Hey guys, I'm sorry about not updating. I lost my flashdrive, lost the first time I wrote this (all 4,700+ words :( and inspiration . . . then my mom got stuck in jail again. And a bunch of other shit. I'm seriously soorrryyy!! Then to try to make up for it, I tried to make this a long chapter, but that took more time! So to make up for it, I just shoved this one out there, but its almost one-thousand words shorter than usual! Argh! SOORRYY!! DX
In other not so pathetic news, my friend made two pictures of Kumori on . My account link is in my profile, and I've updated a lot of stuff on said profile. I'm glad that some people liked the awkwardness Deidara had at the end of the last chapter, I really wasn't too proud of it, and thought about deleting it and putting something else, but was too lazy and couldn't think of anything anyway . . . . --' I'm so lazy. XD
Oh, and now I have a beta, so HOPEFULLY this will flow easier, make more sense, and all around improve.
THANK YOU REIDLUVER!
P.S. Reidluver has awesome stories, check 'em out!
So . . . ONWARD!!
"Ngh. . ." The kunoichi wearily opened her eyes before closing them again and then repeated the process until her vision cleared. She swiveled her eyes around to see that she was in a room . . . Apparently it was nighttime too, if the lighting was anything to go by.
Upon further inspection, she found that she was not in her room. With that realization, she snapped upright. She couldn't help but remember all the other times she'd woken up in another room . . . with Kami knows what attached . . . a new curse added to her body . . . sucking away her chakra . . . bringing her closer to death.
Thankfully, her trip down hell lane was interrupted. Unfortunately, it was interrupted by the wonderful sensation of hell's fire spreading throughout her spine
"YEEAGH SHIT FIRE!" She screeched in obvious agony. Her screech easily jerked Deidara and Sasori out of their slumber.
"Mguh . . . mut ze hell . . . un, " Deidara mumbled, rubbing his eye to awake himself further. Sasori, who did not need to deal with such meaningless matters, shuffled over to the distraught woman.
"Lay down, you've undergone . . . serious . . . injuries?" the puppet master trailed off. Deidara's shirt, even thought the bomb artist was small, was apparently still a lot larger than the woman was. His shirt had slipped off both her shoulders, and was now sitting low. Her slim, lithe, pale shoulders were completely uncovered. Kakuzu's stitching laced through her side was even beginning to show. Was it really just her personality that made her seem to be as—big as the others? Konan seemed so small in comparison. (on a normal basis)
Then to top it all off, she'd lost her concentration on her genjutsu, and so now once again her curses were visible, lacing over her skin in a sickening, deadly, and yet still somehow beautifully intricate pattern. Shaking his head, Sasori shuffled closer, and gently gripped her shoulders.
"Lay down, you have serious wounds and shouldn't be moving." He nudged her backwards, being extra cautious of how hard he pressed. Not having skin anymore made it hard to judge if he was pushing too hard or not.
Apparently, he hadn't pushed too hard, even though she hissed through her teeth at movement, she lay down again.
"What happened?" she groaned, recognizing Hiruko she was able to calm down.
"You got minced by Hidan's scythe, and then you melted the guy in his shoes. Konan wasn't there, so you had to stay in here for now, un." Apparently, the blond had woken up.
"Oh . . ." Her eyes suddenly lit up.
"OH! Is he ok!? I didn't hurt him too bad did I?!" Taken by surprise, the puppet and blonde were unable to respond for a few seconds, their thoughts being scattered by her worried chatter. Finally, Sasori managed to collect his thoughts together enough to calm the woman.
"Shut up, he's fine. He's an immortal bastard. He'll live." Kumori still seemed a little unnerved, but fell silent anyways. The silence continued for what seemed like hours. It wasn't a comfortable, awkward, or uncomfortable silence at all. Just a heavy, pressing, and boring silence that seemed almost as loud as one of Deidara's explosions. Only it was a quiet boom, if that made any sense.
"Well, you should go to bed Kumori, it's four in the morning and I would like to rest. Deidara is too grumpy without sleep anyway," Sasori's gruff voice sliced through the pressing silence. Deidara sent a heated glare at Sasori, but was too tired to argue. Lying down, he threw his blanket over his shoulder, while mumbling a few unintelligible insults at the puppet. Kumori nodded her thanks to Sasori, who had laid the blanket over her form before he shuffled over to his bed. Looking closer, Kumori saw that there was a variety of puppet equipment on the bed and desk.
