"You know, you really shouldn't fight like that…you may die one day…" a voice penetrated his mind, clouds of haze swimming in front of him.
Who was that? He looked to his right and left, but he didn't see anyone.
"Deidara, you silly little boy. You should have realized that you wouldn't win." That voice again.
Come out and fight me! Deidara tried to yell, tried to scream, but nothing came from his throat.
"Hehe, poor little Deidara…don't worry…I'm here now." He could see a dark, black shape appearing out of the haze, a warm face beginning to emerge, the white teeth glinting in a smile.
Who…who are you? He was still trying desperately to ask, but his words caught, coming out as nothing. The person again laughed, which sounded like the sweet tinkling of bells to his ears.
"Poor, poor Deidara. You're still so lonely…so alone…but I'm here now." That voice began to take shape as a person, and a hand reached out, palms open, welcoming him. He reached out, trying to take the hand that beckoned to him in the darkness, but he just couldn't grab a hold of it.
"Deidara…please…wake up…" That voice was calling him.
Wake up? I am awake…you're talking to me. Deidara didn't understand. He could finally see the faintest outline of a face, the lips, the eyes…that smile. Shizune? He grabbed for her hand again, but missed.
"Deidara…please…for me…wake up…" she was still saying, her smile wide.
I am awake! He still didn't understand.
"Deidara…Deidara, wake up…Deidara…please…" She was still talking to him, trying to get him to wake up.
I don't understand, un! He tried to clear his mind…
"Deidara, you freaking idiot! Wake the hell up!" A voice, harsh and rasping, penetrated the darkness. Deidara's eyes shot open, and he lay in the bed, gasping for air. The white ceiling hung in front of him, and he could barely breathe.
"Oh, finally! God, I thought you were going to sleep forever!" He recognized that voice. He turned his head, staring at the boy, who was staring back.
"Bu..Bushio?" Deidara blinked, and then sat up, grabbing his aching head. Bushio chuckled, standing and grabbing a bottle that lay next to Deidara. Opening it, he quickly shook two pills from the container, handing them and a glass of water to the boy. Deidara stared at him.
"The nurse said that if you woke up to have you take two of these…things," he said. Deidara grinned, taking the pills and downing them with the water. Bushio stood by as he watched him drink the entire glass, putting it down and breathing heavily.
"So…you must have done the trick, huh?" Bushio sat back down in the chair, resting his head on his hands. Deidara looked back at him, his headache quickly receding.
"I…I did?" The older boy laughed, shaking his head.
"Dobe. Of course you did. You put paid to that jerk from the Hidden Mist…but good. I bet he didn't know what hit him," the boy said, chuckling. Events began coming back to Deidara, and he looked down, smiling.
"I guess…I guess I did do it, un," he said. Bushio laughed, coming over to the young boy's side and slapping him on the back.
"Yep, good job! Well, I gotta go check on Yoko. See you in a bit," he said. Deidara looked up.
"Hey…how is she, un?" Bushio stood, looking at him.
"Well, the doctor's say she'll be fine. She inhaled a bunch of that purple gas shit, so it will take her a while to recuperate. But don't worry, she's a fighter…she is on our team, right?" Bushio turned, giving Deidara a thumb's up before leaving the room. Deidara smiled, looking out the open window into the blue sky. So, no one important had died…he was glad. He looked down at his hands, which panted up at him.
"Well guys, we did it, un! We really did it!" They smiled at him, and he chuckled.
"How are you feeling, Deidara?" He stared at his hands.
"Did you just talk to me?" They smiled, tongues lolling out. He heard a soft chuckle to his right, and he looked up.
"No, it was me Deidara. How are you?" The Tsuchikage, a bandage wrapped around his shoulders and his right arm in a cast, stood at the door, smiling down at him. Deidara smiled back.
"I'm alright, Tsuchikage-sama. But…how are you?" The Tsuchikage chuckled slightly at the boy's concern.
