Good Girl: Rewrite

Eternal: Quick note to Hit the Snooze, e-mails don't really show up well on FF, and on the review it's a blank spot, so I couldn't really answer your questions that way, sorry bud.

Enjoy!

Chapter 25

Deidara and Sasori had surveyed the village at least a thousand times during the war. Dropping bombs and pulling chakra strings, it was actually quite fun. The best part of it all was that he was with his partner again.

He looked over his shoulder to see the puppeteer's soft red hair and brooding brown eyes watch the village below. His hand was also securely clutching the back of the blonde's cloak, for fear of falling to the ground, thousands of feet below them. Deidara smiled to himself. It was great to have his teammate back again; it stabilized his world once more.

"The Hokage's up to something," noted Sasori. He pointed at the top of the namesake tower to show the blonde leader and the small army she had gotten together. His blonde eyebrows pulled together in thought.

"Never liked her much, un," he said as his hand munched up a clump of clay. It spit out a small bird a moment later.

"It looks like they're trying a combination attack," deduced Sasori. "We should get out of here." The younger artist smirked.

"Well, we could at least leave them a goodbye present, yeah?" With a well aimed toss, the bird doubled in size and dove at the tower, exploding on contact.

"You know that won't hold them for long," sighed the puppet. He shrugged.

"Yeah, but it was fun," he said. "Now we can get back to the others, un."

"Crack them open?" repeated Kisame. He looked around the zombie twins to fully study the glass formation. His face fell. "She does know that she has no chakra for that, right? Tell me I'm just seeing a technique that is really similar."

Hidan snorted. "Never pegged you for delusional, Blue. Because that there is Taki in all her glass making glory, seriously."

"Stuff it, Hidan," said Kakuzu. He turned back to the Uchiha. "You know the technique right?"

"What technique?" asked Hidan, giving his partner a good shove. "What the hell are you all on about anyway?" Itachi didn't say a word as he made his way over to the frozen team members.

"What's he gonna do?" stage whispered Hidan. Kakuzu elbowed him in the gut, making him double over.

"Just shut up."

Itachi's dark eyes studied the figures for a moment before changing to sharp red irises. His hands flew into the memorized katas as the Sharingan spun. It was a tricky combination of signs, it was really meant to be performed by one or two people at most. Which was exactly why only he and Zetsu were the ones who were allowed to learn the Glass Release technique. With one final surge of chakra, his hands locked onto the glass itself, spilling out his own energy. If he used just enough, they would be fine. Though he didn't quite know the extent of their injuries.

The glass shimmered like liquid, and then slowly it started to creep down, dripping off of them like rain. It surprisingly only took a few minutes before they were fully released. They stayed in the same position for a moment, support being the plants around them and then the ones holding up Taki shattered completely and she was dropped into the snow. Itachi bent down to try to wake her but she didn't stir. Next, he felt her forehead and he drew his hand back.

"We need to get her out of here. Now," instructed the prodigy. "If we leave her like this for much longer she'll be as good as dead." Kisame sent him a worried look as he gingerly pulled Zetsu from the tangling mass. It was unnerving to see him without his flytrap, noticed Kisame. It gave him a more human look, which was exactly why it was strange. For as long as he knew Zetsu, he never was human. He was inhuman in strength and solitude. He was surreal. Like him.

"Woah- wait, why is she suddenly gonna die?" asked Hidan, waving his hands about. Kakuzu huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Because you won't shut the fuck up. Now do something useful and get the transportation paper ready," instructed Kakuzu as he bent down to pick her up. She weighed practically nothing to him but he couldn't help but flinch at the heat her body was emitting. Itachi was right; something inside her was not working like it should. There should be some sort of barrier buffering the heat, unless of course, it cracked during her last defense. He groaned at the thought.

"Incoming, Deidara and Sasori," spoke up Kisame, as he heaved his friend onto his back. "About time, not to mention that Pein and Konan already left."

"So, what's up, un?" asked Deidara as they landed.

"No time," gruffed Kakuzu. "We're getting out of here now. No questions."

"Where's Tobi, yeah?" Deidara asked anyway. A sharp green eyed glare was sent his way and he had to repress a flinch.

"Tobi knows the way back. He'll be fine," answered Kisame, adjusting his hold on Zetsu. Even the plant man's completion seemed a little pale, wilted.

