Author: I really need an editor. Or a beta. Volunteers?
Kakashi: I would, but you're worse than me and Obito combined when it comes to publishing new chapters.
Author: Shut up, stupid one-eyed Scarecrow. I asked if you wanted to be assigned the glorious position of my personal sla-...I mean editor *coughs*
Kakashi: *snorts* If it means I can give you a good kick up the ass from time to time, then it'd be my pleasure.
Author: You're so mean, you poopie head!
Kakashi: *stares* Really? Poopie head? That's the best you can come up with?
Author: Bully! You know what? I'll ask someone cooler and smarter than you.
Kakashi: Oh yeah?! Who's that?
Author: *grabs the first person who walks by*...Shikamaru *thrusts said ninja into Kakashi's face*
Shikamaru: Troublesome. Hey, Kakashi sensei.
Kakakshi: *facepalms* We'll go from updates of once a year to once a decade...if we're lucky.
Shikamaru: I get the feeling that I've just been insulted...but cannot be bothered to retailiate. Too troublesome. *wanders off*
Author: Just get off my case, Kaka-baka *broods in corner*
Kakakshi: *sighs and turns to readers* Well, enjoy this chapter, you guys. And a usual reminder: Story-teller666 doesn't own Naruto, just Kioko and her pals.
Chapter 21
"So, what's the plan, yeah?" Deidara flexed his arm, wincing as his elbow cracked from being still for three straight days. Next to him, Sasori was shuffling around inside Hiruko.
"Fly like heck and get our asses back to base ASAP" I shrugged, grinning at how both the Akatsukies gave an exasperated sigh.
"Should've known" Sasori rasped. "Let's get going, then" he added irritably, jerking his head towards the boulder that blocked the entrance.
I flinched as Deidara heaved Gaara's prone form onto to his shoulder, treating it like a sack of grains. "Be a little gentler" I scolded the blonde, moving to gently touch his still face. There was a stabbing pain in my heart as I looked at the redhead.
"Why? He's dead" the bomber grunted.
I didn't reply, too angry at his dismissive tone in order to form words. I glared hard into the visible blue eye. "Stop treating him like that" I managed stiffly in the end. "He came along, even though he knew he was going to die. At least give him the respect he deserves."
"Whatever, un" Deidara scowled, but I noticed he did alter his grip into a more secure position.
"Let's move" Sasori repeated, Hiruko's hands ready to form the seals that would replace him and his partner with really realistic doll replicas. I suggested this so that the plot would move along in accordance with the original storyline, in some parts.
"Deidara, lay Gaara down there" I pointed to the stone floor a few feet away from the entrance. "And Sasori, go and get the person standing outside the entrance" I threw my chakra out, sensing Emiko's presence through the stone.
"Who is that?" I felt Deidara's chakra flare as he 'looked' at the said person.
"Emiko" I replied, then elaborated as a blonde eyebrow rose "she's the one helping us subdue the Konoha nins coming up."
"One of your mysterious pals, yeah" the bomber nodded. He knelt and carefully arranged Gaara's still form on the floor. I smiled at how extra careful he was being with his actions. He's really a sweetie when he wants to be, I commented to Youko. My inner tenant gave a chuckle.
"Kioko" Emiko's calm voice drew my attention to the entrance. "What're these for?" she looked questioningly at the two look-alike dolls.
"We can't just have you and Gaara in here" I rolled my eyes. "Naruto'll go berserk as soon as he sees him" I pointed to the presently dead Kazekage "and then they're all gonna turn on you if we don't do something about it."
"Thank you" she dipped her head towards Sasori, who nodded back. "It's nice to know that you care about my wellbeing."
"Hang on," I pointed accusingly at my friend, and then at Sasori "how come you're thanking him?! It was my idea!"
"Don't we have things to do, un?" Deidara demanded, grabbing me from behind. He noogied my head, extracting a wail of pain.
"That hurts!"
"Shut up" Sasori and Emiko sighed in unison, making me twitch.
"Alright, enough with the fun" I announced, haughtily flicking my braid over my shoulder. The bomber flicked my head as the hair whipped across his face. "We need to get a move on. Otherwise, this'll all be for nothing." I turned and gripped Emiko's arm. "We'll stay above till Naruto and the gang get here. Once they're busy with the seals, we'll have to leave."
"I can stay here by myself" she reminded me. "I'm a big girl now, mommy."
"That's my line" I stuck my tongue out, relived that she wasn't too anxious about this. Although, it could just have been that her stoic mask had become even more impressive since we got here, and now I was just unable to detect any anxiety under it. "And we're staying overhead till they get here."
"Whatever floats your boat" she shrugged, giving me a gentle hug and then pushed me towards the entrance. "Go" she urged.
"Don't forget about our hot spring date" I called back as Sasori dragged me towards the outside, where Deidara was jumping onto his enlarged clay owl. After tossing me up to the blonde, the puppeteer boarded as well, planting himself in his usual spot – just a little behind the middle of the bird.
"Just tell me when and where" Emiko called back.
"Hold on, yeah" was the only warning Deidara gave before pulling the bird up into a steep ascend. I barely managed to grab hold of the back of his cloak, then twisted around to see Emiko's rapidly shrinking figure.
Once we were a few hundred feet above the top of the cliff, the he made the sculpture circle. Suddenly I couldn't help feeling that we were much like a hawk, lazily drifting through the air, all the while keeping a keen eye out for prey.
"There's a lot depending on her" Sasori rasped dubiously from behind me. His doubt made my heart clench.
"She'll be able to pull it off" I fixed my eyes on the small spot of grey just on the banks of the blue stream, which ribboned its way the all the way to the large river, just a mile or two away from the extraction cave. "I know she will. Besides, Kaida will be there, too."
"You have a lot of faith in your friends, un" Deidara commented. I didn't reply – there was no need to; all three of us knew it was true.
I paced around the living room, unable to sit still. Nerves jangled and mind kept imagining scenarios that would have been better not to even be thought about.
"Would you stop?!" Sasori snapped, glaring at me over the puppet body he was repairing.
