Hope you have all recovered from the cliff hanger. Hehe... I'm so cruel!
Part 25 - "Youth"
Madara's eyes widened in shock. Why was all his chakra being drained away? He tried once more to progress his jutsu, but the harder he tried, the faster his chakra drained, leaving nothing to show for his efforts. The sky darkened all around him, the clouds roiling and thunder rumbling above. Ino glanced at Pein curiously but he shook his head. This storm wasn't his doing. Hidan stood suddenly, his eyes focused on the growing rift in the clouds, his eyes wide.
Ino risked a slight whisper. "Hidan... what's the matter?"
His mouth stretched into his usual confident grin. "That bastard is gonna get what's coming to him, little fuck." He watched with an even wider smile as the clouds circled slowly, lightning crackling above and wind picking up all around them. Madara's glance grew more and more worried, his chakra draining more by the second. In a last ditch, he canceled his jutsu, withdrawing the energy and crouching low to the ground, completely confused by the sufdden shift in the sky. Pein didn't have enough chakra for this, and neither did Kakuzu or Ino. They were the only ones who could do this.
The ground pulsed beneath them, shuddering as it cracked slightly. Madara looked genuinely worried. Ino crouched low to the ground, ready to keep stable in case of an earthquake. She looked sidelong at Sasori. "Who could be doing this?"
He only shook his head, just as startled as the rest of them. Hidan laughed loudly, raising his hand up to the sky as he glared at Madara. "See, shit-head? I told you to watch your tongue." Hidan seemed to be the only one on the field who had a clue what was going on, and as a sudden shaft of light shot from the clouds, his smile lit up in the glow. "Yo, Ino, can you hold that bastard down?"
She stared up at him with slight confusion before nodding. "Right." Her lightning chakra strings were barely visible with her chakra so terribly drained, but she had just enough to immobilize Madara. "But what's going on?"
He tilted his head arrogantly and pointed to the sky. "All you heathens are gonna get to watch what Jashin-sama does to the unworthy!" Before she could ask him to clarify, a sudden shifting of the wind caused the vegetation to swirl in the opposite direction, the clouds extending to the ground in almost a funnel, reaching down to the earth where Madara lay trapped. Pein stood slowly, his mind spinning from the implications caused by this. Jashin was obviously real, why else would Hidan live through every decapitation? And yet the deity himself seemed so distant and unreal, he never really took stock in Hidan's words.
Sakura had passed out next to Ino before, but had revived in time to hear about the wrath of Jashin. How could this be real? How could this happen? Was it a miracle? Kakuzu chuckled under his breath as he watched his partner. So Jashin really did care about his servant. Madara's eyes widened with disbelief as a bolt of lightning struck just next to him, startling him out of his thoughts. The holy man really did have a god watching him...
A pale shadowy form appeared from the clouds, an ethereal finger stretched out before him as he drew close to Madara. With merely a touch, Madara's entire body burst into flame, his cries too loud for any of them to bear. Hidan had drawn a ritual marking on the ground just before, kneeling to pray as the deity took Madara's soul to Hell. The body was engulfed in only moments by an unreal glowing fire, the entirety of his body disappearing seconds after the invocation. He disappeared into the flames quickly, but they all knew that much worse was waiting for him on the other side.
The deity Jashin approached Hidan slowly, looking down on his servant kindly. "That is all for today, Hidan. Do not complete your ritual."
Hidan bowed his head, never looking up into his eyes. "No sweat, Jashin-sama."
He placed his hand on Hidan's head. "You have disappointed me. However..." His eyes glanced to the place where Madara had been. "He was unworthy, and did not deserve purification. All is forgiven." He turned to leave, but as if on a whim, his eyes flicked over at Pein casually. With hesitation, his figure turned and he glanced at Sasori and Ino. That girl had held on to Madara even in her weakened state... She had figured out the man's weakness laying in his armor, then figured out how he had managed to live so long. It seemed that her intelligence surpassed most of the intellects of the rest of the group. "You there!"
Ino didn't look up but she gulped hastily. "Y-yes...?"
A low chuckle resounded from his ethereal form, a strange celestial mist covering the ground before him. "Tell me... what would you ask of me?"
