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Chapter Twenty-Four

A cold hard feeling settled in Hiraku's gut. Violet eyes flitted from one figure to another. One akatsuki, he counted, two akatsuki, three and four. Itachi and Kisame had been joined by Sasori and Deidara. When did I last update my will, the jinchuuriki wondered to himself. He tried to summon up a confident smile. "Don't you think this is overkill Itachi?"

"No," the single word carried almost a decade's worth of encounters, as well as a promise. They had no intention of letting Hiraku escape. He had slipped through their fingers too many times before.

The idea of defeating the four in a straight battle was laughable the demon vessel knew. The best he could hope for was a temporary escape. He began mentally running through his options. Hiraku would do almost anything to save his own life, even reveal some of his secrets. He would deal with the consequences later. It was just a matter of determining which would do the least damage. His gaze strayed over to his partner.

Steady green eyes looked back. Akira shared his partner's thoughts. The poison user was not at all confident of their chance of winning this battle. Still, he wasn't about to go down without a fight. That was something else the pair had in common.

Boom! A nearby explosion brought the partners attention fully to the matter at hand. Deidara laughed, "Art is a bang, un."

Sasori disagreed. "True art is eternal," he argued. Even in the middle of a battle, the pair continued their on-going debate. Unfortunately, it didn't affect their fighting ability. Joints creaked as the former Sand nin's puppets rose behind them. A flick of skilled fingers and they attacked.

For Hiraku and Akira, the fight was not so much a battle as a desperate fight to stay alive. Blow after blow was blocked or dodged as the pair struggled to hold off the four S-class missing nin. A brief lull came when Deidara addressed their prey.

"What do you think Hiraku-kun?" the blond asked. "Is art quick or long lasting?"

Kisame blinked. "Why are you asking him?" By watching his movements, one would have thought his sword weighed nothing. The shark-like man wielded it as easily as a katana.

Deidara casually flicked some hair out of his eyes. "He's a neutral party, un." The akatsuki all waited for the jinchuuriki's answer.

Hiraku was silent a moment before he spoke. "There is too little beauty in this world to dismiss either of your views." His eyes bled red, "and I, for one, wish to see more of it."

At first, Akira thought his partner was just changing his eyes for effect. Then he felt the chakra. The dark, malevolent power swirled around the younger ninja, surrounding him with a crimson corona. The battle was back on. The pair worked in tandem, combining their skills and talents. Still, even with Kyuubi's power, it wasn't enough. One by one more blows bypassed their guard. They were tiring.

The poison-user's breath came in harsh gasps. It was an effort to remain on his feet, much less defend himself. Hiraku's situation wasn't much better. Yes, he had access to an almost infinite amount of chakra, but there was only so much he could use at one time. After a certain point, the demonic chakra would start to rip his body apart.

Hiraku made his decision. "Akira, do you trust me?" It was the first time he had ever asked to question of his partner. Both of them had been betrayed, too often, to bring up the subject lightly. He was about to reveal one of his better held secrets, but he didn't care. It wasn't like it would do him any real harm. Besides, the only other option he could see was summoning Kyuubi.

"Yes," Akira was almost surprised by his answer. It had been a very long time since he had allowed himself to trust anyone.

That was all the demon vessel needed. He pulled a scroll from his belt and threw it into the air with all his strength. At the height of its arc, the scroll burst open. Its contents were spread miles around in every direction.

Itachi inhaled sharply as sharigan eyes identified the flying objects. They were three-pronged kunei. A long held theory of his was about to be confirmed. The Uchiha wondered when Naruto had found out.

Strong arms swept Akira off his feet before forming the proper seals. He should be able to transport another person, in theory. "Hiraishin no jutsu." The pair vanished in a brilliant flash of yellow light. There was no way to tell which direction they had gone.

The group stared at the empty spot a moment before Kisame groaned. "Kazama," he said softly. "Hiraku Kazama." How could I have missed it, the former Mist nin wondered to himself. Naruto had looked a great deal like his father when he was younger. Blond hair and blue eyes were not common in Konoha. Somehow though, he had never made the connection. Then again, neither had anyone else. It just goes to show how blind people can be.

"He got away again un," Deidara stated unnecessarily. There was nothing for it. They would just have to go back to headquarters and revise their plans, again. Privately, the blond wondered what other tricks the jinchuuriki had up his sleeves.

Else ware, Hiraku staggered under his partner's weight. He was burning out fast, but they were almost there. The shapeshifter staggered into the cave. Ironically, it was the same one that had once shielded Naruto in what seemed to be a lifetime ago. "Akira," he tried to rouse his partner. "You need to hide the entrance."

The genjutsu user managed to set up the illusion before passing out again. The brunette was skilled. Not even Itachi would see the entrance, as long as he had no reason to suspect anything was there. Hiraku didn't even try to rouse him. Instead, he promptly followed suit. Kyuubi would warn him if they were in danger.

The next day

The jinchuuriki's gaze was locked on a random point of the cave wall. That had been close, too close. The akatsuki had almost gotten him. Hiraku knew his fate if that ever happened, a slow and painful death. Gaara had spoken of it once, the soul deep agony as your very being was torn apart.

Clawed hands clenched and unclenched. It couldn't go on like this. For too long he had simply reacted. For all their talents, he and Akira were only two shinobi. The Akatsuki had nine members. He needed more allies, or at least a plan. Hiraku was seriously thinking of grabbing his partner and taking Gaara up on his offer. His fellow jinchuuriki would not betray him, and there were much worse places to live than Suna.

But no, a village was no guarantee of safety. He knew that. Besides, Sand had barely recovered from their last encounter with the akatsuki. Hiraku would not bring his problems to the doorstep of one of the few places that had ever truly welcomed him.

While Hiraku reflected upon his current circumstances, another pair of eyes watched him with concern. Akira carefully examined the shapeshifter's unusually serious demeanor. His partner was brooding. A distraction, the brunette decided. A faint smirk slid across the poison-users face. He knew just how to get the younger's mind off his problems.

Violet orbs blinked as the sound of shifting pots and pans filled their small sanctuary. He turned to look at his partner. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like," Akira answered. "I'm cooking dinner."

Oh no, Hiraku was across the cave in an instant, removing the dishes from the brunette's hands. "I don't think so," he stated. "I'll cook."

Akira tried to take them back. "I am perfectly capable . . ."

The shapeshifter interrupted him. "You are not. It's like you have anti-cooking karma or something."

A scowl crossed the poison-users face. "I am not that bad."

"Not that bad," Hiraku echoed. "I'm surprised your food isn't toxic." He paused to consider it. "Then again, maybe it is. It is only your constitution that kept you alive before we met."

"Hey!" Akira sounded outraged. "That is not true." He made a decent cup of tea.

"Is"

"Isn't"

"Is"

As they bickered, the former Grass nin mentally patted himself on the back. At least Hiraku was acting more like himself. Depression didn't suit the wild-haired ninja. Now he just need to figure out how the Hidden Villages had missed the fact Arashi Kazama had a child. Not to mention how Hiraku had ended up a missing nin.

FtAFtAFtAFtA

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