County Fair
By Magewriter/Sheelos-lover
Chapter 7:
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Masashi-sensei, except for Seiya, who is Pocky-machine's. Of course, the other exceptions are that I own Ritonno and the plot.
I'm reading New Moon (I got it from Pocky-machine today) and I'm still on the part where Jacob is starting to work on the motorcycles. So, sorry if the plot/dialogue/whatever isn't up to par. I have sortuva numb sensation going on right now, myself.
In case you were wondering, I actually didn't cry when he broke up with her, or when she heard his voice and felt the pain. I think that part of it was that there was a lead-up and the other part was that a) I was numb and b) I read the dialogue (and sometimes the rest) out loud, so it just seemed like the story. I'm numb like Bella – I'm not even properly mad at Edward yet, and I'm probably near page 100…
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She neared the top of the stairs. Her hand was poised, ready to knock on the door, when she heard Leader say, "Don't."
She paused for a second. Then she reasoned that she might be able to get him to talk about it.
Thinking about exactly what she was going to say, her thoughts were interrupted by the same furiously angry, perfectly calm voice. "I swear, Ritonno, if you don't start back down those stairs in five seconds, I'm going to take away your ring and expose you to the Grass village."
As soon as she had processed this information, she started back down the steps.
She met Tobi at the bottom of that particular set of steps.
"Oh! Ritonno-san! I was looking for you! Have you talked to Leader-sama yet?"
She thought she did a very good job of staying composed. "No, I'm sorry, To-chan. I just… I'll talk to him soon, okay? He's not really in a negotiating mood right now."
"Okay. Zetsu-san still aren't being very nice, so… I don't want you to feel pressured, though – that's the last thing I want – but sometime, it would be nice… you know…"
"Of course. I'm sorry for forgetting, To-chan. I'll write it down." She went down to her room to do just that, leaving the note on top of her yaoi books. "I'm sorry, To-chan, but would you leave now? It's nothing against you, I just… I need some alone time."
"Of course, Ritonno-san." He left, shutting her door behind her.
She set to the task of figuring out what the heck had just happened. First, Rei-sama had been upset because he was worried that she wasn't happy. But that was over. They were having a wonderful moment – they had even kissed – but then Seiya fangirled, and it was all muddled after that. What exactly she had done to make his temper flare, Ritonno didn't know, but she had, and everyone getting worked up over it had just made him get more worked up, she was sure, and now he didn't want to talk to anyone.
She decided to give him a message. Nothing intrusive, and definitely nothing spoken, but something definitely had to be resolved. So she wrote on a piece of paper,
You can come and get me whenever you want to talk about it
and walked silently upstairs. She slipped the note under the door and turned invisible as she crept silently back down, not pausing to turn around when the door opened at the top of the flight. She could hear him muttering something, but she got back to her room before anything significant happened, and that was a good thing.
Seiya was in her room. "Hey. I saw Sasori-san, and he gave me some painkillers. What do you want to talk about?"
"Um… Actually, I think we should sleep in our own rooms tonight. Just because… I'm just not feeling that social right now, okay, Sei-chan? It doesn't have anything to do with you. I'm really out-of-it…."
"Okay. See you in the morning, then, I guess…"
"Yeah. 'Night."
"Night. See you in the morning."
"'Kay. Bye."
"Yeah."
Seiya left then. Ritonno knew that Deidara would be a bit overprotective, but she hoped that she would see Leader the next morning, at breakfast or privately.
.-..-..-.
She had no dreams that night. She was up late, though. It was more feelings than actual thoughts in her head, impossible to describe, so she would have said that she was just stressed out the night before.
After her usual morning run, she went to breakfast. She wasn't surprised that Leader wasn't there. Nor was she surprised when Seiya said that he hadn't been down all morning. Still, she took a cup of tea and some rice with vegetables on top.
She knelt before his door, though it looked a bit silly in pajama pants and a camisole, and slid his food and tea into his room wordlessly. She heard a grunt, assumed it to be thanks, and went back down both flights of stairs to her room. She had the pink and white chocolate Pocky that had gotten her in trouble just the day before.
