Drowning in Freedom
Chapter 2: Falling into Time
A/N: Happy belated 4th of July and Canada Day for those who celebrated those holidays :) I spent my 4th watching fireworks and eating hamburgers :P Anyway, sorry for the short chapter this time around... just you know... gotta set things up :P
Flamecaster15: Haha! I warned you dude, I told you that it was going to be intense to say the least. But I am glad that you are still here for this wild ride :)
moonlight4: Thank you! Haha yeah... Couldn't have a part two without the man :) And don't worry I have a lot of things planned for the coming chapters *evil laugh*
thebreezeknees: I am so happy that you are! I am on the same plane as you are, my heart hurts writing the characters in distress, but at the same time, I still slowly plot away... I am so glad that you like it and I hope you like this next chapter :)
PrismRootStarLight: I am so glad that you liked it! I hope I can make good and continue their story just as well as in DWA :)
jordanbillings8: There is! Don't worry, this part two is going to be the same length if not a little longer than part 1... if I am thinking through my plot lines correctly. I usually update either Sunday night/Monday just so you have something to look forward to :) I am so happy to hear that you liked part 1 so much and I hope I can do part 2 justice! I am looking forward to hearing what you think about this latest chapter :)
Amaya stopped short and reached out to place a hand on Itachi's and Kisame's shoulder. The two opened an eyelid to see what had agitated her. She abruptly stood up and took her hands away from the two men, knowing that she risked being thrown if Kisame thought that she was trying to instigate something.
"Whatever you are doing with the leader, you need to hurry it up. There are about six or seven nin, give or take that are headed this way."
The kunoichi looked out in front of the trio as if she could see the shinobi running through the forest already. There was nothing out of place and there was no way the nins could be this close to them, it was just a quirk Amaya had developed when trying to sense for potential threats.
"It's either six, or its seven… which one is it?" Kisame growled, trying to concentrate on his original task.
"Its… seven?" Amaya said tilted her head, knowing that one of the members in the party didn't contain normal chakra, as if they had no ability to use ninjutsu or genjutsu.
Sighing, Amaya wanted to write the person off as a mere civilian, but she had learned that when something seems out of place, it is better to be prepared for it in advance rather than to be caught off guard by it.
"You're not even sure about it, how can I even believe you? I can't sense them" Kisame muttered, his agitation growing with the blue-haired female.
However, Itachi was the one to give Amaya a simple nod of his head, indicating that he too, felt them coming this way. Kisame wasn't one for sensing people to try to stay hidden so he never bothered to train the skill. His approach was to swing his blade first and talk second. Granted, the kunoichi had to give him some credit because he was one hell of a good tracker. She just figured that he never wanted to stay hidden because his ego made him believe that he could take on anything that came his way.
"… You don't have to," Amaya muttered in response to Kisame knowing that since Itachi confirmed her findings, the shark-skinned male wouldn't try and lash out at her.
The dynamic of the trio, from an outside prospective, was probably a funny one if disregarding how deadly the three of them were. Kisame acted like the older sibling that tried to terrorize their younger sibling, Amaya in this case, while Itachi acted like the mother who wanted to smack the older sibling and get some rest from the constant fighting of the two children. Usually, Kisame and Amaya could deal with it and Itachi wouldn't say a word, but recently, it seems with the Akatsuki's plan starting to take shape and move onto phase one, he seemed more irritated.
"Wouldn't it be funny if your lover boy came across our little diversion we have set up?"
Amaya clenched her fists, but the rest of her body stayed neutral at Kisame's comment, which made Kisame go on further.
"You know, Amaya-chan, I wouldn't hesitate to try and kill him for you… that way you will never be tempted to betray us for Konoha."
"Kisame, Amaya gave up that life long ago like I did."
"Then why isn't she an official part of the Akatuski yet?" Kisame asked, raising a valid point with Itachi.
"There isn't any room since Orochimaru still has his ring and everyone else hasn't died yet." Amaya said with a tone that was so matter of fact that it was almost like she was stating that two plus two was equal to four.