Her eyes finally met his vacant ones, not sure if she had heard right. "What?"
"There is something you need that only I can give... am I correct? Wish it, and it shall be done as a reward for your deeds."
"Why me? Surely there is someone worth more to you..." She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Hidan's deity was offering her a free request?
He sighed impatiently. "Don't make me wait, child. Make your request now or I will be done with you."
She nodded hastily, trying to think of what he had figured out about her internal desires. What did she need more than anything else that only he could give? Well, she didn't dare make him wait. He was even more impatient than Sasori! Her eyes flicked to the puppet master, softening as she thought about him. His impatience was legendary, but now he waited patiently for her to speak. That was when she made up her mind. "Jashin-sama... please help Sasori."
Jashin's eyes widened with surprise. He had expected her to ask for immortality like so many other mortals had. Perhaps he would have granted it to her after her performance, in exchange for service to him. Just like Hidan had done. And yet she had asked for something completely selfless and just. He had to admit, she was one surprising ninja. "Very well. Sasori..." He turned to the redhead suddenly. "Your body is a blight upon this earth, and if you agree, I shall return you to your original form. She has made her wish, and I suggest you hurry and make your desires known."
Sasori had just been floored by Ino's selfless request, and here he was, floored again by what Jashin was offering. Regain his human form? He would die, just like all humans did once their bodies withered. But he could remember how to live, how to love, how to feel... he could touch others and feel the heat of their skin. What was everlasting life if he could not even enjoy it? It was... better to be a fleeting and yet beautiful masterpiece. For once he understood Deidara's perspective. "I will... accept the offer." He watched Ino's eyes widen from the corner of his eyes before Jashin spoke again.
"Very well." His hand stretched out to touch Sasori's brow as light filled the clearing, Jashin's astral aura overwhelming the entire party into unconsciousness...
"Hokage-sama!" Shikamaru nearly broke down her door (again) as he rushed into her office, panting heavily as his wide eyes struggled to look up at her.
She stood suddenly, surprised to see him alive and in fairly healthy condition. "How... Where is Sakura?"
He paused just long enough to catch his breath. "They're all in Amekagure, fighting Uchiha Madara, last I saw. I was released not long after the battle started, but she stayed behind to help. I came back as fast as I could."
She glanced up at the clock in her office. Only mid-afternoon. If the fight had started that morning, he really HAD come here at top speed! And then his statement hit her. "Uchiha Madara...? But he was killed by the first, how can that be?" She vaguely remembered her grandfather's closest friend and ally back in the old days, the raven haired man with the red metal armor, his smile kind and considerate. And then he had turned on the village, then supposedly killed... How could he still be alive?
"I don't know either, but he had the sharingan, and he was wearing a long set of metal armor, tinted red. We have to go help Sakura! Akatsuki is fighting him right now, he turned out to be their actual leader and they want to correct what he has done to the organization. I don't know what to believe anymore, but... Ino said something about making the world right again. I really think they meant it."
She sat back down noisily, trying to absorb all this information. Red tinted armor and the sharingan... that sounded like Madara. So apparently he had lived. This curiosity would have to wait until after the battle. If he truly was back, he was not only a threat to Akatsuki but a threat to Konoha. Helping the Akatsuki was out of the question, even if they had seen the error of their ways. What if they intended to actually help the world? They were still the Akatsuki for the moment, and nothing would change that. "Shikamaru... you know as well as I do that we can't help Akatsuki. Sakura is there helping of her own accord, and I hate to say it, but we need to leave things the way they are."
His eyes widened. "But she could be hurt, or worse... From what little of the battle I saw, Madara was a formidable shinobi. Even with all the other Akatsuki there, Sakura could get killed! And now you're saying... we can't do anything?"
A soft sigh escaped her lips, her eyes fixated on the table. "Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying. All we can do is hope that they defeat Madara."
Sasori stirred slightly, voices all around him muttering with a worried tone. The first thing he noticed was the pain. It was all through his... body? Wait... His eyes opened slowly, glancing up at the ceiling of the medical ward as two female voices called for medical equipment. A low male voice chimed in from time to time, answering their requests and reaching over the table. His heavily stitched face glanced down at Sasori, his grin widening as Kakuzu tilted his head. "Don't move yet, Sasori. We can't be sure how your restored body will react just yet."
