Knitting Fate

Second installment in Canon Patchworking with Uchiha Ren series

Forty-First Thread

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This chapter has been beta'd for you by Hinotoriko.

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"Each person you meet
is an aspect of yourself,
clamoring for love."
― Eric Micha'el Leventhal

0

It made her nostalgic, if Ren was to be honest. The rocky wasteland of Iwa, currently covered with a layer of snow – it was definitely much more to the north than Land of Fire, with its mild climate, hot summers and warm winters. During the beginning of her new life, Ren didn't even realize that there was winter when she woke up first – the climate resembled a chilly spring day more than anything. But in Iwa? Iwa, at this time of the year, was the fucking Arctic.

Ren sighs, puffing out a stream of hot air and then drags her scarf a bit higher, to cover her red, cold nose. It's not bad per say, but after few days in this weather, she grew more than tired of the biting cold. And yes, it was true that her body temperature was higher than normal – as with any Uchiha. It was one of their inborn traits, the buildup of fire chakra under their skin, that allowed them for such proficient use of fire techniques without overheating. It also allowed them to survive in lower temperatures – or, in Ren's case, to take less warm and movement-restricting garments in favor of weaponry and resources she might – and most likely will, knowing her luck – need.

Nevertheless, the time she had spent in calf-deep snow and chilling wind is starting to really get on her nerves – and she's yet to find her target, stalk them, kill them and collect their head to bring back nicely sealed in a scroll. Sometimes shinobi were tasked with bringing back entire bodies – that was, of course, when their target has some interesting ability. Ren's hadn't, it was just a chūnin-level missing nin who really angered one of richer people in the Land of Fire before taking off to Iwa – but the offended party did not let go and instead hired Konoha to deal with the issue. In all honesty, Ren could relate – she wasn't one to let go either, and from what she knew, her target, in drunken stupor, assaulted children of the customer, beating up his son and sexually harassing the daughter, who got pretty shaken by it.

So, yes. Ren could relate, because she would do exact same thing in such situation.

She sighs, tucking her long, open sleeves a bit more into her – currently with fingers – high-class reinforced fiber gloves. Normally she wouldn't wear such a garment in this weather, but Ren realized early in her life that comfort doesn't always go head-to-toe with convenience. Comfort would be narrow sleeves she wouldn't have to constantly fix. Convenience are long, open sleeves littered on the inside with tiny, intricate summoning seals, courtesy of Naruto, that can become an unlimited source of relatively small spiders to sling at people's faces.

Ren snorts. Funny how, throughout the years, tarantula-sized spiders became 'relatively small' for her, where they were way beyond other people's comfort zones with their 'gigantic' size. Given that Cobalt barely fit, vertically, through the doors anymore, yeah. They were, indeed, relatively small. Or just Ren got used to having only bend her head down a little to gaze into beady eyes of her eight-legged summon.

Ren sighs, tugging her fur-lined hood a bit lower to shield herself from incoming gust of ice-cold wind and growls, at nothing in particular.

"You didn't have to accept this mission," says soft voice from somewhere in her hood, near to her ear, and Ren sighs. "There were a plenty in warmer regions, you sentimental goof."

"Thank you for this insight, Anri," Ren huffs into her scarf, chuckling a little as she feels thin legs brush her neck and ear, before she has to tilt a little, as Anri perches on the side of her face, two legs and a bit of head poking out of her scarf. Anri is one smallest - if not the smallest – summons Ren managed to convince to aid her so far. She was a Redback Spider – and while about four times the original size, still small enough to easily fit on Ren's palm, legs included. Or huddle in Ren's scarf to be completely shielded from the cold. That works, too.

"Just looking out for you, dear," Anri chirps, and Ren rolls her eyes.

"Your sarcasm is greatly appreciated," she mumbles, glancing sideways at the spider. Redbacks – known also as Black Widows – were one of most venomous species Back Then, and they don't disappoint here, either. Anri, while small, was highly venomous – which, Ren admits, is the reason she's the one accompanying her for the mission. As part of the trio of highly venomous assassins, she will be vital if Ren finds an opening to just let her bite the target and wait for a bit for the venom to run its course.

She could've taken other two, too; Atsushi, a highly aggressive Atrax who usually trails after Anri like a lost puppy – which Ren still don't know how Anri managed to convince him to leave her alone for mission – and Akihiro, a Brazilian Wandering Spider. Surprisingly, also highly aggressive. While Ren admits that they made an efficient team, Ren was so not putting up with their bickering that happened every time in-between that could escalate into full-blown spider brawl.

Which she was so not dealing with.

Therefore; Anri. And her well-meaning but still biting sarcasm. Honestly, Ren would very much loved to take her fluffy Cobalt to ride like some sort of horror-esque blue pony, but that was the point – Cobalt was cobalt-blue, and therefore would be rather visible on currently pure white landscape of land of Earth.

Her internal musings are interrupted by Anri suddenly digging three of her legs into her cheek, forcing it to the side, just as a rather meek 'poof resounds'. Surely enough, when gray smoke clears, on a boulder almost as high as Ren is tall – which is tall enough for Genma to only half-joke that she might outgrow him soon – emerges a well-known shape of Emi, one of delivery spiders.

"Ren! Anri!" Emi chirps, waving some of her legs in the air. "Hi!"

"I didn't expect to see you so soon," Ren says, raising an eyebrow, and if a spider can look embarrassed, Emi certainly does now. "Okay, spill the marbles."

