Drowning In Freedom

Chapter 6: Falling Petals

A/N: Hey guys! I'm back with an update! Also, I must tell you guys that I finally found an apartment and received my start date for my "big kid" job. Therefore, I just wanted to let you know that with moving into my new apartment in the next week or so and then starting work, I will probably not have time to update on my regular timetable. Don't worry, I am NOT abadoning this story or anything to that matter, just... real life is getting in the way. I figured that I should tell you guys so you don't worry, but, suffice to say, normal updates (Sunday/Monday's weekly) will probably resume middle of Sept. However, I will try my best to work on chapters and post them when I normally do, but please bear with me as I make this transition! Thank you and I hope you guys enjoy this update :)

Flamecaster: I'm sorry! But you know that the cliffhangers are the things that keep making you want to come back! Hehe... I guess you will just have to wait and find out about what happens... now won't you?

moonlight46: Thank you! And no worries! I figured that I could get the same point across without being too bloody and dramitic and I think I did it justice. I really like Ibiki and I know how smart he was when he was an instructor at the chunnin exams, and I wanted to try and let the reader know that he wasnt just a side character. And Tsuande is honestly the real MVP, lets be honest here :P

DaddysLittleGirl: I do this because I am a cruel and unusual author... JKJK. ANd nope! I didn't abandon it... I originally wrote this story when I was like 14 and I figured it could use a revision... that's why the time frame on this fic is so weird. However, I usually update weekly on Sunday nights/Monday's however, as I stated in my Author's note, my life has been pretty busy recently. So, don't worry, it may be another two weeks before a new update, however, I will not abondon this story... its like my child lol.

PrismRootStarlight: I am glad that you liked the last chapter so much and I have a feeling that you are really going to like the end of this chapter as well :) You'll have to let me know what you thought about it :P Thank you for the compliment and I am glad that you liked the last update so much even though I played with your emotions a bit... HOWEVER, I will try to get the next update up ASAP... you have my word on that!

Amaya didn't register that she was being hauled up by Ibiki and escorted to an interrogation room right next to her cell. If she had the mind to do so, Amaya couldn't help that it was a good sounding structure to have the two so close together. She imagined that the room that she was being moved in was also soundproof. That way, no one could question what was happening behind the scenes. The kunoichi didn't walk far, as Ibiki deposited her in a chair rather forcefully, clicking handcuffs on her, and attaching them to the table in front of her. Looking up at the fluorescents, her eyes instantly started to water. Being in a dark cell with a dark eye mask over her eyes, wasn't helping with trying to let her eyes adjust. Blinking through the pain, Amaya leaned her head against the back of the chair that she was in.

She breathed deeply in and out, her body still shaking from the cold. It was substantially warmer in this room, or at least that could just be because giant fans weren't blowing on her anymore. When Tsunade ripped the blind fold off her face, Amaya made a note to see what was causing her to feel so cold after she was water boarded. She had her answer in the shape of a giant industrial fan. She was surprised that it didn't make any noise or the like to give away what was actually in the room with her. She had to give Ibiki props. He really did think of everything when it came to his job.

With her eyes finally starting to focus again, the whiteness of the room started to dim as everything returned to the normalcy it should hold. Amaya rubbed at her eyes and willed them to stop watering so much. She didn't want to appear like she was crying. Granted, everyone in this room knew better than that. She had gone almost a week without breaking and Tsunade, who took the seat opposite of Amaya had chills running down her back. In the few short years away from Konoha, Tsunade had to force herself to swallow. The pressure in the room was starting to become stifling and that had everything to do with the blue-haired woman staring up at the ceiling. The strength, just sitting there, Tsunade knew that this was not the same woman that was sent out on a mission. The one who was sitting here was someone completely new. Completely different.

Tsunade clenched her fists and relaxed them. She knew that Amaya wouldn't hurt her. For some reason, it seemed like the kunoichi was too aloof to bother with the hokage. It seemed strange, and everything in Tsunade's body told her to run, but she remained seated. Amaya, even though she was stronger wouldn't hurt her. She did save Kakashi, after all. She almost killed him—emotionally he was probably already deceased, but physically he had recovered with nothing, but a scar left over his heart. No, Amaya may have been the strongest one in the room right now, and without a doubt, Tsunade knew that she and everyone else in the room didn't stand a chance at fighting her.