"I'm too nervous" I complained, flopping in the chair, only to jump up after a few seconds. The puppeteer growled and flicked his hand towards me. Before I could react, blue strings wrapped around my wrists and ankles, then bound me to the couch. I yelled and pulled against the bonds, then gave up with a grunt of disgust. "What if something went wrong?"
"Keep worrying, and you'll just end up with grey hair, un" Deidara threw in from his chair, focusing on his sculpture.
It was just the three of us at the base. It had been a few hours since we returned from the extraction cave. Ever since we turned north, after spotting the Konoha nins' arrival, my mind was in shambles, trying to imagine what could have happened.
"What if something happened to them?!" I fretted, chewing on my bottom lip.
"Who're you talking about, chibi?" Kisame boomed from the door way. He grinned at me and stepped into the room, closely followed by Itachi, who gave the artistic duo a short nod. Both looked tired, despite the smiles.
"Hey, Kisame" I greeted, words distorting as the blue giant fell onto the cushion next to me. He gave a groan and his upper body slid sideways, ending up nearly crushing me. "Woah…heavy…" I gasped.
"Shut up, chibi" he grunted, but nevertheless took a bit of his weight off me.
"How was your mission?" Itachi asked quietly, settling down in the single-seater next to my arm rest.
"Mmm" I mumbled, unsure how to answer the question. "We managed to do what we went to do…it's just the results that I'm worried about…"
"I can see white already, yeah" Diedara announced, plucking a strand off my head. He dug his fingers into my scalp, rubbing in some left over clay from his digits. "We told you already; whatever's happened, it's happened. Just wait till further notice."
"Thanks" I made a face, gingerly feeling my previously silky smooth, clean hair. "I guess I'll just do something to take my mind off it…"
"Good" the blonde approved, then paused and looked pointedly at Kisame, who was starting to snore. The sound made my ears vibrate, and I could feel the slight tremors moving from his body to mine. "How'd you plan to move from there?"
"…help…"
"You may leave" Pein stared at Sasori and Deidara. "Kioko, stay" he added unnecessarily.
"Hai" the partners gave a short nod and marched out of the office. I smiled at Konan, who materialized by Pein's shoulder, as the door thudded shut.
"Hey, Konan."
"Kioko, how are you?" she smiled, sweeping towards me. She wrapped an arm around my shoulder, hugging me gently into her soft (soft for a ninja) body.
"I'm ok" I hugged her back. "Do you have any news of what happened after we left?" I looked anxiously at Pein. All through the debriefing charade I had been fidgeting, only quietening down as Sasori and Pein gave a unanimous glare.
"I've been informed that the Kazekage is ill and is currently residing in a hospital in Suna" the orange-head gave the barest of smiles. "It also appears that the Hachibi's host is currently tagging along with a female companion – one who has all the exact features you've said your friend has."
"Thanks Pein" I grinned at the leader, knowing how much of a pain in the ass it would have been for him to get all the facts this quickly. It had only been six days since I last saw his hologram in the cave.
"When is the next time?" he asked, his whole demeanour turning serious. I hesitated, trying to work out the timeline from my memories.
"A few weeks" I guessed. "Just let me know when you're ready to send Hidan and Kakuzu for the retrieval."
"Very well" he nodded. With unspoken consent, I turned and left the room.
A few weeks, huh? Youko murmured to me. I could feel her thinking of feasible plans.
It's not a lot, my mind flicked back to how I felt when I read the Shippuden series. Ever since the Ichibi's extraction, I'd always felt that the manga had become a lot more action packed. Events moved by really quickly, and it didn't take a lot of chapters to reach to the point where Sasuke killed Danzo.
Shit, that's another thing, I groaned mentally, projecting pictures of the Sasuke-Danzo fight. Should I just leave it to work out for itself?
What if your meddling here's changed that battle's outcome? Youko shot back, filling my mind with her worries. She sounded so concerned that I couldn't help feeling touched by her sincerity. Ever since the Sandaime's death, she had not once reminded me of my promise to release her and her body parts from their prisons inside Orochimaru's experiments.
Hey, what're you gonna do once you're free? I asked, taking a break from worrying. With the amount of time I had, a few hours of just chatting wasn't going to hurt. Besides, the change in pace and subject would most likely benefit me in the long run.
Return home, she replied without hesitation. I've got two anikis, you know. Twins. And an imouto. I felt my mouth smiling in response to her happy reminiscing. It'll be really great to see those three again. And Ma and Pa.
You live together?
She laughed, then sent me a picture of a large black glob. It looked like someone put black dye in a pond and then made the water rise up into an unstable sphere shape. What was supposed to be the smooth outer face was distorted, as though the water was alive and bubbling away. It reminded me of Naruto's attempts to break the rubber ball during the first stage of training to do the Rasengan.
What is that?! It was fascinating in a very odd way; sort of how some people were fascinated at watching blood ooze through a wound.
That's my house, Youko laughed. Because we're beings comprised on energy, we aren't able to maintain a shape for more than a few hours. That consumes a lot of our energy, and most of the time we end up leaking our 'bodies'. So we live in these capsules. They act like rechargers for us, collecting the energy our body loses to the atmosphere, and condenses it up so that it can remerge with us.
Wow, I blinked, surprised at how easy she made it sound. So how many of you can live in one of those ball-charger thingies?
As many as we like and/or is needed. 'Cause we don't have a definite shape, we can change and conform to accommodate more beings. But at my house, it's just my parents, my siblings and myself.
Hang on, I shook my head, processing the knowledge. Somehow, this conversation wasn't as relaxing as I'd expected it to be. What are you, exactly?
Huh?
I mean, what's your species, I amended quickly. All this time, I just knew that you were just energy locked up inside me. But what're you called. You know, like I'm human...
Oh, like that, Youko nodded her head. Well, I don't think we were ever given a special name.
…well, that sucks…
It's just, the elders thought that classifying and naming things was just stupid, and a waste of time. It isn't even all that common for us to be able to talk like this.
That sounds very shut off from the world…I frowned in thought. Although it was quite stupid for anyone to completely disregard any forms or attempts at contacting the rest of the planet, I could see the logic behind the energy-elders' decision. If I hadn't been the sort of person I was, I highly doubt that Youko would've even been considered a living, breathing, intelligent being. For all purposes, she would have just been a power source. So how come you can talk fine? And you've got a name.