Had it really been less than 24 hours? It seemed like such a long time…
If Leader had decided to be antisocial, she knew what she would do. She would give Tobi his chance.
The morning passed uneventfully. Perhaps it was better that Leader was in his room than that he be out of his room terrorizing the Akatsuki.
At lunchtime, though, Ritonno made some ramen – she knew that soup always made her feel better – and sent Tobi upstairs with it.
He reached the top of the stairs carrying the steaming bowl. "Um, Leader-sama, I have your lunch. Ritonno-san made it…" He knelt next to the door. "Are you hungry now?"
"Sure."
"Okay." He slid the door open, slid the bowl inside. It was close enough to what he had done for Zetsu-san… "Is there anything else that you want?"
"Actually, yes. A piece of information. What possessed you to come to my room when I'm not in a positive state of mind?"
He blushed and was suddenly glad that he wore a mask. "Well, Zetsu-san haven't been very happy about me recently, so I asked Ritonno-san who else I could help out until they're willing to let me come back. She said that you might not mind too much…"
Leader was about to object, but then thought of something positive: if Tobi were to serve him, that meant that Ritonno wouldn't and he could think some more before he saw her again. How complicated love seemed to be…
"Okay. You'll keep your room with Zetsu, though, I'm guessing?"
"Um… Well, I was hoping… I can stay with them, I guess…"
"If you slept in my room, there wouldn't be any sort of partition. I'm not saying that I object to it, but you should definitely consider all of your options first."
"Okay. I'll talk to Zetsu-san. I mean, it isn't like we have to talk or anything when I go to my room…"
"Is it really that bad?"
"Yeah… I get the feeling they really don't like me anymore."
"Seems like. If you're willing to drag your stuff up here, I guess I'll let you stay up here, but if you snore, you're going right back down."
"If I snore, it'll all be muffled by my mask. Don't worry!"
"You wear that thing when you sleep?"
"Yeah. You never know when you won't have time to put it on!"
"Mmh." He had been there when Tobi had been brought to the Akatsuki base, all those years ago. Sasori and Orochimaru had brought him. Sasori had fixed him up, but apparently the scarring on the entire left side of his body hadn't finished healing. Now, there was no one beside Sasori and Kakuzu left in the Akatsuki who remembered what Tobi had looked like.
"…So, should I bring up my stuff now?"
"Sure. By the way, has your left eye really held up for this long?"
"Yeah! Sasori-san's parts are the best there are. Kiyo told me that. Remember when I got it in?"
"Yes. It was early in the morning, as I recall."
"Yeah… But she told me that Sasori has the best synthetics. And she was right! I can see through my right eye almost as well as my left, and the almost is just because it's not a sharingan!"
"Oh, yes. I remember. You're one of the two Uchihas Itachi didn't murder."
"Yup! He should kill Sasuke already. He just keeps dragging it out… Better that the little nuisance died than keep getting beat up trying to kill his brother."
"…And you're not concerned that, if Itachi learned about your sharingan, he would most likely kill you?"
"Nope! I can keep secrets."
"Heh… Okay. Go get your stuff. It might actually be enjoyable having you around."
He left directly behind Tobi, trying to find either Seiya or Ritonno, knowing that some very large apologies were in order. Entering the kitchen, he found them both.
"Ritonno, what are you – Oh! Leader-sama!" Ritonno was already looking at him with that interested expression, curious as to what he would do.
He bowed to Seiya. "I'm sorry for my behavior last night. It was rude."
"Oh, um, you don't have to be so formal! It doesn't really hurt – it's not like you hit me hard or anything!" Apparently his formality made her panic a bit.
"Ritonno-san, I hope that you can forgive me."
"Don't worry about it! I mostly just got mad that you were mad and wouldn't talk about it."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because then we couldn't resolve anything. By the way, how are all the bruises you got from Tsunadae-sama?"
"Better than when I got them."
