I don't own anything except my OC's!
-:-
"The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers."
Deepak Chopra
-:-
Kumogakure was in no way similar to Konoha. The clouds could nearly be grabbed from the ground, and the buildings were circular, strange oddities, attached by bridge-like structures and staircases.
Aiko was blown away by the new smells and feelings, eyed strangely as she ran her dark fingers over the walls of homes she passed and the dirt that crumbled in her grasp. Akio was just the same, indulging ever sight with enthusiasm and describing them as best as he could to his blind sister.
On the other hand, Hiromi and Kotone stayed eerily silent during their trek to the colossal plot set aside for the gathering shinobi. Their eyes strayed little from their feet, yet, unlike Kotone, Hiromi responded politely when addressed by any passing familiar faces.
Luckily, the lone group of four was assigned a tent to prepare themselves in during the time it took for everyone to situate themselves. Aiko and Akio could not have been more ecstatic and dragged Hiromi along with them to go and receive their appointed "uniforms."
When they asked Kotone if she'd like to come, she turned her eyes away and replied with a downhearted tone, "I'll stay here. I ask that you please retrieve me the correct regalia as well."
Aiko and Akio didn't address the issue of their previous leader's melancholy, and led Hiromi behind them towards a gargantuan crowd of shinobi, all focused upon a line of tables.
"That must be where you get your clothes," Hiromi noted with little excitement.
She was actually already dressed in the garb of Konoha, with one empty, dark sleeve hanging at her side, and a flak jacket zipped up to its max. Before they were divided into groups, she would have to thank her parents for keeping the outfit in good condition.
The only reason she was accompanying the twins was to assist them in taking the right sizes in everything. They would need flak jackets and the mandatory black shirts and pants because they couldn't go out in their traditional clothes from their country and since they were both disabled in a way, she figured she had to help.
"Right here, Akio," Hiromi held up a pair of slim slacks by one leg, "I'd say you'd fit into these."
He nodded politely and moved alongside her, though he was shoved in every direction by the other kunoichi and shinobi looking to dress in their village's wear. It felt a little chaotic, but the blonde teen with a single arm kept Aiko close to her and knew that Akio could follow along, so she felt no worries.
"What is this? A shirt?" Aiko asked, grabbing at a flak jacket.
"Well, no, but you might as well grab that. It's a vest that the shinobi from Konoha wear."
"Let's take three, then!"
"Three?"
"One for Amaterasu, of course!"
"Oh, right. I almost forgot about Kotone…"
After snatching the correct amount of garments, the trio began to squeeze their way back to their tent, feeling not unlike fish swimming upstream. At one point, Hiromi felt her empty sleeve brush against someone and she turned with a surprised expression and met the horrified eyes of a ninja from Iwagakure.
"I-!" He stammered, "I'm sorry!"
He bolted away before she could respond, and Hiromi felt disheartened by his frightened gaze, allowing herself to be tugged forward by Aiko. He was young, so he may not have seen a one-armed kunoichi before, but it still hurt the teen deeply to know that just a single look at her lack of an arm sent a shinobi around her age running.
"We're back!" announced Aiko as she threw the tent flap aside.
Kotone was perched upon a box of supplies with one of her knees tucked beneath her chin and the other leg dangling. She was looking out of the entrance adjacent to the one Aiko had entered through with her milky eyes filled with gloom.
Akio laid a shirt and pair of pants upon the box Kotone sat in a way of saying, 'These are for you.'
"Thank you," she spoke slowly, like it took all of her strength to move her lips.
"Akio, you'll have to step out and protect the tent while we dress!" Aiko ordered with a playful smile.
Her brother bowed to her with a grin of his own, hidden beneath his mask, and stepped out obediently. Hiromi averted her eyes from the Akivi girl as she striped, and faced the opposite end of the tent.
"Ah, I can't find the other sleeve… Why are they so long?"
"Do you need any help, Aiko?"
"No, it's okay. I've gotten used to getting dressed."
The blonde girl made an "Hmm" sound before turning and noting Kotone, still motionless, "You'll need to change, too, Kotone."
Without a word, she stood and her hair rippled like a disturbed pool of liquid moonstone as she slipped off her kimono and it fell to the ground in a puddle of white. She scrunched her nose in disgust at the sight of the dark garment she held in her grasp. It was a shirt, and it was similar to the one Temari had lent her, but with a higher collar.