"Honestly, that's just another excuse. You're just afraid that Kakashi would see you as you are now… He would see you as the person who tried to kill him, who tried to destroy his village, and on top of that, you're afraid that he won't love you anymore" Kisame challenged.
Grace took the bait unable to hide her emotions that were bubbling in her veins. Without thinking she whipped out a kunai and pressed it to the male's neck. Kisame glared down at her with eyes as dark as his soul and he started to laugh.
"Please, do me a favor and end my misery that is listening to your heartbreaking love story."
Amaya pressed the blade harder into his neck, drawing a drop of blood from his neck. She pushed herself closer to the man, not saying a word. Her new position left her vulnerable to attack, but it also allowed her to easily plunge the weapon into Kisame's neck.
"This is exactly why you will never be good enough. Why you will never be able to be a true deserter… because at the end of the day you love than man more than you love yourself."
"I don't love him" Amaya said with a voice filled with emotion.
She knew that she was playing right into Kisame's hand, but she didn't care. After these three-ish years of being bullied by him and pushed around, she finally knew how to pick a fight—and win.
"If you didn't love him," Kisame said, dropping his head forcing Amaya to relax her kunai at his neck, "then just the sound of his name wouldn't put you in this much of a frenzy. He is and shall forever be your weakness Amaya. You may not have any physical weaknesses anymore—I made sure of that. However, you will be killed over your love for that man… I can promise you that. It may not be me who kills you… but I promise that your love for Kakashi will kill you someday. You have my word."
Amaya licked her lips and took the kunai away from Kisame's neck. She turned around exposing her back to the shark-skinned man and sheathed her kunai. The words burned her ears making them ring. They felt like they were lit on fire with the venomous truth that the man had laid out so simply for everyone in their party to hear.
"I was just reacting because I hate everyone that originates from Konoha, for better or worse."
"Keep telling yourself that, Amaya-chan. Maybe next time you will actually believe it."
Amaya stood there silently, the only sound coming from her was the slight inhalation of new oxygen through her nose. Kisame didn't say anything more to his student, and instead stood there with a shit-eating grin on his face knowing that sometimes the truth cut deeper than lies. Amaya ground her teeth together, wanting to punch something. She knew every word Kisame said was true. After all this time, the flame that lit in her heart for Kakashi only grew stronger with each passing day.
"Kisame, get ready, we have company. Get your substitution ready." Itachi muttered, knowing better than to get in the middle of the two of them.
Itachi in the two and a half years that he had watched Amaya and Kisame train together, he had only stopped a few squabbled between the two. So, few in fact, that he could count them on one hand. Itachi tore his eyes from the two and closed his own trying to concentrate. He could feel the other man shift and do the same thing, cursing under his breath when the two saw flashes of their substitutions fighting.
"Goddamnit. Out of everyone they said the annoying one with the green jumpsuit?" Kisame cursed under his breath which made Amaya turn back to look at him.
A feeling of relief ran through her system knowing that Kakashi wasn't the one fighting Kisame. She knew that Kisame would keep his word to her. He really wouldn't hesitate to kill Kakashi if he had the chance. Kisame would probably love to be the one who tore Amaya's former lover's heart from his chest.
"Amaya, I think we should start to move onto the next stage. We got things covered here… I suggest going to find Sasori and Deidara. Kisame and I only gave these substitutes thirty percent of our chakra… so if you want to beat them to the hideout I suggest you start walking" Itachi said curtly, concentrating too much on the battle going through his head.
Looking towards the sand village, Amaya passes between the two Akatsuki members, knowing that her next job was going to get messy. She wore her mask on her face, as usual. However, this time, she hoped that it would save her from having to meet the eyes of the one she almost killed all those nights ago. She had a feeling that Gai wasn't traveling alone—she knew he wasn't. The only questioned that remained was if Tsuande had sent Kakashi in the search party for the fifth kazekage or not… and only time would tell if her hunch was correct. As she walked, Amaya prayed to every go, fake or imaginary, that she could think of. She asked for more time, she asked for a way that Kakashi wouldn't have to see her like this—like an enemy. But what god, if there was one out there looking down on her, would grant her a blessing after all she had done?