"Heh… Just be glad you didn't have to fight HER at the end! I'm lucky I was able to surprise Jiraya. Actually, he's probably the scariest guy in existence because he's not just highly perverted, he's also very, very powerful. Seiya, what would you do if you were in a room that could only be opened from the outside with Jiraya?"
"If I were you?"
"No, if you were you."
"I'd try to get away from him. Then I'd scream at the top of my lungs."
"I'd turn invisible, but first I'd scream. See, Leader-sama? That's why girls stick together – there are a few basic things we're all afraid of."
"You mean men?"
"Yup. Men have the ability to do that sort of stuff, but women have the ability to cripple and sterilize them. It's nice being a woman sometimes. You're not the sort of guy who would do something like that, though."
"Um… not now!"
"Heh… Wanna come annoy Itachi with me?"
"Why?"
"Because he reads Icha. Because he's annoying. If for no other reason, because his hair is prettier than mine. And he stole my favorite nail polish and never gave it back."
"What is it with all of you and nail polish?"
"It's fun. Don't ask me, though – I thought it was Oro-san who started it. Besides, would you rather it was some ugly color, like orange or yellow, and you had to put up with Kisame with bright orange nails?"
He glared at her. "What's wrong with orange?"
She picked up on his thoughts almost immediately. "I never said there was anything wrong with orange hair – even if yours is more of an auburn – but orange in general doesn't look good. Purple looks good with almost everything. We could switch colors if you want. Pink would work…" She smiled menacingly.
"…But I'm saying, why paint our nails at all?"
"So that we look nice. Do we need another reason? …Besides, Sasori already did his over with wood enamel, so we would never hear the end of it if he had to undo his nails."
"Suddenly, I want to say that all Akatsuki members have to have their nails clear of any paint by tomorrow."
"Ooh! Tell Dei-chan first!" Seiya said excitedly. "He'd love that!"
"Um… You do know that I wasn't serious, right?"
"Heh…" She smiled, a bit nervously if Ritonno wasn't mistaken. "It would still be funny. Suddenly, I'm imagining Sasori sticking his hands in a can of paint stripper!"
"That stuff's nasty! …But then, wood enamel on human nails wouldn't be too fun, either, so I can see where you're going with that…"
"How about we all have to paint our nails in private?"
"No! Then I wouldn't get to see you without your cloak every ten days or so!"
"I could take off my cloak when we watch movies. I usually don't wear it when we spar. Is it really such an issue?"
"Yes."
"Do I dare ask why?"
"No."
"It's okay – I can guess."
There was a pause as Leader got his tea started and Seiya worked at her bowl of rice. Then Ritonno spoke up again.
"We should go to the beach sometime."
"Is this at all related to our previous conversation?"
"Loosely. But I like to go to the beach anyway. Have you ever been up on the cliffs above it on a sunny day? It sparkles! It's so beautiful! …And there are magnificent sunsets! At least, where I used to go there were. All the way out on the western coast, it's just the sand and the cliffs and the ocean! And there's always something to do – you can swim, play beach sports, work on your tan, collect rocks and shells, or you can just sit there. And sometimes you can go up to the forests and walk there… It's all so calming."
"When I'm forced to go to a beach, I either have a purpose or I find some shade and wrap myself in a towel. I don't like swimming."
"…But we also get to interact with people! Sometimes it's nice to not run around with a banner on your head saying that you denounced a village and didn't bother to join a new one, y'know?"
"I denounced my village when I realized that people are idiots and much lower than the animals they belittle."
"Sounds more like you were just bitter. I was, too."
"I realized that killing was pointless!"
"It's certainly made easier by the nature of humans. They've already herded themselves and established exactly where they stay. Otherwise, the Uchiha Massacre wouldn't have been possible."
"No, it was made possible because Itachi was a backstabbing traitor who killed his best friend. And he didn't kill Sasuke or Tobi."
"He didn't know about Tobi and Sasuke is a weak little bastard."
"Well, he's a bastard now that his parents are dead."
"You know how I meant it."
"Yes, but I've also known some very nice bastards and I would prefer that you not use the word as an insult."
