A/N: Sorry if this chapter is a little long. There's just a lot of stuff I want in it, and it ended up being longer than I expected.
Chapter 6 – An Unexpected Surprise
~ * ~ Yume's POV ~ * ~
I hated Deidara so badly. He was such an annoying prick. I mean, is it really necessary to yell 'KATSU!' for the whole building to hear and make a clay spider explode in front of my face? Opening the curtains would wake me up—same results, less than half the effort.
I resorted to cussing and swearing at him each morning, hoping it would make him get depressed and kill himself. To think I actually thought he was cool back in our world …
I spent the entire day executing the Great Fireball technique, trying to get it big enough so that it had the potential to burn a house down in seconds. Itachi-kun was as grumpy as ever. Pein had stopped giving him missions altogether, claiming that he should supervise me, and he took his irritation at the Leader out on me, which is really sad and unfair.
I performed the necessary seals for the millionth time that day and breathed tiredly, releasing a flow of chakra, "Katon, Gokakyou no Jutsu!"
I blew through the hole my forefinger made and nearly jumped with glee when the fireball nearly filled up the whole room and ended less than three feet from where Itachi-kun sat on the other side of the room, but he didn't even look up from the manga he was reading when the fireball dispersed again.
"You didn't even look, did you?" I asked irritably. He ignored me, like he usually did. "You're a dick, you know that?" He still ignored me, so I took a deep breath and yelled at the top of my voice, "WILL YOU PLEASE TEACH ME THE NEXT TECHNIQUE?!"
"Why should I do that?" he asked calmly, as though I had been talking to him calmly. I groaned in anger.
"If you had lifted your head a few inches you would have seen that I COMPLETED THE BLOODY TECHNIQUE, MEANING IT CAN'T GET ANY BIGGER, MEANING YOU CAN START TEACHING ME THE NEXT ONE, YOU MEAN PRICK!"
"Why should I teach you another technique when you're not even grateful for the first?" he asked.
"Because you're charged with training me, and training means teaching me new stuff," I snapped, "I will drag your ass to the Leader's room and tell him just what a pathetic teacher you are."
I was still nuts about the Uchiha, but he was so mean to me. Telling me I was weak on a daily basis and not even acknowledging the freaking size of the fireball I had just made. What kind of person does that?
I took a deep breath and cleared my sore throat, changing tactic, "Itachi-sama, will you please teach me another fire technique?"
"Why don't I teach you Ameterasu and watch you kill yourself trying it?" he asked simply, still not looking up.
"Because you're an awesome teacher and awesome teachers don't teach their students techniques that will cause them to kill themselves," I said, dangerously keeping my voice sweet and innocent. I was going to kill him one of these days.
"I am not your friend or your teacher-"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," I snapped, "You've been repeating the same sentence every day. You're not my friend or my teacher. You're neither impressed nor disappointed with my skills and I should stop trying to get you to like me and instead focus on my training. I get it!"
I saw the ghost of a smirk on his face before he finally shut the manga and stood up, "Follow me."
"Finally!" I exclaimed, gladly tailing him as we passed through several corridors, which started becoming familiar, and I groaned in anger as we ended up in the kitchen. It couldn't be this late already. I looked out the kitchen window and saw that it was, indeed, minutes before sunset, "Are you freaking kidding me?" I asked as he sat down and helped himself to some salad, pointedly glaring at Zetsu while doing so.
Yoku was already sitting between Tobi and Deidara as always, and I took my seat beside Tobi just as Hidan and Kakuzu entered, Hidan cussing at Kakuzu for always only caring about money. I saw a clay bird the size of a fingernail flying toward Hidan and with a soft 'Katsu!" from the bomber the bird exploded in front of his face.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Hidan yelled angrily, aiming to punch Deidara over the head, but the blonde blocked his hit by grabbing his forearm and Hidan flinched away, yelling even more. I guessed the mouth on Deidara's palm had bit him.
"Stop cussing so much, un."
"Stop it, Hidan," Konan's strict voice said from the doorway when Hidan had made to punch Deidara again, and she sat down beside Deidara as Hidan walked away.
"Stop eating my children," Zetsu growled as Itachi-kun took an exceptionally large bite of salad.
"Who's their mother?" I snorted, taking a bite of my pork.