She gave a sheepish laugh, one that sounded very much like those Naruto gave whenever Iruka caught him in the middle of his prank. I was one of the idiots that didn't follow rules. Ma and Pa almost disowned me once, 'cause I fought with an elder. The old hag caught me practicing speaking, and she almost blew my parents to smithereens when she visited our house.
And here I thought I got rid of Naruto, I lamented jokingly, giggling as Youko gave an indignant cry. Well, whatever the case, I'm glad you broke those rules.
Me, too.
"Why are you standing in the corridor making faces at the wall?" Itachi's breath brushed my ear. I staggered back into the stone, clutching tightly onto the kunai that had reflexively leapt into my hand. My other hand was held across my body, as though to shield from any attack.
"Will you please stop it with the attempts at heart attacks?!" I yelled, seriously considering throwing the blade at the Uchiha. In the relatively small hallway, the chances that it would at least scrape him were high. "And if I want to make faces at the wall, I damn well can! It's a freaking free country."
"What's got you so excited?" Itachi raised an eyebrow, a genuine smile of amusement lighting up his face.
"Oh, you know…" I trailed off, waving a vague hand. "Hmmm" I hummed, eyes narrowing as I peered into his eyes. The obsidian was greying, and there was a dull edge to what, I knew, used to be piercing black. The lines under his eyes seemed more pronounced, and there were some definite shadows.
"Itachi?"
"Mmm."
"How bad is your eyesight?"
Itachi sighed and rubbed his eyes with two fingers, moving them to his temples. "Right now, I've got a headache" he smirked ruefully. "And they're really tired because I had to keep the Sharingan activated till we arrived back at base."
"And you had to fight Kakashi" I pointed out, suppressing a smirk at the surprised look on his face. "I can fix them for you now, if you'd like" I offered, touching his arm lightly. The Uchiha didn't reply, opting to beckon me as he walked down the corridor.
"Where' re you two off to, un?" Deidara poked his head out of his room as we walked past. Itachi ignored the question and continued on his way to his room.
"Can you get Sasori and Kakuzu, please?" I asked the bomber, cutting him off before he could shout at his nemesis.
"Why, yeah?"
"Just go get 'em. Being them to Itachi's room" I ran after the prodigy, not giving Deidara a second chance to ask more questions.
"What are you going to be doing?" the door shut with a soft creak.
I pointed to the bed. "Lie down. I'll take a look at their state, and then for the treatment, I'll need help. We might need to put you under."
"Just how complex is the healing process?" he raised an eyebrow, looking up at me. He was flat on his back, hands folded on his stomach. I looked around the room, noting how plain it was. There was a desk, a small shelf – loaded with books of varying sizes – and chair. A door to the right of the desk lead to, presumably, the bathroom. The room had the bare necessities. It was very plain and straightforward; very Itachi-like.
"It's complicated enough" I sat down on the edge of the bed, making Itachi shuffle towards the wall. "But that's not why I need the extra hands. Back in Konoha, I'd have used the fancy machines to keep track of your vitals. If you're anesthetized, there's no way of knowing if anything's wrong internally, unless we keep a regular check. I just need Kakuzu, or Sasori to check your heart rate, blood pressure and brain activity while I work on your eyes."
Itachi grunted. We sat in silence, which only broke when Itachi asked questions about the upcoming surgery. I answered them as best as I could, but my surgery expertise was restricted to the eye and its peripheries.
There was a knock on the door, and when I opened it, I was bulldozed over by Kakuzu. The miser stomped into the middle of the room, wearing an annoyed expression – one that was mirrored on Sasori's face. The puppeteer was out of Hiruko, and he held a half-open scroll in his hand. Deidara walked in last, swinging the door shut with his leg.
"What did you want, brat?" the miser asked bitingly, his hands caressing a stack of notes.
I raised an eyebrow, shooting the money a pointed look. "I was planning on doing an eye surgery for Itachi. He's having trouble due to over using the Sharingan."
"So what do you need us here for?" Sasori rasped, surprised, before turning to Itachi. "Is Leader sama aware of this?"
"Yes" the Uchiha replied calmly, sitting up. He swung he legs over the edge of the bed. "As is Kisame."
"I need you here to keep an eye on his vitals during the procedure" I shrugged when the three arrivals looked questioningly at me. "I've done eye surgeries at Konoha, but we had machines and things to keep track of heart rate and blood pressure, and so on."
"And if we refuse to help?" Kakuzu's foot inched towards the door, and his tentacles seemed to make his body swell up.
"Then you buy the equipment needed" I shrugged, glaring at him. "One way or another, I'm treating Itachi's eyes. And the final decision is going to come down to either you or new equipment."
Green eyes narrowed dangerously, and Kakuzu gave a low growl, obviously not appreciating my tone. I kept eye contact, ignoring my knocking knees for the most part, while my peripheral vision picked up Sasori's mouth moving as he silently muttered things to himself. Behind the immortal, I could just see Deidara's body. The blonde had initially made a surprised noise when Itachi confirmed my announcement regarding the status of his eyes, and the bomber hadn't moved from the position since.
"When do you plan on starting?" Sasori snapped finally.
"Right now, if possible" I looked away from Kakuzu. "I've got a pending mission, and I'll have to leave at a moment's notice. Besides, Itachi needs time to recover. The earlier it's done, the sooner he can get back into the field at full strength."
"Did you want her to work in your workshop?" Kakuzu crossed his arms. It seemed that the miser agreed to assist me with the treatment.
Remind me to do something really nice for Kakuzu, I told Youko.
Will do.
"She can just do it here" Sasori waved a hand around the room. "It'll save us the trouble of having to carry Itachi back afterwards."
"Thank you, you two" I smiled and hugged them both tight. "I'll get you both something really nice" I promised.
"Che" the two assistants snorted in unison, exiting the room to gather their equipment. "Just get the diagnosis done with, already."
"Yes sirs" I snapped a salute. "Right," I rubbed my hands together gleefully, grinning at Itachi "lie down, you. And let's get on with this." I paused and looked at Deidara. The blonde was still standing in his previous spot, but now he was sulking, glaring daggers at his rival.