"Um . . . Sasori?" The man grunted.
"Don't you sleep?" The man paused, and seemed to be thinking over how to respond, before gruffly replying.
"I'm a puppet. I need little to no sleep. But I do need three or four hours of sleep every four or five days." Kumori grinned sheepishly. Apparently, she had forgotten Sasori's "handicap".
With that awkwardness, Kumori settled into a restless sleep, while Sasori worked meticulously throughout the night on his puppets.
SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-
"Deidara . . . "
"Mgfm."
"Deeidaaarra . . . "
". . ."
"Deeeidaaaaaaaarrrrraaaa . . ."
". . ."
"Deeeiidaa—"
"GODDAMNIT, WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" The blond sat up with a jerk, blue eyes hard as ice with his sun-kissed hair sticking out in random directions.
"I was wondering if you were awake or not." Ice-blue eyes glared at crimson.
"You woke me up . . . to see if I was AWAKE, UN!?"
"Well, it's already 7:00, and I'm really bored . . . "
"The K&H alarm won't go off for another hour, un! And why are you awake already? Shouldn't you be practically dead from yesterday's testing, un?"
"I have overactive chakra glands so I was able to heal myself . . . and I don't sleep a lot."
"Why?" Kumori seemed to hesitate before answering.
"Living in constant fear for years kinda does that to you." Silence ensued. Kumori just stared at a scorched part of the white wall, no doubt from one of Deidara's sculptures. Deidara stared at Kumori in thought, although Kumori, if she noticed, didn't say anything.
Why does she so trust so easily? If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't talk to anyone hardly, let alone give out all this information so willingly. Yet already she's shown us her marks. Then again, she WAS surrounded by S-class nin . . . and probably wanted to live a little longer. But there isn't any reason for her to be telling me this. She could easily just say she'd rather not talk about it.
And, just to tie this bundle of confusion up, she doesn't seem hardly bothered, if at all telling us this. Argh, my head hurts . . .
"Uh, Deidara . . . are you just going to stare at me all day, or are you going to answer me?" At that, Deidara turned his head the other way to hide a pink fringe coming over his features.
"Err . . . sorry." Kumori blinked at him for a minute before giggling. Steadily, the pink became closer to red.
"So, you gonna answer me or not?"
"Answer what, un?" Kumori's lithe form shook in silent laughter.
"You really are oblivious, you know that?" Deidara's features once again pinked.
"Shut it, un." Kumori's form shook even harder, and she had to put a fist in her mouth to stay quiet. (she doesn't want to wake the others)
After a few moments of silent giggling, and glaring on Deidara's part, Kumori her question again for the seventh time.
"Who changed my clothes?"
At that, Deidara's face immediately lit up. His face becoming even reader when he felt his face inflame. He spluttered random nonsense, eyes widening, a hand beginning to thread threw his silky blond lock hanging in front of his eye.
"Well . . . err . . . uh—you see, um . . . I—" Kumori grinned mischievously at his reaction. Even though she still didn't understand what was so bad, she wasn't going to not take advantage of this.
"Aww, is Deidei-chan to fwustered to twalk?" she cooed in a kiddy voice.
"Sh—shut up, un!" Deidara stuttered, threading his hand through his hair faster. Kumori realized this was something that he must do when he was nervous, seeing as it was an obviously unconscious act. But, her curiosity, (that she swore wasn't as pestering as the others said) got the best of her and she stopped.
"Seriously though, who changed me?" Deidara's blush returned full force.
"What are you two talking about?" A gruff voice saved Deidara from his embarrassment.
"Danna!" Deidara gasped. "Where did you come from, un?"
"Jeez brat, are you that dumb? My mother and father obviously." Deidara scowled at him for that, Kumori just rolled her eyes.
"You know what I mean, un," he sighed in an irritated manor.
"I was outside getting some poisonous plants, why?" Looking satisfied he'd gotten a straight answer, Deidara answered his answering question.
"Just wondering, un. Since you hadn't been here and all . . . "
"Why? Were you two doing something?" A smirk graced Sasori's features as he noticed the fading blush which was not returning. Kumori had figured out that he was really open around Deidara—and apparently her. Maybe it was because they were all into art?
Then it clicked.
"WHAT?!" Deidara and Kumori screeched.