"And if they are your fucking children, why are they in his plate and not on your lap, screaming 'Daddy, daddy!'?" Hidan snorted, seeming to have forgotten his quarrel with Deidara. Before anyone else could speak, a soft voice sounded from beside me.
"Y-Yume-chan, could you p-pass the s-salt?" Yoku asked.
The whole table went quiet.
"You're finally talking, huh?" Kisame asked, causing her to blush.
"Aww, Yoku-chan, you have such a pretty voice!" Tobi said for the second time, clasping his hands under his chin affectionately.
"You guys are surprised now, but wait till she's completely used to you," I said truthfully, "The trick is to get her to shut up."
"She can't be worse than Tobi, un," Deidara said carelessly.
"You'd be surprised," I told him.
"She can't be fucking worse than you, though," Hidan told me with a smirk.
"You'd be even more surprised," I replied.
"D-don't be mean," Yoku stuttered, causing a few people to stare at her for a moment again.
"So how's your training coming along, both of you?" Konan asked.
"My Great Fireball set the whole room on fire!" I bragged before she could say anything, "It was so freaking awesome!"
"Don't exaggerate," Itachi-kun said calmly.
"I'm not exaggerating," I said irritably, "You're so bloody mean. Give me a break, man."
"How about you, Yoku?" Konan asked.
"She can make ten Water Clones and walk on water," Kisame said with a smirk. Irritation ran through me. The little asshole …
"Hey, man, I want to walk on water, too!" I told Itachi-kun, glaring at him.
"Your chakra control is terrible," he replied in a deep voice, causing me to flush, "It'll take you years."
"I'll kick your ass one of these days," I said through gritted teeth, making several people chuckle.
"Good luck with that," Hidan said, "I can't even lay a fucking scratch on him."
"Yeah, but your scythe is a slow ass piece of metal that you must've picked up at a scrapyard," I snapped, causing Hidan to flush with anger and a few others to burst out laughing.
"I will fucking sacrifice you, woman," he growled.
"Bet Jashin-sama isn't the only one who wants me," I told him confidently, deliberately winking seductively at him.
"Don't be mean," Yoku told me again.
"I'm not mean," I argued, "I just speak my mind."
"It's a pity your power isn't as much as your talking," Itachi-kun said.
"I will freaking kill you one of these days," I told him angrily.
Deidara's traditional method of waking Yoku and me up caused me to get even angrier than usual, and I cussed and swore at him for several minutes before finally just yelling at him and telling him to get out. Honestly, the guy needed to get a hobby, or a new mission.
I felt bad afterwards, because I had taken some of my anger out on Yoku. I made a mental note to apologize to her as I made my way to the room where Itachi-kun and I trained, to find him leaning against the wall beside the closed door.
"Follow me," he said simply.
Despite my excitement at finally learning a new technique, I told him grumpily, "Good morning to you, too."
He didn't even react with a grunt or twitch or anything, ticking me off even more. He led me outside—to my surprise—and through the forest until we reached the less dense part where Yoku and I had first woken up and even further until we were in a field empty of anything and everything except grass and rocks.
"I'm going to try and teach you the technique Phoenix Fire," Itachi-kun said, "The basic idea is the same as with the Great Fireball, only this one is for long-ranged attacks. The trick is with how skilled you are with your chakra. Here, instead of releasing a great amount of chakra at once to generate a large fireball, you're going to release it bit by bit, and more forcibly. Understand?"
"I think so, yeah."
Itachi-kun showed me the seals and watched as I failed time and time again. 'What is it with my chakra?' I thought bitterly each time the technique failed, 'I kick ass with combat, but this crap is just beyond me.'
I wasn't surprised when I glanced over my shoulder and saw Itachi-kun reading his manga again, but I still felt a pang of irritation.
The sun rose and generated a heat I had never felt before. Or maybe it just seemed hotter because I was surrounded by failed attempts at a fire technique. I kept releasing all the chakra at once, like with the Great Fireball, instead of bit by bit, like Itachi-kun had told me to. This resulted in it backfiring each time and nothing more than smoke escaped my mouth.
More hours passed and I grew hungry, I was sweating and I swore I was on the verge of fainting, but Itachi-kun would hear nothing of my pleas.
Finally I saw the sun on the verge of touching the horizon, and Itachi-kun got up, "Come. We must return to the base."
