A.N: I really love this story and finally there is some action in it and amazingly Jenny's not going to the hospital. She's spending way to much time there. Anyway doesn't everyone just hate segrigation? Being pushed away by a group just because your a different race or gender? This chapter is going out to MLK jr may he always be remmbered as a great leader and artist who helped add color to America.
Chapter Fourteen: Artistic Differences; Ao Guang is Released!
"Hah!" Deidara growled as two giant centipedes crawled out of his palms. My eyes widened and I quickly jumped back not realizing that maybe Deidara would actually try to prevent me from turning into a Dragon King. I really had to get my gears together. The clay insects chased after me trying to get into the correct range as I jumped away trying to get ready for my jutsu.
I skidded to a stop about twenty meters away from the on coming bombs and strike them with kunai into their round heads. The centipedes stalled for a second but then started on the move again. I cursed under my breath ripping open the scroll of the black wind dragon Ao Guang. I quickly did the hand seals for that particular dragon as the bombs come nearer.
"Spirit transformation jutsu: Ao Guang!" I cried the scroll fluttering around me.
"Katsu!"
There was a bright light being a mixture of my own hot white chakra and Deidara's explosion.
Shinobi? I heard a soft voice in my head say. I'm surprised you would summon me so soon after what happened.
"I need you," my lips mouthed as the light engulfed my body. I felt my ribs and back crack and screamed but I could not hear my voice. This was like no other transformation this was no illusion my body was really reshaping it's self and I felt like I was dying. Then the light began to die away with the pain and I blinked.
What I noticed first was that I was really high up, at least ten feet in the air, but my feet were still on the ground. The second thing I noticed was that Deidara was staring at me his pulped tiny. Sasori also had a look of interest but not the scared shitless gaze as Deidara did. I felt my lips stretch into a smile as I gazed at my target.
I took a step and fell over having lost my balance. I felt my long body hit the ground then my neck and lastly my head. I heard a laughing and cracked open my eyes. I seems that a two hundred foot long mythical lizard stirs up a bit of commotion and I had a group of bystanders currently laughing at me.
Ah well that wasn't too graceful said the little voice currently eating away at my memories. You should have trained a little in walking in this form instead of challenging someone much stronger then you before hand.
'You tell me that now?' I thought crossly trying to get up on all four slim legs. I swayed a bit trying to figure out how to shift my weight correctly.
You hadn't called on me before little girl the voice said softly and what seemed thoughtful.
I shook my head and locked my gaze on Deidara who was currently a few hundred feet in the air atop one of his creations. 'Tell me, how do I fly?' I asked Ao Guang who replied with a low hum.
You are the wind dragon you can figure it out he chuckled.
'Your helpful,' I thought giving a mental eye roll and heard him laugh softly.
"Time to show you that my art wins un!" Deidara laughed and I could only imagine Sasori rolling his eyes and giving a 'yeah whatever.' The blond dropped a few bomb birds that like seeker missiles went after me. I felt chakra rush in me, and leek out as a tiny blast of wind, which seemed to have escaped from the very pours of my skin. This knocked the bombs off course but there were at least twenty of them and my little burst only totally smashed the front of three birds, which had crashed to the ground.
'This is interesting,' I thought and almost thought I could see the youngest dragon smiling thoughtfully from within my subconscious. 'But how to make it work purposefully…'
I had little time to think, the bombs had recovered from aftershock and were speeding towered me. I hadn't realized that fighting a long-range fighter would be so hard. As I tried to stay out of range of his bombs I noted in my mind that no matter how much I duck away or get rid of the birds I wont be making and progress unless I attacked the source. I needed a way to get to Deidara.
I whipped around my teeth bared as I felt every single of my new muscles twitch. I sprang off careful to keep my weight level; I did trip a few times but was able to make a U-turn for Deidara. My legs I was happy to find out were long and thin but my back thighs seemed pretty strong so I jumped for it. Deidara was clearly surprised as I leapt into the air using chakra to enhance my jump, I clasped to the bird he sat atop with my claws and dangled limply the tip of my tail brushing the ground. We looked at each other silently for what seemed like forever when really it was more like seven seconds as the clay bird fought the extra two or so tons now on it.
In those stretched out moments I saw Deidara's shocked look turn into a soft smile. The next thing I remember was a smash as we both hit the ground. My sight blurred but I fought to stay in the living world. I could feel my chakra level out as the jutsu was cut off by the fall and I could feel my mind be cleared of the extra entity. Once my body felt its self again I attempted to sit up and was greeted by horrible pain.
'Why am I always getting myself in the hospital?' I thought to myself 'I always enjoyed self preservation before I came to this crazy school.' I slowly sat up as a Water Tower medic Nin came over along with Loren who had been watching. I glanced over at Deidara would was half on half off his smashed slay eagle. His hair was covering his face but I could see blood on the clay and in his hair. He shifted and moaned and I exhaled my held breath. He was okay I could relax.
"I'm fine really," I murmured knowing all to well that I was defiantly not okay. The water student ignored me and began to heal my cracked ribs with chakra. Apparently he knew already knew Deidara's injuries were less serious. Once he was finished he moved over to Deidara who had a nasty gash in his scalp but other then that was okay.