I-REALLY-AM-SORRY-I-REALLY-AM-SORRY-I-REALLY-AM-SORRY-I-REALLY-AM-SORRY-I-REALLY-AM-SORRY-I-REALLY-AM-SORRY-I-REALLY-AM-SORRY
"So . . . what do you want for breakfast?"
"Nothing, un."
"Are you still sore over that?"
The blond grumbled. The redhead shook his head and chuckled. After that incident, Deidara threw about everything in their room that was non-art at the scorpion puppet. Sasori ended up getting the boot out of his own room, and was now (temporarily) on Deidara's "people-to-blow-up" list.
Kumori, well, she was a little different. Her face blushed enough to where she looked healthy, (damn she's pale) and her eyes widened. For the briefest second, it seemed as if her mask fell, and pure look of pure unrelenting pain flashed over her features. But Deidara threw an empty box that used to hold poison at him, and by the time he had looked back, Kumori was gone, the door slightly ajar. Shortly after Sasori was thrown out of the room, the K&H alarm went off.
So now, Sasori and Deidara were trying to figure out what they wanted to eat. Well, what Deidara wanted to eat, but oddly enough the one who doesn't eat can cook. Deidara has to eat, but can't cook. Unless a chared, pile of Kami-knows-what is the meal.
"Waffles?"
"No, un."
"Pancakes?"
"No, un."
"Egg, cheese, sausage, and toast?"
"No thanks, un." Sasori sighed irritably.
"Damnit, brat! I'm in charge of feeding everyone today, and that means everyone! So just shut your mouth and pick something before I do it for you!
". . . " In an amazing show of self-control, Sasori took a pan from the counter, hit Deidara upside the head with it, and calmly stated,
"If you do this, then we won't even be able to get Itachi to eat period, so pick something now!" Deidara looked at his hands for a second before grumbling something.
"What?" Sasori asked tilting his head to the side. Deidara chuckled inwardly at the motion, but stated in a grumpy voice.
"Biscuits with jelly." Sasori smiled triumphantly before going to the fridge and getting said biscuits.
"Now was that so hard?" He said in an overly sweet tone. Deciding to screw with him a bit, Deidara grumbled.
"Hai."
SMACK!!
Deidara was really starting to hate that pan.
I-FEEL-SO-BAD- I-FEEL-SO-BAD- I-FEEL-SO-BAD- I-FEEL-SO-BAD- I-FEEL-SO-BAD- I-FEEL-SO-BAD- I-FEEL-SO-BAD- I-FEEL-SO-BAD- I-FEEL-SO-BAD-
Kumori stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. She knew Sasori didn't know what he had said, but it still didn't help it hurt any less.
Tsume . . . please still be breathing. Don't leave me, I'll look for you, I promise. I'll ask Leader-sama about it. Until then just please don't stop breathing . . .
Repeating the prayer desperately a few more times, Kumori dressed herself and then looked at herself in the mirror. She still hadn't reapplied her genjutsu, and she felt naked without it. Without it, everyone could see her marks. It was like each one of them told everybody of her horrors. Of the beatings, the pain, the tests, and it left her so . . . revealed. She hated it. She wore a perfect mask all the time, she hid herself so well. But the curses blared to everyone in a silent scream of her true self. She brushed away the bangs, her fingers delicately tracing the deformed area. So long as no one knew of this, she would be ok. Well, maybe not ok, but she wouldn't completely loose herself.
Staring at the fiery curse on the other side of her face while watching the colors flicker, twirl and explode on her skin, Kumori thought over what all she had told the members.
How hypocritical am I? Saying I hate for people to know about me, and yet already I've told them of my living conditions, revealed my marks, told them of my Kekkei Genkai, and showed them my lust for blood. At least none of them hate me.
Yet.
CAN-YOU-EVER-FORGIVE-ME- CAN-YOU-EVER-FORGIVE-ME- CAN-YOU-EVER-FORGIVE-ME- CAN-YOU-EVER-FORGIVE-ME- CAN-YOU-EVER-FORGIVE-ME-
It was now nine o'clock, and all the Akatsuki were sitting at the table eating biscuits and butter/jelly/peanut butter/honey. Stifling a yawn, Leader asked Konan where she had been last night. The blue-haired woman just finished her biscuit, and headed to her room.
"What was that about?" Hidan asked, looking at the door she had just disappeared behind.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Leader retorted while staring at the same spot.