Her slim, white limbs disappeared in it as she pulled it over her head, and straightened it out across her pale belly. The sleeves fit nicely, but they felt scratchy, and the high collar had trapped her hair beneath it in a cloth prison. The pants were easier to put on, though she dreaded the feeling of stepping into them one leg at a time, and pulled them up over her plain wrappings, smoothing the waistband across her hips.
"How does it feel?" Hiromi asked, stepping forward to offer assistance if she could.
Kotone still had her nose scrunched, "I don't like it."
Aiko, on the other hand, danced around the room in different poses at the new feeling, "It's so different," she said heartily, "I don't see what's so bad about it."
"It's… It's not like my kimono."
"Now that I think about it," Hiromi put a finger to her chin, "I've never seen you without your kimono on, Kotone. You look so much different!"
The blind Akivi ran her hand across the white-haired teen's shoulders and frowned, "You forgot your vest."
"It's called a flak jacket," the smallest girl in the room stated with a fake smile, "It's not heavy or anything, and it has lots of storage."
Kotone let out a miserable sigh and snatched the greenish material from the supplies box she had once been sitting upon. It had lots of pockets and pouches, and like Hiromi had said and it didn't feel heavy on her body after she slid her arms into it.
"Don't forget to zip it up," the blonde informed, taking it upon herself to do so, "you don't want it to fall off."
The other two girls waited patiently as the once queen finally pulled her hair out of her collar and let it fall against her shoulders and back. She looked like a completely different person without her usual attire. Her body was slender and lithe in the standard shinobi attire, and even down to her feet, she was a standard kunoichi with her wrapped, pale appendages tucked into ninja sandals.
"Oh, no!" Hiromi frowned, noting in a flurry that there was a key point missing, "we forgot to pick up the new headbands!"
"Hitai-ate? A new one?" Kotone inquired.
"Yeah, since, you know, now that we have a first ever Shinobi Alliance, we have new forehead protectors!"
"I guess we'll just have to go back and get some," Aiko offered, stepping out of the tent without missing a beat.
Hiromi began to follow after, but paused to look back at Kotone, "Aren't you coming?"
"I'll catch up with you," the teen with hair the color of the low hanging clouds outside replied, her eyes falling to the ground as she spoke.
The Sato knew better than to ask more of her. War was something everyone secretly feared, and sending teenagers who were hardly even considered young adults into the heart of the murder was another horrifying aspect altogether. Kotone just needed to be alone and swallow the idea that this may end her life, or the ones around her. Hiromi still had yet to grasp it, but she was getting closer with each second.
The line for the hitai-ate was longer, but quicker, and soon Hiromi found herself holding a new one in her sole hand. Akio offered to tie it, but she shook her head.
"I'm going to speak with my parents. You two should head back to Kotone."
'Will you not say farewell to her?' Akio motioned.
"I have a feeling she and I don't need to say anything. She's suffering right now, and if I were to suddenly tell her that I may be marching off to my death, I would only be hurting her. Tell her I said I love her, though."
"We will. I have a feeling this is the last time we will speak if not on the battlefield, so," Aiko brought Hiromi close and wrapped her arms around her kindly, "You are our friend and comrade. Please, don't be reckless."
"I won't," the girl rubbed the female Akivi's back with her hand before being released.
The two twins were already gone by the time she blinked and she prayed that they were going to be safe.
-:-
Her hair cascaded down her shoulders and her back like a white waterfall as she perched herself upon the supplies pack once again, looking out of the tent flap at the passing shinobi with a solemn stare. They were all stone-faced and ready to fight, but in the reflection of her blade, Kotone only saw a petrified and anxious visage.
In a burst of unexpected anger, she sheathed her katana and threw the entire thing across the tent, hearing with little satisfaction a loud explosion of reactions.
She thought she had escaped war! When she left the Nishi Sabaku, she thought she had seen the last of bloodshed: the last of innocent lives ruined. Kotone believed that Akio and Aiko wouldn't have to suffer under her hand anymore.
She was so immersed in her own thoughts that she wasn't even aware when someone entered her place of tantrum and fear. Instead of noticing their presence at all, she tucked herself into a ball and told herself that maybe if she just shut herself off, the war would be over and Aiko and Akio could be free and she wouldn't have to face the enemy, or see Maiko's face across the battlefield, bloodstained and smiling.
"Kotone."
