo trusted her enough not to poison him, but it was almost like he was also on edge about something. She wanted to respect him and not pry, especially since she knew it wasn't her place to ask, just as she assumed Tenzo thought with her tense attitude.

"I got assigned a new mission today."

"That's good to hear. I was worried they were just going to place you as one of my security details, almost as a demotion," Amaya said, not looking at Tenzo and keeping her hands busy.

Amaya felt her mouth was dry after talking so much with the dragon. These past few weeks felt like she had talked more than what she had done for the past two years.

"It's an important one…"

"I don't doubt that. Tsunade-sama would be an idiot to waste your skills on some meaningless mission."

Tenzo shifted his weight as he seemed to come to a standstill, trying to get Amaya to engage more in the conversation they were having instead of her replying with standard responses. He was debating whether to share more information with the kunoichi or just stop. However, Amaya turned the burner on low and turned her attention to her friend.

"Did Tsunade-sama give you a new name?"

"How did you guess?" Tenzo raised his eyebrows and was surprised that Amaya knew that.

Amaya just shrugged, not bothering to answer Tenzo's question. As a captain, she has had a few names through her Anbu captaincy, but she was always allowed to return to her given birth name. She knew many Anbu members never could do so, and some didn't even remember their identity any more since they lived a lie so long and were always given a new one upon return.

"So… what should I call you now?"

"…Yamato."

Nodding, Amaya replied, "It's a good name for you."

"Why do you say that?"

"If my memory serves me right, the kanji for the name stands for great and harmony, two things that I know you are."

Yamato couldn't help but chuckle at Amaya's remark.

"I guess Tsunade-sama can come up with better names than the tribe I was taken from could…"

Amaya nodded her head, unsure of what to say to her friend. She knew that she could say words of comfort, but it probably wouldn't fix anything. She knew that Orochimaru also experimented on Yamato, and it was something that the two always had in common with the other, but never spoke about. Instead, Amaya changed the topic of conversation back to the details of this high-ranking mission he was going to go on.

"So, what does this new mission have you doing?"

"Since Kakashi is out of commission for a while… and oh I forgot—" Yamato was about to break off the conversation and switch it with news of Kakashi, but Amaya just held up her hand almost as if telling her friend that his mission was more important than her learning about the new condition of the white-haired nin.

"Anyway, I am tasked to look after Naruto and Sakura."

"That's going to be a handful."

"You're telling me. It is going to get rougher since we are gaining a new member to go track down Sasuke."

"Wait what?"

"Yeah, Sasuke was spotted in one of Orochimaru's hideout so I guess Tsunade-sama wants to act on it."

"And the new member?"

"This is the real fun part. Hokage-sama said that his name is Sai…"

"And? I feel like there is something more to this," Amaya leaned against the counter as well, crossing her arms over her chest.

Yamato looked at the ground and scratched the back of his neck.

"He is from the foundation, Amaya."

Amaya's eyes widened, and the room grew thick with silence between the two friends. Tenzo could see the stress written across Amaya's face, but neither of the two had any words to address the subject at hand.

"It was a part of a deal that Tsunade was able to strike up with the elders…"

"What deal was that?" Amaya questioned, even though she probably already knew the answer to her own question.

Yamato shrugged, "You know as much as I do, but I know it had to deal with Danzo really wanting one of his own on this new team. I can only think that—"

"Or an equal trade for something like that… It would have to be about me, wouldn't it?"

Yamato nodded his head, confirming Amaya's fears. She was placing the hokage in a tough spot, something that she didn't want to do.

"Thank you for telling me, I mean you probably will get in trouble for telling me that much if anyone found out."

Yamato pushed off the counter and stood in front of Amaya, careful to make her not feel like he was boxing her in.

"Tsunade-sama wanted you to know. Why do you think she keeps sending me here?"

"Why… why does she want me to now that? Why did she end you to tell me?"

"The hokage still trusts you Amaya, she never lost her faith in you. And as to why she sent me, well, that is pretty obvious. Just look around, I saved your apartment for you. You're my best friend and I meant It when I said that I will always be there for you. I got your back, just like I know you have mine."

The kunoichi's mouth turned up into a soft smile towards her friend. She didn't ask any more questions, and she was thankful that it was time to place the scrambled eggs into the rice that she was cooking. Yamato went ahead and grabbed some soy sauce, and the two then placed their meal into a bowl. They elected to stay standing while they ate, leaning against the counter with no words being spoken between the two of them, the two just enjoying the other's company. However, as they each neared the end of their mean, Yamato broke the silence between the two of them as he placed his dirty bowl into the sink.

"Kakashi is doing better."

Amaya winced at the sound of hearing Kakashi's name come from Yamato's mouth, and instead of responding, she kept her eyes trained on her almost empty bowl.

"I found out that he sustained heavy damage when he used his mangekyo sharingan and that was the reason he was hospitalized. He just overworked himself and his optical nerve, but that is nothing that a little rest and recovery can't fix." Tenzo said, trying to keep his tone light.

The kunoichi did a simple nod of her head to indicate that she heard Yamato, and the male understood the message. Amaya still wasn't comfortable enough to talk about Kakashi. Amaya placed her dish into the sink and she started to walk Yamato towards the door, since he was waiting for her to walk him out after she finished eating. The kunoichi and her friend stood in front of the other, trying to get over the awkwardness of saying goodbye.

"I won't be back for a while."

"I figured. Worry about Naruto and Sakura, it's more important to do that. They are the next generation where we are leaving everything behind for."

"You still care about those kids, don't you?"

"They are a pain in the ass, but, always have, and always will. They are my students, nothing will change that."

Yamato gave her a light smile and placed his hand on the door, tugging it open.

"I'll be here when you get back."

"I hope so," was what Tenzo replied with before he walked out of the apartment.