"Well, Deidara sent you a note," Emi says, unwrapping a bit of folded paper from around her abdomen, and it indeed is a note. A short one, instead of a proper size-changing scroll they usually conversed with. Ren takes it, unwrapping and reading quickly. It's not long.

It doesn't make matters any less complicated.

Hi, Ren.

Sorry it's so sudden, but many things happened during last week, and you said in your last letter that you will be in Earth country around this time. If it's not a problem, I'd like to meet. Emi will have coordinates.

"Well, fuck," Ren huffs, crinkling the paper under her fingers and involuntarily setting it aflame. Just as life was taking a turn for stable, nice, if a bit monotone routine, this happens. What is this? Deidara deflecting from Iwa. Ren knows. It can't be anything else – the time is just about right, too. Honestly, she thought he'd run off earlier. And the coordinates he gave? Not Iwa. Not even remotely around. But frankly, only a slight detour away – and even that from a rather wide area where her target supposedly resides.

Ren hums a bit angrily, biting the inside of her cheek. What to do?

But if she doesn't do anything now, Akatsuki can show up any second and snag him...

Does she want them to snag him? Should she change-

Oh fuck it, like that's even a question. She promised herself to rip the canon to shreds properly, had she not?

"Tell him I'll be there soon," she says, looking at Emi. "I could use his help, actually."

Deidara is cold and miserable and for a split of a second thinks that maybe leaving Iwa was a dumb idea – only to rip the thought to shreds, because of course it was a good idea! Those uneducated morons had no appreciation for his art! Too dangerous, they said, too explosive. Well, gee, that was the damn point!

So he ran. And blew about a quarter of the village. They deserved it!

But now he was cold and miserable in this god-forsaken cave which entrance he managed to mostly shield with an earth jutsu, but not entirety. The cave – more of a hole, really – wasn't overly big, and Deidara preferred some cold gusts of fresh air, instead of suffocating in a small, locked space. It also gave him insight to the passage of day. Right now it was afternoon, and sky was rapidly darkening. And all he had was meek, pathetic excuse of a fire.

Prospect of being alone frightened him, even if he would never admit it to anyone, even to himself.

Emi came back few hours ago, confirming that Ren indeed was in the perimeter and would come and meet him, though. So he sat, unnaturally patient, and waited. And then waited some more. He might've dozed off at some point, because a movement on the outside was what jerked him into awakened, his hands going to the clay pouches before he made conscious decision to do so. Outside was pitch-black, and his mediocre fire was already out, not even sparkling anymore.

There's a crunch of the snow, and Deidara is ninja enough to know that it's forced, that someone is deliberately making sound around him – that they know he is here, but signal their presence. Why?

"Brat, open up, it's cold outside," growl a voice he hasn't heard for two years, and Deidara sighs in relief, making a gesture with his fingers, molding the ground with his chakra for enough allowance for a flexible person to slip through. And surely enough, a shape slipped through it, wiry and cocooned in not quite thick winter jacket, not really gangly but with awkward, slightly too-long limbs of a teenager at the very peak of growing up. And those unmistakable, creepy red eyes glowing in the dark.

Deidara knows, she told him, that they allow it certain degree of night vision. Doesn't make it any less creepy.

He motions his fingers again, and the patch of the ground where cold embers and ashes lay drops down, and the stone closes above it again to make place for her, and then closes the entrance again, leaving some space for ventilation. He knows he won't be going out before sunrise, and he really doubts either will Ren, given how she angrily brushes the snow off her hood and shoes, muttering curses under her breath.

While it was okay just for him, with them both inside the cave-hole, it's getting slightly cramped. Enough space for two grownups, and they are two growing teenagers. Still, Deidara has to admit that Ren might actually be taller and overall more massive than most adults, so that evens it out.

"So, you finally decided to get the hell out of Iwa, huh?" Ren smirked, looking at him with thankfully deactivated eyes, and Deidara huffed, turning his head to the side.

"I can't help it that they have no understanding of art, un!" he says snootily, "art is explosion!"

"It sure is," Ren snorts, bringing her hand up and ruffling his hair under his cap in a fond gesture. Deidara huffs and swats at the hand, but it has no real heat. "I'll need your help."

"Un?" he looks up at her, and Ren sighs.

"I'm tracking down a bounty, a chūnin, and offender," she says and then groans, stretching tired limbs as much as the space allows. Given that they can only crouch before hitting their heads on the ceiling, not much. "I have a more-less location, but not an exact one. Can you use that clay of yours to make something that could carry us?" she asks, and Deidara hums, tapping his chin.

Had she asked few months before, he'd likely say no, as he was in the middle of applying expanding technique on his sculptures. They were very volatile then, and as much as he loves explosions, having something explode under their feed wouldn't be good. But now, he's pretty much figured it out.

"I guess I can," he says. "They can be a bit volatile at times, but won't blow up. I fixed that. I expand them, but they can suddenly re-shrink."

"That's okay," Ren huffs, furiously rubbing her calf before moving to the other. "As long as I won't have to walk a step in next bloody week."

"That won't happen," Deidara rolls his eyes. "You always have to walk a bit."

"Fuck," is Ren's very eloquent answer.

It's dark and late, and very, very cold. Enough for Deidara to start shaking. So when Ren throws her arm over his shoulders and drags him closer to her, he doesn't ever really protest, despite an offended, shocked squeak he lets out. He huddles a bit closer to her, to this warmth normal human body shouldn't be able to produce in such weather and temperature. And if he grabs the hand slung around his shoulders for comfort like a child without home he is, well.

Nobody has to know.