The emotional youth froze in alarm and tried not to move. She knew that voice and she was ashamed that Gaara had caught her at such a time. She had always wanted to show him her best side, and her best performance, but now she was crumpled and sad, like a trampled piece of garbage.
The redhead completely disregarded her depression, out of respect or of ignorance, she was unsure, and sat beside her, "I have something for you."
After a minute of silence, he spoke again, in a softer tone, "Show me your face."
"Please," The Kazekage added as an afterthought.
Kotone had no other choice. She let her knees fall from her grasp and her legs dangled to the floor. Her ivory-colored hair served as a curtain for a single moment before she turned towards the young man beside her and his teal eyes widened in surprise.
Her brows were pulled together and her lips were quivering, with nothing but glossy and unadulterated fear in her eyes.
"Gaara," she whimpered, her voice wavering for the first time in her conscious life, "I-I thought I had escaped all of this chaos! I've doomed my family to dying in a war of a country that is not their own!"
When he said nothing, Kotone continued, "I've never felt such a lonely feeling before… I've failed my duty as their leader-no, as their friend. I swore to myself that I would never let this happen to them! Their smiles are false and their excitement pains me more than any kunai. I only wish I could save them from myself and my own stupidity!"
"Your friends, your family…. The ones waiting outside for you," Gaara responded with little hesitation, "they do everything out of love and admiration for you."
"But… But… how can I lead them if I'm…"
She met the teal eyes that showed some warm emotion she found comfort in and whispered for the first time, "I'm scared."
Amaterasu thought fear was being afraid of the sandstorms at night back at her childhood home, or running from the deadly scorpions when she went outside adventuring, but this new feeling of horror demolished her idea of fright, replacing it the monstrosity that was war for a young teenager.
What if Akio and Aiko were killed in battle? What if Hiromi was killed? What if Maiko killed her? What if the war was lost?
"None of those things will happen."
"But what if… What if I'm not strong enough, Gaara? What then? What if I'm the cause of the death of thousands of innocent people?"
Kotone did not cry but she exclaimed, "What if everyone I love dies again?! What if I'm all alone again?!"
The Kazekage didn't hesitate as he reached forward and embraced the frightened girl. His body was warm and his heart beat against hers in a comforting and loving way. It was a feeling of pure fervor, and there was no other way to describe it beside heartfelt.
"I promise you this, Kotone," Gaara murmured into her hair before pulling away and intensely staring into her pure orbs of snow, "You'll never be alone again."
The teen with white silk locks nodded with a small smile. He always seemed to know what to say to her to calm her and he made her feel a strange sensation in her chest; it was an emotion that she never wanted to lose.
"What-," Kotone paused to tuck her hair behind her ears and away from her face, "What is it you wished to tell me?"
"I had a hitai-ate specially made for you," the male teen pulled a white cloth from his pouch and held it out to her, "Would you wear it?"
"I would like to."
Amaterasu took it from him with grace and quickly tied it to her forehead, ensuring its sturdiness before turning to show Gaara. He showed her a slight grin before reaching up and brushing her bangs out from underneath the white cloth.
"It suits you, just as your new attire," he commented kindly.
Kotone turned her gaze to elsewhere, feeling a distinct sense of modesty, "Thank you."
Soon, from outside the tent, there was a distant call of, "Kazekage-sama! You are needed for a meeting with the fellow kage!"
Gaara seemed to let out a breath of agitation before beginning to stand. Kotone reached out and grabbed his wrist unconsciously.
"Must you go?" She asked delicately and selfishly.
Without responding, the redhead leaned down and mellifluously placed his lips upon her cheek. It was close to the corner of her mouth which was agape in shock, for the innocent gesture of care was something the ashen maiden had never experienced. The light kiss was chaste and pure, ending nearly too soon as Gaara pulled away with a gentle air.
"Don't be afraid," he said, "If need be, I will protect you."
Kotone was left speechless and the flap of the tent entrance shuffled as the Kazekage stepped out. After just a couple of seconds, she reached up to touch the area that the young man had kissed and she swore she could still feel his warmth there.
-:-
"Mom!"
Hiromi ran into her mother's arms, the elder woman squeezing the girl in her arms. Takumi Sato stood by his wife's side with a solemn glare. War was upon them, and for the first time in his life, he would have to watch as his daughter marched off into battle.
"Hiromi, are you okay? Have you eaten anything today? How are you feeling?" Izanami questioned rapidly, with glossy chestnut eyes.