The hokage thought that she may be able to go one on one with Amaya, but everyone else would simply get in the way. Most likely they would become a casualty if a fight broke out here. And the scary part of everything was that Amaya didn't even have her hidden mist blade. Yet, Tsunade could only imagine how intimidating she would be with it, if she had this effect on her just sitting there, not looking at the blonde. Tsunade played out the situation of the two of them fighting, and Tsunade knew, without a doubt, she would fall at Amaya's feet. Not for lack of trying, but because she knew that Amaya still fought for a cause, deep within her. The person that she loved was still alive, and through everything, Amaya wouldn't hesitate to take out anyone who threatened his life. That was the nerve-wracking part of it all. Because once Amaya lost him, she would lose herself. That's when her want for revenge would take over, and there would be no stopping the destruction that would come from it.

The blonde came out of her thoughts when Ibiki coughed. Amaya was still staring up at the ceiling, but this time, she was rubbing the water from her over sensitive eyes. Eventually, Amaya lifted her head from the back of chair and looked at Tsunade. However, an instant later, her eyes landed on the man next to the Hokage. Tsunade stiffened, knowing that Ibiki's plan may severely backfire on them, but it was a chance that a Hokage had to take. It was her only card to play—or so she thought.

"You're not him." Amaya said, testing out her hoarse voice.

It was that way due to the screaming she had done the week before. She was soaked in water, but rarely was she given any to stop the burning in her throat. Amaya thought that Ibiki would be the one next to Tsunade in the interrogation room, but for whatever reason, he was not. Instead, he was behind the one-way glass, watching their interaction—making sure nothing went wrong. If it did, he would be the one held responsible for letting something happen to the village's leader.

"What?" Tsunade was the first to answer, not bothering with the man next to her, even though she trusted him.

Amaya knew now. The man sitting next to Tsunade was not Kakashi. She knew that something was off when he first came into the room with the hokage. The man hated her that he wanted to gut her like a pig. Even with instructions from the hokage, he wouldn't be able to sit across from her this way. Calm and put together. No, this was their first strike. The second, came when Tsunade first pulled off Amaya's mask. She thought that the man who was trying to be Kakashi was actually him, but there was something off with the man's scent. It was as close as someone could get to the real thing, but Amaya knew better. She had spent enough time with the white-haired nin to know better. That was the second strike.

The third, and final came when the nin in front of her had a hiccup with their chakra. They tried to keep it steady, mimic the same paths of the person they were trying to be. This being no easy feat, Amaya had to give props to the man, or woman, in front of her for it. For that one instant, their chakra signature displaced itself. It was so small that someone who wasn't trained with noting that type of moment wouldn't be able to tell something was wrong. That just meant that the person who was across from Amaya right now, they knew Kakashi well. Almost as well as she did. So, that left two options. The only two people would could pull off an accurate representation of the white haired nin was either Gai, or Tenzo. But, since Gai couldn't phase into someone else, so, there was only one option.

"Don't worry, it doesn't make me mad. It's just a little weird you guys decided to go this route. Use the former lover. I get it. Good strategy… except… your only fault was using someone who isn't him."

Tsuande clenched her jaw knowing that this plan wasn't going to work. Tension in the small room grew, but it wasn't because of Amaya. She seemed rather amused by the whole thing. The blonde figured that Amaya had narrowed it down to the few people that could portray such an accurate version of Kakashi. Amaya wanted to know who the face was behind the clone. However, the man next to Tsunade had other ideas. For whatever reason, maybe because he was given an order to stay in this form, he didn't dissolve the act. Instead, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and started to talk to Amaya with Kakashi's voice.

"I want you to tell us what happened, why you left, and the information that you have gathered on the Akatsuki all of these years."