Sitting up he looked at me with a half smile and spat some blood out. Looks like he had bitten his tongue also. I smiled back and leaned on the clay bird my head dizzy from the fall. Loren rubbed my shoulder saying things like how reckless I had become and how stupid I could get.
"That was an awesome match," a girl said kneeling down in front of me. It was a Fire Tower girl and I recognized her as being the one who defended Itachi's little brother. Loren almost hissed I could tell she was in her protective mood.
"I was getting my ass hand delivered to me," I said with a slight cough. "What did you say your name was?"
"Katie," she replied with a smile and I smiled back. I could feel Loren relax next to me. Deidara watched us quietly from the other side of the clay creation that was still twitching its legs slightly. "So who won?"
"I have no clue but I'm pretty sure the match should go to Deidara," I said making the blond snicker.
"Told you my art is awesome," he said making Loren and me roll our eyes.
"Art?" Katie blinked and the two of us fell backwards knowing this was going to spiral into another art rant.
"So Loren are you excited for the exam?" Katie asked slurping down a bowl of noodles "I know I am."
"Yea I guess so," she replied, "I've been working a lot with Gaara's two older siblings and they help a lot."
"I've never seen you fight before Loren," I said chewing on a pocky stick contently. We were in the ramen place again but there weren't as many people there was the first time I came. Much safer for a 'red cloud,' as some Tower students called us, to hang out here when business is slow.
"You'll see tomorrow then," she said with an indifferent shrug.
"Yea were is this test going to be anyway?" I asked my hat jingling softly.
"A stadium will be set up tonight in the training ground," Loren said "I'm not sure when I'll be fighting but I know all first years fight tomorrow and some of Friday if every student hasn't fought yet."
"The first year Tower student body is going to be cut one third," Katie said her round eyes wider.
"I have a test coming up soon too Pein-sama says it's a pretty big deal too," I said tilting my head down "I have to master my jutsu soon or I'll make a fool of myself and Itachi-sempai."
"You Akatsuki take honor seriously," Katie said and I laughed.
"No, not really I just don't want Itachi to Mengekyou Sharingan my pathetic ass," I said bluntly knowing that whatever happened in that certain technique was not pleasant by any means. Katie stared at me horrified that someone would tourcher there subordinate with such a powerful genjutsu for just losing a match in their first test.
"Mengekyou Sharingan?" she murmured "d-don't you kill your best friend to get that?"
"Yea," I said softly. "Itachi is…a rather narrow minded person. When he sets a goal he does anything to acquire it, 'you must do everything in your power to get what you want in life even if it means stepping over someone weaker then you' that's what he told me one day after training."
"That's some ethics," Loren said sarcastically and I smirked.
"I wont be like that," I said "Itachi is smart and powerful and maybe he's right but I couldn't kill you for just a pair of eyes."
"It's nice to know you wouldn't murder me for just power Jenny," Loren said with a smile and we laughed.
"It's amazing you two are even friends," Katie said and we looked at her. "Well I just mean you two are from totally different parts of the school and all. Jenny being a Red Cloud and you being a Wind Tower Student."
"We've been friends since like sixth grade it's not like I'm going to stop liking Jen just because of some rivalry," Loren said making me smile. "Besides someone needs to make sure she and her explosive boy friend don't kill themselves."
"He's not my boyfriend," I said pressing my brows together.
"Is he a friend?" she questioned and I nodded. "Is he a boy?"
"God I hope so," I sighed and they laughed.
"Well then he's a boy who's a friend," Loren snorted.
"Wouldn't that qualify as a guy-friend then?" I asked and Loren just shrugged. Loren and me left the ramen joint after a few Fire Tower kids started heckling me. Katie stayed sense her crush Sasuke was in the group and she wanted to try to talk to him.
Katie was nice and I could call her a friend but she did have a group to fit into and if she had left with me I'm sure she would have trouble from the other Fires later on so I didn't mind her ditching us. As we walked down the street Loren played yo-yo with one of her five cornered throwing stared attached to a chakra string. She told me it was good practice for her since she had to hold onto many small targets going at high speeds with strings instead of one or two larger slower targets like most puppeteers.
I thought that it was pretty amazing; the whole idea of being able to control things with just chakra just boggled my mind. The many things chakra could do was amazing. Summoning spirits, controlling objects (and people), crazy illusions, transformations, controlling the elements, healing, the list goes on and on. I wondered how much my neutral chakra could allow me to learn, endless amounts of Jutsus I could master.
The thought made me shiver. I was thinking way to into this. I need to relax but Itachi's words rang in my head like a freaking gong. Would I really murder for power?
A.N: I know this chapter doesn't have alot of stuff about segrigation in it but it's there and that's what was on my mind while writing this chapter. Also these are only my thoughtsand feelings on issues I just always try to add life lessons to 'The Academy.' Again these are just my thoughts I'm not saying I'm right on these issues I'm just putting down what I think and believe. Anyway Read & Review!