Chapter Six

Nakiro felt her heart racing with anticipation as she walked the streets of Konohagakure, her brain jolting around with all sorts of different scenarios. Was she truly ready to do this? It was a huge step for her, a huge step for anyone born of the Hontaru clan, what if it was a mistake? She shook her head to herself as she walked, trying her hardest not to back out of her choice. Revealing herself to an outsider of the clan was a big decision by all means but she believed she was mature enough to make her own decisions. If she was mature enough to have been accepted into the Anbu corps, why not reveal her true self to the person she held most dear?

She internally nodded to herself at her logic, making her way to the Uchiha compound. She hoped she wouldn't have to go very far before running into Itachi, she felt uneasy being there, as though she weren't welcome. It was quite the different case when she was in Itachi's parents home but walking through the compound was a different story, the other Uchiha seemed wary of her presence. She managed to swallow the lump in her throat and took her first step, walking slowly in the direction of the Uchiha household she sought.

She could feel eyes on her as she walked, some of the elderly Uchiha greeting her by name which she returned with a wave and a polite good morning. She was one of the only outsiders ever to visit on a regular basis, all the Uchiha clan knew of her closeness with Itachi, hopefully not how close though. Being around him always lightened her spirit, her soul felt warm when they were together, her heart always seemed to go crazy when she saw him and when they touched, it was like a jolt of electricity; was this what it felt like to be in love?

She rolled her eyes to herself, trying not to think about that. She had just turned eleven while he was about to turn thirteen, they were too young to be getting involved in anything serious like that. Plus, she knew that they were both going to be busy being in Anbu. Itachi rarely had free time outside of his missions, with her being a recruit now, she knew it was going to be nearly impossible to spend time together, especially since Fugaku wanted Itachi to become a captain.

"Well well, is that a Hontaru I see?" Nakiro smiled brightly at the sound of Shisui's voice, her green eyes finding his face.

"Ohayou Shisui." she greeted. He chuckled quietly and raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the wooden fence.

"It's a little early to be out and about, don't you think?" he teased. She felt her smile widen and shook her head, she enjoyed the early morning more than most.

"I like it." she admitted. "More hours for the day."

"Mhm, so that's what you're doing over here at 6am." he joked. "It has nothing to do with seeing Itachi." She felt her cheeks go warm at his tone, not bothering to defend herself. She and Itachi had a habit of meeting in the early morning or late night, depending on their missions and schedules, it was easier to get time together.

"He's not on a mission is he?" she asked, Shisui shook his head.

"Not yet, he mentioned leaving at midday for one though." he told her, she nodded a little.

"At least I won't look like a fool showing up at 6am." she chortled. He let out a hearty laugh at her words, nodding his head.

"He's at the water, on that dock he's so fond of." he stated.

"Arigato. I'll see you later then."

"Yeah yeah, go see your boyfriend."

She felt her cheeks go warm and ducked her head as she head in the direction of the dock, grumbling quietly to herself when Shisui burst into laughter behind her, the jerk. She groaned softly, trying to wipe the blush off her face as she walked, her sunshine blonde hair swaying above her shoulders. After a few minutes worth of walking she'd finally made it to the river, her eyes could make out Itachi sitting at the end of the dock, it looked as though he was going to watch the sunrise this morning. She smiled softly to herself and made her way across the dock, taking a seat next to him, swinging her legs above the water.

"Ohayou Nakiro." he greeted, his onyx eyes finding her green ones.

"Ohayou." she said softly, turning her gaze to the sky. "Looks like it hasn't started yet."

"You made it just in time." he assured calmly. She glanced over, watching as he pulled his hair into a low ponytail, she assumed it was his new style since he'd grown his hair longer. "I wasn't sure I'd see you this morning."

"My entrance isn't until later today." she stated, tucking some blonde behind her ear. "I've been trying to decide on a look since I woke up."

"Any form you take is always lovely." he commented. She felt her cheeks going warm at the compliment, blushing darker when he placed his hand over hers.

"You really think so?" she pressed, turning her eyes to him. Itachi met her gaze, a sincere expression on his face as he nodded once, squeezing her hand beneath his.

"Of course." he agreed. She swallowed nervously, trying to pull herself together, she needed to do this.

"Would you...like to see my real one?" She felt her heart begin to race when his onyx eyes widened, tilting his head slightly as he looked at her.