Amaya paused for a moment. Even though she knew that it was most likely Tenzo behind the mask of Kakashi's face, it was still his voice. The hair on Amaya's arms stood up, and her heart started to ache. Even though it wasn't Kakashi before her, and the voice was monotonic, it wasn't filled with hate or animosity. It was a nice change, and Amaya could deal with the former anger from Kakashi. She just knew, that if he ever chose to take an indifferent tone with her, that's when she knew that their relationship could ever be fixed. The opposite of love isn't hate. Hate meant you still felt strongly for the person. No, the opposite of love was indifference, because then, they didn't care anymore about the situation.

"And if I refuse?" Amaya breathed outwards, keeping her stare with the man across from her.

She knew it was a challenge, and she wanted to see if the opposing party would take her bait. Depending on their answer, she would know if she could trust the people across from her. That, and she would know truly, if that was Tenzo. He had promised her something, that no matter what she did, he would be in her corner. After trying to separate her from Kakashi, she knew that Tenzo would keep his word—she would hold him to it. Out of everyone, the only person she truly still trusted, after all this time was Tenzo. He was and still is, the best friend she ever had. She had a feeling that he felt the same. The two would always be connected, in one way or another.

The silence went on in the room, the challenge noted in both Tsunade's and the fake Kakashi's posture. However, that wasn't the thing that had bothered Amaya. She shifted in her seat and that's when she felt it. A small, folded, paper-like material still tucked away in her clothes. She felt the material bristle against her skin under her shirt, and it made the skin just above her heart start to burn. Almost as if that one spot was set ablaze. She knew that she had been searched, everything taken from her, but this, this one thing, as fate would have it, was left with her. Amaya didn't believe in luck, but right now, she had to. The picture that she took before she fled the village, the one of her and Kakashi, remained on her person.

It was old, yellowed, and crumpled now, but it was truly the one thing that kept her going most nights. She had to shelve the person she once was. That shy, and timid personality broke away, and it was replaced with an aloof and indifferent attitude, at least, when it mattered the most. Honestly, she felt like a husk of a person, just a body going through the motions. She knew she was broken, but sitting her, being treated like some sort of animal that could bite at any moment, she never realized how low she truly had gotten. The things that she had to do while out on the field, the reports that she had to make to Danzo before Itachi helped her, took a part of her heart and soul each and every time she did something.

She wondered if she could ever go back to being her old self again, but she knew that she couldn't allow herself to go back to being the woman she once was. At least, not completely. Given time, Amaya knew that certain traits would come back, but, in a way, she was stronger now. Not just physically, but mentally as well.

"Tell us what you know, Amaya," Tsunade stated, breaking the deafening silence in the room.

Amaya licked her lips, knowing that there really wasn't anything they could do to make her talk. The one chip they could play was out of the question. She knew that the real Kakashi would refuse to see her, and even if the hokage ordered him to come see her, based on their last meeting, all parties involved knew that it would just be adding fodder to a cannon fire.

"Answer us!" The man opposite of her slammed his hand on the table.

Amaya figured that he did the action to try and make her flinch or jump, but Amaya just yawned, not willing to give up any information. However, that yawn was the one thing that gave her away.

"That… It can't be…" Tsunade said in a rush of words.

The hokage shot forward and grabbed Amaya's cheeks, keeping her mouth open. Amaya furrowed her eyebrows as the hokage stared into the kunoichi's mouth. Eventually, the hokage sighed and let Amaya go. She sat back down on her chair, and Amaya, she gave Tsunade a strange look.

"It isn't that you aren't talking… it's because you can't… isn't it?"

Amaya wanted to respond verbally, but a sharp pain, that felt like a thousand hot needles passed through her tongue, traveled to her neck and pulsed at her temples. It was more than a warning—it was a threat. Instead, Amaya nodded her head, trying to ignore the pain as best as she could, to respond to Tsunade's question. The blonde cursed and sat back in her chair. A look of defeat washed onto her face, but it was instantly replaced with anger. Nevertheless, before Tsunade could say anything else, Ibiki's voice sounded over the tiny intercom that was in the room.

"Hokage-sama… You need to come back here for a moment and… bring your partner as well."

With that the voice that filled the room clicked off. It almost seemed as if Ibiki was nervous about something, but that something, Amaya had no clue what it could be. Tsuande and the fake Kakashi must have thought the same thing, because they both shared a worried look with the other. Tsunade exited the room first, and then the man, who gave Amaya a lingering gaze, as if he was trying to tell her to stay put and not make a scene. They did leave her feet unchained and her eyes uncovered, and Amaya with all the fighting experience she had, knew that some handcuffs were more for appearances than anything else. These handcuffs didn't even soak up her chakra, they were just metal, almost daring her to break them.