"Let's watch the sunset first," I said, falling down on the grass and waiting for the splash of colours I had never been in time to watch.
"I thought you were hungry."
"I can wait ten minutes, and so can you. Come on," I said, patting the grass beside me, "Watch the sunset with me."
"I have watched the sunset before. It's nothing more than the end of the day," he said, "Come, girl."
"Don't you 'come, girl' me," I snapped irritably as the first signs of yellow and pink started showing, "I told you I'm watching the sunset. Are you going to watch it with me?"
"I am not your friend-"
"Or my teacher, or disappointed, or impressed. Shut your freaking mouth for once," I said before I could stop myself. I was so sick of his annoying attitude. My eyes widened in awe at the pinks and purples, blues, creams and oranges in the sky as though it was painted out of the imagination of the most skilled artist.
"Come, you have seen the sunset now," Itachi-kun said.
Before I could protest, I was hoisted into the air by the back of my collar. I choked when he let me go and yelled, "Are you trying to kill me?"
"I'm trying to obey my orders," he snapped, "You're not allowed out after sunset."
"The sun hasn't set yet!" I cried as he gripped my wrist painfully and dragged me forward.
I was thoroughly pissed off when we entered through the front doors of the base, and didn't feel like seeing Yoku, so I followed Itachi-kun to the sitting room. Hidan was pacing up and down the room irritably while Kakuzu sat silently in a corner. Itachi-kun took the armchair he always sat in, and I fell down in the armchair opposite his, glaring at him angrily.
Why did he have to be so damn handsome? Why couldn't his looks just match his stupid attitude to make it easier for me to try and get over him?
"Hidan, what's up?" I asked the Jashinist, trying to take my mind off things.
"That fucking idiot and your friend still haven't returned," he growled.
"So?"
Before he could answer, the bomber and Yoku entered the room, fingers entwined. How freaking unfair could you get? Yoku was with her stalkee already while Itachi-kun practically ignored me! I sighed and tried ignoring Hidan as he yelled at the couple, but they ignored him and fell down in front of the sofa sideways facing the TV and sort of facing me. I ran my fingers through my loose fringe.
"The fuck?!" the Jashinist yelled, "The Leader will eat your face for dinner if he finds out that you let her out of the base, that's why!"
"We're allowed out of the base if we're escorted by someone, you sacrifice-mad prick," I told him irritably to try and get him to shut up, but it failed. I just wanted a little peace and quiet.
I nearly started whining as the argument continued, only looking up when Tobi's voice rang through the hallway, "Yoku-chaaaaan! Where have you gone?"
"She's in the sitting room, you blithering idiot!" I yelled at him, and in an instant he was in the room with us, fussing over Yoku.
Just when Deidara was about to blow him up for a reason I didn't catch—because I didn't really care—he ran from the room and Yoku looked at the blonde in a way I wished Itachi-kun would look at me, if only once. I pulled a face in disgust at the unfairness of the situation.
"Yoku, take your boyfriend and hold your romance elsewhere," I said irritably. I couldn't bear to see them so lovingly with each other while I sat here like some lonely loser, "You're annoying me."
"I will blast you to hell if you say one more word, Naresome, un," Deidara said, glaring at me.
"Why don't you start minding your own business?" I snapped.
"Fuck this shit," Hidan said, and left the room. Kakuzu soon followed. Itachi-kun wasn't roused. In fact, he looked like he was sleeping with open eyes.
"It is my business if you talk to her like that, un," Deidara replied.
"Yeah, because you really care about her," I said sarcastically.
"What's that supposed to mean, un?" he asked angrily, "I care about her."
"Yeah, because she gives you all the pleasure you desire, doesn't she? She doesn't even want to talk to you!"
I regretted it as soon as the words left my lips. Before I could hold a hand to my mouth, Yoku looked up at me for the first time, and I felt my heart fall about fifty miles through the ground. Her eyes were glistening with tears, and her lower lip was trembling. Without warning, she flew up and made to leave the room. Both Deidara and I followed and tried stopping her.
"Don't touch me!" she screamed, flinching away from both of our touches as though we had burned her before breaking into a run and disappearing through the darkness of the corridor.
I glared angrily at Deidara and tried punching him in the face, but he effortlessly dodged my punch and slapped me in the face with a force that sent me falling to the floor.
"Now look at what you did, un," he said irritably before following her.