If looks could kill, I sweatdropped. "Deidei, get me a bowl of boiled water and some cloth strips. Make it lukewarm" I ordered, rolling up my sleeves. "And also tell the other idiots, especially Hidan and Tobi that they can't come in here for the next 24 hours."
"…fine, un" he sounded really subdued.
"C'mon, Deidara" I propped my hands on my hips. "Once Itachi's recovered, you can challenge him and kick his ass and gloat about it. Until then, work with me here."
"Shut up, yeah" Deidara smirked, his confident swagger back in his walk.
"Who'll kick whose ass?" Itachi asked softly.
"Uh…well, you realize I only said that to get him to move…" Why is it that men are so proud? Jeez, he's about to undergo a surgery that'll determine his future as a shinobi, and he's worried about what I said!
"Moving on" I quickly changed the topic. "I'm going to examine your eyes, alright? It might feel weird, but bear with it. It shouldn't interact with any of the eye's normal functioning. It's just a check up."
"Alright."
I sent the tiniest amount of chakra to my hands, making sure that absolutely none of Youko's energy was mixed in it. It was a different to the normal chakra I used when I did ninjutsu. This was the calm, soothing energy that was kept in a different 'compartment' inside me. The first time I tried healing, I managed to widen the wound by rubbing off more layers of skin in, and around, the cut – all due to me naively assuming that there was only one type of chakra.
When healing, the chakra being used had to be continuously manipulated to move in a circular manner. This meant that it was 'fresh' chakra that was being provided to the treated spot at any given time. But this also meant that using the wrong type of chakra could have negative consequences of varying degrees of seriousness.
I learnt the hard way that normal chakra would act as a grinder on a skin. It was because it had a more coarse feeling to it. Using elemental chakra would be the same as using the element itself. In the case of ninjas who were predominantly water users, the effect would be like water flowing against the skin – that was if it was someone who's good giving only the slightest amount of chakra. If it was Kisame, I was fairly sure that the 'feeling' would be quite different – something closer to a high speed jet stream scraping at the wound.
The third type of chakra was the healing chakra. Tsunade had emphasized to me that this was different from the other two, in that the presence of the healing chakra varied between people. Some, like Sakura and the hospital/field medics, had easy access to abundant amounts of it, and their bodies were naturally able to convert the normal everyday chakra into the healing type. But others like Naruto had not a single drop of the healing chakra. And finally there were people like me who had a small store, one that was a fraction of the size that Sakura had. Of course, it is possible to train and build up the storage size of the chakra, as it was with normal chakra, but only those serious about doing medic work ever really thought about it. After all, in order to build up chakra used for treating wounds and illnesses would mean that it would be less time on missions, and more days in the wards of the hospital.
Initially, I had started off with less than a quarter of the amount that Sakura had, when she was first apprenticed under Tsunade. When I told the Godaime about wanting to learn more about healing, focusing on the eyes, she had me repeat the basic training exercises under Sakura's eye. After about three weeks of this, my pink-haired sensei managed to convince her mentor that I was good enough to help with the minor cases at the hospital. Tsunade and Shizune reacted like we were telling her that I was going to take over all the hospitals in the Elemental Nations. Needless to say, it took me two months to convince Shizune that I didn't suck at treating so much that I would accidently kill people who came in to get their sprained ankle or wrist healed.
All through the drama of moving up the ranks of medics, I could physically feel my different chakras growing: especially the everyday-blue chakra and the healing chakra. Sometimes I got tingly feelings shivering down my arms and legs, right to the tips of my fingers and toes, giving me goosebumps along the way. The first few times, it left me staring at my digits for a few minutes, wondering if I was falling sick. Eventually, I figured that it was my body's reaction to the increasing energy inside me.
"Whew" I whistled, finishing the examination and taking my fingers away from Itachi's temples. He opened his graying eyes slowly, and blinked a few times. "You've really outdone yourself" I scolded the Uchiha, hands propped on hips.
"How bad?" he smiled softly, in a sad and slightly defeated way.
"Your retina's scorched real bad, which is the real reason you're going blind. The sensory rods and cones cells are drying up 'cause of the heat from chakra constantly moving through the chakra path on the eyeball. It's 'cause the Mangekyou uses more chakra, so your body doesn't have enough time to heal the damage it causes" I sighed. "I don't know if I'll be able to help the cells regrow."
"What do you plan on doing?"
I chewed my bottom lip, trying to think of the least risky, but most effective, treatment I could give Itachi. Regrowing cells…even Sakura has trouble doing that.
Why not just heal the already existing ones?Youko murmured.
They're not in great shape. I'm not sure how long they would be able to hold out for, before Itachi needs to go through this again.
So you want a solution that'll have the life-long effect.
In a sentence, yep. "Got any suggestions?" I asked Itachi.
"You're the doctor" he answered, his tone amused.
"They're your eyes" I glared at him, annoyed at how calm he was being about the situation. "Work with me here, Itachi!"
"Everything's ready" the door burst open and Deidara came barrelling in, carry the items I asked him to get. He put the bowl of hot water on the little bedside table and placed a neat stack white cloth bundle next to it.
"Thanks, Deidei" I dipped the linen in the water, then gently placed them over Itachi's closed eyelids.
"What are you doing?" Sasori rasped from the doorway. "The room's ready" he added.
"Thanks" I repeated, pressing slightly on the cloth. "And this – the heat from the water'll relax his eyes. The muscles around the eyeball are probably tense at the moment."
"It certainly feels nice" Itachi murmured, his voice not that much louder than a breath of sigh.
"Well, if the room's ready, let's go" I grabbed hold of Itachi's arm and tugged him to his feet. The prodigy walked normally, his free arm by his side and the other keeping the cloth gently in place.
"Don't walk into walls now, yeah" Deidara smirked, making me whip around and flip the bird at him.
"I'm sure Kioko will be the most careful guide" Itachi's cool reply made me shiver.
"'Course" I chirped, knowing that Itachi could hold a grudge against anyone, and for however long it required. "The best."
"Whatever, yeah."
"Right now, I can only repair the still sorta useable cells you got" I told Itachi, laying my hands over his eyes. "It won't be permanent, so you'll have to come to me and get it treated regularly."