The door closed behind the man, and Amaya let her head fall back onto the back of the chair again. She looked up at the ceiling, counting all the tiles that were there, and by the fourth time doing the same activity, she decided that there would be no harm in closing her eyes while she waited for the hokage and the imposter to come back in. Taking a deep breath, Amaya tried to calm her frazzled nerves. As she was starting to heat up, her body felt tingly and her wet clothes were starting to become a discomfort. She could deal with it, it wasn't the end of the world, just not a sensation that she liked.

Finally, the door clicked open, and a person walked in, and then the door shut behind them. Amaya only half minded who walked in, assuming it was Tsunade again. Amaya knew that the woman never let herself lose an important game. Yes, she gambled a ton, but when she did gamble for something important, it always seemed to act in her favor. The figure that came into the room pulled out the chair across from Amaya and took a tender seat. Almost as if they had all the time in the world to be there with her.

"A mutual friend, one that is fond of snakes, wanted me to tell you hello."

Amaya's eyes snapped open and she picked her head up from the back of the chair. She wanted her eyes to deceive her, but there he was. Danzo sat there with a no-shit attitude written on his face. When he got no response from the kunoichi, even though her blood was boiling, he shifted his arm, the one that was supposed to hang limply at his side. Amaya watched the fabric move, as if he was twitching his fingers, and that's when she felt the hot, stinging sensation rocket across her tongue, into her neck, and throb at her temple. She knew that it was another threat, one to make her talk, and even though she wanted to ignore the feeling and the man across from her, she couldn't. She winced from the discomfort and that was all Danzo needed before he let off on the curse mark.

"You and I share no mutual friends…" Amaya panted, letting the pain dissipate.

She dind't want to talk to the man in front of her, but she was really leaving herself with little options. So, she started to have one of the longest conversations she had in a while.

"Yes we do. I guess you have just gone crazy in your time as a rogue nin that you have forgotten everything."

"No, I haven't."

"And how is that? Most rogues go insane, knowing that their whole village is hunting them in hopes of killing them."

"I'm not like most rogues, now, am I? If I was, you wouldn't be wasting your time down here with me… now would you?" Amaya shifted in her seat as she responded to the elder across from her.

Amaya could tell that she had struck a nerve with the older man, as his jaw tightened, and a vein started to emerge from his forehead. Danzo was not a patient man, and Amaya could play this game all day with him if she wanted. He wouldn't dare try to overtly hurt her with the curse mark—not while the hokage was watching. The curse mark, the brand, was something special to Danzo. His own little mark, and he wouldn't risk it being taken away from him if Tsunade figured out how it worked. If she did that, then she would be able to liberate his whole foundation.

"That doesn't mean a thing. I am simply—"

"You know what I think?"

"I don't really care."

"I think that you're worried about me. You didn't have control over me starting with just the short time after I met with the Akatsuki… and now… seeing me here… opposing you in this tiny room… you know I have grown stronger. My abilities are things that only fills your nightmares. You wanted me to reach my full potential and I finally have. Now, you're worried that I have a fighting chance against you… that you could die by my hand. So, here you sit, curious to learn and know about the new skills that I possess."

Danzo stayed silent for a moment, almost as if he was thinking over his words. Choosing them carefully.

"I can testify to say that everyone in this village is curious about the abilities of a rouge nin. However, to be captured and hauled back here in the way that you did… I have to say that you don't seem very threatening."

Amaya couldn't help it. She let out a snort and the corners of her mouth turned upwards, as if Danzo had something funny to her.

"I could show you if you want."

"Show me what?"

"My newfound skills. I could break these handcuffs that are on my wrists and launch myself over this table… strangling you to death. But, we both know that you deserve something… much slower."

"Are you threatening me?" Danzo squinted his eyes at Amaya, almost as if he was glaring at the blue-haired kunoichi, if that was even possible.

"If I was threatening you… you would already be praying for me to spare your life."