"And the random kids over there, yeah?" he asked, pointing to the huddled group of Genin.

"Leave them," gritted Kakuzu, he could practically feel Taki's body heat rising. "And get us out of here. Now."

"All right, all right. Keep your pants on for Jashin's sake," griped Hidan. There was a flurry of hand signs, the final form clutching the paper. "I'm gonna be fucking exhausted after this one..."

There was a flash of light and they were gone. The kids were left gaping at the scene they had witnessed while the Hokage performed the group technique at the other end of Konoha. Their combined power wove throughout the battlefields, dispelling all of the Kisame Itachi doppelgangers that had been created, stopping shinobi in mid fight as their opponents vanished in a puff of smoke.

The waves of chakra rolled back to the peak of the tower where the Hokage and her team were stationed. The cause of the interwar was gone, but the original criminals could not be found during their search.

"They escaped," Tsunade swore. "Those damn Akatsuki..." The location of their hideout would have to be secondary as the rebuilding of the village came first. That blasted Akatsuki. They won, for now.

"Please...please don't..." pleaded Taki, half whispering and fully delusional. Her inner temperature was off the charts. If they didn't cool her down immediately, she would die. No doubt about it.

They made it back to the hideout, a new one that was safely tucked away with even more precautions and alarms. Kakuzu had raced to the infirmary and started to get a tub together, using his different chakra natures to create an ice bath. He looked at the smaller girl. This would not be easy. With her body heat so high, it would only be natural for her to resist such a cold shock treatment. Chunks of ice were floating when Kakuzu deemed it cold enough.

"Bring her in," he instructed. Kisame nodded. He had placed Zetsu on the nearest medical table and walked over to where she was laying. With Taki out of commission, Kakuzu was the only medic and she was dealing with a much larger threat. She was the first priority. The swordsman scooped up the heiress and brought her over to the tub. Kakuzu's threads had already removed her clothing, leaving her only in her bra and underwear, a black matching set. There was so much white skin; it was almost alarming how fair she was.

"Bring her down easy. Don't want to send her too far into shock," Kakuzu warned threads at the ready.

With the first contact of water, she immediately tried to pull away and escape. "No...no...stop it!" The threads sprung into action and bound her ankles and acted as a support, lowering her further into the bone chilling water. She continued to cry.

"Stop it, just stop it!" she begged. "Please!"

"Kisame, talked to her. Distract her," hissed Kakuzu as he retained her struggling limbs. She needed to stay still and absorb the cold. The fish man groped for words, unsure of what to say to console the female member.

"Um...it'll be all right Taki. Just give it a few minutes, it'll work out," he offered. She shook her head, white hair flying. The water was up to her elbows and steadily rising.

"No..." she cried, breathless. "No...Zetsu's hurt...it's not fair...for anyone..." She was completely out of it and Kisame could only shrug. There wasn't exactly a proper way to talk with those who were only half aware of what you were saying. Best to let them lead the conversation.

"It's not fair a lot of the time, you can't fix that. As for Zetsu, we'll have him patched up and he'll be as good as new," he tried to chirp, but failed halfway through. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she still shook her head.

"Zetsu's hurting..." She hiccupped and tried to catch her breath. "I-I don't...want him to hurt...For no one to h-hurt..." Her teeth were chattering now, the low temperatures finally sinking into her. Kisame could only sigh.

"Everyone hurts sometimes, some more than others." He looked away from her dazed gaze, unable to hold focus. "It's just how life is."

"I-i-it hurts..." she chattered."Like...I'm going to die...i-if I don't..." He raised a brow, concerned. Death talk was never good, even for the half aware.

"If you don't what?" Her lips sealed shut, trying to control the shaking. "If you don't what, Taki?" Was she talking about the water? Zetsu? What was she going on about?

Before she could answer, Kakuzu tipped her head underwater, holding her there for a few moments, letting the cold seep into her skull.

The sub-zero cold oozed into her system, making her want to cry and scream. She tried to open her mouth, but something kept it clamped shut. She couldn't breathe; the water was over her face, over her nose and mouth. Physically, her temperature began to drop, degree by painful degree. Stop it, she begged mentally. Just stop everything... It was so cold that it hurt. Her fingers, toes, her nose and her very skin. Everything just hurt. Even her lungs were hurting, like they were going to explode...