"This might not even be worth the effort, Kioko" he said quietly.
"Shuddup" I snarled, slapping his arm. "This's just a temporary solution, till I figure out how to regrow the dead cells. After that, I'll put some sort of a barrier between the chakra path and the retina – reduce the beating it gets. Actually, I think I'll do that now."
Itachi sighed silently.
"U-chi-ha" I growled, annoyed at his 'this is a waste of time' attitude. "I don't give a flying fuck if you say you're gonna rip out your eyes in the next twenty four hours. I'm treating them, whether you approve of it or not."
Itachi chuckled. "Even if you cure my eyes…" his voice trailed off. I bit my lip, knowing exactly where he was headed.
"I can't cure your disease," I admitted, my chest clenching painfully "but that doesn't mean I won't do everything in my power to help you get that help from someone else."
"Hn."
I felt my eyes moisten. "You know what? Just zip it, weasel boy. You're not allowed to say anything else other than answers to my question from now on."
"Hn" he repeated, this time with a smirk.
"Laugh it up, Uchiha" I huffed, pleased that we'd dropped the earlier subject. "Hmm…" my eyes narrowed in thought.
"What?"
I held up a finger. "Gimme a second" I mumbled, trying to sort through the facts and figures flashing through my head. I muttered under my breath, ticking things off on my fingertips.
What do you think? I asked Youko, showing her what I came up with.
Plausible she admitted. But I can't say for certain. I'm not a medic or anything.
True.
"What're you doing, un?" Deidara waved a hand in front of my face.
"Not now" I smacked the appendage away, rounding on Sasori as the puppeteer carried a bundle of bandages in. "Sasori, you got any petri dishes around?"
"Some what?"
"Small round glass containers. You grow things in 'em."
"Zetsu has some, I think" Kakuzu said. "Why do want them?"
"Just a thought," I shrugged "but can either of you do a transplant sur-" I broke off, laughing sheepishly at Kakuzu's 'are you stupid' look.
"You were saying?"
"Eh hehehe," my hand jumped to the back of my neck "um, yeah. I was thinking that we grow some retinal tissue in the dishes and transplant 'em into Itachi's eyes. Even if I do cure whatever I can, I doubt he'll be able to see any better. "
Sasori raised an insultingly surprised eyebrow. "That's a possibility" the puppeteer said in a slightly shocked tone. "I thought you were just making up your little doctor credentials."
"You're such a bastard" I deadpanned, smacking Deidara's shoulder as he laughed at his partner's comment. "Baka bomber, go do something useful and get a few dishes and nutrient gel from Zetsu."
"What gel?" the males in the room blinked in confusion.
"Oh my god" I groaned, shooting Kakuzu and Sasori incredulous looks. "It's basic biology. Nutrient gel's the basic growth medium used."
"Huh?"
I slapped a hand to the forehead. "Just go and tell Zetsu. I'm sure he'll know what I'm talking about."
"Fine" the blonde huffed, stalking out of the room.
It was definitely one of the weirdest dreams I've ever had. Yeah, it definitely belonged in the top ten, probably taking a place at five, right under one I had about how my furniture came to life and started to bully me. Like I said, weird.
I'd pretty much been knocked out from working on Itachi all day and night yesterday, and barely managed to stagger into Deidara before conking out. And now here I was, peacefully floating in the sunshine, surrounded by flowers, when out of now where a book hits me. Yes, I was hit – hard – on the head, by a book, while I was dreaming. Even for something out of Narutoland, that's strange.
Anyway, me being me, picked up the IFO (identified flying object) and first thing that registers in my head is that it was a manga – and not just any old manga. Oh no, it was a volume of Naruto. I sat there for ages, staring dumbfounded at the cover. Finally, I looked around, half expecting someone to pop up out of the field of daisies, screaming 'Surpise' or something along those lines. When nothing of that sort happened, I decided to do what any other manga fan would, and started to read it.
It was obviously one that started several chapters later to where I'd finished last. The first page showed a huge turtle, being flown through the clouds by the Tsuchikage. I blinked and felt a laugh bubbling up as the old Kage complained about his back. Then I frowned, re-reading one line:
"How dumb are you, Akatsuchi? That giant snake would just track us down again!"
Back up! I squinted at the words. Giant snake?!
When there was no answer forthcoming, I shrugged and flipped the page. "Might as well see what's coming" I muttered. Apparently there was a deity who wanted me to see the future structured by Kishimoto.
In the following few minutes I immersed myself in the book, trying to memorize each and every panel and dialogue. I don't know if there was a God who actually wanted me to change the storyline, but whatever the case, I was able to remember each and every detail of every page, after just one look. It reminded me of how Sasuke showed me the Sharingan's memorization ability.
I reached the end of the volume and sat back with a sigh. "Well, shit" was all that came to mind. I rubbed my forehead, feeling even confused with all my thoughts jumbling up.
"What to do?" I wondered out loud, scowling as I pictured Kabuto's snake-y form. The bloody guy's a menance! I punched the ground, a frustrated growl escaping me.
"I see you're here too" I tripped and did an exceptional face-plant. Kaida roared with laughter and I glared at her as Emiko silently picked up the volume.
"What're you two doing here?!" I screeched, pointing wildly at them.
"Don't ask me" Kaida held her hands up. "Last thing I remember, I was hitting the sack."
"The fuck?" a male voice joined us and I felt my eyeballs almost fall out of their sockets as I watched Akira, Mai and Mitsu walk towards us – well it was more like Mai sprinted and the two guys slouched. Frozen with shock of seeing all my best friends, I didn't react as Mai hurled herself at me, knocking both of us onto the grass, all the while shrieking her guts out.
"OH MY GOD! KIOKO! I MISSED YOU!" thankfully her attention turned to someone else just before my eardrums gave up. "KAIDA!"
"Oh shit" was all Kaida managed before being tackled. I cackled, happy beyond belief being back in the familiar routine.
"Hello, my lovlies" Mitsu beamed as us girls jumped him and Akira. After giving each of the boys appropriate amount of affection, the six of us sat on the grass, chatting away like the good old days.
"What the hell's with this?" Kaida finally broached the topic, waving an arm around. "This's one crazy dream."