"I'll heal, but thank you. It looks like I owe you more than I thought, Deidara…the whole village owes you and your teammates greatly…" he said. Deidara smiled.
"It was nothing, sir. It wasn't anything anyone else wouldn't have done, un," he said. The Tsuchikage walked in, sitting at the foot of the boy's bed.
"That may be true, but you are the one who did it, not anyone else. You saved me, and probably countless lives, Deidara," he said. Deidara stared, and then looked at the bed.
"So, why were they after you, Tsuchikage-sama?" The Tsuchikage took a deep breath, mulling the question over in his mind. Then, he sighed.
"They were greedy, Deidara. Apparently, another village has a bounty on my head that we were unaware of. I have sent a Black Ops team to them to…negotiate. I am sure that the matter will be settled," he said. Then, he brightened, turning back to the boy.
"However, you need to get back into top condition. I have asked the nurses to personally let you stay at the hospital until all your wounds heal and the poison no longer lingers in your body. Do not worry about the cost, I am footing the bill. It is the least I could do…" he said, noting the troubled look on the boy's face. Deidara grinned, smiling up at the old man.
"Thank you, Tsuchikage-sama," he said. The old man smiled back, rubbing the boy's hair with a gnarled hand.
"I am expecting big things from you, Deidara…try not to let me down, alright?" He got up, walking from the room.
"Of course, sir. I would never let you down…that is my nindo…my ninja way, un!" He smiled, exiting the room as Deidara sunk back down into the covers and closed his eyes.
"So, you think you're a big shot now, huh? You do a tiny thing like save the village, and you're some kind of hero, eh?" Deidara knew that voice. He shot up in bed, staring with loathing at the Jounin standing at the door.
"What the hell do you want, un? Didn't humiliate me enough yet?" The boy, clearly angry, glared at the man. He chuckled.
"Now, now. That's no way to talk to a higher-up kid. Sheesh, you need to learn some manners!" Diedara laughed.
"That's funny, un! I would hope you would be the last to teach them to me!" The Jounin just smiled back. He sat down in the unoccupied chair in the room, kicking his left foot up over his leg and staring at the boy.
"You're so nieve, boy. You do know that right? God, and to think that I was almost stuck with you!" He taunted Deidara, who was just getting madder and madder. He wished he had some clay so he could blow the look off the Jounin's face.
"Just…just leave me alone!" Deidara turned in the bed, staring back out the window. The Jounin chuckled, getting up off the chair and walking to the door.
"Oh, just so you know, my name is Tazuriko Morinuchi," he said. Deidara turned around in the bed.
"I thought you were never going to tell me your name. I didn't think it was important since we weren't part of your team. I thought only your team could ever know your name, un," he said, trying his best to act scornful. The Jounin laughed again.
"I know that's what I said…that's why I'm telling you my name," he said. He turned back to the open door. But, before he passed through the portal, his hand shot up.
"I'll expect you and your friends to be at the field where we had that test, bright and early, just as soon as possible. Team 4 begins missions as soon as you regain your health…so please try to hurry, alright?" He chuckled again, walking through the door and down the hallway.
Deidara stared after the man, and then back at his sheets. He put a hand in front of him…and then the excitement couldn't stay bottled up forever.
"I'm…I'm…I'm a Genin now! Yes!" He threw his hands in the air, shouting with glee. The exclamation made his tender lungs hurt, and he coughed, but he was still happy nonetheless. He looked out the window, watching as white clouds flew by.
"I only wish Shizune could see me now…Don't worry, I will find you again…someday," he said. His eyes felt heavy, his breathing became shallower, and he slipped back against his pillow. As his eyes closed…he wondered what else had been in the pill besides pain medication.
I hope you're all enjoying my story. This is for everyone who reviewed, alright? Thanks loads...ummm, also, if you look but don't review, just know that Deidara is coming for you...because...he is the shizzle...and that's where babies come from.