"Stop it!" demanded Kisame, pulling her from under the water. She gagged and sputtered, trying to breathe again. Kisame gave a glare of his own to the masked man. "What was that about? Obviously she ran out of air!"

"She needs to cool down," he argued. "The sooner, the better."

"I understand cooling her down, just not the part when you kill her via drowning," growled the shark shinobi. "I don't think we need to turn her into a human popsicle either." Kakuzu rolled his eyes and forced her head under again.

Back into the icy darkness, registered Taki as she slipped beneath the surface. Pain pulsated under her skin; she was beginning to understand that she was hurt. Though she couldn't pin point where exactly. It was as if it was everywhere, the hurt. Her pain was only pushed away by a single thought: What about Zetsu?

Kisame pulled her up again, thumping her back so that she could cough up all the water she may have swallowed.

"Z-Zet..." she heaved, half choking. With another good thump, she expelled the last bit of water from her throat. "W-where...tsu..."

"Calm down," said Kisame, rubbing her back. "Just catch your breath."

"Finally," sighed Kakuzu. He rechecked a couple of her vitals and used a minor jutsu so to be sure. "She's back to a normal temperature. A few more minutes, just in case. Other than that, we don't have to worry about her combusting anymore." He rose to his full height and headed for the door, threads receding.

"Stay with her for a bit. I'm going to check on the others." The door closed with a sharp snap. Taki's shaking breathing pulled him away from his irritation for the moment, and his gold eyes softened a bit.

"It's all right. You'll be fine," he assured. His eyebrows came together when she shook her head.

"Z-Z-Zetsu...he's...h-hurt..." she chattered as she clung to the edge of the tub. He pushed some of her damp white hair out of her face before answering.

"Why don't you tell me what happened? Why all the glass?" Her eyes remained closed as she tried to recall the event, and then find the words to describe it.

"Th-the plants...weren't h-his...h-had to burn them...I-I-I could burn...th-them...Wanted m-me too...H-hurting...b-both of...us..." She shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks, mingling with the water. "C-c-couldn't...st-stand it...s-seeing him...l-like that...h-hurting...H-had to...st-stop the-the...hurt..."

Kisame nodded in understanding, sympathetic. "And the glass?" Her body convulsed with a chill.

"D-didn't...mean to...J-j-just...had t-to...p-protect h-him..." she answered. Again, her body shook with tremors. Now was a good time to stop the ice treatment, he decided. With hardly any effort on his part, he lifted her out of the water with a swoosh. The water dripped from her and onto the floor, droplets falling from her body, fingertips and hair. He placed her on the other open table, rounding up some towels, wrapping them about her shoulders and over her lap.

"Here. You need to dry off," he advised. Her shaking slowed her motor movements, the drying of herself took much longer than anticipated. Kisame caved in and rubbed the towel up and down her arms, trying his best to help.

"If I had a decent fire jutsu I could warm you right up, but I don't and I doubt that Itachi's in the mood to play furnace," he laughed. He smiled when she gave a weak giggle. It took a good moment or two, but she finally achieved a decent degree of dryness and the blue man pulled off his cloak and draped it over her, swamping her with the excess material.

"You can use this. Until we can find your clothes," he said. She nodded. "And Kakuzu should be back in a bit to help Zetsu. I'm sure he's just saving him for last because he'll require the most chakra."

"Th-thank you...Kisame..." she whispered. He gave her a toothy grin before he left the room.

Silence filled the infirmary as Taki focused on the opposite table. Her partner remained absolutely still, one would assume that he was dead, but she noticed the vague lift of his chest indicating breath. Plus she knew him better than anyone else. Somewhere inside of her being, she knew that he was alive. It was just a gut instinct kind of thing.

"Zetsu," she breathed. He didn't stir. Glancing about the room, she tentatively lowered her bare foot to the ground. Then the other. When she made to let go of the table and step forward, her legs collapsed beneath her, making her sprawl onto the tile floor. Using her elbows as props, she sent a weak glare at her legs. Clearly, they were not up for travel quite yet.

"Fine...who needs legs...anyway..." she mumbled childishly. She had made it a few feet by army crawling when she felt a strange pull. She simply shrugged it off until it happened again, making her foot twitch.