"You're willing to show that to me?" he asked, she nodded with flushed cheeks.

"I am." she murmured. "I trust you more than anyone else and...I figured that if I was going to show anyone, why not my best friend?" A small smile graced his lips at her words, she felt her stomach flip at the look in his eyes, was this what love felt like?

"I'd be honored."

"Love."

Nakiro blinked, snapping out of her thoughts at the smooth sound of Deidara's voice, turning her head in his direction. She tilted her head to the side when she saw the confusion reflecting in his visible eye, was something wrong with him? She snatched her book from the bedside table and put her pen to the paper, writing.

Is something wrong?

She moved her eyes to the blonde, confusion flooding her brain. He still had that same astounded look in his visible eye, his mouth agape as he stared at her, why was he looking at her that way? She blinked curiously and turned her book to face him so he could see her question.

"How...I don't understand hm."

'What is he talking about, it's like he's lost his wits.'

She gave him the same bewildered look, wishing that he would just tell her what was wrong, he was staring at her as if she'd grown an extra head or something just as ludicrous. Was there something behind her? She turned her head, looking behind her to see nothing, the same old wall was there.

"Your..." She turned her attention back to the bomber, impatiently waiting for him to finish his sentence. "Your hair hm." She furrowed her brow at the statement, not understanding what he meant. What about her hair? Was it messed up or something, it had been rather windy outside before they'd returned to their room in the inn, perhaps it was...

'Kuso, I shifted.'

She shook her head in annoyance, how could she have forgotten to tell him about her abilities, especially when her form would change like that when she was lost in thought, he was beyond baffled because of her mistake. She let out a silent groan and focused her chakra, the ringlets adorning her hair flattening out to the soft waves, the color shifting from an aqua color back to a dark turquoise. She moved her red eyes to Deidara's blue one, forcing a smile on her face, trying to apologize as best she could with her eyes.

"Matte!" he exclaimed, jumping onto the bed next to her. She bounced a little at the impact, blushing darkly when he leaned closer to her, his nose touching her own. "You're one of them, aren't you hm?" She nodded, knowing exactly what he was asking before writing it down.

A Senshi?

"Yeah." he agreed enthusiastically. "The famous clan in Konohagakure with the kekkei genkai to change their form, without use of a transformation hm."

She nodded again in agreement, she knew all sorts of questions were bolting around in his brain, she wondered which one he'd ask first. Senshi could only be found in Konohagakure, many of the other hidden villages were jealous of the clan's commitment to Konoha only, wanting the ability within their own ranks. No matter what had been offered to them though, the Hontaru had never betrayed Konoha and were forever loyal to them.

"Demo..." She felt her spirit drop at the word, she knew what was coming, that question. "Nakiro, your clan..."

She bowed her head, trying to avoid his questioning looks as best she could, she didn't want to cry in front of him. What good would that do her, her tears wouldn't bring back her family or missing clan members. The night that she had run away, Orochimaru had killed her family, right before her eyes to make matters worse. During those moments, she'd also discovered that he was responsible for the disappearances going on within her clan, he was kidnapping fellow Hontaru to experiment on. All that monster cared about was jutsu and he didn't care what he had to do, nor who he had to sacrifice, to get what he wanted. A labored breath left her lungs as she tried to hold herself together, hugging her knees to her chest absentmindedly.

"Gomen nasai." She glanced up through her bangs at his words, his tone was soft, not cocky or overconfident like she'd grown so accustomed to, he must've known how difficult it was for her to talk about. "Ooi." She felt her heart skip when he scooted closer to her and cupped her cheek with a gloved hand, running his thumb across her skin soothingly as he stared into her eyes. "We don't have to talk about that hm." he assured. She subconsciously leaned into his touch, thanking him as best she could with her eyes, placing her hand over his. "How about this hm?" he started. She tilted her head to the side slightly when he removed his hand from her face, going about pulling the glove off his hand. "We make a game out of it, an answer for an answer hm."

She nodded enthusiastically, wanting to know more about him and his past, this was the most entertaining way to do it. After completing the small contract offered to them by the mercenaries, they'd been stuck laying low in the inn for a few days until they could travel inconspicuously, it was the best way for them to pass the time.

"What would you like to know hm?" he asked, going about removing the other glove. She bit down on her lip in thought, finally putting pen to paper after a moment.