The Sato family entered the tent that the parents shared with a few unfamiliar chunin, sitting their daughter down atop of the lone futon in the room.
"I'm scared," Hiromi admitted firstly with a frightened visage.
Her father leaned down and kissed her forehead, "You have a right to be. This is war. There are no more repeats or games to be played."
"Takumi," Izanami sent her husband a stern frown, "She's only fifteen."
"All the more reason to warn her of the dangers of war."
"Mom, dad, please."
The two chunin looked to their one-armed daughter, whose blonde hair looked dull in the sad light that crept in from the outside.
"Yes, I'm young, and yes, I should be prepared, but I'm not scared for me, I'm scared for you two and my friends… What if the group I'm placed in gets eradicated because I can't fight? What if I can't fend for myself?"
"You won't need to worry about that."
The three Sato arose at the sound of a foreign voice and calmed substantially as Kankuro entered, bearing a bound object. Hiromi eyed it anxiously.
"I finished this up as soon as I could. Please, lay down."
"You're going to attach it right here?" Izanami inquired.
Hiromi had already obeyed the puppeteer, and he rolled up her empty sleeve without missing a beat, "If you want her to be able to defend herself at all," he said impatiently, "yes, I have to do it now."
"He knows what he's doing," Takumi laid his hand on his wife's shoulder, reassuringly.
Kankuro took no time in unravelling to wooden limb and placing it against Hiromi's shoulder. It felt foreign and stiff, but she knew she would eventually get used to it.
"Will you have to bolt it in…?" She asked quietly.
The young man shook his head, without pausing in his work, he responded, "I created this piece with a sort of 'clamp' design. It'll feel tight at first, but that just means that it'll stay."
There was a loud noise of wood snapping, and Hiromi made a sound of discomfort. The false limb was correctly latched, and Kankuro smiled at his handiwork before setting on the smaller details.
"What are those?"
There were tiny holes on every joint that the blonde girl eyed suspiciously. Traps or secret contraptions, maybe?
"Since I made this arm out of the materials I had, those are places for chakra strings. Just ignore them; you won't need 'em."
The puppeteer finished in less than half an hour, and ordered the younger teen to stand and perform a simple jutsu with her new hand. Takumi and Izanami watched in awe as their daughter created an illusion of herself with no trouble.
"How did you do it, Kankuro…?"
"I made it so that your body can transfer chakra into the new limb without bolting it into your bones. It'll stay attached as long as you don't fiddle with the latching. Hopefully, now you won't be deadweight."
The last comment stung slightly, but Hiromi thanked him as he left, though he brushed off the entire ordeal as a simple favor for a friend. Her parents hugged her and kissed her in excitement, but there was still underlined anxiety that was exposed when a shinobi from Kumogakure poked his head into the tent with orders to begin separating into assigned regiments.
"Promise me you'll be safe, sweetheart," Takumi smiled sadly, "and protect yourself wherever you end up going."
"I will, dad, I swear."
"You won't get far with your hair down like that."
Izanami set to work on her daughter's hair with tears in her eyes, nostalgically remembering the times when her twelve-year old genin would braid her mother's blonde mane in a similar fashion. Now, the fishtail that ran down her daughter's neck and ended between her shoulder blades was the last she would see of her sweet child's hair and smiling face until the war was over.
"I love you so much, Hiromi," she murmured.
"Stay safe. We'll find you once this is all over," Takumi once again kissed his daughter, but on the crown of her head and wiped a tear from his eye before wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulder and leaving before the two could break down.
They wanted nothing more than to sweep their beloved blonde youth in their arms and out of this war, but they all had duties to their village, even the adolescents. When you become a kunoichi for Konoha, you know the risks.
Hiromi watched her parents exit the tent and she planned on following them after a few moments of solemnity, but as she pulled aside the tent flap, she was met with the face of her boyfriend who took a single glance at her wooden arm and picked her up into the air, twirling twice.
"You got it!" Kiba laughed heartily and Akamaru jumped around the two, nearly taking down the tent.
"I know, I know! Put me down before we destroy this thing on accident!"
The dog-lover obeyed with a wolfish grin, "Wow, I can't believe it. You've got your new arm! I know it's only for, you now, like, jutsu and all, but wow!"
"Would you calm down? We're going to war!" Hiromi scolded her sweetheart halfheartedly, "We may not ever see each other again after this."
"Don't say that. I know for a fact that I'm going to live, and I won't let anything happen to you no matter where you are. No doubts, okay?"