"Uh huh" Mai and I nodded in unison.
"Strange or not, I think it's pretty clear why we're all here" Akira pointed out dryly. He held up a volume of Naruto.
"Hey! I got one, too" Mai proudly held up her copy.
"Ditto" the rest of us agreed.
"Looks like we all got different ones" Emiko noted, pointing at the different covers.
"I got the first volume." I flipped it open to the page to show the conversation between now-scaly-Kabuto and Tobi. "Orochimaru strikes again" I snorted, thrusting the book into Emiko's face.
"Nice look" Kaida complimented sarcastically, mouth twisting as she read the dialogue. "As if a crazy Sannin and Voldemort weren't enough."
"God, that's not even funny" Mitsu groaned, slapping his forehead.
"He's got a point" I laughed. "This world's nuts enough without having to add witches, wizards and J. to it."
"Hey!" Mai compared the spines of two books. "It's the next volume!"
"What?" I snatched the book, furiously examing the cover. Sure enough, there was 516 printed boldly in colour. "I'm reading this." By some unspoken consent, the six of us hunched over the volumes we were 'provided'. It was dead silent for a while, before Akira closed his book with a sigh.
"What do you make of that?" he asked his fellow brainiac (i.e. Emiko).
"Interesting" was what he got. I watched them closely; they were the smartest of six of us.
"I don't see how this would help any of us" Mitsu laid back on the grass. "I mean, only Mai and Kioko'll be able to use this…whatever you wanna call it."
"Premonition?" I offered. "And you know that's not true. The entire freaking ninja world's going to war."
"Mitsu's got a point" Emiko pulled her knees up to her chest. "If we use what we got, then the war might not even take place."
"Wouldn't that be nice" Kaida smirked.
"Yeah…but then that'll also mean no Shinobi Alliance" I pulled at my bottom lip. "Kinda a shame."
"Somehow I don't think we're here to plan a G8 Summit" Akira rolled his eyes at me.
"It's not just the Alliance" Emiko shook her head. She had her dead serious expression; it was the one she used on us when we were studying for our end-of-year exams. It was better for everyone if we got down to whatever business needed taking care of – she had…creative…ways of taking care of the lazy workers.
"Naruto meets Killer Bee, and befriends him due to the Alliance" she got up and started to pace a circle around us. "That's how he finds out how to control Kyuubi's – sorry, Kurama's – chakra."
"A common enemy, huh?" I snorted.
"So…do we go along with the plot, or what?" Kaida cracked her knuckles, one at a time. She flexed her hands a couple of times before raising a questioning eyebrow at Emiko.
I switched between staring at her and Akira, waiting for them to give an answer. The tension rose; even Mai was wearing an uncharacteristically grave face, clutching a volume of the manga.
"Kioko, you're probably going to hate me for this, but I reckon we should just let the story go on as Kishimoto's drawn it" Akira sighed and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.
"You mean, let him kill off the Akatsuki?" I whispered, understanding the reason behind his apology.
"Sorry…"
"I agree" Emiko knelt beside me and gripped my shoulders. "I really sorry, Kio chan," I started at the rarely used nickname "but they are the bad guys. And we knew that in the end Konoha and gang would win."
"But that doesn't mean they have to die, does it?!"
"Unless you can make Pein change his mind, I can't see anyway of keeping everyone happy."
I froze, mind trying to comprehend the inevitability of my criminal family. "…if I can convince Pein-"
"Think about it, Kioko" Kaida's voice was harsh and she glared at me. "Making Pein change his attitude towards the world is about as easy as converting Hidan from Jashinism. Don't forget that Naruto's one in a million. You aren't him. Sorry if I sound like a complete bitch, but I personally don't see you being able to change Pein's mind. If anything, I think the main reason why Nagato backed off from Naruto was because of Jiraya – he most likely felt that since Naruto was Jiraya's student also he could trust his word."
"So basically you're saying that anything I say would be pointless because I don't have a personal connection with Pein?" I gave a bitter laugh.
"I don't think that's-"
I shook my head. "Nah, I get it" I clenched my hands. "It makes sense."
There was a rustling noise and I felt a pair of arms wrap around me. I sighed and leant into Mai, finding comfort in her warmth.
"Fine" I muttered after a few moments of stillness. "I won't interfere with the story. For now."
"Whaddaya mean, 'for now'?" Mitsu blurted.
I pressed my lips together, choosing my words carefully. "I won't jump in and alter everything."
"…but…" Emiko prompted.
"If it involves their lives, I'm not gonna not do anything" I looked fiercely at my friends. "Do you really think that they all deserve to die?"
The other five looked at each other and gave a sigh in unison. Mai giggled and gave me a squeeze. "That's so like you, Kioko chan" she sang, kissing my cheek.
"Well, you lot know me too well" I shrugged, grinning at them.
"Yeah, we do" Akira said it like it was a bad thing. "Have fun playing the superhero to Naruto-land's biggest and most dangerous criminal organization" he gave a mocking salute, tapping two fingers to his forehead.
"Aw, and I thought you didn't care."
"Just call if you need help" Kaida rolled her eyes. "You know Gaara'll do whatever he can."
"Oh, yeah!" I had a lightbulb moment. "That's right. He's met the art duo!"
"Still the lame memory, I see."
"Shut up" I pouted. "Oh, by the way, they say hi."
Kaida raised an eyebrow.
"I just said that on their behalf" I admitted. "Although, Deidara kept asking me a few things about the Kazekage…"
"That's another friend on the redhead's list" Mitsu snickered. "Nice to see that it's growing."
"Don't be mean, you poopie" Mai launched at Mitsu and the two rolled around on the grass.
We digressed from the sombre topic of the war and the impending trouble that was looming in the horizon, and turned to playing around in the remaining time we had together in this mind-space reality. While Mai, Mitsu and Kaida ran around like they were being chased by a severely pissed off Hidan, the rest of us chose to sit around and laugh at the trio of idiots and our sweet memories from our previous world.
Slowly (almost too slowly for it to be a 24hr day), the light faded and I felt my eyes droop.
"Why the hell am I so tired?" Akira yawned, ruffling his hair.
"I think time's up" Emiko sighed, gripping my hand as she curled up against Kaida.