I'd like to know more about how your art works.

Deidara's blue eye scanned over her words, a smirk coming to his lips when he met her gaze.

"I was hoping you'd ask that first hm." he admitted, the smirk on his lips widening. "I've been making sculptures for as long as I can remember, I've always had quite the talent for it hm. Using it in battle is a dream come true, I never thought it would happen until I found a way." She gave him a curious look, watching him as he grabbed his pouch of clay from the floor. "My kekkei genkai is called the Explosion Release but I wasn't able to use it with my art, until...I happened upon a certain kinjutsu hm."

'So how does it work then?'

Nakiro turned her attention to her book, writing down her next question before turning her eyes back to the bomber.

"My turn hm." She nodded in agreement, waiting for her question. "So, you're a Senshi, when did you activate your kekkei genkai?" She bit her lip in thought, it was a little more difficult for her to remember since she'd been so young when it happened, she remembered the story her parents had told her but that was it. She did however, remember when she'd mastered it.

I was very young, probably 3 when I activated it. I had it mastered right before I turned 5.

"Wow hm." he mumbled. "Can I ask one more before yours?" She nodded curiously, watching as he stuck a hand down into the pouch. "Why do you think you activated it so young hm?"

The Kyubi attacked Konoha when I was 3, I think the stress of the situation just sort of forced my kekkei genkai to activate on it's own.

He nodded at her answer, not saying anything else, she assumed it was her turn. She showed her question to him, watching another grin come to his lips.

"The kinjutsu gave me a way to infuse my chakra into my sculptures so I can use them in battle hm. With my kekkei genkai being the Explosion Release, it's how I manage to make them explode hm." he responded, removing his hand from the bag. "Would you like to see how?"

She nodded, feeling especially enthusiastic that he was willing to share that information with her. She leaned closer when he held his hands out to her, looking over the slits in his palms curiously, what exactly was it? She pursed her lips and moved her hand to his left, poking the slit curiously. Her jaw dropped when a tongue licked her index finger, her eyes darting between his palms, he had mouths on his hands. She stared at them on awe, poking at it gently, they were just like real mouths; they had teeth, thin lips and tongues. She moved her eyes up to Deidara's visible one, wondering how it was possible.

"Watch my right hand hm." She nodded at the instruction, focusing her gaze on his right hand and watched as the mouth moved, the teeth becoming visible every few seconds before eventually spitting out a ball of clay into his hand. "So now, my chakra is infused with the clay and once I mold it into what I want, I can control it and make it explode hm."

She nodded, the concept was simple enough but it was just mind boggling that a kinjutsu could give a person extra body parts like that, she was sure it had taken a bit to get used to the idea of having extra mouths. She felt a smile come to her lips when a dragonfly rose from his palm, gliding across the room towards the window.

"Alright, you know how I make my art now. Can you tell me what all your kekkei genkai does hm?" She nodded in agreement, writing down her answer before showing him.

My kekkei genkai allows me to change my physical form into whatever I choose. I can bounce between a male body and female body almost instantaneously, it can take me as little as 5 seconds to completely change my form. If I take the form of a shinobi from a certain village, I have access to all techniques known to the village through the shinobi's form. I can't obtain any clan's kekkei genkai though, I can have the appearance of it but I can't actually use it, it doesn't work that way.

"So what's the biggest problem you encounter with shapeshifting hm?" he questioned. She giggled to herself before writing it down, he chucked softly when he read her words. "That sounds like a problem hm. A man wearing a dress doesn't seem very convincing." She nodded in agreement, giggling silently to herself. Clothing not changing with the body was the biggest problem, having to scavenge clothing to match with a new appearance was always a hassle for her. "I think we're going to do great things hm." he commented. Her red eyes met his blue one curiously, wondering what he meant. "I mean, your abilities are better for stealth whereas mine are a little more..."

Ostentatious.

"Exactly." he agreed, nodding his head. "You can get the more secret things done and I can finish it off with a bang, it's the perfect combo hm." Nakiro felt a smile come to her lips, realizing how right he truly was, their abilities complimented each other quite well. "I think we could come up with some good moves together, we just need to know everything about each other's fighting style hm."

So does that mean it's my turn to ask a question?

Deidara grinned cheekily, nodding his head once.

"Ask away."

Author's Note: Another chapter down! Woo!