Breakfast was finished in silence. Kumori offered to wash the dishes, and nobody objected. Who wanted to wash dishes anyway? Gathering the plates, she looked at Itachi's and blinked. Sasori had made five biscuits for everyone.
There were four on his plate.
Shrugging it off thinking he just wasn't hungry, she grabbed a biscuit and popped it in her mouth. Itachi made a butter and honey biscuit. Yum.
SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY
The rest of the day went on. It was rather boring, and Konan kept drinking coffee to stay awake. Tobi and Zetsu had left for a mission around noon, and then Kisame and Itachi left a couple hours later.
All in all, boooring.
So, to give herself something to do, Kumori went to her room, and got out her diary of drawings. She didn't like to write everything, she preferred to draw scenes of memorable times, the good or the bad, so that some might think it was just random pictures. And if they were smart enough to figure out it was a recording, then their mind would interpret it different because it's art. Probably just another one of Kumori's quirks.
So grabbing her pencils and charcoals, Kumori leaned against the wall at the head of her bed and began to draw out the past few days. First, she drew a scene of her sneaking around Sound ninja. Going through doors, looking around corners, and took special note of the hallway designs. She may go back someday, so this could serve as a map.
After that, she drew herself jumping through the trees. Kumori by now had completely zoned into her work, and focused on nothing but her drawings. Because of this, she was able to draw the looks of apprehension and fear on her face. Get the rolling clouds to look as if they would swallow you whole, and even got the raindrops to have form, and not just be little lines.
She drew of the cave, and of her looking through her stuff, of her sleeping, and later fighting Sasori and Deidara, the meeting with the rest, the almost meeting with that hebi-teme, and of the new meeting place. She smiled and chuckled when she drew Hidan's face when she first morphed. She drew herself when she revealed who she was to them, and of her fight with Machi. Probably overdid those scenes a bit, but oh well.
After that she drew of her recruiting to the Akatsuki, and of their trip to the house. Of course she didn't leave out Hidan's falls, those had to be remembered. She drew Deidara and Hidan's bickering, annoyed Leader, and all of the things she knew she would always want to remember.
After that she drew the house, and when she and Konan talked, when Deidara died her hair, and when she tested with Hidan and of the incident in the forest. When she had finished drawing all that, she continued to her morning with Deidara and Sasori, to the breakfast, and just because she was bored, she drew Itachi's barely picked at plate.
Sighing and rubbing her eyes before massaging her hands, she looked at the clock and realized she had been drawing for hours. It was already ten forty-five. She put up her pencils and book before changing into her PJ's and lay down to sleep. Looking at Konan's side, she realized she'd already gone to bed. When did she come in? Rolling her eyes at herself, she slid under the blankets, turned out the lamp she didn't remember turning on, and went to sleep.
SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY-SORRY
"SHUT THE HELL UP!"
"WHAT DID I DO?"
"SHUT UP!"
"WHAT DID I DO?!"
Kumori rolled over and buried her face in the pillow.
"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Hidan's voice echoed through the house. Kumori grumbled and randomly kicked out as if to kick the noisy offenders. Of course, that resulted with her hitting her toe on her desk, which sent a sharp pain up her leg that immediately woke her up. Jerking forward, she clutched her foot cursing all the curses she new. That was saying something because after all, she has been compared to Hidan.
"What did you do?" Konan grumbled rubbing her eye but giggling a bit.
"I hit my damned toe that's what!" Kumori snapped a little more rudely than she meant. Konan understood though and merely burst into a fit of giggles.
"Shut it! It's not funny!"
"I sure think it is!" Kumori turned her swearing on the blue-haired girl, which only caused more fits of giggles.
"You know what! FINE! If you think its SO damn FUNNY then I get the shower FIRST!" Kumori barked before grabbing her stuff and darting into the bathroom. Konan however immediately stopped and shot for the doorway.
"Noo! You use all the hot water!"
"I have a lot of hair."
"Let me go!"
"Too late!" With that Kumori shoved her out of the way, and locked the door behind her. She laughed when she heard Konan repeating some of the words she had just used on her against her! She removed her clothes, and the genjutsu, and looked at herself in the mirror. The mask she wore day and night fell, and hollow, dead, ruthless, crimson eyes stained with the blood of others stared back. Kumori could feel herself slipping again.