Amaya approached the two Akatuski members, Sasori and Deidara, from the back entrance of the cave. They had rigged explosives up, and the kunoichi knew that Deidara was going to use his clay animals to make sure that their pursuers entered in the front way. She was able to dodge all of the traps laid out, granted the two members had been expecting her. The blue-haired woman made her way to the two men, standing next to the blond. Sasori never looked up at her and stayed facing the front while Deidara turned and smile at her.
"I'm happy you are here, I was starting to get bored showing my glorious artwork to someone who doesn't appreciate it" The blond said, casting a glare towards his partner.
"What makes you think she likes it?" Sasori rolled his tongue.
"She has never told me otherwise" Deidara hissed, "that's why I like her so much even though she is Kisame's pet."
Amaya stayed standing, observing the two interact. She knew that Sasori was much older than she was, but he looked like he never aged a day at times. She figured that was what happened when one turned their own body into a puppet. She always got a kick out of this team, knowing that even though they bickered, they worked well together. Granted, they had to, but it was always fun to watch.
"Since you're finally here, Amaya, don't get in our way." Sasori spoke without tone to his voice.
If the kunoichi didn't know better she would think that Sasori had hidden malice towards her or that he didn't like her. In fact, it was neither of those things. In all actuality, he just didn't care.
"We were told to keep her with us and use her to fight. The leader won't be happy with us if we don't" mocked Deidara.
"If you like her so much, take her with you when you fight. I work alone and don't need aid from someone else's pet."
Deidara ignored Sasori's comment and reached up to pull on Amaya's sleeve, finding her hand. She felt the blond's tongue in his hand lick her own, tasting her. He pulled at her and smiled, motioning her to take a seat next to her. Amaya didn't want to escalate things while they waited for whoever was about to bust open the wall in front of them. Deidara refused to let Amaya's hand go even after she sat down. She could feel his saliva cake her palm, as if the tongue was searching for any lose chakra that had been lingering on her sink. The feeling was an uncomfortable one, and it took everything inside of her not to yank her hand away.
This was the man's way of deciding if someone was worth the time or not. She knew that he was crazy, all members of the Akatsuki were in some degree, but if it meant that he wouldn't put a kunai through her back, she would let him lick her hand all damn day. Eventually, the blond sighed and pulled his hand from Amaya's. She discreetly rubbed the slim off her hand and onto her cloak.
"I can't say I am surprised, but you taste the same as last time. As long as you understand that I am the artist here, that I am the one with the talent, I don't mind working with you."
Again, he offered up a smile and Amaya just nodded her head at the comment.
"This is why I hate working with you two, one talks too much to the point where I want to rip his tongues out, and the other is so boring because a word is never spoken" Sasori complained.
"Don't say mean things to Kisame's pet, Sasori. That's why I like her, she instinctively knows that my art is the most priceless."
"What you do isn't art" Sasori simply stated making Deidara start to twitch.
A certain bloodthirst filled the air that came from the two men sitting beside her. Sasori and Deidara always argued like this and it would only be a matter of time before they were at each other's necks. Amaya could feel the tension building up in Deidara, like he was about to do something stupid to payback Sasori for the unwanted comment. However, before anything could happen, the clay bird of Deidara's creation, the one that held the kazekage's body in it after the extraction process, started to squawk alerting the three of them that their enemy was near. All of them fell silent, watching the wall in front of them crumble into a pile of rocks.
The shinobi on the other side started to trickle in, three individuals from Konoha and an elderly lady from the hidden sand village. Amaya's mouth turned dry and she couldn't help but look at the man who had the spiked, white hair standing just next to Naruto. Naruto and Sakura didn't seem to make the reference that the person behind the mask was Amaya, but Kakashi did. His whole build was filled with anxiety, looking at her figure. She locked eyes with him, but she knew that he couldn't see her face—a good thing.
"Gaara! We are here Gaara! Get up and fight!" Naruto screamed at the broken body of the kazekage.
Amaya took a deep breath, letting her emotions wash over her and fade. She could hear the heartbreak and torment coming from Naruto's voice and saw how Sakura and the older lady started to stiffen. Amaya licked her lips knowing that whatever was coming next was about to get messy.