Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated therewith. Neither do I own Riku, whom I am using with the permission of AzNcHiBi. I only own Katsuki.
"Shizu… Status…" Riku drifted through darkness, her ears picking up the slightest hints of voices as she vacillated between unconsciousness and dreams. None of them were pleasant, but filled with nightmares of Katsuki's pain, of her screams and horror, of a redheaded man with a puppet's body…
"No…"
----------------
Tsunade, Shizune, and Sakura all glanced at the unconscious woman on the surgical table, unsure of whether or not their ears had deceived them. Had Riku made it successfully through the transfer?
----------------
Riku felt as though she lay on her back against a hard surface. She could feel a dull throbbing ringing her neck, spreading in minute tendrils before suddenly halting as they reached a barrier. But what?
Suddenly, the raven-haired young woman saw Katsuki, her face blurred by the darkness surrounding her in the dream. Her lips strained to form the sounds that would name her student, all the while furiously blinking her eyes to clear their smoky vision. The pain that wound about her neck intensified sharply, and Katsuki's face broke through the blur, throwing itself into sharp relief as a bright white light stabbed at her eyes…
----------------
"KATSUKI!" All three women in the women gave a start as Riku screamed the name of her student. Tsunade was the first by her side, noting how the woman's eyes were wide open, pupils dilated, breathing unchecked. Though her surprise was beyond great that Riku had survived the curse-seal transfer, she managed to keep her voice in a calm tone.
"Riku." Slowly, as though she had a stiff neck, Riku turned her head, staring, but not quite seeing, at the blonde.
"Tsunade…" Riku's whisper came out almost inaudibly. The Godaime sighed at the recognition, for not only did it mean a successful transfer, but it also meant Riku was in full control of her sanity. For now, Tsunade decided to give the young woman some relief before the work began.
"Katsuki is right beside you, Riku. She hasn't moved since we started." Sakura, who had stood patiently by the brunette's side throughout the entire operation, gently lifted Katsuki's and Riku's hands, helping the distraught young teacher hold onto her student as proof that they were both alive and well. Riku's eyes filled with tears as she mouthed a grateful 'Thank you" to the young chuunin, before her eyes returned to her student, searching for any possibly remaining sign of the curse-mark.
She found none.
"Ah-" Riku gave a start, jolting as Shizune's cold, gloved fingers pressed against her neck— five of them, to be exact.
"Seal." Any handsigns Shizune may have made went unnoticed as Riku felt a surge of chakra flow into her neck, centering in a single circular formation under her skin. When the assistant drew away, Riku slowly lifted her hand to her neck, fingers drawing across the light ridges she found there.
"It's there, Riku. And it's not very pretty, but we managed it," came Tsunade's exhausted voice. Heavy earthen eyes lifted to take in the blonde's obvious fatigue, Shizune's worried countenance, Sakura's mild amazement, and a grateful expression came over her face.
"Thank you… All of you…" Her voice came out barely more than a whisper, and she coughed, reluctantly letting go of Katsuki's hand before gingerly propping herself up in a sitting position. The rush of blood from her head made her dizzy for a moment, and the curse-mark throbbed again.
"Ugh… How long did it take?" she asked.
"About seven hours," Sakura said, walking over to help Shizune disconnect the IV from Riku's arm. "It's about eleven, now." Riku glanced out the single window and indeed, she could see a myriad of stars stretching across the navy-blue expanse, dotting the rich velvet with diamonds in a train of silver. Once more, Riku turned to her student, who was still unconscious, although there was no ugly brand marring the skin of her neck. She frowned at a sudden thought.
"Where's Kakashi?" Tsunade pursed her lips.
"Asleep, on a pallet outside. Genma's there too. We had to… persuade them to get some rest." The raven-haired woman smiled slightly at the blonde's irritated tone. Yes, when those two got possessive, they were possessive. Unexpected moisture began to bead in her eyes, and the curse-seal throbbed as a wave of grateful pain swept down her body. She bowed her head, beginning to weep, and sobbed.
"Tsunade-sama, Shizune-san, Sakura-san, thank you so much."
Six months later:
Deidara and Sasori perched on a tree limb not far from the entrance to Konohagakure. For at least the hundredth time, the blonde's voice interrupted the redhead's mental plan of attack to voice the same question.
"So. We're really going to try and get them back? After all we went through to try and save them…?" Sasori growled at the Iwa nin through Hiruko's voice.
"We must. If we fail-"
"Don't remind me, hm," came the clipped reply, as Deidara flexed his fingers. The skin on his body looked as though it had been burned in random places, and the blonde knew his partner sported similar, now mostly-healed wounds. Ice-blue eyes surveyed the land as it basked in the glory of the setting sun, waiting for Sasori to make up his mind about when and where to attack. For six months he had dreamed of this day, when he could finally return Katsuki to where she belonged… with him. Deidara was sure Sasori felt the same about Riku.
----------------
Katsuki and Riku sat out on their balcony, relaxing as they always did after one of Riku's check-ups with Tsunade. The brunette, feeling it was the least she could do, was making sure she pampered her teacher as much as possible in return for the transfer, much to Riku's chagrin. Still, Katsuki had practically bullied Riku into a reclining seat while she herself took one of the harder wooden chairs, plunking their summer food between them. So far, the curse-mark had not been giving either woman any trouble, but it unexpectedly drained a little bit of Riku's physical energy every day, most likely because she bore a transferred mark. It was almost the height of summer, and the sun was setting, casting its rich glow over the entire village. The women's apartment faced away from the intense rays, and they watched for the descent of night as they snacked on coffee jelly and drank milk tea. With pearls, of course.