"Okay, but what if? What if… I don't know! What if I'm attacked and you're too late?"
"I won't be."
"But what if you are?"
"Hiromi," Kiba grabbed the teen by the shoulders, looking her in the eyes intensely, "I love you. I won't let anything happen to you."
He wasted not another second and kissed the shorter girl with vigor. He only released her when the remaining guest in the tent, a foreign shinobi, shuffled out with a red face, and Hiromi shoved her boyfriend away with the same colored cheeks.
"C-come on!" she grinned, "If you're going to protect me, then… we might as well go and figure out our assigned groups, right?"
"Right, but… will you at least tell me you love me, too?"
Akamaru released a bark of what felt like teasing when Hiromi blushed even darker.
"F-fine. Inuzuka Kiba," she sighed then met her boyfriend's eye; "I love you, too."
They walked hand-in-hand out of the tent with equally red faces.
-:-
"Kotone? We need to be on our way, soon!"
Aiko entered the tent with no hesitation, her brother directly behind her. The target they sought after was fiddling with her blade, attaching its hilt somewhere on her person for easy access. Her fingers were fumbling and shaking, Akio noticed, and he gently took her hands and placed them at her sides.
"I was on my way. I just needed to…" The young woman trailed off and Aiko clicked her tongue at her.
"Milady, do you see what the real problem here is?"
"I told you to address me casually-"
"You're obviously not ready for battle!"
"Akio is assisting me with that issue as we speak."
"No, no, no! Not that! Look at me, milady, and see the difference between the two of us?"
Kotone ran her eyes over her comrade impatiently before an aggravated, sizzling ember appeared in her orbs. She was not angry with Aiko, but simply frustrated at the feeling of being powerless. She couldn't even fasten her hilt to her side. Akio glanced up at her curiously and the ex-princess sighed.
"There is no-"
"My hair, milady, my hair! See how it is tied back in such a neat fashion?"
The wavy, unending locks of white that belonged to the beautiful Akivi were indeed twisted back into what Kotone recognized as a braid, tied back in a ponytail before cascading down the flak jacket of Konoha in a thick plait. Aiko, though preparing for battle, looked ready for her wedding.
"You look beautiful, Aiko." The teen with fair skin peered down at Akio, who had finished with his assistance and patted the hilt in a friendly manner as he stood, "Did you do that?"
The young man responded in signals, saying, 'Hiromi taught me a while ago.'
"I see. I'm guessing you fixed your own as well?"
The man's hair was shorter than his sister's, ending at his shoulders now, but it was braided off to the side using many strands instead of three, sitting fondly on Akio's right shoulder.
"Would you like one, too, milady?" Aiko asked, "I'm sure you'd look nice, too."
Kotone flipped her loose hair and twiddled with the strands, "I… do suppose I will need it out of the way, won't I?"
She was sat down by Aiko, who nearly made her beloved friend sit upon a mess of unsharpened kunai, and Akio grabbed a band from his sister. He went to work instantaneously, and was done with his magic experimentation seconds later.
'We do not have much time, so I hope you are satisfied without a braid like ours.'
The chunin had no complaints. Her opal-colored mane was tied up high on her skull with a white band, and the snowy strands tumbled down her neck and tickled her collar. There were no twists or plaits, and Kotone gaped at the aghast teen in her reflection that took on the appearance of a kunoichi prepared for war.
"I… I don't know what you look like, milady, but," Aiko smiled, "I believe you look like a warrior goddess!"
"Thank you… but please, don't call me a goddess. I am a human, just like you."
"Please, all shinobi go and receive your assigned group numbers! Come and line up by village!"
The trio was interrupted by the announcement and took a hesitant moment of break before stepping out of their comfort zone.
"We'll go to the line together, right?" Aiko asked, anxiously reaching for Kotone's pale hand.
She grasped it tightly, and the ex-princess frowned, "Of course."
-:-
There was no panic, but solemn peace as every shinobi gathered in Kumogakure made their way to the small pavilions that took on the many numbers surprisingly well. There were many a time when Kotone thought she had lost Akio and Aiko, but their hands gripped hers always, in tight clutches. They were tugged along by the tide of people, and eventually an unfamiliar shinobi grabbed at Amaterasu's collar and pulled the entire group towards him.
"Name and village!" He commanded.
Kotone anxiously froze and did not answer.
"She's Kimiko Kotone from Konohagakure!"