Alarmed, she looked about the room, stilling when she saw a glimpse of Sasori in the doorway. His fingers twitched and she was pulled completely upright, the tips of her toes just skimming the floor. Chakra strings. She looked at him, confused, especially when he made her take a step, then another and another. Stopping once she was at Zetsu's bedside. A chair was pulled up behind her and the strings lowered her so that she was sitting. With a flick of his wrist they left her completely and he walked away without a word.

Slowly, almost shyly, she turned to face her friend again. He was so still, like a statue almost. Her hand reached out to touch the top of his black hand, pulling back quickly in case he woke up. But he didn't. Biting her lip, she reached and touched his hand again, letting her contact linger there. Still, he didn't wake and she started to lose her nervous edge.

Her gaze wavered as she examined all of his injuries. The open wounds, torn pieces of skin, the terrible rips from where his flytrap used to be. It took away the general intimidation factor that created his persona. Though she knew that he could be just as scary without the plant, but the normal civilian probably couldn't see past his two toned skin. They wouldn't know if he was a gardener, a reader, or her partner. They would just see the freak. Like when new people saw her eyes. They refused to make eye contact with her, as if she was harmful to look at. Not good enough.

While one hand held his, the other trailed away, nearing his face. It was uncharacteristically bold of her, but she gently traced his jaw line, lightly touching his skin. If he was fully conscious and well, she would never dare something so...intimate. Next her digits dipped into his messy green hair, which turned out to be surprisingly soft and sort of long. He needed a bit of a haircut. Just a trim.

"Zetsu..." she whispered. Her eyes glazed over as she surveyed the injuries again. Was he hurting on the inside like she was? Burned from the inside out, making every pulse throb while her mind was swirling with heat. Did his heart rate pick up by just the slightest fraction when they neared each other? Most days it was so subtle, she didn't even know that it had happened until he walked away, leaving her breathless just so. Or the days they sparred, fighting each other until they were exhausted, too tired to even move. More than once she allowed herself the guilty pleasure of sleeping out in the grass, when she hoped that no one was watching.

"You're always...so strong..." she told him. Her guard continued to lessen, loosening her thoughts. It also could be a side effect of the fever and ice bath but she didn't really know, or really care. "Always...E-even when you were bleeding in my tree house...you were still so much stronger than me..." A laugh bubbled up. "It's strange...I've never even thanked you for that...for not eating me that is...Just never came up in conversation, I guess..."

The black hand tensed for a moment, setting her back on edge. Her wide eyes watched him, praying for a reaction. Or would it be better for him to not wake up until after his injuries were healed? She didn't quite know and she sighed.

He didn't wake, allowing her to fall back into her lowered defense. "Did I ever tell you...about the pickpocket in Snow?" she asked, not expecting an answer. "Seems like forever ago...Some punk nabbed Kakuzu's wallet...He must've chased him halfway around Snow...until he got it back...all without breaking the henge...didn't even kill the kid...Probably scarred him for life though...Hidan thought it was hilarious...I did too..." She paused for a moment. "I think you might've laughed...or at least smiled...I like it when you smile, Zetsu...it's nice..."

Her eyelids started to grow heavy as she leaned on the table for more support, leaning her head against her arm, almost sleeping. "You're different..." she chatted, not even really listening to herself. Simply rambling. "That's probably why I..." She was interrupted by a wide yawn. "...like you so much..." A thought struck her and she giggled. "I probably won't even remember this in...the morning...So, Zetsu...should I...confess my feelings and...adoration of you...or just...keep my feelings...to myself...?" She smiled and used her arms to lift herself, leaning so that she could whisper in his ear.

"I love...you, Zetsu..." She sat back down and rested against her arm again, still holding his hand. "I suppose...we'll never know I...even admitted that..." Taki sniffed as some tears slipped.

"But I do, Zetsu...I really, really do...love you..."

The door open and Kakuzu and Deidara both entered. Deidara proudly displayed new clothes for the petite member and whisked her away, out of the white room and clear out of ear shot. Kakuzu stepped up to the table and quirked an eyebrow.

"So, how long have you been awake?" Gold eyes blinked and the black hand closed around empty air, reaction delayed.

"Long...enough..."

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