He only nodded slightly in confirmation as he mentally assessed his situation. So Hidan's deity had done what he said he would. He had restored his puppet body back to flesh and bone, the way it was when he was fourteen. Along with it came the liabilities of the body, but on the other hand it would restore his emotions. Would it hinder him or would it help him heal his heart at long last? Ino looked down at him next, relieved that he was aware. "Hey, can you hear me?" At his nod, she heaved a sigh of relief. "Good. I trusted him to do what he said he would, but I couldn't help but worry. Can you feel this?" She touched his leg with her finger firmly and he nodded. "Interesting... It's a mystery, just like Hidan's immortality. None of it makes sense. I suppose it really is a miracle."
Sasori nodded again and took note of his body. His heart was beating regularly, and he could feel the breath in his lungs. He hadn't felt this way in so long... "Ino..." Even his voice felt different, though he managed to make it come out in his usual low tone.
"Hey, don't talk yet, I haven't finished analyzing your body. Just get some rest."
He shook his head slowly. "I'm fine. It just feels... strange."
"Well..." She looked over the chart she had been scribbling her notes on. "So far everything seems to be normal. It will take a little while to get used to your body again, but aside from that you should be back on your feet soon."
He struggled to coordinate himself well enough to sit up. Kakuzu quickly held his arm behind the redhead's back to steady him and Ino rolled her eyes at his stubborn nature. Sakura immediately turned around and scoffed. "Hey, you really need to rest now!"
Ino chuckled lightly. "Don't bother, he won't listen."
Sasori smirked slightly, curious at how good it felt to really feel his face make motion. "I feel fine."
Ino relented with a sigh. "Fine, fine. But at least let us help you back to your room. I don't see anything wrong with your body so far, but I need you to rest and get plenty to eat and drink! Promise me that much."
He smiled, the gesture feeling just as odd as the smirk. "I promise." He leaned against Kakuzu's arm gratefully, easing his legs over the side of the table, cautiously putting weight on them. It was so odd to feel his weight resting on legs that he could feel. With the help of Ino and Kakuzu, he managed to walk down the hall and into his studio where he was forced to lay down and rest. Well, he did promise. The short walk exhausted his slowly redeveloping muscles and he was glad for the rest, laying down with a thud.
As soon as the others left, Ino sat down beside him, moving his bangs away from his eyes much like she remembered him doing for her. Her gentle touch sparked something in him, and she saw that he was finally able to blush - and quite a bit at that! She only smiled down at him, keeping her voice quiet. "Are you upset, Sasori?"
He looked at her curiously. "Why would I be?"
"Well... I wasn't sure if you liked what happened to your body now."
He considered this carefully before replying. True, a real body required quite a bit of upkeep. As long as he maintained a healthy lifestyle, he should at least be able to live a long while. Most importantly, in that short time he would really know how he felt. "I don't regret agreeing to it. There are quite a few problems with a real body, but you know... I think Deidara had a point. Fleeting things can be just as beautiful as lasting things. As long as it has beauty, it doesn't matter how long it may last. I know I won't last as long as I would have before, but it was... unsatisfying. With this body I can finally know what it's like to feel things."
She brushed back his bangs again, leaving her hand in place. "Things like this?"
He smiled, the slight blush creeping onto his face again. "Yeah." She got the feeling that he would be a frequent blusher, and she secretly found that cute.
Her hand went down to his neck, rubbing a few tense areas she felt there, noticing that he felt the relief just as keenly. She absently wondered if... Well, there was one way to find out. Keeping her hand steady, she leaned down and kissed him lightly, glad that he no longer felt rigid under her hands. This time he felt warm and comfortable.
When she backed away, he blushed even deeper, but had a slight smile on his face. "You know what else, Ino?"
"What?"
"I think I love you." He was answered with a simple smile and another kiss, leaving the rest of the evening for silence.
A/N: Whew! Battle is done, and I hope you love the really weird plot twist. Next chapter will be a bit interesting too.