"Aw, man" Mitsu grabbed Mai tightly around the waist, and slumped on the grass. The six of us huddled together in a jumble, all managing to make some form of contact with the other five.
"I hope I get to see you guys soon" I whispered, tucking my head against Akira's shoulder.
"Mm hmmm" a few voices mumbled. The sleepiness was now overpowering me, and I fell asleep, still tucked up in the warmth of my friends' bodies.
"I am sending Hidan and Kakuzu to collect a bounty today" Pein interlocked his fingers and leant back in his chair. He fixed his Rinnegan eyes on me. "You are to accompany them."
"They've gotta listen to what I say, though" I said. "I'm not complaining, but Hidan's right pain in the ass sometimes, and if he was mortal, he would've died over two hundred times in the last week alone."
Konan gave a delicate cough, her eyes twinkling.
"Yes, I suppose that's true" Pein's lips tilted up a small smirk. "That's why you'll be going with Itachi."
I paused, processing the new piece of information. "Fair enough," I shrugged, seeing the logic behind the choice. "We could always knock Hidan out using the Sharingan, and Kakuzu'll listen to whatever Itachi has to say."
"Precisely" Leader nodded meaningfully at the door. "You can go and inform the three of their tasks. And also, you'll be in charge."
"…are you trying to kill me?" I asked flatly. "In case you forgot, Sasori had a fit the last time you did this, and it's thanks to him attacking me at the base that I was able to get out of the skirmish alive. Hidan doesn't have restraints."
"So you are afraid of him."
"Astute, Pein" I replied sarcastically. "Really, your observational skills are godlike."
"Hn."
"The guy's an immortal, and I was barely a mid-level Jounin when I first came to the base" I rolled my eyes. "Is your genius mind having trouble picking up a possible death here?!"
Konan sighed and shifted in her place, drawing both of our attention to her. "She is right" she reminded her partner softly. "Leaving her alone with Hidan may end in dire consequences."
"Hence the reason I'm sending Itachi with her" Pein scowled at me. "I believe one bodyguard is enough."
I sighed deeply. "I'm sorry" I told the leader. "I'm not trying to sound like a princess needing an entourage. It's just that, yes, I'm still a little nervous about being with Hidan. Especially when there's a battle guaranteed."
"Understandable" Pein allowed after pause.
I nodded. "Well, if that's all…"
"Yes, you're dismissed."
"You're going with Uchiha, again, un" Deidara's face was soured, pinched together in a scowl. I giggled and lightly slapped his cheek.
"Don't look so cute, Deidei" I coped a pillow to the face. "It's a mission. 'Sides, Itachi's only coming along to keep Hidan in line."
The bomber's lips pressed together tightly and he watched me move around the room, collecting things to put into my backpack. "Is this anything like what you did for me and Danna in Suna?"
I smiled and sat next to him on my bed. "If it is?"
Deidara grabbed my hand and stared seriously into my eyes. "Kioko, promise that you'll be careful, yeah?" I was taken aback at how intense his look was. "You gotta look after yourself. Make yourself first priority, alright? The two immortals are idiots, un – Hidan's not gonna worry about you while he's fighting, and Kakuzu gets really hotheaded after a while, yeah. They're not gonna be watching you all the time."
"That's why Itachi's coming with us" I reminded the blonde. "He'll look after me."
"He just got his eyes fixed" the bomber snapped, looking rather irritated. "He's as good as useless, yeah."
"Don't say that" I punched his shoulder and got off the bed, pulling the blanket out from underneath him. Quickly, I folded it into a neat square and sealed it into one of the two storage scrolls Kisame had bought for me in his last mission. "As long as he doesn't have to use the Sharingan extensively, it'll be healed in no time."
"But it's not a permanent thing, is it?"
I sighed. "No," I admitted "it's just something to get him used to not having to pump chakra through his eyes 24/7. Once the cells've grown, Kakuzu'll have to help me transplant them into his eyes."
"And then?"
"…and then…we'll see where we go from there" I smiled.
Deidara snorted. He stood up and rolled his neck, giving a soft grunt as it popped. "I still don't like you going off with only those three" he frowned. "Maybe I'll get a mission and 'stop by' on the way."
Immediately I grabbed his arm. "Don't you dare" I warned the blonde. "I've already got three big babies to look after. I don't need to add you to the list of worries."
"Yeah, right" Deidara scoffed. "Like it would be you worrying about me, chibi chan."
"I'm serious, Deidara" I tightened my grip. "If you even think about leaving the base before we're back, I'll stop talking to you."
"Fine, fine" the bomber grumbled, muttering about overdramatic women. "Anyway, get going, yeah. It's almost time for you to leave."
The two of us strolled to the entrance, noting the crowd gathered near the doorway-boulder. I saw, with some pleasure that Sasori and Zetsu were there, along with the usual crowd.
"Aw, another farewell party" I laughed, catching Konan in a one-armed hug around the waist. The bluette smiled and wrapped a replying arm around my shoulder. "Geez, guys, you're making me get all sentimental" I pretended to wipe my eye.
"Shut up, brat" Sasori said in a conditioned response, his tone very different from its usual apathetic self. The puppeteer was watching me closely, and his expression was more neutral than his usual cold deadpanned look.
"Stop talking" Black Zetsu ordered, before complaining to his White counterpart. "I really don't see the reason why you wanted to come here."
I sniggered listening to White Zetsu defend his actions, and turned to smirk at Hidan. The immortal was bouncing impatiently from one foot to the other, and his scythe was swing in random motions in his agitated hand.
"Eager?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Fuck yeah" he beamed back fiercely. "It's been too fucking long since I got a mission."
"What 'bout you, Kakuzu?" I asked the miser.
While his eyes weren't as bright as his pale partner's, there was a strange crackling aura around the money grubber. "It's a bounty hunt – of course" he said it in a you-should've-known-this-already-stupid kind of voice.
"You are ready to leave, Kioko chan?" Itachi asked softly from behind me. I spun around and beamed at the Uchiha.
"Itachi! How're your eyes?" I asked, hands reaching out to touch his face.