The man with a dark beard turned towards his female partner whose red bob bounced as she shuffled through a pile of papers hurriedly and repeated Aiko's answer.
After the red-haired woman yelled an inaudible answer back to the bearded man, he tugged the white-haired teen to him and her milky eyes widened in alarm.
"Fourth Division, the long-range battle division led by Commander Gaara! Get your (curse.) to your divison, girl!"
Kotone was thrown in a predetermined direction, nearly carried away by the tide. She was stopped when she turned with a horrified gasp to see that Aiko and Akio were no longer behind her. The two disabled ninja stood by the bearded man, awaiting his next assignment, watching her disappear with worried expressions of their own.
Her somber visage had to face forward eventually, so she took a final look at her family and said at a level tone, "From one child of royalty to another, I bide you a loving farewell."
Even though they were separate and distant at that point, the ex-princess knew that the twins had heard her, somehow.
-:-
"Akio, she… she knew."
'I suppose she always knew.'
"Are you two going to stand here and waste time?! We've got a war to win!"
The twins turned to face the bearded man whose face was red with anger or strain as he yelled.
"Apologies, sir! Aiko Kimiko, Konohagakure!" the girl then motioned to her brother, "And this is Akio Kimiko, also from Kono-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you got all that?!"
The short girl with all the papers nodded in response before yanking a single sheet out of the pile and nearly pressing her face to it, "Ahh… Akio Kimiko, first division, the mid-range battle division led by Commander Darui!"
"A-and Aiko?"
The Akivi grabbed his sister's hand tightly in his. She was blind and he was mute! How would they survive without each other…?
"Uhh… Aiko Kimiko is assigned to the…" her red bob bounced all about before she said in a clearly shaky voice, "second division! The short-range battle division led by, um, Commander Kitsuchi!"
Aiko had a stern frown on her lips, quivering only once when she heard that she and her brother would be separated. Without missing a beat, her thin hand reached out and snatched Akio off to the side where another pair was bidding farewell to one another, though they were likely married and not siblings.
"Don't worry, nii-san," she spoke lightly and cheerfully, "Fraternal twins don't usually communicate through their brains, but maybe you and I will find a way to speak to one another."
When she was met with nothing else, Aiko continued on, plastering a smile on her mien, "I won't get into too much trouble without you, I promise!"
Her slender hand reached out to touch her brother's cheek, but was met with the wetness of tears on the mask that covered his lips. In reality, the blue-eyed male wept large tears of distress at the sight of his tan sister smiling in a carefree manner.
"Don't cry, Akio," she used her thumb to messily wipe at the teen's tears, "It'll be alright! I can defend myself, and I know that you'll protect the people in your division."
Taking his right hand, the Akivi wrote hurriedly on his sister's arm, 'How will I know you are safe?'
"You won't."
'Exactly! What if you're in danger and I can't protect you?"
"Akio, I'm not a little girl anymore. You don't have to protect me; I can fight!"
The taller male sloppily wrote, 'You're my sister! I want to protect you! Aiko, you're also blind… you're at a bigger disadvantage than everyone else!'
"It's okay, though. It'll be fine either way."
'Either way?'
"If I die, I know what will happen. I will have died at peace, knowing that I have at least attempted to protect the woman who saved me and my brother. If I live, I will be able to see the fruit of my works; I'll be able to see Kotone live a happy life with the people she loves."
'How can you throw away your life so easily? I know that we both love Amaterasu very much, but what of me, sister? I don't want to see another day without knowing that you are alive, that I do not carry an entire race on my shoulders. Please, Aiko, be selfish and leave this war.'
"How can you throw your life away so easily? You do not need to fight for the both of us. I love you too much to let you go out alone. Akio," her white braid swung like clockwork as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her brother lovingly, embracing him comfortingly, "let us both go and fight. Fight for Kotone, fight for her happiness, and die for her future, if need be. That is what we Akivi are made for, correct? To improve the lives of our masters?"
The last part was said in jest, and Akio smiled beneath his mask that was still wet with tears, though they had nearly ceased.
'I understand now that your motives are the same. Promise me, though, that you will show extreme caution on the battlefield.'
"But of course! When have I not been careful?"
Akio pulled away from his sister and placed a hand on her cheek in a firm manner, 'Promise me. I cannot be your eyes as before, and you cannot be my voice, but you will have comrades around you. Please, be strong.'
"I promise, brother. I will protect my home."
'Not just Konoha, but also yourself.'