Deidara walked in. "Hey, guys. Do you mind if I work on my clay in here, yeah?"
"Sure! Go ahead, Dei-chan!" He wandered into the TV room and Seiya sat next to him on the couch.
"We were just talking about going to the beach, Wouldn't that be fun, Dei-chan?"
"Definitely, yeah!"
"See, Rei-kun? I told you people like to go to the beach!"
"It's no fun, though…"
She smirked. "I think you just don't want other guys looking at me."
"Ritonno, that is not the reason and you know it!"
"…Yeah, but you got mad."
"I got angry because you made it sound like I'm some sort of pervert."
"No, I just said that I thought you didn't want other guys looking at me. I made you sound possessive."
"It's still an insult."
"I know, but it's less of an insult. Dei-kun, what would you do if Itachi stared looking at Seiya while she was in her swim suit."
"I'd punch him, yeah."
"See? It's normal." She turned back to Deidara. "What would you do if it were Jiraya?"
He turned around, giving her a very confused look. "I'd get a chance to reach him before you and Sei-chan beat him up, yeah?"
She turned back to leader. "Exactly."
"That doesn't change that I generally don't like going to the beach."
"So stay home. I'll bet Sasori wouldn't like it, either – it would rust up the metal parts of him."
"Let two girls and eight men go to the beach without any sort of supervision?"
"I'm the supervision. That's my place – when you're gone, I'm the next in line."
"Heh… Suddenly I'm thinking of what would happen if any of them were to misbehave."
"Exactly. So, can we go sometime?"
"I… guess…"
"OW, yeah!"
All eyes turned to Deidara.
"Dei-chan! What happened?"
"I bit my tongue, yeah!"
"Aw… I usually can't talk that well when I bite my tongue."
"No, I bit my left tongue, yeah!"
"Oh…"
"It really hurts, though, yeah!"
"Can I see it?"
He held up his left hand and the mouth opened.
"Oh, wow! There are tooth marks!"
"Why do you think it hurts, yeah?"
"Wait… So, let me get this straight. A bee stings you and you don't care. Your arms get ripped off and you barely even flinch. But you bite your tongue and you have to make a big deal out of it?!"
"I'm not in public, yeah."
"Oh Dei-chan…"
Ritonno smiled a bit.
"…Well, at least you have another one. You could kiss it better!" She began to laugh. Deidara did, too, for some reason.
"I can't believe that's still funny, yeah! People have been making jokes like that since elementary school."
"Oh, gosh. Now I have images of you practicing kissing with yourself!"
"I thought everyone did that, yeah…"
"NO!!!!!"
Leader turned away. Seiya looked a bit freaked out.
"Um… Did you really have to admit it, Dei-chan?"
"Oh, um, I mean, of course I didn't, yeah!"
Blue, abnormally large sweat drops appeared on their faces.
"Okay, let's just get away from that train of thought… When should we go to the beach?"
"Whenever. We could go tomorrow, for all I care."
Okay… Let's ask around." Seiya got up off the couch and followed Ritonno down the hall. Ritonno turned down the hall to go to Kisame's room, so Seiya ducked into Sasori's.
At this point, the writing gets very difficult.
Seiya got a flat-out "no" from Sasori. Kisame, on the other hand, got very excited – he loved water! – and asked when they were leaving. Ritonno said they would decide that later.
In the end, they had a strange assortment of beachgoers. Because everyone except for Leader and Sasori wanted to go, they managed to convince Leader that the entire group should go and save the confusion.
So, the entire Akatsuki prepared to go to the western coast.
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This was getting sort of long, so I ended it.
I love the idea of them going to the beach! If you're on my DeviantART account (Sheelos-lover. you know about my Akatsuki beach picture, but this will go beyond even that! …And if you're reading Ikachi (on chocolate-is-god. and nowhere else) you know that I'm planning a trip to Konoha for the girls, and I have some even better stuff for there!
I'm going to the county fair with Pocky-machine. This upload was made possible at this point in time because her dad is really, really late.