This rarely happened, but it was as if she folded in on herself, and became swallowed by the pools of pain she hid from everyone. She had trouble breathing and her heart raced. It felt as if she would be stuck like that forever. Hopeless, lost, buried in her sorrow and pain. She usually didn't come out of these moments for a long time either. That would be horrible. Konan would find her, she'd be questioned. No, she needed to find something to end it. Frantically she searched through her mind for an idea? How would she break free. Release herself?
Release.
Genjutsu.
Ok, ways to break free of genjutsu. Interrupt the chakra waves. No good. Konan would sense it and there wasn't even a chakra wave to intercept. Next . . . pain. Cause enough pain to overload your brain and releases the illusion. That could work. Shakily, she scanned the bathroom for something. Her eyes landed on a box opener. A razor. Since the Akatsuki only get supplies through Ame, and it was risky even then, they bought in bulk. They needed them to open the boxes so they wouldn't dull their kunai.
One pale hand reached out and grasped the razor. She shakily pulled her arm back, having difficulties holding the thing. After a bit of struggling, she managed to push the razor out of its cheep plastic shell. Blinking away tears that were forming from the overwhelming emotions, she brought it to her forearm. One of the few areas that Orochimaru hadn't covered with seals. Only her lower regions, back of her knees, and forearms hadn't received anything before her escape.
With one shaky but swift motion, she slid the blade across her forearm, and almost cried in relief. It had worked, she felt the pressure release her chest some, and she began to breathe easier. One or two more and she was home free. Another cut. It was almost gone. Another cut. She sighed in relief and looked at her arm. The blood oozed in a dark, seemingly blackish red against her Hyuuga eye pale skin—without the purple. She just stared at it for what seemed like forever watching it flow until finally the platelets had stopped it from flowing.
With a sigh, the woman climbed into the shower. As the hot water ran down her arm onto her cuts, she hissed, but became mesmerized by the way the blood thinned out in the water. Forcing herself out of it, she healed the cuts before anything else happened, and finished. Climbing out, she cleaned up the floor and put the razor away. After a moments hesitation she took a spare blade and tucked it in her pocket. She then brushed out her hair and applied the genjutsu. She inwardly whooped at the fact the genjutsu would hide the scars, and not raise suspicion.
I-REALLY-AM-SORRY-I-REALLY-AM-SORRY-I-REALLY-AM-SORRY-I-REALLY-AM-SORRY-I-REALLY-AM-SORRY-I-REALLY-AM-SORRY-I-REALLY-AM-SORRY
"Art is a bang!"
"You insolent brat! Art is eternal!"
"Art is the fleeting moment of beauty only to live on in memories!"
"Art is eternal! TRUE art withstands time and lasts forever for everyone to admire!" The two glared at each other for a moment, before rising into another rant. Kumori rolled her eyes, and decided to go out into the forest. Grabbing her cloak, she walked into the wall of green. Doing nothing but take in the scenery, and making notes in her head for ideas of what to draw later, she waltzed through the forest until she came upon a small pond. The crystal blue waters bubbled and glistened under the sun. A partially moss-covered bolder sat a few feet from the water's edge, and the trees parted at the top to reveal the bright yellow sun. A small chipmunk glanced up at her before returning to its seed, deciding the kunoichi wasn't any threat.
Said woman smiled softly at the sight, before making her way over to the boulder and sitting on a curve covered in thick moss. She sat there for what seemed to be hours, thinking of nothing; doing nothing. Just sitting there, watching the water shift, and the grass wave in the wind. Closing her eyes she breathed deeply, taking in the fresh air's sweet taste. Blinking, she looked to the other side of the pond where several bushes of honeysuckle blossomed in the warm summer sun. Nothing could ruin this.
"Kumori." She thought too soon.
"Hai, Leader-sama?"
"Where are you?"
"In the forest."
"Come home, you have a mission with Hidan and Kakuzu."
"Mmk Leader-sama, be there in a bit."
The connection was severed, and immediately Kumori darted through the trees home.
Ok, I realized I had made her roommate seem to be a girl, but I meant for him to be a guy. Sorry, I have no idea why I did that . . . And Ri I hope your somewhat satisfied! :P As for you Reidluver . . . I can't think of anything for your request! It might take a while . . . XD Narutoboyluver, all will be revealed in time! :D
SORRY!! D:
P.S You know what I realized? Yes my full name is Tsukia, but everyone calls me Kia. How do you spell it? K-I-A
I'm KILLED IN ACTION!
WTF?!