"No, no, Akio," Aiko grinned brightly as she said, "You and Kotone will always be my home. I will fight in this war to protect the two of you."
"Everyone, get to your squads!"
An unfamiliar shinobi was corralling all of the other ninja in an assertive manner, thus Aiko's smile dimed, but did not fade completely.
"Seems it's time to go now, Akio."
'Yes. It does.'
She turned to her sibling and rubbed her hand in his hair, saying, "We'll be together again soon!"
Eyes as vast and blue as the ocean watched as the white braid that was Aiko's swung around madly as she stepped into the diminishing crowd of shinobi, following their pattern. Akio felt hopelessly alone as she disappeared, but tightened his hitai-ate and entered the stir of people with a determined and fierce glare.
He, too, was going to protect his home: the people he loved.
-:-
On her hips were thin blades made of the sharpest steel. Her arms were swallowed by large black sleeves, but underneath, her wrists and knuckles held devices meant for springing knives and needles. The cloak that was once Deidara's was torn into two pieces. The top half covered a majority of her face, with the sleeves and stomach missing, while the other served as a skirt, attaching to her torn and bloody shorts.
The pale skin of her belly was marked with scratch scars and cuts from her own madness, but Maiko was so insanely in love with the manner of her appearance, she did not care. An angel of destruction, she called herself.
"Tobi, Tobi!" She cried to the masked man that gave her a glare, "Where do I get to go? Who do I get to kill?! Please, Tobi, tell me!"
"I do not care where you go," he said, the hate behind his tone going over the girl's head, "just do not hinder myself, or the others. I will punish you severely if you are to get in my way."
Taking this as the permission to go around torturing whoever she pleased, the Arakawa released an insane cackle. As she tossed her head back, the many piercings on her ears and face moved along with her. The silver on her body, even her bellybutton, was majorly in the form of a small hoop, but there was a single strip of silver leading from her right ear to a bud in her nose.
When asked by Hidan why she loved her piercings, the green-haired imp had simply grinned madly and said, "It hurts."
"Remember, Maiko," Tobi spoke as if speaking to an idiotic child, "do not endanger the mission. I command that you stay inside of the hideout with Zetsu until given further orders, understand?"
"But you said I could-!"
"Not until after I achieve what I must. Do you understand?"
The teen kicked at the wall unhappily before grumbling, "Yes. But I don't want to be stuck inside with him."
By him, she could only mean Sasuke, who was recuperating from his eye surgery. She wanted nothing else than to strangle the Uchiha, but if she was told to stay, then she supposed she would obey Tobi's orders and obey.
"I will allow you to leave the hideout on my command. I will contact you when need be. Now, I'll be off. Don't do anything rash."
"Yes, Tobi."
So, the teen sat down in her temporary room, that was cluttered with glass from breaking the mirrors of the house, and the imp waited patiently, seeing in one of the many shards of broken glass, that her eyes were as black as night, and the grin on her face showed her sharp, demonic teeth, prepared to rip out the throats of whoever she pleased.
-:-
A/N: Hello, everyone! It's been a really long time, hasn't it... Haha... Sorry. I've been busy! And I haven't been getting a lot of feedback recently, so I felt kinda like, "Meh."
Anyways, here's the chapter, and as you can see, the war is about to begin! So, who knows what roles Hiromi and Maiko will play? What do YOU want to happen? Leave a review or PM me! :)
Reviews
Zerojackson: Thank you so much for giving me such amazing comments! I really appreciate it. I know it was a long time ago, but seeing all of your constructive criticism really encouraged me to try and write better. Btw, I have absolutely no idea why I always center the speech sentences. If that really bothers anyone, I will change it, but I thought it was a good way to differentiate when someone was talking and when someone wasn't talking because I've seen a lot of fics where those can get confused. Maybe I'm just crazy XD
Thank you for your honesty. I think, now that I've improved over the years, the story is no longer average, or at least I like to think that. I hope you will also comment on this more recent work and see if I have improved or not :)
God Is Wearing Black: Sorry, did I totally spoil it for you? :O I didn't mean to..
Did my ending make you sad..? :o
There's so much GaaraxOC in the sequel.. I feel like I'm smothering my readers XD
UrbanWonderland: Of course you would get a shoutout! :) I love my readers! Thank you so much for your sweetness c: I really appreciate it. I hope that I can improve off of the feedback you give! Omg sorry it took me so long to make this chapter btws.
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