"Much better, thanks to you" he smiled, catching hold of my fingers. He tilted his head, and I saw the clearing grey orbs. "I can see a lot better without the Sharingan."
"They look better, too" I squeezed his hands in joy. "I'm telling you, once I've finished that operation, you're gonna feel like you got a brand new pair of eyeballs."
"I look forward to it" he chuckled.
"You are all here" Pein stated, making a show of striding regally down the hallway. I rolled my eyes at the theatrics, deciding to keep my mouth shut. "Good."
"Any last words of advice, oh mighty leader sama?!" I mocked bowed. Hidan and Kisame gave short chuckles, while Pein replied with an icy glare.
"Kioko…" Konan raised her eyebrows in a matronly scolding, but her lips gave the faintest of smiles. "Behave."
"I'm sorry, Pein sama" I conceded, bowing my head towards the redhead. "But seriously, any last instructions?"
"Make this mission a success" he said it to group as a whole, but the Rinnegan was fixated on me, silently informing all present that he was directing that at me alone. "We'll be expecting you in less than a week."
"Week, shmeek" Hidan 'psh'-ed. "We won't take two fucking days."
"…dismissed" Pein wisely decided to ignore his subordinate's contemptuous answer. He gave a grave nod and walked back into the darkened corridor, presumably to his office. Konan swiftly gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, before following her partner.
"Good luck, brat" Sasori grunted, his brown eyes narrowed at me. "Uchiha" he nodded to Itachi, a silent message passing between the two. "Here," the puppeteer put a syringe of dark liquid in my hand "let's see if you can manage to handle that without killing yourself."
"Thanks, Sasori" I smiled and hugged his wooden body, tucking the poison into my kunai holster. I doubt I'd need it, though.
Better safe than sorry, Youko said.
"See you soon, chibi chan" Kisame grinned feral-like at me, a giant hand ruffling my hair. I giggled and reached around the man as much as possible and gave him a squeeze. "You too, Itachi" he added dipping his head towards his partner.
"Kisame" Itachi replied quietly, acknowledging the sentiment.
I turned to Zetsu, staggering to a side as Tobi side-tackled me. "Kioko chaa~aan!" he wailed, clinging to me. "I'll miss you!"
"Me too, Tobi dearest" I smiled, unable to keep from liking his childish antics. "Do you mind getting off me so that I can give Zetsu his goodbye kiss?"
"Don't you dare" both sides of the plant-man warned, backing away from me. They merged halfway into the wall before pausing. "See you later" White Zetsu gave me a small smile, before disappearing.
"It's just you left, Dei" I informed the frowning bomber. Blue eyes were roaming over my travel companions, resting on Itachi for a few seconds longer than the other two.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah" he smirked at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, while the other ripped Tobi off me and threw him down the corridor. "Stay safe, alright, un?"
"Oh, Deidara" I laughed, rolling my eyes. "You worry like a mother."
"Shut up, yeah" he gave a playful scowl. He put both hands on my head and gave a rough scuffle, eliciting a yelp from me. I glared and puffed a strand of my now messy hair out of my eyes, loving the laughing blonde even more. I screwed up my face and stuck a tongue out when I saw him laugh at my look.
"Shall we, gentlemen?" I raised an eyebrow at Hidan, Kakuzu and Itachi.
"Let's go" Hidan slammed a hand onto the boulder, activating the jutsu to open the doorway. I put up a hand to shield my eyes against the glare of the bright outside. Phase two…wish me luck, guys, I sent out silently to my other-worldly friends.
I looked away from the corpse hanging off Kakuzu's shoulder. Even after spending so long in the ninja world, I couldn't stomach the sight of bluish white bodies lying still with their blank staring eyes piercing through the soul of anyone who met their empty gaze.
"Here" the miser grunted, jerking his head towards the building in front of us.
"The toilet" I groaned, slapping a hand to my head. "Yeah, don't expect me to walk in there with you."
"There's no one around" Itachi said, his expression dead serious.
"…I'm not going in" I enunciated, folding my arms. "And you can't make me."
Kakuzu and the weasel exchanged glances before coming to a silent agreement.
"Hidan, let's go" the stitched man ordered, adjusting the bulk in his arms.
"Why the fuck do I have to come?!" the Jashinist demanded.
"Because I said so" black threads shot out and wrapped themselves around the immortal's ankles, wrists and chest, heaving the silver haired man off his feet, and dragging him into the building.
"Um, ok" I called out belatedly after the duo. "We'll – uh – just wait here, then…"
"Hidan" I waved to the man as he exited the building, his nose scrunched up in disgust. "Where's Kakuzu?"
"The fucker's counting the fucking bounty money" he scowled, rubbing a finger under his nose. "Shit, the place stinks like rotting bodies."
"Yeah, probably 'cause it's a morgue" I mumbled, swallowing to get rid of the bitter taste in my mouth. "Anyway, go get him, now. We gotta leave."
"What's got your fucking panties in a bunch?" Hidan scowled.
I hopped from one leg to the other. I really don't want to be going against Shikamaru, Asuma, Kotestsu and Izumo. Man, these two are just right pains in the butt. "Hidan, please. Just go get Kakuzu."
"Shit, I spend five fucking minutes in the hell hole, and now my clothes totally reek" Hidan took a sniff of the arm of his cloak, completely ignoring me.
"Hidan!" I yelled, before gasping as Itachi grabbed my arm in a vice-like grip and jerked me back onto a tree branch. "Itachi, what-"
The sudden clang of metal on metal drew my attention back to the stairs of the building, my breath catching in my throat as I saw Asuma engage with Hidan.
Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT!
So, there you have the next chapter ^_^
Yeah, ok, so I've come kinda prepared to face the wrath of my lovely fic followers. And I don't blame you; I'd be furious too if an author just disappeared for a year without warning. So, I apologize...very sincerely. If any of you are actually interested in the reason behind my hibernation, it's that I pretty much went brain dead, and couldn't think of which way to carry this story. I'm currently stuck on chapter 23, and haven't gotten past the point I'm at right now since five months ago.
But the readers don't care about the excuses! They want the end product, and I shall endeavour to satisfy ;P
Also, thank you to the new subscribers and the reviews I've recieved during this past year. Cheers guys, you've kept reminding me to keep trying.