'I am not weak', I told myself forcibly, fighting the tears that formed at the corners of my eyes. When I got back up, I flinched when I saw Itachi-kun staring at me expressionlessly. Growling with anger, I ran from the room and went to mine, glad and even angrier at the same time when Yoku wasn't inside.
I flicked the light on, shut the curtains angrily and fell down on my bed, letting the tears fall as soon as my face hit the pillow, clutching at my burning cheek.
What had I done?
I was angry with myself and Itachi-kun because we weren't together—not that it was anyone's fault, which only made it worse because there was no one to blame—and I was irritated beyond question because he kept telling me I was weak, and because Yoku could walk on water and I couldn't, and because I couldn't even do a basic fire technique like Phoenix Fire.
I was jealous of my best friend. I wanted to slap myself for admitting it, but it was the truth. She was evidently a lot better than me with her chakra, and for all I knew she could be a lot better than me in combat, too. She was with the guy of her dreams already while I stared at Itachi-kun for hours on end, trying to pick up even a hint of a sign of feeling, but never saw any.
I gasped in fright when I heard a knock on the door. I turned over and sat up, hurriedly wiped the tears from my eyes, hoping it was enough, before calling, "Come in."
I nearly turned to jelly when I saw the raven hair and scarlet eyes that belonged to my favourite Uchiha.
"What do you want?" I asked irritably, glad when my voice didn't tremble too much.
"You seemed upset," he said, closing the door and sitting down at the foot of my bed.
"No shit, Sherlock," I said irritably.
"Would you like to talk about it?" he asked, "About what's bothering you so much that you could not even hold your tongue?"
"Way to put that," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes, "Why would you even listen if I told you? You hate me."
"What gave you that impression?"
"Uhm, gee, I don't know," I said sarcastically, mocking thoughtfulnes, "Maybe the fact that you tell me on a daily basis that you're not my friend, that you're not impressed with my progress and that I'm weak."
While I had been speaking, a fresh wave of tears rolled down my cheeks in spite of myself.
"I told you that in the hopes that you would work your hardest in proving me wrong," he said simply, "When I saw that you actually started sleeping less and focusing your everything on the training, I saw that it was the best method. I apologize if it hurt your feelings."
"The great Uchiha Itachi-kun, apologizing to a weakling like me," I said, chuckling in spite of my tears.
"You are not weak, Naresome Yume," he said, and my heart couldn't help but flutter at him saying my full name.
I looked down at my hands and felt the weight on the mattress shift, and I flinched with surprise when he sat down directly in front of me, our legs touching, his face mere inches from mine. If I wanted to, I could press my lips to his in less than a second, but I didn't want to ruin the moment. I found that I couldn't keep his gaze long, and I looked back down at my hands.
"Tell me what is bothering you. I might not have advice, but I can listen. It might help."
"I just—I feel bad … about everything," I said. When he didn't reply, I continued, and before I knew it everything just tumbled out of my mouth as though he had pressed a button that had been on my forehead labelled Information Please.
I told him about the fact that I was thoroughly sick of having to translate everything Yoku needed said, but that I would do it to the end of time if it helped express how much I loved her. I admitted to him that I wouldn't have been able to live without her, and that I wanted to slap myself a thousand times over for hurting her. I didn't even want to hurt Deidara like that; I had just been fed up with not making enough progress with my training, and I had been tired from not getting enough sleep and the hurtful words had tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them.
I ended up admitting things to myself, as well, like how I have come to love everyone in Akatsuki in a way I could never love anyone except Yoku before. Even my other friends back home had never understood me. My family pushed me in directions I never wanted to go in, and I barely had any freedom.
Soon my words were so mixed with sobs that not even I could make them out anymore, but Itachi-kun never said anything. When I finished I buried my face in my hands, not able to continue any more.
Itachi-kun pressed only the tips of his fingers to my jaw to make me look at him. When I refused, he slowly ran his fingers over my burning cheek, through my hair until he was cupping the back of my head, and pulled me to him. Not having any reason whatsoever to resist, I fell onto his chest, clutching onto his cloak, and cried into his shoulder, not remembering when I fell asleep and not particularly caring.
Damn, even I wanted to cry when I was busy with this. –sob sob- hope it was all right, and the OOC'ness didn't bother too much ^ ^