Epilogue—The White Snake

The sun was setting over the ruined cave when Deidara and Kakuzu returned to the site. Deidara stepped up to the edge of the rubble and kicked at a loose rock.

"I'll never find it in all this," he sighed. "Hm."

"It was probably crushed anyway," Kakuzu said. "Why was it so important?"

Deidara covered his left eye. The slashes along that side of his face were still sore. "It's my special secret weapon against Itachi." He sighed again and flipped his hair. "Still, I guess it's all right. I can build a new one. Hm."

Hidan walked up to them. He was soaking wet and holding his severed arm. "Oi, Kakuzu! Help me out!"

"Oh," Deidara said grinning. "So you did find it. Good for you. Hm."

"Yeah, I found it. No thanks to you, shitheads," Hidan sneered.

"Hey, Kakuzu, reattach it backwards. Just for fun. Hm."

Kakuzu ignored him and began to reattach Hidan's arm, weaving the threads into his shoulder. "You two have done nothing but bicker and squabble through this whole ordeal," he said. "I thought you two would have gotten along better than this. I'll be glad to be rid of at least one of you."

Deidara just shrugged. "It's true, I can see some artistic value in his rituals – a sort of fleeting beauty – but mostly it's just creepy."

"Hey!" Hidan shouted. "Are you insulting Jashinism, huh, you fucking atheist? Maybe you'd like to feel the true beauty of Lord Jashin's punishment for yourself."

"Heh, no thanks. I've got more important things to do. Hm."

"Enough," Kakuzu said, cutting off their argument. "I'm done. Let's get going."

They separated and headed out, Kakuzu and Hidan in one direction, Deidara in the other.

[X]

The sun was blood red on the horizon now, casting a fiery glow over the debris. A few small rocks fell loose, bouncing down from the pile and splashing into the tranquil river. Then, all at once, boulders were scattered, pushed aside by the emergence of an enormous white snake from the midst of the ruins.

It did not hesitate. In a flash of glistening scales, it darted away from the collapsed cave, not stopping even once, traveling for days until it reached an opening in the ground that was tucked away in a dark forest. It slipped inside, sliding down an incline leading deep underground where the soft glow of firelight lit an extensive hideout.

The serpent rounded a corner in a hallway just as Kabuto was coming out of a room there. When he saw it, he dropped the glass he was holding and it shattered on the smooth stone at his feet, glittering shards skittering in every direction.

The snake opened its mouth, stretching it wider until the opening was large enough that it could have swallowed Kabuto whole where he stood. He didn't dare move, even to take up a weapon. The snake was too close.

Then he saw it. A white hand reached out from the depths of the snake and Orochimaru slowly emerged, dragging himself free of the serpent and standing before Kabuto, though a bit shakily. It seemed, in fact, that he was just barely keeping to his feet. His head and arms hung limp, his hair curtaining his face and blocking it from view.

"L-Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto said after his surprise had passed. "…Are you all right?"

He heard something that he couldn't identify at first, but then Orochimaru lifted his head, shaking his hair back. He was laughing. In his hand was Deidara's scope – bloody, but intact. His laughter escalated.

"Yes, Kabuto," Orochimaru hissed, grinning. "I'm fine. I just love making progress."

[X]

More than Enemies—Author's Note

Hello, all! After 19 chapters of silence, I feel it is safe now to speak without fear of interrupting the illusion.

First, I'd like to especially thank those readers who have left reviews. I really appreciate your enthusiasm and support and hope you will continue to support me and all the authors whose work you enjoy.

More than Enemies started as a spur-of-the-moment fan video my friends and I made at ACen 2010 (which may or may not be floating around YouTube but you didn't hear it from me (it's so awful XD)). I'd like to think the content has greatly improved since then, and that the story has benefited from the absence of my horrendous acting ;)

The development of More than Enemies into a full-blown fic was originally done as a Christmas gift for my girlfriend, and I release it now to all of you only with her permission, as this story belongs to her as much as it does to me.

If you enjoyed this story, I encourage you all to keep an eye out for more from me. This story is far from finished. I still have two separate one-shots plus another full length fic planned in continuation of these events (not to mention the unplanned…). The next piece to look out for will be titled "One Week Later."

Thanks again for reading!

~DS