"Sensei, ever since you had the curse-mark transferred to you, have you ever thought about…" Katsuki trailed off, nervously tapping the bottom of her plastic cup against the steel railing of the balcony. This wasn't a conversation the raven-haired woman had looked forward to after her transfer, and she was surprised it had taken Katsuki so long to bring it up again. The girl still didn't remember much of her past life, but she was getting along quite well with Kakashi again, and even Genma was happy the group was finally returning to normal. She finished chewing a mouthful of coffee jelly and tilted her head inquisitively.
"About…?" The brunette fidgeted, making the lavender milk tea in her cup slosh around noisily. "Well… About… Sasori?" She glanced at her teacher, who remained impassive, but looked away as though contemplating. Katsuki bit her lip.
"I know I've thought about Deidara… I… I really meant it when I said I loved him…" She heard Riku sigh behind her, followed by the soft swishing as she picked up her regular milk tea and drank.
"I've thought about him a few times. Not for too long, though. My life's too complicated for love." Her expression turned soft, and her voice lowered to a whisper. "I know you meant it. I could tell, but sometimes… you have to let things go." She looked out over the horizon as the first hints of night began to tinge the forest line a dark blue. "Sometimes we have to go with what other people have decided." Katsuki remained silent, leaning against the back of her chair as she fingered the hitai-ate around her forehead. One sure thing she had managed to recall from the time before her capture—she was sure she had been a Konoha kunoichi now—was that statement. When she first entered the Academy, she had heard Riku say that to the entire group, and it was true: as a shinobi, you basically dedicated your entire life to what the Hokage wanted of you. Of course you had your choices, ones you made in your private life, or even some missions.
Katsuki also knew that she no longer loved Deidara anymore, but she still felt an almost unbearable longing for him sometimes. She and Riku both knew it was Kakashi that was causing such changes in her heart, but she found that she truly loved Kakashi now. That had led to an unexpected night at the copy-nin's after a double date with Genma and Riku, and the pair had… Katsuki blushed. Not that she hadn't enjoyed what had transpired, but it had been her first time. She remembered the way Kakashi had been so concerned about her at the beginning, the way his body had moved so sinuously as they rocked together; the taut muscles, toned by years of training, dampened with sweat; the cut of his hips as they led downward…
"God! Kakashi!"
"What are you thinking about?" The brunette was startled out of her reverie, falling out of her chair, spluttering with a face that would put a cherry to shame.
"Nothing!" Riku burst out laughing at Katsuki's expression, not to mention the fact that she had nearly drowned herself in her own drink and was now coughing and spitting out unwanted tapioca pearls that were threatening to choke her.
"Yeagh! It's not funny Riku!" The brunette spat out more pearls as Riku doubled over in laughter, clutching her sides and gasping.
"It's Kakashi, isn't it?" she managed to gasp out. This only made Katsuki's face flush even more, until she was almost the color of a plum. Riku was caught between the urge to laugh even more or try and calm the brunette down so she wouldn't pass out. She didn't get the chance to do either, however, when she felt an unexpected pulse of chakra nearby. Apparently, Katsuki had felt it too, as she flew back into the apartment reappearing in a split second with weapons. Both women leapt upward to the roof of the building so they could find out where the pulse had come from. It was almost fully night, but the moon cast a rather strong light over the village, and as they neared the top of the building, they could feel an unexpectedly fierce wind emanating from it.
"It- How- He-" Katsuki's thoughts were muddled in disbelief as she leapt over the guard rail, kunai in hand. Riku heard the brunette gasp as she herself drew the katana at her waist. Both Deidara and Sasori, who stood within Hiruko, remained standing just in front of an enormous clay summon in the shape of an owl. The bird explained the whirlwind coming from the roof, and how they got there, but the 'why' still remained to be heard. Deidara stepped forward a bit, an enigmatic smile on her face. He flicked his long blonde bang out of his face and smirked at Katsuki.
"Long time no see, Katsu-chan, hm." Riku saw her student tremble beside her, and she felt dread well up in her; how would Katsuki handle seeing her former 'lover' again, now that she had made such strong connections again in Konoha? She was about to get her answer.
"You… You! How could you put a curse on me?! Sensei had to get it transferred to her own body just to save my life! I thought-" She choked, the ghosts of longing and love filling her heart once more, all thoughts of Kakashi disappearing as she stared at Deidara in pain. "I thought you loved me." The blonde's face went unexpectedly lax, brows knitting together in what looked like worry.
"But Katsu-chan…" The brunette shut her eye tightly, gritting her teeth. Then, unsure of whether she'd really done it or not, Riku saw Katsuki's hands rip a pair of senbon from her pouch, pivoting on one foot and lunging at the Iwa man, before screaming out her sudden hatred.
"DIE TRAITOR!"
----------------
A/N: I'm feeling rather accomplished, both in my stories and in life. Anyway, here is another update. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Flames will be used to feed the fire that makes me hot tea to get through difficult times, so thank you either way. :)